Playing catch up this week!
Monday
Manifest
Last week it was revealed that 11 passengers whom "no one would miss" were taken away by some unknown agency to a farm. They're being experimented on, it seems to be pain tolerance from what we see, though that makes no sense. Cal is connected to a detainee named Marco, and as Marco is tortured, Cal is as well. Marco appears to be very ill, with a fever, and so is Cal, to the point of being hospitalized.
This gives us some insights into the problems Cal's illness had on the marriage of Ben and Grace in the past, and threatens what they're rebuilding.
Ben tries to tell Grace what has been happening to those on the plane, after she says she can believe anything after the miracle of their return, but she shuts him down immediately. Grace isn't much liked on social media.
Michaela has better luck with Jared, as he helps her track down the farm which turns out to be a "government black site" that they're warned away from by armed troups. I think he's still credulous, but he's trying, and he can't deny she has insight into events that can't be explained.
In this week's episode, Ben gets a job as a low level accountant at a company that may allow him to get access to information on the bad guys.
More creepy Danny smarminess.
Vance of the NSA has Ben's cell phone texts up on a wall in his office, and he intercepts data Ben has stolen that might help find the missing passengers. Vance's second in command is a total weasel who seems to have his own agenda, but Vance circumvents the weasel and looks into the missing passenger info on his own. It looks like Ben has a new ally.
The Arrow
I gave up on The Arrow mid season last year, but decided to see how it is this season. I dreaded the whole Oliver Queen in jail drama, but it has been a solid, and even suspenseful storyline.
The other crime fighters have started new lives, and they're all interesting moves forward for these characters. Even Felicity, who has gone off the rails to get revenge.
Tuesday
The Flash News Flash
It turns out that the Thinker's Enlightenment affected some technology. A selfie obsessed rival to Iris named Spencer Young gained technology in her phone on the night of the Enlightenment that lets her affect people and events creating news stories which she scoops.
She has an App that delivers her news to adoring fans (three times the followers Iris has, sneers Nora). Nora is immediately smitten with Spencer when she meets her in person, and forgets to check to see if Spencer is a meta. Iris bursts in and breaks things up, reminding Nora of her task.
After several bad scenes between Iris and Nora , it's revealed Nora has only had her powers for six months. Prior to that, she'd had her powers blocked by a chip inserted by Iris of the future. No wonder.
Ralph has some good scenes trying to out-detective Sherloque. Between them, they figure out some new facts about Cicada. I love Sherloque calling Ralph "Baby Giraffe".
My favorite thing in the episode is Barry playing baseball. He get's the right field spot though he hates it and is unable to catch the ball. He's no good up at bat, either.
No Flash last week.
This Is Us Kamsahamnida
Toby remains depressed though back on his meds. He's afraid Kate will eventually leave him because he's this way. In a powerful Pearson-All-The-Way speech she lets him know she will always be there for him.
Kevin helps Randall campaign in a Korean area of the District, since Soloman has such an unshakeable hold on the area where William's apartment building is. It turns out The Manny is wildly popular in Korea at this time and everyone's excited to meet "The Man Baby" as he's known.
Kevin and Zoe are off to Vietnam. I found it interesting Kevin tells Randall "she gave him her necklace". I was right, it was hers, and I still think given to him not out of love, but something else. Apparently the letters themselves, of which nothing is revealed, answer no questions.
Poor Beth snaps while unsuccessfully trying to help the girls sell Girl Scout cookies. She'll be joining Randall's campaign.
No This Is Us last week.
Wednesday
Survivor
A merge is always fun, and there are unexpected alliances which may or may not hold. I am sort of tired of one tribe dominating the whole thing, staying "strong" and just picking the others off.
Dan the Swat Guy immediately reunited with his crush Kara, and stupidly tells her he has a second idol. Bonk!
Angelina tries to take command of the game's strategy, and should have gotten voted off, but Elizabeth went. It appears Elizabeth had a back injury prior to the game that has come back and she's been in a lot of pain, causing her to gert no sleep, so bad decisions and shrieky moments did her in.
Elizabeth was my pick, though I really, really wanted Angelina to go.
Thursday
The Good Place
Things are a little turgid on The Good Place, with another Eleanor-centric episode. She has to be shown "clips" of her and Chidi falling in love by Michael to prove she's a worthy human. I hoped it was Chidi's turn to have his life examined, and that there would besome person to be saved in his behalf.
Murphy Brown
Centered around a banquet in honor of a past season character "Jim Dial" who I don't find interesting. It was all sort of a love fest. Loved Tyne Daily who thought she was Dial's date. Loved John Larroquette (who I miss in The Librarians!) as a judge who finds Murphy interesting and who gives her his card. Loved Bette Middler as a gold digger who now owns a large share in the network. Katie Couric had a nice bit with Corky, who I don't think I care for much. Avery introducing a new girlfriend to Murphy was sort of silly. He needs to get his own place, but then there wouldn't be those great heart to heart talks with Murphy.
I love Murphy's living room with all those books.
Friday
Van Helsing
Vanessa, Scarlet and Axel are in San Francisco to find the creepy "B'ah" Elder. Artificially plot wise, Scarlet is sent into a deep slumber after a fight with Vampire Ninjas (the ones from the old Chine episode a few weeks ago). Alex goes off with some military guys. Vanessa is left to face the B'ah alone. The three of them together would have easily defeated the group, but no.
In Denver, Julius, Flesh, Doc and Jolene arrive, are processed, and begin new lives in this "free zone."
The standout among them for me is Julius, who was turned into a vampire in the 1930s, so the world has very much passed him by. He has no idea what a microwave does. He's uncertain how to respond to his new boss. Doc and Jolene are in a romance, which should be a lightening of things, but both are gnarly and uncertain, and also affected by mandatory shots given to new citizens. Flesh tries to kill himself, but apparently can't...no I don't think his jumping off a building with his head going splat is the last of him.
Doctor Who Demons of the Punjab
This weeks episode may be my favorite ever.
We haven't seen much of what makes Yaz tick. Despite the Doctor's wariness, they travel back in time to 1947 India to see something of Yaz's grandmother's past.
Yaz's beautiful, smart, warm, remarkable grandmother is getting married the next day to her lifelong friend Prem. They're in a remote rural area, and will be married by a holy man who is walking to the wedding. Yaz is rather horrified, because she knows from photographs that Prem was not her grandfather.
Yaz explains they're family and she hugs her grandmother, who she loves so much in the present. It's amazing the group, in their odd clothing, are so readily accepted in. But they are.
It turns out the next day is also the day The Partition of India and Pakistan takes place. I had never heard of this before, and reading about it, and hearing the Doctor describing the chaos and loss of life that came with it...it's so awful, so incomprehensible anyone would think of dividing a land and people in that way. I don't know why I've never heard of it, it's only seventy years ago. Such upheaval, it should be so prominent in modern history for everyone to know about.
The show handled so well showing the effect on families in even the most remote area. Prem's younger brother has joined, in secret, a group of angry young men who embrace the division of Muslims and Hindus and everything that now gives them power to get rid of people "who don't belong here".
This being Doctor Who, there are aliens, who the Doctor recognizes as a race of assassins. She tries to keep them away, but she finds that they are now a race who are dedicated to witnessing the loss of life and honoring and remembering souls. And they're here for Prem.
All that goes on, but a young couple in love follow tradition, and stand right on the new borderline and say their vows, officiated by the Doctor. She says
Love in all its forms is the most powerful weapon we have. Because love
is a form of hope. And like hope, love abides, in the face of everything.
