TV Recap

    Hey everybody!  I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.  Although the Patriots lost AGAIN, and therefore robbed me of my free coffee on Monday, I still got to see a lot of good TV, including a special behind-the-scenes special for Shadowhunters, (more on that below).  Plus, there are about 17 more days until Christmas and 11 until my birthday, so there's something for me to be happy about!  I'm going to be talking about some of my shows today, at least one of which is now on winter break.  I'll also be breaking down my thoughts on the Shadowhunters special, so stay tuned for that if you're interested or obsessed, like I am.  If you haven't been watching or are not caught up in Once, Arrow, Flash or Agents of Shield, BEWARE OF SPOILERS below!

(www.tv.com)

    Once had ALL the feels this week, as we see Emma become the better of two evils in order to battle Dark Hook and his master plan to destroy everything Emma loves, (except himself of course).  It looks like Emma has forgotten she's also a Dark One, but that's alright because everyone is completely OK with it.  Everyone has the Mark of Cane on them, thanks to Dark Hook, which means that they all just bought a one-way ticket to Hell, unless someone can come up with a way to finagle out of it.  Emma does, but Hook thwarts her once again, causing everyone to just give up and spend time with each other.  This episode seemed very blah to me after everything we'd been going through up until this point.  I did enjoy the little flashbacks of Hook and his father, but nothing was really explained at the end, so we have NO idea if Liam #2 is still alive and/or if he's looking for Hook, his big half-brother and their father's murderer.  In the end, Hook changes his mind at the last second and gives Emma the sword in order to run him through, like a real girlfriend would.  It's all very emotional because Killian was like the only really hot guy left on the show, (Charming is OK, but he's not my type...plus he's barely spoken in last few episodes).  But when you think it's over, you get Rumple, who's been biding his time until he can revert back to his evil ways again.  Thanks to some bit of leftover magic dust he had stocked up in one of his cabinets, Rumple now has all of the past lives of the Dark Ones trapped inside him, plus the dagger, ultimately making him more powerful than he's ever been.  Emma threatens to tell Belle, now that they've rekindled their relationship, so Rumple agrees to do Emma a favor.  Which is to bring her and her entire family to Hell to get Killian back.  Didn't they just get out of that mess?  Anyway, we'll see what happens when this show comes back from hiatus, but I'm guessing a lot of betrayal and dead enemies.

(superherohype.com)

    Arrow and Flash had a crossover episode last week, which was really cool to watch.  Barry was trying to find ways to increase his speed since taking on Zoom has decreased his confidence significantly.  Cisco and Kendra have taken things to the next level, but are interrupted on their date by Vandal Savage, the random bad guy of this crossover.  Savage is here specifically for Kendra, who is actually Hawk Girl in a reincarnated state.  It takes most of the episode, and a little help from Team Arrow, to figure this out.  We also meet Kendra's counterpart, Hawk Guy, (I don't know what he's actually called).  Their souls are apparently linked so that in each new life, they can find each other again, (AWWW).  Poor Cisco... How can you possible compete with that?  Anyway, Kendra finds her wings by free-falling off a skyscraper, Barry and Oliver work together to figure out the best course of action when dealing with the mystical Savage.  They figure out that Savage is immortal and that he's hunting mystical objects related to Hawk Girl's origin.  Malcolm Merlin offers some words of encouragement on the nature of immortality as both teams convene over drinks at Ollie's apartment.  There are lots of jabs at each other, (Barry nags Ollie about no sleeves, Cisco insists on renaming Speedy, Barry comments on Merlin's shadowy entrance, etc.).  Hawk Guy swoops in, (literally), takes Kendra, gets beaten by Team Awesome and questioned about what he knows.  Eventually, they all figure out that Savage is after a magical scepter, which he gets his hands on, but not without a fight from Arrow and Flash.  After realizing that Savage is after Kendra, now that she's gotten her powers back, they leave for Star City, but not before Oliver has an awkward run-in with the child he fathered with that girl Moira paid off back in Season 2 or something.  WHAT?!
    Enter the Arrow crossover, Legends of Yesterday.  As I'm writing this, I just realized that Oliver had more story line in the Flash crossover and Barry had more story line in the Arrow crossover...weird.  Anyway, both teams travel to a farmhouse on the outskirts of Star City, (cue Thea making an obvious joke about Avengers: Age of Ultron), to regroup and come up with a plan to take on Savage.  Hawk Girl and Guy train outside and attempt to spend some time together in order to rekindle her lost memories.Oliver attempts to make contact with his long lost son while keeping it from Felicity, (HORRIBLE move).  Eventually, everyone is finally ready with what they think is an OK plan.  During the final confrontation, Savage uses the staff to incinerate everyone, which immediately causes you to think this is either a dream sequence or something because EVERYONE CAN'T DIE.  Barry runs so fast he turns back time, thank God, and he tries to help the team think of a better plan than the one that got them killed originally.  They do and it works and everyone wins, even Ollie, getting to spend some one-on-one with his son Will.  However, he still doesn't tell Felicity and she definitely KNOWS something is up, so this will not end well.  Overall, a great crossover, but the sole purpose was to set up Legends of Tomorrow, so we'll see how well that worked.

