The CBS drama entered its second season as one of the most popular shows on television. The momentum from a solid but not flawless Tracker Season 1 has carried over, making the series among the most watched on television.

But what has the product been like? Has it improved upon its first year? Or has it fallen into the familiar television sophomore slump?

At the midseason point of the season, Tracker has only gotten better.

That’s not to say the show has been perfect. Still, they’ve upped the ante in many regards, giving Colter a storyline outside of the Shaw Family drama.

They’ve delivered on the cases of the week while continuing to center the best part of the series: Colter connecting with people and saving the day.

We’re breaking down the highs and lows of a stellar start to Tracker Season 2, so come check it out!

Best Episode – Tracker Season 2 Episode 8 Review: The Night Movers

Tracker Season 2 Episode 8 was not only the best of the season but also one of the best of the series overall.

The case of the week, which involved Colter seemingly looking for a dead man, was intriguing and had the right amount of twists and turns to make it feel unpredictable.

The dead man in question, Lucas, was a guy who needed to fake his own death to save himself from death, as he had some damning information that would have sullied the political career of a local politician.

Colter soon found himself involved with a crooked cop and the leader of the “night movers,” a low-key company specializing in helping people disappear when needed.

But Lucas broke protocol when he returned to town, and things got out of control rather quickly.

If not for Colter, his knack for being in the right place at the right time, his ability to solve every situation with quick thinking, and his particular set of survival skills, there may have been a much worse outcome.

This hour was also noteworthy for its ending, which brought the Gina Picket case back around, with Colter’s new friend Keaton delivering him a person of interest on a silver platter.

Colter may have finally gotten the break he’s been waiting for (we’ll have to wait and see, of course!), but Keaton was torturing the man for information, which isn’t necessarily Colter’s MO.

Plus, they got a nickname, not the government name of a suspect, so he’s still got a ways to go before he makes progress.

But it’s the most significant break he’s had in years, and it’s an appealing cliffhanger to leave us on as we await the series’ return.

Worst Episode – Tracker Season 2 Episode 3: Bloodlines

Billie has been a polarizing character since she appeared on Tracker Season 1 Episode 6, and she made her return during this hour when she called Colter in to help with a missing teen from her hometown.

This was a bit of a Billie backstory episode, which probably landed better with those who enjoy Billie’s character.

But even if you are a Billie fan, we didn’t necessarily need a deep dive into her history when we still have much to learn about some of our main characters who are there every week.

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The case started promising in that a talented young baseball player was missing, and while the story could have spun off in many different directions, it ended up with blood donations and biohacking.

The hour was weird; not even the connection between real-life husband and wife Justin Hartley and Sofia Pernas could save it.

Character We Need More Of – Velma

When news broke that Robin Weigert’s Teddi would not return for the second season, many people wondered what that would mean for that character and Teddie’s wife, Velma.

And eight episodes into said season, the answer is still to be determined.

Velma is Colter’s handler, so while she’s not usually involved in the actual case-solving, the series still struggles to incorporate her in a way that allows her to be a fully formed character who exists beyond giving Colter his latest case.

Teaming her up with Reenie was a good first step, but they’ve done very little with it. Instead of always being at her home, she’s now just always at Reenie’s office for seemingly no real reason.

They also teased that Velma and Teddi might be having marital issues during Tracker Season 2 Episode 1 but haven’t followed up on it at all. As of right now, they’re apart, and they haven’t even mentioned Teddi’s name since then.

Tracker has always struggled with finding ways to develop everyone not named Colter, but they’re dropping the ball with Velma this season, which is saying something considering how little they did with her in Season 1.  

Best Storyline – Gina Picket’s Disappearance

On the surface, you could say, “How can Gina Picket be the best storyline when it hasn’t even started?” And you wouldn’t be wrong to pose that question, but introducing Colter’s white whale case brings something fresh to the series.

Outside of the cases of the week, Season 1 honed in on Colter’s personal drama with his family (more on that soon).

While that was highly intriguing, it was wise to introduce something else from Colter’s past to continue shading in his character and giving the audience an overarching mystery to get invested in.

Colter and Camille’s romantic connection also adds something to the series. We’ve seen Colter be a bit of a lady’s man but not have many romantic conquests that go beyond some little flirting and wondering about what could be if things were different.

Colter and Camille have a past that existed before Gina disappeared and has morphed into something else in the years since. They seem to be bound by grief, and the minute Camille decides she needs to start moving beyond that pain, Colter gets the biggest break he’s gotten in the last decade.

The story has been slow-growing and not a major factor thus far, but it’s new and intriguing.

Missing Storyline – Shaw Family Drama

The Shaw Family drama was hands down one of the best aspects of the first season.

We quickly learned this thing lingering in the background helped shape Colter into the man we were now getting to know.

Bringing in Dory and Russell only upped the stakes, as they became more than just Colter’s estranged siblings whom he was ignoring.

Instead, they became tangible pieces in his life’s mission to better understand both his parents and his father’s death.

It’s a gripping story on its surface, yet they’ve acted as if it didn’t exist thus far.

Outside of Russell’s appearance during Tracker Season 2 Episode 2, Colter has barely touched on what happened at the end of last season, which was that Dory had this box of Ashton’s things that no one knew about.

It wasn’t exactly the most tantalizing cliffhanger. Still, considering how much of Colter’s existence revolves around his unresolved feelings about his childhood, you’d think he’d be more eager to jump back into things.

If you were jumping into the story now, you wouldn’t even realize Colter had significant issues with his past because, as it relates to his family, it feels like they’re almost going out of their way to get away from it.

But why? God if I know, but that needs to be rectified in the second half of the season.

Best Guest Star – Jensen Ackles

Let’s call a spade a spade here: Jensen Ackles tends to make everything better. That’s why the man is all over the television these days.

His on-screen presence is unmatched, and he and Justin Hartley have tremendous chemistry.

It truly feels like these two are brothers with a complicated past who bicker and try to one-up one another but also have a lot of love and respect for each other.

His appearance this season was in an hour centered around extraterrestrials, and the brothers had to work together to help one another and find a missing man caught up in a government conspiracy.

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Russell wasn’t there for a long time, but he was there for a good time, and the little tease about him and Reenie going on a date was a nice way of introducing Colter’s jealous side because doesn’t a tiny part of everyone hopes Colter and Reenie may give it a go one day?

Well, maybe not everyone, but Russell always brings some fresh energy to the show.

Ackles is a treat as the accomplished, rough-around-the-edges but incredibly skilled older brother who lives to crack a joke and reminds his little brother who’s the boss when they’re out saving the day.

Overall Grade – A-

Tracker Season 2 has not been perfect, but it’s been damn fun.

Some cases may have been overly convoluted, but they’ve been entertaining and put Colter in some situations we have yet to see him in.

From aliens to the supernatural to animals and trying to find someone presumed dead, they’ve gone outside the box, and generally, it’s worked.

All things run through Colter, and continuing to send him around the country and place him in these new situations allows the audience to continue getting to know the survivalist and career tracker.

Overall, we still need more Reenie, Velma, and Bobby. Every hour without them feels like a wasted opportunity, and they need to address this.

It’s the Colter show, not an ensemble, but you have a great supporting cast with great chemistry. If you can come up with biohacking blood banks, you can craft storylines that will get all these characters in the same city at the same time multiple times a season!

Drop all your thoughts into the comments below about the start of Tracker Season 2!

We’ll return in the new year to discuss everything when the series returns!

Tracker Season 2 returns to CBS on February 16 at 8/7c.

Watch Tracker Online

The post Tracker Season 2 Midseason Report Card: Lots of Thrills & Room to Grow appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Think Dallas, Dynasty, and Knot’s Landing. All were long-term series that still influence the current television age.

While television may have moved away from the genre, many series still embrace the core principle of those beloved soaps: throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.

There are a lot of downright scandalous series on the air nowadays and in years past. Those that are rife with drama and unbelievable plots that may not make all the sense in the world but are too entertaining for it to matter.

We’re looking at some of those current and past series that embody the spirit of wacky and dramatic television that had everyone gathered around the water cooler (remember those?) to discuss the latest attempted murder or cheating scandal!

Check out our list, and let us know some of your favorite soapy shows from over the years!

Scandal

When you think of the wildest and most nonsensical storylines that had you glued to your television screen weekly, you think of the Shonda Rhimes gem Scandal.

All the Shondaland shows could make this kind of list (and you’ll see another one pop up later!), but Scandal remains one of the biggest shows of the last twenty years, and its cultural impact can still be felt today.

Olivia Pope, her white hat, President Fitzgerald Grant III, DEFIANCE, and B613 were just some of the various things Scandal gave us, and audiences devoured the sordid tales of espionage, political intrigue, and high-profile affairs.

Scandal was drama on top of drama, and the series constantly outdid itself by finding new and twistier ways to shock viewers who thought they’d seen it all.

The age of live tweeting and instant reactions really took off during this age of television, and Scandal was a big reason for that.

Watch Scandal Online

Gossip Girl

“Hey, Upper East Siders, Gossip Girl here.”

You may have never seen an episode of the CW 2000s staple, but you’ve undoubtedly heard that phrase before. Gossip Girl came along when cell phones quickly became THE place to get all your information, and the series fed into the craze.

From the outside, it wasn’t wholly relatable, as not many teens across America were living the extravagant lifestyles that Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf, but they could relate to the high school hierarchies, betrayals, and heartbreak that often befell the young Manhattanites.

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The characters were deceitful in their own ways, and the series relied on shock value, though it didn’t always come in the form of surprising deaths but good, old-fashioned treachery.  

Every Thanksgiving that one clip from Gossip Girls Season 3 Episode 11 makes the rounds and is the epitome of what the series was. Secrets and more secrets came out, causing embarrassment, sadness, anger, and everything in between.

It was not a prestige drama. But Gossip Girl remains one of the most deliciously twisty series in recent memory and lives on now as one of the most entertaining series we’ve seen.

Watch Gossip Girl Online

Bridgerton

Think Gossip Girl meets the Regency Era, and you get Bridgerton, a Shondaland product that has become one of the most popular shows of the past five years.

