Scandal - An Innocent Man

This episode right here, was very reminiscent of the early years of Scandal. I loved it. Definitely made up for last week.

OPA and Olivia's drama
OPA is really (almost) back to it's old self of solving cases and David hating them for intervening. The only difference is that David actually won something, and he didn't do it with the B613 files so he felt good about it. All of it was very weird and no one is used to it.
Now Olivia is still going through some drama with Jake and Fitz because she wanted to see Jake but Fitz wouldn't have it and everyone thought Jake was going to die, but she got to see him anyway. Can we talk about how I caught the feels during that scene with Jake and Olivia! I mean, it was very heartbreaking, but Jake had a point. Olivia will never choose him. I was just thinking about it too. There is no way that she will be 100% for Jake. There will always be a piece of her that is attached to Fitz.
Rowan is one of the best evil geniuses there is. I even started to believe him for a bit during that scene with Fitz. But, he ended up getting half of what he wanted. Olivia played him. This girl literally has Fitz by the balls and can make him do whatever she wants as long as "there's hope" he has a chance with her, and she used that to her advantage to beat Rowan at his own game. Oh how I have been waiting for someone to beat Rowan, it finally happened, and it was his daughter that did it. Love it! Oh and that last line of hers "I have weapons at my disposal. Weapons that you couldn't possibly posses." Epic.
And we forget that Kubiak guy has a folder on Olivia. See, this worries me because the last time a folder was made on Olivia it was a kill folder. This is not good. This girl is in danger and bad things are going to happen! I'm not ready for it at all.

Mellie and Bitsy
Bitsy deserves to be talked about because she was one of the greatest things about this episode. The things that came out of this little old lady's mouth were just hilarious. My favorite part was when she offered Mellie a joint. She has no chill whatsoever.
Mellie was hanging out with her  future self. Actually, I don't think Mellie wants to become Bitsy. Mellie was striving toward her own political career, but she forgot about that. It looks like she's trying to get back on track with that statement she made to the press. She's not about that ornamental like anymore! I just wonder what the backlash will be from this. No matter what happens Mellie is back, and I'm talking about the Mellie from season 1.

Cyrus
He finally found out that he was being played and now I wonder what he's going to do about it. I'm hoping that he plays the player. That would be awesome. Whatever happens let's just hope that he never acts this stupid ever again.

Overall this episode was great. Yay to Abby and Liv being friends again. Also, in 30 seconds Huck gave me so many feels. I can't even deal.
Well, it looks like my predictions may not be coming true but that's not a bad thing. I prefer it not to because I just hate predicting things. Now I really can't wait to see what happens. I'm not at all prepared, but when am I?! I'm just not happy that there are like 3 episodes left. I just got over the summer hiatus. I'm not ready for another one!

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Scandal - The Key

I have to be honest and say that this episode didn't really kick off until halfway through and I only want to talk about a few things.

Cyrus speaks the truth
Cyrus gave Olivia a taste of the truth about Jake this week and it's about time someone did. For some reason they want us to think that Jake is not really all that bad because he's not really guilty of killing Jerry and Harrison, but he is. He still killed people (James) and isn't the greatest person. Thank you Cyrus for reminding us of that.
Also I don't think Olivia realizes how she made everyone she feel when she went off with Jake. Sure it made her feel good about leaving, but did she ever stop to think about how it would make all of the people she left feel? Not only about her leaving but her leaving with Jake, the man who killed her friend's husband. Now everyone's pissed at her and she doesn't get it. Well that's why.

Mellie and Fitz
Oh my goodness that last scene with them was amazing. Drunk Mellie made a big time appearance and brought it! Now about what she said about Jerry's death being meaningful; I kind of understand why she said it. It took me a minute to realize it but I think all she wanted was a reason for Jerry's death other than some random sickness. Now all that other stuff like her saying he "died for their sins" was a little coo coo for cocoa puffs and I totally understand Fitz's reaction after she said that.
But, it looks like all of this has Mellie moving in the right direction. She took a shower so that's progress. Let's see if she'll wear more than a pj's and a robe next week.

