Blacklist: Redemption

      Okay let me be honest right off the bat, I never have seen a single episode of "The Blacklist." I was, however, game for the "The Blacklist Redemption" because Famke Jensen was going to be one of the main cast members. I have been watching it since its premiere, and it is really good and very interesting.
      Scottie is a very dynamic character, especially giving all the things we are possibly finding out about her. She may be a sleeper cell crazy person, meant to take over her husband's company like she has; and possibly could be the reason for his "death." Of course, he isn't actually really dead, but only Tom (Ryan Eggold) knows that Scottie thinks that her husband is dead, and the company is all hers to rule. We also have found out that Tom is actually Scottie's son; who she has been looking for since he went missing when he was five years old. This is just some crazy shit going on here, but of course, the icing on the cake is the fact that she has a gigolo. I mean come on, we all know that if we had as much power, money, and stress as Scottie, there would for sure be a playboy involved (also must have the NDA). I mean that part of the story is quite intriguing to me, and I wouldn't mind haveing that duder on my payroll.
      Tom (Ryan Eggold) is also a great character and let me just say it, I wouldn't ever kick him out of bed. He has grown and gotten better with age. Wow, that sounds a little bad. I'm not saying he is aging a lot or anything like that, I just meant from his 90210 reboot days. Tom's character is just very interesting how he has to pretty much be a double agent, but at the same time, we must wonder about  Socttie's"late" husband, who could be in fact a little crazy. Tom know's he is her son, and she claims to have suffered all these years and only been looking for him throughout it all. However, we would begin to think if it is all true, and any given person that find out that information it would for sure bring up some mental turmoil and torture. Any bad ass dude that can carry a gun, play the con approach, and kick some ass is always one to watch. So yes, my main two reasons for watching the show, but they have gained me as an audience member.
     The rest of the team is of course, all needed in terms of secrecy and bond like times. I really cater to watching the badass antics and wit that comes along with it, from Nez Rowan(Tawny Cypress). She seems to be a different take on a character that is pretty brutal and cut throat, seeing as how she is just a woman. If it came time for it though, I would pick her first to be on my team. Dumont is a great computer and tech wiz, one we must always have in these times, no matter what. Great dude who seems to know how to do the tech logistics and programming. Matias Solomon (Edi Gathegi) is the character that I can't seem to make a final decision and opion on at the moment. Of course everytime I see him on the screen my brain keeps screaming "Twilight" and "X-MEN." I guess maybe it would be a little different had I watched The Blacklist before just jumping onto a show based on one actress alone. Whatever, it is what it is, Famke is one of my girls and I followed her like the good little puppy I am.

The Catch

      Okay when I heard that the show had been changed up a little for this season, I was weary about that choice ABC made. However, after seeing it, I am officially out, as well as know that the ratings will plummet and there won't be a season 3. This is the third time that ABC has tweaked show, and that is just pure suicide. You may think that it will make it on TGIT; but sorry folks, that isn't going to work, people will bow out.

      We have the main cast members of Ben (Peter Krause) and Alice Vaughan (Mirelle Enos) who are the whole reason behind the name of the show. They fell in love, he cleaned her out and is actually a con-man; she is in fact, a private investigator with her own firm AndersonVaughan that he is partners with Valarie Anderson (Rose Rollins). Valarie wasn't really used as much as she should have been during the first season, but there was actually a tease that she could be falling for the FBI investigator after Ben. Ben was working with a friend Margot (Sonya Walger), whose family was a huge time con artist group mainly in the U.K. At the end of the season, Margot's brother and mother are in town now trying to infiltrate the United States.

     Fast forward to this current season, and things are all wonky. Valaries is now basically in a relationship with this FBI agent, Ben is in jail, Margot has taken over the family firm, her brother is off on his own, and her mother, the mob-like boss is in jail. Now it has gone from the smart and thriller like writing of the first season to being a cheesy, to cutesy show, with after school special moments happening left and right. Not to mention to add to the comedy, lets through in some dialogue that is resque to make it less serous, but to add some icing to the cake lets just throw the blurry image box up to cover up nudity.

