Spring Awakening: The Blacklist "Dembe Zuma (No.10)"/"Requiem" spring return

The Blacklist is back and Red's day of wrecking has come! Hey now! Hey now! The Blacklist is back!!

Sorry about that, I've gotten that tune in my head before the new episodes of The Blacklist aired Thursday with an epic two hour spring return event.

The first episode "Dembe Zuma (No. 10)" was a very good episode that started off with Dembe taking Aram from his home and away from his girlfriend, Janet. Since the last episode, we had thought that Dembe might have poisoned Reddingotn, but as Aram and all of us have found out, that he knew Red was poison and the only way to find out was to do it while accused of it.

Aram believes Dembe and helps with try to see who has hacked into Red's hidden places and a name comes up that gave Dembe a look that someone has come from the grave. As that was happening, Red and Liz spend some very nice time together (yeah!!) not only where Dembe is but locating his daughter so he could get to him.

They search for Dr. Sophia Gallup that has aired criminals, who get released from prison to kill those that had killed her parents. When Red and Liz get to her after capturing her hit men, they see her covered in bees to help the pain after an accident that she had encountered from the ones that had killed her parents. Red asked for the book that she holds of information of those that are hidden and finds Dembe's daughter.

Red asked Dembe's daughter where he might be and soon give him a phone that he sends her with only one number to call. Red calls and gets Dembe, as he is back at the woods and tells him that she's not there. Red ask who but before Dembe could say anything, he gets shot with a bow by the creepy woods man. Red calls Aram asking the name that he and Dembe found and as Aram tells Red, Kate Kaplan. Red spooked as hell, tells Liz about Kaplan as she is the person who's been there through the darkest days.

Red and Liz recues Demebe and takes him to the hospital while Red goes after the woods man. Soon, Red outsmarts the guy and takes him down but the guy had one last shot with a bomb that goes off but Red and his bodyguard rushes out fast. But at the end, Mr. Kaplan answers her phone with a message from that woods man telling her to fight like hell because Reddington is coming.

The second episode "Requiem," opens back int he 60's of a young child saying goodbye to her mother, who happens to be Mr. Kaplan. This episode gives one of the series great backstory of how Mr. Kaplan became Mr. Kaplan and her relationship with Liz, Katarina and even Red.

She was aired as a nanny to watch Liz when Katarina would be doing her undercover job, even spotted her having a backseat relationship with Reddington. But when she helped Katarina with a guy that was trying to kill her and we see her first cleaning job.

As Katarina went on the lamb and Kaplan was watching Liz, we see that she gives Liz to what would be her "foster father. Later after dropping of Liz, she's at a bar and meets a by the name of Annie Kaplan and soon the two were a couple. They work for Little Nikos and soon a man who wants to see him comes in with a gun and not only shoots Annie but Kaplan too. Annie dies and Kaplan survived as the bullet went through her head cleanly. For some reason, she gets by two gun shots to the head like that, she is a lucky person.

We jump to where Red has summoned Kaplan and offered a job to help protect Liz because her life will be endanger. She tells him that she'll help him but if she had to choose between him or Liz, it would be Liz every time and Red agree ( I guess he had forgotten about that meeting ).

While watching the flashbacks, Kaplan in present time was on the road finding something that happen to be in a certain motel, probably the same motel that her and Liz were in hiding at the time. After a bit delay from a couple in the room, she goes in and takes part of the wall out and gets out suitcases.

As soon as Red calls Kaplan, she tells him that she's gonna bring him down to where it all hurts...release the bodies of the victims that he had killed, for which Kaplan had stored in an ice rink and leaves with a whole lot of bodies out out.

So we're off to the races! This was a very good, well spent two hour event that I couldn't have been more thrilled and stunned at times. The first episode was so good and amazing from performances not only from Spader but also Boone, Hisham Tawfiq as well. That scene when Red tells Liz about Mr. Kaplan without saying her name til the end of the scene was just so beautifully written. Also Annie Heise steals the episode too as Aram's girlfriend (I'm one who forgives Janet for what she has done as she's really changed Aram's perspective on things). Not to mention, Clark Middleton steals again as Glen Carter and the one scene was given Red and Liz a ride with a student foreign driver.

The second episode was probably the best episode, mostly the best backstory episode on the show (until we get to see Reddington's backstory). It was so beautifully written and so well performed by Joanna Adler as the young Mr. Kaplan and not to mention the original Mr. Kaplan Susan Blommaert. I was amazed how Kaplan's relationship grew for Liz and Katarina and not to mention when she met with Reddington. The episode ended with a chilling way that we've not seen Kaplan like this before, threatening Reddington.

Overall, I give "Dembe Zuma (No. 10)" a 9/10 and "Requiem" a 9/10.

You can catch The Blacklist Thursday nights at 10/9c on NBC.

