Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The Blacklist "Dr. James Covington" review



This week on "The Blacklist" one of the most anticipated guest star that we've been waiting for has arrived in this week's episode. And he looks scary when he talks and the way he looks.

This week, we meet the next member on Red's blacklist named Dr. James Covington. We first meet him as his gang take a guy who's was not making payments. As soon as this guy was running away, he got caught and was taken to Covington where he told the victim that he's time was up and later a cop spotted the victim in the alley with the homeless folks...dead with his chest open.

Liz apparently is having some nightmares since the events that lead to last season finale. She awakes from bed and spots a pair of glasses on the night table. She get up and see a rugged, tired Tom Keen holding a gun, pointing it at her. He tells her if she knows why Red is here, about the fire, why he turned himself in to the FBI.

Then Red kicks the door and tell Liz that she should have finished him off. Red then shoots Tom and then walks to Liz asking her what does she want. And then, we later find out it was a nightmare she was having.

Red in the story, was making some business decisions with his investors, tells his guy, Niko, that he should consider it in talking with the rest of the guys. Later on, Niko talks to the other guys and then comes Vargas, played by Paul Reubens, a dark looking man, with a yellowish sweater. He negotiates with them telling them that he's from Berlin and has an offer that they can pass up, to get Red.

Red takes the bate, meets with the other investors and has them taken away, thinking that they turned on him. Later on, as it turns out that we see that Niko really wanted Red gone but all of this was a scheme that made Niko's loyalty in no good shape. So Red shoots him and Vargas doesn't seem to not like it because he doesn't like the blood.

The main story event was finding and catching Dr. Covington. Liz and Ressler takes on the investigation and learns that the victim, was a business man and when they interviewed his wife that she told him that he was paying $500,000 for rented a heart that he needed and that he couldn't pay it so it was taken back.

One lead that they got was of a medical corner who gives Covington leads of their next victim. But they get him after having exam a dead body at a grave. So they planned to give a hog'shear to the pick up man and followed the guy but he spotted Keen and Ressler and drove off fast until he was killed by a drive by truck.

Liz and Ressler find an abandoned building, looking around they come to a hidden door that leads to downstairs but apparently there's no structure of that in the building's blueprints. So they go down and see's a door. They move and and spotted kids in hospital beds, moving down they see two parents of a child talking to a guy about surgery.

Liz moves down the hall and goes through the door and sees Covington about to perform surgery. But who it was doing it to was a shocking....it was for kid. He takes criminals organs and give them to kids who need one. Like this kid in the room was in need of a lungs transplant. The kid did get his lungs and the doctor was arrested.

I thought that this episode was well creative and had me thinking and surprised. I did not think that Vargas was working for Red. Really thought that he was working for Berlin and was going to kill Red. Didn't think that Dr. Covington was doing this for the good.

There were scenes that I found funny like when Red and Liz were talking about the Dr. Covington and Red asked her if she wanted a slushy. She replied no, then he tells her that she doesn't know what she's missing and that she should try the grapefruit gusher, it's just like her, a bit sour.

Also a meeting when Red and a guy name BB who was waiting on heart from Dr. Covington. This guys is a bit over weight, I might be saying that loosely, but when Red talks to him, asking for Covington's contact number. Then, BB was having trouble breathing, turns up his oxygen and Red ask him about his symptoms, chest pain, heaving breathing, a little erection.

Red gave him, his special drink. Something that to give him the pleasure to enjoy for the first time. What Red told him and had his little pinky finger up was just too damn funny.

At the end, we see Red heading to see Naomi, at a safe house. He walks in and tells her that she's changed. Then she slaps him real hard.


Next week's episode looks like the question that we've been waiting for, the question that Liz wants to know. Even Naomi calls her Elizabeth. Who is Naomi in all of this> Mother to Liz? What?

You can catch new episodes of "The Blacklist" Monday nights at 10/9c on NBC.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Mulaney "Pilot"



There's not a lot of live audience sitcoms starring stand up comedians like there were back in the day but a few to say. Seinfeld, The Cosby Show, Raymond and The King of Queens to name a few come to mind. There's a series that premiered Sunday called "Mulaney" that has a sense of Seinfeld.

