"Fringe" Finale - Over There

I've had a difficult relationship with "Fringe." For two years I've been trying desperately to love it, but so far have only been able to like it. I keep waiting for it to grab me and, occasionally, it does. It grabs me in the moments where they address the alternate universe or the Pattern but for a good portion of the second season, it was a lot of monster-of-the-week episodes. The procedural aspect of it is sort of justified by being part of the mysterious Pattern or having to do with the alternate universe, but more often than not, I feel a "Lost"-like sense that none of it is really as connected as they want us to believe. Sometimes I feel like the show is a little too convoluted when it's trying to tie in lots of fringe science, but the last few episodes focused on the characters over the epic plot which helped the show immensely. My favorite episodes are the ones about Peter, Olivia, Walter, etc. The focus on their experiences elevates this show above merely being a procedural with a SciFi twist.

The two-part "Fringe" finale was the show at its bizarre best. Peter crossed over into the alternate universe with Walternate after he discovered a few episodes back that Walter plucked him out of his native universe after Walter's son died. Walter finds a way to go after him with the help of the other Cortexiphan kids and they go off on a quest to find Peter. We get plenty of fun alternate versions of our characters, including a still-living Charlie. I always was kind of ticked they killed him off; shows with lots of SciFi or technobabble need an everyman, and I thought he filled that void nicely. Walter reunites with William Bell and gets to ask some questions he's had, Peter gets to meet his original mother, everyone finds out that Walternate is quite sinister, Fauxlivia (also known as AltLivia or NoLivia or, my least favorite, Bolivia) also seems quite villainous, and Peter ends up back on our side in the end. Olivia is left behind, though, in a switcheroo that is going to have some very interesting ramifications in the fall.

I was disappointed with the fact that they killed off the other Cortexiphan kids, but I understand why they needed to get them out of the way for the plot to continue. It was just hard to see these people who had been through so much and come so far only to die miserably after a universe jump. This brings me to the alternate universe. I sort of liked their vision at first of a bleak world that is aware of fractures in the fabric of their universe. But the futuristic look of it threw me off because I had to keep reminding myself that this was supposed to be our universe, only slightly different. It's hard for me to imagine all these people and events as only slightly different when other things are radically different. I suppose I'm a believer in the "step on a butterfly, alter history" theory of things. Especially when the alternate universe had such advanced technology compared to ours. That was probably the most difficult leap for me.

I did like what this episode did for our characters. Peter had to confront the awkwardness that was his situation and figure out how to handle being with his real family. On one hand, this is his real family. But on the other hand, he was raised in a different world that became his home. He's right to be angry, but he was also completely right when he commented that Walter had crossed universes twice to save his life and that that had to count for something. I enjoyed the touch that Peter's abduction story is famous. I also enjoyed the revelation that William Bell cut into Walter's brain because Walter, fearing for what he was becoming, asked him to.

I was uncertain about the Fauxlivia and I wish they had made her less...cartoony. I don't mean she was completely one-dimensional, but I felt like they were trying too hard to make her Olivia's complete opposite that they turned her into a simplistic villain for next season. That leads me to another thing, regarding the alternate characters. I wish they all didn't seem so sinister. I know they have respected Walternate telling them how dangerous the people from the other side are, and I guess they don't question the Secretary of Defense's intel on the threat, but it seemed too simple to say "the people from the other side want our destruction, so let's destroy them first." I'm holding out hope that Fauxlivia has some doubts in the fall when she encounters her alternate sister and niece and finds out more about what our side is up to. This would make for an interesting conflict between loyalty to her side and what she sees with her own eyes and I'm really hoping they explore this.

Oh, yeah, Peter and Olivia kiss finally. I know this is supposed to be some huge development, but I'm perfectly happy with their relationship being completely platonic. I'd feel differently if they had some wild onscreen chemistry, but I just don't think it's there and I don't quite buy their romance. It feels forced in by some mandate that all TV shows involving two lead characters of opposite gender have to have sexual tension.

Season 2 of "Fringe" has been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs for me, but when they focus on the characters amidst the backdrop of the mythology, this show works perfectly. I'm glad it's coming back in the fall and I'm very hopeful that this show could finally hit its stride.

Movie Night: "Live Free or Die Hard"

I managed to work in a movie night yesterday and I am so happy I did. Thanks to FX and theirs DVD on TV specials, I saw my first movie in the "Die Hard" franchise. I know, I should be very ashamed for never having seen any of these movies and I really am. They sound like movies I would love, especially if they're anything like the fourth installment. I feel bad, not being able to compare and contrast the films, but I imagine having a newbie's impression would be good in some ways. For one, I'm sure every film critic out there compared this film against the previous ones. Also, as a first-time viewer and not a diehard fan of the franchise (I couldn't resist), I can give an honest and unbiased opinion on the fourth film. "Live Free or Die Hard" is all about John McClane, aka the original Jack Bauer, fighting cyber-terrorists. You've got Timothy Olyphant as the big bad head terrorist and computer genius, Justin Long as a hacker hunted by the terrorists' assassins, Bruce Willis as a badass saving pretty much everyone, Kevin Smith as another hacker genius, and Maggie Q as another cyber-terrorist. The terrorists are basically shutting down every part of the nation's infrastructure run by a computer, which means the terrorists are shutting down every part of the nation's infrastructure. I wanted a better reason for their actions than "the main villain got really screwed over by the good guys and turned to the dark side," but with this kind of movie you just accept it and move on. McClane gets involved, things get personal, and much hell gets rained down on the bad guys.

With my genius overview of the plot out of the way, I'd like to say I absolutely adored this movie. This was the textbook definition of a summer blockbuster movie. It was great to see McClane, who really is just Jack Bauer with better one-liners, kill off assassins left and right while you've got the average guy Justin Long along for the ride to shout out what the audience is thinking. But it was also great to hear McClane's confusion as the one guy in the movie who doesn't get all this computer business. Speaking as someone who thinks figuring out computers is like figuring out an ancient, dead, foreign language, I knew how McClane felt being around all these pretentious computer hackers who think that people who don't understand computers are clearly mentally impaired. But I also like dragging otherwise normal people along for near-death experiences and the like. You get the audience surrogate, but you also get to watch a normal person get thrust into impossible circumstances and see how they react and rise (or fall) to the occasion. It's probably why I loved "District 9" so much.

For a movie all about cyber warfare, the action scenes are fantastic. The whole time I watched this movie, I couldn't stop thinking what a giant budget it must have had. But I think they use almost every cent of their budget well, making riveting action sequences that are a perfect mix of hand-to-hand combat and large-scale destruction and explosions. Much to my surprise, there's also some parkour thrown in there on the side of the terrorists. I wasn't expecting it, but I really enjoyed its random presence. My only complaint about the action is one of the final large-scale sequences, in which McClane is chased by a military jet fighter deceived to think he's the enemy. The fighter fires missiles at him repeatedly, collapsing the elevated freeway while McClane in his semi truck dodges. At one point, he even ends up on top of the fighter. This sequence was the only one that went a little too over-the-top and it really should have been cut down quite a bit. Aside from being too over-the-top, it's also kind of distracting from the plot as he's fighting a military plane, not the terrorists. The movie clocks in at 129 minutes, and it would have benefited from the cut.

