Oh my God, Revenge!  The show that has consistently delivered twist after turn all season long just finished off its season finale with a bang...literally. Let's recap the milestones in the shocking season finale.

Emily managed to "steal" the evidence against Conrad and his co-conspirators by telling Daniel that a white-haired man had broken into her house and swiped it.  Naturally, Daniel headed straight for Conrad, telling his father everything.

Meanwhile, Emily attempted to get into the information herself, but found it locked tight.  What's a girl to do?  Call Nolan for help, of course!  But, as Emily soon discovered, Nolan had been kidnapped by the white-haired man (who I'm going to call WHM until I figure out his name, because I can't remember it right now).  Telling WHM over the phone that she was Amanda Clarke and that they had unfinished business, she agreed to a meeting.

That quickly led to Emily being tied up next to Nolan in WHM's basement.  Emily sent him off on an errand to find the evidence, which she claimed was in a storage locker, and then set about freeing herself and Nolan.  Of course, Emily wasn't stupid enough to actually put the evidence in a locker.  Instead, she sent it off with Nolan to deliver to the SEC agent.  He did, which put the evidence in the hands of the very people who could expose Conrad.  When WHM returned empty-handed, he and Emily fought.  About to kill him, Emily realized that she couldn't turn in to a killer.  After all, the evidence was with the SEC and those responsible for framing her father were about to be taken down.  It seemed like her plan was at an end.  So when Daniel confronted her, asking her whether she had kissed Jack, she saw no reason to lie.  With her quest finished, she no longer needed to be engaged/married to Daniel, so the pair split.

Back at the Grayson homestead, Victoria was finalizing her plans to take Conrad down.  And Charlotte decided to use her mother's PI to get information on Declan's newest friend, deciding to expose her in a way that made Declan compare her to Victoria and hat her forever.  But the big shock came when Victoria was told by the SEC that Conrad was responsible for David Clarke's murder.

As it turns out, Victoria didn't know this one, crucial, fact.  And that's when her own plan against Conrad for revenge became a crusade.  She quickly got Lydia back on her side and promised to rain holy Hell down on Conrad for killing the man she (supposedly) loved.  It led to explosive confrontations between the two Graysons, but Victoria would not be deterred.  And this led to Conrad's own plan, and the five shocking moments of the season finale.

Shocking finale moment #1: Prepared to reveal everything about her revenge plan to Jack, Emily headed to the Stowaway, but it turns out Jack has a visitor: Amanda.  Fauxmanda, to be exact.  And she's pregnant!  Well, ain't that a kick to the head?!  Knowing that she can no longer be with Jack - and has broken up with Daniel - Emily wisheed the parents-to-be well and headed outside, alone.

Shocking finale moment #2: Victoria and Lydia boarded the plane with the SEC guy, but the WHM was also on the tarmac, leaving a little present for them: a bomb.  The plane exploded shortly after take-off and, according to news reports, there were no survivors.  Is Victoria actually dead?!

Shocking finale moment #3: After hearing the news about her mother on the television, Charlotte immediately called Declan, but his anger at her for her earlier actions shone through and he demanded she never call him again.  In despair, Charlotte overdosed on pills.  Shortly thereafter, Conrad entered her room to find her...unconscious?  Dead?

Shocking finale moment #4: Perhaps the biggest shock of the night came for Emily, who realized that not only had she lost Jack, but her plan for revenge was far from over.  When the plane blew up, it took all the evidence needed to clear her father with it.

Shocking finale moment #5: But wait!  Nolan saves the day!  He stopped by Emily's house shortly after she got the news about the explosion, only to tell her that he actually backed up a copy of the evidence.  And it contains a very interesting video of Victoria, Conrad and WHM.  Nolan tells Emily that Americon Initiative handled the cover-up.  But there's more!  "This goes so far past the Graysons and so far past what they did to your father," Nolan warned.  "It'll work because he trusts me," Victoria said on the tape from so long ago.  "I know David's deepest secret.  The wife he had before we met...if you look a little deeper, you'll find there's much more to the story."  Emily suspects that the Initiative killed her mother too.  But that's not what Victoria's saying, Nolan replied.  "What she's saying is that your mother's alive."

I mean, come on!  That was completely insane, wasn't it?  No revenge for Emily?  Victoria and Lydia possibly dead?  A pregnant Amanda back in Jack's life?  Oh, Revenge, you certainly know how to make a (temporary) exit.

On a side note, I'd like to bring up what I thought was one of the best moments in a season finale filled with great moments.  After learning of their break-up, Victoria headed to Emily's house to express her condolences about the end of her and Daniel's relationship.  Emily tried to hand back the engagement gift Victoria had given them, but Victoria suggested she open it instead.  Inside?  Nothing.  "You see, even long before the day of your engagement party, I knew that your future with Daniel was as empty as that box.  Now, best of luck with your next endeavor," Victoria sneered at Emily.  And that, my friends, was possibly the best gift in the whole history of gift-giving.

Revenge will return for its second season in the fall, but will be moving to Sunday nights.  How can we possibly wait to see the resolution of these crazy cliffhangers?

Revenge Season Finale: Did Emily Reach Her Goal? Who's Playing the Revenge Game Now?

Hey, Supernatural, thanks for giving us one heck of a cliffhanger.  The last time I was this freaked out was the season 3 finale when Dean was screaming while being strung up in Hell.  Sure, we've been put in nearly the same position this time around, but I have no idea how they're going to work their way out of this one.  Will Dean be gripped tight and raised from Purgatory by an angel?  Or is the guy all on his own?

Contract Negotiations

Let's go back to the beginning, where Dick and Crowley are trying to figure out a way to divide up the human race over a few glasses of scotch.  The newly ensnared Crowley realizes that Dick has decoded the ancient tablet and knows about the Winchesters' plan.  So what is Dick to do?  He decides to get Crowley to double-cross the brothers.  In exchange, he's prepared to give up Canada.  Frankly, I think Canada got the better end of the deal here.  But, seriously, I could watch these two smarmy bastards negotiate contracts any way of the week.  Once it's finished, Crowley promises to foil Sam and Dean's plan and he heads off as Dick prepares to greet his dignitaries.

Boning Nuns

Sometimes the Winchesters have thick skulls, and sometimes they have a little ingenuity.  They're going to need it by the end of the episode, but they open the finale in desperate need of the bone of a righteous person.  Dean jokingly suggests they grab one from a nun and it turns out it's the best plan they have.  They procure a bone from long-deceased Sister Mary Constant and head back to the cabin.

Starry, Starry Night

At the cabin, Crowley fails to come when summoned, but Meg turns up moments later, followed by Castiel, who's still mayor of crazytown.  Dean manages to convince him to come inside, but he's more preoccupied with stopping cosmetic testing on animals that making any sort of useful contributions to the team.  He does, however, give them some useful information: his former angel garrison has been killed and Kevin is AWOL.

That's when Crowley finally decides to stop by, much to Meg's horror.  He finally offers up his blood (after not being thrilled about Castiel's resurrection being kept a secret) and then spills the beans about his deal with Dick.  Is the blood really his?  He insists that it is, and Dean seems convinced as well.  After all, Crowley is nothing if not an opportunist.  The big question is: from which death does he have the most to gain?

The good news is that the brothers now have all of the necessary ingredients to make the weapon.  The bad news is that they're not entirely certain it's going to work because there's no real sign that some special Leviathan-killing weapon has been forged when they put it all together.

Dick's Master Plan

Back at Sucrocorp, Dick is putting his master plan into effect.  Kevin is being kept locked up, trying to figure out a way to get out of this mess.  Meanwhile, Dick has brought in the "dignitaries": the other big-shot Leviathans who escaped Purgatory with him.  It's at this meeting that he unveils his master plan, which Kevin gets to hear courtesy of some bobby pins and some newly acquired lock-picking skills.  Dick's figured out a way to divide up the United States into various territories for things like food and labor.  They plan on distributing coffee creamer with a poison that will kill the types of people that won't make good long-term feeding subjects.  In other words, the skinny people with high metabolism will be wiped out.

Outside Sucrocorp, Sam and Dean have pulled up, prepared to storm the building.  With a little help from Charlie, who doesn't appear in this episode, they gained access to the security cameras inside.  The only problem?  Dick has created more "Dicks", by allowing other Leviathans to touch the original Dick Roman's arm he's kept on ice.  So now there's a whole bunch of them running around the building.  There's no way Sam and Dean can kill all of them in time.

The Maid Is Seriously Racking Up Some Overtime

Remember when Bobby possessed that motel maid at the end of the last Supernatural episode?  He's still inside of her, trying to figure out a way to get to, and kill, Dick.  Even when he's temporarily blasted out of her because she touches iron, he still possess her again, and leads her all the way to Sucrocorp.  When Sam spots her, he immediately knows that Bobby is possessing her and he goes to head her off.  Feeling vengeful, he tries to strangle Sam to stop him from getting in his way, but Bobby quickly realizes that his behavior is appalling and he lets the maid go.

A Second Goodbye

The boys - and Bobby - have regrouped at the cabin once again and Bobby has a favor to ask them.  He realizes that he simply can't be in this fight any longer.  Sticking around as a ghost is a one-way tickets to badsville.

And so the Winchesters have to say goodbye to their surrogate father once again.  Bobby's goodbye this time wasn't as poignant as "Death's Door", but that's only because we didn't have all of the emotional build up in this season finale as in that previous Supernatural episode.  That doesn't mean it didn't hit me hard.  I think this is it, folks.  This may be the last we see of Bobby (except for the very odd and infrequent return of all deceased characters on this show).  But it leaves me kind of angry, because why bring him back if you're only going to kill him again?  I have to admit, I thought they would figure out a way to resurrect him.  That maybe God would step in and grant us all a favor.  I don't think that will happen and it makes me very sad.

Concluded on the next page...

Supernatural Season Finale Recap: Cut Off the Head and the Cliffhanger Will Follow

Tonight marked the season 1 finale of Smash and the episode started with the production in a bind.  Bombshell lost its star last week when Rebecca exited the production.  Would Ivy or Karen step into her shoes?

Derek made the unilateral decision to award the role to Karen, who had only a day to run through the production before the curtain rose on another preview performance.  But problems appeared almost immediately.  Both Tom and Julia were worried that Karen was still far too inexperienced to handle the role.  While she was working her fingers to the bone to run through the various numbers, even Eileen pronounced her unfit to take the stage.  But Derek was insistent, and refused to allow the naysayers to dictate his choice of Marilyn.

Elsewhere in the theater, Julia and Tom were desperately trying to write a new finale song, but were unable to get it right.  When Julia started panicking that Karen couldn't hack it, things got even more complicated.

Ivy confronted Derek about choosing Karen as the lead, and he callously told her that Karen had something that Ivy simply lacked.  When Dev returned to town to watch Karen rehearse and once again asked Ivy about finding the engagement ring, Ivy decided to take her revenge.  She planted the ring and told Karen that she had slept with Dev.  Between the shocking news of Dev's cheating, and overhearing Eileen insist that Karen couldn't play Marilyn, Karen had a bit of a nervous breakdown.  While Derek went off to console Karen, Ivy was once again pushed to the side when Derek brought his star back to the stage.

Tom and Julia finished the finale song 15 minutes before the curtain was set to rise and, moments later, Karen took the stage, with Ivy in the role of Shadow Marilyn.  The musical played out, with Tom and Julia's new song as the finale which was the perfect ending to the show.  While Karen was getting the applause out on stage, Ivy was contemplating overdosing on pills in the dressing room.

That's a wrap on the first season of Smash, folks!  The show will be returning to NBC's schedule in early 2013 and will run uninterrupted until the season 2 finale.

Smash Season Finale: Who Took the Stage as Marilyn?

The shortened seventh season of Bones came to a dramatic end this week in a season finale that brought hacker/killer Pelant back into the limelight.

At the beginning of the finale, Caroline, Booth and Brennan were all attending a hearing about the court's decision to remove Pelant's ankle monitor.  He kept insisting that he had been a model prisoner, but the others insisted that he was a killer.

Booth and Brennan were quickly called out to a crime scene where Brennan discovered that one of her friends - Ethan - was the victim.  Ethan was slightly crazy, but was also a mathematical genius, and it turns out that she was consulting with him about Pelant.

Soon, however, the evidence piled up.  Pelant had executed a nearly perfect frame job.  He changed the time stamp of the hospital security footage so it appeared that Brennan had visited Ethan the night before he disappeared.  He planted Ethan's hair in her car and even got Booth kicked off the case when he lured him to his house, thinking that Brennan was in trouble.

Angela kept insisting that Brennan could not have killed Ethan, even with the evidence that the other members of the Jeffersonian kept uncovering.  All too soon, Caroline delivered some bad news: she would have to get an arrest warrant for Brennan.  Booth sent Hodgins and Cam to Ethan's old room to see if they could uncover a message about Pelant.  They found a coded message drawn on his wall, but Angela could only decode it so much, not finding enough proof to clear Brennan.

Max had suggested that Brennan run, but Booth was against that idea, convinced it would make her appear even more guilty.  But after a rush Christening for Christine, Max helped Brennan leave town.  Booth ran after her, trying to get her to stop, but she escaped.  Max tasked him with finding a way to bring down Pelant, while he vowed to take care of Brennan.

Thus we were left with our Bones cliffhanger...Brennan drove off into the night as Booth remained behind.

That's a wrap for season 7 of Bones, folks!  The show has already been renewed for an eighth season and will return on Monday nights (in the same timeslot) in the fall.

