Saturday, February 16, 2008

Hello Everyone! I'm Back!

Well, well, well...my site is still here. Apparently I lost my way for a while but I'm back! Sort of...

It seems that bill collectors don't like it when you don't pay them. In the spirit of being responsible I've gotten myself a job in the real world. Such is the consequences, I haven't been able to keep up with the furious pace of reviews that you were accustomed to reading earlier in this TV season. In fact, I haven't done any since the season finale (or so we thought) of "The Hills."

To that end, I have decided that I will come back and keep the site going, at least part time. I love writing for all of you and hope you'll come back and check things out again. The one thing I ask is that you comment on this post and leave me suggestions on the shows you would like me to review for you. I will be able to review a few each week but like I said, the real world calls so unfortunately I can't do more than that. PLEASE LEAVE ME YOUR SUGGESTIONS! I want the reviews I do post to be exactly the shows you want to read about.

I hope everyone is doing well! See you again soon!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

The Hills: When One Door Closes...

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 10PM ON MTV

So the series of finale of "The Hills"...wait, as it turns out this was NOT the series finale!! Woohoo! Although we deny it to anyone who asks you know we all love this show just as much as we hide the fact that on Monday nights we run to the tv at 10 to watch our favorite group of Hollywood twenty-somethings. I can't imagine saying goodbye to this showing knowing that we're never going to see Lauren ("LC") again; granted I have my own reasons for feeling that way, the girl is gorgeous after all! Seriously though, this is one of those shows that every one loves but no one can admit, it's the ultimate guilty pleasure. And I'm perfectly willing to admit that I love it just as much as anyone. So when Lauren announced on the after show that this wasn't the end after all I was relieved. I can't wait to see the Paris trip and all the drama the girls cook up one last time.

Tonight was one of the best episodes yet and almost came entirely full circle. While Lauren left Laguna for L.A. significantly more mature than her friends back home, she was still a kid and made her mistakes over the years. Ummm, Jason...Paris... Well, anyway, tonight we saw just how much she's grown up and how strong she's become.

Right from the start the drama started when Lisa Love told Whitney she was going back to Paris again....without Lauren. "I think Lauren's had her chance to go to Paris." Harsh words but it was the truth. And it was nice to see someone on this show take responsibility for once; I just knew the first would be Lauren, she's always been very smart and down to earth. It definitely pained her to admit the truth and I really felt bad. At the same time though she really did dig the hole herself when she turned down the internship in Paris for a summer at the beach with Jason. I still don't fully get why she did it, I mean we are talking about Jason; the guy is not that cool and he certainly isn't worth giving up your future for. With all that in the past at least Lauren is better for it and willing to accept her part in her current situation.

And then...Lisa handed Lauren a gift. She got a second chance to go to Paris! And you just knew Lisa wouldn't give her this chance without a little jab. She certainly gave a good one when she asked Lauren to go to the airport with Whitney to make sure she gets on the plane this time. I have a good feeling Lauren is going to make the absolute best of this opportunity.
Speaking of Paris, is Whitney really that insensitive? Obviously she didn't want to hurt Lauren's feelings but she was completely clueless about how to act. Before Lauren knew she would be going too Whitney totally messed up the way she broke the news. Lauren was clearly upset and Whitney had absolutely nothing constructive to say. THEN later she asked Lauren if she's ever been to Paris so she could get tips on what to wear this time of year. What was she thinking?! Even if Lauren had been to Paris, which she hadn't, that was a terrible thing to do to her. I know it was innocent and she didn't mean anything nasty by it but she still needs to start thinking a little more before she speaks.

Now for the moment we've all been waiting for, the news on Speidi. These two are the couple from hell and deserve all the crap they've put each other through. Without taking sides, because I can't stand either of these people, Spencer is the one who caused all these problems in the relationship. Time and again he did things that made us all think that he just didn't want to get married or even if he did that he was just playing around and not taking it all that seriously, like marriage was like a 4 year commitment to college you could just walk away from down the road. Then the worst move he made was to walk out on Heidi during fights, not once, but twice. The second time was the final straw and Heidi decided to head back to Colorado to think. And for all of us who have dated a bit we know that thinking is never a good thing; it only gets you into trouble.

The problem with Spencer is that he's just not smart. Add to that the fact that he's selfish and just a plain old ass, and you have someone that you should never have been with. It has to be something that runs in the family because She-Pratt is just as absurd. I'll give her credit for at least realizing he shouldn't have walked out on the fight but suggesting he write Heidi an e-mail was stupid. They're supposed to be getting married! You need to actually talk at this point, not fall back on writing emails!

Heidi though needs to stop saying she gave up everything for him. Technically she did but it was always her choice. No one forced her on Spencer and whenever she had to choose she always went with him, no matter the consequences. I wonder if these two truly did break up. I wouldn't put it past them to do all this for some sort of personal gain with the media and paparazzi. I guess only time will tell but I'm putting my money on their greed.Lastly, you know we have to talk about Lauren and Brody. Finally a couple we can all get behind...well, sort of. I mean, I think we could all agree that they make a good couple and they're fun to watch. Except, something always seems to be missing. I can never quite see them being a serious couple. Lauren definitely wants to give it a try but Brody's player side just won't go away. It's fine that he wants to be young and free, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. He just needs to stop flirting so much with Lauren and leading her on.

The changes in Lauren I was talking about before really came out when the two of them were talking at dinner. Brody threw out a lame line about Lauren just wanting a boyfriend and the fact that he had bad past relationships. So rather than being immature, Lauren told him the truth - that all relationships in the past ended because they're not the best, otherwise they wouldn't end; and if he really cares about someone he should want to be with her and call her his girlfriend. Unfortunately, this didn't completely register with Brody. Nothing new happened, the next morning they said goodbye, kissed, and that was that.

I think everything pretty much ended where it should. Speidi on the rocks - had to happen; Audrina done with Justin Bobby - just too much of a scumbag; Whitney conquering the fashion world - we knew it would happen; and Lauren getting stronger and smarter everyday - we always knew she was the best of the best from Laguna. So as Heidi drives in to the sunset and Lauren heads to Paris with Whitney, I say goodbye for the time being. I can't wait until the rest of the season comes back. As soon as I hear anything about a date I'll let you all know. Until then, enjoy the review!!

