Season Four, Episodes Fifteen and Sixteen

These two episodes constituted a surprisingly good wrap up considering season four of House had to contend with the Writer’s Guild of America Strike that occurred during the 2007-2008 season. The episode order was cut from 24 to 18, and most shows that tried to overcome the challenges of rushing to wrap up season long story arcs in considerably fewer episodes didn’t do nearly the job that was done here. While it did cost us what was sure to be some killer three way action (love triangle people, get your minds out of the gutter), these final two episodes managed to pack a hellacious emotional kick to the gut.

“House’s Head”

It was interesting to watch House try to work a challenge when his brain wasn’t working right. Between the hypnosis and the hallucinations, it was almost to confusing to follow. I’m not sure where Cuddy’s little … uh … “show” fit into House’s whole process, but, well, lets just say I’m not complaining.

House working though the clues, though, to finally remember that it was Amber (if there were ever a time for me to start using her first name, I guess now would be it, especially considering ) that needed his help, was fun to watch, if not a bit heartbreaking in the end. Wilson accused him of having feelings for her not moments before House himself admitted that he had no clue why he was so motivated to figure out what was going on. I’m confident that this storyline won’t get left in the shuffle.

I find it hard to believe that EMS would have the bus evacuated, but just leave House to walk out on his own. Amber’s extraction would have taken a few minutes, as they would have had to cut the pipe that had cut through her upper leg. There would have been more than enough time for them to move House out as well.

Beer brand beer is the best beer ever, but can someone tell me why Fred Durst was behind the bar?

“I didn’t know you rode the bus.” – Cuddy
“I used to drive home after getting drunk. But some mothers got MADD.” – House

“Wilson’s Heart”

Leave it to Wilson to be more concerned about the why than the what. A quick House lecture brought him out of it, but Wilson was concentrating on why Amber was on the bus in the first place just a bit too much for my tastes. When he came around though, Wilson came up with a pretty ballsy treatment choice. I can imagine it being difficult on any loved one of one of House patients, but for Wilson, who knows the chances he takes, this experience must be hell.

The decision to kill off Amber was just as much out of left field as her pairing with Wilson in the first place. The character grew on me over the course of the season, and I was really enjoying this incredibly odd love triangle. How this affects both House and Wilson next season should lead to some great story telling, but not as good as what would have been if they’d continued to explore the relationships.

The best scene of this two-parter is when Wilson asks House to undergo the procedure that would help clear his thoughts up at great personal risk. When House responds with the “you want me to risk my life to save hers” comment, my heart just broke. The look on our hero’s face at that point, and you knew he would do anything for his friend. An incredibly close second goes to Amber and Wilson’s final moments together. From the realization of how bad her condition was to her goodbye, Anne Dudek turned in an outstanding performance. As much as I am enjoying Covert Affairs, she’s being so completely wasted on that show thus far, it is damn near criminal.

Thirteen’s hesitation didn’t make a lot of sense to me. She never really seemed close to Amber, and always seemed like she would be able to emotionally distance herself from this type of case. Even once House puts the issue out in the open, I still don’t buy the reasoning behind the reaction.

Wilson and Amber made a sex tape? Seriously?

And really, Hugh Laurie gets a Cuddy strip tease in one episode, and an Amber lap dance in the next?  Seriously?

I loved the call back to the Pilot, intentional or otherwise, as Amber told House that he “can’t always get what he wants.”

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This is going to be the down and dirty version of a review because, really, we’ve pretty much seen it all on So You Think You Can Dance. Don’t you think?

No?

Well … show me where I’m wrong.

We saw Nigel announce no one was leaving the competition last week, but that two contestants will be ousted this week. A bit of a surprise, but just a bit. Drama.

And it’s rather pointless to critique the solo stints any of the contestants do going forward. They get on stage … commit their 30 seconds in their preferred style … and there you go. It is what it is at this stage of the game.

But I will say this coming after the solo from Lauren Froderman: She is going to win this competition. (She’s just some kind of wonderful. Can I get a witness?)

I really don’t see how she can’t win. She’s an animal on stage, and she puts more passion into a performance time and again than anyone left. (Kent Boyd about matches her, but she’s got the edge over him.)

Oh … there have been better performances than Lauren’s week in and week out. But collectively, throughout the season, we’ve seen her rise to the occasion and do things physically, as well as technically, that blow us away.

Just a few random notes on this episode:

• Kent and all-star Anya’s cha-cha was so severe and thrashing I thought someone was going to get thwacked. Snappy routine to a snappy tune.
• Robert Roldan’s contemporary offering with Kathryn didn’t work. Whereas I’ve come to love contemporary, their performance was a complete disconnect as far as I’m concerned. (I know … you agree with me.)
• Cute little Jose Ruiz does hip-hop? Again? That’s a stretch, I know. Funky as it was put to an Otis Redding classic, it lacked soul and passion. (Jose heads home on the elimination round, by the way.)
• Look! It’s a Broadway routine where the partners are … actually partnered! *faints* What will they think of next? Way to go Lauren! You forced me to like Broadway for a moment!
• And how could I not enjoy a piece mixed up to one of my most favorite and beloved tunes, “Fever,” despite being a gagtastic Beyoncé version?
• Pair-ups for the night consisted of Kent and Jose performing another rarity — a second routine of the evening where contestants actually danced a Broadway number … together! *faints anew*
• Lastly, Billy Bell and Robert. Doing Bollywood. *ugh* Hey … SYTYCD Powers That Be? Do us all a favor and toss this variant dance form out the freakin’ window. It’s got all the charm of a bag of hammers, and makes each and every contestant performing this style look like a bunch of amateurs.

Hmmmmmm … lookee there. I didn’t mention AdéChiké Torbert except for right here. He must not have thrilled me at all this episode, regardless of the fact that I like the cut of his jib.

Oh … and I believe Robert will be joining Jose in leaving us at elimination.

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While watching the first 10 episodes of Breaking Bad’s sophomore season, I went from being riveted by every episode and dying to see Walter White’s character evolve, to being entertained and yet frustrated by the we-should-cook/no-we-shouldn’t back and forth.

