GREY’S ANATOMY: ‘Shock to The System’

Two episodes into the new season of GREY’S ANATOMY, and things are thankfully starting to calm down a bit.  Don’t get me wrong – it’s not that I didn’t enjoy the intensity of last week’s episode (not to mention last season’s finale).  GREY’s has always done very well with intense storylines, and some of the series’ finest episodes have been its most suspenseful (bomb in a man’s chest, anyone?), but after all the emotion of the shooting and its aftermath, it was comforting to see them strike a lighter tone this week.  It felt like good old classic GA, complete with witty banter and angsty patients.

Read more

WHITE COLLAR: Prisoner’s Dilemma

Last night’s episode was full of finger pointing, pot roasts, safe houses and agents on the run. Let’s dive in.

Case of the Week

We should have known – and most of us probably did – that mayhem would ensue when Peter promised Elizabeth he’d be home for a date night (a.k.a. pot roast dinner) and work would absolutely not interfere with these plans.

How long has he been in law enforcement? Did he really think this would work out?

It turns out that Peter and Neal have been [inconveniently] called into the office on a Saturday because a fellow FBI agent is on the run. The U.S. Marshals can’t find him, and they’ve been instructed to team up with the Bureau.

Neal: Do all the higher-ups do the double finger point?

Peter: They teach it at Quantico.

After an investigation that includes Peter driving his dream car and Neal selling someone else his dream car, the team realizes that the agent on the run, Jack Franklin, might not be guilty of the things he’s been accused. Peter gives Jack’s former informant (and girlfriend) the message that he will listen to Jack’s story with an open mind.

Read more

WHITE COLLAR: In the Red

All right, be honest: who has “The Gambler” stuck in their head after last night’s episode? And do you really think Neal cheated to beat the bad guy in poker? Let’s break it down.

Case of the Week

The episode opened in the middle of an operation. Neal was exchanging a briefcase full of money for a bag full of stolen jewelry, while Peter, Jones and Diana were monitoring from the van.

As soon as Neal asked the woman driving if she was alone, I knew something was up. What I expected, though, was a guy with a gun sitting in the back seat. What we got instead – as Neal hollered “No guns!” and raised a toy – was a little boy, asleep in his car seat.

Neal: Throw a wig on her, and she’s Carol Brady.

Peter: Carol Brady had an affair with Greg Brady.

Neal: Proof that everyone has a dark side.

It came as no surprise that Neal and Peter were anxious to help the mom being scammed by her adoption lawyer. Mozzie, though, was unexpectedly passionate about this case, ranting about adopted children, even though he pointed out that he was in foster care and never adopted.

Read more

WHITE COLLAR: Unfinished Business

Ho-hum. Insurance, blah, blah, blah. You weren’t alone if those were your first thoughts when this episode started; Neal wasn’t excited, either. But it didn’t take long for an insurance scam to turn into something a lot more interesting!

Case of the Week
We quickly learn that Sara Ellis, the insurance investigator Peter and Neal are working with, is the same woman who testified against Neal at his trial. And apparently she’s still upset that he wasn’t convicted of stealing “her” painting, thanks to that jury of his peers.

Mozzie:  Who’s Sara Ellis?
Neal:  You weren’t at my trial. She was.

Their banter was quick and constant throughout the episode, but I just couldn’t quite buy her hostility toward Neal. She was too smiley, I think, which is ironic considering her complaint about his smile meaning that he wants something.

[Hmm . . . if we operate on that theory, I wonder what, exactly, she wants from Neal?]

Neal:  So you’re basically a high-class repo man.
Sara:  I prefer white collar bounty hunter.
Neal:  You should put that on your business cards.

Peter demands that Neal cooperate with Sara on their investigation into stolen bank bonds. Neal reluctantly agrees – even when Sara goads him with a tape recorder and claims that she will prove he stole her painting.

In yet another situation where Neal gets to take off his tracking device, he impersonates Mr. Black, a guy working for Edgar Halbridge, the suspected bond thief.

