Clock-In to The Night Shift

It was last summer's number-one new drama on television. The Night Shift season premiere is tonight after The Voice on NBC, and if you haven't seen the series, it's one that you surely can't miss.

The series follows the lives of the staff of doctors and nurses who work the late night shift at the San Antonio Medical Center. It stars Eoin Macken as Dr. TC Callahan, a war veteran who has PTSD. Think of him as a young, wilder version of Dr. Doug Ross. He's in and off relationship with Dr. Jordan Alexander, played by former Royal Pains star Jill Flint, is his supervising boss of the whole ER department.


It also stars Ken Leung (Rush Hour), Brendan Fehr (Bones), Freddy Rodriguez (Six Feet Under), and Scott Wolf (Party of Five). So it's got a great ensemble cast with complex characters.

The series is the best medical drama on television since ER, House, and Royal Pains. There's not a medical drama that deals with medical cases.

With these stories and characters, the show's pace makes it really life and death.

So, if you haven't heard of The Night Shift, you should check in and see how different the show is from the rest of these soap medical dramas that are on right now.

You can catch the season premiere of The Night Shift tonight at 10/9c on NBC.

Change Can Be Good...Sometimes: Chicago PD "What Do You Do"

This episode wasn't so disappointing at all. In fact, I believe that it was one of it's best episodes yet with the fact that it was about one character, Burgess. Since that fall finale ending of getting shot, it's time that we see her face some changes in her life as well. 

With her typical day of going to a local dinner, eating the same breakfast as always. One costumer talks to her and guesses currently about the price of her meal. I'd be like freaking out and leaving if someone did that to me. 

Anyway, it comes to mind that Burgess is a bit predictable, and soon when she's with Roman on the beat, they make a stop at the local grocery store and sees two guys walking into a building. Burgess tells Roman and goes over to investigate it. 

Roman talks her down, by telling her that they need to call it in. She doesn't, just wants to check it out. When she bangs on the door, gunshots were heard and when the door open the person that came out was the one who got shot and well hell breaks loose for the two officers. 

Roman gets a gun to the head as Burgess tries to save the guy, but he dies anyway from the shooter. As things get heated up, Roman takes the bold move and attacks the shooter and they both go in the building with Burgess lockout and makes a run to find another way in just before she hears gunshots.

As Burgess finds a way in, she tries to find something to use a weapon, looks for her partner and sees that both men and more are down. She tends to Roman who has a head injury and soon as she tries to stop the bleeding, the shooter slowly gets up and tries to grab one of the officer's gun. Burgess fights like hell but lost and later, the shooter gets shot by someone that was already shot. 

Burgess, stunned, talks to the other shooter and tells him that she wants to help her partner. She goes but things soon turn bad later on. As Burgess talks to the guy, Roman makes another bold move and tries to grab the metal pipe but fails. Then comes the shooter's partners walking in as Burgess tries taking Roman out. 

The shooter then needs help as he couldn't breathe, his cousin runs to the store to get some supplies. As that went down, the shooter talks and saying the other guy's name, which he was pissed off because he doesn't want his named heard in front of the cops. 

Later, as Burgess helped the shooter, his partner then shoots him and his cousin because of saying his name. Things get suspenseful later as Burgess and Roman try to escape. They go up the stairs and Roman yells at Burgess to go out the window to get help. What we thought she left to get help, didn't turn out like that. 

As soon as the shooter walks up the stairs and see Roman on the ground, he's about to take a shot when Burgess jumps him and fights like hell, Roman tries to move to help, slides down the stairs to grab the gun while the shooter and Roman both had it, Burgess stabs the guy in the neck with a piece of glass. 

Now, you would think that after facing like four people that it would be over. As they walk down the stairs, two other people get out of the van and starts shooting. It was like a video game movie, when you think that you got them all and all of the sudden, there's more. That was exciting and thrilling.

As all this was going down, the unit was in some deep teaser training, while Voight and Al have a nice lunch talking about Justin and other things. It was probably one of the most humorist parts in the episode as Adam was trying to hurry up the lesson, because he was trying to get a hold of Burgess. Then Halstead's turn was when Erin takes it and I think we kind of know where she put that stun gun at. 

