Teen Mom 2: Kailyn Marries, Kieffer Presses Charges, Ali's Tests

We had the final episode of the season, and the first of three known wrap-up episodes. First, the exciting news: Kailyn and Javier got married shortly before he shipped off for boot camp a week before Christmas.

MTV

And, actually, that's pretty much all that happens with them, aside from the fact that they are trying to add more Spanish words to Isaac's vocabulary. Chelsea also had minimal news - she's back in school, though still runs late when Aubree locks her out of her bedroom. Leah and Jenelle, on the other hand, were busting with news. Well, in a way. Ali had tests done, and it does seem that she has a neuro-muscular disorder, though we're not privy to which or how she will be treated. Oh, and the girls compete in a pageant. Jenelle's story is more about Barbara and Kieffer... Barbara tries to get Jenelle committed when Jenelle is back on drugs, and Kieffer presses trespassing charges on Barbara for coming into their home in the first place. It keeps them as the most annoying family on this series, and probably one of the most annoying in their region, as it seems the police and the courthouse folks all know who Barbara is, and that Jenelle is her daughter. 

Teen Mom 2 "The End of the Road" (S04E12):
Jenelle: Barbara and her boyfriend go over to Jenelle's and find her and Kieffer hopped up on drugs. Barbara goes to the magistrate and tries to have Jenelle committed to a psychiatric hospital for being a danger to herself and others, but Jenelle is released after a few hours. [I totally didn't know that you could send the cops after someone, though!] Jenelle and Kieffer feel like trespassing and physical assault are a big deal, so Kieffer presses charges. Kieffer then gets upset when he can't find his Xanax. [haha! though I was worried for a second that they were going to get violent!]

Leah: Jeremy goes with the family for Ali's medical appointments in Ohio. Corey's stepmother watches Aleeah while they're gone. It seems that there are issues on the neuro-muscular level, and a biopsy is required.

Kailyn: She makes an appointment to get married before Javi leaves for basic training, and his mother attends the courthouse for the event. Then, Kailyn tells Jo about her marriage. Javi leaves a week before Christmas for Texas, and he cries the night before he leaves as well as during their final moments together. [Isaac really looks like Jo!]

Chelsea: She returns to school but is a day late because she overslept. [why did she even bother telling her father?] The next day, Aubree locks herself in Chelsea's room as Chelsea's getting ready, and it takes her so long to get back in that she is late. [her trainwrecks are so hilarious!]

Teen Mom 2 "Unseen Moments" (Special):
Jenelle: We see Jenelle and Gary get into an argument, and Jenelle is physical yet again. Then, we see part of Jenelle's court hearing over the online harassment of her friend. [I had forgotten about that charge!] 

Leah: Ali is getting closer to walking, and the girls are in a beauty pageant. Aleeah wins prettiest eyes and Ali wins prettiest smile. [I'm purposefully not commenting on this one.]

Kailyn: She and Javi are teaching Isaac Spanish with some flashcards. [semi-interesting.] Kailyn's friend, Mark, moves to Georgia. Jo and Vee have been together a year now, but he doesn't want more kids and she eventually wants a baby. [dang, that flew by!]

Chelsea: She takes Aubree and some friends to a zoo. Adam wants to see more of Aubree, but he gets a DUI. [haha. this whole YOLO movement is screwing up people.] 

Secret Life: Amy Wants Money... from Anyone

What was that Melrose Place moment where Didi was talking to Grace? I really didn't like that, though if the series had a longer life than just the next month, I could see it being an intriguing way to go. What's not intriguing, however, is Amy going to Leo... I think it's obvious that she doesn't care if she needs to beg, borrow, or steal to get the money to go to school in New York. This makes it all the more difficult to predict how I think the series will end or even how I WANT it to end... I mean, at this point, Amy has really backed herself into quite the hole. How many people think she deserves anything anymore? She has proven herself to be a spoiled brat time and again. She even takes advantage of Madison and Lauren's babysitting offer, though that did give us a rare opportunity to see those two again. With Ben so intent on going to Hudson, I suspect Henry and Alice will appear next week to talk him down to Earth once more... or at least convince the kid that he does not need both an apartment AND a campus room!

The Secret Life of the American Teenager "Interference" (S05E19): On the plane, Ben takes off Amy's rings as she sleeps. [why is he turning creepy??] He has planned to put them back, but she moves and he pockets them before falling asleep himself. When Ricky notices that Amy isn't wearing the rings, he freaks out, though she just pretends she put them in her purse to go through airport security. When he leaves for work, she has Madison and Lauren come over to tear apart the house, then watch John as Amy goes to ask George for $18,000 a year. [you know, because those are how she prioritizes things.]

But, the night before, Ricky asked George about Amy's college tuition, and George told him he needed to "shut that down," in regards to Amy's desire to live in New York and attend Hudson. [I loved his wording - so 2010s!] Though, Ricky doesn't want to force Amy to marry and go to school in California, her options are running out when George firmly puts his foot down to her. She talks about asking Nora and Margaret, but we see her go to Leo instead. [Nora can't afford an apartment OR a car, clearly she doesn't have thousands of dollars to loan. I don't see Margaret helping Amy in this way, either.] When Ben shows up, Amy gets her rings back, thanks to Chloe finding them in Ben's shirt. [why was she going through Ben's clothes?]

facebook.com/secretlife

Smaller storylines include: Ethan is collecting signatures of people who don't use algebra in their lives, but after he and Kathy knock on Danica McKellar's door, the jig is up. [I find it HILARIOUS that she lives in their neighborhood.] Ethan says that Kathy looks like a stripper to make her feel better, but then he gets chewed out by her dad. Again.

Adrian makes Omar breakfast in bed, and she now says that she'll move to New York, but not for a year. She tries to get his mother to influence him, but that just makes him angry. [I can't believe she went to his mother! remember how much we all hated her in the early episodes? It's coming back!] Omar asks his father for advice, and he says that he should move on from Adrian. [Omar's father out of nowhere?]

Jack asks Grace to talk a couples class with him, but she hesitates. Jack's mother, Didi, then confronts Grace about whether she's trying to secretly break up with Jack, saying that she's never been a good girlfriend to the athlete. [Grace is pretty fickle, but I was shocked that Didi came over there like that!]

2 Broke Girls: They're Not Actresses

Han has an office?? That was definitely a bit of the diner that I don't think has had a set before! It was seen a great deal this episode, mainly to showcase how everyone milks the TV project for their own benefits. From Han wanting lots of money for fake damages to the girls stealing all the VIP room sushi, the majority of this episode's laughs probably came from scenes in that office. It makes me hope that we see it again! That aside, I'm surprised that there weren't more cracks by Oleg this episode, especially as he seems to have amateur experience in "film making," haha. Though I suppose Sophie trying to "become a star" was enough for both of them.

2 Broke Girls "And the Extra Work" (S02E22): It's Chestnut's tenth birthday, but Caroline says they have to pretend he's six. [haha! cute carrot cake, though.] He needs new horseshoes, and a blacksmith Max knows suggests he also needs medication for a fungus, so the ladies need to come up with $1400. [I know nothing about owning horses, but a quick search looks like re-shoeing actually needs to happen about every two months! CLEARLY the writers aren't up on this fact, either.]

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Law & Order : SVU wants to film a death at the diner, and Caroline, Max, and Earl want to be extras, which pays $112/day plus the tips they would have received. The girls even wear different uniforms for the shoot, and Caroline gets bumped up to be a "special victim," which earns $1000. [kinda neat.] Of course, she messes up and hugs Max, setting off her blood packs early. [figures.] The director invites her to his hotel room for dinner, so she brings Max. [awkward.] The guy isn't turned off by Caroline's incessant talking, and kisses her. He then kisses Max "to make things even," before taking a call from his wife and kids. [insanity!] The next day, Max is given the dying scene... at least until Sophie sets off Max's blood packs. Surprisingly, Han sticks up for the girls and demands $1,000 for Max and Caroline for the director trying to take advantage of them.


