Posted Nov 21st 2009 2:52AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E09) "I have a bad feeling about this one. A very bad feeling." - Melinda about the ghost in the closet
Melinda's bad feeling was, pardon the pun, dead on. Very bad things happened in this November Sweeps episode: Aiden was put in danger, the dead girl from the closet was front and center, the Shadows came back full force and in a way we hadn't see yet, Bedford gave more warnings to Eli, as a hurting Carl the Watcher gave warnings to Melinda.
Continue reading Review: Ghost Whisperer - Lost In The Shadows
Posted Nov 21st 2009 1:34AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Smallville, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S09E08) The whole alternate timeline or alternate future concept has been around sci fi for ... well, I don't know how long. The most famous example I can think of is the classic
Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror," though I'm sure there are many more. We've already had alternate timeline stories in
Smallville (such as Lana's "death" in the 100th episode), and now we have an alternate future story.
Although it used an old television and sci fi concept, this particular story served a dual purpose: it let the viewer know what happened to Lois between the 8th and 9th seasons and also let us know the stakes of a potential Zod victory (although we probably could have figured that one out on our own).
Continue reading Review: Smallville - Pandora
Posted Nov 21st 2009 12:55AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E05) I don't think I've sighed as hard as I sighed during the opening scene of this episode of
White Collar in a long time. Caffrey and Moz find a note hidden by Kate ... in Grand Central Station? And not even in the station, but in the corner of the building outside. Did I miss some massive clue that Caffrey was following to find the exact location of the note shoved into a crack? Or are we just supposed to assume he's so smart and perceptive that he can find an old note within three minutes of showing up in front of the building? If I missed something, it was silly. If that's exactly how it went down, then it was kinda stupid.
Fun episode, though!
Continue reading Review: White Collar - The Portrait
Posted Nov 21st 2009 12:35AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free

(S08E14) File this one under be careful what you wish for ... I feel like Rod Serling writing that, but there was a bit of a
Twilight Zone feel to this episode of
Monk. It was Monk in an alternate universe, only it looked like the same place we'd been to before. Same with Natalie. More on how things were the same, but different, after the jump.
Continue reading Review: Monk - Mr. Monk and the Badge
Posted Nov 20th 2009 11:49AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, FlashForward
(S01E09) I've thought since the beginning that Bryce was more one of the more intriguing characters on the series. The fact that he was on the verge of suicide when he had his flashforward was indicative of some deeper hurts that we hadn't explored yet, but this week he finally got his due. We also got to meet the mystery woman from his vision, and now his sketches.
I've also realized that a lot of you are right about one thing. The character of Mark Benford isn't working for me anymore. He's a dick through and through, and he absolutely proved that this week in how he handled trying to track down some information.
In fact, even though Olivia's a little better than Mark, I'd say the "first family" of
FlashForward are the two least likable or interesting characters on the show. I think the drama may have been better served by having Mark die in Al's place a couple of weeks ago.
Continue reading Review: FlashForward - Believe
Posted Nov 20th 2009 11:16AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Community
(S01E10) Hey, Jeff was kind of a selfish douche and then at the end he became a good person and did the right thing. Quick game: which episode am I describing?
I know I've complained about the predictability of this plot procedure in every episode, but for some reason it worked this week. Probably because even in the execution of it, you could see that Jeff had at least gained a sense of loyalty to his study group. In other words, he felt bad about what he was doing from the beginning. He still did it, but somehow that made all the difference.
I think the more shocking development was that Pierce offered to help Shirley with an upcoming speech she had to give, and she actually accepted. He also learned the "secret" to Jeff's power over the group, though I still think it's just confidence.
Continue reading Review: Community - Environmental Science
Posted Nov 20th 2009 9:46AM by Annie Wu
Filed under: OpEd, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free

