NEW SHOW: The Exes

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Meh. This was the last of the ten pilots I wanted to check out this season. I'm glad that it finally aired, as I was more than ready for it to start. However, it left something to be desired. The cast had great chemistry together when I saw them at TCA, but the pilot just didn't click. Phil, Stuart, and Haskell all had personalities that could do great in a comedy. But they didn't really have anything going on in this episode. I wasn't in love with Holly's background... especially her "tell." Eden also struck me in a strange way, though I imagine that she'll get better before long. With so much talent on-screen and off, I guess I just had higher hopes for this show. But, it's just the pilot, so there's plenty of room to grow. Hopefully it won't take too long to get interesting, though!

The Exes "Pilot" (S01E01): Attorney Holly shows Stuart, a fresh divorcee (ex-wife is Lorna), an apartment which she owns (and, conveniently, across the hall form her own quarters). Two of her other clients live share the apartment, and aren't thrilled at the prospect of a third roommate. Haskell sells junk on Ebay and Phil is a ladies man. [kinda strange set-up, but I'll buy it.] Haskell and Phil don't really talk to each other at all. Holly drops the rent $200 for a month if they take in the new guy... welcome, Stuart! He's an organized who cooks. Phil is glad to have a hot breakfast, but doesn't want to talk. [Stuart is really not over his ex-wife...]

Photo credit: TV Land

Phil tries to ignore a girl he doesn't like, but Stuart unknowingly gives her directions, not knowing that the girl is crazy. Of course, Phil complains to Holly, saying that Stuart is just too clingy and needy. But, when Phil runs into an out-of-town friend visiting town, Stuart comes in handy. The girl won't let Haskell double-date with her and Phil, so Phil has to convince Stuart to come out. [I thought this was a funny few moments.] But, Stuart isn't ready to date, despite Holly's coaching. Stuart tries to talk to the girl anyway, but ends up deciding that he wants his wife back, and heads toward his old home. Haskell tells Phil about Stuart leaving, and Phil is caught between his girl and going to save Stuart from making a mistake. Phil, Haskell, and Holly all go to Stuart's house and see his wife making out with another man in the living room. [really? Phil chose Stuart?? rather unbelievable...] they try to keep Stuart from seeing, but he does. And he throws a rock through the living room window. [LoL - "is that the biggest rock you could find?]

Fun Facts about Holly: When Holly lies, she says things twice. [this sounds like it'll get annoying really quickly, guys.] Holly's assistant, Eden, is a party girl. Holly was engaged once, but her fiance cheated on her days before the wedding.

Last Man Standing: The Baxters have New Neighbors

by Amy K. Bredemeyer


Not their best episode, but still plenty of laughs. I am starting to wonder how much of a fixture the entire neighborhood is going to be. Between the Halloween episode, the Neighborhood Watch episode, and now this one, we're certainly getting a good look at the neighborhood! It was nice to hear mention of Mandy's website again, which hasn't gotten much attention since the pilot. I'd personally cut out Mandy's drama from this episode and maybe center it more elsewhere when Vanessa & Mike weren't the center of attention, but whatever. And I must admit... I'm surprised that Travis is with another girl... what with everyone but Mandy suspecting him of being gay and all...


Last Man Standing "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (S01E09): Mike and Ed try to get Kyle to make "ball-busting" jokes, but it's not going that well. In fact, Kyle is the "most inept ball-buster I've ever met." [hahahaha!]

abc.com

There's a new couple in the neighborhood and Vanessa invites them to dinner. Rebecca (played by the girl who was "New Christine") shows up, and explains that Charlie rides a motorcycle and watches sports, so Mike assumes Charlie's a man... but she's a woman. Mike hits it off with Charlie, and Vanessa and Rebecca are fast friends as well. Vanessa is jealous of lesbians, in that she thinks that both partners listen and give. [...is she so naive that she thinks this is true?] After Mike makes a joke about Charlie having a big butt, she leaves... and it's only a matter of time before it gets back to Vanessa. [LoL at the conversation: "you never give me gifts when you say you're sorry." "nope, I'd be broke." and WHAT was Charlie wearing when she came over to apologize to Mike?? geez!]

Travis tweets that he is staying in, but there's new pictures of him online. [and, of course, Eve and Mandy assume that they're freshly taken, rather than just freshly posted.] Mandy and Eve eat at the diner where Kristin works, and Mandy is brainstorming a way to get back at Travis. [are they just eating there because the parents have people over? And who is watching Boyd during this whole time? Is he asleep before the adults eat dinner??] For 20 hours of free babysitting, Kristin will help Mandy make a breakup music video. And, since Kristin is closing the diner for the first time, they'll film it there. [it's amazing what you can do with a cell phone these days, right?!?] Eve and Mandy put on diner uniforms, and they do the song. Eve tells Vanessa that they're "cyber-bullying." [hahahahaha! but maybe she should have asked for more information...] Travis leaves Mandy five crying messages wanting her back after seeing the video... and she puts them on her website. She gets FOUR HUNDRED comments. and plans to date several of the commenters. yeah.

Mike does another video for the store... this time about winter clothes and not making comments about big butts. [hahaha.] The episode ends with the family watching the music video. [loved Mike's end comment... "you have done the impossible. you have ruined pie for me."]

Duggars: World Tour, Part 3

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I've really enjoyed seeing so much of Jana on-screen during this "World Tour" trip, but I am still confused as to why. She seems to avoid the "daily life" scenes as much as possible, and you rarely hear from her in commenting or interview segments... but we've seen her have ample screen time these past three weeks. This wasn't the greatest episode, and parts of it could have been amended, in my opinion. I also worried about the choices they made regarding Josie this episode, but not too much. Overall, I could actually use a little break from the Duggar clan, so I guess I'm glad that we're going on hiatus now.

19 Kids and Counting: World Tour "Duggars Last Stop"  The episode starts at London Heathrow airport, and the family is flying to Israel, strollers, 4 car seats, and 70 baby bottles in tow. They go on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Michelle wears accupressure wristbands, and some of the kids take bonine to help with motion sickness. [man! I am always amazed at how motion sick this family can get! It's ridiculous! (to me...)] The family puts on biblical costumes for a photo. [this was really strange, but I guess being on a boat is a good time to market something like this... there's isn't all that much to do anyway...] They have some local cuisine, including cabbage salad, hummus, and St. Peter's (whole) grilled white fish, which was caught in the Sea of Galilee. The kids really like the fish.

They stop at the Jordan River so that JimBob, Grandma Duggar, Amy, and 8 of the Duggar kids can get baptized in the Jordan River. Only Amy hasn't been baptized previously. [those river rats were weird!] They go to Golan Heights for homemade falafal and bread. The kids liked the food there, too. [After that poor Ethiopian experience back in Washington, DC, I've been worried that this family just can't eat anything other than that to which they're accustomed... but not the case today!] They head to the Judean wilderness, and most of the family gets to ride camels. Then, onward to the Dead Sea. [JimBob thinks that the seashore and the beach are different things... of course, his explanation for the floating phenomenon is "the human body is lighter than this water." yeeesh.] Some of the kids put mud on their bodies. Jill hates the feeling of being dirty. Grandma Duggar collected some mud and sand to take home in her checked luggage. [I was hoping that there would be a comment somewhere about that tuna Grandma Duggar packed, but I guess not...] They go to the "Old City" part of Jerusalem for shopping in the market, which JimBob is into because he likes to bargain. [too bad he's so poor at conversion!] The family buys some fruit and pickles, and Michelle also picks up some Croc-like shoes.