Jake's Beatdown
So Fitz goes in to see Jake one more time and this time he wasn't playing. He beat the living daylight out of him and Jake thinks it has everything to do with Olivia. I don't think that's completely true. Sure, Fitz is pissed Liv left him to go off with Jake, but his son also died and his supposed killer is in custody and not giving a confession. I think Fitz would do whatever it takes to get a confession out him. What would you do if you were in a room with your kid's killer who wouldn't confess and was taunting you? And let's talk about Jake taunting Fitz by talking about getting busy with Olivia! I mean this dude is so annoying. I wanted to punch in the face during that. But isn't it interesting that the same thing Fitz used to get to Rowan last season was the thing Jake used to get to Fitz.

Overall, I thought this episode was okay, not as good as last week but not terrible. It just took some time for things to pop off but at least it did pop off. I'm actually really excited for next week and Abby might become my new favorite after that promo.
Now I do have an idea of where this season is headed. I think they'll find out that Jake is really innocent and he'll get out and be super annoying with the "I told you so's." Olivia will be pissed that Fitz put Jake in custody and beat the crap out of him but she'll understand why he did it. Then they'll find out that Rowan is the real mastermind and so they'll be on the war path to bring him down, again. I wouldn't be surprised if mamma Pope makes an appearance at some point because I don't believe she's dead. I would love to see a confrontation between Rowan and Olivia with real proof that he is the mastermind. That could be epic. And that's where I think they'll leave it and then it'll be the winter hiatus. What do you guys think?

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Scandal - Like Father, Like Daughter

I knew an episode would come when ish hit the fan and the roller coaster would take off and this one was it!

White House Drama
Welp, it looks like little Karen wanted to be just like daddy and make herself a little sex tap, and Olivia had to came save a member of the Grant family once again. This brought about one of the many reads of the night. Fitz let Mellie have it and it was epic! I mean, Smelly Mellie was the number one trending topic at one point last night. It was the greatest thing and she really needed to hear the truth. Looks like it worked, too because she actually started acting motherly. Hopefully she'll ditch the robe and start getting back to her regular self. Hopefully this whole event can lead this family into getting the help that they need.
This also brought out a great read from Cyrus to Abby. He let her know what we've been saying this whole time; she is not nor will ever be Olivia Pope. I know that left her shook. Maybe she'll give up her job at the white house and go back to OPA where she belongs.
And speaking of Olivia Pope, she's back y'all! That read she gave those awful parents was everything! It's so nice to have her back. I missed her so much.

Olitz Drama
Well it looks like Olitz is back to normal. Giving us the feels and then ripping our hearts out without a care in the world. It was only a matter of time before this happened.

B613 Drama
So Rowan's trying to get Jake, Jake's trying to get Rowan, people are blowing up cars, Jake's got the B613 files back, it's just in big hot mess and Tom was in the middle of it all. Tom went and got caught and now everyone knows he killed Jerry, but everyone thinks Jake told him to do it.
The question I have is why did Fitz ask Rowan to come in and help him out? Is it because Rowan is command and the only person that could get the info that Fitz needed. And did he figure out that Tom was B613? All I know is that Fitz needs to think long and hard about what he's going to do to Jake. I mean the only reason why it would make sense for Jake to order to kill Jerry would be out of jealousy, but why would he go for Fitz's son and not go for Fitz directly? Also, Fitz has to think about why Rowan came in to help so quickly. He can't trust him at all either. And we must keep in mind that if Fitz has Jake killed and then finds out that he's innocent, Liv will be pissed. It's just a really bad position to be in and I hope he doesn't make any quick decisions.
I can't even be mad at Rowan for doing what he did. He's always one step ahead of everybody and I wonder who will finally be one step ahead of him, if that ever happens.

Overall I thought this episode was great. It looks like crazy stuff is about to happen and this is just the beginning. I think I'm ready but probably. My one prediction is that Jake will be stuck in them chains for a while. They are not going to kill him off that quick. I also think it would be interesting if the moment they kill him the truth about Rowan comes out. Can you just imagine the crap that would bring? Well until next week Gladiators.

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Scandal - Inside the Bubble

So much awkward stuff happened in this episode so let's get into it.

Jake vs. Papa Pope
That dinner, that dinner. Jake really tried it this week; threatening to kill Rowan and spill the beans about who really killed Harrison. Does he seriously think that Rowan is afraid of him though?! Let's get real, Rowan ain't scared of anyone. Didn't Jake try this already? It didn't work then and it won't work now.
Here's my prediction: one of them has got to go. I think/want it to be Jake but we'll see. I think Jake will tell the truth about Harrison's death but he'll pay for it. As big and bad as Rowan is I don't think he'll get taken down by the hands of Jake. They may both leave Washington, and I think one will leave in a body bag.
In the meantime, Jake should get himself a job. Dude is living in a hotel and I don't even know how he can afford that.

