I rewatched last night's episode of American Idol, and I have to say, Phillip did better than I gave him credit for. I can say all I want that I think Jessica deserves to win, but I won't be mad if Phillip does. I'll comment more on the whole 'white guy with guitar' phenomenon later in this post, and how the show can fix itself. On to the show!

The night starts out with a group song to Bruno Mars' "Runaway Baby" (I believe that is the title, I am typing this as I watch), and it's the typical all-in-white mess we've come to expect from finale night. There's a weird, unnecessary dance break, and then it's time for the show to really start. Ryan and the judges come out, Ryan building up the show with 132 million votes cast. When Phillip and Jessica come out, I begin to wonder if he's dressed for comfort as opposed to not wanting to dress up.

Phillip Phillips sings with and John Fogerty next, "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" and "Bad Moon Rising". It's pretty underwhelming. They look like they are having fun, but their voices just don't blend well together.

There is a short video of fun audition stuff that most of us have forgotten and I myself don't care to see again.

Joshua Ledet is up next, singing "Take Me to the Pilot". He is joined by Fantasia, and they just riff all over the stage to the point the production cuts them off. I wasn't too sure about it, but it was just on this side of a good hot mess.

There's a video of Jimmy Iovine consistently calling Jennifer Lopez 'Jessica', which is apparently his daughter's name. It's pretty funny, but with all this filler, will the winner get announced on time?

Then the girls are singing a medley of Chaka Khan songs. Erika and Elise sound amazing and I feel robbed. I didn't realize how much I missed Skylar and Hollie until I saw them. Chaka Khan comes out and the vocal is a little dubious, but it's finale night, the judging is over, right?

There is a Ford video, and Jessica and Phillip highlight their musical mentors, who get tickets to the finale and a new car. Phillip and Jessica get one too, even though Phillip has missed a bunch of the videos. (He has been ill, but again, more on that later.)

Rihanna is up next with "Where Have you Been." I'm not a big fan of her songs, and this seems like it's all chorus and no verse. But then again, she has sold millions of records, so what do I know? At least she's singing live and sounding good.

Skylar Laine gets to duet with Reba McEntire on "Turn on the Radio" and it's pretty amazing. I really think Skylar's stage presence is so awesome, and she should have gotten further than fifth. I look forward to her career, and she should do well.

There's a bit about Steven's dressing room that's a little....gross and frankly I'm shocked American Idol producer's let it go.

Jessica Sanchez gets to reprise "I Will Always Love You" and I wonder who gets cheated of a duet because of this. (Turns out it's Colton and Elise, but I'm not mad mad. After all, Jessica can sing the heck out of this song.)

The guys sing a Neil Diamond medley. Colton and Deandre sound especially good, and Joshua just continues to wail away. Neil sounds good for his age, but he can't quite sing with the same verve.

Randy gets a bit about singing the phone book. Then Ryan tells him they put something together for Randy. There's a video of the top 13 (minus Jessica and Phillip) singing a song containing what I presume are phone book entries. It's super amusing and probably the best bit of the entire night. They even make fun of Joshua's tendency to oversing.

Up next is JLo singing "Going In" and then Wisin & Yandel Ft. Jennifer Lopez doing "Follow the Leader." The dancing is good? I've already commented on the disconnect between what JLo does and what American Idol tries to do, I'm just bored by this whole performance.

Ryan makes a comment about former contestants, and then asks Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo to the stage. They've been dating apparently. Ace uses the opportunity to make a super sweet proposal, and Diana says yes. It's really adorable and I'm honestly surprised there aren't more couples out of contestants.

Hollie Cavanagh is up next, singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" with Jordin Sparks. It's pretty amazing, and I still can't believe Hollie has only been singing for three years.

The guys do a BeeGees melody that's nice, but the harmonies aren't that great. Also, why no Stayin' Alive? Also, what happened to the Donna Summer tribute?

Jessica gets to sing "And I'm Telling You" with Jennifer Holliday. Two words: diva off. This was incredible and over-the-top and just amazing. Performance of the night. After the phone book, of course.

Aerosmith is up next with their latest single, and I don't really understand any of the words. At this point I'm just desperate for results. I think this played off better live than on TV.

Finally Jessica and Phillip duet on "Love Lift Us Up Where We Belong" and they harmonize pretty well. Phillip is forced to sing the way we know he can, and Jessica has to restrain her natural tendencies. It's sort of nice.

The results are in, and the winner of season 11 of American Idol is Phillip Phillips. He totally loses it singing, and if I was honest. I actually don't mind that he won. I hope that Interscope has a plan for him, because with kidney stone surgery, I don't see him getting out an album that is authentically him in the same time table as Scotty did last year.

So what do you think? Did the right person win? I don't know. This was a weird season in the end. I think the contestants all had stand out moments, but were terrible at consistently picking good songs. I don't know what the producers are going to do now, but I have a few points to make, while I still have an audience.

1. We know Phillip and Jessica (and Joshua) are pretty much guaranteed a record deal. I think Skylar and Colton are also set. I'd like to see something for Elise and Hollie, but I won't hold my breath.

2. In defense of the WGWG: I can't say as I'm completely happy five guys have won in a row. At the same time, we really can't lump them together forever. I can make a really good argument for any of them, and it's not their fault that a guy won the previous year. That said, I hope the audience that voted for Phillip shows up around album time.

3. How does the show improve? For me, the most important thing is fairness. Show the audition/Hollywood footage of every top 24/36 contestant. Make the judges give constructive criticisms. Open up the list of cleared songs. (I could go on, but it's getting late.)

Congratulations to Phillip Phillips. Hopefully I'll see you next year, or maybe in another post here. Thanks for reading.

American Idol Finale Part 2: A Winner is Crowned

I think American Idol finales fall in to two camps: ones where the finalists are matched so evenly, where the result isn't as obvious as it seems. And then there are ones like tonight. I know how I think the results should turn out, but the signs were all over the place tonight: Phillip Phillips is winning American Idol.

Round 1: Simon Fuller's choice

Jessica Sanchez "I Have Nothing" I don't even know what to say about this. Sure this is a song in Jessica's wheelhouse, and she did what she could with it. But given that a)Shannon Magrane had already sung it THIS SEASON, and that b) it's the THIRD Whitney song Jessica has performed, I began to get angry. What an uninspired and predictable song choice. B

Phillip Phillips "Stand By Me" This is a great song, with a straightforward melody and a great message. That Phillip manages to turn into his usual schtick. I can barely recognize the melody, and I realize this whole round is a wash. What an uninspired way to start the night. C+ (downgraded for unnecessarily rearranging such a great song)

Round 2: Reprise

Jessica "The Prayer" Even before she sang a note, this song choice will go down as a "World I know" or "Ain't No Sunshine" level choice. By going back to Hollywood Week, Jessica gains song freshness. And for the first time, I'm a little in love with her, and in awe of what she has accomplished. No, all the notes weren't perfect. But the way she built up that last note and took it down to a whisper should be recognized for what it was: nothing short of amazing. A

Phillip "Movin' Out" I get why Phillip chose this: it was an earlier performance, and had a lot of energy. I think he slightly improved on it, and was a lot looser than before. That said, it wasn't anything special. B

Round 3: Original Songs

This is the hardest round: in previous seasons of American Idol, contestants sang the same winning song, and it derailed some (poor Blake Lewis). In seasons 7, 9, 10 and 11, they have had different ones. This is dangerous, because song comparison can come into the game. As it did tonight, in an extremely unfair way. I understand that with the disparity in musical styles, it would be just as unfair for Jessica and Phillip to sing the same song, I just feel that whoever found their songs did them both a disservice in a way.

Jessica "Change Nothing" No, this isn't the right song for her. But damn if she didn't sell it with every fiber of her being. I hated that the judges got on her case for probably picking the best of what was a lackluster selection of songs. Not only that, it made it look as if she didn't deserve to win at all. B

Phillip "Home" This song fits him like a glove. It's very folk/bluegrass. It just felt miles different and better thought out than Jessica's. It felt a little small/short/trifling in the song department. While it was a good song, I think it would have a hard time finding traction on the radio, and all in all, it just didn't feel like a winning single. Maybe a first/second single off a debut album, but not something you want to present to try and reel in as many fans as possible. B +

Overall I think Jessica out sang and outperformed Phillip by a mile in the first two rounds. But given the reactions of the judges and the studio audience, I just don't see a scenario in which he doesn't win. I know I haven't been on team Jessica for most of the season, but I wonder what would have happened had she had a better first or last song. In a season full of such talent, it's just so unfortunate that we ended up with only one great song, and five pretty okay ones. Tomorrow I'll comment more on where this season went wrong, and how American Idol can improve itself and stop losing viewers. There will be a lot of star power tomorrow, so my recap will probably end up being pretty long.

Yes, I ignored the Coke song, because just like last year, it was the worst kind of filler. See you tomorrow.

American Idol Finale Part 1: What a Girl Wants

How about that Supernatural cliffhanger?  With Dean now stuck in Purgatory, Sam all alone on earth, and the fans stuck with over four months until the season 8 premiere, we all have a lot of time to digest what happened this past season and look ahead to the next one.

Back in December, I reached out to some friends and fellow writers in the Supernatural fandom to share their thoughts up until the midseason point.  The exercise went so well that we've all come together again to share our thoughts on the season as a whole.  Participating in this roundtable review are: myself, Laura Prudom from HuffPost TV, Vinnie from Winchester Brothers, Danielle Turchiano from Possible By Pop Culture, Alice Jester from Winchester Family Business, Tina Charles from TV Guide, and Nikki Novak from Winchester Daily.  What struck me as interesting, as I read through all of their comments, is that most of us agree on the various subjects we've chosen to address in this review.  We have a lot of the same praise and criticism, which is the same kind of comments I've been reading from fans online.  This review is lengthy, but there's a lot of material to cover from this past season of Supernatural.

The Leviathans as Villains

Across the board, most of us agree that Dick Roman was a fitting leader for the Leviathans.  Always smarmy and amusing, Dick made a good lead villain.  "Dick was my favorite kind of evil: cool, smart, calmly evil and scary as hell when angry," Vinnie said.  I particularly liked Dick and Crowley interacting in the season finale of Supernatural.  Putting those two cool and charismatic actors together was an A+ idea.  Heck, they made contract negotiations fun!  But our love for Dick didn't necessarily translate well into love for the Leviathans as the big bad.

To be fair, most of us acknowledged that it would be difficult to top Lucifer - as in, the actual Devil - as a villain.  "There was a tall order in creating the Leviathan arc to begin with because after defeating Lucifer, it really felt like: 'what could possibly be worse?', at least to me. The Leviathans had to be bigger and badder and darker and more twisted -- and ESPECIALLY more cunning -- to be credible villains, let alone the big bad of the season," Danielle said.  In some respects, we agreed that the idea of the Leviathans was a good one, but in other respects, the execution fell short.  Nikki explained that "there was so many different angles that could have been worked with the monsters, but in the end I feel like the whole 'plan' reveal fell flat."  Tina said that "there was so much potential but the payoff wasn't there. The story was uneven. At their introduction they were scary but then it didn't really go anywhere. "Slash Fiction" with the Sam and Dean clones was probably the scariest they got all season long. I wanted to be on board with the Leviathan arc but for some reason I wasn't completely invested."

In some respects, it's difficult to duplicate the kind of relentless need for vengeance that defined Sam, Dean and John's desire to kill Azazel, because there were over 20 years of history to contend with there.  Because of that, he was almost the "perfect" kind of villain, always hovering in the background in the thoughts of the audience and in the thoughts of our protagonists.  But the Leviathans sometimes felt like an afterthought - something that was mentioned every once in a while to make us remember that they were still out there.

Individually, a lot of the Leviathans we met were fun characters, but I agree that their master plan wasn't all that terrifying.  It felt more like "oh, that's it?" than "eek, that's pretty scary!"  The Levis were certainly the most different of all the villains we've ever seen on this show and their master plan - and the tactics they used to achieve it - ventured into social commentary territory.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, but there's also a reason why more religious or quasi-religious villains - with corresponding goals - have worked far more effectively on this show.  Demons, vengeful angels and the Devil are terrifying because they're historical villains that most of us can relate to through childhood or adult stories.  These types of villains are ones that a lot of us fear - at least the idea of them.

Creating a new type of monster from scratch is a noble quest, but if it's not the type of monster that we can relate to, then it can fall flat.  Melding a historical monster (ie. the Levis, who are supposed to be ancient) with a goal of enslaving humans that feels more suited to invading aliens (a more futuristic concept) didn't really terrify me.  As Danielle explained, "their plans for us puny humans were in villain territory, but somehow the stakes never felt quite as high as an impending apocalypse."

Perhaps, for most of us, the biggest problem with the Levis wasn't even their endgame, but the lack of personal connection to our heroes.  Think back on all of the big villains Sam and Dean had to face over the years.  Those villains always had strong personal ties to the Winchesters.  Azazel had killed their mother and Jessica.  Lilith was holding Dean's contract and was instrumental in sending him to Hell.  Freeing Lucifer was only possible because Dean and Sam had broken the first and last seals.  Later, even stopping the apocalypse was incredibly personal because the brothers were meant to be the vessels of the combating angels.  This is where the Leviathans - and even Eve in season 6 - were found lacking.

At the beginning, these monsters were being housed inside of Castiel, which was very personal.  But then they were out and they almost felt like an afterthought.  Later, the writers tried to instill a personal connection by having Dick responsible for Bobby's death.  For a while it really worked.  Dean's confrontation of Dick in the limo outside the hospital as Bobby lay in a coma was the most fired up I had seen him in a long time.  But even then, as time went on, it started to feel less personal.  Dean's goal of defeating Dick was always pretty clear (what with the fact that he was constantly "hunting him"), but even then it felt like something he felt he had to do.  That also speaks to Dean's apathy this season, but we'll get to that later.  It was really this lack of personal or historical connection to the Winchesters that had me feeling far more ambivalent about the Levis as villains.

Laura had a rather good suggestion to combat this that might not have been a hit with fans, but certainly sounded like an interesting concept: "As much as it might've broken my heart, I almost wish that the writers had kept the Leviathans inside Castiel all season and used him as the Big Bad - that way, the boys would've had a personal stake in taking him down but still felt the need to save their friend. I don't think the show could've sustained that as a season-long arc (much like when John was possessed by Azazel), but it would've made more sense to have Cas disappear for a number of episodes and return as the boss Leviathan, if the writers truly wanted to have an emotional impact."  It's a polarizing suggestion, but it makes a lot of sense, and would definitely have made us feel more of a connection between the villains and our heroes.  It would also have deprived us of Dick Roman, so perhaps it wouldn't have been the ideal choice, but it would have created more emotional resonance, in a way.

