The Penguin gets a promotion on Gotham,Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. having a May-velous time and the rise of Cutthroat Kitchen

Things are still not perfect on Gotham(yet it was good that Barbara finally told Gordon about her past with Montoya) but watching the sinister moves of Oswald Cobblepot more than makes up for that.

After he reconnected with Gordon,who is not a happy camper about Oswald being back in town, our future Penguin managed to get a foot up the new mob ladder he's on by making himself useful during a armed heist at the restaurant he's been washing dishes for. By saving some of the cash from the counting room in the back, Oswald further cemented trust with Don Maroni, who gave him a promotion to manager, now that the position is gruesomely open.

Of course, our bad boy was behind that caper and his unassuming manner made it simple for him to poison his partners in crime(those cannoli did look to die for). Between that and giving his new buddy Jim some helpful hints about who is out to fix the vote on the property known as Arkham, Oswald is smartly playing both sides of the fence but who knows how long his cleverness will last:

Melinda May was given a good share of the spotlight this week on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as a field mission with Coulson lead to a total Face/Off battle between herself and a Hydra double.

 I sincerely echoed Coulson's sentiments when he said "I can't believe I'm the only one seeing this!"-my inner child was shouting for joy during that bout. Seeing May not only in throwdown mode but in strong emotional form(as she kept refusing Coulson's wish to put him down if his alien enhanced mental state lead to dangerous waters) was a firm level up both for the character and the audience to boot.

May will still be snarky at time and that's always welcome yet allowing her to develop some in depth personality tones is important. Melinda May should be more than just an action figure here but seeing her kick ass when necessary is fun,too:

I think it's safe to say at this point that Cutthroat Kitchen has become the new Chopped, especially now that the show is doing holiday themed episodes and is in the midst of a celebrity tournament along with it's regular run.

The concept may be wacky(four chefs take on harsh cooking challenges that are bid on by each other) but Alton Brown does make it work. I will admit that he wasn't always a Food Network favorite of mine but the man has grown on me.

 He's basically a culinary geek in the best sense; smart and funny,plus a great sense of humor that he's not afraid to aim at himself Plus, the inventiveness of the sabotages is amazing to behold.

They don't always repeat them(a few returning ones like the kid sized kitchen are worth the wait) and it's great to see just how creative the chefs really are when faced with lack of utensils and less than refined ingredients.  Often is the case that the chef who doesn't have any sabotages is the one who screws up the most(overconfidence, not a good thing!).

So, if you're in the mood for watching weirdness with food, Cutthroat Kitchen is the place to be. Chopped is still going strong but it's fun to have such a deviously delightful culinary sporting arena such as this:

RANDOM NOTES:

TOP CHEF:  Speaking of cooking competitions, the queen mother of them all is back for a new season in Boston with a few fresh changes. Between the Sudden Death Quickfire(which I think is a way for them to keep Last Chance Kitchen well stocked with contenders) and former TC-All Stars champ Richard Blais as a regular judge, the frying pan should be hot enough to make the latest set of culinary contenders want to stay out of the fire: