The family gets together to celebrate Lena's fortieth birthday, Mariana and Emma run into some trouble in STEM, Ana makes a confession, truths come out about Brandon, Callie is caught in a triangle, Jude makes a mistake, Jesus comes to a realization, and Lena's dad reveals something disturbing....
I so want to smack Brandon over the head. I know he is only trying to do what he feels is right, but he keeps repeating the mistakes of the past. Taking the SAT for someone else is a move akin to when he was helping to make fake IDs. He is so going to get caught and ger is some serious trouble. I get that he is trying to help Cortney, but he can't keep putting everything he owns on the line for her. I know I may sound really mean, but he has used his college fund to help her and now he's breaking the law for her. He just can't see that he is repeating the same mistakes over and over again. I'm beginning to think that Stef has the right idea and they just need to cut him off to get him to wake up and realize the mistake he is making. Sigh....
Callie is also repeating some of the same mistakes. Aaron is obviously interested in her and AJ can tell. Like Brandon, she is trying to do the right thing and help her former foster brother, but she needs to make sure she can help out without getting herself in the emotional minefield that she's about to enter. The good thing is that she isn't putting everything that she has on the line here, so at least there's that. I'm just hoping that AJ confronts her without making her super defensive. I'm just worried that this is going to get super messy.
Jude, I love you, but you can't go claiming that someone is your boyfriend without telling him first. I get that having Connor come to San Diego with his new boyfriend and without any warning was not fun, but your answer was so not the right one. At least the pk is understanding and actually likes you, so you can salvage something out of the little mess you made. So a light love thwap across the top of the head is what you're gonna get.
Gotta love the sexism that was running rampant in that STEM class. Haven't those guys learned yet that Mariana and Emma are at least as smart as the rest of the group? After all, look at what Marian pulled out of the hat when there was that dance-off. Yeah, she's cute and she loves fashion, but she also loves science and computers and she can make most of those guys look like idiots. And that line about pulling out "the girl card" was completely uncalled for. The guys clearly didn't choose them because they got their delicate little egos bruised and retaliated. The teacher did the right thing by picking the group who did the best job. The fact that it was an all-girl team just shows that girls aren't completely helpless.
Emma may be smart, but she does have to learn how to deal with Jesus. He had a good suggestion for the robot and was blown off. And then Emma told him that he was dumb enough to need a tutor. I know Jesus is not the smartest person around, but to go and act like he absolutely has to have your help is just not smart. I did love that Mariana invited him to join STEM. She saw that he has a talent and is encouraging him, which is smart. Keep standing up for yourself Jesus!
Ana and Mike were adorable. He spent the entire party worried that Ana was going to get back together with Gabe, which is not an unreasonable worry. And bless Mariana for her complete inability to keep a secret for more than 30 seconds. She gave Mike the push he needed to tell Ana how he felt, which is a good thing. Mariana loves them both and I think that them together will be a good thing.
The fact that Stef's mom sent those stripper cops for Lena had me in stitches. I was laughing so hard the entire time they were on the screen. Lena was so embarrassed, Jesus was loving it all, and everyone else was just having a grand old time. Which made the revelation from her father that much worse. Apparently he owes a lot of back taxes and since he is a co-signer for the Adams-Fosters house, that is now at risk. He had better solve this PDQ or else...
Until next week!
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
My Review of The Fosters 4.04- Now for Then
Callie starts a new senior project, Mariana tries to deal with what happened with Nick, Cortney gets a surprise from her ex, and Stef and Lena decide to help someone in need...
I'm honestly wondering if the photo essay is really going to be Callie's senior project or if her quest to get Kyle out of prison is going to take its place. Either way, I think it is going to be very interesting to see how she grew up. As for Liam's mom, all I can say is wow, that woman is completely delusional and has (at best) a tenuous grip on reality. She honestly seems to believe that Callie is totally to blame for what happened to Liam and that he is a fine and upstanding person. That is just unbelievable. As for the second home, the one where Kyle lived, that seemed like a good home and it really seemed like it could have been great for Callie and Jude. I get why the social workers were saying that only one child could be adopted and why Kyle was chosen. As Callie was told, she and Jude had each other. It ended up ok, because she found the Adams-Fosters, but it still sucked for her and Jude. And I was right. The guy who plays Aaron is the same guy who was on Faking It in the last few episodes. I can just see the problems developing if Callie is split between him and AJ.
I will say that this show keep surprising me. I should have known that Mike wasn't going to sabotage Gabe, but it honestly seemed like he might be calling the ADA in order to come between Gabe and Ana. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made that Mike would help out. Ana felt responsible for what happened to Gabe, so by helping Gabe, Mike would help her recovery. He would also help Stef and Lena, so that makes it even less surprising.
Speaking of Gabe, what everyone did for him was awesome. Granted, it was partly for selfish reasons, but it was also the right thing to do. As I said frequently during the second half of Season 3, Gabe did not deserve to be on the sex offenders list. The honest truth is that while he did sleep with Ana while she was underage, there didn't seem to be anything about it that was wrong beyond the age difference. So getting him off of the list means that he will stop being punished for what happened. The other good thing is that it will hopefully help Lena keep her job, so that is good.
I have to admit to a little annoyance with Mariana. I get that she is feeling somewhat responsible for Nick, but continuing to string him along is so not going to be a good thing. She has to cut the cord with him while he is safely in the hospital because while he is there, the hospital can keep an eye on him and help him out. If he is convinced that she is in love with him and gets released, then she runs the serious risk that he will do something to her or Mat. The only problem is that he may not believe her no matter what. Still, she needs to just bite the bullet (so to speak) and tell him that she is not in love with him.
