Elementary Season 6 Episode 1 Review: An Infinite Capacity for Taking Pains

It took almost a year, but Sherlock is back, as cantankerous as ever.

He's also facing a new challenge which promises to be a burden for everyone around him on Elementary Season 6 Episode 1.

From what I can see already, neither Sherlock nor Joan are going to let post-concussion syndrome keep him down for long.

At the tail end of Elementary Season 5, when Sherlock was being haunted by the ghost of his mother, it was obvious that something was amiss with the brilliant detective.

I'd forgotten how much Sherlock had pissed off Joan with his behavior through that period. That especially made no sense considering that, I don't know, she was a doctor.

For that matter, he could have talked with ME Hawes. The opening scene between them was funny and kind of sweet, you know, for Sherlock and anybody.

Related: Elementary: 11 Reasons It Still Works

Still, since he didn't know exactly what was wrong with him, everyone could chalk up anything unusual he did to his eccentricity. "That's just Sherlock being Sherlock."

Sherlock was protecting Joan while he underwent every appropriate medical test. There was no sense putting her in a position where she would have to lie to Gregson and Marcus for him until he knew what his situation was. 

Shinwell's hitting him with a bottle during the beatdown he gave Sherlock on Elementary Season 5 Episode 18 may have brought on this condition. But it's ironic that every bad habit he has made the situation worse.

Now that Joan knows, at least as much if not more than Sherlock does, she will discover the best protocol necessary for him to recover as quickly as possible. It's a chance to use her medical knowledge to save her best friend from himself.

Related: 17 TV Cop Partnerships for the Ages

She already got him to open up about the feelings that he had kept bottled up inside him. It will be important for him to have somebody to talk to as he heals. It's got to be difficult having his prodigious brain malfunctioning.

I still don't see him meditating or running on a treadmill in their new exercise room, however. His mind races too fast for either of those activities to be beneficial.

Other than having a couple of symptoms, Sherlock wasn't slowed down much by his condition this episode.

Fortunately, this wasn't the most challenging of cases so that he could ease his way back in.

Quelle surprise! The husband, who stood to gain the most from the two murders, did it. The fact that Ryan was played by Brett Dalton, the treacherous Ward from the early seasons of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, made it a no-brainer.

In this era of absolutely everything private ending up online, a leaked sex tape-related storyline was inevitable.

But leaking the sex tape to activate a morals buyout clause was an unusual twist. So was timing a divorce so that would happen after the buyout.

Related: Get CBS All Access via Amazon Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV!

The way you could tell this was fiction was because an ultra-rich person was getting penalized, not rewarded, financially for bad behavior.

Sammy got killed for pressing to find out how the video got uploaded. Why did such a fan of sex tapes care if one of his performances went viral? Because his current girlfriend went psycho, I guess.

How deaf did Sammy have to be to allow Ryan to break in and plastic-sheet off his entire apartment so that he could kill Sammy and leave no forensic clues? Great idea in theory, damn near impossible in practice.

And yet Sammy was smart enough to install a hidden-video system which turned on with the snap of a deadbolt. Yeah, that makes sense.

So all it took for Sherlock to solve this one was a drop of blood, an understanding of the 1% and a sex tape filmed in the living room. 

Hopefully, this kind of case of the week will be the exception and not the rule this season.

The case was secondary this episode or even tertiary.

In addition to his condition being the major storyline, Sherlock also made a new acquaintance at his AA meeting.

Michael explained to Sherlock that Sherlock's share four years earlier had helped him to kick his addiction. He also offered to help Sherlock any way he can.

How nice! Sherlock, who is without a sponsor, meets someone in recovery who has offered his services to Sherlock.

Too bad Michael appeared to be a killer. Since Michael is part of the season's regular cast of characters, expect this to be a thing all season.

View Slideshow: 13 Notable Male Roles Rewritten as Amazing Women

To see Sherlock's condition worsen, watch Elementary online.

How long before Sherlock shakes his concussion? How much did it slow him down? What did you think of Michael? Comment below.

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Elementary: 11 Reasons Why It Still Works

It's elementary why Elementary has succeeded over the past five seasons.

Some viewers would point to the exotic cases that Sherlock and Joan have solved through the years, aided by Captain Gregson and Detective Bell of the NYPD and an assortment of irregulars which Sherlock has recruited.

Of course, an integral part of the series is the authentic, platonic friendship and mutual respect that has developed between Sherlock and Joan, a rare thing between a man and a woman on the TV landscape.

But most important is the colorful cast of characters, some based on Doyle's creations, others drawn up new for Elementary itself.

Since it's been nearly a year since Elementary finished Season 5, an example of the erratic CBS scheduling which has caused the show's ratings to fall in the last couple of seasons, below is a primer covering some of the series' more important characters.

It's a chance to get caught up before Elementary returns at 10 p.m. Monday, April 30. Also you can watch Elementary online for a refresher as well. 

Comment below about Elementary's return. Then come back to TV Fanatic for a review of the premiere.

 

 

1. Sherlock Holmes - The Detective

Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) has his flaws, starting out as a recovering addict. In Season 6, he begins by dealing with a medical condition. But he's always been about the work, solving crimes as a consultant for the NYPD.

