Murder in a Small Town - A Chill Rain

Notable for downplaying the romance into a subplot separate from the latest murder, "A Chill Rain" gives us Zoe Strachan (Stana Katic) whose brother is found murdered after arriving in town begging for money to pay of loan sharks. It's not a bad episode, but there's little surprise that Zoe is the killer (and just what is that accent from Katic?). Zoe is smart enough not to incriminate herself but acts incredibly recklessly in lying to the police and bullying her nephew when a little kindness, even faked, would likely have led her to getting away with murder. Her recklessness makes you wonder how she remained out of jail for so long.

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft - A Single Step

A mopey Lara Croft (Hayley Atwell) isn't exciting and we get far too much of that version of the character in the opening episode of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. We start we an adventure in the jungle and the recovery of an artifact with Roth (Nolan North). However we quickly jump years ahead to a self-destructive Lara ostracized from her friends for vaguely described events which she also blames herself for Roth's death. Returning home for some spring cleaning, Lara decides to hold an auction giving away much of the Croft trinkets and treasures only for a thief to steal one, that box she and Roth acquired in the opening scenes, from the mansion.

Phantasm

1979's Phantasm is an usual film. Self-financed and relying on amateurs and those just getting a start in the business, the horror flick is arguably more professional than many independent movies produced today. Credit to writer/director Don Coscarelli who manages to hide the deficiencies of the talent on-screen with its unusual look and feel limiting what was needed from a performance standpoint as much as possible. As with any low-budget horror movie, the acting is often a sore spot, but even with its rough edges the film is still more inventive and memorable than many studio productions.

Only Murders in the Building - Valley of the Dolls

Fleeing the Arconia, "Valley of the Dolls" gives us Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) hiding out in the suburbs with Charles' sister Doreen (Melissa McCarthy) hoping to save themselves from the killer watching them and find some space to solve the murder. Howard's (Michael Cyril Creighton) decision to tell everyone where they are basically makes the first part of their plan moot, as Bev (Molly Shannon) and then Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy, and Eva Longoria, and later Loretta (Meryl Streep) as well. This will force Oliver to confront his romantic issues, which will (somewhat annoyingly) yo-yo all over the place before settling back down, while also fighting off the advances of Charles' sister.

The Irrational - Collateral Damage

The Second Season of The Irrational picks up from the cliffhanger at the end of the First Season as Alec (Jesse L. Martin), searches for the kidnapped Rose (Karen David) taken for her involvement in a MI6 mission years ago that went wrong by a man who wants answers and revenge. While there's not much in the way of experiments, Owen (Arash DeMaxi) confirms someone obsessed with revenge isn't likely to abandon it (by allowing previous test subjects to take revenge on him), the episode does feature Alec using his skills to draw out the situation long enough for the FBI to find them. 

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Citadel: Diana - Split in Two

Set in the same world as Citadel, but focused on different characters and set in the near-future several years after events that still haven't been fully explored yet, the opening episode of Citadel: Diana introduces us to Manticore Italy Agent Diana Cavalieri (Matilda De Angelis) who, with her partner (Marouane Zotti), is sent to spy on a meeting between agents from other divisions while the leaders of the European Manticore divisions also about the future of the Italian branch. The discovery of an exchange of a powerful weapon forces Diana's hand to make a reckless decision which leads to the end of her partnership and her altering the series of events to her bosses.

Simon's Cat - Nightmare at the Vets

Bob's Burgers - Saving Favorite Drive-In

A trip to the Drive-In on its closing night provides misadventures for the entire family. Fueled by the nostalgia of a visit as a kid, Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) becomes obsessed with a half-assed on-the-fly attempt to save the theater (unaware the owner wants to sell and retire). Gene (Eugene Mirman) and Louise (Kristen Schaal) get into their own trouble getting into Tina's (Dan Mintz) candy before she was ready to share. And, not to be left out, Linda (John Roberts) attempts to gossip on a text chain backfire and lead to a freak-out for most of the night.

The Old Man - XII

After the death of Morgan Bote (Joel Grey), Harold (John Lithgow) takes Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) and Zoe (Amy Brenneman) home with him leading to revelations and unexpected bonding over the tragic end of events in Afghanistan. There's a scene in the middle of this episode featuring four people in a dark room on a phone call with someone half a world away, unable to do anything but listen, that hits home for each of them, and for the audience, as frenzy of uncertainty gives way to finality and leaves Dan Chase with only regret and revenge.

Batman: The Caped Crusader - The Killer Inside Me / Savage Night

The First Season of Batman: The Caped Crusader culminates in the attack on Harvey Dent (Diedrich Bader) and his transformation into Two-Face. Teased throughout the season, the cost of Harvey's association to Rupert Thorne‘s (Cedric Yarbrough) comes due. In "The Killer Inside Me" we see Bruce Wayne's (Hamish Linklater) attempts to console his friend which only lead Harvey on a path of murder and revenge. And in "Savage Night" the plan to have Harvey testify against Thorne blows up when our crooked cops show up to kill Harvey leading to a showdown on the wharf and the apparent death of Two-Face.

