The Big Bang Theory - The Shank Reflex Analysis, S05E01 and The Infestation Hypothesis, S05E02

Oh The Big Bang Theory, the one and only half-hour sitcom that I watch. I am usually so annoyed by the constant onslaught of jokes, most of which are not particularly funny and only there because the premise necessitates continual attempts at humour rather than simply being amusing when one really can be. Yet, as in all previous season, The Big Bang Theory makes me laugh without seeming to try too hard.

First order of business - addressing the Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar) cliffhanger. Alright, so they didn't actually have sex, but that wasn't from lack of trying or intention...it just didn't get that far. And I was a little surprised that Penny wasn't a little more upset over Leonard (Johnny Galecki) finding out since I had recalled she was aware she still had feelings for him. I was disappointed that he didn't realize that he still had feelings for her. But perhaps that is just the part of me that continues not to like Priya (Aarti Mann) particularly.

That said, I am happy about the direction of season 5 which reportedly is not going to focus so much on the relationships as on the goofy adventures of our favourite scientists and the women who deign to have them in their lives.

Of course, the tension between Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) and Howard (Simon Helberg) over her being more successful that him seems to have been forgotten, and much as I don't mind less drama, I do hate when plots are dropped.

My favourite moment was the prolonged make out between Raj and Howard. Okay, so they were not actually kissing each other, just using fake mouths connected via the internet...not, other than the lack of germ transmission, they were totally making out and it was hilarious.

Otherwise, I laughed, I loved it, and I can only hope that Sheldon (Jim Parsons)'s neuroses will continue to be a little more logical than they were getting in season 4. What are your hopes and expectations?

Charlie's Angels - Pilot, Angel with a Broken Wing, S01E01

What is with all the premieres this fall? Is it just me, or are a lot of them mediocre and lacking anything that will give them staying power? I suppose many people don't have the same tastes as me, but it's hard to believe that Charlie's Angels is going to get a big and faithful audience.

It was really cheesy, in that 1970s I'm reminiscing about the original Charlie's Angels but trying to make it up to date and somehow accomplishing neither kind of way. It lacked the sweetness of nostalgia while keeping silly storytelling devices that do not work anymore. And amid that campyness, it just got way more serious than I wanted to deal with when we watched one Angel be tortured.

Certainly, I was surprised when within the first 5 minutes, one of the Angels was killed in a giant explosion. A clear reminder that these women are replaceable, and hopefully an indication that the odds are going to be serious. Except that shortly after, when a man with a machine gun riddled a boat the girls were on full of bullets, not one shot so much as grazed an arm. I'm sorry, but if you dive off a boat and someone is shooting up the water, it's quite likely you will get hurt. I was disappointed that they all got away clean from that.

I also simply can't relate to these girls. They have a past that is not perfect, but they are beautiful and highly capable and not able to feel grief for very long so life is really just a big party. That's not my life, and I'm not sure why I would want to watch someone else live it.

It's possible, again, that audiences will like this show more than I did, but it simply did not have what a good show needs in 2011.

The Mentalist - Scarlet Ribbons, S04E01

While I'm certainly not going to stop watching the Mentalist, I was terribly disappointed with its premiere this fall. It just didn't make sense. I'm going to pretend it never happened and move on, but I wish they had delivered something far more believable.

Last season ended with Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) shooting Red John in a mall in front of hundreds of people. By the end of the premiere, Jane is not only found not guilty of a murder he obviously committed, but then it turns out the dead man wasn't even Red John. And Jane feels no compunction over having committed a murder, regardless of how bad the guy was or that he was working with Red John?

Is it really possible for a jury to find a man who admitted to killing a man Not Guilty? Downgrading it to manslaughter, sure, or perhaps saying that he went temporarily insane and needs therapy but not jail-time, that I can believe. But completely innocent of murder when he shot a man who thusly died? I can't believe the judge didn't overturn it. Vigilante justice apparently is allowed and the justice system agrees?

And if that wasn't bad enough, Red John is still alive. Really? At this point, I was ready for that particular plot to be over, to see where Jane would go after he accomplished his long sought goal. As it turns out, the only thing that has changed is that Jane is suddenly a murderer. Apparently he is capable of not only killing Red John - which I could understand - but also any other "bad men" who cross his path and taunt him.

I'll live with it, and I'm sure I'll enjoy the episodes which follow, but I can't help but regret where this episode and this season could have gone had the writers not made such bad choices. What are your thoughts?

Revenge - Pilot, S01E01

While the dark and twisted nature of this show is what one would expect from the title Revenge, it's too tragic. I couldn't help but feel compassion for all of the characters, and yet did not feel enough for the lead who is trying to wreck havoc on the Hamptons.

The first segment of the show takes us to the end of the summer where we witness the murder of a young man, Daniel (Joshua Bowman). By the end of the episode, there are two possible reasons for the murder which I can deduce - Jack, (Nick Wechsler) who appears to have pulled the trigger, either had a personal motive, likely related to money, or he did it for the lead character who is seeking revenge - Emily...or is her name Amanda (Emily VanCamp). Neither of these seems a good enough reason to kill a guy who seems alright. He certainly has done nothing to deserve death, and even if he was simply a casualty of a vendetta against his mother, I certainly cannot feel sympathy for his killer. Plus, he really appeared dead, and not on death's door, so getting to know him over the next several episodes, we won't get attached since we know he won't be sticking around.

