Topic: [Spoiler] TV Season 2009/2010 Diary

[DJ Doena]

Since I am watching a number of TV shows via community means, I decided to give a short opinion of said episodes.

The season began a few weeks ago, so here comes a bulk review:

Bones 5x01 Harbingers in a Fountain
While it was a nice start into the season it bothered me that they showed an actual fortune-teller without exposing her as a fraud. Especially Bones should have never accepted this fact.

Bones 5x02 The Bond in the Boot
Except for the fact that they played with the James Bond theme it was average.

Bones 5x03 The Plain in the Prodigy
I am totally agnostic and don't really care for any religion. But I didn't like how they portrayed the Amish's reaction to the victim's piano playing: "Oh that sounds so beautiful, why would God forbid playing instruments?". The Amish are obviously very strong in their faith, I can't imagine them questioning their believe just because they hear one musical instrument.

Castle 2x01 Deep in Death
One of these "We have to resolve our differences that came up by the end of last season by the end of the first episode of this season" episodes. He apologized and all was well. But it was cool how Castle played Poker with the Russian mob and how Beckett got him out of there.

Castle 2x02 The Double Down
I've seen this kind of plot recently (without Castle's betting pool of course ) on Bones IIRC. But on Bones it had been 3 victims/murderers, not just two. Normally I wouldn't watch such a show at all but Fillion/Castle makes it totally worthwhile.

Cougar Town 1x01 Pilot
Could become interesting, but we'll have to see. So far it seems to be the short version of Desperate Housewives (mainly Susan Meyer) without the murder drama.

Cougar Town 1x02 Into the Great Wide Open
Still not sure where this show is going, but willing to give it a chance due to Courteney Cox.

Dollhouse 2x01 Vows
Great start into the new season, especially after the unaired episode 1x13 Epitah One. The best part was the confrontation between Whiskey/Dr. Saunders and Topher. But I didn't understand how they arranged the marriage between Echo and that weapons dealer and why the Dollhouse is helping Bellard to solve his old cases.

Dollhouse 2x02 Instinct
It may be a new development that Echo can remember her former imprints but I am not sure where this is supposed to be going. I also did not understand what exactly Topher did with November when her contract was ended. Why doesn't she mourn for her child anymore? Did Topher remove that grieve? But what remains when she thinks about her dead child? That are intriguing moral questions but they weren't answered.

FlashForward 1x01 No More Good Days
Sounds definitively like a great idea, especially with having people involved who were actually awake throughout the blackout. Not sure yet what would make the better storyline: If you can change the future or if it's bound to happen the way you saw it.

FlashForward 1x02 White to Play
They found their first actual lead a bit too quick, if you ask me. Yes the story must be set in motion but why find a man who was awake already in the second episode (even when he escaped without being questioned).
The big question is now, whether it was a continuity error or a deliberate hint when the FBI agent wore his wrist band again after he burned it in the fireplace.

Gossip Girl 3x01 Reversals of Fortune
A summer episode just like last year's first episode. It usually only gets interesting once the new school/college year has begun.

Gossip Girl 3x02 The Freshmen
I love it that Georgina (Buffy's Dawn) seem to have become a recurring if not even a regular. She and Blair are having a great cat fight over who becomes more popular on NYU. Yet I don't think it was wise of Dan to side with Georgina, but that could become interesting.

Gossip Girl 3x03 The Lost Boy
Honestly, I don't really care about this whole Scott arc but I loved how Georgina played them all. Excellent scheming. Without all the intrigues the show would be not nearly as interesting.

House M.D. 6x01 Broken
As I said before, I don't really care about the actual cases, thus this two-parter worked very well for me, especially with Franka Potente in the mix. Too bad that her role was confined to this episode but I think it will still have an impact on the House/Cuddy relationship.

House M.D. 6x02 Epic Fail
I knew it the second they mentioned that the solution came via an Internet posting that House had secretly solved the case - but it was a good solution, they had to find a way to bring him back into the hospital. But I am still curious how this will all work out with Thirteen being fired and

(click to show/hide)

Cameron leaving the hospital some time this season - because a show with no female lead except for Cuddy? How is that supposed to work? Who will represent the moral counterpart to House?

[DJ Doena]

How I Met Your Mother 5x01 Definitions
So funny when Ted stood in front of the wrong students and lectured them about architecture and none of them cared.

How I Met Your Mother 5x02 Double Date
Lily's double is a stripper. And it was so great to see Barney explain that he rarely goes to a strip club while getting his favourite drink served without ordering it and the DJ announcing that he will play Barney's favourite song...

