The tides of television have changed, my Internet friends. How I Met Your Mother is over forever (let’s hope) and Community may never have another season. But television sprints forward, each new week promising fresh stories and characters (or sometimes a whole heap of depressing disappointment). At present, television is in a good place, and I am the happiest of campers (and finally, after long last, I have made it to where everyone else is on Game of Thrones). Let’s begin.

New Girl didn’t air, but the expectations remain high for the coming episodes, especially after the slight misses we’ve seen these past few instalments. I have hope that the Jess/Nick breakup will go some weird places, and Schmidt does something incredibly over the top.

Now, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has so far been a show of twists, and many of these have been overdone or simply unnecessary. But the new storyline, coinciding with the HYDRA takeover of S.H.I.E.L.D. and putting Coulson and his team through veritable hell, is simpler and more elegantly written, the big twists out of the way and the characters in for the long haul (if I know Joss Whedon, someone’s gonna die). Last week, Phil and company left to find that dude who can control electronics and save Agent Coulson’s cellist love (portrayed well by Amy Acker, and first mentioned in The Avengers). Phil’s attitude toward the cellist was marvellously acted, and showed a depth to Coulson that gets more and more enjoyable the more bad stuff he has to deal with. And Skye’s realization that Ward is HYDRA (Patton Oswalt, noooooooo!) was awesome, and the tension between the two after said plot reveal cinematically delicious.

Community, as said before, may be over forever, and no one is as sad as me. They almost had a full blown redemption, but didn’t quite make it. And Troy never returned to cry about being promised butt stuff.

I love finishing off the week with Elementary. Lately, the mysteries have been pretty great, and the character of Sherlock has really been put through more than in previous parts of the shows run. He’s finally at peace with Detective Bell, and secure in his assertion that he has no equal. Last week, though, put the consulting detective, as well as Watson, in a socially conscious mess, complete with the problematics of grown-up dating and weapons attached to drones. Holmes and Watson went up against a firm responsible for the irresponsible use of drones, this, coupled with some intrigue involving robot mosquito assassins made for damn good television. What differentiated it, though, from other episodes was the sense that some real harm could come to Joan and Sherlock. Generally, the only times I’ve thought any real danger was afoot was when Jamie Moriarty was around, but this past season has had the fault of being not so high stakes. This past episode changed that. Mycroft’s restaurant may be a breeding ground for crime, and Sherlock’s suave brother (played by Rhys Ifans, the scoundrel) could be right at the center of it. And to think Watson thinks he’s an attractive male specimen (won’t it be wonderful for Sherlock when he’s proven right again?).

So yes, Internet friends, a good television week indeed. Stay tuned later for my reviews of Mad Men and Californication.