On-Season Week 4

WEEK 4

Despite my prediction (which, like most, was off-base) Week 3's average (8.0) ended up higher than Week 2's (7.8) - no doubt helped by the near-perfect season 5 premiere of Elementary and excellent offerings from Conviction and Scorpion, which made up for some of the deficiencies in other shows. This week Bull returned following its hiatus due to the vice-presidential debate; Elementary, NCIS LA and Quantico all dropped out due to the Presidential debate, leaving us with only nine shows to review this week. So let's just dive straight in.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - 4x04 "The Night Shift" & New Girl Crossover Conclusion

"The team are moved to the night shift. Jake returns enthusiastically but discovers a number of things have changed since he left."

Boyle (right) turns up sporting the same frosted-tip haircut the
other officers are forcing Jake (seated) to remove

Brooklyn Nine-Nine's writers are still on form. Without an overlong arc to condense into three 20-minute episodes, they filled out an excellent and funny singular episode dedicated to a simple, easy-to-manipulate plotline: our characters being out of their depth on a night shift where very little crime occurs. Without too much in the way of actual crime plots, the writers had time to keep playing with the characters: Holt became the morale-raiser despite knowing nothing about morale raising, Terry became "night sassy" and snapped at everyone, Boyle's priority became how his working nights would affect his adopted son, and Rosa's vulnerability was shown when she kept going off to wait for her fiancé Adrian Pimento to return - and he didn't (although the suggestion is he will return at some point).
   The New Girl "crossover" that would expand two episodes and conclude on New Girl was an outright lie: instead of a crossover, Zooey Deschanel was pasted into a small, Brooklyn Nine-Nine daytime scene with Jake; in New Girl, she just met a few other characters for a few small scenes. There was no plot to conclude and there was little about this that didn't feel forced, out of place and jarring. Thankfully, this barely affected B99's episode quality for more than a minute.

   VIEWERS: 2.13m (B99's first real downtick of the season. No concerns here)

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 0.9 (Likewise, only down a tenth from the previous episodes)

VERDICT: It's hard to move past the writing problem that taints the entire episode: that if Holt had replaced CJ as captain, why are all our characters still stuck on the night shift? But once you do (and if you ignore Zooey Deschanel's awkward appearance), this is an excellent episode with a well-executed plot. 8.5/10

Bull - 1x03 "Unambiguous"

"Bull defends a rape victim, Reese Burton, who, in a sensationalised, viral new podcast is accused of murdering the man who raped her."

With each episode that passes, Bull becomes less focused on its case of the week and spends more time shaping its main cast - which is something that, for all the top quality of the first two episodes, is a little overdue. Today, Bull delves a little deeper into the past of the lawyer, Benny, when he comes up against his ex, Amanda, a prosecutor, in the course of the case. Their animosity gives rise to some interesting titbits about why Benny was fired from the DA's office: because he refused to prosecute someone he believed was innocent - and Amanda didn't stand by him.
   But that didn't detract from the case of the week, which was sensitively addressed, beautifully acted and brilliantly executed. All the emotional facets that would be drawn out when a rape victim is accused of murder were tenderly portrayed by the actress, Celeste Arias, and Bull's patient coaching of her character showed just how deep his understanding of the human psyche is.
   Elsewhere, the episode showed a deeper side to jury selection than before, as this time we understand that finding the perfect jury is not something Bull can simply do himself: he has to make do with the best bunch from the jury pool by striking those who don't fit his needs. Marissa and Danny were marginalised (Danny's use specifically remains unclear), but Cable was given plenty of airtime with heartfelt scenes with the defendant, Reese Burton. The opening credits speech from Michael Weatherly will never be passable.

   VIEWERS: 13.00m (Down a little from episode two, but huge numbers)

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 1.6 (Took a slight hit as expected, as This Is Us entered its 9pm slot alongside Bull)

VERDICT: Some aspects of character balance and writing structure need to be addressed, but the episode itself was an emotionally sound, gripping and complex 40 minutes. 8/10

Code Black - 2x03 "Corporeal Form"

"Campbell begins to make his mark on the Angels Memorial staff, but his style leaves much to be desired. Drs Savetti, Pinkney and Willis, along with one of the new interns, Noa Kean, use a prototype portable ECMO bypass machine to save the life of a maintenance worker trapped in the hospital basement with glass penetrating his heart, and Charlotte Piel suffers for her mistake that cost a young patient his leg. Angus's father tries to convince him to turn off his brother's life support machine."

