October, 2009
October 3rd, 2009, 3:58 p.m. - No more modeling for Jesus
The Amazing Race - "They Thought Godzilla Was Walking Down the Street": Pretty standard fare, with a mixture of likable people and unlikable people (Lance, I'm looking at you). The twist of having a team eliminated immediately was mean, but I can live with it because I didn't like Eric and Lisa. I also didn't like Jessica and Garrett, so that elimination was nice, too. Basically, I'm satisfied. I think the likable people will continue to be likable and the unlikable ones will give us people to root against, which we always need. Rating: 4 wasabi bombs
Desperate Housewives - "Nice is Different Than Good": Confession time: I watched most of the episodes last season but didn't write about them here because I wasn't sure how many of them I would get to watch (I wasn't DVRing them and when The Amazing Race ran late, I just picked up Desperate Housewives when I could). But this summer I watched a bunch of reruns on Lifetime and caught up on all the previous seasons, and now I'm hooked and have a new guilty pleasure. Like I needed another one.
Everyone is all excited about the Bree/Karl affair, but so far I don't really get it. They just seem like way too odd a couple for me. What does he see in her? Same with the Katherine/Mike relationship last season. They never clicked for me. Susan and Mike make so much more sense together. And if you go back and watch the first season, they were obviously meant to be paired up from the beginning, so having them be apart so much never made sense. So far the Gaby/Ana plot bores me, but I'm willing to be open about where it will go, and I think Lynette's plot has a lot of possibilities. But right now I'm most excited about Julie being back because I always liked her. I'm glad she's going to be a part of the season's mystery and stick around for a while. Rating: 4 inabilities to tell the difference between Angie Bolen and Adriana La Cerva
House - "Epic Fail": Wow, Foreman's really a jerk. Remember when he was just boring? Can we go back to that? Speaking of boring, this episode really was. Actually, I can already barely remember it. And Taub better not be gone for good. Rating: 2 yawns
How I Met Your Mother - "Double Date": I loved the strip-club stuff, but as is almost always the case, I found Ted's plot dull. Again, that's a problem. If your main character's storyline is boring, you're doing something wrong. Rating: 4 doppelgangers
So You Think You Can Dance - Atlanta and New Orleans auditions: These seemed to be the weaker auditions. I only remember a couple of the dancers. I'm looking forward to next week, when the Vegas episodes start and we can see which dancers are going to be sticking around. Until then, it's hard to get attached to anyone because we won't be seeing most of them again. Rating: 3 Red Bulls
America's Next Top Model - "Take My Photo, Tyra!": As soon as I figure out who Bianca reminds me of (cycle 9's Ebony), she's gone. Sundai better hope I never figure out who she reminds me of. In other news, Kara is still here for no discernible reason, Erin needs to go away, and everyone needs to stop complaining about Brittany winning everything (especially when I'm pretty sure "everything" means two things) and try harder. Rating: 4 outfits made by Laura's grandma Wanda Sue
Glee - "The Rhodes Not Taken": Kristin Chenowith was in this, so that automatically means it was good. Also, we finally got to hear the much-teased performance of "Somebody to Love," another point in the episode's favor. So of course I liked it! It just needed more Sue. Rating: 4 hideous cowboy outfits
Survivor - "It's Called a Russell Seed": Mostly boring, but Ben's ouster made up for it. Thank goodness he's gone. He kind of signed his own eviction there, didn't he? Jaison didn't even need to argue against him; he just needed to let Ben run off at the mouth and remind everyone how annoying he is. Rating: 3 comments made by Ben that were totally not racist or sexist at all! How can you say that?
