Ted Lasso, Rom-Coms, and Emotional Vulnerability

Why is it important that a show about men who play soccer did a rom-com homage?

Dickinson Behind-the-Scenes: An Interview With the Artisans

Meet the artists who brought the Apple TV+ series to life!

If You Like This, Watch That

Looking for a new TV series to watch? We recommend them based on your preference for musicals, ensemble shows, mysteries, and more!

Friday, July 31, 2015

Rookie Blue 6x06 "Home Run" (Out of Left Field) [Contributor: Hope]


"Home Run"
Original Airdate: July 30, 2015

This was a sneaky little episode. It distracted me with the chaotic baseball shooting. It kept all the characters on my screen and while it started off suspiciously cheery, it made me think the catch was the case of the week. It wasn’t. Here’s the truth: I knew both of this week's big surprises would happen, but I didn’t know when. It’s hard to avoid spoilers when Canada has been ahead of ABC all summer. I’ve steered clear of specific details, but huge things like this… they have a way of finding their way onto your screen and being read before you can avert your eyes. But knowing these things were coming didn’t detract from their impact or element of surprise, and that had a lot to do with the storytelling and pacing.

Gail

Gail had to betray Steve in this episode, which was rough because he’d just done really good by her and given her a great recommendation to the adoption woman. But it really came down to what "the right thing" was and their differing opinions. She wasn't going to compromise her good judgment just so her brother could look better in the eyes of his boss. She had to, in turn, convince Michie to betray her own brother and turn him in. Yes, it would have been good to get the gang leader off the streets. But Gail’s conscience wouldn’t let her say the case was closed when she knew better.

Gail was just great with all the kids in this episode. It wasn’t her forte, pretending to be in charge of the baseball game and acting all friendly with the kids to impress the adoption woman. Because when she pretends, it’s a painful struggle and it’s obvious. She’s snarky and doesn’t pass out sunshine and rainbows to those she doesn’t feel merit them. But when she talked to Michie or Sophie, her whole demeanor changed. There’s nothing wrong with her snarkiness – that’s just who she is – but there’s a lightness that these kids bring to her that was there all along, only hidden. Snarkiness often acts as a wall, a weapon. She opens up around these kids and it’s fantastic character growth.

Andy and Sam

HOW did I not see this coming? The whole episode, Sam’s insisting he needs this weekend away to go well. Well, of course it didn’t, and that was to be expected. They hit what Sam insisted was a rock with their windshield, but he got out of the car with Andy to check the bushes for injured critters anyway. And then they both got poison ivy. Andy was preoccupied with her new information on Juliet, who was caught meeting with her handler when Andy and Chris were running that morning (you never see Andy and Chris hang out anymore. That was nice). Then, they get to Oliver’s cabin by the lake, and it’s been ransacked by wild animals. If Oliver wasn’t SUCH A GOOD GUY, I’d wonder if he sent them there just so someone else could clean up the mess.

We got to periodically check in on these two and their bad luck, but when the episode cut back to them by the dock, where they were finishing cleaning up the mess, we’d spent a good while focused on what was happening over in Toronto. Sam and Andy have a real heart-to-heart, and Sam admits that he just wanted the weekend to be perfect, but it’d just been a condensed version of their lives recently. And you know how Andy replies? "This is better than perfect. It’s us." I thought that would be the ending of their little storyline this week, because that line was perfect. But no.

Andy’s turning away with a rug in each hand when Sam gets down on one knee, right there on the dock. She was shocked. I was shocked. I was also reminded once again what a complete and total soft spot I have for proposal scenes. There were very few words, but let’s face it, they’d all been said already. Words weren’t needed. A major speed bump in their relationship has been a lack of communication (specifically on Sam’s part). Now they’re at a point where they DON’T need to say anything. It was perfect.

The Evidence Locker Explosion Investigation

So long story short: Sam was the reason Juliet came to town. He talked to Noelle, who showed up at the baseball game earlier in the episode and wow, it’s been SO LONG since she was on the show. Anyway, she apparently is now in charge of some internal investigating unit, and sent Juliet in to find out more info (I CALLED IT LAST WEEK!). Here’s who Juliet suspected:

Chris – She also knows about him and Jarvis’ wife, which didn’t faze Noelle in the least. Noelle was firm that it wasn’t him who planted the bomb.

Duncan – To which Noelle replied: "Do you think [his stepfather] would trust him not to screw things up?" Juliet agreed. We all agreed.

Oliver – Whose keycard was swiped before the bomb went off. He's now suspect number one.

He was clearly set up. The question is, how will all the characters react to him being the suspect? Will they defend him to the end or begin giving him the side-eye? Will battle lines be drawn, or will everyone stand by Oliver's side?

Notepad
  • Running backwards burns more calories or something, according to Diaz. You must burn those extra calories when you accidentally run into something. Or someone.
  • "I was just walkin’ the dog." *silent moment when absence of said dog is highly apparent*
  • "That’s what I love about you…Your lack of enthusiasm."
  • Gail: "It’s in our genes [to be mean]."
  • "My passion project." Not.
  • Gail: "There’s this strange sensation… No, I actually think it’s gratitude." She started this episode off in such a good place.
  • Ukulele practice = "selfish improvement"?
  • Chloe: "[We get to help people…] Plus they’re serving hotdogs at lunch, so…"
  • Noelle and Oliver reunited was fantastic. It felt SO real, probably because the actors were reuniting as well. It FELT like two old friends who go way back meeting again, picking right back up where they left off, and it was such a great moment. I hope their friendship isn't damaged by her investigation.
  • "No, we killed a rock."
  • "HOW are you not scratching now?"
  • Ever wonder who still reads the paper? Gang leader dudes, apparently.
  • Andy: "Usually it’s me who’s the one over-enthused about terrible situations."
  • Oh Chloe and Dov, you poor lovesick creatures.
  • "Man that’s just cold." Dude, you live in a glass house. Although I guess it’s nice you draw the line at shooting up baseballs games, mayyyybe you could still reevaluate your line-drawing skills?
  • Sam: "It’s kinda been like the last six months in a little bottle… But you’re still here."
  • Gregory Smith directed this episode (his second one this season) and it was another fantastic job. Notably, that shot of Dov’s feet running across the baseball field, complete with the thudding sound, added to the chaos of the moment.
  • This week’s edition of Hope’s Unedited Notes: NOT OLLIE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. IT WAS NOT OLIVER SHAW.
  • We're past the halfway mark now and I can't believe there are only 5 episodes left. However, they're setting everything into motion for what has got to be an amazing conclusion to the season.

Jenn's Pick: 10 Movies That Actually Need To Be Remade


There are so many unnecessary remakes out there. Did we really need another Footloose with Julianne Hough? Was it truly necessary to remake Scream into an MTV series? And really, should The Karate Kid have been touched? (No, the answer is NO.) There are a lot of bad movie remakes out there, because... well, I think some studios are just running out of ideas, frankly. And the truth is that a lot of the movies that are being remade are ones that were created in the 80s and early 90s. The problem is in the translation -- how do you tell a story that everyone (or a majority of everyone) already knows but tell it in a way that is fresh? How do you create a remake without causing everyone to long for the original? The execution is one thing. The timing is another. And the casting is a major component, too.

I watch a lot of romantic comedies -- I'll watch anything cheesy, sappy, funny, etc. really. I like falling in love with characters as they fall in love with each other. The cool thing is that a romantic-comedy, unless it is bound to a period in time (we'll talk about You've Got Mail soon, don't worry), is usually pretty timeless and adapts well to a remake because the main component is love. And love is something not shackled to time. My friend Laura and I have been semi-joking for about a year that we need to write a remake of one of the movies in this list, and the reason that we totally could is because the comedy and the heart of the film originally wasn't based on the technology from the time period or the city or anything like that. The movie worked because it was well-written and fun.

So I thought about ten different movies (none from later than 1999 appear on this list, actually) that are in desperate need of remakes. But I didn't just stop there. As I said above, remakes work in part because of the cast. And -- with some help from my wonderful friend Chelsea -- I came up with my ideal casts for each of these remakes. Feel free to add your own or comment on these in the comments section or by tweeting me!

Let's get to it, then. Here are ten films that actually need to be remade in the near future.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Orange is the New Black 3x07 "Tongue-Tied" (Story Time) [Contributor: Rae Nudson]


"Tongue-Tied"

Norma. Sweet, amazing, beautiful Norma. This is one of my favorite back-stories because it just seemed to fit Norma so perfectly. She was lost when she was younger, and while searching for ways to empower herself, she stumbled into an unfortunate cult where the leader marries just about every one of his woman followers (think Reverend Wayne Gary Wayne from Kimmy Schmidt). Norma struggled with her stutter, and the cult leader made her feel so welcome and accepted. He told her she’d never have to speak to him again because he could feel her spirit, and he liked it. So of course she would feel good about being a part of this, even if he essentially took away her voice.

But Guru Mack had one thing right: If you don’t like yourself, change your story. Norma changes her story when she decides she’s had enough and pushes Mack right off a cliff. After years of abuse, she became someone who fought back and spoke up for herself. She still finds leaders to follow in prison, like Red and Gloria, but she is also beginning to stick up for herself again.

Norma may have given up performing Santeria magic, but she still gives blessings and hexes people, and allows the women to come to her with their problems. So now instead of following, she is someone people turn to. But when Red comes back into the kitchen, and back into Norma’s day-to-day life, Red immediately takes over, as she always does. When Norma walks away from Red and the kitchen crew at the end of the day and takes credit for punishing Red, it was triumphant. She takes that self-confidence, plus what she learned from her cult and from Gloria’s Santeria magic, to lead her own followers, who she meets in the chapel. Norma may seem like a quiet pushover, but she takes charge of her story.