What also surprised me was that as Walt was afforded a glimmer of hope for a better future because his cancer treatment had shrunk his tumor by 80 percent, the good news seemed to have little impact on him because by that time he’d become hardened and unwilling to listen to reason.

With the time-sensitive compulsion to scrape together enough money to not only pay for his cancer treatment but to leave money for his family should he die relaxed in the aftermath of his optimistic diagnosis, I expected this would come as a relief to Walt. Only it didn’t, which seemed strange to me, as was his detachment from his wife Skyler, a detachment which Walt knows is driving her away from him, but he’s unwilling to acknowledge it.

In the episode “Over” (the 10th of the season), Walt’s house is infested with rot, clearly an analogy for so many things: Walt and Skyler’s marriage, Walt’s soul as he’d been adamant that Jesse threaten their dealers and the addicts who ripped them off (after being averse to and appalled by violence last season), as well as Walt’s relationship with his DEA brother-in-law Hank in that odd mano-a-mano scene where Walt insisted that Walter Jr. do several shots of tequila over Hank’s objections. Despite Walt’s apologies over the incident, the way in which he became obsessed with the rot and the manner in which he charged through the hardware store parking lot to confront two guys and menacingly growl, “Stay out of my territory,” clearly demonstrated that the Walter White of season one was gone, possibly forever.

The first nine episodes of this season provided ample reason for such a dramatic transformation. Take, for example, the “Grilled” episode where Tuco held Walt and Jesse hostage. Because of the title of the episode, I was petrified that something untoward was going to happen involving a grill. And even though that never happened, this tension-drenched episode, where the pregnant Skyler desperately plastered the area with “Missing” posters of a bald Walt, was gripping.

After that dramatic high point, things seemed to careen downhill as Jesse and Walt hatched a plan to not only explain Walt’s absence (the “fugue state,” accompanied by the naked guy in the grocery store antics) but to put distance between Jesse and any legal ramification from Hank discovering Jesse’s car at Tuco’s uncle’s house. It killed me that, after all Walt had put Skyler through, that he didn’t handle her “second cell phone” question well at all and that he failed to recognize that his deceit was harming his marriage.

Throughout the next handful of episodes, Jesse and Walt engaged in what I found to be an annoying little dance called, “Let’s cook!/No we’re done with that.” They were in a “we’re done with that” mode when Jesse, with no place to go and nowhere to park his RV, turned up at Walt’s even though Walt expressly told him they shouldn’t have contact. The two literally got into a fight and Jesse had a potentially lethal choke-hold on Walt when Jesse let him go. The violence seemed to fortify their working relationship (Jesse even referred to his partner by his first name instead of “Mr. White”) and they resumed their cooking operation and formed their own drug operation, which Walt wanted to resemble a Tuco-like empire. Walt was in charge of the cooking and Jesse would handle the dealers and be the heavy … that’s when the duo wasn’t kidnapping a criminal defense attorney or fretting about dying in the middle of the desert because their RV battery conked out. Seriously, yo, spring for some new wheels.

Walt’s decree that Jesse needed to let it be known that ripping off “Heisenberg” (Walt’s alias) had dangerous consequences led to the depressing “Peekaboo” episode where a gun-wielding Jesse spent a day trying to coerce two junkies — who left a filthy, extremely young child alone in a condemnable home — to reimburse Jesse for the crystal meth they stole from one of Jesse’s dealers. (The ATM-head crushing was almost as gross as the head-mounted-on-a-tortoise-which-then-exploded scene in the episode afterward.)

Questions which continue to rattle around in my head:

– What’s with that floating, battered, one-eyed stuffed animal and the plastic evidence bags lined up next to what appears to be Walt’s pool that have appeared intermittently in the episodes?

– Is Walt’s decision to emotionally ignore Skyler a by-product of his poor compartmentalizing skills, and will she retaliate by allowing herself to give in to a fling at the oddly named Beneke Fabricators with her boss Ted?

– When will Hank have his own “fugue state?”

– What led Jesse to abandon his art and become a drug dealer in the first place?

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As you know, I’ve been covering Gordon Ramsay’s shows for awhile now. And a lot of you have said that although you like watching cooking competitions, he just makes you too nervous. Well! Here’s the solution … Masterchef!

Masterchef premiered Tuesday on Fox, and while it’s not a new concept (versions of the show have been aired on the BBC since 1990) the idea has finally come across the pond.

The premise is this: ordinary American people with absolutely no cooking background come together and compete for the eventual title of Masterchef. With that title comes 250K and their very own cookbook deal. In interviews, executive producer Gordon Ramsay says the show is about “creating a dream.”

It’s a great idea, and Ramsay shares the judging duties with Italian restaurateur Joe Bastianich, and the youngest four star chef ever, Graham Elliott. (If you’ve seen the episode already, you’ll know why I now think of these two as Joe Basterd and Glasses Guy. That’s just until I get to know them better, you see.)

I have to admit, I teared up a little bit (twice really) watching the premiere episode. The contestants are brought into a room with a cooking area in front of the three judges. There, they are grilled on their background, and what dish they will be presenting. Sometimes, the food is out and out terrible. But even in these cases Gordon is nowhere near as hard on them, as he is on the contestants of say Hell’s Kitchen.

I took part in a conference call on Monday with my Gordon (see my former reviews for that reference) and he said he realizes these people are not like the contestants on Hell’s Kitchen. They’re your average Joes, so he doesn’t criticize them as fiercely. Which will be a relief to my sister, who has a panic attack every time Gordon lays into someone.

Joe Basterd on the other hand, can be quite nasty and waaaay dramatic. He actually approached a crying contestant and looked the guy in the eye asking, “Are you going to bring it?” over and over, until the poor dude was practically a wet puddle on the floor. That’s not when I teared up though. I’m not that easy!

