Pilot
Ruth struggles to find work in Hollywood. She doesn't like the roles for which she auditions and never gets cast. One day a casting agent refers her to a call for unusual women. It turns out to be an open casting call for women wrestlers to join a new show called the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW). She doesn't exactly look the part but she certainly has the spirit.
Ruth is interested enough to stick around but gets cut from the program before training really gets started. She goes home, watches a bunch of wrestling, and comes back the next day in costume. She doesn't make much of a splash until Debbie, her best friend, shows up and the two start fighting. Ruth is very gung ho when she shows up in uniform but gets very squeamish when Debbie shows up and wants to fight. Debbie is enraged because Ruth slept with her husband. For a moment I wondered if this was some sort of set up that that Ruth and Debbie engineered but it was only a passing thought. Sam Sylvia, the guy organizing GLOW, gets very into the fight and starts fantasizing about a real match between Ruth and Debbie in front of an audience.
I'm not sure I would have watched GLOW on the first day it was available if it weren't for the fact that (a) Marc Maron (Sam Sylvia) is in it and (b) he's been talking about it a lot on WTF, his podcast. He is in this episode and plays a fairly significant role. According to IMDB and what I recall him saying on the show he is only in one more episode.
Alison Brie (Ruth) looks very different in this than she did in either Mad Men or Community. This episode was very much focused on Ruth.
There are other characters with speaking parts but none of them get their own spotlight. On the whole I was pleased with what I saw but it didn't grab me in the same way that some shows have with the first episode. I don't love it but I want to see more.
Friday, June 23, 2017
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Taxi 1.05
Come as You Aren't
Elaine throws a party for people from the art gallery where she works part-time as a receptionist. She doesn't want anyone to know that she is also a taxi driver. Alex balks at the idea of coming to the party and pretending that he isn't a taxi driver but he does so anyway. By the end of the episode the tables have turned and Elaine outs herself as a cab driver and Alex wants to conceal his true profession.
I really liked this episode. I think it is mostly because of the way the tables turn. The other characters also appear in this one but it is a very Elaine and Alex-centric episode.
Elaine throws a party for people from the art gallery where she works part-time as a receptionist. She doesn't want anyone to know that she is also a taxi driver. Alex balks at the idea of coming to the party and pretending that he isn't a taxi driver but he does so anyway. By the end of the episode the tables have turned and Elaine outs herself as a cab driver and Alex wants to conceal his true profession.
I really liked this episode. I think it is mostly because of the way the tables turn. The other characters also appear in this one but it is a very Elaine and Alex-centric episode.
Master of None 1.03
Hot Ticket
Dev goes on a date with someone he barely knows. At first he thinks that she won't show. When she does he's excited until he finds out what she is really like. The episode ends with him hanging out with Rachel, the gal he was in bed with at the beginning of 1.01. That goes well but ends on a bittersweet note.
I'm still not a big fan of Dev. Maybe he is supposed to be the lovable loser. I did like the turn the show took in the second half. That turn has me interested in watching more, in hopes for more in that vein.
Dev goes on a date with someone he barely knows. At first he thinks that she won't show. When she does he's excited until he finds out what she is really like. The episode ends with him hanging out with Rachel, the gal he was in bed with at the beginning of 1.01. That goes well but ends on a bittersweet note.
I'm still not a big fan of Dev. Maybe he is supposed to be the lovable loser. I did like the turn the show took in the second half. That turn has me interested in watching more, in hopes for more in that vein.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Young Justice 1.08
Downtime
The team splits up to take some time off. Dick plays basketball with Bruce. Wally visits with family including Jay Garrick and Barry Allen.
Artemis visits her mother who reveals that she has just been awarded a scholarship to Gotham Academy. Artemis isn't interested in attending the prestigious school but relents when her mother turns on the waterworks.
Superboy and Miss Martian stay back at the cave. Their relationship takes a tiny step forward when M'Gann tries making a meal for them, using her telekinetic ability. Instead of dinner she accidentally makes a mess, all over Superboy.
