Hey, y'all! Sorry some of these recaps have been so behind. I'm drowning in midterms and getting ready to go on a trip all while juggling all of these shows that I watch! So, please forgive me for the delay. This week Michael and Jason are on a mission to rescue Good Janet, Derek is left in charge of his 300 Derek-Janet babies, and Tahani has an identity crisis. Let's talk about it, shall we? THIS IS YOUR SPOILER ALERT WARNING EVEN THOUGH I CANNOT FIND ANY REASON WHY YOU WOULDN'T HAVE ALREADY WATCHED THE GOOD PLACE SEASON FOUR, EPISODE FIVE "EMPLOYEE OF THE BEARIMY". IT WAS A GOOD EPISODE SO IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCH IT, I RECOMMEND DOING SO. Last week after Glenn got turned to literal goo, we watched as Michael and Jason headed to The Bad Place to get her back, goo in hand. On the way there, Michael restores 300 years worth of memories for Jason to decrease the chance of him doing something stupid (because he's probably already done it before). Meanwhile in The 'Good' Place, Derek is holding a champagne glass full of scrabble tiles while getting directions from Eleanor on how to care for his Janet babies while there's no Janet on duty. In an effort to keep the test subjects away from possible Derek induced mayhem, Eleanor and Tahani plan for the four experiments to spend a day at a lake house getting to know each other. This plan would work great if only Chidi weren't so terrified of everything. When Tahani reaches the lake house and learns that Chidi won't be coming, she runs back to tell Eleanor. Tahani is also having her own personal battle, feeling diminished and sad because the only thing she's in charge of is party planning and picking appropriate size sandwiches ("What am I, Welsh?" "I don't know, are you?"). Eleanor, knowing Chidi better at this point than he knows himself, arranges for a day full of puzzles to distract him from Derek (who is being a total classic Derek by the way). Guys, the way Chidi's face lights up when Eleanor describes the clues. I need them to be back in love. I have this theory that maybe Chidi's memory never really got erased and he's just pretending that it did. I hope I'm right. Eventually, Eleanor manages to get Chidi to the lake house AND console Tahani about how she is perfect for planning parties because it's what she knows. Eleanor emphasizes that they had different lives on Earth; Tahani's was one of privilege and parties and Eleanor's was full of Arizona dirtbags, empty promises, and thinking on her feet. They each have their own strengths to bring to the experiment, they just need to properly utilize them. In The Bad Place, DemonCon is happening (hosted by Shawn) and it looks like absolute torture. When Shawn sees Michael thinking that he is Vicky in the Michael suit, improvisation occurs. Jason and Michael pretend to be different, demonic versions of themselves in effort to save Good Janet, who is still being held captive. Of course Vicky ruins all the fun by making her appearance as Vicky in the Michael suit, therefore making everyone question who the real Vicky in the Michael suit is. Jason does his best to let Good Janet know that it's really them, impersonating himself and declaring that he, "Loves you girl,". To which Janet responds... "Not a girl!" with the biggest forking smile on her face! Guys! How is this show making me feel so many things while simultaneously being absolutely ridiculous??? Real Michael claims he has a demon exploder and Shawn is like "yeah right" so it's in that moment that he turns Vicky into goo. Honestly, God bless. Jason and Michael run away with Good Janet in tow. Jason tells her all about the lies Bad Janet told him, namely the one about Blake Bortles being cut from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Good Janet has to inform him that Blake Bortles was indeed cut, but Nick Foles replaced him. Jason is ecstatic, the boys are going to the Super Bowl! Only minutes later Janet is informed that Foles is out for the season due to an injury. Even in the afterlife, Jason can't catch a break. What did y'all think of this week's episode? Are you happy to have Good Janet back? Are you mad that Michael didn't just zap Shawn with the demon exploder? What's next? Can you believe we're already almost halfway through the final season? Tell me in the comments! Additionally, I wanted to toot my own horn (negative 60,000 points) by letting y'all know that my The Good Place themed article on Buzzfeed Community that I had to write for my PR class kind of went viral and made the homepage of Buzzfeed and was tweeted out by Buzzfeed themselves. I'd also like to set the record straight and let it be known that I do in fact know that Eleanor cried into a plunger at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, not a supermarket and that it was a momentary lapse that accounted for my small error. Here's the link to the article: https://www.buzzfeed.com/emerlyproctor/19-times-eleanor-shellstrop-from-the-good-place-a2z7apyqli XO, Em
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Hi, y'all! This week I watched A Million Little Things with my mama in the room and she had a LOT of questions. It wasn't until watching it with someone else that I realized how truly complicated and weird this ABC drama is. Halfway through the episode she looked at me and said, "Why are they all fighting?" The only answer I have to that is, "Yes." HERE IS YOUR SPOILER ALERT WARNING: IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED SEASON TWO EPISODE FIVE OF A MILLION LITTLE THINGS, "AUSTIN", I SUGGEST YOU GO FIND A DIFFERENT BLOG POST TO READ. If you were hoping to be less annoyed with Maggie's antics this week, I have bad news for you. I do give props to Allison Miller for playing this complex character so well, but it breaks my heart nonetheless to see her break Gary's. It's so hard for me to accept Maggie's role in the group when she and Gary are struggling. She didn't know Jon, she isn't married in like Katherine, and she isn't biologically related. It just feels strange. Speaking of strange, Rome think it's totally okay to film a national car commerical showcasing a personal conversation between him and Regina. Even stranger, the actress playing his wife looks EXACTLY like her. It's the conversation they had in the family sized car about wanting/not wanting kids, and watching Gina watch another woman say her words is heartbreaking. Theo continues to be the happiest and most annoying child on the planet when talking to Eddie and Katherine about mammoths and dinosaurs, and Eddie finds Katherine's interesting search history while proving his son right. Katie has been looking at homes and lawyer jobs in Austin, Texas. Eddie is terrified she's going to leave again. Which brings me to my FAVORITE line in this entire episode, where Gary is discussing his issues with Maggie and Rome is talking about his fight with Regina and Eddie is there too. Gary says, "I'm uncomfortable with any conversation where he's in the best relationship," pointing to Eddie. Me too, Gary. Me too. Also happening this week: Delilah is trying to pick the perfect photo for Charlie's birth announcement, but Sophie wants one of the whole family. Danny just wants to find his wallet. When the photographer comes over, Charlie and Danny are both throwing fits and a man comes to the door asking for Jon because he found his license in a wallet (Danny's!). Turns out, Danny just wanted his wallet in the picture so Jon would be in it too. Awww. But Danny realizes he doesn't want a picture without alive Jon, so Delilah sends the photographer away and has a heart-to-heart with her kids (who she is still lying about with regards to Charlie's paternity). She brings everybody over to the house to take a new family picture, one with all the friends who are like family (Maggie and