Stargate Universe - Incursion, part 1, S01E19

Although Colonel Young (Justin Louis) continues to be a useless and pathetic excuse for an officer, Stargate Universe continues to progress, shaping more and more into the kind of show I expect from the Stargate franchise. Now if only we could get a little bit more humour...

It was really neat to finally be able to see the relationship between the conscious and the bodies they are possessing. When Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips), in Rush (Robert Carlyle)'s body, began to react to the lack of atmosphere in his room, Telford's body suffered as well. If one died, the other would too. And while this understanding did, sort of, lead to Young's decision not to vent the atmosphere on the Lucian Alliance, which would have killed both Telford and Rush, I absolutely loved watching O'Neall (Richard Dean Anderson) finally tell Young off for being a terrible officer.

Really, though, it was another example of how useless Young is, and his conclusion at the end of the episode, to attack now, may end up being just another poor decision. The only indication that it's not complete garbage is that Rush, a man we all do consider intelligent, has backed it.

Meanwhile, Chloe (Elyse Levesque) is bothering me again. I'm sorry but I just don't like her enough to care that she might be slowly dying from a bullet in her leg and from lack of air. Eli (David Blue), I care about, but not Chloe. They just better do something incredible to save the day and make all her weakness worth having suffered through.

Finally, what vaporized that Lucian Alliance guy? Is it some weird defense system built into the Destiny? Did Eli do that when he pressed those random buttons? Is in an ancient who ascended but stuck around the ship? Does it have to do with those fish aliens? Or is it something completely new and unexpected? As long as it's not a replicator I'm happy.

So, one more episode left, and it's going to end with a massive cliffhanger (or at least, that's what I've heard). The thing is, Stargate Universe has gotten to be so good (unlike the first 10 episodes) that it doesn't need to leave me tense and desiring answers to have me back when it resumes. But it does so love leaving us desperate for more.

Miami Medical - Like a Hurricane, S01E09

We have entered into the bonus round. Although Miami Medical was cancelled and its eighth episode became the season and series finale, the 5 other episodes which had already been filmed get to air this June. So if you were a fan and are disappointed that it was cancelled, at least you get a little more than you might have.

In this episode, a hurricane threatens Miami. We didn't actually have any trauma related to the weather - instead a van plunged through a deserted park and crashed into a car, sending it flying into another vehicle containing a family. The family in the first vehicle were dead at the scene, but the parents and children in the second car, who had just let the first car pull ahead of them, were able to be rushed to the hospital.

I'm actually a little disappointed that we did not have a higher death count. Yes, everyone in that first vehicle died, but that was at the scene. We have few patient deaths, most of which happen because the team was not able to help them out soon enough. The odds that exist in this trauma wing doubtfully represent those of a true medical facility. Still, who wants to see a show that's overly depressing?

The real challenge of the episode was for Chris (Mike Vogel). He clearly has issues with drunk drivers, and the driver of the van that caused the entire incident was easily believed to be one of them. Strangely, he had no alcohol or drugs in his system. Once Chris realized this, both out of guilt for having judged the man and out of a desire to answer the question of why the accident happened, he searched for the cause. It turned out that the driver had a heart condition of some kind which essentially gave him a heart attack and caused him to pass out, faint, at the wheel.

It's interesting to consider how great the stigma against drunk driving has gotten, although clearly, if this case is the norm, the assumption that someone who causes an accident is drunk may also have grown to prevalent. Can you imagine waking up after a medical condition caused you to faint, and have people calling you a murderer? So many of us get behind the wheel of a car every day, we could easily get into accidents that resemble DUI incidents without that actually being the case.

Only 4 more episode of Miami Medical left. Don't miss out.

Happy Town - This Is Why We Stay, S01E05

Oh man was this an exciting episode of Happy Town. Although it has not yet reached a point where I am desperately unhappy that it was cancelled, I still can't wait to see what happens next. I can only hope that the final episode gives me enough answers that I don't wish I had cut and run when I had the chance.