(mcuexchange.com)

    Agents of Shield has slowly been losing my interest as of late.  I'm not sure why, but I'm just not as invested anymore.  Last week, we saw Coulson lose his lady love by way of sniper rifle to the throat, thanks to Ward, whose goal is to now make Coulson suffer.  It's working.  Coulson then spends the entire episode trying to find Ward and kill him.  We haven't seen a lot of May or Skye/Daisy lately either, and even less of Lincoln, (which is a crying shame).  Everyone has been beaten so badly at this point, but I can't see May lying low for too much longer because of what happened with Andrew.  She's never been one to sulk.  But I loved Fitz-Simmons in this and the bond they have is obvious.  Fitz went through a portal for her!  I'm curious to see what will happen next week when Hydra tells Simmons that they only needed Fitz as a sacrifice to their horrendous Squid God...  I wish I cared more.  They wouldn't kill of Fitz, would they?...

    

(youtube.com)

    The Shadowhunters special was probably the highlight of my night, (because I'm obsessed).  It was called "Beyond the Shadows" and featured footage from behind the scenes of filming the show, (obviously), as well as little clips and snippets we haven't seen yet in any of the trailers.  LIKE MORE MALEC!!  After watching this, I feel a lot better about watching the TV series in January, (WHY must I wait another MONTH?!).  I'm still not 100% sure this is going to make me happy because I know they are going against the book on a lot of details, but I'm hoping that I still like what they've done with the story.  Besides Malec stuff, (one of the episodes is called "Malec!"), they showed more footage of scenes from the show, which gives us an idea of what we might see from the books in the first season.  We're definitely getting Simon's burial, when he becomes a vampire, and it looks like we're going to meet Isabelle's Seelie/Faerie boyfriend, which means a trip down into the Seelie Court.  This means we can expect content from at least the first two books, if not a bit of the third, although I've seen nothing so far to suggest that yet.  There are only 13 episodes in the first season, so I have no idea what they're going to do or how they're going to split things up.  Regardless, I've already watched the special twice and it's on YouTube and ABC Family's website, so I'll leave the link here so you guys can watch it if you're interested.  I believe the show will be better received if all the guys go shirtless.

    Ok, I think that's about all I have for you today.  If you watch any of these shows or have thoughts on the Shadowhunters show, let me know in the comments below.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

TV Recap

    Hey guys, sorry about not posting yesterday.  I totally forgot:(  I'm going to try to keep myself on track by putting reminders in my phone so that I can keep up with things.  I very rarely sit at my computer these days and with everything else going on in my life at the moment I've found it difficult to stay on track.  I am planning a little mini vacation for myself when the holidays come around, so that'll be nice.  ANYWAY, I meant to do a recap yesterday of the TV shows I've been keeping up with lately, so here we go.  Beyond this point are SPOILERS, so if you're not caught up, don't read!

(greenarrowtv.com)

    Arrow was big last week because of Constantine making a cameo appearance.  My husband loved that show and when it was cancelled, he wasn't too happy.  Needless to say he's been given a second chance and it did not disappoint.  We left off with Team Arrow trying to figure out the best way to approach the now loose Sarah after attempts to talk her down failed.  Thea realized that her blood-lust was directed towards her, because Thea was the one who killed her under Merlin's influence.  Thea decided she wanted to let Sarah kill her in order to cure her blood-lust because Thea felt that she was the only one who understood what Sarah was going through.  Thea's blood-lust cannot be cured because the person who killed her is already dead and she can't avenge herself.  Obviously the rest of the team didn't like this idea, so Oliver called in some back-up in the form of an old friend.
    They showed flashbacks to when Oliver was back on his old friend The Island and Constantine happened to be held at gunpoint by his commanding officer.  Constantine took Oliver hostage and drove him to a location where he knew there was a magical artifact that he needed.  Oliver saved his life Indiana Jones style, which meant Constantine owed him a favor.  Back in the present, Constantine devised a plan that would allow Oliver and Laurel to go inside Sarah's mind to retrieve her soul.  In the end, everyone is successful and Sarah is returned to her normal state.  Diggle receives closure about his dead brother and Felicity discovers that Ray is still alive.  A lot happened this past week, so I can't wait to see where this goes.  I believe Constantine will be a crucial part of defeating Dahrk, but we'll see.

