Monday, May 19, 2014

TV Discussion: Week of 5/18/2014 - 5/24/2014

Hello TV Addicts! Here's our weekly place to discuss the non-recapped shows. See you in the comments!


Note: Game of Thrones discussions will be split into a separate post!

30 comments:

Mike V. said...

Back in town! All caught up with Mad Men and The Americans. Probably going to binge orphan black once i'm caught up on everything else.

I have 1.5 episodes left of Grimm. I think the finale aired last Friday, right? Might get done with that by tomorrow.

Saw the BBT finale - Certainly big changes ahead as we were suspecting. Surely Sheldon will keep the apartment! lol But who knows? Hysterical with the comic book guy being Howard's mom's nurse. lol

I'll comment on Mad Men later when I get a chance!

BTW...that AMC show about computers in the 80s with Lee Pace looks pretty good! They sure love their "period pieces". lol

Mike V. said...

Halt and Catch Fire - This is the show I was referring to. Looks like it'll premiere on Tumblr.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/05/19/amc-tumblr-halt-and-catch-fire/

Anonymous said...

Madmen--not bad. Peggy and Don trying to resolve her insecurities was great. Loosing Chevy, Buick possibilities. Am I the only one who thinks Bob could be the major client here? Pete is such a jerk and insecure. No wonder the CA girl left, she was above his pay grade anyway. But, he is loyal to Don and likely the wiser for it. He believed Don about Peggy's new approach. I wonder what Lou will think and how the change will go down there??

Funny on if the client and account man like it, it must not be too good.

I hired a few agencies in my time. I never chose the one who brought back a proposal that basically mirrored my ideas. I wanted to be challenged/see something new and different and that made sense. Very few did, but they got the business not because they disagreed but between what my companies thought and what they thought we came up with some great promotions.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Mad Men - Peggy/Don stuff was great and definitely reminded me of the best episode of Mad Men, "The Suitcase" episode.

Sometimes this show hits things hard on the nose, but Britney Snow (actress playing CA girl) I think even said "I don't like you in New York" to Pete. They have shown on more than one occassion people acting differently on the other coast. Before this season, every time Don was in Los Angeles was a very out of world experience for him. Granted, Megan trying to keep the spark alive in the marriage with the Free Love threesome certainly qualifies as a California experience for Don too. lol But yeah...once Pete was back in New York, he was back to his awful self.

Not sure if we'll see Lou's reaction or even the pitch to Burger Chef considering the next episode will be a month later, and I'm still hoping for a reference to the moon landing. lol But, I'm sure we'll see if they got Burger Chef's business (which I had to google because I certainly didn't remember the company. It appears that it was eventually bought by Hardees, which also you can't find many of these days)

Interesting to hear your perspective on hiring Ad agencies, Richard! I agree though...challenging the clients is a good way to go...but of course it's a high risk/high reward scenario!

And I must say that the Sally (Can't spell the actress's name without looking it up lol) totally outacted Betty (January Jones) in their little argument over the nose. That has to be embarassing! lol I know they are just trying to make Betty out as an overgrown child, and they do it well...but the acting is STILL so painful. lol

Anonymous said...

Grimm--not bad, I was worried it was going to be totally predictable for a while. LIke waiting for the marriage ceremony to get done before Trubl broke in.

But, it was SOOOO predictable that Nick was going to need Trubl as being the grimm, when she was introduced. I'm not going to like this whole storyline next year with Juliette and Nick on him getting his powers back. She's going to want him to not have his powers until she does, etc, etc,etc--lol. More tension,etc,etc,etc

I sure hope the Capt lives, he's actually a good actor.

Wuu reading the grimm books was funny, he'll likely come into the fold next season.

I still find it hard to blame Adalind. I mean they stole her child and she's just fighting to get it back. Who can blame her for doing all she can. I mean the police are against her.

Richard

Anonymous said...

24, is anyone watching?

Richard

Mike V. said...

Grimm - I have a theory on Trubel and I thought it might have come up before the end of this episode. Right when she start wondering about seeing her parents again and Nick saying that one of them had to be a grimm and him talking about his mother. I get the suspicious feeling that Trubel will somehow be Nick's sister and that they at least share the same mother (maybe father). Not sure how the backstory would work on that, but it seemed like they were setting up something like that.

I thought Renard was a goner, but the minute they showed him being put in an ambulance and part of the cliffhanger, I assumed he'd be okay. But I certainly was shocked when he got shot.

I figured Wu would come into the fold by the end of this season...and while it didn't fully happen he's certainly close. They really pulled a CHUCK with how they unveiled Nick's secret to the crew. It was like 1 person per season. lol Man, I miss Chuck!