Bones Season Finale: Did Pelant Perfectly Frame Brennan For Murder?

The Gossip Girl season finale aired this week and quite a few relationships were devastated by the turn of events.  Blair made her choice, Serena got into some trouble, and even Lola started a few schemes of her own.

Serena vs. Blair: The theft of Serena's computer in the previous episode led to Gossip Girl continuously releasing pages from Blair's diaries in the finale.  Blair immediately attempted damage control, not only trying to keep the pages from Dan, but also from any restaurants/designers/friends that she had offended in her diaries.  But when the pages kept getting released, Blair focused all of her rage on Serena, blaming her for the mess.  She released one of Serena's secrets, causing her to lose a summer job with director David O. Russell.  Once again, the two BFFs were at odd.  Blair ordered Serena out of her life and Serena set up a scheme to get the ultimate revenge against Blair.

Blair-Chuck-Dan Triangle: Blair's diaries revealed that she clearly still loved Chuck, despite her insistence to the contrary, but it was a heart-to-heart with her mother that made her realize which man she wanted to be with: Chuck.

Lily-Bart-Rufus Triangle: Bart's return meant that Lily was essentially married to both him and Rufus.  She met with Bart, who insisted that he would let her choose which man she wanted to stay married to.  But Rufus wasn't so generous.  He conned Bart into signing annulment papers.  When Lily found out, she was furious.  A week later, she and Rufus decided to end their relationship, leaving her free to spend the summer with Bart in the Hamptons.

Bart's Betrayal: Chuck held a press conference to announce the return of his father to Bass Industries.  But Bart used the conference as an opportunity to re-take the company, announcing that he would be the only person to lead Bass Industries.  Furious, Chuck confronted his father, who told him that he wasn't serious enough to run the company.  According to Bart, Chuck had spent far too long neglecting the company in favor of trying to win Blair's affections.  A week later, Chuck set off to reunite with Jack, who had also been frozen out when Bart made his announcement.

Serena's Revenge Brings Us Back to the Pilot: In the pilot, Serena slept with Nate at a party, devastating Blair and causing the girls to have a huge falling out.  After Blair threw her out of the Waldorf apartment in the finale, she convinced Penelope to delay Blair from arriving at a party and reuniting with Dan.  At the party, she manipulated Dan into sleeping with her and taped the whole thing.  When Dan discovered her subterfuge, he was furious, but she insisted that she still loved him.  Despite her protests, he told her that they would never be together again.  Once again, Serena left town.  Will she disappear like she did before Gossip Girl began?

Is This the End of Chuck and Blair? Despite Blair having chosen Chuck, the news came at an inopportune time.  Having been lectured by Bart, Chuck realized that he had lost so much in his attempts to be with Blair.  She told him that the two of them could become business partners together, but he said that he needed to go off and find his own identity.

Lola and Charlie: William finally turned over Carol's portion of CeCe's estate to Lola, who wanted to use it to help defend her mother.  But when she discovered that Lily was attempting to sabotage Carol's defense, she decided to sign her fortune over to Charlie, provided that she would use it to take Lily down.

Blair's Future: Eleanor had a surprise for her daughter: she was giving her control of Waldorf Designs.  When Blair's relationships both fizzled out, she headed to Paris with her mother for the summer.  As it turns out, Jack and Chuck had also headed to Paris and Jack decided to play matchmaker by calling Blair and inviting her to the casino where he and Chuck were trying to earn some money.  Blair came, vowing that she would fight for Chuck this time.

Team Scandal: Dan headed off to Italy for the summer to write his new book with a little help from Georgina, who was going to prove invaluable in writing his big expose of the Upper East Side.

That's it for season 5 of Gossip Girl!  The show will be returning next season for a shortened season (perhaps the final season?).

All of our coverage of the show can be found on our Gossip Girl page.  As new information surfaces throughout the summer, we'll be posting it there, so make sure to bookmark it and check back!

Gossip Girl Season Finale: Who Did Blair Choose? What Schemes Were Exposed? What Will Happen Over the Summer?

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about, Once Upon a Time fans!  That's how you do a season finale!

I've been bemoaning the fact that it's taken Emma far too long to even try to accept both the presence of the fairytale world and her destiny.  I completely understand that expecting her to do both is rather illogical, but it's a story, so I was hoping things would be pushed along.  I'm thrilled to report that everything I had hoped would come to pass in this week's finale, actually came to pass.  Let's summarize the big developments:

Emma Learned the Truth: After Henry collapsed in the last episode, she rushed him to the hospital, frantically telling the doctor that he had been poisoned.  When Dr. Whale said it didn't look like poison, she wondered whether Henry was right...if magic was really at play.  And then she picked up Henry's book and the truth literally seared itself into her brain.  Within seconds, Emma was a believer.  Was it slightly ridiculous and convenient that she truly learned about the fairytale world in that manner?  Of course it was.  Did I care?  Not really.  Because it led to...

Emma and Regina Smackdown: As Regina arrived at the hospital, the newly enlightened Emma dragged her into a supply closet to give her a beat-down.  Regina didn't bother to deny the truth any longer and admitted that Henry had been poisoned by a magical apple, although it had been meant for Emma.  Distraught that Henry was in trouble now, Regina agreed to help Emma save him, and the two women were able to put aside their differences enough to take a trip to see Mr. Gold.

Mr. Gold Reveals the Most Powerful Spell: It turns out there's a very specific reason why Emma can break the curse.  Remember that little True Love Spell Rumpel brewed from pieces of Snow and Charming?  He dropped that onto the parchment that created the evil curse.  Since True Love is the strongest magic in the world, Emma could retrieve a vial of it and use it to cure Henry.  Only there's a catch...Rumpel made sure the one vial was trapped inside of a terrible monster.

Maleficent Returns: It turns out that the True Love Spell was trapped inside Maleficent, who was transported into Storybrooke by Regina as a dragon, and trapped beneath the town.  After getting Charming's sword from Mr. Gold, Regina sent her down into a cave to defeat the Maleficent dragon, which she managed to do.  Unfortunately...

Mr. Gold Planned a Double-Cross: Mr. Gold wanted Emma to retrieve the potion, but not to save Henry.  He wanted it for himself.  He managed to incapacitate Regina and steal away the potion.

Henry's Fate: After Mr. Gold stole away what the women thought was their only hope to save Henry, they got a call from the hospital.  It turns out that Henry actually died.  Emma and Regina were devastated, but Emma took a moment to kiss Henry, bringing him back to life.  And the kiss also had an unexpected side-effect.

Belle's Reunion: Earlier, after Regina refused to help Jefferson get back his daughter because Emma hadn't actually been poisoned, he decided to take his own revenge.  He broke Belle out of the mental asylum and told her to find Mr. Gold.  She did as instructed, repeating Jefferson's story that Regina had had her locked up, and asked Mr. Gold to protect her.  He was elated to discover that she was actually alive and he took her out to the woods to perform another spell.

Charming's Quest: Throughout the episode, Charming worked to reunite with a comatose Snow. He managed to escape from the Evil Queen's castle (with help from the Hunstman, who has been missing from Once Upon a Time for far too long!) and then encountered Mr. Gold in the woods.  As it turns out, Mr. Gold offered up a deal: he would help Charming escape the woods and find Snow if he would take the True Love potion and place it inside Maleficent.  Charming was able to complete the task and then we were right back at the pilot episode: Charming awaking Snow White with a kiss.  But we saw a few scenes the pilot didn't show us, including Charming proposing to Snow and her vow that they would retake the kingdom from his father and her evil step-mother.

The Breaking of the Curse:  When Henry came back to life, Emma's actions also returned everyone's memories.  At the hospital, Henry rejected Regina, who tearfully insisted that she loved him.  But now that all of the Storybrooke residents knew the truth about what she had done to them, she was advised to run.  The breaking of the curse also caused David, who was heading to Boston, to turn around and find Mary Margaret.  Reunited, they remembered their true identities as Snow and Charming.

Magic is Coming: In the woods, Belle informed Rumpel that she remembered him.  He took her to the well that August had previously shown Emma...the well whose waters are supposed to return what has been lost.  Rumpel dropped the True Love potion into the well, which caused a huge purple cloud to spread out over the town.  Back at home, Regina went from crying over the loss of Henry to smiling at the cloud.  Because she knew what was coming.  As Rumpel told Belle in the woods: "Magic is coming."  Why did he do this?   Because "magic is power".

That Final Moment: The pilot episode ended with the town clock (permanently stuck at 8:15) beginning to move again.  The season finale ended with the clock, striking 8:15, being enveloped by the purple cloud.  Awesome symmetry.

I thought the season finale of Once Upon a Time was the ideal way to wrap up a season.  So many shows will avoid resolving a huge storyarc, preferring, instead, to hold it until the next season.  But Once Upon a Time refused to do that.  It basically resolved every major storyline.  Emma learning the truth and accepting her destiny?  Check.  Regina's evil exposed?  Check.  Mary Margaret and David being reunited?  Check.  Everyone remembering their true past?  Check.  And I loved the fact that little questions were answered.  We now know why Emma was always the curse-breaker and we even know why Rumpel worked to reunite Snow and Charming (so he could get more ingredients for True Love potions).

And yet, I'm not even worried about what could happen next season (yes, Once Upon a Time has already been renewed).  In fact, I am giddy at the possibilities of what could happen.  With magic coming to Storybrooke, does that mean that everyone will still remain in the town, but now with access to magic?  Or will Storybrooke be transformed back in the fairytale world?  Also, now that Rumpel knows Regina hid Belle for him, imagine the epic confrontations between those two.

I could not have asked for a better finale for Once Upon a Time, and I can't wait until the beginning of next season.

All of our coverage of the show can be found on our Once Upon a Time page.  As new information surfaces throughout the summer, we'll be posting it there, so make sure to bookmark it and check back!

Once Upon a Time Season Finale Recap: A Land Without Magic Becomes...

The penultimate episode of Supernatural brought me the return of one of my favorite monster characters: the Alpha Vampire (played by Rick Worthy).  For that, it gets an automatic "awesome!" ranking because he's the coolest vampire around (eat your heart out, Edward Cullen).  It also meant the return of the always-welcome Crowley and perfectly set up the season finale.  Here's what happened in this week's Supernatural:

A Sprinkle of Blood, A Dash of Bone...Mix Well and Serve

After new prophet Kevin helpfully decoded the Word of God tablet last week (and subsequently got captured by the Leviathans), Sam and Dean were able to get one ingredient: the blood of a fallen angel (i.e. Castiel).  Unfortunately, that's all they really have right now.  In fact, they're not even entirely certain the plan to defeat Dick Roman will mean all of the other Leviathans just drop dead.  But Dean, as usual, is happy to just have a plan.

Bobby popped up with some helpful advice: the other two types of blood needed must come from a demon and an Alpha.  He suggested they call on their BFF-in-times-of-need, Crowley, and try to get his blood and a suggestion on where to find the last remaining Alpha (assuming there is one).

Some people are suggesting that they'll need one of Dean's bones to satisfying the "bone of a righteous man" ingredient. Normally I would agree, but Bobby's emphasis in this episode of needing the bone from someone as good and light as the Leviathans are dark and hungry makes me want to rule Dean out. Maybe I'm wrong, but while Dean is clearly a righteous man, I wouldn't suggest that he's the antithesis of the Leviathans. Dean has darkness inside of him (ie. torturing souls in Hell). I would wager that maybe Kevin is the person whose bone they need. Of course, I could be way off in my guess here, so I guess we'll have to wait until the finale to find out.

The problem with Bobby is that his actions are becoming increasingly more erratic and angry and the Winchesters are definitely taking notice.

Road Trip

The boys performed a little summoning spell, which Crowley happily responded to.  He agreed to provide his blood, but only if he could go last, because it's too valuable a commodity to risk falling into the wrong hands.  It's quite interesting that Dean refused to spill the beans about Castiel surviving and giving them his blood.  He denied obtaining the fallen angel blood at all.  I very much enjoy watching the boys be clever in their dealings with demons, because they so often get screwed over that it's refreshing for them to turn the tables on occasion.

Crowley shared some interesting news: the Alpha Vamp was able to escape before Castiel fried all of the Alphas and Crowley was able to give them a starting point as to where to find him.  The Winchesters (and Bobby's ghost) were off!

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

Meanwhile, Dick Roman was revealing his newest corporate acquisition: Sucrocorp.  The manufacturer of food products (primarily high-fructose corn syrup, as in, the stuff that's in pretty much everything), Sucrocorp was Dick's next great step in taking over the human race.  By putting their special ingredient into the world's food supply, the Leviathans could now turn all the humans into slaves and pick them off one by one.  When Sam and Dean realized his plan, Sam suggested they refrain from eating anything processed.  Dean became despondent when faced with the possibility of eating only fresh fruits and vegetables.  Sam, meanwhile, is probably thinking "I've been training for this my whole life and now it's my time to shine!"

Creepy Girls Are Always Creepy

When the Winchesters arrived at a house they thought belonged to the Alpha they found a group of vampires who were all mysteriously dead (not decapitated).  They assumed that perhaps the Leviathan's additive was killing the vampires.  After searching the house, they only found one human girl, Emily.  She told them that she had been captured by the Alpha and his vamps when she was a young girl and kept prisoner.  When she said she might know where the Alpha was, the Winchesters took her with them and Bobby as they set off.

When they finally arrived at their destination, they decided to store Emily in a motel for safekeeping, and they forced Bobby to remain behind with her by locking the flask in the safe.  But he soon realized something they didn't know: Emily had double-crossed them and led them to the Alpha.  Frantic, Bobby attempted to get the flask out of the safe so he could head out and help the boys.  Nothing worked until he was able to possess the body of a maid, grab the flask and split.

