On Hiatus

Sorry for the super-lazy lack of posting, but we were on vacation, and now everything is off-air until January. Please stand by -- we will be back in full force come 2009!

Supernatural S4E10: Heaven and Hell

“Why don’t you try J Date?”

We pick up right where the left off, with Castiel and Uriel claiming that Anna is far from an innocent. Suddenly, they are yanked away in a flash of light. The boys find Anna drawing symbols on the wall in her own blood – she sent them away with a spell that just “popped into her head.”

The boys get Pamela (the psychic who went blind trying to see who saved Dean), to find out what the deal with Anna is. Pamela hypnotizes her, and she goes freaking nuts. But, upside, she remembers who she is. And it turns out she’s a fallen angel. A really powerful fallen angel who disobeyed God and ripped out her grace to become human. Ruby looks shocked – this is way more than she had bargained for. Anna is determined to find her grace.

They are painting quite an interesting picture of Christianity in this season of Supernatural. First, Castiel admitted that he doubts God’s will sometimes. Now, Anna says that angels take the existence of God on faith. Only four have actually seen him. If they don’t have faith, they are killed. Dean relates to the idea of an absentee father whose commands you are meant to follow blindly. They find where Anna’s grace landed on Earth (really easily), but someone has taken it.
The angels threaten that if Dean doesn’t give up Anna, they’ll send him back to hell.

Later, Anna tells Dean that she has heard the angels talking about what he did in hell. He can’t talk about it. She says he should forgive himself. Meanwhile. Ruby burns the hex bag that has been hiding them, and brings Alastair. She’ll give him Anna in exchange for the rest of them. Instead, Alastair tortures Ruby. It’s super bloody and there’s a lot of screaming.

Dean sleeps with Anna, then Uriel comes to him in a dream. Uriel has her grace, and Dean tries to scarfice himself but Uriel makes a persuasive offer. Once everyone is awake, Castiel and Uriel appear. Dean gave up Anna, because they threatened to kill Sam. She understands.

Alastair then appears, and they battle. He says that Dean had such promise. Anna steals her grace back from Uriel, and explodes in a ball of light, killing Alastair. Turns out Ruby didn’t rat them out – instead, it was all Sam’s idea.

At the end, they have a bro talk on the hood of the Impala. Dean reveals that even though on earth he was in hell for four months, below it was more like 40 years. They carved him up until there was nothing left, and then he would magically become whole again and they’d start all over. After 30 years, he couldn’t take it anymore, and agreed to torture others. He wishes now that he couldn’t feel anything. They both cry. It’s really quite sad.

Supernatural returns January 15.

ANTM Cycle 11: Winner Edition

The girls shoot another commercial, this time with a line in Dutch. They also don’t get a teleprompter. Afterward, they shoot a Cover Girl ad.

Annaleigh completely blanks. She tears up, and says she can see her dreams slipping away. She lost all her personality, so Jay breaks it down line by line for her. She does better after that. In her shot, the photographer comments that she really uses her body.

McKey can’t remember her lines and is super nervous. She starts out stiff, but improves as she goes. Still, though she delivers her lines well she is jittery. Her photo is unique.

Samantha remembers her lines, but has no energy. In her photo, she struggled. Her poses were not clever.

DURING PANEL
Annaleigh’s commercial was painful, but she looked gorgeous. Her photo looks like an actress’ headshot, and she does the same face over and over.

McKey talked too fast but looked great. Unlike the other girls, her photo “looks like a model.” But sometimes in her film, she looked crazy.

Samantha’s commercial was distracted, choppy, unconvincing. She was insecure. Her photo was adorable but looked forced.

Annaleigh is eliminated. I find that bullshit.

McKey and Samantha do their 17 cover shoots, and they both “astound” the editor. Their runway is insane, involving ramps and stairs. They both look utterly terrified. Nobody falls down, but their walks are kind of lackluster. Once she gets out there, McKey transforms. She struts her stuff and looks proud. Samantha just looks scared.

And (in one of the least surprising ANTM finales to date) the winner is … McKey.

Fringe S1E8: The Equation

“What’s up, Chachi?”

A woman who uses flashing lights to hypnotize her victims kidnaps a musical child prodigy. Several other geniuses have been abducted and then returned, only to go insane. One of them, Dashiell Kim, is a patient in the asylum from which Walter was recently sprung. So, Walt goes back in to glean information from Kim. The warden (who I think is the sheriff from Roswell) is mean and threatens to force Walter’s permanent return to the institution. Peter makes vague threats. Olivia doesn’t end up catching the bad guy, who does something weird with an apple.



* There is much discussion online about the apple. The prevailing thought seems to be that the equation rearranged the molecules of the safe so our mystery man could reach through its wall to retrieve the apple. Hmmmm.

* What was going on with Walter’s hallucinations of himself, quite sharply dressed, when he went back into the institution?

* Peter is now so protective of his dad, I love it! One of the best moments of the night was Walter expressing frustration at his failure to get info from Kim, and asking Peter “is that what it’s like to talk to me?” Peter’s sweet smile could have melted an iceberg.

* Ben was supposed to have woken up from a coma and suddenly have the ability to play the piano. All of the people who were kidnapped, including Ben, were trying to solve the same equation (each musical note corresponds to a number, etc). So…did someone do something to Ben while he was in the coma? Also, the focus on Peter’s piano playing thus far has been a little weird. Is this why they’ve been doing that?

* The fact that they kept switching between calling the kid “Ben” and “Bean” was really distracting.

* Peter tells Olivia to keep an eye out for a red castle and she looks up and sees a red castle? Seriously?

* I’m getting kind of irritated with the number of plot points introduced and then abandoned. I know they’ll come back eventually, but still. Where is Nina? What happened to Massive Dynamic’s supposed involvement with the Pattern? What’s with the mole couple from the last episode? Who is this Joanne Ostler woman, why was she presumed dead, and who in hell is the apple man? Is the next episode going to move along as though none of this has happened?

* Why do I not care as much as everyone else about trying to spot the Observer in each episode?

* Olivia fought dirty when she was kicking the crap out of Joanne, which somehow makes me like her more.

Next week: something crazy happens.

90210 S1E11: That Which We Destroy

Well. If I had realized that 90210 would not be on again until January 6, I certainly would not have skipped it last night. Oops. Here is the TWOP recap instead.

HIMYM S4E8: Woooo!

Another day, another not-so-great episode of HIMYM. This one revolved around “Woo!” girls. You know, girls at the bar who go out in groups and throw their arms in the air and go “Woooo!” whenever anything happens. It had the potential to be really funny, but the jokes fell flat. And the rhyming…dear god, the rhyming.

But the worst part of the night had to be Robin claiming that all single people are secretly depressed and yearning for coupledom. Was she just trying to reassure Lily because she couldn’t woo sufficiently? Normally I would think so, but this incident paired with Robin stealing a baby sock last week had me wondering. Robin’s character has become kind of pathetic.

Meanwhile, Barney tries to steal the title of Ted’s Best Friend by hooking him up to design his firm’s new headquarters. But then he is wooed by the Swedish collective SVEN’s idea – a building shaped like a T-Rex that shoots fire from its mouth. Marshall yells at him, Barney changes his mind, and Ted’s firm gets the project. Blah.

P.S., I'm a genius.

To find out why, click here. But be warned, spoilers for a recently-canceled show that I used to blog about lie ahead.

Thanks to Lainey for the info!

Supernatural S4E9: I Know What You Did Last Summer

Well, now we know for sure that Sam and Ruby have been having sex. Ugh. But this episode was interesting. It set up an intriguing story, and then basically abandoned it to tell us what Sam did while Dean was in hell.

First, the story: a young woman named Anna can hear angels talking, and everyone thinks she’s insane when she tries to tell them about Lilith and Lucifer and the end of the world. She reveals that there are 600 possible seals in the world – it’s just that only 66 have to be broken in order to set Lucifer free. This means it is nearly impossible to stop Lilith, because no one can know which 66 she’s gunning for.