Smallville 9x01 Savior
Trailer looked good. Episode disappointed.

Smallville 9x02 Metallo
That was much better. Brian Austin Green was really great as Metallo and I hope he will return in future episodes. I also liked the beginning triangle between Clark - Lois - 'the Blur' which was bound to happen at some point. Let's hope they don't screw it up again.

Stargate Universe 1x01 / 1x02 Air, Part 1 & 2
The lead character Dr. Rush seems dishonest and unlikeable. So far the only character I really like is Eli (the Carter / MacKay incarnation of this show). Let's see what happens in the third part and how the concept grows, maybe I am mistaken about Rush.

Supernatural 5x01 Sympathy for the Devil
Loved it. The minute heaven and hell started their apocalyptic war a new (yet unknown) player enters the playing field and messes with everything. And I am not yet sure that Dean is actually supposed to be Michael's vessel or if it is a plan to take him off the board because he might foil the plan of the angels.

Supernatural 5x02 Good God, Y'All
One of the Four Horsemen rides a classic American automobile. I like the idea. I also like how he played them all into thinking the others are demon-possessed. And I thought it to be a good idea for Dean and Sam splitting up, they haven't been a team for a while now and a physical separation might do them good.

Supernatural 5x03 Free to Be You and Me
Cas and Dean are a great team, especially when Dean tries to teach him how to be human. It was so great when Dean bought a hooker called Chastity for him.

Supernatural 5x04 The End
LOL: Cas as a humanized, stoned sex-guru. The show never loses its humour despite the devastating circumstances. But I would have liked if Dean and Sam would have been apart for a few more episodes but I heard it was executive interference. Since Dean is supposed to be Michael's vessel and Sam Lucifer's I begin to wonder whether one or both of them will survive this season or if they have to sacrifice themselves in order to end the apocalypse.

The Big Bang Theory 3x01 The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation
Finally! Penny & Leonard. But since this is a comedy I wonder how long it will hold. The episode already began great when they returned from the North Pole and all wore these huge beards and only Sheldon had this Evil Mr. Spock beard. And Sheldon's mom was also really cool again: "But 'evolution is a fact' is still just an opinion.".

The Big Bang Theory 3x02 The Jiminy Conjecture
Great balance between P&L's sex problems and Sheldon's and Howard's cricket bet. And of course a nice discussion about the origins of Wolverine's claws.

Two and a Half Men 7x01 818-jklpuzo
It was funny to see Alan and Melinda trying to to convince Charlie that she doesn't actually live in Charlie's house. And Mia's singing was terrible - as it was supposed to be.

Two and a Half Men 7x02 Whipped Unto the Third Generation
Mama Harper saves the day and her boys have to thank her. Now it would be great if Rose could drop in again, the chaos would be perfect...

[DJ Doena]

Castle 2x03 Inventing the Girl
It was OK, but nothing special.

Gossip Girl 3x04 Dan de Fleurette
I really enjoyed this whole Olivia/Kate story. It was so typical of Dan to stumble into this the way he did. It reminded me a lot of the pilot and how he stumbled in the Upper East Side life. Too bad that Georgina is in Offscreenville - I watched the first episode of Mercy and wasn't impressed, Michelle Trachtenberg should return to GG. Unfortunately the ratings are dropping but I don't think that The CW has that many options.

House M.D. 6x03 The Tyrant
Interesting and controversial episode. And James Earl Jones played a great African dictator. But while it may be House's way I didn't really like how he behaved when he was with Foreman, it felt like a bit too much.

How I Met Your Mother 5x03 Robin 101
The Robin/Barney romance is cute but I get the feeling that Lily/Marshall are falling out of the focus, especially after Alyson was absent for a number of episodes in the last season (due to her pregnancy). They should get at least one decent episode focussing on them soon.

The Big Bang Theory 3x03 The Gothowitz Deviation
Both storylines were really hilarious. I had to laugh so hard when Howard entered the room in his Goth outfit. But Sheldon was once again the highlight - to watch how he "trained" Penny: SO GREAT! And it's also great to see how Jim Parsons manages to keep his voice absolutely normal (I mean normal for Sheldon) when he observes facts like that sex works even better than chocolate to modify behaviour.

Two and a Half Men 7x03 Mmm, Fish. Yum.
While funny, also nothing exceptional.

Since I won't be at home on the second half of the week, that's all for this week.

[Dragonfire]

I loved Big Bang Theory last night.  Howard and Raj in those outfits..hilarious.  And Sheldon training Penny..  so funny.  I probably laughed the most when Sheldon used the spray bottle to correct Leonard.
 

