Bones - The Boy with the Answer, S05E21

With only 1 more episode of season 5 of Bones, and with my unimpressed response to this penultimate episode of the season, despite it being a good episode, I am fairly certain Bones will not be a priority show for me in the Fall. It's sad, but it's true, and this episode is a good example why.

When we watched the first Gravedigger episode, I was on the edge of my seat. It didn't matter that the likelihood of two main characters being killed off was very low, the process of saving them, the tasks they had to accomplish to prolong the time they had left to live, and the desperate admission of Hodgins (T. J. Thyne) that he loved Angela (Michaela Conlin) combined to create a beautiful, stressful, and terrific episode.

The follow up, so long awaited, was disappointing in comparison, and this final round was even more so. Why, if Bones (Emily Deschannel) has been having nightmares about it have we heard nothing about the case since last season? Why hadn't we known the case was coming before the episode happened? There was no build up, no tension, no concern about the outcome of the case until the episode started. And there just wanted enough time to really care.

Then, we have Brennan's out of the blue concern that her new ability to identify with other people's emotions may have compromised her logic and judgement. Seriously? She has tried so hard to learn to be empathetic and now, because of one case, suddenly she doesn't want to help save lives anymore? This one case, because it is personal for her, will tip the balance for the dozens of murders she has helped solve, making her not want to be in the business because she's not good enough? Where's the next closest person with her skills - Montreal! It's not like her ability to figure out the truth, even clouded slightly, isn't still 100x better than anyone else's.

And did we seriously ever doubt that the grave digger would go to jail? Nope, because Bones isn't fun like that anymore. No serial killer, no repeat offenders, no seasonal big bads. So why should I care about the next case? I know they are going to solve it. And now that Hodgins and Angela are married, I really have nothing to hold out for.

I doubt the season finale will change my mind. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The Mentalist - Red Letter, S02E22

Compared to many of the episodes of this season, I was actually quite satisfied with this one. Not only was there a character who was smart enough, capable enough to give Jane (Simon Baker) a run for his money, but the CBI team actually accomplished something without his help. Amazing. Now if only they would give that CBI a little more screen time, the show might get back into my good books.

Murder, politics, human trafficking, prostitution - this episode certainly brought out the dregs of society. And to make Jane's job all the more difficult, psychic Kristina Frye (Leslie Hope) has appeared again. While she and Jane both make similar observations, him from observing, her from the interpretation of the messages of the dead, it was not possible to discern who was playing whom. Which I loved. I loved that they were in the elevator, and neither could actually figure out who had convinced the other to do what the first had wanted because both wanted the same thing.

Also, I loved that without Jane's help, Cho (Tim Kang), Rigsby (Owain Yeoman), and Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) were able to break a ring of human traffickers. Not only is that a fantastic accomplishment, but for once I felt as if the team could actually solve something without Jane and his convoluted plans.

I hope Kristina is back. Not only is she enjoyable, but she makes a good foil for Jane. She is a believer, while he is cynical, and yet both are very intelligent. She is not an easy target for Jane, unlike every single other character we've met...except Red John, whom we have not actually met...so...um.

Anyway, next episode is the season finale. I hope it involves Red John, I hope it involves all the characters of the show, not just Jane, and I hope it is awesome enough that The Mentalist keeps a spot on my list of shows.

Stargate Universe - Pain, S01E17

Although I would have named this episode Fear rather than Pain, this episode is just further proof that the writers of the series have figured out how to bring the show back to the quality expected from the Stargate franchise.

This episode played with the emotions, the relationships, and the kinds of things that had me dubbing this Stargate Melrose Place earlier in the season, but instead of addressing them in that kind of manner, they used science fiction themes instead.

Matthew Scott (Brian J. Smith) didn't go back to Earth to talk to his ex and discover he had a son, something mostly irrelevant to the plot. Instead, knowing about that son, he saw him running around the ship. Scott realized he was hallucinating, was able to then volunteer to have the tick causing it to be removed, and risk death. We understood his pain regarding his son without simply being told about it (until the end, when everyone summed up their fears).