Much of the episode focused on Rachel Conroy (Amy Acker) and the pressure the community is putting on her to remember what happened when she was taken. Although she is a victim, like the 7 other people who disappeared, she was only gone a few days and she has been returned. The grieving and desperate relatives of the other victims resent her, even more so because she cannot be the tool they need to find their loved ones. Poor Rachel, terrified and traumatized, she is still victimized by her former friends.

At first, Rachel wants to run, to get as far away from the chaos as possible, but Merritt Grieves (Sam Neill) will not just let her go. He convinces her to trust him, finally giving us the details about his own personal encounter with the Magic Man, and hypnotizes her. Although we did not see much within her dream, and she could not turn around to face the Magic Man himself, by the end of the episode Rachel is determined to stay with Tommy (Geoff Stults) and to stop the fear which has been plaguing the community for so long.

Meanwhile, some progress is being made on the cases. A letter written by a left-handed man was supposedly left by the female right-handed first victim. She, also, was apparently seeing someone other than her boyfriend at the time. It seems as though that may have been the president of the Breadie, John Haplin (Steven Weber), but while the police seem to think that makes him a possibility, I believe that that tells us why he is so concerned that his son might be the next victim. If his lover was kidnapped, as well as his daughter, perhaps the rest of the victims also have a connection back to him?

So I can't wait to see next week, where we will hopefully find out more, and also see who it was who was trying to kill Grieves at the end of the episode.

Merlin - The Dragon's Call, S01E01

What is it about BBC shows that I love so much? Is it just the accents? Or is it the quality of the programming, where 13 episodes is the norm and there is less room for superfluous episodes?

Merlin not only meets my expectations based on show quality, but it is also a beautiful period piece with a flare of magic.

We are presented with a world in which magic exists, but has been banned for the last 20 years because it was too often used for evil. Merlin (Colin Morgan) knows of this, yet can't help but use skills he was born with to move objects when it seems necessary. He has never trained in magic, but it is innately part of him. It doesn't take long for him to meet Arthur (Bradley James), the spoiled prince. Merlin immediately steps into the role of mentor, though not in the conventional fashion. The young men are about the same age, but while Arthur was always allowed to get away with whatever he wanted, Merlin doesn't believe people should act that way and sets himself opposite the once and future king.

Guinevere (Angel Coulby) is also present, as the humble maid to Lady Morgana (Katie McGrath). Gwen seems uninterested in Arthur, claiming she likes humble men like Merlin. She's not at all how I picture Guinevere; it's hard to see her as someone who so easily sways the hearts of men, like Arthur and Lancelot, and who will one day, through selfishness, bring destruction to the greatest kingdom ever known. Morgana, however, is very much how I picture her - confident and defiant. A little weird that there are some romantic hints there, as traditionally she is Arthur's half-sister. But I guess it is apparent that the traditional tellings are not going to be too closely adhered to. And that is one great thing about the Arthurian Legends - they are so varied that retelling the story does not take away many freedoms.

The episode also set up the series well. First, a dragon (voiced by John Hurt) in the depths of the castle reveals to Merlin that his destiny is to guide Arthur on to being the greatest king ever. Merlin's response was brilliant: "There must be another Arthur because this one is an idiot." Still, when a sorceress, bent on revenge for the death of her son, tries to kill the young prince, Merlin saves Arthur's life. He even uses his magic to do it, but has the sense to make it look as though he simply moved quickly.

As a reward, Merlin becomes Arthur's man servant, putting him in the perfect position to become royal adviser.

The series, already filming its third season for airing in Britain, shows great promise. I look forward to following the series on Space this summer.

Happy Town - Slight of Hand, S01E04

Although Happy Town was pulled after only 2 episodes, we still get to watch the remainder of the season this June. I, for one, am glad because I really want to know who the Magic Man is. Unfortunately, I suspect that will be the only real answer we get. Writers really have to work harder when dealing with this kind of story. Yes, Lost was a huge success, with millions desperate to know what all the secrets were, but most shows don't have that kind of success.

You need to give enough for the audience to relate to and to grab on to before you descend into a world of bizarre insanity.

