Television

If Diogenes ever carried his lantern into the city limits of Riverdale, he'd be gone on to Greendale before the day was out.

Let's start with the Cooper household. Not only has the arrival of eldest brother Chic (HART DENTON), whom IMDb now lists as "Chic Smith" so we can better understand some of Hal's resentments, created discord with the Coopers, now he's also brought murder to their doorstep. And Betty (LILI REINHART), poor Betty, instantly jumps in to help her mother clean up and dispose of the body. We don't even know who killed him yet. We may not think it's Chic, with that heroin-thin frame of his, but surely Alice didn't just become a murderer? Regardless, Betty gets involved in the cover-up, moving the body to a disused sewage pipe.

The plans of The Thinker (currently played by KENDRICK SAMPSON) are further revealed, and further complicated, in this episode of THE FLASH. With Barry's powers having been revealed to Warden Wolfe (RICHARD BROOKS), he's been locked away in an "off the books" metahuman wing. It's off the books because the warden has secretly been selling metahumans to Amunet Black (KATEE SACKHOFF), and now he knows that Barry Allen (GRANT GUSTIN) is The Flash and locks him away with his most recent captures: Becky "Hazard" Sharpe (SUGAR LYN BEARD), Mina "Black Bison" Chayton (CHELSEA KURTZ), Sylbert "Dwarfstar" Rundine (DEREK MEARS), and Ramsey "Kilg%re" Deacon (DOMINIC BURGESS). But when Barry learns that they are up for sale to Amunet Black, he begins working on a breakout. This is a great scene for Barry, as he's working without powers and showing what he's capable of as a scientist going full MacGuyver.

With Cain (TOM WELLING) now openly interacting with Lucifer (TOM ELLIS), it was only natural that the phrase "My Brother's Keeper" get used as an episode title. And since Lucifer's travails always must mirror somehow those going on with his associates in the LAPD, we should expect sibling issues with someone else.

In this case, the issues are with Ella Lopez (AIMEE GARCIA), whose brother has gone missing. He's a diamond authenticator, and it appears he's involved in some shady deal with a smuggler, thief or some-such. Ella is so concerned over his disappearance that she immediately hires Mazikeen (LESLEY-ANN BRANDT) to bounty-hunt him. What they find is the dead body of the diamond dealer, and it appears Ella's big brother is Suspect Numero Uno.

From The Los Angeles Times:

Character art for the upcoming "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" reboot has been revealed and Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo are sporting more than just brand-new looks.

Nickelodeon's "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is a new animated show that reimagines the fan-favorite characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The series will follow the Turtles as they discover new powers and a new mystical world that exists beneath the streets of New York.

Joining the brothers in their adventures are some familiar faces, including friend and trusted ally April O'Neil as well as their sensei, Master Splinter.

...

So much happens on this episode of RIVERDALE, not the least of which is "Black" Betty (LILI REINHART) working out her new webcam business. The town is all abuzz about the decapitation of the statue of the town's founder, General Pickens, and the pressure is on the Southside Serpents as the most likely suspects. Sheriff Keller (MARTIN CUMMINS) has made numerous visits to the community, asking the same questions over and over, but when he shows up delivering eviction notices because the trailers are behind in their rent, Jughead (COLE SPROUSE) can no longer sit idle.

Picking up where things left off with the murder of Lawanda at the hands of The 100, a local pastor decides to lead 100 of his own parishioners in a march to take back their streets. For reasons unknown, Tobias Whale (MARVIN 'KRONDON' JONES III) decides to send a message to this march, rather than let the protesters finish their parade and disburse unrecognized, and sends a gunman to deliver this message.

Both Inspector Henderson (DAMON GUPTON) and Jefferson Pierce (CRESS WILLIAMS) try to talk the reverend out of holding the march, but he is adamant. The return of Black Lightning has given them hope, and inspired them to take back their streets. Of course, none of them realize that Jefferson is Black Lightning.

Actor Cameron Cuffe took to his twitter account to share the official poster for the upcoming SyFy series, KRYPTON.

"There's More to the Legend"

Due to arrive on March 21st, the highly anticipated series focuses on Superman's grandfather Seg-El. With an appearance from Adam Strange, the show integrates a time and space traveling element. The "House of El" has been disgraced and someone is attempting to sabotage Superman's arrival on Earth.

"Honey, I Shrunk Team Flash" is one of those episodes that is full of amusing action and heart-warming hope that ends on a seriously dramatic note for our hero that gut-punches you because you've had your guard down for the past hour.

The show opens with Cecile Horton (DANIELLE NICOLET) talking with Joe West (JESSE L MARTIN) about their pending baby, when it is discovered that she has developed a super-power: she can read minds. Caitlin Snow (DANIELLE PANABAKER) runs tests, and confirms there is no dark matter in the amniotic fluid, and Cecile was definitely not on the bus of people struck by the second dark matter wave unleashed by the machinations of Clifford Devoe. Her theory is that she had latent dark matter in her from the first explosion, triggered by the pregnancy, and that it will likely go away once the baby is born. We'll see.

From DC:

Have you ever wanted to visit Metropolis? That bustling City of Tomorrow, known to comic book fans worldwide as one of the biggest cities in the DC Universe and home to the high-flying Man of Steel. Well, in 2019, you’ll get the next best thing—a weekly live action TV series set in Metropolis before the arrival of its most famous resident.

TOM ELLIS kills it in a smashing episode of the FOX series, LUCIFER.

