Cliffhangers, and other updates

So, I am now happily settled back at home. All my shows have abandoned me, but I also have a few returns to look forward to. At this point, True Blood is the one I am dying for. HBO keeps releasing these freakin' promos that are just driving me crazy (in a good way). Plus, after reading Living Dead in Dallas, the second book in the Southern Vampire series on which the show is based, I am anxious to see how different Alan Ball will make Season 2. I know a lot of fans who would disagree with me (some of those people over at www.truebloodnet.com are even more obsessed than I am), but I like the show better. This is not usually the case for me- in general, the book beats the adaptation any day. But Alan Ball is simply a better storyteller. And the actors make those characters so compelling. And, I can't help it, I love Stephen Moyer's Vampire Bill, so reading about that complete jerk version of Bill in the books hurts my heart. And I do not accept it. So here's hoping that Alan Ball will take some major creative liberties. Staying true to the spirit of Charlaine Harris' work is a good thing, but allowing oneself to be confined by an already-established story instead of exploring new possibilities would be boring. June 14th cannot get here fast enough...

Also returning soon is Burn Notice on June 4th. The adventures of Michael Westen and Co. are always entertaining, so that will be nice to have again. I don't exactly know when The Closer premieres Season 5, but I assume it will be some time in July. And Mad Men, unfortunately, got into production rather late and does not come back until late August. This is lame. The most pressing matters will be the future of Sterling Cooper, or rather, Don Draper's future with the company, given the merger and new leadership. And, more importantly, the fact that Betty is pregnant with a child neither she nor Don wanted. Season 2 took a bit of a time leap from the conclusion of Season 1, so I wonder how much time will have passed to the beginning of Season 3.

So You Think You Can Dance is about to start. I have very strong negative feelings towards reality tv in general, but this is one of my few exceptions. It is so much fun, and I hope I will find a dancer this season who I can love as much as Joshua from last year. Having the guy you vote for every week end up winning is so exciting. Is it too much to ask for that to happen every season???

Network upfronts have been going on the past couple of weeks. As a result, I have been glued to the Twitter app on my iPhone to see what Ausiello had to report. Here are some of the crucial things: 1) Chuck was renewed. Season 3 will have 13 episodes, airing midseason on NBC. Reduced budget might mean less time with the filler characters like Lester, Jeff, and the rest of the Buy More peeps. Honestly, I don't think this will affect the show that much. I'm just so excited at the prospect of the new and improved Chuck. And NBC and Subway made some big, multi-faceted deal about sponsorship of the show, so it seems like buying that $5 footlong did make a difference!! 2) Dollhouse was renewed. Season 2 will have 13 episodes, airing midseason on FOX. Reduced budget might mean....I don't really know what, but with the high quality writing, I doubt the money thing will affect them that much. I think FOX would have been foolish not to give Joss, Eliza et al the opportunity to explore their story further. And I would just like to point out that I was totally right about both of these shows getting renewed even when tv critics said they didn't have much of a chance. And now those people justify the renewals with the same reasons I have been saying all along (re: FOX, Firefly, Eliza, Joss, etc.). So.... there. 3) Castle was renewed. I am greatly pleased. This show was a delightful addition to my slate and I would have been sad to lose it. Nathan was so adorable and tweeted that he didn't know what to do with himself because his shows never get a 2nd season.

Those are the major announcements. None of my shows were casualties!! I can't remember the last time that was the case. Upfronts was also a time for network people to speak out for some of the shows, which provided interesting insights (Kevin Reilly on House- unbelievable things in store; Steve MacPherson on LOST- S6 will have "some of the best writing ever"). There was a bit of schedule rearranging. Bones will now be paired with Fringe on Thursdays. If I do end up going into entertainment journalism, I think upfronts would be a really fun event to attend. I love montages and other presentation stuff about shows I love! And even about shows I don't really care about.

On to the major stuff: season finales. This year featured a mixed batch. Top honors go to LOST for literally going out with a bang. The hydrogen bomb exploded and the possibilities for Season 6 are endless. I mean, it's pretty clear to me that time was changed. Otherwise, Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and all the 1977 Losties would be dead and there would be no show to come back to. Really, the question now is HOW was time changed? With Jacob now dead, killed by Ben at the urging of evil, possessed Locke, will everyone's lives be different? Flashbacks saw Jacob showing up at key events in several characters' past. Will that alter history? Will the plane still end up crashing? Season 6 is basically going to be the fulfillment of my entire existence. Questions will be answered! Finality will be achieved! Of course, some questions will remain, but I don't mind- LOST wouldn't be the same if there weren't an air of mystery to it. My primary concern is what characters might return (*fingers crossed* Charlie!!!). And, to a lesser extent, but I acknowledge that I still care a lot, whether Kate ends up with Jack or Sawyer. My money has always been on Sawyer, and not just because he is my favorite character. I think they belong together.

The finales of Dollhouse and The Office were really good, too. The reveal that Dr. Saunders was actually a Doll blew my mind. Mostly, it was a deeply profound episode that explored things like the soul and identity. I was really proud of myself for predicting, way back after the very first episode, that Ballard was going to become involved with the Dollhouse. Seems like he's going to be working for DeWitt in some capacity. And then on The Office, there was a company picnic that reunited Michael with Holly. I love them together. Their performance, "Slumdunder Mifflinaire" tanked, but I was enjoying every second. And then Michael went and talked about them being "one of those couples with a long story," and my heart just melted. Dwight's intensity about the volleyball tournament was terrific. And, oh yeah, Pam was pregnant. Jim was in shock and overcome with emotion. Can't wait to see what happens next year.

In the middle of the finale pack would go Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. With DH, I think the standard was set too high by last year's 5-year leap forward. I just can't bring myself to care that much about who Mike married. I did like the whole thing about Lynette being pregnant. That was funny. Everybody else's stories were pretty amusing. It was an alright episode. B&S was the same. The whole fam went to Mexico. I teared up in the last scene with Nora and Tommy. That was well-acted, and a nice send-off for Balthazar Getty. I adored Kevin per usual. Kitty was still bugging me, right up to the point where she chased after Robert to stop him from leaving. She didn't get to the helicopter in time, but it gives me hope that not all is lost for them next season.

And then, I am sad to say, I was a bit disappointed by Bones and How I Met Your Mother. A coma dream. A not-very-compelling murder story that told me nothing about any of the characters. They're loyal. I already knew that. Then, Booth wakes up and has amnesia. Hmmm... Intrigues me for next season. But beyond that, the episode was a dud. And then a silly little episode about Ted's 31st birthday. Not nearly as epic as previous season finales. The Barney-Robin stuff was kind of ridiculous. I wasn't expecting a definitive development between the 2 of them, but I expected something that would evoke emotion in me on the same level as Barney's sweet longing for Robin all season. And as for Ted and the mother, we found out where he first comes into close proximity to her. So at least that's something. But I'd say that "Right Place Right Time" was the peak of this season.

So that wraps everything up. I have occasionally mentioned a few shows that are on my "Intent to Watch" list. This summer is about working through that list. Projects I have going at the moment: 1) Getting my family hooked on Bones. We have watched 7 episodes in Season 1 so far. It's about to start into the greatness. Also, Claire and I have 3 episodes left in Firefly. That's a quick one to get through, with only 14 episodes total, but she's definitely a new Browncoat. 2) Get some of my friends hooked on stuff. I'm going to start watching LOST from the beginning again (for, like, the 4th time) with someone. 3) Watch shows I've never seen before. The Big Bang Theory. The Wire. Prison Break. 4) Watch shows I've fallen behind on/haven't ever watched all the way through. Fringe. 24. House. Sons of Anarchy.