Anna first “overheard” the chatter the same day Dean was pulled from hell – and the first thing she heard? “Clear as a bell. Dean Winchester is saved.” But then a powerful demon shows up and Ruby (yeah, she’s there) demands that Sam use his abilities. Stuck with no other choice, he does. However, this demon is a little too powerful for that.



While Ruby sneaks Anna out the back, he tosses Sam down a flight of stairs and then attacks Dean – who recognizes him from the pit, as Alastair. Before we can learn anything more, Sam stabs Alastair with Ruby’s knife. This also doesn’t work, and only has the effect of losing the knife. With nowhere else to go, the Winchester boys leap through a stained glass window.

Back at the hotel, Sam sews up a nasty gash on his arm before popping Dean’s dislocated shoulder back into place. I like this. Now that I think about it, we rarely see the aftermath of the battles on this show. Anyway, this is where we get the brunt of Sam’s past. After Dean’s death, a drunken Sam tries to make a deal with the Crossroads Demon. Seriously? This again? Fortunately, the demon says the same thing – and this time, it won’t work. They’ve got Dean right where they want him, and Sam’s paltry little soul isn’t worth the exchange. Sam weaves his way home, where a blond secretary version of Ruby shows up ostensibly to kill him, but ends up killing her demon partner instead.

Sam is not happy to see Ruby again, and asks whose body she’s in this time. “You never asked me that before,” she says. Which is kind of interesting, really. But Sam is all high and mighty now. So, Ruby possesses the body of coma patient who has just that second been taken off life support, after making sure the woman’s spirit had moved on. Ruby sure does jump through a lot of hoops for young Winchester. What is her endgame?



After demanding that he sober up, Ruby tries to teach Sam to use his abilities in order to (someday) kill Lilith, but Sam’s not so good at it. As a consolation, Ruby seduces him, saying her new body is “warm and soft inside.” This line, combined with the awful faces Jared Padalecki makes when he’s simulating sex, cause a very uncomfortable couple of minutes. And like me, Dean is also disgusted.

Anyway, a very determined Past Sam goes on a suicide mission to avenge his big brother’s murder. Ruby tries to stop him, but he takes off after Lilith. Naturally it’s a trap, and when Ruby is attacked Sam finally harnesses his powers to save her. So that’s it. Ruby saved Sam’s life, and taught him how to continue to fight without his brother’s backup. That’s a lotta exposition!

In the end, Ruby temporarily commandeers a maid’s body in order to get a message to the boys. They meet up with Anna and Ruby at a shack somewhere, and Dean comes as close as he ever will to thanking Ruby. Suddenly, Anna cries, “They’re coming!” and everyone gets into fight mode. But, I’m thinking, doesn’t she hear angels? Doesn’t that mean angels, not demons, are coming? Sure enough, Castiel and Uriel blast through the door. But are they here to help? Oh, no. They are here to kill Anna.



Next week: Dean and Anna do it in the Impala. Quite frankly, I don’t feel too good about this. For all their swagger, the boys have never been particularly loose – and whenever they have had sex, dire consequences always follow (Jess-burns to death, Madison-werewolf, Doublemint Twins-Dean goes to hell). Haven’t they learned anything yet? Although, maybe with what she’s overheard Anna is the only one who can understand what Dean has been through. That, I could see. The one thing I really, really hope is that they don’t try to tell us about (or more specifically, show us) Dean’s time in hell. I mean, come on. It’s hell! A TV show, especially on a network like the CW, could never show how bad it truly was. My imagination is way worse than anything they could show me, so it would just be a disappointment.

ANTM Cycle 11: Drunken Edition

The CW webmaster should be fired. For the third week in a row, something is messed up with the ANTM photos. This time, Sam’s photo is in Annaleigh’s portfolio, and Annaleigh’s photo is nowhere to be found. I will update with the photo when its fixed.

THE RUNDOWN
McKey is the only one who hasn’t been in the bottom two yet. Marjorie doesn’t like being thought of as weak. She resolves to project a different image, though her nerves give her an edge that she doesn’t want to lose. Later, she invites over the guys who drove their boats during the go-sees, asking them to bring wine. None of the girls drink except Marjorie, who gets wasted. Everyone has fun at first, but then it turns “messy,” as Annaleigh puts it. Marjorie gets into the tub with one guy and Annaleigh is understandably concerned about her drunken friend. The other guys are all, “Hey baby, no big deal, let’s leave these two alone” while trying to shuttle her out of the room. Annaleigh isn’t buying it, and soon the sober girls are yelling at the guys that it’s time to leave. McKey threatens to drag the one dude out of the tub herself. The next day, Marjorie talks about how the whole thing was wonderful because since she was the only girl drinking, she knew everyone else would take care of her. Lame!

THE CHALLENGE
Paulina teaches the girls that they have to be able to sell anything without speaking. They work with dead fish, toilet paper, a cell phone, and a letter. They all do quite well. Their challenge is a 30-second audition for a sports shoe commercial – girl is jogging down street, sees cute guy in a cab, guy gets out of cab, girl kisses him and runs off. Supermodel Mark Vanderloo is the guy. The girls are all, “Woah, did it just get hot in here?”

The winner gets a $10,000 shopping spree at G-Star denim. But the audition isn’t quite what they expect. They “jog” on a treadmill while Mark Vanderloo stands next to them pretending to be in a cab. Then they jump off the treadmill, kiss him, and run off. They all do well, but Marjorie is the winner because her interpretation is “unique.” She chooses Annaleigh to share the spree with, and lets her have half the money. That’s pretty nice.

THE SHOOT
The girls pose in the Dutch countryside in extreme hair and makeup. Jay says they have to “come through” the makeup and props.

Marjorie is ungraceful, looks crazy, seems drunk, and lacks presence.

Samantha complains that her shoes hurt. Her shoot is very weak. She’s gone from 10 to 0 in just a few days. She rallies for her last few shots, but returns to hair & makeup in tears. She knows she fucked up.

Annaleigh is beautiful and dynamic, and tries lots of different things. She comes up with the idea of jumping in the air, which both Jay and the photog love.

McKey is gorgeous and creative, and works her props. Jay says she’s “genius.”

DURING PANEL



Marjorie’s photo is very editorial. She looks lost, “like a spaceship just dropped her off.” However, her film was not strong and her personality is faltering. She is fighting her nerves too hard, and now she is just flat.



Samantha is wearing another bad outfit. Her photo is fabulous and her expression is great, but her film was disappointing. Jay had to force a performance out of her. She took 53 bad frames, and 7 good ones.


Annaleigh’s photo is the best of the bunch. The judges love it. The guest judge, the editor of Seventeen, loves that Annaleigh is all sweetness and light in person, yet can be so dark in her photos.



McKey is wearing a very fashion-forward outfit. Her photo is unusual, her face is phenomenal, and her legs “just go on and on and on.” She mixes strong and feminine, and Tyra thinks this will become her signature look.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
Marjorie has managed to lose her nerves, but in doing so she lost her charm. The Seventeen editor finds her condescending.

Samantha takes consistently good photos, but this week it took way too long to get the shot. Her presence just doesn’t say model.

Annaleigh is taking flight. She has become a girl to be reckoned with … though Miss J is still not sure about her.

McKey is fantastic. The judges love her. Her eyes are magnificent.

The first photo is Annaleigh.
The bottom two are Samantha and Marjorie.

Samantha just doesn’t get it. The judges don’t understand how she can STILL not understand what it takes to be a model. Her film was incredibly weak.

Marjorie takes exquisite photos, but was flat this week. She doesn’t understand balance.

Marjorie is eliminated.

Well. At this point I guess it will come down to McKey and Annaleigh, with Annaleigh winning. But I only say this because McKey has done everything right lately, and that usually doesn’t bode well for whatever reason (Nik vs. Nicole, Melrose vs. CarriDee). However, if Sam can step up her game in the final episode, it’s all up in the air. I am rooting for Annaleigh, if only because she’s so sweet. She reminds me of Nicole from Cycle 5. I would be happy with McKey, too. Sam would be just ok.

