Pushing Daisies: Pigeon

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 8PM ON ABC

The show keeps getting better every week. I've noticed that lately I've been completely ignoring the quirkiness of this show; and not by chance mind you. The writers have done such a great job coming up with fun and interesting stories each week that it makes you forget that you're watching one of the more absurdly based shows on television. And I'm loving every minute of it.

Finally, this week presented Chuck and Ned with an obstacle to their relationship. While the whole "not being able to touch" thing has always been an obstacle, they've been ignoring it in a way. They've spent lots of time together, put their beds in the same room, used plastic wrap to kiss, and put a glass partition in the car so Chuck could sit in the front seat. But this week, another man entered Chuck's life. While Ned, Chuck and Emerson were investigating a death, Chuck slipped on a piece of debris and Conrad (a.k.a. Lemuel, as they later found out) caught her as she was falling. The ability to be physically touched resonated with Chuck and she found herself spending time with him while Ned was left helpless and jealous. This was the first real obstacle because for the first time Chuck realized she's going to have a VERY hard time going on without ever being able to touch Ned. While they got past this for the time being, we all know that this is going to come up again and next time they may not be able to just put on bee collecting suits and be alright. The thing I 100% agree with is that these two are just like every other couple; with the obvious touching exception. Chuck told Ned they still have so much to learn about each other and so many insecurities to conquer which makes them very normal. I agree and I think this realization will be what keeps them together for quite a while longer.

There's even more trouble looming in the person of Olive. Apparently, her love for Ned is beginning to take its toll and she wants to out Chuck to her aunts. She's even gone as far as suggesting to her aunts that they take a trip to the Pie Hole. There's no way their discovery of Chuck being alive could be anything but earth shattering for Ned. At this point, they would want answers and what could he tell them? Chuck wouldn't want to lie and any ounce of truth would ruin both Ned's life and the relationship with Chuck. Towards the end of the episode, Olive had a chance to permit the confrontation but didn't go through with it. She became friends with the aunts and doesn't want to hurt them. I have a feeling this won't last long though. Or at the very least her friendship with them will be dangerous; they're bound to bump into Chuck if they start spending more time with Olive.

Emerson had a couple great lines tonight. After failing to chase down Lemuel he tells Ned, "That one-armed bitch is speedy." And, when they caught Lemuel he says "Hand up!" and the police put one handcuff on his arm. Why did they feel they needed to even use the handcuffs if they only put it on his one real arm? Too funny.
I'm really starting to love this show and my bet is that you're all feeling the same way too. Until next week, enjoy the review!

Las Vegas: When Life Gives You Lemon Bars

ORIGINAL EPISODES, FRIDAYS @ 10PM ON NBC

First of all, I want to apologize to all of you who read my Las Vegas reviews each week. Last week I wasn't able to post a review and I'm very sorry for that. I started a new job this week and the hours were a bit odd. I got backed up and didn't have time to catch up on the reviews. Next week should be a lot better and I don't think I will be missing any more reviews.

As for this week, the episode was fantastic! Easily and by far the best episode of the new season with the revised and slightly reduced cast. Granted it had the usual element of criminal activity but in a slightly different twist this week. We don't normally see such attachment to the people involved in the criminal activity, except for maybe the dozen or so times Delinda has been kidnapped. I don't mean to say that our regular cast doesn't get involved with those that are a part of that week's criminal story but Mike was different this week. It was a deep love that attracted him to the situation and dictated his actions. Normally we see more detached involvement from the regular cast members. This was definitely a nice change of pace and it really had me sitting on the edge of my seat for a change.

Mike met a beautiful woman in a movie rental store who turned out to be his soul mate. Unfortunately for Mike, he tends to ruin his relationships by over thinking. Which, to no one's surprise, he did tonight when he ran a background check on Claudia. Turns out her name belonged to a child born at death almost 40 years earlier and her real name was Katie. Expectedly, Mike ended the relationship without asking for an explanation. At the same time, however, he found out that she was living with the assumed identity because her husband has been tracking her around the country and she's been on the run because he physically abuses her. So it turns out her feelings for Mike were real and she was just a good person caught up in a very bad situation. Needless, to say Mike came to her rescue. But I have to admit I doubted him for a while. When he assaulted the husband in the dark, bought a stolen gun, and went after the husband, I really thought he lost his cool and was going to do something terrible. Turns out I was very wrong and Mike knew what he was doing. He set the guy up so that it would appear he followed Mike, beat him up, and then drew the gun on him. When the L.V.P.D. arrived, the husband was arrested and Katie was free. Sadly though, the husband would only be in jail for a few years at best and Mike asked Cooper to help her disappear. It would be the only way she could have a life because when her husband got out of jail he would come looking for her again, starting in Vegas. It was extremely noble of Mike to let her go. I do hope he finds someone normal soon, he deserves it.

