Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding) guest stars in Fox’s Prodigal Son season one episode 18. Episode 18, “Scheherazade,” will air on Monday, March 30, 2020 at 9pm ET/PT.
Michael Sheen stars as convicted serial killer Dr. Martin Whitly and Tom Payne plays Dr. Whitly’s conflicted son, Malcolm Bright. The cast also includes Bellamy Young as Jessica Whitly, Lou Diamond Phillips as Gil Arroyo, Halston Sage as Ainsley Whitly, Aurora Perrineau as Dani Powell, Frank Harts as JT Tarmel, and Keiko Agena as Edrisa Tanaka.
“Scheherazade” Plot – When an up-and-coming ballet dancer is mysteriously poisoned, the NYPD dives deep into the rigorous world of dance. Meanwhile, Jessica reunites with an old friend, socialite Nicholas Endicott (guest star Dermot Mulroney), and Bright and Eve turn to Martin for answers regarding the girl in the box.
Season One Details:
“Malcolm Bright (Payne) has a gift. He knows how killers think and how their minds work. Why? Back in the 1990s, his father was one of the worst, a notorious serial killer called ‘The Surgeon.’ So it makes sense Bright is the best criminal psychologist around; murder is the family business.
He will use his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers, all while dealing with a manipulative mother, annoyingly normal sister, a homicidal father still looking to bond with his prodigal son, and his own constantly evolving neuroses.
Meet the happy family. Dr. Martin Whitly (Sheen) is intelligent, wealthy, charismatic and also happens to be a predatory sociopath who killed at least 23 people. Bright’s mother, Jessica Whitly (Young), an elegant and WASPy New Yorker, wields sarcasm like a samurai sword and has an opinion on every aspect of Bright’s life.
Perhaps Bright’s only ally is his sister, Ainsley Whitley (Sage), a TV journalist who wishes her brother would “take a break from murder” and have a normal life.
Unfortunately for his sister, the only way Bright feels normal is by solving cases with the help of his longtime mentor, NYPD Detective Gil Arroyo (Phillips). Arroyo’s one of the best detectives around, and he expects no less from his team – Detective Dani Powell (Perrineau), a headstrong no-nonsense cop who quickly becomes impressed with Bright’s work; and Detective JT Tarmel (Harts), a born-and-bred New Yorker who questions whether Bright is a psychopath himself.
The title of Fox’s 9-1-1 season three episode 13 hints at one of the emergencies the team will be assisting with. A bowling alley rescue is part of “Pinned,” set to air on Monday, March 30, 2020 at 8pm ET/PT.
The cast of season three includes Angela Bassett as Athena Grant, Peter Krause as Bobby Nash, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Maddie Kendall, and Oliver Stark as Evan “Buck” Buckley. Aisha Hinds plays Henrietta “Hen” Wilson, Kenneth Choi is Howie “Chimney” Han, Rockmond Dunbar is Michael Grant, and Ryan Guzman is Eddie Diaz.
“Pinned” Plot – The 118 responds to accidents at a bowling alley and a home renovation, as Athena pursues a car thief. Bobby and Michael take Harry camping and Chimney and Maddie rush into action when their romantic dinner date takes a wild-turn.
9-1-1 Series Description, Courtesy of Fox:
Creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear reimagine the procedural drama with 9-1-1, exploring the high-pressure experiences of police officers, firefighters and dispatchers who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping situations. These emergency responders must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in their own lives.
Athena Karkanis as Grace Stone and Josh Dallas as Ben Stone in ‘Manifest’ season 2 episode 11 (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC)
NBC’s Manifest season two episode 11 begins with Ben (Josh Dallas) and Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) talking about the three looming shadow figures Cal (Jack Messina) keeps seeing and what it could mean. Ben fears Adrian’s right and that the callings could be lulling them into a sense of obedience, setting them up to help put into motion an evil endgame.
Michaela disagrees, reminding him the callings have always been to help save people. Ben changes the subject and asks Michaela how Zeke (Matt Long) is doing. Michaela admits she’s scared and that Zeke is running out of time as he’s getting close to his death date.
Zeke meets with his sponsor and talks about it being the anniversary of his sister’s death. His sponsor suggests Zeke focus on the time he has left and closure.
Michaela sits outside before heading to work and talks to whoever or whatever is in charge of the callings; like a prayer. She says she needs guidance to keep believing in following the instructions. She doesn’t understand why the man she loves is freezing to death and questions how she’s supposed to keep believing if she loses him.
Michaela’s walking to the precinct when she hears someone yell, “Stop! Thief!” She sees a young man running out of a store and gives chase, catching up to the petty thief who begs her to let him go. He claims he only stole a candy bar. Michaela has a calling and hears a voice demanding she let him go. Michaela takes the candy bar and tells the young man next time she’ll arrest him. He runs off onto a bus.
Michaela returns the candy bar to the store owner. He reveals the thief stole a bunch of cold medicine and that another shop nearby was also ripped off a few days ago. At the precinct, Michaela tells Jared (J.R. Ramirez) about it and they decide to team up to find the petty thief who it sounds like is part of a meth-making team.
At the Stone house, Ben has a vision of a subway train coming at him and tells Grace it felt like he was going to die.