Next page: Sam and Dean's storylines...

Supernatural Season 7 Roundtable Review: A Look Back and a Look Forward

It is December 1966 in Mad Men and unlike the last Christmas period we saw things are more financially stable for SCDP. The firm is not a powerhouse nor is it teetering on the edge of oblivion, but that doesn't mean that all of the characters are in a comfortable financial position as we see in the opening sequence as Lane (Jared Harris) discusses his impending doom on the phone. Lane is a character that we have seen little of since his dust up with Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) and so this storyline is a welcome return even if Lane's actions were rather dubious and will likely have some major consequences. Joan (Christina Hendricks) is another character who has been a bit player over the past few weeks, but this episode more than makes up for this.

Lane needs funds quickly due to what appears to be unpaid taxes back home in the UK and jail is a possibility. Lane of course wants to avoid this, but must pay almost immediately and instead of asking anyone for help he obtains the money by false pretences. Not only does he extend the firms credit to pay outstanding checks, he then claims to the partners that this money is surplus that can be used as Christmas bonuses. Lane goes one step further and forges Don's (Jon Hamm) signature on a check for himself, this wasn't discovered in this episode but it can't stay hidden for long even though Lane is in charge of much of the financial side of SCDP.

With each action Lane is dropping himself deeper into a web of lies and if he could relinquish his pride and ask for help you know that someone like Don would be more than happy to help out. As we have seen previously both Don and Roger (John Slattery) have very deep pockets; Roger in this episode alone is bemoaning that Joan won't take his money for baby Kevin and Don put up Pete's $50,000 share last season. The choices that Lane has made will save him from jail but could quite possibly destroy everything else for him in the process.

Keeping personal matters out of work can be tough when they end up feeling so overwhelming, but Joan has been doing a good job of keeping her Greg (Sam Page) woes under wraps. Joan has always been one to keep any kind of personal business out of the work place, including restricting crying to the bathroom There has been the odd comment to Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) but other than that you would be none the wiser that anything was wrong, until this week of course when Joan is served with divorce papers and she loses it. Joan does so in the most spectacular of ways, taking it out on the receptionist by throwing the model airplane at her "Surprise! There's an airplane here to see you." Luckily for Joan, Don is passing through at this time and he takes her away from work and her bad news.

Don and Joan scenes are not all that common, but when they happen you can practically see steam coming off your screen. From pretending that they are the ideal couple with the dream family to the Jaguar car salesman to their rather frank conversation in a bar over drinks there is a reason why viewers love seeing these two together and they totally understand each other's point of view. Joan laments what her life has become and Don is treating her in these scenes how she probably believed her good doctor husband would.

Joan gives a pretty good assessment as to why men cheat on their wives; "The only sins she's committed is being familiar." This perfectly describes why Pete is cheating on Trudy (Alison Brie) and why we have seen so many of the other dalliances over the seasons in Mad Men. There is a line that could be crossed between Joan and Don in this moment, but there is restraint here and if they did sleep with each other can you imagine how complicated the office could become? Regardless Joan and Don have a pretty good understanding of each other and even though they don't know each other's darkest secrets there is always an element of honesty in their exchanges.

At home for Don it is more unstable now that Megan (Jessica Paré) is pursuing her acting dream and Don is still missing her presence at work. Don also still seems to be taking it as a personal dig to his profession as to why she left and it doesn't help matters much when they go to watch an anti-consumerist play. We also see a rather dramatic reaction from Megan regarding Don's whereabouts and drunken return from work; she knows what kind of man Don was before he married her and so her blowing up could be justified, though is Don correct in assessing that this is also some kind of situation that 'gets her going?' Joan may think that Don is happy with Megan and to a degree I think that he is, but there is enough shaky ground for this whole thing to come crashing down and now that they aren't working together that increases this instability.

One person who shows both his awful and good side this week is Harry (Rich Sommer) who has spent most of this year making inappropriate comments. This episode shows both the best and worst side of Harry as he meets up with former colleague Paul Kinsey (Michael Gladis). We haven't seen Kinsey since the end of season 3 and since then he has been at most the advertising firms on Madison Avenue and is now part of the Hare Krishna movement.

This is pretty standard Paul Kinsey behaviour as he is someone who is constantly looking for a place in the world and we have previously seen him join the civil rights movement and live a bohemian lifestyle. Kinsey's description of no one liking him is a rather tragic assessment of his character and his desire to find his place has not been helped by his spiritual quest. Of course there is a woman and while Kinsey wants to leave the movement with Lakshmi (Anna Wood), she wants him to stay because he is a good recruiter. Lakshmi's way to get Kinsey to stay is to sleep with Harry and while this act is not one of friendship on Harry's part the next move he makes is one.

Kinsey has given Harry a Star Trek spec script that he has written and even though it is awful Harry uses this to get Kinsey out of this situation that he isn't happy in. Is it the right thing for Harry to give Kinsey false hope and send him to LA with little chance of success? Kinsey tells Harry that "All these people said they'd do something for me, you're the first one that did" and so it really does seem like Harry has done the right thing. It is hard to see Kinsey fitting in anywhere and feeling truly satisfied, though maybe Hollywood really is the best place for him.

Other Observations:

-Each time Pete mentions the Jaguar opportunity he is met with a decreasing amount of enthusiasm (except from a drunk Roger) and he gets increasingly frustrated as this continues. Pete's reaction when Don gives his rallying speech is one of unbridled joy as he knows that if Don is showing enthusiasm then this will trickle down to the rest of the SCDP staff. The news about bonuses will also help with productivity and a positive office vibe.

-Roger spends Pear Harbor day getting drunk and wearing a Hawaiian shirt. He also tries to get Joan to at least let him provide financial support for the child they created together and tries to reassure her that Jane (Peyton List) won't get all of her money.

-Pete starts to get snappy with Lane and Don steps in this time; no part two of their epic fight.

-Have we ever seen Lane's son?

-Don tells Joan that someone once told him "I like being bad and then I like going home and being good." This was Bobbie Barrett back in the season 2 episode "The Benefactor."

-The flowers that Don sends to Joan are a really nice touch.

Don gives a speech that tells the staff of SCDP that their hard work will be worth it if they can land the Jaguar account and these are just the words that are needed for both Don to focus on work again and for the firm stability. We know that there are matters that could shake the foundations such as Lane's deception this week and Don continues to have issues at home as he adjusts to Megan's career path. With only three episodes to go it is hard to see exactly where this season is heading, though the business goal of getting the Jaguar account will further show the competitive battle within creative and accounts as Ginsberg (Ben Feldman) continues to shine and Pete and Roger will both want this account.

What did you think? Did you want something to happen between Don and Joan? Will Don's marriage survive Megan's acting pursuits? Were you happy to see Paul Kinsey again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Mad Men 5.10 "Christmas Waltz" Review

The entire season of Grimm comes down to being able to answer one question: did it fulfill its potential? Ever since its sufficiently creepy pilot, the show has been trying to stretch and grow into something a little more serial and a little more storytelling-based. Everything was there for it to add complexity without taking its foot completely out of the procedural world; it had a base of being interesting visually with an entire world of creatures at its disposal and hundreds of fairy tales to put its big fat signature take on. Establishing a tragic back story for its main hero and power structure for the Wesen world gave Grimm much needed complexity, but it never backed away from using its case load to keep Nick on his toes and constantly learning new skills to protect himself. Going into the finale, after a solid run of 10-12 episodes that hinted at a deeper show that we had seen before, you had to be a little optimistic that this was the time that Grimm would put it together.

But did they? Did Grimm take a much-needed step forward?

Yes and no.

Having Nick explain everything to Juliette, going as far as taking her to the trailer (and Monroe), had been a long time coming and though the scene felt very much like Grimm's Greatest Hits: Volume One, you felt the forward momentum. You felt the plot heading into new and exciting places, you felt the expansion of Nick's support team now that he could lean on his girlfriend in addition to Monroe. And it felt good, like season two's chances of hitting the ground running just got raised exponentially. But Juliette rejecting the information, fainting, and going to the hospital from the cat scratch was such a cop out. Yes, I know that she heard everything he had to say and that the final time she opened her eyes could mean that she's a Wesen now, but still, you wait 22 episodes for something to be said and when it is...it doesn't stick. There's a very slim chance that she'll be remembering anything that Nick told her, especially something as outrageous as "I hunt creatures in my off time", and that took away any of the power that that scene had accumulated. It almost makes me wish that they didn't have Nick confess in the first place, since it didn't become the Moment that it could have been. This could have been an emotional, cathartic moment for both the audience and Nick & Juliette, but it felt a little cheapened and tossed aside, especially after weeks and weeks of building to it.

Juliette maybe having power now could be a good enough twist to make up for that, though. It's still unclear what exactly happened once the cat scratched her; did she become possessed by the cat? Or is she now part-Wesen? Why would Adalind want to connect them that closely? To toy with Nick? I like Adalind's continued presence in Nick's life and I hope that this new development is something a little more permanent than the one episode speedbump that I'm dreading. If they're not going to have Juliette become a part of Nick's life as a Grimm, active or not, making her into some type of creature or giving her a connection to that world could be the next best thing. (It brings on a bit more moral complication to his duty, potentially having him face off with his love.) But if she's just going to be cured within an episode or two, it felt like a time waster. Juliette needs to have something to do besides being the doting girlfriend; they already reneged on her recent inching toward believing in unexplainable events, so the least they could do is give her a little edge and this could be just that.

The finale also saw the introduction of The Woman in Black, aka Nick's long-thought-dead mother. I have to admit, I didn't see that coming until only a couple minutes beforehand and the reveal still made me gasp a little and break out a big grin. Nick is a very closed off character and the more first-hand information we can get about his life, the better. His mother provides a link to the past that we haven't had since Aunt Marie and could be the one to take Nick's Grimm skills to another level, partnering up with Monroe to become the team that Juliette could have been a part of. And by the looks of things, Nick's mother is kind of a bad ass in her own right, so this will lessen his load and maybe allow him a little breathing room. I just didn't like that she did next to nothing in the episode and that we didn't get to see enough of her for the reveal to really have an impact. It was a shocker, most definitely, but it could have had more impact had, say, this not been her first appearance. With the character making multiple (mysterious) appearances, we could have gotten to "know" her more and thus could have been invested in finding out who (or what) she was.

Her role in the episode was nice and creepy, if slight, particularly the scene where she almost ran into Nick on the street, and I think that she'll be a valuable asset to season four, but again, I'm left feeling a touch underwhelmed overall.

I did, however, like everything they did with Hank, giving him a Grimm-ified post-traumatic stress disorder after his encounter with Monroe last week. It makes sense with his character; Hank has had cases stick with him for years and he couldn't get enough of Adalind, pre-cookie even, so the combination of what Adalind did to him, the broken glass at the police station, seeing a woge, and being face to face with a blutbad would really get him riled up. Or, in this case, paranoid-ed up, the final shot of Nick's partner with a shotgun in hand. I've wondered about the effect that being gradually exposed to the Wesen world would have on Hank. He's a practical, by-the-book type of thinker that goes off of experience and protocol in terms of making a move; how does he reconcile that with seeing the unexplainable, the fantastical, the other worldly? I kind of expected him to have more of a Juliette-type reaction, pushing the possibility of bad things that go bump in the night being real out of his mind through some type of "rational" explanation. But no, instead, he got in his own head too much and made himself pretty helpless in the process.

It leaves Hank in an interesting position going into next season. How deep does he sink before he gets help? And if he chooses to do something about it, will Nick have to explain what exactly he saw?

In the end, did Grimm fulfill its potential? Yes and no. It has great ideas, a nifty color palette, and seemingly intriguing plans for next season, but in terms of season one, the finale fell a little flat for me. It felt less like an answer-unveiling finale and more like the first part of a two part finale, heavy on exposition/tying up of loose ends and relying on a shock ending to get you to come back for part two. A lot of good stuff got introduced in "The Woman in Black", stuff that I have the fullest confidence in saying will pan out beautifully in season two, but the finale was a missed opportunity, to me. It could have been a major revelation, an episode that laid all the cards out on the table, but instead, we have a confession that didn't really count, a reveal that was good (but not great), and a one-note villain that only left the most ancillary of bodies in his wake. Grimm has the goods to be a great show in the near future, but season one ended with a bit of a whimper rather than the roar that I was expecting.

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-"What a pleasant surprise...I think."
-"Maybe it just doesn't like me."
-I loved the "122" room number and the quote from Monroe that tied back to the pilot.
-Awesome moment: Nick finding the pictures of himself and Hank on the computer. Very unnerving.
-Thank you guys for continuing to read, comment on, and share my Grimm reviews this season. Hopefully, they provided a little entertainment to go along with a show that, while not all the way there, grew mightily in its final 10-12 episodes.

Grimm 1.22 "The Woman in Black" Review

I think I was going to be disappointed no matter who went home on American Idol. Even though I don't have a favorite left in the competition, the remaining three contestants all have made a case for being in the finale.

The night starts out with a performance of “Got To Get You Into My Life” by the top three. It's nice, but their voices aren't designed to blend together. Then there is subdued conversation on the silver stools. They are all super tired, both from trips home and the beginnings of preparations for the finale. Once again, Phillip is missing from the Ford video, and while I understand he has been ill, surely they could have designed one around him laying down and resting?

Joshua is up first, and Jimmy Iovine gives muted praise. He says the last song Joshua sang didn't have enough melody, and that could be a problem. I began to worry right here, because Jimmy's comments usually telegraph the results.

After a break, there is an extended commercial for the next Ice Age movie. I don't mind product placement, but I much prefer having the hometown visits on results night. I also miss the montage of previous hometown visits. It isn't top three night without Elliott's mom, Kris's dad, and David Archuleta asking where everybody parked.

Then Lisa Marie Presley performs. She sang well, but it was a little dull for me. It felt almost like Lana del Rey, except with a bit more personality.

Jessica is next, and Jimmy rightfully takes down her first two song choices. She had a rough night, but he's right, that shouldn't discount the rest of her performances. I love her outfit tonight, it's super cute.

After the next break, there is a brief discussion of Donna Summers and her death. Then Adam Lambert performs his single "Never Close Our Eyes". I really like his new CD, and think there are stronger songs than this (see post title), but it's a good performance.

Finally Phillip is up. Jimmy agrees that his second song was a bit weak, but his comments lead me to believe that Jimmy knows Phillip is in the finale.

After the last commercial break, Jessica is announced the first in the finale. Then Phillip. JLo looks visibly shaken, and Joshua kills "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." He even goes out into the audience and gets his mom on stage.

Do I think Joshua deserved to be in the finale? Yes. Am I mad that he's not? A little. But Jessica and Phillip both have enough good performances to warrant being there. I just don't know if a saved contestant can win American Idol. What do you think?