I am not at all surprised that Cortney's ex is trying to get custody. He has never been pleased that Cortney and Brandon are together. Also, he took away everything from her last season, so that is not good. I have always wondered if she is on the up and up, and her actions tonight gave me even more reason to worry. Trying to get underage kids to consume alcohol is not a sign of good judgment. Add that on top of accepting the apartment from Brandon and I just don't like her very much, Am I saying that she deserves to lose her son? Absolutely not. But I still wonder about her judgment.
I am of two minds about Lena and Stef and the way they are treating Brandon. The thing is that they really need to get on the same page. Is Stef being too harsh? That is definitely debatable. Regardless of that, Lena really shouldn't be bringing stuff to Brandon behind Stef's back. The two of them need to talk and come on a decision about how they'll handle the situation. Brandon is legally an adult, so he can move out if he wants. So Stef is right when she says that he needs to handle things on his own as much as possible. I'm not saying it is easy, but unless he absolutely needs it, he really shouldn't be getting help from them, IMNSHO.
Until next week!
I'm honestly wondering if the photo essay is really going to be Callie's senior project or if her quest to get Kyle out of prison is going to take its place. Either way, I think it is going to be very interesting to see how she grew up. As for Liam's mom, all I can say is wow, that woman is completely delusional and has (at best) a tenuous grip on reality. She honestly seems to believe that Callie is totally to blame for what happened to Liam and that he is a fine and upstanding person. That is just unbelievable. As for the second home, the one where Kyle lived, that seemed like a good home and it really seemed like it could have been great for Callie and Jude. I get why the social workers were saying that only one child could be adopted and why Kyle was chosen. As Callie was told, she and Jude had each other. It ended up ok, because she found the Adams-Fosters, but it still sucked for her and Jude. And I was right. The guy who plays Aaron is the same guy who was on Faking It in the last few episodes. I can just see the problems developing if Callie is split between him and AJ.
I will say that this show keep surprising me. I should have known that Mike wasn't going to sabotage Gabe, but it honestly seemed like he might be calling the ADA in order to come between Gabe and Ana. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made that Mike would help out. Ana felt responsible for what happened to Gabe, so by helping Gabe, Mike would help her recovery. He would also help Stef and Lena, so that makes it even less surprising.
Speaking of Gabe, what everyone did for him was awesome. Granted, it was partly for selfish reasons, but it was also the right thing to do. As I said frequently during the second half of Season 3, Gabe did not deserve to be on the sex offenders list. The honest truth is that while he did sleep with Ana while she was underage, there didn't seem to be anything about it that was wrong beyond the age difference. So getting him off of the list means that he will stop being punished for what happened. The other good thing is that it will hopefully help Lena keep her job, so that is good.
I have to admit to a little annoyance with Mariana. I get that she is feeling somewhat responsible for Nick, but continuing to string him along is so not going to be a good thing. She has to cut the cord with him while he is safely in the hospital because while he is there, the hospital can keep an eye on him and help him out. If he is convinced that she is in love with him and gets released, then she runs the serious risk that he will do something to her or Mat. The only problem is that he may not believe her no matter what. Still, she needs to just bite the bullet (so to speak) and tell him that she is not in love with him.
I am not at all surprised that Cortney's ex is trying to get custody. He has never been pleased that Cortney and Brandon are together. Also, he took away everything from her last season, so that is not good. I have always wondered if she is on the up and up, and her actions tonight gave me even more reason to worry. Trying to get underage kids to consume alcohol is not a sign of good judgment. Add that on top of accepting the apartment from Brandon and I just don't like her very much, Am I saying that she deserves to lose her son? Absolutely not. But I still wonder about her judgment.
I am of two minds about Lena and Stef and the way they are treating Brandon. The thing is that they really need to get on the same page. Is Stef being too harsh? That is definitely debatable. Regardless of that, Lena really shouldn't be bringing stuff to Brandon behind Stef's back. The two of them need to talk and come on a decision about how they'll handle the situation. Brandon is legally an adult, so he can move out if he wants. So Stef is right when she says that he needs to handle things on his own as much as possible. I'm not saying it is easy, but unless he absolutely needs it, he really shouldn't be getting help from them, IMNSHO.
Until next week!
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
My Review of The Fosters 4.03- Trust
In the aftermath of the events at the school, Callie and Mariana deal with crap from students at school, Jude deals with his own issues, Brandon and Cortney deal with living together, and Jesus and Emma make a decision....
I'm not sure how I feel about the decision to take down the fences at the school. I do get that it is expensive and that the fences themselves may not have helped keep Nick out, but having them around for a little while may have been helpful for the students and parents. I hope that they at least keep more guards around for a bit. They really do need to make sure that everyone feels safe, otherwise kids may be pulled out. When Lena was speaking in front of the school and talking about how it is horrible that we seem to accept this type of thing as normal, I wanted to just cheer her on. This sort of thing should never be accepted as normal. Ever.
Poor Mariana had kids hassling her because Nick was reacting to what happened with her when he brought the gun to school. I do get what they are saying, but what happened wasn't her fault per se. Yes, he was reacting to what she and Mat did, that is true. But he was unbalanced from all the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father and whatever other issues he seems to have. I loved it when Jesus stood up for her in the group and then when she stood up for herself in front of the school. She still has a way to go before she is going to be ok, but she is off to a good start. She needs to get over the idea that she can simply forget about this. It happened and it is going to inform the rest of her life. I just hope that she manages to make the impact a good one.
I have to admit that I cheered Callie on when she decked that guy. He totally deserved it because that was just super rude. It is a testament to how much she has grown that she was able to articulate why she has been acting out and how she needs to deal with it. Not too long ago, she would have run away from everything because it was getting hard. Now, she is acting like a normal teenager and acting out and yelling at her moms. That is a good sign. I groaned when she lied to that guy about who she was, but it was understandable. The thing is that I could swear that he was the trans guy Shane fell for in the last couple episodes of Faking It. I could be wrong, but they look alike. And her new senior project is an interesting idea. Chronicling her life in the foster system and the houses she and Jude were in will be interesting.