The show opened up with John Mulaney doing stand up in front of a live audience before or after taping the show. He does stand up about three times in the episode, about the same amount as Seinfeld did in it's first season.

We see John and his roommate Andre at the doctor's office.. John wants some anxiety pills for his job interview with a big television comedian star, Loyd Cannon, but doesn't want to ask for them instead he puts that he has frequent urination.

As soon as he sees the doctor and tells him about it, it turns out to be serious to the doctor and had John bend down with his elbows on the bed.

We also meet Jade, another of John's roommate, comes in arguing that she isn't crazy. She argues that her ex boyfriend has emailed his new girlfriend and told her that Jade was crazy.

She wants closure from it and finds it that in another email that she read from her ex that has him and his girlfriend arguing about Jade and how she's not a problem.

Two big stars are on the show, Elliot Gould, who play's John's neighbor, a very clam but weird guy who kind of helps John with his problem. He's kind of like a guidance for him, to say. Also Martin Short, plays Loyd Cannon, who has that Martin Short comic all over.

In the pilot, John gets a job that he wants but it doesn't turn out the way he thought it was going to be. There were a lot of funny moments, mostly between John and Martin and John and his roommates and friend.

It's sad that NBC decided not to pick up this series. Seems like they lost another soon to be hit series to another network.

I really enjoyed the first episode of "Mulaney" it's just down right funny. The cast is impressive to watch.

It seems that FOX has a really good sitcom once again as they have other hits like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, My Girl and The Mindy Project.

It's a sitcom does have some classic reference, if you just watch it, like Seinfeld and Cosby Show. It could be Seinfeld 2.0.

You can catch new episodes of "Mulaney" Sunday nights at 9:30/8:30c on FOX.






Homeland "The Drone Queen" & "Trylon and Perisphere" review


I've been a fan of Homeland since the first trailer of the series came out. I was hooked from that suspenseful promo, the issue was that I had to wait til season one came out on DVD. After that I knew I loved this series. I loved the stars, the writing, the production and mostly the characters.

For the past three season it's been mostly about Carrie and Brody. We were hooked on their weird but so good relationship that we really didn't it to end. And when we saw in the season finale the end of Brody, I've read a lot of tweets that everyone was very upset about it. You know the show isn't about Brody right? It's mostly about Carrie and the people around her that she works with stopping terrorists.

That said, I'll admit that I was sad. But felt that the character had run its course. I felt even sadder for Carrie with the fact that she was carrying his child.

Now that Sunday was the two episode, one night premiere of Season Four of Homeland, it's starting with a fresh new look going into the series that in fact was suppose to be the story line for season two, if you can believe that.

"The Drone Queen"

Carrie is now stationed as the CIA chief stationed in Afghanistan. She gets a an intelligence report from the Pakistan station chief, Sandy Bachman, telling her that a farmhouse in Pakistan is the current location of a highly sought terrorist that they've been looking for, Haissam Haqqani.


But when Carrie asked Sandy about the name of his source, he refuse to inform her who it is but tells her that it was the same source that give them information on four high priority kills.  Carrie then authorizes an airstrike with a successfully distorting the farmhouse, after that the staff presented her with a birthday cake, singing happy birthday and had the name "The Drone Queen" on it.
Later on reports come out from Pakistan that Haqqani was attending a wedding and that the airstrike had killed both him and 40 other people in that farmhouse that was attending the wedding. With the U.S. denying the reports, a medical student, Adyan Ibrahim, was injured from the explosion and wake up and found that his mother and sister were the ones that died.

But Ibrahim, had a video of the event as he was taking recorded the wedding celebration. He didn't want to share it on YouTube but his roommate takes advantage and it posted it.


Carrie received word from Lockhart that the President and him want to explanation calling for her and Sandy to come to meet with the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Martha Boyd.

As Carrie and Quinn meet at the airport, they talked just a bit. Soon they see a new feed that Sandy has been identify him as an CIA chief and blown his cover, putting him in a bit a situation with him as a public scapegoat responsible for the airstrike.