As for everyone else, there wasn't all that much excitement. Sam joined Cooper's rich man's poker game after Cooper lost her a big whale. After losing all the money, buying in and losing again (both times to Cooper) she bet her last valuable asset, a very old and rare coin worth over $120,000. Now, throughout the entire night I assumed Cooper's actions in driving away the whale were completely accidental. I did catch on to how he was playing the poker game, realizing that he was projecting his tell's in order to draw Sam in for a bigger hand down the line. What I didn't see coming was the entire day being a setup. Cooper wanted her in that game because he's a coin collector and was looking to get his hands on Sam's coin. It was a very nice play and well done. But this doesn't really make me a fan of Cooper. Why should a billionaire have to swindle someone else out of that coin? If he was noble he would just pay her for it. I'm starting to wonder what he's all about and if any of us should like him.

Meanwhile, Piper ran around the Montecito attempting to scare everyone with elaborate Halloween costumes. I thought the idea was cute and honestly, I did laugh every time she popped up in a new costume. I enjoy the little things sometimes.

As the title of the episode indicates, Lemon Bars were a big theme of tonight's episode. This was unfortunate because Delinda's storyline was generic Las Vegas and not very good. She hired a pregnant pastry chef she met at the doctor's office and she turned out to be quite insane. She was an excellent chef but couldn't listen to any of her employees or her boss. So Delinda spent the night trying to figure out how to get rid of her. As she was doing this, the chef had made Lemon Bars that were a big hit with all the cast members and customers which only infuriated Delinda even more. In the end, she got rid of the chef by pawning her off on an ex-boyfriend who treated her badly and was opening his own restaurant.

Maybe next week will keep up the theme of excellent storylines. This would be an interesting change for Las Vegas and could be it's ticket to another season. Only time will tell though and I'm hoping the show will be around for a little while longer at least.

Gossip Girl: The Handmaiden's Tale

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 9 PM ON THE CW

As much as I've said this show is at best a guilty pleasure (and I'm still sticking to my guns about that one), tonight's episode was slightly more quality than I have given it credit for in the past. I think a few things contributed to this. First, as I pointed out a few times already the Dan and Serena relationship is the foundation of the show. These two actors have done an amazing job together and have that rare chemistry we don't often see between actors and it's only gotten better with each passing episode. Moreover, the writing for these two seems to be significantly better than for the other characters and that's contributed to the draw of this couple. Second, the addition of Vanessa to the cast creating a sort of love triangle between Dan, Serena, and Vanessa is an interesting and intelligent twist. It would be too easy for Dan and Serena to become friends without any bumps in the road. Plus, it gives us a chance to see a different side to Dan now that he'll have a friend around to chill with. Lastly, the creation of the Jenny-Blaire dynamic has surprised me. I didn't see this one coming but I'm actually enjoy the power struggle between the queen and the princess. I still think Jenny should rethink her aspirations but if she's going to go for this life at least its been interesting for us to watch.

Tonight everyone attended the Masquerede Ball, albeit not everyone with invitations. If you watched the episode you pretty much know what happened but I would like to talk about Dan. He finally gets Serena and they basically established a relationship last week and the guy has to go off and test its stability right off the bat. There's nothing wrong with having a girl friend (yes, those two words are separate as I'm referring to Vanessa) and there's nothing wrong with having a past with that friend, so long as it's in the past. So why he had to lie to Serena on the phone made no sense to me. There's no way it would have jeopardized his chances of Serena asking him to the Ball. This resulted in all the confusion, lies, and hurt feelings throughout the rest of the episode. Thankfully, Dan told Serena and Vanessa the truth when it came down to it and they both forgave him. However, don't be too quick to think everything's all cheery and calm just yet. There's no way this triangle is done and I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of jealousy as Dan tries to balance his friendship and his girlfriend. What would be interesting would be if Serena and Vanessa became friends too...

I don't want to talk too much about Jenny yet except to repeat what I said above. I think he choice of lifestyle isn't the best and to emulate Blair is probably not the healthiest hobby. If she's going to do it though I don't mind as long as it stays as interesting as it has been the last couple episodes. As for Blair, she keeps preaching that she loves Nate yet she's so self-involved that she can't see he's struggling when it's staring her in the face. He's still a drag on the acting and pleasure of this show (as is Chuck for that matter) except his storyline is at least important to some other aspects of the show now that he's somewhat tolerable. I have a feeling that Nate's parents may send him to rehab before his father admits the drugs are his. This could end up being the end of the Blair-Nate relationship especially since he can't help going after Serena.

