Happy Pride!

Happy Pride everyone! This weekend many cities around the country and the world (New York, San Francisco, Paris, London, and many more) are celebrating pride events. To commemorate this on the blog, here are just a few of the LGBT characters from TV shows I watched the past year...

In order, the characters are... Captain Ray Holt (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Oberyn Martell (Game of Thrones), Simon Monroe and Kieran Walker (In the Flesh), Patrick Murray and Richie Donado (Looking), Poussey Washington and Sophia Burset (Orange is the New Black), Felix Dawkins (Orphan Black), Nolan Ross and Patrick Osbourne (Revenge), and Mickey Milkovich (Shameless).

Hope there are more characters I can list next year! Who were some of your favorite LGBT TV characters this year?

A Couple of Patricks

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a couple of TV Patricks. Meet Patrick Murray, a video game designer who lives in San Francisco with his friend, and Patrick Osbourne, an erstwhile artist who just discovered his birth mom is one of the richest and most powerful woman in the Hamptons. The first Patrick is played by the adorable Jonathan Groff in HBO's Looking and while the second is played by the hunky Justin Hartley in ABC's Revenge.

They both look good in reddish pullovers.

They look even better without those pullovers.

But apart from their looks, it's always nice having gay characters on TV especially when they're making out with cute men like Russell Tovey and Gabriel Mann. And yes, I realize I turned a St. Patrick's Day post to ogle at two TV gay characters. And?

Quick TV Thoughts...

It's difficult to get my head to remember the past week's TV especially with my mind focused on tonight's Academy Awards. Nonetheless, just some brief thoughts on some of the shows...

A Firm Divided in The Good Wife

The Good Wife returns after its brief hiatus with a predictably excellent episode that features not only the welcome end of the debt storyline, but also a storyline that put Elsbeth and Eli together. For the latter, seeing these two breakout characters teaming up to fix Eli's problems was something to behold and I just think the show should find a way to make Elsbeth a series regular already. As for the debt storyline, the firm is all of a sudden in the black and in fact showing profits which makes the existing partners re-think their previous partnership offers to Alicia, Cary, and their fellow fourth-year associates. This creates a fun and tense episode pitting Alicia and Cary against Will and Diane and coloring their mock trial. I love it when Alicia and Cary partner up, but of course in the end the partners decide to offer partnership to just one person: Alicia. Thankfully she accepted showing great growth for her character, but what does this mean for her relationship with Cary? She also kissed Will... drama!

Sad, But Tense Revenge

I've been more frustrated than in love with some of the story beats and character work on this show this season, but I thought last Sunday's episode was quite spectacular especially with regards to anything dealing with Emily-Amanda. Knowing someone was going to die by the end of the episode made every scene in the boat tense and in the end I'm just very saddened to see Margarita Levieva leave the show, since her character, compared to most, was the one that grew the most and I'm really going to miss her. With her death and Helen Crowley's, it's certainly a turning point for the show this season which I'm hoping gets better in the second half. Give Nolan more to do and can we just stop humoring this whole Aiden deal?

Once Upon A Time Expands Family Tree

Everyone probably should've expected this from the very beginning, but this all important pivotal episode of the show finally confirmed it: Henry's family tree is FUCKED UP. We all finally found out that his long-lost father is also Gold's long-lost son! We all predicted this, but to finally see the all of the characters realized this as well was a fun moment for the show and I think everyone involved handled it well. It'll be very interesting to see what this means especially once they're back to Storybrooke. Certainly Regina will be pissed that yet again someone she loathes is blood-related to her adopted son.

I Love You and I Like You Parks & Rec

The wedding episode of Ben and Leslie was everything I could have hoped for. It even seems silly to write about what I loved about it, because it would pretty much just be EVERYTHING. From everyone working together to Leslie's amazing wedding dress to Ron giving Leslie awar to those wedding vows with those black & white flashback scenes... it was glorious. I heard this was written as a series finale if need be and though I would've been depressed if it was, it would've let the show go out with one of its best episodes. They then followed that episode with another one that takes place after the honeymoon is over and it was pretty much an episode to make everything go back to normal again. It was a good and funny episode with Leslie dealing with surviving a correspondent's lunch and Ben getting used to his new job at Sweetums. Renew this show, NBC, or face my wrath!

Miscellaneous TV Thoughts

No time to talk about any more TV, but just want to say quickly that I think How I Met Your Mother has been slightly on fire this month with a strong episode this past week that highlights the show's unreliable narrators. Castle also began its usual sweeps two-parter this time putting Alexis in danger. I just wish the threat was actually real, you know? I also liked this week's Girls episode though a step down from two weeks of really great episode, but I liked putting Ray and Adam together and that Marnie/Hannah phone scene in the end was genius. And finally, how could I not love Community's Inspector Spacetime convention episode?

End-Of-Year: Favorite 2012 TV Shows, Part 1

I watch a lot of TV. A lot. I can't even tell you the number of shows I regularly watch, because you will probably think I need to see a specialist. All of this is just to say that coming up with a top 30 list of my favorite shows is not at all easy. Ranking them is even more impossible to the point that most of the rankings are quite truly arbitrary. This year, I've decided not to include any reality TV shows so I can make room for scripted shows. My top 10 post will come tomorrow, but for now without further a due...

30. Suburgatory - This should've been included in last year's list, but I guess I didn't realize how much I would like the show until the end of its first season making me super anxious for their sophomore season, which thankfully has kept up with the quality of its first.

29. Castle - Clearly I love the show since I'm still watching and it perhaps doesn't deserve a relatively low rank. But it's that kind of show that while I'm watching it I love it, but seem to forget when I'm not watching it. This is not a knock though on the actors as Fillion and Katic are great together, even more so now that they are officially a couple.

28. Political Animals - In some ways this show could've been much higher on my list or not at all. It was that kind of show that really felt like it was going in a bunch of directions. What truly set the show apart though was the glittering cast and while plotlines could get too insane, I just kept wanting to see what happened next.

27. How I Met Your Mother - I began this latest season with much apprehension and unfortunately nothing they've really done have allayed my fears save for Barney's proposal. But I will always be an apologist for this show, because I still truly love these characters and will stick with them through thick and thin.

26. Girls - The voice of a generation? Well, I don't know about that, but Lena Dunham did create a show with a unique voice that slowly, but surely sucked me right in. These girls' lives are a mess and I can't help but watch it all unfold.

25. 30 Rock - For me the show lost some of its freshness a couple of seasons back, but it has truly found itself again the past year especially as the show does its victory lap towards the end of the series. This show, like Jenna's whole life, is thunder.

24. Last Resort - This show had my second favorite pilot this year offering a real adrenaline rush so rare for TV that I immediately knew they would never be able to sustain it and also it would be cancelled after this season. Fortunately, they were able to sustain some of it mostly due to the cast, but unfortunately they still got cancelled.

23. Ben and Kate - I was a little lukewarm to the pilot (though I still liked it), but the more episodes I watched, the more I realized I'm going to really miss the fun sincerity these characters brought. I'm a sucker for sibling relationships also, so this hit all the spots. Plus, best theme song ever or best theme song ever?