No. For me it was Tracy from Atlanta. She’s a doctor in real life, and her mother was a great cook who died suddenly three years ago. Tracy took all of her mother’s signature recipes and began to cook after that, the tastes on her tongue bringing her Mom back to her for a little while. By the time she finished her story, and presented the judges with her Mom’s recipe for smothered chicken, I was rooting for her big time. And she moved on too. After an inspiring speech by my Gordon.

At this point I have to say something. Masterchef can get quite over the top and ooey gooey at times. But! That’s all part of watching people like you and I take part in a competition. At this stage they are half way through narrowing the field to 30. Next week, the final fifteen. If you missed it, you can catch it here. Meanwhile, I hope you’ll be there along with me for the ride. I think we’re gonna like this show.

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I was at The Event.

Well … I mean … I wasn’t at The Event.

Rather, I was at the San Diego Comic-Con panel for The Event. (And I will do my very best to contain my excitement at the fact I was within touching distance of Laura Innes. I make no promises, however …)

What is The Event? Well … I’ve’n't a clue zactly. Something strange and probably “not of this earth”. We’ll find out down the line. The pilot episode they showed us at Comic-Con doesn’t lend any answers as to what it is. (Could it possibly be the sucking wake caused by the departure of ABC’s Stephen McPherson … ?!?)

And that’s the kind of show we’re dealing with here. One that leads us by the hand and engrosses us immediately within it. It coaxes us to watch in all its mystery-shrouded goodness … in its fast-paced story lines … in its intertwining, overlapping come hitherness to give us a terrific opening episode which The Powers That Be at The Event are certain we’ll want to come back for more.

And you will. You’ll want to see what all the mystery is about. Oh, be assured they’re not going to tell us what The Event is right away. They’re going to string us along, deepening our curiosities. And that’s all right. We’ll play along.

Keith wrote about The Event a few months ago and — while there are elements of FlashForward and V within it — I have to state I feel more of a Lost vibe in the premiere more than those other two series.

Regarding mucking up episode after episode with too much filler: I’m certain the executive producers will know how to craft the show so they don’t fall into those Lost episode territories. You know the terrain I’m talking about; where story arcs get so convoluted they end up leading nowhere, alienating the audience. I want to believe those head honchos (who have the likes of 24 and The 4400 and Eureka under their belts) know better than to get caught up in the pitfalls of episodic mire. Of course, future episodes of the program will be the tale of the tape. But from the get-go, this show looks to be one huge promising highlight in the glut of new shows which will make their way onto our television screens.

The pilot was terrific. The acting is top notch and engaging. The premise of the show? Mysterious and attractive. (And besides — it has Laura Innes. *swoon*)

I’ll be there come September 20th for the season premiere … despite the fact I’ve seen it already.

Join me and see what all the fuss is about …

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After his past season of Saturday Night Live, I thought a neat poll or contest to hold here would be predicting which famous people would likely guest host on the show next season. You can make a pretty good guess if you look at what movies are coming up (my money’s on Jeff Bridges to promote TRON) and who has a TV show or album to promote. For someone who’s an alumni and legend in the SNL community, Chevy Chase hasn’t guest hosted the show since 1997! But now having something new (and successful) to promote, with Community, he should be a shoe-in for guest hosting, right?

During the San Diego Comic-Con this past week, I got a chance to sit down with the cast of Community, including Chase. I found an opportunity to ask him what was up with any possible SNL guest hosting on the horizon.

Me: Is there any chance you’d be a guest on SNL, now that you’re on Community?

Chevy Chase: I don’t know … I think Lorne [Michaels] is angry at me for some reason.

Me: I thought I had heard something about that.

Chevy Chase: I don’t know why. I think it’s because I let Donald [Glover] into the room one night when we were watching something in Lorne’s office. (to Glover) Do you know why he’s angry?

Donald Glover: No. I don’t talk to him.

Chevy Chase: I think Lorne’s pissed at me. I’m not sure why. I’m really half kidding. I do like to go and watch the show and stuff. I did say once to Lorne, “Hey, now’s the time! I should be hosting! To promote my show.” And he sorta sneered. And then I realized, well, that’s because the other show, with Amy [Poehler] (Parks & Recreation)! Why would he promote mine? [Note: Later Chase said he meant Tina Fey, with 30 Rock.]

What do you think? Should we start another Facebook campaign and get people to demand Chase to guest host?

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To subscribe to the below schedule in iCal, copy this link and paste into the ‘Subscribe…’ menu item in iCal. You can also just click it to open iCal or even click to add to your iPhone calendar. The same link will work in a Google Calendar as well! Or see the calendar as a web page (also embedded at the bottom of this post). The calendar will update as new shows are added/changed.

* All times are in EDT PM, unless otherwise mentioned.

* New series premieres are in Bold Italics

SERIES PREMIERES/RETURNS

SEPTEMBER

Tuesday, September 7

10:00 Sons of Anarchy (FX)

Wednesday, September 8

8:00 America’s Next Top Model (CW)

9:00 Hellcats (CW)

10:00 Terriers (FX)

Thursday, September 9

8:00 The Vampire Diaries (CW)

9:00 Nikita (CW)

Saturday, September 11

8:00 Cops (FOX)

9:00 America’s Most Wanted (FOX)

Monday, September 13

8:00 90210 (CW)

9:00 Gossip Girl (CW)

Tuesday, September 14

8:00 One Tree Hill (CW)

9:00 Life Unexpected (CW)

Wednesday, September 15

8:00 Survivor: Nicaragua (CBS)

Thursday, September 16

10:00 It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)

10:30 The League (FX)

Monday, September 20

8:00 Chuck (NBC)

8:00 House (FOX)

8:00 Dancing With The Stars (ABC)

8:00 How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

8:30 Rules of Engagement (CBS)

9:00 Two and a Half Men (CBS)

9:00 The Event (NBC)

9:00 Lone Star (FOX)

9:30 Mike & Molly (CBS)

10:00 Chase (NBC)

10:00 Castle (ABC)

10:00 Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)

Tuesday, September 21

8:00 The Biggest Loser (NBC)

8:00 NCIS (CBS)

8:00 Glee (FOX)

