Fringe has finally started answering questions, and that couldn't have come soon enough. Season 4 has featured some absolutely fantastic episodes, but it's also suffered from the affliction of being too damn frustrating. Episodes like "Enemy of My Enemy," which push the story forward, are too often followed by meandering affairs such as "Forced Perspective," which largely ignore the momentum created by the previous episode. There's a pervading feeling of 'Who cares?' throughout those episodes, and perhaps for good reason. Fringe has spent several episodes subtly trying to convince us that Peter needs to 'return home,' challenging the previously held notion that he is home and just needs to be remembered. The characters became just shadows of their previous incarnations that we were doomed to leave, and the mysteries, despite being quite often good, no longer held any real weight.

Thankfully, "Welcome to Westfield" finally slapped all those storylines back into place with a resounding, "Yes, it matters." It appears that, as we had previously thought, Peter does just need to be remembered. And, of course, Olivia is the first one to do so.

She remembers Peter over the course of the episode's case, a Fringe event reminiscent of season two episodes "Johari Window" (because of the hostile small-town setting) and "Jacksonville" (because of the melding universes). In a smart move, Fringe turned those similarities into a plot point, with Olivia remembering the case from "Johari Window" despite the fact that she never worked on such a case in the Peter-less universe. Add that to her Peter-lovin' dream from the beginning of the episode, and you've got a recipe for a kick-ass cliffhanger.

But first, the case itself, which was apparently the work of David Robert Jones, a notably absent figure who pulled the strings of the episode without even making an appearance. For reasons unknown, Jones decided to meld the town of Westfield together, ultimately succeeding in destroying it nearly entirely, save for a bike shop in which our heroes managed to hide.

The episode managed to make the most of the season's significantly lower budget. The mostly subtle changes to Westfield's residents were surprisingly effective, and served to be the perfect example of how the show can save money without looking like it's saving money.

So, finally, we reach the end of the episode, which saw Olivia apparently completely transformed into the Olivia we knew. The fact that she's acting like this is a routine seems to indicate that she has no memory of Peter's disappearance and return, which will make the next episode interesting, to say the least. It seems likely that Olivia's memory was returned by the Cortexiphan doses that she's been receiving from Nina, but does Nina know that is what the Cortexiphan is doing?

In any case, it seems clear that Fringe is no longer about 'going home,' but about remembering, meaning that the show can be compelling again after a few episodes of spinning its wheels. Welcome back, Fringe. We've missed you. A

Fringe 4.12 "Welcome to Westfield" Review

Thus far in its run, Grimm has had many modes in which to slip in and out of. There's the funny, slightly campy Grimm that brings levity to an episode; there's the creepy Grimm that layers on the supernatural elements and horror movie homages; there's the expository Grimm, heavy on police work and general mythology that provides the foundation for basically every installment. Though the show has leaned too heavily toward each of these at one point or another, resulting in a good-but-off-balance episode, it's been getting the hang of it in recent times, including last week's creative pinnacle "Organ Grinder". Once you feel like you've mastered something, it's only natural to want to move on to another endeavor and for Grimm, it looks to be emotion.

Emotion and genre shows tends to be a balancing act of its own. You want to be able to bring the humanity to an otherwise otherworldly situation, but if there's too much trudging through emotion and feelings, you risk alienating a certain portion of your audience. Luckily, Grimm managed to bring a haunting sadness to "Tarantella" that admittedly stayed with me more than I expected. In the last couple of minutes of the episode, Lena Marcinko (Amy Acker), spinnatod and soccer mom, was thwarted from feeding on the third young man she had lured into her (metaphorical) web; after being taken in by the police, there's a shot of her, framed by a spider web, having aged what looks to be 50 years, all gray hair and wrinkles. Lena didn't want to kill nor did she really have a choice, considering the fact that she had to prevent herself from rapidly aging, which is what made "Tarantella" such an emotionally intriguing episode of television. Thus far in Grimm, most of the Wesen that Nick has come across have killed/harmed people for the sake of it and looked to be enjoying every scream, every cry, every heart finally stopping, so the prospect of someone having been born into this world and not enjoying her abilities was a nice wrinkle in what could have been a fairly routine episode of Grimm. You had to at least somewhat feel for Lena and that type of gray morality (not all bad guys are 100% bad, not all good guys are 100% good) can elevate Grimm to the next level; of course, killing is wrong and she should have been punished, but she never really had a chance to have a life. It made you think about just how much culpability she really had in the matter, with the biological gun to her head, and there's a certain sadness in having something assigned to you from birth that you can't change.

Plus, she passed the same fate along to her daughter Sally, as shown in a quick shot before she went to her grandma's, so Sally will have to endure the same type of pain and unfortunate consequences of her heritage as her mother did in order to survive.

It wasn't all unusually touching endings and not-so-evil evil villains on "Tarantella", though, as there was some nicely serial elements that were woven in. Aside from a cute callback to the pilot courtesy of Monroe, Nick came face-to-face with the Wesen that have been coming by his house and scaring Juliette. You may remember that a refrigerator repair man from several episodes back recognized Nick and started spreading the fact that a Grimm is around to any creature that would listen; "Tarantella" found a pair of young eisbibers egging Nick's house, now that the proverbial "monster under the bed" had been discovered, leading to Nick confronting the two men responsible for his new reputation. Although I've been using these reviews to poke and prod at Grimm to become more heavily serialized, I have to admit that they're kind of pulling off the right mix of serial and procedural right now. There's been a sort of slow burn for the last couple of episodes, with Nick's actions from the beginning of the season finally making enough noise to alert the rest of the Wesen world and the implications that that has on his safety. Prior to this, he had the freedom to do his job, take out the appropriate creature, and go home without having to worry, but there's not that type of freedom anymore and without it, Nick's safety may be in danger. He's already been beat up and Monroe's already been beat up, but this is merely the beginning and the noose can only keep tightening from here on out. "Tarantella" had a few moments of "hey, remember when...", but it wasn't enough to confuse anybody and served more as a solid B-story than overshadowing the case, one of the better the show had unfolded.

I mean, even if your exposition dump (in this case, old lady spinatod Charlotte) turns out to be a really cool addition to an episode, you know you've done a good job.

I think the main reason I liked the serial elements of "Tarantella" is that it hinted at a bigger world than Grimm has portrayed. Take, for example, the Japanese Grimm that Aunt Marie had encountered in some of her many travels, as read about by Nick. We've been pretty entrenched in Portland since day one, with only a brief encounter with someone from outside the bubble, and it really makes you wonder about the world outside of the Pacific Northwest. How many Grimms are there currently in the world? Are there any near Portland that Nick could team up with/get help from? Will we be getting to meet any other Grimms? Even if it's only minor appearances and random documents, I'd love to know more intricacies about the Grimm world; obviously, it's not like Buffy the Vampire Slayer with only one slayer at a time, so finding out the mechanics and how things worked could help flesh out the world around Nick and Monroe. And the retirement home from creatures, where Charlotte currently resides, hinted that there are others like Monroe that have turned their back on their birth status in order to live a quieter, more "human" life. Expanding the type of creatures that we come into contact with gives a little more complexity to the cases Nick handles and makes the Wesen world more of a world, as there's more to any world that criminals, anarchists, and masochists.

Grimm had another very strong episode in "Tarantella", combining a sexy, dangerous cold open with a case that balanced reality and the supernatural and enough serial elements to please even the most ardent TV fan.  It was a little scary and a little sad, though the bubbling tension between the Wesen world and Nick may be ready to spill over at any given moment. Going forward, Nick may have to leave the bravado he started to pick up last week in his back pocket, as his reputation may have put a target on his back and Monroe's back; we've seen many creatures thus far in Grimm and a majority of them would be brave enough to take a shot at taking out the latest Grimm, a real trophy that could buy some serious respect among their peers. After wavering for a little bit, Grimm has seemed to found its way and I'm looking forward to seeing the depths of the Wesen world, Nick's continued growth as a Grimm, and just how dark the show is willing to go.

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-"Here I was trying to be abstract, but I guess I wound up being pretty simple."
-"You want to pick it up again or you want me to give you the finger?"
-"I didn't know how else to prove...you have a lovely wife."
-"I don't know, have you searched the web? So to speak..."
-"Any other body parts you want to see?"
-Monroe speaks a little German, apparently. He's a total Renaissance blutbad, no?
-The fake out when Lena's husband Robert was introduced was good stuff. Also really cool, Lena's finger growing back after having been bitten off in the cold open.
-Here's a little bit about desiccation and fauvism, if you'e interested.
-Am I trippin' or was the "previously, on Grimm..." opener used for the first time tonight?
-There's a former True Blood star coming to the show in the near future and their appearance involves a character we've already met.
-Grimm is off (again) next week, this time in favor of the NAACP Image Awards, and there's been no episode description released for its return.

Grimm 1.11 "Tarantella" Review

Sometimes it can be dangerous to have a run of Supernatural episodes that are light on mythology.  But sometimes you get an episode like "Plucky Pennywhistle", which was most definitely light on mythology, but was just so fun that you don't even care.

After the trauma with Dean's "monster Amazon baby" in the previous episode, the boys found themselves at a dead end.  Dean checked in with Frank, suggesting that he continue to look into Dick Roman, but the trail on the Amazons has gone cold.  Instead, Sam suggested they look into a recent string of odd murders in Kansas.

The Scariest Place on Earth

The boys headed to town and it took a bit of digging, but Dean soon realized that the kids of the victims had something in common: they had recently been at a birthday party at Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie, a local pizza joint like Chuck E. Cheese.  Dean suggested that Sam head over there to investigate and immediately Sam's hackles were up.  Here's the thing about Sam - his problems are usually so big that sometimes it's easy to forget that he's a person just like the rest of us.  And despite the fact that he's managing to suppress memories of HELL, he's deathly afraid of clowns.  CLOWNS.  I mean, come on, right?  Dean, of course, picks up on this, because apparently he used to drop Sam off at Plucky's when they were kids and go trolling for chicks, which may or may not have lead to Sam's phobia, but certainly scarred him for life in any event.

Sam was freaking out during his initial tour of Plucky's, because the place was covered in clowns. But he spotted a wall of children's drawings that caught his attention.  The kids had been asked to draw their biggest fear, which later actually came to life to kill their misbehaving parents.

While the Winchesters were convinced that Plucky's was the connection between the victims, they couldn't figure out who or what was causing these fears to come to life.  So they decided to have Sam play his "bad cop" routine (it was pretty amusing!) on all of the Plucky's employees, while Dean stuck around to see if anyone was acting strange.  One by one they eliminated the employees, until one decided to run.  But it turns out he only did that because he was afraid of being busted for drugs.  Fortunately, he was able to share some information that strange sounds had been coming from the boiler room.

It's Always About Family

Dean sent Sam off to protect a mother that they thought would be the next victim while he went to investigate the basement.  The eldest Winchester soon realized that the Plucky's greeter (Howard) was the man behind the mojo and was using the drawings and some magic to bring these creatures to life.  But Howard had a surprise for Dean...he was actually targeting Sam and he knew that Sam was afraid of clowns.

So while some scary-looking clowns beat the ever-loving snot out of Sam, Dean did a bit of therapy.  He found out that Howard had been passed over for a promotion and had he also wanted to teach the horrible parents a lesson.  Why?  Because he had lost his brother when they were younger, even after screaming for his parents as his brother drowned.  Dean threw a photo that Howard had drew into the fire and the ghost of his brother came back and drowned Howard from the inside-out.

Glitter!

Fortunately, Dean managed to stop the spells in progress and the two clowns that were about to kill Sam exploded in a shower of glitter.  Yes, Supernatural fans, Sam Winchester was positively covered in glitter.  You know who found that hilarious? (Besides us, of course).  Dean.  Dean laughed his butt off when he saw his brother.  Then we got a nice little Winchester bonding moment, where Dean apologized for ditching Sam in Plucky's when they were younger and Sam stole Dean a giant slinky.  That's love, folks.  Seriously.

Like I said, this week's Supernatural was light on the mythology, but I had such a smile on my face that I didn't mind much.  Sure, the leviathan action needs to ramp up soon (not to mention the personal demons both Sam and Dean are fighting), but sometimes it's nice to kick back with a case and a heap of references to the days when Sam and Dean were younger.  And yes, I realize this review is a lot shorter than it normally is, but there's not many deep things to say about the episode besides "I giggled a lot" and "glitter!".

Well, on second thought, it is a bit strange how Dean went from the "I'll do my best to stay alive" mentality in the previous episode to his more light-hearted attitude this week.  But I think it's because this case actually reminded him a lot of his and Sam's childhood.  I think that fact goes a long way to reinforcing the importance of Sam in Dean's life and the fact that his brother has become his last lifeline in a terribly cruel season full of loss.

Here's a tiny bit of trivia for you...cast your memory back to the Supernatural episode "Houses of the Holy".  Remember a comment Dean made about unicorns?  "You know what, there's a ton of lore on unicorns too. In fact, I hear that they ride on silver moonbeams, and that they shoot rainbows out of their ass!"  Well, the unicorn in this week's episode wasn't riding on a silver moonbeam, but it sure as hell had a rainbow shooting out of its ass.

There will be a new episode of Supernatural on February 17 and the Winchesters will be revisiting a case from their past, while Sam battles those aforementioned personal demons.  Watch a trailer for the episode here and browse through photos here.

