Suits 6x13 Review: "Teeth, Nose, Teeth" (Progress) [Contributor: Jenn]

"Teeth, Nose, Teeth"

Original Airdate: February 8, 2017

Whenever a new year rolls around, everyone makes resolutions and promises to themselves. They'll go to the gym more. They'll stop complaining. They'll give up that really bad habit they've tried to break for the last few years. The beauty is that sometimes we actually stick to our resolutions. Yes, occasionally we fail. But when we commit to something wholeheartedly, it's amazing to see what can be accomplished. In the case of Suits, we often hear characters make promises to each other and themselves. They'll be more honest. They'll take the moral high ground. They will share responsibilities. And maybe after six seasons, I've grown cynical, but I'll be honest — I don't really expect characters to commit to these resolutions. Enter: "Teeth, Nose, Teeth" in which a few character really do stick to their promises and continue to become better people because of that. (And then there's Mike, but we'll get to him later.) This week's episode definitely wasn't as emotional as "The Painting," but I still really enjoyed it and the plot progress.

HARVEY AND LOUIS TEAM UP ... FOR REAL THIS TIME

When Harvey and Louis proposed the idea that they BOTH run Pearson Specter Litt, I audibly groaned. It's a trainwreck waiting to happen, right? Well "Teeth, Nose, Teeth" sees both characters in very agreeable places — Harvey has recently moved past a difficult emotional stage in his life by forgiving his mom, and Louis is prepping for Tara's baby to arrive. So in this episode, there is no yelling between them. Louis doesn't go rogue and try to fix a problem. Instead, when Rachel approaches him about her rejection from the Bar, Louis goes straight to Harvey. It's an incredible moment of growth because the two men sit down together and talk through a plan. They've realized that communication is key to their relationship as partners and friends, and so Louis tells Harvey to go see the head of the ethics board because he's better at handling situations than he is.

Later on in the episode, when Harvey realizes that he's being blackmailed by aforementioned ethics board member, he turns to Louis for assistance in figuring out exactly what's behind the blackmail. Louis is much better with financials than Harvey is, and he readily admits this. Again, it's a moment of sheer character growth as both men respect that the other is an expert in his field at something. This is how they're building their partnership — occasional conflict, but recognizing that each has strengths and weaknesses. Harvey's job is to fix problems, and Louis' job is to fill in the gaps that Harvey cannot. Together, they can run Pearson Specter Litt. And with them together, the firm will succeed.

Furthermore, Harvey and Louis' professional relationship has a bit of a reprieve in the episode when Louis asks the former for advice on how to handle Tara's pregnancy. The father of Tara's baby, Joshua, wants to be in the baby's life. And when Tara gets her first sonogram that week, Joshua has vowed to be present. Louis doesn't know how he's going to handle that — how he'll be in the same room as that man without exploding in rage. And how we see Harvey handle this situation is indicative of the character growth he made in last week's episode: he tells Louis that it's a tough situation, but that Joshua is the baby's dad. And Louis is going to be in the kid's life, too. If he wants that child to be able to grow up happy, that means Louis needs to have a good relationship with Joshua... starting now. Because, as Harvey says, there's nothing more important than family. This seems to genuinely strike a chord in Louis and he makes things right with Tara by the end of the episode.

Overall, I was really impressed with the A-story this week because we got to see some much-needed camaraderie between Harvey and Louis, who both wanted to protect Rachel. But Harvey also does something in the episode that brings Mike back to the firm's office...

MIKE IS STILL NOT A LAWYER

As you'll recall from last week's episode, Mike is now working at a legal clinic as the supervisor of lawyers and law students. He was hired with full knowledge of his fraud and things seemed to be going decently well for Mike. Until this episode, that is. Basically what his story boils down to is the fact that he's trying to be a teacher and a mentor to people — green, nervous lawyers like Oliver — and prep them for court. But again, in this episode, Oliver fails. And his failure costs a woman (our tenant from last week's episode) and her child their home. (It also likely costs many other tenants their homes, too, in the future because the whole point of the case was that Mike and Oliver thought they could prove that the landlord was not just evicting for rent control purposes but so that construction could continue on the building itself while tenants were still occupying it. Or something like that. Honestly I don't much pay attention to the cases.)

The real big thing that happens in this episode is that Mike learns his place in the new legal clinic. His boss essentially tells him that Mike's job is to deal with the problems — sometimes that means their clients lose their homes or lose in court. But Mike's job is to make his boss' life as easy as possible. That's the real reason he was hired in the first place. Obviously this infuriates Mike, and he's stuck between the place of wanting to do what he's done for years, and not being able to do it because everyone knows he's a fraud. Mike's desperate to help Oliver out in court — to feed him the answers — but Oliver, even after a night of practicing for court with Mike, still flounders in the end.

