QUICK REVIEW: Criminal Minds, Castle, Revenge, The Good Wife, Blue Bloods

Criminal Minds

This is not a show that needs recapping every week but every once in a while, an episode or string of episodes happen that warrant discussion.  Last week’s episode broke my heart.  In the early days of Criminal Minds, I rooted for JJ and Reid to get together.  A big part of me, still does.  But I’ve moved on from the idea of those two getting together.  As a result, I was 100% on board with this romance between Maeve and Spencer.  And before you start referencing Manti Te’o asking how can you have a relationship with someone you’ve never met, this show handled it very well to the point I totally believed it.  Matthew Gray Gubler and Beth Riesgraf did a fantastic job selling this relationship that up until this episode, only existed via cryptic phone conversations.  The reason for this, she had a stalker.  So she was in hiding until the stalker was caught. Unfortunately, the stalker found her and kidnapped her and as a result, Reid, who is a very private person, needed to out his relationship to the team and ask for their help in finding her.  Turns out it was someone applying for a PhD and Maeve denied her application and therefore Diane (Michelle Trachtenberg) flipped out and murdered her ex-fiance and ultimately murdered herself and Maeve with a bullet to the head.  It was such a sad scene for so many reasons.  First, Spencer had never seen her face.  Even when Garcia had her picture, Reid refused to see it because he wanted the first time to be face to face.  He also wanted to tell her that he loved her because the last time they spoke, she said she loved him and he didn’t respond.  When he finally saw her, it was with her strapped to a chair with Diane pointing a gun at Reid’s head and Reid pretending to love Diane and not her so he could get her free.  Instead of telling her that he loved her, he had to tell her that he didn’t love her so he could protect her.  Unfortunately, Diane saw through all this and while holding Maeve against her, put a gun to her own head and pulled the trigger, killing both of them.  I told my husband I was afraid she was going to die but then I thought, there’s no way CM would do that to Reid.  Yep, well, wrong again!   Maeve is dead and Reid is crushed.  It was brutal to watch and I’m really curious to see how this will impact him moving forward.  Reid is so private and doesn’t open his heart to many people.  And for him to be ready to make a committment to this girl, only to have her murdered in front of him, will completely damage his already fragile psyche.

Castle

Still one of my favorite shows on TV and I’m loving this season.  The last two episodes were great.  Seeing Meredith (Darby Stanchfield) around making things tricky for Castle and Beckett was priceless.  But it was also a nice change of pace to see Meredith and Beckett go to dinner together and really get along.  Unfortunately before she left, when Kate asked why they didn’t work, Meredith told her the truth.   Castle knew everything about her but she really didn’t know much about Castle.  He’s fun and romantic and sweet, but he never let her in, especially when it came to his dad.  And she couldn’t handle being in the dark.  It really resonated with Kate because she’s in the same situation…to some degree.  Castle knows everything about her darkest time…her mother’s death.  But Beckett knows nothing about, what appears to be, Castle’s darkest period…his father.  And I know there were people who thought Meredith did that maliciously, I don’t agree.  I think she was honestly answering Kate’s question without trying to sabotage anything.  I also think that Kate’s relationship with Rick is VERY different from Meredith’s.  Yes, she is just in the dark about Castle’s history with his father as Meredith is, but she has seen so many different layers to Castle that I’m pretty sure no one else has.   They have been through so much together and she has been around some very vulnerable sides to Rick, that she can’t compare her relationship with Castle to his relationship with anyone else.   She has seen a deeper side to him.  But I think this issue regarding his father, could be a driving wedge between them.  I hope it isn’t but I think it’s inevitable.

I just quickly wanted to mention how much I enjoyed last week’s episode which focused on Esposito. I like when the show puts focus on another character (especially Ryan and Esposito) because I care about them just as much as Castle and Beckett.  Ok maybe not AS much, but it’s close.  Esposito is such a great guy.  I love seeing a hard-nosed, tough guy get hit in his heart (figuratively) because he has no chance to avoid showing his soft side.  I hope the show brings Joey back.  I know cop shows always have those episodes where the cop gives the troubled kid his card where the cop says to call anytime and the cop promises to keep tabs on the kid.  Well I would like to see that.  Not all the time, but I think twice a year wouldn’t be out of the question.

Revenge

I would have to agree with everyone else…this season of Revenge isn’t as good as last season.  I liked the simplicity of last season with a target of the week under the umbrella plan of taking down the Graysons.  Now we have Aiden involved and his story.  Then you have the Initiative involved.  And there’s the Ryan brothers going after the Porter brothers.   It’s too much.  I don’t know why things need to go to this massive levels of story telling.   Sometimes, less is more.  I’d rather go back to last season’s methods with twists and turns complicating matters along the way.   But having said that, I still love the show.  If we can cut down on the side stories (mainly Aiden and the Initiative) I would be ok.  I’m not a fan of Aiden would rather him go away and just have Emily do her thing.  I also don’t know why we needed some major secret group being behind some the Grayson’s decisions.  I would rather have had the Grayson’s be responsible for all their own decisions without having to drag this secret society in.  But if the show can wrap those two things up and go back to business as usual with Emily driving everything and Nolan being there to help her, things will be good again.

The Good Wife

Alicia and Peter sitting in a tree.  F-U-C….whoa!!!!  I’m not going to go there.  But how about that trailer scene? AWESOME!!!   If the show continues down this path with Alicia and Peter doing their thing and Will possibly working on a relationship with Laura (Amanda Peet) I would be very happy.