T.J. (Garrett Wareing) and Cal are taking a walk and eating ice cream when T.J. has a calling and sees a red bird – a phoenix. They return home and tell Ben and Grace about it. Grace says the bird Zeke described sounds like a mural. Ben and T.J. discover the phoenix mural is located on a subway platform.
T.J. and Ben head over to the subway and see a man about to commit suicide by falling in front of the subway train. Ben and T.J. grab him just in time and he collapses.
Meanwhile, Zeke’s getting ready for an MRI by Dr. Saanvi Bahl (Parveen Kaur) who’s concerned at the rate Zeke’s getting worse. He’s moving closer to freezing to death, yet she says to have faith and that her cure just needs some fine-tuning.
Jared and Michaela go to the bus depot and talk to the bus driver the young petty theft man got on. He says he doesn’t remember the guy. They decide to take a look at the video cam footage on the bus.
After the test, Zeke gets a visit from his mother who’s worried about why he still looks so sick. He lies to her that he’s still recovering from getting burned and breathing in smoke at the nightclub fire. As his mother leaves, Saanvi arrives and explains he has more muscle damage. She assures him they won’t lose the fight against his death date.
Over at the precinct, Jared and Michaela find the footage of the shoplifter and are able to ID him. They start tracking the teenager.
Ben and T.J. visit the man who tried to kill himself in the hospital. They notice one of his possessions is a tiny music box and when they open it, the lullaby it plays is the one Grace learned from Cal.
Jared and Michaela find the shoplifter at his school and question him about who he works for. He admits the bus he got on is the drop-off for the cold medicine but that’s all he knows. Michaela and Jared decide to let the shoplifter go so he can lead them to whoever’s in charge of the meth-making group.
Cal’s visiting Zeke in the hospital when Ben asks about the lullaby. Both he and Zeke start singing it and Zeke reveals his father wrote it. Ben realizes the man in the subway who tried to kill himself is Zeke’s dad. He tells Zeke but Zeke doesn’t want to have anything to do with him; he’s still angry his father left the family after his sister’s death.
Ben understands his anger but explains this could be a chance to give himself closure with that part of his life. Zeke remembers what his sponsor said to him about closure earlier that day.
T.J. is sitting with Zeke’s dad and talking to him about second chances when Zeke walks in. T.J. and Ben give Zeke and his dad privacy as they talk.
Michaela walks into Zeke’s room to find him gone. Just as she’s about to go looking for him, he enters and hugs her. He tells her about his father and Ben and T.J.’s calling. He’s decided he’s going on a brief trip with his father to honor his sister. Michaela asks about his treatment and Zeke confesses he’s done with it. Michaela starts to get upset but Zeke explains he doesn’t want to waste any more of the time he has left in the hospital tied to tubes. He wants to spend his remaining time with her.
A little later Saanvi tries to enter her office but finds she’s been locked out. Security arrives to explain her hospital privileges have been revoked. They escort an arguing Saanvi out of the hospital.
JR Ramirez as Jared Vasquez, Melissa Roxburgh as Michaela Stone, and Dazmann Still as Kory in season 2 episode 11 (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC)
Jared and Michaela track the shoplifter to a location that could be the meth lab. During their stakeout Michaela tells Jared she’s in love with Zeke, thinking he’s working with her to try to get back together (an idea given to her by her partner, Drea). Jared explains she’s wrong and he has accepted her with Zeke but that he needs to be friends with her and have her in his life. He starts to say that he and Zeke might even become friends and Michaela becomes upset. She confesses Zeke might not have much time left, that he’s dying. She reveals everyone on Flight 828 and anyone who’s has been affected by whatever happened that day has a death date.
The conversation ends when they spot the driver of the bus the shoplifter got on.
Jared and Michaela bust in and Jared goes after one of the men who jumps out a window. Michaela heads down a corridor, through a door, and down some steps to find the meth lab, the bus driver, and Jace Baylor (James McMenamin), who has been arrested for meth dealings before. As she’s about to make the arrest she has a calling that instructs her to let him go. She decides to ignore the calling and slaps the cuffs on Jace.
At the Stone home, Ben and Grace are enjoying ice cream – with sprinkles – when Ben announces he’s going to spend less time trying to figure out all the connections with passengers on 828 and the callings and more time with her and the kids.
Meanwhile at the precinct, Michaela tells Jared about the calling to let Jace go but isn’t sure if it was talking about him or Zeke. She also reveals it’s the first time she’s defied a calling.
Later at her apartment, Michaela finds Zeke waiting for her. He confesses that most of his life is full of mistakes and regret and he wants to end his life on his terms. Zeke asks Michaela to marry him and she says yes!
The episode’s final scene shows Cal in his bedroom with Ben tucking him in. He asks Ben if Zeke and his dad made up and Ben believes they’re working on it. Ben says goodnight and right after he leaves Cal sees the three dark shadows again. The scene changes to Jace, the bus driver, and the shoplifter together in lockup. It’s revealed the ominous shadow figures are their shadows.
The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico season two episode two kicks off with Isobel, Liz, Michael, Alex, and Kyle meeting up at an abandoned Indian boarding school – along with what remains of Noah. Alex (Tyler Blackburn) has set up the place with top of the line, unhackable security, but Isobel (Lily Cowles) seems less than thrilled. However, Liz (Jeanine Mason) is sure this is where they’ll save Max.
Later back at home, Rosa (Amber Midthunder) is super curious about her death. She‘s attempting to look up her funeral when Liz convinces her to leave it alone.