22. The Walking Dead - Last season, spent mostly in Hershel's farm, wasn't great, but the latter half of that season ramped up the drama and stakes and kept it going through the first half of the third season that has given us a rawer, visceral experience to this zombie-filled world. Leading man Lincoln has never been better.

21. Dexter - Talk about a much improved show! Who knew all they had to do was pull the wool over Deb's eyes? The way they handled her arc this season was pretty great with Carpenter selling every "fuck" that came out of her mouth. Couple that with Dexter forcing to do some real soul-searching about his dark passenger, LaGuerta's chilling quest, and a three-dimensional villain made for a damn good season.

20. Once Upon a Time - Last year, this show barely made my Top 30, but the end of the first season focused on more interesting characters (Ruby, Mad Hatter) then orchestrated a magnificent reboot of sorts to start the second season giving more meat to previously one-dimensional characters and a much-needed urgency to the plot.

19. Revenge - This show's relative high placement is mostly due to the extreme goodwill the show built up in its freshman season with its addictive soapy drama and excellent use of Stowe and Mann. This second season has been more perplexing and just a bit underwhelming at parts even if I still enjoy the heck of it.

18. Cougar Town - How thankful am I that last season wasn't its last? I wasn't at all prepared to say goodbye to those lovable idiots most especially during the beach wedding finale that make me laugh and cry simultaneously. I just can't help but love these crazy drunks.

17. Happy Endings - I'm just going to repeat what I said last year. This show is "a piñata filled with candy and crack" and while some of the material and relationships seem a little less fresh this time around, it's all still damn addictive. Plus Hip Hop Santa end tag was too awesome for words.

16. Mad Men - Don't ask me why this isn't ranked higher, because unlike what some people seem to think, this wasn't a "weak" season of the show. It wasn't perfect, of course, but off the top of my head I could name so many great moments, episodes, character development that happened. Hendricks and Moss continue to be the series' MVPs.

15. New Girl - Not sure when it happened, but I suddenly fell head over heels in love with this show. It's weird since for most of its freshman season, I felt like I was watching it more from obligation than desire. But then the show became much more of an ensemble and the writers suddenly figured out how to write each characters better. And voila!

14. Awake - Even though this just missed out being my favorite new show of the season, it does get the honor of being my favorite pilot of the year. I was immediately hooked on its brilliant concept of a man experiencing two realities, one in which either his wife or son lived after a car accident, and each subsequent episodes let me fall into the rabbit hole of obsession.

13. Game of Thrones - My favorite new show last year fell a bit in the rankings this year mostly because while I still love the show's world building, you can already feel things spreading too thin. It's still a gorgeous show though with some powerhouse performances from such actors like Dinklage, Headey, and Williams.

12. Veep - *BEST NEW SHOW* As a huge fan of creator Armando Iannucci's film In the Loop, I knew this show, which borrows a lot of its tone and sentiments from the film, would quickly be one of my favorites. A great lead turn from Dreyfus and a hilarious ensemble make it all work and I can't help but laugh uncomfortably at every other scene.

11. Doctor Who - There were only 6 episodes this year, including the super enjoyable Christmas special. The other 5 episodes saw the last adventures of the Doctor with beloved companions Rory and Amy and like many things this show does, they were all sufficiently epic and even heartbreaking especially Rory and Amy's final episode. Smith, Darvill, and Gillan had real chemistry I will sorely miss. But from the looks of things, Coleman will be just fine.

So there they are! As for my top 10, as I said before, they'll be posted tomorrow sometime, but looking at my nominations and using a process of elimination will make it easy to figure it all out. But the key question is... which show will be #1? Any guesses?

Sunday TV Catch Up

Last Sunday I watched approximately 100 hours of television. Okay, it was really only five hours plus a few more hours spent on other days catching up on the Sunday shows I didn't get to watch. I already talked about my thoughts on 666 Park Avenue, but before another epic Sunday, here are my brief thoughts on the rest...

Once Upon A Time - I grew to love this show last season especially when it suffered serious growing pains early on. Bringing everyone's memories back at the end could've been risky, but instead with this premiere they somewhat pulled it off especially the emotional reunions of all of these people who were living half-lives. It was also a smart premiere in that it does a pretty amazing job in taking the show in many new directions. I did not at all see the twist coming of the Mulan/Phillip/Aurore story happening in present time telling us that there are still life in fairy tale land. Putting Snow and especially Emma in that land in the end will also give the show new material with Emma being the fish out of water. Their absence in the real world should also prove worthwhile storyline-wise for the people they left behind. Finally, opening the show with a mysterious guy living in NYC? Genius. I'm so excited.

Revenge - This show is super ridiculous and I can't help but love it. Most of the reason I watch is because I just love, love the relationship between Emily and Nolan so their reunion at the boxing ring (with Nolan sweaty, shirtless and sporting a new sexier haircut) was the highlight of the episode for me. Or perhaps it was the final scene with them sitting in Emily's living room wearing bathrobes while spying on Victoria? Seriously, making Nolan Emily's roommate is brilliant on so many levels. I hope it lasts at least a few more episodes. Victoria's surprise resurrection was wholly expected, but I still liked that she was forced to interact with Emily. I was hoping they would work together more this season to bring down Conrad et. al, but I guess that'd be a little too convenient? Not much else to say about the other characters. Jack and Daniel are both depressed. Amanda and Ashley are crazy. Declan is still as inconsequential as ever. Welcome back, show.

The Good Wife - Other than Kalinda confronting her ex-husband, this episode really didn't wow me in its fourth season premiere, but then again the bar has been set SO HIGH previously, it was bound to come up short. First, Archie Panjabi was just fantastically sexy and fierce throughout as she figures out how to deal with Nick being back, not only in her personal life, but also her work life. My one fear is that they isolate this storyline from the rest of the happenings this season, but hopefully someone close to Kalinda (Alicia? Cary? Will?) will find out what's happening sooner rather than later. The rest of the episode is just setting up the main drama arcs for the season. Alicia is dealing anew with yet another campaign for Peter and how it effects their kids while Diane and Will are figuring out how to save their business. It's all deftly acted and beautifully written as per usual, but I'm hoping for a "wow" that I didn't get. Maybe tonight!

Dexter - More and more I have been watching this show more out of obligation rather than because I actually enjoy it. Last season, for example, started out pretty well, but quickly became less engaging. But I kept watching because of Hall and Carpenter's performances. But if this most recent premiere is any indication I am going to LOVE this upcoming season. Making Deb finally find out about Dexter's misadventures gives this season real direction and much-needed tension and urgency. And the episode went from good to perfect in the end when we and Dexter find out that Deb now knows more than what Dexter had wanted her to know. Shit is about to get real and it's fabulous. Here's hoping that Carpenter gets her due this season.