Cupcakery Savings Total: $1205.00. [except, this money is ear-marked for Chestnut, so it has nothing to do with their "savings." This is the same as including rent money in these totals, which we know doesn't happen.]

HIMYM: Barney's Bachelor Bash

First, some highlights... I loved Ted's bumblebee hat! Marshall's penguin hat... notsomuch. I knew that there had to be a catch in the bachelor party plans because of just how bad things were going, but I think that too much time (both in the episode and in the night itself) was wasted on the bad party. Still, we did get to see the return of Barney's crazy gambling game, but I didn't quite like it as much this time. Other disappointments included the "people of bright color" phrasing to refer to clowns like Bozo. And, as soon as I saw Ralph Macchio, I knew that the clown was William Zabka, so that wasn't a "big reveal" for me like it should have been. I am always excited about how Barney idolizes the villains in movies, though!

How I Met Your Mother "The Bro Mitvah" (S08E22): Ted and Marshall kidnap Barney and head to just-outside Atlantic City, where they have an average hotel room with a DVD, Ralph Macchio, a balloon-sculpting clown, and Lily. [I'd be sad for any honoree of this party!] The stripper arrives, but it's Quinn, so she won't strip for Barney. [the clown's makeup in Quinn's cleavage was hilarious.] Barney decides to cancel the party, but as he's driving back, he feels the itch to gamble and they u-turn. He blows the $5,000 he was supposed to pay the caterer, then $80,000 on credit, losing Marshall in the process. [yeah, I'd be shocked, too!]

facebook.com/HowIMetYourMotherCBS

Meanwhile, in the city, Robin is forced to dine alone with Barney's mother, who knows Robin doesn't want to be there. She also thinks that Robin is a virgin, but she eventually admits that she's not a prude. Dinner ends, and Barney & Co. pull up and see Robin. When she sees Quinn, she calls off the wedding. [and, in this moment, I fear that things are serious.] But, then we learn that Robin's been in on the entire thing, setting up her fiance for the worst night of his life. [GROSS Lily licking the hand that shakes Ralph's!] Still, there are positive moments, as the clown turns out to be William Zabka, who played Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid. 

Dance Academy's Second Season, Part 1 of 4

Were you a fan of this Australian teen drama when it aired on TeenNick? We covered the initial season (or series, as that's the term in Australia) as it ran, but my DVR completely missed the airing of the second season. Fortunately, Netflix has it available for streaming (this round of episodes aired in Australia during the spring of 2012), so I thought I'd share some thoughts on the events, as a third season will debut later this year (though a US airdate has not yet been determined). As with the final sections of the first season, I'll be doing minimal recap and thoughts to marathon through it.

danceacademy.wikia.com

You'll notice in the above cast photo that there are a couple of new faces. Between Ethan and Tara is Ben, a first-year who is very advanced. Between Christian and Kat is Grace, Miss Raine's goddaughter from England who transfers to the Academy as a second-year student. Now, onward we go!

S02E01: Sammy is a dishwasher and boarding house adviser to afford tuition without his parents' help. [that's gotta be rough.] He's also flirting and kissing many first-year girls. [odd, no?] Everyone else returns from their summers, including Kat, who will be off to boarding school soon. She pierces her tongue to stand out, though her mother decides to let Kat live at home and just attend day school. [interesting change.] There's also a new girl in the bunch, Grace, Miss Raine's Londoner goddaughter. She's an excellent dancer and is given a solo after Tara walks out on choreographer Ethan when he tells her she's out of shape. [anyone surprised that there's tension between Ethan and Tara?] Abigail and Tara share the same room again, and they will be fierce competitors all year, as the Prix de Fonteyn will be held in Sydney.

S02E02: Miss Raine, now the principal, tells Sammy that he cannot have side jobs during the school year. [I see her more as an administrator anyway.] Sammy distracts himself from this problem by starting a hip-hop after-hours club with Christian, who is at the bottom of every class. On the other end of the spectrum, Grace is at the top of all her classes, so Tara befriends her, only making poor Kat (who is turned away by a clique and is eating lunch in the bathroom) jealous. 

Some first-years idolize Abigail for putting ballet above all else, and she puts them to work researching how to beat Grace. They interview Grace, but Abigail wants them to be sneakier, friend her old friends, hack her old records, etc. [Abigail is so hardcore, LoL.] It doesn't take long until Abigail discovers that Grace got expelled from her old Academy for giving another girl a nervous breakdown. Meanwhile, Tara is trying to become more dedicated, creating a weekly schedule for herself and Christian to maximize time management, but he's more interested in hip-hop than ballet. [I think scheduling is one of those things that you shouldn't do for someone if you're not sure how they'll take it!] She's not too crushed, however, as she meets Saskia, the youngest principal dancer in the history of the Company, who invites her to watch a performance from side stage.

S02E03: Kat still isn't fitting in at school, and pretends she can't dance when there's a movement piece assigned. However, she's caught when she recognizes a famous choreographer, so she not only tells the truth but takes her team to the Academy to practice with Sam, Tara, and Christian. [I don't know if being caught in a lie is really going to help her make friends, though.] Abigail and Grace are also having trouble being friends when Grace's idea of fun is mooching off of anyone in sight. [troubling!] There's also a new guy in class, Ben, who is rude enough that nobody attends his party. [awww.]

S02E04: To earn more money, Sammy tries waiting tables instead of washing dishes but it doesn't work. Miss Raine learns that Sammy is still working and offers extra tutoring so he might be able to get a scholarship next semester. [pretty generous.]

Saskia has been injured and is teaching repertoire class for a while, and finds Tara's choice (a piece Saskia is known for) to be a mess. Meanwhile, Ethan asks Abigail to be a dancer in his new piece. His budding independence just keeps growing, however, and he moves out of his parents' house.

S02E05: Kat's parents are invited to Berlin for a special project, which could send Kat back to boarding school. Natasha considers "retiring" from dance but Kat convinces her that she must go to Berlin because performing is such a rush. Natasha decides to let Kat stay with Ethan. [wow... what kind of trouble do you think she'll get into?]

Tara struggles to tell Christian that she loves him, but when he says it first, she manages to reciprocate. [I don't know that I really believe either of them, though.] Christian continues with his hip-hop, which causes Ethan to want to "update" his new choreography piece, but when Abigail nearly quits on him, he goes back to the original.

S02E06: Sammy's brother shows up at the Academy and Abigail plays video games with him when Sammy goes to work. Sammy learns that his father has been pushing his brother toward academics and away from athletics. [no surprise.]

Tara begins to get jealous of Grace, especially how thin she is. Tara works out at the gym and uses self-tanner to appear thinner. She overdoes it, though, and has an orange appearance the next day. [I thought maybe she was following in Abigail's footsteps, but it's too short-lived here.]

Kat calls an agent who showed interest in her at the showcase, and she gets an audition with a rugby cheerleading squad. She makes the call-back, but doesn't get it. [wouldn't that be awkward? and wouldn't she have had to graduate from high school first?]

