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.

TV Report: Weekly Rankings

Last week I said I wouldn't be ranking the TV I saw this week, but I change my mind. Take them with a grain of salt, however, since as I said last week, way too many shows took off this week so the numbers are really there more for me to organize my own thoughts. Just four comedies I write about aired this week with two shows in particular showing off why they're the best sitcoms on TV right now...

1. The Trial of Leslie Knope (Parks & Recreation) - After the episode ended I just wanted to hug my closest loved one... aka my television. No, but seriously as a Ben/Leslie shipper this episode felt like Christmas morning. From the very beginning with their hand-holding in Chris' office and then Ben giving Leslie a custom-made Lil' Sebastian doll to their parallel declarations of love made via Ethel the stenographer it was almost too much for my heart to handle. The trial itself took up most of the episode, but that too was done well with Chris putting up just enough fight per his character to pose problems for Leslie who kept holding her own by the help of everyone. The quick Megan Mullaly cameo was also a nice welcome though I wish we could've seen Leslie's mother on the stand.

2. Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism (Community) - Many people think that since the show's hiatus announcement, critics and its fan have started seeing the show in rose-tinted glasses unable to muster up negative comments over a show they like for fear of making things worse for the show. People can believe that, but I don't think it's true in this case. The Shirley/Jeff A-plot was perfection down to the flashbacks of their younger selves and the now classic anime cutaway. The Annie/Troy/Abed was no less humorous with all three young actors showing why this cast is just full of talent. Plus putting those three together almost always works out.

3. Bells (New Girl) - Good episode for Winston as the writers are slowly trying to figure out what to do with this character they were for to conceive after Damon Wayans left them after the pilot. His character is still pretty blank though despite the affinity for bell playing, but it's a move in the right direction. For the most part I enjoyed the interaction between Schmidt and Nick, but it went a little too far at times.

4. Mrs. California (The Office) - To be completely honest, this episode suffered just by airing right after the one-two punch of Community and Parks and Rec. My brain at that point was maxed out by awesomeness that I barely remember what happened here. The cold open with Dwight's refusal to sit was amusing as was Jim's attempt to escape the office when Robert wanted to get his input. I also like Maura Tierney in general as her role of Robert's wife, but the Andy/Robert never-ending awkward stand-off is getting quite tiresome and Dwight's gym B-plot was ridiculous and plain stupid.


It seemed like there were a lot of deaths when it came to the dramas this week. For some that actually meant dead people. For others it just meant death of quality. Read on to find which shows did what...

1. Death's Door (Supernatural) - This season started out well enough and even after my favorite character was killed the show kept me intrigued for a couple more episodes. Then something happened and suddenly it's become who-cares-TV? So I was glad that they delivered one of the best episodes this season for their mid-season finale. It picked off right where we ended last episode with Bobby getting shot in the head. Most of the rest of the episode is spent inside Bobby's mind as he re-lives and navigates several moments of his life while at the same time trying to escape a reaper and trying to get one last message to his boys. Jim Beaver was magnificent throughout, but most especially his interactions with his adopted sons. His final moment with them in the hospital calling them "idjits" and then his final final moment with them, a memory of them watching some TV show, made me tear up like whoa.

2. That Still Small Voice (Once Upon A Time) - This was the first episode that Buffy vet writer Jane Espenson wrote and it was a pretty good one and showed that the show, which I was initially quite down on, is trending up. I was especially touched by the story of Jiminy Cricket ala Archie Hopper especially as it had a rather Grimm feel to it instead of the usual tame Disneyfied version. The moment with the dolls in the cabin freaked me out and his tearful wish to the Blue Fairy made me sob. Plus it seems like he's the only person to make the Henry not seem too grating. I'm still down on the Evil Queen, less because of of Lana Parilla's portrayal of her and more because the writers on this show aren't clear what to do with her and her relationship to the rest of the townsfolk.

3. That's What You Get for Trying to Kill Me (Ringer) - This show finally gets bloody and it's about damn time. I'm a bit sad that Gemma is dead dead since there could've still been plenty of drama between her and the real Siobhan, but I'm not at all sad to see Charlie done and dusted as his character definitely ran his course. Agent Machado also gets his man finally, but knowing how they've handled this part of the storyline, that'll continue to drag. I'm also not at all feeling the whole "my teacher raped me" storyline they've saddled Juliet in. They really should've left that character at boarding school or something. I think this was the mid-season finale and of course the big thing is Siobhan is finally back in New York (also way to do your job Homeland Security!). This show is a mess, but I'll keep watching. Oh and I almost forgot, yay for Amber Benson appearing in a really bit part as a stripper.

4. Now You See Me (Terra Nova) - I could go on a diatribe about what's wrong with this show, but others have already done it for me. The sad thing is this show had lots of potential, but their decision to focus on the Shannon family was a big mistake. I find that I'm more invested in every other character than anyone in this family. For example, there's Skye who I've only liked whenever she wasn't with Josh and now that it's revealed that she's (improbably) the mole all along it just makes her that more interesting. Taylor's feud with his son and Mira's reasoning for working for the Unknown Big Bad are also the kinds of plots and stories I want to see seeing. Too bad the show is more interested in crafting some awful hybrid of a family-friendly yet intriguing sci-fi show. Less family-friendly and more intriguing, please.

5. I Kissed A Girl (Glee) - It's not the worst episode of this show, but it's down there. Yes, Naya Rivera is phenomenal and her scene with her grandmother was duly heartbreaking. But even she can't save the tone-deafness of this episode especially in regards to how they handled the whole Finn/Santana situation from the previous episode. I'm actually NOT a Finn hater, but the way the show propped him up as an almost hero this week for the way he outed Santana was fairly disgusting. And he kept pushing her. I'm sorry priviledged straight white male character, NO. STOP. What the hell are you doing? I'm more disappointed that Santana actually fell for it. And if you needed more proof at how tone-deaf this episode was well just know the title of the episode is clearly based on Katy Perry's song which they performed as some kind of female empowerment anthem. HAHA. Yeah, okay. Don't get me started on Kurt-Rachel forgettable election drama, Puck's ridiculous affair with Shelley, and Sue shitting all over Coach Beiste. Awful all around.

TV Report: Weekly Rankings

I've been sick the past week which meant that this is being posted way later than usual and that I saw a lot of these shows all hopped up on meds. So instead of my usual rambly thought, I'm just going to give 1-2 sentence reactions In general though, most of the comedies impressed while the drama shows stalled a bit. So let's start with those first!

1. Wallflower (Fringe) - Didn't really work for me as a fall finale, but on its own I found many to like mostly the scenes Joshua Jackson had with Anna Torv and Seth Gabel. The ending with Nina was spine-chillingly awesome.

2. Unscheduled Departure (Pan Am) - Difference between this episode and the past few was how focused it was as well as more air time for the awesomeness that is Collette. Plot holes abound, but not to detriment of plot.

3. Shut Up and Eat Your Bologna (Ringer) - Very happy that many pieces are finally falling into place (Gemma's whereabouts, Charlie's secrerts, etc.) and I'm finding myself looking forward to more.

4. Death Row Tip (The Good Wife) - Not the worst episode, but it was definitely one of its lesser episodes this season which is odd since Eli's daughter liking Zach, Kalinda kissing Cary (and flirting with Dana), and Jackie overstepping her bounds were great developments.

5. Treachery (Revenge) - This episode felt a bit tame when compared to older ones, maybe because no one died, but it was also the one show I saw while hazy with medicine. Not enough gay and murder, but y'all know this is my favorite new show still.

6. The Price of Gold (Once Upon A Time) - The Cinderella story was shockingly dull even if I still enjoyed the hamminess that is Robert Carlyle's performance as Rumpelstiltskin.

7. Mash Off (Glee) - The scenes Rachel had in the end with Kurt and her mom as well as everything relating to Naya Rivera was great. Unfortunately there were a whole lot of other things I'd rather not talk about.