The Office - "The Promotion": Boring. Not funny. Did I say boring? Wake me when this show is good again. Rating: 2 beans
Grey's Anatomy - "I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watchin' Me": I kind of wish TV shows wouldn't do plotlines based on economic downturn; I don't watch TV to see people lose their jobs. But it does provide a conflict that's different from the typical relationship stuff. Actually, for possibly the first time, all of the characters' relationships are pretty solid. What show am I watching again? I mean, Alex was even a little different, just like I wanted. What's up with that? Rating: 4 cameras not inserted in people's bodies
Project Runway - "The Sky is the Limit": Again I say boring. Blue? The theme was blue? That's not a theme! But thank goodness Christopher wasn't eliminated like I thought he was going to be. I think the producers wanted to do a double elimination, but when things turned out the way they did, with only three designers eligible to be cut, thanks to Nicolas' immunity, they realized they couldn't justify cutting Christopher or Epperson. And now it's a ballgame. Rating: 3 ruffles
October 4th, 2009, 10:48 p.m. - Get used to me telling Lance to shut up
"Lions and Tigers and Unwieldy Metaphors! Oh, My!"
October 6th, 2009, 11:15 p.m. - Yes, I almost went with "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off to Have a Good Time," but that would have been, like, the eighth time I've used that title in five years
"No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service"
October 7th, 2009, 11:19 p.m. - Yeah, the song's stuck in my head now
October 9th, 2009, 10:36 p.m. - Who else thinks the toaster Stanley gave Jim and Pam was the same one he bought Roy and Pam?
The Amazing Race - "It's Like Being Dropped on Planet Mars": Are Lance and Keri the worst team ever? They might be. And considering the caliber of some past racers, that's saying a lot. I hope their incredible amount of screw-ups comes back to haunt them, because if they keep just avoiding elimination despite racing horribly, I'm going to be ticked. Rating: 3 balloons
Desperate Housewives - "Being Alive": So we're all agreed that there's no way Danny attacked Julie, since it's way too obvious, right? My money's on Angie, as she's one of the less likely suspects and it would be a nice twist. But my money is also on Julie's suspected pregnancy being courtesy of Nick, because that would also be a nice twist. In other news, if we have to watch Katherine slowly lose her mind all season, I'll be very disappointed. Just hook her up with Orson and be done with it. Rating: 4 hotel keys
House - "The Tyrant": This had some of the best work I've ever seen from Jesse Spencer. I'm sad that he never gets to do anything anymore, especially when it's at the expense of the supremely annoying Thirteen and Foreman. I like the gray areas this episode addressed, but it was hard to really appreciate everything because of certain things that have been reported about casting changes (hint: boo!) that pretty much telegraphed the end of the episode. But if Spencer can keep up the caliber of acting he displayed this week through the rest of this storyline, I think I'll be satisfied. As for the subplot, when it first started, I thought it was going to be pointless and boring, but I liked how it ended. Sometimes this show can still surprise you. Rating: 4 reminders that this hospital has horrible security and anyone can get a gun inside
How I Met Your Mother - "Robin 101": Almost the perfect episode. It was funny in all the right places and sweet in all the right places. And as usual, some of the best moments were in the background, like some of the things Ted wrote on the blackboard and Marshall's facial expressions. I love the way the show plays with time, showing flashbacks of the guys in "class" while Marshall, Robin, and Lily read the notebook, while reminding us that, in fact, all of the action is from the past. That's part of what makes this show different from all other sitcoms. Rating: 5 barrels
So You Think You Can Dance - Utah auditions and first rounds in Vegas: Sigh. No more Kasprzaks. Why do they only let some of the dancers dance for their lives, and not others? That's how Natalie got screwed out of her deserved spot in last season's top 20. I just don't get the process. I don't really have anyone I'm rooting for this season, unlike last season where there were a couple of dancers I really wanted to see in the top 20. That's probably not a good sign. Rating: 4 elbows to the nose
