Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

Moonlighting S2 E11

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“The Bride of Tupperman”

This was always one of my favorite Moonlighting episodes back when the show was on ABC every Tuesday, so I was very excited when it was the next episode on the list to rewatch. I will say that the episode was not quite as epic as I recalled, but I still loved it very much.

The movie “The Bride of Frankenstein” is used a couple of times during the episode, once at the beginning with David and once at the end with Tupperman. It is a great analogy to the story of the episode.

Tupperman came to Dave and Maddie to hire them to find a missing person… a woman that he could marry. Of course, they disagreed on the case. Dave and Maddie compromised and each of them decided to find their own version of a woman for Tupperman.

Like many of the Blue Moon clientele, Tupperman had an ulterior motive in hiring Dave and Maddie. He had already made up a fake wife and was looking for a way to cash in on the life insurance. For that, he needed a body. That was a really cold blooded plan.

The end chase scene in the hospital was funny and really slapstick funny. David keeping Maddie tied in the wheelchair to make the chase fair is a hoot. David also had an awesome fourth wall break when confronting Tupperman in the hospital. David started laying out Tupperman’s plan to him and Maddie asked him when he figured this out. David’s response?: during the commercial. LOL

This is a clever episode with a ton of fun. The connection between David and Maddie continues to grow and their banter/arguing remains top notch.

Picket Fences S2 E16

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“Terms of Estrangement”

What a treat.

Today, the Picket Fences series did indeed leave Hulu, so I had to start watching on Amazon Prime and I am so grateful that I could because this was the best episode of the show so far.

In fact, during the X-Files rewatch I have been doing, I have come across a bunch of the first season episodes that I did not remember. Kind of like a special little surprise. However, I had not come across any Picket Fences episodes that I had not seen… until this morning.

I do not remember ever seeing this episode before and, it was so great, that I cannot imagine that I had ever seen it before. As I said earlier, what a treat.

One of Jimmy’s former partners who had gone too far once in an interrogation, leading to the death of the suspect, kidnapped Kimberly.

Rick, played by Louis Gossett Jr., hid Kimberly away in a bomb shelter that was soundproofed, and then he went to see Jimmy at the police station, to “offer help” but actually to to play mind games.

The portrayal of a shattered man who had lost everything, including his wife and daughter, was done brilliantly by Gossett Jr. and his interactions with jimmy showed another level for Jimmy. Tom Skerritt was unbelievable in this performance. His internal anguish and feeling of helplessness came through as he tried to remain strong for his family.

The ending was tense and suspenseful as Jimmy was forced to attack Rick in order for Rick to give up Kimberly. Jimmy mournfully saying “Don’t make me kill you” was heart-wrenching.

I was not expecting something so amazing and unexpected. I loved Picket Fences and I love this episode so much.

It’s funny, but all three of my top favorite Picket Fences episodes as of this watching, featured FBI Agent Donald Morrell, played by Sam Anderson: this episode, The Green Bay Chopper and Be My Valentine. Sam Anderson who played Bernard on my all-time favorite show LOST.

Picket Fences S2 E15

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“Divine Recall”

The reign of Mayor Rachel Harris is the major focus of this episode, as an old soft porn tape she made when she was 21 resurfaces, presenting the church an opportunity to call for censure against Rachel.

Rachel’s secret affair with Kenny comes out as well, leading to some conflict between Kenny and Jimmy.

Father Barrett was leading the charge against Rachel on grounds that she lacked the moral compass to be an effective leader. The show is able to present every angle of a situation so you can see where everyone’s motive was coming from.

And the episode had a surprise in store. With Rachel censured, the ranking member of the City Council would become mayor and that was Howard Buss.

Howard, who has been suffering with Alzheimer’s Disease, does not seem the type to take the reigns of the mayor’s office, but Howard was excited to fill the position until a special election for the position.

Lots of big ideas in this episode and everything fit nicely together as the storyline of Rachel Harris, mayor, takes a turn. My memory was that this story is never quite fully resolved, but maybe I am mistaken. I believe that I’ll have to move the viewing over to Amazon Prime since Picket Fences looks to be leaving Hulu as of tomorrow.

Moonlighting S2 E10

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“Twas the Episode Before Christmas”

‘Tis the season.

This was one of the best Moonlighting episodes of the series. There is so much wonderful stuff here.

First off, the story is such a clever mashup of the story of Jesus. Even David called it an allegory, which it certainly was. David’s disappointment was great when he found out that the baby’s name was Chris and not Jesus.

Secondly, there was a ton of great writing, including a bunch of dialogue from David and Maddie. The Santa Hotline led to some funny moments before the main story got going. We also had a bunch of fourth wall breaking. More on that later.

