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Friday, December 21, 2012

'HIMYM' Breaking News: Renewed or Cancelled?

Wait, what?


No, WHAT?


'HIMYM' breaking news!!

The show has officially been renewed for a final ninth season.

Jason Segel was originally hesitant to resign to the hit show, but now that he has acquiesed the rest of the cast is on board.

That means we get another year to meet the mother. Or, as many loyal viewers and fans hope, a year to see the mother acually become a part of the group.

Hopefully fans of the CBS hit comedy will be pleased.

First an engagement, now this, it's certainly been a good 'HIMYM' week.



The cast nine years ago, when they were BABIES.



Monday, December 17, 2012

HIMYM: The Final Page Part One & Two

'How I Met Your Mother': "The Final Page" (S8Ep11&12)


Tonight's Vocabulary: 'Pit Person' (n)--the one person in your life who you want to get rid of so badly you're willing to throw them in a pit in your basement, a la 'Silence of the Lambs'.


'How I Met Your Mother' references its canon again and again in one of the most important episodes of the series.

As those of you who regularly watch the show know, Barney and Robin have both been spinning out of control over the last several episodes. Unfortunately, instead of spinning together they seemed to be spinning further and further apart. Yet we, as loyal viewers, knew that something had to bring them together. Why? Because at the end of last season's finale (S7) a flash-forward revealed that Robin marries Barney*.

The first ten episodes of Season Eight definitely did everything in their power to dissuade us from believing that truth. First, Barney and Robin drunkenly kissed...and Robin rejected him. Then Barney told Robin that he was letting her go...once and for all. Robin's reaction to that was less than favorable, and she began to realize her true feelings for Barney. But she never had time to act upon them, because Barney started dating Robin's "arch-nemesis" Patrice (for a more thorough description of the beginning of Season Eight go HERE).

"The Final Page" was a two-part episode (episodes 11 and 12) and was also the winter finale for the show. In actuality, the climax of the episode felt very much like a season finale, but since the show may not be renewed for a ninth season (and since it would have been painful to watch the writers attempt to drag out the tension much longer), this was a perfect time to air the episode.**

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Tina Fey & Amy Poehler (are all kinds of adorable) Golden Globes 2013

So, the nominations are in!

Nominations for what you might ask? Why for the 2013 Golden Globes of course!

What/who was nominated? A bunch of shows that I don't really care about. In fact, none of the shows that I watch regularly were nominated...making me far less interested in the awards than I normally am.

However, the producers (almost as though they realized this might happen!) have already saved the day by having Tina Fey and Amy Poehler co-host.

If you doubted how hilarious/adorable/perfect/ridiculous this combo was, well...watch the first promo:

 Also, in case you've forgotten how the producers got their inspiration, watch the pure perfection of Fey and Poehler at the 2012 Golden Globes:

Monday, December 10, 2012

HIMYM: The Over-Correction (S8Ep10)

'How I Met Your Mother': "The Over-Correcting" (S8Ep10)


Tonight's vocabulary:  'Over-Correcting' (vb)--when you've been hurt by someone you've dated so you date their complete opposite.



Tonight 'How I Met Your Mother' showed that it can still deliver.

The episode shifted the group dynamic but somehow managed to be better aligned with the general tone of the show than the last several episodes.

In last night's episode, "The Over-Correction", Robin's worst fears were realized. Barney was actually dating Patrice.

Or was he?

Robin's determination to discover whether Barney really had feelings for her co-worker (and arch-nemesis) carried most of the plot.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

A Very Castle Christmas: Secret Santa (S5Ep9)


So, that's it until January folks. The final pre-winter hiatus episode of 'Castle' has aired.

It's doing very well on Hulu this morning, but actually fared very poorly on TV last night. The show hit an all time low (1.7 in the 18-49 category). Yet another example of how Nielsen ratings aren't the be all end all anymore. There's some interesting commentary about last night's 'Castle' and it's ratings HERE. I think the takeaway message is that we can maybe kinda sorta blame that Blake Sheldon Christmas special for the low numbers.

"Secret Santa" (S5Ep9) was a tad reminiscent of a 2007 episode of 'Bones' ("The Santa in the Slush"). However, this was mainly because both episodes were Christmas-themed, they both included a not so jolly Santa, and they both had their main characters stand under mistletoe. However, that's where the similarities stopped.

Monday, December 3, 2012

HIMYM: Lobster Crawl..."But he's her lobster!"

You know how sometimes something is really, really stupid but it makes you laugh anyway?

That describes last night's HIMYM in a nutshell.

"Lobster Crawl" (S8Ep9) opened with an exchange that was so ridiculous that I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or turn off my TV.

Since this season of "HIMYM" has been incredibly uneven (both in quality and in tone) I decided to bear with it.

I still can't decide if I'm pleased with that decision.

The episode opened with the gang (plus baby Marvin) hanging out at the bar.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Thursday, November 15, 2012

People's Choice Awards 2013!

The People's Choice Awards are in! Apparently that's all the motivation I need to update this blog. I don't need anything as major as the Emmys to get my act together. A meaningless ceremony (otherwise known as a popularity contest where those who win are those who understand the internet and tweens best) is all it takes. So, I guess take note or something?

Anyway, GET EXCITED.

The televised show isn't until January 9th, 2013 but you can vote for the nominees now.*

*If you voted before you weren't actually casting a "ballot" (that seems too serious a term for this event) but rather indicating who you wanted to be nominated. Now that they actually are nominated they need your vote again to actually win. Aww, democracy at work.

 Since this blog focuses on television, here are the TV nominees (along with some slightly snide commentary)...

Friday, October 19, 2012

Happy Community Premiere Date! (Except Not Really)

Today, October 19th 2012, is supposed to be the date that 'Community' premieres. We should all be settling down on our couches to watch that crazy community college gang. Except after announcing that release date NBC decided that, um, they didn't really want to premiere 'Community' on October 19th. Maybe because '30 Rock' is ending, maybe because 'Up All Night' may or may not be cancelled, maybe because they don't really know what they want anyway. Who knows. Apparently the cast of 'Community' is just as confused as we are:


Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Dexter Season 7 Premiere on Youtube

Watch the Season 7 premiere of 'Dexter' entitled "Are You...?" below & then check out my comments!


Dexter Season 7: Will Deb Turn In Dexter?

After having a couple of slightly tedious seasons (exactly how many serial killers can Dexter face off with?), the seventh season of 'Dexter' had a promising start.

At the end of last season, Deb finally admitted to her therapist that she had feelings for Dexter. Since she's his sister this would be a little risque except they're not related people. The intense online debate of whether or not it was appropriate for her to fall in love with her foster brother shocked me. Because, come on, shouldn't we be dealing with the larger issue that she's unknowingly fallen in love with a serial killer?

Monday, October 1, 2012

Castle 5x02: Cloudy with a Chance of Murder RECAP

The shippers must be passing out right now. They've finally got what they wanted all along: Caskett.

For those of you not in the know, Caskett is the nickname that fans rooting for a relationship between Castle and Beckett have given to the investigating duo.

Last week's season premiere gave fans plenty to be happy about. Castle woke up in bed after finally having slept with Beckett. And they both agreed that they wanted to try and make it more than just a one time deal. Though it was never said a (gasp) relationship was implied.

In tonight's episode that theme was still flowing. Castle watched Beckett get dressed after having clearly spent the night at her apartment. In fact, considering how he brought her a cup of coffee from her own kitchen, it's pretty clear that he is feeling quite at home. And you only get that feeling when you've been somewhere. A lot. As for Kate's (not so) subtle sexual innuendo at the end of last week's episode? The coffee incident alone makes it pretty clear she has kept her promise. They've been having lots and lots of sex.

Castle 5x03 Promo: Secret's Safe With Me

Here's the promo:




And do I think their relationship secret is really safe?

Eh. For now at least. Certainly for as long as the writers can have fun with it. Which I guess would be a very very long time.

Castle 5x02 Sneak Peeks

Happy 'Castle' Monday y'all!

