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I still love Sleepy Hollow but this episode really spotlighted the worst elements of the show. This show works best when it is primarily a two-person show, focusing on Ichabod and Abbie as they fight evil, with dashes of horror, lots of humor, and sharp intelligent work by the two of them -- with occasional support from Jenny, Irving, Hawley, etc. I would not enjoy the show as much without Ichabod or without Abbie. The voting scene is a prime example of something that works. This show works least when it focuses on the overwrought emotionality of Katrina and the supposedly great love affair between her and Ichabod. Then the show flounders in its soap opera seriousness. This episode was bad because it was all about saving Katrina yet again - and also used the overworked trope about a demon baby. Also, I know we're supposed to root for the parents still having faith that their son Jeremy can be saved, but John Noble's Horseman of War is so evil that my reaction was to tell them to just give it up. Serial killers also had parents. TPTB made a mistake bringing Katrina out of Purgatory (where we only had brief scenes with her last season) because now they have the problem of what to do with her. Is she going to just hang out in the cabin while Ichabod and Abbie go on their missions? She seems to have no role. It would have been better to have her die in this episode. But most likely TPTB have some season-long story arc involving the parents trying to redeem their evil son, but Katrina just seems an unnecessary character. One thing this episode did address, although obliquely, is that Ichabod has no money and is dependent on Abbie to support him financially. I can't believe that he would be fine with that, so he really needs to get a job - maybe get paid by the SHPD as a consultant.

This was a great episode. All the actors were very good - with the possible exception of the woman who plays Barbara Gordon. I still have trouble buying the love between her and Gordon. What is her attraction other than her looks? She's easily swayed, gullible and naive. Although it worked out in the end, Barbara acted like an idiot and ended up being the damsel in distress. When all of the cops in the precinct deserted Gordon during his confrontation with Victor and goons, I kept thinking "where is that self-righteous duo, Montoya and Allen?" So I was glad that they finally showed up and helped Gordon escape. I really like the friendship between Gordon and young Bruce. It nicely shows why the grown-up Bruce trusted Gordon to do the right thing. I also love that Bullock decided to back up Gordon. Gordon knew his plan was suicidal but he knew he was doomed anyway, so why not go out in such a way that would spotlight the Pepper frame and make a point? (Barbara's interference spoiled this plan. They only survived because of Oswald's favor.) However, Gordon's mobility with two bullet holes in him was a bit unrealistic. The surprise reveal at the end was quite satisfying. At first I thought Falcone's decision to spare Gordon's life was unrealistic and just a plot device to keep Gordon alive on a show about Gordon. But then the plot twist with the Penguin was great. Oswald/Penguin is really devious but he apparently does have a soft spot for Gordon. RLT continues to impress.

Descriptions for episodes 6 through 10... 'Castle' boss on new episodes, a wedding, and a game-changing cliffhanger By Samantha Highfill on Nov 3, 2014 at 1:42PM http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/11/03/castle-david-amann-season-7/

The hospital group is just a group of people who got stuck in the hospital. They have no purpose, no mission, because they don't have any strong leaders left, only one weak leader. So they just fool themselves into thinking they're doing something meaningful when they're just trying to survive. It's like that gang that Darryl got caught up with, who came up with that stupid "claimed" code. Just something to hang onto when you're just getting by. Beth is not one of my favorite characters by any means (my faves are Rick, Darryl and Michonne), but I don't think it's fair to fault her just because of her looks - her acting, yes, her singing, yes, but people can't help how they look. I also don't think it's fair to generalize as to why other fans may like her, esp. in a belittling way. Everyone has their fantasies, whether it's to be a princess, a superhero, a sports star or a spy. (Incidentally, the new Disney princesses rescue themselves.) As for Beth having to be rescued, even Rick & his gang had to be rescued by Carol. At least Beth tried to escape and helped Noah to escape. I think the point made last season is that no one can go it alone anymore - you need other people to survive. FYI, here's an interview with Christine Woods, the actress who played Officer Dawn Lerner: Meet the new 'Walking Dead' cop from hell, who claims she is a 'hero' By Dalton Ross on Nov 2, 2014 at 10:01PM http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/11/02/walking-dead-dawn-lerner-christine-woods/