On their final morning there, Josie's oxygen level is low. Michelle and JimBob (and I *think* Jill?) take Josie to a pediatrician, but the rest of the family goes to tour the Garden Tomb, which may be where Jesus' body was laid. Josh has the family stop and sing "Amazing Grace." [way to act like a leader there, Josh. lmao.] Josie has chest x-rays done to see what the cause of her congestion and fever might be. It looks like a viral bug, and it's recommended that she not fly for a few days. Jill stays with Michelle and Josie, but everyone else is going back as planned. [good. I would not have been thrilled if the entire family stayed back.] Three days later, Josie still isn't doing well enough to travel. The doctor recommends a nurse or other medical professional travel with them, as it may be weeks before there's no threat to Josie's life. 6 days after everyone else left, they pack up, bringing a doctor with them. [Who picked them up from the airport? It wasn't JimBob... Maybe Jana?]

Suburgatory: George Has a Secret...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The "last night I had a pleasant nightmare" part of the opening theme song finally stood out to me this episode. I'm not sure why, and after I thought about it a bit, I'm not sure that I like it. Is the entire series supposed to be a figment of Tessa's imagination? Is it supposed to mean that, while Tessa isn't thrilled about having to live in suburbia, it can be a pleasant experience? Am I the only one who hasn't questioned this yet, or does nobody listen to lyrics anymore anyway? Regardless, I thought that this episode was pretty good for a first-season holiday episode. Their Halloween feature a few weeks back was good by any standard, but I thought that this one was a little weak. If it had been a later-in-a-series Thanksgiving, I don't think it would have worked. However, such a young show can get away with a little more in this area. I read a few things across the internet that suggested this episode was pretty well-liked by others... what did you think?

Suburgatory "Thanksgiving" (S01E08): For Thanksgiving, George and Tessa normally go to Central Park to watch the Macy*s Parade balloons get filled up, then go to a diner for turkey burgers and black-and-white milkshakes. This year, they've been invited to the Royce Family Thanksgiving. Not only was it a formal invitation, but a costumed pilgrim comes to the door to ask for their RSVP when they are late in responding. [seriously?] They tell him they'll be there.

Dallas names her new designer dog after her favorite probiotic drink. [I don't know how the writers come up with this stuff!] George tells Dallas that Tessa is bummed and asks if Tessa might hang out with her for a day. [why would he ask that?? also, what day is it and why isn't she in school? Do they live in one of those places where the schools are off for the entire week of Thanksgiving? Because I don't really support that. Not that I want to debate education politics, mind you...] Tessa goes to the salon with Dallas, who tells Tessa that she'll take her to lunch anywhere if she gets a Brazilian blow-out. [I was disappointed in Dallas' comments about how straight hair makes you feel better about yourself, etc.] So, Tessa gets the treatment and wants to go to Manhattan. [saw that coming! though I was going to bet that she wanted to go to that aforementioned diner, not for pizza.] Tessa shows Dallas the wonder of counterfeit bags, then they go to an art museum... where Dallas wants to buy a Degas painting. [hahaha. Also, I loved the part where Dallas drops the pizza, thinking it's part of the experience!] They then see George making out with a girl. Tessa wants to confront him immediately, but then it would be clear that she was disobeying her father by going into NYC.

Dahlia is planning the family Thanksgiving as if it's a party, and says rude things to the chef. [is she really considering party-planning as a career? And why are they featuring this idea in back-to-back episodes? Or is this going to be a new "thing" for this show? I did, however, really enjoy "your cashmere horse blanket for your horse, Cashmere," LoL!] Thanksgiving morning, Tessa is wondering what other secrets George might have. On the way to the Royce house, they see some people running with turkey headwear.

(ABC/KAREN NEAL)

At dinner, everyone puts on some Pilgrim or Indian item. Dallas is an Indian and Dahlia is a pilgrim... but really more of a French maid. They go around the room to say what they're most thankful for, and Tessa makes it known that George is seeing a girl in the city. George admits that he's been to the city 5-6 times because he's working on a bar there. He's seen Zoe 2-3 times. George tells her that the rules aren't the same for the two of them, which bothers her. [yeah, I'd imagine it would. I've been surprised throughout this series with how much control George really gives Tessa.] After the dinner, George takes Tessa to New York city for milkshakes at the diner.

[A separate storyline going on:] Lisa isn't excited about Thanksgiving, because her family picks on her. Lisa tells her mom that she won't wear the same Amish dress as the other girl cousins, so Sheila tells her that she can sit in her room through Thanksgiving if she doesn't wear the dress. Lisa's brother doesn't want to wear a vest if Lisa isn't wearing the dress. Sheila turns up the heat, since the second floor gets hotter. Lisa's brother tells her that he thinks she's cool for taking a risk. On Thanksgiving, Lisa comes downstairs in a towel and completely disrobes in front of everyone... and Sheila blames it on Tessa's influence. Sheila even drops the turkey. Lisa goes streaking outside. She hears police sirens and ends up trying cars... she ends up in George's backseat, and is there when George and Tessa drive to Manhattan, so she puts on a sweatshirt that was in the car and also has a milkshake.

[Other random things that we learn this episode:] Dallas got Dahlia an IUD to increase her cell signal. Dallas' husband is upset that she got a new dog without telling him, and she mentions that he got a new girlfriend without telling her. Noah and his wife have a daughter who goes to Brown. [the first blows my mind while the others are just barely worth mentioning.]

The Middle: Family Dysfunction

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Talk about some clever writing! I thought that the music and "recipe cards" fit along with this episode very well. I thought that some of the action seemed forced, especially the Mike-Axl storyline. I also thought that there wasn't much point to the gossip-at-the-table circle into which Sue was initiated... we only saw it for a mere minute. The Janet-Frankie rivalry was great, and I thoroughly enjoyed Brick being a detective, but I wouldn't say that this Thanksgiving episode tops the previous ones for this series. Perhaps because last year's was pretty darn amusing.

The Middle "Thanksgiving III" (S03E10): The Hecks head to Frankie's parents' for Thanksgiving, and they'll be staying a few days. [they don't live particularly far away, so it's unclear why they're staying more than one night...] Frankie sister was supposed to arrive the following day, but Axl didn't relay a message about an earlier arrival time, so they hightail it to get there first and secure the "good bed." [so very Heck!] Unfortunately, Janet & Family are already there and settled into the guest room, leaving the Hecks to sprawl out on the living room floor with some air mattresses.

They wake up Wednesday morning and Frankie's mom talks about how everything is already made and just needs to be reheated. In fact, some things were made back in July. [I totally support making thing in advance, but four months in advance is obscene. to me. I mean, that's a bit over-the-top, don't you think?] Sue joins the ladies in family gossip. Nobody wants to play with Lucy, a young cousin. [I did love Brick's "Wanna play librarian? I'll read, and in six hours you can tell me the library's closing." hahahahaha!] The television isn't working, so when Lucy wants pink marshmallows, Mike and Axl offer to leave in order to get out of the house. [love it!] Axl tries to flirt with the cashier at the mini-mart, but he's very awkward and it doesn't go well. [are we really supposed to believe that he's THAT awkward? I mean, he tends to pick up average girls in school, right?] Mike saw the whole thing and offers some advice.

Brick plays with Lucy but when she repeatedly loses in games, she cries. It doesn't help that Frankie's sister parents in a much different way, causing tension all around. [I was totally ready to slap her! and are we really supposed to believe that Janet's husband is "working in the guest room" this ENTIRE TIME??] After playing outside in the snow, Lucy realizes that she lost a toy in the yard, so everyone digs around until it's found. Lucy claims that Brick left the toy outside, and Janet tells Frankie she needs to spend the $60 to replace it. [I'm not going to get into this, because I'd tear apart this whole parenting shenanigan!]

