Once Upon a Time has always said that the Charmings are the family the story is built around.  That is so true because the very first episode opened with their story, how the wicked queen cursed them, and how they protected their daughter.  This brings Emma and Henry into the story.  As the show has progressed, Regina and Rumple have also joined the family structure and I guess we can say Zelena has also.  Hook is there with ties to Emma.  So let’s look at what each family member (except Emma and Regina) did during the season six premiere of Once Upon a Time.

Charming — Charming was off chasing people from the dirigible crash.  Big deal!  Ho Hum!  He didn’t find anyone and neither did the rest of Storybrooke characters on the hunt.  The only other thing I remember seeing him in on was the arrest of Hyde.  As the Prince who has made decisions and took charge, it was sadly lacking in the premiere.

Henry— As the author, would you have checked the book to see what had been written about what was going on.  He writes in that thing and doesn’t remember writing.  Now here’s something I have been wondering since he got that pen back.  Was it distorted by its time in the Under-Storybrooke?

Hook — Hook spent the better part of this episode mirroring David.  The only major difference in his character and David’s was that he realized something was wrong with Emma.  He faced her with it and then accepted her answer of basically “Oh nothing!”  Come on man!  If you love this woman, then press for answers.  You should be there in good times and in bad.

Rumple — Already dealt with.  Enough said.

Zelena — Either she is more forgetful than we thought or they decided to use Ms. Mader for comic relief.  Yes, I know she was moving in to Regina’s, but please . . . don’t forget where you leave a gift.  Also that party at the end of the “Wicked Witch Regina.”  You are a mom now Zelena!  You should stay sober to help you kid.  And if you go off doing evil with the other “wicked” witch, who will take care of your little daughter, Robin.

Mary Margaret/Snow — Of all the members of the Charming family, she had the most to do.  She took back her Enchanted Forest name of Snow White.  For Once Upon a Time, this was a big step forward.  She went into the woods on the expedition to find out damage, but more importantly was that five minute scene at the end.  She comforted Regina and helped her deal with her grief.  Snow White came across as caring and a devoted friend.

So what else has the season got in store for the Charmings.  I hope it is exciting.

Designated Survivor!  I’m a believer.

Designated Survivor has just moved up my must watch list!  I’m not one who necessarily will commit to a show for an actor.  Yes, I watched Kiefer Sutherland on 24.    I even lived commented 24 for a website which will remain nameless.  I liked him in the old movie The Three Musketeers.  So when I heard he was returning to television, I immediately thought:  “Oh Kiefer will be playing a spy again.”  Boy was I wrong.

Designated Survivor has moved Kiefer out of the action adventure role.  He’s now a caring father who just wants to do what is right.  He feels for the down trodden.  As Secretary of HUD, he has fought for the poor needing homes.  In fact, he has fought so hard, the president is going to put him out of his secretary’s job and make him ambassador of a little job that no one knows.  Little did any of them know what was coming.

Now Kiefer as “Everyman” must lead the most powerful country in the world.  He is confused.  He is scared but he has a job to do.  With confidence we see his first address to the nation start.  His president may turn into another Bartlett as seen on The West Wing.

Designated Survivor has good story line potential.  More importantly, it has the actors who can carried the story off.  I can’t wait for the next installment.

I haven’t watched Dance Moms in awhile but decided to watch last night. Honestly I couldn’t watch America’s Got Talent because all but one of the finalists are fantastic.  So instead, I tuned in at 9:00 PM to see if Abby had mended fences with any of the girls and their moms or whether it was typical Dance Moms and Abby taking new shots are the moms.  From what I had seen in the preview, I knew the answer but wanted confirmation.

Let’s review.  Jill wants us think that the summer had passed.  Well, it hadn’t.  Those shows were taped in April and May. Jill is upset because Holly went out and got a new agent that isn’t Abby Lee Miller for Nia.  Let’s face it!  Abby has done nothing for Nia in a long, long time.  I don’t blame Holly at all.  I am glad that Nia now has a chance to shine  away from the studio.  Jill’s real problem is the she’s always had on Dance Moms.  Kendall just doesn’t get the attention or love from Abby that Jill thinks she deserves.  KK has an album under Abby’s control that is in limbo and no other offers on the table.  I think Jill is beginning to see a pattern here.  Nia succeeds because of Holly.  Jill doesn’t do anything and Kendall stays stagnant.

Does this realization make Jill take action?  No, we learn that she’s going to wait it out until she sees what happens to Abby.  Jill, if this was summer, you would know that Abby plead guilty.  She is facing jail time. Kendall is going to be left behind unless you (Jill) do something.  Either force Abby’s hand or leave the studio!