One last thing - I'm really starting to enjoy the Rufus and Lily relationship. They're actually pretty funny together. At first, I thought they were annoying and the situation was generic but it's actually turning out to be an interesting aspect of the show. Although, in the end I have to admit I'm rooting against them because it would be very weird to see Dan and Serena dating while their parents are dating at the same time. I don't know how much fun that would be.

So I guess I won't be seeing you again until the show comes back with a new episode on November 7th so leave some comments on what you think November Sweeps is going to bring for "Gossip Girl." With a full season pick up announced a couple weeks ago we can all sit back and enjoy the lifestyles of the rich and famous Upper East Sider's for the rest of the year. Until then, enjoy the review.

Damages: Because I Know Patty

SEASON 1 FINALE, TUESDAY @ 10PM ON FX

I'm speechless! Well, not quite; but I'm damn close. I haven't seen such incredible work since the early days of "The West Wing." In my opinion, the season finale of "Damages" ranks up there with some of the best episodes of television in history. Now, I know those are some pretty big words I'm throwing around but I wouldn't do so lightly. I understand the place a lot of the shows I like inhabit in the television world and I'm not naive to think that just because I happen to enjoy a show that it's automatically the best on television. But the truth is that tonight's episode (and for that matter, the entire season) is an example to the rest of Hollywood of what quality writing and acting should look like. No one could have predicted the twists and turns this show took. Further, the acting was superb and never once let us down. The most important quality this writing had, as opposed to other shows, is that the answers to all our questions weren't ridiculous, predictable, or generic. In fact, they were the complete opposite and surprisingly unique at every turn.

We went in to tonight with a lot of questions unanswered. I won't go into each question because at this point it doesn't matter; we know what happened! Finally too, I've been dying to know what was going on for so long. The main thing we learned tonight was that Patty tried to have Ellen killed!!! After everything we saw last week with Frobisher sending his men after the tape and Rick (the one with the beard) saying he went to Patty's apartment to look I had no doubt in my mind that it was Frobisher's man who attacked Ellen. But just as we were all wrong so many times this season, I was wrong about this. Apparently, Ellen's remark about regretting what they did a few weeks ago triggered Patty's desire to have her taken out. At the time, Patty did not regret it (and who knows if she truly does now or it's all still a charade) and felt that if she allowed Ellen to remain alive she would be a liability that could possibly get her thrown in jail someday. I just knew that Patty had this in her. She had Katies cat killed, blackmailed another lawyer, used Ellen over and over again, etc. etc. etc. She's NOT a good person even if she represents them. In the end, she's no better than Frobisher.

Surprisingly and not so surprisingly, Patty has a past we didn't know about until tonight. About 35 years ago she gave birth to a still born daughter. Clearly she's still distraught about it and maybe that's even what caused her to be so cold and hard resulting in the person we see today. Either way, it seems she finally came to feel like Ellen was sort of a daughter to her. This would explain why she went to the grave after she put the attack on Ellen into motion and also why she told Ellen that she regretted everything and wanted a second chance with her. It's an interesting twist and at the end of the episode we find out it's a fortuitous one for Ellen.

So Ellen knew all along that Patty tried to have her killed. Personally I thought she used that as an excuse to get her to defend her but man was I wrong. The big news is that this knowledge is useful as Ellen has been recruited by the F.B.I. to take Patty down. Apparently, they've been investigating Patty for years on the suspicion that she uses illegal, unethical, and criminal tactics to win her cases. No surprise there. I'm glad Mr. Nye turned out to be working with them and not for one of the bad guys or Frobisher. As it stands at the end of the season finale, Ellen agreed to work with the F.B.I. because Patty tried to have her killed, Mr. Nye is in on the investigation as well and knew about it before Ellen even accepted the job, Patty wants a second chance to be a good person to Ellen and now she's going back to work for Patty to keep an eye on her, and Frobisher was left for dead in the middle of a field.

It appears that we will be seeing Patty, Ellen, Tom, Pete, Patty's husband and son next season. The question marks are Frobisher (did he die?), Katie, and Lila. I have to believe Lila's storyline isn't over. She went to all that trouble to stalk David and sneak in and out of the apartment, so how could him throwing her out be the end? Granted David was killed but she may go after Ellen, who knows. I just don't think that could be the end to that storyline.