Saturday, December 8, 2007

The Real World Sydney: Friends Again

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 10PM ON MTV

Isaac's back! And bringing some ruckus with him. I never knew Isaac could be so much fun. We never really saw that side of him all season until recently. The most we ever saw from him was a few back handed comments here and there which led me to believe he was not that nice of a person. Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong. It's not that he's a bad person, he's just very honest and likes to enjoy himself. And now that they're showing more of his time in the house we get to enjoy his crazy antics too.
What do I speak of? Well, anyone who saw this week's episode knows exactly what I'm referring to. The guy jumped into the massive fish tank in the house and swam around with snorkeling gear on. More than that, he did it naked!!! With Noireen undressed and wrapped in a sheet and the other roommates watching, Isaac reminded everyone in the house that they're still in this amazing place for another couple months and there's no reason to dwell over Trisha. Instead, they should have fun, be friends, and rejoice in the fact that the most manipulative roommate is gone. The truth is that Isaac was right and I'm glad someone finally said it - Trisha was a mean and manipulative person and everyone in the house will now be able to enjoy themselves a lot more with her gone. We can already see it getting better; when was the last time you remember seeing everyone in the house laughing together? I honestly can't remember.

Isaac homecoming made this episode great and one of the best in a while. I think Ashli did a good thing in talking to Kelly Anne. Isaac really got to Ashli when he made her realize that not only did she not know Trisha but that she wasn't necessarily the best person. Ashli realized after this that she was in this new place with a great opportunity to make lifelong friends and she was blowing it over something that she wasn't even a part of. Her talk with Kelly Anne was very well thought out and I'm glad someone was able to knock some sense into her. I still Ashli is wrong for her extracurriculars with Dunbar and that Kelly Anne is extremely immature but at least Kelly Anne recognized how immature she was and that she needs to give Parisa a chance. It was nice to see all three of them talk and decide to start fresh. It'll be a nice change to see everyone in the house get along; maybe we'll even see some fun being had.

Speaking of Ashlia and Dunbar, who is Ashli kidding? "I never crossed the line." Just because she hadn't hooked up with him yet doesn't mean spooning and sleeping in the same bed with him isn't crossing the line. It's sad how people convince themselves that what they're doing isn't as bad as it is in order to suit their purposes. Ashli doesn't want to believe she's doing anything wrong because she wants it to keep going. And then, they had sex. We knew this was coming. They were flirting with the possibility for so long that there was no way it wasn't going to happen so long as they kept pushing the envelope. I feel terrible for Julie because she seems like a really good person. It's incredibly selfish of Dunbar to not tell her what happened. He needs to tell her so she can make a choice about what she wants, he doesn't get to decide what he wants anymore. Oh, and the dude has to stop saying he loves Julie; YOU DO NOT LOVE JULIE! Or at the very least you don't respect her if you're willing to do this and on national television!
Aside from that, Dunbar pretending it was his birthday was great and I really like the fact that he kept it a secret. It was funny watching everyone toast his birthday.This was a great episode and could be a turning point in the season. I can't imagine the Dunbar-Ashli stuff is going to work out given all the baggage and apparently the honeymoon is going to end pretty soon. Don't forget we still have the Dunbar and Kelly Anne pregnancy scare to look forward to. It seems that the condom burst and Cohutta thinks she may be pregnant. Whether or not she is, is yet to be seen. What do you all think? Is Kelly Anne pregnant? I'll do my best to find a spoiler for you and let you know. Until next week, enjoy the review!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

The Real World Sydney: Enjoy Your Flight

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 10PM ON MTV

This is what it comes down to - do or die; apologize or pack your bags. I guess Trisha really wanted to go home because that was probably the worst and remorseless apology I have ever heard in my entire life. Trisha literally looked Parisa straight in the eyes, knowing how much she's hurt her, and apologized with a smirk. She showed absolutely no remorse or sympathy for Parisa and this is why Parisa had no choice but to send her home. Peace out Trisha! Apparently, you'll be missed...by maybe 1 or 2 people.

From Day 1 Trisha was out for herself. She started fights, she talked trash behind the roommate's backs, and she generally manipulated everyone in the house. Somehow Shauvon (when she was there), Kelly Anne, and Ashli managed to be completely blind to this and "loved her." So when Trisha left (in a really touching and sad moment; oh please, we'll get to this soon) Kelly Anne reverted to a 13 year old with her little home wrecker buddy Ashli tagging along. To be honest, I have always been a big fan of Kelly Anne's. Not only is she cute but she was always the sane one in the group of girls. This week though I lost just about all respect I had for her. She turned into this disgusting person who not only tortured Parisa for pure pleasure but acted with less maturity than the 8th graders a friend of mine teaches. Did she really need to lean over the stairs and spit on the phone room glass while Parisa was on the phone? This was definitely a very low moment in the life of Kelly Anne and I only hope she'll realize how pathetic she looked.
I said I'd get to it so here it is: Trisha's farewell. If you're a person like me you probably felt a bit sad for Trisha even though she completely deserved to get kicked out of the house. That is, until she said her final goodbye to Parisa. You would think that after everything she might have some sense of wrongdoing; that maybe she would realize that she did something wrong. Well, as we all saw that never happened. In fact, Trisha left with the same "better than thou" attitude that she had all season and the very same one that lost her the spot in the house. She really showed just how terrible of a person she is and I for one am glad person kicked her out.

Normally a departure like this takes up a whole episode but the producers actually moved us through it pretty quickly. Probably so we could watch Kelly Anne embarrass herself the rest of the episode. Anyway, not much else took place. The rest of the night we basically saw the repercussions of Parisa's decision. Essentially, the guys have no problem with her decision (and actually support it) and the girls are torturing her for it. It should be interesting now that Ashli was moved to Parisa's team and made the leader. Considering everything that went down it might not work out so well for them.

