Movie Review: The Lego Batman Movie

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Lots of laughs and fun

Cons: Moral, while good, is painfully obvious

The Bottom Line:

Comedic Batman

Wallops with fun and laughter

Fun for everyone

Building a Funny Batman Movie

Advertising clearly works.  I rarely make it to see a movie in the theater any more, much less on opening night, but after seeing preview for The Lego Batman Movie all week on my CW superhero shows, I just had to go see it.  Of course, it helped that I enjoyed The Lego Movie a couple of years back.  This movie was exactly what I hoped it would be – incredibly fun.

As this movie opens, Gotham City is once again in trouble.  Joker (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) has assembled a group of Batman’s biggest villains on a giant scheme to destroy the city, and it is once again up to Batman (Will Arnett) to save the day.  However, Joker is looking for more than city domination, and he’s hoping to find it in Batman.

Things are changing in the city, starting with Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) taking over as police commissioner.  Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne accidentally adopts the orphan Dick Grayson (Michael Cera) to the delight of Bruce’s butler Alfred (Ralph Fiennes).

But Joker has another scheme to get Batman’s attention, and it’s a masterful one.  Will Batman be able to stop him?  Or will he need some help?

For much of this film, Batman is an egotistical jerk.  Think Chuck Norris if he were telling his own Chuck Norris jokes and believing them.  And yet, they make it work.  His behavior is always played for laughs, and they make it obvious very quickly that he is covering up his own issues with his actions.

And that’s the biggest problem with the film – Batman’s emotional journey and what he needs to learn is painfully obvious from the very beginning.  However, the moral about letting people into your life is a good one, so I really don’t have any issues with it.  And we are having so much fun along the way, it’s not really an issue.

And make no mistake about it, this movie is filled with laughs.  There are so many blink and you’ll miss them jokes it’s almost impossible to catch them all.  Being a fan of the 1966 Batman TV show, I especially loved the jokes and references to it, but there were lots of jokes for just about everyone.  When I saw the movie, the theater had kids and their parents in it, and everyone was laughing – sometimes at the same jokes and sometimes at different ones.  It’s really hard not to find something to laugh at here.

The story moves quickly, so there is no time to be bored.  And the movie manages to include a wide range of characters.  I enjoyed the cameos by other DC Comics characters, but there are some surprises along the way as well, and I’m not going to spoil them for you.

The animation remembers that it is a Lego movie, and there are a couple of fun moments that could only happen in a Lego movie.  There’s nothing here that will blow you away visually, but there doesn’t have to be.  It’s well done and fun, which is all I was looking for.

The voice cast is quite good.  There’s an impressive list of stars in the many supporting roles, but no matter how big a name the actor, they all find the right balance for their characters to keep us laughing.

Hopefully, you’ve picked up on a theme in my review – fun and laughter.  If you’re going into this expecting a dark, serious Batman movie, you’ll be sorely disappointed.  But I’m sure you figured that out from the previews.  Go in expecting a comedy and you’ll have a wonderful time.

So when you are in the mood to laugh, The Lego Batman Movie is a film to consider.  I’m going to have to watch it again myself to make sure I catch all the jokes.

Ornament Review: Zak E. Zamboni - Snowtop Lodge #5 - 2009 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Cute ornament captures the charms of skating

Cons: Slight tip but should be able to disguise

The Bottom line:

Outdoor skating rink

Snowman enjoying the sport

Series that still charms

This Ornament Will Skate into Your Heart

That’s to all those years of watching Frosty the Snowman, the idea of a snowman skating seems perfectly natural to me.  So Zak E. Zamboni also seems like a natural addition to the Snowtop Lodge series.

This snowman loves ice skating.  As if his name weren’t a giveaway, the ice skates he has in his right hand will certainly let you know that.  He’s dressed for the cold weather with a red vest and red ear muffs over his head.  And in his left hand, he is holding a cup of hot chocolate.  Or maybe coffee.  Perhaps tea.  It’s some hot drink in a white insolated cup.

He also has a scene painted on the bottom snowball.  In this case, it shows people skating around a Christmas tree.  In the background, you can see big city buildings.  For me, it evokes skating in New York City, or at least depictions of it I have seen.  There is snow falling, and the bottom star down Zak’s front looks like it is attached to the top of the Christmas tree.