The Chuck-Bones-Heroes-Office-Housewives-Lost-andmore Post

So, I have sucked at updating this thing the last couple of weeks. I blame stupid school for giving me so much work to do. Only 8 more days, though! Can't wait to get out of here and be my carefree, tv-watching self all the time. Lots of important stuff has been happening with my shows in the past couple of weeks. It as, after all, Sweeps time. Here's a rundown of the chaotic happenings, from Wisteria Lane and the Buy More, to Seattle Grace and the Island:

Desperate Housewives- Okay, admission: my interest in DH has been dwindling. This has happened before, and somehow Marc Cherry always manages to pull me back in. With an interesting new character like Katherine Mayfair. With a game-changing finale like the 5-year leap forward. I have reached the point where I don't mind occasionally missing an episode and then just reading the recap to find out what went on. But we're getting down to the last few episodes when everything gets resolved, which I always enjoy seeing, even when it's one of the lamer conclusions (a la Alfre Woodard's storyline). The Dave Williams mystery has been slow-building with so few twists that I anticipate a let-down in the finale. Oh well, what can I say, I'm attached to the characters, and it would take something major for me to give up on them entirely- although I readily concede that I was much happier with the "7 seasons and we're done" plan than the announcement a few months ago that they are probably extending it to 9 because so many people still watch it (but they might stop watching if you drag things out!!). Anyways, that's enough ranting from me. Here's what's up: Lynette is working for Carlos, which has created some stress in her relationship with Tom. I have always liked her better interacting as a wife than as a mom. It's just funnier because she gets too intense and serious in matters involving her kids- see: threatening to kill a man for Porter. So Carlos is back at his high-paying executive position, but he and Gaby have both made an effort not to revert to their former selfish behavior. Gaby likes being glamorous again, yet she is also a mother and knows what it means to care for others above herself. Katherine has been kinda isolated from the girls lately because she seems to be all about her relationship with Mike- a relationship that bores me to tears. I get that he likes the stability and lack of drama, basically the antithesis of Susan, but there is no chemistry. Dave has been plotting revenge against Mike (whether he was going to kill Katherine, or MJ, or Susan, who knows) because of the car crash that killed his wife and daughter. Now he knows that Susan was driving and will be turning his attentions to her. Edie found out what he was up to and was devastated. For a minute there, it looked like he was going to strangle her, but he let her go. She got in her car and drove away as fast as she could, in the process of calling someone to inform them of her discovery when she had to swerve to avoid hitting someone, ran into a telephone pole, which fell and electrocuted her when she stepped into a puddle of water (the episode with the girls sharing never-seen stories of Edie's positive impact on their lives was very touching). The person who ran out into the middle of the road and caused her crash was none other than idiotic, kleptomaniac Orson. I used to like him so much! And now they've turned him into a pathetic joke. Bree has been dealing with all his issues for a while, but she seems ready to divorce him, with Karl Mayer as her lawyer and new love interest. Richard Burgi will be fun to see again- he always makes things interesting.

Brothers & Sisters- Sadly, I have all but given up on B & S. My love for the Walker family has faded because they have changed into people I don't really like or respect. Except for Kevin. I once thought he was whiny, and now he is my favorite character. So I am still somewhat interested in what happens to everyone. There is a real chance that I will drop it after this season, depending on the finale. The whole situation with Ryan has been way less important than they built it up to be. Plus, I don't like him because he's got a real "creep" vibe coming off him. I was unaffected by Rebecca and Justin's breakup. I like both characters, but I thought they had more chemistry in Season 2 before they were together. Sarah has been pretty funny lately (temp accountant/volunteer firefighter in the storage room, that's all I'm gonna say). I like that she is back at Ojai. Holly is still being manipulative, but what else is new. Tommy is gone, and I am glad. I didn't even mind that they got rid of him in a ridiculous surfing-in-Mexico-possibly-joining-a-cult way. And because of all the difficulties that caused for Julia, she took Elizabeth to Seattle where she got a teaching position. Watching Nora say goodbye to her granddaughter, and Kevin to his daughter, was heartbreaking. Matthew Rhys! You are amazing! And, finally, that brings me to Kitty. Oh, Kitty. I don't even know you anymore. Robert is still the same man he's always been, but now she just feels differently about his character traits (e.g., ambition). Oh, fiddle dee dee, it's only marriage! Having an emotional affair is clearly the way to go. And I'm putting this one on the B & S writers. They already addressed this issue with Sarah, but at least she was torn up about it. So Sarah is in the position to give Kitty advice, says, "Stop going to the damn park," and instead Kitty kisses him. Even though Robert had just found out about Alec and she could see how much she had hurt him. I'm furious about this. I would be even if I didn't really love Robert. This stuff better get fixed or I'm out of here.

Chuck- Has been wonderful in every way I could possibly think of. We found out that Chuck's dad (Scott Bakula from Quantum Leap) was Orion, the man who had built the Intersect. He got kidnapped by FULCRUM and Sarah went rogue to help Chuck rescue him. Casey had to hunt them down but ended up working with them because they're his team. Awwwwww. So Chuck's dad was forced by his captors (Chevy Chase as a bad guy was jarring at first, but he did a really good job) to build a new Intersect computer. When Chuck, Sarah, and Casey got there, the program was activated, and the images removed the Intersect from Chuck's head. He was finally free, and felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off him. Then he had to get his dad back to Burbank in time for Ellie's wedding. The finale started out with Chuck and Casey quitting at the Buy More. Then General Beckman invited Chuck to be part of the new Intersect project, but he declined. He was going to do normal-guy stuff. So Sarah and Bryce were assigned as partners again, and Casey went off to join his Marine Special Forces unit. At the wedding, Chuck was sad to learn about Sarah leaving. He went into the reception area to drink some wine and found FULCRUM agents there. They wanted the new Intersect computer or they would kill Ellie. Chuck called Casey, and Marines parachuted in, shot the place up, and took Chevy Chase prisoner. Except the wedding was ruined because Chuck needed Morgan to create a diversion so he got Jeff and Lester to get up in front of the church and sing "Mr. Roboto." And they set off fireworks which set off the sprinklers. So Ellie was very mad at Chuck. But he used his government paycheck to organize a wedding on the beach. It was beautiful, and then there was a reception back in their courtyard. Chuck and Sarah were dancing, and she was just about to tell him that she wasn't going to leave him, when Chuck's dad told them that the agent who had come to bring Bryce to the Intersect was not CIA. Because as it turns out, one of Casey's Marine buddies was a traitor. Not FULCRUM, but some other bad agency. So, even though his job as the Intersect was done, Chuck went with Sarah and Casey to find Bryce and stop the new enemy from getting the computer. Sarah and Casey got pinned down while fighting, but Chuck got to the Intersect room where Bryce was. He had been shot, and he died. As Chuck was about to destroy the computer, he thought back on what had happened to him since all this Intersect stuff had started and realized he wasn't a normal guy anymore. He uploaded the new program into his head and then sent a power surge through it. So when the bad guys finally got into the room, bringing Sarah and Casey in handcuffs, they were mad. But before they could hurt anyone. Chuck flashed. With Kung Fu skills. And he took every single one of the agents down. About 6 of them. Casey and Sarah looked on in shock. And when it was done, and Chuck saw what he had done, he said, "Guys, I know Kung Fu."

