Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

The Muppet Show S1 E9, E10, E11

Posted on by

Spoilers

Guest: Charles Aznavour

Guest: Harvey Korman

Guest: Lena Horne

I knew that there would be some huge moments of nostalgia for me by doing this Muppet Show rewatch because there are some clips that have stuck with me all these years. These three episodes of season one, nine, ten and eleven, included several of these.

In episode nine, guest starring Charles Aznavour, someone who I would have never recognized, did one of the numbers with lyrics I say all the time. “Two and two are four. Four and four are eight. Eight and eight are sixteen. Sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two.” This is from the song Inchworm and I remember this since my youth.

Episode ten had a couple of iconic memories for me. First was the “Funniest joke of all time” from Fozzie Bear, who grabbed Kermit to help him and wanted Kermit to come on stage after he hears the word “Hear” and deliver the line “Good grief! The comedian’s a bear!” The homophones would be the joke of course, but this is a fabulous routine with Jim Henson and Frank Oz delivering their lines perfectly. This was on a record album of hits from the first season of the Muppet Show that I had owned.

The other amazing performance on this episode was from Robin the Frog, who sang A.A. Milne’s poem, “Halfway Down the Stairs.” I loved this growing up and it just triggers every memorberry that I have.

Most celebrities look as if they are having a great time on the Muppet Show. Some have joy and fun all over their faces. Lena Horne is a perfect example. She was so happy to be here. However, in episode eleven, it sure seemed as if Harvey Korman hated being here. He did not seem to be enjoying his time on the Muppet Show at all. Of course, he did dress in a giant chicken costume for half the show, so there is that.

This show, which was children’s show, was surprisingly high brow on many occasions. When Charles Aznavour did a dance number with Mildred as he sang “Old Fashioned Way,” there would be plenty of people who were introduced to that song for the first time here. I was surprised to see Mildred as his dance partner in this act. Later in the seasons, it would have been 100% Miss Piggy doing that. I even had to look up the name for the Muppet Mildred.

Lena Horne surprised me with a cover of “I Got a Name” by Jim Croce. I looked it up and Horne did, in fact, cover the song herself as a record. She also sang “Sing (Sing a Song)” from Sesame Street which included background singers Gonzo, Miss Piggy, George the Janitor among others. Both Kermit and Fozzie got to sing with Lena.

As I mentioned, the Muppet Show may have been targeted for children, but it did not talk down to them. It provided music and allusions to some of the greatest cultural items of all time. And, they put Harvey Korman in a chicken suit.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #76

Posted on by

Spoilers

The Boroughs

“Forbidden Fruit”

I love this show. It has everything you could want out of a show like this: humor, drama, suspense, wonderful characters and a mystery that is truly compelling.

I am sad that Netflix decided that this was the only season this show was going to get, but it makes me happy that it exists at all.

This week we get all kinds of progress, including Sam, Judy and Wally setting a trap for the monster (which actually worked!), an investigation by Renee into the background of Hank (who seems to be a man named Milton Hauser, who died in a car wreck in the 1970s), and Art’s transformation after eating a magic peach.

Not that everything went great. The trap for the monster may have worked, but it was able to get away. Judy winged it with a gun and it seemed to bleed blue blood. Sam ran into his daughter and there was a tense discussion. Then, Paz, who was curious about a meeting between Hank and Boroughs CEO Blaine Shaw, followed Hank into the basement and saw something in a room before he was shocked into unconsciousness by Hank.

Ed, who tried to help Sam, died in the episode off screen and Sam suspected that Blaine had the man killed because he tried to help him.

There is definitely something sinister going down at the Boroughs and the show has a pace that does not mess around. It provided a bunch of great scenes while furthering the mysteries. The LOST-style shot at the end of the episode with Sam, Wally and Judy peering down a shaft that had allowed the creature access to Sam’s house was a great cliffhanger.

Silo S3 E1

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Who Are You?”

