Graduation Time!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The Secret Life of the American Teenager "Pomp" (S04E12): More or less, this entire episode is about the kids talking about graduation and the big (overnight) party that Jesse is hosting at his parents' lake house, 50 miles away. Oh, and the Ricky-Amy proposal is looming.

Lauren's dad tells her that she can't go because he thinks there will be drinking, sex, and illegal activities. Madison's dad tells her she can't go since it's too far away in case something goes wrong. Kathleen might not let Grace go. Tom asks Jack to take him to the party. [why?] Amy wants to go but Ricky doesn't want to. [is it just me or is Ricky's hair getting higher?] Madison calls Amy and asks her to get Ricky to go to the party, since Madison is upset that Adrian is going. [why does that bother her?] Ricky says Amy can go to the party if she wants, but he still doesn't want to go.

Ricky: He's the valedictorian but he doesn't want give a speech. Ricky tells Bunny about the valedictory speech, and then she guesses that he's going to ask Amy to marry him. [Ricky tells Bunny that she's the first person he's told about his marriage plans, but he technically told John first.] Ricky then tells Amy that he's valedictorian and she's happy for him. Ricky tells Margaret about being valedictorian, then she guesses about the upcoming proposal.

Ben, Alice, and Henry: Alice and Henry try to "share custody" of Ben, but Ben immediately confronts Henry about the "visitation schedule." it doesn't last long, as Alice and Henry decide that they can never be friends, and that neither of them should be friends with Ben. [wow. Poor Ben is getting shortchanged left and right! He's definitely going to start drinking now!]

Leo: Camille calls Leo's office and asks him (through leaving a message with Nora) for drinks. He picks up Camille and helps her with the bracelet he sent her. They kiss a little and Leo tells her that the divorce is in the process. [I'm so happy this is coming together. Though who seriously waits for 25 YEARS?!?!]

Adrian & Grace: Grace confronts Adrian about going after Dante's brother, Omar. Omar shows up at Adrian's and tells her that she needs to stop pining for Ricky if she wants him. Adrian tells Grace that she HAS to kiss Ricky to compare it to Omar. Adrian also tells Ricky that she loves him and that she WILL have sex with him again someday. [this crazy fool.] Adrian is allowed to walk at graduation [though she forgets Katelin's last name is O'Malley and calls her "McGillicuddy" instead. strange.] 

Jack: Jack tells Katelin that he wants Grace back. This is a history of which Katelin is unaware, but after Jack fills her in, she asks him to say the prayer at graduation. [whoa. this is still a public school, right??]

And the other adults? George tells Ricky that he thinks Anne likes Nora. [just shaking my head here.] Nora tells George that Ricky's valedictorian, and he's surprised. Nora figures out that Ricky's going to ask Amy to marry him and tells George. Betty's mom died and Leo lets her use the corporate jet. At the airport, Betty meets a divorce attorney. [I'm going to be sad if Betty decides to go after Leo's money.] Kathleen is considering visiting Kenya to see Jeff. [this just isn't going to last. And, speaking of which, what's going on with Ruben these days?]

In a random note, Lauren's brother isn't walking since he is registering for summer classes early. [Not sure why they made this clear, though I applaud the notion that they need to remember the million characters they have on this show!]   

Farrah in AZ; Catelynn's Dad; Maci & School; Amber's Sad

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Teen Mom "As Long as We're Together" (S03E09): It's almost Christmas for Amber but Maci already has Christmas gifts. Farrah's family decorates a gingerbread house. Tyler still has two weeks until his college classes begin.

Amber: she decorates her house with Clinton. Gary is potty-training Leah. Gary sends Amber five dozen roses from a "secret admirer." He says that he bought them because he knows Clinton couldn't do something like that. [and since when can Gary??] Amber wants Leah more often. [looks like she'll be getting her at least three days a week now.] Apparently Amber had a sister who died of SIDS fifteen years ago and she always gets upset around this time of the year. Gary puts up a tree with Leah, which upsets Amber... thought she does go and finish with them.

Maci: Maci and Kyle play Toy Story with Bentley - they're all dressed up. [that was so cute! Even if Kyle hardly had his Buzz costume on.] Ryan offers Kyle a job. [though we haven't actually seen Ryan in a few episodes now, AND it's not mentioned whether or not Kyle takes it. I am a little suspicious about Ryan friending Kyle on Facebook.] Maci is thinking about not taking classes in spring, so he asks her mom for advice. Maci just feels like she's missing out on spending time with Bentley. She asks her adviser as well, who tells her to stop being lazy, more or less. [just get it done, Maci!]

Farrah: Farrah tells her parents that she wants to look at places in Arizona and invites them to go with her. Her mom wants to move too if Farrah does, but complains that now isn't a good time. [her mom is one of the most annoying people EVER.] Her mom is most concerned about childcare for Sophia. [that's actually somewhat reasonable.] Farrah's mom also talks about unemployment, crime, gangs, and immigration issues in Arizona. [I'm under the impression that her parents don't travel much, given the issues they have at the airport.] They go to a train museum so Sophia can have some fun. Then, Farrah's mom wants to go hiking, but Farrah is set on looking at some possible dwellings. Farrah is making it quite clear that there are only certain areas that she's interested in, but her parents are more interested in seeing fancy places. When Farrah does get to go see what she wants, her parents just keep telling her that the area is bad, there are gangs, her car will get stripped, and all sorts of bad stuff. [this is just ridiculous.] The house doesn't turn out to be great, either. Farrah wants the entire family to go to counseling. 

Catelynn: They move again since they found a larger place that's cheaper. [her braces are really weird.] Her dad calls her and says that he'll be in Michigan for the weekend so they make plans to get together. Her dad is pretty friendly and gets along with both her and Tyler. [really, a whole lot of nothing went on for Catelynn this episode.]

Burn Notice - Besieged... by Denial

by Jonathan Bredemeyer

Burn Notice (S05E07)

Zooming by the crowded locals, Fiona and Sam are on surveillance duty for Michael's double (Jacob) who's involved in framing him for murder. They get bored out of their heads but stick around long enough to observed some Hispanics getting ready to kick down Jacob's door. Sam heads in to save him and takes him out back. After pushing Jacob and Mr. Pickles out the back door to Fiona, Sam covers his escape by driving his truck through the garage as the aggressors try to knock in the front door with sledgehammers. Jacob finds Fiona and they... finally... drive off.

Back at the loft, Michael is joyful after a two-hour meeting with Pearce, and Fiona fills him in. She explains the situation and how Jacob came to be in the loft. Apparently, the person who hired him to impersonate Michael is trying to get rid of him now. Michael's not too happy when Fiona forgets to mention he brought a dog...  which apparently Jacob carries around like a purse.

Questioning Jacob, they find his boss only communicated through email and mailed cash for odd jobs. Learning the boss's contact phone is back at his house, Michael heads off for a job with Sam while Fiona heads to get the phone.

After meeting Sam at the bar, Michael is concerned that Sam is drinking iced tea. Sam's lady friend will apparently do 'anything' if they'll do her a favor, so he starts to explain the situation when Denise crashes the party. She explains how her husband, John, went crazy and kidnapped her son. Sam and Michael promise to talk to him and head off to do just that. They arrive at a fortified residence and Sam stays positive, despite Michael's foreboding feelings [but who's not happy when they get to put a tracker on someone's truck?]. 

