He’s Going to Tell Them About... Eh, Nevermind

There was a lot of chatter after the abysmal Lost finale that people were going to swear off network sci-fi shows indefinitely. But I am a glutton and went ahead and signed up four months after the Lost letdown for The Event (and No Ordinary Family, and The Cape). One byproduct of the travesty of the Lost finale is that I would no longer let a heavily serialize show give me false of being a grand, transformative television show.

Say what you will about The Event, it did aim high, throwing an alien invasion, government cover up, and a love story complete with plenty of time jumping that put Lost’s flashbacks to shame, for better or worse. But the time jumping faded away quickly for a more linear approach which is a shame because when done right (most notably the first season Lost and least notably the last season of Lost) it can bring about great character exploration, and when dealing with characters that seem not to age The Event could have benefited from sticking with it. Of course the time shifting could have answered long lingering questions that I no longer care about to brainstorm.

The shift in the timelines was not the only thing that changed as the show went along as I am pretty sure what the event as presented in the title changed in the writers’ minds a couple time. Silly me wrongfully said in my Preview of The Event series premiere that the event happened within the first hour. By the second episode I realized what I thought was the event was not actually The Event. Then when the show returned from a four month hiatus, the promo monkeys all but confirmed that the extinction of the human race was The Event. But in the finale, Simon clearly stated that The Event was, um, something that I am not sure I can explain without re-watching it a couple times. But he did definitely said The Event.

You have to take writers at their words when they say they have their series mapped out with benchmarks they want to hit but the problems with most sci-fi shows that have failed miserably in the Lost era and beyond is those benchmarks are clearly too far apparent. Then there are too many episode in-between where you just yell at your television screen, “Just get there!” Certainly the closing scenes of the season were visually stunning with an entire planet entering out orbit, but by the point it happened very few people were around to care. Had this happened in, say, the sixth episode instead of the twenty-second, you would have a much compelling story. Instead it took six episodes just to get Sophia to escape Inostranka.

And since the writers took too long to make anything interesting happen, we will not get a second season where there was going to be a lizard baby born to Layla and Sean. C’mon, you knew that storyline was coming from miles away, long before she broke the news to the father. But at least the serioes did not last long enough where all the characters met up in a church in purgatory.

The Event gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 5/22/11

How I Met Your Mother: Whatever happened to Ted’s friend from Ohio that was getting married? I always assumed that was the wedding that was hyped to be the wedding Ted met the mother was that one (best laugh of the episode, if not the season was when Future Ted said that the chick that got the flowers was the mom). I really have no desire to see a married Barney, but I have a feeling he will not be getting married at that wedding as it will be to the British chick but will realize he loves Robin so he does not go through with it. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Event: We actually got two pieces to the puzzle from the beginning of the series, but it was a little too late as the show will be not back next season. But we did learn that Sophia’s people “were here first” and the token hot chick was former CIA that went rogue. And I guess we can assume that the parchment Sean has is actually from when Sophia’s people where here originally. I wonder what, if anything we will learn from next week’s series finale. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Castle: Early in the episode when the group was talking about a possible third dirty cop, Captain Montgomery gave a look that gave me pause, thinking he was it. I actually talked myself out of that being the case until the big reveal. But I do not understand why they killed the other two cops, but not Montgomery. I wish they would do more than two of these Beckett’s mother episodes a season because it is sometimes hard to remember what is going on. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Modern Family: Does anyone actually have Middle School graduations or is that just something that happens on television? If so I feel cheated because I did not have a graduation from middle school or grade school. I did learn I have a little Pritchett in me because I laughed hysterically at Cameron for both of his pratfalls. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.



The Big Bang Theory: Ever since the first season I have assumed that the writers will have run out of ideas the episode where they get Sheldon drunk and hooks up with Penny. Never did I ever think she would get drunk and hook up with Raj. This very well may have been a jump the shark moment. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.

Friday Night Lights: Those Julie scenes were really hard to watch this week (sans when Buddy tried to hook her up with Buddy Jr.) and I just weep for her even if she brought all of this on herself. I also fear that the Vince / daddy situation with the gang banger is going to end in blood before all is said and done. But I do like where the Luke / Billy (great speech this week) is going. Only in Texas do they have toilets in their back yards and practice their chipping with charcoal. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.



Also check out my season reviews of Survivor: Redemption Island and Chuck.

Best of the Week - 5/21/11

Quote of the Week: Wack ‘em if they ever got out of line. That’s smart; Reagan smart. (Casey, Chuck)

Song of the Week: Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice (as sung by Raj, The Big Bang Theory)

Big News of the Week: Networks Unveil their Schedules: I talked about the five shows I most want to see and what I will be watching next fall. Here some other thoughts on the schedules of the big four (and The CW). Click on the title to be taken to a promo of the show.

