‘Almost Human’ 1×05 Photo Recap: “Blood Brothers”
This week’s episode was all about the ladies. After weeks of sitting on the sidelines, Detective Stahl (Minka Kelly) finally got her fair share of screen time in this week’s clone-themed episode. We can now add “likes soccer” and “good at getting kidnapped” to the short list of personality traits for Valerie Stahl. Also taking a turn in the spotlight this week was Captain Maldonado, who got all “this time it’s personal” on some wannabe Charles Manson psycho killer guy. All in all, it was a pretty good episode. I didn’t even mind the last scene where they kind of hit us over the head with the inevitable John/Valerie romance. (I’m not complaining, I just think it’s sad that John and Dorian have much better on-screen chemistry than John and Valerie, but I’m guessing we won’t see a same-sex human/android romance on network TV for at least ten more years.) Is it crazy of me to suggest that Maya the medium/psychic (petite psychic on a good day—ba dum tch!) become a recurring character who occasionally helps them solve cases? It could be fun to inject a little Long Island Medium into this show…especially if she keeps trying to talk to John about his aura. That was almost as good as John trying to talk to Dorian about his, uh, equipment. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First things first.
‘Almost Human’ 1×04 Photo Recap: “The Bends”
Cockroach cameras, algae narcotics, and chess jokes were pivotal points of this week’s episode, which finally gave one of the secondary characters a chance to shine. Don’t get me wrong—I’m perfectly happy to have every scene revolve around John and Dorian, but it was nice to see Rudy as more than just the comic relief lab geek. Maybe now I can finally stop thinking of him as “the guy with the wooden eye from Pirates of the Caribbean.” I have to wonder if we would have gotten more development of the supporting cast by this point if Fox had aired the episodes in the correct order. (This was supposed to be the seventh episode, not the fourth.) Good call, Fox. It’s not like airing episodes out of order has ever ended badly for your or anything. That does explain how John and Dorian’s dynamic went from chilly-at-best to “get a room, you two” between the first and second episodes. Also, should I just assume that Agent Stahl’s (Minka Kelly) personality got lost somewhere in one of those early unaired episodes? Anyway, enough of me rolling my eyes at Fox. Let’s get back to Rudy—or should I say Callum Waits: wearer of fedoras and expert narcotics chef?
Calling for Pop Culture Submissions
In October, I shared my goal for 2014 – to post a story every day in January about a play, song, TV show, film or book that has had a special impact on someone’s life. I’ve had the privilege of getting to know some amazing people because of a TV show and I know others share similar stories. I only hope that you will consider sharing your story, because I can’t think of a better way to start the new year than reading how one person’s passion made his or her life shine a little brighter.
Please submit your story to popculturenexus@gmail.com by December 20, and please try to keep submissions under 800 words. Photos may be included.
Originally posted on October 11:
Hello Pop Culture Nexus Friends!
This year has been really crappy. Sorry folks, I usually don’t get personal and I never allow myself to be pessimistic in my posts, but I have to make an exception. 2013 has been a difficult year for me. Professionally, it has been a successful one, however, personally, this year has been an obnoxious bully filled with medical emergencies, losses, depression, a grudge, anger, and helplessness. There’s still 2.5 months left in the year, but I’m already looking forward to starting anew. I have no clue if 2014 is going to be as challenging as this one and I can’t control what will happen, but I can control how I will kick off the new year. This is where I need your help. In addition to family and friends, stories and characters help me get through difficult times. They bring me joy and that uplifting smile at the most random moments when I’m reminded of a scene or dialogue. Stories told in plays, songs, TV shows, film, and books are powerful — powerful enough to transport or ground us. We can use stories to escape or remain in reality to gain a better understanding of life. We all have experienced those moments in life when a song helped us weather a difficult time or a play communicated the words we could not verbalize ourselves. Perhaps it was a character or fandom that inspired you to take that frightful but necessary leap. These are the moments I want to celebrate when 2014 begins. I want to post a story every day in January of pop culture providing joy/comfort/understanding/closure/satisfaction in someone’s life. Perhaps you met your lifelong friends at comic-con or included a cinematic theme at your wedding. Whatever that special moment is, please consider sharing it because your story might inspire others.
Submit your story to popculturenexus@gmail.com by December 20. Please try to keep submissions under 800 words and photos may be included.
Thanks everyone. This will be an exciting way to start 2014!
-Mary
Fringe Week: One Year Retrospective Submissions
Pop Culture Nexus will be celebrating Fringe Week from January 12 to January 18, 2014 with a new First Time Viewer Reaction post every day. In addition to Mary’s photo captions, we want to post fans’ thoughts on the show one year after it aired its final episode. Share your favorite memories of when the show was live or what the stories meant to you. Perhaps, you still keep in touch with other Fringe fans. Tell us what you have done. Have you done re-watches/reunions? Have your Fringe friends rallied behind another show? It has been a year since the show ended and it would be wonderful to celebrate great things that show has inspired.