It was also a brilliant way to show that James (Julia Benson) is still holding a torch for Scott, and that it is far more serious a thing than we knew before. So much so that her anger caused her to kill him. Luckily, she only struck her hallucination.

This is what I wanted for SGU. Again, a little bit more humour would be nice, but in the main they are now giving us the slightly darker, more emotional stargate that we were promised.

Miami Medical - Man on the Road, S01E07

Despite Miami Medical being cancelled, it will get a second season. Confused? Well, 13 episodes were filmed. 8 of those will consist of the first season, concluding on May 21. The final 5 will be aired as a second season, between June 4 and July 2. So we get 13 episodes in total, but 2 seasons, and no more than that because it was cancelled.

I'm actually quite disappointed that it was cancelled. It was definitely the best new medical drama to be aired this season. Then again, Mercy, Trauma, and Three Rivers were also cancelled, so calling it the best can be accurate without earning it a renewal.

This episode was yet another example of good television, focusing mainly on the medical ethics to be considered in the case of a DNR wish.

When a motorcycle accident victim is brought into the OR, Dr. Proctor (Jeremy Northam) opens his shirt to discover the words DO NOT RESUSCITATE tattooed to his chest. The man in only semi-lucid, and confused as to his age and his whereabouts.

It turns out that the DNR was a true reflection of the man's wishes - he had early onset Alzheimer's and so no point in extending his deteriorating life by the means of artificial ventilation and the like.

So don't forget to watch the Season 1 finale, as well as all of Season 2.

Supernatural - Swan Song, S05E22 - Season Finale

This episode was originally supposed to be the series finale, rather than simply a season finale. While I am glad that Supernatural will be around for another season, even if my fantasies about marrying either of the lead actors are no longer possible as Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are both now married, I would have been satisfied if the series had ended here...with a few minor changes.

I loved that, for once, the episode had narration. Chuck (Rob Benedict), the prophet, was the perfect voice to tell the story of the two boys. And that his narrative revolved around the impala, which was essentially the third main character, present with Sam (Padalecki) and Dean (Ackles) in every episode, was moving. We saw the flashbacks to previous episodes, previous season, we remembered all the $#!^ those boys went through to end up here, and we were glad to have been a part of it all.

When Sam gave his body to Lucifer, and all hope seemed lost, Dean did not give up hope. He did what he had to do to find his brother, to try and save the world. He was resigned to his own death, if it meant that Sam's sacrifice might not be in vain. And so, after watching Castiel (Misha Collins) get exploded by Lucifer for having used a Holy Oil Molotov Cocktail on Michael (Jake Abel) and Bobby (Jim Beaver) getting his neck broken, Dean took Lucifer's anger, only caring about getting through to Sammy.

Because of Dean, because of the Impala, because of everything that had happened over the last 5 seasons, Sam beat the Devil. He took back his body, opened the portal to Hell, and dove in, dragging Michael with him. And Dean, cured by a resurrected Cas, married the girl of his dreams and lived happily ever after...or something like that.

And had that been the ending of the series, I would have liked it. Yes, it would have been depressing as Hell, but a far more fitting end to the series than having everyone live happily ever after.

Instead, Bobby was resurrected too (which I would not have wanted if the series was ending. Body count, people. It was the end of the world; a body count is necessary). And, although Dean did go through with his promise, Sam somehow is back in the world of men.

I can't really predict how next season is going to go. All I can say is that I really hope that it does not make me wish that it had, in fact, ended this season with Dean getting the girl and Sam being in Hell.

Vampire Diaries - Founder's Day, S01E22 - Season Finale

This is the way seasons should end. There was drama, there was bloodshed, there was an epic massacre, and there remain a great number of unknowns going into next season which make me SO angry that September is so far away. Of course, I then think about the warm summer temperatures and realize I will survive, but, still, I hate the wait.

We knew a massacre was coming. The vampires had been planning to decimate Mystic Falls, the humans had been planning to stop them and kill them in return. It turned out that Bonnie (Katerina Graham)'s decision not to deactivate the anti-vampire device actually saved the town. Lucky for her - Elena (Nina Dobrev) couldn't be too upset about it.

