Last Week in TV - Week of Jan. 25 - Reviews and Episode Awards

Hi and welcome back to Last Week in TV. It was another jam-packed viewing week so I decided to marathon Helix later and I only watched 15 minutes of Fortitude before sending it to the marathon pile too. Sons of Liberty is a mini-series so it isn't part of this column, although I hope to get to it soon. I've heard great things. Other than that it was the typical up and down week with Red Band Society returning and Galavant ending. I love both shows and will miss Galavant. Kudos though to ABC for giving it a chance. I hope they try more out-of-the-box shows in the future. This week's nominated show was Burn Notice, which is one of my all-time favorites. If you haven't checked out this show and you love action and wit, I highly urge you to. After all, where else do you get such spy wisdom as: "Guns make you stupid. Better to fight your wars with duct tape. Duct tape makes you smart." Needless to say, this week was a great trip down Nostalgia Lane. Double Booked isn't my favorite episode, largely because of Undead Larry, but is a lot of fun and it was great to revisit it. Next week's nominated show is About a Boy. I checked out the pilot but then never got past it. I've heard this show is my kind of humor, so I'm anxious to try it again. It didn't come with an episode recommendation so if you have one, let me know in the comments below. Also if you have a show to recommend, please nominate it in the short 2-question form below. Shows are chosen each week at random by a number generator. So until next week, thanks for reading and please sound off about the TV you watched below. Happy TV viewing!

Show of the Week: 

 tie - Elementary and How To Get Away with Murder

Elementary - 3.12 - The One that Got Away

I am saying it right now. Writing Kitty off is a big mistake. She's been the saving grace in many episodes this season and let's face it, Sherlock and Watson are not in a good place right now. More of them bickering is not what I signed up for. Plus I will miss Ophelia Lovibond, who again knocks it out of the park tonight. The scenes between Johnny Lee Miller and her sizzle with unspoken words and emotion. Nothing lover like mind you. They are more father-daughter in nature to me. Still there was a great need to show each other how much they meant to each other and given the nature of the episode, they could both break their shells to do so. While the story was a little lacking in action, it made up for it in sheer intensity and character development. I'm glad they showed us Sherlock and Kitty getting to know each other because it made the goodbye that much more powerful. If only they didn't feel the need to send Kitty away. (Deep sigh.) Oh well, maybe Moriarty can come back.

Grade: B+

Best Reason to Watch - the flashbacks and the acting tour de force that was Ophelia Lovibond and Johnny Lee Miller
Best Scene - Sherlock tells Kitty that whether she murders Del or not, they will always be friends
Best Awww Moment - Sherlock cooks Kitty breakfast and apologizes for not being there for her earlier
Most Intense - Kitty tells Gruner she is going to kill him
Best Character Interaction - Kitty and Sherlock
Worst Continuity - Sherlock and Watson are still bickering like idiots
Best Continuity - the nutmeg concoction
Best Acting - Ophelia Lovibond and then Johnny Lee Miller
Best Cause and Effect - Kitty comes back to be trained and Sherlock throws the heroin away so we don't have to go through the whole withdrawal and getting sober thing again
Best Reaction - Sherlock to all the locks Kitty unlocks to let him in
Biggest Mistake - Gruner didn't leave the country when he heard about Kitty and Sherlock
Most Surprising - Sherlock did not wake Watson up when she was sleeping on his couch / Sherlock crying in London
Least Surprising - Kitty did NOT leave for London
Worst Plan - firing Joan before getting her company phone back
Least Comforting - Sherlock makes getting through a chain latch look like child's play
Worst Decision - letting Kitty be written off the show because she has revitalized it even in such a short time
Best Quotes -
1. Sherlock: "You were right the other day at the morgue when you said I couldn't possibly know what you're feeling. I thought perhaps this is what you needed." Kitty: "It is." Sherlock: "I was less certain so I returned to the business at hand. I thought that if Watson and I could bring Gruner to justice before you acted, you would be spared the decision that you have to make regarding his life. If on the other hand we could not undo Gruner…" Kitty: "So why are you here now?" Sherlock: "When I returned to London last year, I had certain expectations. Exactly none of them were met. Our crossing paths changed things for me. You….um, you saved me. I'd like to return the favor." Kitty: "This is a favor? Interfering." Sherlock: "If you decide that killing Gruner is going to make you feel whole again, I won't stop you, but I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you that we had found a way to expose him." Kitty: "What does that have to do with me? With what he did to me?" Sherlock: "Nothing. Everything. I wish I could tell you. Whatever you decide, you must understand that you will always be special to me. You will always be my friend."
2. Watson: "You should be careful, Del. We're not in some basement. I don't have duct tape around my eyes and wrists. Let go or we'll find out how you do against a woman who can actually fight back."
3. Kitty: "Do you think I did the right thing?" Sherlock: "I think you do not have the stain of a murder upon you." Kitty: "You say that I saved you but the way that I see it, you gave me everything." Sherlock: "You decided where you're going to go?" Kitty: "Oh somewhere I can use what you taught me. Somewhere I can help people. I might reach out to you with a question every now and again. I hope that's okay." Sherlock: "I am at your disposal." Kitty: "Do you know what I haven't said to anyone in a really long time? 'I love you.' Isn't that the saddest thing?"
4. Kitty: "Shouldn't you be with her?" Sherlock: "My place is here with you." Kitty: "Sherlock…" Sherlock: "I'm ashamed of myself. I allowed you to leave the morgue unaccompanied yesterday. You thought the man who hurt you was still at large and I thought….I should have been there when you realized who he was."
5. Kitty: "Tonight's your lucky night, Del. I'm not going to kill you after all. Everything I've shown you tonight, it was just a mask. It isn't really me. You'd know all about masks, wouldn't you? You've worn one your entire life. I've taken mine off. Now it's your turn."

How to Get Away with Murder - 1.10 - Hello Raskolnikov

How to Get Away with Murder is finally back and it was as twisty as ever. I like that they are all on the same playing field now. I like even better that Marcia Gay Harden is playing their adversary. I cannot wait for her and Annalise to go up against each other. Talk about an acting powerhouse. As always, the best part of this show is the acting and then the plot. The worst part continues to be the characters, all of whom are morally bankrupt. I can feel for Annalise but only so much. The students are another story. Michaela was the worst this time around but Connor gets on my nerves too. I know the fandom loves him but his nervous breakdown is doing nothing for me. I find myself telling Oliver to run and never look back just because he's the only one who hasn't been corrupted or self-centered yet. Still this show is addicting and it, even more than Empire, knows how to throw that ending hook to get people right back in front of the TV the next week. How to Get Away with Murder continues to be the most intense new show - appointment TV for sure.

