NBC will be debuting the crime drama Shades of Blue on Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 9pm ET/PT. Jennifer Lopez stars in and executive produces the new TV series set to arrive with a special two-hour premiere before moving to its Thursday at 10pm timeslot currently held by newcomer The Player.
The cast also includes Ray Liotta, Warren Kole, Drea de Matteo, Dayo Okeniyi, Vincent Laresca, Hampton Fluker, and Sarah Jeffery.
Oscar winner Barry Levinson directed the two-hour premiere.
“We’re so excited to have locked in a premiere date and can’t wait to show audiences what Jennifer and the rest of this incredible cast delivers in this compelling new drama series,” said Jennifer Salke, President, NBC Entertainment. “Jennifer’s role as Det. Santos is a tour de force. She carries herself with incredible grit and toughness, yet at the same time heartbreaking vulnerability. We are thrilled that NBC is the network to bring this iconic actress and star to series television.”
“From a marketing perspective, the Jan. 14 date takes advantage of both solid Sunday Night Football games and strong holiday programming through the first week of January,” said Jeff Bader, President, Program Planning, Strategy and Research. “Also, in one of the most-watched weekends of the year (Jan. 9-10), we have the NFL Wild Card game and Golden Globes, both of which make for great promotional opportunities.”
The Plot:
Harlee Santos (Lopez) is a charismatic single mother and resourceful detective at the heart of a tight-knit crew of Brooklyn detectives, led by enigmatic Lt. Matt Wozniak (Liotta) who often leads the team to step outside the limitations of the law in order to effectively protect their precinct and their own. As a big illegal job looms on the horizon, the FBI catches Harlee in the act and pits her against her own unit. As a newly turned informant, Harlee struggles to safeguard her on-the-job family and avoid arrest in order to stay with her daughter. Harlee engages in a perilous dance with her FBI handler, Special Agent Stahl (Kole), who develops an unhealthy obsession with her.
Meanwhile, Wozniak, acting as the unit’s patriarch, begins an all-consuming hunt for the informant. Pressure mounts as the crew struggles to perform their brand of street justice under FBI watch.
So much took place in The Flash season two’s fourth episode that it’s difficult to pick out just one particular scene or character that stood out. However, many fans of the series (and/or the comic books) seem to be most excited about the episode’s final 10 minutes. That’s when a certain huge fish made an appearance and took over the show. In addition to the appearance of King Shark, episode four included the introduction – or at least the talk of – a new member of Joe and Iris’ family. It also introduced the new version of Firestorm (bye, bye Ronnie) and Harrison Wells from Earth 2. Season two’s fourth episode was one of the show’s best as far as moving storylines along while also creating new paths for our favorite characters to take.
Here’s a recap of what went down in The Flash season two’s fourth episode titled “The Fury of Firestorm:
Flashback to two years ago in the minutes before the particle accelerator exploded and a high school football team is having a great great, with the quarterback earning high marks from scouts in the stands. Immediately after the game, his life changed forever.
And now it’s present day and Professor Stein (Victor Garber) is in horrible shape. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) zaps him back to life but he’s stuck in bed. He needs a new power source because he no longer has Ronnie to help his body remain stable. They need another metahuman to merge with Stein, and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) says she’s found two potential people that could be genetic matches. And off The Flash (Grant Gustin) goes to get blood samples without letting either know.
Joe (Jesse L. Martin) and Iris (Candice Patton) look at old family photos and reminisce about ice cream and doctors. Joe tells her she doesn’t have to meet her mother, but Iris says she needs to. Joe calls her brave and takes off for work.
At the Central City Police Station, Patty Spivot (Shantel VanSanten) shows Barry shark teeth that were found on the street. A witness saw a manshark walking around…which sounds like a bad sci-fi movie. She wants them to investigate the manshark metahuman possibility, but he says metahumans aren’t really his thing. However, he offers to run some tests on the teeth.
Professor Stein’s able to get out of bed and move around, thanks to a cane Cisco made. After testing their blood, Caitlin says they should go with Dr. Henry Hewitt (Demore Barnes) but Barry likes Jefferson Jackson (Franz Drameh) better. Hewitt’s a scientist while Jefferson is a mechanic, so Caitlin thinks Hewitt’s intellectually a better match. Meanwhile, Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) lurks in the shadows.