It's this failure that leads Mike back onto the Pearson Specter Litt doorstep. Because you see, Harvey didn't just leave his meeting with the head of the ethics board for the Bar with an appointment in the books for Rachel. He left with something better: the potential for Mike to take the Bar. Initially, Mike rejects Harvey's offer. He's trying to do good, and he doesn't even remotely have time to think about getting back into the life he once had.

But by the end of the episode, Mike is all in with whatever Harvey wants him to do. 

It's definitely an interesting shift, since it will bring these two characters back together again (even though I've kind of enjoyed seeing Mike do his own thing, apart from Harvey) and we'll probably see some repercussions from this arrangement soon.

"DONNA" IS SYNONYMOUS WITH "AWESOME"

If there was ever a meta story to happen in Suits, this is the meta story. This is the story Arrow should just do with Felicity Smoak at this point, because it'd lead to the exact same conclusion. Benjamin, our friendly IT guy, and Donna have a fun banter. She discovers, however, that this is not all they have in common. Benjamin is working on "The Donna": a prototype of an external program that essentially acts as a Donna Paulsen one-liner, quip factory. I'm not exactly sure what the purpose is, apart from preserving Donna's awesomeness via technology forever, but Benjamin seems to think that there's real potential to make something out of this little hobby. He admires her, as do most people, and Donna admires "The Donna."

But it's only later, when Donna tries to use this new technology out on Rachel, that the woman realizes its fatal flaw — it isn't really a substitute for her. She tells Benjamin something pretty crucial (and here is where the meta part kicks in): she's more than just zingers and jokes and one-liners. She's more than just flirty phrases or monologues, too. She is who she is because of her empathy and her heart and her compassion for other people. That's what makes her Donna. So the device he built isn't really her. It's just a part of her personality, not the whole package.

It's a pretty incredible little story because it does remind us that Donna is who she is — as revered and beloved as she is — because of the fact that she is both funny and compassionate. It's her heart that makes her the character all of us love so much. Donna is a well-rounded character, amazing in all ways, and I'm so glad we got another character affirming that in "Teeth, Nose, Teeth."

This episode focused on moving forward — with professional and personal lives — and it'll be interesting to see where Suits takes the characters in the next episode.

Additional bits and pieces:

• There was a C-story involving Louis and Annoying Reporter Chick. ... Wait, sorry. Wrong show. Basically all you need to know is that Louis and Tara fought because he was being a bit obsessive over Joshua, but then made up because Tara realized — shocker! — that she and Louis don't know one another well at all, and are trying to amend that.
• I think that any episode opening with Mike/Harvey and Rachel/Donna is a great one. In this case, it was even better because the pairs were discussing Mike and Rachel's upcoming nuptials and how they decided they want to get married at Harvey's apartment. (Why? I have no idea. There are nice windows but it's low on my "places to get married" list, personally.)
• Mike remains, of course, the #1 shipper of Harvey and Donna. And I love it.
• "I finally put my foot down with Mike." "You told him to finally pick a hairstyle and stick with it?" I cackled.
• Harvey and Donna have some great little flirty banter in this episode. And Harvey can't remember Benjamin's name.
• "Sorry, Louis. Gotta go be better at something." I loved Harvey in this episode. He was tough when he needed to be, but there was an obvious shift to a more lighthearted version of him, and I appreciate that.
• "You are the one woman in the universe who says the right thing, every time."
•  "Louis, I don't speak for all handsome men."
• Watching this episode, I was confused by the title. But then Louis asked the first three things that come to mind when Harvey looks at him, and Harvey's response was: "Teeth, nose, teeth." PERFECT.

What did you all think of this week's episode? Sound off in the comments below!

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Supergirl 2x11 Review: "The Martian Chronicles" (Life on Mars?) [Contributor: Deborah MacArthur]

"The Martian Chronicles"

Original Airdate: February 6, 2017

This week on Supergirl: White Martians have come to Earth, and they’re very unfriendly! Like, downright rude, I would say. Also, it’s Kara’s Earth birthday (Earth-day?) and she’s feeling a bit forgotten by Alex. J’onn J’onzz confesses... romantic feelings (?) to M’Gann M’orzz, but it’s very poorly timed, and James is Sir Not Appearing in This Episode. Also, I got to slip some David Bowie references into two Supergirl reviews in row, so I’m rather pleased.

HAPPY EARTH BIRTHDAY, KARA.

It’s the anniversary of when Kara fell to Earth, and she wants to celebrate it in style: with line dancing! Yeah, I’m not so sure that Kara’s version of celebration has quite gelled with our Earth version of celebration, but hey. I bet she’d be aces at line dancing. You line dance to your heart’s content, my superpowered sunbeam.