And once more back to the Scooby team’s new secret lair we go. Things are getting cleaned up and readied for their top-secret #RescueMax operation.
Clips flash by with scenes of everyday life…Isobel boxing, Rosa spray painting aliens on walls and accidentally spotting her dad coming out of the café, and Maria putting up Missing Person posters hoping to get info on what happened to her mom, Mimi.
Rosa’s apparently so rattled by everything she sneaks into the bar for a drink. She’s interrupted by another vision of Max (Nathan Parsons) begging her to convince Liz not to save him. He reveals he’s burning alive from the inside.
It turns out the bar thing was just a bad dream. Nevertheless, she wakes up upset and disturbed by the vision. She asks about her sketchbook but, unfortunately, Liz hasn’t been able to find it. She needs it as a coping mechanism and Liz promises she’ll find it.
Speaking of promises, Rosa makes one and says she’ll stay hidden. However, Liz lets on she knows her now-younger sibling has been sneaking out and graffitiing walls.
Michael (Michael Vlamis) is working in the makeshift lab (which I really prefer to call the lair and so I will from now on because, well, it’s my recap) when he has a vision of his alien mom. It’s vivid enough to shake him up a bit.
Over at the hospital, Kyle and Alex wake Alex’s dad, Jesse (Trevor St. John), from his coma. Alex warns his dad they have a video of him feeding Kyle’s dad to an alien, but Jesse doesn’t seem worried despite the fact he’s recovering from a coma Kyle induced and could easily slip him back into again. He’s pretty sure they won’t publicize the video since there’s no way they’d want to reveal there are aliens in Roswell, New Mexico.
Kyle assures him he doesn’t really care about that; he’s willing to reveal aliens to the world if necessary.
Maria’s papering the town with flyers and stops by Michael’s to leave one on his trailer door. She’s so worried her mom’s been missing for two weeks that she doesn’t really care she caught Michael making out with a random woman at the bar. There haven’t been any signs of Mimi and the police don’t have any leads.
Maria can’t stop thinking something horrible happened. Michael empathizes, revealing he found out something about his mom that’s made it difficult for him to concentrate.
Liz uses Isobel’s blood to learn about alien physiology. Isobel wonders what Michael’s role is in helping Max, and Liz explains he’s engineering nanotech. Their not exactly friendly but semi-close to it bonding moment sours when Isobel opens a box and realizes Liz is holding onto the alien death serum. Liz assures Isobel that Noah’s dead and the serum is just for research.
While Liz is distracted, Isobel steals a syringe of the poison.
Back to Rosa and she’s wandering around the graveyard in broad daylight while sporting a disguise of a baseball cap and hoodie. She spots her grave and is shocked to see it’s been vandalized. Someone’s spray-painted “Murderer” across the marker.
She leans against it and watches a video on her phone of Wyatt Long. Wyatt’s launching a fundraising campaign to build the wall in his murdered sister Kate’s honor. The racist jerk rants on about Rosa’s parents being illegals and that Rosa was just another drunk Mexican who killed his sister. He believes if her family had stayed in Mexico, his sister would be alive today.
Alex’s brother, Flint (Kiowa Gordon), visits their dad in the hospital. He knows Kyle and Alex did something to him, but Jesse says it’s not important. Flint reports in on the demolition of the prison, taking with it all evidence of alien presence there. Jesse believes that it was the right thing to do since any revelation would have been labeled fake news. They need more concrete evidence that allows them to make a bigger statement.
Isobel’s at home using an app to figure out how big her baby is and learns it’s the size of a lentil. (She’s worried it’s an evil body-snatching bundle of joy.) Before she can dwell on that her mom arrives with an invitation to a “Woman as Warrior” class. Isobel’s not in the mood and just wants to be alone. She blows up at her mom when she suggests she talk to a doctor. But then to soothe the situation Isobel reluctantly agrees to a little mother-daughter bonding time.
Liz tracks Rosa using her phone – Rosa thinks this aspect of the future is creepy as hell – and Liz can’t believe she’s out and about during the day. Rosa angrily argues she knows how to sneak about this town. She then reveals she knows that no one came to her funeral and the deaths of her friends caused a race war.
The cops arrive at just that moment and Rosa runs off, leaving Liz to explain the spray can she’s holding while standing next to freshly painted graffiti.
Liz is taken to the station and her one call goes to Michael Guerin who just so happens to be locked up in a cell mere feet away. (How did she not notice the sexy alien kicking back in a nearby cell?) Anyway, he’s not going to be much help in getting her out of trouble.
Michael’s a fountain of doom and gloom as Liz worries over ruining the experiment since they’re both currently incarcerated. If the experiment fails that will suck. Michael reminds her life isn’t fair. He also explains he punched Wyatt Long for using one of Maria’s Missing posters to clean his boot.
It turns out Maria isn’t just a bartender, she’s also the leader of the Woman as Warrior group session. Her card claims she’s a spiritual leader, psychic reader, and social media revitalizer. Isobel’s reaction to that is priceless. She looks around, wondering if she’s being punked.