2. Dr. Joan Watson - The Partner

Joan (Lucy Liu) has gone from being a surgeon to a sober companion to Sherlock's apprentice to his partner. She also serves as the expert on all things Sherlock, explaining his quirks to the world.

3. Captain Thomas Gregson - The Boss

Although Gregson (Aidan Quinn) isn't always a fan of Sherlock's methods, he respects Sherlock's results and has gone to bat for he and Joan throughout the years. Sherlock in turn has helped Gregson with a handful of personal crises.

4. Detective Marcus Bell - The Believer

Marcus (Jon Michael Hill) started out skeptical about Sherlock, but he's come around. Sherlock and Joan also have helped him through career and personal issues.

5. Dr. Eugene Hawes - The M.E.

Dr. Hawes has aided Sherlock and Joan with their cases. He and Sherlock are regular chess partners. After Hawes was almost killed by an explosion in the morgue, he got addicted to drugs, and Sherlock encouraged him to get help.

6. Michael - The Acolyte

A new character in Season 6 is Michael (Desmond Harrington), who credits Sherlock for helping him to overcome his addiction. It's too early to tell what else Michael contributes to the series.

View Slideshow

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Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 21 Review: Ahuwale ka nane huna (The Answer to the Riddle is Seen)

No Adam, no problem.

The ongoing organized-crime storyline was but an afterthought on Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 21. And the episode was better off for it. 

Instead, we got a fun guest star and a cold case, which was a winning combination.

Harry Langford was back, still trying to find himself in his retirement years after leaving Mi6.

When Harry last visited Oahu on Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 3, he was making a living as a high-stakes gambler while hanging out with his girlfriend, Veronique.

This time out, he's providing security for British royals Lady Helena and her rebellious daughter, Lady Sophie.

Related: CBS Renewals: Which Major Show is Missing?

Actually, it takes Harry, McGarrett, and Danny to attempt to keep track of Sophie, who was one entitled hellion.

This was an excellent episode for Danny, as he provided comic relief whenever he was on screen. He seemed to have a perpetual smirk going as Sophie caused all kinds of turmoil.

I know we only get Scott Caan in about two-thirds of the episodes, but as long as he makes it count as he did in this one, that's OK.

It was funny how Danny, thanks to having his own teenage daughter, was most in tune with Sophie. He could put together an outfit for her. He knew enough to bring snacks on a shopping trip. He could track her down with social media. 

But it was a good thing that Lady Helena had a sense of humor when Danny asked about her place in line for the throne. As soon as Sophie made her entrance, it was clear she was going to be trouble for Harry and his friends from Five-0.

Related: Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 20 Review: Kind Is The Bird of Kaiona

Poor McGarrett and Danny, who thought they were just meeting up with Harry to go out to lunch. Sophie had other ideas.

I would have thought even lesser royals would have had it drilled into their heads as to why security was essential to them.

But I guess teens will be teens, not wanting adults to cramp their style.

It was great to watch Harry turned loose, tossing a bouncer in the pool here, deleting a paparazzi's photos there. It was like watching McGarrett having no regulations to have to follow.

It's like two, two, two Steves in one episode.

And didn't that cool accent give his threats that much more weight?

There were two standout scenes in this case. One was Sophie's snarky friend Carlotta shooting down three law-enforcement personnel purely with attitude. Finally, they got her to understand that Sophie on her own, unprotected, was a bad thing.

Related: Watch Hawaii Five-0 Online: Season 8 Episode 20

Then, there was the scene on the boat, when the villain asked Harry where his backup was, and his henchman went flying off the top deck. A quick burst of action and Sophie got rescued. Still, she kept calm and carried on, despite the close call.

Frankly, I didn't pick up on all the subtle clues that Danny did to recognize that Harry was Sophie's father. I just thought he was very conscientious doing his job.

Hey, I just thought of something: Danny and McGarrett were together, and the restaurant didn't come up. How is that possible? All the writers letting it die a quiet death?

Then there was the other case, with Grover mentoring Tani and Junior. It was lower key, but still effective.

I was amazed that Junior was able to locate and use a Betamax player. That had to be older than he was.

How realistic was it that Tani and Junior were able to locate the exact motel room shown on the tape, with the tens of thousands of rooms on Oahu? I'd say that required a healthy suspension of disbelief.

Related: Get CBS All Access via Amazon Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV!

It was a decent opportunity for Grover to explain to Tani that sometimes there is no closure, but instead, it's justice for the victim. They did get to close the cold case, which was important.

Danny pointed out the connection that wasn't commented on previously: that Adam headed back to the mainland on the same day Noriko washed up dead. I'm hoping they don't end up going there.

With Ian Anthony Dale off filming Salvation Season Two, I'm figuring the organized-crime storyline, and the mystery of who killed Noriko, won't return until the season finale. There's been too much invested in it not to wrap it up.

And even though Hawaii Five-0 has been renewed for Season 9, no one wants this storyline dragged out over the summer. Finish it this season!

Also, we need closure on the restaurant storyline, even if that just means putting a fork in it.

View Slideshow: 13 Notable Male Roles Rewritten as Amazing Women

To catch up on both storylines, watch Hawaii Five-0 online.

Were you glad to see Harry again? How did you like seeing McGarrett and Danny in supporting roles? What do you think of Tani and Junior as a team? Comment below.

