Back To You: A Night Of Possibilities

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 8PM ON FOX

Honestly, this show really has potential but the problem is that they keep messing it up. The characters are somewhat unique and the plot line is similar to a Will Ferrel movie. Yet somehow the writers keep managing to screw up any possibility of this show actually being funny. If you listen carefully to the jokes you can tell they definitely build you up to the climax but when you get there it's almost always a let down. Take the exchange between Chuck and Kelly at the beginning of the episode; they're fighting about each others flaws and just as you think you're about to laugh and the joke reaches the climax...nothing. It ends and Chuck walks out with the big joke being that he throws the mug Ryan gave him in the trash after saying he treats everyone with respect.

The one good thing about tonight's episode was that we got to see the characters outside the newsroom for the most part. The show is just better when it's not there. Take Montana and Kelly for example. We've never seen them together much and when we have it's been in the newsroom and I can't remember a single funny joke between them. But tonight they spent most of the time in the car or in Kelly's bedroom and they were mildly funny together. Don't get me wrong, the entire episode was lacking in the funny department, but you could actually see some potential for funny once they left work. I haven't been able to figure it out but that seems to be the case with all the characters. If you compare this episode to the previous ones you'll notice that you can actually see potential in the show and that's because they left the newsroom for just about the entire episode tonight.

I did like the tension between Chuck and Kelly tonight. It became more of a central storyline and even the characters are starting to pick up on the sparks between them. I could very well see a nighttime sexual rendezvous between the two of them in the near future. Although it won't be kept a secret for too long at work and could lead to some very funny scenes.

Another disappointing week but the writers are definitely on the right track if they keep the characters out of the newsroom. Once they do that and polish up some of the jokes the show may actually be around for a little while.

Damages: There's No "We" Anymore

ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 10PM ON FX

So that's how they went too far! Ellen and Patty blackmailed Ray and then after he killed himself they removed the evidence of his insider trading from the office before calling the police. To be honest I thought the truth would have been a bit more outrageous but nevertheless it's all starting to come together now. We learned a lot tonight including David's killer and Ellen's attacker. The only problem is that even with all this information there's much to be resolved and much that's still a mystery.

In the end Frobisher turned out to be responsible for everything. He told his men to do whatever it took to recover the video tape Gregory Malina made and this precipitated all of the days events. First, his man that used to work with George Moore (the bearded man with the glasses) walked right into Ellen's apartment after Lila left the door open. She snuck in with her key and woke David up from a deep sleep to tell him they should be together. After throwing her out, Frobisher's men attacked David for the Statute of Liberty bookend. Much ensued after which resulted in David laying dead in the bathtub. Frobisher's men, however, did not find the tape. So they went to Patty's hoping it might be hidden there but they only found Ellen. This surprised them and as we saw before, she killed one of the men.

In the end, the man who said he wouldn't cross the line to killing because you can never go back did so in a haze of drugs and hookers. We're really starting to see Frobisher unravel and Ted Dansen has done an amazing job. His switches from a caring, family man to an egomaniacal drug-addicted, ruthless business man have been brilliant. As for his character, I think we're seeing the downfall of a billionaire. At this point he has no idea where the video tape is and has very little chance of ever getting it back from Ellen before paying out his fortune first.

The questions about Patty's motives and involvement in everything were also answered last night. Patty didn't go to the beach house or leave the state because she's guilty but rather because she's scared and feels responsible for Ray's death. Ellen figured this all out and only pretended Patty was guilty to get her back to the city so she could be her lawyer in exchange for the videotape. Very smart thinking by Ellen; now she just has to make sure Patty doesn't double cross her before getting her off for the murder of David.

Speaking of David, that last fight with Ellen was terrible. I understand his nervousness about her sneaking off to help Patty and murders take place left and right but I think he overreacted by telling her it was him or the job. I don't know if that was really necessary just yet. Anyways, the terrible thing for Ellen is that for the rest of her life she's going to hate herself for fighting with him the last time they were together. As for Rose Byrne, she has also done an absolutely amazing job this season. Her break down when she reentered her apartment for the first time since finding David dead was incredible and so believable. She's been fantastic and I for one hope they find a way to bring her back next year.

We are left with two very big questions though: 1) What is Mr. Nye up to? He's supposed to be Ellen's friend and lawyer but now he's talking about taking care of it. Does he mean Ellen? Is he connected to all of this also? Is he a "bad guy" as well? This could flip everything that happened this season in its head. 2) Will Patty be able to get Ellen off on the murder charges and will they be able to hold Frobisher and his men responsible? They did leave the flashlight in Ellen's apartment after they killed David so maybe this could be just the thing they need. But will Patty double cross Ellen before she is acquitted or the charges are dropped?

The season finale has shaped up to be one of the best of the year and I'm psyched for next Tuesday night. Keep the conspiracy theories coming and I'll see you all again next week!