Everyone else that we know got teased. Later, Adam starts worrying about Burgess. Not returning her calls and such. He talks to Platt about it and later on he tells Voight about checking up on her and Roman since they haven't returned or responded. They all go and just in time, they take out the other two guys. 

Apparently Burgess and Roman took down one of the biggest drug bust in Chicago. Everyone was very proud of how she handled everything. Well, maybe not Burgess as she was in the locker room and Adam comes in and soon she just lets everything go and cries it out.     

As I said before this is one of the best episodes that centered one character. Burgess has been through a lot within the last couple of months, and with this episode I think it just makes her more stronger and probably something might come off on this later on. Who knows? But maybe for Burgess, that change can be good sometimes in life.

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

Mean Cheif Chicago Fire "Headlong Towards Disaster"

While Bowden takes sometime to be with his family and taking care of his father's things, tensions rise in the firehouse with a replace chief and a fill in squad member too.

First off, the new fire chief at first seemed to be a nice guy until when who else Welch comes in the house and told that the's filling in for Squad. Casey, Dawson and Severide talk to the chief about Welch but he response that they'll have to get over the bad blood that happen.

Other members didn't seem to like that he was there too. Acting a bit tough but from what Welch was looking and acting that the's just trying to help out and get the job done without any tensions.

Things take another turn with the Chief when a call from a bowling alley of a guy stuck inside the pin machine. Casey and Severide looks at the situation, the others go behind with Capp going in to look at the victim close and for Mils to check him too.

With nothing everything taking too much time, Severide asks for the saw and the victim is free. As soon as everyone is done, Otis walks on the line and not the sideline and falls off. The chief laughs his head off, talking to him like a little baby. After that the chief keeps making fun of him and calling him gutter-ball.

He keeps calling him that throughout the episode, really pissing Otis off to the limit that I don't think we've never seen before.

In the meantime, Casey is got some action with the lady that he met at the party last week. It was later that him and Severide were walking out and he sees her there in the hallway, it turns out that she was waiting for her ex-husband which was the new chief. Big red flag there I would say.

Casey is freaking out about it, scared that he being with her might risk his career. On that Welch did see them kiss but he doesn't tell the chief, I don't think, but tells Dawson about it, as he's trying to make peace with her and the others. He tells her that Casey needs to watch it.

Bowden tires parenthood for the first time that we know and he's kind of needs a bit of help who has experience with a lot of kids, Herrmann. Herrmann tells him what's happening and he freaks out just a bit. But he keeps his cool and later on he watches his boy sleep and his wife comes in. He tells her that he doesn't want to hear about what's going on at the firehouse or his father's fiance but wants to stay here and be with her and their son.

Tensions rose high after a fire, when Otis almost could have bitten the bucket there. The new chief makes fun of him again and Casey tells him to cool it and not to talk to his guys like that. That kind of send hi in a mood, he brings both Casey and Severide in his office and tells them to get their men and wash the windows, so they can learn respect.

The new chief sure has a mean side to him. I didn't like Welch coming in but I'm kind of thinking that he might be turning a new leaf now. I think he's trying to help Casey not get in trouble. I loved and miss Casey and Severide together as buds, talking about his love life and smoking a cigar while washing windows.
Those two remind me of Dr. Greene and Dr. Ross from ER.

Britt has become the good angel in this episode, with the girl that was high and had a metal bar in her side, came by to talk with her and hang a bit. She told Britt that she had a guitar but lost it. Her mom won't buy a new one because she works two jobs and she thinks that her daughter needs to take responsibility. So Britt see a guitar shop and buys one for her but mom told her no and stay way from her. So later, Britt told the girl that she can come here and play with it whenever she wants.

Next week Chicago Fire won't be on, due to the series finale of Parks and Recreation, which I recommend tuning in.


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

Parks & Recreation "The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show" & Two Funerals"

In probably one of the best episodes ever, we come to see the end of the Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Show. It was like watching a real Saturday morning cartoon/kiddie show like Barney or Sesame Street

Each cast member, expect for Tom, was there and then as soon as Leslie got on, they started to give a farewell to Johnny. His final show began with a hunt a hunt that drives him through every friend on the show until he found it or John Cena came out with his guitar. He even got an honorably police badge from the Pawnee Police.

