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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The Real World Sydney: The Grilled Cheese Incident

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 10PM ON MTV

Craziness ensues when women get drunk. This was the theme of the last couple episodes and very much so during tonight's. The women of the Real World house are just insane! Other than Kelly Anne I really don't think any of them are within a thousand miles of rational and I'm not even sure Kelly Anne is all that rational. Basically the situation is this: Trisha has a boyfriend; Trisha decides she likes Alex (a native Australian); Parisa also likes Alex; Parisa doesn't care about Trisha's feeling towards him because she has a boyfriend back at home; Alex plays Trisha and Parisa against each other with loads of sweet talk; Parisa makes out with Alex; Trisha then makes out with Alex; Parisa then makes out with him again...then all hell ensues.

The true issue here is beyond me because neither one of them has said any one thing consistently. I don't think they have any idea why their fighting other than that its based on the childish claims that he was theirs first. The only thing that makes any sense to me is that Trisha has a boyfriend. As I spoke about last week, I get that she saw Alex first and had feelings for him but that doesn't entitle her to any claim when she has a boyfriend that she says she loves and wants to marry. How can she then claim that Alex is hers and no one else can touch him? If she feels this upset then maybe she doesn't love her boyfriend as much as she says. It doesn't mean Parisa is the bad guy; if anything Trisha is the one in the wrong because she cheated on her boyfriend and is holding Parisa responsible for her guilt. The girl needs to get her feelings straight and figure them out before she goes after anyone else.

Speaking of lunatics, Shauvon showed her true colors tonight. First off, she needs to just back off and stay out of everyones business. It's not helping that she's throwing around her opinions in an already volatile situation. Second, what is her problem? Parisa never said anything about her or even got in her face about anything. In fact, for all we've seen, Parisa has been a good friend to her and kept her mouth shut even when Shauvon was going at her. Now, I won't pretend to believe Parisa is innocent in all this but this fight is not Shauvon's. On top of all that Shauvon then goes after Cohutta when he rightfully stood up for Parisa who was doing nothing to her at all. She went beyond nuts and even threw a glass at Cohutta which is beyond alright. Clearly she has some issues and needs to grow up A LOT! I thought she was cool when the show started but not so much anymore.

There's a couple more points I'd like to make. Was it me or was Trisha denying making out with Alex at the end of the episode? You know she's messed up in the head when she can't even admit out loud what she did. She knows she did it, we know she did it, the roommates know she did it but somehow she's trying to argue that she didnt do it. Whats up with that? Parisa might have tried to use a better word than slut when yelling at her, but is it that far off? She did cheat on her boyfriend and is still trying to get with the Alex. So is Parisa really that wrong.

Also, Parisa can be damn stupid. If you know you're drunk dialing then you're not drunk! No one who drunk dials knows that what they're doing is wrong at the time. That's the whole reason why there's a term for doing it. I think she pretended to be drunk so she would have an excuse to call Alex which is just pathetic. Also, she was pretty slutty herself when she dragged Alex into the bathroom at the bar.

Basically this was craziness and apparently it continues next week. Hopefully, the girls can work this stuff out and realize that Alex is playing both of them. It seems Parisa is starting to catch on but I doubt she'll back down as long as Trisha is coming after her. I liked the episode (craziness is always fun on the Real World) but I still want some Kelly Anne and Cohutta news. I caught a few glimpses of them flirting around the house so I think they might still be hooking up. Maybe we'll find out more next week...

House: 97 Seconds

ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 9PM ON FOX

The numbers are getting old, so thanks House for letting the fellows take them off. But the team idea is definitely NOT getting old. This weeks patient provided the perfect opportunity for House to divide the fellows into teams once again. This time House knew the diagnosis before he split them up; otherwise it wouldn't be fair to the patient. To use him as a guinea pig without knowing what was wrong with him would unfairly risk his life as Cuddy nicely pointed out. The whole episode we weren't exactly sure if House knew the diagnosis but in the end it turns out he did; one of the fellows just dropped the ball big time.

Olivia Wilde (formerly of "The O.C.") plays Thirteen (her number), possibly the brightest and most adept fellow of the group. She is always quick with a diagnosis and generally has great instincts as well. Unfortunately she messed up BIG TIME. She came up with the correct diagnosis but didn't watch the patient take the pills that would have made him better. The pills fell on the floor and rather than getting better the patient deteriorated and eventually died. If not for her slip up the fellows and House would not have concentrated on coming up with a new diagnosis and he may have lived. Sadly, the dog ended up eating the pills and died with his owner, the patient. I have to give Olivia credit. She didn't do the best acting job on "The O.C." and so I was expecting her to be terrible. Instead, she has shown great talents and an ability to adapt to an entirely new character. She is by far one of the best actors in the entire group of fellows and she fits in perfectly on this show. I'm hoping she'll be around for quite a while and since House didn't fire her despite her mistake it appears that she will be.

