Louden Swain performed this past Saturday, January 19, in Seattle at Chop Suey. The band performed, playing some fan favorites including “Here Come the Snakes” – which was remixed and released last week. You can purchase the song on ITunes and Amazon, and can be streamed on Spotify.
We had three staff members there, including our Staff Photographers Illy (@superinspired67) and Liz Larson (@LizNLarsonPhoto), who captured some amazing photos of the show.
See their work below!
Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming are the only constant writing duo on Supernatural. They wrote their first episode together all the way back in season one, and in season fourteen, they passed the huge milestone of thirty episodes written. Only Bobo Berens and Andrew Dabb have more writing credits than they have, which of course, makes choosing three of their episodes to focus on here incredibly difficult.
After browsing through their writing credits, the one thing that jumps out immediately is that Buckner and Ross-Leming are instrumental in moving the plot along. In every season from nine to fourteen, there has been a significant storyline shift written by them. Some examples include “I’m No Angel,” where human Castiel is kicked out of the bunker, “Soul Survivor” where Dean is given the demon cure, “O Brother Where Art Thou” where it’s revealed Sam’s visions are from Lucifer and not God, “LOTUS” where Team Free Will is taken into custody from the Secret Service, “War of The Worlds” where Sam and Dean learn that Arthur Ketch is alive after all, and in “Gods and Monsters” where Nick’s evil side is exposed for the first time.
Those are all huge episodes, so it begs the question, what are our favorite moments? Let’s take a look back.
Season 8, Episode 7 – “A Little Slice of Kevin”
This was a monumental episode not only for the season, but for the show as a whole, as this is the episode Misha Collins makes his return as Castiel after Dean failed to save him from Purgatory. There are several flashbacks to Dean’s memories, ultimately leading to Castiel having to reveal that what Dean thought happened (him not being strong enough to pull Castiel out of Purgatory) wasn’t the truth. Castiel of course, chose to stay behind in Purgatory to pay penance for everything he did as Leviathan!Cas, and though he doesn’t remember how he came back, the end of the episode introduces the fact that angels rescued him from Purgatory so that he could report back on Sam and Dean’s activities.
One of the reasons I enjoyed this episode so much was because it was one of the first times we really saw Dean put words to how much Castiel’s friendship means to him. He was adamant that he didn’t leave Castiel behind in Purgatory, so much so that he actually created a false memory of what happened because it was too traumatic for him to remember that Castiel chose to stay behind. The conversations between Dean and Castiel in this episode are some of the deepest we’ve seen them have. From Dean telling Castiel that he doesn’t need to feel like hell for leaving him behind and for failing him, “like he failed every other godforsaken thing he cares about,” to Castiel telling him, “You can’t save everyone, my friend. Though you try.” The dialogue was phenomenal and this episode remains one of my all-time favorites.
Season 11, Episode 18 – “Hell’s Angel”
In this episode, Castiel is possessed by Lucifer. Crowley finds the Horn of Joshua and brings it to Sam and Dean with the intention of using it and Lucifer to take on Amara. Dean says he wants Lucifer out of Castiel’s body first, and though Sam questions him, reminding him it was Castiel’s choice to let Lucifer in to vanquish Amara, Dean and Crowley stand firm and it’s decided they need to contact Rowena in order to do the exorcism. They set up an angel trap, including sigils and a ring of holy fire, and do a summoning spell on Lucifer. After a brief conversation with Castiel, they lose him again and Crowley smokes out of his vessel to enter Castiel. He finds him lazily watching television in the bunker and tries to convince him to push Lucifer out, but Castiel maintains he’s their best shot at defeating Amara.
I enjoyed this episode mainly because of this interaction. There’s no denying that Misha Collins was outstanding at depicting Mark Pellegrino‘s version of Lucifer, but what was really interesting to me was getting a glimpse of everybody working together. My favorite scenes in Supernatural are ensemble scenes, and here, we got to see Sam, Dean, Castiel, Crowley, and Rowena all working together towards a common goal. In this episode, Bucker and Ross-Leming really prove that they have a clear understanding of each individual character but also the unique relationships between all of these very distinct characters. Sam and Dean, Dean and Cas, Dean and Crowley, Crowley and Castiel, Rowena and Crowley. They’re all very different dynamics that were highlighted succinctly in this episode because of Buckner and Ross-Leming.
Season 13, Episode 18 – “Bring ’em Back Alive”
“Bring ’em Back Alive” was one of the biggest episodes of season 13 for several reasons. Dean entered the Apocalypse World with Arthur Ketch as his sidekick in search of Mary, Sister Jo and Lucifer have it out and stop working together, Apocalypse version of Charlie Bradbury was revealed, Gabriel tells the story of where he’s been using Enochian writing on the walls, and ultimately uses his powers to incinerate Asmodeus.
This whole episode is further proof of what I said earlier: Buckner and Ross-Leming have been responsible for moving the story forwards in huge ways since they started writing for Supernatural. There were several jaw-dropping moments in this episode, but again, something that I really enjoyed was that all of the characters were written wonderfully. Castiel had his sassy comment about Dean working with Ketch, Sam was gentle and caring with Gabriel, Sister Jo up and left Lucifer after he started treating her badly, Dean opened up about how the loss of Charlie affected him, Ketch saved Dean’s life, and after Gabriel helped Sam and Castiel defeat Asmodeus, he did what Gabriel’s always done and takes off, only interested in taking care of numero uno.
It’s almost unfathomable that Buckner and Ross-Leming were able to work all of that into a single hour, but what’s even more impressive is that the episode didn’t feel rushed at all. Each individual huge moment had its time to shine before it moved onto the next seamlessly, and that in itself is a momentous feat.
For a full list of episodes written by Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming, you can check out their pages on IMBD. Buckner and Ross-Leming have already written for “Unhuman Nature” in season 14, and so far, they’re announced as the writers for episode 12, “Prophet and Loss” as well, so be prepared for more big moments from them coming up soon.
Stay tuned for the next in our series tomorrow, where we’ll be showcasing some of our favorite moments from Bobo Berens!
A touch of amnesia, a dash of an all-ruling library and a sprinkle of deathly monsters, and what do you get? Either some very odd tasting little cakes or, more likely, the upcoming season four of The Magicians. With season three ending on the biggest cliffhanger yet, this season has a lot of questions to answer. Rather than waiting for the actual premiere, Nerds and Beyond sat down with showrunner and executive producer Sera Gamble to try to get some answers ahead of time.
To find out more about Sera, check out Part One here, and without further ado, here is Storytelling with Sera Gamble, Part Three.
