All the way, or, this yogurt tastes like ham

THE UNUSUALS: 1.07 “The Tape Delay”

This was an interesting episode that had both highs and lows. The unfortunate part of this episode is that in regards to Casey and Walsh’s case, I called it almost immediately that he kidnapped himself. I confirmed my suspicion 30 seconds before Casey said it outloud.

I was a little disappointed. I mean, I thought there was some real originality–the fact that something might’ve happened as soon as they went to fight a real crime. But then everything seemed to go in that storyline twist that was considered new in 1995. Maybe I just watch TV.

The secret room in the cargo boxes, though–that was cool. You gotta give them credit for that.

Beyond that, I love that Casey was finally “outed” for being a rich girl. I loved that Walsh already new about her background. In retrospect, it seemed unlikely that he wouldn’t have figured it out. Plus, I always wondered how people didn’t notice that her last name was Shraegar when the 25th richest family in NYC had the last name (probably why at the beginning of the series, I thought she was going by Traegar–note: she wasn’t).

Really, the greatness of this episode was in the storylines of Delahoy and Banks. I loved the old man storyline. It was perfectly quirky for this show. I couldn’t stop laughing at the fact that he grabbed the money and ran, but then had to sit down and rest for a while. And while it looked like it got a little too serious at times–the old man’s speech on going “all the way” and his getting shot in the warehouse–all was lightened again by Bank’s stepping on his oxygen and the fact that the warehouse felt so bad that they made a donation to his nursing home.

But Delahoy is the one that really made a silent impact. It was funny–all of his food tasting like meat. But then again, if you really sat down and thought about it, it was heartbreaking. I mean, it’s really true that the next day he could wake up blind or paralyzed–and even though the medical examiner said it rather upbeatly, it’s a rather frightening impact.

And really, I think that’s one key element to this show. There are really some tough things that are discussed and dealt with, but you get it bubble wrapped in humor. And it’s not like the girls of Grey’s Anatomy calling people McDreamy or saying, “Seriously!” It’s a humor that disguises the pain, so much so that unless you take a good look backwards, you might just shrug it off. But then you miss the greatness of the show and the depth of each character.

Damn. I’m really going to miss this show. As I’ve mentioned before, if you’re a supporter, make it known. I’m hoping there’s a chance that another network will pick it up, but maybe I’m just too late. Either way, don’t stay silent. Go all the way.

Thursday Open Thread: Do you Twitter?

I got in a conversation at work about the pros and cons of Twitter. As you know, I’m a big check in the “pro” column (follow me @rakedreviews), but others stay far, far away from the Twitterverse.

So here’s a fun little Open Thread for this Thursday.

Do you Twitter? Who do you follow? (And all the stuff in between.)

I want to hear it all. Tell me if you Twitter and why. If you don’t Twitter and why. And best of all (here comes the fun part), who do you follow?

Personally, there’s a lot of fun on there. I follow a good amount of TV and entertainment news (which is probably why I was on the edge of my seat while fall TV schedules were coming out).

But then there’s the fun, ridiculous celebrities. From William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) to Felicia Day (@feliciaday) to Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus –And I must say, some of her rants are just funny.), I’ve got myself quite a collection. Add in some Dollhouse stars and the BroCode (@brocode), and you’re all set.

So what about you? Share your faves or who you’d recommend. Kinda like a #followfriday on Raked. Click the red box below or jump to comments.

Not crazy about Mental…yet

MENTAL: 1.01 “The Pilot”

I didn’t even realize a new show was premiering last night until I was flipping channels at 9:00, at which point I ran across Mental. And not a moment too soon either. Caught every naked minute of it.

I think the show has potential, but I’m a little nervous for it. It reminds me a bit of House on the surface. Though it doesn’t have the crotchety, angry man leading the group, there is the element of a typical work environment that has their own routines with one head honcho that shakes it all up. I mean, seeing Jack tell Arturo and Chloe (yes, according to IMDB, they DO have names) to go out and talk to someone–outside the clinic–really reminded me of House telling Thirteen and Foreman, or Chase and Cameron, to go out and do something unusual.

And in its own way, it’s got a funnness that you see in House. Instead of watching some guy get angry and do weird stuff because of that, you’re seeing someone do unusual things–quirky things–that make you laugh. You know, things like breaking and entering, or stripping down naked in front of cops and staff.

But beyond that, the show is its own. And as of right now, no character beyond Jack really grabs me. Perhaps Nora (seriously, look at IMDB as you read this because I didn’t catchanyone’s name except Jack’s), seeing as she has a backstory as a cancer survivor and hired Jack.

But everyone else is very straightlaced and blah. Yes, I get it. They’re used to their routines and don’t like change. And true, the characters must face that. Unfortunately, right now every character appears the same, and their annoyance at change makes me dislike them. They’re grumpy all the time, and change isn’t enough to make me understand their bitterness. Sure, it’s only the pilot and we’ll find out more, but they might not make me come back for more.

I think the show easily has some areas to grow, but I’m wondering when the line will appear. The plot for this episode–Vincent’s plot–was a very good one for the pilot. It was harmless, yet relatable. Anyone with kids wouldn’t want Vincent around if he’s going to strip down naked or run after them with a screwdriver.

But there are some dark areas this show certainly can slide into. Not every story can have a happy ending, and not every story will people really want to be entertained by. Just seeing that patient imagine himself with a pen in his neck made me realize that I don’t want to learn about someone with such gruesome suicidal tendencies (though the fact that Veronica thought everything was A-ok in her clinic when thoughts like these were still there was a startling discovery). This show opens itself up to that, and while in some cases that could be interesting, I can also see a very dark show appear. The balance would have to be careful.

Anyway, it was a decent pilot for a new show. Nothing too strong beyond the character of Jack. It still needs work. Whether I’ll come back next week? Well, I guess I’ll have to see what I’m doing Tuesday night.

Don’t forget your favorite ABC rejects

So it’s summer. Nice, right? Well, in your maddening sea of reruns, I hope you remember to pull ashore in time to watch the end of your favorite ABC shows. You know, your ABC favorites like Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and Dirty Sexy Money. And, of course, The Unusuals.

I’m more upset over Eli Stone’s cancellation than I am about The Unusuals, but it’s a pretty slim margin. I loved The Unusuals. You could probably tell by my unusual attachment to Leo Banks and the fact that I adore any show with Amber Tamblyn. And the writing didn’t suck, too.

Honestly, I think the only cancellation this year I’m happy about is Cupid, just because if you were going to cancel it ten years ago, why bring it back with a sloppier cast? Anyway…

The Unusuals returns tonight at 10/9c to show their final eps. Why should you watch? Well, obviously, because it’s a good show. Also, because Noah Hawley (creator) twittered about a possibility of continuing the show elsewher, and if you support it now, maybe that will happen, no matter how fleeting it is. Honestly, I don’t know where and I don’t know how, but if it were to continue, I’d be a happy girl. A very happy girl. After all, we need to make sure Leo makes it to 43, right?

So watch tonight, and while you’re at it, write an email to ABC about how mad you are. Not sure what it might do, but show your support in some way. I’m hoping there might be a soft, faint glimmer of hope in what Noah twittered (should this be tweeted?), and I think the show deserves it.

Beyond that, don’t forget the rest of your ABC shows.

Pushing Daisies returns May 30 at 10/9c for three episodes (yeah, that’s this Saturday)

Eli Stone returns June 20 at 10/9c for four episodes

Dirty Sexy Money returns July 18 at 10/9c for four episodes

And while you’re at it, catch Kings on NBC, which returns sometime in June. Man, even though there’s good stuff on, this summer’s gonna be heartbreaking.

I forgot how much I like ‘Raising the Bar’

One of the risks of a show’s hiatus–whether it be summer or otherwise–is that a show might be forgotten. That’s why so many shows end their seasons with cliffhangers. Who shot J.R.? Are George and Izzy going to die? Buffy killed Angel and left Sunnydale–for good?

Of course, with newer shows, it’s harder to do that, since you’re not 100% sure they will be brought back. I mean, I think we’ve all had our own pain of getting completely wrapped up in a storyline, just to find out that it’s been cut and you’ll never know (Tru Calling, Joan of Arcadia… Bah.).

Anyway, one show that went the safer route (if I recall correctly) was TNT’s Raising the Bar, which returns on June 8. And I remember how I liked this show. That it was quality television with good characters and good writing.

But I forgot how much I liked it. Last night, I was able to catch and episode and a half (sorry, House Hunters ate up one half an hour), and it just reminded me how good the show is. How much I really do like everyone in it.

It completely reminded me how must I like Jerry and Bobby. Together or not, I like them. I’d completely forgotten about Bobby’s crappy husband, and how he was so horrible to her. And even though it appeared her was out of the picture by the end of the season, I really hope we get to see or find out more.

And I totally underestimated how horrible Judge Kessler is! I mean, I remember her being harsh, but what a horrendous b*tch! She won’t give Jerry a chance for anything, and yes, he does push her buttons, but still.

And I forgot how much I don’t like the blonde (whose name I am completely blanking on right now). The way she stretches things to work in her favor. And her boss! Her boss! He’s horrible! But then again, that makes you have some sort of reaction to the show, which is a strength in my book any day.

Oh, I can’t wait. I’m a bit nervous because they’ve cut Jerry’s hair–let’s not make him too straight-laced, alright?–but I think he’ll be able to be his unruly self. It’s just one of those shows that surprises you. It looks like just another courtroom drama, but then it’s so much better.

So if you haven’t checked it out, go look and see when reruns are airing. And then catch the premiere June 8 at 10:00.

Buffy: The Movie — Been there, saw that

There are so many possibilities for headings for this post, that I think I’m going to list a few more.

No Scoobies, no likey
Give me Joss or give me death!
Hey, she died twice. Don’t kill her again.
Buffy movie? The world is doomed.
Proving LA is hell, with or without Angel’s help.
Even the Council isn’t this cruel

Those are just a few. Some suck, but all are appropriate.

If you haven’t heard the news, the rumors that Buffy might become a movie are supposedly true. I know what you’re thinking. But Joss himself said that there is no movie! Well, that’s because Joss isn’t involved.

That’s right. You can read it here or here, but wherever you read it, it’s all the same: A Buffy movie is planned with no Whedon involvement.

What’s more? There’s no Willow, Xander, Angel, Spike, etc. In fact, it won’t have anything to do with what’s been shown in the show or the comics. It’s not a prequel or sequel. It’s a one-off, you could say. Well, kinda. It’s basically Kristy Swanson’s movie, except with different actors and a different plot. (No word yet if they’ll even have Sarah Michelle Gellar, by the way.)

(Update: Sarah Michelle Gellar will NOT be in this movie. Color me not surprised.)

Yeah, you know how that went the first time. And that one even had Joss on board (as a writer)!

Here’s my issue: Let’s all get off the trainwreck that is called vampire shows and movies. Yes, I get it. Twilight is a hit right now. No clue why, but it is. And yes, Buffy was a super-successful franchise. Clearly, with its huge fanbase, it’s a success. But the problem is, the fans like the cast and characters, and they like Joss Whedon. So if you strip that away, all you’ve got is another vampire movie.

So if you’re going to just do another vampire movie, do another vampire movie. Write a whole new one without charging the costs to the legacy of Buffy.

I like to think of Buffy (the series) as a frontrunner of all this vampire madness. Or maybe, it’s more like the kid who hits the fashion trends just before everyone else realizes it’s cool. Either way, why stick it in with the Twilights, the True Bloods, the Vampire Diaries… Just let it be.

And the story isn’t over yet. Because of the success of the comic eighth season, we’re still in the midst of Buffy as a series–just in a different medium. So how can you do a one-off?

I should say, though, that while they might be “working” on it, I don’t think it will happen. Already, there’s an uproar in the Whedon community (seriously, just Twitter search #NoJossNoBuffy and see what you get. Or maybe #buffymoviefail). The success of the franchise lies in the hands of the fans. Without the things we love, who’s going to follow? I think that whoever’s got the remote to this this Buffybot-impostor might just realize that they’re digging themselves a Sunnydale-sized crater with nothing to go in it. At least no financial gain.

Anyway, if it does happen, I can’t imagine it’ll be successful, and I’d hate to find out that it actually ruins the integrity of the series we’ve come to know and love. Of course, with this backlash, I think the creators are forced to come to one of two solutions: back off or get Joss on deck.

Which do you want? Oh, and more possible headlines are welcome.

Monday Memorial Day picks

The problem with holiday weekends is that nothing is not. I mean, you can always watch marathons, but for some reason this year, nothing speaks to me. I mean, Intervention? Jon and Kate Plus Eight? Not so much.

This is part of the reason I’ve left my Thursday Open Thread up for an extra day on the home page.  Give you something to do.

Meanwhile, I’m hoping I can help. How about a couple new episodes tonight? Say, Greek and Medium?

I haven’t watched Greek all year, and I missed most of last season, too, which is rather disappointing. I mean, I really like the show. It’s a lot of fun, and Casey, who was the one I got most annoyed with in the first season, has really grown to be someone that I like. Now that my comedies are stuck in reruns, I finally get to watch the new episodes. So there’s a fun option tonight.

And the other? Medium. Contrary to NBC’s execs, this is one show worth watching. I’m glad CBS appreciates this, as they picked up the show for next fall once NBC dropped it, and it will now air on Fridays after Ghost Whisperer–which might just be a brilliant matchup, as long as it doesn’t seem like there are too many ghosts in one night.

Anyway, until the season’s over, it’s still on NBC, and we’ve got a new episode on tonight at 10. Again, this isn’t a show I tend to watch a lot, but the episodes I’ve caught are quality, so you should check it out tonight.

I should have taken more time to find out what else might be one, but it’s Memorial Day, so Raked’s gotta rest. But if you know something to check out, just let us know in the comments!

Happy Memorial Day!

Thinking more about ‘One Tree Hill’

So I’ve been thinking more and more about the One Tree Hill finale, which, considering the subject matter–Peyton’s imminent death during pregnancy–was surprisingly happy. And as much as I hoped for something happy, it was a surprising turn for the better.

An almost anticlimactic turn for the better. All this buildup, and then…nothing? No threat to life? No notch on the Raked season finale 2009 death count?

