Aquarius Returns

David Duchovny returns this Thursday in last summer's hit show with a two hour, commercial free movie premiere event.

If you haven't seen Aquarius, the series takes place in America in the 1960s that's was a land of tumult and transformation.

Around the country institutions were rocked by protests both violent and peaceful, assassinations became an all-too common occurrence and each day brought a new headline that spoke to the painful process that the country was going through: revolution. No city felt this pain more than Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Police Department Det. Sam Hodiak (David Duchovny, "The X-Files" and "Californication") had served his country in the Pacific Theater during World War II, and now protects his city in the late 60's. When an old flame tells him that her daughter Emma Karn (Emma Dumont, "Salvation") has gone missing, he jumps to action . His search leads him to find Emma living with a group of hippies led by a dirty, slight but violent figure named Charlie Manson (Gethin Anthony, "Game of Thrones"). As he digs deeper to try and pull her out, Hodiak's suit and tie worldview is attacked by the same peace-and-love mantra that is challenging institution across America.

Hodiak enlists the help of undercover vice Officer Brian Shafe (Grey Damon, "True Blood" and "Friday Night Lights"). A Vietnam veteran, Shafe has seen war in a much different light than Hodiak. Even though Shafe is a rookie, he has things to teach Hodiak, such as the bran new Miranda Rights, that are indicative of an emerging style of policing that doesn't turn a blind eye to abuses of power.

As Hodiak and Shafe become further entwined with Manson, and as the country slides deeper into its metamorphosis, the world Hodiak knows begins to disappear before his eyes. This same shifting landscape emboldens Manson to thrust his perverted philosophies upon the world. When the doors of the music industry are closed to him, however, Mason seeks a different way to broadcast his apocalyptic message that will end with one of the most infamous homicides in America history, the Tate-LaBiance murders.

The two men are on a crashing course that will ultimately lead to the gruesome, bloody end of the hippie era and leave America shaken, and once again, changed.

Ringing with the unparalleled music of the era, "Aquarius" is a sprawling work of historical fiction with nuanced characters whose actions in a time of national transformation.

From writer John McNamara ("Trumbo" and "The Magicians") serves as executive producer with Marty Adelstein ("Prison Break"), Becky Clements ("Last Man Standing"), David Duchovny and Melanie Greene, "Aquarius" is a production of Tomorrow Studios.

Season one was the introduction of the characters and how they met, now Season two will be the beginning of Charlie Manson as his name will be known to others. This series does show some really gritty scenes on network television since Hannibal.

In ways, Duchovny performance is nothing but fantastic, with humor and dramatic side. There are times I see Mulder in some scenes but that doesn't really take away the show itself that also shows how Charlie Manson rises but also how America was changing.

If you haven't seen season one, don't worry as season one is streaming on Netflix right now. Also you can catch episodes on NBC.com. 

Here's a promo for Season Two:

You can catch the two hour commercial free movie premiere of Aquarius this Thursday at 9/8c on NBC.

NBC Announces Aquarius Season 2 Premiere

It was announced on Tuesday that NBC has set the date for the Season 2 premiere of Aquarius, but with some killer arrangements.

The network's David Duchovny drama, of an LAPD cop on the hunt for serial killer Charles Manson, will return on Thursday, June 16 with a two hour, commercial free premiere at 9/8c.

Yes that's right commercial free premiere. The Peacock Network announcement says it "will have absolutely no breaks for commercials or network promos, with the only stoppage coming for a one minute local news break during the show's second hour."

But when the premiere moves to online and digital platforms the next day, normal commercial breaks will air.

On June 23rd, Aquarius will move to it's normal time slot, 10/9c.

My Summer Viewing on the Couch

Depending on when classes start, summer is officially over, and school is in session. I thought that I would take this time to write up about what shows I've watched over the summer. Of course, there are shows from Suits, Royal Pains, Hannibal, America's Got Talent, and the new series like Aquarius and Stitchers.  But I'm talking about shows that either have been on or just recently that I've never had a chance to watch. This is my summer viewing.