Nerds and Beyond: Season three ended with a huge bombshell. Where are we starting this season and, using your phrasing, just how f*cked will everyone be?
Sera Gamble: Everybody’s pretty f*cked. They don’t know who they are. You get to see a little bit of the lives that they’re leading now and because the spell is really thorough and comprehensive – it’s probably one of the best spells ever composed by Dean Fogg; they really are inhabiting these really full and specific lives. But the monster that is possessing Eliot really wants to find them and the only person who really knows what’s going on is Alice and she is very very in prison.
Another thing I can tell you – it doesn’t spoil too much but it’s a teaser, is that The Library… they’re not really built to be a government. They’re not built to be a police force. They’re a f*cking library, built to take care of books. But because they are in charge of magic now, they are kind of forced into a position where they have to expand their areas of responsibility, and that includes imprisoning Alice because she broke a deal. And that’s something they haven’t really had to do too much. So they have this converted area of the Library of the Neitherlands to house her and keep her out of trouble and keep her from doing magic. And there’s only one other person in that wing of the library and they have stuck him in the cell next door. He and Alice develop a relationship in the first episode of the season, and I’m excited for people to see it because it’s really fun and there are some unexpected things about why that gentleman is also in prison.
N&B: Is this someone we have met before?
SG: It might be someone you have met before in your life, it might be someone you have met before in other literature, but it is the first time you will meet him on The Magicians.
N&B: Speaking of Alice, Alice has had a bit of a rough go of it, and she kind of almost ruined everything in the finale. Now that the library has captured her, is she just chilling in the library for the rest of her life? What does season four have in store for Alice?
SG: She doesn’t want to be “chilling” in the library. She wants to save her friends. The thing about Alice is she tries to solve really complicated problems, sometimes problems that are too complicated. In my opinion, she’s not wrong about how dangerous magic can be. And it’s just with the solution that she came up with at the end of the season, she’s not surprised everybody kind of hates her right now. (laughs) But it always comes from a place of seeing the inner workings of things and feeling a great urgency about trying to make them better. She’s not evil. And she really didn’t do any of the things she did to hurt the people she loves. And she really doesn’t want them to die. So she’s in a good position for the writers in that her motivations and her desires are very strong and intense and she doesn’t have a lot to lose right now. You’ll see her taking really really dramatic action to try to get out of the library which is no easy task.
N&B: How exactly will this amnesia/new personality magic work? Are our heroes’ personalities in there and just pushed down? Are they in a bottle somewhere in The Library?
SG: Well, you’ll find out more about the specifics and the mechanics of the spell, but what’s interesting is that there’s something that is fundamental about Margo’s personality. We talked about this for a long time in the writers’ room. We talked about whether we needed for them to behave completely differently or if there was a sort of beating heart to each of our characters that sort of superseded the specifics of the identity they’ve been wearing for the last, say, 24 years. Where we landed was there are things about Margo’s personality that are more fundamental to her DNA than the specifics of Margo’s backstory. So Margo and Janet have certain things in common. The heart and soul of Margo Hanson will come out no matter what kind of spell you put on her. I think the characters that you see, the identities that they’re wearing, are very different, but also they have certain echoes of the people you knew and loved before.
N&B: So, our eight protagonists are either locked up or possessed or memory wiped – they’re not doing so well. But, there are some other players in the mix such as our Penny, Marina 23, Poppy, Fen, Margo’s mysterious fairy eye, etc. How will these characters or aspects fit into the season four story?
SG: Everything you just put in that list does figure into season four. Fen, last she heard [Margo and Eliot] were going off to save magic. And then magic to some extent returned, ambient magic is lower than it was because it’s being controlled by The Library, but all she knows is there’s magic in Fillory, but the people she cares about never came back. So Fen and the other characters we know in Fillory have been left to take care of Fillory on their own and they have no reason to expect that anyone will ever come back to help them. So that’s where we start the season for Fen. She has an arc this season that is about stepping into her particular kind of power, and she starts to make decisions from new perspectives. She was raised in a super traditional way in that she, from a very young age, was raised to be a wife and to be the wife of a powerful man. Over time we’ve seen her evolve and she does that a lot more this season. And then as for Marina 23, she’s alive and kicking, she’s in our timeline, and you will see her again. And Penny being in the Underworld, it’s too tempting, we just want to see what he’s doing now, so there’s a point in the season where we might see what’s going on with him now.
N&B: The Magicians certainly does not shy away from romance, and season three saw all sorts of pairings kind of all over the place, perhaps most notably Eliot and Quentin in “A Life in the Day.” Both with these new identities and hopefully, eventually, when they are themselves again, can we expect more romance this season?
SG: I mean, it’s a bunch of twenty-something Magicians constantly in life or death situations. They have to relieve the stress somehow. So, you’ll see. There’s some banging, and there’s some feelings. Both of those things happen, not always in conjunction, but sometimes. One of the real blessings of getting to be a part of a show that goes on for a long time is you earn these twists and turns in character relationships. One character that pops immediately to mind for me is Julia because her arc for the first couple seasons was very dark and very very lonely. And now we’ve had the opportunity because the show keeps getting picked up, thank you, to say “and then what happens next.” We have the opportunity not just to tell a story about this immense trauma that happened to this woman, but now she has a little bit of distance from it. It’s still very much a part of how she functions in the world, something like that never really goes away, but it still evolves over time. We take the character of Julia to new places and she gets to spend time with those characters in new ways.
N&B: What is one sentence that will make no sense now but once season four airs it will reveal itself to be a major spoiler?
SG: You may have to use the tools of the horomancer to stop a horomancer.
Also – another thing I can tell you that might sound a little less technical is we’ve got a lot of timelines, we also have spaces between timelines in season four, and you never know who you might encounter in the space between timelines.
N&B: It’s kind of like on Supernatural – no one is ever really dead for that long.
SG: I mean we do these conversations where we want some deaths to really stick because we don’t want to lose the stakes of life and death. But an interesting thing on a show where you’ve got gods and immortal characters, characters that might even evolve into gods like Julia did, is it becomes so important to protect things that are essentially human because the purpose of making the show is to deep dive into this human stuff. It’s not – I mean listen, we love a dragon. We love doing the dragons, but the dragons are not the point of the show, the people are the point of the show, and so we go to great lengths to protect just the stakes of being human and alive in the way that our main characters are.
Thank you to Sera Gamble for speaking with us about The Magicians. Season four premieres on Wednesday, January 23, at 9/8c on SYFY.