8. Lonelyhearts (Grimm) - It was a solid case of the week episode, but this show is quickly losing some of the magic that made it a bit interesting in the beginning. It's all starting to feel like another boring procedural.

9. Proof (Terra Nova) - Honestly can't remember much about this episode other than thinking it was a bit of a mess and just a wee bit filler... and something about a stolen identity. Who knows?

10. How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters (Supernatural) - Don't really think it was the worst show of the week, but other than the end with the possible death of Bobby I really have nothing to say about the episode.


Like I said, while I mostly from the dramas lacking this week, most of the comedies were just plain fantastic. In fact I couldn't even decide on my top pick this week so since it's my prerogative, I'm declaring it a tie!

1. Documentary Filmmaking: Redux (Community) - Perfect episode is perfect. Jim Rash and Joel McHale were the MVPs, but everyone involved should be duly proud of yet another brilliant episode this time with Abed filming Dean Pelton directing a commercial to promote the school. Hilarity ensued.

1. Smallest Parks (Parks and Recreation) - Perfect episode is perfect. As a Ben/Leslie shipper I have no choice to fall in love with this episode since they are seemingly back together, but the other subplots were pretty great too (The Ron Swanson Scholarship made me teary).

3. Tick Tick Tick (How I Met Your Mother) - Everything was Barney/Robin and everything hurt. Seriously, can we just take a moment and appreciate Neil Patrick Harris' hurt face? The Ted/Marshall high plot went on too long, but the ending was worth it.

4. The Code War(Happy Endings) - Must be because I was on meds when I saw this episode, but I honestly could not stop laughing at every little thing that happened from Alex's crush on Max to Brad's impromptu "Oh no he didn't!" soliloquy to Dave's Felicity hair to Jane's bad flirting... so great.

5. The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition (Big Bang Theory) - Another Amy-centric episode and another winner this time with Sheldon showing how much he's grown as not only does he get jealous of Stuart going after Amy, but actually asks her to be his girlfriend. Say it with me... aww.

6. Thanksgiving (New Girl) - This was the best episode the show has offered and I don't think it was just because of the delightful guest star Justin Long playing the male Zooey Deschanel. Great group dynamics and a welcome comeback for the douche-bag jar!

7. After the Fire (Modern Family) - A pretty solid episode with the whole family pitching in together to help a neighbor whose house burned down. Not laugh-out-loud funny, but its sweet with some fun character moments (Phil as masseuse, sleep clowning, Alex using sex as a weapon, etc.).

8. Sweet Sixteen (Suburgatory) - I always like the episodes when Tessa gets sucked into the ways of the suburbanites around her so her getting excited about the elaborate sweet sixteen all for her was great. The B-plot of George being imprisoned by Sheila was not so great.

9. And the Really Petty Cash (2 Broke Girls) - I still really liked this episode and its low rank only meant the episodes above it were better. The Max/Johnny storyline is keeping me interested now with added bitchy and manipulative girlfriend in the mix.

10. Gettysburg (The Office) - Neither storyline worked for me and there really was nothing too terribly noteworthy about this episode to hang on to.

TV Report: Weekly Drama Rankings

Posting this way later than expected, but Sunday got way busier than usual. In any case, it was an interesting week of TV with a couple of shows I usually love delivering weak episodes while shows I haven't showed much love to in recent weeks stepping up.

1. Executive Order 13224 (The Good Wife) - Who knew a critically-acclaimed drama can be so damn funny? And yet last week's episode did just that. It's even more incredible since the Case of the Week was pretty serious as it involved torture and terrorism. But of course the show was able to mine comedy from all the loopholes and red tape and secrecy that Homeland Security inflicts when it's such a case like this. My favorite were the re-enactments of the blacked-out documents with the people getting bleeped out for every blacked-out word. Also liked Diane and Will arguing whilst Alicia was in the room about what they will or won't do with Alicia in the room. Guest star Carrie Preston also brought the funny representing Alicia against the government. "I. Am. Swamped. Look. At. All. This. Paper." Oh, I laughed so hard. I didn't even mention the hilarious scene with Diane and Kalinda overhearing Alicia's ringtone when they were talking to Will who was supposedly at lunch. Uh-oh. The sexual harassment video to end the episode was the perfect capper.

2. And Those We Left Behind (Fringe) - Another masterful episode slowly unraveling the mystery of Peter's disappearance (and now re-appearance) with a purely cool sci-fi concept of time bubbles and time loops. It's a bit heartbreaking seeing Peter try to deal with a version of Olivia and Walter that doesn't know him and more importantly doesn't trust him and the three actors are impressive in conveying all the emotions that are inherent in this situation. As far the the time bubble storyline, that too was it's own brand of heartbreak as real-life couple Romy Rosemont and Stephen Root played a couple separated by mental illness.

3. Truth or Dare (Pan Am) - This episode had a few moments that reminded me of the show I fell in like week those first few weeks of the fall season. First, Collette was back and actually had more than one line of dialogue which is always a plus. Her face when flying the plane was exquisite. Dean also becomes a somewhat interesting character when she's in proximity. The respective romantic story lines of the two sisters were just a tad melodramatic, but I think all of the actors involved handled themselves well. It was especially great seeing Friday Night Light's Gaius Charles back on my TV screen again.

4. The First Time (Glee) - This was the show's best episode of the season which isn't really saying much, but it IS something. Even with the deliberate focus on the episode on Kurt and Rachel losing their virginities, the show was still able to give plenty of time for the other characters more notably Beiste quest for love (made me cry), Mike's continued disagreements with his dad, and Karofsky's evolution. The latter especially was nice as it gave Chris Colfer and Max Adler a really beautiful scene to re-connect a bit. They even introduced a new character, gay Warbler Sebastian, without making it as forced as last week's. You know what else this episode had going for it? Barely any Shuester and not even a token appearance by Sue. Naya Rivera as per usual musically stole the episode.

5. Snow Falls (Once Upon A Time) - Wasn't a huge fan of the pilot and was only okay with the second episode, but this episode I really, really liked. Maybe it's the hopeless romantic in me, but seeing Snow and James' first meeting in fairy land and seeing them apart in the real world tugged my heart. In essence, this episode finally gave me a reason to care and that's important for any show. Also glad to see David Anders on my TV again. He didn't do much, but I'm hoping for more in future episodes.

6. Nightfall (Terra Nova) - Last week I said I'd give this show one more episode before I fully gave up on it. Well damn, because last week's episode didn't suck. It mostly helped that the show's weakest link, Hunter, was mostly in the background. But by doing so it enabled Skye to be developed as a character in her own right. The Maddie-Mark stuff was just a bit too saccharine, but I also liked that they're developing Maddie a bit. The whole black out stuff had potential and wished they were in more danger than what actually transpired, but it was still one of the more exciting story lines the show has offered in awhile. We finally do meet Taylor's wayward son in the end and I'm hoping we'll get to the Big Picture stuff in the next few episodes.

7. Maybe We Can Get a Dog Instead (Ringer) - Some good developments happened in this episode, but my favorite is the long-time-coming reunion between Malcolm and Bridget. It's also nice that slowly but surely everything is working out for her with Andrew accepting Malcolm, Machado getting tricked yet again, and everyone believing she lost the baby. She's also making Siobhan's life a bit difficult with Tyler thinking Siobhan was lying to him (which she was doing anyways). The student-teacher plot line is worrying and cliche. Make it stop.

8. Balcoin (The Secret Circle) - This show is not afraid to go dark especially with what they are doing with Jane. Yes, it makes Charles look more evil, but he did burn down a house with Cassie's mom in it in the pilot. The questionable loyalties of Jake is less interesting since I've seen it done in many fantasy shows before and the actor is not a good enough actor to convey this ambiguity. The introduction of Holden and learning more about Cassie's dark magick background was good. No new episode until 2012!

9. Beeware (Grimm) - Despite its relatively low ranking this week, it was still a generally solid episode. I just thought it's a bit suspect that they are already branching out with non-Grimm monsters which kind of makes this show indistinguishable from Supernatural. With that said, I did like that we got a brief glimpse of possibly something bigger happening the background. Nick's scenes with Adelaide were particularly riveting.

