Vampire Diaries: The Last Day

“You’re gonna screw it up, aren’t you?”

VD doesn’t let me hold a grudge. Just when I thought they might have gone a retcon too far, this episode sucked me back in. (It’s a whole big sucky thing.) I still have some issues with the Great Sun and Moon Lie, but that doesn’t really matter, because everything terrible is happening right now. OMG, indeed.


This new curse, in which Klaus is the only object, is more dramatic than some sort of universal werewolfapalooza. Klaus is powerful enough that he can only be killed while transitioning from vampire to werewolf (vampiwolf?). That is, Elena has to die to make Klaus vulnerable—along with a vampire, and a werewolf. Elijah’s solution is a witch potion past its sell-by date, and Damon’s solution…

Well, it’s not really a solution at all, is it? Elena doesn’t want to be a vampire. She wants a life, and she recognizes that the romantic emotions she has now might not last forever. Elena is sometimes dull, but when she has these moments of insight I’m reminded that she isn’t boring or vapid. She’s awfully self-aware for a 17 year-old.

Damon, not so much. He has a hard time recognizing that his needs might not be everyone’s needs, and that the compromises he is willing to make might not be okay for anyone else. I mentioned in an earlier review that I wasn’t sure if Damon would be willing to sacrifice himself for Elena, but it turns out he would. I just can’t imagine he’d be okay with sacrificing himself for Stefan’s and Elena’s relationship. He staked his brother, after all.

And, in the immortal words of Oz, got bit. The emphasis on Rose’s protracted death make sense now: it tells us and Damon exactly what happens post-bite. There is a magical witch elixir hanging around with nothing to do, though. Maybe it can save Damon from the bite somehow.

Klaus, meanwhile, is a highly competent multitasker. He had a werewolf and a back-up werewolf; a bevy of vampires; two witches—and only one doppelganger. Klaus could sense that Damon was bitten by a werewolf: will he be able to sense that Elena drank vampire blood? Will that negate the ritual? And what’s going to happen to Jenna? I love the idea of Jenna as a vampire: it could make her interesting just as it did for Caroline. Although I do feel bad for poor Alaric, who really doesn’t have much luck in relationships.

Also meanwhile: Sheriff Forbes really does think Caroline is just acting like Caroline, and is certainly still smarting from Damon’s betrayal. I feel horrible for the Sheriff: the actress manages to make her often-misguided perspective understandable. Matt is jonesing for vengeance, too.

We’re left with quite a few question: What could happen that would make him forgive Damon for killing Vicki? What can prevent Damon from dying? Will Jenna become a vampire, or die? Will Elena survive as a human or a vampire? Will Sheriff Forbes go on a murderous rampage? Will Katherine cause trouble once Klaus lets her out of Alaric’s apartment? Will we be left with another unbearable cliffhanger after the season finale in two weeks?

Bites:

• Damon: “I’ll write a great eulogy.”

• Damon: “That’s your plan? A magical witch potion with no expiration date?”

• Damon: “Go ahead, wish me an eternity of misery. Believe me, you’ll get over it.”

And Pieces:

• Mrs. Lockwood’s fall from the landing was brutal.

• Elena’s hair looks darker. I like it.

• Stefan is so sweet and genuine…it’s kinda hard to take, sometimes.

• Plus, he’s climbed Mt. Everest?

• Katherine making coffee. Is this some sort of illness, how much I enjoy watching vampires prepare food and drink?

Four out of four magical witch potions with no expiration date.
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Eureka: Phoenix Rising

... in which an eclipse coincides with a series of deaths by spontaneous combustion.

‘Phoenix Rising’ was a strong season premiere, resetting the stage in many ways, while still building on the events of the first season finale. I didn’t initially find the central mystery terribly engaging, but I loved the way the overall story allowed us to explore the emotional fallout of Kim’s death and Henry’s attempt to save her. Then, Carter realized the deaths were directly linked to the events of the finale, and the story as a whole became a lot more compelling.

The twist with Kevin is incredibly unsettling. Is the seemingly dead Artifact the real phoenix of the title? Has its energy gone into Kevin? If so, was this an accident that occurred because he was with his therapist and “the man downstairs” when the Artifact blew? Or, was this the intended result of a Section 5 project? Man, that’s a disturbing thought. I wonder if maybe this is linked to Kevin’s ability to reproduce Walter’s equations back in the series pilot. Whatever was going on between Kevin’s therapist and the scientist studying the origins of the Artifact, Stark doesn’t seem to know anything about it. I hope that’s true, because after he cheated on a drug trial to protect Kevin, I’d hate to think he’d betray Allison’s trust and risk Kevin’s safety all for the sake of understanding his precious Artifact.

As disturbed as I was by Kevin’s clay model of the dead Artifact, I was even more distressed by the twists with Henry. Apparently, he’s going to try to save Kim again --- consequences for the universe be damned. I hate what Kim’s death has done to Henry. His turn to the dark side certainly makes for a good story, but I love the kind, idealistic, and caring man we originally met in Season 1. It is crushing to see him degenerate into a bitter, angry man, all too willing to compromise his ideals for selfish ends. What’s more, I hate to see the friendship between Henry and Carter unraveling. How awful was it when Carter accused Henry of murder, or when Henry smashed the mind-wiping device and angrily swore never to forget Jack’s role in Kim’s death? I understand why Henry feels the way he does, and a mind-wiping reset for both men would feel like a cheat, but it pains me to see their wonderful dynamic destroyed. I wish things were different.

Generally, I’m not a fan of “the reset button” at all, but I did like the way the story built to a reset for Carter. It was fun for awhile, seeing him make temporal dislocation boo boos --- like being overly familiar with ‘Ally’ or forgetting Zoe’s age --- but as events continued to diverge from the timeline he remembered, it became increasingly difficult to watch him struggle with the changes. By the time he confessed his pain and sadness at watching the woman he loved slip away, my heart was breaking for him. I wanted Henry to mind-wipe him, if only to spare him that anguish. That said, I was glad we got a small hint that maybe he hasn’t been completely wiped when he took the book of sonnets.

Other Thoughts

Allison replacing Stark as director of Global Dynamics should prove very interesting for both characters and their relationship. I look forward to seeing them take on new roles.

Assuming Stark stays, of course. I can certainly see why he’d be tempted to leave. He’s been demoted, apparently his divorce has gone through, the Artifact still holds a powerful sway over him, and his guilt over Kim’s death is weighing heavily on him. Time and distance from Eureka probably seems quite attractive at this point. However, while he may not be up to the challenge of running Global --- “With everything that’s happened, I don’t even think I could do the job anymore” --- he still has a lot to offer and I’d like to see him flexing his science muscles for a change. Henry seemed to accept Stark’s apology, and I think those two would make an interesting team (in spite of Henry’s questionable endgame). I hope Stark stays.

Zoe: “You hooked up with a guy, whose age difference with you is the same as me and my dad.”
Jo: “That did it. Thanks.”
Really? Is that the end of Jo and Taggart? If so, that’s kind of disappointing. I enjoyed the slow build of their relationship in Season 1, and will be ticked if Zoe’s “perspective” puts an end to things.

Is Carter confused about which Henry he’s dealing with, or did Future Henry jump back from four years in the future, too? (Is that why it took four years for the alternate timeline to start falling apart?) Carter was acting like Henry had all the same memories he did, but this is not the Alterna Henry we saw for most of ‘Once in a Lifetime.’ Rather, it’s a version of Henry that suffered over Kim’s death for four years while trying to reassemble the tachyon accelerator, and now he’s had to lose her twice. I guess it isn’t really surprising that he’s so angry with Carter.

The pile of human flesh? Gross. The pile of human flesh exploding on Jo and Carter? Horrific.

Henry: “Intellectually, I know that you had to prevent me from saving Kim, but emotionally ... I blame you for her death. I can’t look at you without thinking you’re the one who did this, that you’re the one who took her away from me. [...] And I will never forget.”

Bear McCreary is doing the music for the series now. Awesome! I like the new end credit music.

Final Analysis: I’m rather unnerved and upset by some of the twists, but ‘Phoenix Rising’ was a strong start to the season.

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Glee: Born This Way

Welcome to super-size Glee. Featuring more songs, more plot lines, more issues and waaay more cheesiness. Did I love it? Hell to the YEAH.

…Just Be a Queen

Kurt is BACK! Hands up who else felt like cheering as he appeared at the top of the school steps at noon? Kurt’s absence from McKinley wasn’t just felt by his friends in New Directions, he was also slightly eclipsed musically during his stint with Blaine and the Warblers, and this episode reminded us just how amazing Kurt’s solos can be. That said, he had an adorable send off by his boyfriend who seemed to be pretty gutted about Kurt leaving Dalton Academy. I am looking forward to Blaine taking him somewhere only he knows, we haven’t seen enough of them as a couple since they got together.

Strangely enough Kurt’s restoration was masterminded by Santana and facilitated by Karofsky in a plot twist worthy of a much twistier show. Worthy because Santana managed to become even more awesome while still retaining her self-serving nature (and obtaining her very own Dave Beard), and it gave said beard an important scene that was basically ‘The Scene That Teachers and Parents and Bullies and Victims Watch When They Need to Know How Heal a Rift Caused By Homophobic Bullying’. Glee excels at such Gayducation scenes so I am always pleased when they’re included. The plotline also brought Santana and Karofsky one step closer to busting outta that closet, which I am looking forward to. Karofsky is taking longer than Ricky Martin to say “Am a Fortunate Homosexual Man” and I was a little displeased it didn’t happen in this episode.

Santana’s straight talk/Mean Girl bitchiness was also the springboard for all of New Directions to examine what they would change about themselves. I was mildly appalled that Tina’s issue was her Asian eyes – we get it writers, Tina is Asian, Mike is Asian! Give them new character traits! Anyhow, the episode brought up a really interesting topic that divides public opinion – how much can you change your body and image before you become a fake? If you don’t like something about yourself, should you follow Santana’s advice and change it, or should you ‘embrace your eccentricities’ as Emma put it? I have a fairly strong opinion on this, but I’d like to hear your opinions, gentle readers. Answers on a postcard. Or, you know, in the comments below.

