A Tale of a Creep in Two Cties: Crossover Week: Chicago Fire, Chicago PD & Law & Order: SVU

If last night's indication of this week's Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Law & Order: SVU's Crossover Event is that it was NOT disappointing at all.

Let me recap what happened in this giant episode that spanned three hours of great television, and then I can give my thoughts.

Let's start where it started: Chicago Fire. With everything that had happened last week, Mills left for North Carolina to be with his family and run their restaurant. The gang at 51 was a bit down and not alive when a new member introduced herself.

She is named Chili, which I like, and it's cute. She's the new replacement for Britt on Ambulance 61. As soon as she was done, Boden told her to see Connie for some paperwork, and by then, Boden got to be the Boden we all know: laying down the law and telling them to get over it.

"You look like someone just pissed in your coffee" I love that line.

Soon, a call comes in, and it's a house fire. It might be too quick to judge what started the fire. Squad went up while the Truck team took the first and basement. Dawson found one named Billy. He was a bit big and had Otis help drag him out. Soon, Severide and Rice got to the second floor, and Rice had to leave because his oxygen mask wasn't getting oxygen to him. Severide found a victim who was severely burnt.

Herrmann talked to Billy briefly, asking him about the computer wiring because that could be what started the fire. He told him and Dawson that he unplugged it all before he left.  Dawson gave him the benefit of the doubt and told him to keep the faith that the truth would come out. That's one reason I love Dawson.

Meanwhile, Otis talks to Cruz about Rice and what he saw. Could Rice not be trusted, as he left a fire when they went in? Soon, Cruz does his investigating and checks Rice's mask. And soon Cruz and Otis talked to Mouch and Herrmann about it. They would have to tread lightly with this, and soon Severide heard what was happening. And boy, did he give it to Otis about it. There will be some serious issues.

The news of the victim is that she's badly burnt and rapped as well. Antonio came by and talked to Dawson about how trustworthy Billy was. That's when Billy came over and spoke to her and Severide. That leads to both of them going back to the house and getting a look at it for themselves.

They found it wasn't Billy's fault that a flammable substance was used. When they walked out, a neighbor asked them if it wasn't an accident and mentioned seeing a doctor walking in and out. That led to taking him to the CPD and gave his statement.

Dawson tries to find Billy, who then calls and leaves a message that it is his fault. They got to him as he was on a bridge about to jump. Dawson talks him down and rescues him.   For that brief moment, I think that we saw Casey still having feelings for Dawson, not as a lieutenant but as a person who still loves her. He called her Gabby.

Voight gets on the face-time with Benson and talks about the case. This gives Benson some idea of a case 10 years back (say about season 5 or 6).  Soon, Benson gets on the first flight to Chicago, and when she comes, she is at Firehouse 51. Her, Boden, and Voight, all together in one room, gave me the chills. WOW! is one word to describe it.

After Benson talks about the case, we're moved into Chicago PD.

We come to Benson and Voight at Chicago Med, hoping to talk with the victim. The doctor let them speak to her, but as she was given some description of the suspect, he coded and soon died.

Benson talks to the gang at CPD about the previous cases that went cold. The suspect is a doctor who likes to use green nail paint.

One suspect they looked into was Jay's brother Will, who knew the victims as they were nurses. Jay goes a bit protecting for him, but Will wants to answer the questions. Then, they got hit by a car that was one of the victims.

Burgess and Roman hit out and found the car. Soon, the suspect walks towards the car and gets in. They call for backup and move in. They get asked for his license and paperwork. He tells Roman he was using it by a friend and I'll have the papers he owns soon.

This suspect, known as Greg Yates, had this creepy fab. Roman decides to take him in. Lindsay and Aramo talk to Yates about the car and his thoughts on these victims. If he knows them or not. Then, he looks, and soon he leaves, but it is walking down the hall that he spots spots

Soon, Yates calls Lindsay and asks if he could talk to her somewhere private. They meet at a park but soon drag her and talk to her. He talks to her about how one rat could make many more in one area. And then he leaves.

It wasn't until Voight got a call that another house fire with another victim that was inside had died. Yates gave a distraction for them so that he could have a witness of his whereabouts. But soon, things worsened as CPD returned to the House and figured things out; Nadia was nowhere to be found.

Nadia was planning a surprise birthday for Erin. She is using her car to get the cake when Yates suddenly comes and knocks her out cold. Yates kidnaps her and takes a trip back to New York City. Now, it gets personal for CPD, and that's where we go into SVU.

Voight talks to Benson about the whereabouts of Yates and what car he was driving. Benson calms Voight down, which seems to work in this case. Maybe they're meant to be?

Yates switches plates with other cars to make a getaway after finding the vehicle with no one in it. But Nadia leaves a clue of stained blood under the seat. Erin is getting increasingly worried by the minute, as I assume we all are, too.

When a call of attack happens in the building again, b,y Yates. The team finally tracks him down and busts open the door like the fourth of July. Yates is engaged with a woman who was asked that same day a couple of hours ago.

They take them in, and Rollins and Halstead talk to him while Erin and Aramo talk to the Yates' fiance. Of course, she doesn't believe it but gives one clue about his favorite spot that he goes to the beach.

They go down there and search. They found old bones from years ago, and soon, the unforgettable news was that it was hard, like a stone sinking in the ocean. They found Nadia dead.