While Johnny Karate was on the hunt, there were tributes to him from his friends. You can see April not looking happy at all, but getting a bit upset that they have to leave what he loves doing, even if it's really stupid and bad.

And as the show was getting done, he talked to his kiddie audience of what they got done on their check out list and the last one was to be kind to someone and that was when April left the studio. Andy went out there and talked to her about how it's about her and he'll find something else there in DC to do. The camera caught all the too.

I couldn't help to tear up with that scene. Also a music tribute too was very good too.

The last regular episode dealt with two deaths, which was the mayor of Pawnee and Ron's barber. All of which, felt emotional for his barber than the mayor.

In the meantime, Tom just got back with Lucy but she went to see family and friends in Philly. Soon after watching a taped video of the mayor, Leslie told Tom that he should propose to her when she gets back and they were off on the hunt to make the Tom's action-packed proposal video.

They did like a James Bond theme with stunts and all. Damage was done but Leslie argued that they knew what was going to happen.

Also there was a hunt for a new Mayor, Ben, April ad Garry interviewed everyone about if they would take the Mayor position for the next couple of months. Each and everyone turned to be not good (one of them being Paul Rudd) until April had an idea of Ben taking the position. Ben was close but then asked Garry to take it and he did.

Ron did find his new barber or should I say stylist thanks to Donna. Best part is that they were talking to each other, which Ron doesn't do.

As soon as Lucy is seen, Tom decides not to do what  Leslie and him have planned but instead did it the way that Tom wanted it, by doing a magic trick. Of course, she pulls a card out and it asked if she would marry him. She says yes and its a celebration.

The other celebration came the next day with Garry being the new mayor of Pawnee. That doesn't sound right at all doesn't it? Beautiful ceremony and a hot air balloon ride.

I can hardly believe that these are the last two regular episodes of Parks and Recreation. The first episode was a teary one and the second was just hilarious. I can't believe that next Tuesday is the finale.

You can catch the series finale of Parks & Recreation Next Tuesday at 10/9c after the two night season premiere of The Voice.

Cold Cold Cold!!: Chicago Fire "Call It Paradise"

This week Firehouse 51 had to handle the cold elements of winter. Talk about timing for temperatures to be below zero. As the gang tries to prepare for things, set salt out and puts things in certain place to make sure they don't freeze. 

A baby was left near the house as Dawson found her and brought her in. The baby was fine and healthy has can be, but just to make sure the baby is okay, she needs to go to Chicago Med and get check out. Well, ambulance 61 is getting fixed by squad member. 

It wasn't til Britt told Mills how to start it that there was nothing wrong with the ambulance. Soon, they get a call for someone who's having chest pains and heads out over there, leaving the baby with Dawson until they get back. 

Later what we assume is the mother, comes in and ask for her child back. Bowden tells her that she needs papers to prove that the child is hers. Then when the firehouse gets a call, Dawson was left alone and soon the mother comes with papers but it's fake papers. She wants the baby back and then pulls a gun on Dawson. 

Then the Bowden comes in and everyone. She tells them that she wants the baby but then Bowden tells her to go and she goes but was caught by the CPD a couple of miles away from the firehouse. 

Meantime, Britt and Mills are at their location and see's a guy telling them about a kid who was hurt, who was freaking out because him and his girlfriend were doing drugs. Britt went in the warehouse to find the girl who must of really was freaking if she went all the way in the building. 

Britt finds the girl and tells her to walk slowly because she was on a bad railing until she fell and gets caught on a metal rod. Mills comes but and helps but they couldn't call for help with no service. 

Cruz, who was complaining about the cold the entire episode, tries calling out to Britt but got a guy in the ambulance and so the firehouse gang makes their way to them. They came in, they search and they saved. 

As things cooled down or more like warm up, Dawson saw that the baby finally got to be with her parents, who are from Indiana. Bowden throws a Hawaii party for his ailing father ad gave a great speech about how we unite and keep on moving. 

It was during the episode that Severide asked Casey what's the deal with him and Dawson. He wants to move on and see someone. It was Molly's during the party that he spots someone and soon goes to her place and heated things up. 

