What I’m Watching: Legends of Tomorrow

Legends of Tomorrow: Season 6, Episode 14 “There Will Be Brood” (B)

Well, things aren’t looking too good for Constantine, and not so good for Mick either. Those two have long been mainstays on this show, Mick being one of only two original cast members still around (Sara is the other). It’s not clear that Mick has died, but I don’t see much hope for Constantine, who, to be fair, did double-cross Bishop and end up paying the price for it since the jovial intergalactic explorer saw that betrayal coming. It always seems like the universe is so small since the trip back in time to find the fountain meant a run-in with a woman that Spooner intuitively knew was her mother, and Astra of all people had to be the one to talk her out of changing history so that she didn’t have to experience the pain of being separated from her mother at such a young age. Spooner did channel all that pain into showing the men who were trying to terrify her mother into submission what real pain felt like, which was a formidable show of her powers that didn’t just involve alien communication as it usually does. Speaking of alien communication, the legends were annoyed when they found out how easy it was for Gary to send Kayla a message to get her there, and her desire to protect her babies did the trick to convince her to help them find the ship. Unfortunately, Bishop’s little game seems to have taken Mick out and caused some irreparable damage that at the very least is going to be emotional for a few members of the team and their newest potential ally.

Emmy Episodes: Black-ish

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the sixth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Black-ish: Season 7, Episode 5 “Babes in Boyland” (B)

This is a bit of a head-scratcher. This is the only episode of this show that I’ll be screening this year not submitted as part of the six installments chosen as representation for Best Comedy Series. Instead, it’s Tracee Ellis Ross’ episode, which doesn’t make a lot of sense since she has almost no role in it. If it was Anthony Anderson’s, that might be more logical, but this one barely gives Ross all that much to do and just doesn’t let her shine in the way that she has even in other episodes I’ve watched from this season. The idea that Diane, who has always been clever even from a young age, would be very active on social media in a way that her parents wouldn’t like was a great opportunity for them to realize the double standards they were holding their daughter to when they would let Jack get away with anything. To her credit, Ross did handle the continued realization that she was judging Ashley more harshly than Jack in a funny way, and she and Anderson got to have fun surprising both kids by giving them equal punishments since they had in fact lied to them. Such behavior didn’t work out well for Junior either, even though his grandmother coached him to do it, since Olivia’s world food tour was killing his insides. When Junior came around to being open and direct with her, he even got his grandparents to communicate in a more transparent way than they had in years if not ever before.

Emmy Episodes: Saturday Night Live

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the sixth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Saturday Night Live: Season 46, Episode 11 “Dan Levy” (B+)

Now here’s a host I can get behind. As anyone who reads this site regularly knows, I wasn’t the biggest fan of “Schitt’s Creek,” but I do like Dan Levy and I’m happy to see him portraying a role other than the one that he played on that show. I didn’t even realize until the episode ended that there wasn’t a sketch featuring David, and I think that’s a testament to how funny Levy is and how he didn’t need to rely on a character he had already done enough with, instead fully ready to be part of whatever sketch fit better with this show. His opening tour of the studio wasn’t all that spectacular, but it was peppered by humorous social distancing policing from the hilarious Aidy Bryant, who had a few other great moments in this episode, and an appearance by his father Eugene Levy, who was apparently confined to a box since he had just gotten off a plane. The studio lot tour where he was constantly telling inappropriate anecdotes was pretty great, and he paired perfectly with Cecily Strong for the Broadway sports song sketch. I also enjoyed his participation in the It Gets Better anniversary sketch, though Kate McKinnon talking about her iguana was probably the highlight of that. The two of them were superb praising the bride and then refusing to actually object during a wedding, and I like that the bit ended with them being attracted to the groom for finally standing up to them. The toddlers getting cancelled on Weekend Update was a bit random but entertaining, and the SuperBowl sketch with everyone getting together and getting COVID was pretty on-point and amusing.

Emmy Catch-Up: Pen15 (Season Finale)

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year.

Pen15: Season 2, Episode 7 “Opening Night” (B+)

The actual performance of the play went about as expected, with Maya not necessarily finding her light but doing a pretty incredible job of conveying the material that most of the audience didn’t seem to realize was definitely not appropriate for this age group. Gabe covering his mouth when they were supposed to kiss threw her, but overall things went pretty well. I like that, at the end of the show, everyone went out together and we got to see the dynamics at play. Maya, as usual, was worried about her parents embarrassing her as she left, which her mother definitely did when she reminded her to brush her teeth. Anna wasn’t at all nice to her mom when she rejected the flowers she had gotten her since that’s apparently not a tradition with the stage crew, and then she heaped praise on her father for getting them when he then too criticized her mother for not picking out the nicest possible arrangement. The fancy car he got was a great setting for Maya to find out from Gabe that he didn’t feel the butterflies, an unfortunate development but one that he delivered somewhat nicely, and after she was flirting with her own potential boyfriend who seemed completely clueless (or likely just too old for her), Anna sweetly stepped in to check on her best friend. Even more uplifting was that she went to check on her mom, who did need that, and then the episode ended with her finding out that things are about to change in a big and irreversible way. I did enjoy some of this season more than I expected to, and though it’s still not my favorite, I will plan to continue watching it when it returns with the second half of its second season, at which point I’ll also watch the animated episode that just dropped last week.

Season grade: B
Season MVP: Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle

Emmy Catch-Up: Cobra Kai

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year.

Cobra Kai: Season 3, Episode 7 “Obstáculos” (B)

It’s strange to see the adult characters interacting with the teenage characters in a school setting, though I’m sure that happened during the first two seasons I didn’t watch on a more regular basis. I like the concept that Johnny knows all the ways to sneak into his old high school because he went there, and wasn’t quite as impressed by his choice to confront Hawk in that setting. After a hapless search for cheap real estate resulted in him finding a public park that some rather guy told him was okay to use for free, Johnny did manage to restart his dojo, but Kreese showing up with his entire student body to make Johnny one last offer to team up with him was a decidedly intimidating and aggressive move. It’s baffling to me that Daniel hears what happened to Sam’s friend and then decided to continue training her in karate rather than reporting the fact that a teenager broke another teenager’s arm to authorities, but there’s evidently more going on here. Sam’s nightmare with Tory trying to drown her was quite violent, and hopefully reality won’t be nearly as bad. Demetri had a miserable time with his cast and the relentless mockery he endured, but Yas had a soft spot for him and chose to use the immaturity of her classmates to turn it into something that he could champion as bragging rights rather than a humiliation. I imagine that things are only going to get more intense as the season fast approaches its end.

