Cash Game

The plot thickens!

Boyd doesn’t get what he was looking for from the bank heist (a boat load of cash) and goes to his partners to shake their trees. He wanted this to be quick and easy so he could take off with Ava. Along with this, we find out that the guy looking to buy up all the property, Ty, is part of a para-military group. This guy is a problem. His not so subtle threat to the older couple would put anyone on edge. The three guys (so far) served together and are working with someone to fund them. This, of course, has the guy Boyd’s partners wanted to rip off (Calhoun) right in the middle.  Calhoun realizes that his life is more important than money a little too late…maybe Raylan can help him.

So this revelation brings Raylan into close proximity to Boyd. Nipping at his heels really. Any scene with these two automatically means great things.

1) The talk Boyd and Raylan have outside the office was just delicious. Amazing writing and acting. It’s the stuff that this season will be remembered for.

2) Ava and Boyd confrontation. Holy animal, when Ava comes back home with the paper work Boyd hid in the shed! Raylan freaked her out when he implies Boyd wanted her to find that stuff (he didn’t). She decides to go on the offensive and it works. So intense, so good. When he leaves she practically passes out when she gets back into the house.

3)Choo-choo! Oh my god this new character is the best! I love him! Awesome introduction, he should just get better and better. He looks to be the muscle of the Ty group, but man is he funny. I’ve never seen Duke Davis Roberts before, he’s a hell of an actor. Perfect fit for the show.

The Two Lisas

This week’s title refers to the lesbian couple that are trying to buy up all the property in the neighborhood. The gentrification duo who are Frank’s nemesis…but not enough of of threat for Frank to deal with directly because he’s too busy with his basement brewery. He enlists Carl to come up with some scare tactics to get the Lisas out of the neighborhood, but it doesn’t work.

This was a major relationship episode, everyone is getting twisted up:

Sheila wants out and she wants it now. with or without Frank. She goes as far as getting a down payment from blonde Lisa. She starts to look into getting a swank RV to live in and Frank manages to talk her down until his brewery plan blows up in his face. Plus he basically pimps out Sammi, who rightfully flips out on him. One of the best Shameless arguments in the street from this.

Kevin and V are still at odds over their kids. The rub and tug over the bar gets shut down by the cops so V takes matters into her own hands to get a new lucritive buisness up there which takes up all her time (which Kev is not too happy about).

Moving on from any potential relationship with her boss, Fiona agrees to a date with the singer of a band that keeps hitting on her. He turns out to be a quality liar, but hey, she finds out right away and can spare herself the drama. She strikes it up with the bass player (who is an amazing singer) so maybe they can be happy together (probably not).

Mandy’s crap boyfriend gets a job out of state and tells her she’s coming with him. Mickey and Ian object and Ian turns to Lip for help to convince her to stay. Lip’s non-ability to commitment and fear of feelings push her away. The scene where they are together for the last time (?) was heartbreaking.

The Carl and Debbie raging teenage hormone battle reaches new heights. Carl has developed a skill that gets the girls to give him a hilarious nickname. Debbie’s idea to throw a party pushes her into a crazy realm of adulthood that she had no clue about. Her age and rush to grow up has made her life worse, not better. She has no idea which way is up now. Pretty ingenious idea from the writers, this is the most intense thing happening aside from Frank’s catastrophe.

Great episode, some really crazy stuff happened. Next week should see a lot of fallout.

Final season premiere: Fate’s Right Hand

Justified has never let me down  and it looks like the show is going into the end with both guns blazing. The best parts of the show, Raylan and Boyd (and Ava too) are on a collision course that should solidify Justified as one of the best TV shows ever made.

Raylan’s last gig is to get Boyd. A lot of bodies (and relationships) piled up last year and Raylan is certain he can get Boyd. He goes after Dewey Crowe right when he gets out of jail to help him take down Boyd, but Dewey isn’t having any of it. If there is one guy Dewey doesn’t trust it’s Raylan (Dewey is probably my favorite character on the show) since he’s put him through the ringer so many times.

But Ava! Raylan has Ava which is some intense stuff. Side note: Joelle Carter is so good as Ava, she’s just brilliant. So Raylan has a reluctant mole next to Boyd. Ever the criminal, Boyd sees things crumbling around him and can’t think of a reason to stick around. He sets up a bank job to get some money to escape this Kentucky hole in the ground home town for good. Raylan knows he’s up to no good and Boyd knows he’s gotta play the best game of his life.

The final scene shocked me speechless. Boyd is determined and so is Raylan…this is going to be amazing to see play out.

I’m the Liver

With episode 2, we spread our legs a bit. Fiona is now off of house arrest but is still on parole, so she’s gotta be careful. Frank and Sheila get invited to the parents of the kid that Frank got his liver from. Sammy buts in making things a mess which drives Sheila even farther to the deep end. There are developers looking to buy the neighborhood and Sheila is hot to dump the house she loves just to get away from Sammy. But Frank says no, claiming the fight against gentrification is way more important than Sheila’s selfish reasons.