S02E07: Miss Raine tells Tara and Christian that they need to be more serious about their studies, so Tara decides to pause things for a month, until after assessments. [I can't decide how I feel about this - part of me agrees, the other part doesn't know that they were behaving appropriately in the first place.] He doesn't take that well so she takes it back and decides that maybe Christian needs to know his father. [left field, anyone?] She searches for the guy online, but Christian already knows what his father is up to - he just chooses to have nothing to do with him. He breaks up with her. Elsewhere, Ben wants Kat's attention, so he decides to stage a flash mob. And, Grace tells Abigail that she thinks Ethan is into her, so she shies away from finishing a project with him. Abigail begins to be into Ethan, but Grace kisses him to be rude. [Grace is SO annoying.]

Stay tuned for three more posts about the second season of this show! 

Fun Friday: Wanna be on Shark Tank?

Shark Tank. Now in its fourth season, the series airs on Friday nights at 9pm (but sometimes 8pm) ET/PT. I remember the publicity for the series before it debuted, and I just wasn't really interested. Part of me didn't care because many of the items people would peddle on the show wouldn't likely get anywhere. Another part didn't care because, here in Silicon Valley, people are constantly pitching their latest start-ups, products, and ideas. If you go to a library or a coffeeshop or a park, I bet you can throw a stone and hit someone who is dying for a big break. I'm not even an "ideas (wo)man" and I've been to a few Meetups where Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists truly want to hear what you're up to, as they might buy into it. But, about six months ago, my husband and I were home on a Friday night and flipped through the channels, stumbling upon Shark Tank. We watched the remainder of the episode and kinda liked it. Not enough to stay home on a weekend to watch, but liked it nonetheless. By November we decided to DVR the show and have been catching it here and there ever since.

facebook.com/SharkTank

Being an "ideas man," my husband was more curious about the process of going in front of the sharks than I was. (I have a lot of beef with the way this show does things, actually, but that's a different post.) So, I looked up more about the show and found the application, and I wanted to share some interesting bits about it, should you have a budding business that could benefit from the help of the sharks. (oh, and be aware that the competition is pretty stiff... over 30,000 people applied last year!)

- You have to list your education. Now, I'm a big believer in institutes of higher learning, but I find it a little curious, as some of the best ideas out there have come from kids with barely a GED.

- You have to list all of your other television appearances. I guess because they don't want attention-seekers? Why would it matter that I've been in the audience for The Tonight Show? If I had won a car on The Price is Right, fine, but I feel like some things shouldn't matter.

- In the "business details" section, you get six lines to describe your business/product, but only three lines to describe the market for it. I think I'd need more than that!

- You should describe "any records or logs kept with respect to your development of your business" like business plans and timelines. If possible, provide copies. Again, I'm not an inventor, per se, but doesn't that sound kind of personal? Or is that typical?

- And, my favorite part... If you get tired of reading or don't read every line, you'd miss that, halfway down on the very last page, you must agree to giving ABC/the Finnmax LLC producers 2% of your business's operating profit royalties OR 5% equity in your business. It's up to the Shark Tank Entities, and they can choose to take neither, but you have to accept the loss if they decide to take the option. The option "shall vest only upon the occurrence" of going into business with a shark within two years of presenting or after the episode airs. Oh, AND it goes for other businesses you have, too. So, be careful or keep quiet or wait on those.

Anyone still want to try to pitch to the Sharks?

Big Bang: Sheldon is Upset, Raj is Feminine, Leonard has Passions

"If they didn't want to get yelled at by crazy nerds, they shouldn't have started a sci-fi channel." I thought that this was a great line by Leonard, and I laughed pretty hard. I'm not sure if it was my favorite part of the episode, or if the idea of "Sheldon face confetti" was the best image. Regardless, the use of three different plots isn't too common for this series, and though I worried that each would be shorted, I thought they worked out. The Penny-Leonard issue didn't need to be lengthened, the Sheldon-Amy story worked partly because of the speed of the pacing, and because Lucy isn't very exciting, I didn't care that she and Raj stumbled upon a concern and wrapped it so quickly. Three more episodes to go in the season (and next season is already a "go"), so we'll probably start seeing some closure or cliffhangers start developing next time - any predictions? I'm still going with Howard and Bernadette considering planning a family. Though, of course, there's still the tenure thing hanging in the balance. 

The Big Bang Theory "The Closure Alternative" (S06E21): When Leonard suggests Sheldon delete an Alphas episode from the DVR, he winds up telling his roommate that the sci-fi series has been canceled, news for which Sheldon was not ready. [I've always been amused by people who don't "know" that programs have been canceled. I remember reading TV Guide when I was eight or nine to learn about the futures of my TGIF programming.] Sheldon calls the network, and when complaining doesn't work, he pretends to be the VP of Programming to get the series back on the air. [I'm surprised that he didn't do a little more research in trying to pull it off convincingly, though.] Amy suggests that Sheldon might have a problem with closure, so she develops reconditioning exercises to stop him from being so obsessive about finishing things. She plays only part of a song, erases a partial game of tic-tac-toe, makes Sheldon put away a bunch of dominoes when he set them up but didn't knock them over, and only winds a jack-in-the-box part way. [I could care less about the tic-tac-toe or the jack-in-the-box, but the song and dominoes would have upset me.] In the end, after she leaves, he goes back and finishes doing everything. [as we all assumed he would, LoL.] He then calls Bruce Millers until he finds the one who wrote the season finale for Alphas, and asks him how he was planning to resolve the cliffhangers. [wow.] Sheldon doesn't like his responses. [I'm surprised the guy told him!]

Raj finds Lucy's blog, which mentions that she finds him a little feminine. [haha: "I always thought if I had a white name, it would be Gavin."] But, he doesn't want to be creepy and read it, though Howard disagrees. [by the way, Howard was there to set up a camera so Raj can watch his dog while he's at work. I don't know if that's "feminine," but I think it's a little crazy.] Raj tries to act more masculine but it fails. Fortunately, she explains that she meant he was sweet and thoughtful, so all is well.

Monty Brinton/CBS

Leonard decides to ask Penny to watch Buffy with him, but she only finds it "cute" and "fun." After a few episodes, she asks Bernadette what the draw is, but it turns out the real problem is that Penny is jealous of how passionate Leonard is about things. [I can understand that!]

19 Kids & Counting: Joseph Leaves the Nest

The Duggars now have seven children of adult age, as Joseph celebrated his 18th birthday in late January of this year. At this point, only Josh (25 years old) lives outside of the Duggar home, though Joseph is the first to take an extended trip alone. That's right, this episode depicts him off to Big Sandy, TX for ALERT (Air Land Emergency Resource Team) Academy's nine-week basic training program. I want to talk about what a little research tells you about this boot-camp-type experience.

For starters, you not only have to perform physical requirements to pass, but you also need to keep a daily journal and memorize the book of 1 Peter (King James style). Should Joseph continue on to the next level (which could be more than another year of study), he'll receive training in areas like firefighting (like his older siblings), open water diving, and even evangelism. Even though ALERT was founded in accordance to Gothard's principles, the government does respect it as a relief organization, and has deployed the serving men in disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the Oklahoma City Bombing. The training calendar suggests that the Joseph likely began a day or two late to allow for his eighteenth birthday to pass, as Unit 49 began January 19th, and his birthday is the 20th. I found him in several photos from that Unit, all of which are from Facebook:

first day, upper left

lower left

front of the dog sled

third in the tug-of-war

19 Kids and Counting "Duggars Take Flight" (S07E06): Joseph heads to Big Sandy, TX for a nine-week emergency resource team event. He'll be the first Duggar child going off alone, and that's the longest any of the kids have been away. [that's what happens when you don't let them study outside the home. although I'm surprised that none have taken extended mission trips, either.] Preparations include a short haircut (which he's always wanted), and an 18th birthday party (for which several Bates kids drove down). To travel the 300 miles to Texas, John-David flies him there in a small Cessna, with his instructor and JimBob along for the ride.