Concluded on next page...

Supernatural 7.22 Recap: Blood, Monsters and Double-Crosses...Just Another Friday Night

The season 3 finale of The Vampire Diaries delivered quite a few shockers.  Someone definitely died, as promised (or did they?!).  And Elena made her choice between the Salvatore brother.  Then came that crazy cliffhanger...

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Alaric?  The truth is, you don't.  The former history teacher spent the episode being a terrible nuisance to the vampire population.  His interference with the counsel prompted the mayor and sheriff to order their children out of town, and he also threatened to ruin Meredith's medical career.

The Return of the Originals. Both Elijah and Rebekah returned to town, determined to take Klaus away.  Elijah tried to bargain with Stefan and Damon, saying that he would take Klaus out of town so that the Salvatores (who had been told they were of Klaus' bloodline) could continue to live.  After all, the Originals only had to wait about 50 years for Elena and Alaric to die in order to be free.

Who Died?  It turns out that Damon had stored Klaus' body in a storage center.  He met up with Rebekah there, but Alaric found them soon enough.  And then he...well, he stabbed the heck out of Klaus, killing him!  Body on fire, Rebekah screaming and crying, the whole nine yards.

The Bloodline Problem.  Of course, Klaus' death had everyone worrying that they too would die.  But Stefan, Damon and Caroline were genuinely perplexed when they didn't drop dead an hour later, prompting them to believe that Klaus didn't really sire their bloodline.  But you know who did die?  Tyler.  While begging Caroline to leave, he went through terrible plain, dropping dead.

Did Klaus and Tyler REALLY Die?  No!  What a crazy fake-out!  It turns out that Bonnie (who had originally accompanied Damon to the storage unit) performed a soul-swapping spell, putting Klaus in Tyler's body and orchestrating the entire thing to make it look like they both died.  Her reason?  She did it to keep her friends and mother from dying.  At this point, I'm assuming that Tyler is locked inside of his own body, much like when Esther was possessing Rebekah, but I could be wrong about that.

Which Brother Did Elena Choose?  Elena's flashbacks to the days when her parents were alive actually helped us understand her decision.  She admitted to Matt that she had to choose between Stefan and Damon, but it was remembering her parents' accident that made her remember why she fell in love with Stefan in the first place.  She was broken after losing her parents, and Stefan helped bring her back to life.  When the Salvatores' lives were threatened and Elena believed both brothers only had an hour left to live, Matt (who was trying to take her out of town and away from her crazy life) asked her to decide: should he keep driving out of town to reach Damon so she could say goodbye, or should he return her to Stefan in Mystic Falls?  Her decision was made.  She called Damon to bid him farewell.  "I love him, Damon.  He came into my life at a time when I needed someone and I fell for him instantly.  No matter what I feel for you, I...I never un-fell for him.  I can't think about 'always'. All I can think about is right now.  And I care about you, Damon.  Which is why I have to let you go.  I mean, maybe if you and I had met first...".

Rewriting History.  Shockingly, the Vampire Diaries flashbacks not only showed us why Elena chose Stefan, but they also showed us why her speech to Damon was unbelievably ironic.  It turns out that Elena actually met Damon first!  Shortly before her parents' death, Damon spotted her walking through the outskirts of town at night.  Thinking she was Katherine, she quickly disproved that notion.  After a bit of a discussion centering around her current boyfriend, he told her that she deserved real love in her life, and then he hit her with some compulsion: he wanted her to find exactly what she was looking for, but also wanted her to forget they ever met, because he wasn't yet ready to reveal his presence in town.

So Who Really Died?  After Klaus' death, Rebekah wanted her pound of flesh, and the only way she could do that was to kill Alaric.  But going up against him wouldn't work, so she came up with Plan B: kill Elena.  As Elena and Matt were rushing back to town, Rebekah stood in the middle of the road, causing them to swerve and drive into the lake.  As Elena and Matt were trapped underwater, Elena remembered the accident with her parents, where her father insisted that Stefan save her life over his own. Stefan arrived as savior one more time, but Elena insisted he save Matt.  As Alaric continued to wail on Damon in the storage facility, he quickly broke down, dying in Damon's arms.  And Damon knew what that meant...

Elena was dead.

Did Meredith Do Good?  Elena opened the episode in the hospital after collapsing in the penultimate episode of The Vampire Diaries.  While Meredith had played off her injuries at the time, she actually lied.  It turns out that Elena was far worse off than Meredith had led on, prompting her to feed Elena some vampire blood.  Meaning...

The Crazy Cliffhanger.  Elena awoke on a table as a pre-vampire.  She died with vampire blood in her system.  By the laws of The Vampire Diaries, she can fully die, or feed to complete the transition.  We're putting our money on her feeding and completing the transition.

To Sum Up... Klaus is in Tyler's body (Bonnie's fault).  Tyler is presumably trapped inside of his body with Klaus in control.  Alaric is officially dead (but is a ghost who took the time to say goodbye to Jeremy).  Elena will likely become a vampire.

You know what, Vampire Diaries fans?  This changes everything.

The Vampire Diaries has already been renewed for a fourth season and will return in the fall on The CW.  I can only imagine what we're in for.

All of our coverage of the show can be found on our Vampire Diaries page.  As new information surfaces throughout the summer, we'll be posting it there, so make sure to bookmark it and check back!

The Vampire Diaries Finale: Who Died?! Who Did Elena Choose?! What Was That Cliffhanger?!

Once Upon a Time delivered on its penultimate episode as events circled back to the pilot episode of the show.

In the fairytale world, Charming was about to be executed by King George when the Evil Queen swooped in and bought him.  While the Queen used Charming as a trap for Snow, Snow White met with Red, Granny and the dwarves to come up with a plan to save Charming.  Grumpy called in a favor from the faeries and Snow had her army.  They stormed King George's castle and Snow made it all the way into the dungeon before realizing that Charming's presence there was just an illusion through a mirror because he had been taken to the Queen's castle.

The Queen's image appeared and she proposed a temporary truce so that they might negotiate.  The two women met in Regina's family's stables and Regina finally told Snow the truth about Daniel's death all those years ago.  Snow tried to defend her actions back then (justifiably, frankly), but the Queen was having none of it.  She proposed a deal: Snow would eat the poisonous apple and the Queen would allow Charming to live.  Determined to protect the man she loved, Snow bit the fruit, falling into a coma.  Her friends gathered, thinking she was dead.

In Storybrooke, Regina had what may turn out to be a prophetic dream with the residents of the town discovering her true identity, tying her to a tree and beheading her.  Quickly realizing that her apple tree was dying - a sign of the weakening curse - she turned to Mr. Gold for help.  He revealed a crucial fact: killing Emma would break the curse.  Desperate to keep the curse intact, but also find a way to stop Emma once and for all, she attempted to bargain with him, but he shot her down.

Meanwhile, Emma had attempted to run away with Henry, but he forced her to turn back, begging her to help the other Once Upon a Time characters in Storybrooke.  She reluctantly returned and faced an angry Mary Margaret, who told her she needed to make a real choice about her future with Henry, instead of just running.  More words with Archie convinced her of her course of action.  Henry, meanwhile, went to August, telling him that Emma wanted to leave.  The mysterious writer revealed his true identity to Henry and showed him that his condition was deteriorating.  Wanting to spend the rest of his time with his father, he tasked Henry with putting Emma back on the right path.

While Emma was on a path to self-discovery, Regina turned to plan B: have Jefferson retrieve the poison apple from the fairytale world so that she could put Emma to sleep forever.  He agreed to help when his daughter's happiness was thrown into the bargain and Regina pulled out his hat, asking him to use it with the little bit of magic she was able to bring over from the fairytale world.  Unfortunately, her plan wasn't entirely successful.  Despite sacrificing the ring Daniel had given her to the hat, they were unable to generate the amount of magic necessary to travel to the fairytale world.  But Jefferson was able to reach through the portal and retrieve a single item: the magic apple that Snow White dropped when she bit into it.

Emma visited Regina, telling her that she was prepared to leave Storybrooke once and for all, but only if Regina would allow her to visit Henry.  Regina seemingly agreed with the plan, but gave Emma an apple turnover made from the poisonous apple.  Back at home, Emma told Henry about her plan to leave.  Angry that she was leaving town, Henry noticed the turnover and tried to convince her that Regina was trying to kill her.  Telling Emma that he wanted to prove the curse was real, he bit into the dessert, trusting her to save him.  A moment later, Henry collapsed.

Once Upon a Time dazzled this week.  The fairytale world was full of epic battles and I loved the synchronicity with the pilot episode.  We know how this story ends - Charming awakens Snow with a kiss and the curse eventually comes about - but it feels fitting that this is where the fairytale story should end up at the end of the first season.  It was also pretty amazing to see a strung out Regina in Storybrooke, no longer in control.  And it looks like that control won't return anytime soon as Henry battles for his life in the finale.  Emma's unwillingness to take on the responsibility of saving the town - or her unwillingness to believe Henry - frustrates me just a little bit.  At 21 episodes in, you would think she would at least start getting a bit suspicious about what's happening in the town, but I'm hoping that Henry's actions will finally wake her up.

The season finale of Once Upon a Time will air on May 13.  With Henry's life in the balance, will magic finally come to Storybrooke?  Watch a preview for the finale here.

For more coverage of the show, including reviews, photos, spoilers and sneak peeks, browse and bookmark our Once Upon a Time page.

Once Upon a Time 1.21 Recap: Regina's Plans Unravel As We Come Full Circle to the Pilot

As much as I enjoyed this week’s Supernatural, I can already tell it might be polarizing.  Dealing with one of the key relationships of the show (the one between Castiel and the Winchesters...Dean in particular), it has the ability to upset a few fans.  But before we get to that, let’s summarize what happened.

Kevin Tran, This is Your Life

This week’s Supernatural ventured heavily back into religious territory, which I rather enjoyed.  The Winchesters broke through the clay block they stole from Dick and found an old-looking tablet with strange writing.  The reveal of this object also ignited a large storm.  Other than causing every pregnant woman to give birth, the storm also caused two significant events: (1) Castiel woke up in the mental hospital, with Meg watching over him, and (2) a high school student named Kevin Tran was struck by lightening and made into an unwilling prophet.

Summoned by Meg, the Winchesters traveled to the hospital to find a slightly different version of Castiel.  This one is slightly crazy and slightly apathetic, but also enlightened.  Clearly the Winchesters were at odds on how to deal with this never-before-seen version of their former compatriot, but he was able to enlighten them on the tablet, which he said was written by the angel Metatron and contained the “Word of God”.  Unfortunately, angels weren’t meant to read the Word, so Castiel was unable to translate.

While Cas flitted off when Dean and Meg fought about her joining the team and Dean went off to find him, Sam encountered Kevin, who had driven to the hospital and attempted to steal the Word.  When confronted, he admitted that he was driven to protect the tablet, although he was unsure why.  In the rec room of the hospital, Dean and Castiel were having a rather uncomfortable conversation where Dean grew increasingly more frustrated by Cas’ laid-back manner.

Not the Most Fun Garrison

Enter Hester and Anais, two angels formerly of Castiel’s garrison who have been tasked with taking the Word and its prophet keeper to the desert to keep the Word away from humans.  They’re shocked to see Castiel, who they believed was dead.  Hester, in particular, is horrified at his present state, frustrated about his disappearance from Heaven.  Who is running things up there now that Raphael and Castiel are no longer fighting for control?

Dean was able to banish the angels for a few hours and he rounded up Meg and Kevin and headed to Rufus’ cabin.  There, Kevin was able to finish translating the tablet, but they hit a snag.  While the cabin was hidden from angels, Meg inadvertently notified the angels about their location when she killed two demons who were following them, instead of joining ranks with them.  Once again, Hester and Anais appeared, determined to take Kevin.  When Hester took out her frustration for recent events on Castiel’s face, Meg stabbed her with the angel blade.  Fortunately, Anais was far more willing to work with Cas and the Winchesters and assigned two angel guards to protect Kevin.  Unfortunately, Kevin’s home had already been infiltrated by Edgar, one of the first Leviathans we met this season.  He killed the angel guards and now has possession of Kevin.

Back at the cabin, the Winchesters learned that Sam and Dean learned that they needed the bone of a righteous mortal washed in the blood of three fallen creatures in order to defeat the Leviathans.  The first creature was a fallen angel and Castiel handed over his blood and left, saying that he’s not sure what he’ll be doing next, but he basically doesn’t feel like sticking around to fight anymore.  One down, two more to go.

Concluded on next page...

Supernatural 7.21 Review: Angels, Demons and Prophets, Oh My!

Secrets aplenty were spilled in this week’s episode of Revenge as it appears that the Grayson family really is “on the verge of absolute catastrophe.” This episode did not disappoint as Emily’s path for revenge became clearer and Daniel was released from jail. So let’s get to the main points of “Absolution,” shall we…

Charlotte does her homework. Of course I don’t mean her homework for school. This girl is still on a downward spiral, getting drugs from her ex and failing calculus. However, Charlotte was useful this episode as she really wanted to learn about her dad, David Clarke. Worried about her half sibling, Emily finds the youngest Grayson surrounded by magazines and information regarding her father. We later see Charlotte and her mother visiting his grave as well. Of particular note is a photograph dated the day he died which shows him writing in a journal. Recognizing the date, Emily realizes one of his journals is missing from the infinity box, which leads us to….

