Dan Stevens stars in ‘Legion’ (Photo Credit: Chris Large-FX)
FX’s upcoming X-Men series, Legion, has released a new short video starring Dan Stevens (soon to be seen in Beauty and the Beast). In the video FX unveiled today, David Haller (Stevens) isn’t sure what is actually real. The latest video teaser comes a week after FX released a 15 second video for the much-anticipated 2017 sci-fi series. Legion comes from Fargo‘s Noah Hawley and is a FX and Marvel collaboration, with Fargo‘s Rachel Keller and Jean Smart co-starring. The cast also includes Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Jeremie Harris (A Walk Among the Tombstones), Amber Midthunder (Hell or High Water), Katie Aselton (The League), and Bill Irwin (Interstellar).
The Plot:Legion follows David Haller, a troubled young man who may be more than human. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. But after a strange encounter with a fellow patient, he’s confronted with the possibility that the voices he hears and visions might be real.
Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams on ‘The Voice’ (Photo by: Trae Patton / NBC)
NBC’s firmed up the lineup of The Voice coaches for season 12 along with one of the coaching chairs for season 13. Original coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are all set to continue their bromance in season 12 along with season 11’s Alicia Keys and former coach Gwen Stefani. Stefani will be taking over Miley Cyrus’ chair for season 12, however Cyrus will be back for season 13. The other three coaches for the 13th season, which will air in fall 2017, have not yet been confirmed. Stefani coached seasons seven and nine, and joined the coaches as an adviser for seasons eight and 10.
Season 12 will premiere in February 2017. The singing competition series is currently airing season 11 and ranks as the number one alternative series among adults 18 through 49. Season 11’s been averaging 14.7 million viewers, which is an increase of 21% over last season’s ratings among millennials.
“We can’t wait to experience the unique chemistry and energy Gwen, Alicia, Blake and Adam will bring to season 12,” said Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Reality Group, NBC Entertainment. “With Miley returning for season 13, we’re truly ecstatic about the unmatched musical know-how and talent coming together in our coming seasons.”
Details on Returning Coach Gwen Stefani, Courtesy of NBC: A three-time Grammy Award winner, Stefani has achieved worldwide success as a performer, songwriter, and recording artist who has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide with No Doubt and as a multi-platinum solo artist. Earlier this year Stefani released her critically praised third solo album “This Is What the Truth Feels Like” which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and featured the gold certified first single “Used to Love You.” ”This Is What the Truth Feels Like” follows her other successful solo albums — “Love.Angel.Music.Baby” and “The Sweet Escape” — which featured the hit singles “Rich Girl,” ”Sweet Escape,” “What Are You Waiting For?” and the Pharrell Williams-produced #1 hit “Hollaback Girl.”
Stefani returned to the road this summer with her acclaimed headlining ”This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour” that traveled throughout North America. The tour’s opening night in Boston was streamed on the Live Nation channel on Yahoo and shattered live stream records seen on the channel since its inception in 2014. “This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour” will wrap at the famed Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on Oct. 29-30, marking the end of the venue’s 35-year history.
Trendsetter Stefani is also widely recognized as an accomplished fashion designer and entrepreneur, having created much-loved lifestyle brands L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers. For L.A.M.B. Stefani recently launched L.A.M.B. sunglasses and eyewear and her fourth L.A.M.B. X Burton snowboarding apparel and accessories collection. For Harajuku Lovers, Stefani’s Pop Electric Fragrances recently launched at Ulta Beauty and she’s designed a new limited edition collection of Harajuku Lovers chocolates and gift totes to benefit the Red Cross.
Fashion and music are not her only creative outlets, as Stefani just launched her first children’s animated television series, “Kuu Kuu Harajuku,” on Nickelodeon. Co-created and executive produced by Stefani, the show follows the adventures of the all-girl band HJ5 — Love, Angel, Music, Baby and G — through their super cute fantasy world of music, fashion and style. Stefani wanted to create an animated series for young girls that celebrates creativity, imagination and individuality.
CBS and Lionsgate are teaming up on a Candy Crush live action game show…and, no, this is not a belated April Fool’s Day joke. According to CBS’ official announcement, the one-hour game show is being executive produced by Matt Kunitz, Peter Levin, Russell Binder, and Nicki Sheard. The creator of Candy Crush Saga, Sebastian Knutsson, is also on board as an executive producer. “The Candy Crush franchise has been loved by players around the world on mobile so it’s very exciting to be working with Matt and the team to bring the fun and challenge of the Candy Crush games to television. We hope our players will be entertained by what is set to be a high-energy, challenging game show,” stated Knutsson.
“We are huge fans of Candy Crush and, like so many others, we know the ‘rush’ of advancing to the next level of the game,” said Glenn Geller, President, CBS Entertainment. “We’re excited to work with Lionsgate and King to adapt one of the world’s most popular and entertaining game franchises for television and make it available to its massive, passionate fan base who can watch and play along at home.”
“We have a very entrepreneurial culture at Lionsgate, so we look for awesome worldwide IP like Candy Crush and work together across divisions to bring it to fans on every platform possible. Everyone who has played it knows that Candy Crush is an exciting, visual switcher game with great characters, and Matt and our alternative television team are working closely with Sebastian Knutsson and his creative team at King to bring it to life on CBS,” said executive producer Peter Levin, President, Interactive Ventures and Games for Lionsgate.