The Sing-Off (Mondays at 8:00 on NBC): I am glad NBC took my advice and made The Sing-Off a weekly show, but two hours seems a little cumbersome (I know NBC is in trouble, but why are all their reality shows an unnecessarily two hours long?). At least the show should up it’s credibly now that the Pussycat Doll is not available as a judge. Since there are down a judge, may I suggest Sara Bareilles.

Last Man Standing (Tuesdays at 8:00 on ABC): So Loretta McCready goes from the best show on television to this? I put the over / under on the number of episode it takes before she called up Raylan Gibbons looking to be rescued by him at three.

Ringer (Tuesdays at 9:00 on The CW): There is a lot of talk of Sarah Michelle Gellar returning to get WB roots but let’s face it she is a horrible actress and unless her words are written by Joss Whedon, she is unwatchable. And if The CW was taking other network’s leftover’s, why did they not take NBC’s Wonder Woman to replace the departing Smallville?

Revenge (Wednesdays at 10:00 on ABC): There seems to be a lot of new shows that made me go, that would make for a good idea for a movie, but I do not see how they stretch it into a television show. Revenge tops that list. Sure Amy Abbott may get me to tune in, but where exactly does the show go after she exact her revenge.

H8R (Wednesdays at 8:00 on The CW): In this year’s installment of “Seriously, they canceled Veronica Mars for this crap” goes to H8R where “celebrities” confront people who talk smack about them on the internet. No word on when my episode where I get ambushed by The CW executives for hating on H8R airs.

And my prediction of first show canceled goes to I Hate My Teenage Daughter.

Bonus Big News of the Week: The ten year old version of myself would be remised if I didn’t wish a melancholy happy trails to the Macho Man Randy Savage who suffered a heart attack while driving yesterday.

Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:



Free Download of the Week: Don't Give Up On Me Now – Ben Harper (iTunes)

Deal of the Week: Over 1,500 Albums $5 Each Through May: Only one more week to get these albums for $5. Here are some Greatest Hits selections worth picking up from The Steve Miller Band, John Mellencamp, The Temptations, and David Gray.



New Album Release of the Week: Torches - Foster the People

New DVD Release of the Week: Gettysburg: Director's Cut (Blu-ray Book Packaging)

Video of the Week: Too Big to Fail is not the only HBO debuting next week. How to Die in Oregon will air Thursday (5/26) at 8:00. The documentary looks at the controversial Death with Dignity Act, which legalizes physician aid-in-dying for some terminally ill patients. Below is a promo:



Next Week Pick of the Week: The Event, Monday at 9:00 on NBC: Poor The Event, it was probably doomed from the start. I guess when you name your show The Event, it is probably a good idea to clue the audience in on what The Event is in the first episode. I did not even realize what The Event was until NBC started airing ads for the midseason premiere, granted I am not entirely sure if the potential extermination of the human race actually is The Event named in the title. Oh well. After the series finale, NBC can bring on the Playboy Bunnies.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 5/14/11

The Killing: Now that is an ending, I finally was able to pick up my jaw around the time the “next on” segment came on (which sort of implies the FBI are not an important player as the situation is never addressed). I was a little disappointed that Richmond’s wife’s death was just a drunk driver; I was expecting something seedier when people were comparing it to Rosie’s death. At least they are finally moving away from the teacher (who has lawyered up twice now, yet they have not drug him in for official questioning yet) and onto his buddy. You can download The Killing on iTunes.

Chuck: When Vivian called Chuck to tell him that he would see someone close to him suffer I was chanted please be Morgan only to be shocked that it turned out to be Sarah. Of course it will turn out that Vivian just doesn’t have it in her to kill somebody which is why the does she gave to Sarah will not be fatal. And let me go on record that the “Oh boy” twist ending is Sarah is pregnant. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

How I Met Your Mother: I actually thought the big plan was to put the lion’s head on the new GNB building, but I guess it works better in Barney’s bedroom. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Event: I love how the acting president ordered air strikes on American soil and only one dude walked out of the Situation Room. Isn’t that grounds for impeachment? Although I guess Martinez already did that this season. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Castle: Just in case people would not get the obvious Donald Trump homage with the sleazy hotel owning, pageant runner, they just had to put a bad wig and eyebrows on Michael McKeon. What, was Darrell Hammond too busy? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Survivor: Redemption Island: I hate the episodes that push a contestant so hard as if they are going to be voted out because the editors are trying so hard it becomes obvious the person they are targeting is the person that will end up winning immunity much like Ashley this week (it is not a good sign of the quality of this season that after thirteen episodes I actually had to check to see what her name was). You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Modern Family: I wonder what the over / under is for the number of times we will ever see that dog again. 1? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.