Daredevil 

This new series released this year has become the biggest show on Netflix, next to House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. I'm never much of a superhero series. I never watched Smallville or Agents of Shield, but when I watched this series, it blew my mind.

We all know the story of Matt Murdock, a lawyer by day and a hero by night known as Daredevil. This 13-episode series stretches out the origin story and the story of Daredevil's first time fighting crime. The series was released on April 10th, but I never watched it until a month later.

As soon as I watched the series' first two episodes, I was hooked and amazed. Charlie Cox playing Murdock/Daredevil is fantastic, and may I say that he's way better than Ben Affleck. When I first saw this guy, I thought it was Will Forte. He hit a home run, but I was impressed with former Law & Order CI star Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. D'Onofrio hit a grand slam. He was dark and scary, and the character was well done.

This is one of the darkest shows and Marvel series I've ever seen, and I'm counting the films, too. This is what comic-book series and the Marvel Universe should be like: dark and edgy.

Arrow

Speaking of comic-book series, after watching Daredevil on Netflix, I had a chance to binge-watch one of the popular series on cable television, Arrow.

I've heard of the show, and my first thought was, okay, this might be something. I could never watch it because I don't have The CW and always forget to watch it online. So my chance to watch was not disappointing at all.

I was amazed and thought to myself after watching the first season that this seemed to be like what Daredevil was with its origin story by mixing it in with each episode. But the issue is that it could be too long for me to sit and watch all 24 episodes of this series. I did manage it and enjoyed it quite dearly.

Stephen Arnell is unique and gives an excellent performance as the Green Arrow. I enjoy watching Oliver learn from the art of crime, fighting the ups and downs, and facing his fears when he gets his ass kicked by The Archer. I have to give a lot of credit to Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Marc Guffenheim for bringing this series to the airwaves and other shows from The Flash, soon-to-be Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl coming to CBS. I wonder if there will be any more. I hope it's maybe a Batgirl series.

I haven't started watching season two yet, and hopefully will get through season three before the fourth season begins this October.

Mr. Robot 

I was so engaged in watching this series from watching the trailer. Mr. Robot had so much buzz around social media and critics. The series is about Elliot Anderson, who works at a computer security company daily and is a hero by night for catching criminals through the web. But he gets picked up by a man who goes by Mr. Robot, played by Christian Slater. He wants Elliot to take down ECorp (Evil Crop). But things get twisted, and Elliot realizes what's going on.

Rami Malek puts on a fantastic performance. He'll be up for awards for this series—the definition of hitting a home run performance. Not to mention that it's got a great cast, from Christian Slater to Carly Chalkin to Portia Doubleday.

The best part is that this series was renewed for a second season just before the series premiere. What perfect timing for this series to come on the airwaves, with the internet hacking of Sony and Ashley Madison situation.

You can watch the show on demand and catch the series finale this Wednesday night at 10/9c on USA Network.

Bloodline 

You can see where I've been staying most of this summer, at the Netflix Inn. This series, Bloodlines, was such a thrilling and gripping series I've seen.

The series is about a family whose eldest son comes back and brings hell and threatens to bring the family down. He was starring Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) and Linda Cardellini (ER and Freaks and Geeks), along with a great supporting cast.

The show was such a delight,t with enough thrill and suspense that I wanted more. I recommend this series. The series was renewed for a second season that will air sometime next year. Kyle Chandler received an Emmy nomination for his role in this series, and don't be surprised if he wins because he's outstanding.

List of recommendations:

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Netflix
Aquarius, NBC
The Flash, The CW
The Liaison, Showtime
The Americans, FX
Sirens, USA/Netflix
Playing House, USA
Chipped, TBS

So I guess most of my summer I spent watching on Netflix. And now that the summer is over and only a month away, the new television season begins. I'm looking forward to recent seasons of these shows and others in the coming months

Weekend Catch Up Pt.8

Here's another edition of the weekend catch-up.

