Weekly Round-Up: 09/05/10

So, Supernatural, Lost and even How I Met Your Mother had a week of important moments. There were plenty of laughs, some  drama and a fair amount of death as we look at this week’s shows.

As always these posts may contain plot spoilers if you haven't seen the episodes. 

How I Met Your Mother – Twin Beds

This week’s HIMYM was ridiculous but clever, I love that about this show. This week Ted and Barney both realise (after Don asks Robin to move in) that they are both still in love with her. This leads to a competition to win her back, which ends in a drunken mess with Robin not wanting to be around either of them.

It seems that Robin and Don are serious about each other which could spell the end for my Robin and Barney theory. Meanwhile Marshall and Lilly get separate beds, which they think is genius until Don tells them he and his ex-wife did the same…

All in all it’s a pretty over the top episode but that just makes the down to earth ending all the more effective!

Chuck – Vs. The Role Models

This episode, while being about Chuck and Sarah learning how to make their relationship and spy life work, was really an episode for Morgan and Casey to shine as the NSA agent tries to train the newest member of the team.

Morgan and Casey together is a brilliant combination and it’s one we don’t see nearly as often as we should. However I guess the really big part of this week’s episode was Devon and Ellie in Africa. After suspecting the lovers would be leaving the show I was very glad to see they weren’t, although their return to California seemed somewhat contrived, until, of course, I realised it was. Ellie and Devon are forced to return home after Devon comes down with what appears to be Malaria, however, in reality he’s been poisoned by the Ring.

What could the dastardly Ring have planned? Perhaps they will kidnap Devon and Ellie at the airport in order to trade them for the Ring Director (Mark Sheppard) ??? Who knows… Anyway, with four episodes left I’m really enjoying the show and can’t wait to find out if it’s been renewed!

Lost – The Candidate

I’ve already covered the important parts of this week’s Lost, lots of death. Next week’s episode Across the Sea will apparently reveal the backstories of both Jacob and Smokey so we’ll see if it turns out to be more interesting than Richard Alperts.

V – Hearts and Minds

This week V return to story telling boredom. We were shown Ryan, Jack and Hobbs blowing up V shuttle. However, afterwards they find that the shuttle was carrying humans not Vs. Then we flash back for the next fifteen minutes to show us how the characters got to this point. I don't like this at the best of times, it’s a trick Alias always did and it isn’t nearly as effective as people seem to think. Anyway in this case I’d already worked out that Anna knew about the plan to blow up the shuttle and thus filled it with human corpses. I also assumed that Chad had sold them out. The only bit of information I didn’t have was the rocket they used was modified with V tech.

Anyway, this was then followed with some drama. Lisa told Tyler she didn’t love him to save him from Anna, but then Anna beat Lisa and had her legs broken to ensure Tyler would come. Sarita Malik (Rekha Sharma’s character) was finally revealed as V, which I’d guessed at since she first appeared. Also I wonder if any more of the final five will turn out to Vs? And Ericka got put in charge of the task force to stop the Fifth Column.

Supernatural – Two Minutes to Midnight

This week’s Supernatural was really good and definitely deserves the spotlight treatment this week. Together the Winchester brothers face the last two horsemen and deal with the deadly Croatoan virus. If I had any complaint about the episode it would be how segmented it felt, there was a lot of story crammed into this episode that maybe should have been a little more spaced out, but still very very good.

FlashForward – Course Correction

This week’s episode set out to prove that the universe still has a plan for everyone, regardless how much they would like things to be different.

The woman who Al Gough sacrificed himself for was still run down by a car. Keiko very nearly found her way to Bryce, plus Lloyd and Olivia can’t keep their lips to themselves.

James Callis was absolutely brilliant this week, his dedication to the role is superb, although he’s so funny I can’t see how anyone else in the scene manages to keep a straight face.

However, this week’s episode focused mostly on Simon. firstly Mark rescued Annabelle, who informed Mark that Simon is going to cause the next blackout. The FBI also figure out, finally, that Simon is a perfect match for Suspect Zero. Personally, after the NLAP group owned up and said they caused the blackout, I would have already tried to match Simon, Lloyd and Gordon to Suspect Zero… but it’s the FBI so what can we really expect?

Stargate Universe - Sabotage

Last week’s cliffhanger resolved all too quickly this week as the ever present alien threat destroyed Destiny’s FLT engines, causing the ship to remain in range for Eli, Scott and Chloe to return. I had kind of hoped we would get some episodes with the three of them trapped and alone, while Rush and Young tried to turn Destiny around, but nevermind.

This episode was ok, the most important detail was that Dr.Franklin managed to gain control of the alien chair and through it Destiny. However, then he vanished… Did he become part of the ship? Is it now some kind of human hybrid? Who knows…

Still, it was enjoyable enough and we got to see a softer side to Rush’s character. As Destiny leaves the Galaxy, the Aliens follow and that cannot be a good thing for the human race… With only four episodes to go I wonder what will happen in next week's episode, Pain… Whatever it is it doesn't sound pleasant.