Apple TV +’s sci-fi series Silo has returned and started its third season. The show stars Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette, who has returned from her “cleaning” without her memory and, apparently, has been elected (appointed???) Mayor of Silo 18.

Juliette is being treated like a savior, a messiah, a hero by the others in the Silo.

We left season two with Juliette and Bernard trapped inside the incinerator. Juliette does not remember anything prior to the incinerator, and she was told that she was saved by the insulation in her suit. She is told Bernard was not as lucky and he died from the exposure to the flames and the poison.

However, we see a flashback of Sims actually smothering Bernard with plastic after he had survived the incinerator.

We get a bunch of things like this, certainly implying that Sims and his wife Camille are manipulating people, including Juliette.

Juliette found a capsule in her soup that contained a message. The message stated, “Want to know the truth? Leave your bowl upside down. Go to the marketplace.” 

We had learned that Juliette was being drugged by Camille and that The Algorithm is worried that Juliette’s real memories are returning.

The show had a series of flashbacks, connected to the pair of characters that we saw in Washington, D.C. at the end of season two. This was pre-collapse times and one of the characters was Congressman Daniel Keene, who is concerned about his sister Charlotte Keene, who is scheduled to fly a mission to bomb Iran in response to the “dirty bomb” mentioned last year.

Charlotte is shown in a plane that entered a cloud that was not supposed to be there which led to a bizarre crash. Charlotte is rescued but she has suffered a brain injury and she does not recognize Daniel when he comes to see her.

These flashbacks give me definitive LOST vibes, especially the vibes of season four when we saw the Oceanic Six in present day time.

Intriguing start with a whole bunch of new mysteries to sink your teeth into. This is released every Friday night on Apple TV +.

Rick and Morty S1 E6, E7, E8

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Rick Potion #9”

“Raising Gazorpazorp”

“Rixty Minutes”

Rick & Morty are a lot of fun, but… geez are they inappropriate.

I do have to say that I loved in “Rixty Minutes” how Morty brought up stuff from other episodes that season such as the episode where Rick and Morty ruined the world and took up residence in another universe where they had died. Continuity, you know.

And my favorite new word…

“Gazorpazorp”

If ya know, you know.

We’ll have to see if Morty Jr. will ever make a return cameo in the show.

The TV shows and commercials on the infinite cable had to be a hoot for the writers of the show. Anything was available, and they came up with some of the best (and worst) things on TV.

I love how this show is so irreverent, just doing whatever it needed to do to get a laugh. Morty and his sex robot, The Cronenberg planet, etc.

There is also a serious storyline running through the series, which is the marriage of Jerry and Beth and how their marriage is on shaky ground. We discovered that Summer was not only unwanted, but Jerry had to talk Beth out of getting an abortion. We learned about their potentially successful lives had they not gotten married.

So far, Jerry and Beth have ended episodes in each others’ arms, but will that maintain?

Three more episodes of Rick & Morty before moving into season two.

Agents of Shield S6 E5, E6, E7, E8, E9, E10

Posted on by

Spoilers

“The Other Thing”

“Inescapable”

“Toldja”

“Collision Course (Part I)”

“Collision Course (Part II)”

“Leap”

We got a chunk of the sixth season watched on this Fourth of July. The mysteries of Sarge and crew and what they were doing on the earth. We learned the truth about Sarge during these episodes.

The Agents of Shield finally all got back together on earth. It has been like a season and a half since the entire group were back together in one point. Since the diner scene before they were abducted, they finally were all together. It may not have been for long, but it was nice to see.

The tense scenes on the semi as it rolled seemingly unstoppable toward the structure with a deadly bomb aboard. It was nice to see that Deke was shown to be capable and not just a talkative jerk.

RIP Davis. We did not know you well. I had little connection to Davis when I first watched this show, but I liked him much more this time through. Watching him killed by Izel was both brutal and frightening. She is a monstrous villain and felt as if she could not be touched.

