Boob(s On Your) Tube: “Westworld” and “Into the Badlands” Return With Some of Your Favorite Murderous Women

Welcome back to another Boob(s On Your) Tube! This has been quite a week! We got our first real look at Gina Rodriguez on the set of Brooklyn Nine-Nine right on the heels of our Jane the Virgin season finale roundtable. The second season of The Handmaid’s Tale dropped and Riese reviewed it. Kayla recapped this week’s Riverdale and wrote about a deleted Choni scene from last week’s musical episode. She also reviewed Disobedience, which opens in Los Angeles and New York tomorrow. Valerie Anne recapped the latest episode of Supergirl.

And, most importantly, Natalie shared some feelings about Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer, which finally aired last night, the very day she came out as bisexual/pansexual “free-ass motherfucker” in Rolling Stone.

Here’s what else!


Imposters 204: “Andiamo”

Written by Natalie

Last we checked on Jules and her compatriots, they were hiding out in Mexico, trying to cobble money to get back to Scottsdale, Arizona to retrieve the million dollar ring that Richie unintentionally left behind. Just when they think they’ve got their path back all set — thanks to some forged passports — they discover that their timeline will no longer suffice. Max and Sally, the two cons that worked with Maddie, are holding Ezra’s family hostage and the Bumblers have to get back to the States immediately. So instead of waiting on their passports, Ezra finds a coyote that’ll take them across the border for the low, low price of $10,000. Desperate for quick cash, Jules is forced to tap her last resort: asking her family to wire her the money.

Imposters has been tight-lipped about Jules’ past but we’re getting a clearer picture of who Jules Langmore is this season. We already knew that Jules came from old money and that her family was still flush with cash, even after Maddie’s con, but we never knew what was inside the envelope Maddie used to keep the Langmores from going to the cops. Last week, we found out two things: first, there was some controversy about Jules graduating from art school — presumably her plagiarizing someone else’s work — and second, Jules was able to escape facing consequences for her actions because her family paid to make the problem go away. When Ezra asks if Jules is sure that her family will come through with the money, she admits, “let’s just say my family takes a certain delight in rescuing me.”

And, sure enough, her family comes through… only thing? Her sister, Poppy (Rachel Skarsten), opts to hand deliver the $10,000 they need. After hearing the full story about Maddie and how the FBI is looking for Richie, Ezra and Jules, Poppy offers the money she brought in exchange for a promise from Jules: she’ll come home after they cross the border back to the United States. Jules agrees quickly — far too quickly for me to believe she’s being even remotely sincere — and they board a bus with Ezra and Richie to head to meet their coyote. At a rest stop, Jules admits to Ezra that she’s found herself again in Mexico and she doesn’t want to leave.

“I found something that feels like it’s just mine too. Mexico. All of it. It’s odd, you know? I feel like I’m myself here, like I’ve come home to a place I’ve always known,” she says. Ezra encourages her to stay — it’s some consolation to him that at least someone he loves will be safe — and Jules agrees. It’s enough to make me a tad bit angry…on the one hand, Jules has been her best self in Mexico… she’s painting again, she’s flirting with attractive women and she looks AMAZING… but, on the other, the show wouldn’t be the same without Jules’ humor.

But I should know, after 14 episodes of this show, that nothing ever works out as planned. When Jules, Ezra, Richie and Poppy arrive to meet their coyote, they run into right into a swarm of Federales that have been searching for them. They scramble through an open air market and rush to find their coyote. Firm on not leaving for another hour, their coyote points them to another coyote who can take them immediately so they hop into the truck of cars — Jules and Poppy in one car, Ezra and Richie in another — being carried on a car hauler and begin their trek out of Mexico.


Quick Hits

Westworld 201: “Journey into Night”

Nothing gay to report in the first episode of the new season of Westworld except for how Evan Rachel Wood made me gayer when Dolores, in her white-and-blue outfit, rode horseback wearing an ammo sash and shooting all the men who wronged her. Also it would be an honor to be murdered by Thandie Newton, just saying. — Valerie Anne

Into the Badlands 301: “Enter the Phoenix”

Tilda dropped from the sky like a murderous angel in this week’s premiere of the third season of Into the Badlands. She goes by Iron Rabbit now and her and Odessa—presumably her girlfriend now because of the tandem slayage, though nothing ws said explicitly—are going on heists together, working against the Widow, which breaks my heart but is fun to watch. There’s also a new girl in town with some cool warpaint and some killer skills. Like, literally, she has that black-eyed rage power MK used to have but she can control it and catch crossbow bolts between her fingers and it is VERY GREAT. This season should be very, very fun. — Valerie Anne