(movietralerreviews.net)

    Agents of SHIELD was also full of surprising revelations last week.  We see Agent May return to the team under circumstances beyond her control.  Andrew, her ex husband, was involved in an explosion that killed several members of the newly-formed Hydra group, sent by Ward.  May and Bobbi team up in this episode and it was awesome!  This was the first time Bobbi had returned to the field since last season, so she was still unsure of herself in the beginning.  May and Bobbi make a great team and May was able to talk Bobbi into relinquishing her fear.  Meanwhile, Skye, (I still can't call her Daisy...it's too weird), and the rest of the gang are trailing Coulson as he meets up with the leader of the ATCU.  They discover that she's putting the Inhumans she captures into a sort of stasis in order to bide time for finding a cure.  We also find out that she lost her husband to cancer and refuses to let the Inhumans deal with their troubling abilities without at least trying to help them.  Noble, but is she really doing the right thing?
    The real shocker in this episode, which I kind of saw coming, is the reveal of the human identity of Lash.  After Skye saw Lash turn back into a human a few episodes ago, she didn't want to let it go.  As they search for the answers, May is actually the one to find out the truth from a dying Von Strucker.  We see in a flashback to the explosion that Andrew is actually Lash and caused the explosion that killed everyone inside the store.  This also explains how he could have survived such an explosion.  We're probably going to be dealing with this revelation when May and Bobbi return from their mission.  May is currently the only one who knows about Andrew, so it's unlikely that she will tell anyone until she has a chance to talk to him herself, knowing the truth will set everyone into a panic.  Inhumans everywhere!

(flashtvnews.com)

    Flash was interesting last week.  I've been waiting for Barry to ask Patty out for awhile now, so I'm glad they finally worked that in.  Unfortunately, the poor bastard was blind for most of the date, thanks to a run-in with our newest Inhuman bad person, who looks identical to Linda Park, one of Barry's ex-girlfriends from last season and Iris's friend in the newsroom.  While they deal with Linda's doppelganger, everyone is dealing with working alongside the Earth 2 Harrison Wells.  Although this version of Dr. Wells is identical to the one Barry defeated last season, they have very different personalities.  No one is comfortable, but they have to learn to work together in order to defeat this season's villain, Zoom.  Dr. Wells even helps Cisco, (albeit not kindly), reveal his new powers to the rest of the team, shocking everyone, including Cisco.  In the end, Dr. Light is captured with Cisco's psychic help before she can kill Linda, Barry gets the girl after regaining his eye sight and Cisco introduces himself to an attractive barista, who will turn out to become Hawkgirl this season and continue on to the spin-off Legends of Tomorrow with The Atom and the White Canary from Arrow.  When every episode of Flash introduces a new character, you have to learn how to keep track of the ones who aren't temporary.

(avclub.com)

    Lastly, Once threw us for a loop last weekend as well, introducing us to the original Dark One, aka Nimue, who was Merlin's lost love.  As Merlin and Emma search for the last ember of Prometheus in order to reforge the sword, (I will never get tired of saying that), to wipe out Emma's darkness.  While on their quest, Merlin recounts his past, including the day he discovered the Holy Grail and inadvertently created Arthur's future kingdom.  He also discovers he has magic and eternal life, which he uses to help the people in his ever-growing village.  There he meets Nimue, who has fled her town after a murderous lunatic set fire to everything and killed everyone in order to find the grail.  Merlin falls for her and they devise a plan to turn the cup into a sword in order to wipe out Merlin's magic so they can be together for one life.  Nimue ends up betraying Merlin for revenge against the man who destroyed her village and becomes the first Dark One, having taken the man's heart and crushed it.  The rest of the gang stage a break in of Arthur's castle in order to get the sword.  As usual, they're betrayed by Zelena and sent away before completing their task.  As we move back to present day in Storybrooke, we see that Emma has both pieces of the sword and is able to put them together.  She encounters all her past Dark Ones, including Nimue, who watch her put the sword back together.  Emma briefly recalls when Merlin told her as a child to "leave the sword alone," which she doesn't end up doing anyway.  We'll see what happens in the two-hour show this weekend, but I have a feeling Emma knows what she's doing.  Merlin and Emma talked about whether or not a dark force can overcome itself in the right circumstances and Merlin hints that maybe someday there will be someone strong enough to break the darkness for good.  I have a feeling it'll be Emma, but we'll see.

    So that's all I have for recaps this week.  For someone who doesn't watch a lot of TV, I'm finding that the TV I am watching is sufficient and engaging enough to keep my interest.  I've also been adjusting my November TBR to accommodate my new obsession, which is The Mortal Instruments series.  I read the first book in a day, so I'm hoping to finish the series by the end of this month.  I plan on doing an author spotlight tomorrow on Cassandra Clare, so more on that then.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Can I Keep You?