The Big Bang Theory: When I heard this episode was about Howard’s mom in the hospital I thought maybe we would finally get a glance at her. Silly me. I wonder if we will see her at the wedding. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.

Community: So is Annie going to kiss a new group mate every season finale? It was Jeff last year and Abed this year. Thankfully the show has been renewed for a possible Annie / Britta make out session next season. But it is a shame that they could not switch this episode with last week’s because the spaghetti western motif was much better than the Star Wars theme. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Outsourced: Of course just hours after launching my Save Outsourced campaign, NBC had to go and cancel the show. Oh well. At least we got to see Gupta and Charlie serenade a horse before it rode off into the sunset. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Outsourced on iTunes.

Friday Night Lights: Oh snap, that Julie getting confronted was painful to watch. But at least there were plenty of great scenes featuring Billy Riggins, Luke rapping, Buddy Jr.’s lipstick, the desk clerk, and Tink’s movie festival. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 5/8/11

The Killing: One of the reasons I never watch Six Feet Under is because I had no desire to see a dead body prepared every week, and I could have done without seeing Rosie getting ready. But I guess we have to have the teacher’s wife very high on the suspect list. Now that we are at the halfway mark of the season I wonder if we are going to start narrowing down the suspects or keep adding to the list until the end. You can download The Killing on iTunes.

Chuck: Early on I actually thought Volcoff was Agent-X before changing my pick to Mama Bartowski. But I love the people who think the show went with Volcoff to explain away Timothy Dalton’s in and out Russian accent. Here is hoping he gets reunited with his mother at some point. I would not be surprised if she exchanged information with Casey. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

How I Met Your Mother: Hopefully my special talent that is brought out by a special mix of cocktail never gets revealed to the general public. And how disappointing was the Arcadian? It is supposed to be some great historical landmark (as so Zoey would have us believe) but it looks like it should be condemned and torn down even if it were her childhood home. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Event: If there are plenty of nutjobs out there that believe Obama is a foreigner and Bush ordered the Twin Towers destruction, I do not understand how the evidence they already have against the vice president would not be enough. But my favorite part of the episode is they just so happened to have an antidote laying around to give to the president. How convenient. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Castle: Nice to see Billy Riggins still getting work, and he was the butt of the best gag of the episode, a fake interrogation room as they were brought in by actors. But I am disappointed that we did not get any more on Beckett’s mom’s case. Wasn’t the detective killed involved with it in an earlier episode? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Survivor: Redemption Island: One thing that amazes me about the remaining players is that none of them are paranoid. Have none of them actually watched the show before? It’s like they are all playing checkers when they should be playing chess. It is a shame that any of the remaining players made it this far let alone even got cast. After a couple busts in a row, it may be time to get a new casting director, because casting just a pretty face makes for boring television. Seriously, is Natalie actually going to be the first winner ever to have less screen time in a season than the first person to get voted off? You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



The Big Bang Theory: I now want to play three person chess. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.

Community: If you scroll the 2000+ posts I have made you will notice that I never talk in hyperbole, so believe me when I say Spaghetti Western Annie is the greatest thing ever. EVER. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Outsourced: Wow, we actually got to hear the bearded dude talk. Although if he picks up the quiet chick in the office, I wonder what those conversations would be about. And as great of an episode Community’s second paintball one was, no sight gag was funnier this week than Pinky on the bike. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Outsourced on iTunes.

Friday Night Lights: The Lions continues its theme of players from the island of misfit toys with the addition of Buddy Jr. (I’m guessing it is not the same actor). It is nice to see Mindy warm up to Becky just by saying her butt is small (and can we please get a Riggins family spin-off sitcom next season? I’d watch that). And note to East Dillon High: In School Suspension, it is way worse punishment that out of school suspension, just sitting in a small room for eight hours staring at a wall and you only get to leave twice a day to go to the bathroom. And if you do not follow the rules, more time in The Box (as we affectingly called it when I was in high school). But seriously, how has Texas yet to come up with a more cruel and unusual punishment than Ohio? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 4/30/11

The Killing: I am a little surprised they are sticking on the teacher for more than an episode as a suspect. I wonder if the series is going to click off suspects one by one until they find the killer or will it be a suspect they looked at earlier in the season, but thought they cleared. Either way I am still enthralled. You can download The Killing on iTunes.