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Criminal Minds Season 13 Finale Review: Humdinger of a Mystery

Well, at least the Criminal Minds braintrust made a strong pitch for a Season 14, even though it was an uninspired idea, undoubtedly from CBS, to force together two disconnected episodes into a finale "event."

Still, the range of this series was showcased on Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 21 and Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 22.

First, let's drill down on the case featuring the Taos Hum, which I can't get out of my head.

Only on Criminal Minds can murder by power tool be treated as a matter of course. Or, to look at it another way, the BAU has dealt with even more gruesome methods for killing.

I agreed with the local chief, whose opinion about the murders seemed to be "WTF?" This was definitely outside her area of expertise.

This episode reinforced that the hardest part of being a BAU profile is trying to find a logic for the unsub's killing spree.

Related: CBS Renewals: Which Major Show is Missing?

Caleb was right to be upset with the teacher who created those "hum-canceling boxes" because those were an expensive scam that didn't help sufferers, including his wife.

And, yeah, when shutting down the power plant didn't help, Caleb snapped and savagely murdered the engineer.

But what did the doctor, the construction worker, and the library tech ever do to him? Nothing that I could see.

As Lewis pointed out, eventually the motivation makes sense, if only to the unsub. And she was the one who eventually put everything together.

I'd never heard of the Taos Hum. But it's definitely a thing, around the world.

This is what you have to do after 13 seasons on the air. Find an obscure phenomenon, then figure out how it could drive someone to kill.

Caleb and Sarah came to Taos with the greatest of hopes. Then an environmental quirk drove her insane, to the point when she killed herself for relief.

Related: Criminal Minds Showrunner Q&A: The Surprising Finale, the Show's Future and More!

Then a grieving Caleb used that same method to protect others from the Hum, even if he ended up killing them in the process. Remember, it doesn't have to make sense to anyone but him.

This was a strong episode for Lewis, and there haven't been many of those. She put the team on the right track. She was the one who talked down Caleb, drawing on her own painful experience.

Also, she and Alves seemed to have a burgeoning friendship, which allowed Lewis to show off her playful side as well.

This blooming relationship continued to be showcased in the finale (the real finale), as she continued jibing him throughout.

But that wasn't the main relationship featured in the episode. That would have been the one between Reid and Owen, the FBI agent he rescued, then helped to reclaim his memory and his life (well, if he actually survives).

The friendship between Reid and JJ was also sweet, with her worrying about his fragile psyche and him finally hugging and thanking her for caring about him.

It was difficult throughout to figure out what was going on with Owen. It was easy to see why the team members were uncertain about him.

Related: Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 20 Review: All You Can Eat

I'm surprised that there haven't been more wannabe profilers, more BAU envy. I wonder if the real BAU is viewed as the A-Team within the FBI.

Still, Owen was on the right track more than not. Granted, he got abducted, imprisoned and tortured, but there was an actual Strangler. It wasn't who he thought it was, but still ...

I never saw a cult of serial killers being the actual unsubs. That successfully came out of left field and went right by both Owen and Reid, the guy who is teaching profiling.

It was fascinating seeing Michael Hogan, Colonel Tigh on Battlestar Galactica, playing a Machiavellian villain.

I thought the BAU dismissed the Believers way too easily, believing that locking up their leader would cause the cult to disappear. Instead, the cult was operating inside the FBI itself.

It was smart to put arguably the most popular members of the team -- Reid and Garcia -- in peril for the cliffhanger. That was much better than the vague car crashes at the end of Criminal Minds Season 12.

Related: Get CBS All Access via Amazon Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV!

After a season of largely one-and-done episodes, this was a pleasant change of pace to have a new nemesis introduced for the BAU. It's hard enough to uncover one unsub, let alone a group of them.

Is CBS going to leave this series hanging with Episode 299? You would have to think not. There's still syndication money to be made.

What I fear is that CBS lowballs ABC Studios, and the team shrinks as a result. With Reid and Lewis intermittent already, that wouldn't be a good development.

View Slideshow: 13 Ultra Cool TV Moms We Admire

To review Criminal Minds Season 13, watch Criminal Minds online.

Did you enjoy the Hum episode? How about the cultish cliffhanger? Will Criminal Minds return? Comment below.

This post appear first on Criminal Minds Season 13 Finale Review: Humdinger of a Mystery by Dale McGarrigle

Criminal Minds Showrunner Q&A: The Surprising Finale, the Show's Future and More!

Criminal Minds, CBS's second-longest-running series behind NCIS, will have a two-hour finale starting at 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 18.

The real mystery is whether the finale will be only for Season 13 or for the series itself, as CBS has continued its pattern of waiting until the last second to decide whether or not to renew the veteran procedural.

Erica Messer, executive producer, and showrunner has been with Criminal Minds since its beginning in 2005.

Previously a writer on series such as Alias, Charmed, and The O.C., Messer also served as executive producer and showrunner for the spinoff Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders for its two seasons.

Taking time out from developing programming at her Erica Messer Productions company, Messer talked all things Criminal Minds, including its finale and possible future.

Give us an overview of what’s going to happen in Wednesday’s two episodes.

I guess we'd equate it, in a sports analogy, to a doubleheader, two unrelated episodes even though they're airing as our finale for the year.