The Plot: In the game Candy Crush Saga, players match colorful candies in combinations of three or more to win points, defeat obstacles and progress through more than 2,000 levels. Candy Crush Saga and its sister title, Candy Crush Soda Saga, are two of the top 10 grossing mobile games in the U.S. On average, 18 billion game rounds are played every month around the world. In the series, the game that has become a worldwide phenomenon comes to life as teams of two people use their wits and physical agility to compete on enormous, interactive game boards featuring next generation technology to conquer Candy Crush and be crowned the champions.
The latest trailer for New Regency and 20th Century Fox’s action-adventure film, Assassin’s Creed, showcases the action while not worrying too much about the characters. The big test for the December 21, 2016 release will be if it can attract ticket buyers who’ve never played the Assassin’s Creed video games, as simply depending on gamers to turn out in enough numbers to score big at the box office doesn’t normally work out well. Video game-inspired films have been more misses than hits, but Assassin’s Creed does have the star power of Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs) and Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night) working in its favor. Directed by Justin Kurzel (Macbeth), the cast also includes Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling, Michael K. Willaims, and Khalid Abdalla.
Michael Lessslie, Adam Cooper, and Bill Collage worked on the screenplay. Fassbender, Jean-Julien Baronnet, Gérard Guillemot, Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley, Michael Fassbender, Conor McCaughan, and Arnon Milchan served as producers.
The Plot: Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.
The 19 artists/groups nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame include Pearl Jam, Journey, Depeche Mode, The Cars, and Janet Jackson. The 2017 inductees will be revealed in December and are determined by the 800 artists, historians, and music industry members who make up the international voting body. According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, nominees are judged based on their musical influence, body of work, and depth of their careers.
All Rock & Rock Hall of Fame nominees must have released their first single or album at least 25 years ago. Pearl Jam and Tupac Shakur just became eligible this year, and Bad Brains, Depeche Mode, Electric Light Orchestra, Jane’s Addiction, Joan Baez, Journey, and Steppenwolf made it onto the shortlist this year for the first time.
Fans can once again participate in the voting process as part of the special fans ballot. Per the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: “Beginning October 18 and continuing through 11:59 p.m. EST on December 5, 2016, fans can visit rockhall.com to cast votes for who they believe to be most deserving of induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The top five artists, as selected by the public, will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to choose the 2017 inductees. Fans will need to log in with a Facebook account or email to vote. Voting is capped at one ballot per day.”
2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominees:
Bad Brains
Chaka Khan
Chic
Depeche Mode
Electric Light Orchestra
J. Geils Band
Jane’s Addiction
Janet Jackson
Joan Baez
Joe Tex
Journey
Kraftwerk
MC5
Pearl Jam
Steppenwolf
The Cars
The Zombies
Tupac Shakur
Yes
Fox’s Lucifer season two episode four finally shows Chloe letting loose and having a good time with friends. We also get to observe Lucifer doing his best to keep his mind off of his mom and the deal he made with his dad, while Amenadiel continues to keep his deteriorating wings a secret from everyone. Titled ‘Lady Parts’ and airing on October 17, 2016, the episode begins with a drone crash that leads two guys on a hunt in the hills where they find not only their downed drone but also a dead body.
Lucifer’s super into his new phone and playing games with Maze, juggling decorations, and otherwise acting like a hyper kid in Dr. Linda’s office. Dr. Linda (Rachael Harris) thinks maybe this has something to do with his mom’s visit but Lucifer insists mom’s all sorted out now. Dr. Linda tries to help sort out his feelings, but, as usual, Lucifer latches onto one small piece of her advice and figures out if he’s distracted then he won’t be worried. He thinks that’s brilliant advice and is off to get even more distracted.
Lucifer’s so obsessed with playing a game on his phone that Chloe (Lauren German) has to remind him they’re at a crime scene and to act professional and focus. However, Chloe’s also distracted because she’s looking for a new house and she’s starting the divorce process with Dan (Kevin Alejandro). Just then Detective Dan (or Detective Douche) walks up with a description of the body and what they know so far. They also found an abandoned car registered to Uber but no trace of the driver. Chloe uses Lucifer’s phone and figures out where the driver might be, and Lucifer – who is seriously getting a real kick out of his new phone – asks Siri to help them solve a murder.
Chloe and Lucifer have the Uber driver in an interrogation room and he claims the dead woman, Daria, jumped out of his moving car and he panicked. He suggests they talk to the “other guy” because he threatened to kill her. Off Chloe and Lucifer go to investigate another clue.
Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt) checks up on Charlotte who’s apparently having a horrible time trying to cook a chicken casserole. Maze takes some joy in Charlotte’s new life as Charlotte talks about her children as factories of filth. And, she takes care of the husband by just having sex with him if he asks a question. Maze says if it’s so bad, why doesn’t she just go back to Hell? Charlotte (Tricia Helfer) says that even all the ridiculous talk about gluten and assorted nonsense won’t make her want to give up her time on Earth with her sons.
Ella (Aimee Garcia) lets Lucifer and Chloe know she’s found a poison in the dead woman’s stomach. It took 90 minutes to kick in, so it wasn’t the Uber driver who killed her. But, she did track down the number Daria called and he turned out to be the owner of a popular restaurant. Lucifer does a bit of flirting with Ella before Chloe drags him away. Lucifer is definitely taking this whole “keep distracted at all times” thing seriously.