Sam plants the tracker on John's truck as Michael knocks on the front and goes for the direct approach. John says Tom, his son, is fine, and even lets Michael come in to see that everything's ok. John pulls a gun on him as soon as he's inside. Michael explains he's an Army Ranger, just like John's brother. This doesn't calm down John, and he begins getting all fired up about the judge from Chicago who decided the custody arrangement. Splitscreen-like, Sam picks the lock to a shed around the side of the house as John finally puts down the gun. Of course, as soon as Sam gets the door open, it triggers an alarm inside the house and John freaks. Tommy makes his first temperance, responding to his dad's request to 'get the packs.' John forces Michael to lead them outside at gunpoint as he chooses not to try disarming John, for fear of hurting Tommy.

After they get outside, Michael warns Sam, who ducks just in time to avoid a shot from John's shotgun. He and Tommy take off in the truck Sam placed the tracker on earlier. Sam's still optimistic, but Michael doesn't think it'll be "quite that simple."

Back with Denise at Maddie's place, Michael is going over photos of a training facility from John's house, where they think he's taken Tommy. Apparently, it's the home of a fringe militia group that is very anti-government. Denise explains that Tommy is asthmatic and needs his new inhaler, which Michael thinks he can use to get John to deal. After saying he's called in some friends to help, Michael explains to his mom the need to keep Denise there.

At the camp, Sam and Michael scope out the facility, vehicles, weapons, and nutbag in charge: Zachariah. He's under investigation, etc. Michael calls John and explains Tommy's inhaler is running low and convinces him to bring Tommy out so he can see him. Sam and Michael create a plan to sabotage, and then replace, a fuel tank. Jesse and Fiona are still trying to get into Jacob's house around the gang-watch out front. After some verbal trickery/flattery by Jesse, Fiona agrees to stay in the car and cover him if needed as he heads into the house to grab the phone. Stereotypically, the gang members are inside, asleep in front of a soccer game (and elsewhere). Jesse sneaks in, grabs two phones and heads back. Ticked at Fiona for miscounting the number of back guys, he easily rebuts her questioning him over taking the extra phone.

Back at the compound, Sam returns with liquid nitrogen and Michael claims he can buy Sam the 10 minutes he needs to sabotage the tank. After setting his watch, Michael steps out into the street for the 'encounter.' John and Tommy, along with a small army, come out of the gates to meet him. After being patted down, Michael starts explaining the medicine to John. Sam heads to the fence and begins fashioning a long tube. Zachariah comes out and introduces himself as the 'Hand of God' [in this review, henceforth referred to as HOG]. HOG spouts a bit about his mission in life before Michael belittles him and returns to explaining medical information. Michael wants to examine Tommy in exchange for the medicine and 'oxymeter,' but HOG threatens him and they leave... three minutes too early. Michael stalls a bit longer by addressing John, claiming he told the boy's mom he would check his vitals. HOG claims only he can make decisions, and Michael eggs him on a bit. Sam finishes up during another HOG tirade about his seeing of truth. HOG hits Michael in the stomach, and that's that...

At Maddie's house, Denise is still there and gets updated by Jesse. He retrieves her cell phone as the team is hoping John will answer her calls since he stopped answering Michael's  Meanwhile, Fiona is trying to get Jacob to make a call to his 'boss.' She presents him with a script and he finally dials. Jacob leaves a voicemail... very obviously scripted. He immediately gets an all-too-nice-and-helpful text back claiming the 'boss' is happy to help and that Jacob should stay safe [ha].

Fiona meets up with Sam and Michael at a gas station 'shopping for a ride.' They find the truck headed into the compound to restock. The plan is for Fiona to hitch a ride inside and then hide until dark. Michael calls John from Denise's cell phone and freaks him out over Tommy's asthma enough to get him to put trash bags over the windows. Fiona ducks under the trucks, attaches her harness to the bottom of the truck, and is set to go.

Sam and Michael beat the truck back and meet Jesse outside the compound in the bushes. [you'd think the crazy army of government conspiracy theorists inside the compound would be paranoid enough to watch the bushes more closely...] As the truck approaches, vehicles from the gates of the compound head out with HOG in the leading driver's seat. Apparently, they've discovered Fiona's aboard the truck, and Michael tells her to drop. She falls out onto the road and the militia stops their cars and start shooting. Michael and friends try to cover her, but Fiona is pinned down by the way-too-ambitious trigger fingers of HOG's men. Seeing this, Michael shoots the fuel truck (getting a good laugh from Sam), giving enough cover and time for Fi to run, and causing HOG and friends to retreat back inside their chain-link ant hill.

Regrouping in the amazing camoflauged woods right outside, the foursome discover that this renegade militia has stolen government technology that lets them listen in on cell phone calls, and Michael's been calling John, so they've got his cell number. The brand new plan is to lure out HOG and his army using a fake phone call containing a new plan that when overheard, will force a last, all-out attempt to stop them.

After setting up a fake, heavily-armed shack, Michael and Jesse stage an angry phone that discusses cavalry on the way to help attack the compound, plus a plan to stay put until it arrives in an hour. HOG hears this, and, of course, decides to take everything and hit first. The crew watches HOG and the army roll out, then sneak in through a freshly cut hole in the fence. They knock out the solitary guard, set Jesse and Fiona on lookout duty, and Sam and Michael head in to get Tommy. HOG and army yell demands to the empty shack, as Michael and Sam find that John has stayed behind with Tommy. HOG blows in the shack as Michael heads in to talk to John alone. HOG apparently broke his leg when he decided to stay behind in a field exercise for Tommy's sake. As John decides to trust Michael, HOG breaks into the shed to find it's a fake.

Photo by: Barbara Nitke/USA Network 

In an entry for the worst-dad-of-the-year-award, John decides to stay behind and cover their escape with Tommy, but claims he'll make it out. He tells Tommy to go with Michael, then gives his final best wishes to him and his mom. Safe and sound back at Maddie's house, Michael and the moms talk about getting Tommy back and the fact that... somehow... John made it out of the compound and checked himself into a hospital. HOG has been arrested by ATF and Denise and Tommy are moving to Georgia. Michael learns his mom has spilled their story to Denise, and is slightly embarassed.

Sitting around bored as hell in the loft throwing cards at a bucket, Jacob's boss finally texts again. Michael and Sam get the details for the meet and give Jacob a refusal to return his borrowed clothes before saying goodbye for good. They are to meet at the marina. [why is so much of this season happening at a marina? did they get a good rate?] Sam and Michael run over the possibilities and decide the boss wants to meet on the boat to kill him and then dump the body. Michael heads into the boat gun-first and finds it empty. Getting a text on Jacob's phone telling him he can't make it and to meet him in the Bahamas, Michael then finds a bomb wired up to a depth-finder. Not wanting to spook the 'boss,' Michael casts off and then bails out to let the boat bloat up empty.

Still racing the CIA to find the real killer...

