When we last left Agent Coulson and the gang on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. the situation was grim. Eli turned out to be the true bad guy of the story after all this time and upon executing his mad plan to become an omnipotent being that can create matter out of thin air, we were all left wondering exactly what happened to Phil, Fitz and Robbie since they bore the brunt of the shockwave that resulted from Eli's transformation.

Thankfully, we didn't have to wait that long to have our questions answered because 'Deals with Our Devils' picked up right where we left off, with the trio of characters missing and Eli on the loose and well...his newfound abilities are going make him damn near invulnerable because his powers are already growing stronger. Whereas in the last episode it seemed as though he was only able to create matter by channeling his power through his hands, he can instead create it with a mere thought as several unfortunate S.H.I.E.L.D. commandos quickly discovered when they tried to stop him. It leads to the team backing off to lick their wounds and try and scientifically determine as to whether or not Phil and the boys are simply missing, or if S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to prepare for several funerals...

As it turns out, the boys were just fine...merely phased in between dimensions. They could see their friends, follow their every moment, they were simply invisible to the rest of the world and the show did something quite cool with its storytelling when it came to this little twist, allowing us to see both sides of the stories, by letting the regular narrative play out before switching back to Coulson, Fitz and Robbie so we could gather their unique perspective on what was happening around them. But as the boys tried to get someone to notice them or clue them into the fact that they were present, Robbie had to deal with the Rider taking his leave of him and possessing Mack in order to escape the darkness slowly closing in on the trio and to continue slinging out his special brand of vengeance.

It leads to the boys separating for a bit as Robbie travels with Daisy in the hopes of reigning Mack in and well...saving Mack's soul as well, leading to a powerful confrontation between the Rider's spirit and Robbie where he offers up a new deal, one where the Rider would return to Robbie's body and the two of them would finish their current quest for vengeance...and then take up a new one that settles all of the Rider's scores. The spirit agrees to these terms and while Robbie negotiated that deal, Fitz and Coulson were forced to watch idly by as May tries to convince Dr. Radcliffe to use the Darkhold to find a way to locate her missing friends. Initially the good doctor refuses but he comes to realize that Aida's bionic brain can handle the information the book possesses without the risk of going mad, forcing him to reveal how she can pull off such a task...before handing her the book.

It turns out to be a wonderful decision and Aida is able to create a gateway that saves the day and returns everyone missing to the land of the living but it's clear now there will be consequences for the heroic decisions made in this story, since Aida is now working on something sinister in Radcliffe's lab and poor Robbie may now be a slave to the Rider for ages to come, and when all is said and done, this was one intense episode. They packed in plenty of goodies, including finally giving us a little hint as to who has been hiding in that Terragenesis cocoon all this time and man...they simply did a phenomenal  of setting up next week's winter finale. Eli is the target, family and vengeance will take center stage and it should be a blast to see how this whole Ghost Rider storyline plays out. Until next time.

At first glance, the final moments of this week's episode of Supergirl, where Barry and Cisco appeared through a portal and into Kara's apartment, thus signaling the beginning of DC Week on the CW, seemed relatively underwhelming. I mean...that was it? Just a quick hello and 'come help us' from Barry and we fade to black? But the more I think about it, the more I realize that the brief beginning to this four night super hero crossover event...was a genius stroke of storytelling.

That brief encounter was all anyone, including myself, could talk about yesterday, that this was it, the crossover was here and by giving us that tiny little teaser, we found ourselves hungry for more and excited enough to the point where I know that I was sitting on my couch, popcorn in hand, ready for The Flash and the 'Invasion!' to begin and let's just get the fanboying out of the way now...this episode was absolutely freaking awesome on so many levels. I mean come on, a Hall of Justice reference? Supergirl and the Flash fighting side by side? This was simply a geeky dream come true and to top it all off...the story was pretty awesome as well.

Because as it turns out...the Dominators are a freakishly mean and nasty race of aliens. They're able to control the minds of men with a simple device and they are ruthless in the pursuit of their goals, murdering anyone that gets in their way and what makes their appearance on the show so incredibly fascinating...is the sheer fact that they didn't quite come in with guns (or lasers) blazing to wipe out all of humanity, they came here with a plan...to control and capture the protectors of our planet. Yes, earth's heroes are their target and of course the big question is why. Is there something specific about our heroes that these aliens want to harness for their own personal gain? Or...are they planning to use our intrepid heroes to do their dirty work when it comes to conquering our world? The possibilities are endless and I'm sure we'll find out more about their dastardly plans as the crossover progresses.

