Briefly: NBC has just released the trailer for Hannibal‘s anticipated third season.

You’ll have to wait until Summer for the season premiere (it was pushed a few months back), but the trailer certainly offers an exciting taste of what to come. This first footage shows Will hunting Doctor Lecter through Florence.

Gah, I cannot wait for this to come back. How do you feel? How about that second season? Take a look at the trailer below, and let us know what you think!

NBC’s freshman series Constantine is back where it was weeks before its winter-hiatus: Near cancellation.

According to Entertainment WeeklyConstantine‘s return hailed just 3.1 million viewers on Friday night, and if you do not get Game of Thrones-caliber numbers on a night no one watches TV you deserve to get verbally slapped in the form of an excuse at a TCA press tour. That’s how this business works, right?

From EW:

“Still talking about [whether to renew the show],” Salke said. “We wish the show had done better live. It has a big viewership after [live airings] in all kinds of ways, and it has a younger audience. The live number is challenging. It hasn’t kind of come out of Grimm the way we wanted it to. We love the show. I think it’s fair to say we’re really still talking about it.”

 

Added Greenblatt: “We got on the bandwagon of these shows based on comic books, and maybe there are too many of them. It’s a popular series of comics, but it’s not The Flash. It’s not Batman, so maybe it suffers a little bit there. But as Jen said, it’s a show we really liked. We love Matt Ryan, who is the star of it. I think we did right by the fans who didn’t like the film that was made of it, and I think the future is still up in the air on that show.”

Holy misguided notions, Batman! In what galaxy did NBC think Constantine is a superhero? Yes, he’s in comic books, and yes, he’s had some outings with guys like Batman. But a superhero? The fuck, NBC? Lesson learned: Our basic understanding of geek culture still has a long, long, long way to go.

And what a shame too, because the return episode fucking ROCKED.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0ERukJvW6g

Their mention of Grimm is on the right path, but saying Constantine is failing because there are too many superhero shows on the market is way off the mark. It’s not like The Flash because before the show, people vaguely knew the character. No one knew who Constantine was, and even now they still don’t know. The 2005 movie flopped and left no pop culture footprint, so NBC had a totally fresh slate. People didn’t know or care about Constantine and NBC had the chance to make them.

Constantine and his world should be the farthest things you can think of when you think of “superhero.” Did they choose Constantine because they thought it would be like Batman, except British and a Sex Pistols fanboy? If they did then this whole thing was a mistake from the start. Dark fantasy. Gothic horror. That is what should have been in their heads, and that is what their competition should be. Adult fantasy is fairly in vogue despite uneasy acceptance by the mainstream audience; Game of Thrones is as big as it can be, Dragon Age is a really popular video game, Buffy is beloved, but no one gave a shit about I, Frankenstein or Dracula Untold. Only cool people liked Hellboy.

Constantine on broadcast TV should be like The Exorcist mixed with Law & Order — something NBC should be familiar with — while having a punk Han Solo as a lead. It’s a winning formula that’s rather unique, even against the current crop of other supernatural horror shows. They shouldn’t be picking fights against Marvel or The Flash, they should be trading jabs with Supernatural and Penny Dreadful.

But they do have an audience. The buzz created at Comic-Con was successful enough that it has become the current underdog favorite. Campaign hashtags are a big sign that something is worth looking into, and #SaveConstantine has made regular appearances just before, during, and after episode airings.

NBC should have known that unless by some drastic paradigm shift in our culture, the macabre aesthetic of Constantine would never let it be the next Batman. Even Batman shed his gothic texture to appeal to mainstream audiences. Take a bow, Christopher Nolan, that’s all you.

As much as I love Constantine and want to keep it going, this loss of faith by NBC proves they went into this kind of blind. I want to believe David Goyer when he told me that people at NBC have been wanting to produce Constantine for years, but I get the feeling it wasn’t a group effort.

From our New York Comic-Con interview with executive producer David Goyer:

 “We have an executive at NBC, Perlina, whose been a fan of the character even when she used to work at Showtime with Bob Greenblatt, so she’s been wanting to do a Constantine show ever since then. And Bob Greenblatt came over from Showtime and they came from pay cable sensibility, and watching what’s been happening with cable versus network and clearly network has had to change so I think it’s a comfortable fit. Of all the networks, it’s hard to imagine Constantine working on any of the other networks.”

After these recent events, I almost cringe reading that. Clearly NBC was not the best station for Constantine. Maybe Netflix or premium cable, but broadcast — even on Friday nights — isn’t where the beautiful bastard belongs. Still, I’m not going to lose hope. Here are some “hacks,” because no one in my generation knows what a hack actually is, that NBC can do to keep Constantine.

1) Consider a new air schedule.

Constantine changed its timeslot to an earlier 8 PM, but as you can see that did zilch to help matters. Earlier in the show’s lifespan, comparisons to Hannibal made sense because like it, Constantine is a dark show (not nearly as Hannibal, of course) that found success despite a Friday night slot. But unlike Hannibal, NBC stands to lose money when Constantine performs poorly. NBC has no major stake in Hannibal‘s success or failure due to its foreign investment, but Constantine is produced more traditionally, with the network ponying up dough. In order to make more on their investment, would it be too much if NBC considers a new timeslot for the show’s hopefully-not-unlikely second season? Perhaps Sunday when they’re not competing with non-competitors Arrow and The Flash?

2) Yeah, uh, don’t compete with The Flash or Arrow.

Despite being a DC comics property, Constantine is not a damn superhero. Even in a sanitized vision, Constantine does not and cannot carry himself like a brooding, self-righteous vigilante or a smiling, can-do speedster. His very essence is very unsuperhero-like. So don’t steer the ship into the storm and focus on calmer waters: Appeal to the horror crowd. They may intersect with superheroes, but go after fans of The Walking Dead and American Horror Story without mercy. They may not be big bucks like superheroes, but they’re far more devoted, loyal, and they will reward quality with immortality.

3) You know what? Make Constantine just the fucking worst.

John_Constantine_0029

While on the subject of superheroes, make Constantine unique on broadcast TV and actually make him a fucking bastard. Television has embraced anti-heroes since the Age of Tony Soprano, even though they haven’t found a place on broadcast yet. If you truly want to make Constantine a hit, do something different that your supposed competition, super heroes, can’t ever do with their protagonists: Make them terrible. To the show’s credit, they have had him smoke, drink, and sleep around, but there is still a righteousness to Constantine that dulls his edgy vices, making him resemble everyone’s dad in a trenchcoat. Take this opportunity and embrace Constantine’s worst aspects.

4) Build the Justice League Dark now.

Should Constantine be blessed with season two, the show should waste no time and expand the scope of the show. I’ve already stated that the strongest asset Constantine has is its ultimate control of DC’s occult territory. As soon as they can, they must build towards this woefully unexplored side of DC — which hopefully can alter notions of what a “comic book show” can or should be, because The Walking Dead is long past its comic book roots now.

Swamp Thing. Zatanna. Deadman. Shade. Madame Xanadu. Frankenstein. The Spectre, because sometimes you can flip off the comics too. Neither The Flash or Arrow are any closer to bringing us the Justice League. To the producers of Constantine, jump on this chance now. Introduce these freaks to pop culture as soon as possible.

5) More of this. Way more. Give us barrels full of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPGL2iuRDnA

If you build it, they will come. And you’ve built it, NBC. Just clean it up (so to speak) and hold out for people to see.

Briefly: Details on this one are yet to be revealed, but LegionofLeia learned today that the man himself, Stan Lee will be making a cameo appearance on Marvel’s Agent Carter sometime next year.

Stan has of course appeared on Marvel’s other ABC series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and we’re pretty excited to see where he’ll pop up here.

We’ll be sure to keep you informed as we learn more about the cameo! You can watch (or rewatch) the Agent Carter sneak peek below, and be sure to let us know if you’re excited for the series!

ABC presents its second action packed series from the creative minds at Marvel in “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” inspired by the feature films Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” and Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” along with the short “Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter.”

 

Years before Agent Coulson and his S.H.I.E.L.D. team swore to protect those who cannot protect themselves from threats they cannot conceive, there was Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell, Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), who pledged the same oath but lived in a different time when women weren’t recognized as being as smart or as tough as their male counterparts.

 

But no one should ever underestimate Peggy.

 

It’s 1946 and peace has dealt Peggy a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy finds herself stuck doing administrative work when she would rather be back out in the field; putting her vast skills into play and taking down the bad guys. But she is also trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers – aka Captain America.

 

When old acquaintance Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger”) finds himself being framed for unleashing his deadliest weapons to anyone willing to pony up the cash, he contacts Peggy – the only person he can trust – to track down those responsible, dispose of the weapons and clear his name. He empowers his butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy, “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”), to be at her beck and call when needed to help assist her as she investigates and tracks down those responsible for releasing these weapons of mass destruction. But Jarvis, who is a creature of habit and sticks to a rigid daily routine, is going to have to make some major life changes if he’s going to be able to keep up with Peggy.

 

If caught going on these secret missions for Stark, Peggy could be targeted as a traitor and spend the rest of her days in prison – or worse. And as she delves deeper into her investigation, she may find that those she works for are not who they seem, and she might even begin to question whether Stark is as innocent as he claims.

 

“Marvel’s Agent Carter” stars Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter, James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis, Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill,” “A Cinderella Story”) as Agent Jack Thompson, Enver Gjokaj (“Dollhouse”) as Agent Daniel Sousa and Shea Whigham (“American Hustle,” “The Wolf of Wall Street”) as Chief Roger Dooley.

 

Tara Butters (“Resurrection”), Michele Fazekas (“Resurrection), Christopher Markus (Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Stephen McFeely (Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Chris Dingess (“Men in Trees”), Kevin Feige (Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”), Louis D’Esposito (Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Marvel’s “Iron Man 3”), Alan Fine (Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” Marvel’s “Thor”), Joe Quesada (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble”), Stan Lee (“Spider-Man,” “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk”) and Jeph Loeb (“Smallville,” “Lost,” “Heroes”) are executive producers. “Marvel’s Agent Carter” is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television.

According to Entertainment Weekly, NBC has given an expiration date to the beloved Parks & Recreation. The 13-episode final season will start on January 13 at 8 PM and will take its final bow on February 24. Yeah, if you do the math that means NBC will air back-to-back episodes for the entire run.

From EW:

“Mike Schur and Amy Poehler, along with their incredible producers, cast, and crew, have given us one of the great television comedies of all time, and we’re inordinately proud of Parks and Recreation,” said NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt in a statement on Monday. “In an effort to give it the send-off it deserves, we wanted to ‘eventize’ the final season to maximize the impact of these episodes, which really do take the show to a new level. The highly-anticipated one-hour finale will air behind The Voice in order to lead the largest audience possible into what promises to be a very special hour of television.”

The jarring time-jump from last season was a creative leap of faith. Giant manipulations of time in TV have an interesting history, and it is the number one thing I’m looking forward to seeing from the affable sitcom this final season. I look forward to all the think pieces online that will compare Parks & Recreation to an epic like Battlestar Galactica.