Supernatural 7.14 Recap: Plucky Pennywhistle's...Where All Your Fears Come True

Spartacus: Vengeance continues fighting in the aftermath of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, raging through its third episode "The Greater Good," as Spartacus and Crixus face dissent within the ranks upon learning news of Naevia's fate, while Lucretia reveals a secret that aids Ashur in breaking down the captive Oenomaus.  Continuing it's hot streak, "The Greater Good" brings together some impressive set pieces and drama for another bloody good show.

I’ve really been loving this new season of Spartacus: Vengeance, in spite of how Blood and Sand or Gods of the Arena never quite clicked for me.  Perhaps the increased scale*, consistent sense of danger and plot progression, and some fantastic performances within the show’s elegant philosophical discourse on the nature of love and freedom have been given much more consideration in the time it took for Spartacus: Vengeance to arrive.  Or, perhaps I simply missed the show more than I remember, but either way it continues firing on all cylinders with only three episodes aired.  As I mentioned in last week’s “A Place In this World," I have copies of episodes five and six, but have only watched through next week’s “Empty Hands,” which was my favorite of the bunch.

(*) While he still hasn’t appeared other than in flashback, Dustin Clare (Gannicus) pointed out in early interviews that a few particular shots of the mine perfectly encompassed how the scale of season two had grown, which is absolutely evident in several of the location’s establishing shots, breathtaking to behold.

While certainly still a visceral thrill-ride, “The Greater Good" has the largely thankless job of moving through some of the initial humps in the season in order to get from A to B, and the next level of obstacles.  Sooner or later Naevia (Cynthia Addai Robinson debuting in the role, replacing Leslie-Ann Brandt) would have to be dealt with in order for Spartacus and Crixus to make any headway in their rebellion, just as Lucretia and Glaber would need a few more allies to their cause in order to make any significant gains in the search for Spartacus.  And with Varinius (Brett Tucker) and Illithyia’s father in town, her husband’s attention turning toward his work, I imagine Ilithyia will have a few moves over own to play in the coming weeks as well.

Mostly “The Greater Good’ gives over to Naevia and Crixus, as news of her fate sends the brutish Gaul into a downward spiral, which gives Manu Bennett some fantastic material to play before he learns of her survival, ultimately sending Spartacus’ men deep into the mines in rescue.  In particular I liked how even in his grief Crixus sees the wisdom in Spartacus’ words, and the resulting speech of brotherhood and inferno ignited by fires not yet extinguished by death.  Of course Naevia ends up alive, and of course the one to pay the price for her rescue would be Crixus himself, even if there’s no way he’ll wind up dead by the next episode.

It very much speaks to the strength and intelligence of the characters that no one is necessarily wrong in their actions regarding Naevia.  As outnumbered slaves still on the run, Agron very much serves the greater good of the men in keeping Naevia’s survival from Crixus, even if he would have been equally selfish for his own brother, as Spartacus reminds him.  If the men are to have a fighting chance they’ll need to continue on with their plan to camp at Mt. Vesuvius* and recruit more men to their cause rather than risk more for Crixus’ woman, but so too is Spartacus justified in asserting that if one life holds no value, than none do.  It’s that kind of exploratory debate that keeps moralities clashing as often as swords, and makes for some very strong character moments in the less action-packed hours.

(*) Most people are likely to note that the very Pompeii Spartacus seeks to attack from the shadow of Mt. Vesuvious would be destroyed in its eruption, though history records the Third Servile War took place some 150 years before the famous explosion.  Still, it’s not hard to imagine that Spartacus: Vengeance could play with some of the mountain’s lesser eruptions in a climactic battle.

There’s a good deal of fragile threads that bond characters to one another, begging questions of how and why people risk their lives.  Oenomaus (Peter Mensah) for instance never consciously attempts to portray his brotherhood, even as he dissociates himself from their rebellion, and only cracks to reveal their location accidentally as Ashur reveals details of his wife’s affair with Gannicus.  So too does it seem foolish of Crixus to brave heaven and hell for a woman likely dead, given others who need him, but these kinds of raw, unfocused emotions run rampant throughout Spartacus: Vengeance with some very powerful drama.  Since “The Greater Good” presents more than a few flashbacks of Crixus’ affair with Naevia, or Gannicus’ time with Melitta, it might help to refresh a bit on the past seasons before heading into this, and upcoming episodes.

Elsewhere there’s still plenty to mine (pun intended) from some of the lesser-developed villains, as we’re clearly seeing cracks between Ilithyia and Glaber form after the arrival of Varinius, even if Glaber briefly manages to win the day.  It would also benefit to learn a bit more about Ashur’s motivations beyond rejection from the brotherhood, powerful a bond though that may be.  As has been mentioned in fan theorizing, repeated references to Nasir’s Syrian heritage and memories of his brother could be pointing toward Ashur, which which help flesh out a few of his emotions beyond pure vengeance.  At the very least, it was important to see that he was the one to save Lucretia from death and set her on her current path, though once again get very little credit for his work.

“The Greater Good” is more about moving pieces into place rather than utilizing them, but still another solid hour for Spartacus and his merry men.

And Another Thing…

• I think it’s safe to say that anytime an extra peers around a corner, or positions themselves to look closely at something, someone’s going to shove a sword through them.

• And speaking of gory, life-threatening injuries, Ashur cuts off his frigging forearm skin!  One doesn’t recover from that by wrapping it.

• Be careful if you’re ever researching the history behind the show.  Surely they pick and choose aspects to change, but you might be surprised how much is in keeping with real life, and accidentally spoil a few seasons for yourself!

• I didn’t get to mention it, but I think it’s sweet the way Nasir and Agron seem to have developed an interest in one another, a comment on the fluid sexuality of the culture.

• Still nothing to do for Hannah Mangan Lawrence’s Seppia.  Maybe next week?

• Ah, the magic of the movies.  Where people in stadiums can perfectly hear, and recognize people from 100 feet away.

What did YOU think?

Spartacus: Vengeance 2.03 "The Greater Good" Review

30 Rock season 6 makes a declaration of love with the sixth and seventh episodes of season 6 with "Hey Baby, What's Wrong?," where Liz and Criss must purchase a table for Valentine's day and Jack visits with his mother-in-law Charlotte (Mary Steenburgen) .  Tonight 30 Rock experiments with an hour-long format for it's Valentine's day outing, and however sweet carries a few mixed results.

I’m very interested in what’s been going on with 30 Rock’s season ordering this year, as the show was first pushed back into mid-season to accommodate Tina Fey’s pregnancy, and has since been rather out of sorts.  First , the second and third episodes of the season made more or less a two-part episode, but separated by a week as 30 Rock has been airing multiple episodes on Thursday nights, whether catching up to other comedies or filling holes in the schedule.  This week’s “Hey Baby, What’s Wrong” wasn’t a two-parter in the traditional sense, but more akin to an hour-long episode that doesn’t break through the midpoint, something I’m not sure the show has attempted before.  “Hey Baby, What’s Wrong” isn’t a failed experiment by any means, but it can be difficult for typically half-hour shows to break out of formats to which they’re so accustomed.

So of course, Valentine’s day draws near, and there wasn’t any way 30 Rock could leave that topic alone even as Liz Lemon so vehemently eschews the concept of the holiday.  And with Valentine’s day we must all confront our lack of significant others and reflect on loves past.  If you’re happily taken, go fly a kite!  But in any case, most couples know all-too-well the dangers of furniture shopping in relationships, and the endless void of a trip to IKEA, with its presentation so elaborately designed as a long voyage rather than a simple grab & run.  Mutual shopping has a way of bringing differences to the forefront, and the returning Criss (James Marsden) certainly doesn’t seem the type to stick around Liz Lemon’s life for long.

Of course, 30 Rock has covered Valentine's Day multiple times in the last six years (and in case you forgot, here’s a montage of the show’s better years!), so there’s a rather predictable direction a tale of Liz Lemon worried she’ll lose her boyfriend could take, and fight it as they may Liz and Criss of course make a slow boil into argument.  It doesn’t quite end the way you’d expect, with both Liz and Criss being savvy enough to know that a small fight over furniture isn’t enough to destroy a solid relationship, so I liked that 30 Rock could at least plausibly extend its conclusions without feeling repetitive.  A skilled comedic actor though he may be, I’m still not entirely buying James Marsden as a good fit for Liz or 30 Rock, but the results are agreeable enough.

Faring somewhat less well this week is Jack, who in the continued absence of Avery finds himself mentally and sexually frustrated, even turning to his mother-in-law Charlotte Jessup (Mary Steenburgen) to vent some frustrations as they try to return Avery from North Korea.  You could tell from practically their first scene that the episode was pitching toward Jack bedding his own mother-in-law, but I remained largely uncertain 30 Rock could ever justify such an insane twist.  Clearly Elizabeth Banks would never come aboard 30 Rock as a full-time cast member, so I wondered if the show had written itself into a corner by marrying and tying down Jack with a child.  Hooking up with Charlotte would have likely been too icky to justify, so I imagine the writers want to have their cake and eat it too by giving Jack new female presences to bounce off of.  It’s not like 30 Rock seems to be approaching any resolution with Avery, so it seems likely we’ll see Charlotte again at least once more.

And speaking of new female presences, Kristen Schaal returns as equally doe-eyed page Hazel, though her storyline of trying to fit in at 30 Rock doesn’t necessarily veer into the territory you’d think either.  Being a Valentine’s Day episode, I presumed she might share some chemistry with Kenneth, before her disgust at their behavior evolved into Single-White-Female style adoration.  Be it adorable enthusiasm or homicidal rage, Kristen Schaal stills nails the role, and I’ll be sad to see her go in a few episodes.

Likely the least entertaining subplots this week would have to go to the Pete / Jenna pairing and Lutz’s search for love aided by Tracy Jordan and Frank.  It’s not that the stories don’t make for a few laughs now and again (particularly in how Lutz manages to fail every one of his mentors’ hilariously pathetic set-ups), but they don’t feel particularly connected to any overarching theme.  It might feel different were the stories to be set up over the usual half-hour, but that extra time stretches the jokes a little thin.

I love 30 Rock, I do, so perhaps I’m just Liz Lemon bitter as we approach Valentine’s day, and thoughts turn to the one that got away.  By that, I of course mean Community.

And Another Thing…

• Probably would have known this if I’d seen Enchanted, but that James Marsden has a nice singing voice.

• I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  Good gravy that Mary Steenburgen has aged well.

• With Pete and Jenna so desperate to get out of the “late-night ghetto” of TGS, I wonder if some  career movements could be a setup for a 30 Rock endgame of sorts…

• Caught you, 30 Rock on your unrealistic Manhattan geography!  During Liz’s cell phone conversation with Jack, The Molly Wee Pub (30th and 8^th) is visible in the background, and she’s still on the phone with him when she reaches her apartment on the Upper West Side (160 Riverside)!  Liz Lemon would never walk that far!

What did YOU think?

30 Rock 6.06 / 6.07 "Hey Baby, What's Wrong?" Review

The Vampire Diaries knows how to throw a magnificent party (and how to throw someone off a balcony at a dance) and this grand event was no exception, as the Originals introduce themselves to Mystic Falls in true style. Mama Original Esther (Alice Evans) ordered her children to make the party violence free, but is this something they can deliver?

"Dangerous Liaisons" was in part about desire and emotions; with one brother feeling too much and the other not at enough. The timing of this Entertainment Weekly cover is pretty perfect as the good old love triangle took another direction this evening, which will most likely enrage and please equal amounts of viewers. As Damon (Ian Somerhalder) showed that his emotions were possibly becoming a problem when it comes to the dealing with the Originals, Stefan (Paul Wesley) refused to reveal any of his. Elena (Nina Dobrev) took each of their arms at the start of the ball showing she really is stuck in the middle and it doesn't help that she has feelings for both of the Salvatore brothers. Stefan is allowing Elena to make her own decision which is something that Damon isn't doing at the moment; score 1 point to Stefan.

Damon doesn't take Elena's rejection well after his declaration of love and even though it was kind of dumb for him to throw Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) off the balcony, he did save Matt (Zach Roerig) from something more serious than a broken hand. This is when Damon is at his most dangerous and as we have seen he can be rather impulsive; this time he looked to the nearest person who was also feeling low and had a rather fiery hook up with Rebekah (Claire Holt) after Matt rejected her. This final scene of passion is sure to leave some fans reeling, especially after the heated Stefan and Elena porch chat that looked like it might end in a kiss, but it all just adds another layer of tension and drama to the story.

There are other romantic developments tonight as Klaus (Joseph Morgan) lets Caroline (Candice Accola) know how he really feels with a very British "I fancy you." If he hadn't done some pretty diabolical acts in the past his gift of a beautiful dress and talk of art and showing Caroline the world would certainly do the trick. However as he is drawn to Caroline's strength it is only right that she would refuse his advances, will this refusal make Klaus more determined? There is definitely chemistry between these two characters and Klaus softens around Caroline and with Tyler (Michael Trevino) away (but still on Caroline's mind), this does allow some room for something to potentially develop.

Klaus might have a more pressing issue to contend with as his mother indeed wants to correct the balance with nature and has set a plan in motion to kill him. The problem with Esther's plan is that to kill Klaus she also has to kill all her other children; sounds like a Greek tragedy. Esther even seems to have her very own Oedipus as Finn (Casper Zafer) is aware of the plan and offers up his blood to complete the link and the spell. Elijah (Daniel Gillies) is the most perceptive of the siblings and is correct in believing his mother has an ulterior motive. Elena lies to Elijah about what she knows and feels bad about it; these two really have an odd but rather wonderful bond.

Other observations

-Did Elena really come up with the neck breaking plan? Or is Stefan just trying to rile his brother?