Quinn
Poor Quinn gets locked in a dungeon with Charlie and no one tries to find her. Girl can't catch a break. I think her strange friendship with Huck is beginning to get back on track. I guess Huckleberry Quinn is a thing again.

David Rosen
He finally won something, but with a cost. That judge killed and that left David shook. We'll see how long he'll last in this bubble. It looks like he's going to have a rough time deal with the consequences of using those files.

Abby and Olivia
These two need to bury the hatchet. You can tell that Abby misses OPA so much that she took herself all the way to Liv's house to try and help with the case.
I would also like to mention that I liked how Liv gripped up her friend like that. I missed that Liv that smashed phones and threw computers across the room.
Also, yay to Abby for getting Fitz and Mellie to call her by her real name.

Mellie and Fitz
That meeting was so awkward it was uncomfortable. I almost couldn't get through it a second time. And why didn't Fitz help her out?! He just sat there making those faces and let Abby come to her rescue.
Fitz is really trying to make something good come out of this term because it's getting in the way of him being a "soccer dad in Vermont." If it's not obvious already, he really doesn't want to be president. We'll see how far he goes before he starts talking about resigning or something.
Listen, these two aren't going to be able to hide behind their distractions anymore. They both are beginning to break and when they do, it will be bad, especially for Fitz.

Overall, this was an okay episode. I really think this is a set up for crazier things to come. Crap is going to go down and all hell will break loose. Shondaland is a roller coaster ride. I think these past few episode are that slow and steady of the ride before all the twist and turns happen. We really need to brace ourselves, especially after seeing that preview for next week. Karen is back and I can't wait to see what she's got herself into.

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How To Get Away With Murder - Pilot & It's All Her Fault

So let me try and break it down for you because a lot happens in this show.
Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) is a lawyer and law professor at Middleton University is Philadelphia, PA. She chooses 5 of her students to come work as her interns, helping her solve her cases. She chooses Wes Gibbins (Alfred Enoch), Connor Walsh (Jack Falahee), Michaela Pratt (Aja Naomi King), Asher Millstone (Matt McGorry), and Laurel Castillo (Karla Souza). Most of the show follows them solving cases but we also get these flashforwards of Wes, Connor, Laurel and Michaela who are somehow involved in a murder of their own. With each episode we see more of what happened with the kids and that murder. Lastly, the ongoing investigation of the murder of a student named Lila Stanguard is also something important that keeps popping up. Oh and Annalise's personal life is also something that is an important part of the show.

This show is a huge hit. I mean, with Viola Davis and Shonda Rhimes involved did you expect it to be anything less? I loved it after the first episode and it wasted no time getting into the thick of things. I love the procedural part of it and that it's more than just the cases they have each week. I love a good mystery show where I can have theories and everything and I love that this ongoing murder with the students is something that I can think about all season.
So much happens in the hour that this show really needs your undivided attention, but it will never get that from me (because of Twitter) which is why I'll be rewatching each episode every week. I don't have a problem with that though. If you like a good murder mystery, lies and manipulation, you should check this show out.

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Scandal - The State of the Union

There were so many things that were great about this episode so let's not waste anytime and go right in.

OP & Huckleberry Quinn
OPA (or what's left of it) is back to handling things now. Olivia is blackmailed by her "friend" Cyrus into taking a case from the white house. So she, Huck and Quinn get to handling. I guess we're not going to talk about how Quinn is a Gladiator again, but she did try and mostly succeeded in getting them back together so I guess that erases everything that happened.
Liv really handled ish this episode and I loved it so much. I really missed these cases and Liv acting like a boss. Oh, and is Quinn trying to dress like Huck now, was it planned or just a weird coincidence?

Fitz & Mellie
Everyone is concerned about Mellie and her mental health but I think the one we need to really be concerned about is Fitz. Whenever he goes to Jerry's grave he doesn't grieve. He just goes and stand by Mellie or sits in his car doing work. He also had a failed suicide attempt which he won't let anyone talk about. Something is just not right with him.
Who wants to give Mellie a hug everytime they see her now? She is still going through and that scene after the SOTU was just heartbreaking. And the way they shot it was just brilliant. I loved it all and Bellamy Young seriously deserves an Emmy for this.

