May 3rd, 2008, 2:08 p.m. - TV blather
I feel like I need to write more, and since I already write about one of my main loves (reading), I figured I should write about another of my main loves, TV. Yes, I'm an unapologetic TV lover, which will become abundantly clear as you read the rest of this entry. I decided to talk a little about each week's episodes of my favorite shows (um, Big Brother is the exception - I'll explain why I'm including it at all), and while there aren't many episodes left in the season, this will give me some practice for the summer season, when I hope to continue this. (Yay, The Mole! Yay, So You Think You Can Dance! Yay, 30 Days! Big Brother 9 - the finale: I haven't watched much of Big Brother this season, partly because I haven't had time, partly because I'm not recapping it anymore, and partly because last season was so bad that I didn't want to have to watch another bad one. (Guess what? This season was even worse.) I've mostly been following the season through recaps and the bits of info I've picked up from editing life-feed recaps. Basically, Sharon was the only normal person in the house, and after she went out in fourth place, I didn't care what happened. Adam won. Woo-hoo. Maybe he can buy back some of his dignity. Rating: 2 slop passes
How I Met Your Mother - "The Goat": I only started watching HIMYM this season, but I'm almost caught up thanks to the DVDs, and I've seen "Milk," the episode where Ted first mentions that there's a goat somehow involved with his 30th birthday. How disappointing to find out (after tons of buildup) that it...wasn't involved with his 30th birthday, but his 31st. Nice one, writers. Except not.
It's almost fitting, though, as the rest of the episode was equally as disappointing. Ted cuts Barney off because Barney slept with his ex-girlfriend? Dude, even Ross and Rachel didn't freak out that much. And Ted and Robin are no Ross and Rachel. Listen, when I was in high school, everyone in my group of friends dated everyone else, and no one ever blew a gasket like that. Ted needs to chill out. As for Marshall and Lily, they're one of my favorite TV couples, and though they didn't have much to do this week, I still love them. They were almost the only redeeming part of the episode. Rating: 2 suits
House - "No More Mr. Nice Guy": Hooooooooooooouse! That's how excited I am that the show's back. Man, I missed it. I loved House and Amber trying to figure out joint custody of Wilson, and Cuddy playing their judge. What I didn't like was how stupid the Numbers and the Housettes were. Did they seriously think House had syphilis and wasn't fooling them to try to make a point? I mean...seriously? Have they met him? Also, I love how the previews for the show tried to make us think that there was some news they were going to get about House that would change everything forever. The news was that he had an STD! And he didn't even really have one! Sigh. Oh, well, I still love this show. Rating: 4 unnecessary medical tests
American Idol - Top 5 performance and results shows: I said most of what I wanted to say in my recap, but I did forget to mention Paula's bizarro moment of the week. I fear we've ignored the real issue at hand: clearly Paula has a time machine. She should not be trusted with such an important object, and it should be taken from her immediately. I mean, what if she were to sneeze in a dinosaur's face or sit on a fish? We could have donuts raining down from the sky! On second thought, let her keep it.
Anyway, I wasn't surprised to see Brooke go, and I'd say it was time for her. She wasn't going to win, everyone knew it (I'm sure even she knew it), and she was about ten seconds from totally losing it, so it worked out well for everyone. My big problem this week was with the theme. What do 12-year-old girls (obviously the target audience) care about Neil Diamond? Next week - the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - looks much more promising. Rating: 3 Coke cups
America’s Next Top Model - "We Are Spartans": Anya's totally going to win. No way is Dominique or Whitney, and that leaves Anya and Fatima, but Fatima has gotten the bitca edit all season, so I doubt it'll be her. It should've been Claire or Katarzyna, my two picks from the start, but poor Kat got the boot this week, so that's out of the picture. I guess I'm okay with Anya winning. At least she's not Saleisha. Rating: 3 Cover Girl sheer shiny shades
Top Chef - "Common Threads": Last week I thought our final three would be Dale, Richard, and Stephanie. Now I'm thinking it'll be Dale, Richard, and Antonia. Antonia is on a major roll, and if she can keep up the momentum and not make any huge mistakes, she should be good to go. I'm glad Stephanie wasn't cut this week, though; I really like her. She's been in the bottom three four - count 'em, four - times in the past two episodes (for both the past two Quickfires and the past two elimination challenges), so she's in a lot of danger. Come on, girl, get it together! A woman has to win sometime!