Both Quinn and Carrie tries to get a hold with Sandy, Sandy lying where he was going, told Quinn were he was and informed that his cover was blown. As soon as Sandy was leaving the building, he is spotted and soon gets a mod coming for him. Quinn comes driving through the mod, Sandy gets in but the mod starts banging and even lifting the car from not going.

Sandy was taken out, Quinn shoots to protect both Sandy and Carrie but only saving Carrie as the mod took Sandy and killing him. As soon as they escape, heading back towards the U.S. Ambassador building, Quinn is in shock while Carrie thinks things could have gone better than what it did. With blood on her face, Carrie cleans her face and shows no emotion.


"Trylon and Perishphere"

Moments after the last episode, Carrie and Quinn meet with Lockhart and Sandy's widow at the airport. Lockhart wants both Carrie and Quinn to comeback and informed what happen.

Quinn who is going through some PTSD after Sandy's mod murder, he took his toll by drinking an entire bottle of vodka at his motel pool and also messed around with the manager as well.

Meanwhile as Carrie is back, she sees her daughter, whom her sister is taking care of while she's away. Her father on the other hand isn't on hands as much as she told her. Carrie holds her child and doesn't seem to have that motherly connection as other mothers would after having children.

The next day, only Carrie sees Lockhart and talked about how they news reports have Ibrahim talking to a news media about the video that came from him. Not only is Lockhart upset, but there's going to be a Congressional hearing of it. He makes Carie stay permanently due to this situation.

Carrie doesn't like it, she doesn't want to stay in the U.S. She wants to go back and find out what the hell happen back there.

Quinn on the other hand didn't show up, he took out his motel manger for breakfast and later beat the living crap out of two guys who were making fun of his friend.

Carrie ballad Quinn out of jail, telling him that he as PTSD, which he has, with signs and what has happen to him the last couple of seasons.

With Carrie staying, it would give her time to be a mother and connect with her child. She doesn't want that, she shows no emotions to the child but as if she treats her child like she would take care of her nieces. She would show love and care but later on no more of it. On her first day with her daughter she changed her diaper, took her out and drove her to where she first met her father.

Apparently, seems like no one is living in the old Brody home. She talks to her about how she loved him and that he knew and loved her. By the way, even though Carrie is new at this whole mother thing, she does have the child in her car seat in the front seat of the car. See how much she really doesn't know.

Later, as she give her daughter a bath, the child slides down in the water for a few seconds. Carrie had a thought about drowning her child but then brought her up and started getting emotional, something tells me she has Postpartum depression .  

Carrie later on does what she does best, she investigates about what happen in Istanbul. She talks to the guys about it, and give information about how he flew back to the U.S. and told Lockhart and then he told him not to speak and resigned him.

Carrie later on used that information against Lockhart and got her job back and went back to Istanbul. This upset ted her sister deeply. Carrie never did say goodbye but said it in a way that she's sorry for it, 

We see Carrie back on a plane heading back to Istanbul. She the only person on the plane is asked if she's fine by the pilot. She replies that she's fine.

I feel like the show really rebooted itself back to what it was during season one. I find that we are learning more of the characters.

I really am enjoying that we get to see more of Quinn on the show. Saul is back, he feels like he needs to do more than what he has been doing with only state work. He wants to get back in the game it seems like.

Maybe Carrie isn't a good mother, but it's something new to her. She's more of a solider who's only skills is to take on the force of bring terrorists down. She doesn't have any mother skills and it scares her to death about it and the fact that when she sees her child that she thinks of Brody.

I really enjoyed the first meeting of Carrie and Saul. They haven't spoken or seen each other over five, six months it seems like. Love the fact that these two have that mentor and mentee. I think the show would have lost it's footing if Saul wasn't there.

I think the show is off on the right foot. And with only two episodes down, I don't want to start judging but this could be it's best season since season one. But in my few, all three seasons were great.

You can catch "Homeland" Sunday nights at 9/8c on Showtime.


Friday, October 3, 2014

A to Z "A is for Acquaintances"


I usually never heard of a Rom-Com before and I don't think I have ever watched one either but if this was my first Rom-Com series than I would be glad that it's on television to watch.

