Monday, May 11, 2015

TV Discussion: Week of 5/10/2015 - 5/16/2015

Hello fellow TV addicts! This is our weekly place to discuss all non-recapped TV. See you in the comments!

37 comments:

Mike V. said...

Fox announced their fall schedule I think. Gotta look it up. Looks like Sleepy Hollow is switching nights. And one more season of Idol! Thank God. I think I can make it one more year! lol

Anonymous said...

Madmen--wow, big things are happening. I hate that Betty has lung cancer. I can just imagine how the many recappers/bloggers will find irony in that vs Don's making money with cigarettes. Peter and Trudy, I was hoping they'd get back together. I've been to the aviation plants in Wichita and it likely is a good place to raise a family. The guys at McMann are going to end up saving a lot of money on this buyout with so few staying long enough to get the full payout.

The stuff with Don of course was weird. I'm not sure we learned anything or the storyline progressed. Him identifying and helping out a potential con man to change his ways is interesting. So, does next weeks finale start with him at the bus stop, on his way to CA, on his way to NY or already in one of those two places? Maybe he stays in middle America, I mean he's not far from Wichita-lol. Any bets while being in the middle of the country which way he goes?

Will Betty's funeral be shown?

Richard

Mike V. said...

UGH...i just read your last sentence by accident and got spoiled on Mad Men! lol With Mother's Day we couldn't get to it all last night.

Granted..I don't know how it happens!

Anonymous said...

MIke, Don't worry, there's a lot in the ep. You'll find it interesting,.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Richard, I know..lol She's the least of my concerns. It's the penultimate episode of Mad Men ever! I'm sure i'll be invested regardless.

Anonymous said...

Madmen. OK so thinking about Don's direction some more. I'm a little over 50% on Don going back for his kids. But, that could be complicated with Henry now.

Also, there was something about Don in this ep where he was a fixer at the motel. When he looked at the old Coke machine I was at first thinking he was getting some great Coke Ad ideas. But, now I'm wondering if he's got something other than advertising in mind?

Richard

MJ said...

Fox Schedule - not even looking at those until after middle of August ! LOL

Scandal - did we talk last week's Scandal? So Mellie is Foxtail ? Uh-oh! I recognized the Jag kid from Cougartown from when I used to watch it.

TV show cancellations - a few of my 'fluff' shows are done - the ones I watch when I'm tired or just don't want to pay attention. LOL No great loss. Except Mindy Project and Constantine. I liked them alot. Had already quit The Following when they brough Joe Carroll back yet again earlier this year. Other wise nothing earth shattering.

The Blacklist - I have trouble thinking of Tom as 'Jacob' now. Remember when we all thought he was just some lame husband stuck with a workaholic wife ? LOL His character has come a long way. Surprised Connelly was so blatent in helping Karkakut - but I guess why not at this point. Until of course we find out that Connelly wanted them at Union Station so that Liz could be the carrier. Was this all in the same day? I felt like it was over several days so you would think that she would have showered ?

Grimm - creeped me out to have Juliette showing Kenneth around Nick's place. So am I right in recalling that Wu does not know Renard is a vesen ? I think Wu only knows that Capt is aware of them. None of us are surprised Trubel is back! Def did NOT see them going all se7en and beheading Nick's mom ! Yikes. I know the actress is working on another show but dang ! LOL

Shield - heard that spin off has died ! Thank goodness. Leave Bobbi and Lance right where they are.

Mike V. said...

SHIELD - yep it's done but Agent Carter is coming back!

Cancelled shows - Mindy might still get revived by Hulu....but I never started it. I heard it was good. Good to hear we weren't the only ones that quit The Following! lol

Scandal - I don't think we discussed. Yep, he is the cougartown dude. lol Mellie is Foxtail, and I have no idea what that means! We start this show with good intentions every Thursday night then one of our children doesn't let us watch until really late and I fall asleep in the middle! lol I'll try to stay awake for the finale though. I've heard it's gonna be a doozy. (why wouldn't it be with this show??)

Leslie said...