I really liked the elimination challenge this week; I'm so sick of group challenges, and though this was technically a pair challenge, only one person from each pair was being evaluated. I liked the added possible burden (or, in some cases, benefit) of having an inexperienced kid for a sous chef, but some of the chefs really worked well with the kids and managed to turn out some good dishes. I also loved the idea of them having to make a simple, healthy meal for very little money. So many things we see the chefs cooking on the show are things regular people are never going to cook, but the things they cooked this week are easily duplicated. Even with the lack of drama in the kitchen, Mark managed to bring some drama to the Judges' Table, which was the most amount of drama (or interest, really) he's brought to the competition at all. Farewell, Mark. May you keep introducing Americans to the wonders of marmite. Rating: 4 bacon-wrapped scallops
Ugly Betty - "Burning Questions": I think Ugly Betty has been one of the few shows to keep up the momentum it built during its first season - if anything, the show has gotten even better this season. The characters have become more well-defined, and though the plotlines are possibly even soapier now, they're still executed wonderfully and entertainingly. I didn't like the main plot this week (Renee's crazy! She's going to kill...uh...the star of the show?), but it's still a great show with some of the best writing and acting on TV. More Judith Light, please! Rating: 4 candles
Survivor: Micronesia - "I'm Gonna Fix Her": I didn't get to see this week's episode, but I know from discussions and reading the excellent RNO recap that it was AWESOME. Amanda is doing basically the same thing she did in China last season - pulling out her A game right before the end. She broke up the women's alliance without anyone but Parvati knowing, and even though she's now going to be seen as a major threat, her move with the hidden immunity idol is enough to get her some votes at the final Tribal Council. Amanda's problem last season is that when she went up against Todd in the finals, she didn't have much to claim that she did to help herself in the game. This season, she does. If she goes to the final three with Cirie and Erik, I have no idea who will win, but I'll be very happy. Rating: 5 Band-Aids
The Office - "Did I Stutter?": This season has really been disappointing. I'm not really sure what the problem is, but there definitely is one. The only episode I've liked this season was "The Dinner Party"; all of the others have been boring and...honestly, not that funny. This week was more uncomfortable than anything; I don't know why these people go along with Michael's stupid ideas in the first place. Oh, and I didn't think it was possible to have a more annoying character than Michael, but Ryan has managed to do it. Rating: 2 Schrute bucks
30 Rock - "Sandwich Day": Like HIMYM, I just started watching 30 Rock this season, but I love it. Tina Fey is one of the most hilarious women on TV, and I love how effortlessly she's made the transition from writer to actress. The supporting cast is always terrific, even when they don't have much to do. (Poor underused Jane Krakowski and Scott Adsit.) I also enjoy that unlike many shows, this one changes things up (like with Jack wanting to leave GE and apparently getting a job with the Bush administration). It's not afraid to try new things, even when that switches it up for everyone else. Rating: 4 trucker caps
Lost - "Something Nice Back Home": Following a very annoying, slow third season, the fourth season of Lost has been, for the most part, excellent. ("The Constant" immediately became my favorite episode of the entire series.) I'm so glad that the powers that be finally figured out that the way to keep the audience happy is to give them what they want - in this case, answers. Don't tease us with a bunch of stuff and then never follow through, or we'll give up and find something else to do. But not only have they answered questions, they've answered them in an entertaining way. They're not just doing it for the heck of it, they're doing it to make us stay interested.
Jack-centered episodes tend to bore me (we get it, you have daddy issues; so does everyone else on TV), but this one was better than most because it showed how Jack got from how he was in "The Beginning of the End" to how he was in "Through the Looking Glass." We also got to see that he and Kate are happy after the events of "Eggtown," for however long the happiness lasts. (And apparently Jack finds out that he and Claire are related; I've been wondering if they ever would.) However, why the heck did they have Jack experiencing a health crisis on the island? We know he survives and gets off the island! There's no urgency there when we know the character turns out all right! Nice, writers. I know you're not that dumb, so what was the point of that? That hurts my rating for this week's episode.
For some reason, I enjoyed Sawyer as Claire and Aaron's protector (and the fact that we learned he's still alive and on the island), and I'm glad we got to see Miles do more, because I think he's a great character (and Ken Leung plays him brilliantly). However, the preview for the episode made it seem like someone was going to die, so I waited for that the whole episode, and then...nothing. My money was on Jin or Claire, considering DUI = death and Claire is basically unnecessary (always was, honestly). So while it's nice to go a week with no one dying, which is pretty rare for the show, I almost felt let down. Of course, I shouldn't be dumb enough to read so much into the previews, so it's my own fault. Rating: 3 Apollo bars
Grey's Anatomy* - "Piece of My Heart": Yay, Addison! I haven't watched Private Practice, but Kate Walsh was always great on Grey's, so I was glad to see her back, even if just for one episode. I'm liking Derek and Meredith's interactions, and I'm REALLY liking that Shonda Rhimes went ahead and told everyone that they're going to be getting back together, because though it takes away from some of the drama, it's also nice to know that this is all leading somewhere. I really like Lexie and George as friends, and I hope we see more of Lexie and Meredith trying to build a relationship, because we haven't seen much of it in the past few episodes. However, I don't think I like where this Alex/Rebecca stuff is going, and if Izzie could just shut up for the rest of the season, I'd really appreciate it. Rating: 4 syringes
*Technically this should come before Lost, but I record Grey's and watch it on Fridays. Not that you cared.