Unfortunately, Kara’s elaborate birthday plans have been interrupted by Alex’s blossoming romance, as Maggie is taking her to see the Barenaked Ladies in concert (well, I mean, they are the most celebrated Canadian alt-rock band of the mid-90s) and can’t participate in any line dancing. While Kara accepts this from her sister and encourages her to have fun at the concert, it’s very clear that she’s not entirely okay with it.

Her Earth Birthday is a real bummer, actually. Not only does she get rejected by her sister, but she also has to do some rejecting of Mon-El, since he admitted to having feelings for her last episode. By all accounts, hearing Kara say that her problem with Mon-El is "not your job, it's the way you are," makes me so giddy that it might as well be Supergirl’s late birthday gift to me, but it’s pretty awkward for Kara. Basically, things aren’t going well. And they get worse.

MARS ATTACKS!

As we learned last week, White Martians figured out the M’gann M’orzz was alive on Earth and, since she left Mars under very dismal circumstances (i.e., she killed a lot of her fellow guards and set fire to everything) they are definitely not swinging by for a nice chat and a cup of coffee. We aren’t dealing with an “Invasion!”-level invasion or anything, but the White Martians who do show up cause some The Thing-inspired trouble for Team Supergirl when they start stealing everyone’s faces and calling all the good guys stupid. Which — hey, White Martians, calling the good guys stupid is my job!

First, though, is the build-up: M’gann confronts J’onn about his protectiveness, since J’onn has been following her around and shape-shifting into various disguises while waiting for the White Martians to appear. When that actually happens, I’m more than a little surprised by the White Martian’s strength. Not only does Armek the White Martian (and… M’gann’s ex? What?) hold his own against both J’onn and M’gann, but even Supergirl can’t completely defeat him when an alleyway confrontation happens. Not sure if this is plot-convenience strength or if Armek is just a particularly tough brand of White Martian.

It’s not all brute strength, though. One of the key aspects of Martians — both Green and White — is that they’re shape-shifters, even able to swipe a target’s thoughts along with their physical appearance. Does that mean that J’onn was full of James-focused angst back when he turned into early-season one Kara? How troubling that must have been for him. But anyway, after J’onn successfully convinces M’gann that she needs the DEO’s help and protection, he takes her back to headquarters... only for a second M’gann to show up after them, seeking the DEO’s help and protection. Oops! Shapeshifting hijinks!

The episode turns into one of those “spy among us” stories, right down to the panicky, paranoid person who messes stuff up and makes everyone shout at each other. Armek reveals himself to be the first M’gann and, once again, manages to fight off the present DEO agents, J’onn, M’gann, and Supergirl. How, though? Like, just... how? Logically, M’gann should be about as strong as him. Any lack of experience she might have should be countered by J’onn helping out, and any of their combined weaknesses shouldn’t matter because freaking Supergirl is there. How does Armek keep winning?

In the chaos of the fight, the team loses track of who the White Martian is pretending to be. J’onn orders the DEO on lockdown (we’re doing a bottle episode!) and has to use fire — a weakness for all Martians — to reveal him. Surprise! It’s Winn! Secondary surprise: I actually kind of like Evil Winn? Can Winn become evil, please? And Mon-El, too. They can be evil together. It’d certainly make the both of them more interesting.

Armek-Winn escapes (of course) and an alarm goes off, alerting everyone in the DEO that the whole place is scheduled to explode, taking ten blocks’ worth of the city with it. As previously mentioned, White Martians swipe thoughts and memories along with faces, so Armek used Winn’s genius to make the countdown impossible to stop without the real Winn. So, the search for the real, less fun Winn takes up the bulk of the plot and everyone splits up to hunt him down, knowing that Armek is still lurking around.

But not just Armek! A second, previously unknown Martian has taken the shape of Alex, just in time for her to have a little heart-to-heart with Kara about Kara’s fear of abandonment. That touches on something interesting that I noticed about this episode, actually, which is the running bit where two characters have a heart-to-heart and one of them turns out to be a disguised White Martian. First it’s with J’onn, who thinks he’s imploring M’gann M’orzz to trust him and the DEO and let them help her, and then it’s with Kara, when she admits she’s been feeling like Alex has drifted away from her ever since the relationship with Maggie started. I’m not sure if it was trying for something deeper or I’m reading too much into it, but the idea that these very — for lack of a better term — “human” moments between characters held an undercurrent of threat was interestingly unsettling. They were also very well done, since I’ve grown so used to those pauses in comic book action where two characters have a discussion about their feelings that I kept getting blindsided by the twist.

Another fight against a White Martian breaks out and our heroes seem to have the upper hand this time around, mostly thanks to Alex getting to use that alien gun she swiped from that planet Kara and Mon-El got stuck on a couple episodes ago. Go, Alex!