Lucifer and Chloe make the trip to the home of Daria’s last contact, and Lucifer admits he’s been calling realtors on Chloe’s behalf, adding that it was a good hour of distraction. Chloe says she can’t afford this neighborhood and just then a man comes out wearing a bloody apron and holding a bloody knife. He demands they get off his property. Lucifer tells him the Sweeney Todd look is over and the man apologizes, thinking they were his militant vegan neighbors who’ve been bothering him all day. He’s been out back making sausage for his restaurant. The crimefighting duo tell him his girlfriend is dead and his wife gets angry and leaves. Then he admits that he did have a fling with Daria but he was with his other girlfriend at that time, and that’s the girlfriend his wife actually knew about. (The girlfriends are all his waitresses.)
Chloe pulls Lucifer aside after he asks about tips for rooftop botany, demanding to know what’s going on. He breaks away to FaceChat with Maze who sounds exasperated that he’s bothering her again. He makes a wager with Maze after she refuses to do him a favor. If she takes the detective out for drinks and fun, she can have his convertible. She’s not allowed to tie Chloe up and pour booze down her throat, but Maze agrees anyway. Meanwhile, the restaurant owner says Daria was with another waitress last night.
Amenadiel (DB Woodside) shows up at Dr. Linda’s to return a book he borrowed, but he really looks like he needs her help. He tries to act like he doesn’t but finally comes clean about a “physical problem” he’s having. Dr. Linda thinks it’s about his penis and she suggests he relax, put it out of his mind, and have some fun. That will remove the stress…only then does he realize she thinks he has erectile dysfunction.
Daria’s friend Lily (Anne Leighton) lets Chloe and Lucifer into Daria’s apartment and Lucifer’s going off about his dislike for cats which he calls foul, incontinent creatures. The smell in her apartment is horrible and Lucifer blames it on the litter box but Chloe says it’s a dead smell. They find Daria’s friend, Naomi, dead with the same stamp on the inside of her wrist.
Lucifer’s at the club with two hot women on his arms, asking if they want to see the original stairway to heaven when Chloe shows up wanting to work on the case. Maze suggests Chloe join her for drinks instead, right as Ella also arrives for a night of socializing. Ella hugs Maze, which freaks out Maze, and heads to the bar but Chloe’s all business. She’s going over the clues, not caring that she ruined Lucifer’s ménage à trois. Chloe thinks she’s found the location of the rave Daria and Naomi went to before they died and wouldn’t you know it, Maze is familiar with a tiki bar right across the street. She tells Chloe to think like two hot women out on a girls night – Lucifer suggests she think with her “lady parts” – and Ella’s all in for some Pina Coladas.
Ella’s guzzling, Maze is opening beer bottles with her teeth, and Chloe’s just asking customers if she recognizes the dead women. Chloe has a call in for a warrant to check out the building across the street from the tiki bar and is going to call it a night without taking a sip from her drink. But then Dr. Linda arrives (Maze invited her) and Maze tells Chloe to just relax for once. Chloe says Maze is at Lucifer’s beck and call, and Maze fights back by asking when was the last time Chloe had sex. Ella says the conversation shouldn’t be about just work and sex, and Dr. Linda’s all in for that. Linda reveals she was a phone sex operator to pay for college, which Ella loves. Ella says she used to steal cars, while Maze shares that she was “forged in the bowels of hell to torture the guilty for all of eternity.” It’s Chloe’s turn but she won’t open up at first. Then she says a divorce, single parenthood, homelessness, and many cats are in the future. Maze helpfully adds things with batteries to Chloe’s list. Ella’s having a blast and Linda orders Tequila for her new crew.
Amenadiel’s drinking Cosmos at Lucifer’s club and worried about mom getting to stay on earth. He tells Lucifer there will be consequences. Amenadiel’s obviously upset and Lucifer tells him to just fly their mom back to hell then. Wrong thing to suggest, Lucifer, as Amenadiel snaps, pounds the bar and yells, “Because I can’t!” He won’t say why not, and Lucifer tells him he needs to stop stressing and drown his sorrows in real drinks. Amenadiel protests because he finds Cosmos “yummy.”
Back at the girls night out, the foursome’s on stage singing “Heartbreaker.” Chloe imitates Lucifer and they’re all pretty wasted, with Chloe admitting she’s never had real girlfriends before. They declare themselves a new “tribe” and toast to their friendship. Maze is bummed she doesn’t have her knives so they could make a blood pact, but Chloe says next time. They keep toasting to their tribe and Maze snaps photos of Chloe drinking. Chloe wanders off and her wing women try to tell her to stop as she grabs a man and brings him back to the bar. She spotted the same stamp that was on the murdered women, and she shows him their picture. The man’s girlfriend appears thinking Chloe’s trying to pick up on her man. Maze wants to hurt this woman after she calls Chloe a skank, but Chloe holds her back. Linda tells her aggression is not the answer and then calls the woman a raging bitch. And now a bar fight breaks out, even though Chloe tries to calm things down by saying she’s LAPD. Maze is going to town, taking out pretty much everyone by herself including the guy who had the stamp on his wrist. A splash of water in his face and he’s revived enough to tell them it was a sex club and he saw the women in the photo there.
Chloe’s a bit worse for wear at work the next day and she admits to Dan she can’t remember at least half an hour of her night out. She also tells him about the pop-up sex party that catered to rich jerks and that the two women might have been sex workers. She wants Dan to go to the next party which is happening right now, and she wants him to go to the party with Lucifer because he looks too much like a cop. Dan completely disagrees about the cop comment, but reluctantly agrees to attend the party with Lucifer.
