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.

A Brief History of EVERYTHING (By which I mean, the last few weeks)

Okay, so this was a super stressful week of classes, and more is still to come next week. That means that today and tomorrow are all about giving the ol' brain a little downtime. But I have a lot of catching up to do on my blog. My solution: delivering my thoughts to you in incomplete sentences, which is probably not what my shows deserve because they have been stellar the past few weeks. Props.

In alphabetical order so as not to show favorites (even though LOST is by far my #1)-

Battlestar Galactica-

Frakking with my mind. 2 intense weeks in a row when Gaeta (whom I loathe with every ounce of my being) staged a takeover of Galactica with the help of Tom Zarek. Things starting to slow back down as we learn more about the history of the "Final Five" Cylons. This past episode was all about the background that, having been revealed, brings the entire series into a new clarity. The EW recap by resident BSG expert Marc Bernadin sums it up perfectly:

"It was as if some hidden vault of information opened up in front of me, kind of like the Ark of the Covenant, and by the end of the hour, it melted my face off... And there were so many little touches. Anders' pre-op ramblings ('All the forgotten faces, all the forgotten children, we speak a forgotten language. The mind is its own place. The Hell of Heaven.'); Ellen the Machine Goddess offering Boomer the apple of knowledge; Roslin passing the mantle of leadership to Lee; Tigh laying his head on Caprica-Six's swelling belly. At the end of the day, you know why I loved this episode so much? Because I earned it. We all did. All of us who've been watching, faithfully, from the very beginning. It was like finally getting to the 'mystery solved' speech in a Sherlock Holmes yarn. We've put in the time, and now here's our reward. Now we know the truth behind the Cylons but knowing is half the battle."

Bones-

Follow-up to Season 2 milestone, "Aliens in a Spaceship." Booth escaped with the help of a ghost, a young soldier he fought alongside. Bones swooped in to save him. Creepy Gravedigger (turned out to be a woman, who saw that coming?) taken down with the help of Little Booth, Jared. Not as emotionally gripping as its predecessor but still great. Nothing beats the beginning of Angela-Hodgins love. Or the Booth-running-and-digging-Bones-out-of-the-dirt scene.

Burn Notice- Moving kinda slowly right now. Not that I have a problem with that because there is lots of Michael-Fiona cuteness. I am looking forward to some intense action going down between Michael and Carla soon. And I read something about finally finding out WHO burned him?

Chuck-

Post-Super Bowl episode in 3D. Except only barely so as not to exclude people without 3D glasses. Kind of a disappointment on that front. Awesome on the guest star front, though. Dominic Monaghan as a rock star being hunted by terrorists.

The Closer- Wedding of Brenda and Fritz happening soon. Lots of good episodes since it came back in January. Sanchez dealing with the fallout of his gunshot wound. Provenza being his awesome self. Last week had another Billy Kroelig-type creepy bad guy who got away with multiple rapes and a murder. Gives me chills but hope to see him again. Next week has Amy Sedaris as Fritz's sister.... Sweet!

Desperate Housewives-

Eh. Lynette continues to wear me down with her dismal storyline. Bree has nothing interesting going on. Gaby is trying to get her old self back- complete with excessive amounts of money and a hot body- but realizing that she should leave some of her less attractive former personality traits behind (we'll see how long that lasts). Susan is ridiculous. She doesn't deserve to get Mike back. Dave's masterplan seems to be at a standstill.

Friday Night Lights-

The DirecTV run ended, leaving us with no assurance that there would be a Season 4. If there isn't my heart will be broken, especially since Season 3 was spectacular in every way. Perfect exits for Street and Smash. Matt/Julie and Tyra/Landry reunited.

Life wasn't all happiness, though because JD's father was the worst kind of scum and got Coach Taylor fired. The Dillon school board offered him the position at the about-to-reopen East Dillon as the Head Coach of the Lions. Whoa. Switching my loyalties away from the Panthers will be a difficult adjustment, for me and all the characters on the show. Which is why there needs to be a Season 4 so that we can see what happens next.

