On-Season Week 21

WEEK 21

Week 21 is the second of three consecutive weeks where we have a show premiering on this roundup: last week it was Powerless and this week it is A.P.B., FOX's police procedural answer to CBS's short-lived medical drama Pure Genius. It will be interesting to see if the show will hold up in the recently vacated Monday at 9pm slot. Elsewhere, Bull and Scorpion return; Hawaii Five-0, MacGyver and Quantico continue.

A.P.B. - 1x01 "Hard Reset"

"After his best friend is killed in a liquor store robbery, tech billionaire Gideon Reeves takes control of the 13th District."

A.P.B.'s USP was the same as Pure Genius's earlier in the year: its a story you've seen before with a technological twist. But like Pure Genius, A.P.B. is a human story at heart. Gideon can purchase as many precincts as he wants, give the officers as many new toys as he likes and showboat as often as he feels necessary - but at the end of the day the officers of the 13th District still prove you cannot alter the human element so crucial in hunting bad guys. And that was crucial to a show with a premise that could easily have grown too far-fetched.
   The pace of the episode was nice too: at almost a full 45 minutes there was that extra space to fit in absolutely everything the episode needed, especially allowing a heightened introduction whereby it was almost a full 10 minutes before Gideon arrived at the precinct to take over. And Gideon was cleverly written - he's arrogant, but not Hayes-from-Conviction, I'll-make-the-audience-hate-me arrogant. The A.P.B. writers balanced him well.
   As for the plot, Gideon's goal by taking over the precinct is also personal: he wants to find the man who killed his friend Elliot Sully. And surprisingly this premiere episode achieves that, where I had thought it would draw out the arc at least a little. Amid near-mutinies from the cops and a number of heart-to-hearts, Gideon won out and his tech saved the day. I'm really interested to see how they build now, because Gideon will have to show his work isn't done now he's got justice.
   Also, props to Kevin Chapman appearing as the precinct captain. Hard to believe him in that role after playing such a morally meh detective on Person of Interest - but it's just nice to see him!

   VIEWERS: 6.11m (Nice and high)

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 1.5 (Superb introduction; can it maintain a similar rating now?)

VERDICT: The first new show I've seen this year whose premiere didn't feel bloated with under-developed characters. Good cast, a little humour and a perfect tonic to the flop that was Pure Genius. 9/10

Bull - 1x13 "The Fall"

"Jace Rundle, the number one e-sports gamer, is accused of throwing a championship final and defamed by his manager, so TAC take the case to prove he was psychologically incapable of losing."

Chunk's night out at an e-sports final with Bull leads to an unexpected result as the number one team lose the game - and from there a case is born. A case full of "effects" (such as the "IKEA effect" when a person attributes more value to something they have spent time on, or the "Pinnochio effect" which causes redness and temperature changes around the nose when a person lies), which came full circle when the reason for Jace being unable to perform in the finals was undiagnosed Parkinson's disease.

L-R: Cable, Benny and Chunk play the
eSports game as research for their case.

   And at the end of the day, Bull managed to conclude its trial with a non-trial ending when Jace's manager settled outside of court, securing Jace's future in and outside of competitive e-sports and signing a confidentiality agreement to not mention his diagnosis. However, the fact that Bull pushed in another member of the team actually throwing the game seemed excruciatingly forced, however, and was completely unnecessary. Also see the four-man team but only the three we knew as previous team members greeted Jace after the trial (so where was the fourth man then, writers?)
   Relationships of one strength or another were hinted at or displayed, too. Danny's FBI contact made some fleeting but intimate contact in the one scene he appeared and was never touched on again (pardon the pun), Bull had some flirtation with Jace's hotshot lawyer and Cable resumed her relationship with Wes who she had originally broken up with for focusing too much on his e-sports games. I'd like to see some semblance of continuation for Cable along these lines, but I won't get my hopes up. If there's one flaw of Bull's, it's that it rarely attempts character arcs at all.
   Also the blind voir dire, where the lawyers had to choose in private who to strike rather than asking any forward questions, was an excellent play on format.

   VIEWERS: 10.72m

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 1.3
   (Level)

VERDICT: The trailer looked good, the plot was good, the subplots good and I just enjoyed the insight into the e-sports culture. A very fresh topic approached and executed superbly. 9/10

Hawaii Five-0 - 7x16 "Poniu I Ke Aloha / Crazy In Love"

"Kono, Chin and Grover investigate the murder of a man at a club who had been partaking in a seduction course; Danny and McGarrett are treated by their girlfriends for Valentine's Day."