Lucifer tells Dan that every night is a sex party for him, and Dan’s not amused. There are underage girls, no liquor license, and it’s totally illegal. Lucifer recalls that he started the first sex party…it was a place called Eden. Amenadiel shows up as they’re heading in although Dan’s not sure why he’s there. Lucifer thinks a night out would do his brother good. Dan reminds them they’re undercover and their mission is to find anyone who knew the dead girls. Lucifer says Dan looks like a cop, and Amenadiel completely agrees but Dan objects – again – and then finally gives up. Dan also gives them three rules: no drinking, no touching, and keep everything low-key. Yeah, right. Nice try, Dan, and thanks for playing.
Amenadiel’s having a good time with a hottie in red, telling his bro to come dance with them. Lucifer’s about to, looking at Amenadiel’s dance moves and saying, “White man’s overbite. That is definitely where I draw the line,” when Dan spots liquid nitrogen in the drinks on the bar. That’s what caused damage to the stomach lining of the dead women. The bartender runs when Dan shows him their picture but Lucifer easily grabs him by the neck. They question him about the dead ladies and he claims not to be the killer. He serves the pervs drinks and watches out for the girls. He also remembers a Hollywood dirtbag with a gold card named Yuri was with those two women. He also recalls there was another woman with the dead women, but he doesn’t know her name.
Back at the station, Dan and Chloe are working on finding Yuri while Chloe thinks the wife of the restaurant owner might be the other woman that the bartender was talking about. But then Chloe sees Lucifer laughing over something on his phone. It’s a photo of Chloe drinking that Maze snapped with the caption, “Pay up, I win!” Lucifer tells her about the wager and how he wanted to distract her with girls night out. Chloe thinks the whole ‘tribe’ thing was now just a big lie, and she snaps a photo flipping off the camera with the tag, “Tribal salute.” Lucifer has no idea that he hurt her by telling her the night out was something he set up. When she storms off, he blames Dan for saying something to make her mad.
Lucifer and Chloe find Yuri in his car and Chloe’s not sad when Yuri vomits on Lucifer’s pricey shoes. Yuri says he paid $5000 apiece for Naomi and Daria, two newbies that Crystal arranged for him. But when he met them, they had no idea it was a sex club and that he was their date. They wanted to leave and Crystal bought them drinks. They left anyway and he drank the rest of their drinks and has been sick ever since.
Crystal’s the one who poisoned Naomi and Daria, but Yuri doesn’t know Crystal’s real name. Yuri does however have photos from that night, including one with Crystal who is actually Naomi and Daria’s friend, Lily, who let them into Daria’s apartment.
Lily is packing up when Chloe and Lucifer pay her a visit. They know that Daria and Naomi were Lily’s sorority sisters and they tell her they know she turned on them. Lily grabs Chloe and puts a box cutter to her throat. Lily claims she didn’t know that what she put in their drinks would kill them; she just wanted to loosen them up. Lucifer’s phone rings, it distracts Lily, and Chloe throws her to the ground while saying, “There’s a special place in hell for women who fake friendships as a way of manipulating other women!” Obviously, she’s working through her own issues as she beats Lily with a rolled-up yoga mat. All Lucifer can do is suggest she move into the killer’s place because it’s an apartment with a nice view.
Back at the station, Maze takes a seat at Chloe’s desk and Chloe’s not happy to see her. Maze tells her she wasn’t totally faking it and says she wouldn’t just kick ass for anyone before she admits that yes she would. Maze did have a good time and although she doesn’t do apologies, she tells Chloe she no longer wants to kill her. That’s a huge step for Maze! Chloe calls her deranged and Maze asks if they’re still going to be roomies. Chloe has absolutely no idea what she’s talking about but apparently they shook on it after Chloe told her she needed someone to share expenses. Chloe now realizes what she was doing during that missing half hour. Maze really wants to make this roomie thing happen and she has money and she likes Trixie. Plus, there’s no way she’ll steal any of Chloe’s clothes. She takes Chloe’s donut and reminds her she said she wanted to have fun.
Back at Lucifer’s, Maze fills him in on the roommate thing and Lucifer doesn’t want that to happen. He says no, no, no, and more no’s before landing on the idea that that might mean Maze would have sex with Chloe before he does. He wonders if Maze would like to make another wager and now it’s her turn to say no. However, instead of wanting his convertible for winning their original wager, Maze now wants Lucifer to pour her a drink. He does, willingly, and toasts to “newly defined relationships.”
Amenadiel stumbles in and he’s very hungover. He doesn’t believe their dad will just let this go but Lucifer thinks by punishing mom on earth he’s maintained the deal. Amenadiel thinks it won’t be that easy and that there will be consequences. Lucifer never told him why he made a deal with dad, but now he answers Amenadiel’s question about what was so important. Chloe’s life was spared but Amenadiel says Lucifer hasn’t delivered on his end of the bargain which means dad might take back his end of the deal.
As Lucifer and Amenadiel are discussing the consequences, Chloe’s car is T-boned.
Netflix says Carla Gugino (San Andreas) and Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek Into Darkness) are confirmed for leading roles in Gerald’s Game, based on the book by Stephen King. Oculus helmer Mike Flanagan is on board to direct from a script he co-wrote with Jeff Howard (I Know What You Did Last Summer). The cast of the thriller also includes Henry Thomas (Ouija: Origins of Evil), Carel Struycken (Men in Black), Kate Siegel (Hush), and Chiara Aurelia (Agent Carter). Filming just got underway in Alabama on the Intrepid Pictures production, with Trevor Macy producing.