The second half of the season is already cranking.  They got rid of Kalinda’s God awful husband storyline, the firm is slowly starting to pick itself back up again, the case of the Justice Department going after Eli (headed up by Wendy Scott Carr) resulting in bringing in George O’Malley is fantastic, and Louis Canning is now one of the firm’s creditors which should be an interesting wrinkle.  My biggest complaint?  Cary Agos.   Can we PLEASE find this man a storyline worthy of him?  I’m so tired of him being on the back burner.  It’s time to bring him to the big front burner and let him dominate a storyline.

Blue Bloods

I know I’m really late to the party in commenting on this but I think it’s really shitty the way Jennifer Esposito and her character were handled on the show.  If what she is saying is true, then it’s horrible.  The short version, Esposito had been diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  It went misdiagnosed for years and her form of the disease is pretty severe.  I know people with Celiac and there are varying degrees with some leaving people down right ill for weeks, especially when you don’t know what’s wrong.  Esposito was violently ill but when she finally was diagnosed properly her doctors suggested she have a reduced work load on the show to accommodate her illness.  According to Esposito, CBS didn’t grant the reduced work load nor did they release her from her contract.  She was put on medical leave without pay but because she was still under contract, she wasn’t able to seek employment with another network TV show.   She could do theater, film, or cable TV (as long as it didn’t air at 10pm) but she was pretty much stuck.   That’s the part I don’t get.  You won’t grant her request because it isn’t fair to the cast and crew, that’s fine.  But then let her go so she can find other work.   And they wouldn’t do that.   So she went on medical leave and now she’s gone for good.   I hate it because I thought she was fantastic and her chemistry with Donnie Wahlberg was amazing.  I think it’s a big loss for the show.  Having said that, I don’t think the new replacement, Megan Ketch has been bad.  I actually like her.  Not as much as Esposito of course, but Ketch is doing a good job.  It’s tough shoes to fill and I think no matter who it was to fill them, fans weren’t going to like her.  Now apparently Ketch is moving on and Megan Boone is set to replace her for 4 episodes with an option to be picked up a series regular.  Guess we’ll see how she does.

In terms of the season, as always, I love this show.  I know people can get annoyed at how the Reagan family always does the right thing and makes the right decisions.   But I don’t care.  I like the fact that they are good people trying to do the right thing.  What’s wrong with that?  They still have flaws.  They still struggle with decisions.  But if they always try to go the right way, I’m ok with that.

 

QUICK REVIEWS: Parenthood

I really thought I was going to get through an episode without a tear shed.  Then the scene with Camille and Kristina happened where she gave her the sweater that was worn by 7 other cancer survivors curing Chemo.  Earlier there was a scene where Camille walked in and heard the tail end of Kristina’s conversation with her mother where her mother just told her she couldn’t come see her because someone else in her family had kidney stones.  So later when Camille showed up with the sweater she tells Kristina’s that she isn’t her mother and would never try to take her mother’s place but that she loves her so much and would always be there for her no matter what.  Are you kidding me?  I was a mess!!!  I love Camille and I love when the writers give Bonnie Bedelia these chances to shine.  It’s what Parenthood is so good at.  It was such a simple scene but it was so moving and beautiful and it was exactly what Kristina needed to hear.  I loved it.

I love Amber and Ryan.  Zeek and Sarah better not find a way to screw this up.  I’m getting a bit concerned since Sarah asked Zeek what he thought of Ryan and he told her that he’s a great kid but vets coming back from war have major struggles ahead of them.  The look on Sarah’s face scared me a little.  I hope it’s just a mother concerned for her daughter in not wanting her to get hurt than the “Oh My God I have to break them up because Amber deserves better” face.  I hope Zeek doesn’t go to Ryan and tell him he shouldn’t be in a relationship until he gets some direction and tells him to break up with Amber.  I want Zeek and Sarah to respect that Amber in now an adult capable of making her own decisions, as is Ryan, and that if they want to give this a shot…LET THEM.  If it doesn’t work out, fine, but let them make the decision for themselves.  I will be beyond pissed if Sarah and Zeek find a way to screw this up.

I love the effort Julia is making to make Victor feel more at home.  From going to get his friend Miguel to learning Spanish, she rocks.  And it didn’t go unnoticed by Victor who is old enough to understand what Julia is doing when he came downstairs and heard her practicing Spanish.  Between what Julia did for him at school and getting Miguel to come over and learning Spanish, I think Victor and Julia are going to have an amazing bond.

Parenthood people.  Time to get on board!

 

 

QUICK REVIEW: Person of Interest

I can’t believe I was a centimeter short of pulling this show off my DVR list last year.  The first three episodes I watched were fine but not great.   I had 8 more on my DVR just sitting there.  Then over Christmas dinner, my family told me I had to watch it because it got better and better each week and at that point, was the best show on TV.  Best show on TV?  I think the Cabernet was flowing a bit heavily that night so it might have been the wine talking.  Then I started watching them.  They were right.  Person of Interest was awesome!!!  I couldn’t wait for each week’s episode.

The season, you always worry about the sophomore slump.   Not in this case.  The show is actually better this season.  With Carter and Fusco now on board with Reese and Finch, show has much more symmetry.  Although, it would be nice to have a Carter/Fusco centric show where maybe Reese and Finch have to help them out to validate they are NYPD detective vs. lackeys of Reese and Finch.  I find it hard to believe at times they can just drop everything that they do to help R&F out but I’m going with it because I love it.

The two things I really love this season…Reese and Zoe and the humor they’ve injected into the show.  This show is actually funny!   You would never think it but this show has a great amount of humor perfectly placed into the show and it’s enhanced with Jim Caviezel’s ultra dry delivery.  I love that Finch has a dog to keep him company with his fears rightful heighten with Root on the run, still hunting him.   I like that Elias is still in the picture, even though he’s in jail.   Anyone else think this weekly chess match was not just because there was no one smart enough to challenge Elias to a game, but to be able to study Finch’s strategic habits that will come into play at some point?   I do!   Ok, so maybe there are more than two things I am loving about this season.   But if you aren’t watch POI, get on it!