9:00 Raising Hope (FOX)

9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)

9:30 Running Wilde (FOX)

10:00 Parenthood (NBC)

10:00 Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC)

Wednesday, September 22

8:00 Undercovers (NBC)

8:00 The Middle (ABC)

8:00 Hell’s Kitchen (FOX)

8:30 Better With You (ABC)

9:00 Criminal Minds (CBS)

9:00 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)

9:00 Modern Family (ABC)

9:30 Cougar Town (ABC)

10:00 The Whole Truth (ABC)

10:00 Law & Order: Los Angeles (NBC)

10:00 The Defenders (CBS)

Thursday, September 23

8:00 Community (NBC)

8:00 My Generation (ABC)

8:00 Bones (FOX)

8:00 The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

8:30 $#*! My Dad Says (CBS)

8:30 30 Rock (NBC)

9:00 CSI (CBS)

9:00 Fringe (FOX)

9:00 The Office (NBC)

9:00 Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

9:30 Outsourced (NBC)

10:00 The Apprentice (NBC)

10:00 Private Practice (ABC)

10:00 The Mentalist (CBS)

Friday, September 24

8:00 School Pride (NBC)

8:00 Smallville (CW)

8:00 Human Target (FOX)

8:00 Medium (CBS)

9:00 CSI: NY (CBS)

9:00 Supernatural (CW)

9:00 The Good Guys (FOX)

9:00 Dateline (NBC)

10:00 Outlaw (NBC)

10:00 20/20 (ABC)

10:00 Blue Bloods (CBS)

Saturday, September 25

8:00 Crimetime Saturday (CBS)

10:00 48 Hours Mystery (CBS)

Sunday, September 26

8:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)

8:00 The Simpsons (FOX)

8:30 The Amazing Race (CBS)

8:30 The Cleveland Show (FOX)

9:00 Family Guy (FOX)

9:00 Desperate Housewives (ABC)

10:00 Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

10:00 Undercover Boss (CBS)

Tuesday, September 28

8:00 No Ordinary Family (ABC)

9:00 Dancing With The Stars Results Show (ABC)

10:00 The Good Wife (CBS)

OCTOBER

Sunday, October 3

9:30 American Dad (FOX)

10:00 CSI: Miami (CBS)

NOVEMBER

Wednesday, November 10

8:00 Lie to Me (FOX)

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To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure where we are in the greater landscape that comprises the story line on Make It or Break It. And I’m not convinced that the brains behind the show know either … maybe they’re not bothering with the whole silly notion of cohesiveness?

All of a sudden there’s an urgency for the girls to come up with new floor routines. And not over an extended period of time … no, overnight, two months before the National Committee is set to pick the gymnasts who’ll be going to Worlds. When, next year? Who knows.

At what point are the gymnasts at The Rock just training to get better at their sport? Kaylie’s playing matchmaker with her parents, setting them up as her co-managers, which will inevitably lead them to fight even more because they clearly have different perspectives on her career (not to mention the damage it will inflict on said career). And her ridiculously dull anorexia story line is going to explode sooner rather than later, because she doesn’t have far to go (weight-wise) to begin with, and so will collapse and land in the hospital shortly.

Chloe’s named herself Emily’s new manager — not that she had an old one — and hired the world famous Lacey Grimes (Shanti Lowry) to choreograph Emily’s new floor exercise. One stolen routine and a miraculous recovery later, Emily’s tops. Like I asked above, did she never see Bring It On? Like the Rancho Carne Toros, you get out there and hold your head high. And anyway, her music was different, which made the routine virtually unrecognizable. Plus Emily’s back to being “Mom,” putting her foot down with Chloe? I thought we moved past that.

I realize that Payson’s struggling with her new reality, but she needs to suck it up, understand that Sasha’s trying to remold her into a different, but still champion, gymnast, and listen to what he has to say. He shouldn’t have had to drag her to the ballet in order to do so (no one should be forced to sit through the ballet) … she should know by now to trust her coaches.

I’m impressed that Carter finally told Lauren off, but if he thinks he’s seen the worst side of her…. And Sasha’s demented if he thinks Lauren “learned her lesson” after Emily got up and did her routine herself. We’re never going to be rid of Lauren if no one says anything to her about any of the awful things she does. And the show would be infinitely better without her.

I guess it’ll be cute for Sasha and Summer to date, as long as they don’t spend their time talking about God and the evils of pre-marital sex. Believe in whatever you want to believe in, but stop pushing it on others. I’m sure Sasha will respect Summer’s life choices, and not pressure her in any way, so why even make it a conversation? Do we really need her to proselytize on the show?

Oh, and Kaylie totally looked a chicken in her routine. Nice.

“What’s wrong?” – Carter
“Is our whole relationship just about sex?” – Lauren
“No … it’s about safe sex.” – Carter

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After I reviewed last week’s episode of Rescue Me, one commenter said he found it curious that Tommy Gavin had never really been depicted as rip-roaring, fall-down, embarrassingly all-out drunk.

That’s no longer the case, as last night’s “Blackout” was a wrenching portrait of a man who’s so out of control that everyone around him feared that his drinking ways could’ve possibly led to the death of his daughter, a burgeoning alcoholic who’s following in dear Daddy’s footsteps. And given that a young adult version of Connor’s ghost made an appearance early on in the episode, I felt that Colleen dying was a distinct possibility.

It was mighty ugly. The green stain around Tommy’s mouth and teeth (from shamelessly guzzling creme de menthe at some woman’s house to satiate his never-ending thirst for alcohol). The trail of destruction — the debris, the broken glass, busted furniture — in his family’s home and all over town. The venomous threats he directed at Janet about taking the kids away from her if indeed she and Franco had slept together. The emotional damage he brought into the lives of everyone who cares about him and his daughter when they couldn’t locate her, and his memory was spotty at best.

