I Have Questions on 'Jane The Virgin,' 'Grey's Anatomy' And More...

If you’ve spent more than five minutes on this blog or my Twitter feed, you know I’m not shy about sharing my opinions.  It’s a blessing and a curse for an entertainment critic, because while I don’t want to have an intense feeling about everything from the flower arrangements at the latest trainwreck of a housewives event, I guarantee you I could do a five-minute rant on them. 

But that’s not to be said that I don’t have a ton of questions either.  I’m plagued with just as many if not more.  Here are just a few of the burning questions and maybe some answers on my favorite TV shows like Jane The Virgin, Grey’s Anatomy, Black Lightning and more…

Why did The CW dump Jane The Virgin dumped on Fridays? 
This season of Jane The Virgin has been nothing short of phenomenal.  Between finally making our shipping dreams come true by turning Jane and Rafael to JAFAEL (*squeals* they finally actually deserve each other), they have tackled issues like sexual shame and awakening (get yours, Abuela), bisexuality (get yours, Petra), and the mental anguish that is Male Post-Partum Depression (never change, Rogelio).  So to add to the insult of Gina Rodriguez and Co’s fantastic acting, writing and the addition of Rosario freakin’ Dawson to the cast remaining completely underrated, now it has to suffer the injury of being buried in TV’s unwatched purgatory.  WHY, CW, WHY?! 

Does anyone know what HBO’s Here And Now is actually about?
While I’m mildly engaged in Here And Now,  I still have no idea what this drama created by Alan Ball is actually about.  Starring Oscar winners Tim Robbins and Holly Hunter, it centers on an extended liberal family with adopted children of different races.  There’s also a bizarre central plotline in which the third youngest Ramon (Daniel Zovatto) suffers from hallucinations or visions from a stranger’s tumultuous childhood in the Middle East.  That stranger soon becomes his therapist. 

It feels more like an excuse to delve into the myriad of post-election issues than a show that’s actually about the emotions that can make them so controversial.  The characters are irritatingly underdrawn and hard to root for (see the especially problematic Audrey and her daughter, Kristen) and the pacing is painfully slow.  It’s like This Is Us’ older, stamp-collecting uncle with an unnecessary  shared consciousness arc  tossed in.

If Here And Now gets a second season, they will have a lot of work to do in the writer’s room.  Hopefully they’re take a page from Dan Fogelman’s book and focus on the Hinton’s Ashley, the most palatable and fleshed out Boatwright sibling.

Do the Real Housewives actually know what's going on in the world?
The major storylines during this  season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has been Dorit freaking out over beverages being served in the wrong type of glass and the very serious issue of dog torture in Asia.  While I admire Lisa Vanderpump's work to rid the world of animal cruelty and Dorit championing the proper consumption of pinot and champs, I can't help but wonder if these women have watched the news in the last five years.  If they had, they know that there are far worse issues plaguing this country, issues that even penetrate the bedazzled Beverly Hills bubble.  While some viewers might find their obliviousness to the nightmarish political hellscape an escape, for this Small Screen Girl, it feels short-sighted, irritating and insanely privileged.

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What is the real reason why people hate Jackson and Maggie’s relationship?
The last two episodes of Grey’s Anatomy have been pivotal in the glacial development of Maggie (Kelly McCreary and Jackson’s long-teased romance.  In last week's "Caught Somewhere In Time,"  Richard and Katherine, their respective parents, discovered that they were dating, and while tensions flared, it had nothing to do with the fact that Jackson (Jesse Williams) and Maggie are technically step-siblings.  It's a non-issue since Maggie and Jackson are not related, grew up in separate homes across 3,000 miles apart and didn't meet until a few years ago.  That didn’t stop the Twitter-sphere and JApril fans from blowing up about how Jackson and Maggie are more than just kissing cousins.  And I think it's mostly because Jackson is beguiled by a black woman. 

Ultimately, Maggie is everything!  She’s an intelligent, nerdy, quirky, hot woman who doesn’t care about Jackson’s status or money, and she sees Jackson as more than a pretty face or a thing to command (not unlike April, who abandoned him for more than a year after their son died).  In the end, haters gonna hate and they can do it on their drowning ship while Jackson and Maggie’s epic one finally sets sail.

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I can’t but ask another Grey’s Anatomy question:  How should April be written off? 
It was a shock with it was announced that Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew’s options would not be picked up for season 15.  It's safe to assume the logical choice for Capshaw’s Arizona to move to New York to reunite her homesick daughter with her other mother, Callie, and her friends, how Sarah Drew will leave the show is entirely up in the air.  While I don't have the answers, I'll offer one of my own: #AprilGottaDie (Don’t feel too bad for Drew, she’s already got another gig lined up). 

This isn't remotely vindictive, it’s practical.  Not only is Grey’s known for its dramatic exits—see Derek's death, Cristina’s promotion and Stephanie Edwards' swan song.

In light of April’s crisis of faith and ensuing depression, it would make sense that April either die in a night of partying gone horribly wrong or possibly even by her own hand.  This would set up Jackson to deal with the loss of the mother of his child next season and best friend.  It also falls in line with Shondaland’s love of the most angst-ridden exists, and keeps Harriet in the arms and custody of her father.  This is preferable to April simply returning to the farm or running off with Dr. Koracick, because Jackson won’t lose yet another child.  

Is there a cure for the Black Panther blues? 
Like millions of us, I was enchanted by the imaginative and dope world and characters introduced in Marvel’s billion dollar baby Black Panther.  I’ve seen the movie three times and yet I find myself aching t return to Wakanda.  However, I’ve found that the black hole created by Black Panther can be mostly filled by another superhero: The CW’s Black Lightning.   

Black Lightning is a force in its own right, and the only real similarities to Panther is that it uses black history and more loosely the African diaspora.  The show, led by Cress Williams, is a brilliant twist on the origin story, as it centers on the re-emergence of known superhero called Black Lightning, a meta-human who can manipulate electricity and light to his will.  The origin story comes as his daughters find their own powers.  The creation of Thunder, a black lesbian activist, has been one of the most empowering and entertaining arcs of the series thus far (Thunder shops for her first iteration of her costume at a lingerie store!).  The other highlights include the government experimentation on black communities, drug trafficking, albinism and police brutality.  No other superhero series on the big or small screen has managed to mix relevant issues of a community with superhero badassery and a dope soundtrack like The CW’s Black Lightning.

How happy are you that Netflix renewed One Day At A Time?!  ​

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