Entertainment News - TV

THIS ISSUE: Masterchef, The Americans, Wayward Pines, The Real Housewives of New York City, Kingdom TOP MOMENT OF THE NIGHT Masterchef Heads Back to the Kitchen Fox BECAUSE: The chefs have entered the building -- and in typical Masterchefstyle, Wednesday's season 7 premiere saw half of the group of 40 hopefuls facing off into head-to-head culinary battles. We have to hand the top battle of the night to the double face-off of firefighters. Four firefighters, with fiery personalities to match, enter... two firefighters with ground turkey spring rolls and steak in chimichurri sauce leave, their fresh white aprons glistening with glory.

The Americans FX WHAT HAPPENED: Suddenly, everyone on The Americans is feeling just a little unsure about securing a bio-weapon for Mother Russia that melts your insides so fast they come out of your pores. While Paige grapples with her mother recently murdering someone in front of her, and the fact that when asked, Elizabeth can't even count the number of times she's done the exact same thing before, Oleg is telling Stan that the KGB has someone working in an American bio-weapons lab: "We have the best scientists in the world, but we don't have the money... Without the right resources, they get their hands on something that they can't always handle in the right way." William has been having the biggest problem of all with the potential ramifications of their current assignment, but by episode's end, Gabriel is asking Philip to go speak with him because William just used the Level Four codes to acquire some of the lassa virus. In the end, the FBI has tracked down their KGB mole: William Crandall. Watch ya back, Philip. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: But Wednesday's episode is also very much about Paige and her parents. The New York Times admits in their recap that they have not always been kind to the character of Paige or the actress who plays her, Holly Taylor, especially when she was competing with screen time for everybody's favorite secretary, Martha. But they now concede that in the absence of Martha's storyline, "Through sheer persistence and a radical but deftly handled twist at the end of last week's episode, [showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields] have managed to make Paige's between-two-worlds predicament interesting. We finally care about what happens to her, and what's in her head, rather than just seeing her as a hyperventilating nuisance who's putting her parents in danger. And while Ms. Taylor's range remains narrow, it feels as if the character's evolution toward a kind of resigned fatalism, or exasperation, has been cleverly tailored."

Wayward Pines Fox WHAT HAPPENED: Well, so much for Ben, Xander, and Theo's exile -- thanks to Abby's teamwork on building a zombie ladder from their electrified brethren and nearly killing Kerry, a doctor is once again needed in the house, and Theo is brought back over the wall. Which isn't exactly great news for him, considering that he's brought back into Wayward Pines, where he promptlyinforms Jason that he's a brat and a dictator (specifically he calls Jason an "underage cretin," which is the best). But the town needs a doctor because everyone is kind of... how do you say it? Oh yeah -- starving and malnourished. A man named CJ arrives on the scene to tell Jason that they'll have to harvest crop outside of the wall, which they seem to successfully get started on. But there are weird things going down in Wayward Pines, and if you're wondering what became of Xander and Ben... WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: Ben is on the other side of the wall screaming his head off that he's a First Generation member, and everybody knows the first rule of First Gen is not to harm another First Gen. But Jason seems to be pretty choosy about which rules he's insane about, so he simply cuts the feed and lets Ben get taken down by a trio of Abbies. Or as TVLine spins it: "If next spring's crop of Wayward Pines tomatoes is a little redder and juicier than the usual, we'll know who to thank." And as for seeing Xander get dragged off, but not actually killed, they're not thinking his fate looks any less grim: "The Abbies don't seem like the type to hold a prisoner hostage in cool storage for a few days while they look up recipes on Epicurious for 'Roast of Hunky Double Agent With Onions and Fresh Corn.'" Jason better watch out -- the Abbies don't just seem to be feeding... it feels a lot like they're learning.

The Real Housewives of New York City Bravo WHAT HAPPENED: EW recapper Tim Stack describes Wednesday's episode of RHONY as, "basically like an episode of 24 with fur vests and vaginal rejuvenation." What more do you need to know? Oh, how 'bout that we pick right back up in the Berkshires with a time stamp where Bethenny and Luann are still in their Who-Invented-Skinnygirl fight. Things mostly seem to wrap up okay until Bethenny calls Luann a "plastic f -- doll" and unleashes a fury the likes of which RHONY has never seen before. Bethenny is calling Luann ever name in the book, and the Countess... well, she thinks Bethenny copied her haircut. Seeking a little solace, Luann goes to Dorinda in the kitchen, but makes the mistake of mocking the birthday cake her mother sent her, so Dorinda goes H.A.M. over just how much actual ham she has prepared, and how inappropriate everyone is being. So Luann decides to wrap up her very successful afternoon -- it should be noted that this all happens in under to hours (thank you, Bravo time stamps) -- by texting Carole an apology from the next room about that time she called her a pedophile, and texting Bethenny an apology from one floor down about the time Bethenny called her a whore 1,000 times. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: It's evident to anyone with ears that don't automatically tune out shrill tones that Bethenny owns Luann in whatever argument they were having. As Vulture says in their recap of Wednesday's episode, "None of these women can hold a candle to Bethenny's quick wit or intelligence. And the Countess is further disadvantaged by her vulnerability in desperately wanting to be friends with Bethenny." But the problem is, Bethenny is fighting with dirty, no-good ammo. Calling Luann out over and over for sleeping with a lot of men? To quote the Countess herself (who fashions herself "the Samantha" of the group): Not cool. Vulture said it best: "I expect it from dodos like Ramona and Dorinda, plus Carol's got to use what she's got in her own personal battle against Her Regal Classiness, but Bethenny is really too cool for this nonsense." Or maybe she's just... not.

One More Thing...

Kingdom Comes Back Swinging DirecTV GLOVES UP: When the going gets tough... put your boys in a cage and tell 'em to fight -- that's the Alvey Kulina way.