It’s a CSI Wednesday night. That still really sounds weird, doesn’t it? Wednesday. CSI. Maybe by the time that Marg leaves, the change to Wednesday’s will seem ‘normal’. And by then, I won’t really care anyway.
Last week was the introduction of Ted Danson’s character, DB Moonbeam… uh, I mean DB Russell, as the new head of the Grave Shift at the Las Vegas Crime Lab. We also had a small introduction of Morgan Brody transferring from the LA Crime Lab to Vegas, where she can spar with her estranged father, Conrad Ecklie.
So the introductions are thankfully out of the way. Now we can get back to what this show does best. No, I don’t mean serial killers and overused CSI-in-peril story lines. I mean crime scenes, forensics, a little humor and a lot more fun than the super-seriousness we’ve been tortured with during the Ray Langston era.
We’ve got crime scenes. Brutal crime scenes, no less. In the dark. Yes, someone has remembered that this is the Las Vegas “GRAVE” shift… as in overnight, in the dark – from 11pm to 7am.
Someone has also realized how to actually turn back the clock and bring us back to the good old days of the show. I found myself flashing back to great episodes like “Blood Drops”, “Spark of Life”, “Butterflied” and even “Gum Drops”.
We begin with a couple of kids making out in a vehicle on a quiet street. All of a sudden, the sprinklers come on in the yard they’re parked in front of. The window of the vehicle is open, allowing the sprinklers to spray inside the vehicle. Only it’s not water, but blood being sprayed everywhere.
We flash to Catherine taking blood evidence from the girl. Then she walks over to where DB is standing, staring at the small billboard nearby advertising that the homes in the “eco friendly” neighborhood are available. (does that remind anyone else of the Cath/Gil moment in “Shooting Stars” where he’s watching the shooting stars in the sky in awe?) DB gets philosophical:
DB: You know, you lose the blood and the police tape, my wife could really go for a neighborhood like this. Very eco-friendly.
Cath: Not so friendly tonight.
Brass comes from the house to tell them there’s a quadruple homicide in the house. (“Blood Drops”, anyone?) DB goes up to the house while Cath & Brass hang back for a moment.
Brass: I hope ‘Moonbeam’ brought his booties and a strong stomach.
What? No witty Catherine comeback? Where’s the great Cath/Brass banter? Guess maybe she’s still pissed at him over the dealings with Ray.
Cath & ‘Moonbeam’ do a slow, silent walk through the house with their flashlights and check out all of the bodies. Definitely a lot of “Blood Drops” moments as well as “Butterflied” with the careful sidestepping around blood & bodies. It seems the writer of this episode watched a lot of the old episodes and is trying very hard to recreate some of the more memorable moments of the “golden years” of this show. The dad is dead on the couch with a football game still playing loudly on the tv. (that brings us back to season 2 “Burked”, doesn’t it?) In the kitchen a mixer is still beating dough. Catherine follows bloody footprints to a dead girl in the shower (yep, back to “Butterflied”) Her blood was going down the shower drain.
DB: Green house. Grey water system. Recycles everything that goes down the drain.
Cath: out to the sprinklers. Explains why the house was bleeding.
Oh, don’t make me go there. That puts pictures of “Amityville Horror” in my brain. That movie always creeps me out.
DB also finds something on the floor.
DB: look at this. When was the last time you bought a rainbow marshmallow?
Cath: when my daughter was 8.
DB: oh God.
A Lindsey reference. Yay.
They continue through the house and come to a bedroom door.
DB: feel that?
Cath: change in temperature
They see a broken window and a birdbath on the floor, and a young girl in the bed, looking peacefully dead. DB notices blood outside and they all follow the trail, Brass and uniforms included. Brass & the unis go in. He tells DB & Cath to wait until they get the Code 4 signal, meaning all is clear. It seems to be new uniform cops instead of Mitch, Akers or Metcalf. Dang.
Outside DB & Cath can hear the cops apprehending a suspect and start going in. They’re cuffing a guy holding a very bloody shirt and saying that he “loved her”.
Wow. All of that and we finally get to the opening credits – which are all still the same as the last how many years, with just the additions of Ted and Elisabeth. They can’t give us new cast promo pics, so why would they even think about redoing the opening credits. I guess that’s a reflection on how boring this show has become in the last few seasons. I figured they’d kickstart themselves when Ted joined up, but I guess that was asking too much for Carol & Company to actually update something.
Back to the story –
We hear the annoying GPS “you are going the wrong way” voice as we see Morgan trying to get to the crime scene.
(Voice) Make a turn at the next intersection.
Morgan: intersection?
(Voice) You are going the wrong way.
Morgan: there’s NO road.
(voice) you are going the wrong way.
Morgan hits the GPS unit.
(voice) recalculating.
ROFL I really think I’m going to love her. This is what Riley could have been if they wouldn’t have been short-sighted and put all of their focus on Ray. (don’t get me started again)
She finally comes speeding up to the crime scene, not necessarily via the road. Nick is at his vehicle and watching her approach with a bit of trepidation.
Nick: your dad teach you how to drive?
Morgan: Funny. You guys could use a few more freeways around here.
Conrad is just coming out of the house. Morgan has opened her case as he comes up to her.
CE: cigars. That kills the decomp. I always had a few on hand. So uh, you settling in?
MB: yeah… you make an appearance at every crime scene?
CE: I usually roll on anything over a double. And this one, the press is gonna be all over it.
MB: I got stuff to do.
Members of the press then call him over to answer questions.
If the addition of his daughter brings more screen time for Ecklie, I’m all for it. Since Ecklie became lab director, then Undersheriff, I’ve actually started liking him and wishing they’d have him on more. Marc Vann usually seems to be under used no matter what show he’s in.
As we hear Conrad giving his statement to the press, we see Mitch bringing the guy into the police station, then Catherine doing a search of the house. She comes into one of the bedrooms where ‘Moonbeam’ is standing and staring.
C: Uh, don’t mean to interrupt your search, but um, I’ve torn this place apart. There’s no gun, no knife…
DB: Did you notice the décor?
C: you in the market for a decorator?
DB: The kid’s 27 years old. He answers phones at a body shop, and all of the furniture in this place looks like it belongs to his parents. Like hand-me-downs. The only room that reflects his tastes is this one, and it’s laid out exactly like, like the dead little girl’s room. Even has the same doll house.
As they check the dollhouse, they find extra panels that have various pictures of the girl on them.
Can you say “creepy”? Oy.
Morgan is outside the other house, photographing the area & we see the base of the birdbath tipped over. Greg is processing evidence inside the room. Morgan finds a number of shoe prints outside the window as well.
Back at PD, Brass is interviewing the “peeper”. Catherine comes in to gather evidence.
C: I’m CSI Willows here to process you. Get up.
Brass turns down the temp on the AC a few degrees
C: Step on the paper. Strip.
B: Just pretend she’s an 8 year old girl.
The guy takes off his shirt & Cath puts them in a bag.
C: Pants next.
Peeper: can you close the blinds?
Brass grabs the cord for the blinds…and pulls them wide open.
B: Better?
Peeper gives up his pants. Cath bags them, and pulls out another bag.
C: keep going.
Peeper reluctantly strips the boxers.
Awww. The guy is actually quite cute…if he weren’t an icky pervert. It’s fun to see Cath & Brass working together and on the same page this time – even though they didn’t actually talk to each other. At least they weren’t butting heads again.
Doc Robbins is at the house. David tells him that three of the victims are in the van, but they’re still waiting on the mom. She’s the one in the shower and Nick is still processing around her. Nick tells Doc they need to keep her there to keep her in context. Doc says the grandmother was stabbed a dozen times while the father was shot three times. So there was a gun and a knife, yet the mother in the shower was stabbed with the towel bar. Interesting.
DB is in the house checking out the freezer. Sara comes in to say that cadets are searching the area, but coming up empty. Hey look, y’all. It’s Sara. Yes, you remember: Sara Sidle, CSI. We’re 12 minutes into the show, we’ve had DB, Cath, Nick, Greg, Morgan, Ecklie, Doc, David, Mitch, dead bodies, perverts, and we finally get to Sara. And of course, just like when both Gil Grissom & Ray Langston were in charge of things, we’ve got Sara working with the boss. Heaven forbid she’d actually be working with Catherine. That would mess up the whole concept of the show. Yes, that’s sarcasm, people. Pay attention.
Oh, and just in case you failed to notice… Sara Sidle is in a scene where there’s a take-out menu clipped to the front of the fridge. Thus we need to flash back to season 2’s “You’ve got male”. That’s what they call “continuity”. It seems that someone actually learned the meaning of that word on this show. Wonders never cease. Oh, and your ‘eagle eye’ might also notice the same square necklace she’s worn numerous times.
Anyway, back to the freezer… Moonbeam says he’s seen that freezer before – when he & the wife left the kids at home for a weekend. They did the grocery shopping and bought basically the same stuff that’s in that freezer – popsicles, ice cream, etc.
S: it’s a great way to lure a kid.
DB: not a lure… more like a… lifestyle. Arrested development.
S: You think John Lee likes little girls because he’s a little boy?
DB: Immature, isolated, he hides, takes pictures through windows. I’m passive, not aggressive.
S: I though you liked to play dead? Get into the head of the victim.
DB: you know, that depends. You walk into a room, the victim, suspect. I go with whoever has the best story to tell.
S: what story is this guy telling you?
DB: I don’t know yet, but I’m not so sure that it ends in a quadruple homicide.
S: you don’t think the man-boy did it. He was in their house. He was holding the little girl’s nightgown. He watched her for years.
DB: exactly. For years. Thank you. And all of a sudden, one night he stops watching and he starts killing? Why?
I’m really actually beginning to like DB Moonbeam. He’s not strictly scientific like Grissom was. He’s not clinically boring like Ray was. With him being a “family” man, it’s nice to see him bring out that aspect. It’s kind of like the “street smart” comments Catherine used to bring to the early seasons – until the writers somehow lost that part of her feisty personality. (I know, I’ll save you all from the long rant going down that tangent will bring) Oh, and by the way…the constant mention of DB’s family may get to be annoying if we rarely (if at all) get to see various members of the family. Even the phone calls from the wife have less meaning the more times they come up.
Back at PD naked Peeper (John Lee) is freezing his naked tush off (gotta love Brass for being thoughtful enough to turn down the heat) and Catherine asks for his right hand.
JL: is it going to hurt?
C: a lot less than jabbing a towel bar into a woman 20 times.
JL: I didn’t do it. Any of it. … I went by the house. I looked in & I saw her. She was already dead. The blood. … I loved her. I couldn’t leave her there like that.
C: other hand.
B: you know, I ran you. No record, no complaints. But here’s what I think happened. I think you were hanging out by that window peeping, someone saw you, told the Chamblisses, dad didn’t like that. So he walked across the street to your house, knocked on your door, then knocked on your head. And you didn’t like that.
C: I tested your hands for lead, to determine if you fired a gun…
B: and guess what color ‘positive’ is? (he holds up a red jumpsuit)
C: You shot that little girl. You shot her father, sliced & diced her grandmother, and stabbed & beat her mother with a towel bar.
B: and we’re gonna prove it too. … So you’ve got a choice. You can spend the rest of your life in General Pop with a bunch of gangsters & killers who never get to see their kids and gonna take it out on you in a heavy way, or… you can tell us what you did, and maybe buy yourself a private cell. What’s it gonna be?
JL: I did it.
Cath & Brass look perplexed.
JL: I’m the one who killed the Chambliss family.
I guess after 11 seasons, that’s something new. LOL
Ecklie is back at the crime scene, giving a statement to the press out on the street. We see Morgan outside the house in the background during his statement, still processing evidence.
I’m not sure why they’re hitting this estranged father/daughter part so heavy to begin with. Why don’t they just put an anvil in the corner of the screen, instead of beating us over the head with the point they’re trying to make? Catherine & Sam had daughter/daddy issues, yet they brought them to us subtly, not beating-over-the-head/anvil style.
Cath & Brass leave the room. As Cath comes down the hall, she hears a woman at the main desk who is telling the officer (Hey isn’t that Metcalf. Yay. Yay. Yay. I’ve missed him.) that they arrested the wrong man in the Chambliss murders.
C: really? And you would know that, how?
Woman: I know, because I did it. I’m the one who killed the Chambliss family.
Oh boy.
Brass is in an interview room talking with the lady, Leslie Gitig. Ecklie comes in, turns up the thermostat (were there memos sent out recently on new ways to torture suspects?) and closes the blinds. Leslie says that she & Calvin Chambliss were having an affair, and the guy promised to leave his wife. She said Calvin decided to tell his wife about the affair instead. She tells them to check her phone records, then to check the traffic cameras to show she was sitting in her car outside their house. She said Cal’s mother wouldn’t let her in so she killed her, then Cal, Susan and Fiona. Ecklie tells her to give them some information that wasn’t in all of the papers & press statements. So she gives them plenty of other details. She seems convincing.
Catherine is waiting in autopsy as Doc comes in. (Wow. There’s something else that seems new. I’m liking this.)
Doc: I heard about the second confession.
Cath: one is good, two is bad.
Doc gives her the rundown on the bodies, with the wife stabbed & beaten, the husband shot three times, and the young girl – strangely enough, no signs of sexual assault.
It’s mainly an exposition scene – to get out the information about the bodies, yet I always find myself loving even the simplest of scenes between Doc Robbins and Catherine. There’s just something about having Marg & RDH working together that brings a spark.
Moonbeam comes into the house as Morgan & Nick are processing. He calls a “family meeting” as they go into the bedroom where Greg is still processing. He first asks them if they think the little girl was the target of the attack. No one raises their hands. (jeez, are we back in high school again? Oy.) Then he asks if point of entry was the window. He gets raised hands from Greg & Morgan. He theorizes that the bird bath comes through the window and asks about the girl. Greg said he processed urine under the bed. Moonbeam asks Nick if the dad could have heard the commotion. Nick says the tv was on loud, so maybe he didn’t hear anything, and the grandmother had a hearing aid. Greg said the mixer was on in the kitchen.
DB: that’s crazy. Someone breaks into my daughter’s bedroom, first she yells bloody hell, then she wouldn’t hide, she’d run to me.