This review on SpoilerTV is interesting, esp. these parts: http://www.spoilertv.com/2014/11/the-walking-dead-slabtown-review-and.html

Cute pic of CH and EBR... http://instagram.com/p/uw1pJPiKWO/

Actually, not much new is reported here... 'Arrow' Season 3 Spoilers: Series EP Talks About The Introduction of Ra's al Ghul [DETAILS] Richard Conte, Design & Trend Contributor Nov. 02, 2014, 11:00 PM http://www.designntrend.com/articles/23908/20141102/arrow-season-3-spoilers-series-ep-ras-al-ghul-details.htm

John Barrowman was on The Talking Dead last night. He seemed more subdued than usual, but maybe he was just deferring to the host, Chris Hardwicke. Apparently, JB has been watching TWD since its pilot episode. He sounded quite knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the show. At the end of TTD, Chris gave a quick mention that JB stars on Arrow.

Interesting, KirkB. I read in some interview (don't recall where) that the Flash EPs were going to Incidentally, here's one person's opinion about the Smallville similarities (I don't necessarily agree)... How The Flash Is the Perfect Combination of Arrow and Smallville By Chris King on Oct 22, 2014 http://www.tvovermind.com/the-flash/flash-perfect-combination-arrow-smallville-242924

If Felicity's dad is a regular guy, then that's a one-episode story or brief scene. If he's a DC Comics character or a Big Bad (or Big Good), then that's a multi-episode story arc.

Even though I really missed Rick & the gang, I found this Beth episode surprisingly watchable and suspenseful. It was interesting to see the different group dynamic of this other bunch of survivors (but one episode was enough of them - maybe one more just to finish them off). Beth was unfazed and a bit creepy at times. She smiled when they handcuffed her on the ground as she watched Noah get away. And there was that nice surprise with Carol at the end. The core of the hospital group was in the hospital when the walkers overran the city and stayed there out of necessity and fear. The cops were there because the hospital was in the process of being evacuated. Then they had to go out to get more supplies. I think they started out saving people they found when they were out on their foraging missions, which ended up having to be farther and farther away from the city. They originally saved people out of good intentions. However, once Dawn took over, in her attempt to retain power over the group, she got it all twisted so that they only saved 'weaker' people that she could control and she let the guards get away with rape for the 'greater good'. She probably thought she was preserving as much of the human population as she could in anticipation of an eventual rescue. The people saved had to earn their keep, hence the working at various jobs. I found Dawn to be a different kind of bad 'leader' from Gareth or the Governor. I think the point was to show what happened to a group that didn't have a strong leader. Beth doesn't bother me as much anymore. I don't want every female character on the show to act or react the same way. So what if she likes to sing? The point of the Caravaggio painting is to show that maybe just surviving is not enough - you still need to keep your soul, which to some people means appreciating stuff like good art and music. Of course, the doctor then turned out to be a selfish coward. But at least Beth showed spine and smarts in this episode. I don't think she intended to kill the doctor. After he tricked her, she knew that she couldn't trust him anymore and armed herself just in case. Maybe the point of Beth is to show that you can't judge a book by its cover. In any event, I have a feeling that she's doomed anyway. Like others here, I'm also hoping Carol and Darryl ran into Noah and came up with a plan where Carol would get inside as a Trojan Horse and Darryl would go get Rick & the gang. Unfortunately, we have to sit through an episode of Abraham, Eugene and the bus tour first. I still like Glenn & Maggie as a couple. Too many TV shows put a couple together and then split them apart to create drama, either through a love triangle or by killing off one of them. I like that this couple is still a solid couple - of course, TWD will likely succumb to the easy out of killing off one of them for the dramatic effect. Also, Glenn is the only Asian character on the show. I can't believe that, with all that traveling about over the past four seasons, our survivors are still in the Atlanta area. It'll be a nice change to leave the State of Georgia finally and go somewhere else, even if it's to Washington, D.C.