Bridgerton’s entire premise is basically someone in town hiding behind the moniker Lady Whistledown and gossiping about everyone in her own little published paper.

Sound familiar?

The series is sexy and raunchy in all the right ways, and while that period may not be relatable, seeing cutthroat courting, backstabbing, and betrayal transcends all eras.

Bridgerton has become a household name, and each new season features a new romance and a new set of trials and tribulations that audiences are excited to devour.

The show has a little bit of everything, leaving you gobsmacked regularly.

Watch Bridgerton Online

Ginny & Georgia

Ginny & Georgia is a complicated but engaging tale about Georgia Miller, the mother of Ginny and Austin. She has moved to many places with her children and set up shop in Wellsbury, Massachusetts.

Georgia and her kids have a tough go of it, and the series delves into several serious topics, like childhood abuse and self-harm.

Georgia tried hard to fit in when she arrived, but Cynthia and her friends in Season 1 spread so much gossip about her that she never did.

You weren’t the right kind of woman if you didn’t fit into the ladies’ society.

There’s a lot of drama in the serene little town, and it’s a soapy series that reminds you of the comedy dramas from the 80s that thoughtfully dealt with serious subject matter.

Watch Ginny & Georgia Online

Elite

Look, if you want to have a conversation about why Elite was still airing as of 2024, then that’s a conversation that can be had. But when the series was in its heyday (we’re looking at the first three seasons), it was one hell of a thriller.

The Las Encinas high schoolers were involved in various dramas, including crime and straight-up murder. While the series was risqué when it wanted to be, it also dove into broader and more serious topics.

The series took off on social media amid a time when binging series were taking off, and audiences were enthralled by the high school drama mixed with heart and a gripping mystery woven within.

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Like many of the others on this list, the series became popular across social media and launched the careers of many of the series stars.

That first season remains one of the most captivating teen drama seasons ever. They had one job and one job only: to cram as much drama as they could into eight episodes, and they did it in spades.

Watch Elite Online

Revenge

Emily Thorne came to get her revenge but encountered many other problems along the way.

A story about someone looking for revenge is a tale as old as time. Still, Revenge turned Emily’s journey into something unexpected, as she fought feelings for the enemy, faces from the past, and supposedly dead people!

Emily was on a mission to avenge her father, and she did so by waltzing into the lives of various families in the Hamptons with nothing but a dream and a Sharpie. But the secrets she encountered were plentiful, as were the lies and dangerous situations she and others found themselves in.

The series stood out, especially in its earlier seasons, for taking itself very seriously while leaning into the ridiculous. It was sometimes predictable (hell, A LOT of the time), but it was highly addictive.

Each week, Emily got deeper into the lives of the people she was solely trying to rip apart from the inside out.

The series may have gone on a season or two too long, but when it was great, it was genuinely great.

Watch Revenge Online

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin

The latest in the Pretty Little Liars franchise desired better than its fate.

Original Sin took us to Millwood, Pennsylvania, where a set of new friends came together and found their lives threatened by a masked killer named A, who may have had something to do with a mysterious death that befell a classmate of their mothers.

The chemistry between the girls was the heart and soul of the slasher teen drama, which had a great mix of drama, mystery, intrigue, and vengeance to keep things interesting week in and week out.

While trying to find the identity of A was the end goal, there was so much deception and craziness along the way that sucked you in. Every storyline had meaning and emotional weight, even when the levels of ridiculousness reached a fever pitch.

Having the girls attend summer school in the second season expanded the universe and upped the stakes. It was soapy goodness at its very best, and it’s shameful that we won’t see the girls continue to grow and uncover the never-ending secrets and mysteries throughout those small Pennsylvania towns.

Watch Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Online

Rivals

If you haven’t gotten the chance to stream Rivals on Disney+ yet, do yourself a favor and do so now.

The British drama series explores the rivalries between various people surrounding an independent commercial television station. It’s sexy and indecent, filled with affairs and backstabbing from just about every corner.

Every character gets a moment to be a little naughty, and the series takes us back to the ’80s, with high hair, high-waisted jeans, and a relatively high tolerance for debauchery.

There aren’t many television shows currently airing that truly invoke the wild and crazy of yesteryears and do it with such aplomb. The ensemble cast is stacked from top to bottom with compelling characters and intriguing storylines.

If those watercooler conversations were still a thing like they were in the period this series takes place, Rivals is the kind of show that would have everyone talking.

Watch Rivals Online

Now that you’ve seen our list, tell us your favorite gossip-worthy series in the comments below!

Did your favorite make the cut? What others would you add, and which would you remove from the list?

We can’t wait to hear from you!

The post Revenge Plots, Breakups, and Drama: The Best TV Shows for Spilling the Tea appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Coming off a shortened 9-1-1 Season 7, the series launched with another three-part opening disaster, which, by all accounts, was a rousing success. Then, it settled back into some character-focused storylines to close out the season.

But while the opening hour had everyone buzzing, subsequent hours were more hit or miss, with some stories being speedrun through, beloved characters being sidelined at times, and disjointed storylines leaving us frustrated.

Even with some missteps, the season has had some great moments and continues to be one of the most riveting series on television.

We’re reviewing the first eight hours of this season and offering some superlatives as we evaluate the good and the not-so-good.

Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty to like about what the show has put together, but they’ve also left much to be desired.

It’s a good thing we still have ten episodes left this season!

Best Episode – “Final Approach”

9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 3 was the last act of the opening disaster arc, with Athena flying a plane and trying to land it successfully in Los Angeles with every single odd against her.

The plane was careening toward the city, and those tasked with helping her had pretty much given up on a successful landing and were looking at the best places she could land the plane to limit the amount of casualties on the ground.

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It’s a good thing Athena is married to Bobby Nash because he wasn’t about to let his love down. Soon enough, he shut down an LA freeway to ensure Athena had enough room to land that plane and save many lives.

In many ways, it’s a quintessential 9-1-1 episode, meaning Bathena was at the forefront. While the action was front and center, some wonderfully understated character moments remained.

One second, you were on the edge of your seat, and the next, you were sniffling back tears because, over three short hours, everyone on that plane had become family.

There was also the breathtaking shot of a massive plane heading right for Bobby Nash, who was perched on the top of a firetruck, looking his wife directly in the eyes as the nose of the aircraft stopped right in front of his face.

Does it get any more romantic than that?

It was a beautiful showcase hour for Angela Bassett and Peter Krause, who are often given a lot to do during these big opening emergencies and deliver every single time.

This is 9-1-1 at its best — balls to the wall, captivating, and full of heart.

Best Episode – Honorable Mention – “Confessions”

While “Final Approach” was an episode heavy on the action, 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 6 was all about the characters, with a few minor emergencies mixed in.

And if the big, flashy episodes are a staple of the series, then these kinds of hours are as well.

After being sidelined for much of the season, we finally got a peek into what was going on with Madney, with the pair discussing the possibility of expanding their family.

The couple was honest about their fears, and the hour ended with Maddie telling her husband she was pregnant, which prompted a mighty big “AWW” from me!

It was also the first hour that illuminated Eddie’s plight, particularly his guilt about everything that transpired with Christopher and his move to El Paso to live with his grandparents.

Eddie’s struggle to allow himself joy culminated in a picture-perfect dance around the house in his tighty whiteys a la Risky Business.

It allowed Ryan Guzman to channel Eddie’s inner chaos into a fun dance routine that should hopefully spur him on to the next part of his character’s journey.

This episode also had one of the best closing shots in the history of 9-1-1, with forever best friend Buck coming over to commiserate with him after Tommy Kinard unceremoniously dumped him.

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Buck was reeling from something unexpected, and Eddie was sweaty and slightly confused but always welcoming to Buck.

The two didn’t share any words because none were needed. Just the sheer act of being together was enough.

9-1-1 keeps you on your toes; this episode was a great example.

Worst Episode – “Wannabes”

The problem with 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 8 wasn’t so much the episode itself but the fact that it was our last impression for three long months.

Brad Torrence has been a steady presence throughout the season thus far, and he’s been okay. Admittedly, the Hotshots storyline worked much better as a vehicle for Bobby to have his own storyline outside of being at the 118.

Still, Brad’s presence was never truly an issue until it started to feel like he may have overstayed his welcome. Suddenly, the midseason finale became a showcase to wrap up Brad’s story, which was fine on the surface but left the episode lacking in many ways.

We had no Maddie whatsoever, with Hen and Chimney sidelined yet again. While Athena’s case was okay, it was a one-and-done case that would not move her forward and did nothing for the season at large.

And all of these things are okay. Sometimes, you have episodes that aren’t the most thrilling, but considering the magnitude of this one being the last episode of the year, it didn’t leave us with much to chew on outside of Eddie’s potential move.

That’s a big-ish cliffhanger in its own right, but we got little time with Eddie because of the amount of time spent on literally everything else.

I waited for something more than the Brad show, but it never came.

Missed Opportunity – Everything Eddie Diaz

While Eddie’s dance was undoubtedly a highlight of the first half, considering the place we left Eddie at the end of 9-1-1 Season 7 Episode 10, the series hasn’t explored much beyond Eddie missing his son and ultimately deciding he was going to move to El Paso in a decision with little build-up.

Eddie has had a very complicated relationship with his parents, his childhood, and his relationship with Shannon, all of which have contributed to the position he’s found himself in. Yet, we haven’t seen him really addressing any of it.

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Eddie and Christopher needed to unpack what happened with doppelganger Kim. Hopefully, that will come in the second half, but thus far, that event has yet to be explored, and Eddie has not worked through much of anything.

It’s not as if we haven’t seen any of Eddie, as we’ve gotten glimpses here and there, like when he stepped in with the father of the hurt cheerleader and the aforementioned dance sequence and his journey to confession.

But it’s all been very stop-and-go, making it feel disconnected at best.

I’ll happily eat my words if the second half delivers on this storyline and gives it the time and space it deserves, but considering where things were left, Eddie’s story hasn’t had nearly enough focus to this point.

9-1-1 is an ensemble show, with understandably many moving parts every week, but Eddie’s story deserves a bigger spotlight.