Emmy Catch-Up: Emily in Paris

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year.

Emily in Paris: Season 1, Episode 8 “Family Affair” (B+)

This episode was fun because it got out of Paris and got to show how Emily acts in a different context, which isn’t all that different. Camille wanting to have lunch with Emily to talk to her about something important resulted in something perfectly innocuous that she didn’t see coming, though she didn’t yet know what Camille’s mother was like and how difficult it was going to be to impress her. After an interesting start with Gérard being naked and Louise being almost as mean to Emily as Sylvie is when she asked about a tour of the house, things got better when she was able to unwind and enjoy the champagne on the other tour with Camille’s brother. While, in hindsight, his breast shape pickup strategy might have indicated his young age, Emily had no idea, and so she got mocked by the whole family before rallying to do exactly what she had come there for, which was to get a new business opportunity. Her creativity and watching the video of Mindy and her fancy friends turned out to be just the right recipe, and things are looking good for this new collaboration. Mindy’s friends revealing themselves to be more genuine and understanding than she expected was a nice surprise, as was her tour de force onstage performance. The “coq” jokes with Gabriel weren’t terribly highbrow, but I do enjoy the way that Emily and Gabriel interact as he continues to downplay the problematic nature of their flirtatious behavior and occasional passionate kissing.

Emmy Catch-Up: The Boys

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year.

The Boys: Season 2, Episode 7 “Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker” (B)

The opening scene of this episode was rather ominous, with one man listening to Stormfront’s rhetoric and then killing the deli owner because he thought he was a supe, and that wasn’t even the worst thing that happened. Hughie was understandably upset about having to stay with Lamplighter and watch really terrible porn featuring The Seven, and once he found out that Starlight had been apprehended, he thought he was doing the right thing by encouraging Lampligher to be a hero and save the day. While they did manage to get Starlight and her mom, it also provided the perfect opportunity for Lamplighter to find a different way to atone for his sins, which meant the star witness for the trial was no longer alive. Maeve feeding Black Noir an Almond Joy because she knew he had a tree nut allergy saved Starlight’s life, and if it wasn’t clear before, she’s obviously one of the good ones while the other Seven members are much more sinister. Seeing John Doman’s Dr. Vogelbaum come in to testify in the trial was a promising thing, though that hope immediately dissipated as heads just starting exploding. It’s likely that it’s Cindy back again, presumably eager to take anyone out that she can even if the real villains are the people she should blame. After Maeve begged Ashley to be a human being for once in her life, she was the voice of panicked reason, yelling at Homelander and Stormfront for not doing anything to save the people who were being taken out in the courtroom. The casting for Butcher’s parents was pretty great – Lesley Nicol from “Downton Abbey” as her mother and John Noble from “Fringe” as his father. I know that the season finale is Emmy-nominated for its writing, so I’m definitely intrigued to see how this saga continues to play out.

Emmy Catch-Up: Bridgerton (Season Finale)

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year. 

Bridgerton: Season 1, Episode 8 “After the Rain” (B+)

This was a packed finale, utilizing an extra fifteen or so minutes but full of so much content. It’s great to think that, regardless of what happened to everyone else, Simon and Daphne ended up happy and with a baby, which is quite a difference from when the portrait artist couldn’t even create something pleasant from looking at the two of them next to each other. Some helpful advice from their female role models and Daphne’s desire to understanding her husband were crucial to their unexpected success together, and of course it’s been known for months now that Regé-Jean Page won’t be back for season two. I actually looked up my own article that I wrote back in April about that, and I’m glad that Anthony will get center stage since there’s definitely plenty to explore here, especially as one romantic window seems to have closed forever. Daphne trying to get George back had different results than she thought it would, but Lord Featherington’s untimely demise helped Marina see that she might be able to have a good life even if it wasn’t with the partner she desired. It was sad to see Penelope have her heart broken by a clueless Colin, but fortunately there was a great reveal that she was in fact Lady Whistledown and not Genevieve. I like it since she’s one of the best characters on the show, and it’s good to know that she’s using her position of being constantly ignored and underestimated to feed information to the public, a truth that will surely upset Eloise should she ever discover the real truth. I didn’t remember the existence of Francesca Bridgerton, who we last met in the pilot, and I wonder whether she’ll play a part in season two. I enjoyed this show much more than I thought I would, and I’ll happily indulge in more of it when season two premieres.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Regé-Jean Page as Simon and Phoebe Dyvenor as Daphne

Emmy Catch-Up: I May Destroy You

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year.

I May Destroy You: Season 1, Episode 9 “Social Media Is a Great Way to Connect” (B+)

Comparing people’s experiences and trying to judge the severity and impact of what they went through is never a smart idea, and that led to some real tension here. Arabella was definitely in overdrive in terms of the power she was getting from her social media presence and following, reclaiming an authority over how women are treated by men in society but getting far too sucked in by that to realize how she was hurting other people. Kwame talking to Arabella and Terry about what happened with Nilufer elicited a harsh reaction from Arabella that essentially accused him of being just as bad as a rapist, and the fact that they were all wearing Halloween costumes when it happened only made it seem more mean-spirited. It was good that Carrie recommended a timeout from social media for Arabella and a return to the real world, and the effects of that change were almost immediately felt when Arabella apologized to Kwame for the way she had spoken to him. Terry was in the middle of all this, trying to focus on the Paint and Wine event and unable to ignore Arabella being connected constantly to her phone, even when they had agreed not to do that inside. Being told not to vape was the last straw for Arabella, and I liked how Terry reasoned with the doctor that the logic that vaping was also bad for Arabella was not information that should be shared with her since it was a necessary distraction from worse things. Going back to the club shows that Arabella isn’t moving on with her life but merely redirecting her focus to that catalytic incident.

Emmy Interviews: Sophie Okonedo

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For Netflix’s “Ratched,” here’s actress Sophie Okonedo. Enjoy the full video of the conversation we had for AwardsWatch, embedded above!

Emmy Interviews: Hugh Grant

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For HBO’s “The Undoing,” here’s actor Hugh Grant. Click through to read the conversation we had for AwardsWatch.