M: little girl’s behavior is off.
DB: everybody’s behavior is off on this thing. Oh by the way, Catherine called and said John Lee did not touch the girl sexually, so I’m glad to see none of you raised your hands when I asked if she was the source of this whole thing.
G: in that case, I’d like to retract my hand raise from earlier. Girl’s behavior is more consistent with point of entry at the front door. Then she ran & hid.
M: But there was no evidence of forced entry at the front door. Dad’s on the sofa, mom’s in the kitchen, then grandma had to let them in.
The hand raising thing was kind of cute. Family meeting? Oy. Is that all we’re going to get from him now is family references? That can become annoying very quickly.
Snobby Leslie is recounting her story again for the camera that they’re taping her with. She said she disposed of her beretta in the water hazard off the 12th hole at a country club she drives by every day.
A new lab tech walks through the lab with a big container with some water and a gun. She meets up with Catherine.
C: ooh, is that it?
Tech: just like she said, 12th hole water hazard. Swan took a bit out of the diver.
C: surprised you let someone else go in after it.
Tech: You know how those Navy SEALS are. They make us Marines take a back seat.
C: Yeah. Well, bullets are in evidence. When you’re done, make sure Russell gets your report?
Tech: got it. Best job in the world – get to play with guns, nobody shootin’ back.
I like her. After only 25 seconds, I really, really like her. Please don’t let her disappear into thin air, or only appear once or twice a season. Yes, I’ll never forget Bobby Dawson, but whoever this lady is, keep finding ways to bring her onto the screen.
Greg & Morgan are in the lab comparing boot prints. They confirm John Lee was outside the window, but his prints weren’t in the house.
G: Russell was right.
M: nice hand retraction…brown nose.
ROFL Did I mention that I think I’m really going to like her?
New ballistics lady (what the heck is her name?) does the processing of the gun. There’s not a match.
Moonbeam comes into the interrogation room to talk with Leslie. He tells her the gun didn’t match, that the rifling was different. She gives him mumbo jumbo about how many things could change the characteristics. Leslie is a legal secretary and knows a lot of the lingo & criminal procedure. She reiterates that she killed the family, that she “sunk that knife into her 24 times”. Moonbeam leaves the room to talk to Cath in the hallway.
DB: She’s a piece of work
C: she’s, what, 105 pounds soaking wet? And I don’t think she owns work boots, not men’s size 12 anyway.
DB: it was a towel rod, not a knife.
C: I ran her phone logs, she’s been making calls to law enforcement all over the county.
DB: she got a look at our evidence. You know, she may be crazy but she figured out point of entry before we did.
C: Maybe we should keep that to ourselves.
DB: yeah. John Lee dressed yet?
C: I would hope so, why?
DB: Guy’s a peeper, and if he didn’t murder that family, maybe he saw who did.
Ha. Methinks Cath has had enough of naked John.
Cath & Moonbeam are interviewing John. He says he didn’t see anything.
C: John, you loved Fiona. Loved her. Then something horrible happened to her. She would want you to help us.
John doesn’t say anything, so Cath shows him a picture of Leslie. He recites a description of her vehicle. He said she would park down the street & sit there for long periods of time. He said she’s “an awful woman”. They ask if he’s seen any other “awful” people go inside. He asks for the cherry cola he requested earlier.
Hey, come on. Cherry Cola is my favorite. Don’t give it to a peeper pervert.
Sara & Morgan are processing in the lab.
S: explain this to me – some perv stalks your daughter, peeks in her window, takes photos for years, mother doesn’t work, father is unemployed, I mean, they were around.
M: you can’t tell me they didn’t know. I found dozens of footprints outside that window.
S: so why didn’t they call the police?
M: Maybe they couldn’t. Did you get a look inside that garage?
S: porche still has dealer plates. New Volvo wagon… money.
M: dad was laid off, where’d it come from? … in LA, 70% of all murders are related to drugs
Greg comes in with a box full of evidence.
G: that might explain what I recovered from the kitchen.
He pulls out a case of baking soda, an accurate scale.
M: either mom was OCD or she was cutting powder. … cocaine, maybe meth?
G: we didn’t find any drugs in that house.
S: because we weren’t looking for them. … I’ll drive. I know the way.
Ha. Sara’s “I’ll drive” brings back memories as well. And it’s cute to realize the lab grapevine made its rounds with Morgan getting lost on the way to the scene. But good grief, come on. If they’re going to have Sara in an episode, at least have her doing something other than standing & looking pretty (she is looking mighty fine though, ain’t she?). I did find it amusing to see the “This department has worked 127 days without a lost time accident” poster on the wall. Hmmm. Is that since Ray got the crap beaten out of him, I wonder?
Hodges is thoroughly checking the big rash on his hand as Nick comes in to the lab. He dropped his gloves & ended up putting his hand in some battery acid while trying to pick them up. Ouch.
N: you know, they really shouldn’t even let you out of the lab.
H: May I cite you in my Workman’s Comp case?
LOL is that why they had the “127 days” poster on the wall in the previous scene? Sometimes this show really makes me shake my head.
Hodges identified the blue fibers from Mr Chambliss as denim.
H: just as you’ll never get the chance to run Grave, these never got the chance to be pants.
ROFLMAO I think Hodges is my new favorite. Can I give him a really big hug & kiss for that one?
Apparently the not-yet-jeans denim fibers are from new “enviro-friendly” insulation.
Now Greg & Morgan (why do I always want to say Riley?) are searching (ransacking?) the house, looking high & low and everywhere in between. Sara calls from the other room to have them come see what she found. Behind the painting of a unicorn is an electrical panel. It’s something that John Lee’s bedroom didn’t have. The electrical panel for the place is in the garage. They open it up, pull off the facing, and find a huge stash.
G (to Morgan): good call, Hollywood.
M: I love when I’m right.
Well, at least we can say Sara’s real reason for being in the episode was to find the true reason for the murders to begin with. That’s some consolation, I guess. Yay Sara.
Cath & Moonbeam are back interrogating John Lee. He said they let strange men sit on Fiona’s bed and made her sit in the hallway. One time she forgot her doll and went to get it. Her dad yelled at her. He said the dad yelled at her a lot.
Sara & Morgan are processing the money found at the house. They get a fingerprint hit on Lonny Gallows. They send a pic of the guy to DB as he & Cath are still talking to John Lee. DB shows it to Cath. They ask John Lee about him. He said he saw the guy in Fiona’s bedroom a lot.
Don’t ya just love how fast up-to-date technology (smart phones) can help avoid boring in-between scenes by bringing instant information to other CSIs on the case without the obligatory phone calls? No unnecessary phone calls here, just a quick picture sent. How things have progressed since the old season 1 pagers.
Nick arrives at a construction site where Lonny Gallows is. He tries to run, but Mitch and another officer are able to get him. He’s got bloody shoes, and gloves on him, as well as drugs. His father comes rushing to his rescue. He says the boots & gloves are his. He says that he committed the murder.
Can we please get off this merry-go-round soon? I think I’m getting flashbacks to a warped version of “Ending Happy”. Oh, did I mention that Mr Gallows is played by Chris Mulkey? I love him. He was Annie Potts' husband on “Anyday now” back in the day.
Mr G insists he was the one who killed the family, but Nick & Brass still don’t believe him, since Lonny’s prints were on the drugs & money. He says he protected his kid, by killing the family. His son had gotten clean in rehab. He’ll tell them everything if they drop the drug charges on Lonny.
Moonbeam, Ecklie, Brass & Nick are having a pow-wow in Brass’ office. With Mr G’s confession, Leslie is now off the hook. John Lee made bail.
E: so our only viable suspect is the one person who hasn’t confessed to the crime.
Brass looks at Moonbeam.
B: any thoughts?
DB: yeah, who killed Cock Robbin?
B: those ‘shrooms in your office aren’t medicinal, are they?
Ha. At least Brass has someone new to play his sarcasm off of these days.
Apparently, the Cock Robbin thing was part of a folk song. Guess I’m not up to speed on that.
DB: okay, forget folk songs. Crime novels. Strangers on a train.
E: yeah, I saw the movie. What’s your point?
Yay. Another quip that takes me back to an old episode. “A night at the movies” Season 3? 4? Whatever season, it was a good episode – both cases.
Moonbeam realizes that all three confessors said the same words in the same order. “I did it. I’m the one who killed the Chamliss Family.” So, total strangers getting together to commit a crime.
DB: there is no perfect crime, but if you create enough reasonable doubt you might just have the perfect defense.
Looks like there’s a “family meeting” in the layout room with Moonbeam, Greg, Nick, Cath & Sara…wait a minute. I just said Cath & Sara? Really? Stop the presses!
Anyway, Leslie brought her car to Benson’s Auto Body to have it repaired. It’s the same place John Lee works at. She also paid for the truck that she plowed into – a truck owned by Maurice Gallows.
Cath & Greg go to check out Leslie’s car. As they’re checking it for damage, gunshots ring out. Cath, Greg & the uniforms run into the house. The uniform goes in first, finds Leslie on the floor with blood on her chest. He continues through the house as Cath & Greg check the body. She’s still alive. Greg calls for an ambulance. We hear the officer telling someone to put the gun down. Cath tells Greg to stay with Leslie. She goes to help the officer and finds John Lee sitting on the floor with a gun in his hand. He said Leslie told him he could have Fiona. He didn’t realize that he was supposed to kill Fiona. He couldn’t do it, so she did. John says now he has nothing, and blows his brains out in front of Cath & the officer.
Poor Cath. Anybody who didn’t think the guy was going to kill himself, raise your hands. Yep. Saw that one coming from a mile away, right? Sometimes, I’d really like to see a full episode of the “unexpected”.
So, with John and Leslie out of the picture, Moonbeam & Brass go back to talking to Mr G. He finally tells them Leslie said it was just going to be Cal Chambliss that would be killed, not the whole family.
Mr G: you know what it’s like to lose a kid to drugs? To wish the world for him & see that world come crashing down around him?
Brass: I do, actually. I do. … but it still doesn’t justify killing the whole family.
Awww. It’s a reference to Ellie. It’s been a while since we’ve heard a mention of her.
Cath comes to Gil’s… er, Moonbeam’s office to put a wrap on a long day/night/week.
C: I’m gonna head out. You need anything?
DB: no, I’m good. Thank you. See you tomorrow.
Cath looks around briefly, then comes into the office
C: Cock Robbin. Really. What…journal did you get that one from?
DB: my parents were singers and that was kind of a favorite around our…van.
C: mmmm.
DB: go with what you know, right?
C: yeah. Well, it worked. It … really worked.
DB: what’s going on? You alright?
DB’s phone buzzes. It says “home”. He ignores it.
C: aren’t you gonna get that?
DB: I don’t wanna be rude.
C: oh, be rude. Goodnight.
Cath walks out with a troubled look on her face. DB answers the call from his wife.
This brings to mind what an early Cath/Gil scene would have been like before they really knew each other so well. Yes, Cath has the look that shows there’s something going on with her. Yes, maybe it’s that she just saw a guy blow his brains out in front of her – even if he was a pervert peeper. I just really hope they don’t give her an over-troubled mind to cause her to make her exit. I would hope that it becomes an excitement to go on to another adventure. Then again, this is CSI I’m talking about. What are the odds we’d see anything that resembles something I’d like to see.
So overall, kind of a so-so episode. There were some decent Cath scenes. Some good “moonbeam really is a strange one” scenes, a nice Ecklie presence. Loved the new ballistics lady. However, it almost seems that there are too many people to give screen time to these days. Sara really wasn’t needed, but I was glad to have her on screen anyway. Greg, as usual, gets stuck in the background. Brass had a good presence as well.
I enjoyed the many things that made me think of previous episodes. It was kind of a trip down memory lane.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Wednesday This N That
While the Tuesday night tv schedule still sucks, ( why do they all have to be on at the same time? ) it’s great that there are at least a few shows to still keep my interest.
Let’s begin with a few of last night’s shows
1. As I mentioned on Monday, last night’s NCIS was great. I loved the homecoming theme. It was fun to hear that Jimmy was King (as he was the only boy in the class of 13) and that Abby had multiple dates for homecoming. It was also cute to see Tweets from Brian Dietzen (Jimmy) that he was crowned King in real life as well, only it was for Prom instead of homecoming. A Tweet from Pauley mentioned that the dress Abby’s wearing in the old photo with her three dates is her actual homecoming dress. It’s so great to hear those behind-the-scenes tidbits.
Speaking of behind-the-scenes: it was fun to see some of the NCIS cast on ET last night – especially Mark, who revealed his “cheat sheet” lines inside his jacket. It was cute how he was giving Nancy O’Dell his Gibbs’ stare and making her crack up repeatedly. Such a fun cast.
2. Body of Proof brought a bit of the fun ( and funny ) as well. I love the small Kate/Megan catfights – as well as the “make up” scenes. I think the Jeri/Dana scenes are the best. The thing I’m really loving about the new season is that the rest of the cast is getting more involved in the episodes. It’s not just the Megan or Megan/Kate show. It was funny to see that everyone seems to have a “significant other” except Megan…and maybe Sam. I love how Sam read Bud’s body language and drew her conclusion that he had a ‘special someone’. That reminded me of a few other character “couples” from other shows who worked like that – such as Cath/Gil from CSI and Sam/Jack from Stargate SG1.
3. Unforgettable was back for a second episode last night. This one was better than the pilot as we were finally getting into the heart of the show without having to go through all of the character introductions and backstories. The scenes with Carrie and her mother who has Alzheimer’s always just reach out & grab me. I love how the writers have incorporated that into the story. I wish more shows would bring the Alzheimer’s/Dementia theme in with a recurring character. As for the concept of the show, the "out of body" flashback scenes kind of annoy, yet intrigue me. I find myself looking more closely at the previous scenes that Carrie's been in to see if there's something I can detect that they will come and focus on later in a flashback scene.
4. Since Dancing With The Stars always runs a few minutes over (congrats to Chaz Bono on advancing another week, by the way), I was able to catch the opening of Parenthood last night and even catch a glimpse of Bonnie Bedelia. Yes, the karma was working in my favor last night, it seemed.