Sheriff Valenti (Rosa Arredondo) interrupts their conversation. It appears she’s doing a little investigating into Noah Bracken’s death…
Kyle receives Rosa’s completed lab reports and she’s healthy. However, there’s a protein showing up that isn’t supposed to be in a human body. He catches up with Rosa – who is not listening to anyone about staying hidden – after she texts him to meet her at a church. She demands to know if the town hates her and Kyle fills her in on the truth. Max and Michael put Rosa and her two dead friends in a car and staged an accident. The town believes Rosa got high and caused the crash. Rosa becomes upset when she realizes her sister went through all those years believing she was responsible.
Sheriff Valenti questions Liz about the position of the lightning bolt strike on Noah’s chest; he would have had to already been laying on the ground when it hit. She also wonders where Max has been since that day and why she found Liz’s necklace outside Max’s place. Liz claims she’s hoping to someday tell Max how she feels and has visited his house hoping he’ll come home so she can tell him the truth.
Isobel and her mom have been in the Woman as Warrior session for hours. Night’s fallen and Isobel’s reached the limit of her patience even though her mom’s really enjoying herself. Maria made them write down their biggest fear at the beginning of the session and she instructs the attendees to toss their fear into the fire. Isobel hesitates even after Maria promises her she can leave once she symbolically gets rid of her fear.
Maria says Isobel can choose to set herself free and that finally gets to Isobel. She truly believes it as she places her slip of paper on the fire. (Her biggest fear is the baby she’s carrying which she now refers to as “the lentil.”)
Rosa sneaks into her family’s café and her old room. It still has some of her belongings, and she even finds an old bottle of tequila she’d hidden away.
Michael admits he can’t stop thinking about his mom. He’s patiently waiting for Alex outside his house and needs to know if he has any more info to share about his mom. Alex reveals Michael’s mom’s name was Nora Truman and she wasn’t admitted to Caulfield until a year after the crash. That means people in the town might have known her and some of those people could still be alive.
Although Alex wants to help, Michael turns down his offer. He says he likes Maria and he and Alex shouldn’t be hanging out. Alex takes it surprisingly well.
When Liz finally arrives back at her place later that night, Rosa’s in no mood for her sister’s blame game. She tells Liz to go help Max, the guy who led everyone in town into believing she was a murderer. Rosa’s furious her sister chose to love Max.
Liz admits she never believed Rosa drove drunk and caused the accident. Rosa remains pissed her sister’s with the guy who staged the accident and placed her – the only “brown girl” involved – in the driver’s seat. That act led to hate crimes against their family.
Liz defends him by reminding Rosa that Max was just a kid then. She tries to explain Max has spent years trying to atone for his actions. Rosa knows everyone hates her and it’s his fault. “It was better when I was a ghost,” says Rosa.
Liz needs to stay in Roswell, but she and Kyle can find her an apartment elsewhere. Rosa’s anger doesn’t allow her to listen to her sister’s solution.
Michael’s waiting for Maria outside the bar late at night. He confesses he learned she’s been sleeping there and that’s why he’s moved his trailer to the bar’s parking lot. He’ll be sticking around to keep an eye out and make sure she’s safe.
They both let down their guards for a minute and say what they really think. He misses her laughter and doesn’t want her to hate him. “Then don’t make me hate you, Guerin,” says Maria.
She will allow him to “guard the parking lot” on a casual, non-exclusive trial basis. But, he can’t hook up with any more random girls. “Deal,” responds Michael as he moves in for a kiss. She initially pulls away but then surrenders.
Liz returns to the lab/lair to redo her experiments.
Alex and Flint meet up unexpectedly outside their father’s hospital room door. As they watch, their dad begins convulsing and falls off the bed. Flint runs for help while Alex just stands and watches his dad suffer.
Isobel’s finally back home after a weird day with her mom. She holds the alien poison and says, “I can choose to set myself free.” She squeezes a drop onto her finger and then licks it. She smiles.
Rosa climbs onto the café’s roof with the bottle of tequila. She sets it next to her without taking a drink.
She falls asleep on the roof and dreams of visiting Max’s pod in the cave. She slams her fist on it, demanding he leave her alone. He appears and reiterates how much pain he’s in. She tells him to man up, ticking off a list of things that have gone wrong in her life. He still wants her help and asks her to pull him out of the pod and then leave. “You won’t be killing me, Rosa. I’m already dead,” begs Max.
Max reminds her that as long as she has his handprint, he can contact her. She’s okay with that and says she’s an expert at quieting voices. She wakes up and gulps down tequila.
CBS’s Magnum P.I. will finally return from a 10 week break on Friday, April 10, 2020 at 9pm ET/PT. The action series returns to CBS’s primetime lineup with season two episode 15, “Say Hello to Your Past.” Directed by Avi Youabian from a script by Joe Gazzam, episode 15 features guest stars Janel Parrish as Maleah, Dohn Norwood as Milo Rivers, and Johnnie M. Purvis as Jake Iho.
Jay Hernandez stars as Thomas Magnum, Perdita Weeks plays Juliet Higgins, and Zachary Knighton is Orville “Rick” Wright. Stephen Hill is Theodore “TC” Calvin, Tim Kang is Det. Gordon Katsumoto, and Amy Hill plays Kumu.
“Say Hello to Your Past” Plot – Magnum and Higgins must find Kumu when she’s kidnapped by an injured man accused of killing his wife.
The Series Description, Courtesy of CBS:
“Magnum P.I. is a modern take on the classic series centering on Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator. A charming rogue, an American hero and a die-hard Detroit Tigers fan, Magnum lives in a guest cottage on Robin’s Nest, the luxurious estate where he works as a security consultant to supplement his P.I. business.
