Thus far on Designated Survivor, the vast majority of issues and problems that President Tom Kirkman has had to deal in his short time as leader of the free world are domestic issues and well...why wouldn't they be? After all, the United States was attacked in vicious fashion it's been his task for some time now to rebuild the Federal Government and get America back on track.

Oddly enough, last week's episode almost signaled a slight finale to Kirkman's domestic plight, since he finally had the buy in the from the Governors, elections were about to be held to rebuild Congress...and that sense of safety continued this week, since professional sports resumed play in the good 'ol U.S. of A., and well this air of normalcy almost seemed out of place. Yes, life goes on, but there's still that ugly conspiracy working behind the scenes and while that continues to be dealt with slowly, it just seemed odd that suddenly it was business as usual in Washington. But thankfully last night's episode 'The Traitor' gave Kirkman a new challenge to deal with, by putting him in the midst of an international chess game.

Because a seemingly innocent send off for a decorated track and field coach named Brad Watson, turned into a public relations nightmare when Watson is arrested in Russia for bringing HGH into the country. Naturally, it's a priority to bring an American sports hero home for the Kirkman Administration...but it becomes the top one once it is revealed to Tom that Brad...is an informant for the CIA. He observes and reports what he sees in other countries, so bringing him back is paramount to national security. It leads the President to carefully put together a three nation deal to send spies back to their respective countries, freeing Brad in the process...but despite his incredible work in making this deal come to fruition, Kirkman gets burned since it turns out that Watson is a double agent and more than happy to spend the rest of his days in Russia. 

As Kirkman worked on brokering this deal, the conspiracy surrounding Catalan took us on some dangerous and terrifying turns, because it clearly goes far beyond Congressman MacLeish. Because not only did we learn that Catalan is a person, a mercenary in fact that is so strong and lethal that even the CIA fear him, but we also came to find out that a vast network of shady people are working behind the scenes here, the kind of people who will do whatever it takes to get what they want. Case in point...they kidnapped Jason's son to not only pull him away from the MacLeish vetting process, but to confront him and let him know that if he doesn't do as they ask and help them as they see fit...Jason's son and family will suffer a horrible fate.  

If anything, that little twist ups the game for the show, and one has to wonder now exactly what this mystery organization has up their sleeve for both America and the President since they 'requested' that Jason schedule a meeting with Tom and quite frankly, I'm fascinated by this whole plot thread because clearly they've been working from the shadows for some time and I'm dying to know everything about them. In the meantime though, this episode was quite the pleasant surprise, since I initially thought it might go the boring route considering diplomacy was involved but it ended up being quite thrilling and I love that this particular tale, was another on the job teaching moment for Kirkman since he now knows that not everyone is quite what they seem and to exercise a little more caution before blindly trusting people he doesn't fully know. Either way, this show continues to find new ways to suck me in and I can't until the next episode to see if we learn more about Catalan and the evil going on behind the scenes. Until next time. 

So far the third season of The Flash has been a fascinating character study on both heroes and villains. We've seen stories that explore the sacrifice a hero must undergo when they make the choice to protect others and what it means to be a hero and how that role inspires others. We've also seen stories that explore the flip side of that for the bad guys and gals out there too. Specifically, the sacrifices they make as well and what they leave behind by choosing a life of evil. 

While all of this has been fascinating to watch, it turns out that these little vignettes have been nothing more than a grand setup for some tough choices for our characters to make since last night's episode, 'Shade', put both Caitlin and Wally in the toughest positions they've been in so far this season and it seems after this one, nothing will quite be the same in Barry's altered timeline. For Wally, the day that everyone on the team feared arrived at last since he began to dream about his life in the other timeline where he was the Flash and life was awesome. While there's nothing wrong with having kickass dreams, Joe knew what kind of trouble this meant...that Alchemy was reaching out to his son and things would only get worse.