My AT&T Uverse DVR has been out since Saturday morning, so I had to watch Mad Men live last night! They are coming this afternoon/evening, but I'm afraid I will have to get a new box and will lose all my recorded shows. Hopefully, I can catch stuff I missed On Demand. This is when I wish that stuff was backed up to the cloud or something.

Mad Men - Such a ironic surprise with Betty getting lung cancer! In the finale, maybe it will jump ahead a year, and they will all be together for Betty's funeral and then Don will have gone back to being Dick Whitman and will be ready to take care of his kids, and they will show us how the other character's lives are going.....Don raising his kids, Peggy and Joan running their own agency with Roger as a figurehead for the old timers, and Pete and Trudy in Kansas living happily ever after.

Anonymous said...

LOL on agent carter coming back.

Leslie, I have the same system and lost my recordings when my box was replaced. They have some that are more robust then others.

Grimm--Kelly's head cut off--Nick's Mom. That was awful. So, is Trubl the only grimm worth a dern? Glad Renard is OK. Juliette needs to die, I wish she would, but of course she won't. I've always liked Adalind much better. If Nick doesn't start KA on some wessen then the show looses a lot of attraction to me.
So, we basically have the big showdown we predicted early on this season. But without Kelly.

PS, I'm not happy with the NFL on Patriots

Richard

MJ said...

Bates - Norma finally has seen that Norman needs professional help - she went to the swankiest place that she had to know she could not afford. Freudian right ? And instead of her 50's dresses she was dressed in a suit like a man - wonder what that was ? And now that he was going to leave her she is not going to let him go at all. EW pointed out that the cost was pretty much what Dylan gave to Emma's dad - I did not notice that. Of course that would only have gotten him a month any way. But Romero cornering Bob on the boat - then killing Bob cause he said he was like his dad - was kinda insane. Killing Bradley as he was Norma was cool though - even if it was weird to bring back a character just to kill her. Finally saw Norman kill someone. It's really amazing that he's the killer but he totally thinks Norma is and he stays to protect her for many years. I did not get some of the similarities from Bates and psycho last night. Norma fell down the stairs – in the movie a PI falls down the stairs. Also Norman saying ‘mother what have you done’ is out of the movie - or so I read today.

Grimm - I still love Nick ! If Juliette stays evil then she does need to die. LOL

NFL/Patriots - Not sure how I feel. Was pissed they conveniently released the findings after this years draft and free agency. I have not read the report but what I am hearing is that there is no actual proof that Brady knew they did it but lots of assumptions. Problem is - Pats now have a rep for cheating and have been caught before. And bot Bilichek and Brady are known sore losers. So it's easy to think they (Pats) cheated. Cause I do find it hard to believe that the qback did not notice under blown balls when he was throwing all day. Plus - they make it hard to feel bad for them. Dallas used to be the most loved/hated team but the Pats are quickly catching up on the hated part

Anonymous said...

NFL/Patriots--MJ, love your passion/interest. Some facts about the balls in Colts game.
1. The balls that were low were underinflated by about 10%. So little that neither the refs handling the balls, nor colts defensive personnel could tell.
2. Brady's comletion % and points were much greater in the 2nd half when the balls were properly inflated.

Grimm--I still like Nick and he's the major draw to the show, but he's definitely lost his mojo and needs to get it back.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Pats - I was just annoyed that it's only a 4 week suspension! I mean they cheated to get to the superbowl!!!

Bates - Ended up watching the ONCE 2 hour finale and didn't get to Bates yet. Now SHIELD has a 2 hour finale tonight..ugh! Good news is that we should be out of the woods of TOO MUCH TV for the summer soon. Then I can catch up on stuff and finally watch Daredevil. (hopefully i'm not building it up too much in my head lol)

Mad Men - Finally watched! The bigger irony is that Betty is the one to get lung cancer instead of anyone from SDCP! Granted, she was smoking and drinking while preggers. lol

Pete/Trudy stuff felt kinda "too happy" for this show and for Pete, but maybe he truly has figured things out. Granted, it's easy to envision him falling into his old habits off screen years down the road. But for now they're happy.