How I Met Your Mother- This has the been the season of pointlessness. Not that I haven't enjoyed most of it ("The Naked Man," "The Stinsons," "Murtaugh"). But, if you think about it, Lily and Marshall have had nothing important happen to them. Marshall has had a few amusing storylines at work. Ted has made

no progress whatsoever in his quest for "The Mother." He lost his job and opened his own architecture firm, but that's it. Barney has been the best character by far all year because we have gotten to see him deal with his love for Robin. The finale will certainly be some sort of big moment with the 2 of them, but I tell ya, I am going to be very frustrated if we don't have a Ted revelation, too.

Heroes- Volume 4, "Fugitives," came to a close this week. Nathan and Peter fought Sylar. Nathan got his throat cut. But then HRG and Mama Petrelli devised a plan- Matt Parkman could alter Sylar's mind to erase Gabriel and replace him with Nathan's memories, personality, etc. I am intrigued to see the ramifications of this in Volume 5, "Redemption." Parkman had serious reservations about doing that. Now will he return to Janice and his baby racked with guilt over using his powers to do something so manipulative? And some remnants of Sylar surely remain within Nathan (I was relieved to hear that Zachary Quinto was not leaving the show). And now there is a new Company, which, in the spirit of the original group, will work to hide the truth about people with abilities. Hiro and Ando (or, "The Crimson Arc,"

as he wants to be called) are returning to Japan. It seems like everyone- Claire, Peter, Mohinder, and the rest- are going to try to return to a normal life. But I think after everything they've been through this season, they will be there for each other when danger inevitably comes knocking again.

Castle- More than I ever thought I would, I am loving this show. I knew I might keep watching it for Nathan Fillion and justify it to myself, but I honestly expected it to be pointless and cheesy. But it has packed an emotional punch. The cases are unusual and interesting. And character development has actually been a priority! Castle and Beckett's relationship as partners has grown, much to her chagrin. I loved seeing her confide in him about her mother's death when she was younger, and how the person who did it was never caught. Then later, he secretly started studying the case file. My favorite episode was called "Home Is Where the Heart Stops," in which a wealthy NY society woman is killed for her jewelry and then stuffed inside her safe. Castle took Beckett to a benefit so that they could look for suspects (they both looked ah-mazing, he wore a tux and she wore a dress he sent to her with a card that read, "Bippity boppity boo" hahahaha). And then when they figured out who the murderer was and went to arrest him, Castle had to stay in the car (he played with the comm radio and pretended like he was a cop, "This dirtbag's all mine"--So cute!), and then the bad guy was trying to make a getaway and tried to steal the car. Castle wrestled around with him, got punched in the eye, and then Beckett took him down. "Go ahead, I need the practice." ABC must renew this show!!

Rescue Me- Usually about 5 or 6 episodes in to a new season of Rescue Me, I have to stop watching for a while and then catch up later because the level of testosterone becomes a little too much for me to handle. You'd think I would be de-sensitized by now, but it is still jarring to me to hear those firehouse conversations. Season 5 has been easier for me to manage. Mike, Sean, and Franco are opening a bar together with Mike's inheritance money. Tommy passed his psychiatric review because the doctor wanted revenge on the chief, who is a total jerk. Janet is dating a wheelchair-bound man named Dwight (played by Michael J. Fox), and his conversations with Tommy have been hysterical. They almost came to blows at one point, until Tommy realized what his condition was. Colleen is dating Black Shawn, who took a while to work up the courage to tell Tommy. Shortly thereafter, Tommy had a conversation with his eldest daughter about the importance of "test driving" a car before you buy it. I went into a slight state of shock when I tried to imagine my own dad having that conversation with me. One storyline that has been driving this season has been the presence of a French reporter. She is writing a coffee table book on 9/11, and her conversations with each of the guys has been very revealing. Lou, Franco, Tommy, Mike, the Chief- they all present unique perspectives on the event, and, ultimately, I think that's what Rescue Me is about.

LOST- Ever since that most wonderful of episodes, "316," the Losties have been in 2 separate times.

2007: The Ajira flight crashed on Hydra island. Ben, Locke, and Sun returned to the main island. Resurrected Locke has some inexplicable new knowledge about his destiny and the island. Sun is following him because she wants to find Jin. Ben is following him because... well, who knows what Ben is up to. He went to face judgment with Smokey and was allowed to live. But Alex appeared to him and said that had to go with Locke and do whatever he said. Frank is still with the survivors from the plane. But that group has plans of their own. They've got guns, and they are taking over. "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" Creepy...

1977: Jack, Kate, and Hurley are the new Dharma recruits. Sawyer, Juliet, Miles, and Jin have adapted pretty well to their new life, but their peaceful existence is over. After Kate and Sawyer took Young Ben to the Hostiles, one of the security guys saw the video and was going to turn them in when Sawyer knocked him out and tied him up in the closet. Fans had their suspicions confirmed in the episode, "Some Like It Hoth," when Miles told Hurley that Dr. Chang was his dad. We got a glimpse of the Swan station being constructed. Then came the episode, "The Variable," which set into motion the chaos that will carry through until the finale in 2 weeks. Daniel Faraday returned from doing research in Ann Arbor. He told Jack that his mother (Ms. Hawking) had been wrong. Their destiny was not to return to the island. He made Miles take him to the Orchid station, where he tried to tell Dr. Chang that he had to evacuate everyone from the island. He told him that he was from the future and that Miles was his son. Then, he got Kate and Jack to take him to the Hostiles so that he could speak to his mother. Meanwhile, Sawyer knew that their time in Dharmaville was over. He, Juliet, Miles, and Hurley packed up their stuff to leave, but their actions had already been discovered and they were caught before they could get away. We saw Daniel explain to Jack and Kate that maybe the future can be changed, that free will makes it possible to alter destiny, and that maybe if they could negate the electromagnetic energy in the Swan station then Oceanic flight 815 would never crash on the island. Then Daniel walked into the camp of the Others, pointed his gun at Richard Alpert, and demanded to speak to Eloise. She shot him. He looked up into her eyes and said, "You knew this would happen and you sent me here anyway." So in the flashbacks, we had seen a mother pushing her son to use his mind to do extraordinary things, never allowing him to lose focus. There was inner conflict etched into her face. She already knew what had happened in her past, in Daniel's future. She would kill her own son. But his revelation about "the variables" being able to change all the laws of quantum mechanics that he had believed for so long meant that the elderly Ms. Hawking, the one in the present day, no longer knew what would happen. Her son had set so many things moving, allowing change to occur, that the future was now unclear to her. Oh yeah, and Charles Widmore is Daniel's father. Doc Jensen talks in his columns about how Season 4 mirrored Season 3, Season 5 mirrors Season 2, and Season 6 will mirror Season 1. I think his theory may be right: I think when time changes, 815 will still crash on the Island, and they will all be right back where they started. Maybe even in the exact way that Doc predicts, with Charlie saying, "Guys, where are we?" Oh my gosh, if Dominic Monaghan came back, I would be so excited. Another theory that I think will be correct (this one from my dear friend Will): the "Adam and Eve" skeletons in the cave, lying next to the black and white marbles, will be Rose and Bernard. They must have gone back to the 1970s, too, because of all the flashes, and then they just made a life for themselves in the jungle. After the finale, when I have had some time to think about everything and what the implications will be in the last season, I'm going to post a summation of my own theories (before I read Doc's). It will be fun to have them recorded, and then next year be able to come back to them and see when I'm right (but probably more often, how very wrong I am).