This truly is the golden age of television. Between network TV, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and more, there’s never been a more diverse and rich offering of stories being told. But oftentimes, when we take a moment to honor some of these great shows, we forget to praise the real heroes of these stories – the writers. Nerds and Beyond has put together a series to showcase some of the best in the business – the writers of Supernatural. This group has taken Team Free Will through some amazing character arcs over the years, all with paying enormous respect to the fourteen years of mythology building. It’s quite an undertaking, but these folks make it look easy!
Today we’re celebrating Steve Yockey. Since he joined the Supernatural writers in 2016, he’s responsible for penning some of the best episodes of the last few seasons. Indeed, when I sat down to decide which few to showcase, it was really difficult to make a decision. Each of the eight episodes he’s written (to date) all have two things in common. First of all, they take existing female characters in the Supernatural universe (such as Mary, Jody, Billie, Rowena and Charlie) and give them even more dimension. In a show that has at times been criticized for lacking in female representation, this was a pretty critical addition to the last few seasons. And secondly, each episode features a different pain point for the Winchesters, something essential for growth. Whether it was Dean breaking down to Sam about his current emotional state after losing his mother and Cas, or Sam breaking down to Rowena the trauma he felt post Lucifer possession, these were the brutally honest sides to our boys we’ve been waiting years to see.
Lets dive into a few of Yockey’s great episodes!
Season 12 Episode 6 – Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox
I remember when I watched this episode live, I was so impressed with its nuance and complexity. When reviewing Yockey’s episodes for this piece, I was floored to realize this was his first episode! Talk about kicking the door in on your first try. This episode centers around the death of Asa Fox, a man who became a hunter after Mary Winchester saved him at a young age. Dean and Sam end up accompanying Jody to his funeral, and for once we see the Winchesters interacting with other hunters without being overly suspicious or watching their backs. They even seem to get along with all of them as the evening progresses. As a side note here, each of these side characters is really fleshed out, but none more so than the Banes Twins, Alicia and Max, which are showcased in further depth later in the season in Yockey’s “Twigs and Twine and Tasha Banes.” These two are deliciously complex, being that they’re not only good witches, but we see some LGBT representation with the sultry Max Banes.
While there are many powerful moments in this episode, the one that struck me the most was when Mary arrived at the funeral. The last time the brothers had seen her was when she left abruptly a few episodes earlier, really needing space (and to figure out where she fit into the world decades after her death) but leaving a gaping hole with the brothers in her wake.
Sam and Dean respond pretty standard – Dean is hurt and angry, while Sam attempts to ensure everyone is getting along. Jody is overjoyed to meet Mary, but quickly picks on the animosity between the three. She leaves them to talk, but meets Dean at the door when he’s trying to go outside for some air. Here is where Yockey’s writing stood out beautifully for me – Jody can relate to Dean so much in this moment. She’s lost her husband and child, she knows that pain and she would do anything to get them back. But within her also is that fear that even if she did, would it be the same? Would they love the person she is now, post all that trauma? And that’s the kicker for Dean – he isn’t mad that his mother left. He’s worried she won’t really love the person he became. Man, that’s deep. It’s just impressive to understand those characters on such a deep level right out of the gate.
Season 13, Episode 5 – Advanced Thanatology
While most of Yockey’s episodes revolve around one of the wonderful characters in the Supernatural extended universe, I also wanted to highlight the one that really didn’t. Of his episodes, “Advanced Thanatology” was as close to “Monster of the Week with Sam and Dean” format as you can get. This episode centers around a ghost, Dr. Meadows, who tortured and lobotomized his patients. Of course some young kids get caught up in it and start to go missing, so despite the fact that Sam and Dean are still reeling from the loss of Cas and Mary (and dealing with a baby Nephilim), Sam insists they go on a hunt.
The bulk of the episode focuses on how disconnected to the rest of the world Dean feels. Sam practically falls all over himself to ensure that Dean is having a good time, from letting Dean have the preferred agent name, to suggesting that they go to a strip club (and checking Yelp for the best one) to sneaking him some booze for some hair-of-the-dog for Dean’s hangover the next day. There are two parts to this that really spoke to me. First of all, that so much of what Sam was providing for Dean really spoke to how well Yockey had researched Dean’s character. Sam was attempting to provide things to Dean that used to cheer him up. Had this been the Dean from season four, some of these tricks might have worked. Secondly, that none of what Sam tried did work, because Dean is a different man. There’s a part of Dean that thought getting older meant that these losses would hurt less, when in effect, they’ve eaten away at him more and more. And it’s evident throughout the episode, the loss of his family has made him reckless, even to the point of taking a very stupid risk to help the trapped souls in the hospital.
But the most telling moment is afterward. So much of Dean and Sam’s story lines in the past have been driven by their lack of communication. At this point in their character development, it just doesn’t make sense to do that anymore. Dean confesses to Sam just how depressed he is, and that while he appreciates Sam’s efforts, no amount of bullets, bacon, and booze is going to pull him from this deep spot. This is a vulnerable side from Dean rarely seen, and Yockey writes it and Sam’s reaction, with such perfect respect to the core of their characters.
Season 13, Episode 12 – Various and Sundry Villains
I’ll admit that it was incredibly hard to choose between “Funeralia” and “Various and Sundry Villains,” because both in my opinion showcase some of the best moments we’ve ever seen from Rowena. Ultimately, I think “Various and Sundry Villains” also crafted a clever cautionary tale that’s a bit too tongue-in-cheek to pass over.
This episode features a pair of murderous siblings. No, not our dear Winchester brothers, but a pair of witch sisters, who use love spells and blunt objects to assist them in their ultimate goal – acquiring the Grimore and using it to bring back their deceased mother. Premise sound a bit familiar? It should. These two sisters throughout the episode demonstrate an unhealthy attachment to one another, something that has been a common critique for many years of the Winchester brothers. Ultimately what makes this episode so great is that is shows the stark contrast of these sisters’ relationship with Sam and Dean’s. Have there been many years that Sam and Dean have quite literally murdered their way to saving each other? Absolutely. But as their circle of family has grown, so has their character development. They have a deeper trust and respect for one another now more than ever, as well as a grander world view. These sisters, unfortunately, do not, and it leads to their downfall.