McGarrett realises he has an adjoining hotel room with Danny

In its later years, Hawaii Five-0 has begun to rest on its laurels as a more regular number of episodes feature over-long side plots. That in itself isn't a criticism - it's nice to see our main cast's family and partners - but we see them so sparingly that when we do it comes off more as an in-your-face reminder that they actually exist rather than anything else. Case in point Danny's girlfriend Melissa, who hasn't been physically seen since 6x14. I'd forgotten they were even dating.
   But is their relationship the point, or was it a way of solidifying that Danny/McGarrett bond when their main arc was to pit Danny against a troublesome teen he suspected of stealing his sunglasses? Who knows. Either way I can't argue that it was extremely enjoyable and these Danny/McGarrett scenes really do create a lot of humour.
   Elsewhere, today's guest star murder victim was played by Samm Levine, whose participation in a seduction course led to his death when he tried to pick up a woman at a bar. He wasn't to know, however, that the man who ran the course, Blake Stone, (who the script demanded be stupidly over-the-top in his misogyny) was paying for escorts to sleep with his clients (a nice twist), and the escort he'd paid this time had an obsessive stalker who shot Levine's character dead. Simple enough. Enjoyable enough.

   VIEWERS: 9.78m

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 1.3
   (A 1.3 hasn't been seen for H50 since 7x09, so it's great to get back up there again!)

VERDICT: Suspend your disbelief and you can get past the fact that a good Danny/McGarrett plot didn't hide Hawaii Five-0's failings in writing character relationships and Blake Stone was far too much of a caricature than a character - and I can't. But it was enjoyable. 7.5/10

MacGyver - 1x15 "Magnifying Glass"

"Matty's goddaughter, along with her boyfriend, is killed, and the murders bear an uncanny resemblance to the Zodiac Killer from the 70s."

The Zodiac Killer taunting Phoenix with his kill statistics.

A scaremongering fifteenth episode revisits the terrifying 70s sensation that was the still-unidentified Zodiac Killer by way of new Phoenix Director Matty Webber, in the process proving she does have a human side. But it was all a little too easy. A lack of suspects throughout (this was never going to go as a normal murder investigation would), meant that the only person we could fall back on as the apprentice Zodiac was the homeless person who sent Phoenix on a wild goose chase, Wyatt Orwell.
   Unfortunately (and because of course), this Zodiac B-side kidnapped Riley and forced Mac and Jack into some improvised heroics to rescue her. But she had a clever method of buying time, which was to taunt Orwell: he wanted his crimes to be exact replicas of the real Zodiac to muddy the waters of whether or not it was the real Zodiac perpetrating them or not, but by simply shooting Riley in an abandoned cinema he would break the pattern and lose all credibility. That indecision gives Mac and Jack time to engineer Riley's escape, although when Orwell runs it's Riley who delivers the knockout blow.
   "You know what else the original Zodiac Killer never did? Get caught." *drops pipe*
   Props to the handwriting trivia: a 100% match between the Zodiac's handwriting now and then was impossible due to age, and a critical clue in determining this was a copycat.
   And what about that set-up to next week's MacGyver/Hawaii Five-0 crossover: Orwell was receiving encouragement from none other than Hawaii's resident serial killer Dr. Madison Grey, now apparently back on O'ahu. Bring it on!
   VIEWERS: 8.05m

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 1.2
   (Nice ticks up)

VERDICT: Copycat plots of real serial killers aren't often very good and this one was about average. The connection to Matty ended up being frustratingly sparse and was forgotten as the episode progressed. 7/10

Powerless - 1x02 "Wayne Dream Team"

"Emily over-promises a new 'Rumbrella' designed to protect people from falling debris, while Van attempts to fix his deliberate cropping out of a company executives image."

An underwhelming premiere episode was followed up with an episode that was all about settling in. Emily's inexperience and lack of understanding about her team's work ethic meant she had to find a way of pleasing everyone and ensuring her job was completed. She was finally accepted at the end by way of eventual inclusion in the team's superhero fantasy league (and hilariously the worst pick Crimson Fox bagged Emily a ton of points while top pick The Flash was put out of action for the year, shocking Teddy). The fantasy league was a clever subplot for a world like this and I'd like to see a little more of it in future episodes, as it would centre the team's dynamic very well, and could fluctuate according to episodic power shifts.

L-R: Ron, Wendy and Teddy dress their test dummy
like Emily after finding out she turned them in to HR.

   Meanwhile, Van's entire arc was his disdain at being deliberately cropped out of an executives photo plastered on the lobby wall, creating some hilarious scenarios as he tried to regain the limelight. Van remains the funniest part of the team, and Alan Tudyk is perfect as the tyrannical boss, and I have a feeling I'll be saying that every week.
   "Wayne Dream Team" was a smart bit of world-building that condensed a lot into 22 minutes. It was mostly filler while Emily found a way of getting the best out of her slacking team, but the filler was good and created a broader universe for the characters. And it was much funnier than the premiere.
   (Poor Susan, a minor character who has become the second best part of the show so far simply because she is mercilessly bullied for no reason at all!)