Bones- There have been lots of new Bones episodes over the last few weeks, and that has suited me just fine. Stand-outs were the episode with a murder in the world of death metal. Stephen Fry returned as Dr. Gordon Wyatt, offering insights to Sweets on his book and on Booth and Brennan, and to Booth and Brennan on Dr. Sweets. They really have become like his family, and I think that's awesome. Also, the episode with the murder of a Japanese girl who turned out to be the sister of one of Booth's detective friends. Brennan has been making an effort to be better at understanding people, better at empathizing with them, and better at realizing what she wants to change about her own life. And not that it had any really important insights, but the episode in which they went to the funeral of a man who had worked at the Jeffersonian led them to investigate his murder. By stealing his body from the coffin. It was like a slapstick comedy, reminiscent of Bringing Up Baby or something. Other significant happenings: Cam adopted a teenage girl. The girl's father was murdered, and Cam had once lived with him and been like a mother to the girl when she was about 6-yrs. old. Angela and Roxie broke up, and per Sweets' recommendation, she is trying celibacy for a while to learn how to connect to people on a deeper level. Coming up in the last few episodes: Brennan asks Booth to father her child. Whoa. And the finale is going to be awesome, and I can't wait to see Zach and Brennan's dad again!!!

The Office- I have loved the last several episodes. They have been hilarious as usual, but they have also been steadily moving the plot along. Michael quit at Dunder-Miflin because he could not adjust to Charles Miner's management style. In a very Jerry Maguire moment, Pam left with him because she could not stay in a job that bored her so much and filled her life with no meaning or inspiration. Ryan joined them, and they became "The Michael Scott Paper Company." Their office was in a storage closet down the hall from Dunder-Miflin. The 3 of them had a grand old time, throwing cheese puffs into each other's mouths, making 5 am deliveries, stealing clients from their former co-workers. And Dunder-Miflin was feeling the loss of business. David Wallace came down from corporate to visit and decided that the best option was to buy Michael's company. Instead, Michael, Pam, and Ryan decided that they wanted to return to their old jobs, except with Pam as a salesman instead of a receptionist. I expected everyone to be happy that Michael was back. Except, of course, Kelly and Angela who fought for Charles' attentions. Stanley wouldn't be forced to stop working on his crossword puzzles and be assigned the role of "Productivity Czar." Jim would no longer be treated like an idiot. I didn't know how Dwight would react because his loyalty transferred to Charles, and he and Michael entered a very competitive mindset with each other. But in this week's episode, "Casual Friday," Andy, Stanley, Phyllis, and Dwight were demanding their clients back. They felt like Michael had betrayed them, telling them that they were all a family and then when he left, hurting their work. And Michael was upsetting everyone by favoring Pam and Ryan, acting like they were an exclusive group and creating a photo collage of "Memories." I liked everyone being back together again. And I liked that everyone had their own moments of brilliance, with some of the focus returning to Toby, Creed, Meredith, etc. So I look forward to seeing what the rest of the season has in store, especially knowing that one of those things will be the return of Holly.

Grey's Anatomy- After almost strangling Cristina in bed, Owen is in therapy to help him deal with his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Thatcher came back, and Lexie got to introduce Mark to him. Bailey is still working towards a fellowship in Pediatrics. Alex is being very sweet taking care of Izzie. George, with encouragement from Owen, is starting to focus on trauma surgery. Derek proposed to Meredith in the elevator. Izzie has been planning the wedding to keep her mind off her cancer treatment. She's going a little crazy, but she keeps playing the "Cancer Card" to get everyone to do what she wants. There was a scene a couple weeks ago that I laughed so hard, I had to pause the television until I could pull myself together. Meredith was talking to Derek about how all the dresses Izzie was making her try on were ridiculous, and if they didn't do something about it, Derek would be wearing a morning coat and she would be "walking down the aisle to 'Wind Beneath My Freakin' Wings.' " So Derek went into talk to Izzie, she broke down crying, he came out with a serious look on his face and said to Meredith, "Apparently a morning coat is non-negotiable. And we need to make time to take ballroom dance lessons." Next week will be the 100th episode. Denny will be back, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan said in an interview that he believes it is for the last time.

Dollhouse- The anticipation has been building for us to finally meet Alpha. The last 2 episodes are going to be LEGEN- -wait for it--DARY. Ballard has been suspended from duty, but he is still searching for the Dollhouse, guided by someone on the inside (Alpha?) who has sent him messages via Echo one time and November one time. I still can't get over the Mellie-being-a-sleeper-active thing! Dominic was revealed to be an NSA agent. They sent him to "the attic," which was truly disturbing to see. Boyd has replaced him as Head of Security, but he has had a difficult time letting go of Echo. He still wants to protect her. She has a new handler now, but I want to see her interact with Boyd. Even though she has been re-programmed, I believe she will innately trust him. I like how Adelle has started showing some more of her humanity. The episode in which she and Topher were affected by a drug and displayed "Band Candy"-esque teenage behavior was very funny. And then we discovered that it was, in fact, she who continued to use the services of Victor for the "Miss Lonely Hearts" mission under the guise of being an old lady in need of some cougar lovin'. But we saw Victor become "Roger," a dapper young British fellow who gave Adelle a chance for emotional escape. I felt sorry for her. Also, I would like to see more of Dr. Saunders- what happened to her and what's going on inside her head.

I also want to say a word (or several words) about the possible cancellations of Chuck andDollhouse. Obviously, I'm worried about them, but I truly feel optimistic. With Pushing Daisies, I knew it would get cut. Same with Veronica Mars. I think my hope is justified for Chuck and Dollhouse. The campaign to save Chuck has been so well-organized and passionate that I think NBC can't possibly ignore it. And I did my part to join the effort: bought the Season 1 DVD's; let a friend borrow them so that she could get hooked (which, of course, she did); wrote about the show on my blog/Facebook/Twitter; watched new episodes when they aired on Monday nights; re-watched episodes on NBC.com; and went to Subway on finale day and bought a $5 footlong- all to save my favorite geek. Yes, NBC already deserves some credit for keeping Friday Night Lights alive despite the small ratings. But, seriously, Chuck HAS to get a 3rd season. The season finale this week was so freakin' amazing and opened up possibilities that I could not be more excited to see play out. I read an interview with Josh Schwartz in which he talked about the amount of support he has been getting from the network, so I am liking Chuck's chances. And Dollhouse's, too. Okay, here is where I am in the minority. My favorite writer at EW, Doc Jensen, says Dollhouse has "very long odds against it." Ken Tucker said that the most recent episode "felt as though the show was presiding over its own funeral. It gets better week after week, while there seems less and less hope of it surviving." Michael Ausiello wrote in AA that, "as far as a second season goes, I don't have any solid evidence to back this up (aside from those anemic ratings), but I'd say it's a long shot." None of the peeps I read have agreed with me. But, for some reason, I think Dollhouse will get a second season. Maybe not another one after that, but at least one more. What basis do I have for saying this, besides a feeling? Well, look at the show's origins: FOX made a contract with Eliza Dushku because they wanted her to do some projects for them. Eliza was able to pull Joss Whedon in to helm the show. The same Joss Whedon with a still-painful history with FOX (*tear* Firefly). The same Joss Whedon with one of the most loyal, obsessive fan bases in television- and I'm not just saying that because I'm one of them. So the fact that he was willing to work with FOX again indicates that they do have an interest in his particular brand of creativity and serialized storytelling. There must be some sort of mutual respect going on behind the scenes between Whedon and the network execs. Deciding after only 13 episodes to dismiss this show, which has only begun to develop into the potentially mind-blowing awesomeness that it could be is just foolish!! I know, I know, this is the same network of American Idol, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, Don't Forget the Lyrics, 'Til Death, and other shows that make me cringe to think about (Moment of Truth, anyone?). But, FOX is also the network of Bones, House, and Fringe. So that's the best that I can explain my optimism. All that being said, I know that business sometimes gets in the way. I will be absolutely devastated to lose either one of these.