But perhaps the most striking moment of the episode is in the Impala with Sam and Rowena. She’s fresh from her resurrection after she’d been horribly murdered by Lucifer, and she’s trying to locate the Grimore to use magic to ensure she’s strong enough if she ever has to face him again. Alone with Sam, she breaks down and confesses how the trauma of her death haunts her – especially the knowledge of seeing Lucifer’s true face. Only, Sam’s seen it too. He’s probably one of the only people alive who can relate to her, and in this moment they find this beautiful kinship in shared trauma that is so rarely seen in Supernatural. While the show often deals with the trauma of whatever horrific event happened to a Winchester in the few episodes afterward, they often neglect the fact that the breadth of events would really take a toll on these boys. It was a fantastic treat (in a morbid sort of way) for the longtime viewers of the series, who remember how hard that time was for Sam. Plus, this scene added a completely new dimension to Rowena, who in the past has hid her vulnerable side, now shows it to Sam in a potentially dangerous move. It was brilliant!
I only hit the surface of some of the best parts of Yockey’s episodes, because I could write a dissertation on what a wonderful job he’s done with our favorite universe. What are your favorite Yockey moments? Let us know in the comments below!
Stay tuned for the next in our series tomorrow, where we’ll be showcasing some of our favorite moments from Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Lemming!
If you missed last weeks recap, catch up here.
We begin the episode with Raymond getting fingerprinted and changing to his prison uniform, getting his mugshot taken, and walking inside the jail, seemingly to scope out the place. The other prisoners look at him as he walks tall into the prison. The guard takes him to his cell and leaves him. Red lays in his cell and rats begin to screech.
Red sits down for lunch with a young teen and introduces himself. The teen knows of him and that he is being charged for treason “and like 200 murders.” The teen introduces himself as Vontae Jones. The teen seems curious and asks Reddington about where they are keeping him, a place called the Bunker. Jones explains, as the Warden walks in, that the Bunker is where he keeps the troublemakers. Vontae gives Reddington the run down on where to get smokes, and other such things, from the other prisoners.
Prison is off to a swell start, in case you were wondering. #TheBlacklist pic.twitter.com/3LWfT3Qyfy
— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) January 19, 2019
Soon, we meet Teflon Con, a prisoner awaiting trial for knocking over a Brinks truck and killing two guards. He walks over to Jones’ tray, knocks over the top piece of bread, and eats the meat underneath. Teflon Con says that having him around would be a good thing, and they can settle some things. Reddington, not pleased, sticks up for Jones as he tells the prisoner “that’s not your lunch meat.” Teflon walks away and Reddington walks over to confront him once more. He says that Jones is just a kid and he should cut him some slack. Teflon says Reddington has nothing in prison but his mouth, he has no muscle or weapons. Making threats, Reddington says that if he even looks in Vontae’s direction again, “you’re gonna end up with your teeth sticking out the back of your head and sipping your dinner through a bendy straw.” Ouch. Teflon makes no hesitation when he grabs Reddington and starts throwing punches. The Warden stops the fight and introduces himself to Reddington.
Liz visits Reddington and is worried. She asks who beat him up and Reddington replies that it was an old acquaintance. He says that it is no one fault not even her’s, and he welcomes “the vim and vigor of prison life.” Liz wants to get Reddington out of general population by talking to the Warden but he disagrees. She suggests protective custody, but Raymond again disagrees. He says that he needs to be treated like a criminal, and any interference of the Task Force could jeopardize the case. Not only that, Raymond still has to show the judge he can be an asset. He gives Liz a case, Rod and Delaine Uhlman, the next ones up on the blacklist.
Liz gives the Task Force the rundown on the new blacklisters. They run a pawn shop but front cash for “high value, ill-gotten gains.” If the criminals leave the collateral, they will sell it. As we listen to the Task Force we see Rod and Delaine Uhlman helping a young man asking about the first edition of Treasure Island. Delaine escorts the man to the back of the store. Liz is shown and continues on about their rap sheet. We go back to the pawn shop where the man unwraps something from a towel and presents it to the Uhlman’s. Samar asks if Reddington hopes this will help him. Ressler thinks that Reddington is paying off the judge, but Liz is quick to comment that he has been hurt. Changing the subject, Cooper orders Liz and Ressler to the store and says that information from their clients need to be investigated.
Liz and Ressler are seen parked at the front of the store, taking pictures of each customer to send to Aram for him to check out. Ressler and Liz talk about how she is worried about Reddington and how he looked weak compared to his everyday attitude. Suddenly, Liz gets a call from her sister, Jennifer, saying that her friend might have got them some decrypted files on Reddington from the plastic surgeon. She wants Liz to be there but Liz is in the middle of a case. She tells Jennifer she will try and make it.
Ressler gets Liz’s attention and she goes back to the case. Aram found an ID of a customer from earlier at the pawn shop with a red backpack named Tom Hardekopf. He is a graduate of MIT and has ties to the NSA. Liz lies and tells Ressler that the Warden from Colton called to meet with her so she cannot accompany Ressler on investigating Tom. A woman introduces Tom to a group of gentlemen sitting around a poker table and has him take a seat. As he sits he smiles and says, “let’s make some money.”
Back at the prison, Vontae warns Reddington that Teflon Con and his guys are going to try and finish what they started. Vontae wants to get Reddington a weapon or something to defend himself with. Raymond is not even slightly unnerved by the fact that the day after tomorrow someone is going to try and kill him, and brushes it off as he returns to his task. Vontae says he is going to help Reddington find a pen. Before Vontae leaves Reddington requests he find out who is playing the music heard in the jail because he would like to either buy it or borrow it.
Back at the Task Force, Cooper introduces Ressler and Navabi to Sophia Quayle who works with the NSA as a code breaker. She says that Tom was working on an algorithm to help “decrypt Chinese diplomatic cables,” that is believed to be operational. It could reveal which Americans have been turned by the Chinese and what intel they provided the other side. Unfortunately, the device seems to be in the hands of the Uhlman’s. Samar tries to reassure her that the codes are safe for now as the clients have 30 days to get their property back after that they sell it. Quayle says that if word gets out the Chinese will change their encryption and the NSA will have to start all over. Not only that, but the NSA looked through Hardekopf’s desk and discovered a missing hard drive. The poker game continues and Tom thinks that he has won, but ends up walking away disappointed.
At Liz’s apartment, Jennifer and Liz are talking to the friend who was trying to decrypt information on Reddington’s plastic surgery file, but he was unsuccessful. Liz tells him to leave and Jennifer begins to go erratic at the fact that they cannot find a connection. “He won.” Liz says that although they did not find anything, without all of these turn of events they never would have found each other. It’s not enough for Jennifer but Liz tells her that it has to be. They cannot let this control their life.
