I've officially stopped blogging regularly, so I'm just going to point something on last night's Fringe episode.
What's most interesting to me is Peter basically admitting that he doesn't belong and will try to get back to his own world. Are the writers considering sending him back to a perfect world, where Walter and Olivia know him? If not, there are still enough episodes left in this season, probably the final, for Peter to get reacquainted with everyone.
Showing posts with label Recap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recap. Show all posts
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Review - Chuck Season 5 Episode 3 Chuck Versus the Frosted Tips
The way the writers handled the plot was impressive, considering how dumb the ending of last week's ending was. They managed to bring everything together, resolving Morgan's Intersect problem, creating an explanation for it, and ending the episode on a solid, if implausible, cliffhanger. That and the hilarious subplot where Awesome brings Jeff back to normalcy were enough to make the episode enjoyable.
However, the character stuff with Morgan didn't work. We're supposed to believe that Morgan acted the way he did in part because he was a little douchey himself, not just because the modified Intersect made him that way. This is problematic, because there aren't any well-defined lines on how the Intersect works on his brain. When the Intersect kick in and take over Morgan? The hazy ideas behind how the Intersect works makes the character development also hazy, as we don't know anything concrete.
As an aside, Chuck's ratings have been horrible, even for NBC standards. Do not expect a save like in previous years.
Score: 8.7/10
However, the character stuff with Morgan didn't work. We're supposed to believe that Morgan acted the way he did in part because he was a little douchey himself, not just because the modified Intersect made him that way. This is problematic, because there aren't any well-defined lines on how the Intersect works on his brain. When the Intersect kick in and take over Morgan? The hazy ideas behind how the Intersect works makes the character development also hazy, as we don't know anything concrete.
As an aside, Chuck's ratings have been horrible, even for NBC standards. Do not expect a save like in previous years.
Score: 8.7/10
Friday, November 11, 2011
Review - The Secret Circle Season 1 Episode 9 Balcoin
By its ninth episode, The Vampire Diaires had turned the corner and departed from the boring teen angst for batshit crazy vampire adventures. The Secret Circle, unfortunately, has not reached that point yet--far from it. The majority of "Balcoin" is spent on Jake and Cassie and their doomed romance. While Jake continues to be suspicious, Cassie remains oblivious and silly. Then, Jake reveals who he is and floats away on the boat at the end of the episode. Great...
Score: 7.6/10
Score: 7.6/10
Review - The Vampire Diaries Season 3 Episode 9 Homecoming
I'm ready for Klaus to be killed. He survived Elijah's plan last season and now he's killed Mikael as well. It's getting a bit tiring to see these big, planned schemes fail. In "Homecoming," there's this huge plan involving all the characters and then it blows up in their faces. There's no "so what?" moment when the writers justify what they went through the motions to reach this point.
Mikael is dead, but what more did we learn about him? Nothing. Katherine loves Damon? Okay. Now freed Stefan is taking revenge on Klaus? Alright... All of this feels like wheels. We'll see what happens when the show returns in January.
Score: 8.0/10
Mikael is dead, but what more did we learn about him? Nothing. Katherine loves Damon? Okay. Now freed Stefan is taking revenge on Klaus? Alright... All of this feels like wheels. We'll see what happens when the show returns in January.
Score: 8.0/10
Review - Bones Season 7 Episode 2 The Hot Dog in the Competition
The characters of Bones are generally fun and well-meaning, but boy were some of them mean. The new intern Finn might have a distinctly Texas accent and a juvenile record, but Hodgins and Caroline really overreacted. Maybe that was the drama the writers were looking for, but good drama does not come from likable characters being dicks. Likewise, Brennan being inhuman for the thousandth time without any character growth or understanding gets old. Of course Booth wanted to be there when she saw the sex of the baby.
The rest of the episode was about what one would expect. Everyone becomes friendly under the backdrop of a case involving competitive eating. After a rough start, people accept Finn and all is well.
Score: 8.2/10
The rest of the episode was about what one would expect. Everyone becomes friendly under the backdrop of a case involving competitive eating. After a rough start, people accept Finn and all is well.