Legend of the Seeker -

Full details coming soon…

Coming Soon

Next week will see a special episode of Lost, plus the season finale of Supernatural. I’m hoping to bring you guys a Spotlight on Two Minutes Midnight as well although life is looking pretty hectic for the next few days… I’ll do what I can.

Until then this has been My Two Cents.

Weekly Round-Up: 25/04/10

Was there a sale on ex-Battlestar actors this week? Last week  Michael Trucco took up the spotlight in V and his fellow shipmates followed suit this week with Rekha Sharma (who played Tory) appearing in this week’s supernatural, James Callis in FlashForward and Tahmoh Penikett and Alessandro Juliani both turning up in the SyFy original movie Riverworld.

Regardless of that, this week was reasonably good. Another great episode of How I Met Your Mother, a better episode of V, plus seminal episodes of Supernatural and Flash Forward…

How I Met Your Mother – Home Wreckers

This week saw the wedding of Heroes actress Cristine Rose, otherwise known as Ted’s Mom. Virginia and Clint’s wedding is a difficult time for Ted as he struggles with how much of a disappointment his life is, although Clint’s song about sleeping with his mother certainly doesn’t help things.

By the way, if you are wracking your brains trying to figure out where you know Clint from… He’s Mayor Wilkins in BtVS.

As a way to cope with his failure to complete “the plan”, wife, kids, house, Ted sets out to do the one part he can, he buys a house. His friends however are less impressed with his genius idea, because, as it turns out, the house is a death trap. Of course, this being HIMYM the house, in fact, turns out to be the very house that Ted’s future children will grow up in.

All in all this was a good episode, the Drunk or Kid gameshow-style flashbacks felt a little too hammy, but otherwise a very enjoyable episode.

Lost – The Last Recruit

Ah Lost, I’ve already talked about this already this week, check out the Spotlight if you missed my musings.

V – We Can’t Win

This week’s V revolved around Anna using human’s to take out members of the fifth column. Specifically another ex-Battlestar actor, Ty Olsson who played Captain Kelly.

Also this week the V’s learn that Valerie is pregnant with a V-hybrid, but Ryan rescues her before she is abducted. Anna plans long term destruction by offering Earth a new energy source, which she intends to turn off once we are dependant on it… Really? We’ll become completely dependant in less than 4 episodes? Lisa fails Anna’s sympathy test and realises she is love with Tyler (then the two of them get freaky in a space shuttle.

All in all a lot of small things happened this week, but it was not as dull or exposition-y as normal. With only four episodes to go though things are still moving too slowly.

Supernatural – Hammer of the Gods

Although I’m not always a fan of these very heavy episodes, this week’s Supernatural needs some attention. So this week will see two Spotlight posts, this and Flash Forward.

FlashForward – The Garden of Forking Paths

As I mentioned I will be covering this episode in detail later in the week, so stay tuned.

Stargate Universe – Human

This week’s episode had many problems, but it also had some good stuff. This week’s episode featured a guest appearance by Michael Shanks, otherwise known as Daniel Jackson. Daniel appears in a dream sequence that is experienced by Rush as he sits in that alien chair built by the ancients. This sequence is used as a way to explain Rush’s backstory. He is approached by Daniel and offered the chance to become part of the Icarus project and we learn that he said yes, despite his wife being on her death bed.

Anyway the whole thing was a convoluted way of giving Rush a clue to unlocking Destiny’s systems. 46, apparently is the clue. This is explained as being the number of chromosomes in a human, and that it is double 23, which apparently has significance.  Anyway it will still be some time before they have full control of Destiny, meanwhile Eli, Chloe, Scott and Greer are trapped on a planet.

In a rather convoluted storyline the four explorers get caught in a cave in, after Greer discharges his weapon at a giant spider. Unfortunately the Giant Spider was a one off encounter used only to trigger the cave-in, which meant that the team missed the rendezvous and Destiny jumped into FTL and left them behind.

I like that they were left behind, it makes for an interesting ending to a less so episode. However, here is my problem… They have already shown that by sticking your arm through the open Stargate you can prevent Destiny jumping away… so why didn’t they. They could have held the ship there indefinitely. I hate the way this show lacks any kind of consistency.

That said, I think the next couple of episodes, which will revolve around the team being stuck on the planet and Rush trying to turn Destiny about, will make for some interesting viewing.

Clone Wars – Death Trap

Boba Fett and Aura Sing make their debuts in this Clone Trooper Cadet focused episode. Boba sneaks aboard an acclamator as part of a training squad of Cadets, with the sole purpose of killing Mace Windu, the Jedi that killed his father.

