television tree

New Girl: Fancyman

2012-03-20T20:07:00.001-05:00

Minute zero: Jess compares buying a phone to buying a car and/or buying a bra. Apparently she has had hers for 8 years.

Also, Nick has a 250 credit score. Which is ridiculously low. As Jess points out, "you get 150 for being alive".

Minute one: Winston's girlfriend is a little too enamored by Schmidt's pub knowledge.

Jess just curtsied for a student's father. Awkward! (Also, oh look, he's played by Dermot Mulroney!)

Minute two: Jess to a student's father: "Condoms are harder to take off than I thought. I've always put them on, but I guess someone else has always taken them off". Awkward!

Minute three: Jess is annoyed that the student's dad told her that his daughter can't do creative time. Apparently he is also a little weirded out by the fact that she wears dollheads around her neck (which, let's admit, is a tad bizarre).

Minute four: Tanya, the principal who ate a pot cookie in that one birthday episode, says that since Dermot is a big donor, Jess has to do what he says. Jess is less than pleased.

Minute seven: Winston is upset that Schmidt made him look stupid during trivia night. Also, Schmidt just called Winston the "dumber one".

Minute eight: Winston has decided that memorizing stats doesn't make someone smart.

Minute eight:
I hate groveling, I would have lasted two minutes in the court of the Sun King, I think about that all the time-Jess
You do?-Nick

Jess is worried that she won't be able to grovel enough for

Minute nine: Winston thinks that a simple apology is enough.

Hey Mr. Fancyman, you can't tell me what to do. Your money doesn't own me.-Nick, suggesting what Jess should say to Dermot

Minute ten: Wait. Winston is actually working as a part-time nanny for that little kid from the Christmas party? Since when?

Minute eleven: Jess' car stalls right near Dermot's office. He calls to get a tow truck, and lets Jess borrow his car. He also invites her to a party at his house.

I wasn't raised with money, so when something broke we pretended it still worked-Jess

Castle: A Dance with Death

2012-03-19T23:15:00.000-05:00

Last night's 'Castle' episode (S4,Ep18) wasn't much of a surprise. The return of the show after its brief hiatus had been steadily advertised on ABC, and most of those ads had paired 'Dancing with the Stars' together with 'Castle'. So, we all knew what was coming: a 'Dancing with the Stars'-themed 'Castle' episode! And that's exactly what we got.

'Castle' began moments after 'Dancing with the Stars' ended, and the sets looked so familiar that for a second I thought that Tom Bergeron was going to pop up and tell the viewers that it was all a big hoax, and that we were going to have to suffer through a second hour of 'DWTS'. Thank goodness, this wasn't the case. Instead, we were watching the set of 'A Night of Dance', a dancing competition show that would feature heavily in this episode of 'Castle'.

The host and judges of the show were waiting in anticipation for a dance-off to occur between two competitors, Santino and Odette. Santino stepped onto the stage, but Odette was nowhere to be seen. Of course, since this is 'Castle', we instantly knew that she was dead.

And dead she was. The whole gang arrived at the scene. Odette had been shot in the chest, and Lanie quickly confirmed that it was a recent murder. Lanie also revealed that she was a huge fan of 'A Night of Dance', and that Odette was favored to win the whole competition. Oh, and that Odette had previously been a spoiled rich kid with a shopping addiction and drug problem. Anyway, now we know that Lanie loves trashy reality television, and that she wanted to be a ballerina as a child (um, way to randomly throw that storyline in, I can only assume it is because the writers later want to have Beckett and Castle discuss their childhood dreams).

Castle and Beckett interview all of the judges, and learn that a contestant who was previously voted off the show had been extremely upset. His name was Eddie, he had a problematic past with law enforcement, and he had been cast as the 'bad boy' (now would be a reasonable time to debate why Eddie and Odette, who both had problems with the law, were dealt with so differently on the show...financial backgrounds maybe? But, you know, I'm too distracted by Beckett's hair).

Beckett and Castle interview Odette's brother (I think?), and he says that he was pleased that she had been behaving so much better, and that she had stopped using drugs. She was still rich, but after a recent brush with death (a literal train wreck) she had apparently cleaned up her act. At this point in the episode, I couldn't help but wonder how Beckett would deal with this news---would she be reminded of her "brush with death"? Would it help her realize that she should make changes in her life (i.e. get with Castle)? I was a little disappointed when none of this was addressed, but then I saw the promo for next week's episode and I realized that they are addressing all of those things then. Guess they didn't want to jump the gun.

But, I digress. Odette's financial adviser and a bunch of other people reference the fact that she used to make crazy purchases (paying for a friend's plastic surgery, shopping sprees, etc.) when she was using drugs, and that all of that had stopped after the accident. However, recently those purchases had started up again.

Beckett is not convinced, because she notices that Odette bought only clothing, and that the clothing was in a size four (not Odette's size). Castle remembers his glory, college days, and how he would let other people use the gas card his mother gave him in exchange for cash. He suggests that Odette was buying clothing for her friends in order to get cash so that she could pay for drugs. All this seems rather logical, except that it isn't right. Instead, it turns out that Odette was buying all the clothes for an assistant on the show--because the assistant had overheard part of a fight and Odette was worried she would tell someone about it (can you say blackmail?).

Castle and Beckett approach the guy that Odette was fighting with. He admits that he saw Odette shooting up (presumably heroin), but that he had promised her he would keep it a secret if she stopped. He knew if her drug use was discovered she would get kicked off the show. But, then he caught her again, and when he threatened to expose her she said she would tell the producers he had kept it a secret the first time, and that he would be fired too. Hence, the fight.

Ryan and Esposito search Odette's apartment, and discover syringes. Only problem is, Odette didn't have any drugs in her system when she died. And those syringes? They're filled with insulin. Which is bizarre because A) Odette wasn't diabetic and B) Most people don't hide their insulin in false-bottom boxes.

Anyway, we suddenly find out something big! Odette wasn't really Odette. The real Odette died in the train crash, and the faux-dette (I swear, they call her that, I'm not just stealing ideas from 'Fringe' by myself) is really an ex-foster kid named Barbara. Castle immediately posits a "twins separated at birth" story. As he explains, these stories rarely end happily, except for the 'Parent Trap'. Beckett is buying this explanation, because, seriously, the women look identical. But then, a twist! Their DNA doesn't match!

Eventually, our detectives (with much help from Castle) figure out what really happened: Odette was getting arrested a lot, and she was being assigned community service. Clearly, she didn't want to do it. So, when she saw a stripper who looked a lot like her, she paid for her to have plastic surgery (see, not all those drug-addled purchases were nonsensical!) to look more like her. And then, tada!, Barbara looks just like Odette (I can't imagine it's really that simple, but for the sake of this plot, I'll go with it).

Ah ha! Beckett and Castle discuss their childhood dreams. Or rather, Castle asks Beckett about her childhood dreams. And she tells him that she was studying to be a lawyer before her mother's murder. This completely confused me, because I thought Beckett was planning on being an actress. Then I realized I was mixing up TV 'Castle' with trashy book 'Castle' (yes, I've used "trashy" twice in this synopsis, and it was worth it. And yes, I have just admitted to reading these books).

We of course get swept into a big debate about who the killer was really trying to murder; Odette or Barbara? For a while we get flung a red herring in the shape of Barbara's ex-boyfriend, who was a not very good guy (drug dealer?) who turned out to be kind of a good guy (he actually loved Barbara). Basically, he's irrelevant. Clearly didn't do it.

Immediately we think of the money: did Odette's brother murder Odette (or Barbara, thinking she was Odette, or Barbara knowing she was Barbara)? It gets a bit convoluted for a minute. Or was it the butler (Apparently all rich families now have butlers, and why was this man never interviewed before)?

