666 Park Avenue and Last Resort cancelled

We're not surprised about 666 and we think it deserved cancellation, but we're bummed about Last Resort. It was our favorite new show of the season and it should have had more viewers. One commenter blamed the time slot and we agree.

Downton Abbey is good, Revolution frustrates, The Good Wife needs to move onto better stories, and 666 Park Avenue just lost us

Revolution- Sex and Drugs
Terrible episode title, even worse episode. It looked like something was about to happen after Danny's arrival at Monroe's camp. Don't get excited. He just met Monroe and hugged his mom. The group got stuck on yet another weekly side adventure. Drexel wasn't nearly as interesting or scary a leader as The Walking Dead's Governor. He was just annoying. We didn't like that Aaron was such a loser in his flashbacks. Yeah, he's not a coward now, but that doesn't make up for what he did to his wife. We knew Charlie wouldn't kill that guy. If she had, well, this would be a better show. We would have been impressed. But she's a pretty little bunny rabbit that this show is trying too hard to make us like. It keeps her from being a believable person. This show needs to speed the heck up before it loses its audience.
Episode grade: C

Downton Abbey- Season three, episode seven
This episode was happier than the last two weeks, which mostly dealt with Sybil's death. It was understandable that the show didn't jump back into light-hearted plot lines though. Branson and Sybil's baby is gorgeous. We've hardly ever seen a prettier baby that young. We're glad Bates is back because that subplot was devoid of tension and we didn't really care anyway. We love Mary with Branson. It's nice to see her sweet side. It's also cool to see her side with Matthew and not her father on running Downton. When you get married, that's what you have to do.

Thomas's homosexuality wasn't treated as a creepy joke in this episode. The show made him seem like a lonely guy who got confused, rather than some villainous predator. It's a good move for the show politically, but since it's gotten us to hate Thomas, it's sad that we can't rejoice at his bad fortune. The aftermath of the event made him too sympathetic. We love to hate him, but the show isn't going to let us hate him. We love City Edith! She's smart, confident, and likable. Hopefully this leads to Edith finding her place in the world. The episode's ending was hilarious. We can't believe there's only one episode left in the season. How will we stand the wait?
Episode grade: B

666 Park Avenue- A Crowd of Demons
Alright, we're bored with this show. It's just a compilation of supernatural incidents with little overarching plots, almost no likable characters, and snoozy pacing. It's been five episodes. That's how many we usually give our new shows. If by some miracle it becomes a hit, we'll catch up and watch it again. Our time is valuable, even though we watch this much TV.
Episode grade: C-

The Good Wife- Waiting for the Knock
So far, this season has been fine, but it isn't as good as last year. All of the episodes have been well made, but nothing has peaked our interest to the point where we are holding our breaths waiting for the next episode. We think it's because there's nothing going on that we care about, even though the episodes are good. This episode continues that streak of disappointing serviceability. Sadly, Kalinda's husband is still around, and he's still taking the show to a stupid place. We don't like Lana either. We ship Kalinda and Cary. No, wait, we don't.

We love Cary and we're not nuts about Kalinda. We ship her and no one. Cary and someone awesome who has not yet been seen on the show. Or Cary and Diane. Yeahhhhhh. We don't care about the girl lying about sleeping with Peter, his campaign, or that story. We don't care about Maddie and Alicia's friendship much either. The only tolerable thing about all that is Eli, who we will never stop loving. Eli and Kalinda? We don't care about the firm. We know it will be saved because there would be no show without it. Only the cases of the week can get us to tear our eyeballs away from our phones. This one wasn't the best, but it was pretty good. Lamond has a cute kid.
Episode grade: B-

Guess Which Show Has a Smoke Monster Now? (666 Park Avenue)

By Eva Rinaldi (Rachael Taylor) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

This episode was a small improvement over last week. It was weird at the end when we were rooting for Henry to make nice with the Devil. Once again, too bad the audience knows this guy is the Devil. We're glad Annie was alive in the beginning of the episode. Her story wasn't over. The stuff with Henry's bosses being against Gavin was getting old, so it's good that's over now. We were interested in Nona earlier, and that hasn't changed. She has some mute, catatonic grandmother, a stealing problem, and she's psychic. She's actually sympathetic too, which is what this show needs.

We're glad Henry shows backbone and tries to do the right thing. Now he needs to act honorable in a way that will touch our hearts a little. That's what's going to make us care about him. Hopefully the show writers know that. If we had cared about Annie before she got shot in the face, rather than just thinking she was a dimwitted, annoying liar, that death would have been good. Having some action at that party was a good idea though. It was also nice not to see that awful, weakling playwrite.

Jane needs to realize this place is haunted or at least report the creepy little girl roaming around her apartment. There's no in-between there. Either it's real, you're crazy, or it's haunted. C.S. Lewis's Narnia books taught us that (in completely different words, of course). We found out what's inside the suitcase. A smoke monster that sometimes turns into a man. Is it sad that we loved LOST so much that this actually makes us excited? The guy he morphs into looks appropriately evil too. Good casting.

