HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER: Duel Citizenship

Are you ready to talk aboot last night’s episode, eh?

Tonight was all about what people may have to let go. For Robin, she had to decide what to do regarding her citizenry in order to avoid deportation. Meanwhile Ted had to come to terms with his place in Marshall and Lily’s relationship.

Let me take a moment to gripe then we can continue on.

I know Lily and Marshall always had a freakishly close relationship. What I don’t understand is why at this point in their relationship are they even more completely glued to one another? They aren’t newlyweds any more. Heck, they aren’t even that young of a couple. They’ve been together for a dozen years. I’m also having a hard time grasping how Ted can be unaware of some Lilyisms. Not only has Ted known Lily as long as Marshall has, but he has also lived with her. There is no way he didn’t know about Lily’s bladder issues.

We’ve learned that he and Robin never double dated with Lily or Marshall and now that he has never taken a road trip with both of them nor know about her constant need to pee. This all rings so false to me. I’m playing the “Friends” card here. While I loved “Friends,” I had issues when they would just randomly come up with a new trait for characters that was not there before, just to fit in with the episode they wanted to write. I feel like this has been happening a lot on HIMYM lately. It’s pulling me out of the story.

OK, rant over. No more complaints from this sentence on.

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Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Long time, no blog. Thanks to all of you for your patience as of late. I know GMMR has been a bit of a drag lately, but hopefully things will get back on track soon.  The emails I’ve received have been so sweet and I can’t thank you enough for your well wishes.  I’m still dealing with my back issues, but I’m going to another doctor today so hopefully we’ll get some good news soon.   You know there is pain involved when yours truly spends all day on the couch and yet doesn’t turn on the TV. Yikes! I’m so far behind.

But I thought I could at least take a look at tonight’s TV schedule.  I’ll be posting updates from Team GMMR when I can.

What will YOU be watching?

The Biggest Loser | 8pm on NBC
“Buried Treasure”
Two teams head to the beach to dig for buried treasure; one team goes home to emotional reunions with loved ones, while the other tries to make the most of time alone on campus.

90210 | 8pm on The CW
“Unmasked”
On Halloween, Adrianna tries to deal with the end of her relationship with Navid; Silver and Kelly disagree about caring for Jackie; Silver discovers she has more in common with Teddy; Naomi and Jamie have an intimate conversation.

NCIS | 8pm on CBS
“Code of Conuct”
A Marine who was a practical joker is found dead on Halloween, and the team believes his death may have been a grave payback for one of his pranks.

NCIS: Los Angeles | 9pm on CBS
“Killshot”
Following a murder, the secrets to classified software are thought to be lost until NCIS uncovers a suspect from Vance’s past.

(More of tonight’s TV spotlight after the jump)

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Melrose Place | 9pm on The CW

Ella and Riley arrive at the Anton V photo shoot and meet the photographer, who tries to persuade Riley to do a topless shoot; Jonah is invited for drinks with a producer’s development executive; Violet makes another play for Auggie.

NCIS: Los Angeles | 9pm on CBS

Following a murder, the secrets to classified software are thought to be lost until NCIS uncovers a suspect from Vance’s past.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Lost Girls

Alright, so last night’s Vampire Diaries? Awesome. Definitely my favorite episode of the season, although I did miss Caroline (Bonnie, not so much). I could actually go for it if they were to keep this sort of set up going, with some Stefan, Elena, and Damon, and maybe one other side story. But obviously all the shocking stuff that happened kept it exciting too, right?

Obviously, the biggie was Elena finding out about Stefan. For me, Paul Wesley could not have nailed that scene any harder–he was absolute perfection there. Obviously I’m not an actor (heck, I’m not even a good liar), but I’ve got to think that one of the hardest things would be to show multiple emotions with your face at once. I feel like we’ve seen Ian Somerhalder do it once on this show, and now PW, and I’m really excited for the show that they got two actors who can believably pull that off. I LOVED the way he looked at her when she asked what he was, and he had this combination of disappointment but not surprise, almost like inevitability, mixed with sadness that things were going to change, and sorrow that this is how things were,but also with a lot of love for her in there too. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again–it’s really a shame that CW shows can’t get respect for acting and storytelling, because this was really good stuff.

This scene also rang truer on Elena’s end than say … Bella’s. Elena was understandably freaked out, afraid, and upset, and who can blame her? And Nina Dobrev did a great job showing that–I totally bought it. She was good at being mad AND at being scared–really nice job.