Best Lines of the Episode:
Sam: "There's a tiny, little woman in a Hyundai who's gonna protect you."
Michael: "This is my 'I'm concerned we kidnapped our only lead back to Max's killer' face."
Finona: "Well, be glad it's not your 'our only lead got murdered by a Latino gang' face."
Sam: "He's the ENIC: Extremist Nutbag in Charge."

New Spy Lessons:

• "A lot of missions depend on the world not knowing you were there. Sometimes you have to sneak out, acting like the person you're saving. So if the person you're saving is an untrained civilian, you need to make it look like they escaped like an untrained civilian."
• "When confronted with a family situation... it's a good idea to tell the truth."
• "You can tell a lot about group by looking at its base... The most important thing to check: their weapons."

In short:  Michael's double is handled, Nutbags are to be avoided, and no new leads.

Predictions:  We've seen the person who's setting up Michael before...

Countdown on Kate: South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Kate Plus Eight "RV Trip" (S02E15): The family is taking two weeks to travel via RV across the country. [you know, since they've already done everything else...] This took place just last month and included the Gosselins, Jamie and her three kids (Brooke, Reagan, and Clay), plus Ashley. They're keeping most of the locations secret from the kids.

Pre-trip, Kate is in a rush, she's sleep-deprived, and (as always) yells at the kids to hurry up. It's only a matter of time before Kate even decides she can't handle filming because she's stressed. [hahaha.] The Gosselins didn't actually take off from PA, they flew to South Dakota where their already-packed-RVs were waiting for them. [certainly sounds like an expensive way to do it!]

They have professional drivers, but Kate tries driving on her own first. It rained the first two days so they spent most of the time in the RVs. [I don't know if that was the greatest start...] They do go outside after a while and play in a muddy creek. [I don't understand how Kate ever let that get started!] At night, everyone seems to be cold.

For each location, Kate gives clues and the kids have to figure out where they're going. A rock, a chisel, a dollar bill, and a hammer are the clues for Mount Rushmore (Mady figures it out first). At Mount Rushmore, Kate's wearing a South Dakota sweatshirt and is upset that people are taking photos of the family. [she's just off her rocker sometimes. The family is recognizable. You're keeping yourselves recognizable. Get over it. It also bothered me quite a bit that the adults weren't sure who was who on the monument.] They're also having problems with the microwaves, refrigerators, etc. in the RVs. The next day, the clues were a rock and a banana, for Yellowstone Park. Cara gets it first. [honestly, I thought this was a little more obscure.] They stop and let the kids play in some

photo: TLC.com

snow in the park. [why in the world were they barefoot??] Then it's on to Old Faithful (not sure what the clues were this time). [Kate keeps talking about how she thought they'd all be outside more, but she also keeps saying "let's get going, people are photographing," so I don't know what she's complaining about. She just needs to make up her mind!] Kate leaves the group to find organic chicken and salad and stuff while Jamie and Ashley get the kids to set up camp. Later, Kate cooks while the others keep the older kids busy with makeup. It was the first time Kate cooked over a campfire. [really?] 

The big push is to tune in next week, since we know Day 13 (at the Grand Canyon) is when things break down, Ashley leaves early, and who knows what else. [I don't really care for these long and drawn-out vacations, especially since they're showing a lot of very trivial stuff these days.]

News Roundup: Breaking Bad, Roseanne's Nuts, Bones, etc.

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
Breaking Bad has come back from the dead, with 13 episodes to air on FOX.

Good Luck Charlie was renewed by the Disney Channel for a third season.

White Collar was renewed for a fourth season.

Roseanne's Nuts is being moved to Fridays at 10pm for the remaining three episodes. Repeats of Dance Moms will take the old Wednesday slot.

FOX has passed on Locke & Key. I guess it's a good thing that I skipped out on seeing the pilot at Comic-Con (it was on my original plan), otherwise I might be among the many who are upset at the moment. 

Cast & Plot Updates:
Ben Savage (of Boy Meets World fame) will guest on Bones.

Did you realize that the new season of House will pick up a YEAR after last season's finale left off? House is in jail, alongside Jaleel White.

OtherFun Stuff:
Want a good laugh? Go read some predictions as to what the Rugrats characters are doing now that they're 20.

Speaking of old NickToons, Hey Arnold! and Rocko's Modern Life have been added to the late night 90s programming block on TeenNick. Look for them starting September 6th.

Did you hear about how Paul Rudd hitchhiked to the airport? He wanted to offer his savior something big, which ended up being a walk-on role during an interview.

Absolutely Fabulous will be doing three specials for its 20th anniversary.

TiVo isn't doing so well. In fact, they lost 33,000 subscribers last quarter, bringing their overall subscriber total to the numbers they had in 2004! I predict we'll see a similar drop next month when Netflix inflicts its price hike.

The Great Food Truck Race: Denver

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

First, a reminder of who is left this season:

The Lime Truck: From California and using that to inspire their food, Jason, Daniel, and Jesse, who wear lime-colored headbands. They are ingredient-driven, meaning they change their menu based on where they are.
Seabirds: Stephanie, Thea, Nicole from California. Vegan food truck - no meat, no dairy, no eggs.
Cafe Con Leche: Gabriel, Maria, and Frankie - lifelong friends based in Van Nuys (part of Los Angeles). They have a Cuban food truck, including Cuban coffee.
Hodge Podge: From Cleveland, Chris started a food truck because he saw one and knew he could do better. They throw food together. His sister Katie and his girlfriend Jacquelyn are the other members of the team.
Roxy's Grilled Cheese: Brothers James and Mike, from Boston, have a grilled cheese truck because they couldn't afford to open a grilled cheese bar. Marc is their experienced chef who makes it have a gourmet flair.
Korilla BBQ: Eddie, Paul, and Steve are friends from Columbia University who couldn't get jobs, so they started this food truck in Queens. They serve Korean food that's fused into other things, like burritos.

The Great Food Truck Race "Rocky Mountain Highs and Lows" (S02E03): Good Morning America is present, taping a segment. The Truck Stop is having the teams go out and dig up mushrooms, then create a dish using them. There's also a trunk full of ingredients - each team gets 50 minutes to forage (teams have to stay together while they do so), plan, and cook a dish, using identical boxes of ingredients. The winner will get an interview on the local ABC affiliate to get the word out about their truck. A local chef judges, choosing Lime Truck as a winner. [I didn't see that coming. I thought they were in the bottom half, really, going off of the judge's comments.] Everyone gets NO SEED MONEY this time, but Lime gets $200. "Beg, borrow, but don't steal." [hahaha.] The Speed Bump is delivered by John Elway, who tells the teams that they can only have a single person run the truck for the rest of the day. The six trucks bring in more than $30,000 combined. And, a difference of only $87 separates 5th place from 6th! [1st and 2nd aren't that far apart, either. I like a close race!]

