Vampire Diaries - The Turning Point, S01E10

When I watched this episode, I did not realize it would be the last until after Christmas. That is not a good thing. I should be feeling that January 14th is unbearable far away, that there are so many things at stake and that I have no idea what the outcome will be.

Not that the episode didn't meet my expectations for Vampire Diaries. It is an excellent show, and this episode raised many questions that look like they will develop into exciting plot lines. For instance, who made Logan (Chris J Johnson) a vampire? And what is Alaric (Matthew Davis)? Is he a vampire too? And why did I get the impression that Tyler (Michael Trevino) and his father were somehow connected to werewolves?

Especially exciting was the discovery that Bonnie (Katerina Graham)'s witch ancestor merely prevented Katherine and the other vampires from being awoken in one way, but there are other ways in which Damon (Ian Somerhalder) can recover his lady love.

Still, despite these things, the only part of the episode that created any concern for the outcome of the show was the last few moments. Yes, Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) having sex was touching, and yes, I'll be reminded that, though she often acts more mature, she is still supposed to be a 17 year old, so freaking out and taking off when she discovered that she was the spitting image of Katherine should not be too surprising. Nor was Elena leaving behind the charm Stefan gave her, though it was supposed to protect her from both Stefan and Damon's power of suggestion. But another snag in their relationship does not make an intense situation I can't wait to see concluded.

They are the star couple of a TV show; it is not going to be easy for them.

So then, the only point of concern left is whatever Elena hit while running from Stefan. Whatever it is, I don't get the impression that it will be friendly...but there has never been an ending of an episode of Vampire Diaries that hasn't happened in that cliff hanger sort of way, and since I have no idea if this guy is really an enemy or really dangerous, I'll wait patiently until Vampire Diaries returns in January. And if I miss the first episode, I'll catch up and I won't cry.

Dexter - The Getaway, S04E12 - Season Finale

Wow. Just...wow. The Season 4 finale left me shocked and winded, though completely impressed with the choices of the writers and producers. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Season 4 surpassed Season 1 in brilliance and suspense.

I'm not sure if anyone saw the end coming. Oh, sure, we all knew that Dexter (Michael C. Hall) was finally going to catch up with Arthur (John Lithgow) and put an end to the man known as the Trinity Killer. That's the thing about this show, each season has always ended on a fulfilled note, leaving us wanting to see more not because of a cliffhanger of any sort, but because we know there is another story to tell and we want to hear it. The question has become "How will Dexter catch and destroy this threat to the world and the people in his life?"

This entire season, the theme has been the question of whether Dexter is a threat, maybe not to the world or at least the serial killers in it (which we know he is), but to the people in his life. In this episode, with Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) discovering that Dexter is the brother of the Ice Truck Killer, and Rita (Julie Benz) catching yet another glimpse of his Dark Passenger, some of his skeletons have been pulled from the closet, and in the light of day, they don't appear nearly so scary. Both his sister and his wife believe that Dexter is a positive force in their lives, that he makes their world better for being in it.

As the end of the episode approached, and with it Trinity's death, Dexter is overcome with a calmness, an understanding that perhaps, after all this time, he might be able to begin to curb his Dark Passenger to his will, rather than being a slave to its primal urges. His family makes him want to be a better man, and makes him believe that that is actually possible. But amid that peace, I could not stop the feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop, though I could not imagine what that would be.

Dexter caught Trinity, he killed him, and he made the decision that he would be in control from now on. He goes home to grab his back so that he can join his lovely wife in the Keys, at peace with himself, but when he tries to call Rita, he discovers her purse is in the house. And she and their baby son Harrison are in the house - Rita in the bathtub, and Harrison on the tile floor, sitting in red water. And my heart broke.

So many people have complained of Rita of late, for getting in Dexter's way, for being annoying, but the last couple episodes, she has shined and so had their relationship. Ever since the therapist pointed out that she had her own set of issues to work out. Finding her like that, seeing her like that, so beautiful in her blue dress in the blood-filled tub, for the first time, Dexter ended before the story was finished. Arthur Miller may be dead, but before he died, he changed the playing field. And Rita is gone.

I can't say where this will go. Dexter seemed to absorb the shock with a certain numbness, unsure of what to do as he stood in the blood-soaked bathroom, his son crying on the floor, his wife...Will this awake a mad vengeance and rage in him? Or will his need to be a good single father to 3 children keep him on the level? Will he even be able to function at all?

So many questions about what will happen next season, and I'm still breathless from the shock of those last few moments.

Dexter - Hello, Dexter Morgan, S04E11

Many of you watched the last episode of season 4 of Dexter last night, but I did not. Instead, I caught up by watching the penultimate episode of this season.

The episode was not rife with tension and suspense as some previous episodes, granting almost a reprieve from the darkness until next week. Not that many important and serious things did not occur, but there was so much of the positive, that side was outweighed.

Let us address the positive first. Laguerta (Lauren Velez) and Batista (David Zayas) got married. Their boss was highly unimpressed, accusing them of making marriage a sham since it was clearly a political maneuver, and in the wake of that accusation, a shadow of a doubt crossed the couple's faces, but I know he was wrong. True, Maria and Angel were getting married to get him off their backs, rather than because they had already come to the decision that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, but that does not mean that they do not feel one day they would have made that decision anyway. Particularly in this day and age, where divorce is so common, it is really not inexcusable to marry someone that you want to date when you could not date them under other circumstances. We will have to see if next season, or even next episode, their relationship proves that they took the right course of action...but it is better that they know how things will be between them than to always wonder what might have been.

I also have to say that I loved Dexter (Michael C. Hall) and Rita (Julie Benz)'s relationship bump. With Masuka (C.S. Lee) having witnessed Rita and Elliot's kiss, things could have gotten very bad. Instead, when Rita told Dexter, he didn't really let it faze him. Rita still wanted to be with him, right? So then there was no issue. But in the end, some instinct he did not know he had, one completely unconnected to the serial killer in him, still punched out Elliot and told him to stay away from Rita. And as a result, Rita's issues were dramatically decreased, knowing that Dexter did care after all. Sure, excessive jealousy is not a good thing, but a man really ought to care when another man kisses his wife.

But let's not forget the true reason we watch Dexter - I'll give you a hint, it has nothing to do with the romantic plot lines. Even though the main events of this episode were not without them. Poor suffering Christine (Courtney Ford), journalist and unloved daughter of a serial killer - she wanted to be just like her dad, and he did not love her any more for it.

There was the beautiful moment where Quinn (Desmond Harrington) and Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) realized that both had the misfortune of dating psychos. As Deb pointed out, Quinn was only dating Christine, while Deb had actually been engaged to the Ice Truck Killer.

Christine finally decided to do the right thing - which Deb ruined by telling her they had already I.D.ed her father when they hadn't. Still she did apologize to the woman she'd shot, for the lover she'd killed. And Jennifer Carpenter's performance then, as she tried to absorb the apology, as she shook with her grief and pain, that was brilliance! With the terrific finish of Christine blowing off her own head. What a moment!

And now, Arthur (John Lithgow) is safe from the police, and knows Dexter's true identity. With only one more episode to go, what will happen? Will Dexter kill Arthur? Will he keep his serial killer persona secret? Will Deb resume her search for their father's former lover and discover Dexter's true identity or will that wait for season 5? I'm planning on finding out soon!

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.