-No murder plot this week as Alaric (Matt Davis) recovers in hospital, though 'creepy horror movie POV cam' was used well in this opening scene; I really wasn't expecting a vengeful Rebekah to be the one lurking.

-The Gilbert porch really is the ultimate place for those 'big' conversations with both Stefan and Elena admitting that they said things that evening, which they didn't mean. Elena was most likely talking about Damon, with Stefan's sentiment clearly being about Elena and Stefan apologizes for what he did to Elena on the bridge a few weeks ago. Stefan doesn't want to care though, as it will bring him nothing but pain and when he does care again I'm pretty sure that Stefan will take brooding to a whole new epic level.

-Caroline comments that the Louvre guards in Paris are clearly not on vervain as Klaus' private art collection shows and he proudly shows off his Monet (not a euphemism). Klaus also reveals himself to be quite the artist; did you think his drawing of Caroline with the horse was cute or cheesy?

-A fancy ball means that we get to see the cast looking incredible in evening wear. Did Elena just happen to have a spare ball gown in her closet for an emergency situation like this? I guess it's good to be prepared with an outfit for any occasion. The entrances of both Elena and Caroline were equally as breathtaking and it is obvious why they have multiple suitors waiting in the wings.

-Caroline does a good job of psyche 101'ing Klaus; maybe she can become a psychologist who specializes in vampire issues?

-Elijah tasks himself with sorting out Kol and Rebekah; he really is the most sensible and reliable of the Originals.

-It's kind of weird and gross that Elena has to drink her own blood infused champagne. Pink champagne will never look the same.

This episode revealed Esther's true motives and as Stefan commented Esther really is "mother of the year." Are you surprised by this turn of events? How soon will the Original siblings find out about this plan? The romantic developments this week sure made for interesting watching as truths are revealed and confessions are made. What are your thoughts on all things Stefan/Elena/Damon, Klaus and Caroline and that hook up at the end of the episode (but play nice please)?

Next week on The Vampire Diaries Elena is in danger (no change there then). For promo photos and video for "All My Children" head here and here.

The Vampire Diaries 3.14 "Dangerous Liaisons" Review

Archer drives along with its latest from season 3, or technically season 3.5 with "Drift Problem," as a spy car given as a gift for Archer's birthday winds up stolen, sending the ISIS agent on a rampage to see it returned.  More or less, we liked his last rampage better.

Given how much I unexpectedly liked last week’s “Skytanic” sequel of sorts, the madcap “The Limited,” it wasn’t surprising that the next week might be something of a letdown.  I’m not usually a tremendous fan of Archer, but I like the way the series rewards long-time viewers with an endless barrage of joke callbacks, which “The Limited” did very well.  “Drift Problem” by no means attempted to piggyback on that success, but it wasn’t fresh or nostalgic enough to really win in either direction.

Interestingly, “Drift Problem” wasn’t sent out with FX’s initial batch of Archer season 3 screeners, perhaps given some of the more complicated CG rendering, and next week’s “Lo Scandalo” was the last of the episodes sent for review.  I doubt the episode was withheld for quality purposes, but sandwiched between two far stronger episodes might have put “Drift Problem” in something of an awkward state.

All of the pieces are there, from an exploration of Archer’s birthday promising callbacks to the twisted relationship Archer shares with his mother, to his bad-ass birthday present of a souped-up, tricked-out Dodge Challenger.  And you know (from the promos) that once someone steals said car, it’s going to be “Terms of Enrampage-ment 2” all up in this mother (no pun intended)!  Yet in spite of the setup, nothing quite clicks the way it’s supposed to, and you wind up with extended sequences of getting from A to B, Archer monologuing about the car, or the predictable twist that Malory herself was the culprit, stealing the car as some kind of demented lesson.

You’d think there would be a lot more to explore for the world’s most egotistical spy on his birthday, given the dark upbringing with Malory, and a tense Tokyo drifting session that culminates in a shootout with the Yakuza, but somehow the magic seemed to be missing this week.  “Drift Problem” isn’t a bad episode by any means, but it felt more recycled and indicative of other Archer plots than it brought anything new to the table.

The same goes for the supporting cast, who predictably manage to tag along on Archer’s quest to reclaim the car, dubbed “Jeannie” (or Genie, if you’re nitpicking), but don’t really add much to the equation.  Better episodes of Archer can weave Pam’s nocturnal activities or Cyril’s pathetic participation into a storyline effortlessly, but “Drift Problem" makes the mistake of hinging the story on the search for the car, which isn’t set up to be all that valuable to anyone but Archer himself.  Everything else just kind of…problematically drifts into place.

Come on, you have to give me some credit for that one.

And Another Thing…

• “Ow!  I think.”

• The rampant Dodge product placement thankfully isn’t obnoxious, but rather woven in to some nice potshots at the ways shows these days tend to make them more obvious.  And those folks at Dodge are good sports.  BUY DODGE!

• I’m surprised there wasn’t more attention given that George Takei was lending his voice to the episode, considering the hoopla raised for Burt Reynolds and Bryan Cranston.

• Favorite new recurring gag to play with:  Archer’s elaborate hoax voicemails.

• I’m not crazy about the way Archer handles CGI for the driving sequences, but sometimes it seems less jarring than others.

• “That was for Pearl Harbor!”

• I was a little confused myself, but eagle-eyed fans have pointed out that the new owner of the car in the episode’s ending wasn’t’ Popeye, but rather a character from Adam Reed’s previous series Frisky Dingo.

What did YOU think?

Archer 3.07 "Drift Problem" Review - My Mother, The Car

For being a show about a group of sexy witches, The Secret Circle sure is deathly serious. They may let Faye out of her cage once and a while to bring a little snark to the proceedings, but other than that, The Secret Circle has turned its nose up at levity and light. It may help the horror movie-ish scenes retain a little oomph, but in turn, it can often make an episode feel a little lifeless and stuffy. In "Valentine", though, there was a little weight lifted off of the show and it responded very well, as this was the first time (maybe ever) that The Secret Circle was allowed to breathe.

The show got in a double-whammy, in that the humor came from a girl's night slumber party that allowed Faye, Diana, and Melissa to bounce off one another. It was nice to not only be reminded of why these people became friends in the first place, but separate the group into its two most agreeable chunks. Without Jake, Adam, and Cassie, the complicated threesome got into a little bit of trouble, with Melissa's new Devil's Spirit habit popping up again, only this time bringing Diana into the fold. Usually, a show resorting to so-and-so-under-the-influence humor falls flat with me, but I was so glad to be able to laugh and enjoy myself during an episode of The Secret Circle that it didn't bother me in the least. (Diana, especially, benefited from finally letting go and not worry about Adam for once.) The magical equivalent of cocaine was used almost like a "social lubricant", bringing out issues the three girls had amongst themselves in terms of territory and their past blow-ups, which gave it a purpose beyond "LOL THEY'RE HIGH". You got a little window into the circle before The Secret Circle, including the Diana-turning-her-back-on-Melissa drama from a few weeks ago, and another reminder that behind her perfect hair and withering putdowns, Faye loves/is protective of Melissa.

For me to be able to care about the fate of the circle (and, by extension, The Secret Circle), the show needed/needs to continue to mine the relationships these people have together and show the type of bonds they have. A night like the slumber party may seem light/unimportant, but it's a necessary bit of world building that can add tension to the show's more dark moments. If, say, Melissa was in danger, you'd want to be like "I bet Faye's a wreck. I hope she's okay or Diana will be crushed.", not shrugging your shoulders and going to make some popcorn, you know?

The members of the circle may be descended from a long line of powerful witches, but they're so much more than that and giving the characters extra shading can never be wrong. Which is why I enjoyed Adam so much in "Valentine", as Thomas Dekker finally got to do something more than brood, whisper-growl, and disapprove of something Cassie did. Of course, there had to be the requisite lovey dovey scenes, including a cringe-y final moment on the boat that had crying and talk of Cassie's amazingness (no, really), but Adam got to expand a little bit tonight. Aside from a brief moment where he made fun of Cassie to himself, that came in the form of his possession by an army of pissed off Nidaros witches. Having been killed by John Blackwell, they were coming for the medallion, as Cassie had reactivated it at the end of last week's episode; Dekker got to be menacing and intense, a lumbering departure for the typical wet blanket and proof that he can do much more than they're letting him at the moment. I only wish the final confrontation could have went longer before he changed back, as Adam's only seeming to exist for the love triangle these days. He has no real platonic connection to any member of the circle and his only interactions with his dad are more of the child-parenting-the-parent variety, so the little bit of range we got tonight was incredibly refreshing.

Thankfully, the love triangle seems to be winding down the angst, considering the fact that Jake and Faye are (deliciously) hooking up and Adam and Cassie seem to be (kind of) on the same page. There was little time for booty touching in "Valentine", though, considering the hooded spirits that were gunning for Cassie and all. I liked that it allowed another look at Blackwell and really shook Cassie away from this idealized version of a father she had in her head, but man, is the girl dumb. I don't know if it's because I'm not a teenage girl or I'm not a witch (...or am I?), but the entire episode was frustrating in terms of Cassie's naivete. I don't expect her to go from scared, confused young girl to Buffy the Nidaro Slayer overnight or anything; I just wish that our heroine, the character we spend the most time with, was easy to root for. I want her to find out about her lineage, but running after faceless hooded beings, including going off by yourself to an abandoned church, felt less like innocence and more like stupidity. I could buy that she's so desperate to find answers about her father that she got blinded by that, though common sense has to come into play some time or another. Chasing after something potentially lethal by yourself in the (dark but really beautiful) woods when you have no idea what it is or how to control your power is silly and it's a miracle nothing happened to her.

Props to you, Cassie, for thinking to destroy the medallion.

Now get it together.

Though I had to pull out a side-eye or two, "Valentine" would go in my top 2-3 episodes of The Secret Circle list. It had a lot of humor, explored the dynamics between the members of the circle, and offered up a few answers/moments of character backstory, stamped by a cliffhanger ending that hints that the show may soon be taking it to the next level. With the new visitor in town arriving at a time where Faye's power is unknowingly being drained (by Lee's "power totem"), the circle should find itself pushed to the limits in the coming weeks, a prospect I'm both intrigued and disturbed by. Cassie may be a bad witch, but one cannonball can't bring down an entire town, especially if the only other weapon you have are stones. The circle's fragmentation has resulted in a lot less group magic, thereby making the fact that they're bound a lot less pivotal than I expected earlier in the season. Had they been practicing and learning more about their capabilities, I'd think that the members of The Secret Circle could take down any man or beast that dare enter Chance Harbor, but it looks like they'll have to wing it in order to keep their circle (and one another) alive  until this next storm passes.

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-"I wear slinky lingerie because I like feeling slinky."
-"There's extra sparkle in your bitchiness today."
-"Me and that creepy doll are gonna change your life."
-"Okay. Ahem. Circle up."
-"You're the most sacred witch in all the land."
-"You're not a hot pizza guy."
-I went on about Cassie being dumb, but at least she didn't give the medallion to Isaac, who would have turned on them in a second. Part of that, to me, played into her distrust of Jake.
-For those curious, Nidaros was the name of a town in Norway during the Middle Ages. Look at The Secret Circle bringing in some history.
-The hooded guys were suitably creepy, especially when you didn't think they were there and the camera would pan over/out to show them. Nice direction, show.
-Cassie's little freak out at the church made me think of this scene from I Know What You Did Last Summer.
-Your regular reviewer, Mark O. Estes, is being chased in the woods of Chance Harbor by dead witch ghosts. After I go save him, he should be back in action.
-Next week on The Secret Circle: Somebody evil (nudge nudge) shows up on Cassie's doorstep, Eben and the other witch hunters make their return, and Melissa spends more time with Callum.

The Secret Circle 1.14 Review: Will You Be My Valentine?

After the last new episode of Suburgatory, which saw Steven's cheating exposed, you couldn't really be blamed for thinking that it wouldn't be addressed. Well, at least for a little while, considering the will they/won't they status of George and Dallas heavily hinged on the fact that the latter was still legally married. Additionally, Suburgatory has never been a terribly plot-heavy show, happy to luxuriate in rapid-fire joke detonation and mirrored antics of a single dad and daughter, and the prospect of following up the revelation in "The Casino Trip" didn't feel like something it would do (yet). In a television world that likes to draw out certain plots for season upon season, getting Dallas free from her loveless marriage seemed like something to be taken care of at a later date.

Surprise, surprise, then, that "Sex and the Suburbs" didn't let us twist in the wind for too long about the fate of Dallas's marriage. In fact, following the discovery of a strange pair of panties and an enlightening conversation with pseudo-daughter Tessa, Dallas went ahead, filed for divorce, and triumphantly danced around her house. It was a touching moment, in that Suburgatory has made a point at showing the kind, warm person that Dallas is behind the leopard print. After 13 episodes of getting to know her, you want to see Dallas happy and not having to go-along with some invisible rule that a man who provides for his family to get carte blanche to do anything he wants. Although I do admit that I'm rooting for George and Dallas to find one another when the moment is right, the main reason I loved Dallas standing up for herself is that it happened due to a moment with Tessa. Call it a contrivance, I fully believe that Dallas had compartmentalized Steven's actions and it took seeing another person going through something similar for her to finally get that this was no way to live. She and Tessa have formed a pretty strong bond since the latter came to town, both filling in gaps that the other had in her life, and using that connection was simple yet very effective at moving Dallas's plot along. They may not go to the Dallas/Tessa well that often, but now that a relationship has been developed between the two, it could be wise to trot the pairing  out more often.