Favorite moments: 1) House calling the annoying fellow the "cut throat bitch; 2) House setting up a tribal counsel to fire half the fellows - this was absolutely hilarious!; 3) Chase standing up to House at the end of the episode and Cameron just smiling at House afterwards.

I thought it was interesting to see Foreman in the same role as House in the New York hospital. Unlucky for him his boss there doesn't tolerate the same sort of insubordination as Cuddy. I think what Foreman didn't realize is that he would need to establish himself as one of the foremost doctors in the country before he could start defying direct orders from his superior. This will probably leave the door open for his return to ____ Hospital. In what role? Who knows. I doubt he would go back to work with House but you never know.

While all this is going on House is struggling with the idea of whether there is an after-life. A patient of his had a near death experience and claims to have seen a life after death in the 97 seconds that he was technically dead. To "relive" that moment he stick a knife into an electrical socket at the hospital, which as it turns out, kills him. Now you know House can't be upstaged and with his patient believing so deeply that what he saw was real House decided he should stick a knife in the electrical socket also. Whether he saw something or not he wouldn't say. Maybe Wilson will get it out of him somewhere down the road.

This was more of a funny episode than anything else. The patients disease wasn't all that interesting since the first diagnosis turned out to be correct. Although the green blood was very weird. Good show overall, great acting, and it left a door open for Foreman's return so all-in-all not too shabby.

Heroes: Kindred

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 9PM ON NBC

While not the best ever, this was definitely the best episode for the second season of "Heroes." I think for the most part though this show has lost steam since around the middle of last season. I can't quite put my finger on it but the suspense just isn't the same. Including some fight scenes and a greater use of their powers might keep the audience more intrigued. Unfortunately, the storylines alone are just not cutting it. We need a little more to watch or else I think "Heroes" is going to start to see a big drop in viewership. In reality this is actually starting to take place as the show saw a significant drop in viewers last week.

The best part of the first three episodes has been Peter. They've showed his powers a lot more than the others and the mystery surrounding his disappearance and reappearance have created great suspense. We know the boc contains his identity, too bad love is keeping him from opening it. It was obvious that he would fall for her but not wanting to know who he is, is a dumb move. The guy clearly has a lot to work out so how could ignoring his past make any of it better? I have a feeling his past will catch up with him sooner rather than later and he'll be forced to remember who he was.

Nothing new to report on the Maya and Alejandro front. They're still trying to get to America and still can't manage to stay together for more than a couple hours. Really though, how hard is it for two people to stay together? Every episode they find new and ridiculous ways to be separated and each time she ends up killing or almost killing more people. It's getting a little old, the writers need to move on with some new stuff or no one is going to care what they're doing.

Finally, Niki is back with Micah. I was wondering when they would finally show up. Again, not much to report here but clearly there's going to be a lot to talk about with Niki since she decided to work with the company so she could be cured. They never do anything out of the goodness of their hearts so their consideration in return will be interesting.

Sylar is alive! Well, I'm not actually that surprised since they told us in last week's scenes from the next episode. They have to stop doing that; it would have been much better for us to find out on our own this week. What exactly is wrong with him though? He got stabbed in the chest but how could this get rid of his powers and prevent him from getting new ones? There's a lot of questions about Sylar, the biggest of which is who performed eight surgeries on him and why would they want him alive? It's nice to see him powerless for a change. The same old story with him attacking and killing others is old now. We need something new to keep us interested.

Meanwhile, Claire seems to be enjoying herself now that she found out West has a secret of his own - he can fly! Nice to see her happy for a change. But man does she move fast...she finds out his secret and just a few minutes later they're making out on the beach. Too bad the happiness won't last too long. As it turns out her father, Noah, tagged West a couple years back and he remembers who did it to him. She won't be able to keep her father a secret and eventually it could bring down everything they set up in California.

As for Parkman and Suresh, they're basically just still taking care of Molly and surveilling the Company from the inside. The one big thing that happened with them tonight was Suresh's discovery of the eighth painting. It shows Noah dead after being shot through the eye and some man holding Claire. Who he is and how this future comes about is still a mystery though and it appears finding out what comes in between will be the theme of this season.

