I'm wondering if Stephanie Leonidas became unavailable before shooting for S3 started, so her story has now been transferred to Ollie. As you say, that's the only reason to introduce yet another lady with a machine-gun arm with an emotional connection to Johnny.

Weekend watching report:

The prediction I've heard, which I find depressingly persuasive, is that the Doctor will regenerate into some War Doctor equivalent - someone famous enough that no one will expect them to stick around, and who will stay through the Christmas special and then regenerate again into whoever Chibnal chooses. The…

I admit to being totally flummoxed by the response to Trump's tweet. It's even worse than my "why is this the last straw?" reaction to the grab-em-by-the-pussy tape, because we all know this isn't the final straw. The people throwing fits over this particular tweet will be back in Trump's corner by next week. So…

I actually think it's a really apt comparison, and I'm a little proud of myself for coming up with it. Not only are FG terrorists, but like ISIS, they believe in the inevitability of an existential battle between humans and zombies, and try to push both groups into it by committing outrages that turn them against…

Well, we already have precedent for that, what with Major developing zombie radar after taking the cure. Can't imagine what other powers Ravi could develop that wouldn't break the format of the show, where both he and Liv live by their wits and courage rather than strength or power. But I guess we'll wait and see.

Thoughts on this episode:

The thing is, though, what's stopping the remaining humans from leaving the city? Chase specifically says he won't prevent it (and how could he, given the manpower requirements of such an undertaking). You'd be left with the poor who have no place to go, the fanatical wannabe-militias, and those who won't leave…

That was literally his storyline this season, though.

That, I think, has been resolved. Carey Gold's faction within FG wanted Baracus to be mayor so that they could have access to, and tamper with, the vaccines once the epidemic started. Being exposed as a dominatrix client might have scuttled his chances, so they blackmailed Wecker into murdering her and stealing the…

I think JJ is the best of the Netflix MCU shows, but it suffers from many of the same flaws as the others, and a certain lack of flair in its execution is absolutely one of them. The dialogue, as you say, doesn't exactly crackle, and I already mentioned that Colossal is better-directed (as it pretty much has to be,…

I think of it as the equivalent of David Tennant in JJ, where you take someone you're primed to see as a positive character, especially when they're working in that particular genre, and turn them into the most toxic, evil son of a bitch imaginable.

Really glad to see Colossal here. I saw it this weekend, expecting a fairly straightforward indie dramedy, and instead found something a lot funnier, smarter, and more bracing, along the lines of a comedic Jessica Jones (with better direction). It deserved a lot more attention than its gotten.

I actually think Legends's strength is how it juggles a broad cast. One of the reasons I liked it in S1 is that almost any character combination was fun to watch in its own way, and that's persisted in S2. I don't disagree that Sara, Mick, and Snart are the best characters, but I don't think they'd be nearly as much…

He also seems to be assuming that the gay couple, themselves, could never be Muslim.

It isn't, though, and frankly I'm tired of that formulation. In a time with so much good TV, you need to earn your spot on a list like this, and The Americans in 2017 didn't.

I've watched eight out of these 26 (!) shows, and I have to say that at least four of those don't deserve to be on this list. The Americans is still extremely smart and well-made, but it had its weakest season this year, missing many of its most engaging storylines and doing little to replace them except lay…

The thing is, left to their own devices, I think Oliver and Kara could have an interesting and fruitful relationship. Oliver isn't as doom-and-gloom as the crossovers make out - deep down he's a hopeless romantic, and his downcast attitude is an expression of his self-doubt. And Kara isn't just some sunny optimist. …

I get why they're doing it, but every time I see Kerry Russell's hair on that show I'm taken out of the period. And hey, it's not like we don't have proof that she'd look good with a perm!

When has any network or channel cancelled a show because it wasn't good? Keeping a good show on even though it has poor ratings in order to reap awards and critical acclaim, sure. But a successful (or even moderately-performing) show with bad reviews that gets pulled because it's bad? When has that ever happened?