Suzanne is also learning the power of storytelling by literally writing stories. Her erotic fiction is a little, um, nonsensical, but her writing provides both her and Poussey and escape from the loneliness of prison. And it’s funny. It was too good watching Berdie learn that a Pangolin is a mammal with scales, and seeing Suzanne calmly explain that she was actually using it to mean—well, you get it.

Back at the cafeteria, Piper and Morello play MASH. Morello is using it to create the story of her future life — she’ll marry Gustov, and live in an apartment in Maui with 13 children. As Yoga Jones and Big Boo try to keep Morello’s suitors straight (is that the fatty?), they get to the heart of what Morello is doing by seeing all these men. She’s providing them with an empathetic ear, yes, but also the fantasy of having a prison girlfriend — in exchange for some money for her commissary. As Morello says, “Who cares if it’s a fantasy? If they get what they want, and I get to make a buck, everybody wins.”

Facing reality in Litchfield is sometimes too much to bear, so the inmates have to create fantasies to be able to survive. Some of the inmates are even creating the story they are Jewish so they can get better food to eat in the cafeteria. The inmates have to be all about survival — and sometimes that includes imagining about how things could be better.

Daya is struggling with the future she is creating for her baby as she tries to decide to keep the baby or give it up to Pornstache’s mother. She asks Piper if being rich made her a better person because she had access to things like music lessons, and a big home. Love is the most important thing, Piper says, and after all, they both ended up at Litchfield. But money sure does make life easier. Daya imaging a rich life for her child is another fantasy escape for her, but I do hope that kid’s real life turns out better than Daya’s has been.

Piper was on fire this episode — and that might be the only time you’ll ever hear me say that. Piper’s character works the best for me when she leans into how ridiculous she is. Between denying her five-bathroom house was a mansion and telling her brother her plan to sell panties, she was so funny and enjoyable to watch. Her selfishness and obliviousness create a great foil to the other inmates who have much bigger problems than Piper, even if they are all in the same miserable prison.

Other notes:
  • In a surprising turn of events, the inmate of the episode is Piper, for being really funny this episode. 
  • “Do you hear yourself, sometimes? Like when you speak?” – Morello to Piper. 
  • That new CO who sprayed pepper spray into his own eyes is going to be in way more pain when Alex is done with him.
  • “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?”

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Suits 5x06 "Privilege" (Gone Rogue)


"Privilege"
Original Airdate: July 29, 2015

I'll admit something to you: sometimes I enjoy going rogue on projects or in life in general. I'm the kind of person who likes to take charge of situations, especially if I'm used to being in charge. I'm also an introvert, which means that being around people for too long or too often drains me of energy. So I understand the concept of "going rogue" -- of forging your own path that runs away from other people. But I also place a lot of emphasis and a lot of value on the idea of community. The only way you can build trust is by being surrounded by others; you can't form trust alone. You can't really grow as a person if you're not constantly challenged or constantly engaged. The best you could hope for in those instances is stagnation.

In "Privilege," we see how valuable community is, how valuable trust and communication is, and how important it is for our characters to grasp the idea that in order to build healthy relationships, you need to have healthy foundations. So let's examine where each of our Suits characters were at emotionally, mentally, and physically this week, shall we?

'Pretty Little Liars' Rosewood Roundup: "FrAmed" [Contributor: Megan Mann]


Rosewood Roundup: "FrAmed"
Original Airdate: July 28, 2015

Welcome back to this week's Rosewood Roundup! You guys, we got so close last week to seeing Charles’ face and also managed to get even more clues. Let’s not waste any time and jump right in!

The news has caught wind of Charles being alive and also being the kidnapper and torturer of the Liars. The news then goes on to question if he was also the killer of Ali’s mom, as Ali looks at the screen with sadness. She wonders how all of this could have happened to Charles, when the boy in the video she saw was so sweet. Hanna, who has been on fire lately, wonders how Alison can see good in the person who has been torturing them for so long. In fact, she wants to know how any of the Liars are allowing Alison to feel sad. “I’m not gonna give him the benefit of the doubt. I hope the police catch him.” *Hanna drops the mic*

Hanna and Ashley can’t seem to get ahold of Papa D., so they decide to go to his office and see what he knows about the scholarship money. Ashley doesn’t understand how it’s possible for it to be from Charles. “A gives so A can take away.” How doesn’t Ashley understand that that’s the name of the game by now? When they round the corner to enter his office, they see the doors swarmed by news stations and Ashley doesn’t want Hanna in the spotlight, so they decide to leave.

Clark and Aria are chatting in the coffee shop with Ezra not-even-remotely-subtly lurking in the background. Seriously, it’s like he’s not even trying to hide. Clark rolls off a laundry list of questions about A and can’t seem to understand that Aria does not want to answer them. Since Aria isn’t allowed to go to the gallery for the photo contest, Clark gives her the invite that has her photo on the front. It’s sweet. I still don’t know what his deal is, but that was really sweet. Ezra strolls up literally the second Clark leaves and points out that he was asking far too many questions. Aria reminds him that he’s harmless, but as Ezra intelligently points out, “I’m suspicious of everyone these days.” (GOOD JOB, EZRA.) They talk briefly of the gallery and how her mother fears it’s a terrible idea and he offers to be her date in the event that it would get her there. She basically doesn’t hear him and says he gave her a better idea. He’s visibly sad and my little heart still misses the two of them together.

Ali is at Lorenzo’s apartment and she tells him that her dad won’t talk to her and Jason since the arcade incident. Lorenzo says that “It must be hard to know that all of this has been your brother.” Ali seems really shaken up about Charles getting hurt and that’s really weird. He tried to kill her when she was a baby! Anyway, Lorenzo seems to be getting a little too close for comfort and he’s giving me a ton of weird vibes. Back at Aria’s house, Tanner is helping her convince Ella that it’s okay for the girls to go to the gallery. As she looks at Aria’s photos, she says, “You have an eye for detail, Aria.” (Sounds like another thing to add to the “Is Aria A?” column.) But it’s nice that Tanner is finally starting to work with the girls now that she no longer suspects them.

But when the girls finally get the go ahead for the gallery, we see, as we all suspected, that Charles was watching the space. But it’s not just that, you guys! A buzzer sounds and he presses a red button letting someone in. Who is that someone? RED COAT. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? RED COAT?! Now we know that A is certainly not working alone and his accomplice is most certainly a girl. This is almost too much to handle.


While Aria is getting ready for the night, Emily lets us all know that the girls will be there with her for her big night. Of course, with A watching, this feels like a colossally bad idea and I feel like this isn’t going to end well for anyone. Emily reaches into Aria's closet to grab a garment bag, and Aria says she can’t see it. It’s her prom dress. (For the record, I find it rude and inappropriate that I’m not allowed to see it.) Emily talks about her dress, too, and says that she hopes that they even get to wear them. Turns out the girls' parents all got an email saying that they may not be allowed to attend as many parents feel they will be endangering their children. “After all we’ve been through, we deserve to go.” TOO RIGHT, EMS.

Spencer and Hanna go to the Carrisimi Group to do some recon. Hanna is automatically suspicious and tells Spencer not to speak as it could be bugged and the mirror could be two-way. Spencer thinks she’s absolutely nuts, but I mean, can you even blame Hanna at this point? Rhys Matthews comes into the room and looks eerily like a DiLaurentis. Ugh.

Back at Lorenzo’s apartment, he tells Ali that her father is participating with the investigation and is in no way involving his attorney. This seems slightly fishy. Does he know more than he has lead us to believe? What else has he been hiding? He also says that Tanner has called in a profiler to fill in the blanks of what the cops have so far. Meanwhile, back at Aria’s, she and Emily are having normal, regular, everyday girl chat and it’s just so cute. They’re actually allowed to talk about normal things like Emily kissing Sarah and Aria not knowing what to do about prom, and I’m totally in love with this very rare moment.

Aria asks if Sarah knows about the trackers and this is interesting to me. Emily says that she won’t tell her about them but shouldn’t she? Shouldn’t she also be worried about her being tracked? Does this mean that she might be the girl in the red coat? Especially seeing as how she wasn't in this episode and she mysteriously went "home" last week. And to add to it, Aria mentions how Clark had too many questions and basically admits to being thrown off by his need for answers. Why would she want to be interviewed? Something feels really off about that and it’s not sitting well with me.

Spencer and Hanna sit down to talk to DiLaurentis look-alike “Rhys Matthews” (I will say that that’s a great fake name if it is fake because it’s just really good). He’s very suave and all business. He doesn’t hesitate when answering all of Spencer’s easy but strategic questions, but there’s definitely something lurking underneath. He says that all applicants who receive the scholarships are chosen by his employer, a man who doesn’t frequently interact with most people. Hmm. Tell me that that doesn’t sound super sketchy. Hanna snaps a shot of him before they leave and says, “He’s definitely hiding something.”

While the other girls are at the gallery supporting Aria, Ali swipes Lorenzo’s police ID card. Bad move, girl. Ugh. Hanna wonders if the Carrisimi Group isn’t “some elaborate black hoodie” and they aren’t sure whether to tell the others what they know, but Emily gets them to spill the beans. Hanna shows her the picture and Emily asks why she has a picture of Jason on her phone. When they tell her it’s a photo of Rhys, they’re all clearly thinking the same thing.

Aria sees Ezra, who came up to support her, and be still my heart, okay? Call me crazy, but I really miss those two being together. She asks Ezra to go to prom with her and I’m sitting here like, “Isn’t that super weird? Like, aren’t there rules and age restrictions? And he was totally a teacher, so. No, Aria.” Before he can answer, Emily’s friend Nicole walks up to Ezra, and Aria sprints towards Clark to avoid her embarrassment. All I can think about when they’re talking is that something just isn’t adding up with him. When Aria asks if Clark has any family there to support him on his big night, he says he doesn't. “I didn’t want them [my parents] to feel obligated to come in case I didn’t win.” I sense a lie right there and it’s not even a good one.
 