Emma and the Obsessed Cutie Debugger

Even though it wasn’t thrilling, it was important to have Emma’s storyline included as it sort of gave Glee’s answer to the question posed above. When the problem you have Isn’t something you’re born with, and it is fixable, you should fix it. Emma has been pretending for too long that her OCD is something she can’t change, like her ginger-ness, but over the course of the episode she learned to accept that she has a problem and took the first steps towards recovery. Did you know that it is considered lucky to sleep with a ginger person in Brazil? Maybe Emma should move there. I learnt a lot of interesting facts about OCD, but there were far more enjoyable parts to this episode.

The Rhino-Plastics

After Hurricane Finn’s flailing limbs finally find a victim in Rachel’s nose, she considers Quinn’s own perfect proboscis as a possible upgrade. Quinn is flattered but also conflicted as it reminds her that she is less than natural herself. This doesn’t stop her in her quest for validation through public adulation in the form of a prom queen tiara. Surprisingly, Lauren Zizes used to be a terrifying Tiara Toddler and wishes to reclaim the throne at high school. She butts heads with Quinn who tries to convince Lauren she is a fugly slut who will be laughed at or even Carrie-d off the stage covered in pig’s blood. In return Lauren uncovers Quinn’s rhinoplastic, pimple-ridden past. Three plain and creepy girls who are presumably supposed to represent the McKinley masses support both Lauren and ‘Lucy’ with her new ‘previously podgy’ cred, making both of them contenders for the McKinley prom crown. Meanwhile after being told by everyone except her nose doctor (vested interest) and Santana (Miss inflatable life chest) that she is beautiful the way she is, Rachel agrees to keep her schnoz.

It makes total sense to incorporate the themes of the nature of beauty, prom queen power struggles and self and public acceptance, which all feed into one another. I think that’s partly why this episode worked so well. Lauren becomes an ever stronger role model for bigger girls through her huge confidence with her body, and Quinn simultaneously gets an added layer of depth through her ‘ugly’ secret, while teaching us a valuable lesson about the dangers of measuring your own self-worth through the number of fans you have. Rachel and Barbra Streisand both refused to alter their noses in order to become famous. For Lea Michele it also worked – not only does she get to be THE star of Glee but her nose does too.

Loved

- In the opening scene Brittany was wearing another awesome hat. I want it! Speaking of… Santana’s hat in the Coffee Bean was amazeballs too.

- The scenes in The Coffee Bean not only serve to give the lovely Blaine screen time that he otherwise wouldn’t get, being from a different school but they also make me feel like the New Directions are growing closer to one another all the time.

- Rachel’s Quinn schnoz mock-up was freaky – looked like a dark haired sister to Quinn.

- Zizes’ gor•geous T-shirt was so very Zizes

- Kurt’s return to McKinley. Couldn’t have been more perfect.

- Quinn and Finn’s poster photos are taken from Glee’s promotional material. This is brilliant – I’m picturing Quinn meticulously organising the photo-shoot for her campaign.

- Finn’s “Rachel please don’t do this, you’re beautiful” line. Could be there’s hope for those two yet.

- Santana really had it covered with the insults this week! Maybe that’s why I didn’t notice Sue’s absence.

- I just knew that Will was gonna choose his sexy butt chin for his thing to accept about himself.

- I liked the slushie run-down during Karofsky’s speech. Also good that he mentioned gay teen suicides as a reason for wanting to apologise to Kurt.

- Great that PFLAG were mentioned by Kurt. He is becoming quite the poster boy for teen gaiety.

- The I’m With Stupid T-Shirts that Puck and Brittany wore, one with an arrow pointing up and the pointing down. They both have tiny brains they just keep them in different places! Which was your favourite T-shirt?

Didn’t Love

- When this episode ended I thought “Wow, that was the quickest 90 minutes of my life”. Then I found out that the poor Americans who watched it live had to endure over half an hour of ‘commercials’. Boo!

- I only realised Sue wasn’t in this episode after it had finished. This is a Didn’t Love because I didn’t miss her, What’s up with that – she used to be my favourite character.

- Santana didn’t get up and show the world she’s proud to be Lebanese. I am glad they are saving that for another episode - this is mainly bad because she rocked so hard when they did Bad Romance.

- Puck is too nice these days. He’s losing his Puckiness.

- Did anyone else think that Lucy Caboosey looked a lot like Matt Lucas?

- Nice to see Burt and Dr Arzt but they didn’t get to do much.

Glee Against the Music

West Side Story - I Feel Pretty / TLC – Unpretty (Quinn and Rachel):
Great mash-up, and it perfectly fit Quinn’s voice. Grade B

Sammy Davis Jr. - I've Gotta Be Me (Finn and Mike):
Cute! Good choice for Finn’s voice, and I liked him trying to copy Mike’s insane skills. Glad that Mike getting featured more wasn’t a one off. Grade B

Keane - Somewhere Only We Know (Blaine and The Warblers):
I love Keane, at least their older, piano driven stuff so I was Rather excited to see how an acapella version would sound. I was a bit disappointed that they broke the Warblers’ rules (isn’t this the first time they’ve used instruments in a group performance) but maybe one could explain it away by saying it was Blaine performing, with the Warblers as backup (yes, I know that’s how ALL their performances are). Still, an amazing performance which made more sense once we saw how upset Blaine was that Kurt was leaving Dalton. I loved the hug with Finn, and Kurt’s whispered “I’ll never say goodbye to you” to Blaine. Grade A-

Sunset Boulevard - As If We Never Said Goodbye (Kurt):
This was beautiful. I liked how they took the staging so literally with cardboard trees and painted seas. They gave Chris Colfer lots of close ups and he acted the hell out of the song as well as recording awesome vocals. On the strength of this song I’m renting Sunset Boulevard tomorrow night. Grade A-

Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand:
Good fun, and perfect song choice for the plot, but not as good as Safety Dance in Artie’s dream sequence in Wheels. It’s just not as fun when it’s the original song instead of a Glee version. To be fair, they couldn’t have done much with Duck Sauce. I shan’t mention the implausibility of New Directions being able to stage a flash mob when they can’t get more than 3 people to attend their Night of Neglect. Oh I guess I did mention it. One thing though, everyone in a circle pointing at Rachel and mouthing “Barbra Streisand” was epic. Grade C+

Lady Gaga - Born This Way (New Directions):
Well it was exactly what we were expecting right? Fairly good anthem done in fairly similar style by New Directions. I enjoyed Kurt, Mercedes and Tina’s vocals but missed Santana’s. Didn’t Kurt look more handsome than usual? I was initially sceptical of the T-shirt idea but I have grown to love them. In fact I want Puck’s! The choreography was also much better than usual. The best part of the song though, was its message, which is what the whole episode was about. In that respect, this was quintessential Glee. Grade A-

Quotes for Gleeks:

Santana: “Hold up, could we all just get real here for a second? I hear that Rachel has a bit of a schnoz. I mean I wouldn't know because like Medusa I try to avoid eye contact with her.”

Emma: “People say that I smell like copper. And according to recent legend, I have no soul.”

Lauren: “There’s our future queen. A size two teenage dream.”

Lauren: “You best bring it, Fabray because I’m hot as hell, I keep it real and the people in this school want a prom queen who’s like them.”
Quinn: “No, they want a prom queen who’s somebody they’d like to be!”

Santana: “I’ve gotta gay. Go. I’ve gotta go.”

Karofsky: “I was just seeing what jeans he was wearing.”
Santana: “Like that’s any less gay!”

Santana: “Only straight I am is straight up bitch.”

Kurt: “I am both repulsed and impressed by her Lady Macbethian ways. A Latina Eve Harington. Ok if you’re going to be gay you simply must know who that is.”

Puck: “I just want to talk to you. One hot Jew to another.”

Brittany: “Clearly you don’t love you as much as I do.”

Santana gets Quote of the Week for this little gem:

“I’m a closet lesbian and a judgemental bitch which means one thing, I have Awesome gaydar.”

It wasn’t perfect, but this episode was really funny, had some great tunes and much better pacing than most episodes – it really benefitted from the increased runtime. More importantly it took on one of the biggest issues that high school kids have to deal with.

Four out of four ‘Likes Boys’ T-shirts.
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Game of Thrones: The Kingsroad

“Stick ‘em with the pointy end.”

Our Theme of the Week is the injuries that aren’t inflicted by swords, but by the blunter, crueler weapons: the refusal to acknowledge someone’s pain, disloyalty, and an averted gaze. Game of Thrones may be a pseudo-medieval knights-and-nations epic, but it’s not all swords and fire. Although there is an awful lot of blood.

Towards the Wall

Jon Snow has fled Wintersfell to join the Night’s Watch, the band of unwashed brothers committed to the ideals of celibacy and zombie-hunting. His primary motivation is his bastardy: he knows he cannot travel to King’s Landing with the “real” Starks, and he knows Catelyn will make his life horribly unpleasant if he stays home. His conversation with Jaime Lannister, however, revealed that he’s joining a valiant order who are utterly disrespected by most of the Southron lords as relics of a bygone age that believed in “grumpkins and snarks.”

Tyrion, ever the trickster, has decided to head north as well—he may be sick of his family, he may be on a quest for adventure and knowledge (to him they’re the same thing), he may be attempting to avoid confronting his siblings about what really happened to Bran. Likely, it’s a combination of all those possibilities. He seems to be acting as something of guide for Jon Snow, too: Tyrion is good with children and other frightened creatures, he rewards good behavior and does his best to discourage bad. (Can you tell how much I like him?)

Like Jon, Tyrion has been formed by a lifetime of slights and insults, but he attempts to turn those injuries into calloused scar tissue. Unlike Jon, Tyrion is fascinating. Jon will surely become more interesting soon, but right now his story feels like due diligence so that when he does transform into an interesting character with more than one quality, we’ll care.


