'Blood Eagle' -- Vikings 2x07

Warning: Spoiler Alert

I had started to think that maybe Jarl Borg might have gotten himself an ally with King Horik, and he might have gotten away. He wouldn't have succeeded in killing Ragnar, since the writers aren't about to do that (and not just cuz it would write them right out of a show, but also cuz it would take away all of this delicious backstabbing and suspense that they've been building up lately). But even if they didn't let Borg kill Ragnar, I still half expected that Horik would at least try to help him break out; and it makes me wonder what may have happened that would have made it so that he thought that was a bad idea. It could have been that since Rollo found out about Siggy and Horik, Horik may have thought that he would have been pushing his luck by trying to help Bork break out and assassinate Ragnar.

Speaking of Rollo finding out about what's been going on with Siggy and Horik, I wonder if this was the first inkling that he had that there was something going on between the two of them (or if he maybe might have suspected that there was something more going on). It's quite possible that he didn't know anything about it, since he's more the muscle, and less the guy who has to think around corners. And Siggy can say all she wants to him about how she did everything for him, but we know that's not true (especially after she went to the seer and admitted that she wanted to have her old position back).

Speaking of her old position ... it makes me all kinds of suspicious that Aslaug said that she was kind of envious of Lagertha and wished that she could be the shieldmaiden that Lagertha was (well, it's not exactly what she said, but that was kind of the gist of it). It almost makes me think that Aslaug is going to try to get all sneaky and try to knife Lagertha while she's sleeping, or something. I don't get the impression that Lagertha sees Aslaug as a threat (at least not physically), but I don't think that I would keep both eyes closed for any amount of time if I were Lagertha and Aslaug was around.

It's kind of awesome that Lagertha has now become an Earl, but I really would have liked to have seen the scenes that occurred right after she knifed her husband in the eye. Sure, it would have taken away the surprise that the writers were probably going for with having her ride out from behind that tree, but it still would have been cool to be able to see all the dudes that had previously sworn themselves to her husband rally around her and decide that they would follow her now.

Floki is married now!! Awwwes. The wedding was completely sweet, cuz you could tell that they loved each other (and I really dug the way they juxtapositioned the two weddings, showing the one that was done for love, and the one that was done for political alliance ... while also kind of making a statement about how the Viking one was better, cuz it was done out of love). But the way that the scenes were cut, it makes me wonder when the wedding actually happened, cuz homegirl didn't look at all preggers when they were getting married (and she was preggers in the scene before that, when she was saying that they were going to get married, and in the next scene that Aslaug was in, she was still preggers, and they made a point of showing that the two of them were pregnant at the same time).

I kind of needed to hug Floki and tell him that everything was going to be alright after he got sad (and almost kind of panicked by the idea of becoming a father). He's going to be a right crazy dad, but I don't doubt that he's going to love their baby as much as he is able, and he's going to try as hard as he can to do well (he may fuck it up, since he's kind of crazy, but I don't doubt that he's going to try and make things right for the baby and his baby momma).

The whole thing with Floki no longer trusting Ragnar (and being kind of pissed at him) ... this makes me all kinds of sad on the inside, cuz their relationship seemed like it was so solid before. I would love it if the two of them became homies again, but I have the feeling that Ragnar is going to have to do a whole hell of a lot to prove himself to Floki before he is trusted again.

I wonder if someone told him that Floki was getting married and that he wasn't invited. He had to've known where everyone was going when they all started to leave. Maybe that was why he got drunk and was doing stupid things when Lagertha's dude first came to him to say that she wanted an alliance with him. Maybe?

The Winter Soldier.

Warning: Spoiler Alert

I went and saw The Winter Soldier yesterday, and waited until I got back from that before I watched the episode "Turn, Turn, Turn" of "Agents of SHIELD." I had heard that everything kind of tied in with that, and that if you missed the movie, there would be all sorts of stuff that would be thrown at you that you wouldn't necessarily understand in the episode. And really, I'm really glad that I did it that way, since it really (for reals) would have ruined the movie for me if I had watched the episode first; everything was tied to what happened in the film.

