Here is this week's TV Report Card: Summer School Edition.
Sunday
Leverage: "The Studio Job"
In a lot of ways, "The Studio Job", was an example of my favorite type of Leverage episode. The "corrupt corporate bad guy was going to release some deadly product and must be stopped" con of the week can get a little dull after a while, and it's refreshing when the Crew takes on evil doers that are not connected to big business.
"Studio" focused on Nate and Co. helping an up and coming country music singer/songwriter who was being screwed by her no-good record executive. Again, moving from the corporate world to the music world was a nice change of pace, and Mitchell Kirkwood was a special kind of slimeball.
What also made "Studio Job" special was the fact that Christian Kane had the chance to show his singing skills, which made all of the Grifters who knew about his country music background all giddy. The song Eliot sang on the show, "Thinking of You", was actually a decent country number, and fans can even purchase it.
My only minor gripe was all of the Eliot-centric episodes tend to be folksy in nature ("The Two Horse Job", "The Tap Out Job"). I know these episodes play of the fact that Christian comes from Texas/Oklahoma, but it kind of makes his character one-dimensional (although it is a good dimension). Every once in a while Eliot has the chance to break the mold ("The Zanzibar Marketplace Job"), and I just hope we get to see more of those episodes. "The Studio Job" was not a bad episode; I just hope Eliot gets some more character development soon.
GRADE: A-
Tuesday
White Collar: "Need to Know"
Nothing about "Need to Know" stood out to me as being special, but that's probably because I was only half-watching this week's White Collar. I think the "corrupt politician" took me out of the episode because it's been done way too many times.
I do have to admit that I did enjoy watching the chemistry between Neal and Diana during their undercover mission as escort and john. These two have more of a spark after two episodes than Caffery had with Cruz all of last season. These scenes proved that swapping Morales for Thomason was a good idea.
"Need to Know" was an OK second effort after the season premiere, but next week's episode about criminology students learning about Neal has a lot of promise, and I can't wait for it.
GRADE: B-
Warehouse 13: "Beyond Our Control"
Warehouse 13 is quickly becoming one of my favorite shows mostly due to the fact that the episodes tend to be fun week in and week out. Sure, it's still a procedural at its core, but the sci-fi elements, steampunky goodness, and fun cast make the show standout. Heck, right now I'm digging Season 2 of Warehouse 13 more than the entire fifth season of Bones.
"Beyond Our Control" really wasn't a mythology heavy episode when it came to the H.G. Wells storyarc, but it did shed some light on the town on Univille, SD (home of Warehouse 13) and some of its inhabitants. Also, with the 3D craze in full effect, it was kind of fun watching the team track down a 3D projector artifact that turned movies into reality, which of course could destroy the world.
This week's episode also introduced a potential love interest for Pete in the form of Dr. Hernandez, the local vet. The two start off rocky as they continually annoyed one another, which always leads to romance (I'll never quite get that trope). It was kind of funny watching Myka witness the banter in the background, which still leads me to believe that she and Pete will not end up together, and I'll be happy if they don't. These two make better friends than lovers.
We also learned more about Pete (he's an ex-Marine), got more information about the effects the Pearl of Wisdom had on Leena, and the return of Mark Sheppard as one of the Regents (Mark Sheppard makes everything better). Overall, a pretty solid episode from Warehouse 13.
GRADE: A
Covert Affairs: "Walter's Walk"
I gave episode 2 of Covert Affairs a shot, and it really didn't wow me. To be honest, I really cannot recall what the episode was about. I think the IRA was involved, as well as double agents, and maybe a kid. Oh, and Mohinder from Heroes showed up. "Walter's Walk" obviously didn't leave an impression, except I remember thinking that the show's opening credits reminded me of Chuck. I might give it another chance, but as of right now, Affairs will probably not stay on my TV-watching rotation for long, although it does give me something to watch in between White Collar and the repeat of Warehouse 13.
GRADE: D-
Wednesday
Psych: "Feet Don't Kill Me Now"
This week's episode of Psych tried to shake things up as Lassiter and Gus teamed up while Jules and Shawn worked together. The duos were competing to see which team could solve the death of woman who was found in a car that was fished from a lake.
The case itself was only OK because it was the same old story about a young couple in love that was torn a part by a jealous third person. What made this episode shine was watching Gus and Lassiter work together and bond over tap dancing. We also got a little bonus as we got to see Dule Hill's expertise as a tapper. Seeing Jules and Shawn not click was the cherry on top because I'm tired of the idea of them ending up together. Move on already.
Like always, Psych didn't blow me away, but it was entertaining enough. I'd like to see more episodes that think outside of the box, and it wouldn't hurt if we got more episodes that focused on Gus. He's such a great straight man and partner, that we sometimes forget that he can be interesting all on his own.
GRADE: B-
Friday
Eureka: "All the Rage"
Usually an episode of Eureka deals with an experiment gone wrong and Carter and his gang have to fix it, but it's typically a pretty fun-filled, light adventure. "All the Rage" was the complete opposite in terms of tone although it had the same basic plot structure (which was brilliantly lampshaded by Fargo).
"Rage" was Eureka's homage to zombie movies as a non-lethal weapons experiment turned most of the Global Dynamic employees into mindless, anger-filled robots. The mob of disgruntled workers threatened to tear GD, and Fargo (its new leader) apart. For the first time since I've been watching this show, I was impressed by how dark and scary the episode was. Also, "Rage" showcased Erica Cerra's range as an actress. This may have been her best performance yet.
