CBS has renewed its incredibly popular new primetime drama Fire Country for a second season. The network confirmed Fire Country will be a part of their 2023-2024 primetime lineup.
“It’s pretty remarkable to see a new series resonate like this with both broadcast and streaming audiences right out of the gate,” stated Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “Fire Country has so many appealing entry points for the audience. It combines high-stakes action with small-town charm, mystery, and romance, and a family franchise at its core. We’re blessed to have an incredible team in front of and behind the camera led by amazing producers and writers and an exceptionally talented cast.”
The drama was inspired by series star Max Thieriot’s experiences living in Northern California. Joining Thieriot in season one are Billy Burke, Kevin Alejandro, Diane Farr, Stephanie Arcila, Jordan Calloway, and Jules Latimer. Thieriot also serves as an executive producer along with Tony Phelan, Joan Rater, Tia Napolitano, Jerry Bruckheimer, and KristieAnne Reed.
Fire Country premiered on October 7, 2022 and has been averaging 8 million viewers. It currently ranks as the highest rated new broadcast series of the 2022-2023 season.
Season one airs on Fridays at 9pm ET/PT.
The Plot, Courtesy of CBS:
Fire Country stars Max Thieriot (SEAL TEAM) as Bode Donovan, a young convict seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence by joining a prison release firefighting program in Northern California, where he and other inmates are partnered with elite firefighters to extinguish massive, unpredictable wildfires across the region. It’s a high-risk, high-reward assignment, and the heat is turned up when Bode is assigned to the program in his rural hometown, where he was once a golden all-American son – until his troubles began.
Five years ago, Bode burned down everything in his life, leaving town with a big secret. Now he’s back, with the rap sheet of a criminal and the audacity to believe in a chance for redemption with Cal Fire.
Netflix has officially confirmed Wednesday will return for season two. The announcement was accompanied by a one-minute video in which Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) says thanks for being put through pure torture. (We all know how much Wednesday loves that!).
The video points out that over the course of a few weeks, she was hunted, haunted, and mimicked across the internet. Wednesday’s loving it and so are viewers who’ve made the series the second most popular show ever on Netflix.
“It’s been incredible to create a show that has connected with people across the world. Thrilled to continue Wednesday’s tortuous journey into season two. We can’t wait to dive headfirst into another season and explore the kooky spooky world of Nevermore. Just need to make sure Wednesday hasn’t emptied the pool first,” said creators, showrunners, and executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar in a feature on Tudum.com.
Netflix put together a list of key facts in support of the show’s return, noting the series has been viewed 1.2 billion (yes, billion) times in its first 28 days. Here’s what else the streaming service found to brag about:
Wednesday crossed the 1 billion hour view mark only three weeks after debut – joining Stranger Things 4 and Squid Game as the third title to reach this milestone within its first 28 days.
The series broke the record for the most hours viewed in a week for an English-language TV series on Netflix – not once, but twice – when it debuted in the #1 spot with a record-breaking 341.23M hours viewed and again in its second week with a staggering 411.29M hours viewed.
To date, Wednesday has had six consecutive weeks with over 100+M hours viewed on the English TV List — another record!
On TikTok, #WednesdayAddams has amassed over 22 Billion views.
The Wednesday soundtrack reached #1 on the iTunes Soundtrack chart where it remained in the Top 10 for three weeks. Wednesday Addams, the artist, now has over 1 Million followers on Spotify.
On Spotify, “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps saw a streaming increase of more than 9.5K% compared to the month prior to the series release.
Wednesday’s iconic dance scene has gone massively viral across global social media. Fan-generated content utilizing “Bloody Mary” by Lady Gaga led to a streaming increase of more than 1,800% of the song on Spotify compared to the month prior to the series’ release. Even Lady Gaga joined in on the fun.
With over 80 Million views and counting, fans can’t get enough of the cast’s reaction to the iconic dance scene video.
Wednesday’s viral makeup look has been searched for and viewed over 100 Million times by fans on TikTok.