David
This dude stay losing but that all changed this week. He took matter into his own hands and finally used those B613 files to his advantage. He's given up the white hat and is now blackmailing his way to attorney general.

Cyrus
He almost got himself a new boo but the guy is just a "sex worker" sent to him by Liz. What she's doing to Cyrus is kind of like what he did to James. I mean, I'm not really sure of her agenda but it's not good. He also still has that hair. *side eye*

Fitz, Olivia, Jake
I swore I wouldn't talk about this and this will only be a one time thing and then I'm done. I just want to make it clear that I'm not team anything at this point because they both annoy me in their own special way.
Jake is just a booty call. And he tries to win Olivia's live by finding out what happened to Harrison. That's nice, but no one asked him to do that. He doesn't even think of himself as her boyfriend! What is that about?! What they can only be together if they're not in D.C.?! He just frustrates me so much.
Oh and Fitz can't even give a speech without Liv's seal of approval and he forces her to do it because he thinks she "owes him." She doesn't owe him anything! I'm going to stop talking about this because it's frustrating me so much that I just want to throw something.

Overall, I loved this episode. I haven't had that much fun watching since "Mama Said Knock You Out." I mean, that fried chicken, the black and white photos, and they way they zoomed in on the 'mental Mellie' graphic; just amazing. And I died when Olivia dropped her coat at Jake's hotel room. My brother said it was going to happen but I didn't believe him, and then it happened. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. I can't end without saying Abby came through by getting Mellie to go to the SOTU. She really channeled Liv in that moment.
I must say that I haven't been emotionally exhausted after an episode yet and that worries me. I feel like it's all going to come crashing down on us and we'll literally be left crying in a corner in the fetal position. With that being said, this is definitely not a dark season. It's much lighter than the last one and I'm grateful for that.
Charlie's back next week. Can't wait!

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Black-ish - Pilot & The Talk

This show is about an African American family living in the suburbs and how they deal with the daily things that life throws at them. It stars Anthony Anderson as Andre Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow, his wife, and Laurence Fishburne as Pops. 

This show is kind of a big deal because it's the first time in a long time that we've seen a comedy with an all Black cast and it's amazing. The show is also actually really hilarious. After watching the pilot episode I felt the gave us everything they had. It was very racially based and very honest. It was one of those moments where it funny but it was so true. For me, the pilot didn't bring out a lot of laugh out loud moments, but it was funny and I didn't give up on it. The second episode, however, had me dying in laughter. I laughed from beginning to end. It was also more of a relatable episode for people who aren't Black. Also, all the actors are amazing; even the little kids. 

I really enjoy this show, so I'll obviously keep watching. The first episode was mainly about specific racial issues and the second was about issues that everyone can relate to and my hope is that they find a good balance between the two. I want them to have episodes that can include universal issues and well as racially specific ones. I already think this is a winner, but if it finds that balance I think that many more people will tune in each week. So, check out this show because it's hilarious and you will literally laugh out loud!

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Maleficent (2014)

Synopsis
We all know that Sleeping Beauty was cursed by Maleficent but we don't know the story of why Maleficent cursed her. This movie tells us that story.
Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) is a fairy who grew up without any parents in a forest outside of the kingdom, with many different creatures. One day she met a boy named Stefan and he changes her life forever.

My Verdict
To be totally honest, I have never seen the cartoon version of Sleeping Beauty, but I know the story because I read the book. I loved this version of the story. I like finding out the backstory of people so this was great for me. I think I like Maleficent more than I Aurora. I love it when a movie can make me feel for the villain/anti-hero and I think "oh my gosh, what am I doing? This person is supposed to be bad. Why am I feeling sorry for them?" It's great and just goes to show that even the worst of people have a good side deep down somewhere. Oh and I loved the true loves kiss twist.
Angelina Jolie did an amazing job as Maleficent. She was perfect. I haven't seen a lot of her movies and after watching this I really want to check them out.
I was also really impressed with the graphics. There were a lot of creatures that obviously don't exist in our world and I think they did a good job making them look real.
So, I'm giving this movie an 8/10. I was really impressed with what I saw. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. I thought it was great.

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