We don't care about anyone on this show, but it isn't boring, so we're still watching. We're starting to lose hope that it will stay on the air or become one of our favorites though.
Episode grade: B-

Revenge, The Good Wife, 666 Park Avenue

So, the shows we watch Tuesday nights weren't on because of the debates. Mmmmeh. We still have a TV-related post because we're behind on some Sunday shows.

Revenge- Confidence
Declan, student loans suck, but they're better than stealing. Moron. We hope he dies. He's replaced Charlotte, who is totally tolerable when she's far away from Declan it seems, as our least favorite character. It looks like Jack is going to get into trouble being indebted to the rich, "forgiving" robbery victim. Complaint: nearly everyone overacts on this show. This is a total soap opera, except things actually happen in each episode. Victoria and Conrad should just stop having scenes together. They are ridiculous. Conrad sounds like he should follow up everything he says with a "Mr. Andersonnn." (Matrix reference)

We like Aiden, but does Amanda really need yet another love interest? He reminds us a little of Heath Ledger. That could be a far-out thing to say though/maybe it's just us. We're glad this episode ended Jack's relationship with Emily, even though it was a stupid, mean reason for him to end it. We also met Amanda's mother. Yay! Still, it's hard to take this show seriously, especially this week.
Episode grade: B

The Good Wife- Two Girls, One Code
In the dullest episode of the season so far, Kalinda's husband threatens her girlfriend, and we all groan that this plotline (possibly the worst in the show's history) is still going on. The case of the week was okay, and it's nice to see Will doing well, but we weren't on the edge of our seats. Alicia's personal life was the sole bright spot. Well, kind of. We really don't want her back with Peter. We want her to find someone better than both will and Peter. It's okay if she stays with him throughout the campaign, but after that, can she please find someone worthy of her? The best part of the episode was when Diane and Nathan Lane got in a fight. They are equally matched when they raise their voices.
Episode grade: B-

666 Park Avenue- The Dead Don't Stay Dead
Okay show. It's time to stop fooling around and tell a story. Never drive with both feet like Olivia does. Pick one foot. The right one. Everyone knows (or should know) this. The creepy stories of the week are becoming a strength for the show. So is Olivia's backstory.

The sad thing about this show is that we already know all the answers. We know it's about the Devil's apartment building. But we don't know Olivia's deal yet. She has a dead daughter. What is she doing with the Devil and why does she stay with him when she knows who he is? Olivia still retains some mystery, which is something this show sorely needs.

We also know the Devil has plans for Henry. What plans? To steal his soul? That's mundane these days. A problem for this show is if you're going to have the main antagonist be pure evil, you need some pure good guys to root for. In American Horror Story, you rooted for the mom. In Supernatural, you root for white knight Dean.

Here, we have a slightly boring couple. They aren't powerhouses for good that you want to see purge The Drake of injustice, suffering, and violence. If they died and a new couple were brought in, it would actually be a good thing. No one would bat an eye. We're giving this show two more weeks to grab us. We usually give a show that we think has potential five episodes to get good. Hopefully it isn't cancelled before it it does (if it ever will).
Episode grade: C+

Revolution, The Good Wife, 666 Park Avenue, Downton Abbey

By ewen and donabel (original) Supernino (derivative work) (Flickr (original)) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Revolution- The Plague Dogs
It was good to see everyone reunited. Gettin' real tired of your s***, Miles. We cried a little when Maggie died, mostly because of the flashbacks. Now Miles really can't leave. Ha. It's becoming a thing for shows to kill off prominent characters after a handful of episodes (The Vampire Diaries, Once Upon a Time), so we didn't figure Maggie was safe. The stuff with Charlie being so important to Maggie came out of nowhere. In the pilot, we got the sense that they didn't get along and Charlie wouldn't be too bugged if Maggie died. We guess the last couple of weeks changed things.

We like that move. Danny's  moral conundrum was interesting this week. The right thing to do was obviously to keep the sink thing from falling on Neville somehow and then leaving him trapped under the wood, giving Danny the chance to run away. That thing was big, so it probably wasn't possible. So Danny could either let this guy die or show mercy. The second most right thing to do is what Danny did. Or is it? Neville will go on to kill and terrorize others. Danny might have been saving lives by ridding the world of Neville. There's no duty to save. Dude, we think we might have let Neville die. We're cold.