Indeed the process of selection for Meta Human conversion had begun for Wally and this is where the episode delved into some fascinating territory. Because Alchemy's summoning brought forth incredible conflict for Wally, since the allure of becoming a speedster remains a strong draw for him and while at first he wasn't worried about the matter, it's clear as the episode rolled on that he wondered what kind of man he would become with such power at his fingertips, and the team was gravely concerned that he would suffer the same fate as everyone else that was converted at Alchemy's hands and turn to a life of evil. Granted he did make the bold and heroic decision to lead Joe and Barry into the monster's lair to fight Alchemy, but despite his best attempts to stay human and ignore temptation...the draw was just too great and Wally gave in, touched the gem and entered his cocoon...

As Wally dealt with all of that, Caitlin went on a more personal journey, because the fear growing inside of her regarding her own powers...and the potential to become Killer Frost finally pushed her to a precarious place mentally and in a surprise moment, she swiped a pair of power inhibiting handcuffs to stave off the inevitable. Her decision led Cisco to believe that HR swiped them, forcing Caitlin to finally own up to the theft and her powers and she begged Cisco to look into the future in the hopes of seeing a tomorrow where she wasn't a monster. Alas, Cisco's vision was that of a battle between Vibe and Killer Frost and well, when you combine that and Cisco telling the team about her powers in the hopes of altering the future, Caitlin's story is becoming a heartbreaking one to say the least...and a dangerous one as well. Because sometimes it's the little things that change us and the setbacks that Caitlin has been dealing with...could put her on a slippery slope.

But what's truly amazing is that this is the first time this season that the show has returned to the darkness that permeated season two. After all, uncertainty now hangs over everything in this reformed timeline since we are left wondering as to whether or not Wally or Caitlin will stay on a path of righteousness or turn to the dark side, and I'm loving the fact that the show is in essence, forcing Barry to pay the piper for his selfish decision to change the timeline. No more can he simply 'get by' in this new world, everything is starting to crumble and Barry is about to face off against his greatest challenge this year since we now know that Alchemy is really the God of Speed known as Savitar and he is none too pleased that Barry has been toying with time. Either way, things should get extremely interesting from here on out. Until next time.

Supergirl is that rare television show that knows exactly how to give us a compelling and moving story week in and week out and it accomplishes this by providing us with a unique blend of vibrant comic book stories, rich characters and perhaps the most important element of all...reaching the audience on a personal level. There's often something everyone can relate to when they sit down to watch this show and if anything the series has managed to amp this up in its second season so far, by taking real world elements and presenting them on screen...and, by tackling some issues that people face on a daily basis.

In fact, both of these storytelling elements popped up in last night's episode 'Changing', a story where the title fits everything perfectly, because not only were we privy to a rare television appearance of the age old Superman standby villain in Parasite, but the characters on this show took some bold steps in accomplishing what has become an overreaching theme/story arc for season two...finding true happiness by embracing who you are in life, and pursuing goals that will help fulfill you on a personal level and in the process of bringing these themes back to the surface, it managed to tie together several storylines that the series set up last week, starting with James Olsen...and his quest to be a hero. 

If anything, circumstances worked out perfectly for James this week since the Parasite turned out to be quite the formidable villain for Kara and even J'onn to face off against since he was true to his comic book roots and able to sap the energy and/or life force from any being he touched and well...by laying his hands down upon National City's protector, he put her down and out for the count, leading to the opportunity for James to debut the Guardian, and this being finally gave Mon-El the chance to do something more with his powers than drink people under the table. It's clear that the battle that ensued gave James a renewed sense of purpose in life and the final showdown with Parasite and Kara was a fine demonstration of just how far she's come as a hero, since she knew the only outcome for this one was death for someone...and in taking Parasite's life...the burden of such a decision remains with her and no one else.

