Topic: [Spoiler] TV Season 2009/2010 Diary

[DJ Doena]

How I Met Your Mother 5x09 Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap
Lily's "you're dead to me" stare reminded me of good ol' Willow days. *sentimental* And both Lily's father's game ideas (especially the burst gall bladder!) as well as Barney's slap fear were great.

Castle 2x10 One Man's Treasure
Whoah, what a game of three-sided Xanatos Gambit. Although one must not think too hard about it or else Fridge Logic will kick in. (just a note: I was just looking for that "Fridge Logic" link and got lost in the Tropes for over half an hour...)

The Big Bang Theory 3x09 The Vengeance Formulation
Loved Howard in this episode but the others were great, too. Finally an episode again where the whole cast could chip in. Though I wondered why Katee had this somewhat odd make-up.

House M.D. 6x08 Ignorance Is Bliss
I get the feeling that House (the character) has lost his edge. His schemes are not as entertaining anymore and he even backs down.

Two and a Half Men 7x09 Captain Terry's Spray-On Hair
While this was still a great episode I noticed that Jake's missing more and more from the show. He's often only seen in one scene and then he's gone again. Soon they have to rename it to "Two Men and Chelsea".

Bones 5x08 The Foot in the Foreclosure
I loved Booth's grandpa; he was a cool guy, especially for his advice at the end. The case was not so interesting, though.

[DJ Doena]

The Good Wife 1x08 Unprepared
And the mystery deepens. I really do like these two aspects of the show even though I think the son should no longer hide what he knows since this is way over his head.
And it was interesting to see witnesses prepped.

[DJ Doena]

FlashForward 1x07 The Gift
In my eyes this episode answers only half the question. So, yes, people can die who were alive in the FF. But can people live who didn't have one? Additionally - as others have pointed out - it would have been far more easy to see if the future can be changed. They only had to destroy a building that some people saw in their FF intact. If the future were written in stone, the "Hand of God" would have prevented the building from being demolished.

FlashForward 1x08 Playing Cards with Coyote
I think Dominic Monaghan makes for an interesting villain because he doesn't really feel like one. To make an evil man evil looking (with an evil laugh) is just a bad cliché. An evil man coming in a mundane suit is much more realistic. I really like it how you begin to see a glimpse of the "bad guys" even though it's absolutely unclear what their goals are.

FlashForward 1x09 Believe
Watching these three episodes made me enjoy the show again. Even though this last episode didn't do much for the mystery arc, I really enjoyed it. But I also think they should find a bit more balance and put both personal and mystery arc into the same episode instead of focussing each episode on one side of the story.

Stargate Universe 1x07 Earth
I can't help it but isn't it a bit squicky that you jump into another body and your wife/girlfriend has then sex with you in that other body without having a mental problem with that? And what kind of a**hole is this Telford? Don't they have enough unlikeables on the show?

Stargate Universe 1x08 Time
Actually, this was a pretty decent episode, even though the end was predictable and once again Eli pointed out from where they got the ideas with the creatures (Alien). But Eli, Chloe and Col. Young are still the only characters that I like enough to remember their names (theirs and Rush's whom I still don't like).

[DJ Doena]

Paradox 1x01 Episode #1.1
A scientist has a satellite in orbit to observe the activities of the sun (like flares and stuff). But when he downloads the new images from it there are eight images that come from Earth. And they weren't taken by the satellite. The timestamp of the pictures seems to indicate that they were taken in the future. And they seem to show an attack or an accident. The institute involves the police and now a race against time begins.

When I read the description of this new British series, it sounded like a variant of Early Edition or Tru Calling so I gave it a try. But unfortunately the pilot was a bit disappointing. The scientist behaved like he was behind all it. I assume he did it to force the police to investigate but it didn't really work out for me. And the police didn't even take the most obvious precaution. They simply could have blocked that seemingly unimportant road but they didn't.

Paradox 1x02 Episode #1.2
Now they've got their first possible paradox. If they hadn't got the pictures the guy most likely hadn't died. But if he hadn't died the boy most likely wouldn't have died either. So their investigation caused the boy to die but their knowledge helped save him.
Still the scientist is too underused; I believe for the show to really take off, he has to be more involved, otherwise it's just another ordinary cop show.

Cougar Town 1x08 Two Gunslingers
Alan Ruck was cool in this episode but Travis was awesome; it was so cool to see how he first messed with Grayson's head and then conned him.

