DVR Weekly – Week of 10/07-10/13

Welcome to another installment of DVR Weekly! What is DVR Weekly? I choose three shows on my DVR, recap the episode and give a few thoughts on the episode. Keep in mind: there will be spoilers. I’ll also mention two shows that are worth checking out. And I’ll give you a glimpse of five shows I’m looking forward to for the following week. Keep in mind, I don’t watch everything. There are a few shows we will do full episode recaps, so make sure to keep an eye out for those.

This week on DVR Weekly:

• The League 4.01 “Training Camp”
• Arrow 1.01 “Pilot”
• Once Upon a Time 2.02 “We Are Both”

Top Shows of the Week

The League – 4.01 “Training Camp”

The changes from last season are evident. Ruxin is now commissioner following last season’s collusion. Kevin and Jenny’s second baby is on the way with Ruxin granted naming rights in exchange for Kevin’s Shiva Bowl victory. One of Taco’s business plans leads to the guys flying to the Dallas Cowboys training camp. As per tradition, a grand event is made of the draft order in which the guys must traverse the field to the end zone. Taco wins first pick by stripping naked. Pete transitions from the defunct Sacco commissioner to the new “Custodian of Historical Records” which he uses as an opportunity for posting Kevin’s naked errands and Andre’s list of four sexual encounters. A very horny Jenny gets some private time in the car and begins to “rosterbate”. She ends up fantasizing about Shiva and reaches her vinegar strokes as the guys return home with Kevin. She realizes her water has broken, and Kevin rushes her to the hospital. Draft day arrives, and Jenny is still in labor. The guys invade the delivery room and hold the draft beginning with Ruxin who has traded naming rights with Taco for first pick. The episode ends with the birth and naming of Chalupa Batman MacArthur.

If you can’t tell by that recap, The League is a show steeped in history. It is very easy to make it through previous seasons and catch up, but this show is one of the funniest comedies in television. Offensive and irreverent, this show utilizes the Fantasy League minimally, yet masterfully. The relationship between this small group of friends is phenomena, and the jokes and one-liners roll one after the other.

Once Upon a Time – 2.02 “We Are Both”

The seven dwarves discover the leaving the border of Storybrooke erases any memory of their enchanted lives, and reverts them back to their “Mundy” lives. The town begins recovering, but the dwarves’ news unsettles the citizens. Charming consults the Blue Fairy who reveals that she has no magic without fairy dust. Charming calls for a meeting in two hours to reveal his plan for solving all of Storybrooke’s problems. Meanwhile, Regina approaches Gold to regain control of her magic. Gold concedes to giving her a book that grants her a portion of her powers. Charming contemplates a plan revolving around Jefferson’s hat when Henry recognizes it and sends Charming in search of the Hatter. Charming makes a deal to stay out of Gold’s way in return for a potion that will locate the Hatter. Before leaving, Charming informs Gold of the consequences of leaving Storybrooke which sends Gold into a rage. At the town meeting, Regina uses her powers to take Henry. Jefferson is found and reveals he is unable to use the hat. Charming is able to rally the once-again frenetic townsfolk. He then confronts Regina who willingly returns Henry. Regina stashes the book.

In the enchanted world, we flashback to Regina’s time married to the king. We discover  Regina learned magic from Rumpelstiltskin in order to rid herself of her mother. Back in the present, Emma and Snow are dragged into the haven by Mulan and Aurora. They are thrown into a pit where they encounter Regina’s mother, Cora.

This is a show that plays well with the concept of these fairy tale characters. While Fables has tread much of the same ground, Once Upon a Time finds a way to remain different. I am enjoying the compounding issues the character’s face and look forward to the introductions of new characters such as Lancelot and Captain Hook.

Arrow – 1.01 “Pilot” – Series Premiere

After five years trapped on a deserted island, Oliver Queen returns to Starling City. Much has changed. His sister has grown into a young woman. His mother has married his father’s closest friend. And the city itself has fallen into disrepair. But Oliver has his own demons to face and a mission to complete. His father has left him a list of names: disreputable figures in Starling City who must be brought to justice. First on the list is Adam Hunt. Ollie confront Hunt and orders him to transfer forty million into an anonymous bank account. When Hunt doesn’t follow through, Queen attacks Hunt in his penthouse, dispatches Hunt’s guards, and hacks into Hunt’s account. The police arrive, but Ollie escapes to his homecoming party which happens to be across the street.

This is very abbreviated recap, but many of the events of the series are huge set-up for future plot threads which I’ll talk about here. Tommy Merlyn is Ollie’s best friend who has been sleeping with his ex-girlfriend Dinah Laurel Lance. Ollie cheated on Laurel with her sister who died in the shipwreck. Dinah’s father is also the detective who seems to be the only cop in Starling City reporting to any calls regarding Ollie or his alter ego. Ollie’s mother is a figure to watch as she organizes a kidnapping of Ollie and Tommy. And his sister, nicknamed Speedy, seems to be going down that namesake’s path.

Honorable Mentions

This is going to be a very special honorable mention. Shout out to the wonderful programming block, DC Nation, which got preempted by the How to Train Your Dragon series in order to celebrate Cartoon Network’s twentieth anniversary. Listen to this week’s podcast and hear how unfortunate this move was for Cartoon Network.

Next Week’s Most Anticipated

(Episode descriptions from tvguide.com)

Sorry for the short list due to this week’s honorable mention. At least next week, we’ve got one of the most anticipated shows of the year. Let’s look at the list of upcomings.

The Walking Dead – 3.01 “Seed” – Season Premiere – In the Season 3 premiere, Rick comes upon a potential sanctuary and pushes the group to secure the area.

Once Upon a Time – 2.03 “Lady of the Lake” – Emma and Mary Margaret get help searching for a gateway back to Storybrooke; and Henry advises Jefferson to reunite with Paige. Meanwhile, in the fairy-tale world, King George poisons Snow White as she prepares to meet Prince Charming’s mother.

Arrow – 1.02 “Honor Thy Father” – Laurel is targeted by the violent Chinese Triad and by ruthless mercenary China White. Meanwhile, Oliver is asked to take over his family’s company.

Elementary – 1.03 “Child Predator” – A child is abducted by a serial killer known as the Balloon Man, who leaves a signature batch of balloons at each of his crime scenes.

The League – 4.02 “The Hoodie” – Kevin and Jenny argue over whether or not their son will be circumcised and everyone takes sides – including Shiva.

Well, that wraps it up for DVR Weekly. Leave a comment if you have any suggestions for shows that I should be watching and I’ll see if I can fit it in my watching schedule. I’ll see you next week: same DVR time, same DVR channel.