You know, I love that Stefan won’t ever just let her walk away–I think that’s a really good element of that relationship. I love that he’s as honest with her as he can be and when he can’t protect her from the truth anymore then he lays it all out there. You get the feeling when he’s telling her everything that he really does care about her and that he is willing to risk his own safety to treat her right by being honest with her. I just like it. And I like that he was hanging around outside her house making sure Damon didn’t come over to do anything to her–it was caring without being completely creepy.

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SMALLVILLE: Echo

I have to say I honestly didn’t enjoy last night’s episode of Smallville’s Echo all that much. I am not a fan of the Toyman and the supposed date between Clark and Lois ended quickly. I really thought the writers would give us a little more to go on but instead they pulled the plug before the night even began. Disappointing, but the mind reading throughout the episode was pretty funny along with her desire to go to the Monster Truck rally! Hearing Lois’ thoughts (about wearing the right underwear and Clark’s handsome stature) was interesting. She comes off so tough but really has a softer side this season.

Definitely a good way to ease fans into the Clark/Lois love storyline. Otherwise I don’t think they could have pulled it off with Lois’ normal pit bull attitude. They should make her a tad more suspicious though. Lois isn’t dumb but they make her completely blind to Clark’s super lightning speed arrivals and the fact that he seems to disappear all the time. Yes, she does question some of his actions but not enough in my opinion. Instead she’s reading him all wrong and misinterpreting his true feelings by thinking he is only out to get the scoop on a story before her. The opposite of the historical Lois Lane who is not only beautiful but brainy.

One of the highlights of Echo that redeemed itself for me was the Oliver/Tess twist. Tess actually showed a caring side before quickly snapping back into her evil self. Out to collect Oliver for an appearance in front of the shareholders, Tess rescues the drunken Green Arrow in a Spanish bar after he insults someone’s wife. The guy is really down on himself lately after the death of Jimmy. He’s also feeling pretty bad for himself when it comes to the death of his parents and who he has become. The Queen name and money is the only thing he has going for himself and after one of his companies is blown u by the Toyman he doesn’t even bat an eye. Instead he takes off in an effort to drink himself into a fog before Tess comes to his rescue. I have a feeling that Clark will be saving the Green Arrow a lot this season.

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SUPERNATURAL: I Believe the Children Are Our Future

First, let me apologize for missing the recap last week and I swear it had nothing to do with my irrational dislike of Paris Hilton. Long story short, I had no internet or television for FIVE DAYS because some workmen severed my line right before (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend, so I didn’t even get to watch it until earlier this week. I actually thought that P Hilt held her own well enough and made some good points about our culture’s out-of-control celebrity worship (even though you know that the real P Hilt is only who she is because of said worship – sigh, if only she listened to her lines more carefully). I especially loved Sam going all “off with her head” – highly satisfying. It was really nice to have an old-fashioned monster of the week type episode to ease us back into the S & D dynamic and take a breather from the heaviness of the big picture for a week. The big takeaway from the episode was the discussion that the brothers had at the end, where a) they discussed the fact that they each unknowingly had a hand in the Apocalypse and b) they acknowledged that they have to work together and move on from the past, and c) Dean let Sam drive the Impala! That can only mean good things people.

As for this week, another great episode title even though I had Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” stuck in my head all night. I loved the episode – there was a fantastic mix of humour, emotion and exploration of mythology. Once again the casting department scored with an amazing young actor to play Jesse, aka the Antichrist. He was so sweet, and so understated in his role – his little lip quiver made me melt. SPN has a history of finding the creepiest children on the planet for their show, but I loved that Jesse wasn’t creepy – he’s just a kid who finds himself an unwilling yet important factor in this very scary circumstance because of things that happened to his parents before he was born (sound familiar?).

The episode veered quite a bit between creepy, scary, funny and heartbreaking. The “scratching your brains out” girl and Tooth Fairy were totally disturbing, particularly the scary biker-dude TF with the gigantic wrench. I don’t often get genuinely scared watching movies or tv, but I was cringing and hiding my eyes during the tooth extraction scene. The way they shot the shadows of the characters, plus the bone-crunching noises, oh god. So disturbing. I think I must have a thing with teeth-pulling, because another SPN scene that still haunts me is Dean getting a tooth pulled in “It’s a Very Supernatural Christmas” (still one of my faves).

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About Last Night…THE OFFICE, 30 ROCK, COMMUNITY, GREY’S and more…

Do you know how long it’s been since I missed almost a full night of TV on Thursday? Since I’m taking a break from blogging while I recover, I at least wanted to open up the forum so you all could discuss some of YOUR Thursday night favorites.

