February, 2020
February 1st, 2020, 2:06 p.m. - "When I found out Carrie Coon never got nominated [for The Leftovers], I almost erased 2% of humanity"
The Magicians – "The Mountain of Ghosts": So I guess Margo will be singing "Bad Guy" in the inevitable annual musical episode? Also, don't feel bad, Eliot. I kind of love the Dark King, too. Rating: 4 child's-play knives
Supernatural – "The Gamblers": BORING! I liked the actress who played Lady Luck (or whoever, though). And "Agent Lizzo" made me laugh. Rating: 3 coins
The Good Place – "Whenever You're Ready": It was...fine. Apparently everyone else in the world loved it, but I just thought it was okay. I mean, they spent four seasons trying to get to the Good Place, and then they got bored. How is that a fulfilling ending? Last week's episode should have been the finale. Rating: 3 rewards cards
February 8th, 2020, 2:09 p.m. -"You just got chaper-OWNED!"
The Magicians – "Magicians Anonymous": There's way too much going on here. They need to narrow down/combine some stuff. Also, please let Kady interact with the other characters. Also also, please bring David Anders back many more times. Rating: 3 socks
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "Manhunter"; "Captain Kim": Just okay, not great. Though I guess that means the season has nowhere to go but up. Are they going to have a different captain each week? That might get old. And I'm assuming it's only a matter of time before Amy gets pregnant, since Melissa Fumero already is. Rating: 3 of Rosa's leather jackets that make other people cool
February 9th, 2020, 3:54 p.m. - The premise of this book was so bananas, I couldn't pass it up
6. Thirteen (Steve Cavanagh)
Up next: The Heap (Sean Adams) and Wanderers (Chuck Wendig) – halfway through!
February 15th, 2020, 2:13 p.m. - "It is an organic, locally sourced, natural stimulant that got me through every finals week, and it is definitely not meth." "That's exactly what I would say if I was trying to get us to take meth"
Modern Family – "Paris": The worst of all the series' travel episodes. Do you think the other kids were mad that Manny got to go to Paris and they didn't? Rating: 3 trips to the museum of magicians
The Magicians – "Apocalypse? Now?!"; "Oops!...I Did It Again": A nice showcase for Hale Appleman. Also, MARINA! And Kady finally got to play with the others! Rating: 4 muffins Penny is now addicted to
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "Pimemento": Jason Mantzoukas is a national treasure. I don't think I could handle Pimento on the show all the time, but I would welcome more appearances. Rating: 4 tattoos about Panera order customizations
February 16th, 2020, 4:57 p.m. - This got more bizarre than I expected
7. The Heap (Sean Adams)
Up next: Under a Dark Sky (Lori Rader-Day) and Wanderers (Chuck Wendig) – I can't remember why I thought this was a good idea!
February 22nd, 2020, 1:21 p.m. - "I'm just not cut out for this high-stakes world of having fun with friends"
Modern Family – "Spuds": Yeah, that was a clip show. It was only saved (slightly) by Gloria's comments about historical figures and the twist where Cam and Mitch might end up adopting another child. Rating: 3 too many pills for Jay
The Magicians – "Acting Dean": I figured it was too easy for Fogg to come back like that, but I didn't expect...Evil Fogg. Will the ability to jump timelines come back in the future? Because no one mentioned that they could use that to pull in Quentin... Rating: 4 jars of cinnamon
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "The Jimmy Jab Games II": Boyle was great in this episode, and his games were pretty fun. I'm still not sold on Debbie, but it looks like she may not be around much longer. Rating: 4 Greatest Showman jackets
February 23rd, 2020, 5:03 p.m. - Part Agatha Christie mystery, part twist on the common group-of-friends-gets-together-after-years-apart-and-then-someone-dies plot
8. Under a Dark Sky (Lori Rader-Day)
Up next: We Wish You Luck (Caroline Zancan) and Wanderers (Chuck Wendig) – the end is in sight! Even though it's still 200 pages away!
February 29th, 2020, 2:33 p.m. - "Woo! Guess who just did more coke!"
Better Call Saul – "Magic Man"; "50% Off": I thought the first episode was so-so but I really liked the second. Nacho sneaking in and out of the drug house reminded me of Jesse's first appearance on Breaking Bad. I'm excited to see the show move closer to that time this season. Rating: 4 drainpipes
The Magicians – "Garden Variety Homicide": Summer Bishil and Hale Appleman impersonating each other's characters was brilliant. They should use that body-swap potion again with other characters. P.S. How many episodes are we predicting until Alice and Hamish hook up? I say no more than three. Rating: 4 plant drawings
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "Debbie": Vanessa Bayer was good for this role, but I wasn't that impressed with her performance. Still, this was a great episode. Jake is good under pressure. Rating: 4 speed-read diaries
There's a fantastic book hidden in here, but Cavanagh isn't a strong enough writer to make it all click. A better writer would have hit this out of the park. Still, there were some good twists.
Fully original and engrossing. Since I'm catching up on Better Call Saul, I kept picturing Orville and Bernard as Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean.
I wasn't incredibly impressed with this when I started, but as it went on, it got more intriguing. Toward the end, as all the pieces came together, I realized that Rader-Day had pulled off some great twists. I already have an eye on the next one of her books I want to read.