There is no bug or slime indigenous to church thrift stores.

Now that I’m feeling somewhat better, it’s time for a three-in-one post.



Friday Night Lights - Backfire
Riggins accompanies Street to Mexico to explore an experimental surgery involving shark blood. Riggins spends the entire trip drunk, except when he sobers up long enough to call Lyla for help. Meanwhile, Coach Taylor moves home to find out that the current Dillon coach refuses to leave. After a small battle, Taylor gets his job back. Finally, Landry wants to turn himself in after the police find a body in the river. Tyra convinces him to keep quiet and is called down to the station herself, but only so the police can tell her that they have found her attacker. Photo © NBC.

Part One: How Friday Night Lights Has Turned Me Into A Pedophile

I was grocery shopping on Friday evening after work, at a grocery store that happens to be near a high school, and as I was walking to my car I heard the booming of an announcer’s voice. And I realized—high school football game! As I drove out of the parking lot and past the field, I was thinking of FNL and checking out the players. And then I went home and barfed, cause they were at the most 18 years old. Damn you, Friday Night Lights!

I was incredibly wary of the Landry-Tyra-murder storyline when it first reared its little head, because a large part of what makes this show so fascinating is the relatively mundane nature of the characters’ lives and what they go through. However, I can admit that I was wrong. The story is unfolding quite nicely, although I assume that someone else will find out about what they did eventually. Perhaps Landry’s dad, but he will protect his only son? We’ll see. Another good thing: Julie finally realizes that the Swede is not so great, and stops being such a terrific brat. Hopefully now that she seems to be settling down and Coach Taylor is home, Tami will stop being a quivering mess (not that I blame her, mind you). Overall a strong season so far, although seriously lacking in Matt Saracen action.

Bones - The Mummy in the Maze
It's the annual Jeffersonian Halloween Ball, but a trio of missing girls puts the fun on hold. Booth & Brennan must solve the case before the killer strikes again on Halloween. Photo © FOX TV.

Really the only great thing about this episode was everyone doing lab work in costume. The end.

Reaper – Leon
The Devil, depressed by Halloween’s “commercialization of evil,” gives Sam an extra-tough assignment in order to make himself feel better -- catching the soul of serial killer named "The Butcher of Ballard." Meanwhile, Sock befriends a seemingly not-so-evil escaped soul (Patton Oswalt). Photo © The CW.

Reaper doesn’t try to be more than it is, but I sure do love it when they throw in little bits of wisdom that could actually mean something. I wish they would push that envelope further. So far the stories are all "Sam finds escaped soul, Sam is awkward around Andi, Andi is a bitch, Sam captures soul with help of friends." I wish it was a little more difficult for them to capture the souls once in a while -- they need to get beat up a little more. Currently it all seems too easy. I truly enjoy this show but it needs to step up its game a tad to keep the viewers' interest.

Tonight two lines that struck me were “God forgives sins if you are truly repentant” and “betrayal is the defining trait of humanity.” We know that Sam’s father has betrayed him (whether it was for “his own good” remains to be seen), and I half expected that when Leon repented at the end of the episode, he would somehow escape his fate. I guess I am too sappy. But hooray for Sam finally owning his bounty hunter position, and even standing up to the devil! I want him to stop with the moping "why must I endure this fate" melodrama and just become a badass already.

Now for the bad part. Seriously, what writer thought up the character of Andi? She is not endearing. She is not even charmingly neurotic. She’s just kinda nuts. These kids are supposed to be college-aged, so why does Andi behave as though she’s in middle school? Her ridiculous ultimatum that they couldn’t be friends anymore was pretty lame. I understand less and less why Sam is even supposed to like this girl in the first place. She’s a boring drama queen. No thanks. The show would be much better if Sam and Andi were just buddies, at least on the surface. They could even have obvious crushes on each other, but "keep it to themselves" and pretend to be just friends (Pacey & Joey Season 3, anyone?) The sexual tension would be more believable, like it was in the first couple episodes. Back then, I bought Sam and Andi's "flirtatious friends" schtick. The scene at the college when Sam is all set to declare his love just as Andi tells him she needs her life to stay the same...classic! But now, just a few episodes later, I don't see much chemistry between the two at all.

The fun bits:
- Ted dressed as Jack Sparrow.
- “If I were a serial killer I’d be Murder Man or Killbot.”
- The signs marking various businesses: “Booze,” “Tickle Massage,” etc.
- “I’m gonna give you a man hug.” “That’d be nice.”

How do you think Reaper is doing? Leave us a comment!