To cut a long story short (way too late, I know) faux-dette wasn't murdered by any of these people! Turns out several years ago she had an affair with the financial adviser, and he helped her murder her grandfather. She then abandoned him for greener (younger) pastures. But he still loved Odette, and when he realized that Barbara was an impersonator, he got angry and shot her. So, that's that.

This episode also had a storyline involving Alexis in the morgue. Come on, people (Andrew Marlowe, I'm looking at you). No police department would ever, ever let an untrained minor handle evidence that might be used in a court of law! Seriously!

We also dealt briefly with Esposito and Ryan recognizing that Ryan's flirting days were over--women could smell the "happily married" on him. Even when he gave Esposito his wedding band to wear, Esposito still got more women. This was one of the weakest episodes this season for these guys. Honestly, I didn't care much if the ladies still like Ryan. Also, I don't care if Esposito gets Ryan's wedding ring stuck on his finger. This is a scenario we've all seen before, and it works way better in romantic comedies ('My Best Friend's Wedding', 'The Family Stone', etc.). Ryan and Esposito can be fun to watch, but in this particular case they just felt like filler.

Another pointless filler in this episode was the subplot involving Castle's mother. Apparently she got a horrible theater review when she was young, but now she wants the reviewer to write something lovely about her acting school. I'm not sure why we're supposed to care, but you can imagine how that goes if it matters to you.

I am happy about one thing. This episode of 'Castle' was light and fluffy, which is something that the show does particuarly well. Considering the fact that next week's episode looks like (excuse my pun) an actual train wreck for our characters, I'm glad we had something a little mindless this week.

Also, did anyone else think dead Odette looked way too much like Beckett?

HIMYM: The Broath

2012-03-19T19:43:00.001-05:00

Barney makes Ted swear a "broath" (bro oath, obviously) while wearing a "brobe" (bro robe, for those who haven't caught on). You see, Barney really likes Quinn, and he is going to invite the gang to meet her during dinner. However, he's worried about how the gang is going to react to the fact that Quinn is a stripper, so he asks Ted to promise not to tell them. Of course, Ted promises and then immediately tells the gang.

The group decides that they will try to figure out if Quinn is really trying to take advantage of Barney and his money. During the dinner they discover a couple of things.

1. Quinn is super controlling of Barney. Or, at least, the gang sees it that way. Is it possible that they have just never seen Barney take anyone else's opinions under consideration. Remember the past episode when Robyn was dating Kevin (Kal Penn) and we saw the gang from his perspective? My point is, on this show you never know if what you're seeing is "real".

2. Quinn is moving out of her rent-controlled apartment. Since Robyn and Ted let Marshall and Lily have the apartment, they haven't had a place to live. Of course, they can't live together because of the whole "Ted still loves Robyn, and for both their sakes they can't live together" thing. Both Robyn and Ted are living in awkward situations (Ted's living in student housing, and Robyn is staying with her controlling co-worker), so they really want to sublet Quinn's apartment. It instantly becomes a competition.

3. Marshall loves to tell sex stories. Unfortunately, the only woman he has ever had sex with is Lily, so that makes it a little...awkward...for the rest of the gang.

4. There are tickets for an expensive trip to Hawaii in the apartment.

5. Quinn and Barney are moving in together.

Per usual, the gang holds an intervention (make that a "Quinntervention") to tell Barney that he is making a big mistake moving in with Quinn. In the middle of the intervention ("Quinntervention"), right when the gang is telling Barney that Quinn is clearly taking advantage of his money (note: the Hawaii trip), Quinn walks in. It turns out she bought him the trip as a surprise.

But, when Quinn hears that Barney made Ted promise to hide the fact that she is a stripper, she decides that maybe they are moving too fast. She believes that Barney isn't accepting of who she really is. And she does sort of have a point.

Quinn and Barney's relationship may be ruined, but Robyn and Ted are more devastated about the fact that they've lost the sublet. The break-up does cause Robyn and Ted to address their problems. Robyn admits that she really misses Ted's friendship, and that she is super stressed at work and may be losing her job. She explains that she lost everything in one day.

The gang feels horrible about ending Quinn and Barney's relationship, and they go to apologize. He makes them do a "broath", while wearing robes, in a darkened room lit with candles. He even makes Lily and Robyn kiss, and Marshall and Ted kiss. But, at the end of the "broath", the lights turn on and Quinn is standing there.

It turns out Quinn and Barney orchestrated the whole thing. Quinn purposefully acted like a bitch, Barney purposefully acted submissive, and they purposefully decided to make Ted and Robyn fight. (That last one was really all Quinn, as Barney said, she's "as evil" as he is).

At the end though, Barney and Quinn decide that they really do want to move in together. Barney admits that he is not necessarily okay with Quinn stripping, and he asks what would make her stop:

"Hypothetically, what would make you stop?"-Barney

"Hypothetically, I would stop stripping if I ever got married."-Quinn

'HIMYM' stop taunting us with the whole "who is Barney's wife" storyline. We already have a "who is Ted's wife" storyline. Must you be so annoyingly convoluted?

Robyn and Ted talk, and realize things have gotten really weird between them. They meet at the bar to discuss. Robyn informs Ted that she just got a big promotion, and that she is now Sandy River's co-host. So, yay! Robyn is not fired. Because she is now making more money, she can afford a nicer apartment, and lets Ted take Quinn's sublet. Ted admits that he does miss their friendship, and promises that things will go back to normal. Robyn smiles and thanks him, but things quickly become awkward and she gets up to leave. As he is walking away, Ted's voice-over states that this was the last time he saw Robyn for a long time. But why? Where is she going? I don't think 'HIMYM' would be any good without Cobie Smulders!

Anyway, there is a sweet moment between Lily and Marshall where she gives him permission to make up a third-base thing with a different woman. Believe me, it's sweeter than it sounds.

So, what's going to happen next week? Will we find out if Robyn is gone, or if she and Ted are just estranged? Will Quinn feature as prominently as this week? Becki Newton, who plays Quinn, is only signed up for a short episode arc, so who knows!

It's Season 7, Episode 19 and Lily is still pregnant!

Community Returns!

2012-03-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

'Community', the show which led to the "six seasons and a movie" campaign after it was put on hiatus last year, is returning tonight.

Despite critical acclaim and pop culture success, 'Community' has never been a ratings star. However, the long hiatus may have helped the show. Before the 'Community' hiatus, and its fans' panicked reactions about potential cancellation, the show was popular amongst a niche group of people. Lots of everyday Americans didn't know it existed. But then the show went on hiatus. And Facebook groups were formed in protest, people tweeted their chagrin, and some even went so far as to wear little fake mustaches (it's a long story). There were protests in front of NBC's Rockefeller headquarters, and mentions of the show on 'The Soup' (which is hosted by 'Community' cast-member Joel McHale).

'Community' focuses on the lives of a misfit group of friends who all attend a community college.

Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) lost his license to practice law because the Bar found out his degree was from Columbia (the country, not the university).

Britta (Gillian Jacobs) is a former activist, and secretly dated Jeff throughout the second season. She often offends people with her outspoken statements. She has recently decided that she wants to become a therapist, a decision that everyone else in the group is very hesitant about.

Annie (Alison Brie), a high-strung, intelligent student who was disgraced at her last school because of her addiction to Adderall. Although Annie was originally romantically paired with Troy, more recently there have been suggestions that she may end up with the older, and significantly more mature, Jeff.

Speaking of Troy (Donald Glover), he attended high school with Annie, but he didn't associate with her there because he was a big-shot football player. His friendship with Abed is an important facet of the show.

Abed (Danny Pudi) is an awkward pop-culture nerd who almost definitely has Aspergers. He enjoys making meta references, which often serve as a spin-off point for some of the show's most interesting episodes. Abed is Palestinian/Polish-American.

Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) attempts to serve as the moral and religious compass of the group. She is mother to three children, including a recent baby who was involved in a paternity scandal. Shirley has now reunited with her husband. She is African-American, and the second-oldest member of the group.