Suits: "Uninvited Guests"

The 
In this week's episode, things could take a turn for the worst for not just Rachel and Mike but for Jessica and the firm.

With Mike and Rachel's wedding still in the planning, Rachel's mother has some ideas and dates for the ceremony. But when she shows Rachel the list of who's invited, it puts her on the defensive and to protect Mike from his secret.

Of course, there's always an argument between mother and daughter, but the mother wants to give what her daughter always dreamed of. I find it a perfect story this wedding might not happen. This is when Mike and Rachel finally talk and discuss it after Mike has spoken to her mother about this situation. But they love each other, and it looks like they're still in the process.

Meanwhile, Harvey apologizes for his action towards Louis as the partners will vote to either not suspend or to suspend Harvey. It was split, and Harvey stayed. And well, hell's lazing when Jack mentions that Daniel Hardman has made a deal to take back his firm.

It draws both Harvey and Mike to take care of this, and with Mike's ideas, one shitty and the other brilliant (something he's been doing to Harvey for a long time). They stop the bleeding of Daniel from coming back, but it just puts more and more pressure on Harvey and Jessica.

Harvey talks to Charles, who's in prison, trying to scare him, but it doesn't work. For this to stop, Charles wants Harvey to resign from the firm. As for Jessica, she double-crossed Jack, thinking he would be a partner in the firm, but not quite. It turned into a heated match of words. Jessica is never afraid, but she should be when Jack votes for her to leave.

This episode leaves up to a perfect season finale. This episode had plenty of drama carrying from last week's episode.  There's no doubt that things will happen. Things are differently going to change. Will Jessica be voted out? Harvey Quit?

Overall, I give this episode an 8.5/10.

You can catch the season finale of Suits Wednesday night at 9/8c on USA.

Mr. Robot: "eps1.8m1rr0r1ng.qt"

Last week's episode was jaw-dropping. This week's episode was yet another.

So, in this case, Mr. Robot is Elliot! Holy Shit!!

This episode had some backstory when Mr. Robot had an electronic store called "Mr. Robot." And when a customer comes, he says his kid took $40. Robot doesn't take this crap and tells the guy to leave. It was then that he called out his son, Elliot.

Of course, Elliot has been freaking out since he kissed his sister Angela. So, Elliot has been talking with his dad, going from his place to his old childhood home. He was thinking that we saw Elliot push Mr. Robot through the window. We see them walking to the cemetery, where they stop at a grave, and Robot sits down, but just before, he tells him that he loves Elliot and that they're trying to take him away from him. From then on, it was getting too freaky until Darlene and Angela found him, and soon, Robot was nowhere to go.

Elliot freaks out and soon realizes that he's Mr. Robot.

In the meantime, Tyrell is a father and soon gets fired. How interesting is that when joy comes to you, and soon it's taken away?

Soon, Tyrell goes to Elliot's apartment and talks to him about what has been happening with the hacking and all. Also, he killed his neighbor and had discussions about that. So, Elliot shows Tyrell the place where everything has been happening and tells him that he's the one who's been doing it.

It seems like Tyrell wants to help Elliot and get revenge from Evil Crop for his firing. I guess Tyrell was right in the pilot that they'll be working with Elliot in the future.

I enjoyed this episode. This show is a lot different from any other television show this summer. Some so many twists and turns keep me interested and wanting to watch more. I think that something big is coming, and when that happens to Elliot, it will be something he can't stop.

I give this episode an 8/10.

You can catch the season finale of Mr. Robot on Wednesday night at 10/9c on USA.

Aquarius:  "Old Ego Is a Too Much Thing"

In the season finale of "Aquarius," Ken and Hal return to Charlie for help. Hodiak tries to deal with his son's service records, and life and death come into play.