In the end, you get all the action movie staples: the bad guy has a moment where he tries to argue that he's really the good guy, a family member is held hostage, things get personal, the second terrorist in command is killed off early, there are plenty of scenes of the government agencies running around looking ineffective, plenty of things are blown up, the hero and the villain exchange threatening witticisms, the villain was initially on the side of the good guys, the hero can suffer multiple physical wounds without being slowed down in the least, computers can do anything, and there's even a small hint of romance thrown in. And yes, for all those people out there who actually are fans of the franchise (and have therefore already seen this movie, rendering this sentence anticlimactic and pointless), you get John McClane's totally awesome, totally ridiculous catchphrase during the climax.

Grade: A+ (One of my favorite pieces of advice from a favored film critic of mine is to judge a movie against its own aspirations. "Live Free or Die Hard" wasn't trying to be the "Citizen Kane" of action movies. It was trying to be a grand old time at the movies in the summertime. Aside from my slight quibble about the last action sequence, it absolutely achieved this goal. If only we were lucky enough to get a great action movie like this every summer.)

Farewell to "The Tyra Show"

"The Tyra Show," Tyra Banks' talk show, aired its final episode today. To many people, that means absolutely nothing. To many other bitter people, that means good news. But I came to love "The Tyra Show" after discovering it late in the game and found it to fill a void in daytime TV.

The show premiered in 2005 and focused often on issues in the lives of women. However, she also interviewed celebrities and politicians, conducted social experiments, and (like any good talk show host) gave away prizes. The show has won many awards including multiple Emmys.

On a personal level, I discovered "The Tyra Show" only last year. Maybe 'discovered' isn't the right word, though, as I was aware of the show prior to this time, but hadn't actually watched it. But a year ago my schedule changed and I suddenly had some free time when the show aired. I started out watching "Dr. Phil" at that timeslot, because I just can't resist some good old-fashioned straight talk via a Texas accent. But as I flipped through the channels, I found Tyra Banks and her show. At first, I dismissed it, as many people do, as a frivolous "Oprah-lite" about stupid things like makeup and fashion. She was a model, after all. But as I tuned in more often, I found her show to be more than just that. In Tyra, I got something I never got from watching Oprah. I felt like I was watching a real person, not the Queen of the World. Tyra didn't stay hidden behind a gorgeous facade of "The Host and Supermodel." From showing us her natural hair, to taking off her makeup, to talking about her own cellulite and strechmarks, to discussing personal hygiene and women's health issues, I never got the feeling like I was watching some pretty supermodel talk down to me from her tower of superiority. I felt like I was hanging out with a real human being, a real woman, who has the same struggles and questions as the rest of us.

This comes across as more maudlin than I had expected, but I really was surprised how much I enjoyed her and her show. I expected her to come across as fake and conceited when she really wasn't. As a woman in the 18-34 demographic she's so popular with, as she pointed out today, I felt like this talk show better than any other addressed issues relevant to my life. My favorite segments were always the ones where she had the audience ask questions of a panel of guests, normally about health, hygiene or relationships. They were questions that people never discuss, especially not in the public forum. It was fun to hear questions that sounded really weird, awkward, and bizarre when it turned out that most other girls had these questions too.

I know this all sounds cliche - female empowerment, finding your inner beauty, a glamorous supermodel understanding the problems of normal, everyday people, etc. But I'm not afraid to gush, because I think Tyra deserves the praise and respect for her show. Yes, there were plenty of shows that were sensational or not the best, but you can say that about a lot of talk shows. There were times I found her irritating, there were times I couldn't manage to give a damn about the things she was talking about, but then I just switched channels. I'm a woman, but I'm not so girly I want to watch an entire show about 'finding the perfect pair of jeans.' There's a lot of criticism of her show being too self-indulgent, but come on! It's her show! She's allowed to talk about herself on her own television show! I don't find her as egotistical as other people do, just very confident, outgoing, and extroverted. There are certainly bigger egos in this business than her.

Some highlights from her last show:

• Hearing what she's doing next. I'm not a Tyra stalker or anything, and never really watched "America's Next Top Model," but I was curious. She's going to be focusing on making movies and books.


• Hearing her say "kiss my fat ass" again, after the whole scandal about her looking "fat" in a bathing suit a while back.


• Her explanation of all the things going on at once in a talk show. I have no idea how hosts do it! As she went through each thing she had to pay attention to: the guest, the audience, the teleprompter, the cue cards, her personal notes, the clock, etc I was even more impressed. I knew hosts had to deal with a lot of things going on at once, but it was still fun to see her describe them all and what it's like from her perspective.


• Her talking about how important it was to have a show with her taking off her makeup. I loved hearing her say that she "doesn't wake up looking like this!" It's understandable that guests would be intimidated by her since she's incredibly gorgeous, so I loved when she revealed things like this.


• Her emotional comment about people not taking her seriously in the beginning of her show, when she was told that her show wouldn't last and she was just a model. It's the feminist in me, I know, that loved her talking about wanting to be taken seriously and not just dismissed as a beautiful but brainless woman.

Talk about drama - ABC needs to reimburse me for tissues!

I've been remiss of late in posting new blog entries, but I'm going to chalk that up to finale fever. Although, there's a new health issue that I imagine is sweeping the nation called Post-ABC Finale Stress Disorder. If you fear that any moment your favorite character could be killed off in epic fashion, if you suddenly feel like you're watching something ripped off from "E.R.," if you suddenly need to buy a lifetime supply of tissues "just in case," if you're worrying that all the hot characters are being killed off, if you're feeling a mixture of happiness and sadness that the Mercy Westers are mostly gone, you are suffering from Post-ABC Finale Stress Disorder, not to be confused with Post-Lost Finale Psychosis. Any avid ABC viewer, such as myself, is susceptible to either or both of these ailments. The recent heartbreakers include "Private Practice," "Brothers & Sisters," and "Grey's Anatomy." "Desperate Housewives" could be included in this group if you're extremely sensitive (which I am not) or extremely obsessed with John Barrowman (which I definitely am). However, for the sake of my blog, I am only going to give my thoughts on the first three shows. Especially since my only thoughts on the "Housewives" finale are basically "sad to see John Barrowman go; he needs a better gig on American TV" and "actually liked the serial strangler storyline in the end." That's one show cleared up! Now onto the ones that actually left a mark on the finale landscape this season.

"Private Practice"
Once again, I hate this term, but this show is my guilty pleasure. To tell the truth, I don't feel bad about watching this show; it's everyone else who wants me to feel bad about it. But much like "Desperate Housewives," it's entertaining because it's such a primetime soap opera. "Practice" more so due to the fact that I think everyone has hooked up with each other at least once on this show. But the finale was almost completely serious, following the aftermath of a car crash that landed Dell and Naomi and Sam's pregnant teen daughter Maya in the hospital. Unlike the previous season that left us with a cliffhanger regarding Violet's fate, this finale didn't leave anyone's fate hanging. Maya appeared to be the one in jeopardy, what with being pregnant as a teenager and being at risk for losing her ability to walk, but of course Dell couldn't get away unscathed. For those of us who frequent entertainment sites, we already knew that Chris Lowell was leaving the show. I had hoped that he would leave on a good note by going to UCLA medical school, but no. He has to die suddenly and tragically, after losing his wife in a traumatic meth explosion, only to leave his daughter Betsy an orphan. Meanwhile, Sam has to operate on and save the drunk driver who crashed into Dell and Maya. One the small happy side, Charlotte and Cooper finally get back together and get engaged, Addison gives up Pete so he can be with Violet, Violet and Pete plan out their custody agreement with Lucas, and Maya and her baby survive.

Biggest tearjerker moment: Dell, who basically knows he's going to die, tells Betsy that all the bad stuff in her life is happening early, meaning the rest of her life will be easy here on out in an effort to comfort her before he's gone.