Our first hour is a really interesting story about a phenomenon called “The Hum,” specifically in Taos, N.M., where our case is for the week. It follows the story of an unsub who has been affected by the Taos Hum. Major changes in his life have happened because of it, and he is now killing.

That story wraps up nicely. We learn a little more about Tara Lewis in that episode. We see the beginnings of more of a friendship between Lewis and Luke Alves.

We see some of that friendship and lightheartedness between Tara and Luke enter into the next episode. But the rest of that episode is pretty darn serious. It ends up following the case of an FBI agent who had been missing for over a year, only to find he had been held captive by people who we believe are serial killers.

That episode unfolds and has a few surprises in it, culminating in a cliffhanger that will be surprising to many people.

To end with a cliffhanger, you must be fairly confident about a 14th season. There’s nothing that goes down worse with a viewer than a cliffhanger followed by cancellation. So how confident are you?

Well, I would love to feel more confident. I do feel like our show has been on for 13 seasons, and I would feel devastated if it ended with Episode 299, for more than just that reason. Certainly, the [cliffhanger] story itself deserves to be answered, but also I feel very hopeful we could have a 300th episode.

Related: By the Numbers: Will Criminal Minds Be Renewed or Canceled?

I would love to have an entire season to keep telling stories. I feel with the changes in the cast and the chemistry that that group has right now; it has really rejuvenated the creative process for everybody.

We have so many more stories to tell. We have so many ideas and characters, and there's always bad guys to catch. And we have a great group of good guys to do it. I'm very hopeful that we will still get to tell our stories.

There was no season-long storyline this season, unlike the Reid-in-prison one from Criminal Minds Season 12. Why did the show’s production team make the decision to avoid that this season, other than the thankfully short (Linda) Barnes arc?

We felt that there wasn't going to be anything bigger than what we did last year with Reid. He was in prison for so many episodes last year. It was an availability issue, and that was one of the reasons we went that route with the story.

Also, it was also creatively a really great challenge, writing-wise, for all of us, and acting-wise for Matthew, who had been playing Dr. Reid for so long. It was an opportunity to give that character more layers, some complications that helped Reid grow as a character.

Related: Watch Criminal Minds Online: Season 13 Episode 20

This year, we brought in Barnes, who had appeared on Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. Since Beyond Borders is gone now, we felt there was an opportunity to say Barnes is the reason that team, the IRT, doesn't exist anymore and she may be the reason the BAU doesn't exist.

So the stakes felt raised to us, compared to the other seasons where we'd done “the BAU may be in trouble.” It felt very real because you had Matt Simmons, Daniel Henney's character, saying, “Yeah, let me tell you a little bit about Barnes. She investigated our team, and now the IRT doesn't exist. So she will be looking to do that again here.”

That was a bit of a dance with Barnes for a few episodes. We felt a bigger threat than Reid in prison was that this team won't exist anymore. And the way to do that was to have a real threat personified by Barnes.

Some viewers have grumbled about Reid’s “sabbatical,” concerned that Matthew (Gray Gubler) may be on his way out. Any possibility of that happening?

I don't see any signs of that. In fact, he is committed to the show as much as he can be. We have to write in those things if he's not in that episode, that's all.

This season’s new character, Matt Simmons, fit in seamlessly with the team, unlike some other recent additions. Why has Matt worked out so well?

I think part of it is that Daniel has played this character for two years on Beyond Borders and he created the character on an embedded episode of Criminal Minds.

So he comes to the show with a history with the BAU. Certainly, with Garcia, there's a bond, and with some of the members of the team; he knew them. We had set up that history in the embedded episode in Season 10.

Related: Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 20 Review: All You Can Eat

I think automatically there was a comfort level that shows on screen. Also, it helps that Daniel was saying this kind of dialogue already for a couple of seasons. His character was well established as a working dad with four kids. His wife works, they juggle everything, but they're a happy family.

Daniel brings that same thing to the show behind the camera. He's just a lovely human, and he's fit in very well with the rest of the cast.

What’s the secret to keeping a long-running series fresh?

I think we always look to challenge ourselves. The writing staff always brings amazing ideas to the table; the cast is amazing at selling some of our crazy ideas as grounded.

The secret is having a dynamic cast and keeping the ideas going in the writers' room. We also have an outstanding crew which creates the United States for us each year right here in L.A. It takes a village is what I like to say.

Related: Get CBS All Access via Amazon Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV!

The finale airs 9-11 p.m., Wednesday, April 20. To catch up beforehand, watch Criminal Minds online.

View Slideshow: Ch-ch-changes: How to Handle Evolving Casts Without Killing the Show

This post appear first on Criminal Minds Showrunner Q&A: The Surprising Finale, the Show's Future and More! by Dale McGarrigle

Timeless Season 2 Episode 5 Review: The Kennedy Curse

Let's talk about fate, baby.

You have to give teenage John F. Kennedy a lot of credit.

He found out what his future held, yet he still went back to his time on Timeless Season 2 Episode 5.

The Lifeboat crew also got touched by the fickle finger of fate as well.

In this episode, we finally got the answer to what happens when Lucy doesn't go on a mission. In short, chaos ensued. 

Lucy was truly in no shape to time travel after being stabbed on Timeless Season 2 Episode 4. She was running a 105 fever and was in and out of consciousness. She was having trouble standing and shuffling around.