GOODBYE M’GANN

It’s not a happy ending for everyone on the side of good, however. Poor J’onn J’onzz put his heart on the line earlier on in the episode when he told M’gann that she’d become incredibly important to him — in another very good scene with J’onn, which just adds evidence to my argument that this show needs more J’onn J’onzz — and he couldn’t imagine life on Earth without her, only to have M’gann leave the planet at the end of the whole thing. Despite the fact that I felt like the romantic element (if that’s what it was?) came out of nowhere, I still couldn’t help being very disappointed by the departure of M’gann.

At least M’gann is going back to Mars for a very good reason: she wants to inspire her kind to be good and a lot less... uh... genocide-y? Which is an excellent plan. And anyway, it might not be forever. Characters come and go on this show, after all.

And as a prime example of that: Lena Luthor is back next week, everybody! Hurray!

Other Things:

• Here’s a fun game: spot the Community references in this review.
• Uuuuuuugh, why did Alex convince Kara that she’s interested in Mon-El? I was so impressed by the writers for having Kara reject him outright, and then they went and ruined it.
• J’onn: “How long until you disable the reactor?” Computer: “Core breach in four minutes.” Winn: “About four minutes?” J'onn: “Good answer.” Probably the best bit of dialogue in the episode. The absolute best bit in the episode, however, was Kara’s cupcake grabby-hands.

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New Girl 6x15 Review: "Glue" (Who's Nick's Real Girlfriend?)

"Glue"

Original Airdate: February 7, 2017

I don't know about you, but I can read my best friends pretty well. I know exactly what one of my friends needs after a particularly bad day. And my best friends know me pretty well, too. When I had a horrible day at work a few years ago, my roommate came home after a trip to the grocery store with my favorite cookie in one hand and a bottle of my favorite wine in the other. The truth is that when you really know someone, you know everything about them — all of the little things that are silly to others, but important to you. Nick and Jess have known each other for six years. They've been through all sorts of crap in their relationship, but it's pretty clear that they care about one another and always will, whether they're dating or not. But more than just that, though, Jess really knows Nick. She knows what little things make him upset, she knows how to read his facial expressions and his body language, and understands all of the subtleties in his personality. "Glue" proves this, and also proves one thing — Reagan really cares about Nick, but she will likely never know him the way that Jess will. I don't know whether or not this episode is a set-up for a Nick/Reagan break-up (I'll talk more about that later), but it's definitely an episode that proves Nick relies on Jess and she's always there for him. Elsewhere in "Glue," Schmidt and Cece get roped into helping Winston propose to Aly. But it definitely doesn't go the way they planned it.

AN ENIGMA, WRAPPED UP IN A BUNCH OF CHICAGO BEARS CRAP

This episode's A-story is all about Nick and his relationship with Jess. Or, rather, Jess' great relationship with him. When Nick goes running, the loft freaks out. But Reagan doesn't understand — isn't Nick running actually a good thing? Apparently not, since Nick only goes running whenever he's really upset. Under Reagan's prompting, Jess learns the root of Nick's unhappiness: he submitted The Pepperwood Chronicles to a publisher and got rejected. While Jess encourages him to open up to Reagan about his disappointment, he resists. And thus begins the episode of "Jess in the middle." (We just had one of those recently, remember?)

Reagan wants Jess to do the heaviest lifting in "Glue," because she's still afraid of Nick and unsure of exactly how to best handle him. At one point, she compares him to a forest baby. Jess, on the other hand, is a Nick Miller expert. She knows exactly what he needs to hear when he needs to hear it. She knows what makes him upset, and she knows how to make him feel better. Reagan doesn't, and she's extremely aware of that fact throughout the episode. Even her fixes make things worse. In learning of Nick's rejection, Reagan dedicates herself to making Nick feel better. And she does, by announcing that she got a local book shop to sell his novel. Awesome! Unfortunately, the bookstore needs 30 copies of his book and... oh, right! Nick will be doing a live reading.

This sends our favorite turtle-faced writer into a bit of a tailspin. And, unsurprisingly, who comes to his rescue? Jess. Reagan is freaked out by the fact that she can't seem to help Nick and she's his girlfriend — she's supposed to know him better than anyone else, but constantly seems to be failing at that job. As I told people on Twitter, this episode doesn't seem to indicate that Nick and Reagan will break up in the next episode, but it makes a valid case as to why they shouldn't be together — or at least why it'll be difficult for them with Jess still in the picture. Because Jess isn't doing any of this (helping Nick) to win him back. She's just doing it because it's natural. And I think that this is the first episode in which Reagan felt like a supporting player in her own love story. Nick and Jess have a history and a natural chemistry. Their relationship is effortless, and that's heavily contrasted in "Glue" with Reagan's efforts to try and try to make Nick feel better.

