Thursday, May 11, 2017

Great News "Chuck Pierce Is Blind"/"War is Hell"




"Chuck Pierce is Blind" 

When Chuck announces that he's taking a day off from The Breakdown due to an award he's getting, Katie and Greg celebrate until Greg is reminded of the promises he made to everyone.

"Chuck Pierce is Blind" is probably one of the show's funniest episodes. Mostly, it's coming from John Michael Higgins' performance as Chuck, who announces that he's taking one day off due to an award he's getting but tells Carol that he's getting eye surgery.

With Katie and Greg being happy that they get a Chuck Free Day, Greg gets everyone from the crew to put their two cents into the show, from Portia's version, Justin's kick-ass, to even Beth, the weather lady given her climate rant (which was hilarious!).

Greg can't take it anymore, and when he sees what the show looks like, he and Katie call Chuck to get him back. After telling him someone will fill in for him, which gets him back to the studio even though his condition isn't good for him to see.

When Chuck comes back, and the program begins, everyone notices Chuck's eyes and how he's reading Portia's lines, thanks to Carol reading the script to him. It was one hell of a scene that I was crying while laughing.

This episode was a nonstop laughing machine of an episode. Higgins steals the episode, hands down. I even watched Adam Campbell and Nicole Richie shine in this episode too. I thought the writing was outstanding. Overall, I give this episode a 9.5/10.

"War Is Hell" 

When Katie's boyfriend returns, she thinks Carol is judging the boyfriends again.

When Katie's boyfriend, Trip, returns from covering a story in Syria, Carol discovers they are a secret couple. Katie tries to get her mother to stop judging her boyfriend like the other ones she has had. That was until Katie discovers that Trip is rich and finds that he isn't absorbing as he calls himself Trippy.

Meanwhile, with Trip returning, Chuck explains how he used to cover the dangers of war in other countries. But when Greg and Justin find out why Chuck doesn't go, Chuck proves to them that he can. And also sends all three to HR for one of the most awkward and hilarious HR meetings scenes.

"War is Hell" was an excellent episode. I thought that Martin and Heelan were outstanding once again in this episode. Also, Higgins stills the episode again. The writing was not as perfect as the previous episode, but it was still good. Overall, I give this episode an 8/10.

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

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Kevin Can Wait "Sting of Queens Part Two" Season Finale


In the part two of the two part season finale of Kevin Can Wait, partners will get closer, a position would be taken away and a business goes out pretty fast.

The episode starts off the next day when Vanessa comes to pick up Kevin for their undercover trip to Boston. When they get up to Boston, Vanessa takes advantage by letting Kevin sleep in by using a white noise machine app, because it helps Kevin sleep so peacefully. Kevin soon realizes and meets up and the two fight over the case again.

When word of the business wasn't what they expected, Kevin realizes that the art might be fake but they're sneaking in drugs. When Vanessa goes look around, she gets caught, Kevin tries to stop him by swinging but it didn't work but made one hell of a scene that was literally the funniest scene of the episode.

Vanessa tied up and Kevin handing upside down, the two finally talk about their beef with one another. As soon as Kevin is free, he tries to untie Vanessa and apologizes to her for embarrassing her on television years ago in 2007. But as soon as they try to call for help, the couple comes back with guns pointing at them but the guy's girlfriend pulled a fast one on him and tells him she's FBI so she takes the credit.

Meanwhile, Donna gets word of the position, she didn't get it and blows over it pretty badly. After talking to Kevin about it and hearing that he might want to go back to the force and knowing that Chale's new job is solid. She quits her job.

Chale on the other hand, a day in the new job, he learns from another employee that the business is tanking and the investors have pulled out. Pretending to Kendra that things are good and he gets dropped off at work.

But when the family comes together and Donna tells them that she quit her job, she also misunderstood that Kevin wanted to get back to the police force again and freaks out. But when Kevin finally says something nice to Chale and his new job, probably not the best time but at the moment, he tells them without saying anything as the episode ends.