Side note: I caught the end of The Big Bang Theory on Monday, while waiting for HIMYM to come on, and Annaleigh and Sam were guest stars. Which, contrary to what I said above, kind of makes me wonder if they’re the final two. Hmmmm.

Fringe S1E7: In Which We Meet Mr. Jones

“Hello Peter, this is me, your father. Walter Bishop.”

An agent named Mitchell collapses from what appears to be a heart attack, but when the doctors open him up there is a horrifying gray-slimy-thing-with-tentacles-that-look-like-teeth nestled around his heart. Good god. Walter has never seen it before, but research leads him to one David Robert Jones and a “scientific terrorist” cell called ZFT, apparently one of several. Jones specializes in genetic weapons.

Olivia plans to confront Mr. Jones so he will tell her how to save Mitchell. But he’s in a German prison. Off to Germany! Where she reconnects with tall-dark-and-sexy Lucas and is instantly awkward and all smiles. Meanwhile, back in the states, Charlie calls Broyles and informs him that there is a mole in the agency. Broyles is in Walter’s lab at the time, and when he says the name “Joseph Smith” Peter looks surprised, then guilty. Hmmmmm.

Mr. Jones will not help Olivia unless he can ask Smith a question, but unknowing agents shoot Smith in the head first. Of course this is no problem, don’t worry at all, because Walter can hook up his son to the dead man so they can chat. He mentions that Peter has a low tolerance to electrical stimulation, and Peter suddenly remembers Walter experimenting on him as a child. He is not happy.

Back in Germany, Lucas asks Olivia to stay the night. She protests weakly. At his flat, they talk about why their relationship didn’t work out. Then they make out and tear at each other’s clothes for a spell before she gets a phone call and excuses herself, leaving Lucas addled and sexually frustrated.

In the Harvard lab, Peter eventually gets the answer to Mr. Jones’ question, and Jones tells Olivia how to save Mitchell. And I become absolutely certain that Broyles is the mole, underlining his name several times on my little notepad, only to learn that Mitchell and his wife are in on the whole thing. Oh, and the answer to Mr. Jones’ question -- and apparently the reason the Mitchells orchestrated this whole crazy situation -- is “Little Hill.”

Some notes:

* The Observer was at the airport when Olivia arrived in Germany. That doesn’t seem like such an interesting thing to observe.

* I never cease to be amused by Walter calling Astrid everything but her name – Astro, Asteroid, etc. Hilarious!

* Although I emitted an audible squeak when Peter called Walter “daddy,” I am nevertheless irritated that Fringe provided my most-anticipated moment via a drug-induced hallucination. But I did enjoy Peter buying his dad gum (adorable), and Walter’s absolute delight at working with his son, as well as the line “You may have found your true calling…working with me.”

* Olivia is definitely getting better week by week. They’re writing a much more sarcastic tone for her, and when she sassed Broyles it was awesome.

* Peter only gave Olivia the Pacey look once this ep, so no romance for now.

* Broyles’ face when Walter started talking about fruit cocktail was priceless. I imagine the gag reel from this show must be pretty great.

* The Alias reference (page 47) was a nice touch, especially since I can’t stop comparing this show to that one.

90210 S1E10: Games People Play

“Payback’s a real bitch, isn’t it?”

FINALLY, the claws come out! Naomi, who spotted Annie and Ethan’s illicit make out session at the end of the previous episode, flies Annie’s ex-boyfriend Jason to Cali for a 16th birthday surprise. Then, when Jason can’t break up A&E, Naomi makes out with him during Annie’s birthday party and rigs it so A&E will catch them. Annie cries, forces Naomi to “take it outside,” and then whines about how hurt she is, but Naomi is unabashedly unapologetic. That is, until Harry & Tracy’s son appears on the doorstep, stunning them both into silence.

I was on the phone during the first 15 minutes or so, but I’m pretty sure Naomi’s new hottie didn’t make an appearance. Her newly straightened hair looks way better though.

Meanwhile, Ryan has been forced to take a paid leave after a student catches him kissing Kimberly. After a mass text message about it is sent to all BHH students, they decide he’s a sleaze. He is understandably upset. Kelly returns and kind of maybe tries to suggest that they pick up where they left off, but Kimberly interrupts them. Oh, and Kim nails her drug dealer, who was apparently a teacher (or administrator) at the school. It all seems very... simple.

In other news, Adriana meets Navid’s parents. His mom is the French girl from Summer School, FYI. Navid is embarrassed by his large, loud family, and by the fact that he’s a virgin. Adriana is sweet about both things.

Next week, Brenda tells Kelly that she slept with Ryan. For someone who is neither cute nor interesting, that guy sure gets around!

90210 S1E9: Secrets and Lies

I'm so behind the times it's ridiculous, but I was too busy being elated about Obama to watch 90210 last week. I did managed to flip over to the CW for probably 3 minutes total, and got a comprehensive understanding of the episode arc in that time. Which is pretty sad when you think about it. Anyway, read all about it here.

HIMYM S4E7: Not a Father's Day

“God, it’s me, Barney. What up?”

I’m disappointed, and losing interest in this show. For me, it might be one of those that is just better on DVD. In “Not a Father’s Day,” Barney gets the news that he might become a father. Of course he dodges that bullet, so he starts a new holiday to celebrate. Meanwhile, Marshall, his terrible hair, and Lily are wooed by their next-door-neighbor’s baby and start to talk about having one of their own. Lily turns to Ted and Robin for help, and they each try to sway her (Robin’s afraid of babies, Ted loves them). In the end, Marshall and Lily decide to wait. But I bet they don’t wait long, since Alyson Hannigan is pregnant. I actually expected, after the big “let’s wait” discussion, for Lily to realize she’d missed her period, or something like that. I’m sure it will happen soon enough.

In other news, this episode finally explained how Robin moved in with Ted (first tantalizingly dangled during “The Goat” episode). Refreshingly, it was less exciting than one might have hoped. Robin, back from Japan and jobless, needs a place to live. The end. And in the blogosphere, people seem to be making a lot of the fact that Robin stole Jeremy’s sock. But the way I see it, Robin is totally lost right now. No job, no place to live (until the end), eating ice cream & beer (together) while moaning about her dismal life. So, she’s easily distracted by a tiny, adorable sock. It won’t last.

Supernatural S4E8: Wishful Thinking

“Are we gonna kill this teddy bear?”

The above photo has nothing to do with this episode, I just think it’s funny.

Not a whole lot of substance here, but since it’s apparently impossible for Supernatural to produce a bad episode, there was still plenty to love. The bros travel to Washington and discover a wishing well that really does grant wishes. A young girl brings her teddy bear to full-sized life, a nerdy guy dates the girl of his dreams, and a bullied child gains the strength to overturn SUVs with one hand.

The Winchesters’ first tip that something is really, really wrong occurs when they run across a small girl who says her teddy bear is sick. They enter the house to find a six-foot teddy bear drinking heavily and bemoaning the futility of life. Eventually, the bear tries to kill itself in what is, hands down, one of the best scenes I’ve ever seen. We open on a suicide note, pan over to the bear holding a rifle, and then pan slowly to the wall behind the bear. Were this a human, we would hear the shot and see a splatter of red hit the wall. Instead, we hear the shot and see a puff of stuffing float through the air. Then we pan back to the bear, still very much alive, who screams, “Nooooooo!” It was brilliant.

Anyway, the boys find a Babylonian coin in the well, but can’t remove it. Only the person who made the original wish can, and thus reverse all of the damage. They figure out it’s the nerdy guy, and take him to the well, but Super-Strength Child gets in the way and kicks Dean’s ass while Crazy-In-Love Girlfriend of Nerdy Guy kills Sam with a lightning bolt. Horrified, Nerdy Guy removes the coin and all returns to normal.