Jess makes Nick a copy of his book, and it's amazing. So Nick and Reagan decide to make the additional copies together. ... Except that Jess then discovers Reagan went to the craft store for more glue and Nick made a horrible copy of his book. Taking matters into her own hands, Jess decides to help him and they end up accidentally getting high on the glue fumes. When it's time for Jess and Reagan to escort Nick to his reading, he's managed to sober up but panics as soon as he sees the crowd at the reading. In typical Nick Miller fashion, he flounders and then runs away, hiding in a little play house in the bookstore.

Reagan has no idea what to say to him, and asks Jess for advice. It's a really pivotal moment because of what Jess reveals and the tenderness with which she tells Reagan this (even Reagan admits to getting a bit emotional): "I would say... 'Nick, you're one of the most amazing people I've ever met. Everyone here is lucky to hear your book, because it's a part of you. And if you fail, it doesn't change how special you are. And no matter what happens here, I'll always love you.' ... Or something like that."

I'll let everyone recover a moment from the feelings of that mini-monologue. How beautiful was it? It was the perfect expression of Jess' feelings for Nick — especially the fact that she'll love him, always. The moment makes me wonder if Reagan realizes that Nick and Jess have a bond deeper than anything she and Nick will have. Jess will always know him more and better in so many ways. And that's not a slight on Reagan — she's doing the best that she can and Nick obviously cares a lot about her and she, him. But there's something magical about Nick/Jess.

And I wonder if Reagan has finally seen that.

THE 20-STEP PROPOSAL PLAN

Love is in the air this week on New Girl, as Winston tells Schmidt and Cece that he's proposing to Aly! Let's take a moment to appreciate the fact that after years of failed relationships and careers, Winston is finally in a really stable place in his life. And that's why proposing to Aly is such a big deal, and why Schmidt and Cece are so excited to be a part of the process!

The B-story is basically levity this week — in trying to stall Aly from leaving their home, while Winston prepares for the proposal, Schmidt and Cece distract her by having her paint their walls and then tell her that she can't leave because they're having "marital issues." Aly eventually figures out that they're stalling her for some sort of prank, and when they drive her to Malibu, Winston is waiting with her favorite plant (a cactus) and a romantic picnic.

... And then Schmidt and Cece realize that their entire day has been taken up by step one of the proposal plan. And there are TWENTY steps. In Winston's adorable defense, his lady deserves the best and he plans to give her exactly that. It's hard to argue with that logic, right?

"Glue" focused on the glue in our own lives — our relationships. While some struggle, other soar. And ultimately happiness can be found when we let other people in and allow them to comfort, challenge, and change us.

And now, bonus points:

• Any episode that features Nick running is a great episode in my book.
• "NICK! ARE YOU OKAY?! I SEE YOU. AND I LOVE YOU."
• "In my defense, no one here emotes in a normal way." "That's fair."
• "I think you know what I'm saying..." "We have no idea what you're saying." "I haven't known what you've been saying for three and a half years."
• "Nick is just an enigma, wrapped up in a bunch of Chicago Bears crap."
• Nick eating edamame is fantastic, and kudos to Jake Johnson's physical comedy.
• Also, kudos to Zooey Deschanel for the baton-twirling bit which had me in a fit of giggles.
• "Hi. Hello. Hi. ... Hello."
• "What up, boy in the hood?"
• "... At least he's not running." And then I CRIED laughing at Nick leaping over furniture to go run.
• "I feel like my heart is pumping out scalding hot toilet water!"
• The fact that Jessica Day has a craft wagon is so perfect.
• Winston and Jess singing the Reading Rainbow theme song is DELIGHTFUL.
• "... please don't drag her."
• "We are freaking out in increasingly weird ways."
• Nick's reading goes HILARIOUSLY awry, and he freaks out. Again: kudos to Jake Johnson for his physical bits.
• "I would say... 'Nick, you're one of the most amazing people I've ever met. Everyone here is lucky to hear your book, because it's a part of you. And if you fail, it doesn't change how special you are. And no matter what happens here, I'll always love you.' ... Or something like that." Anyone else get some major feels during that scene? Yeah, me too.
• The proposal fake-out was so perfect.
• I think my favorite thing is little girls falling in love with Nick Miller.

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

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Powerless Fumbles With Its New Pilot [Contributor: Jenn]

If you'll recall, a few of the staffers and I got the chance to attend Comic-Con this summer. That meant exclusive access to press rooms, parties, and seats in panels. It also meant that we had the opportunity to screen new pilots during Wednesday night of the convention — commonly known as "Preview Night" for the attendees. We saw Riverdale's first episode, as well as Time After Time, People of Earth, and Frequency's pilots. And we also saw a charming, hilarious pilot called Powerless.