10. Heartbreak Hotel (Castle) - I love this show, but this episode was a complete filler. Sure Nathan Fillion , Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever looked amazingly hilarious in their Elvis getup but I'd be hard-pressed to remember any other detail about the episode. Oh right, Alexis threw a party while her dad was away while Beckett and Gates sort of bonded. Shrugs.

11. Season Seven, Time for a Wedding! (Supernatural) - I didn't like this episode. I wasn't a fan of super-fan Becky when she was first introduced and I still don't like it. And the whole situation of her essentially almost-raping Sam, even if it never happened, was still too skeevy for me to enjoy the episode. The one great thing about the episode was the all-too-brief return of Crowley. Nice seeing him explain the lack of demons attacking the boys as he wants them to focus on taking out the Leviathan.

TV Report: Weekly Drama Rankings

While the comedies went to guest actors for November sweeps, the dramas decided to throw in some game-changing plot developments as you will note below.

1. Cops & Robbers (Castle) - The thing about this show is that it leans toward the light side of drama. But when they do get their mind on doing a serious, pulse-pounding type of an episode, it fully delivers. This last episode was one such episode where Castle and Martha found themselves as hostages in a supposed bank robbery. Beckett and co. had to assist from the outside and while there was no doubt that Castle would live, the fear of Martha dying made the episode nerve-wracking. In the end though, despite the bomb explosions and teary Alexis, it was Beckett and Castle laying their eyes on each other that became the highlight. "We're partners." SIGH.

2. Charade (Revenge) - I have long considered this my favorite new show of the season, but last week's thrilling episode just solidified it. The best part was the reveal that Nolan was "3 on the Kinsey scale" and used some insider info on skeezy Tyler to get some action. And that was just one of the big plot developments in the episode. Frank's quest to uncover Emily's secrets took a big chunk of the episode and provided us a glimpse of the bigger picture Amanda has weaved. We saw that Emily has a Warden that is helping her. We also met the "real" Emily Thorne who ended up killing poor Frank but not before Frank was able to leave Victoria one last seed of doubt regarding Emily. This two-week wait for the new episode is a killer.

3. Novation (Fringe) - Fringe is back! Peter is back! I've missed them both so much. All of the Peter stuff was amazing especially his interactions with Walter (broke my heart every time). I really wanted more of that and possibly answers though of course I knew we wouldn't be getting them right away. But it did make me resent the B-plot despite it being quite solid by itself since I just wanted to go back to Peter and whatever it was he was going through. Still the version 2.0 shapeshifsters are back and it looks like they'll be the big bad (or their boss) for the remaining season. Going back to Peter, Joshua Jackson has been missed, and he seems to be relishing tapping into S1 Peter aka being smart, manipulative, and a wildcard. Loving it!

4. Affairs of State (The Good Wife) - Sometimes I wish that Cary was still working with Lockhart & Gardner, but last week's episode showed that probably won't happen anytime soon. In fact, his patience and skills displayed throughout the episode led him to a promotion and a rare win. There's also some movement on the Will front... meeting Alicia's son awkwardly and becoming new associate Caitlin's crush. With Alicia not wanting Will to meet her kids formally and Caitlin's non-subtle interest, things are about to get interesting. Finally, we meet Eli's wife and she is played by Parker Posey and not only does she get tons of scenes with him full of witty banter that you'd expect, but she gets a nice scene with Kalinda as well. More please!

Those four on top have been leaps and bound better than the shows below for one reason or another this season. Not saying all the shows below are bad, not at all, but the top four have just been really consistent.

5. Oh Gawd, There's Two of Them? (Ringer) - I feel like in spite of itself, I'm still quite enjoying the show, but the twists and turns in this episode really showed promise. First, I'm just glad that Malcolm is finally free from his kidnappers. I couldn't stomach seeing him beat up and drugged up one more time. Second, the shot of Andrew and Henry in the beginning confessing to knowing Bridget was a WHOA moment and thumbs up to the writers for that. Finally, finding out that Bridget's new sponsor not only works for Siobhan but is the one to kidnap Gemma was at once both cool and so utterly frustrating in its contrivance. Oh well.

6. The Genuine Article (Pan Am) - I was hoping that a Maggie-centric episode would make Christina Ricci's character a bit more interesting to me, and in some aspects it did. Learning that she lied her way to become a Pan Am stewardess makes sense for her character, but in spite of this I still think Ricci seems to be playing her a bit too broadly. Perhaps it's just because the writers aren't exactly sure what to do with her yet, but she has the talent. They just need to tap into it. The Dean/Ginny B-plot doesn't really interest me though it looks like Maggie has used it to her advantage. Kate is on precarious grounds with the government and Niko and I'm looking forward to seeing where this will lead.

7. The Thing You Love Most (Once Upon A Time) - This was much better than the pilot especially since most of the "real world" stuff felt a bit more grounded. I especially enjoyed Emma connecting more with Henry and Mary Margaret (they all like cinnamon!) and firming up her reasons to stay in town. I'm still not sold on Regina's intentions and I do hope her character's evilness is explained a bit more, but this episode had two things for it, Giancarlo Esposito and Kristin Bauer, as the Mirror on the Wall and Maleficent respectively. Hope to see more of them in episodes to come.

8. Bears Will Be Bears (Grimm) - Even though I ranked this just a hair below its ABC counterpart this week, I thought it was still a solid outing for a show that I'm finding myself preferring over that other show. My favorite part is actually Kate Burton's performance as Aunt Marie, so her death disappoints me a bit. With this kind of show though, death is never the end. I also liked the re-telling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

9. Beneath (The Secret Circle) - This certainly brought Dawn and Charles back into the fold after being conspicuously absent last week, but other than that most of the episode dealt with more of the hormonal drama the leads are going through. I mean Truth or Dare? Seriously? I DO like that they seem to be giving Cassie some edge and Faye some non-mean dimensions.

10. The Mentalists (Supernatural) - There's just something about this episode that didn't sit right with me. I guess most of it had to do with me being angrier at Dean about Amy than Sam ultimately ended up being. I mean I knew that they had to make up and be all brotherly love again, but I thought it was all just a bit too quick of a resolution. The case itself wasn't particularly noteworthy unless a possible girl for Dean interests you.

11. Pot O' Gold (Glee)* - Apart from Burt confirming he's the perfect man by single-handily saving Sue's ridiculous plot arc of running for office by running against her, I didn't like this episode at all. As adorable as Damian McGinty is, I think introducing yet another character is not what this show needs despite the fact that this HAD to happen by virtue of him winning The Glee Project over the summer. They can still salvage it, but with the bulk of the episode dedicated to introducing him, the rest suffered.

N/A. A Gifted Man - Not sure why they felt compelled to air this episode a week later than they had planned since it gave Margo Martindale lots to do. Unfortunately, I'm dropping this show since it's 100% certain to be canceled in the next few weeks. I'll keep watching though until it happens, but I will no longer include it in my weekly rankings.

N/A. Terra Nova - Last week's episode bored the crap out of me. I'm thinking of dropping it permanently, but will give it one more episode.

*I guess technically Glee should be in the comedy rankings, but at the moment I'm more comfortable putting it here. I'll probably change it next week... or not.

TV Report: Weekly Drama Rankings

Baseball wreaked havoc to the schedule this past week for a few drama shows mostly FOX shows, but like the comedies, it should be a full slate of shows next week for November sweeps.

1. Marthas and Caitlins (The Good Wife) - Color me shocked to see this on top of the list, but here it is. Sure there wasn't nearly enough Kalinda, but guest star Dylan Baker was back and really put Alicia through the ringer. Though she had nice backup from Celeste who just keeps getting better and better as a character. It was a bit refreshing for Eli to be workin on a political matter, trying to convince the Democrats (Donna Brazile!) to have Peter speak as keynote during their convention. He's getting closer to finding out about the whole Alicia/Peter/Kalinda drama and I can't wait for that. Finally, we get Alicia interviewing two candidates for a first-year associate job. It enabled us to glean more of the inter-office politics at play (and Alicia's standing) as well as get us a nice Alicia/Will moment in the end.