Chuck: Chuck Versus The Wookie

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8PM ON NBC

I'm sorry to say this but this week's episode was just not good. I do like this show, I really do but if they can't do better than this "Chuck" may not be around for much longer. The one thing this show has going for it is the humor in the writing. The story lines are outrageous and in many ways so are the characters. Thus, if "Chuck" is going to be successful it needs to be funny while it embraces the outrageousness of its premise. Unfortunately, this week's episode was NOT funny and without that the show demonstrates its vulnerability. Without laughing for pretty much the whole episode I was bored during the entire hour. Granted the girl fights are awesome and Carina and Sara are gorgeous but aside from that the show doesn't do all that much when it doesn't bring the funny.

Tonight Sara got a visit from an old friend (if you can call her that), Carina. Carina works for the DEA as an undercover agent and needed Sara and Adam's help to recover a diamond from "The Wookie" (a man so nicknamed because he's cover with body hair). Now I have to tell you, Carina was absolutely gorgeous!! Which is pretty much the most I could say that's positive about her role in tonight's episode. The acting was mediocre but nothing special. With the funny missing, it basically spoiled any chance of this character being brought it on a high note. The girl fights between Carina and Sara were great though.

So Carina basically spends the episode playing with every one's mind especially Morgan who fell for her in about 30 seconds. More importantly she really got to Chuck when she told him that all secret agents never tell anyone anything real about themselves ever. Clearly Chuck felt he was getting to know Sara, even if it was just a little at a time. Even more damaging, was the fact that Sara dated Bryce which Carina let "slip" when they were talking. In the end, Chuck got over the fact that Sara dated Bryce but pleaded with her to tell him one real thing. She couldn't do it but came close when she whispered her middle name. He didn't hear it but we know that Sara is starting to fall for Chuck. Even Carina saw it. I do feel bad for Chuck though. He's trying so hard to get close to Sara but she won't and can't let him in.

The only funny moment of the night came when Adam was in the elevator handcuffed to the broken piece of the headboard. The mother and her daughter staring at him, clearly knowing what it looked like, was hilarious.

Let's see if next week gets any better. Until then, enjoy the review.

Heroes: The Kindness of Strangers

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 9PM ON NBC

We're getting a little better now. A bit more consistency could go a long way here and between this week and last hopefully the show is starting to return to old form. I was disappointed however that we didn't see anything about Peter or Nikki this week. I was hoping to see more of Peter's powers and maybe find out what happened to him but it appears we should be learning a lot about that next week.

Last night some big news was discovered as Parkman and Nathan began working together to figure out why Mrs. Petrelli was willing to turn herself in for the murder of Mr. Nakamura. In their search for some answers Nathan found an old photograph of his mother and father along with Mr. Nakamura and others, including Matt Parkman's father. Apparently, his father stole a lot of money and left home when Matt was 13 years old. So how he ended up in this picture is very intriguing. Even more intriguing is Molly's identification of his father as the man she sees in her nightmares. Remember, this is the man Molly said was worse than Silar. It could be that Mr. Parkman is the person behind the murders of the people in the photograph.

Parkman needed Molly to track down his father so he could figure all of this out. Suresh tried to stop him but Molly agreed to do it anyway. Sadly, Mr. Parkman somehow attacked Molly when she found him and he appears to have put her in some sort of coma. Parkman should have left her alone and figured out another way to track down his father. Using a little girl like that when you know the consequences is irresponsible. Anyway, I'm thinking that everyone in the picture is a member or former member of "The Company." The man Dr. Suresh works for is also in the picture so this would seem to make the most sense. Why the symbols are showing up on each of their pictures and why someone would be taking each of them out is still a mystery though.

Meanwhile, Claire is up to no good herself. Not in the evil sense but she got much closer with West. She finally let him in and now they're dating. Unfortunately, it's Wests arms she ends up in the night her father is murdered. Noah is doing everything he can to prevent her from dating but Claire did a very good job covering up her activities by telling him she's made the cheerleading team even though she was forbidden. West creeps me out a bit, something about him seems off like he's hiding something from Claire. I wonder if maybe he's up to something and not just a guy she happened to meet at school.

As for Nathan, I still want to know if the mangled face he sees in the mirror is his true face or if its a memory of what he looked like after Peter exploded. It's a damn ugly face for sure though. We did find out that after Peter exploded Nathan became an alcoholic as he looked to liquor to ease the pain of losing his brother. His life could end up turning around when he finds out Peter is still alive.

Maja and Alejandro continued their trek to the U.S. last night. Naively, they picked a man up who was barely alive off a dirt road in Mexico. Unlucky for them it was Silar. I still have no clue how he ended up there. At the end of last week it seemed like he was in some tropical jungle not Mexico. Worse for everyone, Maya not only told him about going to see Dr. Suresh but he now knows what her power is along with her brother's. A power like that in the hands of Silar could be it for everyone. He would be able to kill at will and no one except her brother could stop him. But imagine if he got Alejandro's power also; who knows if anyone could ever stop him except maybe Peter. The one thing I thought was interesting though was the cockroach on the brick after he killed the driver. From what I remember, we saw it last when Silar was run through with the sword in the season finale last year. What does that mean? What's the cockroaches significance?

Lastly, we met a new hero this week. Monica seems to have a power similar to Nikki. She totally kicked that robber's butt. The only difference is that she didn't appear to turn into any kind of alternate personality to do so. I can't wait to find out more about her power and if she and Nikki are somehow connected with what they can do. Micah, meanwhile, needs to be a bit more careful. People will start to become suspicious if he keeps working his magic on electronics.