After having a chat with Batman, Aqualad returns to Atlantis. He is considering quitting the team and resuming his studies in Atlantis. Tula, his former girlfriend, has moved on during his absence. She is now dating Garth, another classmate from the Academy of Magic. This doesn't sit well with Kaldur'ahm but he doesn't have much time to consider the loss.
Black Manta attacks Atlantis with an army of men. They are there to take the giant frozen starfish seen earlier in the episode. Kaldur'ahm and Garth team up, despite their rival affections for Tula, to repel the invaders. Once it becomes clear to Black Manta that he won't be able to get away with the giant starfish, he blows it up.
After the battle Aqualad decides that there is more for him in the surface world. He returns to Happy Harbor and rejoins the team, taking with him the only surviving piece of the giant starfish.
This episode has all sorts of little things going on in it. Some, possibly most, of them will show up again. Most of these things help to fill in the stories behind the characters that make up the team. This is a good episode but I don't think I enjoyed it as much as the last three.
The team splits up to take some time off. Dick plays basketball with Bruce. Wally visits with family including Jay Garrick and Barry Allen.
Artemis visits her mother who reveals that she has just been awarded a scholarship to Gotham Academy. Artemis isn't interested in attending the prestigious school but relents when her mother turns on the waterworks.
Superboy and Miss Martian stay back at the cave. Their relationship takes a tiny step forward when M'Gann tries making a meal for them, using her telekinetic ability. Instead of dinner she accidentally makes a mess, all over Superboy.
After having a chat with Batman, Aqualad returns to Atlantis. He is considering quitting the team and resuming his studies in Atlantis. Tula, his former girlfriend, has moved on during his absence. She is now dating Garth, another classmate from the Academy of Magic. This doesn't sit well with Kaldur'ahm but he doesn't have much time to consider the loss.
Black Manta attacks Atlantis with an army of men. They are there to take the giant frozen starfish seen earlier in the episode. Kaldur'ahm and Garth team up, despite their rival affections for Tula, to repel the invaders. Once it becomes clear to Black Manta that he won't be able to get away with the giant starfish, he blows it up.
After the battle Aqualad decides that there is more for him in the surface world. He returns to Happy Harbor and rejoins the team, taking with him the only surviving piece of the giant starfish.
This episode has all sorts of little things going on in it. Some, possibly most, of them will show up again. Most of these things help to fill in the stories behind the characters that make up the team. This is a good episode but I don't think I enjoyed it as much as the last three.
Monday, June 19, 2017
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3.10
The Defector
While traveling near the Neutral Zone the Enterprise is hailed by a Romulan warship. Aboard the ship is a single Romulan. He claims to be a low level logistics officer with information about a Romulan base that is under construction within the Neutral Zone. He has no evidence. He sets his ship to self-destruct before he is taken aboard the Enterprise. It seems that he must be lying. He must be a spy.
Eventually the defector reveals himself to be Admiral Jarok. He claims he is doing this because he wants peace between the Romulan Empire and the Federation for the sake of his children. Picard is moved enough to enter the Neural Zone and investigate the planet where the base is being constructed. They get there only to discover that there is no base. Jarok truly believed that there was a base but he was being tested by his superiors.
The Enterprise just barely escapes a potentially fatal encounter with a couple of Romulan warships thanks to some help from the Klingons. The Romulan ships were led by Admiral Tomalak who previously appeared in 3.07 (The Enemy) and would make two more appearances on the Next Generation. His only other appearances would be in Star Trek books and comic books.
The crux of this episode is the veracity of Admiral Jarok. Up until the final scenes in the episode the question seems to be is he leading the Enterprise into a trap or is he telling the truth. Other possibilities including the one that turns out to be the case might be true but the way the episode is presented makes it seem as if there are just two possibilities. Jarok is beyond emotional hurt when he discovers that he was fooled and commits suicide.
I found the performance by the actor playing Jarok to be very compelling.
Also worth mentioning is that the episode opens with Data practicing the part of King Henry V from the Shakespearean play of the same name, under the tutelage of Captain Picard. The play is mentioned more than once in subsequent scenes. If I was more familiar with the play then the quotes probably would have carried a little more weight than they did.