How ironic that the videotape incriminating Frobisher and the one he had his men kill David for was actually hidden in the murder weapon. Extremely ironic and a testament to the genius of this show. Exactly how things will play out from here who knows. I have a feeling this year's case will be over next year and Frobisher may actually be dead. In that case, the District Attorney will have no leverage against him and may help land Patty in jail instead. My one disappointment in the whole episode was the twist about Rick being a detective in the NYPD and removing the flashlight from the crime scene before Ellen could find it. That went a bit too far in my opinion and the writers were trying to get too flashy and creative.

The two best scenes of the season were in tonight's episode. First, was the scene with Ted Dansen and Glenn Close in his New York apartment when she came to show him the videotape that Gregory left behind. As Patty was leaving Frobisher asked her in a quiet, desperate voice "Why do you hate me so much?" Patty turned, looked at him with almost a sly sort of smile and walked out. Second, was Ellen's attendance at David's funeral. After everyone left she broke down and knelt beside his coffin as if she were sitting next to him on a bed. She gently pushed her hand against the wood and sat there crying. These two scenes were incredible and really hit home with the emotional undertones the writers were trying to convey.

If you haven't watched this season or only saw a few episodes you must rent, buy or netflix the season as soon as it comes out. I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment and I can't wait for the second season. Hopefully we won't have to wait until next July. Until next season, keep leaving comments and let me know if you find out any spoilers I may be interested in.

Heroes: Fight or Flight

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 9PM ON NBC

In my opinion this was a decent episode but not one of "Heroes" best. We had a lot of the usual suspicion and mysterious activity. The thing that made this episode fun though was the emergence of two new Heroes - Kristen Bell as Ellie, who has the power to eject electricity from her body; and Monica, who has the power to mimic muscle movements that she sees. Personally, I like Monica's power better than Ellie's. While Ellie has a cool power and all, Monica can do all sorts of really cool new things such as the tomato flowers, the ninja moves, and pretty much anything else that she watches first. I am a bit skeptical on how Micah figured out Monica's power so fast. True, he's a genius but how could he know what was going on after only witnessing her surprising piano playing? I think the writer's dropped the ball on that one.

Elsewhere, it was a big night for Matt and Nathan. They went to see Matt's father together and it appeared to be a dead end when he convinced them he was a good guy just trying to protect himself from the guy whose out to kill everyone in the picture. Unfortunately for them Matt's father is actually the guy they were after but they weren't able to figure it out until it was too late. Somehow his father can not only read minds like Matt but his abilities have matured and he can place people into prisons in their mind which it appears can result in their deaths. Thankfully Matt was able to get him and Nathan out of their heads and back to reality. If he hadn't been able to control it they may have ended up killing each other. I wonder if Matt will be able to develop his abilities into the same as his fathers and if so, how long until he does? It could be a huge tool in their fight if he could do that. I wonder what exactly his father's end goal is though? He didn't give much, if anything, away when they spoke with him and he appears to care about no one, not even his own son. I have to believe he isn't working alone and if that's true then, who else is involved in his plans? This is very important and I'm looking forward to finding out more.

Outside these characters, the only one we really need to discuss from last night's episode is Peter. He got much closer to figuring out his past and more of his abilities are starting to come out. While at Caitlin's apartment he channelled Isaac's power and painted himself and Caitlin on a street corner in what appeared to be Montreal; the very same city to which he found an open plane ticket in his personal belongings. What exactly is in Montreal is a huge mystery but we can't forget that we're still also trying to find out how Peter survived and ended up in the shipping container? Also, why is Ellie looking for him and how did she and her father (whoever he is) know he was alive? Tonight's episode certainly set us up for some very interesting questions to be answered soon.

On a side note I should mention Nikki and Hiro. Nikki turned herself in to The Company because she's given up on trying to control her powers. She can't deal anymore and she wants them to fix her any way they can. I have to imagine this isn't going to work out and some way or another she'll end up keeping them and eventually controlling them. As for Hiro, he's still in Feudal Japan but the end to his narrative he left Ando in the sword was too badly damaged to read and could hold the key to Hiro's survival. I'm sure he survived but maybe he got hurt very badly and can't come back for now? Who knows, it really could be just about anything.As for Suresh, he apparently is supposed to bring Monica in to the company. Let's hope he doesn't and figures out she's watching Micah before it's too late. Until next week folks, enjoy the review!