This was a great episode and very well rounded. I especially liked not having to sit through more of Hiro's Feudal Japan trip; it's starting to get very boring. Next week should be awesome and I can't wait to find out how Peter came back and who Kristin Bell is going to be playing.

Journeyman: The Year of the Rabbit

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 10PM ON NBC

This was a big night for Dan and Katie. As I predicted last week the two of them were going to have some serious bumps in the road now that Katie knows Dan has seen Livia on his trips back in time. Tonight showed just how bumpy it's going to get. Dan had to go back in time to save a woman from being killed over some embezzling in her Internet start-up business. Unfortunately, this was a big night for Katie as she was throwing a massive black tie affair she had been planning for a very long time. Needless to say, Dan's constant disappearances in addition to his meeting Livia did not go over well.

Understandably Katie is having a very hard time with Dan's travelling. He disappears at random times, comes back days later sometimes, and now he's seeing his ex-fiance. My problem with all this is that Katie is mad at him for something totally out of his control. Obviously he shouldn't have lied to her but throughout tonight's episode she got increasingly agitated at the circumstances, all of which are completely out of Dan's control. If he had started this whole thing or had any power to stop it then clearly she would have every right to be angry at him; but he didn't and he doesn't so I don't see why she should be this angry at him.

The worst part of all this is that Katie is leaning on Jack. This is something I'll never understand. Granted Dan and her are having problems but it hasn't been going on that long and yet she's already leaning on her ex. Her comment that she wanted him to ask her to dance at the event was over the line. Saying no was the right thing to do but then by saying that it's just as bad as if she had danced with him. Especially since none of this is Dan's fault there is no reason under the sun why she should be thinking of another man. We still don't know how or why Jack and Katie broke up and how she ended up with Dan but what Jack is doing now is wrong. He is clearly making it known that he wants her back and doing that with a clear mind and thought out is the worst thing he could do to a brother.

At least now Katie knows that Dan sees Livia every time he goes back and that she travels too. I don't think she knows that it means she never died in the plane crash or not. It would be interesting to see the two of them have a conversation in the present. Maybe Katie could work out her fears and she and Dan could move on from all the angst.

The biggest question of the night is about how the travelling is occurring. In the present, Dan made a call to Elliot Langly about tacions; apparently these are particles that might be involved in time travel and Elliot is an expert that may know about them. The weird part is that the return phone call Dan received was on his old cell phone from the early 1990's AND he got the call when he was IN 1998!!! There's no way this guy is not somehow involved in everything that's happening. At the very least he knows who or what is controlling it and he's associated with it all somehow. There's no way he can't be if his present day phone call reached Dan back in 1998. The details about Elliott are still eluding us but hopefully next week we'll get some more information.

I do want to point out that it was great seeing another appearance from our old friend Geoffrey Owens, Elvin from "The Cosby Show." He seems to be everywhere lately. We saw him show up in the season premiere of "Las Vegas" a few weeks back and if you saw "Boston Legal" last week he also made an appearance in one of the trials.

This was another great episode from "Journeyman" but unfortunately the ratings are still on the low end. One bit of encouraging news is that the new ratings systems placed "Journeyman" in the top ten DVR viewed shows within 24 hours of the original airing. Maybe this will save the show for a little while longer; NBC did announce their order of four more scripts.

The Big Bang Theory: The Luminous Fish Effect

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8:30PM ON CBS

Is "The Big Bang Theory" a front for a "Roseanne" Reunion? Last week we had a visit from Sarah Gilbert who played a coworker of Leonard's. This week Laurie Metcalf visited the set as Sheldon's mother, Mary. Not that I mind seeing the old "Roseanne" crew working together again but they should spread it out a bit. Anyway, Mary showed up these week after Sheldon was fired from his job. As we've come to know, Sheldon has a bit of trouble keeping his mouth shut and not telling people the absolute truth. It happened again except this time he told his new boss that he was a fraud. Thus, FIRED.

I wish I had more to talk about with this episode. It was only mildly funny and not all that much actually happened. The only storyline of tonight deal with Sheldon's antics after being fired. With so much time on his hands he attempted to develop the perfect batch of scrambled eggs;

breed luminous (glow in the dark) goldfish; and weave ponchos using a loom.

While all these activities were somehow funny, the only truly funny scene was his trip grocery shopping with Penny. Sheldon was beyond rude and annoying which made the trip that much better.

With the all of Sheldon's ridiculous activities taking place, Leonard decided to enlist the help of Mary to snap Sheldon out of it and get him back to work. At first she used appeasement which did nothing but keep Sheldon locked in his room for days. Then, well, she decided to kick his butt and force him to go back to work and apologize to his boss. Which he did... Unfortunately (or fortunately for Mary depending on how you look at it), Sheldon got his job back after his boss was "taken" with his mother. I liked the idea of the storyline but the writer's just didn't come through with the humor.

The big thing I'd like to point out about tonight though was it's effect on the Penny-Leondard relationship. Two things are significant: 1) When Mary said Penny and Leonard made a good couple BOTH of them had awkward but smirky looks on their faces. This could mean that Penny does think Leonard is interesting. 2) Penny clearly can't stand spending time with Leonard (at least alone) which means that she hangs around their apartment for some other reason. Maybe that reason is Leonard. Hmmm...interesting.