Score: 8.2/10
Review - Parks and Recreation Season 4 Episode 7 The Treaty
"The Treaty" is a good reminder that Parks and Recreation has a heck of a lot more continuity and overall story than The Office these days. The episode continues from last week's episode with plenty of Leslie and Ben drama as well as Tom getting his old job back after the crash of Entertainment 720. I like Tom in a more serious role, being semi-useful, in contrast to constant Entertainment 720 hyping.
The main thing I wanted to comment on was Chris. He's the most problematic character on the show--oblivious yet not as heartwarming as Andy, visible yet not contributing to the main stories. In "The Treaty," he feels more complete. He's able to notice sarcasm and, for once, is able to sit down and have a meaningful conversation. As a plus, the person he sits down with is Ann, who was in a relationship with him and is still troubled.
Score: 8.9/10
The main thing I wanted to comment on was Chris. He's the most problematic character on the show--oblivious yet not as heartwarming as Andy, visible yet not contributing to the main stories. In "The Treaty," he feels more complete. He's able to notice sarcasm and, for once, is able to sit down and have a meaningful conversation. As a plus, the person he sits down with is Ann, who was in a relationship with him and is still troubled.
Score: 8.9/10
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Review - The Big Bang Theory Season 5 Episode 9 The Ornithophobia Diffusion
Episodes like "The Ornithophobia Diffusion" feel like tests. In the case of this week's episode, the writers are testing the boundaries of how antagonistic Penny and Leonard can be with each other and how nonsensical, illogical, and silly Sheldon can be. If you usually like these things, then the episode was probably fine. If not, the episode is painful.
The Leonard and Penny stuff I could live with. Though on the mean side, the plot did explore their relationship which was sorely unexplored when they were actually together. From the way they were acting, they probably won't be getting back together anytime soon.
The Sheldon plot, however, was pretty dumb. Sheldon's supposed to be neurotic genius whose intelligence is often overshadowed by his social awkwardness. Here, he's just neurotic, devoid of any character besides his phobia.
Score: 8.4/10
The Leonard and Penny stuff I could live with. Though on the mean side, the plot did explore their relationship which was sorely unexplored when they were actually together. From the way they were acting, they probably won't be getting back together anytime soon.
The Sheldon plot, however, was pretty dumb. Sheldon's supposed to be neurotic genius whose intelligence is often overshadowed by his social awkwardness. Here, he's just neurotic, devoid of any character besides his phobia.
Score: 8.4/10
Review - Community Season 3 Episode 7 Studies in Modern Movement
"Studies in Modern Movement" is a funky episode that didn't really feel like a Community episode. The characters are out of their normal school setting, and there are three separate plots versus the two which have been the norm this season. Though this kind of episode might have seemed less palatable earlier in the show's run, we come to know and love these characters so much that it's funny regardless of what's actually going on.
The three plots have little to do with character growth or anything, but give us a charming look at their lives. Abed and Troy act very weird and a little rude to Annie when she moves in, so she finally snaps, understandably, and gives them a piece of her mind. Dean is a creeper as usual and drags Jeff into a music video. Britta and Shirley ride together, arguing about religion before they pick up a hitchhiker who believes he's Jesus. The central theme is that these character can live with each other even when they're not part of the bigger group. It doesn't work as well as episodes where they're all together, but it works fine for its purpose.
Score: 8.8/10
The three plots have little to do with character growth or anything, but give us a charming look at their lives. Abed and Troy act very weird and a little rude to Annie when she moves in, so she finally snaps, understandably, and gives them a piece of her mind. Dean is a creeper as usual and drags Jeff into a music video. Britta and Shirley ride together, arguing about religion before they pick up a hitchhiker who believes he's Jesus. The central theme is that these character can live with each other even when they're not part of the bigger group. It doesn't work as well as episodes where they're all together, but it works fine for its purpose.
Score: 8.8/10
Review - Psych Season 6 Episode 5 Dead Man's Curve Ball
I think I've been suffering from Psych withdrawal, because I really liked the first five episodes of this season more than I usually do. "Dead Man's Curve Ball" is an episode where Shawn and Gus are just doing silly, ridiculous things while the plot flounders. But Psych isn't a plot-oriented show anyway, and the episode turns into a big laugh riot with lots of physical humor.
Score: 8.7/10
Score: 8.7/10
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Review - NCIS Season 8 Episode 9 Engaged (Part I)
NCIS is generally a light, fun show, but it knows how to do serious as well. When it does serious, it doesn't do the played up false tension that's so prevalent on Castle. And when it does do the tension, people actually get hurt as we've seen numerous times in the past. The trade-off is that the seriousness comes out of a certain melodrama or darkness.
