Speedy Synopses:
Gotham 1x15: The Scarecrow
Last episode saw the fear-obsessed Gerald Crane escaping the grasp of Jim and Harvey. This week, he upped his game—killing no one new, but using their adrenal glands to create a substance that could rid humans of fear. As they're investigating, Jim and Harvey discover more about Crane, including the fact that he lost his wife in a house fire. They head to the house in question, and find Crane and his son; unfortunately, the elder Crane fights back, and the detectives kill him. It's a little too late for the younger Crane—Jonathan, natch—who was dosed by his father, and now has to live in constant terror of some really poorly CGI-ed scarecrows.
At Wayne Manor, Bruce sets out on a hike, one he apparently used to go on annually with his father. Even though Alfred offers to go with, Bruce has to go alone. When Bruce reaches the spot on the hike that he and his father used to mark with stones each trip, he throws a tantrum ... which results in him crashing down a hill and spraining his ankle. When it gets too late, Alfred goes out to find him, and the two share their own pseudo father-son bonding moment over a campfire and, in the morning, the sunrise.
Fish wakes to find herself in some sort of prison. In nearly no time, she murders the boss in cold blood and takes over the place. (And her hair looks fabulous the entire time, natch.) What the prison is for remains to be seen, but a woman is returned at the end of the episode...missing her eyes.
And Oswald takes over Fish's club, officially, after Don Falcone has a word with Don Marioni. The party's a total bust, but his delivering of the invite to Jim at the precinct gives us an awesome meet-cute between Penguin and Riddler Edward Nygma. (Mandy C.)
Agent Carter 1x6: A Sin To Err
If you're into women beating up men, this week's episode of Agent Carter has it for you in spades! We're in the final stretch of episodes, careening into the penultimate and season finale after this week. Opening the episode on a hunch from Carter that Stark was manipulated by a female Leviathan agent into giving up his goods, we are treated to a good old-fashioned Carter-Jarvis messaround! While the relationship is still fractured, the duo tracks down the last six months worth of women companions (Jarvis - "I suggest we start with the Western Hemisphere"), which leads to a great montage of jilted lovers exacting their open-handed proxy vengeance on Jarvis. Their last lead leads them to an emptied out apartment with scratch marks on the bedpost - the calling card of someone who handcuffs themselves to bed.
Once Chief Dooley is informed by Sousa (whose suspicions are confirmed after interrogating the milk truck driver from episode two), the heat is on Carter. After dispatching an entire group of SSR goons from DC in the diner, Carter and Jarvis are confronted by Thompson (who Carter knocks out), and eventually Sousa, who hesitates and lets Carter go (she needs to run back to the Griffin to fetch Steve Roger's blood before she goes Ghost Protocol). Once Carter is traced back to the Griffin, the men! Get! On! The! Second! Floor! After the SSR agents question Angie about Carter, Angie, Acts! Her! Face! Off! in order to buy Carter some time (who is standing on the balcony outside). While things are almost in the clear, Dottie confronts Carter in the hallway, where she incapacitates Carter with her stolen knock-out lipstick and is arrested by Thompson and Sousa. Only in SSR custody does Dooley acknowledge her strength and agency, to not “go easy on her just ‘cause she’s a girl.”
Meanwhile we learn that the good Dr. Ivchenko, the Russian defector from last week isn't all he's cracked up to be, and is in actuality a Leviathan double in cahoots with Dottie (sniper scope glint to communicate is a cumbersome misdirect). Ivchenko tries to use his power of psychology and his mini-Tibetan singing bowl ring to hypnotize Dooley, but instead gets intel on where the Stark tech is being locked up from one Agent Yauch, who he ends up hypnotizing into killing himself. (Paolo S.)
The Flash 1x13: The Nuclear Man
Last week, Team Flash figured out that Ronnie and Dr. Martin Stein fused into Ronnie's body and, thanks to the Star Labs explosion, turned into Firestorm. This week, they find Ronnie/Martin, and after a short battle with Barry, get him to return with them to Star Labs for further study. Unfortunately, the metahuman transformation isn't stable, and Ronnie/Martin is literally going nuclear. He runs away from Star Labs and gets himself out of town so that when he does blow, he won't take the Central City with him, but Team Flash creates a device—using some of Reverse Flash's tech—that will hopefully split the two consciousnesses. (But where will Martin go?) Barry and Caitlin get the tech to Ronnie/Martin right before he blows. The detonation catches the attention of General Eiling, but whether Ronnie and Martin are OK remains to be seen.