Towards King’s Landing

Cersei did what Joffrey should have done: she expressed her empathy for Catelyn’s grief over Bran’s situation. Cersei also revealed, in a truly astonishing monologue, what pushed her away from Robert: her grief over a lost child, and her inability to give that grief its proper due. Cersei is very much the center of her own universe, though: she can empathize with Catelyn’s plight because she has been in a similar position, but she cannot permit any perceived harm to her children, and she’s willing to sacrifice the Starks to keep her Joffrey proud and self-righteous.

Cersei is either a terrible queen (because she lacks sympathy) or a wonderful one (because she knows the injury words, actions, and slights can do, and lacks sympathy). She is devoted to her children and her brother, but she barely gives Robert the time of day, and does whatever she can to undermine his relationship with Ned and the little Starks. She effectively masterminded the “trial” of Sansa, Arya, and the direwolves to draw Ned and Robert apart by playing on their lopsided devotion to their own children. Masterful, and evil. It would be hard to like Cersei if Lena Headey didn’t do such a wonderful job portraying her.

Joffrey doesn’t understand the subtle manipulations that Tyrion, Cersei, Catelyn, and others practice with such ease. He enjoys inflicting physical pain, and he gives full rein to that sadism. A prince should not slice up an unarmed butcher’s boy—it’s dishonest and ignoble, Princecraft 101 from the Draco Malfoy school of prissy little towheads. I can’t imagine he will ever see the power in sticking someone with the pointy end, and will never understand that there’s much more to statecraft—and life—than that.

Robert doesn’t seem to understand it, either. I’m not clear on whether it was Robert or Joffrey who ordered the Hound to ride Micah down and kill him, but this lack of subtlety and sympathy appears to be the one thing father and son have in common.

It was Arya’s act of cruelty that really did me in, though. She had to make Nymeria the direwolf think that she was unwanted in order to save her from being slaughtered. She had to be cruel to be kind, which just broke my heart. Such a little girl should have more faith in the world than that. Then again, maybe she shouldn’t, as Nymeria would have died if she’d been found. Arya is certainly a true Stark: she seems to have inherited Ned’s sense of the dark side of justice along with his tendency towards greasy-headedness.

And Sansa. Oh, Sansa. She slighted the Hound, then did him a kindness by treating him like a man rather than a walking wound. But then she ruined it all by picking her little prince over her sister.

Across the Narrow Sea

Dany’s growth in this episode was fairly incredible. Like Tyrion, she turned Drogo’s disrespect for her on its head, using her feminine wiles to remind him that she is worth real attention. Can she turn her bedroom victory into a real power-play in the Dothraki society? Will she continue to get darker than her hair, thus driving Gustavo crazy? And will we get more girl-on-girl almost-sex scenes? We’ll have to tune in to find out.

Back at Winterfell

Holy Hecate, that’s a lot of blood! Catelyn’s 30 days of grief finally ended, as someone set a fire to a disused part of the castle to pull everyone away from Bran’s bedside to kill him. After fighting off an armed man by grabbing the knife with her fingers (yeah, sister!) and CSI-ing the tower from which Bran fell, Catelyn figures out that there is something rotten in the state of Winterfell, and the Lannisters just might be behind it. Now she, too, is on a journey to King’s Landing, leaving Robb in charge of the North, and missing Bran’s awakening.


Bitter Enemies and Uneasy Peaces:

• Joffrey: “The boy means nothing to me. And I can’t stand the wailing of women.” [Tyrion slaps him.] “Ahh!”

• Tyrion: “A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.” Did anyone else think: cross-stitch sampler!

• Ser Jorah has been exiled for slaving by Ned Stark.

• Ned and Jon talking about Jon’s mother. And, to avoid spoilers, I can’t say anything more about that.

• Another mention of Rickon, the littlest of Starks.

• I’m giving serious thought to keeping a running tally of characters that die. In this episode, Micah and Lady the direwolf, as well as all feeling in Catelyn Stark’s hands.

I’m going to say three out of four butcher’s boys. I want to leave wiggle room for future awesomeness.
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NewsFlash: Vampire Diaries and Supernatural Renewed

We can all start partying now! The CW has announced early pickups for five series, including The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Gossip Girl, 90210 and (do we care?) America's Top Model Something or Other.

Yes, we knew it would probably happen, but I for one am relieved. You never can tell what a network will do.

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The Killing: Super 8

“Unless this is a snuff film we’re wasting our time.”

For me ‘Super 8’ was the weakest episode of the series so far. I found it a chore to get through at times. While the Larsen storyline was as strong as ever, the others, those more dependent on narrative momentum, felt as if they were treading water. Offering us only dribbles of new information with little of it riveting. One of the drawbacks of long form mysteries like The Killing is that they are, well, long. In order to sustain suspense for the entire season you sometimes have to drag things out as well as hold back on major revelations.

The Investigation

Bennet is starting to look more and more suspicious. Those carpe diem letters he sent Rosie just got a lot creepier now that we know he used to send them to another student, who is now his pregnant wife. And there’s also the issue of this incident with a girl from another school. I wonder if she was mentally unstable or just dismissed as such because no one would believe that nice, inspirational Mr Ahmed could ever take advantage of a student.

The forensic report seems to suggest that whoever killed Rosie knew what they were doing. Meaning they’ve either killed before or seen one episode of CSI too many. Either way, I bet it makes Linden even more determined now to find Rosie’s killer. Rick’s right to be worried about her falling back into her old habits. He knows as well as we do that she isn’t going to be on that plane on Sunday. There’s no chance now that she going to leave Seattle before she's caught Rosie’s killer. She’s even started putting Rosie’s pictures on the wall just as he feared she would. Well, technically they were screencaps. And it was more like a board than an actual wall.

I’m enjoying Linden and Holder’s working relationship more and more. They’re not as antagonist with each other as they were at the start. There are still a few issues between them. Linden doesn’t entirely trust Holder, mainly because he’s lousy at hiding the fact he’s keeping secrets from her. And Holder’s still a tiny bit resentful that she hasn’t left yet. Holder is the character that is the least like his Danish counterpart, which is probably why I like him so much. He’s the perfect jittery ying to Linden’s stoic yang.

The Larsen Family

Despite Richmond’s reassuring words it isn’t getting any better for the Larsen family. After holding together for so long Stanley finally lost it. Seeing his daughter in the dress they are going to bury her in was just too much for him. And now he’s given in and asked Belko to find out who the police are investigating. This is not going to end well. Not for Stanley or Bennet.

Stanley restroom breakdown was not only distressing to watch but also highlighted how no one in this family is sharing their pain. They’re walling themselves off, growing further and further apart from each other. Not just Mitch and Stan but the boys as well. It’s a good thing that Denny and Tommy haven’t been pushed to the sidelines and that the show is taking the time to show how they, as well as their parents, are coping in the aftermath of Rosie’s death.

This family has suffered a horrible tragedy so it’s understandable that everyday things, like food shopping, have started to slip by. But they’ve both become maybe too reliant on Terry to take care of the boys. So it’s no surprise that Denny has become convinced that his parents no longer care about him and has started to fend for himself. Young children tend to see the world in very broad strokes and life’s complex subtleties can sometimes (but not always) go over their heads.

The Richmond Campaign

So the mole turned out to be some random guy in the office we’d seen only seen very briefly before. That was a bit un-dramatic, wasn’t it? At first I thought I thought he was just some random background extra. Took me a while before I realized he was the guy Richmond had checking everyone’s emails. Good thing I’m not invested in this storyline that much, otherwise I would’ve been mildly disappointed.

I’m glad Richmond held onto his morals and didn’t go along with Gwen’s plan to exploit the Larsens for a political boost. I know their campaign is struggling but that was a pretty despicable move. I’m surprised she managed to get him to agree to it in the first place. Of all the people on the show Richmond can understand what they are going through. He’s also lost someone dear to him so no matter how much Gwen nags him he won’t exploit someone else’s grief for his own benefit.

Notes and Quotes

--Jumperwatch: Love the turtleneck, Sarah.

--No recognizable Vancouver genre actors this week. At least, none that I recognized.

--Either Holder never changes his clothes or he’s like Seth Brundle and only has ten sets of the same clothes.

--8mm film, very retro. Guess Rosie mustn’t have been a fan of digital. Will one of those abstract images unlock the mystery of Rosie’s murder?

--Surely everyone knows by now that when a police officer asks “Can I use your bathroom?” it’s code for “I’m going to illegally search your home”.

Richmond: “Any bright ideas?”

Gwen: “Reach out to them personally. Ask them to do the spots with you.”

Richmond: “Any ideas won’t leave feeling like I need a shower afterwards?”

Stanley: “Rosie’s gone. Finding out who killed her won’t change that.”

Mayor Adams: “In no time at all Darren’s come here and he’s built himself a real rainbow coalition. Blacks, fruits, whores and drug addicts.”
--Adams is clearly a progressive politician.

Linden: “There’s plenty of women with poor judgment out there, I’m sure you’ll get lucky.”

Principle: “I would’ve fired him otherwise.”
Holder: “Yeah, like you fired that peeking perv janitor?”

Ruth: “Spreading your legs just doesn’t buy a girl anything these days.”
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Stargate Universe: Epilogue

... in which the alternate history for Destiny’s crew is revealed.

This one really had it all. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it briefly made me seethe with anger. Best of all, it offered something I doubt the actual series finale will: closure. I know that for many, Stargate: Universe is the story of Destiny. They want to learn more about her history, her capabilities, and her mission, and are deeply sad that when the show ends in two weeks we’ll be left hanging on so many of those questions. I’m sure that when the time comes, I will share many of those sentiments, but for me, SGU has always been primarily the story of Destiny’s crew. I want to learn how these characters react to extreme circumstances, see them forge new connections, and watch them make unexpected discoveries about themselves. I want to experience their life’s journey: to laugh with them, share their heartbreaks and their joy, and shake my fists in anger when cruel fate strikes; to be disappointed by their poor choices and proud of their accomplishments; to mourn their passing and celebrate their lives. When the show is over, I’ll no doubt have lingering questions about where the mythology was headed and what it all means, but I’ll most regret not knowing how the story ends for our characters.