Now, it's up to SVU to bring down Yates and get justice for Nadia. That took some work. Yates, who represented himself, asked questions and told many lies about Nadia that make you want to do the same things he did with his victims.

But a helpful clue had emerged as he got excited about hearing how Nadia died and the other victims. Barba decides to take it and use it. After asking the Medical Examiner about it, Yates was distracted from seeing the photos and listening to the details.  Then he started asking questions, and well, he was asking more questions about the victim's death, from how long and how painful. Yates looked like he enjoyed it very much.

The jury came back with a guilty verdict. And well, Yates was taken to hold up until he was set up to go wherever he was going. But it wasn't until he was in his holdup cell that he got the surprise of his life. Never doubt what Nadia had told him. Voight comes in and gives him a choke hold of his life, threatening him, but let him go because wherever he's going, he's going to need one eye open to protect himself from the people that he's going to be around.

The gang celebrated the victory and held a glass in honor of Nadia. It was sweet and moving and made you want to shed some tears. I bawled my eyes just a bit.

Overall, this was an excellent crossover episode. IT held up to its expectations and was a lot better than the first crossover back in November. Which I still love that episode. Nadia's death was both not a surprise and a surprise. I had a feeling that she was going to be the one going to die. It pains to see how she died, though.

As a fan, I had high hopes for her to be a cop, and I think we all were, too, right?

What did you think?

There's something between Voight and Benson that I can't put my finger on, but there's something there. This was, all in all, a 9/10 rating. Heck, it had my parents watching it, and they loved it.

I can't wait to see what happens next: Another war between  Team Casey and Team Severide. Who's side are you on? Dawson and Casey: are they going to be back together? I heard that Casey and Voight are going to be working together, so that's going to be a real must-see episode moment. And what will happen to Erin now that she lost her best friend?

You can catch Chicago Fire on Tuesday nights at 10/9c, Law & Order SVU on Wednesday nights at 9/8c, and Chicago PD on Wednesday nights at 10/9c on NBC.

A Spring-full of a Tune

With the crisp night of the spring, it was at Illinois Central College that brought a performance that was quite spring-full.

On April 27th, the ICC Music Program of the Arts and Communication Department presented the ICC Concert Choir at the Lecture/Recital Hall. The show was directed by Julie Clemens.

The night started off like one of those sing-off style performances when the pianist Ryan Klaus played a couple of tunes and then the choir comes out walking from both sides of the entrance and onto the stage, singing “It’s a Grand Night for Singing” from the Broadway show “State Fair” by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Besides Broadway songs, the Choir also performed to other tunes from Folk songs to even Jazz.

They performed a set of American Folk Songs, one them “Stop Your Foot” by Aaron Copland. It had not one pianist but two playing this piece.

One performance that got every applauding even when it was during the performance was the song of “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Aint’s Got That Swing)” by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills. There were two solo performances by Mariah Russell and Haley Jones that had everyone amazed.

The final performance was a medley from one of Broadway’s greatest shows, “West Side Story.” Song from “Tonight” and “I Feel Pretty” to “Maria” and “One Hand, One Heart.”

But it was when they performed “Somewhere” where the choir comes out of their choir bench and spread out and got closer to the audience.

The choir did a fabulous performance.. It was such a great show and that I sung “Maria” all the way home and all night.

"We're The Lucky Ones": Chicago Fire "You Know Where to Find Me"

It's hard to say goodbye to a character you've known for a long time, and when it's time for a change, it's time for a change. This week's episode of Chicago Fire sparks onto one man, Peter Mills.

Mills decides to leave Firehouse 51 after he just got back into Squad. His family wants to take the restaurant left by his grandfather in North Carolina.

Many things happen in this episode, like Severide and April spending time together. I'm thinking she'll be back after her trip.

Herrmann has become that coach who puts his kid first before the team because he thinks that his son is good. Otis and Cruz tell him he must bench his son for the Peewee hockey Championship. Herrmann didn't like it at first, but he did it.

Since Mills was back in Squad, Dawson had to same the House and Britt from Mills' replacement. Dawson is back on 61, YES! It felt great seeing her back working as a paramedic.

And, of course, Casey and Dawson, who may see to let their one-night thing go, but I'm not so sure that it's going to end like that. Something is going to happen.

There was a call from a man who was stuck on a lamppost and tried to commit suicide. He kept saying banana, but we found out he was telling his wife's name, who died in another country due to a civil war there.

For this being Mill's last shift, it sure wasn't wasted at all. When a car accident call comes, Severide checks the driver and says he's not breathing and is dead because he wasn't wearing his seat belt. But Mills found out that the driver had an issue with his arm and took it off, which got Mills to get him out and do CPR and finally got him to breathe again.

That was one hell of a save.

So we come to where Casey is at the strip club, where he's doing a little work for the owner and meeting with some business folks. Something may be fishy with that guy.

And, of course, the going away party. You can feel the emotion in the air or, in this case, by watching. Everyone gave great speeches, including Mills. In this case, we're feeling what Cruz and Britt are feeling. We don't want him to go, but we respect his decision to leave to be with his family.

He'll always be part of 51. I loved that one big group hug.

I thought that this episode was terrific. It had everything from humor, drama, and an emotional goodbye. I hate saying goodbye like that; I get misty eyes at times.