Fortunately, I’m a good little blogger and I read other reviews. And thanks to a certain commenter named Nancy on TV Squad, I realized that there might be a reason for the strange happiness. Nancy, if you’re out there, thank you for pointing out where I was blind.

Anyway, as I mentioned in the comments of my previous posts, this certain commenter suggested that the episode was so happy because it was all in the mind of our dying Peyton. It was her happy ending. Plus, it doubled as a series finale–or just a good ending for Hilarie Burton and Chad Michael Murray, since we didn’t know their contract fate yet–so there’s an added bonus. I think this maybe…brilliant.

That’s all if it’s true, which I’m leaning toward more and more. Let’s start with the episode title: “Remember Me as a Time of Day.” No exactly the happiest, though I do love that after all these years, One Tree Hill continues to name their episodes after song titles. It’s all about how to remember her.

Plus, there’s the disconnect between the beginning and the end. Peyton and Lucas in the hospital with everyone’s concern. Nathan’s drinking again. I also can’t rememer, but was Nathan’s empty locker before or after we saw Peyton wake up? Brooke and Julian–with Julian leaving after his night with her. Not exactly happy.

But it seemed like it turned with Peyton’s waking up. Suddenly she was fine. The baby was fine. A happy family–their dream. Nathan was called up to the NBA–his dream. Brooke and Julian end up together in a very beautifully lit moment–her dream. Hell, even Brooke and her mother reunited.

What else? How about the Whitey/Dan moment, which seemed 100% unlikely. Whitey hated Dan, and as wonderful as he is, I just don’t imagine this happening.

In fact, the only real believable part of the episode was Mouth and Millie. I can actually see that happening.

But it all seemed too good to be true, and maybe that’s the key. I can see it completely: Next season, two or three months later, we find out about Peyton’s death (probably via Brooke visiting her grave), Lucas has moved away (maybe he’s doing his squinty pouting with his mom), Nathan’s an alcoholic who’s been fired for missing that practice (because I’m sure that will come up again). And Brooke and Julian? Well, no reunite, but there’s still hope.

But we saw her alive! It must be true. And it still can be. But we saw that sheet go over her head, and why show that if it wasn’t going to be important. And with such a buildup, we need something like this.

Of course, they also gave her an oxygen mask with that sheet, so I don’t know what to read into that, other than that they just want to add in mystery and confusion–or an excuse to make it seem like she’s alive.

Personally, I’m loving this twist, and I fully hope that they’re going to do this for the next season. It’s not that I don’t love Peyton, but I think it would really add some extra umph into the series. Were we hoping for a happy ending? Sure. But one that happy? I’m not sure.

Anyway, I think it’s definitely something to think about. I’m almost wondering if I’m thinking about it too much now. What if this isn’t the case? What if all that was true and next  season seems fake, fake, fake?

Well, it’s One Tree Hill. You get what you get and you enjoy. So let’s wait for September. I guess we’ll find out then.

New show I’m excited about: V

We’re hearing all about the new shows that are starting up in the fall, so while we’re in the summer rerun lull, I thought I’d toss in some of my thoughts about some of the new series, based on descriptions, clips and trailers.

First up, V: The Series. I’m completely excited about this show. I don’t know much about it. I never saw the original series (come on, I was two), and if there were movies, I didn’t see those either.

But the trailer has me hooked! See it below.

What’s more, you can watch a couple clips here.

It looks like it could be a really interesting and mysterious series. Plus, adding in Morena Baccarin and Alan Tudyk, both of Firefly and Serenity fame, just adds more to it. Honestly, since these two are in the ‘verse, I think that’s why I’ve seen as much as I have.

Since I know very little, it reminds me a lot of Angel season 4, where Jasmine comes into the picture. People falling head over heels for this new being, only to discover that there might be something dark at its core. What is this resource they need? And when they say “leave the Earth better than it was,” what does that really mean?

My only skepticism is that with big buildups come big expectations. This has already been a failed series once, and though I’ve heard they’ve already signed it on for multiple seasons, I just wonder if it can live up to its promise. Of course, Lost seemed fully able to do so–living up to a multi-season storyline with a mysterious premise and succeeding with its fans–so I’ll keep my fingers crossed. I don’t know if Lost was originally picked up with multiple seasons like I hear this one was, but it certainly had that in mind when created.

Anyway, check out the trailer and clips, and let me know what you think. I think we’ve got some good stuff on our hands.

UPDATE: I just saw this article on TV Squad that mentions that this might be a six-episode mini-series? I’m not sure where my source heard that it’s already been signed on for multiple seasons, but now I’m questioning myself. No clue now if this is a full season, half season, or what. From what I see on the Futon Critic, it looks like it’s a mid-season show (at least it’s not on the fall schedule), so maybe that why there aren’t clear answers. Perhaps the number of episodes are undecided at this time.

Anyway, it looks cool, so check out the clips and share your thoughts in comments!

Thursday Open Thread: Kill them!

I’m sure you all know that I was very excited about this year’s finales, mainly because it seemed like the death count would be high. At the end of the day, we’re at three.

Yes, three. Bah.

Anyway, just to play scary blogger for all those involved, how about a fun new open thread?

If you could kill of any character–or characters–who would it be? Why? How?

Yes, we finally get a chance to kill of the Sylars, the Chloes, the Barneys–wait, who wants to kill off the Barneys? And hey, if you see someone choosing to kill off someone you love, fight with them! Save the characters you love!

Please note that I don’t condone actual killing at all. This is all characters only, not actors. Aka fiction. We love our actors. They give us TV.

Anyway, have at it below. Be daring. Start us off. Click the red box or jump to comments!

Don’t stop be-’GLEE’-ing

GLEE: 1.01 “The Pilot”

Yes, I am one of the millions that has “Don’t Stop Believing” permanently soddered on my brain. Now there’s an image.

Honestly, for a day that had no good TV on, I had a pretty good night. I got sucked into the glitz and glamour of Dancing with the Stars–both the encore and the awards show, well, most of it–caught some Glee, and finished it off with My Boys. Not bad.

I very much enjoyed Glee, but I’m a little back and forth about whether I’d watch the series. Here’s why:

I’m a musical theater nerd, so all the comedy behind the singing numbers I totally got and loved. Just the fact that of course they’d be singing “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat” (though the wheelchair was a stretch and simply slapstick in that song). The fact that of course Rachel would sing “On My Own” in an audition (by the way, that’s the number one song you NEVER sing in a musical theater audition). All that made sense and was just funny.

Plus, I love singing and dancing. So that was fun. I was swooned by their version of “Don’t Stop Believing,” and yes, Lea Michele has a fantastic voice, even if you could hear some remixing in the final song. (I’d say she can easily wipe out Vanessa Hudgins in a musical sing-off.)

My complaint is this: I think it’s a little too much thrown at you. The dramatic, real-life moments were just boring compared to the silliness. The show seemed to be filmed and directed much like Matthew Broderick’s Election, which was hilarious as a movie, but can get stale if done for too long (say, a multi-episode series?). I mean, even Finn had a Chris Klein-like appeal (or lack of appeal, depending on your point of view). I liked the acapella interludes but even those were driving me nuts after a while.

Solution? Half-hour show. I honestly think that this show could work as a half-hour comedy. They need to take away a lot of the serious drama–pregnant or not? give up your dreams or make money?–and just focus on the fun. I mean, clearly, they’ve got some great comedic actors already, plus some with great talent, so they could focus on that. Think Better Off Ted in a high school auditorium. Sure, there could be some focus on home life, but I can easily see this show turning into the drama of cheating wives and husbands and whether Will wants to be with his wife or Emma (note that both women were on Heroes, by the way). I don’t think that’s what the show could make it on.

I don’t know. I just see this as a more funny show, not Friday Night Lights: Musical Style. I enjoyed what I saw for the most part, but I just wonder if the focus will be the same when it returns next fall.

By the way, if you missed the episode, you can see it all summer on Fox’s website. At least, that’s what the voiceover at the end of the ep said.

The Full Story of the Goat

KT thinks you should tell the suit how you feel.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER: 4.24 “The Leap”

Halfway through this episode, I was afraid that this one was going to be a big mess.  Barney and Robin weren’t going to move forward, Ted was still angsting over the stupid hat restaurant, and Marshall was hovering on the edge of the roof.  (I don’t know why I was being so negative.  Usually I trust these writers more than that.)

But then it got awesome.  Ted got in a knock-down fight with Missy the goat (with “Murder Train” in the background, no less), Barney and Robin have a fantastic scene in which they freak out together, and after Lily urges Ted to take the leap and try something besides straight architecture (“Metaphorical leap, metaphorical leap!”), everyone makes it over to the posh rooftop with that one hot tub.

Oh, and Barney always wanted to be a violinist.  Who know?

But while Ted’s professional hang-up and Marshall’s jumping hang-up provided some amusement (as did Missy’s hang-up with Robin’s washcloth), it was really Barney’s romantic hang-up with Robin that carried the episode.  I loved the concept of “the mosby” and how it ties back to the very first episode.  And I loved that it can be used as a verb, and I loved how quickly Robin caught on to what the term meant.

This show is so good with layers, and it was lovely to watch Barney’s announcement get preempted by Robin’s mosby, then peel back to find that it was a mosby.  Except, that maybe it wasn’t.  We’ve known since the beginning that neither of these characters are looking for long term relationships or are remotely interested in settling down, and we’ve gotten to explore the reasons and nuances of those preferences over the last four seasons.  Their scene together in the hospital room works on paper because it balances the characters’ attraction with their fears about relationships and about each other, and I imagine it worked even better on screen because the actors brought to it the perfect comedic timing.

I’m eager to see where the writers take Barney and Robin next.  As Ted continues to ponder what he wants in a relationship and in a partner, I think he will have two couples to look at – and Robin and Barney will make an interesting sort of counterpoint to the fairly conventional cuteness of Marshall and Lily.

Speaking of whom, wasn’t it great that Lily got an “I’m pregnant” fake-out, like Robin had a couple of weeks ago?  A great little nod to the real life pregnancies of Alyson Hannigan and Cobie Smulders.

I also appreciated that the writers acknolwedged that even though Lily has been typed as “the one who can’t keep a secret,” if she really tries to, she can.  After all, she also kept the secret about sabotaging Ted’s worst relationships for years and years, too.

So many great moments this week.  Ted’s hoof-shaped bruise kept cracking me up, and did you notice that the hospital nurse who chuckled over Ted’s injuries also appeared in last year’s season finale?  Odd that we keep ending the year with a trip to the hospital.  The reappearance of Sven’s dinosaur building (but with a cowboy hat!) was a great touch, as was the business rejection delivered like a break-up.

And now Ted’s going to try his hand at teaching.  Thinking about how much he enjoyed enlightening his friends with fun facts about the Empire State Building in “First Time in New York,” I have no problem believing that he’s going to love teaching.  I hope that they don’t make the mother (A) an undergrad who’s ten years younger than Ted, or (B) a student who is dating her professor, but there are plenty of ways to avoid those – enough that I’m not going to bother listing ‘em.  And since the writers pointed out that a doctor/patient relationship would be unethical, I’m willing to bet that they’ll steer clear of student/teacher as well.

‘Cause like I said, I usually trust these writers.  And they sure didn’t let us down this week.

…And now I think I need to go watch last year’s goat episode and figure out how things match up.  Care to join me?

A happy ending in Tree Hill

ONE TREE HILL: 6.24 “Remember Me as a Time of Day”

I was expecting a pretty somber episode of One Tree Hill. Of course, then Hilarie Burton spilled the beans that her character was not killed off in a interview about her exit. But even then, I was expecting a pretty intense one where her life hung in the balance for a good hour before a happy ending.

Instead, we got a very artistic intro–I loved seeing Lucas standing there as each person gradually appeared standing next to him–and about twenty minutes of intensity. Then we got back to the meat.

Man, Brooke has had a rough year.  Her mother was horrible. She lost her company (then got it back). She lost Sam. She lost Julian. She was beaten and robbed. She’s had it pretty bad.

So it was about time that she got some good headed her way. I’m not saying that I 100% believed her reunite with Victoria (did this seem like a series finale to anyone, by the way, because this scene sure felt like it meant to be in one), but it sure seems like it’s sticking. Victoria even had her own sob story to tell to relate to her daughter. (Awww.)

But it was nice to see Brooke finally get what she needed–and she even got the guy in the end. Very Dawson’s Creek in the end, by the way. All we need is for Brooke to wander off set and get mugged at an ATM on the way to her professor’s house.

Sorry, that was a little side note. It was a pretty scene, and I liked it. I think Julian will be a welcome addition to the cast next year.

And then there was Nathan. Yay, Nathan, who is part of the NBA. Jamie’s reaction, though: Priceless. I might have to find that clip on YouTube or something and rewatch it. That was adorable. The smartest move One Tree Hill ever did was put that kid on it. I mean, really. (By the way, I still think we’re going to find out Haley’s pregnant, but maybe that’s just me.)

And Dan. What to say about Dan (except that he’s the healthiest guy I’ve ever seen that’s  number one on the heart transplant list). Hey, at least we got to see Whitey again (LOVED IT), and he’s not half as annoying as Mouth.

No, I still haven’t forgiven Mouth and he still annoys me ever since his Millie abuse. Love Millie, hate Mouth. I’m hoping they don’t bring out his character more next season, but I think they will. At least they’re not whining anymore, though. (PS – I think he’ll propose soon. Possibly on-air.)

Anyway, it was a sweet episode. I thought the positioning of the art and drama in the beginning was great (bloody wedding ring on a sink edge, ’nuff said). I loved seeing Karen and Whitey back. And even though I cringed to think of that baby in the middle of the back seat of a convertible with its top down, she had such an adorable face that you just had to sigh and be happy when you saw Lucas and Peyton drive off.

So onward and upward, One Tree Hill. Change is among us, and I wonder how it will play out next season!

Faceless children creep me out

GHOST WHISPERER: 4.23 “The Book of Changes”

I don’t know what I expected for a finale of Ghost Whisperer–especially this season. I mean, Jim died. Then became Sam. Then left and came back. Then remembered being Jim. Then found out Melinda’s carrying his baby…

How do you top that?

You threaten the child, of course. Or at least its mother. We found out two things in Friday’s episode: first, Melinda is having a boy; second, she might die on her due date.