Speaking of Jude, he is really lucky to have Taylor as a friend. She gets that he is gay and is doing everything she can to help him move on from Connor. And the pastor's kid seems to be a good person to move on with. Given Jude's interest in religion and spirituality, having the son of a pastor of what seems to be a fairly progressive church be a new friend is a good thing. And there is definitely some interest there. Jude does need some friends, so this will be good. And if it becomes more, that will also be nice. Not that I am ever going to be over Jonnor, but Jude does deserve to be happy, so that is a good thing.
I am not sure what to think of Jesus and Emma. I can't say I blame her for being wary of getting back together with Jesus given their history, but this whole exclusive friends with benefits thing is getting really close to dating. I am just worried that the two of them are going to get too involved with each other. If Jesus wants to date Emma again (and I suspect he does), he will really need to earn her trust back. And that will definitely take some doing.
I'm still not sure what to think about Brandon and Cortney. Stef is right that he gets his white knight syndrome from her and Mike, but at least the two of them are grown adults. Brandon and Cortney's son are good together and I liked that Brandon stood up to Cortney's ex. I just don't think he has really thought everything through carefully. And the way he talked to Callie was just obnoxious. Yes, she has a history of running away, but she has changed and is really dealing with things. He started dealing with things tonight, but he needs to figure out a better way to deal with things than he has so far. I did chuckle at the idea that Stef took the car. Was it immature? Sure. But it was still amusing.
Until next week!
I'm not sure how I feel about the decision to take down the fences at the school. I do get that it is expensive and that the fences themselves may not have helped keep Nick out, but having them around for a little while may have been helpful for the students and parents. I hope that they at least keep more guards around for a bit. They really do need to make sure that everyone feels safe, otherwise kids may be pulled out. When Lena was speaking in front of the school and talking about how it is horrible that we seem to accept this type of thing as normal, I wanted to just cheer her on. This sort of thing should never be accepted as normal. Ever.
Poor Mariana had kids hassling her because Nick was reacting to what happened with her when he brought the gun to school. I do get what they are saying, but what happened wasn't her fault per se. Yes, he was reacting to what she and Mat did, that is true. But he was unbalanced from all the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father and whatever other issues he seems to have. I loved it when Jesus stood up for her in the group and then when she stood up for herself in front of the school. She still has a way to go before she is going to be ok, but she is off to a good start. She needs to get over the idea that she can simply forget about this. It happened and it is going to inform the rest of her life. I just hope that she manages to make the impact a good one.
I have to admit that I cheered Callie on when she decked that guy. He totally deserved it because that was just super rude. It is a testament to how much she has grown that she was able to articulate why she has been acting out and how she needs to deal with it. Not too long ago, she would have run away from everything because it was getting hard. Now, she is acting like a normal teenager and acting out and yelling at her moms. That is a good sign. I groaned when she lied to that guy about who she was, but it was understandable. The thing is that I could swear that he was the trans guy Shane fell for in the last couple episodes of Faking It. I could be wrong, but they look alike. And her new senior project is an interesting idea. Chronicling her life in the foster system and the houses she and Jude were in will be interesting.
Speaking of Jude, he is really lucky to have Taylor as a friend. She gets that he is gay and is doing everything she can to help him move on from Connor. And the pastor's kid seems to be a good person to move on with. Given Jude's interest in religion and spirituality, having the son of a pastor of what seems to be a fairly progressive church be a new friend is a good thing. And there is definitely some interest there. Jude does need some friends, so this will be good. And if it becomes more, that will also be nice. Not that I am ever going to be over Jonnor, but Jude does deserve to be happy, so that is a good thing.
I am not sure what to think of Jesus and Emma. I can't say I blame her for being wary of getting back together with Jesus given their history, but this whole exclusive friends with benefits thing is getting really close to dating. I am just worried that the two of them are going to get too involved with each other. If Jesus wants to date Emma again (and I suspect he does), he will really need to earn her trust back. And that will definitely take some doing.
I'm still not sure what to think about Brandon and Cortney. Stef is right that he gets his white knight syndrome from her and Mike, but at least the two of them are grown adults. Brandon and Cortney's son are good together and I liked that Brandon stood up to Cortney's ex. I just don't think he has really thought everything through carefully. And the way he talked to Callie was just obnoxious. Yes, she has a history of running away, but she has changed and is really dealing with things. He started dealing with things tonight, but he needs to figure out a better way to deal with things than he has so far. I did chuckle at the idea that Stef took the car. Was it immature? Sure. But it was still amusing.
Until next week!
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
My Review of The Fosters 4.02- Safe
The Adams-Fosters are on lockdown after the events at the school, Stef and Lena try and decide what to do about Brandon and Callie, Brandon repeats the mistakes of the past, Callie and Mariana try and expose what Justina did, Jude tries to come to terms with Jack's death, and Mariana learns about Callie and Brandon...
I have to start with Brandon. I swear, he and Stef had the same argument tonight that they've had several times before. In fact, he even recycled some of the same arguments! He makes a dumb decision, she gets upset at him, he leaves and accuses her of never listening to him, and there's a massive blowout. Only this time, he moved out of the house to be with Cortney. I honestly don't know what to do with him. While he may technically be an adult, he is making dumb decisions left and right. At least Callie understands how seriously screwed up things are because of what she and Brandon did at Idyllwild. Brandon, on the other hand, seems to be his normal, blame-it-on-everyone-else self. While I may have agreed with him in the past that Stef may have been overreacting, that is so not the case this time. I get that they thought the adoption was blown, but sleeping together was still a really, really dumb decision. And I get that he wants to help Cortney, but giving up everything in his future to help her out is equally dumb. I am seriously concerned that she may be playing him for a fool or something. I sincerely hope not, but I can't help but wonder. Someone needs to give that boy a whack with the 2x4 of clues so he'll get some common sense beat into his head.