This was a very good episode. There were some really good moments, Donna freaking out of not getting the job, Kevin handing upside down was too funny. Just watching Kevin and  Vanessa was literally my favorite part of the episode. James and Remini haven't lost their chemistry. Not to mention Hayes puts on a really good performance too. The writing was very good as well. Overall, I give this episode a 8.5/10.

Overall Season: 8/10. I thought this season was very good. Was it at a level of other new comedy like The Good Place and Great News? Probably not, but it's near but I'll say this that Kevin Can Wait is one of those family traditional situational comedies that you really don't need to think it over. It's a simple family comedy that you can sit and laugh with family and friends like other shows like King of Queens, and Everybody Loves Raymond. The cast was amazing, mostly Kevin James and Erin Hayes really work well on screen. The other cast members were really good too. I can't wait to see what Season Two will bring.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

World Coming Down? The Blacklist "Philomena"/"Dr. Bogdan Krilov"

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Hold on to your seats folks, it seems like that this season will end pretty big.

"Philiomena" 

As Kaplan released the dead bodies that she had cleaned from Red, the hunt is on to find her before more damage can be done.

With a whole lot of dead bodies brought back from the icy grave,  Kaplan goes after what will hurt Red the most, his closest assists and one by one she takes them down. She gets help by Philiomena, who's a clever bounty hunter than dog the bounty hunter. This one's like the black widow of bounty hunter expect for the killing.

Red and Dembe go after Kaplan but comes short, with Liz and Samar going after Philiomena who was taking her next target Marvin Gerard. That scene with Gerard and Kaplan talking about how this whole thing she has done was pretty chilling.

But the real chill comes mostly through the episode during the investigation from one of Ressler's partners, Julian Gale, who's been investigating Reddington for a long time tries to get Ressler in the game of getting Red but don't really tell him about how his task force was to help Red.

Liz and Samar captures Philiomena and tries to get her to talk where Kaplan is because Liz wants to protect her. After a short talk, she tells where she's going and tells Red but they tell Red about the investigation of the bodies that Kaplan has released to the FBI. Soon, Red and Dembe leave to fine Kaplan.

This was a very good episode and it's just building up to a huge ending I think. The performance from Enrique Murciano as Julian Gale was pretty good as a creep FBI agent who think that even though all of these dead bodies deserved to get killed that he thinks they deserved respect. There were some chilling scenes, but mostly the one when after Liz tells Red that he can not come up if he isn't going to find Kaplan and not kill her and when she headed up to her apartment, she sees Kaplan bouncing Agnus alone. The writing of this episode was very good and a real build up. Overall, I give this episode a 8.5/10.

"Dr. Bogdan Krilov" 

Talk about going back to memory lane.

When Red gets word that Kate is going after Dr. Bogdan Krilov, the man that erased Liz's memories years ago. But what Kaplan was really doing was setting up Ressler as he gets a call aout a witness in the Reven Wright case that he still won't let go that really turns out to be a set up and tries to mess with his memories.

Krilov makes Ressler believe that Hitchin was the one (who turns out to be right but with no proof). They set him up to make him believe that he met with her and talked and even followed her to her place. But as he sneaks in to her place, he tries to make her talk but Liz gets there in time to save him but not for long as he gets taken into custody for threatening Hitchin, which is what Kaplan wants as she tries to break up the Task Force.

Meanwhile, Kaplan tells one of Red's associates the truth about his son's death but when Red gets there and explain his actions, what looked like a dicing situation turns into his favor with one of his own was working under the associate so he could keep an eye out. Red and Dembe escape and gets hitch hike in a pick up truck as they try to catch up with Kaplan meanwhile, Liz meets with Gale finally and has a real conversation about the murders and Reddingotn that makes me wonder one thing: does he too work with Kaplan?