Hopefully next week will be much better than last night's episode. I'd hate to think the writer's peaked four episodes into the first season. In the end, Sheldon actually did create a luminous fish - sadly, this was the funniest scene of the night.

How I Met Your Mother: Little Boys

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8PM ON CBS

Barney is the greatest! Only he could formulate such an elaborate plan to win a bet so quickly. If you didn't watch the episode, Barney and Ted made a bet on who would sleep with a random girl at the bar first. It was a bet to prove who had more game. (By the way, no Marshall does not win this one - he had girlfriend/wife for the last 11 years; thats not game) Just as the bet begun Barney was already up and talking to the girl when 5 seconds later she slapped him across the face. When he came back to the table he told Ted and Marshall that he slept with her last year and she wanted nothing to do with him. So Ted was in to take his time and win the bet; or so we thought.
As we go through the episode Ted and the girl begin to date. After a number of dates it appears that Ted is going to win the bet. Unfortunately, Barney knew exactly how to keep Ted from going through with it. Apparently Ted has a phobia about sharing things with people - he couldn't even take a sip from Barney's drink let alone share the same girl. Thus, when it came time for Ted to "seal the deal" he kept seeing little Barneys that made fun of him for not being able to go where Barney had been the year before. It was absolutely hilarious! Too bad for Ted the whole thing turned out to be a lie. Barney is a damn genius. He told the girl in the bar that Ted was getting over a relationship and if she slapped him he would get the courage to talk to her himself. Then as Ted dated her Barney got information on what she liked and used that to get in her good graces as well. In the end though no one won the bet; the girl couldn't hook up with Barney either because she wasn't over Ted.

The whole thing about the bet wasn't the funniest storyline HIMYM has come up with but it was definitely funny. Whereas most shows would go with it straight up and try to make the exploits of the characters in the bet funny, HIMYM does that and it goes one step further. HIMYM added the Barney deception in which turned the bet from a generic storyline into a one-of-a-kind HIMYM moment. That's the genius of this show and what sets it apart from the other comedies on television. If you haven't been watching the show you need to start and I promise you'll agree with me in one month's time.

Meanwhile, the writers apparently think it's a good idea to give Robin her own adventures apart from the group. Why? I'm not sure. I think they may be attempting to get us used to the idea of Robin and Ted dating other people and Robin having a life of her own so that when they have Ted meet his future wife we won't be calling for Ted and Robin to get back together. This is the only thing that makes sense to me because Robin out on her own just isn't all that funny. It's a bit humorous but the best moments of this show are when the cast is interacting with each other not when they're set apart with other characters.

Last night, Robin started dating the father of one of Lilly's students. The hitch was that he had a son and we all know how much Robin hates kids. While Robin spent most of the night going from liking the guy to hating the fact that he has a kid, the guy apparently moved on and started dating someone else. It was a bit of a shock for Robin when she went over to his apartment to break up and met his new girlfriend instead. This storyline wasn't all that great let alone funny. The funniest moment came when she thought his son was getting attached to her and she felt she needed to break up with the kid; and even that wasn't all that funny. They need to keep Robin in the group or the writers risk alienating her with the audience.

This may be a bit out of order but I do have to mention the opening scene. Ted was 100% right; whenever someone wants to set you up they leave out the "but" when describing the blind date. He/she is smart, funny, successful... You never get the "but." "But" she has a dead tooth. "But" she has a pug that she pushes around in a stroller. This was so true and so funny. Maybe we'll get to meet the girl Ted thought killed his turtle sometime; I can just see how great that would be.

Overall a decent episode. Not as good as last week but much better than the week before. Still can't wait to meet Ted's future wife; keep in mind we did catch a glimpse of her in the season premiere and I'm sure we're going to get more as the season goes on.

The Hills: What Goes Around

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 10PM ON MTV

We're back! After a week off with a "Cram Session" season in review episode, our friends from L.A. are back for some more wild and crazy fun. Well, maybe not so much with the wild but definitely the crazy. Big question of the night, did Brody spread the sex tape rumors about Lauren?

Jen finally got in touch with Lauren looking to smooth things over and to tell her about Heidi. After some time has passed Lauren decided it might be good to have lunch and put the past in the past. The only problem is that Jen had some news from the past that's HUGE now that Lauren and Brody hooked up in Vegas. I get how Lauren would automatically say Brody didn't do it but it was so obvious that she felt just as betrayed as she did all last year with her friends. For a moment, she had that look like "what if Brody did do it? I can't believe another friend and now a hookup did this?" All this is understandable though; how many times can one person get messed with and not have some trust issues?

So Lauren approached Brody and I thought she did it in a good way. She could have accused him and just got in his face about it but instead she just asked him once and let it be. That was the best thing she could have done because in situations like this it's very easy to make enemies out of friends. I definitely take Laurens side when it came to whether Brody should tell her if Spencer and Heidi spread the rumors. At this point, Spencer has gone against Lauren AND Brody, not to mention Heidi is telling people Brody spread the rumors. There's no reason not to tell Lauren and every reason to tell her. On top of Speidi taking their positions against Brody, he hooked up with Lauren again and made it clear that they're friends too. When you know something like that which concerns your friend you have to tell her. I'm glad the truth is finally out there.