It turns out Mr. Black has been hired to kill none other than Sara Ellis, which means Neal – as Black – finds himself in Sara’s bedroom, pointing a gun at her. Sara then pulls a gun on Neal, and they’re both saved by a phone call from Peter, who verifies that Neal is not actually going to kill anyone.

Neal:  She put her gun in my face.
Mozzie:  And cocked it?
Neal:  Yeah.
Mozzie:  You’ve come back from worse.

Neal:  She has a gun.
Mozzie:  Is it still pointing at you?
Neal:  No, I think I convinced her I’m not trying to kill her anymore.
Mozzie:  Well, you are a charmer.

The team decides to fake Sara’s death and move her into the FBI office until they can determine why Halbridge has hired someone to kill an insurance investigator, of all things.

I think it was a stretch for Sara to insist on living at the Bureau instead of a safe house, but it provided opportunity for some fun interactions between the various characters. Peter and Neal’s back-and-forth about playing nice cracked me up. Their rhythm was great, and I rewound and watched it a couple times.

Peter:   Right now we’re on the same team, so play nice.
Neal:  She —
Peter:  No.
Neal:  I’m —
Peter:  Don’t.
Neal:  Fine.
Peter:  Good.

Neal and Sara had a little picnic on the roof, where they seemed to declare a tentative truce. Then Peter and Sara had a heart-to-heart after Elizabeth nudged Peter into playing therapist with the investigator. Both conversations started out light but moved into more serious territory, with Sara kind of freaking out that nobody seemed to care much about her “death.”

Sara:  Neal came by. We had a nice little chat.
Peter:  Is he in one piece?
Sara:  Yes, I left him whole.
Peter:  Good, I prefer him that way.

Eventually the team realized that the hit had been placed on Sara five months earlier, when she was investigating one particular building Halbridge owns. After visits from Mr. Black (a.k.a. Neal) and Peter, Halbridge started to move. A dead body was dug up at his building, an identity theft was discovered and he was arrested – with bonds in hand – by the whole team.

The actual Mr. Black snuck back into play, though, and almost took out Sara and Neal at her apartment. Peter and team burst in to save the day, but Sara and Neal (mostly Sara) had the situation under control.

And why was Neal in her apartment, anyway? Oh yes, Kate.

Music Box Mystery
Mozzie and Neal managed to sneak into the hangar storing the plane that blew up while Kate was on it. Neal’s face and even his body language as he first took it all in was just devastating.

He recovered in time to convince the FAA guard to send him a copy of the plane’s black box – courtesy of Sara Ellis. They mailed her a copy, but when she was supposedly dead, her mail piled up on her office desk while she bunked at the FB I office. To get the recording, Neal offered her a ride home after Halbridge was arrested, knowing she’d want to stop at her office to pick up her mail. (“She’s a workaholic and everybody likes mail.”)

Somehow, though, in all the excitement of foiling Mr. Black and flirting with Sara, Neal couldn’t quite manage to lift the envelope. I’m not sure I buy that, considering he took Halbridge’s guard’s gun earlier in the episode and Peter’s fancy pen in the last episode. If there’s someone who can lift an item, it’s Neal.

And yet, he left evidence of Kate’s murder in Sara Ellis’s apartment. Interesting . . .

All right, White Collar fans, what did you think about this episode? Do you think we’ve seen the last of Sara Ellis? Are you missing the new friendship between Mozzie and Peter yet? And how badly did you want to hug Neal when he saw that blown-up airplane?

Mary is a soon-to-be PR freelancer, a wife and a mom to a toddler who she describes as “VERY two.” And while you might think her busy life would get in the way of an ambitious TV schedule, she’s way more organized [AHEM, addicted, AHEM] than that. Also, a clean house is overrated. Mary blogs about an imperfect life at Giving Up on Perfect, writing about family, faith, books, food, celebrity look-alikes and chick flicks. You know, the important stuff.

WHITE COLLAR: By the Book

Mozzie has put a lot of effort into creating his mysterious persona, but this week’s episode threw him in the middle of the action. And in the process, we learned a little bit about our favorite “little guy.”