As for tonight –
5. it’s become hard to get the CSI switch to Wednesday’s stuck in my brain. Last week’s season 12 premiere was okay, considering we had to suffer an overload of Dead Body (DB) because of the character introduction. From the previews of tonight’s episode, it looks like it’s back to “normal” for character/crime scene stuff. It looks especially interesting seeing that Catherine might get a bit of action. I always love Action ! Cath.
6. The Kelli Giddish era of SVU continues tonight as well. I liked her introduction last week. I hope she & Mariska can get some meaningful scenes together soon. I’ve been watching a few more reruns of SVU lately. Mariska & Chris are just so darn good together. Mariska always blows me away. I just wish she’d be on a show that’s a bit lighter.
Let’s begin with a few of last night’s shows
1. As I mentioned on Monday, last night’s NCIS was great. I loved the homecoming theme. It was fun to hear that Jimmy was King (as he was the only boy in the class of 13) and that Abby had multiple dates for homecoming. It was also cute to see Tweets from Brian Dietzen (Jimmy) that he was crowned King in real life as well, only it was for Prom instead of homecoming. A Tweet from Pauley mentioned that the dress Abby’s wearing in the old photo with her three dates is her actual homecoming dress. It’s so great to hear those behind-the-scenes tidbits.
Speaking of behind-the-scenes: it was fun to see some of the NCIS cast on ET last night – especially Mark, who revealed his “cheat sheet” lines inside his jacket. It was cute how he was giving Nancy O’Dell his Gibbs’ stare and making her crack up repeatedly. Such a fun cast.
2. Body of Proof brought a bit of the fun ( and funny ) as well. I love the small Kate/Megan catfights – as well as the “make up” scenes. I think the Jeri/Dana scenes are the best. The thing I’m really loving about the new season is that the rest of the cast is getting more involved in the episodes. It’s not just the Megan or Megan/Kate show. It was funny to see that everyone seems to have a “significant other” except Megan…and maybe Sam. I love how Sam read Bud’s body language and drew her conclusion that he had a ‘special someone’. That reminded me of a few other character “couples” from other shows who worked like that – such as Cath/Gil from CSI and Sam/Jack from Stargate SG1.
3. Unforgettable was back for a second episode last night. This one was better than the pilot as we were finally getting into the heart of the show without having to go through all of the character introductions and backstories. The scenes with Carrie and her mother who has Alzheimer’s always just reach out & grab me. I love how the writers have incorporated that into the story. I wish more shows would bring the Alzheimer’s/Dementia theme in with a recurring character. As for the concept of the show, the "out of body" flashback scenes kind of annoy, yet intrigue me. I find myself looking more closely at the previous scenes that Carrie's been in to see if there's something I can detect that they will come and focus on later in a flashback scene.
4. Since Dancing With The Stars always runs a few minutes over (congrats to Chaz Bono on advancing another week, by the way), I was able to catch the opening of Parenthood last night and even catch a glimpse of Bonnie Bedelia. Yes, the karma was working in my favor last night, it seemed.
As for tonight –
5. it’s become hard to get the CSI switch to Wednesday’s stuck in my brain. Last week’s season 12 premiere was okay, considering we had to suffer an overload of Dead Body (DB) because of the character introduction. From the previews of tonight’s episode, it looks like it’s back to “normal” for character/crime scene stuff. It looks especially interesting seeing that Catherine might get a bit of action. I always love Action ! Cath.
6. The Kelli Giddish era of SVU continues tonight as well. I liked her introduction last week. I hope she & Mariska can get some meaningful scenes together soon. I’ve been watching a few more reruns of SVU lately. Mariska & Chris are just so darn good together. Mariska always blows me away. I just wish she’d be on a show that’s a bit lighter.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday TV Roundup
New show premieres. They always seem to bring out the anticipation that you may be about to embark on a wonderful journey that will last for years. It’s sad that those journeys which last more than a couple seasons are few & far between these days. In the last couple years, there’s only been a handful of those journeys that I’ve been along for the ride with for more than a season - Rizzoli & Isles, Body of Proof, and Sanctuary to name a few. My list of favorite shows that are done in a season or less is much longer than the list of multi-season shows.
Thus, we come to another night of series premieres.
1. Terra Nova kicked off with a 2-hour series premiere. This show came with the heavy baggage of the Spielberg name. That’s the first sign of an over-hyped show. It’s kind of a fun, if tired, scifi concept - time-traveling back to pre-historic Earth. Oh wait. I guess we’re time-traveling AHEAD to 2149, where we see… dinosaurs? Think Jurassic Park meets Stargate. Yes, they even went through a round portal to get to the ‘other’ side. You could probably have heard my groan from 100 light years away when I saw that. The dinosaurs… let’s just say that the limited-budget show, Sanctuary, has MUCH better CGI monsters than this show ever will. It makes me appreciate the work Anthem graphics does for Sanctuary even more after seeing this pilot.
Overall, it’s a show that has time travel, dinosaurs, bad guys, good guys, bad guys pretending to be good guys, and a location that could be considered ‘paradise’. For now, after seeing the 2-hour pilot, I consider it a show that I would continue watching, but will have to lower my high Spielberg-induced expectations considerably. I guess Sanctuary has set the bar very high in my book, and it’ll take something spectacular to reach that level again.
2. Hart of Dixie was another series premiere tonight. Since we’re comparing things to previous shows tonight, let’s call this one Doc Hollywood meets Sweet Home Alabama. Hotshot NYC doctor Zoe Hart leaves the city to, unexpectedly, take over a private practice in small-town Alabama. One bright spot of this show would be the pop-wannabe music throughout(DON’T call it country, please, or you will garner my ire). Darius Rucker, Sugarland, etc. There was a little bit of bluegrass banjo that perked my old-school country ears.
Basically, the show was everything I was expecting it to be. At least for the pilot. Overplaying the NYC vs Southern Hospitality differences, over-confident NYC high-society girl vs Southern Belles, etc. Even though I really didn’t know any of the cast, I did enjoy them. That’s usually a tough sell for me. So, this show is a keeper…for now.
3. Another episode of 2 Broke Girls tonight as well. Yes, another episode and I’m actually still watching. It’s the sarcasm, baby! “I am too poor to have a fear of success”. I think Max is my sarcasm hero!
4. I also was able to watch tomorrow’s episode of NCIS tonight. So much better than last week’s season premiere. I loved the ‘homecoming’ theme. It was funny to hear Jimmy’s recollections and see Abby’s homecoming dates ( yes, plural )
5. Speaking of Tuesday shows – tomorrow brings another over-stuffed hour of Body of Proof, Parenthood, Unforgettable, and Sons of Anarchy. Such a timeslot war for my viewing attentions.
6. on a final note: I watched my first (and definitely LAST) episode of Gossip Girl, just to get a glimpse of Brian J Smith. The things I do for certain actors. Oy. Okay, technically I didn't "watch" the episode. I just fast-forwarded to the part with BJS (which annoyingly was at the very end), so I avoided much of the soap-operaish eyerolling stuff.
Thus, we come to another night of series premieres.
1. Terra Nova kicked off with a 2-hour series premiere. This show came with the heavy baggage of the Spielberg name. That’s the first sign of an over-hyped show. It’s kind of a fun, if tired, scifi concept - time-traveling back to pre-historic Earth. Oh wait. I guess we’re time-traveling AHEAD to 2149, where we see… dinosaurs? Think Jurassic Park meets Stargate. Yes, they even went through a round portal to get to the ‘other’ side. You could probably have heard my groan from 100 light years away when I saw that. The dinosaurs… let’s just say that the limited-budget show, Sanctuary, has MUCH better CGI monsters than this show ever will. It makes me appreciate the work Anthem graphics does for Sanctuary even more after seeing this pilot.
Overall, it’s a show that has time travel, dinosaurs, bad guys, good guys, bad guys pretending to be good guys, and a location that could be considered ‘paradise’. For now, after seeing the 2-hour pilot, I consider it a show that I would continue watching, but will have to lower my high Spielberg-induced expectations considerably. I guess Sanctuary has set the bar very high in my book, and it’ll take something spectacular to reach that level again.
2. Hart of Dixie was another series premiere tonight. Since we’re comparing things to previous shows tonight, let’s call this one Doc Hollywood meets Sweet Home Alabama. Hotshot NYC doctor Zoe Hart leaves the city to, unexpectedly, take over a private practice in small-town Alabama. One bright spot of this show would be the pop-wannabe music throughout(DON’T call it country, please, or you will garner my ire). Darius Rucker, Sugarland, etc. There was a little bit of bluegrass banjo that perked my old-school country ears.
Basically, the show was everything I was expecting it to be. At least for the pilot. Overplaying the NYC vs Southern Hospitality differences, over-confident NYC high-society girl vs Southern Belles, etc. Even though I really didn’t know any of the cast, I did enjoy them. That’s usually a tough sell for me. So, this show is a keeper…for now.
3. Another episode of 2 Broke Girls tonight as well. Yes, another episode and I’m actually still watching. It’s the sarcasm, baby! “I am too poor to have a fear of success”. I think Max is my sarcasm hero!
4. I also was able to watch tomorrow’s episode of NCIS tonight. So much better than last week’s season premiere. I loved the ‘homecoming’ theme. It was funny to hear Jimmy’s recollections and see Abby’s homecoming dates ( yes, plural )
5. Speaking of Tuesday shows – tomorrow brings another over-stuffed hour of Body of Proof, Parenthood, Unforgettable, and Sons of Anarchy. Such a timeslot war for my viewing attentions.
6. on a final note: I watched my first (and definitely LAST) episode of Gossip Girl, just to get a glimpse of Brian J Smith. The things I do for certain actors. Oy. Okay, technically I didn't "watch" the episode. I just fast-forwarded to the part with BJS (which annoyingly was at the very end), so I avoided much of the soap-operaish eyerolling stuff.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday This N That
Have I mentioned lately that I really hate Mondays? No matter how much work I’m able to catch up on when I have to work on weekends (work? Weekends? Oy!) my ‘inbox’ is always full again when I get to work Monday afternoons. That means there’s less time to get caught up on the important things – like the ‘blah blah blah’ ramblings of This N That.
1. Jane Lynch rocks – no matter what she does. Here are a couple of the latest Jane tidbits.
I always love her interviews because she has the perfect blend of serious, funny and sarcastic.
2. Where there's Jane, there's Ellen, right?
I guess Ashton didn't get the memo?
Turning to tonight’s TV Roundup:
3. Tonight brings the series premiere of Terra Nova
From what I’ve seen of the previews and reading some reviews, it seems to be an interesting show. Time travel back to prehistoric Earth? Sounds a bit like Stargate SG1 meets Jurassic Park I guess.
4. Tonight also brings the premiere of Hart of Dixie
This one is still on my ‘questionable’ list, but I’m at least going to check out tonight’s pilot episode. The premise reminds me a bit of “Sweet Home Alabama” with Reese Witherspoon, or maybe more like “Doc Hollywood” with Michael J Fox. Once again, the lack of familiar faces in the cast will probably be my deciding factor.
1. Jane Lynch rocks – no matter what she does. Here are a couple of the latest Jane tidbits.
I always love her interviews because she has the perfect blend of serious, funny and sarcastic.
2. Where there's Jane, there's Ellen, right?
I guess Ashton didn't get the memo?
Turning to tonight’s TV Roundup:
3. Tonight brings the series premiere of Terra Nova
From what I’ve seen of the previews and reading some reviews, it seems to be an interesting show. Time travel back to prehistoric Earth? Sounds a bit like Stargate SG1 meets Jurassic Park I guess.
4. Tonight also brings the premiere of Hart of Dixie
This one is still on my ‘questionable’ list, but I’m at least going to check out tonight’s pilot episode. The premise reminds me a bit of “Sweet Home Alabama” with Reese Witherspoon, or maybe more like “Doc Hollywood” with Michael J Fox. Once again, the lack of familiar faces in the cast will probably be my deciding factor.
"Love's Everlasting Courage" premieres on Hallmark
September 17th brought the premiere of "Love Begins", the first of two prequels in Janette Oke's "Love Comes Softly" series. That movie attracted 2 .9 million viewers. (See my review here)
This Saturday, October 1st, brings the second prequel, "Love's Everlasting Courage", as Clark’s beloved wife, Ellen, dies from scarlet fever, he and his daughter, Missy, must find a way to survive this hardship while also saving the barren land from drought. With love and support from family and friends, Clark and Missy endure.
Clark's parents are played by Cheryl Ladd & Bruce Boxleitner, and bring a nice addition to the story in arriving to say and help Clark & Missy recover from their loss. One thing that draws my ire is that they take away one of my favorite characters (and I don't mean Nancy McKeon or Jere Burns from the first prequel!)
This Saturday, October 1st, brings the second prequel, "Love's Everlasting Courage", as Clark’s beloved wife, Ellen, dies from scarlet fever, he and his daughter, Missy, must find a way to survive this hardship while also saving the barren land from drought. With love and support from family and friends, Clark and Missy endure.
Clark's parents are played by Cheryl Ladd & Bruce Boxleitner, and bring a nice addition to the story in arriving to say and help Clark & Missy recover from their loss. One thing that draws my ire is that they take away one of my favorite characters (and I don't mean Nancy McKeon or Jere Burns from the first prequel!)
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Friday TV Roundup
The wild premiere week wraps up with the season premiere of Nikita, and series premiere of A Gifted Man.
1. The changes continue with Nikita as Amanda is in charge of Division (as much as she can be). It’s still hard to figure out each time whose side Alex is actually on. I guess she’s on her own side of what has become a power triangle. It’s always fun to see the Alex/Nikita fights as well. It was interesting to see Birkhoff to Nikita & Michael’s rescue – even if he also has his own agenda. I’m not too fond of the Amanda/Percy and Alex/Percy “Silence of the lambs” style of interrogations, with Percy being in the glass cage. I do love their banter – “I scratch your back, you whip mine?”
And how great is it to have appearances from Alberta Watson? I always love the Nikita-meets-La-Femme-Nikita moments.