I do understand what the producers are doing. Suppose you want the show to keep going; changes must happen for the stories to get good. I know I wouldn't say I like goodbyes, and I didn't think that Shay's death was tremendous, but it did tell one hell of a story arc for our characters.

This episode was one of the most emotional episodes.

And, of co, this coming week is the start of #CrossoverWeek. Fire, PD, and SVU reunite for the television event that no one should miss. This case will be anything like the one in November. So hang on and sit tight for that one.

I will probably write Fire, PD, and SVU all in one, and with Fire rearing Wednesday night, I might do that.

Who's excited for #CrossoverWeek?

You can catch Chicago Fire on Tuesday nights at 10/9c on NBC.

Here We Go: The Blacklist "Leonard Caul"

With what turned out to be one of the most shocking moments of this season, Red gets shot. And we were left of two weeks to think that over. Now The Blacklist returns with answers and yes more questions.

Red get shot, point blank we all know. Liz give Red the fulcrum and Red tries to tell her about that he hired Tom to be part of her life.

Liz and Dembe protect Red from the shooter who keeps shooting from a building just behind the cars. Soon they put Red in the car and off they went to get help and save Reddington.

It was like 15 minutes of intense scenes that I had to hold my breathe til the commercial break.

Dembe had Liz talk to Mr. Kaplan, and was given an address to go. While Kaplan was messaging doctors and nurses from hospitals to come at once and they brought everything.

The doctors worked on Red and found that the bullet was still there. They get a visitors who were acting like agents. Kaplan shot them and gave them an extra couple of minutes to get things ready to move out. Red wasn't stable but they had no choice and moved him to where....Tom's place.

And we're back with Liz and Tom. Tom is only helping Liz not Red.

Red is recovering, but soon a hit on him is still on. Meanwhile before Red put out for surgery he told Liz to look for a man named Leonard Caul.

Liz ask Cooper and the gang to search for him. That wasn't hard because Caul is searching for Liz. They soon meet up at an apartment, where Liz found the suitcase, which he took and used the fulcrum.

Caul's the guy who's been talking to Red on the phone the previous episodes.  

When Caul and Liz was on their way to see Red, they spot a swat about to come in. It's not FBI and so Dembe, Tom and Kaplan get ready for the attack.

Liz on the other hand go to the source who ordered the attack. He's the guy who let Braxton escape to find the fulcrum.

Liz gave him an offer he can't say no to, and called off the killing of Reddington.

As Reddington is recovered he talk to Liz and told her only half the truth and not the whole truth. So as Liz walks away, she goes to Tom and ask him for help on finding out about Red.


This episode set a new tone as we get close to the end of the season. We're only three episodes away til the season finale and I have a feeling that every episode is going to be big and ever so surprising.

You can catch "The Blacklist" Thursday nights at 9/8c on NBC.

The Madness in March: The Mysteries of Laura: "The Mystery of the Dodgy Draft"

This week's case on "Laura" goes on the court as a future professional basketball player is the suspect of a murder of his ex-girlfriend.

I have to say that this episode might be a bit late, since this episode takes place at the time of March Madness and Jake tells Laura that he has Duke in the Final Four. Nice, should have kept that bet.

Anyway, this episode started off at a natural museum, when a teacher was found dead with no struggle or marks, expect a teaser burn on the neck. Laura, Meredith and Frankie ask the students and others about what they saw. One of the teacher says that the victim was dating a student. A student said that she saw a giant with a dragon.

Laura believed the student story and headed off there. In the meantime, since last episode, Laura hasn't been herself lately. She might be pregnant, which just flows through her head like one of those long pause moments that you don't want or hope it doesn't happen.

The gang interviews the college student who is a popular basketball player. When the player goes to the station and talks, he tells Laura that he has a new girlfriend but he does keep in touch with his ex.  Laura believes him but still puts him in lock up until they find the suspect.

There next suspect was a Russian basketball player from another team that student's team was playing against. It just so happens that Laura and Billy went to the game and had Billy tell a player to tell the Russian player that his mom slept with the entire people in Russia. That upset him and started a brawl between teams.

The Russian player was out of the suspect pool and so was his coach who took the teaser away from him but lost it. That's when Laura looked into the girlfriend, a cheerleader for the team and when Laura talked to her, she kind of confessed.

But that was until she was talking about her mother and how she needs to look pretty and that her boyfriend should never talk to his ex's. That gave Laura the idea of the cheerleader's mother, who's a bit of a tiger mom.

It was the cheerleader's mother who took the teaser and hidden it inside the hot dog cart.

I thought that this episode was simply hilarious and remarkable. I love it that it had that March Madness theme and that Kenny "The Jet" Smith had a guest star.

I can't get enough of Meredith and Frankie's buddy partnership. They are truly the odd couple of detectives. And not to mention that Laura who finds out that she is not pregnant but it was some herb that she's been using that sent out a false positive.

You can catch The Mysteries of Laura Wednesday nights at 8/7c on NBC.

The Bucky and The Wecked: Tuesday Night Comedies

Undateable: "A Priest Walks Into a Bar"

This week's episode deals with two things: getting a job and wanting more than a booty call.

It starts with Danny, who has been tweeting out stuff that suck and not suck on twitter, is set up a job interview by the help of his sister, Leslie. But Danny doesn't want to do it because he's a bit scared. Justin challenges him to do it. And soon Danny takes that challenge.

