My Week in TV! (26/05-01/06)

Here is a ranking of the episodes I watched last week. Only six! Summer must be around the corner... Careful, this is no country for spoilerphobes.

6. Penny Dreadful: "Resurrection" (Season 1 Episode 3)

I did not enjoy this episode a lot. It was not bad but maybe, apart from Josh Hartnett's ass, a little unremarkable. The first part with the first monster was ok, I liked that his backstory was set in the theatre but I still preferred the second creature. He was gentle and his hair was not silly. Also, how come they quote Shelley? If Shelley exists in this world, does Mary Shelly exist too? And if she exists, what is going on? Is this Stranger Than Fiction? And then, I was a little lost. Vanessa had a vision so they went to the zoo but not for any fun stuff, just to find a vampire lair. They kidnap one of the vampires and try (to no avail, I think) to interrogate him about Mina. In the end it turns out that the vampires want Vanessa because she is the best and Mina is just bait. The best parts are Ethan and Brona having sex and Dorian Gray being nowhere to be seen.

MVP: Whoever decided to have Hartnett naked.

5. Orphan Black "Knowledge of Causes, and Secret Motion of Things" (Season 2 Episode 7)

I think this has been the best episode of the season so far. And yet, it only has made it to a fifth position but it was battling heavy weights. Finally, we see the plot thickening in some way I can understand. Finally, the clones are getting closer together again. One caveat though: no Helena is bad. But at least we had a lot of Alison and I even liked Cosima. And Kira obviously likes her since she is willing to give her teeth for her. So now that we know why Rachel wanted Kira, everything makes a little more sense. Except the fact that two characters in this episode have conversations that are not supposed to be overheard in places where it was impossible not to be overheard. First, Vic talks to Angela Deangelis (what kind of a name is that?) and Alison overhears and then Delphine talks to New-guy-in-the-lab (not his real name) and Cosima overhears. Seriously people, secrets are not kept this way. Daario is left alone without Kira but since Rachel is asking for him we hope he'll be back. Oh, there's also Michelle Forbes being bitchy and plotting to kill Leekie. Rachel shows a little mercy and lets him go but he runs into Donnie who has just now learned the whole clone'n'probing thing and is shot by accident. Leekie-leekie no more!

MVP: Tatiana Maslany as Alison! It is basic but I love the old switcheroos between clones and the whole scene in the rehab facility was really fun. Also, the face she did showing the gloves to Vic.

4. Louie: "Elevator Part 4" (Season 4 Episode 7)

I really should start taking notes during Louie because by the end of the two episodes, they start blurring together. This one was the one with the flashback to when Louie and Janet get pregnant. And it was so good. The show can always sell this stuff making it special but without making a big thing of it. the first part of the episode dealt with them both in therapy trying to decide what's best for Jane. The scene was pure gold. From Louie getting up and screaming out the window to his asking "Can we leave now when this feels even?" after Janet seems upset because the therapist say she is less guided by her feelings. 

MVP: Conner O'Malley playing the young Louie. He captured the mannerisms, the laugh and his general spirit perfectly.

3. Galerías Velvet: "Cuenta Atrás" (Season 1 Episode 15)

Another finale! And it was a doozy... The episode was set up in the classic TV trope: "How did we get here?" with Cristina arriving at the church and being told that Alberto has not arrived yet. We go back ten hours and we see the process of getting prepared for the wedding. And it turns out that Cristina is a total bitch. There had been clues during the season but in general, the goodie-goodie side tended to win. But now, in HER day nothing is going to go against her wishes. Ana has the opportunity to meet with Someone Important to her Dress Collection but because the bride needs her there she cannot go. Frankly, Ana handled the whole thing terribly. If she's been sweet and suggested someone else (although they were all occupied) maybe it could have happened. But alas, we are supposed to see Cristina as a monster, not only because of this but also because she urges Raúl to leave the galleries after a scandal from his past reaches him. I was convinced they were finally going to get him out of the closet but it was a plagiarism thing. I hope he sticks around for the second season because he is awesome. And, by the way, I still prefer Cristina over Ana.

MVP: Manuela Velasco as Cristina who managed to spin the character around but still being her.

2. Louie: "Elevator Part 5" (Season 4 Episode 8)

This was a truly great episode. For starters, I loved the sort-of framing device (that already started in the previous episode) about the tornado killing Lebron... and 12 million people. The first third of the episode was Todd Barry's life as someone withouth a spouse, without children and without many responsibilities. And it was not a sad thing. He likes his life and the whole bar cheers him on winning a small battle. Then Louie and Amia start considering whether or not to get intimate. After all, there is only one more Elevator episode left. It was a really funny and really special episode.

