American Crime Story 1×10 – The Verdict
What a ride this season has been. I actually had zero faith in creator Ryan Murphy after he ruined the last few seasons of American Horror Story and Glee, so imagine my surprise when American Crime Story turned out to be such an engrossing and powerful journey. The achievement here is that we all knew the verdict from the outset, and yet we still found ourselves on the edges of our seats the entire way through. The season finale was another exceptional outing from the show, and I love that it gave us the verdict halfway through the episode, while the rest of the hour focused on showcasing the aftermath of Marcia and OJ’s lives. Simply fantastic!
Favorite Quote: “And I have always, always had faith that when I look at a jury, we have that in common. Everyone wants justice for victims, right? I never doubted that… until this.”
Favorite Scene: Too many, but it’s a tie between Marcia revealing her rape and how disappointed she is in the jury’s verdict, and OJ’s party in which he realizes how much things have changed and stares blankly at his iconic statue.
Nad Rating
A
Marvel’s Agents of Shield 3×15 – Spacetime
Although Shield is going to have a hard time bouncing back after the loss of both Bobbie and Hunter, I’m pleased to report that we’re getting a whole lot of forward momentum as things starts to escalate towards the finale. It sure helps that we’ve got a creepy villain in the form of Ward/Hive, not to mention the fact that Gideon is now super-powered. It was also a treat to witness just how much Daisy has grown; she began the show as an annoying little tech-nerd, and has now fully evolved into one badass buttkicker. The entire final set-piece with her facing off with Mallick and getting brutally beaten was simply excellent, and I just can’t wait to see what the show pulls off next.
Favorite Quote: “He is risen! What an improvement! Last time I saw you, you looked like an extra from Dawn of the Dead.”
Favorite Scene: The utterly astounding single-take fight scene with Daisy taking out the agents in the room. Much like the single-take fight from last season (also featuring her), this was impeccably choreographed and produced. I am in awe!
Nad Rating
B+
The Walking Dead 6×16 – Last Day On Earth
Well that was manipulative. All year long, The Walking Dead has been building its season finale as a mindblowing hour with a HUGE death. So imagine my surprise when the show instead chose to give us an irritating cliffhanger with not an answer in sight. Seriously writers? Cliffhangers are only effective when they’re earned, and this was a tedious and slow 90 mins brimming with stall tactics and boring plotting. At least those final 15 minutes (before that ending) were incredible!
Favorite Quote: “When I sent my people to kill your people for killing my people, you killed more of my people.”
Favorite Scene: Everything about Negan’s introduction was top-notch. From the haunting whistling, to Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s perfect and immensely charismatic performance, to him bringing out Lucille the bat and threatening the entire team culminating with the attack. The sheer brilliance of this tense scene alone elevates the rating a couple of points. Otherwise… disastrous finale!
Nad Rating
B-
Legends of Tomorrow 1×09 – Left Behind
This was certainly the best episode since the pilot, but that’s not saying much. I appreciated the fact that Legends took an unexpected risk for once and actually kept Ray, Kendra and Sara trapped in the past (for several years). That development not only brought Ray and Kendra closer together (the show is obviously hellbent on romance and we have to accept that), but allowed Sara to return to the League (hello again Ra’s Al Ghul) for an amusing albeit rushed storyline. Plus Mick finally got something to do with the well-executed Kronos twist,
Favorite Quote: “It’s basically a life-extending jacuzzi.”
Favorite Scene: The fight in Nanda Parbat with the whole team against Kronos was the best fight sequence the show’s produced in a long, long time. Also, I loved the Talia Al Ghul appearance (even though she was ten years old).
Nad Rating
B+
That was indeed Legends' best episode since the pilot! So many memorable moments especially seeing Ray, Kendra and Sara trapped in the past. Kinda made me wish we'd see this dragged on to several episodes.
But I HATED how the ending sort of reset everything back. It felt like the show is unwilling to shake up its status quo, right? But Talia Al Ghul hooray!
It's been hilarious reading the way people reacted to TWD! Should I watch this show or I'm not really missing out on anything?
The Walking Dead finale wasn't perfect and the cliffhanger was an annoying note to end the season on but, Nad, I share your love for those last minutes involving Negan. Jeffrey Dean Morgan played just it right and I look forward to more scenes of him, especially when interacting with the other characters. I believe Negan will make an even more compelling Big Bad on the show than the Governor who was somewhat mishandled as a character.