A Different Way of Teaching: AP Bio "Pilot: Catfish"/ "Teacher Jail"/"Burning Miles"

The latest new NBC comedy A.P Bio premiered last week and even though the pilot episode had it's moments, it didn't stand with the other two episodes.

The "Pilot: Catfish" episode had funny moments but it was predictable at times. From the student who pissed at another student's home because the teacher did that same thing at a hospital. Eventually, even though Jack Griffin doesn't want to teach to his student, he did anyway. But even though it was predictable, it still had me wanting to tune in.

With two episodes being available online to view, "Teacher Jail" and "Burning Miles" literally were the best so far. There were so many moments of laughter and unpredictable. The cast really comes alive in these episodes, mostly Glenn Howerton, Patton Oswalt and Aparna Brielle. But the one that stands out the most is Allisyn Ashley Arm, who plays the low talker, nervous student Heather, who at times pulls off some of the funniest scenes.

So far, I enjoy A.P. Bio. Even though the Jack doesn't want to teach the students anything but get even with his enemies, he will teach a student or students a lesson that doesn't really come from the biology book. The cast is an A. The show does show it's teeth in its second and third episode of the first season and you can watch online or wait til they get broadcast on Feb. 25th and March 1 with another new episode airing that night too.

So far I give A.P. Bio 8/10.

You can catch A.P. Bio Thursdays at 9:30/8:30c on NBC or catch all three episodes now at NBC.com.

This Is Us "Super Bowl Sunday" Super Bowl After Show

Say what you will about this year' Super Bowl After Show of This Is Us, but it might as well be one of the best.

From the beginning to the end, "Super Bowl Sunday" delivers with highly emotional moments that was met with joyous and humorist moments. Even though he knew what this episode was about Jack's death, it was way more than just that as we see these characters take on the 20th anniversary of Jack Pearson's death that you would have thought died in the house fire but it turned out that he died from a cardiac complications due to the smoke that he had inhaled from the fire.

Throughout the episode, we see how each take on the day: Kate, who blames herself for Jack's death as it was her asking to get their dog in the house, re-watches the video tape that Jack made when she was singing in her bedroom, but worries of losing it when the VHS eats it but is saved thanks to Toby and his guy. Kevin looking to forget the day, but visits his Jack's tree and talk about the things that had happen and promises that he will be more like him even if it takes 30 years and talking with Rebecca about how she's gotten a message from Jack yet on that day.

Randall puts on a Super Bowl party for his daughters, but a sudden death of the family pet gecko changes things. He and Tess talk about how things have changed since meeting William, Deja and his new job. But a after telling her that she will always be his #1 to him, and promises to do things when she's older and we get to see a stunning future of Tess meeting with Randall as she's a Foster care worker.

But through the performances from the cast that was outstanding, the one that really stood out was Mandy Moore's character Rebecca, who dealt seeing Jack being the husband and father of saving his family, coming out with some severe burns and smoke exhaustion. After getting a check at the hospital, she leaves Jack to call to check on the kids and get a candy bar, but after that call changed and getting the devastated news, you see her changed from the person that she was to being the brave mother that she turned out to be, who deals with telling Kate and Randall. When Rebecca, in the present day, gets a call from Kevin asking if Jack sent a message, she thinks that it was Kevin that was the message this year.

I can go over and over about this episode as it was emotional engaging from the beginning to the end. From the first five minutes of the episode I was in tears due Jack getting back in the house to get the family dog. Each story had a special moment and the actors really delivered their best performance of this season so far. But Moore was the one that really stood out in this episode and deserves an Emmy nomination for this episode. The episode really depicts that after an even that something can go wrong in an instant and how a family can still grieve and come together on it's difficult day. The ending came as a stunner when we see the future of Tess as a foster care worker and meeting with her dad.

Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch This Is Us with a new episode this Tuesday at 9/8c on NBC.

"Okay, Here We Go" The Good Place "Chapter 26: Somewhere Else" Season Finale

Hot diggity dog! With such a creative adventure in Season 2, where would our gang end up in the season finale?

As Michael makes a case for Eleanor and the gang to Jan about how the system is broken and the two had a decision about it, in private. While they were in a private meeting, feelings were out in the opening: Tahani tells Eleanor about how she walked away from her parents, Janet tells Jason how she really feels and Chidi goes for it and kiss Eleanor with the phrase "hot diggity dog!"