America's Next Top Model - "Dance With Me": Good riddance to Ashley. I don't think I have anything favorable to say about her. I do, however, have something favorable to say about Kara, for once: I thought she looked prettier at this episode's panel than she has all season. Which isn't really good since she should look prettier in her photos than anywhere else, but there's nothing I can do about that. I was really surprised Nicole didn't land in the bottom two after all the criticism she received, but Kara really did deserve to be there. Now let's just get rid of Erin and I'll be content. Rating: 4 glasses of fierce juice. I wonder what flavor that would be
Glee - "Vitamin D": Needed more songs. And more Sue. Heck, everything needs more Sue. Though it looks like that won't be a problem next week. Rating: 3 boxes of cough medicine
Top Chef - "Dinner Party": Listen, Ash, I love you, so GET YOUR BUTT IN GEAR. No more falling down on the job. You just barely outlasted Ashley, possibly the only chef to be in the bottom three as many times as you. You are up against a powerhouse of Michael V., Bryan, Jennifer, and Kevin. Don't give the judges any reason to doubt you. Also, please keep bringing the funny, because no one else does. Rating: 3 people who need to shut up about Robin already
Survivor - "Hungry for a Win": This week's boot was kind of a freebie. We don't even know enough about Galu to judge who should have gone, so the vote was a non-issue. They have a lot of cannon fodder to get through before we can see who the real heavyweights are. Interesting, though, that after all the complaining people did about Shambo, her name didn't come up when it was time to pick someone to go. That shows that not every vote is personal. Rating: 4 chickens
The Office - "Niagara": In some ways, this episode reminded me of the episode where Jim and Pam got engaged - lots of wackiness with a very sweet ending. This is the kind of episode that the show does best. Sometimes they focus way too much on Michael and how awkward he is, but when they let each of the characters have a little moment, and they let all of the cast members shine, we get to see why this is one of the most popular shows on TV.Rating: 5 Kleenex boxes
Grey's Anatomy - "Tainted Obligation": They did exactly what I thought they should do to allow Ellen Pompeo to disappear for her maternity leave, by having Meredith be Thatcher's donor and be out of commission for a few weeks. I'm just not sure how they're going to write out Izzie while Katherine Heigl does a movie. I'm guessing someone else will be fired and Izzie will offer to be let go instead. It would be interesting if it were Cristina, since she and Izzie don't really like each other and Cristina's one of the main reasons Izzie's alive. The only other choice is really Alex, but he seems to be doing his job really well. Speaking of Alex, I loved him in this episode. Justin Chambers should do more comedy. Rating: 4 tick bites
Project Runway - "A Fashionable New Beginning": Aww, Epperson. I thought Logan's outfit was worse, but really, I didn't want either of them to be eliminated. (I have a hard time separating personality from talent in reality competitions sometimes. Shocker.) At least it wasn't Christopher, though. Yeah, his dress was awful - I thought he's used the garment bag the dress came in - but I find him adorable and want to see him in the finals. I was pleased to see Shirin do well, since I think she did have a huge obstacle to overcome and she did it well. I loved her dress. But Gordana really earned her win this week. That dress was fantastic. Rating: 4 Oktoberfest outfits
October 10th, 2009, 1:12 p.m. - Creepy for all the wrong reasons
36. Her Fearful Symmetry (Audrey Niffenegger)
Up next: Swimming (Nicola Keegan)
October 11th, 2009, 10:47 p.m. - And what, exactly, is Jackie Kennedy the queen of?
"Don't Make Me Get My Flying Monkeys"
October 14th, 2009, 10:12 p.m. - Usually I hate that "what happens in Vegas" crap, but I decided to make an exception for, you know, myself
"What Happens in Vegas Gets Broadcast on National TV"
October 16th, 2009, 2:32 p.m. - This kid should be grounded till he's 30
Of all the fun being had at Balloon Boy's expense, this makes me the happiest.
October 17th, 2009, 5:21 p.m. - "You're a sturdy, cheese-bearing cracker!"