I was seriously impressed with how Mariana handled Nick. Talking to him and reassuring him so that he wouldn't harm himself was the right move to make. My only nitpick is that the writers seemed to suddenly make him mentally ill with the hearing voices and what not. I can understand that seeing Mariana and Mat kissing might have sent him over the edge in one sense, I don't get why that could have made him start hearing voices. I do know that some mental illnesses can manifest after or during puberty, but there was never a hint that he had something that seriously wrong with him. The only issues we really saw with him was an emotionally abusive father. I guess that, coupled with the kiss and his heartbreak, could have triggered some sort of psychotic break or something. I'm just not familiar enough with psychology to be sure. If anyone does know (and I haven't had the chance to actually look into this yet), comment below because I would be very interested to learn about it.
While I loved that Callie and Mariana decided to expose Justina, I think they may have broken the law to do so. Calling the company and posing as her to get access to Fost and Found strikes me as bordering on the edge of legality. I am totally sympathetic, particularly after she betrayed Callie and is using Fost and Found to destroy Callie with the foster kids there. As I said last season, letting Justina pick admins to monitor the comments on the app was not a smart decision. In fact, getting involved with her at all was a bad decision. I would have thought that Mariana might have left herself some sort of backdoor into the app since she wrote the code and everything. I assume that she either didn't or Justina found it and got rid of it. I also have to wonder if Stef and Lena were right when they speculated that Justina simply guessed and managed to guess correctly. If she is working off that comment that was deleted early on, the question still remains about who exactly posted the comment in the first place.
Jude is continuing to come to terms with Jack's death. Getting his ashes and burying them underneath Frankie's tree was a nice touch. As Stef said, Jude has had so much bad stuff happen to him in his life. Granted, he's also had a lot of good, but that doesn't make the bad any less traumatic. It seems like he'll be fine, but that won't stop me from worrying about him.
I loved the way the episode kept making us think that someone was about to be attacked by Nick. The suspense kept on being maintained at a really, really nice level. Never too much, but just enough that you didn't want to turn away because you might miss something. That was truly well done.
Jesus continues to do a nice job being the supportive brother Mariana needs right now. He has always been more than willing to protect the people he cares about and right now I think Mariana needs him to just be there for her and help her if she needs it. Kudos.
Next episode is in two weeks, so I'll see you then!
I have to start with Brandon. I swear, he and Stef had the same argument tonight that they've had several times before. In fact, he even recycled some of the same arguments! He makes a dumb decision, she gets upset at him, he leaves and accuses her of never listening to him, and there's a massive blowout. Only this time, he moved out of the house to be with Cortney. I honestly don't know what to do with him. While he may technically be an adult, he is making dumb decisions left and right. At least Callie understands how seriously screwed up things are because of what she and Brandon did at Idyllwild. Brandon, on the other hand, seems to be his normal, blame-it-on-everyone-else self. While I may have agreed with him in the past that Stef may have been overreacting, that is so not the case this time. I get that they thought the adoption was blown, but sleeping together was still a really, really dumb decision. And I get that he wants to help Cortney, but giving up everything in his future to help her out is equally dumb. I am seriously concerned that she may be playing him for a fool or something. I sincerely hope not, but I can't help but wonder. Someone needs to give that boy a whack with the 2x4 of clues so he'll get some common sense beat into his head.
I was seriously impressed with how Mariana handled Nick. Talking to him and reassuring him so that he wouldn't harm himself was the right move to make. My only nitpick is that the writers seemed to suddenly make him mentally ill with the hearing voices and what not. I can understand that seeing Mariana and Mat kissing might have sent him over the edge in one sense, I don't get why that could have made him start hearing voices. I do know that some mental illnesses can manifest after or during puberty, but there was never a hint that he had something that seriously wrong with him. The only issues we really saw with him was an emotionally abusive father. I guess that, coupled with the kiss and his heartbreak, could have triggered some sort of psychotic break or something. I'm just not familiar enough with psychology to be sure. If anyone does know (and I haven't had the chance to actually look into this yet), comment below because I would be very interested to learn about it.
While I loved that Callie and Mariana decided to expose Justina, I think they may have broken the law to do so. Calling the company and posing as her to get access to Fost and Found strikes me as bordering on the edge of legality. I am totally sympathetic, particularly after she betrayed Callie and is using Fost and Found to destroy Callie with the foster kids there. As I said last season, letting Justina pick admins to monitor the comments on the app was not a smart decision. In fact, getting involved with her at all was a bad decision. I would have thought that Mariana might have left herself some sort of backdoor into the app since she wrote the code and everything. I assume that she either didn't or Justina found it and got rid of it. I also have to wonder if Stef and Lena were right when they speculated that Justina simply guessed and managed to guess correctly. If she is working off that comment that was deleted early on, the question still remains about who exactly posted the comment in the first place.
Jude is continuing to come to terms with Jack's death. Getting his ashes and burying them underneath Frankie's tree was a nice touch. As Stef said, Jude has had so much bad stuff happen to him in his life. Granted, he's also had a lot of good, but that doesn't make the bad any less traumatic. It seems like he'll be fine, but that won't stop me from worrying about him.
I loved the way the episode kept making us think that someone was about to be attacked by Nick. The suspense kept on being maintained at a really, really nice level. Never too much, but just enough that you didn't want to turn away because you might miss something. That was truly well done.