It’s time to reveal the contestants’ photos and when the lights come up, Aria’s display is front and center and they aren’t Aria’s photos; they’re the girls on the autopsy tables in the dollhouse. WHAT A BOMB. I didn’t see that one coming, that’s for sure.


Of course, that shuts down the whole gallery, which has now become a crime scene. A has called the photos “Stolen Dolls” and Ella wonders where this will end. Tanner tells Ella and Aria that the rest of the title (in Spanish) has a double meaning and one of the meanings says that basically the girls aren’t Linda’s (hers). Ella wonders if Charles feels like Tanner took something from him when they rescued the girls from the dollhouse. She says that not only did A want to ruin Aria’s big night and exploit the girls, but to send her a personal message. “That he thinks we belong to him? We already knew that. We lived that.” Good point, Aria. Tanner says that Charles wanted to prove that the more she uncovered about his life, the more he could uncover about hers.

Ella rightfully freaks out and wants to know when any of them are going to be safe. She’s irate that he made a display out of the girls and wanted everyone to see the control he has. He was there in that room and they still don’t have him. Tanner says that they’re dusting for fingerprints and they have security footage to review, but this is A, guys. Do we really think he’s going to leave a print? Or be on camera? Ella just wants to know when they’re going to find A, and I’m like dude, get in line.

While Ali sneaks into an eerily empty precinct, everyone but Aria is outside waiting at the valet. They look across the street and oh, look who we have here! It’s Rhys Matthews! You just decided to casually roll up on this place and talk on your phone right outside where the girls are? Coincidence? I THINK NOT. He’s definitely playing some sort of role here. The girls get in the car and follow him to a weird factory and decide, for once, not to follow someone into a sketchy building. Good job. Meanwhile, Ali walks into the room in the precinct housing the A investigation and is surrounded by, as Spencer put it two episodes ago, “A’s greatest hits.” Of COURSE Tanner walks in and finds Ali where she’s not supposed to be.

Tanner is obviously livid with Ali. No matter what Tanner says, Ali is still trying to find the good in Charles. Again, he tried to kill you when you were a baby, so you should take a step back and reevaluate, girl. She asks why Charles would have Ali’s things and though Ali wants to assume it’s to have something of the family that left him behind, Tanner says that maybe she’s not looking at it the right way. Sociopaths are just as easily as sentimental and will have anything that will give them hair or skin. Duh, of course the dude’s a sociopath. For Ali to think otherwise is totally bonkers to me.

- “What will happen when you find him?
- “We’ll bring him to justice. With lethal force if necessary.”

Ezra comes out to talk to Aria and she apologizes for interrupting his date. He explains that it wasn’t a date and that he just wanted to learn more about what Aria was doing. Cool. Can we take the cuteness down a notch? Like, I’m not impressed if you two don’t get back together. The two wonder why A did what he did. “He’s so close to being caught. He has nothing to lose.” While that might be true, Aria thinks that it’s more that he wants the girls back and he’ll stop at nothing to prove that. For the first time, Aria really discusses her time in Iceland and how she thinks back to when she was there and how none of this could touch her. There, none of this could have happened. While it was freezing there, Aria hasn’t been able to feel anything but cold since she left.

At the doll factory, another car rolls up and I think we’re about to see A’s accomplice BUT NO. Instead, who gets out of the car? CLARK. I TOLD YOU GUYS HE WASN’T RIGHT. There was something off about that that dude and him walking into that factory after Rhys just cements that. Ali is back at Lorenzo’s apartment and he’s also furious with her when he discovers what she did. She’s put his whole job in jeopardy but she doesn’t care. All she cares about is the fact that the police are going to kill Charles on sight once they see him. Again, WHY DOES THAT MATTER? I’m over Ali already.

Ashley offers to make Ella tea, as she can see something is wrong with the woman. Ashley obviously doesn’t know what happened at the gallery. They discuss the girls not being able to go to prom and then Ella says that the police aren’t doing enough; that they have to figure something out... but what? As she tells Ashley what happened at the gallery, the shot pans out and RED COAT is standing there. Totally casual. NOT.

Aria opens the door for the girls and no one wants to say anything. Finally, Emily says, “Your friend Clark. We’re not so sure he’s a friend.” They tell her what they saw as Tanner reviews the security footage and sees Rhys changing out Aria’s photographs. Would A be that careless and not hide his identity? Methinks not. We see the shot of a trunk and a bag of viles. You know, VILES OF DRUGS TO KNOCK THE GIRLS OUT. A gets in the backseat of a car, knocks on the window and Red Coat hands over an envelope with tickets to prom. So, wait. The girls are going to prom? Boy, this has been a whirlwind of a dance dilemma!

We are only one more episode away from coming face to face with A on August 11th! From the previews, can we assume that A speaks to Alison directly? Could the girls be right? Could Rhys be Charles? Why would he take a meeting with two of them and give himself up like that? And why would he allow his face to be on security footage? Wouldn’t he take more precaution? Or is that actually Charles, and A is just someone pretending to be Charles? And who is Red Coat? It can’t possibly be Cece. I’m leaning more towards Sarah. What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments or over on twitter @MissMeganMann!

See you next week! We only have one episode after that until we FINALLY SEE A’S FACE! (My money is still on Wren. Shhh!)

Monday, July 27, 2015

#JennAtSDCC: Roundtable Interviews (Cast & Producers of 'Limitless')


LIMITLESS @ SDCC
Press room interviews, featuring EPs Craig Sweeny, Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin, director Marc Webb, Jake McDorman (Brian Finch), and Hill Harper (Spelman Boyle)

I'm slowly making my way through transcribing our San Diego Comic-Con CBS roundtable interviews. (I'll be working on coverage from SDCC for the next few weeks, it seems like.) In case you missed our first interviews and transcriptions with the cast of Scorpion, you can listen to/read them here!

I absolutely loved sitting down with the cast and EPs of CBS's new fall series Limitless (loosely based on the movie of the same name). We were treated, as I mentioned in my Thursday recap, to a screening of the pilot which definitely exceeded my expectations and solidified a place on my watch-list for the fall. The pilot is beautifully directed, the cinematography and integration of graphics is stellar, and the acting is fantastic. (Though I'm really a sucker for anything and everything Jake McDorman-related after watching him for years in Greek and Hill Harper was my constant high school TV companion in my days of CSI:NY obsession.) Below, I've linked off to the audio of our interviews via Soundcloud, as well as transcribed them.

Enjoy and be sure to check out this new series on CBS in the fall!

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Hannibal 3x08 "The Great Red Dragon" (Madness is Waiting) [Contributor: Rae Nudson]


"The Great Red Dragon"
Original Airdate: July 25, 2015

It’s been three years since the insanity at the Verger farm, but Hannibal and company have not been able to leave the horror behind. With Hannibal the Cannibal in a jail cell, Jack has returned to solving murder cases, and, boy, does he have a good one to sink his teeth into. (Sorry, I couldn’t help it.)

The Tooth Fairy aka the Red Dragon aka Francis Dolarhyde has finally come on the scene, in one of the most horror-like episodes of Hannibal so far. Without ever saying a word, Dolarhyde is one of the creepiest, scariest villains the show has ever created. And when the title character is a man who eats people, that is quite an accomplishment. I haven’t read the books or seen all of the Hannibal movies (I’ll remedy this ASAP), so I didn’t know what was coming and couldn't connect all the references. But you don’t need much background to understand the fact that the Tooth Fairy is a bad, bad guy. Everything — from his obsession with a painting of a dragon, the old teeth he buys on the black market (I mean, buying teeth isn’t legal, right?), to the reptilian way he moves — adds up to a truly memorable monster.

And the public seems to think so, too. This is no serial killer with fancy illusions and fussy aesthetics who will always have niche appeal (*cough* just like the show *cough*); this guy is the real deal. He is the Boogeyman who sneaks into homes to kill entire families, and the Boogeyman has wide appeal. (Don’t worry, Hannibal, you’ll always be my No. 1.)

Hannibal’s trial ended sometime in the three years the show skipped. Somehow, he was found criminally insane, even though he is the sanest of them all — perhaps because the atrocities he committed never bothered him, so he was never pushed over the edge like Alana or Will. Alana is in charge of the Baltimore hospital for the criminally insane, and Dr. Chilton has moved on to writing books and presumably appearing on talk shows. Both of them, though, are still bound by Hannibal and the lies they told to get him into jail. There is a slender Wendigo statue with antlers in Alana’s new office — antlers appear everywhere in this episode and have always represented the evil in Hannibal — because, after all, she couldn’t have gotten this job without Hannibal. He is a part of Alana’s psyche now, just like her bold red lipstick and her power suits.

In fact, Hannibal is even closer to Alana now that he’s been caught. Hannibal is jailed in Alana’s hospital, in the most beautiful prison cell. Bryan Fuller said on Twitter that Hannibal’s cell was similar to Alana’s office and inspired by Stanley Kubrick. And it really does fit with Hannibal’s aesthetic. He passes the time in his cell using his memory palace to imagine places he’d rather be, like a church in Florence, listening to an angel singing. Hannibal also has ample time to practice drawing and keep up with his correspondence. (It is a great mystery to me why Hannibal is allowed things like a sharp pencil — and did he cook in his jail cell? But Hannibal has never been that concerned with logic, so I’ll let it slide.)

While Hannibal is busy practicing his arts, he never stops missing Will. But Will has moved on. He’s found a lovely wife, Molly, and he’s a stepdad to a sweet kid. He even has a brand new cabin in the woods. But no matter how deep in the woods Will is, it won't stop his old life from finding him. Jack intrudes on Will's sanctuary and invites himself to dinner. In a cruel move, he plays on Will and Molly’s empathy by showing them pictures of a family that was killed. And how could Will say no to helping Jack, once he learned the family had a pet dog?