Missed Opportunity – Honorable Mention – The Bathena House Search

Bathena needs a place to live, and after a promising start, we’ve seen little movement in their search for the perfect home.

I’ve advocated for a fun twist on the typical house search (House Hunters meets Bathena detectives), but if that’s not in the cards, we desperately need them to make some headway soon!

Bathena deserves a new home and a new start in something with both of their fingerprints.

Most Heartbreaking Moment – Denny Gets Hurt

The Wilson family needs a damn break.

And look, you could say that for a lot of people on 9-1-1 because drama IS the name of the game after all, but coming off an intense court battle during 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 4 to return Mara to her home, no one was prepared for Denny’s life to be in danger during a night of trick-or-treating.

The hour was a somber one for Henren in general, with the couple not entirely on the same page about Hen working on the Halloween holiday. And while Hen ultimately worked on the holiday, it was the 118 that was on the scene to help Denny, who was hit by a car and pinned to a house.

It was touch and go for a while as Denny fought for his life, with both of his parents by his side, and ultimately, his life was saved by the efforts of his parents and the 118 family.

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It was distressing to watch young Denny fight for his life. Although there was a happy ending, it was still an unfortunate moment for a family that has been through so much.

Here’s hoping they let the Wilsons have some more lighthearted moments to close out this season.

Most The Frustrating Storyline – Gerrard’s Turn As A Comedian

I think I can confidently say that no one was particularly interested in having Captain Vincent Gerrard back at the 118. Still, once he made his return, it became about how long the 118 would have to deal with the bigoted captain.

Well, the answer to that would be not too long, but in returning to the 118, a curious decision was made to turn Gerrard into a curmudgeonly older man who got starstruck around a TV star and just needed a little nudge from a good guy Bobby to be a little nicer and palatable at work.

The show basically asked us to forget the Gerrard we previously met (as if that was possible) and presented this new version of Gerrard, who fumbled around and got the silly background music when he did something “funny.”

It was a very odd choice, though, it became apparent early in the season there was a larger plan for Gerrard, and to fit that plan, Gerrard needed to be presented in a certain way.

But Gerrard was not a good person. He was deplorable to Hen and Chimney, and it was disappointing to see that this was not only never addressed but also turned him into a cranky man who was simply misunderstood.

Character Who Needs A Hug (And Forward Progress) – Eddie Diaz

To be fair here, everyone could use a hug.

But mostly, everyone has gotten a hug this season! Bobby and Brad got to hug it out. The Wilsons had a lovely reunion once Mara came home.

Plus, Buck, Maddie, and Chimney gave us a lovely hug after he congratulated them on their pregnancy!

It felt like everyone had been getting a hug except for Eddie.

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He’s desperately needed a firm, two-handed hug for a minute now. One that he can sink into, take a deep breath, and relax into for a minute.

We’re all hoping he’ll get that hug when he and his son finally reunite, whether in Texas or California, but he could also use a lovely embrace and show of affection in the interim.

Missing In Action – Maddie Han

This season has felt very devoid of Maddie.

Yes, she has been there answering calls, and she and Chimney stepped in to help with Mara, but that was a story with the Wilson family at the forefront.

“Confessions” had an excellent plot about expanding their family, and it was a nice look into both Chimney and Maddie’s mindsets about having another child. Still, outside of that, there haven’t been any stories with Maddie out front.

Maddie is the link at the call center, which hasn’t lessened, but when we’ve seen her outside of it this season, it’s primarily felt in service to others. We need Maddie back in the driver’s seat of her story (and Chimney, too, for that matter!)

Now, that looks poised to change with the sneak peek for the series return in March 2025 showing Maddie potentially in danger, so they’ll be rectifying the issues (though why does she have to be in pain?), but that doesn’t negate her missing presence throughout the first eight hours.

Overall Thoughts

9-1-1 Season 8 has had a lot of bright spots, but there’s always room for more.

The opening emergency was its peak, but there have been solid installments sprinkled throughout and the start of some good stories as well.

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Bathena’s (brief) house-hunting journey was fun, and the reunification of the Wilson family was number one on many people’s lists to resolve as quickly as possible.

Madney’s pregnancy journey has only just begun, as has Eddie’s journey to work on himself and, ultimately, his relationship with his son.  

Buck got cursed, and then his relationship came to an end. People have a lot of feelings about this, but one thing’s for sure: it should set him up to continue his journey, which is only a good thing.

Even if the midseason finale fell a little flat, it’s nice to know that some stories have been wrapped up, meaning there’s plenty of time to dive into the personal stories of the mains we’ve come to adore.

These first eight get a solid B. And a very optimistic attitude about what’s come.

Now it’s your turn to let me know in the comments what you’ve thought about the first half of 9-1-1 Season 8!

9-1-1 Season 8 returns to ABC on March 6, 2025.

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The post 9-1-1 Season 8 Midseason Report Card: Heart-Pounding Highs & Missed Opportunities appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Tracker Season 2 Episode 8 centered around a case that was a little different because Colter wasn’t trying to find someone who had been taken or simply disappeared into thin air. He was looking for a dead man.

Like all of Colter’s cases, this one involved much more than he initially thought.

Tracker has done a great job this season with its cases, even the ones that have bordered on ridiculous. They’ve been entertaining and interesting at the same time, and this hour was no exception.

Traveling out to San Francisco, Colter’s job was centered around a grieving sister who was convinced her dead brother was back and paid a visit to their ailing mother. And the whole story was very sad on the surface.

Alicia was still grieving her brother while simultaneously grieving her mother, who was actively dying in front of her.

You couldn’t blame Colter for being skeptical initially because he’s nothing if not a realist, especially when he starts getting the facts surrounding the job.

People do grieve in different ways, and sometimes, it can be difficult to accept the cruelty of life. No one should have to bury a brother and a parent so closely together. It’s unimaginable.

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But once Colter started to piece some things together, it became very apparent that there was something shady going on with Lucas and his death, to the point where it wasn’t so much wondering whether or not he was dead, but why would he have faked his death?

Bobby, per usual, was an essential piece of the puzzle here, and God knows where Colter would be without him and his ability to hack anything and everything within seconds.

Once Colter got to Lucas’s former job, which was broken into around the same time that Lucas supposedly visited the hospital to see his mother, it was apparent that someone needed something from that store.

Now, could someone have been after something Lucas had and broke in to retrieve it? Absolutely.

That break-in could have been explained away, but the hospital visit? Would someone be cruel enough to visit a dying woman in the hospital and pretend to be her son for no reason other than to be cruel?

It didn’t make any sense, and thank goodness for the paranoid co-worker who put a camera in his dinosaur figurine collection because that broke the case wide open.

I assumed, at first, that this would be a story where Lucas, indeed, was dead, but Colter was able to discover who killed him and bring his killers to justice and at least be able to give his family some closure.

But I should have known better.

Lucas was very much alive, as evidenced by the recording of the break-in, and once Colter discovered that the questions only got more complicated.

One of my favorite parts of a Tracker episode is finding out how helpful or unhelpful the law enforcement person Colter inevitably has to deal with will be. Are they friendly, useful, and willing to accept the fact that Colter may be better at their job than them?

Or are they combative, useless, and trying to derail Colter at every turn?

Detective Goodman seemed receptive to Colter. She even did a little tit-for-tat with him and showed him the footage of Lucas’s crash.

But Colter Shaw is Colter Shaw. And within seconds, he had his next break in the case.

If you’ve watched enough ID Channel or Dateline and 48 Hours in your lifetime, then you know that faking your death isn’t just something they do in the movies.

Phillip and Barbie running a ‘disappear people’ operation out of the back of their market was a neat little development. Barbie was quite the pistol, and I love it when Colter meets someone who matches his intensity.

She was almost detached from her husband’s death, but that seemed to be more because the minute she discovered he was killed, her mind immediately switched into revenge mode.

Phillip dying seemingly right after Colter discovered who he was had dirty Detective Goodman written all over it because nothing had happened to him in nine months, but then suddenly Colter pointed Phillip out to an officer, and hours later, he ended up dead.

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My antennas went up high then, but Colter still needed to figure out how everything was connected while watching Barbie commit arson.

Barbie was such a great character here, and if we could have spent more time with her, I would have welcomed it.

I’m sure that, over the years, she helped many bad people disappear since she operated under a policy of not asking many questions, but for someone like Lucas, Barbie was doing a good thing in the sense that she saved his life.

Without faking his death, Lucas was a dead man. Just like Stephanie. And just like her husband.

But, once you fake your death, that’s it. It’s all for naught if you waltz back into town like you’re not dead and you put Phillip and Barbie in danger because what they were doing wasn’t exactly legal.

Lucas wasn’t trying to get anyone hurt, but he wanted to see his dying mother, and by grabbing that flash drive, he wanted to potentially try and work out a deal for himself or something.

Unfortunately, though, his re-emergence triggered many actions, including Colter’s presence, and ultimately, Phillip paid the price for it.

When Colter called Detective Goodman to Lucas’s hotel, I had no idea what he was up to, but I fell for the fake-out Lucas death hook, line, and sinker. Even knowing Goodman was probably shady, I thought perhaps they were too late to save him this time.

Sometimes, it’s okay to be wrong, and I sure was.

What’s better than faking your death once? Faking your death twice!

Did anyone think Barbie was going to hurt Lucas when she opened that van and came face-to-face with him? She seemed determined to get her revenge, and Lucas’s coming back set everything into motion, but he didn’t pull the trigger on Phillip or give the order.

No, Goodman and Tim Crosby were responsible. They needed to be punished, and only Colter Shaw (and the magic of television!) could quickly get an entire FBI sting operation up and running!

Why Goodman and Crosby were casually conversing about their illegal activities in the middle of that crowded restaurant made no sense. Neither did Goodman pulling her gun on Colter like that would do anything for her.

She was desperate, but her reaction made her look even guiltier in front of a room full of witnesses.

They were careful not to tell us what was on that Crosby flash drive, meaning it was most likely pretty horrific, and he and all those connected with him most definitely needed to be put away.

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Stephanie and Phillip lost their lives, and Lucas went through hell to return to his life, but Goodman and Crosby and his people were brought to justice.