Jesus continues to do a nice job being the supportive brother Mariana needs right now. He has always been more than willing to protect the people he cares about and right now I think Mariana needs him to just be there for her and help her if she needs it. Kudos.
Next episode is in two weeks, so I'll see you then!
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
My Review of The Fosters 4.01- Potential Energy
The school goes on lockdown, Callie's confession has ramifications, Jude continues to figure things out, Jesus reconnects with an old flame, and we get set up for what looks like an intense episode next week...
I want to start by saying that this was an excellent school shooting episode. I've seen a few others (One Tree Hill and Glee come immediately to mind) and this was definitely up there as an excellent one. From Brandon and Callie taking over the classroom for the sub to Mariana freaking out because she's locked out of the classrooms to Jesus and Lena getting ready to lose it when they realize that Mariana isn't in a classroom to Stef's charge into the school, everything was really well done. I appreciated that they really focused on the impact on everyone at the school.
I was amazed at the sub. I know that subs don't get as much training as full time teachers, but you'd think that they would be briefed on what to do. It was a good thing that Brandon and Callie were there. Callie has had so much stuff happen to her that she can keep a cool head under pressure and Brandon has two cops and an assistant principal for parents, so he knows what needs to get done. Between his complete panicking and grabbing that gun, I would be surprised if he ever gets a job teaching again, The other good thing is that Brandon and Callie got the opportunity to get everything ok between each other, I think. It's possible that they were sublimating their feelings in order to focus on the crisis, but I really do suspect that Brandon is not as mad as we could have expected. I was surprised that Callie didn't tell him what Justine had done, I do wonder if Justina had anything to do with all the negative comments on Fost & Found. We know she had something to do with the rumor being disseminated, but I can't help but wonder if she had people do something to cause the story to go viral or to go on the website and provoke outrage in order to discredit Callie.
I am really curious where they are taking Jude. I was really annoyed at Darla for saying that Jude is only looking for attention. While I don't think he's straight (he did date Connor after all), I wonder if he may be bisexual or pansexual. It is also entirely possible that he is actually gay and he is just struggling with everything that has happened to him. Let's face it, being that age is a very confusing time and Jude has gone through more than most people. I think he needs to really take time and figure out what he is before going any further because I don't want him to lead Taylor on or anything. I am just concerned after all the buildup that went into Jonnor, only to have Connor suddenly up and move to LA.
As for Mariana and Nick, that is a hugely messy situation. He saw Mariana and Mat kissing and it obviously completely unbalanced him. And his dad isn't helping matters any. We've seen his dad be emotionally abusive to Nick and I wanted to smack him for the way he spoke to Mariana today about leading Nick on. While I will say that Mariana may have led Nick on, it was obviously not intentional. And with Nick in (or near) the Adams-Fosters house right now with the gun, things are just going to get messier. And I feel so bad for Mariana that she got herself locked out of all the classrooms. As much as I dislike Timothy, he did have a point. Without knowing which student had the gun or if Mariana was alone, it wasn't safe to let her into the room. Totally sucks, but it was the right call to make.
Equally tough to watch was when Lena realized that Mariana wasn't in a classroom and Mike had to stop her from leaving. Again, he absolutely did the right thing. In a situation like the one they were in, running out into the hallway is asking for trouble. Don't get me wrong, I get why Lena wanted to rush out, but it wasn't a good idea. And then there is the whole thing where they never got Nick's father's permission to use the warehouse. In fairness to lena, she honestly thought she had talked with him, so she thought that permission was given. I don't know how anyone could have expected her to know she wasn't talking with Nick's dad on the phone. The only thing I can see is maybe them saying that she should have talked with him in person, but I'm not sure that what she did was negligent or unreasonable.
As much as I admire Stef for running into the building, it was a stupid decision. She didn't know what was going on and SWAT was there clearing the building out room by room. But that is our Stef, not always the most thoughtful person, but always ready to protect someone in need. And I would hate to be Brandon when she finally gets a chance to sit down and talk with him and Callie. That is not going to be pretty. I must admit that when she went into the house (and when the family went in), I half expected to hear shots, similar to what happened when she was shot in Season 1.
Next week, Nick is in the Adams-Fosters house and things look intense....
I want to start by saying that this was an excellent school shooting episode. I've seen a few others (One Tree Hill and Glee come immediately to mind) and this was definitely up there as an excellent one. From Brandon and Callie taking over the classroom for the sub to Mariana freaking out because she's locked out of the classrooms to Jesus and Lena getting ready to lose it when they realize that Mariana isn't in a classroom to Stef's charge into the school, everything was really well done. I appreciated that they really focused on the impact on everyone at the school.
I was amazed at the sub. I know that subs don't get as much training as full time teachers, but you'd think that they would be briefed on what to do. It was a good thing that Brandon and Callie were there. Callie has had so much stuff happen to her that she can keep a cool head under pressure and Brandon has two cops and an assistant principal for parents, so he knows what needs to get done. Between his complete panicking and grabbing that gun, I would be surprised if he ever gets a job teaching again, The other good thing is that Brandon and Callie got the opportunity to get everything ok between each other, I think. It's possible that they were sublimating their feelings in order to focus on the crisis, but I really do suspect that Brandon is not as mad as we could have expected. I was surprised that Callie didn't tell him what Justine had done, I do wonder if Justina had anything to do with all the negative comments on Fost & Found. We know she had something to do with the rumor being disseminated, but I can't help but wonder if she had people do something to cause the story to go viral or to go on the website and provoke outrage in order to discredit Callie.