 

Quick Thoughts on Revenge, The Good Wife, Castle

Since I’m still catching up, here are some quick thoughts on shows I have watched but haven’t had a chance to write about yet:

Revenge

Were you surprised it wasn’t Daniel that died and it was actually Tyler?  It didn’t surprise me.  I had a feeling David wasn’t going anywhere.  It would have been quite a bomb if it was.  It sounds funny saying that seeing as that’s how the show started…with us seeing Daniel in blood, falling to the sand.  I’m glad they didn’t kill him because with some of the information Tyler relayed to him before he was killed, it will be interesting to see how Daniel plays it?  Will he believe Tyler or will he stand by Emily?

What did surprise me was how quickly we learned who actually killed Tyler.  To me it was obvious Daniel was struck over the head from behind.   That’s why he was bleeding out of his ear and has blacked out on some of the details.  But who was it?  Well it was…….DON”T READ IF YOU DON”T WANT TO KNOW……Takeda.  He was basically cleaning up the mess she made by letting her emotions get involved.  We also saw Faux Amanda/Real Emily get into his car and take off.  So is this the last we see of Faux Amanda Clarke?  And how soon until Jack learns who the real Amanda Clarke is?

The best part is, I could watch this for another 10 episodes this season.  But you know what, there are only 3 left!  We don’t have a new episode until April 18th and only one episode between then and the finale currently scheduled for May 23rd.  Seriously who does this scheduling?

This and Homeland are my favorite new shows of the season.  I can’t wait to see how this season will wrap up. “Chaos” certainly could have been a season finale.  So if it wasn’t, I can’t wait to see what Mike Kelley has in store the finale episode!!!!

The Good Wife

Will is on suspension for 6 months.  And I have to say, I would be seriously pissed if my sisters just decided to show up on their own to stay with me without me asking them to come.  I would let them stay one week and then I would send them on their way.  Who needs that?  I don’t like Will (although I’m starting to soften my stance) but he doesn’t deserve that.  Yikes!

Can someone explain to me how he is able to be at the office while on suspension?  I thought he couldn’t be anywhere near LG during that time and I thought Diane said she had to remove his name from the firm’s name. Am I wrong?  Isn’t that a conflict?  Kiki probably knows so if you’re reading this Kiki, please clue me in!

My guess is that something is going to go down between Alicia and Caitlin.  I love Anna Camp and I love her character.  I’m not ready to say she’s a bad seed, but my husband hasn’t trusted her from Day One.  And as soon as Kalinda told Alicia to look out for that one (meaning Caitlin) that was all my husband had to hear to validate his point.  ”Kalinda’s always right!!!!”  I have to agree with him.  Once she said that, my eyebrows went up.  It’s as if Caitlin is too good to be true.  So something has to be wrong with her right?   LOL!

Tonight Colin Sweeney is back!   Also, last week kicked off the final episodes of season and we have 6 weeks in a row of TGW!!!!  I was really getting annoyed how many hiatuses there were with this show.  It’s bad enough being on Sunday during football season when it’s constantly starting 20-30 minutes late.   Then you put it off the air for 3-4 weeks at a time.  Don’t get me started.

Best.  Show.  On.   TV!!!!

Castle

I’m trying to get a pulse on how fans are feeling about Castle and Beckett these days.  Last week’s “Once Upon A Crime” was a great episode but we were back to the looks, the compliments, the hand holding.  Come on!!!  I’ve said this before.  If you are going to have them act like a couple, then make them a couple.  If you aren’t going to make them a couple, then knock it off.

I read another post where the writer (whom I really respect and agree with 99.5% of the time) felt this was a step in the right direction in movement in their relationship.  I don’t see it.  How?   Because he said she was cute?  Because she held his hand at Martha’s reading?  This has been the slow build all season to the fact that they are definitely comfortable with one another, they absolutely care about (LOVE) one another, but nothing else is happening!   That’s why it’s frustrating.

We only have 3 more episodes starting March 19th.  In one of these episodes, the secrets have to come out.  I don’t know if it will be Castle’s or Beckett’s or both.  But something has to happen.  I think at Paley Fest this week, Andrew Marlowe indicated that this was a season of secrets and the consequences of those secrets.  So that tells me something will be revealed before the season is up.  Also the number one question was is it time for Castle and Beckett to get together to which Stana Katic replied a resounding YES!  I knew I liked her!  Marlowe also reminded us that there are also a lot of interesting storylines to tell AFTER they get together.  Which tells me that it is going to happen at some point soon.  The secret thing has to blow up first, but I have a feeling that next season (Season 5) will be the moment they finally get together!  I don’t know that for a fact, but that’s my hunch.  But the waiting is brutal!!!!!

 

QUICK REVIEW: Castle “Cuffed” S4 E10

“But next time, let’s do it without the Tiger.”   Oh come on already!!!!!   Will you two just get it on for the love of St. Peter!!!   Seriously though, how great was that line and that look Kate gave Rick as she walked out of the cop shop?   And then Rick’s reaction to her statement and look was priceless.  I love it, but I am starting to get annoyed by it.

