Glee - Sectionals, S01E13

As our favourite glee club kicked ass at sectionals, the story lines that have been carrying through from episode to episode concluded...sort of.

I really don't like Mercedes. I do like Amber Riley, even though I was not particularly stirred by her ballad performance at the beginning of the episode, but Mercedes? She's a bitch who told Puck (Mark Salling) not to both Quinn (Dianna Agron) about his own son, and then told everyone in glee club about him being the father. I know, I know, I completely relate to Rachel (Lea Michele) because she is so very much like I was in high school. Perhaps not so different from how I am now.

Mercedes just makes me want to punch her. But then, apparently Rachel makes people want to set themselves on fire, so how bad can Mercedes be.

And I'm really glad that Rachel told Finn (Cory Monteith) about the baby. He deserved to know. Quinn had no right to lie to him about that, and much as I like her and understand, she was just as wrong as Terri (Jesslyn Gilsig). Yes, Rachel told him for the wrong reason (because she's in love with Finn), but she did do the right thing. I'm proud of her. And the best part was when Finn was the bigger man and saved the glee club at sectionals, but told Puck that, no, they weren't cool.

You might have expected sectionals to be the moment that blew you away; for me, it wasn't. Sure, they performed well, but it wasn't really a show stopper. Even the last song of the season wasn't a show stopper. The thing that made my heart stop was the moment between Will (Matthew Morrison) and Emma (Jayma Mays). Not the last few seconds of the episode, but at Emma and Ken's wedding. Where there was no Ken.

Will had just left his wife, and Emma knew she was in love and that she had to go. The way Will took her arm, and his eyes drifted hesitantly to her face, and he said "I just left my wife." and she said, "you just left your wife." The pain and love, the intensity of that scene was just fantastic.

And so we wait until April, where there will be more of the same shenanigans. Sue will return and continue to be a pain; Quinn will have a baby on her own; Will and Emma will be together, but Terri can't be completely out of that picture and neither can Ken...or can they?

All I ask is that the writers realize that show tunes are really powerful performance pieces and they should be used more frequently, as was originally intended. Also, we want a little bit more of a through line, and one that isn't quite so ridiculous. Glee is great, there is no denying that, but for the moment, it remains in the moment. It needs something to give it true lasting power that will make it a classic. And that requires solid, memorable, and well-conceived plots.

But tell me your thoughts. Am I too hard on Mercedes? Was sectionals just not up to par? Were Will and Emma too perfect for words? What will happen when Glee returns?

Melrose Place - Murder solved and I'm so glad I don't watch anymore

A little while back, I was watching the new Melrose Place, ever week wondering if the next would be my last. Between Katie Cassidy as Ella, Stephanie Jacobsen as Lauren, and Shaun Sipos as David, someone usually gave me something that got me to come back. Then, the week of Heather Locklear's much advertised return, I simply didn't bother to turn it on.

While Melrose Place was never so bad that I turned it off mid episode or vowed at the end of one to never watch again, it still stopped being enough to drag me back. With so many good shows on, why would I continue to suffer through it.

That said, I'll still give the show one final rant, and again hope that it gets cancelled so that the find actors I mentioned above (And I am NOT talking about Locklear) can get rolls on shows I want to watch. Plus, is Victor Webster's guest spot as Caleb over? Because if they got rid of him in favour of Locklear, that was ludicrous.

The murder mystery is finally solved, and no, the murderer was neither Ashlee Simpson-Wentz's insane Violet or Colin Egglesfield useless Auggie. What is the point of having 2 main characters that no one liked leave the show without putting the blame on one of them for the murder? Instead, it turned out that Michael (Thomas Calabro)'s wife Vanessa (Brooke Burns) killed Sidney (Laura Leighton) when she learned of the affair. Apparently she was also banging David...so everyone who wants Michael also wants his son even though the two are nothing alike?