The Lime Truck: They do appetizers with the mushrooms - one with scallops and one with beef - poor use of truffle oil, according to the judge. They're worried about how to change their strategy from Salt Lake. [these guys seem to excite people, but I just don't get the appeal, I guess. Though maybe it's related to the fact that I'm just not a California fan and that's what informs their menu... and probably attitude.] They are excited to team up with Hodge Podge because their foods don't really compete. [um... what's in it for them?] They even mention Hodge Podge in the interview! [that was really very nice of them.] They go to a restaurant wholesale shop to get food, so that takes a while and they end up being the last truck to open. Their menu is pretty expensive as well. [sorry, I'm not paying $11 to eat off a truck! you?] They go to Washington Park on Sunday. Jason takes the lead as the single on their truck, and tries to take the entire line's orders at once to make a lot of one thing at a time to keep rolling quickly. [this would have made me leave the line... or perhaps just switch to wanting whatever he was going to cook first. I don't have a lot of patience when lines aren't handled in the order in which one arrived.] They come in first with $6,919. [heh. guess it worked out in the end!]
Korilla BBQ: They are a bit hesitant about the foraging process. They do a soup with scallops, onions, tofu, and mushrooms. They call the most popular restaurant in Denver's food truck. They get a long line pretty quickly. They have high hopes for Sunday, too. Paul takes the lead as the single on their truck, through rock-paper-scissors. [I think this is the only truck on the show where any of them could seriously be the lead. That's gotta count for something!] They move after a while, hitting up the brewery where Cafe Con Leche is. [didn't they used to care about infringing on others' territory?] They come in second with $6,831.
Hodge Podge:  They do a type of tostados with the mushrooms. They call up their purveyors just like in past cities. They call Lime and ask to team up, and end up opening an hour before Lime, getting them a nice start. On Sunday, they are still teamed with Lime, and both head to Washington Park. Chris takes the lead as the single on their truck. [this was a no-brainer. The other girls don't do much anyway.] They come in third with $6,118.
Roxy's Grilled Cheese:  They do a mushroom-stuffed bison burger, but it was too light on the mushroom. They know they need to be faster and want to try an assembly line. They have a hookup at a local restaurant and get an IOU until Sunday night. They're in Washington Park on Saturday where there's a "Curry Scurry" going on. They're using softer cheese to make them faster. [makes sense. I'm dying to try duck on a grilled cheese after watching them make it so many times!] They go back to Washington Park on Sunday. Marc takes the lead as the single on their truck. They move after a while, also heading to the brewery. [I KNOW there is more than one brewery in Denver, why is everyone at the same place?? or maybe it's the only one that doesn't serve food?] The end up in 4th place with $5,316.
Seabirds: They do a couscous-stuffed mushroom that needs salt and maybe a little more mushroom. They were a little cocky, thinking they were going to win hands-down. They're nervous about the lack of Vegan food in Denver. They hit an ice cream shop that has Vegan options to get a loan of $500. [wow. I wonder if that was really their best option?] They head to a craft fair and open the doors before they're completely ready. This makes them move so slowly that they have to give a couple refunds. [that SUCKS. I always thought that one of the big draws to food trucks was the quick turn-around!] They plan on some new menu items on Sunday, hoping to do better. [we don't hear much about what they changed, though. And why were they still shopping when the Speed Bump hit?!?] Raya takes the lead as the single on their truck, and waits until the truck is prepped to open. [probably a darn good idea!] They're also at Washington Park on Sunday. They switch to half-price shortly before closing. They are worried, knowing they didn't bring in the average of $5,000 They cut it close, finishing in fifth place with $3,322. 

Cafe Con Leche: They do a panini of sorts, which could have used more mushrooms. They know a Cuban restaurant in Denver and want to team-up with them. The team-up with the local restaurant is good for them since the restaurant isn't open during the daytime anyway. They buy their food from the restaurant as well. They're selling $15 sandwiches since they're the only place in the area where you can get a Cuban sandwich. [I love a good Cuban sandwich, but I don't pay $15 at a sit-down establishment... why would I pay that off a truck?? would you?] They were expecting to pay $300 for the food, and it's $384. [they didn't discuss price point AT ALL beforehand?? in that case, I'm glad they didn't get totally ripped off!] On Sunday, they set up outside a brewery that doesn't serve food. Frankie takes the lead as the single on their truck, since he's the cook. They all whine when Roxy's and Korilla show up and take some of their business. [whatever.] They go home, coming in sixth with $3,235. They think that they're going home because of the money they spent buying food from the restaurant rather than a market. [really? they're going to solely blame that??]

Next stop: Manhattan, Kansas: a college town of 52,000 people. Seabirds is already worried, and plan to play off the cute-girl aspect, since food won't be their biggest asset. 

It's a Cold War on Futurama

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Futurama "Cold Warriors" (S06E24): "we're following you but not on twitter" is the opening phrase. [haha!] Flashback to Fry hiking in winter with his dad. He falls through some ice and ends up with a cold. [his dad is so rough on him!] Fry stays home from school sick, then decides to enter a science contest. The family is out to eat pizza and Barack Obama (on leave from law school?) is the delivery boy, whom the family considers a loser. [I didn't realize it was him at first, I had to rewind.] Fry's idea is to infect his guinea pig with the common cold virus and launch it into space. [this is back when a "science project" didn't involve research, data, a hypothesis, and everything else...] At the science fair, Fry loses. His dad admits that he is tough on Fry because he wants Fry to persevere, pull through, and make him proud. [blah.]

In the present, they go ice fishing. [why is Amy wearing a "belly parka"??] Fry gets a cold, but nobody else knows was the "common cold" is. The police quarantine the Planet Express building.

Futurama TM and (C) 2010 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Because the common cold died out, humanity can now suffer from this now-deadly disease. [fairly ridiculous, but original.] Amy becomes congested, then Hermes, then Zoidberg. [nice riff on Airborne.] Leela tries to escape, but it doesn't work. It's announced that Bender will have to play nurse for everyone else, which pisses him off. [should've seen that coming.] When the quarantine is lifted off the building, another is placed over the city and then the entirety of Manhattan is lifted and brought toward the sun. [wasn't expecting that!] There's an option to pulverize Fry and find the original virus, but Fry remembers that they could get the virus culture out of the satellite (which was the project of the winning kid), so the gang heads to find it. They do, and have to inoculate everyone in Manhattan. [not the most exciting finish.] 

A Smart Spin on a Kid's Game...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Tic-Tac-Toe is one of those things that I don't remember learning how to play. I know that I enjoyed the game and received an electronic version around the time I turned six years old. I also remember the first time I figured out basic strategy, rather than randomly starting where I wanted and not always considering the defensive. Tic-Tac-Dough is quite more advanced than the time-killer that entertains small children, but it has the same basic premise at heart. 

Brief history: Originally, the game aired on NBC from 1956-1959 (taped in NYC), then on CBS and in syndication from 1978-1986 (taped in Hollywood), and a short syndicated run from 1990 to 1991 (taped in Hollywood). The first version premiered during daytime television in July, with evening (color) broadcasts starting in 1957. What is sadly the most memorable thing about the early history, however, is that the show was related in the large quiz show scandals taking place. Producer Howard Felsher was caught red-handed, and it is estimated that 75% of the evening shows were rigged to a certain degree. It is estimated that Felsher pleaded with 50 or more people to lie on the stand. The daytime version was not caught in fraudulent practices. The 70s tried the show again, also marketing to a summer daytime audience originally. International adaptations aired in the UK (1957-1967), Germany (1958-1967 and 1992), Australia (1960-1964), and Russia (1990s). Reruns of the latter two versions have been seen on GSN and USA.