The Event: When the token hot chick talked about how cold it is in Siberia this time of year, I had to laugh when she said it was ten degrees. I was walking my dogs in negative wind chill this past winter, a stone cold assassin should not be complaining about double digit weather. But my favorite part of the episode was the “da, da, da” moment at the end when the creepy dude realized, after having it all day, that the coffee spilled on his shirt. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Survivor: Redemption Island: I have given a lot of crap to Ometepe for keeping Boston Rob around, and he should have been the first one out on his tribe, but keeping him around now is a smart move because no one will vote for him. But the problem now, with Philip taking the other spot, you are now at Rob’s mercy to get that third spot at the final tribal (assuming there will be three). And now with all the Zapatera, the four fighting for that third and final spot are almost out of options depending when and who returns from Redemption Island. So unless Grant goes on an Immunity run, we might as well flash forward to the finale and give Natalie Tenerelli the million dollars. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Justified: The first season really build with every episode to the season finale but this season something seemed to build to a head every couple episodes. Hopefully this season finale will have the same result: edge of your seat entertainment and one of the best forty minutes on television. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Justified on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: I have long believed that the show will eventually get Sheldon drunk and have him sleep with Penny (although Amy would be more likely now that she is a cast member now) and I thought that might happened this episode, but only Amy getting her drink on, then her smoke on. Oh, yeah, more smoking monkeys please. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.

Community: Now I was only a math minor, but I am pretty sure if Shirley was impregnated around Halloween that her kid was early even had it been a Chang baby. And after the plotline, they probably should have retired the handshake. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Friday Night Lights: What a juxtaposition of Tammi spending a whole week trying to hammer it into the girls of East Dillon about making good decisions while her daughter was a couple miles away making a pretty bad decision of her own. I wonder if Julie’s affair is what was going to happen with her creepy English teacher that got interrupted by the writer’s strike in season two. But at least we were witness to another great Coach Taylor put on your bulletin board speech. I really need to upload his great quotes onto my iPod and listen to them on a loop while working out. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 4/23/11

The Killing: Sterling being the girl in the video seemed like a bit of a cop-out. Shouldn’t the detectives have figured that out that it wasn’t Rosie’s with a simple blood test? Isn’t that forensics 101? You can download The Killing on iTunes.

Chuck: From the moment Chuck proposed, my first thought was, “great, now they can bring back Gary Cole” and finally he showed back up in Burbank this week. And the episode did not disappoint unless you count at the hints that Gary may actually miss the wedding itself. And are we ever going to learn what is going on with Sarah’s mother? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

The Event: Come next month at the Upfronts, this will the episode I look back on and give an indifferent shug when the show does not show up on NBC’s schedule. Seriously, Hal Holbrooke after pulling the strings all season, put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. What the frack? Random character deaths are one of the many things that ruined Lost. I officially no longer care about this show. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Parenthood: No show on television has a higher tears to laughs ratio than Parenthood. It seemed like I was alternated between the two every five minutes of the finale. With Friday Night Lights ending the season, Parenthood has to return next year. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Survivor: Redemption Island: Still waiting for something interesting to happen. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Modern Family: Back in college I worked as rock climbing belayer for a week and actually had a guy about the size of Cameron walk in and needless to say I was not thrilled to have to spot him. Thankfully the guy did not make it more than two feet off the ground, but when he fell, it shot me about four feet off the ground. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.



Justified: Uh oh, things between the Bennetts and Gibbons just got escalated. But is Raylan really going to take away two of Mag’s sons from her? Should make a great next episode. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Justified on iTunes.

Community: While watching the final season of Fresh Prince of Bel Air (see my review: You’re Moving in with You Auntie and Uncle in Bel Air) I was treated to a blooper show, but I wondered where a proper clip show was. Of course Community had to take the clip show and flip it on its head by only featuring clips that never actually aired. R.I.P. The Cape. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Friday Night Lights: When I first saw Luke take out the other quarterback in the season premiere, my first thought was back to the Pilot with Jason Street and I am a bit surprised that was never touched on so far. Was the person that took Street out suspended? And Like how Becky was glad someone cared enough about her to be angry that she stayed out too late. It is about time something went right for that girl. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 4/10/11

The Event: How James Bond villain of them to order the death of the token hot chick only to let her burn up in a fire. What, would putting a bullet in her head been too messy? But anyway. It looks like the president was too stupid to put a GPS in the buses. Not surprising. But I like how he is getting seriously paranoid more and more with every passing episode, the glance he gave his wife at the end, essentially questioning if she is indeed non terrestrial. Can’t say anything else in the episode was particularly as interesting. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Castle: Just last week I complained how Alexis was too goodie-goodie and this week she gets in a catfight. It is about time they gave her some edge. But of course I just happened to be eating some pizza when I watched this episode. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Lights Out: Well that was a depressing, if not unexpected, ending. Though it would have been interesting to see where The Justice League, as Barry put it, would go next season, not having a sophomore season may have been for the best. Watching someone lose there mind is not high on the things I would like to watch list. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Lights Out on iTunes.