Tonight Lauren showed why she's different from most of the girls on this show. Whereas many of them only think of themselves and generally have no concern with how they act, Lauren actually notices what she does and wants to be better. She wants to be a good friend and actually took responsibility for her actions. This was something we rarely see on this show and something we've NEVER seen from Heidi. Lauren really is a good friend and probably the best person on the show. I think she was a little hard on herself though when she blamed herself for Heidi leaving. Heidi was responsible for everything that happened, not Lauren. Even if Lauren was a bit too pushy the fact still remains that Heidi chose Spencer over her, treated Lauren like crap, and allowed Spencer to treat her terribly also. It's really not her fault and she shouldn't blame herself.

Let's get back to Speidi for just a minute. Heidi got in trouble at work for the whole Elodie situation the other week. I find it funny though that even with her boss explaining exactly what she did wrong, Heidi still completely missed the point. He wasn't made because she didn't know that Elodie quit, he was mad that she had her cover for her and didn't tell anyone else. If she had spoken to him or anyone else about Elodie covering the event she would have found out she quit. Instead, she goes home and tells Spencer he yelled at her for what happened, completely leaving out the part about her needing to keep others up to speed. Then again, no matter what she tells Spencer he'll always take her side.

Also, Heidi goes home and tells Spencer that Brody confirmed it was them who spread the rumors. This was a HUGE moment in the season because Spencer all but admitted he did it. Even Heidi was speechless. Somehow despite the usually thick head she has that nothing reasonable can penetrate, Heidi even realized that Spencer probably did it. Spencer is such a slimy person and should never be allowed to around people again. The screen shot on the left is the look Spencer gave Heidi after she said "I just think it's so sad that they're blaming you, right?" Come on now, is that a look of guilt or what? He's clearly smiling and even though he said nothing you can totally tell that he did it. And by the way, the kid still needs to shave that stuff off his face.

Tonight's episode was decent but very important with the discovery that Spencer was really the mastermind behind the sex tape rumors. I do have to say that Lo looked great! She's really been looking good this season and it's great to see her around again. Next week should be interesting when Heidi finally tells Spencer he should get a job. Is the honeymoon over before the wedding? I guess we just have to wait and see...

Brothers & Sisters: History Repeating

ORIGINAL EPISODES, SUNDAYS @ 10PM ON ABC

This was a high quality episode that seemed to set us up for some bigger moments down the road. Generally when other shows hit the moment where they need to slow down and set things up for the future they tend to lose some quality in the process. The great thing about "Brothers & Sisters" is that no matter what the purpose of the episode, the quality is never lacking. Each and every episode is a demonstration of near perfection; a demonstration of what it means to write the best possible show every week.

Tonight was mainly about Justin and his struggle with the decision to take pain killers or suffer through an excruciatingly painful leg injury. Nora wants him to take the medications even though she knows it's going to change him and possibly push him back into the world of addiction. It's one of those choices in life where no matter what you do you're risking a life altering event that could change your future. For me, I don't know what I would do in a similar situation. If Justin takes the pain killers he can rehabilitate his leg properly and save his ability to walk and enjoy life but he risks becoming a drug addict once again. On the other hand, if he doesn't take them his risks losing most of the mobility in his leg for the remainder of his life but he won't fall back into drug addiction. It's a VERY tough call but I think he made the right. Although he's going back to a life of drugs it's different this time; he has a support system that's there for him and monitoring what he's doing. Plus he knows that he doesn't want the life he used to have and I think he's strong enough now to resist turning back to it.

However, the end of the episode gave the impression that Justin's personality may not be the same even if he can prevent himself from becoming addicted again. He already seemed different, dark like he used to be. I hope he can be strong enough to resist the temptation. He's a lot more fun when he's not on all the medications.

Tommy also had some trouble of his own tonight. Apparently, Julia blames him for William's death. Somehow her depression has changed her perception of the past events and she believes Tommy pushed her into making the decision to save their daughter and not their son. I really feel for Tommy here. He's done everything he possibly could to build a life for his family, make the best possible decisions, work with Julia to make them, and be sensitive to the fact that she's depressed. In the end, Julia still overlooks everything and holds him responsible. That's tough especially when he realized there's nothing else he could possibly do but to let her spend time with her parents in Arizona. I think they'll eventually work it out but not before a few more run-ins between Tommy and Julia's father. It's going to be a long ways off until we see these two happy again. Tommy just needs to make sure things don't go too far with Lina; clearly things seemed a bit, well weird at the end of the episode.

As for the rest of the Walkers not too much happened. Kitty and Robert had to deal with his ex-wife since she decided to go on Larry King to discuss her marriage with Robert. The former wife still believes (or pretended to believe) that Robert had an affair with the nannyeven though he has always told her that it was 100% not true. Kitty eventually visited her and bluffed with a story about finding the nanny and she was willing to tell the truth. After this, Robert's ex-wife cancelled the interview and all trouble was averted. The only problem for Kitty is that the ex told her Robert only looks out for himself and that his wife isn't really his partner. Hopefully, things will be different for Kitty and Robert because Kitty doesn't deserve a life like that especially when she's so successful herself.