“Wine only” Tommy sucking down half a bottle of whiskey because he picked up on sexual tension between Janet and Franco (he was certain it’d been consummated) is one thing, as Tommy retreated to the bar’s backroom and tried to beat the hell out of the ghost of his dead cousin, and stop himself from thinking about his dead son asking him to watch him do a wheelie on his bike. This was pretty standard Tommy Gavin behavior, physically lashing out at the ghosts he carries with him.

But when an already drunk Colleen called and asked for his help, for Tommy to drive his truck to pick her up in the state he was in (as opposed to getting a cab), then to openly drink and drive while Colleen was there and recording him with her cell phone (she wanted to upload a “Dad driving drunk” video onto YouTube) was crossing the line, given that Connor, about whom Tommy was just thinking and whose death Tommy blames on ruining his marriage, was killed by a drunk driver.

Apparently Tommy no longer cares about lines or the consequences of what he does, because he and Colleen continued on into the night, going to bar after bar. At one point, they went home with a mother/son duo they picked up somewhere, then somehow wound up at the beach. After that, Tommy went to two more women’s homes — the blond woman who dressed him in women’s clothing and thong’s, and Sheila’s — all the while having pretty much forgotten that he’d been out drinking with his daughter.

When he woke up at home he received an irate call inquiring about Colleen’s whereabouts, and he dragged his pathetic self to the fire house as the guys brainstormed about where Colleen could be, and what had happened the night before.

It didn’t really come as a surprise to learn that lunatic Uncle Teddy and Mickey had laced that bottle of whiskey they’d given Tommy (which he’d been drinking the previous night) with something. The Gavin brain trust had hoped that once Tommy drank the poisoned whiskey he’d feel so ill that perhaps he’d finally get some help. Given that Teddy shot Tommy not so long ago, and is still hanging out with the rest of the Gavins, nothing surprises me about this family anymore. But to see Colleen inadvertently get poisoned with the whiskey intended for her father? That’s some bad karma biting the Gavin morons in the butt.

By the time they found her, lying in the sea grass near the water, I was virtually certain that she’d be dead. But she wasn’t, leading me to believe that there’s yet more room at “rock bottom” for Tommy to fall before he’s gone as far as he can, just this side of hell.

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I feel as if this isn’t the first time I’ve thought White Collar to be in the Thomas Crown Affair genre. It can’t be, right? I mean, Neal is so very Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan), the suave and sophisticated criminal who got his thrills by stealing priceless artwork (much like Tim Matheson’s Edward Walker robbing banks a few weeks back).

But never did it hit home as clearly as it did last night, when the thieves-of-the-week cut canvases out of their frames in order to steal them. All they needed was the picture of the man in the bowler with the apple for a face. Not that I’m complaining … just saying.

No, I’m very much not complaining. In fact, on the whole last night’s episode of White Collar just went to show why it’s such a wildly successful hit. It’s fun, entertaining, and the cast of characters play off one another wonderfully. Mozzie tap, tap, tapping his cane all day long? Peter relishing in revealing to Neal that he wasn’t the only criminal on the classes syllabus? They’re all awesome.

The only thing that gummed up the works was the Kate/music box plot. I’m as happy as anyone to see Alex (Gloria Votsis) return, but as Caffrey’s main squeeze and additional “street source” (not to suggest that Mozzie needs any help), not for the purposes of the greater Kate story.

The scene where Peter and Neal revealed to Diana and Jones that they were dealing with a “Copycat Caffrey” was scripted and acted brilliantly. So too was Neal’s stint as a guest lecturer in the criminology class. Once we got into the whole student/professor thing I started to drift a bit (my wife says I’m supposed to recognize Aidan Quinn, but I do not), and I hope that Michael Boatman is due a much broader role than he got last night (otherwise, why bother casting him?), but then Jonesy going undercover snapped me right back into it. And Peter playing a Chicago Mafioso while being fed lines by Mozzie, the least physically imposing crook ever? There aren’t enough accolades in the world to recognize the talent and brilliance behind this show.

Closing the episode with the arrest of the professor’s students was inevitable, but I loved how Peter took that opportunity to recruit for the FBI. Neal insisting that he had basically turned himself in was a criminal’s pride at its finest. It’s an impressive feat — but one accomplished brilliantly on the show — when we’re able to love the “bad” (in this case “do bad things”) guy.

But like I said above, I’m not really into the other arc the show is following this season, the one that we keep getting pulled back into after the last commercial break. Knowing White Collar so far, the payoff may actually be worth all of this, but I think the show is rock solid without the additional hook, that extra mystery.

It made sense last season because Kate was the reason Neal broke out of prison and wanted to stay out of prison. And it makes sense for Caffrey to pursue the mystery behind her alleged death, both because he loved her and because he was the likely target of that bomb. But for Peter and Diana to be studying a music box? For them to be spending so much time on a story that’s obviously going to blow up between Neal and Peter when Neal learns that “Peter was lying to him,” leading Neal to go off on his own and the FBI to hunt him down again for breaking his deal?

If I can script it myself, is it really worth bothering with?

“Slash and grab … frame’s too high.” – Neal to Peter, on the unlikelihood that Mozzie stole the painting

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I know you’ve noticed it: Mark Sheppard is everywhere. Keith thinks he noticed it first, but we’re all on top of things. We don’t miss a trick, nope, not us. I don’t know about you, but I love that Mark Sheppard is everywhere.

Since Keith has written his post about Mark Sheppard invading his TV, in multi-episode roles on shows such as Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, Leverage and Dollhouse, he’s shown up on even more shows we watch — Warehouse 13, Supernatural and Chuck.

He’s even done some one-episode roles that have been memorable — Star Trek: Voyager, Silk Stalkings, X-Files, and more recently White Collar and Burn Notice.

It begs the question, does Mark Sheppard just know how to pick a great role, or does he just bring something so special to the table no matter what role he gets? Probably it’s a combination of both, but I know that every time I see him pop up on another favorite show, I get giddy. I love this guy.

If I had to pick a favorite role, I’d have to go with Sterling on Leverage (though Crowley on Supernatural might be tied for the win….). He helped make season one the masterpiece that it was and even Ivey says we need more Sterling to make season three not suck (his word, not mine).