Chuck: Chuck Versus The Sizzling Shrimp

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8PM ON NBC

Wow, alright then. I don't really know where to go with this review. If there was something to talk about that really mattered I feel like it would just come to me. After letting the episode sit for a bit, I still don't know what's all that important that needs to be discussed. While not a bad episode, it was sort of a middle of the road, filling the weeks type episode. Nothing huge in terms of character development occurred unless you want to count Ellie and Morgan calling it a truce, but even these two characters and their feuding weren't all that important to show.

Since I don't have too much to mention, lets start with tonight's mission. Chuck saw a Chinese military operative in his favorite Chinese restaurant and this led to the mission to capture her. As it turned out they ran into the Triad and figured out that the operative was in the U.S. to save her brother who was kidnapped by the Triad. We got to watch Chuck spend the night trying to balance his personal life and his secret-spy life yet disappointing his family and friends the whole way. In the end, Ellie and Morgan met him halfway and he finally found a way to be there for everyone in his life.

Ellie and Chuck have a special tradition where they celebrate their own form of Mother's Day. The day their mother left them all alone they had to stick together and fend for themselves. Since that day, they've celebrated it every year as the day they came together to survive. Unfortunately, Chuck missed the plans because he was off being a spy. He also missed his plans with Morgan who he was supposed to help become a better salesman to prevent his boss from firing him. I didn't mind the scenarios the writer's came up with to create family drama for Chuck but the Mother's Day scenario was easily the best. It was interesting to see a deeper side to his relationship with Ellie.

We didn't get much progress on the Sarah front. She's definitely falling for the deeper, softer side of Chuck. When he told her about the Mother's Day tradition and Ellie invited her, you could tell it hit her hard and she started to realize how much she cares for Chuck. She's starting to really like him rather than just pretending to as their cover.

By the way, Sizzling Shrimp? I'm interested to find out if that's even a real dish. I love shrimp but I don't know how great that looked.

Hopefully next week we'll get some more to talk about but overall I thought it was an enjoyable episode if nothing else. Keep watching, let me know what you think, and enjoy the review.

Journeyman: The Legend of Dylan McCleen

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 10PM ON NBC

Unfortunately for all of us "Journeyman" fans, our beloved new show isn't faring to well in the ratings despite excellent episodes the last few weeks. Monday was no exception; we had a great all around episode and another slip in the ratings. The only encouraging news is that the new ratings demonstrate that many viewers are recording "Journeyman" and watching it within 24 hours of the original airing. Whether this saves the show or not is still a question up in the air but for my part I hope the show is given a chance before it gets the customary quick axe from NBC.

Last night, Dan travelled back in time to help Dylan McCleen complete what he set out to do. At first, it appeared Dylan was a robber and criminal who formerly served in the U.S. Marines. It turns out he did serve but he was stealing money and engaging in criminal activity for an important reason. While serving overseas in Malaysia, a local family saved his life and kept him safe. He vowed that he would find a way to get that family into America but it would cost a lot of money to do that. This led to his robbing a plane that was carrying a very large amount of money. This is where Dan comes in. He had to help Dylan find the father of the family who he was able to get into America but then lost contact with and then help him to get the rest of the family. As usual Dan was able to do this but not without the regular bumps in the road along the way.

Lucky for Dan, Dylan was very generous. Apparently, he only needed a small portion of the money to get the family to America and gave Dan the rest as a thank you. How is this good for Dan (besides the obvious)? He mentioned earlier in the episode that he wasn't able to buy old currency because it was too expensive and this was affecting his ability to accomplish his goals when he traveled back. Now he won't have that problem for a very long time. Plus he was able to use some of it to buy 49ers tickets for his son, Zack, to make up for missing the game they were supposed to go to.

Speaking of Zack, he's the first person to actually see Dan travel back in time. This was huge and I have to believe it's going to have serious repercussions down the road. How could he be the first to see and not have a bigger role to play from now on? Maybe he has something to do with the reason it's all happening or maybe he's supposed to take over for his father when he gets older. We may get a better idea what role he's going to play in all this as we see more episodes but for now all we can really do is speculate about what this could mean.

Dr. Langley also made a visit tonight and claims that maybe he was trying to call Dan's father when Dan's phone rang in 1988. Still, this makes no sense. Even if he was trying to call Dan's father why would Dan's cell phone ring? He's definitely hiding something and Dan should follow up on it rather than take this man's posturing at face value. It was really cool watching Dan meet his father. Wouldn't you like to be able to live moments by traveling back in the past that you never got to live before? I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of his father on the trips but for now I think this was good for Dan. It reminded him how bad of a father his dad was and it was a kick in the butt to start working harder to be there for his own family.