      The first draft of it had a few different players in the game, and the audience didn't even see this rendition. When we had it last season, it was very good, holding and captivating the audience. We had the handsome muscle and brawn of the team with Agent Shawn (Caleb Smith -yes please), who did throw a bit of a wrench in the cute dynamic of  Danny (Jay Hayden who is also very cute) and Sophie (Elvy Yost). It made sense back then because when someone has a crush on someone it's just fun to watch unfold. Then you add a very handsome and strong dude, out of the military exuding every cliche of the hero that Agent Shawn had; then, of course, Danny was jealous that Sophie's attention was shifted onto Shawn. This season, Agent Shawn is not seen at all; Danny and Sophie seem like an item, oh and Danny is now all brute like and carries a gun to fight with now. Are there any more changes that can be added to make it seem less serious and more Austin Powers, probably.

       AndersonVaughan has no computer or staff since the ending of the last season, so let's just skip over that part for a little bit. Margot now being the head of her family mafia is also a cut-throat killer, but of course, has her assistant who also pleasures her in bed all the time. Did I forget to mention that the assistant that is her sex toy, also used to be her mother's right-hand man/sex toy. Let's end it on the most ironic note of them all. The cheese factor is still fair game when Margot is with her assistant, sex toy, right-hand man, whatever you want to call him; then he gets shot in the head. Being a mafia, con artist, type person, Margot should have leaped up and taken action, instead, she turns and looks at the window the shot came through, with no fear what so ever. Lastly, where else would she go once this unforeseen circumstance happens, to ask for help, to AndersonVaughan; who also happens to get all their computers and files back.

CM: Beyond Borders

      When the hell did Gary go all salt & pepper on us?

Designated Survivor

      After a long winter break, we finally get to see who was shot, and it was for sure not the person I thought it was going to be at all.

This Is Us

      Wow so a lot has happened that is for sure. A great part of course was the Blue Hawaiian, the girls thought it was a type of drink. We were informed that it was actually the type of "kush" that he preferred.

The Flash

      Wally was being such a little ass, although the proposal was sort of a personal gain type of situation

Supergirl

      Supergirl has been very good, shuffling us around with the fact that Alex has a girlfriend now, there is a fun bar involved as a hang out all the time, and of course Kara & Mon-El now starting a relationship. Chris wood's character has been a fun and welcome addition to the team, as well as bringing in Dean Cain to fulfill a new spot in this universe of Superman. Winn and James teaming up together to create The Guardian is a fun new spin, to show a new superhero; but not the same exact formula. The DEO is still going strong under J'onn and their fight to keep Earth, mainly National City, free of disaster. Of course, the Luther's are involved as Lillian Luther is the head of Catamus, the organization set out to rid the world of aliens. Lena Luthor is now in charge of Lex Corp, now known as L-Corp since the rebranding being done, seeing as how she would have to get rid of the horrible baggage that came with the name of her brother.

      The episode "Mr. & Mrs. Mxyzptlk," was a fun way to bring bout this disaster of a being. Normally seen as a small alien, full of tricks and making nothing but disaster; it was very nice to have a similar background story, but different portrayal. Peter Gordiot's rendition was very fun and of course welcome. I mean who cannot be impressed and a little smitten with a character that is cute and of course has an amazing British accent. (*what can I say, my kryptonite is any dude from the U.K.) 

      One thing that I couldn't get out of my head during this episode was the way his powers were used. With CW now in talks to revive/reboot my longtime and most favorite show of all time Charmed; I couldn't get the thought of how orbs could be used. I mean its amazing the way powers were on television 10-15 years ago, but with new technology and graphics getting better; I kept thinking about orbing.

      Wow, now let me just be honest in a few ways. First off, thank you very much for Mon-El (Chris Wood) in tank-top & boxers, that was an amazing delight. (who decided on him being in boxer's instead of boxer-briefs, I want their number. I have some beef with them now.)

Shades of Blue

      Well Jennifer Lopez's show started off right where it left off during it's amazing and first season finale; Her character Harlee Santos killed her ex-husband and baby daddy.