American Idol Top 3 Results: Shady

At the beginning of this season of American Idol I would have picked at least four of the six girls as potential winners. After last night's performances, I just don't see how Jessica Sanchez can overcome two terrible song choices. It makes me sort of angry and sad, because it's felt like all year, the boys could have a weak night and survive, but the moment a girl falters, they are gone. I don't think production and judging have helped any, but discussion how how the show can make itself fairer and better will wait until next week.

Picks from the Judges

I wasn't expecting much from this round, since the only judge who could pick a halfway decent song left for another judging competition. (Say what you will, Simon often chose songs that highlighted something new about a contestant, or played completely to their strengths.)

Joshua Ledet "I'd Rather Go Blind When I first saw the set list on Twitter, I totally pegged this for Jessica. I think the last few weeks Joshua has really figured how to balance his performances so that he still can insert emotion without going over the top. That said, I wish the judges would have picked something a little more surprising. B+

Jessica Sanchez "My All" What on Earth is this choice? Jessica is in no way this type of singer. If they wanted to show her vulnerability, there are so many other songs that fit her style. She struggled the entire time to keep on key, and while the choruses were quite lovely, this was a complete disservice to someone who deserves better. C

Phillip Phillips "Beggin'" Probably the best song choice of the round. I will give Phillip a lot of credit for having fun with this and singing it really well. My only concern was that it highlighted a lot of what I find troublesome with him: his tendency to over growl and his penchant for finding the middling part of the song without digging too deep. B

Contestant's Choice

In previous years, this round has been more important. In the last two seasons of American Idol theme weeks have been a lot less restrictive, so this round is diluted by this. This used to be the one time that a contestant could either shine or fall based on what they chose to highlight about themselves. (Think "Heartless", the song that won the whole shebang.)

Also, point of contention: they have never shown hometown visits on performance night. It's patently unfair, because no matter how they are edited, it's obvious who gets the biggest crowds. That said, I think I was most moved by Joshua's, but no one had the heart of Elliott's or Kris's or David's. But at least there wasn't the emptiness of poor Katherine or Syesha.

Joshua "Imagine" Usually I'd tell someone to stay away from this, because David Archuleta's semi-final performance is still ringing in people's ears, five years later. That said, I loved the restraint he did have, and I completely understand his reasoning for choosing it. B-

Jessica "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing No. Just no. To highlight how much I dislike this song, this is the only studio song I do not own from David Cook's reign on American Idol. I find it an overdone piece of dreck, and frankly, since this is the seventh time this song has been done in eleven seasons, just the song choice alone astounds me. Did Jessica sing it well? Sure. There was one wonky note towards the end, but she showed a lot of control. Was it the song that she should have picked? Absolutely not. C+ (downgraded for completely terrible song choice.)

Phillip "Disease" The most astute choice of the contestants, Phillip could really do well in a Matchbox 20/Rob Thomas type career. However, by adding the saxophone, and losing his usual intensity, this took on a karaoke/muzak feel that devalued the greatness of the song choice. I'm glad the judges picked up on this, too. B-

Jimmy Iovine's picks

Last year, Jimmy did a great job of picking songs, unlike previous years of producer picks (I'm looking at you "Hit Me Up"), and Clive Davis picks (his love affair with "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" was tiresome and predictable). This year was no different.

Joshua "No More Drama" You know what was great about this? Everything. I loved that Joshua wasn't afraid to get dirty with this song, and frankly, if he goes on to this type of career, I am on board. This was the perfect song to go over-the-top on, and it paid off. A

Jessica "I'll Be There" I saw a lot of complaints that this wasn't a big enough song for her. I say boo. I think Jimmy expected her to choose a big diva song, and unlike the judges, he picked a great song for showing the pureness of her vocals. The best part of this for me was that this is the most natural and relaxed Jessica has looked the entire competition. I just fear it's too little, too late. A

Phillip "We've Got Tonight" It figures that it took a song choice from Jimmy to get Phillip to do what I've been asking for all season. This was a song that highlighted everything great about Phillip's voice. For once there was tone color and inflection, and weird hand gestures aside, was his best performance ever. A+

It feels like this whole season, people have been voting week to week. If that remains true, watch for an all boy finale, because Jessica was the weakest of the night. But if you take into account the whole season, I'm going to be honest: I'd prefer a Jessica/Joshua finale. No matter what happens, I don't think anything would shock me. What do you think, did Jessica's song choices doom her, or will her fans rally to save her?

American Idol Top 3 Perform: Let's Hear It For The Boys

You guys, this is basically my relationship with Tyra at this point:

I may not be a pretty blonde teenage girl and she may not be a ghost-faced killer hellbent on my demise (...that I know of), but I'm beginning to think that Bankable Productions has been keeping an eye on me since I began trashing covering Top Model in cycle 16. How else do you explain yet another facet of an article I wrote about the show ending up making it...onto the show? First, that horrible, horrible villain toyed with me, eliminating contestant after contestant that I either loved or thought had the competition on lock (right after I wrote about them!) to let me know that she was coming for me. Now that I've spent a good three cycles cowering in the corner, fearing for my life (and the possibility of an ice-blonde makeover in my future), it looks like she's trying to win back my trust through flattery and inclusion of an idea I had to improve the show back in cycle 16. Y'know, before the actively, tauntingly awful all-star cycle and the current cycle, which has shown improvement but not quite climbed into the "legitimate good TV" arena yet.

What idea has Tyra lifted from me now? Why, the idea to have the go-sees, like, mean something. Specifically, I suggested that one of Top Models annual traditions, the international go-sees, should have greater value attached to them to reflect the real world of modeling. On last night's episode, they did just that, with both a monetary value (1000 HKD) and a job (face of "Nude is Rude" campaign for one year) attached. These girls are going to have to go out into the real world and book work, so an episode like this, with real life incentives and networking, felt like the type of preparation they should be getting from day one. Go-sees typically produce one of the strongest Top Model episodes in their respective season and "Jez Smith" continued that trend, putting the focus all on the modeling and the actual jobs themselves. I initially had a poor reaction to the guides, considering the fact that they wouldn't have one in real life, but in terms of competition and TV, it evened things up. No girl was in danger of getting lost or not making it to every show and it took the episode up a notch as a result. I mentioned earlier in the cycle that Top Model can be a capital-R Reality show a lot of the time, putting the emphasis on stuff other than the actual modeling, but the introduction of the guides, reminiscent of cycle 2, was a nice move to pull back.

And waiting until the top three to pull out go-sees gave the episode a little more focus. Granted, I like the cuckoo six-girls-for-their-lives go-sees of past cycles, but with only three remaining, you got more of a feel for each visit and how each girl was doing. The lower the number of girls on Top Model, the more they should be focusing on this type of stuff, exposing elements of the fashion scene that we don't get to see often and that the girls will be dealing with soon.

I wasn't doing backflips over the photo shoot, though. I mean, it wasn't anywhere close to being bad, but it just didn't produce any truly exciting photos. The better Top Model episodes in cycle 18 have put the focus on shape and movement, so confining three talented girls in a box with a poofy skirt didn't allow for any type of dynamic moments to occur. I did like the fact that it was an actual ad campaign for something tangible and that they had the client at the shoot, but it's top three and it's time to go out with a bang. Top two is reserved for Cover Girl and fashion shows and having the final photos be overly photoshopped, stiff perfume ads felt a little underwhelming. I don't need them to break out a ridiculous shoot just 'cause or anything; I just needed to feel the excitement of final three and the culmination of everything they've absorbed in the competition to be allowed to run free. The shoot, seemingly made for Sophie in its doe-eyed foo-foo-ness, did make Laura have to pull another trick out of her bag, which was good and bad. Laura's very, very comfortable pulling the vampy, edgy card and doing a 3/4 back bend in order to hand it to you, but it's felt like she's went to that well a few too many times. Having to rein in all the sexy, something I do on a daily basis, made her come up with something else, likely the reason she was saved. Had it been another challenge that let her move around and work her body, I'm not sure she would have had enough usable, different enough frames to move forward in the competition.

However, the elimination of Annaliese was pretty telegraphed. If you're going to take the time and effort to make the entire cycle about Britain v. America, even if the themed photo shoots petered out around halfway through, the final two is going to be one Brit and one American. Once Eboni and Alisha got the hell out of dodge, by force or by choice, it became clear that Laura would represent Team Amurrica in the finale and there's no way in the world they would have eliminated Sophie over Annaliese. At all. That kind of sucked a little drama out of the episode, making panel and all the hand wringing done by the judges pretty irrelevant. Personally, I think that while Laura might have higher highs in her portfolio, her tepid runway walk and one-note performance in the shoots should have gotten her the boot. There is definitely talent there and I think she could be very good one day, but her personality is abrasive, her walk is insecure, and she doesn't inspire. She's willing to be pretty-ugly and try weird stuff, a true asset to a model, but it feels like a lot of the praise that she gets is due to potential more than performance. Laura looks like a model and the judges are going to eat that up, excusing behaviors in her that they've critiqued in others.

Top Model had one of the better episodes of cycle 18 in "Jez Smith". It treated them like adults, immersing them deeper in the fashion world through a paid challenge and client-assisted photo shoot. Rather than put all its eggs in the WACKY ANTICS!!!!!!!!!! basket, it actually, like, put on a pretty respectable modeling show. And you can't be mad at Top Model sobering up, putting on a fresh pair of panties, and turning on its professional side. While I don't agree with the elimination, I do think that this final two has been pretty inevitable since Kyle and AzMarie got their walking papers and really, what can you do? I would offer a suggestion to that (seemingly) rhetorical question, but I'm afraid Tyra might hear me.

This smize is coming from inside the house...?

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-"Money is a great incentive for me."
-"You've gotta shimmy with me."
-Final Call Out Order: Sophie, Laura, Annaliese (eliminated)
-I find it interesting that the week Tyra posted an essay about Vogue banning anorexic-looking models from its pages a girl that didn't "look like a model" went home.
-Was it just me, or did Annaliese's costume at Gregory Derham read a little...racially-based? Bananas? Really?
-Laura looked horrific at panel. The scarecrow hair, the black onesie - that's less quirky Top Model, more homeless lady down the street.
-From my notes: "WIND MACHINE YES MA'AM". If at all possible, I'd review the cycle 18 finale with a wind machine blowing my hair every which way. Make it happen, TVOvermind.
-Next week on Top Model: It's the increasingly superfluous highlights show, followed by a finale that included Gaga-style hair bows and Laura physically breaking down.

America's Next Top Model 18.11 "Jez Smith" Review

There are basically two types of season finales that can put into play, depending on a variety of factors. The first type is the clean finale, one that ties up loose ends, corrects mistakes, and generally finds each of the main characters in a pretty favorable place going forward. It might not make for the most compelling of television, but a clean finale is best utilized when a show is truly on the bubble or knowingly ending once and for all. A bubble show ending cleanly calms the inevitable firestorm of "Save Our Show" campaigns that pop up every May, while a show ending for good can spend its final moments basking in the happy and celebrating the characters we've all grown to love. Whereas a messy finale (like Suburgatory), with no (real) conclusions and little warm-and-fuzzy moments to speak of, leaves things hanging until next season, in hopes of making the summer hiatus that much more painful.

It couldn't have been any other way, right? From the moment it bounded onto TV screens last fall, Suburgatory has been anything but clean, in the best way possible, and ending its debut season with hugs and a knowing voiceover explaining this week's life lesson wouldn't have felt right. Take, for instance, the subversion of expectations that came from Tessa's uninvited guest and Lisa's exposure to the truth about her paternity. Each could have very easily turned into a Special Moment, but rather than give into the potential cliche, the show flipped each on its ear in a way that intrigues me that much more for season two. Bringing back Tessa's grandmother, rather than her mother, and having Tessa's reaction be centered on using her to get out of Chatswin gave the ending more of a bite than it would have had otherwise, another instance of Tessa demonstrating her cynicism has yet to fade from her time in the 'burbs. But it didn't play as her being scheming or especially manipulative; it played as Tessa being sad, fed up with Eden, and lonely given the time of year, ready to do anything that she can to finally get out. And if she has to fake it til she makes it (out), then so be it.

Lisa, on the other hand, found out that she was biologically Sheila's - it's her brother Ryan that was adopted. Once the letter came with the results, I assumed that the plot was dead, another blow to Lisa's hopes of distancing herself from her mother, so I was rather taken by the blood freezer and its contents. I don't know how much more you can do with a plot like this, but I'm down for more time with the Shay family, particularly if all four members get to play a role in the paternity issue. Ryan, especially, hasn't had much to do in recent weeks, so centering a plot like this around him could bring him into the fold a little more and allow the entire family dynamic to get an exercise. Lisa and Sheila are, of course, arch enemies, but we've not really had an extended Lisa/Ryan story and something like this, far fetched as it may be, gives them the excuse to bring the two siblings together for a few episodes.

The Shay family highlighted another pretty fun plot in the Mother's Day 5K, ridiculously competitive Sheila taking home first place with Dallas ending up in the hospital. (Chekhov's Golden Shoes?) Like a lot of shows with richly talented ensemble casts, Suburgatory benefits from bringing multiple unrelated characters together for various plots. You get a different vibe from each combination and it strengthens the town's position as a character in the show, so having the two moms face off, head in opposite directions, and end up in good plots of their own was a nice piece of writing. (If the show uses the 5K next season, I hope it's its own major plot, rather than a stepping stone, though.) Dallas, in particular, headed to an interesting place, injuring her ankle, hallucinating Yakult as talking to her (through the voice of Whoopi Goldberg, hilariously), and reaching out for Dalia, currently in Israel. Dallas and Dalia have had a very weird time lately, the divorce driving a wedge between them that has been slow to dislodge itself, so hearing Dallas ask for her daughter in a moment of pain was sweet (and another display of her growing humanity). The heartbreak, though, that it brought Tessa, desperately looking for a mother figure and rejected once again, was palpable and a testament to how much the two have bonded during the season.

Also, it may not have been a plot development or anything especially deep, but my biggest laugh of the night came from the James Ingram cameo and his rendition of "One Hundred Ways" delivered in the Shay living room. Suburgatory can sometimes be a little too wacky for its own good, but this was on the right side of silly and hinted that the Sheila Shay that stands before us might not have always been this way. Am I the only one that would die for a flashback episode of Suburgatory? Considering how good (and random) the Ingram cameo (and info that he used to date Sheila) were, I think it could be a delight.