It's not until after Leslie sets up everything that Justin apologizes to Danny for what he had said of challenging him of getting the job. That led Danny to not go and upset Leslie who gave a choke hold on Justin for her thanks.

But Justin gets Danny a second interview and brings the guy to the bar where he talks to Danny. Danny soon realized that it's a job interview and get's upset but after listening to Justin's story of how he wanted to be Mr. Von Trapp in Sound of Music but got the part of the younger girl. That set Danny to go for the interview and soon got the job.

Meanwhile, probably one of the funniest B-storyline in the show so far is when Shelly has been seeing this lady name Vanessa. It's not a relationship but a one night stand, a booty call. Candice doesn't like it and talks to Shelly about it that he should pursue Vanessa into a relationship.

After Shelly tricked Candice with a fake booty call, mixing with Love Actually and Hugh Grantt that got Candice all soft and distracted. Soon Shelly left to go for that booty call. Then Candice stopped Shelly and soon got him to ask Vanessa to come to the bar and ask for more than a booty call. Vanessa refused but then text for him to came at midnight. Shelly declined.

Even though, Shelly didn't like it, it was for the best and with Candice trying to make things better by telling him a story of her and mother being homeless and having a friend to see that was her own reflection.


This episode was hilarious. A lot of funny Matrix references all over and at the end Danny dresses up as Neo and Shelly comes in dress as Morpheus. I couldn't stop laughing after that.


You can catch Undatebale Tuesday nights at 9/8c on NBC.

One Big Happy: "A Tale of Two Hubbies"

In one of the wackiest and funniest episodes so far. This week's episode of One Big Happy deals with the fact that Luke and Prudence weren't actually married when they were in Vegas.

The gang went to Vegas for the weekend and when they stopped at the place where Luke and Prudence got married it turned out to be a fake place for the mod. Which means that they aren't married and Prudence will soon be deported if she isn't married.

So that gives Lizzy an idea to through a prefect wedding and had an idea to bring Prudence's dad over too. That turned out to be a bad idea. It turns out that Martin isn't Prudence's father but her husband. Yeah, Prudence married him. The only reason was for his last name because her actual last name is a name that I couldn't even spell or pronounce.

So Lizzy, Luke and Prudence try to get Martin to sign the papers. Luke failed as Martin is such a fast British talker. Things too a turn when they brought Martin back home and drunk as hell. Lizzy tries to get him to sign the papers and the next morning, he turns out to love Lizzy than Prudence.

Luke than ask Lizzy to take one for the team but she not for that team. So Lizzy pretends like him very much and got him to sign the papers. But she tells him that he signed divorce papers for a lesbian and then that got Martin excited and called his buddies.

Meanwhile, as that heated up another heats up in the kitchen when Luke heard that Prudence and Martin got married after being together for three days. That got Luke thinking that maybe Prudence doesn't love him at all and she's doing it just to stay in the states. Soon Luke leaves in what was a dramatic fashion that I haven't seen on the show and it was one of the best.

Than we come to Lizzy and Marin, as he told her that he doesn't do any work and there shouldn't be no kids. That got Lizzy to tell him that she might be pregnant and pulls out a pregnancy test but he leaves as fast as he could.

That leaves to Prudence come to Lizzy, fully upset and hugging that Luke is gone. Lizzy than tries to bring some tension down with a couple of humor, which worked in my opinion.

I enjoyed this episode very much. There were so many one liners that I couldn't pick. I really enjoyed that we got some emotional scene with Luke being upset. That was really good. Lizzy once again brings the humor along with Prudence and their friends.

I assume that we'll find out this Tuesday of what will happen.

You can catch One Big Happy Tuesday nights at 9:30/8:30c on NBC.

All About that Beat and Bass

During the week of April 20th, Illinois Central College celebration to the arts known as Arts Week and I decided to see performance by the Hard Bop Jazz Band on April 21st at ICC lecture/recital hall. I chose to go to this concert because I like jazz and I’ve also seen this group perform over the years and thought that it would just be fun, relaxing and entertaining to watch. I wasn’t wrong at all about it.

The show had a bit of a warm up with a guest band called The Lincoln College Jazz Combo which featured a former Hard Bop player, Jeff Arbisi, who played the woodwinds while the other two played piano and drums. As I said before they were warming up the crowd before the show started.

Then the Bop band came out and started off playing “Whirly Bird” by Neal Hefti. It started off a bit loud but then moved towards of an andante and viace I want to say. It had that walking pace with a mix of lively feel to it.

There’s one performance that kind of stole the show, probably completely. The performance tune was “Bean’s Bag” by Ethan Freier. It started off loud and then moved to allegretto style that was moderately fast and then moved up to presto very fast as I want to say. But it was the solos of both the drummer (Nick Fairley or Zach Crall) and the bass player (Regan Berkshier) that kind of stole the show with their rhythmic beat. The beat of those drums and the base playing really stole the show and had the audience applauding loud and clear, even while the band was still performing that song.

Another was “Struttin’ With Some Barbeque” by Lillian Hardin Armstrong. This performance was just

moderato rhythmic feel of just being moderate and soon it was picking up into an allegro pace.

