My Review of Doctor Who's 8x12: "Death In Heaven"

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Rachel Talalay

The Doctor: “Why are you doing this?”
The Master/Missy: “I need you to know we’re not so different. I need my friend back.”

There are so many quotes I could’ve used because let’s be honest, Moffat gave his version of the Master practically all the best dialogue of the episode and if you thought Michelle Gomez was a little unhinged in the previous episode, then this one allowed her to go well and truly maximum crazy here.

Of course the Master would dedicate all that time and energy into pollinating a whole army of the dead as Cybermen just to hand over control to the Doctor. I saw people criticise the plot but when has the Master ever came up with a plan that actually made any sense? This one was no more bonkers than the Master race or the Toclafane but it was certainly as enjoyable even if corrupting the Doctor with an army predictably went to shit really.

While I’m still not overly in favour of the idea of a female Doctor someday and would’ve preferred that Moffat had brought the Master back as a male character, I cannot heap enough praise on Michelle Gomez. Everything she did in this episode was the Master. The glee she took over knowing where Gallifrey was and giving the Doctor false coordinates? That’s the Master for you.

The fact that she simply kept the Doctor and Clara together (yes, she was the woman in the shop), just cos the latter’s a control freak – that’s the Master. The utter joy she took in bumping off Osgood and nearly killing Kate – again, the very thing the Master would do. The whole confrontation at the graveyard scene with the taunting, the tempting and even the offer of going with the Doctor to find their home – also the Master. Basically, Gomez and Moffat know the character and nailed her brilliantly with this whole episode.

Which leads to the bum deal – did she really have to die and more importantly, by a Cyberman version of the Brigadier? I get the intention was meant to be good but that sort of left a bad taste really and I don’t feel the episode needed to honour the Brigadier in that way. However, I also didn’t like the idea of the Master being killed off yet again, when she simply could’ve escaped or been held in UNIT captivity. I’m going to wager though the next time we see the Master, it’ll be when the Doctor actually does find Gallifrey and that will probably be sooner than later.

As for the rest of this episode – the Cybermen were certainly creepy enough and while they were better used here than previous stories, they still played second fiddle to the Master. Aside from that cameo scene, the only other significant Cyberman was the recently uploaded/converted Danny who ended up mucking the Master’s scheme, getting an emotional goodbye with Clara and righting a previous misdeed from his history.

I have to admit, I did think that Moffat was actually going to undo Danny’s death at the very last minute so the fact that it stuck was kind of surprising. I liked the character but I don’t think Clara and Danny worked as well as Amy and Rory did but at the same time, at least he got a dignified and somewhat heroic exit.

As for the Doctor and Clara themselves – their relationship seems to be a weird place. Clara’s convinced that the Doctor’s going back to Gallifrey and the Doctor’s convinced that Danny’s alive. However it does look like with the help of Santa Claus (am I allowed to say I’m not a big fan of Nick Frost?), that things between this Doctor/companion won’t end on the strained note quite so soon.

Also in “Death In Heaven”

I assume putting Jenna Coleman’s name in the opening credits first with her eyes was a dig at certain fans complaining about Clara’s screen time this series.

Clara (to Cybermen): “Clara Oswald has never existed.”

Clara’s birthday was confirmed as November 23rd 1986 and while pretending to be the Doctor, she mentioned he had been married four times and mentioned Jenny as well.

Kate: “He’s on the payroll.”
The Doctor: “Am I?”

Clara: “I am an incredible liar.”
Danny: “Correct.”

People in the street taking selfies with Cybermen? They weren’t doing that in 2006, were they? Osgood also got the companion offer before being killed off as well.

The Master/Missy (to the Doctor): “Do you know what’s the best part of knowing? Not telling you!”

Osgood: “If it was that important, why would you tell us?”
The Master/Missy: “Well, look at me, I’m bananas.”

She’s not wrong – we had ‘oh, Missy, you’re so fine’ and the dodgiest Cockney accent when explaining about Clara too. Plus that umbrella scene and randomly bumping off Seb too because he wanted to squee.

The Master/Missy (to the Doctor, re Osgood): “Have you got any more friends I can play with?”

Clara: “Danny?”
Danny: “Danny Pink is dead. Help me.”

The funeral home was called Chaplet. As someone pointed out to me on Twitter, the Master actually killed Dodo Chaplet in a novel once.

The Doctor (to Danny): “Pain is a gift. Without the capacity of pain, we can’t feel the hurt we inflict.”

Clara: “I wasn’t very good at it but I did love you.”
Danny: “Loved you too.”

The scene where the Doctor started smashing the console in anger over the Master tricking him about Gallifrey was a stunning moment – possibly Peter Capaldi’s best one in this series.

The Master/Missy: “Say something nice. Please.”
The Doctor: “You win.”
The Master/Missy: “I know.”

Clara (to the Doctor): “Travelling with you made me feel really special. Thank you for that. Thank you for making me feel special.”

Chronology: Still present day London 2014, but also the Doctor’s birthday as well, according to the Master.

I know a certain cameo scene might have divided viewers and you can make the argument about the Cybermen plotline not making too much sense but fuck it, I actually really loved “Death In Heaven”. Not only was it an impressive and satisfying first series finale for the Twelfth Doctor but it was a brilliant return to form for the Master, had some wonderful character moments, bits of horror and great scenes. Overall, a brilliant wrap up to an impressive debut series for Peter Capaldi.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Recap/Review: How To Get Away With Murder's 1x03: Smile Or Go To Jail

Out of the three episodes so far, this one was probably the least impressive but it still had it's moments though as we got learn a little bit more about Michaela.

Written by Rob Fresco
Directed by Randy Zisk

Choose Your Spouse Wisely: Michaela has mentioned in the previous two episodes that she has a husband to be somewhere and this week, we met him - Aiden, played by Sinbad's Elliot Knight. On paper, Aiden came across the perfect fiancee for the rather ambitious Michaela but as soon as it was revealed that he had a brief sexual history with Connor (which reveal wise, came across as a little contrived for some reason), Michaela began to wonder if getting married to Aiden was such a bright idea at all. I don't know if Aiden was being sincere when he said his experimentation with Connor was a one-off or if the writers are setting up a coming out as gay or bisexual reveal for the character later on, but I do get the impression that any marriage between Michaela and Aiden will probably not be a long lasting one though.

Lost The Ring: I have to admit the flash forwards to the aftermath of Sam's murder weren't particularly that interesting this week, even if Laurel had the bright idea of using the bonfire as an alibi for the gang. I guess the reason why they bothered me this week was the callous way Connor behaved with Michaela (love the guy but he's too much of a dick to her, especially when revealing about his past with Aiden too) at the bonfire. He managed to make uttering the title of this episode sound so menacing as Michaela seemed to have great difficult in actually pretending to have a good time. Connor also didn't do himself any favours by challenging Annalise this week but he did make me laugh of his comments about the hotness of Asher and Frank, the former seemingly a little put out that Connor didn't find him as attractive.

He Didn't Do It: Well, thanks to Nate, Annalise now can sleep safely at night in the knowledge that her husband didn't murder the college student he was clearly sleeping with. Except that Nate wasn't actually that truthful about Sam's whereabouts on the night of Lila's murder. Sam seems like such an obvious suspect that it probably won't be him but he's no more obvious than Lila's football stud boyfriend or surly Rebecca. Speaking of Sam, is there something going on with him and Bonnie because this episode certainly seemed to imply something at the very least.