Katherine included hmm). It would be sweet if it wasn't so weird. Post-commercial fight Regina and Rome are celebrating Rome's parents 50th wedding anniversary (hi, Rose from Lost!) with lunch at Gina's restaurant. The celebratory couple seem happy until Rome's dad gives Rose, erhm, Renee her anniversary gift; an Alaskan cruise she's always wanted to go on. She's excited, but then he makes a snide comment about how when it's over he never has to hear her talk about it again. Okay, rude. They get into a big fight, mostly about how Mr. Rome never wanted to go in the first place, and it's all very, very awkward. Also awkward: Gina's conversation with Rome's dad about a partner asking you to do something and whether or not you would do it. Gina is reminded of her ongoing argument with Rome over the decision to have kids. Eventually, Rome's parents kiss and make up, but Rome and Gina continue to have their deepest conversations in their bathroom before bed. She doesn't want him to resent her. I just beg of her, don't give in and have kids if you don't want to. Eddie confronts Katherine about the Texas search history, and she comes clean by admitting that she wants a fresh start. She wants to move somewhere where nobody knows their business. Yes, that sounds nice, but let's not forget Katie girl that you husband JUST had a baby with another woman and you're sticking by him through that so he should probably not move across the country right now. Instead, they go look at the new house across the street that just went up for sale. Only they go look at it as Edward and Kat, a couple with no drama at all. They're from Austin. Edward was in the Space Academy. I don't know why I love this part so much, but I do. I really, really do. Edward and Kat sneak away from sexy times in the new house's closet, and they seem to be thriving. At the end, Eddie tells Katherine that he loves her and oh my god Eddie is so hot. I know I've said it a million (pun!) times but seriously. The man is gorgeous and has a sexy voice and even though sometimes he's human garbage I still love him. Gary wants Maggie to go with him to their cancer survivor support group, but she can't because she has plans (eye roll) and so he goes alone. While there, the group tells him that Maggie didn't come because she probably wants to move on from cancer. Gary seems scared because cancer is the only life him and Maggie know together. I'm getting worried. Maggie talks to Delilah about the psychic saying a couple weeks ago that Chad lives on, and she takes this to mean that he lives on in Jason Ritter, erhm, Eric. She visits Eric at work (of course he owns a fucking music store) and tries to touch his heart which is super uncomfortable to watch. He talks about how Chloe (his fiancé that passed away) actually owned the music store and that he can't play any instruments himself. Maggie plays the piano for him, like she used to play for Chad. I get the impression that Maggie is drawn to people that have also experienced a lot of pain. In an effort to figure out how to live a cancer free life, Maggie throws away her folders in which she made plans for her funeral, and plans on attending an open mic night to play for a crowd, something she's never done before. Gary asks her if they're okay, because it feels like she's slipping away. She says she loves him, but she has to figure out this part of her life on her own. On her own, or with Eric? I guess only time will tell. For some reason, this entire Maggie storyline feels so selfish to me. After everything Gary has done for her in the past year, I guess she doesn't owe him anything, but it would be kind if she let him in a little more, or broke things off if she's not feeling it. Instead it seems like things are really going to hurt the both of them, especially when Gary shows up to open mic night and sees Eric in the front row. Maggie never even invited Gary, but wanted the man with her brother's heart there. The whole Eric and Maggie relationship is so freaking weird to me, I can't even articulate it. Eric is a completely different person than Chad, and while he's beautiful and Jason Ritter he also isn't Gary. And he isn't going to bring her brother back. He just isn't. So what did y'all think of this week's episode? It's been awhile since we've seen PJ, huh? What happened to that storyline? What do you think is gonna happen with Gary and Mags? Tell me in the comments. XO, Em This is Us Is Going Back to Its "Storybook Love" Roots And I'm Totally Here For It (S4, EP5 Recap)10/23/2019 Our love is a storybook story and I'm wiping the tears away as Mandy Moore sings to her bratty children while they dance around her new house. It's her wedding gift to Kevin and Sophie, who got married in New York on a whim after seeing a theater playing their favorite movie, The Princess Bride. All Rebecca has to remember their wedding by is four polaroids (ahhh so 1998), but she chooses to take the high road and make the night as perfect as it can be for her children. THIS IS THE PART WHERE I TELL YOU TO STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED LAST NIGHT'S EPISODE OF THIS IS US, "STORYBOOK LOVE" DIRECTED BY JACK PEARSON HIMSELF, MILO VENTIMIGLIA. SO, SPOILER ALRT. We start our episode in 1980. Rebecca and Jack have just moved into the home they'll raise their children in and she's a few months along with the triplets. They're unpacking and she's cooking lasanga, but burns it in the oven. Jack comforts his wife and they make the most of the night until things go haywire when a bird gets loose in the house (they had opened the windows to let the smoke and burned smell out). Jack is, according to 1998 Rebecca, terrified of birds and does everything in his power to protect his pregnant wife from the creature. He lets out squeals. He breaks the burned lasanga dish. They clean up and order a pizza instead. The scenes of young Jack and Rebecca together make me so incredibly happy. I miss them. I feel like we haven't seen them in happy in such a long time, and Jack's screen time has been dwindling since his character's tragic death in Season 2. I just love seeing them love each other, even if we know that their future is not perfect, nor is the ending necessarily happy. In 1998, Kate and Bec have just moved into their new home post-fire and post-Jack. After receiving that odd voicemail from Kevin, Mama Pearson decides to host a little dinner party to celebrate the couple's nuptials. Meanwhile, Kate is making money AND making out at the record store she now works at. Oh yeah, teen Kate has a boyfriend now, and his name is Marc. Little Beth and Randall are there for dinner too, and they're precious. Beth observes as Randall's leg shakes nervously (something that comes up again later) and as he reaches for his notepad every time he finds something that needs fixing around the house. He's Jack Pearson's son, after all. Beth is generous and brings hot sauce as a housewarming gift for Bec and Kate, which brings back memories for the Pearson's because apparently Jack used to put hot sauce on everything (we see in flashbacks for this specific episode that prove this to be true). Beth says that her father (who also passed away recently, remember?) also used to put hot sauce on everything, and would carry a bottle around with him everywhere he went. It's cute. Beth wins this show in all the timelines. Marc shows up out of the blue with handpicked flowers, telling Kate he got her address off of her application. Side note: Didn't she just move in to this new house? Wouldn't he have her old address? Does this matter? Of course this probably matters. Kate introduces Marc to her family as her friend from work, but he takes it a step further and tells them that he is indeed her boyfriend. They look happy. And you know who else is joining the Pearsons for dinner? Miguel. Kate makes a joke about him bringing a sleeping bag, because he's always around. It's a funny moment knowing that Rebecca ends up marrying him later on, but it's sweet to see that Miguel still wants to be involved in all of their lives even post-Jack. Jack was his man and he promised to take care of his family. Dinner doesn't go so great, though. Rebecca ruins the cornished hens and the Big Three end up fighting in the kitchen about their significant others. Kate is hurt that Kevin got married without telling her, "his person". Kevin and Randall tell Kate that they don't like Marc, and that they get "weird vibes" from him. It should be noted here that Marc is 23, while Kate is 18. 