Still, despite knowing it was coming, I had no idea how it was going to go down and who would end up dead by the end. Despite my love of body counts, there weren't any characters I actually wanted to see gone. Villainous or kindly, they are all awesome and interesting.

When the device worked, and the vampires were dragged to the basement of an old shop, I was concerned to see Damon (Ian Somerhalder) being captured by John (David Anders), but far more upset to see Anna (Malese Jow) pulled from Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen). He knew they were going to kill her, but he was too run down to fight them for her. I loved that Alaric (Matt Davis) prevented Stefan (Paul Wesley) from being taken, and I suspect if he had been in the position to do so, he would have done the same thing for Damon.

Mayor Lockwood also ended up in that basement, though he was definitely not a vampire. I guess there was a flaw in the plan, since one of the people implementing it ended up dead (and I loved that a vamp simply broke his neck rather than having him wait for the flames). Worse, though, was that poor Tyler (Michael Trevino) was equally affected, causing an accident that has Caroline (Candice Forbes) in critical condition.

Other major highlights for me were:

- when John killed Anna before the fire. Perhaps he should have done the same to Damon, but there was a certain amount of increased protectiveness for Jeremy. Elena loves Stefan, not Damon, after all.

- Bonnie helped Damon escape the flames. Perhaps simply for Elena, but probably also because Damon thanked her for saving his life when she had not in fact done so. Some part of her realizes that he is not so evil after all.

- Damon and Jeremy's conversation which led to Jeremy possibly turning himself into a vampire. A little weird that he would try to die by drug overdose - usually that's more a female thing...but it was probably the easiest way to leave us uncertain of whether he will still be human next season.

- Damon confessing to Elena that he was confused by his new desire to protect Mystic Falls. It was friendly, while emotional, and when he kissed her cheek, it was the innocent act of a friend. But her body language, her attitude, transformed that innocence into the desire to act on something he did not mean to act on, and Damon leaned in for the kiss. I was annoyed when Elena kissed back, glad when Jenna (Sara Canning) interrupted them and ordered Elena inside, and finally freaked out when I realized that Jenna had just given permission to Katherine to enter their house.

- When John confessed to Katherine, thinking she was Elena, the feelings he had had for Isobel, and what he was doing and why, my heart broke to think that Elena would never hear her birth father say those words to her. John should have been far more careful in the presence of a woman wielding a knife, but his ring made him sloppy. And he paid for it.

With a fantastic body count, the introduction of a villain far more awful than anyone we've met until know, the presence of werewolves as well as witches and vampires, and 2 lives which hang in the balance, next season promises to be as excellent as this one was.

Happy Town - Polly Wants a Crack at Her, S01E03

Although Happy Town has been bumped for the rest of May Sweeps, and will likely not be renewed after the last 5 episodes are aired starting June 2, I'm enjoying it. Apparently we will learn who the magic man is by the end of the run, so hopefully that will be enough closure, but with all the crazy, I sadly doubt it.

This week was more subdued than the last; the new complications were far less overt and in your face, which was a nice change in tone.

We still had new developments in the shape of a love interest for Henley (Lauren German). Aiden (Warren Christie) is a very attractive and charming young man who just happens to also be the 5th Stiviletto brother and who lifted the weird hammer off of Henley. She got played. Aiden (or Greggy as he is called by his brothers) also has it out for Tommy Conroy (Geoff Stults).

Things are not going well for Tommy. Though he is not yet aware of the return of Aiden, who is supposed to spend 2 more years in jail, he did have to arrest Andrew Haplin (Ben Schnetzer), which has him in trouble with the Haplin family. He's also trying to delay the inevitable arrest of his best friend Dave (Abraham Benrubi) for the murder that started off the series. And if that wasn't bad enough, his darling wife, Rachel (the talented Amy Acker) was apparently just carried off by the Magic Man. Things are not going well at all.

My current theory is that Aiden is somehow the Magic Man. That whatever the Sheriff was talking about before he cut his hand off - now that blood has been spilled, the Magic Man will return after 5 years - has brought Aiden back 2 years earlier than expected. Then again, Merritt Grieves (Sam Neill) did give Rachel and her daughter the notebook that she had when she disappeared.