Seels already shared her thoughts on BONES.  SB will be posting VAMPIRE DIARIES soon.  Erik will be taking on PARKS AND RECREATION, and Nicole is back this week with her review on SUPERNATURAL.  And Gretchen might be a bit late, but she’ll be sharing her thought on FRINGE soon enough. So stay tuned for all of those.

But there were plenty of other shows on last night (so I hear).  So you can become the blogger this week.  Write a review, share your favorite moments, cheer or jeer some of what you watched last night on TV.  Whether it was THE OFFICE, the season premiere of 30 ROCK, SURVIVOR, GREY’S ANATOMY, PRIVATE PRACTICE (which my DVR didn’t even record :), FLASH FORWARD, or anything else you might have watched, I’m turning GMMR over to you, rock stars.

Blog away!

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Friday, October 16, 2009

Welcome to Friday! Everybody was working for the weekend, and kudos to you because it paid off.

Thank you so much for all your kind words over the past few days.  And thanks for your understanding about the lack of updates on GMMR.  I’m still in more than a fair amount of pain, but the meds are kicking in enough that I figured I could at least send up today’s TV Spotlight.

I did want to point out that tonight is the 2-hour season premiere of UGLY BETTY on it’s new night.  UGLY BETTY was a show I had to sacrifice last season when Thursday night’s got to be too much for my DVRs to handle.  But now that it’s back on Friday, I’ll be watching once again.  Any BETTY fans out there?  Stand up and be counted!  As for tonight’s episode, it’s quite delightful.  The Mode stuff still bores me to tears, but there’s a lot of really great moment with the Suarez family, Daniel, and of course my favorites – Marc and Amanda.  Tune in!

So let me know what you’ll be watching tonight. Sadly, I’m still catching up on TV from Wednesday.(Lowers head in shame.)

Ugly Betty | 8pm on ABC | 2-hour Season Premiere
“The Butterfly Effect”
Betty starts her new job as associate features editor and deals with resentful co-workers; bullies prey on Justin; Wilhelmina harbors a secret; Daniel’s distress takes its toll, while Betty tries to run her own Mode photo shoot.

Smallville | 8pm on The CW
“Echo”
The Toyman takes Oliver hostage at a Queen Industries gala; Clark is given the ability to hear other people’s thoughts. [GMMR: I really need to hear from SMALLVILLE fans today.  There doesn’t seem to be much of a discussion happening.  Should we continue covering the episodes here on the site? Let me know.]

Monk | 9pm on USA
“Happy Birthday Mr. Monk”
Natalie tries to arrange a surprise birthday party for Monk while he probes the mysterious death of an office building’s maintenance man.

Stargate Universe | 9pm on SyFy
“Darkess”
When the Destiny’s power reserves drop to a critical level, the crew is ordered to use power for essential services only, but the rationing isn’t enough to keep Rush from announcing that all on board will die within days.

Medium | 9pm on CBS
“The Medium is the Message”
Allison starts having visions of strange symbols that may hold the key to learning the identity of a serial killer.

Psych | 10pm on USA
“Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark”
While working on a case involving an ice cream truck, Shawn stumbles into something much bigger and deadly.

Sanctuary | 10pm on Syfy
“End of Nights: Part II”
Magnus demands information from Kate; Tesla and Henry try to create a weapon that can stop attacks on Sanctuaries without killing Ashley.

Numb3rs | 10pm on CBS
“Where Credits Due”
Don and the team investigate murders that they realize are being copied from scenes in a soon-to-be-released movie; Larry embarks on a personal adventure.

Crash | 10pm on Starz
“You, I’ll be Following”
Ben and Anthony lean on a lawyer (Michael Nouri) to get information on Ben’s daughter’s murder; Seth relocates to an eco-friendly loft and announces his latest plan to benefit L.A.; Kenny befriends a woman (Jenny Mollen) who runs a homeless shelter; Bo goes overboard in his efforts to impress pitching phenom Tyler and his pal Eddie.

Also playing…

• Ghost Whisperer | 8pm on CBS: In the hospital morgue, Melinda investigates a haunting — involving the death of a surgeon.

• Law & Order | 8pm on NBC: While searching for the murderer of the adoptive mother of 10 disabled children, detectives uncover a reality-show offer and an affair.

• Secrets of the Lost Symbol | 9pm on NBC: Author Dan Brown discusses his new book, the power of the human mind, the beliefs of Freemasonry, whether people can become gods, and an obscure science that might tie them all together; he also talks about the nation’s founding fathers.