But, the centerpiece of this episode was that slice of real life by way of Alex's journey. After all, she's been struggling with her sexual identity for weeks now and last night, she finally came to realize that battling or repressing her feelings for women isn't something new for her, it's been a struggle her entire life and in touching fashion...she came out to her sister and well, I applaud the show for not making this some magical moment where everything was going to be okay. The show made Alex's decision scary, difficult and embarrassing and I appreciated the humanity that went into all of it, but the show had more of a story to tell us. Because in addition to coming out to Kara, and a wonderful moment where Kara lamented making her powers the focus when growing up...Alex went all out to let Maggie know what she had discovered about herself and that she wanted the opportunity to explore a relationship with Maggie...and promptly found herself rejected by the woman who brought out the best in her. It was a devastating turn of events, and outright heartbreaking to watch Alex deal with harsh rejection after expressing her feelings to the first woman that ever truly brought them to the surface.

If anything, that particular storyline gave this episode a bittersweet feel because regardless of your sexual identity, we've all been rejected by someone we've had strong feelings for, who helped us feel special and it's amazing that a show about a flying alien can find a way to reach all of us like that. Hopefully Alex bounces back from the heartbreak soon as well, because she's a damn good person who deserves someone special in her life. Either way, this is just another incredibly intelligent episode from this show and it pleases me to no end that a superhero show is suddenly one of the most progressive television series out there and I get the feeling we're just getting started. However, we can't end this recap without pointing out the fact that Cadmus is upping their game, and heaven only knows what kind of horrible things they have in mind for Mon-El now that they've captured him. So here's to hoping Supergirl can get to him just in the nick of time...

Riding on the train with gang leader Lawrence, William and Dolores have made it further into the game than most. Not knowing what to expect, William is taking this trip to help out his new friend and help her find out what her life really means, yet Dolores has no idea what she will find. Passing through the Ghost Nation, the train is sealed up so no scalps can be taken from anyone aboard, and feeling secure, William comes clean to Dolores about what this adventure really means to him. Letting his guard down for a moment, the park has opened up a new aspect to his life that has never been apparent before, and William is ready to take the next step in securing his place in the old west.

With one of the Delos board members in the building, Theresa is beckoned to Charlotte’s room for a brief discussion of what has been happening in the park. Knowing that the flawed update has caused issues, Charlotte is ready to prove to everybody that the park is no longer safe and in doing so, she will be able to get Dr. Ford to step down. Going along with what her boss has planned, Theresa has Clementine pulled from the saloon and brought into a holding cell. With all eyes on the flawed host, Clementine is forced to exhibit her lack of constraint that the update has caused in her and around the park and she is set to be retired permanently. But the host is not the only one on the hot seat, since her flawed programming has been cleared by Bernard’s group and now he is forced to supply answers to what is going on.

Not knowing about the plan to submarine his work, Bernard is trying to see if any of the other hosts are having issues with memory and is coming up short in his investigation. Needing to talk to Elsie about what she has found, he is shocked to hear that she is not in the building.  Being summoned to a review with Theresa, Bernard gets to see a demonstration that is blamed on him, yet he knows that it has nothing to do with his programming. Finding himself fired, Bernard still has work to do and is able to get a few minutes with his past lover. Telling Theresa what he has been able to find around the park, he takes her to Ford’s hidden shack and the two discover a host facility that albeit slow when it comes to manufacturing, can bring forth new, off the grid hosts, in a matter of days. Wanting to find out what Ford is up to, Theresa stumbles upon a few blue prints that will change her outlook on the genius forever.

After seeing her best friend Clementine taken away, Maeve is desperate to know what is happening in her world.  Being able to get sent back down to Felix for yet another bullet removal, she is ready to discover what else is happening in the facility. Even with the top brass present in the facility, Felix takes her on the tour once again, but this time she sees a host being retired once and for all. Seeing that death is real, Maeve will need to move faster to find a way to get herself out of the park before her secrets are discovered. Needing to find someone to take the lead, Maeve cannot depend on the humans, but she has plenty of little helpers in the park that will suit her needs just fine.

The struggle for power continues in the park as Ford is being faced with yet another issue, that humans are trying to take his park away from him. Watching as Clementine shows a lack of restraint and outright disobeys every command to stop, he is smart enough to know that it is not the programming at play here, this is all a sham to try and get him out of the way. Not even batting an eye when his closest friend in the park is dismissed by Ms. Hale, he has something else on his mind and is ready to make yet another change to the narrative. Having Bernard lead Theresa to his off-site work shop, Ford is happy to show what he has been able to do without the help of the Delos Company and Theresa finds out his nasty secret, that a blood sacrifice is needed to keep the park running at full efficiency once again. 