Yeah, I'm sure Adalind will regret what she has done once she finds out the Verrat don't have her child. And I'm sure this will throw another wrinkle into the Nick/Juliette relationship....but eventually she'll get over it because there's no way he could've known. (Just like Olivia got over Peter with Fauxlivia...even though in the altered timeline that never happened lol)

Here's a big question that I was thinking of while watching the finale...did they ever resolve the whole zombie Nick subplot...i.e. the fallout from last season's finale? Wasn't he going cold with no pulse every once in awhile? It feels like they just phased that out.

24 - Still enjoying this return to the world of Jack Bauer! And it's nice to see him working his way back into being part of the team again. lol

Mike V. said...

btw...just wrote that 24 post before seeing yours. I don't have much commentary on it but I'm really enjoying as always!

Anonymous said...

Grimm--great point/question on the zombie Nick stuff. I want to say he was fixed and made into a kind of super grimm. So, maybe the Adalind stuff won't have all together the effect it was supposed to?

24--I think it hit it's stride last night and was decent.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Grimm - Ahh maybe it will come into play with Adalind's potion...but I was really commenting more on the writers maybe just blowing it off. lol

24 - Agree...can never go wrong putting Jack Bauer in a hostage situation. lol But yeah, everything was firing on all cylinders. I'm still wondering when they're going to skip an hour or 2. We've done 4 straight hours with no skips so far. And with the way this one ended I don't see them skipping an hour. Sure, Jack is in Kate's custody which could take time...but it seems like they're ready to take control of a drone at the end of this hour.

I have a feeling there will be an intercontinental flights at some point which could skip a whole chunk of time...though I can't imagine how all other subplots would just be put on hold for 6 hours while Jack flies to the US. lol

Should be interesting how they do it.

MJ said...

Grimm - laughed when the sister ruined the dress. I agree - capt will live but was surprised he got shot. Knew that Trubl was there for a reason - but did NOT think Nick would lose his powers. I actually never considered that was something that could be taken like he took Adalinds vesenness. Guess I thought they were different things somehow. Richard - I understand where Adalind is coming from - but she made this kid a pawn before it was born. It's not like she found out she was preggers and she was going off to have her baby and raise it and they found out and took it. hey - I think you are right ! Zombie Nick thing just sorta ended at the mid-season. LOL

24 - def watching and been loving it ! Glad that Heller wanted to talk to Jack and isn't just assuming he's gone bad. i think the Pres chief of Staff or his asst is this years mole ! Not liking the guy Chloe works for either though. Lady Catelyn is really a zealot in this show. Skipping time - maybe they'll actually let some characters nap ! LOL j/k !

Orphan Black has been really good. Cosima was actually wrong about something. Rachael is one cold fish !

Americans - I just watched last week's last night. Crazy that the kid knew about his parents all along. And how'd that Seal get a tracker in his back pack ? LOL And Paige trying to pick up the phone was fun. And the faux wife saying she knew it was a toupee cracked me up.

mj said...

Americans- Beeman is so screwed. Crazy wit Nina and them having to beat on her to sell it. Think tonight is finale

Mike V. said...

Grimm - Glad I'm not alone. I thought I may have missed an episode or slept through one or something. lol

So..no opinions on Nick and Trubel are siblings? Eh, that's okay...it's a stretch, but if it happens just remember that I called it! :-) But yeah...the show can still be called Grimm since there is still one on the show. But, I think we can assume Nick will eventually get his powers back. It's just a question of how long. I mean..they kept that Juliette amnesia arc going for a whole season! lol Hopefully not that long.

24 - Yeah..you guys mentioned you think Tate Donovan (Chief of Staff) is the mole. Definitely possible, but he could just be a buffoon new husband for Audrey. lol Maybe his assistent...good point, though I don't really don't recall an assistant know that we're talking about it. It could be someone in the CIA office too....or maybe they'll surprise us and there will be NO mole this year. lol

Hey...if Jack has a burrito at some point in the show he might need an hour break for that too! LOL But yeah...it would be funny if they incorporated naps/eating/bathrooms into this mini-series since they never could in the 24 episode seasons. lol

Orphan Black - I think I can finally start catching up on this. I may have like 4 episodes to watch at this point. lol

Americans - Wait what??? The kid knew about his parents? Ugh...I shouldn't have watched the show on my ipad past midnight. I think I was falling asleep. lol I do remember Paige and the toupee though..they were good times! Finale is definitely this week, but I'm thinking they'll stick with their usual air date of Wednesdays. :) lol Justified/SOA/now Fargo have the Tuesday slot.

