End-Of-Year: Favorite 2012 TV Shows, Part 2

A mixture of laziness, writer's block, work, and tennis has conspired to delay this post of my top 10 favorite TV shows of the past year. I was supposed to have posted this a day after I posted the bottom part of my Top 30 list, but alas. So without further a due...

My Top Ten TV Shows of 2012

10. Fringe - This should probably be ranked higher, but this final season, which has been pretty good, isn't matching the highs I felt last season where the alternate universe arc reached its zenith. But those last few episodes last season makes this a worthy top 10 inclusion especially with the promise of major tears coming for the series finale airing tonight. I'm so not ready to say goodbye to these characters.

9. The Good Wife - Yes, Kalinda's S4 arc with her husband is perhaps the one blight in an otherwise another excellent year for this show with Alicia doing better than ever balancing the whole mom/lawyer/wife dynamics while everyone else experience some growing pains. The law firms' financial troubles have been particularly well handled I thought. This show remains the blue ribbon example of casting and ensemble work certainly in all of network TV.

8. Sherlock - The first season, which also had just three episodes, ended up in my top ten list two years ago for the seamless way Moffat updated the Holmes story for our times with pitch perfect acting from Cumberbatch and Freeman to bring the roles of Holmes and Watson to life. This season second was more of the same with higher, more personal, stakes and a couple of brilliant turns from Andrew Scott and Laura Pulver playing Moriarty and Irene Adler respectively.

7. Breaking Bad - Coming off an explosive season and heading towards the finish line, this past season had a lot riding on it, but I think this transitional period went just right. Walter's devolution has reached its peak while everyone around him are really starting to suffer none more so than Skylar played devastatingly by Anna Gunn. The heat is on and things are reaching its boiling point.

6. Downton Abbey - It's very difficult to say anything about this show because most people on this side of the ocean haven't seen the latest season, but I quite enjoyed it, more so than last season which I also quite liked. With the war over, the show was able to focus more with its characters. Like most soap operas, and yes this show can be characterized as such with no shame, there are insane plots, but in the end it's also about whether you care enough about these people to put up with all the crazy and I really do care. Which is why certain developments make it that much more difficult to accept.

5. Shameless - I already gave this cast my Best Ensemble award, because I really do think the young actors making up the Gallagher family are doing something special. It helps that they are led by a very good Rossum who has found that once-in-a-lifetime role that was tailor-made to show off just how talented she is. We are continually rooting for them, for her, to suceed and when they inevitably don't you can't help but keep watching and hoping.

4. Homeland - Apparently the show jumped the shark, or so the internet is telling me. I do think the whole "Abu Nazir in the United States" plot line was a bit too much, but the rest of the season played out as thrilling, exciting, suspenseful, and nervewracking as the show's hailed first season. In fact, the first few episodes of this season pretty much gave me whiplash from how quickly things were progressing. Lewis, Danes, and Patinkin were just aces. The final episode only made me need the next season more.

3. Community - A part of me wondered whether or not my longing for the show's return had any effect on its relatively high ranking. But even if it did, the show can well damn stand on its own merit especially as still one of the most random and inventive sitcoms out there. An entire episode with the characters playing a video game? A tribute to Law & Order? An epic pillow fort/blanket fort war that leads into a Ken Burns-style documentary episode? An episode where the characters realized they might have been stuck in an insane asylum all this time? I miss you, show.

2. Parks and Recreation - *BEST COMEDY* My #1 show last year drops a spot only because there were maybe a couple of episodes that didn't live up to standards BUT the show is still so damn good. From Leslie's campaign and subsequent rousing win to Ben's Washington sojourn and eventual proposal to Leslie, it's been a year full of big changes for almost every character. The comedy is still gold and the relationships between characters have never been better developed. Basically this show is pretty much the moment when Leslie met Joe Biden: magical.

1. The Hour - *BEST DRAMA* It doesn't happen often, but sometimes shows have the perfect season where every episode is just as strong or better than the rest while characters and plots are working seamlessly with one another. I fully believe this latest season of The Hour was one such season. The first season was good, but was slightly unmemorable while this season pretty much destroyed me. Most of the change had to do with really narrowing the focus of the overarching mystery and making it more personally relevant to the characters. The acting has never been better from the leads and supporting alike with some familiar S1 faces getting much-deserved focus and air time this season along with some excellent casting for new characters. I'd watch it all again in a heartbeat.

Addendum: The network with the most shows in my top 30 is ABC, but none of its shows ranked higher than #17. PBS scored two top 8 shows, which are both technically British imports. Speaking of British shows, 4 made my top 11 including my best show of the year. The network with the second most shows in my list is NBC with 4 including two in the top 3. Only 6 new shows made my list.