In addition to Jenna Ortega leading the cast in the titular role, season one starred Gwendoline Christie (Principal Larissa Weems), Jamie McShane (Sheriff Galpin), Percy Hynes White (Xavier Thorpe), Hunter Doohan (Tyler Galpin), Emma Myers (Enid Sinclair), and Joy Sunday (Bianca Barclay). Additional season one stars included Naomi J Ogawa (Yoko Tanaka), Moosa Mostafa (Eugene Ottinger), Georgie Farmer (Ajax Petropolus), Riki Lindhome (Dr. Valerie Kinbott), and Christina Ricci (Marilyn Thornhill).
Guest stars included Catherine Zeta-Jones (Morticia Addams), Luis Guzmán (Gomez Addams), Fred Armisen (Uncle Fester), and Isaac Ordonez (Pugsley Addams).
The eight-episode first season premiered on November 23, 2022. Netflix hasn’t announced the season two premiere date.
Sam and Jay will be adjusting to having a super helpful assistant while Sasappis is busy falling in love with a car ghost on CBS’s Ghosts season two episode 12. “The Family Business” will air on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 8:30pm ET/PT.
Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar lead the cast as Samantha and Jay, the living residents of the mansion. Playing the mansion’s resident ghosts are Brandon Scott Jones as Isaac, Richie Moriarty as Pete, Danielle Pinnock as Alberta, and Asher Grodman as Trevor. Román Zaragoza stars as Sasappis, Sheila Carrasco plays Flower, Rebecca Wisocky is Hetty, and Devan Chandler Long plays Thorfinn.
“The Family Business” Plot: Sam gives relationship advice to her and Jay’s assistant, Freddie (Mike Lane), ignoring Hetty’s warning not to get too close to “the help.” Also, Sasappis strikes up a romance with Jessica (Nichole Sakura), the ghost who lives in Freddie’s car.
Ghosts is a single-camera comedy about Samantha and Jay, a cheerful freelance journalist and up-and-coming chef from the city, respectively, who threw both caution and money to the wind when they decide to convert a huge rundown country estate they inherited into a bed & breakfast – only to find it was inhabited by the many spirits of deceased residents who now call it home.
The departed souls are a close-knit, eclectic group that includes a saucy Prohibition-era lounge singer (Pinnock); a pompous 18th-century militiaman (Jones); a ‘60s hippie fond of hallucinogens (Carrasco); an overly upbeat ‘80s scout troop leader (Moriarty); a cod-obsessed Viking explorer from 1009 (Devon Chandler Long); a slick ‘90s finance bro (Grodman); a sarcastic and witty native from the 16th-century (Zaragoza); and a society woman and wife of a 19th-century robber baron who is Samantha’s ancestor (isocky), to name a few.
The opening of the B&B is a source of intrigue, anxiety, and curiosity among the spirits, but they’ll gladly put up with the commotion as long as they can continue to interact with a living inhabitant – Samantha.
Renfield just catapulted to the top of my list of 2023 must-see twisted comedies, kicking Cocaine Bear into second place. Universal Pictures unveiled the official trailer along with a teaser poster and two stills from the film, and director Chris McKay took to Twitter to share his joy at Renfield seeing the light of day – or dark of movie theaters – soon, thanks to Universal.
“So excited for you all to see this. An incredible cast and crew came together in NOLA to make an action packed, gory comedy. Thank you to @UniversalPics for letting us make a f*cked up Dracula movie starring @NicholasHoult #awkwafina #nicolascage @rejectedjokes and more!” – @buddboetticher
The two-minute trailer kicks off with Nicholas Hoult seeking help to get out of a toxic relationship. That “relationship” is, of course, the one he shares as Renfeld with Nicolas Cage’s Dracula. While Dracula wants Renfield to fetch dozens of innocent victims (including nuns and cheerleaders), Renfeld just wants a normal life. Yeah, right.
The cast also includes Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Adrian Martinez, and Brandon Scott Jones. McKay directed from a screenplay by Ryan Ridley, based on an original idea by Robert Kirkman. McKay also serves as producer along with Kirkman, David Alpert, Bryan Furst, and Sean Furst. Samantha Nisenboim executive produces.
In this modern monster tale of Dracula’s loyal servant, Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Menu) stars as Renfield, the tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Oscar winner Nicolas Cage). Renfield is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency.