On the late night couch…

• The Jay Leno Show: Rachel Griffiths, Sen. John McCain
• The Late Show with David Letterman: Uma Thurman, Tim McGraw
• The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien:Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Max Records, Dashboard Confessional
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Toby Keith, Michelle Monaghan
• Jimmy Kimmel Live: Serena Williams, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Eric Church
• Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Eddie Izzard, Gina Gershon, Amy Schumer
• Chelsea Lately: Karissa & Kristina Shannon, Crystal Harris, Dan Levy, Chris Franjola, Loni Love (R 10/6/09)
• Last Call with Carson Daly: Ron Artest, Eva Amurri

Which shows will YOU be checking out tonight? Leave a comment here or send me a message via Twitter.

BONES: Night in the Bones Museum

Hello BONES fans. I think we might agree that this week’s episode was all about Brennan’s loves. By loves of course I mean: ancient remains, Boris Karloff movies, and sex.

This episode felt like a mash up of a lot of other BONES episodes, didn’t you think? Take Intern in the Incinerator and Double Death in the Dearly Departed, mash in a bit of Conman and Man in the Mansion, and you’ve got Night at the Bones Museum.

Can we talk Brennan this week? Please excuse me if I don’t spend as much time on the squint squad or the case, although they are deserving of discussion.

I find it incredibly interesting that the writers chose to use an episode where Brennan was seeking a sexual partner to also be one where she was giddy with excitement over her job. This was a Brennan we haven’t really seen much of, if any.

The CASE:

We also get two bodies in this case. One bloodied legit mummy on a fence, and one innocent doctor in a mummy case (insert your own sounds and words of horror here). The mysterious mummy has been on loan from Egypt to the Jeffersonian, which begins a series of events of historic proportions. I wasn’t sure who the murderer was going to be until it was revealed, so that was nice. Mozhan Marno was fantastic as Azita Jabbari. I would not complain if we saw her again, maybe with Brennan in Egypt.

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Mia Michaels Resigns from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

I’m beyond disappointed. Although no official statement from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE has been made, and my inquiries to Fox amounted to a ‘no comment’, it’s been revealed through Facebook and Twitter that Mia Michaels has resigned from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.

Fans started to worry after Mia posted the following on her Twitter page last night:

I AM OFFICIALLY AN ADORING FAN OF SYTYCD….THANK U FOR 5 WONDERFUL YRS

TO CREATE MOMENTS AND MOVEMENT FOR THE WORLD TO SHARE WITH ME WAS A GIFT…..

THANKS SYTYCD AND LOOK FORWARD TO WHATS AHEAD FOR ME…LOOKOUT WORLD!!!!!

On her Facebook page, Mia wrote…

ITS BEEN AN AMAZING 5 YEARS ON SYTYCD……I THANK THEM FOR ALL THE GREAT MEMORIES AND MOVEMENT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CREATE FOR THE WORLD…..TODAY WAS MY OFFICIAL RESIGNATION OF THE U.S SHOW AND LOOK FORWARD TO WHATS AHEAD FOR ME.

The amazingly talented choreographer was one of the biggest stars of the show, and her routines have been by far some of the most memorable dances ever performed on live TV. Michaels even won an Emmy for her work.

Update: Statement from Nigel Lythgoe – Executive Producer and Judge, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE:

“We are thrilled to have given a talent such as Mia Michaels a platform to create Emmy Award-winning choreography. During the auditions this season she has helped choose the best, most diverse top 20 we have ever had. She knows that she is always welcome to return later this season or next. She’s chosen to move on to new challenges and we will continue to support her and wish her all the best.”

SYTYCD will not be the same without Mia Michaels. As a fan of the show and of Mia’s work, I’m shocked and deeply saddened.

Look for an official statement from the show of Fox coming soon.

TOP CHEF: Pigs and Pinot

I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, watching Top Chef at 6 a.m. OnDemand (which I give another shout out to for being awesome) after going to bed at 2 a.m., or my grumpy mood I’ve been in all week, or maybe it’s just how the last episode went, but I really expected Top Chef to be more douchey than it was this week. Not that I’m complaining, I’m just saying I didn’t yell at my TV this week.