The end of Collison Course (Part II) certainly felt like the end of the season, until May walked into Sarge’s cell and shot him to death… or at least for a bit. I liked how Mack and Yo Yo finally go back together.

The battle of machismo between Sarge and Mack was also some great stuff. Who was ahead of the other one? It always seemed that both Sarge and Mack were two steps ahead of each other.

“Inescapable” highlighted some great performances from Iain De Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge. The scenes where Elizabeth is told that Fitz was killed and when Fitz learned about his own death and the marriage were bangers. I loved this episode because it was a great character study about these two complex characters.

There are three remaining episodes of season six remaining for the team to prevent Izel from her evil plan.

Agents of Shield S6 E2, E3, E4

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Window of Opportunity”

“Fear and Loathing on the Planet of Kitson”

“Code Yellow”

Agents of Shield went more sci-fi last season and less superhero/superspy action, and they have maintained that in season six.

The Coulson-lookalike Sarge continued to be doing something strange with his new crew. They robbed a jewelry store to get some basic piezoelectric gems. May confronted them, physically beat the crap out of some of them, but could not stop them. She was taken aback coming face to face with Sarge.

Poor Fitz and Simmons never get a break. They wind up face to face on the planet of Kitson, after a fun episode in a casino. However, Fitz is snatched by Malachi, a bounty hunter looking for Fitz.

Enoch is one of my favorite characters of this season. The whole Chronicom bit makes him feel kind of like Mr. Spock, and Enoch’s relationship with Fitz is sweet.

Deke is back in episode four, using technology he stole from SHIELD to set up a company dealing with video games and virtual reality. It was good to see him back, though the character does feel a little shady.

There are some strange alien bird creatures that fly inside people. I believe this is part of what non-Coulson is doing here. One got inside Shield’s HQ and flew inside Keller. Yo Yo had to kill him to stop him from destroying the base with crystalline structures.

Sarge captured May at the end of episode four and he is taking her somewhere.

Lots of fun and mysteries in this season so far.

X-Men ’97 S2 E1, E2, E3

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Days of Past Future”

“A Force to Be Reckoned With”

“Rise of Apocalypse, Part 1”

X-Men ’97’s second season’s first three episodes were dropped on Disney +.

Three episodes and they are each dealing with a different timeline. Episode one was in the future with Cyclops and Jean with the Askani and young Nate Grey. Episode two was in the 1997 timeline with Jubilee and Sunspot joining X-Force and facing off with X-Factor. Episode three was in the past in Ancient Egypt where En Sabah Nur was becoming the force that he would become.

They also seemed to be setting up En Sabah Nur and Rama-Tut, who is one of the forms of Kang the Conqueror. That feels really large of a story.

My favorite of these three episodes was number two, when they even went as far as redo the intro with the X-Force team in it. That was so epic, it got me fired up.

It was a lot of fun to have seen these extra characters, such as Strong Guy, Polaris, Quentin Quire, Archangel, Psylocke, and several others. Loved it.

There was so much going down on these episodes. It was dense in story and characterization. It was amazing how much they put into episodes that were around 30 minutes each. The animation is great and there are some beautiful shots in these episodes.

It looks like we have a weekly release of episodes moving forward and I think that would be helpful considering how much there was in each episode.

The Bear S5 E6, E7, E8

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Focaccia”

“Caramel”

“The Original Beef of Chicagoland”

I finished the Bear’s final season tonight with episodes six, seven and eight.

Episode six and seven were both about the night that has been building up all season long. All season has been the same day so far and this was the night when the customers arrived.

Six and seven created such an emotional response from me. I was stressed the entire episode, on the edge of my seat the entire time. I kept waiting for something to happen that would derail everything for them, as the past episode 1-5 of this year was loading problem upon problem.

Then, the whole staff just came together and dominated these two episodes. CHEF!

Every problem that appeared, they worked together to come up with remarkably creative solutions.