"Brothers & Sisters"
Once again, TV addicts such as myself knew that Rob Lowe was leaving before he died at the end of the episode. But once again, that didn't make it any less heartbreaking. The promos were all focused on the big car crash, but like I suspected, it wasn't until the last five minute that it came into focus. The rest of the episode was normal Walker mayhem. Okay, a little less than usual, but there were still the usual clashes between family members. Saul dealt with Kevin and Scotty, gays of a new generation, and found out he was HIV positive. Like other people have said, it was a little sudden and after-school specialy, but at least Saul is getting something to do. I'd like for him to have something good happen to him after all his misery with Ojai and coming out at his age, but I guess he's just the show's punching bag. Nora and Sarah, who was mourning the loss of her Ojai job, joined Kitty on her campaign bus, which went as well as can be expected. We finally, finally, finally, find out what the deal is with Narrow Lake - it's the location of an apparently huge aquifer. The Walkers are in the water business now. I'm just glad they aren't going to drag out this Ojai thing anymore. Justin acted immature (what's new?). First he wants to be a doctor, then he wants to go back in the military, then he wants to go to Haiti and he wants Rebecca to drop everything and go with him. Rebecca understandably told him she had her own plans in life - get a job, get a house, etc. They decide to split and do their own things and meet back up later. All right then. The show has finally stopped showing Kevin as an immature, petty irritant, mainly because he hasn't had that much to do lately, but I'm hoping Justin will grow up soon and stop having these teenage temper tantrums. I hope Kevin gets a worthy storyline after he became unemployed. Scotty certainly seems to be doing well, opening his own restaurant with Saul. Because if it's one thing these people can do, it's run a family business (not entirely meant to be sarcastic. If two people in this family can be professional and put petty arguments aside, it's Scotty and Saul.)

I was glad they didn't have some giant cliffhanger where they left multiple people's fates up in the air over the summer break. Basically everyone was alright except for Holly, who was in bad condition but still alive, and Robert, who was in bad condition and died. Much like "Grey's Anatomy," the next season would be all about the grieving process. Well, unless they actually do this flashforward they've been talking about a la "Desperate Housewives." I'm not completely averse to the idea, as it would skip Kitty's grieving period, it would give them time to set up the new restaurant and new water business, Luc and Sarah will be in wedded bliss, and allow Justin some much-needed time to grow up in Haiti.

Biggest tearjerker moment: Robert tells Kitty than he was scared that after the heart attack he wouldn't be able to keep up with Evan. But after seeing Kitty with Evan, he knew they would all be okay. Kitty gets her one last moment to be strong for Robert.

"Grey's Anatomy"

How do I even begin to comment on that episode? How could I narrow down one heartbreaking moment? The entire episode, every single moment was heartbreaking. I think it's the first time in my life where I cried for two straight hours. My tiny recap/review here won't do the episode justice, but I know I'll ramble if I try to write an outline of the entire episode. One thing I can say I am thrilled about is that they didn't leave things on a cliffhanger. Last year, Izzie and George's lives were in the balance, but over the summer we heard which actor was or wasn't coming back so it wasn't that riveting to have that left open on the show. This year, we got an absolutely enthralling, engrossing story with deaths, but also many people who survived. Oh, let's face it, they mainly needed Gary Clark to kill off the Mercy Westers we didn't like. But man, did they get a send-off. Reed went first, with a simple shot to the head after snipping at Clark. It's sudden brutality was shocking. More shocking? The subsequent arrival of Alex, who was second to get shot that day. (Okay, third if you count the guy who we can assume hit Gary Clark's car earlier.) I was so terrified he would die. He's gotten screwed over so bad with Izzie, who left him for sort of, maybe, kind of, perhaps being a small factor in her losing her job. Yes, I understand Katherine Heigl wanted out, but I'm just going by the narrative on-screen here.

As for the other Mercy Westers, I was disappointed the irritating psycho-in-training April wasn't killed off. Percy got the most emotional send-off, though, when he bled out in the hallway when the elevators were turned off. It was odd having Mandy Moore there, but Chandra Wilson is one hell of an actress and she made that storyline truly horrifying. Avery, luckily, did not die, as he is the only Mercy Wester who really deserved to be added to the cast. He's charismatic, smart, handsome, and a quick thinker. He was brilliant, removing the monitors from Derek to simulate death to get Gary Clark to leave. I'm still scratching my head, trying to figure out how he got into the OR though.

Arizona and Callie, after much bickering, realized the severity of the situation and found their way around their baby issues. I hated having to make Arizona "realize she really wanted children" since women who don't want children are often seen as defective, but I want Callie and Arizona together and am glad that she changed for a damn good reason. Facing death certainly puts things in perspective. Many people were ticked that Meredith had a miscarriage, but as sad as it was, it was at least completely believable. When you're dealing with the kind of physical stress she had that day, it would be almost amazing if she didn't miscarry. I wasn't even in the scene and that Gary-Derek stand-off had me tense as could be. I was terrified they would kill off Derek and make Meredith all dark and twisty again, but I am so glad they didn't. Meredith has grown a lot as a character these past few seasons and I really applaud "Grey's Anatomy" for allowing a character to change and evolve. On a random note, I'm surprised more people didn't complain about the very political moment between Richard and Gary about how easy it was to buy a gun and ammo. I expected the gun rights people to be up in arms over that (bad pun, I know. Trying to lighten the mood!) And while I do understand people's complaints about the SWAT team being ineffectual, Seattle Grace is a big freaking hospital! And with all those people, and all their protocol, I can actually believe that it would take that long for them to clear the hospital. Also, I imagine all of this was taking place in a small amount of time but seemed a lot longer because of the danger and drama of it all.

Biggest tearjerker moment: Yeah, right, like I could choose. Okay, I'll choose. The worst moment for me was Percy's death in the hallway. Bailey and Mandy Moore worked so hard to keep him alive until they could get help, only to find that the elevators were turned off and they would have to watch/let him die. Then he asks Bailey to find Reed and tell her that he was crazy about her, when little do they know that she died already much earlier. I never liked you, Percy, but I mourned your tragic death.

Looks like we're going to spend a lot of time grieving this fall...

"Lost" - I loved the series finale. I also hated it.

I think this is the first time I truly understand the meaning of the words "finale fever." I'm starting to recover and collect my thoughts though. I thought I'd tackle the most daunting finale first: "Lost." But how to do it? I could go the EW route and write a giant, philosophical essay about "what it all meant" and how poignant it all was. I could do bullet points and not even bother to form coherent sentences. I could do a stream of consciousness entry with plenty of expletives that would make JD Salinger proud. Well, I'm going to go ahead and write and you can be the judge of whether it makes sense or not. And I'll admit right now, I am not one of those crazed "Lost" fans who watches episodes a dozen times to search for hidden meaning and then consorts with their online cronies to discuss what it all means. I'm one of the fans who is along for the ride and enjoys it, but to a healthy degree. I say this in the intro as I have never seen the phrase "if you were a true fan..." bandied about so much before in my life as I have in "Lost" discussions these past few days.