So Will enters the crime scene home of the family who was killed to see what he can learn. And then things got truly terrifying. With every step into this family’s house, Will descends slowly back into the life of horror he knew before. His flashlight illuminated the house, and also his imagination. Around every corner, he saw more blood and was able to piece more together about how this family died. These scenes were Hannibal at its chilling best, and needless to say, I was very creeped out. Will’s flashlight and the blood spatter connected him to the crime scene in a visceral way, reaching out from his body and his mind to touch the blood that was spilled. Will fell right back into his old habit of picturing himself as the killer, and he got to reprise that old line once again: “This is my design.”

And with those four words, the show has reverted back to a format akin to season one. Jack, Will, and the FBI staff work on solving a murder. Will looks at clues and pieces together the persona of a killer. And Hannibal and Will talk like old friends.

I’m excited to see this return to form, though I’m sure there will be some new and terrifying things to come.

Dessert:
  • Will’s sweater game is still on point.
  • The scenes of the family being killed reminded me so much of In Cold Blood, the book by Truman Capote about a family in Kansas being murdered. Also, the only book to ever give me bad dreams.
  • It’s been two episodes since we’ve seen Bedelia, and now one since Margot. They did mention Freddie was still poking around though, so hopefully we’ll see at least one of the Hannibal women soon.

Series: Summer Lovin' - Week 6


What reminds you most of summer?

As an adult with a full-time job that doesn't include summer (a fact that baffles the kids who I volunteer to spend time with weekly), there are a few things that remind me of the summers spent as a child. The smell of sunscreen (or truly anything coconut-scented) sends me back to the days where my mom would slather the stuff on us and then send us over to our next-door neighbors' backyard to play in their above-ground pool. Last year, three friends and I hung out in the pool of one of the girls' condos. When we got out to lay on our towels, my friend Heather brought out her cooler which was stuffed full with Otter Pops. All of us -- all mid-to-late twenty-somethings -- ended up eating at least four of the popsicles each, devouring their brightly-colored pure sugar water. Eating those reminded us all of childhood summers spent in backyards, at barbecues, and poolside.

Summer Lovin' has been such a fun series for me to do because it's allowed all of us on staff to take breaks from our normal fall television review schedules and just enjoy time binge-watching Netflix, reading in our backyards, or beating the heat by sitting in an air-conditioned movie theatre for a few hours. We hope you've enjoyed this series as much as we have! So let's kick off our sixth installment. This week, I have the distinct honor of the following writers joining me:

  • Supernatural guru and adorable human being, Deena Edwards
  • Leo, crepe-lover, and recent birthday girl, Chelsea!
  • Queen of The X-Files and meta commentary, Lizzie
  • Lover of animals, Adam Scott, and snarky live-tweeting, Laura
Ready? Here we go!

Saturday, July 25, 2015

#JennAtSDCC: Comic-Con, Sunday Edition ("... I don't want to go.")


If you missed any of my San Diego Comic-Con 2015 coverage, here's a little handy guide for what has been posted thus far (I'll have two more interviews -- one with the producers and stars of Zoo, and the other with the producers and stars of the upcoming CBS series Limitless) posted before the entire weekend recap is over):

And so, this brings us to the final day of Comic-Con: Sunday. Honestly, when I perused the schedule of panels and activities for Sunday morning and afternoon, I was relieved. (And also really mad that Comic-Con doesn't release their schedule in enough time for people to make better flight arrangements, because I would have left Sunday afternoon had I known.) As it turns out, there was nothing on the schedule I was interested in seeing. I'm not a fan of Supernatural, which was one of the biggest headliners of that morning. 

When I woke up on Sunday, I had gotten a lot of sleep but was still exhausted. And sick. Like, really feeling horrible. Ilene was too, so she and the other girls went to breakfast and stopped at CVS to get some decongestant. (Which worked miracles for a few hours.) Meanwhile, I woke up prepared to go to brunch with Natalie at Cafe 21 in the Gaslamp District. Unfortunately, she couldn't make it, but I went anyway and it was AMAZING. And cheap! Even though I had a sore throat, I was determined to have a mimosa (after you've been looking forward to one for the entire weekend, it's a necessity) and a crepe.

MIMOSA. STRAWBERRY MIMOSA.

YOU GUYS, THE CREPE. THE CREPE WAS SO GOOD.

Cafe 21 was actually relatively on-par with other brunch places -- my entire meal cost me less than $20 -- and the food was really good. Totally worth it, so if you're in San Diego for Comic-Con next year (or just in general), definitely check this place out. They have a lunch menu too!

After breakfast, the girls and I spent our final hours together (minus Emmy) at the convention walking the floor. Before we got there though, right outside of the convention center, there happened to be a little bit of a fandom-centric street fair. And blessedly, Scream Queens had an ice cream cart set up there! All you had to do was take a photo in front of the cart and use the hashtag they requested to post your photo on social media. BAM. Free ice cream. 

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Scream Queens!
(And ice cream. Duh doy.)

(For the record, free ice cream is better than regular ice cream, and felt amazing on my throat.)

Inside, we walked... er, SHUFFLED through throngs of people on the floor in order to see just how insane the Funko line was. As it turns out, it was a) insane and b) barely had anything left in stock. I decided that it was better to order online than to try and brave THAT crowd for the next few hours. "Free" just so happened to be the word when it came to the floor at Comic-Con, and while we were  wandering around, looking for swag, we happened upon a table that was giving away free Agents of SHIELD posters. 


Even though I don't watch SHIELD, I thought the poster was really cool and would be great for a giveaway!... Unfortunately here's what ended up happening: I got on my first airplane of the night in San Diego and looked into my purse, where I had stashed the poster. And I found out that my water bottle had somehow opened and emptied a quarter of itself into my bag, ruining my poster (among other things). SO BUMMED.

Still, the girls and I enjoyed shuffling through the floor and looking at some of the artist stalls, we all decided to call it an afternoon and ended up meeting up with Ilene again at the nearby Marriott to charge our phones and crash until we all needed to leave.

GROO2-D2 ON DISPLAY.

This, my friends, is the epitome of the final day of Comic-Con in a single photograph (however unflattering the angle may be. THANKS JAMIE.) -- all of us exhausted, playing on our phones, and using our bags as pillows.


Comic-Con was an absolutely amazing experience. It was exhausting and stressful at times, but totally worth all of the energy that I put into it. I headed back to Orlando feeling happy and grateful (and really blessed by God because SERIOUSLY my flight back home was also delayed and I had a connection to make, but Frontier Airlines made sure that all of our connecting flights were held for us and that everyone got home safely). ... And sick. If you can avoid flying with a cold, do so. Flying with mine made landing in Orlando super painful on my ears and revealed that I had a double ear infection. YAYYYYYYYY #CONCRUD!

Seriously though, guys, I'm: a) so grateful that I got to spend time with amazing people while I was in San Diego, b) so happy I had the chance to meet new people, make connections, and make memories. 

I'll see you next year, San Diego.

This time I'll remember to bring Emergen-C.

Cosplay of the Day - Sunday:

LADY CAP. AGENT CARTER. #ladies

Friday, July 24, 2015

#EBRSquad: Celebrating the Birthday of Arrow's Emily Bett Rickards


When I looked up how old Emily Bett Rickards was turning today, I almost did one of those 90s comedy spit-takes because, as it turns out, she's two years younger than I am as of this moment. I was stunned because the amount of grace and poise and class that Emily exudes -- and the degree of sophistication and effort she puts into her craft -- makes it feel like she's older than she actually is. I love Emily Bett Rickards: as her alter ego on Arrow, Felicity Smoak; as her witty Twitter handle; as a person, in general, etc. I've only had one brief interaction with EBR and that was waving to her from the press pit as she exited the stage at the Arrow Comic-Con panel this year. That's it. That's all it was. But I can tell from the way she presents herself that she's an awesome human being.

There was a segment on my local radio station today where the DJ asked callers who they would choose as a celebrity best friend. I feel like Emily Bett would be the Taylor Swift of her friend group, and I'd be happy to be rolling in the #EBRSquad.

So today, I wanted to take a few minutes to celebrate our favorite precious star and thank her for essentially being who she is and being unafraid of that. When I began watching Arrow, I knew I would like Felicity Smoak. Tumblr told me as much. But I wasn't prepared to absolutely adore the blonde IT guru and that's really thanks to Emily. She's the one who brought this character to life. Lest we ever forget, Felicity wasn't supposed to have a huge role in this show. She certainly wasn't planned to be Oliver's love interest. But Emily breathed so much life into this show and to her character that it would have been absurd for the producers to let her go. And that is exactly what Emily has continued to do throughout this series and beyond -- she is fun, vibrant, bringing levity to the darkest of situations as Felicity and bringing sass and wit wherever she goes.

The fact of the matter is that Felicity is relatively normal apart from her intellect regarding computers and technology. She struggles to do sit-ups. She dyes her hair. She babbles and can't wield a gun. But she's a strong woman (I've talked about this numerous times before) because she believes in her worth as a human being. She fights for hope and for happiness in others. She messes up sometimes. She's victorious other times. She's sensitive and strong; snappy sometimes and sappy the next. Felicity Smoak never needs to wear a mask to be a hero. She already is one. She's a hero simply because she never stops fighting for what she believes in. And Emily Bett Rickards has shone for three years in this role because she understands all of that about Felicity implicitly.

So thank you, first of all, for being born today EBR. But thank you for proving to everyone that you don't have to wear a mask or a costume to be a hero -- that your worth is determined by what you fight for, not how you fight for it. I'm not the only one in the world who appreciates Emily though. I took to the Interwebz and here are some reasons why others love this actress:

Rookie Blue 6x05 "A Real Gentleman" (Just Being There) [Contributor: Hope]


"A Real Gentleman"
Original Airdate: July 23, 2015

Can you believe we are almost halfway through season six? Episode five of eleven of SEASON SIX. Can we just stop and give the series a big round of applause for that? It also boggles my mind that I’ve been watching this show for six years already. I guess what I’m saying is I love Rookie Blue, but you guys knew that already.

