New TV season GO! Anika watched eight season premieres:
Gotham: If Gotham is actually secretly about Gotham constantly trying to save Bruce Wayne instead of the other way around, that is clever and I approve (but I don’t give them any such credit).
Agents of SHIELD: Ghost Rider is very difficult to take seriously but I like his alter ego so far.
Survivor: ‘Generation X versus Millennials’ is the dumbest set up yet but whatever (says the GenXer) the real story was the tribes being evacuated because of a cyclone. Also they have a living Ken doll.
Law & Order: SVU: This exchange wrt my #GirlSquad 😍
Rapist: Ana’s a terrorist and a tramp. You really think anyone cares about her?
Olivia: I do. And so does she [Rollins] and believe me, that’s enough.
Chicago PD: In last season’s finale it was implied that Voight murdered the man who killed his son. In this season’s premiere it’s implied that Lindsay dug up the body and moved or disposed of it in some way. There are many reasons why this doesn’t make sense (the timeline, the fact the Erin was being followed and knew it, Erin’s stature) but it’s implied on screen and off. Some fans are looking for/expecting a twist but Chicago PD is not really a build a mystery/shocking twist kind of show. I guess we’ll see.
The relationship between Erin Lindsay and Hank Voight has been my favourite part of Chicago PD for most of the show’s run and this puts a lot of pressure on it, which is great drama and I look forward to it. Hank saying “You’re all I have left.” broke me not only because it was well-acted and true, but because they both know their relationship is changed.
I worry about these series, my beloved police procedurals, and especially this one because it a) takes place in Chicago, and b) is, and has always been, about cops who break the rules. There are consequences, the characters are presented as flawed and conflicted and wrong, but they are still the protagonists we root for. Does it — do I by watching and tweeting and blogging about it — contribute to the real violence happening in our real streets?
But on a brighter note, the first thing Burgess’s new partner, Julie Tay (Li Jun Li!), did on duty was jump onto a moving van to save a woman and I love her, I love them, and I hope we get to keep her!
Chicago Med: I love that a psychiatrist is a main character (and being played by Oliver Platt makes him the marquee character) and now Sarah Reese, aka the John Carter of Chicago Med, is going to be doing psychiatry too and I am so excited!
Halstead Brother of the Week: Jay asked Erin to move in with him because he supports her and wants to give her a place to let go of all the stuff she’s carrying for Voight. Will glared at Natalie spending time with her old friend and did everything he could to one up said old friend in the ER. There is no contest.
The Blacklist: Elizabeth is back in fighting form, spitting on Kirk and trusting Red and getting herself out of danger thank you very much. I’m really scared for Kate’s future. The squad’s varied reactions to Liz faking her death are wonderful and despite the over reliance on fake outs, I love this stupid show.
How to Get Away With Murder: The last two minutes honestly shocked me. I give all credit to Viola Davis because I was paying attention to her amazing performance instead of being annoyed that we didn’t get to know who died and won’t for months and months.
And one new series:
The Good Place: As was very clear in our Emmys post I don’t watch sitcoms but it was on before Chicago Med and hey, it has Kirsten Bell, so I decided why not?
It was. . . fine? I think? I laughed at the burning bush. I was entertained. I’m not excited.
Show of the Week: They were all generally solid, nothing special. HTGAWM made me gasp, Chicago Med made me cry so I guess they can tie.