The Case of the Week

After some banter about his orange ascot, Mozzie left Neal and headed to his favorite diner, where he’s apparently developed a crush on his waitress, Gina. They talk cute about books and Gina recites Mozzie’s regular order, but the flirting ends suddenly when a couple of unsavory characters walk into the diner.

Gina ask Moz if he truly has friends in the FBI, leaves a few cryptic clues and then leaves. It turns out that’s all it takes for Mozzie to darken the doors of a federal building.

• Neal: Why are you in a federal building, dressed like Truman Capote?

Though Mozzie has to remind him that he never asks for favors, Neal agrees to help his friend quickly. They use Peter’s research team to track down Gina’s address, because though Mozzie has developed an entire file on her, he draws the line at finding her unlisted address.

Read more

WHITE COLLAR: Need to Know

Note: Poor Mary! Not even a storm that knocked out her electricity to hold her back from sharing her thoughts on this week’s WHITE COLLAR. Thanks, M!

Well, well. This episode was full of plot and character development, wasn’t it? I think I’m going to split these recaps into two parts: Case of the Week and Music Box Mystery. Let’s get to it, shall we?

Case of the Week

Neal goes undercover as a political consultant to help Peter figure out if a senator on the campaign trail is dirty. Of course, he is. As Neal put it: “Politicians were the original con men.”

The whole team was involved in this case, with Peter making the senator nervous with his “bad cop” routine, Mozzie going on a scavenger hunt to find $10,000, and Diana pretending to like men as a prostitute.

We got plenty of time with my new favorite White Collar couple, Peter and Mozzie, as well as an interesting new friendship between Neal and Diana. I like how we’re seeing the characters play off each other in these new couplings. Even the conversations between Peter and Diana were nice.

Pretty soon, they’ll all be one big, happy family. Or not…

Neal: Is this doing anything for you?

Diana: Not a damn thing.

Neal: SIGH.

Read more

WHITE COLLAR Season Premiere: Withdrawal

Hellooooo, GMMR Readers, Mary here! I am so excited to join you for the second season of White Collar. (Almost as excited as I am to have Matthew Bomer’s blue eyes back on my screen!)

Tuesday night’s season premiere picked up shortly after the finale’s explosive ending (yes, that pun was intended), with Peter being questioned and Neal back in jail. Thanks to USA’s nonstop promos over the past month – and the entire premise of the show – I wasn’t too worried that our main characters would be kept apart for long.

So it wasn’t surprising when Neal rejoined Peter in attempting to prevent a bank heist. Within a few minutes, life was back to normal.

As normal as it gets with a tracking device on your ankle, that is.

Read more

CHUCK vs. The Fake Name

It’s been quite a few weeks for fans of CHUCK. A roller coaster of emotion if you will. Perhaps I was a little too, shall we say impatient, with the small faction of CHUCK fans who made such a fuss after “Chuck vs. the Mask”. Maybe I was defensive and too protective of my show. While I do believe entertainment is subjective and that everyone has a right to their own opinion, I think I took umbrage with the most vocal of naysayers because I felt that CHUCK was being put in a very specific box. Whether it was true or just my perception, it seemed that the loudest noise was coming from those who didn’t like the direction of the Chuck and Sarah relationship.

To me, CHUCK has never been just about the relationship of Chuck Bartowski and his handler. It’s been about the relationship of Chuck to his friends, his family and his co-workers in light of this massive responsibility called the Intersect being forced on him. It’s been about how Chuck navigated his old life while living in a new life which was about as different as he could possibly imagine. Through his adventures he fell in love with Sarah Walker, and she him. While Chuck and Sarah’s relationship is crucial to the core of the show, it’s not the only important relationship. And while I know that the Hannah/Shaw wedge wasn’t the only issue some fans with the last episode, it seemed to be at the core. As someone who has seen the next three episodes, I just ask that you jump in your “ship” and go with the flow. See where the writers take Chuck, Sarah and us. As we saw in last night’s episode, sometimes a person’s motivations tell us a lot more than their actions.

Ok enough living in the past, let’s talk mobsters, cavities and all things Sam!

