Tell-Tale TV Picks of the Week: RaJor and FitzSimmons Own Our Hearts

This week on TV: Thea’s post-Lazarus pit aggression caused tension between her and Oliver on Arrow, while dangerous and questionable choices were made on From Dusk Till Dawn. On iZombie, Liv experienced how totally awesome being a frat bro is, and on Scandal, Fitz had to fight off threats of impeachments. Basically, it was a crazy week.

What did you think of this week in TV? Here’s what our writers had to say:

Best moment

Lyra: Hands down, Fitz and Simmons going to dinner on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Simmons had been experiencing light and sound sensitivity since arriving back to Earth. Being the supportive best friend that Fitz is, he took her out to dinner. That’s where the the tissues become essential to survival. Feelings punch #1: Fitz was very insistent that the restaurant hold their dinner reservation even though he didn’t know if she was alive or dead. Feelings punch #2: Jemma starts to cry when it hits her that she is back. She doesn’t have to worry about struggling for food or being scared and alone again. She’s safe. It breaks her and breaks us. Feelings punch #3: Fitz got up and sat next to her, holding her as she wept. (I might need tissues again. Anyone?)

Jenn S: Damien Darhk calmly stating: “… language” on this week’s Arrow may be the greatest thing I see on television this entire year, honestly. The fact that he is such a calm villain never ceases to bemuse me.

Lizzie: Oliver and Thea’s fight, on Arrow. I’ve got a sister, I know siblings fight. They might even get physical from time to time. But this week, Oliver and Thea weren’t just having a normal brother/sister fight, no. Oliver was baiting Thea, trying to get her to lose control, because he wanted to prove to himself, and to the rest of Team Arrow, that Thea was out of control. And he was right.

I just don’t think even he expected how right he was. Because Thea lost it. Completely. She lost it so bad that it was up to Diggle to restrain her, because Oliver sure wasn’t doing anything to defend himself. It was a great moment, full of emotion, superbly choreographed and perfectly acted by both Stephen Amell and Willa Holland.

Samantha: I’ve got to agree with Lyra, seeing FitzSimmons finally get to go to dinner together on this week’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was both heart-warming and heart-breaking. Not only did Fitz hold the reservation they’d made before she was taken, but he noticed her sensitivity to light and sound and made sure that they were the only two in the restaurant. She breaks down before they can order and Fitz just sits beside her and holds her as she cries. Even though it hurts, I am loving seeing Jemma work through this, especially with Fitz there to support her.

Allison: You just can’t top Ravi and Major being high on Utopium at the club on iZombie. You just can’t. Between Ravi’s dictations to himself and the dance party they had, it was an all around good time. Major has been really depressing lately, so I was happy to see him lighten up for a bit. But then, you know, he kinda developed a Utopium addiction….

Caralynn: Stealing Allison’s answer for this one! I think I loved just about everything Ravi and Major did on this week’s iZombie. Even the non-club stuff, like Major naming Ravi’s glittery beard Princess Sparkles, was great. But naturally the club sequence stole the show. Rahul Kohli and Robert Buckley are two hilarious guys and their bro-chemistry (brOTP status, for sure) is off the charts. #Rajor forever.

Most shocking scene

Lyra: Oliver and Thea fighting on Arrow. Siblings fight. That’s just a fact of life. This is true for the Queen siblings. This week’s episode took it too a completely different level when the Queens snowballed into an argument that turned physical. It was aggressive and so unexpected that Team Arrow members stood back in shock before pulling Thea off Oliver. If Team Arrow doubted Oliver’s worries about an increasingly volatile Thea, they don’t now. Thea was out of control. She could even be described as possessed by some anger that she can’t explain.

Jenn S: The end of this week’s The Flash between Professor Stein collapsing and the reveal that there is another (we assume) Earth in which Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne is alive and walking and well (and possibly still evil, who knows).

Lizzie: The fact that they actually showed Sara’s body, on Arrow. With the news that Caity Lotz was going to come back, we can’t say the whole storyline comes as a shock – who else would bring Sara back if not her sister. But the fact that Thea and Laurel presumably dug the graves by themselves and then opened the coffin and SHOWED us Sara’s body, yeah, that I did not expect. And it just begs the question …how exactly are they going to get Sara’s body to Nanda Parbat?

Samantha: At the end of this week’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Bobbi finds Jemma working alone in the lab late at night, examining the monolith that took her to an alien world. When Bobbi assures her that it won’t re-open Jemma says it has to, because she has to go back. I am so thrown by this twist and I need to know more immediately. I can only hope that she has to go back because somehow Trip was transported there instead of dying in the Season 2 mid-season finale, #TripLives.

Allison: Seth killing Sonja on From Dusk Till Dawn. I expected him to tell her to leave and that he never wants to see her again, but no, Mr. Seth Gecko freaking KILLS her. Shoots her point blank without warning. I know she teamed up with Malvado and all, but damn Seth, that’s cold. Alright, now go reunite with Kate please. Thanks. You still owe her a toaster, btw.

Caralynn: Rye Gerhardt’s death on Fargo. This is shocking in both the sense that I didn’t see it coming and that I’m angry it happened. He was such a great character! Such a weirdo. And the only one so far who could have possibly lived up to Billy Bob Thornton’s Lorne Malvo of season one. I can’t believe they killed him off so quickly! Still mad about it.