The ULTIMATE Post, Part 1

Hello, wonderful readers! It has been exactly 1 week since I returned from my European adventure. I feel well-rested after 3 months of exhaustion (totally worth it, though). In addition to lots of sleep, I have been steadily making my way through all the television that I missed while I was gone. I finished with all my shows a couple days ago and have since turned my attention to the new Fall shows that I have heard good things about. Almost done with those, so that post will come soon. By the time Sunday night rolls around, I will be just like every other tv-viewer again: watching shows one episode at a time and having to wait an entire week before the stories continue. To tell you the truth, I'm looking forward to it. It gives structure and normality to my life to be back on my tv schedule. I'm not even kidding, most of the time when I was traveling in Europe, I didn't even know what day it was.So here begins my quick (but remarkably thorough and poignant, of course!) recap of everything that went down over the past 3 months.

The Closer- This show has really started gaining in popularity and critical acclaim. It is for this reason, I'm sure, that the network ordered a bigger season and decided to split it into 2 halves of 10 episodes each. What they had been doing since Season 2 was showing 13 episodes in the Summer and then a 2-hour special finale in December. I loved this setup and thought it

worked really well. This new arrangement, though, means that we get more episodes, which can only be a good thing. So the first part of Season 4 aired from July to September. I would say that my favorite episodes were:

1) "Time Bomb," episode 10- They seriously stepped it up for the mid-season finale. The body of a teenager is found, which leads to the uncovering of a terrorist plot involving the dead boy and one of his friends at school. Brenda seems to have figured out everything, but as she is tying up a loose end, she realizes that a third boy was involved and that he was about to launch an attack on the mall. Her team goes into action to stop him, and Sanchez is shot while acting as a human shield for Lt. Provenza.

2) "Dial M for Provenza," episode 5- Lt. Provenza goes undercover and is hired by a woman (played by Jennifer Coolidge) to kill her husband. The evidence gets stolen, and hilarity ensues.

3) "Sudden Death," episode 7- Heartbreaking. Sanchez's younger brother is killed, so it becomes a very personal case that Brenda and the squad are determined to solve.

4) "Controlled Burn," episode 1- For the reasons that I mentioned in my previous post, mainly Jason O'Mara's return as Billy Kroelig.

5) "Split Ends," episode 8- The death of a hairdresser in Hollywood. I liked this one a lot because Brenda's parents were visiting, pressing Brenda and Fritz to set a date for the wedding and start having kids.

Mad Men- Season 2 presented interesting journeys for all the characters, and slowly but surely, the past was unraveled. We got to learned what Peggy went through in the hospital after she had her baby. We met another person connected to Don's former life as Dick Whitman. We saw some of what Betty's family life had been when she had to return home to see her father after he had a stroke. Pete's humanity was developed more, through his interactions with his wife, Trudy, and their attempts to get pregnant, as well as through his father's death in a plane crash (on an airline that Sterling Cooper represented). My favorite episodes:

1) "The Mountain King," episode 12- Don is AWOL from Sterling Cooper after his business trip to California. He stays there for a few weeks with an old friend, Anna Draper (the wife of the real Don Draper), remembering all the things he missed from his life and trying to decide what is most important when he returns to New York.

2) "Meditations in an Emergency," episode 13- Betty finds out that she's pregnant. Don finally comes home. Peggy tells Pete that he got her pregnant and that she gave the child up for adoption. The future of Sterling Cooper and its employees is uncertain after a merger.

3) "Six Month Leave," episode 9- Everyone is dealing with the news that Marilyn Monroe committed suicide. We see once again what kindred spirits Don and Peggy are.

-I thought this season was great, but I didn't love the first half of the season because Don's affair with Bobbie was very jarring for me. Don Draper is a fascinating man, but I like him the most when he's being honorable- which, to me, always seems to be when he's with his family- or when he's being brilliant- which happens when he's working on an ad campaign. I do not like him when he is having affairs.

Desperate Housewives-

The 5-year leap forward has created an abundance of material for them to address this year in Season 5, some of it good and some of it bad. I don't enjoy this season as much as I did Season 4, and certainly not as much as Season 1 (still one of the best stand-alone seasons of television that I've ever had the pleasure of watching). Nevertheless, I am invested enough in these characters' lives to continue watching, and I have found some of it to be very interesting. These are the current stories of each housewife:Susan- She and Mike are recently divorced. They broke up because, one night as they were driving to dinner for their anniversary, they got into a collision that killed the woman and child in the other car. Susan's guilt caused her and Mike to fight until they just couldn't be together anymore. Upset over the failure of her marriage to the man who was undoubtedly the love of her life, she began sleeping with the guy who was painting her house, Jackson (played by Gale Harold). At first, they both just wanted a physical relationship, but his feelings for her began to grow. When he broached the subject of his moving in, she refused. He realized that even though he loved her, she never wanted to be with him long-term, so he left. (This may or may not be the last we will see of Jackson, but it is for the time being because the actor was recently in a motorcycle accident and suffered severe injuries.) Meanwhile, Mike is still in the picture for M.J., his and Susan's adorable 5-year old son. In the last episode we saw, he began renting Mary Alice Young's old house right across the street from Susan so that he could be closer to his kid.

Bree- This woman has been through more than any of her friends, from Rex's death, to her alcoholism, to the terrible things her children have done. In flashbacks, we have seen that Orson went to prison for 3 years so Bree would forgive him for what he did to Mike. While he was gone, Danielle returned. She had gotten her life together and married a lawyer, and she took Benjamin away. Things really couldn't get worse for her. So, for some balance in Bree's life, Marc Cherry has improved her situation substantially. She runs a successful catering business with Katherine. She just released a cook book. Her son, Andrew, is working as her manager. Orson served his time in jail and has returned home. On the surface, everything seems to be great, but, up-close, her seemingly perfect life has many problems (Isn't that what this show is about, after all?). Her success has made her friends jealous. Katherine, in particular, resents her because they were supposed to be partners but Bree has gotten all the credit. Orson is mad that she didn't fight harder to keep Benjamin.

Lynette- Zzzzz. Oh, I'm sorry, what was I saying? Perhaps how bored I have been with

Lynette's story this season? Honestly, I don't understand how they could let Felicity Huffman go from having the best and most complicated arc in Season 1 that let her explore all the nuances of a "desperate housewife," to this snooze fest. Lynette's experiences in seasons 2-4 were intensely dramatic, bordering on ridiculous. Tom discovered that he had a daughter named Kayla from a one-night stand before they met. Kayla's mom died in a hostage situation at the local supermarket, during which Lynette was also shot, so Kayla had to come live with them. Kayla turned out to be a demon child that hated Lynette and pretended that she had been abused so that Lynette would get taken away. Tom decided to leave the advertising business and open a pizza parlor. Lynette quit her job, too, so she could help him run it. They hired a cook for the restaurant, and Lynette sort of fell in love with him. Lynette got cancer. A tornado demolished her house. It's just too much! But the alternative has been to make her story irrelevant. Oh no, her teenage sons get wild sometimes. Oh no, her husband is going through a mid-life crisis. Blah.