But we won't know anymore until June 2, and we may never know enough.

Glee - Laryngitis, S01E18

What makes you who you are, and what would you be without it?

Is Rachel (Lea Michelle) worth anything without her voice? Can Puck (Mark Salling) still be cool without his hair? Is Mercedes (Amber Riley) just as fashionable when she only wears Cheerio uniforms? Does Kurt (Chris Colfer) still moisturize when he's not gay?

Glee continues to be hilarious, give us great music, and demonstrate how multi-talented its cast is.

As the characters suffered identity crises, we were gifted with entertainment.

Chris Colfer's Kurt completely transformed when he decided to give Mellencamp a chance. His body, his manners, even his face changed. The femininity and grace which are so much a part of Kurt were absent, and his voice, normally so light and airy, took an a deep, manly quality. I was amazed. I died laughing. I suppose this is what all 16 year old boys who think that they are gay because they like show tunes should do.

Also, I am happy for Brittany (Heather Morris) that she finally got to make out with every boy in the school.

Mercedes and Puck's short lived romance gave different opportunities to shine. They shared a lovely duet, and while I've seen both perform more memorable numbers, I was touched that That's Why the Lady's a Tramp was sung the same week in which Lena Horne passed away.

I did prefer Mercedes and Santana (Naya Rivera)'s showdown over Puck.

Finally, Rachel and Finn (Cory Monteith). I love that Lea Michele is capable of singing as badly as I do when I am trying (well, maybe it was a littler better). It's not easy to fake being bad at something, and she was not good. I also adored Finn getting to sing Jesse's Girl. I love that song; Rick Springfield is awesome. Although I love Jesse St. Clair, I am sure that all of you out there who think he's a skeeze-ball will allow that this song justified his presence.

I'm not going to comment on how weird it was to have Will (Matthew Morrison) congratulating Finn on singing it when it was clearly about how much Finn wanted Rachel. Then again, he only stopped Mercedes and Santana's singing duel when they started shoving each other.

Please continue to serenade me into giggles!

V - Fruition, S01E11

Let's start by celebrating the fact that this exciting, interesting, and improving series about an alien invasion has been renewed for a second season! Hooray! I am looking forward to seeing how well humans are equipped to fight off an alien race bent on our destruction. And I can't wait for the season finale tonight to wrap up this season, likely with a lot of flare.

The series has greatly improved since the first 4 episodes aired in November. Then, Tyler (Logan Huffman) and Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) appeared as a Romeo and Juliet high school couple in the midst of serious adult confrontations, but over the more recent episodes, their romance has become pivotal.

Tyler has been the source of Lisa's developing emotions, so powerful that she is now immune to her mother's bliss, and committed to the cause of the 5th column. She may still be the Lizard Princess, but the Princess has lost all faith and loyalty to the Queen.

I loved the it is completely beyond Anna (Morena Baccarin) that she alienated her daughter. Thinking that Lisa was failing her, she punished the girl by making her appear to be the object of anti-V sentiment. The ploy was effective to rally the support of hundreds of sheep...I mean, humans...but not to retain the affections of Lisa. As a V, Anna has no understanding of the affection she lost, nor of the hurt Lisa feels which is now directed in anger at her mother.

Emotions may be our weakness, but the Vs lack of emotions is theirs.

As we come to the conclusion, we are again left in a panic over what is going to happen next. The V ships have entered our solar system, Anna's soldiers are about to hatch, Hobbs (Charles Mesure) may be betraying the 5th column to the V, and the only man who has any knowledge of a weapon against them is in their power.

How is a dinner for Tyler, Anna, Lisa, and Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell) going to affect the outcome?

The Good Wife - Unplugged, S01E21

The Good Wife combines the 2 most important things for a successful television program, brilliant writing and a phenomenal cast. I spend every minute loving every character and every choice, even if I find myself upset or angry at the same time.

After months of watching, the decision Diane (Christine Baranski) and Will (Josh Charles) had to make between Cary (Matt Czuchry) and Alicia (Julianna Marguelies) finally had to be made. It was delayed and delayed, and I was never certain who they would pick. Yes, Alicia is the lead, and choosing to not have her as part of the team would have made it difficult to have plot lines integrating her personal story with the goings-on at the law firm, but it could have been done. Cary certainly earned our regret over his having been passed over.