But Happy Town plunged right into the insanity. In the episode before this, new sheriff, Tom Conroy (Geoff Stults) lost his wife, Rachel (Amy Acker) to the Magic Man. Before this, the Conroy family had supported those who had lost loved ones, had done their best to find them, but now they are affected personally.

The thing I really liked about this episode was the slight of hand that the episode was named after. When a hand was discovered in the bread factory, wearing Rachel's rings, the township learnt that at least one, if not all, of the previous kidnapping victims were still alive. The hope felt by the families was overwhelming and absolutely appropriate. For years, they had been trying to accept that their loved ones were dead, but now they have the opportunity for renewed hope, a hope which they had never been able to give up on because they loved one was never found.

Searching for those missing persons, going back to the beginning, doing what the Magic Man wanted, Tommy got his wife back. Is it too good to be true? And she doesn't remember anything, where she was or how she disappeared. I hope we do learn how that works.

So 4 more episodes, 4 more chances for answers, but more likely those 4 chances will be used to complicate things even more. I remain sad that that is it, but there are a lot of shows which are about this good, but they need to be better and they need to be special.

Pretty Little Liars - Pilot, S01E01

This show is obviously aimed at an audience who is younger than I am, and, unlike Vampire Diaries, there aren't any characters that are really in my age bracket, but there is a certain appeal looking at these young, supposedly 16 year old, girls and the nonsense that they are getting themselves into. There is a certain amount of intrigue, and, since it is summer and there's not much on, despite a few moments that made me question the quality of the acting and filming I believe I will watch the first season of Pretty Little Liars. After all, it's only 8 episodes and I gave Melrose Place about that long.

So it's a story about 5 teenagers who share a bunch of secrets which are darker than perhaps they should be for 15 year olds. Then, one night during a sleepover, one of them disappears. A year later, the remaining 4 have stopped hanging out, but when Aly's body is finally discovered, they are reunited by the mysterious messages they keep receiving from someone named "A." And no one could know what "A" knows, except Alison (Sasha Pieterse).

Most of what happened in the premiere was the establishing of the personalities of our 4 remaining girls, as well as each of their individual secrets and a hint of their communal one: the Jenna thing.

Aria (Lucy Hale)'s secret isn't really her own. She caught her father cheating on her mother with one of his students. Even though it happened over a year ago, it's still a prevalent issue between her and her dad. I can't tell if that's because it's happened again more recently, or if it's just a cheap way of introducing the problem without giving it the right amount of fading it should have had.

Since Aria did just come back from Europe, I did find it believable that she allowed the older guy in the bar to hit on her and have the situation escalate quickly from there, but how ignorant is she? He told her he was an English teacher, and I can't imagine that here is more than one high school in a small town like Rosewood. And while I think they do have great chemistry, Ezra (Ian Harding) has got to know that if they get serious, it's considered statutory...

Spencer (Troian Bellisario) has the bitchiest older sister ever. No wonder she's made out with at least one of her boyfriends. Of course, you have to know that they were really the one's taking advantage of her, but she's too young to realize that. And now the sister has a wonderful fiancé...well, he's actually a nice guy, so you want him to be with a hard working and capable girl rather than one who is horrid. Still, he ought to be more careful if he's actually a good guy.

Then you have Emily (Shay Mitchell). She likes to kiss girls, although she apparently has a boyfriend. Closeted lesbian? At 16, in a small town like that, it would be hard, but it's really not a shameful secret. Still, if she doesn't want anyone to know, she's just as much under As power as the other girls.

Finally Hanna (Ashley Benson) is a spoiled brat whose father left her mother. That was in the last year, and as a result she's started shoplifting. I don't actually know what her secret is, but she's the least appealing character of the four in my mind, so I don't care at this point.

I'm staying because it reminds me of I Know What You Did Last Summer, and I enjoyed that back in the day. Plus, with Glee over, there's only summer TV left, and there's not a whole lot of it. That's the beauty of airing in the summer - far less competition. If you are about 20 or younger, it may work for you, and if you are older than that...well, like I said, I'm watching it because I probably really would have liked it when I was 16.