5 years isn't a lot, but at that age it kind of is. Beth gets good reviews from Kevin and Kate though, with Kate hilariously saying "She even has a beauty mark. Didn't know that was a thing until now." Rebecca bitches out her whiny children, telling them to get it together because she is trying her fucking best by herself! They oblige, she tells the story about Jack and the bird, they order pizza, and she plays the piano while the kids dance and take polaroids and seem normal and happy for the first time in a very, very long time. In the present day, Kevin is enjoying being next door neighbors with his Uncle Nicky, and asks for stories about Jack from his childhood. The best that Nicky has to offer was that he "liked ice cream" and honestly I mean, who doesn't? Kevin tells a story about Jack slicing ice cream cake for him and his siblings, and the flashbacks are so wholesome I could cry. Kevin and Nicky plan on going to a hockey game that night because the stadium is honoring veterans, and Kevin promised he'd help Cassidy get her husband back. "You have very weird relationships with people," says Nicky. He's not wrong. The hockey game doesn't go great, because Cassidy's husband (I don't even know his name omg) is kind of a jackass and leaves before the ceremony even begins. Nicky also has a freakout because he's surrounded by people consuming alcohol, which is incredibly triggering, so he leaves. Kevin drives Cassidy and her son Matty home, and calls out Jackass Husband for being a jackass. He explains that he's loved Cassidy since she was 15, but that the military destroyed her and he didn't want to celebrate that. He also tells Kevin to stay away from his wife. Okay so like...why ya serving her divorce papers then, man? Kevin tells Cassidy that her husband still likes her, but I don't know if he does. It seems more like he's holding onto someone who no longer exists. In Randall-world, Tess has a panic attack and is upset because she doesn't want to have the same issues that her father does. Beth delivers the monologue of all monologues telling both Randall and Tess to stop shit talking each other and themselves because 3 of her favorite people in the world have anxiety (hi, William!). Tess apologizes, Beth finds her and Randall both therapists. Randall thinks that's great for Tess, but his 39-year-old ass legit refuses to see somebody. WHERE IS THE GROWTH, SIR? Also as someone with horrible anxiety, this part of the episode was hard for me. It pains me that Randall doesn't want to see his daughter go through this while simultaneously refusing to get help. It's incredibly frustrating from an outside perspective, because it seems like he would want to better himself for his family. But that's just my two cents. Kevin returns to Nicky who bought him an ice cream cake, and finally tells a cute story about Jack and him and their dad. It's another flashback that actually does make me cry and wow you guys, I love uncle Nicky. ALSO! Toby wants to win Husband of the Year so he has the old Pearson piano delivered to him and Kate's home. Rebecca is there and she's so excited for adult Kate. Kate goes looking through the piano bench and finds the polaroids taken in 1998. She stares longingly (maybe? or horrified?) at the picture taken of her and Marc, and Rebecca looks at it too, stunned. She says she so badly wanted to believe in that moment that all of her kids were happy. Wait a minute...what the fuck happened with Marc? So that's the end! I'm really terrified for what's to come because Teenage Kate is awesome and I have a feeling her life is gonna get real bad! Also, Kevin and Sophie are THE most annoying couple ever, Miguel is a huge dork, and Rebecca deserves so much more credit than she gets. What did y'all think? You got Marc theories? Let me hear them. XO, Em Who's real? Who's fake? Who's a demon and at risk for turning into blue goo? Are we still in The Bad Place? These are the questions I'm asking myself after Thursday's episode of The Good Place. Almost a week later and I still don't have any of the answers. SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU, FOR WHATEVER REASON, HAVEN'T WATCHED THE LATEST EPISODE OF THE GOOD PLACE ENTITLED "TINKER, TAILOR, DEMON, SPY" THEN I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO TURN YOU INTO DEMON GOO. I DON'T MAKE THE RULES. THAT'S JUST HOW IT IS. The episode opens with Team Cockroach playing a very lively game of Pictionary with their four test subjects in an attempt to get them to learn more about one another. Team one is Tahani, Jianyu/Jason, and John. Team two is comprised of Chidi, Simone, and (ugh) Brent. John accurately guesses Tahani's drawing of Mariah Carey's butterfly tattoo, and it comes to life in a very cartoon fashion and flies away. Chidi has less luck, trying his best to sketch Simone's childhood stuffed horse but when it comes to life, it's quite terrifying. Game is over. Eleanor, Jason, and Tahani want to keep brainstorming new ideas for how to get their experiments to bond with one another and grow, but Michael thinks they should take a break. Eleanor is thrown off, and even more thrown off when Glenn the demon shows up ("If you're a devil, how come you're not wearing Prada?") to insist that Michael is not Michael at all; it's Vicky in a Michael suit. And honestly, this could make sense. Michael has been acting strange. Remember a couple week's ago when I pointed out that him admitting to Eleanor that he faked his panic attack seemed in-genuine? There was also that part at the end of last season when Shawn literally told Michael that he was going to switch him out with Vicky in a Michael suit and would erase everyone's memory if he told them. Eleanor is reasonably conflicted. Should she believe Glenn the demon, or Michael...who is also a demon? She asks Tahani and Jason for advice and it goes terribly, on multiple occasions. Derek appears ('cause we're in the Medium Place at Mindy's) and shows off his weird sex toys. Michael has no way to prove he's not lying, and is caught in a bunch of other lies as well. He tells Eleanor that they were merely inspirational lies, like Instagram. It isn't until Janet creates a demon lie detector and shoots it at Glenn (who, for his own credit, is telling the Soul Squad this because he thinks Shawn is too mean to him) that we get some answers. The lie detector doesn't work necessarily, it just blows Glenn up into blue goo that covers all of our favorite friends and Mindy's carpet. Worried that poor Glenn is dead? Don't be. Demons don't die, says Michael. They just ressurect into the normal demon cycle. Ya know, creepy little girl, teenage boy, etc. Eleanor wants Michael to take his Michael suit off to prove it's not Vicky underneath, but he refuses. He doesn't want them to see him for what he really is, a 6,000 foot tall fire squid. Literally everyone wants to see exactly what that looks like. We were robbed! Eleanor takes a break and eats nachos with Chidi, spending one on one time with her soulmate. She's worried that if she goes to the judge that the experiment will have to start over, and with new subjects. It would subside all of the