I'm going to get right down to it. The revelation of the Sideways world as purgatory. More than that, it seemed to be more purgatory from Jack's point of view as it all went on. Everything that happened on the Island was real, Sideways world was not. This disappointed me immensely, and not just because it was what everyone sort of predicted in the beginning. It was almost like they went down the list of cliche series endings and said, "hmmm, well people really hate the 'it was all a dream' scenario. What's the next best thing? They all died!" I'll let that slide for the most part. If they had all died in the initial plane crash? That would have been unforgiveable. But I hated this reveal for a number of reasons. I thought one commentor summed it up the best: "If you're the Man of Faith, you loved the ending. If you're the Man of Science, you hated it." That's very black-and-white, but it's kind of true. I'm the (Wo)Man of Science, so it was admittedly frustrating for me to see the finale veer so much into the Faith territory. Until now, I thought the series had always done a good job of balancing the two and maintaining an interesting conflict. But in the end, Jack even admits that John Locke, Man of Faith, was right about almost everything. And then Jack discovers he is in Sideways world aka Purgatory and everyone is waiting for him so they can move on into the light. To many people, this is a very satisfying ending. For me, this was not the happy ending I was hoping for. For me, the Sideways world being real was satisfying. In that world, everyone got their happy endings with the people they loved. I viewed it as an alternate universe they created after the hydrogen bomb exploded and Desmond was brought in to help them snap back to that consciousness. All those reunions in Sideways world were incredibly touching so the purgatory revelation, to me, invalidated all those reunions. Going into the light is not a satisfying ending in my book. Getting your happily ever after is. Suddenly Juliet's sacrifice is meaningless. Suddenly Faraday looks like an idiot. For a show that took so much time explaining things in scientific terms, what with all the time travel and constants and electromagnetism, it felt like a cop-out to abandon logical explanations and settle on supernatural, spiritual forces.

Ignoring whether or not the ending was satisfying because of its focus on faith, I feel like the Sideways as purgatory storyline completely distracted people from all those other questions they had about the Island to begin with. It was established that everything that happened to Jack on the Island happened, so what about the Dharma Initiative? What about Widmore? What about the Others? What about the Light on the Island? What about Walt? What about WALT?!

Maybe it was naive of me, but I had hoped the writers knew what they were doing. I mean, I had hoped they had some ultimate blueprint for the narrative which is what prompted them to set a specific end date. I really believed that they had an explanation for these things, that they weren't just adding twists and mysteries just for the sake of being mysterious. A show that demonstrates what I had hoped is "Doctor Who," the new series. I know the seasons are much shorter, but they manage to have fun, adventure-of-the-week episodes with mythology thrown in. In the second episode of season 1, the first Bad Wolf reference is made. In the third season, the very first episode contains a Vote Saxon poster. Every season of "Doctor Who" has a clear narrative determined before they start writing themselves into corners. There are other shows that do this, and I had hoped that "Lost" would be one. That they would ultimately have some explanation that ties everything together about the mysteries of the Island. But no. Then comes the person who says "sit back, relax, of course they're not going to answer every question! How very demanding you are! Leave some things open to interpretation! Don't you see the genius in that?" But I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for some answers to make it seem like they weren't just throwing in lots of strange elements without a rhyme or reason. At some point, "leaving things open to interpretation" isn't genius and artsy, it's just not bothering to answer your questions.

Well, now that I've alienated any person who enjoyed the finale and thinks I'm an overly critical hateful shrew, I'd like to talk about some things I did like. As I said, I loved the series finale too. For the first two hours, in fact, when I still thought the main characters were going to transition into the Sideways world and get their happy endings, I really really loved the finale. Every awakening was emotionally powerful to watch. My favorite awakening was initially Jin and Sun's. Their death together was so jarring and unexpected that their awakening in the hospital, hearing that their baby was just fine and they were together and well was thrilling in its beauty. And then Sawyer and Juliet awoke near the hospital vending machines and it was even better. The juxtaposition with the scenes of Juliet's death and her new life, as it were, were fantastic. What a fool I was to think that so many characters would get their happy endings with their loved ones. I, like many other fans, had some problems with Sayid ending up with Shannon when Nadia was his true love, but it was so damn endearing that I let that slide. I was a little sad for Desmond, however, as he was too busy waking people up to have some grand reunion with Penelope. Their scenes together are always the most moving, but I guess with the Purgatory resolution it really wouldn't have made sense to stop everything and make it about them when, really, it ended up being all about Jack and his perspective. But the Kate, Claire, and Charlie awakening was just as touching as the others. I also loved that Lapidus, Sawyer, Miles, Kate, and Claire managed to get the plane off the Island. However, this was when I started getting confused and was forced to confront that my Sideways theory was most likely wrong. I also loved Sideways Kate pointing out the humor in Jack's dad being named "Christian Shepard." I loved the final shot of Jack's eye closing to end the show. I love that ABC admitted that the final shots of the Oceanic wreckage were tacked on as a breather before the news rather than parts of the show.

It's funny, writing this now and thinking back on what I THOUGHT was going to happen and what REALLY happened. I thought that the big ending would be that everyone gets to live. Everyone gets to live, everyone gets a happy ending, and people would complain because it was too perfect. But no. Everyone died. Not all at the same time, granted, but everyone was dead in the end. But in the eyes of the spiritual, the ending really was pretty happy. To believers, the ending was just. "Man of Faith is content here. So what's your problem, you cynical Man of Science? Why should the 'Lost' finale cater to your fringe beliefs?" Well, I am glad that the ending was emotionally resonant and had the ultimate theme of live together, die alone, but then move on into the light together too. But I'm a little let down that the finale had to get that divisive in the first place. Yes, no matter what it was, it would be divisive, but nothing is quite so polarizing as spirituality and religion. So inherent in the fact that they ended the series in a decidedly spiritual manner, it is likely to bother people who aren't of a spiritual inclination. I know many people who are not spiritual but still loved the finale and could still appreciate it. I think I can appreciate the beauty in the ending, even if it didn't completely satisfy me. I know that the Light in the church is supposed to be a good thing, so I should find solace in that. It's not MY happy ending, but it is a happy ending nonetheless.
Thanks for the memories, "Lost." You were never an obsession of mine, but you made the Top Ten list consistently. Now we just have to deal with all the annoying people asking what show is going to be the next "Lost." Which, I think, is unfair to any promising shows with great potential as people will assess it in terms of the "Lost" greatness formula. And no, none of them will be the next "Lost" because "Lost" is unique. But in terms of phenomenon, I'm sure something will come along in the near future. Who knows, what with "Glee" being renewed for a second and third season, maybe everyone will get onboard with that and people over the age of 23 will be head over heels about it. Or something amazing will come to HBO or Showtime or some other cable network that will have the creative vision and ingenuity to take the nation and world by storm. (I'm hoping for the latter.)

My Top 10: TV Boyfriends

Everyone has them. Their TV/movie boyfriends (or girlfriends). Those characters who are so damn hot, clever, kind, and/or smart you just wish they were real. Being the TV addict that I am, I've thought about this subject a lot. So, to distract me from the intensity of all the season finales, I decided to post for the whole world my ideal TV boyfriends, in order of their awesomeness. As evidenced by some repeats, some actors in general are always going to be my dream TV boyfriends. (And another spoiler? I totally go for nerds. Smart guys are hot.)

10. Henry Grubstick (Christopher Gorham) from "Ugly Betty"
He's the first nerd on my list but he better than anyone else embodies the hot nerd status. Any Henry fan can remember when Betty daydreamed about him as an underwear model...good times. He loses some points for being an accountant, but all in all he seemed like a dependable, sweet boyfriend to have.

