Brotherly Love and Unexpected Moments: This Is Us "The Best Washing Machine in the Whole World" & "Pilgrim Rick"

The Best Washing Machine in the Whole World 1X07

In one of the most brotherly episode yet, we get into the deeper relationship of Kevin and Randall and why they seem not close.

When Kevin and Randall had an evening planned with their mother, she cancels so the two head to have an evening of brotherly quality time. Kevin takes Randall to a hot place where he knows people and makes Randall look small as he did back when the two were kids, as we see flashbacks of them as teenagers. Kevin wanting to split from Randall and the two were playing football for two different schools, which led to a big fight between the two and a heated father.

But the two opened up and finally got down to brass tax when Randall tells Kevin that he was jealous because Randall got more attention from mom. While Randall told him that he was trying to get respect from him but never did. Even thought some of the scenes of them together moving, there were funny scenes like the fight in the middle of the city and Late Night's Seth Meyers pops up asking Kevin if he was okay.

Meanwhile, Kate and Toby have some difference of how their relationship was going now that he lost more weight then she did. After not hearing from him, Kate tries to find him and sees him at his place with a lot of food. He decides that he done losing weight but still wants to support her even though that took a dive when he was trying to eat health for her. It kind of backfired for Kate as she ate a box of powder donuts.

Beth and William had a night to themselves, but William couldn't handle eating anything that she had cook. But she gives the option of having some adult brownies and the two had a blast and even chatted. But that chatting has gotten William in trouble when Beth mention a book Randall loves and he tells her that he gave that book to Rebecca.

"The Best Washing Machine in the Whole World" had emotional part down for Kate, Randall and Kevin storylines. As an older brother, I loved watching Kevin and Randall's relationship grow in this episode. Loved the fight scene when they were on the ground and Late Night's own Seth Meyers was hilarious. Also not to mention the two finally hanging out watching The Manny in Kevin's room, in the basement.

"Pilgrim Rick" 01X08

This episode might be handles down the best Thanksgiving episode, I've seen on television. This had about everything of the meaning of what Thanksgiving is about: tradition.

It's Thanksgiving Day and Randall is full of excitement as the family is coming for their traditional holiday. With the present time and the past we come to know their traditional things from eating breaded hot dogs to one of the kids becoming Pilgrim Rick, who was the motel clerk. Even taking a hike in the woods and watching Police Academy 3. 

While Randall and the family celebrate, Kate was stuck getting there on her flight. She decides that Toby shouldn't go with her and that she needs to figure things out about her and her weight. After the plane takes a turbulence and a passenger, who thought she was gonna die, tells Kate that she decided that she needed to changed her life and that gave her the idea.

When William told Randall about the tapes he use to listen to on his Thanksgiving, Randall decided to go back and get them. But when he found the box of cassette tapes, he found something else, a letter that has Rebecca's handwriting. 

When he came back, the family began to do one last tradition, passing the yarn and say what you're thankful for. When Rebecca told what she was thankful, she passed it towards Randall and that's where he shows her the letter he found at Williams's place. Upset and furious, he walks out but after that we see one more flashback of Randall saying that he loves Thanksgiving and that what they had was the best Thanksgiving ever.  

This episode had really played with my emotions. There were times I'd laughed and there were plenty of times that I'd try to cry and also times that I did cry. This episode was so spot on with their characters and the theme that it just blew me away. It had me wanting to do the things that they were doing for Thanksgiving. Each cast member was outstanding in their own way as each 

Overall, I give "The Best Washing Machine in the World" a 9/10 and "Pilgrim Rick" a 10/10.

You can catch This Is Us Tuesday nights at 9/8c on NBC.

Plus: The show is nominated for People Choice Awards. Rock the vote and show your love for the show!

Wild Adventure Through the Woods: Timeless "Stranded"

Stranded in the year before the United States was even born, how will they get back?

This episode's title probably gives it away better but the adventure of this story was thrilling, character growth and some movie references. Lucy and the team are in 1754 during the French-Indian War, they've been there for three days looking for Flynn. But they get chased by the French and captured.

The team isn't together in a way since last week's bombshell of who's working or who's doing this kind of thing.  Wyatt distracts one of the french solider by insulting about his mother. He takes down him and another one and soon the two get back to their machine when they spot two of Flynn's men at their ship placing explosives around it.

Just before they set it off, Wyatt shoots the one with the switch but the other shoots out one part of the ship and races towards his own. Wyatt, Rufus and Lucy chase until Flynn's ship disappeared. Rufus tries to fix what he could but needs some things, mostly from a Radioshack. But Wyatt thought Rufus could make a flux capacitor, for which Rufus tells Wyatt that those don't exist. But it made a nice Back to the Future joke.

Just before they headed off, Rufus writes a message, places it in a bottle for Mason to find as their Plan B. Mason and team finds the location and find it but the paper turned faded with only a few words.