The only thing that didn't quite work for me was Eden, unfortunately. I like Alicia Silverstone (a lot), but the surrogacy angle, as well as her character's not-that-pleasant personality, have made the character a bit more of a drag than I thought. I completely get what they're going for in having her around, since she brings tension to George's relationships with Noah and Tessa, but it just saps a little bit of fun from an exceedingly fun show. George having a semi-permanent non-Dallas love interest is one thing, something that could bring a little double-punch of spice and stability to the proceedings, but her late-term pregnancy, overbearing personality, and the growing distance between George and Tessa aren't things that make Suburgatory better. They've taken, arguably, the core of the show and hidden it behind an unnecessary plot complication, hopefully to be overturned during the second season. George and Tessa's relationship is Suburgatory and now that George is an inch away from being on an episode of Maury, it's very much on the backburner. I like the trope where a single parent begins to date again and bring around their new love interest, since it rocks a pretty stable dynamic and enforces the changing nature of life, but here, it's felt like too much too soon. George went from a lonely single dude looking for a little companionship to housing a walking, talking plot point, very little personality to speak of (and what we've seen hasn't been that nice.).

Suburgatory ends its first season on an appropriately messy note. Nobody's that happy, everybody wants something more for themselves, and it's all a great big ordeal. Like life. Even though the show can edge toward being a live-action cartoon now and then, the thing that I love, and the thing that keeps me coming back, is the note that they hit time and time again. Despite differences in outward appearance, money in their pocket, and eccentricities, there's not much difference between the Altmans and the Chatswin residents. In the end, they all want to be loved, to find someone to accept them for who they are, to feel wanted. They might go about finding that love and attention in different ways, but it doesn't change the fact that George, Dallas, Tessa, Dalia, and all those in between are vulnerable and looking for a way to fit in in a town all about looking happy on the outside. Little do they know that behind every plastic smile and sequined jump suit lies a little bit of themselves.

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-"There are 950 dead snakes on this wall alone."
-"Is it because of my blue throbbing spider veins?"
-"Did she hold off on your latest bout of ringworm?"
-"You look good...with your fine ass."
-"Yakult, so cryptic."
-"Bitch, ain't nobody talkin' 'bout Tessa."
-I really liked that Tessa didn't get her internship (and that we didn't know until the end of the episode). Following her as she tries to get out of Chatswin next season should be pretty fun.
-What did you think about the slightly altered theme song?
-Thank you guys for reading, commenting on, and sharing my Suburgatory reviews this season. A case of chiffon wristlets and crystal Joy Behars for you all, if I could. Here's hoping we all reconvene in the fall to talk will they/won't they, mama drama, and the latest delicious dirt going on in Chatswin.

Suburgatory 1.22 "The Motherload" Review

While the title of this episode of Mad Men could be perfect timing for the new Johnny Depp movie that was released this weekend (and is based on a TV show that debuted in 1966) it has much less to do with pop culture and more to do with what threats are lurking. This darkness is real and imaginary as light or the absence of it is used to highlight insecurities and challenges.

The episode opens with Betty (January Jones) making a snack in the dark; is this a snack because she didn't eat much for her real dinner? This is only the second time that Betty has appeared this season and she is slightly slimmer than when we last saw her, but there is still a major issue with food and control. Betty has always had food problems; when she was with Don she barely ate and since Don has remarried she has lost this element of control. The Weight Watchers group that Betty is attending is almost like therapy as they are encouraged to discuss whether they have had a good or a bad week in regards to the food they have eaten and the emotions that they are feeling. Betty has a very strong emotional reaction to seeing Don (Jon Hamm) and Megan's (Jessica Paré) apartment and seeing the new Mrs Draper changing clothes. Megan is not only younger, but she has an amazing figure too and this would make any ex feel bad. This leads to Betty eating whipped cream straight from the can and then spitting it out; once again in the dark of her kitchen.

The moment that really sucker punches Betty comes courtesy of a note from Don to Megan that Betty sees on the back of one of Bobby's (Mason Vale Cotton) drawings and reads "Lovely Megan, I went to buy a light bulb. When I get back I'll see you better." Betty knows that Don is good with words but this glimpse into their life, coupled with the encounter with Megan at the apartment has Betty trying to regain control by being spiteful and using her daughter in the process. Sally (Kiernan Shipka) is doing a family tree for school and what better way to try and ruin things for Don and Megan but to mention the original Mrs Draper. Considering Don never freely shared the information about Anna until Betty opened his drawer of secrets it was clear that Betty did not expect Megan to be aware of Anna or even Dick.

Betty is lashing out at Don's new 'perfect' life in the only way she knows how and it is a rather childish attempt to poison them. Sally plays her part perfectly and is becoming quite the sassy little brat; the teen with an attitude problem is not a new concept and can be off putting but in this case it works perfectly and Shipka once again shows what a talent she is.

Megan is attempting the friendly step-parent role which can be a challenge but she manages Sally's questions about Anna rather well, even if Don explodes at the fact that Megan answered them. Don's instant reaction is to ring Betty to yell at her but Megan has the sense to read the situation for what it is and stop him from doing so. Sally is listening intently in the dark and while she might not fully understand how her mother has manipulated her she doesn't deliver the news that Betty was hoping for and manipulates Betty in return by telling her how fondly Don and Megan spoke of Anna. Sally doesn't want to be treated like a child and it appears that she is quickly learning how adults play these kinds of situations.

Betty isn't the only one lurking in the dark when she can't control her urges as Roger (John Slattery) and Jane (Peyton List) have a brief reunion after a work related dinner in her new apartment. Roger is going to run out of money soon if he doesn't watch out as he buys Jane a new apartment, as the old one is sullied with memories of them and he then does the same in her new one. Jane isn't the only one who takes some of Roger's seemingly endless supply of cash as he has to dig deep once again in his quest to keep up with Pete (Vincent Kartheiser). This time he goes to Ginsberg (Ben Feldman), something that bothers Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) when she finds out; she doesn't reveal this annoyance to Ginsberg, which is for Roger only.

Peggy feels threatened by Ginsberg's natural talent, but as Don is on the rusty side he too has inadequate feelings next to Ginsberg. Don looks through Ginsberg's work after he goes to turn off Ginsberg's lamp and he is impressed and amused by what he sees. What starts as amusement and admiration soon turns sour as he realizes that his own idea is not as good. Don is the boss though and so he gets to go with whatever idea he wants to, even if Don's is not the best of the suggestions. Leaving Ginsberg's work in the cab is a rather petty act though. Is this just the start of a creative rivalry between the old and new? Whatever it is Peggy is happy to see Ginsberg have a moment of failure like this.

Other Observations

-Megan teaches Sally how to cry on cue; a new skill I thought we might get to see used by Sally in this episode. Instead Sally used it as a barb against Megan when Sally has her particularly cruel moment. It could come in useful for Sally later in the season. Sally definitely possesses the cruel streak that her mother has and uses it against both Megan and Betty.

-Betty's portion size for her Thanksgiving dinner was particularly depressing; a turning point for Betty and her control with food or will we see her sneaking to the kitchen for some late night cheese?

-Don deals a low blow with the 'fat nose' jab about Betty.

-Henry (Christopher Stanley) is much more likeable when he isn't trying to compete with Don.

-Pete didn't get to hook up with Beth (Alexis Bledel) in real life but he did have a rather saucy fantasy about her at work. He added in the SCDP appearance in The New York Times magazine that sadly never came to pass so it was double the fantasy moment. Is this the nearest to completely topless that the show has done so far?

-Bobby Draper got some lines! And he is thankful for two houses and his sled. Plus he likes to draw whales that smile when they are being harpooned.

-Megan's friend is auditioning for the TV series Dark Shadows and Megan isn't so kind about the material.

-Smog in New York in 1966 wouldn't just ruin Thanksgiving dinner and it did have the power to kill, so Megan wasn't being completely crazy when she told Don not to open the doors. Yes this is clearly a metaphor for Betty in a huge anvil shape but at least this symbolism is rooted in fact.

Light bulbs are important in this episode not only do they illuminate the kind of work Ginsberg has been doing while Don has been on "love leave," they are also part of the catalyst for Betty's actions thanks to the note that Don left for Megan. These characters do things in the dark that they then regret in the daylight, but they still do these things anyway and could easily repeat these actions over and over again. Control and desire have been strong Mad Men themes for five seasons now but they seem particularly overt this year. Are we going to see more control from the characters or will they let desire win? Can Don return to top creative form?

What did you think of the episode? Did enjoy seeing Betty? Or do you feel like the episodes suffer when she is around? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Mad Men 5.09 "Dark Shadows" Review

Having patience with a television series can pay off greatly. Once you start edging toward the finish line of its debut season, the stakes begin to heighten and all the (seemingly) unimportant episodes earlier in the run suddenly become valuable building blocks. Granted, not every series has found itself by this point, but for those that have, crashing everything together and bringing out the drama can be a pretty nice reward for fans. It's tempting to write something off earlier and earlier, considering the sheer volume of entertainment at our fingertips, so it's cases like Grimm, for instance, that make the argument that sometimes its okay to let a series figure it out.

"Big Feet" was a noticeable rebound from last week's episode and set up what could be a reveal-heavy finale that lays all the cards on the table. It laid the groundwork, in particular, for both Hank and Juliette to find out about Nick's other life, or at least the existence of creatures. There have been times earlier in the season where it felt like they were never going to be informed of Nick's Grimm life, that thread just twisting in the wind for all to see, but all that slow burn was worth the price of admission to "Big Feet". Grimm can feel a little too insular at times, Nick's secret not being able to be shared with a good chunk of the supporting cast, so bringing at least one, if not both, of his confidantes will open things up that much more. There's a disconnect between Hank and the rest of the show that could be remedied by being at least slightly clued in to what everybody already knows (or thinks); Hank has already encountered a few Grimm-like things, particularly his arc with Adalind and the villain from last week, but he's never made the connection that there's something not quite right here until he saw Dr. Blinkerhoff retracted in front of him. Considering that he thinks in the same practical, analytical way that Juliette does, maybe Hank needs to have the type of empirical data that she found tonight to further convince himself that creatures do exist.

For Grimm to continue growing, it needs to have the freedom that Hank/Juliette knowing could provide. They wouldn't have to be super involved; in fact, it could make the police station scenes more fun with all these people in the know and nobody sharing what they know with anybody else. It would allow Nick to explore more of his feelings about being a Grimm while taking a lot of pressure off of Monroe through having different weapons at his disposal. I just don't know how much longer the show can keep dancing around the issue and hope that the finale will reveal something, anything to one or the both of them.

The only thing that I didn't like, though, was the opening sequence, typically one of the stronger scenes in your average Grimm episode. It tends to be packed with action, a good jumping off point for an episode as either a crime is showcased or the stage is set for a denser type of episode. The content of the intro wasn't bad, but the way that it was presented felt very, very dry, with the now-cliche "found footage" trope being trotted out one more time. Grimm does such a good job dressing up older stories and known ideas that it was disappointing to see them present the found footage straightforward; it could have greatly benefited from having some type of twist to differentiate it from the hundreds of similarly gimmicky horror movies (and television show) out there. It felt like the show chose to lean back ever so slightly, rather than actively and creatively making an attempt to find new angles to open up "Big Feet". And the witness that came from the crime, Vera, pretty much disappeared after breaking down once the cops found her, so its impact had pretty much evaporated a few episodes in. Of course, the crime committed in the intro had more lasting power, sending Nick and Monroe barreling toward shady Dr. Blinkerhoff, but I would have liked for Vera to play a more active role in the investigation. Perhaps through her account of what happened?

Though I didn't care for the intro, I really enjoyed Dr. Blinkerhoff running wild in the city and the effect that it had over the rest of the episode. The action and violence of Grimm tends to appear to the average townsperson as normal and expected, but what happens when something pops up that you can't explain? What happens when you're confronted by that violence rather than viewing it through a third-party source? It's very similar to the journey that Juliette has taken this season, only the people in town could explain away what looked like a rabid half-man, half-animal wreaking havoc on Portland. Juliette couldn't due to having empirical evidence that what she had encountered was something unlike anything she had encountered before. "Big Feet" highlighted the divide between the human world and the Wesen world in bright yellow highlighter during the ending news report, a report that didn't take into account the lack of a mask being found at the crime scene. Your mind doesn't want to go to all these fantastical places when something bad happens because you don't encounter Wesen on a daily basis; the upon-death-retraction has been one of the best things for them, in that if they die committing a crime/running from the police, there's merely a human body there. And considering how order is often valued by law enforcement over the truth, there's no way they're going to go "there" in terms of trying to explain the crime.

"Big Feet" may not have addressed impending war or reapers, but it was an important episode in the overall arc of Grimm. This was the episode where it all started coming together for Juliette and Hank and where Portland got a taste of Wesen life - the boundary between the human and Wesen world has often been volatile and while it still very much exists, there's not a whole lot separating the two vastly different societies. It was an episode that brought a little pathos through Monroe's kinship (and personal relationship) with the victims of the doctor's experiments, notable for the fact that humans weren't the only victims here. Wesen like Alan, Dan, and Larry are just as much victims as the two campers, as they had their greatest weakness exploited by someone that didn't have their best interests in mind. Despite all the powers and abilities in the world, the Wesen have one foot still in the human world, after all; too bad the ugliness and self-hatred that goes along with that failed to be stamped out.

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-"These murders were committed by a barefoot man carrying a wolf."
-"I may have Big Foot on my couch."
-"You can only walk in darkness for so long."
-"What's the best way to get a friend to quit drinking? Tear his arms off."
-Monroe reading "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" was kind of perfect, no?
-The shoe with the foot still in it was awesome(ly gross) and very Grimm.
-Am I the only person that hopes for a season two episode featuring Monroe's support group?
-My notes on Larry ripping the drug thing out of his body:"OMG - is he ripping his neck off? What the hell?"
-Cool camera work: panning out of the hole that Dan Murray created in the wall while his brother was on the phone.
-Where's the medical examiner? We've not seen her in a few episodes.
-I loved the lighting in the theater that the doctor took his hostage to. Very menacing.
-Next week on Grimm: The gold coins from "Three Coins in a Fuchsbau" reappear, a mysterious woman in black keeps interrupting the investigation, and Nick's secret may not be secret for long.

Grimm 1.21 "Big Feet" Review

For an episode that could have very easily been Fringe's series finale, "Brave New World, Part 2," charges courageously ahead, resolving old storylines while setting up the endgame to come in the show's thirteen-episode final season. And while it contained several predictable and ultimately frustrating elements, the episode was ultimately a strong one that should leave audiences talking for a few weeks.