Read more

AMERICAN IDOL Top 12 Guys Performance

Last night it was ladies night, and now it’s time for the guys to take center stage. Maybe it was the first night jitters, but on the whole the girls left people wanting more. In a season where the pundits are already saying a girl is going to take it all, can the guys step up and give them a run for their money?

There’s a lot of talent with the guys.  My money is riding on Andrew Garcia who has been a shining star since his first audition.  The producers and judges have given him the love, but will they give him the pimp spot tonight? And which guy will give Andrew a run for his money?  Kris Allen was virtually unknown when he took as part of the Top 12 last year. He made people take notice and never let them look away.  Who will be that guy this season?

These are your Top 12 guys and THIS is American Idol.

One by one the guys are announced, and yup….Andrew Garcia was given the pimp spot. Oh these producers are nothing if not predictable.

In the pre-performance banter, Ellen let us know that being there and listening to the singers live is completely different than watching at home.  After going home and watching last night’s show back, she realized that a few things are forgiven while in the live studio, but pointed out if it sounds bad in the theater, it’s only worse for the people at home watching and voting.  So true.

We’ve got a lot of singing ahead of us, and I have a lot of writing, so let’s get to it. First up tonight is…

Todrick Hall
“Since You’ve Been Gone” | Kelly Clarkson
Excuse me while I pick my jaw off the floor.  I wasn’t expecting THAT. It’s almost as if Todrick designed his entire performance based on the judges comments from last night. Time after time they told the girls that it was all about taking a song and making it your own. No one can argue that Todrick didn’t do exactly that on the stage. I love the original Kelly Clarkson anthem but I didn’t hate Todrick’s bluesy arrangement. Musically it was far from perfect and I think that’s the bigger issue here. The vocals were definitely shaky at times and we didn’t hear enough of Todrick’s range. The guy took a risk, there’s no denying that.

The Judges: Ellen liked his stage presence and performance but thought the chorus was a little rough. Randy wasn’t digging the performance. Most importantly he said that he wanted to hear more vocals next time.  But then he got down on Todrick for changing the song too much. Talk about sending mixed signals to the contestants.  Switch up the arrangement and make it your own, but don’t switch it up too much because we liked the original so much?  Come on.  Kara agreed that he’s strong enough of a singer that he didn’t need to change the arrangement that much to be effective. Simon said it was a crazy arrangement that didn’t improve upon the original, and he was verging on “stupid”.

Aaron Kelley
Rascal Flats
In all of the Top 24, I’m least excited about Aaron Kelley.  As I said in the last TV Talk Podcast, I think this kid was cast for the tweens vote.  A lot of the guys in the Top 12 are a bit older and the producers wanted to try to find the next David Archuleta so this guy was cast. But I’ve seen David Archuleta and this kid is no David Archuleta (which isn’t saying much to begin with anyway). If anything, I think the break out teen heartthrob could be Tim Urban (more on him later). Aaron’s performance wasn’t a complete trainwreck, but the kid has zero charisma. I needed Dramamine after watching him swaying back and forth the entire time.  Some shaky notes, but not a god awful vocal despite how hard he pushed. He had a few good moments on the stage tonight, but I still don’t see him going very far in the competition.

Read more

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: Top 16 Performances

In the words of Ms. Whitney Houston, ‘ohhh, I wanna dance with somebody’. And that somebody is Wade Robson. But sadly that’s not going to happen, so I guess I’ll settle for watching the sixteen remaining dancers compete on tonight’s SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.

My DVR wasn’t recording (what?!) so I missed the first 15 minutes.  Hopefully that’s only going to amount to one, maybe two routines.  And hopefully by the time I finish watching and blogging I’ll be able to find those routines online. [UPDATE: I missed only Jonathan and Kayla’s routine. But I did catch the judges’ comments and it seems I didn’t miss much of anything.]

Joining Mary and Nigel tonight is Toni Basil.  ‘Oh Mickey’ herself has been a judge in the past. I do remember her being overly loquacious and quite grating, but we’ll see how she does tonight. Sadly my favorite judge, The Shankman, won’t be back until the finale.  And my other favorite judge, Debbie Allen, hasn’t been on yet.  Where you at Debbie?

