SpoilerTV’s Weekly Round Table: 103rd Edition

AS: Two things stood out to me in last week’s television shows that I saw – first up though I have to talk about 9-1-1 (ABC) episode 3, which was the closing episode of the 3-part premiere of season 8! The nail biting flight landing sequence which was done absolutely wonderfully with Bathena being at the forefront of it was just breathtaking! From the quotes between Bobby and Athena to just getting to see them reuniting when Bobby showed up at her side when she stayed back to administer CPR to the pilot and said “I’ve got you” it just was marvelous—Peter Krause and Angela Bassett are such great co-stars and have amazing chemistry, they are the #1 couple on the show!

Another scene that blew me away was getting to see Stana Katic in Murder in A Small Town (FOX) playing a negative role with such chilling perfection. As a big time fan of Castle (ABC) from back in the day and seeing her as Det. Kate Beckett, I have only ever seen her playing protagonist’s and I was completely blown away by how unsettling and subtle she was in her mannerisms as the antagonist of the week; there was something just so casually psychopathic of her character but in a very calm way, until you start to see her losing control and trying to make things work in her favor. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I’ve yet to catch up with the new season premiere of Tracker (CBS) and I’m looking forward to seeing Elsbeth (CBS) and Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage (CBS) premiering later this week—network tv is back with a bang!

MJ: I’ve been very bad at keeping up with new TV this week—but The Penguin (HBO) episode 4 was sensational! Give Cristin Milioti all the Emmys, her multilayered performance of Sofia Falcone is one of the best character creations of 2024. In terms of new shows—I’m starting Sweatpea (Sky Atlantic) this evening as well—a charming comedy with a dark side feels perfect this Halloween.

MH: This week marked the return of Shrinking (Apple TV+), which was brilliant to have after Bad Monkey (Apple TV+) ended last week. I love the worlds Bill Lawrence’s shows create—an ensemble cast portraying flawed characters trying to do the right thing and usually relying on inappropriate humor and pop culture references. The first episode of this season had Jason Segel’s character, Jimmy, confronted by the drunk driver who killed his wife in a car accident. Complicating the matter, the driver is portrayed by Shrinking co-creator Brett Goldstein without his characteristic Roy Kent beard. The exchange between the two was heartbreaking. Jimmy trying to figure out how to share the news with his daughter, Alice, makes for a perfect inappropriate humor scene in the second episode.

JO: I have to say Cristin Milioti’s performance as Sophia Falcone in episode four of The Penguin (HBO) was truly incredible. Her final scene in the episode in the yellow dress really highlights her complete transformation as a character, as we witness her truly become her father’s daughter. Cristin Milioti needs to be nominated for an Emmy award for her phenomenal performance. I highly recommend The Penguin series for both comic book fans and non comic book tv fanatics, it’s a brilliant show on it’s own.

I’m looking forward to episode five of The Penguin (HBO), episode four of Superman and Lois (CW) and more episodes of Matlock (CBS) after a lovely performance by Kathy Bates in the pilot episode.

LO: This past week, two shows had scenes that blew me away and left me eager for what’s next. First, I had a blast with 9-1-1 (ABC) in the past week! The plane landing on the 110 freeway scene was wonderful, but there are so many other good moments: Buck shaking red lights to clear the freeway while the plane flies over him is wonderful, also the scene in LAX with the rest of the 118 watching the plane fly over them is so beautifully shot. Finally, the Bathena moments: Bobby waiting on the top of the fire truck as the plane approaches, Athena’s dialogue with Bobby while landing the plane, and their reunion at last—this episode made the reason why they are the show’s main couple clear to me once more. I think this was the perfect finale for this initial arc and a better execution than the cruise ship disaster last season, as this episode managed to be both tense and fun while also being a strong Bathena centric that is clever enough to make all the other main characters part of the story in interesting and engaging ways. I love it!

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), on the other hand, offered one of my favorite (and most unexpected) Meryl Streep moments on 4.07. I’m still clueless about who the murderers are this season; the whodunnit aspect has never been better, so looking forward to watch 7.09 next week so maybe I can have at least a clue or a theory. Finally, I’m looking forward to the 9-1-1 Halloween episode, just because this season has been so good and themed episodes are the most fun!

KR: In the past week, American Horror Stories (FX) season 4 began dropping episodes on Hulu, and I am beyond excited to dig into another epic season of this Horror series. There are so many shocking events and stories that occur within each episode, so I am very excited for more thrills and chills this season will bring.

EV: I started watching La Maison (AppleTV+).

La Maison is about 2 rivaling fashion houses in Paris, France. Let’s say a Succession with lots of merdes and putains. In the first half hour I wasn’t convinced, I thought about quitting.

Then that last half hour of the first episode drew me in. It’s a bit over the top soapish but I started getting intrigued by the character of Perle Foster.

Perle (Amira Casar), Vincent’s former muse who is still in his shadow, teams up with visionary next-generation designer Paloma Castel (Zita Hanrot) to save, evolve and renew the century-old Maison LEDU.

It’s this development that I want to see being explored in the upcoming episodes.

I think I have a new (temporary) TV obsession on my hands.

VL: This Fall TV show lineup has been amazing. Jesse Lee Soffer joined FBI: International (CBS) this week and boy have I missed seeing that man in action. Admittedly, I’ve never watched the show before he joined (I’m so sorry!), but his performance in this episode was top notch. I can’t wait to see the rest of the season (and I promise I will watch the earlier seasons too because this is a great cast!).

ZF: Found (NBC) and Abbott Elementary (ABC) have really been the highlights of my week lately!