Homeland - When I marathoned the first season a few months ago, I really didn't realized how much I would truly love to see its return. It was such an adrenaline rush the first time through that I feared they couldn't possibly carry that over to the new season, but they really did. Yes, they would have to do their awkward best in bringing Carrie back into the field, but I think the show did it the best way they could. Plus seeing Danes channel the crazy early on and then the fierceness towards the end was something to behold. As for Lewis, he shows why he won the Emmy a couple of weeks ago. As a new congressman being vetted by the current VP to be his possible running mate, he and his family are well connected in Washington. His new connections means Abu Nazir wants him to do more, specifically (for this episode) he has to steal something from the safe in David's office giving us the episode's tensest moment. Another is the big confrontation he has with his wife about him being a Muslim. It's amazing to see Morena Baccarin do more dramatically, but I fear she'll end up dead sooner rather than later. But the best scene is the end with father and daughter burying the Koran. It's these quiet moments, like Carrie's smile, that make this show really work.

Looking Forward To... April Showers

I had planned on posting this last week, but life got in the way. In any case, the first two shows already had their season premiere, but in the age of DVRs and online viewing it really doesn't matter, right? In any case, here are the deluge premieres and returns I'm looking forward to this upcoming month...


The Killing (April 1st, AMC 8pm) - SEASON PREMIERE. Maybe it was because I saw the last half of the season over one weekend AFTER all of the drama that centered around the lack of resolution its end had, but I was totally fine with it. It's a fine enough drama, albeit a tad bleak, and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the story. With that said, I'm going to probably need to figure out when exactly I have time to fit in this 2-hr premiere.

Game of Thrones (April 1st, HBO 9pm) - SEASON PREMIERE. Never mind the fact that I already saw the premiere and absolutely LOVED it, but even if the premiere somehow failed to live up to the gloriousness that they displayed in season one, it still would've been my most anticipated season premiere of this month. It was after all my favorite new show last year.

Scandal (April 5th, ABC 10pm) - SERIES PREMIERE. I'm doing into this relatively blind. I mean I know it's about the insider lives of Washington and it stars the awesome Kerry Washington and so far that's all I need to know to at least check it out. Yes, it's by Shonda Rhimes but even with her faults, she does know how to craft a viable ensemble show. Plus she's a huge Buffy/Joss Whedon fan.

Glee (April 10, FOX 8pm) - I don't know about you but I certainly didn't miss this show while it was gone for the past few weeks. The only reason why I'm tuning in now is because I'm clearly masochistic, I still love seeing people sing and dance in a scripted TV show, and well Matthew Bomer. 'Nuf said.

Don't Trust the B- in Apt. 23 (April 11, ABC 10pm) - SERIES PREMIERE. I had a chance to see this in advanced a couple of days ago and I quite liked it. There's some things that need ironing out, but I found myself enjoying the cast especially James Van Der Beek playing himself. Think of it as 2 Broke Girls without all the misogynistic/racist humor.

Revenge (April 18th, ABC 10pm) - And my favorite new show last year on broadcast TV makes a comeback after being gone for nearly two months! Can't believe we had to wait that long without the scheming! Good news though is that we'll be getting the last 6 episodes straight through. I'm hoping for a cliffhanger!

Parks and Recreation (April 19, NBC 9:30pm) - This will have been off-the-air just a little over a month when it returns and TV will be a better place when it returns. This newly awarded Peabody winner will air its last four episodes straight through. Paul Rudd will probably return as Leslie's campaign reaches its conclusion.

There are a handful of season finales in store for this month. For a couple of those shows I've pretty much stopped watching them recently, but for the rest it'll be the usual bittersweet moment of having a great episode to tide us over for the summer months (or more in some cases). The dates are below:

• Shameless - 4/1
• Happy Endings - 4/4
• Up All night - 4/12
• Being Human - 4/14
• Ringer - 4/17
• Raising Hope - 4/17
• The Good Wife - 4/29

TV|Line has a more complete list of April's season/series premieres and finales so better make sure you check it out.

TV Report Catch Up: Tuesday and Wednesday

Sitcoms and twisty drama about super rich people. That's what Tuesdays and Wednesdays are all about or at least that's what I discovered when writing up my thoughts on the shows I watch on those days. Without further a due, as I reach closer and closer to catching up...


Cougar Town - Suffice it to say, I'm so very happy to have this cul-de-sac crew back and as silly as ever. But one of my favorite things about this show is how they've learned to balance the heart with the wackiness. Jules reacting to Travis' accident, Andy expressing his need to be king of the cul-de-sac, and Bobby's need for companionship were all handled deftly and sincerely. Of course we get an episode full of Scrubs shout outs including numerous former cast members of that show, dominance ball, Tom Cruise running gag, and way too many more to list.

New Girl - This show has gotten much better since those early days. The cast just seem to be gelling much better now and thus becoming more of an ensemble rather than the Zooey Deschanel show. Schmidt in particular, who I had mixed feelings with early on, is becoming my favorite especially with the latest episode doing a good job highlighting his various neuroses while still making his friendships with the others believable. They do need to do more with Winston.

Ringer - It's not a good sign that I don't really have much to say. Don't get me wrong, a lot has actually happened on this show. The blackmail storyline came to a head, Tyler was killed, and a whole bunch of people are actually learning some secrets. I'm just not rooting for anyone. Siobhan and Andrew are shady, Bridgette and Henry are clueless, and the rest are meh.


Suburgatory - I still like George and Tessa, but this show is increasingly becoming the Dalia and Dallas show for me. As mother-daughter they don't even have that many scenes together, but any scene they're in is usually a highlight. The rest of the show is just as solid.

Modern Family - Two episodes, two reactions. The Leap Day episode was not good. It was Cam at his paranoid worst not to mention that doing an episode that revolves around's women's cycles is very tricky to pull off and I don't think this show did that. The last new episode was MUCH better exploring Cam's clown past, Phil duking it out with Ellen Barkin, and Manny "winning" for once. Also I think Luke Dunphy is my favorite character.

Happy Endings - This show is on fire. Dave appears in everyone's sex dream, Jane and Alex mindfucks Dave and Brad, and Penny's 31st birthday is a hot mess. The latter was probably the show's best episode making me immediately call it "practically perfect" on twitter after I saw it. Like many sitcoms, there's just way too m any gags per episode for me to mention all of my favorites, but it definitely has a higher gag per second ratio than most. I hope they keep this up!

Revenge - Only one episode aired since I last posted and the next new one won't even air until mid-April! With that said, it was the episode after the big episode that revisited the pilot which meant it felt like a regrouping of sorts. We got to see what actually happened on the beach and who shot Tyler (Daniel but Takeda delivered the fatal shots). Emily, Nolan, and Victoria are fan favorites and they continue to be but I give props to this show for making a few meh characters stand out in this episode. For example, Ashley's maneuvering to become the Grayson's spokesperson, Daniel's maybe/maybe not memory loss regarding Tylers' confession, Charlotte's yearning to learn about her past, and Declan finally thinking about someone other than himself (i.e. his brother who was at the beach). Good stuff.

TV Report Catching Up

Internet troubles and other reasons conspired in me skipping my usual TV Report last week which means I now have 14 days of TV to try and talk about. And knowing my TV habits, that's a lot aka 30+ TV episodes. So in a effort to just catch up, just a few quick thoughts in alphabetical order:

2 Broke Girls - I'm still not sure what I think about Jennifer Coolidge's Sophie added into the ensemble, but any character not diner-related is potentially great. Last recent episode with Earl going to the hospital was good to show Max's softer side.


