BONES: The Rocker in the Rinse Cycle

Hey, hey, hey! It’s BONES time! First of all, I want to send a Happy Bonesy Birthday greeting to my sister Elizabeth who loves the show and also to TeamGMMR’s Erik. You can hop on over to his HOUSE post and wish him a happy birthday, or tweet him some birthday cheer @FreelanceErik.

But enough of that feelgoodery; let’s talk dead bodies!

Or well…just the ONE dead body…

THE CASE:

A skeleton is found in an industrial sized hotel washer, and Booth and Brennan are called to the case. Booth immediately asserts that the only way for the body to have gotten into that washer was for it to have been dumped down a laundry chute, to which Brennan infers homicide. Cam, Hodgins, Vasiri and Angela work to identify the victim as Richard Cole, single, commercial real estate developer. Richard went to fantasy camps every year for his birthday. The current fantasy camp at the hotel where his body is found is rock and roll camp. It’s led by uber famous promoter and manager, Simon Graham.

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Should THE OFFICE Lights Stay on Past Steve Carell?

In a recent BBC Radio interview, when asked about his future with the show,THE OFFICE‘s  Steve Carell said that he’s contracted through the next season, adding “I think that will probably be my last year.”

Should THE OFFICE keep going without Carell at the helm? Would the show be the same?

As much as it pains me to say so, I think Dunder Mifflin should shut its doors with the departure of Michael Scott.  Yes, it would destroy me not have to have Jim, Pam, Kelly and the rest not in my living room each week, but all good things must come to an end. THE OFFICE defied all early expectations and has carved out an important space in television and comedy history. It’s accomplished what it needs to and I think it’s time to move on. THE OFFICE just wouldn’t be THE OFFICE without Michael Scott….and Steve Carell.

What do you think?  Do you think THE OFFICE could reinvent itself without Carell?  Would you like it to stay on sans Michael Scott? Share your thoughts below.

By the way…

In case you’re wondering, yes…I too am flabbergasted by my maturity. Did I just endorse an option that would take away my weekly viewing of John Krasinski?

HOUSE: Open and Shut

Though stand-up comedy has fallen from its peak of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Chris Rock has defied convention and continued to sell out theaters around the country. What does his brand of humor have to do with this week’s House, you ask? In 1999, Rock made an assertion about infidelity in his HBO “Bigger & Blacker” special that launched a million uncomfortable conversations:

“A man is basically as faithful as his options.”

Whether you agree with Rock’s premise or not, Dr. Christopher Taub could easily be Exhibit A for any attorney looking to prosecute men for being guilty of that foible. Taub’s betrayal of his adoring wife Rachel was hardly a shocking twist. It was sad, however, to see a person who could easily be seen as a good guy exposed as simply bad people. More on Taub later…

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Need a TRUE BLOOD Fix? Check Out the Minisode

Can’t wait until June to sink your teeth into the new season of HBO’s fangtastic TRUE BLOOD?! Check out this brand new minisode featuring the bloody delicious Erik and his main bitch, Pam.

Delicious.

(WARNING!  NSFW)

24 – Day 8: 10:00am – 11:00am

So, not much happened this week. There was a lot of setup and not a lot of payoff, so this shouldn’t take long.

Debrief

• Ethan convinces Taylor that she is doing the wrong thing and that she must withdraw from the peace treaty. Before she can announce this, Logan convinces her that she can treat Dana as an “enemy combatant” and put her in the custody of a private security firm. This way, they can extract the evidence from her and it will be on their terms, not Jack’s.

• Jack escapes and calls Chloe, who acts like she will help him, but is actually setting him up. She directs him to a CTU safehouse where they will attempt a sting operation.

• Ethan resigns, saying he cannot be a part of the cover-up anymore.

• Jack knows that a sting is occurring and takes Cole hostage. Jack convinces Cole that Taylor is covering up for the Russians and Cole agrees to help reveal the truth.

Agent Philboy’s Assessment

Like I said up top, not much happened. Really, the entire episode was an exercise in the conflict of a certain action weighed against the concept of “the greater good.” “24” has really examined, in its over dramatic, simplified way, the philosophical idea of that greater good and at what point we should stop pursuing it. It’s something that I’ve even talked about here several times, so it really isn’t worth hashing over again. Needless to say, I’m sure that this isn’t the last time this will be discussed, especially as Jack gets closer to exposing the truth.

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SMALLVILLE: Charade

Hey Smallvillers! I really liked this latest episode, Charade! And did you catch a glimpse of Lois in that bunny costume? Usually I hate flashbacks and the whole 24 hours prior thing but this really had my interest peaked when the ep opens with Lois punching Clark as she springs out of a cake half naked!

This week’s storyline was full of a little of everything. Lois and Clark attempt too make some huge relationship milestones, the daily planet has new blood, Clark finds out Lois is talking to someone she thinks is the blur and Tess and Chloe are still going at it! Lets just say there’s a lot going on and only a couple of episodes left to the season!

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Fringe – Peter Bishop is Dangerous?