Barry and Professor Stein go to the garage to meet with Jefferson and…yes, finally!…there’s a reference to Celine Dion and Titanic (nice job, writers). Jefferson knew his dreams of pro ball were over after the explosion. Barry tells ‘Jax’ they’re with the Department of Safety and they’re compiling info on people who were affected by the particle accelerator, but Jax doesn’t want to go to S.T.A.R. Labs with them. He does, however, take their number.
CC Jitters is the setting for the reunion between Iris and her mom, Francine (Vanessa Williams). Joe’s there to introduce them, and Iris immediately wants to know why she’s there. Iris tells her mom she doesn’t hate her and wishes her well, but she wants to continue living separate lives like they have for 20 years.
Dr. Henry Hewitt meets with the S.T.A.R. Labs group and he’s anxious to be part of the experiment. He’s read Dr. Stein’s work and thinks he’s a legend. Caitlin has told him the details of becoming Firestorm and Henry’s in. Barry reluctantly agrees. Cisco explains the process and here goes nothing…literally. They touch hands, there’s a little flame, but no real changes. They touch hands again and nothing at all happens. Caitlin and Cisco don’t know why it’s not working. As Hewitt leaves, his hand lights up without Team Flash seeing it.
At Mercury Labs an alarm goes off in Applied Sciences and it’s Dr. Harrison Wells who has broken in.
Joe and Spivot investigate the break-in and are told it’s a sensitive matter. It’s not what was stolen but that Harrison Wells stole it. They don’t know how he is alive and walking. First a sharkman (although we all know he’s actually King Shark) and now a dead man walking. Joe tells Patty she can’t tell Barry because Harrison Wells is the man who murdered his mother. Patty can’t tell anyone and she’s not good at lying, so she admits this is going to be a problem.
Back at CCPD, Francine meets Joe in the lobby and he tells her she’s not wanted. She has a secret. She started getting weak and she has MacGregor’s Syndrome, something common among ex-addicts. She’s only got a few months left. She just wants her daughter to know her.
Franz Drameh as Jax Jackson
Jax shows up at S.T.A.R. Labs and he’s impressed by the setup. Barry tells him it’s not about fixing his knee, and they explain the dark matter and the changes in his molecular structure. Jax realizes he’s a metahuman and Cisco tells him he can fly but it’s going to take a convergence with Professor Stein. Jax wants nothing to do with it. It’s not his kind of thing. Caitlin takes off to try and get Hewitt back to try again.
Meanwhile Barry tells Patty the shark is human and asks if there’s anything else he can help with. She fumbles and stumbles, but escapes without giving away the secret.
Barry visits Joe’s office and Joe tells him Francine is dying. Barry brings up Patty’s weird reaction when he asked to help on a case, and Joe says it’s nothing. Joe wants to know what’s up between the two of them and Barry says she’s adorable and funny but she’s not Iris. Joe knows Iris was his first love and tells Barry he’ll never feel the same about anyone else, but he can love again.
At Hewitt’s work, he gets in an argument with a coworker who threatens him. The lights flicker and Hewitt spouts flames.
News report says there was a spontaneous energy malfunction at Eikmeier Technologies. So, the gang knows they triggered Hewitt’s powers. Cisco says he had a sealed police record and a history of violence. Professor Stein suffers a mild attack and goes to lie down, and now Caitln’s worried Jax won’t come back. Barry tells her they have to be open to exploring something new.
Joe tells Iris Francine is dying and she still doesn’t want to see her. Joe tells her not to try to protect him, and Iris can’t help but wonder if she’s telling the truth. Joe believes she is and will stand behind Iris’ decision, whatever it is.
Caitlin shows up at the garage to apologize to Jax, admitting they’re desperate and telling Jax about Ronnie. Jax asks if he was the guy who flew into the black hole and Caitlin says he was. Jax doesn’t want to be a hero, just a football player, and Caitlin tells him he can be part of a team that’s working to protect people. “I believe you’re meant to be a hero,” says Caitlin. In walks Hewitt all lit up and threatening Caitlin. Jax knocks him out and they take off for S.T.A.R. Labs.