Remember the way Leslie Knope used to address Ann with a soft and comforting, “Oh, Ann Perkins,” followed by like a random assortment of flowery adjectives? That’s the way I and I’m sure many feel about Parks & Recreation. So it isn’t easy for me to say this, but it’s time for the show to bow out.

Almost everyone in the core cast’s profile has skyrocketed since the show began. Every one of them are very talented individuals, and while Parks has given them the spotlight it’s time for them to shine brighter and move on. Amy Poehler has become a comedy titan, and will in fact be hosting The Golden Globes with tag-team partner Tina Fey for the third and last time. Aubrey Plaza just voiced the Grumpy Cat for Lifetime as basically one complicated troll, and will no doubt do something major in the near future. Aziz Ansari is huge. Rashida Jones is everywhere. Rob Lowe too. Ditto Nick Offerman. Adam Scott is selling you vodka and will star in comedies until you can’t have any more. And arguably the biggest star of all? Lovable oaf Chris Pratt is now a part of the Marvel Universe as a ripped space outlaw. I also can’t forget about Retta. Follow her on Twitter, it will make live TV fun.

A lot of people are bummed out about the show’s imminent end. As well they should, because Parks & Recreation will go down as a legend in the annals of TV comedy. But fans should take comfort knowing that it is a deserved end and not a premature cancellation or a long-past-due mercy kill. Hardly any shows get such a dignity. And hey, remember when season one Parks & Rec was nothing but a pale imitation of The Office? We’ve come a long way since.

Set your DVRs, we leave Pawnee starting January 13, 2015 on NBC. Rachel Dratch, Jon Hamm, Megan Mullaly, and even fellow Rutgers alum Natalie Morales are set to guest star. I can’t wait.

NBC’s Constantine has gone from hyped genre TV train to a little engine that just maybe can. The excitement from this past summer, as I’ve written before, has kind of vanished, but there’s a renewed vigor amongst fans on social media to keep the show going after cancellation seemed like a possibility just a few short weeks ago. Executive producer Daniel Cerone tweeted this early this afternoon:

I’m not sure just how good exactly a 1.1 is, but because it’s Fridays nights I’m sure the rules are a little different. Ratings, ultimately, are a totally archaic and old-school perspective on television and if I had the power I’d do away with them completely. It’s unfair that a small portion of the TV viewing audience dictates what everyone else gets to see. But because that’s how the game is still played, we have to live with it for now.

While the ratings have spiked, there is still a way to go. The numbers could be better, and the show’s quality — while improving — is still erratic and both the storytelling and the filmmaking are kind of messy. It’s a fun show for sure, but stacked against fellow DC series like The Flash and it pales in comparison.

But congratulations are in order to the cast and crew of Constantine for finally being able to etch out their audience and stay in the fight. As you know, I’m a total supporter for the show (as a lover of Power Rangers for two decades, I always root for potential, and Constantine has that in spades). If you haven’t watched it yet now is the time to dive in. Last night’s episode, “Danse Vaudou,” sees the return of Papa Midnite and is easily the best episode of the season so far. That’s kind of a dubious statement since it is only just the fifth episode, but if the upward trajectory in quality that the show-makers have demonstrated continues, we’re bound to be in for a hell of a ride. I can’t wait for next week.

It demands repeating: Constantine has the entire occult corner of the DC Universe covered. While The Flash and Arrow take on superheroes and super beings, Constantine‘s territory is the supernatural. Should the show thrive, we’re going to see characters like Swamp Thing and Zatanna. Without spoiling, we were introduced to Jim Corrigan (played by Emmett Scanlan), and the producers have made it pretty clear that he will be The Spectre eventually.

I reiterate that I am not paid or sponsored in any way by NBC Universal, DC Comics, or anybody involved with the production of Constantine. I’m just a fan who wants good television to stay on the air. You can watch Constantine on NBC, Friday nights at 10 PM EST. Set your DVR or something. Remember, even Arrow was kind of bad at first.

Looking at both San Diego Comic-Con and the New York Comic-Con, one would be correct to assume NBC’s freshman series Constantine, based off the DC Comics series Hellblazer would be a smash hit. It had all the promotion a show could ever need and had enough pre-premiere buzz to warrant a sure bet it would last the season until the inevitable renewal. In fact, the night of the premiere it seemed all but assured.

And then the next week happened, and almost everything went to hell.

The showed dropped significantly in the ratings, and any sort of fire and passion amongst geeks went ice cold almost instantly. I can’t tell you what happened, because I don’t know. I would guess that Halloween is basically a really awful time to premiere or release anything because who the hell stays indoors on Halloween? And then I remember The Walking Dead and realize nothing is sacred.

Either way, no matter the reason I will be damned if a show as fun as Constantine gets the boot during the age when a TV show like it should be thriving. Here are four solid reasons why you should be tuning in or setting your DVR on Friday nights.

http://youtu.be/1okpAwCSQM0?list=UUwLw7wMt6ra3yIdSd8EK8FQ

1) We’re exploring another corner of the DC Universe.

Back at the New York Comic-Con, executive producer David Goyer said Constantine is comfortably exploring the occult corner of the DC Universe. Is this ambiguous statement meaning they’re open to a crossover with other DC series like Arrow or The Flash? Unlikely, although I’m sure those discussions have happened behind closed doors. But dwelling on what Goyer said, Constantine serving as a platform to explore the weirder underbelly of DC means all eyeballs should be on the show. While the blockbuster Arrow and the freshman The Flash have superheroes covered like a blanket, DC has a whole other side where the supernatural lives and breathes. Constantine — should it be successful — is where we can maybe see Zatanna, Swamp Thing, and the Justice League Dark come to life. We just got Papa Midnite, and his clashes with Constantine alone should get anyone excited. Who wouldn’t want to see more?

jld
This can be your television. Why would you NOT want to see this?

2) It’s already the most visually unnerving show on broadcast television.

It’s been toned down just a tad since the pilot, but the Friday night slot has proved beneficial to Constantine in a way no other show could take advantage. Taking a page off HannibalConstantine is primed to bring some super fucked up darkness to broadcast TV, which I stress could only have happened in this current television age. Right in the pilot, besides the standard creepy corpses and nasty cockroaches, there were some great scares and demonic creatures that show up which makes it hard to believe this is the same channel Jay Leno used to tell jokes on. The episodes since have relaxed on these scares, but there is no doubt that should they get the audience they want, there is nothing stopping them from going berzerk.

3) It’s faithful to the source material.

While of course it isn’t word for word, and in fact the show began introducing a character who has never existed in the Hellblazer titles before, Constantine is presenting a rather faithful recreation of the source material while making smart, creative liberties necessary in any adaptation. Star of the show, Matt Ryan, downright looks like Constantine and, most importantly, is British! His primary motivation — redeeming Astra’s soul — is almost taken for word from Hellblazer. And, to reiterate the last point, if they continue it’s possible they will reveal more about that fateful night Astra was taken which will present dark material unheard of on broadcast television.

But even if it doesn’t, take a look at everything else! Zed IS Zed, Chas IS kinda Chas, and Constantine is definitely Constantine.

4) The freaking Sex Pistols.

In the most recently aired episode, Constantine hunts for a possessed vinyl record that plagues anyone who hears it agonizing pain until death. Constantine puts on an MP3 player and cranks up the Sex Pistols. According to David Goyer at Comic-Con, this was the first time the Sex Pistols was heard on broadcast TV.

http://youtu.be/P6LBn9r8xvs

OK, maybe that last one isn’t too much of a solid reason, but Constantine, despite all warts — and believe me, there are warts — has demonstrated it can be and is a fun romp through the supernatural. It’s not a unique premise, sure, but the source material Constantine derives from is rich with potentially fantastic arcs that can be portrayed wonderfully through the TV storytelling form. The show, proven how it can faithfully and intelligently adapt material, should be on everyone’s radar since all the great Hellblazer stuff can finally make its way to TV. Who wouldn’t want to see Swamp Thing on the same network that had Johnny Carson? Constantine has a fun world, a great central character, and a core cast with chemistry improving with each passing episode.

The episodes individually, I will admit, have not demonstrated excellent television storytelling. The second and third episode are exceptionally mediocre, but altogether — thanks to the strength of the pilot — will have you convinced to stick with ConstantineAnd if the previews are to be believed, it will get better.

Don’t let this potentially great show slip. If it died, that would be bollocks and I would damn you all to hell.

Constantine airs on NBC, Fridays at 10 PM EST and 9 PM CT. I am not sponsored or reimbursed by NBC or Warner Bros. in any way, I just want you to watch the damn thing.

Briefly: Marvel revealed a very brief synopsis (along with some bad-ass teaser art) for their upcoming Agent Carter series all the way back in May, and the studio has now revealed a far longer, more detailed synopsis, as well as the full cast list for the project.

The new synopsis give us a much better idea of the series’ plot, and it definitely does a fantastic job of getting us excited for its premiere in 2015. Here it is:

ABC presents its second action packed series from the creative minds at Marvel in “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” inspired by the feature films Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” and Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” along with the short “Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter.”

 

Years before Agent Coulson and his S.H.I.E.L.D. team swore to protect those who cannot protect themselves from threats they cannot conceive, there was Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell, Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), who pledged the same oath but lived in a different time when women weren’t recognized as being as smart or as tough as their male counterparts.

 

But no one should ever underestimate Peggy.

 

It’s 1946 and peace has dealt Peggy a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy finds herself stuck doing administrative work when she would rather be back out in the field; putting her vast skills into play and taking down the bad guys.  But she is also trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers – aka Captain America.

 

When old acquaintance Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger”) finds himself being framed for unleashing his deadliest weapons to anyone willing to pony up the cash, he contacts Peggy – the only person he can trust – to track down those responsible, dispose of the weapons and clear his name.  He empowers his butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy, “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”), to be at her beck and call when needed to help assist her as she investigates and tracks down those responsible for releasing these weapons of mass destruction.  But Jarvis, who is a creature of habit and sticks to a rigid daily routine, is going to have to make some major life changes if he’s going to be able to keep up with Peggy.

 

If caught going on these secret missions for Stark, Peggy could be targeted as a traitor and spend the rest of her days in prison – or worse. And as she delves deeper into her investigation, she may find that those she works for are not who they seem, and she might even begin to question whether Stark is as innocent as he claims.

 

“Marvel’s Agent Carter” stars Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter, James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis, Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill,” “A Cinderella Story”) as Agent Jack Thompson, Enver Gjokaj (“Dollhouse”) as Agent Daniel Sousa and Shea Whigham (“American Hustle,” “The Wolf of Wall Street”) as Chief Roger Dooley.

 

Tara Butters (“Resurrection”), Michele Fazekas (“Resurrection), Christopher Markus (Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Stephen McFeely (Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Chris Dingess (“Men in Trees”), Kevin Feige (Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”), Louis D’Esposito (Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Marvel’s “Iron Man 3”), Alan Fine (Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” Marvel’s “Thor”), Joe Quesada (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble”), Stan Lee (“Spider-Man,” “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk”) and Jeph Loeb (“Smallville,” “Lost,” “Heroes”) are executive producers.  “Marvel’s Agent Carter” is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television.