I appreciated that Lucas understood the part he played in everything, and Colter very gently told him that’s something he’ll have to reconcile with because it’s true.

There’s no true happy ending here because so much destruction took place that can never be undone.

Outside of the case, we finally returned to the Gina Pickett case, which has yet to be seriously addressed since Tracker Season 2 Episode 1 when Colter visited Whales.

Getting more context about the relationship between Colter and Camille was nice because now we know these two were involved before Gina’s disappearance. It’s not as if we desperately needed to know that, but it shaded in their relationship more.

They had a connection that preceded their “working” dynamic, and it could be part of why he’s been so unwilling to give up, though Colter’s also someone who doesn’t easily move on from things.

Camille finally reached a point of acceptance, and it was sad to see her and Colter have that conversation because you could tell how upsetting it was for Colter to feel like he failed her and Gina somehow.

But Camille had evidently reached a point where she realized she had to make a change for herself. She’ll never forget her sister, but it was probably unhealthy for her to continue living the way she was.

I felt for them because they both want the same thing: clarity and closure concerning Gina’s disappearance, but Camille’s too emotionally drained to continue to hope.

When the hour opened up, re-introducing us to Keaton, whom we met during Tracker Season 2 Episode 6, it was obvious he was coming back, but damn, did he make a comeback!

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I liked Keaton and the dynamic between him and Colter, but it hit me that we don’t really know Keaton, and neither does Colter. He asked Keaton to do some digging and put fresh eyes on a cold case.

But did he ask him to kidnap a man and beat him into submission until he gave him the information he was after?

Colter seemed taken aback momentarily, but the information also mesmerized him. Once he heard the name Whales, he no longer seemed to care about the physical and mental warfare being waged on the stranger.

Things got icky very quickly, but so damn intriguing because what next?

Is Gina alive? Who is the man they call Teacher? What will Whales say now that Colter actually has information?

What the hell happens to Alex now? Is Keaton OKAY?

This was a great cliffhanger, and while we wait for the series to return, there are some serious questions to consider.

Tracker Notes

• Isaac Newton as an alias was a pretty genius move, but did Phillip and Barbie give ALL their clients famous names? How many George Washington and Charles Darwin fakes are walking around Tracker land?

• Colter declined the call, but Dory called him. Shall I call off the search party for the Shaw Family drama?

• Get Velma out of Reenie’s office! I know she wants a change of scenery.

• Colter is a terrible actor. Everything at the hotel was so stilted and awkward, but it fooled Goodman, so it did the trick.

Tracker Season 2 continues to shine and find its groove with another great hour. The series has always been strong, but it’s reached new heights over the last few weeks.

There was a lot to unpack during this one, so please let me know what you thought and how you’re feeling about the Gina Pickett case in the comments!

You can watch Tracker on CBS on Sundays at 8/9c.

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The post Tracker Season 2 Episode 8 Takes a Big Swing and Scores With a Different Kind of Search appeared first on TV Fanatic.

After a season that started strong and seemed to meander a bit at times, FROM Season 3 Episode 10 was one of the finest hours the series has ever produced.

And I say that confidently while also walking away from that hour, even more confused than ever, a feeling I didn’t think was possible.

FROM is no longer some new show. We’re three seasons in, with a fourth season on the horizon, and we’re reaching a point where there needs to be some actual answers.

Answers have come this season, but every answer begets a new question, and as the cycle continued, it was easy to get frustrated at times. That’s a normal and common experience for a television consumer.

It’s a matter of balancing frustrations with all the other positive emotions, and since FROM is a science fiction horror show, it will never be the pinnacle of feel-good TV.

But every time an answer is revealed, it feels like an angel gets its wings, and this was the hour when so many things were discovered that it felt like your favorite holiday times a million.

Watching Smiley hatch in front of a room of maniacal monsters never felt so invigorating.

The hour was long, and there were distinct storylines throughout, with Ellis immediately coming to Boyd and proclaiming his suspicions about Elgin.

Elgin was a walking red flag when he and Ellis were “searching” for Fatima during FROM Season 3 Episode 9, and it was nice to see Ellis immediately pick up on that weird energy and take it right to his father.

If nothing else, someone needed to talk to Elgin and get him to elaborate on all the vague things he was hinting at, and that’s precisely what Boyd intended to do.

Boyd then going to Sara was an interesting move, though it made sense on the surface as she was the number one authority on the monsters getting into your head to the point you’re willing to do unspeakable things if you think it’ll save the day.

The rag-tag group at Colony House had no idea what they were doing, and it was very much another case of people putting their faith and trust in Boyd to do the right thing, which has been a constant theme throughout the series.

But perhaps more than in any other season, Boyd has struggled in his role as leader and finding that balance between dad and friend and truly being a leader of a town full of people who are scared shitless at every waking moment.

If you want to get technical, he’s been struggling since Abby, but when he decided to sacrifice Randall to the monsters during FROM Season 3 Episode 4, it became even more abundantly clear that he was always going to prioritize the needs of a few over those of one.

Except, that wasn’t really true, was it?

Not only was Boyd willing to protect Fatima after what she did, but amid this Elgin situation, he was ready to resort to torture if it got him the answers he was seeking.

Say what you want about Father Khatri, but he was spitting absolute facts in that shed because Boyd has been walking a hypocritical tightrope for a long while, and he effectively jumped off it when he decided that he would beat the information out of Elgin.

Boyd has been in the business of protecting his own, but what would anyone else in that town do if they were put in that position? There’s always a lot of judgment in that town, considering they’re constantly put in the worst situations of their lives.

I’ve always championed Boyd, and I think he’s continuously attempted to do the best that he could. Still, there was something genuinely iffy and comfortable about what happened to Elgin, even if it was becoming increasingly obvious that he was succumbing to the same thing Sara was.

The difference between what Sara did and what Elgin was doing was that one involved Boyd’s family. So, whereas he granted Sara a lot more grace after everything she did, he took a hammer to Elgin’s hand the minute he could.

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While all this was playing out, Fatima was getting closer and closer to giving birth to whatever was happening inside of her, and one answer we didn’t get is just what spurred the pregnancy on in the days leading up to that one.

Everything accelerated in those final days, but why? Did killing Tillie unleash something in Fatima that made her body even primer to give birth?

Given everything else we learned, it may not be the most critical question, but it’s still intriguing, considering how things turn out.

Once Acosta made her way to the house, as usual, things fell apart, but this was the one time I couldn’t blame her for speaking up because the situation was crazy.

Elgin was sitting there with a broken hand, and all the people who’d been preaching to her about how things work and earning her place there were acting like it was completely normal behavior.

The continued fighting allowed Sara the time to escape and confront Elgin herself, and to all those out there who have never wavered on Sara’s sociopathic tendencies, well you were proven right.

Sara has kept herself under the radar more than anything and has stepped in when called upon to help, but she was never “cured” of what happened to her. The monsters could still get to her, as evidenced by them telling her about Fatima, but she hadn’t harmed anyone.

And Boyd essentially vouching for her made her untouchable even if it sullied many people’s faith in him.

Trying to dissect a character like Sara is futile because did we ever really know who she was in the first place? She is now someone who was saved by Boyd and apparently feels such a kinship to him that she’s willing to gouge someone’s eye out to help him.

She was also willing to make the move she didn’t believe Boyd either could or would make to get Elgin to talk. So, essentially, she’s about that life for real.

There were many surprises during this hour, but somehow, this one surprised me the most, if only because Sara has flown so under the radar that you could almost forget about her past because the show wanted you to.

They lulled us into believing Sara was rehabilitating, but in one swift scene, that was all undone. And honestly? Let it stay that way.

All those people in that house, sans Acosta, were willing to let Boyd do what he thought he needed to do as far as Elgin was concerned, and Sara just took what was in front of her and finished the job.

If they were okay with Boyd doing what needed to be done, they better not turn around and attack Sara when she got them the answer they were after.

They crossed that line, and they can’t try to go back!

Everything from that point forward was a bit of a fever dream, and the occupying string music didn’t help matters.

Fatima gave birth with the kimono lady acting as her doula, and the boys got there a second too late to actually see any of that because of course they did.

The thing that came out of Fatima wasn’t a baby, of course, but something else entirely, and when the lady descended the stairs, I genuinely had no idea what was about to happen, even as I tried to tie it back to what was happening to Tabitha, Jade, and Jim in the woods.

But good on Boyd for sneaking down there because imagine if he’d been sensible and got the hell out of there like I would have done.

The egg-like, spongey, and bloodied being on the ground was pretty gross if we’re being honest, and it looked like a scene out of an alien movie or something, like a baby alien hatching on a spaceship right before the eyes of the worried crew.

But Fatima’s “baby” was no alien. It was Smiley, come back to town after being “killed” during FROM Season 2 Episode 6, and what the hell does that mean?

Well, I’m not sure, but I’d venture to say that Smiley’s death threw something off-kilter in that town, as we’re learning now that the anghkooey children were sacrificed in that town by their parents who wished to live forever and said parents are those monsters that can only come out at night.

Smiley’s re-emergence felt like a result of what happened to him, as he was essentially not allowed to die due to the sacrifice that occurred. Until those children are finally freed, the town will continue to operate under its mercy, which means inevitably, Smiley had to be re-born.

This is all so fascinating, and I’m guessing, as most of us are about how everything truly works, but it’s safe to assume now that when Boyd killed Smiley, that set off many of the things we’ve seen since then.

I’m talking about all of the “changes” that have been noticeable lately, like the changing weather, the monsters being nastier than ever, and Fatima’s pregnancy.

All of this also gives greater credence to Boyd’s belief that what happened to Fatima was because of him, and I can’t exactly say now that Boyd’s assertions were wrong because he is connected to ALL of this.

But how did Fatima become infested with the Smiley spawn? How does any of this really work?

We only got a taste of what’s happening here, but when the hour ends, Smiley has re-emerged, surrounded by his enthusiastic fellow monsters, maybe because their sense of balance has been restored.

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While all of this was happening, Jim, Jade, and Tabitha were continuing to look into the numbers of the papers found in the bottle tree, and Jim finally making the connection to music led them and that violin from times past out into the woods.