Retreat at Truth Island: Powerless "Emergency Punch-Up"

This week's episode of Powerless might have been one of it's best.

When the Emily and the team are about to leave for a much needed company group retreat, the supervillian Dr. Psycho releases a toxic gas in Charm City, making the team stuck in the office. But Emily tries her best to make the situation not so terrible by bring the retreat to the office.

Emily serves drinks and even party games, one of the games asked one of each who they would be trapped in a deserted island with: Wendy picked Van, Jackie picked herself but later on picked Ron, Teddy was shocked that Ron didn't pick him because they're best buddies.

Soon when Teddy took the challenge of throwing one of the fake tiki torches to the trash can but missed, hit the window cracking it and letting the gas in which they had to run into next room where they were secured but had no gas mask as they were in the other room surrounded by gas.

Emily goes out there trying to get them, because well, she's the mother of the group she has to do it. Wearing hazmat bags and a bucket helmet (that was used as the bathroom bucket) used as a complete hazmat shit, but gets caught in the gas.

The gas is known as a truth gas and well, the truth really came down from Emily and everyone heard the truth about it..everyone. Emily let them know how she feels that she never gets a thank you from either one of them and how they're like children.

But after Ron goes out there trying to get Emily back in the other room, they do the one thing that they don't want to but Emily has been wanting to do for the retreat: karaoke. They performed Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" which was very good as everyone started and Emily ends it on top and fants after. The next day or after the retreat was over, Emily was back to normal and had no clue what had happen to her but in the end, everyone thank her for all that she has done for them since joining the team.

"Emergency Punch-Up" was literally one of the best episode of the show so far. Not only was this the best ensemble performance from it's cast but Vanessa Hudgens gave her best so far this season. She was just brilliantly hilarious. There was a lot of memorable moments in this episode like the History of Supervillian bit and Dorothy spoiling the ending to Ron, Van's gang of comedy writers even when Emily drops the truth bombs on the gang was great and the karaoke too.  Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Powerless Thursday nights at 8:30/7:30c on NBC.

The Newspaper

Jaw Dropping Ending: The Blacklist Redemption "Whitehall"/"Whitehall: Concussion"

I've decided to combine both episodes together because I just felt it needed that and it was a two part episode too.

In the episode "Whitehall," after Scottie learns of Tom's true identity, she brings him to get information on what he knows. That's what I call a family reunion. As Solomon torches Tom for some time, beating the crap out of him, Tom escapes and meets up with Howard, who escapes as well.

Howard and Tom work together trying to get to Whitehall. We finally learned that Whitehall isn't a blueprint at all but a person that's being held from Scottie in a undisclosed location. Tom and Howard breaks in and gets Whitehall out but is stopped by Solomon and Nez. Nez double crosses Solomon as he takes Whitehall but Howard, Tom and Nez got the suitcase and soon Howard comes out of the shadows to bring down Scottie saying that she's out of her mind on national television.

In the second episode "Whitehall: Concussion,"   Howard sets up a plan for Tom and Nez to break in the Halycon while he comes in meeting with the board members about this whole mess that he called on television. Things were going well until Solomon gets Whitehall out and Scottie during a lock down and heads off but soon Whitehall is captured by Tom and Nez while Scottie and Solomon escapes.

As the tables turns, things become clearer and clearer that maybe we got the wrong person thinking that they're good. When Scottie looked at the project she sees that she was the one that set the project up but she knows she didn't even after looking at the paper work. Soon Tom and Nez comes in and takes her down while Solomon escapes once again.

Scottie is taken in to custody and things were looking good until Scottie's assistant, Kat comes to find out that Scottie was telling the truth and that the guy that they have been both seeing a buffed up therapist, who was really working with Howard and his team. Making it that Howard was the guy not to trust, which makes Scottie the one who's telling the truth and we see that Howard and Whitehall were teaming together and sees their project coming together leaving at that.

I thought this was one hell of two episodes, thank god it was a separated and not made into a two hour event, for which I would have loved too. The show really tied almost everything but left things in the open that I really want a second season. PLEASE NBC RENEW THIS SERIES!!!! Terry O'Quinn was very, very good in these two episodes and really played Howard so well that I really thought he was the good guy in all of this, boy did he really play us. Even Janssen was amazing as well. The writing was so so solid and can't say enough about the acting as I just did.  But I do want to give a shout out to Theodora Miranne, who really shined in the season finale episode and that I hope if the show comes back that she'll come back.

Overall, I give this two part season finale 8.5/10 and the season a 8/10.

You can catch The Blacklist when it returns tonight at 9/8c with a two part epic return that I'm sure of you don't want to miss out on.

The Truth and Flight: The Blacklist Redemption: "Boreals 301" & "Hostage"

"Boreals 301"

When Tom and the team face terror, they'll have to go up in the sky to capture them in the act.