At least that’s how I felt before seeing ‘Epilogue.’ Now, no matter what cliff we are left hanging off in two weeks, I know how the story ends. Maybe not for the characters we’ve been following since ‘Twin Destinies,’ but for a version of those characters that’s close enough. With the exception of the events of the last few weeks, the crew that got stranded on Novus are essentially the same characters we’ve been following all along. So seeing how their lives played out, knowing that they largely found happiness, accomplishment, and peace, is enough for me. We’ve followed their journeys; shared their pain, their joy, and their triumphs; and seen them through to the (sometimes bitter) end. We even got a fitting conclusion for Rush, who in ‘Twin Destinies’ chose to go down with the ship when it seemed all hope was lost, learning as much as he possibly could with the time he had left. Pursuing knowledge and greater understanding of the Universe’s mysteries to the last.

So, even though in the context of Destiny’s journey, ‘Epilogue’ didn’t accomplish overmuch --- except for the acquisition of advanced archival data, some highly efficient material for the scrubbers, and a new breadcrumb to follow on the Novan evacuee trail --- for me, it was time very well spent. I’m not entirely convinced I’d feel this way if we weren’t rapidly approaching the end of the series; but the situation being what it is, I really enjoyed spending the bulk of the hour finding out who ended up with whom, seeing their families expand, and learning more about the founding of Novan society. Perhaps it was a bit predictable that Young continued on as leader, Camille authored the Constitution and served as mayor for a time, and Eli founded the education system, but that doesn’t make these revelations less satisfying. Rather, it feels like their journeys were true to the characters we’ve come to know. Likewise, the continued pairings of Young and T.J., Chloe and Scott, and Greer and Park felt right in a lot of ways. And I particularly liked the grace notes for Scott (finally getting his act together and making a lifetime commitment) and Greer (becoming a daddy). Those felt like very important beats in the journeys of those two characters that paid off previous revelations and back story.

The one major surprise, unfortunately, wasn’t a pleasant one. I was absolutely crushed for T.J. as she watched the footage diagnosing herself with ALS. Man. Have the fates dumped on any of our characters more than T.J. (and by association, Young)? First, she has to cope with the notion of having a child under far less than ideal circumstances, then she loses that child in brutal fashion. Then she sees another version of herself seemingly having the life that she’s lost, but soon learns it’s only for a short time, because she has a fatal genetic disease. I know T.J. is incredibly strong and they say you never get dealt more than you can handle, but damn, writers. Must you be so unrelentingly cruel to this amazing woman?! This is starting to reach Andy Sipowicz proportions! It almost makes me glad I won’t have to watch her bravely suffering for another three years. That said, I’m very glad that the ALS cure wasn’t in the data they uploaded to Destiny. It is, of course, entirely believable that the cure for a disease that felled one of their original members would have been discovered in the subsequent 2,000 years of Novan history, but that would have been far too quick and easy a solution to a problem that has serious story potential.

Speaking of story potential, one lingering disappointment stemming from this episode is that we won’t get much chance to see how this knowledge of their alternate lives affects the choices of the crew going forward. Would Eli try to pursue anything with Corporal Barnes? Would Varro throw in the towel on T.J. and turn his attentions to James instead? How will T.J.’s “dead man walking” status continue to affect her? Is too much knowledge of the future a bad thing, or does it give you a chance to change things for the better?

Other Thoughts

Another disappointment with ‘Epilogue’ is the latest turn of events for poor Varro. The writers have not handled his story well at all. He started with so much potential, based on his presence, his capabilities, and his background, and yet they’ve pretty much kept him off screen except when they need a small bit of intel or want to trot him out as a possible love interest for T.J. Now they are kicking him to the curb without ever really exploring the possibilities with T.J. I was none-too-pleased to see the poor guy consigned to the background on Novus while Young seized the day with T.J. And I was practically irate when it looked like they killed him with that fall. I actually felt death looming for him every time the planet had a tremor, so I was kind of expecting it, but it still pissed me off royally. Do something with this character! Don’t just kill him off “heroically” when you can’t figure out how to use him! I’m relieved he actually survived the fall, because his demise would have left an incredibly bitter aftertaste for an otherwise enjoyable episode.

At least they gave alternate Varro a happy ending with Lt. James. Those two seem like a good match. (Although the way he gave her the “how you doin’?” nod at Chloe and Matt’s wedding was goofy as hell.)

That statue at the beginning was a poor likeness of Young. I wasn’t even entirely certain it was him until I noticed the name on his uniform pocket.

The old age makeup this week was decent, but not nearly as effective as last week’s glimpse at slightly older Young.

Interesting that Chloe grew to a ripe old age with no hint that she might still have alien DNA. I guess the blue aliens really did fix her. Or perhaps this version of Chloe never encountered anything that would have triggered something lying dormant within her.

Camille: “I’ve already found my soulmate. I don’t need another.”

Some of the music this week was quite beautiful and moving. Particularly the score for T.J.’s final days on Novus.

Volker: “It burns you up, doesn’t it?”
Rush: “What?”
Volker: “We did alright after leaving Destiny. We got along just fine. Without you.”
I’m not sure Volker hit the nail entirely on the head here, but I think he got things at least partially right.

Moments that made me laugh heartily: the reactions to the Muzak in the bunker elevator; the quick-cut baby delivery montage; “Tired” Old Greer and Park laughing together; and Grumpy Old Brody (“All these kids. Laughing and dancing. Tearin’ up my lawn!”).

Moments that made me tear up (i.e., cry profusely): the look on Volker’s face when he learned he didn’t make it; Park and Greer naming their son Dale; T.J.’s deterioration montage; Colonel Young’s death scene (“Colonel, we are home”); and Camille’s final speech (“... I can’t help but feel a great sense of pride and success ... because, as we discovered, our mission is and always will be, the journey itself”).

Perhaps the sentiments in those last two were a bit on the sappy cliché side --- OK, they were damn sappy --- but they still resonated with me. Camille’s words, in particular, would have been a wonderful note on which to close the series and the franchise.

Final Analysis: I didn’t love everything about this hour, but the road not taken provided some much needed closure for most of our core characters, and I found it tremendously satisfying.

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Smallville: Booster

Lois: "Real heroes don't stop to strike a pose."

One of the major things that has made Smallville unique is its emphasis on Clark, not Superman. Ten years in, and we really haven't even met the Man of Steel yet. We're invested in Clark as a person. And only Clark.

And now, in order to become who he must be, Clark has to remake himself into someone he is not: a clumsy, geeky reporter who would never be able to attract a woman like Lois Lane. Clark was finding "mild-mannered 101" more difficult than he thought it would be, even with Lois's help; it was like the reverse of coming out of the closet. When Clark said that he was turning into a man that Lois wouldn't want to be seen with, I just went "aww."

It didn't help that as Clark was deliberately subsuming his identity, Booster Gold was stealing everything he had left. I had no idea who Booster Gold was, but Dan was laughing before we even saw him. Dan did say, though, why are they doing him *now*, so close to the end of the series? I think I know why. The bumbling disaster that is Booster Gold is how Clark is seeing his new Clark persona, as well as exactly what he doesn't want his superhero self to be when he goes public.

Clark is afraid to fail. Of course he is. Who wouldn't be? But in the end, Clark helped Booster out of the limelight and into the shadows. Just like Clark is helping himself.

Another terrific season ten episode. I'm so glad the series is going out so well. I'm starting to really look forward to the finale.

Bits and pieces:

-- The glasses were very much this episode's Most Obvious Symbolism. Blue Beetle was a metaphor, too. Clark can't stop what's happening; he's hurtling toward his fate.

-- I really liked Booster's Nascar-like ad patches.

-- Cat, this season's most pointless character, apparently likes superheroes now. And so does everyone else. No Darkseid, no VRA, no creeping Nazi darkness. Where's our big bad?

-- Clark changed his clothes in a phone booth. They've done the phone booth joke many times now, and the Blur kept contacting Lois that way, but it was still a nice touch.

-- This episode was directed by Tom Welling, who also did a good job with the traditional bumbling Clark Kent. Really good casting of Booster Gold, too; the smarm was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Three out of four Legion rings,

Billie

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Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut (1)

Doctor: “I wear a Stetson now. Stetsons are cool.”

It must be hard for any show to live up to the pre-season hype. They're always promising bigger, better, weirder, more satisfying story lines. Of course, it's usually just talk. Maybe they're too close to the project to be truly objective. Or, more likely, they feel obligated to big-up the show to the size they hope it will be. So what are we to make of Steven Moffat's “it's the Doctor's darkest hour” and “it's going to be a real game changer” pre-season spiel? Should we write it off as mere rhetoric designed to get our fantasy/scifi juices flowing? Or will there actually be some substance to the Moff's grandiose promises?

So far, the signs are encouraging. “The Impossible Astronaut” was the best season opener I've ever seen. It was an oddity in that (a) it's the first time we've had a two-parter open the season, and (b) there were no enforced personnel changes. So the story kicked off, more or less, straight away. And what a story it was! It had everything. It carried forward some of the plot threads started back in seasons four and six. The dialogue was crisp, witty and, at times, sparkled like Omega Centauri. The story was complex and bonkers. River Song wore tight jeans, and a sexy gun belt. And, to top it all off, they only went and killed the Doctor! According to Steven Moffat, he really is dead, too. Which, naturally, poses all manner of problems for the show. Dead Doctor's tend not to regenerate too well.

