The Watcher: 02/25/11 - 03/03/11

S01E07 - "I See Your True Colors and That's Why I Hate You" (28 February 2011) - Danny's a dick who I hope sees some really dark days coming up real soon, and Josh tries to reassert himself into his old family life after the injuries sister Emily sustained. Turns out that didn't do go well. He has a weird family. Explains his minor quirks, really. Aidan is still all broody and trying to maintain order with Bishop and this Marcus dude who seemingly wants to be in power and lead the vamps, but Aidan surprisingly gets this super hilarious moment fanging-out at Josh's family dinner. That was some brilliant writing right there. The whole bit with Sally and Danny and whats-her-face was pulled directly from the UK series, and I hope it gets resolved as such. I hate Danny, but at the same time, it's sort of impressive how much he can spin a story his direction. Overall, a very character driven story focusing on Josh - which I approve - and I hope we can see more of his family life before the season concludes. Feels like we're covering a lot of ground in a short span of time. Plus, I love Emily, she is friggin' awesome. Score: 9.2/10

S04E17 - "Chuck Vs. the First Bank of Evil" (28 February 2011) - That was a really fun episode from beginning to end, and I'm really digging this Vivian Volkoff storyline and can't wait to see where her character ends up. I know this will sound super nerdy, but I'm sorta relating the whole Vivian storyline to Anakin Skywalker, being torn between two parties with different ideologies and agendas. The bank heist was excellently executed, and for once I dug the wedding talk between Chuck and Sarah (and indeed she did look gorgeous in that dress). From the looks of it, the second half of season four is going to have stronger storytelling, what with the Volkoff plot, the secret CIA plot with Casey and (now) Morgan, and the wedding. Awesomeness. Score: 9.7/10

S03E15 - "Subject 13" (25 February 2011) - Although the episode was quite clever, I'm still not entirely sold on Peter and Olivia meeting each other (and being on friendlyish terms) back in their childhood years. From the sounds of it, this was all planned from the early days of the show, but at the same time, it just feels...wrong. That said, this show itself was still spectacular. The reveal at the end that Olive crossed over without realizing it and revealing to Walternate that there is another universe - that was breathtaking and brilliant. It's also magnificent how they are adding so many layers to Walter, how they show he has his limits, he has a conscious, and he's not just a mad scientist as we were led to believe in the first season and an half. "Subject 13" was a good episode, but it feels more like a placeholder for the events to come. Score: 8.5/10

S02E04 - "For Blood or Money" (2 March 2011) - There were bits and pieces of fun, and definitely lots of little nibbits of hints as to what will be coming later this season, but "For Blood or Money" was largely focused on a character we don't hear much from, Rachel, and the major storyline of the season - and Raylan himself - are sorta thrown to the curb. And in true JUSTIFIED fashion, the antagonist of the week is beautifully humanized. This man is simply trying to see his son to give him a Chiniese-speaking Furbott for his birthday. That's all. Instead of disliking the man for shooting a dude in the hand, commandeering a car, and nearly beating his boss to unconsciousness, you feel bad for this dude, and the scene where he finally gets to see his kid is sweet and fantastic. All that said, though, I'm kind of getting ancy with Boyd. Maybe it's Goggins, or the writing, but I'm just not feeling him this year. Next week looks very Boyd-centric, so perhaps that will be remedied. Score: 8.6/10

S01E16 - "Echoes" (24 February 2011) - And with that NIKITA is off the airwaves for a long ass time, and one hell of a cliffhanger to end things on. Michael has caught on with the connection between Nikita and Alex, and things ain't gonna be the same again. Alex undergoes some interesting therapeutic sessions with Amanda, who hopes to find out what deep dark secret she harbors. Although effective, they didn't reach the emotional complexity or drama I was hoping for, the introspective into Alex's mind. Instead it was interesting but overall flat. Plus that whole bit with who Alex was running from - way too predictable. Do the writers really find us that dumb, ladies and gents? I was hoping for something a little bit more...intricate. Score: 8.9/10

S01E07 - "Michelle" (28 February 2011) - And SKINS gets back on track with another emotionally wrenching episode that showcases some strong performances and the promise of real character development from the first to last episode [thus far, Chris seems to be the only one without substantial progress]. Michelle gains some backbone and finally makes the sensible decision to leave Tony, and Tony being Tony tries to fix everything, and Stanley ends up being the person Michelle turns to. Yea, I liked this episode. I just wished they brought up the previous close friendship between Michelle and Stanley more earlier this season, as it seemed it was more of a one-sided attraction. Nevertheless, Michelle kicking Tony out of her bed and never to be approached again was spectacular to watch, and seeing Michelle grow will definitely be interesting...if a season 2 is in the works. Score: 9.6/10



S10E15 - "Fortune" (25 February 2011) - SMALLVILLE's answer to HANGOVER, Clark's bachelor party gets jinxed by Zantanna and they all go and have 'emselves a bit too much fun and spend the following morning trying to remember it all. There's decent amount of funny, but nothing can compare to Tess and Emil singing Elvis (as screencaped above). Brilliant. And how sweet is it that Chloe and Olliver are married? Awwww. But if this is indeed Allison Mack's last episode as Chloe Sullivan, than the Powers That Be has royally screwed us over with the foreshadowing hints all these years. Sure, I don't doubt it 'feels' nice to give Chloe a happy ending, but all the hints of the past nine and a half years was that something really freakin' bad happened to Chloe and THAT's why she isn't mentioned in Superman continuity. I was really looking forward to that tragic thing happening, which seemed to be promised in "Collateral." Nonetheless, "Fortune" was a fun episode, but an unfortunate diversion of the greater storyline to be served. But I guess with the series wrapping, they need to get their goofy stories out now. Score: 8.6/10

S06E15 - "The French Mistake" (25 February 2011) - That video above just might be the best three minutes of any television show the entire year. "We need all three of that crap." To say this super meta episode of SUPERNATURAL was a success is a major understatement. Not only was "The French Mistake" the personification of hilarious perfection, but it also served the greater story of Heaven's anarchy and that what the Winchesters do matter, something they've been struggling with since season two. You don't need to be a SUPERNATURAL fan to enjoy the episode. Anyone who loves TV owes it to themselves to watch "The French Mistake." Brilliant. Slow-motion Kripke death? Brilliant. Score: 9.9/10












S02E07 - "Uneasy Lies The Head" (1 March 2011) - Really, V, really? Hobbes and Erica have hot ferocious animal sex. Meh. Did you really have to go that route? On the plus side, the woman Hobbes was in love with and heard the brief (LAME!) audio recording two episodes ago resurfaces here. Nice that the writers remembered that. Erica makes more impassioned speeches about why she's the new Fifth Column leader. Lame. Boring. Jack had a conscious now about the right and wrongs of what they're doing and the casualties that will result from it. That just shows how ineffective and worthless Erica & Co's plots have been a whole season and a half if someone is just now criticizing the morality of their actions. On the small plot side: this thing that's killing the possible breeding candidates seems interesting, Marcus being in the kahoots with the original Queen, and Lisa growing 'em balls promises something good might come out of this mess after all. Score: 7.2/10