The ‘majordomo’ of the property is Juliet Higgins, a beautiful and commanding disavowed MI:6 agent whose second job is to keep Magnum in line, with the help of her two Dobermans. When Magnum needs back-up on a job, he turns to his trusted buddies and fellow POW survivors, Theodore ‘TC’ Calvin, a former Marine chopper pilot who runs Island Hoppers, a helicopter tour business, and Orville ‘Rick’ Wright, a former Marine door-gunner-turned-impresario of Oahu’s coolest nightclub and the most connected man on the island.
Suspicious of Magnum’s casual attitude and presence at his crime scenes, Detective Gordon Katsumoto finds that he and Magnum are more alike than either of them care to admit. One of Magnum’s biggest supporters is Teuila ‘Kumu’ Tuileta, the unofficial ‘House Mom’ and cultural curator of Robin’s Nest. With keys to a vintage Ferrari in one hand, aviator sunglasses in the other, and an Old Düsseldorf longneck chilling in the fridge, Thomas Magnum is back on the case!”
Samantha Bee and her late night show crew are getting back to work from the safety of their own homes. TBS announced Full Frontal with Samantha Bee will return with new episodes beginning Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 10:30PM ET/PT.
Samantha Bee will shoot new episodes with help from her husband, executive producer Jason Jones. Jones will actually film episodes and the production crew will handle the behind the scenes work while working from their homes.
“Doctors, nurses, and grocery store clerks are fighting on the front lines, and the least the rest of us can do is stay home,” said Samantha Bee. “Even if that means my husband just became both my cameraman and makeup artist.”
The series temporarily ended production on March 12, 2020 because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Even while taking time off from her half-hour late-night show, Bee’s been keeping in touch with fans via her Beeing at Home with Samantha Bee mini digital series.
Tony Hernandez, Miles Kahn, Alison Camillo, and Pat King executive produce the series along with Bee and Jones.
Series Details, Courtesy of TBS:
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee shines a spotlight on stories inside the Beltway and beyond, from sexual harassment in the media to the ‘boyfriend loophole,’ and from global warming to child marriage in the United States. Full Frontal also travels the world to cover international stories, with segments from China, Jordan, Germany, Russia, Scotland, Mexico and Iraq.
In its first four seasons, Full Frontal has garnered an Outstanding Writing Emmy and a WGA Award for its two Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner specials honoring a free press, as well as seventeen Emmy nominations, an additional WGA Award nomination, a Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information, two additional TCA Award nominations, two PGA nominations and four DGA nominations.”
Quibi’s upcoming action thriller Survive just released a new official two-minute trailer. The film is one of the new mobile app’s “Movies in Chapters” and stars Game of Thrones‘ Sophie Turner.
Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton, 24: Legacy) co-stars as one of two survivors of a plane crash. Mark Pellington (The Last Word) directed from a screenplay by Richard Abate and Jeremy Ungar.
Quibi’s set an April 6, 2020 premiere date. The app will also launch on April 6th and will be available for a 90 day free trial for customers who sign up for the service prior to April 20th.
The Plot, Courtesy of Quibi:
“Jane (Turner) wants to end it all. Then a plane crash almost ends it for her. Now she’s crawling from the wreckage with the only other survivor (Hawkins) and a new drive to stay alive.
Together they embark on a harrowing journey out of the wilderness, battling brutal conditions in this thrilling drama based on the critically acclaimed novel, Survive, by Alex Morel.”
Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins in ‘Survive’ (Photo Credit: Quibi)Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins in ‘Survive’ (Photo Credit: Quibi)
Netflix just released a new colorful trailer for The Willoughbys along with a poster and new stills. The animated film is based on the popular book by Newbery Award winner Lois Lowry and is set to premiere on April 22, 2020.
The voice cast of the family-friendly animated adventure includes Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth), Maya Rudolph (The Good Place), Alessia Cara, Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Martin Short (The Morning Show), Jane Krakowski (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Séan Cullen (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), and Ricky Gervais (After Life).
Kris Pearn (Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2) directed co-wrote the screenplay with Mark Stanleigh and serves as director.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
“Convinced they’d be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family.”
A scene from ‘The Willoughbys’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)Netflix’s ‘The Willoughbys’Poster for the Netflix animated film
Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan and Chris Donald in ‘Outlander’ season 5 episode 6 (Photo Credit: Starz)
We travel back to Scotland in 1746 as Starz’s Outlander season five episode six begins. A carriage is halted by two dragoons and a man calling himself Samuel Torrington emerges from the passenger compartment. He claims he’s putting distance between himself and Culloden.
The man says he’s accompanied by his wife and daughter, and we see Jocasta (Maria Doyle Kennedy) warn their daughter, Morna, to say nothing as they emerge from the carriage. It’s searched and they find nothing…that is until one of the men bends down to help Morna who’s gotten her foot stuck in the mud. He spies a concealed box under the carriage, jimmies it open, and finds Charles Stuart’s gold.
The man who introduced himself as Torrington is actually Jocata’s third husband, Hector mor Cameron. He accidentally shoots Morna as he’s attempting to kill one of the English soldiers. She dies, along with the two soldiers. There’s no time to mourn her death as they retrieve the gold and resume their journey.
Morna’s body is left behind. Jocasta’s only able to grab a ribbon from her hair before she’s forced to leave her beautiful young daughter to rot on the side of the road.