However, Boba fails, so he takes out the ship instead, before making his get away aboard Slave 1. The episode was ok. It was good to see Boba and Aura getting some screen time but the script was a bit weak. The destruction of the ship was cool though so that partly makes up for it.

Legend of the Seeker -

When I get round to watching this I’ll update this bit…

Coming Soon

Chuck returns next week, Lost reveals the Candidate, plus there is more from all our favourites. Plus, keep your eyes peeled for both of this week’s Spotlights.

Weekly Round-Up: 18/04/10

This week was a passable week in the world of television. Previously disappointing shows like V, SGU and Legend of the Seeker raised their game and gave us something better to enjoy. While the big guns Chuck and Supernatural disappointed, the former by not actually airing and the latter for just being a touch too heavy…

Anyway that’s enough from me, I will warn you there are some spoilers ahead, including a BSG final five cylons one… Sorry!

How I Met Your Mother – Zoo or False

This week’s HIMYM is very clever… joyously so. The writers very cleverly set up a story where Marshal tells two stories of a mugging. The first, vaguely scary, the second simply hilarious. As the episode develops it becomes impossible to tell which of the two stories is the truth and that is why it is so clever. Plus the King Kong ending is just genius.

It’s great to have this show back on our screens, very very funny.

Lost – Everybody Loves Hugo

A better episode from a season that has been rather lacking in good episodes. In Everybody Loves Hugo more people begin to see through the veil to their alternate lives. Hurley and Libby finally get it together in the alternaverse, but Desmond has it in for substitute teacher John Locke and runs the wheelchair bound fellow down with his car.

Why? I don’t know. If I had to take a guess its more of that universe-self-correcting nonsense we’ve seen elsewhere. Or possibly that the two Des’s have switched places…

Back on the island all the islanders, are now all hanging out with Smokey. John Locke throws Desmond down a well. Ilana manages to blow herself to pieces, then Hugo blew up the Black Rock, both using the unstable dynamite. After this Richard suggested that maybe they should just use the nice stable grenades the Others had in their stores… Jackass! Anyway, Hugo, being instructed by Michael refuses to go and instead leads everyone else, barring Miles Strum and Ben Linus to Smokey.

The major reveal this week was the truth behind the Whispers. Apparently they are the voices of the lost, those who did terrible things on the island and are incapable of moving on because of their sins. This begs the question about the people who have been allowed to leave. Eko, Ana and Charlie have all been seen by Hugo off island, yet they all murdered people on the island. So why was Michael trapped there when they weren’t?

V – John May

I would honestly not be surprised if Patrick Stewart turned up in this show next week, certainly every other actor from cult Sci-Fi Tv is here as, non other than, Battlestar Galactica’s Michael Trucco guest starred this week as the elusive John May. In fact, it seems that Trucco is playing an alien in human skin… has he done that before?

This week’s episode of V was certainly better. John May, the leader of the resistance and the beacon of hope amongst the Fifth Column turns out to be dead despite the message that’s been appearing over and over “John May Lives”. That said his son “James May”… no not the one from Top Gear… is alive and he joins the resistance. How well that will work out we’re not yet sure, now that we know resistance leader Ryan was the one who killed his father.

It’s certainly possible that John May is not dead and this is just misdirection, but with only 5 episodes to go I’d rather not have that “twist”.

Also this week Tyler discovers that his father (X-files’ Nicholas Lea) may not be his father at all. Top Reporter Chad Decker blackmails Anna and Joshua euthanizes resistance member Georgie Sutton.

Supernatural - Point of No Return

This week’s Supernatural saw a return to season 4 style mythology heavy storytelling that is somehow just less enjoyable. Adam, the Winchester Boys half-brother is returned to life by the angels and told that he is a candidate for Michael. This is a lie, used to lure Dean to Zachariah so that the Archangel can force him to say yes (although Dean was pretty much going to say yes anyway.)

Dean however uses the opportunity to knife the evil Angel, killing the annoying mother frakker once and for all… Huzzah.

FlashForward - Let No Man Put Asunder

As March 15th approaches Demetri and Zoey decide to tie the knot and flee the country. However, Dyson Frost is not about to let Dem get away and so on the morning of his wedding day the evil villain kidnaps Demetri. We also know by this point that Dyson has the gun that will kill our hero…

Also this week, Janis reveals that she is pregnant… As if Demetri’s life wasn’t complicated enough. Olivia and Lloyd kiss. (Bad, naughty Olivia!!!) and Marcie, the mole, refuses to talk based on her own personal vision of the future.

Oh… And Wedeck finances Aaron’s jaunt into Iraq and supplies him with guns and ammo… and I’m not talking about the magazine.

