A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website: couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded in May 2022, our panel of would-be midwives and nuns – moderator Krista, Sarah, Gina, Vicki, Allison, and Chief Couch Potato Kylie – reconvenes Around the CPU! Water Cooler to discuss Series 7 and 8 of the BBC-produced period drama that airs on PBS in the United States, Call the Midwife, in this, Episode Four of our five-part “Catching Up on Call the Midwife” Series. As always, if you have not watched any of Call the Midwife, be aware that there are, most definitely, MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: “Call the Midwife” is a period drama series, originally produced by and airing first on BBC in the United Kingdom, about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s. It typically airs in the UK on BBC in the winter and airs later on PBS in the United States Sundays at 8:00 PM, though it is currently on hiatus.
What: Created by Heidi Thomas and originally based upon the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, who worked with the Community of St. John the Divine, an Anglican religious order at their convent in the East End, the series stars Helen George, Laura Main, Jenny Agutter, Judy Parfitt, Cliff Parisi, Stephen McGann, Max Macmillan, Victoria Yeates, Jack Ashton, Charlotte Ritchie, Linda Bassett, Jennifer Kirby, Annabelle Apsion, Jack Hawkins, Leonie Elliott, Fenella Woolgar, and Ella Bruccoleri in Series 7 and 8. The show, starting in Series 4, has extended beyond the memoirs to include new, historically sourced material. For the most part, the show depicts the day-to-day lives of the midwives and those in their local neighborhood of Poplar, with certain historical events of the era having a direct or indirect effect on the characters and storylines.
SYNOPSIS
The story follows newly qualified midwife Jenny Lee, as well as the work of midwives and the nuns of Nonnatus House, a nursing convent and part of an Anglican religious order coping with the medical problems in the deprived Poplar district of London’s desperately poor East End in the 1950s. The nuns and midwives carry out many nursing duties across the community; however, with between 80 and 100 babies being born each month in Poplar alone, the primary work is to help bring safe childbirth to women in the area and to look after their countless newborns.
The seventh series, set in 1963, introduces the first major character of color, Nurse Lucille Anderson (Leonie Elliott), and features dementia, racial abuse, leprosy, and meningitis in episodic storylines. The eighth series, set in 1964, delves deeply into the topic of abortion (which was not legalized until 1967) as well as covers sickle cell disease, babies born with cleft lip and cleft palate, and intersex people.
When: Series 7 aired on PBS in the USA in 2018 with a total of nine episodes, including the preceding Christmas special (precise air dates unknown). Series 8 aired on PBS in 2019 with a total of 9 episodes, including the preceding Christmas special (precise air dates unknown).
Where: The action in both series is set in Poplar, East End London, England, the United Kingdom in the 1960s (beginning in Series 4), with Series 7 transpiring in 1963 and Series 8 occurring in 1964.
Why: To find out why individual podcast panelists started watching this show, listen to the Episode 1/Series 1-2 podcast episode via the link below!
How – as in How Was It? – THOUGHTS
This is Episode Four of our “Catching Up on Call the Midwife”series. You can listen to Episodes One, Two, and Three here and at our audio feeds (Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, and Amazon Music):
Seasons/Series 1 & 2
Seasons/Series 3 & 4
Seasons/Series 5 & 6
Frequent CPU! contributors and panelists often suggest shows for CPU! to cover in our podcast episodes – loyal listeners should have picked up on this particular trend by now. As the podcast has been underway for several years now, many of our resident and seasoned Couch Potatoes and some of our adjacent and freshly peeled Couch Spuds enthusiastically requested to talk about the British period drama Call the Midwife. Thus, herein we offer the fourth episode of CPU!’s Call the Midwife Catching Up Series, in which we recap and discuss Series 7 and 8 and in which our panel – consisting of Sarah, Gina, Vicki, Allison, and Chief Couch Potato Kylie as a panelist – joins moderator Krista in remarking upon the success or lack thereof of the next two seasons in the series, as we catch up two seasons at a time, and in so doing, to ruminate in-depth upon the production values, performances, and other aspects of this program.
Tonight’s episode is the fourth episode of a five-episode series in which CPU! gets caught up on this show, which premiered on PBS in the United States in 2012. In this chapter, our panel reflects upon and recaps Series 7 and 8 of Call the Midwife, and the reviews continue to be nothing short of generally glowing, with only a few qualms to dissect, which we do thoroughly in tonight’s episode.
This episode was recorded in May 2022, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as the panelists cover key plot points of the seventh and eighth series of the show. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, on Spotify, on Castbox, on iHeartRadio, and on Amazon Music to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly – but not next week. Next Wednesday, we are again going the rerun route, for more summer vacation and tending to health. We haven’t yet selected the precise rerun, but it will definitely (re)welcome you to Westworld – stay tuned!
RECOMMENDATION
Call the Midwife is enthusiastically and unanimously recommended by our latest CPU! panel to fans of period dramas; fans of British television shows; and fans of dramas that explore historical context against the backdrop of character studies, since Call the Midwife is chock full of colorful and endearing characters in which to become invested as the seasons/series and years depicted therein progress. Additionally, this program will probably appeal most to those who enjoy mid-twentieth century motifs, including fashion palettes and hairstyles, as the show is fastidiously accurate with its costumes and makeup, and to mothers, who might find something to which to relate vis-a-vis memories of their own labor experiences. In keeping with other shows produced in the UK and for the BBC, both series are short, with a focus toward quality over quantity, and the ensemble cast is built from natural chemistry evolving from the “who’s who” of new faces and seasoned veterans staffing it from Britain’s rote pool of thespians. Our panelists particularly laud the producers’, writers’, and production staff’s attention to detail with respect to not only the historical backdrops but the art direction and other visual aesthetics that allow the audience to readily suspend disbelief and immerse themselves in a period and location that feels distant, even as the episodes explore social, political, familial, and gender-related issues that reverberate decades into the future and continue to resonate today, since some of these issues endure, even if in different contexts and forms. Because of the program’s accessibility and relatability to anyone interested in its subject matter, our panel (of women supporting women) highly recommends Call the Midwife and remains only too eager to catch up on the next two series, 9 and 10, which we will discuss in Episode Five of our “Catching Up” on Call the Midwife series later this year!
LOOKING AHEAD
Call the Midwife was renewed for Series 12 AND 13; the Series 12 Christmas special will premiere first in the UK on the BBC (no further PBS premiere dates have as yet been discussed). In the meantime, CPU! will next visit Call the Midwife in Episode 5 of this “Catching Up” Series later this year, during which our panel will focus on Series 9 and 10. Like, follow, and/or subscribe to the website, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, Amazon Music, or our social media accounts to stay abreast of new episodes regarding Call the Midwife as well as new episodes for all of our podcast panels! And, if you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Thank you!
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website, couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, our zany to the max panel of toon-loving television viewers – moderator Chief Couch Potato Kylie, Nick, Christian, Ryan, and Stephen – gathered together to continue Looking Back to Look Forward at all iterations of the Animaniacs. In this third episode of our ongoing CPU! podcast series charting the lifespan of all versions of the Animaniacs via both the original series and the new Hulu-based reboot, we discuss the first two (available) seasons of the Reboot. This particular episode was recorded in May 2022, and, as always, if you haven’t seen any of the original or rebooted Animaniacs, be aware that there are MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: “Animaniacs,” an American animated comedy-musical streaming television series developed by Wellesley Wild and Steven Spielberg for Hulu that is currently on hiatus.
What: A revival of the original 1993 animated television series of the same name created by Tom Ruegger, “Animaniacs” sees the return of the Warner siblings, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot (voiced respectively by their original voice actors Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille), and Pinky and the Brain (voiced by their respective original voice actors Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche).
When: Season 1 was released to the Hulu streaming platform on November 20, 2020, while Season 2 was released to the platform on November 5, 2021, each with a total of 13 episodes.
Where: The show is a cartoon. It can be set anywhere and at anytime, and this cartoon particularly exploits that conceit.
Why: Listen to the podcast episodes below for the panelists’ individual stories on how they came to watch Animaniacs.
How – as in How Was It?
The pilot/premiere rating scale:
***** – I HAVE TO WATCH EVERYTHING. HOLY SMOKES!
**** – Well, it certainly seems intriguing. I’m going to keep watching, but I see possible pitfalls in the premise.
*** – I will give it six episodes and see what happens. There are things I like, and things I don’t. We’ll see which “things” are allowed to flourish.
** – I will give it three episodes. Chances are, I’m mainly bored, but there is some intrigue or fascination that could hold it together. No matter how unlikely.
* – Pass on this one, guys. It’s a snoozer/not funny/not interesting/not my cup of tea… there are too many options to waste time on this one.
The Animaniacs (2020) = 3.8, by an average of the podcast panel.
SYNOPSIS
Animaniacs continues to focus on the adventures of the Warner siblings, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot—three inseparable, irascible kids—as they embark on further adventures after being absent from television for 22 years, bringing with them the usual wackiness and mayhem they create while adapting to the changes and life of the 21st century. Episodes are composed of several shorts, with each episode consisting of segments following the adventures of Yakko, Wakko and Dot; the vast majority of episodes also include a segment featuring fan-favorite characters Pinky and the Brain—two lab mice, one of whom is intelligent and wants to take over the world, while the other is dim-witted and clumsy, often messing up his friend’s plans. Other recurring segments include “Starbox and Cindy,” which follows a miniature alien who is part of a fleet that wants to destroy the Earth that ends up in the hands of a young girl, and “Math-terpiece Theater,” which involves dramatized math lessons taught by Dot.
THOUGHTS
This is the third episode in our “Animaniacs: Once and Future Namey Series,” which Looks Back to Look Forward at all iterations of programs entitled Animaniacs. In Episode One, we Looked Back at Seasons 1-2 of Animaniacs (1993), and in Episode Two, we Looked Back at Seasons 3-5 of the original series. To listen to the prior episodes, click the links below or find us via our audio feeds at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, and Amazon Music:
The Animaniacs “Once and Future Namey” Series, Episode One: The Original Series, Seasons 1-2
The Animaniacs “Once and Future Namey” Series, Episode Two: The Original Series, Seasons 3-5
Frequent CPU! contributors and panelists often suggest shows for CPU! to cover in our podcast episodes – loyal listeners should have picked up on this particular trend by now. As the podcast has been underway for several years now, many of our resident and seasoned Couch Potatoes and some of our adjacent and freshly peeled Couch Spuds enthusiastically requested to get zany to the max by talking all iterations of perennial animated favorite Animaniacs. Thus, herein we offer the third episode of CPU!’s “Animaniacs: The Once and Future Show’s Name-Y” Looking Back to Look Forward Series, in which we Look Forward at and discuss Seasons 1 and 2 of the Reboot/Revival Animaniacs released to Hulu in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Nick, Michael (K), Christian, Ryan, and Stephen, along with your very involved moderator, reconvened “Around the Water Cooler” to “Look Forward,” with slacks full of baloney, at this new version of the beloved cartoon from our respective youths, joining the Warner Brothers, their Warner Sister Dot, and every kooky character spawned by this acclaimed animated series in every zany to the max adventure they have ever had – past, present, and future.
This podcast episode was recorded in May 2022, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS (in a cartoon-ish type way), as we cover all of the wacky hilarity presented in the available seasons of the rebooted Animaniacs series. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, on Spotify, on Castbox, on iHeartRadio, and on Amazon Music to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly! Next Wednesday, our Call the Midwife panel returns to the CPU! Water Cooler to continue our Catching Up Series reacting, two seasons at a time, to the popular BBC/PBS period drama by discussing Seasons 7 and 8 in Episode 4 of our Series. Stay tuned!
RECOMMENDATION
Animaniacs (2020) is cautiously recommended by tonight’s entire panel to anyone who loves cartoons/animated series in general but also to anyone who enjoys intelligence as well as uncompromising creativity and unflinching willingness to experiment comedically along with their helpings of animated television, similar to the feelings and reactions elicited by the progenitor version of this beloved cartoon with our panelists. Unlike the original, beloved version of this animated classic, the reboot/revival was met with far more mixed reactions from our panel. Some panelists still loved it, seeing it as an evolution and extension of what made the original so influential, unique, and endearing but with the changes that an elapse of 22 years will naturally bring. Some panelists found the new version entertaining but, also, occasionally problematic, in that old characters were scrapped to appeal to younger sensibilities of the current times while introducing new characters that were milquetoast in comparison, and that new jokes were not always introduced confidently, as “not your dad’s ‘Animaniacs'” worked and somewhat struggled to find its modern voice. In addition, some panelists were off-put by the new show’s emphasis on satire and meta-humor that was, by all means, present in the original series but not to the extent – or to the detraction – of the formerly more present qualities of innocence and enthusiasm that appealed to younger viewers as much as older ones when watching the first series. The remaining panelists struggled with this new Animaniacs, finding the pacing choppy, the shorts sometimes boring, and bemoaning the lack of variety of the revival, given that most of the episodes feature a “Warner sibling sandwich with Pinky and the Brain meat” with very few appearances by even the newer, less enjoyed characters and with a strong yearning for the return of classic characters, particularly Slappy and Skippy Squirrel.