(S05E10) A weird thing has been happening this season, where I find myself really
appreciating what the writers have been doing with the gang but I'm not laughing nearly as much as I should. This episode was a prime example of that. Dennis is notorious for his way with women, so hearing a full breakdown of the DENNIS System should have been a complete riot (a riot with cringing, sure). I smiled at certain parts and quietly enjoyed the scary-elaborate ways of Dennis and the rest of the gang, though ultimately, the laughs fell short. Perhaps things are feeling a little forced this season?
Trust in the douchiness of your characters and the chemistry of your actors, writers! The lines will come.
Continue reading Review: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - The DENNIS System
Posted Nov 20th 2009 9:16AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: The Office, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S06E11) You know a company is doomed when it parades Michael Scott in front of its shareholders as an example of its best and brightest. But, as we saw from Michael today, his sales skills only take him so far.
You really, really wanted to see him pull a plan out of that savantish mind of his that would have saved Dunder Mifflin. At least I did. But, thankfully for the show's writers, that was never going to happen.
The interesting thing about this episode, though? The shareholders meeting plot was just OK. What I really wanted to see was more of Jim devising ways to assert his authority around the office.
That was much funnier, and it was a small reminder of what attracted people to the show to begin with: small, real-life situations everyone who's ever sat in a cubicle could relate to.
Continue reading Review: The Office - Shareholder Meeting
Posted Nov 20th 2009 5:40AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Fringe
(S02E08) "Who are these people?" -- Peter
Awww ... we have met The Observer, and he is shy and caring. Or a cold-hearted killer, take your pick.
At long last, it was good to learn a little more about these mysterious creatures, although there are still lots of questions about them. We know there are many of them, that they observe people throughout the course of their life, and that they're not supposed to interfere. Oh, and they like hot sauce, but we already knew that.
So even with all of the scary stuff she sees in her line of work, Olivia is scared of roller coasters. I guess it's one thing to peer down a dark corridor with a gun in your hand, and yet another to be at the mercy of the roller coaster builders. At least she and Ella got their day at the theme park. If only we knew what that Observer meant when he said ...
Continue reading Review: Fringe - August
Posted Nov 20th 2009 4:42AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Project Runway, Standout Episodes, Episode Reviews

(
S06E14) It's finally the end of
Project Runway season six, and Carol Hannah, Althea, and Irina get to show off their looks. The three were evenly matched with a solid concept, good models, and similar makeup consultations. I've been disappointed with the way this season turned out after its long hiatus, and I'm hoping that next season's return to New York will be better.
In the end, I got the reunion show I was wondering about, in the form of
Models of the Runway. It was the weirdest use of
Project Runway's footage because the models didn't have any involvement in many of the videos.
Continue reading Review: Project Runway - Finale Part 2 (Season Finale)
Posted Nov 20th 2009 3:20AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Grey's Anatomy, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free

(
S06E10) In the last episode of 2009,
Grey's Anatomy combines Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all in one eventful episode. I'm still not in the holiday mood, but the show got me there, except for the fact that they played Christmas music on New Years. Christmas music should stay between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
What happened to Alex in this episode? This would probably be the hardest time for a husband who doesn't have his wife for their first Christmas together. Wasn't he invited to Christmas Dinner? At least Meredith could have mentioned that he was stuck at work?
Continue reading Review: Grey's Anatomy - Holidaze
Posted Nov 20th 2009 2:40AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: OpEd, 30 Rock, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E06) "Oh brother. Are they really going to do something this year or just put that stupid green peacock in the corner of the screen?" - Liz, about NBC's Green Week
OK, I think we can all agree that this was one of the more disgusting episodes of
30 Rock. It's one thing to have Frank be really gross; we've seen that in previous episodes (the burping, the tank tops, the porn). But now we find out that he's urinating into jars in his office? I think that's officially holy crap disgusting, even if it does eventually help the Earth and give Jack flowers for his office.
It was also one of the least funny in a while, though that doesn't mean it didn't have its moments.
Continue reading Review: 30 Rock - Sun Tea
Posted Nov 20th 2009 2:18AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Vampire Diaries
(S01E10) "Too bad I live alone. I'm at the Ramada watching pay-per-view all day eating everything in sight, including the housekeeping." - Logan, since there's no one at his home to invite him in
As you can see, I'm a little crazy for Paul Wesley and all those muscles, so there ya go. Here's
another one, in case you missed last week's episode, "History Repeating." He shows more and more skin with each episode.
We got lots more action and intrigue in this episode, involving Logan, the Sheriff, Caroline and of course, Elena, Damon and Stefan. And they certainly couldn't let the vampires-in-the-church storyline just drop, could they? Of course not. More after the jump.
Continue reading Review: The Vampire Diaries - The Turning Point
Posted Nov 20th 2009 12:30AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S19E10) Now, isn't this a good time to be a
Survivor fan? Part of the problem with long-running reality shows is that they've run out of ideas and it's hard to keep things fresh and new. They end up depending on whatever outlandish and over-the-top characters they can line up for the season. Some are a dismal failure. Case in point, "Coach" Ben Wade last year. Sure, he was a nutty kind of guy. But he couldn't play the game well despite all of his bravado. This season is casting done right. And tonight's episode was just as good as last week's show.
Continue reading Review: Survivor Samoa - The Day of Reckoning
Posted Nov 20th 2009 12:02AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, The Mentalist
(S02E08) "God, you're a cold bastard." - Lisbon, to Jane
Wow. Just... wow. I have to hand it to
The Mentalist. The previews showed several agents dying and lots of tension and upheaval at CBI. But really, I thought there would be some trick to it. Agents we've never met would be killed or something similar. But they actually killed off regulars! Another agent quits! Two people professed love for one another!
This was like a season finale, really, which makes me really excited to see how this season is going to end.
Continue reading Review: The Mentalist - His Right Red Hand
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