Caitlin and Jax make it to S.T.A.R. Labs and it’s nearly too late for Professor Stein. Jax agrees to the convergence because he wants to help people, and Barry tells him there’s no going back once he does it. They get Professor Stein out of bed and prepare for the merge. Stein thanks Jax for coming back, they touch hands, and the results are immediate. Jax is Firestorm and Professor Stein is there in his head.
Hewitt’s recharging at the football stadium and Firestorm is immediately put into action. The Flash goes and rescues the players while Cisco cuts the power to the field so Hewitt can’t draw more energy. The Flash warns him to stop, but Hewitt says he deserved the Firestorm matrix. While Stein tries to help Jax calm down and use his natural abilities they learn that the angrier Hewitt gets, the worse he gets, so The Flash and Firestorm team up to piss him off. Hewitt is super angry and throws fire at them both, but they’re able to knock him out. Professor Stein admits he and Jax make a pretty fantastic team. Barry welcomes him on board.
Iris meets with Francine at CC Jitters. Iris checked on Francine and sees she’s telling the truth, but she knows Francine is still keeping secrets. She learns Francine had a son born eight months after she left Central City and she wants Iris to know about her brother. Iris wants Francine to leave forever because if her dad learns he had a son he never knew about, it might crush him.
Stein and Jefferson are heading to Pittsburgh to train and fully realize their potential. Stein says goodbye to Caitlin and Caitlin gives Jax Ronnie’s compass. He feels strange being 50% of someone and Caitlin tells him he’s 100% a hero. Alone, Stein tells Cisco not to be afraid of the power he has. “The very thing that makes you different, makes you special,” says Stein. And then Stein and Jax merge and fly away.
Joe tells Barry that it was one hell of a leap of faith Jax took and there’s a lesson in there for Barry. Barry figures out what he means and as The Flash goes to CC Jitters where Patty is drinking coffe. King Shark grabs him as watching Patty from outside the coffee shop. Patty sees what’s going on, runs out and yells at King Shark to put his fins in the air, which he doesn’t do because he’s on a mission from Zoom to kill The Flash. As things look dire for Barry, Dr. Harrison Wells blasts King Shark and saves Barry’s life.
Ray Santiago (as Pablo), Bruce Campbell (as Ash), and Dana DeLorenzo (as Kelly) in ‘Ash vs Evil’ Dead’ (Photo Courtesy of Starz)
Season one of Ash vs Evil Dead hasn’t even premiered and Starz has already given the horror/comedy series an order for a second season. Ash vs Evil Dead will make its debut on October 31, 2015 on Starz with Bruce Campbell reprising his role as Ash Williams. Campbell is also an executive producer along with Evil Dead filmmakers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert. Craig DiGregorio pulls double duty as showrunner and executive producer.
Campbell and Lucy Lawless are confirmed to reprise their roles in the just-announced season two.
“One season isn’t enough to satisfy the fans’ two decade-long appetite for more Ash,” said Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director of Starz. “The early fan and press support, along with the international broadcaster demand for more story have made it clear that the adventures of Ash Williams can’t end with season one.”
The Plot:
The 10-episode first season of the half-hour series features Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams and Lucy Lawless as Ruby a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks. Ray Santiago plays Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick. Dana DeLorenzo is Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past. And Jill Marie Jones plays Amanda Fisher, a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.
Justin Bieber will appear on the 2015 Nickelodeon HALO Awards to receive the first-ever HALO Hall of Fame Award. According to Nickelodeon, Bieber was selected to receive the HALO Hall of Fame Award ( an honor given to a celebrity who helps and leads others by making the world a better place) because of his charity work with Make-A-Wish® and Pencils of Promise. Nick Cannon’s set to host the special which honors young people who are leaders in their communities. The 2015 Nickelodeon HALO Awards will air on Sunday, November 29, 2015 at 7pm ET/PT on Nickelodeon, TeenNick, Nicktoons, TV Land, CMT, Nick.com and the Nick App.