I'm talking about the new NBC Romantic Comedy series "A to Z" that just aired Thursday night. Created by Ben Queen and produced by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, this series takes on these two people who happen to have accidentally bump into each other, fell in love and we will get to see their relationship go through the category of A through Z.

The show stars Ben Feldman and Cristin Milioti, who play Andrew Lofland and Zelda Vasco, Andrew works at a dating website company and Zelda is a lawyer. Both meet as Zelda came in to take a test for a match that her friend had paid for her. Andrew saw her and took her to where she was to go.

Andrew thinks that he has seen Zelda before a couple of years ago at a concert and she was wearing a sliver dress. Apparently she told him no and that made him have help looking up photos of her if she was at that concert until she found out.

Later on, she admits that she is scared to be in a relationship because her mother and father didn't get along and were divorced. That got her to think and reconsidered and told Andrew to truth that she was there that night and that she did in fact have a sliver dress and in fact they met right between where they work. They talked and finally Andrew kisses Zelda and the relationship takes off.

Even though they work right across the park way, it's funny how they've never met during that time. That just makes it funny when I think about it.

This series differently has something to give for the audience. There's chemistry between Feldman and Milioti in the series. The show has a timeline of their relationship, now what will happen after that time is up will they break up, get married, have a kid, what? I would like to find out myself.

There are some pop culture references like the one where Andrew and his friend Stu, played by Henry Zebrowski, talked about if hoverbroads are real. They think so and even Andrew met and asked Lea Thompson about it and she said no.

After the show was done during the credits, we see Lea on a hoverboard in the kitchen then she flies off.


You can catch "A to Z" Thursday nights at 9:30/8:30c on NBC.





Thursday, October 2, 2014

Parenthood "Happy Birthday Zeek"



Sometimes we want to go on our own terms. We don't want to die when we're under the knife. That's what Zeek Braverman feels about in this week's episode of "Parenthood."

This is one of the story lines that will truly show what this series is all about, family, emotional connections and just simple every day life. I'm talking about Zeek's health and that he's needs to have surgery to fix his health problem.

As stubborn has he is, he tells his doctor that this thing he had in Vegas, was just a minor thing that happen and he'll be fine. But that's when his doctor told him that he could have the same episode in a car or if he did fall hit his head on the pavement. That seems to much to handle.

From Zeek's point of view, he doesn't want it, of course, but also he's also trying to think that it's not that serious.

As soon as Zeek and Camille get to the car things turn quiet and of course Adam is called to talk to him but he has another thing to worry about at home and at the new school with the way the kids are wanting their meals without gluten and other things.

Kristina had him go pick up some hot meals for the kids at Whole Foods, probably not the smart place to go but anyway, Adam was going to talk with Zeek about having the surgery but instead Crosby who came with him decides that he should talk to him and it really didn't go the way it was suppose to go.

One of my favorite scenes is when Adam and Crosby are talking and it turns out into a yelling discussion. These two brothers crack me up so much, even if it is bad or something stupid it puts a smile on my face just to see them argue. They are really true brothers at it's best.

Meanwhile we see that Julia and Joel have an issue with to deal with when Sydney's teacher calls and tells them that she has been bullying another student.  This is probably due to the fact that they're separated. And when they talked to her about it, it turned into a serious problem.

As we left last week's episode, Amber told her mom that she was pregnant and that it was Ryan's. Sarah is stun to hear but also near the end happy. We see them have a moment when Sarah brings her photo album of Amber when she was just a baby.

And comes the birthday party for Zeek, everyone comes, Julia makes a special Martha Stewart cake that doesn't have any sugar or gluten in it.

 No body liked it at all. Adam and Zeek finally talk about the surgery and it was very clear and understanding that he doesn't want it because he wants to die on his own terms and we could see that and understand. We don't know if we could come back from being under after surgery.

But as soon as Zeek steps outside to take some air, he see Amber setting down, He joins her and sees her crying, thinking that she was crying about the surgery but really she tells him that she's pregnant.

And the look on his face changed from that moment on. Later after coming in, eating some bad cake, dancing to his grand kids song that Crosby help make, Zeek was in the dinner table thinking with a chocolate cake and a glass a milk in front of him.