In honor of tonight's episode (S5Ep2: Cloudy with a Chance of Murder), enjoy these sneak peeks. Which are definitely spoilers.


Thursday, September 27, 2012

Grey's Anatomy S9Ep1: Going Going Gone Recap

'Grey's Anatomy' is back in an episode that's as good as it is confusing.

As a quick reminder, last season ended with a bang. Literally. A plane carrying a team of doctors that included Meredith, Cristina, Derek, Mark, Lexie, and Arizona crashed. In the sob filled finale, Lexie died while pinned under the plane. Cristina injured her arm, Arizona was bleeding badly from her leg, Derek had a damaged hand, and Mark had some serious internal injuries.

You'd expect the premiere episode to pick up right after the crash, but instead the episode leapt several months ahead.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

New Girl Season 2: Relaunch & Katie

'New Girl' is back! Jess, Winston, Nick, and Schmidt are back in fabric and human form in tonight's premiere episodes.

That's right, I said episodes. In a astute marketing move FOX gave us two episodes of 'New Girl' tonight--and instead of airing them back to back they presented them to use in sandwich form, with the pilot episode of 'Ben and Kate' in the middle.*

The biggest downside of the first episode ("Relaunch") was the lack of suspense. If you'd read anything at all about this season's premiere episode you already knew that Jess was going to get fired. I couldn't help but wonder if the moment where Jess bounces into the Vice Principal's office unaware that she's about to

HIMYM: So, are Robin and Barney Actually Getting Married?

mild spoilers

As you can see by my recent 'How I Met Your Mother' recap, I was less than pleased with the eighth season's premiere episode. I was annoyed because I'm a huge Robin/Barney supporter, and I felt like Thomas and Bays were once again trying to be all intellectually tricky with us.

Do Robin and Barney get married? How can that happen if they both have cold feet? Is Ted really insinuating (to that old lady at the Farhampton train station) that the wedding didn't happen at all?

Monday, September 24, 2012

Castle: After the Storm, Recap

5x01 Recap

Castle and Beckett wake up together and it's almost as perfect as we all imagined. Castle is scared it was just a dream, but then Beckett walks in, wearing only an oxford shirt, and carrying two mugs of coffee. She hands one to Castle and perches on the edge of the bed. And they discuss the night they just had. Castle references the line that Beckett whispered to him in the first season, where she insinuated that he had "no idea" what sex with her was like. He smiles and admits to her that indeed, he had "no idea". Except now he does!

HIMYM Season 8 Premiere: Farhampton

The premiere of 'How I Met Your Mother' once again disappointed. Craig Thomas and Carter Bays are well-known for dropping tantalizing hints only to snatch them away a moment later. Unfortunately, this time they may have led us on for an entire summer which, to mix my analogies, may be the last straw.

Eh, who am I kidding. Obviously I'm going to keep watching this season of 'HIMYM', but I was seriously frustrated by the premiere.

First things first, we once again began with a flash forward, and we were once again at Barney and Robin's wedding. It's in a little town called Farhampton (way to be obvious that this moment's far away

Castle Season 5 Sneak Peeks

And now I've watched the preview scenes! You can watch them too, right here:

Castle Seaon 5 Premieres Tonight!

Here's what I think might happen:

Let me preface this by saying that I have not yet seen this season's premiere of 'Castle'. And I have not yet watched any of the sneak peeks. So, there are no spoilers here. Unless you consider the few things I have gleaned from watching the only promo that ABC has released to be spoilers.

First of all, it's clear that there are at least two bedroom scenes, because the bit in the promo where Castle and Beckett wake up in bed together, and he asks if it was good for her, is clearly spliced. Will we get two bedroom scenes in the first episode? Who knows! I certainly hope we do.

It's also fairly obvious that Castle and Beckett will try to keep their relationship hidden as much as possible. Not only will they have the same fear as Chandler and Monica on 'Friends'..."we're both really bad at

Sunday, September 23, 2012

64th Primetime Emmy Awards: Best and Worst of 2012

'Modern Family' won. Again. And again. And again. Begging the question: does anyone who makes TV in Hollywood actually watch television? Because sure, 'Modern Family' deserved to win...two years ago.

I desperately wish that one of the two men nominated for Best Supporting Actor who were not from the 'Modern Family' cast had won (that's right, every other nomination was for a 'Modern Family' cast member!). Seriously, it should have been Max Greenfield's year. He took a character who could have been a

Monday, September 17, 2012

'Bones': Season 8, New Tonight. Premiere.

'Bones' is back! The show's eighth season is premiering tonight on FOX at 8/7 C.

FOX's decision to have it's shows return a week earlier than most other networks may be one of their smartest moves yet. Monday nights are going to be a tough crowd this year...'How I Met Your Mother' and 'Dancing with the Stars' will be 'Bones' main competition in the same time-slot.

'Castle', a show which attracts the same type as viewers as 'Bones', had a strong season last year. Arguably last season was one of 'Bones' weakest. There was a combination of:

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Cougartown is back!

In case you missed it...Cougartown is back!

The show was picked up by TBS and will return with all new episodes (and the complete original cast) on January 8th.

I bet Abed's happy!

For a fun way to remember the show's release date (or just for a fun 2 minutes!) check out this "music video" released by the cast.


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Castle Season 5 Poster Revealed

The official poster for the fifth season of 'Castle' first appeared online earlier this afternoon, and I think it perfectly captures the playful aspects of the show. What do you think?

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

'Biggest Loser' Season 14: Jillian Michaels plus Kids

'The Biggest Loser' is adding Jillian Michaels (again!) and...babies?

Okay, not literal babies. But the show's 14th season will indeed feature the return of Jillian Michaels as well as some kid contestants.

I mean, they had "old" people two seasons ago (remember the old v young teams?) so why not go the other route...really young. Like, you know, a bunch of thirteen year olds. Which is exactly what they've done.

Recapping Relationships: Covert Affairs

From its impetus, though perhaps less obviously than other shows, 'Covert Affairs' has always created an attraction between two key characters. Annie and Auggie were destined to be together from the very beginning.

 Initially the attraction was on Auggie's end. We saw his attraction in small gestures and actions; a hint of a smile when he heard her approach, his ability to recognize her based on her perfume, his unwavering loyalty while she was on missions and his commitment to helping her learn the ropes at the CIA. The lack of romantic movement on his part was always surprising. Of course, initially

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Brit TV vs. US TV, Volume II

What's unique about the British television model

and why it (probably) wouldn't work in an American market.


I've written before about some of the key differences between British and American television. "Quality" (and by this I mean quality of production and not quality of content) is one of the great dividers. British television has only recently achieved the production quality of American television, due in large part to their reliance on naturalistic (vs. flawless) footage. You can read more about that HERE, but my basic point was that American television looks a certain way...perfect. Scenes that are shot outside are no less vibrant and clear than scenes that are shot on a sound-stage. There is a seamlessness that viewers have come to expect.

Obviously there are numerous other distinctions between British television and American television. The differences are so vast that recounting them here would not only be ridiculous, it would be nearly impossible. However, one clear cut distinction between shows in the two countries is the length of a season.* In the

Saturday, September 1, 2012

'Castle' is coming to TNT


The time we've all been waiting for has finally come...'Castle' is officially entering syndication.

So, when is 'Castle' coming to TNT?

The first marathon will air...

Monday, August 27, 2012

Castle Season 5 Promo Video

All right, so for those of you who watched tonight's re-run of 'Castle', you saw the first Season 5 promo with new footage. If you're like me, you can't wait for the 5th season premiere, "After the Storm". So, SCROLL DOWN and watch the promo!

Abby Elliott, SNL, HIMYM & Nepotism

According to Entertainment Weekly, Abby Elliott has scored her first job post 'Saturday Night Live'. After spending four seasons on 'SNL', Elliott announced earlier this month that she was leaving for good. This move was unexpected since Elliott lost her role in FOX's new comedy 'Ben and Kate' (she was replaced before filming by Dakota Johnson). Who, let's all be honest now, actually looks kind of like Abby Elliott. It's the eyes and hair. See?

