Karen’s Pull List: Series 01, Issue 09 – For the WE 11/26/16

A lighter week because of Thanksgiving, but still a few shows to talk about. Superheroes still have to save the world after all!

Walking Dead 7×05 – Go Getters

Rating: 8.5 Monster Trucks

• WWJD
  I’d like to think the real Jesus was an ass-kicker, but at the very least, Hilltop’s Jesus was a roundhouse-kick, knife wielding, walker-killing ninja. We have Steven Ho to thank for his Martial Arts training, who equipped him for this sequence handily. He also trained Lenny James (Morgan) in “stick-fighting” with his bō-staff.
  …
  Tom Payne also killed it in this episode as Paul ‘Jesus’ Rovia with his subtle facial acting, and the not-so-subtle stand the character makes when he faces off against Gregory, the de-facto leader of the Hilltop colony.
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• …but I know what I like
  Speaking of Gregory, word got back to Negan that ol’ weasel face had made a deal with the Alexandrians behind his back, so Lucille’s boss sent Simon in his stead to put a foot down. Simon Announces that he’s “Gregory’s Negan,” and makes very overt references to Negan being a strong leader, where Gregory is not.
  Simon admires the painting in the manor house that is treasured by Hilltop’s leader, and along with their half of the community’s supplies, he decides that he’ll take it as well. Gregory remarked last season that it’s a treasured possession, so this cuts deep.
  Simon asks if Gregory has anything else to confess, and the weaker man decides he’s going to give up recent refugees Maggie and Sasha. He opens up the closet in which he thinks they’re hiding only to find his personal stash of scotch. Simon is quite pleased, and takes the booze – declaring that he’ll take full credit for the gift that will go directly to Negan.
  Gregory storms upstairs where the women have been hidden in his bedroom closet by Jesus. He disrespects them and rails at the other man, and in return, gets berated for his quick turncoated ways, and Jesus, Maggie, and Sasha tell him that he won’t be the leader anymore. He’s been rendered ineffectual by his bowing to Simon. Literal and figurative. 
• Bros before Hos?
  The secondary story in “Go Getters” was about Carl and Enid. Enid feels a connection to Maggie and wants to go to her in Hilltop. Carl catches her as she’s about to go over the wall and leave Alexandria, and tells her that he’s not going to save her again. 

Supergirl 2×07 The Darkest Place 

Rating: 8 Nth Metal jail cells

• Mad as a Wet Hen-shaw
  FINALLY we see the real Hank Henshaw, and he’s in the form we’ve seen in the comics, Cyborg Superman. I’ll just link to informational articles here so I don’t have to get into too much detail, because NERD. (I cop to it, and if I kept going, we’d be here forever)
• Blood on Their Hands
  M’gann & J’onn, Mon’El & Kara, James & Phillip/Barrage, Hank/Cyborg Superman (literal blood)
  Okay, I’m not going to get on a soapbox in writing, but if you want to hear my thoughts on the matter (and that of my Maid of Steel co-host, Emilee), we got into detail on our Supergirl podcast. In our opinion, these storylines that mirrored each other with the theme of blood should’ve been the only storylines in this episode. You’d have to include Hank/CS, but most of the Guardian stuff could’ve been saved for another episode and fleshed out instead of being a very throw-away piece.
  This is a back-handed compliment, because Barrage has a past with Maggie, and that would’ve been super interesting to see expanded upon on the show.
• Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone
  And apparently Cadmus is where he laid his hat. Personally, I think he’s being coerced into working for them, and seeing him here just reinforced that belief. I’m sure we’ll get more information on him during this season – because I’m hoping they wouldn’t bring Dean Cain back for just a minute of screen time… right?
• CW-wanna Date Her
  You gotta read that storyline title out loud. I’ll wait…
  …
  
  ..
  Just before all the seriousness of the ending, we got a sickly angsty CW bit with relationship stuff. OH. MY. GOD. THE. HUMANITY. I’m over-exaggerating of course, but dudes. Mon-El asking the two guys who are still pining over Kara if she’s available… not cool. Is he really that clueless?
  And then Maggie showing up to talk to Alex – pretty transparent, including their conversation to Kara who continues to eavesdrop shamelessly. UGH!
  Still. Chris Wood. Cougariffic. *rawr* 