Sounds pretty interesting, doesn’t it? Will you be tuning in? Sound out below!

AgentCarter

Source: Marvel

Briefly: We saw a cool new featurette for the series just a few days back, and today NBC debuted a new TV spot for this month’s premiere of Constantine.

The video features some footage we haven’t seen yet (well, unless you’ve seen the pilot), and really emphasizes the loneliness of the character.

In any case, the series looks very cool, and I can’t wait to dive in. You can take a look at the video below, and let us know what you think!

http://youtu.be/cWSV53kzlr0

CONSTANTINE follows enigmatic and irreverent Liverpool con-man-turned-occult-detective John Constantine, who is reluctantly thrust into the role of defending our world against dark forces from beyond.

Briefly: NBC has just released a new featurette that takes us deeper into the world of Constantine, which is now just a few weeks away from its October 24th premiere.

The video features interviews with Constantine himself, Matt Ryan, as well as executive producers David Goyer and Daniel Cerone. We get plenty of new footage during its 2.5 minute runtime, as well as a few choice comedic moments.

We’re excited. How about you? Take a look at the featurette below, and let us know what you think!

http://youtu.be/2fYYWMtj1Ag

CONSTANTINE follows enigmatic and irreverent Liverpool con-man-turned-occult-detective John Constantine, who is reluctantly thrust into the role of defending our world against dark forces from beyond.

Briefly: It’s an amazing time that we live in, isn’t it? Back in my day, when a show was cancelled, it was cancelled. You’d have fond memories of the hours you spent in front of your television, but you would never even hope or dream that there could possibly be more.

Now, it seem like shows come back from the dead fairly regularly (Arrested Development, Veronica Mars, The Killing… twice, just to name a few), and the returning series that I’m most (beyond) excited about is Yahoo!’s Community.

Yep, Yahoo! picked up the series and announced a sixth season on the final day before contracts expired, and the world hasn’t stopped talking about it since. Today, they debuted the first teaser / sizzle reel for the show, stating that Community will be “better than it was before,” and “Better. Faster. Stronger.”

The reel is composed of entirely existing footage, and even includes a nod of the hard-to-remember gas leak year, but it still makes us obnoxiously excited for what’s to come. You can take a look at the reel below, and be sure to let us know what you hope to see next season!

Fans of Sharknado (or at least, fans who love to hate Sharknado) and other Syfy original programming will have plenty to see next weekend at the San Diego Comic Con. 

Syfy (does anyone else read this as sphy-e?) is hosting five panels at the Con: Sharknado 2, Defiance, Dominion, Helix and Ascension.

Sharknado 2

Actual Poster. Not actual size.
Actual Poster. Not actual size.

Sharknado 2 is the sequel-that-social-media spawned (after the twitterverse blew up over Sharknado) and the panel will feature Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, Vivica A Fox, Kari Wuhrer, Judah Friedlander and Director Anthony C Ferrante. Join them to discuss the “social media and pop culture storm of the century.” Special we-shouldn’t-have-to-say-it-but-better-safe-than-sorry note: Functioning chainsaws are not allowed at the Convention.

The Sharknado 2 panel will be on Thursday, July 24th, from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. in room 6BCF (that’s a real room number. Honest).

Sharknado 2 will premiere on the Syfy channel on July 30th at 9/8c.

And in case you have no idea what a Sharknado is, here’s the trailer for the sequel:

Syfy will also have panels for it’s original television programming. Which it totally has. It’s not all WWE wrestling and Sharknado’s on Syfy  channel, you guys!

Dominion

Dominion is a new show premiering on Syfy this Fall. Guns, angels and  actual guns. Awesome.
Dominion is a new show which premiered this summer. Guns, angels and actual guns. Awesome.

Dominion premiered on Syfy on June 19th, and airs on Thursday at 9/8c. It’s set after Armageddon, and mankind’s last bastion of safety is the City of Vega, which was Las Vegas (there’s a sin metaphor here somewhere). It takes place after the events in the movie Legion,  where the war between Heaven and Hell has wrecked earth, and Mankind is pitted against Angels and Demons to survive. The panel will feature the series stars Chris Egan, Tom Wisdom, Roxanne McKee, Alan Dale and Anthony Stewart Head, as well as Executive Producer Vaun Wilmott.

The panel is on Friday, July 25th. from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in room 6DE.

Helix

So many pretty people, looking serious and doing science! We're so excited! The cast of SyFy's new show, Helix. Courtesy of SyFy
So many pretty people, looking serious and doing science! We’re so excited!
The cast of SyFy’s show, Helix.
Courtesy of SyFy

Syfy will also be featuring a panel with the cast of Helix, so we can ask all those burning questions. Like “How did you get a second season?” and “Where exactly are you in the Arctic where it’s equally night and day all the time?”

The second season will premiere sometime in Winter 2015.

And, if you want to know what we really think about Helix, head over to our 10 Things Wrong With Helix article.

Kyra Zagorsky, Mark Ghanime, Jordan Hayes, Neil Napier, and Executive Producers Ronald D Moore and Steven Maeda, will be on the panel, which will be from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.  at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in the Indigo Ballroom.

Defiance

Syfy's Defiance is now in its second season.

Syfy’s Defiance is now in its second season.

 Defiance returned to Syfy this summer for its second season. The show, which follows a group of diverse cross-section of humans and aliens attempting to live together on a terraformed Earth in the small frontier town of Defiance.

The popular multi-platform show is bringing its stars to Comic Con for a panel on Saturday, July 26th, from 1 pm to 2 p.m. at the Hilton Bayfromt Hotel in the Indigo Ballroom (hey, you can go for Helix and stay for Defiance!). The panel will feature Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Jesse Rath and Executive Producer Kevin Murphy.

Defiance airs on Thursdays at 8/7 c and check out the season 2 trailer below:

Ascension

Ascension
Ascension, Syfy’s new Six-Hour Miniseries

Ascension marks Syfy’s return to the six-hour mini-series, which will debut in November of this year.  Ascension  follows a covert space mission, launched in 1963, that sent hundreds of people on a century long voyage to find another planet that humanity could survive on. The journey reaches its halfway mark when a murder on board causes the ship’s population to question the mission and their purpose.

Syfy’s Ascension panel will feature Tricia Helfer, Brian Van Holt, Andrea Roth, and Executive Producer Philip Levens, and will be from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 26th,  in room 6DE.

Here’s a look at the (intriguing) trailer:

http://youtu.be/QpDVwfiLNRM

What do you think, Comic-Conners? Which panel is a must for you? All of them? None of them? Let us know in the comments!

Briefly: This was sure cutting it close. NBC cancelled Community back in May, and its stars contracts would have expired at midnight tonight, but Yahoo! has announced that it’s resurrected Community for a 13 episode sixth season, with every episode releasing at once sometime in 2015  Update: Yahoo’s release has been edited, and now says that the episodes will be ‘released weekly this Fall’.

Maybe it’s not the darkest timeline after all. After talks with Hulu fell through, I thought for sure that the dream of six seasons and a movie would be cut short, but now fans have a glimmer of hope.

Dan Harmon said that “I am very pleased that Community will be returning for its predestined sixth season on Yahoo. I look forward to bringing our beloved NBC sitcom to a larger audience by moving it online. I vow to dominate our new competition. Rest easy, Big Bang Theory. Look out, Bang Bus!”

Chris McKenna, Russ Krasnoff and Gary Foster also return, and Joel McHale added ‘The reports of our cancelation have been greatly exaggerated.’ —Mark Twain (The other version of this quote has been wrong for years). #SixSeasonsAndaMovie is real. Thank you Sony. Thank you Yahoo. Thank you Dan Harmon.  And thank you to the greatest f%$#ing fans in the history of the human race. It’s the internet. We can swear now.”

We are so excited. So excited, in fact, that we just changed our default search provider.

What are your thoughts on the renewal? What do you hope to see next season? Sound out below!

Community

Briefly: We were all pretty excited back in February when out of the blue NBC announced that they were bringing Heroes back for a 12-episode miniseries called Heroes Reborn.

Since then, we haven’t heard too much (anything) about the project, aside from the fact that the series would feature both new and returning characters. Today we got word of our first returning character: Jack Coleman as Noah Bennet / HRG.

Details are still scarce on the miniseries, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated as we learn more. What other Heroes alumni would you like to see return for Reborn? Sound out below!

heroes

Briefly: Following the trailer released last month, NBC today announced the premiere date of their upcoming Vertigo adaptation, Constantine.

The series will premiere on Friday, October 24th in the 10PM timeslot, following their other supernatural hit, Grimm.

Haven’t seen the trailer? You can take another look at the video below, and let us know if you’re looking forward to the premiere, and what you think of our new John Constantine!

http://youtu.be/uPE2oBnzROY

CONSTANTINE follows enigmatic and irreverent Liverpool con-man-turned-occult-detective John Constantine, who is reluctantly thrust into the role of defending our world against dark forces from beyond.

Briefly: It was barely three weeks ago that NBC broke our hearths with the cancellation of Community, one season and one movie shy of the series’ end goal.

Fans, of course, didn’t give up, and instead flooded Netflix and Hulu with requests to bring the show up. Weeks have passed, actors started moving on, and no announcements were made… but now there may be a glimmer of hope.

Deadline has learned that Sony (Community‘s owner) and Hulu have entered ‘preliminary’ talks to develop another season of the cult comedy. Hulu has just expressed interest in expanding their original content offerings, and this would be an absolutely incredible addition.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated as we learn more, but Human Beings, don’t lose hope yet. Do however, let us know how excited you’d be if this was picked up.

Community

Briefly: Following the teaser art and synopsis for the series released just last week, Marvel has just debuted an interview with series star Hayley Atwell, who talks of her hopes for the series’ first season, while also confirming that said season will run for eight episodes.

In the series “It’s 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life–Steve Rogers. Inspired by the feature films “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” along with the short “Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter.”

You can listen to Hayley’s insight via the interview below. Are you looking forward to the series? What do you hope to see when it premieres? Sound out below!

Briefly: Well that didn’t take long.

Just a few days after picking it up (and a couple of days after cancelling Community), NBC has debuted the first trailer for Constantine, which will will air on Fridays this Fall.

David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy, Man of Steel) is Executive Producer on the series, and he states that he has “been a fan of John Constantine since he was first introduced in 1985. This Constantine, envisioned by Neil Marshall and embodied by Matt Ryan, looks like he sprang directly from the comics’ covers. Fans old and new are going to be in for a treat.” Goyer has done some great work in the past, so I’m really excited to see what happens here.

You can take a look at the promising trailer below, and be sure to let us know what you think! Which new or returning comic-based TV show are you most looking forward to this year?

http://youtu.be/uPE2oBnzROY

CONSTANTINE follows enigmatic and irreverent Liverpool con-man-turned-occult-detective John Constantine, who is reluctantly thrust into the role of defending our world against dark forces from beyond.