work they have done thus far. Jason talks to Janet (while she is cleaning up Glenn goo) and lets her know that even though they are broken up, he's always there if she needs to talk. What he says, more specifically is, "I'm here for you, girl." But here's the kick...she doesn't say, "Not a girl." Which is what Janet ALWAYS says. She's not a girl, she's not a robot. Just before Michael makes the decision to blow himself up and into goo with Janet's lie detector, Jason makes the connection. That's not Janet. That's bad Janet in a good Janet suit! *GASP* Now, none of my family members believed that I figured this out for myself but I just want to say here loud and proud that I DID. I am as smart as Jason Mendoza...wait. Turns out, bad Janet made the switcheroo back when Linda turned out to be that ripped punching demon. That means that Janet never broke up with Jason, it was bad Janet that told him Blake Bortles is no longer on the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it was also bad Janet who shit talked Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again! It all makes sense! Eleanor takes Michael willing to turn into goo as proof that he's being truthful, and Michael and Jason aboard the train to go rescue poor good Janet from The Bad Place. Everyone is pretty unsure of what's gonna happen next. Personally, I hope we get a second Jason and Janet wedding following their reunion. What are your thoughts? Is this really Michael? Did you know it was bad Janet? Any grand theories for the remainder of the final season? Tell me in the comments! XO, Em My frustration level is out of control and it's all A Million Little Things' fault. Why why why can't we have nice things? Why is this show destroying the only healthy relationship on this show? Why is Delilah still everybody's friend? How is Katherine THAT nice? It's time to discuss. SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED SEASON 2, EPISODE 4 OF A MILLION LITTLE THINGS, "THE PERFECT STORM", I'D ADVISE AGAINST IT BECAUSE IT MADE ME REALLY SUPER ANGRY BUT I'M GOING TO DISCUSS IT ANYWAY AND IF YOU DON'T WANNA BE SPOILED DON'T READ ON. This week is all about everybody being an asshole. The only exceptions are Regina, Katherine, and Gary. We pick up right where we left off before with Jason Ritter and Jan Levinson showing up at Maggie and Gary's apartment door for brunch. Maggie is PISSED, Jason Ritter is confused, Jan Levinson just keeps crying, and Gary has a look on his face that tells me he's wondering how the Hell he got in this situation. Pretty quickly, we learn that Jason Ritter is not Jan Levinson's lover, but instead is the recipent of Maggie's late brother, Chad's, heart. Apparently for the past six years Maggie thought that Chad died as soon as his car hit a tree, but he actually lived for a while longer and was put on machines at the hospital when Jan Levinson made the decision to donate his organs. Maggie is baffled at the fact that her mother has kept such vital information from her. Jan Levinson keeps in touch with Jason Ritter because it's like a part of Chad is still living. The whole thing is both sweet and ridiculously weird. Maggie takes off, running away from her problems like a child instead of facing them like the LICENSED THERAPIST that she is. Gary runs after her and she demands to be alone. Jason Ritter and Gary then realize that Maggie's dad also had no idea about the reality of Chad's death this whole time, and that Jan Levinson didn't leave him, he kicked her out. Jason Ritter drives home (alone? Didn't him and Jan Levinson come together?) and finds Maggie walking down the street in the rain, her pink wig damp. He tells her to get in the car, and this bitch just does it! They go get a drink and discuss their lives. Jason Ritter's lost his fiance in a motorcycle accident a few years back. Maggie tells him all about her mother's neglect and the cancer. I don't like where this is going. Maggie leaves her phone at home so Gary and her mother have no way to contact her. Gary, being the Prince Charming that he is, goes and finds Jan Levinson to tell her to fix things with her family. Chad might be gone, but Maggie and her dad are both very much alive. She decides to go home and Gary drives her to the airport. She texts Eric to tell him, and he tells Maggie, and they go to the airport to say goodbye. Maggie's mom continues to COMPLETELY SUCK by admitting that when she came into town for Maggie's surgery she met Jason Ritter for the first time. Maggie breaks down again and realizes that no matter what, living or alive, Chad will always mean more to her. She runs into Jason, erhm, Eric's arms as Gary looks from afar. To be fair, they both didn't know the other was there, but it's hella awkward nonetheless. Gary and Maggie drive home and LIKE THE LICENSED THERAPIST SHE IS, she refuses to talk about how she's feeling. In other news, there's a blackout at the restaurant right after Gina decides to stop taking Andrew's money. SO great for business. Delilah is already going back to work and I'm not totally sure what she even does at the restaurant besides stress Gina out. Gina's freaking the fuck out, until a construction worker asks to come in and sit down while he dries off. Gina says okay, and then feeds him and all his friends. Pretty soon the restaurant is filled and business is booming and everyone is happy! Very. nice, very unrealistic. In other news, Rome is on babysitting duty while Delilah goes back to work which confuses me because how do their schedules align so perfectly? Anyway, when Eddie, Katherine, and Theo drop off a gift for baby Charlie, Eddie is almost angry that Rome is babysitting his daughter. Bro, c'mon. Rome insists that Eddie should stay and help, and Katherine echoes his sentiments, despite how gut-wrenching it is for her. Delilah tries to talk to Katherine, but she's having none of it. Stand your ground, Katie! Rome and Eddie suck at babysitting, as it turns out. Eddie doesn't want to be a babysitter though, he wants to be Charlie's father. Well, sir, you should've made some different decisions. The only way for them to both calm Charlie down and clear the stuff from her nose is to stand and play the guitar in a steamed shower...OR the writers just wanted to treat us to shirtless David Giuntoli playing the guitar. Either way, I'm fine with it. Later, everybody meets at Gina's restaurant which is packed and regained power. Gary still has Maggie's phone, and notices that she received a text from an unknown number telling her that she can talk to him anytime signed, "X, E". Soooo Eric. Y'all I smell some serious trouble! Gary gives Maggie her phone back and doesn't say anything about the text or the hug or anything, really. Maggie notices the text instantly and stares longingly at Gary talking to Delilah. Bitch! You are a therapist! Can't you see the unhealthy things happening in your own relationship? And this is what is frustrating me so much, y'all. I love Gary and Maggie, and I know their relationship is kind of messy. Their relationship was based on the fact that both of them had cancer. When Maggie's came back, she didn't even want to live. Gary gave her a life worth living. They sang "I'm Still Standing" on top of a restaurant counter. They have a lot of things to get through, but I really don't love the idea of a man with her brother's heart creating unnecessary issues. I feel like the fact that they only know each other because of cancer is enough of an obstacle to tackle. Maggie's behavior this entire arc has just struck me as really immature. When Katherine and Eddie arrive at the restaurant it's the first time they're together in front of everyone in a long time. Earlier at work, Katherine's coworker told her that she needs to either quit her marriage or be all in. She can't half-commit. She can't "try". Limbo is a terrible place to be. So Katherine decides she wants in, all in. She has Delilah sign fancy lawyer papers so she can stay in her house, and Delilah says that she is a saint. Katherine calls everyone on their bullshit for tiptoeing around her. They really act like she hasn't been their best friend for years. I feel so bad for Katherine. I support her decisions, but also think she deserves a better husband and better friends. Plus, how can she possibly be okay being in the same room as Delilah? And what happened to Eddie and Delilah being hopelessly in love with one another? I, for one, always saw it as pure lust and wanting to get away from their respective spouses, but still. All that depth turned to nothing. I can't even imagine them together now. So, what are your thoughts? How do you see Maggie and Eric's arc continuing? Why is Katherine the absolute best despite being treated like shit? Why is Delilah still there? Why is the writing so lazy when it comes to Gina's storylines? Should Gary be protected at all costs (yes)? Let me know in the comments. XO, Em After last week's horrifically sad episode of Riverdale, the show is back and ready for the kids' (ha, adults) to start their senior year of high school. You know, the one that means EVERYTHING. It's so dramatic and life-changing. Because when they go off to college things will...NEVER BE THE SAME. (And ya know, honestly I hope so because I don't know that they want to be fighting off murderers and bears and solving crimes while trying to get degrees) FRIENDS, IF YOU DIDN'T SPEND YOUR WEDNESDAY NIGHT WATCHING RIVERDALE, THEN I HATE TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO READ THIS POST JUST YET. CUZ IT CONTAINS SPOILERS! The core four (Archie, Betty, Jughead, and Veronica) spend the last night before senior year getting boozy and having sex just rooms apart. I don't mean to brag, but the day before my senior year of high school I'm pretty sure I watched a movie alone before going to bed at 9:00. Crazy, I know. Anyway, we're subjected to this very long sex scene that cuts back and forth between Varchie and Bughead and I'm just like...okay. These sex-crazed kids are so silly that they forget to set an alarm and are late for their first day. Their new principal (his name is Honey) is not amused, and honestly, I wouldn't be either. They run to get to class and be normal teenagers for once in their life. On second thought, Principal Honey is kind of terrifying in a really subtle way. Jughead is called to the office and approached by this guy who was a judge for a writing contest he entered. He didn't win, but this dude wants Jug to come check out a prep school so he can discuss Moby Dick with a bunch of snobby rich kids. I'm so confused because like...why didn't they contact him sooner? Why would you switch schools your senior year? Everyone is saying "Oh Jug, it'll be so good for you!" but like nothing in Riverdale is ever good for anybody so that can't possibly be true. Plus college apps aren't going to be that wowed that he attended Stonewall Prep for a semester. Side note: The amount of times that people go meet with these characters in person instead of just calling, texting, or emailing them is mind-boggling to me. They literally will drive or walk so far to have a five minute conversation! There's no way this show is set in 2019. Prove. Me. Wrong. In Archie news, he's ready to experience the highs and lows of high school football again, but this time with his BFF Mad Dog by his side. You know who's not too happy about that? Reggie. It's funny, because if Reggie and Archie can get over the fact that they've both dated Veronica, you'd think they could also get over a new addition to the squad. But no, this obstacle is to tough to complete. Turns out, Reggie's dad sucks ASS. He beats the shit out of Reggie for not performing his best at practice, which just makes Reggie more angry at Mad Dog for being on the team and making him look like garbage. Archie watches as Mr. Reggie's Dad screams at his son and steps into help. Again, this adds fuel to the Reggie fire and makes Reg so mad that he lashes out at Archie instead. It's all very, very complicated. Eventually Reggie and Archie make amends, and Reggie decides to trash his dad's car to teach him a lesson. When Arch asks how that went, Reggie says, "It did what it needed to do." Which makes me think that it did not go the way Archie thinks it went. (Did Reggie pin the blame on Archie? Did something happen to Mr. Reggie's Dad? I don't know!) Veronica's life kind of sucks right now because the paparazzi are hunting her down! (Alexa, play "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga) They want a statement about what side she's going to take in the mist of her parents' legal troubles. She tries to fight them off, but to no avail. She visits Mark Couenslos in jail and tells him that he's going down, and then holds a press conference at her Speakeasy (I know) after a really odd and sexual performance of "All That Jazz". I would elaborate on why a 17 year old needs to hold a press conference and also how in the hell she owns this Speakeasy but instead, seriously, Alexa can you just play "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga instead? Betty is getting some bonding time in with her half-brother (hi, Wyatt Nash!) who is also an FBI agent (because of course) and is investigating this whole Edgar Evernever farm cult harvesting organs fiasco. Typing that all out was very weird for me. Kevin approaches Betty at the Blue and Gold to make amends and to join the newspaper. Betty has some problems with this, because Kevin dragged her through a crackhouse and forced her to nearly have a lobotomy, so naturally she's a little hesitant to be BFFs again. Kevin apologizes and Charles (the half-brother) wants Betty to use him to see if he's still in contact with the farm. She feeds him false information as a test to see if he will run to Fangs and tell him everything. He does just that, and Betty gives us a beautiful, "Really, Kevin?". I'm conflicted about the whole Kevin thing because he then explains that he only told Fangs because Fangs is the one person that he can talk to. Everyone else kinda hates him. But also, rightfully so, because he was in a cult that harvested human organs??? Betty decides not to take her brother's advice and instead tells Kevin the truth and chooses to believe that he'll keep it to himself. He has literally done nothing to prove that he is trustworthy, but okay sis. Go off. In case you forgot, Cheryl is still keeping her dead twin brother's body in her home that she shares with her 17 year old girlfriend, Toni. It appears that Toni doesn't know about Jason just chilling and living with them. When Principal Honey cancels their welcome back dance (because at the last dance several students got murdered, hate to say it but the man has a point), they decide to throw a party at their place instead. The party gets shut down when FP says he got a call from the Honey residence (Ha!) and Cheryl is PISSED. So, of course, she fills his office with bees. That's all I've got for this week's Riverdale. There's a lot going on so let me know your thoughts! Do we trust Kevin? Do we trust Charles? Do we trust anybody? Why is Jughead going to this new school? Why is Veronica always so extra? Was Archie the best character this week (I think so)? Let me know in the comments! XO, Em Hello, friends! This week's This is Us took us back to 1998 and somewhere around 2011/2012. Then in the present day, Kate drives me bonkers and Randall continues to be the absolute best Pearson. And Kevin is there too! Let's get started, shall we??? SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED SEASON FOUR, EPISODE THREE "FLIP A COIN" OF THIS IS US STOP READING THIS BECAUSE YOU WILL GET