Ben Chang (Ken Jeong) first supervised the group as their Spanish teacher. However, he was disgraced at at the end of season one, when everyone learned that he didn't speak Spanish. For a brief amount of time, it is suspected that he is the father of Shirley's baby. Chang is despised by everyone in the group, although he often asks to join. Each time he is turned down he breaks the fourth-wall, and suggests that he will be the ultimate downfall of the whole group.

Pierce Hawthrone (Chevy Chase) often makes racist comments about Abed and Shirley. He is the oldest member of the group, but also one of the least mature. Pierce is incredibly wealthy, because his father was the founder of Hawthorne Wipes, a moist towelette company.

The group often has visits from the Dean, Craig Pelton (Jim Rash). He loves to dress up in outrageous costumes, and often hosts ridiculous events at the school. He has a not-so-secret crush on Jeff.

'Community' will begin airing again tonight (3/15/12) at its original time slot, 7/8C on NBC. If there are enough viewers, NBC will probably renew the show for a third season: so watch it!

Updated Bones Promo!

2012-03-14T15:47:00.000-05:00

Here's the most current promo for 'Bones'. This is for Season 7, Episode 7: "The Prisoner in the Pipe".

Thanks, TVLine!
Watch 'Bones' starting on Monday, April 2nd at 7/8C on FOX.

'Bones' PaleyFest 2012 Video

2012-03-09T16:59:00.000-06:00

While I have a feeling it is vaguely illegal (Is it? It was recorded off a Livestream. Hmm, murky waters), I found a YouTube video of last night's 'Bones' PaleyFest panel.

For those of you who missed it, this is definitely worth watching (if only to see how David Boreanaz clearly doesn't ever watch his own show). Click on the photo to link to the video!

Click HERE to watch on YouTube.

New 'Bones' Promo!

2012-03-06T21:10:00.001-06:00

'Bones' is finally returning from hiatus on April 2nd at 8/7C, and the first official promo has been released:

'New Girl' Play by Play: "Injured" Recap

2012-03-06T16:29:00.005-06:00

Minute one: Jess hurts Nick by tackling him while playing football. Apparently, he doesn't have insurance. Oh, and after that, we learn that Winston has a really beat-up car (B story-line!).

Minute two:
Jess takes Nick to be examined by Sadie, because he doesn't have insurance.
Is Sadie a gynecologist?-Nick
No, she's an OBGYN. Different thing.-Jess

Minute four:
Jess tackled a girl I was dating once.-Sadie
Oh yes, she tried to steal my overalls.-Jess

Minute five: Nick has a growth in his throat. Sadie says that he needs to have it checked out, and tells Jess to force him to go. (I'm vaguely confused by this, since my first thought is that it's an enlarged lymph node...but, I'll accept it, because clearly this is necessary for plot development).

Minute six: Jess apparently doesn't know how a fetus fits into the uterus. This is funnier than it sounds.

Minute eight: Nick clearly doesn't like doctors. At all. Also, Winston loves his really trashy car way too much.

Minute nine: Jess has told the boys about Nick's neck growth. Clearly they're all worried he'll die...but they're not too serious about it. They all stare at him seriously as he bar-tends.

Minute ten:
I wish I could trade places with you, I would do it in a second. I'm also really glad I can't.-Schmidt

Minute twelve: Nick gets high on pain pills, and tells Jess she can't speak at his funeral because she isn't "real". Clearly she's upset about this.

Minute fourteen: Schmidt and Cece are rapping.

Minute fifteen: Annoyed Jess disses Nick, and tells him he has never done anything.

Minute sixteen: Jess takes Nick to the ocean so that he can run into it fully dressed. Apparently this is something unusual for him, which is why it matters (or something). Funniest moment comes when drunk Schmidt yells about Nick showing the ocean his penis before he shows him. Schmidt is not okay with this.

Minute twenty-one: Nick yells at Jess because he's upset and worried that he might not actually be okay.

"I don't think this is the right time to bring this up guys, but does anyone else think that Nick could stand to lose five to seven pounds."-Schmidt

Minute twenty-two: Cece is really opening up to Schmidt. She just talked about her dad dying when she was twelve. Shortly afterward, Schmidt makes her laugh...maybe they are a good couple.

Minute twenty-three: Nick tells Jess that he likes her a lot, and that he's glad she's around. He also points out that he probably won't remember since he'll black out.

Minute twenty-four: They all sleep on the beach. Nick wakes up first, and yells at everyone to get up so that they can go to his appointment.

Minute twenty-seven: At his appointment, Nick finds out he doesn't have cancer. He also finds out that his friends paid for the cost of the appointment, because he doesn't have health insurance. Aww.

Minute twenty-nine: Nick and Jess have a moment alone, and he asks her what happened. She smiles, and tells him nothing. It was enough of a moment that I wondered if maybe something had happened between the characters off-screen. Damn, there's chemistry there that the writers are going to have to take advantage of at some point.

Also, this is happening.

Five Reasons You Should Watch 'Downton Abbey'

2012-03-06T14:56:00.001-06:00

5 Reasons Why You Need to Watch 'Downton Abbey'

Matthew & Mary

1. It's exactly like 'The OC', except that it's for people who are a little more grown-up, and a lot more educated. Plus, they have way better clothes on this show.

2. Everyone else is talking about it, and if you hear gossip about Lady Mary and Matthew one more time you're going to scream. (After you watch it, you may still want to scream, but at least what you're screaming will make sense!)

3. It teaches you all the major historical events from 1912 to 1918, while remaining textbook-less. And you even learn some snazzy historical legal stuff...for free! Take that 160,000 dollar law school degree.

4. It has gay characters who may not be good people, but they certainly aren't caricatures. And everyone accepts their sexuality without explanation. I mean it; this isn't 'Glee'. On this show, some people are gay and that's just how it is. They're like, real people, guys.

5. Almost every girl (ahem, woman) who grew up in the '90s watched the BBC version of 'Pride and Prejudice' one (or ten) times. This is like that, with a bonus 70 minutes! Plus, it's going back to be back with a 3rd season in the UK this September, 2012, and in the US next January, 2013.

I admit it, I'm watching 'Hart of Dixie'

2012-02-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

If you're read my blog for a while, you know that I went on a bit of rant about 'Hart of Dixie'. A lot of things about the show annoyed me to no end. And yet, after all of that complaining, I've watched every episode this season. I don't really care about watching it live (it's not that good), but I'll put it on in the background when I'm doing other things.

The more you watch it, the more interesting the characters become. I'm not enjoying it more because the writing has improved, in fact it's pretty standard fare, but the characters are likable people, with surprisingly realistic problems.

Zoe, the main character, is trying to find her place in a new town, get people to like her despite her cultural differences, and deal with estrangement from her father. Wade is dealing with a crush on Zoe, which he fears she will never reciprocate, and an alcoholic father. Lemon is thrilled about her engagement to George, but worried about how he'll react when he finds out about her past relationship with the Mayor, Lavon. Oh, and Zoe wishes that she could date George. And Lavon wishes that he could date Lemon. In a perfect world this would all work out, but the nice thing about 'Hart of Dixie' is that the world is never too perfect.

Unfortunately, many viewers seem to agree with my original assessment. The show has repeatedly had low ratings. On February 20th the show ranked 0.6 among viewers 18-49, with a total of 1.57 viewers and February 27th it was slightly lower at 0.5 among viewers 18-49, with a total of 1.41 viewers.

If (when?) the show gets cancelled at the end of this season, I sincerely hope that the writers will wrap up some of the many storylines.

(L-R) George, Lemon, Zoe, Wade, and Lavon.

Castle: Once Upon a Crime

2012-02-27T23:15:00.000-06:00

Everyone seems to be getting on board the fairy tale wagon. This week's 'Castle' decided to join in the fun, and managed to make an episode that was all about fairy tales without being about fairy tales at all.