All of the panelists still find that this revived Animaniacs is still largely well written, incomparably well-performed/well-voiced, and never panders for the sake of the target audience, but the panelists no longer universally regard this version as the type of ‘toon that would have the broadest appeal, given the acute inclusion of political satire in a larger volume, even, compared to the usual doses of pop culture parody present in this program. Still, all panelists agree that the rebooted Animaniacs is smart, sassy, and full of the good bones that made the original so charming, endearing, and enduring, even if the execution is not as smooth or as impeccable as the predecessor’s 99 episodes were. Thus, though the rebooted Animaniacs might not appeal to everyone, our panel still sees potential and possibility for anyone who loved the original and for anyone looking for a smart, irreverent animated comedy that lives up to the original standards, even if it might never surpass its brilliance – though not for a sincere lack of trying, as we discuss in tonight’s episode.
THE FUTURE OF THE SHOW
Animaniacs (2020) was renewed for Season 3, though a release date has not yet been announced for the new season; keep a weathered eye to CPU! for any details regarding a premiere date announcement. To wit, the CPU! “Animaniacs: Once and Future Namey Seres” will reconvene to discuss Season 3 following its eventual release. Like, follow, and/or subscribe to the website, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, Amazon Music, or our social media accounts to stay abreast of new episodes regarding Animaniacs (2020) as well as new episodes for all of our podcast panels! And, if you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Thank you!
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website: couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded in May 2022, our panel of (surgical) resident Couch Potatoes – moderator Chief Couch Potato Kylie, Eddy, Micah, Jessica, and Jared – reconvenes around the CPU! Water Cooler to discuss Season 4 of the popular ABC medical drama The Good Doctor, in this, Episode Four of our four-part “Catching Up on The Good Doctor” Series. As always, if you have not watched any of The Good Doctor, be aware that there are, most definitely, MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: “The Good Doctor” is a medical drama series that airs on ABC, though it is currently on hiatus.
What: Based on the 2013 South Korean series of the same name, the series stars Freddie Highmore as Shaun Murphy, a young autistic savant surgical resident at the fictional San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. In Season 4, Hill Harper, Christina Chang, Richard Schiff, Antonia Thomas, Will Yun Lee, Fiona Gubelmann, and Paige Spara are also part of the regular cast.
SYNOPSIS
The series follows Shaun Murphy (Highmore), a young autistic surgeon with savant syndrome from the small city of Casper, Wyoming, where he had a troubled past. He relocates to San Jose, California, to work at the prestigious San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital.
When: Season 4 aired on ABC from November 2, 2020, to June 7, 2021, with a total of 20 episodes.
Where: The action in Season 4 primarily occurs in San Jose, California, with one trip to Guatemala.
Why: To find out why individual podcast panelists started watching this show, listen to the podcast episode covering Season 1 via the link below!
How – as in How Was It? – THOUGHTS
This is Episode Four of our “Catching Up on The Good Doctor” series. You can listen to Episodes One, Two, and Three here and at our audio feeds (Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, and Amazon Music):
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Frequent CPU! contributors and panelists often suggest shows for CPU! to cover in our podcast episodes – loyal listeners should have picked up on this particular trend by now. As the podcast has been underway for several years now, many of our long-yearning (surgical) resident Couch Potatoes surprisingly suggested The Good Doctor, a previously passed series for show coverage at CPU!, and subsequently encouraged meticulous season-by-season coverage of the whole shebang in short order. It was surprising because medical shows are very much hit and miss here at CPU!, but our roster has grown, and it is possible that so too has the appetite for medical shows and the willingness to discuss them. Ch-ch-ch-changes! Thus, herein we offer our Season 4 recap and review of The Good Doctor, in which our panel – consisting of Eddy, Micah, Jessica, and Jared – remarks upon the success or lack thereof of the series as we catch up, season by season.
As such, tonight’s episode is the fourth episode of a four-episode series in which CPU! gets caught up on this show, which premiered on ABC in 2017. In this chapter, our panel reflects upon and recaps Season 4 of The Good Doctor, in which we follow Shaun’s continuing adjustments to his job and his romance with Lea (Spara), the cast of supporting characters including a group of brand new residents for which our more familiar faces serve as instructors and mentors, and the effects of real-world sociopolitical events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on this medical drama that very much roots its story arcs as well as its patient-of-the-week cases in real world foundations. The panelists’ Season 4 reviews remain overwhelmingly positive, with few qualms to dissect, which we do thoroughly in tonight’s episode.
This episode was recorded in May 2022, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as the panelists cover key plot points of the fourth season. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, on Spotify, on Castbox, on iHeartRadio, and on Amazon Music to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly! Next Wednesday, our Animaniacs: the Once and Future Namey Series panel triumphantly returns to the CPU! Water Cooler, prepared to Look Foward and to review the 2020 reboot of the show, specifically the available first two seasons. Stay tuned for more baloney in the proverbial slacks!
RECOMMENDATION
The Good Doctor is now unanimously recommended by our latest CPU! panel – to those who enjoy other medical dramas, such as Grey’s Anatomy and ER, but especially to those who like and are looking for something different; to fans of Freddie Highmore, whose resume continues to expand at an impressive rate; and to fans of other David Shore properties, like House, as the tone of the show is not dissimilar to that auspicious predecessor, even if the subject matter and main character of both greatly differ. Ultimately, the panelists’ opinions about this show began to coalesce in this episode and in light of the viewing of this excellent fourth season. All panelists now regard the show as accessible and entertaining without requiring one’s full attention while simultaneously rewarding those who do devote their full engagement to the viewing proceeding. The panel continues to praise Highmore’s performance, deeming him the biggest draw and the most satisfying reason to watch. The panel also proffers some love for the supporting cast, particularly Thomas as Claire and Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman, whose father/son dynamic with Shaun provides much of the series’ heart.
Contrary to the panelists’ opinions about the first two seasons but more in line with the third season review, the panel, in tonight’s episode, opines that the writing of The Good Doctor maintains the quality demonstrated in the third season. The panelists note that not only do the medical situations in which Shaun and the other residents and attendings at St. Bonaventure find themselves oftentimes seem to be more nuanced and more thoughtful than the situations depicted in Season 1 and even in Season 2 episodes, but the drama central to Shaun’s life, his romance with Lea, and the interconnections and dynamics between characters left our panelists with an altogether rosier view of the show than had been previously described, even by the hitherto less impressed moderator, Chief Couch Potato Kylie.
To that end, the panel continues to regard The Good Doctor as an easy, pleasant, and increasingly and frequently riveting watch that offers interesting and more holistically engaging, if not necessarily awe-inspiring, characters and situations by which to be entertained. Though there might not be a consensus as to whether The Good Doctor constitutes “great” television, there is still plenty to entice even the most skeptical of our panelists (still the Chief CP on this panel), though the median of the panel’s collective reaction to the fourth season more consistently leans toward vociferous enthusiasm than in past discussions. The panelists remain committed to the universal belief that there is an audience for this show, so long as the potential viewer in question walks into the experience with an open mind and a willingness to watch a hospital drama with a new and different spin on what is typically understood as the medical drama motif. To wit, all of our panelists remain steadfastly open-minded enough and more than willing to continue watching the fifth season, which we will cover as a regular Water Cooler series beginning later this year!
LOOKING AHEAD
The Good Doctor was renewed for a sixth season in March 2022, though no premiere date has yet been announced. Our The Good Doctor panel will return later this year to cover Season 5 as part of a typical “Around the Water Cooler” feature. Like, follow, and/or subscribe to the website, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, Amazon Music, or our social media accounts to stay abreast of new episodes regarding The Good Doctor as well as new episodes for all of our podcast panels! And, if you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Thank you!
For the week of June 8, 2022, because the Chief Couch Potato is taking an extended break in honor of her just past anniversary of birth; in light of the unofficial start of summer; and in anticipation of the next entry in our DCTU Series, we offer a rerun of this episode, originally published in February 2021. In the meantime, next Wednesday, we will resume regularly scheduled episodes with the publication of our recap and review of The Good Doctor, Season 4, in Episode Four of that Catching Up Series. Stay tuned!
—Original Synopsis—
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website: couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded in January 2021, our DC Television Universe or DCTU Series panel – including moderator Chief Couch Potato Kylie, Hilary, Kyle, Spencer, Kristen, and Nick – reconvenes Around the Water Cooler for the twenty-eighth episode of our DCTU ongoing series to discuss Season 1 of the Arrowverse’s/CWVerse’s 2019-2020 season entrant (prior to the Crisis on Infinite Earths), Batwoman. If you have not watched any of the DCTU/Arrowverse/CWVerse (through May 2020), be aware that there are MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), or our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/couchpotatoesunite. Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
For the week of June 1, 2022, because the Chief Couch Potato is taking a break in honor of her upcoming anniversary of birth; in light of the unofficial start of summer; and in honor of the gangbusters release of the long-awaited Season 4 of “Stranger Things,” we offer a rerun of this episode, originally published in May 2020. In the meantime, two Wednesdays from now, we will resume regularly scheduled episodes with the publication of our recap and review of The Good Doctor, Season 4, in Episode Four of that Catching Up Series. Stay tuned!
—Original Synopsis—
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded in April 2020, our “stranger” panel of frequent CPU! panelists and TV fans – including moderator Kylie, Hilary, Kyle, Michael, Sarah, and Jeremy – is Around the (Quarantined) Water Cooler and discussing Season 3 of runaway hit and Netflix original Stranger Things. If you have not watched any of Stranger Things, be aware that there are MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website: couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded in November 2021, our panel of would-be midwives and nuns – moderator Krista, Sarah, Gina, Vicki, Allison, and Chief Couch Potato Kylie – reconvenes Around the CPU! Water Cooler to discuss Series 5 and 6 of the BBC-produced period drama that airs on PBS in the United States, Call the Midwife, in this, Episode Three of our five-part “Catching Up on Call the Midwife” Series. As always, if you have not watched any of Call the Midwife, be aware that there are, most definitely, MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: “Call the Midwife” is a period drama series, originally produced by and airing first on BBC in the United Kingdom, about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s. It typically airs in the UK on BBC in the winter and airs later on PBS in the United States Sundays at 8:00 PM, though it is currently on hiatus.
What: Created by Heidi Thomas and originally based upon the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, who worked with the Community of St. John the Divine, an Anglican religious order at their convent in the East End, the series stars Helen George, Bryony Hannah, Laura Main, Jenny Agutter, Pam Ferris, Judy Parfitt, Cliff Parisi, Stephen McGann, Ben Caplan, Max Macmillan, Emerald Fennell, Victoria Yeates, Jack Ashton, Charlotte Ritchie, Linda Bassett, Kate Lamb, and Jennifer Kirby in Series 5 and 6. The show, starting in Series 4, has extended beyond the memoirs to include new, historically sourced material. For the most part, the show depicts the day-to-day lives of the midwives and those in their local neighborhood of Poplar, with certain historical events of the era having a direct or indirect effect on the characters and storylines.
SYNOPSIS
The story follows newly qualified midwife Jenny Lee, as well as the work of midwives and the nuns of Nonnatus House, a nursing convent and part of an Anglican religious order coping with the medical problems in the deprived Poplar district of London’s desperately poor East End in the 1950s. The nuns and midwives carry out many nursing duties across the community; however, with between 80 and 100 babies being born each month in Poplar alone, the primary work is to help bring safe childbirth to women in the area and to look after their countless newborns.
The fifth series, which is set in 1961, depicts a patient with typhoid, the effects of thalidomide, the introduction of the contraceptive pill, and the impact of stroke. The sixth series, set in 1962, touches on domestic violence, an explosion at the local docks, interracial marriage, female genital mutilation, and mental health as well as introduces Reggie, a recurring character who has Down syndrome.
When: Series 5 aired on PBS in the USA in 2016 with a total of nine episodes, including the preceding Christmas special (precise air dates unknown). Series 6 aired on PBS in 2017 with a total of 9 episodes, including the preceding Christmas special (precise air dates unknown).
Where: The action in both series is set in Poplar, East End London, England, the United Kingdom in the 1960s (beginning in Series 4), with Series 5 transpiring in 1961 and Series 6 occurring in 1960.
Why: To find out why individual podcast panelists started watching this show, listen to the Episode 1/Series 1-2 podcast episode via the link below!
How – as in How Was It? – THOUGHTS
This is Episode Three of our “Catching Up on Call the Midwife”series. You can listen to Episodes One and Two here and at our audio feeds (Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, and Amazon Music):
Seasons/Series 1 & 2
Seasons/Series 3 & 4
Frequent CPU! contributors and panelists often suggest shows for CPU! to cover in our podcast episodes – loyal listeners should have picked up on this particular trend by now. As the podcast has been underway for several years now, many of our resident and seasoned Couch Potatoes and some of our adjacent and freshly peeled Couch Spuds enthusiastically requested to talk about the British period drama Call the Midwife. Thus, herein we offer the third episode of CPU!’s Call the Midwife Catching Up Series, in which we recap and discuss Series 5 and 6 and in which our panel – consisting of Sarah, Gina, Vicki, Allison, and Chief Couch Potato Kylie as a panelist – joins moderator Krista in remarking upon the success or lack thereof of the next two seasons in the series, as we catch up two seasons at a time, and in so doing, to ruminate in-depth upon the production values, performances, and other aspects of this program.