I really think the show needs to back off the over the top flirtation and innuendo with Kate and Rick.  We know how they feel about one another.  We know they want to be together but just can’t admit it yet.  For me, when the writers do that sort of thing, it makes it worse for me.  It just makes me want to scream at my TV to just finally admit to one another what EVERYONE already knows.  It’s almost like they have this need to constantly remind us of their chemistry and sexual tension.   Here’s a breaking news alert….we already know!!!!!  Don’t get me wrong, I’m 100% on board with Kate and Rick and how Andrew Marlowe has managed them up to this point.    But to be completely honest, I am starting to get perturbed at these teasers.  As a Caskett fan base, we don’t need to be reminded of how they feel about one another.  And when you have those moments, like at the end of the episode, it just infuriates me.  It’s like dangling a bunch of Big Macs to people at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting.   Ok so that was the part of the show that bothered me.   I am moving on now.

You know what I loved?  The humor and witty lines in this episode.   They were so good that I have to wonder how much of it was ad-libbed vs. how much was scripted.   From the old woman saying she would shoot the pretty one first and Ryan and Esposito trying to figure out which one she is talking about, to my two favorite Beckett/Castle exchanges…”how do you run in these things” (pertaining to her high heels) and Beckett telling Castle “you better not be enjoying this” (when bending behind her to help her push the trunk) to his reply of “I’ll let you know in a few minutes.”  There were some great ones last night.  I have to say, I’m so glad Castle asked Beckett about her heels because how many times have we seen cop shows where a female cop is in high heels.  It’s so true!!!

I liked the flow of “Cuffed” because it was a little different.  You see Beckett and Castle handcuffed and in what looks like an abandoned house trying to figure out how they got there and what happened to them.  So through their memories and them trying to trace back their steps, we see the case unfold.  As it turns out, they stumbled upon an illegal endangered species black market operation and therefore they were captured.  At first they thought they stumbled upon a human trafficking situation.  But they were quickly corrected when they broke down the wall next to them to find a Bengal Tiger in the next room.  Yikes!   Needless to say, the tiger was pretty hungry a quickly making mince meat out of the wall to come after Beckett and Castle.  But our favorite dynamic duo/bromance comes to save the day and rescue Beckett and Castle from the famished cat.

Overall, it was a fun episode with some great lines and fantastic banter.   I must say though, I really don’t like the new captain.  She’s awful.  Every time there is an issue, she always jumps to the conclusion that it’s Castle’s fault.  And she still has yet to credit him for all the good he does for the department.  On top of which, she has no faith in her people and has to institute new rules so she can feel more in control.  To be fair, it’s not a bad idea that she came up with because this at least the second time that Beckett and Castle were trapped somewhere and needed to be rescued.  On top of it, no one had any idea where they were at.  So in terms of her team’s safety, it’s a good idea.   But it’s her intentions that I question.  Maybe because I haven’t seen a compassionate side of her and only the ambitious side, that I don’t buy she did this out of concern, but more out of control.  Either way, I’m not a fan of hers at all.

So what did you think of last nights episode?  I love these witty, light-hearted episode (especially after a heavy one like last weeks.)  This is the mid-season finale so we probably won’t see Castle back until mid-January.  Which sucks!!!

 

QUICK REVIEW: Homeland…The Season So Far

I am going to make a bold statement.   Brace yourself.   Are you ready?   Saul is part of the terrorist ring and he is involved somehow.  I’ve been thinking this for about 2-3 episodes now.  Here are the few things I have noticed that have me leaning towards feeling Saul is involved:

• Saul tried to discourage Carrie from investigating Sgt Brody.   I’m still not sure if Brody has an involvement or not but regardless, Saul didn’t want the idea of an American POW being turned investigated by Carrie.  But after a while, when Carrie started finding evidence that couldn’t be overlooked, to not look like he isn’t being supportive, he agrees to let her look into it.  Probably because he could stay on top of her investigation and know exactly where she is at and could possibly protect whoever he is working with.
• Saul touched Hamid’s hands in the interrogation room.  Remember Hamid?   The guy they captured and eventually killed himself in the holding cell?  The idea was that someone slipped him the razor blade.  Carrie thought it was Brody.  Saul was giving David the stink eye.  But if you remember, Saul went in to see him to question him, and the first thing he did was grab his hands, kiss him twice, hold onto his hands and say something to him in Arabic.  I thought it was strange when it happened (and it was actually the first thing that made me think Saul was in on it) and right away when they looked back to see who could have given him the blade, I thought of Saul.
• Saul tried to get out of the polygraph.   When everyone in the department, who talked to Hamid, had to take the polygraph, Saul fought it and found reasons not to go in.   And actually his first attempt, he walked out because something came up.  I’m having a feeling that was intentional so he could have an idea of the questions they were going to ask so he could best prep for round 2.
• Saul gave us Tom Walker.  When Saul brought Aileen back and talked to her about her connections to all of this, he was the one who called Carrie and said Walker was the turned POW.  Did we see Aileen say that?   Did we see Aileen identify Sgt Walker as the man who came to see her?   The answer to all is no.  We only know that because we saw Saul tell Carrie that.  But we never saw Aileen tell him that.  He could have made a deal with her that we didn’t see.

So what do you think of that?   Ha!  I think he’s involved.   But we’ll see.

As for Brody, I still don’t know.  I’m rooting for him to not be involved but there’s a part of me that thinks, how could he not?   But that’s why the show is so great.   They have done an amazing job keeping us on our toes about Brody.  Or maybe it’s just me and you guys are convinced one way or the other.   But with only three episodes left, what do you guys think?  Is Brody a terrorist or a patriot?   Is Saul involved or have I gone off the deep end?