Loved the Don stuff. I know it's not what any of us envisioned for these final episodes. (Granted, the Betty news will probably get him to come home for the finale and there was talk of going home at the VFW) But I loved him coming clean to the vets about his past and them just shrugging their shoulders indicating that's just part of it.

I could see him going either way, but for it to be an actual finale, he has to return to New York. Maybe he goes to california by the end. Maybe he takes Sally to Madrid. But, he needs his final moments with the cast of the show....at least I think so. We'll see!

Definitely thought of the COKE machine and his account at McCann. Can't be a coincidence.

Not sure how they'll fit it, but I feel like Don and Peggy and Don and Roger need one more scene together too. Granted, last week could've been Peggy's sendoff just like Pete's was probably this week.

@Leslie - The time jump isn't a bad theory. That way Don may still have gone to CA and has a reason to come back. Granted, even a time jump of a month (the normal jump between episodes) could do that as well since the cancer is aggressive.

MJ said...

Pretty twisted really now that I think about it. Norman says he's leaving with Bradley. Norma thinks Bradley is dead so Norman must be hallucinating. Then Norman - trying to prove he's not nuts - relays the imagined conversation he had with Norma to Norma. LOL An no one went in the pit ! I am so disappointed about that. LOL

Daredevil - I think you are ! LOL I did hear it was very good though.

Sadly I have summer shows that will be starting. Extant, that Vampire/virus one who's name is eluding me, Last Ship, etc etc

Grimm - well of course he's lost his mojo. His girlfrien/fiance has been turned into a mean old monster all because of him and his beloved aunts camper has been torched. He started out the season having lost his own powers. He's have a rough year Richard. LOL

Pats - yes it was corrected in the second half. Part of the better stats is that the Seahawks play was less good too. And without that stupid play call at the end the Seahawks would have won. But - just feel that the Belichek/Brady later years have been a real blemish on this franchise. This is like the third time the shadow of cheating has fallen on them.

Anonymous said...

Madmen, agree w/ Leslie on time jump too, very possible to help wrap things up.

I'm not expecting everything to be answered though. And I don't need for everyone to kind of see each other the last ep. Even if we don't see Joan, Peggy or Pete again I"m good with it as they have a future defined. Their futures may be redefined in the finale too. ie, Peggy and Joan. Betty has a future defined. Roger's future could use a little more definition, but right now he's enjoying life with his money at McCann and that's good too. Of course he could join Peggy and Joan which would be kind of cool. Since Avon is at McCann now, I'm not sure how that will work out, but it could!

So, that really leaves Don, the central character with his future totally undefined sitting at a bus stop(not even a bus station-lol) in the middle of the country. And maybe it will end that way--undefined, since he's been at his core always in search of something he doesn't have.

Peter/Trudy--I thought it was great and really wanted that for Don/Betty. But, the juxtaposition I think shows how Peter has learned and Don is still searching.

Mike, your points about the VFW scenes are correct with Don having some relief.

Richard

Anonymous said...

MJ, NFL/Pats--you're confusing games. There was NO deflategate with the Seahawks/Patriots as the balls are handled differently by NFL. It's the Superbowl.

The deflategate game was the first half of the Colts game. One which wasn't even a contest and even the most ardent Pats haters admit was unwinnable for the Colts.

Grimm--EXACTLY-he's lost his mojo and been hit hard. But, I'm a fighter and so I view it as his lack of winning and being on top of things that has resulted in those very same losses you identified. I mean he's really throwing a lot of interceptions--lol and like using UNinflated balls--lol.

It's like the old saying "when the going gets tough, the tough get going"! Time to open a can of KA--lol. If I were him, I'd be planning and executing a lot of wessen exits from this world--lol.

MJ, bring the turrets to bear.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Man I've really fallen behind on Grimm. There just wasn't time to watch with all of the other pressing shows. I'll do a binge soon.

Mad Men - Good point on Pete learning where Don has not. You're right..those "LAST MOMENTS" do not have to happen. I think Don and Peggy had a moment earlier this season and some speculated if that would be their last. I think they'll get one more. I think the episode is 1.5 hours too so there's a little extra time for something like that.