Grade: B+

Best Reason to Watch - the episode this is ever NOT Viola Davis' acting will be newsworthy
Best Scene / Best Reaction - Annalise walks out of the bathroom stall to the horror of the women who were just gossiping about her
Best Aww Moment - Wes breaks down and tells Annalise that he needs her to talk to everyone because he cannot do this anymore
Best Friend - Bonnie offers to be there for Annalise (even if Annalise shuts her down)
Best Liar - Wes, who is way too good at this murder coverup stuff
Best Twist - Laurel goes to Wes about Connor and Michaela planning on confessing
Worst Priorities - Michaela and crew just murdered someone and she's worrying about the final exam? How obnoxious and self-obsessed can you be?
Biggest Ouch - Bonnie tells Asher that the only reason she slept with him is because she was "drunk and desperate"
The "Welcome Back" Award - Marcia Gay Harden, my favorite actress from Trophy Wife / Faran Tahir, who played Osiris on Supernatural and Kosan on Warehouse 13
Biggest Mistake - Bonnie having anything to do with Asher, much less sleeping with him
Best Reference - Crime and Punishment
Best Quotes -
1. Connor: "Do you want to be married or go to jail?"
2. Annalise: "I'm not helping you. I'm helping myself. I'm the woman who came home to find her cheating husband dead on the floor. Who's the first person do you think the cops are going to look at?"
3. Asher: "I'm just saying I can't stop thinking about last night." Bonnie: "Try harder."
4. Parks: "Be careful who you show your crazy to."
5. Annalise: "Let me help you. Let me help you because if you do, I promise you will get away with this."

Nominated Show:

Burn Notice - 2.08 - Double Booked

Confession time: Burn Notice is one of my favorite shows and Fiona Glenanne is my favorite female character of all time. Yes, Parker from Leverage is close but Fiona blows stuff up weekly so she wins by a brunette hair flip. Let's just say she rocks…hard. I can't say the same for Undead Larry, who along with Brennen, makes my list of least favorite recurring characters. Luckily the introduction of Larry is tempered by the introduction of Campbell, who I always thought was a fun character. For those unfamiliar to the show, Michael Westen used to be a spy but a corrupt organization got him burned, which is spy talk for fired. Stuck in Miami, he spends his time helping the down and out with his impressive skills, aided by Fiona, best friend Sam, and mom Maddie. Later on another burned spy named Jesse joins the group. I love the teamwork in this show, the intricate spy shenanigans, the cool information shared, and of course, all the action. Mostly I love how Fiona can be a girly girl one moment and then take out a group of terrorists the next. If you like action-oriented shows with a great team vibe, I strongly recommend this one. All seven seasons are available on Netflix. For me, it is the perfect popcorn show with characters I can truly root for.

Grade: B+
Ranking - 5
Audience - anyone who likes fast-paced stories with some snarky fun mixed in; those who like spycraft

Best Reason to Watch - Fiona, Michael, and Sam make a great criminal-stopping trio
Best Reason to Fast Forward - the therapist session
Best Action - Michael disables the truck trying to kill Jeannie
Best Aww Moment - Sam offers to kill Undead Larry so Mike doesn't have to
Best Identity - Michael pretends to be Larry to freak out Drew and make him call off the hit
Best Back Story - Michael's mom forged his father's signature to get Michael in the military early
Worst Luck - Sam is the unlucky one to get the leaking trash bag - nasty
The "Oh Isn't It Quaint" Award - Remember when there was still a nightclub at Michael's place?
Worst Term - dead-ee just sounds too cute for assassination
Best Character Card - Drew's card calls him an entitled punk - how accurate
Best Reaction - Michael to meeting Campbell
The "Welcome Back?" Award - I'm not sure if it is a welcome back or more a trip down Nostalgia Lane, but I liked Campbell so welcome back, sir.
Biggest Manipulator - Maddie, who thankfully becomes a real part of the crew as the show progresses
Best Plan - Maddie helps Michael get the landlady out of the spy's place
Worst Plan - Michael doesn't kill Undead Larry so he sticks around a few more seasons to haunt us
Best Quotes -
1. Sam (to Undead Larry): "Still drinking the blood of children."
2. Sam: "Just checking in? He's got a weird thing for you." Michael: "That's because he doesn't have any friends." Sam: "That's because he's killed most of them, Mike."
3. Sam: "Wow, he looks grumpier than you do when you're going to meet with Carla." Michael: "Well she hasn't had me kill anyone yet."
4. Michael: "Larry. Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're dead." Undead Larry: "Okay, you're wrong. Just don't tell my ex-wife."
5. Michael: "We worked together in the Balkans, '91, '92. It was a crazy time. He seemed somewhat sane in comparison."

Weekly Shows:

Galavant - 1.07 1.08 - My Cousin Izzy / It's All in the Execution

What the heck? This is how it ends? Really? I at least expected this journey to be over so another one could start on the off-off chance that Galavant would get another season. I'm disappointed that we end on a cliffhanger, but oh how the songs made me laugh. Especially the one about the singing killing the Nielsen ratings. I about died when I heard that. Best meta ever! As usual King Richard steals the show and I particularly loved the interactions between him and Gareth plus the song he sings with a drunk Galavant. I'll admit I never expected Gareth to become the de facto king though. I cheered when Madalena dispatched Kingsley though. Overall this has been a fantastic, fun, quirky show and I thank ABC for green lighting it. It may not have been a ratings hit, but it was a gutsy decision to air and I love when networks take chances. Too bad Nielsen viewers obviously don't feel the same.