"Engaged" is one of those melodramatic episodes, playing up the military aspect of the show as much as possible. Given that it is a two-parter, the plot moves slowly and sets up for next week's episode. Other than that, a bit too much pandering and not enough of the normal stuff NCIS needs.
Score: 8.5/10
"Engaged" is one of those melodramatic episodes, playing up the military aspect of the show as much as possible. Given that it is a two-parter, the plot moves slowly and sets up for next week's episode. Other than that, a bit too much pandering and not enough of the normal stuff NCIS needs.
Score: 8.5/10
Review - Covert Affairs Season 2 Episode 12 Uberlin
I didn't review last week's fall premiere because the episode contained the worst parts of the show, basically anything to do with Jai. Normally, a show might retool things that didn't work in the first season, cutting them out entirely or radically changing them. Covert Affairs, however, doubles down: more Jai, this time with a different job within the CIA.
"Uberlin" places Jai off to the side and instead focus on Arthur's past. He and Joan have been underdeveloped, so it was good that we got lots of backstory on him as well as seeing him doing spy world. While this will certainly not be a normal occurrence, Arthur was a lot cooler than he's been and worked well with Annie.
For the second week in a row, Covert Affairs was partially shot on location. There's really a marked difference seeing the real Venice and real Berlin compared to the lame green screen we usually have to see. Unfortunately, the show doesn't have the budget to fly all around the world, so we probably won't get another episode like this for a while.
Score: 8.8/10
"Uberlin" places Jai off to the side and instead focus on Arthur's past. He and Joan have been underdeveloped, so it was good that we got lots of backstory on him as well as seeing him doing spy world. While this will certainly not be a normal occurrence, Arthur was a lot cooler than he's been and worked well with Annie.
For the second week in a row, Covert Affairs was partially shot on location. There's really a marked difference seeing the real Venice and real Berlin compared to the lame green screen we usually have to see. Unfortunately, the show doesn't have the budget to fly all around the world, so we probably won't get another episode like this for a while.
Score: 8.8/10
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Review - Sons of Anarchy Season 4 Episode 10 Hands
Wow. So much happens in "Hands" that it's impossible to turn back. Looking back at the previous 9 episodes, the cartel business was reversible to a degree. The Sons could have backed out before things got too deep or maybe shot their way out. We'll never know if it would be possible since they don't even try, but now it's too late. The cartel does things their way, despite Clay's urgings to call off the hit, and that's that.
Clay beats the shit out of Gemma and Tara gets her hand crushed by Clay's hired hitman. If Clay shooting Piney wasn't enough, those two evens were the nails in the coffin. Clay's not going to make it out alive, and if he is, he'll be very marginalized. With four episodes left in the season (an extra added earlier this week), Jax has plenty of time to deal with Clay.
The most powerful part of the episode is Tara getting her hand crushed. Being a surgeon is the one thing she has which keep her tethered to the outside world, the one skill interchangeable in Charming and anywhere else in the world. Her hand, crushed, represents any hope Tara has of leaving Charming. She has nothing now but Jax, the kids, Charming, and the club which doomed her career. After 9 episodes of not getting much to do, Maggie Siff is simply amazing in the episode, in her calm and anger.
And what can Jax do? Apologize, say sorry? He's out of luck, with nowhere to turn, and he still doesn't know the half of what Clay has done.
Score: 9.5/10
Clay beats the shit out of Gemma and Tara gets her hand crushed by Clay's hired hitman. If Clay shooting Piney wasn't enough, those two evens were the nails in the coffin. Clay's not going to make it out alive, and if he is, he'll be very marginalized. With four episodes left in the season (an extra added earlier this week), Jax has plenty of time to deal with Clay.
The most powerful part of the episode is Tara getting her hand crushed. Being a surgeon is the one thing she has which keep her tethered to the outside world, the one skill interchangeable in Charming and anywhere else in the world. Her hand, crushed, represents any hope Tara has of leaving Charming. She has nothing now but Jax, the kids, Charming, and the club which doomed her career. After 9 episodes of not getting much to do, Maggie Siff is simply amazing in the episode, in her calm and anger.