Flash-forward to Jocasta still clasping that ribbon decades later. It’s the day before her wedding to Duncan Innes and he presents her with a small pillow that smells of lavender to soothe her nerves. Embroidered on the pillow is the MacKenzie motto: “I shine, not burn.”
It’s obvious Jocasta doesn’t love Duncan, and she admits to her close friend and butler, Ulysses, that she only hopes in time he’ll afford her “a wee bit of peace.”
Jocasta meets with Jamie (Sam Heughan) and he’s happy to be at River Run to help her celebrate. Papers are placed before her that will make her the guardian of River Run until Brianna and Roger’s wee baby, Jemmy, is of age to take over. Her husband-to-be has agreed to this arrangement.
She signs her name after her lawyer, Gerald Forbes (Billy Boyd), confirms this is what she truly wants. Jamie signs as witness to the document.
Speaking of the adorable (and spoiled) baby, he’s got a cold and Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and Roger (Richard Rankin) remain at Fraser’s Ridge to care for their child. Plus, Roger’s still a bit bent out of shape over his last encounter with Jocasta.
As they’re talking, the adorable Adso arrives with a bug. Their attention turns to the window as it’s the first of many locusts that have just invaded Fraser’s Ridge.
Meanwhile, the fine folks gathered at River Run celebrate the impending marriage of Jocasta and Duncan. Claire and Jamie look handsome in their fancy clothes as Jamie steams over having to rub shoulders with people who would see Murtagh dead. He believes Murtagh should be the one marrying Jocasta.
Lord John Grey’s among the few attendees Jamie’s happy to be able to spend time with. Jamie, Claire, and Lord John (David Berry) are in complete agreement about their disdain for Governor Tryon’s presence, but put on a show of being pleased to see him.
Jamie compliments the Governor on his decision to pardon “dishonorable men.” Tryon admits it was Scotsmen Samuel Johnson who came up with the idea that men must not assemble in groups larger than 10. (Anyone else immediately think of #FlattenTheCurve and the need to stay at home during the Coronavirus pandemic during this discussion?)
Back at Fraser’s Ridge, the crops are about to be overrun by locusts. The townsfolk believe their only option now is to burn Jamie’s fields. However, Roger wins over no new friends by warning them that a simple shift of the wind could burn down homes.
Unfortunately, he isn’t immediately able to offer any alternate solutions.
A short while later Roger remembers a story from his youth. His father told him about a plague of locusts that were driven away by smoke before they could land. He hopes/believes it’s the truth. His plan is to place fires at the edge of the fields to ward off the major swarm before it lands and destroys the crops.
Roger fills buckets with poop, creating smudge pots. Goose fat and poop mix in the buckets, and voila! – smoke fills the air. Enough in the field should keep the locusts away. But, Roger’s not sure how to force the smoke over the fields. The wind might not be blowing when they need it to.
Brianna notices sheets drying on the line. “I have an idea for that. Here, I’ll handle this. You keep shoveling your shit,” says Brianna.
The citizens of Fraser’s Ridge get busy placing the smudge pots around the fields. Roger, who’s supervising their distribution, tells Brianna, “You know, when your father left me in charge, I thought I might have to mend a fence, wrangle the odd runaway cow. But no, I get a biblical plague.”
Men and women wave sheets and blankets to direct the smoke. Roger looks up to see a massive cloud of locusts heading their way. He yells for everyone to keep the fires up and not run from the insects. The townsfolk keep working as most of the locusts fly over Fraser’s Ridge.
When the locusts leave, the cornfield has been saved. They’ve lost some bean crops but have emerged in good shape. A quiet moment of celebration for Roger’s plan is broken up by Mr. Lindsay who admits he thought the plan was foolish. He then acknowledges it was the right move and he only lost half a field. His family will have food for the winter, thanks to Captain Roger Wakefield.
Brianna jokes that maybe her dad will promote him to major. Roger laughs and says, “I hope not,” before they enjoy a long kiss.
Over at River Run, Claire and Margaret Tryon (Melanie Gray) engage in a quiet, friendly chat that’s interrupted by the unexpected – and unwelcome – arrival of Philip Wylie (Chris Donald). Neither lady is impressed by the man, and Margaret reveals he’s lost his fortune to gambling and in houses of ill repute.
They’re unhappy to see he’s laser-focused on Claire, and Margaret graciously offers to distract him so Claire can make her escape.
Unfortunately, Margaret only temporarily delays his meeting with Claire. He’s smarmy and gross as he compliments Claire’s appearance. Fortunately, Margaret interrupts the conversation to pull Claire away to help Jocasta.
Jamie and Governor Tryon continue to discuss the new law. The Governor hopes it will break up the Regulators. If they refuse to disband, then they’ll be arrested.
Jamie also learns the reason Margaret mentioned they’re on their way to New York is because Tryon’s been offered the governorship there. Tryon thinks it’s a done deal, but he admits he’s grown fond of North Carolina. He hates the idea of leaving it in chaos. Jamie believes a legacy of mercy would be the way to end his governorship of North Carolina, and Tryon assures him the men will have mercy – if they disband and ask for it.
Meanwhile, Philip continues to stalk Claire. He thinks she deserves so much more than to live in the backcountry and Claire tries to blow him off. Then he happens to mention an Irishman who does business out of Wilmington and he’s finally piqued her interest. When she asks if he’s talking about a smuggler, he pretends to find the idea offensive. Yet, he continues on and says this person can acquire rare and exquisite things.
