Amph What was the last tv episode you watched?

Picket Fences: Nuclear Meltdown

Kim’s friend Jodie has turned up pregnant. It’s an episode about teen pregnancy, right? Wrong. It’s an episode about a lot of things, but that’s the least of them. Because who’s the father, after all? Meanwhile, a strange woman has come to town and believes she and Kenny are destined to be together? But what’s really going on there? And Maxine is out to find out who kidnapped a child’s pet duck and you’ll never believe where THAT plot ends up going. This is the show at its most gonzo, juggling actual mysteries, slapstick comedy, thought-provoking social commentary. To the degree the episode has a theme, it’s hinted at in the title. The traditional “nuclear family” is a thing of the past maybe; everyone’s blazing their own path in this brave new world. When Jimmy, Jill & Kim end up sitting on the floor next to each other in absolute befuddlement, you sympathize. What the hell is going on? The duck plot is the best, a genuine mystery with a surprising solution. The pregnancy plot is also really good, with some great, creepy moments courtesy of Bess Myer as Jodie. The Kenny plot has moments, but ends up pretty stupidly. Still, this is an entertaining episode of the kind you’d see only on Picket Fences. 3 stars.

tl;dr – rambling episode features silly humor, real mystery and thoughtful social commentary; only on Picket Fences would you get this entertainment, though some of it doesn’t work perfectly. 3 stars.

 

Voltron: Legendary Defender: S1, Ep. 3 "Return of the Gladiator" (2016) - Plot; Shiro's past as a gladiator in Zarkon's arena comes into play against a deadly Robeast.

Strong episode that slowly begins to flesh out backstories while putting our still gelling heroes in a do or die situation against their greatest foe yet. The final battle between Voltron and its green crew and a powerful Robeast is well handled, with a great payoff in the first use of

Spoiler

the iconic Blazing Sword

. It ends with a jaw dropping revelation with a whole host of future implications. - 8/10

- Humor feels a bit more organic here, though I'm not warming to Coran re-imagined as buffoonish comic relief.

 

Dead Weight - The Walking Dead - Season 4

 

The X-Files Season 9 Episode 9

 

Jessica Jones Episode #1. That lady drinks way too much to be functional during the day. Apparently being alcoholic is a superhero now. Anyway, it seemed very much like standard MCU fare.

 

Too Far Gone - The Walking Dead - Season 4

Probably one of the most heart-wrenching episodes in the entire series

 

Star Trek: S1, Ep.11/12 "The Menagerie Parts I&II" (1966) - Plot; Spock concocts an elaborate hijacking of the Enterprise in an effort to return his former Captain, now gravely injured, to a planet deemed forbidden by the Federation for reasons only he and Captain Pike know.

Iconic two-parter is a reworking of the original (and ultimately rejected) pilot episode titled "The Cage", with Spock's plot to hijack the Enterprise and the subsequent fallout a wraparound. The mystery of Spock's behavior and the tension it creates is handled fairly well and acts as the driving force behind the story. And it was, to borrow one of Spock's well known sayings, fascinating to get a look at the Trek that could have been.

Jeffery Hunter as Christopher Pike is a very different presence than William Shatner, but he's far from the stiff Ken doll I'd always thought him to be. Hunter, with his powerful physique and matinee idol looks, certainly looks the part of a heroic space captain, but he shows a far broader spectrum than I'd given him credit for. It was also fun to get a look at Nimoy's Spock before he and the writers had gotten a handle on him. The Spock shown in "The Cage" portions of the episodes conflicts with the cool, dispassionate Spock that has become so iconic. In one scene, when the away team land on the planet, he even grins with a child-like glee upon discovering a strange pit of flora.

There are any number of flaws in--if you'll pardon the usage--logic here. Chief among them for me is that there is never a connection between Spock and Pike in "The Cage" portions of the story that would precipitate the former risking death and acting so against character. That it isn't a fatal flaw shows how well the rest of the elements work. - 7.5/10


Spider-Man: S1, Ep.1A "The Power of Dr. Octopus" (1967) - Plot; Peter Parker is sent by his boss, J. Jonah Jameson, to investigate strange lights being reported by citizens across the city. Parker, as his alter ego Spider-Man, stumbles on a plot by the villain Dr. Octopus to use his new pulse weapon to create chaos across the city.

For many Gen-Xers, this was our introduction to Spidey and his world. I was born in 1974, but by the late 70s this series was airing in syndication during the afternoon, and I would often watch it twice (once on my local station, and then again right afterward when it aired on a station in nearby Cincinnati). I was, to put it mildly, a Spider-Man fanatic, going twice as the webslinger for Halloween.

Revisiting this cartoon for the first time in decades was a treat because I'd forgotten so much. There's no origin story here. No explanation of who Peter Parker is or how got his powers. We're just dropped in on his world fully formed. I also don't remember the series consisting of two, 10-minute episodes (hence my labeling this "Ep.1A"). What I enjoyed most was the fact that Spidey here, though suddenly sounding like a 45 year old accountant when he switches from Peter, retains his famous sense of humor.

Dr. Octopus: "Spider-Man, no one can interfere with my plan!"

Spider-Man: "Looks like I caught you with your plans down."

- 7/10


- Doc Ock's plot, to use electronic impulses to cause water, gas and electric lines to explode across the city was reminiscent of Ra's al Ghul's plan in Batman Begins.

- The theme song is easily one of the most iconic 'toon themes of all-time.

 

Admit it. You knew somebody was going to post that.