This was a really good size band in number of instruments that were used in this performance. From brass from trumpet to trombones and even some saxophone too. Not to mention keyboard instrument like the piano was used, only once when the director Larry Harms was playing a tune. But it was mostly used during the warm up and intermission from the Lincoln College Jazz Combo.

And I can’t forget the electronic instruments like the electric guitar and the bass. There were pretty amazing to watch.

The band wore black outfits to common date the feel of it being jazz. I feel the experience of sitting up a couple of rows back was perfect to listen to a group like this. I felt the rhythms that they were playing and that includes the beat that had me moving. It kind gave me that life feeling that just made me want to dance too.

I really enjoyed and had a blasted watching this performance. I enjoy jazz and I’ll say this that I haven’t been to a jazz performance in a year or so and coming back and seeing this group perform was just amazing. 

I don’t think that there was anything wrong with the performance. If the music has me moving and my leg is bouncing up and down, side to side than it’s a hit. 

I’ve decided to go see this concert because I’ve seen this group before in the past and thought that it might be fun just watching them again. Yeah there are new members and there are some that stayed. I did write reviews of their concerts in the past for the ICC Harbinger so I guess I kind of know what to expect just a bit.

Reasons To Tune In & Watch The Mysteries of Laura

One of the best new series this season is The Mysteries of Laura, the hit new NBC Police Procedure comedy-drama (or as we know it to be dramedy). It's part of Woman Crush Wednesday on NBC in the lineup of Law & Order: SVU and Chicago PD.

If you haven't seen it, it follows the life of Laura Diamond, an NYPD homicide detective, who has to balance her life between work and being a divorced mother to twin boys. The show stars Debra Messing (Will & Grace and Smash) as the brilliant detective Diamond. 

She works with her partner Detective Billy Soto (Laz Alonso) along with Detective Meredith Bose (Janna Gavankar), Max Carnegie (Max Jenkins), Captain Jake Brodrick (Josh Lucas), Laura's former husband, and not to mention Detective Frankie Pulaski (Meg Steddle). Each episode has that crime of the week and the classic feel of the "Ripped From The Headlines" story format. 

 Here are some reasons to tune in to the show:

1. Great Ensemble Cast

This is such a great ensemble cast. The chemistry is unbelievable with this group of actors. I am watching from Alonso and Messing to Alonso and Gavankar, from Jenkins and Gavankar to Messing and Lucas. And I don't want to forget that Steddle's character came in after episode 15; with her addition to the show, there's a good chemistry between her character, Frankie, and Gavankar's character, Meredith. I love this group of actors and their characters. There's just so much fun and laughter in this dramedy.

2. It's Such a Relaxing Show

When I say relaxing, I don't mean taking a nap during the show. No, it's a lovely, laid-back series that you can follow along, try to figure out who did it, get the humor, and at the end feel so good. That's what I think when I watch the show. It's like that movie mystery of the week type of thing that used to be on Sundays or any day during the 80's and 90's. 

3. The Diamond in the Rough

Debra Messing, playing Laura Diamond, is probably one of her best characters since playing Grace on Will & Grace. She's got the combination of intelligence and attitude of Columbo meets Jordan Cavanaugh meets Det. Benson. Please don't mess with Diamond, or she'll contact you. 

4. The Working Mom

The series is an excellent appeal to working moms. There's an author, Lina Gardiner, who talks about how they show some appreciation and appeal to working moms and romance lovers. You can check the page out from USA Today. It betrays what a working mom has to juggle: working outside of work and raising twin boys. I see how my mother is with working at a nursing home and trying to take care of my brothers and me.

5. Great Guest Stars

The one thing that's good about this show is the great guest stars that come on the show. From Peter Jackson to Brenda Song, Kelly Rutherford to Anastasia Griffith, and not to mention Eric McCormack as Laura's ex-fiance and the fabulous Robert Klein as Laura's father, Leo. Later on, Melissa Joan Hart is the guest star, so she might not want to miss that.



You see, The Mysteries of Laura isn't like the rest of the other cop dramas that are on today. It's a show that appeals to a typical viewer. It may not be like SVU or Blue Bloods, but it's an excellent show to watch with the family. There's humor, there's drama, there's romance, there's mysteries, a great ensemble cast, great guest stars, it has everything that you would want in a show.

This week's episode of Laura deals with the court, but it's not the court you would think it is. Laura and the gang investigate on the basketball court.

You can catch The Mysteries of Laura available on Amazon Prime.

The Blacklist: Why You Should Watch the Series

If you aren't familiar with literally the best drama's on television, you probably haven't watched a lot of television or watching something less exciting. 

If you're not familiar with The Blacklist, it's about an FBI most wanted criminal, Raymond "Red" Reddington (played by James Spader) turns himself in. But he not only surrenders to the FBI but he has a list of the most wanted criminals that the they don't even know about. But there's a catch, he'll give them the names but he wants to work with Elizabeth Keen (played by Megan Boone).

I've come up with a top five reasons why you should tune in to The Blacklist.

1. The Man They Call Red.

It's one of the best lead characters on television in a long time. Raymond Reddington might be the worst criminal in the world but he does have a heart. He cares for Elizabeth for one reason that we're still shaking our heads on: is he her father or not? But just to let you know, you don't want to be on his bad side.