Emmy Interviews: Daveed Diggs

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For Disney Plus’s “Hamilton,” here’s actor Daveed Diggs. Enjoy the full video of the conversation we had for AwardsWatch, embedded above!

Emmy Interviews: Chris Sullivan

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For NBC’s “This Is Us,” here’s actor Chris Sullivan. Enjoy the full video of the conversation we had for AwardsWatch, embedded above!

Emmy Interviews: Tobias Menzies

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For Netflix’s “The Crown,” here’s actor Tobias Menzies. Enjoy the full video of the conversation we had for AwardsWatch, embedded above!

Emmy Interviews: Chris Van Dusen

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For Netflix's “Bridgerton,” here’s creator Chris Van Dusen. Click through to read the conversation we had for Awards Radar.

Emmy Interviews: Blake Neely

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant,” here’s composer Blake Neely. Enjoy a brief clip of the interview above, and click through to read the conversation we had for Awards Radar.

Emmy Interviews: Nnamdi Asomugha

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For Amazon Prime Video’s “Sylvie’s Love,” here’s producer and star Nnamdi Asomugha. Enjoy a brief clip of the interview above, and click through to read the conversation we had for Awards Radar.

Emmy Interviews: Nick Mohammed

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For Apple TV Plus’ “Ted Lasso,” here’s actor Nick Mohammed, who plays Nate. Click through to read the conversation we had for Awards Radar.

Emmy Interviews: Carlos Rafael Rivera

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For Netflix’s “The Queen’s Gambit,” here’s composer Carlos Rafael Rivera. Enjoy a brief clip of the interview above, and click through to read the conversation we had for Awards Radar.

Emmy Interviews: John Lutz

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For Roku’s “Mapleworth Murders,” here’s actor and creator John Lutz. Enjoy a brief clip of the interview above, and click through to read the conversation we had for Awards Radar.

Emmy Interviews: Harvey Mason Jr.

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For NBC’s “Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist,” here’s music director Harvey Mason Jr.. Enjoy a brief clip of the interview above, and click through to read the conversation we had for Awards Radar.

Emmy Interviews: Mandy Moore

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For NBC’s “Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist,” here’s choreographer Mandy Moore. Enjoy a brief clip of the interview above, and click through to read the conversation we had for Awards Radar.

What I’m Watching: Mr. Corman

Mr. Corman: Season 1, Episode 5 “Action Adventure” (B+)

I appreciated the opportunity to see some sort of consistency in this episode, bringing back a character we got to know quite intimately in the previous episode and allowing him to play his normal supporting part in Josh’s life. That said, Josh wasn’t too front-and-center here either, aside from the opening scene where he was a star with his students and then got to flirt with his art teacher. I was thrilled to recognize Amanda Crew, an actress I enjoyed watching throughout “Silicon Valley,” and their flirtation while he asked about her costume and then she accepted his invitation to hang out later was indicative of later excitement that did not end up materializing. Instead, we got Victor hanging on Dax’s every word as he tried to take his social media advice and, as usual, everyone ended up pretty much ignoring Josh. That all changed when Dax got into a fight with someone at the very end of the episode and Josh was pulled in from his latest apocalyptic hallucination for an epic battle that played out like a video game with everyone already ready to go in their costumes. It’s just the latest bizarre style utilized on this show that has become reliable for its ever-changing nature. Ending with the news that Dax was dead was jarring, and Josh wasn’t too happy to hear that revelation followed up by Victor’s realization that he had just hit 500 followers, an ill-timed if relatively appropriate way to commemorate the life of their late friend and influencer.

What I’m Watching: Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso: Season 2, Episode 6 “The Signal” (B+)

This episode featured a few major developments, some of which were entertaining and expected, and others which I definitely did not see coming. Roy’s return did indeed indicate positive changes for the team, and things seemed to be off to a great start at first with Ted radiating and sharing sunshine with everyone he passed in the hallway. Jamie’s anger at Roy’s refusal to coach him nearly boiled over to a locker-room brawl, but instead it got channeled into Jamie doing what he does best with the incredibly unsubtle signal of all four coaches giving him the finger to tell him to change back into his old mode. Jamie trying very hard to agree with everything Roy said and Roy catching on was an entertaining step on the way there. It was sweet to see Higgins expressed concern for Beard reentering a problematic relationship, and I love that, even after he got repeated advice not to interfere, Higgins earned himself a warm hug from Beard for saying something. The secret sandwich tradition is the kind of thing that only Ted and Beard could do, and I couldn’t have been happier to see Harriet Walter, an Emmy-nominated actress from “Succession” and “Killing Eve” who I’ve just finished watching do great work on “The End,” as Rebecca’s mother. Nate stepping in to make the right calls when Ted left the field was fantastic, and it’s just a shame that he said “wunderkid” and couldn’t have it edited out because it was being broadcast live. The big reveal that Sam was the one texting Rebecca was a shock, and I’m sure she’ll be just as startled when it eventually comes to light. I did expect to see Ted in Sharon’s office, especially after she agreed to come out for a round of drinks, but it’s good that they’re finally going to dig into the root of his problems.

Pilot Review: Clickbait

Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.

Take Three: What If…?

What If: Season 1, Episode 3 “What If... The World Lost its Mightiest Heroes?” (B)

I think the most appealing part of watching this show is recognizing the voiceover acting since animation isn’t as exciting as the real thing (though I’m sure some would beg to differ). I wasn’t sure if all of them were the main actors who have previously played these roles, though I would recognize Michael Douglas’ voice anywhere. That said, I haven’t seen either Ant-Man movie, so I’m a bit lost on who he is and how much this diverged from reality. Also, Black Widow was very central to this episode but she was voiced by someone other than Scarlett Johansson, while Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, Jeremy Renner, and Mark Ruffalo were all back as Nick, Colson, Hawkeye, and Hulk, respectively, along with Tom Hiddleston, whose Loki has his very own Disney Plus MCU series. While it wasn’t clear how and why all of the future Avengers were alternately dying and being framed for someone else’s death, I did enjoy that Loki appeared with his army that Colson described as from Middle-earth rather than Earth, and that Fury thought to negotiate with him since he was there to avenge Thor’s death, a mystery that S.H.I.E.L.D. very much wanted solved too. Ending with Loki duplicating himself to make it look like Fury was everywhere was clever, and Loki managed to get what he wanted, which was the willing subjugation of the human race. I like that all of these episodes end with a teaser of how things might still change, like Captain Marvel showing up for the fight after all the action has happened, ready to take back Earth from Loki in whatever future lies ahead.