The game: Basically there's a tic-tac-toe board that you want to fill. You earn your mark by answering a question correctly, and the reigning winner plays the Xs. Each of the nine squares had a category, and you had to answer the question in that square to get your mark there. The center question required two responses. After each player had a turn, the categories shuffled around. As a question was answered, money would go into a jackpot for the winner. As soon as the game was going to end in a draw, the players started over on a new board. The jackpot carried over. You could keep winning until you were defeated - there was no maximum number of appearances. There were a bunch of "special" categories as well, that could give a player extra turns, allow them to get a new question, make the opponent answer instead, and several other different options. Here's an episode from 1985 in full, allowing you to see a few rounds (the quality isn't amazing):

oh, and episodes did "straddle," meaning that they could cut off and continue next time, like you saw if you tuned in until the end of the clip.

Notable changes to the way the game is played: In the original show, a winner could retire or take on a new competitor... but if you chose the latter, their winnings would come out of your own! Beginning in the late 70s, Fridays were "hat days," and host Wink Martindale would don viewer-sent headwear. From 1978 onward, categories shuffled after each question. During the summer of 1978, draws didn't happen - a tiebreaker was asked instead. Also at that time the limit was $25,000 maximum winnings (thought from '78-'86 you could win a car if you won five matches in a row!). In both the 70s-80s version and the 90s version, there was a Bonus Round as well. There, you had to pick from the nine squares to win money and prizes while avoiding a square that had a dragon behind it. From 1980 onward, "secret categories" were denoted in red. Correct answers to these doubled the value of the jackpot, though later they became "grand questions" and only added $1,000 instead. In the 90s, the jackpot was reset each time a new board was used.

Special Contestants: In 1980, Tom McKee defeated 43 opponents over nine weeks, winning EIGHT cars and over $300,000 in cash and prizes. He missed 32 questions out of like 385 during his reign.

Favorite Rounds: There's not much as far as rounds go, but I do enjoy watching when the contestants have to play the center square or do the "special" categories. For what it's worth, I'm NOT a fan of the "bonus round" and avoiding the dragon.

My take: I actually think that this game is pretty tough. The questions are really all over the place, and I'm not sure how I'd do at all. Plus, tic-tac-toe was never my game as an adult, so I'd need lots of practice before giving it a shot. I'm curious as to whether anyone I know would jump at the chance to play this one or if people tend to be as hesitant as I.

Did you ever watch Tic-Tac-Dough? Did you see more than one version of it? What about when - was it in reruns or in the original runs?

Burn Notice - The Enemy of My Enemy is... a Tool

by Jonathan Bredemeyer

Burn Notice - (S05E06)

Michael and friends (and Mom) are standing around trying to figure out how someone got a double of Michael to buy the killer's burn phone. They are brainstorming on how to delay giving the footage to Pearce when Pearce calls with a 'high priority' job.

Michael shows up the next morning 'only 5 minutes early,' and Pearce is staking-out someone who is about to sell a stolen predator drone. Since they don't want someone in the agency doing this, Michael rattles off a shopping list for him to scale a hotel and break into the courier's room. He outsmarts the room's occupant, but learns that he's already sold the drone.

Back in Pearce's temp office, she's chewing out someone on the phone. Apparently, she's being put in an awkward situation about losing an asset. She had a past lover and future husband killed in the field for the bosses doing the same thing. Michael tries to sell Pearce on letting him try to get the stolen drone back and make progress on the murder at the same time. Apparently, she's hurting enough to do it.

Fiona, Sam, and Michael track the Serbians and decide they can't do it alone, so Michael decides to frame them as ripping off Carmelo, a big drug dealer in Miami. The plan involves leaving Sam as a witness to the caper, which Fiona is a bit skeptical of, but Sam agrees. Fi heads off to find a drug shipment to steal...

After warding off two girls who are way out of Sugar's league in a bar, Fiona presses him for information on where to find Carmelo's stash. Meanwhile, Sam and Michael meet with Pearce to run over the plan. Pearce is extremely doubtful, and makes Sam 'sign out' the listening gear for the operation. Pearce mentions the name Manaro, which Sam immediately recognizes. He explains to Michael his rocky past with him [this is a guy from The Fall of Sam Axe]. Michael stalls more on the video tape footage.

Michael, Sam, and Fi pull off perhaps the most boring robbery in history by shooting at the car filled with heroine to scaring off the occupants. Fiona burns a fake bullet graze into Sam's head and they leave him behind and tow off the car. A while later, the second biggest heroine dealer in Miami shows up to investigate. Carmelo finds Sam crawling out of the bushes. He beats the fake story out of him, but Carmelo thinks he's holding back, so he brings him along.

At the amazing drug mansion, Carmelo threaten to kill Sam, who convinces him that he needs him to help find the Serbs, who really stole his drugs. Jesse, Fiona, and Michael listen in from the loft and Jesse is doubtful, but understands why they need Carmelo's help to find and out-gun the new drone-owners. Michael needs Jesse to convince the Serbs they have a new enemy named Carmelo...

Photo by: David Giesbrecht/USA Network

Jesse stumbles up to the Serbians in a restaurant, pretending to be baked out of his head [does an amazing job]. After some gun pointing and impatience, Jesse explains that Carmelo is mad about things going in and out in his territory, and then is roughly escorted out. In the meantime, Fiona and Maddie go to the county clerk's office and swindle a woman with access to county records to do an illegal search. She tells then to come back on Saturday.

Carmelo, Sam, and the drug-crew show up the Serbians' place - a shipping yard. Michael shoots a cell phone out of a Serb's hand, which sets them into motion while Carmelo stops to 'think' right outside. The Serbs immediately start shooting at Carmelo's car. Carmelo grabs one of the Serbians in the gun fight and sends Michael and Fiona something new to worry about: blowing Sam's entire story by getting information from his new captive.

Listening in on more of happenings at the drug mansion, Fiona is going a bit nuts over Sam's danger level. Michael claims he can get agency support to help him since it's an agency operation. He heads to Pearce and requests an extraction option for Sam. Pearce opens a door to reveal the two CIA nerds Sam held at gun point in his last official operation for the US government. Michael has an argument with them, but doesn't get anything.

Back at the loft listening, Jesse, Michael, and Fiona hear Sam try to talk his way out of things. The Serbian mentioned stealing a weapon and storing it at a marina. Sam gets one chance to get the Serbian to spill the real information about the drugs. Maddie and Fi head back to the county office and gain entrance to the server room to do searches... [why the server room?] Good thing it was the server room since Fiona plugs in a laptop and runs facial recognition searches against Michael's face. Maddie and Fiona talk about Sam's predicament, while the software finds 86 matches.

Sam is trying to get more out of the Serbian, who isn't breaking at all. He finally says he can prove the guy is lying by going to his place. The Serbian spills his address, and Michael and Jesse must get the drugs and other evidence there in time. They grab guns plus blueberry yogurt and take Fi's car. They get Pearce on the phone to give them satellite guidance all the way there. Sam stalls them one final time on the way up. Carmelo finally believes Sam and decides to go after the Serbians' other hiding spot, but keeps him anyway. The Serbian gets 'taken care of' and Sam is still a prisoner.

