Epic Post

Apologies for my absence over these last few months! I know it was deeply upsetting to my readers--all 3 of you (Hi, Mom/Claire/Tina)--not to have me rambling about my television obsessions. Well, you asked for it - and now you're gonna get it! (Nobody "asked" for it in the literal, out-loud sense, but hypothetically speaking...whatever! You're gonna get it whether you want it or not!)

True Blood- Waiting for Season 3 has been very painful. To cope, I have rewatched Seasons 1 & 2 approximately 47 times. Also, I am still writing for TrueBloodNet.com, so I am not in complete withdrawal from the show. The actors returned to work last week, and news has been coming out about casting for new characters. I'm excited when I read these because it gives me things to speculate about instead of just freaking out over the unknown, like what the hell happened to Bill?!?!?!?!?!

Mad Men- Season 3 was outstanding, especially the second half. Normally MM is subtle, and viewers can glean from small moments of character interactions what the 1960s were like in terms of gender roles and social norms. Well, with "Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency" (S3, episode 6), a secretary ran over someone's foot with a John Deere lawnmower, and things never slowed down from there. Don had an affair with Sally's school teacher. Sal got fired. Joan smashed a vase over her jerk husband's head. Don secured an account with Conrad Hilton for his hotel chain. JFK was assassinated. Betty discovered Don's secret drawer, and all the lies upon which their marriage was based came crashing down. She ended up leaving him for a man she barely knew. As if that weren't enough, PPL, the British company that bought Sterling Cooper at the end of Season 2, was preparing to sell the agency to a rival ad firm. Rather than let that happen, Don joined together with Roger Sterling, Bert Cooper, and Lane Pryce to start their own firm. The finale was probably my favorite episode to date. Written and directed by executive producer Matthew Weiner (new television genius who joins the ranks of "People whose work I would watch no matter what"), "Shut the door. Have a seat" featured Don and his new partners trying to persuade certain employees to join them. Before any of this could happen, Don had to put aside his differences with Roger and admit that he needed Roger's people skills/client relationships or they would never have enough money to operate. From there, they got Pete Campbell through flattery--Head of Accounts. They got Harry Crane by saying 'join us or we'll lock you in the storage closet'--Head of Television Media. And they got Peggy Olson as their Copy Writer because Don was finally willing to tell her how much he valued her work and needed her help. "What if I say no? You'll never speak to me again." "No. I will spend the rest of my life trying to hire you." My favorite acquisition for Sterling, Cooper, Draper & Pryce--Joan as Office Manager. She's the one who will keep things running smoothly. She may be a glorified secretary, but it's a lovely truth to realize that without Joan, those guys would be completely lost. They set up shop in a hotel suite for the time being, and Season 4 will be about this new business. I am looking forward to Mad Men more than I ever have before.

Dexter- Season 4 has been pretty mediocre in my opinion. On the list of things that interest me: 1) John Lithgow as the Trinity Killer. He has repeated the same pattern of kills in cities across the US for 30 years. Each death represents a member of his family. So creepy, but so fascinating. 2) Seeing Dexter adjust to marriage and fatherhood has been interesting insofar as I was curious to see how he would indulge his "Dark Passenger" when he had a family to take care of. It hasn't presented any major obstacles. 3) I was glad to see Keith Carradine return as FBI Special Agent Frank Lundy, but he was killed when he got too close to discovering the true identity of Trinity. 4) Jennifer Carpenter's performance in the aftermath of Lundy's death was stellar. I have come to expect greatness from Michael C. Hall, and that greatness always overshadows the supporting cast. In the episode "Dirty Harry," I don't even remember what happened to Dexter, but Debra's emotional breakdown at losing the man she loved left a deep impression on me. Unfortunately, the list of things I care nothing about is much longer: 1) Angel's relationship with LaGuerta. 2) Anything having to do with Quinn. 3) Rita's flirtation with her neighbor. 4) Ghost Harry's useless advice. I really like James Remar, but his character has become superfluous. I understand that he is there to function as a sounding board for his son's killer thoughts, but he no longer brings about important character developments for Dexter like he used to. 5) Trinity's home life. I find it highly unbelievable that Arthur Miller would be able to keep up the elaborate act of being a deacon at his church, a volunteer house builder, and a devoted father and husband, when he is so crazy and has an explosive temper. I also find it highly unbelievable that there have never been any security cameras at his kill sights that would get him caught. Seriously, he beat one dude to death in an office, and another time he kidnapped a kid from an arcade. If that happened in real life, he would never make it as a serial killer eluding capture for decades. 6) The fact that Dexter killed his first truly innocent man. He broke The Code. He didn't check his facts enough, and it ended up costing a man his life. Perhaps I would feel more strongly about this if Dexter did, but it hasn't even phased him. So overall, not a great season for me. Although there was a big twist last week that shocked me, and I hope to see more surprises in the final two episodes.