And what can Jax do? Apologize, say sorry? He's out of luck, with nowhere to turn, and he still doesn't know the half of what Clay has done.
Score: 9.5/10
Review - New Girl Season 1 Episode 5 Cece Crashes
The possibility of Jess and Nick hooking up has been floating out there since the first episode, but not explicitly addressed until tonight's episode. Them getting together could lead to lots of easy plots for the writers, but it would also mean submitting to an obvious sitcom trope. Nothing happens in the episode and we don't know how often the writers will press the issue, so I'm in wait and see mode.
The episode title, "Cece Crashes," really hits the point. Cece crashes into the show, disrupting everything about it. She's nice to look at, but is otherwise a big, annoying nuisance without any positive qualities. We can accept Jess's quirkier traits because we know she means well. With Cece, she's kind of just doing whatever she wants.
Score: 8.3/10
The episode title, "Cece Crashes," really hits the point. Cece crashes into the show, disrupting everything about it. She's nice to look at, but is otherwise a big, annoying nuisance without any positive qualities. We can accept Jess's quirkier traits because we know she means well. With Cece, she's kind of just doing whatever she wants.
Score: 8.3/10
Review - House Season 8 Episode 5 The Confession
It's safe to say the writers have accepted that House is a silly show and aren't interested anymore in realism. The return of Chase and Taub isn't anything spectacular, but it introduces some more fun dynamics--new team and old team, old team plus Foreman as boss, and old team dealing with House. They work well in "The Confession," an episode without a good medical mystery, but has significantly more joking than in previous episodes.
Score: 8.4/10
Score: 8.4/10
Review - How I Met Your Mother Season 7 Episode 8 Disaster Averted
HIMYM has built up so many gags over the years that it can pull them out from time to time with great effect. Ducky tie, slap bet, Barney and Robin--lots of old favorites in one episode. "Disaster Averted" moves very fast, as Ted tries to tell a story about boogie boarding which wanders off into Hurricane Irene, with the majority of the story spent showing how fun the group is together. Between Ted telling the story, Barney wants to get rid of his tie, because he'll be meeting Nora's parents. Barney trades three more slaps on top of the one Marshall already had--and promptly receives two slaps. This leads to Barney and Robin kissing in the cab, something that should drastically alter what's been going on this season, in particular with Nora.
The episode is odd because it's almost entirely comprised of a flashback. It's some time in the past, probably near the beginning of the season, but we not know exactly how it fits exactly into the show's timeline. Once the episode starts rolling, however, it's more of an afterthought when the events occurred.
Score: 9.1/10
The episode is odd because it's almost entirely comprised of a flashback. It's some time in the past, probably near the beginning of the season, but we not know exactly how it fits exactly into the show's timeline. Once the episode starts rolling, however, it's more of an afterthought when the events occurred.
Score: 9.1/10
Review - Terra Nova Season 1 Episode 7 Nightfall
Trying to ignore expectations for Terra Nova is a near impossible task. The characters are millions of years in the past, surrounded by dinosaurs, and there hasn't been one interesting plot yet. I think part of the problem is that their living conditions and way of life is actually really good and their lives unchallenging. We can't help but want more from the show, given its premise.
Even with dumbed down expectations that the writers have no good ideas, "Nightfall" isn't a particularly good episode. At this point, I'd say that the random, cutesy subplots are actually better than the A plot, as unbelievable as that may sound. The episode starts with the plot device, a meteor hitting the atmosphere and creating an EM pulse, which knocks everything out. Why it knocks everything out is a mystery. The archives actually has shielding against the pulse and Alicia even describes how the Russo-Chinese used it in Somalia, so it's not like they don't know about the threat. In any case, it leads to a series of misadventures until the box is stolen. The plot is better than the generic ones that began the season and had a cool sequence where Mira uses a dinosaur to attack Terra Nova, so I guess that's something.
The revelation of what's in the box isn't much. It has pretty colors, but is otherwise unimpressive. The writers don't even give us a clue what it's for, unless you want to speculate what the various diagrams and shapes are. On the plus side of the plot, it seems like Mira follows Lucas, Taylor's son. That's a new development at least.
Worse than the main plot, though, is the tale of the worm. Just a bunch of horse shit with Skye and a random roomie who confesses his love to her. Could someone please teach the writers how to write serialized television?