Lastly, Livia needs to start dropping some more information. It's really starting to get annoying that she knows a lot but refuses to let anything slip. Give us at least a little something to go on here. The one thing that's bugging me about Livia has a lot less to do with her and a lot more to do with Dan. Why has Dan not told Katie that Livia never died? Katie is under the impression that the only Livia he sees is the past-Livia not the I-Never-Died Livia. Granted Dan said that she does what he does but I don't know if Katie really understands what this all means. If she knows its the actual present day Livia, just traveling back then too she might be a bit more angry.

Keep watching and get your friends into it too. We don't want to have to start a letter writing campaign to NBC begging to save the show. It'll be much easier if we all just watch. The show is definitely increasing the quality of writing as well as the acting and is consistently bringing us good storylines now. My recommendation is too keep watching or start watching if you haven't tried it yet. Until next week, enjoy the review.

The Big Bang Theory: The Hamburger Postulate

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8:30PM ON CBS

Okay, so although I was exaggerating a bit last week it seems that "The Big Bang Theory" really is turning into a "Roseanne" reunion. In consecutive episodes we saw Sarah Gilbert (formerly Darlene), Laurie Metcalf (formerly Jackie), and Sarah Gilbert again last night. Not that I'm complaining or anything. Both of them have been incredible and really brought a lot to the show. The one thing I like is that "The Big Bang Theory" hasn't fallen into the "Will & Grace" trap where they get so caught up in just having guest stars that they forget to back the appearances quality. Sarah and Laurie's characters have been both funny and deep which is a formula for success on any comedy and even more so when you're trying to establish your show in its first season.

As I mentioned above, we had another visit from Sarah Gilbert, Leslie, last night. If you remember, she's Leonard's co-worker at the lab and two episodes ago they kissed in order to determine if they should even bother going on a date; for if there are no sparks in the kiss which is the ultimate determinative of the success of the date then there's no need for the date to begin with. Tonight though she wanted to practice playing orchestra pieces with Leonard and was turned on by his skill. This excitement ended up in the two of them sleeping together while Sheldon nervously enlisted Penny's help to figure out what he should do while they were locked in Leonard's room listening to Bryan Adams. This was absolutely hilarious and really shows just how immature and sheltered Sheldon is and has been his whole life. His sarcasm his too funny but I find his naive attitudes towards relationships with women that much funnier.

So, Leonard hooked up with Leslie but the big story of the night was Penny's reaction. She played it all cool with Sheldon when he dragged her over to the apartment but you could tell that she was definitely jealous. She might be pretty and popular but she seems to think Leonard may be too good for her. She's appears to be just as scared and insecure about her feelings as if the tables were reversed (she were the nerd and he was the hot one). I think it's a nice twist to see her being the one whose insecure rather than Leonard who we would expect to the be the only one feeling that way.

Great all around episode with many funny moments. Sheldon's hamburger decision at the restaurant was great! - who wouldn't want a Big Boy Burger if they could get one? Hopefully we'll see more of Leslie here and there even if she's "good until at least New Year's."

How I Met Your Mother: How I Met Everyone Else

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8PM ON CBS

The gang over at "How I Met Your Mother" gave us the "How I Met Everyone Else" show tonight. Ted met a woman online while playing "World of Warcraft" (an online role playing game) and invited her to meet everyone at the bar. So the writers used this as a good opportunity to show us how everyone met all those years ago. Robin's story we all know and so we didn't get all that much on her but the backstories to Ted and Barney, Ted and Lilly, Lilly and Marshall, and Marshall and Barney were hilarious! Easily the best was Ted and Lilly but a close second was Ted and Barney.

They almost got me I have to admit. I honestly believed that Ted and Lilly made out the night before she met Marshall. Not that I could ever see the two of them together but I really did think this was exactly the kind of thing HIMYM would bring us. Something totally out of the blue and almost ridiculous that we could never have expected yet at the same time can't help but laugh at. The absurdity of Lilly and Ted's kiss at the dorm party and the fact that she felt drawn to his room the next morning not knowing why because she had been drunk the night before was damn funny and I wish it had turned out to be true. Unfortunately, Ted made out with a different girl that night and at their 20 year college reunion we officially found out Ted's version of that night was wrong. I thought we might get a glimpse of Ted's wife at the reunion but they snubbed us again and even Ted wanted to know, "where's my wife?" Very nicely done.