Camille comes and talks to him and tells her that he has a secret and tells her anyway about Amber. And after they talked about how it is impossible, that Zeek decided to have the surgery.


In a way, I feel emotions are just running on high during this story line. It reminds me of when my grandfather had to have heart surgery because the doctor didn't see it there a couple of years ago. But he's fine. He was real cool about it before, just like Zeek. This show really hits close to home. Families should be watching this series.

Next week's episode will probably be no different than this week's. All I have to say is just have someone by your side and have a box of Kleenex with you.

You can catch new episodes of "Parenthood" Thursday nights at 10/9c on NBC.












 

Chicago PD "Get My Cigarettes"


When it comes to someone getting murdered, it's never easy when it's someone you've known since childhood. That's what Voight face's this week on "Chicago PD."

After last week, Halstead has a bounty on him for killing Oscar's brother in a shootout. Al talks to Ruzek and Halstead about how there was a bounty on him and Voght years ago.

Then Voight comes up with a photo of what we thought was a suspect then turns out to be a murder victim after he showed the photo of him shot in the face with a dollar bill tag on his chest. This being their case to take, as soon as Erin talks to Voight about him about not just lying to the team but lying to her about what he was doing, that in fact when she was taken in by him that she told him everything. She felt betrayed by him.

Until Antonio knocks and asked Voight about a guy name Nick, who tuned out he does and learned that he was murdered. The reaction that Voight gives was unseeing, never thought he would get emotional like that. First time for anything.

Voight and Antonio head over to the scene, and sees that Nick was shot the same way as the other victim that they were looking into, shot in the face. Voight finds out that one of that Nick was hanging with Don, another childhood friend.

The unit learns about a family who was threaten by a group of men who banged up the husband. And stressed out  his wife to take an overdose amount of pills due to the fact of they own money from their business.

As soon as they were done interviewing, there was a call of another gunshot victim, same one as the other two this time was in the garage. Erin and Al get there.

Al says one of the best lines in the episode "George Washington strikes again." As soon as they look around they hear a banging noise coming from the car. Apparently the victim's daughter was in the trunk and saw what the suspect looked like.

As Erin interviewed the daughter, she hand her off to Ruzek for identifying the suspect and this time he's going to use the new program of using a tablet. Ruzek gives an impression that he doesn't know how to work it so goes to someone, an officer and gets him to do it.

They find out from the sketch that it was the Dale's son Jake who got beat up from the three guys for owning them money. The hunt for Jake was on towards his house, but by the time the team gets there, they were too late. They talked to his father and sister.

Voight, Al and Halstead heads towards Don's home, as they get there they hear gun shots inside the hose. Voight and Al go in the front and see a wounded Don on the floor with his gun pointing out.

As Halstead was scooping the area he sees a basement door opening and looks in. That's where Jake points his gun at him and then makes a run for it.

Halstead chases Jake all the way through the train tracks. Jake steals a car and goes to the hospital where his mother is with cops there. The team gets there and Halstead talks him down and arrested him.

Voight and Al talk to Jake about why he had to kill them. He tells them that they couldn't go to the cops because they've threaten their lives.

Later on, Erin talks to her mother. Her mother wanted to make amends and apologized for what she has done to her long ago. For her mother to apologized Erin wants to talk about the past, which her mother doesn't. She also thinks that she shouldn't treat Voight like he was her father or blood. But for what she has done for her seems like that.


As soon as they talk, her mother's fiance comes in and that's when she give them her blessing and walks out and heads towards the bar where Halstead was at drinking. She looks at the bartender and thinks that Halstead is sleeping with her. He tells her no and that they only played scrabble one time.

I'm guessing scrabble is a code word for sex. Am I right about that?

He asked Erin if he could stay at her place for while since the bounty on him struck his apartment the other night. She give him a hard time and accepts but then a man comes into the bar and starts shooting at Halstead.

What it looks like he missed Halstead, the shooter shot the bartender.

As for Voight, he wanted just to sit at the local cop bar and drink a beer. Then comes Don and talk to him about Nick and how it was just something that he had to do. Voight tells him the same thing that Don told him, that this is a social place, he doesn't want to hear or talk about Nick again.