Present day Belle looked about 10 years older than usual with that pulled up hair and frumpy clothes. Maybe being married to Gold has aged her. Unfortunately, she still acted immaturely. Even though Gold lied about the dagger and pretended to be compelled, it was still an abuse of trust for Belle to use that dagger to 'force' Gold to do something he didn't want to do. I did like the character consistency of Belle still looking to books for answers. Inconsistency? Flashback Elsa has white hair while present day Elsa has blonde hair. The difference was noticeable. I guess Anna's 'magical power' is the ability to tell if someone is good or evil. How else to explain her immediate negative suspicion of Aunt Ingrid. Elizabeth Mitchell is much better at portraying a villain than a hero. Her Snow Queen is perfect... except for her motivation. So the big reveal is that the Snow Queen plans to have the Storybrooke residents wipe each other out, leaving her with Elsa and Emma as her new family? Well, that's... anti-climactic. I guess the three of them can then become the new Charmed Ones - oops, wrong show.

Smoak and Arrow is hoping to Twitter trend Who Is Felicity Smoak on Wednesday, November 5th: http://smoakandarrow.tumblr.com/post/101423209489/come-join-us-for-our-felicity-smoak-twitter-trend

The similarities to Smallville are the things that I don't like about The Flash (although I still enjoy the show overall): - Referring to the mysterious hero as the red blur or red streak. - Having the hero's love object be the girl he grew up with and also a reporter type (basically, Lana and Lois combined in one person, Iris). Plus she friendzones the regular guy but falls for the super alter ego. - The fact that Barry seems to have not only super speed but super strength like Superman. He can lift and carry away people heavier than him (example, that train rescue). - Having a freak of the week who got his/her powers from the same event that's tied to the superhero (kryptonite strike, Star Labs explosion). Arrow may remind me of Batman Begins at times, but it doesn't remind me of Smallville.

I guess "The Magician" refers to this episode's writer who magically made Oliver a selective amnesiac, Nyssa a gullible fool, Laurel an IT-savvy and bulked up boxer, Diggle an unnecessary extra, and Felicity a disappearing act.

I don't think the EPs have decided on the identity of Felicity's father. They're likely just saving that mystery for a future season.

http://tvline.com/2014/10/31/arrow-season-3-photos-felicitys-mother-charlotte-ross/ I'm still uncertain as to why Thea is protecting Malcolm. Has she been brainwashed by Malcolm or does she feel some loyalty to her father, the mass murderer? Or has Thea just turned into a selfish, calculating person, who is using Malcolm for his protection and money? It still irks me that Thea refused to sign those papers last season, bankrupting her family, and then moved from the Queen mansion directly to Malcolm's mansion on Corto Maltese.

To my surprise, this was the first episode since "Time Heist" that I liked this season - and I even liked Peter Capaldi's Doctor for a change, esp. when he was figuratively slapping Clara to get her head straight and concentrate on the mission. The premise was intriguing and disturbing. I didn't even mind Danny Pink. The Missy reveal was a bit obvious but interesting. For the first time this season, I'm looking forward to next week's episode.

I'm leaning toward the theory that Nyssa was Sara's killer. It would be the Big Shocking Twist that producers love. How would that work? We know from the spoilers that there will be Sara flashbacks this season. What's the point of having those flashbacks when Sara's dead? At first I thought they wanted to show side-by-side training sessions of Sara in flashback and Laurel in present. Now, I think it could be to show motive - how Sara and Nyssa's relationship developed 5 years ago and also what happened during the 5-month hiatus after Season 2. It could be that the flashbacks will show that Sara became dissatisfied and wanted to leave the LOA again, or that Sara planned to betray the LOA for some reason, or some other reason that led to Ra's al Ghul deciding to terminate Sara. Ra's could be furious with Nyssa for releasing Sara last season without his permission and wanted to punish Nyssa - or test Nyssa's loyalties. Nyssa could have been ordered to kill Sara - then Nyssa would be torn between her love for Sara and her love for her father/loyalty to the LOA (works even better if Sara betrayed Nyssa and the LOA in some way). Nyssa could also have been ordered to frame Malcolm; hence, her appearance in the Arrowcave and pretend surprise at the news of Sara's death. I've always wondered how Oliver could possibly defeat Ra's and the LOA in order to protect his people and Starling City. The answer is that he can't realistically defeat Ra's, who is too powerful to kill or imprison. (The show recently made a point of saying that no prison can hold a LOA member.) Ra's is a huge figure in the DC universe so he can't be killed off. The only possible solution is for Ra's and Oliver to reach some kind of stalemate or agreement at the end of the Ra's story arc - perhaps Ra's agrees to leave Starling City alone in return for something or someone, or decides to let Oliver keep Starling City to repay a debt owed to Oliver by the LOA. However, there needs to be closure to the 'who killed Sara' storyline, so someone needs to be punished. I can see Ra's making Oliver believe that Nyssa was acting on her own to kill Sara, even though Ra's secretly ordered the kill. Perhaps Ra's demands that Nyssa and Malcolm be turned over to him, promising that Nyssa will be duly punished for Sara's death, in return for leaving Starling City to Oliver. As I said, if Oliver knew that Ra's was responsible for Sara's death, then Sara's murderer would have to go unpunished because Oliver can't defeat Ra's. (I'm not even going to go into the ridiculous possibility that Laurel could be the one to catch/defeat Sara's murderer.) Ra's is both powerful and devious. I can see him trying to manipulate Oliver, while also manipulating his daughter. His end goal being to kill Sara, punish Nyssa, and keep Oliver in line. Having Nyssa be Sara's killer could be the culmination of a heartbreaking love story between Nyssa and Sara, involving betrayal and conflict - with Nyssa's loyalty to the LOA & her father ultimately outweighing her love for Sara. I liken it to the classic mob story when a member of the mob is ordered to kill his disloyal wife (who's gone to the FBI) to prove his loyalty, even though he loves her.