We don’t know how and we don’t know why, but it’s all in the mysterious Book of Changes. This book is to be carefully guarded and protected in case it falls in the wrong hands. Unfortunately, I’m still a little fuzzy on whose hands those are and who are the bad guys–seeing as the good guys are trying to scare Melinda–but either way, Eli is now the keeper of the book.

For some reason, I thought Eli might get the opportunity to see ghosts in this finale. I was wrong. I guess there’s time, but that’s all speculation.

Honestly, it was kinda sad to see him mourn the loss of his ex, even if he could hear her after the fact. And I must say, for someone who died from falling down stairs, she sure looked pretty and at peace after the fact.

I feel like there’s a lot of questions unanswered, though, and that creepy feeling is still left humming. I mean, if you see faceless children that are touching your belly, I’d certainly keep around the creepy vibe. So even though we’re left on a happy note, I still wonder what’s to come.

And it was a happy note, wasn’t it? A nice, street wedding without those awkward relatives of Sam that no one knows. You knew they wouldn’t have a real big wedding, right?

It was sweet, and it’s nice to end the season with that feeling of nice. Even if we’re wondering that come September 25 (who bets that’s the date of the season premiere?), Melinda or her child might have a near-death experience and make her entry in that book come true?

Personally, I just hope there are more answers, because happy ending or not, I still feel a little uneasy and confused.

Dave goes crazy and Mike redeems himself

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: 5.24 “If It’s Only in Your Head”

Well, it’s about time that Desperate Housewives actually took action this season. We’ve been watching Dave go back and forth between vindictive and nice (with a little crazy in between) all season, and it finally all came to a head last night.

And Mike redeemed himself.

As I’ve said before, Mike’s been a really big putz this season. A really big jerk. But finally, he came to his senses and seemed to show some feeling toward his son, his fiance, and even his ex-wife. (Or maybe that should have been, “even his fiance”–poor Katherine. More on that later.)

I guess I should say that as far as big moments go, the Dave-rigged car accident was a big anticlimactic. Don’t get me wrong. I was sitting on the edge of my seat, wondering how Mike was going to get them all out of this pickle (little did I know that he wouldn’t). But somehow, I knew they wouldn’t kill MJ, and I was a little disappointed that Dave just let him go and attempted to kill himself. And for someone keeping up with a finale death count, it was disappointing that no one kicked it.

However, the eye shot/transition was awesome, and I give him super-kudos for that super creepy crazy look we got of him in the mental institution.

I’m glad the storyline finally finished, too. It was dragged out more than it needed to be, to be honest. I think they should have really condensed it into half a season of really fully charged episodes.

In other news, what about everyone else?

• I’m not thrilled with Gaby’s plotline. Another person who tries to get between her and Carlos, just for Carlos to blame everything on Gaby. That’s getting old, but I guess it’s something.
• Finally, Tom shows that he can think. I was very annoyed with his back-to-school plan, but I did like that we realized why it was important to him. Now, why can’t he do night classes while working part-time? Sigh.
• Lynette pregnant again? Quite funny. With twins? Even funnier. I love the way he told him. That was great.
• Bree. Blah. I’m bored. I’m bored with her, with Orson, and with Susan’s ex. It all seems forced, and I don’t like it. Every time she hit the screen, I wanted to change the channel.
• Loved seeing Edie back, even if she was just a hallucination!

In other news, I have full confidence that the secret bride is Katherine. The kiss with Susan…well, I don’t know what that was about. I haven’t seen any dwindling feelings for Susan in Mike’s eyes all season, no matter how they force it, and I can see some good storylines happening if he’s married to Katherine and there’s tension because of the kiss. Plus, I don’t think we’re finished with Jackson.

But what do you think? Katherine? Susan? Someone else? If anything, I’m just glad that MJ will be at his father’s wedding. Vegas or not, didn’t that seem odd to you?

Overall, ok finale. I was at the edge of my seat there for a while, and personally, I’m just glad that storyline is done. On for something new and hopefully more mysterious for next season!

PS – Had anyone heard about this possible spin-off? Interesting. I’d watch these two ladies over Tom, Bree, and Orson any day!

Um, did ‘The Best Years’ just end?

I’ve been really behind in my writing about The Best Years. Mainly because I’ve been behind in watching the last few episodes of The Best Years. I mean, if you compare this season with the previous one, it just doesn’t compare. There’s very little that has happened compared to cocaine overdoses, hit and runs, incestuous abuse, club break-ins, and more.

But I was very surprised when I caught up on the last three episodes of season two that they seem to be the last three episodes of season two. Did the season just end? More so, did the series just end?

Here’s what clued me in: Sam’s ending voiceover referred to the series title. That generally means there’s an ending. Plus, I saw no previews for the next episode.

It didn’t seem to feel like a finale, though. I mean, sure, Poppy and Del were happy in the end (weird couple, by the way, though I’m glad Del is happy). And Robyn and Noah got back together. Plus, I guess there was a cliffhanger, what with Rich’s leaving to be an intern for six months or forever (so much for a college degree…).

So I guess on paper, it reads season finale. Of course, it was a very abbreviated season that aired long after the first season, so I’m starting to wonder if it’s coming back. But it has to, right? I mean, I feel like things are unresolved.

But then again, they kind-of are. We don’t seem to have any more of Sam’s family issues. Now that she’s getting $300 a week or her column, I guess she doesn’t have to worry about money anymore. She’s in a relationship. All of her friends are in a relationship, except Kat, who seems quite content with helping others through her “Catherines” group (also weird).

The only question really worth asking is what will happen with Rich, who I don’t even care about anyway.

I really wonder if we’ll see anymore of the show, which is really disappointing. I was so into the first season (you can tell by my two recap reviews), and I really got to know the characters. I was disappointed that most of them didn’t return for season two–especially Trent–and that the action disappeared. Now season two seems to have slipped through my fingers.

Am I wrong? Will there be more to see? I’m less familiar with The N, so I’m not sure how their seasons work. Does anyone have any info out there that you can send to little blog writers like me?

If this is the end, it really does disappoint. Maybe I’ll just go sit in my room and rewatch season one. Reminisce about the good ol’ days and make up my own seasons two and three.

Dancin’ to some Gormogon

BONES: 4.25 “The End in the Beginning”

I have a definite opinion on Thursday’s finale of Bones. First, it was fun and interesting. Second, I didn’t like it as a season finale. Third, the end was predictable.

It was fun, though. It was nice to see everyone in different personas–and back together again. I loved that the merry-go-round of interns all appeared as different parts of the Club staff, except, of course, Clark, who was a badass guy who managed Motley Crue. Clark entertained me. I mean, even Angela’s ex-husband appeared. It was nice.

The strange part, though, was that even as a club owner, Bones was still her scientific self. I think she might’ve played that part a little too strong. Everyone else loosened their characters some; why couldn’t she?

And I also enjoyed how they fit previous cases into the dream, like Gormogon and the Gravedigger. It was nice seeing these  little gems inserted somehow.

But as entertaining as it was, why was this the season finale? After such a HUGE episode the week before, why were we suddenly dropped into a dream? I mean, it wasn’t even questionably a dream or hallucination (think House’s Cuddy hallucination). Clearly, these characters are not married. Clearly, they don’t work in a night club. Clearly, this is all in someone’s head.

So it was no surprise to see that it was all in someone’s head. This time, it was in strangely both Bones’ (as a writer) and we assume Booth’s (as a dream). What was the twist, though?

Amnesia.

Sigh. It’s five minutes before a season finale ends, and someone has just had brain surgery. What do you think would happen?

I felt this was too predictable and the easy out. Now all summer long, we’ll worry about Booth.

Sure, it was a fun episode, but why couldn’t we get a real episode with a real outcome? I would have almost wanted last week’s episode to be the finale instead, just because at the end, we  were really left uneasy and wondering.

Plus, after last season’s huge reveal of Zack’s betrayal and the anguish of everyone’s faces as they watched through the hospital window, this episode just dooesn’t compare. We needed something with that impact. Sure, I’m concerned about Booth, but I need it on a deeper level with out such a common problem.

Anyway, I think it was fun, but I think this episode fit more in the middle of the season. It reminded me too much of One Tree Hill’s 1940s episode, where it just seemed like a creative stunt for fun (at least this succeeded more than OTH). Creative stunts for fun don’t make for good finales. After the dramatic, we just want more drama.

New Renewals and Poll Results

What a busy Friday night we had! First, of course, we heard that Dollhouse has been renewed, though the formal announcement won’t be until Monday. Joss Whedon has commented on the renewal, and it’s true! This was a really big long-shot here, and I’m very surprised that they said yes, but I’m happy!

Not only that, but Castle was renewed. Plus, Amy Acker’s new pilot Happy Town has been picked up. It’s been a very nice weekend for the Whedonverse.

The only downside to me is that Scrubs was also renewed. I really wanted this show to rest in peace after its fantastic finale. Others aren’t quite as disappointed as I am–at least it’s a funny show–but I just think such a great finale as only a season finale (especially since Sarah Chalke and Zach Braff will be around for six episodes) is just a waste, and I’m afraid that the following season will just bring it down from such a high note.

Anyway…at least people aren’t out of jobs.

So what about my poll? I figure I should post my results now, seeing as some of our “bubble shows” have just been renewed. Keep in mind, these aren’t very representative or true to life. Forcing people to choose only one show when so many people are worried about bubble shows makes one tend to vote for their favorite shows on the bubble. Plus, with grabbing only my readers, my readers on Twitter, and my personal friends on Facebook, you don’t get exactly a perfect sampling of the populate. But it was still fun.

So let’s look first at the complete list of shows suggested for coming back in the fall (click on each graph to see a larger version):

As you can see, Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles were the top two, followed by Chuck. I think that’s not a huge surprise–especially since so many people I’m connected to are in the Whedonverse.

What surprised me is that next up are some shows that have been long gone. I mean, multiple votes for All in the Family? Seriously? But it’s good to know that Castle and How I Met Your Mother are up there, too (again, shows from the ‘verse).

But let’s look at this more realistically. I’m going to take out the shows that have been long gone and cancelled. Here we go:

So, now you see that our Whedonverse shows really are on top. And then come some good favorites. Honestly, I’m surprised that Lost didn’t get more votes, but like I said, I think people were more worried about the bubble shows. I did get a lot of people saying that they chose one show to save but would choose How I Met Your Mother overall. That’s nice.

It’s good to see The Unusuals on there, too, but I’m disappointed that more people didn’t say Kings. Kings on Twitter are really trying as hard as they can to spread the word about renewal. I wish it was a little stronger!

Finally, just to prove I’m not crazy, here’s how it breaks down with shows that were on the bubble at the time of the poll, shows that were safe or already renewed, and the long gone.

All that purple means that people really care about their bubble shows. But then again, there were a lot this year. I mean, even Bones was on the bubble (has that been renewed yet?Update: Just got renewed!).

Anyway, the poll was fun. Let me know if there are any other poll suggestions you have. Next year, this should be even more fun. Who knows what shows will be on the air then? And maybe more people will be on Twitter or reading this blog so I can get a better sampling!

And thanks to everyone who participated!

UPDATE: Just heard via Twitter that The Unusuals was not renewed. I’m heartbroken. Why, ABC, why?

DOLLHOUSE RENEWED!!!

So technically it’s not official until they announce it on Monday,  but sources say that Dollhouse will be renewed by FOX. Read all about it here.

Hooooly crap. I’m going to be honest. I didn’t see this happening at all. Don’t get me wrong, I had hope, but I certainly didn’t think that it would really happen. I mean, it’s FOX. What can you say?

Apparently, you say, “Save Dollhouse.” And they heard it. Heck, even I wrote an email. That’s not new for me, but I’m just saying…

According to the site,

…its DVR numbers are strong, online streaming is strong. It’s a sci-fi show, which tend to bring in nice ancillary revenue such as DVD sales for sister-company studio 20th TV. And it’s said that Fox execs rather like the series, especially the latter half of the season. Besides, a show airing in the fall on Fox is a bit like running in midseason on most networks — it’s not their strongest part of the year and maybe … maybe …

So, awesome. Now, I’ll be heartbroken if I hear that come Monday they’ve changed their minds. But sources are saying it’s true, so I’m happy. And it’s unsure what night it will be aired. Personally, I think partnering it with Fringe could give it a good edge.

So be happy, little Sleepies! I certainly am.

image from Slate.com

Update: More info here. Looks like they’re ordering a 13-episode season.

Kidney: What a funny word

30 ROCK: 3.22 “Kidney Now!”

Last night’s episode of 30 Rock was ridiculous. Now, it was funny, but it was ridiculous. Very, very ridiculous.

I’m not sure where to start. Let’s start with the part that I liked best. And that was…

The doctor. I don’t know why, but the idiocy of that man was the best. Sure, all his jokes seemed cliche. But just the fact that he wouldn’t fix the paperwork, insisted that he’d remember, and then proceeded to forget AND argue that he was right was fantastic.

Plus, Alan Alda was in it again. So that’s always good.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure this episode was just one of those moments when the writers behind the show teamed up to say, “How many guest stars do you think we can get to be in one episode?” And then they decided to test it out.

And it worked. I loved the song (yay YouTube).

And I loved Liz on the talk show. She sounded like she had such authority, and I was sure that it would turn on her. And it did. But it was still fun.

I wish I had more to say, but the episode seemed to speak for itself. I enjoyed it, and the song’s great. So watch and enjoy (and comment on your own thoughts below).

Volleyball, Buffalo, and…babies?

THE OFFICE: 5.26 “Company Picnic”

What a night on The Office. Holly returned for the company picnic, much to the pleasure and pain of Michael. Volleyball turned nasty. Buffalo is shutting down. And ta-da, Pam and Jim are having a baby.

And it was adorable. I mean, the way they found out. They pulled a Joss Whedon circa “The Body” and had us just find out through facial expressions, which I think just might have been the best way. Because how do you really tell a viewing audience that and live up to expectations? You don’t. That’s how.

And they were cute. They were clearly happy, and I loved the number of expressions that passed over Jim’s face. But here’s my question: Wouldn’t there be some part of them that might have thought, “Crap, we’re not even married yet?” I mean, I understand ultimately being happy, but I would think there’d be some hesitation there.