When he's not trying to save Ronnie, Cisco plays part-time cop with Joe, and investigates the scene of Barry's mom's murder. They find a very friendly woman has moved in, which appeals to Joe mightily, and that a mirror that belonged to the Allens caught images of the night in question like photographs, which is more Cisco's speed. They also discover blood hidden under fresh wallpaper (who just wallpapers over blood?) and when Cisco tests it, one sample is from an unknown subject, and the other is from—dun, dun, DUN—adult Barry.
Meanwhile, Iris is being super jealous now that Barry's moved on, and tries to foil his blossoming relationship with Linda. We also learn that when Barry gets excited, Barry gets excited. (Mandy C.)
Arrow 3x13: Canaries
This is the week where (mostly) everybody finds out (mostly) everyone’s secrets. FINALLY. Malcolm convinces Team Arrow that if they are going to beat Ra’s and keep Thea safe they need to have her on their team. Diggle again warns Oliver that he could lose his sister in doing so but Thea’s response to his revelation is loving and full of appreciation for what he does for their city. Her friendship with Roy also continues to strengthen as he shares with her why he does what he does as Arsenal. (If I suddenly found out that my brother and ex were crimefighting besties that would give me ALL of the feelz. I can’t wait til Thea gets her own mannequin.)
Oliver still isn’t supportive of Laurel being on the team; he’s convinced that she’s only doing it so that she doesn’t have to sit with her grief every second of the day. Laurel calls him out on his hypocrisy and is later backed up by the rest of the team on her choice to be there, fighting alongside them. They’re a different team now, each realizing that they are fighting for themselves and their city, not for Oliver and this is proving difficult for him to accept. Diggles puts a nice spin on it, telling him that he should be proud for creating something bigger than himself. Oliver will be a better man and teammate once he learns to relinquish absolute control. Plus the paternalistic shtick is getting MIGHTY OLD.
Laurel is fighting her own demons, still trying to fill Sara’s leather jacket and still struggling with keeping her death from their father. All of this comes to a head while fighting an escaped Dr. Ivo, who shoots her (twice? really?) with Vertigo, and it’s Canary vs. Canary as Laurel hallucinates her dead sister, full of rage and judgment. Back in the Arrow Lair it’s Felicity who helps a recovering Laurel finally see that she doesn’t need to be Sara, she needs to be her own Canary. It’s a wonderful scene between the two of them which helps make up for some of the terrible ones the writers have thrown at Felicity lately. Laurel realizes that she has to tell her father about Sara in order to be able to properly grieve for her and move on. Quentin thinks that she’s struggling to confess to him that she’s the new Canary (he’s taking THAT better than expected) but Laurel finally tells him the full truth and Captain Lance breaks down, lamenting having to grieve his youngest daughter for a second time.
Thea is angry at Merlyn for not telling her that Oliver is the Arrow but acknowledges that she needs further training when she’s almost killed in her own home by Chase the DJ, who, as we all know, has been spying on her for Ra’s. Chase chugs some cyanide and we all exhale a sigh of relief that we no longer have to suffer through this terrible character for another episode. Merlyn’s plan to train Oliver and Thea is to make them both face fear and stare it down, and this apparently means sending them both back to the island. You know, that island where Oliver was stranded for years and currently houses the man who murdered their mother. (Sidenote: Thea’s gear is super cute but not exactly practical; is she wearing ballet flats??)
While the show made some huge emotional strides for several of its characters this week there were also some major loopholes that felt like lazy writing. Dr. Ivo’s escape - that is NOT how prisoners are transferred. It’s ludicrous to think that a convicted felon would be trotted out in public in front of the press with only one guard. Laurel getting shot twice with Vertigo showed us the progress she was making in accepting herself and putting her guilt to rest but it still felt contrived and did nothing to make the viewers see her as capable. And finally, Arsenal and Merlyn just happened to be suited up and outside of Thea’s penthouse? Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to find out that Merlyn has her place bugged, in which case, EW.
Hero of the Week: Laurel Lance, Arrow
I already know how much flack I’m going to get for this. COME AT ME, I AM READY. There is a LOT of Laurel-hate out there and I continue to be flummoxed by it. It’s hard to watch a character have all of their ugly hang out, and Laurel certainly has had that, especially in season two, but it’s part of her humanity. She really is doing all she can just to get from one day to the next without falling off the wagon by breaking out of her comfort zone and carrying her dead sister’s mantle. I can’t conceive of ever doing something so brave, even if it is a bit reckless. She is loyal, smart and won’t ever hesitate to give Oliver Queen a much-needed verbal smackdown. Her fledgling friendship with Felicity is something I treasure seeing develop week after week; she sees why Oliver values her so highly and doesn’t hesitate to tell Felicity how incredible she is. (Can you imagine how painful it would be if we had to see an insecure Laurel dish out passive aggressive BS to Felicity every week?) Laurel made leaps and bounds personally and professionally this week and I keep looking forward to her fully coming into her own as Black Canary.