30 Rock - Jane Krakowski is dependably best in show, but Tina Fey has been stepping up her game. Her old lady Joker in the latest episode (to complement Jack's Dark Knight) was inspired. The one-hour episode the week before though dragged. Would've made a better half hour installment methinks.

Big Bang Theory - There are seven main characters on this show. So why does only one, the newest addition, Amy brings the laughs? Oh sure Sheldon and others will get a joke here and there, but the writers are doing most of them a disservice with dull plots such as Bernadette and Howard's prenup or the lame contest between Sheldon and Kripke.

Castle - This show brought out the big guns. First having an episode enabling the characters dressed up in 40s outfit in a flashback then having the first part of their February sweeps thriller event that involves the CIA. Both were very strong episodes and I can't wait to see the second part.

Cougar Town - It's finally back and still called Cougar Town! And I loved it. From the cold open showing us these people are still the alcoholics we know and love to that heart-clutchingly beautiful proposal in the end, it was a great premiere. The latter scene was made even more effective by showing us momentarily Bobby's heartfelt and sincere mixed reaction to the proposal. Didn't even mention the other gags like Evil Stan, the green screen, and Jules predictability.

Fringe - The ratings are super depressing, even more so since these last two episodes have been this season's best (and right up there in terms of the whole series). It helped that we're finally getting closer and closer to the resolution of the Amberverse as Olivia's memories are starting to come back. I constantly praise Anna Torv, right so, but Joshua Jackson reacting to this has been a wonder these past couple of episodes. It also helped that the Cases of the Week were strong on their own.

Glee - The less said about the Ricky Martin episode the better (though Martin was completely fine and predictably charming and Naya Rivera killed in all of her scenes). I actually found myself liking the Valentine's Day episode. The Karofksy twist was pretty unexpected, Mercedes' glorious "I Will Always Loved You" hit all the right notes, and Rachel's dad were fabulous.

Happy Endings - Two words: James Wolk. I think other things, potentially gut-bustingly hilarious things, happened in these past couple of episodes, but really JAMES WOLK. His Valentine's Day kiss with Max then his subsequent shirtless scene the episode after... yes, please.

How I Met Your Mother - A bit of a mixed review for this show. The housewarming party episode was great in terms of concept, but the content was uninteresting. This week's episode was better in no small part to Cobie Smulders' heartbreaking performance YET AGAIN. The end with her and Ted is a curious development. Finally, I've been on the "drunk train" once. Completely accurate.

Modern Family - I actually think the past couple of episodes were above average with some really fun storylines. Cam and Gloria competing, Phil's obliviousness to Claire getting hit on, and the whole fuckery that was the Aunt Mommy deal. Good stuff.

New Girl - Can this show be hitting its stride? I think so since I've unironically liked more episodes lately than not. The Lanlord episode was HIGHlarious especially when Jess and Nick got this close to getting into a threesome with their landlord. The Valentine's Day episode was a bit of a hit-and-miss but Ryan Kwanten is pretty and we finally get the Schmidt-Cece pairing that was pretty inevitable.

Once Upon A Time - My friends have a problem with the show taking its methodical time actually progressing the plot, but I'm sort of okay with that as long as they keep telling interesting retelling of fairy tale stories which I thought they did with Beauty & the Beast. Emilie de Ravin and Robert Carlyle really made it all work.

Parks and Recreation - I thought they handled the most anticipated reunion of Leslie and Dave well especially coupled with Ben's uneasiness with cops. It gave both Louis C.K. and Adam Scott an opportunity to really go crazy in this episode playing off their feelings towards Leslie. Andy writing Leslie's campaign song was also good though mostly for Ron's Duke Silver reappearance. After this episode, I'm undecided about Tom/Ann.


Revenge - I could and SHOULD probably write a whole separate entry on this show, because since Daniel and Emily got engaged it's been nothing but an insane ride for everyone. We are introduced to the truly harsh Grandfather Grayson making Conrad/Victoria's divorce a bit trickier. Jack gets super frustrated and crashes a dinner party whereby Charlotte finds out about her real father. Tyler (!!!) comes back and makes Emily's life that much worst. We go back to the first scenes of the pilot and finally find out that... Tyler gets shot and Daniel may be the one to have done it. And I'm not even conveying all of the other twists and turns and the unspoken acting showcase Stowe and VanCamp engage in whenever they have a scene together. Love this show.

Ringer - Like Revenge, these past two weeks brought a lot of plot developments to a head mostly thanks to Siobhan finally being in New York and interacting with others. Her letting Henry find out about Bridgette was something the show probably needed to do sooner, but glad it's happened. I appreciate the twist on the whole Julia/teacher/rape thing, but I still think that storyline is too much.

Smash - Thankfully I managed to put my thoughts on the pilot down already so I don't have to do it. As far as the second episode goes, I'm still pretty much in like with the show. Megan Hilty is so great and so it's actually making it difficult to connect with Kat McPhee's character since I'm rooting for Ivy so much more. Like the pilot, the adoption story is shrugworthy for me even more so after those cringe-inducing scenes in this second episode. The singing/dancing performances were aces and I still find Jack Davenport (and Anjelica Huston) so much fun to watch.

Suburgatory - The latest episode "The Body" was okay, but not one of my favorites. It at least gave the Shay siblings interesting storylines which is welcome. I much preferred the week's prior episode dealing with sex. Tessa navigating her tricky relationship with Scott Strauss and George finally getting some were great, but really Cheryl Hines dancing to Kelly Clarkson's Stronger was my scene of the week.

Whew! Now on to a new week of television. The Good Wife returns! Season premiere of The Amazing Race! 500th episode of The Simpsons! Downton Abbey season finale Christmas special!

TV Report: Week of 1/15

Don't have as much to say on TV this week, but that's probably because I've been all caught up with tennis and other things. With that said, other than yet again missing an episode of The Secret Circle (which doesn't bode well for me catching up on that show any time soon), I pretty much found the time to watch all my usual shows. Just a few quick thoughts on some of them...


CBS Shows Reach Milestones

How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory celebrated their 150th and 100th episodes respectively. One of the more refreshing things about both episodes was that if you didn't know about the milestones, you wouldn't have really known it by the episode, but once you do you can look back and appreciate what they did. Both made great use of the past to comment on where the future of each might be heading. For Mother, we get the gang struggling to handle the idea of Lily/Marshall moving out of the city into Long Island prompting Barney to find their replacements in Lily's stripper doppelganger and her pimp. The new credits first sana Lily/Marshall and then with the new gang were nice touches, but of course the episode ends with the original gang hanging out in Long Island in their "new booth." For Big Bang, Leonard asks Penny out on a date seemingly wanting to get back together with her. We find out in the end, that the entire episode was a daydream, but before the audience feels cheated, Leonard really asks her out. The fun bit in the episode of course were the main cast wearing the same as what they wore in the pilot.