Shows that I watched, but didn't rank: 2 Broke Girls, Amazing Race, Big Bang Theory, Don't Trust the B- in Apt 23, Elementary, Glee, Glee Project, Masterchef, Modern Family, The Mindy Project, Nashville, The New Normal, The Office, Project Runway, Raising Hope, Revolution, Smash, Supernatural, Survivor, Teen Wolf, True Blood, Wilfred

Cancelled shows or shows I've stopped watching: 666 Park Avenue, American Horror Story, Arrow, Bunheads, Grey's Anatomy, Grimm, Newsroom, Pan Am, Partners, The Killing, The Secret Circle, Touch, Up All Night, Weeds

And finally, just a brief word of a few shows that merited Dishonorable Mentions...

Summer Shows Review, Part 2

Today is the last full day of summer! So in honor of that sad (not really) occasion, I'm finally posting the rest of my thoughts on the summer TV shows I checked out this summer. To read Part 1, click here. Onwards...

Breaking Bad - The stage was set this season during the first scene where Walt celebrated his 52nd birthday alone at a diner. It meant the last 16 episodes of the series will, at the very least, tell a years-worth of stories to lead up to that point in Walt's life. Considering the past four seasons covered roughly around the same time frame, the pacing will be a bit different. This gave the show a sense of urgency which was good, but as a longtime fan it was also a bit distracting. Scenes or episodes that would have been amazing in any other season because they lingered and were built up, started feeling wasteful this time around. We wanted to get to the good stuff! Did we really need more time to devote to showing them make meth? Or spend time on new characters like Lydia and Todd? And yet, the show kept pulling it off somehow. Most of that is because of the excellent cast from Cranston's palpably sinister edge to Gunn's wonderful portrayal of a hardened and depressed Skyler (my favorite part of the season). I also loved getting into the head of Mike and even though he didn't have much to do, Aaron Paul as Jesse constantly stole scenes. And of course there's Hank who is finally connecting the dots especially in that final scene making my heart skip a beat. I honestly have no idea what Vince Gilligan has in store for the final 8 episodes airing next year. I just know I can't wait for more! A-

Weeds - I foolishly had high hopes for this final season especially when the show brought back its catchy theme song for the opening credits. I thought yes they were going back to their roots and end the show on a high note, pun intended. Except no, not really. The season, like its main protagonist Nancy, meandered aimlessly not knowing exactly where to go and what to do. Their return to Agrestic was a refreshing welcome which unfornately only took place over one episode and it was the penultimate episode. The time jump then for the series finale grated me to no end as I felt everything was rushed (of course) and ultimately unearned. I did like the random return of Justin Chatwin's character, but you know long-time fans really wanted to see Celia back. Overall, a big disappointment even though the final scene of all the characters getting high was a nice touch. D

Masterchef - Since Gordon Ramsay is such a grating figure, I avoided this show like a plague in the past, but little did I know Ramsay is not that bad here. He's mean, but his remarks, like the other two judges, are always constructive. It helps that most of the contestants are truly talented preparing delicious food in such a pressurized environment. The winner this season is Christine Ha which made me insanely happy since I rooted for her since the first episode I saw her. Even with her blindness, she schooled every other chef and hers is just an inspiring story. Runner-up Josh Marks competed though coming back from elimination and always doing his best. Will definitely check out next season. B+

So You Think You Can Dance - Other than the very first season, this was the only other season I didn't watch. Yes, I saw the auditions and the first 2-3 weeks of live competitions, but coupled with dancers who didn't really grab me and the confusing and alienating schedule it was a challenge to see any more than that. From what I hear, I didn't miss much though I do regret missing the comeback of season 2 winner Benji Schwimmer for an episode. I did manage to watch the finale this past week and even though I didn't see all episode, I can't deny how talented year in, year out these show's contestants are. Two ballet dancers won this year, which is pretty interesting. Hoping the magic returns next year though. N/A

Big Brother - Pretty much the same situation above except I haven't seen this show regular for a few years. I only saw the premiere episode and about 1-2 more episodes this season because a few Big Brother alums I liked came back, but I've seriously outgrown the show. While Janelle left early, I was glad to see two of my early picks for the guys as the final two. I was even happier to see geeky cutie superfan Ian win the whole thing in the end. N/A

Belated Thoughts on Breaking Bad, True Blood, & Weeds

Took me a bit longer to catch up on TV this week what with Irene knocking my power out for two days and the US Open starting up in earnest. But summer is winding down and the fall season is only a few weeks away, so these shows don't have much time left! Onwards!

"I made you my bitch!"