SPOILERED! OKAY??? Do y'all remember last season when we got to see Beth and Randall's horrendously awkward first date? If you don't, let me remind you of it. Randall and Beth went out to dinner (after Kevin helped Randall ask her out over the phone). Randall pretty much just talked the entire time, and Beth was super uncomfortable especially when their waiter was definitely racist. But Randall was a perfect gentleman, almost too gentlemanly for an eighteen year old. Beth wasn't sold. Randall (being Jack Pearson's son) already knew she was the one. So now it's 1998 and it's Parents' Weekend at college. Rebecca asks Kate if she wants to join her, but she respectfully declines. So Rebecca has lunch with her son who cannot stop staring at this girl from across the cafetaria (it's Beth, guys, totally Beth). She's with her mother (Carol, the very rigid and loving BUT also rigid Carol) and Randall is basically the human form of the heart eye emoji. Rebecca is a SAVAGE so she makes Randall go over and sit with Beth and her mom. It's the first time they've seen each other since their awkward AF date. Randall slides a lemon wedge onto Beth's tray. She's like, "Okay guys I gotta go to class now!" and Randall is all, "Me too! But we're going to the same building so let's walk together!" so then that's awkward AGAIN. Rebecca says to chat with Carol about grief, and it's really sad. Carol says she hasn't read a book since Beth's dad died and how disappointed he would be, and it's a really beautiful moment. Rebecca asks if she should take off her wedding ring. HELL TO THE NO says Carol. Rebecca is relieved. Later, Beth comes to Randall's dorm and asks him why he gave her that lemon wedge. He says because on their date, she ordered a lemon and a coke. At lunch, she was drinking coke but didn't have a lemon. She kisses him. IT'S THE START OF AN ERA, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. YOU GUYS! "The Manny" got cancelled! If you don't remember "The Manny" then you're not a true This is Us fan and I need you to exit this post immediately. I'm mostly kidding, of course. In case you've forgotten, flashbacks from eight years prior are given to help you. "The Manny" was Kevin's claim to fame and his starring role at the beginning of the series. Of course, he famously quit on his 36th birthday because he couldn't handle the bullshit anymore, so they replaced him with a new hot young muscular blonde dude. However, Kevin is still pretty shaken up by the demise of "The Manny". In flashbacks we see it was a pivotal moment in his life, because he originally didn't even want to the pilot to do well or for the show to get picked up. The baby wouldn't stop crying, the dialogue was a hot mess, and it was tentatively titled "Untitled Hot Babysitter Project". But he grew to love it, especially after the last scene in the pilot where he calms the baby down by just being himself, and the writers decide to go with heartwarming instead of funny. While out and about with Nicky and Cassidy in the present day, many people approach him to tell him how much that moment meant to them. Speaking of Nicky and Cassidy, they're upset because their AA meeting is moved to later in the afternoon, so they have several hours to kill. Cassidy's husband wants to proceed with the divorce and she's itching for a drink. She's also painfully moody, and projecting all of her anger onto Kevin (who is just trying his best, dammit!). He asks her to flip a coin: does she want her husband back, yes or no? She says yes. Hands down, yes. "Then we're gonna get your husband back." Hmm, this seems more like a recipe for love between the two of them but Imma just sit back and watch it all play out. Also! Kevin's done staying at the hotel so he buys a really nice trailer with all his "Hollywood douchebag money" and parks it right next to Nicky's. This is mostly because Nicky refuses to get a new trailer. HE WANTED TO TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH SALLY, YOU GUYS. I love Teenage Kate so much more than Adult Kate. She's like the coolest little indie rocker chick ever and Adult Kate is so whiny and kind of mean and just blah. 1998 Kate finally gets out of the house and wanders into a record store, where she meets a cute guy who offers her a job. 2019 Kate fights with Toby as she takes baby Jack to music class, where he is overwhelmed by the people and the noise and cries the whole time. Kate takes a lot of it out on Toby, which isn't fair. I'm annoyed. Are you? In the present day, Carol comes to visit on the day of Beth's dance studio opening. Beth is stressed because, like I said earlier, her mama is kinda rigid. Randall promises to handle it all, but when a dead animal is found in the walls of the studio, Beth loses it. The whole studio smells like rotting animal and Beth cannot reschedule. Carol is all like, "We will reschedule!" and Randall is like, "The Hell we won't, Carol!" We then learn in a flashback that Carol didn't think Randall was right for Beth initially. She was wrong. Randall also meets Malik (!!!) before allowing him to take Deja to the movies (with friends, y'all. They're TOTALLY gonna go with a group of friends. Wink wink wink). He makes a comment about what he would do for his daughter and Randall is like, "Haha, yes, when you have a daughter one day." But then he starts speaking directly ABOUT his daughter, Janelle, and what she did that morning. Randall says, "What exactly do you mean by the words 'my daughter'?" And Malik comes clean and Deja stares at her fuckin' feet the whole time! Randall tells Beth and they agree their 14 year old daughter will not be seeing a boy who "puts babies in people", which I get to an extent. But also, I love Deja and Malik, and I love Malik for being so open and honest about his life. The fact that he's not ashamed of his daughter (he shouldn't be) is going to make her life a lot better in the future. Having a dad who loved her so much and was proud to be her father is going to do wonder's for her. The episode ends with a Rebecca and Kate playing a voicemail from 1998 Kevin where he says that he's doing great and just got married to Sophie, but also could use some money. Um, what? I know that we know that Kevin and Sophie ended up married at some point, but in my head it was always a nice event with their families (sans Jack of course, sadly) in like 2003/2004! I didn't think they'd legit elope. I thought Kate would be there. To be completely honest, I'm a little disappointed, but excited to see how it all unfolds. So! What did we think? Would you let Deja date Malik? Are you sad that "The Manny" got cancelled? How do we feel about Kevin and Cassidy? How did YOU think Sophie and Kevin originally got married? Is Kate pissing you off too? Let me know in the comments! XO, Em It's all about torturing your ex and dealing with bad breakups on this week's The Good Place! I truly look forward to watching this delightful show every week, but I'm so, so sad that it's coming to an end really really soon. Okay, now that I'm done being a pathetic, weak bench it's time to recap Season 4 Episode...3? (The premiere was two parts! Is that one episode or are they separate? I don't know! Somebody help!) ATTENTION HUMANS AND DEMONS ALIKE, THIS IS YOUR SPOILER WARNING. IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE GOOD PLACE'S 42ND CHAPTER "CHILLAXING" THAN GO BACK TO THE BAD PLACE WHERE YOU BELONG. Precious Chidi is having a grand ole' time in paradise. He's stress free, he's teaching his "soulmate" Simone philosophy, he doesn't have to teach Brent anymore (he took a class at Princeton so obviously he knows everything there is to know). He doesn't have a trouble in the world. No problems making decisions and certainly no stomachaches. He's, as Michael so eloquently puts it, "chillaxing" (That's Chidi + relaxing for all you