2. Intrigue (Revenge) - Remember those halcyon days where every episode was Emily outmaneuvering everyone to carry out her weekly revenge plots? They've wisely mixed it up the past couple of episodes focusing instead of the characters. This week we get the fallout of Lydia's fall last week (she's in a coma!) with Nolan/Emily using their recording to wedge the relationship between the Grayson and their trusted head of security. The end with him stalking Emily was quite chilling and hints that not everything will go as swimmingly for Emily as it has been early on. Finally, this whole thing with Tyler is heating up. Still not 100% sure of his intentions, but it's getting clearer that most of it has to do with Daniel. Does he resent his friend's life? Does he secretly love him? Both? Neither? Whichever it is, it's certainly bad news for everyone involved.

3. Slash Fiction (Supernatural) - I seriously thought that after the second episode when Castiel died, I would quickly lose interest in the show, but they've certainly proved me wrong as the whole Leviathan storyline as well as Dean's insurmountable guilt about killing Amy have kept me engaged. Both of those storylines were a huge part of this week's episode. For the latter, they finally figured out how to injure them (cleaning products) and for the former, Sam finally found out the truth. The ending was a bit melodramatic, but I guess it had to happen that way.

4. Demons (Castle) - Don't have much to say about this past week's episode except to say that it was another fun episode albeit with a supernatural twist as they investigate a possibly murder by ghost. All the the ghost stuff enabled Beckett and Castle to really freak out and make fun each other which kept the episode from being too bogged down from the scary. Though looking forward to the next episode, it looks like things are about to get particularly suspenseful and heartbreaking. Not sure I'm ready for that.

5. Masked (The Secret Circle) - I was a bit hesitant when it came to the whole "witch hunter" angle they introduced last week, but they spent a great deal of this week's episode explaining it and I think it could work. If anything, this will give the group a common foe to face perhaps lessening the inter-group drama inherent in teen dramas such as these. Of course Cassie has a dark side in her and is more powerful than the rest, but par for the course!

6. One Coin in a Fountain (Pan Am) - Doesn't feel like this show's momentum has stalled a bit? I think part of it is their insistence these last couple of episodes to sideline Karine Vanisse, frankly their best asset. I still like the show especially when it comes to the whole spy subplot, but I need more than just the spy stuff and Karine to keep me interested.

TV Report: Weekly Drama Rankings

Only Fringe chose to air an encore episode this week which meant it was still a relatively full load of drama for me. I have to admit, I'm ready for a week or two off just to catch up on other things or you know... sleep.

1. Guilt (Revenge) - Such a greatly structured episode this one turned out to be. Like the pilot, we see the murder early on only for the details to start filling in after that. The more I watch this show, the more I'm rooting for an Emily/Victoria team-up job with both wanting/getting revenge on the same people. Of course with both out to get Lydia, she had no chance. Victoria's speech about the warmth she feels she is hugging her is from the hatred burning inside was soapy perfection. Nolan continues to delight while Tyler continues to confound. What is he up to?

2. Feeding the Rat (The Good Wife) - Really enjoyed the format of the Case of the Week this week with us already knowing the person was innocent. I did expect for the guy to have all the evidence to be stacked in his disfavor only for Alicia to save the day. Yes, that still happened but glad that it helped give some much needed screentime for Diane who felt guilty about letting go of legal aid/pro bobo cases. Meanwhile Eli continues to shine and his insistence on needing Kalinda and Alicia full-time, as unlikely as it may be in the reality of the show, all I could think of was OMG SPIN-OFF!

3. Eye of the Beholder (Castle) - It's clear that Castle/Beckett are endgame, but for now they need obstacles to keep them apart and this week that went to the fetching Kristen Lehman playing Serena Kaye, an insurance investigator who ends up working with them on an art theft case. It's great seeing Beckett react defensively, but also good that by the end both women understand each other. The episode itself was its usual twisty fun self, so more please.

4. Wake (The Secret Circle) - One of the things I like about the show now is that Cassie's grandmother seems to have taken on a Rupert Giles Watcher kind of role which the show needed. Dawn's ruthlessness and new kid Jake's witch hunter history ramp up the tension and action for a show that needs to really get over its hormones.

5. The Poor Kids Do It Everyday (Ringer) - The show continues to intrigue and I'm very glad that THINGS are happening and moving forward, but they can afford to speed things up a bit. I knew that Henry wouldn't have killed Gemma and that Siobhan was the one to take care of it (with what money? who knows? I thought she was broke myself). Bridget's plan to "frame" "herself" was also a bit risky. We randomly have a HS storyline now (it is CW after all) with Juliet in a new school with Logan Echolls as her teacher. Okay, then.

6. Shut Up, Dr. Phil (Supernatural) - This episode is as high as it is solely because James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter played a married witch couple, which is all sorts of awesome for this long-time Buffy fan. But there was a certain je ne sais quoi missing from this episode. The episode felt oddly lightweight despite all of the blood shed and the ending was a bit too rushed, clean, and frankly anti-climactic. Also why didn't Dean try to kill them the way he killed Amy a couple of episodes ago?

7. Eastern Exposure (Pan Am) - Probably the weakest episode for the show to date and I think it's because for the first time we didn't get a Colette storyline. Instead we delved more into the relationship between sisters Kate and Laura (which felt a bit overly dramatic) and learned more about Ted (which was underwhelming). I did enjoy the scuffle between Ted and Dean.

8. In Case of Loss of Control (A Gifted Man) - This show is counting down until it gets canceled as evident by them skipping about two episodes to show this one which was set to air during November sweeps. And you could tell why since it's one of the show's best with the introduction of Eric LaSalle's psychiatrist character and Michael getting more attached to the clinic. The cases were pretty good, too, with the girl getting shot a WOW moment. Also it helped that the episode began with an extended sequence of shirtless sweaty Patrick Wilson working out.

9. Runaway (Terra Nova) - I probably should just give up on the show, but in spite of itself I still keep coming back. This episode a bunch of things happened in regards to the whole Sixers plotline and yet I was mostly bored. Have no idea what the show can do to bring me back, but whatever they're doing now is now captivating me.

TV Report: Weekly Drama Rankings

Yesterday, I ranked the comedy episodes I saw this past week. Today here's my attempt to roughly rank the drama episodes. I'm actually finding this a tad difficult since none of the episodes were obviously bad. Oh well, here it goes...

1. "Subject 9" (Fringe) - This episode featured a masterclass of acting from two of the most under-appreciated actors working today. Torv and Noble just knocked it out of the park once again as we get one last episode without Peter. His reappearance in the end was exciting and the fact that the world hasn't been reset even more so. The two week wait is absolutely cruel.

2. "Kick the Ballistics" (Castle) - Nice to finally have a Ryan-centric episode which also tied into a major episode last season that affect Castle. Great emotional beats without being too much of a downer.

3. "Duplicity" (Revenge) - I love that we're slowly chipping away the cold exterior that is Queen Victoria which is not to say that she's grown soft at all. But Emily/Amanda continues her amusingly psychopathic mission to destroy her dad's enemies and I continue to love it. Daniel's Harvard roommate intrigues.

4. "Get a Room" (The Good Wife) - Eli and Kalinda working more together, this time on cheese! Lisa Edelstein makes her first appearance as an old flame for Will and it's pretty wonderful seeing her and Alicia try to emotionally manipulate each other. Great to see Owen get some screentime too, with a boyfriend no less!

5. "Ich Bin Ein Berliner" (Pan Am) - While this episode finally gave Christina Ricci more to do, she didn't impress me much coming off a bit manic and crazy (to meet JFK). The two things I have loved about the show though were still front and center: the spy plot and Karine Vanasse's lovely portrayal of my favorite character on the show, Collete.