This season has focused a lot on Tabitha and Jim in a way they hadn’t necessarily been focused on since the early parts of FROM Season 1. They arrived in that town with a dying marriage and a family that was barely hanging on.

They’ve found their way back to one another, but there’s still a lot of pain embedded in that relationship, though Jim had recently taken some of the advice given to him and decided not to let his fear dictate his actions.

His working with Jade and Tabitha, not arguing with them, was a step in the right direction, and his coming up with the musical connection was not one they’d yet made.

I’ve had much to say about Jim over the years, and I stand by that! But he wasn’t keen to take the little song Jade played out into the forest because he saw the town for what it was.

That town looks to take and take and take. They’ve had numerous theories that they’ve tested, and they’ve all ended rather horrifically.

Jim had a right to be nervous, but Tabitha and Jade weren’t interested in hearing it, something we’d learn more about.

Tabitha’s reaction at the end of the previous hour, when she touched Victor, took her back into the night Miranda died. While to us, it did appear to be some kind of vision, to Tabitha, it felt like she could feel Miranda.

Miranda was trying to tell her something and force her to remember, just as all the people Jade had encountered were trying to force him to remember.

All of their interactions, from the Civil War soldier to the children themselves, were designed to get them to crawl into the deep recesses of their minds and remember the beginning.

The answers to the end are in the beginning, remember?

We thought that meant all the way back to the children being sacrificed, but what if that also meant the beginning of the town, meaning those who were first trapped there?

What if those first people were Tabitha and Jade?

Okay, maybe I lied about Sara’s inner demon jumping out being the wildest reveal of the hour because finding out that Tabitha and Jade were two of the first people ever trapped in that town, and they’ve been reincarnated over time and destined to be put right back into that town at some point in their reincarnated lives to free the children finally has broken my brain.

There has been a connection between Tabitha and Jade that has bloomed more this season, but their past selves having a child together? A child that died in that place?

And then their past selves seemingly dying there only to be reborn again and again, sent back to that town again and again, unable to free the children and ultimately dying over and over again, leading them to this exact moment?

How do you even begin to understand that?

The questions here are endless, but it does put some things into perspective, namely why they’ve been privy to things others have not. And while it’s such a tremendous piece of the puzzle, there are still so many questions to come from this as Tabitha and Jade grapple with what it means.

Imagine that on top of everything you’re currently dealing with, you also have to consider reincarnation, the pain of your past lives, and the reality that each time you fail in that town, you’re destined to repeat it.

The whole thing gives me chills!

They could have ended the hour with that reveal, and this hour would have still been a five-star affair, but they decided to go for absolute broke by doing the one thing I was pretty sure would happen but still caused me to gasp!

A different (future?) Julie sprinted to her dad to warn him that they needed to leave and that she needed to change the story. This must mean she knew her dad was dead, and she came to that moment to try and change the outcome.

Isn’t that how television time-traveling works?

But Ethan said she couldn’t change the story, only walk through it essentially, so did she get there only to watch her dad die in front of her? And not just any death, but death by a day-walking monster in a hideous suit.

Jim’s dead. Jim has died, and potentially Julie from the future tried to save him. Still, present-day Julie and Ethan will be without their father, and Tabitha without her husband minutes after discovering she’s intrinsically tied to Jade for all of eternity.

My brain, guys. My brain may never be the same after this one because I am so confused, but I’ve never been more invested in what the hell is happening here.

Loose Ends

• So now we know why the Matthews and Jade arrived in town at the same time. No one currently there had seen two cars arrive at the same time, but whether they are physically together in each life or not, it must be their destiny to come together. WILD.

• Victor needed that hug and reassurance from Henry so badly, and I’m glad they got to have that moment together with their family. It’s devastating but also something they both needed.

• Fatima, walking away from all that trauma, seemingly physically fine, makes it seem like Elgin wasn’t totally lying. But he was obviously misinformed about what that “baby” was meant to do!

• Randall was ready to shock his brain to get rid of that buzzing noise, and there’s still so much story to get into regarding Randall and Marielle and what happened to them during FROM Season 2.

• Is Elgin dead? Or just missing an eye now?

Was this the best episode of FROM since FROM Season 1 Episode 1? I’ll let you be the judge of that!

This was a pretty damn good piece of television viewing, though, and now we have the long wait to see where things go next, but at least we’re guaranteed to see another season!

Please drop all your theories and thoughts below (I love reading them!) so we can discuss them!

Til next time, FROMily!

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The post FROM Season 3 Episode 10 Review: Revelations: Chapter Two appeared first on TV Fanatic.

As Tracker continues its solid second act, this hour is less about Colter being hired to find a missing person or thing and more about him being at the right place at the right time.

Or maybe it was the wrong place, considering how many guns were pointed at him as a result of his trying to do the right thing, but that’s also par for the course at this point.

Of course, the show finally listened to me and was going to put Colter and Velma in the same room together, but on the way to Reenie’s office (where Velma lives now, apparently!), he happened to come across a sweet dog at a gas station that was far from home.

For someone who lives his life away from people and is completely comfortable with his nomad lifestyle, Colter can have a very calming presence. We’ve seen him meet countless people for the first time in the worst moments of their lives and provide comfort and care that makes them feel comfortable.

Colter did the same for Barkley, a lost dog in pain and probably impossibly confused, looking for sustenance in the trash.

You like to think that most people would see a dog with a collar and do their best to get it back to their owner, but not everyone would. Colter was obviously the person you want to find your lost pet because he immediately sought to look after Barkley and return him.

But because he’s Colter Shaw, he unknowingly got involved in a super convoluted situation involving a home invasion, stolen artifacts, and an adorable child willing to give up his hard-earned piggy bank money just to get his dog back.

Imagine you find a lost dog, and you’re just gearing up to bring him home, and suddenly, someone has broken into your car to steal said dog. My mind would be whirling, and I’d go right to the police, but Colter isn’t me or you, and he, of course, took matters into his own hands.

Colter makes a living visiting homes that have recently been broken into, but it’s good he was the one to find Barkley and get the address for the Westons because who knows how much longer they would have been tied up there before someone noticed.

Tracker’s cases typically veer from the norm, and this one was no different.

When a dog gets stolen, one of the first things you may think of is maybe it’s been taken to be sold illegally for fighting or something else nefarious, but Colter, having already seen the lengths someone would go to to get this particular dog, knew that this case was much bigger than a robbery home invasion.

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But why was someone so insistent on getting Barkley? Surely, if it were to get dogs for a fighting ring or something else, then you wouldn’t go through so much trouble to get this one specific dog.

Someone needed Barkley for a reason, and Colter needed to find that connection.

Enter Bobby.

Thanks to Aidan being a kid in 2024, he had a video set-up for his gaming, and without that, they may have never made the connection to Max.

I mentioned it before, but it bears repeating: Colter is OFTEN finding himself at the front door of houses that have recently been burglarized, or murders have taken place, or any other host of situations, and the ease with which he enters, gun first, is impressive if not scary.

Colter has no idea what he’s getting himself into each time he enters, but he’s always heading right on in so he can peek around like he’s not the one entering a stranger’s home.

When I saw the picture of Barkley with the service members, it became clear that Barkley’s capture had something to do with the military. But what?

Colter’s perfect timing continued when Nate showed up and made the mistake of trying to get the drop on Colter. It’s not amusing that people with all kinds of training, whether through the military or other forms of physical combat, never stand a chance when it comes to Colter.

You may get the drop on him, but he will find a way!

Colter was a bit more trusting of Nate than I expected, and every time he turned his back to him, I held my breath because what if he was lying? It’s not like it’d be the first time Colter encountered someone lying to protect themselves during one of these cases.

He could have easily been looking for Max for his own reasons, or maybe he was connected to Lawson!

Or maybe I watch too much television because Nate was actually a lovely man who cared about Max and was genuinely concerned about his well-being.

Tracker ALWAYS adds something you’ll never guess in a million years, and this week, it was African artifacts that were of utter importance to a master criminal who took Max’s wife until Max found those pesky statues!

As things started to slot into place, one part wasn’t crystal clear immediately: why Max needed to kidnap Barkley.

What part did Barkley play in any of this?

Well, Barkley served as Max’s memory essentially because he had no recollection of where he buried those statues. Cue the dog who could lead him to the exact spot he needed.

That poor dog who was kidnapped from a loving home and forced to find a needle in a haystack, breaking free for a few precious moments to meet Colter, only to be brought out into the thorn-infested woods yet again!

Everything from there played out like a typical Tracker hour, meaning that there was a high-stakes climax involving guns and dangerous people and Colter developing a risky plan that had to work if any of those people sought to escape that situation alive.

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I did not at all understand why they brought Barkley along to the meeting point with Lawson because what business does a loud dog have at a meeting like this? The reason would make itself known soon enough, but the whole meeting between Max and Lawson was kind of nonsensical from the start.

Why was Lawson so sure that Max would show up alone? He had zero backup and was a sitting duck in the situation.

Yes, he moved Chelsea as a bit of an insurance plan, but he was walking into the meet-up blind. Did they even need Nate to set up sniper-style to take him out?

Colter managed to sneak up and open the damn trunk of the truck without Lawson noticing, so he could have just shot him in the leg or something before Nate swooped him to shoot him in the head.

The whole thing was unnecessarily messy, but Barkley saved the day by tracking Chelsea’s scent, and that’s clearly what the point of all of this was about.

I’ll forgive Tracker for some eye-rolling I gave it at the end because the story was decent overall and involved a cute dog, which automatically made things more exciting.

Colter may have agreed to take on the case of finding Barkley because Aidan offered him his allowance money, but Colter was never going to take that. And there’s always something so wholesome about Colter circling back to say goodbye to the people he helps.

Aidan and his mother were thrust into something beyond them, and all they wanted was their dog back — a dog that had helped and was continuing to help them through a tough time.

Colter wasn’t anticipating this job, but sometimes those are the ones that mean the most.

Tracker Notes

• Colter got out of there quickly once Chelsea was fine and reunited with Max and Nate, but Max should still be in trouble, correct? Lawson was a terrible man, but Max DID steal those artifacts.