Grade: B / B+

Best Reason to Watch - the songs, the characters, and the celebration of finally something different on TV
Best Character Interaction - Gareth and King Richard
Most Intense Scene - Gareth flips out over having to kill King Richard
Best Moment - Kingsley drugs Galavant to keep him from singing / Madalena kills Kingsley
Best Song - A Happy Ending for Us / We're Off on a Secret Mission
Best Awww Moment - King Richard sings Goodnight, My Friend
Best Twist - Chef doesn't poison the royals but serves them everything they are allergic to
Biggest Hmm - From what we heard in the pilot, Galavant has had plenty of glorious moments so I'm not sure why this one gets the full song treatment
Best Reaction - everyone to the idea of Isabella and Harry wedding
The "Yeah Umm, No Thanks" Award - rats for dinner, nope
The "Welcome Back" Award - Anthony Stewart Head, who makes absolutely everything better even when they are already great
The "Priorities People" Award - Galavant decides not to kill the kings and free everyone so he can keep Isabelle from having a crab puff
Most Lunkheaded Move - Galavant shows off his sword fighting skills but then lays down the sword to become Richard's champion instead of using it to save everyone
Best Continuity - no one gets to finish the One Moment song
Best Meta Ever - actual song lyric: "Will all the singing kill our Nielsen ratings? /Sid, the peasants, the entire crew, / Will they be back for season 2? / Who knows?"
Best Reference - Kiss the Girl from Little Mermaid
Weirdest Moment - Gareth gives Galavant instructions on how to take care of King Richard
Best Quotes -
1. Will Gareth and the queen / rule the entire scene? / Will all the singing kill our Nielsen ratings?
Sid, the peasants, the entire crew, / Will they be back for season 2? Who knows?
2. Richard: "Well I'm so sorry if I upset you the night before you probably kill me."
3. QueenMom: "Up here we want to go left." Sid: "Really? Cuz Galavant's map says we go right." QueenMom: "Well my husband and I have lived here for 40 years, but really, tell me more about your dead friend's hand drawn map."
4. Richard: "I'm not an animal. I mean sure I'll kidnap a woman and force her to marry me, but after that I'm all about a woman's rights. I'm a modern 13th century man."
5. Chef (after Galavant passes out): "Oh well, at least he stopped talking."

State of Affairs - 1.10 - The War at Home

While not as intense or fast-paced as the last episode, State of Affairs continues to get more intriguing. Political rivalries turned personal. The lauded was revealed as a terrorist and the terrorist…well, it still remains to be seen where that is going to lead. Right now there are a few too many balls up in the air, so I am not a big fan of the direction Kurt's storyline has gone. Unless Gantry's company is directly tied into the main plot and not just trying to privatize the CIA, this is best put on the backburner. I'm not sure where Syd ends up on the moral scheme either. I wanted to see him again but definitely not in the middle of the big meet with Hakam. I will be sorely disappointed if he is working for the private militia. On the plus side, PotUS and Charlie seem to have worked out their differences…unless PotUS is playing politics and plans on burying her too. I'm sorry. I am suspicious of everyone these days, except Mo, which is probably a huge mistake in itself. I even suspect Kurt. After all, if he were trying to take down the private company to find a massive CIA leak, then what better way to do it than as a disgraced spook. It would make a great twist.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - bombs, spies killing soldiers, terrorists, and a great late night chat
Best Scene - PotUS and Charlie discuss the bombs and Burke late at night
Best New Addition - Banks, who is comfortable telling it like it is with everyone up to and including PotUS
Biggest What the Heck? - Marshall and Kyle had an affair in the past? Did not see that coming. Wish it hadn't.
Least Surprising - the much maligned professor is indeed a terrorist
The "Welcome Back" Award (Show) - Syd, so glad to see you. Now please do not screw everything up or be evil.
The "Welcome Back" Award (Actor) - Matthew Lillard of a zillion bad movies and The Bridge
The "I Think You're Satan" Award - Gantry is smooth and giving away luxury cars. Therefore, he is evil. He has to be.
Most Pointless - When the CIA says their eyes only. They mean it. It's all redacted when anyone else tries.
Smartest Plan - Kurt checks his car for surveillance and finds it
Biggest Ouch - Kyle Green's husband accuses PotUS of using Aaron's death for political gain
Most Sensible - Senator Burke, which is why he is the most suspicious
Best Quotes -
1. PotUS: "You want me to put an opposition party member in charge of this investigation. Senator, that would be like Caesar handing Brutus the blade."
2. Kurt: "Everything you're doing - giving me money, the job, the car - it isn't reconnaissance. It's recruitment. I'm surprised I haven't found a hooker in my bed." Gantry: "Well you haven't gone home yet."
3. Burke: "The president has asked me to make sure this is not a witch hunt. I intend to honor that request as long as nobody acts like a witch."
4. Car Sales Guy: "You want it bulletproofed? (Kurt laughs) I wasn't kidding."
5. Dash: "Hey Charlie, you do anything illegal recently?" Charlie: "Not in the past few hours."

Eye Candy - 1.03 - HBTU

Although this episode is not as cliffhanger-y as the previous two, it did tie Lindy's current predicament to her sister's abduction. I am not surprised that they are linked (especially after the foreshadowing with the sergeant), but I am surprised that they went there so quickly. Again the mystery is progressing nicely. My two main suspects continue to be Tommy and Connor, but I've taken Sophia off the list. Yeah I know, she never even made most people's list. Still, you can't be too sure these days. Once again the middle dragged a bit and only a moron would ever throw a party in the middle of a serial killer stalking them. Seriously, Sophia? What were you thinking? That's beyond idiocy and I wouldn't have blinked if the serial killer had taken her next. Another issue was how intense they tried to make Lindy figuring out the killer's motive. It might have been more effective if the killer himself did not tell us in the pilot. Just saying. However, they made George more of a character in this one and I am way for that. He has a lot of techy tricks that I would love to explore and seems to genuinely care about Lindy. Here's hoping he's not a killer.

Grade: B-

Best Reason to Watch - suspects are dying one episode at a time
Worst Addition - gossip monger blogger Hamish
Most Disgusting - Teeth mobiles
Worst Idea - throwing a party while under police protection from a serial killer
Least Dramatic - background music aside, Lindy telling us what we knew since the pilot is anticlimactic
Worst Side Effect of Working with the Police - having to watch people find out their loved ones are gone
The "Nope, Definitely Not the Killer" Award - if you're dead, you're cleared
The "Warning Please" Award - if you insist on panning in on the picture of the guy's missing eyes, a heads up would be nice
Best Quotes -
1. Sophia: "I'm sorry but my sparkle is under protective custody until Lindy figures out her psycho situation."
2. Sophia: "We liked him, back when we were positive the other guy was the one killing people."
3. Tommy: "Oh, an equal opportunity serial killer. At least he's got that going for him."
4. George: "Okay I'm going to show you something, okay? But remember homicide carries a minimum sentence of 20 years."
5. Lindy: "We're going to catch him and until then we keep living our lives. We're not NOT having a life because of this freak."