What’s funny, is that I knew a pregnancy would happen in The Office. It was announced a while ago. But you know what those stinkers did? They said Phyllis would get pregnant. And you know, I believed them. I mean, she got married a couple years ago, and maybe that’s what she wanted. She’s supposedly Michael’s age, which isn’t too old, you know?

But it doesn’t look that way. Or if it does, we won’t find out until next season. (But wouldn’t it be funny if Pam and Phyllis had battling pregnancies. I mean, Phyllis has been all over Pam lately.)

Meanwhile, back at the picnic, we saw glimmers of hope for the Dwight and Angela reunite–something that seems less-than-stellar in my eyes. That storyline is over, and really, it was Dwight’s friend’s insults that were the best part of Angela’s entire existence in the episode. I hope we keep him around.

And Michael and Holly. Well, you all know I’m not a Holly fan. It was really heartbreaking to see them so close, yet they couldn’t be together–that’s true. But wouldn’t both of them know not to announce Buffalo’s branch closing? I mean, Holly’s in HR for God’s sake!

I thought that was a little lame, and I’m sure that Michael and Holly would have had worse punishment than being scolded by their boss.

By the way, nice to see Charles back on the volleyball court. Man, that guy’s a jerk.

Anyway, overall, it was a fun and surprising episode. I’d say it was pretty good.

End in smiley face? Not so much.

Here’s my one issue. We spent the season really twisting and turning the lives of the people in The Office. I mean, Pam was in NY to fulfill her dreams, then came back. Then Michael and Pam branched off, everyone in Scranton lost customers, and then they came back. Now Pam’s a salesman, but it seems like everything is basically back to the way it was, just with the new face of Erin and the return of Ryan.

I thought we were finally getting to a place where we could see Pam develop and maybe the office to change a little. But not only are we back to ho-hum (I mean, Ryan’s a temp again!), but now Pam’s future might be stilted by having a baby. Not to say that’s not new and different for them, but why all the personal development for nothing?

Not to say the upcoming season won’t be enjoyable. I’m sure it will be. But I just wish we could have followed through on what we were developing instead of turning our attention to whether the kid should be nicknamed “Jam” or “PB&J.”

Just a thought.

R.I.P. on Smallville

SMALLVILLE: 8.22 “Doomsday”

That was the teaser that’s been all over the internet about the season finale of Smallville. I mean, I mentioned it way back when, when I was discussing deaths and season finales. And I even mentioned it today, just as a warning for tonight’s episode.

My predictions were kinda right, kinda wrong. I thought Tess would die: wrong. I thought Doomsday would die: he did. Twice, really. The actual Doomsday died, and then so did Davis.

As for the metaphoric, I thought maybe Chloe. I thought maybe her human side would somehow die, or she would become “Watchtower,” which would not be a place, but a thing. (You can tell that I’m not too in tune with comic lore.) That was a guess, but I thought they had to do something with Chloe.

If Smallville really wanted to make an impact, they could have killed Chloe. Unfortunately, I don’t think the show has the resources to recover from that, so it’s good they didn’t. But I certainly didn’t think they’d do what they did.

I should go ahead and toss this in the mix: I really haven’t been watching this season. I watched a few episodes in the beginning, and I watched Chloe and Jimmy’s wedding episode. Maybe a few more. But these most recent episodes, not so much.

For someone that wasn’t even completely drawn into the storyline, it was intense. I can’t imagine what it was like for people who had been watching all season long and were invested. That had to be almost physically painful.

But Jimmy? To kill off Jimmy… This was completely out of nowhere. But at the same time, it was perfectly done. I mean, you watch the show and think, who could die? Well, clearly not Lois and Clark. They’re in the comic! And hey, so is Jimmy Olsen. He’s safe. The others…well, they’re in the comic, but maybe they’ll be a little looser with the storyline.

Little did we know that Henry James “Jimmy” Olsen was not the famous photographer of comic book fame. No wonder he was the same age as our reporters and seemed to have a larger impact to the storyline. His little brother–so far, remaining nameless–will be the one to follow in his footsteps.

But that was the death we needed. Certainly not one that we wanted, but it definitely was surprising and made an impact. As one of my fellow Twitterers said, it was traumatic. We’re still getting over it.

But that wasn’t all that happened in the episode. Remember that metaphoric death? Clark Kent is dead. Burdened with the guilt of Jimmy’s death–and we all knew he’d feel it (who’da thunk that Oliver was right in killing a man?)–he’s given up his human side and accepting himself as an alien. This should be interesting for next season.

Meanwhile, Lois has disappeared in a mystical void, and poor Chloe is left alone in the Watchtower (yes, in the end, it’s a beautiful beacon of a place–color me jealous).

And Tess? Did she just see Zod appear in Smallville? That…can’t be good.

Reactions? Please share. I’m wishing I’d been watching all season. It must’ve hurt just that much more. I must say, one thing Smallville does right is its season finales. Are you even breathing right now?

Finale, finale, finale

Well, since there was a large vast emptiness of nothing on last night (ok, I don’t watch Lost because I’m waiting to start it from the beginning and I’m not an Idol fan–and I did watch ANTM but I don’t write about it), I’ve got nothing to say here.

…

Just kidding. I’ll write about what’s on TONIGHT! And there seems to be a lot.

Seriously. If you don’t have TiVo, a DVR, a VCR, or an Internet connection, you’re in trouble. You might as well just shut off your electricity and read by candlelight because you’re just going to miss too much.

No, that didn’t make sense, but there’s a hub-bub of activity fluttering in this Raked brain, and I don’t know where to start!

How about at 8:00? Which will you watch? Bones? Smallville? I haven’t watched Smallville all season, but I’ll be certainly checking it out tonight. Why? Because two characters–maybe three–will be dying. Really dying. Not Heroes dying. Like, seriously, off-the-show dying. What’s your guess? I’m going to guess Tess and Doomsday but I’ve heard that both seem to have roles in the comic, so who knows? I would love for it to be Lana (hate her), but Chloe is always an option. It’d be a big deal if she died. But I love her. Keep her. Please?

But you can’t just miss Bones after last week’s episode. I mean, it was huge! And I hear that Booth and Bones will be getting it on, too. People have been waiting for that for quite a while now. And I hear that it’s not what you think and the sexual tension will not be gone from the show (if it gets picked up–it’s on the bubble). So there you go.

But what about 9:00? Nothing’s on then, right?

WRONG! We have the two-hour finale of Grey’s Anatomy. What do you think? Will Izzie die? I personally think she won’t, but I’d love for her to just so I can get my Death Count back up again. I mean, no one has died since Heroes! And I made up a song and everything!

Anyway, the big questions are whether Izzie will live and whether George will live. I know. Who even knew George was in danger?  But I will be watching, as painful as it is.

But don’t forget the finale and 100th episode of The Office, which comes with the return of Holly. As much as I can’t stand Holly and Michael, I’ll be watching. I mean, it’s The Office. For some reason, I must watch for the one occasional funny episode that’s left.

30 Rock also a finale. And if Alan Alda’s in it again, I certainly won’t miss it.

I’m sure I missed some others, but these are the ones that I care about. Either because I like the show, or big characters might die. Is it sick of me to be watching just for that?

If so, you’re sick, too.

Thursday Open Thread: Choose One Show

I’ve been running a poll on my Twitter and even on my personal Facebook account, but I thought I’d spread it over to here–especially since this where I’ll be posting the results. Here’s our Thursday Open Thread question today.

If you could see ONE show–and only ONE–return next fall, what would it be?

And yes, this includes shows that have already been renewed. If you were forced to only have ONE show to watch next fall, what would it be?

Because this could get us some pretty minimal responses, why don’t we expand. Let me know the show and WHY you want it kept.

So far, I’ve gotten a lot of shows that were on the bubble–and even some long dead shows like Joan of Arcadia and All in the Family. Not sure how realistic some of those are, but hey, they’re answers. I can’t rule them out.

I’m going to be putting up the results this weekend (think pie charts with colors), so if you’re having trouble deciding, you can provide two answers: one show that’s on the bubble and one show that overall, you’d like to see come back in the fall, even if it’s in safe territory.

Anyway, post your answers quick! I hope to have some results up on Saturday or Sunday. Just in time to get some answers about bubble shows on Monday!

So scroll down and click the red button or just jump to comments here.

You laugh, you cry, you…say good-bye?

ONE TREE HILL: 6.23 “Forever and Almost Always”

Oh, One Tree Hill sure knows how to make a funny episode. But I’ll get to that a little later. I thoroughly enjoyed Monday’s episode, though. It was great.

I think it’s great that with a storyline like Peyton and Lucas’, they can really make a meaningful episode that makes you laugh at the same time. I don’t know why it wouldn’t have occurred to me that with white rose petals will come a bloodbath, but it should have. It’s a very artistic way to counterbalance the fright of Peyton’s collapse.

The promos for next week’s episode do not look good. Will Peyton die? I don’t know. But if you haven’t heard the news, both Hilarie Burton and Chad Michael Murray will be leaving the show, so death is a good way to write her out. (I’ve heard some vague spoilers if you’re interested, but you’ll need to comment and ask–preferably leave a Twitter name or email address.)

Beyond that, though, it was just a fun episode. Maybe not for Nathan and Brooke. Nathan was bummed since he wasn’t called up to the NBA, and Brooke had to face her lost love–plus mini-Brooke!

Ok, that was just hilarious. Methinks The Soup will have much to say about the return of Nick Lachey.

Anyway, I loved Skills and Jamie. Loved that no parents were there (including any awkward Dan appearances). Can’t say I loved Mia, as I was getting really sick of her and Chase’s discussion of slutty wedding sex (btw, who thinks that Nathan and Haley just made another baby? I do!), but that’s just because those two are boring. I hope they don’t become regulars now that Lucas and Peyton will be gone.

Ok, favorite parts and lines.

• “You teased him about his boy band.” – Peyton to Julian, after Nich Lachey punches him in the face.
• “Poison? You’re going to go with that?” – Peyton to Haley, after she starts spouting Poison lyrics.
• “Just go with whatever I told you before Lindsey’s wedding.” – Nathan to Lucas.
• The entire Skills/Jamie part. The leash, to make sure that he didn’t get kidnapped, like at Lindsey’s wedding. The fact that the leash was then attached to a dog without his knowing. Finally, Haley’s “Really, Skills?” when Jamie disappears to play with said dog.

Overall, it was just fun. I really enjoyed it. Oh, and Julian’s speech to Brooke’s mother? Wow. I never really cared much for Julian–he was ok and stuff, but nothing much more–but that was awesome.

Fringe Season Finale: The geek-dar is pulsing

FRINGE: 1.20 “There’s More than One of Everything”

You wanted answers? They gave you answers. And boy were they neat.

If you didn’t narrow down that Peter was from another dimension before seeing his grave, they sure did get you there. That’s right, Walter’s son–his real son–died at age 7. He said that he went into a different universe to get something he lost, and that is the Peter we’ve come to know.

My assumption is that the original Peter died from illness at 7. Walter has said a few times that Peter was a sickly child, and he’s also made vast attempts to check Peter’s health now. Clearly, he’s hoping that this Peter won’t have the same fate.

But wasn’t it heartbreaking to see Walter try to reach out to Peter, hoping this one collected coins, just as his dead son did? It was so sad.

And I’m so glad it’s this instead of the idea that Peter is a clone of Walter, which was a rumor that was spreading. I think this idea is much more intriguing, seeing as now we get to find out even more about this Peter, the deceased Peter, and the possible ramifications of what this means for everyone.

Meanwhile, in the end we have Olivia stuck in said alternate reality. I knew something was up with Nina’s phone call. There were about 15 key phraser that you never fall for, the last one being, “Come alone.” But it does bring us to an intriguing turn, doesn’t it.

The entire episode, I was geeking out. If you know me at all, you know that I’m a Sliders fan. (Well, at least the first seasons.) The fact that there are other worlds that are on the same time continuum as ours, but something slightly different happened in history to make it different. In this case, we see that the alternate reality left the Twin Towers pristine.

My only geek complaint is that to accept the possibility of other dimensions, you have to accept the idea that there are an infinite number of these dimensions (hence the entire plot of Sliders). So it bugged me to know that Walter and Mr. Jones seemed to be focusing all their attention on this one–the one that William Bell was presiding in. However, maybe they’re just smarter than Quinn and narrowed down coordinates from the get-go.

Man, wouldn’t it have been awesome if the story hadn’t leaked that Leonard Nimoy would be William Bell? His appearance would have been that much more stunning.

Overall, fantastic episode. I think we’re really moving on this, and I can’t wait until fall to see where it’s going. Will Olivia get back? Will we end up in a world with multiple Walters, Olivias, and Peters?

And how will Peter react when he ultimately finds out the truth?

Goosebumps already.

Barney drives, Stella leaves

KT would like to get to the season finale as fast as she can!

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER:  4.23 “As Fast As She Can”

Exit Stella and Tony, stage left.  So what exactly was the point of last week’s build-up?

Ted’s amazing encounter with Stella – and, as we find out, Tony – didn’t lead to landing a big archetecture-type contract.  It certainly didn’t lead to a second chance for Stella and Ted.  All we seem to be left with is this weird hint about a screenplay Tony will write that will become a movie called The Wedding Bride.  (The what now?  Um, okay.  I suppose I can see how goofy Tony writing a fluffy romance might lead to a title like that.)

I don’t resent the reappearance of Stella and Tony, because Sarah Chalke and Jason Jones are always good fun, but I do hope to eventually see how the big Stella arc plays into the show’s main goal of finding the mother.

There are plenty of possibilities.  Stella and Tony may still show up at the birthday party next week before they leave town – with someone in tow to introduce to Ted.  That seems less likely now, though, given how all of Ted’s friends reacted to Stella this week – especially if this is a surprise party and they’re the ones planning it.  But it’s still easy to imagine that this movie of Tony’s could be involved in Ted meeting the mother.  Maybe it’s what they see on their first date or something.

Overall, this episode was not one of the show’s best, but it did have its highlights.  Tony’s efforts on Ted’s behalf got old for me as quickly as they did for Ted, but the wealthy client who wanted to build a murder house was hilariously over the top.  Total camp, but I loved it.

Also way over the top in the best possible way:  the two extremes of how Ted could reacted to meeting Stella.  Good fun!