Claire pours on the charm to get him to open up and then suggests she has something that might interest him. She pours him a glass of Jamie’s whiskey and he’s pleased with the taste. They discuss her two wedding rings and then toast to love.
Claire asks if this person he’s mentioned could “circumvent certain financial inconveniences” and Philip assures her anything she wants is hers. She claims Jamie’s whiskey venture is barely breaking even and she believes he needs a partner with connections. Philip finally confirms her suspicions when he names the Irishman. It’s Stephen Bonnet!
When he says Bonnet doesn’t do business with strangers, Claire assures Philip she’ll only deal with him – not Bonnet – and he’ll be paid a share of the profits.
Philip tires of talking about business and takes Claire to see his new horse. It’s a descendant of a famous racehorse and as she strokes the horse’s neck, Philip makes his move. Claire immediately makes him regret it, pushing him to the ground. He lands in horse manure just as Jamie arrives in the barn.
Philip has no idea who he’s tangling with and tries to blame it all on Claire. Jamie whips out a knife, but Claire reminds him they’re at his aunt’s wedding. Now’s not the time to kill anyone. Jamie lets him go but with a warning. If he comes near Claire again, he’ll kill him.
Jamie and Claire hug once the creep has left the barn. Jamie wonders why she gave him the time of day and Claire explains it’s because he knows Stephen Bonnet. They need to figure out how to calm Philip down so they can use him to get to Bonnet.
Jamie approaches Philip, who’s still insisting it was all Claire’s doing, and asks if he’s acquainted with the Governor’s wife. One word to her and Philip’s reputation will be ruined. Philip isn’t worried because his reputation is already tarnished.
Jamie offers to settle this now if Philip can beat him in a game of cards. The bet: if Jamie wins, he won’t further sully Philip’s reputation. If Philip wins, he has to give Jamie his prized horse. Philip laughs in Jamie’s face, saying what Jamie’s offering isn’t worth his horse. He doesn’t care about his pride – he wants Jamie to wager something more valuable.
Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan in ‘Outlander’ season 5 episode 6 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Minutes later, Claire learns from Jamie what it is that Philip’s willing to play for. Philip wants Claire’s wedding ring from Frank if he wins. Claire knows Philip only wants it as revenge because he knows what it means to her. Jamie’s convinced they should wager it because when he wins, he gets the horse. Plus, they’ll be a step closer to getting to Stephen Bonnet.
Claire says no. She will not wager Frank’s wedding ring.
Jamie swears he won’t lose it, but Claire doesn’t trust him. She asks who he’s really doing this for and he claims it’s for Brianna. Claire reveals she thinks it’s for his own honor, not their daughter’s. Seething with anger, she hands him both of her wedding rings. If Jamie wagers Frank’s, he will also wager the one he gave her. She storms away leaving Jamie with both rings.
Later that evening, Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) puts in a surprise appearance at River Run. Jocasta can’t believe he’s there, given that Governor Tryon is right downstairs. They hug, but then Jocasta pulls away and asks why he’s come. He confesses he can’t face the rest of his life without her. He proposes and Jocasta’s shocked. It’s the day before her wedding and now, finally, Murtagh asks for her hand!
Murtagh admits he never believed she’d say yes to Duncan Innes. He wants her by his side for the remainder of their lives. She doesn’t reply but they do draw together for a kiss. She pulls away again and apologizes; she can’t call off her wedding.
She believes Duncan Innes is a good man who’ll make sure she’s happy. She recalls the night Hector insisted they pack up and move to America. They were going to the estates of her two oldest daughters, hoping to beat the redcoats there since her daughters had Jacobite blood. Jocasta wasn’t aware Hector stole a case of Stuart gold that had arrived too late for the Battle of Culloden.
She becomes emotional when she speaks of her 16-year-old daughter Morna and how she had to leave her, dead, in the mud. Jocasta sounds ashamed when she describes living in this palace built from the gold that led to Morna’s death for the past 30 years.
She also reveals her oldest daughters died in the fires following the Battle of Culloden.
Murtagh tries to comfort her as she describes how when she closed her eyes, she saw the fires burning and heard Morna calling out to her for help. She believes her blindness is a punishment for leaving Morna to come to America.
Hector was a firm supporter of the Jacobite cause. She compares Murtagh to her dead husband in that they both believed they could change the world. She lost everything because of that belief.
Murtagh swears after this war he’s done; he’ll settle down and come home to her. But Jocasta knows there will be more wars to follow. She knows who he is and that he’ll lose everything for what he believes in. She cannot give her heart to him and sends him away.
Murtagh pledges his love now and forever. His love for her will never fade. (This scene is absolutely heartbreaking!)
Claire heads to the barn alone to visit the horse. Jamie joins her and she’s still angry, as she has every right to be. She points out he’s drunk and when Jamie shows he still has her two wedding rings, Claire responds, “I didn’t think there was anything else Stephen Bonnet could take from us, but you almost let him take those.”
They argue again about Jamie’s motivations, and Claire believes his Scottish pride compelled his actions. He strikes back, telling her she thinks too much for her own good. When he says, “You’re a woman like no other, Sassenach, but don’t forget you’re still a woman,” Claire answers with a slap across his face. (Every woman who’s ever been belittled for their gender or treated as a second-class citizen should applaud Claire’s swift reaction.)