Supernatural - 10.11 - There's No Place Like Home

Idiot Dean strikes again. Seriously, did he do one thing right this episode? Everybody and their 4 year-old cousin knew every single time DarkCharlie was playing him and he just kept falling for it like some hayseed who just rode into town. I hate when they purposely make Dean stupid. (I would have sworn Dabb and Loughlin wrote this mess except that Robbie Thompson writes every Charlie episode.) Then he lets her steal Baby? I am done. Just done. Add to it the emoangsty mess and the so transparent you can walk through it duality of Charlie and Dean's predicaments and you've got everything I hate about Supernatural: The Carver Years wrapped into one. Except Sam. He still rocks this season. Blah, blah, blah emotion cakes, blah.

Grade: C-

Best Reason to Watch - Sam / duo Charlie
Best Character Interaction - Sam and Charlie
The "I'm Not Buying It" Award - They want us to believe Dean has shaking hands because of the Mark of Cain. I think it's alcohol withdrawal. Let's face it. Dean's a functioning alcoholic at best. / Charlie says she doesn't want to hurt Wellington. Dean believes her. Dean's an idiot.
Best Version - Protective Dean, who always looks out for Charlie
Least Surprising - The only person who apparently did not know DarkCharlie was going to kill Douche was Dean. I guess abstinence makes him stupid.
Most Surprising - the Wizard of Oz is the doppelganger of a Man of Letters
Weirdest Dialogue - Dean asks if Charlie is back from Oz
Best Dialogue - any time Dean says, "kiddo"
Worst Dialogue - any time Charlie says, "B***"
Weirdest Moment - Dean eats a kale sandwich
Most Goofy - Wizard's mask
Worst Plan - Dean telling DarkCharlie the plan
Least "New and Improved" - Dean's 12-step program is definitely new but it makes for a grumpy Dean who doesn't even get cheeseburgers. That's no way to live Dean.
Most Intense - Dean interrogates the district attorney
The "Welcome Back" Award - It's a Supernatural guest star redoux extravaganza and not just Felicia Day as Charlie. Paul McGillion also played Jim in the Fallen Idols episode. Duncan Fraser was previously Odin in Hammer of the Gods.
The "Oh No You Don't" Award - I don't care what kind of alter-darkness you are, nobody…and I mean nobody, gets to hurt Baby!!!
Best Little Moment - Charlie talks about checking out the bartender and both Dean and Sam turn to look at her
Best Reference - Jack Bauer / Wizard of Oz of course
Best Quotes -
1. Dark Charlie: "You Winchester Boys and your talk. Blah, blah, blah. Repressed feelings, blah, blah, blah. Passive aggression." Dean: "Come on, kiddo. You don't want to do this."
2. Charlie: "The war for Emerald City. It was awesome until not so much. We were going to lose so I made a deal with the wizard. Of Oz. Wears a hood and a creepy mask. Kind of a jerk. Good times."
3. Dean: "You mean our Charlie? About yea high. Wouldn't hurt a hobbit. Practically sparkles."
4. Sam: "She's right, Dean. You can do this. We can do this."
5. Sam: "What the hell?" Dean: "Cain or Crowley?"
6. Dean: "Alright skip to the end, Dragon Tattoo."

The Flash - 1.11 - The Sound and the Fury

Maybe it's because it is late and I'm tired, but this episode did not grab me like it should. It contained all the things I love about The Flash - back story, Cisco snark, the promise of answers, Caitlin telling it like it is, and of course the Joe and Barry heartfelt discussion. Still it felt disjointed like a bunch of mini-scenes loosely thrown together. I'm not sure why we needed Iris' new job in this episode either because we didn't get near as much back story on Wells as I was hoping and the promise of answers is still not answers themselves. Plus Hartley annoyed me like all pretentious, self-aggrandizing villains do. For all his brilliance, his plan only worked because Team Flash got cocky and somewhat brain dead all of a sudden. Is there any TV viewer who didn't figure it out before they did? Add in the fact that Hartley doesn't seem to know the main secret Wells is hiding so the whole thing fell flat. However Cisco snark made up for some halting dialogue and the instant camaraderie of Caitlin and Cisco, further proved by the current situation, was fantastic. As was everything Joe. I am glad he's suspicious. Barry needs a counterpart to his naiveté and it will help us get answers more quickly.

Grade: B-

Best Reason to Watch - back story on Wells / Cisco snark
Best Scene - Barry tells Joe that no one could ever replace him
The "Dead Wrong" Award - Sorry Barry, but the #1 rule of having a secret identity is to NOT talk about it in public, which every freaking one of you do. Slightly behind that should be that if you don't want people to know you can move without the wheelchair, it might be best NOT to leave the wheelchair.
The "Boys and Their Toys" Award - Barry and Jo are having way too much fun with science experiments
Least Surprising - Was the fact that Wells is the Reverse Flash supposed to be surprising? Didn’t we already know that?
Biggest Argh! - Joe is grilling Wells about the past but Barry turns the conversation before we get any answers
Best Plan - Joe continues to investigate Wells
Best Quotes -
1. Barry: "You have never even mentioned his name." Caitlin: "That's because Hartley had a challenging personality." Cisco: "What she means is he was mostly a jerk…but every once in awhile, he could be a d**."
2. Hartley: "I was thinking of calling myself Pied Piper." Cisco: "Hey, I assign the names around here, although that one's not bad."
3. Barry: "The future does not care about your makeup."
4. Wells: "What I saw was humanity. You and Hartley, Cisco, you're both brilliant. You both have mental (snaps fingers) sparks, but his brilliance subtracted from the experience of working here whereas your brilliance…your heart, warmth, your humor…it just adds to it. There's no Chosen One, Cisco. No second or third favorite. Never was. It's just us."
5. Hartley: "Are they going to hear you die?" Barry: "No, they're going to hear you get your a**kicked."