Gotham 3×10 Time Bomb

Rating: 8.5 Tiny Guillotines

• Don’t Stop Him Now
  At least we know why Mario had that band-aid on his neck a few weeks ago. Unlike Marsellus Wallace’s in Pulp Fiction – which is a mystery I’m still trying to figure out. Will we find out how he got injected? Did Tetch do it while Mario was knocked out? Did Mario inject himself as an experiment? Did he inject himself just because he wanted to? I wanna know.
  We also know he’s the Time Bomb to which the title refers, and boy… did he go off big-time. Turns out a goodbye kiss was all it took and KA-BLOOEY. Those muggers are sorry they picked the meek looking mob boss’ son. (Really? They didn’t know who he was? Bad choice guys.)
• The Ball’s in Her Court
  There’s another option as to how Mario was “infected,” and it involves the Court of Owls. If they had a chance to get near him, they may have found a way to poke him in the neck with Alice’s blood in order to get to Daddy Carmine. What better way for Kathryn to exert some control over him and get him to do her bidding?
  She’s unique. She doesn’t want to ruin the city, she just wants to run it. Novel approach for a super-villain – but smart. Why burn things down when you could own it?
• A Little Spit-N-Polish
  …
  Bruce is still playing host to Selena and Ivy, but not a very good one. Alfred is making sure they’re taken care of, comfort-wise, but Bruce has been busy investigating the key they found in the last episode. He’s been so buried in books that he didn’t bother to actually examine the key itself, and Selena is the master of seeing the value in objects. She inspects the key and decides it needs a good cleaning, so oddly enough, she cleans it. Bruce is horrified until he sees that it actually unearthed an owl imprint. And then he’s horrified again, because having the key could be construed as breaking the promise he made to Kathryn about not investigating the Court of Owls. He and Alfred need to see her and explain it right away.
  Meanwhile, Alfred was bamboozled by Ivy and her concoction that made him wonky, and he let her get away. She’s immediately kidnapped (because IVY), and they get a call telling them to bring the key and they can get her back. Assuming it’s from the Court, they make their way – only to find out it’s another group called the Whisper Gang. They team up, because “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” but how long will that last?
• BDS-OMG
  DAMN Ed! I didn’t know you had it in you! I’d say he’s gone crazytown, but he definitely had his wits about him when he was “questioning” Butch and Tabitha. I get why he didn’t believe them, they’re not the most trustworthy pair – crying wolf and all that – it’s just this time they’re telling the truth. To see Butch agonizing over Tabitha’s pain was a bit heartwrenching, even though they’re a bit of an oogfest when you see them together. They’re just a very… odd couple.
  In the end, Tabby can’t let Butch sacrifice his life over her hand, so she lets the blade slash down on her arm. That’s when Butch “confesses” and it becomes clear to Ed that he’s not Kristen’s killer.
  Meanwhile, Babs has traced Ed through Oswald’s maid, Olga, to the dodgy S&M palace, then to his hideout – and she arrives just as Ed is dazedly leaving to figure out who’s actually behind the loss of his lady-love. As he tells her to keep Tabs’ hand on ice, the three of them skeedaddle to the hospital to patch Tabs up, or else she and Butch will be two hands short.

Lucifer 2×09 Homewrecker 

Rating: 8 Hardhats

• Homeless at Home
  Poor Lucifer. The victim of the week is actually someone that affects him! That’s right – it’s finally truly ‘all about Lucifer’. He owned the entire block upon which Lux resides. When he dies, it goes to his son, but before he inherits, it’s sold to a rival developer who intends to level the whole of it and build a cookie-cutter mini-mall.
  She was really only interested in destroying everything the other man had owned completely, even after his death. That put her first in line as a suspect, but she’s ruled out when they get the evidence that points to his daughter-in-law, whom he had been investigating – thinking she was a gold digger.
• EWWWWWW. Seriously. Ew.
  Charlotte continues to try and find ways to convince Lucifer to get on board with the whole “let’s go back to heaven” plan, and apparently it means seducing Dan. In real life, seeing these two gorgeous people flirt is pretty hot. But the characters? Weird. Weirness incarnate.
  Getting to spy on the couple, Maze and Amenadiel were similarly creeped out. Okay, Maybe not Mazikeen so much… she took some glee in the situation while Amenadiel cringed.
  We know Charlotte has her charms, and she manages to get a newly single Dan back to her place for a bit of a tumble. While he’s sleeping, she takes the opportunity to rummage, and we’re treated to an evil smile as she finds some information that’ll help her in her quest for Luci domination.
• Mom’s Munitions Machinations
  Lucifer tells his mom that the earthly plane is his home, she gets the genius idea to destroy Lux – which literally destroys his home. She finds an explosives expert linked to the weekly case, and contracts him for some materials to do so. However, Chloe has Lux deemed a historical site which saves it from the chopping block – intercepting her plans, and in doing so, she sees an interesting interaction between her son and his LAPD partner. Even Dr. Linda alludes to her importance – which I’m still kinda peeved about.
  Once Charlotte realizes how important Chloe is to Lucifer, she amends her grand scheme to a much smaller target. She hones in on Chloe herself and plans to blow up her car and take her along with it. The episode closes out with Mum’s finger on a detonator, just waiting to press the button.
• Volunteering as Tribute vs. Avoid like the Plague
  As mentioned above, the clues in the case lead to the man’s daughter-in-law, but when Lucifer and Chloe arrive to arrest her, the man’s son confesses – throwing himself on the knife, so to speak. They both take full blame for the killing, ensuring they’ll both be prosecuted. The evidence may actually cause either or both of them to be found guilty, so it’s a very strong possibility they’ll both go to jail for the crime, but they’ll either go down together, or weather the storm.
  On the other hand, Lucifer has decided that Chloe’s gesture of saving his club is grand indeed, and it’s time that he does something about his feelings. He invites her to dinner, but when the time comes, he stands her up – instead wallowing in booze and cigarettes at his piano. Oh Lucifer… 