I should point out that Scotty has re-entered our lives once again. He was pulled over for a D.U.I. and needed Kevin's help to get out of it. Turns out the police officer was homophobic and gave Scotty the ticket because he was gay. After Kevin won the case (of course he would) Scotty treated him to a five-star dinner at a sheek restaurant where he is now an intern. Since breaking up with Kevin, he's turned his life around and become a very good chef. Unfortunately, Scotty was just trying to impress Kevin in order to get him back. For the first time though Kevin remained faithful but it seems the two of them may still be "friends." I'm not sure how long a friendship will last between these two without something bigger "accidently" happening.

My overall impression of this episode was a huge thumbs up. I love the acting, the writing, and the family bonds that permeate every storyline. It's one of the best shows in recent memory and I'm glad the Walker Family will be around for some time to come.

Las Vegas: Head Games

ORIGINAL EPISODES, FRIDAYS @ 10PM ON NBC

There's not all that much to talk about with this episode. The most important storyline of the night dealt with Sam and her increasing unwillingness to talk about what happened on the plane when she was kidnapped. She's been suffering from insomnia and paranoia ever since. Despite seeing a therapist she refuses to revisit the events of that night. Then when she sees a women being stabbed at the Montecito she begins to wonder if she's becoming delusional after Danny and Mike couldn't find a body, let alone any evidence of a crime whatsoever.

As the episode progressed Sam continues to pursue the married couple who she believes committed a murder but is hiding the body. Unfortunately, no one believes her and she comes off as a lunatic that's harassing the guests. In the end, Sam figure out that the husband did kill a woman but with his wife already in the hotel room they were able to cover it up and make it look like he was dragging his drunk wife back to the room. Apparently, solving a murder gave Sam the strength to talk with her therapist about the events on the plane. She seems to be back to normal which is a good thing because she's the best character left on this show.

The rest of the episode was surprisingly normal. Mike had to solve the mystery of the bikini contest sabotage, Danny ran around poorly balancing his work and love life, and Delinda sat around making awful jokes and basically doing nothing. Most of the episode was boring and uneventful. If this was the type of episode we should expect with James Caan and Nikki Cox gone I'm not sure how much longer this show is going to last. The best thing NBC could have done for Las Vegas was move it to 10PM, which is surprising because NBC usually does whatever they can to kill shows. By moving it to 10, adults (parents in particular) have the opportunity to arrive home from dinner plans without missing the show. The younger crowd is out at 9 or 10 so it makes no difference for the 15-30 group but at least now the show can bring in some of the older viewers. This change may keep Vegas around for a little while longer but I have a feeling this could be the last season of our beloved "Las Vegas."

Grey's Anatomy: Let The Truth Sting

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 9PM ON ABC

Just like a few other shows in the past few weeks I'm not really sure what to say for last night's Grey's episode. It was just bleh. I mean, it wasn't all that bad; I did come away satisfied and no disappointed. I just didn't come away with that feeling you get in your gut when you just saw an amazing hour of television; when you can't wait to find out what's coming next or to talk to your friends about what just happened. It was just bleh. It was there and it was alright but nothing special.

Meredith and Derek are still bouncing around the hospital, both figuratively and literally. Derek, although recognizing he has a problem, still can't walk away from the relationship in which he is getting less than what he deserves. I agree with Mrs. Burke from last week, you have to walk away from a situation like this. Derek has been there for Meredith time and again yet she always chooses Christina or pretty much anything else over him. That's no way to be and he needs to get out. By her own admission Meredith acknowledged that she can't love even though she has a great man. The truth is that she's using her past as an excuse to be selfish. She could love if she really wanted to, it's just easier to be friends with people than to actually love someone because love is hard.

Speaking of Meredith and selfishness, she is still treating Lexie horribly. At first, I didn't understand how Lexie could be mad at Meredith tonight. From my perspective Meredith was ditched by her father, treated horribly by her mother, the one woman who was a good mother-figure to her died under her care, her father hit her and blames her for the death, and then her real mother dies. So in what world could Lexie, who grew up with the caring and loving father and family, be mad at Meredith who just wants to move on? Well, Bailey set me straight and I guess I understand now. Lexie was left in the dark about what happened to her mother. As far as she knew, Meredith had a rocky relationship with her father, her mother comes to the hospital where she's treated by Meredith for hiccups and dies, and Meredith treats her like dirt. Of course she's going to think Meredith basically killed her mother. In the end Meredith made a gesture; she read the death note to Lexie so she would know it was a freak chain of events that killed her mother. Maybe this is the beginning to a relationship for the two as sisters. It could be good for both of them, especially Meredith.

As for Callie, George and Izzie - Izzie is being incredibly selfish. She wants George to break it off and considers them in this together when it's George that needs to end the marriage, not her. Izzie has always been a bit selfish and self-centered so it's not all that much of a surprise. I feel bad for Callie in all this, I do. I mean, no matter what the situation no one should ever cheat. As much as I like George you don't do that; end the marriage then do whatever you want but don't cheat. However, Callie has to know that she married a man in the midst of an emotional upheaval. He was devastated by the death of his father. She should have told him to wait and then they would get married. Even if they never did at least she wouldn't have married a man who was in it for the wrong reasons. I was a bit shocked at how quickly it came out at the end of the episode. Next week should be very interested when Callie confronts Izzie.