In the end Trisha was not the bigger person she claims to be and the other girls became her heir apparents. Maybe things will get better next week. I can't imagine they'll go the next 2+ months in that house hating each other with such intensity. Only time will tell though. Until next week, enjoy the review!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

The Hills: Once A Player

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 10PM ON MTV

Only one more episode left of our beloved show!! I'm certainly going to miss the mayhem, drama, ridiculous nights out, and Lauren of course. For those of you who watched "Laguna Beach" and then moved on to "The Hills" you've followed Lauren (or as we know and love her, LC) for many years now and it's certainly going to be weird saying goodbye. Especially when "The Hills" is the highest rated show on MTV. But I guess we knew this day would come eventually; we couldn't really expect Lauren to walk around with camera's for the rest of her life no matter how much we hoped she would.

Before I get all nostalgic let's talk about the present and the present finds us stuck with She-Pratt once more. Why did they need to bring this girl around? Wasn't it enough that we had to deal with Spencer week in and week out? Now we have to deal with this monstrosity too? I think this girl has got to go except with one more episode left I think there's a fat chance of that happening.

Anyway, She-Pratt decided to mess with Heidi and Spencer this week instead of Lauren and Brody. Heidi approached her in confidence with some concerns that after all Spencer's issues with the wedding that maybe he didn't really want to get married and so she was feeling like maybe she should postpone it too. I fully understand where Heidi is coming from and she's actually right in feeling this way. BUT YOU DO NOT TALK TO YOUR FIANCE'S SISTER ABOUT IT!! What was she thinking? Obviously she wanted Spencer to find out or else she would have spoken to anyone else in the world before talking to Stephanie. To get mad that Stephanie said something is ridiculous because you had to know she would tell Spencer; it's her brother, how could she not. That aside, Stephanie should have left everyone alone and let them work it out. Apparently she likes getting involved in everyone else's lives rather than living her own. On a side note, did anyone catch the fact that at the card shop Spencer mentioned he really wanted the wedding party to be at Don Antonio's? The ridiculousness never stops with him; I'm so stunned I don't even know what to say about this.

As you know all of this led to a pretty big fight between Heidi and Spencer. In his usual passive aggressive manner he sat on the couch reading a book (or possibly pretending to, hmmm) waiting for Heidi to say "what's wrong?" It worked (Heidi you're a sucker) and the fight ensued. I don't normally agree with Heidi about anything but the truth is that she was right to feel like Spencer didn't want to get married. That's probably because he doesn't. I mean, who wants to get married but does not want to tell their family? This fight really highlights who Spencer is. Rather than acknowledge the things he's done he tries to win the fight by pointing out negative things about Heidi that she never really did. He twists and turns the past into this picture that makes it seem as though everyone is against him when in fact he was the one in the wrong the whole time. And now his new move is to walk out rather than lose the fights he thinks he can win but really can't. Heidi's chuck of the book at the door was a nice move and even a bit surprising. Do we have another abusive couple on our hands or the end of a couple? Personally, I'm hoping it's the latter.

Meanwhile, Lauren had her own drama do with. Brody has been a regular in the life of Lauren and many of us have been wondering what has kept them apart. Thanks to Lauren we know exactly what - "Britney Canada Whore." I'm glad to see Lauren so strong and finally standing up for herself and what she wants. It seems this was the theme of the night - the women who are usually pushovers decided to stand their ground. Lauren come right out to Brody and asked what was going on. When he refuses to acknowledge that he's a player, she asked for his phone; turns out this was a brilliant move. His phone had a fantastically long list of women's names, including the Britney reference above, and he even had perverted references for many of them. She found all of this in the phone and only got to the letter "C"! This player will never change even if he claims they're old numbers. Obviously it won't be that easy for Lauren to end her feelings for him but at least she's taking steps in the right direction. It's great to see her getting stronger.
I have to tell you, Lo is the best! I only wish she came around more often. Her comment to Lauren. "I'll be your boyfriend," was great. Lo is awesome and probably one of the most level-headed people we've seen in all the years we've been watching "The Hills" and "Laguna."
By the way, what was up with that Halloween party? The flapper outfit of Lauren's was interesting but not all that much fun. And Brody and Frankie as Batman and Robin? Interesting idea for a costume...actually it was very odd; words of advice to them, NEVER do that again. And a smoke machine in a small apartment; ummm leave that one in the shop next time.

Lastly, we have Audrina who seems to have finally moved on from Justin. Not that I get what she saw in him to begin with because as Lauren put it, he was basically worthless and didn't even shower. Her new Australian guy is kind of cool and a big step up from Justin - not that it's hard to accomplish anyway. The lip ring was a bit too much but hey, at least he showers right? Although his extremely transparent attempt at trying to get Audrina to seep with him after the date was very lame. It's great to see her moving on though and looking for decent guys now. Hopefully this will continue; her life will be much better.

Sadly this is going to be my second to last review of "The Hills." We have one more episode left until we have to say goodbye. It's been a great run and while I can't wait for next week's series finale, I wish it wouldn't come so quickly. Until next week's series finale, enjoy the review!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

The Hills: A Night At The Opera

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 10PM ON MTV

It's the female Pratt! I was actually pretty shocked to see her show up after all this time but I guess it made sense that she would finally make an appearance; the only thing better than one Pratt is a second. If I didn't know Spencer I would have been more upset at Stephanie's confrontation in the club but knowing her brother I couldn't help but laugh. Their parent's must have done something terrible to these kids. I can't think of any way that these two could grow up so equally messed up unless the parents fed them cocaine as babies or are the two worst people to ever walk the planet. If I were their parents I would be utterly embarrassed watching these kids on television. Then again, if they're anything like Spencer and Stephanie they either don't care or think they are the normals ones and everyone else is crazy.
If anyone could tell me what in the world must have gone through Stephanie's head to walk up to Brody and tell him he's leaving with her right now, I would be very appreciative. It makes absolutely no sense for her to have done that. Even if she feels like Lauren is in the wrong with everyone, which clearly she does, why would she take Brody away? Is she her brothers keeper and protector? I think it's hilarious that she has to fight Spencer's battles. Pretty sad for him actually. Then on top of that she starts a verbal fight with Lauren in the middle of the club?! She needs to stop fighting her brothers battles and worry about herself. Stephanie ended up looking like a complete and utter moron; what a way to make your debut.