Thanks to learning the work Zamboni in the Peanuts comic strip as Snoopy participates in ice hockey, I was half expecting this ornament to be hockey themed based on the name.  Yet I really do like what we do get here.  My ice skating is strictly indoor, but I still get the feeling of winter chill and good times with friends that this ornament is supposed to evoke.

Zak is a snowman, so it should come as no surprise that he stands up straight on his own.  You’ll also find the 5 in a Christmas tree painted on the bottom.

But if you want to hang this ornament, you’ll find that he tips slightly left and forward.  However, you should be able to disguise that fairly easily with the branches of your tree.  Speaking of branches, you’ll want to make sure he is on a sturdy branch since he, like the rest of the series, is made from porcelain.

Whether you like to skate indoors or outdoors, Zak E. Zamboni will certainly make you smile.  He also makes a fine addition to the Snowtop Lodge series.

Enjoy more snowpeople with the rest of the Snowtop Lodge series.

Original Price: $18.50

February 11th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Yep, it's definitely a sweeps month.  It's why just about everything I watch is on, which makes for a crazy busy month.  Kind of not missing my ABC shows at the moment, although I am looking forward to them being back in three weeks.

24: Legacy (Sunday) – Loved it!  Not that I’m surprised, but I don’t think I will miss Jack Bauer at all.  I am already questioning the real time of that speech and getting back to CTU, but I really don’t care.  Nichol is fantastic, as well; I was so impressed with her resourcefulness.  Obviously, the new director is a red herring.  I’m wondering just who the mole really is.  And I’m wondering which is going to be the awful sub-plot.  Maybe the election?

Supergirl – On the one hand, Kara and Alex’s relationship is predictable.  I saw the beats in that story line coming.  And yet, it is still very touching.  That final scene between them?  Amazing.  Yes, Wynn still got the best lines of the night.  And I agree that Mon-El seems to have moved on very quickly.  Not that I expect it to last, but it makes another nice plot complication in his relationship with Kara.

24: Legacy (Monday) – It always takes them a couple of episodes to build, but man are they out there right from the start.  It’s like they know they only have 12 episodes as we don’t have a ton of between seasons stuff to set up, so they could start from the very beginning.  I knew the kid was dead, but I thought it would take another couple of episodes.  Everyone is in so much trouble, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

The Flash – I guess there is definitely going to be no bringing Alex Desert back now for sure.  That was such a great episode.  Even before they drove home the point of the team work, I was enjoying it for just that reason.  All the characters got their moments to shine, and we’ve got quite the team going.  And as much as I have been anti Killer Frost, I’m liking what they are doing with Caitlyn this season as she struggles with it.

Legends of Tomorrow – I was looking forward to our trip back to 1776, and it was excellent.  Rory with George Washington was a hoot!  So much great character development along the way, too, and a little romance.  Certainly wonder where they are going to go with that.  That’s last scene was so much fun, although I kind of felt like this episode should have aired in December with all the Christmas to it.  Not that this Christmas lover is complaining, too much.

This Is Us – Rebecca’s defense of her husband was awesome!  She is so right, and it is nice that she recognizes what a great man he is.  So I have to wonder if Randall is in trouble at work or if his boss is recognizing that he needs some time off.  That shaking at the end really concerns me.  And as much as I don’t like Toby, Kate needs to get it together.  I don’t think I like where that is going.  If Kevin truly does love his ex this much, why did he ever let her go?  That’s the biggest question I have with his current storyline.

Arrow – Interesting watching Russia come into play in the present as well as the past.  And for the first time, I’m feeling the flashbacks.  Like the first time since the first few episodes of the show.  What will Ragman do without the rags now?  Those were always super fun to watch.  And when in Thea coming back?

Lethal Weapon – About time the good doc got more than a scene or two.  Some pretty impressive stunts in this episode, too.  I’m not sure how I feel about the subplot with Roger’s daughter.  She was lying and sneaking around and is using a fake ID after all, even if it is for a job she is loving.

Suits – So that’s how Mike is going to come back.  Why do I think it is going to be more trouble than it might actually be worth?  I feel so sorry for that lawyer who keeps freezing, but it is interesting to see Mike really truly lose a case.  The Donna sub-plot was a hoot, and the scenes between Donna and Rachel and Mike and Harvey at the beginning were wonderful.  I love the relationships these characters have.