The Amazing Race - "Sean Penn[,] Cambodia[,] Here We Come": Someone's allergic to apostrophes. And someone else is allergic to keeping an eye on his possessions. Seriously, though, it sucks that Zev and Justin had to go out that way, especially after they ran such a great leg. It just goes to show that luck plays a big role in the race, and sometimes you make your own luck. Rating: 4 monkey masks
Desperate Housewives - "Never Judge a Lady by Her Lover": Forget Desperate Housewives - I want to watch The Tom and Bree Show. Those two stole the episode. Angie was great, too. I'm guessing we should keep in mind where she told Danny the gun is, because it's now been introduced in the first act, which means it has to go off in the third. And if we're lucky, the bullets inside will hit Ana. Rating: 4 strips of photos
House - "Instant Karma": Listen, if Thirteen is supposedly not working at the hospital anymore and isn't dating Foreman anymore, why is she still on my TV? Why did she get her own plot? Why is poor Jennifer Morrison getting the boot instead of Olivia Wilde? Sigh. I'm interested in the M&M plot to a degree, but obviously the truth will eventually come out, and I don't like that Chase is keeping secrets from Cameron. The A plot was okay, but I really liked the billionaire character. Interesting that in the end, despite being bankrupt, he was the only happy character. It's nice to see a TV character who's a successful businessman and still cares about family. Most billionaires on TV are stereotypical workaholics who don't care about their children, so this was a nice twist. Rating: 3 bad ways this could end for Chase
How I Met Your Mother - "The Sexless Innkeeper": So, so excellent. Loved Marshall's montages, loved Barney's poem and the accompanying old-tymey video, loved Marshall and Lily acting like they'd been dumped. I just wish they'd held an intervention for Marshall after Lily said he was addicted to making montages. Rating: 5 kinds of sturdy, cheese-bearing crackers
So You Think You Can Dance - Vegas week, part 2: Yeah, I don't care about any of these people. I don't remember any of their names. I'm going to need a photo directory before I start getting emotionally invested. Oh, except Billy Bell and Russell Ferguson are awesome. Rating: 3 more styles Russell is a natural at
America's Next Top Model - "Petite Ninja Warriors": Ha! Kara went home a poor sport and Nicole both won the challenge and got the first photo. It doesn't get much better than that. I found a lot of the episode boring, but the ending made it all worth it. Rating: 3 shots of Brittany's blurred-out cleavage. What was up with that shirt?
Glee - "Takedown": This episode would be worth a 5 if they weren't still doing that stupid fake-pregnancy plotline. WE DON'T CARE ABOUT TERRI. The show is about a high school glee club, not the crazy wife of the glee club's director. Get rid of her and put Emma and Will together already. Skip ahead to the inevitable. On the plus side, Sue is even more awesome than before, and I like where Quinn's character is being taken. You can have as many mean girls as you want, but if you don't show us their other sides, we won't care. I do actually care about Quinn, so well done, show. Rating: 4 faces I made at the use of an Avril Lavigne song
Top Chef - "Pigs and Pinot": In the battle between Eli and Robin, I choose...actually, can I abstain? They're both annoying. Shut up, Eli and Robin. I'm too sad about Ash being eliminated to expend any energy on them anyway. My poor little Ash. I'll miss you, buddy. No one else has a sense of humor. Rating: 3 plastic cups of wine (classay)
Survivor - "Walking on Thin Ice": The only other episode of Survivor I remember where a tribe voted without discussing the vote ahead of time was in Fiji when there was a twist and poor Michelle was outnumbered. This was completely different, and the outcome was much less disappointing. Ashley contributed nothing to a nothing tribe. The only big shakeup here would have been if Russell had been voted out. Obviously that won't be happening any time soon, so of course someone expendable was going to go instead. Ho-hum. Rating: 3 octupi
The Office - "Mafia": I've always thought Oscar was one of the more normal characters, so I enjoyed getting to see him be the level-headed one for once. It was fun seeing him have to fend for himself since the only other level-headed people, Jim and Pam, were away. I also enjoyed the fact that Michael wasn't as annoying as usual, just clueless, while Dwight and Andy were the ones who came across looking even dumber. I think I would enjoy anything that puts Andy and Dwight together. The two of them play off of each other really well. Rating: 5 mechanics' jumpsuits
Grey's Anatomy - "Invasion": Wait, are we supposed to be shocked that Izzie was fired on merit after almost killing a patient, and when we've known for a month that Katherine Heigl was going to be off the show for a few weeks? Please give us some credit, writers. This was not a twist. Also, STOP ADDING CHARACTERS. I get that there had to be some new doctors coming in, but some of the other characters barely got any screentime, and where was Mark? Don't you dare give me an episode of Grey's Anatomy without Mark. Also, as much as I love Arizona, can she stop giving little speeches that fix everything every week? It's getting predictable. Eh, I can't complain too much. I still watch this show (and even look forward to it every week) despite its tendency to go weird places and not exactly be high-brow. Everyone has to have a guilty pleasure; I just happen to have a bunch of them. Rating: 4 little red notebooks
Project Runway - "Sequins, Feathers and Fur, Oh My!": I've been really bored by this show the past couple of weeks. In fact, I can edit articles for RNO while watching and not feel like I've missed anything. A lot of the designers left just have so little personality. The drama this season hasn't even been that interesting. I feel like people are being catty just for the sake of being catty, and I don't want to hear it. Shut up and sew. And it's pretty bad when I think Christopher should have gone over Shirin even though Christopher's my favorite person left. This season has been really disappointing. Rating: 2 times I wanted to smack Irina in the face, just for the heck of it
10:55 p.m. - Yes, but...