Of course, fans are going to be talking about one particular standout scene, which was undoubtedly one of Fringe's strongest moments: when Walter shot Olivia in the head. It was a moment just as shocking and as unexpected as it was when it happened back in last season's finale. Of course, over the following commercial break, it wasn't too difficult to figure out how the writers would work their way out of that corner: Walter's description of Cortexiphan's regenerative abilities should have sent alarm bells ringing in everyone's minds last week. Despite the fact that it didn't last, the shooting was a vey powerful moment, thanks mostly to Peter's heartbreaking grief, one of Joshua Jackson's greatest performances of the season. Even if the tension didn't last, the emotions felt real.

But it's growing increasingly difficult for Fringe to make us worry about the fates of the main characters. The show has retconned the deaths of so many characters so many times that it's hard to take death seriously as a threat on the show. Sure, we knew Olivia wasn't going to die on the eve of the show's final season. But if the writers really want us to feel the high stakes our characters are facing, they'll kill off some characters -- and not just peripheral ones like Charlie Francis or alternate Lincoln Lee. They had a great opportunity to give us an emotional sucker punch when Astrid took a bullet in last week's episode. When we found out that she survived this week, though, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed -- not because I don't like Astrid (who doesn't like Astrid?), but because the show needed the dramatic kick her death would have brought. The Fringe team has saved the world way too many times with way too few losses, and the more it spares its characters from the axe, the less compelled I am.

Speaking of predictability, who was surprised that Rebecca Mader's character was working for William Bell? I can't imagine too many people were, because it's not that surprising of a twist -- I predicted it, along with Olivia being saved by Cortexiphan, last week. In any case, though, it was nice to have Mader back, if only for a bit of brief nastiness and then some crazy eye-wiggling (which was more unsettling than some of Fringe's goriest monsters). Oh, and she did manage to shoot September, which solves that mystery.

Speaking of September, the episode featured some pretty cool set-up for a fifth season. Most of that came from the rune that somehow managed to trap September in place on Jessica's floor. This technology was apparently "beyond" Bell, September noted to Peter and Olivia, hinting at some context that will likely be revealed next season. I'm guessing that the Observers were sponsoring Bell's attempt to make a new universe, hoping to populate it after destroying their own future world. The Observers by now have realized that September is not on their side, which means that they must have partnered with Bell to eliminate him (thus, the superfast gun and the runes). With Bell's failure, it looks like there's only one thing left for the Observers to do: invade the past. This theory, while only a theory, links the rest of the show to the events of "Letters of Transit" in 2036 and starts to give Fringe a greater context. Have the Observers been manipulating events all along? Are they behind the Pattern that kicked off the storyline? We're so close to the answers we can almost taste them.

Finally, it'd be wrong not to note the sly scene toward the end of the episode in which Broyles and the Fringe division receive a promotion and greater funding from Congress, respectively. "You deserve it," the Congressman tells Broyles, and the scene can't help but feel like Fringe slapping its own back. Despite its flaws, this episode proved that Fringe does deserve all the recognition, both critical and otherwise, that it receives (and it could certainly use a higher budget). It certainly deserves the final season that it received, and my hopes are high that Fringe will go out on a high note when it returns next season. B

Fringe 4.22 "Brave New World, Part 2" Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

Road Trip

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

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

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

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

Creepy Girls Are Always Creepy

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

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

Concluded on next page...

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

I have a lot of feelings about American Idol. As a long time fan it's hard to watch and know the likelihood of your favorite winning, let alone become the next Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson is slimmer each year. Sure, a lot of former contestants are doing quite well for themselves, and success can be measured in many ways, but let's be real. Part of the experience of watching the show is the desire to see your favorite become a megasuperstar. And as a long time viewer, and follower of the show, it's just not going to happen. When you take an excellent cast like season 7, and then realize that only one contestant has a contract, it's a little disappointing. (More on this later.)

The night started out with a brief flash of previous hometown visits. Top three is one of my favorite nights, because those hometown visits encompass great emotion, and sometimes they can really influence who makes the finale. Elliott Yamin's hometown visit from season 5 may possible be the best ever, with Kris Allen's being a close second in my opinion.

There's a strange red carpet set-up to start the show, and the top 4 awkwardly make their way through "California Dreamin'," with a lot of help from either a backing track or background vocals. The only thing I take aways from this performance is how much I want Hollie's dress. Then there's a behind-the-scenes of the Ford video, with no explanation of why Phillip isn't there. He's had health issues lately.

Phillip is up first. Jimmy Iovine comments how Phillip really came into his own, and Ryan doesn't give a result. But with Jimmy's comments, it's pretty obvious that the guy is going to be safe. Next is Hollie, and Jimmy backhand compliments her first song and says she crashed and burned on her second. I'm not sure how giving a fairly competant performance is crashing and burning, but ok. (Also, it's Schubert that has the unfinished symphony, if anyone is looking for correct music history.)

Then David Cook is set to perform his new single "The Last Song I'll Write For You." I'm not completely sold lyrically, but the chorus is super catchy, and he sounds amazing. It's the most relaxed he's looked on that stage since he was a contestant himself. It's too bad that someone like him is self-releasing a single, and has parted ways with his label. It's part of what I was talking about at the beginning: American Idol has a problem. Did David deserve to win his season? Absolutely. Is too much expected of him, considering rock is a genre that isn't selling well right now? Probably. I don't know what the solution is, but the music business is in a very precarious place right now, and I hope the current contestants are aware of that. Of course, Interscope seems to be taking a more practical view than Sony ever did, but we'll see how it all turns out.

Joshua is up next, and Jimmy thankfully points out just how bad his first song choice was. Jimmy also points out that it's going to be interesting trying to find just the right songs for Joshua. Jessica is next, and Jimmy doesn't like the growling she took on for her first song. He absolutely loved the second.

Jennifer Lopez performs 'Dance Again' after a break, although this is a pretaped performance. There's a sort of interesting juxtaposition here between her performance and David's and what American Idol is doing. Here's someone who has a super successful music career, but had she come on the show, she probably wouldn't have made it past Hollywood week. I don't pretend to always understand the music industry, and maybe the success of people like Adele is ushering in an era of singers, but I don't know. There's nothing wrong with the type of music JLo puts out, I just wish that when I turned on my radio, there was a better mix of artists.

Finally all four contestants are up, and the judges talk about each of them. First safe is Jessica, and then Joshua. Hollie has a look on her face that says she knows she's going home. And she is. She sings "The Climb" again, and Joshua can barely hold it together. She hugs it out and the show is done.

I can't say that the writing wasn't on the wall. With as many bottom two appearances as she had, the best Hollie could hope for was third place. It's just frustrating to know how many talented girls there were this season, and we're only left with Jessica. I'm not a big fan of the save, and I don't know if a 'saved' contestant can win. I officially have no horse left in the race now, so it's up to the top three to really wow me.

What do you think? Can American Idol ever produce a superstar again (outside of country, since Scotty is doing so well)? Will Hollie end up with a record deal? Can Jessica win, or is the Phillip Phillips train just too fast?

American Idol Top 4 Results: The Impossible Dream

Like many viewers of the season 3 finale of The Vampire Diaries I think this might sum up that ending shjadfjvsgfjhgvjdkvmcbvbmnmhkl!?vhgxhfvsohv.

Yep that is how my brain is feeling after that stellar episode complete with an unexpected and huge twist. The writers and cast played the best misdirection in their promotion leading up to the finale with all the 'who will Elena choose?' discussions. While this was important to the narrative they made sure that the ending would put all that to one side for a moment. This really is an epic finale with so much action and emotional moments that ends season 3 on a high. Where to start?

As the love triangle element was the central focus prior to the episode that seems like the most appropriate place to begin. Flashbacks to her life before vampires and talking with Matt (Zach Roerig) about how she unfairly strung him along prompted Elena's soul searching. The need to make a choice was further expedited by the news that Klaus (Joseph Morgan) has been killed (more on that later); a decision really has to be made.

Elena's choice of Stefan (Paul Wesley) is likely to enrage certain fans, especially as it looked like this season could be leading to Damon (Ian Somerhalder). However, as soon as Stefan started becoming like 'old Stefan' then it became instantly harder for Damon to become a strong possibility. It is the safe and protected versus the dangerous and passionate and at this present moment it makes sense as to why Elena is going for Stefan and her first real love. It isn't like Stefan and Damon are strictly in both these zones as we have seen that Damon can be sweet and that Stefan isn't just Mr Nice Guy and hopefully we will get to see all the different aspects of these characters next season too.

There is a glimmer of hope of course for Delena fans as Elena comments that maybe if she'd 'met him first' then things might have been different. We see via the flashbacks that Damon did indeed meet Elena first on the night of the car crash and spoke to her about 'a love that consumes you.' Damon compelled Elena to forget this conversation as he didn't want his arrival in town to be known yet, but thanks to certain events at the end of the episode, Elena is likely to remember these comments after all. How this might change things is unclear and will be something I'm sure they will explore in season 4 but at this moment Elena can't 'unfall in love' with Stefan. This love triangle is far from resolved.

Now to that really unexpected ending that is truly a game-changer (I don't really like this phrase as it gets used so often and inaccurately but this really is one). This is one of the best misdirection's that The Vampire Diaries has produced and it was totally believable that Elena had a simple concussion from the last episode. This wasn't the case and instead it was a much more serious cerebral haemorrhage and Meredith (Torrey DeVitto) used her usual non-medical solution of vampire blood to save her.

When Elena and Matt are run off the road and into the river, Stefan saves Matt first and Elena drowns with vampire blood in her system. Yep that's right Elena is now in the pre-transition part of being a vampire! Epic craziness. The big question here is who knew, if anyone, what Meredith had done? The way the past and the present car accidents are intercut with the added Sigur Rós track meant that all the tears happened. These tears were added to as Damon realizes that Elena has died as vampire Alaric (Matt Davis) withers while he is fighting him and even further still by good ghost Alaric visiting Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen). This sequence is some serious A+ work from all at The Vampire Diaries.

The other big 'death' of the finale comes at the hands of Alaric as he successfully stakes Klaus, though all is not as it seems. This is obviously huge and has instant ramifications on his bloodline that definitely includes Tyler (Michael Trevino) and maybe everyone else. The switcheroo that they did here was also unexpected and was nicely times as all the remaining Original siblings claim that they didn't start the Salvatore bloodline.

While magic is often used in this show as a loophole and that has got a bit tiresome over three seasons this totally worked, especially as it meant that Bonnie (Kat Graham) got to be a badass and defy the spirits. Yes this is sure to have repercussions, but Bonnie totally owned that moment.

What does this mean for Tyler and Klaus? I'm pretty sure that Tyler is still alive as Klaus is just borrowing his body, but it is unclear what this means for Joseph Morgan as Klaus after his body supposedly burnt up. Morgan is a terrific part of this ensemble and there are always ways with the supernatural of keeping characters around; maybe there is a Klaus doppelganger out there somewhere? It also means that Klaus might finally get to be with Caroline (Candice Accola) but in the most ickiest and deceitful ways.

We have already said goodbye to Alaric even if he has been around for the past two episodes in evil vampire form but when he popped by to see Jeremy in ghost form it felt right. Even though Alaric is dead there is still this option of his spiritual form and I can imagine that he will appear in the future to Jeremy. This might be wishful thinking on my part as I am a huge Alaric fan but the ghostly door is still open.

Other observations

-While the flashbacks didn't reveal anything we didn't already know beyond the Damon encounter they were a lot of fun and it was good to see Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning) back and Elena interacting with her parents.

-Flashbacks also mean that you get lines like 'It's Mystic Falls, nothing bad happens here.' Oh, Elena if only you knew what is to come.

-More Damon nicknames for Rebekah (Claire Holt) including 'Sexy Bex' and 'Goldilocks.'

-So many tears in this episode and not just from the audience as Caroline, Rebekah, Damon and Stefan all get misty eyed in varying degrees of sobbing.

-Elijah's (Daniel Gillies) comment on Klaus' state is perfect "perhaps it will finally teach him some manners."

-How is Katherine going to feel when she finds out about Elena's new state? I'm thinking less than thrilled.

-Matt was all kinds of awesome this week; not only did he have to listen to his ex trying and figure out which Salvatore brother she should choose he also took decisive action at taking Elena to safety. OK he drove off Wickery Bridge but that really wasn't his fault. We didn't get to see if Matt survived the crash but I have a feeling that Stefan got to him in time.

-When Klaus opened his eyes in the coffin and just lay their staring it was most definitely creepy.

-There is a future problem for season 4 as Alaric outed everyone to the council; will the council be the big bad next year?

-The Sigur Rós track that was used in the final sequence is called "Dauðalogn" from the bands forthcoming album Valtari that comes out May 29.

I'm pretty sure I need to lie down after that humdinger of a season finale; this season might have been patchy and muddled in places but The Vampire Diaries sure knows how to go out with a big bang. What did you think of the finale? Glad/angry with Elena's choice? Or are you more shocked by THAT ending to think about love triangles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and thanks for joining us on this journey this year.

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

The Vampire Diaries 3.22 "The Departed" Review

The concept of family takes on multiple meanings on a show like The Secret Circle. The main catalyst for everything we're seeing lies with the biological families of the center, whose deaths and mysterious secrets have shoved the circle together and forced them to figure things out on their own. There's a lot of underlying abandonment issues floating around Chance Harbor, understandably leading each member of the circle to look toward one another in hopes of establishing a true connection. Though they all have (or had) somebody there, the experiences that Jake, Adam, Diana, Faye, Melissa, and Cassie have had together have bonded them together for good, binding or no binding. Their commonalities, both in terms of perspective and home dynamic, have formed some type of secondary family, something that each of them has been craving, magic or not magic.

In "Family", the first season finale of The Secret Circle, those connections were explored, both for the good and the bad, in an episode that was, to put it bluntly, bad ass. I mean, The Secret Circle has not been that shy about putting dark imagery out there, but the heightened stakes, level of violence, and spooky ending montage all elevated it to another level. Getting a clearer idea of what exactly Blackwell was aiming for in his formation of the circle, for instance, gave the episode (and the series) the first completely unfiltered look at the danger they'll be facing from here on out; until now, we had only gotten bits and pieces of intel, cobbled together with chewing gum and a prayer. But now, we know that Blackwell is basically magical Hitler, wanting to rid the world of all non-Balcoin witches, four other Balcoin children waiting in the wings to come to Chance Harbor. I've had my problems with the Blackwell/Balcoin angle in the past, but the whole "you thought that you got rid of me - just wait til you see what's next" tone of the final confrontation between him and his daughters packed quite a punch. It provided a look at the next enemies the circle will have to deal with, something a little less certain now that they're unbound. Tasting that kind of freedom and independence after so much time being locked down can be intoxicating, particularly to teenagers with magical powers, so they're going to have to find a way to come together once more.