Big Bang Theory – Being a big Peanuts fan, I’m sure you can guess which of the jokes in the episode were my favorites.  I feel sorry for Leonard since the train gift didn’t work out quite as planned, although I am assuming Sheldon got the job down before he left for the trip so Leonard is still getting some time without Sheldon.

The Great Outdoors – We finally got to meet Paul!  All of those cat moments were hilarious.  I don’t expect this growth to last in Jack, however.  Heck, I even enjoyed the millennials trying to figure out who was the boss.  Definitely one of the better episodes.

Powerless – I swore I was going to give this show two episodes and I would either love it or I was out of there.  So I guess I’ll give it three.  Parts of the show were actually funny and enjoyable.  Parts of it were just painful, especially any scene with the main boss.  One more week, but that’s it, I swear.

February 10th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

Friday is here again, so that means it is time for Book Beginnings and Friday 56.

This week, I'm featuring Death in Advertising by Laura Bradford.

                                                               


This is the first in a new series from Laura, one of my favorite authors.  Naturally, I jumped at a chance to read it for a blog tour.  My review will be up on Monday, but I'll let you in on a secret.  I loved it.

For today, let's share some teasers.  Here's how the book starts:

Desperate times call for desperate measures.
A cliche?  Perhaps.  But a cliche , after all, is a truism.  Which, in layman's terms, means whoever coined the desperate measures thing knew what they were talking about.

Since I read an e-ARC of this book, I'm jumping ahead of 56% in the book, where we find this:

Discombobulated.  Don't ask me why, but that word always made me giggle.  I could never say it right, and I couldn't have imaged using it to describe myself.  Oh, how I miss the naivete of youth.

I hope you'll come back on Monday for my stop on the blog tour.

Book Review: A Measure of Murder by Leslie Karst (Sally Solari Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and a great mystery

Cons: Sally’s reasons for investigating on the weak side

The Bottom Line:

Chorus of murder

Sally’s second mystery

Delight for readers

This Mystery Hits All the Right Notes

I must admit that knowing an author’s second book is coming soon can bump the first one up my TBR mountain range.  I made a decision to read Leslie Karst’s debut a couple of months ago so I would be ready to read A Measure of Murder when it came out this month, assuming I liked the first one, of course.  Obviously, I liked the first one since here I am reading the second, and I felt this one was even stronger.

The last thing Sally Solari needs right now is something more in her life.  Her plan to transition from her family’s Italian restaurant to managing the restaurant she inherited from her aunt is going very slowly, meaning she is often pulling shifts at both of them.  And yet, she lets her friend Eric talk her into joining the community chorus.  They are doing Mozart’s Requiem, something Sally has dreamed of singing for years.

Sally is a little rusty, not having sung in public for years, which means she runs afoul of Kyle during the audition process.  Kyle is the lead for the tenor section, and he is snarky to all of the new members.  He goes missing part way through the chorus’s first rehearsal only to be found dead outside the church where the rehearsal is taking place.

Kyle fell through a broken and rotting window in an upstairs room of the church, and the police are quick to rule it a tragic accident.  However, Sally isn’t so sure because something about the way his body landed doesn’t feel like an accident.  When Jill, Kyle’s girlfriend, asks Sally to look into it, she begins to find plenty of motives for this to be murder.  But if it was murder, who did it?

Okay, let’s get the biggest criticism out of the way right off the bat.  Sally’s reasons for poking into this murder are thin at best.  However, I didn’t mind too much since the book really was a lot of fun.

Author Leslie Karst spends a little time early on weaving the suspects into Sally’s life, and it really isn’t too long before we see the fruit of this set up.   I thought I had the killer and motive pegged early on, but before we reached the logical climax, I had seriously questioned myself as other suspects and motives became clear.  Was I right?  I’m not saying.

Since I read the first one just a couple of months ago, the characters were still fresh in my mind.  I loved getting to see Sally and Eric again.  Of the returning characters, they got the most page time, and I enjoyed getting to know them better.  Others from the first book are still around, and we get to see some relationships grow and change.  This book’s suspects?  They are strong, of course, helping us believe that they really could have done it.

Unlike most of the cozies I read, there are some swear words sprinkled throughout the book.  Honestly, most of them were unnecessary and bothered me.  (Yet, I’m listening to authors who use plenty more than show up here, and it doesn’t bother me as much.  Go figure.  Probably because I’m not used to seeing them in cozies.)  Still, it was a minor irritant.