Gaby- And the winner of the "Housewife with the story I am not annoyed or bored with" award is...Gabrielle Solis! What a fantastic idea to take the stunningly beautiful woman who was all about the material things in life and to turn her into a mother, now too tired to worry about her appearance. We have gotten to see a whole new side of her, as she takes care of her 2 daughters and Carlos with more love than we knew she possessed. She hasn't completely changed, though. Upset that she was losing her social status, she and Carlos crashed a party at the country club. Bringing her blind husband in through the service entrance because she hadn't told him that they were not really invited, she wanted enough people to see her there so that they thought she was still somebody, but she stayed too long and Carlos was thrown out by security. We saw last week that Gaby's period was late. She was getting angry, and her daughter Juanita asked her why: "Mommy has a friend who visits her every month, and she's late. And that's bad because she's the one who assures me that you won't get a baby brother or sister. Mommy really misses her friend, and Mommy's going to be sad if she doesn't show up soon. Now go downstairs and play, Mommy has some praying to do." At the end of the episode, Carlos told her that he was hoping they would have a baby boy. After seeing how much Gaby has grown as a person, I hope that happens, too.

-Unfortunately, Nicollette Sheridan and Dana Delany have been vastly underused this season. Edie returned to Wisteria Lane after her expulsion 5 years ago because her new husband insisted that she mend her relationships with her former friends- and bringing her back seemed to be just an excuse to introduce him. This husband, Dave Williams (played by Neal McDonough), is our obligatory dose of creepy this season. All we know about him is that he recently got out of a mental institution because he has rage issues. He puts on the air of a very calm guy who wants to assist everyone on the road to self-improvement, but he has released his irrational anger a couple times. We don't know why he wants so badly to be on Wisteria Lane, but he has a plan that somehow involves being in a band with Tom and Mike. Katherine has not had anything to do this season except to resent Bree. It's so tragic- I want more Dana Delany!

Brothers & Sisters- I am sad to say that I have not been drawn in by Season 3. It's the kind of thing where I will watch it if I have time, but if I miss it, I probably will just read the recap the next day. Kitty and Robert are in the process of adopting a child. Justin and Rebecca are in the early stages of their relationship. Kevin has quit his job at his law firm because he wanted to make partner but his bosses were having issues

with the fact that he's gay. Sarah quit Ojai and is now adjusting to being a stay-at-home mom. Saul quit, too. The entire Walker family is curious about Ryan, but we haven't met him yet. (They're saving him for November sweeps, of course.) Whatever...

Dexter- The best aspect of this show is still (and will forever be) Michael C. Hall. Nobody except Dexter has anything particularly interesting

going on. Deb still wants to get her Detective badge. Some cop girl keeps trying to get her to spy on one of her fellow officers. She keeps denying that she will ever be a rat. Angel made Sergeant. Masuka wants more respect. Nothing of consequence for any of them, really. Dexter, on the other hand, is dealing with something huge- he's going to be a father. This took a long time for him to come to terms with. How could a man with no emotions help raise a child and teach him/her anything about life in this world? But he's sticking by Rita and preparing himself for the responsibility because, in spite of his sociopathic nature, he knows that he is not completely bad man. He would do anything for Rita and Cody and Astor and his future son or daughter. He even proposed to Rita and is getting ready to join his new family in a new house, knowing that he will have to sacrifice the freedom and independence he has always possessed. On the "Dark Passenger" side of things, Dexter accidentally killed a man in the premiere who got in the way of getting his intended victim. This man turned out to be Oscar Prado, the younger brother of Sheriff Ramon Prado and Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado. Miguel (played by Jimmy Smits) has remarkably become the closest thing Dexter has ever had to a best friend. The crazy thing is that he understands who Dexter is- he does not know that Dexter killed his brother, but he knows that he brings bad people to justice- and believes that he is doing good. I wish that there were more interesting storylines for the supporting characters, but I guess you can't ask for everything.

Chuck- I am absolutely loving Season 2 of Chuck.

It is my probably my favorite show at the moment because, somehow, they have gotten me to the point where I am in love with every single character and care so much about what they are going through. All the episodes have been as enjoyable as the last, not to mention an impressive list of guest stars, from Nicole Ritchie and Ben Savage in "Chuck vs. the Cougars," to Michael Clarke Duncan in "Chuck vs. the First Date" and Michael Strahan of the NY Giants in "Chuck vs. the Break-Up." I don't know how long he will be staying for, but Tony Hale (Buster from Arrested Development) was introduced last week as the new Assistant Manager at the Buy More. He is hi-larious. If I had to pick, I would say my favorite episode thus far has been "Chuck vs. the Seduction," in which Melinda Clarke from The O.C. played a

woman called "The Black Widow," whom Chuck was supposed to seduce. A suave, older gentleman agent came in to help Chuck on his romance tactics. Everything this season has been building towards a way to get the Intersect out of Chuck's head, even though we know that once that happens, Casey has been assigned to kill Chuck because he knows too much of the government's secrets.

(In other Josh Schwartz news, I have abandoned his other show, the ever-trendy Gossip Girl. I just can't take anymore of the ludicrous web of relationships and teen angst and the struggles of that unfortunate life on the glamorous Upper East Side. I do miss Chuck Bass, though, so I read the weekly recaps to see how much tension there can be between him and Blair.)

Heroes- Welcome back to the show I became addicted to in its spectacular first season! Everything has been turned upside down: there is a formula for a drug that gives abilities to non-heroes. Mohinder has taken it and is now quite powerful, and evil. Mr. Petrelli was revealed to be the top villain- he steals people's powers. For Adam Monroe, this meant that he disintegrated from his supernaturally long life (Farewell, David Anders! It was nice while we had you!). Peter Petrelli is now powerless. Sylar appears to have had a change of heart after discovering that he is actually a Petrelli. With this newfound family, he has started trying suppress his hunger for understanding and power and has (almost) stopped killing. He has been working for the Company as HRG's partner, hunting down people with dangerous abilities. As much as I love HRG, he keeps trying to kill Sylar, refusing to trust that he, or anyone else, might have changed. This has begun to make Claire doubt her father (I have disagreed with some of his decisions, as well, but he reminds me too much of Spy Daddy to make me question his motives- those kinds of dads always want to protect their daughters first and foremost). As for Sylar, I would say that I think this change of heart is all an act to acquire even more powers, but Peter went to the future and Sylar was a sweet, loving father of a little boy. I don't know what's going on with Claire. In the future, she was a cold-hearted killer. Her disillusionment is happening gradually. Ali Larter has lived on, but not as Niki- she is her sister (separated at birth) and has the ability to freeze things. Nathan survived being shot (by Future Peter, as it turned out) and believes that he was saved by God. He is now serving the people as the Junior Senator from New York. Matt Parkman, usually a moral compass, is now a bit of a wuss. He went on a spirit walk in Africa and saw his future in which he was the father of a baby girl and was married to the speedster, Daphne. In the present day, though, she is a

villain working for Mr. Petrelli, and Parkman wants so badly to get to that happy future that he is allowing her to trick him into thinking she has changed her ways. Wake up, Parkman! With everything that's gone on, it's hard to distinguish between who is good and who is bad, a line that Heroes has always blurred, especially in this, its Villains chapter. The only person I have faith in is Hiro, who is still trying to pursue his destiny as a hero who saves the world.

-The coolest thing about this season: we finally learned Mrs. Petrelli's power! She dreams the future. That is awesome.

Coming soon: my take on Samantha Who?, Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Friday Night Lights, The Office, and Grey's Anatomy

The Catch-Up Post: LOST, Battlestar, Brothers & Sisters, and more...

I am a horrible person. I have not posted anything in over a month. You know what I say to that? Whatevz! It's my freakin' blog!! I do what I want! But in all seriousness, I'm sorry for being so absent. I do have an excuse- whenever I have had time to think about tv, I have spent it watching Buffy and Angel for the first time (more on that to come later) instead of writing about things I have already seen. I know that my loyal readers (all 2 of them) have been suffering withdrawal from my television rantings. Fear not! This is going to make up for all of that- a summary of everything I've watched since April.