George, meanwhile, took it all the way back to the pilot with another freak out over Tessa possibly being sexually active. And like the cheating revelations, this traces back to last week with the discovery of Lisa's Love Box and the XL condoms. Some may decry the fact that it's essentially a repeat of a story from the pilot, but to me, it felt like a fun way to revisit the central premise of the series. George may still be in hyper-protective mode, but "Sex and the Suburbs" touched on some internal issues that gave his story a little more depth. Thus far, we've only known George Altman, lonely single dad trying to do his best for his daughter, but that loneliness and self-imposed isolation finally got to him to the point that he turned into..."Gorgeous George", babe slayer and all-around hunk-o-rama. At the behest of Noah, George tapped into a former life in order to better understand Tessa's budding sex life, hooking up with club waitress Jocelyn in order to get his groove back. Without that little touch, it would have been another "single dad hates all teenage boys" type of story, but George trying to loosen up was a nice way to approach the subject 13 episodes in. Nevermind the fact that Jocelyn is a really funny peripheral character who may now turn all Fatal Attraction, but it kept George from becoming too one note in his parental life.

But was Tessa even having sex?

Concluded on next page...

Suburgatory 1.13 "Sex and the Suburbs" Review

Oh. My. God. How is it possible that Revenge keeps getting better and better week after week?  What started out as a complex plot to bring down a family has become a delicious treat that continues to deliver twists at an alarming rate. Here's the most important things that happened in this week's Revenge:

Grandpa Grayson Came to the Hamptons: Victoria called in one of her biggest supporters - Conrad's father - to help her with the divorce.  She rightly believed that he would tell Conrad to grant Victoria an equitable settlement in order to keep the process civil.  Naturally, Conrad was furious that Victoria had gone behind his back and basically ratted him out to his old man.

Jack Found the Treadwell Tape: Jack irrecoverably got himself involved in the sticky Grayson situation when he found a stray Treadwell tape under a bed in his apartment.  Since it had Amanda's name on it, he was extremely interested in watching it and even asked Nolan to help him find a way to view it.  Naturally, Emily didn't want Jack to see the tape or get involved in the whole situation, which lead to....

Amanda Clarke Returned: Emily called on Fauxmanda to convince Jack to hand over the tape.  It looks like she didn't get as far out of town as we had thought.  Since Jack has been worried about her since her unexpected disappearance, he immediately came calling.  But he refused to hand over the tape, despite her pleading, and the two got into an argument.  He stormed off and she chased after him, but she wasn't seen again before the end of the episode.

Jack Learned the Truth: Despite Emily's insistence that Jack never view the Treadwell tape, Nolan decided to let him watch it, swayed by his declaration that Nolan had been a true friend.  In the tape, a young Amanda asked Treadwell to find that dark-haired lady named Victoria who kissed her dad.  Now Jack knows all about Victoria's affair with David Clarke.

Emily's Plans Are Thwarted, But the Truth Comes Out: At a Grayson family dinner (complete with Emily and Declan), Emily had planned to have Charlotte receive the tape where David revealed Charlotte's paternity, but that turned out to be completely unnecessary.  Conrad did reach out to Charlotte, apologizing for treating her poorly lately.  Jack's appearance at the dinner caused a shock, since he directly confronted Victoria about having an affair with David and not helping Amanda when she was younger.  This was one of the best confrontation scenes on Revenge thus far.  Daniel tried to defend his mother, saying that David had attacked her as Victoria had claimed.  But Conrad was tired of the lies and flat out told everyone that Victoria had had an ongoing affair with David and Charlotte was not his biological daughter.  Yikes.

Conrad Could Lose Control of His Company: Conrad told Charlotte that he would support her no matter what, but Grandpa was furious with Conrad over how he had handled his family at dinner.  He suggested that Conrad was no longer fit to run Grayson Global and suggested that Daniel take the reigns, since he was the only person who bothered fighting for their family any longer.  Conrad was understandably desperate to hang on to his legacy, and while Victoria was furious that Conrad had revealed the truth to Charlotte, she seemed happy that Daniel could take over the company.

Charlotte Is Upset: Naturally, Charlotte was stunned by the news that David Clarke is her father, and despite Declan's insistence that Conrad won't stop being her father, she appears to have decided to go on a bender.

Emily's Secret Stash is Discovered: Emily reamed Nolan out for allowing Jack to view the tape, insisting that all major reveals should be done her way, especially since Jack is now on Victoria's radar more than ever.  And while Emily has been forced to adapt to unexpected situations on previous episodes of Revenge, tonight marked her biggest surprise.  When she arrived home from dinner, she found that that the floorboard that hid the box with her true identity was missing, and an engagement invitation was in its place.  In other words, someone has discovered Emily's secrets and is clearly setting her up - intending for something big to happen at the engagement party.

This week's episode of Revenge was one twist after another, delivering big on payoff and emotional revelations.  Like I said, it's absolutely delicious fun.

Speaking of the engagement party - the big event will take place on the February 15 episode of Revenge.  Will Daniel be shot? You'll have to tune in to see.  In the meantime, watch a preview here and don't forget to vote in our poll about whether Daniel is the victim on the beach.

Revenge Recap: Emily's Plan Spins Out of Control, But Truths Are Revealed

Every Tuesday night, you can usually find me thumbing through my notes on the latest episode of Parenthood, scowling and trying to brainstorm. Though I enjoy Parenthood and consider it one of the best broadcast dramas out there, it can be a little hard to write about, for reasons other than the obvious. Yes, there are usually several storylines ramshackled together with bubblegum and indie pop, but the main reason I often get stuck on Parenthood reviews is the show's naturalistic style. It may be earthy and refreshingly honest, but it can also lead to me not knowing whether my feelings on an episode stem from character or plot. Parenthood has done such an exquisite job establishing the Braverman family, in all its iterations, that writing about it can feel like writing about your family members; you have to separate your personal, visceral reactions to what's going on and try to look at the bones of an episode for what they are, nothing more or less.

"Politics", Parenthood's first episode after a two week break, hit that problem right on the nose for me, in that critically I leaned one way and emotionally I leaned another. Most notably, with Sarah and Mark's ultimate decision to pass over climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and writing in Morocco for the prospect of having a baby, like, right now. I've been a big proponent of Mark and Sarah from the beginning, as their interactions feel so easy and earned, but what joy I got from them moving on to the next phase of their life together was quashed by taking another look at their dilemma. Sarah's a (very impulsive) lady of a certain age, but didn't she consider having her eggs frozen until she and Mark were truly ready? Or perhaps adopting a child and forgoing any type of concern about her age affecting a child's health? The talk about a baby for them has always had me a little worried, considering how heavy season 3 has been on the topic, and I'm not a fan of the direction it's going. Sarah and Mark aren't trying to have a baby because they're ready; they're trying to have a baby because she's insecure and he's head-over-heels enough to go along with her. Sarah finding love and getting her life together away from her children has been one of my favorite stories this season, but flirting with the possibility of another child feels like a regression as opposed to progression. There's so much beautiful material to be mined from single mom getting her children raised and looking ahead to the next phase of her life, finally able to live for herself and put her needs more toward the top of the list. There are other shades of parenthood aside from "perpetually with child" and I wish that Parenthood would explore them through Sarah.

Also causing problems is Amber's plot, as she and Bob finally consummated their obvious tension through a kiss at work. Up front, I'll say that I really enjoy them together, but I have a feeling that it'll be nothing but trouble from here on out for the two. As touching as it was to hear Bob verbalize all the things about Amber that are truly beautiful that we've learned over the past 3 seasons, it's one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't situations. Amber either goes with her heart and embraces one of the few people that truly gets her, ultimately losing out on a promising job, or she rejects Bob, keeping her career but losing a companion. You want Amber to have the job and the man because of how much she's struggled to get here, but it can't be like that, not in the world of politics and not with Bob Little. There's a certain sadness about Amber's story that's appealing, but my only hope is that Parenthood doesn't take the easy way out and make this into a scandalous plotline. For me, it'd be best for it not to leak and if it has to end, end quietly and cordially; it'd hit a lot harder (and be closer to Parenthood's identity) to watch the internal struggle play out intimately, as opposed to on press conferences and newspaper headlines. It'd be painful to watch two good people with promising futures have their lives and careers ruined, especially considering the progress Amber has made from this time last season.

Parenthood 3.15 "Politics" Review

With Marshall and Lily all settled in to their house in the ‘burbs, it was only a matter of time before How I Met You Mother creators Carter and Bays had the two throw a housewarming party to bring all their friends from the city out to Long Island.

Last night’s episode, the second new episode of 2012, “The Burning Beekeeper” did just that for a raucous (not really) house party that lasted all of five minutes. While overall the episode was somewhat lackluster and forgettable in that I only laughed out loud maybe twice, I really enjoyed the structure of how the story was set up. Moving from room to room to explain how the party became such a disaster, piece by piece, was a clever idea. However, I didn’t find anything that happened in any of these rooms all that entertaining. A big wheel of gouda off the Internet, some mice, a crazy cat lady, an almost brawl over vegan spring rolls and a basement full of bees? Nothing grabbed my attention.

There were, of course, some great one-liners though. (see ‘Quips of the night’ below). It appeared that only sentiment which pushed the continuing plot of the series forward seemed to come with Lily’s revelation that a crisis every 30 seconds is just like parenthood will be. To me, her comment appeared to be thrown in to forge a connection and justify the episode of crises but I'm really interested to hear what all you readers think. Also where exactly did her dad get all those bees?!?!

Some additional thoughts:

• A cat bah mitzvah, really? That lady was the craziest cat lady I’ve ever seen!
• Can Lily’s dad (played by Chris Elliot) leave now?
• Where is Kevin (Kal Penn)? I don’t mind him not being around but I didn’t miss a breakup or anything did I?

Quips of the night:

• “This party is important to me. So I can only assume and I say this with love you’re going to ruin it.” – Lily to her Dad
•  “You know mother earth is also having a housewarming party too. Only hers ends in human kind at the bottom of a rising ocean passing through the digestive track of a sting ray.” – Mr. Cootes (Martin Short)
• “Every penis is a girl, Robin. Everyone knows that. Like ships and lake monsters. “ – Barney
• “I know you got it off the Interent. Why does that make it impressive? You know what else you can find on the Internet? Zoo animals masterbating.” – Barney

So give it to us readers....Did you like last night's episode? Do you still care about the old gang? What would you like to see happen to these characters? Let us know in the comments below!

How I Met Your Mother 7.15: "The Burning Beekeeper" Review

Well, if there was one thing that I have learned from “The Blue Butterfly” was that keeping my expectations to a minimum was the absolute best choice I could have made. You all know how I felt about the noir aspect of it and how I was expecting it to be a complete disaster (and I got a lot of backlash for that too), but for what it’s worth, I’ve learned my lesson.

It’s better to be pleasantly surprised than sorely disappointed.

In all honesty, “The Blue Butterfly” was not a bad episode. I wasn’t crazy about the noir scenes, even though the costumes and the setting were great. Maybe it’s just that I am not a big fan of the noir style, but the lines, the accents, those just didn’t work for me. That said, I really liked the case and absolutely loved the twist in the end when we found out that Joe and Vera made it out alive and lived happily ever after. I also liked the present day scenes a lot more than the 1947 ones and thought it was a nice build up to solving the case.

But my problem with this episode remains the same. I still stand by my argument that it doesn’t do anything for the overall story. They promoted this episode like crazy, saying that Castle and Beckett would be closer than ever; but if you stop and think about it, what we saw was not Castle and Beckett at all. Sure, they were played by Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion, but they were different characters altogether in a completely different story. So they lived a very nice love story and there was that kiss in the end, but what’s the point of it all if it doesn’t happen with Castle and Beckett, the characters we really care about?

You guys know I love the show and I am usually all for being patient and trust that TPTB know what they’re doing, but it feels like the overall story has come to a stop and all we get are those stolen glances and subtext and every episode feels like we’re watching the same thing over and over again, only with a different case. “The Blue Butterfly” was a good standalone episode, but that was it. It was just okay and we have had a good share of “just okay” episodes this season. Maybe I am in the minority here (in fact, I am pretty sure I am), but the only really, really good episodes so far this season were “Rise”, “Cops & Robbers” and “Kill Shot”. That’s three episodes out of fourteen. Those were the episodes that really felt like we were finally going somewhere, but  after that nothing happened and that has always been my biggest problem with this show.

Some of you said that I was a disappointment because I said I wasn’t looking forward to “The Blue Butterfly”. But here is the thing, guys: To love something or someone doesn’t mean you have to be completely blind about it and ignore its flaws. Nothing is ever perfect and Castle is most certainly not the exception to this rule. I love the show because of the characters not because of the procedural aspect and I never made a secret out of this. Lately, it has been more and more like a procedural with zero movement in the character arc front. And that’s what bothers me the most. Because what’s the point of having a super production of an episode if it doesn’t do anything for the story in the long run? Was it well produced? Yes, it was and I am sure the cast had a blast filming it. But it was the kind of episode that stands completely on its own and if you skip it, you won’t miss much. If a casual viewer tuned in for “An Embarrassment of Bitches” and then only came back for “Pandora”, they would be able to follow the storyline just fine because, as much as “The Blue Butterfly” was nice, it didn’t add anything to the show.

It has come to a point for me that something needs to happen in order to keep things interesting. Whether it will be movement forward or not, it doesn’t really matter, as long as something happens to shake things up. Because if a hardcore fan like me is starting to lose interest, then what is it doing to the casual viewer, you know?

It’s something to think about.