Michael again argues with Sam's old enemies to use a real extraction team rather than the police. The two tools stand their ground and argue that Sam isn't one of theirs and not mission-critical. Michael claims he'll take care of it, and Pearce seems genuinely sorry [not the pitbull she pretended to be last episode]. 

Carmelo shows up at the marina and Michael swims in to extract Sam. Fiona and Jesse stay behind with rifles for distractions and cover. Carmelo blows his way in and finds the drone, not the drugs. Just after he turns back to question Sam, Michael shows up and Carmelo recounts their last encounter. Michael explains his options (with Jesse's bullets) to surrender or get turned over to the cops. Carmelo takes the surrender and claims he'll kill Michael next time he sees him.

At the debrief in the police parking lot, the two CIA tools don't want to make good on Michael's offer to let Carmelo off. Sam, Michael, and Pearce insult them into doing it. Sam keeps the CIA's listening glasses...

Meeting up with Fiona and Maddie, Michael gets double teamed into agreeing not to take so many risks. Michael gets the info on his double and tracks him down. He and Sam tail him to a gun buy where he's buying a Glock for... something...

Best Lines of the Episode:
Fiona: "Alright, I'll go find us a heroine shipment."
Sam: "Well, you know what they say about guys who wear glasses - less likely to get shot in the face by heroine dealers."

New Spy Lessons:

•  "Tricking your enemy into bringing the wrong weapon and you've got the advantage."
• "One of the most useful contacts in the criminal under world is the small-time drug dealer."
• "The key to robbing an armed transport is to stop the vehicle without putting the guards on the defensive."

In short: Sam's a damn good actor and the dorks he threatens in Columbia are back. Pearce is a pushover. Michael's double is armed for the next challenge.

Predictions:  More questions in the murder case before any answers...

Burn Notice - Square One... Can't Seem to get Past it...

by Jonathan Bredemeyer

Burn Notice (S05E05)

This episode opens with an uncharacteristic recap of Michael's time with Max, his new, dead best friend in the CIA. Michael and friends thermite the gun he found next to Max's dead body as Jesse creates an alibi for them. [Michael's hair is getting long.... odd...] In a dramatic scene, the crew burns the gun in a pile of bricks. Michael's heads off to meet with the CIA Bloodhound, Pearce, in charge of finding the kill. Pearce walks Michael through the killing and lets him know officially that she is Max's replacement as his agency contact... and that she runs investigations like her pit bull... [turns out his hair is long to make him look more emotional over things... it definitely works.]

He tells Fiona that he's on the investigation team for the murder, which puts her on edge. A former C.O. of Michael's has called in a favor and a new client walks up (Ethan) and refers to Fiona as Mrs. Weston [and no one corrects him]. [Apparently, Ethan beat Michael's sharpshooting record.] They go someplace to talk; turns out he's after his sister's ex-boyfriend who's a scumbag and has hurt her. Michael talks Ethan out of killing the guy, and then they take the job.

Fiona and Sam head off to find the scumbag, Brandon, with the storyline that he's the winner of cash from a class action lawsuit. His mom agrees to get the check to him and the stakeout begins. [Ethan's a bit crazy and insists he's on every shift.] Meanwhile, Michael heads off to meet Pearce and get on with the CIA investigation. Michael derails Pearce's idea to look in Michael and Max's last case. He convinces Pearce to let him work unofficially so he can work faster than the FBI. He grabs info and heads off for his shift on the stakeout.

Brandon shows up at his mom's house for the check. Michael and Ethan grab him when he gets in his car. Ethan tries to strangle him, but gets delayed long enough for them to talk and learn it was Brandon's boss that beat up his sister. Brandon has to leave the room for Michael to get information about the real bad guy, Ramsey.

Michael and Ethan visit his sister (who is on life support) in the hospital, then head off with Sam to spy on Ramsey's medicare scheme. They plan to send in Michael to learn the details of his operation and then turn him in (the usual plot line), but Ethan insists he should be the one undercover. In a very strange move, Michael agrees to train him to do it.

Sam and Ethan roll into Ramsey's party, offering a very profitable deal and inviting him to a bigger party to impress him. He turns down the invitation, but Sam reels him in with some numbers after Ethan almost blows it. Back at the loft, Jesse gets a bit freaked by Fiona's influence over the decor. He brings over cell phone records and Mike 'really' owes him. They comb through the records and find the killer's call to a pay phone after the kill, so Jesse heads to track that down. Sam calls and Ramsey has accepted the invitation to the party. He's also borrowed a Ferrari Modena and a mansion to impress him further.

At the party of the century (with more bikini-clad butts than you can count), Ramsey shows up and Sam introduces him to Jesse as one of the players. Fiona also comes along as a partner, and Ethan continues to flounder around and nearly blow everything. Michael rolls up in the Ferrari as 'the boss.' Even that doesn't sell Ramsey though, and he asks if they're cops. Michael throws a molotov cocktail into Ramsey's car and points him at Jesse's Porsche, claiming it's his 'thinking' car.

Back at the loft, Sam and Michael explain to Ethan the plan of collecting evidence for the cops, and decide to give Ramsey a nice-looking watch with a bug. They invite him back to the mansion, Ethan gives him the watch, and then they join Michael and Sam playing... target golf off of the dock. Ramsey hands over his 'medicare fee schedule', but the guys push back and ask for the details of everything, including doctor names, etc. 

Photo by: Robert Zuckerman/USA Network

Back on the CIA case, Fiona and Jesse head into the place where the killer's cell phone was purchased and pretend to be dirty cops. After 'Sharon Stone' threatens the clerk a bit, he turns over all the VHS tapes from the last month... and a carton of cigarettes. At Michael's mom's place, Michael drops off the goods so she can start going through them.

While listening to the bugged phone, Ethan gets pissed and takes off to go after Ramsey [getting sick of this guy]. Jesse and Fiona race him there and take a shot at Ramsey to warn him off. Ramsey gets scared, and, in his haste, rips off the back bumper of Jesse's Porsche. Ethan gets chewed out by Michael for basically quitting the plan. They let him cool off outside and Maddie reminds Michael of his youth with some memories. Michael heads out to talk him back into the game. He succeeds and they head off to meet Ramsey.

Ethan and Michael go to Ramsey's and convince him to turn in his partners, who are shooting at him. Ramsey gets all his information and hands it to Sam and Fi. Ethan shows up with stuff to burn his house down... which he sells him on... amazing. Ramsey 'does the honors' and lights the match himself.

He shows up at the airport hangar and Ethan asks him about any last loose ends to close up before they fly off. He confesses something about a 'bitch in a hospital bed.' They convince him to 'tie up the loose end'. They tell him to inject poison into the I.V. and the cops are waiting.

Back at the loft, everyone's happy and Ethan reveals he has signed up with the CIA recruiters. At CIA investigation HQ, Pearce is bitching someone out on the phone and Michael gives her the good news about tracking down security tape footage. He heads off to his mom's to get it, but she's more than a little rattled, demanding more information. His mom shows him... himself buying the phone on the security tape... Brilliant.


Best Lines of the Episode:
Fiona:"Don't forget there are no conjugal visits in CIA jail."
Jesse: "Is that potpourri? You're killing me, man..."