Vontae returns with a pen and meat for Reddington. Vontae tells Reddington that he went through a lot of trouble for those items but Reddington seems unfazed. Raymond is trying to get a rat out of the cell and seems preoccupied. He offers Vontae some advice saying that “fear is a liar,” and that it “activates the enemy.” He tells Vontae that their is nothing they can do right now.
We see Tom ask for the hard drive back. The Uhlman’s are happy to give it back as long as he can provide the loan back plus interest. Unfortunately, Tom does not have the money and the reason he gave the drive up in the first place was to pay back a gambling debt. Delaine says that he has 30 days to repay. Tom says that he just needs the drive back and he will find a way to get the money. Rod asks Tom if he switched cars like he asked. Tom says they were not followed and that they are going to reach a new agreement. Delaine agrees and shoots Tom point blank in the stomach. They burn the body in a car with Samar and Ressler on the scene. With Tom alive they had time to retrieve the intel, but now that he’s dead they lost that chance.
Red finally retrieves the rat and says that he has a lot of work to do. A plan of escape perhaps?
Well, some plans are more fleshed out than others. #TheBlacklist pic.twitter.com/vHq05ltDqr
— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) January 19, 2019
Reddington sits down with Baldomero (Teflon Con) and tells him that he heard about their plan. Red wants to settle it. Red tells him where he might be when he gets out but Baldomero says that he will be out toasting his grave. Red talks with the man with the record collection who says that he also has a knife to cut him like a pumpkin. “Jack-O’-Lantern,” Reddington corrects him. Reddington is back to talking about Baldomero and says that was happened between them before was a mistake. Reddington speaks in his own defense, saying the room was dark and that Baldomero’s mother and he were very drunk, and that is why he did not know who she was. Baldomero says that he paid off the guards to have 20 minutes alone with Reddington to finish him and Vontae off. Before Red leaves, he tells Baldomero that when he gets out, within 24 hours he will have a blade in his stomach and gurgling Red’s name. Red assures Vontae that a plan is in progress.
Qualye is at the Task Force telling Cooper to find the drive before they arrest the pawnbrokers. Aram saves the day by telling them that he hacked into their camera. They pull up the feed and find that 10 minutes earlier a Chinese operative met with Rod Uhlman. They assume that the intel has already been revealed, but Ressler thinks that the pawnbrokers would be smart and keep the intel. They could tease the Chinese with it and bump up the price, but if no one grabs it before then it is still safe. Aram catches on and says that they need to buy it first.
Trust that Red always has a plan. #TheBlacklist pic.twitter.com/YBInliYsaU
— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) January 19, 2019
Reddington is seen writing a letter as Vontae appears displeased. Reddington goes on a tangent eventually revealing he is using the rat to send a message to the outside. They let the rat go hoping it will bring them some luck, but if not, “either way we’ll be dead by Friday.”
Samar is on sight and undercover as the Mossad. Quayle is worried that Samar might have divided loyalties, but Cooper assures her of her loyalty. Samar enters and tells Delaine that she would like to outbid the Chinese MSS that they spoke with earlier regarding a hard drive. Delaine says that she does not know what she is talking about until Samar reminds her of all their past deals. Delaine asks for her name and closes down the shop. Samar wears no wire in case she is searched and the team begins to worry. Aram stands up for Samar against the idea of her “divided loyalties.” Delaine opens up the Treasure Island book and puts her fingerprints in the system. Uhlman says that the Chinese offered two million so Samar offers four million.
At the prison, the pest control agent on the outskirts of the walls finds a rat in a cage that he set. It is Reddington’s rat with a note saying that if he called the number on the paper, he would get $10,000.
Delaine is on the phone with her husband, Rod, and tells him about the change of plans. She tells him to grab pledge and meet her at the place. Samar asks where they are going and Delaine tells her that they take precautions due to the risks of their business. Liz asks Aram if he sees any movement and he tells her that it looks like she was taken to a back room. Samar and Delaine get in the car and chat on the way to the meeting place. Aram informs the Task Force that Samar is on the move and they went out a different exit. Ressler and Keen are on the move toward Samar.
Dembe is seen giving the exterminator money. He assures the exterminator that he did nothing wrong and that he should finish his work since there are cameras around. Dembe gets the rat out of the cage and sends a note back to Reddington.
Samar wants to help, but is she able to? #TheBlacklist pic.twitter.com/300xPcQcPu
— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) January 19, 2019
Samar and Delaine pull into a parking garage. Keen and Ressler arrive at the scene as Rod pulls out the briefcase. Delaine asks for money first and gives her the phone to wire transfer it. Keen has the SWAT team with her as Ressler is alone. Samar hands the phone back as Delaine checks it and gives the nod to Rod. Samar is handed the briefcase when Ressler calls for breach. The FBI run in until a van starts firing, shooting Delaine. Samar runs and hides with Rod as the FBI and unmarked vans continue firing. A Chinese operative tries to run off with the case but is shot by Ressler. Unfortunately, another van takes the case and gets away. With all the commotion Navabi cannot dial 911 to help Delaine due to her memory loss. Red receives the note from Dembe in prison and asks what he can do.
Liz and Samar are seen discussing the events that just occurred. Samar says that according to Rod, the Chinese did not know what was on the drive. Ressler walks up with information that they got an ID on an MSS agent on non-official cover. “All they have to do is get to the embassy.” An MSS agent is seen on the phone and arrives at the embassy. The gates open and suddenly Ressler and Navabi crash into them.
Cooper says that the team successfully got the MSS agents and the safe return of the drive. Cooper is still curious as to how the Chinese got the information about the drive, since the pawnbrokers and Samar did not spill. He informs her that he broke the deal and looked on the drive. Cooper says that his decryption algorithm was a success. It turns out that Quayle was one of the informants. She was the one to tell the Chinese and she is arrested.
Rod is sitting in an interrogation room as Ressler and Navabi discuss whether he will talk or not. He did give information on a warehouse where some illegal items were held. Ressler is waiting outside of the room to try and figure out how to tell him that his wife just died from her gunshot wounds. Samar looks through the window as Ressler breaks the news and Rod begins to sob.