 

RECAP & REVIEW: Parenthood “Sore Loser” & “Mr. Honesty” S3 E9 & 10

There were some MAJOR developments in the last two episodes of Parenthood.  As always, there is much to discuss about what is happening with the Braverman clan from parenting to marriage management to really bad decisions and choices.  So let’s break it down by family:

Joel/Julia/Sydney

I REALLY hate when Zeke is right.  With every fiber of my being, I hate when Zeke is right because he is such a jerk and I hate his character so much.  But in “Sore Loser”, he was 100% right and he needed to say something to Joel and Julia.  The way he goes about it is still wrong but his instincts about Sydney were dead on.  Sydney is a spoiled brat.  In Julia and Joel’s quest to make sure she feels strong and positive, they created a little monster who has no idea how to behave when things don’t go her way.

The scene where Sydney and Joel are playing Candy Land and she loses it and completely has a melt down, I couldn’t believe what I was watching.  I literally gasped out loud when she threw the cards at him and then proceeded to slap him.  My jaw hit the floor.  Now I don’t have kids so for those of you that do or are around children a lot, does that really happen?   Can kids really have that bad of a hissy fit and be so disrespectful to their parents?  It’s so hard for me to fathom.  A child accusing their own father of cheating and then getting physical with him out of frustration.  Wow.  And I have to say, Joel really did a great keeping his composure because I don’t know if I could have.

I’m really proud of J&J for not giving into Sydney’s tantrum but I wish we could have seen the calm discussion J&J had with her to explain how that behavior isn’t acceptable and how you should be a gracious loser.  I know Joel went through some of that with Sydney when playing Candy Land but I would have thought that would have went in and out of her head.   It seems like we skipped over that part.  Sydney went from her tantrum to playing chess with Zeke and being a nice loser. That seemed a little quick for me, but I admit, I am nit-picking.

As for the baby adopting storyline, you knew this was coming right?   Something was going to make this not as easy a situation as it initially seemed.  Although I thought it was going to go down one path and it went down a different one.  I am going to preference my next comments with I have no idea of the adoption laws in California and how this whole thing works.  I don’t what is right and what is wrong.  Therefore, I can only comment on what I see on-screen with my limited knowledge.  I can see both sides here.  On one side you have Zoe and Troy.  Two young kids who have created a life that they want to see go to a good family because they have decided they aren’t the best option for their child.  So before they are ready to just sign this child over, they have a conversation with J&J about it and ask about compensation for the child.  J&J are paying all her medical expenses but Troy is looking for a bigger pay-day than that.  In his research, Zoe could get $30,000 for an egg and people usually pay for adoptions so he is looking for J&J to step up and write them a check otherwise, no deal.   On the other side, you have J&J.  A wonderful, successful couple with a great home life that is ready to give a baby a good home.  J&J did not respond well to Troy’s demands.  Julia informed him that in the state of California, it is illegal to solicit money for a child.  Wait, was it illegal to solicit or pay for a baby.  I think it’s pay for a baby.  So Julia tells Troy, it isn’t going to happen because it’s illegal.  So on a side note, how does that work in CA then?  I was under the assumption that when a couple goes through the adoption procedure, there is a cost involved in getting that baby.  In CA is that not that case?  Are adoptions free there?  I’m confused.  Regardless, Julia and Joel are standing firm and are ready to walk away if this is the path Zoe and Troy are taking and I am thrilled to see them handle it that way.  I know how much they want a baby and I am glad to see that they aren’t willing to just do anything to get him/her.

You know where I thought this was going?  I thought Troy wanted to keep the baby and have them try to raise him/her themselves.   Turns out that no, he just wants a big pay-day for his child.  A part of me can understand it because they are young and need help.  But the other part of me thinks he’s a scum bucket for doing it.

Adam and Kristina

Oh boy.   Talk about something blowing up in your face.  I’ve seen this storyline happen in many shows.  Unfortunately, I’ve seen it in real life as well.   When someone cheats (or in Adam’s case, an inappropriate situation happens) and it’s a one time thing….a mistake…do you tell the other person?   What is the right thing to do?  It is such a hard question to answer and I think each situation is different so I don’t think you can make a blanket statement to cover everything.

In this particular situation, Adam should have NEVER told Kristina what happened.   Kristina has been in a very vulnerable situation lately after having just given birth to Nora.  Adam knows this.  Hell even Crosby knows this because he laid it out for Adam why this is such a bad idea.  But Adam decides to tell her anyway.  He thinks he’s doing the right thing by giving her the respect of telling her what is going on and not hiding anything but he really isn’t because he didn’t think this through.  Number One, all he did was relieve his guilt over the situation.  This wasn’t about being honest with Kristina, this was about relieving his own guilt.  Adam knew this was never going to happen again.  He has no attraction to Rachel in that way and both regretted it as soon as it happened.  So why say anything?  Number Two, he had to know that Kristina was going to want Rachel gone.  HOW DID HE NOT SEE THAT COMING?  You tell your wife, your receptionist has kissed you.  Of course her next question after did it mean anything, was it a one time thing and did you kiss her back was going to be, did you fire her?  If you were never planning to fire Rachel, you should have never told Kristina.   Then not only do you not fire her, but then you lie to Kristina about it!!!!  So you don’t want to disrespect your wife by keeping this kiss from her, but you are going to disrespect her by lying to her about firing this girl and think your wife is so dumb she’ll never notice when she calls your office or stops by to see you?  Seriously?   Come on Adam.   You have now made a meaningless situation now VERY meaningful in the way you have handled this.  And I am 100% in Kristina’s corner.  Of course she is upset, of course she is second guessing her husband’s feelings for her, of course she is going to go ballistic.  By lying about firing her, you have now made your wife feel like there is something more going on than there actually is.  No disrespect to Rachel or receptionists but it’s not like she’s their VP of Finance or their top sales person or the only person who knows how to work the equipment.   She answers phones, gets coffee, and entertains the clients.  You can’t find someone else to do that?   You can’t see how Kristina is going to think that?   I just wanted to kill him.  He should have never told Kristina but now that he has, he has no choice but to fire Rachel.  He can’t keep her around if he expects Kristina to be ok.