37. Swimming (Nicola Keegan)
Up next: In the Heart of the Canyon (Elisabeth Hyde)
October 19th, 2009, 2:21 p.m. - Next time, just leave Lance in the desert
"'Do You Know What a Dubai Snowman Looks Like?'"
October 21st, 2009, 10:22 p.m. - Yay, Russell!
"Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back Onstage..."
October 23rd, 2009, 11:08 p.m. - "If it is one minute late, I will go to the animal shelter and get you a kitty cat. I will let you fall in love with that kitty cat, and then on some dark, cold night, I will steal away into your home and punch you in the face."
The Amazing Race - "I'm Like Ricky Bobby": This was a great leg, and not just because Lance got eliminated at the end. I liked the pacing of it, and the tasks the teams had to do were a good mix of physical and entertaining. Plus, Meghan and Cheyne helped perpetuate my theory that they're going to be in the final three. They're practically unstoppable now. (Look, now they'll get eliminated next week.) Rating: 5 polar bears
Desperate Housewives - "The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues": The show needs to find a new way to introduce mystery suspects. A lot of people guessed a long time ago that Nick was going to be connected to Julie somehow, so the revelation that they were dating wasn't surprising (at least not to me). They also need to convince the audience that Lynette would dress for work the way she did in this episode, because I don't buy it. Oh, and while I'm listing things I'd like, can I request more Tom? Rating: 3 wedding cakes
House - "Brave Heart": Eh. I liked the main plot, even though I kind of guessed Donny was going to wake up during the autopsy, but the House-is-hearing-things subplot was boring. Amber didn't show up (a big disappointment, of course), so I figured it wasn't anything serious. And I call bull on him talking to his dad. Rating: 3 pre-teen sons you didn't know you had (surprise!)
How I Met Your Mother - "Duel Citizenship": I love the America-vs.-Canada stuff the show keeps going back to. It's one of the running jokes that makes me love the show. I also enjoyed all the stuff about Tantrum, which has also given me something new to say when I'm hopped up on sugar or caffeine. A couple of things seemed a little strange in this episode (no food in the Fiero!), but overall, it was excellent. Rating: 5 exploding lab rats
So You Think You Can Dance - Top 20 announcement: I think everyone I wanted to get in did, so I'm pleased. Loved the fake-out with everyone (especially Ryan) thinking Ashleigh had been cut, then finding out that she was in. Nicely done, show. Rating: 4 cheers for Russell Ferguson and Billy Bell
America's Next Top Model - "Interview 101": Erin so should have gone home. Man, Rae was my pick to win. I guess now I'm pulling for Jennifer. Well, and Laura, of course, but I'm not sure she can win. I'm kind of glad that everyone else finds Erin as annoying as I do, though. It makes me feel like I'm not just making it up. Rating: 3 blank teleprompters
Glee - "Mash-Up": So no Terri, but this episode still dragged in places. I think it was the Sue stuff that fell flat for me, actually. I don't buy her falling in love so quickly. But I did enjoy Puck singing Neil Diamond (let's be honest - I'd enjoy Puck doing anything), Emma getting to sing, and Sue and Will dancing. I also like the little details on this show, like Emma telling Finn and Quinn to wear sunglasses in order to seem cool, and then noticing that Quinn wore sunglasses for the rest of the episode. Heh. Rating: 4 slushies
Top Chef - "Restaurant Wars": I knew Michael V. was a jerk! I just knew it! Yes, Robin shouldn't have sworn at him, but he was a condescending jerk to her, and he didn't show her any more respect than she showed him. I love that even Bryan thinks his brother was over the top this week. Bravo to that team for pulling out the win, though. I definitely didn't think it would go that way.