And I loved that Ted’s ringtone is “Let’s Go to the Mall.”

Ted’s speech to Stella was sweet, too.  Kind of a reiteration of the show’s mission statement – Ted sounded more like he did in season 1 than he had in a while.  Hello, Romantic Ted.  Nice to see you again.  I liked Stella’s “as fast as she can” story, too – though it did seem a little harsh to hear it from someone who dumped him at the alter.

But part of what I liked about it was that she admitted her “how I got out of a speeding ticket” story wasn’t true.  Made me wonder if none of those stories were true – if Marshall and Robin made theirs up too, just with more finesse than Barney.

Barney’s repeated attempts to get out of a ticket got old quickly, though – especially because I really wish they would drop a line in somewhere to reconcile “Arrividerci Fiero,” in which Barney couldn’t drive, with the several instances since then that put him in the driver’s seat.  Presumably he buckled down, buckled in, and learned to drive at some point between the “Arrividerci Fiero” flashback where Ted tries to teach Barney to drive, and the episode in which Barney steals Ted’s moving van so that Ted won’t move in with Robin.  And the flashback in “The Bracket” that shows Barney abandoning a girl at a campsite by driving off in her pickup.

But on the up side, Lily’s back!  Raked, you were right when you guessed that her exit would cover several episodes.  I also loved that she needed to ease back into dealing with Barney.

One more left for this season!  Be there, or be… unlegendary!

Breaking News: Minus two on ‘One Tree Hill’

I’m going to watch last night’s episode tonight, but I couldn’t help but share the news I just got. If you don’t want to know, I’d suggest you stop reading now. But it looks like the RSVP for two actors next season will be “no.”

Details under the picture below.

image from watchingcw.com

Well, it’s good that The CW renewed the show so early. But what will it look like?

TV Guide has just announced that Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton will not be returning to the show.

This is a big surprise to me. I know the question had been tossed out there, but I thought it was a publicity stunt. You know, to make people wonder whether Peyton will really make it after she has the baby. Will they kill her off? If they don’t renew her contract at time of renewal, you’ll never know and will have to watch.

Well, I guess her death may be a real possibility, because Peyton and Lucas both will not be returning for the seventh season. Instead, Julian will become a regular.

Wow. I have faith in the other actors in the show, but do you really think they can do it? I mean, the show was about Lucas, and yes, it’s developed (and Lucas and Peyton are almost a little too boring now), but it just surprises me. Those are some big names to cut loose.

But there it is. Good-bye, Peyton and Lucas. And what’s to come next week?

image from fanpop.com

Speed it up already!

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: 5.22 “Marry Me a Little”

Bah! I’m getting really frustrated with Desperate Housewives. The finale is next week, and I don’t even have that edge to watch it. Remember when they geared up the show really intensely near the end of the season so you could barely breathe all week before the next episode? What happened to that?

All Dave did in this episode was get Jackson deported. I realize that this was probably to get Jackson out of the way so he can go into his major plan of destroying Susan, but it just kinda looked like a lame-o twist. I mean killing the doctor and lighting the club on fire: Big. Getting Jackson deported: Eh.

Meanwhile, the detectives know the doctor is dead, and supposedly he’s stil on the MJ war-path. You wouldn’t know this by this episode.

Instead, we’re back in the world of everyone else, including jerky-jerk Mike and his love for Susan.

Here’s my question: All season long, Mike’s just been a huge jerk and has shown no inclination of still loving Susan. So why now? Now that he’s with Katherine, who’s just being such a sweetheart now. Really, I like her.

And then there’s (yawn) Tom and Lynette. Let’s look at it this way. If Mike’s the guy I’m sick of because he’s a jerk, Tom is the one I’m sick of because he’s a whiny baby who doesn’t seem to know how the world works. He keeps wanting to live out various dreams, and now he doesn’t seem to have anything to live for. Now he wants a facelife–with money they don’t have. Just to get a job. It’s a “long-term investment.” Um, no. It’s stupid. Tom’s stupid. And it’s stupid that we’re dealing with this the episode before the finale.

Then there’s Gaby, which was interesting. I think it’s nice that they’re presenting this side of things. (On a side note, I find it completely insane that they did this storyline with Tom’s difficulty in his job hunt and they didn’t mention the recession AT ALL.) But again, it didn’t fit in this episode. It seemed like it should have been elsewhere in the season.

But Gaby’s having a little trouble being a role model for her kids, now that she has money, isn’t she? Last week it was beauty. This week money and greed. Sad.

The only upside to this episode was Bree’s storyline. I love that Orson found out about her fake robbery because I really think this could turn into something very interesting for the series. It’s really the first time we’ve seen Bree in legitimate trouble since Rex. Sure, we’ve seen her family in trouble, but not her. Not that Rex’s death was her fault, but she sure had some troubles there.

So let’s get moving. The only thing motivating me to watch next week’s episode is the promo’s video of Dave saying he had to kill MJ (which I’m sure isn’t true–he probably taped it and someone else finds it) and the fact that maybe it will add more people to my finale death watch. So far, no one’s died since Heroes. Sigh.

Buzzingo!

THE BIG BANG THEORY: 2.23 “The Monopolar Expedition”

My dad’s a bigger critic of TV than I am, and even he was laughing at this episode. And you know, it really was funny.

Somewhat unrealistic, but funny.

Ok, considering the relationship to Sheldon’s research, I can believe the Sheldon would have been invited on this expedition. However, I don’t see the university allowing him to bring his own team along–especially if someone had to drop out to get Sheldon in–and I certainly don’t think that the team would have included the three other guys of the show, especially when one has his Master’s in engineering. It makes no sense.

And while it was a huge opportunity, I certainly wouldn’t be one jumping up and down to move to the North Pole for three months. I’d be in the boat with Raj and Howard’s mothers (hilarious interactions, by the way), and be saying no way.

But it’s a TV show, and you can suspend reality. And that’s where we have the fun.

I love that Sheldon is actually attempting to play pranks. He’s probably the best prankster of all of them just because he’s always so serious all the time, and the guys are afraid of crossing him (solely because he reacts so annoyingly).

And I must say that I really enjoyed seeing the Snuggie make another appearance on network TV. We have the Snoodle here. The Slanket on 30 Rock. Oh, Snuggie…

What about that Snuggie, though? Was anyone thrilled with the Leonard/Penny storyline? I mentioned in my post last week that the tension between the two has been so inconsistent that the recent buildup has been rather strange.

I understand her being disappointed they’re all leaving. She’s losing four of her friends. And she may have some feelings left there, but they seemed overdramatized. But maybe that’s the best way they could fit some reaction to their leaving in there. Or was that Big Bang’s attempt at a cliffhanger? I don’t know.

I did enjoy, though, Penny’s reaction to Sheldon’s typical knock. Her knock back was HILARIOUS. Definitely one for the books.

Anyway, overall, I liked the episode, despite this more-negative-than-anticipated review. It was just funny, and I think that’s what the finale needed to be. We’re not watching Ross and Rachel here. We’re watching a bunch of nerdy, geeky guys. Who needs the drama?

Unless killer robots are involved. You can’t have those without drama. And fire. Fire helps.

PS – Enjoyed Sheldon inventing the word Buzzingo (Bazingo?), but it sounds a little too close to Elliot’s “Bajingo” in Scrubs. If you watch Scrubs, you know what I’m talking about.

Where ghosts meet ‘Twilight’

GHOST WHISPERER: 4.22 “Endless Love”

Um. What?

Ok, Ghost Whisperer. I know that vampires are popular right now. I mean, there’s the Twilight series. I even had an open thread about them. But if you’ve got your own supernatural being that you’re focusing your show on, don’t try to broaden it just to meet the masses. It turns out ugly.

And ugly it was. I’m sorry. This is the worst episode of Ghost Whisperer that I’ve ever seen.

The promos made it seem like it was all about eternal life. Like maybe Jim’s jump into Sam would end up with some very dark and unseen consequences.

Of course, that part was all a dream. Really, it was just a pathetic boy with a blood disease using parlor tricks to stay in touch with his old crush. Ok, ok, it’s sad that he moved away from the girl that he was in love with (yes, that was Alexa Vega from Repo! The Genetic Opera and Jake Thomas from Lizzie McGuire–why is he always cast as a creepy kid now?).

Overall, the episode was just lame. There really were no vampires, and somehow I don’t see his need to kill her to keep him with her as original. I mean, I would think that a lot of ghosts in this show would want to have their loves with them in the afterlife–is that new? We’re in the fourth season now. I hope not.

And the only reason that she liked having him haunt her is because they had similar family problems. I don’t know. I just in the end found her to be a typical teenager with typical problems, so to see her go and try to reach out to the dead and ultimately hope to escape it as a vampire seemed like a stretch.

Especially when he wasn’t really a vampire.

Something just felt wrong with the episode. Too much of a stretch. Mis-advertised. And just not entertaining.

Keep it simple. Be creative. Don’t just be about what’s popular now. Does this show even reach out to the Twilight fan age group? I don’t think so. Are they so desperate to reach that demographic?

I hope not. I doubt they succeeded.

Hallucinations are the new black

BONES: 4.24 “The Critic in the Cabernet”

I don’t know when it started. It might’ve started with a girl named Izzy. Though from Thursday night’s Bones, supposedly it started long before and we just didn’t notice.

But seriously, what’s with our new-found interest in brain tumors and hallucinations? Izzy and Denny on Grey’s Anatomy. Delahoy and his high school girlfriend on The Unusuals. Even House and Amber on House. And now Booth?

What’s funny is that we didn’t even see it coming. I mean, my favorite episode of Bones was “Hero in the Hold.” I was completely willing to believe in Booth’s ghost–even Bones mentioned that Booth did a lot of things that required four pairs of hands. How could you not believe it?

But now, we’ve discovered it’s serious. It’s not a solo case. At first, I thought it was funny (though a stretch) to see Stewie from Family Guy on the show. Seeing him taunt Booth on the TV–it was funny! Turning up in the interrogation room, ok, that was a little weird.

But then it became serious. Bones was there. A suspected murderer was there. And they both heard Booth talking to air.

Something was really wrong with Booth. The age-old brain tumor that causes hallucinations. And, of course, they were going to operate immediately.

Honestly, that scene as Booth watched all the doctors and nurses prep around him was just so…different. It showed such a point of vulnerability, something we haven’t seen to this degree in Bones or any of David Boreanaz’ previous work. It was refreshing and that much more meaningful.

I’m not worried about what happens. Clearly, he’s going to be ok. In some respect at least. I mean, Booth isn’t going anywhere, especially now that Bones wants to have his baby.

And what about that? I think there’s been a few hints about her interest, but it was still a little surprising. Ultimately, both she and Booth agrees that she’ll be a good mother, but it really does seem out of character. Do you think we’ll see her become one?

Honestly, I’d find it interesting to see her struggle with the difficulty of getting pregnant. It’d be a surprisingly emotional experience that works against the complex simplicity of her science, and I think it could really shape her outlook on how and why she wants a baby.

I didn’t notice much about the murder. I mean, clearly, the episode was about more than that. Rubbery bones? Uninteresting. Brain tumors and babies? Sign me up for next week.

Alpha, Omega, the end, and the beginning

DOLLHOUSE:  1.12 “Omega”

Finally, I’m getting around to writing about last night’s Dollhouse finale. By the way, apparently last night’s show hit an all-time low in the show’s history of ratings (boo), so if you haven’t written to FOX yet for renewal, you best get on it (and I’m not talking online petitions).

Anyway, back to the show. I was surprised. I think the show provided a good bit of character development–especially in the characters of Saunders, Ballard, Caroline/Echo, and Alpha–but it wasn’t quote as fast moving as I thought it was going to be. With such a buildup, there wasn’t as much action as expected.

Not that that was a bad thing. As KT said, it all came down to the grey area of morality. Ultimately, what it means when you’re wiped. Are you deserting your own body–betraying your body? Can you eliminate your “soul”?

I agree with KT on this point: The word “soul” seems to be the wrong term here. It’s more the true self, or the inner self. And what was the most intriguing thing is discovering that the answer is both yes and no.

Think about it. We discovered that Alpha was, before being a doll, someone who attempted to kill someone by slashing them in the face. So it appears that by putting multiple personalities in one body, it seems to bring out the true inner self of the person in a stronger way.

It wasn’t that by putting all these imprints in one man, the Dollhouse created some reaction and breakdown in Alpha’s mind–therefore making him snap. As we were left to understand, it was all a flaw witht he computer that caused him to go on a killing spree.

And for such a genius, Alpha assumed this was the case. But then we look at Echo, who was filled with imprints as well. What does she do? She goes into Caroline’s instinctual sense of help. Immediately, she turns on Alpha, in an attempt to save Wendy (sadly, she didn’t make it, and yes, that was Chrissy from Growing Pains, Ashley Johnson–also from Phenom). It wasn’t a psychosis that took her over. It was Caroline.

So do they lose their true selves? Apparently not. It just makes them a bigger version of themselves.

I thought this was an interesting discovery, but there are still some questions. Considering this, why didn’t Alpha break Caroline’s wedge? What was his motivation for keeping “Caroline” ok?

Beyond this, I must say that I felt the ending was rather anticlimactic. We had the chase scene. Ballard and Boyd were there. From pictures that I’ve seen, it looks like Sierra and November were supposed to be there (did their engagement scenes just get cut?), and in the end, we just find out that Alpha got away.

To me, this was disappointing. Not to say that he should have died–in fact, I think I was a big proponent in the “Alpha shouldn’t die” club–but I felt like maybe we should have seen him get away. I mean, he was going up a oil rig? How do you just disappear? Or perhaps he could have been caught, and then he gets out of their hands. Or even just sent to the Attic to appear later, if you wanted to go another way.

But to just find out after a commercial break that he got away? That just seemed to much like Sylar of Heroes, the guy that just keeps getting away. It was too easy and too clean. I was just a little disappointed by that.

Not that the ending was a total wash (pardon the Firefly pun). We did see November relieved of her duties. Actually, as soon as I heard that someone was being released, I knew it’d be November. Clearly, Ballard’s feelings for her were true, and in the end, he wanted her well-being, despite his interest in Caroline.