The subplot that involved Henry and Dr. Grant fixing the Bridge device was also brilliant because it focused on someone dealing with the fact that his life, contributions, and existence had been erased while still being alive, which was an interesting take on the time traveling paradox.
The Carter-Tess relationship was re-introduced thanks to the time warp, but was once again abbreviated as Carter realized they didn't belong together. I always liked Carter and Tess (never been a fan of Carter and Allison), so it was sad watching the relationship end...again.
"All the Rage" was probably the best episode of Eureka to date.
GRADE: A
NOTES: I missed this week's Rizzoli & Isles and TNT's website still hasn't posted it online, and I quickly lost interest in Haven, so that is why those two shows were left off of the Report Card. I'll try to catch-up on R&I, but I doubt I'll be giving Haven another chance.
Sunday
Leverage: "The Studio Job"
In a lot of ways, "The Studio Job", was an example of my favorite type of Leverage episode. The "corrupt corporate bad guy was going to release some deadly product and must be stopped" con of the week can get a little dull after a while, and it's refreshing when the Crew takes on evil doers that are not connected to big business.
"Studio" focused on Nate and Co. helping an up and coming country music singer/songwriter who was being screwed by her no-good record executive. Again, moving from the corporate world to the music world was a nice change of pace, and Mitchell Kirkwood was a special kind of slimeball.
My only minor gripe was all of the Eliot-centric episodes tend to be folksy in nature ("The Two Horse Job", "The Tap Out Job"). I know these episodes play of the fact that Christian comes from Texas/Oklahoma, but it kind of makes his character one-dimensional (although it is a good dimension). Every once in a while Eliot has the chance to break the mold ("The Zanzibar Marketplace Job"), and I just hope we get to see more of those episodes. "The Studio Job" was not a bad episode; I just hope Eliot gets some more character development soon.
GRADE: A-
Tuesday
White Collar: "Need to Know"
I do have to admit that I did enjoy watching the chemistry between Neal and Diana during their undercover mission as escort and john. These two have more of a spark after two episodes than Caffery had with Cruz all of last season. These scenes proved that swapping Morales for Thomason was a good idea.
"Need to Know" was an OK second effort after the season premiere, but next week's episode about criminology students learning about Neal has a lot of promise, and I can't wait for it.
GRADE: B-
Warehouse 13: "Beyond Our Control"
"Beyond Our Control" really wasn't a mythology heavy episode when it came to the H.G. Wells storyarc, but it did shed some light on the town on Univille, SD (home of Warehouse 13) and some of its inhabitants. Also, with the 3D craze in full effect, it was kind of fun watching the team track down a 3D projector artifact that turned movies into reality, which of course could destroy the world.
This week's episode also introduced a potential love interest for Pete in the form of Dr. Hernandez, the local vet. The two start off rocky as they continually annoyed one another, which always leads to romance (I'll never quite get that trope). It was kind of funny watching Myka witness the banter in the background, which still leads me to believe that she and Pete will not end up together, and I'll be happy if they don't. These two make better friends than lovers.
We also learned more about Pete (he's an ex-Marine), got more information about the effects the Pearl of Wisdom had on Leena, and the return of Mark Sheppard as one of the Regents (Mark Sheppard makes everything better). Overall, a pretty solid episode from Warehouse 13.
GRADE: A
Covert Affairs: "Walter's Walk"
I gave episode 2 of Covert Affairs a shot, and it really didn't wow me. To be honest, I really cannot recall what the episode was about. I think the IRA was involved, as well as double agents, and maybe a kid. Oh, and Mohinder from Heroes showed up. "Walter's Walk" obviously didn't leave an impression, except I remember thinking that the show's opening credits reminded me of Chuck. I might give it another chance, but as of right now, Affairs will probably not stay on my TV-watching rotation for long, although it does give me something to watch in between White Collar and the repeat of Warehouse 13.
GRADE: D-
Wednesday
Psych: "Feet Don't Kill Me Now"
This week's episode of Psych tried to shake things up as Lassiter and Gus teamed up while Jules and Shawn worked together. The duos were competing to see which team could solve the death of woman who was found in a car that was fished from a lake.
Like always, Psych didn't blow me away, but it was entertaining enough. I'd like to see more episodes that think outside of the box, and it wouldn't hurt if we got more episodes that focused on Gus. He's such a great straight man and partner, that we sometimes forget that he can be interesting all on his own.
GRADE: B-
Friday
Eureka: "All the Rage"
Usually an episode of Eureka deals with an experiment gone wrong and Carter and his gang have to fix it, but it's typically a pretty fun-filled, light adventure. "All the Rage" was the complete opposite in terms of tone although it had the same basic plot structure (which was brilliantly lampshaded by Fargo).
The subplot that involved Henry and Dr. Grant fixing the Bridge device was also brilliant because it focused on someone dealing with the fact that his life, contributions, and existence had been erased while still being alive, which was an interesting take on the time traveling paradox.
The Carter-Tess relationship was re-introduced thanks to the time warp, but was once again abbreviated as Carter realized they didn't belong together. I always liked Carter and Tess (never been a fan of Carter and Allison), so it was sad watching the relationship end...again.
"All the Rage" was probably the best episode of Eureka to date.
GRADE: A
NOTES: I missed this week's Rizzoli & Isles and TNT's website still hasn't posted it online, and I quickly lost interest in Haven, so that is why those two shows were left off of the Report Card. I'll try to catch-up on R&I, but I doubt I'll be giving Haven another chance.
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