However, despite all the action and adventure this episode provided us with, it did take the time to expand upon the whole Flashpoint mess in epic fashion as well. Thanks to a recording from the future that the Legends discovered, Barry's secret about altering the timeline and everyone's lives was revealed and the end result of the truth coming forth was outright heartbreaking for Barry. Aside from Oliver and Supergirl, most of the heroes assembled turned their back on him for the time being and he was left at S.T.A.R. Labs to ponder on his poor decision and all the bad that has come from it and despite the sorrow he felt, it was nice to see Oliver take the time to remind Barry that he's only human, mistakes will be made and given the chance, the Green Arrow would have gone back in time to do the exact same thing...

But despite that touching moment between those two heroes, and the fact that Oliver more or less instructed Barry to man up and find a way to make peace with the timeline he's created...the resolution of that plot thread will have to wait for another day. Because the danger of the Dominators still remains and a fair chunk of the heroes assembled to combat these beings from another world...were snatched up by the Dominators and whisked off to an unknown location. Either way, this was simply a phenomenal episode, one that more or less healed the bitter wounds fans endured from Batman v Superman since this was just an hour of pure, unadulterated, action packed fun and I cannot to see what will come next as the Invasion continues tonight on Arrow...

The DC Crossover event that pops up every fall on The CW is nothing short of magical. It's simply incredible to see all these iconic heroes find their way into one another's storylines and when it was announced that Supergirl would be joining the network...and eventually the crossover, well I was simply over the moon. Adding Supergirl into this already awesome mix would only make the crossover that much cooler and last night's episode, 'Medusa' signaled the beginning of this epic  four night event. 

But, I have to admit that as I settled in to watch this story, it dawned on me quickly that this celebration of geekiness that DC was blessing us with, actually managed at first to overshadow this particular chapter in Kara's life. After all, there were still some big storylines for this show to deal with and thankfully rather than get right into the return of Barry Allen to Kara Zor-El's world, this story took the time to pull together every loose plot thread left dangling this season and it started with the mystery of Medusa. As it turns out, this code word served as the name to a powerful biological weapon. One that when synthesized properly, would quickly kill any alien that in came into contact with and what made this virus so incredibly terrifying...is that it came by way of Krypton.

In fact, Kara's father was the engineer of this virus, creating it as an end all be all weapon to defend the planet from any threat that came their way and this revelation led to quite the thematic concept, that the sins of the father, or the mother for that matter as well...do not have to determine a child's future. Kara's part in that little piece of thoughtful storytelling was perhaps the easy way out since hey, she's Supergirl and saves the day...so the story took us into a different direction to hammer that point home by way of Lena Luthor, who finally confronted her mother about being the head of Cadmus and in a surprise twist...she seemingly aided her mother in her endeavors to rid the world of the alien menace by giving her what she needed to mass produce Medusa.

All of this buildup led to quite the intense final act for the show where Cadmus executed its evil plan and for the first time ever, Kara was a second too late in saving the day...but this time around that didn't matter since she had a little help. Because in a second and equally awesome surprise twist, we found out that Lena indeed took a page from Kara's book and sabotaged the deployment of the virus...and even helped her mother find a new home in jail, sticking with the theme I made mention of a moment ago and Lena perhaps becomes the first Luthor in Superman/Supergirl lore to play the hero instead of an outright monster and thanks to Lena, for the moment...Cadmus is out of commission. 

But what would this series be without its tender moments, and there were plenty of those to be found last night as well. In fact, love was in the air on this show since Mon-El accidentally revealed his feelings for Kara in a vulnerable moment between the two of them and after dealing with the sting of rejection Alex finally 'got the girl' so to speak since Maggie's brush with death made her realize how silly it was to put a label on Alex and her journey and rather than waste any more time in life, the two of them should just go for it relationship wise and to top it all off...Alex came out to her mother and Eliza was completely fine with it and it was a nice touch to return to those softer moments since the last couple of weeks have had a heavy focus on action and adventure.