9. Ben (Iddo Goldberg) from "Secret Diary of a Call Girl"
If nothing else, I want Ben as a friend (at least then I could take a good picture of him for this blog post). He'll stick by you, even if you let him know that you're actually working as a call girl. Although if you looked like Billie Piper, it wouldn't be hard to get a guy to stay no matter what. Ben has always clashed with Hannah's boyfriends, mainly because they were all pricks, as he reminded us in the most recent season finale. Who didn't think his note to Hannah was adorable? "Duncan was a prick. All your boyfriends were pricks. I'm not a prick." Out of context, it might not sound so romantic, but trust me, it totally was.

8. Jake Foley (Christopher Gorham) from "Jake 2.0"
And nerd number 2! Played once again by Gorham. "Jake 2.0" ran for 16 episodes in 2003 on the UPN so I won't begrudge anyone for not having a clue who I'm talking about. But Jake was the original Chuck Bartowski. He worked at the NSA fixing computers until he stumbled upon super powers thanks to some TV technology. He then got to work as an NSA field agent. He was sort of like Chuck with Intersect 2.0 but he was also able to interface with technology. He beats out Chuck though as my dream TV boyfriend, and I'm not completely sure why. Maybe just because I love Christopher Gorham. Maybe because Gorham, unlike Zachary Levi, can authentically play a nerd. (Levi can act like a nerd, but he will never look like one).

7. George (Russell Tovey) from "Being Human"
This was a toss-up between him and Mitchell (on left), the hottest vampire around (don't let anyone fool you, Edward Cullen has nothing on that sexy Irish beast.) But going on which character I rather date, I'd have to pick the sweet, adorable werewolf George. As long as I avoided him during his time of the month, we'd make a fine couple. And if I ever got kidnapped by or mixed up with some bad vampires, he'd come to rescue me. Not that he'd do it very gracefully, but I'd appreciate the gesture.

6. Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) from "Gilmore Girls"
Take away the music snobbery, and Jess would be an ideal boyfriend. After his rough years, of course, when he finally got his act together. I liked Dean well enough, but he was never right for Rory and Jared Padalecki was better off as Sam Winchester. And I absolutely loathed Logan and was thrilled when Jess told Rory what a jerk he was. Jess may have been a bit of an ass to people he didn't like, but he was great with Rory most of the time. And he definitely knew how to romance a girl - take her on a picnic lunch, ice cream, concerts, attend town events, talk endlessly about movies, music, and books.

5. Simon Tam (Sean Maher) from "Firefly"
He started out as a nerd, but he definitely held his own in "Serenity." You know, until he got shot. But he finally manned up and told Kaylee how he felt, and that's the kind of man you want. He's a genius, but more than that, he gave up everything, all the privilege in his life, to save his sister. More than simply smart, he was noble and selfless.

4. The Doctor (David Tennant) from "Doctor Who"
On one hand, you'd think he'd definitely make the cut because he saves the universe on a regular basis. On the other hand, you'd think he wouldn't make the cut because being his companion means you will meet an unfortunate end at some point. At best, you'll end up in an alternate universe. At worst, you witness the massacre of planet Earth and the torture of your family at the hands of a maniac. But as Sarah Jane Smith said, he's worth it. He's probably not the best boyfriend material, what with all the emotional baggage, but I'd settle for being a companion. Or a stowaway on the TARDIS...or a time agent/stalker...or a member of UNIT/stalker...

3. Aaron Tyler (Lee Pace) from "Wonderfalls"
This is yet another criminally unknown show since it was cancelled early in its run. Much like "Pushing Daisies," it was quirky, clever, and critically acclaimed. For those not in the know, that equals cancellation in the TV world. But in the short time I got to know him, I adored Aaron. He's getting his PhD in comparative religions, he's an atheist, he's still a bit of a slacker, he doesn't see the point in always buttoning his shirt up all the way, and he is very sweet with his eventual girlfriend, Mahandra. He genuinely worries about his sister and even goes to Canada to rescue the family housekeeper. He's probably the most realistic dream boyfriend on this list, which makes it all that much more painful that he doesn't exist.

2. Ned the Piemaker (Lee Pace) from "Pushing Daisies"
He bakes pies and wakes the dead. Need I say more? He's got his own emotional baggage, but unlike his girlfriend, I could actually give him a hug to make him feel better. While I'd have to compete with Chuck and Olive, I'm game. He leads a pretty sheltered life, running the Pie Hole and solving crimes, but I'd rather take a quiet, long life with Ned than a crazy, short, ill-fated life with the Doctor.

1. Scotty Wandell (Luke Macfarlane) from "Brothers & Sisters"
This one might shock some of my friends, as Ned almost wins first place. My personality type would probably go best with Ned, but my absolute favorite onscreen man is Scotty. I know this is cheating though because one, he's gay and two, he's taken by his husband Kevin. But since this is all hypothetical, I can dream about him. Of course, then it depresses me to think that there are no straight guys in existence like Scotty - he's sweet, a perpetual optimist, incredibly sexy, a fantastic chef, and a loyal partner. And he clearly has the patience of a saint to be able to withstand the Walker clan he married into.

Honorable Mention: Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) from "Smallville" and JD (Zach Braff) from "Scrubs." Who doesn't love a superhero? Especially when moody Clark "Slave to Destiny" Kent is around making Oliver "Green Arrow" Queen look better. But my attraction to him is purely shallow, since he's wealthy and looks better than any man has a right to in green leather (see below). JD seems like a fun guy to hang out with and I dream of a time when every man is as confident in their sexuality as he is, but he's kind of awful with his girlfriends.

Tis the Season - More Shows Renewed, Cancelled

It's that time again! That nervewracking time of the year as we creep closer and closer to upfronts where the networks have to announce their fall schedules and decide what stays and what goes. I'm happy to announce that I've had some luck with my bubble shows this year. I'm also happy to announce that I officially love Michael Ausiello (but that's nothing new!)

(Ausiello is keeping a great Bubble Show Scorecard here. I think his version is the best as it's the most up-to-date.)

In his column this week he filled us in on when each network has their upfront presentation:

• Monday 5/17 - NBC and FOX
• Tuesday 5/18 - ABC
• Wednesday 5/19 - CBS
• Thursday 5/20 - The CW

But, onto the good news/bad news segment! "V" was renewed, much to my delight. I think the show still has potential, unlike "Flashforward," which was just cancelled. "Flashforward" was an epic disappointment for me this year so I'm hoping "V" will make up for it by returning strong next season.

Also cancelled by ABC were "Romantically Challenged," (which I hardly remember hearing about), "Scrubs," and "Better Off Ted." I'm glad "Scrubs" is finally retiring; it really wasn't the same show, just the same title. And I'm unsure about "Better Off Ted." I heard from quite a few sources that it was good, but I never watched myself so all I can do is offer my condolences to any "Ted" fans.

"Human Target" and "Lie to Me" were both saved, despite every site talking about saving one or the other. Well, unofficially saved so far, but I'll trust Ausiello with this one and take the victory. "Human Target" seemed like a fun enough show and I checked out a few episodes, but I'm a "Lie to Me" girl all the way. Any show that teaches me how to detect lies is a winner in my book.

But the best news of all? "Chuck" was finally, officially renewed. And we didn't even need a giant Subway campaign this year, so yay for us.

This has been a crazy season: "Lost" is going away forever, "24" the television series is ending (personally, I am totally ready for some "24" movies), "Supernatural" got renewed despite its intention of ending this season (and ending the season with a very series finale-y episode), "Fringe" got renewed without too much last minute drama, "Southland" got the life it deserves on TNT, "Burn Notice" was renewed through, like, 2035, and who knows what the hell is going on with "Heroes." (I'd take another season. Even though I hate this concept, it's the perfect definition of a 'guilty pleasure' for me.) [Update: "Heroes" is dead. Finally. It's still sad remembering your glory days though.]