Tonight’s episode is the third episode of a five-episode series in which CPU! gets caught up on this show, which premiered on PBS in the United States in 2012. In this chapter, our panel reflects upon and recaps Series 5 and 6 of Call the Midwife, and the reviews continue to be nothing short of generally glowing, with only a few qualms to dissect, which we do thoroughly in tonight’s episode.
This episode was recorded in November 2021, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as the panelists cover key plot points of the fifth and sixth series of the show. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, on Spotify, on Castbox, on iHeartRadio, and on Amazon Music to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly – but not next week. Next Wednesday, we are going the rerun route, as it is the magical time between Memorial Day and the Chief Couch Potato’s anniversary of birth. To wit, summer vacation is calling, so, to fill the void, we are going to put up another rerun, and a timely one at that, as we celebrate the long-overdue release of the fourth season of the popular Netflix horror/fantasy drama Stranger Things – or, at least, the first part of it, which will be released on May 27, 2022. To that end, we are going to rerun our Season 3 discussion, first published in May 2020. Let’s see if all of our many theories and hypotheses dissected and digested in that episode line up with Season 4 events – stay tuned, as we dig into our own vaults of homage and obsession in preparation to get even stranger!
RECOMMENDATION
Call the Midwife is enthusiastically and unanimously recommended by our latest CPU! panel to fans of period dramas; fans of British television shows; and fans of dramas that explore historical context against the backdrop of character studies, since Call the Midwife is chock full of colorful and endearing characters in which to become invested as the seasons/series and years depicted therein progress. Additionally, this program will probably appeal most to those who enjoy mid-twentieth century motifs, including fashion palettes and hairstyles, as the show is fastidiously accurate with its costumes and makeup, and to mothers, who might find something to which to relate vis-a-vis memories of their own labor experiences. In keeping with other shows produced in the UK and for the BBC, both series are short, with a focus toward quality over quantity, and the ensemble cast is built from natural chemistry evolving from the “who’s who” of new faces and seasoned veterans staffing it from Britain’s rote pool of thespians. Our panelists particularly laud the producers’, writers’, and production staff’s attention to deal with respect to not only the historical backdrops but the art direction and other visual aesthetics that allow the audience to readily suspend disbelief and to immerse themselves in a period and location that feels distant, even as the episodes explore social, political, familial, and gender-related issues that reverberate decades into the future and continue to resonate today, since some of these issues endure, even if in different contexts and forms. Because of the program’s accessibility and relatability to anyone interested in its subject matter, our panel (of women supporting women) highly recommends Call the Midwife and remains only too eager to catch up on the next two series, 7 and 8, which we will discuss in Episode Four of our “Catching Up” on Call the Midwife series in June!
LOOKING AHEAD
Call the Midwife was renewed for Series 12 AND 13; the Series 12 Christmas special will premiere first in the UK on the BBC (no further PBS premiere dates have as yet been discussed). In the meantime, CPU! will next visit Call the Midwife in Episode 4 of this “Catching Up” Series next month, during which our panel will focus on Series 7 and 8. Like, follow, and/or subscribe to the website, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, Amazon Music, or our social media accounts to stay abreast of new episodes regarding Call the Midwife as well as new episodes for all of our podcast panels! And, if you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Thank you!
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website: couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded in May 2022, our panel of comic book and superhero enthusiasts – including moderator Chief Couch Potato Kylie, Kristen, Nick, Hilary, Kyle, and Spencer – reconvenes Around the Water Cooler for the thirty-first episode of our DCTU ongoing series. In this episode, our spicy DCTU expert panel discusses Season 4, the final season, of the show that existed mostly separately from the so-called Arrowverse (recently redubbed the CWVerse or “Flarrowverse”) since its subtly auspicious beginnings but for the universe-collapsing events of the “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” namely Black Lightning. The panel also Looks Back at the entire series, now that the series is all said and done. If you have not watched any of the DCTU/Arrowverse/Flarrowverse (through May 2021), be aware that there are MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: “Black Lightning” is a superhero drama centered on events and characters inspired by the comic of the same name from the DC Comic Universe, which aired on the CW for four seasons, 2018-2021.
What: “Black Lightning,” a series developed by Salim Akil that is based on the DC Comics character Black Lightning, created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden. The series sees the retired Black Lightning (Cress Williams) return to his life as a superhero and follows the effects that his vigilante activity has upon his professional and family life.
SYNOPSIS
The series centers on Jefferson Pierce (Williams), the principal of Garfield High School in the city of Freeland. Nine years prior to the start of the series, he was a superhero called Black Lightning, but he retired after the effect his double life had on his family. Jefferson is forced to become Black Lightning anew when the 100, Freeland’s most feared criminal gang led by Tobias Whale (Marvin “Krondon” Jones III), begins taking over the city.
When: Season 4 aired from February 8, 2021, to May 24, 2021, on the CW with a total of 13 episodes.
Where: The action is set in the fictional city of Freeland, in the DC Comic Universe. This city appears to be the DC equivalent of Atlanta, Georgia.
Why: To find out why individual podcast panelists started watching this show, listen to the Season 1 and 2 recap and review episode via the embedded link below!
It should be noted that CPU! Chief Couch Potato Kylie previewed Black Lightning during the 2017-2018 network pilot season with a portended pick-up for the podcast and this potential review. Back then, I noted:
It’s a comic book show. CPU!’s comic book core (or corps?) will likely step up to the plate for this one, particularly if it is folded into the crossover potential of the Arrowverse, making it a likely additional entry for our DCTU panel. The trailer shows some influence from Marvel’s Luke Cage but also the broader, moodier tones of the DC film franchise as a whole, ringing with more gravitas than even Arrow when it first began. How will it all come out in the wash? We’ll be there to find out.
Sometimes, I just know how to call them. Sometimes.
How – as in How Was It? – THOUGHTS
This is the thirty-first episode in CPU!’s long-running DCTU series but only the third in the series to discuss Black Lightning. Our complete Black Lightning coverage is linked below:
DCTU Series, Episode 26, “Black Lightning,” Season 3
In our last episode, our cheeky and feisty DCTU panel – namely Kyle, Hilary, Spencer, Kristen, and Nick – met “Around the Water Cooler” to discuss Season 5 of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Tonight, we begin our (semi)-annual review of the most recent full seasons of each of the “Arrowverse/Flarrowverse” programs in order of the airing of each season finale since our last episode, beginning with the fourth and final season of Black Lightning. Thus, tonight’s episode finds the panel returning to the Water Cooler to talk latecomer Flarrowverse inclusion Black Lightning following another disjointed and, frankly, flat final season in this, the thirty-first episode of our DCTU series, and to Look Back at the series as a whole, now that the show has taken its final bow and/or (SPOILER) put a spike through the heart of its most over-the-top villain(s).
How did our rather critical panel of comic book aficionados and adjacent adorers regard the most recent season of Black Lightning, the fifth show to be covered by our DCTU Series? Unfortunately, what began as a decidedly lukewarm to not so good, at best, review of the first two seasons has descended to something entirely scathing and never complimentary in tonight’s discussion, noting that the show never managed to identify and improve upon writing, directing, and continuity problems, and, in some instances, middling performances in its time on air. While the panel acknowledges that representation is key and applauds the thought behind the concept, the formula propelling the concept is too well-worn and has not, in any way, been tweaked for the current property, making it play like a hollow and messy copy with a cultural twist. Listen to tonight’s episode and judge the panel’s reactions for yourself but brace for the impact – Black Lightning does little to shock our panel’s collective comic book consciousness, and they have nothing good (really) to say about it in the end, not that they ever had anything nice or good to say to begin with.
This particular episode was recorded in May 2022, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as the panelists cover key plot points of Season 4 – and really all four seasons – of Black Lightning. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, on Spotify, on Castbox, on iHeartRadio, and on Amazon Music to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly! Next Wednesday, our Call the Midwife panel returns to the CPU! Water Cooler to continue our Catching Up Series reacting, two seasons at a time, to the popular BBC/PBS period drama by discussing Seasons 5 and 6 in Episode 3 of our Series. Stay tuned!
Lingering Questions
1) What exactly is LaLa’s spirit-based tattoo power, and why does he have one, while Lady Eve, who also seems to have been resurrected with aid from the water of a Lazarus Pit, does not appear to have an enhanced ability?
ANSWER: Unknown in the end. LaLa did not appear in many episodes this season; he was encased in cement by a hired assassin for Destiny, Lady Eve’s lieutenant, for most of the final season. In the episodes in which he did appear, LaLa never used his power. Further, Lady Eve never returned to Black Lightning.
2) Is Lynn (Christine Adams) developing an augmented or more permanent meta-ability due to her ongoing addiction to Green Light, which she is seen taking in the final moments of the Season 3 finale? Or, is she now addicted to the serum that allows her to have meta capabilities for a temporary time interval since it appears she also uses such abilities following her final showdown with Grave Digger?
ANSWER: The second scenario is the correct one. Lynn finally comes to terms with the fact that she will never be meta like her (ex)husband and children, but she does spend a considerable amount of time in this final season working through her addiction to “meta boosters.” It was an unnecessarily prolonged storyline. Listen to the podcast episodes for small rants.
3) Will we see additional crossovers between members of the casts of Black Lightning and the other Arrowverse/CWVerse shows? Or, will the now final season of Black Lightning air too late or be too far removed to be included in any future crossovers, either this season or in any remaining seasons of the existing CWVerse series? Similarly, will potential crossovers be affected, limited, or eliminated by the effects of ongoing COVID-19 quarantine(s)?
ANSWER: There are no additional crossovers, presumably due to the circumstances referenced in the second question: this show premiered at a time not conducive to crossover filming. There is a crossover that came out later in 2021; however, Black Lightning was done by then. Plus, as many of the DCTU Series shows are now being canceled and/or not replaced by the CW, we believe that the hallowed crossover days are significantly numbered.
4) How often does Gambi (James Remar) use his scanner that can see through topsoil over graves? Panelist Kyle expressed wonderment at this curious and macabre device.
ANSWER: Only the once. Probably a good thing.
5) Will David Ramsey, the erstwhile John Diggle on Arrow, appear in the final season of Black Lightning, since he is rumored to have signed a contract to potentially appear in all of the Arrowverse/CWVerse shows?
ANSWER: David Ramsey does not appear on Black Lightning.
6) Is Grave Digger still alive? Did he survive the Season 3 ending events? Where did the government take him? Will he appear again in Season 4?
ANSWER: Grave Digger never returns to Black Lightning. We know no new information about his status or whereabouts.
7) What possible story can seed the Pain Killer (Jordan Calloway) backdoor pilot, and why do the showrunners and/or the network feel that this pilot and/or a potential spinoff series is a good idea when Black Lightning is one of the lowest-rated series on the network and is facing its own series-ending season/series cancellation? Will Jennifer (China Anne McLain) and Khalil reunite romantically before and/or during this backdoor pilot?
ANSWER: The backdoor pilot finds Khalil Payne aka Pain Killer attempting to manage the subverted, brainwashed personality that would be Pain Killer while finding a new purpose as primary identity Khalil and, possibly, as a new meta-crimefighter in climes other than Freeland. After Grace (Chantal Thuy) is kidnapped by a mysterious new antagonist, Anissa (Nafessa Williams)tracks her with the help of Khalil, and the two work together to save the day while confronting Pain Killer’s potential new nemesis.The show was not ordered to series, so, perhaps and despite the CW’s best efforts to sustain forward momentum with this TV universe, it was all for the best in the end. Sadly, Jennifer and Khalil never formally reunite, neither in this episode nor in this final season.
8) Will Anissa and Grace finally be married? Should they be, given the mixture of their individual abilities?
ANSWER: Yes. Anissa and Grace more or less elope after Grace wakes from the coma brought on by her activities during the Markovian invasion in Season 3. They remain a stable couple excited for their future as vigilante superheroes at the end of the series.
9) How is Jennifer so powerful? Will the show ultimately explain Jennifer’s powers and how they continue to outpace her father’s abilities as well as those of others around her? What destiny awaits her?
ANSWER: Unknown. The show did not have (or take) the chance to explore what renders Jennifer so powerful and so much of a threat to Freeland’s villains, likely due to the fact that there was a temporaryreplacement Jennifer, a plot device employed to support McClain’s sought after exit from the series, around which she agreed to appear in only a limited number of episodes in Season 4, before and in spite of the series cancellation. Her destiny, then, remains undetermined as of the end of the series, and our panel found itself lacking any true interest in what might have been in the end.