What I’m Watching: Nine Perfect Strangers

Nine Perfect Strangers: Season 1, Episode 4 “Brave New World” (B+)

As tends to be the case when the curtain is pulled back, things on this show are getting considerably more unstable, and the mere revelation that the guests are being drugged is putting them on serious edge. Masha’s methods are most definitely questionable, particularly encouraging people with known violent histories to tap into their rage and take it out on the dummy she had set up in the room. She was also very dismissive of Delilah’s concerns about Yao sneaking into her room, and her number one associate did not respond well to being cut out of the decision-making process. The news that Delilah was also on medication to manage her bipolarity suggests that everyone there, possibly including Masha, is heavily under the influence of mind-altering drugs. That approach is evidently resulting in Masha being targeted, first in the parking garage flashback and then in the break-in at her room with the threatening message. Carmel going ballistic in the anger session seemed to set everyone else off, particularly Tony, who shared his dark secret with Frances, and Napoleon, who was no longer quite as thrilled about having slept without his CPAP for the first time in nine years. Zoe seems to be having a great time getting to know Lars, who is a reporter but allegedly not there to get a story, and she’s going to keep the family there so they can experience more of this craziness which will surely result in someone – or likely, multiple people – getting seriously hurt.

What I’m Watching: Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail

Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail: Season 3, Episode 7 “White Savior” (B)

This episode really devoted its focus to Benny and the concept of the white savior, something he took as a positive thing rather than for the negative trope it’s always been, especially in media. His cluelessness is a big part of this show, and that’s why it worked well for him to march in and try to achieve things that the tribe wasn’t necessarily interested in and ultimately make it worse by failing to do so. Sheila might have had more fun with him if she didn’t find him so completely and intolerably irritating, and she nearly got him to simply walk away and not turn back, something that astounded the chief. Sheila’s admission of an enjoyment of scalping people made things a bit less serious, but I suppose I’ve never accused this show of being serious when it often devolves to immature humor in its mockery of how society functions and explains away its prejudices as just part of the way things are. While Benny wasn’t missed back at the camp, I did miss on a focus on the new hot couple who are eager to spend plenty of time together even though the circumstances of their close-quartered travel don’t quite allow for it. With just three episodes left in this particular anthology, I want to see what happens with Ezekiel and Prudence since I’m sure that both Daniel Radcliffe and Geraldine Viswanathan will go on to have great roles in the future, potentially even on this show, but I really like these two characters and would love to see them get whatever counts for a happy ending in this show’s universe.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 8 “Welcome Back, Kara!” (B-)

This show’s first episode in months wasn’t much to write home about, and that’s mostly because it involved spillover content from Kara’s extended Phantom Zone trip. It never works well to have a long-lost parent that a main character never thought they’d see again stick around unless there’s an actual effort to make them permanent, and I suppose there were some entertaining moments along the way as Zor-El struggled to blend in as a human, lifting a Catco copier with his bare hands just because he could. The notion of a trash-protecting robot wasn’t terribly appealing, though Zor-El’s eagerness to solve Earth’s climate crisis in just a few hours was probably a little ambitious. While he may not be sticking around, Kara’s going to have a tough time forgetting about phantoms given her new punishment/assignment from Andrea, who is truthfully going to have to make hard decisions in order to keep the company afloat. I’m more interested in the fact that William is apparently dating someone and whether they’ll end up getting together before the show ends. Nia’s new nightmare definitely spells trouble for the team ahead, as if Andrea digging into Supergirl’s “superfriends” wasn’t going to be problematic enough. Lena leaving to go back home was a bit of a surprise, and I’m not sure if that means we won’t be seeing more of her in the future. Making Brainy rush to deliver the cake because they thought he would eat it was a humorous if somewhat random introduction back into this show’s universe.

What I’m Watching: Stargirl

Stargirl: Season 2, Episode 3 “Summer School: Chapter Three” (B-)

I think is going to be my last episode of this show. I’m just not interested enough in the story anymore, and the new developments in this hour just weren’t gripping enough to change my mind. Mike has always been a bit of an underused character, and here he got to experience what being “so cool” would mean, though he didn’t really just how specific he would have to be. Unfortunately, it also meant that, even when he entered a room with a script ready to read so that he could conjure up exactly what he wanted, the Thunderbolt wasn’t necessarily capable of going up against a nemesis like the Shade. I knew I recognized that excitable voice, and it turns out it was Jim Gaffigan’s, though I did immediately peg the brilliant Ethan Embry from “Brotherhood” and “Grace and Frankie” as Johnny Thunder in the opening scene. The notion of the Shade not being ideologically aligned on all things with the ISA and therefore not an enemy for the JSA was an interesting one, not that they listened, though it appears that, even after he neutralized all of them around the table, he may be looking out for their best interests after all. I am somewhat intrigued, but this show hasn’t gotten to where I had hoped it might be by this point in its run, and I feel like, while there are plenty of worthwhile characters, the structure isn’t tight enough for there to be a payoff on an episodic basis. Maybe I’ll feel differently next week, but I doubt it.

Pilot Review: The Unusual Suspects

Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.

Emmy Episodes: Black-ish

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the sixth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Black-ish: Season 7, Episode 4 “Our Wedding Dre” (B)

I don’t watch this show often enough to know if certain characters are first-time guest stars or more known recurring players, and so I assumed that we had seen Danny Glover’s Uncle Norman before when he showed up in the middle of quarantine to attend this wedding. After episodes one and three really focused on the pandemic and conversations around systemic racism, this show leaned much more into its characters’ existing universe and forgot about all that, with a printed-out test that wasn’t even confirmed as real somehow satisfying Dre’s concerns. The bigger issue then became, of course, that Dre didn’t want people he barely knew – or anyone – using his own bathroom or cramping his space in general. It was interesting to see how Pops stepped in to confront Norman when he felt that Dre was being taken advantage of, even if Dre was perfectly happy to help. Having Norman show up just as the wedding was starting was a sweet acknowledgment that family does sometimes triumph over enduring disputes. I enjoyed that Bow was somehow considered a plus one for Dre even though she was hosting the wedding, and for some reason Ruby wanted a family photo without her, something she was resigned to accepting even though it was ridiculously offensive. I think my favorite part was Jack asking if Pops was telling him to get out when he shouted at everyone to leave, and Diane responded to him that he was. He’ll really do anything she has, and she’s well aware of the power she has over the poor guy.