Let's recap:

Castle was less than thrilled to discover that his mother had hired a young guy to help her write a one-woman show. And that they had decided the most "creative" space to work in was Castle's own office. Oh, and that the show was full of white lies, including made-up stories about Castle's own life. Before Castle could start yelling at his mother, he got a phone call from Beckett; murder time!

At the crime scene Castle complains to Beckett that he doesn't want someone (his mother) poking into his life and rewriting it. She scoffs at him (um, maybe because that's exactly what he has been doing to her for the last three years!).

The murder victim is a young woman, and she is wearing a red cloak. Oh, and it looks like she has been mauled by a wolf. Castle points out the obvious, which apparently Beckett doesn't see; the woman is dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. In the morgue Lanie discovers actual wolf hair embedded in the claw marks. Don't worry yet, 'Castle' hasn't gone completely 'Once Upon a Time'. Instead, the wolf hair is a red herring. The woman was actually killed with a combination of ketamine and oxycodone. Oh, and it turns out she took a really odd amount of money out of her bank account (I know, I know, I should have written down the amount while I was watching the episode. Total fail on my part. Just believe me when I say it was a weird amount of money).

Before you know it, another body has turned up. It's another young woman, and she is dressed as Snow White. She even has a poison apple. Castle and Beckett realize that the murderer is following the traditional Brothers Grimm fairy tales. This relates nicely to the theme of this episode, which is that fairy tales are stories which are made up to make us feel better about reality (after all, in the original stories the girls are often saved, even though they have to use violence to do so). I wonder how this is going to relate to the fact that Castle is hiding reality (about her mother's murder) from Beckett.

Ryan brilliantly (he really has been coming up with smart ideas the last couple of episodes) suggests that they track the costume manufacturer, and see where the costumes were shipped. It turns out that someone (presumably the murderer) ordered 3 costumes. Because they know there is another victim out there, Castle and Beckett start to race against the clock. They send Ryan and Esposito to the address where the costumes were shipped. When no one answers their knocks, they burst into the apartment. It is filled with dolls. Everywhere. Ryan points out that it's as twisted as he thought it was going to be (and that he has been terrified of dolls since 'Chucky'). But then a little old lady appears. It turns out it's her apartment. As she has no idea why the costumes came to her address, or how someone got her credit card number to pay for them. The building is not at all secure, and so there's no way of knowing who picked up the package. Basically, it looks like a dead end.

Ryan and Espositio find out that both the murder victims disappeared for about an hour on the same day, at the same time (1 pm). They are able to trace the women to a restaurant. Despite the fact that their families claimed the two women had never met, the waitress says that she saw them together. She also saw a third woman with them. Perhaps the potential third victim?

Meanwhile, Beckett discovers that victim #2 withdrew the same bizarre amount of money from her bank account. Castle realizes that banks have to report withdrawals over $10,000, and they pull up information about all recent withdrawals over that amount (don't they need a warrant for this?!). They quickly figure out who the victim is. The fact that she matches the description from the waitress makes them positive they have the right person.

Everyone races to her apartment to try and save her life. When they get there the door appears to be kicked in, and they cautiously enter the apartment. They find the woman dressed as Sleeping Beauty, lying on her bed. She has been dosed like the other two women, but she is still alive. She is rushed to the hospital, while the detectives search the apartment. They find a large photograph which includes the three victims and a man. Each of the women are dressed in fairy tale costumes. On the back there is an order to pay up "or else", and the amount of money they paid matches the time stamp on the front of the photo.

They identify him as Ethan, a hit-and-run victim who died with ketamine and oxycodon in his system. His death was never solved.

Victim #3 survives, and they question her about Ethan in the photo. It turns out he was a friend of theirs. All of them attended a rave together, and they all took ketamine and oxycodone (the exact drugs that were used to dose all three women). She tells Castle and Beckett that as they were driving away from the party Ethan started to hallucinate and freak out in the car. She says that they dropped him off at the side of the road. When they found out the next morning that he was dead they all freaked out, and decided to never tell anyone that they had seen him. They were worried the scandal would hurt their college acceptances.

The story seems to be coming to an end when Beckett realizes that the sister of the first victim is married to Ethan's brother. He is clearly the perfect person to want to avenge his brother's death. They soon have video tape surveillance which proves he is the one who developed the photos. He cracks in interrogation, and admits that he blackmailed the women. He adamantly denies that he killed them. Beckett refuses to accept this, and they arrest him for the murders.

His wife is devastated that he blackmailed and murdered her sister. Beckett and Castle watch from a distance as they scream at each other. Beckett compares keeping secrets to holding onto a bomb, and warns that they will always explode. Castle looks a tad guilty (oh, I don't know...maybe because he is holding onto a massive secret regarding Beckett's mother's murder). I'm very, very concerned that Beckett's statement is foreshadowing a massive falling out between Castle and Beckett. Why can't everyone just be happy!? I know it would be boring TV, but I'd be pleased.

Castle and Beckett go to his house to watch his mother's one-woman show. He goes to see his mother before it begins, and she asks him to help her tie her bow. As he is tying it, Castle has an epiphany. He realizes that with the first two victims, the bows were horizontal, whereas with the third victim the bow was vertical. He grabs Beckett, and they go to interrogate the third victim. She committed the murders to cover up the fact that she was driving the car that night, and that she accidentally hit and killed Ethan. Eventually, faced with all of the evidence against her, she admits that she is the murderer.

I love the fact that this episode dealt loosely with the fairy tale phenomenon, but that in the end the murder had nothing to do with fairy tales at all. I didn't enjoy the fact that Beckett seems to be becoming increasing jaded. Season Two Beckett would not have been completely convinced that their first suspect both blackmailed and killed the women. She would also have had more sympathy, because she would have related to the years of not knowing who had killed Ethan. Even if he had been the murderer, while she would not have agreed with his decision to go after his brother's killers, she would have related to him on some level. Yet in this episode she takes the first solution presented to them, and accepts it. Castle is the one who repeatedly questions the arrest, and he is the one who eventually figures out that they sent the wrong man to prison. Perhaps this relates to Beckett's mothers murder: Beckett is no longer investigating the murder (as far as we know) and she is learning to accept that she will never know what happened. Castle is actively pursuing an answer, and thinks that a large cover-up may be involved.

'Bones' Moves to Mondays!

2012-02-27T19:27:00.003-06:00

Ugh, FOX, why must you ruin everything perfect.

FOX announced tonight (shortly after David Boreanaz sneakily mentioned it on Twitter) that 'Bones' is moving to Monday nights.

I already have 'Castle' to watch on Monday nights, and I really don't need another show. But, I guess I'll add 'Bones' to the mix.

'Bones' is now returning on Monday, April 2nd at 8/7C.

HIMYM: Karma

2012-02-27T19:03:00.001-06:00

I was thrilled with last week's episode for one reason: Ted and Robin did not get back together. Thank God! I could maintain the illusion that Barney and Robin were going to rekindle their relationship. Unfortunately, that illusion was short-lived. In tonight's episode Barney moved closer to a serious relationship with Quinn (Becki Newton), and further away from Robin. No! Say it isn't true!

Oh, wait, look...they're kissing. Okay, so it's true. For now. My guess is that the Quinn/Barney relationship will continue during the rest of this season, but that it will by over by the time the season ends. After all, Becki Newton is one of the lead roles in the new FOX comedy pilot 'The Goodwin Games'. Take that, Quinn! I suppose it should be said that the creators of 'HIMYM' (Craig Thomas and Carter Bays) are also the creators of this new show, so they never designed Quinn to be long-term. I hope this also means that they didn't design her to be Barney's wife (remember that flashback from earlier this season, where we found out that Barney was tying the knot?). Finally, I hope that if 'The Goodwin Games' gets picked up it is less circuitous and irritating than 'HIMYM'.