This episode was so good that even I fell for some of the twist once again like Ressler's memory and Red's tight situation. Yeah I know it's the Blacklist but I still get fooled at times. There were some good moments like Red and Liz about wiping her memory, also Liz and Krilov standoff trying to get him to talk by using his own drug to talk. Also Gloria Reuben coming back was great. Kind a wish that her and Cooper could share a scene it would be a very nice little ER reunion. The writing was very solid and good. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

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

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Mother-Daughter Love: Great News 'Pilot"/"Bear Attack"

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"Pilot"

Great News hits the mother-daughter relationship with a nail on the head in the best way possible. 

The series is about Katie, a producer at a local news station who does only puff pieces but wants to do more, but when her mother, Carol, whom she is very close to, comes in wanting to do an internship, it'll drive Katie to crazyvillie. When Greg hires Carol as Chuck's intern, Katie tries to get her fired, but it backfires when Carol has a connection with Chuck after forgetting his snack time. 

When Carol finds out about how Katie doesn't want her, she tries to convince her to come back, and also, after her hurricane lead story is downgraded, she gets her mother in a story as baby boomers returning to the workplace. 

The show makes fun of the inner and outside of the new media I enjoy. It's still got that 30 Rock vibe, but it's still perfect. The cast is fantastic, from Briga Heelan and Andrea Martin as Katie and Carol to Nicole Richie and John Michael Higgins as the two anchors of different ages. The writing was very, very good, probably an excellent pilot since The Good Place.
Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.


"Bear Attack"

When a dangerous story comes, and Katie wants it, Carol leashes out her helicopter parenting to take effect. 

When a bear escapes the zoo, Katie wants to chase the story, but when Carol learns about what happened to someone, she becomes the helicopter parent once again and tries to get Katie away from the story. 

Carol tries to get Greg, the executive producer, to stop Katie from covering the story. After Kaite learns that Greg took her out, she tries to protect it, but Carol tries to diverge the situation. Katie catches on and tries to get to the zoo on a bike, but she hasn't learned how to ride a bike. And after many attempts, Carol shows her how, and soon, she rides off. 

Meanwhile, with The Breakdown losing in the ratings against another news program, Greg thinks that Chuck and Portia should talk at the end of the news about something they have in common. After several meetings with HR, the two finally found common ground with a topic: lemonade. It's either the Beyonce album or the drink, but it's familiar ground for discussion anyway. 

Katie did get that story, but also part of the footage when The Breakdown showed her riding the bike and crushing as she tried to stop. 

This episode was terrific. I thought that Bear Attack was hilarious and was just another well-written episode. As much as Heelan and Martin were great, Richie and Higgins were hilarious in this episode. I love the scene when they are in Greg's office, and as they try to find shared topics, they find one that could ruin their program: talking about their rival program. Also, the scene with Chuck trying to speak with Portia at the anchor desk as a warm-up ended up with an HR meeting. Funny!! Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

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

Walking Down Memory Lane: Kevin Can Wait: "Sting of Queens: Part One"




In part one of a two part season finale, it's been a reunion ten years in the making and it just feels like the good ole days.

In "Sting of Queens Part One," Kevin is pulled out of retirement to go undercover with fellow cop, Vanessa Cellucci (played by Leah Remini),  as they play a married couple (how about that?!). When the two meet at a diner, they make the couple that they're meeting with interested in doing business and later meets them at their place to carry their business agreement.

After a day, they meet at the couple's hotel room and after getting on their good side they asked them to come with them for a retreat in Boston, but Kevin tries to decline but thinks that Vanessa could handle it but when they didn't want to do business without Kevin, he decides to come.

Meanwhile, Chale gets a well paid job, way over and decides to go spending on his family but I expect something to break in the next episode. And Donna hopes to get a new position at the school.

But the real focus on this episode was really the reunion of Kevin and Leah since it's been ten years since the final episode of King of Queens. The first scene seeing them together was like walking down memory lane, also the diner episode was hilariously funny. Plus the scene in the couple's hotel and the gum. I was literally crying laughing. It's like those two never lost a step.

I enjoyed this episode very much. Probably the reunion was much of the episode and probably should be since it was one of the funnest things in this two part episode. Even the second episode looks like a hoot from the previews. Overall, I give this episode a 8.5/10.