• The only thing that would have made that ending scene at Reenie’s office better was them Face Timing Bobby. Can I get one scene this season with them all together, working a case and bantering in person? Is that too much to ask?

• I’m going to put up a Missing Persons sign for the Shaw Family drama.

• I better see that Charles Barkley scene played out in ridiculous fashion on this week’s Inside the NBA. If not, then what was even the point?

Another fun Tracker episode in the books!

I’m throwing it over to you guys now, so let me know your thoughts about this one in the comments!

You can watch Tracker on CBS on Sundays at 8/7c.

Watch Tracker Online

The post Tracker Season 2 Episode 7 Review: Man’s Best Friend appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Or, in rare cases, you can go out with a little bit of both.

And boy, do I wish that were the case for 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 8. Unfortunately, this hour felt like any other hour of the series, which isn’t a bad thing but certainly not what you expect from the last hour before a lengthy hiatus.

In the olden days (as they used to say), shows broke for the holidays and then came back sometime in the winter, but there weren’t typically these advertised midseason, or fall, finales, as they’re called now.

A show simply took a break, but the final episode before the hiatus wasn’t hyped with the word “finale,” meaning it didn’t necessarily have to take on increased importance in the narrative.

Nowadays, these finales are often compared to season finales since the winter break can be nearly as long as the summer one. They can end in an open-ended way or even on a cliffhanger to give viewers something to remember and talk about during the break.

That’s not to say a midseason finale must do that, but you certainly want this hour to have at least somewhat higher stakes than the average episode because you want those viewers clamoring for the show’s return.

After a shortened 9-1-1 Season 7, the series got back into the midseason business here, but it wasn’t an hour that felt much different from anything else we’ve seen this season.

There wasn’t anything too wild or crazy happening across any of the storylines. If anything, it was lackluster in scope, especially considering the bulk of the main plot involved Brad, a character we’re not remotely long-term invested in.

The Hotshots storyline was a fun addition at the beginning of the season, and it continues to be a lighthearted thing that does illicit laughter. Still, at this stage in the season, we’re more than a third of the way through, and it feels like this story has eclipsed its expiration date.

The crew welcomed Brad’s addition to the 118, and it played very much as the team being happy to indifferent about having Brad with them. He seemed to have endeared himself to everyone, though they may have been scared of bruising his fragile ego.

Since his introduction, Brad has felt a kinship with Bobby rooted in sheer reverence for the man he considers a real-life hero.

While Brad’s a hero in fictional character name only, Bobby’s the real McCoy, and joining the 118 was his time to soak in some of that magic and real-life stuff that Brad will never experience on a backstage lot.

And there was nothing inherently wrong with the story they were trying to tell here with Brad, but it came at the expense of other stories, and after a season in which Brad’s shenanigans have at times seemed to be more important than those of the characters we’ve known and loved for the past eight seasons.

It doesn’t help that we’ve seen Brad be not-so-great to various people throughout the season, making the foray into his personal life to deeper examine the misunderstood TV star feel somewhat unnecessary when there are more pressing matters to attend to.

But again, the story wasn’t horrible, especially as the hour developed and Brad was forced to realize that he was once again playing make-believe, but real lives were at stake.

All things considered, Brad should have been on a much shorter leash on the scene of that wastewater explosion, but an awful lot was going with trying to make sure that young couple didn’t drown in that car, and Brad being a grown ass man should have known better than to exert himself where he didn’t belong.

But Brad’s not like most of us, who would have observed from the sidelines since we’d recognize we don’t actually know what we’re doing. But fresh off the 118’s critiques of his show, Brad seemed determined to make a real-life save, and he did, but it could have gone spectacularly wrong.

Bobby had every right to lay into him, and for his part, Brad takes Bobby yelling at him better than just about anyone else daring to challenge him. And that all stems back to his admiration for Bobby and his work.

The 118 take everything in stride because they see the gamut of the job. They see and celebrate the successes when they can, but they also see the losses. You can never get too high or too low because there will always be another emergency that needs you at your absolute best.

Brad flits around, taking notes and making his own rescues to truly get into the head of a firefighter, but he’s not actually one. He didn’t train, and he didn’t know the intricacies, so his stepping in could cause more harm than good. He needed to be reminded of that.

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The story could have ended there with Brad learning an important lesson and actually sitting back to observe more than he had been, but this is 9-1-1. He was going to get a chance to redeem himself essentially, and it came in a way perhaps no one expected.

Brad, being famous and all, kept being recognized on calls, and while he tried to brush it off as best he could, there was only so much he could do about the attention. But had he not been there for the call of the man ready to jump off the overpass, there may have been a much sadder outcome to that story.

Craig was struggling, and while the 118 had seen these calls before, they weren’t having much luck talking Craig down until he noticed Brad.

And there was something really lovely about hearing Craig talk about Brad’s character and what Hotshots meant to him because it was so relatable for those of us who genuinely care about the medium of television.

This was a chance for the show to talk to us via the Hotshots show, and they played it brilliantly. 9-1-1 is a lot of people’s comfort shows, and it’s gotten many people through tough times.

Television and characters mean something to people. They may not be real (and it’s important to remember that!), but they can still mean something to you. They can make you feel a myriad of emotions, real human emotions, and that’s a beautiful thing.

In that moment, it wasn’t Brad in turnouts pretending to be a firefighter that made him a hero. It was him just being Brad Torrence, Hollywood star and lead of Hotshots, who got through to Craig in a way that no one else out there could do at that particular moment.

Brad was clearly at a crossroads, and his stint at the 118 didn’t go how he envisioned, but he may have learned the most valuable lesson: we’re all capable of being heroes. Cue the swelling music and the soft smiles before the fade to black.

Brad’s storyline wasn’t shocking or anything like that (and there was a great moment with Eddie I’ll touch on in a bit!), but it wrapped satisfyingly, and that should definitely be the end of it.

He may be a better person moving forward and more appreciative of what he has, but let him do that away for the 118.

Ending things with the 118 stepping onto the Hotshots set was a clever way to bring things full circle, and it was funny. I belly laughed at the whole scene, especially how awkward the guys were while acting and Eddie stuffing a donut in his mouth while running back to get to his mark.

If this were just a regular schmegular episode, it would have been perfectly fine for what it was. But leaving us with the Brad show as the lasting memory of this half of the season left me feeling a little underwhelmed when the credits rolled.

Aside from Brad, Athena had the B-plot, in which she and Romero teamed up to find the person who assaulted a kid who anointed himself the ‘cart cop.’

This was a throwaway storyline, as in the show will go on, and you’ll probably never think about it beyond this hour, but it’s always nice to have Romero back, as he and Athena have a great rapport.

Graham was doing the absolute most for his YouTube channel. The whole time I watched the scene in which he had the entire parking lot jammed up, I wondered how confrontational those lots would be if people were demanding and videoing all the people who can’t be bothered to return their carts to the corral.

And leave it to 9-1-1 to have me seriously contemplating my own actions when it comes to returning my cart at my local supermarket!

Graham was a part-time justice crusader and part-time influencer because if it were truly just about the morality of returning your cart, there would be no reason to stream and post everything online for views and validation.

Graham was lucky to make it out of that beating alive because the person who assaulted him wasn’t just an annoyed person who wanted to send him a message. They seemed content to leave him for dead and stuffed him inside the shopping cart for good measure.

The hour didn’t feel overly busy, but the Brad stuff took priority to the point where the wrap-up to the case felt rushed. It was so apparent that the security guard or the older gentleman who found him hurt Graham because they were the only ones with names and legitimate motives.

Ira and his size 9 shoes being the culprit was no surprise, but his being a parole jumper with multiple felony assaults was! The kindly, older cart coraller being a cold-blooded assassin was undoubtedly a little twist.

Athena getting Graham a job at the grocery store was sweet, and like the Brad business, there was nothing inherently awful about this story, but it just fell flat in this context.

The one story that hit the most and left us with many questions and concerns heading into the break was Eddie, who was still going through it in his time away from Christopher.

The Eddie/Christopher storyline was one of the most anticipated storylines heading into 9-1-1 Season 8, and while they have touched on it, it’s felt very disjointed at times, like an afterthought.

Eddie’s been open and vocal about missing Christopher and feeling like he’s missing out on these critical moments in his son’s life. Still, it wasn’t until 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 6 that we saw the start of Eddie working through his own feelings about what happened.

While Christopher’s absence is a big part of this story, everything that led up to Eddie’s decisions is equally important, as it resulted in his current situation. However, we’ve barely scratched the surface of any of that.

Eddie engaged in an emotional affair with Kim because of many deep-rooted feelings about his relationship with Shannon and probably even more things dating back to his childhood, but they haven’t shown us Eddie talking through any of those things.

His confession to the priest about his guilt and not feeling worthy of joy was the first step in working through his feelings. Shedding his mask and allowing himself a respite felt like a moment we’d all been waiting for.

It was the moment we’d see Eddie start to work on himself more, understand his actions, and move forward to reconciling with his son and bringing Christopher home.

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But that’s not really what’s happening here.

After his breakthrough, we got no progress during 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 7, and then in this hour, Eddie decided seemingly overnight that he wasn’t content to miss anything else in Christopher’s life and decided he would move to Texas.

He didn’t talk to anyone about the decision—not Christopher, his parents, Buck, Bobby, or anyone else at the 118.

It was a decision that seemed to come after his conversation with Brad. But Brad was telling a cautionary tale about estrangement becoming permanent if you let your career ambitions take priority over your children, which wasn’t at all the same situation Eddie found himself in.

You could tell in the video call that things have certainly thawed between father and son since we last saw Christopher during 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 1. And it’s a shame that development happened purely off-screen.

Christopher was much more willing to engage with his dad, showed genuine excitement over getting Brad’s autograph, and was forthcoming about information regarding his life.

No one aspires to only have a relationship with their child through a computer screen, but progress has seemingly been achieved. But what will Eddie’s decision do to that progress when they haven’t had a real conversation (that we’ve seen) about everything that happened and how they move on from it?

But also, does it matter in the grand scheme of things? Eddie is the parent in this situation, and he’s taken great strides to respect Christopher’s wishes and do what he thought was best, but at what point is enough enough?