In tonight's episode, Barney found out that Quinn was a stripper. Not only that, but she was a stripper at the strip club that he frequents.

WHAT?! Eh, it makes sense. I never look at their faces.

"Everywhere I go I see her...I see her dancing on that pole!"-Barney
"I see her dancing on that pole too"-Ted

Quinn manipulates Barney into paying her for multiple lap dances ($900 worth!), while he impatiently waits to see if she will go out on a real date. He refuses to see the manipulation, even though Ted sees it (and come on, it's Ted. He never notices anything). Instead, Barney emphatically states that he is "in love" with Quinn. Ted's a tad shocked, mainly because Barney is stealing his line, but also because Barney has never openly admitted to loving anyone. In his shock, Ted manages to break a chair. But it's all good, because he can probably make the empty bedroom into a woodworking shop. See, ever since Robin left he has been trying to come up with another use of the room...he's already steamed meat, so maybe woodworking is the next logical move.

Barney believes that he is dating Quinn for most of the episode, despite the fact that she pulls almost every move from his own playbook. At the end of the episode, they run into each other at a coffee shop, and have their first real date.

In other news, Robin is living with Lily and Marshall now, since she had to leave her former apartment since she isn't actually in love with Ted, and living with a guy who loves you that you don't love? Awkward.

Despite the fact that Robin hates Long Island, she feels herself trapped there. Mainly because Lily and Marshall are doing everything in their power to keep her there. Turns out they really hate Long Island, and they just wanted a friend to move out there with them. Robin points out that she'd rather set herself on fire.

At the end of this episode there actually is a twist that will make the whole series look different: Ted moves out of his apartment. But don't worry, the apartment isn't gone! Instead, he gives the apartment to Lily and Marshall, and sets Robin's old room up for their baby. Pretty adorable.

Huh, guess that girl I slept with really is a stripper!

New Girl: Bully. Play By Play.

2012-02-21T21:00:00.000-06:00

Minute one: Did Schmidt just have sex with Cece and call her a canoe? Oh good, I heard right: apparently she's the canoe on his "body river". Good to know.

Minute one: Is Schmidt still taking? And did they really have sex at least three times? Yes and yes.

Minute two: "Oh my God, you slept with the same girl two nights in a row? ...did she wear a disguise?"-Jess, re: Schmidt's repeat sleepover guest (Cece!).

Minute two: Is anyone else supremely grossed out by the fact that Jess just unwittingly referred to her best friend as a "ho"?

Minute two: Schmidt doesn't parade his girls around?!

Minute two: So Schmidt does parade his girls around like trophies. That makes way more sense.

Minute two: Hitler comments are always awkward. And never funny. Even in this context. Sorry, 'New Girl' writers.

Minute three: Jess is not a good liar.

Minute three: Those horizontal stripes are not attractive. They wouldn't look good on anyone.

Minute four: "Did the cactus tell you that?"-Winston, re: Julia breaking up with Nick by mailing him a cactus

Minute five: Junk mail, get it?

Minute five: Does anyone else think that Cece is faking Schmidt out, and doesn't really want to sleep with him again?

Minute six: WTF, who allows children to use cell phones in a classroom? To videotape? Or do anything?

Minute seven: Huh. Maybe Cece is serious. She is very confusing.

Minute seven: "I'm like a sexual snowflake."-Schmidt, re: not having sex in a car.

Minute eight: I don't buy for a second that Jess would be that excited about a crescent moon. Winston, maybe.

Minute nine: This is awkward. Also, I don't understand why Julia sent Nick a cactus to begin with.

Minute ten: Schmidt is now using cheese references as foreplay. And it's working. Huh, I guess he and Cece are the perfect couple.

Minute eleven: The little girl Briana has the same haircut as Paige from 'Brothers and Sisters', and it's distracting me. I know they're not the same person. At least, I think they're not. (Googled: definitely not).

Minute twelve: "Are you barren, Ms. Day? And why is your voice so deep, like a man's? Your happiness seems like a mask."-Briana, re: Jess' problems.

Minute twelve: I really don't think that Nick should bring up babies right after he accidentally left a voicemail telling his girlfriend that he loved her. Haven't they been dating for like, two weeks?

Minute thirteen: Oh look. They broke up.

Minute thirteen: Jess accidentally broke Briana's robot arm, and now she is fixing it. Maybe.

Minute fourteen: Nick just said "sad face". In a sentence. Man has more problems than just a break-up.

Minute fifteen: Cece won't let Schmidt into a party with tons of people, but she'll eat breakfast with him? Seems suspect.

Minute eighteen: Jess admits to breaking the robot arm, but the principal doesn't care because now Jess is one of them: "a kid hater". Segue, Rachael Harris who plays the principal is in that new movie "Natural Selection", which looks kind of good. She also has dark-rimmed glasses in that. Does she always wear them? (Googled: looks like she wears them a lot).

Minute nineteen: Cece makes Schmidt take her to a random dim sum place for breakfast. I know she wanted to keep hiding it!

Minute twenty: Cece does let Schmid tell the restaurant. He goes a little overboard with that attempted wall flip.

Minute twenty-one: Jess gives Nick a real plant. Is this a symbol of things to come? You just both admitted you're weirdos. Hook up now please.

Minute twenty-one: I love that Jess wrote multiple comments on her own video. I also love Nick's facial expression when he hears the comment "I'd like to grade her a curve", because I think he kind of agrees. Come on, people, why else would he care so much and Jess dropping a hundred condoms in front of Schmidt's room last week?!

Jess admires her own comments

'Community' Hiatus is Over!

2012-02-21T14:44:00.001-06:00

We can all breathe a sigh of relief, this has been a good month for television.

Not only is my beloved 'Cougar Town'* back on the air, and ‘Bones’ finally has a release date, but now ‘Community’ is coming back too. February really has been a great month.

When is ‘Community’ back? March 15th, 2012.

Catch 'Community' Thursdays at 8/7C on NBC.

Thank goodness we're not called 'Cougar Town'

* Bad show, good title, yada yada yada. Watch 'Cougar Town' on Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30C on ABC.

Castle: Linchpin

2012-02-20T22:50:00.002-06:00

S4Ep16

Last week, 'Castle' ended with a cliff hanger. Worse than that, it ended with a potential reconciliation between Castle and his ex-muse, CIA agent Sophia (Jennifer Beals). Luckily, by the end of tonight's episode we knew one thing: Sophia was gone, and she was never coming back.

The episode picked up exactly where the last one left off...Castle and Beckett were trapped in a car that had just been pushed into the river. Not only were they unable to find something to break the window in order to escape the sinking car, but Beckett's seatbelt was stuck. Castle dived into the water within the car and managed to find Beckett's gun, he shot out the windows at the last minute and they survived (I know you're shocked).

Clearly, Beckett and Castle were happy to have escaped their ordeal. Sophia, on the other hand, was less than thrilled. She was okay with them surviving (Well, kind of. More about that later), but she was annoyed that they had continued to investigate after she had ordered them off the case.

Sophia yells at Rick that he can't always rewrite the ending, like he did with them. Kate's expression shows that she is disturbed by the confirmation that they had a relationship.

They agree to stop investigating, and leave the CIA offices. Of course, it's Castle and Beckett, so they're lying.

Sophia, who does seem to know Rick remarkably well, is sitting in Castle's bedroom when he gets home. She tells him that she knows he won't ever leave a case alone until the end of the story is discovered, and she gives him a list of bank routing numbers that were found in the suspect's apartment.

The next morning Castle brings the list to Beckett. When she hears how he got it (Sophia. Rick's house. Middle of the night) she is obviously annoyed and slightly hurt.

Basically this whole episode illustrates how well Stana Katic (Beckett) can play annoyed and hurt. Someone give that woman an Emmy.