Izzie's patient ("Really Old Guy" a.k.a. Charlie) was a refreshing breath of honest air in this place. With everyone walking around with secrets, it was nice when Charlie called them all out with his honesty. It was sad that he was so far down the road that he wanted nothing else but to die. I guess it's possible for us all to end up like that someday, it just makes it worse to see it happen. These are the kinds of stories that "Grey's" has been missing for a while now; those that tug on the heartstrings.

Now, I have a question. After watching "ER" for the last decade-plus, and especially Dr. Benton, I noticed that whenever a surgery comes up that's new, or at least new for that surgeon, they study for hours on end before performing the surgery. So how could Sloan and the Chief perform the tongue surgery without studying every possibly contingency? They had never performed a surgery like it before! It was irresponsible and probably the biggest mistake we've seen the Chief make in the past four years.

The worst move of the night belongs to who else but Alex. What in the world was he thinking when he told the other interns that George is a repeater? He can't stand to see anyone else get credit for anything. Just when Alex started becoming likable he shows his evil side once again. I feel terrible for George since the only reason he didn't pass the intern exam was because he couldn't concentrate with everything going on in his life. It's not even like he got the answers wrong, he just didn't answer.

Hopefully next week's episode will be better. With the Callie and Izzie confrontation looming it's already more exciting than this one.

Smallville: Fierce

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 8PM ON THE CW

After what I thought was a mediocre start to the new season, "Smallville" is starting to find itself again. I hadn't realized it until now, mainly because Lana was starting to get annoying, but the quiet, non-drama filled moments between Clark and Lana have been sorely missed by this reviewer. It's refreshing to get back to one of roots of the show which was always Clark's overwhelming love for Lana. As their relationship progressed it was one of the storylines that kept me coming back each and also kept Clark grounded. Over the past couple years however the two of them have moved apart despite any affections that remained. Now, with the marriage ending and Lana finally in on Clark's secret, the two of them can make a real go at an honest and open relationship. Although they've been together in the past, they never really had an opportunity like this to really give it a shot with all the cards laid out on the table. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes.

The addition of Kara, eventually Supergirl, has also been a welcome addition to the show. Her acting is pretty decent and well she looks amazing. This week Kara competed in the Miss Sweet Corn Pageant against former America's Next Top Model, Eva. I thought Laura Vandervoort looked far better than Eva. She was smoking in that red bikini. It was a bit humorous, at least to me, that Kara has jumped onto the red and blue outfit bandwagon that Clark started all those years ago. As I've said before, I don't know all that much about the comics involving Supergirl so I'm curious to see what Jor-El meant when he warned Clark about her last week. I doubt she's evil or up to something but it's very possible that they'll be some confusion, leaving Clark to believe she was involved in something she shouldn't be. I did think last night's episode was a good look at who Kara really is. She wanted to compete in the Miss Sweet Corn Pageant because at heart she's still a teenage girl looking to be accepted. She's still clearly very innocent despite her powers and where she comes from. In the end, I think she just wants to be loved and accepted just like everyone else. She might just need to learn how to be a bit more discrete when using her powers. Breaking through the monument to get the map and escaping from jail is bound to raise more than a few suspicions.

And then we have Lex. He's now trying to convince Kara that he's a good guy and she should trust him. Smartly, she saw through his guise for now and didn't give him any information about her past or where she came from. I wonder if Clark told her anything about Lex. It would probably be a good idea for him or Lana to mention something before she gives him any information. Also, it was obvious that the government agent that stole Kara's crystal would somehow end up being involved with Lex. Nothing ever happens without involving him and this partnership could end up leading to something big in the season finale with the crystal. Lex with all that knowledge could do horrible things if he figures out how to get it from the crystal.

Did you notice the glances between Kara and Jimmy? Well, how could you not, they were more than a little bit subtle. Chloe should step in or she may just lose her man to Supergirl. I don't really see it there (Jimmy and Kara) but I guess anything's possible. By the way, why can't Clark fly? Is it some sort of mental block? If anyone knows I'd love to hear why he can't yet. Until next week, enjoy reading through the reviews.

Back To You: A Gentleman Always Leads

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 8PM ON FOX

For some odd reason the writers felt it would be a good idea to revert back to the same style of writing as the pilot episode a month ago. Too bad the pilot episode wasn't all that funny; and neither was this one. As I watched last night I realized that for a half hour I may have smiled one time, if that much. The show was just NOT funny period. The moment it was building up the last couple weeks seems to have vanished into thin air and it makes me wonder if the last episode was a lucky stab at humor or the writers are purposely trying to be inconsistent.

If this show has any chance of surviving it needs to find its identity and stick with it. Each week we've seen inconsistency and a lack of humor in significant portions of the show. This week was spent having Chuck walk around the newsroom trying to steal the lead story from Kelly. Apparently, his old colleagues were in town and he was looking to impress them. Unfortunately for Chuck he ended up with the lead story only for it to backfire and make him look like a fool. Sadly, even this wasn't the slightest bit funny.