Sarah/Amber/Drew

While I love the character of Sarah, she’s not the greatest mom.  Don’t get me wrong, she loves her kids and she would do anything for them and always put their needs first.  I just think she has a tendency to want to be friends with Drew and Amber vs. being their mom sometimes.   They walk all over her.  And even when she tries to establish some sort of discipline, it eventually goes away because she can’t stand the idea of one of her kids being mad at her.  Prime example…Drew and his grades.  She was furious that his grades dropped and directly related it to his new relationship.  Sarah told Drew that he couldn’t see Amy during the week anymore and only on the weekends.  Which I thought was perfectly fair.  Drew goes to see Amber and Amber tells him how to get around that.   Well Drew doesn’t do a very good job and he gets caught by Sarah and everything is taken away from him…his phone, his iPod, his computer, everything.  But then after Mark Cyr tells her she’s being too hard on him, she backs off and let’s Drew see Amy again.  What’s up with that?  Sarah did the right thing.  If for nothing else, Drew needs to respect his mother when she tells him something.  But  Sarah proved that they can continue to do whatever they want because she doesn’t want them to be mad at her.  It’s the one thing that really frustrates me about her.

As for Amber, she is really struggling.  She can’t make rent, she can’t take care of her car, she can barely buy food…it’s awful.   But it’s great at the same time.  It shows that maybe it’s time to stop trying to live on your own with no education and go back to school!  But I have to say, the scene with her and Camille is heartbreaking.  You can tell she really doesn’t want to be there and it is killing her to ask for help.   I’m sure everyone has been in that situation at least once where you just need some help to stop the bleeding.  So she smartly asks for help before her situation gets any worse.  Camille helps her but also gives her advise to change what she is doing because what she is doing now, isn’t working.   Here’s an idea…..GO TO COLLEGE!!!   Sarah is also trying to help by showing her how to create a budget.  It was during this scene I wanted to drop kick Amber down a flight of stairs.  Sarah is asking her how much money she is bringing in and how much her rent is and Amber just got overwhelmed and said she didn’t know her salary or her rent and doesn’t know how to do this.  How do you not know your rent and how much you are making?  No wonder you are in trouble.  You don’t have that many bills at this point so it should be easy to track and it’s simple math…make sure you have enough coming in to satisfy what’s going back out plus a little.   Early on, it’s that simple.   If Amber can’t manage a basic checkbook, she certainly isn’t ready to be on her own and should come home and go back to school.  But when she got overwhelmed, Sarah said don’t worry we will figure out a plan and work this out.   Here’s a great plan….GO TO COLLEGE!!!!  Are you sensing a theme with me here?   I think it’s a matter of time and Amber is the kind of kid that needs to learn these things on her own.  But she’s very smart and driven and she needs to come to this decision in her own way when she is ready.  I have a feeling she may be at that point soon.

Crosby/Jasmine/Jabbar

Ugh.   And you know why I’m saying ugh.  Crosby and Jasmine slept together last week.  So now, this make Jasmine no better than Crosby by sleeping with someone else when in a relationship.  So maybe she’ll come off her high horse a bit…but I doubt it.

I don’t like these two together (I bet you never heard that before) and I was really enjoying seeing her build the relationship with Dr. Joe (whose character I really like a lot) and her and Crosby parenting without being together.  I think that storyline is much more interesting but I fear that with this latest development, the direction of this writing crew will be putting Crosby and Jasmine back together.  It cemented it for me when they both told Jabbar that they are never getting married.   Don’t like it but what are you going to do.

So what do you think of Parenthood’s amazing third season and these last two episodes?

 

QUICK REVIEW: The Good Wife….The Season so Far

This show is never not on its game.  It’s just a tremendous show and this is another stellar season for TGW.   There is a lot going on but none bigger than Peter’s quest to take down Will and using Wendy Scott Carr to do it!!!  How great is this??  Plus you have Cary really struggling with taking Will down since his beef has always been with Alicia not Will or Diane, Cary and Kalinda forming a “relationship” yet he’s now sleeping Dana (who I can’t stand) and Dana “I am not a lesbian” is having vicious flirting sessions with Kalinda, Alicia really being oblivious to all of this right now, and her quest to destroy Jackie (which you know I love because I HATE Jackie with every fiber of my being.)

I think this whole dynamic with Alicia and Will this season has been fascinating (and that’s coming from a Peter fan not Will.)  Alicia flat-out admitted that she doesn’t love Will.  I think she really cares about him but she isn’t in this for the long haul.  This is a rebound relationship.  However Will is in much deeper than Alicia is (can anyone forget the “love you” slip on the phone?)  However, now that Diane has confronted him about this case the States Attorney’s office is building against him (which is much more serious than he thought) and informing him that she is very aware of his inappropriate relationship with Alicia that is the foundation for most of this (although for Peter, he doesn’t really know how close they have become) and reminds him that he would choose the firm over Alicia so he better fix this and quick.  She has his back, she knows he’s innocent of the charges against him, but he better make this go away so it doesn’t bring down the firm.  It was awesome.  But it’s incredible how completely out of the loop Alicia is on this.  And I am really looking forward to what happens when she finds out.