Of course we haven't talked about the crossover that much and with good reason...it was relatively immaterial to the plot and didn't even arrive until the final moments of the show, and while the true beginning to DC Week was brief...it was still absolutely awesome to see Barry and Cisco magically appear in Kara's apartment and to see the pure joy on Kara's face as she reunited with an old friend. Either way, this was another top notch episode for the series and I'm rather impressed that they wrapped up so many plot threads this week. It means we are likely in for some new and exciting adventures when the series returns from its winter break...but any speculation as to what comes next is going to have to wait...because it's crossover time! ​

Being reunited with Logan, William is none too pleased to see his running mate again. Even though Logan is happy with his new position in the storyline, he can see that William has become immersed too deeply into the story and believes that Dolores is a real person. Wanting to prove to his soon to be brother in law that it is just a game, Logan slices open the host’s stomach revealing metal and wiring to prove his point. Not being a party favor for anyone, not any more, Dolores is able to escape and continue her trek to the maze that will provide her with all of the answers she is looking for. While hoping that his new found love has made it away safely, William decides it is truly time to play the game and with all of the rules off of the table, a little bit of blood might do him good.

After trying to find out what was going on with Maeve, Bernard finds out once again that he is not the person he thought he was. With his programming knowhow and questions that need answering, he is able to break into Dr. Ford’s office and get a meeting with his mentor. Wanting to know everything about his past, Bernard forces the mind behind the park to give him back his memories. Knowing that this could cause a problem with his favorite yes man, Ford bends to his creation's will and allows Bernard to take a long look at his past. But Bernard is not happy with the results and needs to see himself interacting with Arnold, since those memories are what is driving the growing madness in the park and could also give him motivation to continue his work on a different scale.

After being captured by Wyatt’s crew, the Man in Black and Teddy are forced to wait for the rest of the game to come to them. With his memories slowly making a return, Wyatt’s favorite woman bandit Angela is able to get him to remember what really happened in his past life, the killing of innocent women and children in the old town, not the soldiers that he has been thinking about. With Teddy being a prominent part of Wyatt’s plans going forward, he is not yet ready for the story and is killed once again, but this time his death may not be in vain. Even though the maze may not be for him, the Man in Black is still ready to get there and find out what the past programmer Arnold really had in mind for the park. Getting interrupted by Charlotte in the middle of his escape, the Man in Black’s support is needed to help unseat Dr. Ford, and he can care less about what happens to the narrative in the park as the maze is the only thing that he really cares about.

Maeve continues to write her own script as she quickly finds out that Bernard is one her own kind. Getting her former overseer to question what he is doing, she gets sent back to the park to work on getting her army put together. Knowing that she will need a grand distraction to escape the park's confines, she hunts for the number one killer, Hector, and gives him a choice when it comes to following her. Showing him that his future is empty like hers once was, she is able to convince him to join her cause, but the only problem is trying to keep him turned on when the technicians come to pick him up and reprogram him.  

Doctor Ford seems to be in a hard place as his number one creation is forcing him to replay all of his memories that have been erased over the years. With a gun to his head, Ford tries to warn his old friend that he may not like what he sees and it could affect their work in the park. Unleashing the host’s memories, Ford watches as Bernard starts to break down from everything that he has done, and lets loose the fact that Bernard is a replica of Arnold and has been manipulating the hosts during his sessions with them. Plus, Ford has another secret to reveal when it comes to the hosts in the park, including Bernard, specifically that none of them will ever be able to hurt him, much less let harm come his way as he shows that the back door programing cannot be beat, not even with a host that has been left for scrap. Knowing that Bernard will never be able to work with him again, Ford shows his power once more and has Bernard eliminate himself for the greater good of the park and the new narrative that will change things forever.

An episode that answers plenty of questions, yet there are still several more that we would like answered as the finale draws near. With memories coming back to many of the hosts, it seems like they will all be running off script to find what they are looking for, whatever that may be. Dolores makes it back to the town where it all started and remembers her time talking with Arnold and has exposed the entrance to the maze and it is far from what has been promised to her. Teddy finds out that he is a stone cold killer, while the Man in Black is given the location of the maze. Bernard is given his memories back, along with another killing that he does not remember. William continues to battle with his so called friend as he knows that there is something special about Dolores and is able to demonstrate that anything in the park is possible by taking out the entire army regiment that Logan is running with. 