Emmy Episodes: Saturday Night Live

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the sixth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Saturday Night Live: Season 46, Episode 9 “Host: Kristen Wiig” (B-)

There’s a stark difference in how hosts are incorporated into each of the sketches when they used to be regular players on the show, and it’s very obvious that Kristen Wiig feels completely at home here. This isn’t her first nomination – she contended four times when she was on the show and then twice as host, back four years after her most recent bid, which was four years after the previous one. I do like Wiig but she also has a very particular style to most of her characters, with one especially familiar face popping up at the very end of the episode, Sue, the woman who gets so nervous about surprises that she can’t help but spoil them. Her funniest bit may have been the one opposite Bowen Yang where they switched gender roles for the USO song. Teaming her up with Maya Rudolph and Kate McKinnon made for an entertaining if over-the-top opener, and what I noticed more than anything was how prominently-featured Rudolph was in this episode, which of course spells Emmy trouble for Wiig since Rudolph is both the defending champ and a fellow nominee this year who also hosts her own episode. On another note, this definitely was not the best instance of Colin Jost and Michael Che writing jokes for the other to say without seeing them first, though I’d also argue they’re far from the best Weekend Update team this show has had, even in my very limited screening experience. I think I enjoyed Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers best but, again, I haven’t seen all that much given the incredible volume of content this show has produced in its forty-six-year history.

Emmy Catch-Up: Pen15

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year.

Pen15: Season 2, Episode 6 “Play” (B+)

Okay, so I can see why some people like this show, even if I still don’t get the unending praise heaped upon it by so many. This is the episode, written by Maya Erskine, that earned one of the show’s three Emmy bids this year, for writing in a comedy series. It definitely doesn’t feel like the other installments I’ve seen so far, so enmeshed in the experience of starring in this play that has such profound implications for Maya and Anna’s friendship dynamic. Maya did her fake sympathy act when Anna didn’t end up on the cast list and she briefly said that she wouldn’t do it either, but the adoring attention of others quickly robbed her of that sensibility. It was Anna who ended up on the real power trip when she was at first bored working with the rest of the stage crew and then got told that she had great ideas by the eternally quoting student supervising that group. The way that she made Maya and the rest of the cast constantly freeze midway through rehearsal was incredibly obnoxious, and Maya had an entirely different experience acting in the wholly inappropriate play written by Greg, played by past Emmy nominee Michael Angarano from “Will and Grace” and “This Is Us.” I enjoyed her brief opportunity to really get into the role in a way that showed why it’s not right for children, and the fact that she and Gabe decided to take for real right before having their first kiss was somehow more sweet than awkward. That wasn’t quite the case when they both put masks on each other thinking that he was sick, but I suppose it’s endearing.

Emmy Catch-Up: Cobra Kai

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year.

Cobra Kai: Season 3, Episode 6 “King Cobra” (B)

This episode delved a lot into Kreese’s background and the roots of his complicated morality in his wartime flashbacks featuring Terry Serpico from “The Flight Attendant” and “Army Wives” as his own unforgiving drill sergeant. Bringing in outsiders so that Hawk could show them that they couldn’t mess with him was just his latest questionable teaching practice, one that involved violence and kids getting hurt without much regard for safety and any standards of acceptable behavior. What I didn’t quite buy was that he would file a restraining order against Amanda since that it feels like something that he would consider an unacceptable admission of weakness rather than the shrewd move it was to make Amanda look like she was in the wrong. His tactical stance quickly turned violent again when the eviction plan didn’t pan out. Johnny had mixed success again with Miguel, further injuring him in truly irresponsible ways, but then their activities turned to trying to make Johnny look like a productive member of society, and of course he ended up ignoring all their hard work scripting the perfect message to send a casual hello instead. I’m looking forward to seeing Elisabeth Shue – she was the star of a film I got to intern on years ago before I decided to start writing about movies instead of working on them, and I’ve always been a fan of hers from another famous 80s movie (or rather, two movies): as Jennifer in “Back to the Future II” and “Back to the Future III.”

Emmy Catch-Up: Emily in Paris

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year.

Emily in Paris: Season 1, Episode 7 “French Ending” (B+)

Things always seem to work out fine in the end for Emily despite the potential for serious screw-ups, like an American actress intent on partying the night away losing a $2 million watch or having it stolen, leaving her liable since she was the one who signed for it. Instead, she managed to get as much on Sylvie’s good side as seems to be possible and to score major points with the dubious Mathieu Cadault by using the situation to score a helpful photo for social media. Trying to be there for Sylvie when Antoine’s wife revealed that she knew about the trip he had been planning to take with Sylvie instead resulted in a clarification about a lifestyle that she knew she didn’t want, which prompted her to speak up to Gabriel about how she couldn’t keep seeing him because it would never be enough. Camille doesn’t seem to have a clue about the feelings that her boyfriend and her new best friend share for each other, and Mindy isn’t doing anything to dissuade her from pursuing this potentially damaging relationship. I did enjoy the frequent explanations, mostly condescending, of course, of how American and French sensibilities differ when it comes to happy endings. Emily’s broken French is mildly endearing, and even that showed considerably more effort than movie star Brooklyn Clark was willing to put in to acclimate to a different culture. It turns out babysitting her was just the right job for Emily, even if the night did not go at all as she thought it would.

Emmy Catch-Up: The Boys

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year.