Castle: 4.14 "The Blue Butterfly" Review

2 Broke Girls cleans up with its latest "And the blind spot" from its first season, which sees Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) attempting to join the cleaning service of their  new upstairs neighbor Sophie (Jennifer Coolidge), while re-evaluating their friendship.  "And the Blind Spot" is more of the same of what we've come to expect from 2 Broke Girls, which doesn't bode well for upcoming episodes.

Ugh.  UGH.  I want to like 2 Broke Girls, I really do, and I’m of the belief that no one should write about things they intrinsically abhor, though I always like to challenge things to be better rather than dismiss them entirely.  I’ve never liked the three-camera sitcom as long as I’ve given critical thought to them* and given CBS’ status as the most watched network in America I’d be hard-pressed to dismiss their regularly dominating entertainment, but that doesn’t mean I can always stay silent about it.

(*) I do love early season Friends and Seinfeld of course, but these were of a youthful sitcom golden age where there wasn’t such a breadth of unique storytelling in the hour-long and single-camera sitcom genres, at least in my pantheon.

I’m not a tremendous fan of How I Met Your Mother either, but at least time-jumping and multi-layered efforts like tonight’s “The Burning Beekeeper” remind me that good directors and writers can do quite a bit with dated formats, even if people have mixed reactions to the result.  Thankfully, I’ve never even attempted to watch a single episode of Two and a Half Men, and thus consider myself ignorant of the depths of the barrel CBS scrapes for sitcom comedy, but 2 Broke Girls runs a sizable risk now and again.

We haven’t seen any fresh 2 Broke Girls since mid-January, and even that was on the heels of the rather fervent tongue-lashing the show received at the TCA press tour, which made it rather difficult to honestly evaluate the appearance of Jennifer Coolidge in her multi-episode arc as the girls’ upstairs neighbor and head of a cleaning woman ring that could afford them additional work.  Participating in multiple episodes, Coolidge's arrival was met with mixed reception, though we only really saw a few short minutes of what Jennifer Coolidge might bring to the troubled series, all things considered.  The horribly-accented Polish character felt all-too-in keeping with the show’s regrettably racist humor, but still afforded some room toward what direction upcoming episodes might take.

Well, we’re now into the second episode focusing on Sophie’s presence in the girls’ lives, and things haven’t gotten any better.  The heart of 2 Broke Girls (yes, in its 14 episodes) lies in the strong bond forged between Max and Caroline’s polar opposites, and the dream they share of reaching notoriety through their fledgling business idea, in particular the chemistry between Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs.  And while a million shippers’ heads regularly explode at the mere thought of lesbian subtext between Max and Caroline, I have a rather hard time believing in the notion that a relatively new character like Sophie should have any impact on Max’s view of the dynamic between the two.  Sophie seems keen on insisting that Caroline represents a “rock” to Max’s “balloon” based solely on the former’s cleaning skills, but what we’ve seen of Caroline thus far belies any indication that the former rich-girl should be seen as incompetent or lacking value.

In fact, Caroline seems to receive the brunt of the mis-characterization tonight, being portrayed as alternately clumsy, undereducated and bigoted tonight, odd considering what strides 2 Broke Girls has taken with regard to shying her character away from the ditzy blonde stereotype.  I’d be wary of looking for value in any show that portrays French-kissing corpses and racist metaphors within the same breath, but oddly enough I expect better from 2 Broke Girls than this nonsense.

And Another Thing…

• We knew that the Oleg / Sophie pairing would arrive, but I appreciate the dynamic created in that she manages to tame his racist/sexist caricature somewhat.

• Several instances tonight of the writers wasting time on Sophie pointing out Max’s dirty humor reminded me of how Family Guy ruined the trope with Fouad.

• A, why do the girls need that much money for a decent looking website, considering how cheaply people accomplish that these days?  And B, why wouldn’t a smart girl like Max think an upstart business absolutely needs a website to get off the ground?

• I understand Caroline’s heels as somewhat intrinsic to the character’s image, but why would anyone, Max or Caroline dress so well for cleaning gigs?  The hired help I’ve seen changes into sweats upon their arrival.

• To be fair, I’ve never thought to shut off a toilet valve in case of overflow.

• Not only was I offended at Caroline’s ill-reacted to having an overweight client with modeling pictures of himself, but can you imagine flipping the gender roles in hers, Max, and Sophie’s reactions to the unconscious Abercrombie model?  What a horribly sexist and uncomfortable double-standard.

• I don’t care what tricks you’ve learned over the years.  If someone appears to have overdosed, YOU CALL 9-1-1 AND DON’T ATTEMPT REVIVAL YOURSELF.

Ugh.  What did YOU think?

2 Broke Girls 1.15 "And the Blind Spot" Review

NBC's ambitious new show, Smash, premiered tonight.  The show that critics have been talking about for months is a show about two young women who both want to be a star.

Julia (Debra Messing) and Tom (Christian Borle) are a Broadway composing team.  Despite promising to take a year off in order to adopt a baby with her husband, Julia gets inspired when Tom's assistant (Ellis) innocently mentions the idea of a musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.  She and Tom decide to test the waters for the project and call upon a Broadway veteran named Ivy (Megan Hilty) to record a song from the new musical.  Ivy may have been on Broadway for many years, but she's spent most of her time in the chorus and wants to be a star.

Unfortunately, Ellis accidentally leaks a video of Ivy singing the song.  Fortunately, the reception to the song is favorable and Julia and Tom get swept up in the happy feeling that they may have a hit on their hands.

Eileen (Angelica Houston) is a successful Broadway producer who is going through an acrimonious divorce with her husband.  Despite the fact that a revival of My Fair Lady is in the works, she's forced to shut down the show when her producing funds are caught up in the divorce.  Instead, she approaches Tom and Julia about producing the Marilyn musical and suggests they bring in Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) to direct.  Julia is receptive to the idea, but Tom and Derek have...ahem, "creative differences".  Despite that, Eileen convinces Derek to prepare one number as a sort of audition for Tom and Julia.

Derek tackles the "baseball number", with Ivy in the role of Marilyn.  Julia is blown away by Derek's work and convinces Tom to take him on.  Then the search for Marilyn begins.  Despite Ivy being eager to take on the role, she's got stiff competition in unknown actress Karen (Katharine McPhee), who is trying to catch her first big break on Broadway while bussing tables during the day.  It's clear that Karen has the talent and catches Derek's eye, who is pushing for a certain type of "star quality" for the role.

In the end, both Ivy and Karen get callbacks for the role and the two of them duel it out in a fantastic performance of an original Smash song.  The girls both hit their final notes as the pilot of Smash comes to an end.  But which girl will secure the coveted role?

Smash continues with a new episode on February 13 at 10:00 p.m. ET on NBC.  Do you think that Ivy or Karen will be cast as Marilyn in the next episode?  Vote on which girl deserves the role in the poll below.

Smash Pilot: The Making of a Star. Plus, Who Will Win the Role of Marilyn?

One of the main problems that I've had with Grimm's opening nine episodes is that the cases of the week tended to be very hit-or-miss. I don't know if it's where I'm not used to the feel of a procedural or what, but more often than not, I've not been that drawn in by the plethora of missing children and women in peril. The supernatural elements that the show has been playing around with in said cases, from fairy tale-esque settings to different creature interactions and brutal imagery, have masked that fact until this point, but there has to be some other pull to get me interested in a routine police investigation. I like seeing what kind of new creatures or impressive lighting schemes Grimm can come up with, but at some point, the cases need to start having a bit more meaning, a bit more resonance with the main characters.

"Organ Grinder" was a step in the right direction in that regard, as it allowed the three main folks we keep in touch with (Nick, Monroe, and, to a lesser extent, Juliette) to stretch their wings a little bit. Most notably, it was a fantastic episode for Nick, a likable enough "good guy" that has been treading pretty lightly here lately. Granted, after you find out you're a descendant of a long line of creature hunters, you might become a little closed off for a while, since your entire identity is up in the air, but this is the first episode (perhaps ever?) that Nick really stood out in the madness. He's gained a noticeable amount of confidence in his role as hunter in his time with Monroe and it was especially gratifying to see him intimidate one of the geier working at the corrupt clinic and the gallenblase salesman. The Nick Burkhardt in the pilot wouldn't have been able to handle himself that well with two "bad guys", so as much as this is a supernatural procedural, it's also the story of a man growing to accept himself and Nick's growth in his "other life" only bodes well going forward. I like watching him catch on and figure out how to navigate the creature world, but it feels like the training period has ended and Nick Burkhardt, Professional Hunter is ready to step on the scene.

But if you think Nick was all muscle and aggression, you're wrong, as "Organ Grinder" was careful to keep his humanity front and center. His interactions with Monroe have been a series highlight, but they were taken to another level with the Buffy-esque scenes tonight that highlighted their bond in bright yellow highlighter. In the beginning, there was this tension to their conversations as the two felt one another out, but by this point, Nick and Monroe are at the old married couple state of their friendship, the occasional dust-up (this time over the fact that they only talk about Grimm stuff) with an undercurrent of deep affection from shared experience. It's deep personal relationships like this that keep Nick from becoming too much of an enigma and sinking too far down the Grimm rabbit hole; also accomplishing that is the seemingly small feat of asking homeless siblings (and jewelry merchants) Gracie and Hanson to dinner and overpaying for some of their product. As much as I like Nick/Monroe and Nick/Juliette, he doesn't really have a lot of personal connections outside of those two and if it was kept that way, Grimm could turn into something a little suffocating and redundant. By showing Nick feeling for their situation, Grimm let down a wall that its leading man had up since the pilot and seeing him soften a bit makes the aggression he showed later that much more impressive.

Nick's been able to keep the core of who he was pre-Grimm in tact while adding on traits that he's learned from his time exploring the underworld with Monroe.

Grimm 1.10 "Organ Grinder" Review

It only took 7 years of Supernatural for Dean's promiscuity to really have serious consequences (for some reason, it's always the women Sam has slept with that turned out to be crazy/murderous).   In this week's episode, Sam was eager to investigate a case that had a bunch of male victims who were murdered in a shower of blood, with their hands and feet cut off and a strange symbol carved into their chest.

Always Use Birth Control

Dean, however, wasn't too interested in the case and ditched Sam after some initial investigating to head to the local bar.  He found himself in the company of a lady (Lydia) pretty quickly and she was forward enough to invite him back to his place. Juxtaposed against their steamy scene was the murder of yet another man (that was pretty cool).  The next morning, Dean joined Sam at the crime scene, but noted that he had left Bobby's flask at Lydia's house.  He called her about it, but she brushed him off.  Why?  Well, she was massively pregnant.

The boys continued to investigate the murders, while the local female cop seemed abrupt and suspicious.  They met with an anthropology professor (the Mayor from Buffy!), who eventually agreed to research the symbol and help them out. Later, Dean decided to head to Lydia's to retrieve the flask himself, and was shocked to find out she had a baby.  A baby who was talking above its age.  He spent the rest of the afternoon on a stakeout of the house and saw a 5 year old version of this same baby be taken off by two other Amazon women to be "schooled".

You Don't Want to Mess With These Chicks

The professor later revealed that the symbol carved into the men's chest was a mark of the Amazons and brushed them up on the lore.  Dean started to get worried that Lydia's daughter (Emma) could very well be his and he might be the next victim (thinking that the mothers eventually killed their children's fathers).  The boys continued to dig through Bobby's research, even stopping at one point because some papers had been moved without being touched.  Dean suggested maybe Bobby's ghost was hanging around, but Sam dismissed it (more on that later).

Sam headed off to the university to get the professor to decode some ancient Greek text and Dean remained behind in the motel.  Shortly after, he got a visit from Emma - his daughter.  She asked for his help to escape the Amazonian tribe, claiming that they wanted her to do horrible things.

Meanwhile, the professor was setting Sam straight, telling him that it was actually the daughters killing their fathers as they were fully initiated into the tribe.  Sam realized Dean could be in danger and raced out of there, only to be stopped by the local cop, who was an Amazon and knew his real identity.  Fortunately, he was able to kill her with a single shot to the chest and then he was off.

Back at the motel, Emma did her best to sway Dean to help her, but it was all a ruse.  Fortunately, Dean was on to her and pulled his gun on her when she took out her knife.  But he hesitated, unable to shoot her, and the two were in a stand-off.  Sam made it back to the motel and burst through the door.  Again, he saw Dean hesitate, so he shot Emma through the heart.

Dean seemed conflicted, but the brothers headed to the Amazon warehouse, hoping to kill the other women.  Unfortunately, they seemed to have skipped town.  As the brothers were driving out of town, Sam confronted Dean about his hesitation, especially after his insistence about killing Amy.  Dean kept insisting he would have killed Emma, but what Sam really wanted was his brother to be alright and not get himself killed.  Dean rightly pointed out that the both of them were adrift.

Concluded on next page...

Supernatural 7.13 Review: A Public Service Announcement About One-Night Stands

Spartacus: Vengeance continues rising out of the ashes of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, offering up its second episode "A Place in This World," as Spartacus and Crixus begin the search for Naevia while Oenomaus (Peter Mensa) struggles to reclaim his honor and find purpose after what he's done.  Far from a sophomore slump, "A Place in This World" offers a somewhat quieter, but heavy with purpose episode for the series' renewed vigor.

So…it’s over, right?  We’re into the second episode of Spartacus: Vengeance now with “A Place In This World,” and the audience has had weeks of “Fugitivus” available to get used to Liam McIntyre in the title role, right?  The season is in play, and we can move past the curious tragedy of it all to appreciate the bloody spectacle for what it is?  I say this not out of disrespect, but only because much of the response to last week’s season premiere dealt with the looming cloud hanging over the series, rather than appreciating the loving craftsmanship of the show, which so far seems to get better and better as season 2 (or 3?) rolls on.  A few times over the course of “A Place in This World” I found myself drifting to thoughts of “I wonder how Andy Whitfield might have played that” or “Glaber really is the new Batiatus,” and that’s not fair for a series well-deserving of independent praise.