I don’t know if eye opening is the proper term for this episode, but it does leave you feeling miffed about what is happening in the park. The biggest bombshell has been exposed as Ford reveals that his best and trusted friend Bernard is another host that has had his back for many years. But more than that is coming to light as we continue to find out the importance of the narrative and what Arnold was really responsible for in the park. At this point, I am dying to know more about Arnold and what made him go off the deep end when creating the hosts and what secrets he had planned for the park before he died. William finally opens up to temptation and it is not all about killing for him, but experiencing love in a way that he never has before. Vowing to stay at Dolores’s side until she is able to complete the maze, he may find that he is more than all in for an adventure that will surely change his life in several more ways. And seeing Maeve getting ready to escape the confines of the park, this is my favorite storyline right now, as she knows exactly what she is and will not be retired before her time is up. With new programming and no constraints to keep her from harming a human, there will be more than one sacrifice made to the park gods before everything is said and done. 

​Truly, it has been quite the magical season when it comes to Blunt Talk. Not only have we been privy to hilarious jokes week in and week out, we've been blessed with top notch writing and incredible character arcs and one continious surprise; the fact that this show has managed to deliver one stunning cliffhanger after another without turning it into a publicity stunt. No promos, no gimmicks. Just rich storytelling that draws you in to the point where you have to know what is coming next and last night's episode, 'I Can't Believe I Made Love to a Sociopath' is a fine example of all of this.

In fact, this episode not only accomplished everything on that list, it also followed in the tradition of last week's tale by going all out and packing this episode to the brim with enough story to fill an hour long show and it accomplished this with a heavier focus on this year's theme of love and relationships by diving right into what happens when we simply go for what we want in life and how sometimes, we find ways to compromise and make a relationship work when we have yet to work upon ourselves and deal the baggage we carry and surprisingly, the 'go for it' thematic concept came to us by way of Martin and his flat out asking Rosalie 2 if he could be with other women. At first it seemed as though his honesty would backfire, but in the end she acquiesced and just like that Martin found himself on top of the world, in the midst of a polyamorous relationship with a pair of Rosalies.

But while it was amazing to see Martin have his every wish fulfilled by merely asking for what he wanted, things are still rough for Jimelia. This go round,  we learned that when the going gets tough for Celia in matters of romance, she turns to sexual therapy and a booty call to our favorite proctologist, Dr. Rudy and a resultant fight between he and Jim results in an interesting understanding between the two lovers. They more or less come to realize that they have mountains of issues internally, after all, Jim is regressing to hoarding in addition to his embracing his insecurities around being alone and Celia's sense of self worth is virtually non existent, but at the same time, it's clear these two are madly in love with one another, but haven't a clue how to do this whole thing right...so they settle on declaring themselves friends, allowing for them to spend time with one another stress free and this whole plot thread was downright fascinating. Because often times in stories such as this, both sides agree they have to be better, they have to find a way through their issues to be happy...and here these two have found a way to function and heal at the same time and accept their flaws in the process.

But, in between those wonderful stories, there was still the nasty matter of Rudolph Global to deal with, and the private detective they hired to go after Walter and thanks to a surprise visit from his son Rafe, Walter was able to bring another person along to confront the mystery man known as Arbogast and surprise, surprise...Arbogast turned out to be the suspicious character that we've seen spying on Walter and Cornelia from the shadows all season long. It turns out that he isn't much of a man to be feared, since his job for the Rudolph family consists of nothing more than observation and blackmail when necessary, but while he isn't able to provide Walter with all the answers he needs, the man can certainly serve a purpose by going on the air and making it known that he was hired by Rudolph Global to smear Walter and the story he has been putting together.