6. "A Whole New Kind of Bitch" (Ringer) - I appreciated how a lot happened in this episode though mostly when it came to Gemma finding out about Bridget. And Bridget was oh-so-close to getting away with it, but she gambled by telling Henry and now he may have just killed Gemma (doubt it). That said, anyone else getting a wee bit uncomfortable at the very dark Malcolm subplot?

7. "Defending Your Life" (Supernatural) - Last episode was all about Sam dealing with something from his past and this week it was Dean's turn. As expected, his look back was a bit darker and complicated especially in regards to his obvious alcohol dependency which I'm glad they semi-addressed. Seeing Jo back was nice also though the whole "trial" setup was a little too contrived for me.

8. "Slither" (The Secret Circle) - Can't believe how much happened in this one episode. Melissa gets possessed giving the actress some great scenes with others, Cassie confesses to her grandmother about their witchy powers, Dawn/Charles go darker and deeper, and finally Nick is killed. That final one shocked me since it's so early in the show for them to kill a main character!

9. "What Remains" (Terra Nova) - I actually enjoyed the concept and the emotions displayed in the episode with a virus slowly degrading memory and such, but it still felt a bit too closed off for me. I'm itching to get more on the Others and it looks like next week we'll get that!

10. "In Case of Separation Anxiety" (A Gifted Man) - Not a bad episode at all and it's only this low because all of the other episodes I saw this week were pretty good/okay. The cast seems to be clicking and it's probably the first time since the pilot that it's felt like an ensemble show which I appreciate.

N/A. Person of Interest - Sad to say, but I think I'm dropping this show. I've already missed two episodes and I just can't seem to amp myself up to catch up. Not a bad show, but it's also not an exciting one.

Catching Up on TV Shows

A day later than promised, but here's my big catch-up catch-all post on returning TV that I've seen watching but haven't had the time to talk about since their individual premieres. For my thoughts on new shows, click here.

Now, in alphabetical order...

Big Bang Theory - Not much to say about this show except to say that I'm still enjoying it. As I said when I talked about the premiere, I love that show feels more like an ensemble rather than The Sheldon Cooper Show as much as I love that character. Seeing Amy interact with Leonard in the season's third episode was fantastic as was learning that Raj is super rich (and could conceivably have a sort of normal girlfriend provided she was deaf). Nothing ground-breaking here, but the cast is gelling well.

Castle - After the heavily emotional premiere, the show rightly decided to ramp up the lighter side of things. With a superhero vigilante in the second episode and a porn-mogul who cryogenically saved his body in the third episode, the cases were outrageous and fun. And yet every scene and every conversation between Castle and Beckett are laden with subtext, hidden meanings, and parallels giving us the fans something real to hold on to until they both are ready to deal with their respective issues.

Community - I sense a general sense of fatigue or indifference from some fans regarding the start of this season, but I don't see why. I thought the premiere was solid and while the second episode wasn't one of its strongest episodes, I thought the third episode's willingness to examine and re-examine the group's multiple dynamics was great. If there's one thing to complain about is Chang. He's become this season's S2 Pearce with the writers still unable to figure out what to do with him.

Fringe - This show is so damn brilliant and I'm angry that more people aren't watching it. While I was slightly underwhelmed by the premiere, I thought the two follow-up episodes were pretty brilliant especially the second episode in which the two universes had to work with one another to solve a case. It enabled Anna Torv to shine yet again playing multiple versions of herself. The third episode in the meantime showed why John Noble should have all the awards thrown at him as he tries to deal with his supposed hallucinations of Peter. I'm still a bit worried about how Peter's inevitable return will be treated, but if there's one thing the writers of this great show has earned, it's trust from its fans.

Glee - One thing I have to say about this show is that they seem to be trying. They need to try harder, but the effort is much appreciated. Anything Shuester does annoys me and that hasn't changed. His short tempers with Quinn and Mercedes while probably called for, didn't feel organic as much as necessary to the plot to move forward. And while both characters were in dire need of storylines this season, the beginnings of their arcs this season leave much to be desired. Those are my biggest complaints since again I think they're at least trying. The songs seem to work with the story they are trying to tell rather than the other way around and it doesn't feel like The Rachel or The Kurt or The Blaine show. With that said, I wouldn't mind AT ALL if this became The Brittany Show. Her rendition of "Run the World" made me question my sexuality.

The Good Wife - While none of the episodes so far have completely impressed me, I do love what they have been doing in regards to the steamy affair between Alicia and Will and the burgeoning relationship of Eli and Kalinda. The latter was always going to be my favorite thing in the world since they're pretty much my favorite characters on the show. Most of their brief interaction happened in this season's second episode, but you can already tell the mutual admiration. As for Alicia and Will, I was never a huge fan of them and yet I cannot deny how HOT they are together, at least this season. Props to the casting director as well since we got Eddie Izzard and Lisa Edelstein in these early episodes.

Happy Endings - There's actually been just the one episode since the premiere, but it's more of the same kooky stuff from this group of friends. My favorite is probably Jane stalking a young girl thinking she is hers by way of her donated eggs from years ago. The Mean Girls teenage girls stuff was pretty funny as well to a point. In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing Megan Mullaly play Penny's mom next episode!

How I Met Your Mother - I quite liked the two episodes that followed the premiere though I was a fan of one more than the other. The third episode is one of the show's best with Barney playing his usual mind-games in order to win a bet while we delve deeper into Ted and his mindset on relationships. It was a great mixture of hilarity and poignancy that the show used to do fairly often in the past. The fourth episode had Robin in therapy and while it was a solid episode, there was something a bit off. It certainly wasn't Cobie Smulders who shouldered the episode well. In any case, it's definitely looking like it's going to be a big year for her character surely and I hope the writers do her justice.

Modern Family - I'm glad that after the shaky premiere, the show seems to be back on track providing 30 minutes of hilarity. Ty Burrell continues to shine as my favorite cast member in this ridiculously talented cast though Nolan Gould as son Luke seems to be this season's budding MVP. Their wire act and viral video stunts in the last two episodes were easily my favorite subplots. That's not to say that the rest of the cast didn't deliver. Cam's Streetcar Named Desire riff, Mitchell's beach house breakdown, Gloria's tiff with Jay's new dog, and Claire's fight with the city were fantastic.

The Office - The show has definitely become more of an ensemble with Steve Carell gone, but while not perfect, the show seems to be clicking especially with Andy as boss. The second episode continued the us vs. them dynamic with Andy rallying the office to increase sales as demanded by new CEO James Spader. The end was sweet with Andy getting a tattoo (as promised to his employees) and with them in return giving him a good one. The third episode "Lotto" gave Andy more a chance to show how he is similar (failure at those conference meetings) and different (his existing relationship with Oscar and Darrly) than Michael Scott as boss.

Parks and Recreation - BIAS ALERT! This show can do no wrong to me. So with that said, I've loved everything about this season so far with the possible exception of Rob Lowe's unfortunate hairstyle. The multiple Tammys episode is already classic with a great guest starring turn by Patricia Clarkson as Ron's first ex-wife and Paula Pell as Ron's mom. Plus seeing Ron sans mustache and being cheery will haunt me for the rest of my days. Leslie took center stage in the third episode as she take on Birthers challenging her birth place after she released her Pawnee-centric book. She handles it all with hilarity, humility, and style but that millisecond look between her and Ben by the end killed me.

Supernatural - As a self-professed Castiel/Misha Collins fans, you'd think I'd be leading the charge to boycott the show now that the character seems to be done. But what I really liked about what they've done this season is make me start to care about the brothers again and their angst and plight. It also helps that the Big Bad Leviathans are dangerous and scary enough, but are also understandably low key (for now) enabling the show to come back down from the past couple of seasons apocalyptic highs. Last episode was particularly beautiful with Sam tracking down a woman/monster that he encountered when he was a boy and how he had to wrestle with whether or not to kill her about their history. Fandom Explosion: Jewel Staite of Firefly plays the woman who has the alias of Amy Pond. Looking forward to seeing what's to come, but I do hope Misha finds his way back somehow.