"Get My Cigarettes" probably is has a meaning of that even though you might have grown up with someone, you think that you really know them. It turns out that you really don't, that they have a bad side too. And just like Voight, his buddies were in the same kind of thing.

Next week's episode looks to be all on Halstead. Does he turn himself in to Oscar? What happen and does anyone make it out alive?

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


The Mysteries of Laura "The Mystery of the Biker Bar"




It's never easy for a detective or cop to find out that the victim of a murder is someone you closely knew. That's what Laura deals with in this week's episode of "The Mysteries of Laura." 

It was only her day off that Laura gets a phone call from the medical examiner about a murder victim who had her calling card in his pocket.  She heads out there, and finds out that the victim is a close old friend name Jerry Patch, aka St. Jerry. 

Shocking to see him dead, she goes on and tries to find out how it happens. Then comes Jake, who heard it on the scanner about the murder. he confronts her about it and then see two tourist taking a selfie with the dead body behind them. That really upset Laura. I would too, even now with selfies being the thing that people would take on with a dead body behind them. I wouldn't even do that. 

Laura questions Jerry's wife, Ruby, who has been with him for over 30 years. Ruby was in shocked to hear that he was murdered. At the time she was cleaning up the place as she was talking to Laura and Jake. 

Then came to name Crazy Eddie, who Rudy talked about that him and Jerry talked the other night. Of course, the name crazy Eddie is as it sounds. He's crazy and describes that he's being watched by the CIA with drones all over the place. Laura talks to him back at the squad room and tells her about the name "Birdman" who was watching Jerry. 

Laura and Soto interviewed the Birdman, who was just an OCD man who watches everyone from his apartment and takes notes of what's happening at that day and time. When Laura heard of it, she scammed him for it that the Mayor needed it to help with the issues. 

As Laura is back at the office she's reading the book. Jake doesn't think that the answers are in the book, which she proves him wrong and tells him about a lady who was screaming outside that the Birdman had to call the cops for it. 

They interviewed Faith who was a waitress at Jerry's bar, who at the night of her screaming that she was going to kill Jerry that the reason for that was he fired her for stealing. But it wasn't her that stole, it was her boyfriend, who by the way started running off when Laura turned and looked at him. 

Soto ran after him until he got hit in the face with his helmet. Then Laura chases him by hopping on someone else's bike and followed the boyfriend until he got hit by a bus. Yeah, when you see a stop sign up ahead and you are chasing a suspect, you might want to stop and hope a bus would come by. 

As soon as Soto gets to the accident, Laura helps his bad cut by putting a pee pad on his face. That was probably one of the funnest moments of this episode. 

Along with the storyline, of the twins busting Ned, the neighbor, his window with a baseball. 

And the fact Laura has an issue leaving the twins with the new babysitter, who by the way turns out to be very funny and clever too. 

Laura then goes by the book again and finds out about a suit person who was following around Jerry's building. Loyd as they called him, was the guy who was at the wake and turns out that maybe he could have killed him for the rights of the air. Even I thought that Loyd was the one.  

As it turns out that he wasn't the one but give out a clue that Jerry gave him half of the estate of his air but not the one he wanted to get. The other half was under him. And as Laura thought it through, she comes up with that you can't have three halves. It's really impossible. 

Turns out, it was the wife this whole time. Laura didn't even see it, due to the fact that this case was so close to her personally. 

 "The Mystery of the Biker Bar" was as I said in the beginning, it's never easy for a detective or cop to see someone that they knew so close get killed. Sometimes the thing that we don't suspect should be the ones that we need to suspect.

Another funny scene in the episode was when she was trying to put on her biker outfit for Jerry's waking and Laura had a hard time getting her pants on. She had to have her boys help her get in them. She says "size six fits all." She's right, it does it.

I really think that this show is improving from it's pilot. I might be saying this only three episodes out, this show isn't you typical cop drama that we need to have all this tech crap and medical slang just to feel smart. This show has enough of the cop drama that we can follow easy and also enjoy laughing at some of the moments. 

You can catch "The Mysteries of Laura" Wednesday nights at 8/7c on NBC.