2. The Blacklisters

Besides Red, there are the blacklisters that are also the reason to tune in. There are as so many blacklisters that the highest number so far is 150. There are names from The Freelancer, Lord Baltimore, The Stewmaker, Berlin, The Decemberist, Luther Braxton and The Deer Hunter to name a few. Just a reminder that these are the worst criminals in the world and by far there are some scary ones and not to mention cool ones too. These blacklister characters are so complex that it makes the show amazing.

3. Elizabeth Keen

The woman that got pulled into this mess, Elizabeth Keen, played by Megan Boone. Why does Red only want to work with her? Yeah, she's second year working at the FBI now. She might be Red's daughter. Maybe not but everything that he does from protecting her to even talking to her just feels like he's her father. This past year has been a roller coaster for her, with her husband, Tom Keen, as a undercover agent.  The other end, Keen is one of the toughest female character's since Carrie Mathison from Homeland. I believe that she can kick any other character's ass. 

4. Supporting Characters

There's nothing more appealing than these supporting characters on the show. From Agent Donald Ressler to Director Harold Cooper, to Aram to Samar. All of which work at the FBI and help take down the blacklisters and protect Reddington. And I can't forget the other great supporting character and I think any fan of the show would send mean messages. That one is Dembe Zuma, Reddington's right hand bodyguard. We learn a little bit from his past and I would just want to see an episode about him. 

5. The Writing is Fascinating

The writing of this series is just amazing and fascinating. They really seem to know where they want to go with this season and series. Heck you don't see a lot of shows having that type of structure and heck they do have an endgame when the show is set to end. Only a few like Breaking Bad and Six Feet Under are probably the only ones I believe. The stories are so rich with a lot of character development. Each episode is so much like a movie and when it ends you just want to see more and more.

Now, I know I've probably said a lot of about this show. But I ask you to check it out this Thursday as The Blacklist returns with a new episode that will have you on the edge of your seat. You see last time, we got to see Red told Liz the truth about Tom that he was working for Red. When Liz gave him the Fulcrum and started to leave, Red gets shot. It was the OMG moment of the week.

Checkout the promo: The Blacklist "Leonard Caul"

You can catch The Blacklist as it returns this Thursday at 9/8c on NBC. 

Five Reasons Why You Should Binge Watch Parenthood.

It was during this television season that viewers and fans got to say goodbye to one of television's best drama, Parenthood. The series finale aired in January and I'll admit it that there wasn't a dry eye in the living room after. There was a lot of hugging and well a lot of tissues being used.

For those who have never heard of Parenthood. It’s a show about the ups and downs of the lives of the Braverman family. If you still haven’t seen it, I recommend that you  binge watch the series. Here’s my top five reasons you should binge watch Parenthood.

5. They have an outstanding ensemble cast

Have you ever seen such an ensemble cast like this? With names like Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Monica Potter, Sarah Ramos, Mae Whitman, Bonnie Bedelia and Craig T. Nelson, just to name a few, it’s literally an all-star cast. With only ten award wins in it’s run so far, mostly won by the young actors.  

4. Outstanding Writing Team

One thing that defines a great series is it’s writing. The writing team on this series brings in real life stories from their personal lives. Stories from dealing with a son with Aspergers to a mother dealing with breast cancer to even adopting. The show has never been even nominated for writing and that seems wrong.

3. Family Time

This show will bring you and the rest of your family close together. It’s a great way to watch with the whole family.

2. Bring Out the Tissues

This show should be making a lot of money off of Kleenex sponsored. This series will have you shed tears if their joy or sadness. There are so many moments that I can recall but it would be just too long.

1. The Last of a Family Drama

How many family dramas are on television right now? Not a lot that I can find. There were shows like Full House and My So-Called Life that dealt with family and personal issues. Now viewers are watching more of political thrilling-scandal drama these days. It’s a genre that we need to have on the air.

I recommend you if you haven’t seen Parenthood, you really should. The show isn't disappointing at all. If you haven’t seen the whole series yet, you can go to Netflix an watch the first five seasons of the show.

Fighting For What You Love: 12 Monkeys "Arms of Mine" Season Finale

The season finale of "12 Monkeys" can be described as on the edge-of-your-seat excitement.

In the finale, Cole and Cassie, who look like they are slowly falling in love, are slow to try to get information from Aaron. Cole keeps beating him for information until Cassie shows up, and he tells them that he is trying to protect her. Then he tells both of them that they will kill him rather than Cole and then Cassie.

As soon as Cole and Cassie have a private meeting in front of Aaron, Aaron tries to cut his way out and escapes by knocking out Cole. They both fight until Aaron uses a blow torch, burning up Cole's jacket. Let me see that there was some chemical stuff fire, and one person didn't make it.

Cassie and Cole got to see Jennifer, who was given a presentation about the company she was taking over from her dead father. When she shares her speech, she starts to go crazy with monkeys and other extinct animals.

Cole then leaves with Cassie and talks with Jennifer, and gives them information about where Ramse will be. They go there and find him with the machine. I'll talk more a bit later.

In 2043, Jones and Whitley are waiting for any hope for the core to work. When a group of blue men in hoodies stand outside the compound, they get help from a friend of Rasme. They divert a distraction and go in, but Jones has a surprise for them, a bomb and talk in a trade for their lives for the machine.

And here's where it all ties in as Cole reaches Ramse, you would think he would shoot him first. No, they talk. Then Cassie comes in and is not in the mood to talk and more of receiving information. She wants to shoot Ramsey.