In usual Dance Moms style, we get the pyramid and Abby’s lecture on how she wants all the girls to succeed.  She decides to pit Nia against Kendall in a trio competition.  Kendall has the best chances of winning since she has JoJo and Kalani dancing with her.  Nia is paired with two boys.  The numbers are also vastly different.  Kendall gets a fun jazz piece while Nia gets a more difficult lyricial/modern style that tells a story.

Holly smells a rat.  She calls Nia’s agent to meet her at the studio.  Lesley, Nia’s agent, it one smart cookie.  She sees Abby’s favoritism.  Then Abby starts complaining about Nia to Lesley and saying Nia will never be another Maddie and complaining about the plans for Nia.  I’m so proud that Lesley said that Nia is Nia and not Maddie.  Get over Maddie Abby!  She left.

And thus, we see Abby’s true attitude.  She doesn’t want any girl to succeed unless she allows it.  Nia is going a different road than what Abby wanted.  She has a new agent and a new company representing her.  It’s higher power that Abby’s company will ever be.  Abby gets jealous and pulls her support from Nia.  Why?  Just go back and look at the performances.

Abby’s attitude can best be seen with what lead up the performances and at the competition itself.  When questioned, she lost all “class” (as Holly said) and walked out.  At the competition, she ignored the girls, didn’t come backstage for last minute pep talk, and she ate pop corn during the performance never speaking to the moms but those around her.  She acted like a five-year-old child. No, I take that back.  I’ve seen five year  old children who have better manners.  The good news for Dance Moms fans are both trios were fantastic.  Thanks to Jessalynn’s part of offering encouragement and being a stabilizing presence backstage, both trios were fantastic.  The group dance was good but not great and was the only thing Abby watched.

Dance Moms needs change.  Maybe LifeTime should offer the show to Jessalynn who stayed above the fray even though she was dealing with family problems back home.  I admired her courage last night.  Maybe they need to turn to Holly who has always been a voice of wisdom.  Kira also could serve as a good leader as she does choreography and has a sense of costume style.  Jill needs to decide where her loyalties lie.  Does she support Abby and hope for the golden ring or move on.  The rest seem to know what needs to be done.

Well, Big Brother 18 is almost over and I couldn’t be happier.  Don’t get me wrong!  The season started off strong but something happened after Frank left and the show began to spiral downward.  Frank kept the show on a even keel.  Paulie just let the show fly where he wanted and that led to the rise of Rasputin (I mean Paul).  So here is my take on the final four plus one.

Nicole — Don’t get me wrong.  I like Nicole the last time but she seems a little flaky this time.  It’s like she’s Alice in Wonderland but Wonderland is a competitive show.  Unlike Alice, she seems to have to have a “love” for this season. She and her male pal have spent a good portion of the game changing sides and aligning anew with each passing week. If it was wonderland, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Queen of Hearts welcoming Alice to her team only to see the Queen beheaded the next week. Nicole’s indecisiveness has led to Frank’s downfall and a few others as well.  Would she get jury votes?  Very doubtful — even against James.

Corey — Corey is supposed to be smart.  Doesn’t he have an app online for people to use.  If he’s so smart, then why is he coming off as a buffoon.  If I had to pin a character on him, I’d go Shakespearean and go Falstaff.  A comic character that is paired with the lovely Nicole. He was the right hand man of Paulie the crier.  He’s gone wherever the power has been and laid low (literally, in bed). Does he deserve the fair maiden who he plans to drop?  Probably not but he’s probably the less offensive.  And no, I don’t want to see him win.

Victor — or Ivan the Stupid  (I mean Terrible) as I like to call him has had two chances and took them to return to the house.  Has he blown them?  Probably!  He’s held a grudge from what week two or three and aimed it straight at James. He’s buddies with the “sneak” which I will mention next, and he’s a clean freak.  Granted the rest of the house guests seem not to see dirt, his cleaning has gotten on my nerves.  He has not really schemed but let his buddy do that.  Does he deserve to win? Ah, that is the question but he is a comp beast.

Paul — or Rasputin, the sneak, has played the whispering game this season.  He first sided with the “messiah” and then realized that he better stop wanting returnees out if he wanted to stay.  He’s been busy listening at doors and whispering in ears just like Rasputin did to the last Czar of Russian.  Will he “drink the poison which is eviction” or will he manage to win it all?  Time will tell but his tactics haven’t been the type that I like.  Why?  He has shot down all his allies until he only has Victor left.

That leaves either Natalie or James as staying.  James has been “clueless” all season as he has been played by almost everyone.  I first thought he was playing a good game with not really committing to any one alliance.  Then Natalie batted her big eyes at him and he spent the summer protecting her.  Now she seems to be dumping him and hoping that will help her game.  That makes Natalie the femme fatale that tried to use her womanly wiles to get what she wanted.  Vic dropped her and Paulie trashed her which brought up the knight in shiny armor James.  With it looking like Natalie will be gone, can James get his head in the game.  Frankly, my dears, I don’t care.  I’ll be watching Panther football!