May 6th, 2008, 10:46 p.m. - She should have done two years!
17. Sundays in America (Suzanne Strempek Shea)
Shea spent a year visiting various churches in the United States, wanting to find out what she'd missed experiencing during her childhood attending Catholic Mass. She found herself becoming comfortable in churches that had very little in common with what she was used to. And though she didn't always enjoy her experiences, she learned from each of them and took a little of them with her. My only problem with the book is that I wish Shea had stretched her journey to two years, because I wanted to learn more about the churches most of us will never get to see.
Up next: Her Last Death (Susanna Sonnenberg)
May 7th, 2008, 10:23 p.m. - Yay!
May 8th, 2008, 7:48 p.m. - TV is educational
Today I was doing a crossword puzzle that had a clue that read, "Ingredient in tonic water." The answer was quinine, the same thing the patient on this week's episode of House was allergic to. And I knew it because of that! Awesome.
May 9th, 2008, 10:39 p.m. - Seriously, you were on a break. A really, really long break
How I Met Your Mother - "Rebound Bro": I'm still stuck on disliking Ted. He's happy with Stella, yet won't talk to Barney for sleeping with Robin? It seems to me like he shouldn't get to do both. He should either be upset with Barney and not move on to another woman, or he should move on to another woman and forgive Barney. How can he still be mad at Barney for sleeping with Robin when he doesn't want to be with Robin anymore? Like I said, Ross and Rachel. And we all know how much fun that was after ten season. Rating: 4 years without sex
House - "Living the Dream": The whole happiness theme didn't really pan out, but I liked that they started the episode differently than usual - House had already determined that there was a problem, even before the patient did. And his obsession with General Hospital finally paid off! (For the record, GH isn't that delightfully tacky. At least not all the time. How many children did Brock end up having, anyway?) I also liked the fake-out ending with House thinking he was wrong and turning out to be right. The doctors on House are more often wrong than right, but usually they end up finding the correct diagnosis in the end. This time House found it and didn't even know it. It was bound to happen sometime, huh? And of course, I loved the idea of TV serving a useful purpose.
The B plot with Amber and Wilson was eh, but it's nice to see a happy couple on TV, especially a show like this where people are rarely happy. And I did like that they addressed Cameron's unhappiness with not being a Housette anymore. I'm sure eventually she and Chase will have to come back to the fold - and please, can they get rid of 13 already? She's basically Cameron lite. They can keep Taub, because he's awesome, but I don't care either way about Kutner, and 13 is just annoying. How about four Housettes, with Taub and Amber joining the original three? I always liked that the cast was relatively small (House, Wilson, Cuddy, and the three Housettes), and I didn't like that they just threw three extra people in there this season, but I would be perfectly happy with Taub and Amber sticking around. Eh, the writers aren't going to listen to me anyway. They're too busy coming up with weird medical problems. Rating: 3 gin and tonics
American Idol - Top 4 performance and results shows: Ding dong, the hippie's gone! Finally. Jason clearly didn't want to be there anymore. Would a serious competitor really choose to sing "Mr. Tambourine Man" or "I Shot the Sheriff"? Sober, I mean. I don't care for Syesha that much, but she definitely deserved to be in the top three over Jason. And Archuleta has been ready for the final since the top 24, so that's no shocker. I love that David Cook has gotten this far, because I liked him from his first audition, and though I lost a little respect for him that time he talked back to Simon, Cook earned it all back. LOVE HIM. I think he could win. And then Daughtry will laugh in a bunch of people's faces. And for the second year in a row they'll have a winner I really like. Rating: 3 forgotten lyrics
America's Next Top Model - "Ready For My Close Up": I might be wrong, but I think this is the first time all four of the girls have done pretty badly in the photo shoot. The judges barely had anything good to say. That's really not a good sign. What was a good sign? Dominique finally going the heck home. Seriously, she shouldn't have made it this far. I really am not sure in what universe she looks like a model. (Though I guess the same could be said about Jenah from last cycle.) I was so surprised that Whitney wasn't eliminated - let alone not even in the bottom two - that I actually gasped out loud when Tyra pulled her picture. (I know. I'm a drama queen.)