There's nowhere better to start than Dr. Mike Leighton's coma, since the Do Not Resuscitate he had signed in advance was quite a sudden shock: usually DNRs are written into medical shows whenever an old person comes into the hospital, not someone as young as Mike. I liked Angus standing up to his father, refusing to hand over power of attorney, especially since to lose Mike would be a horrible way to go into the middle of season 2. However, Angus's drug rehabilitation "storyline" coming off-screen between seasons and receiving no focus or consequence is a poor choice by the writers, and highlights two things: firstly, the breakneck pace of TV these days can affect plot quality; and secondly, Code Black should look at its source material, ER, and the drug rehabilitation storyline of Dr. John Carter in season 7, for how to properly handle a plot like that.
   Elsewhere, Campbell's interference with ER procedures causes problems. He tries to veto the portable ECMO procedure, forces Charlotte to work under the supervision of an Attending due to her previous mistake, and bans Pinkney from the OR after she ignores him and helps with the ECMO. I'm starting to like Campbell's insufferable arrogance insofar as the ER characters are confidently rebelling - and one day he is going to be shown up.
   The patients in "Corporeal Form", besides the maintenance worker, were very interesting too: one was a man who had tried to propose to his wife by putting the engagement ring on his penis (how romantic ...) and a woman who believed she was dead. Not your typical picks for patients, and that made the patient-doctor interactions very novel and standout.

   VIEWERS: 5.99m (Staying under 6m for now. Not great)

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 1.1 (Ticked up a tenth. Increases are good. Stable is better)

VERDICT: Better than the first two episodes of the season and better sets up some of the plotlines. Still very little Malaya. 8/10

Conviction - 1x02 "Bridge and Tunnel Vision"

"For the CIU's second case, Hayes goes after a conviction of Wallace's: exonerating the Prospect Three for the rape of a woman in Prospect Park ten years ago."

It was a huge statement of intent, both character-wise and writing-wise, to have Hayes Morrison go straight for one of her boss's old cases in episode two, but it's completely in line with her personality and set the determined tone of the show.
   The Prospect Three, who had so far spent 10 years of an 18 year sentence in prison for raping a woman named Zadie Daniels in Prospect Park when they were teenagers, all claimed innocence, even though there was plenty of evidence at the time to convict them. There were kinks, however: sperm found in Zadie's rape kit hadn't been compared to the boys' DNA because they confessed, but those confessions were coerced by the police. It turned out Zadie had been having consensual sex with a married man but amnesia from the trauma wiped it from her memory - until the man told her and she decided not to come forward in case her attackers went free. In the end, it transpired that one of the Prospect Three had indeed attacked Zadie, but not the other two, and their convictions were rightly vacated.
   This whole murder plot was a little predictable (of course it would be one of the three rather than all of them), but it was gripping all the same. All of the character interactions from episodes one to two were organic: Sam was still pissed he lost the job to Hayes (and this was expanded more when he nearly gave an exposé to a reporter); Frankie met his jail lover again and Tess's past was mentioned by Maxine, who is really the only dislikeable character in the show. I understand the need for a grounded voice to remind everyone that these people they investigate might not actually be innocent, but her staunch defence of any and every cop at any and every turn is a little grating. Also, Frankie's use as forensics expert seems never to be called upon - and that's a large issue the writers need to amend.

   VIEWERS: 4.23m (Very worrying)

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 0.8 (Dangerously low)

VERDICT: The flaws in characterisation are beginning to show, but the at-odds nature of the team dynamic is shining. Good, if predictable, writing created a strong second episode. 8.5/10

Hawaii Five-0 - 7x04 "Hu a'e ke ahi lanakila a Kamaile/The Fire of Kamile Rises in Triumph"

"McGarrett and Alicia finally uncover the identity of the serial killer killing serial killers, but both wind up in the murderer's clutches and Five-0 rush to rescue them."

Hawaii Five-0 couldn't really have written a better storyline to bring out the person they had been chasing for the last four episodes. Their suspect at the end of episode 3, Dr. Maddison Gray, was discovered by Alicia to be the serial-killer-killing-serial-killer when she broke into her house and found the medieval chess set and profiles of the serial killers she had bumped off, only for Alicia - and McGarrett who came to assist - to be stabbed literally in the back by Gray, tied up and handed off to a husband-and-wife serial killer team who would dispose of them. They attempted to do this by throwing them down a ravine into the sea, but McGarrett and Alicia escaped; although the husband and wife were killed by Kono and Chin, Maddison Gray fled to California to meet with yet another serial killer.