Wedding Bells Are In the Air...

...Or at least that's what it felt like this week. Glee actually had an okay episode that revolved around Will trying to figure out the best song (how about no song?) to use when proposing to Emma. I was especially shocked at my non-hating feelings considering the episode largely focused on characters I didn't really like, but good solid performances plus a rare three-dimensional Sue plus the random Helen Mirren voiceover put it on the good column for me. Of course the episode ends with another proposal with Finn hilariously asking Rachel's hand in marriage.

In Revenge, Daniel finally bit the bullet and proposed to Emily, but if the pilot is any indication, he's one day closer to death. This episode most of all proved that while Emily's laser-focus on wreaking havoc upon the Graystones is fun to watch, it's also hurting innocent bystanders. Jack's been badly beaten while Charlotte's world has been turned upside down with the reveal that she's David Clarke's daughter (though she doesn't know this yet). Emily was just about to retreat a bit only for Daniel to put his foot in his mouth and diss her father. Vengeance wins yet again!

Other potential wedding bells on TV this week... Frank is already trying to get together with Butterface in Shameless to get her insurance money while The Office's Andy thinks about proposing to his new girlfriend, but is still confused about his obvious feelings for Erin.


Cute Guys Abound

I wasn't such a huge fan of 30 Rock this week even though I knew Fey and company was going to deal with Tracy's troubles from last year. With that said, Jane Krakowski remain hilarious in every scene she's in and cute guy James Marsden is revealed as Liz's new boyfriend. At the moment, she isn't sure is he's just Dennis 2.0, but um... it's James Marsden. Another cute guy Paul Rudd makes his first appearance in Parks and Recreation as Leslie's political foe. In Parks style, the character isn't really evil and more spoiled dumb brat. Love his interactions with the cast as well as the dueling ads of Ben and Leslie. Finally, there's the mysterious cute guy that appeared at the end of Once Upon A Time played by Eion Bailey. Who is he? My friends and I are betting the Big Bad Wolf, but it could be anyone really. And since I'm already talking about this show, how great was it to see Emma Caulfield as the Blind Witch? She looked amazing.

Miscellaneous/Other TV Tidbits...

Sherlock's finale was emotionally brutal... Fringe was spectacular two episodes in a row... Not the best Good Wife episode, but the end was great with Kalinda put in the precarious position of either betraying Will or Alicia... I also find little children cursing funny so that Modern Family storyline this week worked for me.

TV Report: Week of 1/8

Tonight's a busy, busy TV day for me. Yes, there's the Golden Globes which is probably my main priority since I'm an awards nuts, but there's also the football playoffs featuring the Giants and more importantly the beginning of the Australian Open. I didn't even mention my usual Sunday TV fare like The Good Wife, Shameless, and Sherlock. Thank goodness I have tomorrow off. With that said, that's tonight, how about I talk about the TV week that was...


Speaking of Sunday TV...

My two favorite episodes this past week came exactly seven days ago with the latest episode of The Good Wife featuring the welcome return of Carrie Preston's eccentric, but shrewd lawyer Elsbeth Tascioni and the season premiere of Shameless with the return of Emmy Rossum and the rest of the Gallagher clan. Both actress did win my personal end-of-year awards, but that's neither here nor there. While they were my favorite parts, they didn't perform in a vacuum. The Good Wife, like every week, expertly juggles multiple characters and story lines with nary a fumble. This week the main story was a couple suing the always hilarious David Lee who brokered their divorce agreement during Alicia's first year. It gave us very tense moments where we thought Alicia might have ::gasp:: done something wrong showing us not only that this show can make missing paperwork exciting, but also giving a more bonding moment for a newly made-up-ish Kalinda/Alicia. This storyline also offered us a wonderfully new rivalry in Eli and David Lee which I hope will continue to foster. Of course, Elsbeth, as Will's new lawyer, confronting Wendy made me gleeful since both of them are so smart and manipulative is similar and yet very different ways. I'm so looking forward to what transpires there.

As for the Gallagher clan et. al, it was great seeing them back, this time in the summertime. It's been a few months since the events of last season's finale with Steve leaving and Eddie seemingly committing suicide. As per usual, the Gallaghers are surviving just okay in their usual way--Fiona working as a server, Lip doing fight club, Debbie and Carl babysitting the neighborhood kids. Frank gets up to his usual trouble which not only threatens his kids (Liam is held for ransom basically), but makes them lose all their hard-earned money. It's a strong premiere in that regard welcoming us back to what we fell in love with the show in the first place. Oh and it featured a dirty-mouthed shirtless James Wolk as Fiona's rebound. Yes, please.


The Ever So Consistent ABC Wednesday Block...

Apart from possibly Sunday, Wednesday seems to be my favorite TV day which is even made more peculiar since I only watch one network. Or if not my favorite then it's definitely the most consistent/best flow which was solidified even more this week as I graded each individual episodes a B+. The Wire references abounded this week on Suburgatory and Happy Endings with the first show featuring guest star Dan Byrd (Cougartown) working as an undercover cop and the latter show featuring Max, Alex, and Brad staking out a possible prostitution ring. Both had their usual sitcom-y twists of course with Tessa thinking Byrd's cop was actually a closeted gay and the prostitution ring not at all what it seems. For the latter show, the highlights were the guest appearances of Michael McKean (as Dave's dad) and Megan Mullaly (as Penny's mom) who are now dating and of course the racist/homophobic parrot Alex bought.

Meanwhile Modern Family delivered a solid episode that is to be commended for a not-too-grating Cam/Mitchell storyline that had them trying to impress a girl who wanted to give up her baby for adoption. Phil's schtick this time wasn't as funny as I usually found it, but I loved his final scene with Gloria who wanted Phil to be angry with her so it felt like they were family. I liked the Egg Drop bit more for Alex's background snickers and Luke's observations than anything else. Finally, Revenge was delicious as usual featuring the wonderful appearance of Robert Bart as the journalist turned author who burned Emily's father. The ending was predictable in that Emily got her revenged, but it was quite effective with the flames and Nolan's maniacally smiling in the background. I don't have high hopes for Fauxmanda. She's the loose end to Emily's plan and she'll eventually has to be dealt with, but I did love Emily as Cyrano for Amanda scene. Charlotte as Emily's half-sister is... boring, but this is a soap opera and maybe it'll be more development for that underused character.


Welcome Comebacks...

It's been more than a month since we got a new episode of Parks and Recreation and nearly TWO MONTHS since we saw a new episode of Fringe, so I was glad to have both shows back in my life this week. First, Parks was fantastic especially the Ben as depressed plot. Adam Scott was literally stealing scenes throughout from his calzones-zones to his claymaysh. It was also a welcome sight to see him interact with Chris. The other part of the episode with Leslie relaunching her campaign was good, but didn't become great until the end with the ice rink debacle with Gloria Estefan's "Get On You Feet" playing in the background. By the time the basketball player slipped and the song played immediately after, I was delirious from laughing so hard. It was both hilarious painful and painfully hilarious. End result is one we all predicted though with Ben being Leslie's campaign manager. Bring it, Paul Rudd!