So what the hell's going on? All we currently know is the Doctor knew he was going to die, hence him having time to assemble a crack team of himself, the Nose, the Legs and Mrs Robinson. (Those really should be their names from now on.) But, at this juncture, it's hard to imagine how he's going to pull off his own resurrection. If that's even what he's planning. His death must be important, otherwise, he'd never have allowed himself to be killed. But how can he come back without altering what he's just died to achieve? Changing the future automatically changes the past, making rescue seemingly impossible. Not that that will stop them trying.

Amy's anguish over the Doctor's death was both raw and moving. Him getting shot was such an unexpected event -- especially so early on in the episode (and indeed the season) -- I was completely unprepared for it. Great performance from Karen Gillan, proving once again, that she's more than just a marvellous pair of legs. (Don't panic, they're back again next week.) Amy had a pretty emotional episode, all told. Bereavement, on top of pregnancy, on top of death and monsters. But why was it so important that she tell the Doctor of her pregnancy at that exact moment in time? And why the pains? Is there something wrong with her baby already?

You can't help but feel sorry for Rory. Song's obsession with the Doctor pretty much mirrors his own wife's experiences. Amy's never really got over her first meeting with the Doctor. And despite choosing Rory, there's still something undetermined between the Doctor and Amy. Something Rory can neither have nor share. It's sweet the way Rory deals with it. (By essentially ignoring it). But you can't help wonder how it'll all end. Amy's fires are easily stoked. Who knows how she'd react to a few words of encouragement from her Raggedy Man? It's obvious Rory feels the oppressive weight of the Doctor's presence.

The sexual tension between River Song and the Doctor fairly crackled tonight. I've never felt any real chemistry between Smith's Doctor and Song before. Her flirtatious personality always seemed better suited to Tennant's flamboyant intergalactic hero than Smith's more reserved history professor. Smith's Doctor always felt too emotionally immature for the boisterous Moll Flanders. But tonight I totally felt it. Tonight the Doctor flirted up a veritable storm. He even out-flirted Amy -- which is a feat in itself. Smith's familiarity with the role seems to be bringing out a new found confidence in his performance. I like it.

The usual questions still hang over Song's head. Who is she, what is her relationship with the Doctor, and who did she kill? They've promised answers this season -- so I'll reserve judgement till then -- but, again, Song's intimate knowledge of the TARDIS' controls seems to hint at her being something more than a mere acquaintance. It's obvious she's besotted with the Doctor. It's a queer irony that the more she gets to know him, the less he remembers of her. Like Amy before her (or actually, maybe, after her), the Doctor's arrival in her life was the defining moment of her existence. Now, he's more of an addiction. She longs to see him, yet, every time she does the experience is less potent. Less satisfying. I wonder which incarnation of the Doctor she'll meet first? We know that the Doctor forgetting her won't literally cause her death, because we already know how she dies. But will she outlast Moffat's tenure as showrunner?

Forgetting seems to be the theme of the week. Amnesia appears to be the Silence's primary weapon/defence. It's hard to believe we went the whole of season five without actually seeing them. Tonight we got to see them in all their glory. Why were they wearing suits? Why does Donald Duck wear a little jacket? I guess those high collars were to hide the join between their big rubber heads and their human bodies. But I liked their Scream-esque features and their ability to make humans forget. If I bumped into one of those guys, I'd want to forget too.

We still don't know who the girl in the space suit is. My first thoughts were River. Then I switched to Amy. Then Amy's child. Now I just don't know. (River! No... Amy's child... wait! Amy. no...etc.) Nor do we know why the Doctor had to sacrifice himself for her. Amy shooting her had me shouting "Nooooo!" at the telly. If the trailer for next week's episode is anything to go by, this is shaping up to be the best two-parter ever.

Other Thoughts:

For those who don't know, Elisabeth Sladen (AKA Sarah Jane Smith) passed away on the 19th April, 2011. It's news which has pretty much left the Doctor Who fan community in a state of shock. For many, Sarah Jane was (and still is) their favourite companion. The oddity is, no one seemed to know she was ill. So when the news broke on Twitter, it was greeted with a healthy dose of scepticism. Until Nicola Bryant confirmed it via Twitter. Then came the dreaded BBC bulletin confirming the worst.

First Nicholas Courtney now this? It hardly seems fair. So let's raise our glasses one last time to Elisabeth Claira Heath Sladen. To our Sarah Jane! Gone but never forgotten.

Bits and pieces:

-- Mark Sheppard! Yay! It seems every time he's in a US drama he plays a Brit, and now he's in a British show, he's playing an American. Go figure.

-- Handling TARDIS virgins is obviously the time-travelling equivalent of being coffee boy.

-- A pot of coffee, 12 Jammie Dodgers and a fez. Delicious! Apart from the fez.

-- Why did the Doctor need them there to witness his death? Just so they could burn his body?

-- Who shot the Doctor? Surely not Kristin Shepard!? And why did Song say "of course" when her shots had no effect? Did Song kill the Doctor? Is that why she's in the Stormcage? For killing "the best man she has ever known?" (See these straws? Look... I'm clutching at 'em!)

-- Wow, they totally milked the "Doctor Who?" joke tonight. Twice in one episode? Awesome.

-- I loved the Doctor's "let's see if anyone tries to kill us and work backwards" style. Rory was right. You can totally see him and Song together.

-- The actor who played old Canton is actually Mark Sheppard's real father, William Morgan Sheppard.

-- What a great opening sequence. Not only did we get to see a painting of the Doctor naked, we also got to see him actually naked and hiding under the pleats of a woman's dress. Loved the Laurel and Hardy scenes too.

Quotes:

Doctor: “Did you see me then?”
Amy: “Of course.”
Doctor: “Stalker.”
Amy: “Flirt.”
Rory: “Husband.”

River: “Hello Sweetie.”

River: “We're his friends. We do what the Doctor's friends always do. As we're told.”

Canton: "I won't be seeing you again. But... you'll be seeing me."

River: “I know. Amy, I know.”

River: “This is cold. Even by your standards, this is cold.”
Doctor: “Or “hello,” as people used to say.”

Doctor: “Just popped out to get my special straw. It adds more fizz.”

River: “The Doctor's death doesn't frighten me. Nor does my own. There's a far worse days coming for me.”

Doctor: "Swear to me. Swear to me on something that matters."
Amy: "Fish fingers and custard."
Doctor: "My life in your hands, Amelia Pond."

Amy: "Cool aliens?"
Doctor: "Well, what would you call me?"
Amy: "An alien."
Doctor: "Oi!"

Doctor: "I'm being extremely clever up here, and there's no one standing around looking impressed."

Doctor: "Fellas, the guns, really? I just walked into the highest security office in the United States, parked a big blue box on the rug. You think you can just shoot me?"
River: "They're Americans!"

Doctor: "I'm your new undercover agent, on loan from Scotland Yard. Code name, The Doctor. These are my top operatives, The Legs, The Nose, and Mrs Robinson."
Song: "I hate you."
Doctor: "I'm going to need a SWAT team ready to mobilise, a street map covering all of Florida, a pot of coffee, twelve Jammie Dodgers, and a fez."
Delaware: "Get him his maps."

Canton: “What's going on?”
Doctor: “Nothing, we're just friends.”
Rory: “I think he's talking about the possible alien incursion.”

Doctor: "And Doctor Song, you've got that face on again."
Song: "What face?"
Doctor: "The 'he's hot when he's clever' face."
Song: "This is my normal face!"
Doctor: "Yes, it is."

Rory: “You and the Doctor. I can kind of picture it.”

River: “Don't worry, I'm quite the screamer. Now there's a spoiler for you.”

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Fringe: 6:02 AM EST

“I think this is what I’m supposed to do.”

Television shows are made up of many things. Dialogue and actors. Cinematography and score. Overarching plots, character development, and important moments. Great images and great lines. There is also an element of expectation—as viewers, we expect some moments to be presaged by rising music, for instance. Years of suckling on the boob tube makes even the most casual viewer a master of prediction and anticipation.


Fringe wows us with its narrative tricks and risks, its wacky science, its wonderful acting and great writing. Especially since the middle of the second season, each episode has been remarkable. In “6:02 AM EST,” Fringe pulled a new device out of the bag of filmic tricks: a mood of unbearable dread.

Everything has mood, of course. Most TV shows alternate, even in the weightiest of episodes, between light and dark, often relying on dialogue to relieve the viewer’s tension. Fringe aced the mood tonight. Rather than keeping me on the edge of my seat, “6:02” found me leaning back on the couch, resisting the slow push towards some dreadful moment. Something terrible is happening, will happen, has happened. Our heroes are helpless.

We know more than they do, which makes it worse. We know Walternate’s plan, his motivation, and the stakes of his goal. Our heroes are casting about in the dark, hoping to guess what their counterparts in another frakking universe are up to and how to stop them. We also know that the season is coming to an end: obviously, something will happen soon and it will happen big. Our heroes don’t know that, because their lives don’t move in prescribed seasons of twenty-two episodes. They know something is happening, but they don’t have the viewer’s mastery of narrative prediction, because no one can know the story of their own life while living it. They are afraid, but we are in dread.

That dread was created in part by the bits and pieces of wow—the thing with the sheep in the field and other events that happened just off-screen to clue us in on the disintegration of the universe. The biggest moments were underplayed: Peter, rejected by the machine, and Fauxlivia put into prison. I never imagined that Peter would be shot down (as it were) by the machine, and the rising music made me expect a salvation ex machina: how’s that for undercutting audience anticipation? Even Olivia’s failure and capture happened off-screen. One minute, she is realizing the thingamabobs don’t work; the next minute, she is in a holding cell.

But it was the character interactions that mattered most here:

1. The opening with Olivia and Peter in bed, with Olivia waking Peter up. The parallel: Peter, comatose, unable to be woken by Olivia at episode’s end.

2. Walter’s willingness to let Peter become his own man, and giving up what he risked universes to gain all those years ago. The parallel: Peter’s difficult choice to possibly sacrifice himself for the fate of the world and (only recently) developing a filial love he’d never felt before.

