Well, after last week’s stellar and intense episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I could not wait to settle in for this week’s tale simply because, I was dying to know how the plot was going to unfold from here on out. After all, with Ruby now dead, the chances of Planet Earth splitting in half were greatly reduced, leaving all of us to wonder, was there really a threat on the horizon for Coulson and the gang to face? Well as it turns out, the answer to that question is a resounding yes, and while it seemed as though Hale’s alien buddies were going to become the threat in question, they would only serve as the catalyst for one hell of a twist…
 
But before we get into all of that, let’s take a moment to discuss the fact that ‘Option Two’ took the time to examine something that comic book themed stories rarely tend to touch upon; consequences. Because in these tales, crises come at our heroes a mile a minute, so they usually have to make a decision quickly and move on. But here, with a moment to breathe, the team actually found itself at odds over Yo-Yo’s decision to kill Ruby, to the point where people out right shouted at one another, and Mack even questioned the future of their relationship and well, I love the fact that the show took the time to explore all of this, and while it seems as though everyone was piling high on Yo-Yo, the core of this debate boils down to one thing, what does a hero become when they’re willing to take a life?
 
However, any further exploration on such notions will have to wait for another time on this series. Because those nasty aliens that Hale made friends with found their way to Earth, and this led to some wholesale slaughter in the Lighthouse, because these aliens have the ability to manipulate electricity and shut it down and without any power, every attempt the Agents made to put these beings down, failed miserably, meaning that there was a chance that everyone in the Lighthouse might lose their life on this day. But, just when it seemed that the worst-case scenario was about to unfold in front of everyone’s eyes, a decision Coulson made earlier in the episode ended up saving all of their lives, which brings us back to that big-time twist that I made mention of a few moments ago. 
 
Because in an effort to keep everyone safe, Coulson ordered Yo-Yo to pull Talbot from his cell, and of course, they ran into the intruders on their way to the command center, forcing Talbot to barricade himself inside the lab with Simmons as a last line of defense to keep the Gravitonium secure, while Yo-Yo and the other agents took care of the monsters outside and while He and Jemma waited to see if the frontlines fell, Talbot got a wild idea into his mind. In that he could possibly play the hero after all, and in a stunning turn of events, he ICE’d Jemma and used the device that made Ruby into a monster to infuse himself with the remainder of the Gravitonium and well…this newly reformed Talbot, managed to put down the intruders and save the day, but alas…this most likely means that Glenn will now become the Destroyer of Worlds…
 
I say that because there’s some serious cause for concern when it comes to Glenn Talbot having this kind of power at his fingertips. Sure, he’s always been a good guy, but his blunt headed and stubborn nature, combined with an ego fueled by rank, and the psychological abuse Hale forced to him undergo, could allow for him to be corrupted and do some terrifying things in the name of heroism. In the end however, this episode was downright solid. It was intense, cerebral, and stunning and at this point, it looks like the fight is only going to get tougher for Phil Coulson and his merry band of agents since another Destroyer has been thrown into the mix and I’m sure this twist will allow for the debate as to whether or not the future is set in stone to grow as we barrel toward the season five finale. Until next time.   

​I’ve always been extremely appreciative of the fact that Hulu waits a week before releasing a brand-new episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, simply because this show is so heavy and dark and loaded with incredibly poignant plot points that having a week to sit upon all the horrors we’ve seen in Gilead is a good thing. It gives us time to process everything we witnessed and allows for us to steel our nerves before diving back into this awful world head first. But for season two, Hulu offered up quite the treat, by having the second episode of the season, ‘Unwomen’, available on the same night.
 
Which meant we were all left with quite the tough choice. Do we binge away and bathe ourselves further in the darkness or revisit this tale a few days down the line and I know that I chose to immediately dive right in, simply because of the hope the season premiere sent our way and honestly, I’m glad I did. Because this story was incredibly powerful, and worthy of its own individual recap instead of being shoehorned in with the season premiere’s review, and it’s one that also worked to a strength for the series, which is worldbuilding. Because a fair chunk of this episode took us far away from Gilead where we were able to finally see a place that was only mentioned in the novel and the first season of this series; The Colonies. 
 