10) Will Jefferson/Black Lightning join the “Legends” of Tomorrow following the end of his series?
ANSWER: No. Jefferson does not join the Legends, which is fine, because as of May 2022, that series was canceled as well.
11) Is the Council in Gotham City really the Court of Owls, and did Agent O’Dell succeed in installing Lady Eve on the Council? Are we going to be intermingling with Gotham City and/or the Court of Owls next season?
ANSWER: Unknown. The show never changes location, and we never see Lady Eve’s new digs or the Lady herself, much less Gotham or some equivalent location (and despitethe fact that Batwoman is set there).
PARTING SHOTS
Our feisty, spicy, and undeniably judgmental group of DCTU Series panelists – though they might say that they have reasonable standards and high expectations for comic book adaptations given their specific interests and expertise – vehemently do not recommend Black Lightning to anyone, even to comic book fans or to, specifically, DC Comic fans. In tonight’s review, as in the prior two recaps, our panelists persisted in singing a refrain reiterating similar observations that pockmarked their discussion of the first three seasons: Black Lightning recycles elements, formulae, and themes from other Fl/Arrowverse shows and even from other comic book properties without incorporating something original or fresh to set it apart. Several panelists recalled similarities to Marvel’s Luke Cage, which might be an obvious comparison point for this property on the one hand but, on the other hand, somewhat hampers the creative direction of this particular DC story. Therefore, it proves difficult for our panel to abandon the exercise of comparing both shows, regardless of the cultural/representational similarity; however, our panelists ultimately repeated their assertion in tonight’s episode that Marvel’s Luke Cage is, in the end, a superior television series.
The panelists reiterated that Black Lightning lacks the polish of any of the Netflix Marvel shows and even of some of the CW DC entries, as it is plagued by erratic writing choices likely owing to the fact that the original comic book run of Black Lightning amounted to eleven total issues. The panel also universally continued to struggle with the series’ primary villain, Tobias Whale (Jones), either seeing him as an amalgamated ripoff of other characters, such as Marvel baddie Kingpin or DC gangster Brick (who was already used on Arrow), or as a villain with some intrigue or potential due to his origin story but without the caliber of actor or the quality of writing to make him more than a two-dimensional mustache-twirler who doesn’t feel worth Jefferson Pierce’s particular angst, despite the trauma of his own history. The panelists also commented on how it seems that other “bad guy” characters in this series are criminally underused to the point of feeling almost comedic in ways that are likely unintended and/or so vastly unexplained or lacking dimension, that our resident viewers cannot maintain engagement or the will to care about them, which only serves to underscore the panel’s consensus of opinion around the idea that Black Lightning never knew what it wanted to be in the end. Still, the panelists continued to lob slight praise toward the performances of particularly Williams, Remar, and, to a lesser extent, McClain and find that the show shone brightest when the story focused upon Jefferson’s efforts to balance his family life with his superhero pursuits from the vantage point of having an “established” normal life that he adopted after having retired his super suit for a time. Unfortunately, the panel, on average, also struggled with the more “cookie-cutter” comic adaptation aspects of Black Lightning, which render watching the series a “more of the same” activity, to the point of vocal frustration and exasperation that it is even part of this television universe, if it ever was since Black Lightning never again crossed over with other CWVerse properties outside of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Finally, our panelists announced feelings of validation and vindication when describing how little interweaving Jefferson Pierce and his meta-family into the Arrowverse framework helped the quality of his underlying story. As such, our panelists saw little to no improvement in the fourth and final season of Black Lightning – no matter how good some of the technical elements, such as the cinematography, were and no matter how much the soundtrack slammed in the end.
THE FUTURE OF THE SHOW
Ended! Black Lightning concluded with this fourth and final season following its cancellation in May 2021. All Black Lightning seasons are available to stream on Netflix.
Ultimately, and thoroughly unsurprisingly, our DCTU Series panel does not recommend this show to anyone, not even to fans of comic book adaptations. Some panelists could not, in good conscience, recommend a show that “lost its way in the first episode,” never to recover, and all of the panelists were vexed that they were assigned to watch this show as part of the overall DCTU Series, especially when Black Lightning the character only crossed over one time with the other shows and related characters. None of the panelists, Chief CP Kylie included, want to re-watch this show at any point, as most if not all of the panelists were irritated that they had to watch it the first time. It is important to note that the panel, upon review of the first season, rated Black Lightning an average of 2.2 out of 5 stars. Following this fourth and final season, the panel rating plummeted to an average of 0.8 out of 5 stars; several panelists tried to rate the show “0 stars,” but the minimum number of stars they can award if they watched the whole thing is a half star. To that end, our panel cannot offer any kind of endorsement, much less a CPU! Official Endorsement ™, of this program, at least not to anyone who expects some quality from their superhero television viewing at the core for a sustained number of seasons.
In any event, while our Black Lightning coverage is primarily done, don’t be surprised if the series makes an appearance or two in upcoming discussions, from time to time. In the meantime, our DCTU panel will continue its coverage of the Fl/Arrowverse, by discussing the now final two seasons of Batwoman this summer or fall. For now, we bid you adieu!
In the series finale, Grace and Anissa (center and right) have a modest, intimate wedding reception with family at their Freeland apartment, as each character, mother Lynn (left) included, announces plans for a future that the audience will never see.
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website, couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, our zany to the max panel of toon-loving television viewers – moderator Chief Couch Potato Kylie, Nick, Christian, and Ryan (one panelist had an unavoidable conflict) – gathered together to continue a new, ongoing CPU! panel, one in which we Look Back at and reminisce about the final three seasons, i.e. the WB seasons, of beloved nineties cartoon Animaniacs (1993). This is the second part of an ongoing CPU! podcast series charting the lifespan of all versions of the Animaniacs via both the original series and the new Hulu-based reboot. This particular episode was recorded in January 2022, and, as always, if you haven’t seen any of the original Animaniacs, be aware that there are MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: “Animaniacs,” an animated comedy-musical series that aired first on Fox (during the Fox Kids block) and then on the WB for five seasons (1993-1998) before being rebooted in 2020. It now streams on Hulu.
What: Created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company’s Fox Kids block, Animaniacs is the second animated series produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Animation after Tiny Toon Adventures; the series initially ran a total of 99 episodes, along with a feature-length film, Animaniacs: Wakko’s Wish.
SYNOPSIS
Animaniacs is a variety show with short skits featuring a large cast of characters. While the show has no set format, the majority of episodes are composed of three short mini-episodes, each starring a different set of characters, and bridging segments. Hallmarks of the series include its music, satirical social commentary, pop culture references, character catchphrases, and innuendo directed at an adult audience.
The headlining characters, the Warner siblings, live in the Warner Bros. Water Tower on the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank, California; however, characters from the series appear in different episodes in various places and at various periods of time. The Animaniacs characters interact with famous people and creators of the past and present as well as with mythological characters and characters from contemporary pop culture and television.
When: Season 3 aired on the WB network from September 9, 1995, to February 24, 1996, with a total of 46 episodes. Season 4, comprised of 22 episodes, aired on the WB from September 7, 1996, to November 16, 1996. Season 5 aired from September 8, 1997, to November 14, 1998, with a total of 23 episodes.
Where: The show is a cartoon. It can be set anywhere and at anytime, and this cartoon particularly exploits that conceit.
Why: Listen to the podcast episode below for the panelists’ individual stories on how they came to watch Animaniacs.
How – as in How Much Do We Love this Show?!
We Looked Back at Seasons 1-2 of Animaniacs (1993) in March 2022. To listen to the episode, click the link below or find us via our audio feeds at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, and Amazon Music:
The Animaniacs “Once and Future Namey” Series, Episode One: The Original Series, Seasons 1-2
Frequent CPU! contributors and panelists often suggest shows for CPU! to cover in our podcast episodes – loyal listeners should have picked up on this particular trend by now. As the podcast has been underway for several years now, many of our resident and seasoned Couch Potatoes and some of our adjacent and freshly peeled Couch Spuds enthusiastically requested to get zany to the max by waxing nostalgic about perennial animated favorite Animaniacs. Thus, herein we offer the second episode of CPU!’s “Animaniacs: The Once and Future Show’s Name-Y” Looking Back to Look Forward Series, in which we Look Back at and discuss Seasons 3 through 5 of the OG Animaniacs and, specifically, the WB seasons of this classic cartoon. Nick, Michael (K), Christian, and Ryan (a previous panelist had an unavoidable conflict), along with your very involved moderator, reconvened “Around the Water Cooler” to “Look Back,” with slacks full of baloney, at this beloved cartoon from our respective youths, joining the Warner Brothers, their Warner Sister Dot, and every kooky character spawned by this acclaimed animated series in every zany to the max adventure they have ever had – past, present, and future.
This podcast episode was recorded in January 2022, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS (in a cartoon-ish type way), as we cover all of the wacky hilarity presented in the original Animaniacs series. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, on Spotify, on Castbox, on iHeartRadio, and on Amazon Music to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and/or blog posts are published weekly! Next Wednesday, our DCTU Series panel triumphantly returns to the CPU! Water Cooler, after a year’s hiatus, to begin their annual marathon of Arrowverse (or “CWVerse” or “Flarrowverse”) recaps and reviews by discussing the final season, Season 4, of Black Lightning and to, in turn, Look Back at the show, which (SPOILER)…they never really liked one bit, at any time, in any moment. Stay tuned for the next round of DC-related snark from CPU!’s spiciest panel!
RECOMMENDATION
Animaniacs is indubitably, enthusiastically, and vociferously recommended by tonight’s entire panel to anyone who loves cartoons/animated series in general but also to anyone who enjoys intelligence as well as uncompromising creativity and unflinching willingness to experiment comedically along with their helpings of animated television. The panelists universally agree that the pioneering Animaniacs – which would later influence other animation geared toward both children and adults on networks like Nickelodeon and Comedy Central – is well written, incomparably well-performed/well-voiced, and never panders for the sake of the target audience, which is generally children, though it, as a result, garners a loyal following of fans of all ages and from all generations who happen to appreciate the sometimes erudite and always outrageous humor of this show. Animaniacs is the type of ‘toon that the panelists believe should have the broadest appeal, as the series readily and frequently parodies pop culture – including film, television, and musical theatre – as well as satirizes everything from politics to trends from that golden decade, the nineties. Though some recurring characters, such as Katie Ka-Boom and the Hip Hip Hippos, leave something to be desired for some of our panelists, all panelists agreed that each episode of the original seasons of Animaniacs provides a little something for everyone and is endlessly rewatchable because, though the moments in time from which the material is drawn might have, in some instances, become truly dated, the characters are so vivid, so hilarious, and so absurdly rendered via the brilliant writing and voice acting, most anyone, of all ages, can find a path to laughter with this sublime exemplar of animated TV. While none of our panelists engaged (yet) in comparing the original to the reboot in this episode – stay tuned for that! – all panelists agree that the original (OG) Animaniacs offers heavy nostalgic appeal but also enough inherent cleverness that even a brand new, modern viewer would find something to love here. Will the same be true for the rebooted version of this show? Stay tuned for our next episode in this podcast series to find out what our panelists collectively think about that subject.
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, our magical panel of TV-watching witches and warlocks – moderator Chief Couch Potato Kylie, Sarah, Jessica, and Michael (DA; former panelist Jeremy jumped the shark) – reconvenes Around the Water Cooler to continue our ongoing CPU! panel, for which we have Looked Back to Look Forward at all shows named Charmed. This is the fourth episode of an ongoing CPU! podcast series examining the various iterations of the Power of Three; this episode continues ongoing “Water Cooler” coverage of the reboot CW series and discusses Season 3 of Charmed (2018). This particular episode was recorded in April 2022, and, as always, if you haven’t seen any of either version of Charmed, be aware that there are MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: “Charmed (2018)” is an American fantasy drama and reboot of the 1998 series of the same name, which currently airs on spring Fridays at 8:00 PM on the CW.
What: Developed by Jennie Snyder Urman, Jessica O’Toole, and Amy Rardin, Charmed (2018) is a reboot of the WB series of the same name, which was created by Constance M. Burge and which originally aired from 1998 to 2006 on the CW and its predecessor network. The series follows the lives of three sisters—Macy (Madeleine Mantock), Mel (Melonie Diaz), and Maggie (Sarah Jeffery)—who, after the death of their mother, discover that they are the Charmed Ones, the most powerful trio of good witches, destined to protect innocent lives from demons and other dark forces. Each sister has an individual magical power, which is noticeably stronger when all three sisters work together as the “Power of Three” to defeat their enemies. The sisters are aided by a Whitelighter, Harry Greenwood (Rupert Evans), an advisor who protects and guides witches.
