What I’m Watching: The Boys (Season Premiere)

The Boys: Season 3, Episode 1 “Payback” (B+)

This is my first time watching this show along with most of the world, though getting through three episodes dropped all at once is taking me a little longer than everyone else since I’m also currently focused on Tribeca coverage. It’s interesting to see things in a much more docile state, with Hughie literally bumping into Homelander on the red carpet for the premiere of the new Seven movie, which recast the role of Stormfront while everyone else played their own parts. It was jarring, though I suppose it shouldn’t have been, to learn that Stormfront is still alive, and that Homelander only rejects the idea of a master race because he believes he’s superior to all. Stan putting forth the idea that Starlight could become the co-captain of the Seven is only going to escalate tension, and the fact that Homelander is trying to negotiate, in a way, with Butcher means that the world is truly upside down. That opening scene with Termite was quite intense and I wasn’t sure what was happening, but it just feeds into the notion that these superheroes are out of control and always seek to cover up their tracks rather than do the right thing in a bad situation. Seeing how close Hughie and Victoria have become made it seem like she might be taking a break from exploding people’s heads, but that final scene forced her to do so, which means Hughie may now be in a more dangerous circumstance than ever before. This should be one wild season.

What I’m Watching: The Good Wife

The Good Wife: Season 7, Episode 5 “Payback” (B)

This was a perfectly fun and engaging episode, but some parts of this show feel hopelessly cyclical in an irritating way. The main offender is Eli, who every episode tries to butt in and get back into Peter’s good graces, and even after being proven wrong following his childish standing on his desk to eavesdrop on Ruth and Peter’s conversation and Alicia actually firing him, he’s not going anywhere. Instead, he’s only making things worse, whispering in Alicia’s ear so that she’ll incite a debt strike and turning down his pushy daughter’s very helpful procurement of a cushy job running an Israeli campaign. I hope that this will be the last of the rivalry between Howard and Cary, since it’s been entertaining but also a distraction. Howard’s eagerness to classify Cary’s every comment as a slander against his old Jewishness was amusing, but ultimately this seems to have gotten him to work harder, which is what everyone wanted anyway. The case that Alicia and Lucca took on was the most interesting part of the episode, as they first realized that it was a scammer who got their client’s money when she insisted that she paid it, and then it spiraled into an attempt to paint the school as an illegitimate and illegal organization with a whole horde of disgruntled, unsuccessful students ready to testify and try to get their debts forgiven. The most intriguing element of this show at this point is Jason, whose smirk says so much. His investigative tactics truly do rival Kalinda’s, and now it seems that he’s about to embark on a more intimate relationship with his grateful employer.

What I’m Watching: White Collar

White Collar: Season 2, Episode 14 “Payback” (B+)

After seeing Neal running around with a bunch of guns just recently, here we have a case of Peter being put in legitimate danger as he is abducted and held for ransom. It’s easy to see how impressive Neal is, but what about Peter? He was able to keep his cool in captivity, smugly revealing that he had paid attention and knew exactly where he was being held, not to mention picking the lock on the handcuffs and knocking out his captor. It was fun to see Adam Goldberg, most memorable in his multi-episode appearance in the second season of “Friends” as Chandler’s replacement roommate Eddie, in a guest spot practically written for him, playing an artist of some sort a bit off his rocker. I enjoyed how Mozzie bugged the headset and insulted the agents by telling them that it clearly wasn’t Russian military. The best part of the episodes hands down, was Peter telling Neal that he needed to talk him through a jailbreak in order to get out of his cell. On both sides, it was just fantastic, as Peter knew he didn’t have any other option and Neal was only happy to help. I enjoyed how all the agents at the FBI office were more than willing to assist and help Neal recreate the cell in order to best recommend to Peter how to break out. Neal’s angered reaction to Peter’s abduction was rather touching. It’s clear that the two of them really have become close friends.