A Worthy Cause: Well, thanks to Wes, Annalise decided not to represent Lila's boyfriend but instead local drug dealer/general sour face, Rebecca. No disrespect to the actress but three episodes in, I just find Rebecca thoroughly unpleasant as a character and even more so in this episode. Granted, Wes's whole mantra of wanting to be her knight in shining armour is somewhat grating, given that he barely knows her and has absolutely no evidence of her innocence. More still, I did find it a tad annoying that Annalise sided with him over it as well and I don't even like Lila's boyfriend. I like Wes but Rebecca tends to cloud his judgement and not in a good way.

20 Years Ago: I mentioned during my recap/review for the opening episode that I wouldn't always be gripped by the cases of the week and while I enjoyed last week's one, this case kind of bored me to tears. Ana Ortiz is a great actress (Ugly Betty, Devious Maids) but I didn't much care for her character in this one and the bit where her and former partner in crime, played by Jason Gedrick managed to fool everyone and flee on a bus was pretty unsatisfying. Hopefully next week's case will be far more interesting to watch.

Next week, it's time to get some proper focus on Connor as his relationship with Oliver hits a new low.

Recap/Review: American Horror Story: Freak Show - Pink Cupcakes

Well, Halloween has come and gone and this week we got an episode with a lot of moments that even I didn't see coming to be honest.

Written by Jessica Sharzer
Directed by Michael Uppendahl

Hello Handsome: Given that Matt Bomer has previously worked with Ryan Murphy on an episode of Glee and earlier this year with The Normal Heart, it's fantastic that they managed to get him to finally appear on this show (is it wrong that I hope he's a regular next season?). In this episode he played a hustler whom Dell seemed to be in love (when I referred to moments I didn't see coming, Dell being in the closet wasn't one of them) but more importantly/unfortunately, Bomer's role in this episode was to be the helpless victim for an increasingly psychotic Dandy who brought back to Twisty's caravan and chopped him up. A waste of Bomer's talents but narratively at least it did serve a purpose though.

Yes, You Are A Bad Mother: This episode was a frustrating one when it came to Gloria. I liked that she was able to see through dandy's pathetic claim of a break in and realised that he murdered Dora. What I didn't like was the fact that she helped bury the body an then later dismissed the concern of Dora's college bound daughter, Regina (Gabourey Sidibe making her return) in favour of defending her awful parenting. Also given that Dandy then just showed up at the end with more blood on his hands, you just have to wonder how many more people will he bump off before Gloria even tries to rein him in?

Delusional, Much?: A part of me really wants to feel sorry for Elsa. We all know that Stanley is stringing her along but at the same time, even with a bit of an audience rejection (did not want to hear Life On Mars again), I just cannot sympathise with Elsa. Her chances of becoming a star are long gone, her snobbery towards television grating and the fact that she handed Bette and Dot over to Gloria and Dandy at the end proves to me that she doesn't deserve the stardom that she's desperately craving. I think I'd be fine if Stanley bumped her and Dell off but definitely not the rest of the freaks.

Cupcakes, Anyone?: For a large portion of this episode, Stanley spent a great deal of the time fantasising about murder (as a contrast to Dandy actually committing it, perhaps?). Mainly it was fantasising about killing Bette and Dot with the aid of some poisonous pink cupcakes, so either way, these girls are in danger for the remainder of the season. Much as I'm loving O'Hare on the show and his team up with Roberts fake medium, I really do hope that Stanley gets his comeuppance but I have a feeling he's at least going to kill someone off before that happens though.

More Than A Woman: This episode had a lot of interesting side plots. While Esmeralda/Maggie seems happy to help Stanley with his devious schemes, she also seemed desperate to get Jimmy to leave the camp as well while Jimmy nearly sleeping with Desiree revealed a lot more about her character. I liked Desiree in the previous episode and more so in this one, especially when she finally chose to ditch Dell once and for all. As for Dell, he lost my sympathy when he attacked that kind doctor who wanted to help Desiree.

Next week Dandy confesses his antics to Bette and Dot while Elsa has some questions to answer.

My Review of Revenge's 4x06: "Damage"

Written by Christopher Fife And Sallie Patrick
Directed by John Terlesky

David (to Nolan): “She died without knowing you betrayed her. That you betrayed me and for that, I will never forgive you.”

I really wanted to like this episode. There were some moments I genuinely enjoyed and then there was the live television interview from hell and that was one of two moments that I truly hated. David humiliating Nolan on live television believing he stole from Amanda and later punching Nolan. Both moments annoyed me more than they should’ve done.

I can understand why David might think that Nolan might have betrayed Amanda but the fact that he was so unwilling to listen to Nolan’s side and humiliated him so publicly actually made me hate the character with an intense passion. Then again, this whole David storyline has been a bad idea from the start.

We’re six episodes into this season and it feels as directionless as ever. David being brought back to life has done more to hinder and undo everything that has gone on before than help it. I’m not even sure if Emily actually revealing herself to be Amanda and David believing it will actually help this show.

Also seeing David being continuously manipulated by Victoria as well has certainly gotten exhausting to watch, even if this episode did show moments where Victoria’s concern for David’s well being was genuine. However, that’s not enough to make me care and I’m really struggling with this season as a whole. I hate to say but ABC really might have to put this show out of it’s misery and end it this season.

Of course there were some good moments in the episode, surprisingly enough stemming from Charlotte. She managed to bump off a would be kidnapper in one of the show’s least extravagant fight scenes and even seemed receptive when Emily finally gave her the very harsh dose of reality that Charlotte’s been needing for some time.

I liked that both Daniel and Victoria were supportive of Charlotte going to rehab and the idea of a Charlotte free zone for a few episodes really won’ hurt the show at this rate. I also liked that Charlotte called Victoria out on her psychotic need to hurt Emily, though it’s unlikely Victoria won’t give up on that one.

As for the Louise plot, I’m still not really sure what the point of it is really but she did have some interesting scenes with Daniel, Victoria and Margaux in this episode and just maybe I was a little harsh on her last week. Her plot is no different to Tyler’s on a cosmetic level but I’ll happily take her lunacy over anything involving Ben and Jack’s cop shenanigans though.

Also in “Damage”

Nice recreation/expansion of a certain David/Amanda flashback that’s been prominent with the show since the opening episode.

Victoria (re Louise): “That girl is mentally imbalanced.”
Daniel: “So she’s a friend of yours.”

Emily managed to figure with a basic look that David staged the whole kidnapped/tortured thing. Strange how trained professionals such as the FBI were then easily fooled.

Louise: “You were like a mother to me.”
Victoria: “We were roommates for a day.”

Emily: “I’ve never killed anyone, Charlotte. I know you hate me for the things I’ve done but I’ve never done that.”

I’m surprised that Charlotte actually did believe Emily murdered Aiden. I also like that she knows Victoria did and told Daniel who Emily really is.

Nolan (to Victoria): “Oh, I just love live TV. You never know what’s gonna happen.”

Victoria (to David): “No matter what happens, I will always be on your side.”

Standout music: “For You” by Angus And Julia Stone.

Nolan (to Emily): “Your lies finally caught up to me.”

Chronology: From where “Repercussions” more or less left off.

“Damage” is kind of what this show feels like at the moment. This episode was utterly frustrating in parts, boring in others. I’m trying to enjoy this season but I am really struggling with at the moment.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 1x07: "Penguin's Umbrella"

Written by Bruno Heller
Directed by Rob Bailey

Oswald (to Falcone, re Gordon): “Don’t worry, he’ll see the light, one way or another. I guarantee.”

For those who felt like the show has been treading water for a bit, well this episode helped to shake things up a bit. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was a game changing episode as such but the reveal of Oswald working with Falcone all along was the best twist the show has pulled off so far and yet, it was also signposted as well.