In addition, Fifth Harmony, DNCE with lead singer Joe Jonas, Flo Rida, Tori Kelly and WALK THE MOON are all confirmed to perform on this year’s HALO Awards. Fifth Harmony will perform “Worth It,” DNCE will sing “Cake by the Ocean,” and Flo Rida will perform a medley of hits and “My House.” Tori Kelly will sing “Should’ve Been Us” and WALK THE MOON is set to perform “Shut Up and Dance” and “Different Colors.”
“There’s no better way to begin the holiday season than by celebrating the amazing work of these four teens and our first HALO Hall of Fame recipient Justin Bieber at the Nickelodeon HALO Awards,” stated Cannon. “Justin’s commitment to granting wishes for kids is unparalleled, and his ability to inspire and lead others through his positive actions is at the core of what HALO is all about.”
The 2015 HALO Awards Honorees:
Ethan Cruikshank, 16, Mechanicsville, Va. ‐ A guitar player since the age of seven, Ethan Cruikshank was inspired to start Music to My Ears after his school cut music education funding. Since then, Cruikshank’s music program has helped over 100 kids across four states by providing free music lessons through volunteer teachers and distributing instruments to those who can’t afford them.
Riley Gantt, 15, Sherman Oaks, Calif. – Riley Gantt’s organization Rainbow Pack was born out of her desire to provide kids with the supplies they need to do their homework and be successful learners, regardless of their economic circumstances. With funds raised through fundraising, grants, social media and school supply drives, she has successfully donated over 9000 backpacks filled with school supplies to kids in the Los Angeles area.
Joshua Williams, 14, Miami Beach, Fla. – Joshua Williams’ commitment to eradicate hunger started with a roadside donation to a starving man when he was four and a half years old. Through William’s organization, Joshua’s Heart Foundation, he designed a food distribution system in local churches, schools and community centers, and continues to raise awareness of hunger and poverty at speaking engagements. He has distributed over 1.1 million pounds of food in South Florida, Jamaica and Africa to date, and helped feed over 50,000 people nationwide.
Ruchita Zaparde, 18, Plainsboro, N.J. ‐ After a family trip to India exposed Ruchita Zaparde to the plight of widows and the difficulties they faced, she started Sew A Future to help those women achieve financial stability by becoming seamstresses. Zaparde identifies widows in need in India, delivers sewing machines and supplies, and connects the kids who are fundraising in the U.S. to the recipients. Over 200 families have been raised out of poverty with the gift of a sewing machine, thanks to the fundraising efforts of over 1400 students in 30 states.
Bradley Cooper stars as a chef determined to put together an award-worthy team together in Burnt, releasing in theaters on October 30, 2015. Directed by John Wells (August: Osage County) from a script by Steven Knight and Michael Kalesniko, the Burnt cast also includes Sienna Miller, Omar Sy, Daniel Brühl, Matthew Rhys, Uma Thurman, and Emma Thompson.
The Plot:
Chef Adam Jones (Cooper) had it all – and lost it. A two-star Michelin rockstar with the bad habits to match, the former enfant terrible of the Paris restaurant scene did everything different every time out, and only ever cared about the thrill of creating explosions of taste. To land his own kitchen and that third elusive Michelin star though, he’ll need the best of the best on his side, including the beautiful Helene (Miller).
Fox will once again be helping to find shelter dogs homes with The All-Star Dog Rescue Celebration airing on Thursday, November 26, 2015 at 8pm ET/PT. Last year’s dog rescue special was successful in raising funds for the Petfinder Foundation, raising awareness of dogs in need of homes, and in generating more than 4,500 adoption applications. The first special was hosted by Jane Lynch and Hilary Swank and featured appearances by celebrities including Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson, Miley Cyrus, Josh Duhamel, Kristen Bell, Kristin Chenoweth, Max Greenfield, Julianne Hough, Kesha, Miranda Lambert, Queen Latifah, Cesar Millan, P!nk, LeAnn Rimes, Rebecca Romijn, Emmy Rossum, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, and Betty White.