Sunday, August 26, 2012

'Castle': First Glimpses of Season 5


The Season Five premiere of 'Castle' is entitled "After the Storm". The producers have insinuated that the timeline for the premiere is slightly unusual. Mainly because...

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Bones Season 8: First Promo Released

The premiere date is still a ways off*, but to make September feel a little closer watch the newly released promo for Bones Season 8 Episode 1.



*September 17th to be exact.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

'Baby Daddy' Reviewed


In many ways 'Baby Daddy' is the typical ABC Family show. It features a group of attractive, energetic, and romatically-confused young adults. You could easily take any of the actors from 'Baby Daddy' and drop them into the middle of a 'Secret Life of the American Teenager' episode...

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Married to Technology

One of my best friends is getting married so I've been watching a lot of 'Four Weddings' on TLC. Clearly her impending wedding is the only reason I'm watching this show, and I have never, ever, ever watched four-hours of this show before in one sitting. Clearly.

I know I normally critique TV shows on this site, but today I'm going to go above and beyond and actually critique a wedding. Well, critique may be too strong a word. At worst this is constructive criticism, at best slightly befuddled admiration...

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

'Arrested Development': The Top 5 Episodes

In honor of this joyous day, aka the day that filming on 'Arrested Development' Season Four begins, let's look back at some of the most hilarious 'Arrested Development' episodes of all time. I know I often offer you mild suggestions about what to watch and why, but with 'Arrested Development' I can adamently say that if you don't find it funny we will never be friends. There, I've said it.

Now that that's out of the way, here are my picks for the funniest episodes ever.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

'Beverly Hills Nannies'

The voyeur in me was excited about 'Beverly Hills Nannies'.

As someone who has worked as a nanny, I wanted to see what crazy things these supposedly crazy moms asked their employees to do.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed.

The shows premise is interesting enough. It follows (and I may have lost count here) at least five nannies on their first day with new families. Some of the nannies have worked for years, some of them are new to the California scene, but they all have one thing in common. They all know Kristin, who apparently (according to the show anyway) is some kind of super well-connected nanny extraordinaire.

What's particuarly interesting is that despite the fact that some of the nannies do have college degrees, almost none of them appear to have a real background in child development. Sure, they've all babysat etc., but have they had training that wasn't on the job? I'd think that a potential employer would want that too, but I guess I'm wrong.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

'Cheer Perfection': Will There Be a Second Episode?

In a rather bizarre marketing move, TLC has been advertising the premiere of 'Cheer Perfection' for several weeks, drilling into our heads that the premiere date was July 11th, 2012.

Now, the word premiere obviously just means "for the first time", so technically there is nothing wrong with them using it in their previews. However, I think it also led numerous TV viewers to believe that 'Cheer Perfection' was going to be a new series.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

New TLC Shows

There are a couple of new shows that TLC has chosen to produce that haven't been marketed yet. Until they get an official airdate, there's no guarantee that they'll be coming to our TVs, but here are a few shows that you might be able to watch soon:

Friday, July 6, 2012

Are Beckett and Castle a Couple?

Update added 7/9/12

So, now that this has happened:



What's going to happen next?

Of course, we can only speculate (unless a writer wants to give us some insider knowledge!). We know for sure that Castle and Beckett did sleep together, because Andrew Marlow admitted as much HERE.

I often compare 'Castle' to 'Bones', which is a tad unfair until you consider the plethora of similarities between the two shows:

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

'Cheer Perfection' is Coming to TLC

Cheerleading is coming to TLC! No, not a taped competition, but rather a special about the cutthroat world of children's cheerleading.

Sound oddly familiar? It should. The show is set up with a format that is almost identical to Lifetime's very successful show, 'Dance Moms'. After all, no one owns the petty mom/competitive kid arena.

TLC is clearly hoping to be as successful as 'Dance Moms', and maybe steal some of Lifetime's viewers while they're at it.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

'The Munsters', 'Mockingbird Lane', and New Cast

A revamp is heading your way. 'The Munsters', the famous series that focused on a family of monsters living in suburban America, is being remade by NBC.

The original starred Yvonne De Carlo as Lily Munster, the mother of the family, and Fred Gwynne as her husband Herman Munster. There is also a grandfather, a son, and a niece, who all live in the family's creepy home. The sitcom ran for 70 episodes in the 1960s, and can still be seen in syndication.

A spin-off series, 'The Munsters Today', ran for 72 episodes from 1988 until 1991.

The new show, currently titled 'Mockingbird Lane', is being developed for NBC. Bryan Fuller, who created 'Pushing Daisies', is attached.

Here is the current cast:

Monday, June 11, 2012

Is Sarah Linden a bad parent?

Since the complete first season of 'The Killing' is now on Netflix, I decided to rewatch it. Certain character flaws are certainly illuminated when you watch the episodes back to back.

Let's start with: Sarah Linden

Friday, June 1, 2012

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Watch This: Bunheads

'Bunheads', despite it's ridiculous name, is one of the best new shows of the summer. It comes from Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of 'Gilmore Girls'.

The main character is Michelle (Sutton Foster). A talented dancer who once performed with ABT dance company, she is now a burned out Vegas dancer. When Michelle gets rejected from an audition without even being allowed to dance, she understands that she is now considered "too old". Desperate and drunk, she agrees to marry a man she hardly knows, and moves to a sleepy coastal town.

Once Michelle arrives in the town, she discovers that the man lives with his mother, Fanny, who was once herself a successful dancer. Fanny (Kelly Bishop) is also the town's sole dance teacher.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

SPOILER: Who Died in the Eighth Season Finale of Grey's Anatomy

SPOILERS Recap of Grey's Anatomy: Flight


I am completely in shock. Not only did they kill off a main character, but they did it in the first fifteen minutes! Lexie died while holding Mark's hand, and while he promised her that he really did love her (not just because she was dying). Shortly after that, Mark went into severe shock, presumably due to the massive blunt force trauma that he suffered on his chest. Everyone had been completely unaware of it, because he was walking around as though he wasn't injured at all. Meanwhile, Derek's hand was severely injured, and Meredith pulled it closed by weaving a safety pin in and and out of his skin. Thank goodness we didn't actually have to watch that happening.

The episode ended with a massive cliffhanger.

Grey's Anatomy: Flight (Promo & Mild Spoilers)

Warning: spoilers.
 
Scroll down to watch the first six minutes of tonight's 'Grey's Anatomy' finale.

Last week left off with several of the doctors getting on a plane. They were flying to another hospital to assist with the separation of conjoined twins. Initially it was supposed to be Cristina, Meredith, Derek, Lexie, Sloan, and Alex on the plane, but at the last minute Arizona was so mad at Alex (for deciding to accept a job at Hopkins) that she went instead. As we know from the promo, only Sloan appears to have escaped injury in the crash. Cristina has a dislocated shoulder, Meredith has a head injury, Derek's hand is injured, Lexie is trapped under part of the plane (and tachycardic), and Arizona has a severe break in her leg. The previews have promised us that "one will die"...which is a little unsettling to say the least.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Hart of Dixie: The Big Day

Lots happened in tonight's finale of 'Hart of Dixie', but before we go there, let's get to the good news: the show was renewed for a second season! Thank goodness, because with the massive cliffhanger we were left with a lack of renewal would have made the entire season feel like a huge waste of time.

In case you've missed other episodes, here's a quick recap of important issues that have been raised this season and were addressed in tonight's finale:

Monday, May 14, 2012

HIMYM: The Magician's Code

Lots of exciting things happened on tonight's 'How I Met Your Mother'. Some of them were very expected, and at least one of them was a little less expected. If you haven't seen the episode yet, don't read what follows, because it has massive spoilers.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Watch This: The Daly Show

It's almost summer, which means many of our favorite comedies are gone until September. Don't get too worried though, because I have a solution! Or rather, Tim Daly, Sam Daly, and Ben Shelton have a solution. Guess I can't take all the credit. What I can take credit for is introducing you to one of the funniest series of web videos*.