Lastly, we find out more about Hiro's trip to Feudal Japan from a note he left Ando in the Kensei sword. Hiro has done everything right as he tried to get Kensei back on the path of a hero, that is until he fell in love with Kensei's future wife. It was a big mistake for him to stay in Feudal Japan for her when doing so could change every one's future's; it was selfish and shows that Hiro is still very immature. I'm still not sure how much I like the Hiro in Feudal Japan stuff but if he changes the past, and in turn the future, it could get interesting. Until next week...

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Damages: I Hate These People

ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 10PM ON FX

Unbelievable!! If you've never watched this show before last night's episode is why this show is so great. Just when you think you have a handle on things they throw about twenty curve balls at you and turn the story upside down. This was probably one of the best episodes of television I've seen in a while and next week could be even better.

Ray killed himself! There's no possible way to know that the blood spot on Patty's shoe could have come from that and thus it turned every conspiracy theory from last week on its head. Although, now that I think about it there were definitely signs that Ray was heading down this path. For weeks now he's been losing it and slipping deeper into a depression. I think the last straw was Gregory's murder and the fact that everything they did was finally coming out. For Patty's part I think it's pretty obvious just how horrible she can be. She gets the information on Ray's insider trading and instead of revealing it (which would have been the right thing to do) she tries to blackmail him into subverting justice by tanking the trial. More than that, she tries to hire him after he does this.

The problem now is that if the blood on Patty's shoe wasn't from David, Ellen's attacker, or Ellen then who was involved? I think the way it's shaping up we're going to see that David was killed by Lila or by one of Frobisher's men. The scenes for next week show David watching Gregory's video tape and if Frobisher finds out he has it he'll probably do anything to get it back and silence whoever watched it. This could be how David ends up dead and it could also explain the attack on Ellen. Maybe Frobisher sent someone there to silence Ellen but more likely he wanted to kill Patty if he thought she saw the tape too. Don't forget about Lila though. She continuously enters the apartment and stalks both Ellen and David. She could very well be the killer especially since we saw David yelling at her on the phone to leave him alone.

I think the end of the case and whether Frobisher is involved in the attacks/murders are intertwined. I don't know if we're ever going to see a courtroom conclusion to the case. Maybe that's for season two. Maybe though something will happen to him before the end of this season if he ends up being involved in everything.

You have to applaud Ellen for sticking up for herself. She's had so many opportunities in this episode to go back to work for Patty but thankfully she's smart enough to realize who Patty really is. She turned down the job offer and the money; very hard to do but smart. You don't want to be in Patty's debt. I question her helping out with the case because it keeps her near Patty but I guess if she was the only one who could talk to George Moore it made sense. She is very idealistic when it comes to lawyers and clients. Honestly though, did she expect Mr. Nye to give her a job when she walked out of the job offer at the beginning of the season to work for Patty? Ellen may be brilliant but when you do that to a law firm they won't welcome you back with open arms any time soon, if ever.

Next week should be amazing. It's all going to come together and I can't wait to see how it all fits in the end. The best part is that next week is NOT the season finale! There are two more episodes left in the season, so we should be getting a lot more before we say goodbye to season one. Throw down some conspiracy theories and let me know how crazy mine sound. See you next week.

Chuck: Chuck Versus The Tango

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8PM ON NBC

Average. That pretty much describes this episode. Not much changed since last week with the exception that we had a bit more buildup in sexual tension between Chuck and Sarah. I've found that their relationship is what keeps my attention the most during each episode. The two of them have a great chemistry as actors and this is readily apparent to anyone watching, especially when the other scenes are so outrageous. The ridiculousness of "Chuck" is supposed to be its selling point but it's letting us down. I get that self-deprecating humor can be funny and "Chuck" is all about not taking itself seriously. The problem is that the humor doesn't always make you laugh and at times its too much to stand.

This episode Chuck got to jump into his first mission. A painting with radioactive materials was being sold at an auction where an international terrorist "La Ciudad" would try to buy it. As usual Chuck makes a mess of the situation and he ended up tied to a chair being tortured by La Ciudad. The scenes provided some mild humor and some fun but that was the extent of it.

While all of this was going on Chuck co-workers were trying to fix all the computers at Buy More so that her would be promoted to Assistant Manager and not Tang who would cancel the two hour lunches they all get to take. Unlucky for Morgan, he got locked into the cage with the computers overnight and couldn't fix any of the computers. Chuck got him out early in the morning, fixed all the computers and realized that he wants more than Buy More. This seemed to go over really well with Sarah who I think sees a lot of potential in Chuck.