How about you — what’s your favorite Mark Sheppard multi-episode role?

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Bob:

I think we’ve had enough griping and nitpicking for a little while, so I wanted to go to a more positive place this week. I know we’re both quite fond of TNT’s Leverage. One of the high points of the show is the quirky and likable characters. So, the question then becomes: which one is your favorite? And I’m not going to let you get away with sitting on the fence, like you did with your favorite new comedy.

Certainly, it’s not an easy question, and sort of a moot one considering that so much of the charm comes from the chemistry between all the characters. I think they are all fun. Nate is a tad dry, and certainly not as quirky as the rest of the bunch, but he serves his purpose as leader and straight man. Back in season one Sophie was a blast (remember all the bad acting gigs?), but since last season she has become a lot less exciting as the show has tried to push her and Nate together. That leaves the motley crew of Hardison, Parker, and Eliot. They are definitely the most colorful of the team, each with their own unique quirks.

If I’m picking, I would have to say that Hardison is probably my favorite. He’s got the snark working for him, he can spin a great pop culture reference unlike anyone else on the show, and his skills may be the most useful to the team. Parker’s got the crazy, and Eliot has the quiet intensity, but Hardison always seems like he’s having more fun than anyone else. Heck, even when he’s doing Sophie’s job he seems to do it better than her.

Who’s your favorite?

Debbie:

Unlike my indecision on my favorite new comedy of the season, this is a question I can definitively answer. I completely agree with you that the way the characters play off each other is the best part of the show, but hands-down, Eliot is my favorite character and I can tell you exactly why.

You’re right — as much as the team needs Nate and Sophie (though I could argue that I could live with Tara instead of Sophie) they are straighter than the other three. Parker’s been established as the crazy one, which she does well, and Hardison’s great for all the reasons that you stated.

Eliot is my favorite because he’s full of both consistencies and surprises. He knows a lot about many obscure subjects, and it’s always because he slept with a girl who was a [insert obscure job here]. Consistent. He will also consistently kick anyone’s ass and the fight scenes are consistently choreographed to perfection. Clearly he’s never slept with a computer nerd, another consistency that always brings the laughs.

OK, you say “quiet intensity,” but just when you think that’s all there is, he caters a wedding, plays a spot-on game of darts, croons a country tune, and who knows what else. He’s always surprising us as more layers of his personality are revealed and it’s so much fun.

And please, can someone get me more Eliot flashbacks.

Bob:

Eliot is a good choice (and the one that I thought you were going to make). I feel like we need a third person in this conversation just to show Parker some love, because her character is pretty awesome. She’s got the socially awkward craziness that really works for laughs, and as we saw recently with her relationship with Hardison, she can tug the heart strings a bit too.

At the end of the day though, it’s still Hardison for me. I think the show would really fall apart without his character.

Debbie:

Yes, Eliot is a good choice, and so is Hardison. That’s really the beauty of Leverage — there is no bad choice. The characters are great. I do love the way Parker has softened up a bit when it comes to the interpersonal relationships. Still missing the flashbacks….

Bob:

That horse is dead, Deb, you can stop beating it now.

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Leading up to Covert Affairs’ premiere, I made a point to block out as much information about the show as I could. Other than casting news, and the basic logline of the show, I managed to keep myself pretty well in the dark (Thus my surprise to see James Parriott in the credits last week). One my other surprises, though, was finding out in the pilot that Chris Gorham’s character, Auggie Anderson, was blind. It is an interesting choice, and one that I think works very well for the actor, the character, and the show.

I’m one of the last people who’d claim to know, on a technical level, how well Gorham is portraying Auggie as a man who lost his sight in his adult life. I’m just going to assume that the work is good, and move on. I’m interested in how the writing team will play his ongoing reaction to his loss. Sure, Auggie seems to have adjusted well, playing along with the little jokes, like the ribbing he took when he said Annie looks like a cheerleader. I think though, that his real story this season will be about his inability to handle not being the CIA officer he once was.

It was just one subtle clue this week; Auggie going to Georgetown to watch Annie work. Twice. It is one part “jonesing for fieldwork” as he said, and one part his feelings for Annie. Not too developed or obvious yet, but they’re there, manifesting themselves as jealousy and the whole protective thing he’s got going on. I look forward to seeing where both of those storylines take us.

I know it might be a little thing to everyone else, but this whole thing with the CIA operating on domestic soil really bothers me. It is one of the major tenets of the work that the company does, and it is completely ignored here. Between that, and the crappy tradecraft of the agents in Caracas (that has to the worst brush pass ever to be seen on television … Please, guys, watch Leverage to see how it is done), there is room for improvement on the technical side of things.

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From sixteen to four. And four remain, as nobody was beheaded last night. I thought we’d just get that right out of the way. I have enough suspense in my life at the moment, don’t you? I moved. I’m a sweaty mess. And I think I’ve taken up biting my nails again. Also! Get this! I took part in a FOX-sponsored conference call with my Gordon yesterday, and he never got to my question! That seals it. He really is trying to avoid me. *sound of heart breaking*

Aside from that Mrs. Lincoln, let’s jaw about this week’s episodic delight that was Hell’s Kitchen.

My hate affair with Benjamin grows. I haven’t heard so much boasting about such little talent, since that guy I dated in the 90’s. You have to have the skills when you continually talk such smack, and he plainly doesn’t. I passed annoyed at Benjamin two weeks ago. Now I am stalled at the corner of Irritated and Itchy, and I need a jump start, please.

More Benjamin quotes …

“I am gonna f’ing bury these girls.”
“I’m the only person who can beat Jay.”
“I could win this competition easily.”

You get the idea. Groan! I’m groaning!

As all these statements by Benjamin are peppered through the show, we watch as he loses the challenge to Jay. He’s got a supposed background in culinary teaching, and yet he lost a teaching challenge? Ben didn’t even make sure his bachelor student washed his hands! And when he found out the dude didn’t, he shrugged. Shrugged! Shame on you, Ben. That’s just gross.