Christopher is a child, and whether you believe he should have never let Christopher go or you’re okay with the situation, I think we can all agree that both sides deserve to be heard by the other, but Eddie’s the one who ultimately must decide what’s right.

Having said all that, Eddie’s decision to move was born from missing his son, but I wonder how this decision will affect the progress made with Christopher before they have had any of those hard talks.

And it’s not as if Eddie had just passed the fleeting idea of visiting Texas for a bit and checking in with Christopher or even just thought about moving so that he could bounce off his friends.

No, Eddie went full-blown hiring a realtor and was ready to start getting into the nitty gritty of looking at houses. Getting a realtor is a big step, and while Eddie may have yet to have his bags packed and plane ticket bought, it seemed like a decision he was more than ready to make.

Buck’s showing up was perfect timing or the worst timing, depending on how you view it. However, like Eddie’s decision to leave the 118 during 9-1-1 Season 5 Episode 10, Eddie had essentially made up his mind.

He was “getting the ball rolling,” but he was a man who was prepared. He dove right in and looked at listings more than cursorily.

But unlike last time, Buck caught him before Eddie could catch him even more off-guard.

There has been less Buck and Eddie this season than we had last season, but that could be said for many of the pairings. So, it was nice to see the two guys together in Eddie’s kitchen, a place where they’ve had so many important chats, talking about Eddie’s plight, even if it was far too brief.

Buck, ever the fixer, didn’t try and talk Eddie out of it or make him feel like his decision was a bit hasty, even if you could tell by the utterly confused and devastated expression he was sporting that he certainly wasn’t enthusiastic about the latest development.

The “we” of it all was such a Buck gesture and continued reinforcement of the partnership they forged over the years. Buck had to quickly handle the possibility that his very best friend was about to join another piece of his family in Texas, leaving him without two essential pieces of his heart.

But Eddie’s choices aren’t about Buck. They are about Christopher, and Buck knows how to be nothing but supportive of his Diaz boys.

Are Eddie’s concerns his concerns? Absolutely. And he’d shirk his feelings to ensure that he was the partner Eddie needed him to be during a monumental moment in his life. But that face? Buck was having many feelings in that moment we desperately need to see unpacked YESTERDAY.

So, where does Eddie go from here? Does anyone think he’ll actually make the move to Texas?

It’s hard to imagine we’re headed toward a scenario where that happens. Leaving the 118 to head over to dispatch is one thing, but leaving the state? That’s a much tougher pill to swallow.

We could see him and Christopher addressing the elephant in the room before Eddie makes any serious moves to pack a box and sell his home, leading to Christopher returning home.

Or even Eddie pushing pause on the actual move but spending an extended amount of time in the Lone Star state reconnecting with Christopher in person.

Jumping to Eddie 100% moving may be a little premature, but there’s a lot to chew on here over the break, and that’s precisely what you’re looking for in this kind of hour.

It may not be a cliffhanger of epic proportions, but it will keep us guessing and discussing what to expect for the next few months.

Operation Bring Christopher Home has hit a snag. In the not-so-distant future, we may be looking at Operation Bring Christopher AND Eddie Home, with Buck Buckley leading the mission.

Loose Ends

• This one had many laugh-out-loud moments, many of which involved Ryan Guzman. Eddie’s attempt to backtrack when telling Brad his show was FAKE and his total bewilderment during Brad and Craig’s heartfelt Hotshots speech was hilarious.

• When the show returns in the spring, will Buck still be baking? It’s seemingly only been a short while since the breakup, so I get it, but what’s next for Buck? These are the real questions we need answering!

• I love the little moments where you see Buck and Eddie’s core friendship come through, like when Buck acts as if he’s not going to look at the tablet but then does it anyway. Only your very best friend is doing something like that.

• No Maddie at all in this one felt so odd. We have the Madney pregnancy as a surefire plot point in the back half, but she and Chimney have had very little to do to this point.
• Are Eddie’s parents just choosing not to tell Eddie anything that’s going on with Christopher? I need more information here.

• No Henren since 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 5 is blasphemous. Please bring them back to me!

• Bathena still needs a house. This is terrible news, but it means I may still get my Bathena working a mystery together while house hunting or house building dream I’ve wanted from the beginning.

• Imagine being that couple drowning in wastewater in the middle of the street. Horrific.

Well, that’s all the new 9-1-1 we’re getting this year! Be on the lookout for my midseason report card coming soon, but in the meantime, let me know how you’re feeling about this one in the comments.

Were you missing some of the main characters?

Did you like the conclusion of Brad’s storyline?

What should Eddie do?

What do you want to see when the show returns?

You can watch 9-1-1 on Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

Watch 9-1-1 Online

The post 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 8 Review: Wannabes appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Brad Torrence, Hotshots star and thorn in Bobby’s side, not only “joined” the 118 at the tail end of 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 7, but he’s now suiting up for calls! What could possibly go wrong?

As you’ll see in this clip exclusive to TV Fanatic, the 118 is called to the scene of an emergency where an explosion of wastewater has left a mess of accidents, and Brad’s ready to get his hands dirty.

Brad’s arrival at the firehouse was unexpected for Bobby and the rest of the team.

But the midseason finale promises to show us just how his addition to the tight-knit squad works out for everyone.

In this exclusive clip below, we get our first little taste of that: a serious emergency for the crew.

As you’ll see, Brad’s pretty excited to get in on the action.

The Hotshots storyline has been a steady presence throughout the first half of this season, and the midseason looks to offer more of the same, as Brad sees the up close and personal side of what it means to be a real firefighter, not just pretend to be one on TV.

As 9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear previewed for us last week in our exclusive interview, “You’re going to see some chaos, and then you’re going to see some of that bluster and façade kind of stripped away, and you’re going to see maybe the real man underneath.

“And it’s The Wizard of Oz, right? It’s like, ‘If you ever go looking for your heart’s desire, don’t look any further than your own backyard.’ His life may have meaning that he doesn’t even understand that maybe he will learn.”

Brad’s foray into actual firefighting will undoubtedly be a learning experience for the famous actor, who may also have to deal with the realities of being recognized while on a call.

The actor seems to revel in the spotlight, though, so if that were to arise again, it’ll be fascinating to see how he navigates that.

But Brad won’t be the only person with a significant role in the closing hour of 2024, as Athena finds herself dealing with the assault of a man found behind a grocery store.

Athena thrives when tasked to helm an investigation, and this one will surely be no different.

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Outside of that, some lingering plot points will be addressed, as Minear also told us, “What I would say is that episode eight this year is more kind of tying up some story threads that have been set up in the first eight episodes.”

We can think of a few story threads we’d like to see more development on (hint, hint: hello, Mr. Diaz), but we’ll have to see what the installment has in store for us before we dive into the hiatus.

9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 9 will return on March 6, 2025, but before we get too sad about that reality, we still have another hour of the veteran drama to devour!

Check out the clip above, and hit the comments with all your predictions about what the midseason finale will bring.

What are you hoping to see?

As always, we’ll be back after the episode airs with an in-depth review of the hour and our thoughts about what could come when the show returns.

You can watch 9-1-1 on Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

Watch 9-1-1 Online

The post 9-1-1 Sneak Peek: Brad’s Ready To Saddle Up! appeared first on TV Fanatic.

It makes for an interesting mini hiatus, as the show is poised to break before returning in the new year, leaving all the main characters in precarious positions.

This leaves the biggest question now: where do things go from here?

Fresh off their impromptu kiss to close out Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 8, Will and Em were still very much engaging in a physical affair, and they weren’t doing much to hide it.

From the looks that somehow got even longer while on the clock and their little ruined waterfall run, the two were fully committed to hooking up, but there was almost zero talking about anything.

It didn’t seem like either of them was feeling particularly guilty or anything throughout much of the hour; they were just high off each other and their rekindling. And that’s an interesting development because A LOT needs to be discussed.

Will is still very much engaged, and Em still has a boyfriend, yet they’re content to act as if none of that exists now. But how long will that truly last?

There’s also the whole ‘Em-may-be-captain-soon’ and how that will affect all her relationships, none more so than hers with Will.

Rescue: HI-Surf has dedicated itself to slowly rolling out everyone’s personal business, and it’s impressive that they’ve made some of these storylines enjoyable when we know next to nothing about these people.

But on the other hand, why are we just finding out in the ninth episode that Will and Julie have only been together for 6 months? What is Will doing?

We still don’t know exactly what caused Will and Em to split after three years and maintain such a close-knit relationship, but I assume it may have had something to do with her becoming lieutenant.

It’s not the same as being a captain, but it must be frowned upon for lieutenants to date lifeguards underneath them, but I also don’t believe that would be the only reason Em would dump him.

Will seems like the kind of guy who was down bad enough for Em to work somewhere else (hell, he was ready to be a firefighter because his fiancée asked him to), so what else happened between them?

Since they aren’t talking, we have no idea, but this kind of honeymoon cheating period won’t last, and the cracks were already forming when Em’s friend caught them with Em’s top undone in front of a spectacular waterfall!

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Decisions will have to be made regarding their future, and that means having the tough conversations they’ve been avoiding in order to engage in the physical. Some affairs can subsist off that, but their connection is more than fleeting moments of desire.

They are both in love, but as much as they try to hide it, there must be many unresolved feelings about their relationship and the breakup.

They need to unpack all that and figure out what to do about their significant others (real people with real emotions!) before they think about jogging out to any more waterfalls soon.

Speaking of Em, though, Sonny went above and beyond to make sure Em was in line to take his spot as captain, and it was a little hard to watch, even if he was making all these moves for the right reason.

As soon as the Chief started talking about Em being a hothead (cue my internal eye roll), it was so obvious that she was never going to be seriously considered for the role, even if she was more qualified than the ten other males who were surely itching to take Sonny’s spot.

I wasn’t sure why Sonny pre-emptively told Em she would get the spot when he knew there was a real possibility it wouldn’t be as easy a transition as he made it seem, and I still maintain it was the wrong decision.

But Sonny was at least honest with her in this hour, and he was doing her a big favor by letting her in on the inner workings of that kind of job and the posturing and politics involved.