Related: Watch Timeless Online: Season 2 Episode 4

But she is the brains of this operation. Her not being there led to bad choices, bringing John, a horny hellion, forward to the present while leaving Flynn to shoot up a 1934 prep school.

After all, in the opening scene, he had pulled a fire alarm to sneak off with a girl. Why would an ancient bunker possibly hold him?

Lucy had spun a plausible explanation for John's English teacher pulling a gun on him. But he still went walkabout so he could call home.

It was unrealistic how John was able to roll with all the technological advances over the intervening 84 years from his time to the present. Freaking out would have been more appropriate.

Kayla and her friends also went amazingly along with the well-dressed teen claiming to be the man who would become our 35th president. I liked Kayla's idea of taking him home so that her mother, the shrink, could talk with this confused but harmless young man.

Related: Get Britbox via Amazon Channels for the biggest streaming collection of TV from BBC & ITV...ever.

The series' two historians both came in really handy when it came down to tracking the young JFK.

I'd never realized how sickly he had been during his youth. Both Lucy and Carol knew about this and sent their respective teams to check hospitals.

Fortunately, Kayla had already spirited away John. Still, Emma and Wyatt got to rumble, with all that hospital equipment as weapons. Lightweight Lucy chose a lunch tray as her weapon, which is why she ended up as Emma's temporary hostage. 

We got to see hardened Lucy again at that moment when she urged Wyatt to shoot Emma since she is Rittenhouse's only pilot. No wonder Emma ran.

I still don't get how Emma ended up at Kayla's party unless she tracked social media as well. Emma is making Flynn look absolutely restrained by comparison, as she'll open fire under any circumstances.

John showed a hint of the well-respected President he would become when he went back despite knowing all the tragedy which his future held.

Related: 17 Shows That Traversed Time and Space

I hate to admit this, but I'm liking Jessica. She's serving as the voice of common sense, offering suggestions such as checking Instagram for party photos featuring John.

Still, for someone whose experience with time travel is limited to Back to the Future, Jessica has handled the whole concept a bit too smoothly. I expected a little more disbelief.

Lucy was the bigger woman when she advocated for Wyatt with Jessica, keeping her from walking away. She got Jessica to give the new Wyatt one more chance because she wants him to be happy, even if it's with someone else.

I figure Jessica will have to give up her bartender job, as Rittenhouse can get to anyone, anytime. Just ask Christopher.

Ultimately, I fear Jessica is going to catch a bullet from Emma, probably accidentally, so that Wyatt and Lucy can resume their close relationship. It's just hard to tell how long that will take.

It's good to see that Carol came around, somewhat, trying to protect Lucy. That was a pleasant change of pace from trying to have Lucy hung as a witch on Timeless Season 2 Episode 4.

She was even willing to run her own side operation to abduct Christopher, to appeal to her to keep Lucy off the missions.

Related: 19 TV Twists No One Saw Coming

A side note: How did Rittenhouse know how to find Christopher, yet didn't realize Christopher had an implanted tracker? There were definitely some flaws with their intel there.

Of course, Lucy refused to be intimidated by Rittenhouse. Now that her sister Amy has been erased from time, and her mother has chosen to stick with Rittenhouse, she really has nothing to lose.

Unfortunately, there wasn't as much Rufus and Jiya this time. They did have an interesting debate on fate and a higher power. After John got assassinated a year earlier, maybe Rufus will believe now.

View Slideshow: 18 Catchy Tunes that Dominated TV in 2017!!

This was a great episode for Flynn haters, as he appeared in only one scene. He made an impact, emerging with a torn suit and proclaiming that he had killed three Rittenhouse agents.

To follow Wyatt and Jessica's relationship, watch Timeless online.

How did you like young JFK? Have you come around on Jessica, or do you want her gone? Is Carol having second thoughts? Comment below.

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Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 20 Review: He Lokomaika'i Ka Manu O Kaiona (Kind Is The Bird of Kaiona)

Finally, Jerry got turned loose again.

Also, Catherine found a flimsy excuse to come back to Oahu and McGarrett on Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 20.

Oh, yeah. Adam was around, too, but in blessedly small doses. I like the character, but not the organized-crime task force storyline.

We even got some Eddie, who was the only actual hero in this episode. Granted, Catherine completed her mission, but recovering a cell phone and backtracing calls isn't nearly as exciting as rescuing Junior from a ravine.

Who's a good boy?

This episode was mainly an excuse to give McGarrett and Catherine their long-awaited reunion. Who cares that it was based on the far-fetched concept of a Somali bomb-maker arranging to steal depleted uranium from an abandoned base on Hawaii?

Related: Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 19 Review: Where the Bodies are Buried

So, after her latest enemy combatant expired before she can pump him for intel, Catherine hopped on a plane and heads for Oahu. After all, why shouldn't she take advantage of Steve's encyclopedic knowledge of the islands?

It was a hoot watching Kamekona prepare a contract for his chopper just like it was a rental car. He certainly knows McGarrett's frightening track record with aircraft.

How romantic to sneak off to a secluded, deserted, tropical island to "catch up."

But man plans and God laughs. Too bad Jerry didn't get that memo.

Nope, he was determined that he would find King Kamehameha's burial ground on that island, based on his years of research. So, he bullshitted his way onto the chopper by volunteering to be their guide.

Soon they discovered that this conqueror of feral cats had never been there before.