So, moving on.

“A Place in This World” isn’t quite as epic in scope or violent as last week’s premiere “Fugitivus,” but rather angles for a different type of storytelling .  I find myself continually fascinated by the show’s more elegant discourse, examining the nature of slavery and freedom as Spartacus, Crixus (Manu Bennett) and the other rebels struggle to add to their numbers without becoming masters themselves, making tonight’s entry a bit more introspective than most.

“A Place in This World” also serves as something of a backstory to Oenomaus (Peter Mensah), even further back than what we learned from Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, as we cut between the adult Oenomaus animalistically taking on challengers in the pit, and a young Oenomaus first recruited by Titus (Jeffrey Thomas) to join the House of Batiatus.  Thrilling as the visceral battle sequences at both ages might be, the narrative doesn’t spend quite enough time with the younger Oenomaus to flesh out exactly why he so readily devotes his life’s purpose to honoring the House of Batiatus, but I can certainly see why Titus’ gentler, more encouraging treatment would create such respect for his legacy in the future.  Titus’ treatment of his men serves as a stark contrast to Quintus Batiatus, who we glimpse briefly as a youth, which makes John Hannah’s portrayal in seasons past all the more resonant when we consider how Oenomaus made the right choice to help Spartacus, but still betrayed his once-noble master's honor.

I was especially enthralled with the manner in which “A Place in This World” managed to pose some really complex questions as Spartacus, Crixus and his men overtook an isolated Roman villa for the purposes of tracking down Naevia’s movements.  The Servile Wars of history weren’t fought by Spartacus and a small convoy, but rather entire armies of freed slaves, begging the question of how our TV adaptation will portray Spartacus’ movement from rebel to mass leader, and here we see a few prods of that concept.  Everyone seems to have a differing idea of freedom, as even without shackles some of the women find themselves in need of men for protection, and slaves might see their freedom as liberation from one master becoming service to another.  There are some very complex concepts being bandied about by new recruit Tiberius (Pana Hema-Taylor), Crixus, and even Mira (Katrina Law) herself, with no right answer for how to see their standing  or the cost of freedom in such uncertain times.  Even as liberators Spartacus and his lieutenants face dangers of becoming like the Romans they abhor, and you don’t often get discourse so rich in a show with such pulpy, thrilling action.

It’s a fascinating examination of what enslaves us all, be it love, vengeance or fear, with new threads from all angles.  The relationship between Ilithyia (Viva Bianca) and Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) in particular continues to dance back and forth in a game of power, with Lucretia’s being seen as divine half-mad prophet thwarting Ilithyia from taking any real action to eliminate the woman who holds her secrets.  I love the way Lucy Lawless continues to play Lucretia from multiple angles, with tantalizing glimpses of her deception matched only by  seemingly genuine affection for her old friend.  There’s a real unpredictability to this relationship that continues to be savored by both actresses equally, and keeps their scenes rife with tension.

Elsewhere, “ A Place in This World” grants us some new and returning characters that add plenty to the already-bubbling mixture; Hanna Mangan Lawrence and Tom Hobbs return briefly as aristocratic siblings Seppia and Seppius, though neither really have much to figure in to the story beyond Seppius’ connection to Glaber’s unseen rival Varinius.  So too does Ashur (Nick E. Tarabay) return, working with Lucretia to bring Oenomaus back to the ludus under the pretense of divine intervention, though we don’t recognize the hooded figure as Ashur long enough to gather any real sense of what his undoubtedly sinister motivations might be.  I’m most curious to see what becomes of Tiberius (or Nasir, depending) or Chadara (Bonnie Sveen), the two liberated house slaves with slippery moral slopes in finding their place under Spartacus, who could become real powder kegs in an already charged situation.

Going forward, episodes 5 and 6 arrived in the mail for me today, though I’ve yet to watch them, and I’d seen through episode 4 before “Fugitivus” debuted last week.  Episode 3, next week’s “The Greater Good” certainly keeps things moving, but for me it’s episode 4 “Empty Hands” that really sells the incredible scope of Spartacus: Vengeance, which already feels like a labor of love a long time in the making.  The more epic hours are certainly cause for awe, but it’s more thoughtful episodes like tonight’s “A Place In This World” that really make Vengeance such a layered, and enjoyable series.

And Another Thing…

• Of course, there’s still some wonderfully gratuitous violence this week as well, though I wonder how much punishment these gladiators can take given how even minor wounds could be a kiss of death in such primitive times.

• I’m curious, do Ilithyia’s flashbacks of Spartacus as Apollo still recycle footage of a masked Andy Whitfield, or was Liam McIntyre brought in to re-shoot for continuity?

• It’s a different time, sure, but does no one bat an eye out of such hooded figures tramping around?  How can they even see out of those?

• Thank you, Jurassic Park.  Every time Lucy Lawless moved on her sacrificial offering, I kept asking myself, “what’s going to happen to the goat?”

• Also, great subtle callback of the gladiator line “your will, my hands” being re-purposed for Lucretia doing “the work of the gods.”

• I’ve got to hand it to the wardrobe and cosmetic departments too.  Lucretia’s new looks of more earthy dress and regal hairstyles are very subtle, but convey quite a bit with regard to how the character sees herself now.

What did YOU think?

Spartacus: Vengeance 2.02 "A Place in This World" Review

30 Rock season 6 crowns the fifth episode of season 6 with "Today You Are A Man," where Liz re-negotiates her TGS contract with Jack, while Tracy and Jenna perform at a bar mitzvah, and Kenneth questions his future as a page .  It's always interesting when 30 Rock experiments with a little character development, and while it cuts down the laughs "Today You Are A Man" seems very promising for the aged series.

Well, it finally happened last night.  Either I’ve completely lost my mind, or Liz Lemon has started talking to me through the television.  I’m talking of course of one of 30 Rock’s many meta moments last night during “Today You Are A Man," as Liz directly addresses the camera to assure viewers that after six years, there are still depths to be mined within the friendship of Jack Donaghy and Liz Lemon.  It’s a boldly assertive statement to be sure, given that most critics watching 30 Rock these days inevitably ask themselves how much more life 30 Rock can have after six years, but at the very least we should appreciate that the 30 Rock staff isn’t ignorant of our doubts.  Both NBC and the principal cast seem on board with future seasons of 30 Rock, though I doubt if even the better episodes of 30 Rock can put to bed concerns of staleness in advancing age.

Growth and status quo have always been something of a mixed effort for 30 Rock, as many times over the years we’ve seen potential changes come and go before we’ve had a chance to acclimate to the idea of Kenneth working at CBS, or Liz Lemon leaving behind the single life.  I’m optimistic  that an episode like “Today You Are A Man” can raise questions of this nature again while still feeling fresh, but can we really expect the needle to remain threaded in matters of this nature?

It made for an interesting realization to have Jack discover his emotional ties’ benefit as a weapon rather than weakness, while Tracy and Jenna always do well with a bit of (however short-lived) self-awareness, but most of all I remain interested in seeing if anything comes of Kenneth’s desire to outgrow the page program.  Jack’s wonderfully elitist line “he’s a white male with hair, Lemon.  The sky’s the limit” echoed of a similar Jack sentiment in earlier seasons that “in five years we’ll either all be working for him, or dead by his hand,” and I don’t believe it would damage 30 Rock at all to find a new role for Kenneth, much as we love his gentle subservience.

“Today You Are A Man” gives just about everyone in the cast the ability to confront some of their inadequacies and make changes for the better, and while not as laugh-out-loud funny as some of the other 30 Rock episodes this season I appreciate more tightly constructed plots that dovetail around a central idea.  I’d go as far as to say that Liz’s attempt to re-negotiate her contract by embodying Jack’s business strategies represents the weakest turn this week, given how Jack Donaghy figuratively (and literally) takes over for her in a “Jack-Off,” but it still makes for an effective half-hour setting up new ideas for the season.

Most of all, it’s a fantastic reminder of how 30 Rock could never do without Alec Baldwin, who takes such manic delight in switching characters rapidly and playing off himself.  I could complain about how it seems so many 30 Rock stories of late either deliberately or otherwise call back to past plotlines (Kenneth having left the page program before, Liz having tried to broker a better job, Tracy and Jenna becoming problem solvers) , but provided things build to some actual alteration to the status quo, or at the very least a little welcomely-acknowledged nostalgia before the end, there’s still plenty of room for growth in this six year relationship.

So, Jenna and Tracy will be more expressive of their feelings rather than outburst like children, Jack took back a little bit of his own, and Kenneth might finally look for other opportunities at NBC.  I’m on board, but does anyone think it will really last?

And Another Thing…

• “Gina Gershon, my nemesis!”

• Great guest turn for the vocally recognizable Kristen Schaal filling in for Kenneth as page, who remains contracted for at least a few more episodes.

• Hopefully not offending any female readers, but between 30 Rock and The Office what stage of post-pregnancy Tina Fey and Jenna Fischer are?  More and more I’ve been noticing a little age or heft on the actors’ parts, mostly Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan.  Jack seems to be getting better-looking as Alec Baldwin continues slimming down, but you know something’s wrong when the immortal Kenneth even seems a little older!

• “Playing with myself.  It’s a Jack-off!”

What did YOU think?

30 Rock 6.05 "Today You Are A Man" Review

The title of this episode of The Vampire Diaries is not a spoiler as such, but it does give a clue as to what occurred in this excellent outing. There are different types of dead on this show so it is easy for this title to be a misdirect, and the entire episode felt a bit like a chess game between the Salvatore's and Klaus (Joseph Morgan), with Elijah (Daniel Gillies) feeling like an unknown entity in the game. It was another week where family played a very significant role in all of the plot threads and as I have said before (and will no doubt say again) the real heart of the show is not the love triangle, but it is about family ties and the unbreakable bond that this brings.

Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) now seem to be able to work together in an effective manner even if the snarky comments are still there to some degree. Their relationship has always been one of the most interesting to me, especially when they can't quite figure out the others motives. You would think by now that they would realize that they will each save the other no matter what the other has done and Damon rocked up and rescued his brother from Klaus' fun fire game.

The question of Elena (Nina Dobrev) is obviously a giant wedge between them and Stefan shows his unease at the mention of her name from Elijah, who is unaware of what has gone down since his time in the coffin. Klaus of course finds this whole situation hilarious. The dinner party scene between the brothers reinforced the idea that this isn't the first time a Petrova woman has got between brothers and we learn the origin of the doppelganger. That such a monumental part of the story should be dropped in as a dinner anecdote is kind of brilliant and we find out that the original Petrova was a woman named Tatia, who Elijah and Klaus knew before they were turned. In fact their mother used Tatia's blood in the spell to turn them which seems like a big pile of twisted really, but explains the attraction and importance of the doppelganger. This cycle is obviously being repeated with the Salvatore's and they both admit that they love Elena; where can things go from here?

The dinner party is wonderfully set up as it feels as if Klaus has the advantage as he is in his newly renovated home, but there is also the air of uncertainty as we know that there is another plan occurring with the mysterious locked coffin. Damon is wise to trust Elijah as despite the brother bond, Klaus really played him last time. When Damon and Elijah went out for air they seemed to be gone for a little too long, but I wasn't expecting the entire family Original to be joining us at the end. This reveal was pretty darn fabulous; from Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) and Finn (Casper Zafer) who we haven't previously met, sporting the hair and clothes from the time Klaus daggered them, to the always wonderful Rebekah (Claire Holt) still looking ready for her first school dance in the red dress. Seeing Klaus vulnerable is always fun and as they rounded on him like a pack of animals he certainly looked this way, even if he can't be killed they can still inflict some pain.

Klaus looked truly small when the last of the dead joined them, after the mystery coffin had been unlocked by Bonnie (Kat Graham) and her mother Abby (Persia White). So mother Original has returned and she doesn't want to kill her son for his act of matricide, but she wants to forgive and to be a family again, simple right? Esther (Alice Evans) clearly will go to any lengths to save her family and to stop them from feuding with each other, so how will she take the threat of the Salvatore's and Elena? This has opened up a world of possibilities between the two opposing groups and it seems unlikely that all be cordial for long.

The big mystery at the moment is who is killing Founder's Council members? The weapons that are being used in these murders are from the Gilbert lake house collection, which Alaric (Matt Davis) has scattered all over town (for those emergency weapon moments). Only one of the attacks ended in murder straight away as Bill (Jack Coleman) has vampire blood in his system and Alaric isn't killed outright (lucky that). Elena gets the delightful job of finishing the act as she is a supernatural being and Alaric's ring brings him back to life. This scene in the darkened Gilbert house with bloody hand prints all over the walls, and with Elena and Matt (Zach Roerig) armed with torches and knives (Gilbert knives double as weapons as well as cooking instruments) was especially creepy and had a suitable horror movie vibe to it. Meredith (Torrey Devitto) is considered the main suspect but she has an iron clad alibi for Alaric's attack as she was in surgery. Who do you think it could be?

Now to the point of the episode that brought the tears and Candice Accola is to blame for this because she is so devastatingly good. Bill Forbes was lucky enough to have vampire blood in his system when he was murdered, however thanks to his whole belief system he refuses to complete the transition and become a vampire. The moment when Caroline realizes that her father is going to die is a heartbreaking one, but it is when he convinces her that he still loves her despite his feelings towards vampires is what slayed me. Terrific performances from all involved.