I have to admit that I am missing the Alicia/Kalinda friendship.  I understand it and it wouldn’t make sense for them to be friends again this soon but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss it.  And Alicia could really use some friends right now.  It seems like all she has is her brother and he isn’t in the picture that often that she could use a girlfriend.  Plus, I don’t like seeing Kalinda doing shots with Dana.  Please.  She should be doing shots with Alicia!!!!  I don’t know what it is about Monica Raymond but every time she’s in a show, I hate her character.  I just think that was such a strong friendship on the show that it is definitely a big missing link.   Even if they could have them working together a little more, that would at least be something!

I’m still waiting for the day that Alicia REALLY puts Jackie in her place.   Yes she’s done somethings over the years to stand up to Jackie but I still think Jackie needs more of a smack down.  Seeing my mother-in-law go through my computer with the sole purpose of trying to find something on me to take my children away would set me over the top.  I wouldn’t be as calm and methodical as Alicia.  But changing the locks and buying Zack a car so that they don’t have to depend on Jackie, is a great start.  Plus let’s be honest.   They’re in high school.   They don’t need Jackie watching them and cooking for them.  It’s ridiculous.  I also think it’s ridiculous that Jackie would just use a key to get into Alicia’s house whenever she wants.  How about knocking?  How about calling first?   But you know what else I liked, that Alicia NEVER bad mouthed her to Grace and Zack, and that on their own, Grace and Zack have decided to hate her for her actions.   I don’t know why Jackie has always had it in for Alicia.  Maybe it’s jealousy.  But every time she’s put down a level, it makes me smile!!!  However, if you have seen the previews for the next episode, Grace goes missing.  You KNOW Jackie is going to blame Alicia for this and do everything she can to fault her.  But I am looking forward to seeing Peter stand by Alicia’s side!

Some other quick thoughts on the season:

• I hate Grace’s tutor.  I really don’t see the point and I don’t find her interesting or funny….just incredibly annoying and I wish they would get rid of her.
• I am very much enjoying more of a Cary focused storyline.  TGW fans have been saying for 3 seasons that Cary needs his own story lines.  This season, he’s starting to get them and I always enjoy the Cary centric episodes.  Plus, I like that what they have him doing is more than just going after Alicia in court.  There are so many layers to Cary we have yet to explore but this season is slowly starting to peel back the onion.  I would like a little more back story on him but I’ll take what I can get.
• What is Dana’s deal?  Is she trying to help Kalinda and therefore Lockheart/Gardner or is she playing them because she is loyal to the SA office and Cary?  I’m not sure because she is telling both sides everything so I have no idea what her end game is.  And as usual, I don’t like it and I don’t like her.
• Eli’s role this season.  They needed to find something to do with him but I sincerely hope that at some point it’s more than lobbying for the cheese consortium.  However, it has brought on a delightful foe and that always brings out the best in Eli.  I also like the budding business relationship forming between him and Diane.
• Is Peter still fighting for Alicia?  Is that what this whole Will Gardner thing is about?   Trying to show Alicia that he isn’t the good guy she thinks he is and therefore destroy any potential between them opening up the door for himself again?   I think that’s what he’s doing.  I just don’t know how that will go over.  Yes it’s true that he isn’t personally going after him, but Alicia’s smart enough to know who is pulling the puppet strings.
• I’m still concerned about Sunday nights.  The ratings aren’t great but it doesn’t help that this time of year, NFL football runs over and usually pushes TGW back 30 minutes causing it to run over into “CSI: Miami” time.  And if people are taping those shows and not accounting for it, they may give watching because they don’t have full episodes.  Now you know what I say to that…get it On Demand, watch it on-line, hulu it!   There are ways you can watch it but will casual viewers take the time to do that?  It doesn’t look like they are.

What are your thoughts on this season of TGW?  Are you loving it as much as me?  Sound off below!

 

QUICK REVIEW: How I Met Your Mother “The Rebound Girl” S7 E11

I’m not sure how I feel about this.  But I will say, I soooooooooooooo did not see that coming.  Usually I can see it coming from a mile away.   But not this time.  And there were so many clues that I feel like a real idiot that I didn’t think of it before she said it….”I’m Pregnant.”   My husband, who’s usually better than I am at seeing this stuff, was as surprised as I was!   But am I happy with this storyline?   I don’t know.

On one hand, I think it’s great because here is the girl who never wanted to get married, never wanted to have children, now pregnant.  And it’s the classic, who’s the daddy (which we all know, it’s going to Barney’s.)   On the other hand, what a clichéd storyline…who’s the daddy and the unexpected pregnancy.  Not to mention, our resident couple Marshmellow and Lily Pad have been trying to have a baby for a while, I wish they could just have the pregnancy and birth without something like this hanging over it.  So I’m a little disappointed the writers went down this path.

I think most HIMYM fans want this to be Barney’s kid (at least from most of the comment sections I am reading on other sites seem to indicate that) and I would have to be in agreement.  I’ve said this before that I really like Kevin and Kal Penn on the show.  But ultimately, I think Robin and Barney are soul mates.  I thought it since their first bro night together.  So that’s where I’m hoping they’re headed.

There was a comment Carter Bays made that made me raise an eyebrow especially when in conjunction with an episode earlier in the season.  In an interview with EW.com, he said:

“I would say the wheels of fate are not done turning for these characters, and it’s definitely a big surprise, but there’s more to come,” Bays teases. “This little story isn’t over yet. I almost feel weird commenting on anything just yet because there are more revelations in store.” For one, says Bays, the question of the baby’s paternity will be “settled pretty quickly,” but there will also be developments that give way to “a bigger story.”

“New questions will arise and I feel like, this story, we are using this device a little bit to set the stage for a bigger story that is setting up the events of the rest of the series which, I guess we do a lot,” he says. “It’s a pretty tumultuous show. This in particular is going to lead to kind of a reshuffling of the group. Not necessarily in this next episode, but this episode will set things in motion for that.”