So far this season, Rookie Blue has been avoiding the standard procedural format (at least, as standard as you can get with a very character-driven procedural), and I’m loving it. This was what normally would have been the mid-season, high-stakes episode that breaks up the normal rhythm of the show. Instead, it was yet another powerful hour where something crazy happens to our characters. Let’s get started.

Traci

While last week focused on Nick, this week was Traci’s episode, and I was glad because we haven’t seen much of her this season. I only wish she didn’t have to have such a terrifying story in order to take center stage. Traci was nervous about her first raid, so the episode started out with her and Steve getting some (foreshadowing) coffee and being adorable. She gave a powerful speech to the precinct, and then things went downhill.

I’ll admit it: I looked up the primetime schedule to see what the episode was going to be about. Just for non-spoiler-y, vague details, you know? Unfortunately, I walked straight into a gigantic spoiler that I TOTALLY SHOULD HAVE SEEN COMING but still. So I knew the creep from the season premiere would be coming back. And dear God, was he creepy. But Traci completely held her own. They had an all-out fight, fair fight that ended in Traci locking herself in a supply closet. She clocked him upside the head with this... well, I don’t know what it was. And when he fought back, who protected her? Not Steve. ANDY! Andy not only gave the dude who broke into her apartment in the premiere a serious elbow to the ribs and a death-glare to match, but also took down the man who kidnapped Traci. Steve and Sam were right behind them, but their physical strength wasn't needed. Steve immediately gives Traci emotional support, and gently pries Traci’s makeshift weapon from her hand once outside.

Things didn’t get too awkward when Leo told Gail she’d make a great aunt, right in front of Traci and Steve. But I do think there was truth to what Traci told Corey: Steve CAN be overprotective (I mean, did you see what he did to the first guy they caught?). This episode not only restated the fact that Traci is (as Gail put it) a superhero and doesn’t need to be protected, but also showed that Steve can just BE there for her as well. I think they could work out.

At the end of the episode, Andy and Traci hug and it’s just a really beautiful moment. Andy tells her "I’m insanely proud of you." Traci had been there for her throughout the beginning of the season, when the plot focused on Andy. Now it was Andy's turn to be there. Could we call these two best friends? I don't think they've ever termed it that way, but they should.

Nick

Nick and Juliet... no comment. I'm going to remain neutral. Actually, you know what? I do have a comment. I’ll admit that I’m not completely on board with this relationship, because Juliet definitely has things she’s hiding from everyone. Nick tried to confront her (without being confrontational) and she lied to his face. Maybe she can't tell him her secret, but she could admit she can't tell him something about herself. I think he'd respect her privacy. I have a theory, though. Remember how the evidence-room bombing case got closed? What if that was a cover? Maybe she’s there investigating it and that’s why she was planted there as a spy. However, since Dov and Marlo (who was absent from the episode because the case was "over") were looking into it, you would’ve thought Juliet would have concerned herself with them. Oh well. I think I just blew my own theory. Moving on.

Chris

WHY is he still seeing Jarvis' wife?! Although, I think this episode might have changed that. Firstly, Gail and Dov were trying to make him see reason again. Secondly, Jarvis’ wife tried to get him to break his sobriety and that’s NOT cool. Chris certainly wasn’t cool with it, either. He’s in an awful situation that’s a figurative ticking time bomb, and he needs to get out of it. Now.

One of the best things about this show is how close the characters are and how much they care about each other. There was a general (mostly controlled – I mean, they’re cops) panic when Traci was missing. Dov and Gail took care of Leo and tried to distract him. Juliet and Duncan stayed at the desk, where Juliet used her knowledge of computers to help figure out who took Traci. Andy insisted over and over that the first suspect they found had something to do with Traci’s disappearance – and if they hadn’t believed that, they might not have figured it out. Steve was there for Traci, from trying to calm her nerves about the raid to quietly supporting her after the events of the episode were over. There are so many characters, and they're often being pulled in at least two directions. It was wonderful to see them all act as a unified force.

Notepad
  • "You couldn’t be more prepared." Sure Steve, jinx her why don’t you.
  • Steve: "Shake it out." *jogs/dances around the car* *accidentally sets off alarm*
  • "Come on, Seaweed."
  • "You’re like a snooze ninja."
  • "And she didn’t even jog around the car!"
  • PSA: Check your car before you enter it, guys. If Traci had taken a second to look in the backseat, the episode would’ve been practically over before it began.
  • Gail before the raid, preparing to be stealth: *jumps up and down* *Andy watches, confused* "Do you hear anything? Keys jangling?"
  • Gail and Dov with Leo was simply adorable. And the banana phone!
  • Dov to Leo: "Will you do me a favor and arrest Gail for being such a ding dong?"
  • They faked us out with the wrong basement! I kind of saw it coming, but that didn't damage the suspense at all.
  • Not much with Andy and Sam and the whole baby thing in this episode. I’m not saying that I’m tired with the storyline or anything, but this show has always had a large cast of main characters, and it’s only gotten bigger over the years. They’re taking care not to completely sideline anyone, and I respect the show a lot for that. Sometimes the only way to include all the characters is to feature different ones each week. And that is working wonderfully for Rookie Blue.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

'Pretty Little Liars' Rosewood Roundup ("O Brother Where Art Thou") [Contributor: Megan Mann]


Rosewood Roundup: "O Brother, Where Art Thou"
Original Airdate, July 21, 2015

Hello! And welcome back to another week of the Rosewood Roundup! Last week the girls finally learned how A had known where they all were every second via the trackers in their necks and that in three episodes we would finally see Charles’ face. Oh, and did I forget to mention the part about how Charles is probably still alive since he snuck out the same night Bethany did? Whew, what a whirlwind. Let’s jump into this week’s episode.

Aria and Spencer are researching microchips to figure out what’s going on, you know, in their necks. While Aria jokingly suggests they leave them in, Spencer actually (seriously) agrees. Her reasoning? Charles has no idea that the girls know about the trackers. It’s the only leverage they have at the moment, and they have to figure out how to use it. The phone rings and it’s Mona letting them know that Leslie has finally agreed to talk to the girls.

Switching over to Alison and Papa D. and... um, excuse me. Where are you two going? Alison shakes as she asks her dad where they’re headed. “Where were you just now? Where are you taking me?” He tells her that they’re going somewhere safe and that's when Ali sees the birthday card from Charles. “He’s alive isn’t he? And he’s coming for us.” Ali knows the truth without her father, whose hands are caked in dirt, even answering. She’s scared and so is Papa D.

Hanna, who is turning into as good of a liar as Aria, tells her mom that she was just running out to grab muffins, even though she was going to Mona’s. Ashley surprises her with a college tuition check and said she applied for every scholarship she could find while Hanna was missing. It helped to feel like Hanna still had hope for a future, even though she was gone. The name of the organization sounds eerily familiar and I’m fairly positive it was the group that purchased Radley once it was closed down. Since Jason suggested it, does anyone else feel like the DiLaurentis family owns part of that company? Feels fishy to me.

None of the girls can get a hold of Ali and it’s starting to worry them. Emily is stopped by Sarah’s friend Claire from a season or two ago. Remember her? (She was in the "previously on" in this episode, so you knew she would reappear.) Anyway, she asks where Sarah is and Emily is certainly reluctant to give up any sort of information but eventually gives in and says Claire can see Sarah once she’s done at therapy.

Oh, right, Toby! You still live here? What’s up, my dude? He gives Spencer this really great speech about how they don’t do secrets and even though Spencer agrees, she lies RIGHT TO HIS FACE and says she’s merely going to Aria’s to write her valedictorian speech. Ugh to the max.

Hanna, Spencer and Aria get to Mona’s and Leslie is a no-show. Again, Aria makes another reference to a doll and I’m frankly starting to wonder what they’re trying to say with that. That’s something that’s far too frequent to just mean that she’s scared of dolls. They're making a point to include it and I want to know what that point is. Anyway. Moving on... Leslie tells Mona that she has made too much progress in her stability to talk to the girls about this, feeling that it might set her back. Well, Leslie definitely set something off as the girls are furious. They, in turn, start to interrogate Mona who says that while she thought that this person stole the A game from her while in Radley, she was on so many drugs that she could have said anything. The girls certainly don’t buy it.

Emily tells Sarah that she doesn’t have to see Claire if she’s not ready and if she needs her to, she could come and act as a buffer. Things get awkward as the girls discuss the kiss the night before and it just stays awkward. Emily suggests that they should both take the time to think about what they want after everything that they’ve been through. I told you there was definitely something there!

Lorenzo comes to the house looking for Alison, and Jason says that she’s out of town with their dad. He says he’s been trying to get a hold of her, but, like everyone else, has been unable to. Jason tells Lorenzo that the cops can leave, since Ali wouldn’t be home for a few days. As Jason walks away, he spots a red balloon attached to the porch. It comes with an envelope with an invitation to Charles’ birthday party and a blue, plastic frog. Okay, so clearly now, all of the DiLaurentis family has been warned of Charles' very-much-alive-ness and are totally freaked out.

And look, you guys, Mike decided to come back, too! This is great. So many throwbacks in this episode. I’ve been wondering where he’s been. (Besides over on Teen Wolf.) Mike asks Aria if she told Mona not to call him, as she’s been shutting him out. This confuses Aria. She doesn’t understand why Mona won’t return Mike's calls or texts or agree to see him. Mike asks what to do, but Aria doesn’t genuinely know.