New Spy Lessons from Michael's Head:

• "As a spy you're in the information business... Some secrets are so dangerous that you can't allow them to continue to exist." 
• "Whether you're operating out of a war-room in Langley or a hotel room, analysts have information but don't know what's important. You have to pound the pavement for that."
• "Integration 101: You lose your head, they stop talking."
• "You don't choose a life as a covert operative unless something deeper is going on beneath the surface."
• "Protecting a target from a bullet sometimes means taking a few shots at them yourself." It puts them on guard. "But you can never predict how someone's going to react to a bullet whizzing by their head."
• "For a spy, revenge is a dish that is rarely served at all..."

In short: Another satisfied client, a bad guy in jail, and a new promising recruit for the CIA. Michael is extremely deep in covering up/proving he's not Max's killer, and only finding more of the wrong evidence.

Predictions:  The people that burned Michael are behind his new framing, and doing a really good job.

Victorious CD Giveaway

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Are you familiar with the Nickelodeon show VICTORiOUS? It's a teen comedy centering around character Tori Vega (played by Victoria Justice, whom you may know as Lola on Zoey 101), who goes to a performing arts high school. It's fairly new, premiering in March 2010, and 27 episodes have aired thus far.

As one might expect, a show that takes place at a performing arts school features music. Whether or not you have seen the show, you're eligible to win this CD, featuring music from VICTORiOUS.  

How to Enter: This one is a little different from our past few giveaways. You must be a "fan" of TheTalkingBox on Facebook to win. So, head over and "like" us if you haven't already, and post on the wall as your entry. Do you like VICTORiOUS? Who's your favorite character? What's your favorite song? (You can listen to a few clips over on Amazon.)

This giveaway will run about a week - no entries will be accepted after 11:59pm PT on Monday, September 5th, 2011. A winner will be chosen via random number generator on Tuesday, September 6th.

Thanks for entering and let us know if you have any questions!

Wipeout: A Family Affair

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Wipeout "The Family that Wipeouts Together" (S04E29): 12 family teams begin - 2 members per team. Aflac is now a sponsor of sorts, with an Aflac safety zone for families to watch the Qualifier from, plus an Aflac duck sitting on the fourth big ball that, if grabbed, wins that family $2,000.

Qualifier: Double Bubble Trouble (run, use a diving board to jump off and through hoops that come around to land on an unstable platform... then do it all again), Driver's Ed (get across an area that has pedals popping out, steering wheels spinning, and air bags popping out), Big Balls, Jiggalator (jump onto a vibrating platform, then onto another one, through a hole, and avoid some props while trying to jump to a steady platform), Double Barrel (a large rotating oval has two circles carved out - jump into one, ride it around, then jump out and land on another platform). SquabblingSiblings waste a bunch of time at the beginning because they argue over who should go first... and they laugh at each other quite a bit. They do grab the Aflac duck though. So do CaptainandCadet. [I rather enjoy watching the Double Bubble Trouble. It's new, different, and fun.]
Round 2: [I actually was happy for the six teams that made it this far - they're all entertaining folks. This rarely happens.] Total Carnage (everyone starts on one platform and they have to jump across a dozen or so platforms while dealing with a sweeper arm coming around - one side has three spinning rings hanging down, the other has a crankshaft) is the obstacle. The first three teams to have both members make it all the way move on. JonandKatePlusHate, CaptainandCadet, and DadandGrad move on.
Round 3: WipeoutPlayset (everyone slides down onto a spinning platform. Then, ride sweeper arms across platforms, then use a diving board to jump through a windmill and onto a small slide). The first two families to get both members to the end get to continue on to the final round. The first part - the slides - really trips up the contestants. Jon makes it across first, with a fairly simple run. Cadet gets across next, with a nice wipeout on the sweepers. Dad is next to get through. Grad really struggles on the beginning slide [and looks like she's going to cry after awhile]. Captain makes it, and Kate is the last to finish. [Cadet yelling at Captain was a bit disturbing. The diving-board-through-windmill-to-slide seemed really easy this time for some reason...]
WipeoutZone: Flume of Doom (7-story drop to the water), Iron Maze-In (vertical, spinning maze that contestants must enter through one end, climb through, and exit through the other end), Axel of Evil (ride three rotating prongs on a sweeper from one platform to another), The Great Wall of Fall (cross a wall made up of cylinders that pop out and retract). Jon from JonandKatePlusHate [I do giggle each time I hear the team name!] is first. He struggles on the maze but still finished on the first try. He doesn't land correctly off the Axel of Evil... twice. He still finishes with 7:36. Cadet is next, who makes the Iron Maze-In on the first try but also takes two attempts on the Axel of Evil. His time is 7:43, making it a close race. Kate doesn't make the jump out of Iron Maze-In on time on her first try, but has a great ride hanging by a thread on the Axel of Evil. The combined time for their team is 17:00. Captain has a slow start getting to the Maze-in and climbing through it, but she falls out, wasting a lot of time. She gives up at that point, leaving JonandKatePlusHate the winnings! [it always disappoints me when people give up midway through a round.]

Joy Plans Elka's Wedding...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Hot in Cleveland "Bridezelka" (S02E21): Elka and Fred are getting premarital counseling, and they want to have the same experience as young couples because they want it to feel like the first time. [that's cute.] The minister tries, but it's not as fitting. [obviously.]

Photo: TVLand

 Joy, Victoria, and Melanie want to plan and pay for Elka's wedding, but Elka wants simple and the ladies want extravagant. [LA vs. Cleveland, again.] They give Elka some magazines to look at while Victoria shows the others the newest overseas product she's going to help promote - an incontinence/sweat jumpsuit that soon starts dehydrating her. [sounds kind of disgusting, really.] Elka decides that she wants Joy to be the wedding planner (Melanie is too nice and Victoria is too crazy). Elka starts to be a bridezilla and even gets a spray tan. [LoL.] Joy starts referring to Elka as "Bride." [hahahahaha. I don't watch those "bride shows" much, but this makes me laugh.] Elka would like a choreographed walk down the aisle. [I'm so glad I got married before those were popular!] Victoria and Melanie skype the others from one of those crazy gown sales. Then, Joy has to stand-in for Elka at the next premarital session, as Elka wasn't happy with the bakers locally and has gone to Chicago to find one that meets her standards. [...this is the part that I find seriously disturbing. I mean, is this a spoof or an exaggeration?? I can't believe this might actually happen!] Fred calls off the wedding when Elka announces she wants a Robin Hood theme. The ladies and the minister do the choreographed walk down the aisle for Fred, to help him see how perfect everything could be. Turns out, Elka just didn't want Fred to be disappointed that she's not a young flower of a bride anymore. [overall, not the funniest episode. but I guess it could be entertaining for some.]