I’m disappointed that November appears to be leaving the show. I thought she was a refreshing new face to TV. Part of me hopes that we’ll find out her release was all a trick to Ballard, and Madeleine was just another imprint–but I doubt it. I think I’m just wishing for November to stay.

And now Ballard’s part of the team. We don’t know quite how, and I’m sure he won’t be trusted, but if the show gets renewed, it will definitely be something to see.

But one more thing: There’s Saunders, who’s discovered she’s a doll. It was a very poignant part of the episode, and I think it warrants mentioning. Yes, she was Whiskey, but no, she wasn’t part of Alpha’s original rage. Actually, she was the beginning of it. All so Echo can be number one.

And she’s been programmed with a previous doctor’s skills–as well as computer skills. Enough to discover the truth about herself. She does ask (as does KT) why she’s been programmed to hate Topher.

And why is that? Is it really a program? Or is it just her own hate? If I had my guess, I’d say it was a program. Topher’s always blamed himself for Alpha, though he doesn’t admit it, but seeing his expression at the end of the show, you can see that it’s there. So why wouldn’t he program the only victim who survived to hate the person to blame? It looks like even Topher’s developed more than we know.

And so we sign off the first season, closing the pods to sleep, peacefully resting in the ignorant bliss.

Alpha and Omega

KT still wants to know what happens next…

DOLLHOUSE:  1.12 “Omega”

Last week’s episode was action packed, barely leaving us a moment to breathe, but just when I expected everything to hit the fan this week, the middle of the episode turned into an essay on ethics.  After all the action and the sexy clothes and the science fiction, the centerpiece of Dollhouse’s finale was a dialogue between Caroline’s mind and Caroline’s body.  What right, said the body, do you have to check out for five years and leave me in the care of strangers?

And meanwhile, Ballard is suggesting the idea of a soul – which Topher laughs off – but we’re also shown an unfortunate continuity in Alpha’s behavior from his original personality to his Dollhouse days to his current composite self.  Perhaps “soul” carries the wrong connotations, but I think we are meant to infer that there is a certain innate inner self that cannot be wiped away.  It’s that inner self that seems to be particularly strong in Echo, thus her occasional flashes of memory.  And perhaps it’s an unrest felt by that inner self that made the “close the loops” plan necessary in “Needs.”

As for Alpha, it turns out that the answer to most of this questions about him is that he’s psychotic.  Rossum, in their infinite mercy, offered convicted criminals the opportunity to exchange their sentences for five years of doll-hood.  One of these, it turns out, was Alpha, a nutjob with a liking for blades.

As an active, Alpha first spotted Caroline while Adelle was showing her around the Dollhouse and talking up how safe and painless the next five years would be.  (Ha, says the audience.  Yeah.)  It’s still not clear to me why he latched onto Echo the way he did, except that he’s psychotic.  So latch onto her, he did.  And when he gets tired of hearing how popular Whiskey is, he puts her out of commission with his pair of gardening shears.

So yes.  Claire Saunders was Whiskey.  Alpha cut her up and killed the previous staff doctor.  And in order to get their five years out of the doll, Adelle had her imprinted as a doctor.  I assume it was Topher’s idea of a joke to give her the same last name as the previous doctor.  Anyone got any ideas about Claire’s question to Topher, though?  Why did he make her hate him?

Tangent on the original Dr. Saunders:  Joe Howard!  Not a big name, I grant you, but if you were watching kids’ shows on PBS circa 1990 you might have squealed at seeing George Frankly of Mathnet.  Yes, I’m a huge nerd, but you’d probably figured that out by now.

Other tangent, since this looks like as good a place to dump this information as any: For anyone keeping track, the phonetic alphabet callsign for “O” is “Oscar,” not “Omega.”  Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and I believe there’s also a Biblical reference that has to do with Jesus being “the alpha and the omega,” i.e., the beginning and the end.  End tangent.

Where was I?  Oh yes, Alpha is psychotic.  And since he’s decided that Echo is special, his plan is to re-create her in his image.  If you hadn’t figured out from the kidnapping and the slashing and the creepy hideout in the power plant, this is the subtext telling you that Alpha is not the good guy.  Not a prince on a white horse, merely another man who wants to make her into his perfect woman.  “Omega,” he calls her, hoping she’ll be his counterpart and his perfect match.

Picture yourself as the prince, Echo told Susan last week.  And similarly, Echo doesn’t want anything to do with Alpha and the several dozen full personalities in his head (which were handled masterfully by Alan Tudyk).  Perhaps it’s that her composite is brand new, or perhaps its that her innate inner self isn’t psychotic, but Echo seems able to handle all the voices in her head with more ease than Alpha does.  One wonders what she might have done if Caroline had been part of that composite; whether she might have tried to run off somewhere if she didn’t decide that it was important to save the wedge on which Caroline was stored.

But that’s not where we ended up.  Echo is back in her sleeping pod at the Dollhouse – although it’s not clear whether the composite is still hidden in her head somehow.  Certainly she remembered the name “Caroline” as she drifted off to sleep.

November, on the other hand, was not in a sleeping pod at the end of the episode.  When I predicted last week that an episode called “Omega” probably included a death or the end of something big, I didn’t expect a seemingly positive change.  What has ended, it turns out, is November’s career as a doll.  We got a small fake-out in which I assumed that Ballard had arranged for Caroline’s release, but no – he has instead negotiated for November.  And even though Mellie turned out to be November, I think that choice is a triumph of the real over the idealized fantasy.  At least, he thought she was real when he first fell in love with her.  I thought it was wise of him to refrain from telling Madeleine anything about himself – I read that as his deciding not to pursue a relationship with her.  Too much baggage for that to go anywhere good, I think.  And wasn’t that the weirdest scene, with Adelle hugging Madeleine?

I’m not sure Ballad’s new gig as a consultant for the Dollhouse is nearly so wise.  I suppose Adelle thinks she can trust him – apart from their deal about November – because Ballard’s interaction with Agent Badger made it clear that most of the FBI thinks he’s nuts.  I suppose he thinks he can gather information and scheme to take down the operation from the inside.  And I wonder if he and Boyd will be more likely to butt heads or to find common ground, since Boyd has always been a little cynical about the whole operation, yet seems utterly loyal.  I wonder what exactly he meant when he told Ballard that “There’s always a girl.”

And that’s where we end.  Claire “Whiskey” Saunders is getting over her little identity crisis and is settling back in as the nice doctor.  Victor is all sewn up, though there’s no comment on what he’ll do while his face is healing or whether he’ll still be able to work as an active.  (I selfishly hope so, only because Enver Gjokaj is so good at creating new characters.  Besides, Claire’s scars seem to be healing nicely.)  Dominic remains in the attic, Adelle still rules the roost, Topher is Topher, and Boyd seems to be bonding with Ballard.  And once again, Alpha is out there somewhere…

Canned heat

THE OFFICE: 5.25 “Cafe Disco”

Boy, this season has a lot of episodes. I bet that will increase the cost of the DVD later. Damn.

Anyway, this episode had two main purposes:

1. To show that Erin has a personality and not a block of wood.

2. To remind us that Jim and Pam are engaged.

Beyond that, there was very little going on. Michael had his dance club in his old office, mainly because he was feeling left out about being boss again. People don’t like to hang with the boss. It wasn’t like when it was a three-man company, and he was struggling with that.

So he made a dance club downstairs that had a coffee bar in it. Oh, and Phyllis hurt her back. That was about the extent of the plot.

Honestly, the Dwight/Phyllis interaction was much less awkward than I thought itd be (especially when he started cutting her shirt, which was miraculously ok by the end of the episode). In fact, it was almost a little nice.

Until you realized he was treating her like a horse. That was odd. And funny, so you can give the writers credit for that.

I did enjoy Erin, though. She’s not deep–about the same as Kelly except with less mood swings. She’s cute. She can hang around, I guess.

And then there’s Jim and Pam. I kinda knew they wouldn’t get married. I mean, this is The Office. We waited years for them to get together, and then people were head over heels when they got engaged (I mean, I think YouTube got overloaded just because women were rewatching the proposal video). So how could they hide their wedding?

Not that it’d disappoint. Their reasoning is right. Pam’s already done the wedding planning thing, and it is really expensive. And they were cute with their handmade bouquet and the pink dress (Pam really looked pretty).

But in the end, the dance won it. Looking around, they wanted the big day. And trust me, I’m pretty sure the viewers were relieved.

Wish there was more to say, but it was only a 30-minute episode, and it was kinda, well, fluffy. I’m serious, though. The whole purpose was to remind you that Pam and Jim are engaged, and Erin has a personality.

Oh, and to compare Phyllis to a horse. That was mean.

Dead man walking

THE UNUSUALS: 1.06 “The Circle Line”

It was hard to concentrate on this episode of The Unusuals, mainly because I was still thinking about the Scrubs finale (I should mention that I TiVoed Scrubs and watched it at 9:00, to clarify.) That being said, I still enjoyed the episode.

Poor Banks. I couldn’t imagine in the first scene that we’d discover that the real Banks was dead. That’d be too sad, and if he does die, I think we all need to be a part of it, considering how paranoid he is about his own death.

I did love Delahoy’s reaction to seeing his face, and the way he found it all ironic. Really, it was dripping with irony, and even though Banks was upset, I did appreciate that someone found humor in the situation. But how does someone take over your credit card for months–buying TVs and stereo systems (loved that the woman only wanted the CDs and game console)–and you don’t notice? Perhaps I’ve just been lucky…or paranoid.

In the end, there was little much more for Banks’ storyline, other than tedious phone calls and paperwork. Delahoy’s story was much more intriguing.

He’s now actively looking toward treatment for his tumor–or at least more tests. No one knows yet, except the medical examiner. And he’s hallucinating now. Imagining seeing his old high school girlfriend. That did get entertaining, but why was she there? Just so he can realize that she was the one he loved? Is there more?

Meanwhile, Casey and Walsh were investigating a possible murder, possibly committed by another cop. I found the technicality of it all interesting. “13-13″ means that the fellow cop has a time period of safety before being taken in. And boy did he need it.

Honestly, it was an interesting case, but not the most interesting that we’ve seen so far. I’m glad to see he was interesting, and I was most glad to see Casey speak up, suggesting that they were being played. I like Casey a lot. Just the fact that she’s comfortable enough in a new precinct to speak her mind to an established cop–even if he is her partner–that’s great. She’s a strong character, despite her motion sickness.

I hope they keep this show. It’s a great and creative one on the air. Very entertaining. I hear, though, that the four remaining episodes will either be aired starting on May 27 if there’s no renewal, or there is a chance they will be pushed to next fall if it is renewed. This is all according to Noah Hawley’s Twitter.

Uggh. Complicated. Does anyone else miss the days that a show is aired until the episodes are done, and then you find out later if it’s renewed or not? Why the rearranging? Oh, the good old days.

See with eyes unseen

FRINGE: 1.19 “The Road Not Taken”

Wow. Walter just left with The Observer! What does this mean? And is Nina Sharp dead? Who was behind the mask?

I think we can easily say that Fringe is gearing up for a kickass finale. With all the twists and turns here, I think that we’re in for some fantastic surprises.

By the way, isn’t it sweet that Peter made a device so Walter can listed to his ruined records?

Anyway, back to the plot at hand, this episode was all about spontaneous combustion (kinda) and William Bell. And Olivia. Now that Olivia’s tests as a child have been revealed and activated, we’re seeing all sorts of new things from her. For one thing, she is apparently seeing visions. And not happy visions, either. Death. Destruction. The unfun kind.

And they appear to be helping. At least a little. They led them to the other firestarting victim (yes, that was Rose Tyler from Life on Mars, if you’re wondering). To be honest, the episode itself sounded like it was stolen a little bit from Heroes, with a fire starter that needs to control her powers. But the way it’s interweaved with what we’ve already learned–that is something worth watching.

So what’s in store? I have no answers. I believe the hunt for Walter will be on, but why does the Observer want him? And Walter willingly went, which means he knows something he’s not telling us.

I did thoroughly enjoy seeing the interaction between Walter and Olivia, though. His comment about not realizing you’re going crazy–it was sad. My heart really goes out to Walter these days. Now that he’s tapped into his guilt, he seems so much more like a delicate child, not just a crazy man. He needs protection, which makes it so much worse that he left with the Observer. Who knows what he’s going to face.

I don’t really know what else I can really say other than speculation and spoilers. All I know is that in the coming weeks, I don’t think any of us will want to take our eyes off the TV.

The Scrubs finale

SCRUBS: 8.18 & 8.19 “My Finale”

If they bring back Scrubs for another season, they’re crazy. Because this ending was beautiful. And perfect. I think it’s best said like this, which I grabbed from TV Squad’s review:

Since I have no idea whether this is truly the end for Scrubs or not, I hedged my bets on the season vs. series finale label. I will say this, though: If this is indeed the end for the folks at Sacred Heart, they couldn’t have gone out any better than they did tonight.

And it’s true. This episode was saying good-bye. It wasn’t just about saying good-bye to JD as he left the hospital, but it was also about saying good-bye to everyone that we’ve known and loved over the last eight years. Sticking to the lessons we’ve learned and moving on without knowing where you’re going.

And kudos to Scrubs for giving us one last lesson. The fact that his patient’s mother wouldn’t find out if he had the disease–he wanted his future to be his own. It may be unknown, but at least it was his own, and JD later related to in his final moments at Sacred Heart.

And wow. I’d have to say that Scrubs really found a unique way to say good-bye to all those we’ve seen while looking to the future. The walk down the hall was just fantastic, as he said good-bye to the ones we’ve lost (though I did miss Brendan Fraser) and those we just haven’t seen in a while (where were Doug and Keith?). I mean, bringing back Colin Hay, Laverne (of course!), the women that he grew special bonds with as loves or patients–even Hooch! As each face passed by, I just keep wondering, well what about that guy? There he was. And him? Yep, he’s there, too. Fantastic.

And then they vanish. The past was gone. Ahead was the wonderful element of a slideshow–along with the poignant “Book of Love” by Peter Gabriel–that showed what JD envisioned his future to be. It was the perfect future, and the one that we’ve all been hoping for.

If they continue this show, they’re crazy. That was the perfect end, and anything beyond this will tarnish it. I mean, to create the bond between past and future–while also including the humorous elements like Turk and JD’s eagle–it was all just moving and it fit the show.