If that wasn't enough she then meets up with Spencer and Heidi, telling them all about the scene at the club. Was it me or did Heidi look like maybe she was concerned about Lauren? I thought I saw a bit of concern for a moment which might explain some of the fighting with Spencer lately. It might be possible that she's finally starting to see that the way she's been acting was totally wrong and that Spencer's influence was a big reason for that. Anyway, did you all catch Stephanie's comment about how she's never seen two people so in love? Did I miss something the last two years? Because I've seen many, many, many people more in the love than these two. In fact, I don't even think they are in love. I found this comment very funny and really destroyed her credibility from that point on; not that it wasn't destroyed after the club scene anyway.

Oh and before I move on, can you believe Stephanie wanted to marry Speidi?! She went online and got ordained. Apparently, she thought this would be a great idea even though Heidi wanted a traditional wedding with a minister. Totally ridiculous! Even more, she looked shocked when Heidi said no. Too funny; I can't believe this family. She's lucky Heidi didn't return the ring and leave right then.

Speaking of ridiculous people, I have to say that although I like Audrina, the girl needs to grow up. She typifies the attitudes of so many women out there and I don't get it. Why does she expect so much from a guy who clearly could never live up to any expectations whatsoever? It's not like he ever seemed as though he could be a good guy and a caring boyfriend. For god sake he ditched her in Vegas once! If someone could explain why women see bad guys as good guys I would also be grateful. Justin is a loser and always has been so when Audrina keeps letting him get away with stuff and is then shocked when he kisses someone else in front of her, it makes no sense to me whatsoever. At least she grew some cajones and ditched him once and for all.

This was a very dramatic episode and I think we're starting to see Speidi fall apart. These two were never meant to be together and maybe Heidi is finally starting to realize that. Granted her learning curve is about two years slower than the rest of us but hey, better late than never right? Next week should be very enlightening and I can't wait to see what happens. Only two episodes left in what should be the third and final season of our beloved show. Until next week, enjoy the review!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

How I Met Your Mother: The Yips

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8PM ON CBS

You know, Barney is a genius and I'm not afraid to say it. The man is simply brilliant. His investment plan for sleeping with women, although considered disgusting by some, is in actually ingenious in a twisted sort of way. Like I said, some people might not like it even if it works. Take Robin's comment for example, "Let's all punch Barney in the face!" The best part of Barney's plan, however, was NOT that it worked but that we got an absolutely hilarious episode with the gang attempting to get in shape at the gym.

Marshall's trainer was by far the funniest part of the trip to the gym. Not only was his trainer funny but watching Marshall cry as she forced him to more farther and farther was putting me in teers. In the words of his trainer, "It smells like there's a little bitch in my gym." Although Marshall needs to man up just a bit. Having Lilly fight his battles for him and fire the trainer was a wussy way of getting out of it. And at the same time watching Ted go through the same thing and cry also was well worth it.

Even better was Barney running into the woman who took his virginity. Clearly, he was a bit of a loser back in the day but we all thought he turned into the Barney we know and love when he broke up with his girlfriend. As it turns out he turned into today's Barney when he slept with Rhonda and she told him he rocked her world. Sadly for Barney that only happened because his brother agreed to sleep with Rhonda if she would sleep with Barney. Apparently he thought this would help Barney snap out of his post-breakup funk; which to his credit it totally did.
Good for us though, we got to watch Barney without any game at the Victoria Secret party. Which I do have a beef with however. Why couldn't they have had them at the party for more than 3 minutes?! WTF??? Come on! I was looking forward to that all week and we only got a measly 3 minutes. It was great watching Barney blow it on the biggest night of his life though. Heidi Klum was very nice considering the things that were coming out of his mouth. She was totally right though that he had to sleep with Rhonda again to get his mojo back. Now this wasn't something I'm sure most of us wanted to see since Rhonda was much older at this point but at least we have Barney back. He rocked her world for real this time and then walked straight out of her house with the usual Barney swagger that we love.

Excellent episode of HIMYM and next time they better give me a golden ticket or show more of the Victoria Secret party. Until the next new episode, enjoy the review!

Brothers & Sisters:

ORIGINAL EPISODES, SUNDAYS @ 10PM ON ABC

Tumultuous relationships. That was the theme of tonight's episode. In almost every one's life we have them caught between a rock and a hard place with their significant others. Not that this is much of a surprise in this family because if there are two things they're bad at it's bickering and relationships. No one in this family seems to be able to get in a relationship and stick with it. True, Nora lasted in the relationship with their father but he was leading a double life. Should we really count that as successful? In many was it still was except in the big picture it was a train wreck just like everyone else's relationships.

So Julia decided to come back and finally Tommy is feeling the guilt he should have been feeling all along. As I've said before, Julia was one thousand percent wrong in leaving him and going to stay with her family in Arizona. More than that, she didn't always talk with Tommy or let him hear his daughter. BUT none of that excuses the fact that he had an affair and did so over and over again. It was nice to see Julia back and happy! I guess her time away really allowed her to clear her head and put everything into perspective.

Who else felt awkward for Tommy, Julia, Holly and Lina when Julia surprised him at work? I wanted that scene to be over as fast as possible; I hate those moments when you really don't want the truth to come out. Julia is a fantastic presence on the show and I'd hate for her to find out what happened while she was away. Although in the Walker Family I can't imagine this secret will be kept for very long. And Lina can't really be trusted, right? Look at this girl! She's out of control and as soon as she's done with Tommy she moves on to his brother?! WTF? That's more than disgusting, it's slutty - and for good measure, so was her work attire. Good call Holly. I understand being hurt after Tommy broke things off but to then hook up with his brother? Not cool.