Monday, May 7, 2012

Castle: Always

Season 4, Episode 23


Castle and Beckett are finally in a good place, in fact they might have...a date? Alexis is graduating from high school, and will be busy partying with her classmates after the ceremony. Martha is going out of town to see friends. And Castle is planning a movie marathon to drown his sorrows. He invites Beckett, and she accepts!

Unfortunately, it seems like the date might be put on hold.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Couples That Aren't Together...Yet

All of us have friends, or at least acquaintances, who we think would be perfect together. If we could only use forceful matchmaking skills, and make them date, all would be good in the world. Well, forcing friends together is a tad...difficult. TV characters, on the other hand, get forced together all the time. Here are a few current TV characters who should be dating, will probably date in the future, but haven't been forced together yet by the shows' writers. 

Robin & Barney

With the big two-part season finale of 'HIMYM' happening one week from tomorrow (yep, that's right, it's a full hour!), there's one thing on everyone's mind. Or at least, one thing on the mind of everyone who watches the show and has a vague investment in what happens to the characters:

Will Barney marry Nora Quinn? I'm sorry, they've been dating for such a short amount of time I couldn't remember which girl it was. But seriously, will he marry Quinn?

See, there was this flashback at the beginning of the season. Barney was getting ready to get married, and he turned to Ted and asked him if he was making the right decision. Now, I would say he's simply marrying

Friday, May 4, 2012

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Monday Nights are Tricky

I just realized that I've been failing miserably at recapping two of my favorite shows. 'Bones' and 'HIMYM' have kind of fallen by the wayside, and I apologize for that. Monday nights are hard, y'all.

Actually, what's hard about Mondays is the fact that everything I want to watch (besides NBC's Thursday night comedy line-up, and the random assortment of shows I watch on all the other networks), is now relegated to Mondays. And it's the start of the week. And while I could previously watch almost everything I ever wanted (except for 'Castle') on a Thursday night, and not feel guilty about going to bed at an ungodly hour (who goes to bed at a reasonable time on a Thursday night? Not my frat-boy neighbors), now that's impossible. Because there's swanky new TV scheduling out there which makes my Mondays look like this:

8 pm: Quick, pick, do you want to watch 'HIMYM' (CBS) or 'Bones' (FOX)?
8:30 pm: If you watched 'HIMYM' this is now a half hour of free time to recap/discuss/debate that 'HIMYM' episode--but let's be honest, you probably went with 'Bones' and that's an hour long so...
9 pm: 'Bones' is over. Sometimes you might watch 'Hart of Dixie' (CW), except, let's be honest, ratings aren't so hot and it's probably going to get cancelled. Plus, you're hungry, and 'Castle' starts in 45 minutes. And you could have just spent this past hour recapping/discussing/debating 'Bones', but now it's an hour later so...
10 pm: Hey, it's time for 'Castle'. Sometimes commercials are used for writing a blog post, because (honestly) you feel kind of guilty about not doing anything else. <--This is how 'Castle' posts end up showing up every week, FYI.
11 pm: Well, that's over, and technically it's probably time to go to sleep, because there's this thing called work that happens in the morning. And will continue happening every morning for the next four days. Because it's only Monday.

I leave you with this, a song about hating Mondays. Which I feel kind of bad about posting, because I now realize (post Googling) it may actually be about some school shooting that happened in the '80s. But let's just focus on the hating Mondays aspect.


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Castle Promo: Season 4 Episode 23 "Always"

American Promo:

 Canadian Promo:

Castle and Zombies and Beckett, Oh My!

 "Undead Again", Season 4 Episode 22

Tonight's 'Castle' gave us something we haven't had in weeks: hope.

During the last several episodes (read my recaps HERE and HERE) Castle has been pulling further and further away from Beckett, and she has been too hurt to do anything about it. To refresh your memory, it all started when Castle overheard Beckett say that she remembered everything about her shooting that happened at the end of last season. This wouldn't be a big deal, except that Castle told her he loved her, and for the past 21 episodes Beckett has been pretending she didn't hear it. When Castle realized that she had heard it, he assumed she had ignored it because she didn't feel the same way. Since he had been going for weeks on the assumption that she returned his feelings, but wasn't "ready yet", this stung a bit. And so, he decided that last night's case would be their last one together. Ever.

And it was a doozy. At first, it seemed like they were dealing with a rather simple murder. A trader was murdered at 4 am in a parking structure, and everything pointed to his disgruntled co-worker who had been turned down for a promotion. Everything, that is, until said co-worker was found chained in his apartment, ranting that zombies had killed the trader.

Castle rather typically immediately latched onto this. Zombies! Something he could talk about endlessly. And Castle is always at his best when the murder leads to oddball theories. He told his mother that he'd decided that this would be his last hurrah, and he was thrilled that it was an interesting case. He admitted to Beckett that he was glad it wasn't a boring one, and also told the medical examiner (sarcastically) that he would "treasure these special moments [they'd] shared"--this definitely made Beckett suspicious that something was going on, but due to the tense relationship they've had during the past several weeks, she didn't ask him anything.

It wasn't just the co-worker's words that made them suspect zombies, it was security camera footage that Ryan found. It showed a zombie going after the man. As the gang stood around discussing this probability Espositio told Castle it was good to see that he and Beckett were getting along again. In reality, it was because he had decided it was his last case, and that he would be leaving, that Castle was acting so friendly with everyone (even Beckett). His mother's statement earlier in the episode, that he had been flaunting women around just to punish Beckett, also got to him. Beckett certainly recognized that he was more like his old self, it would be hard not to since he was back to his usual schoolyard teasing ways. When Ryan asked him if he really believed in zombies, he admitted that he didn't, but he loved to tell Beckett that he did.

They found out that the murdered man had texted a woman the night that he died. When they questioned her, she admitted that she used to date him, but that she was now engaged to a law student. She had briefly cheated on her fiancé with the man, but once her fiancé found out she had broken it off. The trader wouldn't take no for an answer and kept texting her. This, of course, made them immediately suspect the law student, but it turned out he had an airtight alibi. He had been studying in the library during the exact hours of the murder.


By tracking where the murdered man had been that night, Beckett and Castle went to examine an abandoned warehouse. While they were there they were suddenly surrounded by zombies! Beckett pulled out her gun, but Castle pointed out it wouldn't be enough to kill them all. Caught up in the moment, they both panicked. Castle, proving that he still cared about Beckett more than he wanted to admit, yelled at her to get behind him. It was this order that made Beckett realize how absurd the whole situation was, and she immediately yelled "NYPD". The zombies all stopped being zombies, and turned into normal people. They admitted that they were doing some event called 'zombie walking', where they pretended to be zombies, and chased the 'normals'. Beckett ordered them all to the precinct for questioning.


They talked to a lot of the zombies, including some who were clearly high on drugs. After showing the picture of the zombie in question to all of them, one guy finally identified him as Kyle. But when Ryan and Espositio burst into Kyle's apartment, he was dead. And still decked out in zombie makeup. The paramedics brought him to the morgue, and Beckett and Castle showed up to the attend the autopsy. Castle tentatively asked the medical examiner if it was possible the guy really had been a zombie, and right as Beckett was telling him not to be absurd, the medical examiner cut into Kyle and he woke up. He jumped off the table and ran away, and Beckett chased him down the hall, screaming at Castle to call for backup. 


But Kyle wasn't really a zombie, it turned out he had been given high doses of a drug similar to a roofie. Except, with this drug the person stays conscious and becomes highly suggestible. It is actually known as the 'zombie drug'. As the drug leaves their system they lose all memory of what has taken place and can even go into a coma. This is what happened to Kyle.


Beckett remembers that some of the 'zombies' they questioned were high, and she brings one in for questioning. He admits their dealer is the law school student. Beckett realizes that he dosed Kyle and told him to kill the trader. She tells Castle she's afraid that it's the perfect crime. and he assures her there is no such thing. 