Anyway, Castle and Beckett follow the clues and find the dead professor's house. They find a room which includes his linchpin formula--and they discover its ultimate goal: World War III. They also find out that the linchpin is a little Chinese girl. All they find is her photo, they don't even know her name.

Suddenly they are interrupted by Gage. If you'll remember from last week, Gage is the rogue CIA agent who is involved in Pandora. Or is he? He saves them from a bomb, and pulls them to safety. He hurriedly tells them that he is being set-up, and Kate seems to believe him. They are interrupted by a team of CIA agents who take Gage into captivity.

Sophia and her fellow CIA agents try to interrogate Gage, but he keeps saying that he was set-up.

Castle and Beckett have turned over the photo of the girl, and they have run her through face recognition, but can't figure out who she is. They're in a hurry, because they suspect that Pandora is going to happen in the next 24 hours. Castle suddenly has an epiphany, and suggests that they run recognition software on the mountains in the back of the photo. Sophia admits that it's a brilliant idea, and briefly kisses Castle on his cheek. Stana Katic has another Emmy moment.

As the techs are investigating the photo, Sophia approaches Kate, and starts talking to her about Rick. Kate asks what went wrong. And Sophia responds that they had sexual tension for months, but once they finally gave into it, they didn't have anything left. All that was left were all their little annoying personality traits. Of course, Sophia is just listing the concerns of 'Castle' writers. She's also making viewers everywhere yell "shut up!" at their TV screens. Must she really put more doubts into Kate's mind?

The techs figure out who the girl is! She's the daughter of a Chinese official in the financial sector who is the main supporter of China helping with US debt. Through some super fast talking Kate, Sophia, and Rick explain why this is bad. Basically, if his daughter is killed by "CIA" it means China will no longer help the US financially, which = ruin.

This means there must be a mole in the CIA. The techs run a trace on all the agent's computers to discover who the mole is. It points to Sophia's partner, Mark. He escapes.

But there's no time to run after him, because they have just realized that the little Chinese girl is in the United States, and may be killed that day. Sophia, Kate and Rick run to save her. Sophia insists that no one else come with them, because she doesn't trust her agents anymore. She has contact with another CIA cell, and says that they will help instead.

But Sophia leads Kate and Rick into a parking structure, and points a gun at them. She's the real mole. Her agent from the other CIA cell is actually her partner in crime, and she orders him to go and kill the girl, while she murders Kate and Rick. Sophia taunts Rick, telling him that the only reason he ever had access to the CIA was his father (rather famously, Castle doesn't know his father). She also speaks in Russian, insinuating that she is ex-KGB. Right as Sophia is about to shoot Castle, while Beckett screams "no", Sophia is shot in the head. It's Mark, the framed CIA guy, who isn't really a mole. (Yeah, the plot was convoluted this week).

Mark, Rick, and Kate go to save the girl. And they do. Yay!

At the end of the episode Castle is clearly upset that Sophia may have known something about his father. He asks if Kate thinks she was telling the truth, and she tells him that she thinks Sophia told "a lot of lies" (Maybe she no longer trusts the relationship advice Sophia gave her! We can hope).

Kate expresses sympathy for Rick regarding Sophia's death, as well as the death of his muse from his Derek Storm novels. He tells her that his female main character in those books may have started out based on Sophia, but ultimately they grew into someone more like Kate: brave and caring. He says that's one of the reason he was first attracted to Kate (he quickly adds "as a muse", but it's clear Kate knows what he means).

Next week 'Castle' will return to it's frothier murder mystery background, as Castle and Beckett investigate a killer who is framing his murders after fairy tales.

Kate, I love you, but I refuse to believe your hair is that perfect after a near-drowning.

HIMYM: No Pressure

2012-02-20T20:46:00.000-06:00

On tonight's 'HIMYM', Marshall agreed with me (first time I've ever written that in a sentence). He explained to Ted that his big 'platonic friendship' gesture with the Christmas tree lights was really an admission of his love of Robin.

And Ted did admit to both Lily and Marshall (and to a certain extent even Barney) that he really did love Robin. Of course, Robin found that out too, because he told her.

But by the end of the episode we'd learned a couple of things:

1) Marshall and Lily have been betting on their friends' lives for years. Writing bets on pieces of paper like, "Marshall bets Lily Ted will go bald and he'll pull it off", or "Lily bets Marshall that Ted and Robin won't end up together".

2) Marshall and Lily made a sex tape one time, and even though Barney found it, he couldn't decide if he wanted to watch it or not, so the obvious answer was to break Ted's VCR.

To the sex tape!

3) Robin told Ted that she doesn't love him, they ended their "if we're still single at 40 we'll get married" pledge, and she moved out of the apartment.

4) Ted told Barney that Robin was in love with him. Barney admitted the heartbreak he'd experienced (how he broke up with Nora for Robin, and then she stayed with Kevin). Ted told Barney that Robin and Kevin broke up, but he didn't react with a lot of emotion. I think that goes to show how much Barney really does care about Robin, and how hurt he was. Barney then even went so far as to tell Ted that if Ted ended up with Robin, it would be all right, because he just wanted her to be happy. (Or as he said, "Bros before Hos. And Robin's my bro"). Ted tells Barney he has really grown, and he's right.

5) Robin clearly still cares about Barney too, because when Ted confronted her and stated that she loved Barney, she protested a little too abruptly.

6) The worst part of this episode was the end. Ted, in voice-over, made a statement about how he was glad to be able to permanently close the door on any possiblitiy of ending up with Robin. And I thought to myself, thank god that potential plot is gone. But no, the writers/producers have to never ever make anything concrete, and the episode concluded with Lily trying to get Marshall to pay her because of the bet ("Lily best Marshall that Ted and Robin won't end up together") and he states: "not yet".

Seriously, writers? At a certain point you need to stop playing with loyal fans of the show. It is legitimately getting to the point where I may stop watching. Allow us some progression, you seem to always make small promises regarding plot development and then snatch them back. Stop it. Thanks.

Oh good, we're not getting back together.

New Girl Play By Play: "Valentine's Day" Recap

2012-02-14T20:01:00.002-06:00

'New Girl' Play By Play: "Valentine's Day"

Minute one: Schmidt has already said "holla".

Minute two: First dates on Valentine's Day are a bad idea. Even Schmidt knows this. Get a clue, Winston.

Minute two: Is one night sex the new one night stand?

Minute three: Did Jess just refer to her vagina as "little Jess"? Huh.

Minute five: "Bombing emotionally" is not good one night stand material.

Minute six: Schmidt and Cece make a great team. They both like the Phantom Tollbooth! Clearly they're soulmates.

Minute eight: Cece's boyfriend is high on magic mushrooms. Time to break up?

Minute eleven: Schmidt doesn't trust the youths in Jess' potential one night stand's sketchy neighborhood. He kinda has a point.

Minute eleven: Does anyone else think Schmidt has been suspiciously insightful this episode?

Minute sixteen: Everyone is fighting. Everyone. (Except not Julia and Nick, cause they have some weird/not so important B-story going on)

Minute nineteen: Schmidt just carried Cece out of the fight over his shoulder.

Minute twenty-two: Making out while someone is eating tacos is pretty tricky.

Minute twenty-three: That random hook-up guy isn't a web creator, and Jess isn't a player. Boy, what a surprise.

Minute twenty-three: Is Nick going to work for Julia's law firm now? Because that is not a good idea. Ever.

Minute twenty-four: Does anyone else think that Jess and Julia are looking more and more like each other with each new episode? Boy has a type.

Minute twenty-five: Now this is getting depressing (re: Winston and potential girlfriend).

Minute twenty-five: Depression resolved (re: Winston and potential girlfriend).

Minute twenty-six: Sometimes I actually want Schmidt and Jess to get together. Weird.

Minute twenty-six: And now she is actually thinking about having sex with him. Is this actually going to happen?