My biggest issue with that is that it could only have remotely begun to emerge since I quit watching - did they really have no clue from the beginning who the murderer was? And if that was the case, why did they pick an unimportant secondary character when either Violet or Auggie would have been a much better fit? Whatever, I'm not watching anymore so how much can I really care?

And so, for those of you who like this ridiculous drama, keep a watching; as for me, if I need this kind of perpetual ridiculousness in my life, either I'll keep watching Stargate Universe (grrr) or I'll tune back into General Hospital before it gets cancelled like Guiding Lights and As the World Turns. (That's right, As the World Turns will be leaving the air next September).

White Collar - The Portrait, S01E05

On White Collar this week, we got to witness Peter (Tim DeKay) and Neal (Matthew Bomer) recover some of their awesome rapore and witty repartee, as well as meet the elusive Kate.

When a privately owned painting was stolen from a home, Peter and Neil set out to recover it. Peter was concerned about the temptation of the painting, fearing Neil would steal it, and he was not wrong. After some dealing, Neal stole the painting from the original thief, and then made a counterfeit of it. Only, he didn't do it for himself. He did it because a museum was claiming ownership when the private owner had the true right.

I've heard rumours that White Collar may be rethought a little before it comes back after the Christmas hiatus, when it will be airing on Tuesdays instead of Fridays. I'm not sure what they are planning to rethink - the only thing I wish was different (though that may change after I've viewed the 6th and 7th episodes, which have already aired and are the last in December) is I wish the writers would give Bomer and DeKay a few more opportunities for banter, and that they would review what made it spark in the premiere and recapture that. I love Ellie (Tiffani Theissan) and Peter's relationship, I love Mozzie (Willie Garson) and that Neal also has someone to rely on. I think the show has a great concept, and I am excited to learn more about the ongoing arc about Kate.

Speaking of Kate, we actually got to meet her this episode, and I was not impressed. With her, I mean. Though Neal refused to hand over his stash to the man with the ring because he knew it was all the leverage he had, and once he handed it over, there was nothing ensuring Kate's safety, I couldn't help but thinking that I did not trust Kate, and that I could not understand why Neal felt the way he does about her. I will be interested to see if she is indeed betraying him, as I suspect now, or if the scene was poorly directed or acted. Neal's dedication to her cannot be doubted. Then again, she may have been being watched when she contacted him, but I'm not sure. It is a mystery, and I love how slowly yet consistently it is unraveled.

What is your opinion on Kate?

FlashForward - A561984, S01E10

FlashForward has come to then end of its Fall run, now off the air until March 4th. The final moments of the episode had my heart racing, but up until then, the plot development was no different from previous episodes, and I lack the urgent need to find out what happens next.

That may not be a bad thing. With so much time to wait before a conclusion is revealed, built up urgency may well simply burn itself out, leaving me uninterested because I've gotten over it. But the questions I still want to have answered will continue to nag at my intellect, and though I will not count the days, when March 4th does arrive, I intend to be watching.

Despite many issues, particularly the writers not allowing the proper time for characters to turn on emotions, there is a mystery that I want to see develop. It may lack the need for immediate answers, but there is nothing wrong with an informative walk through the park.

And Zoey (Gabrielle Union)'s storyline gave me the emotional tie-in to the characters to really care whether Demetri (John Cho) survives. Frankly, I'd rather see Mark (Joseph Fiennes) die for all the ridiculous actions he has performed of late.

When Zoey realized that she had not seen her wedding, but a memorial service for Demetri, she was devastated, and we were devastated right along with her. We also learnt that, though it was only 2 minutes and 17 seconds, not everyone remembered every detail of the entire situation. Perhaps Zoey blocked it out because it was too painful, perhaps one day we will find out.

And so, if you have stayed with FlashForward for its first 10 episodes, I suspect you will be willing to return to it in March. Am I wrong? Are you abandoning ship? Or are you staying, and far more nervous and excited about what will happen next than I am? Give me your thought.