Jerry was a shining example that God must protect innocents.

Related: Watch Hawaii Five-0 Online: Season 8 Episode 19

He strolled up to the punji pit just as Catherine and McGarrett crawled out of it. While they were chasing a thief with a bomb on his back, Jerry was finding the artifacts he sought, and even putting out a fire he started when spooked by a spider. What an intrepid adventurer!

Meanwhile, Catherine and Steve were rediscovering why they belong together. She really is the female McGarrett. Poor Lynn doesn't stand a chance.

So it was all-out action broken up by awkward catching up and on-point bickering. That's how action-figure couples should behave.

So where do they go from here? That really depends if there's a next season with Alex O'Loughlin, neither of which is a foregone conclusion.

We also got to learn more of Junior's backstory, as he reflected on his life while trapped injured in that ravine. That'll teach him to go running in that scenic countryside.

We found out that he was estranged from the father he grew up idolizing and that his younger sister Maya, who died young, served as the bridge between them. After she died, Junior joined the military, and he and his dad drifted further apart.

Related: Is Alex O'Laughlin Still Planning to Leave After Season 8?!

Junior's time with his photos on his phone allowed him space to think, and it seemed at episode's end that things had taken a better turn with his father.

I did love the Lassie moment of Eddie returning to headquarters for help. "What's that, boy? Junior fell into a ravine and hurt himself? Show me."

It was Tani who actually found him, crisscrossing his usual running routes. But I'm sure Eddie helped.

Eddie had more screen time than Grover and the absent Danny, and the episode was none the worse for that.

Finally, Adam came to his sense and decided to head back to the mainland and Kono, leaving the crime solving to the experts.

I didn't understand how Mr. Kimura giving him an alibi would get him out from under his father's debts. I must have missed something there.

Related: Get CBS All Access via Amazon Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV!

But he didn't leave fast enough before Noriko's body washed ashore. Apparently, she wasn't as prescient as she had previously seemed. Also, if she didn't have money to disappear, who does have Adam's fortune?

Now that Adam is just getting sucked into this storyline instead of trying to control it, it's become more interesting again, as Five-0 tries to track down the criminal mastermind.

View Slideshow: Ch-ch-changes: How to Handle Evolving Casts Without Killing the Show

SPOILER ALERT: But that won't happen on Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 21, as hunky Harry Langford returns. He's a fun character, but twice in one season? How about a little more digging to find characters to resurrect?

To watch the development of Catherine and McGarrett's relationship, watch Hawaii Five-0 online.

Did you enjoy Catherine's return? Do she and Steve belong together? Did you like learning more about Junior? Comment below.

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NCIS: Los Angeles Season 9 Episode 18 Review: Vendetta

Anna finally returned. But how long before she's back again will be really hard to say.

That's because of the events during a team-up between NCIS and ATF on NCIS: Los Angeles Season 9 Episode 18.

More of that later. But first, props to Eric. He went undercover and didn't blow up anything.

As soon as Hetty intoned, "What's the worst that could happen?," you just knew that many things would. "It's his turn" truly wasn't reason enough to send him out into the field.

Sam and Callen did their best to help him roll back his nerves.

Related: NCIS: Los Angeles Season 9 Episode 17 Review: The Monster

Based on what showed up in Eric's file, I couldn't blame Mosley for double-guessing Hetty, Hetty's cake metaphor notwithstanding.

Still, playing the IT guy wasn't much of a stretch. That part he could do with his eyes closed.

All he had to do is straighten out what he had messed up earlier, then talk to Leigha privately about Abram, who was back in the country for the first time since NCIS: Los Angeles Season 9 Episode 5.

I really expected more from Eric. But Leigha's firm had little to do with Abram's master plan until near the very end.

No one at the firm bought Eric as an agent undercover, and I truly didn't blame them. Hidoko had to clear the room for him.

That was why he was still in the building when Abram and company arrived. Eric did manage to type really slowly waiting for the cavalry to get there. I thought he would do something like setting up the sprinklers by sending the appropriate command.

Related: Watch NCIS: Los Angeles Online: Season 9 Episode 17

No, instead it was just the obligatory firefight. At least all those shooter games paid off for Eric, as he was able to take out one of Abram's henchmen before the professionals brought the shooting to a close.

This was little Eric did that for which he could be faulted. At the same time, I don't think this outing will earn him more opportunities. He just doesn't have that killer edge which Nell has.

This episode was as much, if not more, about Callen and Anna as it was about Eric.

It appeared there is a fissure forming between Callen and Anna. Their jobs keep them busy and they are drifting apart.

So that made for a wicked awkward air when Anna and her aw-shucks ATF partner ended up in the same room as Callen, Sam, and Arkady.

First off, I have to admit I'm up for any excuse to have Arkady drop by. He's kind of the Huggy Bear of NCIS: Los Angeles, brightening up any scene he's in. He can even make a bath sheet and a head wrap work for him.

Related: Get CBS All Access via Amazon Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV!

Take, for example, the surveillance video of a drunk Arkady singing "Hetty Davis Eyes." That's sheer gold.

Granted, with Arkady, the first question that must be asked is "What's in it for him?"

But this time, he only wanted to help Vladlena, of whom he's obviously grown quite fond. He kept pushing until NCIS discovered there was something to his concerns.