Because it's Castle, he comes up with a perfect plan. They trick the law school student into thinking both he and Kyle have been released. They then put Kyle's make-up on Castle, and he 'attacks' the law student, causing him to admit everything. 


Kyle is released from jail, and Beckett tells him the DA may not even press charges. He was completely manipulated by the law school student. After Kyle leaves, Castle tells Beckett he doesn't know how Kyle will ever get over it--you don't forget really tragic events. Beckett's eyes widen slightly, as though she realizes that Castle knows she has a memory of what happened during her shooting. She tells him, clearly talking about herself as much as Kyle, that it will be very hard, but that with therapy he will learn to live with it. Castle admits that he didn't realize that she was in therapy, and she tells him she didn't want anyone to know, she just wanted to do what she had to and then move on. She also admits that she is almost ready to deal with everything that happened that day. She then pauses, looks Castle right in the eye, and states "everything". Clearly she is talking about his statement of love, and they both know it, although nothing is said directly. Castle says he hopes that's true. Beckett then asks him, showing that she realizes his behavior has been slightly suspicious that day, if he will be in again tomorrow. And he promises he will.

The episode ends with that--a promise of a tomorrow, and a conversation (however much was left unsaid) that insinuates a reconciliation between Castle and Beckett. 



SPOILERS

The promo for next week's season finale suggests that Castle and Beckett will finally get even closer! The episode is titled 'Always', and it will finally deal again with Beckett's mother's murder. This is the one secret that Castle is still keeping from Beckett. He promised unknown forces that he would stop Beckett from investigating and that in return they would let her live. She doesn't know any of this, and if she did, the secret would surely tear them apart again. In the next episode, Beckett will learn what Castle was keeping from her. Beckett will quite the police force to investigate on her own. And we will have another declaration of love on Castle's part, as well as the possibility of them finally getting together. At the very least, I think we can finally expect a kiss. See if I'm right next week. 'Castle' airs on Mondays at 10/9C on ABC.


We've never had a real kiss--the closest we got was S3Ep13. Is it time now?

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Monday, April 16, 2012

Bones: The Don't in the Do

Before you get excited, I'll let you down easy: the "do" and the "don't" in the episode title have nothing to do with a proposal, or a rejection of a proposal, or anything to do with marriage at all. Now, let's get to it:

Tonight's 'Bones' episode started with a bang thud. The thud of dead birds falling out of the sky, drenched in blue paint. In the middle of some sort of an evangelistic meeting. Yet, none of this really had much to do with the episode that was to follow. Except the blue paint...but we'll get back to that.

After this typical, slightly bizarre, very loosely related to the episode opener, we got to the important things.  Booth and Brennan. Or rather, a shot of their house. Despite the fact that no one has ever discussed it, I assume that this house is the run-down, kind of burnt looking house we saw right before the hiatus. The house that Wendall was going to fix "before the baby". Anyway, the baby has been born, and Booth and Brennan are living in a beautiful, you'd-never-know-it-was-a-dump house.

They've received a call about a murder (presumably related to the dead, blue paint drenched birds), but Brennan isn't ready to go. She can't decide what to wear, because none of her non-maternity clothes fit right even though she had the baby. Considering the fact that Brennan is A) a scientist who probably knows you don't shed baby weight immediately after delivery and B) normally shocking rational, I find how upset she is a tad against character. Then again, I suppose hormones could influence this shocking change in character (though, really, aren't the writers relying a bit too much on hormones?). Regardless, she is upset about the fact that she doesn't have clothes that fit, and no matter what Booth says she doesn't feel any better about it.

At the crime scene, Booth (stupidly) informs Cam that she needs to tell Brennan how nice she looks. Considering the fact that Brennan is clothed in a blue jumpsuit, I think this might not be the time. But Cam tries, and Brennan gets more annoyed at Booth for his obvious manipulation of the situation. Booth tries to talk his way out of it by telling Brennan she looks sexy in the jumpsuit--but who would believe that?

Oh, and before I get distracted by all this sexy talk, there is a dead body at the crime scene. And it's covered in blue goo.

Vaziri is this week's squintern, and he's super enthusiastic in a way that makes one wonder what drugs he has taken. Oh wait, apparently none! He is just thrilled that his article is going to get published in a scientific journal. He's made it as a scientist, you guys! Anyway, he isn't supposed to tell anyone this marvelous news, but he lets it slip to Hodgins. And Hodgins tells Angela. And soon everyone in the world knows about this.

The blue goo murder victim has been bitten by every animal imaginable. Vaziri, still on a high from his own scientific brilliance, suggests that they use Angela's fancy and unrealistic machine to match imprints from all the animals to the marks on the body. That way they should be able to remove the animal bites, and figure out what really killed the man. Unless it was an animal bite, it which case they're screwed.

Nope, wasn't an animal! But they don't know what it was, because (as Brennan sternly points out to Vaziri) technology can't be a substitute for human effort. Except for all the times it can. But in this case, definitely not.

The blue goo man has been identified. It turns out he was a hairdresser at a high-end salon. And he was sleeping with most of his female clients. He also had super long hair, which is weirdly important later.

Booth and Sweets question people. Typical questioning things happen. They think maybe it's a jealous woman who killed the hairdresser, but 30 seconds later we find out it's not. Because the hairdresser/murder victim had a drug problem, and that is probably connected to his death.

A competing hairdresser has disappeared--maybe he killed the murdered hairdresser! Oh wait, he gets found and upon questioning we find out that's not the case (also it's way too early in the episode for a resolution). Instead he was supplying drugs to the poor guy, but he claims he wasn't doing it recently.

If the murdered hairdresser was using drugs, where was he getting them? After some intense detective work (tracking a credit card) they find that he frequented a shop that was busted a year earlier for selling drugs. Coincidence? They don't think so!

Brennan discovers something important--she was right that humans are better than technology! Why? Because when she carefully examines the x-ray of the bones (huh, wait, an x-ray might count as technology) she discovers that he has been scalped. I told you that hair was important.

Booth and Sweets go to question the shop owner. There is a weird fountain inside with blue goo. The shop owner tries to run, but Booth tackles him! He is carrying a bag full of hair. It's a lot more hair than one person could have, plus it's a bunch of different colors, leading them to suspect that there may be other victims. 

Side note: Booth is all gruff and grumpy because things are unsettled with Brennan (re: the whole attractive/sexy issue). Sweets picks up on this, and tries to give him advice. For a psychologist he does a lot of unethical poking around in other peoples' business.


Eventually Sweets drags the truth out of Booth, and then goes on a rant about body dysmorphia post-baby. He suggests Booth buy Brennan lingerie, because Daisy loves lingerie, and as well all know women are all the same! This leads to an awkward/hilarious scene where the saleswoman asks Booth if Brennan's boobs are like melons, and Sweets interjects that they're like mangoes.

Back to the case: They question the shop owner, but it turns out that the hair was just for extensions. He cuts it off the dead at a mortuary before cremation--you know, like people do. The dead hairdresser was one of his suppliers.

Which is where it gets complicated. Because the dead hairdresser's hair is not in the pile of hair that they found, despite the fact that multiple scalpings happening all over the place seems weird. Whatever. Anyway, it sort of puts the shop owner off the hook.

Angela takes Brennan to a spa day, because Brennan has admitted to feeling pretty down post-baby. While there Brennan has an epiphany. First Vaziri calls her to tell her that the victim's hyoid bone was broken in a weird way. The, as Brennan is getting a neck message, she realizes the only way it could happen would be if the neck were exposed to someone you trusted.

In a Barber of Fleet Street style twist, it was a hairdresser who did it as he was shampooing the victim's hair. And who better to do it than his own shampoo boy. Booth and Brennan (still in her spa attire) show up at the salon, and the shampoo boy admits it. Oh, and he's the one who scalped the guy, because his hair was "too beautiful" to go to waste. Gross.