Madam Secretary

      I must say, this has made me the most annoyed during the lovely winter hiatus of television series. I forgot where we had left off. 

I must admit i forgot that jay got kicked out of his house and forgot that Henry had a weird parking structure issue with some dude holding a gun, only to end up trying to recruit him for this secret area of the CIA.

      The Hamilton dig was actually a pretty funny part. I did enjoy this.

      Very odd that the camera that was put on the new spy did not have any gps, isn't that easier to place and hide on someone/something rather than digital media?

      Great writing skill that I loved in this episode is the talk about big box store, and how getting a membership and chance to shop at one would be amazing. Elizabeth's comment about having a whole closet devoted to toilet paper was amazing, then to show that the writing team doesn't just throw things together, Henry goes to a closet to retrieve toilet paper. Pretty great, sadly a little small, but to us people who love the art, it was amazing.

      Found it very odd that since the way series are coming about these days, ABC still hasn't released it's newest Shondaland run show "Star-crossed," yet this episode spat nothing but the traditional Romeo & Juliet style of drama.

Chicago Justice

      According to the network, and the commercials they were airing, this was the true "series premiere."

Once Upon A Time

      Well this episode did take a different turn; or maybe it was built up for it, honestly I can't exactly remember because it has been so long since it's Winter hiatus. It seems it was very truly addressed how Emma came by her name, and nobody ever really wondered until now honestly.

Emerald City

      So this show started off very different than I even thought it was going to be shown. The commercials were shown so often and so much leading up to the premiere, but I never thought it would be a mixture of real life from both sides of the tornado. I guess MGM had me in a nice fairy-tale bubble of what skipping and singing down the yellow brick road would be like.

      This season (possible series) finale, was a very good and different episode altogether. Finally, we have the giants that we were shown so many times and what now come to life. It is still so odd to know the fact that in this rendition of Oz, there was actually a kingdom of people, and the witches were involved. I guess it takes a different approach to things, sort of going back to the middle ages such as the ones like Camelot. There are the kingdoms with the royals, which also involves the espionage, as well as the needed help and council of magic Merlin, or now known as the Witches; of course, these witches are all powerful and mighty, coming from different directions on a compass showing their true power. Then during this new spin on things, some modern technology was thrown in with a gun that crossed over in the tornado. This gun actually turns out to be the huge change in things when the one who must always die, the wicked witch of the east actually shoots herself on accident while examining it. Seeing as how Dorthy brought this gun with her, in turn, it grants her the powers of the lost witch of the east.

      The new look of the man made of tin actually comes in the form of a young boy named Jack. We think that his guy Jack dies in the very beginning, but is instead saved and only kept alive by changing some of his body parts to, non-other than metal. The Scarecrow is a man who literally has been strung up as such. He is of course without a brain, however, that is changed in the fact that he has amnesia. The lion is introduced only a little bit through the entire season, seen only as a hunter and agent for the Wizard of Oz. In the finale, we finally find out more about him, but in this result, we find that the courage is stripped from him in the end when his family has their memory of him erased altogether. When you loose the love and faith of your family it is only certain that you lack the courage and will to continue on with your life.

      The final battle has happened and the secrets of the Wizard being just a mere mortal from the real times that Dorthy came from is also found out. Dorthy is then told from the Wizard that her mother did come through also, and that is where we Jane comes into play. The same women who worked on Jack to make him this rendition of the tinman, is in fact, Dorthy's real mom, who has been trapped in Oz for decades. The witches finally come back into power and are at the side of the new leader of Oz again.

      The story can go in so many directions at this point, making the next season seem very intriguing. We still need to find out if NBC will actually renew the series for a second season, which is hard to say with its fluctuating ratings. I personally really liked this show, giving us a new spin to an old story we have all come to know. It can only get more complex the way things unfold if it is given a second season. So here is hoping that NBC does decide to continue with this adventure.