Also, this really wasn’t my week because I am just not into wine. And I don’t know if I know anyone less into wine than I am. And people are always like, “But you just haven’t had gooooooood wine!” and I’m all, “False.” (And yeah, that’s totally Dwight-style.) I HAVE had good wine, only because I worked in nice restaurants where we were forced to taste it (and because I once had a roommate who had a stalker and he brought her some stolen wine from his job at the country club and you know how college is—you’ll drink anything if necessary), and you know, in a pinch I could drink some white wine, like a pinot grigio or a riesling or something, but I wouldn’t enjoy it that much. I’d rather have a Diet Coke, frankly. Although I am a connoisseur of cheap beers, ALSO thank you college—give me a blind taste test of Natty Light, Busch Light and Keystone Light, and I will blow your mind.

ANYWAY. I’m totally bored with the wine thing and I wish it would just die already, and I hated the movie Sideways, but apparently we’re still doing this so whatever. And I didn’t really understand the whole pairing thing, either—I mean, I understand the general idea, just not HOW it works or what they were looking for. I usually feel like I leave Top Chef learning something, and this week I was just vaguely confused but not interested enough to look stuff up later on my own. Also, I can’t spell the names of probably at least half of the dishes, I just know they sounded French.

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Calling Dr. House, Dr. Shepherd…

Hey GMMRers – A quick note from me to you. Unfortunately due to some back issues, it looks like I might have to take a mini-break over the next few days. Between the pain medication they gave me at the hospital and the instruction that sitting in the same position for more than a few minutes could cause more damage I see very little TV watching in my immediate future, and even less blogging.

I’ll do my best to continue to post the updates from Team GMMR (who rock now more than ever!), but I wanted to explain why things might be a little quiet on my end.

Sorry, it’s the Fall TV season and I think my now you know how much this bums me out.

You’re in good hands with Team GMMR though so make sure they feel the love (and by love I mean comments).

Here’s to hoping I’m back up and blogging soon.

XOXO
Kath

HOUSE: Instant Karma

On the eve of the 1992 Presidential election, political strategist James Carville shared a simple message with the Clinton campaign staff assembled in Little Rock:

“There’s a simple doctrine. Outside of a person’s love, the most sacred thing they can give is their labor…and anytime that you can combine labor with love, you have a merger.”

If we are lucky, the workplace can bring us a second family. People who accept us for our shortcomings and help celebrate our successes. Corporations spend millions of dollars trying to manufacture this type of camaraderie. Sadly, there is no magic formula. We have to be in the right place at the right time.

The staff at Princeton Plainsboro has rarely been mistaken for a Norman Rockwell painting. Their world is driven by competition, petty jealousies, and oneupsmanship. Since House’s return from Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital, however, the first signs of togetherness have emerged. Against the backdrop of a father’s uphill battle to save his son, the diagnostic department took their first steps toward a true merger.

Hugh Laurie was able to add a new responsibility to House’s resume this week, that of protector. Though the caustic wit and subtle charm remains, I feel that we are seeing the “House 2.0″ version that was foreshadowed in the standout season premiere. By nurturing Foreman on how to become a better leader, stepping in when Thirteen was attempting to throw her life away, and saving Chase from the consequences of his actions, House was taking care of his family. I am thrilled to see this forward momentum. There’s even a chance I might not mind seeing House and Cuddy move toward an adult relationship, considering the new energy Laurie has brought to the character.

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Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Poof…it’s Wednesday. When did that happen?

Tonight is a TV lover’s dream (well I suppose only if you like the shows on tonight…which I do). It’s one of those nights where you can’t complain that there’s nothing on.

Hank | 8pm on ABC
“Drag Your Daughter to Work Day”
Hank tells Maddie he wants her to get a job because he was working at her age, and, thinking it will help, he gets a gig working with her at the mall.

So You Think You Can Dance | 8pm on Fox
“Vegas Week”
It’s Vegas Week. All those that made it to the semi-finals will have to make it through the grueling Vegas week if they want a shot at being in the Top 20.

Mercy | 8pm on NBC
“Pulling the Goalie”
Veronica must decide if her affair with Dr. Sands is really over when Mike pressures her to start a family; Sonia winds up acting as a marriage counselor for two feuding patients; Chloe considers taking her crush on Dr. Sands to the next level.

The New Adventures of Old Christine | 8pm on CBS
“For Love or Money”
Christine hires an aggressive divorce attorney (Corbin Bernsen) who convinces her that Barb owes her alimony.

Gary Unmarried | 8:30pm on CBS
“Gary Shoots a Fish in a Barrel”
Gary, Mitch and Curtis go to a single’s bar, and Gary sets out to prove he can have a one-night stand without becoming emotionally attached.

(More of tonight’s lineup after the jump)
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