Fish herself noticed how relaxed and unconcerned Falcone actually was when it was revealed that Oswald was alive and Falcone himself could’ve used greater force on Maroni had he had actually been that desperate to get Oswald back. The fact that he didn’t only foreshadowed the final moment of this episode.

I love that Oswald will literally do anything to survive. Falcone told Fish that dying men were honest back in the second episode and in flashbacks to the first, Oswald’s honesty spared his life along with the fact that he could use Gordon’s morality to his own advantage. In other words, Oswald has become an even bigger problem for everyone around him, including Falcone himself.

If Oswald can orchestrate both Frankie and Nikolai’s death so easily, then both Falcone and Maroni need to pay better attention to their golden goose. Fish’s reaction to him being alive was particularly delightful to watch though. She definitely knows how to maintain a grudge and she’s rightly scared that he’s still breathing. If she knew that Falcone was on to her, she’d be even more scared.

Speaking of Falcone, the series really has done wonders with him so far, haven’t they? While he might be unaware of Liza’s motives (or is he?), he certainly knew how to get Gordon on side. When Victor Zsasz couldn’t get him to come to Falcone of his own volition, having Barbara used as bait to get Gordon to back down was the next best thing.

Which leads to my problem with this episode – Barbara. I really like Erin Richards but at this rate, Barbara is not being served well by the show and is coming across as Lana Lang levels of useless at times. Gordon tried to get her to leave Gotham after Butch intimidated and she ended up being used leverage by Falcone instead. The show really does need to find a way of integrating her better into the plots or just write her out of certain episodes.

As for Gordon’s attempts to the right thing – it was a mixed bag. He failed to get the Mayor and Falcone arrested for their cover up in the Wayne family murders but he did get himself allies in Renee and Crispus (the former who actually apologised to Gordon), managed to get Bullock on side and even Essen seemed somewhat empathetic towards his plight if actually powerless to help him out though. Realistically he was never going to be able to clean up Gotham, but at least he’s starting to get a little bit more support though.

Also in “Penguin’s Umbrella”

This episode had Oswald referred to as Penguin more than usual. It’s great but is it perhaps a little too early?

Essen: “Are you insane?”
Gordon: “No. Maybe a little. Feels good. They’re gonna try and kill me anyway.”

The fact that Essen mentioned her family should hopefully mean that she’s going to get some more significant character moments in later episodes.

Victor: “I’m here for Jim Gordon. Only him. Everybody else, mind your own business and we’re cool.”

Gordon: “There are fifty cops here, try something.”
Victor: “Everybody out! Please!”

Victor Zsasz, delightfully played by Anthony Carrigan (he’s killed 28 people) – I definitely want to see more of this guy.

Oswald: “I’m sorry you feel that way, Fish.”
Fish: “Only my friends call me Fish.”

Which begs the question – what is her real name? In fact, we are somewhat due a bit more back story on the character now.

Oswald (to Frankie): “Love conquers all.”

Maroni (to Falcone): “There’s nothing more dangerous than an honest man.”

Both Nygma and Selina were missing from this episode but Bruce and Alfred were introduced to Renee and Crispus for one scene. The scene with Bullock and his date was also pretty funny.

Bullock: “I figured I’m doomed so I might as well join the good guys.”
Gordon: “Thank you.”

Standout music: Anyone notice a slight change in music for the title sequence? Also the fact that Zsasz has “Funkytown” as his ringtone is funnier than it should be.

Falcone (to Gordon): “I have my faults but I am no liar.”

Chronology: From where “Spirit Of The Goat” more or less left off.

Now this definitely was more like it. “Penguin’s Umbrella” might not be a huge game changer in one sense but it was definitely a turning point for the series and one that should hopefully see a tighter focus on things. There are still some characters in desperate need of fleshing out (Barbara, Essen, even Fish to a point) but overall, this is the best episode we’ve gotten so far.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who's 8x11: "Dark Water"

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Rachel Talalay

The Doctor: “Who’s Missy?”
The Master/Missy: “Oh, please try to keep up. Short for Mistress. Well, couldn’t very well keep calling myself the Master, now could I?”

Well, Steven Moffat really went there and in the space of forty five minutes has probably changed a lot more about the show’s internal workings that ever before. On Saturday, we finally learned that Missy was actually the Mistress or formerly the Master and it was the very thing that overrode an episode with a lot of going on in it.

It’s been two days and I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about this reveal. I’ve always been vocal about my preference for both the Doctor and the Master to remain male characters but now that the latter is female, it’s quite likely that this could possibly work after all. At least with Michelle Gomez playing the role, Moffat has managed to find a worthy successor to John Simm at the very least and her scheming with the Cybermen is very Master/Mistress like as well.

I did like that Missy played the role of an overenthusiastic interface droid that flustered both the Doctor and Clara before killing the rather cute Dr Chang and revealing that the Nethersphere was actually a Matrix Data Slice. The very mention of Gallifreyan technology was the obvious indicator as to whom Missy would turn out to be but even she literally had to tell the Doctor at the near last moment of this episode.

I guess the obvious question isn’t how has the Master become a woman but more how did he/she escape the time lock and hopefully that’s one that Moffat does at least answer in the hour long finale on Saturday. As for the teaming up with the Cybermen – hardly a first for the Master, now is it?

Like the Master, the Cybermen’s presence was made obvious the moment that Chang explained to the Doctor and Clara about the properties of dark water and while they only briefly appeared towards the end, their presence worked really well. If we’re lucky, this two parter is not only going to be an excellent story for the Master/Missy but also for the Cybermen and they really are overdue one.

Of course while it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of two major enemies returning, there’s also the fact that Danny Pink died in this episode. Not in a heroic way but in an ordinary way but also one that saw Clara become mad with grief and threaten the Doctor in order to get her boyfriend back. The scene alone where she’s throwing TARDIS keys into lava before it’s revealed to be a dream is some genuinely powerful acting from Jenna Coleman – possibly her most memorable to date if I’m being honest.

I do like that despite Clara’s betrayal, the Doctor was willing to entertain the idea of saving Danny by taking her to the Nethersphere. While I do think that Danny is more than likely done for, this episode raised some very disturbing notions about death. The idea of being able to feel what your corpse is feeling despite being dead is probably the most unsettling thing this show has ever done, along with the words ‘don’t cremate me’ being used to horrific effect as well.

The Nethersphere stuff is reasonably great, even more so when the Master/Missy revealed that the Cybermen were getting one hell of an upgrade but more to the point, it also turned out that Danny’s very bad day was a lot darker than expected when Seb arranged a little reunion for him. As for the Clara and Danny stuff, some of the scenes worked, some didn’t, despite Coleman and Anderson’s performances. I just get the feeling that Danny’s death is somewhat going to stick.

Also in “Dark Water”

Clara was trying to explain her travels with the Doctor to Danny via some post it notes.

Gran: “You know what you should do. You should cry, let go.”
Clara: “Of what?”

I loved that we got to see Clara’s grandmother again. I hope she appears in the second part of this story, if there’s room for her. You also have to smile at the fact the Doctor has a copy of The Time Traveller’s Wife as well.

Clara: “You know what, Doctor, when it comes to taking control, you really are out of your depth.”

Clara: “I don’t deserve a friend like you.”
The Doctor: “Clara, I’m terribly sorry, but I’m exactly what you deserve.”

It’s just occurred to me that for the first time, both the Doctor and the Master are played by Scottish actors. Oh and they kissed too.

The Doctor: “Who maintains your heart?”
The Master/Missy: “My heart is maintained by the Doctor.”