Please forgive me for the spottiness of my FRINGE postings as of late. Life has been throwing way too many curve balls at me, causing me to be completely behind on just about everything that I should be doing. The list of things that should take priority to this post is long, but I just couldn’t resist sharing my excitement that what I’ve been waiting for all season has finally occurred – Peter has learned the truth about his origin!!!

• My prediction was wrong – we didn’t have to wait for the season finale for the big reveal and we won’t have to wait until next season to find out how Peter handles the news. Woo-hoo!!

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SURVIVOR: Ummm…WHAT?!

I can’t find the right words to describe what went down in last night’s SURVIVOR Tribal Council.  The only thing in my head is the sound a cartoon character makes when they’ve been double crossed and left confused. Given what happened, I think that’s a good reaction as any.

The Heroes and the Villains tribes finally merged and essentially hit the reset button on the game.  Convinced there was an all female alliance, JT gave his Immunity Idol to Russell, on the condition that he use it to save himself and send Parvati home. Imagine the Heroes confusion when Parvati led the way into their camp at the merge.

Our little boy scout, Russell, was of course prepared with a fictional take of what went down at Tribal Council. He told JT that he used the Immunity idol to save himself, but that Parvati too used an idol, which led to Courtney’s ousting. The Heroes tribe ate it up like a ripened banana, but when Sandra told Rupert what really went down, the bearded one became suspicious.  It took some…ok, a lot of convincing but Rupert convinced the team to double play Russell to weed out the immunity idol and find out where his allegiances really were.

In the Immunity Challenge, it came down to alliance-mates Parvati and Danielle.  Already holding an idol, Parvati took herself out of the game, ensuring safety for her friend.  So post-challenge Russell (idol), Parvati (idol) and Danielle (individual immunity) – three alliance members – were all safe from elimination.

As the pre-TC strategic planning commenced, the Villains tribe was convinced it was Parvati going home tonight; exactly what the Heroes wanted them to believe. In a bold move, Russell gave his immunity idol to Parvati to ensure her safety. Of course he didn’t know she already had an idol of her own.

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BONES: The Predator in the Pool

Ah, as Dr. Brennan would say, “Excellent”. Of course, when she said it, she was trying to convince herself, but we know the truth, and it tastes kind of bitter. Unlike last week, where I felt nervous, this week I felt very good with where things were left at the end of the episode. Not to skip to the end, but WHOA…how about B&B still sharing an after-case beer with one another AFTER their respective dates? I did not see that coming, but I loved it.

As far as Hacker and Catherine go, well…they are pretty much likable. Catherine (the lovely Rena Sofer) more than Hacker, I think. He just rubs me the wrong way, but Catherine seemed great. Not that I’m a Booth and Catherine shipper or anything. She’s like Sully to me; whom I loved but will not miss when gone (power of positive thinking, haha!). THOUGHTS???

I thought maybe Smiley/Flirty!Booth would make me nervous, but in reality, it just made me very, very happy. More on that later; but first…

THE CASE:

A self-help and self-helped motivational speaker, Jazz Gunn is revealed to be the victim when a human skeleton is found in a local aquarium. (Quick question: Does anyone know if that was the Aquarium of the Pacific?) Suspects include Dr. Stoddard of the aquarium’s animal husbandry department, Catherine (somewhat), Aquarium employee Ben, local school teacher Grace Redmon, and Jazz Gunn’s somewhat begrudged assistant, Tad.

Meanwhile, the aquarium’s facilities had an expensive filter stolen, leading Booth into contact with a mob boss who may or may not have ties to the murder. And Booth was awesome.

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Did Your DVR Cut Off GLEE? Here’s What You Missed…

Damn you AMERICAN IDOL! You really couldn’t fit in seven songs within an hour?  You really need to pull it together because it’s not fair that the last number from GLEE’s “Power of Madonna” episode was cut off because Seacrest couldn’t keep things on schedule.

If you DVR’d GLEE last night and missed the show stopping “Like a Prayer”, check it out in its entirety.

Missed last night’s GLEE and want to know what everyone is talking about? Watch the full episode below.

Loved it? Hated it? Share your thoughts on last night’s Madonna-rific episode of GLEE!

HOUSE: Knight Fall

Amidst the chain mail and corsets of the Middle Ages, this week’s House sought to answer long-standing questions about honor. What are the boundaries of its impact among friends, family, even thieves? As the close of Season Six approaches, we are on the verge of a seismic shift at Princeton Plainsboro. Between the return of a lost love, a new potential pairing on the Diagnostic team, and House’s struggle to manage his pain, change is in the air.

Outside of the character-centric episodes that were the creative high points of this season (“Broken,” “Wilson,” and “5 to 9″), loyal viewers have not seen enough forward momentum during Season Six. New storylines have disappeared as quickly as they were written, Foreman’s brother being the most obvious example. That’s why the opinion that I am about to share is accompanied by cautious optimism.

“Knight Fall” was the most significant episode of Season Six, as much for what its events could lead to as for what actually took place. If you have been waiting for a single event to “shake up” House’s world, Cynthia Watros’ introduction to the cast may be just what you’re looking for. Since I attempt to be careful with language, I would point out that the term “significant” does not necessarily have a positive connotation.