Nolan’s secrets. As everyone knows, you can’t keep secrets from Emily Thorne for very long. It was just a matter of time before Emily found out that Nolan was hiding a journal from her. In his defense, he was only attempting to protect both his family and David’s dignity at the end of his life.  At the time of his death, her father had become paranoid and scared. Knowing he wouldn’t want her to see him like this, Nolan withheld the book from her. In this journal, David remarked that everything will be over tomorrow when CM is going to help bring the truth to light. So just who is CM? CM is Carole Miller, who at the time of David’s incarceration, was working for Conrad and attempting to find out the truth regarding flight 197 to exonerate David Clarke. Just as she had gathered enough evidence, things went sour and David was murdered so Nolan faked his aunt’s death and changed her name to Carole Thomas. After a misunderstanding with a shotgun (!!!), Carole tells Emily of a man who worked with Conrad who has white hair and ice blue eyes and that she has only seen twice; once, a year to the day before the plane crash and then on the morning of her father’s death. This is the man who killed him.

“When I choose to react, you’ll know it.” To make Conrad pay for all of his misgivings, including chasing Dominik away, Victoria finally chooses to use the business card of Mr. McGowen of the Securities and Exchange Commission. In exchange for complete immunity, she begins to spill everything about flight 197 and Conrad and Grayson Global’s involvement in the terrorist attack. To be blunt, the _____ is about to hit the fan for Conrad and his company.

Jack’s visits. Meanwhile, Jack didn’t do much during this episode of Revenge but he did share some valuable information with Daniel after his release from jail. Not only did he give Daniel his cell phone back from Tyler’s pocket but he also informed him that the bloody hoodie found with Lee was actually his so it’s unlikely he actually killed Tyler. If you’re like me you were probably thinking why would Jack do this? It’s simple. Emily trusts Daniel and therefore so does Jack.

Daniel is finally free. After reviewing the confession from Lee, all charges against Daniel are dropped and he is released from prison. Feeling like the rich always get away with “murder” especially as the climate of Occupy Wall Street fills the air, the citizens of the Hamptons are infuriated. In order to combat this image, Daniel takes on the press in a big one to one interview. Learning a tidbit from Jack, Daniel yearns to know the truth and he learns it from his father. He learns everything; from who was responsible for his beating in jail to what really happened with David Clarke and flight 197. Despite these revelations from his father, Daniel sticks by his dad during the interview, causing Emily some distress.

So what is Emily’s plan now? Simple. She’ll marry Daniel, and find the man who killed her father and kill him. Next week we will flashback to 2002 and witness the genesis of Emily’s plan for revenge including another trip back to Lydia’s infamous New Year's Eve party where she played waitress.

With all these secrets being spilled and more to come as we crank towards the season finale, what did you think of this week’s Revenge? Which secret shocked you the most? What do you think will happen with our love triangle? Do you think Takeda and Fauxmanda will reappear before the end of the season? Let us know what you think and your theories in the comments below!

For all of our coverage of the show, including sneak peeks, photos, spoilers and more, browse and bookmark our Revenge page.  You can also watch the newest episodes from Hulu there.

Revenge Recap: "An Absolute Catastrophe" for the Graysons as Secrets are Spilled

There are all sorts of different Supernatural episodes that appeal to me. I love the big, dramatic mythology episodes where Dean cries because something happened (likely someone dying). I love the hilarious episodes where everything is just so silly. And I love episodes like this week’s episode that was just a fun hour of television with a great guest star that also moved the story forward.

Charlie, From IT

Over at Dick Roman’s company, we met Charlie (guest star Felicia Day), an adorable IT employee and part-time hacker who caught Roman’s eye. Since he finally got his hands on Frank Deveraux’s hard drive, he wants Charlie to get through the encryption. She started working on it immediately until she ran into a few road blocks...like a War Games simulator Frank had built into the drive based on the 1980s movie.

Back at Rufus’ cabin, the brothers are trying to figure out what Roman is up to with so many digs. That’s when Bobby pops in to confirm the Leviathan’s overall plan that he learned before he died: they’re buying up restaurants around the country to serve people food that will make them complacent. They’ll cure diseases and then they’ll have an unlimited supply of human beings who can just walk into “death centers” to be slaughtered.

Oh, those Leviathans...they’re all just about enslaving and eating the human race.

Shortly after Bobby dropped that bombshell, another one came in by way of an automated message from Frank, which said that someone was breaking into his hard drive, which contains information about their aliases and the location of the Impala (Dean was horrified someone might get to his baby). Fortunately, Frank equipped the hard drive with GPS, allowing them to see that it’s currently smack dab in the middle of Roman’s company. Bobby offered to head into the building to try and help, but both Sam and Dean were concerned about him lashing out like a vengeful spirit. It seems like Sam is slowly losing his optimism that having Bobby back could work out.

Charlie managed to crack through the hard drive the next morning and was surprised to find information about Roman on it. She got curious and read through it, finding information about the Leviathans. But it wasn’t until she followed her manager to the basement and saw him get eaten by one of the Leviathans that she started to freak out. Running home to pack, she came across the Winchesters, who had tracked her down when Frank’s security measures broke into her web cam and sent her image to the boys. After everyone passed the Borax test to confirm they’re not a Leviathan, they got down to business. The boys had to have another “monsters are real, we’re totally serious here” conversation. But they desperately needed her help to break into Roman’s emails so they can figure out what he’s digging for.

Does This Make Dean the George Clooney of the Team?

Charlie can help, but only if they can get inside his personal office. This is where Supernatural went Oceans 11. Sam and Dean stayed behind in a truck with access to the security monitors while she psyched herself up to head inside. That’s when the Winchesters realized that Bobby had slipped his flask into Charlie’s bag to gain access to the building.

Let me stop for a moment and say how much I loved Felicia Day as Charlie. She’s adorable and quirky, but she was also a pretty kick-ass chick who knew how to take care of herself and volunteered to help Sam and Dean when she realized what was at stake. We’ve talked about the lack of solid long-time female roles on the show, but a lot of the guest stars they bring in are pretty amazing and I’m happy to be with them, even if it’s only for a single episode.

Although, Charlie did try to back out at the last minute, until Sam asked her about her favorite Harry Potter character (Hermione) and asked WWHD? Next to him, Dean was just horrified about Sam’s knowledge of Harry Potter.

Charlie managed to make her way up to the executive floor with a little help from Sam and the security cameras. When she found a guard blocking entrance to the floor, she had to flirt her way through, which was no easy feat because she’s kind of a socially-awkward nerd who also happens to be a lesbian. Dean, however, put his flirting powers to good use, and Charlie managed to get into Roman’s office to download his emails while Bobby watched on.

Intercepting the Package

After going through some emails, Charlie realized that Roman’s dig had been completed and whatever they found was arriving tonight. The brothers headed to the airport to intercept the package, still Oceans 11 style, complete with costumes and a switcheroo that would have made Matt Damon look proud.

The case the Leviathans took back to headquarters contained a Borax bomb, which Roman found out about after grilling Charlie about the hard drive, who insisted it was completely useless. He had the building shut down just as she was trying to escape. During the scuffle with the Leviathans (when Bobby also happened to stop by), she got pushed and broke her arm, just at the same time Sam and Dean came crashing through the glass doors to save her.

But Bobby was there too, and when he saw Roman he couldn’t contain his anger and lashed out at him. Cue the vengeful ghost act that Sam and Dean were so worried about.

The brothers managed to send Charlie off, who swore she would be just fine because did they really think she’s had no experience changing her identity before. They saw her off with a smile and then worried about how to handle Bobby. Oh yeah, and what to do with that giant hunk of red clay that they managed to steal from Roman. Why does Roman want it? Is it something he needs for his plan, or perhaps something that could hurt him?

There were a ton of geeky/fandom shout-outs in this episode, including Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and even Comic-Con. There was a sweet shout-out to deceased Supernatural director Kim Manners, who always used to say “kick it in the ass”, a line that Charlie said tonight.

Overall, this was a fun episode that deserves a second viewing to watch Charlie’s adorableness and the cute caper once again.  And since Charlie didn't die, she is definitely a character I wouldn't mind seeing again.

Only three more episodes of Supernatural until the end of the season. A new episode will be airing next week on May 4. Watch a preview here.

In case you missed it earlier, we’ve been covering the Jus in Bello Supernatural convention in Rome. You can read all about the first day’s panels, and view photos, here.

Supernatural 7.20 Recap: The Great Winchester Caper...With Bonus Felicia Day

Gossip Girl chose not to drag out a few key plot points concerning the Rhodes and van der Woodsen families.  First up was Ivy.  The case over CeCe's will went to court and, while we didn't get to see any of the proceedings, we did find out that Ivy's inheritance was revoked and the Rhodes estate is to be divided equally between Lily and Carol.  But to put up a good front, Lily invited her family to her penthouse for a public dinner in order to repair the family image.

The "other" Charlie Rhodes also had an important part to play when William van der Woodsen met with her to tell her that he's her father.  Instead of keeping Carol's secret and allowing himself to be blackmailed, William decided to come right out with the truth, but, at Lola's request, he agreed to keep it quiet from the rest of the family.  Unfortunately, Serena found out the big news secondhand through Nate.

Serena immediately ran to tell Lily the news, who took it quite calmly.  She admitted that William had cheated on her many times during their marriage and suggested they keep this news quiet until after the dinner with the reporter.

But it seems that Lily had a few tricks up her sleeve, calling up Ivy to propose a partnership.  When the dinner started, Lily spilled the beans about Lola's paternity and Carol's plans in front of the reporter.  Everyone was furious that the truth had come out, but none more so than Carol.  However, the paternity bombshell wasn't the only one revealed during dinner.  It turns out that Lily convinced Ivy to confess her fraud to the police in exchange for immunity so that Carol could be arrested.  The price for Ivy's confession?  $1 million.  And while Ivy insisted that she just wanted to be part of the family, Lily bade her goodbye.  But then there's the twist: Ivy ripped up the check and is determined to stay in New York to earn her way back into the family.  To be honest, the whole thing was rather delicious.

Of course, Lola insisted that she was also getting hurt by Lily's vengeance against Carol and Serena lashed out against her father, jealous of his new daughter.  Despite William's apology, Serena was upset that he had barely acted like a father to her for her entire life, but seemed eager to protect Lola as soon as he learned she was his daughter.  When Rufus found out what Lily had done during the dinner, he confronted her, telling her that he didn't want anything to do with her if this is who she wanted to be.  When she asked "where else will you find an Upper East Side woman to take care of you like I have?" he thanked her for making his decision to separate a lot easier.

Carol's troubles still weren't over: William convinced her to give him power of attorney, promising to take care of Lola.  Only he called up Lily, saying that he would sign over Carol's half of the estate to her.  But Lily's vagueness about taking care of Lola convinced William to leave town with the money.

In the less delicious storylines in this week's Gossip Girl was Blair's anger over her decreasing social status, which led her to try and steal the spotlight at an awards ceremony for Dan.  Finally, Nate seemed very interested in learning more about Diana in order to buy out her share of the Spectator.  He discovered that she was being bankrolled by Jack Bass.  After an investigation by his PI, Nate actually seemed convinced that Elizabeth was really Chuck's mother while Diana was a fraud.  He told Chuck as much, but Chuck realized that the connection between Diana and Elizabeth was Jack.  And when he recognized the tattoo on the arm of a man in a photo with Elizabeth Chuck wondered if Jack is really his father.  Another Gossip Girl, another question about Chuck's family history.

Gossip Girl is all new on April 30, so tune in next week.  Until then, watch a promo for the next episode.

Gossip Girl Recap: The van der Woodsen Family Drama Continues. Plus, Chuck Gets Another Shock!

Wow.  This week's Once Upon a Time left us with quite a few big reveals.  First, August's identity was (mostly) revealed, thanks to some digging by Mr. Gold.  Second, the origin of the curse is also revealed, and the reason the whole curse came about is likely not what you think.

Before we begin, it's important to note two reveals in Storybrooke.  First, Regina stated that the curse was essentially the work of Rumplestiltskin, which we already knew.  But it's interesting to note how much of the responsibility she places on him.  Second, Mr. Gold told Regina that he's only broken one deal in his life, and the deal regarding Kathryn wasn't it.

A Deal's A Deal

In the fairytale world, Rumple was settling into life in his village after gaining his power.  But his life has drastically changed.  His small family now has a servant...and the fear of the surrounding villagers.  He may have negotiated an end to the Ogre Wars, but he also killed a man who accidentally hit his son with a carriage.  Even his son Baelfire is ostracized by the other children who don't want to risk any retaliation by his father.

Bae is just as upset about his father's new power as the rest of the villagers, but he's the only one who can explain that to Rumple.  He makes his father promise to give up the power if he can find a way to get rid of it without harming him.  A tip from a young girl leads Bae to the Blue Fairy, who gives him a magic bean (yes, it's slightly ridiculous).  This bean will transport Bae and Rumple to another world...a world without magic.

While Rumple follows Bae into the woods to travel to this other world - clearly skeptical that a world without magic actually exists - he cannot follow through.  A portal opens and Bae pleads with his father to leave with him and go to a world where he can finally be normal.  But Rumple is too afraid to do it, and Bae falls through the portal, disappearing into our world.

Rumple screams for his son and then summons the Blue Fairy, who tells him that Bae is now lost to him forever.  But the magician vows that he'll find a way to get his son back and throws out different suggestions on how to get to the world.  None of them will work, the Blue Fairy says.  None of them but...a curse.