As it turns out, they’re as awful as we imagined, and this place and the work that women are forced to do out here more or less confirms that a nuclear disaster of some kind struck America before it became Gilead. But while it was fascinating and harrowing to see The Colonies, the characters were still the focus, since we caught up with Emily in this place and she found an opportunity to reflect upon her former life out here, wherein she was subject to violent homophobia at the school she worked at as America came to an end and this led to some devastating moments on screen, the kind that definitely force you to take a moment and ponder, and this, this part of the story was the first time this season we saw the series try and parallel our world again by in essence examining the sudden and newfound fight that LGBTQ people are dealing with in our world thanks to the surge of hate and anger we see in our country today.
 
But, the parallels didn’t end there. After all, resistance and fighting hard for what’s right in the world are common themes today as well, and all of that was present in this tale since Emily found an opportunity to exact a little revenge for how she’s been treated by Gilead as a whole by putting down a Commander’s Wife that was sent to the Colonies for her sins in brutal fashion, and the desire to fight was found in June as well, who despite being in hiding for this entire episode, found herself fired up when she saw what atrocities had taken place in her sanctuary, the former headquarters of The Boston Globe, and it’s wonderful to see that people are starting to steel their nerves and prepare to fight because I know I’m not alone in wanting to see Gilead fall.
 
If anything, I love the fact that this episode returned the show to its brainy roots in bold and brutal fashion, and the character development here was top notch since Emily and June are finally coming into their own since Emily is finding ways to make life in the Colonies tolerable and as an added bonus, she’s standing up for herself now that she knows she can and June, well she’s ready for war and she’s a completely different person now that she’s free and in all honesty, this is everything we could have hoped for June and more. Because she can finally be herself and live her life the way she wants to and the longer she’s away from her garbage commander and his joke of a wife, the stronger she will become, and I cannot wait to see her grow as she finally escapes the evil clutches of Gilead. Until next time. 

I have to admit, that shortly after the season one finale of The Handmaid’s Tale, a big question was looming in the back of my mind in that…where on earth was this show headed next? After all, the first season of this magnificent series in essence ends where the novel did, with June’s fate left hanging in the air upon the apparent discovery that she is working for Mayday. Meaning that a second season of this series would be heading into undiscovered country when it came to this disturbing world and with the possibilities being endless as to where this story could go, that question continued to hang in my mind.
 
Thankfully, that all important question was answered last night since the season two premiere of this series, ‘June’, wasted no time in showing what comes next for June Osborne and well...it’s clear that this season’s story arc is going to be savage and unrestrained in how it tells its story and for proof, look no further than the opening of this episode. Wherein June and every single Handmaid that took part in that moment of insurrection at the end of season one were subjected to some downright disgusting psychological torture from Aunt Lydia in order to bring them back in line, reminding the audience and those poor women just how much power Gilead can exert over its citizens and terrifyingly enough, the story was just getting started in hammering that point home.
 
Because after that harrowing opening, the punishment continued…but not for June. No, as it turns out, not only is her secret regarding Mayday safe, she also received special treatment thanks to her pregnancy, and she quickly saw this as an opportunity to rise up and defy Gilead further. But Lydia was quick to point out that while pregnancy will get June all kinds of perks, further disobedience will not be tolerated and in the event she chooses to push back against her superiors, she will suffer the same fate as the Handmaid locked up in the training center and well, between that awful image, and the continued physical torture of the Handmaids that resisted, it truly seemed as though season two of this series was going to be one without hope in the slightest…
 
However, this was nothing more than brilliant deflection, because while June worked to resign herself to a return to the Waterford household and more months of isolation and suffering, a true miracle fell into her lap. Someone from Mayday was present during a health screening at the doctor’s office, and they left June a key, and that key got her into the bowels of the medical complex where a truck was waiting to whisk her away from all of this madness, and as an added bonus, Nick was there was to greet her on the other side and inform her that she’s headed for safety and eventually, she’ll be transported out of Gilead and in a beautiful and brutal sequence at the end of this episode, June said farewell to all the trappings of this awful world and declared herself…free at last.
 