Submit your One Year Retrospective to popculturenexus@gmail.com by January 5, 2014
Favorite Moments from Castle 6×10 “The Good, the Bad and the Baby”
Would it be weird to start planning a baby shower for a hypothetical baby? This week’s episode gave Castle fans a sneak peek into what Caskett would be like if they had a baby. At my high school, students were given a bag of flour to represent a baby they had to take care of for two weeks. True story. I have no clue why a bag of flour was chosen and not a cabbage patch kid which has a greater resemblance to an actual child than a bag filled with powder but that’s not the point. (If Peeta attended my school, his baby would totally be sacrificed for some delicious bread) The point is that at my school, the practice baby was a bag of flour but Castle and Beckett’s practice baby was an actual baby they found at a crime scene. Castle, the self proclaimed “Baby Whisperer,” gushed over the tyke but Beckett was hesitant and that worried Castle. He was afraid he wouldn’t have much help if they had a baby so he brought the child home as a test run. Although Castle took the lead that night, Beckett never left his side. She assured him that raising a child would be a team effort. 
Beckett is in and I think it’s safe to safe that Martha and Alexis are in as well. It will be a family affair.
‘Almost Human’ Photo Recap 1×03: “Are You Receiving?”
If I’m being totally honest, I’m still not 100% sure what the reasoning behind this week’s big crime was. Then again, I tend to kind of zone out when Michael Ealy and Karl Urban aren’t on screen. (In my head I imagine them off together reenacting scenes from Dirty Dancing and feeding each other chocolate covered strawberries.) At first it seemed like some radical group known as the “Holy Reclamation Army” was behind it—which I was actually kind of intrigued by—but then it was like, “JK, just your standard Palladium heist. NBD.” So that was a little disappointing. But on the plus side, John and Dorian spent a good portion of the episode stuck in a stairwell together, which is never a bad thing.
Favorite Moments from Castle 6×09 “Disciple”
This week’s murder case was a difficult one for the team; not because they couldn’t find a suspect but because it encroached on their personal space. 3XK is back! And it looks like he has help from a creepy plastic surgeon named Dr. Kelly Nieman, who also happens to be romantically linked to him. This couple from hell wreaks havoc on our favorite crime fighting team by killing people who look like clones of Lanie and Esposito. The victims were hired to micmic Lanie’s and Esposito’s appearance, dress, and voice, for the purpose of checking out ALL the files on 3XK. When Beckett finally catches on, it’s too late. Their work on the 3XK case is gone. Not only is there a killer paying people to micmic members of the team, but that killer has given 3XK the advantage. Like a said, it was not a good week for Beckett and her team.
‘Almost Human’ Photo Recap 1×02: “Skin”
Leave it to Fox to pull the sex card in the second episode of a new series. If the pilot assured viewers that they were in for a thrill ride of action, violence, and futuristic special effects, episode 2 was a not-so-subtle reminder that Almost Human also offers oodles of sex appeal. Personally, I was just grateful they didn’t go the other predictable route and find some excuse to have Minka Kelly go undercover as a prostitute or something. If you’re going to portray women as nothing more than sexual objects, at least make them actual objects. Of course, this show operates on the idea that some robots have the capacity for human emotion, but nonetheless, I’d rather see actual robots than female characters who act like robots. But enough about the morality of using sex bots as a ploy to garner ratings… Read the rest of this entry
‘Almost Human’ Photo Recap 1×01: “Pilot”
Joel Wyman (one of the brilliant minds behind Fringe) has a new show on Fox, which means my life finally has meaning again! At least until this one gets canceled. (Just kidding…I hope.) Almost Human puts a futuristic spin on the buddy cop genre by pairing a surly detective with an android partner who has been programmed to be as close to human as possible—complete with a sense of humor, a temper, and all kinds of other fun side effects of humanity. Karl Urban (Star Trek) plays John Kennex, the robo-phobic cop who wears his scowl like it’s part of his uniform. His android partner Dorian is played by Michael Ealy (The Good Wife), who might actually be the most beautiful person to ever live. If any of you watched Ealy’s buddy cop series Common Law on USA last year, this is pretty much the same premise, but one of them is a robot. Of course, no one watched Common Law, which is why it was canceled. But enough about my poor track record with TV shows…
Before we dive into this recap, let’s get a few things straight: 1) Michael Ealy has the face of an angel and the body of a Britney Spears backup dancer, and I will be commenting on his unearthly beauty with extreme frequency. Get used to it. 2) There’s a pretty good chance that I will be operating under the assumption that John and Dorian should be/are in a romantic relationship. (Don’t blame me for their sizzling onscreen chemistry.) Lastly, 3) Please be advised that approximately 80% of the content of my recaps is sheer nonsense. The other 20% is probably stray observations that no one cares about, references to Fringe or Lost, and shameless appreciation of Michael Ealy.
Well, you can’t say I didn’t warn you. Let’s get started!
Favorite Moments from Castle 6×08 “A Murder is Forever”
A murder is forever…and so is love. In 6×08, Castle took another step further solidifying his commitment to Beckett. He adjusted his apartment to fit Beckett’s liking, because he wanted to show her that his apartment was theirs. Their two lives will become one, and we are all looking forward to that day. 