What does that mean?  It means that Rumplestiltskin is not only the originator of the curse that brought the fairytale characters to Storybrooke, but he manipulated the Queen and her situation to ensure that the curse he wanted was performed so that he could come to this world and find his son.  In other words, the Queen may believe that this whole plot was her doing, but the truth is that she is as much of a pawn in Rumple's game as the other characters are in hers.

A Long Lost Son?

In Storybrooke, August awakens, clearly disoriented, in pain, and unable to really move.  He calls someone to say they need to "accelerate the plan".  Then he asks Henry to help distract Mr. Gold while he searches the back of his shop.  Unfortunately for August, Mr. Gold's interest is piqued when he finds August snooping.  This leads to Mr. Gold following him and talking to Emma about August's appearance in town.  Eventually he finds a connection between August and the Mother Superior (ie. the Blue Fairy), who mentions that August is looking for his father in town.

Naturally, Mr. Gold believes that August is Bae, especially after he finds a sketch of the dagger with Rumple's name on it in his hotel room.  He follows August out to the woods and confronts him.  August responds, calling Mr. Gold "papa".  The pair have a reunion that ends with Mr. Gold showing August the location of the dagger, which followed Mr. Gold to this world when the curse took effect.

But, a moment later, Mr. Gold's and the audience's discovery was all but shattered when August tries to use the dagger to command him.  Mr. Gold knows that August isn't really his son, because Bae knows that there is no magic in this world and wouldn't try to control him like this.  Thus, all of our hopes that August's identity has been revealed are cruelly dashed.

More information follows a moment later, though, so all hope is not lost.  Confronted by an angry Mr. Gold, August reveals that he's sick and dying and needs magic to help save him.  He had hoped that Emma could help, but he says that he'll die before she gets a clue (which, frankly, is probably true).  August is definitely from the fairytale world, although his true identity is still unknown, and Mr. Gold doesn't seem too inclined to discover more.  Instead, he tells August to try again with Emma.  So, in a sense, August's secrets were revealed, but, like most other mythology shows (particularly LOST), we have even more questions now.

Frankly, I liked that the Once Upon a Time writers chose, for a time, to make August Rumple's son.  It's a theory that's been making the rounds for a while now (including the theories of August being a grown-up Henry or the boy who found Emma on the side of the road), and it's nice to see fans' theories validated...at least for five minutes.  But frustration set in again when all of the answers were seemingly taken away.  Yes, August is definitely from the fairytale world, which is nice to know and sort of eliminates the "older Henry" theory altogether.  But I definitely need to know more.

The one thing I loved was the origin of the curse.  The Queen may think she's in charge, but it's become clear that she's less in control of the situation than she may think.  Even her crown jewel - the curse - is actually a result of Rumple wanting to find his son.

War is Declared

Speaking of the Queen, Regina was in for an upset after Kathryn was brought back to Storybrooke by Mr. Gold.  He suggested that she could certainly be implicated in this whole mess, but Regina is nothing if not resourceful.  It's clear that Emma believes Regina was responsible for Kathryn's abduction, and even told Sidney he should find a way to support Emma instead of Regina, as he's backing the wrong horse in the race.  However, Regina is a master of manipulation.  At the end of the episode she had Sidney confess to kidnapping Kathryn in an elaborate plan to find her, get a big story, and get his reporting job back.

Emma was furious at Sidney's clearly rehearsed "confession", and she told Regina as much.  Then came the big reveal: Emma is tired of playing Regina's games.  She tried to take someone that Emma loved (Mary Margaret) and now Emma is more than prepared to retaliate by taking someone that Regina loves: Henry.

It's about time that Emma finally stood up to Regina like this.  My only fear is that, like in previous episodes of Once Upon a Time, Emma could blunder up her plan - either by playing it too safe or because she's being played herself.  Let's hope this time she succeeds.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

With Kathryn back in town, some shippers may have been worried about what her presence might mean for Mary Margaret and David.  The good news is that Kathryn told David it's clear that they're not right for each other.  With her blessing, David attempts to reconcile with Mary Margaret.  Unfortunately, she understandably cannot let go of the hurt she felt when David believed she killed Kathryn.  He claims that he's just human, but she felt betrayed.  Oh, Once Upon a Time writers, how cruel you are to the shippers, who will have to wait even longer until the pair are reunited in Storybrooke.  I can understand how some fans of their relationship might be upset, but it would be unbelievable for Mary Margaret to just forgive David.  Yes, he's only human, but he also believed she was a murdered.  Her hurt feelings are ones I can definitely understand.  However, all hope is not lost.  Writer Jane Espenson hinted that fans of the couple might be happy by the time the finale rolls around.

A new episode of Once Upon a Time will be airing on April 29, and it looks like we'll be getting all new episodes each week until the finale on May 13.  You can watch a preview for next week here.

For more coverage of the show, including reviews, photos, spoilers and sneak peeks, browse and bookmark our Once Upon a Time page.  You can also watch the latest Hulu episodes there.

Once Upon a Time Recap: August's Secrets, and the Curse's Origin, Are Revealed...Or Are They?

Supernatural is such an interesting show sometimes.  It's probably the most perfect blend of mythology and procedural.  There are a great many mythology episodes that are stellar and outstanding, but every once in a while a standalone episode comes along that dazzles you.  Not because it's big and showy (although sometimes they are), but because it's heart-warming and heart-breaking, two qualities that Supernatural has in spades.

The Very Definition of Awkward

The Winchesters are chilling on the side of a road, eating burgers on the hood of their car (She Who Shall Not Be Named Because She Is Not the Impala) when Dean gets a call from an old hunter friend named Annie.  He immediately brightens, obviously pleased to be chatting with her.  She expressed her condolences about Bobby's death and said she would be happy to meet them to pass along some of Bobby's old books.

But then Annie pulled up to a large house, where two teenagers are having a little party inside...a make-out party.  Unfortunately for them, their make-out is short-lived, because they encountered a ghost and ended up dead moments later.  That's when Annie walked in and...met the same fate.  Oh, Annie, we hardly knew ya!

The next morning, the boys are chilling again, this time in a diner, waiting for Annie to show up.  Sam is all "hey, you know that Annie slept with the guy who is like our father, right?"  Well now, Annie, isn't that interesting.  Dean, who can never be shown up regarding sexual conquests, just had to slyly throw in the fact that he too knocked boots with the lady.  And guess what?  So did Sam.  On the one hand...go, Annie!  On the other hand...that's kind of gross, right?  Sort of incestuous in a purely non-familial incestuous sort of way.

Let's fast-forward through the part where the boys realized that Annie was probably working a job at the old Van Ness house (she was), because the important thing is that Bobby is still sticking around, but he's growing increasingly frustrated by the fact that he can't really communicate whit the boys.  Making even a curtain move is an exhaustive task.

A Realtor's Nightmare

The boys headed to the Van Ness house and while the EMF meter was going haywire, only we see the truth...the house is full of ghosts.  Bobby followed the boys inside because he's tied to the flask Dean always carries in his pocket and he can see all of the ghosts, although most of them seem more content to stand and stare than interact with him.

Bobby soon saw Annie and has the unfortunate task of telling her that she's dead.  She seemed to come to terms with it, although she wants to figure out what's going on in the house and finish her last job before moving on.  While the boys blundered about, trying to find Annie, Bobby and his lady friend managed to interact with another ghost who tried to give them lessons in how to move objects.  There's two ways: (1) either you do it calmly, or (2) you unleash a terrible burst of anger like a poltergeist.  Bobby kept getting frustrated when his repeated attempts don't yield results.

The boys headed out to learn more about the house and the Van Ness family, while Annie wa left behind on her own, witnessing the death of two more visitors.  She managed to interact with a friendlier ghost, who warned her not to cross Whitman Van Ness, because he is keeping all of the ghosts hostage until they anger him enough to kill them.

Back at the motel, Sam was browsing the case file while Dean showered.  Supernatural completely failed in one respect this episode when it didn't deliver the obligatory towel scene that should have followed the shower scene.  Instead, Dean put on a t-shirt and spotted a message that Bobby had left on the mirror, saying Annie was trapped in the house.  When the boys realized someone was in the room, Bobby managed to draw his name in the steam and Sam quickly realized he was tied to the flask.

Concluded on next page...

Supernatural 7.19 Recap: Lessons in How to Be a Ghost...And Break Our Hearts

Revenge finally returned from hiatus this week with an episode that continued to prove why this show is so delicious.  Let's just get right to it, shall we?

Let's Play "Pin The Murder on The Donkey". The way I see it, the main difference between Emily and Victoria is the way in which they react to situations.  Emily is more of a "set up a plan and see it through methodically" kind of girl, while Victoria is a "let's try everything crazy and see what sticks" woman.  Clearly Victoria isn't happy that Daniel is being charged with Tyler's murder, but instead of sitting back and letting their high-priced attorney (Ben) do his job, she decides to get creative.  When Charlotte can't accurately describe the hooded figure she and Declan saw on the beach, Victoria uses her uncertainty as a way to frame those she thinks is guilty.

She first suggests that perhaps Charlotte saw a woman that night (ie. Amanda).  When Charlotte and Declan deny that, she has the sketch artist draw up a photo of Jack Porter.  Naturally, Emily is horrified at the possibility of Jack becoming embroiled in the murder drama, but Victoria seems to feel no guilt about playing with people's lives.  The moments of humanity we see from her are so often overshadowed by her self-preservation instinct, which drives her to make terrible and rash choices without thinking of the consequences of her actions.

Fortunately, Emily is thinking about the consequences of Victoria's actions and she suggests they bring in Mason Treadwell as a spin-doctor to sell the "Amanda is guilty as hell" story.  She has Nolan go retrieve him from obscurity and deliver him unto Grayson Manor, where he's set up with an office, a bedroom and a brand-new blog, The Treadwell Report (yes, it's a real site that Revenge set up).

Good Help Is Just So Hard to Find. While Mason is off trying to scare Jack into giving up information on Amanda, Victoria decides to take rash action #2 for this week's Revenge.  A trial date is set for December, but Victoria doesn't want to leave Daniel in Rikers for the next few months.  When Ben lets it slip that the judge will only consider letting Daniel out on bail if he has a life-threatening condition, Victoria decides to manufacture one.

She calls up her hired goon - because even proper, rich ladies like Victoria have hired goons on speed-dial - and has him arrange a beating for Daniel in the prison showers.  Poor Daniel puts up a bit of a fight, but his opponents outnumber him and he suffers relatively serious injuries.  Later, Victoria and Emily head to the prison when they find out about his condition and you can tell Emily is already suspicious about Victoria.  She follows her to a bar and spots her paying off her goon.  Instead of directly confronting Victoria, Emily proves that she's far superior at scheming by coming up with a Plan B.

Victoria's Got a Love-ah. You know who else happens to be at that very bar with Victoria and her goon?  A smoldering artist named Dominik, who just so happens to be a former boyfriend of Victoria's.  The two glance at each other across the bar (the stares were a bit much, to be honest) and then they head to Dominik's loft for some serious sex.  Not a great deal is revealed about their previous relationship except the fact that Dominik clearly has the hots for Victoria and spiraled down when she left him to marry Conrad.  Since then, he's become the prototypical brooding artist, complete with forgery and drug charges.  Yet, Victoria can't stay away from him and his bedroom eyes.

Teenage Angst Reaches New Heights.  After Treadwell confronts Jack about Amanda's involvement in Tyler's murder, Declan decides to step in with Operation Protect Big Brother.  The only way he can think of to get attention off Jack is to discredit Charlotte's memory of that night by revealing her new prescription drug habit.  At first, Treadwell seems more concerned about Charlotte than exposing her secrets.  But then Emily steps in.  Pretending to be Amanda, she anonymously IMs with Treadwell, telling him that Victoria stole his interview tapes and burned down his house.  Treadwell is livid.

"Hi Honey, I'm Home".  Daniel manages to get out of Rikers on $10 million bail, although he's under house arrest for the duration of the trial.  Considering the house is over 20,000 square feet, this hardly seems like punishment.  Emily seems genuinely concerned about his beaten and bruised face, but the situation has already hit a set-back, as Victoria discovers when she returns home from her sexy times with Dominik.  Incensed at Victoria's betrayal, Treadwell posted an article that exposed Charlotte's drug habits and had Declan denying that they saw anyone on the beach that night.  Ben bemoans that Daniel's entire defense has now been ruined, which leads me to wonder whether he's worth the $1000 a hour he's likely charging.  You're a lawyer, Ben.  Come up with a new defense and you shouldn't have put all your eggs in one basket.  It's your JOB, man.

Victoria immediately confronts Charlotte and is furious that she has decided to stay home and get high instead of going to school (but that's because she saw the blog post, got furious at Declan and then decided to take some pills).

Jack Won't Give Up.  Throughout this week's Revenge, Jack couldn't give up his search for Amanda, so he had Nolan hack into the bank records about the wire transfer paper he found.  Nolan suggested he head to Montreal to see if he could stake out the bank and find Amanda.  Where is she?  Safely hidden away with Takeda, but Nolan is concerned that Emily's sensei may release the volatile Amanda if he finds out that Emily is working on trying to free Daniel from prison.

Devil in a Brown Wig.  Daniel's defense may be shaky, but Emily's out there going to great lengths to defend her boys.  Armed with a long brown wig, she chats up Victoria's goon in a bar until he reveals exactly what he did for the Grayson matriarch.  She lures him to an alley and beats the holy hell out of him, declaring "That's for Jack" and "That's for Daniel" as she kicks him unconscious and steals an impression of his key.