So, yeah, wow…this was quite the powerhouse episode, and my thanks go out to Bruce Miller, the writer of this episode for putting together a tale that not only re-established the horrible place that is Gilead, since there was so much sheer brutality in this one, but for also giving us a ray of sunshine for a change since June is free and man, what a wonderful plot twist that turned out to be. Because she really deserves better and, in all honesty, I rather like that this premiere cast aside any social commentary or deeper moments to simply resolve that cliffhanger, because now the story can move forward and take us further into uncharted and terrifying territory in brilliant and thoughtful fashion and I cannot wait to see where season two takes us, now that June is released from the horrors of being a Handmaid. Until next time. 

​I’ve always found it fascinating how sometimes, a personal crisis can bring out the best in people. It just doesn’t seem to matter how ugly said crisis is, or whether or not the odds are stacked against them, because when it arrives, a switch just seems to go off in their head and they leave us in awe of the things that they can accomplish under duress and it’s a quality we so admire in people that it’s something that finds its way into fiction as often as possible and one such character that exemplifies this kind of chaotic nobility is President Tom Kirkman. 
 
Which makes sense because his presidency was born out of crisis on Designated Survivor and whenever his back is up against the wall or the odds aren’t in his favor, we see him shine. But last night, for the first time in the history of this series, I know I wasn’t alone in wondering as to whether or not he could handle a direct attack on his competency as Commander-in-chief, and the strong possibility that he could be removed from office made last night’s tale, ‘Capacity’, a harrowing hour of television to say the least, one where everything that could go wrong for Kirkman most certainly did.
 
Because the talented Ethan West came after the president and his actions in fast and furious fashion during Tom’s competency hearing, slamming his staff left and right on their actions and how they were directly related to Tom’s slipping mental capacity and as if it wasn’t bad enough to watch his loyal and wonderful staff squirm on the stand, external issues were only ramping up the pressure. Hannah for example, let her emotions get the better of her and she went after Andrea Frost with a vengeance, even going so far as to straight up embarrass the Administration by confronting Frost in public with allegations that likely have merit, but no solid evidence to back them up, and to make matters worse, some members of congress received word of the hearing, and did their best to use it as leverage.
 
But while that alone was enough to leave the audience frustrated and worried for Tom’s future in the White House, the show had more difficult moments waiting in the wings. Like having West put Tom’s brother on the stand to prove a history of mental illness in the Kirkman family or having President Moss appear at the hearing to hammer home the point that Tom couldn’t handle the job and just when it seemed that Kirkman’s time in the White House was going to come to an end, he surprised us all, by responding to a crisis the best way he knows how…by rising to the occasion. Because his time on the stand allowed for him to cut through the B.S. being spewed by West, wherein he made the point that he’s only human, and that grieving for his wife and suffering from the pain of loss is perfectly normal and wouldn’t you know it? His words resonated with his cabinet, and the whole matter of invoking the 25th Amendment was withdrawn. 
 
If anything, Kirkman’s time on the stand was just a magnificent twist when it comes to this year’s story. Simply because, in a season full of harrowing moments and terrible loss we’ve only seen flashes of the noble president we were introduced to a year ago, and it was just wonderful and refreshing to see the man that influences others to be more and to be better return to the series, and while that’s good for America, that’s bad for some since Hannah’s outlandish actions got her fired and that’s disconcerting because there is still a hacker to deal with, and the strong possibility that it’s Andrea and it should be interesting to see if the smoking gun that Hannah has been searching for will ever come to light. But in the here and the now, it’s just wonderful to see Tom Kirkman back to his old self, and I’ve no doubt his nobility and class will once again be on display when the next crisis arrives. Until next time. 

​While Killing Eve has turned out to be quite the breath of fresh air when it comes to the spy genre as a whole, I think deep down we all knew that eventually, this series would have to provide the audience with some traditional tropes and storylines simply because, such matters are inescapable for this genre. After all, there’s really no way to re-invent good old-fashioned detective work or the hunt for a bloodthirsty assassin for that matter and it just so happens, that this week’s episode of the show, ‘Don’t I Know You?’, harkened back to the basics of this genre after a solid lead when it comes to Villanelle finally dropped into Eve’s lap.
 
Which meant that in this particular tale, Eve and Bill headed off to Berlin to investigate the death of a Chinese Colonel, and while it was cool to see some of the traditional spy story structure appear on this series, I have to give the show some serious credit, for finding a way to spice up tradition by putting its own spin on things. Because while the hunt in and of itself was by the numbers, how the characters handled their respective roles in this tale is what made it so damn enjoyable. Take for example Eve and Bill who were in essence, like kids in a candy store who found wonder and joy in heading to Berlin to finally work on a case in the field and well, while that was fun to watch, I have to admit that I was a touch concerned that the two of them being this giddy over the case might be a bad idea and well, it’s a worry that turned out to be valid.
 
Because in essence, all of this was a trap, since Villanelle drew her newfound nemesis to Berlin by using Eve’s name as an alias at the murder site, and from the moment Eve and Bill arrived in the city, they were under Villanelle’s watchful eye as she hovered about at a safe distance and this segment of the story was downright fascinating, since Villanelle was more or less obsessed with Eve, and understandably so. After all, she’s been hiding in the shadows for ages now, and no one has been able to put the pieces together. So, to discover that someone is working to bring her down and has focused upon her seemed to light up Villanelle’s life and in order to better understand her foe and satisfy her growing obsession, she more or less created her own version of Eve by way of stealing her clothes and through a little roleplay with a woman she met in Berlin and to top it off, she straight up wore Eve’s clothes, giving her a strange sense of ownership and well, this little development was downright brilliant.
 
If anything, these behaviors signaled both respect and fear for Eve and almost pride that Villanelle could finally consider someone as her equal. But alas, all of this had to take a backburner for the most chilling moment of the night, wherein Bill had the opportunity to tail Villanelle. In fact, this was perhaps the first time this series truly resembled a traditional spy story because this kind of chase is paramount to the genre and it was handled in masterful fashion here since it was tense and terrifying when Bill came to realize that his target was toying with him all along and this is where my worry about treating this whole case in joyous fashion came to fruition because this killer doesn’t mess around, and she was happy to trap Bill in a club so that she could easily come up to him, and end his life in brutal and violent fashion.
 
So, just like that, Bill is gone, and Eve now understands how dangerous spy work can be and my goodness, what an incredible episode this turned out to be. Every single second of this tale was utterly compelling, thanks in large part to Villanelle’s obsession with Eve and of course, as this show is wont to do, this story was filled to the brim with quirky black humor. Because the opening sequence at the clinic was wonderfully off the wall, and the representative of the Chinese Government that Eve met with, led to some hilariously awkward moments as well. But more importantly, there are some serious questions left hanging in the air after this one, in that…can Eve recover from Bill’s death and finish the mission or will his passing rattle her in ways she never imagined. And also, just how far is Villanelle going to take her obsession with Eve? And will it protect Eve from harm? Either way, the stakes were raised in this episode, and I cannot wait to learn the answers to these all-important questions as the season rolls on. Until next time. 

Well my fellow nerds and geeks, the time has come. After a long and winding journey through the stars, we have finally come to the final season of Battlestar Galactica and well, I won’t lie, it’s a touch strange to realize in likely a few short weeks, my second run through this magnificent series will come to an end. But, before we reach our final destination with the fleet, there’s still some wonderful stories to get through, so without any further ado, let’s begin digging back into this incredible series with a look back at the series four premiere, ‘He That Believeth in Me’.
 
Now this particular tale, was one that I couldn’t wait to re-watch, simply because I distinctly recalled that this one was packed to the brim with intense and powerful moments and truth be told, I completely forgot just how intense this episode turned out to be, because it was in essence a non-stop ride, one that kicked off by immediately picking up where Season Three left off, with a battle brewing in the Ionian Nebula and well, this particular fight was a devastating one to say the least. Because despite the fact that every bird was in the air, the Cylons were able to do some incredible damage to the fleet, and if it wasn’t for a chance encounter with Anders, wherein a Raider found a way to communicate with Sam, mankind likely would have perished.
 
Instead, the Cylons turned tail and ran after that encounter and while it was indeed quite the blessing, there were pieces to pick up after this battle, most of them involving the Final Four as they tried to come to terms with their true identities and whether or not they meant the fleet harm as Boomer did so long ago and of course, there was some question as to how exactly Kara Thrace had come back from the dead, and some were curious as to whether or not she was a Cylon agent. And as the leaders of the fleet tried to unravel those mysteries, Gaius Baltar worked to adjust to life in his new home, amongst a cult that worshipped the one true God and despite being a man of science, a few harrowing moments seemingly made him ponder upon the power of faith. 
 