2. The premiere of A Gifted Man basically freaked me out. First of all, the fast-paced neurosurgeon without a heart, who’s being visited by the ghost of his exwife is annoying. Secondly, an appearance by Bill Irwin right away in this episode freaked me out. I thought I was having another Raskell nightmare. Third, the first time I saw the ex-wife, Anna (played by Jennifre Ehle), I had a flash of Meryl Streep. Now I think instead of the character scheduling his own MRI, maybe I need one myself.
I think the only bright spot in this pilot was seeing Margo Martindale. I’ve seen her in a few things, but mainly remember her in “Perfect Murder, Perfect Town” with Marg.
The verdict on this show: one episode is half an episode too many.
3. On a different note, I saw a report today where a coroner declared an Irishman was killed by 'spontaneous human combustion'. The first thing that came to mind: Sara Sidle would have geeked out over the news. She was hoping to prove that in season 1 's "Face Lift" episode - you know, the whole 'pig in a nightgown' experiment.
1. The changes continue with Nikita as Amanda is in charge of Division (as much as she can be). It’s still hard to figure out each time whose side Alex is actually on. I guess she’s on her own side of what has become a power triangle. It’s always fun to see the Alex/Nikita fights as well. It was interesting to see Birkhoff to Nikita & Michael’s rescue – even if he also has his own agenda. I’m not too fond of the Amanda/Percy and Alex/Percy “Silence of the lambs” style of interrogations, with Percy being in the glass cage. I do love their banter – “I scratch your back, you whip mine?”
And how great is it to have appearances from Alberta Watson? I always love the Nikita-meets-La-Femme-Nikita moments.
2. The premiere of A Gifted Man basically freaked me out. First of all, the fast-paced neurosurgeon without a heart, who’s being visited by the ghost of his exwife is annoying. Secondly, an appearance by Bill Irwin right away in this episode freaked me out. I thought I was having another Raskell nightmare. Third, the first time I saw the ex-wife, Anna (played by Jennifre Ehle), I had a flash of Meryl Streep. Now I think instead of the character scheduling his own MRI, maybe I need one myself.
I think the only bright spot in this pilot was seeing Margo Martindale. I’ve seen her in a few things, but mainly remember her in “Perfect Murder, Perfect Town” with Marg.
The verdict on this show: one episode is half an episode too many.
3. On a different note, I saw a report today where a coroner declared an Irishman was killed by 'spontaneous human combustion'. The first thing that came to mind: Sara Sidle would have geeked out over the news. She was hoping to prove that in season 1 's "Face Lift" episode - you know, the whole 'pig in a nightgown' experiment.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Thursday TV Roundup
I think we can almost call Thursday nights "Badass Bitches" nights these days. Or maybe we’ll call Jane Timoney the "Badass Bitch" and the 'Angels' as the "kickass ladies". Either way, they all seem to fit in the same "have gun : will kick your ass" club – you know, the one that includes Jane Rizzoli, Ziva David, Gemma Teller, Catherine Willows, Nikita, Helen Magnus, Sam Carter, Lindsay Boxer, Grace Hanadarko, Annie Frost, Olivia Benson, and even Harriet Korn, who’s not afraid to pull a gun out of the drawer on a whim - although her best 'gun' is probably her sarcasm.
1. The third go-round for Charlie’s Angels premiered tonight. It was an interesting beginning with one of the ‘Angels’ being killed off within the first 10 minutes. Enter a new rogue badass, who decides to take the ‘high road’ and become an "Angel for Justice" instead of "Angel for Revenge" (is there really a difference?)
I was expecting to see Dina Meyer in this episode, but I guess she’ll be in the next one instead. Bummer.
The one thing that really bugs me is the younger, more suave Bosley (teeny-bopper bait) instead of the more curmudgeonly Bosley that they had in the original series. However, it was cute when they first mention Bosley and we see a brief glimpse of a David Doyle lookalike. A bit of an homage to DD maybe?
In all, it might be a nice addition to my weekly tv lineup. Seeing some of the reviews & tweets as the show was airing, it looks like ladies like the show & guys hate it. (yeah. go figure)
2. Person of Interest with James Caviezel took over the regular CSI Thursday night time slot. I really gave it a shot. Seriously. But 15 minutes was all I could take of this drab, lifeless drivel before I turned the channel to catch the rest of The Secret Circle. Maybe I’ll try again next week, but I’m not hopeful that P.o.I. will continue on my list.
As for The Secret Circle – as expected the episode didn’t have nearly as much Ashley Crow as the pilot did last week (just a tiny bit at the beginning, and at the Sea Fair). I really should dig out my old vhs tapes of "Champs" or even the dvd of "Little Big League". She was great with Timothy Busfield in both. There was even a guest appearance by Tom Butler. I was even telling the tv – "Hey, it’s Trofsky from Stargate SG1"
There was also a bit of a new Uh Huh Her song in this episode. I can’t wait to hear the new album.
3. The evening wrapped up with the premiere of the Prime Suspect reboot, starring Maria Bello as Jane Timoney. Yes, they went quite overboard on the “woman in a man’s world” stereotype in this, but I’ve heard that’s going to be toned down quite a bit in coming episodes.
Jane Timoney rocks. She’s kind of a cross between Jane Rizzoli, Grace Hanadarko and Ziva David. I loved how she ran after a suspect, then got the crap beaten out of her by that suspect until a fellow cop arrived. They didn’t make her a superhero and all of a sudden come back and beat the guy. They allowed her to be vulnerable. They also allowed her to come back to the apartment later on, crying and asking her boyfriend (or is it hubby?), for some comfort: “I know you’re still mad at me, and you can be mad at me again tomorrow, but can you talk to me for a minute, please?” and have him envelop her into a hug while lying on the bed. Awwww.
It was great to see the scene with Jane & her dad. She lugged all of her rifles to his house. The greatest scene in this episode was Jane with the kid, Caleb, and talking about guns, even pulling out hers, clearing it, and putting it on the table for him to touch. Caleb said he would like to kill the man with her gun, and Jane says "I would help you." That. Was. Damn. Cool.
What had me reeling most with this show is all of the recognizable faces that I wasn’t expecting. Yes, I knew Aidan Quinn and Kirk Acevedo would be part of the main cast. I always identify Aidan as the cop with Madeleine Stowe’s blind witness in “Blink”, and Kirk has been in many shows. I mainly know him from Oz . Another Oz alum here was Brian O’Byrne as Duffy. Tim Griffin was on Women’s Murder Club, NCIS and ER; Kenny Johnson has been on CSI, Sons of Anarchy and Saving Grace, while James Martin Kelly was on NYPD Blue back in the day. The one face that I recognized the most is the one that I also couldn’t remember the name for, until I looked in the opening credits – Jason Beghe. He was on CSI, for goodness sake, and I still couldn’t place him. He was also in a great tv movie with the incredible Maureen O’Hara back in 1998 called "Cab to Canada". If you haven’t seen that one, I encourage you to check it out.
In all, I’m hoping that Prime Suspect can help ease my need for a Rizzoli & Isles fix these days. It doesn’t have the humor of R&I, but it certainly has the ‘badass cop’ part of it.
So that brings a wrap to the Thursday lineup.
Friday seems to be an even lighter schedule (thank goodness!) with the season premiere of Nikita and series premiere of A gifted Man.
I was trying to play catch-up and didn’t get very far, but did get a glimpse of the premiere of Revenge, with Madeleine Stowe. Kind of looks intriguing, but it’s probably a bit too soap opera-ish for me at this time. I guess we’ll see when I get a chance to watch the whole thing.
There are still two more weeks until the return of Sanctuary for season 4. After seeing all of the behind-the-scenes tweets & pics while filming, I’m anxious for this show to return.
1. The third go-round for Charlie’s Angels premiered tonight. It was an interesting beginning with one of the ‘Angels’ being killed off within the first 10 minutes. Enter a new rogue badass, who decides to take the ‘high road’ and become an "Angel for Justice" instead of "Angel for Revenge" (is there really a difference?)
I was expecting to see Dina Meyer in this episode, but I guess she’ll be in the next one instead. Bummer.
The one thing that really bugs me is the younger, more suave Bosley (teeny-bopper bait) instead of the more curmudgeonly Bosley that they had in the original series. However, it was cute when they first mention Bosley and we see a brief glimpse of a David Doyle lookalike. A bit of an homage to DD maybe?
In all, it might be a nice addition to my weekly tv lineup. Seeing some of the reviews & tweets as the show was airing, it looks like ladies like the show & guys hate it. (yeah. go figure)
2. Person of Interest with James Caviezel took over the regular CSI Thursday night time slot. I really gave it a shot. Seriously. But 15 minutes was all I could take of this drab, lifeless drivel before I turned the channel to catch the rest of The Secret Circle. Maybe I’ll try again next week, but I’m not hopeful that P.o.I. will continue on my list.
As for The Secret Circle – as expected the episode didn’t have nearly as much Ashley Crow as the pilot did last week (just a tiny bit at the beginning, and at the Sea Fair). I really should dig out my old vhs tapes of "Champs" or even the dvd of "Little Big League". She was great with Timothy Busfield in both. There was even a guest appearance by Tom Butler. I was even telling the tv – "Hey, it’s Trofsky from Stargate SG1"
There was also a bit of a new Uh Huh Her song in this episode. I can’t wait to hear the new album.
3. The evening wrapped up with the premiere of the Prime Suspect reboot, starring Maria Bello as Jane Timoney. Yes, they went quite overboard on the “woman in a man’s world” stereotype in this, but I’ve heard that’s going to be toned down quite a bit in coming episodes.
Jane Timoney rocks. She’s kind of a cross between Jane Rizzoli, Grace Hanadarko and Ziva David. I loved how she ran after a suspect, then got the crap beaten out of her by that suspect until a fellow cop arrived. They didn’t make her a superhero and all of a sudden come back and beat the guy. They allowed her to be vulnerable. They also allowed her to come back to the apartment later on, crying and asking her boyfriend (or is it hubby?), for some comfort: “I know you’re still mad at me, and you can be mad at me again tomorrow, but can you talk to me for a minute, please?” and have him envelop her into a hug while lying on the bed. Awwww.
It was great to see the scene with Jane & her dad. She lugged all of her rifles to his house. The greatest scene in this episode was Jane with the kid, Caleb, and talking about guns, even pulling out hers, clearing it, and putting it on the table for him to touch. Caleb said he would like to kill the man with her gun, and Jane says "I would help you." That. Was. Damn. Cool.
What had me reeling most with this show is all of the recognizable faces that I wasn’t expecting. Yes, I knew Aidan Quinn and Kirk Acevedo would be part of the main cast. I always identify Aidan as the cop with Madeleine Stowe’s blind witness in “Blink”, and Kirk has been in many shows. I mainly know him from Oz . Another Oz alum here was Brian O’Byrne as Duffy. Tim Griffin was on Women’s Murder Club, NCIS and ER; Kenny Johnson has been on CSI, Sons of Anarchy and Saving Grace, while James Martin Kelly was on NYPD Blue back in the day. The one face that I recognized the most is the one that I also couldn’t remember the name for, until I looked in the opening credits – Jason Beghe. He was on CSI, for goodness sake, and I still couldn’t place him. He was also in a great tv movie with the incredible Maureen O’Hara back in 1998 called "Cab to Canada". If you haven’t seen that one, I encourage you to check it out.
In all, I’m hoping that Prime Suspect can help ease my need for a Rizzoli & Isles fix these days. It doesn’t have the humor of R&I, but it certainly has the ‘badass cop’ part of it.
So that brings a wrap to the Thursday lineup.
Friday seems to be an even lighter schedule (thank goodness!) with the season premiere of Nikita and series premiere of A gifted Man.
I was trying to play catch-up and didn’t get very far, but did get a glimpse of the premiere of Revenge, with Madeleine Stowe. Kind of looks intriguing, but it’s probably a bit too soap opera-ish for me at this time. I guess we’ll see when I get a chance to watch the whole thing.
There are still two more weeks until the return of Sanctuary for season 4. After seeing all of the behind-the-scenes tweets & pics while filming, I’m anxious for this show to return.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday's TV roundup
The Wednesday premiere night was thankfully a little lighter than Tuesday.
1. Harry’s Law started off the second season with immediately noticeable changes. The first change being that there is a very crowded office now with lots of new people. The second change is the addition of Mark Valley as lawyer Ollie Richard. He convinces Harry to take the case of a man accused of viciously killing his wife. Tommy Jefferson continues as his annoying, but wonderful… annoying self.
Harry’s funny sarcasm is fast at work as well. “Ollie, if you’re about to charm the pants off me, it won’t be pretty” and “I’d hug you, but… you smell.” And even the accused wife killer comes up with the most eye-rolling line: “OJ got off. Casey Anthony got off. Guilty people get off all the time.”
The season 2 premiere also included the ever-wonderful Jean Smart. It’s great to see her facing off with Kathy Bates. A bitchy Jean Smart with a sarcastic Kathy Bates makes the wonderful world go round.
2. The season 12 premiere of CSI brings the introduction of Ted Danson as the new Grave Shift supervisor, DB Russell. That, of course, brings a bit of tension with former supervisor Cath, as well as tension between Catherine & Nick.
The main crime scene is on a tram, with two dead, a couple injured (including a kid). Nick comes back from 3 weeks in Hawaii and meets DB for the first time at the Tram crime scene. DB seems to be a bit eccentric, as he’s lying on the tram floor, as if impersonating his initials (dead body)
DB is apparently still learning the ropes of leading his new team, as he gets a call about a new crime scene asks Catherine if it’s a two-person job? Feisty Cath replies, “what do I think? You’re the boss. I think you should stop asking me what I think.” Sara is standing a couple steps away and is following their conversation. She steps in and says she’ll take the case. DB tells her to take “Saunders” with her. That would be Sanders. Greg Sanders, you know.
Okay, there’s my 5 seconds of Cath/Sara for the rest of the episode. That’s the end of the excitement until the very end, it seems.
The rest is Nick/DB getting better acquainted at the crime scene. (Yawn) Hodges, David & DB talking about octopus porn and “octopsies”. (Oy!) And the obligatory reference to Ray’s disappearance as Brass & Al give a small update that he seemingly went back to his ex-wife, Gloria. (yada yada. Hopefully that’s the last of it.)