We're at the halfway point of the season and while the first half of Breaking Bad has been a bit more deliberately paced than I would've liked, things seem to be picking up. Now even though we got some nice car moves from Walt, a bit more laundering from Skylar, and a nice tense scene with Gus the episode really belonged to Jesse (until the end when Hank gets a gold star, but more on that later). I have to say that while the main character is Walt, for the past couple of seasons, Jesse has been far more interesting to me and Aaron Paul just acts the hell out of the role. In fact, with this episode alone he's already the frontrunner for the Emmys in 2012 in my opinion. His scene at the support group meeting was specifically stunning especially since he's so good at this dramatic monologues with equal parts anger, sadness, and self-loathing. Looking forward to seeing where his character goes now since his loyalties are up for grabs. The great thing with this show is that it's unpredictable enough that I can believe he would stick with Walt, but not at all be surprised if he ended up betraying him as well. As for Hank, he was kind of brilliant in the end there presenting the evidence he has gathered regarding Gus' connection with Gale and his blue meth. I applauded in the end for him.

There are two episodes left in True Blood this season and the big storyline of Witch vs. Vampire is reaching its climax. Our main vampires survive the bloodbath that is the Festival of Tolerance mostly due to Sookie doing her fairy thing thereby curing Eric from his spell as well. Both sides regroup as Antonia goes back to the Moon Goddess full of imprisoned humans as the vamps hunker down in Bill's mansion where Sookie tells Eric that she still loves Bill and Nan Flanagan wishes true death on everyone (she is hilarious). Their big plan though is to essentially blow up Moon Goddess, damn the humans inside. Sookie wants to save Tara obviously so with reinforcement in Jason, Lafayette, and Jesus, they venture to negotiate with Antonia. Jesus thinks he can get through Marnie to expel Antonia but SHOCKER Marnie is actually the bloodthirsty one of the pair! Long story short, Marnie transports all of them somewhere as the vamps all decked in leather bring a bazooka. Fun! In other news, Terry/Andy do some bonding/intervention which was nice, but a bit superfluous and Hoyt is still clueless about Jason/Jessica. That's going to hurt. Finally, poor Tommy dies and what a waste. I wished he and Sam got to be more brotherly with each other this season if this was how he was going to leave the show anyways. Now Sam's all "You were loved and blah blah" which made me teary, but their relationship could've really been MORE, you know?

"There are whores. And then there are cheap whores."

Finally, Weeds was a bit of a haze for me this week. I know that Nancy did her usual talking her way out of trouble spiel simultaneously bonding with the cop mentor of Shane to get her son free and to push him into arresting people from Poncy House, their pot-dealing rival. In true style though, it may be more trouble ahead as Silas has now seemed to have forged a partnership with them, which I thought was a bit too naive of him after what has transpired last episode. Crazy Andy was back in full force this episode and for some reason, I loved it.

Bulleted Thoughts on Breaking Bad, True Blood, & Weeds

It's been a busy week, so instead of my usual writing on the shows I've seen, just a few bullet-points for each. Plus I already talked about Torchwood a couple of days ago. Onwards!

Breaking Bad

- I have this sick feeling that Skyler is going to die by the end of the season. She got to see a glimpse of the real Heisenberg and she ran away only to return. Talk about a life or death decision.

- Speaking of Heisenberg, wow to Walt's "I'm the one who knocks!" tirade. Hello, fourth Emmy award!

- Seeing Mike smile in regards to Jesse getting the meth back from the meth heads freaked me out AND warmed the cockles of my heart. God, Mike's going to die by season's end isn't he?

- Gus and Walt are playing the long game with each other. Since the latter is the main character, he'll probably win in the end, but at what cost? At what cost?

- Do we really think those ladies Walt hired to help clean the lab were just sent on a bus? To heaven probably. They're totally dead. Man, it's all about death with me with this show.

- Walt is so very smart, except when he's not. Last week pushing Hank to re-open his case and this week discovering Gus' plan only to push Jesse away some more by insisting this is all about him.

True Blood

- Nelsan Ellis was superb in this episode playing a possessed Lafayette requiring lots of emotions (confused, sad, angry, hurt) and then with one line post-possession able to exude pure Lafayette-ness "You got it, bitch." Also nice to see Jesus flexing his magic. It's been awhile.

- Still think the whole Hoyt acting like an asshole is out of character, but I'm still enjoying Jessica/Jason. How cute was it that he crossed out the "Monster" label on the box full of her stuff from Hoyt.

- Sookie's extended dream sequence with Bill and Eric was supremely lame. Don't get me wrong, Anna Paquin looked SMOKING, but the whole think was a bore.

- Though kudos to the writers for giving us a bit of Sookie/Debbie doing Thelma/Louise. I find Sookie way more interesting when she's in a scene with someone she's not sexually attracted to.

- So is Arlene's baby still a devil baby or was all of the craziness due to Mavis the ghost? If it is, kind of a dead end story line there and just a bit anti-climactic.

- Kind of sucks that Antonia has quickly become such an unsympathetic character. Her blind rage and need for revenge will surely be her downfall.