The surprising moment came when Bowden and his father sat in the room, talked and drank. Soon Bowden's son was crying and he decided to go in there and take care of it so his father can stay and relax. It was a few minutes later after putting the baby down that his father had died there in the chair with the photo album open. 

Next week's episode will be the one that will melt the snow. Apparently Casey made out with the guy who is subbing for Bowden for awhile. 

Also to note that Deadline.com is reporting that there will be another Chicago Fire spin-off episode that will open to Chicago Med. The one that we've been all waiting for since Chicago PD came.   

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

 

Finding & Baking: Parks and Recreation "Mrs. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington" & "Pre-Mary"

"Mrs. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington"

As we get closer to the end, things start to take there turn. April doesn't know what she wants to do with her life and has no idea how to tell Leslie about it, since well, Leslie has a five year plan for her future in government.

As they both go to Washington DC to talk about their National Park plan, they talked to everyone from Senator Booker to Senator John McCain. Most of the time, Leslie being Leslie, when finding McCain, he literally was trying to avoid her but she got the best of him.

Later as April and Leslie relaxed from their meetings, they talked on the bench near the Lincoln Memorial. That's when April tells her the truth and well, Leslie didn't take it too well and left. 

Meantime, back in Pawnee Andy, Ben and Ron all try to find April a career that she would want to do. She can't work at Ron's shop, so Ben tries again the accounting firm, but as soon as they like her resume, April turned it down.

After Leslie cooled off with a breakfast chat with Madeleine Albright, she goes back to April and apologize. She takes April to the a place where they help with young adults on what career they are qualified at and it turned out that April would love to do just that, where she can tell someone what job to take and boot them out.

This was just another home run episode. I love the relationship of April and Leslie as it's a like the mentor and mentee. For the first time in a while, April shows so true feelings in that great April style way. Also we got to see and learn that Ron has brothers, you can tell with their fecal hair.

"Pie-Mary"

As Ben is planning his campaign with Jenn on what he should be doing. She advise that Leslie dials it down a bit from what she would do, like speak her mind and such. When Ben spoke about one of his plans, the reporters were on Leslie on why she wasn't entering the pie contest with the other candidates's wives.

That turned out to be a bigger than they thought. Then as Leslie was going to enter the contest, the leader of the women's advocate comes and tells her that she was going to support her until Leslie told her she was going to be cooking. Then she told Leslie that she would go against her and that lead to Ben coming out like a man telling his wife that he wants his pie.

Later Ben decided to make his own pie but in a cal-zone. Who doesn't love cal-zones? And soon as they're at the contest, Ben presents his pie until a group of men protest on how men shouldn't bake. 

Soon Ben was going to apologize but then had Leslie speak about her and what she had to say about all this stuff that has turn up. She goes on saying how a good mom she is and how a hard worker but also talked about Ben because he's running for Congress. 

Meanwhile, April told Ron that with her new job she's going to have to move. So Ron asked her for his key back and when she got the box that she put it in, it wasn't there and it turned out to be a hunt that Ron couldn't say no to. 

They went from the movies to the shoeshiners bench that Andy use to work, which was in a Congressman's office. Until Ron gave up the hunt after finding a letter that was written by April to Andy. And soon April remember where she put the key, it was under a tree in the park. 

She tells Ron that the tree reminded her of him so strong and quiet. Soon we learn that Ron changed the locks to his house a couple of times a year. But also that he barred his gold under that tree, which he thinks he removed it. 

Also we got to see Donna spending some time with Garry, who lost his wedding rings, keys and belt in a small drain outside the office.

This was such a great episode. It was hilarious all around. We got to see another hunt for Ron Swanson to do. We only got two more 

weeks until we say goodbye, I'm not ready to say goodbye. 

You can catch the farewell season of "Parks & Recreation" Tuesday nights at 8/7c on NBC.

He Was There: The Blacklist "Luther Braxton (No. 21) Conclusion"

Well, in this conclusion to the two part episode, we last saw Red, Liz and Braxton face to face. Red talks him down about finding the Fulcrum but Braxton knows how powerful it's worth. Then Braxton looks at Liz and figures out that he came for her so she knows where it is. Then those missiles that the CIA ordered hits the Factory.