Dang, I know I say this a lot but I watch way too much TV. This doesn't even include cable/British shows I watch such as Dexter, Downton Abbey, and Breaking Bad.

TV Report: Supernatural Weekend

Monday is already almost over and I still haven't talked about some of the TV shows I saw over the weekend! So here are my thoughts on two season premieres and a penultimate episode. Interestingly enough, I pretty much felt the same for all them: good, but not overly exciting or even noteworthy. Basically, I'm hoping for better next week!


Fringe: "Neither Here Nor There"

A bit of a messy premiere, but the strong acting and some intriguing hints of the things to come made me hand wave some of the flaws. I wished that the premiere was a bit more action-packed and a little bit less cerebral and heavy handed. The audience is expecting some forward movement on the whole "Where did Peter go?" and we didn't really get it except for some clunky commentary from the Observers and some weighted phrases from Walter and Olivia. The Monster of the Week, a different breed of shape-shifters, was a bit on the dull side, but it offered the show to reintroduce us to Agent Lincoln Lee. Through his new eyes, the show was able to recap what the Fringe division does as well as show the gateway that connects the two universes together. I'm hoping Peter comes back sooner rather than later because as much as I like seeing how our characters would've been liked without him, we've already fallen in love with them and changing their core this far out is a bit frustrating. That said, I do have to repeat how great the acting was, especially by last year's MVPs, John Noble and Anna Torv. B-


Supernatural: "Meet the New Boss"

I should probably tell you right off-the-bat that I wasn't a big fan at all of the meandering-to-nowhere previous season and that the only redeeming parts were Castiel-related including the finale where he turned into God. That's where the show opens up in the new season with Castiel thinking he's God and confronting, smiting, and giving vengeance. He leaves the boys alone with Dean going straight to the bottle and anime porn and Sam dealing with his hellish hallucinations. Death makes a welcome and refreshing appearance, but in the end Castiel becomes the star of the episode deadpanning himself to crazy town. We find out that the souls inside, most notably the age-old Leviathans, are killing him. His last act as Castiel is to apologize to the Winchester and give up all of the souls he took. He promptly dies (making me scream) also for the Leviathans within him to raise him back (make me scream). Unfortunately, it seems good ol' Castiel and in his place are the Barty Crouch-like Leviathans. No idea where this is going, but color me intrigue, especially as a Misha Collins fan. B-


Doctor Who: "Closing Time"

Many are calling this a filler episode and they aren't wrong, but I believe that's not exactly a negative thing. With a season full of River Song mythos and a lot of hearbreak involving Amy and Rory, a "light" episode in between last week's goodbye and next week's epic finale is probably just what the Doctor ordered, pardon the pun. Plus we get to re-visit one of the Doctor's more fun "partners" in Craig now with baby in tow (named Alfie but liked to be called Stormageddon). The episode is a preamble to the Doctor finally accepting his destiny which is apparently to die by an impossible astronaut in Lake Silencio. So he hangs out with his buddy, solves his baby issues, and his little problem with Cybermen, etc. We even get a little bit of man-on-man-sorta action which was well done by the two actors. The surprise appearance of Amy and Rory in the mall was nice as it let the Doctor see that they are moving on. The very end with River was just a bit too... easy. I'm expecting a twist in there somewhere. Is she really the impossible astronaut that kills the Doctor? Can't wait to see what Steven Moffat has up his sleeves to tie up, really two season's worth of plot build-up. B-

TV Report: 5/16-5/20

Finales galore! This past week so many of my shows ended, I don't even know how many I have to talk about next week. For the most part though, there were some great finales with a few meh-okay ones in their midst. So without further a due...

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER - It wasn't one of the show's stronger finales, but it was solid. I think I would've been more impressed if I hadn't predicted Lily was getting sick due to being pregnant. Lots of Barney/Robin in the episode which is probably setting up the big arc for next season especially since Nora is reintroduced and we find out that Barney is the groom. I thought the Arcadia/Zoey stuff ended last episode, but I guess not. Let's us never speak of them. Overall, a good season, mostly due to the father storylines of Marshall and Barney.

CASTLE - Was that a harrowing season finale or what? With people not being who they say they were and then dying, I felt I was watching a Joss Whedon-penned episode. Stana Katic was fantastic shouldering most of the emotions and action in the episode. Her blowup with Castle in her apartment and then breakdown outside the hangar are two of my favorite scenes. With all that said, RIP Captain Roy Montgomery. That was brutal. Oh and I have mixed feelings about shooting Beckett in the end. She's going to be alive obviously, but now what? Will she develop amnesia and forget Castle told her he loves her? Will she be on leave for an extended time? Just felt we really didn't need that ending.

GLEE - I knew a female castmember was going to die and I had predicted it was going to be Sue's sister Jean since a Sue-centric episode was due and with next week's NYC finale, I'm guessing Sue isn't going to be much of a factor there. With that said, how very sad. I definitely teared up at the funeral, both with the words Sue wrote and with the performance the kids gave. Now Sue seems to have (yet again) buried the hatchet with the Glee Club, so I hope this time it sticks especially since her humanizing influence of Jean is now gone. An even more cartoonish Sue for next year is NOT what we need even if she is running for political office. The rest of the episode was American Idol redux or dealing with the love triangle that I never gave a damn about. So there it is.

THE GOOD WIFE - When a show leaves me breathless before the first commercial break, I know it's going to be good and this episode wasn't any different. I tend to love the "fighting the clock" cases since it promotes teamwork and that is exactly what Kalinda and Alicia needed to at least learn how to work with one another because together they are AWESOME. Throughout the episode we get bits and pieces of some of the things we can look forward to next year such as the Cary/Peter alliance, Eli working within Lockart & Gardner, Jackie bonding with Owen, and of course whatever the fallout is to Will and Alicia giving in to "one hour" of good timing. Now I'm not a big Will/Alicia fan, but that whole end sequence with the elevator was beautifully done. I miss this show already.

MODERN FAMILY - Hilarious and heartfelt, which is pretty much the show's motto right? While the whole Botox thing and the Pritchetts laughing at other people's expense were good, it was Phil and Claire who stole the show as Phil tried Claire to breakdown and then in the process breaking both of them down. Seeing them both roll down the hill hurt my sides. Have also been loving the Alex/Haley interactions throughout the season and Haley giving Alex advise on her harsh valedictorian speech was a nice touch. It felt like a season finale, but we still have one more episode to go!

COUGAR TOWN - This episode pretty much had everything I loved about the show. We got lots of Penny Can with special guest star Lou Diamond Phillips hawking the game. We got Ellie and Grayson being their weird self duking it out with some Children of the Corn-esque "chalk children." And of course we got the complicated and totally unhealthy relationship between Jules and Travis. Jules trying tough love gave the expected result of Travis coming out on top. But really I just can't get the image of Grayson giving his best Travis impression and Jules getting so turned on and making out with him our of my head. ACK! WEIRD! FUNNY!

HAPPY ENDINGS - Clearly these episodes are shown out of order as they probably were to be slated as the second and third episodes of the series. With that said, I'm okay with this decision since the episode they showed right after the pilot hooked me and I'm not 100% sure either of these episode would've. I mean they were still funny, but are they funny because I'm now attached to these characters? I wish I knew the answer to that. Still looking forward to seeing how a full season of this show looks like when it comes back next year.

BIG BANG THEORY - Not sure if putting Penny and Raj together is genius, desperate, or both, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what this means for the group next season. Apart from that I'm just hoping that Bernadette and Amy are back again, because their addition to the cast has been my favorite thing this season. So I liked this finale, but I could've done without Howard's manxiety at having a more successful girlfriend. It just makes me feel like I'm watching a Chuck Lorre show or something. Oh wait...