During the episode, Sam confronts Dean about what Uriel has told him. “I’m with you all the time,” Sam says, so he can’t help but notice Dean’s heavy drinking and constant nightmares. He asks, again, if Dean remembers hell. Dean blows him off. But at the end, he finally admits that he does remember. He remembers everything. Sam encourages him to talk about it, but he refuses. Sam could never understand, and Dean could never make him understand. He has to suffer through this burden alone.

ANTM Cycle 11: No-Makeup Edition

THE RUNDOWN
Elina irritates everyone. Marjorie’s insecurity rears its ugly head. Shocking, right?

THE CHALLENGE
The girls do go-sees…but they have to travel on the canals, in the slowest boats in the world. Anyone who returns after 5:00 pm will be disqualified. Here is what we do see:

McKey makes it to 4 go-sees. The designers say “That’s it! That’s what I want” and “Stunning.”

Samantha makes it to 4 go-sees. She is too commercial.

Marjorie makes it to 2 go-sees. She gets hopelessly lost, and is extremely uncomfortable with the designers. When one designer says he’s “seen enough,” she gets totally discouraged and gives up. She goes to the end location and sits around twiddling her thumbs.

Elina makes it to 4 go-sees. One designer says she is “ok, but she’s not a model, she’s just playing at being a model.” Another wouldn’t hire her because of her tattoos.

Annaleigh makes it to 3 go-sees. She presents herself well, has style, and is willing to learn. One designer loves her “fresh look.”

McKey is a few minutes minutes late, and is disqualified. But the designers LOVED her. She would have won, if not for being tardy. The designers were very disappointed with Marjorie. Annaleigh wins something like $18,000 worth of the goods from the designers.

THE SHOOT
When the TyraMail leans heavily on the word “exposed,” the girls become terrified it’s a nude shoot. Get used to it, girls. Turns out Tyra is their photographer, and they will do one “natural” shot and one “glam” shot to see how they do at both.

McKey is gorgeous and listens. Tyra says, “She can MODEL!”
Samantha looks hot, came alive, her theatrical shots are great.
Marjorie is nervous and intimidated. Her glam shot is a little better.
Elina poses too much and is too stiff. Jay is truly frustrated because she doesn’t listen.
Annaleigh’s natural shot is just ok, but her glam shot is lovely.

DURING PANEL
McKey booked 4 of 4 jobs. In her natural shot, she really used the teach Tyra gave about a signature pose. Her glam shot is amazing – even in an uncomfortable position, she doesn’t look strained.

Samantha booked 2 of 4 jobs. Her natural shot is great; Nigel says it could be an advertisement. It is the judges’ favorite shot of her to date. They love her glam shot; she was totally “on.” She shows off the clothes wonderfully.

Marjorie booked 0 of 2 jobs. In her natural shot she is posing too much and looks like a broken doll. Her film is a disaster. Her glam shot is beautiful and sharp. The judges wonder what it takes to get Marjorie’s glam side to exert itself in person.

Elina booked 2 of 4 jobs. Her natural shot is too controlled. Every time Tyra tells her to “hold it,” she turns it into a posey-pose instead. Her glam shot is ok. They told her to go crazy, and she didn’t. Tyra mentions that she’s 18 (!!!) and the other judges are shocked. They tell her she looks and acts 30. Ouch!

Annaleigh booked 3 of 3 jobs. Her natural shot isn’t great; the judges say it looks like a casting photo. Her glam shot, however, is amazing. Her legs are fantastic, and she looks perfect.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
McKey is true high fashion.
Samantha blew them away.
Marjorie is too frail. Nigel wouldn’t book her for a job either.
Elina is too controlled, and is not inspirational.
Annaleigh is a dream but Paulina thinks her face doesn’t photograph well. Nigel disagrees.

The first photo is Samantha.
The bottom two are Marjorie and Elina.

Elina has a unique face, but is too controlled.
Marjorie is exquisite, but is too nervous.

Elina is eliminated.

News & Stuff

I have been ridiculously uninterested in blogging the past couple of days, all because of the election. Monday I fretted all night, unable to sleep, and yesterday I spent the day feeling nauseous. Until 8 p.m. PST, that is, when the announcement was made. Obama! Hallelujah! Regular posting will resume tomorrow.

Supernatural S4E7: It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

“That guy’s so vanilla he makes vanilla seem spicy.”

As we open, a man eats Halloween candy and then retrieves a razor from the roof of his mouth. It’s been a while since Supernatural managed to gross me the fuck out, so it’s about time this happened. Blood shoots everywhere. He dies. The bros find a hex bag in his kitchen. The next day, a high-school girl at a pre-Halloween party goes bobbing for apples and boils to death. The bros find a hex bag in the couch. As Dean puts it, “Witches are so freaking skeevy.”

The brothers pick up the trail of a witch who is attempting to raise Samhain, the demon for whom Halloween was created. This is bad, because Samhain has the power to raise all manner of things that go bump in the night. They figure out that the witch is Tracy, a tiny blonde cheerleader, and are mid-plan when Castiel shows up with the angel Uriel to stop them. Sam falls all over himself in his delight to meet the angels, but is sorely disappointed once they begin to speak.

Raising Samhain is one of the 66 seals, and they cannot allow it to be broken. They are going to destroy the entire town, including hundreds of innocent people, in order to stop it. It’s the old “the good of the one vs. the good of the many” argument. A horrified Sam protests that angels are supposed to help people, not hurt them. Castiel replies, “Have faith in the plan. It comes from heaven, which makes it just.” Dean refuses to leave town, knowing that after Castiel went to all the trouble of saving him from hell, there’s no way he’ll let him die now. Castiel agrees to let the boys try. Later, when Uriel suggests they just drag ol’ Dean out of town, Castiel mysteriously references their “real orders.”

The bros discover that a high-school art teacher is involved and shoot him up after finding Tracy tied up in his basement while he holds a knife to her throat. Unfortunately, Tracy and the teacher are in it together and she manages to raise Samhain, who inhabits the teacher’s body and then breaks Tracy’s neck. While this is going on, Sam smears blood all over his face and Dean’s, thus creating “masks” that hide them from Samhain.

Samhain trots off to the cemetery and brings the dead to life. Dean makes Sammy promise not to use his abilities in this fight. At the cemetery, Dean battles a zombie horde while Sam goes after Samhain, who is shocked to find that Sam is impervious to his demonic skills. Sam tries to use Ruby’s knife, he really does, but Samhain knocks it away and he is forced to use his powers. Samhain is so powerful that he manages to struggle through Sam’s psychic onslaught, moving closer and closer to Sammy while Dean watches in horror. The fight takes so much out of poor Sammy that his head pounds and his nose bleeds, but eventually he conquers Samhain.

The next day, Uriel reprimands Sam. He was specifically told not to use his powers, and if he steps out of line again Uriel will not hesitate to kill him. The trouble-making angel’s parting words are, “Ask Dean what he remembers from hell.” Across town, Castiel tells Dean that the angels’ real orders were to let Dean do whatever he wanted in order to test his leadership capabilities. He admits that he sometimes has doubts about god’s wishes, and has no idea whether Dean has passed the test, or failed.

ANTM Cycle 11: Red Light Edition

THE RUNDOWN
There isn’t much here. The girls go to Amsterdam and have to find their house through a series of clues, like a scavenger hunt. They team up in pairs, and Sam and Elina end up together. They win, and get 50 extra frames to split. That night, Annaleigh, Marjorie, and Elina share the large tub. Samantha, bigoted as usual, describes what they’re doing as “a lesbian party.” Elina comments that Amsterdam reminds her of the Ukraine, and Sheena and McKey get very irritated by that. Talk about intolerant. While I admit that Elina can be a bit whiny, the sense of “us vs. them” in this cycle is overwhelming.

THE CHALLENGE
A group of Dutch designers is taking over part of the red light district, and the girls pose in windows much like prostitutes do, in pairs. The winners get to walk in Amsterdam Fashion Week. McKey and Samantha win.