Vontae approaches Red as they are all walking and Vontae says that he has been thinking about how all of this got started over his lunch meat. Red assures him it was long before their encounter that Baldomero and Red have had issues with one another. Vontae says that Reddington had his back when no one else did and that he will have Reddington’s back. Red and Vontae approach Baldomero and his crew. They ask for any last words and as the other prisoners gather around, Reddington reveals that Baldomero is awaiting trial for a crime he did not commit. He did not rob the armored car. Red reveals that Baldomero’s brother Tip and Ziggy Chapman stole the truck for Red. The boys then pawned off the truck. Baldomero wants to be in jail to hide from somebody on the outside named Anunzio Ross. Baldomero swiftly attacks Red with a shank, but Red dodges and pushes him into the other prisoners. He tries again, but Vontae trips him from behind. Red throws Baldomero’s shank across the fence. The guard shoots into the air to break up the fight and delivers the good news to Baldomero that his lawyer has arrived to talk about getting him out of prison as Red chuckles.
Liz visits Red and tells him that the only reason he gave her the pawnbrokers was because the warehouse where their illegal items were held would be proof that Baldomero did not commit the crime for which he was imprisoned. He says that he needed to stay alive long enough to get his freedom back. Liz says that a criminal now walks the street but he reminds her that, “life is often surprising. And death is even more so.”
All hail the king of the jungle. #TheBlacklist pic.twitter.com/Gsvke3N9fd
— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) January 19, 2019
Baldomero is seen at a club walking into the restroom as friends congratulate him on his return. Suddenly, an unfamiliar man confronts Baldomero. The man takes out a knife and stabs Baldomero several times and says, “Anunzio Ross says hello.” Dembe receives a call that says to thank Red and that Ross and Baldomero are square. Red is seemingly the new king in town, and walks into the prison with his head held high with Vontae not far behind him. Samar is seen looking up her condition of why she is having trouble recently. Vega, the man with the record player collection, has brought Reddington a gift. He invites him into his cell.
Liz and Jennifer talk about Reddington and says that her friend, Buck, tried finding more information on the file. They found the date that Raymond was admitted. Jennifer hands her a list of patients who might know something about that day. They show a picture of the man’s face and say that they are going to find him.
Cheers! Let's give a toast to the anticipation of #TheBlacklist in two weeks. pic.twitter.com/kgXz2q70BI
— The Blacklist (@NBCBlacklist) January 19, 2019
Vontae comes back with news that Baldomero’s cell is empty and nicer without him in it. Red says that he talked to a guard to move Vontae into another room and they toast with champagne saying, “To the small things in life.”
Here is the promo for the next episode of The Blacklist.
The Blacklist returns in two weeks on February 1st at 9 p.m. on NBC.
When the title showed up in my Netflix recommendations, I was expecting a documentary or reality show of sorts. I was not expecting a fictional show set in a British high school dealing with all of the important topics revolving around sex and gender.
Sex Education follows Otis, an awkward teenager played by Asa Butterfield, whose mother is a sex therapist, brilliantly played by Gillian Anderson. Although Otis has his own issues to deal with, he soon discovers that living in a house filled with books on sex, gender, and resolving issues in the bedroom has made him an expert in all things sex.
Together with the rebellious Maeve, played by Emma Mackey, he sets up a “sex clinic” in his high school where he helps students with their problems and gives them advice, while also figuring out his own feelings and issues.
Otis’ best friend Eric is a gay teen from a traditional family with African roots, played by Ncuti Gatawa, who not only brings humour, but also drama to the plot.
There is currently one season of Sex Education available on Netflix and I admittedly watched it in three days. At first, it was rather strange seeing an obviously British mass of students going into what I know as the cliché American high school from countless movies and TV shows. There are jocks in letterman jackets, no one is wearing a uniform, students are way more stylish than a 7 a.m. alarm makes possible and there is a school dance every two weeks.
But the show has so much more to offer than clichés. It deals with a variety of problems, questions, and stereotypes surrounding sex and gender, which are not only relevant to high school students. Although the approach to these things is often more playful or humorous, the resolve and advice is genuine and important.
To name one example, Eric’s role goes from the comic relief and some stereotypical “token gay friend” tropes to giving insight into living in a conservative, but later accepting family with traditional values. His plotline in the show is one of the more moving portrayals of gay teen life in the media.
Furthermore, the show also deals with subjects such as the taboo of female masturbation, struggling to identify feelings as romantic or platonic in a same-sex friendship, homophobia, and the importance of admitting what you want.
There are many reasons why I would recommend the show. It is a funny show, definitely. It is however also educational, even for people who claim to know a great deal about the subjects addressed in the show. For me, it was refreshing to see some of the things myself or friends had struggled with growing up being incorporated into a narrative in a humorous and genuine way. The fashion and vibes are definitely 90s/early 2000s-inspired, which helped me connect with the show, because that is more or less what school was like when I was a teenager. Moreover, the show displays ethnic diversity and generally has a gift when it comes to creating lovable and unique characters.
All in all, Sex Education is a delightful piece of television, made with love and attention to detail and definitely worth a click on your next aimless scrolling through Netflix.
Watch the trailer below:
Supernatural returned this week with a bang as Michael once again possessed Dean, and Team Free Will had to fight to get him back. Michael had Dean tucked neatly away inside a fantasy world in his mind, but luckily Sam and Castiel were able to break him free.
Now the question is, just how long can Dean be a cage for the archangel? Billie revealed that every version of Dean’s death has been rewritten, all ending with Michael regaining control of his body and ending the world. Every version except one, which Billie presented to Dean.
In next week’s promo, Dean is welding something as Sam and Mary worry over what he is planning. Next week will also see the return of Nick who was last seen hunting down anyone who had to do with the death of his family, and Donna Hanscum, the somewhat wayward sheriff/hunter.
For more on the latest episode, check out our recap. Supernatural airs on the CW on Thursdays at 8pm EST.
One of the things that continues to fascinate me about The Orville is how it straddles this perfect line between emulating Star Trek: The Next Generation and being some new kind of breed of sci-fi television. Nearly every episode I find myself repeating, “Wow, this is just like Trek!” And it’s such a wonderful homage, down to the doors whooshing, the camera angles, and the way they cut to commercial break with a musical crescendo. But they manage to balance all of that with creator Seth McFarland’s signature brand of humor and an incredible cast, and it somehow just works.
This week’s episode brought out a more serious side of the show. While somewhat light in its humorous moments, McFarland delivered the feels in “Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes.”
Spoilers ahead
The episode begins with two sets of googly eyes between Captain Mercer and their new cartographer Lieutenant Janel Tyler. They are absolutely adorable as they sit and watch The King and I, an old favorite of Mercer’s. (Side note here, but Mercer’s love of all things “old Earth” is very reminiscent of Star Trek TNG’s Captain Picard, who loved classic literature and music.) They discuss the possibility of going “public” with their relationship, and in the end Mercer decides to sleep on it, but he is very clearly infatuated and excited about the possibility.