- Why did Tommy shift as Sam to confront the werewolves? Bravado? Stupidity? Sense of responsibility over him raping Luna? All of the above?

- Nan Flanagan is great. First her scene with Jessica and how she now knows she never wants to be a maker. Then her confrontation with Bill as they all lie in the cell. And finally, her awesome "Jesus Fucking Christ" reaction as Sookie yelled Bill's name at the festival. We've all been there, Nan. She and Pam need to have more scenes together.

Weeds

- As soon as Silas got friendly with Michelle Trachtenberg's character, I knew it was going to bite him in the ass. Nice twist making her the boss of their rivals though.

- So Nancy is finally free. No more jail, no more halfway house, no need to spy on her boss, no more lesbian lover... back to square one. Yay, I guess?

- The whole episode was actually just that. Silas getting close with the girl and Nancy dealing with all obstacle the entire season has setup for her.

- Oh and Shane is in jail. Took them long enough.

Torchwood Frustrates, Sookie Bores, and Other TV Thoughts

The more I watch this new season of Torchwood, the more I'm missing the good old days with the gang chillaxing in their super secret underground Cardiff base complete with pet pterodactyl and cute ass coffee boy. Both the pterodactyl and the cute ass coffee boy are most likely in a better place, but the rest of us have to continue watching. Now last week it was Rex who said that Torchwood was no longer, only for him to begin this week declaring himself as a proud member of Torchwood after what he has seen the government do to Vera. I'm glad that his anger for the first time feels justified especially as he and Esther both do very Torchwood-esque things in this episode that give me some hope, but it's probably a case of too little, too late.

My biggest problem with this episode specifically though was how much of a filler episode it was. Other than the very last few minutes with Gwen and the message she receives via her lenses, nothing was really revealed. Esther and Rex find out about Vera, but the audience already knew that. Jack tries to find out who's behind this by tracking a Phicorp man only for both of them to come up empty. Gwen and Rhys try to rescue Gwen's father, which of course they do. And even that shock ending, wasn't really shocking. OF COURSE this whole thing has been about Jack. OF COURSE people are looking for him and want him and would totally use the people he cares about against him. Didn't we establish this already in the premiere? So yeah, I'm frustrated, but I'll keep watching. Though I'm thinking the only way I'll be satisfied is if they bring back the cute ass coffee boy and the pterodactyl.

Thankfully, other shows have picked up Torchwood's slack. Breaking Bad is as thrilling as ever, even though I think this most recent episode was a wee bit over-directed to the point of distraction. Still, it was a turning point episode for the two leads. Most obviously it was a turning point for Jesse who now has a sense of accomplishment after Mike takes him on a day trip and making Jesse think he has saved his life (per Gus' plan). Not only does this seemingly pays off in getting Jesse off his funk, but perhaps also useful in Gus' plan to drive a wedge between Jesse and Walt. Then there's Walt who seems to be unraveling more every week--not knowing what's happening with Jesse, not being able to speak to Gus, not being able to dominate in his relationship with Skyler, and finally not being able to take ownership of the blue meth that Hank has attributed to Gale. It almost seemed inevitable that his hubris would drive Hank back to work in finding Heisenberg. The Los Pollos Hermanos clue he unearths in the end was thrilling. Exciting!

I am not a fan of Sookie Stackhouse, but thankfully True Blood has a whole array of characters and this season in particular, the writers have seem to go out of their way to marginalize their leading woman saddling her with boring story-lines while others get to shine. Downplaying the fairy arc has really harmed the rootability of Sookie, but they can still make a comeback. I'm just saying it's a crime for me to fast forward any scene with a naked Alexander Skarsgard, but that's what I did because I really couldn't care about their union. I'm more into the testy love triangle of Jason/Jessica/Hoyt with the first two displaying their awesome chemistry once again while the latter two giving us two great break-up scenes, one real and another imagined, though both were a bit heartbreaking. There's also the continuing Witch vs. Vampire storyline that led to an inevitable melee in the cemetery with everyone involved. Great seeing Tara and a fresh-faced Pam square off once again. I have no idea where this show is heading, but I'm looking forward to whatever. Heck, I just want to see which character Tommy is going to turn into just for the hilarity factor.


Finally, Weeds delivers yet another solid episode that seemed a bit scattered at first, but it all led to a really hilarious end with most of the men of Nancy's life sitting slack-jawed while she kisses the woman in her life. Sonia's sudden reappearance is intriguing to me, but it's just yet another wrinkle Nancy will need to iron out as well as her working as an informant for the SEC against her boss. Silas going up against another model boy and Michelle Trachtenberg has potential and even though Shane's storyline with the cop this week was a bit dull, I still like the direction it is going in.