Chang: “Why is there all this swearing?”
The Doctor: “Oh, I’ve got a lot of internalised anger.”

This is also the second time the Master has murdered an assistant named Chang, only this time I get the feeling this one won’t be coming back from the dead.

The Master/Missy: “Humankind, bring out your dead.”

The Doctor: “Who are you?”
The Master/Missy: “You know who I am. You felt it.”

The iconic St Paul’s Cathedral (where the Nethersphere actually was) with the Cybermen got it’s 2014 remix in this episode too.

Chang: “Are you going to kill me?”
The Master/Missy: “Now, come on, let’s not dwell on such horrid things. This is going to be our last conversation and I’m the one who’s going to have to live with that.”

The Doctor: “I presume you’ve got stairs.”
The Master/Missy: “Well, I’m not a Dalek.”

Chronology: London 2014 I assume.

“Dark Water” was the first half of a story and it’s been a long while since we’ve had a two parter. It’s also one of Steven Moffat’s most exhilarating and even for him rather dark pieces as well. Regardless of gender, the return of the Master has been something I’ve been clamouring more for than the Cybermen and with Michelle Gomez at the helm, it looks like the character is going to be as volatile and unpredictable as ever.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Recap/Review: How To Get Away With Murder's 1x02: It's All Her Fault

These reviews will be a little earlier from next week onwards (Fridays most likely). As for the second episode, yup, still hooked.

Written by Peter Nowalk
Directed by Bill D'Elia

Blame Rebecca: Well, Michaela certainly wanted and she did quite repeatedly during the flash forward scenes as she, Connor and Laurel were stuck in the woods while Wes went off to get cleaning supplies and whatnot. Personally, two episodes in and I just don't like Rebecca a great deal. It's not the actress fault, I just find the character cold and annoying and the closeness with her and Wes in this episode just seemed convenient rather than meaningful. I'm not sure if Rebecca is responsible for Sam's death but clearly she's had some role to play in the events and Wes's vow to protect her will probably blow up in his face as well. In the present day though, Rebecca briefly had a shower in his apartment before getting arrested in relation to Lila Stangard's murder.

He Doesn't Do Boyfriends: But clearly Connor likes Oliver enough to feel bad about blowing him off. He might be a cool customer who likes to use sex as a tool but clearly Oliver means enough to Connor if the latter was willing to try and make it up to him during this episode with some takeout and more sex scenes. I'm not going to lie - Connor is rapidly becoming one of my new favourite characters this year and his scenes continue to be a highlight in this episode - even the ones where he's sniping at Michaela, questioning Wes's credentials or even shocking Asher, the latter was surprised to learn that Connor is gay. Basically, more Connor please. Even the inappropriate one in flash forwards who seems to make Christmas songs sound creepy.

Sleeping With A Killer: For someone who doesn't seem all that bothered about her clients being killers, Annalise certainly was a lot more worried about the idea of her husband being Lila's murderer though. Viola Davis is fantastic, there's no doubt of that and here, she was even better than the opening episode. I don't know if Sam murdered Lila, but you don't have to be a genius to have figured out that he was sleeping with her at the very least. The scenes with Annalise confiding in her former detective lover were brilliant. I was though surprised that Nate seemed unconvinced by Sam's guilt and that sex scene between Annalise and Sam was pretty uncomfortable to watch. This show like to talk about surprise witnesses and the likes, so when it comes to Lila, I'm going to assume that Sam, Rebecca and the boyfriend probably didn't kill her. There's a chance we probably haven't met the killer yet.

Remember Her Name: With Bonnie and Frank still yet to make a real impression, isn't a bit hypocritical of Bonnie to castigate Laurel. I know both Laurel and Asher haven't stood out in the same way that Connor, Wes and Michaela have done so far, but generally they're decent enough characters and I do think that Bonnie was perhaps a little too snappy with Laurel at times too, even if her fears about Frank sleeping with Laurel are justified. Speaking of Frank, I liked that he got both Michaela and Asher as a team for a bit of bin snooping during this episode.

Wife Hunter: The case in the first episode felt pretty bog standard stuff but the case in this episode was actually interesting. That's probably not something I'll say every week but here, I was genuinely interested in trying to figure out whether or not Steven Weber's oddball millionaire Max St Vincent actually killed his second wife. The various twists were actually quite interesting (even if his daughter was a tad annoying) and the fact that Max had no problem using both Connor and Bonnie as crash test dummies to disprove his guilt in two separate scenes was well executed as well. Connor in particularly looked both uncomfortable and a bit turned on by Max simulating a murder on him.

Next week, more flash forwards, the arrival of Michaela's husband to be and Ana Ortiz as a woman wanted by the FBI.

The Simpsons - Top 5 Best Treehouse Of Horror Episodes

So, today is Halloween and while I'm hardly the first person to do a list of my favourite Treehouse Of Horror episodes from The Simpsons, I have however decided just to pick my five favourites.

1: Treehouse Of Horror I

In some ways the first one of these (from the show's second season) was by far it's best with a trio of wonderful instalments - Bad Dream House, Hungry Are The Damned and The Raven. Out of the three, they're all great but it's the last one that truly stood out with Bart being his most malevolent as the creepy raven of the piece, tormenting Homer.

2: Treehouse Of Horror VIII

From the ninth season, I always found this one rather underrated. The stories here - The HΩmega Man, Fly Vs Fly and Easy Bake Coven are delightfully bonkers tales. Bart becoming a fly was well executed along with a zombie infected Springfield and it certainly felt plausible that from centuries past Marge and her sisters would be dangerous witches too.

3: Treehouse Of Horror IV

Four stories from this particular episode - Wraparounds, The Devil And Homer Simpson, Terror at 5½ Feet and Bart Simpson's Dracula. All of them brilliant but it's really the second and last one that are the true standouts from this particular episode.

4: Treehouse Of Horror XVIII

Probably the most recent of ones to make my Top 5 (from the nineteenth season), the trio of stories here are superb. Whether it's a hostile alien invasion with ET Go Home, a certain movie parodied in Mr & Mrs Simpson or Ned Flanders being given the ability to scare the living daylights out of Bart, Lisa, Nelson and Millhouse in Heck House, they're all great here.

5: Treehouse Of Horror XVI

From the seventeenth season, you've got Bart replaced with a robot son in B.I.: Bartificial Intelligence, Mr Burns going on a hunting spree in Survival Of The Fattest and the best of the bunch - the residents of Springfield being cursed by a witch into becoming their Halloween costumes in I've Grown A Costume To Your Face. While the last one was a storyline previously done on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the results here are still hilarious to watch.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Recap/Review: American Horror Story: Freak Show - Edward Mordrake Part 2

The second part of our Halloween special and once again, this managed to be quite the episode with a few notable deaths and some surprising character backstories.

Written by Jennifer Salt
Directed by Howard Deutch

I Was A Good Clown: Twisty got the most interesting backstory of the episode and arguably the most tragic as well. The reveal of him being a rather dimwitted clown whom the freaks falsely accused of being a paedophile along with a botched suicide attempt (hence the jaw) and the fact that he wanted to do well by kids was surprisingly powerful stuff. Kudos for a fantastic backstory but at the same time, his death at the hands of Edward Mordrake wasn't so shocking when you think about it. It was however still effective though and with one dangerous clown taken out of the equation, there's always room for another.