But despite seeing Gaius grow up a little bit and try to do things for others instead of himself for a change, the plot continued to roll back toward Kara, because her return to the ship isolated her like no other, to the point where her peers outright ignored her, and we also came to learn that she’s connected to the planet she discovered. In fact, they are tied together so closely, that every incorrect jump away from that world causes her physical harm and in a stunning twist at the end of the episode, in order to get the fleet pointed in the proper direction, Starbuck made the call to personally change the President’s mind with force when it comes to their current course and that’s where this episode leaves us, with Kara pointing a gun at Laura Roslin…
 
So yeah, wow. This one simply took my breath away once again, because it was wild from the get go. From the intense battle sequence that made my heart race to the anguish that came with watching Kara seemingly lose her mind, this episode never let up in the slightest and well, I loved it. It speaks to the fact that season four held nothing back storytelling wise, almost as if the mantra for this year was ‘go big or go home’ and considering how much I love the series finale over anything else in this season, it’s good to be surprised once more by the little nuances that came before it, and I cannot wait to see what other surprises the series is going to remind me of as we barrel toward the end of Battlestar Galactica. Until next time.  

When we think of important moments in history, we often ponder upon the ones that had immediate impact upon the world and how it influenced everyone on the planet after it took place. But sometimes, we often forget that influential moments in our past, aren’t always massive and instantaneous. They sometimes take years to grow, and their influence upon others arrive in private or in passing and it just so happens that one of these ‘low-key’ moments in history was explored during last night’s episode of Timeless. 
 
Because ‘The King of the Delta Blues’ took the time to explore how creativity can change the world by taking us back to 1936, wherein Connor Mason finally traveled through time to help the Time Team save a blues artist named Robert Johnson, whose work influenced modern Rock and Roll and eventually the anti-establishment movement of the 1960’s and I have to be honest, I thought this was a supremely wonderful part of history to look into. Because artists really do change the world, and the wonder they influence upon others isn’t celebrated enough and by exploring this part of history, the show was able to take a far more intimate approach to its storytelling this week. 
 
In fact, the series more or less went to some inspirational territory in this one by giving Robert the spotlight, since there was a lot of subtle and not-so subtle discussions in this tale about doing whatever it takes to achieve our dreams and continuing to fight the good fight when life is doing its best to bring us down and the latter of those concepts was explored by way of Connor since his empire and notoriety was beginning to fade in present day and in many ways, his coming along on this mission to save Robert’s life saved his own soul from sinking into the abyss and really, when all is said and done, this ended up being quite the beautiful story to say the least and it’s one one that definitely left me smiling when the Time Team returned to present day.
 
However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows in this particular tale. Because one cannot forget that Rittenhouse is the reason for all of this mess and seeing as to how Agent Christopher was in their clutches last week, she saw a grand opportunity to stick it to this evil organization and in a surprise twist, she kept Wyatt off the mission to try and put an end to these jerks once and for all by sending him to Rittenhouse H.Q. to wipe them out and it looks like Wyatt did some damage to the group since they tried to burn any and all evidence of their plans, and Wyatt’s arrival also forced Keynes and Carol to escape in the Mothership to keep themselves safe and this really was quite the cool little change up to the plot since normally in stories such as these, you save a moment like this for the end of the season, rather than plopping it into the middle of the year.
 
In the end however, I really appreciated the fact that this episode scaled things back a bit to focus on the characters, and I especially loved the focus on Connor in this episode since let’s be honest, he’s been in quite the funk for some time now and this tale also did a fine job of setting up a few things for the remainder of the season. After all, Rittenhouse is on the run at last, and the love triangle may be entering a new and weird phase since Lucy is making sure that Wyatt gets all the time he needs with Jessica and let’s just consider that whole moment with Flynn to be nothing more than a drowning of the sorrows with a drinking buddy. But, all character development aside, we do have to worry about Jiya’s latest premonition since they’ve all been right thus far, and it would be heartbreaking to see Rufus perish, so let’s hope there’s a way for him to alter his potential future. Until next time. 