We shall see!

Anonymous said...

Madmen, that's great to hear about a 1.5 hour finale. It means they want time to end it properly.

Blacklist--they changed the title today to Tom Connelly!

Richard

Mike V. said...

Female Thor - looks like the comics are laying the tracks for Natalie Portman to take a bigger role in the marvel universe. Lol
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/12/female-thor-marvel-reveals-secret-identity

Anonymous said...

LOL, Natalie Portman, really sad as a lot don't think she can act. I'm kind of meh on her acting. Certainly can't have the flair of Chris.

Not an upgrade but hey we sometimes only know good decisions by the bad decisions they line up against.

Richard

MJ said...

Pats - Duh ! You are totally right. Deflate gate was against the Colts in the playoffs. I knew that - don't know where my brain was when I typed that LOL on Grimm/interceptions joke. Very good.

No Shield or Flash last night.

iZombie - this show has turned out to be quite amusing. It's good snark and does not take itself seriously.

Wayward Pines - after reading this I am very much looking forward to this show.
https://www.yahoo.com/tv/wayward-pines-preview-chad-hodge-118781436885.html

Muppets are coming back ?
http://entertainthis.usatoday.com/2015/05/12/the-muppets-trailer-on-abc-fall-2015-kermit-miss-piggy-gonzo-fozzie-jim-henson/

Fear the Dead info
Fear The Dead
http://entertainthis.usatoday.com/2015/05/12/fear-the-walking-dead-teaser-featurette/

Natalie Portman is good except as Princess Amidala. Just like the guy who play future Darth is a good actor when not in Star Wars. LOL

Mike V. said...

Portman is an Academy Award winner! But yes, everyone was bogged down by lousy script and direction in those prequels. George surrounded himself with yes men and it showed! There are still elements of the prequels that are awesome, but the dialogue and acting were not included in that!

I don't know how connected the Comics are to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I guess they're potential source material, but not necessarily something they'll use! I think the MCU does have a longer term plan though. It's not like RDJ can play Iron Man forever. Chris Evans said he's retiring from acting once he's done as CAP (And there are comic plots at play that could eventually replace him). So, this stands to say that the MCU will endure and other characters will come in to replace the ones that started it. We already saw that at the end of Avengers with them bringing in new recruits. It seems like they'll handle it well.

SHIELD - I did watch that, no Bates yet. I'll comment on Shield later if I get a chance.

Muppets - Yep! The sad thing is, that's the only thing on ABC's schedule that sounds interesting and it's yet another reboot!

Wayward Pines - I just can't seem to get excited about it. I still think I'm out!

Fear the Walking Dead - Thanks for the link..I'm sure I'll set the TiVo for this one.

mj said...

Wayward - 10 eps of weirdness with definite answers - loving the thought of it

Starwars - agree on prequels. and after them (when they came out) rewatched orig 3 and realized the acting was also stiff and dialog bad - but still loved them. apparently just Lucas' directing style

Mike V. said...

Starwars - I think the whole "lived in" feel of the originals and those particular characters are what gave them their charm. George only wrote and directed the original star wars (before the prequels) and I think he got lots of feedback from his actors who brought those characters to life. He also had people on his team that weren't afraid to challenge him. You can tell the tone and dialogue is much more serious in Empire and that is easily the best of the 6 movies. The man has/had great ideas but the execution wasn't always great especially by the time the prequels came around and there was no one that was going to really tell him not to do something. It was his baby and he was going to make them however he wanted. That's why this Disney purchase may be potentially an awesome thing. The Star Wars universe - created by Lucas is now opened up as a sandbox for anyone to get in the mix and try stuff out. I'm really excited about Star Wars: Rogue One next December which will be the first "ANTHOLOGY" (non-episode) movie. The concept of a "war movie" (set in the star wars universe) where a band of x-wing fighters go on a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans just sounds like an awesome idea!

Wayward - Yeah...it's the new thing to do these limited run series that attract big stars. So, I get the appeal. I'll certainly be watching True Detective again this season. Of course, there's also something to be said about long-running series where the answers to questions are much more interesting because you've lived with those characters for so long. If Wayward can deliver an engaging story where you care about answers, great! I've seen so-so reviews about it and just don't know if I have the time to dive in.