Briefly: Sad news for fans of amazing television, Community has been cancelled.

It was news that I wasn’t expecting to hear, as creator Dan Harmon, as well as the cast and crew have been tweeting optimistic thoughts for the last few weeks.

We sure hope that the Sony-owned series can find a home on another network (or Netflix or Hulu), but for now, Greendale is closed… permanently.

We got more of this series than fans ever thought we would, and an exceptional fifth season after Dan Harmon’s triumphant return, so it’s really a bittersweet announcement, as it’s one we expected years ago. We’ll be sure to fill you in on any news of a pickup, but for now let us know your favourite episode in the comments below!

ScreamingGif

Briefly: Big news for comic book fans on the TV front today.

First up, even though it hasn’t been performing as well as anticipated, it’s no surprise that the kinda-sucked-but-now-is-pretty-sweet Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been renewed for a second season over at ABC.

Next, an Agent Carter series has officially been ordered to series. Hayley Atwell will star, and here’s the first official description:

‘Marvel’s Agent Carter,’ starring ‘Captain America’’s Hayley Atwell, follows the story of Peggy Carter. It’s 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life – Steve Rogers.

 

Inspired by the feature films ‘Captain America: The First Avenger‘ and ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier,’ along with the short ‘Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter.’ ‘Marvel’s Agent Carter’ stars Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter. Executive producers are Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters, Steve McFeely & Christopher Marcus, and Jeph Loeb.

On the CW front, along with renewing Arrow, the network has picked up The Flash for a full season, as well as an adaptation of Vertigo’s iZombie. Here’s the synopsis for iZombie:

“A med student-turned-zombie takes a job in the coroner’s office to gain access to the brains she must reluctantly eat to maintain her humanity, but with each brain she consumes, she inherits the corpse’s memories. With the help of her medical examiner boss and a police detective, she solves homicide cases in order to quiet the disturbing voices in her head. Based on the characters created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, and published by DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint. Cast: Rose McIver (Liv).”

and The Flash (plus that shot of star Grant Gustin in costume… again):

FlashFull

Based upon characters published by DC Comics. Through a freak accident, scientist Barry Allen is given the power of super speed that transforms him into the Fastest Man Alive. Cast: Grant Gustin (Barry Allen); Jesse L. Martin (Det. West); Tom Cavanaugh (Harrison Wells).

Over at NBC, Constantine has been picked up for a full season. Look below for the shot of Matt Ryan as, well, John Constantine. The synopsis for this one has also been revealed.

Constantine

Based on the wildly popular comic book series “Hellblazer” from DC Comics, seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine (Matt Ryan, “Criminal Minds”) specializes in giving hell… hell. Armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and his wickedly naughty wit, he fights the good fight — or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he’s decided to leave his do-gooder life behind, but when demons target Liv (Lucy Griffiths, “True Blood”), the daughter of one of Constantine’s oldest friends, he’s reluctantly thrust back into the fray – and he’ll do whatever it takes to save her. Before long, it’s revealed that Liv’s “second sight” — an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict supernatural occurrences — is a threat to a mysterious new evil that’s rising in the shadows. Now it’s not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows… maybe there’s hope for him and his soul after all.

That’s a lot of news for one day. What are you excited for? What are you planning to skip? Be sure to let us know! We’ll be sure to fill you in on episode numbers and premiere dates as soon as they’re announced!

Briefly: NBC announced just last week that their Rosemary’s Baby reboot/miniseries would be premiering on May 11th, and the network has now debuted the project’s first trailer.

The two-part miniseries is an adaptation of Ira Levin’s 1967 novel, which was first adapted just one year later in 1968. I’m not overly familiar with the source material (both the book and the film), but I’m definitely a fan of the stellar cast that NBC has put together here, including Suits star Patrick J. Adams, Star Trek‘s Zoe Saldana, Christina Cole, Jason Isaacs, and more.

Take a look at the trailer below, and let us know of you’ll be watching. The first half of Rosemary’s Baby will debut on May 11th, while the second half will air on May 15th.

http://youtu.be/-r5Pl7RrjHA

This new adaptation of “Rosemary’s Baby” centers on a young married couple who escapes New York and moves to Paris with hopes of leaving their sad past behind. After a series of unfortunate events, Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse are presented with an offer they can’t refuse — an apartment at the most prestigious address in the city. Problem is, it comes with a haunted past and an immeasurable price …

Well, we’d been asking for a while—when is poor Sgt. Wu going to get looped in? And, boy, did he get looped in. And not in the way we were expecting.

This week’s episode of Grimm, “Mommy Dearest,” started off with Adalind and Meisner in their very Grimm-Fairy-Tales-esque cabin in the woods. Adalind is in labor and Meisner is adding ‘midwife’ to his list of (fairly impressive) skills.

Adalind (Claire Coffee) in labor with the Royal baby.
Adalind (Claire Coffee) in labor with the Royal baby.

After throwing some cups and things about the room, Baby Girl is born—and Adalind is back to her Hexenbiest form.

Pregnancy is a Theme, Apparently

Then we jump to Dana (Tess Paras), also pregnant, cleaning up after dinner and bantering with her husband, Sam (Alain Uy). He goes to get her pre-natal meds, and she goes to bed.

A Golemn-esque type creatures climbs up Dana’s tree, through her window, and then, its tongue whips out, winds through the room and INTO HER BELLY.

INTO HER BELLY.

HER PREGNANT BELLY.

Way to up the nastiness, Grimm.

A neighbor hears Dana’s screams, runs in, and saves her.

INTO HER BELLY. That's where the baby is, people!
INTO HER BELLY. That’s where the baby is, people!

Finally, an Episode All About Wu

Next we go to Sgt. Wu and his partner having dinner in the police car when the calls comes over the radio—turns out Wu knows Dana. he throws out the food and turns the car around, siren’s blaring.

Wu rushes over to find her unconscious, bleeding from her belly. She comes to just long enough to whisper “Aswang.”

Nick and Hank show up and find claw marks on the window frame and the tree outside—which makes Nick think it could be Wesen.

Apparently Wu is close friends with Dana—since childhood—and they moved to Portland at his recommendation, so he feels responsible.

GRIMM -- "Mommy Dearest" Episode 314 -- Pictured: Reggie Lee as Sgt. Wu -- (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)
GRIMM — “Mommy Dearest” Episode 314 — Pictured: Reggie Lee as Sgt. Wu — (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)

At the hospital, they discover that almost all of Dana’s amniotic fluid was drained, but that she and the baby are okay. Also, Dana was drugged with some kind of sedative. Sam was at the CVS when the attack happened, but Nick and Hank are still suspicious.

Also, it becomes pretty clear that Wu’s feelings for Dana are definitely not just ‘friendly.’ Poor Wu!

Juliette shows up for a minute to tell Hank and Nick that the claw marks could be any large animal (thanks!) but then brings up the salient point of the episode: if it is Wesen, how are they going to tell Wu?

Nick’s response? “We lie.”

Cause that has worked out so well in the past.

Sam, played by Alian Yu, morphs into an Aswang as he talks to family. Courtesy of NBC Universal.
Sam, played by Alain Uy, morphs into an Aswang as he talks to family.
Courtesy of NBC Universal.

Of Course You Married an Aswang

Wu leaves Sam and Dana alone at the hospital, and Sam—closing the door behind him—calls Manila (here’s hoping he using a VoIP service or his phone bill’s gonna bankrupt him).

His brother answers, and they discuss that ‘she’ is in Portland. Sam says he can’t ‘do this’ to Dana, and then shifts into the same grey-golemn looking Aswang creature.

Shift to Wu, sleeping in his apartment. He is dreaming about finding Dana on the floor, bloody, saying ‘Aswang,’ and then shifts to child-Wu listening to his grandmother telling him a story about a demon which eats babies. Then an Aswang flies at him from the ceiling (ACK) and he wakes up.

Back in the woods of Austria, Meisner makes sure Adalind is asleep and calls Renard. After a brief (and touching) moment where Renard learns the baby is a girl, Meisner and Renard have another ‘you’re not safe! You can’t stay there! Stop calling me! conversation. Their whole relationship is like a Muse song.

Dana, played by Tess Paras, recovering from her attack. Courtesy of NBC Universal.
Dana, played by Tess Paras, recovering from her attack. Courtesy of NBC Universal.

Why is it Always Valerian Root?

Hank and Nick can’t find any dirt on Sam, but get a call from the hospital telling them that Dana is awake. Off they go.

Wu visits his cousin (who apparently runs a restaurant), and asks him if he remembers stories about Aswang. He does (drugs the mom, eats the fetus…ew). The cousin also remembers Dana—and it’s made clear that Wu has had a torch for Dana for a while.

At the hospital, Dana doesn’t remember anything about the attack, except the pain. Wu shows up in time to hear that the doctor found valerian root (a natural sedative) in her system—which is in line with the Aswang lore.

Wu almost tells Nick and Hank about the Aswang theory, but doesn’t.

Sam is cleaning up the bedroom (i.e. scene of the crime) when his brother in Manila calls him back. Brother tells him that ‘she’ is in Portland, at the Victory Motel, room 117.

As Sam leaves, he runs into Wu. Wu wants to look at the bedroom again, Sam won’t let him. Wu runs the Aswang theory by Sam, who brushes him off. Things get a little tense—and Wu begins to think Sam is a suspect.

They can always count on Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner)? Courtesy of NBC.
They can always count on Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner)
Courtesy of NBC.

To the Spice Shop!

At the spice shop, Rosalee and Monroe go over Valerian root and ancient rituals involving amniotic fluid and youth with Hank and Nick. They all decide to go to the trailer to see what they can find out.

Sam goes to the Victory hotel to meet the mysterious ‘her’—who turns out to be his mother, Lani (Fredo Foh Shen). Apparently, if you’re Aswang, and you’re the eldest son, your firstborn is ‘owed’ to your mother, who consumes it while still in the womb, to preserve her life.

Kudos to Sam, he’s not having any of it. “People die, Mom.” He says. Her response? “You can have other babies.”

Ew. Blech. Ew.

He gives her a plane ticket back to Manila and tells her to go home, and leaves.

After he leaves, she morphs into Aswang form and tears the ticket into shreds. So probably not going back to Manila, then.

It's gotta be bigger on the inside... Courtesy of NBC Universal

It’s gotta be bigger on the inside…
Courtesy of NBC Universal

To the Trailer for More…Research…

Wu is helping Dana pack at the hospital—where Sam isn’t—and he embraces Dana when she admits that she is scared to go back home. Sam walks in on the embrace, leading to him taking Wu out into the hall for a ‘she’s my wife, not yours, leave us alone’ conversation.

Sam also conveniently tells Wu that Sam’s mom is in town and where she’s staying. Making Wu wonder why Sam’s mom isn’t staying with Sam and Dana.

At the trailer, we get our usual fact-finding research scene, but this one has the best lines of the episode:

Hank: Do we have to start at the beginning?

Monroe: Yeah, can’t we just skip to the ‘and then I cut off his head’ part.