We were obsessed with it. That might be because it came after Riverdale, a pilot that was unanimously loathed in our row of viewers. But it was also because the pilot oozed with charisma and promise. And, most importantly of all, it was hilarious. The crowd raucously laughed at the one-liners delivered and we giggled at all the subtle D.C. Easter eggs that we spotted in the background. It had the same kind of charm that NBC comedies are known for — subtle, smart humor and bright, bold characters. In retrospect, it was the kind of show that would have paired extremely well with The Good Place.

Unfortunately, between the time we screened the Powerless pilot in July and its debut last week, everything about the show (minus the names of the characters themselves, for the most part) has changed. Powerless underwent new creative direction — a new showrunner meant that for some reason, the show had to be re-tooled. The entire premise was shifted, even: once a show about RetCon (come on, how brilliant is that?) Insurance company workers living in a superhero world, the new Powerless is a series about the scientists and creators of inventions at Wayne Security. Emily (Vanessa Hudgens) goes from a quirky, fun co-worker to a nervous, uncertain new boss. Everyone hates Emily in this version of the pilot. In the Comic-Con version, Emily is beloved by everyone and has a close relationship with Teddy (Danny Pudi) which is reminiscent of a Jim/Pam office fling.

And really, that's what Powerless was — an Office-esque series about normal people living in a world where superheroes are just part of life. The villain was an internal one (played hilariously by Alan Tudyk who can do no wrong wherever he goes), and the original pilot was very much of an office vs. Del (Tudyk's character) situation. That was both amusing and had the potential for growth. Now, Tudyk still plays the villain — a man named Van Wayne, who is the cousin of Bruce Wayne. But he's less compelling, to me, than the original character of Del.

It's really difficult to give a proper review of Powerless, as you might assume, when I have the old one still playing in my head. But I'll try my best to let the rest of this review focus on the new pilot and not the old one. The problem that I have with Powerless right off the bat is that the pilot wasn't funny. The only time I chuckled was, unsurprisingly, during an Alan Tudyk line ("Jackie, if you are lying to me, I will put rocks in your pocket and throw you in the ocean."). In addition to that, the character of Emily seemed very stock — she's a do-gooder who believes she can be a leader based on her textbook knowledge of it. Tudyk's "villain" has some potential, but that's because there's the opportunity to make him a little bit more cartoonish.

It's the supporting cast — the stars of the show — who kind of get lost in the shuffle. The entire pilot is very stiff, rigid, without the natural ease and charisma that should be prevalent in a workplace comedy. Even during The Office, when Michael Scott was off on his own eccentric tirades, the supporting cast shone. And because this is the first episode, I'm giving Powerless SOME leeway. It's a new show that needs to determine exactly what type of comedy it is. The jokes, currently, seem way too generic to be funny (that's an issue that NBC has in general with its comedies, and it happened when Community underwent new creative direction and attempted to be a "broad comedy"), and the constant emphasis on Bruce Wayne in the pilot was draining.

What I would love to see from Powerless moving forward is the rebuilding of a workplace comedy. I don't want the show to go for the easy jokes, because I believe it's better than that. And I think that the cast is immensely talented and each has their own comedic nuances (Tudyk and Pudi have very different types of comedy, and Vanessa Hudgens is a delightful actress with great comedic potential too). I hope that the show realizes this and utilizes them to their full potential soon.

In altering its premise significantly since the debut at Comic-Con, Powerless has fallen into the category of "stale, forgettable comedy." It's a shame, since this show definitely has the opportunity to be good. I'm hopeful that this pilot — and the disconnect I had with it, having seen an entirely different version this summer — isn't indicative of the show moving forward. 

Powerless can be powerful. And I hope it chooses to be.

Pilot Grade: D

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Series: This Week's TV MVPs -- Week 51

Welcome back to another edition of the TV MVP Series, my friends! This week on television, new shows continued to debut while favorites returned with fresh episodes. If you've been around this series for a while now, you pretty much know the drill: we honor incredible actors and actresses for their performances each week. It's dang-near impossible to cover all of the great television each week. (It's impossible to even WATCH all the good television out there — I'm sufficiently behind on The Crown and haven't caught the last two weeks of Legends of Tomorrow.)

This week, we're honoring the emotional and funny performances that touched us. Joining me are:

• Erin
• Megan

Let's get started!

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Grimm 6x05 Review: “The Seven Year Itch” (When a Murderer Meets His Match) [Contributor: Alisa Williams]

“The Seven Year Itch”

Original Airdate: February 3, 2017

“When something itches my dear sir, the natural tendency is to scratch.”