“We are particularly proud that this year’s member-determined roster of nominees included a goodly number of female contenders in non-gender specific categories. and that we have female winners in those categories, as well, including Sarah Polley who receives the EDA Award for Best Director for the multi-nominated and awarded Women Talking,” said Jennifer Merin, President of the 95 members AWFJ. “We hope to see similar results at this year’s Oscars and various guild awards. as well as with other critics awards groups.”
In 2022, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists counted 500+ “EDA Award-eligible femme-helmed and/or femme-centric films.”
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Nominees and Winners
Best Director
• The Daniels – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
• Martin McDonagh – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
• (WINNER) Sarah Polley – WOMEN TALKING
• Gina Prince-Bythewood – THE WOMAN KING
• Steven Spieiberg – THE FABELMANS
• Charlotte Wells – AFTERSUN
Best Screenplay, Original
• AFTERSUN – Charlotte Wells
• (WINNER) THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN – Martin McDonagh
• EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE – the DANIELS
• THE FABELMANS – Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner
• TAR – Todd Field
• THE WOMAN KING – Dana Stevens and Maria Bello
Best Screenplay, Adapted
• ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT – Edward Berger, Lesley Patterson, Ian Stokell
• GLASS ONION – Rian Johnson
• SHE SAID – Rebecca Lenkiewicz
• THE WHALE – Samuel D. Hunter
• (WINNER) WOMEN TALKING – Sarah Polley and Miriam Toews
• THE WONDER – Alice Birch, Emma Donoghue, Sebastian Lelio
Best Documentary
• ALL THAT BREATHES – Shaunak Sen
• (WINNER) ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED – Laura Poitras
• DESCENDANT – Margaret Brown
• FIRE OF LOVE – Sara Dosa
• GOODNIGHT OPPY – Ryan White
• THE JANES – Tia Lessen and Emma Pildes
Best Animated Film
• (WINNER) GDT’S PINOCCHIO – Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson
• MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON – Dean Fleischer-Camp
• PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH – Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado
• THE SEA BEAST – Chris Williams
• TURNING RED – Domee Shi
• WENDELL & WILD – Henry Selick
Best Actress
• Cate Blanchett – TAR
• Viola Davis – THE WOMAN KING
• Danielle Deadwyler – TILL
• Vicki Krieps – CORSAGE
• Emma Thompson – GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE
• (WINNER) Michelle Yeoh – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (tie)
• Angela Bassett – BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
• Jessie Buckley – WOMEN TALKING
• Hong Chau – THE WHALE
• (WINNER) Kerry Condon – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
• (WINNER) Jamie Lee Curtis – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
• Janelle Monae – GLASS ONION
Best Actor
• Austin Butler – ELVIS
• (WINNER) Colin Farrell – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
• Brendan Fraser – THE WHALE
• Paul Mescal – AFTERSUN
• Bill Nighy – LIVING
• Jeremy Pope – THE INSPECTION
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
• Brendon Gleeson – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
• Brian Henry Tyree – CAUSEWAY
• Barry Keoghan – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
• Eddie Redmayne – THE GOOD NURSE
• (WINNER) Ke Huy Quan – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
• Ben Wishaw – WOMEN TALKING
Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director
• THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN – Louise Kiely
• EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE – Sarah Finn
• TRIANGLE OF SADNESS – Pauline Hansson
• BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER – Sarah Finn
• THE WOMAN KING – Aisha Coley
• (WINNER) WOMEN TALKING – John Buchan and Jason Knight
Best Cinematography (tie)
• BANSHEES OF INISHERIN – Ben Davis
• THE FABELMANS – Janusz Kaminski
• EMPIRE OF LIGHT – Roger Deakins
• EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE – Larkin Seiple
• (WINNER) TOP GUN: MAVERICK – Claudio Miranda
• (WINNER) THE WOMAN KING – Polly Morgan
Best Editing
• ELVIS – Jonathan Redmond and Matt Villa
• (WINNER) EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE – Paul Rogers
• TAR – Monika Willis
• TOP GUN – Eddie Hamilton
• THE WOMAN KING – Terilyn A. Shropshire
• WOMEN TALKING – Christopher Donaldson, Rosalyn Kallop
Best Non-English-Language Film (tie)
• ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
• BARDO
• (WINNER) DECISION TO LEAVE
• HAPPENING
• (WINNER) RRR
• SAINT OMER
EDA Female Focus Awards
These awards honor WOMEN only
Best Woman Director
• Chinoye Chukwu – TILL
• Marie Kreutzer – CORSAGE
• (WINNER) Gina Prince-Bythewood – THE WOMAN KING
• Sarah Polley – WOMEN TALKING
• Maria Schrader – SHE SAID
• Charlotte wells – AFTERSUN
Best Woman Screenwriter
• Alice Birch – THE WONDER and MOTHERING SUNDAY
• Rebecca Lenkiewicz – SHE SAID
• (WINNER) Sarah Polley and Miriam Toews – WOMEN TALKING
• Domee Shi – TURNING RED
• Dana Stevens and Maria Bello – THE WOMAN KING
• Charlotte Wells – AFTERSUN
Best Animated Female
• (WINNER) Connie – Isabella Rossellini – MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
• Izzy – Keke Palmer – LIGHTYEAR
• Kat – Lyric Ross – WENDELL & WILD
• Kitty Softpaws – Salma Hayek – PUSS IN BOOTS: LAST WISH
• Mei – Rosalyn Chiang- TURNING RED
• Ming – Sandra Oh – TURNING RED
Best Woman’s Breakthrough Performance
• Frankie Corio – AFTERSUN
• (WINNER) Danielle Deadwyler – TILL
• Stephanie Hsu – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
• Thuso Mbedu – THE WOMAN KING
• Amber Midthunder – PREY
• Sadie Sink – THE WHALE
Outstanding Achievement by A Woman in The Film Industry
• (WINNER) Viola Davis – For getting THE WOMAN KING made as her lifetime passion project and creating opportunities for other women creatives.
• Nina Menkes and Maria Giese for making BRAINWASHED, analyzing and illustrating the misogynistic representation of women in Hollywood movies.
• Domee Shi for being the first woman to direct a film for Pixar and for becoming Pixar’s VP of Creative
• Jacqueline Stewart for ongoing advocacy of the underrepresented and becoming president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
• Michelle Yeoh – lifetime achievement award
EDA Special Mention Awards
Grand Dame Award for Defying Ageism
• Jamie Lee Curtis
• Viola Davis
• (WINNER) Emma Thompson
• Michelle Yeoh
Most Egregious Lovers’ Age Difference Award
• CONFESS FLETCH – Jon Hamm born 1971 and Lorenza Izzo born 1989
• (WINNER) CRIMES OF THE FUTURE – Viggo Mortensen born 1958 and Lea Sedoux born 1985
• DEEP WATER – Ben Affleck born 1972 and Ana de Armas born 1988
• EIFEL – Romain Duris born 1974 and Emma Mackey born 1996
She Deserves A New Agent Award (NOTE: This is not a put-down. On the contrary, it suggests that the actor is better than the role she’s been given.)
• (WINNER) Ana de Armas for BLONDE
• Bryce Dallas Howard for JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION
• Margot Robbie for BABYLON
• Rebel Wilson for SENIOR YEAR
Most Daring Performance
• Cate Blanchett – TAR
• Viola Davis – THE WOMAN KING
• Danielle Deadwyler – TILL
• (WINNER) Emma Thompson – GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE
• Michelle Yeoh – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
Time Waster Remake or Sequel Award
• FIRESTARTER
• HALLOWEEN ENDS
• (WINNER) JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION
• PINOCCHIO (Disney)
AWFJ Hall of Shame Award (Women and men are eligible)
• Alec Baldwin and the crew of RUST for continuing to deny responsibility for the on-set shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The situation is still messy. A wrongful death lawsuit was settled, but the criminal investigation continues. In November, Baldwin sued crew members for giving him the loaded prop gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. News reports say Baldwin also texted Hutchins’s husband, Matthew, saying that the gun was never meant to be fired at a particular camera angle.