You Ruined My Halloween: With Twisty now dead, someone has to scare the bejesus out of the Jupiter residents and Dandy seemed more than happy to take on the role. He had no problem kidnapping Jimmy and Maggie in this episode and even tried to saw the latter in half before receiving a well deserved punch from Jimmy. More to the point when he realised that Twisty was no longer alive, he took both his jawline and his homicidal tendencies as well. Much as I liked Dora as a character, it was obvious that she was going to end up becoming one of Dandy's first victims and the last minute of this episode. It's a shame to see her go and Gloria certainly better watch out as well now that her spoiled son has a taste for murder.

Snuff Movie: The best thing about this episode was giving us something of an insight into some of Elsa's troupes past, courtesy of Mordrake scouting for another soul to join his own troupe. While Mordrake was too charmed by Pepper and her friend's innocent playing to ask for their backstories, we did find out more about Paul the animated seal and Legless Suzy, but it was Elsa's past that was more interesting. I loved that Mordrake ripped through her delusions of grandeur to find out that she was a dominatrix in Germany who ended up having her legs cut off during the making of a snuff movie. A part of me was surprised that Elsa wasn't taken by Mordrake but I was also annoyed that her hubris came back again when Stanley showed up at the camp and pretended that he was a talent scout. I guess she's going to be in for some fall in later episodes.

Hero Of The Hour: Well, that award fell to Jimmy. He did save Maggie from being chopped in half by Dandy and also got everyone else to flee from Twisty. I didn't mind that the police and locals believed that he killed Twisty, mainly because he told Elsa the real story and also because in general, he's a fairly decent guy. I do think he's a little too taken in with Maggie though, so hopefully in the next few episodes he wises up to her and also finds a better way of getting back at Dell too.

Soul Claimer: So far we've seen Mordrake interact with Ethel, Elsa, Pepper and her friend, Legless Suzy and Paul before he claimed Twisty's soul. I get the impression that like Papa Legba from Coven that he's going to show up again and claim a few more souls, probably around the time we get to the finale. As for the rest of the episode, Bette and Dot got demoted in the performing hierarchy, Desiree dealt with a child's curiosity with sassy humour, Ethel was nowhere to be seen (or was she?) and Dell looked like he had a slapped arse on him.

Next week, a lot of screaming, Matt Bomer looking like an extra from Grease and pink cupcakes.

My Review of Revenge's 4x05: "Repercussions"

Written by Ted Sullivan
Directed by Kate Woods

David: “I have come to learn that evil takes many forms, including those that we think we can trust the most.”

Actually the only think David has learned is to take the wrong end of the stick really. Even without Victoria and Charlotte feeding him misinformation and using him to get back at both Emily and Jack, David came to the wrong conclusion about who wronged his little girl at the end of this episode.

The trailer for next week saw him punching Nolan and when the latter tried to explain that he did everything David had wanted (money, infinity box etc), David didn’t seem at all convinced by Nolan’s sincerity. That to me is both annoying and understandable (given David’s current mental) but mostly annoying.

It’s frustrating to think that David might actually consider Nolan a traitor almost as it’s frustrating to see that Emily still hasn’t informed him that she’s really Amanda. At least with the latter storyline, Emily did manage to move David into their old beach house with Daniel and Margaux’s help but how much longer can Nayar and company drag this plot out?

I like that David is suspicious about Amanda’s death and even that he questioned Jack and Carl as well but I wish he would show a bit more mistrust and suspicion towards Victoria as well, even if both Emily, Daniel and Margaux managed to knock the wind out of her sails this week.

The confrontation scene at the hotel with Emily and Victoria was pretty good though. If this series does end with Victoria well and truly losing everything, then I’ll be happy but somehow even when David inevitably turns on her for lying to him, I still get the feeling that Victoria will somehow manage to get a last laugh of sorts anyways.

As for Daniel – when he wasn’t lording it over Victoria with his act of generosity, he was also getting further caught up in crazy Louise as well. I did like that he tried to keep things professional towards the end but it seems like Louise’s inane obsession with Victoria won’t be ceasing anytime soon and Daniel just fodder for the fire really.

On the plus side though, at least this episode finally gave us some decent Nolan moments. His scenes with Emily, Jack and David were all the highlights of this episode and if he can finally manage to convince the latter not to trust Victoria (which he did try to here), then it will feel like the character’s getting back on track. Provided David doesn’t kill him first, that is.

Also in “Repercussions”

How many more tedious scenes of Charlotte using and hooking up with assholes do we have to endure this season?

Victoria: “I’m afraid you won’t like the answers.”
David: “I don’t care. I’m gonna find out what happened to my girl.”

Charlotte’s little stunt with getting David to believe that Carl was his grandson was a new low for her.

Louise: “I’m from the South dear. If they’re not gossiping about you, you might as well be dead.”
Daniel: “Maybe I like to maintain a little mystery about myself.”

Margaux: “You should learn to govern your emotions, Emily. This is such an unflattering colour on you.”

In surprising news, Ben was actually kind of likeable this week but only because he seemed genuinely concerned about justice when looking into Conrad’s murder. The fact they kept him away from Emily probably helped too.

Emily (to Victoria): “You know what I see is a frightened woman about to lose the last person she could trick into loving her to his daughter.”

Charlotte (to Jack): “Wow, you are not a good cop. Terrible deductive reasoning.”

Victoria: “What are you doing?”
Daniel: “Atoning for my father’s sins.”

Standout music: Harry Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin’”.

Daniel (to Louise): “Trust me I’m doing you a favour. You really don’t want to be a part of my family.”

Chronology: Five days since the last scene of “Meteor”.

“Repercussions” was a better episode than expected, maybe even better than last week but there’s still unengaging plotlines and still a sense that this show cannot go beyond this season. I don’t want to be harsh, but it’s kind of how I feel at the moment.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 1x06: "Spirit Of The Goat"

Written by Ben Edlund
Directed by TJ Scott

Dix: “He always thinks he’s the smartest one in the room.”
Gordon: “I know, right?”
Bullock: “That’s because I’m always in a room full of idiots.”

I’m not gonna lie – a Bullock themed episode wasn’t high on my list of things I was clamouring for with this show, even though I do somewhat like the character. However this episode was a great one for him nonetheless.

Not only did it give us a little bit of a back story on him but his former relationship with former partner Dix from a decade ago wasn’t that dissimilar to the one he has with Gordon, only back then the roles were reversed, until the titular villain managed to cripple Dix that was and the present day brought about a copycat killer.

I couldn’t have been the only one who got a little Batman Returns reminder when the Goat’s MO involved kidnapped the first born kids. Only unlike Oswald from that movie, the Goat targeted both sons and daughters and seemed to like disposing them in a rather clichéd ritualistic manner. Oh and did I mention the killer was a copycat?

I should mention it because a decade ago, the Goat was someone called Randall Milky and in the present day, a janitor named Raymond Earl. However what stopped this from being a typical case of the week with a side order of Bullock angst/memory lane shots was that the therapist to both men was really the one calling the shots.

While Marx’s motives were no different either Balloonman or Viper guy from last week, I did find her a lot more charismatic as a villain and I liked that it was Bullock himself who actually pieced everything together without Gordon’s help and actually solved the case. When Bullock makes the effort, he’s actually a decent cop and person.  Of course, that’s probably only something we’ll see sparingly though.

At the heart of things, he’s still massively intolerant towards Jim’s goody two shoes approach to police work and looked set to kill him when Oswald strolled into GCPD as well. Oswald’s simple little gesture has probably managed to wreck things for Gordon, Bullock, Montoya and Allen as well as Fish and Falcone too for good measure.

Oswald didn’t have as much to do in this episode as previous ones but even with the lesser screen time, he still made the most of it. The last scene alone, his actual scenes with his mother were just downright creepy. I’m not sure how Oswald is supposed to be in this series, but he’s definitely too old to be getting a bath from his mother and that’s probably one scene that managed to be more terrifying than anything the Goat did this week.

