TV Recaps: The Brave – Desperate Measures

The Brave
“Desperate Measures”
January 8, 2018

(Photo by: NBCUniversal)

The Brave returned tonight with an adrenaline filled episode that encapsulates all that is wonderful about this show. The acting, the action, the heart stopping moments, and the respect shown to our real world operators by depicting realistic missions with realistic complications.

BUT! Before we recap tonight’s episode of The Brave, lets review where we left off after episode 9 back in November.  Tasked to Tehran, Iran, Special Operation Group 7, led by Captain Adam Dalton (Mike Vogel) , was tasked with the sanctioned termination of Fahim Jarif, the man responsible for the beach-side truck attack in Turkey which we saw at the end of the Pilot episode.

After Jarif was spooked inside a tea shop where the hit was scheduled to take place, intrepid team sniper Sgt Jasmine “Jaz” Khan (Natacha Karam) missed an improvised shot at the target outside the  storefront.  The person Jarif was scheduled to meet, Aida Hareb (whose brother is Nasser Hareb, known big shot terrorist mastermind), ends up killing herself via poison pill just as Dalton corners her in a garage.  Always willing to call an audible to achieve his goal, Dalton decides to greenlight Jaz’s impersonation of the now dead Aida at a rescheduled meet with Jarif (who, though well acquainted with her brother, has never actually met Aida in person).  At the rescheduled meet with Jarif inside his suite at the Palace Hotel, Jaz improvises her plan and successfully kills her target.  Unfortunately, she was supposed to be well away from Jarif when he died under the original “let’s poison him” plan and so now, with the team’s help, she has to scramble to exfil without being apprehended by any of the numerous Quds forces keeping guard in the hotel.

In a “best of horrible options” type of deal, Jaz calmly walks towards a second story plate glass window which she plans to fling herself out of; the plan being that Dalton and Preach (Demetrius Grosse) would pick her up outside on the ground. Just as she begins to pick up speed, seconds from the window, she is flying tackled by one of Jarif’s guards. Cut to Jaz being hauled away, the team looking distraught, Dalton looking like he might vomit and Assistant Director Patricia Campbell (Anne Heche) angrily sweeping everything off of the nearest desk to her. Cut to black.

And now, episode 110 – “Desperate Measures,” or “How We Try To Save Jaz From an Iranian Execution.”  Read on for our detailed recap of Monday night’s episode, Desperate Measures, but beware of spoilers. Proceed at your unspoiled peril.

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Best New Shows of the 2017-18 Season

The end of the year is a great time to take stock of where we are.  Today, I’m letting you know my top new shows of the Fall television season. These shows are weekly installment shows (distinguished from “binge” shows where an entire season is made available at once a la Netflix or Hulu). Why differentiate?  Because, at least for me anyway, I watch “binge” shows very differently from weeklies and the characteristics and criteria for what makes them great isn’t necessarily the same in the two categories.

Anyhoo, read on and let me know what you think.  There are a couple of “obvious” choices here that you’ll see on other critics lists.  There are several that I am sure you will not.  But, hey, I’m me and this is my world so step inside my thinking a bit.  Leave your thoughts and choices in the comments.  I love discussing TV and why you think something is great … or not.

Without further ado, the Best New Show of the Fall Season is …

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“Best Of” List – Best Kick Ass Female Warrior on TV

As the Holidays draw near and new episodes of TV shows become scarce, I’d like to take a moment to step back and see where we stand so far in this 2017-18 television season.

Last week, I took to Twitter to conduct a series of super scientific tests, to gauge the opinions of the masses on what they are enjoying most so far this season.

The question posed for this post: In a crowded field of strong women on TV right now, who do you pick for your team, who has got your six?  Read on for the results …

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“Best Of” List – Best New Fall Show on NBC

As the Holidays draw near and new episodes of TV shows become scarce, I’d like to take a moment to step back and see where we stand so far in this 2017-18 television season.

Last week, I took to Twitter to conduct a series of super scientific tests, to gauge the opinions of the masses on what they are enjoying most so far this season.

The question posed for this post: What is the Best New Show on NBC this season? Read on for the not at all surprising results …

Continue reading ““Best Of” List – Best New Fall Show on NBC”