   VIEWERS: 2.53m

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 0.8
   (Worrying ticks downwards; the show is now fractional and unlikely to pick up)

VERDICT: A proper showing of what a premise like this can pull off, but it might be too little too late even at this early stage. 8.5/10

Quantico - 2x11 "Zrtorch"

"In the past, Owen teaches the recruits about exfiltration by putting himself in danger in Munich. In the future, Alex continues her mission to free the hostages."

The little shown terrorist attack is reaching its conclusion as Alex, along with the recruits, helps free the remaining hostages. But not before the terrorists begin interrogating those hostages, trying to figure out who is actually the terrorist. Because the terrorists are not the terrorists, but they're trying to find the terrorists. Who is a terrorist and whether the AIC is bad or good is getting harder and harder to define, and accordingly this review gets harder and harder to manage, as the multiple timelines and complex plot demands a lot to be unravelled when only some of the cards have been shown. But then that's part of the fun.
   At the end, Alex's mission to free the hostages works - but with a sting: the "terrorists" have shed their disguises and are now happily blending with the crowd. They could be anyone - and they were just let free.
   But most of the action takes place in the past. An important lesson in safe exfiltration of an asset in danger merges into a meltdown from Owen (after he finds out Lydia is working for the AIC) and Léon and Dayana get their next AIC mission, one Léon stops Dayana from completing because he didn't know that the target deserved to die. In the meantime, he continues to work for the FBI as their undercover asset.
   Everything's a bit of a mess at the moment - there are so many questions left hanging and everything is so unclear and hazy - but this is the halfway stage so that's natural. In a few episodes the multiple timelines will clear up and we'll focus on the aftermath of the attack, and that back third of the season should answer our questions nicely.
   VIEWERS: 2.68m

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 0.7

VERDICT: The show is becoming harder and harder to follow. We need some clarity soon. Still, each episode on their own is an enjoyable maze. 8/10

Scorpion - 3x15 "Sharknerdo"

"Scorpion are hired to help locate a hidden treasure, but when Paige and Walter's boat suffers an electrical failure the team race to rescue them."

One of the best parts of Scorpion in any season is how it keeps even the little storylines pumping away. The entire reason for today's mission was that Walter, let loose by Paige to sink or swim when communicating with normal people, annoyed someone by correcting their grammar (suggesting it should be pronounced "one hundred nine thousand" rather than "one hundred and nine thousand", which he posits are separate figures) and lost the original case. Now down on funds, he accepts a sunken treasure hunt mission for a 5% share of the booty.

Cabe and Toby mutiny

   Of course, it all goes to hell when Walter and Paige's boat suffers an electrical fault and explodes, leaving them lost at sea without working comms and floating on a makeshift raft - while working out some of their underlying issues. And that was the catalyst for the structure of the plot: putting Walter and Paige in a position where they are alone and stressed and likely to argue about their current problems. But did it really need an entire episode devoted to reaching that goal? I'm not sure it did, which is a problem Scorpion has.
   Toby's childish love of pirates was a comic relief in a serious rescue plot, and his and Cabe's mutiny against the ship captain was brilliant. Sylvester's continuing campaign to become a Congressman of West Altadenia continued with the help of Cabe's love interest, and Toby's running gag of "save this and that outfit for our honeymoon" was nicely reversed when Happy demanded he save the pirate's hat for their honeymoon. All of which proves that when it comes down to it, Scorpion writers don't care if their characters are conventional - they're happy to string out decent, fantastical character arcs (ie Sylvester's campaign) because it's true to their characters. And that is why Scorpion excels even when it bogs itself down.
   And how about the way Americans pronounce "buoys"? "Boo-ees".

   VIEWERS: 7.71m

   DEMOGRAPHIC SHARE: 1.2

VERDICT: An entire episode devoted to fixing the Walter/Paige rift, and while it didn't need an entire episode it was a good catalyst and gave space for everyone else to grow. 8.5/10

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Powerless - Van: "Bosses cannot be friends with their employees. It is a myth, like the Yeti ... or the unconditional love of a mother."

LAST WEEK'S ROUNDUP: On-Season Week 20

NEXT WEEK'S ROUNDUP: (will be posted here when complete)

Final thoughts

Eyes were on A.P.B.'s performance in its premiere and it even exceeded my own expectations, both with a brilliant 1.5 (brilliant in the current climate at least), and the most balanced, developed premiere of this new season. Already I look forward to more.
   Powerless hit a stupendous effort with its sophomore episode but its ratings have fallen to a dangerously fractional level and its renewal chances are all but dashed already; similarly Quantico did well but has little hope of a third season. Scorpion dipped slightly in quality and ratings but Bull held its season low 1.3 with another great episode. Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver both had average episodes but both posted their fourth-best ratings of the season!

Previewing next week: the line-up is identical except we have The Walking Dead returning! And who doesn't look forward to that!

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

Sam