Being a womanly kind of chick, I also noticed that Ben is on an out and out attack on Holli, because he is a putrid shade of green over Holli and Jay’s possible “bom chicka wow wow” status. Ben gets really pissed when Jay picks Holli to go on his reward trip with him. But he lets us know that he “would have like to have gone, but I’m not gonna sleep with Jay.” After a few more digs he just comes out and calls her a tramp. He did. Really.

Dinner service was the best yet. But it didn’t start out that way. I fail to see why Ben can’t behave the way Gordon wants him to. As in, communicate with his teammates! Chef Ramsay has gotten on Ben’s back and rode him about this more times than my mother has lamented the fact than I’m not a TV star. And that’s a lot, people.

Ben has admitted he shuts down when it’s busy. He’s admitted he’s scared of my Gordon, but he hasn’t even tried to change. At this point, let’s fast forward to next week, and just get rid Autumn and Ben. I see it in the cards. But it’s obvious, so I won’t take any credit.

Autumn is so adept at flying low under the radar, that she should be a test pilot. I had to chortle when the families were brought in at the end of the show. Autumn’s sitting with her boyfriend and actually tells him, “They’re intimidated by me, so they just keep nominating me (for elimination).” Uh yeah. I’m sure that’s the reason, Autumn. Some people only think what they want to think, despite everything going on around them. Groan! I’m groaning again!

It’ll be interesting to watch Holli and Jay go head to head for this title. And I didn’t mean to imply anything dirty by that. It just came out that way. It happens! But first, the inevitable gouging of Autumn and Ben next week. That is, unless my intuition is off. Which is very well may be. Did I mention I moved and I’m a sweaty mess and Gordon didn’t get to me in the conference call? I did? Oh. Nevermind, then.

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Brenda isn’t exactly known for being decisive in her personal life, so it wasn’t exactly shocking to see that she’s been carrying around her Police Chief application for the past week or so– or that she hadn’t even bothered to tell Fritz about the job. The poor guy had to find out by being interrogated by the LAPD about his drinking problem.

Fritz, of course, thinks she should go for the job (he especially likes the part about the position coming with bodyguards). But safety isn’t his only concern. He also tells Brenda that getting a little emotional distance from her cases may be a good thing. Considering that by the end of the episode, she’s putting grandparents in prison, he may be onto something.

I’m not terribly invested in this storyline. It’s interesting, but I haven’t been able to see a real narrative reason to have Brenda take over Chief Pope’s job. That dude’s job seems boring. It’s a lot of bitching at people and trying to please the mayor. Plus, Chief Pope doesn’t get sweet confessions out of people like Brenda does. The show is called The Closer, after all. Not The Administrator.

However, Fritz’s comment at the end of the episode about Brenda looking outside of the department for her replacement, certainly brings up some interesting possibilities. With the exception of Captain Raydor, we haven’t really had any new characters introduced on this show, so adding a brand-new series regular would be a big shake-up.

Personally, I’m all for it. I love The Closer, but in its sixth season, you need to shake things up a bit. Every episode shouldn’t end with Brenda staring someone down as they tearfully cry, “I did it!” I’d love to see someone new in the department every day– but I still can’t figure out how they’ll make Brenda’s new job interesting.

What do you think? Is Brenda going to turn in her application? Does The Closer need some new blood?

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I went into the No Ordinary Family panel with nary a pre-conceived notion.

The panel was pleasant enough. Actors Michael Chiklis (The Shield) and Julie Benz (Dexter) were engaging and enthusiastic about the show. Everyone in attendance at the panel was treated to the premiere episode, which was clean and bright and rather interesting, and had its moments.

… but …

… there was something underlying within it that just wasn’t quite clicking for me.

Both Keith and I have seen the premiere and we’re in agreement: We want this show to be good … but both of us have a feeling it might not turn out as well as it could. View the trailer and see if you can glean what we mean.  There just seems to be some halting, stop/start awkwardness evident.

The proof is just going to be in the pudding, so to speak. And the September 28th premiere on ABC isn’t that far off.

A few episodes in, I could change my mind and be completely and totally on board with this show.

Come on, new fall season….

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When I first saw NBC’s Community, I hadn’t seen Mad Men or Alison Brie — who plays a character on both shows — before. Shortly after first seeing her in Community, I told Deb I thought she could pull off playing Buffy Summers. She didn’t see what I was talking about, but I think I made a point of telling her that every week that Community was on.

This past weekend, Alison Brie was at the San Diego Comic-Con to support and promote Community, along with most of her castmates. There was a party the night before the Community panel, put on by NBC, where I was able to casually talk to some of the cast. And, of course, I couldn’t help but ask Brie if I was alone in thinking that she resembled Sarah Michelle Gellar.

While I don’t have a direct quote from her, she did tell me that she’s been told she looks like Buffy before and, in fact, was cast as a parody of Buffy in a never-picked-up pilot called Not Another High School Show. Vindicated, at last! I mean, look at her in the photo above — she looks like Buffy, am I right?

I took a look at Brie’s IMDb page and, sure enough, she is credited as “Muffy” in the show. A little more digging around turned up a short trailer, but it doesn’t show Brie’s character. However, it turns out there’s a series on iTunes called “The Lost Pilots” that contains a few shows that never got picked up, including the one for Not Another High School Show. I downloaded the episode to get you the screen shot above, and to see what the deal was with this show.

As far as what the show is all about, let’s just say I’m sure Brie is much happier where she’s at now. The show basically parodies a slew of high school-themed TV shows and movies, including The O.C., Teen Wolf, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson’s Creek, Beverly Hills 90210, and a bunch more I’m sure I’m forgetting. It has its funny parts, but a good deal of it is lewd and crass. The first scene Brie was involved in was cringe-inducing. Here’s a hint: just think of the character’s name for a moment. Yeah.

Honestly, if I had known that pilot existed on iTunes, and had watched it before I saw Brie at Comic-Con, I wouldn’t have asked her about it. It’s likely it’s a role she’d rather soon forget. But at least I can stop bugging Deb when Community and Mad Men are on.