PARKS & RECREATION - This is probably the show I'm going to miss most of all during summer hiatus as it has been on fire all season giving us not one single weak episode from the bunch. These last two saw Ben/Leslie trying to keep their relationship a secret from her mom and from everyone else they work with. It all came to a head at Lil Sebastian's memorial service (RIP buddy) when Ron got his facial hair singe by the fire. HILARIOUS. Of course Leslie getting approached for a possible run for mayor is just yet another wrinkle to this ridiculously sweet relationship and I'm going to be dying every day until this show is back in my life. Now to listen to "5,000 Candles in the Wind" by Mouse Rat for the 100th time.

THE OFFICE - The episode was a mixed bag to me. It was nice seeing all of these big stars try and audition for the void left by Steve Carrell, but overall it just felt lacking. I guess that was the point since we're supposed to go into the fall not knowing who will take over, but instead of this rush of anticipation, I'm just left feeling largely ambivalent about the whole thing. With that said, it was awesome seeing Catherine Tate on American TV and I wouldn't mind seeing her again. Hint hint.

SUPERNATURAL - A mostly disappointing season for me comes to a close with a somewhat lackluster two-hour finale. First what was Dean thinking with the whole Ben and Lisa thing? So Dean wipes their memory of him? HOW WILL THAT HELP THEM? Demons and angels can STILL use them as leverage against Dean and they're now in even more trouble since THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S COMING FOR THEM. Typical "act first think later" Winchester trait. And even though we actually got some nice Castiel scenes especially with Raphael and Crowley, the whole Sam walkabout parts of the episode felt like a cheap out. I mean how did Sam withstand the memories of hell? He seemed hunky dory by the end of the episode. Really Castiel saved the finale for me. God!Castiel is probably my second favorite to Drunk!Castiel. Now, I've heard the rumors for next season. Don't mess with him, show. I mean it.

TV Report: 5/2-5/6

I saw all of these within the last 48 hours or so which, even by my standards, is just a lot of TV in such a short time. So my write-ups below will feel a bit scattered and disorganized, but without further a due...

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER - Wasn't one of this show's stronger episode, but it had its moments mostly revolving Robin and Lily using alcoholic drinks to manipulate Barney and Marshall into sharing their feelings. But even that whole thing lasted just a wee bit too long. The whole Zoey/Ted thing is played out, so that's it.

CASTLE - This LA-centric episode was wonderful and not just because the case was good and personal (for Beckett, it was her mentor's murder after all), but it subtlety showed us the evolution of the Beckett/Castle relationship. For example, in the beginning when Castle tried to stop Beckett from seeing the dead body, Beckett countered him by asking him what he would've done if it was her instead lying there dead. This shows that Beckett recognizes how Castle feels about her. Then for the episode to end with her mentor pretty much pushing her towards Castle in his letter from the grave... well it's about time.

GLEE - I'll deny this in the future, but I actually found Matt Morrison quite affecting in this episode especially with his scene with Jayma Mays talking about his dreams of Broadway. Also found the Sam storyline a bit tearjerky so all in all, it was a far deeper emotional episode than I thought. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with Santana (and Karofksy) by the end of the season. Nice to see Chenoweth back again, of course.

THE GOOD WIFE - Very good episode even though all of the guest stars were a bit distracting. Martha Plimpton makes her fantastic reappearance as Patti Nyholm, but we also got Aaron Stanton (Mad Men), Christopher Shyer (V), and John Glover. The big developments in this episode was Alicia breaking it off with Peter and the beginning of the Peter/Cary alliance. Next episode (i.e. tomorrow) Alicia and Kalinda finally face off. I'm SO scared.

MODERN FAMILY - Good solid Mother's Day-themed episode. For some reason seeing Phil and then Jay wearing the onion goggles made me laugh way too hard and of course seeing Gloria deal with Manny contrasted with how Claire deals with her three children was great. Not sure how I feel about the Cam/Mitchell storyline with Cam not wanting to be the "mother" though.

COUGAR TOWN - The council was a fun running gag throughout the episode, but I like the main storyline of Travis wanting to propose to Kristen and how Jules and Grayson act in response. The moment on the beach when Jules sees Travis get rejected was a wonderful one and totally in character. Looking forward to seeing where they take this.

HAPPY ENDINGS - This show continues to provide much enjoyment. While Max is probably my favorite character (seriously he's just SO different from any other gay character on TV), I go back and forth a lot on who my second favorite character is and that speaks well for the ensemble. Though if I was being more honest, it'd probably be a tie between "Gay Husband" Penny and "Super Competitive" Jane. I know I didn't really talk about the episodes, but I thought they were both funny and the second episode that skewered hipsters and likened them to zombie? PERFECTION.

BIG BANG THEORY - Great, great episode. The girls (minus Priya) have totally been the MVP of this season and it was wonderful to get a cold open with just the girls. In fact we don't get all of the guys in one scene until the end tag, which was shocking. Bernadette and Amy provided the bulk of the story and the comedy of the episodes and I hope to God they're both back next season.

COMMUNITY - Wonderful start to the 3-part paintball season finale. Love the reveal on the origin of their card names coming from the cards they used to vote on whether or not to invite Pierce back into their group next year (red for yes and black for no). It also enabled them to air out the Pierce Problem that has plagued the entire season. There's one more hour left to this season, so let's see how exactly they resolve this. But even if they don't OMG PAINTBALL. And yes, Josh Holloway... woot!

PARKS & RECREATION - The casting of Parkey Posey as Leslie's former best friend and now rival was pitch perfect and I would so totally watch a spin-off with her. The whole Eagleton-Pawnee thing was fun to see if only to see Leslie reaffirm that her one true love is that city. Ron freaking out about Leslie's birthday plans for him provided a hilarious B-plot.

FRINGE - When I can I'll probably try to do a separate post to talk about my feelings of probably the best show of the season. Its finale was J.J. Abrams' show kind of a finale which meant it was one part epic, one part timey-wimey, and one part OMG WTF JUST HAPPENED? There were so much information thrown at the audience that I admit I felt a bit overwhelmed and a bit detached emotionally (with the exception of one or two scenes) for most of the episode. Despite that, I thought it was another strong outing for most of the actors and definitely a worthy ending to such a wonderful season.

SUPERNATURAL - It's been an uneven season to be sure, but this episode is definitely one of the best the show has offered in its history. Was it perfect? Not at all. The voiceover narration was a bit overused and the end of The Mother arc was a bit anti-climactic at least in terms of The Mother being such a meh villain. Everything else though from this being such a Castiel-heavy episode to the welcome return of Crowley to major Dean-Castiel angst was perfect. It seemed to tie the season, and even the show as a whole, together. Wished we had gotten what we learned in this episode a bit earlier or maybe throughout the season, but I'll take it. Now I'm just fearful what the repercussions will be. They can't kill Castiel off, could they?

TV Report: 4/18 - 4/22

Still trying to get over being sick the past few days, but nothing like posting about TV to give me much needed energy and as I said already last week was pretty good, especially the sitcoms.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER - You knew it was going to be a good night when they changed up the opening theme to feature the cast as a real-life band. It was one of Barney's lies that he told his father even though we find out in the end that the older man also had a few tricks up his sleeves. I really find the chemistry between NPH and John Lithgow quite lovely and I do hope we get more. The rest of the episode was also enjoyable as the gang tries to live up to Barney's lies about them. Two more things (1) Michael Trucco! and (2) that opening "Who's on First" dialogue about NYC club should automatically be nominated for an Emmy or something. Just brilliant.

GLEE - I found this episode such a chore to get through. Sue is at her cartoonish worse while Will is his usual douchey self (audacity to call Brittany stupid right after he posted a math formula that was clearly wrong). Plus as much as I like Gwyneth, she never really gelled with Will as much as she did with the kids so suffice to say I'm glad she's gone for a bit. The songs were mostly forgettable even though kudos to Mike Chang for his awesome moves. And speaking of, how about Santana defending Kurt/Blaine by fighting off Karofsky. I have high hopes when it comes to this particular convergence of gay storylines. I fear Glee is going to massively mess it up.