As for the rest of the episode – it was a good one for Edward Nygma. When he wasn’t helping with the Goat case, he was trying to be helpful with rearranging records girl, Kristen Kringle system, which only managed to annoy and creep her out in the process. It’s nice that Nygma finally got more than one scene this week but I’m still cool with him staying in the background for a little while longer though.

Also in “Spirit Of The Goat”

I’m hoping with Oswald revealing himself, both Renee and Crispus will actually give Jim a break now, but somehow I doubt it.

Dix: “Gotham’s golden rule, Harvey, no heroes.”

It seems that Bullock has been financially supporting Dix since his accident. The fact that he makes sure Dix gets his dirty magazines was a surprisingly perfect touch.

Nygma: “Are you alright, detective?”
Bullock: “No, I’m not alright. I already solved this case.”

Renee (to Crispus): “We got the son of a bitch. We got Gordon.”

Dix referred to Bullock as a white knight. Er, wrong Harvey but that one will be showing up fairly soon though. I also loved Nygma’s on the nose mug as well.

Nygma (to Kristen): “I want you to keep your job.”

This week in terms of Selina cameos, she broke into Wayne Manor, looked at Bruce’s detective work and then stole a box. As you do.

Renee (re Gordon): “He’s right not to.”
Barbara: “Why?”
Renee: “Because it’ll get you killed, okay?”

This episode was the first one not to feature Fish. Also both Falcone and Maroni were nowhere to be seen as well.

The Goat: “You will never stop the Goat. I will always come back.”
Bullock: “Quit saying that.”

Seeing as the Goat was targeting Gotham’s elite kids, I’m actually surprised that he didn’t go after Bruce. At least Alfred considered the possibility of it though.

Essen: “Bullock, look happier.”

Gordon (to Barbara): “Somehow they cornered me, they tied my hands.”

Chronology: Not long from where “Viper” left off. The ads for the episode almost implied it was supposed to be Halloween.

“Spirit Of The Goat” had some nice elements of horror to it, even if parts of the case felt a little too similar to most cop series. I did like the twist with the therapist and the last scene certainly made this episode as well.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who's 8x10: "In The Forest Of The Night"

Written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Directed by Sheree Folkson

The Doctor (to the children): “Class project – save the Earth.”

What a difference an episode can make. For the last two weeks, even the most ardent of critics towards the Moffat era were praising the ground that Jamie Mathieson walked on for his two contributions towards the show. However, it seems that acclaimed author; Frank Cottrell-Boyce wasn’t on the same receiving end with this offer here.

In some ways I can sort of see why this episode wasn’t so lauded. First of all, the fairytale aspect, whilst beautiful and thematically appropriate has already been something that was given so much focus on when Amy Pond was a companion during the majority of the Matt Smith era that perhaps certain fans didn’t want reminding of it. Of course, there’s also the other criticism as well.

Much as I love Moffat’s era, even I cannot deny that it’s often been too child centred for its own good and after having Courtney taking on a guest companion role a few weeks ago, I wasn’t exactly enthused about the idea of a class trip with Clara and Danny’s students going wrong. Perhaps this was finally one child centred episode too much for Moffat’s particular run but no doubt we’ll get another one in Series 9, which may be better or worse than this one as well.

There’s also the fact that while this episode looked stunning and lush, it also didn’t make a great deal of sense. Overnight London becomes one massive forest that cannot be burned down, except for a solar flare and it’s also somewhat brought about by a young girl named Maebh, who also can’t send the forest back.

Speaking of Maebh, out of all the children she was by far the most likeable and memorable with Abigail Eames working brilliantly with Peter Capaldi during most of the episode’s poignant scenes. Also like the previous two episodes, I’ve noticed that Capaldi’s Doctor has begun to soften a little without totally becoming unrecognisable towards his current incarnation as well.

I did get a bit of a laugh with his exasperation with Coal Hill Year 8 invading his TARDIS but I also liked that he admitted he was wrong not to listen to Maebh and that he also went out of his way to rectify the situation before realising that all he had to do was let the solar flares do their business and London would no longer be a forest. In a lot of ways I think that actually took away the danger the episode was attempting to portray in the first place.

As for the rest episode – last week the Doctor realised that Clara was lying about Danny and this week, Danny realised Clara was lying about the Doctor. It would be nice if somewhere in the finale, Clara sat both of them down and was honest about what she really wanted. Mainly because the whole hopping back and forth is clearly not working as well in her favour as she thought it would do.

As for the other bits of the episode – the Missy plot/Operation Cobra both felt horrible tacked on and the more I think about the way Maebh’s missing sister plot was resolved, the more terrible it actually was. Perhaps that was a subplot that should’ve been nixed at the early stages of this episode as it ended this one on a note too saccharine for its own good.

Also in “In The Forest Of The Night”

Despite the title, this episode was set during the day, even if there was an overnight stay at a zoological museum.

The Doctor (to Maebh): “You need an appointment to see the Doctor.”

The little girl who played the overly chatty Ruby actually voices Peppa Pig.

Danny: “Trees don’t just disappear, Ruby.”
Ruby: “They just came, why don’t they just go?”

The Doctor (re Maebh): “If a child is speaking, listen to it.”

This episode really could’ve been used as a chance for the Doctor and Danny to have actually resolved their issues instead of sniping at each other.

Clara: “I’m actually frightened. I never get frightened. Why am I frightened?”
The Doctor: “Just lost a little girl.”

The Doctor: “Those wolves are terrified.”
Clara: “What are wolves frightened of?”

The flashbacks with Ruby and Bradley somewhat prove that Courtney wasn’t the only ‘disruptive influence’ that Clara and Danny have had to deal with in their classes.

Clara: “This is the human race saving you. Make it worthwhile.”
The Doctor: “This is my world too. I walk your Earth, I breathe your air.”

Missy: “Now that was surprising. I love surprises.”

Chronology: Present day London.

“In The Forest Of The Night” isn’t quite as awful as some fans seem keen to stress out, but given the previous episodes that have come before, it was somewhat lagging in parts and to be honest, I think the trailer for the next episode probably left more of an impression than this episode did overall. Still though, I am going to rate this one fairly.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Recap/Review: How To Get Away With Murder's 1x01: Pilot

Yeah, I caved in and I have decided to do review/recaps for this series for the time being. This should be interesting.

Written by Peter Nowalk
Directed by Michael Offer

The Body: This episode opened with the death (by law trophy) of a mysterious person and four frantic law students - Connor Walsh (Jack Falahee), Wes Gibbons (Alfred Enoch), Laurel Castillo (Karla Souza) and Michaela Pratt (Aja Naomi King) mostly panicking, trying to get the body out of the place of their professor Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) before eventually getting to the woods (amidst a lot of arguing and almost being caught). Like Revenge, this is actually a flashforward but one that takes up a great portion of the opening episode as the body is burned and we learn that it actually happens to be Annalise's husband, Sam Keating (Tom Verica). I guess the mystery is why Sam was killed and can Connor, Wes, Laurel and Michaela get away with murder? However the most disturbing thing about those flashforward scenes wasn't the actual murder/body disposal itself but Connor's completely inappropriate singing of Jingle Bells during the episode. That bit seriously creeped me out more than anything else really.