Overall this is a better than average episode and well worth watching. It reminded me in part of the a cold war movie. Not so much of any one film in particular but of the genre.
While traveling near the Neutral Zone the Enterprise is hailed by a Romulan warship. Aboard the ship is a single Romulan. He claims to be a low level logistics officer with information about a Romulan base that is under construction within the Neutral Zone. He has no evidence. He sets his ship to self-destruct before he is taken aboard the Enterprise. It seems that he must be lying. He must be a spy.
Eventually the defector reveals himself to be Admiral Jarok. He claims he is doing this because he wants peace between the Romulan Empire and the Federation for the sake of his children. Picard is moved enough to enter the Neural Zone and investigate the planet where the base is being constructed. They get there only to discover that there is no base. Jarok truly believed that there was a base but he was being tested by his superiors.
The Enterprise just barely escapes a potentially fatal encounter with a couple of Romulan warships thanks to some help from the Klingons. The Romulan ships were led by Admiral Tomalak who previously appeared in 3.07 (The Enemy) and would make two more appearances on the Next Generation. His only other appearances would be in Star Trek books and comic books.
The crux of this episode is the veracity of Admiral Jarok. Up until the final scenes in the episode the question seems to be is he leading the Enterprise into a trap or is he telling the truth. Other possibilities including the one that turns out to be the case might be true but the way the episode is presented makes it seem as if there are just two possibilities. Jarok is beyond emotional hurt when he discovers that he was fooled and commits suicide.
I found the performance by the actor playing Jarok to be very compelling.
Also worth mentioning is that the episode opens with Data practicing the part of King Henry V from the Shakespearean play of the same name, under the tutelage of Captain Picard. The play is mentioned more than once in subsequent scenes. If I was more familiar with the play then the quotes probably would have carried a little more weight than they did.
Overall this is a better than average episode and well worth watching. It reminded me in part of the a cold war movie. Not so much of any one film in particular but of the genre.
Casual 3.03
The Table
Alex tries pitching to a firm, maybe a venture capital (VC) firm. They act interested but then tell him that they will be in touch. His accountant tells him that he is living beyond his means and suggests that maybe he should sell his house.
Laura goes looking for work, to pay for the tattoo removal fees. When a job getting signatures for a social justice type organization doesn't seem very exciting or (more importantly) remunerative, she tries something else. By the end of the episode, the something else, which pays better, weirds her out and she is back to collecting signatures.
Val asks Leon to hang at her place while she is at work. She has a delivery coming, the titular table. Val deals with her clients and their problems, all of which drive her nuts. Leon misses the delivery people and tries to make it up to Val by making her dinner. Val starts to consider taking a job teaching at UCLA.
All in all not the most uplifting episode but also no where near as dark as the last episode. There is light at the end of the tunnel. There were a number of moments that brought a smile to my face or made me laugh.
Alex tries pitching to a firm, maybe a venture capital (VC) firm. They act interested but then tell him that they will be in touch. His accountant tells him that he is living beyond his means and suggests that maybe he should sell his house.
Laura goes looking for work, to pay for the tattoo removal fees. When a job getting signatures for a social justice type organization doesn't seem very exciting or (more importantly) remunerative, she tries something else. By the end of the episode, the something else, which pays better, weirds her out and she is back to collecting signatures.
Val asks Leon to hang at her place while she is at work. She has a delivery coming, the titular table. Val deals with her clients and their problems, all of which drive her nuts. Leon misses the delivery people and tries to make it up to Val by making her dinner. Val starts to consider taking a job teaching at UCLA.
All in all not the most uplifting episode but also no where near as dark as the last episode. There is light at the end of the tunnel. There were a number of moments that brought a smile to my face or made me laugh.
Friday, June 9, 2017
Flash 1.23
Fast Enough
Barry has a decision to make. Does he go back in time and save his mother or accept the fact that she is dead and move on? After asking several people what they think he should do he ultimately decides to go back and save her. In order to do so he has to travel faster than he ever has before. Dr. Wells/Thawne helps him to do this by giving him the know how. In return he is going to let Wells/Thawne, the man who killed his mother, leave. That made no sense at all to me. I might have been able to accept it if Barry had said no to helping Wells/Thawne but then he escaped.