Grey's Anatomy-

Lots of dramatic buildup to a Meredith-Derek proposal. Private Practice crossover didn't do much for me because I hadn't been watching Private Practice and neither knew nor cared who Archer was. Mark has definitely become a better man thanks to Lexie's influence, and their flirting is adorable. Owen-Cristina interactions have me hooked. Don't care about anybody else.

Heroes-

My once-great love for Nathan and HRG has disappeared almost entirely. Hoping some hidden layers are there that I don't see. Sylar as a mentor to a young boy is twisted but fascinating. Rest of the heroes are having to band together to hide from the Hunter/stop Nathan from this hypocritical persecution.

How I Met Your Mother-

Has lost a little of its magic from previous seasons. I might retract my judgment in retrospect, but I'm just not enjoying these episodes as much as I used to. Funny aspects remain (almost all revolving around Barney), but not with the same mixture of humor and sweetness.

LOST-

People on the island- Sawyer, Juliet, Daniel, Charlotte, Miles, and Locke- have been flashing through time. Good opportunities for us to learn more about the island's history as we have seen the period when the Dharma Initiative was active. Returned to events we have already witnessed- Claire giving birth to Aaron; pillar of black smoke. Desmond working in the hatch.

Rousseau arriving with her team, pregnant with Alex. Jin came back after floating in the water on a piece of wreckage. Charlotte died from time-travel sickness. Desmond and Penny are married and living on a boat with their son, whom they named Charlie (*tear*). Faraday came to Desmond in the hatch and told him that the on-island people needed his help. In the present-day, Desmond woke up and remembered that it had happened all those years before. Now looking for Daniel's mother=Mrs. Hawking=First name, Eloise, so potentially the same person as the young Ellie who is part of Richard Alpert's band of "hostiles" (along with a young Charles Widmore). Ben trying to get the Oceanic Six back to the island. What he will gain from getting them back, I don't know... Jack is fully on-board because he has finally come to accept that his destiny lies on the Island. Kate is angry. She wants to keep Aaron away, but she should come around soon because she will follow Jack to the end of the world. Sun is willing to go back because Ben gave her proof that Jin is still alive (How will Jin react when his wife brings his baby girl, Ji-Yeon, to that place?). Hurley is in prison. Sayid is the biggest holdout because he resents Ben for making him kill people. I can't wait to see the reunion between the 2 groups.

The Office-

Post-Super Bowl episode, "Stress Relief," definitely full of moments of high hilarity. Overall, not the greatest episode ever (I still argue that "Money" has been the only hour-long to successfully maintain a great story that is consistently funny). Favorite parts were with Andy, thinking that Pam & Jim were really insightful about the movie they were all watching together, even though they were talking about something completely different. 2-part episode, "Lecture Circuit," was awkwardly wonderful. Michael and Pam traveling to other Dunder-Miflin branches. The hope of a Holly Flax reappearance was dangled and then snatched away. Soon, my friends. Soon. Back in the Scranton office, Jim and Dwight trying to function as the party planning committee. Angela licked her cat.

The Beginning of the End: Battlestar Galactica

It's been a very long time since the fleet's hopes (and ours) were shattered by the revelation that Earth was not the Promised Land. For 3 years, Galactica has been searching the galaxies far and wide to find a home for the remaining 40,000 survivors. They have endured Cylon oppression, personal loss, political upheaval, and everything else imaginable, but they knew that everything would be okay once they found Earth. At first, most people didn't even believe in the prophecies that told about the lost planet of the 13th tribe. But President Roslin's faith was unwavering. And soon everyone believed.

So where do they go from here? In the case of last night's Season 4.5 premiere, many have simply given up. Dee left the desolate planet, sobbing, but once back on Galactica seemed like she was optimistic. She had a heart-to-heart with Lee, they enjoyed a fun night together, Lt. Gaeda noted that she was "glowing," and then she shot herself. I have not felt such a physical and emotional upheaval in a long time. After that, everything just seemed to be crumbling. President Roslin burned her book of prophecy one page at a time. She skipped her cancer treatment and couldn't have cared less. Admiral Adama was walking down the halls of the ship as his crew was fighting and crashing around him. When Laura shut him out, he got very drunk and tried to enrage Tigh so that he would shoot him. Death would have been a welcome presence on Galactica, and that was more shocking to me than the truth about Earth.