Score: 8.1/10
Even with dumbed down expectations that the writers have no good ideas, "Nightfall" isn't a particularly good episode. At this point, I'd say that the random, cutesy subplots are actually better than the A plot, as unbelievable as that may sound. The episode starts with the plot device, a meteor hitting the atmosphere and creating an EM pulse, which knocks everything out. Why it knocks everything out is a mystery. The archives actually has shielding against the pulse and Alicia even describes how the Russo-Chinese used it in Somalia, so it's not like they don't know about the threat. In any case, it leads to a series of misadventures until the box is stolen. The plot is better than the generic ones that began the season and had a cool sequence where Mira uses a dinosaur to attack Terra Nova, so I guess that's something.
The revelation of what's in the box isn't much. It has pretty colors, but is otherwise unimpressive. The writers don't even give us a clue what it's for, unless you want to speculate what the various diagrams and shapes are. On the plus side of the plot, it seems like Mira follows Lucas, Taylor's son. That's a new development at least.
Worse than the main plot, though, is the tale of the worm. Just a bunch of horse shit with Skye and a random roomie who confesses his love to her. Could someone please teach the writers how to write serialized television?
Score: 8.1/10
Monday, November 7, 2011
Review - Dexter Season 6 Episode 6 Just Let Go
Okay, I think I'm done reviewing this season. I remember previous seasons being mediocre and I even didn't watch the end of the third season, but I don't remember a season with this many boring ideas. Maybe Brian showing up and Dexter going full-on serial killer will change things, but I'm not confident about that.
I don't even want to comment on the rest of the episode, but I have a question. Did the writers include Ryan's theft of the Ice Truck Killer's hand earlier in the season solely so we'd remember who Brian was when he did pop up? I actually wouldn't be surprised if they did, given their continuing incompetence.
Score: 7.5/10
I don't even want to comment on the rest of the episode, but I have a question. Did the writers include Ryan's theft of the Ice Truck Killer's hand earlier in the season solely so we'd remember who Brian was when he did pop up? I actually wouldn't be surprised if they did, given their continuing incompetence.
Score: 7.5/10
Review - Hell on Wheels Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot
Well, that wasn't what I expected. The pilot of Hell on Wheels is well-shot and looks great, but it's missing something every good Western needs--good characters. Aside from the main character Cullen, who's harboring lots of darkness, the other characters are drawn very poorly.
There's Elam played by faded rapper Common, who acts as a major plot device. Right as Cullen is about to learn from Daniel the name of the sergeant who killed his wife and, conveniently, is in the same exact camp, Elam kills him. With that, Daniel is made into a plot device--the necessary impetus for Cullen to continue his search to exact revenge--and Elam is turned into the guy who has ridiculously bad timing.
Colm Meaney is good, but his scenes are just bizarre. He spouts off these long monologues with flowery speech to no one in particular, with no goal in mind. While the other characters have conversations and walk around, Thomas Durant sits and talks about making money and railroads. Really unnatural and baffling.
Oddly packed into the episode is Lily and her husband drawing maps for the railroad company. There is an Indian attack leaving everyone but Lily dead and she's left wandering out there. It seems to me like it'd be better to place her story in the second episode, so there'd be better focus on both ends.
Although there is little to like of Hell on Wheels so far, there are distinct reminders of Deadwood. Yes, there's almost no chance it'll ever be as good, but one can hope.
Score: 8.3/10
There's Elam played by faded rapper Common, who acts as a major plot device. Right as Cullen is about to learn from Daniel the name of the sergeant who killed his wife and, conveniently, is in the same exact camp, Elam kills him. With that, Daniel is made into a plot device--the necessary impetus for Cullen to continue his search to exact revenge--and Elam is turned into the guy who has ridiculously bad timing.
Colm Meaney is good, but his scenes are just bizarre. He spouts off these long monologues with flowery speech to no one in particular, with no goal in mind. While the other characters have conversations and walk around, Thomas Durant sits and talks about making money and railroads. Really unnatural and baffling.
Oddly packed into the episode is Lily and her husband drawing maps for the railroad company. There is an Indian attack leaving everyone but Lily dead and she's left wandering out there. It seems to me like it'd be better to place her story in the second episode, so there'd be better focus on both ends.
Although there is little to like of Hell on Wheels so far, there are distinct reminders of Deadwood. Yes, there's almost no chance it'll ever be as good, but one can hope.