Dr. Maddison Gray - the serial killer behind all the
recent murders of other active serial killers

   The plot stayed true to the original: that Gray would have someone else come and do her dirty work in killing McGarrett and Alicia, and the husband-and-wife pair were insanely creepy. The more serial killers Five-0 pull out of the shadows, the better this storyline gets, especially since it gives us time to examine the psychology behind their actions. Gray was a fantastic villain and will return later on in the season.
   If we're looking for niggles, there's two glaringly obvious ones: firstly, Danny Williams is absent the entire episode (of all the episodes for Scott Caan to be absent this seems like an odd one); secondly, Alicia and McGarrett both survived deep stab wounds to their backs long enough to be half-drowned and then climb all the way out of the ravine again. Even when TV stretches how much physical damage a human body can take, this seems a stretch too far.
   VIEWERS: 9.14m (A little lower but still steady. No issue)

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 1.2 (Likewise)

VERDICT: Despite Danny's absence and the implausible ineffectiveness of a three-inch stab wound to the back, this episode was stunning from start to finish and unguessable. Exactly how an arc should climax. 9.5/10

Lucifer - 2x03 "Sin-Eater"

"An executive of a social networking site named Wobble is burnt alive and the video is posted on his website. But when more bodies drop, the possibility of a serial killer arises. Meanwhile, Lucifer tries to decide what he will do with his Mother and Amenadiel finally learns she's back."

Lucifer and Detective Chloe Decker
arrive at the crime scene

I spoke in the last episode about Lucifer needing to strike a better balance between episodic murder and the arcing plot of his mum being back, and the writers struck one admirably. An executive of Wobble is found burnt alive, then an assistant at a bank is found asphyxiated by apples; the heat falls upon the first victim's supervisor, a woman named Leila, until Lucifer and Chloe realise it was Ray, the Head of HR, all along. (Props to Vik Sahay, who played the killer!) I feel like I should have seen Ray being the killer earlier on, but at the very least the ingenuity of his murders made the plot stand out where his reveal didn't.
   Meanwhile, Lucifer's mother continues to misunderstand human mannerisms and desires, and as such her experimentation with human sexuality mortifies Lucifer and entertains the audience. She searches out Amenadiel (D.B. Woodstock who portrays him fell down in his failure to display shock) and tries to make amends. And though she does, Lucifer works out how he will punish her: she will remain on Earth, in the body of the lawyer, among the humans she "despises". She is horrified and feels powerless, until the final scene where somebody tries to mug her and in accidentally killing him she realises all her power is not yet lost. Pardon the pun, but she will be back to do some hellraising.
   Trixie (Chloe and Dan's daughter) made a hilarious cameo and needs more time, but Chloe and Dan's talk of divorcing is going to limit that - although it will provide Chloe and Dan a storyline that they desperately need.

   VIEWERS: 3.67m (Stable ratings, but low ratings for an 8pm slot. Although stability will still help)

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 1.0 (Even this is stabilising. Ratings are looking decent.)

VERDICT: Did exactly what it needed to do and did it efficiently; the guest stars were top draw and the humour superb. 8.5/10

MacGyver - 1x04 "Wire Cutter"

"Phoenix Foundation rush to get help from a Russian defector when a warhead with a unique and archaic programming system falls into the hands of a Russian terrorist hellbent on exterminating America."

MacGyver wasn't as strong with "Wire Cutter" as it has been before. Warheads falling in the hands of Russian terrorists is nothing new to TV and the on-the-fly inventions of MacGyver weren't as prominent or numerable as previously - although stopping the bomb by resetting its timer to 100 years in the past was a cheeky conclusion. Jack Dalton continues to be the highlight of the show with his well-timed humour, and at least we saw Thornton, the head of Phoenix, in a bigger capacity.
   Elsewhere, it's worth questioning whether the tradition of the opening cut scene will continue as the season progresses. Each MacGyver episode so far (except, naturally, the pilot) has opened with a three-to-four-minute cut scene of Dalton, Riley and Mac creatively escaping from a mission gone sideways. In episode two, they fled from North Korean police; in episode three, they were trapped in a burning building; and in episode four, they were in an office building trying to upload a virus to the computer. They are entertaining openers, but I wonder if it doesn't contribute to time-wasting the longer it goes on? After all, it's not a trope used quite so regularly in a show because it takes up time which could be devoted to a tighter plot, and although nothing has felt missing from MacGyver so far, when the writers suddenly do stop this trend it's going to feel even more jarring than continuing it has done yet.
   VIEWERS: 7.51m (Now down over 25% since the premiere. Not good but can be forgiven)

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 1.1 (Has steadied but needs to hover around this 1.1-1.3 level)

VERDICT: An average episode based around a Russian warhead that has left the show open to queries about its structure. 7/10

Scorpion - 3x03 "It Isn't The Fall That Kills You"

"Scorpion are hired by their sometime-contractor Richard Elia to fix deficiencies in a rocket design he purchased from Walter that his techs altered, but things go wrong when a lightning strike launches the rocket with Walter inside."