Three gorgeous girls (…eh) remain, and one who talks about herself in the third person is gone. Just as it should be. I can't wait to see the Cover Girl commercials next week. They'll probably all suck. I still think Anya will win, and Whitney will be out in third place. Of course, I thought she'd be out in fourth place, so what do I know? Rating: 4 cheekbones
Top Chef - "Wedding Wars": Once again, Spike has proven what I've suspected from early in the season - he's a huge jerk. (And it looks like next week he does more of the same.) He and Dale forgot the first rule of reality-show judging: keep your mouth shut unless someone talks to you. This is where Lisa was smart. She spent their entire argument at the Judges’ Table completely silent. She knew she wasn't in nearly as much danger as Dale, Nikki, and Spike, and she kept quiet. Donald Trump would be proud.
As for Nikki being eliminated, once again, as long as it’s not Antonia or Stephanie, I don't really care. Nikki made pasta three times - THREE TIMES. Did she really expect she could keep doing the same thing over and over and get away with it? Oh, wait. Everyone always does that. Never mind. Whatever, half the time I forgot she was there, so it's not really that surprising. Spike should definitely be the next to go, and then probably Lisa and Andrew, leaving us with a respectable final four of Dale, Richard, Stephanie, and Antonia. Of course, I thought Tre would make it to the finals last season, and look what happened there. If you haven't noticed, I'm terrible about predicting reality-show finalists. Except Yul on Survivor. Called that one! Rating: 4 really obvious product placements
Ugly Betty - "Betty's Baby Bump": I wish they'd written Charlie as a really nice, happy girl who wanted to be friends with Betty, because it wouldn't have been as clichéd as it turned out. But this is basically a soap opera, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Anyway, I'm thinking this might be it for Charlie, as it looks like she and Henry will be going back to Tucson and Betty will wind up with Gio instead. I like Henry a lot, but I think Betty and Gio make a good match, so I'm interested to see if a relationship works out for them. They might not have the same chemistry anymore.
The Wilhelmina/Christina/Marc stuff wasn't as interesting this week. The dialogue just didn't have the same flair as it usually does. I'm hoping it will pick up now that the baby's father has been revealed, and the Meades can get involved in the storyline. And maybe Amanda can get involved, too, since she obviously has nothing to do. I have to say that I loved Ana Ortiz this week - she played Hilda's crush perfectly. She's very underrated. Rating: 3 tamales
Survivor: Micronesia - "If It Smells Like a Rat, Give It Cheese": Once again, I didn't get to watch (I'll watch the finale on Sunday), but like last week's, the episode was awesome. Cirie should win not just for her machinations this season but also for her machinations in her original season. How do the others not see her as a strategic threat? If she beats them all, they'll have deserved it. As for Erik, I feel like Amanda - speechless. What a moron. Rating: 5 immunity necklaces
The Office - "Job Fair": I'm still pretty disappointed in the season as a whole. Maybe next week's episode (guest-starring Amy Ryan!) will be better. The only parts I really liked were the Angela-and-Dwight-alone-in-the-office scenes, and that's just because I wanted them to DO SOMETHING ALREADY. Sigh. Rating: 2 pieces of paper
30 Rock - "Cooter": I didn't like the ending (they should have ended with the gay bomb going off and gone out with a laugh), and the rest was just okay. I don't know, I don't really like Dennis that much. (I think that makes me a blasphemer.) I did enjoy Jack's storyline, and I always like Kenneth, but the pregnancy-scare storyline was kind of predictable. Not a strong finish for the season. Rating: 3 pen caps
Lost - "Cabin Fever": I've always worried that by adding more and more characters to Lost, the show was packing itself too full. But this allows them to tell multiple stories on alternating weeks and keep things interesting. For example, right now we have Jack, Kate, Juliet and the others on the beach; we have Sayid, Desmond, Michael, and the other guys on the freighter; and we have Locke, Ben, and Hurley elsewhere on the island. They can alternate every three weeks and still keep people involved in every story. This also allows characters who aren't showcased one week to be showcased the other weeks, making it feel like there's a real ensemble cast.
The freighter stuff bored me a little, but I liked the Locke flashbacks, and especially liked seeing how Richard and Abaddon made appearances in his past. Yeah, it's a little hard to believe that so many of the characters have crossed paths before, but I'm willing to suspend disbelief because I like how the writers weave stories together. Though I'm eager to see how the season ends - most likely with a bang, as usual - I'm also glad there are still two episodes left, including a two-hour season finale. I didn't feel that way towards the end of last season, and it's nice to feel that way again. Rating: 4 sat phones
Grey's Anatomy - "The Becoming" When did Lexie and Sloan become two of my favorite characters? I liked Lexie from the start, but Sloan kind of snuck up on me. Between her singing backup for Cristina in the morgue and being unable to keep herself from dancing and freaking out over Alex not remembering sleeping with her, and his inability to believe that Bailey called him a whore, I was thoroughly charmed by both characters. And I have to say, I like that Lexie and George have a relationship that is completely unrelated to the bedroom. That's pretty rare for this show.