Still, I likely would have chosen Alicia myself. That's just the kind of person I am. I respect Cary for always putting himself first, for being there to win, but he doesn't have loyalty. Alicia wants to win, and has loyalty which I will never doubt. Cary made choices specifically to try to win the competition; Alicia made the same choices she will make now that she has secured the job. And the thing that made the difference was her making the effort to do what was asked of her so she could keep that job. She made a deal with Eli Gold (Alan Cummings) and proved she was ready to take those steps for her job and for her company. Loyalty wins out.

The only question is, Does this mean no more Cary?

Castle - Overkill, S02E23

Only one more episode in Castle's very successful second season, though topping this second last episode will be a challenge.

The case was bizarre. A man was murdered, shot in the chest and bashed on the head. "Murdere" was written on the mirror with his blood, and his antique book collection was stolen. Who would do such a myriad of things to a man? Add to this some mass protestations from PETA type organizations and some blackmail, and you've got a case that even Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) is going to have some trouble with. No wonder she asked Tom Demming (Michael Trucco) to help with the investigation, leading to a delightful competition between Demming and Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion).

Much as we, like Alexis (Molly C. Quinn), would like to have simply told the writers not to introduce Demming to the equation, as in life, things we wish would not happen do happen anyway. The complication, while hilarious in the competitiveness (both Demming and Castle were certain they had figured out who the killer was, but neither worked perfectly with the timeline), is also painful to watch. Poor Castle is feeling the depth of his emotions for Beckett, not just jealous about the attention she is paying Demming, but when he saw them kiss, and saw just how happy she was, well that cut deeply.

Yet, despite the connection between Demming and Beckett and how often Castle has been feeling ignored, he did get a win when he and Kate were sharing the blackmail storytelling, completing each other's sentences and completely in the zone.

In the end, both Demming and Castle proved correct. Each of their suspects separately attacked the victim, one shooting him, the other bashing him in the head. Luckily, thanks to the blackmailer, the case was solved and both murderers were arrested.

Too bad there will be no easy solution like that (cause two murderers was SO obvious..hehe. I love Castle!) for the Castle-Beckett-Demming triangle. Can't wait to see the season finale!

Chuck - Chuck vs the Tooth, S03E16

Who would not love an episode of any show guest starring Christopher Lloyd in which the main character gets to refer to Lloyd as Doc.?

Those of us who love Chuck are nerd, or geeks, or whatever term you choose to refer to yourself, but you know I'm talking about you. We all remember Back to the Future, and Christopher Lloyd has a very special place in our hearts, so of course this made perfect sense. But I still want to congratulate the writers and producers of one of my favourite shows for continuing to give us, the audience, exactly what we want time and again.

1. The Intersect might be driving Chuck (Zachary Levi) insane, and may cause permanent mental damage. WOW! Something so useful and so powerful, now finally properly under Chuck's control, and there are dangerous side effects?

2. Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and Chuck continue to face challenges as a couple that are not caused by tensions between them as a couple. Do they love each other? Yes. Okay, so Sarah doesn't say it enough, but Chuck isn't feeling stressed because of his uncertainty about their relationship. He's got a whole lot more going on.

3. Bringing back Shaw (Brandon Routh). Hey, we all thought Bryce Larkin was dead, and they brought back Chuck's best friend from College/rival, why wouldn't they bring back his evil rival who betrayed him, Sarah, and the entire country? I'm so glad to know that, in all likelihood, Shaw is breathing and is going to be back!!

4. Morgan (Joshua Gomez) is too busy for Anna (Julia Ling), and isn't particularly interested in her anymore. That's right, he's not just going to take whatever he can get whenever he can get it. He's got some sort of self-respect thing going on here.

5. Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) is being used by the Ring! They want to find her father and they are going to use her to do it, making her think that all her real allies are the enemy!

6. A room full of insane spies ready to be called to action. I was a little disappointed that they were all so easily tranked, but boy that moment was fun.