1) Grey's Anatomy. Welcome back into my life! I had almost given up on it, but I gave it a second chance hoping that the strike would give it a renewed sense of purpose. Indeed, the last 3 episodes have been quite good. I didn't even realize how much I missed the characters. Well...really just Derek, Dr. Bailey, Cristina, and Sloan. But now we are happily reunited. The writers have toned down the soap opera factor, and the dialogue is actually funny again. The Addison episode, in particular, was classic Grey's. Although I would have to say my favorite scene so far has been Dr. Bailey advising the nurses to stop boycotting Dr. Sloan's surgeries because they all knew he was a whore when they slept with him. I'm so glad Meredith has found a forum for her whining in therapy. And that Izzie and George are now firmly back in their "just friends" corners. Overall, I'm enjoying my return to Shonda's world, and I hope that I'm never forced to leave again.
2) New Amsterdam. This show started at the beginning of March and ended after only 7 episodes. I really wanted to find a new show this semester (something to fill the void in my heart left by Chuck and Pushing Daisies), and I wish that this one had turned out as amazing as it could have been. I was very intrigued by the story- it's about a New York cop who is immortal until he finds his one true love. Each episode had some murder case that related to his past, so there were lots of flashbacks, ranging from Colonial times to the '50s. I loved some of the details put into the show: in the pilot, he goes to the middle of Times Square and takes a picture. He goes back home and puts the picture on the wall alongside dozens of other pictures of the same spot, labeled by year, so you can see the evolution of just that one section of the world. Amazing, really. Unfortunately, the acting was nothing memorable. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who played John Amsterdam, was good, but the other characters were pretty thin. Truthfully, I don't regret watching the show, but I don't regret it being canceled either.
3) Samantha Who? This show is fun, and that's all there is to it. Every single member of the cast is perfect in his or her role: Christina Applegate as Samantha Newly, the amnesiac learning about the world and herself one day at a time; Melissa McCarthy as Dena, Samantha's childhood friend who just wants to be included; the scene-stealing Jennifer Esposito as Andrea, Samantha's long-time best friend who is trying to keep "old Samantha" alive by making sure she doesn't become too good of a person; Jean Smart and Kevin Dunn as Regina and Howard Newly, Samantha's HILARIOUS parents; Barry Watson as Todd, Samantha's sweet and adorable ex whom she falls in love with again and has to steal from his crazy new girlfriend; and, finally, Tim Russ as Frank, the stoic, but wise, doorman who reluctantly has gotten to know Samantha. I really appreciate this show simply for consistently making me laugh. I don't love it like I do The Office, but I get the same enjoyment out of it that I think other people get from Scrubs, which I refuse to watch because I think Zach Braff is a major tool.
4) The Bachelor. Well, he chose Shayne! I resisted her all the way up until the finale, but I guess she kind of ended up growing on me. The best part about her is that Matt really seems to be himself around her. Even though I loved Amanda, and then rooted for Chelsea, Matt said that Shayne made him feel something he had never felt before, so I am satisfied (I keep telling myself). It is totes adorable that he calls her "Monkey" because of how she holds onto him so tight when they cuddle. I just watched this little video of the two of them finally able to do a public interview as an engaged couple, and I can't lie, it was really cute.
5) Gossip Girl. Such intense drama, I am exhausted just from watching. I probably won't be able to write about it very long before I need a nap. Anyways, let me try to break it down! Jenny Humphrey and Blair have engaged in a war of social power. Each one does something petty to try to gain the advantage. Little J starts dating a very wealthy, very preppy boy from another school who makes out with Serena's little brother, Eric, on the side. Serena has been pushing Dan away in the post-strike episodes because a friend from her past has returned: the truly devilish Georgina Sparks, played by Michelle Trachtenberg. Georgina wants things to go back to the way they used to be when she and S were wild- drinking, doing drugs, doing whatever they wanted. She knows the real reason Serena left town for boarding school and holds that secret over her head. The only person that Serena can really talk to is Chuck, who has become my favorite character. Like, seriously, I love him. Turns out Serena killed someone. Except not really, because all she did was hand a guy some of his own drugs that he used to overdose. Before everything gets resolved, though, Georgina, who has become friends with Dan as a girl named Sarah, seduces him to hurt Serena. Also, Nate likes Vanessa now. And for the first time, he seems like an actual human being. And Rufus and Lily sleep together on her wedding night to Bart Bass. The end. (Naptime)
6) Brothers & Sisters. A lot happened at the end of this season. Nora spent lots of time with Isaac. Isaac asked Nora to move with him to Washington, D.C. She accepted. Her kids became insane. She decided to stay. Sarah was sleeping with Graham (Steven Weber). He lined up a business deal in China that would be a huge commitment for Ojai. Sarah wanted Saul to reject the deal because she couldn't tell Graham herself. Saul went behind her back and signed the contract anyway. The business partner in China went bankrupt and put Ojai $20 million dollars in debt. Sarah needed Walker Landing to bail Ojai out. Holly came up with a scheme that created a merger between the two companies, so that Sarah and Tommy would be co-Presidents and she would be CEO. Kitty and Robert tried to get pregnant. After many failures, they decided to adopt. Kevin proposed to Scotty. Kevin married Scotty. Rebecca had doubts about whether William Walker was really her father. Justin admitted that he had feelings for her when he thought about her as not being his sister. Rebecca discovered that David (Ken Olin) was actually her father. She lied to Justin because she didn't want to leave the Walker family. She then told the truth. He was mad. Then he forgave her. Then they kissed. Oh, and William Walker probably fathered another child, some boy named Ryan.
7) Desperate Housewives. Gaby adjusts to married life with blind Carlos. One very amusing episode has her using his handicapped parking tag. He gets a seeing-eye dog. A cocaine dealer moves into their spare bedroom, and the cops want them to act like nothing is wrong because they want to arrest her supplier. Susan is the funniest pregnant woman alive. There is one scene where Mike has just come home from rehab. She wants to make his favorite dinner, and when she finds out that it's not actually his favorite, she breaks down and leaves to put her emotions in the metaphorical box that Bree told her about. Mike and Susan find out that Orson was the one who ran over Mike and put him in the coma. They manage to forgive him, but Bree kicks him out. He spends a drunken night at Edie's, and Bree gets the wrong idea. Edie finds out the truth about Danielle and Austin and Benjamin. She blackmails Bree, who finally comes clean with the girls about everything. Cue dramatic walking scene. They inform Edie that they are cutting her out of their lives. Rick comes back into town. His restaurant is burned down, and Lynette is convinced that Tom did it. It was actually the twins, Porter and Preston. They were given the idea by Kayla. Lynette thinks Kayla needs counseling. Kayla does need counseling because she is a manifestation of evil straight out of The Bad Seed. She convinces one of the twins to jump off the roof. The shrink thinks that Lynette and Kayla need to spend time together so that they will come to see each other in a real mother-daughter way. Kayla tells Lynette that she convinced the twins to try to jump off the roof (which one of them did, causing him to break his arm). Lynette slaps Kayla, who later calls the shrink and says that she is afraid because she is being abused. Katharine and Bree bond after planning a party together, and it is wonderful. Dylan's dad (Gary Cole) makes contact with her, and they secretly begin spending time together. Katharine finds out and wants to prove that he is a horrible man who is incapable of love. She tells him that she had affairs when they were married and that Dylan is not really his daughter. He has a DNA test done, confirming what Katharine said. He gets drunk and watches old home videos of Dylan as a little girl- one in which she is riding her bike and shows her dad some stitches on her arm. Later, Dylan comes over to see him, and he notices that there is no scar on her arm. OMG. I did not see that coming. Different girl.
8) The Office. Michael and Jan have a dinner party. Hilarity ensues. They break up. In the next episode, a few months have passed. Jim and Pam are still going strong. In fact, he tells her that he is going to propose to her. Dwight and Michael party with Ryan in New York City. Ryan is a coke head. Stanley yells at Michael in front of everyone. He tells Michael that he has no respect for him. Michael is upset that his friend would say those things to him (haha). He doesn't want to fire Stanley but tells him that he can't talk like that to his boss at work. Dwight makes his usual power plays. More hilarity ensues.
9) Battlestar Galactica. The most recent episode, "Faith," was incredible. The ones before that have been kind of...confusing. There hasn't seemed to be much purpose, except to show that the Cylons are fighting amongst themselves (The Brother Cavils killed a bunch of Sixes, Eights, and Leobens). And Tory killed Cally, who found out that Tigh, Tory, Anders, and Tyrol are Cylons. The Chief has since become a very angry man. Colonel Tigh is adjusting to his discovery that he is a Cylon by visiting the captured Six every day. It's sorta weird... Apollo has been MIA since he became a member of the Quorum. His new role hasn't done anything more than show that Laura Roslin is abusing her power. She is, however, dying of cancer. Admiral Adama sits by her bed during treatments reading books to her. Starbuck and the crew of the Demetrius have been searching for Earth. Starbuck has become a bit of a nutjob. Everyone except Anders becomes part of a mutiny (I still love you, Helo!), but then Leoben comes upon them. He wants Kara to come see the Hybrid and continue her journey to Earth. She finds out that she has to unbox D'Anna (yay Lucy Lawless!!) to reveal the final 5 Cylons, who can then lead her to Earth. The Hybrid also mentioned that she is "the harbinger of death." Or something like that. Intense. And intensely awesome.
10) LOST. Episodes 7-11: "Ji-Yeon," "Meet Kevin Johnson," "The Shape of Things to Come," Something Nice Back Home," and "Cabin Fever." Each amazing in its own way. So it would be inadequate to merely summarize them in one paragraph here. Also, this has become the longest blog in history. And my hand hurts. So I'm going to put it off a few more days until I can sit down for another length of time and write about each episode in detail. I will say one thing, though. In the future, Jack and Kate get engaged. And, although my heart belongs to Sawyer and I am a Skater through and through, it was kinda hot.