SYNOPSIS
The series begins with sisters Mel (Diaz) and Maggie Vera (Jeffery) living with their mother Marisol, who is attacked and killed by an unknown dark force. Three months later, Mel and Maggie discover that they have an older half-sister, Macy Vaughn (Mantock), who was kept a secret by their mother for years but who recently moved close by to accept a new job at the local university. The sisters unexpectedly start exhibiting new magical abilities the first time they are together in the same room: the eldest Macy receives the power of telekinesis, middle sister Mel can freeze time, and the youngest Maggie can hear others’ thoughts. Soon afterward, their Whitelighter Harry (Evans) gathers all three sisters together and reveals to them that they are witches, as was their mother, and that Marisol bound her daughters’ powers when they were each born to protect them and to let them live normal lives but was in the process of unbinding their powers on the night she was murdered. The sisters ultimately accept their new destiny as The Charmed Ones, the most powerful trio of good witches, who protect innocent lives from demons and other dark forces.
When: Season 3 aired from January 24, 2021, to July 23, 2021, on the CW with a total of 18 episodes.
Where: In Season 3, the show is set primarily in Seattle, Washington, though the sisters have access to a magical portal that can take them pretty much anywhere.
Why: Listen to Episode 2 linked below for the panelists’ individual stories on how they found Charmed (2018).
How – as in How Was It? – THOUGHTS
Couch Potatoes Unite! has been around for a while now; listeners are finding us a bit more and becoming more comfortable reaching out with all sorts of feedback, which we highly encourage and welcome! A few years ago, a listener by the name of Marcel recommended that we launch a Charmed panel, particularly in light of the then-upcoming reboot that ultimately premiered in 2018 amid much rancor and backlash from members of the original series cast as well as from the devoted Charmed fandom. We started this series by Looking Back at Charmed (1998) in 2020. We subsequently Looked Back to Look Forward at the first two seasons of Charmed (2018) that same year. To catch up on those prior episodes, listen here:
The Charmed Series, Episode One: Looking Back at Charmed (1998)
The Charmed Series, Episode Two: Charmed (2018), Season 1 + Charmed (1998) Vs. Charmed (2018)
The Charmed Series, Episode Three: Charmed (2018), Season 2
This week, our Charmed Series panel – namely Sarah, Jessica, and Michael (former panelist Jeremy jumped the shark and departed the panel) – returns to the Water Cooler to continue its magical journey by resuming our Look Forward “Around the Water Cooler” at new seasons of the reboot. Tonight, we offer the fourth episode of our series covering the various trios of sister-witches, wherein we recap and review the decidedly more frustrating and less well-liked (on average) Season 3 of Charmed (2018). Thisspecific series’ fluctuation in quality leads one to consider the trend (and costs) of rebooting and reviving older properties to capture and capitalize upon nostalgia, for better or for worse. The jury’s still out as to whether Charmed (2018) is “better” or “worse,” but after tonight’s discussion, the consensus of our panel seems to be leaning toward the latter category.
This podcast episode was recorded in April 2022, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as we cover major plot points of the third season of the rebooted Charmed series. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, on Spotify, on Castbox, on iHeartRadio, and on Amazon Music to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly! Next Wednesday, our Animaniacs: the Once and Future Namey Series panel triumphantly returns to the CPU! Water Cooler, prepared to Look Back at and to compare and contrast Seasons 3-5, i.e. the “WB seasons,” of the acclaimed animated mainstay’s original run to its first two Fox seasons. Stay tuned!
Questions, Impressions, and Future Considerations
Old Questions
1) Will there be a huge battle to preserve the viability of magic between magical creatures and mortal humans, as panelist Michael hopes, wishes, and predicts?
ANSWER: There are some small battles in Season 3 but nothing of the size and scope for what Michael was hoping – and certainly not for the viability and sanctity of magic.
2) Who is the Conqueror and/or the leader of the Faction? Is it Julian (guest: Eric Balfour)? His once dead sister Rosemary? His Aunt Vivienne?
ANSWER: Deemed “the last Conqueror,” Aunt Vivienne Laurent was the Conqueror in question. She also led the Faction along with Julian; however, he defected when he realized what she was ultimately attempting to do (and in light of the feelings he nursed for Macy).
3) Will Julian’s sister Rosemary wake up/come alive and have magical properties, qualities, and/or identity since she has been given doses of Black Amber?
ANSWER: Rosemary wakes but only temporarily.
4) What happened to Godric? Where did he go after Parker gave up his demonic magical abilities?
ANSWER: Unknown at this time.
5) Will Macy get more power expansion in the coming season, as panelist Michael hopes? Maggie seems to have experienced the most magical evolutionary progress, at least in Season 2.
ANSWER: Yes, in the sense thatMacy successfully regains the demonic powers with which she was born after an evolving and somewhat reformed Abigael (Poppy Drayton) decides to return them to her as a means by which to make amends. Listen to tonight’s podcast episode for brief discussions about these events.
6) Will there be a musical episode, which seems to be all the rage on the CW these days and since Mantock and Jeffery can sing?
ANSWER: So far, there has been no musical episode.
7) Will one of the Charmed Ones die in this coming season, per the Ghost Elder’s (as Chief CP Kylie has dubbed her, though we now know her as “the Guardian”) prognostication when discussing the ledger of past Charmed Ones found in the Elders’ Command Center? If so, who would it be, and would she be replaced, similar to Paige’s storyline on the Original Charmed?
ANSWER: (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER) Yes. Macy dies this season, and given that there is a Season 4, we expect a replacement Charmed One to appear in this subsequent season. We do not know yet how it plays out because none of us have started watching Season 4. Listen to the podcast episode for discussions, theories, and rants.
8) Does the Ledger of Charmed Ones list Charmed Ones that have existed in this universe? Wasn’t there only one set of possible “Charmed Ones,” as asserted by the Original Charmed? Or, does the Ledger suggest that there are parallel universes with different sets of Charmed Ones, as panelist Michael theorizes? Are the Halliwells and Paige listed in that book? Will we see their names listed?
ANSWER: Unknown. The Ledger was not revisited in Season 3.
9) Is Abigael somehow distantly related to the Veras and Macy? Panelist Jeremy said he was kidding, but now we can’t help but wonder if witches are all distantly related to each other.
ANSWER: We are safely betting not. It would be weird if she was, particularly since Abigael seems to have a thing for Mel.
10) Does the discussion of lay lines and of the existence of magical places imply that there are more sources for Black Amber or other mystical substances that fuel magic? Are there nexuses elsewhere around the world in this Charmed?
ANSWER: Unknown. Lay lines, magical sources, and magical nexuses were not revisited in Season 3.
11) Will the house and, therefore, the sisters move again since they were magically transported from Michigan to Washington State in Season 2? Are they drawn to where they are needed, or will they stay in Seattle for a time? If they don’t stay, what will happen to Safe Space, Jordan (Jordan Donica), and some of the other relationships that the sisters started in Seattle?
ANSWER: No. The sisters and the house remain in Seattle for Season 3.
12) Whatever happened to spells used for personal gain in this Charmed? Are they allowed without consequences in this series?
ANSWER: Unknown and unclear. Fortunately, the sisters did not seem to lean into spells for personal gain this season, so there was no way to really meditate upon this question.
13) If Julian is the Conqueror, how is he stopped? Will it require Macy to sacrifice her budding relationship with Harry to save him, since Julian still appears to be very much in love with Macy?
ANSWER: Julian is not the Conqueror.
14) Will Parker return in Season 3? Will Jordan? Or, is Maggie destined to be on a love-related carousel?
ANSWER: Parker does not return, but Jordan does; however, a magical “allergy” preventing the sisters from being close to each other or others precludes Maggie from further exploring her feelings for Jordan throughout much of the season. Only in the end do they contemplate a future together, which is teased in the final moments of the season finale.
15) What happened to Mel and Maggie’s special gifts, namely Mel’s bracelet and Maggie’s staff, left for them by their mother to channel their magical abilities?
ANSWER: Apparently, according to panelist Michael and at least in Maggie’s case, Maggie stopped using her staff because she lost the ability to be an empath when she gained her powers of persuasion/mind control/mind manipulation, thereby rendering her staff useless. Since Mel lost her freezing powers, at least for a time, and since she does not seem too preoccupied with jewelry, we assume Mel made a similar decision, since neither of these trinkets has been seen since Season 1.
16) Was there a spark of a little something-something between Mel and Abigael, as Chief CP Kylie noticed? Similarly, are Mel and Ruby done forever?
ANSWER: Mel and Ruby are still going strong, but Abigael definitely seems to have potent feelings for Mel as well. Mel does not seem to return them, and in some ways, it mightbe Abigael’s way of filling a void, a need for validation, but Abigael certainly expresses a type of respect for Mel that looks quite a bit like love in the end. If Abigael returns in Season 4, it will beinteresting to see how this plays out.
New Questions
1) How will the show (theoretically) replace Macy, since she was already a secret half-sister to Mel and Maggie and in order to reconstitute the Power of Three? The related magical beings have typically and always been sisters of some type. What will the show do to ensure its longevity, to the extent that any exists?
2) Will Abigael return in Season 4 since she left at the end of Season 3 to stay with her sister, with whom she had newly reconciled?
3) Will there be a truly “Big Battle,” as panelist Michael hopes, and would Abigael return to help the sisters in that event?
4) Will the show revisit the storyline in which a future Mel asks the “present-day” Mel to house an unborn fetus until the future Mel returns to claim the near-term baby? The panel all concludes that this was the show’s way of incorporating Melonie Diaz’s real-life pregnancy, but are we to assume that this is a future that may yet come to pass? Or, are these events associated with the future where Macy was still alive and using her demonic powers almost exclusively? Honestly, the future meets past/present storylines are fairly confusing to all of the panel, and we hope that the show attempts to clarify these pieces; otherwise, the lack of explanation might motivate a “jump the shark” decision.
5) Is there still a coming apocalypse-type event, and, if so, how far into the future does it occur? The time travel/visions of the future are not handled well or presented clearly this season.
6) What powers or benefits do the “Guardian(s)” in the magical tree below the Command Center under Safe Space actually provide to the Charmed Ones or to witch-kind generally? How many Guardian(s) are there, or does Macy’s spirit replace the one we’ve met already? How is the Guardian(s) different than the Elders that no longer exist on this version of the show?
7) If the third to-be-likely-replacement Charmed One is not a sister, who can she be, and how can she fit into the “Charmed One” aesthetic that has informed every version of this show since the original series premiered in the nineties?
PARTING SHOTS
All in all, our Charmed panel generally regards Season 3 much less positively than Season 2 and much more in line with how the remaining panelists regarded Season 1, which was not a favorable review (listen to the episode linked above). In particular, the panel feels that Season 3 is incredibly repetitive in terms of story structure while incorporating mechanics, such as the “allergy” – likely due to the influence of COVID-19 on production schedules and safety protocols – that ultimately undermined the serviceability of the plot as well as the entertainment value of the story, particularly as formerly appealing elements, like the “will they or won’t they” dynamic of Harry and Macy, lost the tension or urgency or novelty of their Season 2 introductions. In that vein, the story beats lost much of the heart and emotion that seemed so prevalent and so enticing in that second season. The panelists also opined that the season pacing and plot progression appeared to regress to something disjointed and lacking a forward evolution, at least for every character but Abigael, in this third season.
Thus, to that end, Charmed (2018) continues not to be recommended by any member of our panel currently, especially not to anyone older than younger Millennial viewers or Generation Z. The panelists unanimously see the rebooted Charmed as an entirely inferior product compared to its predecessor and adamantly believe that to the extent that Charmed can be recommended to anyone – and it would have to be the type who generally enjoys the magical, the fantastic, and the formula so often found on shows produced for the CW – the original Charmed is the only way to go in good recommending conscience, even as all four remaining panelists appreciate the modern context and the inclusive casting and concepts underlying the reboot. The panelists continue to unanimously believe that this reboot suffers from some drastically uneven performances, with some players (Mantock, Evans) being more convincing than others (Diaz); inconsistent writing; and poorly executed special effects. Still, every one of our Charmed panelists views Charmed(2018) as more of the same pure candy fluff representative of the superior original version. With the problems presented by the reboot, however, in terms of the production and performance quality as well as an unusual number of growing pains for a show that was controversially rebooted from another established series that ended relatively recently, our panelists are not so sure that this new iteration of the Power of Three will set you free. Take that for what it is worth, gentle listener, even if what it’s worth is but a casual mention in your personal TV-related Book of Shadows.
LOOKING AHEAD
The CW renewed Charmed (2018) for a fourth season, which premiered on March 11, 2022. No decision regarding renewal for a fifth season or cancellation has yet been announced. CPU! will next return to our Charmed Series following the finale of Season 4! Until then…stay tuned!
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website: couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded in November 2021, our panel of would-be midwives and nuns – moderator Krista, Sarah, Gina, Vicki, Allison, and Chief Couch Potato Kylie – reconvenes Around the CPU! Water Cooler to discuss Series 3 and 4 of the BBC-produced period drama that airs on PBS in the United States, Call the Midwife, in this, Episode Two of our five-part “Catching Up on Call the Midwife” Series. As always, if you have not watched any of Call the Midwife, be aware that there are, most definitely, MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: “Call the Midwife” is a period drama series, originally produced by and airing first on BBC in the United Kingdom, about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s. It typically airs in the UK on BBC in the winter; the most recent series currently airs on PBS in the United States Sundays at 8:00 PM.