Speaking of the film ...

Holy fuck balls you guys. I mean, seriously. Everything has been thrown out the window right now with the return of Hydra and finding out that Hydra has really been a part of SHIELD the entire time (even when most everyone thought that it had been destroyed back in the day).

And now, if SHIELD is all gone, what the hell does that do for the rest of the Marvel universe (at least as far as the Avengers and AoS is concerned)? It seems to me that there would have to be a serious monkey wrench thrown into the whole thing cuz of that. And I have a feeling that it would probably do something as far as Phase 2 is concerned (and probably going into Phase 3 as well).

I will say that Hydra making a reappearance in the universe made this last episode of AoS a whole hell of a lot better. I was seriously getting bored with the entire thing, and was on the verge of letting the whole show go (that's seriously how bored I was getting with it). But if this has made things turn around and start getting all back-stabby (while keeping us guessing about who is really on who's side), I very well may keep going ... at least until the end of this season.

The thing with Ward ... I'm hoping so bad that he has only gone off and pretended that he's going to be working with Hydra right now. I really badly want to believe that he was working via some secret mission that was given to him by Coulson (cuz of that nod that they shared right before Ward went off), and that he's going to try to find the hold-outs from Hydra to take them out (or help Coulson to know where they are so that he can bring the gang in to take them out). It makes me not happy on the inside if Ward has really decided that he doesn't want to be a good guy anymore, cuz I kind of want the big idiot to be a white had.

Also speaking of the film ... I am very grateful for this write up on io9 from last week, since it gave us all kinds of Easter eggs to look for (and to suddenly understand if we didn't catch the reference when we watched). Of course, there are all sorts of spoilers for the film in that link, so if you haven't watched it (and plan on doing so), you probably shouldn't go strolling around there.

'Two Swords' -- GoT 4x01

Warning: Spoiler Alert

While I completely understand the naming of the episode (after all, two swords were created from the sword that had been Ice), but the fact that they only really referenced the one sword that had been given to Jaime, it doesn't seem like calling the episode "Two Swords" really make sense. Even if they weren't going to show off both of the swords that had been made from Ice, and were only going to reference "swords" as though they were people (like sellswords), they didn't really do very well with that either. If one of the "swords" was Jaime (and I don't see how it could not have been seeing as how they made kind of a big deal about the fact that he had been given one of the swords by his father), then, who would have the other one have been? Ayra? The Hound? Bronn? Grey Worm? Daario Naharis? Someone else? Any one of them could feasibly have been considered a "sword" in this scenario.

Speaking of Bronn ... every time that I see him, I kept thinking of Bennet Drake (the character the actor plays on "Ripper Street") and kind of wishing that the actor had at least used a slightly different kind of facial hair so that I wouldn't keep thinking of a completely different character on a completely different show. But at the same time, I was going "Yeah! Jerome Flynn!"

Tyrion continues to be the little bad ass that he has always been, and I want to shake Sansa for not realizing just how kind he's being to her ... despite the fact that she does have reason to not only not like Lannisters, but not trust them as well. But then, being outside of the situation would only serve to help see things a little more clearly ... but I'm not sure that it's really helped her in the books to have some distance from Tyrion. He keeps getting the shaft from his family, and he's the one Lannister that I really hope survives this whole thing. Well ... I take that back ... I've started to kind of want Jamie to survive the shitstorm that is coming as well. If he hadn't changed with the loss of his hand, I don't think that I'd be able to not wish him harm and evilness (but ever since he lost his hand, he's slowly stopped being a raging cock. He's still a bit of one, but it's nowhere near as bad as it was when he still had the use of both hands (the Jamie that had both hands never would have gone after Brienne of Tarth to make sure that she survived the bear)). And I wish that Jamie would listen to Brienne a little bit more, but I don't see that happening for some time yet ... until he stops being a complete Lannister and starts becoming somewhat of a decent human being.