Thursday morning, butter is needed, so Mike and Axl head out again. At the store, Mike chats up the cashier but it gets slightly inappropriate when he asks her if she wore skirts to her Catholic school. [well, yeah. That's totally inappropriate.] They come back empty-handed, so Frankie's father decides to go back with them. At the store, Frankie's dad demonstrates how to pick up a lady... unfortunately, he's just as awkward. [what is with this family sometimes? He's not even a blood relative to Mike!] Meanwhile, Frankie tells her mom about Janet wanting the new bear, and then Janet tells her mom that Frankie should pay for it. [this whole scene was unnecessary, too. What was the point? Just to show that the family gossips? That they drink? That you change your allegiance depending on who you need on your side?] Frankie tries to nap, but Janet comes in to ask about the corn. It escalates to the two of them complaining about how tiring motherhood is. [well, duh. moving on...] All day long, Brick is acting like a detective to figure out who left the toy bear in the snow, but never solves the mystery. The episode ends with Frankie and Janet resolving that they just don't see each other often enough throughout the year. [well that can't be the answer, LoL! Also, no Black Friday shopping?? That was a big thing for the family in the past... End note: I really enjoyed "Add a pinch of amnesia and repeat next year." hahahahaha!]

(ABC/RICHARD FOREMAN)

Duggar World Tour, Part 2

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I thought that the strangest thing about this episode was the fact that the title assumes that the Duggars will meet the Royal Family or be treated like royals in some other way. Nope, not really. They just happen to go to England... which is probably the main place that they know there are royal people. I wasn't overly impressed with the educational aspect (both learning and demonstrated) in this episode, but the family did seem to enjoy themselves quite a bit. There was a larger focus on Jana than we've seen lately, and I'm not really sure why that would be. Otherwise, it was a pretty standard episode. I'm looking forward to the Israel episode next week, but I'm kinda glad that this "world tour" stuff will be over after that. Are there people who are thoroughly enjoying the Duggars in foreign countries?

19 Kids and Counting "World Tour: Royal Duggars": In Dublin, the bus driver mentions that the Duggar family takes their time. [hahaha!] Jedidiah got a guitar from a dumpster. The family is traveling with 260 outfits, 78 pairs of shoes, and 40 hair bows. On their way to London, their airline counterperson apparently had a nightmare that one day she'd have to check-in the Duggars. [I found this hysterical.] When she actually did so, however, it wasn't too bad - she said that they were pretty organized. [still some nice background music throughout.] The kids didn't know what a bidet was, and thought it was a sink... or maybe something for dogs. [LoL.]

The show's "fixer" allowed JimBob to go for a drive in her car. Police officers on motorcycles ended up yelling at the camera crew in the backseat, as they weren't wearing seatbelts. [tsk tsk!] No tickets were issued, tho. Michelle gave driving a try, and was concerned about the road signs. [that's good... she was attempting to be aware of her surroundings, unlike JimBob!] She stalled once and also clipped a sideview mirror. [oops! It also seemed like they hit-and-ran...] While this was all going on, the kids took high tea, which didn't go over all that well. The kids ate things out of the proper order and wanted sweet tea, etc.

Day 2 they went sight-seeing. via double-decker bus. [why all the shots of Jana drinking tea? It also really bothered me that they kept saying "the wrong side of the road" - it's not "wrong," it's "on the left." c'mon, guys!] Something must have happened that wasn't seen by the audience, because JimBob gives a speech about being grateful and don't act like they are kings and queens... they'll be back to Arkansas and reality soon enough. JimBob claims that they've been to almost every major city in the United States... [what? I'm TOTALLY SKEPTICAL of this. though maybe he has a different definition of "major city" than I do...] JimBob tries to get palace guards to laugh, talk, etc. [you know, setting a bad, uneducated example for the children.] The public restroom cost 50 pence per person, which threw the family for a loop. They went to a hat shop that rents hats for various occasions, including about ten for the Royal Wedding. [it's not specified, but I assume that they mean Kate & William's wedding. Amy kept trying to do a British accent, but it's not the most fitting for her.]

Jinger takes some pictures of the family. Apparently, she loves "style." [Anna photographs rather poorly.] They head to the London Eye to get a great view. Michelle, Jinger, Anna, and Johannah aren't big fans of heights, but they go on it, too. [I was wondering how Johannah was going to do on this... she's a bit more squeamish than many of the younger ones, I think.] It takes 30-45 minutes to complete a rotation on the London Eye. The Duggars needed two pods to fit the entire family. Afterward, they went for some traditional British food, including squash (juice), bangers and mash, fish and chips, chicken and leak pie, bubble and squeak, toad in the hole, and some puds - classic trifle, treacle tart, sticky toffee pudding, and summer pudding. Jana reads off the menu, and it's clear that she isn't accustomed to things like trifle. [Why was Anna's hair so messy in the interview?] Then, it's on to Stonehenge, their final stop in England. Nearly a million people visit Stonehenge each year. The Duggars originally keep quite a distance, but do get ten minutes to go up in them, but they can't touch or stand on rocks.

House: So Many Cases

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Officially, the Diagnostics Department has one case this episode. But, the patient ends up having multiple personality disorder, and the various personalities exhibit different symptoms, leading to a trickier-than-usual case. Plus, House has somehow dug up a case from five years ago, where a young boy died of unknown reasons. While the team does their job and works on the first case, House is obsessed with the second one... which is complicated by the fact that he isn't supposed to go anyplace that isn't his apartment or the hospital. I thought it was an interesting episode because of that, but otherwise wasn't too great. Adams wasn't a main feature, so I liked that... though Chase ended up with a bit too much attention. Oh well.

House "Dead & Buried" (S08E07): House tries to get out of taking a case from Foreman by reading facts from a case where the patient died five years ago. Too bad Adams ruins it by reading the case aloud. Park asks Chase about his dentist, but it turns out that he had a manicure done instead. [Why is Park still seeing a pediatric dentist? And why is Park so interested in what Chase does?] The patient, a 14-year-old girl, claims that she takes Vitamin C, but no other drugs, though the team suspects that there were drugs involved. Turns out, her mother gives her diasapan but tells her it’s Vitamin C so the girl doesn’t get a complex about needing meds for her moodiness. [wow... I really worry when parents don't tell their kids the truth. So many times on ER a kid would have AIDS or something and not know if because they just took the "vitamins" that their parents gave them!]

Looks like the patient might be pregnant, despite the fact that she claims to have never had sex. But, then her arms go numb. Chase gets his eyebrows waxed and maybe even had a Brazilian wax as well. The patient doesn't have HIV or a tumor, and the feeling in her arms returns, though they're sore and bruised. Taub has had more than one Brazilian wax, so he knows Chase was lying. [Taub? really? oooooook...] Turns out, Chase acted as a doctor in a commercial. [how did that even come about??] Taub and House watch Chase’s video online, and the others catch it, too. Chase and Taub go through the girl’s house and find all sorts of stuff in a hidden drawer – letters, porn, etc. The girl admits to the boyfriend after confronted with the evidence, and even says that he came to visit her in the hospital the night before... and that he hits her. [well this is getting upsetting!]

Cr: Ray Mickshaw/FOX

House bluffs the patient to get her to show the fact that she has multiple personality disorder. The other personalities only come out when she’s afraid or anxious, and she may not be aware of half of the things she’s done... like possibly had sex. They plan to hypnotize her to check the symptoms in the other personalities. [wow! the personalities can have different symptoms??] The multiple personalities show that eating strawberries hurt, the car accident memories from when she was two bother her, and that she saw her father die in a car accident, and harbors guilt from that. She has massive blood loss, and they do an ultrasound… no embryo at all, despite three positive pregnancy tests performed by three doctors... so the problem is actually cancer.