What: Created by Heidi Thomas and originally based upon the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, who worked with the Community of St. John the Divine, an Anglican religious order at their convent in the East End, the series stars Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Helen George, Bryony Hannah, Laura Main, Jenny Agutter, Pam Ferris, Judy Parfitt, Cliff Parisi, Stephen McGann, Ben Caplan, Max Macmillan, Emerald Fennell, and Victoria Yeates in Series 3 and 4. The show, starting in Series 4, has extended beyond the memoirs to include new, historically sourced material. For the most part, the show depicts the day-to-day lives of the midwives and those in their local neighborhood of Poplar, with certain historical events of the era having a direct or indirect effect on the characters and storylines.
SYNOPSIS
The story follows newly qualified midwife Jenny Lee (Raine), as well as the work of midwives and the nuns of Nonnatus House, a nursing convent and part of an Anglican religious order coping with the medical problems in the deprived Poplar district of London’s desperately poor East End in the 1950s. The nuns and midwives carry out many nursing duties across the community; however, with between 80 and 100 babies being born each month in Poplar alone, the primary work is to help bring safe childbirth to women in the area and to look after their countless newborns.
The third series, set in 1959, depicts cystic fibrosis, polio, caring for the terminally ill, and midwifery in a prison context. The Child Migrants Programme, the threat of nuclear warfare (including emergency response guidelines issued by local Civil Defence Corps), LGBTQ+ rights, and syphilis among sex workers are depicted in the fourth series, set in 1960.
When: Series 3 aired on PBS in the USA in 2014 with a total of nine episodes, including the preceding Christmas special (precise air dates unknown). Series 4 aired on PBS in 2015 with a total of 9 episodes, including the preceding Christmas special (precise air dates unknown).
Where: The action in both series is set in Poplar, East End London, England, United Kingdom in the 1950s, with Series 3 transpiring in early 1959 and Series 4 occurring in 1960.
Why: To find out why individual podcast panelists started watching this show, listen to the Episode 1/Series 1-2 podcast episode via the link below!
How – as in How Was It? – THOUGHTS
This is Episode Two of our “Catching Up on Call the Midwife”series. You can listen to Episode One here and at our audio feeds (Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, and Amazon Music):
Seasons/Series 1 & 2
Frequent CPU! contributors and panelists often suggest shows for CPU! to cover in our podcast episodes – loyal listeners should have picked up on this particular trend by now. As the podcast has been underway for several years now, many of our resident and seasoned Couch Potatoes and some of our adjacent and freshly peeled Couch Spuds enthusiastically requested to talk about British period drama Call the Midwife. Thus, herein we offer the second episode of CPU!’s Call the Midwife Catching Up Series, in which we recap and discuss Series 3 and 4 and in which our panel – consisting of Sarah, Gina, Vicki, Allison, and Chief Couch Potato Kylie as panelist – joins moderator Krista in remarking upon the success or lack thereof of the next two seasons in the series, as we catch up two seasons at a time, and in so doing, to ruminate in-depth upon the production values, performances, and other aspects of this program.
Tonight’s episode is the second episode of a five-episode series in which CPU! gets caught up on this show, which premiered on PBS in the United States in 2012. In this chapter, our panel reflects upon and recaps Series 3 and 4 of Call the Midwife, and the reviews continue to be nothing short of generally glowing, with only a few qualms to dissect, which we do thoroughly in tonight’s episode.
This episode was recorded in November 2021, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as the panelists cover key plot points of the third and fourth series of the show. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, on Spotify, on Castbox, on iHeartRadio, and on Amazon Music to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly! Next Wednesday, our slightly-smaller Charmed Series panel triumphantly returns to the CPU! Water Cooler, after an eighteen-month hiatus, to discuss Season 3 of the controversial reboot of the much (more) beloved nineties series of the same name. Stay tuned for this magical panel’s latest review and recap!
RECOMMENDATION
Call the Midwife is enthusiastically and unanimously recommended by our latest CPU! panel to fans of period dramas; fans of British television shows; and fans of dramas that explore historical context against the backdrop of character studies, since Call the Midwife is chock full of colorful and endearing characters in which to become invested as the seasons/series and years depicted therein progress. Additionally, this program will probably appeal most to those who enjoy mid-twentieth century motifs, including fashion palettes and hairstyles, as the show is fastidiously accurate with its costumes and makeup, and to mothers, who might find something to which to relate vis-a-vis memories of their own labor experiences. In keeping with other shows produced in the UK and for the BBC, both series are short, with a focus toward quality over quantity, and the ensemble cast is built from natural chemistry evolving from the “who’s who” of new faces and seasoned veterans staffing it from Britain’s rote pool of thespians. Our panelists particularly laud the producers’, writers’, and production staff’s attention to deal with respect to not only the historical backdrops but the art direction and other visual aesthetics that allow the audience to readily suspend disbelief and to immerse themselves in a period and location that feels distant, even as the episodes explore social, political, familial, and gender-related issues that reverberate decades into the future and continue to resonate today, since some of these issues endure, even if in different contexts and forms. Because of the program’s accessibility and relatability to anyone interested in its subject matter, our panel (of women supporting women) highly recommends Call the Midwife and remains only too eager to catch up on the next two series, 5 and 6, which we will discuss in Episode Three of our “Catching Up” on Call the Midwife series in May!
LOOKING AHEAD
Call the Midwife was renewed for Series 11, which is currently airing on PBS in the USA, having premiered on March 20, 2022. In the meantime, CPU! will next visit Call the Midwife in Episode 3 of this “Catching Up” Series next month, during which our panel will focus upon Series 5 and 6. Like, follow, and/or subscribe to the website, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, Amazon Music, or our social media accounts to stay abreast of new episodes regarding Call the Midwife as well as new episodes for all of our podcast panels! And, if you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Thank you!
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website: couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded in March 2022, our panel of Pearson-loving resident Couch Potatoes – moderator Chief Couch Potato Kylie, Kristen (L), Spencer, Emily (S), Kristin (T), and Jared (one of the prior panelists temporarily departed the panel for lives behind the podcast) – reconvenes around the CPU! Water Cooler, cheering “Big Three!” all the while, to discuss Season 5 of the critically-acclaimed and widely popular NBC family drama This Is Us. As always, if you have not watched any of This Is Us, be aware that there are, most definitely, MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: “This Is Us” is a romantic family drama series that currently airs on NBC, winter to spring Tuesdays at 9:00 PM.
What: Created by Dan Fogelman, the series follows the lives and families of two parents and their three children in several different time frames and stars an ensemble cast featuring Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, Jon Huertas, Eris Baker, Faithe Herman, Lyric Ross, and Asante Blackk in Season 5.
When: Season 5 aired on NBC from October 27, 2020, to May 25, 2021, with a total of eighteen episodes.
SYNOPSIS
This Is Us follows the lives of siblings Kevin (Hartley), Kate (Metz), and Randall (Brown, known as the “Big Three”), and their parents Jack (Ventimiglia) and Rebecca Pearson (Moore). It takes place mainly in the present and uses flashbacks to show the family’s past. Kevin and Kate are the two surviving members from a triplet pregnancy, born six weeks premature on Jack’s 36th birthday in 1980; their brother Kyle is stillborn. Believing they were meant to have three children, Jack and Rebecca, who are white, decide to adopt Randall (Brown), an African American child born the day before and brought to the same hospital after his biological father William Hill abandoned him at a fire station. Jack dies when his children are 17, and Rebecca later marries Jack’s best friend Miguel (Huertas). Randall becomes a successful finance professional and marries college classmate Beth (Watson); they raise two daughters (Tess, played by Eris Baker, and Annie, played by Faithe Herman). Kevin becomes a successful actor while struggling to be taken seriously. After lacking direction for much of her life, Kate meets Toby (Sullivan).
Most episodes feature a storyline taking place in the present (contemporaneous with airing) and a storyline taking place at a set time in the past, but some episodes are set in one time period or use multiple flashback time periods. Flashbacks often focus on Jack and Rebecca in and around 1980, both before and after their babies’ birth, or on the family when the Big Three are children or adolescents (and played by two sets of younger actors); these scenes usually take place in Pittsburgh, where the Big Three and their parents are born and raised. As adults, Kate lives in Los Angeles, Randall and his family are in New Jersey but relocate to Philadelphia in Season 4, and Kevin relocates from Los Angeles to New York City and back again.
Where: The action follows the core family members – two parents, three children, and their eventual spouses – who are originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but who later move and spread, particularly in the present/future timelines, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Los Angeles, California; and New York City, New York.
Why: To find out why individual podcast panelists started watching this show, listen to the Season 1 podcast episode via the link below!
How – as in How Was It? – THOUGHTS
In 2021, we launched our This Is Us panel, caught up quickly on the first four seasons, and now continue this series as a Water Cooler entry. You can listen to our first four episodes in this series below; the second, third, and fourth episodes are still part of our audio feeds at Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, and Amazon Music:
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Panelists Kristen L, Spencer, Emily, Kristin T, and Jared triumphantly reconvene with moderator Chief Couch Potato Kylie (one of our previous panelists temporarily departed the panel due to lives behind the podcast) Around the Water Cooler after almost one year’s hiatus to pick up where our This Is Us series left off in 2021 when we last discussed the family Pearson and those who love them. In tonight’s episode, CPU! continues forward-looking Water Cooler coverage of This Is Us with ourpenultimate Season 5 recap and review, in which our panel remarks upon the success or lack thereof of this gripping and layered family drama, and in so doing, ruminates in-depth upon the production values, performances, writing, and, in the case of this panel, the music of this acclaimed program. In this chapter, our panel reflects upon and recaps our continued learning about the Pearson family in several different eras of the family’s story and in pieces and parts, providing clues to a larger mystery around how the family survives hardship while remaining centered and grounded in the face of life’s greatest challenges. The enthusiasm from our panel remains truly palpable, as this series has become one of the highest-rated shows (by review of our panelists) that we have covered on the podcast.
This episode was recorded in March 2022, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as the panelists cover key plot points of the fifth season. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, on Spotify, on Castbox, on iHeartRadio, and on Amazon Music to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly! Next Wednesday, our Call the Midwife panel returns to the CPU! Water Cooler to continue our Catching Up Series reacting, two seasons at a time, to the popular BBC/PBS period drama by discussing Series 3 and 4 in Episode 2 of our Series. Stay tuned!
Questions, Impressions, and Future Considerations
1) Who does Kevin end up with in the future? Is it Sophie (guest: Alexandra Breckinridge)? Is it Cassidy (guest: Jennifer Morrison)? Or, is it someone entirely new? Will we get a chance to meet her in any sort of meaty or flushed-out way with the limited amount of airtime real estate left in this final season?
2) Why do Kate and Toby officially end their marriage since it is clear from the fifth season finale that Kate marries Phillip, the teacher she comes to assist at the music school for the blind? How does that love affair even come to be?
3) Are the producers/network really considering making a movie of any type and/or with an alternate storyline in mind, exploring what might have happened had Jack survived the fire?
4) Will Rebecca see Jack as she inevitably passes away in the future/flash-forwards as a result of the progression of her Alzheimer’s Disease, either as an actual vision of him or by mistaking, the vigilantly watching and patiently waiting, Nicky (guest: Griffin Dunne) for Jack as he sits by her bedside?
5) What happens with the farmhouse inherited by Randall and Beth from Randall’s birth mother Laurel, who survived long past what was understood to be her death, so we learn in Season 5?
6) Will the show reexplore some of the side stories they have seeded, such as the depiction of the inventor of email?
7) Will we see adult Nicky and Franny, Kevin and Madison’s children, in the future?
8) Will we see a big family reunion far into the future, following Rebecca’s death and focusing on the children of Kevin, Kate, and Randall?
9) Who will inherit Rebecca’s crescent moon necklace?
10) What happens to Miguel? Does he die before Rebecca? Or, does Rebecca “release” him from marriage with her, so that he will not have to witness her Alzheimer’s-influenced decline?
11) Where are Miguel’s kids from his first marriage? Will we see them at any point in Season 6?
12) What sort of Kate will we see in the end? A happier one? A thinner one?
13) What happens to Tess, Annie, Deja, and Malik in the future?
14) Will we see Kevin, Kate, and/or Randall’s grandchildren? Will the show invest in a Six Feet Under type of projection or time jump in any of the final episodes?
15) What will Nicky do in this not-too-distant future?
16) What happens to Toby in the end?