Cougar Town 1x09 Here Comes My Girl
Huh, that was awkward and uncomfortable at the same time, thus funny to watch...

Bones 5x09 The Gamer in the Grease
That was one huge trailer / viral marketing advertisement for a certain Cameron movie that is about to be released. But I still liked it how Hodgins and Fisher danced around Camille in order to save their spot in the line.

Gossip Girl 3x10 The Last Days of Disco Stick
That was a bit disappointing. Not the story itself but the departure of Olivia. I really liked her and really hope she comes back. The one character I wouldn't miss is Jenny, she's just annoying.
And I couldn't care less about Lady Gaga's appearance (I take it that she's currently a celebrity?).

[DJ Doena]

The Good Wife 1x09 Threesome
It's funny how expectations go. Before this one has never seen Stern himself and I thought he would be an old grey-haired stereotype lawyer. But this guy was really interesting and I am keen to learn what kind of trouble his departure will cause.
This show is really good drama, if you ask me.

Stargate Universe 1x09 Life
This on the other hand, is not. You had one semester psychology? Great, do a psych eval of everyone! We're on food rationing? Great, let's all do a lot of exercise to burn some calories!
But at least one gets more insight on the characters - even if only when they "return home".

Stargate Universe 1x10 Justice
The problem with that ship is that except for three, maybe four people nobody trusts each other. In the long run that can't either work in-universe nor for the show. It's like watching day-time soap operas where even the seven year-old niece has an evil scheme.
And while I am actually glad that Rush got marooned I fear they will find some deus ex machina way to bring him back (they conveniently placed a ship there).

Heroes 4x10 Chapter Nine 'Brother's Keeper'
This episode was kinda boring even though there were three different storylines. Yes, there were some revelations (at least to the characters, the viewer knew most of this already) but overall not much happened.

[DJ Doena]

Heroes 4x11 Chapter Ten 'Thanksgiving'
That was a cool episode again. All three Thanksgiving dinners had their appeal, especially the one in House Bennet. I was really glad to see Elizabeth Röhm again. When she first appeared a few weeks back I thought it would be a guest appearance only but I'd really like to see her as a recurring character, I already liked the actress on Angel.
The problem with Thanksgiving in House Petrelli was that I already knew that Nathan would be finally killed and now I am asking myself if this was it (they said it would be disappointing) or if he will at least struggle for a while.

Heroes 4x12 Chapter Eleven 'The Fifth Stage'
OK, now he's dead. That wasn't too bad and it was ultimately inevitable or they would had to sacrifice Sylar - which was unlikely (in my opinion he's one of the five basics of the show: Peter, Hiro, Claire, HRG and Sylar).
I am also wondering: That's the big plan of this season's "Big Bad"? Gather all the mutants? And for this he kills some of his own? Doesn't make much sense, does it?

House M.D. 6x09 Wilson
That was a really cool episode which showed the very difference between Wilson and House. I really felt with House when he said that he would be all alone and I felt with Wilson when he had to learn that his patient does not share his values.

[DJ Doena]

The Big Bang Theory 3x10 The Athens Recurrence
I do that very rarely but I watched the scene where Penny recites the physics stuff three times in a row. It's so great to see her keep a straight face and the others get dumbfounded. Sheldon can be so proud of her. 
I also really liked the reference to the pilot when Penny explained why Sheldon sits where he sits.

Two and a Half Men 7x10 That's Why They Call It Ball Room
This was a cool episode, it had many scenes that made me laugh, for example the couch incident or Alan's wedding video or the dance lessons. I also liked that Jake had a few more scenes but I still feel they should make at least one entire episode about him again sometime soon.

[goodguy]

Isn't Dollhouse on schedule again as well?

[addicted2dvd]

Yeah... 2 episodes aired this past week.

[DJ Doena]

Isn't Dollhouse on schedule again as well?

Yeah they were but I haven't watched them yet. I'll probably wait until Fox dump-aired them all this month and watch them en bloc.

[goodguy]

Yeah they were but I haven't watched them yet. I'll probably wait until Fox dump-aired them all this month and watch them en bloc.

Makes sense. I thought the remaining episodes were sprawled out into January. BTW, despite my negative review of S1, I'm sorry that it has been cancelled too. If it had continued, I probably would have just ignored it. But with only 13 (?) episodes more, I will most likely pick up the S2 DVDs. Quite clever a sales strategy.