Trainer Steve shows up to take a look at JimBob's section in the pantry. He doesn't pick on much there, but when it seems that JimBob has gained four pounds (he's at 207; Josh is at 209), Steve puts him through an extra-vigorous workout.

TLC

Teen Mom 2: Ali's Appointment, Aubree's Birthday, Kailyn's Therapy

Leah's fear of learning how severe Ali's delays might be struck me as odd. For over two years she's been wondering why Ali hasn't been developing as expected! Of course, I'd probably rather have an unexpected event like Leah's than a completely sad but expected turn of events like with Jenelle. That girl just cannot get her act together, and it's only going to get more and more difficult. Similarly, Kailyn isn't striking me as more and more independent and mature lately, but maybe I was expecting too much. And then there's Chelsea... from whom I expect nothing anymore. I was surprised that she didn't cry over Adam this episode, though! Baby steps.

Teen Mom 2 "Hard Knocks" (S04E11):
Leah: It's time for Ali to see a neuro-muscular specialist in Columbus, Ohio, which is four hours away. She asks Jeremy to come, but he has to work. Fortunately, her mother and Corey are able to go, and at the appointment they learn that Ali has very low muscle tone and no reflexes. [wow, I don't think I've ever heard of someone lacking reflexes!] Ali is taking a few steps here and there, but she isn't really trying. The doctor recommends an EMG Nerve Conduction and a muscle biopsy, so those are scheduled for mid-December.

MTV

Jenelle: She goes to court over her charges with Gary, but if she has to take a drug test, she could go to jail. [as always.] Fortunately, all the charges against her are dropped. But, she gets an eviction notice and a small claims notice over one month of missed rent. [it makes me laugh SO HARD that she finds that to be ridiculous!] Plus, Jenelle is suffering from depression again, she and Kieffer "party a lot," and she's been using "uppers" when she gets cranky. Regardless, Jenelle wants custody of Jace, claiming that Barbara is nothing because she's just a deli worker at WalMart. [which is still better than being unemployed. at least to some people.]

Kailyn: She and Jo go to family therapy, where Kailyn talks about not wanting Jo's girlfriend around Isaac. Afterwards, she tells him about her marriage and moving plans, and he says that it's dumb, as she hasn't even been with him for a year yet. [I can definitely agree with Jo on this one!] He then says that there will be a custody battle if she wants to move. [duh!] Javi doesn't believe that he'd never need therapy, so he struggles when Kailyn asks him to walk away before she gets angry at him. [while that was a strange moment, that was a cool crayon craft!]

Chelsea: Chelsea has a week left on her leave, but she colors her friend's hair at home. For Aubree's third birthday (she turned three last September 7th), Chelsea's party for her includes a blow-up princess castle, while Adam's is a pool party at a hotel. [that mini bike is a bit much for a three-year-old, no?]

Bates Motel: The Belt, the Sex Slave, and Shelby are Gone

Having a very limited background in horror films, I never know what to expect with this drama, though I still like it quite a bit. Norma is acting more and more disturbing, and Norman is becoming creepier and creepier, and now that Shelby is dead, I'm not sure what's going to happen next. This episode had all of the elements of a season finale, so to place it in the middle certainly piques my curiosity as far as what's coming next! I'm not even sure if I can make a possible prediction, as I certainly wasn't planning on more blood shed this episode! I mean, I can see Norman kissing Emma, and Dylan getting in even deeper with the local "mafia," but with the main story? Not a clue! Do you want to wager a guess?

Bates Motel "The Truth" (S01E06): Norman assures Emma that his mother will be okay once she processes the information about Shelby's sex slave. But, Norma jumps in the car to drive off as Norman tries to stop her. [that was an insane scene!] Norma calms down but wants to wait to go to the police until the belt is back in their possession. [well, what else would you expect her to do?]

Dylan (who is only 21, by the way) tells Gill about taking his dead colleague to the hospital and then running over the culprit, and is told to burn down the guy's truck in the woods. Then, Dylan and Norman go to the marina and find the belt on Keith's boat, tossing it into the lake. [where the body is? won't they eventually dredge that thing?] Dylan tries to convince Norman to live with him, and he's willing to, but then things get more complicated...

Shelby comes over to be intimate with Norma, and they are together in a motel guest room until Shelby hears water running and winds up finding his sex slave. [he just can't get enough in general, can he??] She runs off into the woods, and Norma stops Shelby from shooting the woman. When he returns from chasing after her, he gets violent, putting a gun to Norman's head and striking Norma. [well, this isn't going to end well!] This causes Norman to go into a trance, so he hits Shelby. A fight breaks out, and Dylan and Shelby shoot one another as Norma drags an unconscious Norman out of the house, then calls the police.

Joseph Lederer

Gunfire continues until Shelby falls over, dead. Before the police arrive, however, we learn how Norman's father really died, as Norma tells Dylan. Norman blacked out and killed his father with a blender to the head. [... I don't really know what to make of this...] Norma then covered for her son by putting him to bed and staging a death scene in the garage.  

Secret Life: The Kids Don't Care

This episode both had me on the edge of my seat and constantly rolling my eyes. Adrian is still a spoiled brat, Amy still doesn't take responsibility seriously, and Ben throws money at any little problem. At first, I thought that Adrian refusing to let Omar take a business call was the worst moment... until both Amy AND Ben managed to not learn what Early Acceptance means. I remember the specifics of Early Admission being drilled into us the first couple of weeks of my senior year of high school. And, it wasn't even so much about the non-refundable deposits (which, although variable, you pay with every type of application, by the way), it was about integrity - if you were playing the "Early Admission" game, you could only do it for one school, and you knew you were promising to attend if they accepted you. I knew maybe a dozen people who did this, one of whom was SO sure about his choice that he even applied for housing the same day his acceptance came, which gave him #41 (or something close to that) in the pick-your-rez-hall system! Anyway, I digress. The constant drama is something I'm really going to miss after six more episodes... what other current series has it like this show??

The Secret Life of the American Teenager "Money for Nothin'" (S05E18): At Hudson, Amy (who plans to major in secondary education because "she knows how important high school is") learns that her Early Acceptance application requires her to go there, which is why there was a $2,000 non-refundable application fee. [for comparison, that's REALLY high. Harvard charges $75, Princeton $65, and Florida State University $30 (though it was $20 back in 2001).] Amy wants to arrange a room on campus that would be large enough for Ricky and John to visit, so she's very upset to learn that she can't live on campus and have overnight guests. [once again, I'm sure she could have known this in advance, especially now that the internet is available!] Ben admits to the financial counselor that he might be there just because he's following Amy, but he likes the school and will come there anyway, even if he also didn't "understand" the Early Decision process. [I'm using different terminology because they're using various phrasing, but it all means the same thing.] Ben plans to get an apartment, and after the counselor suggests he and Amy live together, he thinks about getting a room on campus, too. [both??] Amy hates the idea of going to the same school as Ben, and will hardly even accept a ride to the airport.

facebook.com/secretlife
also, isn't this about the most unflattering outfit ever?

At the community college, Ricky turns in a paper a day late, and his professor is pretty understanding of his childcare issue. Adrian then tells Ricky not to marry Amy, so it seems that she's unknowingly sided with Nora. Of course, Adrian is also upset because Omar has suggested that they move to New York. ["so, what did you get me?" really? at 18-19 years old?]

At the coffeeshop, Jack is approached by a lawyer who wants to sue the school for millions of dollars in punitive damages, and although Grace and Jack's father are both against the idea, Jack worries about his athletic future and is strongly considering it. [I think the "Christian angle" is getting played a little hard here, though.]