But I get the sense all of you might be discussing it so maybe i'll throw it on the DVR! lol

Anonymous said...

Shield--for a finale it really wasn't that compelling to me. I mean so much of it was so far fetched and nonsensical that I couldn't get into it. My mind kept meandering.

The Bobbi stuff was SOOO STUPID. I mean you don't have to leave her alive for someone to walk through a blind door where her phone is on a table. And you know she's only going to escape and come after you. And she's just not a very nice character anyway. Did anyone expect her to die even when shot by a high powered rifle. Why do they do that stuff when no one believes it. It's so cheesy while they pretend to be all not cheesy.

Skye's Mom was kind of psycho and her Dad is a lapdog of sorts. But, I really can identify with her desire to be left alone!! Why do gov types always want to get into people's business.

I just have to remind myself to not take this show seriously and just keep laughing AT, not with it--lol.

Kara looking like Maye and dieing is also so STUPID. She really had no reason to not be herself at that point. Of course there was NO thought that the real Maye had been shot or was threatened. Now a real surprise here would be if she lived--lol.

If they want us to take the show with some level of drama or seriousness, then some key characters need to die, at least one in a finale. Like GRRM does!

It's pretty sad when Skye is one more worth watching.

Jemma being swallowed was hilarious, but no way she's dead but probably wishing she'd gone to dinner-lol.

Richard

Anonymous said...

Wayward PInes--Yea, I've got it set to record. Thanks for link. This is likely to be one of those shows that has some serious twists. I think he's likely in some sort of purgatory or collection point, kind of like LOST-lol.

Shield--I may have gone overboard in criticism. I'm watching Arrow and see some of the same crazines--lol. I really wanted Nyssa and Ollie to work out-lol.

Mike V. said...

Shield - Definitely didn't expect Bobbi to die because they were planning a spinoff for her! lol

And while your rant was entertaining I subscribe to the mantra you mentioned at the end...I don't take it too seriously! lol It was entertaining. I was kinda surprised they turned Ward full-on bad.

And the Skye stuff actually tugged a bit at my heart strings. lol When she was saying goodbye to her dad and he said "you're better than I imagined, and I imagined perfect"....whew...that was a good line! lol

Wayward Pines - Don't even joke about purgatory and LOST!!! You'll get me ranting and you know that! lol I did set the DVR but it won't be a priority for me.

Finished Bates! I kinda expected the murder that happened but it was executed pretty well. Surely Emma's surgery will be successful right? MJ, I'll have to read your comments later!

MJ said...

Shield - holy crap! That was some finale ! They cut off Coulsen's freaking arm ! Well - part of it any way. Having Ward kill agent 33 accidently was awesome. But how sick was that torture they did to Bobbi - numbing her and torturing so she would feel it when numbness wears off! Yikes. When that trap door/gun first went off I thought it hit Bobbi in the back of the head - I'd have been pissed if they killed her. Totally surprised the wiped Cal's mind in the end. Was messed up that Jaiying was going to suck the life out of her own daughter - glad she died. Liked the inhuman that basicly made copies of herself - that was cool. I actually liked inhuman Raina - didn't like 'flowers' - so sorry to see her go. Kinda liked the transporter too. So - didn't see it coming that Simmons was sucked into the Cree stone, but not surprised the vials were leaking in the ocean.

Yeah - I don't take it seriously. They are comic book characters - how can they be taken seriously ? LOL

Mike V. said...

Bates - Read your comments MJ, definitely didn't pick up on the amount being the same either. Or the Psycho similarities. Honestly, I don't really know if I've ever seen Psycho in its entirety. I just know the basic plot points. Might be worth watching one day. lol (you know...since it's a classic! Killing Bradley....yeah kinda weird to bring her back just to kill her, but I think the show outgrew her need to be on it and it was a good way to bring a known character back and then remove her just as quickly. lol Yeah but the whole thing where he thinks it's his mother talking him into stuff and actually doing the stuff is well done.