Where the episode comes in is seconds with Russler, who is freed from the chain hanging and Samar who is still hanging. Russler gets her down and runs to where Red as he tells that Braxton took agent Keen, he was trying to get a signal for rescue.

As they are in the burning Factory, Liz is in a helicopter hoping that everyone was okay and safe til she saw Braxton right beside her telling her that she's the only thing that matters. They head to a hospital in Alaska, where they take an ambiance and get away.

Red, Ressler and Samar got out, made it, Red calls Braxton and the two talk. You can really see that there is some real hatred between these two characters. It's a small theft trying to rob a con man, which in this case probably won't go down well.

Of course, Braxton and his guys try to get Liz to tell where the Fulcrum is at but she has no freakin clue, as they even water board her. Then Braxton got a doctor that specialize into memory restoration, played by Gloria Ruben.

Braxton took her and held her little boy hostage. So the doctor performed the drug on Liz. As she was trying to fight it off, she could see the night of the fire where mostly everything happen to her. We can hear her mother and father yelling and a young Liz Keen in the closet.

As Red was searching for Braxton, he got his business associates together and offer them a deal if they hear from him to contact him first. Well, one of them called him but wouldn't give it to him unless he gets a good deal. The return is life, so the guy was going to get money, more of a knuckle sandwich right to the head about ten times. Just enough that he can't remember the last 20 seconds of the conversation.

We see Liz in her memory, as she tries to go her younger self tells her to go back. Then gun shots were heard and smoke appeared as the two were back in the closet.

Then Braxton meets up with The Director, as we know they call him, and talked about making the deal they had better. The Director decline to do that, then as Braxton leaves he calls his guy to get the job done. We see he's being followed from a distance, thinking that it was Red, but no it was his body guard, Dembe and as Braxton walked tot he car, he sees Red sitting and soon Dembe holds a gun to his head and they talk.

This turned out to be one of the best theft-con man talk I ever seen. You can feel the tension between these two that they have a history. And soon they take a ride.

Later on, we see Liz seeing terrible things, she's fighting with her younger self and soon as this was going on, Red comes in blaze of glory shooting everyone that got in the their way getting Liz out of there. That's when he comes to her side and talks to the doctor about how much can she go on with the treatment.

They go on with the procedure and well, it turned out to be one of the best scenes on television. The scene where she sees the fire, her father holding her hand, getting out of the fire and soon she sees three men out there, one of them looking like Red.

If I had to vote for the scene that I held my breath for the longest time, that would be the scene right there.

Liz does wake up and freaks seeing Red there by her side. She tells him that he was there the night of the fire and left the house while she was there. She thought that they had something special as working colleagues but she now knows that it's not true and she leaves.

You can see Red, with a steel face, look at Liz leaving and the doctor and her son reuniting, that he doesn't seem happy at all.

But later on as The Director make it back to his home, there was a partying gift for him hanging int he room. It was all 500 lbs of Luther Braxton. Red was there and talked to the guy about how Braxton couldn't get the Fulcrum.

The Director tells him that they will try everything they have to stop Red and that turned out to be one hell of a threat. I guess let the games begin on the hit on Red, that's what next week's episode will show.

Also at the end, we see Liz in her room, looking through a box of things, and all of the sudden she picks up the stuff bunny and she sees something in the neck of it. She rips it open and finds a classified flash drive in it. It's the fulcrum!! She had it all along.

This episode did not disappoint at all. Even re-watching part one early it made it into a great two hour TV movie event. The battle of Braxton and Red when they talked on the phone and in person was one of the best scenes seeing Red and a Blacklister face off.

Another thing: we learn that Cooper's health is not in a good condition than we thought. We knew that his health was no in shape when Red told him brief about it.

If I had to vote for best TV villain this week it would be a tied between Luther Braxton and Elliot Gish on Chicago Fire/Chicago PD.

Next week's episode will surely leaving you on the edge with a Blacklister that no one has ever seen before. Apparently he likes to use a wipe. Also the CIA are on to take Red down. But what will Liz and Red's relationship be after this episode?

Any thoughts?

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