Emily and Sarah meet up with Claire and things are super tense. But Sarah breaks the silence and asks all about everyone the girls knew and were friends with. While this is happening, Spencer and Hanna are at the coffee shop looking at the Carissimi Group’s website for more information on her scholarship -- a scholarship not listed on their site. A-ha! See?! I knew they were the group that had purchased Radley! I knew there was something fishy about this! Spencer, do your sleuthing and find out that it’s the DiLaurentis family. We all know it and now you have to prove it.

While Emily gets territorial over Sarah and doesn’t want her staying with Claire, Spencer, pulling out more intellect, says that the group’s name means “beloved” in Italian. As in Charles, beloved son. As in, Jason told Ashley about it and this minor mystery is finally all coming together. Spencer gets a call and walks off while the waitress drops a bag of (totally cannabis) candies into her bag. The phone call is from Ali and before Spencer can tell her, Ali reveals that she already knows Charles is alive. She’s worried about Jason and Papa D. is stressed trying to figure out what to do.

While Sarah tells Emily her presence has put Emily's family out enough and she’s leaving soon to go stay with Claire, the other Liars head over to talk sense to Jason. Oh, and Mike sneaks into Mona’s room to confront her. She knows what they did was wrong and stupid, but Mike doesn’t care as long as Mona’s alive. When the Liars meet up again and fill Emily in on what's happened, Hanna says she put a GPS tracker on Jason’s car so they’ll be able to follow him. Emily reminds them that they’re being tracked as well. “That’s why we’re going to remove our chips and leave our cell phones behind; anything that Charles can track us with.” The girls fight over whether or not this is a good idea. Spencer says they’ll bring Toby into the loop. “He has a gun and a badge. He can protect us.” Hanna brings out a scalpel and a towel and Spencer asks, “Who wants to go first?”

Toby is obviously furious with Spencer and the girls for withholding this information about Charles. Dude, they JUST found out he was still alive. They went from thinking he was alive to being certain he was dead to fully convinced he's alive again. Give them a break, okay? God. But he won’t let the girls follow Jason. He says it’s too dangerous and if he can’t tell Tanner about this, then he has to work alone. He spots the sweets left in Spencer’s bag, swipes them (dude, not cool) and leaves. While Ali is sneaking sleeping pills to render Papa D. unconscious in a plan that already seems like a terrible idea, Toby is popping mouthfuls of Spencer’s special candy and getting his partner to “help out” another precinct and swing by where Jason is located. At least when Lorenzo becomes suspicious, Toby doesn’t lie to him.

Instead of listening to Toby or dialing 911 like Aria is poised to do, the girls stupidly decide to follow. But it seems their plan has... actually worked! Once Toby has walked in, A checks the trackers and sees all the girls are still at Spencer’s house. Finally, the Liars were actually one step ahead of Charles! This is great news! I have the distinct feeling that this victory will be short-lived, but STILL.

Ali walks out of the hotel and gets into Mona’s car. Jason, meanwhile, looks to be in some creepy, rundown arcade. He sees a shadow walk towards him and knows who it is immediately. Ali decides that her best option is to call the police and tell them that she knows A is her brother Charles. The cops bust into her house and spot the invitation from Charles almost immediately (good job, Rosewood's finest). Toby bursts in just as Jason is about to speak to Charles, and he tells them to get on the ground. Charles runs and causes a diversion, throwing around metal tubing that ends up hitting Toby and almost hitting Spencer. The lights go up and having eaten Spencer’s special candy, Toby becomes disoriented.

Jason is furious with Spencer (even as he does save her from getting crushed in Charles' escape) just as the cops burst in and all of the girls are being told to freeze and put their hands up. Oops.

Ashley screams at Hanna for being stupid, of course. Elsewhere, Mike enters Aria's room and calmly talks to her. It’s the first time someone seems to really listen to one of the girls about how she feels. How great, seriously. Mike gives her the envelope from the photography contest. Did she win? Aria, open the envelope!

As our weekly obligatory montage begins to play, this is what happens: Toby is rightfully angry with Spencer but is still looking out for her. What a peach. YAY, ARIA! You’re a finalist! Emily is sad Sarah’s gone.

Ali comes into her house and sees Jason about to start drinking. And he’s furious. He wanted just one moment alone with Charles, one moment alone to tell him to turn himself in. As they’re about to continue arguing, a voice rings out from another room saying, “Jason! Come play with me!” Both siblings are visibly shaken and run toward the sound. It’s a family video of a party that they remember only as a “second cousin’s” birthday party. Ali spots a note in the room that reads: “I wAnted to trust you” and shows it to Jason.

In the final few moments of the episode, we see A opening a birthday gift from a friend and ally. It's a painting of the very video that Jason and Ali were just watching featuring the children. Wait, A has a friend and ally? WHO IS IT? TELL ME WHO IT IS. I NEED TO KNOW.

Do we think that Mona is still working with A? She’s been known to double cross and work both sides and she does have the power to slip in and out of somewhere undetected. Could she be playing for the A team again? If not, who could it be? With the reveal of A so close, what are your predictions? Who are we leaning towards it being? After all, it’s been said over and over again that we’ve seen Charles. Who do we think it is, guys? Tell us in the comments below or tweet me at @MissMeganMann!

Until next week, my pretty ones!

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Suits 5x05 "Toe to Toe" (Misplaced Anger and Some Mudding)


"Toe to Toe"
Original Airdate: July 22, 2015

Have you ever misplaced your emotions before? I have. Actually, I can't even count the number of times that I have. Maybe it's been a rough week at work and your friend's persistent text messages are annoying you, so you snap. Maybe you send a shade-filled tweet because your anger and bitterness have finally been set off by someone or something.

Or maybe, like Harvey Specter, you pick a fight because fighting is familiar -- and fighting a former enemy is the one thing that gives you a sense of control and purpose and justifiable anger. That's exactly what happens in "Toe to Toe," the latest episode of Suits which features a still-bitter and still-not-healed Harvey fighting his old foe, Tanner over their case. We're going to talk a lot about emotions throughout this review and a lot about what it means to heal or not heal from them: about what it looks like to have emotional honesty. And finally, we're going to look at the price that we have to pay in order to right our wrongs.

Ready? Let's go mudding!

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

#JennAtSDCC: Comic-Con, Saturday Edition - Part 2 ("San Diego Comic-Con... you have not failed this city!")


Did I mention that Saturday at Comic-Con was insane?

Okay, because it was and that cannot be emphasized enough. Saturday only became more insane when my cold began to hit full-force. I thought I could shake it off – that it was just allergies – but as I sat under the tents in the Hall H line, I started to feel more and more exhausted and my throat was killing me. Luckily, as I said in part one of the post, Natalie was an utter gem and brought me tea which really did perk me up and make me feel better for a few hours. Tea isn't magic though, as much as the Brits might want us to believe, so eventually I crashed.

But before that, I had an AMAZING time in Hall H. Natalie and I were super early to the EW Women Who Kick Ass panel (I wanted to get there in plenty of time to see that) and they let us into the Hall toward the very end of the Lionsgate presentation (which meant I entered right at the end of Crimson Peak, so I got to listen to a minute of actual Disney Prince Tom Hiddleston speak).



(It also meant that I saw the trailer for KRAMPUS, a movie I’m definitely not going to see – I don’t do horror, y’all – but whose panel boasted a bearded Adam Scott wearing a leather jacket. It pays to be early to things, you guys. It really does.)

Natalie and I had to split up because they didn’t have two seats for us together in the hall, which was fine. We watched trailers for Warcraft – which earned a lot of cheers from the audience, but meant absolutely nothing to this chick who has never played World of Warcraft in her life. It was a visually stunning trailer and the special effects alone are enough to make you marvel. The thing that’s really cool about Hall H that you’ll see in the photos I post later on is that it’s a completely immersive Hall. There are large screens throughout the hall so that you can get a clear glimpse of what is happening on stage if you’re all the way in the back. But there are also curved screens that stretch along the walls from the stage’s main screen to a little over halfway down the hall. Some studios utilized them (20th Century FOX did a bit, but Lionsgate really made use of them and Warner Brothers/DC used them REALLY well for Superhero Saturday) and the movie Warcraft, I think, got the most use out of them, introducing footage of the characters on them as the panel came out on stage.

Scattered things from the Lionsgate presentations:
  • I know nothing about the Warcraft movie except for the fact that Clancy Brown is in it and he’s glorious whenever he speaks.
  • Notable quote: “Behind every great man… there’s a greater woman.” – Ruth Negga, dropping the mic.