Agent Carter - 1.04 - The Blitzkrieg Button

I find that the more I learn of Peggy Carter, the more I root for her. She is truly a powerful woman stuck in a man's world where she is undervalued and largely ignored. However instead of letting that tear her down, she uses their own prejudices against them. It takes a vast cunning to pull that off, especially when you're betrayed by the people you do think value you. I love how Carter flat out punches Stark for his lies. It's about time someone did. I'm not sure I care all that much about what happened in Finnau, but I am excited about what Dottie is up to. Is she there to help Carter or is she a lethal spy there to bring her down? Either way, I cannot wait until they battle. Still the logic fails obliterated parts of the story for me, which brought the overall grade down. I do not understand why genre shows believe a cone of silence descends over their characters when they talk about super secret things. It's even worse when they are screaming about them in a boarding house that already proved the acoustics allow everyone to hear everything. Also turning a corner doesn't mean you suddenly can't hear and a super secret entrance shouldn't be screeching on its hinges. Urgh, it's these kind of things that frustrate me while watching genre TV.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - Carter continues to be awesome, a combination of smart, lethal, and brave
Biggest Douche - Thompson, now that Krzeminski is dead
Biggest "What the Heck?" Moment - Are we to believe that Fry could not hear Carter whisper yelling for Stark simply because she turned the corner? Is she suddenly deaf? I call shenanicanon.
Biggest Con - Dooley offers the condemned soldier "cyanide" in exchange for information but the pill is actually a mint
Most Surprising - Dottie does some Crouching Tiger ninja moves to take out the bad guy and steal his automatic pistol
Least Surprising - Stan Lee cameo
Best Soundproofing? - Carter's apartment must come with extra special soundproofing because there's no way people couldn't hear this super secret argument she and Stark are having. Not to mention anyone would know she had a man in her room so without Ye Olde Plot Device of selective hearing, Carter would be booted.
Best Reaction - Carter punches out Stark for lying to her
The "Hope You Don't Play Poker" Award - Jarvis yanking on his ear is a pretty big tell
The "Has WD-40 Been Invented Yet?" Award - because if it has, they need to grease their secret entrance to Carter's place. Its squeaking and screeching has to be heard a mile away.
Handy Bad Guy Technology - automatic hand pistol
The "Not as Dumb as You Look" Award - Thompson realizes that Frank would say anything for booze
Biggest Shock - Thompson actually sincerely compliments Sousa for his detective work
Best Quotes -
1. Stark: "All of my inventions are in your lab." Carter: "Then why's your mustache so sad?"
2. Dooley: "We just got this. The official report on the Battle of Finnau." Thompson: "Great. The only thing missing is words."
3. Doobin: "…Howard Stark was either an ignoramus or a genius." Carter: "Most likely both."
4. Jarvis: "Over the last 5 years, I thought I'd built up a callus apologizing for you, but this stings."
5. Stark: "Let me tell you, you don't get to climb the American ladder without picking up some bad habits on the way. There's a ceiling for certain types of people based on how much money your parents have, your social class, your religion, your sex, and the only way to break through that ceiling sometimes is to lie. So that's my natural instinct, to lie. I shouldn't have lied to you. For that trust me, I am truly sorry."

The 100 - 2.10 - Survival of the Fittest

While I intellectually get that in a catastrophe wild zoo animals could escape and take back the jungle per se, still it doesn't make it less goofy. Try as I might, all I could think was that terrible Plant of the Apes movie, which lessened the joy of the Clarke and Lexa scenes a bit. Also, I cannot stand Murphy and I am heartily sick of Jaha now. All that time spent on them is only good for one thing. Hopefully they will both stay gone for awhile as they pursue heaven on earth. I'm not exactly liking the return of Reaper Lincoln either, so most of this episode was a miss for me. Not a bad episode, but not what I expect from The 100. Thankfully Octavia, Indra, and Kane saved it somewhat. Every scene they were in was powerful and to watch the two Generals (Kane and Indra) in action was a treat even if it did slow the plot down a bit. Perhaps that is my real problem with the episode. It feels like filler. Yes, I get that they can't just outright attack Mount Weather and stealth takes more time. Still nothing that happened in this episode will be important in the next except Bellamy is kidnapped for real and Octavia is going to become even more of a kick butt warrior. The latter I am very excited about.

Grade: C+

Best Reason to Watch - Octavia
Best Scene - Indra agrees to make Octavia her second
Best Character - Kane
Most Annoying - Jaha is going big time downhill these days and is starting to be my least favorite character
Least Interesting Subplot - zoo animals are alive and well and terrorizing the villagers
The "Oh Please, Kill Him Now" Award - Murphy's one season too long past dying. Remedy that now please.
The "Oh Poor Baby" Award - Lincoln remembers everything from when he was a grounder
Best Reason - Clarke killing his brother is a good reason for him to hate her. You have to give him that.
Most Gruesome - death by gorilla
Best Surprise - Indra allows Octavia to train as her second / Lincoln gives into his drug habit and betrays Bellamy
Biggest Don Quixote - Jaha and his City of Light
Best Save - Lexa knives Quint before he can kill Clarke and then sacrifices him to the monster / Clarke saves Lexa from the gorilla
Best Plan - Clarke traps the gorilla in the cage
Best Quotes -
1. Lexa: "Don't be afraid, Clarke. Death is not the end." Clarke: "We are not dying here. I need your spirit to stay where it is."
2. Lincoln: "The world's been trying to turn me into a monster for as long as I can remember."
3. Jaha: "How well did you know him?" Murphy: "Well enough to be hung for his murder. Clarke sugarcoated it for you, didn't she?" Jaha: "What happened to my son?" Murphy: "A 12 year-old girl stabbed him in the neck with a knife she took from me." Jaha: "Why would she do that?" Murphy: "She couldn't kill you. Yeah, see you've got a lot of blood on your hands, Chancellor. Every single one of them, including your son, would still be alive if you hadn't sent us down here."
4. Jaha: "Let me tell you how this ends, Marcus. Either we lose and Mount Weather kills us all or we win and our new friends do." Kane: "I thought you had faith." Jaha: "This is their land. Believing that they'll let us live here happily ever after isn't faith. It's stupidity." Kane: "You're wrong. It's commonsense. There's enough here for everyone. We just need to make them see that it's in their interest to share and that starts today."
5. Octavia: "What do you want?" Indra: "You fought like a child today. All aggression, no thought, no defense. Always leaving yourself exposed. Revealing your next move before each strike." Octavia: "Okay I know. I got my a** kicked. That should make you happy." Indra: "It does…because you did not give up. Strength of spirit like that is rare. It must be guided."