At Kathy's house, she continues to tutor Ethan, who is feeling better about his math skills when he learns that Kathy's dad isn't great at algebra, either. [I thought that was awkward.] Kathy's dad calls and Kathy passes the phone to Ethan, who tells him that Don (the babydaddy) is after money, and that's why he's trying to see Kathy and the baby. Kathy and Don talk about the situation, but Ethan gets him to admit that he really is after some moolah.

Amazon's New Comedy Series

The pilots for the Amazon original television pilots became available for viewing on Friday. They've been streaming like crazy (all the links are here), which is great because viewer response will determine which pilots will get a series order! US residents can see all of the pilots, though the full series are designed to be for Amazon Prime members. UK residents can view them through LOVEFILM as well. If you're trying to choose which to view first, here are some hints!

Alpha House, with four senators sharing a rental in Washington, DC, one of whom is played by John Goodman.

Betas was not part of the initial pick-up, but has four friends in Silicon Valley trying to launch an app.

Browsers, a musical set in a Manhattan office, has four young employees working for a news website. The biggest hook, however, is that Bebe Neuwirth is their boss.

Dark Minions, an animated series, focuses on a couple of underachievers "working an intergalactic warship."

The Onion Presents: The News, allegedly illustrates just how far reporters will go for a story at The Onion. Jeffrey Tambor is the star, playing The Onion's oldest and most respected news anchor.

Supanatural follows two retail divas who are also "humanity's last line of defense against the supernatural."

Those Who Can't has three immature, misfit high school teachers who are trying to make a life while plotting revenge against a hot-shot student.

Zombieland wasn't an initial series for Amazon, either, but with the popularity of zombies, it fits that four survivors are rambling around, looking for a home.

I was most excited to give Browsers and Those Who Can't a try, so here's some semi-spoiler thoughts about those pilots...

Browsers began with a warning that musical numbers would be present in the episode, which made me laugh. Similarly, the opening number with everyone's backstories was good. The idea that one of the unpaid interns would be let go after "Winnowing Week" was not so good, especially when the rules aren't clear. In fact, one of the interns (Gabe from Oberlin, Ohio) is fired before the first day is up, as he tried to stick to his principles by screwing up a guest's coffee order. Fortunately, Kate (from Providence) stands up for him and wins him a temporary reprieve. The twenty minutes featured several politically incorrect jokes (that were kinda funny), though the biggest bust was probably Josh (from NJ), who had little to contribute. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Prudence (from LA), who has no trouble finding and sharing links she believes will be hits, as she has passed news on to Tosh.0. The different feels of the musical numbers is nice, but I'm not sure how I feel about Bebe Neuwirth's accent for her role. The show-stopping number was definitely Neuwirth's closing, featuring the new catchphrase, "I'm someone with whom not to f*ck." I look forward to more episodes.

Amazon

Those Who Can't has a gym teacher, a Spanish teacher, and a social studies teacher who gang up on Bryce, a lacrosse athlete who torments them in school and at their homes. The idea that the Spanish instructor is actually teaching the vosotros phrasing is different, but his desperate attempts to woo the librarian are sad. There was definite humor to the shoe, though not in the way the teachers and students talk to one another, which is on the verge of disturbing. Similarly, the sleeves of tattoos was also a bit much for a daily role model.] Things go overboard pretty quickly (and not just with the 100& unbelievable cafeteria lady), as the trio each tries to plant drugs in Bryce's locker, resulting in a wide array of pills and even some heroin. AND, when the kid doesn't get a strong enough punishment, they hire some thugs to beat up Bryce. Though I loved the John Hughes shout-out, the stupidity of these guys can only lead to disappointing further episodes, so don't look for more from me.  

Amazon

I expect The Onion will really draw a crowd, and some early numbers suggest Betas may be pretty popular, but which are you going to check out?

19 Kids & Counting: Working and Working Out

I really like that this season is showcasing something that each of the children is doing, as that's an aspect that has fallen aside for more focus on what the whole family is doing day-to-day. I understand that newer viewers would prefer to see how such a large family manages life, but I feel like we've seen dozens of episodes like that at this point, and it's not really the time to be drawing in more people... the series has about run its course, honestly. I still like to see what some of the children are doing, but when the bulk of this season seems to be JimBob and Josh losing weight, with a few short stories going on about the other 20 "characters," we're not getting anywhere. Thoughts?

19 Kids and Counting "Pushups and Planting" (S07E04): JimBob and Josh have hired a former NFL player as a personal trainer. [I bet it was a trade, not paid work.] They've already made some progress, as JimBob is down to 211 pounds and Josh is at 216. The guys struggle with pushups, and JimBob does twice as many unassisted situps than Josh. [I wouldn't even note it if there was next-to-nothing else to talk about this episode...]

The younger kids have a competition to see if they could grow more plants in the greenhouse or inside the house. They also tie string to trash bags filled with air to fly as "kites." [this family doesn't actually own kites? they've never made them as a homeschool project? #fail.]

TLC

Jill and Jana also have a patient in labor, so they travel to her home, where she delivers safely.

19 Kids and Counting "Coffee & Caricatures" (S07E05): Jessa and Jinger volunteer at Mama Carmen's Espresso Cafe, which raises money for Guatemalan orphans, among other causes. They call 50 friends and family members to invite them to come out for the day, and they end up raising $1,010.41 in donations. [I don't know about you, but I find that impressive!] Jinger is a big coffee drinker, so getting to the shoppe at 5:30am meant trying a lot of different drinks throughout the day. [years ago, I worked below a pizza place/coffeeshop and got to try tons of drinks - so much fun!] When the Duggar family comes in, each asks for their own drinks, resulting in 10 smoothies and a bunch of coffee beverages.  

Jackson and Johannah decide to draw pictures of the family for $1 each to earn money for a present for Josh & Anna's new baby. [cute idea.] They got the idea from the Japanese caricatures. They make $10 and plan to get some cars and a ball, assuming it's a boy. [which we know it is, thanks to Today.]

Bates Motel: Things Are Getting Weirder!

Norman's voicemail for Bradley was very annoying. Of course, it was probably typical for an awkward teenager, but that's why you don't have sex in high school. Similarly, when Norman tells Emma that he slept with Bradley, Emma believes that it was just a one-time thing, not that her two peers are now "together." I had never even heard of such casual encounters that young! Okay, sorry for the mini-rant. The freaky things that happen around town have been getting more and more extreme, which, although frightening, is quite intriguing. It makes it more difficult to turn away from the drama, but I'm okay with that... at least for now. Any predictions for how intense events will become next?

Bates Motel "Ocean View" (S01E05): When Norman gets home from spending the night at Bradley's, Dylan tells him of their mother's arrest. The boys go down to the jail to ask Norma what they can do, as her bail is set for $100,000. Norman decides to use the deed to the motel as collateral, then has Emma drive him to a bailbondsman.

Joseph Lederer

When Norma is released, she ignores Norman, upset that he "went out and got laid" the night she was arrested. [don't you just love selfish people?] She's also upset that Norman told Dylan their "personal business." [I can get on board with that anger.] Norma actually forces Norman out of the car, and when Dylan finds out, it reinforces his concern for his brother. One of his coworkers fronts him $5,000, but the guy is shot in the neck immediately afterward. [everything is so crazy here!] Dylan takes him to the ER and then leaves, but when he later sees the killer, he runs him over in the truck. [the blatant disregard for humanity is disturbing.] Later, Norma meets Shelby for the last time in a while, which upsets her. At the station, Shelby messes with the computer system to take down the cameras, then steals Keith's watch fro the evidence room. [so, Shelby is undoubtedly a bad guy now!] So, when Norma's attorney files to run tests on the carpet fibers, they find out they've gone missing.