True Blood On Fire, Torchwood Shocks, and Other TV Thoughts

More than halfway through its fourth season and I'm still loving True Blood. Granted I'm getting a bit tired of the "aw shucks" Eric Northman character especially since I find Sookie so unbelievably boring as a character. I mean look at Bill, I couldn't give a rat's ass about him in earlier seasons and suddenly without Sookie by his side, he actually intrigues me. It helps that for this episode he got to spend time with the radiant Deborah Ann Woll who's been on fire, pun mildly intended, as of late. Is she going to die? I doubt it, but I'm already looking forward to seeing her scenes next week with Jason, Bill, Hoyt, whoever.


Now this episode was the beginning of the huge showdown between witches and vampires as Antonia slowly gathered her coven to replicate the spell she used 400 years ago to force vampires out into the sun. Tara and Holly are on her side, but what's more intriguing to me is where Jesus/Lafayette will align themselves. It's easy to say they'll take up arms against the vampires, but I'm postulating a medium vs. medium duel between Lafayette and Antonia/Marnie by season's end. Pam is still deliciously fascinating as her rotting flesh hasn't neutered her sharp personality. She also gives an assist to the funniest scene of the episode where Ginger gets on top of Pam's violently vibrating coffin.

"Look Torchwood is gone. It's just a name these days." Rex utters this line early in the episode and I wonder how many fans feel this exact sentiment. Now I expressed my general disappointment with Torchwood last week and while that feeling is still there, most of this most recent episode actually gave me hope... only for the show to take it away again by the end. The thing is, I love the character of Dr. Vera Juarez. Unlike Rex, she was likable and unlike Esther, she was confidently competent. So of course she is KILLED, or more accurately burned to a crisp. And suddenly I was having flashbacks to Ianto, Tosh, and Owen and how sad/angry I was when they died. So even though Rex wasn't a total jackass this episode and Esther actually seemed to know what she was going and Gwen continued kicking ass, all I could think of by the end was DAMNIT WHY? Maybe that was the point, to shock us, even though the revelation that the government is channeling the Holocaust with their concentration camps and OH YEAH BURNING PEOPLE ALIVE was probably enough to do that. I'm also starting to not really care about Oswald. There are five episodes left, which was how long Children of Earth was, so I'm hoping they can end in great form. God, why am I still this optimistic?


Apparently the character of Skyler in Breaking Bad is an unpopular character in fandom, but I love her. She and Walt are made for one another. That long scene with the both of them going over her meticulous script was HILARIOUS. Plus I love the parallel between that scene and the scene that Walt has with Jesse with Walt taking on the Skyler role demanding Jesse to take the situation they're in more seriously. This episode also had wonderful forward momentum to every single plot thread. We get to see the fallout from Gus' dealings with the Mexican gangs, Hank is finally doing something other than moping and whining, and Jesse by the end is forcibly taken out of his house and out of his extended doldrums since killing Gale. Speaking of Gale, that karaoke scene was perfection. And I don't say it enough, but Bryan Cranston is great. While he took a backseat last week, he was MVP again with his scenes with Skyler, Jesse, and Hank this episode.

Finally, Weeds wasn't as good as the past two weeks, but it did include our weekly dose of Silas shirtless as he gets involved with an underground male model fight club. Yeah, it's all completely gratuitous, but I'm not really complaining. Plus it meant Silas and Nancy's drug-dealing business is finally up and running. Shane is still working with the cops, a somewhat ironic development, but at least he is showing off the smarts that seemed to have been downplayed the past couple of seasons in order to feature his more darker impulses. Nancy also seems to finally be done with the whole halfway house business, because she's now an information (again). Trouble ahead for her though as her lesbian lover from prison is out of jail and probably wondering what she's been up to. Finally, I admit, I missed Heylia already.

Weeds Improves, Dance Nears Finale, and Other TV Thoughts

Is it just me or were the last two episodes of Weeds really quite good? This week's episode was probably the best of the season so far especially with some S1 goodness in the form of Heylia (and Dean). Yes, it was great seeing her again and she didn't disappointment, but I love more the way she indirectly helped Silas and Nancy to confront one another about the whole Lars business. The decision for Silas to stay with Heylia might do both of them good, but they're slowly getting back to one another. I'm also loving that Andy and Shane's side plots are colliding with Nancy's what with Shane helping Andy out with one of his crazy ideas by investing in a start-up business that could be use as a front for Nancy's dealings. In terms of plot contrivance, this is actually pretty tame compared to the past few seasons so bravo. Finally, it's been far too long since I've felt Nancy was an actual person, but her last "story" on the plane with the montage of the people she loved, made me remember why I rooted for her in the first place a long time ago. Hope the show keeps this up.