I am really curious where they are taking Jude. I was really annoyed at Darla for saying that Jude is only looking for attention. While I don't think he's straight (he did date Connor after all), I wonder if he may be bisexual or pansexual. It is also entirely possible that he is actually gay and he is just struggling with everything that has happened to him. Let's face it, being that age is a very confusing time and Jude has gone through more than most people. I think he needs to really take time and figure out what he is before going any further because I don't want him to lead Taylor on or anything. I am just concerned after all the buildup that went into Jonnor, only to have Connor suddenly up and move to LA.
As for Mariana and Nick, that is a hugely messy situation. He saw Mariana and Mat kissing and it obviously completely unbalanced him. And his dad isn't helping matters any. We've seen his dad be emotionally abusive to Nick and I wanted to smack him for the way he spoke to Mariana today about leading Nick on. While I will say that Mariana may have led Nick on, it was obviously not intentional. And with Nick in (or near) the Adams-Fosters house right now with the gun, things are just going to get messier. And I feel so bad for Mariana that she got herself locked out of all the classrooms. As much as I dislike Timothy, he did have a point. Without knowing which student had the gun or if Mariana was alone, it wasn't safe to let her into the room. Totally sucks, but it was the right call to make.
Equally tough to watch was when Lena realized that Mariana wasn't in a classroom and Mike had to stop her from leaving. Again, he absolutely did the right thing. In a situation like the one they were in, running out into the hallway is asking for trouble. Don't get me wrong, I get why Lena wanted to rush out, but it wasn't a good idea. And then there is the whole thing where they never got Nick's father's permission to use the warehouse. In fairness to lena, she honestly thought she had talked with him, so she thought that permission was given. I don't know how anyone could have expected her to know she wasn't talking with Nick's dad on the phone. The only thing I can see is maybe them saying that she should have talked with him in person, but I'm not sure that what she did was negligent or unreasonable.
As much as I admire Stef for running into the building, it was a stupid decision. She didn't know what was going on and SWAT was there clearing the building out room by room. But that is our Stef, not always the most thoughtful person, but always ready to protect someone in need. And I would hate to be Brandon when she finally gets a chance to sit down and talk with him and Callie. That is not going to be pretty. I must admit that when she went into the house (and when the family went in), I half expected to hear shots, similar to what happened when she was shot in Season 1.
Next week, Nick is in the Adams-Fosters house and things look intense....
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Some Thoughts About the Most Recent Season of The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow
Having had a few weeks to digest the finales of Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, I wanted to take a bit to reflect on each show, how it went, and where I hope it goes next.
Arrow
When the season started, I was super excited because it started off with a bang. After a disappointing season 3 and R'as Al Ghul, I was really excited to see Damien Dahrk and Arrow revitalize itself. And at the beginning, the show did a great job. Neal McDonough was obviously having a wonderful time playing a psychopath and he brought such joy to the role. And Stephen was playing Oliver as much more relaxed than he had been in the past. Even the crossover seemed to be less jarring than the ones from last year when it came to the different tones of the shows.
Where the show seemed to fall short this year can really be summed up in one word: Olicity. Don't get me wrong, I love the two of them as a couple and was really happy when they got together. However, I was very annoyed about the direction the show took Felicity after Oliver found out about his son. The writers created a storyline to cause drama for the sake of drama rather than letting drama flow naturally from a storyline. The result was that Felicity came out looking like an unlikeable shrew. I've gone on about this at length, so I don't feel the need to rehash old territory.
The other problem is that there really was no personal connection between Oliver and Dahrk. In season 1 you had Malcolm and in season 2 there was Deathstroke, both of whom had deep personal connections to Oliver. R'as had the potential to be an awesome villain, but he was seriously miscast and just flat out boring. Dahrk was a good threat to the city in general, but his plan seemed underwhelming and somehow lacked the urgency that was present int he first two seasons. Also, the show seemed to run out of gas at the end.
What the show needs is a villain who can create the sense of personal malice toward Oliver that was present in the first two seasons. Also, the flashbacks need to become more relevant to the overall story. In the first couple of seasons, I found that they were deeply tied to his personal journey, but in seasons 3 and 4, the flashbacks were more detached and more focused on the overall story, which was less personal and less engaging. Basically, the show needs to refocus on Oliver and his journey, because that is what made the first two seasons so awesome.
The Flash
The Flash had the opposite problem that Arrow had. The season started off very poorly, mainly because it seemed that a lot of the first part of the season was spent setting up Legends of Tomorrow. Once Legends started, the show got infinitely better. While the whole storyline with Jay Garrick being Zoom could have been a complete retread of last season's Wells being Thawne, it felt really fresh because Zoom was much more of a menace than Thawne was. The show also did a good job of introducing new characters in a way that kept them involved in the story.
And the show seriously ramped up the action by the end of the season, especially in the last couple of minutes when Barry ran back in time to save his mom, something he refused to do last year. What I really loved about that is that is gives the show a chance to redo portions of the first season from a different perspective. Will Barry and Iris still be such a major part of each other's lives if Barry isn't living with the West's? Will Barry be the Flash or will that completely change because of what he's done? There are so many unanswered questions, and I am really excited to see where they go.
My hope for the show is that they extend the time travel storyline until the 4 show crossover in November or December. I am just wondering who is going to be the villain of the season is going to be. Honestly, there's not a whole lot for me to say about this show. It has been doing a good job so far, so I just hope the writers keep going in the same direction.
Legends of Tomorrow
This show had a very uneven first season. Some episodes were awesome and some stunk to high heaven. Most were pretty good, but nothing to write home about. I am definitely annoyed that they got rid of Snart, because he was consistently one of the best characters on the show. My annoyance is tempered by the fact that he will be available on any of the shows in the Berlanti-verse, so that is good. I am also glad that the show got rid of Kendra, who was a very weak character. She was never really developed, so having her go away is a good thing.