Villain of the Week: Iris West, The Flash
Ok, so maybe calling Iris a villain is a bit of a stretch. Who I really want to incriminate here are the writers because SERIOUSLY? Are we really ever going to root for Barry to be with a woman who can be this selfish? Girl, you are living with your boyfriend, you need to let Barry get his swerve on! I’m issuing a plea to the writers - please make Iris West into someone we love instead of someone to whom we feel hostile indifference. PLEASE.
Troy Barnes Award for Evoking The Feelz:
images courtesy of colinodonorgasm.tumblr.com
How much did Oliver need to hear this from his sister? Thea has no idea how much of a gift her gratitude is to her brother.
Ab-tastic:
Thank God for SCIENCE. And for the Amell Cousins.
Right in the Kisser:
Leigh and Jim heated things up a bit with a third date that ended with talk about going back to her place—but that ended abruptly when Leigh revealed that she got a new job ... as the the GCPD Medical Examiner. The office romance is totally amusing to Harvey, but not so much to Jim, who wants to keep things "professional." Leigh's willing to be discrete, but she's still basically going to do what she wants, #becausestrongwoman. (Oh, and did anyone catch that whole "let's go to the circus" bit? Wanna place bets on if said circus is the Flying Graysons?) (Mandy C.)
Not much romance happening this week for our favorite agent, but did anyone else’s heart sink a bit at the look of disappointment on Agent Sousa’s face? He loves Peggy, you guys! And he thinks she’s a dirty double agent. GAH.
Don't lose faith just yet, Agent Sousa!
Barry is completely into Linda and who wouldn’t be? The girl issued a spicy taco challenge. While Barry is a total gentleman (obvs) Linda is ready to move full steam ahead. Naked time ensues! Barry makes all men everywhere look inadequate with his ability to turn into a human vibrator, but that’s still not enough to keep Linda interested after Iris (grr) tells her that Barry is still getting over an unrequited love. Barry proves his affection by chomping on a ghost pepper; how could any girl resist? Meanwhile poor Caitlyn is having to juggle her (supposedly nonexistent) feelings for Ronnie as they try to keep Firestorm from detonating. She’s scared to believe that she could ever really get him back, which is understandable, but their pre-atomic kiss can’t be their last. That would be too cruel.
Now that Thea’s murderous DJ paramour is dead on the floor of her penthouse, perhaps she will and Roy will find their way back to each other? The couple that fights crime together...actually, does that ever work out? We shall see! Felicity continues to huff and puff around Oliver and now I just want her to find a nice, normal boy to kiss and eat nachos with. Olicity came to a head too soon and all of this misery that they are bringing to each other is now just...ugh.
Biff! Bam! Pow!
I will never get tired of watching this gif. (courtesy of hitflix.com)
Comic Pages:
-All the comic couples you can handle in honor of Valentine’s Day. There’s some great artwork here, like this Black Canary/Green Arrow piece by Phil Noto:
-All of the wonderful female DC authors/illustrators I stalk follow on Twitter together at once when they were all together at the annual DC Summit. I may have squeaked just a bit.
-Author Matt Fraction (Hawkeye, Sex Criminals) hates the 50 Shades of Grey sensation so much that he’s donating the proceeds from his Hawkeye merch (until tomorrow) to a charity called Futures Without Violence. His statements on this film that many feel normalize abuse are so right on that it made my fangirl heart go pitter patter.
-Official MarySue interview with David Lopez, illustrator of Captain Marvel.
-My suspicions have been confirmed - Sera of Angela: Asgard’s Assassin is transgender! I love that their relationship is really the heart of the story.
News & Notes:
-Our good pal Meredith over at Badass Digest wrote this fantastic piece on why the writers of Arrow have really let Felicity Smoak down this season. Warning: Hardcore Olicity shippers in the comments. Tread lightly.
-Goddess Adrienne Palicki has been upped to series regular on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.! More Mockingbird will never be a bad thing.
-Word on the street is that Joel Kinnaman is now being eyed to replace Tom Hardy in Suicide Squad.
-Gina Carano has been cast to play a mutant named Angel Dust in Deadpool.
-Hugh Jackman reacts to the news that Spider-Man has been reacquired by Marvel and will now be part of the Marvel movie universe. (Still rooting for Miles Morales instead of yet ANOTHER teen Peter Parker but I have little hope.)
How do you all feel about how our shows are treating their female characters as of late? Come dish with me in the comments!