So, the case is over. Booth and Brennan eat dinner together, and Brennan comments on how nice it is that baby Christine let them eat a whole meal without interruption. She goes to grab ice-cream from the freezer, and Booth quickly puts the box of lingerie on the table. When she returns she opens it. She's happy, then briefly insulted, then thrilled. So the lingerie was a win. She suggests they try it out, and when Booth makes a move to put the ice-cream back in the freezer she tells him to take it with them. Which is the most risque move we've ever seen from these characters. Unfortunately, right as they are going upstairs Christine wakes up, and Booth goes to look after her.

There you have it. All in all a pretty satisfying episode. Scalping murder solved, lingerie bought and appreciated, a usual lack of sex, and a couple of unanswered questions. Namely, where is Parker in all of this, and does that poor boy even know he has a sister? Now that Booth and Brennan are established in a nice house with a baby, wouldn't Booth want some occasional custody of his own son? Hopefully that will be answered soon.

Does your son even know we have a baby?

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

The Women of Television?

 Dear Vanity Fair & Lee Aronsohn:

I Want More Vagina with My TV, Please


I truly respect and admire the women who appeared in Vanity Fair's “Special TV Issue”. Or rather, the issue that everyone online is calling the "women of television" issue. They have definitely all contributed to the success of their shows. I'm not going to bash any of them for appearing in the magazine. What I’m questioning is why certain women aren't there.

For a special that claims it is focused on women having a great year in television, the magazine focuses on actresses. Are actresses important? Of course they are. Without strong actresses we wouldn't have successful TV shows. But there are a lot of other people who contribute to a television show’s success, and this year a lot of them happened to be women. There are many women who should have been pictured, but aren't: Liz Meriwether, Whitney Cummings, Shonda Rhimes, Molly Solomon, Lena Dunham, Liz Feldman, Nahnatchka Khan, Ellen Degeneres, Emily Spivey, Jane Espenson, Tina Fey, Emily Kapnek, and so many more that naming them all would be ridiculous.

This particular Vanity Fair article is coming out right after Lee Aronsohn (the guy who co-created 'Two and a Half Men') ranted that current television comedies are too focused on women. During this rant he decided to use female genitalia as a euphemism for his disgust. I don't think this is the place to repeat what was said, but Goggle it. He took things way too far.

Despite my disgust at Aronsohn's rants, I'm frustrated that his idea of a big insult is linking female comedy to our reproductive parts. We have a man proclaiming, "enough ladies, I get it, you have periods" while completely ignoring the fact that women (who yes, probably do have periods) are managing to produce and write incredibly successful shows this year. Maybe someone needs to show Aronsohn the number of viewers that 'New Girl' and 'Two Broke Girls' have, compared to his own, male-oriented show.

This takes me back to the Vanity Fair issue. The magazine has created a lot of controversy because it pictures the "women of television" either naked in bed, or clothed only in lingerie. And yes, maybe this will help them sell magazines. Unfortunately, it also sells the idea that women's success lies solely in their sex appeal. I'm sure lots of people are going to only skim this article, immediately argue with me, and say that the magazine has the right to dress women however they want, and that women have the right to agree. Of course that's true. I'm not even sure I'm opposed to the fact that they are dressed in lingerie. What I'm really worried about is the fact that this particular issue of Vanity Fair is placing the "women of television" (who are actually "the actresses of television") into one pretty package. A few of the pictured actresses have producing credits on their shows, but none of them are executive producers or showrunners.

Shouldn't we be asking for more than this? We need successful women in television to be celebrated more, not less, whatever Aronsohn says. Don't believe me? Just look at the numbers: in the last year we saw a massive drop in the number of women behind the scenes of television shows. Only 15% of television writers and 18% of show creators are women. If you ask me, we need exactly the opposite of what Aronsohn wants. I want more vagina with my television, please.

'Bones' & 'Castle': Game Changing Episodes

Castle: The Limey & Bones: The Prisoner in the Pipe

Let's talk about 'Bones' and 'Castle'. Both of them had important episodes last night, which may well change the course of their prospective series.

 

In last night's episode of 'Bones' (recapped here), we all knew what was coming: a baby. It was no secret that Brennan was going to deliver her baby last night, and that's slightly unfortunate. Much of the episode was completely expected. The producers and the network released a huge amount of information about the episode ahead of time: we knew that the crime involve a prison, we knew that Brennan would go into labor near the prison, and (if you've been paying attention to spoilers, like this spoof video by Michael Ausiello, Gillian Jacobs, and Adam Pally) we knew that the birth would take place in a barn. In fact, the network even released an extended scene from this episode, showing the manipulation that occurred between Booth, Sweets, and Brennan. Oh, plus the fact that we all knew that they would name the baby Christine after Brennan's mother. Really, there were no real surprises left. And I think that's unfortunate. I assume that spoilers were released in order to achieve a massive number of viewers for the show's first post-hiatus episode. But loyal viewers don't care about numbers in the same way TV execs do. The episode would have been a lot stronger if viewers could have held their breath in anticipation, even a little.

Clearly, my main critique is not the content of the actual episode, but rather the way that it was promoted. Each part of the episode felt predictable, and a large part of that predictability was not due to the quality of the writing, or the quality of the performances, but rather to the promotion of the episode. I knew what was going to happen next to such an extent that I didn't much care what was happening next.

Now, let's switch shows and talk about 'Castle'. This show actually went to the other extreme. The producers have been promising that the last couple of episodes of this season will change the course of the series. Many viewers, myself included, have taken this to mean that something will finally happen between Castle and Beckett. What that something is remains to be seen--but at this point I think we'll take almost anything. Last week's episode was important, and painful, because Castle finally learned that Beckett had heard him tell her that he loved her, and had then lied about hearing it. While 'Bones' didn't put its viewers on edge enough, 'Castle' put them on edge too much. I was filled with nervous anticipation during the whole episode (would Beckett figure out why Castle was being so distant?), and none of that nervousness had dissipated by the end of the episode. Nothing was really resolved at all, and the lack of resolution was to such an extent that I actually was in a bit of pain (okay, okay, I know I shouldn't care so much about a show--but I do). Now, the fact that I cared so much is a credit to the show. But, that being said, it actually made me hesitant to watch last night's episode. I seriously contemplated taking a break for a week or two so that I could watch several episodes in a row and hopefully see some closure on screen. But, of course, I write this blog so that wasn't really an option.

During this week's episode we continued to deal with the fall-out of Castle learning Beckett's secret. Castle is clearly pulling away (even returning to his partying and sleeping around ways), and Beckett actually noticed. Finally her detectives skills are worth something (where were they last week?!). Lanie gave Beckett some reasonable advice: talk to Castle, tell him how you feel, he's probably pulling away because he's tired of waiting. Now, clearly that isn't all true. It was painful to watch Castle hurt and trying to deal with it, and Beckett hurt and trying to deal with it, and realize that if they just talked to each other honestly for one second none of that pain would be necessary. At the end of this episode things were actually worse than at the end of the last one. Beckett began to doubt that Castle cared for her, and wondered if he could ever change his womanizing ways. Castle continued to believe that Beckett didn't care for him (it wasn't helpful that she was so friendly with the visiting Scotland Yard detective). Great. Rip my heart out right now.

Clearly I didn't enjoy either of the last two episodes of 'Castle', but I didn't enjoy them because they made me care so much about the characters that it actually hurt a little. On the other hand, I didn't really enjoy last night's return of 'Bones' either. However, my lack of enjoyment there was due to the promotion of the episode. With 'Castle' there was too much nervous anticipation (I was so focused on their relationship I couldn't focus on the murders), and I cared too much. With 'Bones' there was a lack of anticipation, and because of that I didn't care enough. Hopefully both these shows can find a happy medium next week!

'Bones' airs Mondays on FOX at 8/7C

'Castle' airs Mondays on ABC at 10/9C

Monday, April 2, 2012

Bones: The Prisoner in the Pipe


Finally, the hiatus is over! Bones returned tonight (4/2/12) for an all new episode.

The episode began with Booth and Bones arguing during a hospital visit. Booth was insistent that the hospital was the best place for their daughter to be born--and he especially liked the fact that the hospital was Catholic. Brennan, on the other hand, used her ultraviolet light to examine the hospital, and was pretty disgusted (but not shocked!) by the amount of blood and amniotic fluid coating everything. She insisted that she wanted a home birth.