Uh-oh.  Could Emily's feelings for Daniel be just as real as her feelings for Jack?  I think we've got a genuine love triangle on our hands here, Revenge fans.  Takeda was right, Emily got far too involved in her plan.

Overall, this was another solid episode of Revenge (although I could do without more Victoria-Dominik staring, because it just makes me giggle).  A new episode will be airing on April 24, so watch a preview here.

For all of our coverage of the show, including sneak peeks, photos, spoilers and more, browse and bookmark our Revenge page.  You can also watch the newest episodes from Hulu there.

Revenge Recap: Victoria Schemes, Daniel Tries to Survive Prison and Emily Digs for the Truth

Ringer came to the end of its first season...and what may be its only season, depending on whether The CW chooses to renew the show next month.  While Ringer did leave us with a cliffhanger, there were quite a few developments in the season finale, especially things we've been wanting to see for a while.

Siobhan's Lies Were Exposed: After the twins' birth, Henry told Siobhan he wanted to move to Chicago so that the kids could grow up with his family.  He sneakily convinced her to use the money she stole from Martin Charles for a down payment on the house.  Later, the paternity test results arrived and Siobhan was shocked that Henry had ordered the test.  But without even looking, she told him that he was the girls' father when he asked.  Only that was a lie and he knew it.  So he went into her account and stole all of her money, then confronted her.  The paternity test was just that...a test.  Henry admitted that he was prepared to raise the twins as his own, but simply couldn't take Siobhan's never ending lies.  He kicked her out of his house and ignored her pleas for help.

Martin Charles Was Saved: Tom Arborgast went through with his plan to buy out Andrew's firm, giving him the opportunity to continue his business and recoup his investors' lost money.  But Arborgast couldn't let Andrew leave for his vow renewal without revealing an important piece of information.

Andrew Discovered the Truth About Henry: Arborgast, in an attempt to get revenge against both Henry and Siobhan, told Andrew the truth about Siobhan's affair with the writer.  He confronted Bridget about the affair at the party they were hosting before jetting off to Turks and Caicos for the vow renewal (and later he proceeded to punch Henry in the face).

Bridget Told the Truth: Bridget was forced to confirm the affair when confronted by Andrew, but that wasn't the truth she had intended to tell him.  Throughout the episode, she continued to insist that she wanted to tell Andrew and Juliet the truth of her identity.  Solomon tried to talk her out of it, claiming that exposing her true identity would also leave her open to the dangers of Macawi.  Later, her past caught up to her when the shifty FBI agent appeared in her apartment.  He soon ended up dead, killed by Macawi, who knew Bridget's location.  But when she got word of the death, Bridget decided she had to come clean with Andrew and told him and Juliet the truth.  She insisted that she had grown to love both of them, but they both couldn't get past the lies that she told.  Instead, they headed off on vacation without her.

Macawi Finally Got His Girl...Or Did He? (He Didn't): After Henry kicked her out, Siobhan headed to her old apartment to try and steal some things she could sell, but Macawi caught up with her.  Trying to avoid death, she claimed that he had the wrong girl.  In the lobby, Bridget was determined to speak to Juliet further, at least until she saw that the security guard had been killed.  She raced up the stairs, convinced that Macawi was attacking Andrew and Juliet.  Fortunately, Machado was on his way, having been alerted to danger by Bridget earlier in the episode, and Solomon was also sending the cops.  Once again, the sisters narrowly missed each other.  Bridget fired on Macawi, but he sprung back up again.  Fortunately, the cops rushed in just in time to save her life.

Bridget Learned the Truth About Her Sister: Solomon had one more present for Bridget: security footage from the marina from the day Siobhan "died".  He revealed that the cameras had picked up Siobhan getting in the car with Charlie and Bridget soon realized her sister didn't actually die out on the water.

Siobhan Made a Vow: After narrowly escaping Macawi, Siobhan returned to the hospital to watch over her babies and managed to find a kind nurse who offered her a cot.  Realizing her current destitute position, she made a vow: "I need to get my old life back".

Henry Admitted the Truth About Siobhan: After learning Siobhan was alive, Bridget confronted Henry, and she realized he knew that her sister was alive.  He quickly told her everything: that Siobhan had lured her to New York in hopes that she would take her place because someone was trying to kill her.  Bridget's final words: "Siobhan wanted me dead?"  Oh, Bridget, you have no idea.

Ringer Recap: Lies Were Exposed and Schemes Were Revealed in the Season Finale

Gossip Girl delivered up a plot twist in this week's episode, although rumblings on the internet indicate that some fans predicted the outcome.  Chuck has been searching for his mother after learning that his uncle didn't give the blood to save his life after his car accident.  But his private investigator revealed that the woman he believed to be his mother - Elizabeth - wasn't in New York around the time of his accident.

All of Chuck's searching has proven fruitless, but it only took Serena an episode to figure out the truth: Diana Payne (guest star Elizabeth Hurley) is actually Chuck's mother!  Apparently, the original Gossip Girl knew the truth about Chuck's maternity and had used the secret to blackmail Diana.  After Serena refused to give Gossip Girl the new password to her site, GG turned to Diana, demanding that she make Serena give up the gossip throne.

Naturally, Serena was slightly freaked out that someone knew the truth about her secret side job, so she decided to do a little digging on Diana.  After overhearing Diana mention being at the hospital after Chuck's accident, she approached a nurse with Diana's photo.  Later, she confronted Diana at Blair and Dan's coming out party.  But Lola had been suspicious about Serena's side job for most of the episode and she decided to live stream the private conversation between Diana and Serena, at the end of which Diana did confess that she was Chuck's mother.

Chuck was understandably upset when he learned the truth, considering Diana had kept this news from him (as well as "banging [his] best friend").  After storming off, Lola confronted Serena about being Gossip Girl, but agreed to keep her cousin's secret.  She has, however, lost Nate, or so it would seem.  He couldn't forgive her for airing Chuck's family secrets online.

At the end of the episode, Diana went to visit Chuck, who agreed to speak to her.  She said that she had had an affair with Bart Bass and couldn't resist him. After Chuck was born, she admitted she was unfit to raise a child, so she gave him to Bart and Elizabeth to raise.  A few years later, after Elizabeth's "death", she returned, but she and Bart decided not to bring her into their son's life.  Diana claimed that she did want to see Chuck and has spent this time watching over Chuck from afar.  In the end, Diana left the choice about whether they'll be a family up to Chuck.

As an added surprise, Diana got one last text message from Gossip Girl at the end of the episode.  It ominously said "we both know [Chuck's true maternity was] not the secret I was talking about".

Gossip Girl: Diana's Big Secret is Revealed! She is [Spoiler]

We already knew that Catherine was the true schemer behind the Ringer shenanigans.  Frankly, most of us probably assumed it was out of jealousy and/or hatred for the current Mrs. Martin, Siobhan.

This week's Ringer showed us the events that led up to Catherine's decision to put a hit on Siobhan.  With the season finale airing next week, the show not only exposed Catherine, but gave her a bit of a send-off.

Here's how it began: eight months ago, the real Siobhan told Catherine that she and Andrew were going to sell the Miami house.  Catherine, of course, was upset about this, since she had nowhere else to live.  She was also upset when she learned that Siobhan had plans to send Juliet off to boarding school.  Siobhan was dismissive of Catherine's concerns and feelings, saying that the ex-Mrs. Martin was incapable of being a responsible parent.

So Catherine hired the man in the pilot to try and kill Siobhan.  But then Bridget got her hands on the hitman's cellphone and threatened the person on the other end, telling him that the phone would be turned into the police if they tried to kill her again.  Catherine was notified about that, but insisted that he find someone else to try again.

In the present, Catherine tried to stage a suicide involving Bridget, determined to get rid of Siobhan once and for all.  But Andrew arrived home early and managed to pull Bridget from the bathtub.  Upset that her plan had been foiled once again, Catherine held Andrew and Bridget at gunpoint.  When Juliet arrived home, she joined the hostage party.

Agent Machado, who now knew Catherine was the one behind the hit, tried to help Bridget, but the FBI soon caught up to him and demanded he stop going rogue.  Machado did convince the FBI to send over a few agents, but he didn't really buy their assurances that everything was fine.

Then came another crazy twist...Catherine called her partner: Olivia!  Who also happened to be her girlfriend.  Who saw that one coming?  Catherine called for help, but Olivia freaked out about Catherine's actions and didn't want to help her.  Olivia also told Catherine about the Ponzi scheme and that's when the two women teamed up to take Siobhan down together.

Fortunately, Bridget was able to contact Machado through the hitman's cellphone and he headed to Olivia's location, hoping to lure Catherine there.  She took Bridget as a hostage and went to visit Olivia.  In the end, Bridget managed to wrestle the gun from Catherine, but Machado was the one who arrested her.

Meanwhile, the real Siobhan was the B-story this week.  After tracking down the maid who had seen Henry in Tyler's hotel room before his death, she also witnessed her death from an overdose of drugs.  Siobhan also went into labor and had her twin daughters through an emergency c-section.  But it's clear that Henry doesn't really trust Siobhan, since he asked the doctor to perform a paternity test on the baby girls.

The season finale of Ringer will be airing on April 17 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.  Watch a preview for the finale below.

Ringer 1.21 Recap: Catherine's Motives Explained!

After a rather disappointing episode of Smash last week, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this week's episode, "Hell on Earth".  I've said numerous times that Smash is at its best when it's focusing on the musical instead of the B-stories, but this week's episode was full of B-stories and somehow made it work.

Personally, I've thought that Julia's affair made her extremely unsympathetic and I hate that I didn't like her for a few episodes because of it, because I really do love Debra Messing.  In this week's Smash, Julia's husband, Frank, found a song Julia had written and deduced she was having an affair.  He quickly realized that Michael was the other man and exploded at his wife.  The first confrontation between Julia and Frank was terrific, if only because he refused to buy the nonsense she was trying to sell to everyone, including herself.  To say that the affair basically meant nothing was to spit in the face of their marriage.  After all, why risk 18 years of a relationship over something that's "nothing"?  I thought Frank's response to Julia and Michael (who he punched after learning that this latest affair was a redux of an earlier one) was deserved.  I did feel sympathy for Julia when Frank stormed out of the family home, but I thought it was time for Julia to face the consequences of what she did.

This week's Smash also focused on how they should retool the musical in order to keep it going.  It seems like the brass are in agreement that a star is the way to go, at least for now.  A lot of names were thrown around, but the one you knew was going to stick was Rebecca DuVall.  Ellis got it in his head that he could secure Rebecca for the musical and earn himself a co-producing credit, so he set out to meet with Rebecca's agent and even slept with him to secure the actress.  Then he confronted Eileen with his actions, demanding that she stop ordering him to answer phones and give him a promotion instead.

The good thing for us is that Eileen is about a thousand times more amazing than Ellis.  She may have given him props for securing Rebecca as Marilyn, but she schooled him in exactly what a producer does and told him that he's definitely not up to filling the role yet.  In the end, Ellis answered that phone just as Eileen had ordered and I shouted with joy that the little weasel had been put in his place.  Eileen also managed to reign Derek back in after he had expressed an interest in leaving the musical to focus on other projects.  But a dinner with another director and a "chance" meeting with a theater columnist ruffled Derek's feathers - and his pride - bringing him back into the fold.

Finally, the other big story this week revolved around both Karen and Ivy, who seem a bit directionless now that the workshop is done.  They met by chance when they both auditioned for an orange juice commercial, but Karen secured the role, prompting Ivy to complain that Karen doesn't have to suffer enough for her good fortune.  Frankly, Ivy's got a point.  Smash has been fairly good to Karen, even when the show gave Ivy the role of Marilyn.  While Karen was off filming a ridiculous commercial surrounded by green screen, Ivy was back in the chorus of "Heaven on Earth".  But her lack of progress in her career caused her to go on a bit of a pill binge, which led to her being drugged while on stage.

Ivy ended up leaving the performance in disgrace, but Karen was in the wings, waiting to give her back her sunglasses that they had accidentally switched.  While Ivy seemed intent on getting the drunk, the whole night turned into a bonding experience between the women when they started an impromptu performance in Times Square.  For a few hours, they were friends, although they both told each other some harsh truths (Karen thinks Ivy got the part by sleeping with Derek and Ivy think Karen is undeserving of her accomplishments thus far).  I really enjoyed seeing the two of them singing and hanging out.  They don't need to be enemies, although they don't necessarily need to be friends either.  But I think they both learned something from each other that could make them both better people.

Smash also delivered us the title of the Marilyn musical this week: "Bombshell".  Very appropriate.  A new episode of Smash will be airing on April 9 and Uma Thurman will be me making the first of several guest appearances as Rebecca DuVall and the show will be going back to the workshop.  Watch a preview below for next week's episode.

Smash 1.09 Recap: Ivy Spirals and Julia Faces the Consequences

I don't know what it is about Supernatural lately, but the show has become an absolute master of misdirection.  Every time you think you've got an episode figured out, it veers off in a completely unexpected direction.  This first happened this season with the stellar "How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters" and continued with the so-so episode "Out with the Old".  This week, "Party on Garth" started out as a light-hearted episode that promised the return of the very amusing DJ Qualls.  But it ended up being a serious look at the brothers' grief over Bobby's death and Dean's eagerness for his surrogate father to actually be haunting them.  Was he?  Oh, we'll get to that in a moment...