3. Fauxlivia using her personal connection to Walternate to get answers related to her job. The parallel: Walternate being unable to punish Fauxlivia because of that personal connection.

4. OtherBrandon’s moral center (he has one?): saving his universe at all costs. The parallel: Sam Weiss, knowing that events are out of his hand and possibly beyond his abilities or knowledge to save.

5. Fauxlivia singing to baby Henry and easily admitting her love for him. The parallel: Lincoln Lee’s unwillingness to say how much he loves her. Also, Olivia’s unwillingness to say goodbye to Peter, and his unwillingness to tell her what he is about to do.

6. Walter’s monologue. Or maybe I should call it a dialogue with a silent God. The parallel: Walternate’s discussion with Fauxlivia, whose child gave Walternate hope just as God/Robocop gave Walter hope with the white tulip.

The end of the world is nothing but background in this episode, which allowed us to watch our heroes on both sides teetering on the verge of an apocalyptic cliff. We’re left with Peter unable to wake up (and the related knowledge that his relationship with the machine perhaps isn’t what we’d anticipated), Fauxlivia locked away for trying to save a universe she still has some fondness for, and Walternate channeling Walter’s Oppenheimer obsession. With only two episodes left, I suspect some of our worst dreads will soon be realized.

This Stuff Is Not Organized:

• Olivia: “Oh, no. The surprise is all mine.” And I won’t even mention the mushroom caps.

• Walter: “I wouldn’t bet the farm on that.” Oh, farm humor.

• Astrid: “Is that more dangerous than vortexes putting holes in our universe?”

• OtherBrandon: “One will get you there and back.” And one pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small.

• “The Faraday cage.” Yes, I know Faraday is a real guy and not every Faraday reference is also a Lost reference, but still…

• I got the impression the radio-announcer’s statements about Ebbets Field and Dodgers was a cool thing for people who know stuff about baseball.

• Walter rubbing the gel on Peter’s hands was like a parent rubbing their kid down with sunblock before a day at the beach.

• They have stockades Over There? Real ones, or was that a metaphorical stockade?


Four out of four ancient yet still very annoying desk toys. (Does anyone know what those things are called?)
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Supernatural: Frontierland

Bobby: "Are you going to a hoe-down?"
Castiel: "Is it customary to wear a blanket?"

Watching Dean live out a western movie fantasy was downright adorable. Even the part where his clothes were too clean and no one understood what he said. Or maybe especially the part where his clothes were too clean and no one understood what he said.

One of Supernatural's best episodes was "In the Beginning," a deliberate homage to Back to the Future. "Frontierland" had numerous references to Back to the Future III (which I wouldn't have known if Dan hadn't been watching it with me), like the clothes being too clean, Dean calling himself Clint Eastwood, and the special delivery package from the past. I'm sure I missed about three hundred other western movie and television references, but I also liked the way they revisited parts of "All Hell Breaks Loose," where Andy actually said he'd woken up in Frontierland. And Samuel Colt has become almost a continuing character, which is a nice trick for someone who is mostly talked about and has been dead for so long.

Surprisingly, considering how Dean owned this episode, the confrontation between Sam and Samuel Colt was special, too. Colt has seen so much that a giant from the future with a magic brick didn't throw him at all. And Sam saying that he, Sam, had plenty of mileage on him was such an understatement that I found it rather touching. One of the best things about this back end of season six has been that Sam is the old Sam again. I was so ready for it, and I'm enjoying it so much.

Unfortunately, Castiel is freaking me out. His situation in Heaven is so dire that his friends are turning on him. Was Rachel right? What is Castiel's dirty little secret? Has Castiel compromised his principles? Last week's mention of fifty thousand souls certainly made it sound that way. When the good guys are as bad as the bad guys, what's the point? Has Castiel metaphorically lost his soul?

Even though I felt bad about Castiel losing Rachel that way (why do female characters keep dying on this show?) the angel wing silhouette is so gorgeous and I always love when they do it. Please don't let them be planning a death wing silhouette for Castiel. Pretty please with sugar on it? Or maybe salt?

One thing that didn't ring true for me was Sam taking off to look for Samuel Colt in the dark. The old west at night was *dark* dark. No streetlights, no paved roads, can't see your hand in front of your face, and I didn't see Sam carrying a torch or a lamp. No full moon, either. Your horse would step in a hole and break an ankle in five minutes, or run you right into a tree. And how would you find Colt's cabin with no roads, street signs, or Mapquest?

And okay, getting the date and Bobby's address off Sam's cell phone was a bit much. But they did have a Pony Express Couriers whatever office right there in Sunrise in 1861. And Samuel Colt wasn't thrown a bit by giants from the future with magic bricks; he'd have pushed all the buttons.

So it was a stretch. I liked it, anyway.

Bits and pieces:

-- Sunrise, Wyoming. March 5, 1861. Just the title of this episode made me laugh out loud. And I love it when they do special credits. I think the burning map was from Bonanza.

-- How much did I love the Campbell family library? So very, very much. Very Buffy.

-- The Phoenix, a.k.a. Elias Finch (note the bird name) had a good reason for taking revenge, and his three victims deserved what they got. Dean really shouldn't have killed him. I sort of felt bad for the guy. Thing. Whatever.

-- Loved the pile of ashes with the badge resting on top of it.

-- Dean got Sam the sort of western shirt you wear to a square dance. Sam inadvertently got him back, though; the whiskey/sarsaparilla joke backfired on Dean. So did the hooker.

-- Touching a soul, or as Bobby referred to it, a soul-o-noscopy, is pretty dangerous. Bobby could have exploded. Good to know.

Quotes:

Bobby: "Either of you jokers ever heard anything about a phoenix?"
Dean: "River, Joaquin, or the giant flaming bird?"

Dean: "We'll Star Trek Four this bitch."
Bobby: "I only watched Deep Space Nine." (Sam looks blank)
Dean: "It's like I don't even know you guys any more."

Sam: "You can recite every Clint Eastwood movie ever made. Line for line."
Bobby: "Even the monkey movies?"
Sam: "Yeah. Especially the monkey movies."

Dean: "What's wrong with my shirt?"
Judge: "You're very clean."

Dean: "I'll stay here and hook up with the posse. Because you know me. I'm a posse magnet. I mean, I love posse. Make that into a tee shirt."
Sam: "You done?"

Dean: (high voice) "Candygram for Mongo."
Another callback to Blazing Saddles. (See "The French Mistake".)

Sam: "That's it?"
Colt: "Well, when you've done this job as long as I have, a giant from the future with some magic brick doesn't exactly give you the vapors."

Castiel: "You sure?"
Bobby: "Well, we can't just strand those idjits in Deadwood, can we?"
Have they been waiting all this time for the perfect place to insert a Deadwood reference? It was indeed the perfect place.

Dean: "Yippie ki-yay, mother..."
I swear, next Christmas I'm going to finally get around to reviewing Die Hard.

Much fun, and I love time travel. But not an arc episode, and not up to "In the Beginning." (But what is?) Three out of four magic bricks,

Billie

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Vampire Diaries: Klaus

“I believe the term you’re searching for is OMG.”

Quite a bit happened in this episode. The Vamp In Black finally stopped possessing John Locke’s Alaric’s body. Jacob Elijah, momentarily resurrected, revealed his relationship with the Vamp in Black, and Desmond Elena continued to struggle with her role as the doppelganger who has the unique power to save the Island maintain the curse. And we’re left wondering if Boone Jenna will be the sacrifice the Island demands.


You might have guessed already: I’m not much a fan of this episode. It was interesting and many things happened. Even the exposition was broken up for those of us with short attention spans, and the director has obviously seen enough Aaron Sorkin shows to know that talking while walking is always more exciting than just talking. Our boys got into a fight…in other words, all the pieces were fine.

But the overall arcs are rather maddening. Turns out, the sun-and-moon curse was manufactured by Klaus to spur all the vampires and werewolves to find the doppelganger and the moonstone. He “etched” the “Roman” “parchment” “scroll” (all those quotation marks are ironic, because that sentence doesn’t make paleographic sense). He added a dollop of shaman and a dash of African carvings—all to break a different curse that applies only to him. Descended from a werewolf and a vampire, Klaus has the potential to be a new hybrid monster, but the curse has kept him from realizing his full potential. Elijah wants to stop him because a super-powerful werewolf-vampire hybrid half-brother is bad news. And he has a solution, involving a super-powerful witch.

In other words: Bonnie is still a secret weapon, Elena is still in danger but not doomed…but the entire curse backstory was untrue. Did this bother you as much as it bothers me? Maybe it doesn’t matter: I never thought the curse would be broken. But this sudden change rubs me the wrong way.

Meanwhile, Jenna finally knows. Klauric (or “Alari-Klaus,” Damon’s preferred term) spurred Stefan to reveal his inner vampire, and Jenna is heartbroken that the universe has different rules than she thought, and that everyone—including Sark—knows the truth. I continue to suspect that Jenna may not be long for this world.

Damon’s peace of mind is suffering, too. He has really amped up the lovelorn angst, with the morning drinking, pouty kisses, and fight with Stefan. His treatment of Andie was fairly awful: it’s easy to forget that she’s being compelled not to be afraid of him, except that Stefan reminds us every 15 minutes or so. Are we supposed to admire him for not killing Andie in his moody rage? It’s hard for me not to detest a line like “You know what happens when I'm upset.” Wife-beaters have been using that sort of deflective, impersonal language for centuries.

Also: parallel structure—vampire brothers torn apart by their desire for a beautiful woman. Noted.


Bites:

• Andie: “What are you doing?
Damon: “Splitting from the team. Going rogue.”

• Klaus: “She is human. Her life means nothing.” I don’t think we’re supposed to root for Klaus.

• Klaus: “Love is a vampire’s greatest weakness.”

• Stefan: “You’re right. Thank you, for being in love with my girlfriend.” Snap!

• Damon: “A—what?”