Cath, Nick & Dead Body are recreating the scene in the tram. They have the various colors of string & lasers marking the paths of the shots (that brings back memories to season 1). Dead Body gets a call from his wife, asking about a farmers market. Cath & Nick look at him like he’s nuts. (he sure seems to be)
We see that Dead Body now has Nick’s office. Nick is pissed at Cath about that change. Morgan arrives and Nick introduces her to Greg, who was standing nearby in the hallway.
The banter between the two reminds me of Greg/Riley a few seasons ago.
M: You don’t look like a history nerd.
G: neither do you… I mean the ‘nerd’ part... not that you are a nerd… or that there’s anything wrong with being a nerd.
M: right.
Dead Body & Ecklie are in the viewing room watching Nick interview the dead guy’s brother, whom they found still alive in a hotel bathtub with a plastic bag over his head, but insisting he didn’t kill his brother.
DB: He’s not playing “good cop” right now, is he?
Ecklie: No, that’s what I’m talking about. They all think they are social workers.
DB: They are good, though.
Ecklie: yeah, but that’s not the point.
DB: I know.
Sara & Greg’s case is basically a guy who got ‘antlered’ trying to inflate a dead deer, then used the air compressor to clean his puncture wound, but ended up inflating himself. (remember, filling yourself with air is not a good thing - even if you have that 'spare tire' around the middle!)
Ecklie is in his office with his estranged daughter, Morgan, who is transferring to the Vegas Crime lab after the Raskell fallout.
Ecklie: So, uh…what was it this time?
Morgan: I think you know…Langston fallout…it had a far reach.
Ecklie: there are hundreds of other crime labs in this country.
Morgan: this one’s the best…it’s your call.
I guess I understand the need to establish DB in this episode, but can anyone say “overkill”? I’d much rather see more of Morgan’s introduction. This is way too reminiscent of the Ray & Riley introductions in season 9. The focus was on Ray. Riley got left in the dust. In this case, it seems the entire focus is on Dead Body and Nick bonding, while Cath, Sara, Greg, and the rest are left in the dust. Oh, by the way, was a second case really needed? If you’re going to have Sara & Greg on another case, at least let them actually do something other than view the body, get a quick autopsy report, look at some video, and then have a friend of the deceased spill his guts right away. Sheesh.
Now, to the best scene this show has had in the last few seasons.
The Feisty Catherine Volcano eruption:
C: Brass picked up Krick. Genius still had the blood money on him.
N: that’s real smart. Yeah, I called Jimmy’s probation officer, I tried to get him to cut Jimmy a little slack. This will be his third strike.
C: call him back.
N: What do you mean?
C: I mean that we are doing things by the book now.
N: What book, Catherine? I’m just trying to help the guy out.
C: You’re not listening, Nick. There are no more under-the-table deals, no more going rogue, no more personal vendettas, no more L.A.
N: now what does this have to do with L.A.? I wouldn’t change anything about what I did there.
C: I would. I’m not in charge anymore because this is our problem. We lead with our hearts instead of our heads, and then we justify it after the fact.
N: Why are you so pissed off?
C: I got demoted, Nick. I got demoted! I mean, you’re setting up shop here in the break room, and D.B…Moonbeam is running the show. And you know what? Maybe he’s just what this team needed. (Greg, Sara, Hodges & others walk out of their labs to see what the commotion is about)
N: I disagree. It’s not what this team needs. It’s what Ecklie & the Sheriff…
(DB comes out of his office talking on the phone to his wife. “Hey sweetheart, I’m just leaving… yeah. How was your day”)
C: See, Nick, this is what I’m talking about. You always blame other people for what you’re responsible for. Stop with the excuses.
N: Don’t give me that, Catherine. It’s a bunch of people who have no idea how this team really works.
(DB on phone “think the team is really starting to…uh, starting to gel.”)
C: Well, you can add me to that list.
(DB “honey, I’m gonna, I’m gonna go. I need another hour.”)
N: Come on, Catherine.
C: It’s been a long 19 years. Yeah, 19 years is a very long time to be doing this job.
N: What are you trying to say?
C: what am I trying to say? I’m saying that this team has to move on. We’ve gotta get back to what we do best and if you can’t handle that, then you know, there’s the door.
N: I know where the door is, I’ve used it a couple times.
Everyone’s phones beep with a text from DB. “Breakfast. On Me. Russell.”
All I can say is…that’s my girl! Welcome back! It’s been a long 10 years. Feisty Catherine Volcano eruptions are classic. Although, I must say that Cath/Nick bickering just doesn’t have the same punch that Cath/Sara eruptions do. Nick just doesn’t give it back to her as forcefully as Sara does.
The title of the episode is "73 seconds". Up to that final scene, that might just be the amount of screen time for Cath, Sara, Greg, Morgan and Ecklie – who are about the only ones I’m mainly interested in anymore anyway.
If there's one thing that the addition of the DB Russell character brings to this show, it's the fact that "Supervisor Cath" can go back to doing what she does best, whether it be just "CSI Cath", "Bitchy Cath", "feisty Cath" or "big-hearted Cath". She can finally get out of the stuffy (but very warm) office and sink her chops into something a bit juicier.
3. Law & Order SVU returns tonight with a few casting changes as well. I’m not a regular watcher of this show, but I had to check it out with the addition of Kelli Giddish. (yes, I really still miss “Chase”) It was cute how Olivia thought that Amanda transferred in from Dallas instead of Atlanta. (a subtle “chase” reference?) I still chuckle at her character’s name, Amanda Rollins, considering KG just worked with Rose Rollins on her last project. It’s kind of like on Rizzoli & Isles where they have Angie Harmon’s tv mom named “Angela”.
Anywho…Kelli & Mariska would make a great team. Add Alex to the mix with Amanda & Liv and… oh yeah, there are guys on this show too, right? Guess I wasn’t paying attention now that Chris Meloni isn’t around to bring me the hunky male eye candy. I love Liv’s stance on them wanting Elliot to have a psych eval – “tell them to go to hell”. I just wish I could watch the show on a regular basis, but I’m not a fan of the subject matter (sex crimes), and too much of the boring “law” stuff. Also the fact that it’s on at the same time as CSI. Not a good combo, people, at least until Marg leaves, then I just might turn into a regular SVU watcher. Who knows. At least they’re moving in the right direction with the addition of Kelli. I just hope they bring Chris back for a moment of closure with Liv & Elliot.
4. Yes, it’s another night with multiple shows on at the same time. Tonight it was CSI, SVU, and the new ABC series, Revenge all in the late time slot. Revenge was the odd one out tonight. That will have to be my “catch up” show (along with last night’s Parenthood episode) on my weekend watch list. I hope Madeleine Stowe can reel me in as a regular watcher, because I don’t know any of the rest of the cast.
So that brings us to the Thursday lineup. What’s on tap?
It’s Maria, baby! Maria Bello, a little bit of Dina Meyer, and the CSI replacement.
Maria Bello stars in the American version of Prime Suspect as NYC detective Jane Timoney. Others may detest it, but I LOVE the hat! I also LOVE the attitude.
Dina Meyer is in the pilot episode of Charlie’s Angels on Thursday night. I can’t wait to see her onscreen again. I just wish she was one of the Angels and had a regular role. As it is, I’m not too optimistic that I’ll be watching regularly. And what’s with Bosley being a suave, good looking, young guy? Come on! That’s not Bosley. Bosley is supposed to be an older curmudgeon who hangs around the Angels. Sheesh. Talk about trying to get the younger audience.
I’m not sure about the replacement in the regular CSI Thursday night time slot, Person of Interest, featuring James Caviezel. I guess I’ll check it out to begin with, but as usual, any show that gets my attention will usually include a strong female presence. Taraji Henson just ain’t gonna make the grade on that. And besides, the sidekick in the promos, Michael Emerson, really freaks me out for some reason.
1. Harry’s Law started off the second season with immediately noticeable changes. The first change being that there is a very crowded office now with lots of new people. The second change is the addition of Mark Valley as lawyer Ollie Richard. He convinces Harry to take the case of a man accused of viciously killing his wife. Tommy Jefferson continues as his annoying, but wonderful… annoying self.
Harry’s funny sarcasm is fast at work as well. “Ollie, if you’re about to charm the pants off me, it won’t be pretty” and “I’d hug you, but… you smell.” And even the accused wife killer comes up with the most eye-rolling line: “OJ got off. Casey Anthony got off. Guilty people get off all the time.”
The season 2 premiere also included the ever-wonderful Jean Smart. It’s great to see her facing off with Kathy Bates. A bitchy Jean Smart with a sarcastic Kathy Bates makes the wonderful world go round.
2. The season 12 premiere of CSI brings the introduction of Ted Danson as the new Grave Shift supervisor, DB Russell. That, of course, brings a bit of tension with former supervisor Cath, as well as tension between Catherine & Nick.
The main crime scene is on a tram, with two dead, a couple injured (including a kid). Nick comes back from 3 weeks in Hawaii and meets DB for the first time at the Tram crime scene. DB seems to be a bit eccentric, as he’s lying on the tram floor, as if impersonating his initials (dead body)
DB is apparently still learning the ropes of leading his new team, as he gets a call about a new crime scene asks Catherine if it’s a two-person job? Feisty Cath replies, “what do I think? You’re the boss. I think you should stop asking me what I think.” Sara is standing a couple steps away and is following their conversation. She steps in and says she’ll take the case. DB tells her to take “Saunders” with her. That would be Sanders. Greg Sanders, you know.
Okay, there’s my 5 seconds of Cath/Sara for the rest of the episode. That’s the end of the excitement until the very end, it seems.
The rest is Nick/DB getting better acquainted at the crime scene. (Yawn) Hodges, David & DB talking about octopus porn and “octopsies”. (Oy!) And the obligatory reference to Ray’s disappearance as Brass & Al give a small update that he seemingly went back to his ex-wife, Gloria. (yada yada. Hopefully that’s the last of it.)
Cath, Nick & Dead Body are recreating the scene in the tram. They have the various colors of string & lasers marking the paths of the shots (that brings back memories to season 1). Dead Body gets a call from his wife, asking about a farmers market. Cath & Nick look at him like he’s nuts. (he sure seems to be)
We see that Dead Body now has Nick’s office. Nick is pissed at Cath about that change. Morgan arrives and Nick introduces her to Greg, who was standing nearby in the hallway.
The banter between the two reminds me of Greg/Riley a few seasons ago.
M: You don’t look like a history nerd.
G: neither do you… I mean the ‘nerd’ part... not that you are a nerd… or that there’s anything wrong with being a nerd.
M: right.
Dead Body & Ecklie are in the viewing room watching Nick interview the dead guy’s brother, whom they found still alive in a hotel bathtub with a plastic bag over his head, but insisting he didn’t kill his brother.
DB: He’s not playing “good cop” right now, is he?
Ecklie: No, that’s what I’m talking about. They all think they are social workers.
DB: They are good, though.
Ecklie: yeah, but that’s not the point.
DB: I know.
Sara & Greg’s case is basically a guy who got ‘antlered’ trying to inflate a dead deer, then used the air compressor to clean his puncture wound, but ended up inflating himself. (remember, filling yourself with air is not a good thing - even if you have that 'spare tire' around the middle!)
Ecklie is in his office with his estranged daughter, Morgan, who is transferring to the Vegas Crime lab after the Raskell fallout.
Ecklie: So, uh…what was it this time?
Morgan: I think you know…Langston fallout…it had a far reach.
Ecklie: there are hundreds of other crime labs in this country.
Morgan: this one’s the best…it’s your call.
I guess I understand the need to establish DB in this episode, but can anyone say “overkill”? I’d much rather see more of Morgan’s introduction. This is way too reminiscent of the Ray & Riley introductions in season 9. The focus was on Ray. Riley got left in the dust. In this case, it seems the entire focus is on Dead Body and Nick bonding, while Cath, Sara, Greg, and the rest are left in the dust. Oh, by the way, was a second case really needed? If you’re going to have Sara & Greg on another case, at least let them actually do something other than view the body, get a quick autopsy report, look at some video, and then have a friend of the deceased spill his guts right away. Sheesh.
Now, to the best scene this show has had in the last few seasons.
The Feisty Catherine Volcano eruption:
C: Brass picked up Krick. Genius still had the blood money on him.
N: that’s real smart. Yeah, I called Jimmy’s probation officer, I tried to get him to cut Jimmy a little slack. This will be his third strike.
C: call him back.
N: What do you mean?
C: I mean that we are doing things by the book now.
N: What book, Catherine? I’m just trying to help the guy out.
C: You’re not listening, Nick. There are no more under-the-table deals, no more going rogue, no more personal vendettas, no more L.A.
N: now what does this have to do with L.A.? I wouldn’t change anything about what I did there.
C: I would. I’m not in charge anymore because this is our problem. We lead with our hearts instead of our heads, and then we justify it after the fact.
N: Why are you so pissed off?
C: I got demoted, Nick. I got demoted! I mean, you’re setting up shop here in the break room, and D.B…Moonbeam is running the show. And you know what? Maybe he’s just what this team needed. (Greg, Sara, Hodges & others walk out of their labs to see what the commotion is about)
N: I disagree. It’s not what this team needs. It’s what Ecklie & the Sheriff…
(DB comes out of his office talking on the phone to his wife. “Hey sweetheart, I’m just leaving… yeah. How was your day”)
C: See, Nick, this is what I’m talking about. You always blame other people for what you’re responsible for. Stop with the excuses.
N: Don’t give me that, Catherine. It’s a bunch of people who have no idea how this team really works.
(DB on phone “think the team is really starting to…uh, starting to gel.”)
C: Well, you can add me to that list.
(DB “honey, I’m gonna, I’m gonna go. I need another hour.”)
N: Come on, Catherine.
C: It’s been a long 19 years. Yeah, 19 years is a very long time to be doing this job.
N: What are you trying to say?
C: what am I trying to say? I’m saying that this team has to move on. We’ve gotta get back to what we do best and if you can’t handle that, then you know, there’s the door.
N: I know where the door is, I’ve used it a couple times.
Everyone’s phones beep with a text from DB. “Breakfast. On Me. Russell.”