All in all it wasn’t a bad episode, I like the way the date was subtly brought up. I’m fairly sure Demetri is going to live through to the end of the season, but there was some good tension build up. However, except for the “There’s going to be another blackout” story, I fail to see what exactly will drive season 2. We kinda already know what caused the blackout and we know (pretty much) who was behind it. I just don’t see exactly what is left to discover should FF be renewed by the powers that be.

Stargate Universe - Faith

This was a better episode than we have had of late. Maybe it’s just that I’m currently watching Season 3 of BSG but this episode reminded me of the settlement on New Caprica. The crew of Destiny discover a man-made planet and sun, perfect for their needs. A small group spend a month there gathering supplies but when it comes time to return to Destiny some people don’t want to go back.

The beautiful (and now pregnant) TJ is one of the 11 people who want to stay behind, along with Matt and Chloe. However, Col. Young orders the military personnel to return and Destiny jumps away without us ever learning anything about the aliens that built the solar system.

The problem I have with the “We want to stay behind” storyline is that 11 people is not enough to start a society, it’s not even an even number for goodness sakes. But other than that I enjoyed the episode, plus we learnt that Col. Young is the father of TJ’s baby. All in all a better episode, keep it up guys.  

Legend of the Seeker – Vengeance

Talking of better episodes, this week’s Legend was better than previous episodes, although it still suffers from many many flaws. These were not limited to this week’s quest for an instruction manual for the Stone of Tears. This kind of story element is so pedestrian its untrue.

John Rhys Davies’ appearance as none other than Richard’s father was rather enjoyable, although his death was rather predictable as none of Richard’s relatives live past the end of an episode (with the exception of his sister, but she got the Hot Girl Invincibility Pass.). Legend is stuck in a rut and until this Stone of Tears story is over it will be impossible for them to break out of it, hopefully if the show runs to a third season they will reassess the way they deal with story telling.

That said, I did enjoy it. I’m not sure how the Sisters of the Dark turned up at the end as I was under the impression that Nicci had killed them all. The fight sequences were mostly good, although slightly ridiculous. The fight with Zed in the monastery was particularly spectacular.

So, that’s about it for this week. Tune in around midweek for a spotlight or first impressions/10 reasons post. Until then, this has been My Two Cents.

Weekly Round-Up: 11/04/10

I’m a bit behind this week as a visit from a childhood friend kept me from my Tv set. This means that I will update this post later in the week as I watch the missing shows.

Good week? Yes indeedy. Chuck takes on Superman in a duel to the death, Desmond returns to the island in Lost and the Winchester Boys go head to head with the Whore of Babylon in Supernatural!

Chuck - vs. The Other Guy

This week’s episode follows directly on from the end of last weeks as Chuck, with the help of John Casey attempts to rescue Sarah from Shaw. However, Shaw wasn’t planning to kill Sarah, in fact he was preparing her for a mission where they could take out the Ring and capture the Cypher (the brain of the Ring’s new intersect computer.)

At this point I sighed, another episode of Chuck where the cliffhanger from the previous episode is resolved without drastic consequences… Boy did I sigh too soon. It seems that Agent Shaw has switched sides, now working against the CIA who had Sarah murder his wife, he hands over the intersect data and is about to murder Sarah… And he would have gotten away with it too if it hadn’t been for that pesky Chuck.

While Chuck and Shaw have their final showdown Casey mops up the rest of the Ring capturing the Ring Director (Mark Sheppard) and handing him over to Beckman in exchange for being reinstated, with a new Crown Victoria (lol) and in exchange for making Morgan an agent! (So cool)

In a very James Bond-esque ending Sarah and Chuck finally end up together and when Beckman (i.e. M) calls to give Chuck (i.e. Bond) a new mission he simply ignores her… Very nice reference guys. However as Chuck and Sarah get freaky we are reminded, as the camera pans down the bed, that Chuck is still Chuck, because despite being a superspy, with his super hot girl, he’s still wearing his ‘Chuck’ sneakers! Nice Touch!

Lost – Happily Ever After

This episode focused almost completely on alternate Desmond. Charles Widemore blasts island Desmond with lots of EM energy and then we are treated to a lot of Other Desmond stuff. In the flash sideways Des is Widemore’s right hand man. Also Charles is married to Eloise and not whoever Penny’s mother is. Eloise still seems to have some strange power to know the past, present and future and can possibly even see into the alternaverse.

Charlie Pace also feature’s prominently in the episode, revealing to Desmond how to ‘pierce the veil’ and see into the alternate universe (i.e. one where he is happy with Penny and his Son).  

After the experiment on the island Widemore releases Desmond, who has now changed from the angry Scotsman he was into a compliant young man, much like the Des in the flash sideways. Have the two switched, possibly even become a single entity? I honestly have no idea.

The episode was an interesting exploration of what Desmond could have been had things been different, but it also suffered, like much of this season, from being quite convoluted in order to retain the air of mystery that Lost prides itself on. Certainly Daniel Faraday’s theoretical conversation that he has with Desmond about the fact that he believes he set off a nuclear bomb seems, not only far fetched that he would be that specific, but ridiculous.