Cole tells her not to shoot until she shoots him, and his guard shoots her. One will not survive, and Ram tells Cole to send Cassie to Jones on the Core. With no time to lose, Cole puts Cassie on the Core and sends her back to 2043.

In the meantime, Jones gives the leader in blue the bomb, walks out until the machine is working, and brings back Cassie. Jones was pretty shocked.

But the kicker of it all, and it will be one of the storylines for next season, is that the men in blue turn out to be the army of the 12 monkeys when Olivia checks in on the 12 babies in 2015.

What a season finale, and overall, it's first season. It's just amazing how each character faces the challenges to survive but also to change history.  This episode does deal with what these characters would do for the ones they love and fight for.

Overall, I give this episode an 8/10, and as for the series, it's a 9/10.

Season two will be very exciting to watch when it airs next year.

You can still watch the first season of "12 Monkeys" on syfy.com.

"They're coming, they're coming!" 12 Monkeys "Paradox"

I'll be quick and brief with this recap of this episode.t

Cole is alive but still dying; he lands in 2015 with Cassy and Aaron. He's recovering, but soon, Cassy brings a special guest to help, the 2015 version of Jones, who is pregnant then. They get her to check Cole out.

Jones comes up with an idea to get some blood of Cole from his past, and since he was born in 2009, he's about nine years old in this time setting. Cassy and Jones search for Cole and his father. They check out the car shop where his father is at. At first, he didn't believe what Cassy was telling him but soon felt her and went to help Cole from the future.

The other is how Aaron makes a deal with the group, warning him about Cassy and the virus. I'll say this: when he tries to get her to come with him, and she headbutts him on the nose, they're done with.

Frost's daughter now had the power of her daddy's company and is acting quickly as a little joker, too.

As Cole got his blood into him, it was like a beam of light came out and exploded, sending the two guys that would take him out excellently flying through the house. Plus, when Cassy comes to see if he is alive or dead, Cole is lying on the floor, butt naked, with light burns like it was from the Terminator. It was awesome!!!

In the end, we see a bit of an emergency when Whitey comes back with a head of his guys, telling her that they are coming. I might forget who these guys are, but I'll label them as the army of the Arrowheads since they look like the hero from Arrow. No pun intended.

It seems like the season finale will not be to miss. Everything is led up to this and soon Season Two. What will happen? What will the outcome be?

You can catch 12 Monkeys on Friday nights at 9/8c on SyFy.

Resurrected: Chicago PD "The Three G's"

If this episode was about one person in this task force family, it would be no other than Al. When a six year old unsolved case comes back, it will drive Al to a familiar place of dark times.

When Erin and Al  have breakfast together, a call comes in about a distributing smell from a warehouse. They go and investigate it until they found a bunch of girls chained up to the wall, dead.

This gives Al a bit of deja vu from an old case of a man who brings families children for money. As for the rest of the squad they were ready for the hunt.

The guy they're after is Dennis Lee. When they get to his nephew, he gave them where Lee will show up but that turned out to be a set up.

You can see that Al is getting upset and frustrated every minute that Lee is out there. His wife had to call Voight and have a talk with him as he was in the garage looking for the old case files that he had of the homicide case. He tells Voight that he wrote something down but couldn't find it.

Since this series started I've never seen Al get so upset like this before. Al has a dark side and I know that we don't want him going there.

When a tracker picks up a gang member that Voight made a deal with if he was going to see Lee. That lead up to a hotel with guns a blazing. As Al makes a surprise on him he takes him out back in the hallway and freezes just wanting to pull that trigger. But Voight stopped him.

For one we get to see Al's character grow this season. Yeah there might be a few minor story lines but this one was huge for his character.

At the end, we see Al eating with his family. Hes quiet and doesn't say much. His duaghter was about to go upstairs and study for a test until the door bell rings and it's her boyfriend. Al's duaghter had plans of going with him while he's touring with his band. For one Al becomes a hero and the father of the week in one night. How about that?

The next episode will be the biggest crossover event yet. Check it out: Chicago PD.

You can catch Chicago PD Wednesday nights at 10/9c on NBC.

Welcome to Chicago Med: Chicago Fire "I Am the Apocalypse"

This week's episode takes us from one situation to another problem. This episode opens up to the possible spin-off of Chicago Med.

When a call came from a factory and a chemical spill, rescuing two others from the roof, the gang from 51 took everyone to Chicago Med to get treated. Almost every day in the ER is busy, which isn't new to the folks of Chicago Med ( I know because I was used to it at County General's ER).

When Med gets the call, they try to make things as smooth as possible. When 51 came with patients, things started to get heck and by the time April, the head nurse of Med, tries calming everyone down and giving directions, a patient walks up, gets on a chair, and yells that he is the apocalypse and that he has something worse than the elbow virus.  

Then he tried to blow himself up with a bomb, and Severide ran to stop him, knocking him down, and the patient went boom.

Welcome to Chicago Med comes to my mind after that scene.

Things went from bad to worse; patients needed treatment fast, and others feared the virus and tried to leave but were blocked by the rest of the 51 outside. Chaos ruled the event, as you could see—Casey and the rest inside attempted to maintain the fire situation. 