Next, Richard Belzer as the main villain was sinister and, even with a one-note villain, he was a fantastic presence on the show.

The finale of the episode was silly, but funny and very appropriate for the episode.

They added a tag at the end of the episode that really broke the fourth wall, as the cast, the staff, their families etc. joined together back stage with a version of “The First Noel” with snow falling on the stage. David and Maddie wished us a Merry Christmas at the end.

The X-Files S1 E19

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“Shapes”

This episode kicked off with a problem, but it was my problem. I immediately was distracted because the actor who played Butch from SOAP was one of the characters. Then, Deputy Hawk from Twin Peaks showed up as the sheriff in the episode. These familiar faces are not the fault of the show, but are something I have trouble getting past.

Mulder and Scully head to investigate a murder of a Native American. There is a whole Lycanthrope story happening among the Native Americans. A man that can turn into a wolf.

Unfortunately, the episode is damaged by the 1980s style special effects for the wolf. Some of the shots of the creature were truly bad.

The rest of the episode was solid, with a good story and some interesting ideas. The use of the Native American cast was excellent and they all did some quality work. Michael Horse, who was Deputy Hawk in Twin Peaks, does a really great job playing opposite Mulder and Scully.

A lot of the episode did feel like the basic werewolf type story and was pretty predictable.

The creature was called a Manitou and we got a couple of different people in this episode infected with it.

Moonlighting S2 E9

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“Atlas Belched”

I am into a stretch of Moonlighting episodes that are just awesome. This episode guest starred Mark Linn-Baker of Perfect Strangers fame.

Baker played a down-on-his-luck assistant who did not lock away in the safe a rolodex of numbers containing some of the most important phone numbers possible. The office is robbed that very night and the rolodex was gone.

He met David in the bar, also drowning his sorrows. David found out that Maddie was preparing to sell Blue Moon Investigations to Lou LaSalle, detective to the stars. David and Linn-Baker, who played Phil, decided they would find the rolodex.

Bruce Willis and Mark Linn-Baker had some fun chemistry between them and worked well together. The sequence at the dump (to the dump, to the dump, to the dump dump dump dump dump dump dump) was very funny and well-written.

When Maddie sold the company, it did not take her long to realize that she missed it and that Lou LaSalle did not really want Maddie as anything else but a figurehead.

This was a great episode. I also appreciated that the show did not feel as if they need a major twist or a silly chase scene. While I enjoy a silly chase as much as the next guy, breaking the typical Moonlighting formula is good too. It helps to keep the show fresh and unpredictable. This episode continued to show the relationship between David and Maddie as it deepened through the conflict.

Picket Fences S2 E14

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“Supreme Courting”

This was one of my lower level Picket Fences episodes so far in this rewatch. It was Valentine’s Day in Rome and love takes a hit.

Carter uses the Cyrano de Bergerac method to help him with a date with the beautiful woman. He also slipped some tequila into her drink. When he told her the truth, she felt betrayed, rightfully, I think.

She went and wanted him charged with rape, which, again, I feel she had a case. However, Judge Bone dismissed the case and chastised them for bringing it, wasting his time. This section of this show did not age well.

Zack got a girlfriend and got in trouble by rubbing her breasts when they went to kiss. The other boys of 4th grade egged him on. Zack and the girl got caught and Zack wound up suspended for a week.

Kimberly had a boyfriend who was anxious about kissing her because she had a reputation. He was nervous about being accused of sexual harrassment.

This episode was about an important issue that felt tossed into a Valentine’s Day episode.

Fargo S5 E1 & E2

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E1: “The Tragedy of the Commons”

E2: “Trials and Tribulations”

I watched the first few seasons of Fargo on FX and I liked them tremendously. However, the schedule was always tight and they were on a bad night, if I remember correctly.

But I saw the first two episodes of season five on Hulu during one of my trips to that sight for the bunch of rewatches that I am doing. They dropped the first two episodes together and there will be a new episode every Wednesday on FX and Hulu.

This pair of episodes were right in with the Fargo tone.

Juno Temple plays Dorothy “Dot” Lyon, who is a housewife in Minnesota. She seems that there is some kind of surprise to her because two men arrive in an attempt to kidnap her, but she shows that she is more than capable of taking care of herself.

When she set one of the guys’ mask on fire with a lighter and a spray can, it was astonishing.

She also was a bad ass at a gas station where she killed one of them and is able to escape. Strangely enough, though, when she returned to her family house, she denied being kidnapped and insisted that she was just having a bad day and walking around. She had bloody feet, and, even with the cops compiling evidence, she denied.