    Hello all!  The end of another week is in sight and I have to say this one was a lot better than the last.  I got some much-needed answers to my kidney questions, a chance to substitute teach for my cooperating teacher and got some packing done for the move.  And there seems to be free candy in my future, so that's a plus.  I've been in an incredibly good mood lately so let's hope that holds!
    I finally got to meet with my Rheumatologist to go over the results of my biopsy on Tuesday.  Nothing good, but I at least know what's going on.  Apparently, my kidneys are in a state where they need to be treated aggressively in order to combat the Lupus nephritis.  I'm currently at stage four, which is worse than I thought... (stages from 1-5, one being the lowest)  I feel fine, but we're still taking this seriously.  It will take two years for a full repair and recovery, but I'm ready for it.  Hopefully some good will come out of this and I might be able to start a family at the end of all this.  Thank you everyone for the positive thoughts, I really appreciate it.  Spoonies unite!

    I think one of the things contributing to my stellar mood lately is the prospect of moving out of this Godforsaken apartment.  At the beginning of the week, when I thought someone had stolen our recycle bin for a SECOND time, I thought I might lose it.  Luckily it has been recovered, but my hesitation about this neighborhood only grows by the day.  I've noticed that after awhile certain places I've lived lose their appeal.  It's usually around the two year mark where I get antsy and need a change of scenery.  This time it lasted a little less than that, but I still think we made the right decision.  Soon enough we will be able to breathe a sigh of relief.  Until then, I'll be living out of boxes and hoarding all the newspaper I can find.
    In teaching news, I had probably the best class I've had in awhile today.  Figures it was the one day that I walked in on a surprise subbing opportunity.  I had fun with my own kids and absolutely no problems with the other classes on my own.  I felt great all day and the fact that I had concrete plans in front of me helped cement that confidence.  Needless to say I feel that my first solo mission was a success, so hopefully I'll get to do more of them in the near future.  I actually felt in control for the first time in awhile, so maybe this is a sign that I will be ready come Trimester 2 when I get to take over my class again.  In less than three weeks that will be my reality, so fingers crossed!

    For TV I've got Once Upon a Time, Agents of Shield, The Flash and the Face Off finale.  By now you know there's spoilers a-brewin...  First, I'm really glad that Dina won this season of Face Off!  She's definitely the most improved all around, even though I don't believe she ever did anything terrible.  Definitely well deserved.
    Once was crazy this weekend!  Emma and Regina working together, the Emma flashbacks, Mary Margaret's lingering pregnancy brain and the Snow Queen with her surprise connection to Emma.  I'm kind of glad that Elsa took a little bit of a back seat this episode so they could focus more on the dynamic between Emma and Regina.  I'm also really happy that Emma is starting to open up more to Hook, which means that they could become a more serious thing.  The most shocking part of that episode was for sure the end, when Emma casually decides to watch a video from her past which happens to have the Snow Queen in her alternative form.  Apparently she used to work at wherever Emma was staying in foster care, (I think), which is huge!  I guess we'll find out soon what her real connection is to everyone and why she's so desperate for the dark power and someone to love.  Isn't that everyone's evil intention in a fairy tale world?
    Agents of Shield was interesting this week.  I have a funny feeling at least one person is lying, manipulating and/or planning something without the others knowing.  Mainly just Coulson, but I feel like he's always one step ahead of everyone else or in cahoots with the right people at the right time.  I felt very confused by the energy around Skye, Coulson and Ward.  I can't tell what's going on with them anymore, but it'll be interesting to see where Ward goes from here, now that he's broken himself out of prison.  Where Coulson was working closely with May for the last few episodes, now he seems to be trusting Skye a little more, so they might have something planned that the other members of the team aren't privy to.  This season has started a bit slow for me, but we'll see how these issues work themselves out.  At least they seem to have the support of the army now.

    I know I haven't talked about this particular show yet, but The Flash has proven to be very successful in the wake of shows similar, like Arrow.  Obviously because we watch Arrow we had to start watching Flash, especially because of all the potential crossovers, which happened this episode.  Felicity Smoak, everyone's favorite sexy tech lady, ended up in Central City for one day and seemed to have all the fun.  She is by now an expert at keeping secrets and hacking anyone's computer system, almost as fast as Barry can run.  I loved seeing her outside of Starling City, but it did feel weird to not have Oliver or Diggle there with her.  We know that the events happening now in The Flash happened awhile back from the Arrow perspective, but it still felt relevant.  Barry and Felicity have a mutual understanding for each other, so I hope we see more of her and possibly Barry over in Starling City, once this whole League of Assassins thing blows over...
    That's it folks!  I have so much to do and less time to do it in.  Tomorrow my plans are a simple night in, by myself, packing and watching as many Halloween-themed movies as I can handle.  I usually save Casper for the 31st.  Luckily my dad is awesome and saved me all his leftover candy from tonight's trick-or-treating festivities:)  Looking forward to the nest few weeks and making November my bitch.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.