It was really a brilliant episode in my mind, watching as Bernard is faced with his false history and is finally able to control how his memories play out. I see why Ford has taken such a liking to his creation, especially by making him a dead ringer for the infamous Arnold whom all of the hosts know about. Seeing now that Bernard’s interactions with the hosts was not only to keep them running correctly in the park, but to implant something greater that he has had on his mind since inception, there is a story behind the distrust for humanity that seems to be justly deserved. With only one episode left in this season, it will be amazing to see what happens next as it seems like the fail safes are off and plenty of the hosts are able to take matters into their own hands, especially when they are being challenged by anyone.

I have to admit, the more time I've had to think about the season three premiere of The Librarians, the more I find myself appreciating it. After all, it was a bold venture into new territory for the show and the subtle setup of this ultimate battle between good and evil simply got my imagination flowing as to what else the show could accomplish with such a concept, and as it turns out, none of us had to wait that long to see where this new direction for the show is going to take us because 'And the Fangs of Death' advanced this ominous plot nicely...and threw in some fine Librarian history in the process.

Because this episode featured the return of Charlene, the original Guardian of the Library and her appearance was a just a wonderful throw back to when this whole world was contained within a mini series and it was equally delightful to see Jane Curtin reprise the role. But Charlene's cameo was far more important than merely reminiscing about days gone by in the Library...her vast knowledge included the secret to defeating Apep, leading Flynn and Eve to travel to the secret location where she went into hiding several years ago and she was gracious enough to agree to help in the fight against this rogue Egyptian God, before disaster struck when Flynn and Eve discovered her bodyguards were dead, she was missing and the only clue as to her whereabouts was Apep's symbol burned into the wall, leaving Flynn worried that Apep kidnapped her and that perhaps her life was in complete and utter danger.

Her disappearance inspired him to put together a crude tracking device, one that located a pendant she was wearing when he last saw her and it brought Flynn and a majority of the group to a Particle Collider in Canada...and that's when the story kicked into overdrive. Because within the walls of this facility lay the stuff of legend, werewolves; brought to life by the God Anubis who was summoned to this plane and location by Apep in the hopes of springing a trap for the Librarians, one that they could not escape and just like that...came our first wave or darker and more challenging moments for our intrepid heroes because this trap was an outright doozy. Ezekiel was bitten by a werewolf and had to deal with the horror of potentially turning into a monster of legend, lives were lost and Flynn was shattered emotionally because he put his friend ahead of the mission and came to believe his efforts were all for naught since it appeared that Charlene died when Anubis crossed over into our world, and because the team was now in grave danger.

In fact, Flynn's journey this week was truly the centerpiece of the story because let's be honest...how often have we seen this man rattled? It's rare, and when it does happen he often rebounds quickly, finding a way out of a sticky situation or coming up with a fancy plan, but this week...he lost every ounce of confidence and for a brief moment there, gave up all hope of getting out of this situation alive. If it wasn't for Jake taking a moment to remind Flynn of what kind of hero he really is...who knows if the story would have ended with Anubis' defeat, and while this episode initially wraps up in happy fashion, with the discovery that Charlene is okay and in hiding and with Apep incapacitated for the moment...it's clear that Flynn is dealing with some severe emotional damage since he left the group to go on a solo mission to keep the team out of harm's way...and to find Charlene.

Either way, what an impressive episode this turned out to be. Everything the show hinted at last week; danger, doom and incredible challenges, arrived in spades this week. We've never seen the team tested in this fashion and Apep is quite the adversary since he will attack our heroes in brutal fashion in order to break their spirit and when all said and done, I'm dying for more. This is truly shaping up to become the best season of the show to date, and I love that the folks behind the scenes are taking incredible risks with the stories and forcing our heroes to do more and be more and if this is the kind of odds they are facing only two episodes in, I can only imagine how much tougher the battle between good and evil is going to become as the season progresses. Either way, I'll be anxiously awaiting next week's episode. Until next time.

When we leave behind unfinished business, and do our best to run from it, the past will always come back to haunt us. Call it fate, call it karma, but one way or another, the universe forces us to deal with what we have done and that's a harsh, harsh lesson that Barry Allen was forced to learn on The Flash last night. 