"Til Death Do Us Part" finds Lucifer (ELLIS) pairing up with Lt. Marcus Pierce (TOM WELLING) to go undercover as a married couple in a suburban utopia in order to find a killer. But there's more going on than their partner, Detective Chloe Decker (LAUREN GERMAN) realizes, because this excercise in marital bliss is more than just a cover -- it's a means for Lucifer to get to know Pierce better, his strengths and, more importantly, his weaknesses. Because Lt. Pierce is an immortal -- Cain, cursed to walk the Earth as the first murderer. And Cain wants to die.

Speaking candidly during an interview for DirectTV, AT&T VIP event at the Sundance Festival, Peter Dinklage, who many know as Tyrion Lannister was asked his opinion about Game of Thrones coming to an end.

"It's time," he said.

Commenting that it's "bittersweet" but, for the lives of the people involved, he acknowledged that many of them are ready to move on. And while he enjoyed being a part of the long running drama, it was important to avoid hanging around for too long and "jumping the shark".

How much darker can the RIVERDALE writers take the beloved characters of our innocent youth? They've faced down a serial killer, beaten a date rapist, and joined gangs. What's left, really?

Well, for starters, we could take the girl-next-door and turn her into an Internet Cam actor. No, really. Betty Cooper (LILI REINHART) finds her brother, Chic (HART DENTON), and brings him to live with her family. Mother Alice is fine with it, but father Hal is decidedly put out, especially when he learns what Betty already knew -- and enabled: that Chic is a cyber-trick, an online gigolo. (Betty found out from her GBFF Kevin Keller (CASEY COTT), so I guess we know how Kevin spends his online time.) Hoping that Chic can help her deal with the darkness she feels within her own self, she allows herself to be mentored in the world of click-and-fap.

Got an interesting press release from CBS today...

“MURPHY BROWN” RETURNS TO CBS

CANDICE BERGEN REPRISES STARRING ROLE

NETWORK GIVES WARNER BROS. TELEVISION-PRODUCED COMEDY

13-EPISODE SERIES PRODUCTION COMMITMENT

Having rescued his daughters from the clutches of The 100, Jefferson Pierce (CRESS WILLIAMS) thinks his re-emergence as Black Lightning is a one-and-done. That's certainly the hope of his ex-wife, Lynn (CHRISTINE ADAMS), even though she's the one who urged him to proceed with the rescue mission, and who fears that returning to superheroing might mean a return to Jefferson's addiction to his powers (if he ever was addicted in the first place).

With Barry passing time in Iron Heights Prison, the city is without its hero, The Flash. Inside, Barry (GRANT GUSTIN) runs into Axel Walker (DEVON GRAYE), the son of the original Trickster. The meeting is brief, because later that night Axel is taken to the infirmary, as part of a plan to bust him out of prison by his mother, Zoey Clark (CORINNE BOHRER, reprising her role as Prank from the 1990 THE FLASH series).

But Zoey's plans do not include Axel resuming his life of crime as The Trickster as he continues his attempts to garner his father's attention. But when she's unable to stop him, he runs afoul of the city's newest superhero -- the stretchy man! Ralph (HARTLEY SAWYER) thinks he's indestructible, having already stopped bullets and bombs with his elastic body. But when Trickster pulls out his special acid, he discovers Ralph's kryptonite: he can be melted!

Ever since the beginning of this season, when Lucifer (TOM ELLIS) awoke in the desert to find his wings had grown back, he's been raising Cain about it.

But Cain says he had nothing to do with it.

That's right, the literal biblical Cain, the world's first murderer, is immortal because of the mark God placed upon him that no man could touch him. You might recognize him by his current identity, Lt. Marcus Pierce (TOM WELLING). Yes, he did arrange for Lucifer to be kidnapped and dragged away to the desert, but only to get him out of the way so that Cain could get close to Chloe (LAUREN GERMAN) to achieve his ultimate goal: to die.

Which means God gave Lucifer his wings back to interfere in Cain's plan, and they've both been pawns of the Almighty.

Southside High has been closed, effective immediately. The good news is that this means Jughead (COLE SPROUSE) is returning to Riverdale High. The bad news is that his Southside Serpent friends are coming with him.

Veronica (CAMILA MENDES) organizes a welcoming party for the new students, as part of her promise to her parents Hiram (MARK CONSUELOS) and Hermione (MARISOL NICHOLS) now that she's not just their daughter but their business partner. It seems the closure of the high school will allow Hiram to swoop in and buy out the land later at a cheap price for his SoDale project. But there are students in opposition to the new students as well, like Reggie Mantle (CHARLES MELTON) and Cheryl Blossom (MADELAINE PETSCH), and they're not going to make it easy on the newcomers.

I can't imagine what it must have been like to have been Tony Isabella last night. Isabella (@TheTonyIsabella) is the creator of Black Lightning, the DC Comics character who got his first live-action debut on the CW.

CRESS WILLIAMS (PRISON BREAK) plays the titular hero, now in retirement and trying to make a difference in his Freedland neighborhood as the principal of Garfield High School. The divorced character maintains relations with his ex-wife Lynn (CHRISTINE ADAMS, AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.) as they raise their two daughter, student Jennifer (CHINA ANNE MCCLAIN, A.N.T. FARM) and part-time health teacher Anissa (NAFESSA WILLIAMS, CODE BLACK).

This is one of those episodes of a superhero show where I wish I had open and free access to Bob Ingersoll. Bob's a comics fan and a lawyer, so don't let anyone tell you that the hobby stunts your education. Bob used to write a legal analysis column for comic book and television plotlines, whenever they'd get into the courtroom weeds. I wish I had been watching THE FLASH with him last night, as Barry Allen was put on trial for the murder of Clifford DeVoe, because while the body of DeVoe was definitely found in Barry Allen's home, and the two had had conflicts in the past, I don't see how the court ever established motive.