But alas, the detective's revelation was never meant to be heard by the masses since Arbogast cancels his appearance on the show, but offers a consolation prize to Walter, the names of the men who hurt his darling Cornelia. It's a tidbit that Walter simply cannot pass up and right before the all important rehearsal dinner for his ex wife's wedding, he, Harry and Rafe return to Arbogast's office...only to find the man has been brutally murdered. But before Walter can call the police and let them deal with the matter, Harry spots and grabs the Logbook and handles the murder weapon as well, allowing the situation to go from bad to worse when the L.A.P.D. does arrive...to promptly arrest Walter and Harry...and Rafe after he slugs a police officer, for the murder of Arbogast and just like that...it's game, set and match from Rudolph Global since they have clearly done a fine job of framing Walter.

However, while that stunning twist of an ending seems like the show went into some darker territory, that's simply not the case. This was a bittersweet story about life, and all the ups and downs that come with it and that how sometimes, even the best intentions will backfire upon us when circumstances are beyond our control and I'm reminded of what Rosalie said at the end of the episode, about how people are punished for when things are going so well...and I simply have to disagree with her. Nothing that happened to anyone last night is punishment, just the strange way our tiny little world works and it's beautiful to see Blunt Talk explore that. But despite that lovely little philosophical moment from the show, the mystery of Rudolph Global continues and one has to wonder how the heck Walter is going to get out of this mess. Until next time.

It's been so far, so good for President Tom Kirkman on Designated Survivor. He's handled the devastating attack on the United States Government with grace and poise. He's stood up to insubordinate members of his cabinet, stopped insurrection dead in its tracks and even managed to bring a major terrorist to justice. Yes, he's doing quite the fine job to say the least and with such big crises behind him, the time has come to start rebuilding a fractured nation. 

Last night's episode, 'The Interrogation', was the genesis of that process, as Tom invited all fifty governors to the White House to appoint a standing Congress and set a date for special elections to select a House of Representatives and while that plot line alone sounds like it should be boring and dry...it most certainly wasn't. Because up until this point, Tom has dealt little with the day to day rigors of politics and well, leave it to this show to make such a thing damn interesting since the governors in attendance were more than ready to grill the President on a great number of subjects and with good reason...they don't know the man, or what he is about and in these tense times, they have to know if Tom is someone they can truly trust.  

So naturally, Tom did his best to answer their questions, but for the first time ever...we saw the pressure finally get to him. After all, these governors were ruthless, challenging the legitimacy of his Presidency and ripping into his character...to the point where it seemed as though Tom was ready to step aside and let someone else deal with the job. But rather than allow that to happen, we saw Aaron step up in his role and explain to Kirkman how his grit and resolve and drive made Aaron a believer and it was time for him to do the same with the governors and well, that little pep talk brought back the fiery Kirkman we have all come to know and love. But despite his best efforts to simply woo them, the governors had another idea in mind...they had come to Washington to bargain and in exchange for temporarily closing the borders to our country, he would receive his Senate. 

But the title of this episode did not merely extend to President Kirkman's story. A gunman that took aim at the White House, one loyal to Al-Sakar prompted Kirkman to order the FBI to get a confession from Majid Nassar in order to get him moved to a more secure location and this little plot thread, continued to advance the mystery of who blew up Capitol Hill because Hannah and Jason were indeed able to get Nassar to confess...to the fact that he took responsibility for someone else's work, a mystery person known only as 'Catalan'. However, who that name belongs to still remains a mystery since the FBI database has no information related to it and their only source of information in Nassar is gone now, courtesy of a poisoned dinner, and it's clear now that whomever or whatever Hannah and Jason are up against are powerful and well connected to say the least. 