The Strike Update, Brothers & Sisters, Heroes

It's been a long time since I've written a new post. This is partially because thinking about television right now makes me really sad. The strike carries on with no end in sight. If productive negotiating from both sides doesn't begin soon, then this spring will be dismally bare of new episodes of anything good. My idea of the apocalypse has come to life: a commercial for another reality show haunts me every time I turn on my tv, with no Heroes or The Office to turn to. And thanks to the little promise I made when the strike started (the one where I don't watch any episodes from the free online streaming on the networks' websites, even though ABC.com now has every episode of LOST in HD- imagine how beautiful that is...), I have missed a few episodes of some crucial stuff (e.g. Bradford's death and its aftermath on Ugly Betty, HRG's death and subsequent resurrection on Heroes). This may sound a little crazy, but when I am not up-to-date and invested in all of my shows, it feels like part of me is missing. I don't know how the stories have evolved, so I just feel kind of lost (cue obligatory LOST pun).

I am so incredibly grateful that I have LOST to look forward to for 8 weeks starting January 31st, and Battlestar Galactica returns for its fourth and final season in April. Frakkin' awesome. Also pretty exciting: I have a couple of new shows to try that are mid-season starters. One of these is Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Kristen’s description of this show: Half action-adventure, half family drama, Chronicles tells the tale of Sarah (Lena Headey), John (Thomas Dekker) and a pretty cyborg from 2027 (Summer Glau- rock on, Firefly people!) sent back to help fight the future and bring down SkyNet—before it kills 3 billion people. The other new prospect is Eli Stone from Greg Berlanti (writer-producer of Everwood, Brothers & Sisters, Dirty Sexy Money). It's a legal drama is about a young attorney who experiences a series of hallucinations. The visions lead him to believe he's a prophet of God, causing him to change his life.

Now on to the Brothers & Sisters wedding episode. To quote Robert, in his vows to Kitty: "To say I love you seems inadequate because I cannot imagine my life without you." That is how I have come to regard this show. Every episode makes me laugh and cry, takes me from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other, because my heart feels so much for these characters. It's as if the story were actually happening, with me right in the middle of it. In this episode, the ninth of Season 2, Danny Glover, Chevy Chase, and Garry Marshall guest-starred. The funniest scene had all the boys locked in a room by the Secret Service- Kevin for threatening the Senator's life, Stan (Chevy Chase) for smoking pot, Justin and Tommy, I think for fighting, but I can't remember because I haven't been able to go back and watch it online... Me and my stupid promises to stand up for a cause. I'm just kidding (sorta), I love the writers. Anyways, this episode also had me crying like a baby when 1) Nora walked Kitty down the aisle, and 2) Kitty said her vows to Robert: "You are so many things to me… you’re this brilliant poised diplomat, and then you're this really crazy romantic that just takes my breath away. And when you’re tired and when you’re stressed, you get really grumpy. Then I can feel your head on my shoulder at night and I know you’re asleep and you’re so peaceful. I love all those parts so much that I want to have you as my partner for the rest of my life... As long as I’m with you I will be complete and that’s it." Excuse me while I go find a tissue and my stuffed animal monkey, Schwartzy, to hug. Okay, done. Also important about this episode- the arrival of the man named David from Holly Hunter's past (played by Patricia Wettig's real-life husband, and king of awesome, Ken Olin). Now, I know that some people have been saying all season that they thought Rebecca wasn't really William Walker's child. I think some people only said that because of the strange vibe of attraction coming from Justin and Rebecca, which would be sick if they were really half-brother and -sister. Regardless of how many "called it," I still like the storyline they're going down that Holly might have had an affair with this man in the middle of her other affair, and that Rebecca might have to find a new way to fit into the Walker clan if she's not part of the family.

Conclusion of Volume 2 of Heroes, "Generations." Great end to a not-so-great volume. For a long time, I could not bring myself to say that Season 2 wasn't very good. My need to be loyal kept me from admitting that Heroes, like many shows before it, fell to the dreaded "Sophomore Slump." Until Tim Kring himself, the show's creator, said that they had made some mistakes this year, from Hiro spending too much time in ancient Japan, to the hasty introduction of Maya and Alejandro. The past few episodes brought a real return to the quality of Season 1. Kristen Bell added some very cool depth to her lightening-wielding character, Elle. Sylar became his badass, evil self again. Hiro saved the world again and buried Adam Monroe/Tazeko Kensei. Peter and Nathan were reunited, only to have NATHAN GET SHOT DOWN. Oooohh, he better not be dead, or I'm gonna be very angry with Tim Kring. Come on, Claire- you gave your adopted daddy, HRG, your blood to save his life. Now it's time to share the love with your real daddy, Flying Man (whoosh!).

So, while the next few months may not contain the magic of Pushing Daisies or the Jim-and-Pam-ness of The Office, the lovable Chuck-ness of Chuck or the Tim-Riggins-being-hot-and-Coach-Taylor-being-awesome of Friday Night Lights, there is still a bright light on the horizon. And that light is called “Sawyer coming back to me.” You know, I have a t-shirt that says ‘I’d get LOST with Sawyer.’ People always think the picture on that shirt is Jesus. And I say, “No, that’s not Jesus, that’s Sawyer. He’s the next best thing, really.”