It was quite the scheme the ATF had uncovered, with Abram stealing cigarettes, converting them into cash back in Ukraine, then using that cash for weapons, or whatever.

But I was wondering if that part was just a scam, to misdirect NCIS and ATF, like the exchange of Arkady for Leigha. Was the main idea to transfer funds from Leigha's firm to his offshore account? It would have been simple to convince someone there to send the money under threat of death.

Even before he broke Vladlena for what she knew, he seemed to be a step ahead for the law. How else would he know where Vladlena's ambulance was going, in order to intercept it?

Related: CBS Cheat Sheet: Is Criminal Minds Really in Danger?!

Too bad he couldn't anticipate Anna shooting him. I'm not really sure why she did that, other than he had threatened Arkady. 

But with Arkady having no weapon, how will Anna be cleared, even with Callen backing her up? I'm guessing that will be a story for another episode, probably next season.

I think she's good for Callen, and I'd like to see them remain together. With his stateside family recently dissolving in NCIS: Los Angeles Season 9 Episode 16, Callen needs some stability outside of work.

And once Anna gets suspended from the ATF, they should have lots of time to hang.

View Slideshow: Ch-ch-changes: How to Handle Evolving Casts Without Killing the Show

To catch up on the season during the hiatus caused by the Academy of Country Music Awards, watch NCIS: Los Angeles online.

What will happen with Callen and Anna? Were you happy to see Arkady again? How did Eric do in the field? Comment below.

This post appear first on NCIS: Los Angeles Season 9 Episode 18 Review: Vendetta by Dale McGarrigle

Timeless Season 2 Episode 4 Review: The Salem Witch Hunt

Well, didn't things get messy in a hurry?

Wyatt went AWOL and the team got rearranged as a result on Timeless Season 2 Episode 4.

Like history itself, this episode had a lot of moving parts.

On the plus side, I heard the word "Rittenhouse" less than a dozen times over 43 minutes and change. The writers are substituting the word "Mothership," with the concept of Rittenhouse lurking in the background.

Yes, Jessica is alive again. A quick trip on the Mothership and she was never murdered, a Rittenhouse tactic to distract Wyatt and diminish the team's efficiency.

Related: Timeless Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Hollywoodland

I felt horribly for Lucy, who had to let Wyatt go so he could attempt to reconnect with his one true love. That had to hurt.

We found out that, while Wyatt was mourning Jessica and remembering their marriage through rose-colored glasses, newly alive Jessica saw Wyatt as a husband with many shortcomings, which was why they were in counseling.

She was pissed because he hadn't answered her texts for months. If I were Wyatt, I'd get a different carrier.

Jessica's description of Wyatt's actions sounded a lot more like him during his misspent youth than the Wyatt who has been often the rock of the Lifeboat crew.

After getting served with divorce papers, Wyatt went for the Hail Mary: taking Jessica to the bunker of his current, top-secret mission.

And what most impressed Jessica? "You know Connor Mason?" I bet those awed tones fed Connor's already-healthy ego.

Related: Watch Timeless Online: Season 2 Episode 3

I have to wonder if Jessica is a Rittenhouse pawn, however unwittingly. Maybe they implanted a tracker into her, so they could find the Lifeboat's headquarters.

Why Jessica was brought back by Rittenhouse will determine whether the couple can get back together, or whether Wyatt and Lucy can go back to being more than teammates.

Because Wyatt was busy trying to reconnect with Jessica, the Lifeboat crew found themselves shorthanded.

This meant the inevitable happened: Garcia Flynn got sent back out into the field. We all knew it was just a matter of time. After all, he has been saying right along that he and Lucy had worked together against Rittenhouse in the future.

Lucy treated Flynn as a necessary evil. With Wyatt emotionally tied up, they needed muscle in the form of a violent white man to visit Colonial New England. Yup, Flynn definitely fit that bill, although everyone else had their doubts.

How did he do? About like you'd expect. Flynn made Wyatt look positively restrained in comparison.

When you need chaos or a distraction, Flynn's your man, whether It's a brawl in a tavern or a firefight at a gallows.

Flynn seemed lost when he couldn't just shoot his way out of a problem, at least until he found a rifle that he could use.

Related: 17 Shows That Traversed Time and Space

Surprisingly, he did actually follow Lucy's lead. Then again, he's been following her journal right along, so how much difference should that have been?

Complicating matters was Lucy's mother accusing her of being a witch, and getting her fitted for a noose. Anything to get Lucy back in the fold.

But Lucy has changed, has lost her innocence. Her sister has been wiped from history, and her mother is more concerned with Rittenhouse than with her.

As Flynn points out, Lucy has been hardened by her experiences. She is now more concerned with saving people than saving history. For example, women who were fated to be hung as witches escaped. So what is the fallout in the future? I'm sure that's something that will have to be addressed.

Finally, there was Jiya's gift of foresight and its effect on the team.

She admitted to Rufus that she is having premonitions about his future and that her latest one had him shooting a man in Salem.

The net effect of this was the team thinking that this man, Justice Samuel Sewall, was a Rittenhouse sleeper agent. So they confronted him. Later on, Sewall pulls a pistol on Rufus, with Rufus holding a rifle on him. Rufus lowered his weapon, letting Sewall leave. The problem was he got run over by a carriage.