Eddie is still bummed over what Wells/Thawne todl him but he gets over feeling sorry for himself after he has a chat with Dr. Stein. He goes back to Iris and apologizes for acting stupid. She accepts and they are an item once again. This happens after Barry has a chat with Iris about the headline that shows her last name changed to West-Allen.
After much pondering, which for the most part felt like a waste of time, Barry agrees to give it a try. He runs super-fast around the particle accelerator. He collides with a molecule that Caitlin inserts into the accelerator. That was part of the plan. He starts to see scenes from the past and jumps into the one where his mother is about to die. He gets there in time to prevent her death but then freezes up and doesn't step in to save her. Instead he waits until the Flash and Reverse Flash are gone. Just before his mother dies he goes to her and reveals who he is and reassures her.
I gotta be honest, there were a lot of moments in this episode that left me scratching my head. This was definitely one of them. I can understand why he froze up and did nothing. What I can't fathom is why Thawne/Wells would give him the knowledge to go back and save his mother. If he saves her wouldn't that have had an impact on Thawne/Wells as well? It made no sense to me for these two men to help one another. They both have reasons for wanting to kill the other.
While Barry is in the past, Thawne/Wells is set free and gets into the time sphere that Cisco and Ronnie built for him. Why are they helping this murderer? This makes no sense! A helmet comes flying out of the time stream which looks just like the one worn by Jay Garrick, the Flash of Earth-2. Thawne/Wells is about to leave when Flash comes leaping out of the time stream and breaks the time sphere. Reverse Flash gets angry and the two start fighting.
It looks like Reverse Flash is going to win when Eddie shows up and shoots himself in the chest. It occurred to me that something like this might happen but I thought that if it did it wouldn't be that blatant. Instead I thought it would be Eddie throwing himself in harm's way to save the Flash and getting killed in the process. When Eddie dies Wells/Thawne, his descendant, vanishes.
That's when the singularity (aka black hole) reappears. It first appeared when Barry collided with the particle thus opening the wormhole which allowed him to travel back in time. It looks like the singularity is going to consume Central City and possibly the Earth. Flash takes off to try and do something to stop it. That's when the episode and the season end.
I'm not a big fan of that sort of cliffhanger. It gives the audience little to nothing about what happens next. I know that these episodes first aired about three years ago and that I could easily look up what happens next or watch the first episode of the next season. I will get around to that eventually but not now and probably not for a few months.
This is episode 1.23 or 123. The first meeting of Barry Allen and Jay Garrick was in Flash 123. As mentioned above, a helmet that looks just like the one Jay Garrick wears shows up in this episode but Jay Garrick does not.
In this episode Barry has just 1 minutes and 53 seconds (1:53) to go back in time and save his mother. I looked up Flash 153 and found that it was an issue that the Reverse Flash (aka Eobard Thawne) appeared in. It was his third appearance overall. He had previously appeared in 139 and 147. I have not read these issues but I listened to the three episodes of Tom vs. the Flash in which he covered those issues; links below. The only significance I can find to issue 153 is that it is the issue in which the real name of the Reverse-Flash, aka Professor Zoom, is finally revealed to be Eobard Thawne.
Flash 139: Menace of the Reverse-Flash!
Flash 147: Our Enemy, The Flash!
Flash 153: The Mightiest Punch!
On the whole this was a decent episode. It wasn't my favorite. There were a few too many unanswered questions and too much confused reasoning. I didn't even get into Cisco's conversation with Wells/Thawne or Caitlin and Ronnie's marriage (Dr. Stein is a rabbi?) which introduced things that I don't want to consider or contemplate at this point. Honestly I think it might have been better if this was the first episode of the 2nd season or the next episode was the last one of this season.