*side note: Of course I know my favorite part of every episode is seeing the gorgeous Oliver Jackson-Cohen another British hunk, shirtless once an episode.*

One Chicago

Chicago Fire:

      Chicago fire screamed nothing but Oakland fire & disaster GhostShip. I knew something seemed familiar, and it was weird at first. The fire started in a warehouse where people thought that they were having a fun rave and party. Then the fire happened and the firemen couldn't find a staircase, there was parts of the building falling in and collapsing. It happened very near to the tracks of the Chicago metro line/ that is a parallel type of event referencing BART. It was a pretty good episode; or I must say it was one that I enjoyed, considering I have never seen a single episode of Chicago Fire. How the community was reacting in an uproar, demanding answers, & asking for JUSTICE, seemed to be a perfect melody of drama. Of course, the way they played the owner of the warehouse, who thought that it was only a small gathering of people; & not the disaster number of casualties that would ensue was a nice point.

      The Comparison did seem to stop at around this point because things began to change from the unknown in our reality, to the dialogue of Wolf/Olmstead style. I thought that it began to make perfect sense for the formula that most of Wolf's universe creates, the blending of real events, mixed with the Hollywood universe that he has with NBC. The way the owner of the warehouse was treated made complete and total sense because that is how we all thought it should play out during the real disaster. Of course in the reality of our real world and Oakland, those investigations are still open. Once the warehouse owner was being put in an interview and he then asked to use the restroom, only to kill himself because he felt bad for the outcome. This part I must say is the part that we all wish was true and real. Sometimes in stories like these, we wish the happy endings or closure would happen to save our hearts from the sad breakdown.

Chicago PD:

      It is, of course, horrible when we find out that Al Olinsky's daughter is caught up in the event. She went to the party only to become one of the victims, to suffer from this horrific event. Tie in the Chicago Med avenue to the story line, helped at this moment. I wonder if they meant for this part to play out in this way, to keep the four shows cohesive during this first time ever four-series crossover event. It worked very well, even though it didn't dive to much into the story line. The girl who used someone else's body to escape the warehouse fire pulled at my heart strings. One can only begin to reflect in a new way, thinking "oh my gosh, could someone actually have done this in the GhostShip?" Voight being the no nonsense, cut throat, pitbull, of a character that we have come to see made sense. This was the part of the striking back that would make us viewers be okay with the overuse of force. Of course again tie in the death of one officer's child, only to reflect on the fact that it wasn't a new outcome. Voight lost his son, and ended up taking the law into his own hands; which we are reminded about during the lovely chain link fence cell, that we have come to know so well. In comes Antonio Dawson, to help shift the focus from this avenue to the next one that is prepared for us, Justice.

Chicago Justice:

      Very great way to shift the focus again, from one series to the new introduction of a different branch. We haven't seen the lovely and handsome Dawson in quite a few episodes, so making us wonder where exactly he fully has gone to helps matters. Dawson now working as primarily for the Cook County S.A.'s office is the little safety net that we need to follow, so the viewership doesn't sway or dwindle. The person that they end up trying is, of course, filling all of us with a sense of disgust. Of course, this only grows when we find out that he is not only a heartless murderer; but this entire time, he is a sick, demented, selfish, twisted soul out for his own person gain. Knowing that stalker's in this modern day and age can go unnoticed, and work so easily behind the scenes makes anybody's skin crawl. Next time someone gets asked out on a date in public, or notices the new attention from someone at school; people will begin to think twice about how easily they can be observed.

When the A.D.A. Stone is talking to the jury about Facebook & twitter, a person can not deny that they thought about it themselves and got a new perspective. So many apps out there documenting the lives of good times & events, only to be just as visible to some sicko who normally wouldn't even cross the mind. This day and age is very different, in the irony of bragging and posting about everything that is done in everyday life. The thought that someone out there can focus on a singular person who can watch, comment, and of course "like" these events, usually slips through the cracks. I know that I will be thinking differently next time I am on Instagram saying it was a great night, to only get the notification of someone I don't know who likes the picture. Yikes.

Chicago Med:

      Chicago Med was put in briefly for it's take in the story. It of course filtered over into the Fire episode and some into the Police part; however, it's own self run episode never really touched upon it again. This took a very different approach; and makes me wonder if maybe the fact that it was broadcast on a whole new night had anything to do with it.