All I can say is…that’s my girl! Welcome back! It’s been a long 10 years. Feisty Catherine Volcano eruptions are classic. Although, I must say that Cath/Nick bickering just doesn’t have the same punch that Cath/Sara eruptions do. Nick just doesn’t give it back to her as forcefully as Sara does.
The title of the episode is "73 seconds". Up to that final scene, that might just be the amount of screen time for Cath, Sara, Greg, Morgan and Ecklie – who are about the only ones I’m mainly interested in anymore anyway.
If there's one thing that the addition of the DB Russell character brings to this show, it's the fact that "Supervisor Cath" can go back to doing what she does best, whether it be just "CSI Cath", "Bitchy Cath", "feisty Cath" or "big-hearted Cath". She can finally get out of the stuffy (but very warm) office and sink her chops into something a bit juicier.
3. Law & Order SVU returns tonight with a few casting changes as well. I’m not a regular watcher of this show, but I had to check it out with the addition of Kelli Giddish. (yes, I really still miss “Chase”) It was cute how Olivia thought that Amanda transferred in from Dallas instead of Atlanta. (a subtle “chase” reference?) I still chuckle at her character’s name, Amanda Rollins, considering KG just worked with Rose Rollins on her last project. It’s kind of like on Rizzoli & Isles where they have Angie Harmon’s tv mom named “Angela”.
Anywho…Kelli & Mariska would make a great team. Add Alex to the mix with Amanda & Liv and… oh yeah, there are guys on this show too, right? Guess I wasn’t paying attention now that Chris Meloni isn’t around to bring me the hunky male eye candy. I love Liv’s stance on them wanting Elliot to have a psych eval – “tell them to go to hell”. I just wish I could watch the show on a regular basis, but I’m not a fan of the subject matter (sex crimes), and too much of the boring “law” stuff. Also the fact that it’s on at the same time as CSI. Not a good combo, people, at least until Marg leaves, then I just might turn into a regular SVU watcher. Who knows. At least they’re moving in the right direction with the addition of Kelli. I just hope they bring Chris back for a moment of closure with Liv & Elliot.
4. Yes, it’s another night with multiple shows on at the same time. Tonight it was CSI, SVU, and the new ABC series, Revenge all in the late time slot. Revenge was the odd one out tonight. That will have to be my “catch up” show (along with last night’s Parenthood episode) on my weekend watch list. I hope Madeleine Stowe can reel me in as a regular watcher, because I don’t know any of the rest of the cast.
So that brings us to the Thursday lineup. What’s on tap?
It’s Maria, baby! Maria Bello, a little bit of Dina Meyer, and the CSI replacement.
Maria Bello stars in the American version of Prime Suspect as NYC detective Jane Timoney. Others may detest it, but I LOVE the hat! I also LOVE the attitude.
Dina Meyer is in the pilot episode of Charlie’s Angels on Thursday night. I can’t wait to see her onscreen again. I just wish she was one of the Angels and had a regular role. As it is, I’m not too optimistic that I’ll be watching regularly. And what’s with Bosley being a suave, good looking, young guy? Come on! That’s not Bosley. Bosley is supposed to be an older curmudgeon who hangs around the Angels. Sheesh. Talk about trying to get the younger audience.
I’m not sure about the replacement in the regular CSI Thursday night time slot, Person of Interest, featuring James Caviezel. I guess I’ll check it out to begin with, but as usual, any show that gets my attention will usually include a strong female presence. Taraji Henson just ain’t gonna make the grade on that. And besides, the sidekick in the promos, Michael Emerson, really freaks me out for some reason.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Wednesday This N That TV Madness
Before we get to the Wednesday TV madness, we need to recap a full Tuesday schedule.
1. Last night was the season 9 premiere of NCIS. Picking up from where we left off last season with Tony getting his ‘top secret’ orders, we find Tony in a bit of trouble as he’s apparently shot another NCIS agent, but can’t seem to remember it. Dr Cranston (the wonderful Wendy Makkena) is talking him through the rest of the episode as we seem to be flashing back to the story of what he can’t remember.
First of all, you’re probably aware that Tony is my least-favorite character on the show, so an episode that features him is always considered just “so-so”. This is no exception. That being said, it was a great performance by Michael Weatherly. However, can someone please bring me the standard NCIS “dead Marine of the week” story? That would have been preferable to this slower-than-slow flashback-style episode that didn't really feature much of the great cast. It was the season premiere, for goodness sake! Bring out the big guns!!
I did like the small Ziva/Tony moments. That always brings me a smile. I also liked the appearance from Matt Craven as Sec. of Navy Clayton Jarvis. I recently re-watched the movie, Indian Summer, and always love his performance in that one. Another great moment was Tony’s comment, “Who doesn’t like hot girls carrying guns?” LOL That’s the real Tony DiNozzo! I think watching “hot girls carrying guns” is my sole reason for most of the shows I’ve watched through the years.
Anyway, if they’re going to have a season premiere, bring me some action. Bring me lots of Gibbs, Ziva, McGee, Abby & Ducky. For this season premiere, I was totally not impressed.
2. Body of Proof returned for a second season last night. My first thought is that Body of Proof has learned from Rizzoli & Isles that humor in a drama can make a decent show into a much better show, since there are so many “serious” dramas these days. The humor brings a great change. It was great to see Rick Fox on the show as well.
I love the Kate/Megan tension, with Kate sleeping with Megan’s ex, Todd. It gives both Dana & Jeri something to sink their teeth into, instead of just rattling off technical medical terms. I also love that there seems to be more Sam & Bud, as well as Peter, Ethan & Curtis.
3. Unforgettable debuted as well. Poppy Montgomery, Dylan Walsh, and Kevin Rankin star in this cop show that brings a different twist. Poppy is Carrie Wells, a former cop who seems to have total memory recall. For some reason, that brings to mind Gibson on Birds of Prey. Anyway, Carrie hears a murder outside her apartment and gets brought into the investigation, which happens to be run by her former boyfriend, Al. Both had worked together back in Syracuse before it got too much for Carrie and she moved to NYC, where she’s taking care of her mother who has Alzheimer’s. That was a nice little backstory that they put in there. I have a soft spot for the shows that include dementia/Alzheimer’s disease, as it reminds me of my grandmother.
Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked again. Carrie replays her part of finding the victim in the alley through her mind and notices other details she had missed previously. It seems that no matter how long ago, or where it was, if she was there, she can call up the memory in finer detail. I like the fact that they don’t make it overly easy by having her recall stuff from anything she touches. It makes it a different time of a cop show. Maybe it’s one I can actually get into.
4. I love the fact that FX replays Sons of Anarchy late at night. It gives me a chance to actually watch. Sometimes this show really confuses me. What never confuses me is the great character that Katey Sagal has brought to us in Gemma. I love the scenes Gemma has with Wayne, especially when she gives him the finger! And I also love the Gemma/Tara scenes as well. I wasn’t too pleased at Clay roughing up Gemma a bit, though. I was hoping she’d be a bit tougher at that point. Despite all of the bikes, guns, drugs, etc, this show does have its humor as well. After a car/bike chase and the SAMCRO gang stops the car, Jax looks into the window & says, “license & registration please”. LOL
5. Body of Proof, Unforgettable, Sons of Anarchy & Parenthood on all at the same time really sucks. Parenthood seems to be odd one out this time around. It’ll be my show to catch up on for this week.
6. Now that the Tuesday recap is done, we turn to the highlight of the week. That would be the Season 12 premiere of CSI tonight, and the beginning of the DB “Dead Body” Russell era, and from what I hear, the return of feisty Catherine, now that she’s gone from “Supervisor Cath” back to “CSI Cath”. I’m trying to be optimistic for the new season (at least until Carol Mendelsohn starts with more blah-blah-blah and makes me wish that Marg’s exit will come sooner rather than later). Anyway, I’m intrigued by the addition of Elisabeth Harnois as Ecklie’s estranged daughter. My only goal for this season is to cherish the wonderful, but always infrequent, Cath/Sara scenes until Marg leaves in January. All I can say is that CSI really lost something that could have been great, by always keeping those two ladies apart and at odds as much as they have in the previous 11 seasons. Maybe that’s why I’m always bitching at the writers. They have just never seen the strength that a real Cath/Sara friendship could have brought to the show. They could have still gone with their precious Grissom/Sara story line even if the two ladies had any kind of a friendship.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Rant. Rant. Rant. Don’t worry. My CSI ranting will be done in four months.
7. tonight also brings the beginning of the second season of Harry’s Law. I’m excited to see all of the changes in store. Specifically getting rid of Brittnay Snow’s character. She was highly annoying. I’m not sure if I’m going to like more of a focus on the cases & courtroom stuff, though. That’s usually a big turn off for me. But hey! It’s Kathy Bates. It’s Jean Smart & Mark Valley! Things are looking up!
8. Tonight also brings the series premiere of Revenge on ABC. I guess I’m going into watching this one with very low expectations. The only reason I’m giving the pilot a watch is because of Madeleine Stowe. It seems she might actually have a decent-sized role in this one. That would be good, since I don’t know any of the other cast. I’m hoping it will surprise me like The Secret Circle did.
9. to finish the Wednesday schedule, Up All Night with Christina Applegate continues tonight in its regular timeslot. I wasn’t impressed with the premiere, but pilot episodes usually aren’t that great, so I’m hoping that a second chance will bring it into the “watchable” category. I’m thinking it’s Will Arnett that’s the turnoff for me. I wasn’t a fan of his last comedy, Running Wilde, either, and it was because of him.
That's my line-up for Wednesday. Thursday will bring three interesting premieres that I can't wait to check out as well.
1. Last night was the season 9 premiere of NCIS. Picking up from where we left off last season with Tony getting his ‘top secret’ orders, we find Tony in a bit of trouble as he’s apparently shot another NCIS agent, but can’t seem to remember it. Dr Cranston (the wonderful Wendy Makkena) is talking him through the rest of the episode as we seem to be flashing back to the story of what he can’t remember.
First of all, you’re probably aware that Tony is my least-favorite character on the show, so an episode that features him is always considered just “so-so”. This is no exception. That being said, it was a great performance by Michael Weatherly. However, can someone please bring me the standard NCIS “dead Marine of the week” story? That would have been preferable to this slower-than-slow flashback-style episode that didn't really feature much of the great cast. It was the season premiere, for goodness sake! Bring out the big guns!!
I did like the small Ziva/Tony moments. That always brings me a smile. I also liked the appearance from Matt Craven as Sec. of Navy Clayton Jarvis. I recently re-watched the movie, Indian Summer, and always love his performance in that one. Another great moment was Tony’s comment, “Who doesn’t like hot girls carrying guns?” LOL That’s the real Tony DiNozzo! I think watching “hot girls carrying guns” is my sole reason for most of the shows I’ve watched through the years.
Anyway, if they’re going to have a season premiere, bring me some action. Bring me lots of Gibbs, Ziva, McGee, Abby & Ducky. For this season premiere, I was totally not impressed.
2. Body of Proof returned for a second season last night. My first thought is that Body of Proof has learned from Rizzoli & Isles that humor in a drama can make a decent show into a much better show, since there are so many “serious” dramas these days. The humor brings a great change. It was great to see Rick Fox on the show as well.
I love the Kate/Megan tension, with Kate sleeping with Megan’s ex, Todd. It gives both Dana & Jeri something to sink their teeth into, instead of just rattling off technical medical terms. I also love that there seems to be more Sam & Bud, as well as Peter, Ethan & Curtis.
3. Unforgettable debuted as well. Poppy Montgomery, Dylan Walsh, and Kevin Rankin star in this cop show that brings a different twist. Poppy is Carrie Wells, a former cop who seems to have total memory recall. For some reason, that brings to mind Gibson on Birds of Prey. Anyway, Carrie hears a murder outside her apartment and gets brought into the investigation, which happens to be run by her former boyfriend, Al. Both had worked together back in Syracuse before it got too much for Carrie and she moved to NYC, where she’s taking care of her mother who has Alzheimer’s. That was a nice little backstory that they put in there. I have a soft spot for the shows that include dementia/Alzheimer’s disease, as it reminds me of my grandmother.
Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked again. Carrie replays her part of finding the victim in the alley through her mind and notices other details she had missed previously. It seems that no matter how long ago, or where it was, if she was there, she can call up the memory in finer detail. I like the fact that they don’t make it overly easy by having her recall stuff from anything she touches. It makes it a different time of a cop show. Maybe it’s one I can actually get into.
4. I love the fact that FX replays Sons of Anarchy late at night. It gives me a chance to actually watch. Sometimes this show really confuses me. What never confuses me is the great character that Katey Sagal has brought to us in Gemma. I love the scenes Gemma has with Wayne, especially when she gives him the finger! And I also love the Gemma/Tara scenes as well. I wasn’t too pleased at Clay roughing up Gemma a bit, though. I was hoping she’d be a bit tougher at that point. Despite all of the bikes, guns, drugs, etc, this show does have its humor as well. After a car/bike chase and the SAMCRO gang stops the car, Jax looks into the window & says, “license & registration please”. LOL
5. Body of Proof, Unforgettable, Sons of Anarchy & Parenthood on all at the same time really sucks. Parenthood seems to be odd one out this time around. It’ll be my show to catch up on for this week.
6. Now that the Tuesday recap is done, we turn to the highlight of the week. That would be the Season 12 premiere of CSI tonight, and the beginning of the DB “Dead Body” Russell era, and from what I hear, the return of feisty Catherine, now that she’s gone from “Supervisor Cath” back to “CSI Cath”. I’m trying to be optimistic for the new season (at least until Carol Mendelsohn starts with more blah-blah-blah and makes me wish that Marg’s exit will come sooner rather than later). Anyway, I’m intrigued by the addition of Elisabeth Harnois as Ecklie’s estranged daughter. My only goal for this season is to cherish the wonderful, but always infrequent, Cath/Sara scenes until Marg leaves in January. All I can say is that CSI really lost something that could have been great, by always keeping those two ladies apart and at odds as much as they have in the previous 11 seasons. Maybe that’s why I’m always bitching at the writers. They have just never seen the strength that a real Cath/Sara friendship could have brought to the show. They could have still gone with their precious Grissom/Sara story line even if the two ladies had any kind of a friendship.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Rant. Rant. Rant. Don’t worry. My CSI ranting will be done in four months.