I'll probably post something else about the new fall pilots when we get closer to fall. There are so many right now that still have such fluid concepts and casts at this point that I don't bother to brush up on them until later. So for now, I'm going to celebrate the renewal of the shows I've been cheering for all year.

In Defense of "Cougar Town" - Why It's Not the Show You Think It Is

At the beginning of the TV season last year, I, like many other people, thought that "Cougar Town" would be the last show I would want to watch. The main cast, the concept, the title - it all sounded absolutely dreadful. I'm ashamed to admit that I had no idea Bill Lawrence was one of the creators of the show. I probably would have given the show a chance if I had known, since he brought the wonderful yet tragically underrated "Scrubs" to my life. One day, I ended up leaving it on after "Modern Family" and found it to be a totally different show from what I expected. Today, it's one of my absolute favorite, must-see shows of the week. I just wish other people would give the show a chance to defy their preconceived notions. So, to do my part, I decided to make a list in defense of the show by clarifying what it's about and why it's worth adding to your weekly schedule.

You may think...

it's all about being a cougar

You'd be wrong because...

the title is incredibly misleading. I do wish they would change it, although I don't know if that would help it or hurt it. Really, only Courteney Cox's character Jules is a cougar. And furthermore, it was only for a short period after Jules' divorce when she yearned to relive her glory days. Currently, she's been involved with someone age appropriate and most of the cougar humor is used sparingly if at all (these days, it's relegated to brief appearances by Barb, a hilarious cougar who pops into a scene just to deliver a perfectly awkward one-liner only to disappear moments later. She did get a fun extended bit with Jules' son Travis in one episode, though). The other characters on the show either date others their own age or are, like Andy and Ellie, happily married.

You may think...

it's all about older people

You'd be wrong because...

there's actually a range of ages portrayed on-screen. I know being the age I am that I wasn't the target demographic for the show, at least initially. But I think that's what's the hidden beauty of the show. It was originally marketed towards older women, maybe 30s onward, but I think it has appeal for a younger audience as well. A recent episode involving Jules' son Travis choosing a college was entirely relatable for me, as someone who had gone through the same thing relatively recently. Any young adult would have identified with that plotline and found it hilariously on-point. Travis and his relationship troubles (romantic and familial) get a good amount of screentime and the actor, Dan Byrd, shows that he really does have some solid comedic chops. I remember him being good in the shortlived "Aliens in America" on the CW, but he absolutely shines here and plays off of his neurotic mother and redneck father perfectly. Busy Philipps as Laurie is another part of the Cul-de-sac Crew (as Jules calls their group), and she's only 30 and dates age appropriate men as well. Between Travis, Laurie, and Jules, this show does a fantastic job of showing the relationships of people of all ages.

You may think...

it's all about the women.

You'd be wrong because...

the men get a lot of focus as well. And they're excellent, non-stereotypical male characters that you sometimes get and think, "well those were obviously written by women." Bill Lawrence creates great male characters. It's fun to see just as much camaraderie among the men on this show as among the women. Grayson plays like the male version of Jules, dating much younger women after his painful divorce. His side, along with Andy's marriage drama and Bobby and Travis' family drama are all given just as much time as the ladies'.

You may think...

it's completely unoriginal.

You'd be wrong because...

it's a unique show with inventive running jokes each episode and bizarre characters. My favorite character, Bobby, is so different from the others as he revels in his redneck persona in a genuine, not annoying, way. He's so sincere that it's hard not to like him. A lot of the jokes seem very realistic in that they seem like jokes any group of friends could come up with. Whether it's the guys playing a game of Penny Can or the women turning the "that's what she said" joke around into "that's what he said" so the guys know how annoying it is, you never get the feeling like you're hearing tired old sitcom jokes. Each episode normally has a running joke or two, like the gang creating "gay traps" for each other to reveal the inner gay in each other. They play random, made-up games like Emotional Chicken, where Bobby and Andy competed to see who would cry first to "Cats in the Cradle" while holding eye contact. One of the things I love about watching this show is hearing their new jokes and games every week. It's like hanging out with your friends, if your friends were witter and more endearing. And if your friends sang spontaneously.

You may think...

it's about rich, Hollywood women.

You'd be wrong because...

the show is set in Florida, just to give it a different setting than LA. I get sick of shows just settling for their filming location as their setting, because it gets unrelatable for people living somewhere like the Midwest. Like I commented on before, it's not all about the women. It follows the normal sitcom rule of "everyone has a nice house but not necessarily a high-paying job," but it's a fantasty comedy, so that's fine. The two main women work in realty, one guy works in a bar, and it's definitely not all about living like a socialite and it's not a very "Hollywood" show. These seem like average, albeit pretty, normal people.

You may think...

it's all about the romance.

You'd be wrong because...

it's also about family drama between husbands and wives, ex- husbands and wives, parents and children. It's about friendship, finding yourself, chasing after a balloon filled with cash...okay those things sound cheesy and weird, but the show isn't all about sexing it up with young hotties. Much like "Scrubs," there are real life lessons grounded in real human emotion.

You may think...

the guest stars suck.

You'd be wrong because...

um....Beverly D'Angelo was pretty fun as Laurie's mom? All right, so far, their guest stars haven't been fantastic. Lisa Kudrow was fine enough, but I was never a "Friends" fan so any spark of reunion between her and Cox was lost on me. Scott Foley was also okay, but I thought he was better utilized on "Scrubs." Mainly I write this because Sheryl Crow's guest stint was really underwhelming. And here I thought it was impossible to be that boring when you at least have an accent. She had no presence onscreen and no chemistry with Grayson, so I cheered when she finally left. The characters on this show are dynamic and each humorous in their own way. Crow had no personality and could not compete with the other stars onscreen.

You may think...

Josh Hopkins is just as annoying here as he was on "Private Practice."

You'd be wrong because...

he's a totally different person here. Yes, for the five other people on the planet who watch "Private Practice," you don't want to rip his throat out on this show. He's much better in a comedic setting. And he can sing and play guitar! I love that they incorporated that into the show. My favorite song idea so far is "Someday Girl." (As Laurie puts it, "a someday girl is someone who someday someone else can see themselves ending up with someday. It's really serious.")

Now, I know comedy is really subjective. People swear by "The Office," yet I keep waiting for someone to say something funny on that show. But "Cougar Town" has a very "Scrubs"-esque feel to it, so I can say with a degree of certainty that anyone who loved "Scrubs" will appreciate "Cougar Town." I hope I knocked down some mistaken ideas people had about the show, because it really is fun. It has a great tone and clever jokes and I hope it finds a larger audience. It's only a half-hour long show - how hard is it to give it a chance one week? If it's not your thing, all you've lost is about 20 minutes after commercials are taken out. If you like it, you'll be really happy you gave it a chance.

(Here's a great Entertainment Weekly article debating what to do with the show's title)

I wanted to include some clips from the show that I love. So the first one is all about Grayson and includes some of his fun moments, musical and otherwise. (I have to say I love his "Sex with the Ex" song.) The second clip is another of my favorites, where the gang gets converted to the Snuggie (or Slanket, as they call it) and I think it introduces all of the characters well.

"Lost" - Massacre on a Sub

Between "Jaws," "Titanic," and now "Lost," I am absolutely terrified of anything having to do with the ocean. There are so many ways I rather bite the dust than drowning. "Lost" also did what "Titanic" did - kill pretty people by drowning in claustrophobic conditions. Can we stick any more phobias in there? Maybe drowning in a small room filled with spider-covered clowns holding needles in the dark? Well, I guess the dark would hide the scary images, so the lights would have to be flickering on and off ominously.