Either way, I have to admit that while this episode was entertaining and I am thoroughly enjoying the conspiracy plot line and how we get just enough week in and week out...the constant challenging of Tom's Presidency is getting a little old. I can understand a few people going after it here and there, but the Line of Succession is no secret and it is as legitimate as it gets in order to keep the Government functioning, so here's to hoping we are about done with that particular element storytelling wise. Outside of that little quirk, it was good to see the President get down to business politics wise and I love the fact that Kirkman truly doesn't have a taste for all the posturing and dealmaking that occurs to get things done. It speaks to the fact he just wants to govern and do what's right for his country, but he also understands...that a deal has to be made from time to time. Either way, the clock is ticking for the FBI to figure out how MacLeish is connected into all of this mess, and let's hope they can figure it out, before Tom officially appoints him as the Vice President. Until next time.

As the second season of Supergirl continues to unfold before our eyes, one thing is becoming inherently clear...this is a show that is going to give everything and anything a try when it comes to storytelling and it's a gambit that continues to pay off week after week, and it's a tradition that extended to last night's episode, 'Crossfire'.  In fact, this week's tale might actually be the series' most ambitious effort to date, combining much of the intelligent storytelling we have been privy to all season long, while throwing back in some action and adventure, and bringing back this season's big bad in Cadmus.

Yes, this episode was loaded to the brim with goodies, and well...let's start with a discussion about Cadmus and the evil deeds they are up to because that plot line served as the setup for something quite magical and positive as only this show can do. Because as it turns out, Cadmus made its move on Supergirl last night, handing out alien weapons to common and everyday criminals in the hopes of doing one thing...turning the good people of National City and the world against the aliens that live amongst them. Never mind the fact that humans were using these weapons to commit crimes, the sheer notion that alien weapons were loose, that aliens even created such devices did the job in spreading fear and disdain toward aliens, and it made Supergirl's job all the more difficult as well, but Cadmus' plan backfired because living in a city with a superhero...sometimes manages to inspire the soul. 

Take for example James, after losing his father's camera in a fight with those exact criminals, something inside him snapped. He was no longer content to be James Olsen the photographer, he realized he needed to do something more for this world, especially considering that he pointed out aloud that his best friends are heroes that constantly save the day while he just watches and our intrepid CatCo CEO felt the need to take matters into his own hands and become a vigilante. In addition to that awesome little twist, we also found out that Lena Luthor is indeed a good gal after all. The favor Kara owed her was recalled and all she wanted was Supergirl to show up to a gala event, so she could help the Girl of Steel take out these ugly weapons and do something good for a change and well...it was a wonderful twist to see people not giving into the fear, finding inspiration in what Supergirl does and fighting back to make their city a safer place. 

Yet while all of this was going on, there was one character that went on a supremely personal journey, one that the show has been skirting around for weeks as Alex finally began to explore her feelings for Maggie Sawyer. Following Maggie's latest breakup, Alex was constantly worrying about the tough as nails detective, doing her best to lift her spirits and since Maggie basically doesn't have a filter she flat out wanted to know if Alex was coming onto her. It was a statement that left Alex constantly questioning herself and while this plot thread was handled in subtle fashion as she came to terms with her sexuality, it was a damn important one to say the least. LGBTQ characters are scarce in television these days and it's refreshing to see that Supergirl is once again addressing something this important in its storytelling and while Alex didn't exactly come out last night, it's clear she has a special place in her heart for Maggie and that's just wonderful.

In the end however, it's safe to call this ambitious episode a success because it delivered on all fronts with its story. The action was flat out amazing and breathtaking, case in point, when Kara had to haul it into the stratosphere to save a police officer from hurtling into earth orbit and I love that suddenly so many characters on the show this season are trying to either find out more about who they are or are trying to become more in life. It's rare to see that kind of push for universal character growth, but considering that this series is constantly trying new things this should come as no surprise and speaking of surprises, we do need to talk about that ending for a moment because I know I'm not the only one whose jaw dropped when we discovered that Lena's mother is the head of Cadmus. It's a reveal that honestly explains so much, specifically why Cadmus is so anti-alien, considering that Lex is in prison courtesy of an alien and it should make the fight against them all the more personal, especially once Lena finds out what mom is up to...until next time.