I also somewhat enjoy Chuck's relationship with his sister, Ellie. She provides some normalcy to the craziness of his life and it could be good to see her get in on the secret one day. I think Sarah Lancaster as part of the spy game would take advantage of her wide range in acting skills while providing a lot of humor as well.

So far I've enjoyed the serious moments of this show more than the light-hearted attempts at comedy. I hope we see more building of the Chuck and Sarah relationship as it's the best part of the show. Basically "Chuck" comes down to two things - fun and enjoyment. If you're looking for an hour of care-free, non-thinking television this is your show. Until next week...enjoy.

Journeyman: Game Three

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 10PM ON NBC

Welcome back to the show that's about to be cancelled. Unfortunately, after looking through the ratings the past couple weeks (which have slowly declined since the pilot) and the fact that we are talking about a show on NBC (known to give the axe to decent shows without giving them a chance), my intuition is telling me that "Journeyman" may not be around too much longer unless something changes. So I beg each and every one of you who reads this review to please at least give the show a chance. I won't mess with you and pretend this is the best show on tv, but it certainly is very far from the worst. If you watched this week's episode I'm sure you'll agree.

One of the big stories this season has been that Dan used to be engaged to Livia until one day her plane crashed and her body was never found. At some point after her death Dan started to become very close to his brother's wife, Kattie. His brother apparently made some very serious mistakes at that time and today Katie and Dan are happily married for seven years with a son. It turns out that Livia didn't actually die in the plane crash. Before she met Dan she was a traveler too but during their relationship it stopped; well until the plane crash. Since then Livia has been traveling while Dan moved on and married Katie. Last week Livia found out Dan was married but not who his wife was. This week Katie asked Dan point blank if he's ever run into anyone he knows and he lied. At the very end of the episode Katie found out that Livia and Dan have run into each other when he travels back.

Needless to say, after finding out this information Katie is not happy. If Dan had been honest he might have saved himself a lot of trouble. My point in all this explanation is that this is a fantastic storyline. It's suspenseful, intriguing, and heartbreaking. Although this show is centered around the time travel, the romantic edge and personal relationships at stake give it a unique perspective. Next week's episode shows the aftermath of this information coming out and it doesn't look that good for Dan. Although it's tragic what happened to his relationship with Livia, I find myself hoping Dan and Katie can work it out. They seem to genuinely love each other and although Livia is actually alive his life and his heart belong with Katie.

The individual episode stories that take place with Dan going back in time to change the outcome of someones life are also great. Each week he travels back and runs into the same person again and again. As he meets them each time he's supposed to figure out what to change in that persons life so their future turns out differently. This week he needed to make sure Alan Pratt, a gambling addict, experienced the 1989 San Francisco earthquake so he could realize his life wasn't over and work to turn it around. After surviving a near-death experience Allan paid off the gambling debts and became a famous lawyer who exonerated 150 prisoners who were wrongfully convicted using DNA evidence to show their innocence.

"Journeyman" has been consistent in it's quality and I hope more people pick up on just how good this show is before it's too late. NBC tends to cancel shows the moment they lose momentum, so please give it a shot before it's too late.

The Big Bang Theory: The Fuzzy Boots Corollary

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8:30PM ON CBS

This was a decent episode from the team over at "The Big Bang Theory." I felt the first two episodes for were significantly better but this one definitely had it's moments. Leonard finally decides he should ask Penny out on a date, unfortunately Penny doesn't realize they're actually going on a date. Mainly, this is because Leonard told her everyone else would be coming too and then somehow forgot to tell them about the dinner. Nice move to get her alone but it would probably help that she knows she's on a date if he wants her to be his girlfriend.

The opening of this episode was only mediocre until the writers threw in the EBAY reference. For someone like me who doesn't know all that much about computer games I was pretty bored the first couple minutes. Then when Sheldon left everyone high and dry to sell the game secret on EBAY I laughed. When Wolowitz bought it on EBAY two seconds later I actually found myself laughing out loud. These are the little things that the writers on this show have done which has made "The Big Bang Theory" an early favorite of mine.

For all those "Roseanne" fans out there you probably loved the cameo from Sarah Gilbert as Leonards co-worker. I wish it lasted longer but their theories about dating and thus skipping to the kiss right then to determine the success of the date was hilarious. Their chemistry together as actors was immediately apparent; maybe she'll join the cast as a regular oneday, it could be pretty interesting to see them back on screen together. I also liked Sarah's use of the word "Spiddle" in describing the quality of Leonard's kiss (she told him his kiss didn't have any).