SHIELD - Coulson's arm - I love how he said "i'm looking into some options" at the end. You know with all of their technology they'll be Luke Skywalkering that thing! lol The Bobbi torture was definitely sick, minus Richard's observed contrived plot conveniences. lol I thought the gun hit Bobbi in the back of the head too...but I never thought they'd kill her. Even though they backed out of the spinoff...there was no way they could've rewritten, filmed, edited and distributed that version of her dying so quickly to make her die in the finale. lol Plus even the interview said she's added so much to the main show that it makes no sense to spin her off. (Or her ex husband what's his face. He's definitely brought the humor to the show) Definitely didn't see the Simmons thing coming up. I thought they were finally going to end on a nice note with Fitz and Simmons and BAM...sucked up by alien technology! Didn't even think about the vials in the ocean until they showed it...but no not surprising. lol

Anonymous said...

Shield--YEA, that's one of my points, the Skye stuff was actually some of the better stuff whereas it normally stinks. If they don't start killing off some minor majors, like Bobbi then the show looses cred, even for a comic book show. But, it has to be one of the "good" guys.

I too was very unhappy about Ward and didn't even mention it for various reasons.

LOST purgatory--yea, when I wrote that I 100% had you in mind--lol. So, that's why I added the "collection point"--lol. I was just going to leave it as the LOST purgatory and see how that would get MIke going--lol.

Blacklist finale tonight, so I'll watch it and maybe Wayward Pines later.

I haven't heard much from you guys on Blacklist?

Richard

Mike V. said...

SHIELD - In their defense, they did kill off a guy in the mid-season finale. I already forget his name. lol Killing off characters wasn't even a thing until 24 and LOST made it a regular occurrence. And LOST got away with bringing in new characters to kill off and keeping season 1 people along for the ride.

I'm not too concerned about it.

LOST Purgatory - lol mission accomplished!

Blacklist - still way behind. I can't even begin to explain my nightly bedtime process with these lunatic children (whom I adore with all my heart). It's the most frustrating thing I've EVER dealt with. Anyway, TV has taken its toll. We have Scandal tonight...and then our traditional TV season is over. We can start catching up with Blacklist, House of Cards and other stuff that we just fell behind on.

Anonymous said...

Madmen, watching some 20007 eps. Wow how they look differently. Betty got a job working as a model for Hobart at McCann for Coke. So, there's a tie in to the last season
with that and with HObart offering him a job first season.
Richard

Anonymous said...

Wayward Pines--this is great. I really like Shannyn, she's a lot older than last I watched her. Matt's doing a good job. So, Mike will be happy that it's not a purgatory--lol. But they're being held in a mountain top town in the middle of who knows where. Time is going to be a big deal with this show, some seem to be experiencing time in opposite ways, ie shorter or longer than outside the fence. I really like these serials with a defined time frame. That way they can keep the storyline what they want.

Richard

Anonymous said...

Blacklist--Finally get confirmation that Red is NOT Liz's father! And that she killed her father, great twist. But now she in cold blood killed the AG.

I've always said she's a criminal at heart.

Richard

Anonymous said...

Blacklist

Would you guys be surprised to find that a LOT of people still think Red is Liz's dad?

Richard

MJ said...

Shield - yeah I knew she wasn't dying that's why I was shocked when I thought she was shot in the head. LOL

Wayward Pines - I enjoyed it alot. Don't know which actress is SHannon. But Melissa Leo is alot older then the last time I saw her too (Homocide). Was it me or were there a lot of red heads ? Agree about time - the woman he knew said she'd been there (I think) 12 years but that was wrong.

Blacklist - didn't see it yet.

Anonymous said...

Wayward--Shannyn is the wife and has been with the son a lot.
Good catch on red heads.
Yea the bar girl thought it was like a year that had gone by(in reality 15 years) and his former partner was saying it was 12 years(in reality a month or so?) and using that as a reason for her aging so much. Opposite timeline directions. I haven't seen that before in a show.

Did you see the upcoming scenes? Some creepy stuff there.

Richard