The two-hour special will feature adoptable dogs and will also celebrate people who are dedicated to caring for animals. And, the special will once again raise funds for the nonprofit organization Petfinder Foundation which supports rescue groups and shelters.
Oscar winner Hilary Swank and Michael Levitt are back as executive producers.
Details on the Petfinder Foundation, Courtesy of Fox: “The Petfinder Foundation assists the 12,000+ animal shelters and rescue groups that post their adoptable pets on Petfinder.com. A nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the Petfinder Foundation helps adoption organizations find homes for the pets in their care through its Sponsor a Pet, Disaster and Emergency Response, Quality of Life and other programs. Since its founding in 2003, the Petfinder Foundation has given more than $20 million in cash and product grants to shelters and rescue groups in the United States, Canada and Mexico.”
Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) and Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2’ (Photo by Murray Close)
With the release date less than a month away, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2‘s unveiled a new video that premiered during the first game of the World Series. The new spot looks at Katniss Everdeen’s journey leading up to her becoming the face of the revolution. The final Hunger Games movie will open in theaters on November 20, 2015 with Jennifer Lawrence back as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, and Liam Hemsworth as Gale.
The cast also includes Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Natalie Dormer, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland.
The Plot: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 brings the franchise to its powerful final chapter in which Katniss Everdeen realizes the stakes are no longer just for survival – they are for the future.
With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss confronts President Snow [Sutherland] in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale [Hemsworth], Finnick [Claflin] and Peeta [Hutcherson] – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to liberate the citizens of Panem, and stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her. The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she faced in The Hunger Games.
Fans of Life in Pieces will be able to see 22 episodes this first season as CBS has given the show a full season pickup, ordering nine additional episodes. In addition, the network confirmed the half-hour comedy series is moving to its new time slot on Thursday, November 5 at 8:31pm ET/PT. The full season order comes after the series scored the #1 spot among new comedies with 10.26 million viewers.
“Life in Pieces, with one of the best ensemble casts on television, is telling terrific stories in a very unique way, and we’re excited to tell many more of them this season,” said Glenn Geller, President, CBS Entertainment.
Life in Pieces is executive produced by Justin Adler, Aaron Kaplan, Jason Winer and Jeff Morton, and stars Dianne Wiest, James Brolin, Zoe Lister-Jones, Colin Hanks, Angelique Cabral, Thomas Sadoski, Betsy Brandt, Dan Bakkedahl, Niall Cunningham, Holly J. Barrett and Giselle Eisenberg.
The Plot:
Life in Pieces is a single-camera comedy about one big happy family and their sometimes awkward, often hilarious and ultimately beautiful milestone moments as told by its various members. Of the three siblings, middle child Matt may have just found his true love, his co-worker, Colleen; his coddled youngest brother, Greg, and his wife, Jen, are overwhelmed by the birth of their first child; and the eldest, Heather, and her husband, Tim, are dreading their impending empty nest so much, they’re considering having another baby. Their parents are Joan, the family’s adoring matriarch who would do anything for her kids – as long as she agrees with it – and John, the gregarious patriarch who’s searching for ways to soften the blow of turning 70. As the family’s lives unfold in four short stories each week, they try to savor these little pieces of time that flash by but stay with you forever, because these moments add up to what life’s all about.
CBS’s new entry in the comic book-inspired superhero genre, Supergirl, arrived on October 26, 2015 with the debut of the one hour action/drama/comedy starring Melissa Benoist in the title role. The first episode did a fantastic job of setting the tone for the show along with introducing viewers to the key characters who’ll be either working with or against the latest costumed fighter to headline a TV series. The series went all out with the effects and action, but the writers also didn’t skimp on character development.
By the time the one-hour Supergirl pilot ended, audiences had a firm grasp on who Kara Zor-El/Supergirl, Alex Danvers, James-Not-Jimmy Olsen, Cat Grant, Winn Schott, and Hank Henshaw are as well as the overall layout of the show.
Executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, Andrew Kreisberg, and Sarah Schechter, CBS’ Supergirl’s first episode did a terrific job of explaining the world the show will exist in, blending in humor to make some of the more out of this world aspects go down easier. Melissa Benoist really fits the role, pulling off both the slightly goofy side of Kara as well as the determined-to-be-a-hero aspects of Supergirl. In fact, the series is well cast all the way around, and it’ll be entertaining to get to spend more time with each of the supporting characters as the series’ first season moves along.
Here’s a recap of Supergirl’s first episode in case you missed anything in the jam-packed pilot:
Supergirl starts off with a voice-over by Kara Zor-El explaining that 24 years ago, Krypton was in trouble. Her cousin Kal-El was sent to Earth and, of course, we all know his story. “The story you don’t know is that I was sent to protect him,” says Kara. Kara was also sent to Earth, charged with protecting Kal-El. Her parents warned her she would have extraordinary powers on Earth and that she must always look out for her cousin.
Unfortunately, Krypton blew up, which knocked her pod into the phantom zone where she slept for 24 years before finally reaching Earth. She was still physically 13 while her cousin was now grown up and had already revealed himself to be Superman to the people on Earth. Superman placed Kara with her adoptive family, Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman’s Dean Cain and Helen Slater from 1984’s Supergirl movie), and their daughter Alex (Chyler Leigh). Because Superman didn’t need her protection, Kara no longer had a mission on Earth.
Kara has the same powers as her cousin but chooses to hide them and fit in, believing Earth doesn’t need another hero. Instead, she took a job at CATCO Worldwide Media built by Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart), the most powerful woman in National City. Her co-worker Winn Schott (Jeremy Jordan) asks her out, but she already has a date she booked online.
Miss Grant is the world’s most difficult boss. She’s a very demanding, very high-maintenance woman who doesn’t care about other people’s feelings, and when she has to downsize The Tribune, it’s Kara she tasks with sending out the notices. Kara asks her what’s going to happen to all the people losing their jobs, reminding her The Daily Planet isn’t downsizing. Cat explains that’s because Metropolis has a guy flying around in a cape saving people. He gets 54% of The Daily Planet’s covers. If Kara wants to save The Tribune, she has to find Cat a hero.
Kara meets the new guy, James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks), to get the layouts Cat wants and he’s busy unpacking his office. He has a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of Superman with him and tells Kara Superman actually posed for the shot because he likes him. He’s now at The Tribune after leaving The Daily Planet, and Kara asks about Superman. James gives her the scoop and tells her he’s as nice a guy as you’d want him to be. He also points out that she looks a little like Superman.
Alex goes to Kara’s to help her pick out an outfit for her blind date. Kara’s questioning her decision to work for Cat, and Alex tells her that’s normal. But, Kara wants to be so much more, just like Superman. Alex reminds her life is not so bad and makes her pick out an outfit quickly because she has a plane to catch.
The blind date isn’t going well because the guy is busy with his cell phone – and busy picking up other women. The news pops up on the TV in the restaurant, following the breaking news of a plane with engine failure. Kara immediately thinks of Alex’s flight she had to catch and rushes out of the restaurant. She sees the plane, uses her X-ray vision to see Alex on board, and after a failed attempt, she flies up to the plane. Two engines are on fire and Kara gets under the plane to try and keep it from crashing.
Alex sees her outside under the wing, and Kara has to dodge a bridge but saves the plane by landing it in the water. She climbs atop the now floating plane and is spotlighted by a helicopter. Everyone snaps her photo before she takes off once again.
Kara is back at home, wet and watching TV. A flying female saved the plane’s passengers from certain death, according to one reporter, while another reporter talks about the destruction on the bridge caused by the rescue. A photo of Kara standing in the spotlight on the plane is shown on TV, and Alex walks in the room and sees it. Kara’s super excited she did it and Alex can’t believe it. Alex needs a drink, and Kara says she almost forgot what flying is like.
Alex asks her what she was thinking, worried Kara exposed herself to the world and now everyone will know about her. Kara’s fine with it; she doesn’t mind being exposed. She’s always wanted to help people. But Alex is worried people will figure out who she is and what she is, and doesn’t think it’s safe for Kara to do it again. That knocks Kara down, and she gets emotional. Alex leaves, saying, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The next morning everyone is trying to figure out who saved the plane. No one recognizes the woman in the plane. Her coworkers joke that no one can take her seriously because she’s a rookie superhero who can’t even come up with a suit.