Storyline we could’ve done without

Lyra: Lily Salvatore and her Heretics on The Vampire Diaries. Every time that woman pops up on screen I just want to scream. This week she went too far. First, she stole the deed to the Salvatore home and locked out Stefan and Damon from their home. Second, she brought her dead Heretic son’s ashes to bury at the Salvatore tomb.

Lily renounced her husband and her son when she left them in the first place, leaving the Salvatore name behind. She also acts like Stefan and Damon aren’t her children. So why should she get their home? Why should she bury her “family” in the Salvatore tomb? It’s contradictory and cruel to do something like this to a family she has denied for over a 100 years.

Jenn S: Twelve sacrificing an innocent from the crew on Doctor Who just so that he could test out a theory and protect Clara was absolutely absurd and horrible. I very rarely get intensely angry at television, but that one REALLY pushed my buttons and solidified the fact that Clara has become my least favorite character on television. The dynamic Twelve/Clara has in this season already is super toxic (and really self-centered), lending them both to become pretty terrible versions of themselves. I’m not a fan.

Lizzie: The whole Cam breaking up with Arastoo thing on Bones. We get it, Cam is a career woman. Giving up everything for a man is so last century. And yet, this seems to negate all the character growth we’ve seen from Cam in the past few seasons. NOT because she should give up her career and follow him, but because the way the whole thing was framed make it seems like these are the only two choices for women everywhere. And that’s not the message, Bones. It’s not.

Samantha: Unfortunately, Jake’s B613 plot on Scandal with the Lourve in flames still didn’t grab my attention this week. I just wasn’t interested in the mysterious lover from his past and that whole plot line seemed pointless and mildly confusing. Why am I supposed to care about what is happening with a random woman from Jake’s past and an unclear B613 revival, when Olivia is going out with Fitz publicly and Mellie is moving to impeach him? I hope this storyline gains some traction or gets resolved soon because right now it’s just slowing things down.

Allison: Felicity firing people on Arrow. Yes, Felicity is a CEO now and that comes with all sorts of responsibility, but why did I have to watch her fire people? Felicity brings the joy. She is a ball of sunshine, and so her storylines should reflect this. There was zero point in watching the firing awkwardness. ZERO.

Caralynn: Hunter’s infiltration of HYDRA on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I can’t really adequately emphasize how little I care about this storyline. Everything else happening on the show is SO good right now — SHIELD working with ATCU, FitzSimmons, Daisy becoming a leader — that the Hunter subplot is so obviously the weak link. I hate that May got dragged into this in an attempt to make Hunter more interesting. Bleh.

Character of the week

Lyra: Baby Amara from Supernatural. Babies aren’t supposed to be like Amara. They’re supposed to be cute, loud, and oftentimes smelly. But nooooo, this little one just has to be different. How you ask? Well she sucks the souls out of people. (No kissing or cuddling the demon baby!) Also she uses her telekinetic powers to embed her wooden blocks into the wall and spell “feed me.” She’s certainly…unique.

Jenn S: The Narrator on Jane the Virgin, for sure. I’m so glad that he is back! He brings such a life and energy to an already amazing show. And it’s so great to hear him recap the story for us while still being invested in it, too (“Wait… why am I rooting for her?”).

Lizzie: It’s been a while since I’ve had good things to say about Prince Charming, on Once Upon a Time, but he did have a pretty big episode this week. Too bad he didn’t exactly see through Arthur’s evilness, but he got to do more than just sit around and wait for the magical people to save the day, and that’s something. Also, in the end, he did kind of save the day when he found the magical mushroom thingie. But more importantly than that, for the first time in a while, Charming seemed human, and relatable, which is, after all, exactly what we want from Prince Charming.

Samantha: I’ve got to go with Marcus Walker,  OPA’s newest gladiator, on Scandal. I loved the way Quinn approached him in a direct throwback to the pilot, but instead of being doe eyed and obedient, Marcus gives as good as he gets. I love his above board style and his passion for the issues he cares about. I think he’s going to make a superb addition to Olivia Pope and Associates. He makes me excited for that portion of the show in a way that’s been missing since Stephen, Harrison, and Abby left OPA.

Allison: Kate Fuller on From Dusk Till Dawn. Kate showed how far she would go to help her brother potentially never have to kill to survive. Granted, Kate made some highly questionable decisions, but she did it for love. She killed an innocent guy (Scott kinda helped), and then she agreed to stay behind and be with the ultimate skeez Malvado.

In the face of this sickening lord, who we know has raped Santánico, Kate showed no fear. She put her brother’s life before her own, which is an admirable thing to do. Of course I’m worried she is going to get herself killed now, and Robert Rodriguez, if you are reading this, you better not kill the ball of sunshine that is Kate Fuller. Otherwise, there will be riots.

Caralynn: James Patrick March on American Horror Story: Hotel. I admittedly have a big ol’ soft spot for Evan Peters, but I really objectively think that he stole the show this past week. He so clearly loves playing pure evil and he is SO good at it. And that accent! Basically it was all great. By great I mean terrifying and mesmerizing and disturbing, of course.

What topped your best and worst moments in TV this week? Leave us your thoughts in a comment below.