While the chorus provides the murder and suspects in this book, we still spend plenty of time in both restaurants.  Believe me, there are lots of passages to make your mouth water here.  And you’ll find four recipes at the end of the book for everything from a real Cesar salad to Spaghetti alla Carbonara.  We also get to learn a little more about the dishes.

The strong plot and fun characters make A Measure of Murder a delight to read.  If you haven’t met Sally yet, you’ll want to fix that today.

You can't stop with just one taste.  Here are the rest of the Sally Solari Mysteries in order.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book

Ornament Review: A Tasty Treat - Petite Penguins #1 - 2016 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Cute start to an official penguin series

Cons: Too cute for cons

The Bottom Line:

Penguin with a treat

Cute start to mini series

Delight for your tree

Tasty Treats Make for Cute Debuts

One of the most popular of Hallmark’s unofficial series is Kris’s Penguins.  Each year, there’s a new scene of three penguins having fun.  In 2016, these penguins got their own official series with a twist – it’s a miniature series and features only one penguin a year.  The series kicks off with A Tasty Treat.

The ornament features a penguin holding a Popsicle.  The Popsicle is red and is as large as he is.  You can well imagine how much joy he’ll have eating it.  The look on the penguin’s face is a bit overwhelmed, but you can tell he’s also looking forward to enjoying his treat.  I am certainly rooting for him to finish it off.

I am not super familiar with the unofficial series of regular sized ornaments, but this ornament was so cute that I had to start the official series.  The ornament is worth it for the personality packed into the petite penguin alone.  Not being super artistic, that just blows my mind.

Looking at the ornament, you might be a little surprised to find that it does stand up.  You have to be a bit careful with it because it will tip forward easily.  That’s because it is resting on the penguin’s small feet and the Popsicle is sticking out away from him.  As a result it will tip over easily, but you can get him to stand up.

Just how small are the penguin’s feet?  So small that there isn’t room for the series marker.  It’s hidden elsewhere on the ornament, in the next place I looked.

However, the balance is wonderful for hanging.  Slip a hook through the loop on the top of the penguin’s head, and you’ll find that it hangs straight.

And I do mean miniature.  This ornament is only an inch tall from the bottom of the penguin’s feet to the top of the Popsicle.  That’s another thing that amazes me – how they pack all that into such a small piece of art.

I’m glad I changed my mind about miniature ornaments since this series is so cute.  Track down A Tasty Treat today and start what promises to be a wonderful official series.

Add lots of little joy to your tree with the rest of the Petite Penguins series.

Original Price: $7.95

Book Review: War and Peach by Susan Furlong (Georgia Peach Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters in a fun mystery

Cons: Peaches are involved – how can there be any cons?

The Bottom Line:

A candidate’s death

But what was murder motive

Another fun case

Clearing Her Father is a Bushel of Trouble

With American politics being what it is right now, I wasn’t excited about picking up a book with any kind of local election element.  On the other hand, I’ve completely enjoyed the first two Georgia Peach Mysteries from Susan Furlong, so I set my hesitation aside and picked up War and Peach, the third in the series.  I’m glad I did because I completely loved it.

For the first time in years, the job of mayor in the small town of Cays Mill, Georgia, is wide open since the current mayor has decided to retire.  Two candidates are running – Clem Rogers, a lifelong local farmer who wants to help other farmers in the area, and Margie Price, a Yankee transplant who wants to help other small business owners like herself.  Nola Mae Harper is caught in the middle since her family has owned a peach farm for years yet she has recently opened a small business in town.

With a week to go before the election, Clem and Margie are about to face off in a debate.  However, an hour before the debate starts, a fire breaks out in Clem’s old barn.  Everyone’s worse fears are confirmed when Clem’s body is found in the ruins.  Local gossip immediately points to Margie as the prime suspect; after all, Clem had something from her past he was going to spring at the debate.  The sheriff still has a vendetta against the Harper family, however, and since Nola Mae’s father was the last person to see Clem, just a few minutes before the fire was started, the sheriff feels the need to look no further.  Nola Mae’s problem is she doesn’t believe either of these suspects committed the murder.  Can she figure out what really happened?

While the local election does play a part in the plot, it is just one of several motives that Nola Mae uncovers as she goes along in her investigation.  In fact, the book introduces some fun red herrings that kept me off the scent of the true killer and motive until Nola Mae figured it out at the end.  Yet all the clues were there once we reached the very suspenseful climax.