And Pieces:

• I’m not too up on 15th century protocols for addressing nobility, but is “I’m introducing the Lord Elijah” really correct? Why not just “Lord Elijah”?

• Vampires drinking coffee, like vampires cooking, always makes me happy.

• Why, oh why, does a vampire in late fifteenth-century London know that the Aztecs even exist?

• Seven Originals. Do you think we’ll get to see the other five someday?

• I really, really wanted a screencap of Stefan crying with empathy for Elena and Jenna. Alas, it was not to be.

• Katherine drinking was funny. Her decision to pretend to pout when Klauric came home was funnier.

• Do you think the Big Box of Klaus was filled with special dirt?

I’ve been wrong about the Vampire Diaries before: Katherine in the tomb is a good example of a plot I didn’t like at first but then came to enjoy. So maybe I shouldn’t rate this episode. Maybe I’ll like this turn of events more in a week or two.

What do you think? How many...um...funny objects?

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Glee: A Night of Neglect

To raise money for Nationals and the Brainiacs club, New Directions put on a benefit concert. Unfortunately Sue has a new scheme to stop it, replete with henchmen. Will and Holly struggle with their relationship, and Lauren encourages Mercedes to demand respect.

Sunshine, Shrew, Sandy and Sergeant Smarmy

Sunshine is back! I would say hurrah but her role in this episode was a little bit random, it felt more like she was there to remind everyone what an amazing singer she is now that we are into the final stretch of episodes. It did work that Sarg Smarm was on hand to pull her out of the benefit, but why did New Directions ever think he would allow it in the first place? Sandy’s return made more sense given that he is rather a bitch and also a sucker for powerful women. Sadly for Boss Sue she didn’t factor that into her plans before he was taken out by a Mercedes/Aretha one two punch. Wow for an episode with so many guest stars I really didn’t get excited about them at all. Perhaps it is because the only one I really love to hate is Terri and her chance to wreak havoc has only just arrived.

Will and Holly

Whilst they did make an adorable pair eating pizza in front of a roaring fire, we all knew the Holliday holiday would come to an end, mainly since Gwyneth Paltrow was never going to become a regular on Glee. I did imagine that they would date for longer than one episode. The plot always moves fast on Glee but it seemed rather as if a tiny argument regarding Sargent Stupid and a single not-very-romantic Will/Emma moment was all it took to make Holly run for the hills. She and Will were a couple for all of two scenes. Maybe she will be back with her own unique brand of substitute teaching sometime soon – that I want to see her impression of Catherine the Great’s stallion Fred!

… and Emma

It was sad to see Emma’s OCD return with such a vengeance – I mean putting plastic gloves on to eat sandwiches can be kind of adorable (work with me people) but scrubbing a countertop with a toothbrush? Is that just Glee or do people really feel driven to do that? How debilitating. Thankfully Emma being all damaged again means that Will is into her because he has something to fix. I’m not sure how we as the audience are supposed to feel about Emma and Will. When Glee began we were all (mostly) rooting for them but now it just feels like Will wants to ‘make her better’ and Emma seems to be unable to control her feelings for Will despite it costing her the finest dentist alive.

Karofsky, Kurt, Blaine and Santana (or Rainbow Corner)

This was a great little scene that provided a bit of setup for next week’s episode Born This Way. I was worried we wouldn’t get to see the Dalton boys this episode, and I forgot how much I’d missed them over the hiatus. Poor Kurt can’t have five minutes showing his boyfriend round his old school without being accosted by Dave in Denial. Could it be that what he wanted deep down was to talk about coming out with the only other gay guys that he knows? Santana squaring off with him was brilliant, she gets MVP for her efforts. I liked that this was the first time we have seen her dealing with homophobia, but will she handle it quite as well when it is directed at her?

Loved

- It’s just like Sue to find a way to prevent the Cheerios funds from ever reaching the hair gel covered hands of Will Schuester!

- Other Asian finally has a role in the series beyond showing off his abs and shaking it like a polaroid picture

- The irony of Brittany being on the Brainiacs team and being their secret weapon

- Sue’s evil league of evil scene began with the clock striking midnight

- Terri’s supervillain nickname – Honey Badger. The others were firmly in the Didn’t Love. I mean Pink Dagger sounds like a terrifying euphemism and Sergeant Handsome – not so handsome.

- How strange that My Heart Will Go On was mentioned in both Glee and Supernatural this week.

- Nice to see Becky and Azimio again. I prefer Jacob when he is being grotesquely pervy over Rachel.

- Mike’s ‘screeching to a halt’ noise when Rachel said she’d be singing Celine Dion.

Didn’t Love

- Even Santana is getting slushied? This has gone too far, this must end!

- Terri doesn’t hate Will? Why Not? Last time they met he banged her then dropped her, and she got all jealous about Holly and now he’s actually dating Holly and it would make perfect sense for her to hate Will. But since when has she hated the Glee club?

- The neglected artists thing? Bit of a bottom of the bag musical theme. Then again Glee’s demographic probably isn’t that up to speed on Eric and Aretha, and casual Jack and Adele fans might not have heard Bubbly Toes and Turning Tables.

- Dustin’s attempted seduction. I found him utterly reprehensible. I hope Will’s tiny fist encounters his face at Nationals.

Glee Against the Music:

All By Myself - Eric Carmen (Sunshine):
I love this song, and Sunshine certainly did it justice. She’s got an incredible voice – where does that singing power come from? She’s so tiny she must be about 90% lung! I also liked Puck’s puppy faced grin, has someone got a new crush? Well I’m impressed with Sunshine, but there was something missing from this, I was left wanting more. Grade B+

I Follow Rivers - Lykke Li (Tina):
Ok this is getting ridiculous, I didn’t even have time to get into the song before it was ruined by hecklers. This is the third time this season that a Tina solo has been shortened, and it sounded pretty good for all of 20 seconds. Boo, writers!

Bubble Toes - Jack Johnson (Mike):
When this began I was wondering how it would work, but it turned into a great performance. Mike is a master of comedy and just flows around the stage. I especially liked his ‘move like a jellyfish’. That was all kinds of awesome. B+

Turning Tables – Adele (Holly Holliday):
I was a little disappointed by Holly’s swan song. It wasn’t a fun performance like those she does so well, the vocals were solid but I didn’t really feel the emotion behind them. Grade C+

Ain't No Way - Aretha Franklin (Mercedes):
I don’t think this was the best Aretha number to choose, but Mercedes really did bring the house down. Her performance and Rachel’s words after it were the perfect end to her side plot, which was great fun in and of itself. Now if only she had been carried on whilst holding a Pomeranian, it would have been perfect. B+

Quotes for Gleeks:

Brittany: “Ugh, I love saltwater”

Will: “I get the three of you being on the team…”
Puck: “Is it because two of them are Asian and Artie wears glasses?”
Will: “No….but Brittany?!”

Brittany: “I’ll take cat diseases!”

Sue: “Terri Schuester, Shrew.”
Terri: “I’m also an Assistant Manager.”

Rachel: “Can you define what you mean by neglected artist?”
Will: “Umm, someone whose brilliance isn’t always appreciated.”
Rachel: “Oh, so you mean like me.”

Sue: “She’s looser than a thrift store turtleneck and probably just as diseased.”
Dustin: “Just my type.”

Mercedes: “Before every performance I like to wash my hands and after doing so I like to dry them on a fresh puppy.”

Sandy: “Ready for my close up General Zod”
Sue: “Sandy how do you manage to enter a building without setting off ALL the fire alarms?”

Santana: “Two choices: You stay here and I crack one of your nuts, right or left, that’s your choice, or you walk away and live to be a douchebag another day. Oh, and also? I have razor blades hidden in my hair. Tons, just all up in there.”

Sandy: “You just got poked. Poked by the Dagger!” Arrrrgh!

Finn: “What’s that saying – the show’s gotta go all over the place or something!”

Sunshine Corazon gets Quote of the Week:
“I’m such a better singer than everyone else so I know how it feels. I’m all alone at the top! Also, I’m Really short, so even when I’m in a group of people, it feels like I’m wandering alone through a forest!”

It wasn’t the best that Glee can do but it certainly wasn’t a disappointing return either. Three out of four fluffy puppies.
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Star Trek: A Piece of the Action

Spock: "Logic and practical information do not seem to apply here."
McCoy: "You admit that?"
Spock: "To deny the facts would be illogical, Doctor."

I liked this episode a lot when I was a kid. I thought it was hilarious. So it's not great science fiction. It's definitely a lot of fun.

Like Kirk's explanation of the rules of Fizzbin, which was always my favorite part. (After Spock in a fedora carrying a machine gun and saying, "Riiight.") I also enjoyed Kirk taking over and outmobstering the mobsters, the mobsters talking on communicators as they looked up in the air, Spock wrestling with the radio. And Kirk driving a car without ever quite getting the hang of a clutch.

On the con side, the constant hostage-taking got old, as did all the time they spent imprisoned in storerooms. The parodied vocabulary was a bit too much, pally. The universal translator was never mentioned, and there was so much slang. Were the Iotians speaking English? Were they so imitative that they abandoned their own language? Plus, Okmyx had the biggest "territory" in the world, but he had only two personal guards. And his headquarters was right around the corner from Krako's?

And "Let me call my ship to say goodbye"? They fell for that? Come on. A five-year-old wouldn't fall for that.

The history of the Prime Directive and dealing with cultural contamination from a hundred years ago is an interesting idea, and a serious treatment might have been intriguing. Going back in thirty years and seeing what the Iotians did with Federation technology would have been interesting, too. And they considered doing that on Deep Space Nine for the 30th anniversary tribute. Fortunately, they went for "The Trouble with Tribbles" instead.

Ben says...

I love this episode, particularly the Fizzbin game. It's just pure fun, which is good because it certainly doesn't begin to make much sense.

It also got me wondering. Why is it that the cultures imitated in these parallel development/cultural contamination stories are always the most violent and unequal cultures imaginable? We have government by crime, government by Nazis is around the corner, and season three brings us televised Roman gladiators.