THE SHOOT
This one is pretty unoriginal. The girls pose on a ship.

McKey is editorial, breaks out of her shell, is creative.
Elina is editorial but completely ignores Jay when he talks. Like, completely.
Samantha starts weak but gets better.
Sheena looks like a can-can dancer, does lewd poses.
Marjorie does well, takes constructive criticism without crying.
Annaleigh is beautiful, Jay says “hallelujah!”

DURING PANEL
McKey is wearing a fabulous outfit, was fantastic, she really gets it.
Elina looks the most high-fashion though in general her film was stiff.
Samantha filled the frame, it’s a great shot.
Sheena has a great face but her body is terrible, the photo is dull.
Marjorie is gorgeous, passionate, and strong though she’s shy in person.
Annaleigh looks like a beautiful pirate, uses the props, they love it.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
McKey has taken her best shot yet.
Elina looks the most high-fashion though she didn’t listen to Jay.
Samantha looks like a mallrat in person, her shots don’t match.
Sheena has no life, can’t balance hoochie and pretty.
Marjorie “is like Bambi” in person but transforms in front of the camera.

The first photo is McKey.
The bottom two are and Elina and Sheena.

Elina takes pretty pictures but they don’t see a model.
Sheena is full of personality but her photos are just ok.

Sheena is eliminated. Hallelujah!

The Ex List S1E...

Yep. It's been canceled, effective immediately. I'm going to assume that Bella and Augie would have ended up together eventually.

90210 S1E8: There’s No Place Like Homecoming

“Homecoming is everything that’s wrong with this place in stark relief.”

Ethan tells Annie he wants to ask her to homecoming but he can’t because it will hurt Naomi. She is all giggles and batted lashes. Really? Annie’s skirts are way too short and I can’t believe Debbie would go for that. But anyway, Naomi invites Annie over to get ready for the dance and they have fun. But when she sees them dancing together later, Naomi tells Annie that she can’t be friends with her and date Ethan. Annie chooses Naomi, but then makes out with Ethan in the parking lot. Classy.

Silver has made an appointment to get her wisdom teeth out on homecoming because she could care less about the dance, cause she’s indie and all that. Dixon plays it cool and comes over to hang out with her chipmunk-cheeked, high-on-Percocet self. When she realizes he really wants to go to the dance, though, she gets all dressed up, surprises him, and tells him to never be afraid to tell her things. They are totally cute as a couple. Where’s the strife?

Adriana goes to rehab. She is distraught because Naomi won’t return her calls. Navid keeps visiting her and bringing her stuff and is obviously in love with her. She doesn’t get it, and finally he screams that he likes her. Apparently they were friends when they were younger and he’s always loved her. Whatever. This is too out-of-the-blue, and doesn’t work very well. Naomi meets a hot young thug in detention. At first he’s all, “whatever, white girl,” but then she speaks fluent Spanish and he does a second take. He attempts to woo her at Homecoming and they dance, so hopefully he’ll be back on the scene in upcoming episodes. In the end, Naomi forgives Adriana. These kids are way too nice to each other.

Ryan catches Kimberly buying drugs at the dance and throws a hissy fit until she admits she’s a cop to shut him up. Then this happens, literally:

Ryan: How old are you?
Kimberly: I’m 25, why?
Ryan: grabs her and passionately kisses her

Ew! He did have a thing for her even when he thought she was a 16-year-old. PS, I learned on IMDB that Ryan Eggold, who plays teacher Ryan, is in reality one year older than Dustin Milligan, who plays Ethan. And it shows! What kind of casting is that?!?

Finally, Debbie gets fed up with Tracy and threatens to punch her in the face if she ever touches her husband again. Cindy Walsh would never do such a thing!

The Ex List S1E4: Do You Love Me, Do You Surfer…Boy?

“’The one’ isn’t going to be called ‘The Animal.’”

Although I still enjoy The Ex List, it’s getting a bit monotonous. And, from everything I’ve read, it’s going to be canceled any minute. So, I might stop blogging about it. In this ep, Bella runs into an ex. Shocking. She dumped him because all he cared about was surfing. Now, he’s become a famous surfer, and though she has fun with him she can’t believe he’s still a wild child. But, in a twist, it turns out that it’s all a marketing ploy. And for the first time, Bella doesn’t break up with him at the end. He’s not Mr. Right Now, but he is Maybe Mr. Right Someday. Plus, he’s super cute.

Supernatural S4E6: Yellow Fever

“He’s even afraid of PEZ dispensers, with their dead little eyes.”

The Winchester boys investigate the mysterious death-by-heart-attack of Frank, an incredibly healthy marathon runner. He is not the first person in town to die of fright, so they know something is up. They do some interviews and learn that the dead man was kind of a dick, though his behavior improved after his wife’s suicide. Dean starts to get a little jumpy. The boys learn that what affected Frank, and is now affecting Dean, is “ghost sickness,” which kills within 48 hours. Sam points out that all the infected were dicks. Dean replies, “You’re a dick too.” And Sam says, “Apparently, I’m not.” Ha!

It is pretty funny to watch Dean being afraid of everything – he won’t drive over 20 mph, he won’t carry a gun in case it goes off, he won’t stay on the fourth floor of a hotel because it is too high up. Not so funny is his fear of returning to hell, and his hallucination of a yellow-eyed Sam trying to kill him. While exploring the local mill, the boys come face to face with the ghost of Luther Garland, and they eventually learn that he used to have a crush on Frank’s wife. Wracked with grief after her death, Frank decided that Luther had something to do with it and murdered the man by dragging him behind his truck (apparently there is a term for this, and it’s “road-hauling”). The sheriff, who also happened to be Frank’s friend, didn’t pursue the case. And they can’t burn Luther’s bones, because his remains are spread all over the stretch of road he was dragged down.

Bobby arrives to help, and he and Sam return to the mill while Dean stays in their hotel room drinking and watching cartoons. But then he hallucinates Lilith, who says horrible things about how he remembers every moment of being in hell and it’s time to go back. Meanwhile, Sam manages to wrap an iron chain around Luther’s neck and Bobby road-hauls the ghost, who dissipates. Dean immediately returns to his former cocky self (“I’m still alive, so … go team”), but when Sam asks what his hallucinations were, he lies. As usual. Does it never occur to these boys that telling each other the truth might actually help them do their job better?

And then, in something you normally only see in DVD special features, there is a short bit that shows Jensen Ackles lip-syncing “Eye of the Tiger” while the crew laughs in the background. He really hams it up, at one point even sticking his leg out and strumming it like a guitar. It was fabulous, and you can see it on YouTube here.

ANTM Cycle 11: We Hate America Edition

Since it was a commercial, there is no photo this week. Plus, Blogger is being a pain in the ass.

THE RUNDOWN
This season is really weird what with the whole “European vs. American” issue being way too big a deal. A bunch of the girls accuse Elina and Marjorie of “hating America” when they start the episode, again, talking (to each other) about how Europeans are raised differently, and Americans just can’t understand. Sheena asks if they even like America, and what they hear is, “Go back to your own country.” I don’t really believe that’s what she meant, but she did say it in an awfully bitchy tone. I liked Sheena just fine, until now. Later, Annaleigh tells Samantha that she does and says a lot of things that can be construed as offensive. Sheena loses it, and she and Elina get into a huge fight. Sheena describes the issue as “Good vs. Evil.” I hate her.

THE CHALLENGE
The Swirl Twins teach the girls how to model accessories. For their challenge, they wear full body stockings (which also cover their faces) and pose against a blue-screen-type deal so that on the monitor, all you see are the clothes and accessories. The designer calls it the “Invisible Model.” The winner gets a holiday spread in Seventeen magazine. Elina complains (as usual) about being claustrophobic, but ends up doing well and wins. Most of the other girls are terrible. Marjorie in particular gets nailed because the top part of her dress falls to her waist and she doesn’t notice. But she is wearing a body stocking, so I can see how she wouldn’t necessarily feel it slip. Elina gets to choose two friends to do the shoot with, and she picks Marjorie and Annaleigh. This pisses Samantha and Sheena off because Elina “hates holidays because she’s an atheist.” WTF is wrong with these ignorant girls? I don’t believe in God, but I love the holidays.