Empire - 1.04 - False Imposition

This was the best Empire episode for me so far. I was hard pressed to figure out why until it struck me that almost everyone in it worked together as a team. There was far less screeching and with the exception of a couple of scenes, Cookie did not come off as a harpy. I like this look on her and the show. In fact it was too hard to choose a favorite character interaction this time because so many had excellent scenes. I loved Jamal turning down the money from Lucious but I also loved him telling Hakeem to get to the sound check and stop screwing around. For the first time, I enjoyed Hakeem and Cookie together too. I like how Cookie tells Hakeem that she loves him but for Hakeem too much time has passed. I can see where both are coming from and Hakeem sounds a little less like a spoiled brat than usual in here. He's still bratty but more hurt. Lucious vs. Beretti was far more interesting than I thought it would be too. Still one of the best character interactions was little tyke Andre hiding his daddy's gun in his Legos because he understood the inherent problem of a police raid. No wonder Andre is screwed in the head. All in all, the powerful development of characters made this episode a joy to watch.

Grade: B+

Best Reason to Watch - character interactions
Best Scene - Jamal trying to piece a song together
Best Flashback - kid Andre hides a gun in his Legos to save his dad in a police raid
Smartest Character - Tiana, who has a plan and isn't going to let Hakeem's lust stop her
Best Moment - Anika shaves Lucious after he tells her that he has ALS
Best Tough Love - Lucious gives Hakeem's concert tickets to Becky
Best Back Story - Lucious first worked for Beretti
Most Hard-Earned Respect - Jamal gives back the money Lucious sent him for helping Hakeem at the club and Lucious smiles as he walks out
The "Welcome Back" Award - Judd Nelson, who I had a crush on way back when Breakfast Club came out
Best Quotes -
1. Jamal: "I didn't expect to get paid for helping out Hakam at Leviticus. He needed me so I helped him. No charge, no strings."
2. Lucious: "Hakeem, I can't make you love your mother but you will respect her because she's lived through a hell that you have to understand if your music is ever going to elevate to the place of poetry, where it resonates in the hearts of its listeners."
3. Lucious: "You are disobeying the very first rule of music, son. Always take the money."
4. Lucious: "Then what the hell are you here for? Give me my music back?" Beretti: "Only when I stop making money from it."
5. Tiana: "I've got this." Cookie: "Yeah you get him because I'll kill him."

Stalker - 1.14 - My Hero

Stalker has gotten to the point where I already know who the stalker is about 17 minutes into the story. That's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, I love Motive and they straight up tell you who the murderer is in the cold open. It does, however, mean that the rest of the story needs to be dynamic and this one really wasn't. The acting was good but everything was predictable. It doesn't help that most of the people made dumb choices. Seriously, it's all about stop, drop, and roll basic fire safety. Not to mention the guy going off to get the booze by himself when he knew they were being stalked screams of failing Horror 101. Then they added the TOTALLY unnecessary drama between Jack and Trent to cement my boredom with them. Contrived drama leaves me cold. So did this episode.

Grade: C

Best Aww Scene - everyone offering to hang out at Beth's house again
Best Reason to Fast Forward - all the Jack and Trent tension, which screams of unnecessary drama
Least Surprising - Zoe is the stalker
The "Say What?" Award - Why is there a knife just lying around on the pier where anyone and their kid could grab it?
Most Clichéd - stalker in a fun house
Most in Need of Basic Emergency Training - Stop, drop, and roll, buddy. It's the first thing they teach kindergarteners.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Phoebe Tonkin of CW fame / Nicholle Tom from The Nanny / Sam Page of American Dreams and Greek
The "Um, Hello" Award - Dear Nicole, shouldn't you be asking Zoe how she has your engagement ring and running? Since, you know, the stalker that burned your fiancé to death also took the ring.
Worst Idea - A stalkee, Beth, getting involved with someone with stalker tendencies, Jack. Just NO! Nope.
Best Quotes -
1. Trent: "I grew up without a father, Jack. Anything I said to Amanda really didn't have anything to do with you. It was about Ethan."
2. Janice: "Then how do we find him?" Beth: "We don't. He'll make contact when he wants." Janice: "And you're okay with that?" Beth: "No, but I have to be. In the meantime I have a life."

TBBT - 8.13 - The Anxiety Optimization

Just thinking of Sheldon with no sleep could give people nightmares. Surprisingly he is a bit more mellow if just as clueless. I love how Amy kicks him out for being insensitive to her needs but I like the guys' reaction to Sheldon asking them to make his life miserable even more. I'm surprised they did not go all out on it. That would have been hilarious. Still Sheldon listening to a monster mash up and admitting he loves Taylor Swift did make me laugh. It was definitely more funny than Howard's new game, which just made me cringe. No one should be that besotted with their pets.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - crazy, hallucinating Sheldon
Best Scene - the guys argue about Sheldon's anxiety theory to make him more anxious
Best Continuity - Penny and Leonard sing Soft Kitty to get Sheldon to sleep
Most Supportive - Amy, who gets Sheldon in the anxiety zone
Worst Plan - Sheldon just gave the guys permission to make his life miserable and they've got years of payback stored up
Most Disturbing - "Emily or Cinnamon?"
Smoothest Segue - Leonard and Penny are saying stuff that would make Sheldon upset while he tests his noise cancelling headphones and once he takes them off, Leonard completely switches subjects
Best Reference - Taylor Swift
Best Quotes -
1. Penny: "I love him but if he's broken, let's not get a new one."
2. Sheldon: "Boy, Taylor was right. Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate."
3. Sheldon: "I'm not going. Would you like to know why?" Penny: "Uh, you're sad about not getting anything done last night so you're going to sit around and pout about it." Sheldon: "Boy, I'm not nearly as mysterious as I think I am."
4. Leonard: "You know, he can be a lot of trouble but when I see him lying here asleep like this I just think…how easy it would be to hold a pillow over his face."
5. Sheldon: "I'd like to ask you all to do something for me. Keep me on my toes. Throw me off my game. Essentially, go out of your way to make my life miserable." Howard: "Hold on. What's in it for us?" Sheldon: "Well I…" Howard: "Okay, we'll do it.