As for Fringe, it was a very strong first episode of the new year which in all likelihood might also be its final year. I'd like to think this was probably setup as the mid-season finale, but the ratings made the network delay. Too bad since it really was quite epic in scope with the two Lees from both universe meeting up and Peter confronting not only his "all is not what it seems" father, but also his affectionate mother giving us a wonderfully heartbreaking reunion scene. The Observer's scene with Olivia was appropriately foreboding, but the return of Jared Harris as Jones from the first season is more than exciting and if this is to be the endgame, then I might be able to live with it. Just barely.

Few Other TV Tidbits...

The last episode of Once Upon A Time as a whole wasn't really that strong especially when we were in the real world, but props must go to Rober Carlyle for his great work... Ryan got married on Castle and Castle/walking down the aisle in the end was cute... Amy gleefully reacting to her tiara gift from Sheldon in Big Bang Theory was pure joy... Nice to see 30 Rock back again, but I still miss Community more.. Didn't get to see either The Secret Circle (too much on that night) or Supernatural (falling out of love with the show). Though I hear for the latter, it was a particular good episode. Go figure.

TV Report: Week of 1/1

I think the idea behind my weekly TV rankings is solid, but I'm continually trying to figure out the best way to offer up my thoughts on the shows I watch. The problem is I just watch too much and the amount of what I have to say varies from show to show and even week to week. So with that said, I think I'm going to do without weekly rankings and if I don't have much to say about a show, I won't talk about it (though maybe just in passing?). And so it begins...

Forgettable CBS Monday Episodes

I get why CBS decided to air new episodes of How I Met Your Mother and 2 Broke Girls especially with an NYE-theme episode of the former, but talk about being wholly forgettable and largely filler. Mother had good elements that never really gelled together. Barney and Ted's lifelong dream of opening up the bar should've made more of an impact than it did and Robin's big on-screen moment was also similarly anticlimactic. Marshall and Lily having separate "dad moments" gave the episode an uplifting ending, but not their best efforts. Girls went into the world of extreme couponing and Occupy Bathroom Tampons. I don't even want to go into it really.

ABC Wednesday Makes Strong Return

Let's just say the weakest episode on this night went to a solid Modern Family episode which tells you how strong this night is for this network. Any episode of Suburgatory where Tessa is forced to spend most of her scenes with Dalia, hilariously played by Carly Chaikin, is always excellent. Dalia BTW is like Regina and Karen from Mean Girls rolled into one. Modern Family delivers a somewhat boring episode with the only highlights coming from a paranoid Phil thinking he's about to die and Claire, Cam, and Mitchell eying Manny's father. Happy Endings was enjoyable as ever mostly because I loved the pairing of Max/Jane (competing for a matching sweater) and Alex/Brad (finding out they share a love of rom coms). The Penny/Dave possibly subplot intrigues, but I need more to jump on board.

Of course last but definitely NOT the least was a new episode of Revenge where Tyler pretty much went off the deep end and it was so absolutely, and sometimes terrifyingly, a joy to watch. Tyler ate up most of the episode going up against Conrad then Daniel then poor Nolan before holding most of the main cast under hostage. Of course he is taken down and it's tough to say goodbye to Ashton Holmes, but they didn't kill him and since this is a soap, I'm sure we'll see him down the line hopefully with his hot brother in tow. In other news, Victoria is fighting two battles, one with Emily for Daniel's affections and one with Conrad in regards to their divorce. Can't wait to see her play dirtier as she gets more desperate.

Brief Thoughts on Dark Thursdays

I don't blog about Grey's Anatomy, but I do still watch it and this latest episode, the second part of a two-parter that began before the holidays, was great if only for Sandra Oh's performance. Actually I also give props to Kim Raver whose devastation was so well-played by the actress and gut-wrenching to watch. As for The Secret Circle, it was a fairly middling episode even though I did like that they didn't drag out the gang knowing about Cassie's possible dark side. I am getting tired of whatever plan Dawn and Charles are trying to cook up as well as Faye's one-mindedness of being such a bitch.

And Some Final Reservations for Supernatural

This season hasn't been awful. It actually started out strong and the last new episode before the break where Bobby died was one of their best. And yet, I'm just finding myself not caring as much about these brothers. This is one of those shows where I've stopped having actual things to say and I'll probably stop talking about it in the weeks to come unless something big happens.

End-Of-Year: Favorite 2011 TV Shows, Part 1

Certainly took me long enough, but I'm finally posting my Favorite 2011 TV Shows. I did a rough count today and figured out that I have seen more than 870 television episodes last year. I knew I watched a lot of TV, but I was still shocked to see that kind of number. With that big of a sample size, it was tough for me to narrow it down to my Top 30 TV shows, but I tried below. I'm saving my Top 10 for tomorrow, but here are the other shows on my list...

30. Ringer - There were many new shows fighting for this last spot, but I eventually went with a show headlined by my childhood hero Sarah Michelle Gellar aka Buffy Summers. The show itself has lots of potential especially if they take themselves a lot less seriously. In retrospect, I probably should've included Suburgatory instead of this or another show on my list.

29. Once Upon A Time - Upon further reflection, it's odd this show made it in my list, but not Grimm whose initial episodes and tone appealed to me more. Some of it has been my laziness to catch up on the latter show, but I am also starting to get caught into this show's spell. Some of the acting is still pretty cartoonish, but I think the show has its heart in the right place.

28. Greek - I was sad to see this group of college buddies say goodbye, but I definitely enjoyed the journey they took me on. The final episode was a great highlight featuring every character and various relationships of the show. RIP KT House.

27. United States of Tara - The highlights this season were Toni Collette really going off the deep end and Eddie Izzard's brief supporting role. Other characters had solid emotional beats to play and for the most part they were all left in a good place during the series finale, though a bit bruised and battered.

26. So You Think You Can Dance - A pretty entertaining season capped with an all-girl final between two amazing dancers not to mention the final two boys being Asian! Love that Melanie ended up winning, but I would've been happy with any of the top 4.


25. The Walking Dead - Did we really need to spend most of the season looking for Sofia or being stuck in that farm? Probably not, but it certainly made that last scene all the more spine-chilling. Plus I'm okay with the slower paced episodes, but I wished more (believable) character development happened other than Darryl.

24. Amazing Race - Not the best two installments of the show, but they were still better than most anything on TV. Race-wise I enjoyed the earlier All-Stars season with Kisha/Jen winning versus the later season with Ernie/Cindy winning.

23. True Blood - I was pleasantly surprised this season perhaps because I actually liked most of the storylines plus or minus Jason's werepanther adventures or Sookie and Eric's sexy times. A lot of the actors stepped up this season and the witch vs. vampire big arc was really interesting.

22. The Hour - Many people call this the British Mad Men and I'm pretty sure it's meant to be complimentary. I really ended up liking this even though some of the stories were a bit too twisty for me to unknot. I was most impressed by Whishaw and Garai and their relationship.

21. Wilfred - Caught up on this show over the long Labor Day weekend and highly enjoyed it mostly due to the fun chemistry between its two lead characters. Props to Gann for really getting the essence of being a man in a dog suit acting like a dog. Kudos to Wood for acting along side him!