Professor Formidable: If you love Kerry Washington's Olivia Pope on Scandal, then you'll probably have no problem with falling in love with Viola Davis's crime law professor/attorney, Annalise Keating, who is just every bit as interesting, if possibly not more so. She also seems a lot tougher than Olivia too, what with the way she challenged her students during a 'how to get away with murder' segment before she ended up picking four of them along with frat boy like Asher Millstone (Matt McGorry). Like Olivia too, Annalise has something of an interesting private life - her affair with detective Nate Lachey (Billy Brown) got uncovered by Wes and she seemed a little suspicious about her husband's concern for student Lila Stangard's mysterious death ("I bet you the boyfriend did it.") as well. Character wise, she certainly pulls no punches and you don't have to be a genius to predict that an Emmy for this role is clearly in Davis's imminent future as well.

Bad Boy: Out of all the students, only five were on screen to make an impression from Annalise's class. Asher was the only one from the five not to be involved in the murder and while likeable, he didn't really have a whole lot to do here. As for the others - Wes is clearly the nice guy of the bunch, even trying to help out his mysterious neighbour Rebecca (Katie Findley) who blew hot and cold with him, Laurel was implied to be sleeping with Annalise's associate, Frank Delfino (Charlie Weber) while Michaela seemed to be ultra competitive and the most in denial about the murder but it was Connor who stood out the most here. Aside from the bickering with Michaela and his creepy singing, it's nice to see a gay character on network television unapologetic about their sexuality and the scene where he seduced IT guy Oliver (Conrad Ricamora) for information was fantastic. Aside from Annalise, he's definitely the most interesting character of the bunch here. Cyrus Beene would be proud and a tiny bit afraid of Connor.

Frank & Bonnie: While Olivia has her Gladiators, when Annalise isn't scouting for students to hire at her firm, she's got both Frank and Bonnie Winterbottom (Liza Weil). In terms of first episode stuff, neither of them did anything that truly stood out as such, though it was implied that Frank had a habit for sleeping with students (here's looking at you, Laurel) and both Bonnie and Annalise seemed aware of that and not particularly cool with it either. While they were overshadowed by Annalise, her students and the two murder mysteries of the episode, I'm sure we'll see both characters fleshed out in no time.

Case Of The Week: I have a feeling the case of the week bits of this show will be fine but less interesting than the flashforwards to Sam's murder, the mystery of Lila's murder (which Rebecca and some other guy might be involved with) or the various interactions with the main cast. This week's one revolved around an attempted murder of a man with both his wife and mistress looking like they have been in cahoots at different points in the episode. The various jumping about with the case as each of the students (particularly Connor, Laurel and Michaela) all trying to find various bits of evidence on what really happened was fun enough to seen. Like Scandal, there are times when this show jumps so fast, it could cause you whiplash. It's fun in parts but it can also take you out of the story a tiny bit but other than that, this was an interesting start to a promising series.

Next week, there's a case about a millionaire bumping off his wife as the students in flashforwards buy supplies to clean up their murder.

Ryan Murphy's Other TV Projects

With The Normal Heart bagging plenty of awards, American Horror Story's fourth season currently airing on TV and Glee's sixth and final season waiting in the wings, it seems like Ryan Murphy won't be resting on his laurels just yet as I round up news on his other television projects.

Open: Bad news first. This show starring the likes of Anna Torv, Scott Speedman, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Michelle Monaghan will not be running after all. It was announced a while ago that HBO decided not to pick the series up, though they had wanted to redevelop the pilot. Of course with one new show not happening, at least two others will be.

American Crime Story: Enjoying the success of American Horror Story, FX have branched out with Murphy on another anthology series, this time focusing on real life crimes. The first season of this show, due for next year will comprise of 10 episodes focusing on the OJ Simpson case. While television is already overcrowded with crime dramas than it knows what to do with, I'm somewhat intrigued by this one. Filming will begin next year on this one.

Scream Queens: To be honest, this upcoming FOX series just sounds like a mash-up of Glee and American Horror Story (milder than the latter too I imagine) with Murphy, Falchuk and Brennan banding together on a comedy-horror anthology series that will have two different female leads every season. It'll debut in Fall 2015 with a 15 episode first season. Out of the two projects actually in productions, it's probably the one I will end up watching.

Open News: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/hbo-not-moving-forward-ryan-717094
American Crime Story News: http://deadline.com/2014/10/american-horror-story-companion-series-american-crime-story-oj-simpson-ryan-murphy-fx-847289/
Scream Queens News: http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/10/20/fox-scream-queens-glee/

Both Scream Queens and American Crime Story will debut on FOX and FX respectively in 2015. I'll post more information (casting etc) when it becomes available.

Recap/Review: American Horror Story: Freak Show - Edward Mordrake Part 1

It's Halloween time (well, in one week) but for the freak show residents of Jupiter, it's more or less now and like the first and third seasons, it's enough to warrant a two parter, a very interesting one too.

Written by James Wong
Directed by Michael Uppendahl

Aristocratic Evil: Before you ask, yes, the legend of Edward Mordrake is real (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Mordake) and here, he's played with eerie charm and a tiny malevelence by American Beauty's Wes Bentley. The freaks along with Ethel tell Bette and Dot the legend of the two faced man, with the latter being dismissive, though the rest of them never perform on Halloween in fear of summoning his spirit. However despite Elsa actually breaking that rule, it was a dying Ethel who ended up with the visit from Mordrake. Oddly enough, Edward seemed more sympathetic as he got her to reveal a lot more about her past relationship with Dell. If you loathed Dell in the previous episode, you'll loathe him even more by the end of this one. Actually, aside from one scene, he's just loathsome in general. As for Edward, he's looking for a pure freak to drag to hell and somehow Ethel didn't make the cut.

Innocence Lost: I wasn't particularly blown away with Elsa's version of Life On Mars in the opening episode but her version of Lana Del Rey's Gods & Monsters, well I'm listening to it as I write this recap. It's certainly better and it's almost a shame that it's a performance that isn't being viewed by a crowd, though it was enough to trigger Mordrake into action. This episode continued to highlight Elsa's vanity with Dot being overconfident about her own vocal talents and fake spiritualist Esmeralda (really it's a woman called Maggie and Emma Roberts making her debut) exploiting Elsa's desperation in order to get closer to the freaks.

The Psychic And Mr Big: Welcome aboard, Emma Roberts and Denis O'Hare. It only took three episodes for them to show up this season and already they've made an impression in their mission to acquire freak (watch out Bette/Dot). With Roberts, she's playing a slightly less bitchier character than last season but at the same time while Jimmy was too easily taken in by Maggie, Dot took an instant dislike to her and Elsa had to be tempted in order for Maggie to get into the camp. As for O'Hare's Stanley, well he seems to be the nastier of the two but it's nice to see that he has something rather freakish downstairs as his sex scene with a not convincing Thor lookalike implied more than showed. Even cable television has it's limits but I am intrigued to see this devious duo cause chaos and get further out of their depth as the season unfolds.

The Clown Took Him: The residents of Jupiter are a tiresome and intolerant lot. We know this through their attitude towards the freaks and also down to one mother being utterly dismissive of her daughter's sightings of Twisty the clown, who later kidnapped her horrible older brother. As for Dandy, he's still in psycho spoiled brat mode, both taunting Twisty's captives and coming close to killing Dora. I love that Dora challenged the little Joffrey in the making, because Gloria's mother is a lot scarier than either Mordrake and Twisty combined. As for Twisty, even he seems to be exasperated by Dandy.