Because after weeks of feel good stories, and Barry cementing himself as a beacon of hope for his friends, family and Central City for that matter...the walls came crashing down around him and it all started with Catilin's first steps toward becoming 'Killer Frost'. Of course her intentions were noble in this episode, she simply wanted to be free of her powers so that she wouldn't become an evil monster. But the best laid plans sometimes don't go our way and the more she pushed to find Alchemy, the more she pushed herself into darker and darker places. After all, she kidnapped Julian without giving it a second thought and she wounded Barry as a means of self preservation and her mental collapse was only the beginning to Barry's bad night. 

Because in the process of trying to free herself of her powers...she shattered the team's unity by leaving everyone on edge and at one point revealed to Cisco that his brother was alive and well in the other timeline before Barry toyed with the nature of time and space. This giant and sudden fracture in the team more or less led everyone to essentially do their own thing and it prompted Joe to finally follow his gut and only his gut, especially when it came to Wally and the creepy Cocoon he was trapped within. He thought it was high time to get his boy out of that mess and with H.R.'s assistance he cut it open, unleashing a confused Wally upon the world, one that now had the speed force flowing through his veins.  

But the centerpiece of the night, was what we learned about Alchemy and Savitar and before we get too deep into that, I need to issue a correction. Because in last week's recap I incorrectly assumed that these two villains were one in the same, but they are not. For that I apologize and it is important I get that fact straight since both villains played quite the important role in the story last night, since Savitar established himself as one powerful deity for Barry to face off against seeing as to how he can more or less move from one point to another instantaneously with his incredible speed. But more importantly, we came to learn the true identity of his servant Alchemy and it turns out that after all this time, it's someone that's been at odds with Barry and Meta Humans on a regular basis...Julian. That revelation of course will raise all kinds of questions about whether or not Julian is a meta, and if his position at C.C.P.D. and his request to have Barry resign is all in the name of advancing the agenda of Savitar.

On the plus side however, this episode does end on a happy note and a mature one at that. Mainly because of the fact that Barry owns up to his mistakes, and once again is willing to sacrifice to save others. He essentially offers up his own life to break through Caitlin's evil wall and he does his best to patch things up with Cisco, he helps Wally begin to adjust to life as a speedster and he does indeed resign from the Central City Police Department in order to keep Caitlin's secret safe. But either way, Barry has a long road ahead when it comes to repairing some of the damage he has caused but it looks like he is finally ready to face whatever comes his way with grace and class because as H.R. put it, the young man is truly a beacon of hope and he does inspire others. But he will need to work quickly to put the team back together because Savitar and his lackey are wasting no time in assembling an army and whatever it is they are up to is going make Barry's life hell until he can figure out how to defeat the God of Speed. Until next time.

Over the past two seasons, The Librarians is a series that has established itself as one of the finest feel good television shows out there, providing its audience with quality storytelling that remains lighthearted at every single turn and it's a show that you instantly fall in love with since it is filled to the brim with positive messages and vibrant characters that always find a way to work together to save the day. 

It's simply a wonderful way to spend an hour of your time, but alas as season three approached, I began to wonder just how long this show could keep the fun stuff going because conflict is what drives a story and to date, these intrepid heroes have to yet to truly dive into a major and challenging conflict. That's not a knock on the show by any means because the fun and joy this show brings to the table is refreshing to find on television to say the least, but at some point every story has to challenge itself to move to new heights and new places and as I settled in to watch the season three premiere of the show, 'And the Rise of Chaos', I see that the folks behind the scenes realized that the show is indeed facing these kinds of 'issues' and this premiere made sure to address every last one of them.

A fine example of this...the sense of comfort and invincibility that the now fully united Librarians carried upon their shoulders in this week's episode. There was nothing that could phase them or worry them as they retrieved one artifact after another and that air of invulnerability stayed with them once the big challenge for the week came about when they were introduced to an ancient Egyptian God named Apep, also known as the God of Chaos, who inhabited an unlucky tourist in the hopes of getting his hands on a key that would help him unleash evil upon the entire world. Naturally, our team defeated Apep, finding that the unity they now share is the only way resist the powers of a being like Apep and well, it truly seemed like all was well, but the subtlety and simplicity that went into this story has managed to set up an incredible story arc for the season, one that absolutely has my attention.