But the thing I loved about the montage was Adam, dear (former) wet blanket Adam. I like Adam when he's not wallowing in his man-pain over Cassie and in "Family", he kind of killed it. He got a little passive-aggression out on Jake, he had a (very tender) moment with Melissa outside the ferry, and he may have gotten in too deep with the crystal skull. That last thing intrigues me most exactly because of Adam's wet blanket-ness; he tries so hard to be good and just and a nice person, that getting in contact with dark magic can take his character to a lot of pretty fun places. He'll have an identity outside of his dating partner and Thomas Dekker can finally tap into the menace and villainous rage that he had earlier in the season upon being possessed. This is a way to keep the circle on its toes and from becoming too complacent, a pretty classic horror twist (you think you're safe, but one of the good guys has turned sick/evil) that could give the show a lot of energy in the second season.

Plus, this makes his increased connection to the rest of the circle that much more important, as Adam-circa-episode-one going evil would've been bad but not that bad. Not uncontainable or truly breaking. But Adam-circa-now, after forming a friendship with Melissa and getting on terms with Cassie and Diana, will have a major impact going forward, letting another character aside from the Balcoins fight the temptation of dark magic while never letting the circle feel safe.

The only thing that didn't fully work for me was the Charles plot, unfortunately, and it's not even the plot itself that I had a problem with. Having him, emotionally wounded and utterly repentant, make a sacrifice for Diana by taking on Eben's demons made for one of the most striking, gut punch-type moments of the series thus far. It was a heartbreaking piece of collateral damage from Blackwell's master plan, another chip at the little emotional (and familial) stability that these kids have and a way for Charles to come full circle. He took away Cassie's mother in the pilot and through his remorse, tries to save her, his daughter, and their friends through giving his own life. Death hasn't been as big of a deal on The Secret Circle, but this had the impact, both in terms of plot and resonance, that no other deaths have had thus far. So why did they have Charles survive? That took so much of the weight of the scene on the ferry away; the image of Charles, face literally crawling with demons, hurling himself into the water for his daughter gave the episode a major jolt, but that jolt is a little gentler now. And that's a shame, because the show should be striving for this type of forward movement, this type of danger lurking around all corners, this type of true definition of the word family.

And to have Diana not even react to Charles giving himself up for her didn't sit quite right with me. Obviously, the girl had just channeled dark magic and killed her biological father, but still, you'd think that something like that would have stayed with her or been worth a comment. A tear. A confession. Something, anything more than we got - I get that her making the choice to go with Grant across country was motivated by the "death" of her father, but you didn't get to see the impact that the realization had on her and it felt like a missed opportunity.

They say that you can't choose your family, but that's not necessarily true. Family's not just the people that you share a genetic code with; family is those that you've shared experiences, the joy and pain of life, with and have grown with accordingly. The circle has went from a ragtag group of witches that can't really stand one another to a wounded, vulnerable family that has had to have one another's back more than any of them expected. They don't always get along, nor do they make the right decisions, but the circle have proven that through working together and harnessing their powers, anyone that tries to take them down with have to put up a truly monstrous effort. And considering the quality of the final few episodes of the season, the idea of watching the circle grow even tighter and more confident in their abilities for another season sounds pretty darn great.

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-"Oh, I am so back."
-"Guys, there'll be plenty of time to cry when we get out of here."
-"You do realize you're full of demons, amongst other things?"
-"Then who? Ex-witch hunter? Evil princess number two?"
-The ending montage was set to a song by Silversun Pickups called "Skin Graph" that everyone on planet Earth should buy. And I do mean everyone.
-I still think that Grant is something bad. I don't know what, but I can't completely trust him.
-I really liked seeing the return of kick ass Faye on the ferry.
-This could have pretty easily served as a series finale, thanks to the allusions to the boat fire, the Blackwell revelations/defeat, and the haunting final image of the four Balcoin children.
-Another thing I didn't quite like: the Blackwell/Cassie/Diana scenes at the house got a bit exposition-y, but I liked the content.
-Thanks to all of you who read, commented on, or shared any of my reviews this season. Here's to hoping we can all gather in our circle come fall and do this once again.

The Secret Circle 1.22 "Family" Review

I was recently rereading some of my reviews of recent episodes of American Idol, and I realized that maybe I was doing the thing I hate most from judges: playing favorites. So I thought after an evenly matched top four episode, I'd try to play fair. Do I have any idea of who is going home? I have my theories and hopes, but after last night, I can honestly say I have no idea. Starting with the groups songs and then going in chronological order, here are my thoughts.

Hollie Cavanagh, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez "I've Been Waiting For a Girl Like You" There were parts of this that actually sounded pretty good. At the same time, I'm not sure how much of the greatness came from the top four and how much came from the background singers. All in all it felt overproduced and pointless. What I like about American Idol is that at the end of the day, it produces musicians who can actually sing, and this was just too manufactured and thrown together for me.

Joshua and Phillip "This Love" Much better than their last duet, and least this was playful and interactive. I'm not sure their vocals were as good as the judges made them out to be, and the harmonizations left a lot to be desired, but it was decent. B-

Hollie and Jessica "Eternal Flame" I sort of actually loved this. I do agree that the arrangement of their harmonizations was weird. Maybe if they had gone for thirds instead of octaves, Jessica's lower range wouldn't have sounded so off. (And in reality, Jessica is more comfortable in the alto/second soprano range, so it makes sense for her to take the lower notes and Hollie the higher.) B+

Side note: I find it sort of sad the most fun moment of the night was when Joshua and Phillip came out during the critique of the girls' duet and started swinging on their swings. It was the most fun moment of the season since Heejun left. I'll come back to this, later.

Phillip "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" I think I figured out what bothers me the most about Phillip. In all of his originality, it feels like he arranges things very similarly. There was a saxophone and a mid-tempo lite-rock feeling to the whole thing that felt a little lazy. I will say that it felt like he was stretching his vocals for the first time in what seems like forever, and I felt engaged with him the whole time. B

"Volcano" Phillip gets an automatic uptick for choosing the highly underrated Damien Rice. It's a risk choosing a song like this, and I feel like it mostly worked. I give a lot of credit to the fabulous background singer, and the decision to keep the song intimate. My only concern is that the whole thing was just on this side of sleepy. I'll go back again and watch later, but it almost lacked some of Phillip's natural intensity for once. B+

Hollie "Faithfully" I like that this was an unexpected song choice from her. I think the beginning was a little too low, but I do understand why, because by the end, the song had reached the best part of her voice, and I like that she didn't feel like she had to belt the whole thing, but instead turned in a nuanced performance. B+

"I Can't Make You Love Me" Hm. Do I think this was perfect? No. I do think the judges were wrong to criticize her emotional connection, because I think that's what did her in. I think she actually connected with the song and turned in a really solid vocal. If anything the arrangement felt clunky and overdone. (Also, just because she doesn't sing a bunch of runs and do special tricks doesn't mean she's a lesser singer, Randy. It just means that she knows her incredible tone is her strong point, and she chooses to highlight that.) B-

Joshua "You Raise Me Up" Of all the performances, this was the one where I felt the most angry. There was something about the vocal that seemed so completely off that I wondered how the judges didn't hear it. For the first time, Joshua's voice seemed strained in all the wrong ways, and his tone sounded thin and nasally to me. Add in obvious staging, and it all fell flat. C+

"It's a Man's Man's Man's World" Much like Jessica's second song, I cannot deny how well Joshua sang this. His nuance and emotion were perfect, and it was right in his wheelhouse. Maybe I'm just numb because I already know Joshua can sing like this, or maybe I'm just sad, because I fear that all the over praise for his lesser songs in the competition made the praise for this seem empty and pointless. A-

Jessica "Steal Away" I'm not sure that of all the Etta James songs to sing, this was it. And while I do appreciate that she sang the heck out of the song, I do wish the judges had pointed out that she needed to be careful, because it was hard to understand all of her words, and well, as usual, the song felt just too old for her. B

"And I'm Telling You" I'm frustrated, because this is such an obvious song choice for her, yet I can't fault her, because this is exactly what she needed to do. I am always in awe of her vocal ability. If anything, maybe it was a little on the shouty side, but it's that type of song, so I just don't know. She reminds me of David Archuleta in a lot of ways: I can't help but admire her vocal ability, but I just don't like her as a contestant, and think that losing American Idol may be the best thing to ever happen to her. A-

If anything I'm sort of bored at this stage. Why all the ballads? Surely Katy Perry is on the approved song list? I think Hollie is probably gone after tonight. If she can't get out of the bottom after her performances last week, there's no way she can do it with just solid performances this week. Which is sad, because I'm not sure she deserves to go. Maybe it will be Phillip's time, as his return to the competition may be too little too late. Maybe the over praise for Joshua will finally come around to a bad thing. Maybe Jessica will have reached the end of her save good will. I just don't know. I do know I'm looking forward to seeing David Cook perform tonight.

What about you? Am I wrong in thinking that this was an evenly matched night? Am I being too hard on Jessica and Joshua, two very very talented vocalists?

American Idol Top 4 Perform: Mediocre Vibrations

Suburgatory has to achieve a pretty difficult balance in order to create a quality episode. They may be tied to be a pretty classic fish-out-of-water theme, but the tone of the show is anything but classic, very energetic with an admirable amount of weirdness to it. If the show doesn't get the formula right, keeping itself grounded without being rote and quirky without being over-the-top, it can be doomsday for that particular episode. Promisingly enough, the show has managed to hit the target amount of humanity and surreal moments more frequently as its season has developed; however, after last week's episode felt extremely dated and overly broad, I began to worry about a possible backslide.

Thankfully, though, Suburgatory managed to right the ship in "The Great Compromise", the penultimate episode of the show's auspicious debut season. Most notably, the "Eden is carrying Noah's baby" plot came back down-to-earth after being launched on a rocket into Hack-y Sitcom Land last week. Though I like the fact that the show is showcasing a different kind of parenting in surrogacy, it didn't have remotely the amount of pathos and weight needed to have an impact before tonight. The entire point of Suburgatory is that there's more to a person, place, or situation than meets the eye, that there's hidden depth to things that you wouldn't expect there to be; tonight, the depth in the Eden/Noah/George plot got teased out a lot more and it hit a lot harder as a result. Instead of focusing on how ooey-gooey George felt for Eden or the awkwardness that he felt in the situation, it expanded and included more nuance to such a delicate ordeal. Granted, Suburgatory is still a sitcom, but it's best when treating its characters like three-dimensional people; for example, having Noah break his manic, emotional facade to show off vulnerability at the thought of his child not knowing him that well brought a nice amount of reality to the situation. And it made the character, one of the loudest in volume, writing, and color, a little more human and relatable, a man that gets the way he does because of how deeply he cares about something. Keeping him tethered like this makes his behavior in general a little more understandable; rather than simply have him come off as overbearing or melodramatic, we know there's a reason behind the intensity, a source for the behavior that is rooted in insecurity and pain.

George and Eden moving in together came off a little too sitcom-y, but it gave us a chance to fast track their romance and cut through the gushy stuff to get to some real issues. They say you never know someone until you move in with them and it showed here, Eden's outspoken attitude and rank diet clashing with George's lone wolf tendencies. It may not have been the ideal way to get to that conclusion, but having your new girlfriend pregnant with your friend's child isn't exactly ideal, either; I do like that George may have found somebody to be happy with and tonight gave more insight into their actual dynamic, not the dynamic they have at the beginning of a relationship. It also hit on underlying issues, particularly for George, as Mr. Altman just isn't used to sharing space with somebody else. His wife has been gone for so long and there hasn't been another serious relationship yet, so George is having to adjust to three major life events at once: pregnancy, a new(ish) relationship, and someone moving into his house. As expected, it made him feel smothered and bore upon, especially once it related to Tessa. She resented having a new pseudo mother figure and I think on some level, George resented having to bring a pseudo mother figure into the mix, due to the amount of control he's had on parental decisions being disrupted and the reminder that Tessa's mother left the family and neither has quite healed from it yet.

Tessa may be resistant to change on the home front, but her aspirations took a big leap forward with the introduction of a possible summer internship at the Village Voice. It hit back on The Chatswin Chatterer, introduced early in the series, as well as gave the character something to do and a device by which to crack Eden and George's faberge egg of a relationship. Tessa has had major ambition ever since the pilot; she wants to do big and exciting things, things that don't take place in Chatswin and get her closer to the city. I kind of wish that they had touched on her writing more often through the season, since her time at the paper has been over for a while and her poetry didn't exactly have a warm reception, but a summer commuting in New York can only enhance Tessa Altman in season two. Elsewhere, Lisa and Malik (or Malisa, as I referred to them earlier in the year) are figuring out their summer plans in a fun, silly D-plot that highlighted one of the best pairs on Suburgatory. Having this run concurrent with Tessa's quest for a ticket to New York made for a nice contrast, the nerves and exasperation from Tessa not really effecting Lisa and Malik. Rather, the two just got a chance to hang out and play off of one another, weighing the decision of macrame camp or lacrosse camp, culminating in a rather sweet moment at the end of the episode.

"The Great Compromise" was an episode about the give and take of life, about how it might not matter what you do as much as who you do it with. That those that push the hardest may be the softest on the inside, hiding their vulnerability for fear of being rejected. That living with a significant other can bring out things you didn't know existed but that needed to be addressed to move on. It was a definite step up from last week, in terms of tone, storytelling, and general funniness, an episode that highlighted the similar journeys that its characters are undergoing. Luckily for the, they each have somebody there to help them get to where they want to go, one step at a time.

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-"I can't feel my own goodness!"
-"She's worried about the baby having babies?"
-"She's got that baby wrapped around her uterus."
-"This is it, Dalia! This is how the monkeys rose!"
-"Knot up, Malik, and find your weave."
-"That rude 'roo ruined my rooms."
-"I'm gonna weave you a macrame bikini, girl."
-My favorite gag of the entire episode was Dallas watching The X Files at the end and begging Mulder to kiss Scully. How meta.
-Second favorite gag: Eden doing a crossword on Noah's head.
-Again, what is Sheila's motivation here? Her own sick joy? Bitterness over her surrogacy perils? I don't quite get her pot stirring yet.
-I loved Penuche destroying the entire house.
-Next week on Suburgatory: On the season finale, Dalia goes to Israel without Dallas, the baby shower for Noah's baby raises a red flag for Eden, Fred surprises Sheila with a gift, and Lisa makes a discovery about her paternity.

Suburgatory 1.21 "The Great Compromise" Review

Ooh, so that happened.