“Gerald’s Game has been my dream project for nearly twenty years. As a lifelong fan of Stephen King, it is a true honor to be trusted with this amazing material,” said writer/director Flanagan. “I am deeply grateful to my long-time partner, Trevor Macy, and to my new partners at Netflix, for making this dream project a reality. This is one of the reasons I wanted to make movies in the first place.”
The Plot:Gerald’s Game follows Gerald and Jessie Burlingame, who have gone to their summer home on a warm weekday in October for a romantic interlude. After being handcuffed to her bedposts, Jessie tires of her husband’s games, until things take an unexpectedly tragic turn. Still handcuffed, she is trapped and alone. Painful memories from her childhood bedevil her. Her only company is a hungry stray dog and the voices that populate her mind. As night comes, she is unsure whether it is her imagination or if she has another companion: someone watching her from the corner of her dark bedroom.
Fox’s Gotham season three episode five features a no-holds barred battle between Penguin’s old right-hand man Butch and his new BFF, Edward Nygma. Airing on October 17, 2016 and titled ‘Anything for You,” the episode also moves the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle forward ever so slightly.
Episode five opens with Mayor Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor) taking part in a ticker-tape parade down Gotham’s main street with citizens cheering him on. He also serves food to the homeless, does a ribbon-cutting ceremony photo op for a new school bus, and basically just begins his term as Gotham’s mayor having a wonderful time – all with Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) at his side. At home, he asks the statue of his mother if he’s made her proud. Oswald’s new BFF Ed believes his mom would definitely be proud. Oswald says the only thing that’s missing is someone to share this happiness with.
Oswald installs the statue of his mother on the steps of City Hall, telling the assembled press and general public that everyone in Gotham City will be safe from this day forward. He’s quickly proven wrong when the Red Hood Gang shows up and sprays bullets, shooting at Oswald’s mother’s statue and then chopping off her head. They leave but it’s interesting to note that they really didn’t do any damage other than to the statue and disrupting the press event.
Valerie Vale (Jamie Chung) doesn’t want people to think they’re a thing, so she’s not staying at Jim’s for a third night in a row. She wants to know more about Jervis Tetch and she wants to know if there’s something weird about Alice’s blood. Jim (Ben McKenzie) is angry at the line of questioning and wonders whether she’s asking as a woman or as a reporter.
Captain Barnes (Michael Chiklis) looks over Alice’s death certificate, wondering what’s up with her blood. Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) interrupts to tell him about the return of the Red Hood Gang – or actually more likely copycats and not the original gang. As they’re putting together a search party, Edward Nygma appears at the station and says he’s now the liaison on the Red Hood investigation. He wants access to everything, and Captain Barnes says he shouldn’t be anywhere near the station because he’s a cop killer and crazy. Nygma threatens Barnes with the loss of his job, and Barnes gives in, saying, “Every dog has its day, Nygma. Enjoy yours.”
Oswald is speaking to his “constituents” about his mother, angry that his mother’s memory is being desecrated. He wants the Red Hoods made an example of, and he wants the leader’s head brought to him on a spike ASAP.
The gang’s playing poker when the game is disrupted by the boss who turns out to be Butch! Butch (Drew Powell) is still holding a grudge because Ed Nygma’s taken over his place as Penguin’s right-hand man, and he tells the gang they have work to do.
Bruce (David Mazouz) visits Jim at his place and he wants to hire him to find Ivy Pepper. Selina doesn’t know Bruce is looking for Ivy, and he doesn’t want her to find out because he’d hate to get her hopes up only to disappoint her. Jim asks how long Bruce and Selina have been a thing, and Bruce tries to convince him they’re just friends. Jim absolutely doesn’t believe it.
Ed stops in Lucius Fox’s lab and Lucius (Chris Chalk) isn’t happy to see him. In fact, he’s still very angry about their last meeting and warns Ed to never threaten his life again. Lucius calls Ed insane and Ed replies, “Was insane. I have the certificate.” Despite his dislike for Ed, Lucius welcomes him to check out the Red Hood Gang evidence.
Harvey gives Jim and Bruce all the info he has on Ivy. It seems she didn’t actually kill the guy who let his plants die; Ivy only knocked him out and robbed him. Bruce thinks it was Ivy because she left her sweater behind, but Harvey says the man swears the person who hit him was in her 20s. Bruce thinks that’s a lie, but Harvey thinks if the guy was just a perv who liked young girls he wouldn’t have called attention to himself by reporting it. They all wonder why this girl had Ivy’s sweater. Lee (Morena Baccarin) walks up and wants a word with Jim.
Lee warns Jim her engagement announcement is coming out and it will say that Mario’s part of the Falcone family. Jim already knew and Lee’s shocked he didn’t mention it. Jim admits he was initially surprised, but it’s none of his business and he’s very happy for her.
Next up, Ed pays a visit to Lee who slaps him hard, knocking off his glasses. She warns him she’s not afraid of him just because he now works for Penguin. She brings up her future father-in-law’s name and warns Ed not to mess with her.
Barbara (Erin Richards) and Tabitha (Jessica Lucas) are hard at work trying to figure out who’s behind the Red Hood Gang. They managed to snag a member, stuck him in the freezer, and after he thaws out they’ll question him.