The show was consistently good in the latter part of the season when the show revealed the Time Lords to be the true villains of the season. That was a fun and unexpected twist which really helped the show. What they need to do int he second season is focus on making Rip Hunter into a good character (he was also one of my least favorite parts of the first season), while making sure to keep the remaining members of the team up to the good standards they have set so far. This show also needs a good, compelling villain who has a personal connection to the group, which will really help keep the story really good.
Supergirl was just good overall and it is switching networks, so I will hold off on it until I see how the CW handles the show in the fall.
As for the crossover, I am really excited about how it will go and how it will be handled. This has the potential to be totally awesome. What has me worried is that they may make the crossover overly byzantine which will make it not that good.
Until the fall!
Arrow
When the season started, I was super excited because it started off with a bang. After a disappointing season 3 and R'as Al Ghul, I was really excited to see Damien Dahrk and Arrow revitalize itself. And at the beginning, the show did a great job. Neal McDonough was obviously having a wonderful time playing a psychopath and he brought such joy to the role. And Stephen was playing Oliver as much more relaxed than he had been in the past. Even the crossover seemed to be less jarring than the ones from last year when it came to the different tones of the shows.
Where the show seemed to fall short this year can really be summed up in one word: Olicity. Don't get me wrong, I love the two of them as a couple and was really happy when they got together. However, I was very annoyed about the direction the show took Felicity after Oliver found out about his son. The writers created a storyline to cause drama for the sake of drama rather than letting drama flow naturally from a storyline. The result was that Felicity came out looking like an unlikeable shrew. I've gone on about this at length, so I don't feel the need to rehash old territory.
The other problem is that there really was no personal connection between Oliver and Dahrk. In season 1 you had Malcolm and in season 2 there was Deathstroke, both of whom had deep personal connections to Oliver. R'as had the potential to be an awesome villain, but he was seriously miscast and just flat out boring. Dahrk was a good threat to the city in general, but his plan seemed underwhelming and somehow lacked the urgency that was present int he first two seasons. Also, the show seemed to run out of gas at the end.
What the show needs is a villain who can create the sense of personal malice toward Oliver that was present in the first two seasons. Also, the flashbacks need to become more relevant to the overall story. In the first couple of seasons, I found that they were deeply tied to his personal journey, but in seasons 3 and 4, the flashbacks were more detached and more focused on the overall story, which was less personal and less engaging. Basically, the show needs to refocus on Oliver and his journey, because that is what made the first two seasons so awesome.
The Flash
The Flash had the opposite problem that Arrow had. The season started off very poorly, mainly because it seemed that a lot of the first part of the season was spent setting up Legends of Tomorrow. Once Legends started, the show got infinitely better. While the whole storyline with Jay Garrick being Zoom could have been a complete retread of last season's Wells being Thawne, it felt really fresh because Zoom was much more of a menace than Thawne was. The show also did a good job of introducing new characters in a way that kept them involved in the story.
And the show seriously ramped up the action by the end of the season, especially in the last couple of minutes when Barry ran back in time to save his mom, something he refused to do last year. What I really loved about that is that is gives the show a chance to redo portions of the first season from a different perspective. Will Barry and Iris still be such a major part of each other's lives if Barry isn't living with the West's? Will Barry be the Flash or will that completely change because of what he's done? There are so many unanswered questions, and I am really excited to see where they go.
My hope for the show is that they extend the time travel storyline until the 4 show crossover in November or December. I am just wondering who is going to be the villain of the season is going to be. Honestly, there's not a whole lot for me to say about this show. It has been doing a good job so far, so I just hope the writers keep going in the same direction.
Legends of Tomorrow
This show had a very uneven first season. Some episodes were awesome and some stunk to high heaven. Most were pretty good, but nothing to write home about. I am definitely annoyed that they got rid of Snart, because he was consistently one of the best characters on the show. My annoyance is tempered by the fact that he will be available on any of the shows in the Berlanti-verse, so that is good. I am also glad that the show got rid of Kendra, who was a very weak character. She was never really developed, so having her go away is a good thing.
The show was consistently good in the latter part of the season when the show revealed the Time Lords to be the true villains of the season. That was a fun and unexpected twist which really helped the show. What they need to do int he second season is focus on making Rip Hunter into a good character (he was also one of my least favorite parts of the first season), while making sure to keep the remaining members of the team up to the good standards they have set so far. This show also needs a good, compelling villain who has a personal connection to the group, which will really help keep the story really good.
Supergirl was just good overall and it is switching networks, so I will hold off on it until I see how the CW handles the show in the fall.
As for the crossover, I am really excited about how it will go and how it will be handled. This has the potential to be totally awesome. What has me worried is that they may make the crossover overly byzantine which will make it not that good.
Until the fall!
Thursday, May 26, 2016
My Review of Arrow 4.23- Schism
Oliver and the gang work to end Dahrk's threat to the world and the aftermath leads to some surprising decisions....
While I did enjoy the finale, I felt a bit let down. The year started off so well and I was honestly hoping that the show would regain the glory it had in season 2. Don't get me wrong, I truly think that Damien Dahrk was one of the best villains this show has had, bested only by Deathstroke. But the show seemed to almost run out of gas towards the end of the season and sputtered to a decent, but not great ending, quite unlike the ending to The Flash last night which left us with all sorts of questions. I think what has happened is that the show runners has tried to make Arrow too much like The Flash, which is a mistake because they are fundamentally different shows. It doesn't help that the writing seems to be wildly inconsistent and the characters do odd things (Felicity throwing a temper tantrum over Oliver's son for one). I really hope the show can get back to what made it so great in the first couple of seasons, which was a man and his team trying to protect and save a city in a world that is really grounded in reality. Don't get me wrong, i love it when the Flash or someone else comes to visit, but the shows really do need to keep their unique tones.