Because at the end of the episode Jenkins and Flynn had quite the conversation, where Flynn revealed that Judson once warned him that an ultimate battle between good and evil was on its way and Jenkins provided us with his own chilling input upon this revelation, that the war has already begun. Which brings us back to that sense of invincibility that the Librarians now exhibit, because that will soon come back to haunt them. As this war escalates and things get tough, this intrepid group could potentially find themselves challenged and rattled in ways they never imagined which means that for the first time in the series, there is a grand conflict brewing for the group and it will take everything they've learned and all the trust they've built with one another to come together and conquer their upcoming foes.

In addition to that foreboding surprise, it was also evident that the show has a completely different feel to it for this season. There's a heavy air and sense of doom creeping in the background. Not to the point where the show has changed its style and design, but enough to make us realize that this is going to be one epic season, wrought with epic storytelling. But it wasn't all gloom and doom this episode. Everything we love about the show was found everywhere you look, heck, we even got a shout out to Stumpy as well, but when when all is said and done it's clear The Librarians is a show that's growing up quickly, and finding new ways to challenge the characters and the audience and I'm excited to see what season three has in store for us and I can't wait to find out how this wonderful group of human beings are going to save the world once again.

Despite the fact that Supergirl is hands down one of the most intelligent superhero television shows out there, it's also a series that never forgets where it came from. We've seen this series tackle some iconic moments from the comic books, often times repurposing some of Superman's best stories and bringing them to life on the small screen and the end result of that has always been fantastic.  

So imagine my surprise and outright joy when I heard that the Cyborg Superman, a villain that made life hell for the people of earth when Superman died so many years ago, was coming to Kara Zor-El's world and while his appearance on last night's episode of the show most certainly did not disappoint, he was merely the appetizer for what turned out to be a full course meal of action and adventure and flat out comic book goodness because 'The Darkest Place' ended up being one of the most action packed episodes that the show has put forth this season, and as an added bonus it even answered one of the biggest questions that the show has left us wondering about over the past half year...what happened to Jeremiah Danvers?

But before we get too deep into that, let's talk about this week's side story which saw James dealing with some incredible challenges as the Guardian. Despite the fact that he was saving the day left and right...he found himself under fire from N.C.P.D. when an imposter in similar armor decided to start committing murder in the name of justice, in essence framing James. This is where the show delved into a hint of Batman territory in brilliant fashion as Wynn and James worked overtime to figure out who framed the Guardian and how exactly they can bring him down and their sleuthing paid off in spades since they were able to figure out the man behind this murdering spree was an Ex-Navy Seal out to avenge his late wife and by capturing this man...James was able to show everyone that the Guardian is indeed standing on the right side of the law and hopefully N.C.P.D. can find a way to work with him amicably from here on out and when all is said and done, it was simply incredible to see Wynn and James work in tandem like this. They really do make quite the pair and it seems as though when they put their minds together, nothing can stop them.

But the centerpiece of the night...was the return of Cadmus. Yes this evil organization clearly has something big up their sleeve since the kidnapping of Mon-El was designed to do one thing, draw out Kara and well...she takes the bait and that's where the Cyborg Superman came into play and he...was...AWESOME! They kept some elements of his character true to the comics by allowing for the original Hank Henshaw to become this iconic being and after he gave Supergirl the beatdown of a life time we saw Cadmus go to work on her, forcing her to burn out her powers once again so they could harness some of her blood so that Cyborg Supes could gather information on a project known as Medusa from the archives at the Fortress of Solitude. But what matters more...is that we discovered that Jeremiah Danvers is okay...at least it seems that way. He was the reason Kara and Mon-El escaped Cadmus' little funhouse and not only was it a joy to see Dean Cain return to the show once again but Jeremiah's brief appearance served as the heart for this episode since he was able to tell Kara that she made him proud by becoming quite the hero.