Anyway, not long to go now… it can’t get too much more bizarre can it?

V – Pound of Flesh

Another two cult favourites popped up in this week’s, slightly more interesting, episode of V in the form of Samantha Ferris (Supernatural’s Ellen) and Nicholas Lea (the X-Files’ Alex Krycek). The episode revolved around the Fifth Column, an organisation of Visitors, living on earth and ready to fight Anna. However, there is no way to simultaneously cause them all to rise up, so Ryan (eventually) volunteers to go aboard the V ship and broadcast a message to start the revolution.

Of course, while he’s there he steals a chemical compound to help his pregnant wife carry his child to term. Unfortunately, after sending his message Ryan is about to be captured by the V’s until Georgie sacrifices himself to let Ryan escape.

Halfway there and still no major action… but with Anna building an invasion force things have to start heating up for the last six episodes of this “long anticipated” miniseries.  

Supernatural – 99 Problems

And the bitch is one! This week’s episode introduced yet another character from the Christian myths, the Whore of Babylon. However, regardless of how much fun the core of the episode was, it was not the most important thing to happen… oh no…

After Dean finished off the foul creature (that could only be killed by a servant of heaven) he took off in the Impala and went to see Lisa, the hot girl with a son he thought might be his, to tell her that if he wasn’t a hunter he would have married her… And you know what (assuming I hadn’t met Jo first) I would marry her too! But the reason he drops this bombshell on Lisa? Because he is about to go and say yes to Michael, with the condition that Lisa and her son Ben are protected.

The title of next week’s episode “Point of No Return” certainly suggests that Dean will go through with his plan but we’ll have to wait and see…

FlashForward – Queen Sacrifice

This week FlashForward turns into 24 as moles are abound in the FBI office… That’s right I said “moles” plural. It seems that the Three Star gang are watching Mark Benford very closely and they are using one of his closest allies to do so. My problem here is that Janis has been FAR TOO HELPFUL to be a mole. She discovered the man in the stadium, the crow death in Somalia… if she is working against Benford she isn’t doing a very good job.

Of course, the intent might not be to burn the investigation, but to help it along for another insidious purpose. However with both Janis and Simon working against them the Mosaic task force seems pretty well screwed.

Also this week Bryce finally admits he has feelings for Nicole, while the love of his life, Keiko, lands herself a job in a chop shop, only to be arrested by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) the following day. This was an endearing segment of the FlashForward story that hints at the future being malleable.

All in all this episode was ok. In some aspects it was ridiculous (not as bad as Lost though) but it was also cute and interesting. I’m interested to see where Janis’ character will be taken now that she is revealed as a mole, in fact, that’s more interesting than the series tagline “There will be another Blackout” Anyway, I guess we’ll have to wait til next week for answers.

Clone Wars – The Zillo Beast & The Zillo Beast Strikes Back

In the first of these two episodes the Jedi are on the homeworld of the Dugs (the same race as Sebula the podracer from episode one) seeking a treaty to secure a fuel supply. To win the Dugs over the Jedi must destroy a massive droid army using a new EMP type bomb. The bomb however created a sink hole which releases the Zillo beast, a creature that looks not unlike Groudon (the big red pokemon from the Ruby edition of that game and yes I had to use wikipedia to find out the name!). The Dugs insist on killing the creature, while Mace Windu is intent on keeping it alive.

To that end the Jedi work together to bring it down, but alive, getting the Dugs to sign the treaty and transporting the beast off world… to Coruscant no less… Is it just me or can you say “Godzilla”?

So, predictably, the Zillo beast got loose and set about destroying downtown as it searched for the man that had sentenced it to death, Senator Palpatine. This second episode, due to it’s predictable nature, was a lot less satisfying. The end however was unexpected as Senator Palpatine ordered the doctor in charge of the project to attempt to clone the Zillo beast… presumably for an episode entitled “Return of the Zillo Beast” Although an unexpected twist I can’t say it’s a particularly thrilling one.

Stargate Universe – Divided

Well, this week saw the return of the nameless aliens that are plaguing Destiny. Apparently they want the ship for themselves (although they seem to plan on getting it by blowing it up… huh?) and to that end they implanted a tracking device in Rush so they can follow her through FTL.

To keep Col. Young from flushing him out the airlock Rush takes over the ship, or at least he tries to. However when his plan endangers Young and Scott he stops, surely it would have made more sense to sacrifice them but never mind.

This week was better than last, but not a whole lot, that’s why it took me so long to get round to watching it. Bring back Caprica… that’s what I say.