Backstrom - 1.02 - Bella

This episode would be a whole lot better if the bully brothers were innocent. I would have liked to see his mea culpa in that situation and also it would have been less typical. I'd rather take an Elementary approach and just because the cop wanted it to be someone didn't mean that it actually was. Other than that, I found Backstrom more annoying in this episode than the pilot. I get at the end they are trying to play on our heartstrings as well as with the whole bullied back story. Yet it isn't working as much as admitting he was wrong and Gravely was right. Speaking of, she was my character of the night. I like how she keeps calling Backstrom and crew on their police shenanigans. Someone needs to. However she backed them up when it counted, so she is also loyal. Smart and loyal is a great combination in a character. Backstrom gets one more episode and then it will probably go to summer fare for me, simply because I don't have room on my TV schedule.

Grade: B-

Best Reason to Watch - Backstrom admits he's wrong and he gives Gravely the collar
Best Scene - Almond tells Backstrom to lighten up on Gravely at the bus stop
Biggest Douche - Backstrom, the bullies
Best Character - Gravely
The "Oh Dear" Award - even in a comedy, police officers should wear gloves before touching evidence
The "Welcome Back" Award - Angelique Cabral, formerly Perez on my beloved Enlisted / Eddie McClintock formerly of Warehouse 13
Best Reaction - Backstrom to Larry saying that he's placing his life in Backstrom's hands
Biggest Dummies - the D'Agostino brothers fall for Backstrom's paper thin bull
Weirdest Sight - Backstrom excited about flying a kite
Best Quotes -
1. Gravely: "Whoa, did you pull a groin muscle leaping to that conclusion, Lieutenant?"
2. Backstrom: "What am I doing wrong?" Almond: "Really? You asking me?" Backstrom: "That's what it means when a sentence goes up at the end."
3. Niedermayer: "Lieutenant, I can't help but notice that you're actually listening to me, which I find both heartening and disturbing."
4. Orland: "This guy hates women. You know that right? Why do you help him?" Gravely: "This guy. Oh yeah no, he is the worst, but….uh, I don't actually think he hates women more than he hates men." Backstrom: "Thank you, Detective Gravely." Gravely: "He hates everybody but he really hates people who try to get away with murder and he hates you."
5. Backstrom: "You're under arrest for keeping secrets." Larry: "Is that a legal charge?" Almond: "As legal as the warrant that brought us."

Grimm - 4.11 - Death Do Us Part

Maybe I'm the only one, but I found this episode to be meh. It wasn't good. It wasn't bad. It was just there. I don't care about any love triangles, even the Wesen kind and all the flashbacks reminded me of Buffy's I Only Have Eyes for You, a far superior episode. Having Wu on board was nice but he didn't really do anything more than exposit, the same thing he did before he joined Team Grimm. I'm also no fan of Juliette or genre shows keeping secrets just to prolong drama. If we have to go even a few more episodes before she tells Nick about her hexenbiest situation, I am going to be hurling as many things at my screen as when they were not telling Wu the truth. Secrets add more annoyance than drama in my view. I will give Juliette kudos though for blowing up that douche's car. Ha! It was the most fun of the night. Though I admit that I am worried about Renard. Spontaneous bleeding from healed gunshot wounds is never a good sign.

Grade: C+

Best Reason to Watch - weird Renard mystery, which better not lead to his death
Best Scene - Juliette hexenbiests out and blows up the douche's car
Best Character - Wu
Biggest Idiot - this is a tossup of so many characters, but I think douche ghost hunter takes the prize
Best Power - Juliette taking out douchey drivers one at a time
Best Catchphrase - Wu's "I'm in."
Worst Plan - Juliette not telling Nick she's a hexenbiest
The "Oh Come On" Award - anytime you can't identify the body through typical channels, you've got the wrong body
Best Reaction - Nick to hearing that Juliette's been having headaches
Most Counterintuitive - exactly how are made hexenbiests more powerful than born ones, except they needed to make Juliette super special
Worst Green Screen/Most Pointless Scene - That background for Monroe and Rosalee has to go. In fact, I have no idea why they shot this scene at all except maybe contractual obligations with the actors.
Worst Kept Secret - For a trailer in the middle of nowhere, it sure gets an awful lot of traffic. People are going to start wondering why all the visitors.
Best Music - You Belong to Me by Santo and Johnny
Best Quotes -
1. Wu: "And in the land of the weird, we've gone over the edge."
2. Juliette: "Did I do that? I didn't do that, did I?" Renard: "I believe you did."
3. Carol: "The ceiling lights, did you see them? They turned on and off." Paul: "Come on, Carol, there's no power in this house." Carol: "I know, Paul. That's why it's weird."
4. Wu: "You know how sometimes you forget what an invaluable member of the force I am." Hank: "Who is this guy?" Nick: "I have no idea."
5. Juliette: "Do you call this a side effect?"

The Musketeers - 2.04 - Emilie

So the theme of the season is the Musketeers will always be idiots and always fail. Oh joy! Add to it that the Big Bad is no longer interesting because he's loonier than a Bedlamite and the season is unraveling before my very eyes. Time for Rochefort to go or for the Musketeers to get the occasional win, preferably both. I am quite good with making Milady the head evil again. She's at least interesting in her ruthlessness. Everything else was meh. Well except the fact that Porthos is now suspicious about what Treville knows about his parents. That's still a very interesting story that I hope will start having answers soon.

Grade: C

Best Reason to Watch - Porthos questions Treville about his family and remains suspicious
Best Reason to Fast Forward - every time Rochefort is on screen
Best Scene - Milady tells Athos that he'll never stop loving her
Least Surprising - Rochefort still killed the prostitute after she told him what he wanted to know
The "Scarred for Life" Award - that poor kid coming across that dead body is going to have nightmares forever
The "This Won't End Well" Award - history tends to fare badly for peasants who come up against armies
Most Insane - In a show about a woman who sees visions, it's Rochefort who has no chance of ruling France that is the craziest.
Worst Plan - not telling Porthos about his family
Most Condescending - King Louis who will pay for not listening to the wisest among him
Worst Turn - Rochefort is becoming as over-the-top as the Cardinal was and that's not a good sign
Biggest Idiots - Aramis and Anne for flirting and kissing in a camp where they already hate Anne. Nothing like giving the crowd a reason to lynch her.
Best Quotes -
1. D'Artagnan: "Did you hear all that?" Athos: "Mmm." D'Artagnan: "What are you going to do?" Athos: "I'm going to drink."
2. Milady: "The Cardinal taught me a great deal. Be careful I don't show you how much."
3. Aramis: "With all respect, Your Majesty, are you completely out of your mind?"
4. Athos: "Your visions are from soup, not God."
5. Athos: "The past is never dead, but we are finished with each other. From now on we will be strangers." Milady: "Whatever I am, you love me and you always will."