Nick: Snuck down putrid alley…fetid smell of blood, blah, blah…cut of it’s h—okay, too far.

HA.

So they find out it’s an Aswang, and what an Aswang does (including making a tick-tick sound, which a witness at the scene reported hearing), and then they have a ‘tell Wu or don’t tell Wu conversation, where they decide not to tell Wu, as it’s just too freaky and they don’t know how he’ll take it.

Sidenote: At this point we had a very loud conversation with the TV where we attempted to sway the argument being had by imaginary characters. OF COURSE YOU SHOULD TELL WU.

Sheesh.

Friendzoned

Sam and Dana have a little heart to heart about what is going between Wu and Sam, as she can tell they’re mad at each other. Sam doesn’t understand why she’s still friends with him, because it’s awkward (yeah…) to which she says he’s always been such a good friend to her….

Poor Wu.  Courtesy of icanhazcheezeburger.com
Poor Wu.
Courtesy of icanhazcheezeburger.com

Wu goes back to the station and tells Nick and Hank that Sam’s mother is in town and where she’s saying. Wu confides in Hank and Nick that he thinks Sam might be guilty, and that he might be staging the attack to look like an Aswang.

Nick calls it ‘quite a theory’—Hank almost tells Wu the truth, but at the last minute chickens out.

Yeah, they sorta had this look on their faces as Wu walked away. Courtesy of NBC Universal.
Yeah, they sorta had this look on their faces as Wu walked away.
Courtesy of NBC Universal.

Just Calling My Married Friend While I Sit Outside Her House…

Wu—in full kinda-stalk-ery mode—sits outside Dana’s house in his car. He sees Lani show up in a cab, go behind the tree in the front yard, and then a creature climb up the tree.

Nick and Hank get to the motel, and find the torn plane ticket. The motel manager said Lani got into a cab—Hank calls the cab company and finds out Lani went to Sam and Dana’s.

Back at Sam and Dana’s, Sam hears scuffling in the hall—and mom ambushes him, pushing him down the stairs and knocking him out. Then she goes into the bedroom—as Lani—and sings Dana a lullaby until Dana goes to sleep.

Then it’s all full-Aswang-tongue into belly. Before she can do much damage, though, Wu runs in. He see Lani in her Aswang form and freaks out.

Lani attacks Wu, slashes him across the face—he can barely resist—when Nick crashes in and shoots her. As she dies, Lani morphs back into Lani.

Wu just stands there and repeats “It wasn’t her.” Over and over.

Sidenote: At this point Nick and Hank and the perfect moment to tell Wu he did see something, and it was real, and they DON’T, which MAKES NO SENSE, because clearly Wu is already suffering some severe mental stress.

Wu's face when he sees the Aswang. This is not a face of someone having a good day. Courtesy of NBC Universal.
Wu’s face when he sees the Aswang. This is not a face of someone having a good day.
Courtesy of NBC Universal.

So Many Creepy Baby Things

Back to the cabin, Adalind is still sleeping, with the baby. Meisner tenderly strokes her hair, only to have it come alive and clench around his hand—and baby Girl opens her blood-red-super-creepy-CGI-eyes.

SUPER CREEPY EYES.

The two stare at each other for a moment before baby Girl relaxes Adalind’s hair around Meisner’s hand.

Back to Portland, where Nick and Hank are meeting Wu in a mental hospital. We were not expecting that—and we don’t like it. Not poor Wu! Why does it always happen to him?

Even with Wu in an institution, because he believes he’s crazy, because of what he saw, neither Nick nor Hank say anything about Wesen. Wu’s a hero, they say.

Wu says that’s nice, then turns away…right into an Aswang jumping at him

So that was also unexpected.

What did you think, fellow Grimms? Should they have told Wu? What do you think Adalind’s baby really is?

And what about next week? Egyptian Gods were Wesen–what?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGAvTLEb870

Grimm airs on NBC on Fridays at 10 p.m.

Grimm is back, and it picks up right where it left off (to refresh your memory, this was before Polar Vortexes or #sochiproblems)—Monroe’s parents, already freaked out by the whole marrying-a-Fuchsbau-thing, went full thermo-nuclear when they saw Nick—a Grimm.

Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) faces off against his father, Bart (Chris Mulkay) and mother, Alice (Dee Wallace), over marrying a Fuchsbau and being friends with a Grimm.
Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) faces off against his father, Bart (Chris Mulkay), and mother, Alice (Dee Wallace), over marrying a Fuchsbau and being friends with a Grimm.
Courtesy of NBC Universal

Parents Just Don’t Understand

Nick manages to fend off Papa Monroe—a ruggedly confused Chris Mulkey—and the elder Monroes spout off some fairly cliché we’re-so-disappointed-we-don’t-know-you-anymore and storm out.

Monroe and Nick have a mini-fight (a bro-row? Or bro-tiff?) and Nick leaves without telling Monroe about the whole scalping-seriel-killer.

Rosalee goes back to the spice shop to have a little crying jag, Monroe stares morosely at cuckoo clocks, and Nick ends up telling Juliette all about the cop-killing-spree. To which she appropriately replies ‘wow.’

Wow is right, oh she-of-the-slightly-getting-better-plot-points. Wow is right.

We leave the stunned Juliette, befuddled Nick, crying Rosalee and glum Monroe to a remote campfire, where our raging serial killer performs some sort of ritual involving a fire and flowing red ember, which he eats, causing his eyes to go all Wesen-red. Spooky. Definitely not a good guy.

Alexis Denisof as Prince Viktor Albert Wilhelm George Beckendorf. Courtesy of NBC Universal.
Alexis Denisof as Prince Viktor Albert Wilhelm George Beckendorf.
Courtesy of NBC Universal.

To Europe!

Next is Vienna, where Prince Viktor (full name: Viktor Albert Wilhelm George Beckendorf, thank you IMDB!) played by Alexis Denisof (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse) trying his best to be Evil–most of his scenes feel like they should end with him twirling his mustache and putting a bwa- in front of his cackles—anyway, Prince Viktor is watching a pregnant Adalind via remote camera and having secret meetings with Stefania. Not good. Very nefarious. We’re pretty sure Viktor and Stefania aren’t meeting to discuss nursery furniture.

The two agree that they need to move Adalind into the castle soon so that the baby is born there. No idea why this is important but it clearly is.  Also, Stefania has Adalind eating mandrake to hold off labor. Isn’t that poison??

Sebastian calls up Renard and tells him all about the happenings in the palace—including Adalind’s impending labor—and Renard starts snapping out orders. Call this person, talk to this person, get Adalind out of there! Fake your own death!

He’s interrupted by Hank and Sgt. Wu coming in to tell him that a student film caught our bad guy on tape—our first genuinely funny moment of the night. The rolled-eyes look Renard gives Hank is priceless as he sees the student film (zombies, ha!) and the muttered ‘seriously?’ is a tiny moment that shows why this show is so good.

Rosalee and Monroe, getting engaged. Courtesy of NBC UNiversal
Rosalee and Monroe, getting engaged.
Courtesy of NBC UNiversal

Don’t Worry, Baby

Monroe finds Rosalee at the Spice Shop and convinces her that she’s more important than his parents, despite her misgivings, and then decides to go have one final conversation with them, basically to say: ‘accept me or this is good-bye.’ While all of this feels a little ‘parent-drama-101’ it is a quiet subplot, beating a counterpoint—an almost-normal-type-of-life-situation–to the other events boiling up around them.

Back at the campfire, a Park Ranger pulls up to investigate crazy-scalper-man’s campsite. It’s deserted just long enough for the Ranger to call in the license plate and figure out he really shouldn’t be out in the woods alone when Scalper-man shows up. And his friend. Who knew he had a friend?? Can’t be good. The two voge and fall on the Ranger in a pride-of-lions sort of way. Not a good night for our Ranger.

The next morning, Monroe and Rosalie wake up to the sun and have a little Monroe-and-Rosalee-for-cutest-couple-ever moment before Monroe calls his mom (after he tells Rosalee ‘no one talks to you that way.’ Awww, Monroe!). Monroe tells his mother he’s coming over to ‘talk.’

At Nick’s and Juliette’s, Juliette stayed up all night being research-girl (does anyone else want Giles to show up and give a master class in how to properly research and hand out information??) and informs Nick about a how in 44 BC the Scythians considered hair to have mystical powers (think Samson and Delilah)—more scalps = more power on battlefield. Which we kind of already knew, didn’t we?

Juliette than lectures Nick on how serious it is that these super-powered Wesen are coming after him, and Nick gets called to the Ranger’s murder scene.

Monroe's parents pretty much had this look the whole episode. Courtesy of NBC UNviersal
Monroe’s parents pretty much had this look the whole episode.
Courtesy of NBC Universal

We Don’t Even Know You Anymore

Monroe gets to his parents hotel room and has it out with them about Rosalee and Nick. It ends with a ‘if you do this, you’re not our son anymore’ and Monroe leaves (a lovely bit of acting here by Silas Weir Mitchell—understated and heartfelt).

In Vienna, Adalind is woken up by Renard calling her to say that he’s sent people to take her someplace safe, as Viktor and Stefania have sent Verrat agents for her. He tells her he thinks the child is his, and that she needs to choose a side. The phone call is interrupted by a knocking at the door—it’s Sebastian and Meisner. The Verrat are also in the building so Sebastian goes to see if he can delay them while Meisner gets Adalind ready.

Sebastian calls Meisner to tell him the Verrat are on their way up, almost instantly there’s a knock on the door (fastest elevator ever).

Meisner takes off his shirt (hello!) and climbs into the bed (because illicit lover of a pregnant woman is preferable to Resistance-leader). The Verrat look ready to get violent and then—and this is where the episode got exciting—the baby killed them. The unborn baby hurled things (a pen…and something else, we weren’t sure what) through the air into their chest (Verrat #1) and eye (Verrat #2) and killed them.

Spooky.

Hank, Nick. Sgt. Wu and Renard find one body...in lots of pieces. Courtesy of NBC Universal.
Hank, Nick. Sgt. Wu and Renard find one body…in lots of pieces.
Courtesy of NBC Universal.

Into The Woods

In the woods outside of Portland, Nick, Sgt. Wu and Hank find the poor Ranger (in many bits—Grimm is really amping up the blood and gore) and realize there’s now two serial killers. Good times.

In the woods outside of Vienna (sensing a theme??) Sebastian, Meisner and Adalind speed along a highway, where the reveal they all (and Renard) work for the Resistance (which is soooo cool. We can’t decide whether to hum “Do You Hear the People Sing?” or “Vive La Resistance”). Meisner stops the car in the middle of nowhere, and he and Adalind hike into the woods. Clearly these people have never actually read any of the Grimm Fairy Tales.

Juliette stops by the Spice Shop to check in on Rosalee, ostensibly to offer moral support, but she also makes Monroe and Rosalee know about the case Nick is working on (though she does say multiple times that was not why she came…). The whole scalping-people-and-making-cloaks things gets Monroe’s hackles up (sorry, couldn’t resist the turn of phrase) because apparently it’s really serious. More than just people-getting-killed-en-masse-serious.