Anonymous said...

Grimm--I went back and checked, it was said his condition could be temporary. But, that recovery is when he got amazing strength. Nick and Trubl as siblings, hmmm. You know given that so much was made about her getting that role, you may be right, it certainly seems as though she's going to be a series regular. I "knew" Nick was going to be in serious trouble as a grimm when we found out that Adalind possesses unique powers over him--several eps ago. I did not "know" exactly he would loose his powers, just that he was going to be in serious trouble from Adalind. That and the intro of Trubl. BTW, I hate that name especially when they call her by it. It's like a bad pets name--lol.

Madmen--I have read where some are speculating that the plane with Megan and CA girl will crash. I still think Bob and Buick could be a big deal on who gets the account.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Mad Men - Everyone loves their conspiracy theories! Once again i must refer to the fact that every episode of Mad Men is about a month apart from each other. So if the plane crashed, we'd find out about it in hindsight instead of real time. People definitely have been speculating that Megan will die ever since she wore that t-shirt similar Sharon Tate who got killed by a serial killer back in the 60s.

http://uproxx.com/tv/2014/04/15-megan-drapersharon-tate-connections-that-prove-mad-men-is-just-straight-up-trolling-us-now/

Grimm - Interesting on the temporary condition. Of course, they still never addressed that it was over! lol I'm having a tough time remembering him having more strength this season. Maybe early on...but the 2nd half of the season he seemed to be regular old Grimm Nick. lol

Yes the name Trubel is awful!

Anonymous said...

Madmen--BTW, my agreements with ad agencies were small, around 10 or so million. Yea, the plane would have crashed in the next ep. I think that the next ep is the last for now and it would be shocker.

Grimm--recall when Juliette sent him to the doctor and he did the physical, he never got out of breath and ran very very fast. Just one example.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Mad men - each it's the mid season finale and should take place in July (this past ep was June). I'm guessing moon landing will be back drop or at least mentioned. And we'll kick off the 2nd half with Woodstock in August. But you never know. They could for the first time ever have an episode that continues right from the previous one. Lol

Grimm - ahh yes. That triggered my memory. Thanks! Lol

mj said...

Grimm - I was thinking on the siblings thing. Not sure if I'd like it. Kinda soapy. If that is their intent then they def picked an actress who looked alot like Nick and his mom.

24 - lol on burrito. Asst is the guy who almost said Jacks name in front of Audrey 2 wks ago. He keeps updating Tate.

Americans - all day yst thought it was wed! Lol. kid def knew about parents. Center tells them when they are told to go get him. And she uses a code phrase so he knows what she is when he gets in her car

Fargo has been pretty good

mj said...

Americans - just read that whoever killed Conner famiily will be shocking!

Mike V. said...

Grimm - Just seems like where these shows have been going. Everyone ends up related. Once Upon a Time took it to a whole new level of ridiculousness. lol We'll see!

24 - Ahh right...thanks for the reminder on the assistant.
Americans - Ahh interesting. Totally missed that. Of course now that we know the killer will be shocking, we start guessing the most random people so that it won't be shocking! lol

Fargo - Haven't watched yet but have it all recorded. I've heard good things. It's on my list for the summer. lol

We have to figure out if we're going to watch Revenge, TVD, The Following, Nashville...which the full seasons are all on my TiVo. lol Wanted to watch VEEP and House of Cards this summer too. We'll see!

Mike V. said...

Modern Family - Somehow we really fell behind on this one but after watching the Idol Finale and Revolution Finale...we squeezed in the final 3 episodes of MF this season. (Benefits of a newborn being awake I guess?? lol) Great episodes! The wedding was handled well with Jay getting on board as expected in the final moments. Phil and Alex bonding was a good time as well as Claire and Luke. Though...I think that may have been part 1 of the finale...it's all blending together. The whole Luke and Manny being married by Phil was kinda funny too. Good stuff!

Americans - Watched this morning. That certainly was shocking...I started to consider it as a possibility that the kid did it right before it happened (only because we discussed how we knew it might be shocking lol)....But then the fact that the kids are phase 2 of the Russian's plan? Totally didn't see that coming but it made the season come full circle in amazing fashion. Really well done season and can't wait to see where it goes next year!

Mike V. said...

Parks and Rec - Finished this up the other night too. I totally missed the article last week that this next season will be the last, but I kinda assumed it after seeing the flash forward to 3 years later....that season finale almost felt like a series finale, but it was a finale to the way things were. Now they have 13 episodes to do something similar but on a larger scale. Leslie is movin on up! There is an interview on EW about their decision to end it and what's ahead. All makes sense!