Elsie will not stop digging and needs to find out what is going on around the park with the uplink that she has discovered in a host and Bernard has joined the hunt. Making his way down in the building, Bernard jumps into the system where he can track the hosts, yet not be tracked himself. Finding the spot where the woodcutter was transmitting, he is also surprised to see that there are five more hosts that are off grid and with a looming issue coming his way and with the board members watching every move the park makes, he needs to find out what is happening. Stepping into the park however may not be his best chance at getting answers since Ford is ready and waiting for him.
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Finding out that Dr. Ford knows too much about what is happening in the park, even when it comes to the employees, Theresa has decided to call it quits with Bernard. Yet, she will need to interact with him on a business level until she can figure out how to convince the board that the park is still stable and able to produce a massive income. But one thing she needs to have done is get her primary narrative writer back on track to continue and make changes to Ford’s new story that is leaving holes everywhere. Finding Lee lounging and drinking himself stupid, Theresa is forced to get a little harsh with the employee, but hopes it is enough to have him get back into the game. With the narrative of the park at his fingertips, Lee is fed up with what has happened to his beautiful story and would rather make it known that he should be in charge of the park and all of the writing that goes into it, in stunning fashion.

The Man in Black and Teddy are making their way through the prairie to find Wyatt and get into the maze. While chatting, The Man in Black finds out that Teddy has more information than any of his previous hosts that he has tried to get information out of. It turns out the maze is nothing more than an old wives tale, a house built to keep people confused, and while it is what the two men need to find, they are entering a part of the story where lines start to be crossed. Seeing the town of Pariah and knowing that it is full of soldiers, the men try their luck moving through a camp instead. But when things start to go sideways when Teddy is recognized, all bets are off and the two are forced to slap iron to try and escape their new confines, taking out as many of the soldiers as they can before moving on once again.

Making his way into an abandoned section of the park, Bernard is able to find the rogue hosts and is surprised to see that Dr. Ford is right there with them. Not being able to make any commands that the hosts will respond to, Bernard is beside himself seeing that his mentor is the only one who can control them. Seeing the life that Ford has made for himself inside the park, Bernard is faced with yet another decision about what to do with what is going on in the shadows of the park. Knowing that one of the characters in the uncontrolled house is Albert, Ford’s former partner, Bernard may have to find a way to get this program shut down before someone else finds out about it. But Ford is not trying to hurt anyone and being the man in power that he is, Bernard has issues trying to take this non sanctioned project to the right people, even if it is the right thing to do.

Being able to wake herself up on command, Maeve will literally die to get more information about what is going on in her home. Befriending Lutz the technician, she is able to convince him to show her around the facility and find out more about her situation. Being taken to the different levels, Maeve sees that her world is a fraud and her memories along with her actions are nothing more than programming, and she comes to the conclusion that the world can be hers. Getting access to an upgrade however, Lutz finds out that her programming has already been altered by someone else, yet he still gives the Madame what she wants and is ready to release her back into the park.

This is a beautiful episode filled with discovery for many of the characters and while I love the gun fights, they do not help to grow the characters as much as you would like. With Maeve walking the halls of the facility and seeing fellow hosts being created, activated and trained to play a part, her eyes are opened to the real world that she is part of and she wants to take advantage of the game she is playing. Bernard has his eyes opened to a project that Ford has kept hidden from the park and while seeing that his mentor cannot let go of the past, he is challenged with his own and the loss of his son. While on his ride with The Man in Black, Teddy finds out more about what happened with himself and Wyatt when all of his fellow soldiers were killed in cold blood for no reason. And Elsie has found a satellite uplink in the park that is uploading data to the parent company's satellites, yet does not understand why. 

This is going to be a hard episode to top, and while they have all been great up to this point, you get a few questions answered in this one, yet at the same time many new questions come up about what is really happening in the park. I am finding the lack of trust that Ford has for everyone in the park interesting, since he challenges everyone's way of thinking when it comes to the hosts. He is living in a world of his own making and now things are starting to fall apart when he sees that his own creation is starting to kill so it cannot kill others. It's the 'Albert way' of thinking that has survived the program's changes and many updates and it paints a bleak world view of what society has become, yet in his way of thinking, death is the only way to stop the killing and the underlying programming is starting to surface in the park making it next to impossible to know which host will strike first. Now I am really excited to see what happens next, I really want to know about the Board and what they plan to do with the park, what Ford’s new narrative is really doing to the existing story and if Bernard is going to build a host and program it after his son.