The next day, he decides to go through with it, even going so far as to inform his ex-wife of his new relationship. She is not at all surprised (and is quite happy for him), and she agrees to take command of the ship while he uses some shore leave to go on a little vacation with Janel.
I’m really hopeful that this little interlude of happy between Mercer and Grayson continues for the foreseeable future – they’re such a great team, and it would be a really cool story line to see the two of them become good friends.
Mercer and Janel are just a few minutes into their romantic getaway when their shuttle comes under attack from Krill fighters. It’s not long before their shields and power are taken out, and they’re dead in the water, so to speak. Taken hostage by the Krill, Janel is tortured while they press Mercer for his command codes. He puts up a fight but ultimately gives them up, and is taken away.
Some time later, the Krill return and he demands to learn what’s happened to Janel. “She no longer exists,” says the Krill woman. “She never existed.” She reveals herself to be Teleya, who we remember from the episode “Krill” from season one. The last time Mercer saw her, he had spared her life (and the lives of a classroom full of children), but he had to take out the rest of the Krill crew on her ship, so it wasn’t as if they parted on the best of terms. A mission was conceived by the Krill to capture the captain of a Union ship – and she volunteered herself to take out Mercer.
Mercer is crushed and confused… and somewhat hopeful? One of the things I love about this character is that, even when the chips are really down, he doesn’t seem to be completely void of hope.
Unfortunately, he gets about five seconds to process this information before the Krill ship falls under attack by another species they don’t get along with, and they’re forced into an escape pod to the nearest planet. Upon landing, Teleya never takes her gun off of Mercer, who takes her seriously enough, but isn’t really unpleasant about it. They begin a hike to reach the top of the mountain to send out a distress signal.
Eventually, that planet’s sun begins to rise, and they are forced to find a cave to shelter in while they wait out the day. Teleya never really believes that Mercer isn’t five seconds away from fighting her, but they slowly ease their way through conversation, first talking about the one movie Mercer showed her she didn’t hate (Raiders of the Lost Ark, though she naturally loved the villain more than Indiana), and then to their own relationship.
Mercer finds it hard to believe that she never felt anything for him at all, given how attentive of a girlfriend she was. She yells at him that he’s too married to his job to ever really be in a real relationship, and it’s a low blow, as this is something he’s heard a lot from Commander Grayson. Mercer attempts to get some sleep, but she advises him to lay on his side. “You snore on your back,” she reminds him, a hint that perhaps she felt more for him than she’s leading on.
When Teleya wakes, she finds Mercer gone. Assuming he’s escaped, she grabs her gun and makes her way to the cave’s entrance, but he’s standing there in the sunshine, making some calculations. Turns out a “day” on this planet is actually equivalent to twenty-three Earth days, so he will need to make the rest of the trek without her. She refuses, again pointing the gun, but it’s so obviously a bluff. Trust him or kill him seems to be her only option, and she reluctantly lowers her weapon as Mercer promises to come back for her.
Mercer climbs to the top of the mountain to send out a distress signal, but he is quickly spotted by those same alien pursuers, still hot on their tail. He rejoins Teleya in the cave, who is in shock that he even came back for her. They have no choice but to flee, but her aversion to sunlight makes them sitting ducks. In a quiet moment, Mercer removes his jacket and offers it to Teleya, who finally, reluctantly, lets him cover her head (and exposed skin) so they can escape.
Meanwhile on the Orville, Commander Kelly received their distress signal and orders Malloy and Bortus to take a shuttle to rescue them. The tension reaches its peak just as Mercer and Teleya do, with aliens hot on their tale. When she realizes he’s called a Union ship, she points that damn gun at him again, but there’s no heat in it. She doesn’t give up much of a fight when Malloy pulls the shuttle around and they barely escape with their lives.
Sometime later, Commander Grayson walks alongside Mercer and encourages him not to do whatever it is he is about to do. She reminds him that he’ll be court marshaled and likely punished – but he clearly cannot be convinced. They end up in the brig, and behind the force field in a cell is Teleya. There’s no struggle here in Mercer’s decision – he tells her to call a Krill ship to come pick her up, because he is letting her go.
Their goodbye scene was poignant in a way that’s difficult to describe. Throughout the episode, it’s evident that Mercer has trouble believing that Teleya is actually as evil as she thinks she is – but it’s never patronizing or demeaning. Instead, he’s got this air of hope and compassion, and it’s somewhat of a reminder that vitriol between warring parties is rarely solved with more hostility. Somewhere along the way, a party needs to extend an olive branch.
Mercer does that as Teleya leaves, giving her a music chip containing the best of Billy Joel. We watch her fly off and rejoin her fleet to “She’s Always a Woman to Me,” and damn if it wasn’t the perfect song for an ending like that.
The Orville is at times a little too kooky, a little too serious, and a little too poignant, but the overall mix creates an entertaining hour of television that I hope will be on for many seasons to come.
You can catch The Orville on Thursdays at 9 on Fox and season 2 episodes are available on Hulu.
Wynonna Earp is a supernatural western horror on the Syfy network going into its fourth season. The show is about the great-great granddaughter of Wyatt Earp fighting revenants (resurrected demonic outlaws) and other supernatural beings. Wynonna has Wyatt’s special revolver called “Peacemaker”, her sister Waverly, a shadowy government organization, and some mysterious friends she meets along the way.
The show has been noted for its LGBT inclusion and was nominated twice for the GLAAD media award for Outstanding Drama Series. It has also been lauded for its strong women characters with Rachel Brittain at The Mary Sue saying, “It’s really wonderful to see a show with so many distinct and interesting female characters who get to be heroes and villains and everything in between.”
Also noteworthy is the fandom of Wynonna Earp, called Earpers. In three seasons, the fandom has independently created podcasts, fan conventions, art books, and non-profit endeavors. When The People’s Choice Awards did not include Wynonna Earp in its nominees for 2018, Earpers organized a successful write-in campaign, with Wynonna Earp ultimately winning for best Scif-Fi/Fantasy show.
And now, a group of fans has decided to make a documentary about the Earper fandom titled #Fandom: The Power of Positivity and Kindness. The first trailer was released on January 10, 2018. To get some background on the project, we spoke to the makers of the documentary.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
The idea came up for our documentary last summer. It was around the same time Vulture released the article about Earpers being “the nicest fandom”. Our Executive Producers (Tanya, Terran, and Joe) knew we had something worth showing the world.
Along with filming at conventions, we plan on having fan interviews, interviews with the cast and crew of “Wynonna Earp”, and conversation about what is possible with a fandom like the “Earpers”.