I've mentioned before that I don't usually like the Restaurant Wars episodes, but I really enjoyed this one. Maybe it's because of the little alterations they made, like the teams not having to worry about décor and requiring the person working the front of the house to also make a dish. I also loved the Quickfire Challenge. I was thinking it was like a game of Telephone before Rick Moonen said it. It was probably the most creative challenge we've seen on the show. And can I just say, as sweet as Laurine seemed, thank God she went home over Jen, because that would have been ridiculous. Not that Jen didn’t deserve to go, because she actually did, but she's awesome and I'm not ready to say goodbye yet. Rating: 5 undercooked lamb chops
Survivor - "This is the Man Test": Poor Russell! I can't imagine playing so hard only to get pulled because of a medical condition. And for once it was a condition that wasn't directly caused by the challenge (i.e. the challenge creators thinking that people running around with wood wouldn't get splinters, etc.). I was glad that the double Tribal Council was put on hold; otherwise three people would have exited in one episode, and that's pretty major. I'm interested to see how things go from now on, with Galu having lost their leader and the previews showing that the men want to protect Shambo. The game could get really interesting with those developments. Rating: 4 promised-but-never-delivered pieces of pizza
The Office - "The Lover": Oh, no, Pam's brain finally broke. It was bound to happen after working for Michael for so long. I'm almost surprised it didn't happen sooner. I'm also surprised that, after all the fighting about who wants who to be happy, Michael didn't just ask Pam if she wants her mom to be happy. I think that might have helped. Once again, Dwight stole the show, and I liked the twist of Dwight once again being brought down by his own stupidity, then revealing that, in fact, he actually did know what he was doing. I'm sure that won't happen again for a while, though. Rating: 5 wooden mallards
Grey's Anatomy - "I Saw What I Saw": I'm not ashamed to say that I LOVED this episode. I love when shows do something new, whether it's playing with perspective or narrative or chronology. I thought the most interesting thing is that this wasn't really a Rashomon-type narrative - everyone saw the same thing, and no one had a different memory of what happened, just a different perspective (like Alex saying he was in control and someone else saying he was out of control). I also liked the concept of seeing what characters were doing while other characters were interacting. I just like the idea of time and space being used like they were in this story. Rating: 5 cell phones
Project Runway - "Around the World in Two Days": What the heck happened to Christopher? How sad that he's just gone downhill in the second half of the season. Like with Jen on this week's Top Chef, I actually thought he should have been the one out this week, but I was glad he wasn't (and not just because I can't stand Nicolas). I feel like I shouldn't keep rooting for Christopher, because it's proven so fruitless. Other than that, I was pretty bored by this episode (this whole season has been kind of dull), but Milla Jovovich was a pleasant surprise. I liked when she got emotional over Nicolas' ouster and wondered how the judges did that every week, and I loved her comment about how Logan's outfit would win if this were Project I Didn't Mind It. I thought she was one of the best guest judges this season. Rating: 3 inspirational photos
October 24th, 2009, 10:57 p.m. - Eh
38. In the Heart of the Canyon (Elisabeth Hyde)
Up next: Ravens (George Dawes Green)
October 25th, 2009, 10:59 p.m. - Gotta love a happy ending, not to mention two in a row
October 27th, 2009, 11:16 p.m. - Billy Bell is making Adam (and me) cry for a different reason
"For Some Reason I Can't Explain, I Know Cat Deeley Won't Call My Name"
11:21 p.m. - I think I might really have cried if Russell had gone home
"This Dance Ain't for Everybody"
October 30th, 2009, 2:21 p.m. - Shut up, everyone on Project Runway who isn't Carol Hannah
The Amazing Race - "Do It for the Hood! Do It for the Suburbs!": How happy am I that the second most annoying team on the race went the way of the most annoying team? Soooooo happy. Rating: 5 swimmies
Desperate Housewives - "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid": The maid stuff was a little clunky, and I was bored by the Lynette stuff, but Gaby once again got one of the better plots, and Susan was actually less annoying than she could have been about Katherine and Mike. More good stuff than bad here. Rating: 4 homicidal monkeys