The Boys: Season 2, Episode 6 “The Bloody Doors Off” (B)

For most people, learning that a romantic interest isn’t who you thought they were isn’t quite as unnerving as getting the full truth that they’re actually a 100-year-old Nazi, but Homelander is not your typical American hero. Vought seemed nefarious enough as a company before this, but to learn that Stormfront is from the generation that engaged in genocidal practices and still believes in that ideology is chilling, not to mention the ease and warmth with which Homelander embraced Stormfront’s compliment about him being everything they always imagined. As if Maeve was on Elena’s good side, her finding the video evidence of them leaving a plane full of people behind to die has made that relationship’s survival, and likely Elena’s by extension, seem near-impossible. The Deep has embraced the Church’s Fresca-loving outreach approach, and A-Train was not prepared or happy about the meditation session he was brought into without his knowledge. I enjoyed the attitude that Starlight was giving Butcher when he made snide comments to her, though their situation got a lot more serious after their fragile alliance with Lamplighter under very precarious circumstances. I did appreciate recognizing Jason Gray-Stanford from “Monk” as the driver who chose not to give his car up to the supposed FBI agents who stopped him in the street. Cindy’s powers are utterly terrifying, and though she didn’t need to be an enemy for the Boys, I think she’s definitely going after anyone she feels has wronged her. In some ways, she’s more frightening than Homelander or Stormfront, though she’s not necessarily deliberately evil, though that could be the case too.

Emmy Catch-Up: Bridgerton

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year. 

Bridgerton: Season 1, Episode 7 “Oceans Apart” (B+)

Well, this was an eventful episode, one that brought certain truths to light and seemed to close the door on a few open-ended possibilities. I’m impressed that I made it to this point, more than six months after the show premiered, without accidentally finding out who Lady Whistledown was, especially because I had read that her reveal was a major moment of the season. It’s not entirely confirmed yet that it’s Genevieve even though Eloise has come to that conclusion, and she’s not a major character but one who is indeed around people who don’t necessarily notice her and air their dirty laundry without any concern for who might be listening. It’s unfortunate timing that the queen gave up on Eloise as an investigator less than an hour before she discovered the truth, but learning who she is will surely put an end to her publication, which the ton does quite enjoy having around even if most would never want to have their names printed in its pages for fear of scandal. Daphne rushed back home to support her family and did her best to help find happiness for Colin and Marina, but Colin’s sense of feeling betrayed was too much for him to consider anything different, and the humiliation Marina is living with appears to have encouraged her to take drastic measures and may have proven fatal. Simon was finally honest with Daphne about his reasons for not wanting children, and she was right to call him out on caring more about vengeance he wanted to get on a dead man than making her happy. Lord Featherington’s plan to return his family to proper stature is risky, and not likely to go off without a hitch.

Emmy Catch-Up: I May Destroy You

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. Last year, I started watching the entire season of each show to get a better idea of the quality I missed, and I’ve decided to continue that this year.

I May Destroy You: Season 1, Episode 8 “Line Spectrum Border” (B+)

This episode featured some unfortunate spiraling on the part of two of its main characters, which was unpleasant to watch, especially after they started off casually joking with Terry in the park about how Kwame was going to try sleeping with a woman. That experience actually went somewhat well at the start, with Kwame hitting it off personality-wise with Nilufer and then going back to her place, where things turned sexual. Even though he didn’t really know what to do and it triggered memories of his own traumatic experience, she seemed happy, until she revealed her prejudices and how she didn’t want to apologize for them. She did not react well at all to his admission that he was gay, and that night ended very poorly. Arabella’s sudden trip to Italy wasn’t much better as she snuck into Biagio’s building and then went looking through his apartment until he arrived, startled to see her. She had no understanding of the fact that he wasn’t happy to have her there and just didn’t get it when he locked her out after she excitedly ran out to get the pizza. She did get pretty angry there, raging and swearing at him in Italian, and it took him pointing a gun at her when she essentially kicked down the door to realize that she had to leave. It was a stark difference in tone from the overly happy visit to the police station where Arabella and Terry were giddily celebrating the two officers’ pregnancies before finding out that Arabella’s case is pretty much closed.

Pilot Review: Chapelwaite

Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.

What I’m Watching: Work in Progress

Work in Progress: Season 2, Episode 2 “Everything's Fine, Everything's Okay” (B+)

The leak that appeared to damage most of Abby’s precious journals was a devastating development for her, one that she was hopeless to do much about given the state they were in, and what better way for viewers to try to understand what she was going through than to travel back through her life to grasp their importance. I thought that Shaya Harris, who played the sixth and eighth grade versions of Abby, was absolutely spectacular, and it was entertaining to hear her carefully thought-out theory of sitting next to the fattest kid either for scale or to help them out, depending on where she fell in comparison. Alison really was the worst to her, and she also felt ignored because Abby’s anxiety meant that her parents gave her more attention. There was something extremely powerful about the adult Abby replacing her younger self in a few of those scenes, particularly to tell her dad that she wished he was around more. Tracking her first five therapists, which included hand puppets and a lunch lady, was both enjoyable and informative, and Dr. Oh seemed to be a truly good influence who finally gave Abby permission to feel okay about not perceiving herself to be normal. There were certainly chaotic moments, like Abby getting too caught up in the allure of a particular forbidden word that she heard her mom’s friend use and then accidentally using it to casually refer to her teacher, the kind of mortifying occurrence that still happens in Abby’s adult life.

What I’m Watching: Work in Progress (Season Premiere)

Work in Progress: Season 2, Episode 1 “Life Got in the Way” (B+)

I’m thrilled that this show is back since it was one of the most creative and involving shows I watched right at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, and though I’ve seen so much programming since then, I remember this show fondly and I’m glad that it’s starting back up again. We’ve moved past the almonds but not past the underlying issues there, which, to hear Abby describe it, is basically that she couldn’t commit to going through with it because other things got in the way. The fact that she’s searched so tirelessly for a new therapist and just hasn’t found the right one is both maddening and entertaining, and of course she would find the perfect fit only to discover, as much as the therapist could tell her, that it was a conflict of interest because Chris was likely a patient. Campbell provided some entertaining moments over the course of the episode and is a good companion for Abby because she’s just as neurotic in certain respects but not necessarily about the same exact things, which creates the opportunity for plenty of craziness. I’m also a big fan of Alison and getting to see more of her, and I like that this show doesn’t have a specific focus or direction but instead just sits with its characters as they go through what’s happening to them. There’s still something about Abby’s line delivery that’s absolutely magnificent and unmatched, and I’m looking forward to much more of that this season.