Overall, it was great end. We had personal good-byes (yes, we heard the Janitor’s name in that good-bye, but was he telling the truth? Glen? Tommy?) with each character, and JD even got his hug from Perry. Jordan was Jordan, and nice but not too nice. Elliot was neurotic in her secret move-in, but JD accepted it and liked it.

And of course, Turk and JD were forever best friends. Even Carla asked if Turk loved her more, and they’re equal.

Oh, and Dr. Cox’s book? Awesome. I’d love a copy.

This wasn’t an episode about a character leaving. It was about the end of a show. It was about the end of the time of these characters’ lives when they were all together. And while it might not have been as blatant as it was in ER’s finale, it was about how life will go on with or without you, but you have to find those little meaningful things to take with you on the ride.

I hope this was the end of Scrubs. I’ll miss it, and I’m appreciating it even more, but I think that’s the way it should be when the one you’ve seen grow from boy to man finally leaves the nest.

Thursday Open Thread: Dollhouse Predictions

Yet another Thursday has come upon us, and this one’s especially exciting. We’re just 24 hours away from finding out what’s to come for Alpha and Echo. What are their fates? And will anyone come out unscarred?

So here’s the focus of this open thread:

What do you think will happen on Dollhouse?

And I’m not just saying in the finale tomorrow (though predictions for tomorrow are welcome, too). Even though we don’t know if the show is getting renewed yet, don’t let that limit you. If Dollhouse gets picked up, what do you think will happen next season? What do you think will happen two seasons down the road?

Or, what do you want to see happen?

So lay it all out here. Your predictions for tomorrow, the season after that (fingers crossed), and the season after that (or more!). With Echo, Alpha, Boyd, Ballard, Adelle, Sierra, Victor, Topher, Dominic, Saunders, November, Ivy, and everyone else.

Well? What are you waiting for? Comment away! Scroll down to the red box below or just jump to comments.

Scrubs: Change begets change

SCRUBS: 8.17 “My Chief Concern”

I don’t know who to blame: Obama for talking last Tuesday or ABC for not advertising that last night’s new episode of Scrubs would be on a special night. Fortunately, my TiVo knows all and caught it for me. Otherwise, there would be one unhappy Raked right now. (Though if you did miss it, you can watch it here or on ABC.com.)

Either way, it was a good one to see. A slightly depressing one to see, but a good one nonetheless. It’s all about change. And it certainly leads up to our finale tonight (don’t miss it). Update: Read my finale post here.

JD is officially leaving Sacred Heart. Not only is he moving to be near his son, but he got a job at Kim’s hospital, despite his laughing at his new boss’ name, Mantoots–and that is a funny one. And everyone is upset.

Except, surprisingly enough, Elliot. To be honestly, I thought she’d have the biggest reaction. Either that he didn’t discuss the new job with her or he’ll be so far away. But no, she took it in stride. In fact, she even asked whether she should move out there with him.

Turk, of course, took the news badly. He actually reacted the way that I thought Elliot would, which isn’t surprising since he and JD are basically in a relationship of their own (love that JD’s pants were off during the entire conversation, by the way). They may have spat over a patient’s plan for healthcare, but the spat was really about JD.

And it’s sad. Turk said it right. It may only be a 37-minute drive, but it’s an hour and 15 minutes roundtrip. And with kids involved, it gets tricky. It looks like our team is just growing up and forced to let go.

Which was stated inadvertently by our heartless leader, Dr. Cox. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how Dr. Cox would react to the news. Sure, I figured his joy was just a facade and that he would miss JD,  but who would have though that JD’s move would really mean so much on a deeper level. Teaching and growing, and then watching them move on.

I was surprised that of all people, the Janitor took the news badly. Not only is he losing his torture victim for the last eight years, but the Janitor saw this as the first step of change. First JD, then his wife, then everyone else. Change begets change.

And really, that’s true. With this episode, we know things will be changing. We see that the team we’ve watched and develop are really growing, that they are finally leaving the nest. Not that I can completely be sure that in the end, everyone won’t just follow suit and head off to JD’s hospital, but it is a bittersweet ending.

And ending it should be. I don’t know about you, but I cared very little about Denise and her self-pity, and I thought she should get a mouthful from Dr. Cox just like all our favorites got harped on by Dr. Cox and Dr. Kelso when they were interns.

I think if this show is picked up, I might just not watch it. As you know, I just don’t want this to go on, as much as I love it. JD’s leaving is a fitting end, and the show wouldn’t be the same without him, recurring roles or not. This should be its series finale, and it should be treated that way.

So keep an eye out tonight for the one-hour finale. Be ready to say good-bye to JD–and just maybe, Sacred Heart.

Wait, what now?

Well, that’s a face KT didn’t expect to see again on this show.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER:  4.22 “Right Place, Right Time”

Stellaaaaaa!!!

Yeah, it’s hard to resist.  Sorry.

Okay, the big question first.  No, I don’t think Stella is the mother.  It took Ted too long to get over her – and doesn’t it seem like getting left at the alter would create a huge trust issue?  But I can easily believe that running into Stella again may lead directly to meeting the mother.  Perhaps she introduces them, something like that.  Maybe at Ted’s birthday party with the goat, which I assume will be the season finale in a couple of weeks.

After all, the yellow umbrella Ted’s carrying is the one that was left at the St. Patrick’s Day party last year.  We learned that Stella was at that party, too, though that connection didn’t really go anywhere at the time.  Maybe she’ll recognize the umbrella as belonging to a friend who was at the party with her and she’ll want to give it back?

Let’s back up now.  Oh yes, this all started with the cowboy hat restaurant.  Confession time:  after Ted added that there would be outdoor seating on the “brim” of the hat, the whole idea actually really started to appeal to me.  Cheesy, but cute, right?  Yeah, okay, I have no taste.

I loved the way Robin deadpanned the line about being pregnant and I loved the reactions she got from Ted and Barney – each so very over the top in his own way.  And of course the network tricksters stuck that in the promo, when it turns out to be just a joke.  (I had talked myself into believing it, too, thinking that hmm, maybe they are working less at hiding Cobie Smulders’ pregnancy than they did for Alyson Hannigan’s, maybe this is why…  Yeah, nevermind!)  But no, the food-poisoning led to avoiding the bagel place.  Also to a big laugh on “Now I’m going to have to find another place in New York that sells bagels!”

Marshall’s charts were great, too, and I loved the callback to the intervention episode.  And maybe I’m a huge dork, but I’ve been laughing about charts like this one and this one for months, so the “Cecelia” chart cracked me up.  Nice use of an internet phenomenon, show.

Marshall holding awkward meetings at work, or encountering embarassing problems with his presentations has definitely become a running gag.  It’s not my favorite one, but I do love the running gag about how lots of higher ups at GNB ought to be doing jail time and everybody knows it.  I also loved Ted’s deal with crazy Milt – a dollar a day for a million days, but the best part about Milt was that his headphones were plugged into a grapefruit.

(Okay, I’m looking at IMDB to double-check Milt’s name, and do you know what they named the three women Barney hurriedly propositioned in the bar when he thought he needed a #199?  Jenny, Jenni, and Gennie.  Hee.)

Barney’s plot seemed to me like fairly typical Barney stuff, and I’m not entirely sure why they introduced the childhood incident to justify it.  We all know Barney keeps lists and scrapbooks, so it’s perfectly in character for him to celebrate a milestone.  And while it’s not weird that Barney would let a middle school grudge linger, we have to assume that he let it go for a while, at least while he was dating Shannon and living the hippie life.  Maybe his post-Shannon transformation brought the 200 goal back to the surface?

On the other hand, I did enjoy seeing young Barney with all his Dungeons & Dragons materials spread out – including a truly massive twenty-sided die.  Hee.

But now Barney’s torn up his list and is looking meaningfully at Robin (who, one assumes, was on that list – wonder how much she liked that?).  Where’s he going to go next?

Good-bye, Dom Deluise

picture from Flixster.com

It’s slowly being announced that Dom Deluise passed away yesterday in his sleep. He was 75. I’ll post more info and links as I find out more.

I never really followed his body of work, but he was one that was in a lot. I most remember him as the one who discovered Kermit the Frog and suggested he find his way to Hollywood.

You can find his entire body of work here, including many more memorable roles and some voices of our favorite movie characters.

He was a large comedic talent and will definitely be missed.

A mother, a child, and a motherless child

ONE TREE HILL: 6.22 “Show Me How to Live”

This was a very sad episode of One Tree Hill. I mean, really sad.

First, you have Peyton making her good-bye video for her unborn child. So of course that was going to be sad (and cheesy–her 100 songs to live by? Really?).

But then we moved on to Brooke, who has to give up Sam. I’m actually surprised that Sam disappeared so quickly, honestly. I mean, it was just last week that she started talking to her mom (and sorry I didn’t review last week’s ep, btw, I think I was just too blocked because of the horrendous wig that Peyton wore throughout the episode).

But really, I thought that we’d have more tensions about Sam with Victoria. And maybe some sort of confrontation between Brooke and Sam’s birth mother.

Didn’t it just seem too easy? That Sam’s mom would just suddenly want her back? That this woman who works in a diner has the perfect house with the white picket fence that Sam has always wanted? (I bet she rents.)

I mean, sure, it wasn’t easy for Brooke, who had to give her up. I mean, Brooke can see her any time, I’m sure, but ultimately, she lost her daughter. I do think that this opens up doors for Victoria to step in. Whether that means being a mother or taking advantage of vulnerability, I guess we’ll see.

And what about Victoria? I still doubt that Brooke’s decision to divorce her as her mother had that much of an impact, and needing Brooke in the business doesn’t mean that she needs her in life, so what’s her angle? I don’t believe her softer side quite yet.

Meanwhile, in a way of lightening the mood (unsuccessfully), we have Skills on a date with Jamie’s teacher…with random kid in tow. This didn’t humor me all that much. It was a bit cliched.

Oh, and in other news, did anyone else hate the picture they chose for Mia’s CD cover? It’s unfortunate they chose it for the actual Kate Voegele CD. As much as I love her music, it looks like she’s sitting on the crapper. I think they could have done better. Feel free to argue with me. Look at it here.

(By the way, apparently they’re combining the fictional Mia release and the real Kate Voegele release in the season finale. If you want more info, comment.)

Anyway, overall, the episode was successful in its sadness. Next week looks funny, though. One Tree Hill weddings always have excitement, and hey, Nick Lachey is back. Maybe he’ll give more for The Soup to talk about.

Sheldon and poop

THE BIG BANG THEORY: 2.22 “The Classified Materials Turbulence”

Boy oh boy did I enjoy last night’s episode. Usually, I get a little tired of poop humor. You know? It just annoys me.

But with these nerds, it’s clever. Even the jokes you predicted–number 1 and number 2, for example–were beefed up because Sheldon joined in on the fun. If it was a predictable joke, he analyzed it and ultimately enjoyed it.

And that’s a big step for Sheldon. Imagine how stale this episode would have been if every time someone used a different word for poop, he corrected them and called it “excrement.” Ew.

It was a big step for Sheldon, really? You can see that he’s growing, realizing when things are funny–and why. His slight pleased smile was as much of a laugh out loud as much as anyone else’s was.

And by the way, I love watching Wolowitz work. He’s right. He is the only one of the group that’s actually contributing something to society. So it’s neat to see him work on the Mars Rover or even a high-tech toilet. Even if they always tend to go wrong. Maybe I just have a soft spot for engineering.

Anyway, beyond the poop, we had Penny and Stuart going out again. I’m assuming that Stuart didn’t know Penny dated Leonard briefly, and that’s why he went to him (by the way, Sheldon’s explanation of the voicemail protocol was great–the fact that all of society could break down by not listening to a voicemail). But I found it odd.

Honestly, has anyone else grown bored with the Leonard/Penny tension? It’s like, since they didn’t work out, the writers steered away from it. Occasionally, there were moments of awkwardness that showed that maybe something was still there, but it wasn’t enough to really bring about such forcefulness now. I mean, I just don’t believe that Leonard is suddenly jealous of Penny’s dating.

Other than the fact that Penny’s dating a nerd. Or a geek. Whatever you want to call him. And that’s what Leonard is. But still.

And I don’t believe that she said Leonard’s name, either. That seemed…odd.

Anyway, if it weren’t for poop and Sheldon, I think the episode would be subpar. But kudos to the writers for finding their strength in the episode when they really needed it: Sheldon and poop.

‘Fringe’ celebration!

What an exciting day! Fringe just got picked up for renewal–for a full season at that. While I usually don’t do open threads except on Thursday, I’ll just let you comment away on this happy, happy news.

picture from http://blogs.nyu.edu

NBC: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Well, NBC has announced it’s upcoming new shows, as well as some shows that will be picked up. And to be honest, I can’t say I’m over the moon about any of them. Well, maybe one.

What’s original here? NBC seemed to be one of the networks we’re more curious about, what with ER’s  good-bye and their newest pitch to have Leno have a 10:00 daily talk show. And yes, that Leno plan is still happening.

And while I have mixed feelins about Leno’s show (I think it’s a terrible idea, though at least it will be a backup to reruns at 10:00 on other networks), that now limits NBC to two hours of programming. So what do we have?

Well, in place of ER, we’ve now got two new hospital dramas, one of which has Michelle Trachtenberg as a nurse–something I doubt very heavily. Sorry, Michelle fans, but somehow that just seems odd to me. Can she play an adult? I mean, I saw her relatively try in The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, and it was painful.

We’ve also got Day One, which apparently has someone from Heroes involved (let’s hope season 1) and involves people reacting after a global disaster. Didn’t we do this a few years ago and call it Jericho? The frontrunner of that show is Julia Gonzalo, the most annoying cast member of the lost Eli Stone.

And then what? Parenthood? Oh dear, Maura Tierney, is there no hope left? At least Monica Potter’s finding work after Trust Me was canceled.

But where, oh, where are the original premises? I’m most looking forward to Community, mainly because it stars Joel McHale of The Soup, but from what I’ve read on other blogs, people are less enthused because it’s “just another multi-camera comedy.” I’ll take that any day over another Parks and Recreation, which, by the way, has been renewed.

Speaking of renewals, what about the ones we’re really wondering about? No news on Chuck, and contrary to various reports this weekend, it looks like Medium hasn’t yet been decided on yet, either. From what I can tell, you’ll have to wait until May 19, when they announce the fall schedule.