Separation Anxiety: Could Bette and Dot literally end up separated? While Dot found the idea more than appealing, Bette on the other hand was pretty horrified by it. I have to admit the dream/nightmare sequence itself was freaky enough and the increasing bad feeling between the girls is believable as well but this wasn't really the episode for the twins. Other plots took precedence and aside from the scene where Dot laid into the rest of the freaks, I do think she was a little too harsh and dismissive at times. I do like that she's smart enough not to trust 'Esmeralda'. I just hope it doesn't backfire on her, along with her barely concealed feelings for Jimmy as well.

Next week, the second half of this two parter will see Mordrake paying Elsa a visit as further chaos descends on the camp and Dandy continues to lose it.

My Review of Revenge's 4x04: "Meteor"

Written by Karin Gist
Directed by J Miller Tobin

Nolan (re David): “What just happened?”
Emily (re Victoria): “She got to him first.”

I honestly thought we would have another month before the entire world knew that David Clarke was alive and only after both he and Emily had a tearful reunion where he realised that she was actually Amanda all along. This episode had other ideas.

Namely the first one being David getting arrested and both Jack and Emily having to watch him in a police line up with horrified reactions before Edward became privy to who David really was and Victoria managed to sink her claws that tiny bit more into him. I really think this episode was Victoria at her worst.

The look of glee she had the end of the episode as she posed with David and Charlotte as Emily was helpless to look was pretty low, even for her. There’s no way this show can actually end with Victoria getting everything she wanted. David at least showed some suspicion towards her in this episode. Hopefully when both he and Emily are reunited, they take her down once and for all, unless Louise gets there first.

Speaking of Louise – I’ve had enough of her mother issues and the fact that she’s clearly using Daniel to get to Victoria is a bit bizarre too, isn’t it? Louise gave some pretty obvious signs that she was rather strange, which Daniel ignored because he was too busy trying to prove that he had some business savvy after all. Not sure why as I doubt most viewers are that interested in the first place.

On the other hand, at least Daniel’s nastiness towards Victoria was rather amusing to watch and I bet anything that he was positively sickened upon learning that David was alive and with his mother yet again. As for Margaux, she didn’t really do that much this week, but she’s still too good for Daniel.

The David elements of the episode kept this one afloat but it’s also these elements that are problematic too. I know I’ve said it in previous reviews (and will undoubtedly say it a lot this season), but I really don’t see how this show can go on for another year after this one. After David and Emily do reunite and hopefully take out Victoria, there’s nowhere else creatively the show can go, is there? The writers are even struggling to give Nolan anything to do and the less said about Charlotte’s drug habit the better really.

Also in “Meteor”

Ben is starting to annoy me as a character. I know a part of me should find him charming but he’s coming across as a bit of a stalker really.

Victoria: “I didn’t mean to upset you but this is a different world from the one you left. Your re-emergence must be carefully planned.”

David told the FBI and media that Conrad had been keeping him prisoner for the last few years.

Charlotte: “What do you really want from me, mom?”
Victoria: “Nothing but to see you happy.”
Charlotte: “The Grayson mantra: lie and deny.”

Margaux seems to have sorted her hair out this season. Nolan’s is still a bit of a mess really.

Daniel (re hex): “Did it work?”
Louise: “Oh no, darling, nothing can rid the devil. My momma and I will never fix things.”

That Edward guy seems like he could another problem for Emily down the line this season as well.

Emily (to Nolan, re David): “He deserved more twenty years ago. I can’t wait one more day.”

Standout music: “All I Want” by Sarah Blasko.

David: “I prayed for this moment, this freedom and today my prayers were answered.”

Chronology: From where “Ashes” left off.

“Meteor” is easily the best episode of the first four and I certainly can’t wait for the inevitable father/daughter reunion but at the same time, it’s hard to deny that this show is starting to really show that it’s had it’s day now.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 1x05: "Viper"

Written by Rebecca Perry Cutter
Directed by Tim Hunter

Stan: “I had hoped a demonstration using street people would’ve sufficed but it seems only bad things truly happen to important people like you.”

Did anyone else get a serious Smallville vibe off this episode? I know technically the antics of the Balloonman were the type of thing that made sure this series wouldn’t be seen as a generic crime series but the whole Viper/Venom super soldier plot courtesy of Stan Potolsky really gave off the vibe of the most famous prequel TV show in recent history.

It wasn’t actually a bad thing really but watching the effects of the venom working on mainly busker Benny and then a few other characters was definitely something I’ve seen before, TV wise. It was definitely interesting though.

The actual thing having to be breathed in and then watching as it gave people super strength before depriving them of calcium worked well enough. The actual death scene though of Benny after he stole an ATM machine however was more unintentionally funny than tragic though, even if a certain someone found the whole effects of the Viper “fascinating”.

As for Stan – like Gladwell from the previous week, I almost wish he had survived the episode, even if he did try to disrupt a Wayne Enterprises luncheon with his antics, only for Gordon and Bullock to stop him at the last minute but only because his actual demise lacked any spark itself.

As for the plot about a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises being involved in the making of the venom/viper – hardly a shocker, but it earned points for Bruce doing some actual detective work on his parents company and not being so easily fobbed off by middle management lady Mathis, who turned out to be a bad one by the end of the episode.

Of course when we weren’t dealing with super dangerous drugs, the mob war stuff with Falcone and Maroni continued. Falcone chose not to make a move on his potential usurper but the latter himself (when he wasn’t grilling both Oswald and Gordon) decided to rob Falcone’s casino for the hell of it. Of course, Fish was far craftier in her scheming against Falcone this week.

First of all, both her and Russian mobster Nikolai pretended to hate each other’s guts in front of Falcone while engaging in some bondage fun later in the episode. Like Liza, Nikolai is clearly being set up as a means to an end for Fish’s overall scheming but I have to admit, I do like that she isn’t solely relying on only one way to get Falcone out of the picture.

With Liza, she managed to group a somewhat tone deaf, Goth chic wearing girl into an opera loving, literally white than white young lady for Falcone to fall in love with. The strange thing is a part sort of feels bad for Falcone. He’ll clearly fall for Liza, she’ll end up reciprocating and Fish will probably have her killed when the whole thing goes belly up. Right now that’s exactly how I see this whole storyline actually playing out.

Also in “Viper”

Selina made a brief cameo as she stole some bloke’s wallet while Edward was fascinated by the effects of the venom.

Bruce (to Alfred): “I don’t want revenge. I want to understand how it all works. How Gotham works.”

The venom/super soldier mention this week was clearly an allusion to Bane, a villain I hope this series doesn’t bring in just yet.

Nikolai: “Ladies are in the kitchen or in bed, depending on their talents.”
Fish: “I bet your mother was a lousy cook.”

Edward: “Fascinating.”

Oswald has managed to piss off both Falcone and Maroni and it’s only been five episodes. He also managed not to kill anyone in this episode as well.

Oswald: “Everyone calls me Penguin.”
Maroni: “You don’t like that name? Well, you’re wrong. It’s a good name. It works for you.”

Maroni: “I try to be civil, Jim but I’m not the kind of man who asks twice.”

Missing this week included Barbara, Renee, Crispus and Butch.

Gordon: “Don’t shoot.”
Stan: “That’s considerate of you. I’m leaving now.”

Bullock (to Gordon): “You really can have too much of a good thing.”

Standout music: Gianni Schicchi: O Mio Babbino Caro. It was used quite pointedly in the episode.

Nikolai: “Untie me.”
Fish: “Say pretty please.”

Chronology: Not long after the events of “Arkham” I assume.

“Viper” was a fairly solid episode, good in parts but nothing too taxing but as interesting as the gang war stuff is, how much longer will we have to wait before a) everyone properly realises that Oswald is alive and b) Falcone and Maroni actually share a scene together? Other than that, not the best episode really.

Rating: 7 out of 10