Leonard's routine when he gets rejected by a girl was hilariously explained by Sheldon. I love that he listen's to Emo while mopping around the apartment and forcing Sheldon to look at cats in pet stores with him. Meanwhile, Leonard's date/non-date with Penny (after he realized she never actually rejected him) was extremely awkward. He actually almost had her attention in a with his olive-glass trick but cracking your head open under the table is never a good thing on a date. At least Penny was sweet when they got back to the apartment and didn't make him feel bad for trying to get her out on a date.

"Score one for liquor and poor judgment." Favorite line of the night from Sheldon when Leonard said his date with Penny was awesome. I love Sheldon's sarcastic humor. See you all next week.

Brothers & Sisters: An American Family

ORIGINAL EPISODES, SUNDAYS @ 10PM ON ABC

I was actually surprised at how good this episode turned out to be. I figured it might get a bit sappy with Justin coming home and all the family bonding when he did. However, rather than focus on his return for the entire episode the writer's gave us a lot more to watch. If you're new to this show I guarantee you were stunned at how amazing the actors and the writing are and you probably added it to your season pass list immediately.

Once again, Sally Field stole the show with an unbelievable performance. I don't know if there's anyone better on television right now that can switch emotions so quickly and so genuinely well. She is the perfect actor for this role and this writing. The way she went from manic, relieved mother to cheery, stay happy for my son mother to loving, emotional rock for her son at the end of the episode was simply amazing.

For the rest of the episode, Senator McCallister had to deal with his soon-to-be in-laws the Walkers. They were always crazy but it didn't hurt anyone until now. Selfishly, this family is going about their normal, neurotic lifestyle while it is obviously destroying McCallister's chances at winning the election. This is the one thing I cannot stand about this family. In every circumstance they take every opportunity to show off their selfishness. They never think about the consequences to others and it's even worse that Kitty is doing it too and its her fiance' that's running for President. How could Kitty, as communication director for the campaign, think it's a good idea to call in to the very radio show that's antagonizing her to do it? It was a bad move and especially with her family sitting there with her; they've never been able to hold their tongues so why would they start now. I do like McCallister's response on the plane to his advisor about being madly in love with Kitty and his response on the radio show about listening to everyones ideas. Reminds me a bit of his days on "The West Wing."

If it weren't enough that the Walkers are always selfish, apparently it's rubbed off on Rebecca as well. Why in the world would she tell Sarah about how she kissed Joe back and led him on a little? At this point it couldn't possibly help the situation and would only serve to get the weight off her shoulders. Sarah was right to say it was incredibly selfish. BUT where does Joe get off with what he's doing? He never seemed like all that much of a nice guy except this is too much. He kisses his wife's half-sister, moves out, and then 10 minutes later he's having sex with Sarah on the washing machine all the while he's back with his ex-wife! He couldn't possibly sink lower than he has already and it's terrible for Sarah to be treated like this. She never did anything wrong. Even though their marriage may have been in a rough spot they were working it out! It seems like Joe has completely forgotten about how well they were doing before he told her about the kiss. And on top of everything he's done he goes back to his ex-wife. That's just a knife in the heart and Sarah should get away as fast as possible before he does any more damage.

I should point out though that Sarah needs to chill on the attitude. I understand she isn't very happy with Holly or Rebecca but she can be really cold and mean sometimes. She needs to chill just a bit.

A simmering storyline that's going to come front and center next week is Julia and Tommy's marriage. Julia is definitely depressed and taking it all out on Tommy. I feel bad for him because he's clearly trying to help with the baby and work with Julia to move on. She's just not letting him off the hook for something that wasn't his fault to begin with. Next week it looks like we'll see a lot more about this and I hope they can work it out. We don't need anymore affairs or failing marriages on this show. Until next week...

Monday, October 8, 2007

How I Met Your Mother: Third Wheel

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8PM ON CBS

This was more like it. After last week's lackluster episode, "How I Met Your Mother" came roaring back with an absolutely hilarious episode. If you watched this episode I'm sure you'll agree that this typifies why the show is so great and probably the best show people are not watching.

Tonight, we mostly followed Ted as he reunited with Trudy (Danica McKellar), the girl from the "Pineapple Incident." To catch you up if you watched the first season (or for those who are newcomers to the show), the last time we saw Trudy she was Ted's one night stand and snuck out of his apartment on the firescape while Ted was in the living room with everyone trying to figure out who she was and why there was a pineapple on his nightstand. Needless to say, we never figured out where the pineapple came from but we did figure out it was Trudy who had met in McClarens earlier that night.

