The Walking Dead broke its string of character driven episodes to prepare for next week’s action-packed mid-season finale. The various groups of people don’t all benefit from the shifting focus, but “Crossed” does a decent job of setting up the confrontation of next week.
The Legend of Korra delivers an executive-mandated clip show this week. While “Remembrances” doesn’t do anything to further the plot, clever commentary and humor elevate the otherwise recycled moments into something that doesn’t detract too terribly from the series.
This week’s Sleepy Hollow restored everything I love about the series. It’s focus on Abbie, Jenny, and Irving is a much-needed respite after several episodes involving Katrina and/or Hawley. While both characters are present, they step back – along with an adorably ill Ichabod – to give the Mills sisters some room.
The Walking Dead focuses back in on Daryl and Carol this week, with their quest to find Beth taking them to Atlanta. There, they try to reconnect after being apart for so long, resulting in a nice, slowly paced character study. There’s nothing too crazy about “Consumed”, but after three episodes away, it’s nice to catch up with two of the most interesting characters on the show.
The Legend of Korra has hit midseason, which means there’s a lot of housekeeping to do before the final confrontation. “The Battle of Zaofu” swiftly ends the Zaofu conflict and paves the way for a more serious face-off between Kuvira’s army and Korra and her allies. “Reunion” is a bit less relevant, but does the important work of reuniting Korra with her loved ones. With almost everyone back together, Korra can start working on the problem of Kuvira in earnest.
This week’s Sleepy Hollow rose from the smoking ashes of “Deliverance” with a more acceptable episode. Katrina, finally, is given a real chance to show off her skills and personality, making “Heartless” a worthy entry to the series even with the cliche’ succubus plot and the tiresome presence of Hawley.
Sailor Moon Crystal shows its hand with the revelation of Usagi’s former life and the significance of her relationship with Mamoru. With several heart-wrenching moments and some gorgeously animated key scenes, “Serenity” makes for one of Crystal‘s better episodes.
This week, The Walking Dead takes a break from the Beth-Carol-Daryl crisis to check in on Glenn, Maggie, Abraham, and the rest of the Washington DC-bound group. As multiple setbacks delay their progress on the road, Abraham begins to get caught up in his desire to complete his mission, which leads to a major revelation from Eugene.
This week’s Sleepy Hollow delves into the creepy, unfortunate world of mystical pregnancies. Does it manage to subvert this misogynist trope? Not really. While “Deliverance” does finally bring the underused Katrina into the modern world, it immediately sticks her with a horrifying demon pregnancy that drags down the rest of the episode.
The Walking Dead finally addresses Beth’s disappearance and current whereabouts in this week’s episode. While the creepy hospital featured in “Slabtown” lacks the raw terror of, say, a roving band of cannibals, it does provide a decent arena for Beth to show off her survival skills.
The Fake Geek Girl 