MODERN FAMILY - Definitely one of the better episodes of the season as the whole cast was able to be featured and be funny with all the storylines working together. My favorite part has got to be Gloria being over-the-top excited at the possible demise of Cam/Mitchell just so she can take care of baby Lily. Some nice developments on the kids as well as Haley/Alex bond as sisters, Luke shows that he's resilient, and Manny learns to take physical risks.

COUGAR TOWN - I'm so happy this show is back and ABC too since it aired TWO episodes, one on Monday and another in in regular Wednesday time-slot. The first episode dealt with Jules penchant to be overly clingy to Travis so when she discovers that her son is possibly thinking about proposing to his girlfriend, well hilarity ensues. Also the episode contained lots and lots of Penny Can plus the debut of the No-No dance! The second episode was a bit more subdued as Laurie and Jules realize that they've grown somewhat (not totally though!). Overall, just glad to have this show back.

HAPPY ENDINGS - I still find this show absolutely riotous, but I'm trying not to get too attached since its ratings say it'll get canceled. With that said, I plan on enjoying it until it does. And if you asked me a couple months ago whether I would love a mid-season sitcom that starred Elisha Cuthbert over sitcoms that starred Matthew Perry and Allison Janney (Mr. Sunshine) or Sarah Chalke and Judy Greer (Mad Love), I'd have called you crazy. I mean really now a coming out story that felt original in the same episode as an actually funny Hitler/Nazi plot. Not a lot of shows can do that. Also yay for the 24 shout out!

COMMUNITY - I think this episode will be one of the ones people will remember and cherish about this season along with possibly the paintball-inspired finale, the bottle episode, and the claymation Christmas episode. Skewering the tired clip-show episode that was so famous a decade or two ago by shooting many new scenes that supposedly happened throughout the year was genius. It's definitely their most ambitious episode yet as they really had to think about structure and content like never before and the cast and writers did a phenomenal job putting it all together.

THE OFFICE - After this, Steve Carrell only has one episode left. So it's only fitting that his penultimate episode revolved around The Dundies which Michael Scott loves so much. While there were some good moments though, I felt they missed a few beats here and there and Dwight's feeling of betrayal seemed under-developed. I'm sure it'll factor into the next episode though. But with all of that said, who could've stopped from tearing up as the whole office (minus Dwight and Toby obviously) serenaded Michael with their own version of Rent's Season of Love. Wished this moment was built up better in the last two episodes, but it was nice nonetheless.

PARKS & RECREATION - What was NOT to love about this episode? First of all, it was a great episode for Aziz Ansari as we see the height of Tom's doucheyness AND charms. He made me laugh every time he opened his mouth. The burger cook-off between Ron and Chris was predictable, but it was still nice to see the mentor/mentee relationship of Chris/Andy and Ron/April. But finally the reason I'm loving the show right now... BEN/LESLIE. Her asking him out then him awkwardly saying no then her finding out that Chris forbade interoffice relations and then finally that moment when they're eating in front of the field mural they both love? SOULMATES. I can't take it anymore.

30 ROCK - Their 100th episode was probably half an hour too long, but it was still pretty okay. About 25% of the show relied on old clips and with Community skewering the genre only a couple hours before made this show look positively antiquated and out of touch. Michael Keaton's appearance was more a distraction than a plus. But there were still things I liked such as the multiple versions of Jack, anything done by Jane Krakowski and her "hysterical pregnancy," and even a few of Tracy's antics were fun.

SUPERNATURAL - Why isn't this show more Castiel-centric? Every little glimpse we get of the war in heaven is far more interesting than the current happenings with the brothers. I mean I think Rachel's death at the hands of Castiel would've been much more powerful if we actually SEE how it led to that point. But no, let's see the brothers dressed up as hot cowboys, kissing with prostitues, and conversing with Samuel Colt instead. I mean, yes, this was fun, but I miss when this show actually had a sense of urgency.

FRINGE - Another brilliant episode where we see what's happening in both universes. When they do this, it's much easier to see how amazing John Noble and Anna Torv have been this season. We see how completely different their characters are and the way those characters interact with one another. Just think about the beginning scene with a naked Walter shocking Olivia and then compare that to any scene with Fauxlivia/Walternate filled with tension and malice. Other than that, this episode felt a bit like a setup episode to the thrilling last few episodes. Our world seems to be undergoing apocalyptic changes, Sam Weiss makes his comeback, Peter is in a coma due to the machine, and Fauxlivia is being held captive. I CANNOT WAIT to see how this season ends. I'm sure it'll be glorious nonetheless.

TV Report: 4/11-4/15

Some thoughts on last week's TV offerings. It's been awhile since we got more than a handful of shows to talk about and it's clear than most of the shows are gearing up for an incredible May sweeps period.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER - Not sure what to think about this episode. Definitely a bit of a mixed bag that felt like a filler episode. The whole meatball sub plot could've been good if it really was about Barney sublimating his feelings regarding his dad, but they undercut that with the "10 years later" tag which was a bit unnecessary. Hopefully this is the last time we get a Marshall-job-conflict story since they aren't that interesting and there's not much to say about the inevitably doomed relationship between Zoe/Ted.

CASTLE - The takeaway from this episode, like a lot of episodes this season, is how clearly infatuated both Beckett and Castle are with one another. Neither one is even being subtle about it anymore as Beckett was clearly using Castle' mentee Conrad to make him jealous. For his part, Castle's no-nonsense admittance that he was jealous forced Beckett to declare herself as a "one-writer girl." Sweet.

THE GOOD WIFE - The whole Hugo Chavez/Fred Thompson part of the episode was just so tonally different from the usual that it felt like I was watching a completely different (lesser quality) show. Alan Cumming, with his scenes with both Julianna Marguilies and America Ferrera, rescued the episode as well as Alicia finding out about Peter's affair with Kalinda. I'm both excited and afraid of what the next episode has to bring.

MODERN FAMILY - Hilarious joke on the car ad and everything about that particular storyline. I especially loved Phil's phone call with a potential client. But other than that and the punchline of "We Love the F Word" at the end of the play, the episode was a tad flat. Although now that I remember, I also loved Luke's half-boy, half-dinosaur character.

HAPPY ENDINGS - Shocker of all shockers: I really liked the first two episodes of this show. Granted, it'll probably get cancelled, but for now I'm in. Love how the characters all talk like my friends and I and the gay guy is not the typical gay guy you see on shows. The pilot was a bit scattered and rushed, but it's definitely in a better footing than other recent sitcom debuts (Mr. Sunshine, Mad Love, etc.).

COMMUNITY - This is a bit of a low-key episode for the series since there were no episode-wide homage nor any experimental type of narration. Instead it was just the gang taking some electives and the hilarity that ensues. Not goor or bad per se, but just nothing too worthy to talk about.

THE OFFICE - The cold open with Carrell and Ferrell doing their almost ad-libbed scene was good as was the Erin-phone-call stand-off that actually had me at stitches, but at this point it's all about saying goodbye to Michael Scott and we're slowly getting there.

PARKS & RECREATION - Sigh. Beautiful episode is beautiful. I can't picture a more perfect way Andy/April to get married. They literally did it their own way and it was fabulous. I also greatly enjoyed all of the Ben/Leslie stuff. I've resigned myself to the fact that Ben/Leslie WILL be the death of me. More awesome things: Rob Lowe breaking it down and the burgeoning Anne/Donna friendship. Yes, please!

FRINGE - Where to begin? How about FRINGECEPTION in which the show went into Olivia's mind to rescue her. The scenes in her head, especially the animated ones, were inspired. But really the best part has got to be Joshua Jackson and Lance Reddick's acting as if they were on LSD. THIS SHOW IS ON FIRE and everything it does is golden. No doubt the last episodes this season is going to blow everything else away.

SUPERNATURAL - A better episode compared to a lot of what they've offered this season. Probably one of its best actually. It was a hoot seeing the alternative reality of a world where the Titanic didn't sink (though I think Celine would still be a big deal without the song). Seeing Jo alive and what it meant broke my heart a bit as was the revelation that Castiel pretty much orchestrated this whole thing as a desperate act to win the still unseen War in Heaven.