Monroe rushes out to get Nick, talking about the Caccia Morta, telling Nick to meet him at Monroe’s house—but not to bring Hank. Apparently it’s too dangerous for just normal, non-Wesen/non-Grimm types.

Meisner brings Adalind to a cabin in the middle of the woods (apparently it’s been in Meisner’s family for a long time…WHO IS MEISNER?? He’s rapidly becoming the most interesting thing in the show…and is it just us, or is there a Adalind/Meisner romance vibe happening??).

Stefania being dragged back to the castle.  Courtesy of NBC UNiversal
Stefania being dragged back to the castle.
Courtesy of NBC Universal

Something Rotten in House of Prince Viktor

Back at their hotel, Mama Monroe (Dee Wallace) surprises Papa Monroe (but not really any of us) by refusing to leave with him. She wants to try and understand Monroe, and doesn’t want to lose him.

Viktor drags Stefania to his Royal Plotting Room and blames her for Adalind escaping. She convinces him it was someone close to him who did the betrayal…and then they both stared menacingly into the air for a beat.

Mama Monroe (her name is Alice, apparently) goes to the Spice Shop and tries to befriend (kind of…) Rosalee. She eventually asks Rosalee if she would mind doing a Vertrautheiten (German for intimate, familiar), which apparently means doing a full Voge and sniffing each other…and it must have worked because they were both purring at the end.

Monroe gets home to meet Hank, only it’s Papa Monroe waiting for him on his porch (who’s name, IMDB tells us, is Bart), looking kind of lost and concerned. The two have it out over being friends with a Grimm for a little bit (including random, awkward flashback to the pilot episode—did Nick’s hair really look like that??) before Nick shows up.

Monroe tells Bart what they are up against—the Wildesheer—and Bart reacts by telling Monroe to run.

Because they do things like this.  Courtesy of NBC Universal.
Because they do things like this.
Courtesy of NBC Universal.

Time to Weapon Up

Nicks shows up, and he and Bart warily circle each other (literally) until Bart leaves, and then Monroe fills in Nick on the Wildesheer—or the Wild Hunt (including a great little moment where Monroe shows Nick his favorite story from childhood—the one where the Wildesheer tear a Grimm apart). The Wildesheer come on the heels of thunder and wind, as if ‘blown from the gates of Hell,’ and they gain strength from killing great warriors—and Monroe thinks they’re in Portland specifically for Nick.

Which means they use Nick as bait and pick a fight somewhere of their choosing. So, off Nick and Monroe go to the trailer to weapon up, as Bart watches from the woods.

At the trailer, Nick’s books offer a never-tried hypothesis on how to kill the Wildesheer—cut their hair. Monroe and Nick weapon up just as thunder crashes and the wind picks up.

Nick and Monroe go outside—and are attacked by two cloak-of-scalp wearing Wesen who are impervious to weapons of any kind.

It’s almost a draw, but then a third Wildesheer shows up, and it’s all going down hill—until Papa Monroe shows up. Nick is able to cut the bad guys hair while Monroe and Papa Monroe fight with them, which instantly kills the Wildesheer (though it looked like Nick scalped them–lots of blood–to which we say, doesn’t scalping kill everybody?).

Grimm has family counselor. Courtesy of NBC Universal.
Grimm has family counselor.
Courtesy of NBC Universal.

Bad Moon Rising

Papa Monroe begrudgingly accepts Monroe’s friendship with Nick, and then Papa Monroe tells them that the story he heard from his Grandfather: that if the Wildesheers ever came back, something really bad would happen next. Something that would change the world.

Back to Adalind…warm, fed, flirting with Meisner a little. Suddenly gripped in terrible, terrible pain.

“I think it’s coming.” She says, before screaming.

Back to Monroe’s hosue, where Rosalee, Monroe, Mama & Papa Monroe and Nick and Julieette are having a very uncomfortable dinner. Nicks cutting up a ham and serving it. Juliette brings up the wedding (like she didn’t know it was sore point) and everyone Voges—causing Nick to stand up, knife in hand, and declare: “Everybody just calm down.” (The third best moment of the night. Grimm as family counselor….ha).

Best Lines of the Episode:

1.  Renard: “Seriously?”

2. Monroe: Not in that book, they’re supposed to win. (responding to Nick: Is there anything in here on how to kill them?)

3. Monroe: Ogre Gun.

Grimm airs on NBC on Friday nights at 10 p.m. Catch up on recent Grimm episodes on NBC.com or Hulu.

Would do you think, fellow Grimms? What is up with Adalind’s baby? And what is the terrible thing that’s going to happen? And what, exactly, is the Resistance?? What do you think of next week’s trailer (you can watch below)? Comment below and let us know!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOdty2mp4uY

 

Briefly: I definitely was not expecting to read this tonight (or ever), but NBC has just announced that Heroes will return in 2015.

The reborn series, fittingly titled Heroes Reborn, boasts original creator Tim Kring at the helm, and will be a self-contained 13-episode arc. No word yet on which character’s we’ll see return for the new series.

Take a look at the full press release below, and head further down for the series’ first teaser.

An iconic series that still commands a rabid fan base, “Heroes” will return to the network in 2015 as an event miniseries with original creator and executive producer Tim Kring at the helm, it was announced today by NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke.

 

NBC has ordered 13 episodes for a new stand-alone story arc entitled “Heroes Reborn,” with all details of storylines and characters being kept under wraps.

 

“The enormous impact ‘Heroes’ had on the television landscape when it first launched in 2006 was eye-opening,” said NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke. “Shows with that kind of resonance don’t come around often and we thought it was time for another installment. We’re thrilled that visionary creator Tim Kring was as excited about jumping back into this show as we were and we look forward to all the new textures and layers Tim plans to add to his original concept. Until we get closer to air in 2015, the show will be appropriately shrouded in secrecy, but we won’t rule out the possibility of some of the show’s original cast members popping back in.”

 

The original series chronicled the life-changing stories of a series of unrelated ordinary people who discovered they had superhuman abilities. As the saga unfolded, they learned they were part of a grand plan that brought them together to change the world.

 

With the return of “Heroes Reborn,” NBC will launch a digital series prior to the 2015 premiere that will introduce the characters and new storylines. This leveraging of social media is a way for fans to re-engage with what was one for the true pioneers in multiplatform storytelling.

 

#HeroesReborn

 

The iconic sci-fi series, which ran on NBC from 2006-10 and was an immediate hit, ranked as television’s #1 new drama with an average audience of 14.5 million viewers during its initial season. The show was Golden Globe-nominated in its first year of eligibility for best drama series; it won the BAFTA Award for best international series, the AFI Award, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award, two People’s Choice Awards and the Television Critics Association Award for Program of the Year.

 

“Heroes” remains one of the best-selling TV series on DVD of all time with more than 10 million units sold.

http://youtu.be/xXUjpHHfTLY

Excited? I sure am. Even through Heroes low points, I remained a fan, and damn that fourth season cliffhanger! I was very disappointed that the concluding film (and then comic) never came to light, so I’m very hopefully that this new series will give us some closure.

Briefly: NBC today debuted the full trailer for the next season of their critically acclaimed drama, Hannibal.

I can’t actually bring myself to watch the trailer, as I unfortunately haven’t yet finished (or started) the first season. From everything that I’ve heard about the show, it’s undeniably worth checking out, and I’m very much looking forward to doing so as soon as I get the chance.

Take a look at the new trailer below, and let us know if you’re excited for the series to return. Hannibal premieres on Friday, February 28th.

The dark and haunting series “Hannibal” returns for a second season, with more shocking revelations and games of psychological cat and mouse. Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) is locked in a mental asylum accused of Hannibal Lecter’s crimes (Mads Mikkelsen). Now that Will sees Hannibal for what he truly is, he faces a fight to prove his own sanity and convince those closest to him he is innocent of murder. Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) is dealing with his own feelings about Will, and whether his protégé is in fact a cold-blooded killer. Looking for answers, Jack turns to a man he has come to trust: Hannibal Lecter. With Will locked up, Hannibal becomes Jack’s new consultant on cases. Hannibal is torn between self-preservation and his desire to keep Will close to him, despite advice from his psychiatrist Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson) to stay away.

 

The deadly dance between these characters continues to turn in startling and unexpected ways, in a season that will show nothing can ever be the same again…

This has been a long time coming. I’ve been watching this show since Season 1 and if you are like me…you were sad to see Dan Harmon fired from his show at the end of Season 3. Now we can celebrate with the death of the “Gas Leak Year” and welcome back our favorite Greendale study group.

Because I’m loyal to the things I like, I watched Season 4 of Community. Without getting too into it, I thought it was mostly crap. You can tell the team was trying hard but you could tell that the weirdness that makes this show great was gone. I’m happy to announce that Episodes 1 and 2 (“Repilot and “Introduction to Teaching”) are a return even better than we could ask for.

“Repilot” serves as just that, a reboot of sorts for the show. Jeff finds himself returning to Greendale after he has failed as a lawyer. But now, it’s as a teacher. The study group reunites (sans the grumpy quitter known as Chevy Chase) realizing that none of their lives are that great post-Greendale. Without getting too far into plot details…you should know that this episode is a great example of laying groundwork for what is an amazing comeback. This episode has some great call backs to the first episode of the show, memorable Britta one-liners and a hilariously meta “Donald Glover is leaving the show joke”. However, this episode was really just setup. The real icing on this pop culture cake is episode 2 of the premiere.

community
Who noticed this awesome callback?

“Introduction to Teaching” shows us what life is like as a teacher at Greendale. We get to meet Professor Buzz Hickey (Jonathan Banks basically doing a psuedo Mike from Breaking Bad) as he shows Jeff the ropes of teaching. The only thing I want to highlight here is that there is a CLASS ON NICOLAS CAGE MOVIES. This episode is worth it for Abed’s Cage breakdown alone. Seriously…go and watch it.

abedbreakdown

If you haven’t picked up on it yet, I loved these episodes. If they are any indication of what the rest of the season looks like…things are gonna be great. I haven’t even mentioned the surprise cameo in this episode. If you haven’t had a chance to watch the premiere…GO TO HULU NOW! You won’t regret it. If only for the Abed Cagedown.

What did you guys think of the premiere? As always, leave your comments below. I want to know if you think this show is worth #sixseasonsandamovie

Briefly: We’re finally just 13 days away from Community‘s celebrated return to television, marking Dan Harmon’s comeback to the series, as well as meaning that we’re just one season (and a movie) away from the series’ end goal.

Every trailer so far (here and here) has been absolutely wonderful, and this newly-released animated short is no different. The Christmas-themed video also helps to explain NBC’s odd scheduling of the show, including its premiere on the day that many will be travelling home from Christmas break, as well as a three-week break for the Olympics.

Take a look at the short below, and let us know just how excited you are for Community‘s triumphant return.

http://youtu.be/C1vV2LAEEQY

Briefly: A few days ago we showed you the very first trailer for the upcoming fifth season of NBC’s Community.