We also met Roy Tillman, a local sheriff, played by Jon Hamm and this guy is something else. He is a hard man for a hard time.

He is the one who sent the kidnappers after Dot. Why? I am not sure why and I can’t wait to find out the back story to these weird charaters.

As with Fargo, these characters are amazingly eccentric and interesting to watch. This was violent, fun and curious. I’m glad to be back on the Fargo train.

Bodies E7 & E8

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E7: “Catch Me If You Can”

E8: “Know You are Loved”

I have been hoping to finish this limited series on Netflix for awhile now, but it always seemed as if something got in the way. Well, it is Thanksgiving and I have the day basically open and so I finally got the chance to watch the remaining two episodes of this thrilling limited series.

Time travel is always mind-bending.

In episode seven, things really go wrong, for everyone except Harker/Mannix. Things for him go exactly as they are meant to go… the same as they have gone since the loop began.

However, in 2053, Iris Maplewood makes a decision. She saves Defoe in her timeline and they hatch an attempt to go back to 1890 and prevent Elias Mannix from his plot.

Unfortunately, she does go back in time, but does not realize that the technology that helps her walk does not exist in 1890 and that leaves her as a cripple.

So much is going down in this episode that I continued to wonder exactly what was going to happen to stop this time loop from continuing. Who knew that it would be Alfred Hillinghead?

Hillinghead had confessed to the murder to save his lover and, as we saw in ep. 7, he is strangled to death from Mannix’s orders. Mannix, as Julian Harper, goes to Hillinghead’s daughter, Polly, and ends up marrying her. She gave birth to a son that began the lineage that would lead to Mannix’s own birth and all the tragedy that occurs.

In episode 8, Maplewood was able to get to Hillinghead, when they were both in holding cells, and she let him know about everything. This time, when Hillinghead is visited by Mannix before being strangled, Hillinghead went on to insert doubts and uncertainty for Mannix.

Things went along, basically, but the marriage to Polly winds up being compromised and they are anything but happy. On his deathbed, Mannix records one more record telling his future self that everything was a lie. Before Charles Whiteman kills him, Mannix gives him the record and begs him to put it in a safe place and get it into the hands of Shahara Hasan.

Whiteman take the record with him and hides it at the police bar. Shahara, from 2053, goes back in time and finds the record, playing it in 2023 for Elias before he detonates the bomb.

Elias chooses not to explode the bomb and the future is changes, the loop is broken, and Elias and future Shahara disappear, having technically never existed.

This was a compelling 8-episode series that was well-written and very smart. It required the attention of the viewer and I like that kind of show.

we went back to the past to see that the lives of Whiteman and Hillinghead were better, and the people that had died in the time were back. There was a strange ending to the show. 2023 Shahara was in a cab talking about life in general, and the camera revealed that the cabbie was Maplewood and that she used Shahara’s name.

I am not sure how that happened or what that meant, but it put an odd button on this sci-fi series that was really well done.

Picket Fences S2 E13

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“Abominable Snowman”

Two stories, both trending toward tragedy, intertwined in a sad, yet joyous end in this solid episode that deals with two major issues.

Alzheimer’s Disease is a horrendous disease that robs victims of their minds and their dignity. Howard Buss was diagnosed with this affliction in season one.

Also in season one, we met Frank the Potato Man, and dealt with the city of Rome’s prejudice against the poor and homeless. Frank is back and hoping to find somewhere to live during the frigid winter months. Wambaugh petitions the city to build a shelter.

Howard’s son had a massive heart attack. Jill told Howard that his son required a heart transplant or he would die within weeks. Howard, faced with the prospect of slowly declining from the Alzheimer’s, wanted to donate his own heart to his son, effectively letting himself die.

Once again, Judge Henry Bone is placed in a seemingly unfathomable situation, requiring him to make decisions over the life and death of characters in the show.

Unfortunately, Frank the Potato Man froze to death before the ruling was given. Fortunately, Frank was a match for the heart and was an organ donor and his death saved Howard’s son.

Judge Bone had ruled that the hospital could not assist in Howard’s death and that the town had to build a shelter, both very ironic considering what was about to be revealed.

The scene of Maxine and Jimmy in the hospital waiting room after Maxine had found and brought Frank in was so sad. Beautiful writing. Maxine mentioned how there was no one here to cry for Frank, and Jimmy said that there was, meaning Maxine. It was a lovely and heart-breaking scene.

This is Picket Fences at its best. Dealing with timely issues with two tight stories that end up coming together. Wonderful writing. It also starts the elevation, once again, of the character of Howard Buss who will become more important as the season goes on.