Sadly, we're no closer to finding out where the pineapple came from. But it was great to have Trudy back on the show. Awesome cameo with Busy Phillips (Rachel) as Trudy's college sorority sister with whom she is very competitive. You'll remember Busy from her days on "Dawsons Creek" as Audrey Lidell. This competition turns into a battle royale for the world championship belt; a possible feat that very few men have accomplished, a "tricycle" with Ted-Rachel-Trudy. I was hysterically laughing when Barney pulled out an actual championship belt. But I have to say that no matter what the case it was wrong for him to break that CD. You NEVER cock block a friend, ESPECIALLY when he's about to work a tricycle.

All of this added up to a classic "How I Met Your Mother" episode. I should point out that there was a "B" storyline going on in all the craziness. Robin was out on a date with a surgeon and had not shaved her legs so that she would hold out on the sex. While this was mildly amusing as she desperately tried to get a razor so she could shave before going back to her dates apartment from the restaurant, desperation really doesn't suit her character. She's much funnier when she's in control and playing guys a bit. The fact that she was working so hard to get some wasn't all that funny.

One thing that's bugging me about the episode though. Of all the places for Marshall, Barney, and Lilly to hide so Ted could ride the "Tricycle" why would they pick Ted's room?! Marshall's room was right there! That made no sense but I guess the writer's wanted to give Ted an excuse to talk with them about it and for Barney to break the CD. Still, it made no sense to me. They could have just had Ted leave the CD in Marshall's room.

For my money, I would have picked Trudy if it came down to picking one or the other. She's much hotter. If you're not watching this show you're missing out on greatness! Start watching and let me know what you think.
By the way, I'd bet Ted didn't do the "tricycle." He's always been that good hearted, innocent, loving type of guy, I personally don't think he could go through with it.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Las Vegas: The Glass Is Always Cleaner

ORIGINAL EPISODES, FRIDAYS @ 10PM ON NBC

I guess we can really call this the new "Las Vegas." I think I like it! With so many cast members gone, including the recently departed Nikki Cox and James Caan, we're delving deeper into the lives and relationships of those who are left. The old "Las Vegas" had its formula for every episode: a robbery, murder, or cheat + sam yelling at people about whales + Ed beating someone up + half naked models at the pool = success. This was the formula for a long time and peole (including myself) kept tuning in because it was fun and especially during the winter months made us long to be a pool side spectator at the Montecito. Now with the new "Las Vega" it's not possible to follow that formula and we're seeing more about the relationships between the characters.

Case in point, the biggest storyline of the episode dealt with Mike and Danny's relationship. The two of them never really butted heads before this and as far as we were concerned they were best friends who always had fun together no matter what. As we saw though, there's actually a lot of underlying frustration for both of them; Mike felt Danny had the perfect life with a lot handed to him and Danny thought Mike was loved by everyone and had the whole package. In the end, they just needed to talk it out and give each other a pound. I thought it was hilarious that two guys can just speak their minds and everything's cool; guys can be real simple. Why do women never believe us when we say that?

Meanwhile Delinda is dealing with being "preggers" and isn't doing so well. She's worried about getting fat and losing the model figure she has; not to mention she's worried about the baby and at 10 weeks got her first ultrasound. Danny is going to find himself in a lot of trouble if he's not involved more. So far he's basically been absent from everything as he was fighting for the job as President of Operations at the Montecito. This could end up hurting his relationship with Delinda.

My favorite character left on the show is Sam. She's always been fun to watch and with more screen time she's even better. I love that she's trying to make friends and connect to those around her while at the same time making fun of every possible scenario in which this is happening. She even went to a midnight Rave in the desert to try and prove she can connect with those around her. AND then she got arrested for public urination and resisting arrest; too funny. Her sarcasm is what makes her character great. I think a nemsis for Sam with the same cunning could be an interesting storyline to watch. Maybe another casino host going for her job at the Montecito or maybe sharing the job. They've done it before but Sam always beat those going for job. I'd like to see what happens when she meets her match though. Then she might need to connect with those around her to keep her job and this would show us a totally different side to her.

I'm still loving Vegas and wouldn't m ind some of the Old Vegas pool scenes in the new look show. Definitely a great DVR/TIVO show to watch if you're chillin at home later in the weekend.