All good things, come to those who wait. It's a phrase that I sometimes feel is far more applicable to television because our favorite shows are often quite good about rewarding us for our patience when it comes to important plot points or moments that we are dying to see and that phrase one hundred percent applies to the wondrous show that is Blunt Talk as well. Because after weeks of teasing us with a growing conspiracy revolving around Rudolph Global and water...the flood gates of storytelling were unleashed last night when it came to that plot thread, making 'Love Is Not Linear' the most hilariously thrilling episode of the series to date.

Now I know what you're thinking, how on earth can one use the words thrilling and hilarious in combination to describe a comedy series about a newscaster? Because there was indeed action and adventure and hilarity to be found in this tale and while at first it seems as though this change up is quite the left turn for a show that has spent quite some time this year focused heavily on love and how we deal with the wonder and horrors of it...have no fear, there was no straying from the foundational storytelling that this season has set up, because there was a fair amount of this episode dedicated to Celia's story, and how she is handling the break up and the revelation that her boyfriend is a part time gigolo and it turns out that Celia...is starting to struggle with some of the pain being thrown her way.

That matters because Celia is hands down, one of the strongest characters on the show. Sure she's pined for Jim and even cried for him. But she's tough, and she knows how to properly handle her emotions to get the job done and to survive to see another day. But this is a show that always knows how to serve up a slice of real life and much like the strongest people we know in our lives, tough times always find a way to manifest themselves regardless of how well they are ignored and shoved aside and for Celia...everything that's eating at her is starting to come through by way of vivid and powerful nightmares, ones that she doesn't quite understand at first, but with Rosalie's help, she comes to realize that these dreams are forcing her to second guess her decisions as of late and that they reflect her fears that her future will be filled with bitter loneliness.

But while that portion of the story was incredibly philosophical and cerebral, the true answer as to whether or not Celia has made the right call will have to wait for another episode, because it's high time we talk about what made this episode so thrilling...the fact that Rudolph Global has completely set its sights on Walter, in the hopes of bringing him down. We already knew this mysterious organization was dangerous considering what happened with Cornelia and other unfortunate souls, but until last night we had no clue just how smart and observant they are as well. They've clearly been keeping an eye on Walter for some time now and his broadcast on water recycling pushed them over the edge. Because shortly after that broadcast, Walter has dinner with Margaret Rudolph, and on behalf of her brother, the company makes their move. 

She drugs Walter's wine, sending him into a deep sleep allowing her to swipe the Logbook, cluing Walter into the fact that they are looking for dirt on him, and these people are digging so deep into Walter's life that they even bothered to make contact with Gisele, the hooker that was along for one crazy ride in the pilot episode last year. She is gracious enough to let Walter know someone is looking for information about him, allowing for the team to set up a trap to meet this person and get their own information, and well...the subsequent chase in the middle of a parking garage to find out who this mystery man is working for after they spook him is where the hilarity came into play, since this scene mixed together the thrill of action films since hey, car chase, while tossing in plenty of silly and slapstick moments before they finally corner the man and confront him to learn that a private eye has been hired to learn more about Walter. 

Either way, there's a sense of danger hanging over the show now and one has to wonder just how many people Rudolph Global has working to put Walter into ruin and well, it gives this season a sense of gravity that none of us were expecting to find and it's clearly a race against time now to expose this evil company and all their deeds before they make Walter's life and indiscretions public record and truth be told, I am loving this twist in the story. It gives Walter a sense of purpose he has never known in his career and it means that there is a good chance that the home stretch of this second season is going to be an absolute tour de force of hilarity and storytelling as Rudolph Global and Walter Blunt enter into a showdown for the ages. Until next time.