Big Brother — are you over?  Is the 2016-2017 season your last year?  Have you finally realized that the contestants are using Big Brother to hopefully become big stars or newcasters?

I’ve on several Big Brother boards that exploded last week after the announcement that season 19 would be on CBS All-Access.  For the uninitiated, this means that you will have to “buy” the service to get the show.  No more televised on commercial television episodes of eviction or head of household.  Heck, I’m not getting that this week due to football, but I digress.  To me, this sounded the death knell.  I logged in today only to see reports that season 20 would be the end of Big Brother.

Why have season 19 on All-Access?  Well, here are some reasons I came up with and forgot to post last weekend.

1.  The show is dying with season 20 the last season (if they can get viewers for 19).  It’s always great to go out on a round number plus summer programming is always slacked.  People have complained for the last few years about the cast, so why not go out on the 20th season.
2. It’s a ready fill-in as shows fail.  CBS decides they need to cancel a show because of viewership.  Hey, Big Brother can fill in!
3. We need to expand the premise of Big Brother.  The show is too predictable.  How can we do this?  Let’s experiment with the online version.
4. Maybe we need to shake up casting?  How do we do that?  Again, experimentation comes into play.

Regardless of what the real motives are, I won’t be watching the 19th season of Big Brother.  I have enough to do during the Fall to invest in paid live episodes.  And, I don’t want to invest in another season like this.  When James and Natalie gone, I’ll probably be gone also.  The season with Rasputin and the dictator is getting to me folks!

Big Brother took a risk in my book by casting Paulie.  Yes, he does come with a brother who played the game of Big Brother before and who is pals with a former winner.  But while Derrick is a hero to most, I consider him the ultimate floater. Don’t get me wrong!  Derrick was a good player but he played by manipulation and never getting his hands dirty.  Hey — that’s what Frankie Grande was there for after all.

Paulie has been ahead of the game from the start.  He was on Frank’s team which means he didn’t have to suffer the indignities of being on the block or a have-not. He’s been part of the 8-alliance, the couples and Day alliance, the Corey-Paulie-James alliance, the men’s alliance, and no telling how many others that are secret and not seen on live-feeds or discussed.  He seems to want to go to the final three with Corey and either James or Paul (depending on who he’s talking to).  He has Zak around his finger and is controlling her by romance/sex.  Even when she admits she knows what he is doing, he gets her back where he wants her — under his thumb (although I hope that she’s bought a clue).

Paulie, to me is a user and abuser.  He has quietly bullied himself into a place of importance and as the “king” of the Big Brother house.  He controls by friendship and uses that with Paul to be in charge of the secrets and evictions.  He bullies the girls then comforts them.  In many ways, he should be a part of the “mean girls” alliance.  I wonder how much he’s put in their heads (come to think of it).

If anyone has a clue to what Paulie’s doing, it seems to be James and Victor.  Victor has other fish to fry (Natalie and James) and James is waiting. I just hope James doesn’t wait too long because the perfect moment isn’t after you are evicted.  Of these two, James probably would have the better shot of taking Paulie out.  Put Paulie up as a pawn and get out someone would be idea.  Better yet! Let them back door him since Paulie has used that technique often this season.

Pawn (or Paul) is Paulie’s right hand man. Paul thinks he’s making moves but he isn’t.  Listening at doors is a poor way of getting information. I much prefer infiltration myself.  Let’s face it.  If Pawn/ul hears someone say:  “Let’s tell Day!” Paul is on his way to tell Paulie.  Anyone whispers. Paul goes to tell Paulie.  I honestly think that the the Paul-pawn would run and tell Paulie if anyone sneezed.  That’s one of the reasons I call him Rasputin (as in the Russian who advised the last Tsar/Czar of Russia).  He’s in the powerful’s ear and always there to take care of the dirty work.

Pawn/ul thinks this will take him to the end of the game but it usually doesn’t.  Someone wises up and takes this type of “pawn” out or outs him to the others so he loses his effectiveness. While loose lips sink ships, Paul’s listening may get him out and away to jury house sooner rather that in the final two.  On the outside, who would want a fashion designer who listens to everything you say. In his real world, secrets mean money so he may hear gossip and go straight to TMZ!

The best thing that could happen right now is that James and Victor compare notes, realize that Cody isn’t a risk and figure out a way to take Paulie out. It may take the coup d’etat to do it so America please do not give that “gift” to Paulie.   Two weeks from now, I’d love to see someone use that little gift on Paulie so he winds up on the hot seat with no way to get off.  Wonder if the explosion would be as big as the one that happened when Jessie left in Season 8?  Somehow, I don’t think so.