PARTING SHOTS
This Is Us continues to be wholeheartedly and boisterously recommended by our CPU! panel to “almost anyone” who enjoys watching television – full stop – but particularly to those who enjoy family dramas like Parenthood, Brothers & Sisters, and The Council of Dads and to those with some years of life experience behind them that would make some of the more difficult parts of this series, in terms of the challenges that the characters face, resonate more fully on an emotional level with would-be watchers. Our panel believes that this show will appeal most to people who appreciate some reality in their fiction, as opposed to pure fantasy, because the creator and writers have infused their story with an undercurrent of wisdom and a concentrated sense of genuineness that renders the show a fulfilling and emotional viewing experience that keeps one wanting more, as the story is told non-linearly, with meted out clues and parallelisms connecting well-meaning, three-dimensional characters with whom it quickly becomes easy to identify. The panelists universally describe This Is Us as well-written, well-performed, and well-directed, with expertly plotted, interweaving storylines that both tease the mind and fill the heart and are executed by earnest and genuine performers who breathe a comfortable vitality into smart, relatable, and emotionally complex characters. Our panel notes that a decision to watch this NBC drama should be one made with a firm commitment, a preparation for an investment that requires full concentration for the watch without the “second screen experience” and other distractions, as there are glimpses and hints of story revelations in early seasons that ultimately play out masterfully in later seasons. The panel further praised the casting, lauding the seamless ensemble of this drama and its effortless cast chemistry. In the end, the panelists unanimously enjoy this series, Season 5 as much as the seasons preceding it, and enthusiastically recommend it to any would-be viewer who would be enticed by it to start, without hesitation; in fact, our supersized panel proved all too eager to continue watching Season 6, which we will discuss following the airing of the (gulp) series finale later this year, at which point we will also Look Back at the whole darn show. Stay tuned!
LOOKING AHEAD
NBC renewed This Is Us for three additional seasons, including a sixth season, at the same time that the show received its fourth season renewal (May 2019). In May 2021, it was announced that Season 6 would be the show’s final season, which premiered on January 4, 2022. Our panel will visit This Is Us one final time to discuss Season 6 following the airing of the series finale on May 24, 2022; we will Look Back at the entire show in that same episode. Like, follow, and/or subscribe to the website, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, Amazon Music, Patreon, or our social media accounts to stay abreast of new episodes regarding This Is Us as well as new episodes for all of our podcast panels! And, if you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Thank you!
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website: couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded in April 2022, our slightly smaller panel of peppy River Vixens and tough-as-nails Southside Serpents – moderator Sarah, Emily (S), Micah, Jessica, and Chief CP Kylie (one of our previous panelists departed the panel) – convenes for the fifth time around the CPU! Water Cooler (or are we at Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe?) to discuss Season 5 of the CW teen drama series Riverdale. As always, if you have not watched any of Riverdale, be aware that there are, most definitely, MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: “Riverdale” is an American teen drama based upon the characters of Archie Comics, which currently airs fall to spring Sundays at 8:00 PM on the CW.
What: Adapted for The CW by Archie Comics’ chief creative officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, “Riverdale” features an ensemble cast playing the traditional “Archie Comics” characters, with series regulars KJ Apa as Archie Andrews; Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper; Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge; Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones, the series’ narrator; Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom; Casey Cott as Kevin Keller; Charles Melton as Reggie Mantle; and Vanessa Morgan as Toni Topaz as well as Mädchen Amick as Alice Cooper and Mark Consuelos as Hiram Lodge.
SYNOPSIS
The series follows Archie Andrews’ (Apa) life in the small town of Riverdale and explores the darkness hidden behind its seemingly perfect image.
When: Season 5 aired on the CW from January 20, 2021, to October 6, 2021, with a total of 19 episodes.
Where: The action is set primarily in the fictional town of Riverdale, the comics-based home of the “Archie Comics” characters, though this season branched into New York City, New York as well as to an unspecified war location. The time is contemporaneous present day, presumably, but also seven years from when the main characters graduate, which occurs this season. Frankly, we are not really sure when this series is supposed to be taking place.
Why: To find out why individual podcast panelists started watching this show, listen to the podcast episode covering Season 1 via the link below!
How – as in How Was It? – THOUGHTS
In 2020, we launched our Riverdale panel, caught up quickly on the first three seasons, and then continued this series as a Water Cooler entry later that year. You can listen to our first three episodes in this series below; the fourth episode was rerun last week into our audio feeds at Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, and Amazon Music and is also below:
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Panelists Emily (S), Micah, Jessica, and Chief CP Kylie triumphantly reconvene with moderator Sarah (one of our previous panelists departed the panel) Around the Water Cooler after an eighteen-month hiatus to pick up where our Riverdale series left off in 2020 when we last discussed this dark, soapy, and twisty Archie Comics adaptation. In tonight’s episode, CPU! continues forward-looking Water Cooler coverage of Riverdale with ourSeason 5 recap, and the Chief CP once again steps aside from the moderating microphone, so that Sarah may serve as the main moderator once more; if you recall, Sarah was a college roommate of Sarah Habel, who played Geraldine Grundy on the series for the first two seasons.
As such, our panel continues to remark upon the realness of Riverdale compared to its idyllically drawn source material in talking about the fifth season of this sudsy soap-opera-like teen drama, and in so doing, we ruminate in-depth upon the production values, performances, writing, and dark mysteries of this show – with a continued, and unmistakably plummeting, veritable variety of results and even more so in reaction to Season 5 and its seven-year time jump into the respective adulthoods of our four main characters. In tonight’s episode, our panel reflects upon and recaps Season 5 of Riverdale, in which the town, the teens, some of their parents, and the various villains pockmarking this wry study of human nature, where real clashes with the ideal, grapple with saving the titular wicked little town from Hiram Lodge’s (Consuelos) efforts to de-incorporate its charter, resulting in even more new forms of darkness as well as new rounds of attempted murder, kidnapping, torture, and suicide, all of which definitely leave our panel confused and without proper suspension of disbelief as we try to puzzle through what is passing for the plot of the series in this fifth season.
This episode was recorded in April 2022, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as the panelists cover key plot points – very key plot points – of the fifth season. Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@cpupodcast), Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite), Pinterest (@cpupodcast), or email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com – or subscribe to this blog, the YouTube channel, our Apple/iTunes channel, our Stitcher Radio channel , find us on Google Play, on Spotify, on Castbox, on iHeartRadio, and on Amazon Music to keep track of brand new episodes. In the meantime, let us know what you think! Comment or review us in any of the above forums – we’d love your feedback!
Remember, new episodes and/or blog posts are published weekly! Next Wednesday, our This Is Us panel triumphantly returns to the CPU! Water Cooler, ready to process all of the informative events and jaw-dropping twists of the penultimate Season 5 in advance of the beginning of the end, the currently airing Season 6 and the upcoming series finale. Stay tuned for the return of arguably CPU!’s most enthusiastic panel – next week!
Questions, Impressions, and Future Considerations
Old Questions
1) Who is creating and/or sending the videotapes, and what is their purpose? Is it Charles? Is it Chic? Is it Mr. Honey after all (guest: Kerr Smith)? What do they even mean?
ANSWER: In a bit of an unexpected and marginally lame twist, the videotape auteur is revealed – in the leftover episodes clearly intended for the end of the fourth season – to be none other than Jughead’s (Sprouse) sister Jellybean, who becomes involved insnuff and other film productions for the purpose of capturing her brother’s attention, so that he would be compelled to stay in Riverdale. Unsurprisingly, she moves back to live with her mother following the family’s discovery of this information.
2) Has Skeet Ulrich left the show never to appear again, even though the end of Season 4 did not really tie off his character? Reports in the press and impressions left with the panel most certainly conflict, as some reports have Ulrich gone for good, while others suggest that he will at least appear in Season 5 in a recurring status, if for no other reason than to provide FP with a proper sendoff.
ANSWER: Skeet Ulrich appears in the handful of episodes starting this season that was clearly meant to be those originally planned to end Season 4; however, when Jellybean’s macabre hobby is revealed to the world, he leaves with her to ensure her good future. Ulrich does not reappear in the remaining episodes of Season 5.
3) What about Marisol Nichols? Is she going to appear long enough to provide Hermione Lodge an organic departure after Nichols announced her own departure from the series?
ANSWER: Marisol Nichols recurs somewhat in Season 5, but Hermione’s life transmutes to being a “real housewife” on some show that echoes real-life equivalents. She connects with Veronica (Mendes) once this season when Hiram’s (Consuelos) history and backstory are further explored, but she otherwise seems to have departed the show for good.
4) Will Molly Ringwald become a series regular in the future since Mary Andrews decides to stick around and care for Archie in the wake of Fred’s untimely passing (following Luke Perry’s untimely passing)?
ANSWER: Molly Ringwald has not become a series regular.
5) In Season 4, the show seems to tease “Barchie,” i.e. the romantic pairing of Archie and Betty (Reinhart), when they exchange some illicit kisses and, um, some illicit make-out sessions behind Veronica and Jughead’s respective backs, but then the show seems to “chicken out,” as several of our panelists described it, by having Archie return to Veronica and Betty return to Jughead. Was this sampling of “Barchie” a tease of what’s to come? Will “Varchie” and “Bughead” lose each pairing’s respective relationship momentum in the coming season? Will the show finally pull the controversial trigger of mixing up Archie’s love life, as often occurs in the comics?
ANSWER: In Season 5, Bughead is definitely a non-entity. With the passage of seven years as part of the show’s in-season time jump, Betty and Jughead drift apart and fail to reconnect, particularly when Jughead, in a state of progressive alcoholism, drunk-dials Betty one night to give her a piece of his mind about how she is an unsupportive significant other, which only serves to alienate Betty, somewhat understandably. In the meantime, as Archie and Betty reconvene in Riverdale as adults, their decidedly adult passions are teased and explored throughout the season, even though Archie temporarily contemplates reuniting with a separated-from-the-different-guy-who-is-her-husband Veronica, only for Varchie to realize that they are two different people who have evolved past the point of being able to understand one another and/or to make their enduring love work and/or to hold similar priorities.
6) At several points in Season 4, our characters remind us that they are living through their senior year of high school. Does the show mean to follow these characters to college? How would that even work?
ANSWER: No. In light of the writers’ decision to implement a seven-year time jump, we bypass “Archie: The College Years” and go straight to a future where Betty is a budding FBI agent, Jughead is a floundering and alcoholic novelist, Archie is a war veteran with ambitions for revitalizing his hometown, and Veronica is the “She-Wolf of Wall Street” as well as a high-end jewelry/valuables trader. In light of these developments, our podcast panel comes to tonight’s discussion equipped with some of its spiciest reactions to date. Listen to the episodefor details.
7) For several seasons, the series has discussed, and the character of Betty has grappled with, the idea that there is genetically-derived darkness within her; in fact, mysterious and possibly shady Charles informs her in Season 4 that she has the infamous “serial killer” gene, which she inherited from her father Hal. Is the show teasing a future in which Betty fully loses herself to this alleged darkness? Does that future transpire in Season 5?
ANSWER: While Betty continues to lean into that alleged genetic dark side with some choice decision-making this season – particularly during a vigilante investigation of a new serial killer – she does not fully lose herself in Season 5. Listen to the podcast episode for details.
8) Will we see Mr. Honey again since he informs our heroes that he has accepted the position as headmaster of Stonewall Preparatory Academy in the season finale and since Stonewall apparently battles Riverdale regularly in football?
ANSWER: No. Mr. Honey does not return to Riverdale. Stonewall leads itself, perhaps.
9) Josie left Riverdale to join the Katy Keene spinoff, which was subsequently canceled by the CW. Will Josie return to Riverdale in the coming season?
ANSWER: Josie (special guest Ashleigh Murray)returns in a one-off episode exploring the lives of Josie and her Pussycats post-time jump. This one-off episode has beenheavily rumored and all but confirmed to be a back-door pilot for a “Josie” spinoff. This is the only episode in which we see Josie in Season 5, though.
10) Who has access to Jughead’s story about Mr. Honey, which is played out in the series finale. It seems that the producer of the videotapes is someone who has proximity to sensitive information, particularly given the use of the masks in Jughead’s story and in the final videotape. Theory: is the videotape maker Betty? Does Betty have a dissociative identity that has started to engage in voyeuristic behavior, which she forgets when the “core” Betty reappears? Alternatively, who else could have access to the information, and why are the videotapes being made?
ANSWER: We were on the right track with our theories but were ultimately off-base, as we failed to suspect Jughead’s kid sister Jellybean in all of this voyeurism and videotape production. The child’s exposure to Riverdale was a bad influence on her, as the characters and our panelists all agree.
11) What will next season’s musical episode be?
ANSWER: “Next to Normal,” and, hoo boy, does our panel have*opinions*! Listen to the podcast episode for some strong ones.
12) Is Betty still in the FBI Junior Training Program? Or, did she quit?
ANSWER: Her length of stay in the training program is unspecified, but she’s now a full-blown employee of the FBI, so this question feels as if it’s pretty much moot.
13) Will we see Charles and Chic and/or learn more about them and their past next season?
ANSWER: Yes. Their relationship and, as it turns out, murderous schemes are, more or less, fully flushed out in Episode 2 of Season 5.
14) Is Kevin (Cott) and the others intent on restarting their “tickle ring” business? Why was this even a plot point this season? The story was universally unpopular with our Riverdale panelists.