These are two very popular series. I’m still surprised they’re being debated.

Meanwhile, we can expect the return of Heroes, The Office, 30 Rock, reality TV, and at least one Law & Order series.

What else is missing? My Name Is Earl. Again, very surprised.

I should mention that all of these might not be fall shows–some may be winter or “event”–but I think there are some surprises and disappointments here. With such original series as Chuck and, of course, Kings, we’re stuck with the old and the done.

So here’s what I suggest. If you don’t like what you see, and you’re waiting for your favorite NBC show to appear, you better get moving. Write to NBC, post blogs, do what you must. You’re running out of time, and we’re running out of quality.

Her boyfriend’s back…

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: 5.21 “Bargaining”

Booo. I’m so bored.

I’m sorry, but with such a plot-changer like Edie’s death, wouldn’t you think that something exciting would be going on in Desperate Housewives?

But no. Somehow, we’re stuch ina mid-season rut when we should be in an end-of-the-season plot twist flurry of excitement.

Think of it this way. What did we discover tonight? Tom’s bored (like I am). They’re trying to have sex for 30 days straight. Gaby and her daughter are having makeup issues. Bree’s divorcing Orson. Jackson’s back (that’s big, right?) to marry Susan…for technical reasons (not big). Oh, and they discovered the good doctor in the remains of the club fire and have got to Dave to see whether he knew anything.

What?!

Did anyone else notice in the ho-hum of the episode, that there was a big moment there? Hello! That should be huge! But it’s lost in the blah blah blah.

At this point, we should really be all Dave, all the time. We need to speed up whatever is going on with him because clearly it was speeding up before Edie’s death, and now it’s just boring.

Sorry, but we’re late in the season here. We need to be focusing on story arc. Not Desperate Housewives’ version of the DJ/Aunt Becky talk in Full House about makeup. (But hey, at least they’re finally trying to give this poor girl self-esteem.)

And what about Jackson? After Gale Harold’s big accident and the question of whether he would be coming back, you’d think his return would be a big deal. And they made it seem that way in the promo. Unfortunately, his big proposal to Susan was a fake marraige to keep him in the country. (To keep him from being shipped back to Canada? Seriously? Is this How I Met Your Mother?)

I thought it was lame. Sometimes big, sweeping, romantic notions are necessary. And I think it would have been nicer there. Especially considering Susan’s reaction.

Anyway, I guess overall I was just bored. I mean, I think watching Bree’s divorce and sneakiness could be really intriguing. And I think that eventually maybe we’ll find out if Dave is really a malicious badass like he was at the beginning of the season.

But right now, I’m bored. I almost went to bed fifteen minutes in. In other words, yes, I almost chose to go to bed at 9:15 instead of watching the show.

Perhaps I should have.

Let’s shake it up a little

THE OFFICE: 5.23 “Broke”
THE OFFICE: 5.24 “Casual Friday”

Kudos to The Office. We finally got ourselves somewhere new. Michael Scott had his own paper company with two sales people…and then there’s everyone else. I think it was new to all of us that Michael Scott was actually heavy competition for Dunder Mifflin. Sure, we saw them swoop in and take one of Dwight’s clients, but to find out there was more, wow.

Of course, their competitive edge is what caused the Michael Scott Paper Company to go broke. I appreciated seeing Ryan actually use his MBA, though apparently it didn’t get them very far since they weren’t making any money.

It’s funny how quickly we turned our attention to Michael Scott’s Paper Company over Dunder Mifflin. Suddenly, we’re rooting for the underdogs and leaving the usual crowd–including Jim–behind.

But my heart really went out to the group, so to see that they were bought out–and hired–by Dunder Mifflin just warmed my heart.

Overall, this entire experience really put Michael in a good light. I mean, when they went into negotiations, I was sure he was going to blow it. And then he spoke. Wow. That was really a negotiation.

Now, I’m back and forth about how quickly Michael and crew is back with Dunder Mifflin. They weren’t gone very long. And I am glad that now Pam is a sales rep. I think that will really be great.

It’s too bad Ryan’s a temp all over again. Other than Pam’s position, has anything changed?

Well, for one thing, it seems like people are going to be treating Team Michael differently. He’s got his favorites, and they’re all upset that they stole their clients. Kudos to the writing staff of the show that really identified that in screwing corporate, Michael was really screwing the salesmen whose clients left them. It’s not just the big guy hit hurts, but the little guy, too. Isn’t that the way it is?

All seemed well in the end, though (well, except for Ryan). It should be interesting to see where it goes, though I’m nervous that it will just be the way it’s always been, just with Pam in a new chair.

The other main point was Casual Friday. Hmm. That seemed over-the-top, did it not? Funny, but over-the-top. So what do we think? Too much? Or is it the over-the-top that we’ve come to love?

Personally, here’s my tally: Meredith, not funny. Kelly, funny. Pam and Phyllis, funny. Toby, not funny (he’s way too rationale for that outbreak). Dwight? Just the fact that he only took off his tie was great.

It was a little unbelievable that they’d have a casual Friday with no rules–any normal office has rules, and you know that Toby is all about the memo. So why the confusion?

Anyway, overall, I enjoyed the episodes. But I do wish there would be some change coming up. I don’t want it to go full circle quite yet. Let’s keep the changes coming.

Oh, and let’s have more funny from Jim. Less mediation and more laughs. I mean, where did he go? Did he leave his funny in Stamford? Or the gas station he proposed in? Next week’s The Office: Scavenger Hunt for Jim’s Funny.

How ‘Ghost Whisperer’ competes with ‘Dollhouse’…literally

GHOST WHISPERER: 4.21 “Cursed”

Melinda Gordon found the Dollhouse a whole hour before Ballard did. Of course, hers was a real dollhouse, and inside it were wee dolls that were possessed by spirits. Spirits of a 16-year-old’s family–a 16-year-old that looked like she was in her mid-20s in a bad way. (Terrible casting on GW’s part.)

If there’s one creepy thing in the world, it’s dolls. I’m not sure why because some can be so adorable, but they can be creepy things, too. I actually liked the shot of seeing the dolls in the dollhouse moving and watching–as cheesy as it sounds, I wish they did it one more time, though that might have made it too generic. Anyway, it was creepy.

And their little footsteps? Shiver.

I found it interesting that this episode of Ghost Whisperer presented us with some other death beliefs. First, that the aunt used a voodoo curse to trap the parents into the dollhouse (and the dolls themselves), and later that people assume that their souls would be lost if the place they died in disappeared.

Of course, all of that turned out untrue.

But what is it about dolls? Honestly, this episode would have been rather crappy if not for the dolls themselves. The dollhouse in a creepy attic, and a little girl being the only one that heard them speak in creepy whispers. Watching tiny shadows close the blinds and the fact that the dolls constantly returned to the places that their spirits died in.

Actually, I found it to be a refreshing way to speak to ghosts. After a while, it gets tiring to just see the usual. You know, ghost appears, is pissed off, Melinda intervenes, everything’s fine.

Plus, with the twist of assume murder–just to find out it was never true–even with the huggy ending, it seemed to veer away from Touched by an Angel cheesiness. Maybe that’s why the voodoo was interesting. You can’t have Touched by an Angel with voodoo curses.

Meanwhile, Melinda’s pregnant. By the way, she’s pulled an Amy from  The Secret Life of the American Teenager with having no symptoms of pregnancy at all–no morning sickness, no exhaustion. She’s just Melinda plus .1. I find that a little hard to believe (just as I did with the crappy Secret Life).

She spent the episode looking for her wedding bands, which of course, Jim had the whole time. I guessed that immediately. Somehow I was expecting more in that engraving on the wedding band. Something like, “More than a lifetime,” or something like that. “Forever”? Jim, I think the losing your life, coming back as Sam, remembering who you are, and adjusting to a new facade has made you lose your touch as perfect husband man.

But in the end, they get engaged for a second time. So it looks like we’ll get a white wedding soon. What would Sam’s family say?

Honestly, I’m hoping for another twist soon. I mean, I thought that Jim’s death would provide something new, and it did…for a while. Now we seem to have slipped back into the same routine. Sure, there’s a baby on the way, but what then? Finding out the infant has powers?

We’ll name it Medium, Part II.

Rescue attempts and Alpha’s reveal

KT is starting to be a little concerned that her stairs don’t have risers.

DOLLHOUSE: 1.11 “Briar Rose”

Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl who lived in a beautiful castle, surrounded by briars and high walls and perhaps even enchanted to be invisible.  Kept captive – or perhaps protected.  Depends on whether you’re a Ballard or a Boyd.

When I noticed, at some point in the last few weeks, that the penultimate episode was titled “Briar Rose,” it struck me as uncharacteristic – for this show, which trades on sexuality more than romance, and also for Whedon, who doesn’t tend to go in for fairy tales.  But sure enough, presented in a certain light it becomes the perfect metaphor for all sorts of relationships in the ‘House.

Our entry into the Sleeping Beauty story was what seems to be an altruistic engagement featuring Echo reading to orphans and working with one particularly disturbed girl named Susan.  (This opens a window for Topher to tell us how clever he is:  he’s made Echo into an older, best-case-scenario version of young Susan.  Even Ivy is impressed.)  The episode seemed to spend a lot of time on the Susan-Echo relationship for this to be just thematic set-up – I wonder if we’ll be coming back to this next week.  If nothing else, we established that Susan could be both the languishing princess and the rescuing prince:  will next week extend that to Echo?

Meanwhile, Enver Gjokaj is showing off his acting chops by playing another actor’s character.  Is there anything this guy can’t do?

And mean-meanwhile, Alan Tudyk enters, stage left, as a marijuana leaf on the wind.  I loved his transformation from the severely introverted, hippie-ish systems designer to the sinister, dangerous Alpha.  Funny and nearly helpless to downright deadly with the flash of a scalpel.  All that blather about what could reach out and trip you when the stairs don’t have risers?  What do we want to bet that Alpha used that to his advantage last time he was creating mayhem in the Dollhouse?

And all the time, poor Paul Ballard is looking more and more naïve.  You’re going to sneak Caroline out and then what?  You’re going to take down a powerful multinational corporation how?  Clearly our Paul thinks he is the valiant prince in the fairy tale, chopping his way through the briars.  That’s no shock to Boyd, when he finds Paul with Echo – although Boyd would cast himself in that role.  And here’s Echo in a red dress.  Rose red, you might say.

The surprise candidate for rescuing prince turns out to be Alpha (and did you see how color-coordinated they were?).  Off they go in the elevator – but we’ll have to judge this contender after we see how things turn out.

And there we are with heaps of questions.  What is the imprint Alpha gave Echo?  What’s their game?  How will Echo’s flashes of memory impact this?  What’s with the weirdly sexual vibe between Alpha and Claire Saunders?

What’s Alpha’s story, and what is his relationship with the man he seemed to be at the beginning?  Did he assume the identity and dump the corpse in Tucson, or was that his original identity and he faked the corpse somehow?  I’m slightly stuck on the idea that the Dollhouse hired this guy to design the ‘House and then decided he knew too much and he wound up as a doll.  I’m not sure how to reconcile that with Sierra’s storyline, so let’s just call that my pet theory of the week.

Furthermore, why did Alpha send the flash drive to Dominic before Paul approached him – before he knew he’d be going back in?  In the end, was it a convenient convergence of interests?

But most importantly, how is it that Adelle’s office seems to get real sunlight if the complex is underground?

Alpha Revealed! (Raked’s thoughts)

DOLLHOUSE: 1.11 “Briar Rose”

KT will pipe in with her own post, but I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on this week’s revealing episode of Dollhouse.

Alpha was identified. And contrary to many suspicions, it was not Ballard. To be honest, I think I would have been a little disappointed if it was Ballard. I think Whedon could have pulled it off with some sort of twist, but I would have still been disappointed.

Instead, it’s someone we never saw before, played by Alan Tudyk. He played who we thought was the designer of the Dollhouse. And honestly, I saw him and figured it couldn’t be him. I mean, I just couldn’t see how Tudyk could really be Alpha. Before the episode, and even at the beginning of the episode.

But the longer we saw him. When he switched from this high, paranoid person who just knew systems to someone who could hack computers. The science he was spouting and the intensity he was putting toward the task at hand. Something was amiss, and I wondered…

I had no idea he was going to slash Victor’s face.

That was something I couldn’t have suspected, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only person who jumped. I did, however, fully expect him to kill off Saunders. Not only because Amy Acker has a pilot coming up, but she seems disposable. Not to say I don’t love her–I do. I want her on the show, but she just seems like that kill Whedon would have up his sleeve. The sympathetic kill.

But nope. She’s still alive. We’ll have to wait until next week to find out whether more will happen with that. Of course, there’s always Ivy.

Anyway, what surprised me was how similar Alpha was–well, when he was being Stephen Kepler, that is–to Topher. His mannerisms and the way he spoke about things that others might not understand…what’s there? Anything?

And as for Echo. What about Alpha and Echo? What imprint does she have? And why is he playing with Caroline’s imprint in next week’s episode? The two had a very Spike and Druscilla moment as they wandered out of the Dollhouse, so I’m wondering where this is taking us.

But what intrigued me most was that clearly Alpha had this entire scheme planned. He even changed the ID photo in the FBI database for Kepler to match his own (thanks, Elizabeth, for pointing that one out! I’d forgotten about that picture). He led Ballard there, and he clearly took advantage of the fight that would ultimately happen and distract the Dollhouse execs.

Now’s the time I really want to go back and watch the series, to see what I’ve missed and to see how Dominic was involved. Did Alpha really know Dominic would be in the Attic? Surely that memory stick wasn’t meant for Dominic in reality.

(Speaking of, loved Victor as Dominic. But when Dominic almost cried because he heard he was in the Attic. That really was sad. I’m still curious to see the Attic!)

Anyway, clearly a cliffhanger that I can’t wait to see what happens. What did you think? Did you see it coming? It wasn’t too much of a leap to at least think that Tudyk could be Alpha, seeing as he was a male figure introduced late in the series, but were you fooled like I was?

And kudos, Alan, for your performance. To be honest, I couldn’t picture you taking it there. Clearly, Whedon saw an actor in you that few others have.