Grey's Anatomy: Love/Addiction

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 10PM ON ABC

It's about time George realized he made a mistake marrying Callie right after his father died. Everything we all knew about why he did it but he refused to admit, finally came out of his mouth this week and it was good to hear. His father died, his family and his dad loved Callie, she loved him and was there... All good reasons maybe to date someone, but to marry her? Probably not. George is a good guy that was grieving and got caught up in a bad situation. Personally, I'm a fan of Izzie and George being together (as I said last week) but it is definitely a good idea to draw it out a bit and see how they gel together. It's always tough transitioning characters from best friends to lovers. If you do it wrong it can be very awkward for the audience and end up hurting the show rather than helping.

As for Christina, it was nice to see her with Mrs. Burke again. It might not be Burke but it sort of helps with a little closure for the viewers. Christina and Mrs. Burke were always so alike and yet so different that it made for very compelling scenes together. Like Mrs. Burke said, if she were born in a different time maybe she would have been more like Christina. Christina is clearly a wreck. She could never outwardly show it but the subtle moments when she's alone really tell us how deep she can be. This is why she's been nominated for Emmy's and won. She's been unbelievably great and taken the acting on this show to a whole other level.

I think Derek and Sloan as friends again would be a great idea. Already you can see the comedy between them and you really understand that they only have each other left. After everything, they find themselves alone together again. Now I know most people will say that Derek still has Meredith. But that's just not true. Meredith by her own admission can't love because of her childhood. So despite the two of them still sleeping together, Derek is alone. I feel bad for him because Mrs. Burke was right, he doesn't deserve less than what he deserves (no one does). He loves her so much and gave up so much for her but she refuses to try and make herself better. He's addicted and can't move on. I'm thinking this won't last the season unless Meredith can figure out a way to deal with her past.

A few other points about the episode. I DO NOT AGREE WITH IZZIE! It is incredibly worse to have a secret affair with a married man than to let him tell his wife and just end it. It was very selfish for her to worry about her job and continue the affair. I expected more of her.

Also, I 100% disagree with Mrs. Burke. She told Derek that you're only an honorable man if you can walk away from a relationship where you're getting less than what you deserve. I don't believe this has anything to do with honor. Relationships do not determine whether a person is honorable or not. Your choices in life and whether you hurt other people determines this far more than whether you choose to hurt yourself by staying in a relationship lacking in what you deserve. Derek can be honorable yet remain addicted to his relationship with Meredith.

Lastly, Meredith needs to get over herself and her past and stop screwing with Lexie and Derek but in particular Lexie. I understand any family she's ever had has treated horribly and left her. But Lexie is there and wants a relationship. More than that she seems to be a very good person. So to treat her like that is just wrong. I hope they can work things out because what Meredith needs more than anything is for one family member to stick around and treat her well. It could end up changing her life.

Entourage: Kevin Connolly

Last night after the incredible New York Islanders second straight win over the Buffalo Sabres (a game which I was in attendance) I went over the sports bar located at the Marriott Hotel next to the Nassau Coliseum. While I was there I saw none other than Kevin Connolly!

If you all remember, his character "E" was wearing an islanders hat while they were filming Medillian. I said hello and shook his hand but I wasn't able to take a picture with him. Just so you believe me though, I did take a picture of him talking to a couple Isles fans outside the bar.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Smallville: Kara

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 8PM ON THE CW

Compared to the usual Smallville episode this one was pretty typical. It had the subtle subplots, romance, and comedic interjections. It also had lots of mystery surrounding new characters and the status of old ones. The thing that worked best about this episode was that it slowed down. The usual season premiere for Smallville is jam packed with action and numerous storylines. So what worked is that we finally have a slower pace and a chance to evaluate exactly what's happened and where the lives of our characters are heading.

With this much said, Clark finally meets Kara, his kryptonian cousin later known as "Supergirl." The only catch is that Jor-El tells Clark that she cannot be trusted and he must keep a close eye on her. Except, from everything we've seen she appears to be anything but an honest, caring person. It will be very interesting to see what happens and whether or not we've seen the real Kara. Like I've said before, I never read the comic books so there many be some of you who know what this all means but for myself and some others I think this is a very cool storyline to keep watching. One thing I noticed was that Kara's ship was exactly the same as Braniac's and he was evil. Maybe there's some sort of connection there or maybe all Kryptonian ships look the same. Any know the answer to this?

You knew that Lex was going to find Lana real soon. I was sort of wondering how he knew she didn't die since it didn't seem he had much reason to think she was alive based on what we had seen. But then again, he knew he was cloning her (which is VERY creepy, more so than usual from him) and had a good idea that she could use one of them to fake her death. I do believe that he has no intention of hurting her again, at least for now. If she does anything that pisses him off, like going back to Clark, who could really see him sitting back and not doing anything to hurt her ever again? Not me.