On the Derek/Meredith front, I think her handling of their non-relationship is very realistic. She's trying to be strong and move on, but she really hasn't been able to let go of him. Serious long-term relationships don't just disappear. It makes sense that she would still be thinking about him, despite her assertions that she's okay. As for the other characters, Cristina was great, Izzie can still shut up, I will always love Bailey, Callie needs to grow up a little, Hahn kind of bores me, I like Webber and Adele getting back together, and Alex…eh, I don't really care about him, honestly. There are so many other characters, he's kind of fading into the background for me.
Oh, and the guy who played Todd, Meredith and Derek's patient's boyfriend? He was on Road Rules. I KNOW! Rating: 5 champagne bottles
May 13th, 2008, 9:54 p.m. - Awful
18. Her Last Death (Susanna Sonnenberg)
The book itself isn't awful; in fact, it's very good. It's Sonnenberg's mother who's awful. She just made me so ANGRY. I haven't been that enraged at a parent since I read Jesus Land. Anyone who plans on becoming a parent should read this book, then do the exact opposite of everything Daphne does. Otherwise you really will scar your children for life.
Up next: Everybody Into the Pool (Beth Lisick)
9:59 p.m. - Switch!
May 15th, 2008, 5:54 p.m. - Exactly
I found a photo of Simon reacting to Fantasia's weird performance on last night's American Idol (thanks to Just Jared for the picture). It pretty much sums it up:
May 16th, 2008, 8:16 p.m. - Please don't kill Amber
Survivor: Micronesia - "Stir the Pot!": In all honesty, I'm not thrilled that Parvati won (I would have much preferred Cirie), but I'm not upset about it either. She obviously played a good game, and as she herself stated during the reunion, she was flexible enough to change her strategy when she realized her original fly-under-the-radar strategy wasn't going to work. I think that's the mark of a good player - she adapted, and it worked for her, and in the end, five out of eight people thought she deserved to win. Yeah, she burned a bridge with Ozzy, but it was a game, and he needs to get over it.
I've obviously never played a game for a million dollars, but I hope that if I ever do, I'll keep in mind that it is a game, and that obviously, everyone is intent on winning, which means everyone else has to lose. Parvati did what she needed to do to get herself to first place. In a game like this, you only help others inasmuch as you will actually help yourself. Even if your alliance makes it to the end, both of you can't win. Also, I really don't think Parvati is missing out on much by not being friends with Ozzy anymore. I've never liked him, though. And he looked like Rob Mariano at the reunion.
I hope next season, Survivor: Gabon, is better than this one, which I considered mostly a yawn-fest. There's always the possibility that someone will get eaten by a surfing hippo (which sounds like the title of a Pixar movie). Rating: 3 silver balls
How I Met Your Mother - "Everything Must Go": I really didn't like Britney's guest appearance the first time around, but I thought she was a lot more enjoyable this time. She's in no way a great actress, but she did well with the role. She and Neil Patrick Harris worked well with each other, too, though I suspect he would work well with anyone. The Lily/Marshall stuff was cute (I especially loved her telling him to suck it), and I still adore them as a couple. I have no idea what will happen with the season finale next week, but I hope they go out on a strong note. Rating: 4 red cowboy boots
House - "House's Head": That was awesome. One of the best episodes of any show I've seen all season. It reminded me a little of "Restless," with the going back and forth and making it hard to tell what was real and what wasn't at times. This is exactly the kind of stuff I like - an hour of TV that completely engrosses you and makes you wonder what's going to happen next. I get the feeling that next week's finale won't be quite as interesting, but I'm happy enough with this one. Even if they kill Amber. Which I really hope they don't. Also? Lisa Edelstein has a really nice body. Rating: 5 mosquitoes trapped in amber
American Idol - Top 3 performance and results shows: For the first time since the top eight girls performed, I got to recap a performance show instead of a results show. Too bad it was a boring one. Though I'm at least happy I didn't have to recap all the filler of the results show. I'm surprised the three finalists didn't just appear via video, since that's how they did everything else in the episode.
Is anyone surprised that Syesha didn't make it to the finals? If anyone is, that person has not been paying attention. You can get a really good idea of who's getting the most votes by listening to the audience cheering when certain singers take the stage. The Davids have gotten the most cheers in the past few weeks (with Archuleta, it's been all season), so it was a pretty safe bet that they were getting the most support from the voters. I'm not sure why Archuleta was so surprised he made it to the finals. Maybe he doesn't read his own press? Whatever. I want Cook to win. He's had the more interesting journey, I think, and from a business standpoint, he'll sell more. Also, he's not a robot.