 

After - The Walking Dead - Season 4

 

Inmates - The Walking Dead - Season 4

 

The X-Files Season 9 Episode 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20. Phew, what a slog to get to the 'finale'. This season was definitely the worst, the Super Soldier story arc was pretty dire. Onto the second movie and then Season 10.

 

You're going to HATE the second movie.


Picket Fences: The Body Politic

This is a really good episode. It has a couple of great plot threads that I’m hesitant to spoil. One especially has this great reveal that just comes out of nowhere. Then there’s a plot thread involving the local dentist; when Jimmy and Mayor Pugen discover that the local dentist is HIV positive, the **** really hits the fan. But what are the ethics surrounding this issue? Can he be fired? Does his clientele have a right to know of his personal medical issues? And then finally Kenny comes under fire for being involved in a polyamorous relationship. Oh, yeah, I don’t think I’ve mentioned that. In 1993, this TV show has a MAIN CHARACTER that is involved in an open relationship with two women. That’s frigging crazy to me. This show really was ahead of its time in the issues it brings up. But this episode is, in all of the plot threads, about the way the political and social intrude into that most private of human spaces: an individual’s own body. That they managed to make an entire episode about this that isn’t about abortion is kind of amazing. There’s a wonderful scene between the dentist and the other main guest player, a mysterious doctor that’s moved into town that is really moving and sad. You know a television show is up to something interesting when it’s able to make you care sufficiently that a scene with none of the recurring characters gets to you emotionally. The other big thing here is a late scene in the episode between Jimmy & Jill that kind of snaps the whole season into focus; in a way, this entire season has been about the slow dissolution of their marriage. When the season starts, they seem like a happy couple with the idyllic small town life we all dream about, but in this episode, you feel the hurts and the bitterness of the entire season pressing down on them. This really is a show where the recurring characters don’t reset between every episode and I really didn’t expect the show to be this interested in ongoing character growth. That’s another way this show was ahead of its time, I think. Regardless of all that, this scene at the end of the episode is really wonderful. Both Baker & Skerritt are series best in this scene and it’s a really grim and painful scene. You feel the weight of a marriage in full-on crisis in this scene and it’s a stunner. And the final courtroom scene is a tearjerker extraordinaire. This is just great television. 3 ½ stars.

tl;dr – episode explores the way politics intrudes on the human body in a compelling way while also documenting a marriage in crisis in a powerful, emotionally riveting fashion. 3 ½ stars.

 

Bitten - Supernatural - Season 8

 

Claimed - The Walking Dead - Season 4

 

The Simpsons... The Springfield Files- if it weren't for Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment, this would be my favorite episode of the series. From the great work done by Nimoy, Duchovny, & Anderson, to some great Homer material, and a classic/absurd ending, there's nothing dull about this one.



Also, for my own nonsense, 2 of the best non-Patty & Selma smoking related gags are found in this episode:



.

 

Game of Thrones S6 E9: The Battle of the Bastards


It's the one thing I absolutely refuse to delete from my DVR. One of the most beautifully choreographed, beautifully shot action sequences ever filmed, with CGI that blends almost seamlessly with live action actors, animals and practical effects.

 

New York's Finest - Daredevil - Season 2

 

Still - The Walking Dead - Season 4

 

Blood Brother - Supernatural - Season 8

 

Alone - The Walking Dead - Season 4

 

The X-Files Season 10 Episode 1 - Fantastic stuff. Felt just like the classic series at the start

 

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero: S1, Ep. 50 "The Invaders" (1985) - Plot; The Joes are forced to work with their Soviet counterparts to take on alien invaders that might not be exactly what they appear.

The potential fun of seeing the ultra patriotic Joes having to team up with their Russian equivalent (the smartly named Oktober Guard) with the Cold War still raging is mostly squandered thanks to the ham-fisted script and the ridiculous plot (Cobra faking an alien invasion to distract the super powers so they can invade the White House and Kremlin and steal their respective secrets). The story (unsurprisingly) never delves into ideology or geopolitics, but it does portray the Guard as more or less like the Joes. Brave, competent soldiers doing their duty, but without ladling on a heaping of moral equivalency. That at least is something. - 6/10

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero: S1, Ep. 53 "Skeletons in the Closet" (1985) - Plot; Lady Jaye inherits a Scottish manor that is much more than it appears to be.

Starts off reasonably well with a focus on Destro and the Baroness' relationship, but things fall apart when the focus shifts to Lady Jaye and the "haunted" Scottish mansion. The ghosts and ghoulies ultimately prove to be the product of a holographic projector, and yet the gigantic monster spider in the basement is real? Yeah. - 5/10

 

The Grove - The Walking Dead - Season 4

 

TNG Season 3 Evolution

 

The A-Team: S1, Ep. 6 "Black Day at Bad Rock" (1983) - Plot; An emergency stop in a small town to get medical help for a wounded B.A. gets the A-Team in hot water with the local sheriff. But with an outlaw biker gang on their way to town to bust their leader out of jail, the sheriff has no choice but to team up with the boys and dig in for a standoff.

A childhood favorite, but one I haven't revisited in nearly a decade. Shame on me, because I was reminded what a fun series this is, with or without nostalgia. Like so many such 80s shows, it's straight formula and demands absolute nothing from you, and what's wrong with that? The cast really make it though, especially Dwight Schultz as Murdoch. Sure Peppard was the lead and Mr. T the breakout star, but it's Schultz as "Howling Mad" Murdoch that steals absolutely every scene and gives a tour de force performance. - 7/10