Now Ted meeting Barney was classic and AWESOME. Only Barney could start a friendship after beginning a totally random and ridiculous conversation with a stranger while they were both using the urinals. The best part though was that it seems their relationship was exactly as it is now from the very start. Barney tried to use Ted as his wing man to pick up a woman by telling her Ted was his deaf brother. Unbeknownst to Barney, the woman he was trying to pick knew sign language and tried signing to Ted. Even more hilarious, was that Ted knew sign language too and spoke to the woman who then gave her number to Barney. So that's how they started off, Ted as Barney's wing man; or so Barney thought. In fact, Ted told the girl that Barney was crazy and she should give him a fake telephone number. Classic Barney-Ted moment. Love it.

Meanwhile, Marshall and Lilly's story was extremely boring. How could it not be actually? As Ted told us, when couples are together for as long as them the story becomes rehearsed and a bit cheesy. This was 100% accurate and the only thing that saved it from being a drag on the episode was it's connection to Ted's version of meeting Lilly for the first time. It was so boring in fact, I don't think we really need to rehash it here.

As for Robin, thank you (writers) for finally bringing her back to the group and not sending her off on random boring dates. I've been saying all season that she's only funny when she's in the group and tonight proved me right. Her awkward conversations with Ted's online friend were hilarious. I especially liked her description of Ted's sex life. If you want to know what she said watch the episode and I promise you'll laugh. I just hope this wasn't a fluke. The writers should stick with this week's idea and keep her around everyone else from now on.

Couple things I want to point out real fast: 1) Ted should never, ever, ever grow back a gotee; it was terrible! 2) Barney's graph about online women was freakin hilarious! You have a graph of Crazy vs. Hot and the Vicky Mendoz Diagonal below which the girl is too crazy to date and above which is so hot that you ignore the crazy. I also like his mention of the Shelly Galesby Zone which was a crazy zone dedicated especially to the insanity exhibited by a women he once hooked up with. 3) Ted's use of "eating a sandwich" as a substitute for smoking pot when talking to his kids was funny if only because it was totally random watching them all eat sandwiches at random times during the college scenes.

Great episode and definitely a classic format of HIMYM. We had a lot of laughs mixed in with flashbacks and flashforwards. I feel like the producers have finally established a consistent and pervasive vision for the direction of the show and it's showing. I feel more on track in one direction than I have in the past and it's really working. Until next week, enjoy the review.

The Hills: No More Mr. Nice Guy

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 10PM ON MTV

All in all, not too much happened this week. My usual review is long and I generally leave some things out so you're not reading an essay on life in Los Angeles but there's not too much to talk about this week. We basically only have a couple things I think we need to address: Lauren's love life and Speidi's deteriorating relationship. Both seem to be in a state of flux and both seem to learning some new things.

To start, Lauren's love life is starting to pick up. Ever since she surprised Brody in Vegas for his birthday it's been a big question whether or not the two of them would hook up again or possibly even start dating. They've gone out and it appeared to be on dates but this week Lauren seemed to put any questions to rest when she said she had no feelings for Brody at the beach house. On top of that, she gave her number to a model she met at a Teen Vogue audition and invited him to the beach house where she knew Brody would be hanging out. So it seems that Lauren may have thought she was just hanging out with a friend when she and Brody went out together. Too bad for Brody, he seems to have thought much differently. He was incredibly jealous of Lauren's date, Gavin, despite constantly denying any jealously whatsoever.

Lauren also seemed to be genuinely into Gavin; then again not everything is what it seems to be. So Lauren went out for sushi with Gavin a few days later but according to her there were no sparks. When she arrived home she immediately called Brody and he invited himself over to "watch a movie." You could tell from her smiling that Lauren wanted him to come over and is definitely into him more than she leads on. The biggest tip off though was when Brody asked what movie she was watching and she said "does it really matter?" Hmmm, I think Lauren might have some intense feelings for Brody after seeing what a boring date is like. I guess we'll find out next week if she really does like him or she's just settling for second best.

As for Speidi, it appears there may be trouble in paradise. Well, that's if hell can be considered a beach in the Bahamas. I never thought I'd see the day that Heidi not only found a flaw in Spencer but actually acknowledged its' existence. The seeds for their confrontations last night were planted weeks ago and Heidi finally called him out on not having a job. Granted he had to push her over the edge with his constant complaining about her job and the hours. But at least it finally happened. Spencer is a bum; he's spoiled and lives off his parents money so what does she actually expect from him? And I have to ask, what exactly is Spencer expecting from Heidi when he keeps surprising her with plans? If you know she's working hard then he shouldn't expect to be able to pull her out of her job. You can't show up at her office mid-day with no warning and expect that she can walk out for lunch. The real world doesn't work that way but apparently Spencer doesn't live in the real world (not that we didn't know this LONG ago). I wonder though whether Heidi will follow through on her feelings or just put them on the back burner and ignore them like she always does.