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Season One, Episode Eight, “Cupid & Psycho”

The Shield is full of characters I can’t really stand. It is ironic that Vic Mackey is a pretty bad guy, and I still like him more than people like Aceveda and Julien. The rookie cop is just a weak character, and the Captain is only looking out for himself. The trials and tribulations of the rest of the team are interesting, but these two plain piss me off.

Aceveda’s motives diminish anything positive he might be doing. Sure, he can talk about wanting to get Mackey and his crew off of the street, but he’s really just looking for the big headline that will catapult him into public office. As I’ve talked about in the past, selling out his first career will not help him down the road in his second. You can’t be the “Tough on Crime” candidate in any election and hope to do well without the endorsements of the police unions.

Switching up who was partnering with whom in this episode was a bit of fun. Dutch and Shane are, as actor Jay Karnes (Dutch) alluded to in the DVD commentary, about as much polar opposites as two cops can be. Both, it must be noted, are effective in their own ways (that is, at least when Shane isn’t being a total idiot), and were surprisingly successful together.

Even more fun a pairing was Wyms and Mackey. These two are much more experienced, and thus much more effective. Their approach, with the whole “Your Turn, My Turn” thing, may have even seemed more juvenile, but it actually led these two to learn from each other. I’m not sure Dutch or Shane would even open themselves up to that possibility.

It was interesting to see the crazy love triangle of complaints that Dani and Julien handled in the pilot until it ended. I’m not sure why they would have brought back these actors just to play a couple of scenes, and then kill two of them off. I hope there’s more to the story that we see in later episodes, because otherwise it just seems like a waste.

Notes & Quotes

• Not going to lie, when the guy in the trunk moved his eyes, it freaked me out.
• Fraternities always get the worst reputation on television and film … I’ve yet to see a portrayal that is anywhere near my experience.
• The stuff with Mackey’s daughter was pretty touching, especially the tag at the end.

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Oh. My. Gordness.

I was at the Bob’s Burgers panel at Comic-Con last week.

I almost didn’t go. Didn’t know anything about it … never heard of it.

But man … am I glad I treated myself to an hour’s worth of what this new FOX series is all about. The high-larity between the panel’s voice-over actors, and within the clip the audience saw during the panel, was guffaw-inducing.

The basic premise of the show, short and sweet, is a family who runs a burger joint. Nothing special … until you get the actors mixing it up. The short, seven minute preview we got a taste of had everyone in stitches. Some of the banter was so rapid-fire, it was difficult to pay attention while wiping away tears of laughter. Unfortunately, the clip is not available, but part of the Bob’s Burger panel — direct from Comic-Con — is offered below for your dining and dancing pleasure:

High praise is due to executive producers/writers (and creator) Loren Bouchard and Jim Dauterive for bringing on board comedians Eugene Mirman (middle child Gene on Bob’s Burgers; Flight of the Conchords; Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and Kristen Schaal (youngest child Louise on the show; Flight of the Conchords; Modern Family), two outstanding comedians who are funnier than all get-out on this highly anticipated FOX offering due January, 2011.

And here’s more of the cast and crew from the show during Comic-Con:

I’m looking forward with extreme anticipation to this new FOX mid-season show. If you’re a fan of Futurama, Family Guy and Archer, you should be as well.

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(Season 1, Episodes 1-5)

I’ve struggled this summer to find something to keep my attention. I’ve been through a few different series and finally found something to hold my interest: The Tudors. I missed the series when it was first on the air, but it always got high praise. A lot of that praise came from a very unlikely source: my parents. My father barely watches any television, so when he actually likes a show, it definitely catches my attention.

I used to always poke fun at my parents, telling them that they only liked the show because of all the sex. After watching the first half of season one, I can see why so many people commented on the frequent and intense sex scenes. However, just as Deadwood was not all about the cursing, The Tudors is really not all about the sex.

Don’t get me wrong, King Henry was clearly a big hornball. History, aside from the show, has pretty much shown this. I mean, the guy had six wives, and at least two historically recognized mistresses. Mel Brooks said it best: It’s good to be the king. Of course, as the first half of the season showed, it’s also kind of hard to be the king. There is certainly a lot of politicking and manipulation on the series, and I really dig it. Watching Henry stumble through treaties with the French and then Spanish has been fun, and Wolsey’s plottings are devious and intricate.

One thing I heard from multiple people about the series was how much they hated Jonathan Rhys Meyer’s performance as Henry VIII. I’m not too far into the series, but he hasn’t really been bothering me yet. Sure, up against old pros like Sam Neill and Jeremy Northam (who are both excellent), he doesn’t quite stack up, but I’m not seeing the trouble in the performance that I heard so much about. Then again, I didn’t really see why everyone was so down on Joseph Fiennes in FlashForward until about halfway through the series. One performance that I think has really stood out is Maria Doyle Kennedy as Katherine of Aragon. Henry’s first queen is really a bit of a tragic character in the show, watching her husband (who she seems devoted to) father a bastard child (proudly) and then woo one of her maids.

Henry is a very interesting character so far. Obviously, he is arrogant to the point of comedy. Between challenging the French king to a wrestling match and then wanting to back out of the treaty because he lost; and nearly drowning in a ditch after failing to jump it, he has proven that his ego is a little bigger than his head or his abilities. It certainly makes for an entertaining show, though.

It seems that back in the day there was a serious shortage of names. I mean, come on, were there really that many people named Tom? Henry’s advisor? Thomas More. Scheming duke of Norfolk? Thomas Howard. Scheming Bishop? Thomas Wolsey. Henry’s spy? Thomas Cromwell. Father of Anne and Mary? Thomas Boleyn. Court musician? Thomas Tallis. Seriously, it’s a little ridiculous.

I’m looking forward to finding out how the first season is going to play out. I’ve been trying my best to avoid Wikipedia, but I’m just too curious about discovering where the truth and fiction part that I find myself getting spoiled by some of the facts of history. Oh well, it isn’t ruining my enjoyment, that’s for sure.

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