When a group of military men of thieves try to steal classified material, Tom and Solomon goes undercover to find them before it's too late and they'll have to find these men on an airplane. Things get a bit dicey for the two guys as things went south. But they didn't know that the classified would be a person, who happens to be kidnapped by someone who wants to win her back.

As Tom saves the plane from going down, Solomon jumped out with one of their men and tries to get him to speak. Just watching Solomon talk is like watching Reddington tell a story as it's just well entertained.

Tom and the team finds Solomon and soon traced the others as well, saving the classified person.

Meanwhile, Howard gets Tom to find one of Scottie's folder that has information of the mission of Whitehall. Tom couldn't find it at first but after the mission when he tries to talk to her, he spots a comic book and soon leaves and buys the same comic book and uses it to decoded the message left on there which proves Howard's theory that Scottie is a bad person but by the time Tom figured it out Solomon captured Howard.

 This was a very good episode. This was a very well entertained, well written too. I couldn't get enough of Solomon and Tom scenes as they're just filled the screen with memorable moments. I'm still in the middle of who to trust now that it seems Howard is telling the truth about Scottie. I feel like a ping pong ball that hasn't gone out yet. Overall, I give this episode a 8/10.

"Hostages"

With a family held hostage to get someone back, Tom and the gang must save and bring the person the kidnappers want back. But that was just the tip of the ice berg here as there's more.

A wealthy family gets kidnapped from professional kidnappers and for exchange the leader wanted one of the guys that was captured by the government. Tom and the team try to do what they do to satisfied them til they find the guy they are asking for and who they were asking for was a man who happens to be the kidnapper's brother.

Tom find the man and tries talking to the man to come and that he'll be safe. As they make the exchange, Tom tries to follow them but after losing them, they found a better way of tracking as the kid took their cell phone.

Tom, Nez and Solomon made they're way into the warehouse where the guy was being held up and the shocking thing was that the man that coordinated this was the family's lawyer, what a twist. They swept in and saved their guy and the man's brother helped too.

But this episode really took off when Tom tries his best to save Howard from the hospital that Scottie. Tom breaks in and tries to get Howard out but he gets caught and soon Scottie figures out who's working with Howard and got him out that she even went to Howard and demanded answers about Tom til he tells her that Tom is her son. She freaks and tries calling off the hit from Solomon on Tom and after the third time telling Solomon he does.

This episode was so so good, mostly because of how Scottie learns Tom is working with Howard and that he's her son. I thought that was so good and eve intense as well. Of course, it was great to see Cooper on the show, I can't wait to see him when The Blacklist returns. I thought this was Jansen's best performance on the show so far. The writing was good for that storyline. Overall, I give this episode a 8.5/10.

You can catch The Blacklist Redemption Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC

It's Never Easy Being a Green Superhero: Powerless "Green Furious"

When Emily goes to her first board meeting, she speaks out about her product that's about to get the ax and gets the latest superhero to sponsor it.

In "Green Furious" Emily gets invited to her first board meeting, but when she speaks up about her product that's about to get the ax, she tells them that she can get Green Fury to sponsor the product. The head of the board agrees after Green Fury came after Emily used the Green Call Button that she got after saving her during the cold open.

Emily thinks that having Green Fury do the commercial would help not only her but Fury as well after the newspaper headlines really attacking her over the breakup of her and The Olympian. Heck, they were even together on the front page at the latest super couple in Charm City.

Things were looking great for Emily but when filming day came, her idea took a different turn than what she wanted as the creative team thought of more sex to the screen. After telling Green Fury about it, Emily stands up soon comes up with a better commercial ad this time with The Olympian naked and covered in bubbles while washing the car. Green Fury comes and gives him the product that protects anyone from lasers and fire. It tested positive with the focus groups of females 18-49.

Also Teddy tries to get another try at asking Green Fury out. He asked everyone of their opinion of a leather jacket and even wore a sweater that said he's a feminist and eye liner.

And not to mention, Jackie gets jealous of how her daughter and Wendy get along and even told her why she was in a fight with a kid. She got so jealous that she was going to give her kid to Wendy but she finally learned why and it was because that kid was making fun of Jackie.

I thought that this was a good episode. I thought that Hudgens and Morales were great together in this episode. The Wendy and Jackie story was pretty good, not my favorite favorite but it was good to say the least. I couldn't get enough of Teddy and his crush on Green Fury. The writing on this was pretty good, I would say the memorable moments would be Emily/Fury and Teddy putting on eye liner and asking Fury out. Overall, I give this episode a 7/10.

You can catch Powerless Thursday nights at 8:30/7:30c on NBC.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 3 Trailer

It's time to take a time, be independent, authentic and persistent in the new season of Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt . Kimmy goes to college, Titus goes lemonade on Michael and much much more.

Checkout the trailer:

You can catch Season 3 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt available on May 19 on Netflix.