Since I have no witty banter about an opening I wasn’t able to see, let’s just right into the dancing. As always, I’ll be sharing my thoughts as I watch and then listen in on what the judges have to say.

Vitolia & Auska | Jazz by Mandy Moore

Mandy Moore was giving us some thrash, rocker jazz. I’m not sure what Auska and Vitolio were giving us. I really wasn’t a fan of the performance at all.  I would love to see the choreography the way it was designed because it was clear that these dancers didn’t do it justice.  Of the two, I thought Vitolio was stronger, but that’s not saying much.  Auska was especially bad.  She was always anticipating the next move. She was in her head the whole time.  Not a big fan at all.

The Judges: Nigel thought it was fantastic. Really? Ok, I guess it might be one of those night where the judges and I aren’t on the same page.  Mary thought it was really good but not great. She expected a little bit more. Toni didn’t say much about the dance.  She talked to them about focusing more on the emotion.  And with that, I’m officially over Toni Basil as a judge. (That didn’t take long).  She should stick to cheerleading. Toni’s hat told the couple to Be Aggressive. Be. Be. Aggressive.

Ade & Melissa | Rumba by Tony Meredith

I’m not sure what makes a good Rumba, but if it’s sensuality and sexiness then I think this one will get some high praise from the judges.  There were a few slightly off moments, but on the whole I thought it was beautiful to watch.  There’s something about Melissa that I’m just not on board with yet. I can’t quite pin it down but she irks me. I think Ade is a beautiful dancer.  I haven’t been a big fan of these two to date, but I thought this was a great performance.

The Judges: “What a difference Ade makes” – good one Nigel.  Mr. Lythgoe was a big fan of this dance. He complimented both Ade and Melissa on their performance. Mary thought it was beautiful. She gave the pair a few big screams. Toni said it was beautifully done. But unfortunately her hat hated it.

Read more

Project BUFFY Update

For those of you interested in the latest on Project Buffy, I’m happy to report that I’ve finished Season 4 and I’m on to Disc 2 of Season 5. I have until March 20th to finish all seven seasons. The amount of episodes I have still to watch is rather intimidating, but fear not, I will succeed.

I’m loving this show more and more with every episode. I found certain parts of Season 4 a little less interesting than others, but I’ve heard from other BUFFY fans that that seems to be the general consensus. Everyone has told me that the best has yet to come and I couldn’t be more excited.

I’m starting to get some answers to questions I had from back in Season One. Such as how on Earth do Spike and Buffy ever get together? And where the hell did Dawn come from?

Regarding Spike, I never thought I would love another Vamp like I did Angel, but damn if Spike isn’t growing on me. Having known of the character from being a basic pop culture connoisseur, I think I always assumed he was just going to be this dark and mysterious bloke…always brooding. Come to find out he’s the comic relief of the show. Brilliant. I could see Spike and I being good buds (especially as long as the chip stays in tact) – I mean we are both fans of witty banter and the telly…oh and The Creek. Had we met through Match.com I think we’d might be in one of those commercials celebrating our love (again, as long as there’s no biting…well at least not too much).

Read more

Ugly Betty Recap: Derailed

 

Title: “Derailed”
Original Airdate: February 15, 2007
GMMR Recapper: Jo

Claire Meade’s murder confession haunts Betty’s dreams. As does Henry making out with his ex-girlfriend- a super model by Betty’s imagination. Alexis and Daniel arrive to work with playful sibling banter, much to Wilhelmina’s chagrin. Daniel gives Betty a party invitation to Stella McCarthy’s party, but she blurts out “Your mother killed Fey Summers” just in time for the UPS guy.

Wil cries to Marc about the family reunion, fearing Alexis may change her mind. Marc tracks down the scoop while Wil interrogates Christina. She bolts, so Wil assigns Marc to keep an eye on her. Daniel laughs off Claire’s confession as the ramblings of a drunk. Betty points out she was driving an Aston-Martin and the detail drives Daniel to visit Dad in the clink. Bradford demands Daniel get him a new lawyer named Grace Chin. The problem is Daniel stood Grace up in college.