• BLONDE and Andrew Dominik
• Will Smith for his behavior at the Oscars and in the aftermath
• (WINNER) Harvey Weinstein for everything and forever
* – I am a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists
ABC launched the new primetime drama Will Trent, based on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling book series, on January 3, 2023. The new procedural stars Ramón Rodríguez (The Affair) in the title role, and episode one introduced Will and his incredible investigative abilities. Episode two airing January 10th at 10pm ET/PT will find Will butting heads with his new partner while working on a missing persons case.
The series also stars Erika Christensen (Ten Days in the Valley) as Angie Polaski, Iantha Richardson (This Is Us) as Faith Mitchell, Jake McLaughlin (Quantico) as Michael Ormewood, and Sonja Sohn (The Chi) as Amanda Wagner.
“I’m a Pretty Observant Guy” Plot: As the GBI continues its investigation on a missing girl, Will becomes frustrated with the suspect search, and Faith’s frustrations with her new partner reach unprecedented heights.
Meanwhile, Angie is forced to evaluate her current relationships as she follows a new case with Ormewood and navigates her complicated history with Will.
Ramon Rodriguez and Iantha Richardson in ‘Will Trent’ episode 2 (ABC/Matt Miller)
Will Trent Synopsis:
Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was, Will Trent has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.
Ramon Rodriguez and Iantha Richardson in episode 2 (ABC/Matt Miller)Ramon Rodriguez in the “I’m a Pretty Observant Guy” episode (ABC/Matt Miller)Ramon Rodriguez and Mark-Paul Gosselaar in episode 2 (ABC/Danny Delgado)Iantha Richardson in episode 2 (ABC/Matt Miller)Ramon Rodriguez in episode 2 (ABC/Matt Miller)
A basketball player’s death has the team searching for answers on CBS’s FBI: International season 2 episode 10, “BHITW.” Directed by Alex Zakrzewski from a script by Matt Olmstead, episode 10 is set to air on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at 9pm ET/PT.
Season two stars Luke Kleintank as Special Agent Scott Forrester, Heida Reed as Special Agent Jamie Kellett, Carter Redwood as Special Agent Andre Raines, Vinessa Vidotto as Special Agent Cameron Vo, and Eva-Jane Willis as Europol Agent Megan “Smitty” Garretson.
“BHITW” Plot: When an American basketball player for a Lithuanian team dies under suspicious circumstances, the Fly Team investigates along with Zoey McKenna (Kelley Missal), the new agent appointed by Dandridge.
Episode 10 guest stars include Michael Torpey, Kelley Missal, Dino Kelly, Daniel Bellomy, Jessica Green, and Ari Brand. Kal Minev, Julian M. Deuster, Zoran Velibor, Andrei Lenart, Shaquille Ali-Yebuah, Andrea Zirio, and Carna Krsul also guest star.
FBI: International Series Description, Courtesy of CBS:
FBI: International is the third iteration of the successful FBI brand that follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team. Headquartered in Budapest, they travel throughout Europe with the mission of tracking and neutralizing threats against American citizens wherever they may be, putting their lives on the line to protect the U.S. and its people. The Fly Team’s Special Agent Scott Forrester, their accomplished and dedicated leader, puts his missions ahead of his personal life and is often accompanied by his trusty Schutzhund dog, Tank.
Second in command is Special Agent Jamie Kellett, a heroic and fearless investigator – and her extensive network of informants is a powerful resource. Special Agent Andre Raines shines in the field and makes good use of his accounting background in tracking criminal enterprises’ moving money; and Special Agent Cameron Vo, a competitive West Point grad who excels at interrogation and strategy. Newly embedded with the Fly Team is Megan “Smitty” Garretson, a streetwise Europol agent with an extensive undercover background who liaises with each host country they inhabit.
Jenna Dewan and Nathan Fillion in ‘The Resident’ season 5 episode 11 (ABC/Raymond Liu)
ABC’s The Rookie continues season five with episode 11, “The Naked and The Dead.” Directed by Robert Bella from a script by Vincent Angell, episode 11 will air on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at 8pm ET/PT.
Nathan Fillion leads the cast as John Nolan. Eric Winter plays Tim Bradford, Melissa O’Neil is Lucy Chen, Alyssa Diaz plays Angela Lopez, and Richard T. Jones is Wade Grey. Mekia Cox is Nyla Harper, Shawn Ashmore plays Wesley Evers, Tru Valentino is Aaron Thorsen, and Jenna Dewan returns as Bailey Nune.