20. Modern Family - This has plummeted in my list, less because of its quality which is still top-notch along with its amazing ensemble, and more because there are just more sitcoms I've found I love more than this one.

19. Misfits - Did I miss Nathan? Maybe a little bit, but Kelly kicking ass and her relationship with cutie Seth more than made up for his absence. Their new powers were pretty unexciting, true, but solid episodes throughout. The finale was especially engrossing especially that tragic end for a couple of characters.

18. Big Bang Theory - The girls are why I tune in now, which is not to say that Parsons and the rest of the guys aren't good. It's just that I consistently enjoy the girls more and most of that is the chemistry between Penny and Amy.

17. Castle - I never know why I always end up ranking this show relatively low compared to my feelings regarding its awesome cast and fantastic episodes. Perhaps it's the procedural aspect of the show which screams "BEEN THERE DONE THAT!" That said, I have much love for this show and hope they can keep it up.

16. Friday Night Lights - This is probably as high as it is, because I actually saw every episode of this series this year though of course only a handful of episodes actually aired this year. Even so, it was a pretty good ending for a series that could've ended far sooner. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.


15. Cougar Town - It has felt like more than a year since we got a new episode of this great show, but alas its low ratings and awkward title has done its damage. But no matter since this cul de sac crew has wormed its way into my heart and forever they will remain.

14. How I Met Your Mother - This is such a complicated show to rank since it's one of the shows I look forward to each week and while they more often than not do great episodes, there have been more than a few clunkers. In the end, it's all about how excited I am every week for it and in spite of itself sometimes, I'm always excited!

13. Shameless - I was pretty much ready to write this show off as another useless American remake of a British show, but then I caught it and immediately fell in love with the Gallagher clan. I was most impressed with Emmy Rossum caustic portrayal as the head of the chaotic household. Can't wait to see them back on TV.

12. Revenge - This show was probably the biggest surprise for me this fall season. I expected this to crash and burn, but not only did it deliver one of the strongest pilots of the new season, but it somehow kept its juicy mixture of trashy guilty pleasures with strong characterizations and acting.

11. Happy Endings - I once described this show as a piñata filled with candy and crack and it's so very apt. It's continuously weird and endlessly funny. The characters are a big part of it as there's no weak link (yes, even Alex and Dave).

Any shows here that surprised you? Anything shocks you at being missing? Perhaps they'll show up tomorrow when I post my top 10 list. Or perhaps they just missed the cut.

TV Report: Weekly Drama Rankings

As you will be able to tell once you read my thoughts on this week's drama shows, I have a lot of feelings and I just needed to get them out.

1. Loyalty (Revenge) - Is it just me or are you also starting to feel sorry for a bunch of people on this show? You know who I feel sorry for the most? Fake!Amanda. She's the epitome of a pawn and while Real!Amanda (now Emily) met her in jail, deep down all she really wants is something to love her and at the moment she has found that in Jack. Granted their relationship is all based on lies, but I'm oddly finding myself pulling for those two if only because they are hopelessly caught in this war that Emily is currently engaging. Another person I'm starting to feel sorry for? Victoria. I actually look to the day when she and Emily team up against Conrad, but that's probably way into the future, but right now she's in an empty house forced to ally herself with Ashley of all people. Then there's poor lovesick Nolan. The fact that he was actually starting to feel things for Tyler is a little bit ridiculous (which is one reason I love this show), but my heart goes out to him. Finally, poor oblivious Daniel. Sorry you can't speak Japanese so you can tell your girlfriend is totally carrying on a completely different conversation over dinner with some other guy! Whew, that was longer than I expected but I felt the need to get my feelings out. And who saw the teaser for next new episode? Brilliant or BRILLIANT?

2. The Shepherd (Once Upon A Time) - Don't ask me when I've gotten excited about watching new episodes for this show. It just happened. I think most of it has to do with my crazy crush on Josh Dallas aka Prince Charming. If you've seen him, you'd understand. For some reason people are already tired of the will they/won't they plot this show is taking Snow and James, but people forget it's only been five episodes. I love the chemistry between Dallas and Goodwin and they may be my favorite part of the show at the moment. I also quite enjoyed seeing James' background aka being the twin who grew up as a shepherd and had to replace his dragon-slaying brother to save the kingdom. It felt familiarly fairy-tale-ish and epic at the same time.

3. Parenting Made Easy (The Good Wife) - How great were those ten or so minutes when we thought something awful happened to Grace? Yes, she's not one of my favorite characters on the show, but I was hoping for something crazy tragic to happen just to see how it'd affect the rest of the character especially on Alicia. We got a glimpse of it (Alicia regretting her sexual dalliance with Will, Peter stepping up, Kalinda always being a friend to Alicia), but of course when we find out she's just off getting baptized, I was duly disappointed. That said, I knew they would never have done something as radical as what I had wanted, so que sera. I always enjoy when Michael J. Fox guest stars as his verbal spars with Julianna Margulies are very entertaining. It was great seeing him once again seem like a good guy (helping Alicia when she found out about Grace) only to go back to being the cutthroat lawyer he's known for. It was also great seeing Dexter's Jennifer Carpenter play against type as the uptight conservative as well as bringing back the scorned Megan who Alicia failed to hire earlier this season. All in all a solid episode with Will's investigation, Kalinda's relationship with Dana, and Eli's role in the organization simmering on the surface, but never really going anywhere yet.

4. Cuffed (Castle) - I'm actually not a hardcore Castle/Beckett shipper even if I think Fillion and Katic have chemistry to spare, but I bet those who are were absolutely giddy at the prospect of having both of these characters handcuffed to each other all episode. For their part, the actors really did do well to keep the audience interested and invested in their plight as the layers slowly peeled away to reveal the real story. For me though, as soon as we got to the tiger reveal, my attention started waning. I think what cost this episode was my expectation. I was truly expecting something a bit more tense and visceral, but it actually turned out to be a pretty light, banter-ful episode. I'm usually the first to praise the show for its deft ability to balance humor and drama, but I think with the stakes that have been raised in this season in particular, I expected something with a bit more heft than what we ended up getting with this episode.

5. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Pan Am) - I'm decidedly mixed on this episode. As usual I love anything and everything to do with Collette and this episode in particular gave her much to work with from her flirty and exciting trip with Dean to that awkward and tense scene with Dean's parents to that bow chicka bow wow hay scene in the end. This show is bound to be canceled, but PLEASE someone, anyone find Karine Vanasse a headliner. I also, for probably the first time, found Laura and Ted's relationship/characters interesting. I don't have a pulse as to why exactly, but I definitely paid more attention to their scenes than I usually did. But the show faltered when it came to Kate and Maggie's storylines. Kate's drama with the agency is getting mighty tiresome even if I was a BIG fan of it earlier on. The ending, with her shooting someone, was exciting and that might make me feel love for this part of the story again, but for most of the episode I couldn't wait for it to be over. I also liked where Maggie's story ended, with the Senator wanting to see her again. But her struggling to coincide her beatnik side with her mainstream side rang hollow to me and setting the bathroom on fire was the height of slapstick.