Siren 106: “Showdown”

This week on Siren, Ryn kissed Ben in front of Maddie and he was like “uh well” and Maddie was like “yeah she does that” and then they all just moved on! They live with a mermaid who kisses them both on the mouth sometimes, is all. Treated as casually as any other thing that happens on this wild and wacky show that I am enjoying very much. I’m hoping they go full throuple soon but Ryn is a little pissed at them at the moment for not letting her go full murder-mermaid so we’ll see. — Valerie Anne

Grey’s Anatomy 1421: “Bad Reputation”

The gay in this week’s Grey’s Anatomy was mostly present around the edges of this week’s main storyline. Here’s what is most important: Sofia is depressed in Seattle, and Arizona’s going to have to do something about that — SOON. Carina’s worried that Arizona coddles her daughter too much. She may have a point (Callie voiced similar concerns back when she was still married to Arizona in season nine), but I feel very Mama Bear about Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres. So, the minute Carina critiqued one of my favorite GA children, my heart turned cold. Carina’s tough love did finally get DeLuca off of Meredith’s couch though, so there’s that! Oh, and for all my Everything Sucks! fans, Peyton Kennedy has just started a multi-episode arc on Grey’s. She’s not playing gay, but hopefully her presence can be a balm in your soul during this unfortunate time since her own show’s cancellation. — Carmen

S.W.A.T. 119: “Source”

It’s great to have a woman — and a bisexual woman, at that — on this show and, while it could surely be worse, do they have to keep putting her in mortal danger every week? Last week, Chris ends up battered and bruised after fighting with a serial killer, whom she later stops, and this week, while protecting a Russian journalist, she gets stabbed with a poisonous pen. Can’t we just give the girl a break for a bit? Maybe next week they can just have her dealing with some relationship drama — what happened to that cute reporter she went out with? — so I don’t have to spend an hour worried about her fate. — Natalie

The Young and the Restless

The Daytime Emmys are this weekend and Camryn Grimes and Cait Fairbanks, the two actresses that captured our hearts in the Teriah storyline last year, are both nominated for their work. A win would be the first for Fairbanks, the second for Grimes and the second straight year the Emmys have recognized an actress in a gay storyline that had been summarily discarded by their respective shows. So, yay, daytime! — Natalie

Brooklyn Nine-Nine 518: “Gray Star Manual”

It’s been a minute since we had a solid Rosa episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but she had a rare and wonderful storyline with just Amy this week! What happened was Amy was afraid to look at or shop for wedding dresses because she has to work twice as hard as the male sergeants in the NYPD and she was afraid doing something so feminine would cause them to respect her less. But Rosa forced her into a wedding store and sat around in a teal bridesmaid’s dress while coaching her through the whole thing — until they got a call that a serial bodega robber was on the run and Amy chased him down in her wedding dress, leaping over a car and tying him up with the sash she ripped off the bodice. Rosa called her “freaking Wonder Woman.” And it was true and they both are!

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Heather Hogan

Heather Hogan is an Autostraddle senior editor who lives in New York City with her wife, Stacy, and their cackle of rescued pets. She's a member of the Television Critics Association, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, and a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer critic. You can also find her on Twitter and Instagram.

Heather has written 1719 articles for us.

27 Comments

  1. Are you guys still doing that “Killing Eve” review? It’s okay if you’re not. I know that you’re swamped, I just want to be kept in the loop.

  2. man jake peralta is such a well-written male character that i can’t help but love his and amy’s relationship….but amy and rosa would be such a good couple (rosamy? diago? sergeant detective? who knows ship names are hard)

  3. this week’s bk 99 did NOT help my amy/rosa shipping heart! LOTS OF GAY FEELINGS about that “Wonder Woman” comment.

  4. Oh my ladygod I would break my Westworld character’s storyline to be murdered by Thandie Newton… just. saying.

    • I would pay the $40,000 entrance fee just to be murdered by Thandie Newton. No side quests, no cool narrative, just please, let me meet Thandie Newton

  5. re: Grey’s- as a guitarist and musician, my pet peeve is when people (let’s be real, white dudes) do that annoying jack johnson “pluck chuck” strumming pattern. So, i had a lot of hatred for boy de luca in this episode!