House is still working on the dead case, and tries to get Wilson to help since the team is working on the living case. But Wilson doesn’t want to get involved. [can't really blame him!] House goes to an anger management group to talk to the father of the dead kid. He tries to get him to sign some paperwork that would allow House to examine the corpse. House goes to the cemetery and is asked by the groundskeeper what tests he plans to perform on the remains, and told to be respectful. House was at the cemetery for the 45 minutes that the Naval area was testing and screwed up GPS. [how's that for timing?] House has the anger management team over to the hospital, and since the dead kid lived right by the hospital, House takes the father to go snooping – the mother still lives there with her new son. There’s only a single box of stuff left of the dead kid. House tricks the mother of the dead kid into coming to the clinic. [that was overly sneaky!] He questions why she was so apathetic about her first son. She left her first husband because he had their son’s eyes. [awwww. that sucks!] Her father used to watch the kid, so House goes to find the man. House says that he has a flat tire on his way to the chiropractor to get out of getting into GPS trouble when he talks to the grandfather. He pretends he is Dr. James Wilson, County Coroner, to ask some questions. The guy says that they watched a lot of television. When the daughter and her husband arrive, House gets punched out. [didn't know how they knew to show up, but should have figured something like this would happen!] House goes to the dead kid’s old house to play with the new kid to determine what killed the first one. House figures out that it was a genetic disorder that the mother carried a gene for, and that the second son also has it. A squad car pulls up and House gets in, knowing that he had (once again) violated his parole.

Foreman tells Wilson that House is annoyingly rational. Wilson is afraid that House will wind up back in jail. Foreman tells Wilson that he has to send House to prison, otherwise he’ll think he can get away with anything. The answer: Cuddy managed him, Foreman needs to control him. [truth.]

Terra Nova: Taylor is Fierce

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Taylor never really truck me as an all-around good guy. He may be the leader of Terra Nova and the citizens seem to trust him an awful lot, but I'm not his biggest fan. Especially after the past few weeks, where we've seen how brutal he can be and what sort of tactics he's willing to employ to get things taken care of. This episode was no exception, and certainly furthered the idea that the man cares deeply for Terra Nova and passionately wants it to succeed. This episode taught us that he has killed a commanding officer and disowned his only son for the sake of the colony... and I have a feeling that it's not going to stop there. The man has also proved his cunning ways at this point as well and I hope that he continues to be a good leader... though hopefully a little less brutal!

Terra Nova "VS." (S01E09): Taylor questions Boylan about what he's told the Sixers, but Boylan just keeps reiterating that he's never said anything to them. [which can't possibly be true...] Taylor uses torture tactics to try to get him to talk. [cue the shock and judgment!]

There's a harvest festival in celebration of the day that Commander Taylor came through the portal to start Terra Nova. [I guess that's the best anniversary to celebrate it. But it kinda reminds me of Columbus Day rather than Independence Day... are we celebrating an individual or a society?] Zoe will be playing the lead in the play. [is anyone else strangely suspicious of this? We know that the kid fakes sick all the time to leave school, isn't terribly interested in learning, and is fairly shy. How does someone like that get selected for the lead in the play? And, more importantly, how did Maddy become the director/narrator of it? Are she and Josh officially done with schooling? I'm under the impression that Josh is only working part-time, and we've only seen Maddy doing a bunch of internships, so I'm a little stumped on the system.]

Josh (still grounded), asks Jim in private if he knows anything about where Boylan is. [I'd be a bit suspicious if my son asked me about something like this, but I guess it is his employer] Jim just says that Taylor is questioning him. Jim goes and asks Taylor how the interrogation is coming, and gets to see Boylan. Taylor has spiked Boylan's food, but he gave him too much so it's not helpful at all. [wow... over-spiked... that's definitely a sign that Taylor just does whatever...] Jim questions whether there's really grounds to hold Boylan, and Taylor just says he wants the truth. Taylor has to go deal with a power issue, so Jim gives Boylan some water to sober him up. While Boylan's still out of it, he reveals that there's a body buried by Pilgrimage Tree. So, Jim heads to the lab to use the computers and searches maps. Malcolm finds him and fills him in on the fact that Pilgrimage Tree is where Taylor lived when he first came through the portal. [funny how Malcolm is always finding people who are doing things they aren't supposed to...] As you might have guessed, Jim heads there and finds a buried skeleton, which he brings to the medical center. [how does he manage to do this without anyone noticing or damaging the skeleton?] Elisabeth looks at it to figure out how long it's been buried, some possible causes of death, etc.

Elisabeth figures out that the DNA of the (one-armed) skeleton doesn't match any DNA on anyone that has been on an official pilgrimage. [hello, Big Brother!] She suspects that he came between the 2nd and 3rd pilgrimages, but they didn't know that was possible. [well this is just going to open a whole new can of worms...] Jim goes to talk to Boylan at the bar, and finds out that Boylan helped Taylor bury the body. Boylan was working security five years prior and came upon Taylor with the body. [oh goody. more secrets. hmmm...]

Cr: Brook Rushton/FOX

Malcolm discovers the skeleton that Elisabeth has been working on, and she says she's performing an autopsy. Malcolm brings Taylor right over. [Taylor can always be summoned pretty quickly... have you noticed that?] Jim shows up, claiming he received an anonymous note to check out the tree for a body, so he did. Taylor asks to see the note. [Elisabeth has a terrible poker face.] Taylor tells Elisabeth to keep him apprised of other similar situations. [how long are you considered "new" in Terra Nova? until the next pilgrimage arrives?]

A group of soldiers is going to check-in with a station that's a two-day drive away. [this place just seems to keep getting larger and larger...] Sixers ambush the travelers. The convoy had been put together after Boylan was in the vault, so he can't be the spy. Then, while rehearsing the play, a large dragonfly is found. Turns out, it is what the Sixers use to messenger information back and forth with the Terra Nova spy... like a carrier pigeon. So, since that's out and about while Boylan's locked up, that further exonerates him. [interesting. Now I'm really wondering who the mole is!] Malcolm determines that the dragonfly is being directed by a frequency of a subsonic signature. [fancy!] Malcolm also surgically repaired the wing, so the thing can fly again.

While the festival is going on, Taylor, Walsh, Reynolds, and Malcolm follow the dragonfly to see where the local signal is coming from. The dragonfly goes to the Shannon house, so they arrest Jim under spy suspicion. Taylor puts Jim in the vault to question him, but offers an agreement - if Jim drops his investigation, Taylor would drop his. Jim flat-out asks Taylor why he killed Fillbrook (the name becomes suspected when the character in the play is shown to only have one arm), and he says that he'd have been killed if he didn't, as he wouldn't step down as commander. We then learn that fracture doesn't only go one way, apparently... Lucas came on the second pilgrimage to figure out a way to make the portal go both ways...  people wanted to steal the precious resources in Terra Nova and send them to 2149. [of course! where was I on this?!? I should have seen something like this coming, especially in relation to the Sixers!] Taylor destroyed Lucas' work when he found out what was going on. Two days later, Lucas went OTG, and Fillbrook arrived through a portal out of nowhere, as a coup. Taylor killed Fillbrook in front of Lucas. Lucas pulled a gun on Taylor, and Taylor unarmed the boy, but didn't kill him, though he was a traitor. So, Taylor tells him he cannot return to Terra Nova. Lucas writes the calculations on rocks to taunt Taylor. Taylor then lets Jim leave. [wow. we unpacked a lot this episode!]