I have no idea what the EPs are doing with Laurel. I just wish they would get rid of her character at the end of Season 3 - let Greg Berlanti cast KC as Veronica on his new Archie show.

More spoilers and speculation... Why Is [spoilers] in the Woods With Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead Season 5? October 30, 2014 at 05:43PM EDT by Gina Carbone http://www.wetpaint.com/walking-dead/articles/2014-10-30-why-spoilers-woods-daryl-dixon

I don't like the idea of Oliver being missing for any amount of time. I'm afraid that drspaceman10 may be right - in Oliver's absence, Laurel is going to take over the Arrowcave and start bossing everyone around. The EPs will probably have her take the leadership position in Team Arrow (further cementing her future Black Canary role) in spearheading the search for Oliver. Then after he is successfully rescued, everyone will love Laurel. (sarcasm) I'm also tired of the Goth girl computer geek stereotype (Abby on NCIS is a prime example). But I can accept it for Arrow because they wanted to go the opposite look of present-day Felicity. If current Felicity was a brunette, then flashback Felicity would probably have been a blonde.

I laughed at this because I was remembering when Laurel was bitching about how, when Quentin was a stumbling alcoholic, she had to go and get him and drag him into her car. I thought at the time that her recounting that memory made it seem less like concern about her father and more like annoyance that she had to take time out of her busy schedule to help him.

Whoa - what a difference! Now I'm kinda hoping that Felicity has a separated-at-birth twin who stayed brunette and who shows up in Starling City.

Some additional thoughts. The purple smoke signal was a pretty stupid way for Nyssa to attract Malcolm. It could be seen clearly by everyone in Starling City. Police, firefighters and/or curious civilians should have gotten there long before Malcolm or Oliver. For one thing, it would have taken Laurel or Laurel's stooge some time to search through city surveillance videos before seeing the purple smoke footage. I had another WTF moment when Nyssa made that parting comment to boxing Laurel. Laurel said something like "you're not going to make another crack about the jacket, are you". Nyssa replied that she would have at the cemetery but since then, Laurel has reminded her that "the strongest metal is forged in the hottest fire". I think Nyssa was referencing both backwards to Sara and forwards to Laurel. I understand the Sara reference perfectly. But Laurel? All Nyssa knows about Laurel's 'suffering' is that Laurel lost a sister. How is that the "hottest fire"? It just seemed like Nyssa was being a mouthpiece for the EPs - you know, Laurel's crucible B.S. The dreaded League of Assassins is getting less scary and more incompetent by the minute. Last season we had their assassins failing to defeat Sara and Oliver, even though they likely had more years of training than our heroes' five years. This season? We have the ridiculous purple smoke signal . We have their failure to find Malcolm. We have their failure to suspect that Malcolm's daughter was Thea (c'mon, Malcolm has been long-time friends with Moira). We have Nyssa's sudden respect for Laurel and equating Sara's years of suffering with Laurel's losing a sibling. And we have a less than intimidating Ra's al Ghul.