ANSWER: Fortunately, this plot development was abandoned for Season 5, though Kevin is still cruising the woods outside the town. Poor Kevin. Giving him positive plot development seems like a challenge for this group of writers.
New Questions
1) What possible Big Bad can or will appear in Season 6? Will it actually be Cheryl (Pestch), on the warpath and determined to exact vengeance on behalf of her ancestor against the ancestors of Archie, Betty, and Jughead, who wronged her? Will Cheryl become a serial killer? Will her young, ginger protege kill for her?
2) What is the “Blossom Family Magic?” How did Cheryl seemingly manifest magical powers this season? Is she going to be the connective tissue that allows for the confirmed special guest appearance of Chilling Sabrina, Kiernan Shipka?
3) Will the show allow the relationship between Archie and Betty – otherwise known as the “Barchie” ship – to truly expand and evolve in Season 6 as Archie and Veronica and Betty and Jughead once did?
4) What will next season’s inevitable musical episode be? Guesses from the panel: Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Urinetown, Moulin Rouge, Spring Awakening (though Chief CP Kylie noted that Chilling Adventures of Sabrina already dipped into the Spring Awakening well), Rocky Horror Show, and Dear Evan Hansen?
5) Will there actually be a Josie and the Pussycats series?
6) Will Betty go “full dark side” in Season 6? Does Archie bring it out of her?
7) How effective is the town council in Season 6?
8) We assume that Archie and Betty will survive the bomb that exploded in Archie’s bedroom, having been set and activated by a disgraced Hiram Lodge. Where will Archie live now (presuming the house is destroyed), and will he and Betty go after Hiram, with or without Veronica and Jughead’s help?
9) How much of Veronica and Reggie’s (Melton) relationship do we see in Season 6?
10) Which of the supporting characters outside of the main four and Cheryl will return for Season 6?
PARTING SHOTS
Following the viewing of Season 5, the slightly smaller CPU! Riverdale panel reached a full consensus of opinion related to this series; at this juncture and unlike in previous episodes of CPU!’s Riverdale reviews, our five current panelists (including the moderator) do not currently recommend Riverdale to new viewers because the panel believes that anyone who has not yet chosen to watch this series will not likely be attracted to the show now, particularly as the panelists regardthe series’ already uneven quality to be at an all-time, disjointed low. In fact, several panelists went so far as to suggest that they might recommend the series instead to their worst enemy/enemies as a surreptitious means of subjecting them to torture and/or to suggest that consuming alcohol (drink legally and responsibly, kids!) could possibly aid the proceedings but for the fact that one would risk alcohol poisoning from the sheer volume of need for the dulling effects of the substance. Our most forgiving panelist, Micah, noted that the show was a tough sell from the start but would now ultimately require a phone scam to successfully foist it onto new viewers, so disreputable and ultimately trashy the show has become, at least to our current roster of panelists.
Our panelists also believe that Riverdale, if it is to appeal to new viewers, would still be most appropriate for anyone who enjoys watching teen dramas generally; for fans of noir storytelling, owing to Jughead’s overarching narration, as well as of horror and/or murder mysteries, in which this show heavily dabbles; for Archie Comics fans, with the caveat that these versions of the characters are nothing like their comic book counterparts; and for fans of CW-level standards of attractiveness, as the cast is filled to the brim with the usual types, in physical appearance anyway, that populate this network’s plethora of youth-oriented shows. To wit, the panelists spent much of tonight’s discussion focusing on how the writing remains woefully uneven to the point of nonsensical in Season 5, with most panelists regarding this season as the worst season yet. All panelists struggled with the time jump, the character choices and evolutions related to that time jump, and the repetitive nature of the storytelling despite the time jump, which only seems to heighten and emphasize the theory of many panelists that the writers have run out of ideas, despite the decades of source comics from which they can draw their perverted tales of inverted American utopia. In any event, our entire Riverdale panel, despite the panelists’ vociferously absent enthusiasm for this series (4 out of 5 panelists rate this show as 1 or 1.5 stars of 5 currently), remains committed if entirely unmotivated to watch Season 6, if for no other reason than morbid curiosity and a mild interest in a possible upcoming crossover between two CPU! panels, this one and that of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Stay tuned for all of the idyllic mischief, magic, and mayhem in our upcoming Season 6 recap and review, likely to publish later this year!
LOOKING AHEAD
In February 2021, the CW renewed Riverdale for a sixth season, which is currently airing and which premiered on November 16, 2021. In March 2022, the CW renewed the series for a seventh season as well. CPU! will next visit Riverdale at some point following the airing of the sixth season finale. Like, follow, and/or subscribe to the website, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Castbox, Amazon Music, or our social media accounts to stay abreast of new episodes regarding Riverdale as well as new episodes for all of our podcast panels! And, if you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Thank you!
For the week of April 4, 2022, because we needed a spring break (lives behind the podcast forestalled our production schedule somewhat; plus we were saying farewell to that yellow brick road – that’s not an inside joke), we offer a rerun of this episode, originally published in November 2020. In the meantime, next Wednesday, we will resume regularly scheduled episodes with the publication of our recap and review of Riverdale, Season 5. Stay tuned!
—Original Synopsis—
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website: couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, recorded in September 2020, our panel of peppy River Vixens and tough-as-nails Southside Serpents – moderator Sarah, Emily (S), Micah, Jessica, Nate, and Chief CP Kylie (one of our previous panelists departed the podcast for life’s greater journeys) – convenes for the fourth time around the CPU! Water Cooler (or are we at Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe?) to discuss Season 4 of the CW teen drama series Riverdale. As always, if you have not watched any of Riverdale, be aware that there are, most definitely, MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
A new podcast episode of Couch Potatoes Unite!, which is based on a blog of the same name hosted at our website: couchpotatoesunite.wordpress.com. In this episode, a new one-time panel of some of our most magical couch potatoes – including moderator Chief Couch Potato Kylie, Jeremy, Ben (S), Karan, and new panelist Dave – gathered Around the Water Cooler to take a First Look while Looking Back at five-season, SyFy fantasy drama The Magicians. This episode was recorded in January 2022, and, as always, if you haven’t seen any of The Magicians, be aware that there are MAJOR SPOILERS! Tell us what you think, and/or if there are other shows you’re interested in CPU! covering, below; email us at couchpotatoesunitepodcast@gmail.com; or check out our Guestbook at the website, our Facebook page, our Twitter (@cpupodcast), or our Instagram (@couchpotatoesunite). Until next time, until next episode…buh bye!
Executive Producer/Chief Couch Potato: Kylie C. Piette Associate Producers: Krista Pennington and Selene Rezmer
Editor: Kylie C. Piette Logo: Rebecca Wallace Marketing Graphic Artist: Krista Pennington
Theme Song: Written by: Sarah Milbratz Singers: Sarah Milbratz, Amy McDaniel, Kels Rezmer Keyboard: Kels Rezmer Bass: Ian McDonough Guitar: Christian Somerville Engineer/Production: Kyle Aspinall/Christian Somerville
Who: “The Magicians” is an American fantasy drama based upon the novel of the same name by Lev Grossman, which aired on cable network SyFy for five seasons (2015-2020).
What: Michael London, Janice Williams, John McNamara, and Sera Gamble serve as executive producers of this adaptation, which depicts students at a secretive school of magic, who find that the magical world is more dangerous than they realized.
When: The show aired on SyFy for five seasons from the series premiere, which aired on December 16, 2015, through the series finale, which aired on April 1, 2020. Each season is comprised of thirteen episodes.
Where: The action is primarily set in two worlds: the world as we know it but at a secret magical academy called Brakebills Academy, which seems to be nearby New York City or a similar-looking metropolis, and the magical land of Fillory, a realm that the main characters think is only the basis for fantastical storybooks – at least, at first.
Why: To find out why individual podcast panelists started watching this show, listen to the podcast episode via the link below!
How – as in How Was It?
The pilot/premiere rating scale:
***** – I HAVE TO WATCH EVERYTHING. HOLY SMOKES!
**** – Well, it certainly seems intriguing. I’m going to keep watching, but I see possible pitfalls in the premise.
*** – I will give it six episodes and see what happens. There are things I like, and things I don’t. We’ll see which “things” are allowed to flourish.
** – I will give it three episodes. Chances are, I’m mainly bored, but there is some intrigue or fascination that could hold it together. No matter how unlikely.
* – Pass on this one, guys. It’s a snoozer/not funny/not interesting/not my cup of tea… there are too many options to waste time on this one.
The Magicians = 3.7, by an average of the podcast panel.
SYNOPSIS
Quentin Coldwater (Jason Roth) enrolls at Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy to be trained as a magician, where he discovers that the magical world from his favorite childhood book is real and poses a danger to humanity. Meanwhile, the life of his childhood friend Julia Wicker (Stella Maeve) is derailed when she is denied entry, and she searches for magic elsewhere outside of the school.
THOUGHTS
By popular request – though notably by some of our most established and magical CPU! panelists and couch potatoes – Couch Potatoes Unite! is pleased to present this Looking Back episode in which we discuss the fantastic and fantastical erstwhile SyFy fantasy drama The Magicians. Requesting CPU! panelists include Jeremy, who is active on our Stranger Things and Westworld panels and who helped Look Back at Six Feet Under, Mr. Robot, and Revenge; Ben, who is active on our Westworld panel; Karan, who is active on our Outlander panel; and a brand new panelist! In tonight’s CPU! episode, we gathered “Around the Water Cooler” to take a “First Look” while “Looking Back” at this cult favorite fantasy, which ended its five-season run in April 2020. In so doing, we ruminate in-depth upon the story, the ensemble, the surprising number of songs and musical episodes (!), the social commentary, the overall performances, and the laudable if clumsy attempts to tie the massively disjointed story threads of the final season – following the (SPOILER) death of a major character – together by the series finale, which the panel agrees landed on a reasonably graceful note.
This particular CPU! episode was recorded in January 2022, and there are, without question, MAJOR SPOILERS, as the panelists cover key plot points of all five seasons of The Magicians! Listen at your own risk, and let us know what you think by commenting below!
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Remember, new episodes and blog posts are published weekly! Except not next week. Next week, we are running a rerun, as we are taking a Spring Break, though we are doing a lot of recording next week. What episode should we rerun? Let us know by commenting below or at any of our sites! The week following, however, our Call the Midwife panel will return for Episode 2, covering Series 3 and 4, of their Catching Up Series. Stay tuned!
RECOMMENDATION
Our magical bunch of panelists discussing The Magicians only cautiously recommend this decidedly cult show to those who already enjoy the fantasy genre. Several panelists compared this cable adaptation to Supernatural meets Harry Potter, with a heaping dose of crazy plot developments to keep the viewer engaged but not necessarily to appease story logic or suspension of disbelief. Some panelists thought reading the original novels was the more winning idea, though the book-readers still enjoyed the show, while other panelists were more cautious about their recommendation, suggesting that would-be viewers should sample the first season first and decide whether or not to digest the rest of the show from there, as most all of the panelists – except for panelist Jeremy – felt that the first season of the show was the best if not one of the best of the show’s overall five seasons. The panel unanimously agreed, however, that people who do not like fantasy or niche genre vehicles would most likely not like The Magicians.
To wit, this televised adaptation offered plenty to like, particularly to the most ardent of nerdy fans, including relatable (if profane) characters, story risks that might not always have panned out but which could always be appreciated for the sheer audacity of taking them, a dark sense of humor underlying events that were billed as more dramatic than not, and even a guest appearance by Felicia Day. Yet, the series also suffered from irregular story plotting, especially in the latter two seasons, and overused certain devices, such as “the musical episode;” in fact, The Magicians’ many musical interludes were met with mixed reviews by our mostly forgiving panel. The acting was also somewhat uneven, with some of the ensemble offering more impressive turns as these colorful characters while other players struggled to make their characters meaningful or even likable, either due to poor choices – Alice’s (Olivia Taylor Dudley) voice, anyone? – or to the episodic direction or both. Pacing also proved to be choppy, though some seasons, such as the third, were better executed than others, such as the fifth.
What The Magicians did a bit more seamlessly, however, was to incorporate topics typically reserved for darker melodramas scattered across the television landscape by depicting them both in a realistic way and also metaphorically via the larger magical struggles that the characters encountered, including Quentin’s ongoing depression, Elliot’s (Hale Appleman) struggle for acceptance and self-love, Margo’s (Summer Bishil) reach for self-actualization, and Julia’s trauma from sexual assault early in the series. This vehicle also provided lesser-known faces, including a few stage actors, the opportunity to shine through a blend of comedy, drama, and, indeed, music, though not all of the cast were successful singers (again rendering the decision to produce repeated musical episodes a curious one).
All in all, though, the panelists seemed to form a consensus around the idea that The Magicians is not for everybody, given the premise and presentation, but would still be a decently rip-roaring good time to those who like a high dose of fantasy in their television. The Magicians certainly provoked a robust discussion in tonight’s Look Back, whatever else might be said of it, a characteristic that shows that this earnest little cult series more than entertained, even if it wasn’t a hallmark of televised artistic excellence in the end.
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