“The Naked and The Dead” Plot: The search for a missing boy leads the team into the middle of a dangerous drug war between two rival gangs.
Tru Valentino and Eric Winter in season 5 episode 11 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Nathan Fillion, Lisseth Chavez, and Samantha Futterman in season 5 episode 11 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Jenna Dewan in season 5 episode 11 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Eric Winter, Peyton List, and Melissa O’Neil in season 5 episode 11 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Jason David, Peyton List, Landon Gordon, Tru Valentino, and Eric Winter in season 5 episode 11 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Eric Winter and Melissa O’Neil in season 5 episode 11 (ABC/Raymond Liu)
Catherine Zeta-Jones in ‘National Treasure: Edge of History’ episode 5 (Disney/Brian Roedel)
Disney+’s National Treasure: Edge of History episode five catches up with Billie (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who’s busy working with her lackeys to try and figure out what Elvis’s riddle means. Dario (Darri Ingolfsson) thinks he figured it out with his high-tech programs, but Billie knocks his theory out of the running. She believes “twin serpents” doesn’t refer to a “tail” but instead is about a “tale.”
Billie doesn’t know it, but that’s also what Jess latched onto.
Meanwhile, Jess (Lisette Olivera) is having second thoughts about Liam being the mole. However, Tasha (Zuri Reed) is certain he’s Billie’s mole and attempts to convince Jess of that as she sweeps their apartment for bugs. Liam’s ears must be ringing because just then he sends a text to Jess asking her if she wants to go to the governor’s mansion to look for Meriwether Lewis’s journal.
Tasha thinks Jess should ignore him.
Billie shows up at a black-market auction offering the auctioneer something he has wanted for a long time. In exchange, she wants Malinche’s lost codex. He initially claims that it doesn’t exist but then reluctantly hands it over. He explains it’s not a codex; it’s a journal. Malinche did in fact learn how to write.
Jess opts to take Ethan (Jordan Rodrigues) with her to the governor’s mansion. She fills him in on everything, and it’s no surprise that he sides with Tasha and says they can’t rule Liam out.
Liam (Jake Austin Walker) also visits the mansion and asks about the journal. Jess and Ethan eavesdrop and learn the journal is no longer on display. Liam’s told that if he goes to the Governor’s Ball (at $500 per person), he can see it then.
Things don’t look good for Liam when they hear him on the phone asking someone to wire him money. Tasha hacks his bank account and learns Liam was just wired $50,000. Tasha believes the money came from Billie, and now Jess is convinced he’s the mole as well.
Later, Liam informs Jess that he went to the governor’s mansion and that he got two tickets to the ball for the following night. Clearly, something is wrong with Jess, and Liam asks if she’s okay. She finally tells him what’s going on and he turns the tables on her, demanding to know how she could have looked into his bank account.
Jess remains convinced Liam is helping Billie and she tells Tasha she doesn’t want to go with him to the Governor’s Ball. Jess and Tasha’s conversation is interrupted by Oren (Antonio Cipriano) and as he turns on the bug detector, it begins to go off like crazy.
Jess and Tasha quickly scan his body and it turns out that when Billie gave him new shoes, she placed a bug in them.
And now a brief check-in with the FBI… Agent Ross (Lyndon Smith) hands over the toxic plant she found at Peter Sadusky’s house to the medical examiner. Dr. Zeke reveals the plant is English Yew and it was, in fact, what killed Peter.
Ross goes over her list of suspects and decides to pull up security footage from the USS Kidd Museum.
Billie’s made her way to Mexico City and asks a professor to translate Malinche’s writing in the journal. He reveals a girl (Jess) called and asked about it, too. He tells Billie exactly what he told Jess: the journal doesn’t exist.
Billie assures the professor that this is in fact Cortes’s journal. He begs to differ and shows her Cortes’s writing which doesn’t match the journal. He assures her there isn’t any treasure.
Unfortunately for Billie she’s been sold a fake journal.