dumb dumb demons out there). Enter Michael and Eleanor, who must add some chaos to his life in order for things to go according to his plan. Remember, Chidi has to become a better person too. They need somebody who is going to totally throw off his game and give him stomaches beyond anything he's ever dealt with before! They need...Jason forkin' Mendoza. So Michael and Eleanor tell Jason to bring back some Season 1 antics. He's Jianyu as far as Chidi knows, only he's going to let Chidi in on a disturbing little secret; he's actually Jason Mendoza and his dumb ash does not belong in perfect Heaven. Eleanor is excited to torture her ex is ways she never has before ("Judge all you want, but I get results,"), Michael likes the plan, and Jason is down for literally almost anything. Go team! Meanwhile, Tahani is posed with a task of her own; making John a better person. On Earth he was a gossipy bench who never minded his own business, and in The Good Place he's acting no different. Tahani befriends him and encourages him to join her at the spa so that she can eventually convince him to go with her to Chidi's philosophy lessons. But the problem is that while John loves the spa, he doesn't really want to waste his time in literal Heaven studying ethics (Do I blame him? Not really). Tahani tries to give him a big lecture on how he should be working toward being a better person than he was on Earth, where he really hurt people like her by writing mean stories about them. But then he comes back at her, insisting that she claims to be all high and mighty but just constantly wants to prove she's better than everybody else (honestly John, a fair criticism). They then realize that though they came from opposite ends of the social spectrum, both know what it feels like to be isolated and lonely. Awww, character development, y'all! It's only take Tahani like four seasons to realize the reason she doesn't have any friends is because she's always trying to one up people. In other news, Janet is recovering from her breakup with Jason by "doing dumb things to her hair" which is number 8 on a list of things humans do when going through a breakup. She is...not at all wrong. After my last breakup I got a tattoo, that's gotta be up there too. Also on the list is watching Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again. Of the film she says, "It was okay. Just a lot of the same songs as the first one." Again, she's...not wrong. Not wrong in the slightest. Side note: Now I wanna add pink to my hair and watch BOTH Mamma Mia movies. Jason's addition to Chidi's life proves to be stressful as all get out. Chidi hates keeping the secret and has to cover it up in from of Eleanor and Michael. Jason worries that they're taking the whole thing way too far. At the Luau, everyone gets a stone to throw into the fire and their biggest wish will come true. Jason's biggest wish? A motorcycle with parts of Pamela Anderson that are not her face on it that once blew up. Chidi urges him to not throw his rock in the fire because it will blow his cover (because he is pretending to be a monk still as far as everyone else is concerned). But Jason, going along with this really mean and evil plan, throws it in anyway and ends up with his sexualized old bike. Chidi takes the fall and says that it's his. Eleanor and Michael are astonished to see Chidi go to such lengths and lie for Jason. After all that happens, Eleanor wants to continue to torture Chidi, but breaks down when she realizes how wrong it is and that she just can't do it anymore. She's having way too good of a time making the man she loves most miserable and she begins to stop. Chidi freaks out because he, "made God cry" and while he initially went to Michael and Eleanor to confess Jason's secrets he instead says the thing he is most upset about is his Pamela Anderson motorcycle. So once again, the vehicle explodes right before Jason's eyes. What did y'all think of this episode of The Good Place? Are you happy to see Chidi a nervous wreck again? How bad do you want him and Eleanor back together? What did we think of Tahani name-dropping Victoria Beckham and Posh's Spa? Do you think John will become a better person? And will Jason ever get a motorcycle that won't explode? Tell me! XO, Em It was really hard to come up with a clever way to incorporate this week's episode title into the name of this post, okay? I was trying to be creative and I don't know if it worked, kind of how this show tries to get creative sometimes and it doesn't always stick the landing. (See what I did there? Perfect segway). Let's dive in to a very messy episode of A Million Little Things. If you're dumb and haven't watched it yet but clicked on this link, please know that this is your spoiler warning. Maggie is pissed at Gary because she thought that maybe, just maybe, her mama (Jan Levinson from The Office) came to Boston to see her. But last week when she saw her at a restaurant with Jason Ritter, she realized that everything is bad and nothing good ever happens. Relatable, however, not our precious Gary's fault. Gary has a really phenomenal episode, which is good, because we deserve to see more of the best character on this show. Usually he takes a backseat to everyone else's stories. He's Rome and Eddie's sidekick or he's Maggie's punching bag. It's about time we got to see him deal with some of his own shit, and also be showcased for all the wonderful things he does for these kinda terrible people*. *Terrible people on this show include Delilah (cheated on Jon, had an affair AND baby with Eddie, currently lying to her other two children about the identity of their sister's father), Eddie (super hot, BUT cheated on Katherine with Delilah, got Delilah pregnant, missed Theo's birth because he was drunk AF, makes bad decisions constantly), Mitch (PJ's "dad", an asshole), Barbara Morgan (lied to PJ about his birth father), Andrew (played Nathan on Big Little Lies and treats Regina like trash), Patricia Bloom (leaving Maggie's father, allegedly having an affair with Jason Ritter). Regina gets an invitation in the mail for this women's shelter chairty event where they want to recognize our Gina for her generous donation. If you don't recall, last season Gina revealed she was sexually abused by her uncle and so she gave a bunch of what I believe to have been his money to a foundation. I love Regina for that. She doesn't want to go to this charity thing though because her donation was anonymous. Boooooo. Understandable, but still, booooooo for her being made to feel like she should have to hide. Rome meets up with an old friend who tells him that his script is awesome, but he should get rid of the suicide and depression storyline. Welp. That's not gonna happen. So Regina and Rome both make strong breakthroughs in this episode. They decide that they both, "don't want to be anoymous anymore." MY HEART. Regina is giving back Andrew's (who constantly makes her feel small) investment money. Rome is going to keep the truth in his movie. He's also going to direct commercials again, even though he used to hate it. Why go back then? Because, he's "doing it for the love of his life". MY HEART AGAIN. This week Delilah decides to go on a date even though she has a newborn and usually I wouldn't judge but because it's fucking Delilah I get to judge all I want. She goes on said date with Andrew, who is a giant prick. I guess they have a good time. I don't really care. Danny is auditioning for Kenickie in Grease and Gary is giving out his best life advice! Danny is stressed and sad because his ex, Elliot, is also up for the same role. Gary knows how to handle this. My favorite line of his is, "I'm not very good at relationships, but I really hit my stride when they're over." (I just hope his relationship with Maggie never comes to an unhappy end) Danny is