A reshuffling of the group?  What does that mean?  And remember when Ted and Victoria had their last hurrah and Victoria talked about his connection with Robin and how Ted, Robin, and Barney all hanging out together just isn’t healthy in a lot of ways?   Finally, there was the Bob Saget voice over saying how that would come to be true?   I’m not going to lie, I’m a little concerned.   What does all that mean?  Is the gang breaking up?  Is this season a set up for next (which could be the final season) and Marshall and Lily and Ted and his wife remain friends but Robin and Barney (whether together or apart) go their separate ways?   Because I can’t imagine a world where he gang isn’t together from now until the end of time!!!  I seriously don’t know what to think about all this and where this is going.   So I really want to hear from you and what you think this means.

 

REVIEW: Boss “Listen” Pilot S1 E1

I was always planning on watching Boss, but as soon as it was renewed for a second season, I knew I had to watch this show.  I never really understood how shows got renewed before a season airs.   It happened with Glee when 2-3 episodes into Season 1, it was renewed for two seasons (and we all know how disastrous that was.)  It happened last season when How I Met Your Mother (who had been a perennial bubble show) was renewed for two seasons.  Not that I am complaining because I LOVE HIMYM, but it was odd.  So imagine when a brand new show that has never aired ONE episode, get renewed for a second season.  Can you explain that to me?   It’s like ordering a show to pilot and canceling it before it airs once.  It makes no sense.  What if this show tanks?   We could spend all day on that analysis but I will save that for another post at another time.

Right away after watching one episode, I think I can safely prognosticate that Kelsey Grammar will be nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Tom Kane.  He is dynamic on-screen and he completely carries the show.  The show starts off with Tom Kane in a warehouse with his doctor.  She is giving him horrific news…he is diagnosed with a degenerative, terminal neurological condition that sounds a little of a cross between ALS and Parkinson’s.  This one scene alone, Grammar should be nominated for the Emmy.   He sits there stone faced taking in the news. He grills the doctor on treatments, medicine, the prognosis with an efficient precision that instantly showcases his character as a powerful, no-nonsense man.  Later, we learn just how powerful a man he is….the mayor of Chicago.  But every once in a while, you see how painful this news is for him to take yet he does his best keeping his composure.  After the doctor leaves and he calls his cronies to pick him up, he has a brief period of time in which he loses it and he allows the grief of what he just learned, to take over.  But he can’t let it consume him for long because he needs to pull it together for a speech supporting the re-election of the Governor of Illinois.

While Grammar certainly carries the show (for now) there are two notable performances alongside him along with two potential gems.   Meredith Kane (played by the wonderful Connie Nielson)….”He was a soldier of Rome.  HONOR HIM!”   Sorry, needed to throw in the Gladiator reference.  I love that movie!   Anyhoo, Meredith is Tom’s wife.  To say their marriage is chilly, would be a massive understatement.  We learn her family comes from a political background and whether this is a marriage of political convenience and power or a once happy marriage that was destroyed somehow, we don’t know yet.  But Meredith seems to be a very powerful woman in her own right.   Ezra Stone (played by Martin Donovan) is another strong character as the mayor’s closest advisor.  Ezra, it would seem at least on the surface, a huge supporter of Kane and will have his back no matter what.  He seems to be the one person Kane can trust.  Will he remain that way throughout the course of the series?   We will see.

The other two potentials are Ben Zajac (played by Jeff Hephner) who is the young, cocky politician who Kane wants to enter the gubernatorial race against Mac Cullen (played by Francis Guinan) and will throw his support behind and the other is reporter Sam Miller (played by Troy Garity) who is looking into Tom Kane and looks to be the only person who knows about Kane’s doctor visit and who that doctor is.  He is digging for dirt but we don’t know why.  Is he doing it on someone’s orders or is he trying to become the next Bob Woodward?  I really enjoyed both performances and think they have decent potential.  I’ve seen Hephner in other shows and always enjoyed his performances so I have no doubt he’ll be solid here.

As for the rest of the cast, they didn’t do much for me.  Personally, I’m not a fan of Kathleen Robertson.  I will always remember her as Claire Arnold, the dean’s daughter on the original 90210 and I HATED her character.   She was one of the most annoying people on the show.  She also seems to play the same type of character all the time.  But the role of Kitty O’Neil, the mayor’s aide, could be a step up for her.  Right now the only interesting thing about her is that she like to have sex in stairwells with Zajac.  So there is a history between her and the mayor’s new boy toy for Governor.  But we’ll see where her character goes.  One character I have NO interest in right now is Kane’s daughter Emma (played by Hannah Ware) whose storyline always brings the show to a screeching halt.  She appears to have no relationship or a bad one with Kane right now (there was no indication either way with her and Meredith, who I assume is her mother) and she appears to be a minister with a drug problem.  Boring and dull is what that is.  Not to mention, everything and everyone revolving around Emma was very slow.  I’d rather there be more plot line development with the main and secondary characters…Kane, Meredith, Stone, Zajac, Miller, and even Kitty to some degree.  Even Gov. Cullen was more interesting in the brief time he was on the screen than she was.   So if she and her storyline were to go away completely, I would be ok with that!

I would recommend checking out Boss.  The pilot wasn’t as strong as it could have been but sometimes these shows need time to build momentum.  Unfortunately, this show on has 8 episodes this season to do that.   However, like I mentioned in the beginning, it has already been renewed for a second season, so it has plenty of time to build momentum, story lines and characters.

If you watched Boss, what did you think?  If you didn’t, check it out on demand or Starz will be running reruns until the second episode which airs Friday nights at 10pm.