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/05/21/parks-and-recreation-season-7-final-michael-schur/

Mike V. said...

Americans - Interview with showrunners http://tvline.com/2014/05/21/the-americans-season-3-spoilers-philip-elizabeth-paige-spy/#

Anonymous said...

Americans, I've seen a few eps. So is Beamen's "girlfriend" really on his side or still with Russians? Also, why is Beamen's wife having an afair and leaving him?

That daughter knows something's up with her parents--lol.

Felt sorry for the boy Jared being carted off to who knows where.

This show was moving a little slow for me, so I tuned out.

Will watch finale tonight on dvr.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Americans - Whew..I'm glad you mentioned you didn't watch the finale or I would've spoiled some stuff (And I did above, so don't read that! lol).

Beamen's wife is having an affair an leaving him because Beamen has been having an affair, which he has never admitted to. But he's been emotionally distant and even physically barely there. She couldn't handle it anymore.

Anonymous said...

I've already seen your post, not the link though and there weren't any spoilers in there for me as I'm not sure about the kid you're referencing. I'm guessing Jared. But, after the ending of the prior ep with the detective pursuing him and the log cabin stuff--I figured there would be a confrontation between them. Jared seemed pretty squared away/capable to me.

Richard

mj said...

Americans -agree that knowing would be surprising made us come to conclusion was him tio. Sorry about that. I had not considered him prior. Agree also on using next gen! Kind of ironic that she's concerned her kids too american but she's saying no to Paige getting in the spy biz. For mother russia. I was glad Stan did not hand over echo. , and didn't Ninas problems all start with send illegal jeans back home or some such thing?

MF - only behind on final 2 - waited to watch together but could not last nite

Parks - totally behind

Mike V. said...

Americans - No need to apologize! The whole end was still out of left field but totally felt organic at the same time. It was good. I thought she was the one saying YES to Paige being in the biz and HE was the one saying no. lol I like in that interview they said they intentionally left it open ended with Stan...did he suspect Nina or was he just being a patriot or both? Maybe we'll find out next season.

So...it must've just been the pregnancy that had me falling behind. We have time to watch EVERYTHING now! LOL kidding. That son of mine is totally off his schedule and was up until 11 last night. yikes!

Catch up with Parks when you can. It was really good!

Anonymous said...

Americans--Yea Elizabeth is the one who says Paige is looking for something and this could be it--the spy biz. Phillip said they swore to each other to not let their children get into the biz. I guess she doesn't take her commitments seriously--lol. This brings back one of the reasons I quit watching this show--it seemed it was a show surrounding those two who couldn't agree or get along on much. The last ep before this didn't have any of that and was actually pretty good. This one toward the end fell back into the same ole, same ole stuff to me. The boy killing his parents--there was a scene when he rolled his eyes about how much his parents loved him, that made me wonder.

OK, so we're not supposed to know about Nina. To me, Beaman looks like a looser at this point--his wife and mistress--gone. And his son doesn't really like him. He seems to be a good agent however. Glad he didn't turn over echo.

What an awful deal where the bald guy got shot and died. Lots of death overall,including Jared. I guess Jared dieing was to make the husband/wife team question the situation with their kids. Then Elizabeth changed her mind and wants Paige to get into the biz--lol. Not exactly mother of the year, not helping with packing, being there, etc. I could see Paige loving the idea of getting to leave her neglectful mother. It's all for mother Russia--lol.

Isn't the handler on a comedy show too?

You know. watching this show in light of Russia's resurgance today was different than a few years ago. They're the only country that can put a man on the ISS and are threatening to no longer let us ride along.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Americans - Margot Martindale (sp?) was their handler in season 1, but she landed the CBS sitcom deal with The Millers. So yes...she is. I listened to a podcast with the showrunners and they said they were very fortunate to get her back for a couple episodes this season and will try again next year. But they say it's even more impactful when she shows up because there is less of her. She was excellent in season 2 of Justified if you ever get around to it. Even won an emmy for her role. All around good character actress.

I heard Nina will be in the show next season and the showrunners just keep saying "she's in a car on the way to the airport". Something tells me someone is going to intervene. I would guess the Russian dude that's in love with her.

Good point with the resurgence of Russia drama...of course, this show has only had 2 seasons, so we weren't watching it a few years ago! :) lol

There was absolutely mirroring between that family and the Jennings family all season. And in the end, it was almost learning that this could be the future for their family. Disdain possibly death. And Paige certainly is trying to become independent of her parents. But, that's the age for that as well. Entertaining show!