Alan Arkin guest starred as a lawyer.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S1 E3

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“Secrets and Lies”

The third episode of Monarch brought us Godzilla… and destroyed him with an H-bomb.

Not sure how I felt about that.

It was an incredible scene and some amazing images of Godzilla, especially on the old time camera, but the explosion was just uncertain for me.

I love the two groups we are following in each of the time frames. Both include Lee Shaw, younger played by Wyatt Russell and older played by Kurt Russell. There was such a great cut transitioning from old Lee to young Lee. It was a wonderful editing moment.

The monster at the end of the episode looks awesome and seems to be a wild danger. Since we learn that Cate and Kentaro’s father survived the trip but is now somewhere in hiding. I expect that he’ll pop up next time.

I do think that this was my favorite episode so far. The car driving by Kurt Russell (and airplane landing too) were all kind of fun.

Picket Fences S2 E12

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“Remote Control”

Picket Fences is no fire at this moment.

Middle of season two really took this show into the stratosphere. Season one was really more of self-contained episodes that happened in the city of Rome, Wisconsin. They referenced them throughout, but there was not any true running storylines.

In season two, they still had the major topics, but they also have storylines that carried across the whole series. Here, the story from “Guns ‘R’ Us” is continued as Timmy, who shot Matthew, is up for trial. Actually, he was up for sentencing because he plead guilty for attempted murder to drop other charges.

Meanwhile, the mayor Rachel continued her steps to crash down on human rights to make the town safer. They wanted to fingerprint the entire town as well as having random auto stops. Jimmy refused to go against the constitution and …

Rachel fired him.

They went to court and Judge Bone upheld the firing (which I was surprised about) but Jimmy would not give up his badge setting up a tense encounter with everyone.

At the end, of course, Jimmy got his job back and Timmy was sent off to serve his sentence.

The only thing I was a little disappointed with was how there was no follow up to last week’s sinister ending with Zack and the gun. They mentioned how Zack was having trouble dealing with seeing his brother’s shooting, but nothing like that last seen last week.

Matthew is slowly improving too, which started with a funny scene at the beginning with Matthew being able to pee on his own.

Picket Fences S2 E11

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“Guns ‘R’ Us”

Honestly, there has never been a more sinister ending to this show than the end of this one. Watching Zack methodically find the key to his father’s gun drawer and then take it from the drawer, point it into the air and make a shooting sound. He did it with a blank expression and a coldness that we have never seen in Zack. It was chilling.

Things escalated big time. It started with Matthew being bullied by some high schoolers. He builds a potato gun in order to dent the bully’s car. Instead, it turned out the potato gun was more of a canon and the car crashed, breaking the bully’s back.

Matthew is arrested, but gets a lighter sentence. Then, the bully’s brother shows up at the school with a handgun and shoots Matthew.

Matthew is rushed to surgery and his life is saved, but he was potentially paralyzed. While Jimmy was out with Matthew, Maxine became the acting sheriff and started some drastic measures about the proliferation of hand guns in the high school in Rome.

This is such a good episode with so much tension. There was also some conflict with Wambaugh and Kimberly which made perfect sense. This was great writing with some stellar acting from everyone on the cast. It was truly some great TV.

Bonus Action Vol. 1 Ep.6

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“Fates Worse Than Prison”

The sixth episode of the Dungeons & Dragons campaign from Bonus Action has the group moving through a dungeon for the first time.

Well, sort of a dungeon. It is actually a multiple level building, with stacked maps as well. This dungeon actually goes up instead of deeper into the ground.

The group all showed some wonderful ingenuity as they moved through the different levels, avoiding what they could. Jay’s use of his goggles to avoid the bright light was brilliant.

There were some mysteries dropped too, including the drawings that look like Victor.

It appears that they have reached the showdown as it was left as a cliffhanger.

Another fun week with some very creative people.

Goosebumps S1 E10

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“Welcome to Horrorland”

I’m not sure if I loved the end of this series. I think I really would have preferred the end of episode eight to have been the season finale. All of this stuff from the last two episodes of this season could’ve been included in a second season.

The whole Kanduu bit felt kind of rushed. When he turned the people of Port Lawrence into human dummies, I will say that the visuals looked good. I liked how creepy it was.

The whole showdown with the Horrorland thing was just too much of a waste. I am also not 100% sure what was going on. There were a couple things that seemed horrible, but that was either reversed or didn’t really happen? It was unclear and the magic takes away all the stakes.

I also did not love the cliffhanger at the end of the film mainly because it made no sense.

It was a disappointing finale. I really would have like the series to be done after episode 8 and take all of this stuff and spread it out for season 2.

I would consider watching a season two of this series. I see a lot of potential here. I just wish it wasn’t as rushed as it was.