Top Model, dare I say it, surprised me once again in cycle 18 with how the elimination played out. After nearly a decade on the air (think about that for a second), you'd think that the show had pulled out every trick in the book - every outrageous photo shoot, every casting dynamic, every watercooler shocker designed to send the internet atwitter (on Twitter). But look at you, Tyra Banks, finding a way to freshen things up; following several well-reasoned, understandable boots in a row, Top Model managed to top itself by having a double elimination. They may have had weeks where they've eliminated two models, most notably last cycle and the first episode of cycle 10, but those were either known about in advance or seemed egregiously artificial to the point that it lacked any shock value. Here, though, Alisha quitting came from absolutely nowhere, which took me that much more off guard. Yes, Alisha had expressed doubts about her standing in the competition and was obviously homesick, taking out a lot of negative emotions in her (quite funny) confessionals, but the girl had made it through the bottom two several times already. And since we're already in the top five, you had to assume she'd gut it out until her elimination, but honestly, good for her. If your heart isn't in it, it's not fair to possibly deprive another person of an opportunity at their dream, so snaps for you, Miss Alisha. With the potential she's shown on the show, I think there's a place in the fashion world for her whenever she feels like taking it.

All that aside, I loved that Top Model eliminated Eboni, too. Tyra could have very easily milked that moment for all the emotion it had, one girl sacrificing her place in the competition to save another, and she actually held back and let the result stand. Part of my problem with Tyra in past has stemmed from a need to put on her Oprah hat at the drop of a dime, but darn it, she wore her fashion industry LBD like a champion and I appreciated that.

Aside from a particularly strong panel, "Nicholas Tse" improved from last week's effort, blending in-house drama with a reasonable challenge and a dramatic photo shoot for a pretty fun episode. The challenge, a acting challenge with a choreographed action scene, may not have been that far into the realm of actual fashion work, but it provided the catalyst for a lot of good stuff in the episode. For one, Laura's kind of a hussy, using her feminine wiles to charm Tse during their training and going as far as doing a cheesy "seductive" hair flip during her scene. Her sex talk was already reeking of "okay, am I shocking you now? how about now? am I edgy yet?", so I couldn't be too shocked that she mentioned her desire to sleep with Nicholas during her challenge reward (a cameo in his music video), but come on. Laura didn't do the worst in the challenge (hi Eboni), but she didn't win based on the technicality of her fight scene, let's say. You can't flirt your way to the top, win a pretty darn cool reward, and then get mad at people getting mad at you for circumventing the process. By any means necessary, I suppose, but I think if Laura didn't lean into the sex talk with every inch of her slender frame, there wouldn't have been that much of a backlash. She took a trait that annoyed the rest of the house and pretty much used it to win a challenge before rubbing it in their faces afterwards, which I can see being incredibly infuriating. If I'm fighting for something and another person gets it based on something other than ability, particularly if its something as tacky as flirting for it, I'd be as upset as some of the girls here were.

Being a naturally flirty or sexual person is one thing, but you have to be able to turn that part of yourself off while still being charming and pleasant in a professional setting. Laura didn't and it made her look rather bad as a result.

The shoot, meanwhile, took place on Macau Tower, 764 feet in the air. In the wind. And the rain. I'm already shaking with fear. I tend to not be that into extreme photo shoots, since they're more about nerve than modeling ability, but I kind of enjoyed this one. Unlike last week, the models had more free reign (ha) on what they could do, the harness helping each girl develop more shape to her posing and more interesting angles to work. As a result of that freedom, the overall quality of the chosen photos was booted up, though the styling ended up being a little sleeker than last week. (And what's with the constant headpieces this cycle?) Personally, I found Annaliese's dynamic Greek-archer-in-the-21st-century to be the top photo of the week, as she came more out of her element and really upped her game. Anna tends to be a very bubbly, cutesy model, so having that power and toughness to her posing (and especially her face) was a big step forward in her bid to become a top model. I would feel better about her chances going forward if it weren't for Kelly's weird vendetta against her, but the fact that she's peaking at the right time can only help her confidence both on and off the show. (For a show so into the idea of marketing and branding, you'd think they would encourage Annaliese to be both a presenter and a model, no?) Laura's photo, though very pretty and unique in the bunch, had too many technical problems for me to be as big a fan as I wanted to be. Her angles may have been on-point, but her hands were cliche, her legs had no extension to them, and her neck could have been elongated that much more. I do think, though, that she has a pretty clear path to the finals, as the cycle's theme deems it only fair that a Brit takes on an American for the title.

Top Model actually had a pretty solid episode in "Nicholas Tse", thanks to the genuinely surprising ending that brought the number of ladies down from five to the final three. It had a little fighting, a little fashion, and a little excitement, all rolled into the cracked, multi-colored disco ball that calls itself Top Model. The cycle may not have been able to touch cycle 16's high fashion or cycle 17's balls out lunacy, but it's shown signs of life that have kept my interest in it more genuine, less gawking-at-a-train-wreck. Top Model may be the crotchety great-great-great grandmother on The CW, all wrinkles and endless stories about the good ol' days, but as long as it can bring out some energy in a fairly standard process, I'm more than content to keep visiting.

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-"Me and my pigtails are going to the top."
-"You walk on the street, you want to hump a pole?"
-"I'm sorry, hands down, I'm hating right now and I don't care."
-"You are a slag. Let's keep it professional here."
-"Are y'all ready to eliminate somebody?"
-"She's lucky a bird didn't land on her elbow."
-Final Call Out Order: Laura, Sophie, Annaliese, Alisha (quit), Eboni (eliminated)
-I loved Alisha's comment about Sophie punching the bad guy and glitter spraying everywhere.
-I wanted to keep a count of how many times Nicholas said "sexy" or some variation of it. It seemed a bit excessive/perv-y.
-Tyra's church voice is kind of everything.
-Am I the only one tired of the constant background reminders for each contestant? We get it - Sophie used to be a struggling waitress, Laura and Eboni come from messed up homes, Alisha loves her family, everybody was gawky as hell as a child. We get it.
-Ms. Jay was giving me Bea Arthur realness in her ensemble. But I liked the bone straight hair.
-Next week on Top Model: The final three go on go-sees in Hong Kong and shoot a campaign for the Top Model fragrance. I wonder who loses their map. (Spoiler alert: it's probably me.)

America's Next Top Model 18.10 "Nicholas Tse" Review

Whew!

What a season finale that was, right, Castle fans? Before we even begin here, I wanted to apologize for the delay in posting this. I also wish I could have watched it once more to catch all the details, but I’ve been trying to fight off this dengue fever and it has not been a fun experience thus far. At least I had that amazing episode last night to cheer me up and I have to say that, even though season 4 had its ups and downs, it went out with a bang.

I admit I had my reservations about “Always” before it aired because I was afraid that Marlowe was just yanking our chain and would pull the rug from right under our feet just as the episode was ending. Thank god that wasn’t the case and our favorite will-they-won’t-they couple finally came to their senses and stopped fighting their obvious feelings for each other. But before that happened, a lot came to pass and we have a lot to discuss before squealing about that beautiful scene that made caskett shippers all over the world explode in rainbows and butterflies (myself included).

First, I loved how easily Castle and Beckett jumped back to their old flirty banter after Kate set the record straight in “Undead Again”. That opening scene was just so easygoing and reminiscent of that season 2 back and forth, except that this time it had real promise that something was actually going to happen between them. After all, even if nothing had happened related to her mother’s murder, they were still going to have a date at his loft and things were just heading towards the right direction the entire time.

Then of course, everything got shot to hell and Beckett got obsessed again about solving her mom’s case. I was surprised with Espo’s reaction, though. I thought he would try to stop her so it really came as a shock that he was the one encouraging her to pursue it. In a way it was good that he did because he had her back, but at the same time it got her in trouble because they all know how Kate is when it comes to this investigation and how she won’t let go unless something radical stops her (like a bullet to the heart). So, yeah, I was a little baffled by that and heartbroken that, in the end, it caused a rift in his partnership with Ryan (who only did the right thing and ended up saving Beckett’s life).

Of course there was the whole sniper guy on the loose thing, but I think we can all agree that the major focus of this episode was Castle and Beckett’s relationship. From the first scene with them agreeing to do a movie marathon together, to Castle supporting her when they found out their victim had broken into Montgomery’s house, until their explosive fight halfway through the episode, it was all about them.

The fight scene in particular was probably my favorite and not even because of what the argument was about. What I loved the most about that scene was Nathan Fillion’s heartbreaking performance that made me tear up when he did and it was just beyond brilliant. Nathan delivered his very best performance thus far in “Always” and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was nominated for an award. It was just beautiful to watch. That and the fact that they finally laid all their cards on the table and there are no more secrets. Finally.

Then they were over and suddenly Beckett was chasing her sniper and fighting (and losing badly) with him on the roof and then she was nearly falling and it took that to make her realize she loves Castle and wants to be with him and needs to do something about it. Not that I’m not happy that she finally saw the light, but what was this? Something like, the hundredth time is a charm? Nevertheless, it was a really nice scene and I especially enjoyed that Ryan saved the day. And Gates was pretty useless. Again. Yeah, an entire season later and I still don’t see the point of that character. Then she suspended Beckett and Espo and Kate resigned and Ryan was left all alone and I have no idea how this dynamic is going to work in season 5.

It seems that Marlowe was all about the parallels in this episode, though; the fight scene and the one with Kate on the swings were pretty obvious. I didn’t mind the “we’re over” parallel in the first one, but was I the only one who thought the swings scene was completely and utterly unnecessary? I mean, I get it. It adds dramatic effect that she showed up on his doorstep soaking wet in the middle of a thunderstorm, but still, it feels like they wasted precious seconds showing that glimpse of a scene.

Then of course, she is kissing him and telling him all she wants is him and all is puppies and butterflies and rainbows and happiness in our caskett shipper hearts. I loved the way that scene was shot, the editing, the lighting, everything was perfect. I thought the thunder was a teeny tiny over the top, but it doesn’t matter because they lived happily ever after – at least during the hiatus.

Oh, and there was the sniper threatening Mr. Smith and saying he is going to kill Beckett, but I think I speak for most of us when I say who cares? Castle and Beckett are finally together!

Anyway, yeah. What did you guys think of the finale?

Castle: Season 4 Finale "Always" Review

Mad Men is quite often about desire and expectations; the advertising business that the show centers around sells the perfect kind of life to a consumer. As we all know life isn't like a commercial and this season of Mad Men is exploring dreams and the bitter reality of life. There is a mixture of honesty and deception in "Lady Lazarus" as Megan (Jessica Paré) makes a significant decision regarding her career and Pete has an encounter on his way home from work that lights a spark that is quickly defused.

Last week Megan's father berated her for her choices regarding her work and her lack of 'struggle'. We saw that Megan is a natural at some aspects of the advertising industry but instead of celebrating her Heinz success she looked less than thrilled. Megan's decision to quit SCDP is the right one, especially when she describes how she felt better at failing an audition than being a success in her Heinz pitch. There is a curious push/pull between Megan and Don (Jon Hamm) when she first tells him that she wants to return to acting and it probably doesn't help that she tells Don this huge news in the middle of the night. Don is mostly supportive of her decision though he seems disappointed that he won't be working together anymore; is this because he will be free to return to his past behaviour now that they will be spending less time together? Or had work become more of a thrill with his wife at his side?

There is a different approach to the notion of career aspirations and dreams than when Roger and Don were growing up; Roger claims that he never had a choice and Don jokes that as he was raised in the 30s his dream was "indoor plumbing." Megan's decision is met with many different reactions; Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) admires what Megan has done and thinks that it has taken a lot of guts, while others such as Joan (Christina Hendricks) think that this is more a flight of fancy.

One of the telling moments is where Joan and Peggy are discussing the kind of woman that Megan is; Peggy thinks that she is 'just one of those girls' who happens to be good at everything (there is no bitterness in this statement) whereas Joan compares Megan to Betty (January Jones) thanks to Betty's former career as a model. This is definitely a disparaging remark saying "That is the kind of girl Don marries." Peggy does have an argument with Megan earlier in the episode when Megan says that she doesn't care about advertising work, which comes across as ungrateful but as soon as Megan is honest about her aspirations this conversation is forgotten.

For the most part we have seen Betty as a mother and a housewife and when there was a brief moment that Betty might return to her former career this was partly due to a business deal that Don potentially had. When Don turned down this offer then Betty's modelling job also fell through and this ended Betty's career resurrection. Don also doesn't want Megan to turn into Betty or Megan's mother and so is happy for her to pursue her acting dream from this respect. Don's conflict with Megan's choice is reflected by his bewilderment at why music is so important now and when he tries to give "Revolver" by The Beatles a listen he turns off halfway though "Tomorrow Never Knows." When Don talks about music and how he has "no idea what is going on out there," it would seem that this covers a much wider spectrum than the importance of The Beatles.

Someone else who is having a hard time understanding the actions of other people is Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) who still seems to be feeling like has 'nothing.' His daily commute to work still includes Howard (Jeff Clarke) the life insurance salesman who not only has a "spectacular side dish" in the city but he also has a beautiful wife at home. His wife Beth (Alexis Bledel) becomes the root of Pete's frustration and desire after Pete drives (yes he can drive now, though not very well) Beth home from the station and they sleep together. This moment is fleeting and is one that Pete wants to continue, unfortunately for Pete this isn't something that Beth wants and she tells him to think of it as a fantasy from now.

The photos of the Earth from space become an important image as Beth tells Pete that is what his eyes look like; this sounds like a compliment but she follows it up that they are surrounded by darkness. This leads to Pete talking to Harry about how certain women give you a glimmer of hope even though they are going to reject you. In Mad Men this sentiment could mean many different things for several of the characters and that glimmer of hope is what makes people continue to strive for something even amidst the rejection.

Pete is bitter about this notion and still pursues Beth; the most he gets is a heart drawn in the condensation of her window. Beth is showing signs of malaise and talks about how she used to be reckless but that men "don't care what I say. They just watch my lips move." There's definitely a Betty-like element to Beth on a more depressed-level and thanks to the Sylvia Plath poem title of this episode and mentions of suicide from Pete I half expected them to come home to find Beth's head in the oven. That wasn't the case but it wouldn't be a surprise if Howard got on the train one day and told Pete that his wife has killed herself.

If Beth is depressed then what is Pete? Should this suicide concern be stretched to Pete too? He is clearly doing well at work, or so Roger would suggest with the gift of skis. Pete also has Trudy (Alison Brie) at home but the two Pete-heavy episodes have shown that he is in a deeply unhappy state and is feeling as insignificant as the Earth looks in the universe.

Other Observations

-The world is changing and not just the music that is popular, though the song that is found to be a 'perfect' Beatles stand in is actually 30 years old according to Ginsberg (Ben Feldman). And makes him want to stab himself.

-Ginsberg's reaction to Megan's news is hilarious; first calling Don a son of a bitch for firing her (which he didn't) and then asking the most random question about acting and whether you wear your own clothes and shoes.