But it was Severide that took a toll on the rest of the story that he was hurt, and even Will, the doctor, and Halstead's brother, was just to let him die. Oh, hell no, he wasn't going to do that.

Lauren Holden's character comes in and tries to help and save Severide, who, while under, saw flashbacks of Shay, who was moving and thinking to himself that he couldn't die. 

But Severide makes it through and will make a full recovery. 

The suspect who blew himself up happens to be carrying a virus that didn't grow into what he had hoped it would have, and no one has been exposed to any virus. He came from an experiment factory that was testing viruses as weapons. 

I think one or maybe two things to take out of this episode is that one: this is an excellent episode for the spinoff to Chicago Med. Maybe one more episode dealing with the Chicago Fire and PD wouldn't hurt. It's so that we can get a bit more into these characters. But all in all, I'm in for the series. 

The other thing #2: Casey and Dawson are back together!!!! YEAH!!! And boy, did they miss each other. 

I loved and enjoyed this episode. It was the most intense episode so far that it had you holding your breath. I love these characters from Chicago Med; I thought that they were exciting, and one thing to point out is that I do wish and maybe hope that Dylan Baker would make an appearance. He was the guy who had us thinking of the Chicago Med spinoff. 

In the next episode, it looks like that Mils is leaving. What the heck, man? Being a paramedic is good enough for you? Also, the band is back together this coming April 28th, baby! That's when Fire, SVU, and PD become one in another star-stunning crossover event, and this time, it looks more significant than the last one in November. Who can't wait for this?

You can catch Chicago Fire on Tuesday nights at 10/9c on NBC

What the.....?: The Blacklist "Vanessa Cruz"

If you missed this episode of The Blacklist, what the heck man?! This week's episode had nothing more than pure drama and a shocking ending that will leave you in shock.

We see Liz talking with Tom as he's on the run from the German guys. He's begging her to give him his passports and stuff. Of course, Liz won't do it and as she opens the door to let him out, good old Red shows up with a gun pointing at Tom. 

Tom leaves and Red tells Liz that he doesn't think she's thinking clearly. She tells him that she is and then Red tells her about a new case. 

I think that the women on the Blacklist so far seem to be very dangerous then the men. This blacklist is killing businessmen and framing them. Looking like the Red Dragon character with wings on her back.

You think that she's doing it for the money but think again. She's after these men and one other for revenge of the death of her husband. And just before she starts to kill one guy, her own love, another woman who works with the guy walks in. 

This is the first time, I believe that a blacklist has escaped, but I think we'll see her again soon. Heck, she has an offer from Red's team to do something. So stay tune seeing her again. 

Meanwhile, Tom and Liz are still at it again. As Liz asked Red for help, for his help he needs the fulcrum, but she won't give it. Soon, she talks to Tom and ask for his help in exchange for his passports. 

But Tom, who isn't suppose to tell Liz anything about those passports does and admits that it come from Red. 

That lead to Liz meeting with Red, who ask him to give her a firm answer. He admits that he had Tom watching her. That freaked her out and didn't want to see Red anymore. Well that led to when Red was about to talk when a "BANG!" came and we see that Red has been shot. 

That was the most shocking ending to and episode so far this season. Who did it? Was it the group that's after Red for the fulcrum? Could it be another blacklister? Or has Red played another card in this game that has just gotten heated. 

It was by far one of it's best episodes. The drama between Tom and Liz is unbelievable and I feel a bit bad for Tom. 

You can catch The Blacklist Thursday nights at 9/8c on NBC. 

Love and Debunked: Tuesday Night Comedies

Unbreakable "An Imaginary Torch Walks into the Bar"

If there's any life lessons in Rom-Com movies it's that there's always a do not and a really do not stuff to do. For this week's episode Justin's ex comes back and breaks the news that she's engaged.

That throws Justin off completely and trying to think of a way to tell her that he still loves her. As Danny tries to tell him that it's not a good idea to pursue, Justin does it anyway from having the engagement party at his bar.

Until Danny and the gang takes Justin and hold him off til the end of the party, for which really turned into one of those embarrassing rom-com moments. Justin does go and makes a speech but if you think it was to his ex, think again as it was to Danny. Ah how cute that speech was.

This episode was not as the season premiere episode but still it was good. A lot of rom-com references to joke about what each movie and other show has done.  If I had to rate it, it would be 6/10. There was some good and hilarious moments and there were some what moments.

You can catch Undateable Tuesday nights at 9/8c on NBC.

One Big Happy "Crushing It"

It's never easy to know if someone is gay or not but after a couple of weeks or so at the gym, Liz thinks that one gym member has been eyeing her just as she has been eyeing her too.

This week's episode deals with Liz and going for a relationship with someone that's been eyeing her but the question is, is she gay or not. She is but there's a twist after there first date at the bowling alley.

When Liz and Luke went to their doctor's appointment, the nurse turns out to be her girlfriend. Awkward!!

Soon she confronts Liz and tells her that she can't date patients who are seeing her boss. But when we see them again for another appointment, turns out there she will be counting the days until that child is born.

This was a good, hilarious episode. It had me laughing from the beginning to the end and I thought that the character of Liz was amazingly funny.

One joke that went on through the episode was what should Pruedence be called when the baby arrives? I think maybe Prudy Britty.

You can watch "One Big Happy" Tuesday nights at 9:30/8:30c on NBC.