The Cylons were having an alternate experience than the humans. They lingered on Earth because, looking around the wreckage, they were having flashbacks to their previous lives.

2000 years before. On Earth. It would seem that the 13th tribe was made up of Cylons because the remains found, although they appeared to be human bones, were later confirmed by Baltar to be Cylons. No human bodies found anywhere.

Except for 1. Starbuck went off on her own search for the source of some signal, accompanied by Leoben, and started finding pieces of her Viper. Then she found the cockpit with a body in it. Completely charred, but with some leftover blonde hair. And around the neck, her pilot tag and wedding ring. She made a huge bonfire and burned what was left of the body, perhaps afraid of the implications if someone else found it. Then she would surely be thought to be the Final Cylon. I haven't entertained the possibility of Starbuck being the Final Cylon for a long time. I was positive that she wasn't, even after she came back in the brand new Viper. I admit, last night, I started to have my doubts. But then Tigh walked out into the sea, contemplating the idea of letting the tide carry him away, and he stopped, because he had a flashback. Ellen was there. On Earth 2000 years before as the nuclear attack was happening, she told him not to worry because they would be reborn together.

So the big reveal happened. I'm not sure how I feel about it at this point. On the one hand, I trust Ronald D. Moore unconditionally. He has never disappointed me before. This is probably the closest thing to a perfect show that I will ever see. And yet, I can't understand what the implications are of Ellen being the 5th. When we saw at the end of Season 3 that Anders, Tyrol, Tigh, and Tory, were Cylons, that was a huge deal because they were all intimately connected to the fleet. Now that we know Ellen is one, it explains some things about her character and actions, perhaps, but who will this matter to except for Saul? That has not been determined, so I withhold my judgment until everything plays out. I have a feeling it will be bigger than I expect. With Battlestar Galactica, it always is.

----In other news, shows are just starting to come back, so I don't have a lot to report on. But I would just like to mention how stellar the first episodes of The Office and Grey's Anatomy were. In The Office, Michael (of course) was the one to tell Andy about Angela's affair with Dwight. So the 2 guys (of course) decided to have a duel. My favorite moment was when Oscar realized that Dwight and Angela had engaged in their "activities" on his desk. And Grey's was just really enjoyable this week, I'm sure due to the presence of Derek's mom, the awesome Tyne Daly. Izzie was trying to help Meredith be bright and bubbly (result: "alarmingly high ponytail"), but Mer eventually came clean and said, "Look, mom's don't like me. I'm not a cheerful person. I'm someone who feels sorry for serial killers." And this was all it took for Mrs. Shepherd to know that she was the right girl for her son. Sloan told her about his relationship with the 24-year old Lexie ("the one with the juice box"), and she assessed the situation for him, asking Lexie if she was "a good girl." Meredith and Cristina aren't on friendly terms, but we know they still care, especially when Cristina tells Meredith that her ponytail looks ridiculous. And in other Cristina news, her interactions with Hunt this week were especially awesome. He asked her on a date. She asked him what his best surgery was. He showed up to her apartment drunk and took a shower with all his clothes on. Soaking wet, he told her that about his best surgery on a soldier with holes in his body that he saved but the guy later killed himself. So she got into the shower with him. With all her clothes on.

Next week: LOST + Bones + more Battlestar = much rejoicing

An Update on the Frenzy That Is November Sweeps

Happy Thanksgiving, all! As always, I am incredibly thankful for my television shows and how they continue to bring such great joy to my life. Everything has started to wind down as the end of November draws near. Sweeps have been going on for the past few weeks, which has meant more pivotal storylines, and now the shows are in the process of airing their last episodes until January- the month which will signal not only the return of all of these Fall shows, but also the premieres of Season 5 of LOST, Season 4.5 of Battlestar Galactica, Season 7 of 24 (I remain hopeful for the upcoming season, especially based on this exciting promo, but Jack Bauer could be decidedly less badass after the disaster that was Season 6), and Season 1 of Dollhouse.