Now, go beyond the darkest timeline with a longer, better, and funnier one.

The series that NBC hates but-just-can’t-seem-to-kill returns on January 2nd, and I couldn’t be more excited. This stuff looks absolutely golden, and especially compared to last year’s Harmon-less fourth season.

Take a look at the new preview below, and let us know just how happy you are to be heading back to Greendale!

http://youtu.be/D-3kFjFbSSE

There’s really nothing better than when a great show invests in some quality world and myth building—especially when they can tell a decent story at the same time. Grimm managed all of that on Friday’s episode, “Stories We Tell Our Young,” bringing in the Royals, the Council, Wesen law, ancient traditions and still managing to touch on Nick’s new super-senses without ever seeming scattered, forced or exposition-y (that’s a word we just made up. You’re welcome.)

Daniel Keary (Gabriel Suttle) prepares for an exorcism with Monsignor Paul (Tobias Anderson) in Grimm "Stories We Tell Our Children." Courtesy of NBC.
l-r: Seminary Student (Quinn Armstorng) Daniel Keary (Gabriel Suttle) and Monsignor Paul (Tobias Anderson) prepare for an exorcism in Grimm’s “Stories We Tell Our Children.”
Courtesy of NBC.

Exorcisms, Wesen and Royal Intrigue

So we start with Renard checking his passport and then telling Nick and Hank that he’s leaving town on ‘vacation’ and that any normal communication from him is to be ignored because it won’t be him (uh-oh) and he’ll contact them indirectly through Rosalee if he needs to.

Next, we go to church, where Mr and Mrs. Keary (Tim Griffin and Julianne Christie) and a (really adorable Gabriel Suttle) kid are met by a nervous seminary student (Quinn Armstrong) who escorts the child into a side room where the Monsignor (Tobias Anderson) waits (clearly we’re doing some sort of exorcism) and sure enough, the Monsignor pulls out a super-cross and, after assuring Daniel that he’s just there to help,  Monsignor asks the parents to step outside. Seminary kid locks the door behind them, and the rite begins.

It doesn’t take long before Daniel changes into a truly demonic looking other, breaks free off his bonds, knocks seminary kid across the room and attacks the Monsignor (who dies). Mom and Dad can’t get inside since the door is locked.

Hank and Nick get to the scene (the only time we see Wu, which just isn’t enough) and Nick finds Daniel because of his new, super-hearing (he could hear Daniel breathing under the font).

They take Daniel to the hospital, where the Doctor tells them that Daniel has elevated platelets, low white cell count and a stressed immune system and they are keeping him sedated while they run tests.

Mr. Keary tries to explain the exorcism—Daniel had undergone an extreme personality change starting about a year ago, he would become violent and he would physically change (like a Wesen!) but Daniel is not adopted, and neither Mom or Dad is Wesen.

Damien Puckler as Meisner in NBC's Grimm. Because we didn't know his name either.
Damien Puckler as Meisner in NBC’s Grimm. Because we didn’t know his name either.

Wesen, Kehrseite and Vorherrscher–and Who Said German Wasn’t A Pretty Language?

Renard joins up with Meisner (Damien Puckler) and they go over the situation, which means more new names and factions to learn: Fornay (ally?), Tavitian (ally?), Lucanus (dead). Tavitian is apparently consolidating his forces (Ceux de la Resistance Nord and Resistencia Maquis) which gives him control of the South. Which doesn’t sound good for Renard, who we assume is back in Vienna to shore up support and make a bid for the throne. The two leave for a safe house.

Nick and Hank suspect Daniel’s a Wesen of some sort, but are at a loss to explain what kind…so onto our favorite Wesen couple, Monroe and Rosalee (looking super-cute all snuggled up with each other at the spice shop), who explain that two Wesen parents = Wesen kid; a Wesen and a human (Kehrseite) = 50/50 chance at Wesen kid; and a Wesen and a Human carrier of Wesen-ness (Kehrseite-Gentrager, or a Wesen who can’t shift? The term wasn’t really explained) = Wesen kid. Two different Wesen’s have a “Vorherrscher” but that wasn’t explained either.

Just as confused as we are, Nick and Hank have to leave because back at the hospital, Seminary Student dude has woken up.

Renard and Meisner get to a cellar that’s set up as a safe house; there is a secret exit through the sewers if there’s trouble. Apparently Renard stayed in similar places as a child when he and his mother had to run for their lives. They are waiting for a meeting; Meisner removes one of the steps and reminisces that his father taught him that—the father Renard’s family killed.

Seriously, how cute was this scene with Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner)? Courtesy of NBC.
Seriously, how cute was this scene with Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner)?
Courtesy of NBC.

You Won’t Like Him When He’s Angry

Back at the hospital, Seminary dude defends the whole ‘exorcism was the only option’ thought process and confirms that Daniel definitely shifted into something not-Human. Nick and Hank are seriously considering that Daniel is possessed by a demon.

Meanwhile, a nurse goes into check on Daniel and draw some blood. Daniel wakes up and shifts into the not-Human beast and throws the Nurse off—she reacts normally, by screaming and running out. Nick and Hank get there, see the demonic face as it fades and realize that the beast only comes out when Daniel feels threatened/confronted.

Hank puts a guard on the room, and Nick convinces the Doctor to stop all tests and limit contact with Daniel to observation and basic care. She gives them 24-hours and then Daniel will be released from the hospital.

In Vienna, Adalind is summoned to the ‘house’ with no further information. A car will be sent.

Monroe, Rosalee, Nick and Hank meet and after after describing how Daniel shifts, Rosalee and Monroe think Daniel might be a Grausen—at one point thought to be a Wesen spirit who possesses a human child; now it’s thought to be a mutation. The Wesen Council deals with them—by making them disappear.

Rosalee feels compelled to report the Grausen to the Council because to do otherwise would be too dangerous—fatally dangerous—despite Monroe and Nick asking her not to.

The Council (so glad the Council are back—it’s such a dense world and the mythology just seems really deep. It was nice to explore it) sends Alexander (Spencer Conway) to Portland to ‘deal with’ Daniel.

Juliette  and Nick researching. Aren't they cute?  Courtesy of NBC.
Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) and Nick (David Giuntoli)–the couple that researches bloody killings of mythological monsters together stays together!
Courtesy of NBC

Paging Dr. House

Juliette and Nick go over the Grausen entries in one of the Grimm reference books, and the last entry (in 1920) states that the 1920 Grimm didn’t think it possession or mutation but an illness. Which gets Juliette thinking that maybe it’s some sort of rare virus or bacteria—and how nice it was that this episode we finally see Juliette totally capable? Not just capable, but acting like someone with a science background and medical training (yes, yes animal medicine but still). She recommends talking to the parents to see if they had been anywhere or come in contact with anything/one that could cause an illness.

Side note: Because apparently the hospital, nor none of the doctors or specialists the parents took Daniel too, ever did a complete medical history. Where’s Dr. House when you need him?

Sure enough, the family took a vacation through Egypt, Israel and Jordon last year (again, NO ONE asked this before?) and Daniel got the flu (which they treated with antibiotics? First they diagnosed it as the flu, and then they prescribed antibiotics?? THIS IS WHY WE HAVE SUPERBUGS, people.).

So, Juliette thinks that Daniel got a protozoa (and kudos for how well she handled telling the story which got them to the protozoa diagnosis, because it could have easily gotten info-dumpy. Another made up word. You’re welcome.).

A bad guy who works for the Royal Family faction that doesn't like Renard. Courtesy of NBC.
A bad guy who works for the Royal Family faction that doesn’t like Renard.
Courtesy of NBC.

He Wasn’t Expecting the Wesen Council

At Monroe’s, a loud knocking wakes him and Rosalee—and it’s Alexander, aka Council Guy. Rosalee tells him that Daniel is at the hospital. Monroe, upset at Rosalee, calls Nick and tells him that Alexander is here and heading to Daniel.

Nick and Juliette—who are still talking about protozoas and parasites because, well, someone has to explain how it could be scientifically possible that this could happen—rush to the hospital only to fine Daniel was already released to his parents.  Hank shows up just in time to go with them to Daniel’s house.

A nice door-open reveals Alexander overhearing the whole conversation from the bathroom.

At Daniel’s house, Juliette convinces Daniel’s parents that Daniel could actually just be sick and that they would need to run more tests. Upstairs, Alexander goes all Wesen, which wakes up the parasite in Daniel. Daniel fends off Council Guy and runs outside. Hank, Nick and Juliette chase after him.

Nick gets Council Guy and leaves him with Hank, and he and Juliette and Daniel’s Dad find Daniel in a fort he and his Dad had built—though Nick was already going in the right direction because he could hear Daniel breathing (because he’s Super-Grimm).

Sergeant Wu (Reggie Lee) and Nick at the original crime scene. This has nothing to do with the next section but we didn't have a picture of Wu yet. Courtesy of NBC.
Sergeant Wu (Reggie Lee) and Nick at the original crime scene. This has nothing to do with the next section but we didn’t have a picture of Wu yet.
Courtesy of NBC.

This is Not the Boy You Are Looking For

Daniel is suffering from hypothermia. Juliette wants to warm him up but Nick—remembering his basic science—points out that a temperature drop in the host could kill the parasite. There’s some discussion about whether or not to warm the kid up, at which point he gets cold enough to kill the protozoa (which oozes out greenish-yellow and then turn black and dies, which was sufficiently creepy, thank you).

They grab Daniel (cured, yay), a sample, and everyone heads back to the house.

Renard and Meisner are attacked by Wesen with machine guns, and escape through the sewers. Once they get out, Renard throws out Meisner’s  phone and says ‘my turn.’

Nick brings Alexander in to the precinct and gives him Daniel’s file, and brings up the Wittenburg charter of 1682 and tell him to take the report back to the Council—and that Daniel is off limits, since he’s cured. Then Nick lets Alexander go.

Alexander takes the report back to Head Council Guy, who isn’t convinced but is…intrigued. He orders observation of the boy. And on Nick.

 

Juliette and Nick put a new entry in the Grimm history books.  Courtesy of NBC.
Juliette and Nick put a new entry in the Grimm history books.
Courtesy of NBC.

Ramping Things Up For The Midseason Finale

Juliette and Nick put a new entry in the book together, which was a very nice scene because it finally showed Juliette as knowing more than Nick and being an equal partner (yay!) who was instrumental to the episode.

Adalind goes to the ‘house’ and meets…someone. Who introduces themselves as the new prince (wha?).

All in all a great episode. Really, really good stuff this week—and next week looks awesome. A two-hour midseason finale with Krampus (aka Santa Claws–ha, that never gets old).

On a ‘that was weird’ note: Did anyone notice Juliette putting her shoes in the drawer, noticing it, and then leaving them there?

Grimm airs on NBC on Friday’s at 9 p.m.

You can watch past episodes on Hulu, and whole seasons, starting from the pilot, on Amazon Prime.

Check back next week for our last recap until Grimm returns in 2014!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz2B6kc29pM

Briefly: Community is almost back, folks.