You can catch Part Two of the season finale of Kevin Can Wait next Monday at 8/7c on CBS.

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Trial & Searching: Chicago Justice "Comma"/"Drill"




"Comma"

When a scavenger hunt becomes deadly, the one suspect that everyone wants to pin it on is the one that was trialed for murdered in another country.

"Comma" was another good episode that delivered what we thought would be the suspect but gave a very nice twist of who done it. And it answers the question that do we jump to the gun on who the suspect is quickly?

When a scavenger hunt goes wrong and a college student is murdered, the one suspect comes to everyone at the State's Attorney's office is the one that was in a high profile trail in Spain. But in this case, looks can be deceiving when clues comes in that she wasn't there at the time of the murder and the  murder weapon didn't have her fingerprints either.

But when learning of the victim was a gun advocate, they found someone who was with her who happens to be an anti-gun supporter. Putting her on trial, the ball really dropped at to what she believed and how she was more influenced by her professor about guns saying that he was like her father in a way someone that she has never had in her life before, being supportive and so.The jury founded the victim guilty.

After i do enjoy the conversation between Jefferies and Stone about how do college students get so stupid with how his daughter after coming home gets angry with him about fighting over at Vietnam and Stone was mad at his family for clearing out the Native Americans. After that Jefferies calls the Security of State's office to help clear the first suspect in the case to be free from having to go back to Spain after testifying against the suspect.

This was a very good episode. I thought the writing was good and the acting was there too. The meaning really does open up of how college students can be influenced by professors for a cause. It's a real touchy subject for me anyway. Overall, I give this episode a 7.5/10.


"Drill"

When a gun is turned in for buy back it turns out to be a murder weapon, but the twist comes down to who it belongs to during a trail.

When a man brings in a gun for the buy back project, it turned out to have blood on it and takes the man into custody about where he found the gun. The gun turns out to be a murder weapon for a trail that has an innocent man on trail.

After learning about this, the suspect on trail is released and when he gets dropped off, he gets attacked from other gang members because he was a snitch. Trying to find who used the gun, Stone uses the most powerful weapon he could do, shut off every gang member's social media counts. Apparently it worked and when it did, had someone testified and soon admitted that he was the suspect after showing how to use the gun that had a broken spring.

This was another good episode. There was some very good dramatic moments. But it was Stone boldly taken on people and their social media that really could be the conversation that everyone would talk about. Is it the right thing to do? Could it really serve a purpose on shutting down gang member's social media if they're gonna take down someone? Probably. Overall, I give this episode a 8/10.

You can catch Chicago Justice Sunday nights at 9/8c on NBC.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

NBC Pulled Off Powerless




Well it looks like NBC has pulled the plug on Powerless.

On Tuesday, the superhero-adjacent comedy has been pulled from the Peacock Network's Thursday night schedule, which in short terms means that it's good as cancelled. It'll be pulled off this week, with Superstore shifting into it's time slot 8:30/7:30c with reruns airing at 8/7c for the next two weeks.

Powerless, starring Vanessa Hudgens as the research director at a security company that protects average citizens from the superhero battles raging all around. The cast also includes Alan Tudyk, Danny Pudi (Community), Ron Funches (Undateable) and Christina Kirk (A to Z).

The series has been struggling in the ratings since it's February debut. Last week's episode pulled a 2.1 million total viewers and a 0.6 demo rating, which is a 30 percent drop from it's Superstore lead-in.

Two episodes of the show's original 13 episode order still have yet to air and that includes the one guest spot from TV's original Batman, Adam West. It's unclear when or if those those episodes will air.

This really puts a damper on my day after hearing about this news. I've enjoyed watching Powerless and thought that it was a good show. I thought Vanessa Hudgens brilliantly funny and last week really proved it. I hope there might be an 11th hour decision to bring it back and maybe go back to the original idea of the show and maybe spin it off in like an Earth One or Earth Two concept. That would be very cool to pull off.