The Flash 3×07 Killer Frost

Rating: 8 Ledded Goh Frozen Food trucks (Can’t hold it back anymore…)

• Karen’s Kaveat
  It’s gonna sound like I don’t like this episode, so can you just think of this as my “list of nits?” Overall I thought it was great, but I had some issues with it. And Heeeeeeeere they are…
• Truth and Consequences
  If there’s one thing a Berlanti show knows how to do, it’s writing a storyline about keeping a secret and then having it outed at the worst possible time – making sure the person is universally hated. Because y’know, secrets are bad, mmmkay?
  To be fair, Barry gave them all the opportunity to ask about their Flashpoint pasts, and if they turned the option down, they shouldn’t be laying the blame back on him. Cisco didn’t want to know, so when he finds out about his brother, giving Barry the super cold shoulder is kinda douchey.
  Although, it’s also pretty douchey of Caitlin to out him, so there’s that. 
• An Icy Reception
  …
  …
  Well, Cait has come clean, and she’s restraining herself to the best of her ability. Wait, did I say that? I meant she’s pursuing Alchemy in order to get her powers taken away with little to no regard to anyone or anything else. Yeah, that’s better.
  …
  Why doesn’t she just embrace those powers? I mean, she sees Barry saving lives with his powers every day. Can’t she see her own potential? They’re scientists, they’ll figure a way to harness them, make it so she can channel her energy. She hasn’t even given anybody a shot yet. I mean, 4srsly Caitlin! Gauuhhy.
  .…
  …
• Sometimes Father Doesn’t Know Best
  “Hey, Joe! Leave that cocoon alone!” D’oh. What is it with people not having faith in the SCIENTISTS that work with them daily? I mean Cisco ALONE… Not to mention Barry. Ugh. I cannot EVEN.
  Well, moving on from there, Wally is out of the cocoon because JOE, and he wasn’t cooked yet. He’s not in sync, so they have to come up with something that will line up his body and mind. Okay, everybody trusts Caitlin and Cisco to do this magic, yet when they simply tell Joe to leave the pod alone, it’s a big fat nope. *sigh*
  Joe figures out that Wally goes back to his childhood home when he needs comfort, so they find him there – all vibrate-y, and Barry hits him up with the injector. Wally’s fixed and presto-chango, he’s Kid Flash.
• All-Chem-Me So Disappoint
  Might be just me, but I’m so let down by the Alchemy reveal, I can’t even vocalize it. If they put a neon arrow over Julian’s head and wrote “I AM ALCHEMY” on his chest, it might have been more subtle.
  I’d been hoping that there’d be a twist of some sort, even though his name was Julian Albert, and Alchemy’s name in the comics was Albert Desmond. Truly, even then they could’ve written several other people as the alter ego of our slightly large bad, and it wouldn’t have upset the apple cart.
  My choice would have been Celeste. Joe’s been seeing her casually, so she’s been popping in and out of storylines, but nothing overt. She’d also have access to the same information as Julian, which would give her the same opportunities to be Alchemy.
  Alas, I’m not one of the writers, so Julian it is. He’s Alchemy, but Alchemy isn’t the big bad. That’s reserved for another speedster.
• Savitron
  Another pet peeve, and I wish it wasn’t. Savitar isn’t a weirdo alien looking thing, he’s a guy with a kickass costume who never wears a shirt. I have some speculation here, and I’m even going to hold out some hope. I don’t learn lessons well.
  Savitar left blue streaks. In the past, blue meant that the speedster was “sick.” Does that mean that Savitar is looking for some kind of cure, some kind of help? Again, I’m sure we’ll find out, but not until after the crossover hijinx.