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has accomplished a great many things over the course of its five-year run. Not only has it done a phenomenal job of growing into its own unique entity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the series has proven time and time again that it can be bold on a moment’s notice and take us to some ugly places by way of dark and dreary storytelling and it just so happens that the series hammered that point home again last night since ‘All Roads Lead…’ ended up being quite the powerhouse affair, one that definitely went to some incredibly bleak places when all is said and done.
 
However, before we dig too deeply into all of that, we do need to take a moment and discuss how this tale managed to balance out the bleak with some fine comedy by way of Deke’s interaction with Coulson and Mack in this tale, wherein he finally figured out that he’s in love with Daisy and offered every romantic out there a brand-new idea on how to woo the person that has caught their fancy. And as an added bonus on the positive side of things, Daisy finally seems to be falling into her own as a leader, since she was able to command the team with poise and grace and confidence and it’s wonderful to see her grow into this role so quickly.
 
But, I made mention of the fact that this episode was dark, and really, two key plot points helped to make that happen, the first being Glenn Talbot’s Hydra programming kicking into high gear. Because apparently, he was ordered by Hale to target Robin and her mother, and I won’t lie, this part of the story, wherein Glenn attacked Polly and tried to escape with the little girl was tough to watch. Especially when the General struggled with this mental programming and turned the gun upon himself. You just so rarely see a character break like that in stories such as this and man, it was heartbreaking to see Glenn believe there was no way out and thankfully Mack and Coulson acted quickly to save him from doing something terrible.
 
Yet, while that was tough to watch in its own right, the darkest plot line of the night involved dear Ruby, who pushed Fitz and Simmons to finally complete the device and unfortunately for Ruby, becoming infused with Gravitonium led to complete and utter disaster. Because not only was she clueless as to how to handle her powers, something that cost Von Strucker his life, the voices within the substance were driving her mad and despite the fact that Daisy and her mother were able to talk her down from outright unleashing her fury, Ruby lost her life when Yo-Yo saw an opportunity to end this whole mess and potentially save the world and holy cow, I did not expect to see Ruby die this early on and well, this changes the rest of the season for certain.
 
Because for weeks now, we’ve all thought some kind of massive showdown between Ruby and the Agents was brewing, so to see her go down in such quick and vicious fashion can only mean that something far more sinister is waiting in the wings, and that perhaps the Destroyer of Worlds was not responsible for the end of the world, and considering the fact that Hale called out to her alien friends, one has to wonder if they are the ones who must be stopped in order to save mankind. Either way, this one was intense, and I was not expecting the story to go this dark, but it sure did, and it made for some compelling television and I cannot wait to see what twists and turns await us down the line, now that Ruby is out of the picture. Until next time.

​It’s been a little over ten years since Battlestar Galactica went off the air, but I can still distinctly recall all the buzz that came about when it was announced that the fourth season of the show, would be its last. Because such news not only meant that BSG was going out on its own terms, but also at long last, all the answers that the fans had been brooding upon since the miniseries would likely present themselves over the course of that final year, and the buzz only grew louder when it was announced that a special two-hour movie was going to air months before the season four premiere.
 
Because there was a possibility that the movie could speak to how Kara Thrace was alive and well and shed some light on the Final Five and the location of Earth. But as it turns out, ‘Razor’ was merely the appetizer for season four, one that took the time to setup several important plot lines that would play out over the course of the final year and while it seems as though there’s disappointment in my reflecting upon not getting answers sooner, make no mistake about it, this side story was a welcome addition to the BSG universe because it featured some damn good storytelling through and through.
 
In fact, what made this story so unique, was that it took us into the past, to the early days of Lee Adama’s tenure as Commander of the Battlestar Pegasus and through the wonder of reflection with the crew he inherited, we came to learn more about Admiral Cain’s tough journey through the stars after the attack on the Twelve Colonies, and we were finally able to bear witness to all the stories and rumors that were floating about the fleet shortly after the battered crew’s arrival in season two. If anything, it was wonderful to fill in those all-important gaps and it was neat to see cast members long gone reprise their roles one more time before the series came to a close.
 