That Girl is Poison

We opened this week's Supernatural in the woods, where a group of kids were telling ghost stories around a campfire.  One boy was regalling the others with the tale of Jenny Greentree, who supposedly haunted the woods.  The others brushed off the tale, at least until one of the camper's brother showed up in the woods, drunk.  Through a terrible twist of the fate, the boy was chased through the woods and gutted.

Later, Garth went to investigate, pulling up in an old clunker with Bell Biv Devoe blaring from the speakers (what an entrance!).  After hearing the tale of Jenny Greentree, he found her grave and salted and burned her bones.  Unfortunately, that didn't actually solve the case, because shortly thereafter the brother of the first victim headed out to the woods, drunk off his arse, and also got slaughtered.

So Garth called in reinforcements: the Winchesters.  They arrived in town in time to meet Garth at the coroner's office and realized that both brothers were killed in the same way, but it didn't sound like a ghost, or an invisible ghost werewolf as Dean had suggested.

Let's summarize the case quickly: there were three men who owned a brewery, as the boys soon discovered.  One of them was upset that the company was going to be sold, so he bought a box that contained a Japanese creature called a Shojo.  This creature can be summoned to enact revenge for you.  The one partner, angry that the other two wanted to get rid of his baby (ie. the company), sought his revenge by having the Shojo take away the other partners' babies...in this case, their literal children.

Thanks to some help from a completely random Japaneses restaurant worker, the Winchesters soon realized what kind of a monster they were dealing with, and they also realized they could only see it when they were drunk.  This led to some hilarity on the part of all the boys as they spent most of the episode alternating between severe drunkenness and mild sobriety

Eventually, Garth realized that one of the partners had an illegitimate son that would be targeted next, and the action moved back to the brewery, with Sam and Dean soon joining in.  Fortunately, Dean had managed to get his hands on a sword (blessed by the aforementioned Japanese restaurant worker) and, with Sam's help (and a little "outside" assistance), he managed to kill the Shojo.

A Welcome Return

Earlier in the episode, Garth realized that the EMF meter seemed to go crazy around Dean's flask...or Bobby's flask, to be exact.  He suggested that perhaps Bobby was haunting the flask, but Dean shot that down.  More to the point, he didn't want to discuss Bobby with Garth, since it's clear that the wounds of his death are still too raw.  But Sam jumped into this conversation, admitting to Dean that he had attempted to communicate with Bobby using a Ouija board after the first disappearing beer incident.  Unfortunately, Sam couldn't connect with him.

Later, Dean let it all out, telling Sam that maybe Bobby was haunting them, because there have been a lot of strange coincidences, including the fact that something helped move the sword into Dean's hand after he had lost a hold of it during the fight.  Sam told Dean that normal people have a tendency to see loved one's everywhere when they die, and maybe these strange occurrences are just a by-product of that.

Only Sam is completely, 100% wrong (yes, it happens).  Because Supernatural delivered an ending this week that I honestly did not see coming. Bobby returned!  Bobby is absolutely haunting the Winchesters and we saw his ghost in the hotel room.  Only he seems to be unable to communicate with the Winchesters in any meaningful way, which would account for the Ouija board incident.

"Balls!" Bobby cursed as Dean walked right up to his ghostly form and didn't see him.  Balls, indeed.

Concluded on next page...

Supernatural 7.18 Review: An Ode to the Dangers/Benefits of Drinking...and Twist Endings

-FOX

Alcatraz concludes its first season with tonight’s thirteenth episode season finale “Tommy Madsen,” as Detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones), Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia) and Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) race against time to find Rebecca's grandfather and former inmate (David Hoflin) who desperately tries to track down the mysterious key that opens the door beneath Alcatraz.

If you didn't get a chance to check it out for yourself, read on for our Alcatraz recap of "Tommy Madsen”!

We open on an overturned car, with Madsen lying bleeding in the street, and flash to 36 hours earlier, where Madsen and her chief discuss what might have led Tommy Madsen to kill her partner.  It turns out her partner will was under Internal Affairs investigation, from the very company they've been investigating, Broadway Mutual.  Across town, the “Ghost” man we saw earlier frantically checks himself into a psychiatric hospital, laying out his story to the bewildered staff.  Evidently he attempted escape back in 1960, and the inmates took to calling him, Joe Limerick, “Ghost” because the Warden filed him as dead after the incident.

Back in 1960 the guards once more take Tommy Madsen to be experimented on, as Warden James and an unnamed man pump his blood back into him, as he writhes in agony and talks of tasting metal.  In the present, Tommy breaks into a stranger's home, holding up the father of a family and scaring off his little girl, wanting to wait for the man’s wife.

While Dr. Beauregard and Lucy ruminate on the nature of the silver-infused blood, Hauser expresses that he wishes to keep Lucy away from all this, and the police come forward with a possible match on Tommy Madsen, from the little girl they picked up.  The little girl is under so much stress that she can’t remember her address, but a little clever drawing exercise allows her to remember.  Back in 1960, Tommy wakes up in a Nob Hill hotel room, with the Warden ready to serve breakfast, and wonders if he’s dead.  Realizing he’s alive, and the silver has made him feel better than ever, he agrees to take a walk with the Warden. In the present, the man’s wife arrives home and Tommy confronts her at gunpoint, only to take a bullet to the leg from the husband, and escape with the wife in tow.

Tommy doesn’t seem too concerned by the gunshot, and the Alcatraz team arrive shortly after to secure the house, while Hauser negotiates with a friend in the military to see Lucy out of the country.  The kidnapped woman is Georgia Bradley, who works in the psych hospital “Ghost” checked himself into, but the team can’t quite seem to put the dots together, even after Hauser brings everyone up to speed on the keys and hidden door of Alcatraz.  They suspect that Warden James might be behind all of it, and the supposed time jumps occurred from tectonic events.

Lucy learns of Hauser’s plan to spirit her away, and informs the team that Georgia Bradley just checked into her hospital, while back in 1960 Tommy and the Warden share a meal at the restaurant he met his wife, and Tommy looks longingly at a family across the way.  Dr. Beauregard reveals to Lucy that he can’t remove the silver particles from her blood, as Warden James takes Tommy to see his son.  The boy flees from Tommy however, and Tommy decides what he wants from the warden.  Where in the present “Ghost” throws himself from a window to escape from Tommy, the past Tommy demands of his brother Ray that he leave the island and take custody of his son, admitting that he killed his wife.

Having arrived at the scene, Rebecca chases Tommy as best she can, commandeering a mustang to engage in a Bullitt style chase around the streets of San Francisco  Doc recovers the mysterious key from “Ghost”s body, but refuses to hand it over until he tracks down and saves Rebecca.  The tense car chase between Tommy and Rebecca ends with Tommy’s car flipping, but Rebecca drags him from the flames in time to save her grandfather.  Tommy does his best to calm his granddaughter down, telling her her partner was paid to spy on her, that Harlan Simmons broke some promise he made to the Warden.  He also asks if she knows what really happened to her parents, but stabs her in the side the moment she lets her guard down.

Soto shows up, the team drags Rebecca to the hospital, and Ray shows up to admonish Hauser, having predicted this would happen if she stayed involved.  Hauser and Lucy leave to open Alcatraz’s mystery door, but Doc wants only to stay and make sure Rebecca survives.  Inside the mysterious Alcatraz door, Lucy and Hauser find a room with consoles, a map and blinking lights, that predicts exactly where inmates will resurface across the continent.  In the past, we see Warden James and his mystery boss showing the room to Tommy Madsen, who had been watched for the project since 1952.  The mystery man congratulates him for surviving the silver infusion, and informs him he’ll be out in the world in three years.

Back in the present, the mystery man appears disoriented before Lucy and Hauser, laughing manically that he made it to 2012.  At the hospital, Rebecca flat-lines.

Did you get your fill of time-jumping action?  What did you think about the episode? Do you think Alcatraz will be back for another season? Join us next season (if there is one) for all-new episode recaps of Alcatraz on FOX!

Alcatraz 1.13 "Tommy Madsen" Recap - The End of the Line

-FOX

Alcatraz continues its first season with tonight’s twelfth episode “Garrett Stillman,” as Detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones), Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia) and Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) race against time to find a former inmate (Greg Ellis) whose heists unfold as intricate games of strategy and planning, while Lucy (Parminder Nagra) awakes from her coma.

If you didn't get a chance to check it out for yourself, read on for our Alcatraz recap of "Garrett Stillman”!

The still recuperating Lucy observes interviews of the captures ‘63s, particularly Ernest Cobb, when Hauser chides her for being too involved.  She reasons that its time to tell Soto and Doc about her past as a 63, while Dr. Beauregard feels hesitant about releasing Lucy without knowing any of the side effects of the silver in her blood.  Meanwhile, a few robbers manage to outwit and hijack an armored car, chief among them inmate Garrett Stillman.

Back in 1960, Garrett meets with the Warden and explains the reasoning behind his crimes, that he values intelligence and predictability, and playing games, while the Warden thinks he should attend a parole hearing for fellow inmate Harlan Simmons.  Back in the present, Doc and Rebecca catch Lucy up on all she’s missed since her coma, the computer alerts them to the likelihood of Garrett Stillman’s appearance in the latest crime.  As Garrett and his crew load up the money into a van, Garrett takes  an armored car himself, and watches as the van carrying his accomplices explodes.

Rebecca and Doc reason out that Garrett actually wanted the armored car, as the company confirms that to be the third one he’s stolen.  They then learn that one of the men actually survived the explosion, and while Lucy talks to Ernest Cobb about why he singled her out, Doc and Rebecca learn that Garrett stole their key-coded uniforms from actual guards.  Back in 1960, Garrett attends the parole hearing for Harlan Simmons, which despite his earnest nature quickly gets quashed by Deputy Warden Tiller.  Warden James wanted him to see that hoping Garrett can use his skills to forge an approved parole, and have Simmons out of the prison by 1965.  Back in 2012, Garrett meets with his handler, a cool and calculating Tommy Madsen.

Lucy gives Rebecca what answers she can about her grandfather and why he might have killed her partner, and she elaborates on her past romance with Hauser, who seems a very different man today.  The night everyone disappeared from Alcatraz, Hauser was much more concerned about finding Lucy than any of the prisoners.  Upstairs, Doc finds a connection between Harlan Simmons and the company Broadway Mutual, and cryptically no one has seen Simmons in years.  They pay a visit to Broadway Mutual, and though the security officer denies anything suspicious, he clamps up at the mention of Bynum Security.  After they leave, the guard texts the need to move a package, a conversation Garrett has hacked into.

Think tank guru Warren leads Hauser down to the secret corridors of Alcatraz they’ve discovered, only to find them bricked up, to which Hauser orders it sledgehammered.  Upstairs, the figure out that Garrett never wanted money or even the armored cars, but rather to tip off Broadway Mutual, so they’d move their mysterious package ahead of schedule.  Garrett finds his security uniforms no longer work to access the package, pulling out a gun instead, as back in 1960 he manages to swap the forged parole papers for Harlan Simmons.  Before he finishes however, Tiller catches on, and Garrett's partner sells him out.

Back in 1960 Tiller makes sure to swap in the correct papers, and Warden James walks Garrett to the hole, expressing his disappointment.  What he didn’t realize was that Garrett had played Tiller all along, counting on being discovered, and made it so Garrett was the one to actually submit the early parole papers.  In 2012 the team traces Garrett to a parking garage, but rather than fall for the 3 armored cars as Hauser and Rebecca do, Doc figures out Garrett’s real getaway car, and drops his cell phone in as a tracker.

At his hideout, Garrett opens the safe he stole to find a mysterious old key inside, while in 1960 the warden escorts a newly freed Harlan Simmons off the island.  However, a man named “Ghost” shows up to the 2012 trailer, and fatally shoots Garrett, taking the key.  The Alcatraz team arrives to find the dead body, and Rebecca notes the apple peels as a sign of her grandfather’s presence.  Outside, Tommy Madsen shows up, but flees before Doc can get a good look at him.

Later, Hauser finds that behind the hidden wall lay a secret door, but the two keys they have only open a hole for a third key.  Lucy talks with Cobb again about how she’ll always be a target for the others, while Doc and Rebecca pull traffic cam footage to find that Tommy Madsen was indeed Garrett’s handler.

Did you get your fill of time-jumping action?  What did you think about the episode? Join us for another an all-new episode recap of Alcatraz on FOX later tonight!

Alcatraz 1.12 "Garrett Stillman" Recap - A Game of Vans

Once Upon a Time took a trip to Wonderland this week in an episode that focused more on the mythology of the show then might have appeared at first glance.

Let's begin with the fairytale world in this week's Once Upon a Time.  We meet Jefferson (guest star Sebastian Stan) in the woods with his young daughter, Grace.  As they arrive home, he notices the queen's wagon.  Denying that he knows her, he sends his daughter into the woods while he goes inside.  The Evil Queen (whose real name is Regina), is shocked to see him living in such a humble abode.  Despite the fact that Jefferson has magical powers, the death of his wife from a spell gone wrong has gotten him out of that life.

Regina offers him one last job to set himself and his daughter up for life: she needs him to travel to another land to retrieve something that's been stolen.  He refuses, but after a trip to the market with his daughter where he realizes the depths of his poverty, he decides to take the Queen up on her offer in order to properly provide for Grace.  So he heads to her castle, where he spins a magical hat which opens up a door to...Wonderland.  The two of them travel through the looking glass (see what they did there?), which means that only two people can return.