Luke Cage 1×08 Blowin’ Up the Spot

Rating: 9 Seats in the nosebleed section

• Stryker… Stryker… STRIKE ‘ER
  Diamondback has emerged, and he’s got quite a few agendas. First up – he wants Luke Cage out of the picture. Of course, he knows him as Carl Lucas, and knows him well. They grew up together, and the big reveal after a two-borough brawl that ends at the United Palace Theater in Washington Heights is that Willis “Diamondback” Stryker is Luke’s half-brother.
  That’s just before he puts another Judas bullet into Cage, which causes him to fall into a garbage truck, taking him out until the next episode. 
• Like Momma, Like Mariah
  We left Mariah in the last episode just after she killed her cousin, Cottonmouth. She’s in shock, and Shades has come swooping in, ready to “rescue” her. He was working at Harlem’s Paradise as an emissary of Diamondback, but we’re not sure what his game is as he assembles a team from Cottonmouth’s thugs, telling them to get new clothes in order to class up. He also manipulates Mariah in what might be a power play situation.
  She catches on later in the episode, after her haze clears, and she sees that she needs to take control again. Mariah steadily builds power throughout until she tells Shades to lay off the fake endearments, and then angrily pushes down a picture of Momma Mable, stating that she’s nothing like her. Except y’know… not.
  …
• Mist(y) gets in your eyes
  We’re learning what happens when you’re a cop that associates with a murder suspect and has a dirty partner. You get investigated toot sweet. And so it should be. I mean, we know Misty’s clean, but the NYPD doesn’t.
  It doesn’t help when, during the Luke Cage manhunt, she goes rogue and decides to find him on her own. Then, once they bring in Claire Temple, she gets frustrated and things get physical in the interrogation room.
  Misty is gonna need to reign things in if she wants to keep her status on the force, because that’s where she’s gonna do the most good right now.
  …

Next week:

Luke Cage 1×09 “DWYCK”

With Luke wounded and on the run, Misty faces a soul-searching interrogation. Mariah’s rise to power takes a dark turn.

Sunday:

The Walking Dead 7×06 “Swear”

Someone stumbles upon a brand new society, and this society is unlike anything seen before.

Monday:

Supergirl 2×08 “Medusa (Invasion! Part 1)”

Eliza comes to town to celebrate Thanksgiving with her daughters. Alex decides it’s time to come out to her mother; Kara is shocked when Eliza suggests Mon-El has feelings for her, and Winn and James consider telling Kara the truth about the Guardian. Meanwhile, CADMUS unleashes a virus that instantly kills any alien in the vicinity so Kara enlists an unexpected ally – Lena Luthor. The epic superhero crossover kicks off tonight when Barry Allen and Cisco Ramon seek Kara’s help with an alien invasion on their Earth.

Gotham 3×11 “Beware the Green-Eyed Monster”

As the virus begins to spread in Gotham, the laboratory that is developing a cure is compromised. Mario and Gordon face off before the wedding, Selina meets an unexpected face and Barbara comes to Nygma with information about Isabella.

Lucifer 2×10 “Quid Pro Ho”

Charlotte is determined to get Lucifer to leave Earth by turning Chloe against him. Meanwhile, Amenadiel has begun working as Charlotte’s soldier, which makes Maze question his loyalty.

Tuesday:

The Flash 3×08 “Invasion! (Part 2)”

When aliens called the Dominators attack Central City, Barry speeds over to Star City to ask the Green Arrow for help in stopping them. Realizing the battle against the Dominators is bigger than they thought, they track down the Legends of Tomorrow, and Barry and Cisco create a breach to bring back a secret weapon – Supergirl. Once all of the super friends are assembled, they come up with a plan to attack but a shocking secret related to Flashpoint is revealed and suddenly no one is sure who they can trust. Meanwhile, Wally wants to join the battle against the aliens but Iris tells him he’s not ready.

Agents of SHIELD 4×07 “Deals With Our Devils”

With the loss of half the team, the remaining members search for answers as the clock counts down for Ghost Rider.

Wednesday:

Arrow 5×08 “Invasion! (Part 3)”

Oliver wakes up to a life where he never got on The Queen’s Gambit. Robert and Moira Queen are alive and well. Laurel is his loving fiancée and their wedding is imminent. Everything seems perfect, but Oliver starts to notice small imperfections that make him question this new reality. Meanwhile, Felicity and the recruits take on a new threat with help from The Flash and Supergirl.

Thursday:

Legends of Tomorrow 2×07 “Invasion! (Part 4)”

After learning the Dominators’ plan for the world, the Legends must work together with The Flash, Supergirl and Green Arrow to kill them once and for all. Meanwhile Stein figures out with the help of others how the team can terminate the Dominators but is distracted by the aberration he realizes he created in 1987.