By the way, this episode was about preparing food for a restaurant full of people, and it might have been the most tense, most suspense that I have been watching any TV show this season so far.

Episode six was all falling action, as we see how people wrap their stories up. We discover that the “UNKNOWN CALLER” that had been trying to call Carmy was the man giving out stars and that the Bear was given not one, but two stars.

This season of The Bear has been my favorite one since early on, maybe even since season one. These episodes were tight and worked so well as one day (with an exception of the final episode) and was an amazing viewing experience. I found this a wonderful way to end this series.

The Bear S5 E3, E4, E5

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Brigade”

“Dogs”

“Sheridan”

These three episodes were some of the best The Bear episodes probably since season one or two. There was a point after episode two that I literally was having goosebumps.

The whole season so far has been one day and the way they build that night with a massive overbooking was amazing and how the crew pull together- although it was not smooth sailing the whole time as Sydney blurted out that Carmy was quitting and leaving.

This whole run of three episodes do a great job of showing the relationships that have been stretched by the events and the stress of the restaurant.

Ceilings are falling in. Water still flooding as the rain continued to pelt down.

The first five episodes of the final season have been awesome so far. Three more episodes, and it looked like episode 8 is over an hour as episode 7 is in the 50 minute range.

Agents of Shield S6 E1

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Missing Pieces”

I started season six of the Agents of Shield today with the first episode of the season. “Missing Pieces” has several meanings as a title. That included:

  • Phil Coulson gone, died during the off year
  • Daisy and Jemma are in deep space in search of…
  • Fitz who was in suspended animation (or is he?)
  • Mack, who is the new director, is emotionally separate from Yo-Yo.

The show’s new season arc began with some individuals arriving in this dimension through some portal. We also get a new character named Sarge who arrived in a semi. This new character is being played by Clark Gregg, making everyone uncertain because of he is a lookalike of Coulson.

Jemma is pulling shenanigans in space when Daisy and the others wanted to head back to earth to regroup when they couldn’t find Fitz. Jemma had a clue come to her and she forced the others to go with her. Jemma has had a long history of doing things like this for Fitz.

I only had a chance to watch the first episode of that season, but I am looking forward to seeing more.

The Muppet Show S1 E7, E8

Posted on by

Spoilers

Guest: Florence Henderson

Guest: Paul Williams

Florence Henderson of the Brady Bunch and singer/songwriter Paul Williams were the guest on the next two episodes of season one of the Muppet Show. Both of them are good guests that can sing, dance, act and comedy.

Florence sang Butterfly of Love and Happy Together. She does a nice job. She sang Happy Together along with the monsters and lizards. She had near zero Muppets in the first number, except for some butterflies at the very end.

Paul Williams has a connection with the Muppets. He wrote the song “Rainbow Connection” which is the most iconic Kermit song (along with It’s Not Easy Being Green). This episode comes before that song so there is no “Rainbow Connection” on this episode. Williams does sing “Just an Old Fashioned Love Song”, a song that he wrote.

In episode seven, the main backstage storyline deals with Miss Piggy’s feeling toward Kermit. Of course, this is a major Muppet theme to today.

In episode eight, the backstage bit is Fozzie and Scooter preparing for doing the Telephone Poll Bit. I guess it should be Telephone POLE bit as it turned out to be a joke about the telephone being a Polish person.

We get an episode of Muppet Labs, but it was only Dr. Bunsen Honeydew with no sign of Beaker. I did not expect that Muppet Labs had episodes without Beaker.

There was a fun song performed by Rowlf called “Cottleston Pie” which was originally a poem written by A.A. Milne and was included in Winnie the Pooh. It was a song about a nonsensical poem used to explain the unexplainable.

Rick & Morty S1 E3, E4, E5

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Anatomy Park”

“M. Night Shaym-Aliens!”

“Meeseeks and Destroy”

Rick & Morty continue along in their first season, showing how different it is than any other animated show. The humor is hilarious, even if it could tend towards sophomoric humor at times.