Legend of the Seeker –Desecrated

This week’s Legend of the Seeker was yet another one off story. There wasn’t even a mention of the Keeper or the Stone of Tears. This whole season-long story arc has been really rather disappointing. At least when Richard was after Darken Rahl in season one, it felt like he was getting somewhere, but this season the “compass” has just led Richard, Kahlan and Zed on a wild goose chase of unconnected and relatively unexciting errands.

Next week’s episode promises to be somewhat more interesting as John Rhys Davies, the professor from Sliders, or, as some know him, Gimli from The Lord of the Rings, joins the cast. In these final few episodes I’m hoping for some real story telling, some real action and some real consequences, although I’m not holding my breath.

Coming Soon

I’m pretty sure that a new episode of How I Met Your Mother will air on Monday with more from all of our favourites here at Two Cents. Also I’m not sure what this week’s spotlight might be on but we’ll see later. Until next week, this has been My Two Cents…

Weekly Round-Up: 26/03/07

I certainly wish I’d written this week’s post as I watched the  shows… there have been rather a lot of them!

So without further ado, let’s get down to it. Beware the following post does contain spoilers including what THE ISLAND is!!!

Chuck – vs. The Final Exam

Chuck really is going from strength to strength and unlike I announced last week Chuck is now running to at least 18 episodes not the 13 I was aware of.

Picking up where last week left off, Chuck is about to face his final test and become a real spy, while Sarah prepares to leave for D.C with Shaw. Casey however now has only one goal in life and that is to be the best Buy Morian he can be.

All of this, Chuck trying to deal with life as a spy and Casey trying to be a civilian, it just works. By the end of the episode Chuck has passed his final test, the “Red Test” and is on his way to start his new spy life in Rome.

But with Sarah in D.C, Chuck in Rome and Casey in Burbank how will the show go on? I doubt that the writers will allow the team to be split up and they will find some convoluted way to bring them all back together but still, its definitely looking exciting.

However the most important thing to happen is that Sarah is no longer in love with Chuck because she believes, falsely, that he killed a defecting agent.

I can’t wait for more Chuck!

How I Met Your Mother – Say Cheese

This week’s episode was ok. Lilly challenges Ted to “Name that Skank” as the show finally admits that Ted is a bit of a manwhore. While Robin makes it her mission to take a bad photo of Barney, in a series of slapstick moments with the same punchline, but that are somehow still funny.

With only a few episodes to go before the season finale I wonder if we are still to be treated to a few more how I “almost” met your moments???

Lost – Ab Aeterno

Ah… that “pivotal” moment we’ve spent six seasons waiting for apparently happened this week. We finally know what the Island is…

IT’S A PRISON… for Smokey… ok and?

This week’s episode focused on Richard “The Ageless” Alpert. With some continuity errors and a lot of faux religious nonsense we arrived at the final conclusion about what the island really is.

It was explained to us (in story telling flashback fashion no less) that Jacob is the keeper of the island, the gaoler for the black smoke and that the two of them are incapable of killing one another. However, as we know, Jacob can be killed by someone else. Knowing this Jacob intentionally brings other people to the island to allow them to be tempted by Smokey. Those that fail to redeem themselves are presumably at some point tested and killed, those that pass through the temptation… well… who knows?

Anyway, it was all vaguely nonsensical and a rather disappointing “conclusion” to some of the LOST mysteries. Certainly the way that Richard perceives the island “This is hell” and “You’re all dead” is not a million miles off what everyone was saying around the midpoint of season 1. The idea of the island as Hell is an interesting one though as Jacob (Mark Pellegrino) is in fact Satan on CW’s Supernatural. Could it be that he is in fact the devil on two different shows simultaneously?

FlashForward - Blowback

After last week’s action packed episode this week’s FlashForward was a return to the talky-talky style episodes prior to the hiatus. Possibly the most interesting story was Aaron and Tracey. Tracey was recaptured by Jericho, a mercenary organisation headed up by James Remar. A news clipping in the hallway of his house proclaims Remar’s character as Jericho’s General, it cannot be coincidence that Remar once played Jonah Prowse, leader of a band of mercenaries on the CBS show Jericho?

Aaron learns that Jericho has Tracey and so he sets out on his journey to fulfil his flash forward by travelling to Iraq.

Other than that Mark finally discovers that Lloyd knows D. Gibbons and Demetri discovers that the gun that will be used to kill him has been stolen from the evidence room.

Supernatural – Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid

Another good fun episode of my favourite show of the moment. This week’s episode manages to be funny, scary, sweet and gross all at the same time and let’s face it, that’s why we all love this show.

So this week the Fourth Horseman sends Bobby Singer a message in the form of his dead wife returned to life. In fact the whole town see Zombies rise and rejoin their families… only… there is a catch… It seems that the Zombies, while appearing sweet and innocent still really want to EAT YOUR BRAINS!!!

In a rather Dawn of the Dead style tribute Sam and Dean set about decapitating the living dead as they try to save their wheelchair bound mentor.