Speaking of not cool, Jason is an ass. This guy professes his love to Kevin and then tells him he has to go half way around the world on a mission but thinks a lame excuse like "the cell phone reception is spotty" is enough to explain why he hasn't called in months? This guy wanted the best of both worlds - to go on his mission and to have a warm body waiting for him at home. Too bad Kevin saw it for what it was and broke things off with him. I don't usually agree with Kevin because he's so self absorbed but this time he was right for ending things. Jason was treating him terribly and Scotty has really gotten his life together. Plus, Scotty is there and clearly wouldn't treat him like that so why not get back together? It should be interesting when Scotty does come back one day and Kevin is still with Scotty...

As for the upcoming nuptuals, Kitty and Robert have developed all sorts of problems seemingly out of nowhere. About a month ago everything was going great. Now we have Robert lying about his desire to have children, Kitty's insecurities about his prior marriage surfacing, his children unhappy about him remarrying, and the campaign messing with their marriage plans. The truth is that Robert is a great guy but he's also a man with an intense passion for succeeding; so much so that his life takes a back seat. His ex-wife tried to warn Kitty and I think she's starting to realize she might have been telling her the truth. Maybe, just maybe, this is why Kitty needs to take to Robert before they say "I do." No matter what the cause, these two need a good and honest talk. There's so much they haven't been talking about lately that they need it or else their relationship will be doomed. And just as a side note, the whole Lyle Lovitt romantic gesture was completely lost on me. Who cares if you did this so long as you keep lying to Kitty about the most important aspects of your relationship? It was a cheap move and I'm not impressed in the slightest.

The rest of the Walker Clan seems to be finding some new and interesting relationships. While Nora contacted her "first," (Go Chevy Chase!) Sarah is being wined and dined by none other than Steven Weber. Nora was so cute as she went on a first date since her last date 30 years ago with Stan. I think he was right when he said she chose to marry someone with the complete opposite political beliefs because she wanted someone to argue with. She was a fierce soul and that's what she thought she needed; and maybe it was. But he's not that guy, he just wants to love her. She might just be the woman he wanted to love now. Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything about him sticking around for a long time though so I'm not too sure how long it's going to last. I really like his character and I hope they decide to keep him coming back though.

As for Sarah her non-relationship with Graham doesn't seem all that interesting to me. He seems like a very smart business man and she might be attracted to that because he is completely opposite from Joe. Even if she is, I can't see it going all that far. They just seem to be missing that spark. In either case, I think it's great that she's might be ready to move on although I doubt a long term relationship is in her cards just yet.

While the relationships of the Walkers are falling apart, the ratings are as great as ever. The show is a huge success and apparently the sophomore slump means nothing to this great show. There's only a couple episode left before the writers strike will claim its next victim so enjoy every minute while you can. Until next week, enjoy the review!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Grey's Anatomy: Crash Into Me - Part 1

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 9PM ON ABC

Seth Green!!! This was totally unexpected and surprisingly excellent. I much prefer having unknown actors as guest stars on this show because I'm able to look at them as patients much easier than known actors to whom I've already attributed certain characteristics. With the exception of "ER," most shows, including "Grey's," have never been able to use well known actors as patients very well . Tonight was the exception however. Seth Green was fantastic and even more amazing was the cliff hanger the show left us with. Throughout the entire episode we all seemed to get pretty used to Lexie and Seth's character hanging out and dishing on odd gossip. I'm not sure about you but while I thought his artery might burst in the beginning I sort of forgot about it by the end of the night. So when his artery burst all over Lexie instantly I was shocked and left with my mouth hanging wide open when the screen went to black. I hate when we're left with cliff hanger moments like that but at the same time it's what makes a show great.


Whether he survives or not you can never really know on this show but I doubt he has much of shot; from the very little I know I think it's only a matter of seconds before you bleed out and die if you cut that artery. Personally I'd like to see him stick around a bit longer. He had great chemistry with Lexie and for the first time in a while she seemed like she was genuinely happy talking with someone.

Speaking of Lexie, I just had a feeling that Eva would show up again once Alex started getting close (or as close as he gets to anyone) with Lexie. She left without resolving anything with him and you just knew this was going to bite him in the butt one day. I love the fact that he has this problem now because he's really not a great guy so he deserves some calling out. He totally belongs with Eva by the way. There's no reason he should choose Lexie because he's really only known her for a short amount of time whereas he has this unbelievable connection with Eva that he won't find anywhere else. And honestly, does Lexie think they had a relationship? Obviously she did because she was clearly hurt when she realized they were both there for Alex, but she knew what he was about when they started this! He told her flat out which is more than most women could say for the guys they date. Anyway, this is certainly going to blow up in his face next week and I can't wait until he gets a bit of his own medicine.

As for some of the other stuff going on at the hospital, a Nazi paramedic/patient is definitely not what I would have thought would come out of this episode. Bailey is much stronger than I am because I would have walked away, not caring whether he lived or died. To meet someone up close who has that much hate for so many people and believes in it so violently, would really hit me hard and I doubt I could look him in the face let alone operate on him. That guy was a horrible person and it's both a blessing and curse that we believe in treating everyone the same regardless of their beliefs.

And what would a review about "Grey's" be without some info on the Meredith-Derek relationship drama. Derek seems to be getting closer every week to Rose, the nurse he finally realized was around a few weeks ago when she spoke up during a surgery. I think he's attracted to her forwardness and her strong personality. In my opinion he really needs to move on from Meredith and this would be the perfect opportunity. She's still very much messed up and although she's made some strides she still isn't ready for the kind of commitment Derek is looking for and deserves.

But the truth is Meredith has been making some great progress. Last year I don't think she could have held it together in a situation like the one with the paramedics in the flipped over ambulance. I was impressed at how strong she was despite her emotions. The truth is that a situation like that should hit you hard and require you to summon all your strength to deal with it; if it didn't I think that would be the bigger problem. She's really becoming an excellent doctor although I think Derek will have moved on to a relationship with Rose by the time Meredith is ready to be there for him.