The three does some walking, trying to get into the French army base where there's a blacksmith shop, but they get caught from a Native tribe and gets tied up again. Lucy and Wyatt tries to tell the chieftess ,Nonhelema, about their situation but she doesn't believe them but Rufus, who she believes is being force to do a job. But he ask her to let his friends go and after a moment, she let them go.

The three gets to the French army base and gets in smoothly, Rufus gets to the blacksmith shop and make the piece that he needs to fix the ship just enough to get back. But when they head out, the army commander has return and everyone looks around. The three get out and race towards the ship, Rufus fixes what he could and just as they get in, the French are there shooting. Everything looks to be going good until a short stop, Rufus puts two wires together and soon they're off.

Now for this to work, the team back in 2016 has to capture their entry, in a way like in Star Wars, which Rufus makes a reference in his message and his friend figured out. And as they try to find it, they locked on them and got them back, a bit closer landing then previous times.

It seemed that this trip really got the team back to focus on team work. Wyatt tells Lucy as the three have drinks and talks about when she took a drink if that was what she wanted to or was it in a book. Only she has the control to change her future. Also not to mention that Rufus and his crush finally kisses.

I enjoyed this episode even though there wasn't an answer on why Flynn came but I believe it was just to throw them off and get stranded. This seemed to be a standalone episode, which I like and a perfect one at that. I thought that the cast was each amazing. I loved the references made during the episode from Star Wars to Back to the Future. There were a lot of humor moments, mostly with Wyatt, Lucy and Rufus during their wild adventures from the berries to being caught by the French.

Overall, I give this episoe a 8.5/10

You can catch Timeless Monday nights at 10/9c on NBC.
 

Who To Trust?: Timeless "The Watergate Tape"

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Tough Decisions: Chicago Med "Free Will"

In the fall finale, two doctors try to find a tough solution for one patient's health, plus a decision for one person on whether to live healthy or to save her baby.

Let's begin with Reese's search for Danny. It seemed that her and Choi have been looking for him all through the night. When it got time to head to work, Choi tells her that they'll look more after and headed back. But when Erin comes by, she knew that he was found dead.

She really took a toll about it and I don't blame her, I would do the same thing if I was trying to help someone out too. Charles tries to explain to her that what she did was the best that she could and that sometimes psychology gives them an illusion.

Meanwhile, Choi gets a patient from jail after he was supposed to have been stabbed by another inmate but it turns out the guy was looking for a place to stay at the Med Inn. Choi tries to play him and send him out but at every moment he had, the guy comes back with another medical case from "hurt myself" or him coughing out blood from Rhode's patient's ear rings. But after chatting with Goodwin, he took to heart and excepted the patient.

Manning and Halstead gets a case where a patient, who's having some setbacks, was in need of a kidney transplant. The problem is that he's also suffering from heart issues too. When the patient's brother comes by, he really doesn't want him there because he's upset that his own brother won't give him his kidney.

There was a problem, his brother was HIV positive. With every option that Manning and Halstead had, it didn't go as well as they hoped. But when the brother tells him about his situation, the patient asked if he could have his brother give him the kidney HIV or not. Or course, Halstead says no and Manning thinks there's a possibility that it could work.  

Manning looks around, with every option that she could think of they turn her down. When Halstead talked to her about it, there might be one option that could work and that was to transmit a syringe that the patient's brother will use and use the same one and inject it into his brother's blood system. Anyone think that this was a bad or good idea? Maybe bite them back?

Also to note: Rhodes and Charles (Dr. Charles' daughter) seem to be hitting it off and decide to go out to have dinner. April not only finds out that her illness is back but also she's pregnant. But with this kind of illness, Halstead tells her that there's only one medication for it but also gives the baby a possible defect too. After deciding not to take the medicine, Halstead talked to her about it. I think she'll take the medicine.

I thought that this was another good episode. It brought in a lot of emotions from Reese's reaction to Danny's death to April's health decision. Plus the emotions of anger and worried from Choi and Manning/Halstead storyline. But it sends the episode off on a good funny and warming note (like in The Blacklist) with Halstead singing to friends and family at his home welcoming party. But as Halstead was singing we see him and Manning looking at each other smiling.

Overall, I give this episode a 8.5/10

You can catch Chicago Med when it returns Thursday, Jan. 5th at 9/8c on NBC.

The Answer Is....The Blacklist "Dr. Adrian Shaw No. 98 Conclusion"

In the fall finale, did Red tell what we knew all a long or was he just blowing smoke?

The episode picked off where it left in the previous, Kirk's men were setting up to get moving to take him and Liz out of the hospital. Red tells Liz to get out twice and well doesn't do it, but she tries to talk Kirk down.

Kirk won't back down as he doesn't believe the DNA test show that Liz isn't his daughter. Kirk's men devise a smoke screen to get everyone out and put the hospital on lock down. There the crew goes and takes Kirk and Liz, but Tom gets into one with them and as he was about to choke to death, he replied the guy's question with more of a "can you hear this now?" way with a gun to the guy's head.