We're getting tired of detours, but this paranoid dude was interesting. It's time for Danny to get to Rachel and Monroe. Hilariously, saving Neville is only going to get Danny tortured in front of his mom. Two guys called a woman the word "bitch." We don't care for that. At least the guys were baddies. Never call us that, or you'll see what a bitch really is. In other news, Rachel really does love her kids and Miles likely knows that she is still alive, but he hasn't told Charlie.
Episode grade: B

The Good Wife- And the Law Won
It's a bad day for Alicia. She is soooo classy. "I'm not playing that game...Thunderdome." Lots of people dislike the Kalinda storyline right now, but we're into it as long as it goes somewhere important. It's interesting. Her husband is definitely an idiotic, psycho jerk. She should call the police and have him thrown back in jail. She's too smart to have lust cloud her judgment. Also, it's not like this guy is hot enough to get away with acting like this. The ice cream scene was hilarious, and he sure can drink a glass of Perrier menacingly. We knew that the jury can now turn questions over to the court, but we'd never seen TV take advantage of it before. Timely, show. Hopefully Maddie will be a good friend for Alicia. For some reason, we don't trust her. We're anxious to see what she's doing on the show. Will Gardner owned Richard Gilmore. That was a great case. We missed Cary this week. He was only in one scene.
Episode grade: B+

666 Park Avenue- Murmurations
Why is Tony so rude? Nona seems to know what's going on, but she also seems like a nice person. She clutched her rabbits foot and saw the future. So she has a psychic rabbit's foot...or she's psychic. We don't know. Why did the show choose to have Jane and Henry unmarried? Is that going to become important. Gavin did the right thing giving Louise and her playwrite husband that money. They got hurt in his building by his elevator. We think the show should make Jane a brunette or a redhead. That might make her more likable. It would also get rid of her roots.

Lots of people have been comparing this show to American Horror Story, with 666 Park Avenue coming in second place. There is room for this show and AHS in the world. They are both different. They are both enjoyable. We have more than one comedy. We can have more than one horror show. AHS is all shock factor with no build up. This show is in some trouble, ratings-wise, and we want to see where it's going and where the writers are going to take it before it gets pulled off the air, so do us a favor and check it out? This episode was creepy and entertaining. We just wish we were attached to the main characters.
Episode grade: B

Downton Abbey- Season/Series 3, Episode 4
We have Tom and Sybil back! Tom can't live in Ireland, so they are probably going to stay at Downton for a while and then move into a house in town. Little did we know last week when we saw the preview that Tom's troubles would equal good news for the viewers. We love those two. Charlie's grandfather is not someone we'd ever leave our child with, even if we were destitute. A man who judges and treats those beneath him "horribly" is not a man. That scene was really sad. Charlie is adorable. We hope that's not the end of Ethel's story and that she somehow gets her son back. Go Edith! We thought Sybil was the feminist of the family though. This show needs to be careful not to get repetitive. This was a quieter episode than most, but we were still entertained. We want more Mary/Matthew.
Episode grade: B

666 Park Avenue- Pilot

By Vanessa_Williams.jpg: motfemme derivative work: Tabercil (Vanessa_Williams.jpg) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

What happened: Jane and Henry, an unmarried couple, move into The Drake on 999 Park Avenue (not a typo) as the building's new managers. The owners offer them fancy clothes, friendship, invites to swanky parties, and a great apartment, as well as payment for the job. We meet some of the residents and bad things happen to them. Sadly, the male owner seems to be the literal Devil trying to lure them into his bosom forever so that he can make them a crappy deal that will end up ruining their lives. What do you expect? He's the Devil. The Drake is totally haunted too. Jane is starting to notice it's weird and that it has a dark history.

What we thought: We love that the episode started with a strings section. Classical music and horror go together well. We're watching this show for the cast, namely Terry and Vanessa, who were so good in their last shows. Also, people were saying that this show reminded them of The Devil's Advocate, and we liked that movie. Turns out, this is a LOT like The Devil's Advocate. Maybe too much. We've already seen that. Of course, we wanted more, so we're still pumped for the rest of this show.

It's good that horror is making a comeback on TV, but since this is a network station, it's never going to be able to do what American Horror Story does. Maybe that's a good thing. Then it won't be as much about the "shock of the week" and more about storytelling. We need a crossover where Glee's Kurt and Rachel end up here. Tee hee.

The main couple reminds us of Keanu and Charlize. The girl even has the blonde hair and sweetness. Henry is a lawyer and Jane is interested in architecture. Snore. We're sure their conversations are fascinating. We don't like the actress playing Jane. She's the weak spot in the cast. The opening sequence was creepy, but the guy getting sucked through the hotel door was anti-climactic and not that frightening. The bloody hand was way better. Never let the devil bring your wife back. Has this guy not seen or read Pet Sematary?

The playwrite is adorable. We think his wife is more attractive than that blonde he's been peaking at. That blonde needs some curtains. That red dress is fabulous. We want it immediately. No woman could look bad in that. It's worth $4,000. If someone offered to buy us that, we would just start jumping up and down and screaming. (Satan, take note.) That elevator incident is quite the lawsuit.

That was a pretty good pilot, but we aren't sold yet. While we were entertained, we're worried about the show's tone. Does it want to be light horror? Vanessa isn't terrifying so much as fun. Terry can be creepy, but only given the right material. Does the show want to be really depressing, disturbing, scary, or meaningful like The Devil's Advocate? We don't know what kind of horror show we are watching yet, but we're interested in seeing where it goes. We'll come back to The Drake next week.

Episode grade: B