The episode ends with Malcolm suspecting Taylor of planting a device at the Shannon house to detain Jim, but he doesn't know why. Taylor doesn't deny that he did so, either. A baby has been born in Terra Nova, with his middle name being Nathanial. [they have fireworks in Terra Nova?]

Two and a Half Men: Walden Can't Date

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

What a humdrum episode! Highlights: Walden has two houses and a private jet, complete with pilot. He also is still too hung up on Bridget to date anyone else. Alan is still in deep debt. Jake doesn't know the Eiffel Tower is in Paris. Read on if you want some more details... but there's not much to it. We need more Berta!

Photo: Cliff Lipson/CBS

Two and a Half Men "A Fishbowl Full of Glass Eyes" (S09E10): [I didn't catch the title in the episode at all this episode... did you?] Walden and Jake go grocery shopping, and Jake asks if he's really worth a billion dollars. [hahaha. yeah, I could see him asking that.] Walden confirms it, though he's not comfortable talking about his finances. Jake is angling to become his paid personal shopper, but Walden talks about being interested in shopping because he finds out about new products he never knew existed. [that is a bonus about shopping that you don't get if you don't go.] Walden has two houses and no yachts, for those keeping count of his assets. He also has a private jet already, with a college-educated pilot. A girl hits on Walden at the grocery store but he doesn't realize it, so Jake helps him and suggests he ask out the lady.

Alan is trying to figure out how to pay his credit card bills... with more credit cards. [kinda over-done at this point, isn't it?] Alan mentions that maybe he could ask Walden for a loan, and Berta tells him not to, since everyone in Walden's life wants something from him. [that's probably true.] So, he heads down to try his luck at a pawn shop. He tries with a desktop Gateway computer, some "diamond" cufflinks that Evelyn gave him years ago, and a crystal vase. The pawnbroker offers him $1200 for the vase... and Alan accidentally knocks it over. [wow that sucks. and SO Alan!]

Jake does odd jobs for Walden, like wash & charge the guy's car for $100. [I love that Walden isn't sure if that's "not enough" for the service. I also like how Walden is wearing a bow tie.] Alan suggests that Walden take off his wedding ring for his upcoming date... and he finds out that it's made of rhodium, the most expensive metal on earth. He gives it to Alan because he felt like it was an anchor... and Alan proceeds to imitate Gollum with the "precious." Over dinner, Walden sums up his life quickly, and the attempted suicide catches the girl's ear. [well, yeah...] Walden soon admits that he's still in love with his wife, and things start to turn downhill, though Walden doesn't really realize it. His date has a five-year-old and is also a divorcee.

After being dumped, Walden calls Bridget, who agrees that he's still too hung up on her. [why does she even answer the phone when he calls?] While all this was going on, Alan tries to pawn the ring, but can't go through with it, even after learning it was probably worth over $10,000 (and possible more, since Alan made a joke about the figure being a phone number!). Alan gets home and Walden asks for the ring back... then throws it into the ocean. [wow. just wow.] Alan promptly goes in after it. He returns to the beach house empty-handed, and Walden asks about it... Alan tells him the truth. [I wasn't sure the truth was coming, haha!] Walden tells Alan that he doesn't lend money, but he does give it away, and if he needs some, it's fine. Walden starting charging Alan rent because it would make both of them feel better. [though we all know that Alan isn't really going to pay... at least a reasonable rate, LoL!]

In the end, Alan heads back to the ocean, rather than accept $100,000 from Walden.

Somehow, Jake ended up in Paris, via the 250,000 frequent flyer miles that Walden gave him (he can't use them with his own plane). Sadly, Jake isn't even sure where he is... while looking at the Eiffel Tower.

HIMYM: Thanksgiving SURPRISE!!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I'm just going to start with the spoiler, guys. ROBIN IS PREGNANT. omg, what!?!? I can't believe it myself. Before this episode I didn't see it coming, though I did get suspicious mid-way through the episode. I want it to be Barney's. I'm kinda done with Kevin. I wonder, though, if they're going to put a little too much Chandler from Friends into the idea. When Barney wants to have a kid but acts like he doesn't to Robin, it reminded me of Chandler telling Phoebe he was going to propose to Monica but acting freaked out about the idea to his bride-to-be. What do you think about the matter?


How I Met Your Mother "The Rebound Girl" (S07E11): Lily and Marshall think of selling the house in Long Island, but when they head out there for the open house, they fall in love with the stock furniture. [this just seemed very strange to me, LoL.] When they get home, they feel like their apartment shrank. Marshall and Lily tell Robin that they're thinking of moving, and she immediately starts trying to talk them out of it. Marshall wants to let the universe decide. [again?? what's up with that?!?] The upstairs neighbor mentions that he would want to buy their apartment, so they see that as a sign. [of course. too good to be true, you guys. Ghostbusters reference, LoL. The apartment getting smaller and smaller was funny.]


Barney is in a bad place after the Robin fiasco, and Ted is in a bad place after the year that he's had. They decide that being gay would kick-ass, since guys understand each other. [hahaha!] Barney tells Ted that he's thought about having a wife and kids... or just kids. [just kids? wow. I don't know that I've ever talked to someone with that mindset. interesting.] Ted and Barney soon talk about starting a family together. [whoa whoa whoa... what??] Barney and Ted decide that they want to have a kid together, and come up with like 20 good reasons... ["good" being quite a subjective word here...] The next day, when sober, they still think it's a great idea. [wow... blindsided me there! Barney and Ted fill out an online application for adoption, but they struggle with several issues... like where to live (they decide on NYC during the week and Ted's Westchester house on the weekends), who would work (they decide to get two nannies... one for Barney to bang and one to provide childcare). [although I find Barney's lines hilarious, I didn't particularly care for this whole section.] Then, Ted comes to his senses and realizes how terrible a father Barney would be. [well that's probably a good point.]

Photo: Eric McCandless/FOX

Barney shows up at Ted's wearing a baby. They go outside and put it in a stroller... and are quickly inundated with women. They named their baby "Hurricane." [no comment.] Meanwhile, at Marshall & Lily's Long Island house, Robin locks herself in the bathroom. [And this is when I start to suspect Robin's pregnancy... even more so when Marshall went to talk to Robin in there.] Ted and Barney arrive with "their baby." James and his husband show up at Lily's, and it turns out that "Hurricane" is actually one of their children. James tells Ted that he wanted to have a baby with a friend ten years prior... but they're both glad that they waited. [makes sense!] Barney had gone out to find diapers when James arrived, and returns with dog treats and puppy pads instead. [disgusting, funny, and boggling. all at the same time.] Ted breaks the news to Barney that they can't have a baby together, and Barney goes to talk to Robin. Barney tells Robin that Ted was the one who tried to adopt a baby and rope him into it... and she tells him that she's pregnant!

2 Broke Girls: Caroline's Not a Good Elf

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I thought that the title was kinda strange. I thought that the mentions of the free Thanksgiving dinner were okay but they could have showed some action. I missed Max not being rude to any customers, oddly enough. I thought that, while there weren't too many sexual jokes in this episode, the few that were made were over-the-top, offensive, and made the episode not worth even remembering, let alone watching again. I also didn't like seeing this side of Caroline's character, but perhaps it needed to come to light.

