What’s On: A Thrilling ‘Underground’ Finale, a Birth on ‘black-ish’ and New Twists in ‘Handmaid’s Tale’
Underground (10/9c, WGN America): The grueling second season of this gripping historical drama comes to an eventful close in a finale of emotional and violent fireworks. Now that the blinded Daniel (an excellent Bokeem Woodbine) has found his way to the safe house run by Georgia (Jasika Nicole)—though how safe it really is soon becomes an issue—the question becomes whether to run or fight for freedom. As usual, the cunning Cato (Alano Miller) has surprises in store for everyone as he finds new ways to seize power amid the tumult. With the sale of WGN America’s parent company Tribune Media to Sinclair, the fate of Underground is unclear. (It’s the last scripted show remaining in the WGNA roster, and such programming will no longer be a focus under new leadership.) Look for Sony to shop this show elsewhere. It’s too good to stop now.
black-ish (9:30/8:30c, ABC): Expect laughter mixed with tears as the third season ends with the Johnsons gathering to welcome the newest addition to their family, a celebration tempered by complications discovered in Bow’s (Tracee Ellis Ross) pregnancy, just as Dre (Anthony Anderson) prepares to throw her a baby shower.
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu): This riveting adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian classic gains in power by the episode. The relationship between Offred (Elisabeth Moss), her “Master” the Commander (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) becomes even more fraught with emotional complexity when the mistress comes up with a risky new scheme to try to get the Handmaid pregnant. All of this triggers memories of how, in the time before Gilead, our heroine met and wooed her future husband, a relationship not without significant complications of its own. “Every love story’s a tragedy if you wait long enough,” the Commander tells Offred. If he only knew.
Fargo (10/9c, FX): It’s best to always expect the unexpected in this thrillingly original series. We can’t give away much about this typically offbeat episode, but from the opening voice-over, in which each major character is associated with an instrument from an orchestra playing a very familiar tune, there’s a fiendish playfulness as the rivalry between the Stussy brothers (Ewan McGregor as Emmit and Ray) continues to escalate in odd and darkly comical ways, while Gloria (Carrie Coon) finally begins making connections among all of this Stussy mess, with the help of Winnie Lopez (Olivia Sandoval, a quirkily perky female officer from St. Cloud. In the sinister bigger picture, because there always is one, Varga (the intensely creepy David Thewlis) makes more moves in “broadening our partnership” with a cowed, confused Emmit. Where this all is heading is anyone’s guess, but it’s probably not going to end well for anyone with the last name Stussy.
Inside Wednesday TV: It’s time for the loved ones to reunite on CBS’s Survivor (8/7c), which usually makes for an emotional episode, although strategy is also in play when one contestant gets valuable advice from their visitor. … NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (9/8c) targets a so-called spiritual healer (Stuart Townsend) whose client accuses him of assaulting her while under hypnosis. … It’s even uglier on NBC’s Chicago P.D. (10/9c) when Intelligence seeks a group calling itself Perv Hunters who are posting live videos of accused pedophiles being tortured and burned.