MVP: Ellen Burstyn as Evanka, first almost dying with a piece of candy and then giving one of the best moments of wisdom saying that if you don't fuck the cow, you don't own the cow.

1. Mad Men: "Waterloo" (Season 7 Episode 7)

In the fake season finale Mad Men flies us to the moon. And it seems that alien life is welcoming since it looks like things are looking up. Well, until the devastating epilogue, that is. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Apollo 11 launches and the lives of the characters don't stop because of that. Don is almost fired for breach of contract but even though Joan is against him (gasp!) he stays. His marriage is not that lucky and he and Megan call it quits. After saying "Bravo" to the moon landing, Bert dies. This is traumatic enough in itself, but it also means that Jim can fire Don. Luckily, Roger is smart and deals selling SC&P to a bigger agency if they give him and Don five-year contracts. There is a catch, and Ted has to come too but he is fed up with advertising and wants to quit but Don is Don and convinces him. I love how this story brings to mind the end of the third season when they created SCDP, only now, there is a certain weariness to it all. They are older, they are more tired and they don't know how many times they can do it again. In this mindset, the last scene is a great musical number (inside Don's head) where Bert sings that the best things in life are free. This is how television is done.

MVP: Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olsen. She wins the burger chef account and has a terribly good emotional moment with Julio. She is the soul of the show. And she better win an Emmy.

My Week in Tv (19/05-25/05)

Here is my ranking of the TV shows I watched last week. Quite a lot of shows have ended but I still managed to put together a top 10. Careful, there will be spoilers.

10. The Simpsons: "The Yellow Badge of Cowardge" (Season 25 Episode 22)

If this had not been a finale it might have been a decent episode but for the last episode of the season it felt a little unspecial. Homer's storyline with the fireworks was not very inspired since we have seen variations on the same thing for the past 25 years. I was also let down by the ending where Bart learns a lesson and atones himself in the eyes of Milhouse and the town. It is never a good sign when the characters of The Simpsons have to learn and hug. I'll take the non-sequitur endings every day. Things I liked were the gimmick of Lisas's narration, Maggie doing the chicken and Superintendent Chalmer's commentary on the race.

MVP: Kirk Van Houten. The crocodile joke was good.

9. Modern Family: "The Wedding (2)" (Season 5 Episode 24)

This episode worked better as a finale. Granted, it had the big event of a wedding but it played out nicely. I have to admit that I cried a little watching this (I think it's the first time this has happened in this show) when Jay offers to walk Mitchell down the aisle. In general, the episode was well-handled using the escalating problems for the wedding. Phil and Claire's hijinks were as ridiculous as usual but Claire Bowen is good and can sell the stupidity. Things I did not enjoy: Haley hitting on the nanny and Manny and Luke's old-gay-marriage dinamic. If they were still kids it might have been funnier but they are weird. Oh, and Elizabeth Banks explaining what can happen in these extreme pregnancies is golden.

MVP: Let's give it to Bowen. She is funny and understated even when confronted with Ty-HumanBlinkingMachine-Burrell.

8. Orphan Black: "To Hound Nature in Her Wanderings" (Season 2 Episode 6)

The first part of this episode was great. The bonding between sestras Sarah and Helena is awesome, Helena's adventures in the bar were great, Helena's conversation with the little religious freak was nicely done, I even liked Sarah doing research and how it somehow moved forward the plot. But then Sarah decides to leave Helena with the police and, in case you were not paying attention, Helena is the best. So Sarah finds Siobhan (how?) who is staying with Rachel adoptive father who starts to speak a lot of mumbo jumbo I cannot follow for the life of me and the episode ends and I understood nothing. I am just dying for one of the other clones to run into Sarah so she can explain everything to them and see if I can get it. In other news, Alison is bonding with Vic who is actually helping the lady cop. The gentleman cop is bonding with Felix and Cosima and Delphine are doing something resembling science and are having breakthroughs that end up meaning nothing, twenty times per episode. Am I stupid or is the show a little too convoluted?

MVP: Tatiana Maslany playing Helena, farts and all. Her joy at hitting strangers at bars is just a marvel to watch.

7. Penny Dreadful: "Séance" (Season 1 Episode 2)

Well, let's start with the sad first. The scenes with Frankenstein and the Creature were really good so I'm pissed that they killed the latter off. I hope the doctor can just put it together. In bad news, even though I liked our new hooker friend, Dorian Gray is a bore. Judging solely from this episode the casting is off, he looks like a Dorian Gray for Twilight fans, although I understand that if they want to play this for the long haul they need an actor who can age and not look like he's aging so someone younger makes sense. But he is a little bland for my taste. Maybe if he starts having gay sex as promised I will change my mind. Sir Timothy Dalton keeps looking for his daughter and somehow they end up in a séance with a medium but Eva Green is like "Bitch, please, I am more medium than Patricia Arquette and proceeds to give us the best scene of the show so far.