L-R: Toby, Sylvester (Sly) and Walter practising yoga
before the mission

An all-round fantastic episode with a massive Waige (Walter and Paige) focus. When Walter is trapped in the rocket in space with depleting oxygen, he hallucinates Paige and, eventually, the real one is called upon back on Earth to talk to the hallucinating Walter to coax him into actions that will save him. The huge Waige focus has to foreshadow that something will happen soon, so Paige needs to break up with Tim (it's time for Tim to leave) to create the space for that to happen. Naturally, however, a spanner was thrown into the works when amnesia caused by hypoxia meant Walter couldn't remember admitting his love in hallucinations - but plenty of fans won't wait forever now the heat is being turned up.
   Bringing Walter safely down from space of all places was a neat and entertaining plotline full of nutritious trivia about the atmosphere and physics, but the circumstances that sent him up there in the first place were written poorly. With Walter in a rocket a storm hits, but there's barely a second before lightning comes out of nowhere and strikes the rocket too. Given that the episode was unusually short at barely 39 minutes, an extra 30-45 seconds of build up to the lightning strike would have helped: the sudden leap just jarred.

   VIEWERS: 8.05m (Series low overnights by a large margin. It appears as if Scorpion will struggle in the 10pm slot, but all other shows around it struggled too. Perhaps this isn't currently a worry)

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 1.3 (Statistically average and good for a 10pm slot. Rosier after the series low overnights figure)

VERDICT: Everything the fans wanted to see: a continually high-adrenaline episode filled with Waige. 8/10

Westworld - 1x02 "Chestnut"

"More Newcomers arrive at Westworld as another of the Hosts, the brothel madam Maeve, begins to glitch and recall visions of her past personalities. The Man in Black continues to search for the game's hidden meaning and Lee's new narrative is vetoed by Ford, who intends to implement one of his own."

With the overarching storylines in place after the slow premiere, the plot of "Chestnut" felt slicker and tighter. Part of that was it was shorter, at just under an hour; another part was a distinct lack of Dolores Abernathy, who after being the main focus of the premiere was sidelined to give some of the other ensemble the limelight. Maeve was probably the biggest beneficiary of that move, which was a good one since her renown and adaptability gave us a much deeper insight into the way Westworld worked.
   That theme of exploring Westworld from inside rather than outside was set up even before we saw Maeve, however, when Newcomers William (Jimmi Simpson) and Logan (Ben Barnes) arrived: the latter a Westworld veteran with hedonistic desires and the former a first-timer overwhelmed by the world he had entered. Simpson's wondrous but cautious exploration was some of the best acting of the hour.
   Finally, all through this better-paced episode, as we saw the glitches continue, Newcomers explore and Westworld staff set up new narratives for the Hosts, the Man in Black returned to continue his murderous search for "the maze", a hidden level of Westworld. At the moment he is the most unpredictable factor in the show and therefore one of the most important: until the mythology deepens and the crescendo rises later on in the season, he will be the main source of tension.

   VIEWERS: 1.49m (Nearly all Sunday shows took a hit due to the Presidential debate, so this isn't reflective of Westworld's predicted performance.)

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 0.7 (Down a tenth from the premiere. Nothing bad here)

VERDICT: Losing ten minutes and spreading the focus from Dolores to other cast members dramatically increased the quality of the show. A mythology-widening episode that was quite addictive. 7.5/10

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Terry Crews (on why night shifts are bad): "It's because you don't get to sleep, see your loved ones, feel the sun or do anything that brings you joy."

LAST WEEK'S ROUNDUP: On Season Week 3

NEXT WEEK'S ROUNDUP: On-Season Week 5

Final thoughts

MacGyver had the weakest offering both in terms of writing quality and ratings performance, while Westworld is still burning slow. At the other end of the scale, Hawaii Five-0 transformed its landscape with the stunning conclusion to its serial killer arc. Sitting in the middle with very good episodes were Bull, Code Black, Conviction, Lucifer and Scorpion. In spite of a misrepresented and poorly executed crossover, Brooklyn Nine-Nine sits in this category, too.

Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you next time!

Sam