2 Broke Girls "And the Very Christmas Thanksgiving" (S01E10):  After a nice haul in a night's tips, Max tells Caroline not to get used to it because the holidays are a low-tip season - people prefer to spend money on presents and whatnot. [really? I feel like I always tip extra around the holidays... is that just me?? or is it old-fashioned?] Caroline and her dad used to rent out the Waldorf Astoria and feed the homeless on Thanksgiving. Han wants to do something for Thanksgiving at the diner, like decorate. But, instead, Oleg says he'll pay for the turkeys, Max and Caroline will work for free, and Han just needs to open. Earl will even bring the pie. [LoL!] They put a moving blanket on Chestnut, though it won't stay warm forever. [good point! are they really planning to board the horse in their backyard all winter?] Max asks Caroline how she's holding up with her father in prison... she's going to be allowed to visit for the first time. [awww. poor Caroline. has she no other family?]

Caroline wants to learn to bake with the holiday season coming up. [EWW on Max's outfit... really? denim shirt with an ugly-@$$ belt overtop??]  Caroline puts a cup of milk into the mixer but doesn't put a towel over it when she turns it on, so it spatters everywhere... then it gets ripped off the counter on accident. [omg on the "Christmas comes/(ums but once a year and I think it just did" comment was horrendous!] Caroline finds out how expensive mixers are, and she thinks that they should go work as elves for extra money and an employe discount. [seasonal work can be a good thing...] While waiting for an interview, Caroline chats with a girl named Mary, who is REALLY into Christmas. Caroline's dad calls and tells her that he doesn't want her to see him in there so she shouldn't visit on Thanksgiving. [awwww. :(] The girls get the jobs and will start at 3am on Black Friday. [...yeah, I guess that makes sense! I just hadn't thought about it. wow.]

At 2am after Thanksgiving, they finish serving 200+ free turkey dinners at the diner. [True, you can't really say "get home safely" to the homeless... but I guess I'm not a New Yorker as I'd never say "get home safely," it would be "drive safely," LoL.] Max offers Caroline a 9-hour-energy-drink, though Caroline wonders if it's cocaine at first... and Max says that if they could afford cocaine, they could afford a mixer. [I thought that this was well-written, well-said, and hilarious.] Caroline drinks the whole thing at once and gets a little speedy, as opposed to Max sipping it. [oh geez...]

Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS

Caroline wants to join the carolers instead of being an elf. [gross "period costume" joke. for real.] Max gets upgraded to Mrs. Claus, which pays $2 extra per hour. [Why didn't Caroline just take Max's tights?] Caroline starts saying inappropriate things in front of the children, and wants Max to tell the kids that Christmas is all about buying cr@p. [I don't get it... we're supposed to think that taking the energy drink is what made Caroline so crazy, impatient, and rude? Notsomuch. Also, Caroline saying, "Max, you got me everything," was way too rough.] While being kicked out of the store for almost telling the kids that there is no such thing as Santa (luckily Mary steps in and shuts Caroline up - see photo!), Caroline steals a wooden spoon. They gave $2 to the Salvation Army Santa. [not the neatest comment.]

Total Cupcakery Fund: $621.25

Last Man Standing: Kristin & Kyle...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

There really wasn't too much to this episode. Mandy started to have a storyline but didn't. Eve had a few fleeting moments here and there. Nothing big with Mike or Vanessa. At least we saw Boyd for a few seconds this time. Really, it was about Kristin and how she wants some independence, despite the fact that she's living at home. We also learned that her room is significantly larger than Mandy's or Eve's. But yeah... I thought this episode was a dud... did you like it? Catch something I didn't?

Last Man Standing "House Rules" (S01E08): Kristin is 20 and doesn't pay rent, so her curfew is midnight... she's not a fan of this. [midnight is indeed kinda early, but it makes sense that her parents don't want to be up with the baby later than that.] Kyle fell asleep in Kristin's bed and in the process of hiding him from Mike, he jumps out the window... and when he's limping across the lawn, Mike spots him. [I thought this was fairly funny, though not hilarious.] Vanessa isn't freaked about Kyle spending the night, but Mike wants to control the world. [I did think that Vanessa under-reacted though...] Kyle tells Ed what happened, so when Mike comes to work looking for Kyle, Ed's "in the know." [human wheelbarrow?] Mike does another video, with a "once a month" joke and several references to keeping girls safe from boys. Later, back at the house, Mike calls a family meeting - he doesn't want anyone else using his computer, bras hanging in the bathroom, shirts must be worn over bras, no "shenanigans" in the house, and Mandy has a 10pm curfew because of her history grades. This interferes with her plans to see the new Cirque du Soleil show with Travis, and we don't even find out how that works out in the end. [why not? why drop that part completely?] With the "no shenanigans" rule, Kristin decides to move out... and over to Kyle's. [strange Happy Ending joke. I couldn't figure out what was going on with Kristin's sweater... Why was the back a different color? And I also noticed that the actress who plays Eve smiled twice during this episode and I don't think she was supposed to, LoL].

(ABC/MITCH HADDAD)

At work, Kyle tells Mike that he's in love with Kristin. So, Mike goes to the diner to talk to Kristin. [sushi melt?? gross!!] He invites her to come home, promising to treat her more like an adult - no curfew, but no shenanigans in the house. [that's pretty reasonable. But ewww on Kristin's outfit when she came home from the date! look to the right to see what I mean... And what was the point of Eve measuring the door frame? Door frames are fairly standard sizes, LoL.]

Oh, speaking of Eve... not much with her this episode. Basically, she gets her period, is moody, and has a pimple.

Hell on Wheels: Cullen Takes No Reward

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Talk about a boring opening! Maybe it was just me, but I thought that the speechless first four minutes were annoying. I do, however, enjoy the fiddle music we hear... but why aren't we seeing someone play it live? That happened back then and all. I wasn't sure if Cullen was trying to be selfless with not collecting money for bringing in Lily or if he really wanted to stay under the radar regarding being out and about off-site. I'm also getting more interested in the Irish brothers and what's going to happen with them in the end. But what was with the scene near the beginning where the one went to talk to the new girl? Odd. I also feel like we're more than three episodes in... maybe five or so. Anyone else feel that way?

Hell on Wheels "A New Birth of Freedom" (S01E03):  Cullen gives the daily orders, but is interrupted by Gunderson. The Swede is looking for Lily, and tells the men that there's a reward for bringing her back... which is a conflict, since Cullen says he'll fire anyone who goes to find the girl in lieu of working. Elam says that his boys can do the work of the missing men as well, so a bunch do head out. Cullen announces that he's looking for Frank Harper. One worker stands up to Elam, claiming that Elam acts white and too good to be working there. The black workers are making $3 less a day [a day? or a week?] than the others. After work, Elam goes to the entertainment tent, but one man makes fun of him and the new girl won't serve him.

Because the railroad is moving so slowly, it doesn't look like it's a good idea to keep the track so curvy, though Durant refuses to straighten it at all. Durant sends a message to a senator about how the Indians are hostile and impeding railroad growth. The Swede tells Durant that something doesn't "add up" about Cullen. [I'd be upset if nobody thought something was strange about the guy!] Later, Durant receives a message that the senator is upset about the lack of progress made on the railroad.

Photo Credit: Chris Large/AMC

The converted Native American, Joseph, still has Lily, but they're soon found by Cullen, who frisks Joseph and has him help remove the stitches and an arrowhead. [graphic!] Cullen tells Joseph that an Injun bringing the girl back won't bode well, so Joseph leaves and Cullen takes over "custody" of Lily. He acts like he couldn't care less about her, while she questions Joseph's whereabouts. A few horsemen arrive while Cullen is elsewhere, wanting to take Lily with them. Lily pulls a knife and Cullen returns, taking a few shots. Lily runs for cover and Cullen shoots the men. Cullen leads Lily to the camp and then lets her bring herself in.. he's not interested in the bounty. He then rides off to Cheyenne Territory.