In this week’s Grimm, a cicada-esque Wesen has emerged out of the ground in a local park and immediately kills (and eats) a random passerby. Something tells me this will be a case for Nick, Hank, and Wu! But first, Nick needs to deal with something a little closer to home. He’s having bad dreams about the attack that ended with him being fatally shot and the Elder Wand resurrecting him. Juliette/Eve is dealing with her own set of symptoms after her fatal wound was healed by the same ancient stick. She’s down in the tunnels beneath Nick’s apartment, in some sort of trance, scratching out strange symbols on the walls. When she comes to, her hands are bloodied and the walls are completely covered with markings.

It seems everyone’s a little worse for wear these days. Renard discovers Diana’s voodoo doll collection and the giant needle she uses on them when she wants to murder someone. His understanding of how she caused him to kill Bonaparte is growing. But he has more pressing issues at the moment — mainly, his hallucinations of Meisner are also growing, becoming more pronounced.

Then there’s Monroe and Rosalee, who decide a visit to the doctor is in order after Diana told them Rosalee had more than one baby inside her. Turns out she’s having triplets.

Meanwhile, Nick and Hank have gotten the call about the dead man in the park and meet up with Wu to investigate. The murdered guy is completely naked and has a huge puncture hole through his neck. It seems the cicada dude felt his victim’s clothes were superior to the filthy rags he was wearing when he hatched out of the ground.

As the team searches the crime scene, they hear a scream. A boy has fallen into the hole left by the cicada guy and after they pull him out, they find another body — this one’s been there a long time. They quickly put two and two together and realize their murderer must have crawled out of that hole. All these years dealing with Wesen crimes has made Nick and Hank pretty efficient with their deductive reasoning.

Cicada dude uses his victim’s credit card at a diner, where he eats a ridiculous amount of food (I guess being underground for seven years makes a guy hungry) and creeps the waitress out with his conversation skills, which revolve around discussing people he’s eaten in only slightly veiled terms. He’s gone by the time Hank and Nick get a hit on the credit card but the waitress is able to give a decent description. While there, Nick gets a call from the coroner, who was a bit stumped by what she’s found out about the victim who was buried underground. There are digestive enzymes on what’s left of her, her remaining skin has been crystallized, her bones all have gnaw marks on them, and her internal organs are missing. Seems cicada dude made the most of his human meal before coming back up for air.

Back at Nick’s apartment, Diana questions Adalind about Meisner. She explains Meisner died, and Diana tells her that Renard was shouting Meisner’s name a lot last night when she slept over, and seemed angry at him. Adalind isn’t too sure what to make of this. Diana says she remembers Meisner (he was there when she was born and helped keep her safe over the years), and that she hopes she gets to see him again sometime even though he’s dead. Before Adalind can dive down that rabbit hole, Diana casually mentions that Eve is here, inside the wall.

Adalind goes down into the tunnels and finds Eve, bloodied and pretty out of it. She manages to get her back up to the apartment. While Adalind cares for Eve, Diana goes down into the tunnels and finds all of Eve’s drawings. She lights them up with her violet-eye move and that’s how Adalind finds her — standing in the midst of purple glowing symbols.

Meanwhile, Nick and Hank visit the spice shop to research their Wesen case. Monroe and Rosalee arrive with their news about the triplets. After some quick congratulations, they get to work and discover the Wesen in question is an Ataktos Fuse, also known as a Bestia Festiva, or “party animal.” Apparently the Ataktos Fuse is immortal. They hibernate underground for seven years, come up for 24 hours during which they party it up, then grab a victim that will sustain them underground for another seven years. What a life.

Nick gets the sketch of the man the waitress saw and Monroe tells them all he’s seen this guy somewhere, and it was recently. They’re skeptical, but just then Nick gets a call from Adalind, who relays that Eve has been living in the tunnels and is in pretty bad shape. Nick takes off.

While Nick, Adalind, and Eve discuss the strange symbols Eve drew while in her trance, cicada dude is busy searching for his next victim in a bar. He tries picking up a woman who’s there with another guy. The guy is understandably displeased and challenges cicada dude to a fight outside. Bad move because cicada dude makes quick work of killing him and then heads back in to flirt with his next victim.

Back at the spice shop, Monroe is growing frustrated at not being able to figure out where he’s seen the suspect before when suddenly it dawns on him: The man is William Stillman, the founder of Stillman Park, where all the victims have been found. The Grimm books did say the Ataktos Fuse is immortal, after all.

They call Nick, who is with Hank and Wu investigating the dead guy at the bar. They explain their theory, which makes sense. If you were a rich Wesen who needed a safe place to reemerge from the ground every seven years, you’d probably donate a ton of money to create a park that you could use for your continuous feeding and punctual hatching, too.