Glee - Journey, S01E22 - Season Finale

Oh Glee, you've spent a season serenading me. Frankly, it's a good thing that you are so talented at serenading because you have never had much substance. I don't think I could have a proper conversation with you. You're like Finn (Cory Monteith), you sing well and you're pretty, but if I stop and think about what you really have to offer, it doesn't add up to much. Good thing I'm happy with our relationship. You keep singing, and I'll keep listening, and if one day you decide you want to actually have some depth, I'll be delighted to see it...oh wait, is that what just happened there?

It started with your typical complication - Sue (Jane Lynch) arranged to be one of the judges of Regionals, setting herself up to destroy New Directions. Frankly, they need a new name, so I can't blame her for wanting their end. This knowledge put our glee club into a worse funk than they experienced last episode. Didn't they just get over that?

Still they went forth with power and emotion. I loved when Finn told Rachel (Lea Michele) that he loved her seconds before their performance started. Despite the audience being way too into their singing - they are supposed to be New Directions, not the stars of Glee, people. You shouldn't react as if you are seeing your favourite TV stars - I really enjoyed the mash up and the inclusion of their first great song.

Quinn's mom coming back into her life just in time for her to go into labour to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody was also touching. Quinn's life is going to be able to go back to normal, only things have changed so much for her over the past year that normal isn't really what she remembers. And that is a good thing.

Unfortunately, although I love Queen, my hatred for Jesse (Jonathan Groff) just made the number weak. I really didn't feel that he had any soul, or that he was a remotely likable person, and I didn't want to like him, so I didn't. I am rather disappointed at the end of Jesse St. James. He went from being the hot, mysterious bad boy whom you really hoped would redeem himself to a slug with no value whatsoever.

What was also perfect was that they lost. After a year of work, could they really have been better than two teams who have been successfully working together for years? No. That's not really likely, and I'm glad it didn't happen. It made for a much better episode, particularly as it allowed Sue to show that she has some heart too, making her all the more likable.

Other than Will (Matthew Morrison) and Emma (Jayma Mays) high school relationship - that's right, it's far less mature than that of the actual high school students, Emma shined when she had the nerve to yell at Figgins (Iqbal Theba), and Will finishing the season off with that beautiful yet different rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow was the perfect conclusion.

They got another year. Well, actually, they got two since Fox has already renewed Glee through to the end of Season 3. Glad that they will be back; I do love to be serenaded.

Murdoch Mysteries - In the Altogether, S03E12

Interesting. In the second last episode of the season, the ongoing vendetta which William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) had against James Pendrick (Peter Stebbings) seems to have resolved itself. Either Murdoch was right and was finally able to prove it, something which I can't help but think is quite likely, or he will return in the finale for more complications, which would be by far the more enjoyable option.

But do we really need that complication with William's relationship with Dr. Julia Ogden (Helene Joy) hanging in the balance? She is contemplating moving to Buffalo to work at the children's hospital there, a career move which would be most rewarding for her. But, in doing so, she would be leaving Murdoch behind. Is Helene Joy planning on leaving Murdoch Mysteries behind? The good thing about Canadian shows is information like that would require extensive research, and I'm not going to do that as I have no desire to destroy the surprise.

This episode, again excellent, was delightfully complicated. What might have been a simple case, a man murdering the woman he loved out of pain and jealousy, was greatly complicated when a second and seemingly related murder occurred. James Pendrick set a bomb which burnt the corps of a man he had already disposed of and which was also to kill his wife, Sally (Kate Greenhouse). Lucky for her, she arrived late and was generally unharmed.

Other highlights of the episode include Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) determining that the risky photos the first victim posed in were high quality, based both on paper quality and photo composition, and George (Jonny Harris), in response to being asked what the Swiss are famous for, came up with chocolate and holey cheese before clocks.

One more episode, but I will survive because I know I will get a 4th season of this great period drama which takes place in Toronto.