Here's a plot for you. A book is left by the crew about Scandinavian social democracy in the seventies. The culture adopts programs which ensure general social equality, improved health outcomes, and social coherence. Spock and Kirk beam down to meet with a friendly collective of bulky sweater-wearing civil servants who televise the proceedings to ensure that this encounter with people from outer space becomes part of general civil discourse. Our heroes walk down the well-lit street with their hosts before enjoying a dinner of fish and forest berries. They explain to the Swede-darians that their society will soon encounter problems with supporting pension payments, falling savings rates, and the capitalization of industry. The people react intelligently and establish a set of programs to encourage investment while maintaining the social safety net. Kirk sleeps with the buxom blond woman who heads the council. The Captain and Spock beam up and fly away, satisfied that no one was killed and the Swede-darians will soon join the Federation.

Oh right... because that's boring, gotcha.

Back to Billie for bits and pieces:

-- No star date given. Sigma Iota 2, which was suffering from contamination by the Federation ship Horizon from a hundred years ago, before the Prime Directive. Because of course, there hasn't been any contamination *after* the Prime Directive. Riiiight.

-- The "book" was "Chicago Mobs of the Twenties" published 1992, which the Iotians had obviously reprinted many times in Biblical format.

-- The artwork on all of the office walls were guns. Nice detail.

-- Apparently, the "transtator" is the basis of a lot of Federation technology.

Quotes:

McCoy: "Those firearms are not necessary."
Kalo: "You tryin' to make trouble?"
McCoy: "Me?"
Kalo: "Don't give me those baby blue eyes."
McCoy: "What?"

Kirk: "On Beta Antares IV, they play a real game. It's a man's game, but of course, probably a little beyond you. It requires intelligence."

Kirk: "Each player gets six cards. Except for the dealer, ah, the player on the dealer's right, who gets seven."
Kalo: "On the right?"
Kirk: "Yes. The second card is turned up. Except on Tuesdays."
Kalo: "On Tuesday."
Kirk: "Mm-hmm. Oh, look what you got. Two jacks! You got a half Fizzbin already!"
Kalo: "I need another jack."
Kirk: "No, no. If you got another jack, why, you'd have, ah, a sralk."
Kalo: "A sralk?"
Kirk: "Yes. You'd be disqualified. No, what you need now is a king and a deuce. Except at night, of course, when you'd need a queen and a four."
Kalo: "Except at night."
Kirk: "Right. Oh, look at that. You've got another jack! How lucky you are! How wonderful for you. Now, if you didn't get another jack, if you'd gotten a king, why then you'd get another card. Except when it's dark, when you'd have to give it back."
Kalo: "If it were dark on Tuesday."

Kirk: "What you're after is a royal Fizzbin. But the odds in getting a royal Fizzbin are astron... Spock, what are the odds in getting a royal Fizzbin?"
Spock: "I've never computed them, Captain."
Kirk: "Well, they're astronomical, believe me."

Oxmyx: "Hey, you better come back down. Krako's put the bag on your captain."
Spock: "Why would he put a bag on our captain?"
Oxmyx: "Kidnapped him, ya dope. He'll scrag him, too."
Spock: "If I understand you correctly, that would seem to be a problem."

McCoy: "We're trying to help you, Okmyx."
Oxmyx: "Nobody helps nobody but himself."
Spock: "Sir, you are employing a double negative."

Spock: "Captain, you are an excellent starship commander. But as a taxi driver, you leave something to be desired."

Krako: "I thought you guys had laws! No interference!"
Kirk: "Who's interfering? We're taking over."

Kirk: "Are you afraid of cars, Mister Spock?"
Spock: "Not at all, Captain. It's your driving that alarms me."

Three out of four royal Fizzbins,

Billie

All of our Star Trek reviews are archived here.
More about Ben here.

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The Killing: A Soundless Echo

“I am just so ready to start living, I guess.”

It’s strange some of the things you think about when watching a show. I’m not talking major stuff like plot twists and character arcs but little, incidental things like how much the production team must spend on water for those rain towers. The Killing’s Seattle currently rivals Blade Runner’s LA and that nameless city from Se7en when it comes to non-stop torrential downpours. I’m surprised half the cast aren’t dying of pneumonia by now.

Well done to everyone who managed to guess correctly that it was Sterling in that video and not Rosie. You win a Faroese jumper and an all day bus tour of Seattle. So it looks like we can rule out Jasper and Kris as suspects. They might have no trouble taking advantage of Sterling when she’s drunk and vulnerable but, for the moment at least, it doesn’t look like they killed Rosie. Back to square one for our dogged detectives.

The Investigation

Poor Holder. While Linden gets some quality alone time with her Cylon sex toy he’s left riding the bus all day. At least his public transport odyssey paid off in the end. Linden should definitely save him a slice of wedding cake as reward. That’s assuming Rick and Jack don’t scoff the whole lot (nice to see them bonding). We now know that Rosie was having some kind of secret relationship with her teacher, Bennett. Too early to say whether or not there was actually anything inappropriate going on between them. It’s entirely possible that their relationship was completely innocent, just a dedicated teacher trying to inspire someone he saw as a promising student. But that letter did seem very personal. I’m not surprised Rosie chose to hide it in her Globe of Secrets.

Meanwhile, back on the love boat, we got a little more insight into our knitwear loving detective. Rick’s comments seem to suggest that this isn’t the first time that Linden has become obsessed with a murdered girl, likely the same girl whose son drew that picture. Was it a case that she failed to solve? Detectives don’t usually hold on to old case files because they’re full of happy memories. If so, it would go some way to explaining Linden’s motivation for wanting to stay and solve Rosie’s murder as well as Rick’s attitude towards her last time they spoke.

The Larsen Family

This week the Larsens had to go through the unpleasant task of planning Rosie’s funeral. If that wasn’t bad enough they then accidentally saw all those crime scene photos and finally understand the full horror of how their daughter died. Linden’s comforting lie just came back to bite her there.

I’m going to take a break from endlessly writing about how brilliant Michelle Forbes is and lavish some well deserved praise on Brent Sexton. Forbes might be getting all the show reel moments (like that gut wrenching church scene) but Sexton is doing some equally impressive work as Stan. Will knowing how his daughter suffered eventually push Stan into taking the law into his own hands? He might want to put whatever it was he did in the past behind him but it’s obvious that he’s getting frustrated with how the police are not telling him and Mitch everything.

The Richmond Campaign

So Richmond and the gerbil are secretly working together to expose the Mayor. That was certainly a surprise. I’d figured that the gerbil was innocent but I would’ve never have guessed that whole “screw you guys, I quit” scene was staged. Guess the councilman isn’t whiter than white after all. This plot strand suddenly just became, well, I wouldn’t say more interesting but certainly less uninteresting.

We were introduced to two new players this week, sports fan and shifty rich boy Tom Drexler and Senator Eaton, Gwen’s father. I’m adding Drexler to my list of suspects. So far that list only includes him because I haven’t bothered to compile a list of suspects yet. I don’t know what it is yet but there is just something about Drexler that’s making my spider sense go all tingly.

Think I’ll add Gwen’s dad to that list as well for two very good reasons. Firstly, film and television has taught me not to trust any US senators because they are always up to something dodgy (unlike our British MPs, who are always honest and would never dream of fiddling their expenses). And secondly, he’s played by New Zealand’s answer to Mark Sheppard, Alan Dale, here once again cast as a character’s powerful and disapproving father. Alan, I know typecasting can be a bitch but be glad more people now know you better as Charles Widmore and not Jim Robinson off Neighbours.

Notes and Quotes

--Jumperwatch: No change from last week. With any luck there’s something special in amongst all those clothes that Rick brought back with him.

--Holder hasn’t changed his clothes at all since day one. He’s got to reek by now.

--The passage Bennett quotes in his letter to Rosie, the one that made him think of her, comes from Beryl Markham’s memoir West with the Night. Here’s the complete passage: “There are all kinds of silences and each of them means a different thing. There is the silence that comes with morning in a forest, and this is different from the silence of a sleeping city. There is silence after a rainstorm, and before a rainstorm, and these are not the same. There is the silence of emptiness, the silence of fear, the silence of doubt. There is a certain silence that can emanate from a lifeless object as from a chair lately used, or from a piano with old dust upon its keys, or from anything that has answered to the need of a man, for pleasure or for work. This kind of silence can speak. Its voice may be melancholy, but it is not always so; for the chair may have been left by a laughing child or the last notes of the piano may have been raucous and gay. Whatever the mood or the circumstance, the essence of its quality may linger in the silence that follows. It is a soundless echo.”

--So if Richmond knew all along that Jamie was innocent does that mean he suspects Gwen is the mole?

--Holder, you silly boy, don’t you know you’re not supposed to distract the driver while he’s driving the bus. And just how long was that route anyway? Felt like he had been on that bus for days. Did it go on a magical mystery tour around the state or something?

--When I first saw all those Richmond posters hanging on the walls I was expecting Holder to find a picture of Rosie and the councilman. It’s probably still too early in the season for him to be fingered as a suspect.

--I’m sure any Stargate Universe fans watching got a kick out of seeing both Patrick Gilmore (Drexler) and Peter Kelamis (Michael – I’m assuming he’s Jamie’s replacement) in this episode. Anybody want to take a guess at which Vancouver-based genre actor we’ll be seeing next? No peeking at IMDB, please.

Mitch: “What good is that to me? She’s not supposed to be with god she’s supposed to be with me”

Lt. Oaks: “That junkie in there looks better than you do. You should clean yourself up and put on a suit.”

Richmond: “He hates politicians. He thinks we’re all hand puppets for rich lunatics like him.”

Rick: “I sent them to a French gangster movie. It’s like five hours long.”

Jamie: “How’d you know it wasn’t me?”
Richmond: “Because if you wanted to screw me you would’ve found a smarter way to do it.”

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