Norman tells Emma about the imprisoned girl he found, and Emma looks up some titling information online to get an idea of where she might be now. [I don't know if I would have come up with the ideas she did!] It seems likely that Shelby and Keith were business partners to some degree, so they check out a boat of Keith's, where they find the girl. [what in the world are they going to do with her??!?] They take her to the motel, which causes Norma to learn about the situation, though she refuses to believe that Shelby would keep a sex slave.

Archer - Papal Tail of the Dragon...

Archer "The Papal Chase" (S04E11): 

From the Diary of Archer Sterling...

ISIS was a freaking mess as Mother was preparing for... something. The Vatican calls in need of agents to prevent an assassination. Because she couldn't send Lana [black] or Ray [flaming] or Cyril [afraid of anything Churchy?], I was the obvious choice. Somehow, Pam, Lana, I, AND Woodhouse ended up going on the mission...

Just great... I end up in Rome with no Italian skills, relying on Pam and a high-as-hell Woodhouse. Luckily, Lana unknowingly walked a bag of heroine through security. After nearly killing the Pope, we make the swap, but forgot all the weapons in the hotel room, so when the bad guys show up the entire group makes a run for it. Pam keeps falling into Woodhouse and getting stuck with his drug needles... when did he become such an addict?

I find a Fiat-looking micro car and get us away from the shooting mob of Swiss guards, but Pam and I get into a slap fight after she insisted on driving. We determine that the cardinal is really behind the assassination, and not the Swiss guard. Lana takes the wheel and I jump to the other car and shove a flare into the gas tank, saving the day and the mission, again. Apparently, ISIS has a reputation for blowing it, which the Cardinal was counting on. And wouldn't you know it, Pam marches right home and tells Mother... snitch.

FX Network

Archer - Huge Freakin' Dog

Archer "Un Chien Tangerine" (S04E10): 

From the Diary of Archer Sterling...

Like any good story, this one starts naked in bed. Morocco is great... I think. I was insanely drunk and don't really remember, but we were there to extract an agent who wouldn't activate his GPS beacon.

I do an awesome job losing a tail right after Lana interrupts an awesome conversation about opossum and prehensile tails. We get to the agent's location and a huge, gun-hating dog... who turns out to be Kazak, our agent. Mother ignored Lana's phone call, so we get to take the dog with us. For some reason, the tic-tacs I feed him gave him gas.

FX Network

Pam decides to become a field agent and took the IFAAB - ISIS Field Agent Aptitude Battery. Her perfect score didn't convince Mother. But oddly enough, Lana bailed in the middle of the desert after we couldn't ride the hovercraft out of the country and had to drive across the desert. I was sad too, but that's no reason to quit on me, and our new, massive, canine friend.

After a serious talk with Kazak, I turned around to go get Lana and called Mother to move the extraction point to my cell signal. Kazak saves Lana from some bad guys who picked her up and we get the microfilm he was carrying. I need to work with huge dogs more often.

Archer - Both Columns

Archer "The Honeymooners" (S04E09): 

From the Diary of Archer Sterling...

Lana had some issues getting into character as my shiny new bride while undercover going after some uranium... her butt is getting massive by the way. Pam got to torture Cyril about us staying in the honeymoon suite alone together, so totally worth it right off the bat...

While Cheryl tried to convince Pam and Cyril to swing by the zoo for tranquilizers on the way to spy on us, Lana was being a stick in the mud and wouldn't help order room service. PS: The room rocks... hot tub in one corner and a wall-sized aquarium opposite it, but no, Lana kept focused on that 'nation-state equivalent of the short bus.' (We all know what country I mean...) Mother started flipping out because the charge for the room went on her credit card, which I stole.

FX Network

Lana was so impatient she went and tried to climb the outside of the building without me... but then, I got my bonus... my little bonus. I rushed out and climbed up the side of the hotel to catch Lana because she wouldn't freakin' check her bonus on her phone, and guess what: she got a DOUBLE BONUS, mine included. Mother is a vindictive psycho, because then she also put her agent in charge.

Moving on... Cheryl, Pam, and Cyril crash in a room with a view of all our action, as we then get tied up in the North Koreans' room. I save Lana's life for the second time in 10 minutes, and eventually Cyril shows up and creates a lot of smoke in their room somehow. Seriously, I have no idea where the smoke came from! Mission completed, but then Mother takes both our bonuses to pay the hotel bill because Cheryl won't use her amazing owner powers to make it disappear.  And we didn't even catch the madman with the uranium... yea for Lana in charge! Not.

Teen Mom 2: Kailyn's Engaged, Leah's Married, Chelsea Moved...

... and Jenelle sucks. No, seriously. This episode was nothing but more examples of how she is really unprepared to live as an adult. Not that the other ladies were shining examples this time around, but Jenelle was laughable. I have really lost interest in how all four of their lives are going, so hopefully we're only a few wrap-ups away from this series being over. Do you agree or are you still intrigued with how these girls are living their lives?

Teen Mom 2 "For Love and Money" (S04E10):Kailyn: Javi and Isaac put together a proposal, and Javi and Kailyn head to the courthouse soon afterward to get their marriage license. She still hasn't told Jo, but is planning to add in the part about a potential move when she does break the news.

MTV

Jenelle: She hasn't been making as much money at her "online job," so she can't pay her rent. [because her cell phone bill comes first, you guys.] Barbara wants to help Jenelle figure out her finances, especially if she and Kieffer (her new roommate after her former one became homesick and returned to New York) are making most of their money selling hand-carved pipes online. [is there really a large market for that?] Jace turns 3, and they have a party at a gymnastics center, where Jenelle thinks her son should enroll for lessons. [I agree with Barbara - where's the money for that?? also, Jenelle feels it's appropriate to roll up her shorts and bare her midriff at the party?] She also drops out of school because the Gary thing and her surgery put her behind. [so she's back to going nowhere...]

Chelsea: She moves into a new place and goes out for her 21st birthday. [she's so awkward about drinking "legally."] Next up, Aubree turns 3!

Leah: Her dad visits for a few days before Leah's wedding, and she talks about having not seen him since she was 13. [is Leah's sister also trying to rekindle her relationship with her father?] It rains on her wedding day, so they marry under an umbrella. [lol, this is why you don't have outdoor weddings! I can only think of a ONE I've attended where it DIDN'T rain!]

HIMYM: Marshall and Lily to go Abroad??

Ted is no longer allowed to talk to girls as far as I'm concerned. Seeing him get weak in the knees (while sitting down, no less) chatting with women has been getting more and more annoying, as we know that none of them will turn out to be "the mother" before we get to Robin & Barney's wedding day. Although, that seems like the smallest of concerns right now... Marshall and Lily moving to Italy is a much bigger deal. I mean, can you picture Marshall actually living like this?

Cliff Lipson/CBS

On that note, I really loved Marshall using the same eight words in Italian over and over but the captions all saying different things. Long live "come on, bro. Don't Bogart all the Funions." As soon as CBS announced that the sitcom would be getting a ninth season, I began to wonder how much of the eighth season was written to end the series, and I think we're starting to see that quite a bit is. How many times have you seen a television program come to an end because the main character(s) were moving? More than I can count, that's for sure!

How I Met Your Mother "Romeward Bound" (S08E21): The Captain is moving to Rome for a year and would like Lily to move with him, but she's afraid that Marshall would resent being a stay-at-home dad for the duration. [though he wouldn't actually have to be...] She decides to turn down the job without even consulting her husband, but when she goes to see Marshall at work, she learns that the firm has had no business for a while, and they're down to just 2-3 people. [that sucks.] When Lily tells him about the opportunity, he's in love with the idea, so he rushes off to The Captain to get Lily the option back. But, when it's offered again, she declines once more, afraid that she actually sucks at her job. [I can relate to this, but only to a certain degree. If you can do it in Manhattan, chances are that you're decent. It's not like she'd be moving from middle-of-nowhere, Plains State!] In the end, they decide to go. [wow, this will surely be a big change!]  