Soon Michael and Jan come out and figured out a way that would give him more time: to place them all in their own Middle Place or go back to The Bad Place. With both options suck for them, Michael comes up a way that might work and with a little convincing to Jan to do it, she agrees and with the snap of his finger....we're back all the way to the beginning before death.

We jump back to Eleanor just before she gets killed, but instead of getting run over by shopping carts and hit by a truck, she gets saved by a mysteries man, Michael. And soon after Eleanor tries to be a good person from being an advocate for the environment to coming out to her roommate about the dress that she ruined and the t-shirts her and other roommate sold. But soon all good things do come to and end when Eleanor experience a set back when she accidentally bump a car and is sued by the person for whiplash. 

Meanwhile, Michael and Janet are in a room watching all four, but mainly Eleanor in this episode, as they watch the transcripts of their doing.. Michael sees that Eleanor has slipped back into her old attitude and tries to help her give her a push in the right directions again. As Eleanor celebrates her birthday, she meets with the bartender, who happens to be Michael (Did anyone get a Cheers nostalgia? I sure did!). Michael advises Eleanor about how rewards are't necessary gonna been given to you as known as moral dessert. And asked her the simple question: what do we owe each other?

When Eleanor wakes up, she searches for Chidi and watches his long videos of ethics and morals of a good person. After watching all of them, Eleanor flies to Sydney, Australia to see Chidi and asked if they could talk. Michael looks at the transcript from Eleanor's and with a smile he says, "okay...here we go."

The season finale was so satisfying from start to finish, not only ending on a good note but a path to what's ahead for season three as I assume that with Eleanor meeting up with Chidi that they're heading to a path of meeting each other and doing some good. But that's just a thought. The episode really depicts second chances and asked that question about the morals and ethics of being a good person, which this season really strives to the theme. Loved the performance from Bell and Danson, mostly watching them at Sting's Dessert Rose bar and Danson was the bartender. Who didn't freak out watching that scene? Overall, I give this episode a 9/10 and Season 2 a 10/10.

You can catch The Good Place on Demand, on the NBC app, Netflix later this summer (I assume).

This Is Us: Could Randall Be Killed Off?

It's been the news around social media since last week's heart-wrenching episode of This Is Us. No, I'm not talking about the crock-pot this time, this happens to be one beloved character has said that got the idea rolling.

In last week's episode, Randall (Sterling K. Brown) makes a remark of how their father, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia), has been dead "longer than we had him," and adding that he can't picture himself as an old man. But to Kevin (Justin Hartley) reassures his brother that he's not going anywhere.

It's that touching scene that has resonated with the fans who saw this as a sign that Randall might be killed off down the line.

However, the creator Dan Fogelman has said that fans can rest easy for now because the show isn't planning to kill Randall right now.

Fogelman tells Entertainment Weekly that, "I can assure everybody that we're not killing Randall this season, so everybody can relax. I think they would burn my house down."

Just to note that Fogelamn did say "this season," so he isn't making any promises that Randall would be surviving the long run of the series. But it does seem that the conversation with Kevin wasn't a foreshadow of his demise and was just a simple fallout from Jack's death and nothing more to it.

"I've experienced with a lot of friends, when you've lost a parent, particularly for whatever reason a parent of the same sex -a boy losing his father or a girl losing her mother early--there can be a slight mortality clock that kicks in a bit earlier than it does on other people, especially since it was formative. And I think that's something Randall and Kevin feel," Fogelman said.

So I guess there you have it. Randall is not going anywhere this season, but that doesn't mean any bets are off for him in the future.

You can catch This Is Us on a special Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 4th at 10:15/9:15c (SET YOUR DVRs WITH EXTRA TIME!!!) on NBC.

This Is Us: DVR Help

To the fans and viewers of This Is Us, this is an important news to hear if you are DVR this Sunday's Super Bowl episode.

NBC has coded the time for the episode to be 63 minutes as it will start Sunday night at 10:15/9/15c and record for a total of 80 minutes, "to help prevent the recording from starting late or cutting off any portion of the episode."