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #10

A flat tire on the way to a Van Expo, and a lift from Batman to a nearby town, provides the start of a new mystery. While Fred spends time with a familiar looking mechanic fixing up the Mystery Machine (and installing some upgrades, one of which we'll get to see in action), the rest of the gang learn about recent appearances of a Ghost Car around the neighborhood before running into it outside the diner (and almost getting run over).

Doctor Odyssey - Singles Week

With it's second episode Doctor Odyssey already seems to have found its formula. We get a themed cruised, this week being a singles cruise, with a story outside of the expected thrown in and still time to play with the romantic interests of Max (Joshua Jackson), Avery (Phillipa Soo), and Tristan (Sean Teale). While I'm already tired of the love triangle, the rest of the episode works fairly well with a gigolo's (Chord Overstreet) Syphilis outbreak providing the humor and the rescue of a survivor on a life raft (Kassandra Cruz) providing the drama. The Captain (Don Johnson) also gets a bit more to do in his romance with one of the passengers and a health scare. Like with Avery's experience with the rescued woman, the Captain's story allows for an opportunity to flesh out his character a bit more as well.

Jean Watts - The Balcony

Knights vs. Samurai #1

The first issue of Knights vs. Samurai introduces us to the "Dragon Butcher" Sir Charles Ward successfully returned home after another quest when he and his men are sent to the Far East to fight a new kind of demon on an island repelling missionaries. The comic is presented entirely from the Westerners point of view ending with their ship (after fighting off a sea monster) making land in Japan and being met by samurai.

Murder in a Small Town - Fall from Grace

"Fall from Grace" continues to progress the relationship of Chief of Police Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland) and librarian Cassandra Lee (Kristin Kreuk) as the high school reunion brings an opportunity for the pair to take their first public outing as a couple and also leads to another murder. In the episode we see the highs and lows for Cassandra, quickly following for Karl, only to see his job interfere again at an inopportune time abandoning her at the dance. I would be surprised if this give-and-take doesn't continually appear over the series for as long as the two are romantically linked.

Nights #11

A change of pace, Nights #11 offers a series of short vignettes from different authors and writers all on the world of Nights, some of which are more clear than others. "Night Flight," the most straightforward of the stories, offers a silent tale of Gray around town taking pictures of everything from a wedding to being attacked by a monster.

Gilligan's Island 1970s Grindhouse Trailer

Only Murders in the Building - Adaptation / Blow-Up

More suspects are crossed of the list. After quickly disposing of Bev (Molly Shannon), who ended the previous episode holding the podcasters at gun point, Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) turn their attention to the movie looking for new suspects. In "Adaptation" they also dismiss the screenwriter (Jin Ha) who was never much of a suspect but through that interaction they begin to take a closer look at the Brothers Sisters (Catherine Cohen and Siena Werber) who they discover have a connection to one of the Westies and the mysterious Dudenoff (Griffin Dunne).

Zatanna: Bring Down the House #4

Zatanna: Bring Down the House #4 offers a calm before the storm. The arrival of John Constantine allows for Zatanna to momentarily leave her current troubles involving the Casters and talking bunnies fighting over her as her ex whisks her away to Paris for a bit of R&R. This pause allows the story, and it's lead character, a bit of room to breathe as well as catch up the reader on just what the hell is going on here and why everyone is after Zatanna.

The Old Man - XI

Episode "XI" feels a bit as if multiple episodes have been condensed into one due to time constraints. We get the conclusion of Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) and Harold Harper's (John Lithgow) time in Afghanistan, Angela (Alia Shawkat) choosing to stay and the death of her father, the return of Zoe (Amy Brenneman), Dan and Harold confronting Morgan Bote (Joel Grey), who never got developed as much as I would have liked, and also his murder. It's an insane amount to somehow fit together in one episode, but it does allow the story to finish on another cliffhanger with Angela's best chance now dead by the minions of Suleyman Pavlovich (Rade Serbedzija) who has overtaken both Hamzad (Navid Negahban) and Bote as our true villain (at least for now).

Batman: The Long Halloween - The Last Halloween #1

Promising to be the final Long Halloween story (mmhmm, sure), and set the following Halloween after the events of the original series, Batman: The Long Halloween - The Last Halloween #1 returns writer Jeph Loeb with a rotating group of artists for a multi-part mystery for our Dark Knight Detective and plenty of cameos (this first issue offers plenty of both with Catwoman, Solomon Grundy, Two-Face, and more).