Meanwhile, members of the gang are blowing up the new church school bus and kill a priest while the school kids look on. They tell the kids to spread the news it’s Penguin’s fault. Butch gives his gang suits to wear to Penguin’s party that evening but says they absolutely can not kill Penguin there. Just then Tabitha and Barbara show up and want a heart-to-heart alone with Butch.
Bruce and Jim grab a bite to eat at a diner, and Jim tells Bruce he should talk to Selina and tell her how he feels. Bruce wants to know if that works and if Jim’s taking his own advice. Jim says he’s done with Lee but Bruce is actually wondering about the new woman Jim’s seeing. Seems young Mr. Wayne noticed lipstick on a coffee mug at Jim’s place. Jim admits that’s a complicated relationship and Bruce says so is the one he has with Selina. Bruce also says he wishes sometimes that he had a sign so he could figure things out. The TV news is on in the background and it’s about Penguin’s party that evening. Bruce says he’s supposed to attend because Alfred wants him to connect with people.
Back at Oswald’s place, Penguin’s pacing around upset about the Red Hood Gang. Helping blot up wine Oswald spilled on himself while pacing, Ed puts two and two together regarding a clue he and Lucius discovered in the lab and says he knows where the Red Hood Gang is hiding out.
Tabitha and Barbara try to figure out what to do with Butch, and Tabitha doesn’t understand why Butch wants to hurt his boss. Butch explains it’s all a ruse so that he can take down the Red Hoods himself at the party. He wants to get back in with Penguin, and Barbara leaves the decision of what to do up to Tabitha. Tabitha will let things play out but Butch will owe her big time. Their conversation’s interrupted by a call from Penguin telling Butch they’ve figured out the location of the gang’s headquarters.
Butch beats Penguin to the warehouse but the gang refuses to leave when he tells them to. He sees Penguin pull up out front and kills all of the Red Hood members before Penguin makes it into the room. Penguin’s impressed; Ed is angry.
Penguin tells the press Butch took down the bandits, while Edward stews in the background.
Back at the crime scene, Ed inspects the murder scene and Harvey wants him to leave it alone. But, Ed has figured out the dead gang members were just standing there. Ed won’t let it go and further examines the scene, finding one of the suits for that evening’s party.
Lee thinks she’s in trouble for punching Nygma, but apparently he didn’t tell Captain Barnes. Barnes compliments her for the punch, but what he really wants to know is more about Alice’s blood. Lee says when they injected rats with the blood, they all showed increased strength and stamina. But then one of the rats killed the others so they stopped the study. It chewed through wire cages to attack the rest, and Barnes wants to know why it happened to just one of the rats. Lee’s not sure but thinks the others might have been immune to the side effects.
And now it’s time to party at Barbara’s club where Penguin’s the star of the evening. Bruce wants to leave pretty much the second he gets there, not liking this new life of fake smiles. Oswald welcomes them to the party and Bruce thanks him for saving their lives from ex-Mayor Galavan. Just then Bruce is distracted, saying he’s seen a sign (he’s actually seen Selina.) Selina’s busy picking pockets when Ivy grabs her but won’t tell her her name.
Ed confronts Butch, handing him a box containing a pocket square. Ed has found out Butch’s suit and the Red Hood suits were made by the same tailor, and the tailor said a man with a metal hand bought all of the suits. Butch threatens to snap Ed’s neck but Ed has a deal he wants to make: they will team up to kill Penguin. Ed doesn’t want to be #2 and he’s just been waiting for the chance to take down Penguin, offering to do it with Butch. They’ll run Gotham together. Ed tells Butch to put on the hood, he’ll help him escape, and together they’ll run the city. Butch says no, and Ed has yet another surprise. No matter what Penguin will die because Ed has recruited Penguin’s constituents, but will Butch be the one who kills him? If Butch doesn’t kill Penguin, then Penguin’s goons will kill Tabitha.
Bruce wants to know what Selina (Camren Bicondova) is doing there and asks if they can speak privately. She’s not happy about it but goes along.
Before Penguin takes the stage, Ed wishes him good luck. Penguin begins to address the partygoers when Butch shoots a couple of rounds in the air. He tells Penguin he’s about to shoot him but apologizes first, and Ed has a hold of Penguin’s arm as Penguin figures out it’s Butch. Butch pulls the trigger but there aren’t any bullets. Penguin’s goons shoot Butch in the back, but Penguin himself is completely unharmed. Butch doesn’t die and his mask is pulled off, and Penguin vows to kill him for this betrayal. Butch and Penguin argue and Penguin takes the stage again to say he’s shocked his friend betrayed him. He tells the crowd he’ll prosecute anyone who threatens the city. Just then Tabitha breaks loose from the goon who’s holding her hostage and Butch attacks Ed while Barbara declares, “Best party ever!” Penguin knocks out Butch and saves Ed from being strangled.
Up on the roof, Bruce tells Selina about hiring Jim to find Ivy. He also tells her a redhead had Ivy’s sweater but it wasn’t Ivy. Bruce then pours his heart out, telling Selina he likes her as more than a friend. She asks how many girls he’s dated and he says none. She wants to know if he’s considered the fact that maybe he likes her because she’s the only girl he knows. He denies it, telling her he feels something for her. He says again that there’s something between them and that she has to see that. She says, “Rule one, don’t ever tell me what I have to do,” before kissing him. Bruce is confused and doesn’t know if that means she has feelings for him, and Selina’s happy she’s got him where she wants him.