The characters in this series are a delight, and this book is no exception.  There are a couple of returning characters who only get brief appearances, but even those scenes were wonderful.   We are seen some growth in all the regulars, especially Nola Mae, and I enjoyed that.  Naturally, we get some good suspects who help keep us guessing until the end.

By the time you are done with this book, your mouth will definitely be watering for peaches.  You’re in luck because the book includes three peach related recipes at the end, peach cake, peach cookies, and a peach hot sauce.

I read to escape from reality, and War and Peach provided another great opportunity to do that.  Pick up this delightful book and enjoy another mouthwatering mystery.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner next Tuesday, February 14th, so please leave your comment before 12:01AM Pacific Time on 2/14.  You will have until midnight on 2/19 to get back to me, or I will choose a new winner on 2/20.

Movie Review: Batman V Superman - Dawn of Justice Extended Edition

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Lois Lane’s storyline; some themes

Cons: Pacing; tone

The Bottom Line:

Very slow pacing

And a tone that stays too dark

Not good DC film

“Bruce Wayne Meets Clark Kent.  I Love It!  I Love Bringing People Together.”

Not having been a comic book reader most of my life, I have been much more familiar with the DC Comics characters than the Marvel characters since they have been more popular in movies and TV until the recent explosion of Marvel movies.  So I want to like the DC Comics movies.   In fact, I’ve been excited for the announcements of the planned DC movieverse to take on Marvel’s movie dominance.  And yet, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice left much to be desired.

This movie serves as a sequel to Man of Steel as well as a set up for the Justice League movie coming later this year.  In fact, it opens with alternative shots of the climax from Man of Steel as Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) watches the destruction that final battle caused.

But the main action of the film picks up eighteen months later as Superman (Henry Cavill) is under attack in the press and from Congress for some of his actions.  Even a recent jaunt to Africa to rescue girlfriend Lois Lane (Amy Adams) ends with further questions about him.  Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) is working in the shadows on his own way to stop the alien menace that everyone has decided Superman is.

Meanwhile, it’s Batman over in Gotham City that has captured the interest of Clark Kent.  It appears that parts of the city are afraid of Batman, and no one dares speak out.  As the two superheroes make plans to confront each other, what will the outcome be?

Since I had missed this film in the theater, I watched the extended version on Blu-Ray.  My comments will be on the three hour film as a result.  I don’t know what was added for that extra half hour, but it certainly didn’t help the movie in my eyes.

The first hour of the film was slow.  I mean, we get the backstory about Bruce Wayne’s parents dying again.  Honestly, it seems like we could cover that in some dialogue at this point.  I know this is a new Batman, not the Batman of Christopher Nolan’s films, but come on!  Even when we move on to the current storylines, things move forward very slowly.  It does get better as we go along, and I enjoyed the teases about the characters we will see in Justice League.  Then we get to the climactic battle, which takes up most of the final hour.

Meanwhile, the tone of the entire film is dark.  Now, I get that Batman is a dark character, but Superman isn’t.  Yet he gets to brood much of the time as well.  And the very little character growth we see in any of the characters seems small for all the time spent with them.  While the Marvel movies have end of the world stakes, they still manage to include fun while also developing characters.  In fact, those different tones draw me into their movies instead of keeping me at arm’s length like happened here.  I hope that DC gets that soon.

I’m not blaming this on any of the actors.  They are doing the job they were hired to do based on the script and directing.  In fact, I thought they were all great.  Yes, even Ben Affleck.  It’s a different take on Batman, but I thought it worked here.  Being a Wonder Woman fan, I also enjoyed see Gal Gadot bring her to live action life.

Likewise the special effects, and there were a lot of them, were wonderful.  Then again, that’s hardly a surprise for a film released today.

It’s too bad this movie was so slow and dark because there are interesting things here.  I appreciated the way that people turned on Superman even after he saved the day.  It says a lot about our culture today, and none of it is good.  Likewise, looking at how Batman was treating people provided a nice contrast.  Honestly, I wished they focused more on this conflict and resolved it better than we got here.  That’s not flashy superhero stuff, but it was an interesting plot thread.

Likewise, I completely enjoyed Lois Lane’s storyline.  It is classic mystery, and I do love a good mystery.

But these two things aren’t enough to save Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.  Hopefully, these films can lighten the tone and improve the pace as they go along so we can all enjoy more superhero action.