What I’m Watching: Dead Pixels (Season Finale)

Dead Pixels: Season 2, Episode 6 “Flanks/Yams” (B+)

This was a really fun episode, and it’s just a shame that there isn’t any more of this show, which has yet to be renewed for a third season despite this episode premiering way back in February on E4 in the UK. It was great to meet Daisy in person, who showed up several hours early before Nicky had his luxurious and far too ambitious feast prepared. She was actually quite normal but seemed to like human interaction considerably more than both Meg and Nicky, and she started off her visit very well by complimenting all three of her hosts, including a completely delighted Alison. She noticed right away just how close Meg and Nicky were, though they had no clue that their vicious competition wasn’t something that she found attractive or endearing, leading to a relatively awkward goodbye that, in hindsight, wasn’t anywhere near as miserable or uncomfortable as it could have been. Usman rushing to the hospital for the birth of his third child only to replace his gentle message with an improvised substitute only further showed how unable to disconnect himself from the game he was, and he seemed ready to announce the kid’s birth only to share the even more exciting news that the game is going mobile, which may allow everyone to be in the world more even if they’re never looking up. While Russell has found himself in a very questionable situation in the Philippines, the group just got a fantastic new member in the form of Alison, who, in a moment of desolation, finally tried playing and actually loved it. I’d be thrilled to see more of this show and how the enhanced team functions with this new mobile option. Season three, please!

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Alexa Davies as Meg

What I’m Watching: The L Word: Generation Q

The L Word: Generation Q: Season 2, Episode 3 “Luck be a Lady” (B+)

One of my favorite things about watching television is when characters who don’t usually get the chance to interact do finally share scenes, and this show seems to be all about that this season. Bette and Gigi were a terrific example already, and they got close very quick, to the point of Bette introducing Dani to Gigi so that she could help her find a new place to live. The unfortunate timing of Bette finding out that Angie had in fact researched her family history meant that she was dismissive of and downright horrible to Gigi, prompting her to open up to an equally lost and dejected Gigi. Them speaking Farsi and bonding over dinner was indeed unexpected, and I’m curious and definitely nervous to see what scene they’re about to pull up on after a therapeutic night. I enjoyed the fact that Tom went from being a critic of Alice’s writing to a supporter of her right to be angry at her partner for wanting to be with someone else, and now they’re too far into their joint hijinks to be done with each other anytime soon. I do hope that Nat isn’t walking away for good, but Alice didn’t do a great job of trying to save that relationship at the last moment there. Nat also wasn’t too aware of how she was treating her newest employee, Micah, and he focused his energy on someone much more appreciative of his talents, Maribel, even if she responded to him mostly with mocking sarcasm. Romance between Shane and Tess may still be imminent, but for now it looks like they’re taking a slightly illegal detour that’s almost certain to land them in trouble before long.

What I’m Watching: Legends of Tomorrow

Legends of Tomorrow: Season 6, Episode 13 “Silence of the Sonograms” (B-)

It’s getting very hard to keep track of where allegiances lie, namely Bishop, who was somehow trying to come across an ally here when he’s very clearly a villain manipulating everyone. Because he was part Sara, he was able to predict her moves in hand-to-hand combat, and then he willingly surrendered himself back into his cage when he obviously had ulterior motives that he was working on while everyone thought they could trust him. I don’t know why he needed to go through the trouble of delivering forty-plus babies just to get Mick’s earpiece, and I can’t understand how the range of those is strong enough to reach from wherever the ship was to Constantine’s mansion. It’s also not clear if Constantine’s alter ego is just a physical manifestation of his mind or if he’s actually someone else, but he’s in control now, and it’s not going to be a good thing for the rest of the legends. I do hope that all these antics won’t mean that Ava and Sara’s wedding is put off indefinitely since that’s sure to be one wild party, even if Ava keeps tight control over the guest list and everything else involved. I’m all for seeing Spooner, Astra, and Zari team up again, since they have the right combination of no-nonsense perseverance and outside-the-box thinking given their radically different backgrounds and worldviews. There are only two more episodes to go this season but then we’ll be right into season seven with only a month off, which is somewhere to look forward to, especially if season seven puts the show on a new course.

Emmy Episodes: A Black Lady Sketch Show

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the sixth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

A Black Lady Sketch Show: Season 2, Episode 4 “My Booty Look Juicy, Don't It?” (C)

This is the third episode of this show that I’ve watched now, and it was the one I found least engaging and entertaining. Knowing that Issa Rae was nominated for an Emmy for this installment, I assumed there was going to be another Black Lady Courtroom segment, but instead, she showed up in an even shorter one-scene role as one of the friends on the meditation retreat. It was fun to see her doing something different than what she does on “Insecure,” which has earned her multiple Emmy nominations, but this is such a small and insignificant part, and not one I would have singled out for consideration even though I really do like Rae. None of the other sketches worked particularly well in my opinion, like the under-the-bed friend and the final concert. The Fairy Aunt Mother was entertaining mostly because of how much what she thought she was experiencing and putting out into the world was not reflective of reality. Ally being so upbeat about everything, including the bone that was horrifyingly protruding, was definitely a bit much, and I still fail to see what the magic is about these post-apocalyptic scenes where people don’t seem nearly as panicked about the end of the world as they should be, instead focusing on things that are much more trivial and hardly as consequential as whatever that devastating event was. I’m sure I’ll be back watching more episodes of this show when it gets nominated again for season three.

Emmy Episodes: A Black Lady Sketch Show

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the sixth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

A Black Lady Sketch Show: Season 2, Episode 1 “But the Tilapias Are Fine Though, Right?” (B-)

This is my second time checking into this show after last year screening the pilot because guest actress Angela Bassett was nominated. This time around, the show doubled its take in that category, and this episode features an equally short appearance by Yvette Nicole Brown, who stars as the judge in the black lady courtroom sketch, which is apparently continued from the season one finale, which I didn’t screen. That same sketch also features Issa Rae, who is nominated alongside Brown but submitted a different episode for consideration. I think I would vote for Rae based on this showcase alone, simply because her role is more substantial and she’s more memorable, though I do like seeing Brown, who is funny. As with the last time I watched this show, Robin Thede’s monologue abilities are pretty impressive, which opened this episode in a memorable way, and the sketches are hit or miss. I don’t quite comprehend this still-present end-of-the-world-event narrative, and the bank robbery bit didn’t go as far as it could have, getting lost somewhere around the teller having to put on her ears. The same goes for the MASH sketch, which felt a little more freaky than funny, which I guess is sometimes how comedy ends up working out. I did enjoy Tone Bell’s guest appearance in the stripper dinner sketch and the horror that Robin felt when she realized that he knew exactly where he was and that it was ruining her fantasy, which of course was his goal all along.