Before we get to the Wilson/Sam/House implications, viewers need to prepare themselves. Though I have absolutely no spoilers about this topic, it seems obvious that Chase & Thirteen are becoming a couple, and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Since “Foreteen” was such a divisive topic in Season Five, I anticipate that every glance or flirty aside that Jesse Spencer & Olivia Wilde exchange will be met with visceral reactions. Fans of Thirteen will be excited to see her with a nice guy, closer in demeanor to Wilson or this week’s patient. The anti-Wilde factions will be frustrated that her screen time will be enhanced for romantic expediency.

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24 – Day 8: 9:00am – 10:00am

There were some surprises for me tonight, though not on the scale of previous weeks. I have a feeling the next six episodes will come down to a sort of Jack vs. the World scenario, where all of the characters will be grappling with the right thing to do against the “greater good.”

Let’s get on to the recap…

Debrief

• Jack calls Chloe and demands to know what Renee was working on when she was killed. Chloe tells him that Renee recognized someone at Samir’s murder scene from her days undercover with the Red Square. Jack forces Chloe to tell him where Sergei, the Red Square’s leader who Jack arrested earlier, is being held. Jack goes to Sergei and threatens to kill his entire family unless Sergei can tell him who killed Renee. Sergei tells Jack that the Russian government has been behind all of the day’s events, including assassinating Hassan and Renee, and that Dana Walsh was their contact in America. Jack returns to CTU.

• Logan visits the Russian UN delegate and blackmails him. Logan says he will tell Pres. Taylor about the Russian government’s involvement in the day’s events if the Russian’s don’t sign the peace treaty. The Russians agree. Once Logan hears of Jack interviewing Dana, he knows that his victory might be short-lived. Logan eventually tells Taylor about the Russians’ plans for the day and what they have done. It is clear that, if that information is released, the peace process is over. Pres. Taylor travels to CTU.

• At CTU, Taylor tells Jack that she cannot grant Dana immunity, which would interfere with the peace process. She orders Jack to get on a helicopter to an Air Force base where he will be debriefed. He takes the helicopter hostage and goes rogue.

Agent Philboy’s Debrief

Episodes like this are why I’ll miss “24” so much when it’s gone. Episodes like this are kind of like “The West Wing” with explosions and bullets. There are a lot of ethical and political ramifications to every facet of what’s going on at this point. There’s so much that I could probably fill up another column entirely mapping out everything. But, I’ll try not to.

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SMALLVILLE: Upgrade

What is going on? Chloe has a kryptonite arsenal and has teamed up with Tess? Clark and Watchtower at each others throats! Zod is the closest thing Clark has to a brother? Some long overdue issues have finally bubbled up to the service with Clark at its core. Clark has some huge decisions to make between Chloe, Oliver and his Kryptonian family on Earth.

And once again while all this is playing out were reminded that although Clark walks in an dispensable shell on the inside all he’s looking for is the answers to where he fits in and who he family really is. Maybe a little side plot to prime us for the return of mama Kent?!

What really appeared to be most evident this entire episode was just how dark side our favorite Smallville residents where. Even Clark dipped a little low in this ep thanks to the good old Red Kryptonite! Although it was short lived CK normally seems torn between how just how far he’ll go to ensure justice. I’m sure it didn’t help after finding out that Chloe stabbed him in the back.

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BONES: The Death of the Queen Bee

Bones fans, you rocked last week and I loved your comments and analysis! We proved once again that whether or not we always agree, BONES fans are able to use brain & heart.

As for this week’s episode…I don’t know what to think. From last week to the end of this episode, I kind of felt like I’d been on a romantic vacation only to come home to a sink full of dishes (aka real life). I think perhaps I am still feeling the effects of last week, and this episode, the way it kind of just pushed past most of that…I don’t know, it sort of scraped against my heart. More on that later. Not that I didn’t like it necessarily, I just have some questions that perhaps you can help me solve.

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Are You Ready For SUPERNATURAL’S 100th Episode?

Here’s the deal SPN fans; due to unforeseen circumstances, I couldn’t get a post in about last week’s episode, and now that it’s Thursday, it’s a little late to do it. But, I had one written and there was a pretty huge OMG reveal at the end leading into tonight’s hugely anticipated 100th episode, so I’m going to discuss “99 Problems” briefly, followed by the promo for “Point of No Return”.

Sam, Dean and Cas found themselves facing off with the Whore of Babylon in a small town in Minnesota. My mind couldn’t help flashing to what my university women’s studies prof would have had to say about all of the gleeful excitement various (male) characters expressed over “killing the whore” and the misogynistic undertones involved with that. And then I thought about how I can’t hear “misogynistic undertones” without thinking of Clueless, and then I was just glad I’m not a women’s studies prof, so I don’t have to take things like this so seriously.

Anyway, here are the major highlights of what went down:

• Sam is really the only one left with any faith in stopping the Apocalypse and it’s painfully obvious now. Cas is a hot mess, Dean is unmotivated and resigned. It’s the end of the world as we know it, and they don’t feel fine.

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