If everything goes the way that I want it to, Tyrion will be the only Lannister left standing (unless Jamie starts being less of a jerkface), and he'll land on his feet ... possibly in charge of Casterly Rock. Wouldn't that be complexly awesome? The one person that the rest of the family tortured and wrote off as being worthless, and he's the one that ends up in charge of everything. Truth be told, the whole family would probably do a whole lot better if Tyrion were in charge (with a lot less enemies, and at least a few more friends ... ones that were actually friends and not just people that were afraid of them).

Prince Oberyn ... I can't even describe how happy I am with the introduction of the Martells into the story. I love the whole thing with the Martells in the books, and I'm really looking forward to being able to see that stuff on screen.

Speaking of Prince Oberyn, I saw this write up of the episode and the possibility of there being a hint about Jon Snow's parentage. That would be amazing if that was what they were pointing us toward, and not just a bunch of fans wanting to see something that wasn't really there.

'Our Betrayal Part 1' -- Ripper Street 2x07

Warning: Spoiler Alert

I knew it!! I knew that there was something going on with Flight!! The way that the writers started off that episode that centered around him with him in confession saying about how he needed to be forgiven for lying. That whole thing seemed far too hinky to me (even though it only lasted for a 30 seconds or so). And now we know for sure that he is doing something that he feels all kinds of guilty about.

I really want him to go to Reid (before Reid figures everything out) and let him know what's been going on. It's not just that it would makes things a million times easier on him when this whole thing comes out, but it will also make things tons easier on him when everything starts to blow over. I kind of have the feeling that he probably will at least start to say something before Reid finds out, only cuz he does seem like he's a decent person in hi core, and everything that's been happening with Shine has probably been eating away at him (and I still do believe that he is a good person at his core ... a good person who was caught in a bad situation and tried to do the best that he could cuz of it).

The guy playing Daniel Judge (Jackson's brother), this is the third show that I watch that he's been a part of in the past couple of years, and it's starting to freak me out. And he played someone named Daniel on another of them as well. At this point, I'm kind of surprised that I haven't seen him on "Criminal Minds," since they tend to have all manner of people as guest stars that have been part of other fandoms that I have been a part of. But he started off as a Daniel on "Suits," then, he was on "Grimm," and now he's been on "Ripper Street." I almost have the feeling that this is probably not the last time that I'm going to see him within my fandoms.

As much as I want Susan and Jackson to get back together (cuz I like the two of them together), I have the feeling that they're probably done for. As much as they love each other (or have loved each other in the past), they really don't work together. Their relationship (at its core) seems to have been based almost exclusively on sex, and it doesn't seem that something like that is going to last forever ... unless they are able to find some other common ground and trust with each other; but the way that things are now, I don't see Susan trusting Jackson again, no matter how much either of them might like for her to be able to.

Rose saying that she has never been with anyone that she's ever loved ... I don't really believe that. I think that she does love Drake ... maybe not the way that he may have wanted her to in the past (or the way that he probably still wants her to now), I do think that she cares deeply about him. And I'll admit to still wanting the two of them to be together (and not just cuz I want at least one of the boys to have a love life that works out ... or that having the one that works out be Drake's makes me all the more happy at the idea).

Finally with getting back to Shine. There has been too many episodes where Shine hasn't been involved, when they set him up in the beginning as the one that Reid really needs to look out for. And I'll admit that I am wanting the fight that happens between the two of them to be something kind of epic (or as epic as anything that is going to come out of a period drama).

'Synchronicity' -- Grimm 3x17

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Can we get some more backstory regarding Nick, Nick's mom, and Aunt Marie? This little bit that we got with this episode was fantastic (they didn't really cover new ground, but it was at least nice to see some of the stuff that we already knew had happened come to life), and I would adore being able to get some more. It would, in fact, make me all happy inside of that place where I should have feelings.