Minute twenty-seven: Oh wait, here's Nick. Ugh, I actually kind of wanted that to happen. Now I feel guilty saying that.

Minute twenty-seven: Oh good, Cece is having sex with Schmidt. The fact that Jess and Cece have similar taste in men is vaguely disturbing. I mean, they both wanted to sleep with him cause he smells good?!

Minute thirty: Jess calls Cece on the phone. She's telling Cece that she almost slept with Schmidt. But Cece is in bed with him. Awkward.

Apparently at some point Jess is going to make out with this guy.

Castle S4Ep15: Pandora's Box is Full of Jealousy

2012-02-14T13:17:00.002-06:00

"Pandora"--Season 4, Episode 15. Henceforth to be known as: the episode where Beckett gets super jealous and shows it.

I loved "The Blue Butterfly" last week, but I was still excited to step away from themed episodes and back towards a more traditional episode of 'Castle'. I didn't want 1940s flirting, I wanted present day flirting.

We didn't get a lot of flirting in last night's episode ("Pandora") but we may have gotten something better, a jealous Beckett. Proof positive that Kate really does care about Rick.

The episode began, as 'Castle' episodes often do, with a body that had fallen out of a window. I wish they'd come up with other ways to introduce the dead, because at this point I'm becoming concerned that it's actually one big serial killer conspiracy, where they've all agreed ahead of time that pushing people out of windows and onto parked cars/wagons is the best way to kill.

Sorry, I got distracted.

Anyway, this guy isn't just dead, he's dead dead. As in, he was killed in multiple different ways, just to ensure that he was really and truly dead. Castle and Beckett and Lanie examine the body, and then suddenly Alexis pops-up. Turns out her newest internship is shadowing the medical examiner. I can only assume that the writers wanted to utilize Molly Quinn more, because there's no way that this is: a) a legitimate internship or b) that anyone in their right-mind would let a high school around murder victims where she might compromise evidence. Then again, this is a world where Castle is allowed to accompany an NYPD Homicide Detective on cases, so I guess I'll let the whole Alexis improbability issue slide.

Castle is less than thrilled with the addition of Alexis, because he says it will compromise the integrity of the team. I think that in reality he's worried for two reasons:
1) He's worried that it will distract/interrupt his flirting with Beckett.
2) He knows that he is mixed up in something with the mystery man and Beckett's mother's death that may become dangerous, and he wants to protect Alexis.

His apparent jealously of his own teenage daughter seems less childish now, doesn't it?

Beckett and Castle arrest a man who was almost definitely responsible for the murder. But he doesn't seem at all worried, even insinuating that all of their evidence will soon disappear. Shortly after this, Castle and Beckett wander down to the morgue and discover that the body is missing. When they return to the precinct, the murderer is missing too!

They look up information on both men, but no data exists.

Castle and Beckett pursue a woman who is apparently connected to the two men. When they enter her apartment they find her dead on the floor. Beckett orders Castle to stay put, while she checks that no one else is in the apartment. When she enters the kitchen, she notices a steaming cup of tea, and realizes that someone else was just there. She calls for Castle, and reenters the living room, only to find Castle standing there with a bag thrown over his head and a gun pointed at him. She is forced to drop her weapon, and her head is covered with a bag as well.

Beckett and Castle are driven to a secret location, and then the bags are removed and they are handcuffed. They are place in an elevator and taken deep underground. Once there they are greeted by men in black suits and tons of technology. A woman approaches them, who Castle immediately recognizes.

It's Sophia Turner, a CIA agent who he shadowed while he was writing his first book. As soon as Kate hears this, you can literally see the jealousy in her face. She is not happy.

It doesn't help that Sophia Turner (Jennifer Beals) and Castle have some sort of weird/intense eye-contact thing going on. Or that Sophia insinuates that she and Rick slept together. Or that basically their relationship mirrored the one that Kate and Rick have--he shadowed Sophia, he wrote a book about her, it appears he fell in love with her--the only difference being that Sophia one-upped Kate because she actually had a "real" (read: sexual) relationship with Rick.

Anyway, I was so busy interpreting all of this that I almost missed the rest of the case. Luckily I regained focus, because there's a lot more:

Turns out Gage (the murderer) is a rogue CIA agent, and the man he killed was a current operative. Gage is involved in some sort of terrorist plot. Turner makes Beckett and Castle promise that they will keep this classified information secret, and that they will share any leeway they make in the case. Castle immediately agrees (with puppy dog eyes), while Beckett tentatively does so.

Turner gives them special buttons on their phones so that they can contact her direct line. Castle's is big and round and simply says "PANIC". Kate is less than thrilled, admitting that Sophia really does know Rick.

Anyway, to cut a long story short (too late, I know) Beckett and Castle find a briefcase filled with surveillance equipment that is linked to the dead woman. As they are retrieving it, Gage finds them and locks them in a trunk (I'd think a guy like Gage would just shoot them, but then the show would be over, so...). Castle makes a funny reference to when they were handcuffed together, and how this is better, but Beckett points out that they're going to run out of air. She manages to break out of the trunk, but as she is doing so she sees Castle's face and realizes that he pushed the panic button. She is clearly upset that he asked for Sophia's help, rather then having her do the rescuing. This shows how deep her jealousy goes, because obviously she should just be happy to be alive.

Sophia uses her fancy spy equipment to triangulate who was making phone calls to the dead woman, and it turns out that it's a former CIA asset who everyone thought was dead. They get super freaked-out at this point, because he is known for his complex math problems where he would find one catalyst, one linchpin, that could set off a series of catastrophic events. They are able to figure out what he was saying during the phone call, but it makes no sense, it's all chess moves.

Beckett and Castle are ordered to leave, and Beckett does so happily, she just wants to get back to solving murders. Castle is more hesitant, and Beckett interprets this as feelings for Sophia. Beckett and Castle fight.

He goes home to try and solve the chess puzzle, she goes to the precinct. Castle actually cracks the code, and he takes it straight to Beckett. It is clear she feels a little better when he tells her that she is his partner, and he is not bringing the information straight to Sophia.

Rather stupidly (jealousy can make you do stupid things) Kate and Rick go to the meeting place that was indicated in the code, and meet the former CIA asset. He drags them to a dock, saying it is a matter of life and death, he also admits that he accidentally released information about the linchpin that would cause total economic ruin in the United States.

Suddenly, the asset is shot. And Beckett and Castle's car is pushed forced off of the dock and into the water by a black SUV.

END OF PART ONE

That's a lot of eye-contact, Castle. Stop it.

Cougar Town Wasn't Cancelled!? (It's new tonight & you should watch it)

2012-02-14T10:01:00.000-06:00

If you're a fan of 'Cougar Town', you know that the show initially got off to a slow start. The beginning of season one, wayyy back in September of 2009, revolved around Jules (played by Courteney Cox) and her attempt to date younger men. Unsurprisingly, people didn't really find this an enjoyable half hour of television. I actually abandoned the show after two episodes.

But about a year later, I saw an episode of 'Cougar Town' on an airplane. I was shocked. The show was smart and funny and I wanted to watch more. So I did. I re-watched all of the episodes I had missed, and I grew to love the show.

In the middle of the first season, the show stopped dealing with Jules' "cougaring", and instead focused on friendship-dynamics, and the dynamics of a new (age-appropriate!) relationship.

Unfortunately, the show is still called 'Cougar Town', even though it now has nothing to do with women dating younger men or actual cougars. Everyone involved with the show's production recognizes how ridiculous the title is, and they poke fun at it during each episode's title sequence:

Despite the fact that the show is now an incredibly enjoyable half-hour of television, people weren't watching it. Whether it was the unappealing title or the fact that they thought they knew the premise is hard to say, but the numbers just weren't there. Even now, when I mention how excited I am about the show coming back, people know nothing about it (I enlighten them, of course).