The “Earpers” are like no other fandom we have been in before. They have presented inclusivity, positivity, kindness, support, and even make a difference throughout their communities. For example, when the wild fires were taking over California, Kat Barrell (Deputy Nicole Haught), tweeted that the Humane Society needed help. Several groups of Earpers responded and volunteered their time. Also, Dominique Provost-Chalkey (Waverly Earp), founded Start The Wave, an eco-friendly and inclusive community for positive change that invites people to take conscious actions towards our planet and communities.
There have been multiple fan actions as well, such as Earpers coming together to buy a convention ticket for someone who could not afford one There’s also a fandom created hashtag known as #Earpersupport that provides guidance and advice.
Lastly, we have never seen such an interactive, caring cast. They reach out on social media and even know some of the fans just through Twitter and conventions. It’s truly the best fan experience and it is something that needs to be captured and utilized in other fandoms. Every fandom deserves the love Earpers give!
We hope that it inspires others to see how much power lies within simple acts of kindness, positivity, acceptance, love, and so much more. How it can actually help change the world for the better.
We hope it provokes change. We live in world filled with negative things, that we want to document how people sharing a connection can attract and encourage a shift to positive behaviors and actions for themselves and others.
Lastly, we hope that this documentary motivates people; not just within their fandoms, but outside of them; to spread kindness and treat everyone with love and respect. There are power in numbers and the Earpers have shown what a community can do.
Our tentative plan is to film everything in 2019. Ideally that would mean we want the film out at festivals and digitally by 2020.
We have several plans for distribution, but it being so early in the project we do not have exact outlets yet. It will be digitally accessible for fans. Our goal is also to attend several film festivals and screen at conventions.
Yes! As of now we have completed our applications for interviews within the documentary, but we will be announcing soon how fans can still be a part of this journey.
You can find all of the information regarding the documentary, crew, etc. at https://www.fandomdocumentary.com/. For updates on the project you can find us on Twitter and Instagram @Fandom_Doc.
The second episode of season six of Brooklyn Nine-Nine blesses us with the truly iconic origin story of detectives Hitchcock and Scully. It starts with a “wet and wild” flashback to 1986, in which Young Scully (played by Titan’s Alan Ritchson) and Young Hitchcock (played by GLOW’s Wyatt Nash) are hot, ripped, and undercover; busting the infamous mafia boss Gio Costa. They capture him with the help of their CI, who turns out to be Gio’s girlfriend Marissa.
Flash forward thirty-three years to the present, and Holt has called Peralta and Boyle into his office because someone in Internal Affairs has called to inform him that they are re-opening the decades old case. Holt thinks it might be Commissioner Kelly trying to stir up trouble for the Nine-Nine as continued retaliation for Holt complaining about him to the mayor. Holt assigns Peralta and Boyle to investigate and try to get ahead of Internal Affairs. Boyle and Peralta are also fighting amongst themselves because Boyle was contacted by a bearded forty-two year old man claiming to be his adopted son’s fifteen year old brother and Peralta wants Boyle to see that it is a scam. Elsewhere in the office, tensions are mounting between the “upstairs people” (Terry and Rosa) and the “downstairs people” (Amy) about the mess in the break room.
Peralta and Boyle interrogate Hitchcock and Scully about the events of the case. They say that when they took down Costa they intercepted a ton of coke and three duffel bags of cash. Unfortunately they share a photo of them posing with the duffels (“meow!” – Boyle) and Peralta spots that there are in fact FOUR duffel bags in the photo. Hitchcock and Scully feign ignorance, claiming that they “just missed” the fourth bag because they are “dumb-dumbs.” Peralta is suspicious and presses harder but the old bumbling detectives shut down. They claim to be victims of a “witch hunt” and “fake news”, which is “definitely the language of the innocent” according to Peralta. Later, they even call Peralta’s bluff of holding them indefinitely in the interrogation room by promising to turn it into a “dutch oven.” But, they also attempt to prove their innocence by providing their bank statements and receipts to prove how broke they are. Their folder of receipts includes monthly payments for a parking spot at their favorite restaurant, “Wing Slutz.” Peralta is convinced that it must be for something illegal, since Scully has already told them he doesn’t own a car, so they head to “Wing Slutz.” When they arrive they find a sketchy van called “The Beaver Trap” (that doubles as Hitchcock’s home between marriages.) Hitchcock and Scully trap them inside “The Beaver Trap” and take off. Inside the van, Peralta and Boyle find the mysterious fourth duffel, and it’s empty.
Back in the Nine-Nine, Holt is preparing to speak to the press against Commissioner Kelly and refuses to engage in the fight between “the upstairs” and “the downstairs” which reaches its peak when Amy puts some suspicious fish into the microwave, causing the entire microwave to explode. In the van, Boyle and Peralta manage to break out and find Hitchcock and Scully at the Wing Slutz. It turns out their former CI Marissa has been working there as the manager, and part of their obsession with the chain restaurant stems from them keeping tabs on her all these years. And that they gave the money from the fourth duffel bag to her. Commissioner Kelly shows up at the precinct trying to rattle Holt, but reveals that Internal Affairs were not the ones that called about Scully and Hitchcock, and they realize that the call must have come from Costa himself. Holt immediately calls Peralta and Boyle, but Costa has already tracked them to the restaurant so they barricade themselves inside.
Without any bullet proof vests or adequate firepower, Scully and Hitchcock strap buckets of “Slutz Sauce” to their chest (“you don’t think this sauce is solid? Tell that to my rock hard arteries”) despite misgivings from Peralta. They bust out the doors to find that Holt and the Nine-Nine are on the scene and have apprehended Costa. Costa breaks free though, and fires at Marisa, but Hitchcock and Scully dive in front of her in an act of bravery, the bullets being stopped by their buckets of “Slutz Sauce.”
Back in the precinct, Holt informs Hitchcock and Scully that IA has given them probationary desk duty for a year as punishment for stealing the fourth bag of money. They are thrilled. Boyle admits to Peralta that he researched his adopted son’s family and discovered the Nikolaj has a thirty-four year old half brother. Holt apologizes to the squad for not intervening in the office tension sooner and for putting his agenda ahead of the needs of the precinct.
The episode closes with a second flashback, revealing how Scully and Hitchcock lost their rock hard bods. They pay Marissa a visit at “Wing Slutz” and she offers them some free wings as a token of her gratitude. Needless to say, they are hooked.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine airs Thursdays at 9pm on NBC.
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