One of the better things about this episode is that we didn't find out the truth about Kara or the whereabouts of Lionel or the end of the Lex/Lana drama in this episode. The writers of this show tend to create questions and provide the answers all in one episode. It's definitely nice to see them draw the suspense out a bit and keep use coming back to get just a little bit at a time. It makes the stories much more effective and really keeps my attention from episode to episode.

So far I really do not like the new editor at the Daily Planet. He's way too over the top for my taste. I understand the point in making him that way but the acting was just too much. It didn't work for me. Subtle power I find to be more effective than in your face exertions.

I like the government involvement in the storylines now with their capture of "the Crystal." Although I'm not entirely sure it's just the government. I could see them working with the Luthors or maybe someone worse. This brings an entirely new dimension to the trickery and treachery which should make for some good storylines. I'm looking forward to how they develop it next week. Until then, leave some love.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Pushing Daisies: Pie-lette

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 8PM ON ABC

Mediocre. At best the premiere episode of this much hyped new show on ABC was mediocre. The beginning was severely lacking in anything entertaining but as the episode progressed so did the quality. Mainly this was due to the introduction of Charlotte ("Chuck), Ned's love interest. The chemistry between these two actors was immediately apparent and gave the show some legitimate appeal. Especially considering the significant obstacles between them ever getting together, most importantly the fact that they can never touch or she'll die. Without these two character and their great on-screen chemistry I would have turned this show off after the first 5 minutes and never looked back.

The show is eerily reminiscent of the Tim Burton movie's we've all come to know as extremely odd and somewhat creepy. Most of this show is made up of awkward moments, deranged characters, and cartoonish scenes. Some of the scenes almost appear like they're straight out of "Edward Scissorhands." Personally, I'm only a half-fan of Tim Burton's work so this show wasn't all that reflective of my tastes right off the bat. I will give the show props for having a great cast. Although I don't remember seeing Ned (Lee Pace) in anything before, I am a big fan of Chi McBride (Boston Public) and Kristin Chenoweth (The West Wing). So if for nothing else I'll watch because of these great actors.

I did laugh a bit when they showed Ned scratching his dog with a skeleton hand contraption. I thought it was very funny and it said a lot about his character that he kept his childhood dog around all these years even though he could never touch him.

Mainly the show is a quirky story about a man who can bring things back to life. If he doesn't touch them again to kill them inside a minute of bringing them back someone else will die in their place. This has had many unintended and intended consequences throughout Ned's life. Needless to say this leads to a few humours escapades and the show is somewhat enjoyable. I'd give this show a few more chances but if it doesn't pick up a bit I don't know how long I'll be able to take the quirkiness without getting tired of it. My recommendation: keep watching...for now.

Back To You: The First Supper

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @8PM ON FOX

I was so right, this show is a hundred times better when it's not taking place in the newsroom. Two-thirds of this episode took place in settings outside the newsroom and I think that this was the most well-rounded episode from start to finish. Prior to this the episodes were good only in parts and horrible in others. As a whole though, this episode was the best all around. I was skeptical, as were some other people, about how the Chuck-Kelly having a daughter storyline would work out for the show. I thought it gave it a greater dimension but I wasn't fully convinced that it would be all that funny. Luckily, Kelsey Grammer has made his meetings with his daughter hilarious.

The scene in the restaurant where Chuck taught Gracie the drinking game whenever Kelly bossed them around was one of the best quality jokes so far. I was actually laughing out loud and it was good to see their relationship developing. If the few scenes they've been in together are any indication, their relationship will be one of the funniest aspects of the show.

Even Montana was somewhat bearable this episode. I have to admit that I find the sarcastic punches between Montana and Gary very funny. Their lines are probably the only funny one's in the newsroom. Montana's character is entirely too over the top though. Even toned down in this episode her character was only barely tolerable. They need to add some new dimensions and change her around a bit or else this won't work much longer. This show is funnier the smarter it is and Montana is entirely too ditsy to fit in to the puzzle.

Ryan, the station manager, was also much better in this episode. I said before and I'll say it again, when his character is acting outrageous it doesn't work. But when he tones it down and just goes with the flow hes much more effective. He did that in this episode for the most part and it was nice to see more to his character. At times he was even funny.

The writers need to keep refining this show and if they tread carefully it could end up working out well.