Other observations

-Does Rebekah want to kill Elena simply to stop the bloodline or is this tainted with vengeance thanks to a daggering incident?

-Being a parent in Mystic Falls isn't easy what with the high death rate, is Abby Bennett next? Bonnie is still (and rightfully so) mad at her mother for abandoning her as an infant, but this spells forgiveness followed by a heroic death by Abby.

-Considering how much Elena has been through it is a surprise as to how nonchalant she is by the lack of electricity in her house.

-Crazy murder theory: could it be Alaric? Sounds insane right?! But hear me out; he knows where all the weapons are and he was the only one attacked that wasn't killed outright. The big flaw is that I can't think of a motive for why he would do this.

-How many times has Alaric been killed now?

-Klaus suggests that Matt would be the perfect romantic choice for Elena (Damon does not agree) and it seems like they are bringing Matt and Elena closer together with events in the last few episodes. He is a comfort to her during the Alaric attack and he has been the voice of reason recently. Klaus of course wants the Petrova bloodline to continue so he really has a strong motive for wanting Elena to be in a relationship with another human.

-Will we get to see Nina Dobrev as Tatia in flashbacks? Also who is the original Petrova baby daddy?

-It's really rather sweet that Elena wants Alaric to have a relationship that isn't tainted with any of the supernatural bad events in the town.

The Vampire Diaries still manages to surprise with each episode and the big Original family reunion at the end was both a surprise and now also opens up a range of possibilities for the show. The murder mystery is also intriguing; will we see Elena et al turning into CSI: Mystic Falls? Is the Elena/Damon/Stefan dynamic going to shift after the events of tonight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Next week; it's fancy ball time. For promo photos and video head here and here.

The Vampire Diaries 3.13 "Bringing Out The Dead" Review

So who predicted the end of Gossip Girl?  A lot of people thought that Blair wouldn't go through with the wedding, but I guess we were all wrong.  As she prepared for her big day, Eleanor Waldorf herself went to visit Chuck and said that he should be present at the event.  After all, she was very concerned about her daughter's happiness.  While Chuck seemed determined to respect Blair's wishes and stay away from the ceremony, he did end up making a visit at Eleanor's request.

The action moved to the church, where Georgina had decided to sneak in to see if she could seduce Louis and humiliate Blair.  Rufus and Lily put the kibosh on that plan pretty quickly, but Georgina had another ace up her sleeve.  When Chuck finally saw Blair - moments before she was set to walk down the aisle - he begged her not to go through with the wedding.  She admitted that she loved him - that she would always love him - but she was determined to go through with the wedding.  After Blair left the room, Georgina dropped by to tell Chuck that she had just videotaped Blair's confession.

After Blair finally met Louis at the altar (seriously, I cannot get over her horrible wedding hair), Gossip Girl sent out an email blast and every (incredibly rude) guest at the wedding saw the video of Blair's confession to Chuck.  The disgraced bride ran away from the altar and confronted Chuck, who denied sending the video to Gossip Girl.  But despite the fact that he knows the truth about her "bargain with God" (thanks to Serena), she told him that she still can't be with him.

Moments later, Dan, Nate and Serena confronted Georgina, who denied sending in the video and accused one of them instead.  Did they take steps to ruin Blair's big day?

In a surprise twist, Blair rejoined Louis at the altar and told the priest to proceed.  That's right, Blair ended up marrying her prince, but here's the real end to the story: at the ceremony, he told her that he went through with the wedding, but it's a marriage for show only.  She's to play the happy wife in public, but he's finished being humiliated by her. And she'll play the part until he's finished with her.  Instead of heading to the airport for her honeymoon, Blair asked Dan for help and the two of them ran off together - albeit platonically.

Serena also made her own confession and told Dan that she loved him.  He seemed a bit thrown, but she gave him an out for now and told him they could talk later.

But in the biggest shocker, the final scene showed Georgina writing a Gossip Girl post.  Can it be?!  Has she been the mysterious blogger this whole time?!?!

So what did you think of Gossip Girl's 100th episode?  Did you like all the throwbacks to the pilot?  What about Blair's decision to go through with the wedding?  We know Georgina will be sticking around for a little while longer, so we can't wait to see what trouble she gets up to next.  And what about this revelation that she's Gossip Girl?

A new episode will be airing next week on February 6.  Dan and Blair are still in hiding and it seems like everyone else is trying to figure out what happened to the runaway wife.  Watch a trailer for the episode below.

Gossip Girl 100th Episode: Did Blair Marry Louis? What Happens Next?

Shameless season 2 cooks up its fourth entry with this week’s "A Beautiful Mess," as Frank Gallagher continues worries about Sheila's progress with her agoraphobia, while Fiona fends off Craig Heisner (Taylor Kinney)'s vengeful wife and Debbie plans a sleepover to combat her stress. Unlike last week's  "I'll Light A Candle For You Every Day," this week's Shameless dials back some of the more reprehensible behavior to keep its storytelling in appreciable check.

You know you’ve seen a good episode of a TV show when you’ve got about twice as many notes as usual, at least from a TV critic’s perspective.  Last week was a tough one for Shameless, in that I found it hard to look past some of the characters’ extremely abhorrent behavior (read: Frank passing on the new heart for Dottie) to appreciate any character action.  The characters’ morality is spelled out in the show’s title itself, but taking dramatic actions to such comical extremes undercuts our emotional connection to the Gallaghers.  And if we can’t feel what the characters feel, there’s no point in watching in the first place.

“A Beautiful Mess” keeps a much better balance of the rich emotions and comic extremes that Shameless employs as a guilty pleasure, even if its not quite all there yet.  Obviously it can be frustrating watching characters subscribe to their worst habits over and over again, but there’s a nice counterbalance in the manner those actions weigh on the individual Gallaghers.  As much as “A Beautiful Mess” belongs to Lip and Fiona, there’s also a strong emphasis on one of the unsung heroes of the cast, Debbie (Emma Kenney), who likely has one of the least appreciated positions in the house.  She does just about all the same work as her older sister, but doesn’t quite get the same outlets to vent her emotions.  That’s the thing about Shameless.  For as dark as things tend to get for Fiona and the other Gallaghers, there’s usually humor to be found in the decadence by which they cope, be they sex, drugs, or fight clubs.  Debbie represents a strong, albeit young moral character who can’t explore those releases in the same way, and I like how “A Beautiful Mess” draws attention to the way Shameless women emote.

Of course, Shameless also faces difficulty now and again with the crescendo of sympathy for its characters.  We want to like Lip, Fiona and yes, even Frank given their status as protagonists, but much of the trouble is brought on themselves.  Karen, for instance treats Lip with utter horror considering his obvious feelings for her, but if he would only express those feelings rather than lash out or try to smear dirt on her new man, he might have a chance.  Fiona on the other hand has noticeably spiraled out of control in the wake of Steve’s disappearance, and still works very much to provide for her family, but here starts growing awareness of what her behavior has wrought when bricks of outraged housewives fly through the window.  As for Frank?  Well, in spite of his horrifically depraved attitude, things just tend to fall right out of the sky for him.

Fiona’s a tricky character given all she does for the family, and how silent moments of the walls closing in send her running in tears to the bathroom, desperate to hear the voice of her absentee love, yet the very next scene might see her driving her new boyfriend’s BMW in a joyful daze, ignorant of any preceding cares.  I like that Shameless’ second season has had a slow unraveling of Fiona’s mental state, though I hope his absence on the phone means that Steve (Justin Chatwin) will return to Chicago sometime soon to confront the problem.  It’s interesting to think about how the UK Fiona actually abandoned the family to be with her Steve after the second series, leaving Debbie mostly in charge of the household, but I wouldn’t expect that kind of status quo alteration from a US TV series, particularly given the age of Debbie’s American counterpart.

Of course the main thread moving forward now that Sheila seems to have been relegated to the house once more and Fiona’s adventures in homewrecking are likely over will be Karen’s baby, which I imagine she’ll have a hell of a time explaining to her soon-to-be husband.  “A Beautiful Mess” does a strong job in highlighting the ways in which the Gallagher children fall into behavorial habits of their father, Fiona most visibly, but it’ll be interesting to see going forward what Lip does with Karen’s revelation and ultimatum to stay away.  At its best, Shameless is silly, saucy and bittersweet and so far this season seems to be (mostly) on track.

And Another Thing…

• Sigh.  Did we really need all the shots of Jody naked?  And squeaky clean though he may be, what’s that guy’s deal?  No job, seeming over-familiarity with Sheila…

• I’m also curious to see what’s going on with Carl, who seems to have more than an affinity for Little Hank and a curious relationship with women’s underwear…

• “I never should have f$%ked Dottie to death, I could have made that work.”  Agreed, show.

• Hopefully the series finds something to do for Amy Smart’s Jasmine as well, who only seems to breeze in and out with her various overindulgences.

• I really hope that all of Sheila’s progress isn’t undone by the landing gear drop.  It’s traumatic of course, but the flashes of real intelligence and maturity from the character will be for naught if her arc goes back to square one.

• And I haven't seen it yet, but someone better mention an aviation disaster like that in the next episode!

What did YOU think?

Shameless 2.04 "A Beautiful Mess" Review

House of Lies debuts its fourth episode tonight with "Mini-Mogul," as Marty Kaan (Don Cheadle) works to help a techno-savvy CEO keep control of his company, while Jeannie keeps a secret from the group.  "Mini-Mogul" offers a promising step for the series, though not without its faults.

There seems to have been something of a mix-up (or perhaps not, given the spoiler) in the House of Lies episodes that went out for screening, in that “Mini-Mogul” wasn’t among them.  I’d been running a theory that like Star Trek movies, alternating episodes of House of Lies seemed to range from good to bad in quality, and my thinking was that “Utah” was the next episode in line for airing. “Utah” could be the show’s best half-hour to date, but with “Mini-Mogul” in its place I might not get to keep my theory.  I probably should have known that errors like this might happen, as one of the last House of Lies screeners referred to a past event not covered in any of the other episodes, but I digress.

“Mini-Mogul” represents arguably the series truly strongest half-hour yet, though not for its lack of trying to embarrass itself.  You see, it’s the character moments that make House of Lies watchable, not the flashy attempts to grab viewer attention with time freezes and unnecessary exposition.  “Mini-Mogul” places mirrors in front of its flawed characters, some more literal than others.  And while her story in no way connects with the thrust of the narrative, it’s Kristen Bell’s Jeannie who’s given the strongest reality check.  For all her back-and-forth banter and friendly toe-play last week, we learn from the opening minutes that not only does Jeannie have a boyfriend she keeps from her co-workers, but said boyfriend has recently put a ring on it.  But why should a little thing like matrimony keep a girl from getting some strange from a tortured musician in another city?

There’s a blanket attempt by the writing to classify Jeannie as a girl with “Daddy Issues,” but at least the show is attempting to define its characters better than their riffing or razzle-dazzle corporate speak would allow.  Jeannie arguably represents our best link to the series, when we consider the narrative omnipotence of Marty Kaan, so it’ll be interesting to see where the show takes her character from here on out.  I’ve seen at least two more episodes beyond “Mini-Mogul,” but I’ll have to re-watch them with this “twist” in mind to observe Jeannie’s behavior in a new context.

Marty gets plenty of spotlight for himself as well, as the group works with a former hacker turned corporate security designer, who’s actions in selling out both his former lifestyle and current wealth turn attention toward Marty’s own morality.  It’s mainly a distraction to get his young son Roscoe to see how his father sells out for a living and abandons his promises for work, but it makes for a nice character beat when Kaan drunkenly turns the blame on his ex-wife.  There’s a lot of self-loathing floating around House of Lies, but when the results are this well-played its easy to forgive some of the episode’s cheesier gimmicks.

Doug (Josh Lawson) gets a lot of good material to play as well, both in Clyde’s dare to act more like George Clooney, and comforting Roscoe with tales of his own bully survival.  House of Lies plays a tricky game with Doug sometimes, alternating between using him as the group punching bag and a valuable member of the team, so I liked giving him a quiet moment to play the hero when Marty wasn’t around.

I wouldn’t suspect House of Lies to drop its more gimmicky aspects anytime soon, but so far “Mini-Mogul” has been the best episode yet, provided you’re not interested in the technical aspects of who Galweather-Stearn works with.

And Another Thing…

• I like the recurring gag of the characters tallying points of their sexcapades, considering the elaborate rules they keep concocting.

• Mmhmm, Kristen Bell’s bra and panties dance.  Yup.

• Sure is nice to see Nick Stahl on TV again.  Sigh, I miss Carnivale.

What did YOU think?

House of Lies 1.04 "Mini-Mogul" Review

Trickery and twists were alive and well in this week's Once Upon a Time, which gave us backstory on Sidney/Magic Mirror, as well as a bit of the Evil Queen's origin.

In the fairytale world of Once Upon a Time, we met King Leopold for the first time.  The father of Snow White and the husband of the Queen, he was a happy man who happened upon a magic lamp one day.  Rubbing it, a Genie appeared. As it turns out, the man we know as the Magic Mirror was once a Genie.  Fortunately for him - at the time - King Leopold felt he had everything he needed, so he decided to free the Genie from the lamp instead of taking a wish for himself.  Then he wished to turn the third wish over to the Genie.  After, Leopold invited the Genie back to his castle to join his birthday celebrations.