While the team attempts to track down cicada dude, Renard pays a visit to a Wesen pawn shop owner who has the ability to find out whether Renard is truly being haunted or if it’s all in his head. They use a spirit vacuum, which is a glass case large enough for Renard to stand inside with lots of knobs and contraptions for the pawn shop owner to control. When they turn it on, they discover Renard is indeed being haunted. The pawn shop owner is knocked to the ground as Meisner’s spirit separates from Renard’s body and becomes corporeal. Meisner then turns the spirit vacuum up to full blast with Renard trapped inside. The glass of the vacuum shatters and Renard blacks out. When he regains consciousness he’s inside an empty building and Meisner tells him a mind is a terrible thing to lose. Does this mean Renard is currently trapped inside his own mind?

Meanwhile, Nick and Hank have made it to the park just in time. Cicada dude has brought the woman he was flirting with here, knocked her out and is quickly digging a hole for the two of them. The team is no match for him, however, as he’s super strong. He knocks them all to the ground and is just rearing up to do them in when his victim awakes. Apparently, she’s a Wesen, too. She wakes up woged as a giant hippo creature and makes quick work of biting off cicada dude’s head. She spits it to the ground as an amazed Nick, Hank, and Wu look on. After un-woging she laments how difficult it is to find a good man in Portland. Makes you wonder how many other heads she’s had to bite off after dates go awry.

This was a fun episode, reminiscent of the olden days of Grimm, before the plots got tangled and overly complicated. The writers also did a good job this week balancing all those flailing subplots with a solid and amusing Wesen case. Definitely the best episode of season six so far, with hopefully more good things to come as we hit midpoint in the final season.

Bonus Musings:

• “You gonna follow me everywhere?” “I’m not following you. I’m haunting you. There is a difference.” “Well, it’s annoying in either case.” 
• “Eve is here.” “What?! Where?!” “In the wall.”

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Lucifer 2x13 Recap: “A Good Day to Die” (A Very Literal Title) [Guest Poster: Ilene Friedman]

“A Good Day to Die”

Original Airdate: January 31, 2017

I have one word for you Lucifer writers: RUDE! What was that ending? How dare you!

This week’s episode title really did give away the entire episode. It truly was a good day to die for more than one character on the show. I believe Uriel died the most this episode, but Lucifer and Mama Morning Star defiantly came in close second. You know who didn’t die this episode? Chloe!

So, what actually happened this week? Well, the episode picked up right where the last one left off, with Lucifer encountering Chloe in the bathroom. In an attempt to prolong Chloe’s life, Lucifer tries to convince her to go to the hospital, but she refuses because all the victims died in the hospital. This leads the duo on a giant goose chase to find the antidote, which they quickly realize is destroyed.

The good news is that thanks to another hilarious Dan/Lucifer team up, the two got their hands on the list of ingredients for the antidote. The problem? Well, the guy with the formula is kind of rotting in hell — literally. Now this wouldn’t be a big deal, except for the fact that Lucifer isn’t currently in hell and he needs to die to get there.

Maze and Amenadiel (sidebar: I am so happy Amendiel stepped up this episode — boy, how I have missed him) both volunteer to kill Lucifer, but Amenadiel gets stuck guarding Chloe. Lucifer points out that in order for him to remain dead and in hell, with the potential to come back, he must remain near Chloe at all times. A.K.A, Chloe cannot be moved.

Lucifer eventually makes his way back to hell by electrocuting himself while Maze and Linda bicker over who is going to kill him. He gets the formula from the doctor. But only seconds later, he gets trapped in one of his own cells — stuck in the recurring torment that was Uriel’s murder. Now it’s Mama Morningstar to the rescue. Although she’s terrified to return to hell, because she can feel it calling to her, she risks remaining there forever to save her son. I guess she truly does care. Who would have thought?

Charlotte’s rescue is not without its flaws. Once she rescues Lucifer, she also gets trapped in the cell. Uriel convinces her that they can be a family once more. Lucifer is able to drag her away, and the two come back to the mortal world physically unharmed.

This was definitely a team bonding episode. Charlotte and Lucifer went to hell, while Maze and Linda killed them both and brought them back. Amenadiel and Trixie guarded Chloe (like guardian angels), and Dan and Ella found all the ingredients for the antidote. A job well done, team.

But what makes me so upset then? Well, Lucifer is tired of being caught in his father’s manipulations. So he closes down Lux and runs off... WITHOUT TELLING CHLOE. She shows up at his place lost and confused. And that’s how the episode ends.

Final Thoughts: 

• LUCIFER, HOW DARE YOU ABANDON CHLOE, YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE WORM! I DO NOT NEED THIS ANGST IN MY LIFE. 
• Everything Maze does gives me life. I aspire to be as flawless as her. Her shock paddling Charlotte was comedic gold. 
• I still do not trust Charlotte. 
• We got Ella backstory!

What did you all think of this week’s episode? Sound off in the comments below!

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