scared of being himself, and of seeing Elliot again. Good news: Elliot can't sing for shit. Bad news: Danny doesn't get cast as Kenickie. Better news: He gets the role of Danny f'ing Zuko! And Gary tells him (as a I cry), "One day you're going to find someone who will never stop loving you." SOMEONE GET GARY A KID BECAUSE HE IS GOING TO BE THE BEST DAD EVER. Also? Gary's mom LEFT HIM when he was a kid. AND NEVER FUCKING SAID GOODBYE. I'm really sorry for the all-caps but this mans, this amazing mans, got left by his mother. She knocked and tried to say goodbye after fighting with his dad but he didn't answer the door because he thought if he didn't then she couldn't leave. Child logic is my favorite, and my heart is broken into like seven thousand pieces. Thanks, AMLT, thanks. He does call her at the end of the episode, but he hangs up when she answers. He's taking baby steps. I'm proud of him. Eddie and Katherine go on a "date" while Theo goes to a sleepover (his first sleepover). They play pool and makeout a little but Katherine says that she's going to be giving Eddie a lot of mixed signals while they navigate these rocky waters. I think that that's super fair for someone who has been cheated on and whose husband had a baby with one of her closest friends. They have to pick Theo up before the night is over because he is an anxious mess (me) of a child and can't handle the sleepover. Side note: Next week it looks like Katherine finally gets the chance to bitch out Delilah and I hope she does it!!! PJ sends in a paternity test this week to find out if Jon is his real dad. He wants that half a million dollars for college and I think he should get it but his parents are assholes so we'll see how that goes. Maggie goes to her old apartment to talk to her mom about Jason Ritter, and at first she thinks her mom is crying about their strained relationship and separating from her father and so Maggie feels really guilty. But then she realizes her mom has fuckin' AirPods in and is talking to Jason Ritter (his name is Eric we learn, guess I should start calling him that) on the phone. Maggie is PISSED. She leaves. Jan comes over for breakfast a few days a later and brings Jason Ritter-Eric without telling Maggie and Gary and without telling Jason Ritter-Eric that Maggie and Gary don't know! Yay! The preview for the next episode makes it seem as though there's more to Eric than meets the eye and Eddie is having a hard time not fully parenting baby Charlie. That should be great for his relationship with Katherine! What did y'all think of this episode? Who is Eric? How much do you love Gary? Are we still rooting for Eddie and Katherine or are we tired? Let me know in the comments. XO, Em I was in my Global Ethics class when I learned that Luke Perry had a massive stroke, and I was in that same class a few days later when I learned that he passed away. My heart sunk. My eyes filled with tears. All of this sadness for a person I had never even met, but whose screen presence was so strong and honest that I felt like I knew him well. So this episode was hard to watch, and even harder to write about. Bare with me as we discuss Season Four, Episode One of Riverdale, "In Memoriam". This is your spoiler alert warning. Last season of Riverdale was a clusterfuck. I have no idea what happened. I think I even missed a couple episodes in the middle and then jumped back in and it was like I hadn't missed anything. There was supernatural activity going on, bear attacks, parents going to prison, other parents joining cults, Chad Michael Murray was there for a hot sec. I really cannot even begin to tell you how it ended. Season Four starts with a clean-ish slate. The core four is about to start their senior year of high school (which is wild, because they all look like they are pushing 30). They have milkshakes at Pop's and talk about making senior year memorable and less scary and deadly. Jughead gets in a jab at Archie's bear fiasco. But then Archie gets a call. You know, THE call. The call that his father has died. I wasn't really sure how they were going to kill Fred Andrews off. For a moment I assumed it would be the same way Luke went, but alas, Riverdale did what it does best and had Fred go out a hero. He stopped on the side of the road to help someone having car troubles. Then another car hit him. Molly Ringwald reprises her role as Mary Andrews to comfort Archie. All of the adults give stellar performances this episode. Skeet Ulrich can barely keep it together when urging Archie to let the police handle the arrest of the guy who committed the hit and run. Molly Ringwald has tears in her eyes the entire episode. Even the brief appearances by Hermione Lodge and Alice (Smith) Cooper at the end are absolutely heartbreaking. And I think that's what makes this episode so hard. The actors aren't acting, they're mourning. The teens sit in Archie's backyard and discuss their favorite Fred memories, and it feels like Lili Reinhart's Betty is speaking the truth. When Archie can't finish his story about his dad taking him to Sears, you believe that KJ Apa can't get the line out. It's just brutal. The 40-minute episode keeps the story very low-key and not action packed, which is unusual for the show, but good for the subject matter. At the beginning of the episode, Madalaine Petsch's Cheryl Blossom is disgruntled that the town is ready to have a 4th of July parade given the death of her twin during the holiday years prior (the very first season, in case y'all forgot). By the episode's end, she's championing a parade for Fred and sobbing while she lays flowers on his casket. Archie wants to transport Fred's body back to Riverdale himself, so he enlists Jughead, Betty, and Veronica to come with him to identify his body. Betty and Veronica clutch each other's hands as they verify to Archie that that is, in fact, his father. If I talk too much about the tears in this scene, I start to cry too. Because it's Riverdale, of course some crazy shit happens, but it's kept to a minimum. Archie does go crazy and ignores FP's instructions to let the police handle the suspect who killed his father. To be fair, the police in Riverdale kinda suck. BUT Archie also has some crazy anger issues. He goes to the guy's house and attempts to beat the living shit out him, only to learn that he actually took the blame of the accident for his young son who took the car without permission. Archie realizes the limitlessness of a father's love. It's sad. Luke Perry's forever pal, Shannen Doherty makes an guest appearance as the woman Fred stopped to help. Her tires blew out. When the oncoming car came, he pushed her out of the way. A hero. She grabs the four friends and says a prayer for Fred Andrews, and oh wow, I'm crying again. At the funeral, Archie gives a phenomenal speech about his father, and I feel like he's talking about Luke Perry. The shots of the cast crying as they lay him to rest is hard to watch. Trying to put it into words is somehow become harder. Betty visits her father's grave while at the graveyard, and I'm immediately confused because I totally forgot her dad met a tragic end in the very last episode of Season Three. Holy shit. It's a really tragic parallel between Fred's celebratory parade/memorial and Betty standing in front of Hal Cooper's grave, alone, with "Black Hood" spray painted across the tombstone. Chills. That's really all I've got for this one, y'all. Hiriam Lodge pays for the transporting of the casket to Riverdale, even though he's in prison, so that's a storyline to look forward to I guess? The writers said they will be remembering Fred/Luke all season, so there may be more where this sad episode came from. What did y'all think? What's your favorite Luke Perry role/memory? Are you excited for the rest of Season Four? Let me know in the comments. XO, Em |