I also want to know how they suddenly know that Renard is the baby's father? The first thing that we heard about the possible paternity of the baby was that Adalind wasn't sure whether it was Sean or Eric. Then, suddenly, Renard is super sure that it was him that was the baby's father. And now, Adalind is introducing Renard to the baby as her father. I mean, I get that she may be manipulating him, cuz he's the only one that's around right now for her to be able to manipulate (which may be exactly what's going on), but I still want to know what it was that made him so sure in the first place, and what would make her so sure as well (if she isn't just trying to use him for all he's worth). There has to be some sort of hexenbiest spell that could be used that would allow her to figure out which it was. I can't imagine that he would have been able to do it, himself, without a bit of the baby's blood (or something along those lines) ... not that we've been given any kind of clue as to the fact that he might have been able to cast spells and the like. For all we have been able to see, he's just a regular guy ... aside from the fact that he's half a Zauberbiest ... and we haven't been show anything that would make it appear that his mother might have taught him the craft at all (or that he would have even have been able to, seeing as how he's half human).

I almost get the feeling that the reason why Eric has been dropped from the show without us ever seeing his body (or being given any real proof as to the fact that he might, or might not, be dead), and the reason why Renard is now slotted as being the baby's father is that there may have been a contract dispute with the actor who was playing Eric. Maybe he wanted more money, or something, and the peoples involved with the show weren't willing to give it to him, and they let him go. It would make sense as to why he has suddenly left the show, and the rumors of his demise have not set as well with me as they might have. I think this is how I'm going to handwave the whole thing with him, since it will help my brain from exploding when it comes to him.

Finally, an explanation as to how Wesen are able to figure out that Nick's a Grimm. It was seriously driving me a bit crazy that we never knew how they knew what he was, and that he never bothered to ask the two people that he could have gotten the answer from. It really should not have taken him that long to ask them about it. Maybe the writers hadn't figured it out yet, but ... damn. It would have been nice if we had been given this little bit of information quite a bit sooner; that way, I wouldn't have had to've been mulling it over inside of my brainpan for the past two seasons or so (and being driven crazy by just how it is that they would have been able to know what Nick was).

But Monroe and Rosalee's idea for how the Wesen would be able to not figure out what Nick was ... that felt a little bit contrived and cheap. I wish that they would have been able to come up with a better idea than that ... one that didn't seem like they pieced it together at the last minute when they realized that they had kind of painted themselves into a corner.

'Know When to Fold 'Em' -- Suits 3x15

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Oh, boys. Why can't they just tell each other what they are actually thinking and feeling? It would make things so much easier for both of them ... and would make things a billion times easier on Donna (since it would mean that she wouldn't get yelled at every time that she had to go in and explain things to them). The two of them just need to tell each other that they completely love each other, and get it over with (cuz we all know that it's true. The two of them have a legit bromance going on over there).

On one level, I'm really glad that Mike decided that he wasn't going to leave the firm, since he and Harvey need to never, ever break up (and without Mike working as a lawyer, there isn't much of a show); but the fact that he did exactly what Harvey had been telling him all of this time that he shouldn't be doing, I can't see that anything good is going to come from it. But I have the feeling that the preview for the finale is going to turn out kind of like the preview for "Heartburn," where they're trying to make us think that one thing is going on, but when the episode actually premiers, we'll find out that something else entirely happened. The preview makes it look like we're supposed to believe that Mike has finally been caught (probably from going in and making it look like he passed the bar), but I have a feeling that it's going to end up being something else entirely. Of course, it's going to be something that Harvey was also involved with and privy to, but I really don't think that it's going to be what they want us to think that it is.