Emmy Episodes: Mom

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the sixth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Mom: Season 8, Episode 18 “My Kinda People and The Big To-Do” (C+)

I never would have known if I hadn’t read before I watched this that this was the series finale of this long-running show, in part because it doesn’t feel particularly tethered to anything and I also have no concept of the significance of developments as someone who has only ever seen five episodes of this show. Though this review is going up right after that of the installment two before this one, I watched them about a month apart, and there wasn’t much to connect the two aside from the romance between Jill and Andy, who are now apparently getting married after a high-stress run-in at the bank a few episodes back. This is, of course, the Emmy submission for star Allison Janney, who’s back in the race after a few years off, and while she’s just as good as always, there’s nothing particularly flashy or all that memorable about this showcase. It’s hardly her turn to win anyway, given the prominence of Jean Smart in “Hacks” and other memorable turns in her category this year. I did enjoy recognizing Melanie Lynskey, whose Shannon is quite puzzlingly a brand-new character, and that helped things come full-circle for me since she starred on the first Chuck Lorre sitcom I ever watched regularly, “Two and a Half Men.” I liked that show back at the start but didn’t stick around too long, and this show, for as little as I’ve sampled it, isn’t one that I feel any need to go back and try getting into at any point.

Emmy Episodes: Mom

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the sixth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Mom: Season 8, Episode 16 “Scooby-Doo Checks and Salisbury Steak” (C)

I’ve seen only seen four episodes of this show over the course of its entire run, the last three of which were for the most recent times that star Allison Janney got nominated. I will be watching the series finale, which is her submission for her return to the race, but this episode earned the show a first-ever bid for directing. I can’t understand why since there was nothing all that fantastic about it in my mind, and it was actually one of two episodes put forward by the show for consideration in that category. Since I’ve barely watched the show, I’m not familiar enough with any of the characters, but I did appreciate seeing two actors I did not know were part of the cast. Rainn Wilson is one of them, playing a very different role than the one he’s most famous (and Emmy-nominated) for on “The Office,” and his inability to speak like a person when Bonnie convinced him to call his crush from high school was slightly amusing. Will Sasso was also somewhat fun as the shorts- and crocs-wearing love interest for Jill who wasn’t able to drive and be emotionally honest at the same time. I’m a big fan of William Fichtner from his “Invasion” and “Prison Break” days, and I’m sure that the relationship between Adam and Bonnie has one through a lot to get to the point of him thinking kissing is overrated and not feeling any sympathy that she squirted barbecue sauce on her pants. I don’t have high hopes for the finale.

Emmy Episodes: Kenan

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the sixth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Kenan: Season 1, Episode 4 “Flirting” (C)

I watched the pilot of this show back in February (it seems like a lot longer ago than that) and promptly forgot it, though I do remember finding it somewhat decent with the dramatic incorporation of the loss of Kenan’s wife and his kids’ mother. I didn’t find that charm present in this episode, which serves as the official submission for star Kenan Thompson’s best actor nomination. I think he was able to get into the category in part because it’s a weak year and in part because of his “Saturday Night Live” popularity, but this episode is not a great showcase of his work. He’s rarely enthusiastic, and he’s not quite awkward or terrible enough like a Larry David to make it really funny. The fact that he got tricked into thinking someone was into him didn’t help matters and just made it all much more uncomfortable. I’m more intrigued by Mika and the many past relationships that she’s had which she casually mentions and drops in conversation without any context or acknowledgment that it comes off as pretty sensational. I remember Don Johnson being one of the best parts of a film I saw at Sundance a few years ago, “Cold in July,” and he’s also quite entertaining here, acting way above his material. Having Cori show up on the TV in footage from her show and connecting it to the present moment was a mildly impactful emotional tactic, but it’s not nearly enough to convince me to start watching this show.

Emmy Episodes: Black-ish

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the sixth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Black-ish: Season 7, Episode 3 “Age Against the Machine” (B+)

Like the first episode of the season that accounted for another one of the six episodes submitted for this show’s Best Comedy Series sampler, this one deals extensively with current events, or at least things that were very much in the news around a year ago. As usual, Dre is a step behind in understanding his role in everything and how it’s not all that different from how he remembers it, but rather that he’s in a new role now. I enjoyed how both Bow and his father corrected his memory about going to the Million Man March, which was just an extension of how Pops also claimed to have participated in something that he admittedly planned to but hadn’t actually gotten around to going to. In typical fashion, Dre went overboard after accusing Junior of phoning it in and then promptly left him in the middle of a riot, which of course he ended up finding very powerful. The barbs they traded weren’t terribly sophisticated, but Dre was quite proud of himself for calling Junior a black square. I’ve always found Diane to be an entertaining character, and now that she’s a real person, she’s still funny, exhibiting so much control over her brother who idolizes her, is scared of her, and generally just wants to hang out with her. Ending this episode on a serious note with a montage of Black Lives Matter protests was very effective, reminding that comedy isn’t always everything and that some messages are more important.

Emmy Episodes: Saturday Night Live

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the sixth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Saturday Night Live: Season 46, Episode 6 “Host: Dave Chappelle” (B)

Four years ago, when Trump was actually elected as president, Dave Chappelle hosted this show and won an Emmy for the gig. What I noticed about his opening monologue here was that it was incredibly long and he was basically left to his own devices, smoking on stage and unleashing a number of harsh truths about how America works that others would surely have avoided. As the second installment of the show that I’ve watched from its forty-sixth season, I would say it was an improvement over Bill Burr’s similarly political but far less nuanced and effective hosting job in episode two, though I don’t think most of Chappelle’s bits were all that funny. He could easily win again just for that extended monologue, and for bringing a dramatic bent to a typically unserious show. This is also Kenan Thompson’s submission, which is puzzling to me since the actor, who is also nominated for performance in the sitcom “Kenan” this year, has very little to do over the course of the episode. Responding to the brothers’ harrowing tale of bodily injury during the video game retrospective and playing Uncle Ben aren’t substantial uses of his talent, and this definitely pales in comparison to his submission from last year. Watching Kate McKinnon as Rudy Giuliani was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the rundown of how mail-in ballots needed to be carefully vetted if they had a return address on Mars and if they were in fact tortillas, as well as the repeated references to the Four Seasons mishap.