At the bar, Barney and Ted are trying to get a woman to remove her coat to reveal her hott body, but Robin then reminds her fiance that the girl in question is their wedding planner. [hahaha! my wedding planner was also quite attractive. maybe it's one of those industries? you know, like pharmaceutical reps, LoL?] Barney tries to be like Marshall and not exude desperation when he asks a girl to remove his coat, and when he succeeds, he's proud. [and I'm shrugging because it doesn't matter.]

2 Broke Girls: Some Things are Worth the Splurge...

I don't care if it gets raunchy... this show is SO funny! I love it. One joke in particular stands out, but that's probably because I've had a similar experience. At the clinic, Max counts the patients in the room to see what the odds are that Caroline has herpes, based on the "fact" that "1 in 6 people have herpes." So, back in high school, a billboard went up in my area that said "1 in 40 black men in ___ have AIDS," (I no longer remember if it was within the county, the state, etc.) but my first peer to spot it read it as "1 in 4," so that day we heard a lot of "1, 2, 3, AIDS!" in the cafeteria. It was hilarious, then horrible, then by the next day we knew the correct number. Regardless, I found the similarity funny, as did my husband.

That's not to say that the series is flawless, of course, because one of the clear problems in this episode is that the girls only make $4, despite the fact that it's clear Max sold ALL of the cupcakes she baked for that day... I can't be the only one bothered by that obvious mistake, right? 

2 Broke Girls "And the Worst Selfie Ever" (S02E21): The girls hit up an "under a dollar" store, where they buy a chair, sheets, and steak. [whoa. that's quite the variety!] But, the chair and sheets soon rip. Caroline is upset that the sheets are ruined, so she calls CandyAndy to come over and have sex. It's her first "booty call" (even if it was a "booty tweet"), and it soon becomes clear that she wants him back. Max tells Caroline that Andy is sleeping around, so a relationship isn't in the cards, but she begins to panic over a new problem... she experiences some itching and a rash of some kind that leads her to think Andy gave her an STI. Caroline uses her phone to take a picture, comparing it to images online and showing Max and Sophie before taking it to a clinic. [really? why were people interested in seeing that??]

Monty Brinton/CBS

A blood test costs $250, so Caroline meets Andy to ask for a loan. [awkward!] He claims he's been "safe" but will get tested the next day. [weird "let's get married" line. it's also implied he gave Caroline the money for her own test.] The receptionist comes to the diner to let Caroline know about her negative results on the sly. [I thought that was funny!] Turns out, it was just an allergic reaction to the dryer ball from the "under $1 store. [why was that anywhere near her area?] Oh, and because Max sees a former hook-up at the clinic, she decides to get tested, too, and is also clean. [39 guys??] The whole thing makes Caroline realize that she needs the cupcake business so that she can ignore the needs of her lady parts. [odd phrasing, but we all know that corporate-minded Caroline needs business to take her mind off pleasure.]

Meanwhile, at the diner, Max tries to help Han's online dating profile after one match takes a look at him and leaves. [Earl: "Jesus is coming back before she is." ha!] However, Max ends up setting him up with one of the girls on WebMD who had a similar-looking condition to Caroline's! [blech!]

Cupcakery Savings: $205.00

Secret Life: Will Ricky & Amy be Together Forever?

I'm not saying that nothing happened this episode, but I was really waiting for something exciting to happen. I mean, when Ricky missing a day of school to care for his son is the most interesting event, I think it's a swing and a miss. Ricky and John spending the day together effectively did nothing for being such a large segment of the episode. Unless, of course, it's a preview of sorts to Ricky being a single parent, but I don't think that will end up the case. Speaking of parenting, I had completely forgotten that the pastor isn't Jack's biological father... was that a first-season storyline? (this site started covering the series at the start of its second season.) Anyway, it seems that the time has come to really start questioning whether Ricky and Amy will be "together forever" like this final batch of episodes keeps promoting... thoughts?

facebook.com/secretlife

The Secret Life of the American Teenager "Fraid So" (S05E17): John bites a kid at daycare so Ricky has to take the day off from school and work to watch him, as George and Margaret are both working. [those twins are starting to have different looks, LoL.] Leo sends Nora to work at the butcher shop to help out Bunny and suggests she put in a good word with George on using them as the restaurant's meat supplier. [how did I NOT see this coming??] Nora shows up at Ricky's after the butcher shop and offers to help with childcare more, saying that she's "okay now." When he turns her down, she admits that she doesn't think he and Amy should marry. [after all the previews that showed Ricky crying, I wasn't that touched that it was over something Nora said!] After that, Nora decides to start looking for an apartment, though she's also started attending extra meetings to curb her drinking. [only a handful of episodes left and a character might fall off the wagon... odd plotline...] Back at Ricky's, Amy calls, saying that she doesn't want to lose him. Ben, on the other hand, moves to a hotel suite to avoid the noise on campus, bringing a girl with him. [privileged kids! he's just fonna "get a suite" like it's nothing! in Manhattan!] Oh, and Chloe thinks that Amy wanted Ben to know her flight information, so she left her plans in the copy machine at school, and Ben conveniently changed his flight to match hers. [because, you know, changing your flight the day you leave is no big deal... ::eye roll::] 

George goes to Jack's dad about him having a gun, while Jack tells Tom that he can't get Chloe's pimp's face out of his head. After that, George takes Jack home to sleep at his house, but Jack will only sleep sharing a bed. [awww.] Jack repeatedly chickens out of going to a therapist, but George eventually goes with him to Dr. Fields' office. [everyone in town uses the same therapist... gotta love it.] Jack asks the therapist about his religion, and when he won't respond, Jack is wary of talking. However, he soon starts admitting his vulnerability, and even moves to sleeping at his parents' house, even though he wants them to sleep in the same room to make him feel better. [it's a start!]

Kathy's grandmother will let her be alone with Ethan to do homework, but he's afraid of being trusted. [what an odd problem.] He calls Ricky, who tells him not to go. He goes anyway, but when they get started, Kathy's babydaddy shows up, wanting to marry Kathy and ask for the return of the baby from the couple who adopted her. [this kid is crazy!!] Ethan asks Ricky to come over and talk about how difficult it is to be a father, but he's overly busy after missing school. Ethan then suspects that the babydaddy is there for something besides Kathy or the baby. [like...?]

Go On: Dumping Janie

"Beard-O" and "Loudy." Those are the types of nicknames that the group gives to one another. Makes you wonder how long a first-time viewer will stay tuned in, huh? Similarly, I continue to find it a bit odd how often Ryan "sees" his dead wife, but maybe it was less creepy in this episode because it's told as a flashback rather than have Ryan just see her appear in his everyday life. I think the most problematic thing about this episode (along with it being the funniest, actually), is that the group members actually realized that they are making no progress. Obviously, this has to continue in order for the show to work (although transitioning new members wouldn't be a bad thing, necessarily), but it's depressing to think that you've now watched 22 episodes of a talk show host in group therapy where he's made very little progress in grieving his wife's untimely death. Should this series be granted a second season, what would you change?

Go On "Urn-ed Run" (S01E22): In group, Lauren brings out new props and personalized healing portfolios for everyone, with tasks that include George forgiving his boss and Ryan finally spreading his wife's ashes. [when you're single, you have time to do these things...] See, Ryan has struggled with doing so because he made his wedding to Janie bigger than she wanted, so he wants the disposal of her ashes to be perfect. Ryan dumps the ashes in a lake from a covered bridge, and Steven sings a hymn in an odd manner. [but if it would have made Janie happy...] But, Mr. K. realizes that it was Bisquick, not Janie's actual ashes. [anyone else weirded out by that??]