#LADIES

After the Lionsgate panel wrapped, Natalie and I managed to find each other and find seats a little bit closer for the EW panel. And since I had great luck in Ballroom 20’s press pit, I thought I would venture up to the one in Hall H in order to wait for the panel to emerge. To my delight, there weren’t a lot of people in the pit (it was a huge pit, obviously) and I realized why – Hall H’s press pit has pretty crappy views unless you’re able to catch the talent RIGHT as they walk onto the stage or when they’re standing up at the table. In spite of the views (and the fact that I had to crane my neck to see the main screen), I enjoyed spending some time there. Here’s what was covered in the panel:

  • Sidebar: I thought the panel would be a lot more... interesting than it was? That’s not to say that the talent wasn’t great – they were excellent. The questions asked though were kind of… stale. I feel like I’ve heard different women (and sometimes the same women) answer the questions they were asked before. Nevertheless, it was a good panel because #LADIES.
  • Notable quote: “Even the strongest, most badass women fail, but as long as you keep going, that’s what matters.” – Gwendoline Christie
  • Notable quote: “I still don’t understand shipping, but I suppose it’s a good thing.” – Hayley Atwell
  • Kathy Bates revealed that she knows her character in American Horror Story: Hotel is the one running the hotel, but she wouldn’t (or couldn't) reveal anything else.
  • Notable quote: “A lot of us are going to television because the writing is so good now [especially for women].” – Kathy Bates, essentially echoing what Halle Berry said on Thursday afternoon.
  • Jenna Coleman constantly is asked about whether or not the Doctor would ever be played by a woman, and in this panel, she answered: “Of course it’s absolutely possible.”
  • What are some struggles women have that men do not? “Running in heels?”
  • I loved that the women talked about feminism and being strong women without tearing down each other or men. Cat Gadot brilliantly said: “It’s never been about women vs. men. It’s always been just about showing how amazing we are.”
  • I got rather annoyed in Hall H though, I must say, with the questions that were asked in all of the panels. Ballroom 20 did a pretty good job of screening questions, but when people approached the mic in Hall H (especially in the EW panel and Joss Whedon’s), they began to babble about how much the panelists meant to them. Okay, that makes me sound harsh. (Natalie can attest to my multiple snarky comments and eyerolls…) But should you ever get the chance to ask a panelist a question, please remember that you’re not the only person in the room and there are 6,499 other people who don’t care about your personal story of how much a character meant to you. Ben Blacker did an AMAZING job when he gave guidelines for questions in Ballroom 20: “Remember: questions begin with a ‘w’ or ‘h,’ not with an ‘I.’ Think about your question and then condense it into one sentence.”
  • When asked how the women respond to negative or degrading comments, Gwendoline Christie said: “All the time with violence,” jokingly.
  • Hayley Atwell told a story about being on set and she imitated an American accent because someone told her: “Darling, you’re not in a club.” I discovered at this panel that even though I do not watch Agent Carter, I kind of want to because Hayley Atwell is the most precious sunflower to ever exist.
More photos from the panel:



After the EW panel, people began to filter out a bit and Natalie and I moved up slightly for the Joss Whedon panel, which wasn’t so much of a panel as just Joss Whedon at a microphone talking about his work. It was a one-man show of awesome and I gained a lot of respect for him that I didn’t have before. Most of the things we learned and he discussed are perfect motivational or inspirational quotes:

  • Notable quote: “I don’t know if any of you saw… but I made another movie.”
  • On how to practice active gratitude: “Continue to earn what you already have.”
  • Joss Whedon is obviously incredibly aware of the fact that a lot of people had problems with how he portrayed Natasha in Avengers: Age of Ultron and he wasn’t afraid to make fun of that. “Everyone’s so perfectly pleased at how I handled Natasha… You’re welcome.”
  • Notable quote: “Comic-Con: the cure for Twitter.”
  • Someone asked Joss Whedon the hardest question creators are always asked regarding which unique character he has created is his favorite. He deliberated for a while and noted that his answer probably won’t always be the same. “How can I not say Buffy?” he ended up responding.
  • Notable quote: “Memory is storytelling.”
  • Joss Whedon is hilarious – he’s snarky and witty, but he’s also self-deprecating in the way that most creators are. He doesn’t think of all of his successes and when it comes to the way he views himself, he said: “I keep hoping to be the hero of my own story. I’m more like… the nerdy sidekick.” Then: “Unlike me, y’all are the hero of the story.”
  • A fan asked if Joss were to meet a younger version of himself now, what advice he would give. Without missing a beat, Joss responded: “Rogaine.”
  • Notable quote: “Worrying about things you can’t control is boring… and time-consuming.”
  • A surprise occurred when Joss was given the Icon Award on stage. He was genuinely floored and began to get emotional, which was so wonderful. The entire hall gave him a solid standing ovation. And that was a perfect way to end that panel.
Photos from the panel:




Natalie and I had a system in between panels – I would go scour the room for available seats closer to the front. Unfortunately, before the 20th Century FOX presentation, I couldn’t find anything closer. (Never fear because thanks to my Monica Geller-like scrappy nature, I found AMAZING seats for the Superhero Saturday Night panel.)

The 20th Century FOX presentation was, by far, one of the greatest highlights of the convention itself for most of the attendees. We were treated to exclusive sneak peeks, trailers, and panels with the stars of upcoming feature films. Let’s run down some of what we learned and saw at these panels, shall we?


The Maze Runner – Scorch Trials:

  • My sister was really mad that I was in attendance for this one because she’s been obsessed with Dylan O’Brien. So I texted her a photo from the panel and she responded with a lot of emojis. Having never seen The Maze Runner, I was interested in watching the trailer for the sequel, which looks insane and intense.
  • Giancarlo Esposito doted on Dylan throughout the panel and provided insanely articulate answers to questions, which was wonderful.
  • Chris Hardwick hosted the entire FOX presentation and it was amazing. He should host, like, everything at Comic-Con. (He… kind of almost does already though.)
  • They showed a clip from the movie featuring the new monsters and it was a GENUINELY terrifying clip. Scarier than the horror movie trailer we saw earlier at the Lionsgate panel, actually.


Victor Frankenstein:

  • We got to see the exclusive trailer and a clip from the movie, which stars Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy. They’re hilarious together.
  • I could listen to James talk with his accent forever. Seriously.
  • Notable quote: “I get thrown around a lot in the movie. But it’s okay. I bounce.” – Daniel Radcliffe
  • Notable quote: “I supplement you.” “You what me?” – Daniel talking about how their characters and personalities complement each other in the film.
  • Notable quote: “Much like Liam Neeson in the film Taken, Victor realizes that he has a… particular set of skills.” – James McAvoy
  • There were so many innuendos that occurred at the panel. I kid you not, like, ask anyone who was there. Every other sentence was basically an innuendo between James and Daniel and it was delightful.

Fantastic Four:

  • The final trailer for the movie was revealed at Comic-Con. I saw the Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Jessica Alba, and Michael Chiklis one ten years ago (holy CRAP that was TEN YEARS AGO? HOW DOES CHRIS EVANS STILL LOOK THE SAME?) and I don’t know that I’m interested enough to see this one. Still, the trailer looks quite good.
  • Kate Mara is a precious sunflower and must be protected at all costs.


Deadpool:

  • SURPRISE! In one of the greatest unexpected moments of the con, I was in the same room as one Ryan Reynolds. He’s beautiful, you guys. So beautiful.
  • Notable quote: “What is love?” “It’s a man named Ryan Reynolds.”
  • Notable quote: “I’ve only ever done one proper… wait, no. One superhero movie.” – Ryan Reynolds throwing some hilarious shade at Green Lantern.
  • Notable quote: “I photoshopped myself into every Joey Lawrence photo I could find.” – Ryan Reynolds, after Brianna Hildebrand talked about how she geeked out when she joined the movie because she had a huge crush on Ryan when she was younger.
  • Chris Hardwick and Ryan went back and forth making horse puns and honestly, it is one of the greatest things I’ve ever experienced.
  • They showed the exclusive, Comic-Con only (except for those people who have already leaked it on the Internet… dishonor on you and dishonor on your cow) trailer for Deadpool which received SUCH a raucously positive response that the crowd in Hall H began to chant: “One more time” and Chris Hardwick instructed them to play it again. Seriously, it’s the highlight of the weekend for many people and I’ve never seen such an extremely and overwhelmingly positive response to a panel.

X-Men – Apocalypse:

  • Hugh Jackman was in the house. As was Jennifer Lawrence and like, every single person on the X-Men cast. Theirs was the biggest panel of the weekend (at least that I had seen).
  • They debuted the X-Men: Apocalypse trailer for the first time, which – I must admit – looked really cool, especially because I care exactly zero percent about these movies.
After the panel, Chris Hardwick said that there was a special surprise and brought out all of the superhero casts onto stage (along with Stan Lee) to try and get the largest superhero selfie. It technically wasn’t a selfie though since someone else took it. That someone else was Channing Tatum. Yup. That happened.

After people began to file out of the 20th Century FOX presentation, I BOLTED toward the middle of the hall and literally found a seat SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE of Hall H. Like, it couldn’t have been more perfect. I ended up not spending a lot of time there (I was in the pit for the majority of Superhero Saturday Night, actually), but I know Natalie appreciated our seats. Especially because while I was in the pit, she was seated right behind acclaimed Arrow director Glen Winter and met him, as well as got a photo with him.

OUR SEATS. I WIN.

I was REALLY starting to feel horrible before Superhero Saturday Night began. Like, my throat was killing me and all I really wanted to do was sleep. But I powered through, like you do, because this was the thing I was most looking forward to the entire weekend at Comic-Con. I met some nice people in the press pit and chatted with them about different panels (one person was a fan of Community, so we actually got to discuss that beforehand). At one point, I looked behind me – beyond the gate that separates the pit from the floor – and noticed a woman who looked really familiar, but who I couldn’t place. I assumed it was because she was a journalist. I was wrong. It was because she was Wendy Mericle.

A view of MY view from the Arrow panel (and the screens I talked about earlier!)

I made one friend in the press pit who I bonded with and fangirled with – Rose. This is how you know you’ve become friends in the press pit: you stand beside a speaker and end up tapping each other’s arms and reaching for each other whenever something particularly exciting or feels-inducing happens on stage. You just automatically become friends with people at Comic-Con: people in line, people sitting next to you, people at press rooms or pits. It’s kind of wonderful, really, when you think about how difficult it is sometimes to bond with people and forge connections in real life. At Comic-Con, it’s like… it’s like you’re all on the same playing field. You all love the shows you’re at the panel for. You all care about actors and stories and sneak peeks. You’re equals.

There’s no greater feeling than meeting a complete and total stranger and having them just automatically GET you.

Superhero Saturday Night kicked off with the debut of the new Arrow suit and guys, it’s glorious in person and it’s glorious in photos and videos. So here’s what happened: talent emerged from the side of the stage where we were situated in the press pit. If we stood at just the right angle, we could actually see backstage before they walked out. So they passed really close to us is what I’m saying. Well, the lights were darkened and Rose and I were momentarily distracted before we gasped. Because though you wouldn’t have been able to necessarily see it toward the back of the hall, we were totally able to see Stephen Amell emerging, wearing the new Green Arrow costume. We screamed. We took lots of photos. We thanked God that he stayed REALLY close to the press pit during his monologue and didn’t move around too much so we could get amazing photos. We may have all swooned and cheered just a little bit, even though we're professionals.