The network is advising fans of the top family dramam to also DVR the local newscast airing after This Is Us as well as Sunday's special LIVE edition of The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.

"Trust us, you don't want to miss that last scene!" the network teases and taunts.

But "if all else fails," NBC reminds you that the episode will be available Monday via Hulu and other digital/mobile platforms. In any case, just be careful not to get burned any spoilers.

Black Lightning "Lawanda: The Book of Hope"

Sometimes in order to see the light of hope, you must see the true darkness that inspires that hope.

After rescuing Jennifer and Anissa, Jefferson tells Lynn that he's done with Black Lightning for good. But thinking that taking done Lala's ring at the hotel, things were still the same after and gets a word full from Lawanda, a mother who's daughter goes to Jefferson's school and is taken by the 100 gang. She tries to get Jefferson to stand up and hope that they'll give her her daughter back but when he tells her to let him handle it, you just can't stop a mother from finding her child. So she confronts Lala and his crew at the hotel while video taping him until she gets killed by him.

Jefferson gets word about Lawanda and shows his frustration to Lynn about how his powers use to mean something: a gift and tells her that he needs to use them. After confronting Gambi for help, Jefferson gets word about Will being killed and the location on Lala. Jefferson comes to Lala as Black Lightning and kicks his butt for a bit til Henderson and the cops got there.

Lala gets news from Henderson that Lawanda came from beyond the grave as he showed him a phone that she captured him shooting her. Soon, Tobis makes his appearance at the jail to see Lala and kills him.

Jefferson admits to Lynn that Black Lightning should be back with the girls grown up and such. Jennifer find her way back after being with her best friend and getting a life lesson from Khalil about life outside the community while Anissa, who's tries opening up to her girlfriend, Grace, about what she expressed in her bathroom, but also uses her powers during a robbery at a store while getting a bottle of aspirin.

"Lawanda: The Book of Hope" was a very good episode and pretty much matches to what the premiere episode was with character development and storytelling. Williams gives another good performance along with McClain and Nafessa Williams. Overall, I give this episode a 8/10.

You can catch Black Lightening Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

This Is Us: The Crock-Pot Aftermath

Well, what a week it has been. Who knew that we would have a war on crock-pots after watching this week's episode of This Is Us?

If you haven't seen this past week's episode of This Is Us, I recommend you do because this will contain spoilers.

We knew the episode was coming before the start of the episode on how Jack will die. This episode ends with what looks like to be the beginning piece of that puzzle and it all begins with a crock-pot that Jack and Rebecca received from a neighbor less than 20 years ago. After the what turns out to be not so good Pearson's Super Bowl party, Jack cleans the dishes, puts the food away and turns the crock-pot off that made the chili. But learning about the crock-pot, it has some flaws to it: the switch doesn't really work that you have to jiggle it to turn it off. After Jack turns it off and leaves, the crock-pot turns back on and sparks and catches the curtains on fire.

The aftermath of that final scene drove fans of the show to throwing out their own crock-pot. First of all, let me just say that I can understand why this would happen. If that one item was the key to leading to someone's death, I would be pretty pissed off and wanting to throw away my crock-pot as well. But guys, this crock-pot was not only fictional, it was even way over 20 years old. If you are worried about your own crock-pot, if it's an older model get it checked out or get a new one.

Crock-pots are to help us save the time of cooking and believe me with my job as a home care aide for my grandmother it's the perfect dinner saver. Was I shocked to see that Tuesday night? Yes I was. Did it made me cry? Yes, it did. Was I upset towards the crock-pot a little but after I accepted and moved on and I did look at the model of the crock-pot and it's only a few years old.

We should take the show's creator Dan Fogelman's tweet about this event to consideration, "Taking a moment to remind everyone that it was a 20 year old crocpot with an already funk switch? Let's not just lump all those lovely hardworking crockpots together. #ThisIsUs."

So maybe we should just take the rage against crockpots down a notch and at least have someone look at it or buy a new one. Because we should enjoy the wonders of what the crock-pot can be in our lives. 

You can catch This Is Us this Sunday, Feb. 4th after the Super Bowl. And fair warning: set your DVR's with extra time because the game might go longer than expected. It has happen before! Plus, stay up for the LIVE Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon as he has the cast of This Is Us on as well.