A few things I liked last night: The looks Whitney gave Lauren after she gave her number to Gavin; very funny and I really like their friendship. They genuinely care about each other and it's good to see. I also loved Lo's comment about Gavin at the barbeque when Lauren said he was cooking for everyone not just her, "But he's cookin' for you..."

Decent episode but not the most drama filled we've seen. Personally, I like the break from all the yelling and screaming. It's nice to see Lauren with a chance to be happy or at least giving herself that chance. See you all next week, I can't wait to see if Lauren and Brody get together or if Spencer gets in the middle once again.

Brothers & Sisters: States Of The Union

ORIGINAL EPISODES, SUNDAYS @ 10PM ON ABC

Still one of my favorites. While the intensity and fast-paced storylines are slowing down, this show remains one of the best prime time television shows. The Walker Clan is still in a state of flux as everyone's lives appear to be dropping off a cliff simultaneously; with the exception of maybe Kevin which is relatively stable for a change. Here's where we currently stand: Kitty's relationship with Robert is being put to the test every week as a result of his presidential campaign (including a visit from his ex-wife), Justin returned from Iraq and had to go back on pills in order to get through rehab despite being addicted to these pills twice before, Julia took the baby and left Tommy because she decided she blames him for Williams death leaving Tommy without any time frame on when she might come home, Sara is now going through a divorce despite wanting to give it another shot because her husband not only kissed her half-sister but got back together with his ex-wife, Saul is gay and refuses to come out, Kevin is remaining faithful to his boyfriend who is in Malaysia on a mission for the church, and Nora is attempting to juggle everyone's problems all at once.

Well, the family is basically falling apart and no one more than Tommy. I feel absolutely awful for him right now. Granted Sara's marriage is falling apart too but at least she knows where she stands and can still see her kids. Tommy though has no idea what's going to happen with his wife or his child. Not only that but they left to stay with Julia's parents in Arizona! He can't even see his newborn child. Julia is being beyond selfish and blaming him for something that is NOT his fault. I couldn't imagine having to go through anything like this and I hope she gives him some answers soon. The problem now though is that her move and not returning any of his calls for weeks led directly to Tommy's affair with Lina. Now, Julia's actions are inexcusable but this is unforgivable. No matter what happens he shouldn't be having an affair. I'm wondering if maybe Lina and Rebecca are friends for a reason. They both seem to like making moves on married men. Holly was absolutely right - for now it was a mistake but after this it's a choice and it's wrong! He needs to go after his family and stop messing around with his secretary.

Meanwhile, Kevin is remaining faithful to his boyfriend but found out from his ex, Scotty (who he is friends with now so maybe he won't be faithful for long), that Saul attended an all gay men party. Kevin believes Saul is gay and asking him straight out for an answer. Unfortunately, Saul just can't bring himself to admit it and lied straight to Kevin's face numerous times. It's sad because he might have a happier life if he can admit the truth at least to himself. I think Kevin has a right to be a bit annoyed with Saul since his father gave him such a hard time when he came out and Saul never said a word to support him in front of his father. I have a feeling this story isn't over and the truth is going to come out sooner rather than later.

Kitty had a bit of an interesting night also. She found a prenuptual agreement in Robert's office which prompted her to go into her usual panic about commitment and relationships. Thankfully Nora talked her down at the end of the episode and made her realize that in reality Robert may have many good reasons for a prenup, having nothing to do with Kitty. It was sweet of Robert to tell Kitty that he trusts her and it was only the lawyers who drew it up to protect him. I think it was a bit of a lie though because it had to have crossed his mind at least once given his recent divorce. I think the writers need to give these two a break for a couple episodes. We used to see the fun side to their relationship but now all we're seeing is drama each week. Every once in a while we need to be reminded why we like a couple and this is a good time for the writers to start doing that.

Well, well, well. Justin turned out to be right. He's addicted to pills again and worse than that, no one in the family realizes it. Rebecca did but she fell for the oldest trick in the book where the addict turns the situation around of the accuser and gets away with it. She needs to tell someone what she saw before it's too late. My big question is, where did he get the extra pills? The pills he's taking can't be the prescription Nora got because they would notice. So where did all the others come from? Is someone slipping them to him? A friend maybe? We'll see more in the coming weeks and I'm sure things will be getting much worse.

The Walker Family will always be going crazy but I really hope we can have a happy episode sometime soon. It would be nice to see everything going well at least for a night. Until next week, enjoy the review.