But on a less disturbing note, this week's "Lost" thinned out the herd a little. I fully expected some character deaths, but not such major characters all at once. For so long, we had the mentality that the Oceanic 6 at least were safe. Then I thought Jack would be right, and the bomb really wouldn't go off. But couldn't they have just jettisoned it out through a missile hatch or something? Or would that have set it off? Probably. I certainly wasn't expecting Sayid's sudden change of heart in a final act of self-sacrifice. (Except I rather blow up instantly than drown horribly). Then all hell broke loose as, of course, someone got hit in the head and someone got pinned down under something heavy. I wasn't too heartbroken about Sayid, since his character has been basically killed all season long anyway. I was more hurt by Sun and Jin dying. They finally reunited and then this happens. And after Desmond came back to the island and his future with Penny was jeopardized, I wanted at least one loving couple to end up with their happily ever after. I guess I should be happy that Sun and Jin at least reunited and died together.

Oh, and Kate getting shot! That startled me. I thought she would be the one to die initially. I wouldn't mourn her too much, I've never been a big fan of hers. But then Aaron would be orphaned. But then again, they orphaned Sun and Jin's daughter! I'm uncertain about Lapidus. He was knocked out, but I'm going with the TV rule of not accepting that someone is dead until their body is shown.

I'll be honest, I always cry at sad things in movies/TV. I wasn't crying, though, until the survivors on the beach mourned the dead. That does it for me. Hurley sobbing as the realization hits him that those people died on the sub? I was done for. Well, RIP Sun, Jin, and Sayid. I suppose your storylines were played out, but it's sad nonetheless parting with original castmembers. Who knows what will happen in these last few episodes. And who knows who will survive. (As long as Desmond survives, I think I'm good. And UnLocke dies. I'm retroactively missing Jacob just because we need someone who is good and knows what the hell is going on.)

"Supernatural" - The Devil You Know

I didn't really plan on writing a blog entry about last week's "Supernatural" episode, mainly because I've been insanely busy and it was so long after the fact, that it wouldn't be worth it. But Television Without Pity has incited me to action to defend last week's episode, which their recapper thought was horrendous. Personally, I think their recapper is what's horrendous. Occasionally, I enjoy his recaps because they're humorous. But more often than not, I feel like I'm reading something written by a 12 year old boy with ADHD who thought that "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was genius, but had way too much dialogue in it. Now granted, I am a huge "Supernatural" fan and have been for a long time. It ranks up in my top 3 favorite shows, and if you know me, you know what an impressive honor that is. And yes, last week's episode wasn't the most compelling, but it certainly wasn't pointless drivel that did nothing for the storyline. If nothing else, at least give credit to the supporting cast who I thought were excellent this episode.

First of all, you have Mark Sheppard returning as the demon Crowley. As an actor, he's one of those guys you know you've seen a million times but still don't know their name. I'm glad they've focused on another supporting cast member after killing off what was arguably one of their best characters, Gabriel/Trickster. He'll work with the Winchesters out of necessity, but he's not quite an ally. He's an important source of information if the boys are going to get the rest of the Horsemen's rings. I think it would be a little too simple if he just said "okay, here's Pestilence and here's Death, here's their weak spots, and here's how you take them out. Oh, and this is how you trap Lucifer back in his cage." So to me, it made sense that they dragged it out a little by throwing in Brady, the one who does know how the horsemen move. We've certainly seen plotlines dragged out more with worse filler episodes.

This brings me to the next supporting character: Brady. I don't normally care for the petty demons the show brings in and out, but I loved Brady and the actor who played him. Who, of course, I knew, but didn't realize at all until I read somewhere on a message board that it was a reunion of the "I Dated Lana Lang" club. It was Eric Johnson, who played Whitney on "Smallville" a thousand years ago. (I'm still asking this question a thousand years later: is Whitney really a guy's name too?) I was never a big fan of his, but was surprised I didn't even recognize him. Probably because it's the most dynamic I've ever seen him. I thought his portrayal of Brady was really great because he was so different from the usual quippy, non-threatening demons we get on this show. He was in a position of power, he was smart, and he could really hurt Sam, even if it was just verbally. His comments have much more oomf than anything Demon Henchman #3 could say. He also provided a big role in that he shined a giant light of perspective on Sam. One of the things I love about "Supernatural" is that it doesn't talk down to the viewers. "Smallville," especially, is a prime offender in that it sucks at continuity; whatever happened in previous episodes or seasons, it doesn't matter because they won't address it or use it to their advantage. "Supernatural," on the other hand, looks the viewers in the eye and says "you know what happened, you know these characters, so you know it's a big f-ing deal when a demon comes and brings up Jessica and his college years." Sam's college years are a big deal because they symbolize a totally different person that he was at a different stage of his life. Brady challenges Sam and brings up what a different person he was back then, trying so hard to get Brady back on the right path. Even after Azazel aka the Yellow Eyed Demon has been killed, it's a big deal to hear that this guy killed Jessica to get Sam back on his path. Because that moment, that one death, changed Sam forever. It set his hunting career back in motion, it destroyed his normal life, it set the apocalypse in motion. I love that this show feels so well written that everything was written for a reason beforehand. It's rewarding to the viewers who have been around for a long time and get to see the characters change over time.

Like I said about "Chuck," not every episode can be "the showdown" or "the game-changing episode." (Not every show is "The Vampire Diaries," where every day it's sweeps week) It's the same with this show. It may not have been the most violent or action-packed episode, but it mattered. I was a little let down that Pestilence was nowhere to be seen, especially after the previous episode's set-up, but I'll let that slide as long as he does show up soon. I'm not entirely sure why they needed the Croatoan virus distributed through the Swine Flu vaccine, when "The End" showed that the virus spread well enough on its own, or so I thought. It doesn't bother me that much, but I normally expect a little better explanation from this show. I thought this episode was more intimate, more emotional than others, and that is fine.

This episode also had huge developments with Bobby and Sam's potential to say yes. Sam is kicking around an idea of bringing in Lucifer only to direct him into the cage. This sounds really damn unlikely, but Sam isn't an average human, and really, how else will they get Lucifer to the cage? Bobby also contemplated selling his soul for Crowley's help, which must look mighty tempting. Also, it's the Winchester way, and Bobby's a part of the Winchester family. Although Dean would be royally pissed if Bobby sold his soul, considering everything Dean's been through with that business.

Now, I could be wrong. This is just my humble opinion, after all. Maybe TWOP was right and the episode royally sucked. But I thought it was a solidly written hour of television and was not let down.

"V" - SciFi isn't dead yet! (So stop saying it's in trouble)

The year looked like it was going to be good for SciFi on ABC. I was psyched for "Flashforward," thinking it couldn't possibly go wrong (but wow, did it ever.) Then I was psyched for "V" and found it okay. It wasn't anything special and I just didn't care enough to come back after its three year long break, or however long it was off the air. Felt like three years. The concept felt so been-there-done-that. Alien invasion, no one knows they're sinister but the conspiracy groups who are pegged as terrorists, etc. etc. It didn't grab me right away. I was more distracted by Morena Baccarin's haircut as Anna than I was the plotlines. And Elizabeth Mitchell's irritating son, the embodiment of teenager stereotypes, was getting way too much screen time. Joel Gretsch was much more effective as Tom Baldwin at NTAC dealing with the 4400 than he is here as self-righteous Father Jack tangled up in the resistance. Don't even get me started on how much Scott Wolf annoyed me as Chad Decker. As all the articles about the political allegory of it all stirred about in the media, I found myself realizing that I rather do something else at 10:00 on a Tuesday. Like watch "Southland." Which was completely worth it. But when "Southland" ended its run on TNT, (it will be back, albeit in a painfully long time) I decided to revisit "V" after the whirlwind of "Lost." Although it's a wonder I forgave "V" for that dreadful countdown clock during Sun's "Lost" episode when it not only distracted from the show, but cut off important info Sun had written down. I guess I'm blaming that on moronic ABC execs, not the show itself.