Four episodes in and I do have to say that I expected a bit more from Torchwood. At the moment it's feeling like last season's failure FlashForward --great concept, poor execution. Now Torchwood isn't THAT bad, but I'm an eternal optimist. I hardly care about the drama with Rex's and Esther's families maybe because I've just haven't connected with them more, though I did have a lump in my throat when Gwen's father was taken in the end. Speaking of Gwen, she continues to kick ass and take names this season. Her attempting an American accent was amazing in its awfulness. I admit, the scene with the assassin, Jack, and Gwen was intense and the storyline of the Tea Partier vs. Oswald was entertaining in its realistic absurdity. Okay, this season hasn't impressed me much, but I'm looking forward for more.


If you watched this week's Breaking Bad, you could be forgiven into thinking that Walt was just a supporting character because he pretty much stayed in the background most of the episode. Instead focus was shifted to Jesse, Skyler, and refreshingly different Marie. First, Jesse is still recovering and his never-ending party has turned into his personal hell. When he invited Walt to go go-karting, it's such a cry for help and it breaks my heart. With this said, I hope this doesn't last too long since I like it when Jesse is reacting rather than wallowing. Skyler was the MVP of this episode though as she is slowly breaking bad herself by flawlessly going through with her plan to buy the car wash, at a lower price she wanted to buy, and without doing anything too illegal. Sure, Walt is still keeping secrets from her, but the fact that Skyler is now privy to his part of Walt's life is so great. Finally, it was wonderful to finally see Marie dealing with her continuing struggles with Hank. Bringing back her kleptomania was a stroke of genius and seeing as Hank has perked up by the end of the episode, methinks things will get back to normal (unfortunately for Walt).

Not sure where I read it, but someone called this past week's True Blood Shakespearean and I think it was quite apt with the residents hanging out in the woods and being affected by the full moon. My favorite scene include Jessica keeping Jason company as he fears being turned into a werepanther (he doesn't). I was really impressed with Deborah Ann Woll and her chemistry with Ryan Kwanten which was a nice respite from her drama with Hoyt. Two more performances that deserve kudos is Kristin Bauer as a pathetically rotting Pam trying to do anything and everything to snap Eric out of his fugue state and Sam Trammell as he channeled his inner Tommy who can now turn into other people by virtue of him killing his parents. The rest of the episode contained Werewolves, brujos, lesbians, witches, demon babies, and a long-awaited meeting of flesh between Sookie and Eric. So... a typical episode.


Finally, the final four who will compete for the title of America's Favorite Dancer this season on So You Think You Can Dance has been chosen and it's the four who I thought all along would make it namely Melanie, Marko, Sasha, and Tadd. They all deserve to win, but I'm thinking it'll be one of the first three. It is fantastic seeing two Asian guys in the final with one of them being Filipino. I'm not rooting for any one person to win since I like them all, so I'm just going to enjoy the finale and hope we see some amazing routines. Guest judge Christina Applegate was quite good.

Lady Gaga Visits Dance and Other TV Thoughts

The pace slowed down a bit for both Breaking Bad and Torchwood with both getting mixed reactions from me while both True Blood and Weeds ramped up the action a bit to positive results. But first Lady Gaga visited So You Think You Can Dance as a guest judge this week.


Her Lady of Gaga was joined by Oscar-nominated director Rob Marshall to judge the top eight dancers and to be honest they were kind of crap as have been most of the guest judges this season. Gaga kept dissing the props and the choreography which the dancers had no real control over while Marshall kept playing good cop going out of his way to praise the choreographers and anything remotely Broadway. Thankfully the dancers, like they do every week, BROUGHT IT, with the judges praising Melanie, Marko, Sasha, and Tadd mostly. Gaga performed two of my favorite songs from her new album during the result show ("Edge of Glory/You and I") before the judges eliminated out Jess and Jordan. Two more weeks until Melanie or Marko wins the whole thing!

Now for some scripted fare. Last week's Torchwood episode was written by none other than Buffy scribe Jane Espenson and I love her. In talking about this episode, she said they wanted to pull back on the action and take a breather in order for this new Torchwood team to get to know one another and to get a better handle on the events of the day. And yet, I felt it was a little too lax. The sex scenes, both straight and gay, felt ridiculously gratuitous and just made them feel like filler to an episode that really could've used more forward movement. It doesn't help that Rex is still an unlikable douche or that I'm now finding it difficult to watch Bill Pullman (in a good way because OMG he's terrifyingly skeevy). With that said, lovely moment between a drunk Jack and a preoccupied Gwen both invoking Ianto's name and the tag team of the Doctor and Gwen was nice. Let's go on with this though!


As for Breaking Bad, I understand why they felt they needed to take a breather after such an emotionally tense premiere, so the problem lies more with me and my expectations probably over the show's quality. In fact seeing how the events of last episode on Walt, Jesse, and Mike affected them was kind of beautiful. All of them on the edge of doing something truly crazy, but never quite getting there. Has it been officially recognized that while this is Walt's story, Jesse is very much the heart of the show? I'm thinking his journey this whole season will be the season's highlight. And just as an aside, I really hope Hank's new hobby has something to do with the biggest plot.