Apropos of nothing, I want Simon's face in response to Fantasia's insane performance as my new computer wallpaper. Rating: 3 private jet rides
America's Next Top Model - "And the Winner Is…": YEAH, WHITNEY! Going into the finals, I just didn't want Fatima to win. Once it came down to Anya and Whitney, I figured I'd be okay with either of them winning, though I wanted Whitney to win it a little more. So I was really pleased that she did. I wish we'd gotten to learn a little more about her and Anya outside the competition, because in the past that's what usually happens, and we barely know anything about either of them. But ultimately it's about who's a better model (and, in many cases, a better role model), and I think both Whitney and Anya were evenly matched. I really would have been happy with either of them winning, but I'm glad it was Whitney. I'm also glad Anya handled it so classily, much like Natasha did two cycles ago. Maybe she's in on the fact that the winners of this show rarely go on to actually do anything. Rating: 5 mascara wands
Top Chef - "Serve and Protect": Wow, all of the chefs in the bottom three (Andrew, Lisa, and Spike) came across looking like jerks. I pretty much liked Andrew up until this week, but it appears he's now shown his true colors, and those colors are fuchsia and burnt sienna. I haven't liked Lisa much before this, and I liked her even less after she called Andrew out at the Judges' Table. Girl, focus on your own performance, not anyone else's. The judges aren't idiots. They know they didn't eat any rice.
I hate that the competition has turned into one focused on strategy (or, as some of these idiots might call it, strategery). It shouldn't be about screwing over your competitors, Spike. It should be about showing who you are as a chef and cooking good food. You are responsible for your own performance. That's how it should be. It's not like Survivor, where you use others to get ahead and try to get rid of the people who threaten your chances of winning. It's a cooking competition! If you cook well, you succeed. If you don't, you go home. It's really that simple. Rating: 3 stupid hats worn by Spike
Ugly Betty - "The Kids Are Alright": I have a confession to make: I don't get all the Gio love. Apparently everyone really likes Gio and wants him and Betty to get together, but I just…don't get it. And it's weird because I really like Freddy Rodriguez. Maybe we just need to get to know his character a little more. He always comes off as a little too smarmy to me. I definitely appreciated Marc and Amanda's long-awaited reunion, but I found the rest of the episode pretty boring. Ironic, since next week's episode looks to be action-packed. (Daniel has a kid? I mean…just one?) Rating: 3 fake tattoos
The Office - "Goodbye, Toby": Loved Amy Ryan, loved the possibility of a Holly/Michael/Jan love triangle, loved Ryan getting arrested for fraud (and Oscar joking that his real crime was his beard), loved Holly and Kevin’s scenes together, and loved the ending. The best episode of the season. 4 engagement rings
Lost - "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1": Eh. I liked the flash forwards this week, but the other stuff was just a lot of people moving around from place to place on the island and not doing much else. I have no doubt the rest of the season finale will be great, so I don't fault them too much for not having a ton of stuff going on this week. Maybe my standards are just too high after such a terrific season. Rating: 3 15-year-old soda crackers
Grey's Anatomy - "Losing My Mind" George is one of my favorite characters on Grey's Anatomy, not least because I think T.R. Knight plays him perfectly. He's just so likable. He's also actually undergone some changes over the show, unlike some of the other characters. I also love Webber, who I think is horribly underutilized, so I was glad to see more of him this week. It's nice to see a boss on TV who's not either mean or overly nice. He's the kind of doctor you actually want teaching the doctors who will be operating in the future.
I don't care at all about the Rebecca/Alex plot, partly because it's boring and partly because Elizabeth Reaser is supposed to be in another series next season, so they can't keep her around much longer. Cristina is a lot more entertaining when she's bitter and making fun of people. Making Callie a lesbian and putting her with Erica would be dumb, in my book, as that strikes me as a move of desperation for the writers to try to add some life where it doesn't belong, but I do like them taunting Mark like that. And Lexie remains one of the more likable people, possibly because she's not responsible for the drama surrounding her, so it's easier to feel sorry for her instead of thinking that if she would do something different, she wouldn't be so dreary. Rating: 4 tumors
May 17th, 2008, 4:26 p.m. - How bizarre
19. Everybody Into the Pool (Beth Lisick)
Lisick states in her introduction that she turned out too weird for the mainstream world but too normal to be considered overly strange. Her stories all find that fine line between normal and weird (though to me most of them verge more on weird - in a good way, of course). She's a wonderful, hilarious writer, and I hope Helping Me Help Myself, which I plan to read at some point, is as good if not better.
Up next: Baltimore Blues (Laura Lippman)
May 21st, 2008, 11:26 p.m. - Yay!