Jess apologizes to Liam and admits the pressure of hunting for treasure got to her. She asks for his forgiveness and he replies with a kiss. Jess wonders where he got the money, and Liam explains his mom lent him the money for the property tax on his grandpa’s house.
Billie now knows Jess and the gang found the bug she planted. Dario’s showing Billie a video of Oren talking about shoes when Billie spots Jess in the background. She zooms in on her and notices the medallion Jess is wearing. Kacey (Breeda Wool) informs Billie that Liam and Jess were spotted leaving Sadusky’s in a tux. Billie puts two and two together and figures out Jess is Rafael’s daughter since he possessed one of the only surviving medallions.
Billie realizes where Jess is heading and figures out the Elvis riddle.
Antonio Cipriano, Zuri Reed, Jake Austin Walker, Lisette Olivera, Jordan Rodrigues, and Salena Qureshi in ‘National Treasure: Edge of History’ episode 5 (Disney/Brian Roedel)
Liam and Jess are joined by the entire Scooby gang at the Governor’s Ball. Once inside, Liam says he heard this ball is supposed to be a surprise birthday party for the governor, so at 6:15pm all eyes will be on the governor. That’s the perfect time to get a good look at the journal.
Jess and Liam explore the room where the journal’s being kept and come up with a game plan that should take no longer than five minutes.
On a lighter note, Jess and Meena (Salena Qureshi) chat and when Jess tells her that Ethan must really like her if he went golfing with her, it catches Meena off guard. She was unaware Ethan doesn’t like golf and wonders if Ethan thinks he can’t be himself when he’s with her.
Jess assures her it’s not like that.
Oren doesn’t listen to Ethan and pitches his sneaker business to a man at the ball. He hands Oren a card and tells him to email his business proposal.
Next, Oren talks Jess and Ethan into doing a dance they once did when he hears Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” come on. They oblige, and all eyes are on them as they dance. Liam and Meena are suddenly not feeling this dance they’re doing, and they disappear before the dance ends.
Ethan tries to convince Meena it was just a silly dance, and she doesn’t think there was anything silly about the way he was looking at Jess. He tries to persuade Meena that he and Jess are just friends, but she tells him to figure out if that’s true or not.
Jess sees Liam take off with the journal just as a guard spots her and orders her to freeze. After getting away for the time being, Jess sends Tasha a text asking for a diversion so she can get out of there.
Tasha gets up on a table and starts a mini protest, shaming everyone for spending money on something like this when there’s so much going on in the community. It works for a minute, and Jess is able to escape.
However, Billie shows up out of nowhere and demands Jess get in her car! The episode ends with Jess weighing her options for a split-second before getting in.
Apple TV+’s first lengthy trailer/sneak peek video for season two of the sci-fi series Foundation begins with Gaal sharing that although the journey’s been long, the mission of the Foundation has just begun. The two-minute trailer teases impending war, with Hari declaring, “If there is a war, we will win!”
Season two stars Jared Harris as Dr. Hari Seldon, Lee Pace as Brother Day, Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick, Leah Harvey as Salvor Hardin, and Laura Birn as Demerzel. Terrence Mann stars as Brother Dusk and Cassian Bilton is Brother Dawn.
Newcomers to this adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s stories include Isabella Laughland as Brother Constant, Kulvinder Ghir as Poly Verisof, Sandra Yi Sencindiver as Enjoiner Rue, and Ella-Rae Smith as Queen Sareth of Cloud Dominion. Dimitri Leonidas plays Hober Mallow, Ben Daniels is Bel Roise, Holt McCallany is Warden Jaegger Fount, Rachel House is Tellem Bond, and Nimrat Kaur is Yanna Seldon.
David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy) is the showrunner and executive produces with Robyn Asimov, Alex Graves, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Bill Bost.
Apple TV+ confirmed Foundation season two will premiere this summer.
Lee Pace stars in ‘Foundation’ (Photo credit courtesy of Apple)
The Plot:
The monumental adaptation of Foundation chronicles a band of exiles on their unprecedented journey to rebuild civilization amid the fall of the Galactic Empire. Crucial individuals transcending space and time are faced with deadly crises, shifting loyalties, and complicated relationships that will ultimately determine the fate of humanity.