Ornament Review: Winter Fun with Snoopy #11 - Building a Snowman - 2008 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Snoopy and Woodstock working together having fun

Cons: The snowman’s face is a little off; major tip to the left

The Bottom Line:

Building a snowman

Two friends working together

For more winter fun

Friends Building a Snowman

We are now embarking on the second half of the Winter Fun with Snoopy series, and I’m actually a bit amazed at some of the things Snoopy and Woodstock haven’t done yet.  For example, I looked at the 2008 ornament and I was surprised when I realized that they hadn’t yet built a snowman.

But that is exactly what they are doing with this entry in the series.  And they’ve got a classic snowman they are building, too.  He’s two balls of snow, a scarf, coal for buttons, eyes, and a mouth, and a hat on top of his head.  All he’s missing is his nose, but that will change soon since Snoopy has his hand out for the carrot that Woodstock is holding.

At least that’s one interpretation of the ornament.  Since there is an indentation in the snowman’s face where the nose should be, maybe Woodstock has grabbed the carrot and is teasing Snoopy.  After all, Woodstock is sitting on the snowman’s hat, so he is a little out of Snoopy’s reach.

I am sure it is supposed to be my first interpretation, however.  These two friends working together to build a snowman fits with how Hallmark always portrays them.  Overall, it’s a cute scene.  The snowman’s face is off to me.  Part of it is his missing nose.  Even knowing what is happening in the scene, it looks weird.  Part of it is also the scarf, which is covering the bottom of the mouth.

Once again, this scene gives us the flat bottom we need to set the ornament out, if you have a place there to do so safely.  Remember, this is a miniature ornament, so the size will be an issue.  You’ll find the 11 in a Christmas tree series marker on the bottom of the ornament as well.

Unfortunately, this ornament really tips to the left.  That’s because the hook is located on the snowman’s hat.  I’m not sure where else it would be, but the result is an ornaments that is very unbalanced.  You can still use a branch to prop it up, but you are really going to need to do that.

While it is a bit surprising that it took us until the eleventh entry to build a snowman, the wait was worth it.  It’s a fun overall ornament marred by the serious tip.

For more winter fun, here are the rest of the Winter Fun with Snoopy ornaments.

Original Price: $6.50

February 4th's Weekly TV Thoughts

And we're off!  February sweeps is here whether you are ready or not.  And a new show premiered as well.

Supergirl – So Supergirl let Livewire go, for now.  What I find most interesting is her reaction to Guardian.  I get it.  I really do.  I’m looking forward to seeing them come back around to that.  And I loved seeing John deal with some of the issues from his past.

The Odd Couple – That first episode was painful to watch.  Oscar was just making a fool out of himself.  I saw the plot points in the season (series?) finale coming, but it was still much more fun.

The Flash – Great character moments.  Iris is being crazy, but at least I can understand why.  I know it is going to come down to the season finale, but I really don’t want to wait that long to find out what happens.

Legends of Tomorrow – Interesting episode looking at the villains more.  And interesting how they tied in stuff from the season I hadn’t really thought about.  Plus they dealt a bit more with the daughter.  But that last scene?  Yikes!  Quite the cliffhanger there.

Arrow – I almost feel like they are trying to make up for what they did to Laurel with this new Canary character.  I mean, make it up to the comic book fan boys.  Still, I did like her introduction.  I’ll reserve judgement for her overall until I see another few episodes with her.

Suits – With no episode of This is Us this week, obviously, we needed some show to tug at my heartstrings and tear ducks.  Definitely more of a Harvey show than normal.  Still, I’m happy to see him starting to work things out with his family.  Hopefully that sticks, although I doubt we see much more about it.  Very interesting to see where they go with Mike since he obviously can’t give out money like that to everyone.

Big Bang Theory – A couple of very fun stories.  Sheldon with the feeling machine wound up being more touching than I was expecting.  It was great to see Raj’s girlfriends again.  I hadn’t picked up on him having two ex’s named Emily until this episode, although the one was only in one episode.  I so wish they’d keep the other Emily around, she really was funny, but obviously that isn’t to be.

Powerless – I can see the potential for the fun in this new comedy about the ordinary people trying to live in a world filled with superheroes.  And there were a few moments from this episode that did make me laugh.  However, it wasn’t as funny as I hoped it would be.  I’ll give it another episode to win me over.