"So It Is Down To You and It Is Down To Me"
May 22nd, 2008, 9:20 p.m. - I heart Cat Deeley
How I Met Your Mother - "Miracles": Meh. That was pretty weak for a season finale. The only thing I laughed at was the turtle. I doubt Ted and Stella are going to stay together, not least because Sarah Chalke is still on Scrubs. I do like the idea of Barney and Robin trying to have a relationship, though. I would have much rather seen the episode go out with them. Rating: 3 little hats
House - "Wilson's Heart": I figured they would kill Amber; why let Wilson be happy for more than a few weeks? And though it's always a downer, it's kind of nice that sometimes House and his crew can't solve a mystery, because it's realistic. As Amber said, everybody dies. Sometimes they can't save their patients.
It was interesting that what's generally considered to be one of House's biggest flaws, his inability to have any sympathy or compassion for his patients, worked in his favor this week. Unlike 13, who found it difficult to treat someone she knew (even someone she hated), he was able to separate himself as a person from someone he cared about and just focus on her as a patient. He knew he had to treat her as he would any patient, even if Wilson didn't agree with his suggestions.
Speaking of 13, I still fail see to see her relevance. I don't care if she tested positive for Huntington's. I don't care what her name is. I don't care if she's the greatest doctor ever. She serves no purpose. That's the problem with having the three original Housettes, as well as three new ones - we don't need six doctors on top of House, Wilson, and Cuddy. Also, are we ever going to get any House/Cuddy action? Even Luke and Lorelai finally hooked up after four seasons. Rating: 4 pills that will eventually kill you
American Idol - Top 2 performance and finale: To quote Bizarro Jerry from that episode of Seinfeld, me so happy. Me want to cry. I would have been okay with Archuleta winning, but I'm thrilled that it was Cook. I think he had a great progression over the season, and he proved that he's original, memorable, and entertaining. I got a better feel for him as an artist than I did for Archuleta, and I think he would put on a better show. I was ticked that we had to sit through so much filler to get to the end (as usual), but it was kind of worth it. Congrats, Cook, and enjoy it! Rating: 4 million extra votes just from me
Top Chef - "Restaurant Wars": If it wasn't already clear that Antonia, Richard, and Stephanie are three of the best chefs this season, Antonia clarified it by picking the latter two for her team in the elimination challenge, and Spike clarified it farther by going so far as to admit that they're stronger chefs than him, Lisa, and Dale. Obviously it wasn't brain surgery, since Spike is kind of a joke, Lisa is barely hanging in there, and Dale was up and down in the standings more than a yoyo. (No way should he have gone over Lisa, though. She's just ridiculous. And Bourdain was absolutely right - she can't take criticism.) But by picking Stephanie and Richard, Antonia effectively ensured that the other three would melt down. They all have very intense personalities, and they don't mesh together well at all. This is why it didn't matter that, as Bourdain noted, the Stephanie/Antonia/Richard team didn't aim as high as the Dale/Lisa/Spike team. The latter team was probably going to crash and burn anyway, no matter what they tried to do. It just goes to show that personality and demeanor in the kitchen can be as important as talent.
As for the episode itself, I was kind of bored. (Maybe I was distracted because I was still celebrating Cook's win on Idol.) I've actually never really enjoyed the restaurant wars episodes. I don't know why. Plus, it's hard to muster up that much interest when it's so obvious which team has done well and which one hasn't. By the time they got to the judges' table, I didn't care much anymore; I was just glad Antonia and Stephanie were safe. I still want one of them to win (and really, can we finally have a woman win?), though if Richard won, I wouldn't be too upset. He's proven to be very talented. Unless one of the three of them royally screws up next week, I think it's safe to say that all three of them will make it to the finals. Rating: 3 banana "scallops"
Ugly Betty - "Jump": Once again, I was pretty disappointed by the episode. The season started out strong, but it's turned out pretty weak. I mean, consider last season's finale - Santos was shot, Daniel OD'd, he and Alexis got into a car accident on the way to the hospital, Amanda found out she was Fey's daughter, and Henry learned that Charlie was pregnant just as Betty decided to try a relationship with him. This season, we got an extremely predictable who-will-she-choose dilemma with no resolution, Daniel losing his job and gaining a son, and Hilda possibly becoming the other woman. There's just no comparison. They need to end the Henry/Betty/Gio love triangle as quickly as possible, get Daniel back to Mode, and return the show to the strong, enjoyable fantasy it used to be. And quickly. Rating: 3 ugly orange outfits
So You Think You Can Dance - First auditions: A lot of times it's hard to find someone memorable in the audition episodes, because not only are they all two hours long but they're full of so many unfamiliar people that it's almost impossible to remember how everyone did. (I do remember Victor, who totally would have been the new Dominic, so I'm sorry he didn't make it through to Vegas.) Basically the only people I remember are the two couples, Asuka and Ricky, and Leonidas and Aliona, because they partnered with each other so well. And I thought I was going to remember Phillip, but then Robert showed up and made me forget all about him.