Rick sends Morty inside a body of an old man, dressed as Santa, to an amusement park he had constructed inside. This episode was a lot of fun, especially with the all-star cast of voice actors including John Oliver, Dana Carvey, Kari Wahlgren and Gary Anthony Williams.

This is a parody of both Jurassic Park and Fantastic Voyage.

Another example of Rick getting Morty into trouble comes in the next episode as he is inside a simulation as aliens are attempting to steal Rick’s recipe for the Concentrated Dark Matter. The girl with Morty tells him that he can put his fingers anywhere he wants as they makeout.

In the fifth episode, it is Morty’s turn to plan the adventure. This is an example of how the show pushes limits as Morty comes across a humanoid Jellybean in the restroom at a pub and the Jellybean attempts to rape Morty. Rick later murders Jellybean, who was revealed as the King of the village Rick and Morty were working for.

Meanwhile, Morty’s parents were using an invention of Rick’s called the Meeseeks Box. Meeseeks would po into existence and help you with a problems, only to then pop out of existence. However, taking two strokes off Jerry’s golf game. Finding it impossible, more Meeseeks are summoned until they go wild with their failure to improve the golf game, trying to murder Jerry.

Again, this is not your child’s animated show. The adult themes and jokes are all over the place, but they make Rick & Morty very funny to watch.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #75

Posted on by

Spoilers

The Boroughs

“A Pyramid”

This week’s Sunday Morning Sidewalk sees the third episode of the Duffy Brothers’s The Boroughs which gives a perfect example of the idea that you can do anything by watching a video on YouTube. Even pick a lock, as Sam discovered this episode.

Sam and Wally break into the funeral home to take a look at Jack’s body, looking for evidence to support their theories about Jack’s death. Judy, who had been very suspicious of them, followed them too.

Meanwhile, Renee and Paz get together when one of the cameras they had set up caught an intruder. After they investigated and found confusing details, they had sex.

Wally, after checking over the dead body of Jack in the morgue, discovered that Jack had marks in the back of his neck, making them think that the creature was feeding on Jack. Sam and Judy had Wally check them and they each had the marks as well, telling us that, whatever this things was, it has been feeding on everyone.

We then see a creature feeding on Renee and Wally as they slept post-coitus.

This was another solid episode in this series and I loved how they intertwined the two main stories this week. They also had Art looking around where the crows crashed last episode and he found some weird location, which has some connection to the creature.

They continue to build the mystery of the Boroughs and melding the characters together.

The Bear S5 E1, E2

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Soda”

“Lamb”

The fifth and final season of The Bear dropped the other day on FX, Hulu and Disney +. I have been a fan of the show over the previous four seasons, though I do think it is time for the show to wrap up.

Kicking off, the show immediately tosses aside the shocking conclusion to the special “Gary” where Ebon Moss-Bachrach was shown as being in an automobile accident. We see it again in the first episode and it was such an after thought that I couldn’t believe it. When it happened in “Gary” I thought it was going to be a major storyline leading into the final season of The Bear, but it feels as if it was nothing important.

Episode 1 and 2 were both fairly short, with the first episode being around 22 minutes and episode two just over 25. Both episodes had large sections of them with a driving soundtrack that was keeping the tone extremely tense and unsettling.

The restaurant, which ran out of time to make the money they needed, was having some major issues because of a terrible storm that was raging across Chicago. The plumbing fought back against the storm by bursting some pipes. The first time the pipe burst was very funny, reminding us all that The Bear is classified as a comedy (even though it is anything but…)

Our cast are struggling with their own lives, connected to the failing restaurant. Cicero indicated that he lost a bunch of money and is trying to sell the restaurant., but no one was buying and the building was in terrible condition.

You can definitely tell that they are working toward a finale for the show and I am not sure where this is heading. The Bear dropped all of their episodes at once so I plan on working through these over the next week or so.