What truly made this episode special however, was the fact that it was just downright fun. After spending several weeks toying around in more cerebral storylines or tales filled with social commentary, the series basically decided to take a break and deliver some chills and thrills and it was a wonderful way to change up the pace of the season so far. Not that there's anything wrong with having incredibly intelligent stories on a show like this but hey, we like seeing super fights and super feats to satisfy the big kid in all of us, so my thanks to the show for mixing up the formula this week and for setting up some juicy plot points for the rest of the season. After all, J'onn has to deal with the fact that he is slowly turning into a White Martian because of the transfusion he received from M'gann last week and I think all of us are wondering what the heck Medusa is...and what Cadmus wants with it. I'm sure we will find out in due time, but before we get to that...I do believe we have an awesome superhero crossover to deal with first...until next time...

The all-important narrative is the only way to survive in Delos’ park of excitement and Bernard has been privy to seeing this first hand, but now he has become part of the story on another level. Feeling pain for killing his ex-lover in Theresa, Bernard is directed by Dr. Ford to perform the cover up as well. Being able to manipulate all of the park systems, he is promised a clean slate by his friend, but wants to know much more before his memories are erased and he can only hope that Ford tells him the truth about what is happening to him, along with why his memories feel so real.

Finding Theresa’s body in the park, the autopsy shows that she suffered a massive head wound from a fall and the group is happy with that explanation. But there is more information that is coming to light about the now deceased park boss as transmission devices have been found with her body, the same ones that were pulled from the woodcutter host. Knowing now that there was some sort of espionage going on in the park, Stubbs has been drawn into the plot once again and needs to find out how deep the spying inside of Westworld actually goes, yet Ms. Hale can care less, especially since she knows where all of the information was being sent. Needing to find another way to stop Ford from completing his next story, Charlotte turns to the lead storyteller Lee for help that she cannot get anywhere else.

As she continues to try and find the entrance to the maze with William, Dolores’ memories are becoming more real than normal. Knowing the river that she is following is from another time in her life, she leads her friend to her home town that was torn down sometime in the past. With nobody around, Dolores sees the town as it was when she lived there, even the training personnel from the park teaching the townspeople how to dance. Everything is as it was when gun shots ring out, killing everyone in the streets and Dolores is faced with the reality of what her subroutines were designed to do. Keeping her from trying to kill herself may be the only thing William is able to do as an old friend/foe has returned to try and keep him from achieving his goal.

Continuing to track down Wyatt, Teddy and the Man in Black are entering a killing field that no one has dare ventured into before. Knowing that he is a killer as well, at least that is what the new storyline for Teddy says, he is starting to have flashes of other memories as well and most of them surround the Man in Black. Stumbling upon on a survivor from Wyatt’s last killing spree, the two men try to gather any information that may be helpful when one of Wyatt’s men comes to play. Working as a team, the two men are able to subdue the oversized beast, but Teddy’s memory banks come back a hundred percent and he knows what kind of man the Man in Black really is, especially after seeing him have his way with Dolores in another lifetime. Tying up his new friend and getting information about the Man in Black that nobody has been privy to, the maze may be the only way he can get retribution for his crimes inside and outside of the park, but with a double cross coming, the Man in Black may not be ready for what comes next in the story.

Maeve is still trying to find a way to get out of the park and with help from Felix and Sylvester, she knows at least one part of her plan will work, gaining control of her own mind. With current updates, Maeve has been able to keep herself awake during her sessions on the table when the park has been shut down for an extraction, but she wants more power. Needing a new upgrade that will grant her humanlike access in the park, the two techs are against it, however Felix is not able to deny the host her rights since in his eyes, she is alive. With new programming, Maeve is able to control her own storyline in the park by telling the other hosts what to do, now she is left with her final challenges; escaping the complex and building an army.

Doctor Ford knows of the plans to relieve him of power over his creations and will not allow it to happen at any cost. With his new 'killbot' Bernard coping with the issue of taking a life, Ford is willing to play God with him and simply erase his memories. Confronting Ms. Hale about the skewed testing that was put on display to get rid of his oldest friend in the park, Ford is able to get Bernard reinstated and back to work since the two have much to do. With plenty on his plate already, Ford also takes over Theresa’s duties in the park, which gives him more access than he has had in years. Whatever Ford’s plan is for the park, he does not seem to understand that simply erasing the memories of his hosts is not as permanent as he guarantees as several hosts are starting to remember their past lives and getting ready to act on these memories.