 

Read more

Veronica Mars Recap: “Show Me the Monkey”

Title: “Show Me the Monkey”
Original Airdate: January 22, 2007

A long time ago, we used to be friends…and then you went on a long hiatus and you were out of sight and out of mind. Sorry, but it’s the truth. It feels like forever ago when the Hearst rapist was revealed and Dean O’Dell was found dead at his desk. I knew without a doubt that I was going to be watching the Winter premiere of Veronica Mars last night, I just didn’t realize exactly how much I had missed it.

We had a few things going on in Neptune last night, so let’s discuss, shall we? Let me first start by saying that there is a reason that I have OTHER people recap shows for me here on GMMR. I suck at it. You people want a recap not a frakkin’ novel. Anyway, my apologies for the grey hair that might sprout while you ar reading my take on last night’s show.

Maybe we should start with ye old murder. Murder has become an annual event in Neptune. It’s like St. Patrick’s Day or the 4th of July, yet without the parades and drunk leprechauns. And as always, the Mars family always seems to be just a wee bit too close to the situation.

Read more

Battlestar Galactica Recap:”Unfinished Business”

To: Jim Halpert & Pam Beesly
Logan Echolls & Veronica Mars
Michael Scofield & Sara Tancredi
Drs. House, Cameron & Cuddy, et al

From: GiveMeMyRemote.com

Re: An Important Lesson

Dear favorite TV non-couples,
You have all wasted months (and some even years) playing this will they/won’t they game with your love lives. The misunderstandings, hurt feelings, stubbornness and failure to take action has left you scarred and afraid of love. To that end I ask – no demand – that you take the time to watch this week’s episode of Battlestar Galactica. You might learn a thing or two from Starbuck and Apollo about dealing with pent up sexual frustration in a real and honest manner. As an added bonus for the ladies, Lee is shirtless and sweaty most of the episode – and if that doesn’t spur you to want to jump your man, I don’t know what will.

Hope to see you in happy coupledom soon.

Sincerely,

GMMR

P.S. Logan, if you choose to follow the way of Lee and Kara, please be careful. Veronica could probably kick your ass.

P.S.S. GMMR doesn’t condone violence of any kind (unless of course it will bring you that much close to smooching – then I’m all for it.)

Title: “Unfinished Business”
Original Airdate: 12/1/06

Previously, half of the Galactica crew moved to New Caprica while the other half stayed. There once was a romance between Apollo and Self Destruct Starbuck so naturally they ran off and married other folks. Then Starbuck told Anders to leave.

41,422. This episode cuts a million times between Galactica and New Caprica, so for clarity I’m going to break it down by plot line. The point of the episode is Adama arranged a boxing tournament for the crew to get out their frustrations, so while they fight, they flashback to the memories that are eating them up inside.

Read more

Battlestar Galatica Recap: Exodus

So did my gushing about Battelstar Galatica have any impact on you at all?  Did any newbies watch it this weekend?  Don’t be scared – give it a shot, I really think you’ll fall in love as quickly as I did. If you are nervous, let me talk you through it.  It’s a frakking good show you and you won’t be disappointed.
Jo is back with another fab recap.  Check it out, and praise her with comments.  This show is tough to recap, and she rocks for taking it on!!

Title: Exodus
Original Airdate: 10/13/2006
Previously, Saul Tigh was released from prison because his wife sold out the Resistance leaders in exchange. Laura Roslin arranged to swap Hera- Helo and Sharon’s half ‘n’ half baby- out with a still-born pure human baby. Hera was hidden among the fleet and Sharon was left none the wiser and pretty messed up for a while. Galactica made contact with the survivors on New Caprica. Adama’s rescue plan includes sending Cylon Sharon down on the planet. The New Caprica Police round up anyone ever suspected in the insurgency based on a death  list signed by President Gaius Baltar.

New Caprica. Tigh can’t get his patch right in the mirror. Little does he know that’ll be the least of his problems today. A clean-shaven Chief goes ballistic over Cally’s name on the death list. I had forgotten that the Chief had a crazy streak in him too. He and Cally are quite the match. Tigh snaps him back to reality to go find out where they are taking the prisoners.

Read more

« Previous Page — Next Page »