The paramedic storyline is unbelievable and vintage "Grey's." I couldn't possibly imagine being in Sarah's shoes and talking to your husband (or wife) knowing they were going to die as soon as they were moved. This was an amazing episode and part 2 is sure to be just as good if not better! Until December, enjoy the review!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

House: You Don't Want To Know

ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 9PM ON FOX

This was definitely one of the better "House" episodes. Tonight, we saw House take on a magician and come out on top; yet still without any inside information on how the magician was able to perform any of the tricks. It's sort of how House operates so he shouldn't be too peeved when he wasn't able to find out the secret to the tricks. He always performs these procedures and tests on patients resulting in diagnoses that no one else could figure out and he never reveals how he does it. Obviously we know the tricks because we see behind the scenes but for the patients it's like watching a magician do magic right in front of you.

The magician was actually pretty cool and I was really hoping to see how he was going to escape the underwater trick. Too bad he ended up bleeding through his nose and going unconscious in the middle. At least we found out how he was going to escape; he had the key hidden in his mouth. Unfortunately for him in all the commotion of you know, almost dieing, he forgot he swallowed the key which then ripped through his internal organs when he was brought to the MRI machine. Moron. This was probably something he should have tried to remember. It's bad enough that you almost died performing the trick but you survive and then almost kill yourself by forgetting something as simple as a key in your stomach; not too smart.

Aside from the magician we had another pretty big story line develop during this episode. Apparently, Thirteen's mother and grandmother both died of Huntington's disease. Basically, (and for those of you who watched "Everwood" you know this already) it's a degenerative disease that effects the brain and can strike at anytime. You slowly lose all function over your brain and you turn into a vegetable. It's a horrible disease and House started to notice symptoms in Thirteen; or rather he manufactured them. It was actually a terrible thing to do given her state of mind but when she dropped a folder House noticed she freaked out even though it was just a natural drop, nothing to do with Huntington's. So he switched out the caffinated coffee with decaf and when she unknowingly went through caffeine withdrawal and her hands shook she started to freak out. Actually, I'd like to restate my point of view, it wasn't just terrible, it was downright evil of him. When he found out it was Huntington's and not Parkinson's she was worried about at least he showed some sympathy. It just goes to show how awful this disease is; no one should ever have to go through that. The only problem was, as usual, House wouldn't leave it alone and he tested her DNA without her permission to determine if she had the disease. Her explanation about why she didn't want to know was very touching and I think it really hit home with House. Since he didn't look and now that we know all this about Thirteen, it's pretty much a safe bet that she's going to be around for a long while.

For a little fun in all the drama, House decreed that whoever obtained Cuddy's panties would be able to nominate two other interns for elimination. A very ingenious idea if you ask me and especially hilarious. Shockingly it was the Mormon who got the panties! I couldn't believe it and I guess neither could House. He realized that the only reason he got them was because he teamed up with Cuddy. The idea was that by him winning he would nominate Kutner for elimination, which Cuddy was very happy to see because she believes he's a liability given all his mishaps over the last couple months. The only thing Cole didn't realize was that the one person house always wants to beat is Cuddy and by teaming up with her, he did exactly what got him fired - he made a pact with the devil. So goodbye to the moron, you will certainly be missed for all the sarcastic jokes House made at your expense.

Yet another fantastic episode from "House" and I will certainly enjoy every minute we have until the episodes run out. Until next week, enjoy the review!

Journeyman: Emily

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 10PM ON NBC

I'm really sorry that I have to do this but I am beyond annoyed at this show. There's a lot going on and with Dan constantly travelling to the past I'm sure it has got to be hard keep everything straight given all the implications of his actions in the past. Except if you want to be a successful television show then you MUST keep everything straight and consistent. So how in the world do the writers think I wouldn't notice the fact that although the stolen money was left in the past the FBI is not only still interested in Dan in the present but they're still looking for the stolen money? What's even more ridiculous is that in the same episode that they drop they ball on this, they make it even worse. Throughout the episode Jack started to come around to Dan's rhetoric on time travelling after he fed him more and more information on a kidnapper that had never been caught. But when Dan went after him in the past and caused his arrest, Jack forgot everything and time changed to the way it was before Dan said anything to him. Now, if this changed then how could the issues with the FBI not change?! He left the money in the past! If they're this interested in it then I'm sure they would have come across the bills in circulation or even at the crime scene where he left it. Then clearly they would have no reason to suspect him in the future. Let's not forget that Dan's tip to Hugh in the past about the kidnapper should have had a big effect on his future position in life (possibly giving him greater opportunities for advancement) and yet when Dan went back to the present Hugh was still the same. I'm so incredibly angered by this that I actually considered not watching the show anymore. I think I'll continue to watch but another huge mistake like this and I can't see myself hanging around anymore.

Speaking of the kidnapper, I was actually pretty impressed with the creativity and action of the time travel story line this episode. Dan finally rebelled against his intended job (although only slightly since he still helped the girl anyway) and went after the child kidnapper despite Livia's warnings. Apparently, if you stray from the intended path and change something in the past then there will be dire consequences in the future. For Dan, they are pretty extreme. His failure to listen to Livia resulted in the arrest of the kidnapper, which is all well and good except for the fact that he was released from prison six years later. Not only did he come out with an intense vendetta to pursue against Dan but he's meaner and stronger than when he went in. Jail seems to have turned him into a hardened criminal and he's targeted both Dan and his family now for revenge. Next week should be interesting as Dan finally learns the consequences of straying from his path.

I think it's interesting to watch Katie's reactions to everything. Her frustration finally boiled over this week when she threw a mug at the wall after Dan disappeared during their conversation. Who could blame her though? She loses her husband randomly and for unknown periods of time, her son is beginning to lash out at others, and there's absolutely nothing they can do to fix it. But I don't think blaming Dan is going to help either. It's not like he asked for this or knows how to fix it or who to talk to about it. It's totally out of his control. He's pursuing the only lead he has in Dr. Langley but he's not giving him much to go on at all. At least she finally admitted to Zack what Dan is doing seems to be very important. The truth is that although we don't know yet why this is happening he appears to be doing good things and so you have to believe it's important for him to keep pursuing it.