It’s not always the best person for the job. Often, it’s nothing of the sort.

Sonny’s not above getting in the fray and doing what needs to be done, as we saw during Rescue: HI-Surf when he made that initial deal with now-Mayor Emerson that resulted in Kainalu bumping out Hina but also facilitated his big move here with the commendation.

Sonny may have gotten what he wanted in the end, but he’s officially out of favors to call in with the Mayor, and he’s on the Chief’s bad side now, and there’s no way that all these things don’t eventually come back to bite.  

I do not doubt that Em deserves that position, and she wouldn’t have gotten it without Sonny wheeling and dealing, but what a weird position to be in if you’re Em.

It must feel rather icky, and that sucks because she’s dedicated her life to that job, but she was never going to realistically be considered, even if she was the correct person for the job.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it, but I don’t believe Sonny’s done on the North Shore. It’s too early in this whole series to have Sonny just be done, and now that’s got various people pissed off at him, I wouldn’t be surprised if they find a way to strong-arm him into un-retiring when the time actually comes.

While no one outside a few select people knew that Sonny was ready to hang it up, Laka found out and ran over to Sonny to get his blessing about applying to be the lieutenant. Seeing how quickly his excitement morphed into embarrassment and gloom was pretty sad.

Laka’s a good lifeguard. He’s proven time and time again that he knows the job in and out, but being second-in-command? He comes in late and hungover, and he does not strike me as the kind of person to dedicate themselves to the business side of being in charge.

That’s not to say he couldn’t get to that point, but he’s not there right now. He’s not ready for that level of responsibility.

Getting conned and robbed really capped off Laka’s horrible day, and I ask again, what is Will doing? Why is Will kind of the worst person? His attitude toward Laka often stinks, but immediately laying into him instead of offering an ounce of understanding was disappointing.

Laka knew he messed up, and maybe he does eventually need the big conversation about his actions and their negative consequences, but perhaps that could have come after he had a minute to process the last few hours.

I wish Laka had hit him with a direct “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” line because he deserved to hear it. Consider worrying about yourself before telling others about themselves, Mr. Will!

While Em, Will, Laka, and Sonny ended the hour in weird places, the same could not be said for Hina and Kainalu, who finally took all their sexual tension and did something about it.

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After spending the whole hour being glorified babysitters, and after Hina accidentally saw her roomie butt naked, the two hooked up, and honestly, it’s about time!

The whole rivals from different sides of town cliché notwithstanding, there’s a natural chemistry between the two, and you could tell throughout the season that Hina’s walls were slowly coming down.

Kainalu’s not a bad guy, and he’s turned himself into a good lifeguard. Through work and now learning about each other’s lives, both of them have seen different sides of one another, and it was just a matter of time before they gave in to the attraction that was always there.

Now, do I think for one second there won’t be major regrets, particularly from Hina, when they return from break? Absolutely not. I’ve watched television before.

But now that we’ve gotten the enemies to roommates to lovers angle covered, it’s time for the angst! And I say, bring it on.

Extra Rescue Notes

• The rescues were few and far between here, but they made all the personal stories so intriguing this hour I couldn’t even be disappointed. You won this round, Rescue: HI-Surf!

• Em’s friend was so disgusted with Em and Will and their cheating that she couldn’t even pretend not to be upset.

• A Christmas episode before we even have Thanksgiving?! I understand it’s just the product of scheduling, but it feels like we got there too quickly.

• Props to the youngster trying to trade his fins for a board. 

The first half of Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 has flown by! It’s been a bumpy ride, but there are many stories to look forward to when the show returns.

Hit me up in the comments with all your thoughts about this one and what you hope to see when the show returns!

You can watch Rescue: HI-Surf on FOX on Mondays at 9/8c.

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The post Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Aftermath appeared first on TV Fanatic.

When the season began, he and his wife Fatima were in a good place as recent newlyweds expecting their first child, but things have gone from bad to worse, as they typically do in FROM land.

After learning they weren’t expecting as previously thought, Fatima continued to believe something was growing inside her, and her mood swings culminated in her stabbing Tillie during FROM Season 3 Episode 7.

Ellis and his father Boyd temporarily took Fatima out of town, but unbeknownst to them, Elgin took her to a secret underground room, where he’s housing her thanks to the apparition he’s been seeing all season.

That led to a missing Fatima during FROM Season 3 Episode 9 and a devastated Ellis.

As previously stated, it’s been quite the journey for Ellis, who not only fretted about his missing wife during the hour but also saw him learning about his father’s illness for the first time.

It’s an emotional hour on top of what’s been an emotional season for the younger Stevens, and we were lucky to spend some time with the always-charming Corteon Moore to talk about it all.

Check it out below FROM fanatics!

I wanted to go back an episode or so, as we didn’t get to see the fallout from Ellis’s reaction after he walks into the shed and sees Tillie dead and everything that happened with Fatima.

So, how do you think he reacted in the aftermath, and what do you think his first thoughts were when he walked in there?

Oh, God. It was so long ago, and I’m trying to remember. I feel like I worked on something on my own that would kind of map this whole question out, and I remember it mostly switching into fight or flight. It’s kind of in that moment.

Especially after everything these two characters have been through, everything that went down with his mom, and just the rising tensions in the town, it was an immediate thing of just like, we got to go, or we got to do something. It’s just you and I.

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At that moment, his immediate reaction was obviously panicked; he was heartbroken, especially because of Tillie’s last conversation with him, which was really sweet. It took a sweet old lady who just really reached out to a stranger for no reason, and now there she is, dead with a pair of shears in her chest.

I think it was just an immediate panic heartbreak, but really, it was like, and I think he learns a lot of this from Boyd, but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to protect my family. That’s it. So, whatever we got to do, we got a pack, we got to go to the woods, we got to go the shed, we got to find somewhere else to go to.

But you and I are getting out of this, and that’s all that matters.

Ellis has been a little bit all over the place, but I think one thing he’s managed to do is be patient. He’s been a very patient person this season.

Trying to.

I think he has. Well, maybe you disagree with this, but how do you think he’s been able to have that patience? How has he been able to keep his head on straight with everything?

I don’t know. Look, it’s a personal thing for me. I remember for most of the season, even after they found out that Fatima was not pregnant, I was holding on to this idea that Ellis would be a dad.

And even in the aftermath of that, it’s not an easy thing to come to terms with the fact that you’re not going to be a father regardless of where you are. I can only imagine thinking you’re going to be a parent and then thinking you’re not going to be a parent. That’s a really devastating idea to bear.

So, I honestly think he’s been compartmentalizing this whole season and not absorbing much information. He’s dealing with what he can, whichever task is at hand, but nothing is actually fully hitting him until, I think, the very, very end.

And even at that point, I don’t think we ever really see him come fully to terms with anything that’s happened in this season; just simply too much. He’s still dealing with the loss of his mom, although he’s made some strides with that.

He’s still dealing with everything that happened when he was stabbed, and the blood transfusion, and things are getting crazy, and everything with the food, it’s just way, way too much. So, I think this patience is just coming from a place of him just trying to keep anything together.

Don’t be too reactionary; don’t get too upset. Try to speak your mind, but everybody stop. Just stop. Don’t tell me anything bad. Don’t do anything bad. And if you do something bad, I will try and find a quick solution because we need this done.

I wish I could say he was more patient and more of a forgiving person, but I don’t really think he is. I honestly think he’s overwhelmed and trying to make do and not lose his mind.

Trying to get from A to B every day.

Ellis didn’t know he was in the dark about Boyd’s health until episode nine. How does he handle that news internally? Is it something he’s even able to process in the moment with everything going on, or is it something he hears and has to move on?

No, you put it well in terms of whether or not he’s able to process it in the moment.

It’s at this moment, and when we find out there’s an ultrasound, the two moments where Ellis is fully in the moment and allowing himself to retrieve this new information because, in a way, those are two very life-changing pieces of information.

When he found out that he was going to be a dad last season, he went through this whole thing. Then the ultrasound came in, and that was the first time they could figure out what was going on.And then now you fast-forward to Boyd telling him about his Parkinson’s.

And that’s like, you can’t escape that. You’re stuck in the sheriff’s station. The sun is down. It’s just you and your dad. And circumstances aside, that’s quality time you get with your family in this place, and he tells you something so heartbreaking. I know in the beginning he’s really upset that he didn’t tell him.

He’s upset that Kenny knew. Are you kidding me? That’s not your kid. And that’s something that still needs to be explored as to why Boyd treats Kenny like a son all the time.

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But, I think it was more so just another thing that was stacking up on Ellis’s plate, but at the end of the day, he’s so focused on, again, just being there for his family and what are you going to do, really, what are you going to do?

You have to get out of this town and be there for your family, and then that’s it.

There’s nothing, but being angry at anybody or being angry at your own dad for not telling you something so sad is honestly probably the best-case scenario up until this moment because he was dealing with the whole baby thing and the whole Fatima thing.

Of course, he couldn’t take on that much more stress. I think it’s definitely going to change the relationship moving forward and the idea of time being more precious between the two of them and being able to truly be there for one another, especially after experiencing such shared traumas.

It will be interesting to watch them grow as father and son after that.

On a scale of one to suspicious, how suspicious is Ellis of Elgin as they’re out in the woods in this episode, and what can you tease about what we’ll see when we head into the finale?

Yo. Elgin was tripping in the woods. I remember when I first read the script, I was like, “This is really suspicious.” As soon as I saw how Nathan [D. Simmons] was playing it too, and Elgin was interacting with me, I was like, “What the hell is going on?”

And I didn’t know because we didn’t have the next episodes available to us yet. So, one too suspicious, I’d give him a trillion levels. Whatever is past the most suspicious you could possibly be. I think he’s definitely up to something crazy, and Ellis is not stupid or dumb. So he’s about to pop out to do something soon.

Really soon, because that’s my wife.

***This interview has been edited for length and clarity.***

You can watch FROM on Sundays at 9/8c on MGM+.

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The post Corteon Moore Talks Ellis In FROM Season 3 & Teases What’s To Come appeared first on TV Fanatic.