Durant goes to see a show and the Irish boys charge him $5, since it's after closing and a private viewing. [well that sounds ridiculously price-gouging!] Durant questions why the boys went west instead of working in New York or another eastern city after immigrating. They respond that the railroad in Ireland gave them freedom. [that's interesting.]

Joseph goes crying to the reverend, saying that he recognized the arrows - his brother was the one who ravaged the area. [that sucks.] The reverend tells him to keep that fact to himself, always. He cuts his hair (which wasn't all that long to start). Hell on Wheels has a group funeral, and Durant wants the Natives to convert, like Joseph. [though I'm not sure why he's pointing this out at the moment... are the workers going to help with the conversions or something?]

Simpsons: Homer's Seven

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Although I didn't catch the very beginning of the Ocean's Eleven references, I loved this episode. I want to watch it again, and that's not something I say frequently about The Simpsons episodes. And, as someone who criticizes this show for being outdated rather often, I rather enjoyed the young adult book references. I also liked what they did with the ghost-writing industry... I thought for sure that Sweet Valley was going to be targeted... haha. Anyway, it was also one of the very few get-rich-quick ideas that has somewhat-worked for Homer. And the placement in November was slightly humorous when you remember NaNoWriMo... though I didn't catch any specific references to it, did you? Lastly, I loved the Ocean's Eleven music, especially at the end.


The Simpsons "The Book Job" (S23E06): At the Duff Arena, there's a dinosaur show. Much of the audience gets scared off immediately, but the Simpsons stay through the entire thing. Lisa takes the moral to be conserve the Earth, which the rest of the family sees it as "trash the place, it doesn't matter since an asteroid will kill us anyway." [...and if I hadn't read the title of the episode, I might have thought that this episode was going in the moral direction once more... Also, I saw the kids complaining at the gift shop as a way to get extra, not failing.] Lisa recognizes one of the costumed actors and follows her... Lisa thinks that she's a fantasy writer. However, it turns out that she is just the face on the book jacket... the actual books are churned out by lit majors desperate for work, and the plots are based on market research. [I'm just going to leave this alone...] Lisa is crushed. [well, yeah.] She asks for an early allowance to buy carbon credits - she wants to burn the books that are written by the woman. [hahahaha.]

Homer hears about how the books are done and wants to pull off a "Book Job" with five idiots. Homer gets Bart, then they grab Skinner, Patty, Moe (since Lenny wasn't available... Capuchin monkey and all), and Professor Frink. [monkey what?!?] Meanwhile, Lisa wants to prove that she can write a story on her own... though she procrastinates like crazy. [and it's darn amusing... quite the reflection of some of my own issues, LoL.] The team decides that the best-selling young adult books all have certain things in common: the heroes are orphans, the protagonist discovers that he's supernatural, and the setting needs to be a place that the audience can relate to. It starts to look like Harry Potter meets vampires, but that fails. So, they go with a troll that goes to a school under the Brooklyn Bridge. The cool kids are elves, the cheerleaders are pixies, and the stoners are gargoyles. [so far, so good... I'm interested.] They play a sport called Fuzzlepick, where they ride dragons with a half-racket, half-mitt device. The team's planning is interrupted by Neil Gaiman, who wants to join the crew. The Troll Twins of UnderBridge Academy is their title. Homer hopes they put in enough Steampunk. [...LoL] Lisa is still brainstorming for an idea while the others are printing their manuscript.

CR: FOX

They head to a book fair, and are told that they need a made-up author with a back story. They hit the floor to find a sap... and Lisa becomes the front: a pre-teen prodigy who was raised in a traveling circus. The book is sold for a million dollars, but when an advanced copy arrives at Moe's, they find out that the title has been changed, along with the characters. The trolls are vampires, the bridge is a castle, and the game is now bloodball. And a Twilight joke for good measure. And a British Fonzie joke. [haha.] They end up tearing up the check and planning to get the original one to print. They bust in, move through the building, but are caught in the end... the gang had a traitor, Lisa, who tipped off the publisher. Lisa wanted to have the book in her name, and they give her the chance to upload it and push the publish button... and it's the original book after all! Lisa explains how she pulled it off, though Gaiman got his face on the book jacket. [that slime!] He keeps heisting his way onto the best-sellers list. Turns out, Moe was in on it, too... and might have gotten poisoned at the end. [hahaha!]

Suburgatory: Tessa Turns 16

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Remember the episode of Almost Home (you know, the second half of The Torkelsons?) where Dorothy Jane wants a quiet family party and Molly wants an extravagant birthday blow-out? That's what I was reminded of when I heard about this episode. Except, I thought that Tessa and Dahlia were both having birthdays... not that it was Tessa's birthday and Dahlia was just planning it. Regardless, it was nice to see Dahlia and Tessa getting along to a certain extent, but I'm sure it's a short-lived and episode-specific thing. George's injury was a strange branch in the story, but Sheila's was even worse. Hopefully that'll be cleared up by next week and not part of any ongoing issues. I would have liked to hear more from Lisa and Malik regarding what they thought of Tessa's party, but no big deal.

Suburgatory "Sweet Sixteen" (S01E07): George wants Tessa to have a big 16th birthday party, and she just wants a pizza party with Lisa and Malik. [...why does George want it to be a big gathering?] George and Tessa go to a wholesale store and pick up a bunch of stuff. They run into Dallas and Dahlia there, and Dallas pushes for a big party. When Dallas says that she could get Tessa's favorite band to play, Tessa is instantly sold on a big party. [I wouldn't have wanted a small party when I could do a big bash, but who would turn down your FAVORITE BAND playing live?!?! Of course, in my case, this means that Green Day or Savage Garden would have headlined my 16th... possibly the latter being more likely since they were less well-known and they were a favorite of my best friend, too... and we shared our 16th birthday parties.]

George hurts his back in the front yard and a bunch of neighbor ladies come running. [fairly amusing. but not really] Sheila takes over, drugging up George and taking care of him at his house. Dallas tells Tessa that she'll need a party planner... pushing Dahlia. ["solid" means "favor" ?? I'm behind in slang.] Tessa goes for it since the band is locked in. Tessa is thinking yakitori on hibachi, and Dahlia is thinking country club with cage dancers. [talk about clash of vision!] Dallas brings some soup to George's, but Sheila won't let her in... and George overhears something about Sheila killing a guy named Tom after taking care of his sciatica for three weeks. [say what now??] Malik and Lisa talk to Tessa about her party, and they all had originally wanted freeze dancing. [yet another thing I need to look up, apparently...] Dahlia makes Tessa go with her DURING SCHOOL to dress shop. [regular readers know that I can't stand children missing school for things like this!] Tessa wants a brown dress, but Dahlia makes her try on a silver dress that's pretty and flattering. [and I loved it on her!]

Noah talks to George about his practice sponsoring Tessa's party, since teenagers always have cosmetic dental concerns. George is supposed to stay on the couch and miss Tessa's party, but he sneaks out and has Dallas drive him. [is this all in like a week's time? that was a heck of a party to make happen in a week. but if it had been longer, George still being injured would be difficult to believe...] Dallas tells George that Sheila didn't kill Tom... Tom was 94. [...haha?]

The signature drink at the party is the Tessatini - grape soda, black tea, and a splash of beet juice - a dentist's dream since it stains teeth! [that Noah is so conniving!] Tessa is really enjoying the party, but when Lisa and Malik show up, they're asked to leave... "capacity issues," though Dahlia admits later that they just didn't fit her "vision" of the party. [omg that's like the biggest b!tch move ever!] Noah is mixing at the party and giving people his card. [WEIRD!]