  6. I clearly have some soul-searching to do because all the recaps of Westworld are describing Delores as “hard to cheer for” and “Westworld’s new villain” and complaining that “she’s gone too far” while I was grinning the whole time she was on screen. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  7. Ah! I have the same feeling about Shadowhunters that Natalie has about SWAT. They really just want to kill or always endanger the lesbian character on the show.
    Last season, she was attacked by a werewolf but came out safe. In the premiere for this season, she was attacked by a demon. She landed in the hospital afterwards but she thankfully didn’t die as the other victims did. Now in this weeks episode, she was attacked again by another demon and now she has been transformed into one. So they will need to find the cure for her before she kills anyone.
    Just leave the lesbian alone for goodness sake.

  8. Also, Sophia Bush played a married lesbian in this week’s episode of Alex Inc. And now all I want is for her to star in her own tv show where she plays a married lesbian. Never knew I needed that until now

    • I was going to write this too.I liked her character and I think the show would work better if they do a back and forth banter type of show between her and Alex. Like they “hate” each other but not in the sexual tension kind of way and its a great role reversal. Anyway what I am saying is that I’d like to see her come back.

      • I would really love that. It would be so much fun. But I’m not going to hope because we have just three episodes left for the season and the show is ABC’s lowest rated comedy. So meaning, surely getting cancelled. What a shame.

        So i hope she can get to play a married lesbian in another show. Her own show. Where she is the main character not supporting.

        • really?! i gave Alex, Inc. and that show Splitting Up Together a chance and I found Alex, Inc. much more enjoyable. I bare got through the 1st episode of Splitting Up.

          I think Sophia Bush has a deal with one of the networks. I would really like to see her in something.

  9. Missed writing about Coronation Street this week for Quick Hits because I got caught up with work and didn’t get a chance to watch Friday’s episodes before BOYT went up…so just a few thoughts now that I’ve seen them…

    Well, not a few, so much as just one: I don’t know what the hell these writers are doing.

    Last week, Kate says to Zeedan, as they’re trying to decide where to go to rescue Rana, “maybe I know her better than you now,” and the circumstances ultimately prove her right. But this week, Kate acts as though she doesn’t really know Rana at all. Why would Kate think that calling the police on Rana’s mother would be okay? It doesn’t make sense, nor do all Kate’s newly manifesting insecurities about Rana’s proximity to Zeedan…as if Rana blew up her entire world for something that was only a fling.

    And speaking of Zeedan…what’s the point of all this? If Qasim Akhtar is leaving the show, what’s the point of opening Speed Daal and reigniting his romantic interest in Rana? It makes zero sense.

    All in all, another frustrating week on the cobbles.

    • Truth to all of this.
      As for Zeedan, he was a real dick when he first discovered the affair (which is understandable) but then he became super chill about it especially as it is all out now on the street. I am more annoyed with how Alya is acting toward Rana and Kate. Anyway, when Zeedan kissed Rana and then he told the new waitress (Kayla I found out her name is) that Rana still has feelings for him, I was no don’t go there.

      I think either Kayla is going to be a new love interest for Zeedan or with her new found false knowledge that Rana has feelings for Zeedan she might make a play for Kate but when shot down might side step to Sophie instead. Basically what I’m saying is Kayla pinged my gaydar.

  10. Miracles do happen, I didn’t hate this weeks episode of Greys and even more shocking it was the Owen, Amelia, Betty and baby that I enjoyed the most (maybe because Arizona was also involved for a few minutes). As per my comments last week, it still doesn’t make sense how Owen with such a high pressure job and his past PTSD (that comes back at the drop of a hat) got a baby so quick but there are weirder things that happen on this show that we just need to go with so I’m just gonna go with this.

    About the story line itself, was anyone else thinking that if Callie was there she could have maybe done another surgery on Betty and heal her of her pain and then she wouldn’t be addicted to drugs and could have her baby back. Sorry whenever there is something Ortho related I always think of Callie.

    Anyway I don;t know how long they are going to draw out this story but it’s a good switch. It will be interesting to have a kid on this show that is not a baby. They had a few good episodes/scenes featuring Tuck this season. Maybe Betty will be like a Callie Foster for Amelia and Owen.

    As for the Arizona part of the episode I had hoped after reading the synopsis that we would see Sofia again but nope not surprised she was just talked about. Does Carina have a point on Arizona’s parenting style, yes. Did we get a clear answer of if Carina likes kids, no. Has Carina even met Sofia yet, unclear. Will this break them up so Arizona can ride off into the sunset, I don’t know.

    • Carina strikes me as Arizona-before-Sofia. Childfree, Team Spain.
      But knowing what we know, I don’t think she will change her mind

      • Yeah, I think that this riff between Arizona and Carina is setting up for them to break up before Arizona takes her final goodbye.

        Also, count me in as one of the people surprised by how well I’m adapting to this Amelia/ Owen storyline!

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