Friday Night Lights concluded with Episode 8, "New York, New York," in which Riggins took Jason Street to New York so that he could try to find a job as a sports agent and reunite with his son and girlfriend. Knowing that his "6," his best friend in the world, was leaving Dillon for a new life brought tears to Tim's eyes, which brought tears to mine. Jason's last words to him: "Texas forever." The same words Tim said to him back in Season 1, Episode 1, back when all that mattered was football. Things have changed so much, bringing us to these young men- one of whom has become a fully functioning paralytic with a baby boy and woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with, and the other of whom who is in his first mature relationship with a girl he loves and has colleges trying to recruit him. I am very much looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the Panthers

when FNL comes back in January.

Also finished is Bones, which ended on a not-very-spectacular note, with the episode, "The Bone That Blew." Even though the murder case was unremarkable, it was nice to see Ryan O'Neal again, who Dr. Saroyan hired to be a

science teacher for kids at the Jeffersonian. Bones came up with many reasons why she wanted him to be fired (which Sweets tried to psycho-analyze, of course), but when it came down to it, she said he could stay because she could see how much it mattered to Booth that Parker have smart people around him who could inspire him to learn things.

Heroes has had a run of very good episodes. We've had glimpses into the past, especially the Petrelli family. Sylar has quickly become the coolest character. He and Elle make for a fun team to watch. Hiro and Ando are using the wisdom of comic books to help them on their quest. Peter and Nathan have gone off to find the Haitian, who might be the only person with the power to stop Arthur Petrelli from taking over the world with the power serum that he has acquired. Except the eclipse has taken everyone's powers away, which has had the greatest effect on Claire, who was shot by Elle and is feeling pain that she never thought she would have again. So you know HRG is out for revenge on Sylar and his electric lady friend.

Chuck has been causing me no small amount of anxiety over my favorite geek and the return of his former girlfriend, Jill (played by Jordana Brewster). How quickly he forgot about his love for Sarah! But, of course, Jill turned out to be evil, Chuck realized that his trust was misplaced, and now things are back to fake-relationship normal. Next week, we meet Captain Awesome's parents, and I recently discovered that his father is played by Bruce Boxleitner! Lee Stetson, formerly of Scarecrow and Mrs. King, my first tv love.

Desperate Housewives went with their token, seasonal disaster. A fire, oh no! The only thing valuable that we learned from that was that Dave Williams' plan involves Mike. Revenge about something related to his time in prison, perhaps. Susan is back with Jackson, which I'm really curious about because of the aforementioned Gale Harold accident. Katherine is sleeping with Mike, which I think is lame because, as Bree perfectly put it, women don't do that to each other. Gaby has been dealing with a rich old lady who wants to control the Solis family with her money. I saw a preview in which a doctor told Carlos that his sight may be restored and Gaby doesn't want him to open his eyes and see her diminished attractiveness, which I am very intrigued to see.

Dexter rocked my world with this past episode. I thought I had pegged Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits), and then I had the rug pulled out from under me. Dexter feels very betrayed, which cannot end well for the instigator of that betrayal... The wedding is fast approaching. Deb has been working tirelessly on the Skinner case was driven to solve it out of desperation when her new boyfriend, Anton, was taken and about to be killed. Do I see a shield coming her way? Harry has become incorporated into the story in a new way- Dexter no longer remembers the lessons of his father in flashback form, he envisions him in fantasy form as a sounding board for ideas in his head.

The Office. Pam is back so she and Jim can have happy in-love moments again. That's the only thing important to mention.

Grey's Anatomy has understandably been weirding people out with its Izzie-Denny love story. I am slightly ashamed to say that I have enjoyed it, but I admit that I'll take Jeffrey Dean Morgan in whatever way I can get him. There was some drama with the interns performing surgeries on each other to learn the procedures. Cristina and Dr. Hunt are slowly but sweetly being drawn together.

And, finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to honor Pushing Daisies, which is definitely at an end. Such a beautiful, heartfelt little show that presented love in a unique way that will never be replicated. I will miss the Private Investigator and Digby and adorable Olive Snook, but most of all I will miss the Piemaker and the way he loved the girl named Chuck. I hear the 13th and final episode concludes with frustrating ambiguity, but thanks to showrunner Bryan Fuller, we have the reassurance of satisfaction with a possible comic book series and feature film.

I'm not quite sure what my next tv plans are. Obviously I'll watch the last episodes of everything before the December break kicks in fully. I'm sure I will watch 1 or 2 new shows. Most likely The Wire and something else. My sister is pushing me to watch True Blood, but I don't know if I can resist comparing it to my already beloved vampire show. We'll see. 'Tis the season, for enjoying new television shows and all sorts of wonderful things.

The ULTIMATE Post, Part 2

Okay, I'm back for the second round! At first, I thought I was a little weak, having to split my catch-up post into 2 parts, but then I realized that I had been working on that first one for about 4 hours... One more thing before I get started- Happy Election Day! I'm just glad it's finally here so that, whatever the outcome, the new administration can get to work trying to help our country (and the world- because after seeing firsthand how much Europeans care about who our President is, I know that America's actions affect everybody). And tonight, I will not even mind that Tuesday is a boring night, television-wise, because I will be watching my favorite news anchor, Brit Hume, doing commentary on the vote returns. Love that man.

Samantha Who?- For a show that I found to be so delightful in its first season, I'm surprised at how much it has gone downhill in Season 2. Granted, there have only been 3 episodes, and 3 not-very-funny episodes do not a Sophomore Slump make. But I was caught off guard by how little I was laughing because when I first started watching it last year, I was cracking up all the time, and I thought it was all due to the comedic talents of the actors. I mean no offense to the writers, but this show has never been very deep

in meaning, nor mind-blowingly witty. So I assumed, "Hey, you put Christina Applegate, Jean Smart, Jennifer Esposito, et al, in a show together, and BAM! instant funny." Those actors are still themselves- they still deliver their lines the same way and interact with each other the same way- but the material they have been given changed. Here's hoping they get it back.

Private Practice- A profound waste of Kate Walsh's talents. We were promised by Shonda that this show would cut down on the soapy drama in the characters' lives and instead focus on the medical cases. That's what makes Grey's so good and enticing- the doctors are responding to the medical situations that they face and learning from their patients. There's always drama in their lives, but it's secondary to the people they help everyday. Well, there is no visible transformation going on in Private Practice. There have been a couple intriguing, but not fascinating, medical crises to deal with- pregnant woman (played by Amy Acker, who is moving to me in whatever role she plays) induces labor at 6 months because the blood from the baby's umbilical cord is the only thing that will cure her dying 7-yr. old son; newlyweds come to Addison for help in getting pregnant and discover that they are brother and sister- and there is still too much ridiculous drama going on with the doctors themselves that I won't even try to explain.

I know from a critical standpoint that I should stop watching this

show immediately. Except I really like Kate Walsh. And Amy Brenneman. And I think this man is adorable ---->.

And I think this man is one

<---------- of the hottest guys on television (Don't judge me, I have a thing for older guys). Anyways! The point is, I'm having a hard time letting go. So maybe this one can stay on my slate as a guilty pleasure until it becomes too unbearable to watch (like Gossip Girl, which I decided to let go about midway through the third episode this season).

Pushing Daisies- It's been 1 year, 1 month, 3 days, and 7 hours since I fell in love with the Pie Maker and his friends. Bryan Fuller has a quirky magic that never gets old. You can see it when

you watch the tragically short series, Wonderfalls, just as you can see it in Pushing Daisies. I'm so happy that it is part of my life, although perhaps not for much longer- ratings have dropped this season, just as they have with many other shows that went off the air because of the Writers' Strike last Fall. It took so long for Chuck, Pushing Daisies, and others to return that millions of viewers had already forgotten about them and moved on (and, let me say, shame on those people!!!). So, yeah, PD needs people to tune in, or it will get the axe from ABC. And that would be an absolute crime.