What I love about this show is that unlike Idol, where each singer goes in alone to see the judges and most likely get ridiculed, here there's an audience, and they're always encouraging and happy to be entertained. I also love that Dominic and Hok showed up just to hang out and watch. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but during Victor's routine, you could see Cat sitting in the audience, enjoying the show. I think that's awesome. She and the judges obviously love what they do and really want to encourage the talent they see. That's one of the many things that really sets this show apart. Rating: 4 bones that Robert apparently doesn't have in his body, because DANG
Grey's Anatomy - "Freedom": I thought the episode was going to end differently than it did - at 10:59, with Derek walking away and Meredith having not given her typical episode-ending voiceover yet, I thought we were about to see him drive off to break up with Rose and then get into a car accident. Silly me! There are happy endings after all.
I feel no need to comment on the fact that apparently Callie is suddenly a lesbian, because I watched Buffy and went through all that stuff with Willow. I also feel no need to comment on Meredith and Derek getting back together, because we've all known for weeks that that was going to happen. I also feel no need to comment on George kissing Lexie and her obviously liking it and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T MAKE US HAVE TO DEAL WITH ANY KIND OF RELATIONSHIP CALLED GLEXIE, BECAUSE I WILL FREAK OUT. Actually, maybe I did feel the need to comment on that.
So the season ended with a ton of kissing - George and Lexie, Alex and Izzie (and good for her for making it clear that that's not going to go anywhere), Webber and Adele, Callie and Erica, Lola and that cement guy whose name I've forgotten, and, of course, Meredith and Derek. (Poor Cristina and Bailey get nothing. And it's ironic that the man-whore himself, Mark, was also left flying solo.) It's nice that a show that's usually full of angst ended with some happiness. Also, if I ever get sick or injured in Seattle and am taken to a fictional hospital, I hope it's Seattle Grace if only because I'd want Bailey to be my doctor. Rating: 4 sparkle pagers
May 24th, 2008, 5:02 p.m. - Veronica Mars lite
20. Baltimore Blues (Laura Lippman)
I don't usually read serial mysteries because I don't find most of them to be very well-written, but Lippman's Tess Monaghan series seems to be an exception. Baltimore Blues is engaging and paced perfectly. Plus, the characters are likable and Lippman makes me want to learn more about them. There are nine other Tess books and three more outside the series, so I'm happy to have a dozen more books to look forward to.
Up next: Charm City (Laura Lippman)
May 26th, 2008, 11:58 a.m. - Yeah, I'm gonna read all of them. You got a problem with that?
21. Charm City (Laura Lippman)
I think the thing I most like about this series is that Lippman is very original with her plots. It seems like there will be a murder investigation or disappearance in each book, but the circumstances aren't always the kind you will read in any old mystery. Maybe that's why I feel the books are more original than most serial mysteries, and why I want to keep reading them.
Up next: Butchers Hill (Laura Lippman)
May 29th, 2008, 6:06 p.m. - Where's Janet? Seriously, I want Janet
May 30th, 2008, 5:32 p.m. - Move! That! Island!
Top Chef - "High Steaks": Eh. You know I'm just happy that Stephanie and Antonia made it to the final four. I don't care goes went with them. Rating: 3 frozen scallops
So You Think You Can Dance - More auditions: My brain is so fried that I can barely remember anyone I saw this week. I remember BJ and that guy who lied about his age, and some of the bad ones, but that's about it. See what I said about how hard it is to stand out among so many auditioners? Anyway, I still enjoy the show, and I think there will be a ton of talent when the top 20 is solidified. Until then, there isn't much to say. Rating: 4 totally out-of-place ribbons
Lost - "There's No Place Like Home, Part 2": I liked last season's finale more than this season's, but I did still enjoy this season's. I love that the writers are leaving so many possibilities open. I must admit, of all the people whose fates were up in the air before and during this episode (basically, everyone except the Oceanic 6), the only person I really wanted to survive was Desmond, because I really want him to have a happy ending with Penny, as unlikely as that is. So I was thrilled when he, Frank, and the Oceanic 6 made it to the boat and he was reunited with Penny. Loved that scene. I also thought I didn't care about Sawyer, but after he jumped out of the helicopter, I found myself hoping that he would survive. I was pleased that he wound up back on the island with Juliet (who I really do like). Once again, the writers answered a few questions, raised a few more, and overall provided a good two hours of entertainment. Too bad we have to wait so long for more. Rating: 4 metal objects you really shouldn't put in there, Ben
Yay Eck, Big Brother!) So I'll talk a little about each episode, then rate it, using a show-related object and operating on a scale of 1 to 5. I'll go in the order the shows aired. Let's see how this goes.