6. Hold On to Sixteen (Glee) - They say when you have nothing nice to say, you shouldn't say anything at all. [crickets]. Okay, this episode wasn't that bad. It was at least much better than last week's travesty. I've already forgotten to care about the whole Santana/Finn dynamics at play though of course Santana is back to being her grade-A bitch self when Sam comes back. Speaking of, I'm oddly happy that Chord Overstreet and his abs are back if only so we can pretend that this first half of S3 never happened and in hopes that Mercedes will have an interesting love interest. His return was a bit forced and not at all believable, but that's hardly a misdemeanor in Glee-world. The Finn/Blaine faux drama was exciting for about a second when sweaty Darren Criss was pounding the punching bag (I don't mean Finn). Most of the episode revolved around Sectionals. I actually loved all of the numbers performed during it and while I still prefer the Troubletones (they make me think gross heterosexual thoughts) over New Directions, I don't think the former team was incredulously robbed. I wished they had prepped us more on the Michael Jackson medley, but springing that up on the audience is the Glee way. In the end, the writers seem to want a big re-do. The group is back together, Shelley is leaving, they are going to Nationals, and all is right with the world. Notice I didn't mention anything having to do with Quinn's character. Please refer back to my first sentence.

TV Report: Weekly Rankings

Many TV shows took the week off either because they were pre-empted by live shows or because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Still a few shows got in there with some new episodes with many getting close to go on their usual winter hiatus.


Last week I commented about how the dramas let me down a bit, but this week, the four that had new episodes stepped up to deliver good solid episodes.

1. Suspicion (Revenge) - This crazy show somehow got even crazier this week and I seriously loved it. The biggest surprise of the episode was finding out that Emily is really The Bride from Kill Bill or perhaps Bruce Wayne complete with a Japanese mentor to teach her in the art of revenge. I wanted to laugh and applaud at that little development there. The other big thing that happened, which I suspected would happen as soon as we met her, was that the REAL Emily Thorne now Kara Wilkins had decided to attach herself to Jack making him believe she's Amanda Clarke, his childhood sweetheart. The look of anger, hurt, confusion Emily had when she discovered this was pitch perfect. Tyler, always the schemer, uses Nolan and Ashley to get one up against Daniel while Ashley finally grew a backbone against a Victoria who is finding herself in need of allies at the moment. Game on, everyone!

2. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (The Good Wife) - Like Revenge, it felt like this episode was all about confrontations. Alicia had to confront Jackie over her overly snooping ways, Diane had to confront Will about his relationship with Alicia, the States Attorney office confronted Diane to get to Will, Eli had to go up against an old ally, and finally the Dana/Kalinda/Cary triangle kept heating up. All of this was foregrounded with a tricky military case of a woman being scapegoated after inadvertently killing a dozen civilians with an errant missile. In any case, at the moment I'm looking for a way for the show to bring it all together. Last week's episode was great, but it's clear it's all building up to something explosive.

3. Kill Shot (Castle) - This was a clear Emmy-submission episode for Stana Katic who impressed as Beckett still not over her shooting from last season's finale. Trying to catch a serial sniper, her issues came to the forefront and she expectantly faltered only to bring herself out from it. The scene with her and Esposito inside the evidence room was particularly affecting as were all the times Castle just let her be to deal with her issues in her own time. My one complaint was that it perhaps crossed the melodramatic line in a few spots and I think they would've been better served pulling it back just a tad.

4. Vs. (Terra Nova) - I have to say that this was a particularly solid episode especially since most of it felt like exposition to the show's bigger mythological questions. We learned about some of the backstory with Taylor and his son, but I wished we had gotten this information a bit more organically. It seemed a little too convenient that Boylan was the one person in Terra Nova to know about the dead body underneath the Pilgrim Tree and the way Taylor just gave all the information to Jim was a bit coming from out of nowhere since it seemed that was more a priority than finding out who the mole was. My theory that didn't pan out (yet) was that Reynolds is the mole.


And now for the comedies...

1. The Rebound Girl (How I Met Your Mother) - I see many people praising the episode for most everything until the very last moment. Before we get to that, the episode overall was pretty great. Ted and Barney's decision to bro-parent was silly, but still believable especially in the situation where they currently find themselves in. I very much enjoyed Robin's freak out about Marshall/Lily's possible move to Long Island and the latter's misconception that their NYC apartment is now too small for them in comparison. Basically, an all-around solid episode with the talented cast. The surprise ending reveal of Robin's pregnancy IS shocking and while many are already complaining about how it's too similar to Friends and how this plot point is completely ruining the Barney/Robin storyline, I'm going to give the show the benefit of the doubt and just savor the shock of it all.

2. Thanksgiving (Suburgatory) - Lots of things to like about this episode, such as Tessa/Dallas working together and bonding, George's resolve to treat Tessa less of an equal, Dalia's vendetta against Yakult, and Lisa's brilliant take-down of her mom's overbearing ways. The latter's conversation with her himbo brother about Eternal Sunshine was also a highlight. What I appreciated also was the continued world building the show did with giving us brief glimpses of previously off-screen family members like Sheila's husband, Noah's wife and kid, etc.

3. Week Off (Up All Night) - This show is really growing on me especially now that Ava seems closer to a real person that earlier on (which was also fine, but it created a schizo tone that the show couldn't handle). Chris' temptation to go back to working worked well with Reagan trying to find ways to occupy her time with a week off from work. I loved that in the end Chris realized that he loved staying at home with Amy, but that Reagan needed to know that he needed to feel in charge there. For her part, her type A personality came out and hilarity ensued.

4. Punkin Chunkin (Modern Family) - I enjoyed this episode, but there was something missing for me. Maybe it was because I expected the show to do more with guest star Josh Gad. The episode revolved around differentiating the realists with the dreamers with the former group containing most obviously all of the adult Pritchetts (and Alex) and I appreciated consistency of the characters in this regard, but it's also nothing new. The end was heartwarming, but they've done better.

5. And the Very Christmas Thanksgiving (2 Broke Girls) - This had the misfortune of coming right after I was still processing the shock ending in HIMYM so I promptly blanked out on the first ten or so minutes. It was an okay episode, mostly because we were back to the two girls with their thing and less about Johnny/Max. I also appreciated Kate Denning's one liners and Beth Behrs acting hopped up on energy drinks. The dual holiday tribute of the episode is a bit annoying because we can't be talking about Christmas already, except everyone totally is so there's that.

6. Full Court Dress (Happy Endings) - A weird episode mostly because you expected a Thanksgiving-centric episode and instead we get one that was pretty scattered by itself. Was it funny? Of course it was since these characters are a damn hoot, but the fact the the story lines didn't really come together made this episode a bit unforgettable. In fact the whole psycho mailman B-plot was actually pretty bad until the very end with the group inadvertently scattering his ashes.

I'm thinking ranking episodes between now and until after the holidays will be tricky with shows going in and out of hiatus so I may discontinue talking about TV this way starting next week. Stay tuned.