DVR Weekly – Week of 10/14-10/20

Welcome to DVR Weekly! Sorry for the late post, but usually every Monday I choose three shows that I have managed to watch on my DVR over the past week and really enjoyed, will do a small recap and review which means spoilers ahoy. 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. I don’t watch everything, so remember if your favorite show isn’t on here it doesn’t mean I hate it.

This week on DVR Weekly:

• The Walking Dead – 3.01 “Seed” – Season Premiere
• Arrow – 1.02 “Honor Thy Father”
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 1.04 “I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman”

Top Shows of the Week

The Walking Dead – 3.01 “Seed” – Season Premiere

For our in depth recap of the season premiere check out Danny’s recap here. As for the basics, a few months have passed and the group appears to be working as a well oiled machine. Rick and Daryl discover the prison, and Rick’s eye light up like a kid’s on Christmas. They make quick work of clearing out the processing yard and, eventually, a cell block. On a further expedition, a small group begins working their way toward the warden’s office. Hershel gets bit, and Rick takes quick action to amputate only to discover they are not the only survivor’s in the prison.

We also get a couple small scenes with Andrea and Michonne. The pair have survived through the winter, but Andrea is sick. Michonne retrieves some aspirin to aid in Andrea’s recovery before they continue on their own adventure.

For any of you who complained about the slow pace and minimal use of zombies in Season Two, this episode more than makes up for it. This season definitely hits the ground running. Danny mentions how there is no dialogue in the opening scenes, but I disagree with what it shows. The lack of dialogue is a sign of how far this group has come since last season. Every member knows their role in the group and does not need to be told what to do. The highly anticipated locale of the prison has arrived, and it is not a let down. The story will definitely diverge from some of the smaller subplots, and I can only wait anxiously for each episode to come.

Arrow – 1.02 “Honor Thy Father”

After another stop on the list of justice, we find Ollie headed to court to become legally resurrected. The process proves a little emotional for Ollie who opts out of returning to Queen Industries. Before leaving the courthouse, Ollie runs into Laurel who is prosecuting Martin Somers for drug-smuggling and the murder of Victor Nocenti. Ollie escapes Diggle’s watchful eye and, as Arrow, confronts Somers at his dockyard. Moira Queen scolds Diggle for not doing his job when Ollie reappears. Somers threatens Laurel when Det. Lance investigates Arrow’s attack on Somers. The next day, Ollie visits Queen Industries and Moira and Walkter offer Oliver a leadership role in the company. Ollie declines, but Moira will not take no for an answer. Meanwhile, Laurel is placed under protective custody, and China White, a drug-smuggler and representative of the Triads, tells Somers she plans to kill Laurel. After Thea confronts Ollie about pushing his loved ones away, Ollie decides to reconnect with Laurel. The Triads attack and Diggle arrives to save Laurel and Ollie. However, when Diggle faces off with China White, Ollie comes to Digg’s rescue. Diggle begins to suspect something more about Ollie. Arrow decides to show Somers justice for attacking Laurel. He manages to get a confession before China White shows up. The two have a quick fight before the police arrive and break it up. Det. Lance nearly catches Arrow, but Ollie escapes while managing to leave a recording of Somers’ confession. At the groundbreaking for the Robert Queen Memorial Applied Sciences Building, Ollie pulls a play out of Bruce Wayne’s playbook to publicly denounce his role in Queen Industries. We also see a few flashbacks to the island as Ollie prepares to lay his father to rest and discovers the blank book along with an odd symbol. Lo and behold, Moira is seen meeting with a mysterious man who has a pad with the same symbol to calm any fears of Ollie’s knowledge of their sabotage five years ago. One more flashback to wrap up the episode shows a hooded man attacking Ollie as he finishes his father’s burial.

This show still feels like your standard CW fare, but it still shows a lot of potential. The relationships do seem to see-saw back and forth a lot, but there are some relationships I’m keeping an eye on. There’s also the mystery behind Ollie’s time on the island that we are slowly seeing play out. These are the scenes that are truly keeping invested in the show.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 1.05 “I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman”

The turtles are grounded after skateboarding in the Lair. As teenagers are wont to do, the turtles decide to sneak out without Splinter’s permission. Donatello has also developed the world’s most advanced music player which Mikey quickly dubs the T-Pod. While out in the city, the team happens upon a would-be thief in cybernetic armor. The armor is dysfunctional, and the turtles quickly dispatch the foe. Upon returning to the Lair, Mikey discovers he’s lost the T-Pod. Meanwhile, the thief recovers from being thrown into a trash bin and discovers the T-Pod. He plugs it into his armor, and the T-Pod begins to upgrade the armor’s abilities. The turtles soon see their defeated foe, Baxter Stockman, is now terrorizing an office in his new upgraded suit. The turtles track down Stockman and attack. Stockman easily defeats the turtles, and in the middle of evil monologue, Stockmand and the T-Pod merge into a more powerful “Stock-Pod”. The turtles escape with the help of some pizza, but upon returning to the lair, Splinter discovers the turtles. After a lesson from Splinter, the turtles go back for round three. With the help of some bees, the turtles take down Stockman, retrieve the T-Pod, and return to the lair victoriously.

Baxter Stockman is one of those characters from the comics that seems to be played with the most in the TV shows. Here we get a good idea about how much this show is oriented toward kids. This modern version of the Ninja Turtles is doing an amazing job of being fun and giving us a new and interesting take on the turtles. Just the right balance of homage, new, and adaptation. Stockman’s armor in all of its stages give great allusions to his Mousers from the comics. We even get to see a version of a Mouser.

Honorable Mentions

Elementary – 1.03 “Child Predator” – A serial killer known as the Balloon Man strikes again, and Sherlock throws himself into the case. The case becomes more interesting when they capture a suspect who turns out to be one of the Balloon Man’s early kidnappings.

The League – 4.02 “The Hoodie”  – Jenny and Kevin put Christopher/Chalupa Batman’s foreskin on the line in their first game. Taco, Pete, and Andre look to pick up a girl off the waiver wire. Andre’s foreskin status is put into question. Shiva wants her face off the trophy and curses the season.

Next Week’s Most Anticipated

(Episode descriptions from tvguide.com)

The Walking Dead – 3.02 “Sick” – Traumatic events leave a life hanging in the balance, while the survivors deal with a new threat.

Arrow – 1.03 “The Lone Gunmen” – Assassin Deadshot kills one of Oliver’s targets and then sets his sights on gunning down Walter. To stop him, Oliver enlists the help of Det. Lance, but his plan leads to dire consequences. Meanwhile, Laurel and Tommy get caught in an awkward situation.

Elementary – 1.04 “The Rat Race”– A Wall Street executive dies from an apparent heroin overdose, but Holmes isn’t convinced. Meanwhile, Watson starts dating again.

The League – 4.03 “The Freeze-Out” – A kid’s birthday party interferes with Pete’s planned paintball outing. Meanwhile, Ruxin has a run-in with a sushi chef (Timothy Olyphant).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 1.06 “Metalhead” – Donatello invents a remote-controlled robot to stand in for him during a battle with Kraang.

Thanks for checking out DVR Weekly. Remember, if you have a show you think I should check out, leave a comment. Remember to check back every Monday for DVR Weekly.