As much as they've kind of been dancing around having Harvey tell Scotty what's been going on with Mike (like they did with Mike and Rachel), I really don't want him to tell her. It's not just that I don't trust her not to say something to the wrong person (out of her own self interest), or that this exactly the same as when Harvey kept telling Mike not to tell Rachel about what had been going on, I still really think that the less people that know about what's been going on, the better. And the fact of the matter is that, there are enough people that know about the truth right now (and all of them are people that could feasibly do something if someone else finds out who is outside of their circle ... baring the federal government finding out).

I kind of didn't hate Luis' associate in this episode (even though I tend to lean toward hating her in most of the episodes that she's appeared in). Gotta respect the loyalty that was going on with what she tried to do ... and the fact that she was able to swallow her dislike of Rachel enough to try to get Rachel's help for what was going on. I think this may be the only time that I say that I don't want her to be sacked (since she was working out of the right place).

'Unforgiven' -- Vikings 2x06

Warning: Spoiler Alert

How can I not love Floki? I mean, really. His reaction to Siggy asking him if he could keep a secret ... perfection. I must give a most enthusiastic golf clap for his no, and mostly cuz of the way that it made me giggle like a mad thing once it was said.

Look at our little Bjorn, all grown up and mackin' on girls. I get the feeling that the chick that he's mackin' on has the makings to be a most triumphant shield maiden ... once she had the proper training for such a thing. But then, I'm not really surprised that he would be attracted to someone who had the capability of kicking so much ass; after all, his mother kicks all manner of ass (and looks completely fierce while doing it).

Speaking of Lagertha kicking ass ... oh, how I loved the fact that she stabbed her husband in the eye, and then, pretty much dared anyone else to try something with her. She has had pretty much exactly enough of every bit of their crap, and that is no lie. I was kind of surprised that she got some help from random guy, especially after what happened to her the night before. Either that guy hadn't been a part of the raiding party that sacked her badassery, or he decided that he was going to back a different horse (cuz the winds of change were gusting like a mofo). I almost have the feeling that now that her douche of a husband is dead, she is going to be the one who is left in charge of the place. This may not be the way that things are normally done, but I get the feeling that she may have more support in that place than we have been previously been led to realize, and the fact that she took at least one, small step to stop the abuse that he was heaping upon her, she may gain some more (respect and) support from the others. Then, if she is put in charge (as the new Jarl ... or whatever title that she gets), she will be brining a portion of the fighting men back to Ragnar to help him with the tiff that he's been having with Ecbert.

And now, speaking of Ecbert ... I really, sincerely don't trust him. I think that he's understood just how to maximize the manipulation of Athelstan, and our boy Athelstan doesn't see what is happening right in front of his face. But then, why would he? Homeboy is still a bit of an innocent (despite all that he has seen). Ecbert is certainly up with something with him, and I think it's more than just having someone around who will make all sorts of extra copies of the old Roman texts, and who will become his super secret knower of secret Roman Pagan things ... I'm just not sure exactly what it is just yet ... except that maybe Ecbert is wanting to get more information about how to defeat Ragnar, and thinks that Athelstan may be the best way to do that ... even if that seems like far too easy of a reason for him to be doing the things that he's doing.

And I don't like the way that Floki was talking smack about Athelstan. I know that he never really trusted him, but still ... I like them both, and I want them to at least be non-douchie to each other, even if they can't be friends. But when Horik started saying how Athelstan was a worthless person, I wanted Ragnar to reach across the table and smack him across the face like Ragnar was Tyrion Lannister and Horik was Joffrey. But I suppose that for now, I can accept Ragnar using Rollo to do a double-cross, making Horik think that he was completely on board with Horik's idea, killing all of Borg's men, and then, having his dudes beat the hell out of Borg (before telling Borg that he was going to perform the blood eagle on him). And really, I can't understand by Jarl Borg didn't get the least bit suspicious when Raganar offered dude's barn for his guys to sleep in ... there were all kinds of winks and nudges between Ragnar and his dude about "letting them sleep" inside the barn. And really, I can't say that I will be sad to see Jarl Borg go. ::waves bye to Borg::