THE SHOOT
Joslyn gets very sick and starts vomiting profusely in the hair & makeup studio. The girls do a commercial for Cover Girl, and Cycle 10 winner Whitney is there to guide them. She looks awesome. Unlike previous years, the girls get to use a teleprompter. However, Jay warns them this may be more difficult because they need to seem as if they’re not reading.

McKey is clueless.
Elina is too controlled (E: “I’m sick of hearing that.” J: “Well, I’m sick of saying it.”)
Joslyn powers through her illness but is too fake and overdoes it.
Samantha is genuine and energetic.
Sheena flows across the screen effortlessly.
Marjorie cries after one bad take, Jay feels he needs to coddle her and he’s tired of it.
Annaleigh is amazing, conversational, and engaging.

DURING PANEL
The girls have to do a runway walk in clogs. They are going to … Amsterdam! I am jealous.
McKey is looks gorgeous but her commercial is not good.
Elina is a “closed fist,” she’s still holding back too much.
Joslyn is fake and used her arms too much, but you couldn’t tell she was sick.
Samantha didn’t make it her own, didn’t enunciate, they can’t understand her.
Sheena works well on TV.
Marjorie rushed too much, her hands were all over the place.
Annaleigh is the best in the history of ANTM and was the only one to use the product.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
McKey has the prettiest face, but was a disaster.
Elina is too tight, doesn’t translate onscreen, lacks natural charm.
Joslyn keeps getting worse and worse.
Samantha is likable.
Sheena was expressive and fluid.
Marjorie’s awkwardness doesn’t work as well onscreen.
Annaleigh was perfect and fresh.

Paulina points out that none of them are good at both print and commercials.

The first photo is Annaleigh.
The bottom two are and Elina and Joslyn.

Elina did not translate well to moving pictures.
Joslyn started strong but has faltered since.

Joslyn is eliminated.

Fringe S1E6: The Cure

“This is upsetting because he’s the friendliest of fruits.”

Sorry for the late post; yesterday was … interesting. But on to this Fringe, where more questions abound. A girl in a diner emits radiation and melts everyone’s brains. Or something. It all leads back to a drug company called Intrepus, run by Digger from Gilmore Girls. Digger’s a bad dude, and in the end Olivia takes him down.

Olivia received a fairly ridiculous back-story in this episode. Apparently her dad used to beat up her mom, so finally a 9-year-old Olivia shot him. Twice. But he didn’t die, and every year on her birthday he sends her a card “just to remind her that he’s still out there.” Every year Olivia regrets that she didn’t finish the job. Really? Olivia regrets that her very young self didn’t kill a person? I find that rather hard to believe.

Meanwhile, Peter and Walter have fallen into a warm, comfortable routine (albeit one that involves Peter being occasionally driven crazy by nonstop humming). To stop Digger, he goes to Nina for help. She does help, but now he owes her a favor back. And she says something ominous about how she and Walter spent quite a bit of time together in their younger days. Now, on a show like this I take that as a subtle suggestion that Nina is possibly supposed to be Peter’s real mom. A similar insinuation was made on Alias, with the end result being that Sloane was not Sydney’s father even though he did have an affair with Irina. What will Fringe do with it?

Also, Olivia is supposed to be 28. For real?

HIMYM S4E5: Shelter Island

“Namaste here any longer than I have to.”

Finally, an end to the Stella-Ted storyline. The whole thing has felt rushed and awkward from the start, and anyone with half a brain knew Stella wasn’t the mother early on. This episode could have (should have) been excellent, but instead it was just ok.

Stella’s sister, who is also getting married but is beating them to the punch, steals Stella’s dream wedding. And when the sister gets ditched by her fiancé at the last minute, Ted and Stella have a “telepathic” conversation in which Stella decides they will take over the aborted wedding, and Ted decides they will buy the sister dinner. How could this possibly end well?

The moral of the story is: never invite an ex to your wedding. Robin, working in Japan, tries to avoid coming to the wedding but Ted wheedles until she relents. Barney decides this is the perfect chance for him to sleep with Robin again after getting her drunk and preying on her insecurity as a single, dateless female. However, he and the rest of the gang are horrified to arrive at the lodge and discover it is hippie haven, with no meat or alcohol allowed. Also, Stella’s newly single sexpot sister throws herself at him. Hard. There is no way Barney will be able to resist.

Stella gets angry when she learns that Robin is coming, and demands that Ted rescind the invitation. She goes on about how things are unresolved between them, it will bring up old feelings, blah blah blah. Meanwhile, Stella’s ex Tony refuses to bring their daughter Lucy to the wedding until Ted somehow convinces them both to come. Tony & Robin show up at the same time, and Stella is pissed.

“If I had done things differently, none of this would have happened.”



Stella offers an option: she will talk to Robin, and Ted will talk to Tony. There is a shutter-flash of what would have happened, with Father Ted telling two blonde children, “And that, kids, is how I met your mother” while Stella smiles in the background. But that’s not the way it goes. It never is.

Ted tells Robin about Stella’s “no exes at the wedding” rule and Robin sounds off. She is relieved. She’s not looking forward to watching him marry someone else. Ted doesn’t understand, because there is nothing between them. “Maybe there is!” Robin responds, then amends that. “Of course there is!” She has quit her job in Japan and wants to come back to her real life. It’s all very sweet, but then Robin ruins it by saying that she thought if someday she decided she did want to get married and have children, Ted would be there. “So I’m your backup school?” he asks. She asks Ted not to get married. Ted says it’s a good thing she won’t be at the wedding, and stalks off.

Sad Robin goes to Barney’s room with a contraband bottle of scotch, asking if she can stay with him. It would be Barney’s perfect dream come true … except he has another woman in his bed. Wearily, Robin leaves.

On the ferry back to the mainland, Robin sees Stella … we cut to Ted reading a note at the lodge … we cut back to the ferry and Tony walks up behind Stella, wrapping his arms around her while Robin looks on in shock. And this, folks, is where HIMYM took it just a little too far, and their tendency to do this is one thing that really bothers me.

If the final scene had been exactly as it was, without the stupid voiceovers of Stella repeating things she’d said earlier in the episode, it would have been perfect. As it was, the writers apparently felt the need to beat the ending like a dead horse: all those things Stella said about Ted & Robin not being over each other, she was really talking about herself and Tony. Yes, it was obvious! No need to reiterate it with lame voiceovers and soft-focus floating heads!

The Ex List S1E3: Protect and Serve

“My sister is a big sausage fan. ”

Bella gets robbed, and the cop who arrives on the scene is her ex-boyfriend Ronny. We flash back to Bella’s sophomore year of high school, when Ronny was just a young tuff. Her father, who is in the military, sends Bella away for the summer to keep them apart. Ronny doesn’t seem to care much. In the present, Bella is turned on by Ronny’s casually dismissive manner and sexy uniform. Ronny tells Bella’s landlord that the apartment isn’t up to fire code, so they can’t raise the rent. She is thrilled. I find it quite strange that all of Bella’s old boyfriends still live in town.

Throughout the episode, Augie is mildly jealous. I think under the surface he’s seething. He slyly tells Bella’s dad Jimmy to pretend to love Ronny so that he will therefore be less appealing to Bella. Jimmy does so, but it doesn’t have the intended consequence. Instead, Bella is offended that her father is treating her like she’s 15 years old. Everything goes great between Bella and Ronny until the day that Bella sees a neighboring store owner with a black eye. He had been irritating her as of late, and when she asks what happened he mutters, “Ask your boyfriend.” And the shit hits the fan when Bella realizes that this is what all those “favors” Ronny has mentioned are. She unceremoniously dumps him.