Jamie grabs her arm and goes in for a kiss. Claire, furious, pulls away…but not for long. Angry sex ensues and it’s not sweet and gentle. This is raw and rough, and I’m hoping the horses turned away. (It’s too much for innocent eyes.)
After Jamie and Claire work out their anger, they hold each other while seated against a horse stall. The tone shifts to one of intimacy. Jamie reveals he beat Philip and he was devastated at his loss. Jamie healed the wound by offering his horse back in exchange for a partnership and introduction to Bonnet.
Of course, Bonnet won’t realize he’s about to meet Jamie. Philip will set the meeting up for Jamie using Jamie’s middle names – Alexander Malcolm.
Jamie admits Claire was right. He’s going after Bonnet because he needs to see him dead. Claire makes him promise Stephen Bonnet will never take anything from their family again.
He does so while placing her wedding rings back on her fingers. “These rings will never leave your hands again. I swear it,” says Jamie, sealing the deal with a kiss.
Jocasta’s attorney Gerald Forbes meets secretly with Stephen Bonnet. He explains he’s come from Jocasta Cameron’s wedding at River Run and Bonnet asks if Jocasta’s related to Jamie Fraser. Forbes confirms she is and drops the news that Bonnet’s son Jemmy is now the owner of River Run.
The episode ends with Jamie meeting with Governor Tryon and learning not a single Regulator followed the law and turned themselves over to the mercy of the court. Because of that, the war is on. Munitions will be delivered to Hillsborough and Jamie’s charged with gathering the militia and meeting him there in a fortnight.
The Governor’s sure this will be a quick fight. “Aye. The Regulators are disorganized, no way prepared for war against the Crown,” says Jamie while remaining outwardly as calm as possible.
Yvonne Orji and Issa Rae in ‘Insecure’ season 4 (Photograph by Merie W. Wallace/HBO)
HBO’s Insecure will kick off its fourth season starring Issa Rae on Sunday, April 12, 2020 at 10pm ET/PT. The new season of the popular series created by Rae and Larry Wilmore will consist of 10 half-hour episodes, and HBO just released details on what fans can expect of the first five episodes.
The season four cast includes Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Natasha Rothwell, Amanda Seales, Kendrick Sampson, and Alexander Hodge. Rae executive produces with Prentice Penny, Melina Matsoukas, Michael Rotenberg, Dave Becky, Jonathan Berry, Amy Aniobi and Jim Kleverweis.
The Plot: “Season four follows the main characters in the aftermath of the decisions they made in the last season. Issa pursues a passion project she actually cares about, Molly navigates a real relationship for the first time, Lawrence figures out what leveling-up means for him, and we see the effect of Tiffany’s new baby on the dynamic of the friend group. Along the way, we’ll see these characters evaluating relationships, both new and old, in an effort to figure out who and what comes with them in this next phase of their lives.”
Insecure Season 4 Episodes:
Season 4, Episode 1: “Lowkey Feelin’ Myself”
Debut date: SUNDAY, APRIL 12 (10:00-10:35 p.m. ET/PT)
With Condola’s (Christina Elmore) guidance, Issa (Issa Rae) prepares for a mixer in her courtyard to pitch the block party to potential sponsors – but tensions rise when they discover a mutual connection. Molly (Yvonne Orji) begins to develop unexpected feelings for Andrew (Alexander Hodge).
Written by Issa Rae; directed by Kevin Bray.
Season 4, Episode 2: “Lowkey Distant”
Debut date: SUNDAY, APRIL 19 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
When Issa (Issa Rae) and Condola (Christina Elmore) decide to confront the elephant in the room head-on, Lawrence (Jay Ellis) gets uncomfortable. In search of a real connection, Molly (Yvonne Orji) struggles to get Andrew (Alexander Hodge) to open up during a carefully architected date night.
Written by Amy Aniobi; directed by Thembi Banks.
Season 4, Episode 3: “Lowkey Thankful”
Debut date: SUNDAY, APRIL 26 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
While Molly’s (Yvonne Orji) family celebrates Thanksgiving together, Issa (Issa Rae) and Ahmal (Jean Elie) decide to do their own thing. Meanwhile, when Lawrence (Jay Ellis) joins Friendsgiving at Condola’s (Christina Elmore) house, the new couple breaks some awkward ground.
Written by Phil Augusta Jackson; directed by Mark Sadlek.
Season 4, Episode 4: “Lowkey Losin’ It”
Debut date: SUNDAY, MAY 3 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
The girls get together to help Tiffany (Amanda Seales) with her new baby girl. Later, Issa (Issa Rae) struggles to finalize key details for the block party and turns to Molly (Yvonne Orji) to leverage Andrew’s (Alexander Hodge) connections.
Written by Laura Kittrell; directed by Nijla Mumin.
Season 4, Episode 5: “Lowkey Movin’ On”
Debut date: SUNDAY, MAY 10 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
With the block party finally here, Issa (Issa Rae) is determined to deliver a memorable event, despite some surprises. Meanwhile, Tiffany (Amanda Seales) enjoys a break from her baby, Kelli (Natasha Rothwell) entertains a gullible new boo, and Molly (Yvonne Orji) attempts to put a grudge on hold.
Written by Syreeta Singleton; directed by Stella Meghie.