[Critter]

Dollhouse 2x02 Instinct
It may be a new development that Echo can remember her former imprints but I am not sure where this is supposed to be going. I also did not understand what exactly Topher did with November when her contract was ended. Why doesn't she mourn for her child anymore? Did Topher remove that grieve? But what remains when she thinks about her dead child? That are intriguing moral questions but they weren't answered.

The reason the people signed up to work at the Dollhouse (they did volunteer) is becuase they all had tragic experiences in thier past they wish to forget. The way I see it, they sign up for 5 years and they forget these tragic things (wiped away?)

[Rogmeister]

Unfortunately, I missed all of CBS' sitcoms last night...I had dialysis and it tired me out so much I slept through pretty much everything.  I think I woke up for a few minutes of How I Met Your Mother but then fell asleep again and missed everything else.  Ah well, I guess I'll have to catch the reruns... 

[Dragonfire]

How I Met Your Mother and Accidentally on Purpose can be watched online...Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory can't.

[DJ Doena]

Bones 5x04 The Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
I really enjoyed this episode with all its entanglements in suburbia and especially the bantering between Bones/anthropology and Sweets/psychology regarding the life there.

Supernatural 5x05 Fallen Idols
Kripke warned the viewers not to judge to quickly about the appearance of Paris Hilton. And he was right, she was the perfect specimen to make the point the wood god wanted to make. And: "You got whaled on by Paris Hilton!"

Smallville 9x03 Rabid
I didn't care much for the zombie story (despite Supernatural horror still isn't my genre) but I really like the way they are pushing the triangle C-L-B forward without making it feel forced. I also hope that this wasn't the last appearance of Green Arrow. I hope he finds his path again soon and will play a larger role this season.

The Big Bang Theory 3x04 The Pirate Solution
I'm surprised, Leonard's and Penny's relationship is actually lasting (at least for now ). And Raj and Sheldon work together in a "Eye of the Tiger" montage - awesome!

Two and a Half Men 7x04 Laxative Tester, Horse Inseminator
It was funny (it would fail if it weren't) but again not extraordinary. Maybe I shouldn't watch two sitcoms in a row.

Castle 2x04 Fool Me Once...
That was a cool case with a nice number of twists. And the CIA agent was hilarious. Unfortunately I didn't catch the Firefly reference, even though I was told there would be one.

House M.D. 6x04 Instant Karma
I still find it interesting how House can claim with absolute certainty that it is disease X and then he explains it to the patient just to be proven wrong a few minutes later. I also found it interesting how the relationships between the team members were developing due to the case of last week. And while House may be covering for Chase (as Mal Reynolds from Firefly put it: "You're a member of my crew, why are we still talking about this?") I'm not sure he is actually as casual about this as he appeared to be. I'm quite certain that this will become a major issue over the next episodes.

[Dragonfire]

I found out the Firefly reference from something else.  I didn't pick up on it when I saw it, but it is there. 

(click to show/hide)

The blue gloves Castle is wearing at the one point.  It is about 6 minutes in I guess.  suppose to refer to 2 by 2, hands of blue that River said at times from her memories.

[DJ Doena]

(click to show/hide)

The blue gloves Castle is wearing at the one point.  It is about 6 minutes in I guess.  suppose to refer to 2 by 2, hands of blue that River said at times from her memories.

Yup, that was it.

[DJ Doena]

How I Met Your Mother 5x04 The Sexless Innkeeper
That was a cool episode with all the story-telling, the singing, the photo montages and the intentional over-acting. Marshall even made a website about the best night ever.

Stargate Universe 1x03 Air, Part 3
I just don't understand this show. One character is more dislikeable than the next. No real story so far. A whole episode with people walking in the desert without going anywhere. And two characters have gone lost without anyone really caring about it. They seriously have to do better in the next episodes.

FlashForward 1x03 137 Sekunden
Story is coming great so far. More clues and more riddles. There's tension between characters due to their FlashForwards. I enjoy it.

Gossip Girl 3x05 Rufus Getting Married
The Scott issue is finally out in the open and Rufus and Lily are finally married. Should Dan and Serena ever get back together the van der Woodsen/Bass/Humphrey family tree would pretty much look like the one from the Greek pantheon.

Cougar Town 1x03 Don't Do Me Like That
I begin to like this show. The characters are all highly charged and they look like comic characters most of the time yet they still feel somewhat real. I like this mixture.