All signs are pointing to renewal, and the scripts, acting, and directing are also well in line to deserve it. Don't you agree?

The Pacific - Part 9: Okinawa

Just when I thought they couldn't escalate anymore, they did. Rain, lack of water, disease, stench, being shot at, insanity, suicide, Hell beyond measure, but Okinawa had something that none of the other islands had - civilians.

Again forced to contend with raw recruits, Sledge (Joe Mazzello) and Shelton (Rami Malek) are now the experienced and bitter marines. It was absolutely distressing to watch as one of those new recruits made mistake after mistake, costing the lives of many of the others, and finally going insane. The pressures on the mind of man when living in those conditions are something I am glad I will never have to experience.

I was very moved when Shelton noticed that news from home upset Sledge. It turns out that his dog died, which, compared to all the death surrounding him at Okinawa, seems a small thing, but losing a pet, a friend from home, someone whom you consider safe because he or she isn't with you in this Hell, that is harder than losing yet another recruit to the stupid mistakes only the green make.

I was also impressed with the balance between Sledge pulling his side arm to kill an enemy in this episode and Leckie (James Badge Dale)'s decision to do the same in the premiere. Here, Sledge was fulled by hatred and disgust, wanting the Jap dead, as he wanted all Japs, while Leckie had been unable to watch the Japanese soldier suffer and be toyed with. Throughout the war, Leckie had managed to retain his humanity, while Sledge lost it for a while.

But the horrors of what happened to the civilians helped bring him back.

We started by seeing them only on the road, trying to evacuate from the areas where fighting was going on. Then we saw them die as they tried to escape the Japanese. Next, we saw a woman holding a baby explode because she had been outfitted with dynamite, and following that, the enemy used those people as human shields. And Sledge and the rest of them men shot them to get to the Japanese behind them. Finally, in a shack, Sledge and Shelton found a crying baby, his mother and father both dead. They stood there and stared until another soldier came and took the child away.

It was after all this that things finally came back in focus for Sledge, when he found an old woman, her guts split open, slowly dying. She wanted him to kill her, to shoot her in the head and end her pain, but he could not do it. His compassion returned, and he held her in his arms until the light went out of her eyes.

After all that, a bomb was dropped on a Japanese city, killing men and women, the elderly and infants, and leaving behind devastation that would take decades to fade.

The last episode, entitled Home, will hopefully be full of hope, rather than the horror we have witnessed throughout the series. But, regardless, who could forget what we have already witnessed?

Murdoch Mysteries - Love and Human Remains, S03E09

When Det. Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and Dr. Julia Ogden (Helene Joy) examine a pair of bodies, Julia estimates the couple has been dead around 2 weeks, but further evidence quickly shows them that that estimate is very very wrong.

First, they discover that the bodies were under a shack which was built 5 years ago, then they learn that the glass eye manufacturer has been closed for decades, and finally a tattoo from 1812 determined the latest the murder could have taken place was 1836, 60 years before Murdoch and Julia found the bodies. But, 60 years ago a murder did take place, and Murdoch will solve it all the same.

While George (Jonny Harris) dealt with his cousin, Penny, who was meeting a boy in secret rather than behaving like a lady, and Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) answered a plethora of phone calls from international journalists about the perfectly preserved bodies found, Murdoch interviewed 5 older people who had lived on the land in 1836 when they were children. Adorable old people made envisioning them as adorable children all the more easy, and believing that any of them were capable of ugly murder was not easy.

Luckily, none turned out to be a murderer. Not that one of the children didn't kill the couple found buried, but, despite the cyanide poisoning, there was no intent. The now old man had been 5 years old when he gave the mean adults who had his care a potion to make them disappear. The two teenagers of the group had been planning to make themselves disappear in this way, desperate and not knowing how to get on with life, but the little boy wanted them to stay. He wanted the bad people to disappear, and didn't understand until much later in life what he had actually done.

Really quite a sad story. And if that wasn't sad enough, we begin to see the strain in Julia and William's relationship. He obviously wants a family, but Julia said no to that a long time ago. She may not even be capable of having children anymore. At least their Will They/Won't They relationship is not contrived.