Although I did enjoy the episode for what it was I was rather disappointed that there wasn’t a zombie attack on the police precinct, that would have been cool. Another really fun episode in the countdown to the season finale.

Caprica – End of the Line

So, the last episode before the hiatus… that deserves spotlighting dontcha think? Tune in again soon for my thoughts on this jam packed episode.

Clone Wars – Cat and Mouse

Best episode of Clone Wars in a while! In a very space action orientated episode Anakin gets to fly a new stealth vessel prototype against a dead adversary, Trench (voice by non-other than Agent Smith!).

Of course I don’t ever recall seeing “Cloaking” ships in Star Wars but that is beside the point. The episode is still pretty good and the character of Trench is a lot of fun. Also Admiral Yularen finally got some proper screen time this week, which was nice for him.

All in all a good fun episode. Hopefully the show will continue to pick up as it rolls on towards the season finale.

Legend of the Seeker – Creator

In a time when I thought “Clip Shows” were a thing of the past Legend brings us this. The worst thing about this week’s episode (and it wasn’t the 60% recycled materials) was that it had the possibility to be a real mythology challenging episode, but instead it whimped out at the last second and became just another one off.

This week’s episode revolved around the return of the Creator in human form. The Sisters of the Light all gave their power to one girl that they believed (possibly brainwashed into thinking) was the Creator. Then they sent her on a mission to kill Richard.

Notably this means that there are no more Sisters of the Light and only one remaining Sister of the Dark…

Using flashbacks the Creator tries to prove that Richard is working for the Keeper, while Kahlan tries to prove the opposite.

The episode ends with Darken Rahl trying to open a rift to drag the Creator into the underworld. Richard saves her and she closes the rift. Doing so drains her of her powers, thus removing “The Creator made Human” as a possible element in the endgame. Also the fact that Richard saved her made her instantly change her mind about him being an agent of the Keeper.

Things could have been so different… Clip shows and a one off episodes that don’t really add to the story are really the detriment of this show. It’s a fantasy show, it should have a grand plot interweaved with many many subplots that are just as grand or fun or dark. It’s such a shame, this show could be so much more than it is. Oh well…

Coming Soon

Ok… I absolutely promise that V is coming back this week, not that I’m that bothered, but I’d like to see how it ends. Also returning this week is Stargate Universe, plus more from everything else except Caprica which will return in the autumn.  

Weekly Round-Up: 21/03/10

Well… I’ve certainly been busy this week. Several new features  have been added to the blog to make finding your favourite Tv Shows even easier. Firstly I’ve added a new flash button that allows you to navigate the site by show and by season, as well as being able to see if the show has a 10 Reasons or First Impressions post. Currently the list only has the shows from the old Navigate This Blog list, however other shows will be added to the list.

Secondly I’ve added a google search bar which not only searches the posts on the blog but it also searches posts in the other blogs I read, which gives me a good excuse to start reading more.

Finally I’ve added a Reactions link at the bottom of the posts so you can give the thumbs up to the posts you like.

So then, lets take a look at this week’s Tv…

Chuck – Vs. The Tic Tac

An excellent episode of the comedy spy drama again this week. Want to know more check out the Spotlight directly below this post.

Lost – Recon

Possibly the best episode of Lost so far this season, although that’s not saying much. Quite a lot of stuff going on this week. We find out that the rest of flight 316 are dead, presumably killed by Smokey. We learn Smokey plans to use the plane to escape the island, but that would mean he needs Frank?! Charles Widmore finally arrives at the island with the intension of killing Smokey… So Charles is a good guy? What about the boat load of people he sent to the island to kill everyone?

Clare tries to kill Kate and Sayid is depressed. Sawyer is playing both sides promising to help Smokey kill Widmore and visa versa, while all the time he plans to escape with Kate in Widmore’s sub.

Meanwhile in Sawyer’s flash sideways we learn that he is still searching for Anthony Cooper (Not Sawyer) but that he is now a cop. As has become typical in the Flash Sideways, his partner is non-other than Mile Straum. But if Sawyer is a cop then why did he help Kate escape in the season premiere? Well I guess we’ll find out soon enough because the two of them run into each other again right at the end of the episode.

Next week will see Richard Alperts backstory along with further revelations about what the Island actually is. 

Flash Forward – Revelation Zero

Finally an episode that is actually relevant. This episode led by Simon (Dominic Monaghan) is actually a lot better and a really good start to the second half of the season. As such it will be getting the Spotlight treatment later this week.

Clone Wars – Senate Murders

As may have become clear of late I’m a little disillusioned with the second season of Clone Wars. Season one was so jam packed with action and interesting episode, while season 2 has continued to fall flat.