The one thing I did like was that the writers finally stopped having Montana pretend to be an idiot. In fact, her jokes were somewhat intelligent. This was a great idea and they should make her smarter. Ditsy humor rarely if ever works and through the first three episodes it was clear that it was not working for her.

I'm going to keep watching in the hopes that the writers find the shows identity and stick with it for more than one episode. I still think there's some potential here, they just haven't figured out where it is yet.

Pushing Daises: Dummy

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 8PM ON ABC

The second episode of this critically acclaimed new series on ABC was far better than the first. After accepting it for its quirkiness, I found that I enjoy this show a lot. Although, the truth is that without the unbelievably amazing chemistry between Lee Pace (Ned) and Anna Friel (Chuck) the show would be pretty dull. Every scene is accentuated by the connection between these actors and between their characters, creating that rare television magic that few shows ever find. Chi McBride and Kristin Chenowith are perfect additions to this relationship and have formed a great core of lovable and likable characters.

Granted the show is very far out there. How anyone came up with this idea and this world is beyond me but as I pointed out last week, they were probably a big fan of Tim Burton's work. Creator, Bryan Fuller, put together an incredible concept; I'm just not sure how long it can last. For now, the situational deaths and outrageous events are interesting and intriguing. From her though I don't necessarily see how far the show can grow especially since Ned can never have a relationship with Chuck. He could find himself falling in love with someone he didn't bring back to life, and thus able to touch, but it wouldn't be the same. How this show grows and changes will determine its success or failure. For now, it's just fun to watch.

The idea that the President of a Car Company would use human cadavers to test a new car rather than crash test dummy's because they would register the car unsafe is actually not that far fetched. Everything else about this case was however. First, the cars ran on dandelions. Just ridiculous. Second, the President dressed himself up as a crash test dummy when he killed anyone who got close to figuring out the truth. Also, ridiculous. Third, the car models dressed up as giant dandelions. Even more ridiculous. Somewhat all of this adds up to an insanely ridiculous but enjoyable hour of television.

I wonder exactly when Ned will realize Olive has a thing for him. She could end up being a real love interest for him down the road. For now, Kristin Chenoweth is doing a great job as the quirky and nosy next door neighbor/waitress for Ned. If this week was any indication this show may just get better and better every week. Keep watching and let me know what you think.

Gossip Girl: Bad News Blair

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 9PM ON THE CW

The theme of this episode was friendship. Mostly we saw the inner workings of the Blair-Serena friendship with a side of the Chuck-Nate friendship. Although the episode was mildly humorous it was far from the fun we experienced in the prior episodes. Most of last night was dedicated to the new and peaceful Serena-Blair friendship. From what I can tell this episode was necessary in order to create a jumping off point for all the future story lines. For one, the two of them feuding week-in and week-out would get old quickly and so a cease-fire had to come soon. Plus, if there was ever going to be a chance for Dan and Serena, Blair would need to stop attacking him and tonight gave her just the reason to leave him alone.

Dan is simply a great guy. He might lead with his emotions and attribute to Serena judgments that he shouldn't make so quickly but in the end he's a decent person. After everything Blair has put him through he still sought her out to make her feel better when she thought Serena had betrayed her at the photo shoot. As we saw at the end of the episode, it seems that Blair finally accepted that Dan is going to be in Serena's life and that he's actually a good guy. I think their back and forth banter could turn out to be very funny, so I'm definitely on board with all of them being friends.

As for Serena and Blair it appears they finally reached a good place. Despite waiving the white flags last week, there was still some deep-seeded resentment on Blair's part toward Serena; a bit of jealousy actually. Serena is very perceptive and picked up on it early. It seems she's really changed and cares very much about the feelings of her friends and family. She was a bit naive when it came to Blair's mother though. Did she really think Mrs. Waldorf wasn't trying to play her? To add Serena into the photo shoot at the last minute is shady and she should have realized that. Thankfully Dan was there to help her out with Blair. I'm actually a fan of the new Blair. When she's not trying to destroy peoples lives she's actually kind of cool. I'm hoping we'll get to see a lot more of this side of her.

While all this was happening, we had to endure the less than enjoyable lockdown party that Chuck was throwing. His fighting with Nate and the ensuing poker debacle was predictable and boring. The two of them are awful actors and tend to bring me down. I just don't enjoy the show so much when the two of them are on screen. If their acting was halfway decent they could have made this work, too bad it wasn't close. On top of it, the writing was just terrible. The minute Nate's friend brought up the poker game in Brooklyn I knew he was just trying to screw him out of his money. The writer's need to work harder or else the show is going to turn into a predictable and boring hour of television.

All in all this episode didn't have too much going on. One thing I thought was interesting was that Serena's mother, Lillian, and Dan's mother apparently know each other. Maybe it was a love triangle with Rufus and he picked Dan's mother over Lillian. Hopefully next week we'll find out more on Rufus and Lillian's past and maybe get a little more excitement going on with the show. This week was pretty dull and if the show wants to keep up the good press it's getting the writers are going to have to do a much better job.