But probably the most entertaining couple of scenes was the car chases when Tom was chasing Kirk and Liz and stopped and guns go a blazing. Tom thought he would sneak underneath the ambulance but gets caught until he was saved by Ressler and Samar.

Red's plan was coming along slowly. Taking Dr. Shaw and getting her to find a "patient zero" for him. This patient was cured from he same disease that Kirk has. As soon as they find it, Red grab Kirk's doctor and looked as the medical file of the patient, that he also treated.

So Tom and Dembe picked up "patient zero" who happens to be an ADA. As they taken her, Red made a deal with Kirk for exchange for him for Liz's release. Of course, Kirk takes it and the exchange was made and the fun for Kirk really began there as they strapped Red to the chair and injected medicine that causes pain (remember season 1?).

Injection after injection, Kirk ties to get Red to talk. It seems that they've used a lot and yet Red can still tolerate the pain. Red has told him about a cure but doesn't believe a word til in the middle of their talk the van arrives with the ADA herself. They tested her and proves that she's a match, but still Kirk didn't believe it and tells them to take her and run more test.

Kirk and Red talked more and asked him the question that we all wanted to know, is Liz his daughter. Of course, he dodges the question but at one point, he tells Kirk "what do you want me to say? yes, she is. Elizabeth is my daughter."

And soon, when they were alone they'd talked about Li's mother and Red asked him about how was she like. After Red tells him about how she was assigned to him and probably assigned to Kirk as well. Then Kirk was about to put another injection into Red until he stopped and Red tells him something that we couldn't hear and then stops.

Liz, after being taken and almost killed but saved by Ressler and Samar, get there with Ressler with no Red or Kirk insight. Cooper is informed by Ressler and Samar that Shaw was part of Red's plan to help Kirk.

Later with Liz and Tom at their home with the baby, they get a visitor, Red. He comes in and waits til Liz turns around and sees him. She asked where Kirk is and he replies "gone." Red holds the baby and as they look at her, Liz tells him that she wishes her dad was here to see this, he replies, he would too.

I thought that this episode was another outstanding one. It had enough of action, the car chase scene, to pull over the hump and great character performances from Spader and Ulrich Thomsen (Kirk). Even the ending where Liz and Red look at the baby was beautiful and a relaxing moment for now in the series. Of course, I would be satisfied with the answer I got, but did Red tell the truth or was he just telling Kirk what he wants to hear? And what the hell did he tell him before sitting down? I do think that Red is Liz's father, but of course, this is the Blacklist and things can really change just like that. I think when the show is getting down the end, we'll know a lot more.


Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch The Blacklist returning Thursday, Jan. 5th at 10/9c on NBC.

NBC Renews The Night Shift

Well, it looks like good vitals for NBC's The Night Shift.

TVLine has learned that the past summer's #1 drama has proven enough to have steady vitals that it's been renewed for a fourth season.

Averaging 5 million total weekly viewers and a 1.0 demo rating, the drama has beaten out shows like CBS' Zoo (4.5mil/0.7) and Fox's Wayward Pines (2.4mil/0.7). Not to mention that the medical drama has been undeafted in it's Wednesdays at 10pm time slot this summer, opposite of CBS' American Gothic and ABC runs.

In it's third season finale, the show left us with everyone character's fate in the balance to one thing or another, from TC getting blasted to the staff at the hospital quieting their jobs due to new management.

"Week after week, The Night Shift tells incredibly engaging and emotional stories that draw us into a unique world," NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke said in a statement. "We are delighted to renew the show for an exciting fourth season and look forward to continue working with such a great cast and executive producing team."

Past Friends: Chicago PD: "Some Friend"

When someone ask, "Is this going to be a conflict? And you says "No." It's going to be a conflict and a pretty good one at that for Al.

This episode dives into a murder case of a girl found at a former major league baseball player's house but when they find her, he was no where. When they checked the place out, Antonio finds a photo of Al and the suspect, there asking if this case will be a problem. Of course it will.

Throughout the episode, we learned that Al was a protector for the suspect and his friends. We learn about Al's past with this guy and the things that he has done to help him. You can really feel that Antonio seems to be riding on Al a bit.

The team finds out that the suspect was trying to help the victim, who was a prostitute. They went back and forth from the victim's pimp to back to the original suspect. Til Al finds out from the suspect's daughter that he used her phone to make a call, another friend. Then Al talks to the suspect an asked him to tell him how it happen. It was an accident that she fell backwards hitting her head on the edge of the table.

Meanwhile, Burgess and her new partner has had one hell of a day. Not only did they made the call of the murder case but also was tried to talk to a suspect on a hit and steal at a diner. Turns out the person was a cop and she had one bad experience that send her down a bad path and into a life of what you see in this episode. Burgess tries to help her, by letting her go but her partner wouldn't. So instead, she hangs out with her til she is released.

This was a good episode. It's an episode that I probably won't remember as much like the others like the previous episode. The cast was really good and Billy Burke too. I did find the Halstead and Lindsay storyline interesting with the flowers, did Jay send those? Could it be her father?

Overall, I give this episode a 7/10.

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