Veronica and Kevin marriage becomes even more strained because of the helping hand Svetlana gives Kevin and Debbie. This has the side effect of Fiona pulling her head out of the clouds for the first time in months and pays her sister some much needed attention. Debbie is really a boat without a rudder and really needs some guidance. This was my favorite plot line as at the end, Fiona realizes that Debbie is on the cusp of making adult decisions that will shape her for the rest of her life. She’s not a child any more.

For the Gallagher boys, Lip gets a construction job that basically lays him out at the end of the day. Ian gets into a situation that sends him spiraling into bi-polar episode that could have destroyed him. Mickey and his sister Mandy figure out a Shameless plan to keep him safe.

A nice episode of growth, there’s a lot of great stuff going on for everyone.

With the title wave of TV shows coming back, it’s cut down on my movie watching a  lot. Quick hits since there are so many.

Episodes and House of Lies- Along with Shameless, these two kicked off their fourth seasons. I didn’t think much of Episodes when it started, but it some how got it’s hooks in me. The power of good characters and the inner workings of Hollywood without the Entourage stupidity. Sean and Beverly are pulled back to LA immediately after escaping. Once back in their floundering show, Pucks, Matt convinces them to cash in while they are still able to and go with the show script that a few networks want to bring to series. With things looking good, it turns out Sean may have blocked out some very important memories that will have serious consequences. I like where this is going. House of Lies returns with us flashing back and forth out of jail with Marty. Smart move as it condenses a good amount of time together so the main story (Marty and Jeannie) can push forward with the new whale for the season. The business and partnership is in shambles, it’ll be interesting to see what and who survives the season.

Face Off- New season with a major new twist. Three returning champions mentor a team of five contestants. The new comers do 95% of the work, the champions really just guide them, give advise and teach them new things. This should lead to amazing results in the end. None of the contestants look like bums right out of the gate, so it looks like a really good cast. Hard to tell who will be the front runner right off the bat. It looks like it’s going to be all team challenges for awhile, I’m curious to see how they handle a smaller cast as it is possible for an entire team to get eventually get knocked out (and then the champion loses, leaving the show as well). Might be awhile before we get to see individual challenges.

Troy: Street Magic- Comes on right after Face Off. I’m a sucker for magic and this kid is great. He’s an amazing talent, worth watching.

Helix- The weird sci-fi thriller returns with a much different second season. The whole show took place at an antarctic research facility and now it looks like most of this season is on an island. A lot of time has passed between seasons so there are a ton of questions popping up. Plus they are jumping ahead 30 years at some points. Hope they can keep it fun and cohesive.

Archer, Broad City, Workaholics, Kroll Show, Always Sunny in Philadelphia- My comedy schedule is packed! Great returns from everyone, glad to see it all back.

Gotham- I think this show just keeps getting better as it goes. Last night was really great, major events popped off, a great (new? I don’t recognize him from the comics) villain got to stretch his legs. Really looking forward to each new episode.

Grimm- Another fun show. Currently juggling two plot lines (more like 2.5 with Wu and 3.5 with Adalind, but she’s back burner right now) and as usual, the one with Juliette is the weakest.  The main one with Monroe is really great so far and looks to come to a head this week. Secret societies are always fun, no matter how nasty they are.

Sleepy Hollow- Last night’s episode was really cool! Nice change of pace to focus more on Icabod and his wife. Their murder hunt was one of the best episodes of the season. Show remains strong, good to see.

Constantine- I don’t think it’s been picked up for a second season, but I hope it does. I really like this one and it looks really great. Some cool and spooky ideas, lead actor is great. Actually the best scenario would probably if this gets canceled and a cable/VOD company picks it up so they can go hardcore with it to match the comic book source. Good companion show to Grimm.

Parks & Recreation- The final season jumps ahead to 2017. It’s still Parks & Rec.

Coming up: Arrow kicks off tomorrow and after the cliffhanger of last season, I’m stoked to get back into it. Top Gear returns as well, I got the Patagonia special recorded now and need to get on it before Series 22 kicks off on the 26th. Justified returns for it’s final season tonight! Fantastic and sad all in one. Love this show so much, haven’t been let down by a season yet so I have big expectations. THEN the Americans starts up on the 28th! Man Seeking Woman is a new comedy on FX as well and it’s a surreal trip! It takes all the exaggerations of relationships and shows them as real. I liked the premiere so I’m down for more. Hail FX Network!

The wait is over, my favorite show is back! Season 4 was a hell of a season, so there’s a lot to live up to here. There was a lot of trauma and growth for the entire cast last year and we rejoin the Gallagher’s just a few months later. So where are we in the season premiere, titled “Milk of the Gods”? Everyone is reconvening for the summer. Some things have come together since the finale, so Milk is pretty much catching up with our favorite broken toys.