My frustration aside, this was a pretty good episode. Unfortunately, the word out is that "Journeyman" may not be around past the end of the episodes filmed before the writer's strike. I hope this isn't true and NBC decides to give it another chance when the strike is over. Anyway, I'll still watch even though I'm angry. Until next week, enjoy the review!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Heroes: Cautionary Tales

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 9PM ON NBC

Noah is dead! Holy crap! (well maybe...; but more on that later) Not only did I think they would end up changing the future from what was portrayed in Isaac's paintings but I never thought it would come about so quickly. I'm so used to the stories playing out over a long season that it never occurred to me that any of this would materialize as soon as it did. Unfortunately for Noah it did and if you're looking for someone to blame then look no further than Dr. Suresh. For a smart guy he is extremely naive and stupid most of the time. You'd think after everything that happened last year and everything he knows about the company he would take what Bob has to say at face value so easily. Well, he did and the immediate implication turned out to be the death of Noah while the more important implication appears to be an outbreak of the virus which he started when he and Nikki were there fighting Maurey. So there we have it, Suresh chose the company over everyone else and killed Noah. Terrible...

Now, if we're talking about people who have done stupid things then we have to talk about Hiro next. If Suresh is to blame for the current turn of events then Hiro should be just as blameworthy. He is the one that created the person we know as Adam and he is the reason that a vendetta has been burning inside of Adam for 400 years. So we can't point the finger at Suresh and totally let Hiro off the hook. And this week, Hiro almost changed the future again and probably not for the better when he went back in time to prevent his fathers death. In the end at least he listened to his father and decided not to mess with things that should be left as they are. It was touching though to see the two of them pay respects to their mother at her funeral again. I think most people would like to have such a personal moment with a loved one before saying goodbye once and for all. Speaking of implications of your actions, Hiro may have finally learned his lesson when he discovered it was Adam who threw his father off the roof. This might very well be the turning point for him and what turns him into that future Hiro we saw a lot of last year. Personally, I'd like to start seeing more of the kick ass Hiro than the softy Hiro.

So what could we expect in the next two episodes? Well, I think Parkman is going to have a big role to play. Now that he knows what he can do his powers seem to be growing much faster. He's already starting to control peoples thoughts and actions which can only mean it's just a matter of time before he'll be able to control what his father was able to do by placing people in a prison inside their heads. Also, this episode really showed Claire growing up, at least a bit. She's definitely more forceful and she knows what she wants. Plus she's very smart; she saw through Bob's disguise even though it was extremely surprising that he'd make such an obvious mistake.
Like last year, Claire will probably have a lot to do with the outcome of the season.

We learned the most important piece of information tonight - that Adam is looking to kill everyone in the picture simply because they locked him up. Although I'm sure he'll be looking for Hiro when he's done too. As I said at the beginning of the review, Noah may not be dead after all. It appears that Adam hooked him up to an IV with his blood in it which as we know should bring him back to life very quickly. The last second shot of Noah's eyes would seem to indicate this is exactly what happened. With Noah on his side as well as Peter, Adam may have assembled an unstoppable team. Oh, and lets not forget that Maya may be a source of the virus and Silar likely won't be idle for too long. I can't wait to see how this plays out. Until next week enjoy the review!

Chuck: Chuck Versus the Imported Hard Salami

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8PM ON NBC

Lou is the best! Come on, how many girls do you know would make you a mouth-watering sandwich on the first date? Probably none. She's totally cool, funny, makes incredible sandwiches, and is not above making out in a car for an hour. She's pretty damn awesome if you ask me. Too bad it didn't work out for the two of them, I thought they made a great couple. At least she now knows the truth behind his secret identity, an undercover FDA agent in search of illegally imported deli meats. That was hilarious but Rachel Bilson played that with more of a straight face than I ever could have.
Speaking of Chuck's undercover persona, Lou ended up dealing with her ex-boyfriend to smuggle in precious deli meats. Unfortunately, Chuck happened to catch them in the act, putting an end to her devious plan to take over the world with delicious sandwiches. At least she didn't turn out to be a terrorist or another undercover spy. I really wish I could taste one of those sandwiches; that meat looked incredible. I think at this point though they need to get Chuck just one normal girl. So far Lou has been the least of his problems (and she had a criminal of an ex-boyfriend lurking around) and clearly Sarah isn't all that normal or easy to handle. This guy deserves to have someone normal in his life; hopefully Sarah will realize she has the chance to be that person. I'm going to miss Lou being around; it could be cool to have her come back somewhere down the road. These two are great together and if he can never have anything with Sarah then he should at least get the chance to be with Lou. Even their moment in the deli when he apologized to her and she forgave him was amazing. Definitely one of the best moments so far and the comedic aspects were some of the best yet.

As for Sarah, I think she definitely realizes how she feels about him, at least to some degree. That kiss didn't come out of nowhere and she's definitely been jealous about Chuck and Lou the last couple of episodes. The bigger problem now is that Bryce is apparently still alive; which I'll put to the side for a minute because my rant may go on for a bit. Obviously things are not going to progress for the two of them as long as Bryce is around, if ever. It's unfortunate because the two of them make for a great couple and even better viewing. They're always funny together and as the sexual tension grew so did the funny in their relationship. I hope they get a chance down the road (as I'm sure the will), it's just a matter of when and how long down the road.
Now to Bryce; what in the world were the writer's thinking when they stormed up this doozy? This is one of the worst plot ideas so far this season and possibly over the last few seasons. This was the dumbest and most ridiculous idea ever. I don't care how they end up explaining it, it is never going to be alright with me that they did this. The only reason I'll keep watching this show and not storming off in protest, is because I'll keep my hope going that he'll be gone soon and we'll have things back to normal. There is absolutely nothing interesting or intriguing about Bryce coming back. The only thing we cared about was whether he really set Chuck up or not and we already know the deal with that. This was a stupid idea and hopefully it won't be around long enough to ruin the show.