This week’s episode is no different as we are faced with a Padme led episode about a murdered Senator. Padme is trying to pass a motion to stop the production of more Clones, which seems ridiculous to me, but even after one of the forerunners of the campaign is murdered the motion is still passed and the production of Clones will continue.

Who would have thought? 

Caprica – Ghosts in the Machine

Well… This week was certainly quite a dark episode, no? Having discovered that the AI in the robot is in fact his daughter Zoe, Daniel Greystone sets out to force her to reveal herself. Daniel puts the robot through a series of trials (including forcing her to shoot her own dog) hoping to force it to show him a sign that it is his daughter.

Meanwhile, Joseph takes on New Cap City looking for his daughter, but all his can find is her signature on every wall.

All in all this week was a pretty good episode, I’m really enjoying the series as a futuristic look at modern society, but I’m still eager to see where it is all leading to.

Legend of the Seeker – Bound

So, this week’s episode was another one-shot “Star Trek” style story where nothing really that important happened. The freshly resurrected Sister Nicci casts a spell to bond herself to Kahlen in order to force Richard to lead her to the Stone of Tears.

By the end of the episode Nicci has failed, but she has also eliminated the remaining Sisters of the Dark and taken their power. Legend really could be more than just a collection of one off stories, it’s such a shame that it still hasn’t evolved into something deeper. It’s still fun and visually wonderful, it just feels like it could be something more.

Coming Soon

Next week sees Supernatural and V return, along with what promises to be a pivotal episode in the LOST canon. Also I’ll be breaking down that mammoth FlashForward episode in my weekly Spotlight… but until then, this has been My Weekly Scheduled Two Cents.

Weekly Round-up: 07/03/10

Even with the Olympics out of the way it’s still been a slow week for Tv. This week enjoyed another episode of Chuck, HIMYM, Lost, Caprica and Legend of the Seeker… That’s right folks, I’m all caught up!

So without further ado, lets get right into it… beware episode spoilers may feature below…

Chuck -  Vs. The Fake Name

Another pretty good episode of Chuck in which Chuck assumes the identity of an assassin paid to take out Agent Shaw. In the process Chuck discovers the relationship between Sarah and Shaw and realises he still has feelings for her, which drives him to break up with Hannah (Gasp!).

However the fact that Chuck is really beginning to out grow his handlers seems to be changing the feel of the show. There is less camaraderie between Casey, Chuck and Sarah and that is a shame. I’m interested to see where Chris and Josh will take the show, I just hope it doesn’t lose it’s charm in the process. 

How I Met Your Mother – Hooked

This week’s episode examines that part of the human psyche that we all use from time to time. The part that preys on other peoples affection for us to our own benefit. Of course, HIMYM refers to it as “being on the hook” and they don’t make it sound as dark and depressing as I just did.

It’s not a bad episode, quite a few laughs but nothing ground-breakingly funny.

Lost – Sundown

I’ve already talked about this earlier this week, but I will say that the show is certainly building towards the War we were promised and Smokey-Locke looks like he’s winning.

Caprica – Know Thy Enemy

Finally James Marsters in Caprica… well… a little bit anyway. Caprica, so far, has been one of those shows that builds up really slowly and we’ve never really known exactly where it is going, but now I think we are beginning to get an idea.

Firstly Graystone Industries is pushing forward the idea of Cylons as labourers because of Amanda Graystone’s revelation that her daughter my have been a Solider of the One. This will fulfil that opening segment of the BSG pilot that reads “The Cylons were created to make life easier on the twelve colonies.”

Secondly Lacy is trying to get Zoey’s avatar to Geminon and she hopes to use Barnabus Greeley (Marsters) to do. This means, of course, stealing the Cylon prototype, which will presumably fall into the wrong hands.

Finally Clarice, one of the Soldiers of the One, hopes to discover the truth about the Zoe avatar to offer all STO members eternal life. Will this plan work? Will all the Cylons have distinct personalities?

Who knows…?

Legend of the Seeker – Princess

Ok… so this didn’t air this week… but I watched it this week… that has to count right?  

This was an episode showcasing just how beautiful Tabrett Bethell is. However it was also one of the funniest and least serious episodes of the show to date. Tabrett certainly brings a fantastic new energy to the show that it sorely lacked in the first season and it is great to see her get two episodes about her character in a row.

Sister Nicci, leader of the Sisters of the Dark, returns to life this week as she tries to capture and kill Kahlen, the mother confessor. She uses a local Lord to have him kidnap Kahlen in exchange for immunity from the Keeper. However, of course, Richard, Cara and Zedd go after her. Unable to use magic they portray a family of royal suitors to gain access to the palace and hilarity ensues.

I’m still not a big fan of the one-shot nature of the story telling in Legend but I’m still spell bound by the production quality.  

Coming Soon…

Nothing new to talk about next week. Supernatural, Legend of the Seeker and V will all return the week after next, with FlashForward back in April.

Until next week…