My favorite episode this season was "Bad Habits." Olive had been staying in a convent (where she, of course, would go out to the hills and sing). One of her fellow nuns fell from the bell tower and died, so Ned, Emerson, and Chuck, went undercover to prove that the nun had not committed suicide. Their findings unraveled a scandal involving the convent's truffle business. I was also a big fan of the most recent episode, "Dim Sum Lose Some," in which the group investigated the murder of the owner of the local Chinese restaurant. Not only do I greatly enjoy the disguises, but they played poker with food! Betting with soy beans, it was a game of 5-dish draw (a full house of shrimp dumplings and beef pot stickers!). We saw the return of the controlling dog trainer, Simone, who has quite a way with Emerson. Also, Ned, with Chuck's

encouragement, decided he was ready to confront his past (when Ned was 9, his father left him at boarding school and never saw him again)- he met his brothers, and they had a cute group hug.

Ned: I'm glad Dad got so fun and creative with naming after I left. 'Goodbye, Ned. Hello, Mercutio and Ribald.'

Chuck: Maurice and Ralston!

Friday Night Lights- I often view FNL as the "Little Show that Could." Watch an interview with Kyle Chandler or Connie Britton, and you will forget that Coach Taylor and his wife, Tami, are fictional characters. Listen to someone talk about how filming works in Austin, Texas: they don't use any fake sets; they shoot their scenes in a single take; even though they have a script, the actors often improvise. All of these things contribute to a feeling of naturalism and authenticity that is unparalleled on television. Like, for serious, it's realer than a reality show.

FNL had a lot of people fighting for it last year when it was in serious danger of being canceled. NBC worked out a deal whereby Season 3 is airing this Fall on DirectTV, and then the episodes will be shown on NBC beginning in January. It's not very convenient, but I take my FNL how I can get it. Plus, I don't technically have to wait thanks to the wonders of SurfTheChannel. After seeing 5 episodes so far, I couldn't be more thrilled. It's as if Season 2 never happened. They have returned to the purity of heart that they had in their freshman season.

There have been a few significant changes-

1) Tami is the new principal of Dillon High School. She is struggling with the lack of funding for teachers, supplies, and building repairs, especially when she looks at the privileged lifestyle of the football team. She is also struggling with an often angst-y teenage daughter.

2) Matt Saracen has been replaced as QB1 (in his Senior year! such an injustice...) by a Freshman wonder boy, JD McCoy. To Coach's credit, he resisted the change as long as he could. JD's parents were pushy and annoying and kept trying to persuade him to play their son. He wanted to stick with Matt because Matt was his quarterback. He had won a State Championship with Matt, and they knew each other. But after Matt lost a crucial game, and the people of Dillon stuck a dozen "For Sale" signs in his front yard, he could not deny that this talented new kid might be better for the team. Plus, while I feel sorry for Matt, he and Julie are insanely close to getting back together. That couple = so freakin' adorable. He'll be okay.

3) Jason Street (Scott Porter) and Smash Williams (Gaius Charles) are on the way out. We love them, they were great characters, but they graduated. They are not the type of young men who would stay in Dillon forever. Each of them has a very special sendoff, worthy of their amazing character. Coach worked hard in his free time to help Smash get back into shape after his injury and to get into college. A couple weeks ago, Smash had a fantastic tryout and made it as a walk-on at Texas A&M. Jason Street is now the father of a little boy. He desperately wants to prove to his baby mama that he can provide for a family. Pretty soon, I gather, the 3 of them will be moving somewhere that Street can start fresh.

4) Lyla and Riggins are trying the whole relationship thing. She definitely brings out the best in that boy. He's not perfect, but he is crazy in love with her and would do anything for her.