On the side, Vivian finally has a storyline that makes her somewhat likable. You see, Vivian is a high school history teacher, and some of her students hang out at “her” beach on the weekends. The boys stare, drooling, at their hot teacher lounging in a bikini. She ignores them. But then the principal receives a note claiming that Vivian is engaging in inappropriate behavior with these boys. In the end, it turns that a somewhat plain girl who likes one of the boys wrote the note. And the next time Vivian sees them at the beach, she wears a modest cover-up and lets the girl enjoy her time basking in a swimsuit and flirting with the boy.

Supernatural S4E5: Monster Movie

D: “Sam, I have been re-hymenated.”
S: “Even an angel couldn’t do that.”

To let SN fans rest after a couple episodes full of dramatic exposition and escalating familial strife, “Monster Movie” was pure, unadulterated tongue-in-cheek delight shot entirely in black & white and styled after the classic monster movies of the 1930s.

Sam and Dean head to a small Pennsylvania town to investigate claims that a vampire has killed there. Dean is thrilled to be back on an honest-to-goodness monster hunt. They end up smack-dab in the middle of Oktoberfest and meet Ed, who swears he saw a vampire with a Romanian accent and a cape gnawing on a woman in the park. Skeptical, the bros decide this is not their kind of case after all. But wait! A werewolf attacks a lover’s lane couple, and mummy attacks a security guard. Suddenly, the Winchesters aren’t sure what’s going on. As Sam puts it, “This is stupid.”

Meanwhile, Dean decides that because he returned from hell without any of his old scars, he is a virgin again. And he is determined to lose that virginity. He hits on a local barmaid named Jamie, who returns his flirtation. He tells her he’s a “maverick” and if that’s just a coincidence and NOT a John McCain joke, I’d be amazed.



In the end, the boys realize they’re dealing with a shape shifter after Dean comes face to face with Dracula and tears his ear off. And it turns out Jamie’s fellow barmaid Lucy is the shape shifter. After dressing Dean up like an extra in a production of Hansel & Gretel, Dracula explains that real life is messy, movies are elegant, and he wants an elegant life. Pizza is delivered, Sam saves his big brother, Jamie shoots Dracula in the back with silver bullets, Dean gets to have sex, and everyone lives happily ever after. The end.

Now. There were just two things in this cheeky little episode that actually seemed related to the overall story arc. First, while explaining to Jamie what he & Sam actually are, Dean admits that his duties had started to weigh on him but now he realizes it’s a gift, not a curse, and he’s on a mission from god. So apparently Dean is 100% on board with the god thing. Secondly, though it might have been done just to set up the “re-hymenation” joke, I find it interesting that Dean came out of hell with no scars, no wounds, no “messed up fingers from being broken so many times.” Is this a physical manifestation of being cleansed of original sin? Or I am reaching?

Fringe S1E5: Power Hungry

“You were hoping for something more specific, maybe?”

Fringe is getting consistently better week to week. Walter is fantastic as usual, Peter is subtly opening up, and even Olivia is improving. Last week I commented on her lack of personal life being a detriment, and this episode actually addressed that a bit, giving her some nice interactions with fellow agent Charlie and having her show actual emotion. Yay Fringe!

The story this week centered on Joe, a delivery guy who just happens to cause electronics to go on the fritz when he’s upset. While delivering a package in an office building, to a girl he has a crush on, he gets mad in the elevator and sends it plummeting to the basement, killing everyone on board. Except him. Oh, and we see The Observer just before the crash. Meanwhile, Olivia tells Charlie that she saw John. She knows it’s a hallucination. Charlie tells her to roll with it; it’s a manifestation of her guilt and confusion about everything that happened. Across town, Walter tells Peter the man who tortured him looked familiar. He is frustrated that he still can’t access parts of his mind. Peter gives him the sweetest look and says gently, “You’re doing fine.” Awwwww.

The continuity of this ep is all over the place. Peter, who was tortured in the last episode, is still all fucked up; they even put rope marks on his wrists. But Astrid, who refused Walter’s apology in the last episode, is all smiles now. Grrrr.

While examining the bodies in the elevator, Walter realizes they were all electrocuted before the elevator hit bottom. Back in the day, he worked on a project to make humans trackable to homing pigeons. Each human being has a unique electromagnetic signature, and the idea was to augment the field in order to track people. However (of course), it had dire consequences. Broyles tells Olivia about Jacob Fischer, a biotechnology expert wanted in several states who lured in subjects via “the kind of commercials you see on TV at 3 AM” and then performed unspeakable tests on them.

I’m still not so sure Broyles is a good guy.

While Olivia is reading up on Fischer, the lights go out. I know I compare Fringe to Alias too much, but I wouldn’t mind if the show gave the impression that Olivia could actually defend herself without a gun. She seems sort of … weak. Anyway, she sees John again. He is reassuring, asks her to trust him, and says he truly loved her. Past tense. Interesting. John says she is on the right track and that soon he will prove that he loved her. It’s kind of creepy. He gets into an elevator and it actually moves, going down. Olivia races down the stairs, but when the doors open the car is empty.

However, Olivia sees the “maximum capacity” sign and does some research. She goes to see Peter, explaining that someone walked away from the elevator crash while Walter does a weird little dance in the background. Suddenly, Walter shocks Peter. Cute! His dance was to create electromagnetism. Meanwhile, Fischer tracks Joe down, takes him to a lab, and does things that make him scream his head off. After searching Joe’s apartment, Walter uses a cassette tape that Joe touched, which then became magnetized, to show pigeons how to track him. It sounds stupid, but it was actually kind of fun. Olivia is concerned about the pigeons’ welfare. Peter says, “We’re putting GPS chips on pigeons to track a man who can control electricity. This is your fault, right?” They’re so adorable.

Moments later, Olivia sees John again. He moves inhumanly fast but he kisses her, and that kiss seems real. He says, “I didn’t betray you, I wasn’t the one.” Peter interrupts and John disappears. Peter saw nothing. They follow the pigeons to a warehouse, and Olivia asks if Peter will have more faith in Walter if the scheme works. Peter says no. But he totally means yes. They save Joe, who just wants to go home, but he has to be tested and whatnot.

In the end, Walter tells Olivia she doesn’t seem herself. He knows she’s been seeing John. When she was in the tank, part of John’s consciousness crossed over and this is her brain’s way of working through it. But moments later, Olivia sees John again out on the street and follows him to an underground lair full of boxes and files. It turns out John was conducting his own investigations into the Pattern. And (so cliché) Olivia finds an engagement ring among John’s belongings.

Hmmm. Is Olivia’s mind really just working through something, as Walter & Charlie said (albeit for different reasons)? Or does this have something to do with Massive Dynamic? Since they have John’s body it would be a pretty huge coincidence if it didn’t. And speaking of MD, where the hell has Nina been? She and Olivia had that loaded “everything we do leads us to each other” conversation … and then suddenly it doesn’t anymore? And finally, am I going to have to wait until the season finale to hear Peter call Walter “dad”? I think so.

HIMYM S4E4: Intervention

Fate decided that I would not watch HIMYM last night and I cannot handle watching it online again, so I make apologies and direct you to a number of other wonderful recaps instead…

TV Squad

Give Me My Remote

BuddyTV

The Ex List S1E2: Climb Every Mountain Biker

“My mad skills are too much for the spaghetti strap to handle.”

Ah ha! We learn in the opening that Bella lives alone, while Cyrus, Augie, and Vivian live together, next door. This is only slightly better than all of them living together. During the gang’s traditional “stuffing our faces at an outdoor café while a marathon is going on” (I could hang with these folks), Bella runs into ex-flame Jake, a couch-potato-turned-athlete. In the flashback, we see that once Jake landed a 23-year-old punk rock Bella, he never wanted to leave the house. Or, as he says, “The only reason people go out in the first place is to find someone to have sex with while they watch TV.” He has already got that, so why go out?