7. tonight also brings the beginning of the second season of Harry’s Law. I’m excited to see all of the changes in store. Specifically getting rid of Brittnay Snow’s character. She was highly annoying. I’m not sure if I’m going to like more of a focus on the cases & courtroom stuff, though. That’s usually a big turn off for me. But hey! It’s Kathy Bates. It’s Jean Smart & Mark Valley! Things are looking up!
8. Tonight also brings the series premiere of Revenge on ABC. I guess I’m going into watching this one with very low expectations. The only reason I’m giving the pilot a watch is because of Madeleine Stowe. It seems she might actually have a decent-sized role in this one. That would be good, since I don’t know any of the other cast. I’m hoping it will surprise me like The Secret Circle did.
9. to finish the Wednesday schedule, Up All Night with Christina Applegate continues tonight in its regular timeslot. I wasn’t impressed with the premiere, but pilot episodes usually aren’t that great, so I’m hoping that a second chance will bring it into the “watchable” category. I’m thinking it’s Will Arnett that’s the turnoff for me. I wasn’t a fan of his last comedy, Running Wilde, either, and it was because of him.
That's my line-up for Wednesday. Thursday will bring three interesting premieres that I can't wait to check out as well.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Tuesday This N That TV Madness
It’s TV Madness out in full force this week as many of my shows return, and there are a few new ones on the schedule to check out as well.
1. 2 Broke Girls - I checked out the pilot for this show last night. Thankfully, I wasn’t expecting much from the show going in (it’s the Catherine Willows theory at work, you know). I can’t say I was ‘pleasantly surprised’, but I think it might actually be a show that I would maybe watch regularly - since there’s really nothing else on my Monday nights at the moment. Let’s face it: I’m in Rizzoli & Isles withdrawl. I really need my J-Rizz fix. TNT could at least air some reruns – and not at 1am like they’re doing at the moment.
Anyway, back to 2BG – I actually got a Jo Polniaczek/Blair Warner (Facts of Life) vibe with this show - you know, the snooty rich girl and the poor tough NYC girl. To even bring me more flashbacks to the early 80s, Garrett Morris is in this show as well. He will forever be Sporty James from the old cop show, Hunter. That reminds me, what’s Stepfanie Kramer up to these days? I don’t think I’ve heard anything from her probably since her album “one dream” came out in 1999.
Oy! I keep getting 80s flashback sidetracked! Where was I? 2 Broke Girls, yes. The pilot ended with Caroline moving into Max’s apartment. And the horse. What’s with the horse? Isn’t that going a bit over the top? Yeesh! Anyway, as I said before, this might be something that I could probably watch on a Monday night when nothing else is on. Pilot episodes usually aren’t the best to judge a show by.
2. I heard that both Liz Vassey and Jeri Ryan (and even a tiny bit of Missi Pyle) were on the premiere of Two and a Half Men last night? Even though my locatetv schedule mentioned nothing about it? Damn! What’s up with that? I’ve got to track down that episode now. I’m not a regular watcher of the show, but have seen a couple other episodes of it that included Liz.
3. Speaking of tracking down stuff: I totally slept through Jane Lynch & the Emmys, so I’ve got to find at least Jane’s parts. I somehow fell asleep at 4pm and woke at 11am the next morning. Yes, do the math. That’s 19 hours. Exhausted much?
4. on to what’s coming up. Tonight is the season 9 premiere of NCIS. I saw that Canada actually got to watch it last night. That’s so not fair. I’m looking forward to more of the handsome Jethro, kick-ass Ziva, adorable Abby, geeky McGee, and the ever-dashing Ducky. Oh, and can’t forget about the cute, lovable Jimmy. I always love the Jimmy episodes. As usual, NCIS will be having the greatest guest stars this season as well. Can’t wait!
5. Raising Hope returns tonight as well. I missed out on a lot of this show last season and still haven’t really caught up. The good thing about it being a comedy, you don’t really need to watch everything in order to ‘catch up’ because there really isn’t a whole lot of recurring storylines that you need to remember like dramas have.
6. The 9pm time slot tonight is going to make me go insane. Seriously! Body of Proof with Dana Delany & Jeri Ryan returns tonight. I’m hoping Jeri’s character gets more story lines this season. She ended up becoming my favorite character as the first season went on. She reminds me so much of Catherine Willows. Also I’m hoping the rest of the cast gets more involved as well. It’s great to have Dana on the screen, but we know that a tv series usually doesn’t survive when there’s too much focus on one character.
Along with the return of Body of Proof, CBS has the series premiere of Unforgettable with Poppy Montgomery. I never really watched her in Without a Trace, but the previews of this new show look quite interesting. Just remind me not to expect too much! That’s always my downfall with new shows, it seems.
Also in the same time slot are both Parenthood and Sons Of Anarchy. Oh the horrors of trying to pick just one show to watch at that time. At the moment, I think Body of Proof will win top honors with my remote control. Maybe I’ll switch back & forth with Unforgettable. Parenthood still doesn’t have enough Bonnie Bedelia sightings for my liking (I always enjoy any little BB screen time I can get), and Sons of Anarchy always seems to get pushed to the bottom of the Tuesday pile, even though Katey Sagal is awesome as the biker mama!
So, that’s the Tuesday lineup. Wednesday brings another full night of tv (and changes), but we’ll talk about that later.
1. 2 Broke Girls - I checked out the pilot for this show last night. Thankfully, I wasn’t expecting much from the show going in (it’s the Catherine Willows theory at work, you know). I can’t say I was ‘pleasantly surprised’, but I think it might actually be a show that I would maybe watch regularly - since there’s really nothing else on my Monday nights at the moment. Let’s face it: I’m in Rizzoli & Isles withdrawl. I really need my J-Rizz fix. TNT could at least air some reruns – and not at 1am like they’re doing at the moment.
Anyway, back to 2BG – I actually got a Jo Polniaczek/Blair Warner (Facts of Life) vibe with this show - you know, the snooty rich girl and the poor tough NYC girl. To even bring me more flashbacks to the early 80s, Garrett Morris is in this show as well. He will forever be Sporty James from the old cop show, Hunter. That reminds me, what’s Stepfanie Kramer up to these days? I don’t think I’ve heard anything from her probably since her album “one dream” came out in 1999.
Oy! I keep getting 80s flashback sidetracked! Where was I? 2 Broke Girls, yes. The pilot ended with Caroline moving into Max’s apartment. And the horse. What’s with the horse? Isn’t that going a bit over the top? Yeesh! Anyway, as I said before, this might be something that I could probably watch on a Monday night when nothing else is on. Pilot episodes usually aren’t the best to judge a show by.
2. I heard that both Liz Vassey and Jeri Ryan (and even a tiny bit of Missi Pyle) were on the premiere of Two and a Half Men last night? Even though my locatetv schedule mentioned nothing about it? Damn! What’s up with that? I’ve got to track down that episode now. I’m not a regular watcher of the show, but have seen a couple other episodes of it that included Liz.
3. Speaking of tracking down stuff: I totally slept through Jane Lynch & the Emmys, so I’ve got to find at least Jane’s parts. I somehow fell asleep at 4pm and woke at 11am the next morning. Yes, do the math. That’s 19 hours. Exhausted much?
4. on to what’s coming up. Tonight is the season 9 premiere of NCIS. I saw that Canada actually got to watch it last night. That’s so not fair. I’m looking forward to more of the handsome Jethro, kick-ass Ziva, adorable Abby, geeky McGee, and the ever-dashing Ducky. Oh, and can’t forget about the cute, lovable Jimmy. I always love the Jimmy episodes. As usual, NCIS will be having the greatest guest stars this season as well. Can’t wait!
5. Raising Hope returns tonight as well. I missed out on a lot of this show last season and still haven’t really caught up. The good thing about it being a comedy, you don’t really need to watch everything in order to ‘catch up’ because there really isn’t a whole lot of recurring storylines that you need to remember like dramas have.
6. The 9pm time slot tonight is going to make me go insane. Seriously! Body of Proof with Dana Delany & Jeri Ryan returns tonight. I’m hoping Jeri’s character gets more story lines this season. She ended up becoming my favorite character as the first season went on. She reminds me so much of Catherine Willows. Also I’m hoping the rest of the cast gets more involved as well. It’s great to have Dana on the screen, but we know that a tv series usually doesn’t survive when there’s too much focus on one character.
Along with the return of Body of Proof, CBS has the series premiere of Unforgettable with Poppy Montgomery. I never really watched her in Without a Trace, but the previews of this new show look quite interesting. Just remind me not to expect too much! That’s always my downfall with new shows, it seems.
Also in the same time slot are both Parenthood and Sons Of Anarchy. Oh the horrors of trying to pick just one show to watch at that time. At the moment, I think Body of Proof will win top honors with my remote control. Maybe I’ll switch back & forth with Unforgettable. Parenthood still doesn’t have enough Bonnie Bedelia sightings for my liking (I always enjoy any little BB screen time I can get), and Sons of Anarchy always seems to get pushed to the bottom of the Tuesday pile, even though Katey Sagal is awesome as the biker mama!
So, that’s the Tuesday lineup. Wednesday brings another full night of tv (and changes), but we’ll talk about that later.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Saturday This N That
Yes, it’s true. It’s a weekend version of This n That.
Okay, truthfully it’s just an excuse to refrain from actually doing “work” around the house today, since it’s a cold, dreary and windy day. It kind of goes with my "too exhausted to do anything" mood. So instead, my "to do" list gets a bit longer. I’ll happily live with that!
The reason for the lazy Saturday lethargy (Does there really need to be a reason? I’m NOT at work, isn’t that reason enough?!) is that I was up until 5:30am watching all of the wonderful hours of extras on the new Sanctuary Season 3 dvd set. Yes, I was in geekdom heaven. (as evidenced by yesterday’s TnT rant). Although, sadly, 5:30am isn’t much later than my normal bedtime lately.
Anyway, there were a few things that have brought a nice spark to the beginning of my weekend.
1. Marg & Sheryl were featured in the “Chic at every age” section of the new issue of People.
Just once, I wish they’d list Dina Meyer as tops for her age group in one of these lists. She always looks great in anything she wears. Okay, maybe I’m not always looking at her clothes. It might be her wonderful face and flowing red hair that capture my attention. Touche.
2. Also in the magazine, I was delighted to see a nice review on Madeleine Stowe’s character in the new tv series, “Revenge”. It’s good to see that she has a character who might have a big enough story line that would keep me interested, considering she’s the only one I know in the cast.
3. When I think of Madeleine Stowe, I usually think of Andie MacDowell as well. Yes, I loved the movie “Bad Girls” and I’m not ashamed to say it. So there! Andie & her daughter were featured in the October issue of Ladies Home Journal.
4. On a final note – the best of Ellen.
Okay, truthfully it’s just an excuse to refrain from actually doing “work” around the house today, since it’s a cold, dreary and windy day. It kind of goes with my "too exhausted to do anything" mood. So instead, my "to do" list gets a bit longer. I’ll happily live with that!
The reason for the lazy Saturday lethargy (Does there really need to be a reason? I’m NOT at work, isn’t that reason enough?!) is that I was up until 5:30am watching all of the wonderful hours of extras on the new Sanctuary Season 3 dvd set. Yes, I was in geekdom heaven. (as evidenced by yesterday’s TnT rant). Although, sadly, 5:30am isn’t much later than my normal bedtime lately.
Anyway, there were a few things that have brought a nice spark to the beginning of my weekend.
1. Marg & Sheryl were featured in the “Chic at every age” section of the new issue of People.
Just once, I wish they’d list Dina Meyer as tops for her age group in one of these lists. She always looks great in anything she wears. Okay, maybe I’m not always looking at her clothes. It might be her wonderful face and flowing red hair that capture my attention. Touche.
2. Also in the magazine, I was delighted to see a nice review on Madeleine Stowe’s character in the new tv series, “Revenge”. It’s good to see that she has a character who might have a big enough story line that would keep me interested, considering she’s the only one I know in the cast.
3. When I think of Madeleine Stowe, I usually think of Andie MacDowell as well. Yes, I loved the movie “Bad Girls” and I’m not ashamed to say it. So there! Andie & her daughter were featured in the October issue of Ladies Home Journal.
4. On a final note – the best of Ellen.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Friday This N That
I keep getting conflicted feelings about the upcoming season 12 of CSI. Every time I get a hint of excitement for the new changes, like the addition of Ted Danson, the departure of Laurence Fishburne (Yay!), the addition of Elisabeth Harnois as Ecklie's estranged daughter (hopefully that means more screen time for Marc Vann as well) and the return of feisty Catherine (who seemed to disappear once "Supervisor Cath" took over a couple seasons ago).
However, it seems that every time Carol Mendelsohn opens her mouth to give us more details about the upcoming season, the more I don't really want to watch. Grissom & Sara doing grilled cheese sandwiches? Please let that be AFTER Marg leaves in January. Friction between Cath & Nick? That actually sounds like a nice shakeup. More backstory for Doc Robbins? That's something I've been looking forward to for many years. And an appearance by his niece is even better. Changes amongst the labrats? That would be good, only if it means more screen time for a few certain ones. The return of Sqweegel? Oy! I guess that would be good only if they bring Cath into the fetish shop again for "consultations" on the case. The Cath/Vartann relationship to become "even more explosive and maybe even deadly"? Um, how about NO? Haven't there been enough character deaths & close calls to last more than a series lifetime for the CSI team? Enough already! How about a nice, sweet & romantic storyline? That would be something different for the show, right? With DB Russell as a "family man", how about we see something other than death & angst for the rest of the cast as well. A comment about maybe seeing Sara's mother? That would be cool - as long as there's no mention of Grissom and GSR shit. If they're going to think about a crossover, why don't they do the one that would make total sense - NCIS. Marg/Mark (yum!) Cath meeting Abby: I can just imagine Cath's reaction to seeing Abby for the first time! All I can say is that Sara had better be there to diffuse the explosive time bomb that Cath would become. A "super gun" mention has my brain thinking of how a Sam Carter (Stargate SG-1) appearance would have fit in nicely. They could at least tie it in with a Sanctuary crossover & have Helen Magnus. After all, most people in Vegas are "abnormals" anyway, right?