12 Monkeys - 1.03 - Cassandra Complex

With the exception of 2014 Railly completely and utterly losing it, nothing much happened in this episode in the current time. Cole shot a doctor. They are looking for specialized equipment. Scary Albino came back. It wasn't all that interesting. However in future days, things are heating up. Who is that Deacon man? How big is his army? I'm guessing he's ruthless and going to take on the science lab next. That ought to give Ramse something to do, especially if Deacon is after Cole and him for deserting. I'm already taking bets that Deacon in some way interferes with one of Cole's time travel issues since Deacon sounds like a short-term thinker. Just wait until he hears they have an active time machine. I can't wait to see how the future shapes up and of course, for some actual answers. I really need some answers to come.

Grade: C+


Best Reason to Watch - they keep going further down the rabbit hole
Best Twist - Cole shoots the doctor
Coolest Scene - Cole keeps zapping in and out of time during a fight
The "Say What?" Award - Why did Cole put his gun down? I know they were outnumbered but what was the advantage to dropping it?
Most Likely to Talk like a Crazy Person - Railly, who either hasn't seen enough sci fi movies to know when to keep her trap shut or who is actually going insane. What's the good in knowing the truth if you just get yourself locked up? Gibbs' slap to refocus.
Best New Addition - Henri for as long as he lasted
Biggest Mystery - Who's the tall albino, super strength guy?
Least Helpful in a Crisis - Railly in 2014, who decides every outbreak is world-ending in her paranoia
Best Quotes -
1. Cassandra: "My dad would be so proud. Worked three jobs to send his little lady to medical school. Now here I am learning how to kill while waiting for takeout."
2. Henri: "I was wrong. You can't control nature and anybody who thinks they can are fooling themselves. Nature doesn't break; it only bends."
3. Jules: "Dr. Railly, you need a break." Railly: "No Jules, listen to me." Jules: "Listen to what? What? You want me to go outside and shoot people? What are you, insane? What is wrong with you?"
4. Cole: "That guy was a General?" Cassandra: "Yes, here in the past we have soldiers on the front lines dedicated to the preparation and distribution of both sweet and sour deep fried chicken."
5. Railly: "Jules, listen to me. I know this sounds extreme but if this virus gets out…" Jules: "Cassie." Railly: "It is all over - you, me, our families, everyone we know. It will be all over, starting right here, right now. And it will be all our fault." Jules: "It's river fever, a rare strain. That's why we missed it. Lab results just came back a few minutes ago. Vaccinations been ordered. Quarantine's been lifted. Thank God, no one listened to you." Railly: "Jules, you have to understand…" Jules: "People could have been killed, Cassie. You lost it. Whatever happened to you, the kidnapping, you've got to deal with it. Go home. Take some time."

Red Band Society - 1.11 - The Guilted Age

Now that was depressing. Everyone is facing hard news. Everyone is worse off than they were before the episode started. Hunter's dead, Kara's mourning, Leo's cancer has spread, Jordi is still not emancipated, and Emma's back in the hospital. I was waiting to hear that Dash's condition took a turn for the worst too. Like I said, very depressing. Good thing there were several strong scenes to carry me through. I loved both Dash and Ashley laying out the truth for Leo and Kara, respectively. They both showed tough love and so when Kara turns around and is there for Ashley in her grief it made one of the most painful yet cathartic scenes Kara has been in. She finally was not thinking of herself. This raw scene only got worse as we headed into the Leo and his parents' grief. Again it was a bit mitigated by Emma going in to comfort Leo. This is an episode that I really was not feeling in the beginning due to all the relationship drama, but by the end my heart grieved for these characters and that's a powerful connection.

Grade: B+

Best Reason to Watch - hard truths, both from Dash and Ashley
Best Ending - Emma quietly being there for Leo in his time of need
Best Non-Grief Scene - Nurse Jackson speaks on Jordi's behalf and takes his confession
Best Aww Scene - Leo tells Emma's dad that he just needs to be there for her / Kara comforts Ashley
Best Character Interaction - Kara and Ashley
Best Character - Dash, who has the wisdom of an immortal
The "Totally Agree" Award - I'm with Dash. A fedora is not just a hat. Just look at Neal Caffrey from White Collar.
Biggest Hmm - Can someone just leave you a heart? Isn't there all kinds of medical stuff that needs to happen?
Worst Decision Maker - Kara, who is freaking annoying in her self-absorption at the beginning
The "It's About Time" Award - McAndrew apologizes to Britney
Biggest Surprise - Emma and Kara make a truce and bond over hating their moms
Worst Surprise - Leo's cancer is back and in his brain
The "Warning Please" Award - I really don't need to see the inside of any kid - ever
Best Quotes -
1. Dash: "You all were on a treacherous road to co-dependency. Had I not intervened, you would have woken up 10 years from now spiteful, bitter, and unable to pick a new pair of slacks without the other's permission."
2. Kara: "Blink once for yes. Twice for no. Wait. Was that once or twice?" Charlie: "Neither. I'm Morse coding God to make you go away."
3. Dash: "Look man, you're my friend and I love you like a brother, which is why I've got to keep it real with you right now. You make her worse. As long as she has you to focus on, she'll never be able to focus on herself. Now if you really want to help Emma, you've got to set her free."
4. Dash: "Dude, stop worrying about Kara, man. They're pumping that girl up with so much B-12, she'll be able to climb Machu Picchu."
5. Jordi: "Alright this is only a means to an end for me. I'm not actually a drug dealer, Alexa." Alexa: "Yeah, that's what my other drug dealer says."

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Sleepy Hollow "Headless" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

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