With my rant and the ridiculousness of the final plot aside, this was a decent episode. Not the best but certainly up there with the better episodes of the show so far. Keep it up "Chuck" and hopefully we'll see Bryce gone soon. Until next week, enjoy the review!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

The Hills: With This Ring

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 10PM ON MTV

As the title of the episode suggests we had a lot of Speidi drama this week. Also, as you can imagine it's Spencer who causes most of the problems. We knew this kid had no sense the first time we met him but I at least gave him credit for knowing to stay out of the way in the wedding planning when he proposed to Heidi. No matter who the woman, you do not mess with the wedding. Like always, Spencer proved he's as dumb as he looks and of course for the last couple months he's been doing everything he can to screw up his pending nuptuals.

Tonight, he really took his efforts to a whole new level however. To start he couldn't possibly have made it any clearer that he does not want anything to do with the plans Heidi is making for the wedding. At the same time, how could she be so surprised? He's been apathetic at best about everything to do with getting married. So when she took him to the church and on top of suggesting an expensive wedding there she informed him that the church requires marriage counselling before the wedding, it shouldn't have been much of a surprise when he had a look of utter terror and disappointment on his face. And seriously, does she think marriage counselling will do any good? Do any of us? Please, you can counsel the devil to be a saint.

Then, Spencer decides that if he can't convince her to change the plans with his amazing ability to convey what he's thinking (sarcastic...yes I am being that), he will pack her bags, light some candles, and this will convince her to run off with him to Vegas to elope. Not only that but he already put the deposit down on what I'm sure is a gorgeous honeymoon sweet. And yes, I'm being sarcastic again. How in the world did he think that would be a good idea? Heidi was almost as stunned at the gesture as I was. I just sat there shaking my head. This kid just seems to surpass his ridiculousness every single week; it's simply unbelievable that he's been able to do it so consistently. Thankfully Heidi grew some sense for once and called him out on it. I'm just shocked that she hadn't handed him back the ring before. I think she forgave him too quickly given all he's put her through but I have a feeling she might not be completely past it all just yet. She needs to realize that he just does not want to get married; plain and simple. Even if he's willing to elope, look at the fact that he doesn't want anyone to see them married or even his family to know or be there. That should be saying a lot to her but clearly she's doing whatever she can to ignore that. This is just a disaster of a relationship and I just hope they don't procreate.

Leaving Speidi aside, tonight Whitney got her game on! We haven't really seen her go after the guys too much so it was good to see her mackin' it with her trainer. Apparently the girls only go to this gym to get dates with their trainers. Personally I think this guy is a bit plain and boring but if Whitney likes him then more power to her. He does need to stop saying "Cheers" when they go out; that was getting a bit old after the first 8 times he said it. I was glad to see her getting out there and it was even funnier watching Lauren and Audrina cracking up while watching her play pool with him.

Things seem to be getting pretty interesting over there in The Hills. Enjoy every minute of it as the third and final season comes to a close soon. Until next week, enjoy the review!

How I Met Your Mother: Slapsgiving

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8PM ON CBS

This was a classic HIMYM episode and one of the best they've ever showcased. I was not one of the people enamored with the slapbet countdown clock. I thought it took away from the anticipation of the moment to give us a time when it was next going to occur. The last time Marshall used one of his slaps it came totally at random and was one of the funniest moments of last year. In the end though, the countdown actually worked out relatively well and the comedy of the moment was not lost; in fact it was damn funny!
The slapbet is one of the best comedic story lines on any show today and I doubt it will be surpassed for quite a while longer. Even better was the creation of "Slapsgiving." This is the greatest holiday ever, second only to "Chrismukkah." It was nice to see Lilly resume her role as Slapbet Commissioner. She takes the role so seriously (as is required) that I can't stop laughing while she ponders her rulings, although the postponement of the slapbet for the remainder of Thanksgiving was very much telegraphed and predictable. Although I was a bit annoyed at the postponement and the obvious attempt at building more suspense, it turned out alright so I can't be too upset. The saving grace for Slapsgiving was Marshall's surprising Slapsgiving song to commemorate the occasion. I swear I was laughing so hard that I started to cry during the song. The constant "oh oh oh's" from Barney, the lighters waving in the air, Robin's really old date waving a cell phone with the light on, and Marshall's wonderfully funny piano playing/song singing, are things I'm not likely to forget for a very long time.

A great side note to the whole Slapsgiving event was the buildup. Barney was so afraid of Marshall that I almost started to feel bad for him. Seriously, Marshall can be VERY creepy when he wants to be. When he starts talking in that low, deep voice and his eyes radiate evil, I really started to get creeped out myself so I'm sure Barney would be. Usually he's so put together though that you couldn't picture him like this. Definitely a nice change of pace and a new side of Barney that we got to see.
As for Robin and Ted, tonight was great! I love these two together and although I know they don't end up getting married I miss them. They really do have great chemistry together as actors and bring out the best in each other. I'm glad we finally started to see the awkwardness between them post-breakup that we weren't seeing before this. It's never easy going through a breakup but to have to hang out with your ex everyday is unimaginably hard. It was just a matter of time until they let loose and slept together again. They didn't breakup because they fought or didn't love each other anymore, so you had to know this was coming given the intensity of their feelings for each other. I personally love the fact that they slept together again. I'm hoping we get some more of them before the writer's decide to introduce someone new for Ted.

Speaking of awkward ex-situations, when Robin and Ted were alone making pies he threw out one of the best and most awkward comments of the night and the season: "Remember last Thanksgiving when we slept together 7 times?" So funny! By the way, while I'm mentioning the pie making, it was so wrong for Robin to have Ted making a pie for Bob. They might be friends but that's really a knife to gut.

I should mention something about the inside couple jokes. It is so true that couples have inside jokes that no one else ever gets but them. This joke I totally got but I definitely wouldn't have thought it was as funny as they did. Very good idea to come up with this joke; extremely insightful of them to notice how people tend to put military titles in front of innocuous statements.

Briefly, why in the world does Canada have Thanksgiving? I never knew the reason they celebrated it but that's the oddest reason to have a holiday than I've ever heard of.

Hopefully next week Robin won't be dating anymore really, really old guys. Truthfully he wasn't that old but watching an actual old guy make out with Robin (even if it was a figment of Ted's imagination) was disturbing. I could definitely do without that from now on. Anyways, I hope the greatness continues, as I have no doubt it will, so until next week, enjoy the review!