A dark cloud has been released over Westworld in this episode, showing how much power really means to several characters. Ford is on his own with his host Bernard to take over most of the park duties, which Delos is trying to remove him from, yet they cannot stop him, nor know what he is up to in an unsupervised part of the park. Even though it seems hard for Bernard to come to terms with what he is and what he has done, his programming seems to work just fine and his friend Ford is able to control him with any word he speaks. The Man in Black is left in a hard place as he opens up to a host and we all know that whatever the end game is for him, there will be a river of blood flowing in the park. The re-emergence of Logan has both William and Dolores shaking in their boots, yet I think that this will be short lived since William has been very clear in that he has no trust for this man and will do anything for his new western love. Maeve still has the best story going right now with her reprogramming and with her starting to remember things that were programmed by Arnold that none of the programmers seem to know a thing about. With the ability to kill and control her fellow hosts, or even hurt the guests, Maeve’s breakout of the facility will be nothing less than a bloodbath, and she only has two more episodes to make it happen.

The beauty of a television show when it enters its second season, is that the people behind the scenes are no longer shackled by the need to build a world and establish who and what the characters are all about. They can finally explore brave new frontiers storytelling wise, and take the people that inhabit this world to new and exciting places and that's something that Blunt Talk has embraced throughout its stellar second season. Every single week, this show has not only managed to leave us in stitches, but it continually examines the human condition, looking at the little things that make us special.

Last night's episode, 'A Cell Doesn't Have to Be a Closet​', was of course no exception, but rather than stay on the current examination of love and what it does to us...the show decided to explore something far more primal...fear and the dangers and benefits that come with it. Yes, you read that right, and while that's an ominous description of this episode, have no fear, the laughs came fast and furious last night and this particular concept was explored by way of two characters, Walter and Shelly. But what made the storytelling so extremely special for this episode, was that this episode took the time to examine fear in both subtle and direct fashion.

The direct approach came by way of Shelly, since with Walter in jail, someone had to fill in as host and rather than go with Jim, Gardner made the decision to put Shelly on the air. This led to quite the power trip from Miss Tinkle, as her ego spun out of control, allowing her to make incredible demands of the team and threaten their jobs when she was displeased with their performance, and this unexpected  fire and zest came from a simple place...fear. She was terrified of failing on the air, and confessed to Martin that she truly believed that she has never deserved success and her fear of it, has forced her to self sabotage on a regular basis. But Martin being the gentle soul that he is, pressed her to move forward and seize this opportunity and she was able to embrace her fear in order to overcome it.

While the UBS team scrambled to keep the show going, Walter, Harry and Rafe adjusted to life on the inside and well, that's when the show really delved into some hilarious territory. Because prison in this world, is not quite what you would expect it to be. There was no despair or excessive violence to be found here. Just a bunch of dudes enjoying their meals, their theater readings and tons of consensual sex to the point where Duncan Adler referred to the joint as 'one big happy orgy.' 

It was a safe place for Rafe to discover his love of acting and without the threat of violence hanging over their head every minute of the day, Walter was able to reflect upon what brought him to this moment in his life and well...this is where fear was examined in subtle fashion. Because in these precious moments, Walter's fear of having wasted his career away slowly bubbled to the surface, driving him to desperation, to the point where he agreed to have Rosalie use the nuclear option in getting him out of jail, all in the hopes of making it back to the station in time for his broadcast to spread the word about the evil of Rudolph Global and to hopefully sway minds for the upcoming vote. The nuclear option turned out to be Ronnie and he did get Walter out in time to make it back to UBS for the show...only for Walter to see his world quickly turned upside down since he received the news that he's suspended until the charges are cleared up, meaning he was forced to watch Shelly Tinkle do her thing...and do it well...

Which means that Walter's drive and ambition to expose Rudolph Global is now costing him dearly. It's given Shelly a chance at the big chair and left Walter out in the cold and well, where we go from here is anyone's guess, and all of this stems from Walter's fear and belief that he has been wasting his career away and by not picking and choosing his battles, by forging ahead without giving it any thought...he now has to deal with some ugly consequences. Clearly the only way for Walter to redeem himself at this point is to find a way to crack his investigation wide open or find some kind of smoking gun but either way, this was a fascinating episode to say the least, one that balanced the comedy and the drama to perfection and once again I'm dying to know where the story is going to take us next. Until next time.