[DJ Doena]

Dollhouse 2x03 Belle Chose
I think it is a good idea to step away from the "Echo mission" or "Echo centered" episode and make this show truly a multi-cast show. I think it worked really well to put Victor in the spotlight and making Echo the supporting character. We are now in the second season, all the characters have been established, the audience should know them by now. And thus there's no harm in switching the focus from episode to episode.

Heroes 4x01 / 4x02 Chapter One 'Orientation'
Heroes has always been a show of unsteady quality, mostly in seasons two and three. Especially season three was confusing because all the characters were constantly switching sides without really making sense. It was like watching a season-long version of Pirates of the Caribbean 3. And the season three finale was as disappointing as the one from season one.
But I am still watching it, because I really like most of the characters. Sometimes one of them becomes a bit annoying but even that ceases again at some point. And now Volume Five: Redemption has begun and I really liked what I saw. I just hope they can come up with a decent plot like in season one.

Heroes 4x03 Chapter Two 'Ink'
So far I am glad that the story doesn't point again to an End-of-the-World scenario, I hope they keep it that way. But I have the feeling they are keeping the per-episode cast smaller than in earlier seasons (Hiro, Ando, Tracy, Nathan and Angela didn't appear at all), I assume due to budget reasons. But that's OK as long as they tell their story right.

Heroes 4x04 Chapter Three 'Acceptance'
I like it how they really try to stay out of trouble or make up for their past - of course that won't last because how would they fill an entire season with this, but still great that they are trying. I also liked to see Bruce Boxleitner again. Too see him again made me wish for one more good Babylon 5 movie.

Heroes 4x05 Chapter Four 'Hysterical Blindness'
These were some interesting character developments and I really like Peter's new friend/the new mutant Emma. I enjoyed all three storylines (Peter, Sylar & Claire) I and sincerely hope they have a plan where they want to go with that circus storyline.

[DJ Doena]

Bones 5x05 A Night at the Bones Museum
Interesting twist to make the mummy not the person being murdered - OK, actually he was murdered/decapitated but that was 3000 years ago. I also found it funny how excited Bones and her assistant Daisy got when they discovered the mummy and its secret, especially after they hadn't such a warm start.

Supernatural 5x06 I Believe the Children Are Our Future
It's cool how they use all these different parts from the Bible and yet put a twist on it to make it somehow different. This time the Antichrist who is not really Lucifer's son. I wonder if we'll ever see him again before the end.

Cougar Town 1x04 I Won't Back Down
I'm having more and more fun with that show, Courteney Cox plays a great quirky mom and even though it's a sitcom again she's quite distinctive from Monica Geller.

FlashForward 1x04 Black Swan
It's fascinating how they constantly give the impression that the future is inevitable. Everything points to it. And yet I still don't believe it. Captain Kirk beat the Kobyashi Maru test and these guys will beat the future. I know it. And finally Merry, erm Charlie, erm Simon has made an appearance. This is going to be interesting.

[DJ Doena]

Stargate Universe 1x04 Darkness
I can't stand Rush's constant nagging and whining. I hope the guy shoots himself or gets shot sometime soon. But I begin to like the other characters better. Still not sure whether I'll ever see the season finale.

Smallville 9x04 Echo
Tess Croft? Lara Mercer? I like her style. It seems that they have laid the foundation for Oliver's path to redemption. Good. But the L/C storyline didn't play out for me this time.

The Good Wife 1x01 Pilot
Attorney-at-law shows have always been an off and on thing for me. Back in the days I watched Matlock and L.A. Law, then later Ally McBeal. But then I fell off the bandwagon and while Boston Legal seemed to be funny it never managed to make me tune in.
Today I heard about this show with Julianna Margulies (Carol Hathaway in ER) and I thought "Why not?". So I "organized" the pilot episode and watched it. And I really did like it.
Alicia Florrick is the wife of a fallen state attorney who's now in prison and she returns to her job as lawyer at a law firm. The characters seem to be interesting and the case was good, too. And I loved that Alicia's teenage daughter put the theme of Twilight Zone onto Alicia's cell phone as ring tone for when her mother-in-law calls.

The Good Wife 1x02 Stripped
The judge was cool. Very unconventional but in the end he was impartial as he should be. I also like the developing storyline about Alicia's husband and how he might not be guilty after all. I think I'll become a regular of this show.

[DJ Doena]

The Good Wife 1x03 Home
Yeah, I like it. I like it that the other guy who is aiming for the permanent position isn't portrayed as a jerk but just as a guy who also wants to have the same job Alicia does. They can even work together on a case without "killing each other". I already begin to hope that they'll find a way to keep them both.