So, Anne and Mr. K. set out to help Ryan by stealing Janie's ashes and leaving a ransom note. [how peculiar!] Steven and Ryan catch up to them but Anne accidentally puts the urn on the roof of someone's car and that person drives off, busting the vase on the asphalt of a gas station. [I can't imagine how much that must suck!] In thinking back to his wedding, Ryan realizes that he took Janie to the batting cages so she could get out her stress, so he sprinkles the small amount of ashes that remain over the plate. [an odd choice, I thought.] 

Photo by: Justin Lubin/NBC

Everyone begins to realize that they're all still miserable... forcing Lauren to question if she's making any difference at all. Yolanda and Sonia try to help Lauren by faking a "simple but meaty" problem for their leader to fix, so they pretend a coworker has passed away. But, Lauren shows up at the hospital to help the girls' coworkers, so they have to get a bunch of people to act out scenarios for Lauren. But, Sonia blows it as soon as Lauren starts talking. [man... I thought we'd wind up with some great lines from what Yolanda scripted, too!] In the end, however, some of the girls get a little closure... Lauren burns her wedding invitations, Yolanda her wedding dress, and Anne a piece of art that her wife bought. [why not sell the dress and the painting??]

Fun Friday: Betting on Renewals and Cancellations

It can be a depressing time of year for a lot of people. We're only a month out from Network Upfronts Week (May 13-16 this year), and although we've already seen many cancellations and heard about many upcoming new pilots, there are still quite a few shows up for renewal, both freshman and returning. Back in January we did a Midseason Checkup on how the first-season scripted shows were doing so far. But, at that point there were still quite a few that hadn't even debuted, so a lot has changed. (and, actually, there still are some shows that have not seen the light of day yet, like Crossbones, Friend Me, The Goodwin Games, Save Me, Family Tools, and Mistresses.) That said, I wanted to go ahead and start predicting how things will go for freshmen series and the older series that this site follows. Again, this only covers the programming on the big five broadcast networks. If a show isn't on this list and you expected it to be, that's because its fate has already been announced, so check here.  

and, not, I didn't try to make the sections near-even, that's just a coincidence.

I think it'll be renewed:
Beauty and the Beast. While the numbers are decent for a series on the CW, there are many cable series that do better. Still, I think it's good enough for the situation. [update: we were right!]
Chicago Fire. Not the highest numbers, but the series is getting a spin-off, so you'd think they'd keep this around for some early publicity, crossovers, etc. [update: we were right!]
Golden Boy. The numbers are decent, but CBS can afford to be picky, so that might work against this drama. Still, the critics are more favorable than not on it, and although it's not my cup of tea, I could see it getting a second chance. [update: we were wrong!] 
Hannibal. For a series about the famed Dr. Lecter, it did not open well, and the second episode did about the same. It could be advantageous that the series does not plan full seasons but just 13-episode installments, and it's hard to make a judgment call after just two airings, but I think NBC could work with this.
How to Live With Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life). It could be a good fit for ABC, maybe even joining the TGIF lineup if the network could scare up some more family comedies to throw in there. After two episodes, it's still early, but the numbers are decent, even if it does have Modern Family as a lead-in at the moment. [update: we were wrong!]
Last Man Standing. (listed because it's one of the few non-freshman network series we cover that has not yet been renewed/canceled) The numbers are high enough for a renewal, and although I don't think the stories are going anywhere, I think it's a safe show for ABC's Friday night lineup. [update: we were right!]
Malibu Country. The numbers aren't where they could be, but the stories could go far, plus it pairs well following Last Man Standing. [update: we were wrong!]
The Middle. (listed because it's one of the few non-freshman network series we cover that has not yet been renewed/canceled) The numbers are better than last year's and the storylines could easily keep going, so I don't know why this would get canceled. [update: we were right!]
Nashville. The numbers aren't terrible for a 10pm slot, and it got decent critical praise. [update: we were right!]
The Neighbors. The numbers are on the weaker side and it's not a critical favorite, but it's high-concept and fits into the "family" block on Wednesday nights. [update: we were right!]

I think it'll be canceled:
1600 Penn. The numbers are absolutely abysmal, and the comedy packs in too much drama. [update: we were right!]
The Carrie Diaries. The CW operates by slightly different rules, but this series still has weaker numbers than Emily Owens, MD, and that's already been canceled. [update: we were wrong!]
Deception. The numbers are poor and there are two episodes to air that aren't even scheduled at the moment, which is not a good sign. [update: we were right!]
Go On. The numbers suggest that it just fell too far. Combined with a last-minute timeslot move and the very droll plots, I don't see this going anywhere. [Update: we were right!]
Guys with Kids. The numbers were never great for this one, and it aired against the more-established family comedy block on ABC on Wednesdays. It never even got a full season pickup, so as much as it pains me, I don't think it'll make it. [update: we were right!]
The New Normal. The numbers have been on a downward slope, and I think the stories would be scattered should the series continue. [update: we were right!]
Red Widow. The numbers are dropping, and month-long gap between the last episode and the next won't help anybody. [update: we were right!]
Revolution. The numbers have been falling drastically since the pilot, and it's a bit too high-concept for the show to try and "solve" the problem of the power so soon. [update: we were wrong!]
Vegas. The numbers have been pretty steady, although the move to Friday will keep many guessing as to how the remaining five episodes will do. Still, it's a big-budget show, and although another network might risk another season, CBS may not. [update: we were right!]

what do you think will happen? check out the poll to the right and let us know which series you think will be renewed!

The Middle: Brick & Camping, Sue & Darrin

I feel like this is one of those episodes that is unfortunately mis-titled. The "Dollar Days" was not a huge part of the episode, nor did we even learn much about what it was, aside from some sort of local festival that uses its own currency and hosts music groups. Speaking of which, the kids in the background singing "Tomorrow" from Annie was amusing. Anyway, the most amusing part of the episode is tied between how Frankie could possibly be on the job market already and whether Brick has actually found something that is truly capturing his interest. Four episodes left in the season, so both storylines have time to go someplace, even if we won't see another installment until May. Any predictions for what's left to see this season?

The Middle "Dollar Days" (S04E20): Brick joins the Prairie Scouts and soon goes camping. When Mike drops off Brick he learns that the parent in charge is a bit "out there," so he volunteers to take the kids camping in his backyard instead. [good for him!] The other children in the group are from Brick's social skills class, so each ends up needing to go home at some point in the night, forcing Mike to drive all of the kids over to each one's house. But, Brick actually makes it through the night in the tent and earns his second badge!

ABC/Michael Ansell

Frankie graduates from Orson Technical Institute with her certificate in dental hygiene, and promptly starts applying for jobs, though she struggles to "sell herself" in the interviews. [I totally thought that dental hygiene would require two years, not a single semester...] She tries to learn more about herself by asking the family and then taking online personality quizzes, but she winds up landing a position because she's a mother and the office has a lot of pediatric patients. [this could lead to some hilarious scenarios! also, the words the family used to describe Frankie include lazy, angry, tired, naggy, irritable, and ungrateful.] 

Axl gets the band a gig, but Sue and Darrin gang up on him a little with an idea for more percussion and a name that includes all of the members, "DaSeanAx." [not a great name regardless.] Darrin and Axl wind up fighting, and Sue takes a punch when she gets in the crossfire. [ouch!] She decides to end the relationship because she doesn't want to ruin her brother's friendship. [awww.]