(ABC/CAROL KAELSON)

Tessa asks Dahlia about Lisa and Malik, and is told that if she cares more about them, leave the party. The band starts playing, and Tessa is the only one on the dance floor. [Does Tessa have no friends from her 15 years in NYC who would come to the party?] Tessa was on her way out to find her friends when George and Dallas show up, so they all promptly leave. Tessa gets her pizza and friends and they eat at the house with Dallas and George. Dallas gives Tessa diamond earrings, and George dances with Tessa.

The Middle: The Problem with No-Cut Activities

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The problem with no-cut activities is that you can indeed be cut. Back in middle school, we needed some more people on the swimming/diving team. So, one girl in particular decided that it would be a great idea to do that... and she got several of her friends to join in on the idea. The idea was that everyone would "make the team" because they needed so many more people, there would be no need to cut anyone. Long story short, after about three weeks, the ambitious girl was cut, and everyone else (whom she brought to the team) remained. It was sad, but this was so long ago that it doesn't matter anymore. But, at the time, it mattered. It's sad to think about how many people join something because there's no threat of being cut out, yet something goes wrong somewhere and they end up losing their opportunity anyway. In this episode of The Middle, Sue joins a community play at Frankie's insistence... since everyone gets cast. Well, Sue doesn't have the best stage presence and ends up not getting to participate that way. She does find a niche in the backstage technical area, so maybe that will be a shining moment for her in the future as well, but we'll see! Brick's storyline was interesting, but Axl's was fairly useless.

The Middle "The Play" (S03E08): Sue didn't make the lacrosse team and plans to try out for drill team next. [for some reason I thought she already didn't make drill team...?] But, Frankie says that everyone gets into a community production of The Wizard of Oz, so Sue goes for that, with the idea that she'll play a munchkin. [really? teenagers as munchkins? why not the elementary schoolers? At least that's how it was done in my hometown, LoL!] Frankie goes to pick up Sue from rehearsal and the director convinces Frankie to join the play as an Ozzian. [well, she is a bit of a ham...] She's having a great time, right up until the director tells her that Sue is being let go from the production, mainly because of her "crazy eyes." [awwww.] Frankie is even asked to be the one who breaks the news to poor Sue. [oh goodness!] Sue is offended that Frankie is in the play and she's not. Sue keeps asking Frankie to quit, but Frankie puts it off. Mike thinks that there's no conflict - Sue's not a little kid anymore. Frankie tries to use a personal anecdote to help support staying in the play, but Sue takes it the wrong way. [this was both clever and expected, I felt.] So, Frankie just starts making up lies about going places at night when she's really headed to rehearsals. Axl realizes what's going on with Frankie, and tells Sue that Frankie is still in the play.

(ABC/ERIC MCCANDLESS)

Sue confronts Frankie when she gets home, and Frankie apologizes, says she's weak, and that she felt special not having to clean up after kids. Sue says that she didn't realize how important it was for Frankie, and Frankie says that she will find Sue a part in the play... Sue ends up running lighting cables and cues, though there was almost a small problem when some cables wouldn't reach correctly.

Brick has a "special friends" day at school and wants to invite a grandparent to participate. [was I seriously the only one who never had these things? I know my sister did and remember seeing it on other shows...] Frankie won't set it up for him, so Brick has to do it himself. [I really laughed at Frankie's comment regarding how some mothers would set that up for their kids, but she's not one of them.] Brick goes to Mike's father's house and runs into Uncle Rusty instead, so invites him to the school function. But, Uncle Rusty stands up Brick's class, which costs Brick some extra credit points, which he could definitely use. Mike goes to confront Rusty about skipping out on Brick's school thing, and Rusty tries to make it up by showing up at the school randomly. Rusty tells the kids about DUI testing. [really??] The lunch bell rings and Rusty takes Brick off-campus for lunch. [the teacher doesn't even seem to notice...] Rusty takes Brick bowling, lets him try beer, and even teaches him to drive... all while forgetting Brick's name. Mike is outside when Brick and Rusty pull up... Brick still driving. [what???!? Out in a field is one thing (which I still disapprove of), but in a neighborhood??!?] Mike confronts Rusty, saying that you can't make up for missing something by doing illegal things. [true. and we've seen it before.]

Axl drove blindfolded, bragged to Mike, and promptly got grounded, both from going out and from video games. [um, duh. and, Axl: "What would you do if one of your friends dared you to drive blindfolded?" Mike: "Get smarter friends?" hahahahahaha] Axl creates his own games with flipping pennies around the house.

South Park: What is Dr. Pepper?

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This episode wasn't bad. Really, it was fairly standard for the series. However, as a season finale, it kinda sucked. Yes, there were spoofs and jokes and the Penn State stuff made it very relevant. But the whole foster-kid thing isn't going to be that memorable. On the one hand, it totally killed the "too soon" thing for making Penn State jokes... it's now pretty much completely acceptable. On the other hand, it's a rather fleeting episode and the Penn State thing won't be remembered in five years by a large chunk of people. Overall, I'm just looking forward to next season.

photo courtesy: Comedy Central

South Park "The Poor Kid" (S15E14): Kenny's watching White Trash in Trouble while his parents and siblings fight. The house is on the show and raided, live, with the children being taken away, and they're seen on the show. The kids are taken to see a therapist, who makes tons of jokes... Penn State, Neverland Ranch, a Catholic Church, etc. [A joke starting "Joe Paterno doesn't walk into a police station" had me going pretty hard though!] The three McCormick kids are brought to a foster home. It's a strict, religious household... of agnostics. [well this has potential!] Dr. Pepper and Diet Dr. Pepper are the only drinks because they're not cola or root beer... nobody knows what they are! [omg how true!] Cartman is working on figuring out who the poorest kid in school is without Kenny.... Cartman's ends up having the lowest income, though he thinks it's Craig at first. Cartman confronts his mother, and he tells her that she needs to bring in more money. [I truly love the scenes where Cartman berates his mother.] She says that she already has two jobs, what more does he want?

Mysterion appears in the night to Kenny's sister, Karen. Cartman calls the police about a meth lab at his place to get himself in a foster home like Kenny. He's dressed to go to Hawaii, since he thinks he can choose where to be fostered. Cartman talks to the therapist and we hear some more jokes. ["At Penn State they like to be a little behind in the locker room" stood out the most.] Cartman is brought to the same foster family as Kenny. They go to the school and there's even poorer kids, which kinda dumbfounds Cartman. He ends up in the principal's office nearly immediately. [anyone surprised? not me!] We hear plenty of "yo mama so poor..." jokes. The case worker is called to school to deal with Cartman.

Karen is being bullied on the playground, so Mysterion shows up and beats up the bully. Karen talks about her "guardian angel" helping her at school, and the agnostic family gets upset. [why are there both cans and bottles of Dr. Pepper on the table?] The kids get blasted with Dr. Pepper from a keg. As punishment. Truth. The case worker shows up with Cartman, and is concerned about the children only being given Dr. Pepper to drink. [nevermind the fact that Cartman is already in trouble at school, LoL.] The parents are distracted by Mysterion while the case worker looks around. The case worker comes across what's going on in the basement (Dr. Pepper torture, you guys) and the parents end up being removed... as white trash in trouble. [... full circle.] The kids are given back to their original parents, and at the end, a giant bird eats Kenny... like the bird that might rule the world, according to the agnostics. [wacky ending.]