The Office- In my view, Season 5 has been characterized by highs and lows. In contrast, Seasons 2 and 3 were consistently hilarious- "The Dundies," "Office Olympics," "The Fire," "The Client,"

"Christmas Party," "The Injury," Dwight's Speech," "Conflict Resolution," "Casino Night," "Gay Witch Hunt," "The Convict," "Traveling Salesmen," "The Return," "Ben Franklin," "Business School," "The Negotiation," "Safety Training," "Women's Appreciation," "Beach Games." I mean, look at those! That's 2 years of some of the most well-written stuff out there! There were very few disappointing episodes during that time. Season 4, on the other hand, was mostly disappointing, with a few stand-out episodes of greatness ("Money," "Chair Model," "Goodbye Toby"). This year, I think, has been equal parts hilarious and 'eh'.

High points:

-"Weight Loss"- At last, the moment we've been waiting years for, Jim proposes. We get a glimpse of the awkward but sweet chemistry between Michael and Holly (played by the

endearing Amy Ryan). Angela and Dwight have been continuing their affair amidst Andy's preparations for his and Angela's wedding ("I have a nice comforter and several cozy pillows. I usually read a chapter of a book, and it's lights out by 8:30... That's how I sleep at night"). Kelly goes to extreme measures to slim down for the company weight loss competition.

Kelly: I swallowed a tapeworm last night. It's going to grow up to 3 feet inside of me and then it eats all my food so that I don't get fat. And then after 3 months I take some medicine and then I pass it. Creed sold it to me. It's from Mexico. Creed: ...That wasn't a tapeworm.

-"Crime Aid"- Michael and Holly get distracted by the excitement of their relationship and leave the building unlocked, allowing everyone's stuff to get stolen. Michael decides to hold an auction, including a hug from Phyllis; Creed ("That's all-inclusive"); going out for a beer with Darryl and the warehouse guys right now; and imaginary Bruce Springsteen tickets. Phyllis gives Dwight advice about Angela ("She introduced me to so many things: pasteurized milk, sheets, monotheism, presents on your birthday, preventative medicine").

Grey's Anatomy- I think I came to an understanding about Grey's at the end of last season. If I don't hold it to lofty expectations, I don't get frustrated. That way, I can enjoy watching it for a purely entertainment value. Season 5 has featured several things:

-The (somewhat) stable relationship between Derek and Meredith. They're together. Now we're seeing the everyday problems associated with that.

-My favorite new friendship, Callie and Sloan. They laugh together, they have sex together, end of story.

-The introduction of polarizing trauma surgeon, Dr. Owen Hunt. McDreamy and McSteamy hate him because he acts like he's still in the desert patching up injured soldiers in the most quick and dirty ways possible. Cristina

thinks he's hot because he stapled his own leg wound without anesthesia.

-One surgery, in particular, that was very awesome. A domino transplant surgery. 12 patients- 6 donors, 6 recipients- that all had to go through with the surgery or the rest would drop out because this sick guy's son gave his kidney to this lady whose sister gave her kidney to this guy whose wife gave her kidney to this guy, and so on. Since it's Grey's Anatomy, there was drama that almost ruined everything, but it all worked out in the end and was quite touching, I thought.

-A particularly funny set of scenes in the dermatology section of the hospital where the doctors get massages in their free time and pour fruity drinks for people and rub each other with lotion constantly. Cristina, Izzie, and Meredith, become entranced by that simple kind of lifestyle they can't even imagine.

-Cristina's interactions with her interns never fail to make me laugh.

Deciding which intern to donate to George now that he is a resident- "I think I'll keep Lexipedia. She remembers many things. And she bathes, which is more than I can say for stinky 2 over there. Yeah, you smell."

Operating on pigs for trauma training- "Hey, no cute names! They're not pets, they're subjects. It's not our job to get all affectionate, it's our job to keep them alive. So I don't want to hear Wilbur or Babe. If you want to call them something, call them sausage. Or prosciutto."

There concludes my summary of what's been going on in television these past 2 months. In addition to Gossip Girl, I scrapped Ugly Betty from my schedule because I didn't care anymore. It was fun while it lasted, but they lost everything I used to like about the show. My next post will be about the new shows I put through my trial run to see if I would pick them up. One was victorious, one was a failure.

A taste of FNL- The Season 1 intro, which has some great clips from the show that give me chills