Barry has a decision to make. Does he go back in time and save his mother or accept the fact that she is dead and move on? After asking several people what they think he should do he ultimately decides to go back and save her. In order to do so he has to travel faster than he ever has before. Dr. Wells/Thawne helps him to do this by giving him the know how. In return he is going to let Wells/Thawne, the man who killed his mother, leave. That made no sense at all to me. I might have been able to accept it if Barry had said no to helping Wells/Thawne but then he escaped.
Eddie is still bummed over what Wells/Thawne todl him but he gets over feeling sorry for himself after he has a chat with Dr. Stein. He goes back to Iris and apologizes for acting stupid. She accepts and they are an item once again. This happens after Barry has a chat with Iris about the headline that shows her last name changed to West-Allen.
After much pondering, which for the most part felt like a waste of time, Barry agrees to give it a try. He runs super-fast around the particle accelerator. He collides with a molecule that Caitlin inserts into the accelerator. That was part of the plan. He starts to see scenes from the past and jumps into the one where his mother is about to die. He gets there in time to prevent her death but then freezes up and doesn't step in to save her. Instead he waits until the Flash and Reverse Flash are gone. Just before his mother dies he goes to her and reveals who he is and reassures her.
I gotta be honest, there were a lot of moments in this episode that left me scratching my head. This was definitely one of them. I can understand why he froze up and did nothing. What I can't fathom is why Thawne/Wells would give him the knowledge to go back and save his mother. If he saves her wouldn't that have had an impact on Thawne/Wells as well? It made no sense to me for these two men to help one another. They both have reasons for wanting to kill the other.
While Barry is in the past, Thawne/Wells is set free and gets into the time sphere that Cisco and Ronnie built for him. Why are they helping this murderer? This makes no sense! A helmet comes flying out of the time stream which looks just like the one worn by Jay Garrick, the Flash of Earth-2. Thawne/Wells is about to leave when Flash comes leaping out of the time stream and breaks the time sphere. Reverse Flash gets angry and the two start fighting.
It looks like Reverse Flash is going to win when Eddie shows up and shoots himself in the chest. It occurred to me that something like this might happen but I thought that if it did it wouldn't be that blatant. Instead I thought it would be Eddie throwing himself in harm's way to save the Flash and getting killed in the process. When Eddie dies Wells/Thawne, his descendant, vanishes.
That's when the singularity (aka black hole) reappears. It first appeared when Barry collided with the particle thus opening the wormhole which allowed him to travel back in time. It looks like the singularity is going to consume Central City and possibly the Earth. Flash takes off to try and do something to stop it. That's when the episode and the season end.
I'm not a big fan of that sort of cliffhanger. It gives the audience little to nothing about what happens next. I know that these episodes first aired about three years ago and that I could easily look up what happens next or watch the first episode of the next season. I will get around to that eventually but not now and probably not for a few months.
This is episode 1.23 or 123. The first meeting of Barry Allen and Jay Garrick was in Flash 123. As mentioned above, a helmet that looks just like the one Jay Garrick wears shows up in this episode but Jay Garrick does not.
In this episode Barry has just 1 minutes and 53 seconds (1:53) to go back in time and save his mother. I looked up Flash 153 and found that it was an issue that the Reverse Flash (aka Eobard Thawne) appeared in. It was his third appearance overall. He had previously appeared in 139 and 147. I have not read these issues but I listened to the three episodes of Tom vs. the Flash in which he covered those issues; links below. The only significance I can find to issue 153 is that it is the issue in which the real name of the Reverse-Flash, aka Professor Zoom, is finally revealed to be Eobard Thawne.
Flash 139: Menace of the Reverse-Flash!
Flash 147: Our Enemy, The Flash!
Flash 153: The Mightiest Punch!
On the whole this was a decent episode. It wasn't my favorite. There were a few too many unanswered questions and too much confused reasoning. I didn't even get into Cisco's conversation with Wells/Thawne or Caitlin and Ronnie's marriage (Dr. Stein is a rabbi?) which introduced things that I don't want to consider or contemplate at this point. Honestly I think it might have been better if this was the first episode of the 2nd season or the next episode was the last one of this season.
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