Cat has a meeting with her staff and she’s pissed no one has any idea who the flying superhero is. Cat asks James if there’s a connection between the mysterious woman and Superman and he says he doesn’t know. Superman didn’t mention it, he says. But, he also says saving people is what she’s born to do if she is like Superman. Cat’s excited because this will save The Tribune but she needs images, video, and exclusive content. Everyone heads out to look for her while Kara heads out to get Cat a lettuce wrap. James tells Kara Superman’s first act was also to save a plane.
Kara meets with Winn on the roof and says she needs someone to be excited for her and only three people know her secret. Last night she embraced who she was, and he guesses it’s that she’s a lesbian. She says, “I’m not gay. I’m her – the woman who saved the plane.” Winn, of course, doesn’t believe it and Kara goes to the edge of roof, falls backward, and flies. He’s now a believer.
At a diner, a man’s fingernails scrape the countertop as he watches the news reports on the plane. Outside, he climbs into a tanker truck and it’s revealed he’s not human. Vartox (Owain Yeoman) talks to his boss The Commander (Faran Tahir) via video, with his boss demanding to know why the plane with DEO agents didn’t blow up. Both men know about Krypton and Jar-El, and they think Supergirl is Alura Zor-El’s daughter who’s working with the humans. Vartox’ boss says he must eliminate the girl and human casualties don’t matter. The General is on the way and this must be done quickly.
At home, Winn and Kara work on coming up with a costume, the first of which she wouldn’t even wear to the beach. And, she wants a cape but Winn says they’re lame. She comes up with another costume that‘s much better, and he sends her out to help with a freeway car chase. That’s an easy one compared to the plane, but she crashes during the chase. She gets her cape because it helps with aerodynamics.
Next up, a robbery with armed gunmen. She’s bulletproof so it’s another easy victory for Kara. But, the cape didn’t survive the gunshots and a better one made of sturdier material is created. It has the ‘S’ which isn’t an S, it’s her family’s coat of arms: The House of El. Next, a four-alarm fire gets her attention. It’s a trap though as she’s hit with darts full of a green material and taken hostage.
Waking up secured to a table, Hank Henshaw (David Harewood) explains the darts were made of low-grade Kryptonite which weakens her. Then, surprise, surprise, Alex is introduced as an agent working for the DEO: the Department of Extranormal Operations. It monitors extraterrestrials, so that means Kara. They have her ship from the day she crashed, and she’s the reason they launched the organization.
Superman made them figure out they’d be getting more “immigrants” and when Kara crashed on Earth she brought Fort Rozz and its population of the worst criminals known to exist with her. Fort Rozz was banished to the Phantom Zone and somehow when Kara’s pod got loose, it pulled Fort Rozz with her to our planet. The alien convicts escaped and are starting to emerge. They were behind Alex’s near plane crash.
Kara wants to help but Hank says she’s too visible now. He suggests if she wants to help, she should go back to getting coffee. Angry over being deceived for so many years, Kara and Alex argue over why Alex was recruited for the agency in the first place. Kara thinks it’s because of her, and Alex says it’s her academic background in biology that got her the position.
Back at the office, Cat has dubbed the new superhero Supergirl. Kara rushes into Cat’s office upset about the nickname. “A female superhero – shouldn’t she be called Superwoman?” Cat doesn’t care, but Kara thinks calling her Supergirl – something less than what she is – makes them all guilty of being anti-feminist. Cat doesn’t think anything’s wrong with being a girl and says the real problem is Kara’s opinion of the word. James interrupts Cat as she’s about to fire Kara with the news Kara has a friend who works at the bank that got robbed. James claims Kara convinced her friend to allow them to use a good photo of Supergirl that she took during the incident. Cat’s impressed and Kara’s no longer fired.