As it turns out, Leopold very much loved his daughter, but he could never love the Queen as he did his first wife (Snow's mother) and the Queen knew this.  Drawn by her sadness, the Genie struck a friendship with her and fell in love.  When Leopold learned that his wife had fallen in love with another man, he tasked the Genie with discovering that man's identity.  Soon after, Leopold had the Queen confined to her rooms, so her father approached the Genie and asked him to deliver a box to the Queen.  He did and learned that it contained vipers from his homeland.  The Queen said that she could no longer bear her life - and her unfulfilled love with the Genie - and wanted to kill herself.  Instead, the Genie suggested they use the vipers to kill the King.

After the King had died, the Genie returned to the Queen and soon discovered that she had set him up.  Wanting him to kill Leopold, she tricked him into falling in love with her and also framed him for the murder.  Despondent, he used his final wish to remain with her forever.  But the magic delivered an unexpected result - as happens on Once Upon a Time - and he transformed into the Magic Mirror.

Oy.  The Queen sure is a bitch, isn't she?  For a while there, I was convinced by her acting and thought there was some goodness within her.  I wondered if Snow had somehow deprived her of the Genie in the end and that that would be the catalyst for her hatred of her stepdaughter.  But the Queen was a master manipulator.  How far back does this evil go?  And what of the reason she hates Snow White?  While the Genie storyline was admittedly a bit cheesy, I did appreciate the dedication of the Once Upon a Time writers in giving us completely unexpected origin stories.  The Magic Mirror was once a Genie?  Who saw that one coming?

Trickery and twists were also alive and well in Storybrooke in this week's Once Upon a Time.  After Henry's "castle" was damaged in a storm, he was worried about his fairytale book, which he had buried in the sand.  Regina came by, finally learned about Henry and Emma's "secret place". Later in the episode, Henry's book disappeared.  At the end of the hour, we learned that the mysterious writer had taken the book from the hiding place.

At Granny's diner, a drunken Sidney approached Emma, wanting to team up to get revenge on Regina.  He said that she had humiliated him in the election and then got him fired from the paper after he started researching an exposé on her corruption in the mayor's office.

When Regina continued to put down Emma, she eventually decided to take Sidney up on his offer.  He said he found evidence that Regina had taken $50,000 of the city's money for her personal use.  After bugging Regina's office and then later breaking in to find missing records, they realized she had taken the money to buy a piece of land.  Thinking she was going to build a house on the land, they exposed her scheme at the town meeting.  But Regina pulled the wool over their eyes, revealing that she actually bought the land to build a playground for the children of Storybrooke.

Disheartened and embarrassed, Sidney and Emma regrouped at Granny's for a beer and to lick their wounds.  Emma vowed to find another way to bring Regina down.  Later, we saw Sidney in Regina's office and learned that his entire plan with Emma had been a ruse.  He and Regina had come up with the plan together and he executed it perfectly in order to humiliate Emma.  Now Emma has been forbidden to see Henry by Regina and must stay away with him.

Well, that was fun...the twist with Sidney.  Considering the horrible way Regina has treated him - in the fairytale world and in Storybrooke - I thought his anger towards her was genuine.  But Regina certainly has that town sewn up.  The question, however, is exactly who this mysterious writer is, what he's doing in Storybrooke and exactly why he stole Henry's book.  Is he its author or someone else?  Also, Mary Margaret and David were not forgotten after their first kiss in last week's episode.  They only had a short scene together - where they went on a picnic as a date - but it's clear that they've decided to make a go of it.  Of course, David needs to come clean with Kathryn or make a break with her.  I sense danger in their future.

Once Upon a Time is on a short hiatus until February 12.  Watch a trailer for the next episode here.

Once Upon a Time Episode 11 Recap: Fool Me Once, Shame On You...

Chuck season 5 and the series itself comes to a close with its ultimate thirteenth entry in tonight’s "Chuck Vs. The Goodbye," as Team Bartowski races to retrieve the final Intersect from Nicholas Quinn (Angus Macfadyen), and restore Sarah's lost memories of the last five years.  "Chuck Vs. The Goodbye" closes the series on a high note, balancing both the sweet with the bittersweet in the manner the show has come to employ so very well over the last few years.

Wow.  Thus endeth Chuck.  I don’t often have a lot to say when it comes to TV finales, and it’s been a good long while since a series I actually cared about managed to wrap things up on its own terms, but this one got to me.  I actually saw both "Chuck Vs. Sarah" and "Chuck Vs. The Goodbye” a few nights ago when NBC decided to release the screeners, and since watching I’ve likely listened to The Head and the Heart’s “Rivers and Roads” about forty times, if only to relive such wonderful sentiment that caps off five years of sweet memories.

I first started watching Chuck about midway through its second season, powering through old episodes as often as I could, though I don’t quite remember what turned me on to the series in the first place.  Mostly what I remember was the warmth, lying there on my door room bed dreaming of that wonderful world where nerdery and dead-end jobs could end up the adventure of a lifetime, provided you never lose the heart that made you yearn for them in the first place.  Even after Chuck’s second season finished, and NBC listened enough to Subway sandwich purchases to grant the series a budget-reduced season 3, it never lost that sense of childish wonderment and enthusiastic glee.  We love Chuck, because we are Chuck.  Chuck Bartowski consistently surprised everyone around him with his intelligence, his heart, and his willingness to risk anything for those he loved, and so too did Chuck as a series keep on braving insurmountable odds to come back year after year.

To be honest, I’m not even sure how I’d go about putting into words a goodbye to Chuck, let alone an in-depth response to “Chuck Vs. The Goodbye,” but I’ll do my best.

In a way, "Chuck Vs. The Goodbye" is all about bringing everyone back to the beginning.  I wish I’d had a chance to go back and watch the series again from its very first episode in time for tonight’s finale, but writing about TV can be a harsh mistress.  Instead, “The Goodbye” does most of the work for us, with Sarah’s memory erasure bringing her in line her badass 2007 self, Chuck an unremarkable layabout with a girl on his mind and no supercomputer powers to speak of, and Casey a career military man trying to eschew any emotional ties.  In that way we get to re-live Chuck all over again, discovering how Chuck’s heart and Sarah’s skill make them the perfect team, and Casey’s emotional entanglements actually made him a better agent in the end.  By going back to Chuck’s roots, we learn along with the character that after five years,  life isn’t so much about how things have changed, but why they’ve changed, and how to take those lessons into the future.

Still, Chuck wouldn’t be Chuck without it’s nostalgia.  And that’s why all of “Chuck Vs. The Goodbye’s” many, many callbacks feel like enthusiastic celebrations rather than rehashes.  Whether it’s one last epic Jeffster performance, an unceremonious reappearance from an old Fulcrum agent (Mark Pellegrino) or Chuck and Sarah re-living the most memorable of their early missions (Wienerlicious outfit alert!) in succession, everything about Chuck’s finale feels as thrilling as it does familiar.  In truth, I practically jumped out of my chair cheering once I realized that a Jeffster performance was on the way to keep Nicholas Quinn’s bomb from killing our heroes.  And if you’re not at least on the edge of tears when Chuck and Sarah once again meet on the beach to discuss their future, flashing through five years laughter and love, then your Intersect must be broken.

Really, most of the little things don’t even matter.  Chuck does re-Intersect-ize himself (and presumably keeps it) by the end of the hour, but the Intersect only serves a base role in unraveling the final threat.  In the end, it’s Sarah’s fleeting memory of Chuck’s past ingenuity that saves the day with a welcome, if surprising callback to the “Irena Demova Virus.”  Nor does the villainy of Angus Macfadyen’s four-episode turn as Nicholas Quinn really amount to anything, considering Sarah just kind of, well…shoots him.  Chuck’s climax lies in bringing together its players to do what they do best by working together; Chuck as the brains, Sarah and Casey the muscle, Morgan the plucky support, and Jeffster the soundtrack.

The climax actually reminded me a bit of similarly heartful series Futurama’s "ending" “The Devil’s Hands are Idle Playthings,” not merely for the operatic climax, but rather that it and Chuck were both wonderful series that never quite found their niche.  They shared a relatively generous run, all things considered, and ended on a beautifully sweet note  with just a hint of ambiguity.  Unless Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz want to out-right tell us, we’ll always cherish that fairy-tale ending of the magical kiss that may, or may not have rescued true love from the depth of Sarah’s memory.  Either way, they’ll figure it out.  We all will.

And no matter what, we’ve gotten a decent amount of closure to all our beloved characters; Morgan and Alex will move forward with their relationship, Casey will find Gertrude again, Ellie, Devon and Clara will move on to Chicago with Mama Bartowski (Linda Hamilton) in tow, and even Jeff and Lester ride off into the sunset toward the inevitable German superstardom of Jeffster.  Hell, even Subway sandwiches have a  happily ever after!

So, to Chuck I say goodnight, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.  Who knows when we’ll see another series as nerd-celebratory, or full of heart as the Buy More boy who met a girl and became a secret agent?    However Chuck goes down in history,  I can’t wait for the day when I can share it’s effortless charm and soul with a leggy blonde of my very own.

And Another Thing…

• After five long years, all the Buy More extras finally get lines!  Really, really creepy lines!

• If Chuck WEREN’T ending, I imagine Sarah hiring out Team Bartowski for missions might’ve been a new dynamic to explore in another season.

• Sheesh, are Desert Eagles really that big?

• There really wasn’t any need for Linda Hamilton to reprise her role as Mary Bartowski, but hey, a friendly famous face is a friendly famous face.

• "I'm a Casey.  I don't run, I stalk my prey."  Well, technically you're a Coburn.

• Did anyone catch any fun easter eggs I failed to mention?

• Sigh.  Goodbye, Chuck.  Aces.

What did YOU think?  Give us your best Chuck memories in the comments below!

Chuck 5.13 "Chuck Vs. The Goodbye" Series Finale Review

Chuck season 5 intersects its ultimate end with its penultimate twelfth entry in this week’s "Chuck Vs. Sarah," as Sarah returns harboring a dark secret from Nicholas Quinn (Angus Mcfadyen) while Team Bartowski searches for the final Intersect.  "Chuck Vs. Sarah" has a mostly thankless role to play in the Friday night two-part finale, but still serves up one of the darkest, most memorable hours yet.

Obviously “Chuck Vs. Sarah” isn’t the highlight of our Friday night, given that NBC decided to air both “Sarah” and “Chuck Vs. The Goodbye” back to back as one two hour-long series finale, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t treate the two separately and offer up a few quick thoughts on the penultimate Chuck episode.

After all, Chuck has been a joy to watch, discuss and write about for five years now, and I just wouldn’t be a fan (or a capitalist) if I didn’t take every opportunity to talk about this much-beloved series.

“Chuck Vs. Sarah” faces something of an awkward role in its position as the penultimate Chuck episode, serving both as a stand-alone episode and the bridge to the series finale itself.  With Sarah’s memories of the last five years totally erased, we’re essentially back to the basics of season one in the awkwardness between her and Chuck, serving as a sort of nostalgic reminder of just how far the two have evolved in five seasons.

At the same time, “Chuck Vs. Sarah” works on hammering home the idea that we’ve indeed come upon the end, sometimes haphazardly  positioning us toward “the future,” whether in Morgan’s meta-reference or Devon and Ellie’s sudden invitation to co-manage a hospital in Chicago.  Transition episodes are never easy, but here Chuck manages to pack just enough emotion and action into an hour that nothing feels too amiss.

Watching Chuck has always been bittersweet given its uncertain future and limited budget, but perhaps never more-so with an idea as rich as pitting Sarah against her husband and former teammates.  The idea of an “evil Sarah” was mostly played for laughs in season four, but here seems genuinely frightening given the character’s well-established proficiency, and the emotional devastation created in her wake.  I imagine that another series (maybe Alias) might have had room to play something like this over the course of a full season, but we’ll have to make due with these two episodes.  Perhaps it’s best left as a short arc, given how the concepts of Sarah's memory and identity raise larger philosophic questions that even shows like Dollhouse weren’t big enough to tackle, let alone Chuck.

The best part, however, of “Chuck Vs. Sarah” very much comes from Zachary Levi, who gives his most emotional Chuck performance to date in desperately trying to win back his wife from her memory-loss.  Sometimes it isn’t about how cleverly the series can choreograph its battles, but rather the emotion behind them, and Chuck has never been more heartbreaking than the knock-down, drag-out fight through the barely-dressed halls of their once dream home.  “Chuck Vs. Sarah” essentially capitalizes on the title character’s greatest fear since the first season, the idea that the beautiful woman can only see the nerdy guy as a mission rather than a man.

I’m thrilled that we got to explore one last, last, last mission with Team Bartowski before the end.  That perfect balance of fun (Morgan’s amusement at the DARPA invisibility cloak), nostalgia and heartache are what made the series so sweetly poignant to begin with.

And Another Thing…

• Sorry, still not buying Nicholas Quinn as a villain.  Maybe we could have chosen someone a little younger, maybe in better shape to resonate as a physical threat to both Chuck and Sarah?

• I wondered in the beginning why Sarah wouldn’t ask Quinn for additional log entries to confirm his story, but I’m glad we got to see Casey be the one to show her, in a wonderful two-sided performance for Yvonne Strahovski.

• Not to get all philosophical, but could Chuck really destroy the Intersect?  Like Iron Man, isn’t a certain level of scientific advancement inevitable, no matter who has the first breakthrough?

• I wrote “BE ALL THE BADASS!” in Sarah’s one-woman guard smashing scene.

• I guess it would have been a little convoluted to explain, but it amuses me that both Chuck and Sarah separately refer their first kiss after attempting to defuse a bomb, but neglect to mention it turned out to be Bryce Larkin in stasis.

• Finale time!  Watch, watch, watch!

What did YOU think?

Chuck 5.12 "Chuck Vs. Sarah" Review