The season 12 premiere is next Wednesday night. The new issue of Entertainment Weekly featured a small preview.
Speaking of Helen Magnus & Sanctuary: I'm in geekdom heaven as my copy of the Season 3 dvd set arrived in the mail today. Lovely extras and audio commentaries are always something that this show continually brings to the fans. There seems to always be a behind-the-scenes camera rolling for everything that this show does. I love it.
It wasn't until I got into the Stargate & Sanctuary fandoms that I realized how much the SciFi fandom really caters to their fans in all ways. It's not just all of the various Cons throughout the world, but also the interaction between the fans and actors, directors, producers, etc. In return, the fans share that love, with making things like Sanctuary4Kids a success. I don't see much of that type of interaction with standard network tv. There's a bit more fan interaction with some cable shows, like Rizzoli & Isles. I guess it's dependent on the personality of the actors/producers. It seems that it's become the main point that draws (and keeps) my interest to shows lately. Stars tweeting behind-the-scenes pics, info & fun back-and-forth between the actors has become a great way to keep the fans interested. With Sanctuary, there's Amanda, Damian, Robin, RyRo, Agam, Robert Lawrence, Peter Wingfield & more all giving tweet updates & fun games (Sanctuary Twitter Tag, anyone? That was hilarious!)
Enough of that rant for the moment.
There's more to talk about - including Jane Lynch hosting the Emmys this weekend.
Jane was on The Ellen Show today and those two together are such a hoot! The "Lot Cops" and "Funny Pants" skits had me ROFLMAO. I wish they would team up for some comedy/improv thing sometime.
However, it seems that every time Carol Mendelsohn opens her mouth to give us more details about the upcoming season, the more I don't really want to watch. Grissom & Sara doing grilled cheese sandwiches? Please let that be AFTER Marg leaves in January. Friction between Cath & Nick? That actually sounds like a nice shakeup. More backstory for Doc Robbins? That's something I've been looking forward to for many years. And an appearance by his niece is even better. Changes amongst the labrats? That would be good, only if it means more screen time for a few certain ones. The return of Sqweegel? Oy! I guess that would be good only if they bring Cath into the fetish shop again for "consultations" on the case. The Cath/Vartann relationship to become "even more explosive and maybe even deadly"? Um, how about NO? Haven't there been enough character deaths & close calls to last more than a series lifetime for the CSI team? Enough already! How about a nice, sweet & romantic storyline? That would be something different for the show, right? With DB Russell as a "family man", how about we see something other than death & angst for the rest of the cast as well. A comment about maybe seeing Sara's mother? That would be cool - as long as there's no mention of Grissom and GSR shit. If they're going to think about a crossover, why don't they do the one that would make total sense - NCIS. Marg/Mark (yum!) Cath meeting Abby: I can just imagine Cath's reaction to seeing Abby for the first time! All I can say is that Sara had better be there to diffuse the explosive time bomb that Cath would become. A "super gun" mention has my brain thinking of how a Sam Carter (Stargate SG-1) appearance would have fit in nicely. They could at least tie it in with a Sanctuary crossover & have Helen Magnus. After all, most people in Vegas are "abnormals" anyway, right?
The season 12 premiere is next Wednesday night. The new issue of Entertainment Weekly featured a small preview.
Speaking of Helen Magnus & Sanctuary: I'm in geekdom heaven as my copy of the Season 3 dvd set arrived in the mail today. Lovely extras and audio commentaries are always something that this show continually brings to the fans. There seems to always be a behind-the-scenes camera rolling for everything that this show does. I love it.
It wasn't until I got into the Stargate & Sanctuary fandoms that I realized how much the SciFi fandom really caters to their fans in all ways. It's not just all of the various Cons throughout the world, but also the interaction between the fans and actors, directors, producers, etc. In return, the fans share that love, with making things like Sanctuary4Kids a success. I don't see much of that type of interaction with standard network tv. There's a bit more fan interaction with some cable shows, like Rizzoli & Isles. I guess it's dependent on the personality of the actors/producers. It seems that it's become the main point that draws (and keeps) my interest to shows lately. Stars tweeting behind-the-scenes pics, info & fun back-and-forth between the actors has become a great way to keep the fans interested. With Sanctuary, there's Amanda, Damian, Robin, RyRo, Agam, Robert Lawrence, Peter Wingfield & more all giving tweet updates & fun games (Sanctuary Twitter Tag, anyone? That was hilarious!)
Enough of that rant for the moment.
There's more to talk about - including Jane Lynch hosting the Emmys this weekend.
Jane was on The Ellen Show today and those two together are such a hoot! The "Lot Cops" and "Funny Pants" skits had me ROFLMAO. I wish they would team up for some comedy/improv thing sometime.
"love begins" Saturday on Hallmark
I was given the opportunity to watch a full-length screener of the upcoming Hallmark Channel Original movie, "Love Begins", which airs this Saturday, September 17th.
"Love Begins" serves as the first of two new prequels to award-winning author Janette Oke’s book series, "Love Comes Softly" and iconic hero Clark Davis. The movie stars Wes Brown, Julie Mond, Nancy McKeon and Jere Burns.
Wes Brown is Clark Davis. His dreams of seeing the world are put into jeopardy after he and a friend start a fight which damages a local cafe. Through a plea deal with the Sheriff (Jere Burns) and café owner Millie (Nancy McKeon), Clark works off his sentence as a farmhand for the Barlow sisters, Ellen (Julie Mond) and Cassie (Abigail Mavity).
Before watching this movie, I was unfamiliar with the "Love comes softly" series. It was Nancy McKeon's participation that caught my initial interest. Even though she didn't have a large role, I still enjoyed the rest of the cast. Wes Brown's character, Clark Davis, reminded me of a cross between Dermot Mulroney & James LeGros' characters in "Bad Girls". After getting the chance to watch this, I realized that I need to go back and check out the rest of this series to see what I've missed.
"Love Begins" airs Saturday, September 17th on Hallmark Channel. Brown and Mond also star in the second prequel, "Love’s Everlasting Courage", which will air on Saturday, October 1st.
"Love Begins" serves as the first of two new prequels to award-winning author Janette Oke’s book series, "Love Comes Softly" and iconic hero Clark Davis. The movie stars Wes Brown, Julie Mond, Nancy McKeon and Jere Burns.
Wes Brown is Clark Davis. His dreams of seeing the world are put into jeopardy after he and a friend start a fight which damages a local cafe. Through a plea deal with the Sheriff (Jere Burns) and café owner Millie (Nancy McKeon), Clark works off his sentence as a farmhand for the Barlow sisters, Ellen (Julie Mond) and Cassie (Abigail Mavity).
Before watching this movie, I was unfamiliar with the "Love comes softly" series. It was Nancy McKeon's participation that caught my initial interest. Even though she didn't have a large role, I still enjoyed the rest of the cast. Wes Brown's character, Clark Davis, reminded me of a cross between Dermot Mulroney & James LeGros' characters in "Bad Girls". After getting the chance to watch this, I realized that I need to go back and check out the rest of this series to see what I've missed.
"Love Begins" airs Saturday, September 17th on Hallmark Channel. Brown and Mond also star in the second prequel, "Love’s Everlasting Courage", which will air on Saturday, October 1st.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Wednesday This N That
Got the new issue of TV Guide in today’s mailbox. It featured many of the returning shows. Some will be featuring many changes.
One of my shows returned last night.
1. Parenthood was back for a new season. I loved last night’s episode that featured Sarah’s 40th birthday bash. It was great to see the small mother/daughter moment with Sarah & Camille towards the end. Any chance to get screen time for Bonnie Bedelia is great!
I agree with the “Cheer” for MBJ. He was great in last night’s episode. He brings a quiet, powerful presence and lots of internal conflict.
2. The Secret Circle – I got a chance to watch the pilot for this last night (It premieres tomorrow night) and I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Maybe that’s because Ashley Crow had a bigger role than I was expecting. I hope they keep her in the show as much as she was in the pilot.
3. CSI begins its switch to Wednesdays when Season 12 premieres next week. I’m looking forward to seeing the return of feisty Catherine. We know how the woman can hold a grudge. She is, after all, Sam Braun’s daughter. I’m also looking forward to seeing how Ted Danson’s character fits in. His “family man” and more upbeat character is what this show should have had when Grissom left, instead of going down the dark & mysterious road with Ray Langston.
4. NCIS returns next week as well! As much as I love Mark, my first thought on seeing the pic with just him & Michael was – “they’re missing the best part of the show!” Where are Cote, Pauley, Sean, David, & Brian? Come on people! We wanna see the whole team!
5. Body of Proof is on the way again for a new season. I’m hoping that season 2 brings more of the rest of the cast. Season 1 had more of a focus on Dana and establishing the main character. By the end of last season, I grew to enjoy much of the rest of the cast as well.
6. Harry’s Law – speaking of changes: it looks like this show is going through major ones for the new season. I’ve heard there’s going to be more emphasis on the cases this time around. I don’t think that will sit well with me, however. I’m not a big fan of “boring legal shows”. That’s why the first season of this show was fun to watch. It was almost satirical at times, but could be serious when it needed to be (like at the end when Harry was on her soapbox and giving her final statements to the jury)
7. Nikita returns. Thankfully it’s in a different time slot than CSI this time around. I think I’m going to like the changes for the new season. Anything that brings more opportunities for Melinda Clarke to be on the tv screen is a plus in my book!
8. Maria Bello is back on tv (YAY!) in the reboot of Prime Suspect. Yes, I’m one of the few who LOVES the hat!
9. Mariska Hargitay & Kelli Giddish on the same show. That might actually get me to watch. Too bad that it’s on at the same time as CSI, because you know Marg rules over all else…at least until she leaves in January. After that, who knows.
I love Mariska's comment that it's "Like having a new boyfriend when you're not over the old one". And Kelli's character's name is Amanda Rollins? This coming after Kelli just finished working with Rose Rollins on Chase? Coincidence?
10. House & Castle – two other shows I don’t really watch. The House promo poster is just too darn cute. And I find it strange that my mother actually watches Castle (and DWTS, but that’s a whole other story!). Yes, it’s the same mother whose favorite is The Weather Channel. Oy!
11. Raising Hope gets underway for another season. Unfortunately, this show kind of became my “I’ll watch if I’ve got nothing else going on…and actually remember that it’s on” show.
12. Terra Nova – As with the rest of the new shows, I’m hoping this show isn’t a let-down considering the hype
13. Let’s wrap things up today with a little bit of Angie Harmon – who was featured in the Horoscope section.
And if you haven't seen one of her latest pictures on twitter - this one's great! A photographer with a gun & badge! Love it. Check it out here
One of my shows returned last night.
1. Parenthood was back for a new season. I loved last night’s episode that featured Sarah’s 40th birthday bash. It was great to see the small mother/daughter moment with Sarah & Camille towards the end. Any chance to get screen time for Bonnie Bedelia is great!
I agree with the “Cheer” for MBJ. He was great in last night’s episode. He brings a quiet, powerful presence and lots of internal conflict.
2. The Secret Circle – I got a chance to watch the pilot for this last night (It premieres tomorrow night) and I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Maybe that’s because Ashley Crow had a bigger role than I was expecting. I hope they keep her in the show as much as she was in the pilot.
3. CSI begins its switch to Wednesdays when Season 12 premieres next week. I’m looking forward to seeing the return of feisty Catherine. We know how the woman can hold a grudge. She is, after all, Sam Braun’s daughter. I’m also looking forward to seeing how Ted Danson’s character fits in. His “family man” and more upbeat character is what this show should have had when Grissom left, instead of going down the dark & mysterious road with Ray Langston.
4. NCIS returns next week as well! As much as I love Mark, my first thought on seeing the pic with just him & Michael was – “they’re missing the best part of the show!” Where are Cote, Pauley, Sean, David, & Brian? Come on people! We wanna see the whole team!
5. Body of Proof is on the way again for a new season. I’m hoping that season 2 brings more of the rest of the cast. Season 1 had more of a focus on Dana and establishing the main character. By the end of last season, I grew to enjoy much of the rest of the cast as well.
6. Harry’s Law – speaking of changes: it looks like this show is going through major ones for the new season. I’ve heard there’s going to be more emphasis on the cases this time around. I don’t think that will sit well with me, however. I’m not a big fan of “boring legal shows”. That’s why the first season of this show was fun to watch. It was almost satirical at times, but could be serious when it needed to be (like at the end when Harry was on her soapbox and giving her final statements to the jury)
7. Nikita returns. Thankfully it’s in a different time slot than CSI this time around. I think I’m going to like the changes for the new season. Anything that brings more opportunities for Melinda Clarke to be on the tv screen is a plus in my book!
8. Maria Bello is back on tv (YAY!) in the reboot of Prime Suspect. Yes, I’m one of the few who LOVES the hat!
9. Mariska Hargitay & Kelli Giddish on the same show. That might actually get me to watch. Too bad that it’s on at the same time as CSI, because you know Marg rules over all else…at least until she leaves in January. After that, who knows.
I love Mariska's comment that it's "Like having a new boyfriend when you're not over the old one". And Kelli's character's name is Amanda Rollins? This coming after Kelli just finished working with Rose Rollins on Chase? Coincidence?
10. House & Castle – two other shows I don’t really watch. The House promo poster is just too darn cute. And I find it strange that my mother actually watches Castle (and DWTS, but that’s a whole other story!). Yes, it’s the same mother whose favorite is The Weather Channel. Oy!
11. Raising Hope gets underway for another season. Unfortunately, this show kind of became my “I’ll watch if I’ve got nothing else going on…and actually remember that it’s on” show.
12. Terra Nova – As with the rest of the new shows, I’m hoping this show isn’t a let-down considering the hype
13. Let’s wrap things up today with a little bit of Angie Harmon – who was featured in the Horoscope section.
And if you haven't seen one of her latest pictures on twitter - this one's great! A photographer with a gun & badge! Love it. Check it out here
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