Kara and James leave Cat’s office and she tells him she could have handled it herself. Just then Vartox sends out a high-pitched signal only she can hear. He threatens to kill humans if she doesn’t meet him. She runs outside, rips off her shirt, and flies to the power plant where they’re supposed to meet. He attacks her, saying females bow before men. Alura was his judge and jailer so he’s eager to kill her daughter. He slams her around like a toy and he says she’s no Superman, even with the S on her chest. As he’s strangling her a helicopter appears and fires on Vartox. Alex and the DEO save Kara but Vartox escapes.
At the DEO headquarters, they use the alien material from Kara’s wound to help figure out more about the Fort Rozz escapees. Kara says Alex was right, the world doesn’t need her.
Kara is home alone at night when Alex knocks. Outside the door, she tells Kara that it’s not her fault. As a child, she couldn’t compete with Kara and was happy when Kara decided not to use her powers, but now the world needs her. Kara finally opens the door and says she can’t do it. Alex says her family wants her to do this and whips out something from Krypton recovered by Hank from Kara’s pod years ago. A hologram of her mom opens up and her mother tells her her destiny is not tied to Kor-El. What’s important is she find her way back to the brave girl she always was. She tells her to be brave, be strong, and always be true to yourself.
Back at HQ, Alex insists Kara is there to help them and that Hank needs to let her do what she was put on the planet to do or else Alex will stop helping the team also. A team member says she found Vartox and he’s heading toward the city. Kara demands to go take on Vartox and Hank tells her, “Make sure you win.”
Kara stops the tanker Vartox is driving and Vartox is ejected. Kara’s ready this time and gets in a few good punches. Alex analyzed the metal in the axe and they both know it can explode if it gets too hot, which is what Alex is trying to make it do. She says she gives up and as Vartox swings the axe, Kara catches it and uses her heat vision to heat it up. It works and the axe is destroyed. Vartox says she has no idea what’s coming and kills himself.
Back at CATCO Winn says he heard about a Supergirl vs Reptilian wrestling match in the desert. She says she’ll tell him later and when he asks if that means the Superfriends are back, she insists they’re not calling themselves that. She asks James out for lunch and he says, “You probably burned up a lot of calories fighting an axe-wielding alien.”
Up on the roof, James confesses Superman asked him to be near Kara in National City. Superman wants her to do this, but he wanted her to choose it for herself. James hands her a box with the blanket Kal-El was wrapped in as a baby. Apparently, this cape won’t shred, says James, telling her Superman is proud of her. “Now, don’t you save a city to protect? You know, up, up, and away.”
The final scene finds The Commander meeting with the General. We learn Kara is the General’s niece (the General is Alura’s twin sister, also played by Laura Benanti) and she wants her killed as soon as possible.
The half-hour comedy series The Grinder has been picked up for a full first season as just announced today by Fox. The series stars Rob Lowe as an actor who played a lawyer on a popular series and who can’t seem to stop playing a lawyer after the show goes off the air. Season one has improved Fox’s ratings in the Tuesdays at 8:30pm time slot by over 70%, so greenlighting it for a full season couldn’t have been a difficult decision on the part of the network.
“The Grinder is the perfect combination of razor-sharp wit and relatable family dynamics – two hallmarks of successful comedies,” said David Madden, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “The critics have embraced this original, fresh and funny show, and the talented cast – led by Rob Lowe and Fred Savage – has done such an incredible job infusing it with biting humor and heartfelt moments. We are so excited about the storylines that these fantastic producers have planned for the rest of the season.”
Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul created the comedy show and executive produce along with Rob Lowe, Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors), Melvin Mar, Ben Wexler, and Jake Kasdan. Kasdan also directs the series.
The Grinder‘s Next New Episode:
In the next all-new episode, “A Bittersweet Grind (Une Mouture Amer),” airing Tuesday, Nov. 3 (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT unless there’s a game six of the World Series), just as Dean (Rob Lowe) prepares to give up on what he thinks is a hopeless search for love, he is reunited with Gail (guest star Christina Applegate), an old flame who restores his belief in romance. Meanwhile, Deb (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) encourages Stewart (Fred Savage) to change his strict ways and let Lizzie (Hana Hayes) have a supervised date with Joel Zadak (guest star Johnowen Lowe).