Frankly, if I'm going to watch a show about Revenge, I want it to be delicious. Victoria (Madeleine Stowe)'s vengeance against her best friend over the affair with her husband, now that was delicious. It was cruel and very precise, and she was extremely honest about it. Emily's vendetta against Victoria does not have the same feel. She doesn't have the same righteousness about her when destroying other people's lives. It's sad really.

It's possible this show will be a hit, but I really can't see the appeal. It wasn't clever or interesting enough to really be worthwhile, nor was it devilishly evil enough to be a guilty pleasure. I'd put this show on the eventual casualty list for 2011-2012, even venturing to bet it won't get picked up for the back 9. Am I being to harsh, or was that your impression as well?

The Playboy Club - Pilot, S01E01

As a huge fan of period pieces, The Playboy Club appeals to me for many of the same reasons Mad Men does - the costuming, the sets, the reminiscing of a much classier time. And this show is not nearly so depressing as the AMC hit, which is definitely a bonus.

The local is sexy. Our two main locations are the Playboy Club and the Playboy Mansion, where all the bunnies are dressed in sweet little costumes that cover so much that for a 2011 audience, they really aren't revealing. I want some of those outfits. I'm glad, however, that I don't have those names. Why did they pick Maureen for the name of the main character? We still need a few more years to go by before that will get revitalized.

As for the story, while we do have a little bit of house drama between our newest bunny, Maureen (Amber Heard), and the most senior bunny-now-bunny mother, Carol-Lynne (Laura Benanti), it seems that the crux of the plot is going to centre around the mob and the disappearance of the leader of one family after his visit to the Playboy club. Perhaps that is the corporation forcing the tv show to keep itself from getting inappropriate? Hard to say. I'm not displeased at the idea of a 1960s mob show, but find it interesting that its title is Playboy.

I do like it and I want to keep watching. Again, more for the glam than anything else at this moment. The characters are fun and interesting enough, the plot does have places to take us. I do have to ask why exactly Don Draper was cast as the lead. I mean, it's not surprising that Eddie Cibrian's Nick Dalton dresses the same as the ad man, or has the same hair style - these were very popular for your 60s ladykiller, but somehow Cibrian has the exact same voice, the same pitch, same intonations, same everything? Really. I could record them both saying the same line and not be able to differentiate between the two. That might get annoying, though the similarities to Jon Hamm aren't really a bad thing.

So I'm going to keep watching and keep enjoying, but I'm not 100% sold and do worry that this show might not be the success that its bold title deserves.

Unforgettable - Pilot, S01E01

While Unforgettable is certainly a much better title than The Rememberer, that will not stop this show from ending up cancelled by the end of season 1.

I say this not because it is a bad show. Certainly the premise - pairing up a person with a gift with a cop - is one that tends to be popular, and a woman with perfect memory could contribute in very interesting ways. Plus, it was decently acted. I quite enjoyed Poppy Montgomery's portrayal of Carrie Wells.

But solid acting and an interesting premise will not be enough. We've already learnt that Carrie has a complicated past involving her sister's murder - a day which was unlike any other in that the details of it do in fact elude her. It's very dark. And there was little humour lightening that darkness, both in the characters and in the stories.

Which means that audiences like me, fans of shows like The Mentalist and Castle, are not likely to want to add it to our watch list when our other Cop+Special Helper dramas are equally dark and already have us nice and hooked.

So while I might be interested in watching another episode of the show, if only to see how Carrie's superb memory helps when she isn't actually the witness of the murder, I'm not hooked.

Unless something truly unforgettable happens within the next couple episodes, I predict that the show will have a mediocre audience rating which will slowly decline into cancellation. Unfortunate, but that's just the way it goes sometimes.

Castle - Rise, S04E01

It's more than good enough.

Castle's season 4 premiere may have been darker than previous seasons...a lot darker - even Ryan (Seamus Diver) and Esposito (Jon Huertas)'s usual banter was sharp and cut short - but I'm pretty happy about that.

Sure, I'm going to miss watching Castle as a feel-good, will they/won't they drama (if that isn't where it returns within a few episodes, with the serious stuff framing the humour, but remaining separate as it is all supposed to be secret), but how else could the show advance?

That ending was incredible. Kate (Stana Katic)'s reveal that she remembers the entire incident (although we cannot say if she does actually remember what Castle (Nathan Fillion) said to her, or if she simply means being shot and tackled) was not as impressive as her return to therapy. Gotta give the woman props for getting the help she needs. What I really loved, though, was Castle's murder board. The computerization was intense, but his own decent into that dark place Kate used to dwell in, done to spare her, is so twisted and chivalric all at the same time.

Can they and we live with this new darkness? I can't wait to see where it takes us. But if you think that all light is gone, than ye have little faith in the universe that is Castle. We'll get our funny. And, we will continue to be reminded to strive for perfection, even if we have to live for a little while with something that is enough.

What are your thoughts?