So You Think You Can Dance - Intro to the top 20; top 20 perform and two go home: I don't get why the judges put Russell in the bottom two, especially when they gave him mostly good feedback. Maybe they just wanted to see some krump? Either way, it better not happen again. And if he can make it through next week, I don't think it will, since the audience seems to love him. In other news, I love Ryan and Ellenore together, Mollee and Nathan were surprisingly good, and there better be some guest judges this season, because we need another Mary buffer. Rating: 4 gasps from both me and the audience members when Russell had to dance for his life
America's Next Top Model - "Let's Go Surfing": I love how there was all this backlash in the media about the makeup for the photo shoot when they did practically the same photo shoot in cycle 4 and no one said a word about it. People really are more sensitive nowadays. I was so happy it came down to Brittany and Erin, since I don't like either of them, but man, Erin really should have gone. She's just awful. At least the judges are finally seeing that. Rating: 4 bottles of sunblock
Top Chef - "Meat Natalie": Robin is clearly no less annoying than Mike I., but seeing him go out before her made me almost as happy as Mika and Canaan's elimination did. I couldn't stand him from the first episode, and his whining about Robin still being around was more than I could take. I love it when people on reality shows complain about other contestants not being good enough to still be there (I'm looking at you, Althea and Irina from Project Runway), then get eliminated before those contestants. Who's not good enough to still be there now, Mike? Rating: 4 mushrooms from Kevin's dish that really made me hungry
Survivor - "Houdini Magic": Thank goodness for next week's merge, because I'm getting sick of the Pagonging going on. Also, I love how Russell has been branded this season's villain when he hasn't actually done anything villainous since the first week or so. He's the most ineffectual villain ever. He's the Claudia Zacchara of Survivor. Hmm, maybe that means he'll get his comeuppance next week, too. Rating: 3 bad-luck leader necklaces
The Office - "Koi Pond": I wish the characters had worn their Halloween costumes for the whole episode, because some of them were awesome. And it would have given me more time to figure out who Ryan was supposed to be, because now it's going to drive me crazy. The rest of the episode was pretty good, though I wish for the millionth time that some of the supporting characters had gotten more to do. For once, I felt Andy had the right amount of material, but Dwight had barely anything. More Dwight! More Dwight! Rating: 4 koi
Grey's Anatomy - "Give Peace a Chance": When did Webber become so annoying? The writers need to rein in that character change quickly before everyone starts hating him and he has to climb to redeem himself (cough**Izzie**cough). I liked the way this episode shifted the focus to Derek, who often gets plotlines but never feels like he has his own spotlight. The show has handled Ellen Pompeo's maternity leave really well, making it feel like she's not just awkwardly missing for long periods of time. It just goes to show that this is really an ensemble show, and the actors are all strong enough to carry an episode or two when necessary. But Reed? Feel free to leave whenever you want to. I'll gladly show you the door. Jackson, you can stay. Rating: 4 diapers
Project Runway - "Best of the Best": I was about two seconds away from giving up on this season, but I decided to stick it out for at least one more episode, and now I think I'll just ride the rest of the season out. I liked this challenge, and despite all the annoying cattiness (et tu, Althea?), I'm interested to see how it all turns out. Though I should probably stop backing Christopher, since it's still embarrassing. I'd back Irina, just because she looks like she's most likely to win (and I did like her outfit last night, and thought it suited her first design the best out of everyone's), but I can't root for someone I dislike so much, so I'll go for Carol Hannah. At least I'll feel good about it. Rating: 4 zippers
I really enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife, so I expected to enjoy Her Fearful Symmetry just as much. It started out well, but then slowly began to fall apart, until it got to the point where I wondered what kind of drug trip Niffenegger was on when she came up with the last 100 pages or so. It's a ghost story, but not scary, except when you start to think about the relationships between different characters and how they end up or change. Then it's really scary. Just not in a I-don't-want-to-go-to-sleep-without-the-lights-on way.
What good is all that pretty prose if you can't write a character I care about?
That's your climax? Really? Okay, then....