Ken gets into such deep stuff that involves a dead girl. He goes to Hal's place and tells him that his girl wasn't there that night, so he had to settle with this girl. Suddenly, things go wrong, and he leaves the body at Charlie's place, which isn't a good idea because Charlie will use it as leverage for both of them.  We see a flashback of both guys in 1959 when this incident happened, and Charlie made Hal kill the girl.

Hodiak tries to save his son from his actions of telling the truth about the war. Arranging a meeting with an officer with a good enough deal, his son goes to LA Times and soon gets arrested and taken away.

Meanwhile, a case breaks, and he and Shafe go to the suspect's home, where guns are a blazing. Hoak took one of the suspects who was caught and used him to stop his brother from shooting, for which he shot him a couple of times. Then Hodiak tackles and fights with him until he breaks the guy's neck.

Shafe and Hodiak were awarded a medal for their duties in this killing case. Soon after Hodiak was awarded, a guy from internal affairs came and told him he had questions because a witness saw what happened.

Grace and Hodiak are a couple now after all this mess went down. She finally gives up on her daughter after being in jail and just isn't listening to her. I did predict that Grace and Hodiak would wound up as a couple.

Charlie, on the other hand, became a father, but the baby wasn't breathing. Then, one of the girls, who was jealous of Charlie, steals a baby from the local hospital and brings the child back.

This episode was pretty good. There didn't seem to be any closing storylines except for Emma and her mother—a cliffhanger for Hodiak of the incident.  I look forward to seeing what Season Two will bring.

In this episode, I give it a 6.5/10.
You can catch "Aquarius" On Demand at NBC.com

Hannibal: "The Number of the Beast is 666..."

HOLY SHIP!!!!

I CAN NOT BELIEVE WHAT I'VE JUST WATCHED!!!!

The hunt for the Red Dragon is still on, and Will and Jack have an idea. With the help of Fredrick, they're going to draw the guy out and attack them by putting out an article describing the dragon.

That did work, but instead of going after Will, he went after Fredrick (who, in my opinion, got what he deserved). As Fredrick was heading out, the dragon snatched him and took him to his place, where it was the episode's best scene.

The dragon is talking to Fredrick, making him fear him. Soon, Reba comes by with chicken soup but tells the dragon how much she likes him. After that, the dragon shows pictures of his work to Fredrick and soon gets the photo of him and Will.

The dragon takes the video camera out and records, telling Fredrick what to say, and soon, the dragon is unleashed and goes to Fredrick, biting off his lips and fashioning the shot of Fredrick screaming with blood and teeth, showing so gruesome but so fantastic.

But if you think that was the end of Fredrick, not at all. The dragon later poured gasoline on him and lit him up on fire, pushing him down the pathway toward the water fountain.

Hannibal, of course, might have set it up for the dragon to hurt Fredrick. After all, he did get his lips in the mail from the dragon and ate one before Jack could see it.

Never have I seen such a gruesome scene in my life on television. This episode is as gruesome. Hannibal mentions that the lamb will soon be a loin. I think that in next week's episode, that lamb will become something of a loin.

I enjoyed this episode so, so much—mind-blowing scene with Fredrick and the Dragon. And Hannibal and Jack's conversation was good as well. The actors were just so damn good.

Overall, I give this episode a 9.5/10.

You can catch the season finale/series finale of Hannibal on Saturday nights at 10/9c on NBC.

Sports Talk:

What a weekend the Chicago Cubs have had, sweeping the Atlanta Braves and winning today's game 9-3. 

The player of the game, Kris Bryant, hitting two home runs today, was flat-out remarkable. 

Cubs seem to be hitting at the right time, and pitching is good enough to get through. But I can't stress enough on the offensive side that this team is red hot. 

I know it's getting my grandfather, a Cardinal fan, worrying about how they're playing. 

We've only had less than 40 games; things can happen. But I do hope that what the Cubs are doing keeps going and hopefully shows a tremendous playoff run.