A little girl discovers body parts in a toilet. Turns out they're from a suspected escaped prisoner from Jamestown prison. He was hated by everyone because of his giant ponzi scheme.

Booth tries to get Brennan to agree to a hospital birth by roping Sweets into it. It all seems a tad cruel, because he forces Sweets into it by promising they'll be better friends. Anyway, Brennan sees through Sweets attempted manipulation.

Brennan and Booth drive to the prison to investigate. Brennan decides she'll be perfectly safe because she's pregnant and prisoners tend to respect pregnant women. Also, in the car Booth brings up the hospital birth again. Bones remains strong, but she does promise him he can baptize the child and raise her Catholic. Booth is shocked, and clearly touched by the gesture, but Brennan ruins it a little when she says, "Children need mythology, it helps them make sense of the world". Booth is insulted that Brennan called his religion a "myth".

Turns out the prisoner didn't escape. He was killed within the prisoner and stuffed down the sewage pipes. The guy was severely beated first a couple of times, and Booth questions a prisoner who broke up the beating once--asking him who was behind it. Booth forces the prisoner to tell him that the murdered man did the prison books, and that the warden pulled him into her offices right before he disappeared. The warden admits that about $500 disappeared before she realized he was assigned to the prison's finance department.

Angela discovers that the man was killed with a shiv. The warden gives them a huge box of handmade weapons that were removed from the prisoners' cells during the last prison search. They are all labeled with cell numbers. Booth and Brennan examine them.

They continue to examine the weapons in the prison, although Booth is hesitant since Brennan is due any day. Brennan finds a weapon that she believes matches the wound. It is made of tightly wound paper, and some of the paper has print on it. They send it to Angela to investigate to try and see what it says.

Daisy and Sweets start to have sex in Brennan's office, which is actually pretty disturbing. Daisy's foot hits the tray covered with bones and she realizes that they have micropitting from some sort of acid. She immediately takes them to Hodgins to investigate. Sweets is still on the floor partially undressed when Cam walks in. It's a tad awkward.

Brennan and Booth now know that the man's body was put in acid, and that is probably how it was broken down before it went into the pipes. Booth interviews a prisoner who was caught up in the murdered man's ponzi scheme, and who also works with acid.

He lawyers up, and Bones and Booth start to head back home. Booth points out to Brennan how tired she is, and tells her that he loves her. He also says that she is nine months pregnant, and needs to realize that it's okay to slow down. She actually listens to him, and they start to leave, but then Hodgins calls. Hodgins tells Brennan that the type of acid that the prisoner had access to does not match the type of acid that caused the micropitting on the bones. Brennan insists on going back into the prison, even though Booth tries to stop her.

Brennan reenters the hospital with Booth close behind. She tells him that she is fine, and just having Braxston Hicks contractions.

Angela calls them and says that the piece of paper had a recipe on it. They go to the prison kitchens and find the cookbook that the recipes were torn from. Brennan looks at it and manages to get prints off pages in the book (by using cocoa!).

Hodgins realizes that the bones were probably worn down by a vinegar compound. Also, whichever prisoner stuffed him into a pipe stepped on him first. If they find the prisoner they can match his shoes to the fragments on the dead man.

Booth wants Bones to leave the hospital right away, because he doesn't want her to give birth there. Brennan perfectly matter of factly responds, "Why not? It's an accredited heathcare facility, isn't that what you wanted?"

They realize that the man who probably stuffed the man's body into the pipe was a prisoner named Haze Jackman. Brennan walks right into a large group of prisoners without any guards. She tells Booth she'll be fine because she's pregnant, and that seems to be true, as the prisoners are careful not to touch her. That being said, they won't let Booth follow her, and appear shocked at her presence. She yells for Haze, and he jumps up and begins to fight. All the prisoners begin fighting each other, and Booth frantically tries to get to Brennan.

The prisoners continue to riot, but are careful to not touch Brennan. Haze almost does attack Brennan,  but Booth manages to step in and stop it.

They are 10 miles away from a hospital, and Brennan knows they won't make it. She makes Booth pull over. They stop right in front of an inn. The man won't let them in because he is totally sold out, and has a wine group staying there which is worth lots of money. Brennan tells him that she will squat and have the baby on the lawn if he doesn't give them a place to safely deliver.

They end up going into a barn. Booth jokes that they are having the baby in a manger. After she delivers the baby, Brennan admits that their may be some miracles in the world after all.

Brennan and Booth return to their apartment (presumably after having the baby checked out). Everyone  from the lab jumps out and yells surprise. They have brought food and gifts. This is the first time we have seen Booth and Brennan in a home-space since the hiatus, and I think that they are still in an apartment (?). This doesn't mesh with the episode right before this one, when it was insinuated that the house would be finished before the baby was born. Perhaps they'll address the living situation in the next episode.

Booth announces that they named the baby after Brennan's mother, Christine. We all knew that was coming. Then, something we didn't know--the baby's middle name is Angela. This was actually a very touching moment, and everyone was clearly thrilled.

Next week Bones, Booth, and baby will be back! The episode deals with Brennan's first case post-maternity leave, and he baby's first day in daycare.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Bones will be back!

'Bones' Season 8 is a go!

That means that another season of 'Bones' will be back in the fall. Of course, considering the fact that 'Bones' was still one of FOX's top shows, it's not surprising that it was renewed. Still, I'm thrilled that we'll get another season of Booth, Bones, and baby.

Don't forget, there are still several episodes left to go in Season 7. The end of the current season starts this Monday (April 2, 2012) at 7/8C.


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Castle: 47 Seconds

On tonight's 'Castle' things started with a bang. Literally.

At a protest clearly based on the Occupy movement, an explosion is shown on national television as a bomb explodes behind a news reporter. Five people die and eleven are wounded.

Castle, Beckett and co. investigate. Initially the Chief gives them a list of 300 protest attendees and they start randomly interviewing suspects. Not surprisingly, this doesn't really get them anywhere.

Lanie helps a little. She finds blue canvas embedded on the victims, so the bomb must have been encased in a backpack or suitcase.

Eventually the Chief, who apparently has friends in really high places (like, really, really high), gets the GPS coordinates of all of the cell phones of the attendees. This is pretty ridiculous, because although the government does have access to that information, there is no way anyone would get it so quickly. Clearly none of these people have ever tried to get a real warrant. Anyway, disbelief needs to be suspended to accept the rest of the episode.

Right, so GPS. They have it, we're dealing with it. They managed to track a phone that was right next to the bomb when it went off--it must belong to the bomber! It belongs to Andrew Haynes, a political activist. They all think Haynes is the bomber, but we know otherwise. It's only half an hour into the episode...way too early to find the criminal.

The FBI decides Haynes is their man, but Beckett and Castle are more hesitant. It occurs to Castle that they should ask a drummer who is in the background of the video from the bombing. The drummer is initially hesitant to give them any information, because he is afraid of immigration. Beckett assures him that she doesn't care about that, and he is soon talking. He tells them that he saw a man drop off a blue backpack. He describes the man. Beckett believes that he is telling the truth, because they didn't tell anyone about the blue material.

Castle is thrown by the bombing, because it makes him think about how short life is. He decides to tell Kate how he feels about her. He starts to say something, and from Beckett's expression she knows what's coming, but he is interrupted before he can finish. He says they'll talk when the case is over.

The Chief sends Castle home with hundreds of witness statements to look over, since he is a speed reader.

While Castle is at home, Esposito and Ryan identify the man with the backpack. He is brought in for questioning. Castle comes in as Beckett is in the middle of questioning the witness. He stands behind the window listening, and Beckett has no idea he is there. The man with the backpack tells Beckett that he is in shock and can't remember the bombing at all. She yells at him that she was shot and that she remembers everything. Castle hears her and is shocked and hurt. This means that Kate has known all along that he told her he loved her. Also, Kate did recently lie about her memory (need a reminder?).