I personally believe that True Blood has been on fire this season plus or minus the Hotshot storyline. But speaking of that, I'm glad that Jason is finally done (for now) with that and giving a much needed kick to the domestic woes of Jessica/Hoyt. Who else was surprised that for a split second, Jason thought he was having sex with Hoyt? HOT. Please develop this. Speaking of other good developments, nice to see brothers Sam and Tommy work together on something and YEE-HAW on their parents finally biting the dust. Alexander Skarsgard is still doing mighty fine work with his lost Eric story while Pam's predicament is bringing out the snark in Bill Compton which makes me happy for him. Though of course that he now knows where Eric is, we'll see.


Finally, Weeds finally delivers an episode that I mostly liked. Yes, I zoned out over whatever is happening with Andy because really who cares. Plus I think Shane enrolled in college or something and Doug is wearing a suit? Whatever. This has become a Silas and Nancy Botwin show and I'm just find with that. They fly out to the West Coast for a custody hearing that is then promptly rescheduled giving Mary Louise Parker a much needed cause to fight as she dukes it out with her sister over intercom. Silas is also forced to defend her mom, as he testifies to the judge, and their relationship is finally getting back on track. I'm much more excited, however, by the surprise reappearance of Heylia in the end. WOO!

Breaking Bad Returns and Other TV Thoughts

I'm really happy that Breaking Bad is back. I only started watching the show about 10 months ago marathoning the first two seasons like it was my job. I finally caught up with the third season just a few weeks ago in preparation for this season and thank God I only had to wait a few weeks, because that cliffhanger was deadly.

Now as a regular episode, the premiere was pretty good, but I really expected MORE from a season premiere. Comparing it to other season premieres, it was actually quite tame even if there was a significant death as well as the nerve-wracking resolution to last season's cliffhanger. There were also some amazing performances from Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Giancarlo Esposito. The latter brought me chills while Paul probably said 5 words total all episode and he still broke my heart. So again, it was good, but the ridiculously high expectations I had didn't help. I still can't wait for the rest of the season though.

A few brief thoughts on other TV shows:

True Blood - Sookie gets all the luck, doesn't she? In one scene, she's surrounded by a naked and wet Eric (taking a dip and ready to pounce on some crocodiles) and a naked and growling Alcide (helping Sookie rescue Eric). I think words were exchange during that scene, but hell if I processed any of them. In other news, Jason is finally out and thank goodness because that storyline was growing stale. The witch stuff didn't kick into high gear until the end when Marnie put her mojo on Pam by literally melting her face off! NOT PAM!

Weeds - Shane gets a shave/haircut! I'm sure a bunch of other stuff happened in the episode, but yay for this! Episode still setting things up, but I feel an actual plot is evolving. I'm still wholly intrigued by the evolution of the Silas/Nancy relationship. Now they have this shaky business weed-dealing relationship as partners. All they need is weed. Still waiting for SOMETHING to happen on the show though.

Alphas - Unfortunately for this show, their second episode reminded me of a very similar episode that Fringe did and done much better. This team is still not gelling with me and I think they thought that teasing the Big Band Conspiracy in this episode would keep viewers. Not sure how successful they will be.

Still need to see tonight's episode of Torchwood. Maybe tomorrow if I don't die from the heat.

Torchwood Returns and Other TV Thoughts

I've been meaning to talk about the return of Torchwood since I saw the premiere last week, but I guess the lead-up and then the reaction to the Emmy nominations sapped my energies regarding TV. Since then though I've seen the second episode and a bunch of other TV shows. My thoughts on them all below!

The first two episodes of Torchwood gave me a lot of hope that this season could be great. I enjoyed the first episode, but there was so much set up and hand-holding for new viewers for me to really get into it. Never mind the fact that after all this time, I'm STILL recovering from the trauma that Children of Earth inflicted (in a good way!) and so I also needed a bit of hand-holding to bring me back to Jack, Gwen, and the world of Torchwood. This season's arc of people unable to die is epic, intriguing, and just plain engrossing. That's been my favorite thing of the season so far, seeing how this "miracle" is affecting humanity from the small to the global, from the benign to the horrific. Gwen has been given plenty of moments to shine from her gun/rocket launcher skills in the first episode to her taking lead in making the anecdote in the second and I love her for it. Bill Pullman is creepy as all hell and I'm so uncomfortable watching him, which is to say he's doing a wonderful job. It's slow-going for me to warm up to Mekhi Phifer's character, but I'm thinking now that he is forced to work together with Torchwood, he'll turn around. Plus I'm still giggling over his "Wales is the New Jersey of Britain!" line from the premiere. Right now I'm just thinking the sky is the limit when it comes to this season. I'm expecting lots of shocking twists and turns to come.