While Jiya told Rufus so that he could avoid that potential future, the net result is that the trio interacting with Sewall changed history and still led to his death.

Related: Get Britbox via Amazon Channels for the biggest streaming collection of TV from BBC & ITV...ever.

This has resulted in tension between the two after Rufus asked Jiya to keep her visions to herself. There's got to be a better solution than him sticking his head in the sand.

Thanks to her great-grandfather's proclamation, Lucy is now a Rittenhouse target, with bounty hunter Emma on her tail. Will Carolyn put Lucy before Rittenhouse?

And what to do with Flynn, the wild card? Four people and a three-person Lifeboat does offer some dramatic possibilities.

For instance, Lucy came back injured. Do they let her heal and send out the three men, assuming Wyatt is back? Or would they kill each other and history at the same time?

View Slideshow: 19 TV Twists No One Saw Coming This Season

To catch up on the show's new direction, watch Timeless online.

What happens with Wyatt and Jessica? How did Flynn do? What's going to happen with Jiya and Rufus? Comment below.

This post appear first on Timeless Season 2 Episode 4 Review: The Salem Witch Hunt by Dale McGarrigle

Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 19 Review: Ex Parte

Welcome, Matt, to the BAU.

After most of the season has passed, Matt Simmons finally got his spotlight episode on Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 19.

Simmons came over to the BAU as a refugee from the FBI's International Response Team,  featured on Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, the better of Criminal Minds' two short-lived spinoffs. 

That series always felt to me akin to Law & Order: Los Angeles, full of darkness offset by a good deal of light. That must have been because of the colorful locations and the positivity projected by Gary Sinese's Unit Chief Jack Garrett.

Related: Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 18 Review: The Dance of Love

Simmons was Beyond Borders' second-best character, a solid family man seemingly unfazed by all the ugliness he investigated.

He has fit right in since joining the BAU, obviously missing his old teammates but happy to have a new chance to get back in the field utilizing his profiling skills.

After hanging out largely in the background all season, Simmons was severely tested in this episode. His wife Kristy was among the hostages taken at a D.C. civil-rights law firm.

Simmons, Kristy and the new cell phone she bought for him actually saved the day. Ain't technology grand?

You just knew that phone was going to be important after Kristy tried to get Matt to switch to it in an early scene, extolling its many features.

The episode featured an interesting variation of villain, domestic terrorists, with a BAU twist, a leader with Daddy issues. It's good to see that not all terrorists are brown and imported in today's TV landscape.

Related: View Criminal Minds Online: Season 13 Episode 18

Was it more than a little convenient that, with all the hostage negotiators available in the D.C. area, the BAU gets called in? Also convenient was the fact that the incident was happening where Kristy had recently started working.

But if events had happened in any other way, we wouldn't have gotten to see what makes SImmons tick. And get ticked off.

Prentiss rightfully held Simmons back at headquarters to help develop a profile of the hostage-takers.

Kristy was seemingly the only one at her firm able to think on her feet in a crisis situation. She somehow hid her second phone (the one she got for Matt) from the terrorists and snuck away to call for help.

This call, forwarded to Garcia, allowed Garcia to take over the phone, which Kristy in turn used as a video camera, giving the BAU in effect a closed-circuit feed.

This resulted in more intel for the BAU, and Lewis's pestering of Josh Martin, the terrorists' leader, got them time to gain more information about the hostage-takers.

The confrontations were amusing between Hagland and Rossi. Hagland spouted his white-supremacist and deep state rants, which Rossi dismissed with a series as sarcastic responses meant to get Hagland riled up.

Related: Criminal Minds First Look: The Calm Before the Storm

I guess the rotten apple didn't fall far from the tree. Josh may have not inherited his father's name, but he sure inherited his hate.

The covert surveillance didn't hold up for long, as Kristy's arguing co-worker drew the Martin's attention. What, pray tell, did that guy hope to gain for his whimpering?

Rather than let that idiot take the punishment he deserves for his cowardice, Kristy bravely took responsibility for setting up the phone.

Kristy's being threatened spurred Simmons into action, as he got to her office building, which must have been nearby, used the convenient maintenance shaft the team had discovered, and dispatched the remaining terrorists in short order.

Which begs the question: Why didn't Prentiss OK the angry-husband-assault option as soon as they uncovered a way to access the offices? I guess that would go against protocol.

All of which led to that dramatic hand-to-hand battle between Simmons and Daddy's boy Martin, which ended only when Kristy stopped Matt from choking out Josh.

Related: Get CBS All Access via Amazon Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV!

The morale of this story: Don't mess with Simmons' family, especially his wife.

Will anything result from his breaking protocol (and ending the standoff). I seriously doubt it, under such trying circumstances.

It was heartening to have an episode focused on Matt. It was a chance to explore all the qualities that make him a strong BAU agent.

I realize it's a large cast and there's only so much time to focus on individual characters. Still, it was appropriate that the newest team member got his chance to shine.

View Slideshow: Ch-ch-changes: How to Handle Evolving Casts Without Killing the Show

To watch Simmons develop, watch Criminal Minds online.

How did you enjoy Matt's spotlight? Who else deserves to be the focus of an episode? What flaws did you find with this episode? Comment below.

This post appear first on Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 19 Review: Ex Parte by Dale McGarrigle