Valerie meets the man who ran tests on Alice’s blood at a nice restaurant. Jim interrupts, grabbing a seat at the table and telling the man to leave. Jim promises to tell Valerie what she wants to know, but she’ll have to buy him dinner first.
Oswald makes ginger tea with honey for Ed’s sore throat. Ed explains what actually was going on and that he had to make it so that Penguin’s shock at seeing Butch in the hood was genuine. Penguin’s once again the city’s hero and he can’t believe Ed almost died putting this all together. They hug after Ed tells Penguin he can always count on him.
Butch is in the back of an ambulance and Tabitha heads out to save him. Donning leather and arming herself, she hijacks the ambulance to save Butch.
At GCPD, Captain Barnes is told of the hijacking and in anger gets up without realizing he’s walking without his cane. When he does realize it, the veins in his face enlarge as he embraces his new strength.
Tetsh has kidnapped a young woman and dressed her up as his sister, Alice. He slices her throat and uses her blood to write a place card with ‘James Gordon’ on it. He leaves her dead at the head of the table, saying he will have vengeance.
A scene from ‘Quantico’ season 2 episode 3 (Photo by Giovanni Rufino / ABC)
It’s been a couple weeks since we’ve gotten our weekend dose of conspiracy theories and twists and turns that will make your head spin, and let’s say the October 16, 2016 episode of ABC’s Quantico, “Stescalade,” delivered. At the beginning of season two episode three, we return to present day where a group of people are still being held by Citizen’s Liberation Front. Along with those people in the room, we are trying to figure out what the heck is going on. You see Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra) talking to Miranda Shaw, played by the talented Aunjanue Ellis, on the phone essentially talking strategy about what Alex needs to do for the well-being of those who are captured, but also to get to the bottom of this mystery. We see Alex turn up the notch on the badass meter when she wears the garb the terrorists are wearing so she can go incognito in her pursuit.
Back to the Farm, and we see the roles that Shelby (Johanna Braddy) and Nimah (Yasmine Al Massri) play as Alex’s and Ryan’s handlers, respectively. Miranda meets up with Shelby and Nimah at a café and sits at a table in the corner, and Miranda lays down the hammer in her own kind of subtle, yet effective way. She selected them as their handlers, not necessarily because they are the most qualified but because they know each of them personally. Miranda encouraged them to use that advantage to push them to be better agents on the Farm. By the way, we have a new recruit on the Farm who previously worked as a wedding planner and let’s say, she’s … thorough. I’m sure her character and role in all this will unfold in future episodes.
As with every Quantico episode, there is some kind of moral or lesson recruits are required to learn, which is supposed to be hammered in their head during training but, of course, gets put to use in the present day when shenanigans ensue. This week’s story is assessment: how to always be aware of your surroundings.
Recruits went through some exercises to make the point. Recruits had 30 seconds to go inside a bar and basically make any observation they could. Velez was put in a closet for a little over four minutes and was asked about all that he saw inside. After he came out of the closet, we learned he is a tad claustrophobic and really couldn’t answer any questions about what he observed. His claustrophobia stems from his time in a Mexican prison that was primarily influenced by the drug cartels looking to pump info out of prison mates.
Eventually, recruits were put in a van with masks put on their heads (little creepy, not going to lie, but I totally get it) and dropped in the woods where they had to find their way back to the Farm. Mind you, they weren’t supposed to use any technology although Harry (Russell Tovey) cheated and did, but that’s a separate issue.
While on this adventure in the woods, Ryan (Jake McLaughlin) and Alex split up, because they are on assignment and they’re trying to get the dirt on these recruits and decide who they need to bug.
Ryan eventually pairs up with Dayana (Pearl Thusi) and he’s slowly peeling back her complicated layers, but in that process unveils her strengths and realizes she is one not be underestimated. On the other hand, Alex is paired up with Velez (Aaron Diaz). Alex probes Velez, not stealthily might I add, to get intel. You can see Velez getting defensive and suspicious all at the same time, but his time at a Mexican prison built those walls up (insert political pun here).
Eventually when they get back to the Farm, two things happen. First, recruits learned they pseudo failed the point of the exercise. There were 23 cameras and 2 drones watching them and they didn’t realize it. Hence, the whole lesson that you always need to be aware of your surroundings. Keep up, recruits! Second, when Alex and Ryan went back to their secret place and met with Nimah and Shelby about who they think they should be watching out for, Alex kind of dominates and pushes Ryan to agree that Velez is a good guy. When each of them talk to their handlers, you see Nimah and Shelby each bring a little oomph and question their choices. Shelby straight-up called Alex out and said, “Alex, you’re a sucker for a cute guy who cries,” and cites Drew and Liam as examples. Nimah cleverly insinuated Ryan went along with Alex’s choice. Why is this development important? As their relationship evolves in this season, we see this ultimately is a disagreement in judgment and they have to navigate the intricacies of their personal and professional lives co-mingling and how do they keep a church and state type balance. (Thank you Grey’s Anatomy for that reference!)
Eventually, Shelby and Nimah are trying to implement a bug, but they hear a little disturbance when activating it. What does that tell them? There’s already a bug on the Farm that someone else implemented. This sets off some red flags, because the time frame to implement a bug is quite limited as the Farm is swept for bugs every five days.
The sandpaper-like relationship Owen (Blair Underwood) has with Lydia (Tracy Ifeachor) surfaces when Lydia finds out that her dad used his influence to get Lydia put on this post at the Farm. This, of course, upsets Lydia because she questioned her professional capabilities and identity as a CIA professional. When she realizes what he did, she storms out of the house and makes a suspicious call to someone and says, “I’m in. What do I do next?”
