Last week on TV - Sep. 28th-Oct. 4th

Three more of the shows I'm interested in premiered this week, to mixed reviews. (Gilmore Girls also arrived on Netflix streaming, so you should all be proud of me for watching anything else besides that this week...)

Once Upon a Time - A Tale of Two Sisters: I should preface this review by stating that I didn't really like the movie Frozen very much, so I was less than excited to see that it was coming to OUaT. That being said, there were a few things I liked about this episode. I actually liked Elsa (I did in the movie too), and am excited that it appears that she'll be a major focus, rather than just a side plot (and it's great to see Georgina Haig on my screen again - makes my Fringie heart happy). The way the scene between Emma and Regina was framed to mirror a scene from Frozen was cool, and I like the potential comparisons between their story and Anna and Elsa's. And thank heaven that Regina didn't go full-on evil. (I'm okay with conflicted, but if they turn her evil again, I will quit watching.) Overall grade: C+

Gotham - Selina Kyle: As the title makes very evident, this episode was centered around Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Cat. I could like her, I think, although we still know next to nothing about her, aside from the fact that she's got quite the attitude. I want to see her interact with Bruce - who, by the way, is rather intense. I can totally see him becoming Batman one day. Gordon continues to be the morally upright good guy, and gets encouragement from his girl, whom I hated less this time around. However, he does seem willing to toe the line between right and wrong when lives are at stake... I really enjoy Bullock's character - he manages pull off being morally ambiguous while still somehow being likable - we'll see how long that lasts. As far as actual villains go, Penguin and Falcone are awesome, but I'm still on the fence about Fish Mooney. There wasn't really a lot of character development in this episode, and the story itself wasn't that strong (although I'm expecting the Dollmaker to come into play again at a later point). Still, it was an enjoyable watch, probably because it maintained the film noir feel. I'm gonna need something more than that soon, though. Overall grade: B

NCIS: Los Angeles - Deep Trouble, Pt. II: This felt a bit more like the NCIS:LA I used to love, but it still struggled with character interactions. (That used to be the strongest part of the show - I don't know what went wrong.) The episode was well plotted, and the scenes with Sam and Callen in the doomed sub were well done, as were the scenes with Hetty and Granger. Where this episode really struggled was with Kensi and Deeks and the random DEA agent (Talia?). Those scenes just rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. I feel like the writers haven't written Kensi and Deeks well since they sent her off the Afghanistan, and this episode was no different. The action plotline was on point this episode, though, so it was decently entertaining. Overall grade: B-

Chicago Fire - Wow Me: A solid episode, nothing stunning, but that's okay. Severide's struggle to deal with Shay's death was well handled, and not over the top, which made his breakdown at the end of the episode that much more meaningful. I liked seeing Cruz get a chance to be the smart one, and Boden's nervousness about the baby was great. And even though I'm not always a huge fan of Dawson and Casey together (mostly when their relationship gets played up for the sake of added drama), I really liked them in this episode. I also really enjoyed getting to know a little bit of Newhouse's backstory - he seems like a really good dad. Overall grade: B

Modern Family - Do Not Push: Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed all the plotlines in this episode. Alex meeting a cute guy on her college tour was great, and the moment between Phil, Haley, and Luke was sweet. Jay seemed a bit out of character, but I liked how he and Gloria ended up keeping the expensive gifts. And I know the pain of trying to get a nice smile out of a little kid (and out of bigger kids, too), so I found Mitch and Cam's struggle very entertaining. Overall grade: B

The Vampire Diaries - I'll Remember: I binged watched the first five seasons over the summer because I was bored, and wound up enjoying the show more than I thought I would. This was a decent season premiere, and I liked the way they approached both Elena and Caroline's responses to what happened at the end of last season. I could care less about Tyler, and wanted to see more of Alaric struggling with being a vampire now. And I'm gonna go nuts until Damon is back where he belongs. As a whole, the episode set up a lot of plotlines, so it felt a little disjointed at times, but I want to know what happens, so I guess it did its job. Overall grade: B-

Hawaii Five-0 - Ka Makuakane: There was a nice misdirect at the beginning of the episode, and I'm also inclined to think of William Mapother as a bad guy after Lost, so it took me a while to figure this case out, which was a nice surprise. As far as the case-of-the-week went, it was a good episode, although we didn't get much of a chance to spend time with some of the main characters. This show has suffered from adding too many characters, and some weeks I really miss when the focus was just the main four. The subplot with the shady character from Danny's brother's past was subpar, although I feel like it could develop into an interesting storyline, if done right. But right now I'm actually more interested in whatever it is that Jerry has uncovered... Overall grade: B-

Last week on TV - Sep. 21st-27th

Fall shows are finally starting up again! And I'm planning on watching a bunch of them, at least for a little while, until real life gets too crazy. I'm also going to try to keep up with the mini reviews for the shows I'm current on - we'll see how that goes.

Gotham - Pilot: Of all the new shows this fall, this was probably the one I was the most excited for, and so far, it's living up to my hopes for it. As my husband stated within the first minute of the show, it feels like Gotham, and like Batman (or at least the Christopher Nolan version). The show set a dark tone right out of the gate, but at least in this episode, the unwavering moral stance of James Gordon kept it from feeling too depressing. (We'll have to see how long that lasts.) As a whole, it kept me interested, and the nods to characters who will become important in the future of this universe were an added bonus. I'll definitely be keeping watching this one, at least for as long as they keep Gordon in character. Overall grade: B+

Chicago Fire - Always: A show that knows what it's about doesn't need to have a flashy season premiere to be excellent, and this week's episode proved that Chicago Fire has that down. The draw of this show has always come from the relationships - not the romance, but the bonds of friendship that tie all of Firehouse 51 together. This episode wasn't action-packed; sure, there were a few calls, just like always, but the real strength of the episode came from the subdued expressions of grief, the masterful use of flashbacks, and the sense of a family coming together to hold each other up in the wake of yet another tragedy. Overall grade: A-

Modern Family - The Long Honeymoon: I really liked the plotline with Jay and Gloria this episode - your spouse is important and you should care about things that matter to them, including your appearance. The plotline with Alex bothered me at first, but the resolution redeemed it slightly - her family really does need her. And the webcam mishap made me laugh a lot. Overall grade: B-

Hawaii Five-0 - A'ohe kahi e pe'e ai: The opening scene/music combo was chilling, and the story itself was well plotted. The idea of a drone that can strike anywhere, without warning, is maybe playing a bit too much to current fears, but it worked. The bit with Danny and Steve getting their annual psych eval was hysterical, and Kono and Adam are too perfect together. Quite a decent episode overall, although the ending felt a little crammed with information and plotline introductions. Overall grade: B