But truly, the centerpiece of this story, is Major Kendra Shaw and her journey toward redemption. Because she has some serious skeletons in her closet, ones that haunt her daily and it’s just wonderful to see her go from lost officer to outright hero in this tale. As for the setup for season four, well that was all accomplished by pitting the Pegasus against an ancient Basestar, one that was last seen by the Admiral on the final day of the First Cylon War and aboard this vessel, horrible experiments were being conducted on humans to create the perfect hybrid, and before the episode closed, the only successful product of this butcher work warned Shaw that Starbuck will lead the human race to its end, thus making the cliffhanger at the end of season three, suddenly seem incredibly ominous.
 
If anything, this really was just a fun ride, and I love the mystery surrounding the Cylons in this tale, and the fact that the series was able to resurrect the classic ‘Chrome Dome’ look for this episode and show us a young Adama for that matter as well. But what matters most, is that ‘Razor’ really does do a fine job of setting up season four and what’s truly strange, is that even after re-watching this one, the powerful sense that this journey is about to come to an end hasn’t sunk back in yet, and I recall going through something similar emotionally back during its original air date because this is a one off in its own right, a quick celebration of Battlestar Galactica if you will, and heavier and more powerful stories await, as does the end and well…I think the time has come to brace myself as we barrel toward the truth and one of my all-time favorite series finales. Until next time. 

At some point or another during our lives, we are going to find ourselves going through some kind of crisis that tests our mental health and our quality of life. This is the kind of dilemma that leaves us struggling on a day to day basis or forces us to seek out professional help to maintain any semblance of sanity, yet despite the fact that all of us will go through this rough patch in our lives, few of us will ever discuss it publicly because to acknowledge that we were anything but 100% strong, or that we needed care for our mental health, is something that is downright taboo.
 
Yes, even in 2018, such subjects are avoided in public conversation and that’s unfortunate because caring for one’s mental health is no different than seeking care for a sprained ankle and oddly enough, the stigma that hangs over mental health and receiving treatment for it, became the focus of last night’s episode of Designated Survivor. Because ‘Kirkman Agonistes’ picked up immediately after last week’s episode, wherein the fallout from the latest leak began to grow and while President Tom Kirkman has survived a great many other attacks on his administration when it comes to leaks, this one was downright devastating.
 
Because the knowledge that the president has been seeking psychiatric care becoming public record, more or less crippled the administration. To the point where any policy or agenda, or allied support came to a screeching halt over concerns about his mental health and to make matters worse, the cabinet met as well, over those same concerns and nearly invoked the Twenty Fifth Amendment. But thanks to Vice President Darby, she offered Tom a way out; a hearing to determine his competency in the office and if he is able to defend why he can sit at the Resolute Desk, he can keep the most important job in the world.  

​Of course Tom was resistant of this at first, and his staff went to work on finding a way to beat Ethan West, the brilliant lawyer that would be holding this hearing, and while this made for some compelling television, I won’t lie, I was more impressed with how the show outright hammered home the point that our disdain toward mental health and anyone receiving care for it is wrong and that was punctuated in a magnificent scene where Seth scolded the White House Press Corps over the matter.
 
But while it was nice to see the series show a different kind of message, there is hacker and a leaker to deal with and everything that came forth from the hunt for said hacker, was stunning to say the least. Because Damian lost his life during this search, and we came to learn that Andrea Frost, the woman that’s been at Tom’s side since Alex’s passing is apparently the person responsible for all the trouble the administration has been dealing with and well, all of these twists and turns made for one powerful episode to say the least.
 
I mean come on, the person who has been helping Tom all this time is also the one trying to bring him down? That’s just wild and it should be interesting to learn what is motivating her to do this in the weeks to come. But, outside of that, I really loved this episode for so many reasons outside of its commentary on mental health. Because this one was compelling and filled with incredible performances from everyone on the show and I won’t lie, I’m a huge Michael J. Fox fan and it was just a joy to see him join the cast last night. But all of those fanboy moments aside, there’s real trouble brewing behind the scenes and it would seem that this time around, no policy or political gambit is going to get Tom Kirkman out of this mess. It’s up to him to convince the cabinet that he is fit for duty and that’s going to make for some incredible moments in the weeks to come as Tom bares his soul to save his job. Until next time.