He meets his mother at the memorial for the bomb's victims. He tells her that he find out that Beckett knows, and she tells him that maybe he needs to move on. He tells her that he'll move on from Kate, but that he has to keep working at the precinct--it gives him purpose. And he needs to keep doing it for the victims.

Beckett leaves the witness in holding and sees a coffee (Castle's normal token of affection) on her desk. She asks Esposito where he is, and he tells her that Castle was there but said that he quickly had to leave. God I wish that A) Esposito tells her that Castle was listening to the witness or B) that she puts it all together. But she doesn't.

Castle returns to the precinct, and is quite icy towards Beckett. She appears puzzled each time he directs a snide comment her way. (Seriously, this woman is a detective?)

They soon figure out that the man with the blue backpack was actually a pick pocket. He stole the backpack from between two dumpsters. They realize that if it had exploded there it wouldn't have hurt any of the protesters.

After looking at more witness statements, they realize that the organizer of the protest was the actual bomber. When the man stole the blue backpack the organizer chased him, and tried to stop the bomb from going off. This tells them that he didn't have control of the detonator.

Re-watching the footage of the bombing, it occurs to Castle that the news reporter set off the bomb. Beckett looks at him proudly, but he doesn't smile in return.

They bring the reporter in for questioning. During the questioning Castle talks about standing up and telling the truth, especially if other people get hurt. He is clearly talking about himself and Beckett (and she still doesn't get it!). The reporter caves, and she is arrested.

At the end of the case Beckett asks the guys to come with her and grab a drink. Esposito and Ryan turn her down, and she looks expectantly at Castle. He says no, and starts to leave. Kate stops him, and asks him if he wants to tell her what he started to tell her earlier. He shakes his head and leaves. She seems slightly hurt and surprised.

And that is the end of the episode. How painful was that?!

In the promo for the next episode we hear Kate ask Lanie why Castle is turning away. And Lanie says: "Maybe he just got tired of waiting". Yeah, or maybe he just had his heart broken because he heard you yell that you remembered everything about your shooting (including said guy's professed love for you). And now he thinks you purposefully ignored him and played with his feelings, and has no idea you really like him. Way to go, Kate. Ugh.

I'm guessing they won't be this close again for a while.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Watch This: Bent

I love 'Bent'. Part of that love may be due to my childhood obsession with 'The Whole Nine Yards', and consequently Amanda Peet, but regardless of the reason I am crazy about NBC's newest comedy. It's just that good.

Sadly, NBC barely bothered to promote the show at all. I think I may have seen two promos for it, and this is coming from someone who watches a lot (i.e.: way too much) television.

The show has also been placed in one of NBC's worst time-slots: Wednesdays at 9/8C. This means it is directly competing with America's darling, 'Modern Family'.

The network also only ordered six episodes, which means that unless ratings are spectacular, the show is basically over before it even began. If the last two episodes' ratings are anything to go by, the show is doomed (ratings: 1.0 and 0.9).

'Bent' centers around Alex and her daughter, Charlie (who somewhat bizarrely is still called 'Frankie' on IMDB). Alex's ex-husband recently went to jail for insider trading, leaving Alex and her daughter to move into a new house. Alex has decided she wants to renovate (God knows why, the house is gorgeous), so she hires Pete (David Wiggins) to be her contractor. Pete happens to be a recovering gambler and renowned womanizer. Who wants to bet that if the series survives these two crazy kids will get together?

Jeffrey Tambor rounds out the cast as Pete's father.

People, please, please watch this show. Watch it because it's already pretty damn funny, and because it deserves a chance to become funnier. Watch it because it has Amanda Peet, and Jeffrey Tambor ('Arrested Development'), and that kid who played a bully on 'New Girl' (Joey King).

Next week ABC is airing a re-run of 'Modern Family', so really, what do you have to lose?

Can we also break into your hearts?

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

New Girl Play by Play: Fancyman

Minute zero: Jess compares buying a phone to buying a car and/or buying a bra. Apparently she has had hers for 8 years.

Also, Nick has a 250 credit score. Which is ridiculously low. As Jess points out, "you get 150 for being alive".

Minute one: Winston's girlfriend is a little too enamored by Schmidt's pub knowledge.

Jess just curtsied for a student's father. Awkward! (Also, oh look, he's played by Dermot Mulroney!)

Minute two: Jess to a student's father: "Condoms are harder to take off than I thought. I've always put them on, but I guess someone else has always taken them off". Awkward!

Minute three: Jess is annoyed that the student's dad told her that his daughter can't do creative time. Apparently he is also a little weirded out by the fact that she wears dollheads around her neck (which, let's admit, is a tad bizarre).

Minute four: Tanya, the principal who ate a pot cookie in that one birthday episode, says that since Dermot is a big donor, Jess has to do what he says. Jess is less than pleased.

Minute seven: Winston is upset that Schmidt made him look stupid during trivia night. Also, Schmidt just called Winston the "dumber one".

Minute eight: Winston has decided that memorizing stats doesn't make someone smart.

Minute eight:
I hate groveling, I would have lasted two minutes in the court of the Sun King, I think about that all the time-Jess
You do?-Nick


Jess is worried that she won't be able to grovel enough for Dermot. And she thinks that she has to do some manipulative groveling, because she doesn't really want to apologize.

Minute nine: Winston thinks that a simple apology is enough.

Hey Mr. Fancyman, you can't tell me what to do. Your money doesn't own me.-Nick, suggesting what Jess should say to Dermot

Minute ten: Wait. Winston is actually working as a part-time nanny for that little kid from the Christmas party? Since when?

Minute eleven: Jess' car stalls right near Dermot's office. He calls to get a tow truck, and lets Jess borrow his car. He also invites her to a party at his house. Is it a date?

I wasn't raised with money, so when something broke we pretended it still worked-Jess


Minute sixteen: Oh look, it's Cece!

Rich people, they're always giving you their cars!-Jess, complaining about Dermot to Cece

You know me, I'm only attracted to guys...who think someone famous stole their idea-Jess


Minute seventeen: Winston is having nanny-kid quiz him with flashcards with random information.

Minute eighteen: Nick goes to the party with Jess, and she asks him to complain about all the rich people things in the house.

Minute nineteen: Nick is impressed by the fancy desk, and suddenly okay with rich people things.

Nick, when I put my hand on this desk I feel sexually proficient for the first time in my life-Nick


Okay, this is how evil geniuses are born-Jess


Minute twenty: Dermot points out to Jess that changing her car's oil may not be a bad idea. And no, that's not a double entendre.

Jess, I'm 42. I've made a lot of moeny, and I enjoy spending it-Dermot (Yeah, okay, I just learned that his name is Russell, but whatever).

Minute twenty-one: Russell says he had a poor credit score at Nick's age, but that he then got a gift. Russell gives Nick a phone.

Is it possible to be sexually attracted to an object?-Nick


Nick asks Russell why he's being nice to him, and learns it's because he's Jess' friend. So Russell/Dermot really does like Jess.

Minute twenty-two: the fancy Japanese toilet has a bidet built in, and Jess accidentally turns it on, and gets sprayed all over with water. Russell rushes in and has to help. He also tells her he would never revoke his donation to the school, but Jess runs off...I assume she is embarrassed? Not too sure, it went to a commercial break right as she was leaving.

Minute twenty-six: Jess drags Nick away and wants to leave because she doesn't feel like she fits in. Nick tells Jess that he is in love with Russell (He smells like strong coffee, and seeing a man about a horse-Nick).

Minute twenty-seven: Nick persuades Jess to go back inside.

Minute twenty-eight: Shelby doesn't want some rich guy who owns his own car, she wants Winston. Looks like Winston has a girlfriend!

Winston, I hope you're better in bed, because your street work is embarrassing-Schmidt


Minute twenty-nine: Jess admits that she isn't used to people having it all together, and that she is kind of scared by Russell.

Minute thirty: Russell asks Jess out, and she says yes. As she is walking away, she falls into the koi pond.