Now just some brief thoughts on other TV shows:

True Blood - Other than the whole Jason storyline, I've pretty much liked-loved everything this season has to offer. The most latest episode though, I want to give kudos to Alexander Skarsgard for playing an amnesic-smiling-confused-adorable Eric Northram to perfection. Lovely to see Alcide again. Claudine's death was very unexpected.

Weeds - The scene I was most looking forward to was the reunion between Silas and Nancy and while it was nothing special, at least it didn't disappoint. There's lots of complicated emotions at play and both Hunter Parrish and Mary Louise Parker are treading them nicely. Also, yay for more gratuitous Silas-in-underwear scenes.

Alphas - Saw the first episode last Monday and it was just okay. I'm a sucker for these type of show aka humans with superabilities. At the moment it all feels a tad dour even if they tried to shoehorn some funny into the pilot. I'll probably give it an episode or two, but this summer I've gotten impatient. Speaking of, I really should catch up on Falling Skies.

So You Think You Can Dance - We're down to the top 10 which means the couples are broken up and everyone is now playing for themselves. My favorites (Melanie, Marko, Jess, Sasha, and Ricky) are all still around so that's good. The whole star guest judge though has been mixed this season, but next week's Neil Patrick Harris will surely be amazing.

Friday Night Lights - It's been months since I saw the series finale, but it aired on NBC this past Friday and I just wanted to say that I thought it was a fitting end to a great show. I, sadly, never really warmed up to the new kids except for perhaps Jess, but all I really needed was a happy ending for Mr. & Mrs. Coach and that's what we got. Though one pet peeve I had... no reunion scene with Landry and Tyra? Really? REALLY?

Breaking Bad - The premiere is tonight! The premiere is tonight! You need to be watching this show.

Bewitching True Blood; Same Old Weeds

As I said last week, I didn't mind how disjointed the premiere of True Blood felt as long as it didn't feel this way for the rest of the season and I think the second episode delivered. Sure we still got Jason and Sam in their own little bubble of stories, but at least they are providing some much needed man flesh to the proceedings.

Just a little taste.

I was actually really intrigued by Sam's new friend Luna. Her story about turning into her mother was haunting and she has genuine chemistry with Sam who looks to have an bonafide good storyline this season. I'm also happy that Sam and Tommy seem to be finding their way back to each other. Unlike a lot of people, I actually love the Tommy character. Jason's storyline is a bit of a wait-and-see for me. The ending was deliciously gruesome though, but I don't know how I feel about Jason becoming a supernatural being.

A few of the other plot threads did converge this week with Sookie reuniting with Tara who then meets up with Lafayette/Jesus to their Wiccan meeting. There they run into Eric who was sent by King Bill to handle the necromancers. Next thing you know Marnie, played by the exquisite Fiona Shaw, does her dark magick Latin incantation thing to dispatch Eric. Sookie sees him in the end, shirtless and with his memories gone.

Something wicked this way comes!

Now maybe it's because I had a Wiccan phase when I was younger or because my favorite TV character is a redheaded witch, but I am LOVING this storyline so far. Yes, Marnie is awesome as are her unknown agenda, but I love that the reason why vampires are so wary of them is because if they can raise the dead then they can conceivably control vampires. Fascinating and in hindsight makes total sense. It's at least a relationship that way fresher than vampire/werewolves which has been done to death. With that said, great episode.

Looking forward to their awkward reunion.

We move on to Weeds and the verdict is a bit more mixed. They're still trying to get settled in this new setting so they're still in the process of figuring out exactly what to do. There's some promising things like Silas' continued hurt/angry feelings towards Nancy and his need to continue his modeling career (mostly probably to be on his own as much as possible) as well as Shane and Andy providing much needed comedy to the show.

I'm a bit more wary about Nancy. I get that the show is called Weeds and that she needs the money, but wanting to deal pot... again? Guess those years in prison taught her absolutely nothing at all. The new guy could provide some nice eye-candy so it's not a total loss. Also why is Doug still a series regular? Anyone? Can we at least get Celia back? I miss that crazy bitch.

Weeds Returns, Now With Beefcake

Just finished watching the season premiere of Weeds and it was just okay. I mean it was a bit weird to watch it after seeing the season premiere of True Blood since both episodes featured time jumps where the main female lead was separated from the rest of her friends/family for a long time as well as some gratuitous lesbianism (Nancy in prison with her Russian cellmate and Tara sexing it up with her caged fighter girlfriend). The similarities were a bit of distraction. Plus, like True Blood, the time jump necessitated a re-introduction to the rest of the characters and how they've changed, etc.


Still, it was a fine episode for what it needed to do, and unlike True Blood they actually provided us with some nice beefcake in the form of Hunter Parrish playing a Silas-turned-model. Hopefully this line of work doesn't completely go away when they all inevitably reunite with momma.