[DJ Doena]

But after reading an interview with JW

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/12/dollhouse-fox-joss-whedon.html

I have to say he's at least partly at fault. The concept he had would have been better for a cable station like HBO and also it wasn't made for Eliza Dushku. From what I read the focus would have to lay on the customers, not the Dollhouse.

So in the end he had a show concept for the wrong network with the wrong lead....

[DJ Doena]

Bones 5x10 The Goop on the Girl
"You look like sisters." I really liked Zooey Deschanel's appearance on the show, it was really funny. It also kinda answers the question why Brennan behaves the way she does even when she had a normal childhood until the age of 16. It must be a gene running in the family.
What I didn't like was Booth dissing that radio man for having a negative opinion of the U.S.. But I think that's a cultural difference. In Germany we've come to love criticizing our country and everything the parliament (we elected) does.

Castle 2x11 The Fifth Bullet
This one had a really nice assortment of guest actors: Marc Blucas (Buffy's Riley), Anne Dudek (House's Cutthroat Bitch) and Carlo Rota (24's Morris O'Brian). I especially like Carlo because he often plays (he was recently on Stargate Universe, too) these somewhat grumpy character's that aren't really likeable (because they aren't really supposed to be) and he does a great job with them because you actually don't like the characters but you don't transfer that to the actor.
But I also liked Marc Blucas in his amnesia role, he was a nice guy.

FlashForward 1x10 A561984
So Dominic's character doesn't actually belong to the evil bad guys. But he was still the most interesting character in this episode. I honestly don't know if I will even remember this show when it starts to air again in 4(!) months.

Gossip Girl 3x11 Treasure of Serena Madre
It's like watching the crucial elements coming together just to be detonated in a nuclear detonation inside the Thanksgiving turkey. Though I have to say I would have liked it if the bomb had a few megatons more. But let's see what they make out of the fallout.  

Gossip Girl 3x12 The Debarted
I had hoped for more fallout from this but it has to do, especially the three events at the end will put new fuel in the fire. Though I have to say one thing: While I really like all this scheming and plotting I have no sympathy whatsoever for drug dealing and I think it's way overdue that Jenny gets seriously punished with prosecution and everything. She had way too much luck in the past three years but now the show has reached a point where this has to stop.

How I Met Your Mother 5x10 The Window
It is somewhat surreal to see actress Joanna Garcia one week in Gossip Girl as a 20-year-old and a few weeks later as a 30-year-old here. Apart from that the episode was quite funny. But I liked best that they acknowledged that Ted drifted away from his search for The One and they now intend to go back to it - it's the title of the show after all.

[DJ Doena]

Paradox 1x03 Episode #1.3
I have to admit, I have serious problems understanding the people. Not the main cast, but most of the guest characters. Sometimes I have no idea what they are talking about even when it's supposed to be English. I am far more used to American English.
And the show itself doesn't hold much interest for me; I think I'll drop it again.

V 1x04 It's Only the Beginning
Even though I hadn't really read any spoilers the revelation at the end wasn't really one. The very concept of the show allowed for this conclusion. But I won't complain about the content, because it was an interesting episode again.
However I think it's a big mistake to make the break this huge. In January a whole batch of new seasons starts and people might forget the old ones that don't jump back in again.

White Collar 1x04 Flip of the Coin
This was a fun episode, I really liked it how Neal and Mozzie used their abilities the "proper way". I also really like Mozzie, I liked the actor since his character Martin Lloyd in Stargate SG-1.
Now that I've gotten used to the different characters, I really start enjoying them.

White Collar 1x05 The Portrait
That was a really nice con Neal pulled here and I also like that the background story is beginning to go somewhere (literally) instead of staring onto a bottle for three episodes. It's great to see how Neal begins to work both for the FBI and (if necessary) for the clients.

White Collar 1x06 All In
While the case was OK, the end was what made this episode really interesting.

White Collar 1x07 Free Fall
Whoah. What an episode and what an ending! I have to say that even before the end this was the best episode so far and the ending was really unexpected. I'd say it turns the entire premise of the show on its head (unless of course there's a ploy within the ploy within the ploy).
Now I definitively will watch further.

[goodguy]

FlashForward 1x10 A561984
So Dominic's character doesn't actually belong to the evil bad guys. But he was still the most interesting character in this episode. I honestly don't know if I will even remember this show when it starts to air again in 4(!) months.

If you happen to be bored at work, you might enjoy these recaps. Makes TwoP look "fair and balanced", though.