-Don calls an elevator and is met with an empty shaft which has symbolism written all over it, but it is also just a scary prospect. I can totally understand why he needs a drink after that.

-This season has been pretty Joan-light so far but the scenes she has been in have been terrific and this episode showed why there should be some more Joan and Don scenes. It also demonstrated why Joan is the women they all go to for helpful advice and solutions to any problem.

-Peggy answering "Pizza House" to Don's 'where is Megan?' call is a highlight of this episode. Peggy's ability to stand up to Don is also pretty awesome, even if it is super awkward with Ken (Aaron Staton) standing there.

-I could also watch many more scenes of Pete struggling with carrying the skis- some brilliant physical comedy from Vincent Kartheiser.

-One of my favourite shots of the episode is of Megan and Don's feet as they walk into the office together for the last time as co-workers.

-"Lady Lazarus" is a poem by Sylvia Plath that features in the "Ariel" collection that was published in 1965 after her suicide two years previous. This is one of Plath's Holocaust poems and this one looks at repression and rebirth at the hands of a Nazi doctor. It is also highly suggestive of her previous attempts at suicide; "The second time I meant To last it out and not come back at all" and "Dying Is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well." This poem is about rebirth which the speaker achieves through these acts of dying. Do these characters have a chance to successfully resurrect themselves or is there doom ahead?

Don genuinely wants Megan to be happy but he is confused as to how this can be achieved from acting; it will also be intriguing to see how this relationship evolves now they are not working together and whether this will reduce Megan's screen time now that she is no longer working at SCDP. Once again we have got a range of storylines that reveal how fragile some of these characters are with their expectations and hopes not matching up.

What did you think? Is there going to be a suicide before the end of the season? Are you glad to see that Don is mostly supportive of Megan's career aspirations and change? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Mad Men 5.08 "Lady Lazarus" Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grimm can get a little frustrating with its complacency in format. It may have its hands tied regarding the format it operates under, but there have been times where edging away from the procedural side of its identity could have benefited an episode greatly. Of course, there has been a little tinkering here and there, having the police work take more of a focus one week, spending several episodes on Nick embracing his Grimm abilities, and focusing a subplot on Monroe's personal life, but for the most part, it's been the same ol'. While knowing what I'm going to get out of a Grimm episode can make for good TV comfort food, a part of me wishes they could play around a little more with their structure.

Even though it's not a perfect episode, "Happily Ever Aftermath" gets major props for trying something different. Giving us a break from the sometimes sloggy detective work, it shined the spotlight more on the Monster of the Week, a creepy bat-like Wesen called a murcielago, one of the first times Grimm has done that. It made for a nice change to the rhythm of a typical episode and was just enough of a stylistic wiggle to be noticeably different yet not enough to take you out of the action. It helped, too, that the case was a fairly interesting reinterpretation of Cinderella, funneled through a Ponzi scheme and a pretty decent twist. Though the financial angle reeked of "let's do something socially relevant but not too much", having already been exhausted by a recent season of Damages and the back half of Ringer, the story itself was pretty compelling, moreso after it got going. Especially the concept that Spencer had been assigned to keep Lucinda in control of herself and her ability, another angle on what it means to be a Wesen. There have been creatures that hated themselves, creatures that reveled in the power, and creatures that used said power for monetary gain, but I don't think there's been this type of dynamic played out on Grimm before, another universe expanding concept that widens the idea of a Wesen that much more.

That extra time also led to the ending packing kind of a punch, with Spencer putting Lucinda down for her own good and Lucinda lashing out one final time. I don't have to know every Wesen that Nick and Monroe come across; Grimm is about Nick catching the creatures and all, but something like this complicates the matter. Not all Wesen are evil and not all Wesen can control themselves, so the more the show highlights (and re-highlights) this fact, the more dimension the cases will have and the more entertaining they'll be.

I'm a little more conflicted about the B-story of "Happily Ever Aftermath". It gave Juliette something to do and for that, it gets very good marks. Of all the characters on Grimm, Juliette is the closest to breaking through and becoming something fun/interesting, but it's felt like they pull back on her once she gets too close to finding out the truth about Nick. Here, she became less typical genre show nagging girlfriend and more important part of the game, doing the research and getting Nick the additional information about the death of his parents. It may not have been much in the way of action or anything, but it's a promising development and a nice way to get her involved in the episode. Every time that she's either been about to find out about Nick (e.g. the dinner last week) or pushed her narrative forward, e.g. her rejection of his proposal, it's either been forgotten about or cut short, so hopefully her position on the show will improve from here on out.

But you promise us an impending war one week and the next, no mention of it? As much as I liked Nick being haunted by the events of "Three Coins in a Fuchsbau" and the revelation of a fourth murder suspect, not even a mention of war? And the reapers? That seems like an awfully big bomb to drop and immediately back away from, particularly after several weeks of building toward it. I understand the laws of television demand that the biggest revelations and most exciting events be corralled in the final couple of episodes per season, but this kind of broke the narrative flow that had developed. I have less of a problem with the actual episode itself than I do with the order in which it came in the season; had this popped up before the war angle began, closer to "Three Coins", I think it could have helped its cause tremendously. Unless something was gained in the episode, for example Renard's growing suspicion of Nick or Hank getting exposed to a Wesen's ability for the first time, that comes into play later, it'll make this look more like a filler episode. Which is a shame, because it had a lot of good stuff to it.

Grimm went a little left in "Happily Ever Aftermath" and while it didn't completely deliver, veering away from the events of last week and giving a fairly tired set-up to an intriguing case, it made up for it in ambition, the use of Juliette, and the callback to earlier episodes. I don't expect Grimm to suddenly become something other than a supernatural procedural, but when you're that bound to a specific structure, episodes like this help to expand what it can do and keep the show fresher. Every aspect of Grimm can make for a fairly good episode when executed well and given the spotlight, but relying on the same ratios of content and the same beats every week could make for a higher burn factor. There's only so many times that it can do the same thing in the same way and it be interesting, so something like "Happily Ever Aftermath" gives Grimm a little more room to try new things and keep us on our toes. If that kind of growth means taking a flawed-but-pretty-decent episode every now and then, so be it.

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-"I should tell you my nightmares more often."
-Even though I liked having Lucinda be the real killer, why didn't she expose herself to Nick like Spencer did? Was her issue not one of control but one of malice, intent, and manipulation?
-A lot of things/people I liked in this episode: the brother from Jane By Design, a Kimbra song, and the shot of Mavis's house in daylight fading into darkness, especially.
-What have been the favorite episodes this season of each cast member?
-Here's a piece on the Grimm make-up FX artist.
-NBC may premiere season two in August. Good idea or bad idea?
-Next week on Grimm: Nick comes across a Wesen that can't change back into human form and Hank sees something that he shouldn't.

Grimm 1.20 "Happily Ever Aftermath" Review

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

Kevin Tran, This is Your Life

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

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

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

Not the Most Fun Garrison

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

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

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

Concluded on next page...

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

The penultimate episode of season 3 of The Vampire Diaries managed to get rid of one villain while setting up Elena's (Nina Dobrev) big decision for next week's finale. Of course it wasn't as clear cut as that and like the witches and the balance of nature; this show has loopholes that it is happy to use to create tension and danger at every turn. Last week we said goodbye to Alaric (Matt Davis) and while he is still in Mystic Falls this is not the Alaric that we are familiar with and so those misty eyed farewells still matter.

While our Alaric started life in Mystic Falls as a vampire hunter, he soon became very much like Elena in seeing that vampires aren't just monsters. This new vampire version of Alaric is how he probably wanted to be when he first came to town; to be able to hunt and kill vampires. When Esther (Alice Evans) turned Alaric, she didn't get to make an all important daylight ring so now Alaric is bound by the sun and the image of his skin burning as he dragged Caroline (Candice Accola) into the building was enough to see that he will do anything to complete his mission. While Alaric is now strong enough to break Stefan's (Paul Wesley) neck and Damon's (Ian Somerhalder) back in quick succession and even defeat Klaus (Joseph Morgan) he does have one weak point and that is Elena. Like all of these mystic creatures he has a loophole and Elena's life is what keeps him alive.

Elena is often the loophole thanks to her blood and it is this that helps seal Klaus' fate. The plan to get rid of super strong Alaric means they have to get Klaus on board using a blood binding spell and while the one that Esther used earlier this season didn't work against him, this one inadvertently became their ultimate weapon. This is what happens when you threaten to take Elena's life by draining her of all her blood, those who love her are not going to lose her like that. Yep that's right, Klaus has finally been defeated by a plan that wasn't even meant for him and this desiccation spell means that essentially Klaus has been killed, but he can be resurrected at any point. Damon and Stefan have gone all Dexter and dumped his body in the Atlantic but like anything he won't stay buried for forever. This is the master loophole of the show; the best villain that The Vampire Diaries has had to date has been defeated but in such a way that he can return. If Joseph Morgan wasn't so damn charming this loophole might annoy me as it is essentially the easy way out, however if we don't have the biggest, baddest villain as an obstacle then who do we have?

Well we still have three Original siblings who Alaric will still be gunning for with his ultimate stake of doom and how will they react when they find out what has happened to their brother? Yes he put them all in coffins for a certain amount of time so they might see this as retribution, but the family bond is a funny thing and so they might be less than happy with the Salvatore brothers for this act. The problem for Klaus is that he has been trying to make connections using forced methods and so they might not come to his aid so quickly.

Klaus has also been trying to mess with Damon and Stefan's relationship but no matter how hard he has tried to stir things up these two have been through worse (Katherine for example- where is she?) together and come out the other side fine. Klaus has been trying to manipulate his way through his relationships for 1000 years with not all that much success (beyond a forced bond) and Damon and Stefan will naturally be there for each other no matter how much they "fight like dogs" (thanks Rebekah for that quote).

The one person that could come between them isn't Klaus but is Elena and these last few episodes have really emphasized that she has a choice to make between the pair of them. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this whole love triangle and I can see pros and cons to picking either brother. Elena seemed like she was telegraphing to the audience about why she hasn't chosen and why it is selfish that she hasn't picked yet and this is why love triangle resolutions are a tricky area; one side will be upset and that counts for both the character and the audience. This is where the season has been heading though and so it looks like the finale will see Elena making a decision. Now that Stefan and Damon are in a good place with each other they discuss keeping it civil by deciding that the 'losing' brother will leave town and leave them be for the duration of the relationship. While this is meant to be noble it also comes across as a little bit problematical- they know that a relationship with Elena only has a finite amount of time.

Elena of course doesn't just have the support of the Salvatore brothers but her friends and brother and my favourite scene of "Before Sunset" was the victory party in Elena's kitchen. It is rare that we get to see these guys acting in a normal way for their age and this was a delight to see. If this was a non-supernatural show I would suggest that Elena passed out at the end thanks to drinking tequila after having quite a bit of her blood drained but this final scene is more insidious than that; why do you think Elena collapsed?

Other Observations

-If Jeremy (Steven R McQueen) dies they will have to telegraph this in the most obvious way as there have been so many death fake-outs with this character that it will be hard to know if they ever actually do it. Of course I don't actually want Jeremy to die but if he does they will need to make it super clear.

-Alaric mentions Elena's parents and asks "Do you really think they would be proud of you?" He is trying to emotionally stir her into thinking his way which is obviously unlikely. It might be worth remembering Elena's parents for next week's finale.

-Not content with causing trouble with just Elena and her friends this new and not improved Alaric also informs the rest of the Council what Liz (Marguerite MacIntyre) and Carol (Susan Walters) have been hiding about their children; what will the consequences be for the pair and the town with this revelation?

-Awkward reunion of the episode was between Bonnie (Kat Graham) and her mother Abby (Persia White); Abby might be in the running with Esther for worst parent but she does come through on the spell front. Second awkward reunion was between Abby and Damon and she clearly is less than thrilled about her vampire status.

-Tyler (Michael Trevino) managed to hide his lack of sire bond until the last and best possible moment. The fact that he managed to condition himself out of this bond really perplexed Klaus and once again revealed why Klaus can't form real relationships as there is always some force or manipulation involved.

-Another one of my favourite moments of the episode was how Klaus used suburban objects to try and get into the Gilbert house including a rolled up newspaper, a soccer ball and parts of a white picket fence.

-Klaus like Caroline is totally Team Stelena.

-Matt (Zach Roerig) has gone from not wanting to take part to being disappointed about being left out; he really is a ninja.

-In very good and not surprising news The Vampire Diaries has been renewed for a fourth season so we have plenty more action and twists ahead of us.

With only one episode left of this season of The Vampire Diaries I'm sure we can expect some big things from the finale and with Klaus seemingly gone it would appear that Alaric is the big bad that has to be defeated. If Alaric dies then will this have a negative impact on Elena? Who do you think Elena will choose? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

For more coverage of the show, including sneak peeks, spoilers, the latest Hulu episodes and more, browse and bookmark our Vampire Diaries page.

The Vampire Diaries 3.21 "Before Sunset" Review

Even though I predicted last night's results, I'm still a little sad at how things turned out last night on American Idol. But, as they say, the show must go on.

The night starts with the usual fanfare, and the first person to find out their fate is Joshua. Jimmy basically says that no matter what Joshua has a record deal, and lo and behold, Joshua is safe. There is a Ford video about fantasy world and I sort of wish they would stop trying so hard and go back to the cheesy low production ones from the early years.

Coldplay performs their song "Paradise" on a black-lit paint stage. It's really cool looking, but I'm not sure about the vocals. I still like the song.

Up next are Hollie and Phillip. Jimmy says Hollie's first song was great and her second song was good. Jimmy then tells Phillip that he deserves to be in the bottom two. So of course, Phillip is safe and Hollie is in danger.

Carrie Underwood is back to perform. I love that she embraces her former American Idol status. She's singing the title track from her new album Blown Away, and it's always amazing to see how far she's come since season 4. (Although, maybe a little less spray tan? Love the song, though.)

Then it is time for Skylar and Jessica. Jimmy praises Skylar's first song, but not her second. Then he pretty much says what I did about Jessica's first song-if maybe a little harsher-and praises her second. Skylar is in the bottom two.

Coldplay returns to perform "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall", and the theater turns into a massive party. It was a lot of fun.

Finally we get the news that Skylar is going home. She takes it in stride and sings with a lot of gusto. I would have been pretty mad either way it fell: Skylar has been the most consistent entertainer, and Hollie has improved so much over the last few weeks. I've read a lot about the whole WGWG (white guy with guitar) myth, and maybe it's true. I can't say that I didn't vote for a few of them. But at least the previous four winners have shown something that I think Phillip hasn't quite caught.

Did the right person go home? How do you feel about the theme 'California Dreamin''?

American Idol Top 5 Results: Stuck in a Moment