ProWrap: Week of January 29, 2017

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ProWrap consists of quick reviews of the television shows we don’t cover with full reviews or podcast episodes during the week.

Elementary - S5E13 - “Over a Barrel” | Sundays at 10pm | CBS

Time was of the essence in “Barrel” with guest star Isiah Whitlock Jr (famously known for a particular catchphrase in The Wire) portraying Jack Brunelle, a grieving parent who took extreme measures by holding patrons hostage in a diner. Watson went inside the establishment to keep Brunelle calm while Sherlock - under a strict deadline - used all his resources to find out who killed Jack’s son years ago during the night of a major warehouse robbery.

It wouldn’t be Elementary without some twists and turns; Holmes and Det. Bell (Jon Michael Hill) learned the night in question involved the sudden disappearance of a prolific gang and the disappearance of thousands of barrels of maple syrup. More importantly, as they reached the final seconds, Sherlock and Marcus discovered the mastermind and murderer of both crimes were one and the same. The case was more of a ‘B’ plot this time around as the scenes involving Whitlock and Lucy Liu were the most palpable and revealing, as Brunelle was a man tormented with the knowledge that his son died needlessly in what should have been a victim-less crime, and the precinct in charge left his case cold.

“Barrel” proved that even among suspects and known criminals that there is a side to every story. Not every perpetrator will be as sympathetic as Jack but as we learned through Holmes’ hasty investigation, sometimes violating the law is one’s only means of survival… or the sole option for one’s pain to be recognized. Grade: A

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - s4e12 - “Hot Potato Soup” | Tuesdays at 10pm | ABC

Holden Radcliffe (John Hannah) continued to be deplorable as ever, ingratiating himself with Senator Nadeer and her secret partner codenamed The Superior (Zach McGowan). Known formally as Anton Ivanov, an onion-sniffing Russian weapons dealer that has a penchant for military antiquities and fancies himself as the ultimate human specimen. Through his twisted logic, Ivanov believes Inhumans are a threat because they didn’t earn their powers and must be eliminated. Meanwhile, Radcliffe’s facsimile at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ worked his smarmy magic on Fitz and slowly chipped away at his confidence.

Ivanov’s presence was minuscule as the Koenigs were front and center in “Barrel” with Patton Oswalt doing triple duty as brothers Billy, Sam and Thurston. While Oswalt provided light comedic relief for most of the episode, it was the eldest Koenig, L.T. (Artemis Pebdani) that left the biggest impression with her salty temperament and overall badass-ness. Through L.T. we learn more about the Koenigs (no clones, no LMDs, just some strange happenings in the genetic lottery) and how she shaped her brothers into the formidable agents they are today. We also learned Coulson gave Billy the Darkhold for safe keeping and it kept changing hands among the siblings. Unfortunately for S.H.I.E.L.D., Radcliffe and his new benefactor picked the right Koenig to discover the Darkhold’s location.

In the midst of a firefight and Fitz’s hacking into Radcliffe LMD’s programming, Fake May’s identity was unveiled by Leo and Phil simultaneously. Although she was neutralized by Quake, “May” remained active long enough to get her hands on the Darkhold. Never the sympathetic type, Holden attained his prize during the chaos of battle and left his infiltrator to be poked and prodded by S.H.I.E.L.D.’s techs. It was a pyrrhic victory of sorts as Coulson and company recovered their kidnapped agent yet lost the Darkhold in the exchange. How The Superior will use the book to destroy Inhumans (and Phil Coulson, the bane of his existence for whatever reason) remains to be seen. Agents has managed to keep the pace steady and exciting during the second half of the season, despite the erratic jumps in tone in this week’s episode. Grade: A-

 

Colony - S2E4 - “Panopticon” | Thursdays at 10pm | USA Network

Not a lot of action this week, but “Panopticon” was a profoundly sad offering. While Charlie adjusts to being home again, Katie and Will confront their issues, the main one being that they don’t trust each other. As she explains how and why she got involved with the resistance, and he confesses the murder he committed to keep her safe. Jennifer, under pressure to name her source, watches everything from the hidden cameras in the Bowman home.

When faced with an ultimatum (give her bosses something they can use or get demoted), Jennifer protects Will. She does this even after hearing Will tell Katie that he can work Jennifer and make her believe they’re friends to buy her silence. She erases all of the incriminating evidence from the system before she leaves, and the Bowman’s are aware they’re being watched, so that should put an end to their careless conversations in the house.

That night, Jennifer swallows a bottle of pills with wine. Sadly, no one is monitoring the surveillance cameras in her home at the time. Even sadder? Will lost someone he could trust, but he didn’t trust her. Grade: A

You can read full reviews of the shows we covered last week below:

Outsiders, The Affair, The Flash, Gotham, Jane the Virgin, Lucifer, Quantico, Supergirl, Vikings, The 100, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Powerless