Score: 8.3/10
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Review - The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 4 Cherokee Rose
I actually like the style of "Cherokee Rose," a relatively laid-back episode without much of a central plot and a lot of quiet moments for the characters. There's no overbearing sense of false urgency, just people doing what's required of them and nothing more.
My main complaints with the previous episodes were that the tension didn't match the eventual plot outcome, very small increments. This week's episode is completely different, with individual groups off doing their own thing. Everyone convenes to get the zombie out of the well, which ends in a glorious splatter, before going of to do their own thing. Maggie and Glenn get supplies from a pharmacy and hook up. Shane talks to Andrea about shooting. Rick wants Hershel to let them stay. Darryl tries to comfort Carol about Sophia. Lori confirms her pregnancy. There's nothing spectacular, and the dialogue could still use lots of work, but for its purposes, the episode worked.
Score: 8.7/10
My main complaints with the previous episodes were that the tension didn't match the eventual plot outcome, very small increments. This week's episode is completely different, with individual groups off doing their own thing. Everyone convenes to get the zombie out of the well, which ends in a glorious splatter, before going of to do their own thing. Maggie and Glenn get supplies from a pharmacy and hook up. Shane talks to Andrea about shooting. Rick wants Hershel to let them stay. Darryl tries to comfort Carol about Sophia. Lori confirms her pregnancy. There's nothing spectacular, and the dialogue could still use lots of work, but for its purposes, the episode worked.
Score: 8.7/10
Review - Homeland Season 1 Episode 6 The Good Soldier
The usage of the polygraph in "The Good Soldier" is very unsettling and leaves a multitude of questions that need to be answered. The first major, and perhaps most important, polygraph incident is Saul flubbing the first test when asked whether he slipped razor. This could indicate a lot of things. The most obvious would be Saul as the mole. But if he were truly this good of a mole, would he have failed so easily the first time and passed the second? Then again, if he was the mole, he did get away unscathed. Another thought is that the writers used Saul as a benchmark before Brody's test, to show that the test can go in any which direction depending on the disposition of the subject. If Saul can have different answers at different times with different results, then so can Brody.
Carrie and Brody hook up in the episode, and it's fairly interesting. They seem completely at ease with each other, and Brody certainly has no problem performing with Carrie as he does with Jessica. Carrie's behavior stays consistent, though. She's able to instantly disconnect from the sex, using it as a tool. It seems like she blew her cover at the end of the episode, asking about Brody cheating on his wife, leading to Brody telling her to get in his car at the end of the episode. Will he know?
Despite Brody passing the test, all signs still point to him being a sleeper. We're reminded during the service for Walker that Brody, in fact, beat Walker to death. Then, Brody gets through the polygraph--including the question about cheating on his wife which he obviously just did with Carrie.
The people outside of Carie's immediate life continue to have short lifespans. Faisel and Aileen have barely been introduced and now Faisel is dead, killed by their handlers. We get to see how scared Faisel is and how Aileen was the original terrorist, but not enough time was spent on them to really build anything. Still, I'm not sure I would like more time spent on these other plots. Carrie being the central pillar of the show works very, very well, and disruption to that may not beneficial.
Score: 8.9/10
Carrie and Brody hook up in the episode, and it's fairly interesting. They seem completely at ease with each other, and Brody certainly has no problem performing with Carrie as he does with Jessica. Carrie's behavior stays consistent, though. She's able to instantly disconnect from the sex, using it as a tool. It seems like she blew her cover at the end of the episode, asking about Brody cheating on his wife, leading to Brody telling her to get in his car at the end of the episode. Will he know?
Despite Brody passing the test, all signs still point to him being a sleeper. We're reminded during the service for Walker that Brody, in fact, beat Walker to death. Then, Brody gets through the polygraph--including the question about cheating on his wife which he obviously just did with Carrie.
The people outside of Carie's immediate life continue to have short lifespans. Faisel and Aileen have barely been introduced and now Faisel is dead, killed by their handlers. We get to see how scared Faisel is and how Aileen was the original terrorist, but not enough time was spent on them to really build anything. Still, I'm not sure I would like more time spent on these other plots. Carrie being the central pillar of the show works very, very well, and disruption to that may not beneficial.
Score: 8.9/10