To my utter surprise, the show has become quite engaging. The Fifth Column has condensed to a few people on our screens, including some new British guy that I'm liking. Erica and Jack are a little more tolerable, and I'm hoping Ryan hasn't disappeared for good as I liked his storyline with his human wife. Speaking of "The 4400," the plot of him and his wife running from the Vs in an effort to save their baby felt a lot like Richard and Lily running from Jordan Collier to save their baby Isabelle. But I digress. I find the most fascinating resistance leaders to be the ones who are Vs, like Joshua aboard the ship with Anna. He's in the most dangerous position of all and he's sacrificed a lot already. Lisa has also gone from being a bland robot sent to seduce Tyler to being a facsinating character struggling with newfound emotions. She's trying to protect Tyler, who she obviously has real feelings for, while keeping her emotions under wraps enough to not invoke the wrath of her mother. It's nice to have someone in that relationship be mature and adult, since Tyler is immature and, not really entirely his fault, doesn't understand the gravity of their situation.

I've read some articles that say Tyler and Chad are going to change soon into less useless characters. I really hope so. I think it will be a great moment when Chad realizes what he's done by being Anna's pet. And I think Tyler has potential to do something significant if he grows up and they strip those annoying stereotypes away that say he has to be whiny and petty. I liked the touch of appointing Erica as head of the committee investigating the Fifth Column. It's reminiscent of the FBI appointing real life infamous traitor Robert Hanssen to be in charge of finding the mole in the bureau, which was him. Great stuff.

I'm going to keep watching, and I'm actually hoping it gets renewed now. I think it's starting to get on a good track and it has potential to be a solid show as long as they stick to developing the characters. The plotlines aren't always riveting, so making three-dimensional characters you care about will elevate this show above being simply a bad remake. My last complaint is that I'd just like to get an inkling of a clue of why the Vs are invading Earth and why this way. If they wanted resources, surely they could wipe everyone off the planet in a number of different ways and just take what they want. Or maybe they want the humans for something and need to be able to control them first? I'm not asking for a "Torchwood: Children of Earth" scenario of aliens needing humans for something downright horrifying, but something more than the standard "they need resources, but are evil and want us to kill ourselves" situation. I like the route they're going with emotions too. We all know that creatures without emotions are evil, (Daleks, Cybermen, early Cylons, Terminators, replicants, those asshole angels on "Supernatural") so it's compelling to see more Vs realize they have the capacity for empathy when trying to trick humans. All in all, I like the direction the show has taken and hope it finds its rhythm. Because I love SciFi, and I'm sad to see it fail when the vision isn't cohesive or it doesn't find enough viewers to justify its renewal.

(And I'm just sick of hearing "there isn't a demand for SciFi shows," or "the SciFi genre is dying because fans aren't supporting these shows." We aren't supporting the shows because they suck. The genre is not dying, SciFi has never really been entirely mainstream, so it shouldn't shock people when these types of shows don't do blockbuster ratings. Don't blame us because we won't support poor writing, acting, etc. just out of some obligation to the SciFi gods.)

"Chuck" - "That's us in 30 years"

Hooray! Finals are over and I can get back to focusing on what really matters: great TV. (I've got a lot of blogging to catch up on. I'm the catch-up girl. Not to be confused with the ketchup girl. [I love you Lorelai Gilmore]). "Chuck vs. the Role Models" was a nice break from studying. Some might call it a filler episode, as it was part of the additional episode order when they had to stretch out the season (you know, when NBC realized it was screwed and needed at least one show with a solid fan base). But I don't care - not every episode can be as pivotal as the last few. And at the end of the day, I just want more "Chuck." It's one of those shows I can just sit back and relax with. This week's fun guest stars were Fred Willard and Swoosie Kurtz. As a big fan of "Pushing Daisies," I loved hearing Kurtz say things like "don't be a booze snob." Along with the fact that Willard was just on "Modern Family," all I could think is "in 30 years, Sarah and Chuck are going to turn into Aunt Lily and Phil Dunphy's Dad."

The set-up of shadowing the almighty spy couple was a tad contrived, as was the General ordering Morgan trained, but I'm willing to overlook that. This is the kind of show where you suspend your belief and I think these things were completely within the show's established boundaries of craziness. You just knew something was up when the veteran spies "screwed up" the mission early on. You knew some sort of double-cross was going to happen and I initially thought they really had triple-crossed Chuck and Sarah in the end. It seemed logical: pretend to betray your younger partners, coax the bad guy out of hiding and into the open where you can nail him, then admit that it was the plan all along. But no, it was just a double-cross, but then they had a change of heart. I wasn't completely satisfied with the wrap-up of that conflict and I felt like Willard and Kurtz were a little underused, but it was still incredibly entertaining so I won't bother nitpicking here. In the end, Sarah and Chuck moved in together while getting a little warning from their would-be mentors: "The CIA has a way of breaking young idealists. Especially if they're in love."

Meanwhile, Casey and Morgan are going through their spy training, which was also pretty funny to watch. If nothing else, Morgan can BS his way out of a lot. And run. Is it weird that I was really really hoping "Wipe Out" would play as Morgan ran from the tiger, a la "The Sandlot?"

I'm liking how they're handling Ellie and Awesome. I thought their leaving would mean less of them, because I couldn't figure out how they would tie in an Africa storyline to the main stuff in Burbank. I'm assuming that maybe they were meant to be in Africa over the summer break, but when they got the additional episode order, they wrote in a storyline for them? Either way, I'm happy with how they handled it. Although I was really nervous they were going to work some sort of love triangle there after focusing on that one guy. It's hard to pull off love triangles, (Sarah-Chuck-Bryce=compelling, Sarah-Chuck-Shaw=meh) and even harder to do when the core couple is so...excellent. I'm ready to see where this dastardly plotline goes. Although, wouldn't Awesome and Ellie have been taking malaria pills and known that it was weird to get malaria anyway? Or does that just happen sometimes anyway? I'm no doctor. It's just wonderful to see Ellie and Awesome together and happy for the most part. (Sidenote: Awesome looked very nice in the rain. Can it please rain more on this show?)

Random other thoughts:

• Ellie, with all your concerns about Africa and Doctors Without Borders, have you never seen "ER?"


• Morgan's dream sequence. Absolutely loved it.


• It's fun to see how much better Chuck has gotten at extemporaneous lying on a mission, but he's still the same old Chuck, evidenced by moments like....


• ...the ordeal with the tiger. "I am not letting you shoot a tiger. They are endangered and majestic."


• Did Sarah and Chuck really think handcuffs would hold two seasoned CIA agents? The second I saw that I was waiting for the moment they would escape.


• Awesome's nickname from the native people, which translates loosely to "Doctor Super-Fantastic White Person." Genius.


• And randomly, "Friday Night Lights" is still on? I kept seeing commercials for it during the break and was really surprised. If they can manage to keep that show on the air, surely they can keep "Chuck" around too.