MVP: Eva Green, obviously.

6. Louie: "Elevator Part 3" (Season 4 Episode 6)

Ok, first, I have to admit that with all this Elevator bussiness, I am a little confused as to what happens in which episode. If I remember correctly, this is the one with Pamela in the beginning (of which I am not a huge fan and she is having an arc later in the season) and the one where Louie learns that Amia is going back to Hungary and the one where she and Jane have the violin duet in an amazing scene. Anyway, every episode is awesome.

MVP: Ellen Burstyn because she is the cutest thing translating for Amia and Louie when they decide to spend the month she has together.

5. Game of Thrones: "Mockingbird" (Season 4 Episode 7)

Can you believe that there's only three episodes left? It seems it was yesterday when we started. I'm so glad that Prince Oberyn is going to fight for Tyrion. I obviously hope he wins. Daenerys wins the internet by getting Daario naked and to compensate the next scene has Melisandre in a bathtub. Arya and the Hound keep going towards the Vale as Brienne and Pod do. Reunion by the ninth episode, pretty please? Although, I am not sure how things will be in the Vale when they arrive because Sansa is kissed by Little finger and therefore threatened by her crazy aunt. But not to worry, she is pushed by Baelish through the moon door. Make her fly!

MVP: Emilia Clarke as Daenerys. Not only she's great at showing the character's thirst for justice and good ruling, she lets us see Daario's ass (probably more important than any other reason).

4. Louie: "Elevator Part 2" (Season 4 Episode 5)

Again, if I'm not mixing up episodes, this is the one where Louie starts to know both Evanka and Amia and he has the really nice shopping trips both alone and with the latter. Oh, and of course this is the one with the wonderful explanation by Jane of why her school is boring. I like how so far, the season is shaping out to be how Louie interacts with women, whether is her daughter, her ex-wife, and old friend, a model, a fat bartender, her downstairs neighbor or her niece which is the one he prefers and the one with which the communication is easiest, even if they don't have a common language. This show is so awesome! And as, GoT, there's only three weeks until it finishes.

MVP: Ursula Parker as Jane. Her monologue was great as was her apology to the ridiculous teacher.

3. Galerías Velvet: "La Noche de la Reina" (Season 1 Episode 14)

I love when episodes take place in a short period of time and in very few sets (I'm not sure if that is the definition of a bottled episode) and this was no exception. The night before the wedding, Cristina dress is missing. Later, we'll find out that it was Rita trying to delay the marriage to help Ana but everyone gets out of bed and into production mode and finish a new one, and designed by Raúl no less, before the night is over. In a Spanish soap opera, nights are long and a lot happens in this episode. One of my favorite moments was Luisa coming clean about her abortion with the Velvet Girls. Considering what is going on in Spain with abortion issues it is good to see a TV show that would not need to be this political having an opinion on the matter. It is ironic though that the vision of a show set in the fifties is more progressive than the one in reality.

MVP: Asier Exteandía as Raúl de la Riva who plays a hilarious drunk and is one of the anchors of the show being consistently great and game.

2. Hannibal: "Mizumono" (Season 2 Episode 13)

Don't get me wrong, I thank the gods every day because Hannibal is going to have a third season but I love how this wonderful episode could also be read as a series finale. I this was the very last episode, it would be easier to come to the conclusion that basically everyone is dead and that Hannibal is loose in our world. But, taking into account that there is, in fact, going to be a third season, someone must survive, right? I'm betting on the two men making it and the two ladies dying. How awesome was the reveal that Abigail was still (for a few moments) alive? The whole bloody fight in Hannibal's house was great and so befitting for a finale. Briing it back already!

MVP: This is Dancy's and Mikkelsen's show. And they rule.

1. Mad Men: "The Strategy" (Season 7 Episode 6)

Mad Men is, in general, the best thing that has ever been seen on television but when it makes its core the relationship between Don and Peggy, it somehow manages to outdo itself. The rest of the storylines were also really good, I loved the awkward conversation between Joan and Bob (who, I think we can face it now, is not Don's son travelling from the future). I loved Pete's scenes both showing Bonnie off and longing for Trudy (hi, Alison Brie!). There is also the matter of whether to make Harry a partner or not. I am with Joan and Roger on this one. He is the worst. But the heart and the soul of the episode are Don and Peggy working together to find the perfect idea to sell hamburgers to the world. It is not about the food, it is not about the mother feeling guilty for not cooking, it is about family, something neither Don nor Peggy have. But, at least while they are dancing, they have each other.

MVP: Elisabeth Moss who should have every award in the planet for her Peggy.