Wonderland is even more fantastical than the fairytale world we've seen on Once Upon a Time.  It's essentially like the movie incarnations, with giant mushrooms and endless mazes.  The pair travels to the Queen of Heart's maze and Regina uses her powers to create a path.  When they arrive in the center of the maze, Regina enters the Queen's storage facility, I guess you would call it.  It's a wall of small box vaults, just like where Regina stores hearts.  She retrieves one box and they turn to leave, but the Queen's guards are immediately on them.  Fortunately, they manage to escape.

Back at the looking glass, Regina breaks off a piece of the mushroom and feeds it to the person inside the box.  It turns out that her father had been captured by the Queen of Hearts in order to gain some leverage over Regina.  Now his regular size, he and Regina were prepared to travel back to the fairytale world.  Jefferson was understandably devastated at being left behind, since he had promised his daughter he would return.

Unfortunately, that's not going to happen.  Regina and her father head back to the fairytale world, and Jefferson is captured by the Knave of Hearts.  He's taken before the Queen, who knows why he returned to Wonderland, but doesn't know how.  He tells her it was because of his magical hat, and that he just wants to return home to Grace.  She's all "off with his head!", which results in a decapitation (on 8:00 p.m. TV!).  But in Wonderland, you're apparently still alive, even if your head is detached, so she agrees to return his body if he'll build another magical hat.

Except it seems like that is an impossible task, because when we next see Jefferson he's gone...well, mad.  Surrounded by miles of fabric and non-magical hats, he's continues to labor to build the one hat that will bring him home.

In Storybrooke, Emma and Mr. Gold arrive at the station to learn that Mary Margaret had disappeared.  Desperate to find her so that she didn't become a fugitive, Emma set off.  Unfortunately, she nearly hit a man in her car.   Apologetic, she offers to drive him home.  While pulling up to his man, he introduced himself as Jefferson and invited her in for some tea.  While she lies about wanting to find her lost dog, Jefferson drugs her.  When she comes to, she managed to escape to another room in the house only to find Mary Margaret, who had been captured by Jefferson while trying to escape through the woods.

He confronts the women as they tried to escape and convinces Emma to re-tie Mary Margaret.  Then he brings her into another room and demands that she help him.  With what?  To build a hat, of course.  Unlikely nearly all of the other Storybrooke characters on Once Upon a Time, Jefferson knows the truth about the curse and his own identity.  Convinced that Emma possessed magic, since her arrival in the town had re-started the clock, he wants her to help him built a hat that would take him home.

Emma thinks he's crazy, but he insists that she was the one who didn't believe.  He explains that there are all sorts of lands in the world, pressing up against each other, and that Storybrooke was but one.  How curious that the Queen's curse didn't only affect the fairytale world that we know, but also characters stuck in Wonderland.  Unless Jefferson made his way back into the fairytale world before the curse took effect.  But the point is that he told Emma the real reason he needed to get back home: to be reunited with Grace.  Here, in Storybrooke, she was living with a new family and Jefferson, who used telescopes to spy on people in the town, was heartbroken not being able to live with his daughter.

We also got confirmation that time clearly didn't move in Storybrooke before Emma got there (which we knew from interviews with the producers), because Jefferson talked about living in that house for 28 years.  It's interesting how little the Storybrooke citizens seem to notice about their surroundings.  Even more curious is how Jefferson seems to only be the third person in town who knows the truth about the curse (with Regina and Mr. Gold being the others).  What makes Jefferson so special?  Why does he know the truth?  This is not, unfortunately, a question that was answered in this episode, so I have hopes we might see Jefferson again.

Emma was unable to help and eventually had to trick Jefferson.  Pretending to believe his story about another land, she momentarily knocks him out with his telescope.  Running back to Mary Margaret's room, she manages to get her loose before Jefferson attacks.  He gets the upper hand, but Mary Margaret strikes him with a croquet mallet (Alice in Wonderland easter egg again!) and kicks him out of the window.

But Jefferson seems to have mysteriously disappeared (and Mary Margaret seems to have gotten a little bit of Snow's spunk and fighting prowess for a moment).  Back on the driveway, Emma offers Mary Margaret a choice: she could run, or she could return to the police station and trust Emma to get her out of this mess.  Emma may not believe in magic, but she knows what it's like to be on the run on your own, and that's not something she wants for Mary Margaret.

Mary Margaret decides to put her faith in Emma and when Regina pulls into the police station, she's shocked to find Mary Margaret back in her cell.  Particularity, as we learn moments later, since she had Mr. Gold plant the key for Mary Margaret to escape.  Why?  The reasons for their deal in this case isn't clear, but it's very obvious the two of them are up to something.

Later, Emma visits Henry at school and looks shocked when Jefferson's daughter walks by.  That's when Emma asks to see Henry's storybook, which just so happens to contain photos of Jefferson and Grace.  For a moment, it looks like Emma might have believed some of Jefferson's story.

This was quite a good episode of Once Upon a Time.  I don't want to say that it wasn't as good as last week's episode, because it was definitely a different type of episode.  I really enjoyed Sebastian Stan as a guest star.  He was very good at veering between the earnest and crazy parts of Jefferson's personality.

The real question, though, is why Jefferson knows the truth and how many people in Storybrooke might also know about the curse.  Finally, how much coincidence is it going to take Emma to realize that there might be some truth to Henry's stories?  If nothing else, Emma's stubbornness is the primary challenge that needs to be overcome in Storybrooke, so that we can get to some curse-breaking.

We'll be learning more about the Queen's (a.k.a. Regina's) past in the upcoming April 1 Once Upon a Time, so that's an episode you definitely won't want to miss.  Watch a preview for the episode.

Once Upon a Time 1.17 Recap: The Truth Can Drive You Mad

A curious thing has happened to Supernatural.  However you may feel about Sera Gamble as a showrunner and however you may feel about the season-long arcs (which, admittedly, I have had a few problems with lately), the truth is that Ms. Gamble has emerged as one of the strongest writers on the show.  Together with Ben Edlund, Gamble has, this season, delivered (in my humble opinion) three consistently solid episodes.  Episodes that not only do justice to the Winchesters, but also to the other two characters that make up the core of Supernatural: Castiel and Bobby.

This week's episode, "The Born-Again Identity", not only re-introduced Castiel and Misha Collins to the show, but it also reminded me why I love Supernatural.  For all of the frustration that some fans may have on both sides of the Castiel argument, the truth is that he has become an important character on this show.  When used properly - as he was in this episode - he doesn't detract from the core of the Winchesters, he just fits.

So a Crazy Guy Walks Into an Alley...

Sam has been suffering since "Repo Men".  Lucifer is relentless in his torment of the younger Winchester brother and his constant attempts to interact with Sam have resulted in four sleepless days and nights.  When Dean passed out, Sam went hunting for some drugs to help himself.  But Lucifer is always there...always waiting to bait or goad or bother Sam.  When Sam once again tried to outrun his own mind, he gets hit by a car.

Dean managed to track him down, but he hasn't been properly briefed on Sam's condition.  While his brother is suffering from a broken rib and some lacerations, the doctors are far more concerned about Sam's mental state.  His lack of sleep and the hallucinations have landed him in the mental ward.  Dean went  to visit Sam who is, clearly, running out of options.  He'll die if Lucifer doesn't allow him to sleep and he simply doesn't know what they can do to fix this situation.  Referencing the season 1 episode "Faith" (which bore many similarities to this episode), Sam acknowledged that finding someone who can legitimately heal him will be difficult, if not down-right impossible.

Never Give Up, Never Surrender

Dean wasn't prepared to hear that, so he set out for Rufus' cabin in order to find a friend of Bobby's who could help him.  Leaving messages for every hunter he could reach didn't yield results.  Not until a card mysteriously fell out of Bobby's journal...one that very well could have been pulled out by Ghost Bobby.  Fortunately, this led him to a hunter that referred him to a healer who appeared to be legitimate: a man named Emmanuel.

Dean headed off immediately.  Arriving at Emmanuel's house, he encountered the first of many demons who have decided to ignore Crowley's "hands off the Winchesters" order because they sure haven't done anything for the King of Hell lately.  Dean managed to kill the demon that had taken Emmanuel's wife hostage and then up stepped the man he's been looking for: Castiel (er...Emmanuel).

You see, as we later learn, Cas emerged from that lake months ago - naked, natch - and stumbled upon Daphne, a lovely woman who took him in without question and helps nurture his gift of healing.  Dean was gobsmacked, because he doesn't entirely seem to believe Castiel's amnesia and he certainly doesn't know how to act around his former friend and ally turned enemy (?).

Blast from the Past

Dean was keeping quiet about Castiel's true identity, but he did clue him in on what happened to Sam.  He admited that someone did this to his brother - broke him - and that he can't just shake off this kind of betrayal.  Dean has been scarred many times over by the people he loves: his father, Sam, and Cas.  His hesitation to trust - to forgive - is nothing but understandable.  As Castiel so eloquently put it, Dean is not a machine, he's just human.  Supernatural struck the right balance with Dean in this episode.  He wasn't too proud not to ask for Castiel's help and he certainly wasn't going to up and kill him, but that doesn't mean he could welcome him back with open arms.

While stopping for some food, Dean once again came upon some demons, who continued to be out in full force.  Ruby's knife continued to prove itself handy, but when he got into a bind it was Meg (guest star Rachel Miner) who saved the day.  She admitted that she had been following for a while and was also shocked about Castiel since, to the best of her knowledge, he was supposed to be dead.  Still on Crowley's "bad" list, Meg wanted to team up with Dean, hoping that maybe Castiel might come in handy.  He agreed to let her tag along, but he ordered her to keep quiet about Cas' past.

Castiel - who could see the true face of demons - was shocked about Meg's addition to the car ride, but quickly sucked it up.

Concluded on next page...

Supernatural 7.17 Review: You Broke It, You Bought It...Or, Is This What Redemption Looks Like?

Let's get it out of the way at the beginning: almost everything about the actual workshop presentation on this week's Smash worked.  It was terrific to watch.  Everything about the Julia and Michael storyline was so painful.  So let's get all the bad out of the way first.

Michael and Julia continued their affair, but their attempts at keeping it secret were sub-par.  They held hands outside the rehearsal space and were caught kissing in the hall by Tom (and by Ellis, who is not the kind of person you want knowing your secrets).  I'm not entirely sure why these two are so drawn to one another, but the big problem started when Michael's wife and young son dropped by rehearsal.  Julia was finally - FINALLY! - truly appalled at the situation.  When she again tried to break things off with Michael, he bemoaned "don't do this to me again".   It was that phrase that made me abhor Michael.  What is his problem?  How can he not see how terrible his actions are?  At least Julia feels terrible guilt over this situation, but Michael seems to have no regard whatsoever for anyone but his own selfish needs.  His only redeemable scene came when he belted out a new song during the workshop performance called "Lexington and 52nd" about Joe becoming increasingly upset at Marilyn's rising level of fame.  It was his best performance to date.  Too bad it might be his last.

Ivy, meanwhile, not only had the pressure of the workshop in this week's Smash, but she also had to deal with her former Broadway star mother, Leigh Conroy (played by guest star Bernadette Peters), who breezed into town just in time to quash Ivy's self-worth.  It was clear that Leigh either didn't know or didn't really care how much her own grand-standing and digs affected Ivy's own insecurity.  In the end, however, Ivy confronted her mother about her lack of support and Leigh did redeem herself by telling her daughter that she behaved this way because she knew how incredibly difficult Ivy's chosen career path is, and the rejection and heartache is not something she wants for her daughter.  The two parted on a much happier note, when Leigh told her daughter that this business might be tough, but Ivy is so clearly talented that she knows she'll become a star.

Which brings us to the workshop.  Unfortunately for Eileen and the other powers that be, the building was suffering from extreme heat, a broken boiler, and a really terrible landlord.  That situation certainly didn't help when the investors sat down to watch the show.  But the cast was wonderful.  The performances were primarily songs we've heard before, but they were all cut with Karen's own renditions of the songs and the performances with Ivy in the Marilyn costume from previous episodes.  Karen impressed record mogul Bobby Raskin enough to get a callback, but she choose, instead, to be a part of the workshop performance.  She didn't even regret her choice, telling the other ensemble members that she wouldn't have missed it for the world.  Frankly, neither would I.  This is when Smash is at its best...when it's focused on the show. I would watch a two hour episode that solely consisted of the finished Marilyn musical and call it amazing.

Unfortunately, the investors didn't really agree.  Derek, Tom, Julia and Eileen read rather terrible reviews after the workshop.  Derek pointed fingers at Ivy, telling the others that she simply didn't have the chops to cut it in the starring role, but Tom was furious that Derek was singling Ivy out as a scapegoat.  Instead, he put forward Michael's name as the fall guy.  Michael is certainly not the musicals problem - which Derek adamantly stated - but this was the perfect opportunity to get him out of Julia's life.  This is obviously a good and bad decision.  It's good because Michael is clearly a distraction for Julia and bad for the overall workplace.  Getting rid of him could get her to focus more.  But it's bad because I honestly have no idea whether he'll go quietly.  Surely he'll see that his firing was due to the affair - or, at least, he'll interpret it as such.  And if he refuses to go quietly, he can make a lot of trouble for this team.

In the end, Julia agreed to let him go, but the leaders still have a problem.  How can they change the show to attract investors?  Is getting rid of Ivy the real solution?  A rep from CAA was in the audience during the workshop, leading some to believe he was there to cast one of his star clients in the role of Marilyn.  Is that what the show needs?

A new episode of Smash will be airing on March 26.  You can also watch two performances from this week's episode below.

Smash Recap: The Workshop Gets Pulled Off...With a Few Hitches