Lip has completed his first year at school. He makes an awkward cya later with his girlfriend Amanda (I think she’ll reappear soon from Miami). He avoids getting mixed up with some old friends (for now).

Ian is living with Mickey and Svetlana, doing more “domestic” duty while Mickey and Svet aren’t out scamming people. Ian is on the upswing, he doesn’t think he needs go see a doctor and neither does Mickey. This is going to be a horrible fall.

Frank is doing well considering he has a new liver. Sheila rides him to check his vitals and take his meds like he’s supposed to. With a new lease on life, Frank has hatched a plan to keep himself busy and make a money. It doesn’t take long for him to fold his new lease on life into his old one.

Sammi and Chuckie live in their trailer parked right next to Sheila’s house. With Frank being better, Sammi is now living the life of a wild child, shoving her son to the side while she picks up every dude who pays any attention to her. Her new daddy issues have put Sheila on the war path.

Carl and Debbie are both in the throws of being a teenager. Carl “finishes” another disastrous school year while Debbie, with the better head on her shoulders, has soldiered on. They both got a taste of love last season and it looks like the race may be on to see who loses their virginity first this summer. There should be some serious growing pains for them both again this season.

Fiona has held down her job at the diner she picked up at the very end of last season. She has a lot of regulars and waiting tables seems to be working out for her. There was no indication that the household is desperate for money right now. A guy in a band has been hitting on her hardcore, but it looks like she really digs her (older) boss. He does to, but there is a serious wall of commitment between them right now. The sexual tension is palpable! I expect disaster aplenty.

V and Kevin are up to their eyeballs in babies. V gets burnt out and lets Kevin step up to make up for her frustrations and he thankfully crushes it. I always like V and Kev’s B plot lines, I hope the writers have something good cooked up for them this year.

I’m so happy Shameless is back on. I haven’t been disappointed in a season yet and it’s really nice to come back to my favorite characters. A lot of major stuff happened last year and I hope they can keep this show on its fantastic roll. They have a lot of dynamic characters and situations to work with so I’m expecting greatness again. The premiere was an easy roll in, let’s see what the cracks in the road are going to be.

All aboard the Black Mirror hype train! I’ve been hearing about this Channel 4 (UK) show since it hit Netflix Instant. Tons of praise is being thrown at it and after watching the six episodes in two days, I can see why.

The easiest way to describe Black Mirror is a modern day Twilight Zone that utilizes not-to-distinct-technology as the fulcrum of the story. Each episode is a contained tale with unique characters; there is no continuity so you can watch them in any order.

Black Mirror is so fascinating because each episodes starts in a unique and interesting way, with a certain technology spinning the characters into a crazy scenario. The ideas in this show are so cool, intense and thought provoking that I’m going to skirt around the real details of each. I think the show works best when you don’t know what’s going on and you see the twists and turns unfold in front of you. Half the fun is seeing how an episode ends. The technology is all stuff that’s in our near future. Bio-implants, various angles on social media, privacy and voyeurism, social justice, digital footprints and ghosts in the machine.

This so is so well cast, acted, directed and presented. The glimpses of what is quite possibly in our future and how they are presented make each story so believable. Right now it’s science fiction but in the next 20 years, much of what we see here could be science fact. It’s the best futurist stuff I’ve seen since watching the fantastic Her. There is some truly frightening stuff in here. It’s the kind of stuff that Luddites could point to and say, “See! This is what I’m talking about!” Also fair warning, this show isn’t for children. It’s low on violence, but there is sex, swearing and serious adult issues being discussed and examined.

Being a British programme, Black Mirror has very short seasons. Three episodes in two seasons (about 45 minutes each) and a Christmas special so far. I’ll give very brief impressions of each episodes.

The National Anthem: The Prime Minister is given a very uncomfortable ultimatum when one of the Royal family is kidnapped. This is a hell of a way to start a show.

Fifteen Million Merits: A take on talent television shows and popularity contests that I didn’t find that great. Easily the low point of the series for me.

The Entire History of You: Biological implants, the technology that will most likely follow the likes of Google Glass and the “smart” watches that are trying to get a foot hold now. What digital recording and always on internet connectivity could lead to. Amazing episode.

Be Right Back: This one is a fascinating and tough look at what our digital footprints could be used for…will we ever really die in the future? This one is an emotional ride.

White Bear: WOW! I’m not going to say any more. Watch this and hold on for dear life, it’ll twist your brain in knots. Probably my favorite, I didn’t see where this one was going at all.

The Waldo Moment: This one is an interesting political tale. I’d put this one in fifth place.

White Christmas: This is the holiday special that recently aired. I haven’t seen it yet, but it stars Jon Hamm, so it automatically gets a bonus point for having a bloke I know in it.

If you haven’t heard about this show yet, someone is going to bring it up to you very soon. Get in on it now so you can join in on the conversation!