HELLOOOOOOOO MR. AMELL!

OH. HI. Yeah, I was this close. No zoom. Nothing. Just... right there.

With the hood up!

And then the monologue concluded and Stephen went backstage to change, which was the perfect time for the debut of the Arrow sizzle reel. If you haven’t seen it, go and watch it. And then imagine watching it in a hall with 6,500 people. And imagine you’re beside the speakers, confident that you’re going to be deaf in the morning and not caring one bit because you’re standing and watching the video, slack-jawed. Arrow’s third season was… well, it was dicey. I’m going to be honest. The good was REALLY good and the bad was REALLY bad and most of the season fell somewhere in the mediocre-we-could-do-better range, but you’d never know that through the sizzle reel.

Like, literally I thought: “This makes the season look way more awesome than it was.”

Here are some of the highlights of the Arrow panel during Superhero Saturday:

  • There were a LOT of loud cheers for Olicity, especially when they showed clips of them in the sizzle reel. I felt proud. I also cheered from the pit on multiple occasions.
  • The EPs talked about the new suit and the transition for Oliver from Arrow to Green Arrow. The suit, apparently, is more indicative of the tone of the fourth season. “He’s happy… he’s in love,” they noted. The suit is reflective of that. And if you want to get all deep here, the suit is less covered up than the old Arrow suit. It’s like… Oliver opened his heart and now his clothes reflect that. LIKE I SAID, CONJECTURE AND WAY TOO DEEP. BUT STILL.
  • Anarky will be joining Damien in this season of Arrow and it was recently announced that the roles for both have been cast. I had a love/hate relationship with Neal McDonough's character when he was on Suits, so I’m intrigued to see how I feel about him on Arrow. What they did mention about Damien as a character is how he will differ from villains like Slade and Ra’s. Both of those men lived by codes. Even Malcolm Merlyn lives and dies by a certain code of honor. Damien doesn’t have that. He has no moral compass and he has no code. He’s pure, unadulterated evil.
  • It was also announced that Mr. Terrific will be joining the show and will work a lot with Felicity. Arrow’s version of Mr. Terrific is gay (and also black, as it was recently announced that Ben and Kate alum Echo Kellum will be playing him). I’m SO excited that Echo is going to be in this role. I have a feeling he and Emily Bett Rickards will have amazing comedic chemistry. Go and watch some of Echo’s stuff on Ben and Kate because he was so wonderful.
  • Willa Holland got to talk about how exciting it was to transition from Thea being sidelined to Thea becoming Speedy: “I had tears of joy when I tried on the outfit.”
  • Emily Bett Rickards was asked about what it was like to wear the ATOM suit as Felicity and she actually revealed a funny story: though it looks very much like Oliver is smiling lovingly at Felicity when she is in the suit… Stephen was actually smiling at a six-foot tall stuntman who was wearing the costume for the shot, while Emily was out of sight.
  • John Barrowman was asked whether or not he’ll be donning the robes the entirety of season four as the new Ra’s or whether he’ll get to pick up the hood again. He turned the question to the producers who revealed that Malcolm will be back in the hood for the third episode. John Barrowman then took the opportunity to tell everyone that he had the Ra’s ring made for himself and showed us all that he was wearing it at the panel. It was amazing. John Barrowman is amazing.
  • John Barrowman's laugh is seriously the best thing ever and infectious.
  • Diggle’s costume was revealed! It is complete with a helmet and everything. On his new digs, David said: “Diggle officially has a costume. It’s called… Black Driver.” We all died laughing and then David mentioned that the joke never gets old to him.
  • The cast was asked a lot about the tone of the show and what the characters would be like next season. Stephen’s response: “We are going to move in a more Green Arrow-y direction.”
  • I could listen to Paul Blackthorne talk all day.
  • Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards addressed winning MTV's Ship of the Year and they genuinely appreciated how hard the fans fought. They talked about how amazing it is to see the love in-person from Olicity fans at things like Comic-Con. I love listening to them express their love for fandom, I really do.
  • Notable quote: "It means a lot... like, not quite an Emmy... but a LOT." – Stephen Amell on the Olicity MTV fandom win.
  • Katie Cassidy brought up the fact that they all just learned about “Doliver” – people who bromantically ship Diggle and Oliver – that weekend.
  • Notable quote: “I just love looking into your eyes, John.” – Emily to John
  • Notable quote: “[He's] got a sugar mama.” – Stephen about Felicity, when asked whether or not Oliver will ever become rich again.
  • When asked whether or not the actors have had to play their characters in real life, Emily noted that she's definitely not as technologically capable as Felicity, citing a time where she couldn't locate her Apple TV remote and then was told that she could just put it on her phone. 
The Arrow panel was over as quickly as it began (or so it seemed) since we had four other panels to get through (and a screening of Supergirl, but we'll talk about that later on). Perk of being in the press pit, though: the talent walks off the stage the same way they walked on, which meant I had the chance to wave to Emily Bett Rickards, who waved back. My fellow press pitters (... we'll make that a word now) got some high fives and fist bumps, as well.

Before we move onto The Flash, here are some more photos from the night:

BARROWMAN.

What a precious little princess she is.




DIGGLE'S COSTUME



Next up was The Flash panel where we were treated to a sizzle reel beforehand. The sizzle reel was AMAZING and can be seen here if you haven't yet. At the end, we were told: "ZOOM IS COMING." SO BASICALLY GET PREPARED. Here are some more things we learned at the panel:

  • The EPs said that the show would be introducing characters from Earth 2 onto the show.
  • Grant Gustin talked about how Barry ended the first season, noting that it's difficult for him to deal with the fact that Eddie was the hero in the end and to watch someone have to make that choice to save them. So Grant said that in season two, Barry is kind of acting like a lone wolf.
  • There were a lot of cheers for Tom Cavanagh and Danielle Panabaker, and the two were super bashful about it. It was adorable.
  • Danielle Panabaker is excited to hopefully see more of her Killer Frost alter ego after she was sort-of introduced in the finale.
And honestly, those are all of the notes that I have for The Flash. Like I said, they kind of rushed people off the stage and actually, come to think of it, The Flash didn't get audience questions like Arrow did. The cast made room for Legends of Tomorrow next, but here are a few photos before they left:



I wish this wasn't blurry because it would have been perfect.



Legends of Tomorrow was up next, where they debuted a new(ish) trailer and spilled some secrets about what to expect in the show's first season:

  • Marc Guggenheim revealed that there is one more major character in Legends of Tomorrow that they haven't yet debuted: Hawkman.
  • Notable quote: "We're glad you [Brandon Routh] are not dead. We're also glad Caity isn't dead."
  • Wentworth Miller talked about the fact that Snart isn't a hero and noted that it's going make the dynamic of the team quite difficult. "These guys have to work together, but it's gonna be a bumpy ride."
  • Andrew Kreisberg talked about what Legends of Tomorrow will be -- a show that is full of crazy things and crazy ideas. He said that on Arrow and The Flash, sometimes the writers will have the idea to do a story, but it'll be so crazy that they immediately reject it. Not so with Legends which: "all it is... is the crazy ideas."
  • Ciara Renee talked about how she prepared for her role as Hawkgirl: reading all of the comics and a LOT of boxing.
  • Brandon Routh talked about how great it was to be a part of things like Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow: "We get to make silly stuff look awesome."
  • When asked about what White Canary will be like and how she'll differ from the Canary we were used to seeing on Arrow, Caity Lotz said that White Canary will be dangerous because she isn't afraid of dying.
Here are some photos of the wonderful and beautiful cast of Legends of Tomorrow:

The STUNNING Caity Lotz.







After spending an inordinate amount of time in the press pit with my new friend Rose, I returned to my seat in order to sit through Gotham (which I don't watch or care about) and Supergirl's panels. The cast of Gotham was nice, so here are some pictures of them looking pretty:



We ended the night with the Supergirl panel (all of whom are SUPER -- get it? -- delightful and wonderful human beings) and a screening of the pilot (... which Natalie and I ducked out during because we maaaaay have already seen a *cough* copy of it weeks earlier). Here are a few things we learned:

  • One of the first questions that was asked of the panel and the producers was: "Why Supergirl?" The answer: "It's time, isn't it? Her gender doesn't matter. She's a badass." And if that's not the perfect mic drop moment then I don't know what is.
  • The producers talked about the magic of the casting of their superhero shows: Stephen Amell was the first person to read for Oliver Queen and they went with him. Grant Gustin was the first to read for Barry Allen, and he was their Barry. And Melissa Benoist? The producers knew that she was their Supergirl and she was the first one they saw. "There is only one Supergirl and that is Melissa," they noted.
  • Notable quote: "It's hard not to feel hope and strength." – Melissa on how empowered she feels when she wears her costume.
  • Notable quote: "What happens at Comic-Con... stays on Twitter." – what happened immediately after Mehcad Brooks was asked to lift his shirt and reveal his abs just like Stephen Amell did last year. Mehcad was embarrassed after the event and the quote above, saying that his mom follows him on Twitter, to which the moderator said: "A LOT of moms will be following you on Twitter."
The panel concluded and here are some pictures!







As the Supergirl panel ended, a really cool aerial acrobatic show began and immediately after it ended, Natalie and I did too. I went from "riding high on Arrow feels" to "feeling like a truck hit me in the face," leading me to head back to bed and skip the Geek Nation rooftop party I was supposed to attend after 11 PM. And thus concluded my Saturday at Comic-Con!

Sunday was easy, calm, and also filled with decongestants and tissues. YAY CON COLD! Until THAT recap, friends. :)