Bella’s flower shop is called Bloom. How original. Daphne and her fiancé make a pact to not have sex before the wedding, so she moves in with Bella. Meanwhile, after googling a hot ex-girlfriend and being horrified at how she’s turned out, Cyrus creates the drinking game “Google Ex Smackdown.” Augie gets waaasted, while everyone else is barely buzzed.

Jake takes Bella on a series of athletic dates – ultimate frisbee on the beach, mountain biking, rock-climbing gym, kayaking. She finally convinces him to take her to a bar, but even then they end up playing Trivia Olympics. All this time, Bella is still watching Tommy Anzide’s cat and having regular run-ins with Elliott. And one night, the cat escapes through the bathroom window. While wandering the neighborhood looking for him, Bella discovers Elliott half-naked at a blonde stranger’s house. How big is this town, anyway?

Bella forces Jake to talk to her, explaining that their dating life thus far has been “like camp without the kissing and alcohol.” They finally sleep together, but afterward it gets super awkward when he starts talking about his ex. Like, immediately afterward. It’s really uncomfortable. And then we’re off. Suddenly all Jake talks about is his ex. Bella can’t stand it, and eventually dumps him. In the end, she is talking to Daphne about the situation and says that the right guy is the right guy. And Elliott knocks on the door.



Now. Although I thought from the pilot that Elliott was to be Bella’s soul mate, somewhere in the back of my mind I also thought that was just way too obvious. After this episode, I’m wondering what the chances are that Bella’s soulmate could be … Augie. Their interactions in this episode, combined with Vivian’s description of her relationship with Augie, just really struck me. I know that would cause all sorts of issues seeing as Vivian and Augie are two of Bella’s best friends but … I don’t know. I guess we don’t know if they have dated, but I can totally see it happening. What do you think? Am I crazy?

Supernatural S4E4: Metamorphosis

“If I didn’t know you, I would hunt you.”

“Metamorphosis” was chock-full of the brotherly strife, and you know how I love that. However, it was also WAY too heavy handed with the parallels between the MOTW and “I’ve-got-demon-blood-in-me”-Sam, which therefore lessened its appeal.

We open with Sam & Ruby interrogating a demon, who taunts Sam about the fact that he’s sleeping with a demon. What is this kid thinking? I can only imagine that human-demon sex has dire consequences. Dean busts up the party, and the brothers fight. Not just with words, but with fists. Awesome! Dean learns that Sam has known about the fact that the YED bled into his mouth for a year, but has kept it from him. The boys are not happy with each other.

Meanwhile, a guy named Jack (who looks like Data from Star Trek) is really hungry. Hunter & family friend Travis calls the brothers for help. He tells them John would be proud of them for sticking together. He also tells them Jack is a “rougaru,” a creature that is human until age 30. At that point, he begins to change into a monster. Once the rougaru takes his first bite of human flesh, it’s all downhill from there. Sam does some research and learns there are rougaru who have resisted the change. Travis and Dean don’t buy it.

The scenes involving Travis are interesting because 99% of the shots cut off some portion of his face. My dim memory of college film class tells me that this is done on purpose, to subtly convey the possibility of Travis’ sinister nature. It’s kind of distracting, though.



Sam and Dean fight some more. Sam is mad that Dean treats him as if he doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong. Dean asks if he does know the difference. Poor little Sammy has demon blood in him and he can’t get clean. All he can do is try to make something good come of it, so he uses his powers to exorcise demons.

The brothers tell Jack what he will become, and try to convince him to fight it. That night, Jack manages to not kill a woman. Yay Jack! However, Travis tricks him by breaking into his house and tying his wife Michelle up. When Jack arrives, Travis gets him too. And it turns out Michelle is pregnant. Travis won’t allow another rougaru to be born into the world. Jack summons super-strength to break his bonds, and rips Travis’ throat out. But he’s not all gone, because he allows Michelle to escape. The rougaru line lives on!

When the brothers arrive, Jack attacks. Sam tries to talk sense into him, saying that it’s not what you are, it’s what you do. But it’s too late, and Sam is forced to kill the poor man. Later, he tells Dean that he’s done using his powers. Dean thanks him, but Sam says he’s not doing it for his brother. He’s doing it for himself. It would be so amazing if the brothers actually had to go up against each other in the end. Every season I’ve been hoping that’s where the show will go (he thinks so too) and perhaps we’re finally right. I envision some incredible battle between good and evil, with Dean on one side and Sam on the other. Wouldn’t that be freaking awesome?!?!

ANTM Cycle 11: The Fiercies Edition

THE RUNDOWN
Elina and Samantha both grew up with very controlling parents. There is a lot of talk this cycle about how Europeans don’t show any emotion. Interesting. Annaleigh is concerned that she can’t find her niche. Elina is very critical of the other girls, which is funny since she’s consistently slipping in the judging room. The girls chat about how Lauren Brie has no personality; she’s “translucent.”

THE CHALLENGE
The girls go to a photo studio, where they find Tyra modeling. She teaches them about the “signature pose.” They get 10 shots on their own, and then they get to look at the monitor and get 10 more shots with Tyra directing them. The winner is Marjorie, who takes her awkwardness and turns it into “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” She and a friend get diamonds, and she chooses Annaleigh.

THE SHOOT
At the Orpheum Theater, the girls have to act out embarrassing moments that happen at awards shows with photographer Mike Rosenthal. It’s kind of a weird theme, and Marjorie gets a stupid version of it for the second week in a row.

Sheena: Girl Whose Dress Was Stepped On
Concerned about being “hoochie,” she reeled it in way too much. She doesn’t look pretty.

Elina: Overemotional Crier
Jay really pulls it out of her, and she sobs. He says it’s the best she’s done yet.

Marjorie: Has To Pee In A Too-Tight Dress
Both Jay and Mike love her, she used her lesson with Tyra and “turned it OUT!”

Annaleigh: Reporter With Attitude
Jay loves it, Mike says she “does bitchy really well.”

Lauren Brie: Trips While Getting Award
She looks like a movie star but is stiff like a mannequin.

McKey: Thought She Had Award In The Bag, But Lost
Jay says she’s “kinda cute.”

Samantha: Can’t Read Cue Cards Because Spotlight Is In Her Eyes
She’s too fake, her pose is terrible.

Joslyn: Sees Someone Else Wearing The Same Dress
At first she’s too posey, but later she uses her Tyra teachings and nails it.

DURING PANEL
Sheena is good but her eyes aren’t right, her body is good but not mind-blowing.
Elina didn’t get it right, not emotional, too steely.
Marjorie got an extraordinary pose yet her face is relaxed, used her teach, incredible.
Annaleigh impressed Mike, has a great face and body.
Lauren Brie doesn’t look like she’s falling, didn’t let go enough.
McKey is beautiful, her best photo, she’s really coming out.
Samantha doesn’t excite the judges, she looks sad, didn’t get the theme right.
Joslyn took her prettiest shot yet, has a great profile.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
Sheena has gone downhill, Paulina doesn’t think she has what it takes.
Elina is exquisite but didn’t do the job.
Marjorie was Mike’s favorite, Tyra “j’adores” her photo.
Annaleigh is consistently improving, she did a great job.
Lauren Brie has a strong face but a terrible photo, she’s been coasting.
McKey is full of potential but Mike said it was like pulling teeth to get her shot.
Samantha did poorly, her photo is boring.
Joslyn looks beautiful, it’s her prettiest shot.

The first photo is Marjorie.
The bottom two are Lauren Brie and Sheena.

Lauren Brie is “gorgeously alienesque” but lacks personality.
Sheena has a shining, inspiring personality but is too sexy.

Lauren Brie is eliminated. In her exit interview, she says she gave up at the end.

If Marjorie can overcome her weird negativity, she will own this competition. I’m still shocked that McKey has made it this far. Sheena too, for that matter. Elina had a rough time this week – she finally let go only to have the judges tell her it wasn’t enough. Annaleigh is really improving, and Joslyn is kind of a non-entity. Oddly enough, she didn’t appear in the house scenes at all.