Earlier this year, ABC finally decided that season three of 'Cougar Town' would air (almost 9 months after the second season finale). Focused on its other, more popular shows, the network hasn't been doing a lot of promoting. Bill Lawrence, the show's creator, and the rest of the cast decided to use a grassroots campaign to try and garner more viewers.

Using Twitter as a way to reach the show's fans, Lawrence and the rest of the cast tweeted about viewing parties that would occur around the United States. These parties would be attended by members of the cast, and would offer fans a chance to see two unaired episodes from the upcoming season, drink free booze, and generally have a good time. Limited tickets were available for all the viewing parties, and were awarded based on who emailed first (this may be the first time that Gmail has been used to promote a show).

Even though I didn't initially win a ticket, I was luckily enough to be able to attend Boston's party, thanks to a person I had never met before offering an extra ticket via Twitter (Thanks Christine!). I got to talk a little bit with Ian Gome z and Brian Van Holt, and I saw the season three premiere.

I absolutely promise you that the show is just as funny (if not funnier) than ever. While it may be a tad confusing for brand-new viewers, you should watch it even if you've never seen the show before.

Jules (Cox) is told by her boyfriend, Grayson, that she is "predictable". This leads her to do everything in her power to prove that he's wrong. Her friends, of course, side with Grayson. Oh, and there's also a marriage proposal in this episode! And a scary kid wielding a hammer!

I ran into a friend of mine at the bar where the viewing party was taking place (long story), and she watched the episode with me. Even though she'd never seen an episode of the show before, she thought it was hilarious and agreed that she'd watch it again.

Basically, what I'm saying is that you should watch it too. Watch it tonight, and then catch up later. Give the show the numbers it needs so that it doesn't get cancelled. Please?

'Cougar Town' airs tonight, February 14th (Valentine's Day!) on ABC at 8:30/7:30C.

HIMYM: The Drunk Train

2012-02-13T19:54:00.001-06:00

Tonight's episode of 'How I Met Your Mother' wrapped up loose ends and introduced new characters. In other words, it was pretty damn important.

Once again, Marshall and Lily were relegated to the sidelines. I can only assume this is because once the baby comes they will be the central characters in several episodes. The show normally does a good job of focusing on a few members of the gang at a time, and this week definitely belonged to Barney and Robin.

Unfortunately, it didn't belong to Barney and Robin. (I'm really never going to get over wanting those two to get together).

The Robin storyline wrapped up loose ends. We all knew that Robin and what's-his-name (just Googled it: Kevin!) played by Kal Penn were going to break-up soon. After all, Penn had only signed on for a limited number of episodes. The storyline dealing with Robin's infertility was brought up again too.

Kevin proposed to Robin, and she told him about her infertility. He told her he wanted to marry her anyway. But then Robin explained that it wasn't just that she couldn't have children, she didn't want children. Even though Kevin had always wanted children, he said he wanted to marry her anyway. However, Robin was sensible (for once!) and after some coaxing Kevin admitted that he did want children. So, they broke up.

Meanwhile, Barney and Ted decided to ride the drunk train together (aka the last train from NYC back to the suburbs). The only reason Ted agreed to accompany Barney was that he had made Barney go on a double-date with him, and Barney claimed it was horrible. He could not stop complaining about a girl named Quinn.

It turned out that Quinn (Becki Newton) had noticed all of Barney's normal tricks and shot him down every time. Eventually, though, she had agreed to sleep with him. Barney was clearly obsessed with her, especially since he complained about her often (much as he used to complain about Robin).

So, the Barney storyline introduced new characters: We've been told all season that Barney will have a new love interest who will be as much as a player as he is. Quinn is clearly that person. If we were in any doubt, the fact that it turned out she was a stripper at Barney's favorite strip club (a fact that she had hidden from him, and that he still doesn't know) highlights it.

The Robin storyline concluded with her being depressed in front of Ted (this is becoming a bit of a pattern). She was upset, and admitted to Ted that she wasn't sure she would be able to find anyone who wanted to be with her. Ted then told her that he wanted to be with her, and that he loved her.

Ugh. Okay, so I've actually seen this coming for a while. I even suggested it during my long rant about the episode that cruelly told us that Robin wasn't pregnant and could never have babies. Ted was the only one Robin told about her infertility during that episode, making him her person. He also did a big gesture (decorating the apartment with lights), and in Ted's world big gestures always seem to be romantic.

Even if Robin and Ted do get together for a bit this season, they clearly won't last. For one thing, Ted's children always refer to her as Aunt Robin. And he has two children. Unless, of course, the whole series has been a fake-out like Robin's pretend children were.

(Please no, I want Barney and Robin together! Ted is my least favorite, so he can end up with whoever).

In 'Glee' Winning is Everything

2012-02-12T15:49:00.000-06:00

A Critique of "Michael", Season 3 Episode 11 of 'Glee'

There are two major problems with the Michael Jackson 'Glee' episode.

First, having Artie walk in a fantasy maybe, sort of works. But having Artie stand up in the real world before the musical number switched to black and white fantasy mode stuck out like a sore thumb. For a split second I actually thought, "He's walking?!". Also, Artie spent a lot of time early on in the series battling against his diagnosis, and eventually learned to be happy with who he was. So, why does he have to walk? It just lessens the show's prior message.

Speaking of messages, I think we can all agree that Sebastian purposefully throwing rock salt in Blaine's face was wrong. He knew it was going to hurt someone. And he did, he damaged Blaine's eye to the extent that Blaine needed surgery. He's quite the little psychopath. So, why does said little psychopath get away with his crime? Santana didn't resort to any horrible punishment against the Warblers, she simply got Sebastian's confession on tape. A confession that absolutely should have go to the principal. Sebastian purposefully hurt another student, and has no remorse. But instead the show makes high and mighty Kurt say that turning in the tape is not going to help them win against the Warblers, and he only wants to beat them with Sebastian. True, the tape may not help them win...but for once maybe 'Glee' should focus on something other than winning. Stop equating beating someone in a competition with doing the right thing. The right thing would be to turn Sebastian in so that he doesn't hurt anyone else.

The show likes to have their characters say that winning isn't everything, maybe they should show it in their actions as well.

These issues are exactly the reason that I stopped watching 'Glee' at the end of last season. Now that I've seen this episode I don't think I'll be back any time soon.

Zooey Deschanel is on SNL Tonight!

2012-02-11T19:16:00.000-06:00

In case you've been completely cut off from pop culture for the last week, Zooey Deschanel is hosting SNL tonight.

If you're willing to drag yourself away from the new baby photos of Blue Ivy, check out Deschanel's earliest TV appearance ('Veronica's Closet', 1998).

Oh, and I guess you might be interested in watching her SNL promos as well:

Zooey Deschanel will be hosting 'Saturday Night Live' for the first time tonight (2/11/12) on NBC at 11:30/10:30C.

'Bones' is Back!

2012-02-10T12:51:00.000-06:00

'Bones' is coming back on the air in April. Or, to be more precise, on Thursday, April 5th at 9/8C on FOX. New episodes will air for at least seven weeks, although it's possible that it will be expanded to 11 weeks.

UPDATE: FOX has revised its Spring schedule, and 'Bones' is going to be on Mondays! The season returns on Monday, April 2nd at 8 pm.

Get excited!

'House' is Over

2012-02-08T20:15:00.000-06:00

FOX hasn't renewed 'House' for a ninth season. The current season, season eight, will be the last.

I loved 'House' from the very beginning, and even loved it as the cast lost Jennifer Morrison (Cameron), and gained Olivia Wilde (Thirteen).

This season, the loss of Wilde and of Lisa Edelstein (Cuddy) hurt the show a great deal. The cases have still been interesting, but the show has lost its tempo.

That being said, it's the end of an era, and I'll be sad that I won't have new episodes of 'House' to look forward to every week.