Back to present day and Alex makes her way to the room where everyone is being held captive. Unfortunately, things don’t go to well for her here because Ryan colludes with Harry to create a diversion where he ultimately wanted to uncover the mask of one of the terrorists. He ended up choking this person and little did he know he was choking Alex until she gasped, “Ryan! Ryan!” Of course, the other terrorists took her away.
As one of the terrorists walks her into a dark room, they eventually get into a physical altercation where once again Alex turns the badass meter up another notch! Eventually she unmasks her opponent and discovers it was none other than an instructor on the Farm. This instructor takes a suicide pill and few moments later she’s on the ground, foaming at the mouth. Eventually, back where hostages are kept, a body falls through the glass ceiling and there’s a note on the body that reads, “2 Down.” Raina puts two and two together and says, “Alex is alive!”
Back to the training days and we see Harry go to a bar and see our friend, Will (Jay Armstrong Johnson). Will was the one who was severely beat up by Caleb as he tried to infiltrate the radical Scientology-like group in the second half of Season 1. Harry goes up to Will, but it’s obvious he is up to his old tricks and introduces himself to Will as “Julian.”
All in all, Quantico keeps us questioning and wondering what’s coming next. Stay tuned next week for what unfolds. If the preview is any indication, there is going to be some progress on the hostage situation but, of course, in true Quantico style, there is a bump in the road and a showdown is likely!
Just a few weeks into the fall 2016-2017 season and CBS has given three of its new shows full season one orders. Kevin Can Wait, MacGyver, and Bull will all be sticking around for a full season after proving to be ratings winners for the network. Kevin Can Wait ranks as the top new comedy of the fall season and Bull is the #1 new show of the fall 2016 season. MacGyver, based on the classic action series starring Richard Dean Anderson, has become Friday’s #1 new series. All three of the new series have also upped the number of viewers tuning into CBS over the same time period in 2015.
“We’re thrilled viewers have embraced these three shows creatively,” stated Glenn Geller, President, CBS Entertainment. “Each one has made an immediate and positive impact on our schedule, while significantly contributing to growing their respective nights.”
Bull‘s been averaging 17.32 million viewers which is an 18% increase over last year. The series stars Michael Weatherly, Freddy Rodriguez, Geneva Carr, Jaime Lee Kirschner, Annabelle Attanasio and Chris Jackson, and has Steven Spielberg involved as an executive producer. Kevin Can Wait, starring Kevin James, Erinn Hayes, and Taylor Spreitler, has been averaging 11.26 million viewers. And MacGyver‘s Friday night time slot has increased more than 55% over the number of people who watched CBS on Fridays at 8pm ET/PT in 2015.
Bull Plot: Brilliant, brash and charming, Dr. Bull is the ultimate puppet master as he combines psychology, human intuition and high tech data to learn what makes jurors, attorneys, witnesses and the accused tick. Bull employs an enviable team of experts at Trial Analysis Corporation to shape successful narratives down to the very last detail. They include his quick-witted former brother-in-law, Benny Colón, a lawyer who acts as defense attorney in the company’s mock trials; Marissa Morgan, a cutting-edge neurolinguistics expert from the Department of Homeland Security; former NYPD detective Danny James, the firm’s tough but relatable investigator; haughty millennial hacker Cable McCrory, who is responsible for gathering cyber intelligence; and Chunk Palmer, a fashion-conscious stylist and former All-American lineman who fine tunes clients’ appearances for trial. In high-stakes trials, Bull’s combination of remarkable insight into human nature, three Ph.D.’s and a top-notch staff creates winning strategies that tip the scales of justice in his clients’ favor.
Kevin Can Wait Plot:Kevin Can Wait stars Kevin James as a newly retired police officer looking forward to spending carefree, quality time with his wife and three kids, only to discover he faces tougher challenges at home than he ever did on the streets. Kevin’s retirement plans consist of chilling with his family and having epic adventures with fellow retirees Goody, his former partner and close friend, and Duffy, his oldest pal, as well as his brother, Kyle, a fireman whose closest encounter with a blaze would be a grease fire in the firehouse kitchen. However, Kevin’s dream is jeopardized when he discovers that Donna, his wonderful wife of 20 years, has shielded him from key family info while he worked overtime protecting the community. Their usually reliable eldest, Kendra is dropping out of college so she can support her unemployed fiancé, Chale, while he designs the next “big app”; his teenage daughter, Sara has budding anger-management issues; and their youngest, Jack is a bit of a hypochondriac. For now, his plans for a cushy life will have to wait, because Kevin has work to do, and this time, his family is his beat.
MacGyver Plot: MacGyver a reimagining of the classic series, is an action-adventure drama about 20-something Angus “Mac” MacGyver, who creates a clandestine organization within the U.S. government where he uses his extraordinary talent for unconventional problem solving and vast scientific knowledge to save lives. Joining his team on high-risk missions around the globe is maverick former CIA agent Jack Dalton and Patricia Thornton, ex-field agent turned director of operations and Riley Davis, an unpredictable computer hacker with a chip on her shoulder. At home, MacGyver is entertained by his ambitious roommate, Wilt Bozer. Under the aegis of the Department of External Services, MacGyver takes on the responsibility of saving the world, armed to the teeth with resourcefulness and little more than bubble gum and a paper clip.