Sons of Anarchy- I wrote about SOA in the newspaper article I posted on here a couple weeks ago, so I'm going to abstain from writing anything more right now. With Season 2, it became one of my favorite currently airing shows, and I fully believe it has the potential to become one of my favorites ever. For that reason, I am going to devote an entire post to it soon, in which I will talk about the implications of the finale and why this cast (especially Katey Sagal) is doing some of the best acting around.

How I Met Your Mother- Only halfway through the fifth season, and they have already ended the Barney-Robin relationship. If it never reemerges, that's going to be very disappointing. My favorite episodes this season have been "Duel Citizenship," (in which Barney spends the entire half-hour making fun of Canada, and Ted, Marshall, and Lily take a roadtrip that highlights the ways that friendships change when someone becomes super couple-y) and "Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap," (in which Marshall unites the group with the 4th slap of the infamous slap bet). I have high expectations for the latter half of Season 5 because of the special 100th episode (a musical edition!!! NPH + music = yay!), and because I am hoping that Ted makes some significant progress in finding the Mother, now that we know he is a professor at her school.

The Big Bang Theory- I went back and watched all the episodes of this show for a couple of reasons. Because I needed more comedy in my tv-watching schedule, and because I am unashamedly a huge geek. All the Battlestar Galactica and comic book references fill me with joy, as do the super-smart, socially awkward boys because they remind me of my own guy friends. I am basically obsessed with Sheldon, played by Jim Parsons. Now that Leonard and Penny are in a relationship, the story is kinda secondary, but that doesn't bother me in this show. The characters are well-developed, well-written, and make me laugh on a consistent basis.

Castle- Nathan Fillion is still being his charming self and making this show one of the highlights of my week. Season 2 has been just as fun as the first, and I was so pleased that ABC ordered the back 9 episodes, increasing it to a full season. The chemistry between Castle and Beckett remains as engaging as ever, and the father-daughter relationship between Castle and Alexis is so adorable and strong that I don't feel like I'm exaggerating to compare it to Veronica and Keith Mars (which, if you've seen VMars, you know is high praise).

Dollhouse- Like SOA, I can't do justice to DH in one paragraph. There are only 8 episodes left in Season 2, and then this little series about the Active that could will be gone forever. Joss Whedon has made it pretty clear that he's not leaving it open-ended for a movie or comic book continuation. So I am appreciating every moment that's left, and continuing to marvel at the spectacular abilities of the writers/directors/actors. More praise to come in an upcoming post.

The Office- Season 6 has been kinda hit-or-miss for me. Episodes like "The Lover" and "Murder" had me rolling on the ground in fits of laughter, while episodes like "Mafia" and "Scott's Tots" had me sitting on the couch feeling confused and uncomfortable. I like new receptionist Erin--I think her eagerness to please Michael is a funny contrast to the way we saw Pam act for 4 years, and I enjoy watching Andy try to ask her out. I like seeing Jim as co-manager with Michael because it wouldn't have made sense for him to go on avoiding work as a salesman and playing pranks on Dwight forever. He has a wife now, with a baby on the way, so his ambition and sense of responsibility has kicked in. He thought the job would be easy because he had seen a fool like Michael do it for so long, but it has presented more obstacles than he expected. For one, Dwight keeps trying to plot to remove him. Another problem is the impending financial collapse of Dunder-Mifflin. Nobody knows if or when they are going bankrupt, so a good solution is to play a murder mystery theatre game to keep everyone's mind off of it. Hilarious. For the rest of this season, I would like to see more of the supporting characters (especially Kelly, Angela, Oscar, Andy, Erin, Creed), AND PLEASE BRING BACK DARRYL (Craig Robinson).

Bones- Season 5 has focused on Booth readjusting to life after having surgery to remove his brain tumor. He's forgotten things about himself, like his garish socks and "cocky" belt buckle, and the fact that he hates clowns. He also lost skills he once had, like how to do his own plumbing and how to shoot a gun with accuracy. But more importantly, he has been affected by the memory of his coma dream. He emerged from it completely in love with Brennan. When Cam and Sweets found out, they told him: Don't tell her unless he's sure because she will never recover if he breaks her heart. The rotating interns continue to be a source of comedy sometimes and annoyance at other times. I only like Wendell, Mr. Nigel-Murray, and Fisher. I can't stand the rest. I don't want Angela to be with Wendell even though I think he's a sweetheart. She needs to get back with Hodgins yesterday. They belong together! The Christmas episode, "The Goop on the Girl," promises to be wonderful. It has a lot to live up to since the Season 3 mistletoe kiss, but with Zooey Deschanel guest-starring as Brennan's cousin, Ryan O'Neal guest-starring as Brennan's dad, and Booth stripping down to his boxers (his clothing is evidence, it has to be done!), I feel certain I will find plenty to enjoy.