All that being said, I did like that Oliver has decided to acknowledge that he does have light and dark impulses within him. He wants to be the person who can save and inspire the city, but he also needs to sometimes do things which are more pragmatic than moral in order to do so. For example, killing Dahrk tonight. Was it moral? No. It was cold blooded murder. However, it was the right thing to do. Trying to contain Dahrk has been shown to be next to impossible, so in order to make sure he couldn't threaten the world again, he needed to be killed. While Oliver may not like it, it is something that he can accept and do as a part of protecting people.
Dahrk underestimated what Oliver would do in order to protect the world and the people he loves. Oliver didn't kill Deathstroke in part because Oliver helped to create him because of what happened to Shado. Also, Oliver knew that ARGUS could contain Deathstroke on Lian Yu. Dahrk, on the other hand, enjoyed being the villain and relished the opportunity to kill and destroy and (as I said above) he couldn't be contained in the same way. The two circumstances called for different tactics and that is what Oliver did. In both instances, he applied the appropriate amount of violence necessary to resolve the situation and made the choice to live with the consequences. That is one of the things that makes Oliver the right person for the job. He avoids killing if he can, but he will kill if the situation calls for it. He may beat himself up a little afterwards, but he doesn't torture himself the way Diggle would.
Now that he's mayor of Star City, his life will be very interesting. I am not sure how he will go out at night as the Green Arrow, or if he will. I imagine that he will find some reason to, but I am curious about the how. I can't imagine that any bodyguards he has will be as easy to shake as Diggle was in the first season. I also hope that he and felicity manage to patch things up, because the two of them are very good for each other. Seeing as she's the only one who stayed with him, I am really hoping that things get back on track.
I do like that this year they had Diggle, Thea, and Lance all leave the city. After everything that happened, the three of them really needed to get out and just clear their heads. Diggle needs to come to terms with his brother's betrayal and the fact that his simplistic view of the world needs to change, Thea really needs to think about whether or not she really wants to stay in her brother's world as Speedy or if she'll just go away and visit periodically. And Lance just needs to leave. While I don't hate the character or anything, he has become increasingly marginalized, so having him disappear and resurface on occasion will be a good thing. He and Donna need to go live a good life together.
I'll be back in a week or two with some thoughts about the seasons of the shows of that Arrowverse and where Id like to see them go. And then on June 20th, The Fosters returns. Until then!
While I did enjoy the finale, I felt a bit let down. The year started off so well and I was honestly hoping that the show would regain the glory it had in season 2. Don't get me wrong, I truly think that Damien Dahrk was one of the best villains this show has had, bested only by Deathstroke. But the show seemed to almost run out of gas towards the end of the season and sputtered to a decent, but not great ending, quite unlike the ending to The Flash last night which left us with all sorts of questions. I think what has happened is that the show runners has tried to make Arrow too much like The Flash, which is a mistake because they are fundamentally different shows. It doesn't help that the writing seems to be wildly inconsistent and the characters do odd things (Felicity throwing a temper tantrum over Oliver's son for one). I really hope the show can get back to what made it so great in the first couple of seasons, which was a man and his team trying to protect and save a city in a world that is really grounded in reality. Don't get me wrong, i love it when the Flash or someone else comes to visit, but the shows really do need to keep their unique tones.
All that being said, I did like that Oliver has decided to acknowledge that he does have light and dark impulses within him. He wants to be the person who can save and inspire the city, but he also needs to sometimes do things which are more pragmatic than moral in order to do so. For example, killing Dahrk tonight. Was it moral? No. It was cold blooded murder. However, it was the right thing to do. Trying to contain Dahrk has been shown to be next to impossible, so in order to make sure he couldn't threaten the world again, he needed to be killed. While Oliver may not like it, it is something that he can accept and do as a part of protecting people.
Dahrk underestimated what Oliver would do in order to protect the world and the people he loves. Oliver didn't kill Deathstroke in part because Oliver helped to create him because of what happened to Shado. Also, Oliver knew that ARGUS could contain Deathstroke on Lian Yu. Dahrk, on the other hand, enjoyed being the villain and relished the opportunity to kill and destroy and (as I said above) he couldn't be contained in the same way. The two circumstances called for different tactics and that is what Oliver did. In both instances, he applied the appropriate amount of violence necessary to resolve the situation and made the choice to live with the consequences. That is one of the things that makes Oliver the right person for the job. He avoids killing if he can, but he will kill if the situation calls for it. He may beat himself up a little afterwards, but he doesn't torture himself the way Diggle would.
Now that he's mayor of Star City, his life will be very interesting. I am not sure how he will go out at night as the Green Arrow, or if he will. I imagine that he will find some reason to, but I am curious about the how. I can't imagine that any bodyguards he has will be as easy to shake as Diggle was in the first season. I also hope that he and felicity manage to patch things up, because the two of them are very good for each other. Seeing as she's the only one who stayed with him, I am really hoping that things get back on track.
I do like that this year they had Diggle, Thea, and Lance all leave the city. After everything that happened, the three of them really needed to get out and just clear their heads. Diggle needs to come to terms with his brother's betrayal and the fact that his simplistic view of the world needs to change, Thea really needs to think about whether or not she really wants to stay in her brother's world as Speedy or if she'll just go away and visit periodically. And Lance just needs to leave. While I don't hate the character or anything, he has become increasingly marginalized, so having him disappear and resurface on occasion will be a good thing. He and Donna need to go live a good life together.
I'll be back in a week or two with some thoughts about the seasons of the shows of that Arrowverse and where Id like to see them go. And then on June 20th, The Fosters returns. Until then!
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