The series that NBC hates but-just-can’t-seem-to-kill returns on January 2nd, and the network has just debuted the season’s first trailer.

I laughed out loud numerous times during the one-minute preview, which may be more than I can say for the Dan Harmon-less season four (not really, there were a few great episodes). The preview explains just how the now-graduated Jeff Winger ends up back at Greendale, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Take a look at the trailer below, and let us know if you’re excited! If you haven’t seen Community yet, what are you waiting for? You’ve heard all the buzz, haven’t you?

http://youtu.be/NNQh0SXadSc

Grimm’s back, after a week away, with another solid installment. “El Cucuy” (and boy, the Coco has been super popular this year, with a short film, a maze at Universal Studios Hollywood this past Halloween, and now its own episode on Grimm).

Title card from "El Cucuy," Episode five in Grimm's third season.
Title card from “El Cucuy,” Episode five in Grimm’s third season.

Cops and Robbers

Of course, at its heart, Grimm is a cop procedural, so we start with a crime: two masked men rob a grocery store, and for no real reason other than villainy, beat the clerk almost to death. A clever series of interconnecting televisions (all showing the same news broadcast about the robbery) lead us to the clerk’s hospital bed, where his mother sits and prays to El Cucuy, to come and punish the bad men before more mothers cry. A vertigo-inducing moon shot, and then to a motel room, where a leathery, clawed arm rips into the chair as the news reporter continues their story about the robbery.

If you remember, the last episode ended with Juliette finding an email from Nick’s mother (and why doesn’t his email go to his phone?? We mean, he clearly has an iPhone…) is waiting for Nick when he comes home.

Sidenote: We know Juliette is a Vet, but does she ever go to work? She is ALWAYS home and seems to be able to take on time-consuming research projects with no consequences.

Credit for not dragging out the ‘are you cheating on me’ subplot for more than ten minutes (though even that felt a little too long); Nick explains “M” is his mother (with flashbacks to the fight/beheading sequence from a year or so ago) and somehow comes to the conclusion that Mommy dearest is in trouble (though how he jumped straight to that is unclear, all the email said was ‘turmoil,’ but okay).

Nicks comes clean with the ‘Mom’s a Grimm, I’m a Grimm, our kid could be a Grimm” news, and Juliette wants to know if his mom liked her (what?).

Sidenote: We thought the whole ‘my Aunt is Grimm, my ancestors were Grimms, I’m a Grimm’ had already confirmed the being-a-Grimm-is-genetic hypothesis but apparently Nick only figured it out when his Mom showed up. Um. Okay.

In Vienna, Adalind is getting her ultrasound and—uh-oh—there’s two heartbeats. Not twins. Just one baby and…um…something else. The doctor thinks it’s an echo, but we know better, don’t we? Something creepy is keeping baby company.

Renard’s man on the ground takes pictures of Adalind leaving and instructs Henchman #2 to break in and get her files.

Masked man doing bad things at the local convenience store. Courtesy of Grimm/NBC
Masked man doing bad things at the local convenience store.
Courtesy of Grimm/NBC

It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Gets Mauled

Back to Portland, where our two Thugs from earlier saunter up to a convenience store, masks on. They rush in and rob the place, with more violence then was strictly necessary. The Thugs run to their car—and the first one is attacked by something with very, very, very sharp claws. Lots of blood. The beast (El Cucuy, we assume) runs the second thug down and kills him in an alley.

Nick and Hank arrive at the crime scene, where the one witness–clearly scared—can’t help them much. Uniforms find the car, and the two discuss whether it could be Wesen or feral dogs as they search it, finding the stolen money just as Wu calls in the convenience store robbery. Our favorite detectives put two and two together and join Wu at the store.

Outside the store they are verbally accosted by David Florez (Manny Montana, Graceland). Sergeant Franco (Robert Blanche) tells Nick and Hank that Florez always shows up at local crime scenes and complains about how badly the police do their job.

After watching the security tapes, they decide to speak to the customers who had left the store right before the robbery, and may have seen the Thugs before and/or after the robbery.

Juliette helping Nick out with the researching. Courtesy of Grimm/NBC
Juliette helping Nick out with the researching.
Courtesy of Grimm/NBC

Juliette is Super-Haxor

Juliette, ensconced at home (in the TINY computer desk in the foyer, because that’s where’d you put a computer in a two-story Craftsmen…) shows computer skills not even hinted at before by managing to trace Momma Grimm’s email to Visnja Gora.

At the precinct, Nick and Hank interview the three witnesses who left the store prior to it being robbed: 1. Large Guy—who saw/heard nothing; 2. Little Old Lady—same and 3. Vest Guy, who points Nick and Hank in the direction of the local neighborhood psychopath, Ray Bolton (Matt McTighe, 24, Bones) who owns dogs (which he also fights on the weekends. So not a nice guy).

Nick heads home (late) to find Juliette (oddly manic, for some reason) who shows her days work of ISP tracking and spouts lots of nerd speak (don’t get us wrong, we love nerd-speak, it was just weird to hear it from Juliette).

The next day, Hank and Nick decide to go talk to Bolton, as he is connected to the two dead thugs (one of whom had testified against Bolton). Bolton gets aggressive and reveals a rat/dragon/dog-like Wesen side. Nick arrests him just as Florez shows up, who loudly cheers the cops on during the arrest.

Over to Monroe’s house, where Monroe is doing pilates (??) with a machine (??) of some sort. The phone rings, and Rosalee answers—its Monroe’s mother. Who clearly doesn’t know that Monroe is living with Rosalee. The two discuss how and when they will tell their parents. Apparently it’s going to be a touchy subject.

Bolton, Hank and Nick just before they take him 'downtown.'
Bolton, Hank and Nick just before they take him ‘downtown.’

Claws and Teeth Do Not El Cucuy Make

Back to the precinct, where Nick and Hank interrogate Bolton, who doesn’t flinch. Not a nice guy, but also (probably) not the attacker. And his dogs are innocent, as well.

They decide to leave Bolton under arrest and try to find out what/who exactly did the crime.

So, the Scooby gang is called and meet at Monroe’s house, where they show the pictures of the victims (gruesome) while drinking red wine and eating Portlandia-type food. Very surreal. Also, this scene has two of the best lines of the night (odd that that happens when Monroe is around!):

Monroe #1: “We’re more of a throat first and ask questions later Wesen.”

Monroe #2: “There’s no signs of going after the legs first to cripple the prey” at Hank’s perturbed look: “Sorry, victim.”

Also, Juliette gets to actually add to the conversation, thank goodness. Hopefully she’ll find something to be besides Nick’s girlfriend this season.

The gang decides Bolton is a Hollentier, a vicious, but not very bright, type of Wesen.

Across town, a young women gets off a bus, followed by two man. One follows her, but to her relief turns away—and that’s when she gets jumped by the other. Unmentionable things are about to happen, when the beast-Wesen shows up, all claw-rific and toothy, and saves the day.

Grimm 3.5.5.
Nick and Hank at the second crime scene, where the victim was rescued by a yellow-eyed monster.

El Cucuy Saves the Day

Nick and Hank show up (as does Florez, much to Hank’s disgust. The victim describes how she was saved by a beast/monster, and describes the beast that saved her; she calls it El Cucuy. Neither Hank nor Nick have heard of it before, but Juliette has. She explains it’s like the Bogeyman and that her grandmother used to use it has a ‘be good or El Cucuy will get you’ type threat.

At a loss as to whether El Cucuy could be a Wesen, Juliette takes Nick to meet Pilar (Bertila Damas, reprising her role from Season 2). Pilar tells a story about how El Cucuy was called to her village when she was a girl, and proceeded to, um, clean up the streets. Lethally. But effectively. El Cucuy was brought to the village by the prayers of the victims of the ‘bad men.’

Pilar describes El Cucuy as yellow-eyed, big teeth, bad breath and can be called by the voices of women who have suffered.

Nick and Juliette retreat to the trailer (by far the best super-secret-research-place on TV at the moment) but don’t find anything on El Cucuy.

Bolton and his thug buddy about to beat up Florez in this week's Grimm. Courtesy of Grimm/NBC.
Bolton and his thug buddy about to beat up Florez in this week’s Grimm.
Courtesy of Grimm/NBC.

Florez Can’t Catch a Break

Not only had Hank ran Florez through the system because he suspects Florez of the murders, but on his way home from getting groceries, Florez gets beat up by Bolton and his gang (who also threaten Florez’ mother).

Hank discovers Florez is an ex-Marine suffering from PTSD, making him a possible suspect. Wu brings in the security footage from the bus, and Little Old Lady from the convenience store is also there. Renard urges Nick and Hank to bring her in again for questioning.

Florez, pushed to breaking, locks himself in his bedroom over the cries of his mother and gets out his (wicked looking) knife and Marine dress uniform (though why he’d where his dress uniform and not his BDU’s for a fight, we don’t know—though the dress uniform certainly has all the shiny medals on it).

Hank and Nick get to Little Old Lady’s apartment (Mrs. Garcia, apparently. Thanks for the name drop, Hank!) and ask her to come down to the station.

Renard gets a video email (do none of these people get email on their phone???) and once he gets to the computer, he sees Adalind—proving she’s the one pregnant with the heir. But whose baby is it?

Nick and Hank, on the way back to the precinct with Mrs. Garcia, get a call from dispatch alerting them to Florez’ plans to rumble with Bolton. Nick and Hank, being close, go to intercept (with Mrs. Garcia).

Florez arrives at Bolton’s house, uniform on and sword/knife drawn (it seemed like it got bigger from his bedroom to the this scene, but hey, we could be wrong). Bolton and his friends are doing something drug-deal/evil-man related when Florez pounds on the front door.

Bolton morphs into his Wesen form and they proceed to brawl. Florez is saved by Nick and Hank showing up; Bolton demands Florez be arrested (and sadly, was in the legal right). Hank tells him to go into his house; he and Nick get Florez into the car and that’s when they notice Mrs. Florez is gone.

Bolton, gloating that the cops have nothing on him, is attacked in his front room by El Cucuy. Hank and Nick get in too late to save Bolton, but just in time to see El Cucuy morph back into Mrs. Garcia.

They bring Mrs. Garcia back to the precinct, and she points out—in a really great scene—that they have nothing on her. Cue third best line of the night:

Renard: Are you kidding me?

Awesome.

With nothing on her, they will have to let her go. Mrs. Garcia, waiting in the interrogation room, hears the prayers of other women, and her eyes glow yellow.

The yellow-eyed monster, El Cucuy.
The yellow-eyed monster, El Cucuy.

Released, Mrs. Garcia walks home when a Thug steals her purse. She laughs, and morphs into El Cucuy.

Whew. All in all, a solid episode. The quality of the guest stars just keeps getting better and the fact that all the main players (except Wu, poor Wu) know the same facts removes a lot of the ‘who do I tell what to?” melodrama that dogged some of last season’s episodes.

We’ll be back with more Grimm next week!

Grimm airs on Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC. You can watch “El Cucuy” here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnQmCwP0vvw