Friday Night Lights- Season 4 is knocking it out of the park. Or, should I say, scoring touchdowns (Hehehe......puns used to be the highest form of humor). Coach Taylor and some former Dillon Panthers like Landry find themselves stuck at the rundown East Dillon High School after redistricting divided the town into, essentially, the haves and the have-nots. Tami has stayed on as the principal at West Dillon, but she is no better off than her husband. After she sent the Panther's star player, Luke, to East, Joe McCoy and the boosters were none to happy with her. Football fans are calling in to sports radio to complain about her. They see her as the enemy, and it's tough to see a character I love be so hurt by the hateful things being said about her. She was only doing her job. Meanwhile, Eric is trying to build a new football program with the Lions. They lack discipline and experience, and it will be a while before they win a game, but they have some true talent in RB Luke and another new character, Vince. Offensively, defensively, the boy can do it all. I thought it would be awhile before I felt loyalty to this new team, but it only took a few episodes for me to get the Lion pride. It helped that Panther QB J.D. McCoy has transformed into a total jackass. Life without Lyla and Tyra has been strange, but they aren't gone forever. Soon, we will be losing Matt Saracen, too, and his sendoff has been even more emotional than the touching goodbyes for Jason Streete and Smash Williams. Matt's father was killed in Iraq, and Zach Gilford gave a performance that has many critics calling for his Emmy nomination next year. It felt completely real to the experience of losing someone, and stayed true to his character.

Grey's Anatomy- This season has been hectic and overdramatic, but what else is new? I'm still really into the Owen-Cristina relationship, and I think that merging Seattle Grace with Mercy West Hospital has shaken things up in an interesting way. Sure, I dislike some of the new doctors, but the conflict created by the situation has felt organic. We knew in Season 5 that economic difficulties were plaguing Seattle Grace, so this solution that Chief Webber came up with to keep his job made a lot of sense. It also allowed Shonda Rhimes to deal with her actors' conflicts (Ellen Pompeo's maternity leave, Katherine Heigl's time off to work on a movie), by adding new characters without sacrificing screen time for the people we know. McDreamy hasn't had any major storylines this season, but at least Patrick Dempsey has remained a solid presence. Honestly, I don't really care what he does, as long as he's there for me to look at. He's pretty. My favorite characters have been the same for a couple of years now. Lexie, Mark, Owen, and Cristina. I just think that those actors--Chyler Leigh, Eric Dane, Kevin McKidd, and Sandra Oh--are giving really dynamic performances that keep me invested. It's by no means one of my favorite shows anymore like it was in Seasons 1 & 2, but I can't let it go yet. Sadly, the same cannot be said for Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters, which have become casualties of their own ridiculousness.

As for my new shows--V, The Good Wife, Modern Family, and FlashForward--(all of which I wrote about recently), they are going on the Christmas hiatus along with the rest of the television shows. The issue here is that the networks are scheduling their 2010 returns for strange times. I am referring to V and FlashForward, both of which ABC doesn't intend to bring back until March. That seems almost like a death sentence to me! How can they expect a new show to retain whatever audience it has managed to establish thus far in its first season, when they are not putting it on the air again for 3 or 4 months? I find it hard to imagine that either V or FlashForward will get renewed for a Season 2 with that poor placement. It would be a shame to lose both sci-fi newbies. Although, Glee is getting pushed off, too, with FOX keeping the second half of Season 1 until April, and I feel pretty confident that it will survive. I guess nobody knows at this point what will happen. At least Modern Family and The Good Wife appear to be performing well for ABC and CBS, respectively, and will be coming back with new episodes in January.

I AM SO EXCITED FOR MY MIDSEASON PREMIERES, LOST, CHUCK, CAPRICA, AND BURN NOTICE!!!<--See, I couldn't help myself but to write in all capital letters, so you know how excited I am! Chuck Season 3 begins on January 10th; Burn Notice Season 3, Part II, on January 21st; Caprica Season 1 on January 22nd; and LOST Season 6 on February 2nd. I predict awesomeness from each of them. Obviously, I haven't seen Caprica before (except for the pilot/movie), but with Jane Espenson writing it and a foundation in BSG lore, how can it go wrong?

I don't know why, and I'm certainly not complaining, but TNT will also have a few new episodes for their original series over the next couple of months. The Closer airs for 3 weeks, starting December 7th, during which time Beau Bridges and Mary McDonnell will be guest starring. I've got my fingers crossed for my prediction to come true, which is that Brenda and Fritz will adopt a child. I am always astounded by how patient and loving that man is--he so deserves to be a father! Leverage has several more Season 2 episodes to air, starting on January 13th. This show is another recent acquisition of mine, and one that I am drawn to because I like heist stories and playful banter. Timothy Hutton leads the cast as Nate, "The Mastermind" of the vigilante team, which also includes Parker ("The Thief"), Sophie ("The Grifter"), Hardison ("The Hacker"), and Eliot ("The Hitter"). They do con jobs to help people who can't help themselves. It's like Burn Notice combined with Ocean's 11. Lots of fun.

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.