No More George; Mel's Dad Returns

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Melissa & Joey "Going the Distance?" (S01E23): Two stories this week. First, Mel & George. Mel goes to bed and George is headed out to a club, further demonstrating how different their lives are. Joe is helping George with his business plan again, but that soon turns into George asking Joe what to get Mel as a gift. [What is that strange scarf-and-vest-combo-thing that George is wearing when he tells Mel about Milan??] George could be gone 6 months or a year, and they talk about how difficult a long-distance relationship would be. George double-wraps a jewelry box for Mel because she likes to unwrap things. Mel plans a lot of travel for the next 6-8 months (to see George) and Joe questions how long she'll be gone from the kids. Mel races to the airport to say goodbye to George, and she sweet-talks the security guard into letting her through to give him a kiss goodbye. [that was really a stupid scene.] The kiss makes him second-guess his Milan plan, but she convinces him to go and they kiss again. They decide to split.
Then, Ryder: Ryder is hanging with Holly but she's pretty rude to him. She also says that "my bad" has gone out of style and that he shouldn't say it. She invites him to meet her parents on Friday, which is "the next level." [I find that one weird. who meets your significant other's parents in high school? It's not like it was for prom or something.] Ryder asks Lennox for advice on meeting Holly's parents, and she says "don't talk about politics, war, sex, or religion." [hahahaha.] Turns out, Holly is rude to both of her parents, who thank Ryder for dating her, as it has made her nicer. [that's shocking. what a b!tch this girl must be!] Holly checks Ryder's phone and sees that her mom has been texting him pictures of her cooking in order to keep him dating Holly. [not a great episode. And I don't understand how we can only get two storylines at a time in this show... I think they could handle three.]

Melissa & Joey "All Politics is Local" (S01E24): Again with the two plots. One is Mel, one is Lennox. [I'm fine with alternating between the kids, but can't we get full stories for Joe more often??] Mel's dad is visiting and gives the kids money every time they get a question right... all the questions are about his career as a senator. [hahahahaha! And, Joe's hair is shorter in this episode, so he's either cut it again (let's hope this isn't the case!) or this was taped earlier.] Mel's dad has a package delivered to the house that is from another councilman, who is working against Mel. Turns out, Mel's dad is pushing for parking lots at the council meetings while Mel persuades for parks. Mel wins, 5-2. Her dad is offended that she didn't ask for help when he could have done something. [blah blah blah. though it's not bad that we see Mel at work every now and then.]
Now, the Lennox arc... three of Lennox's poems got published on the school's literary blog, and now Lennox helps write lyrics for Jade, a popular girl at school. Joe tells Lennox that she's being used by the popular girl, but Lennox is happy about getting to go to popular-people parties and such. Lennox confronts Jade about the quality of her songs, and Jade says that they can't be friends. But instead, Jade says that she could pay Lennox for the help, and Joe acts as her agent, talking about royalties immediately. [Also not a great story. Though it made me laugh that the "popular girls" in school are "Alexa, Madison, and "all the Ashleys," hahaha.]

Conan the Barbarian Poster Winner!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Thank you for the entries to win the Conan the Barbarian poster! I again used Random.org to choose a winner, which was slightly more complicated this time since I had to assign numbers to the twitter and facebook entries in addition to the comments on the post itself. Long story short, #6 won, which was a "like" on facebook. That "like" corresponds with the person who left the first comment last week, Pumanole! 

I have contacted the winner and look forward to getting the poster out soon!

Again, thank you for participating. If you're new to TheTalkingBox, please consider subscribing via email or RSS, links are found in the left column. Look for a new giveaway tomorrow! 

The Book of Omens is Found

by Christopher Scott

ThunderCats “Journey to the Tower of Omens” (S01E05)

The Thundercats are in a forest searching for the Tower of Omens, which is the resting place of the Book of Omens. They have hit a small roadblock in their directions and are unsure of which direction to travel next. Lion-O is trying to use the ability of “sight beyond sight,” which uses the Sword of Thundera to guide him toward whatever goal he has in mind (sort of like Jack’s compass in Pirates of the Caribbean). The ability is not working properly, which Cheetara attributes to Lion-O’s lack of confidence. Just as she tries to help him to trust himself, Snarf trips on a branch, revealing an entrance to the temple.

Meanwhile, Mumm-Ra is watching their every move. He imprisoned Jaga in a lantern that was supposed to guide him to the Book of Omens in an earlier episode, but apparently that did not work as well as he had planned. He has a flashback of the first time he grasped the Eye of Thundera, several generations ago. I guess he was the leader of the cat race, and they conquered a plant for its power. The flashback is really short and not very thorough with explanations. Now that he has seen the direction the Thundercats are going, he decides to leave his pyramid fortress and track down the book personally.

The feline team enters the temple to find it is rigged with traps. Each trap seems to be attuned to the skills of a particular team member. The first room is a long bridge over a spiked floor. There are hundred of keys hanging from the ceiling. Cheetara decides to grab keys and try them until one works, however after the first incorrect key the bridge is retracted, leaving them all hanging onto a ledge at the far door. This room is solved by Wilykit and Wilykat. Being an expert thief, Wilykat has become a master at lock-picking and soon opens the door for everyone to climb into.

The next room is full of whirling blades, spinning at such a pace that they would surely kill anyone who might get caught in their path. Cheetara steps up for this trial. Having been trained as a cleric, she can augment her speed like magic and dashes into the hall. She loses a few hairs along the way, but gracefully dismounts the ceiling on the other side and opens the door, stopping the blades so that all may pass.

The third test opens up to a tremendous crevice in the earth. At first it would seem that they all must re-enter the jungle and continue their quest, but Cheetara reminds Lion-O that his sword may offer another path. Lion-O once again practices sight beyond sight, which shows him a switch on the cliffside. Tygra steps up and uses his whip to hit this switch, exposing the true Tower of Omens and a bridge to get them there.

Everyone’s excitement is building as they enter the chamber. There is a large column in the center with a spiraling staircase. Besides being very tall, there seems to be no trick to this room. That is, until Mumm-Ra shows himself. After some cocky banter, Mumm-Ra tosses the lantern with Jaga’s soul to the ground, but Cheetara springs forward and catches it. Lion-O and Tygra run for the staircase while Panthro steps forward to engage Mumm-Ra in battle.

Panthro holds his own for a while until Mumm-Ra finally transforms to his ultimate form, known Mumm-Ra the Ever Living. Using this form he conquers Panthro quickly, as well as Wilykit and Wilykat. He then leaps into the air, and, spreading his massive wings, takes flight up the tower. Tygra breaks off from Lion-O and holds back the enhanced version of Mumm-Ra for a few moments, but is also no match for the villain. Just as Lion-O reaches the top and sees the Book of Omens, Mumm-Ra appears to keep him from his prize. The two face-off as Cheetara awakens and races to the top of the tower to aid her king.

Mumm-Ra dispatches both of them with relative ease. Cheetara could only get in the way and Lion-O is not yet powerful enough to wield the Sword of Omens against such a powerful enemy. When all hope seems lost, Jaga sacrifices himself by destroying the lantern and exposing incredible light. As you may remember from the first episode, Mumm-Ra cannot handle direct light, and is forced to retreat from the tower. A small ball of light then escapes from the broken lantern and floats to the Book of Omens and dissipates. I guess it signifies Jaga’s soul is now encased in the book. As Lion-O opens the book he finds it to be … blank. And so ends the episode.

Were you expecting something different? And what do you think will be their next plan now that they have retrieved the book that has been the focal point of the story so far? Leave your thoughts and comments below!