Survivor: Redemption Island: How do you talk about the game rewarding big moves, then not execute your big plan? It is hard to root for Matt again at Redemption Island for making such a boneheaded move. But big boneheaded move goes to Boston Rob, when Matt tells you that the other tribe is willing to give him an immunity idol, you tell him to get the idol from them. What sucks is this season has been begging for a bold move since Russell got voted out, and now we are set for another month of the lemming following Boston Rob until the former Zapatera is eliminated. Ugg. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Justified: I guess nothing could have possibly lived up to Boyd’s tease that he figured out what Mags was doing. A land grab to limit driving access is not very sexy. I am a little surprised that the Loretta storyline came to a head already. I thought they would save that for the season finale. But I am disappointed that she was not the one that exacted revenge on her father’s behalf. I guess there are still two Bennett’s left, but I do not see her escaping Foster Care to hunt down Mags. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Justified on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: Oh drunken Raj, who would have guessed he would out catchphrase Sheldon’s Bazinga. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.

Outsourced: Out of all the dumb bets I suffered through during college, I am glad no one thought of pepper roulette, I am not sure if I could have made it past one game. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Outsourced on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 4/3/11

The Event: It should go without saying, but I hope the president was smart enough to put GPS trackers on the buses, but since he has made some dumb decisions in the past (okay, let’s be honest, the writers are the one’s making the dumb mistakes) I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Castle: Alexis’s goodie-goodie act is starting to wear thin. Se seriously lied to her father so she could go back to the store where her friends stole stuff without him find out? C’mon. She doesn’t have to go Lindsay Lohan, but it is time to ditch the Mother Teresa act. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Parenthood: Who would have guessed that Cappie would actually look more shaggy post-graduation? Maybe he should realize the best job he could get in underground for a reason. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Lights Out: Every episode since it happened I keep going back to the one that ended with Barry K. Word and Hal Brennen and wondering what exactly was discussed during that meeting. Have they been conspiring this whole time or was that a throw away scene and I am reading too much into it. With one episode left, hopefully all will be revealed. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Lights Out on iTunes.

Survivor: Redemption Island: I was thinking the other day, when an Immunity Idol is played, the person with the second most votes is the one that goes home. But what if the only two people who get votes both play an Idol? Usually when there is a tie, the people who got votes are not allowed to vote in the revote. So would they have a revote for the two people that were voted for whose Idols are no longer valid or do they revote and they cannot vote for the two that played the Idol. This is really all I could think of this week because the actual episode was a bore. Hopefully it picks up next week with the merge and we get to see if my Idol conundrum plays out which could happen because people will be gunning for Boston Rob, but the other tribe knows that Ralph has one, and he knows they know he have one which makes for an interesting chess match. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Justified: Wow, that is the second time we have seen Raylan get severely beaten, sure two on one could be expected, but I thought he could have taken a dimwit with one good hand. But I was disappointed we did not make it to the Bennett Whoop-Di-Do. I remember looking at the clock while they were still at papa’s house and thinking, crap, they are not going to make it this week. I wonder what her master plan is, and what Boyd plans to do about it. But I thought earlier this season it was eluded to that Arlo was the one that had to do with Dicky’s limp, not the story Raylan gave this week about the baseball game. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Justified on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: I am surprised Penny’s one episode addition to World of Warcraft, which to this day is one of the better ones in the series run, was never brought up. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 3/27/11

Chuck: Wow, Volkoff tried to kill Chuck. Or did she? I have a feeling Leland Palmer may be the one behind the hit. Although I could do without the standalone episode unless the C.A.T. Squad reunites. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

How I Met Your Mother: Has the show run out of funny ideas that they have had to fill this season up with dramatic elements? Between Marshal’s dad (that they are still references) and Barney’s (who is getting really annoying when they focus on his search for daddy), it is getting too heavy this season. And they really glossed over that Barney has a college-aged half sister. Could she turn out to be Ted’s baby mama? You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Event: Most unbelievable part of the episode: the Token Hot Chick poising as 41 wearing a dress that is way to gravity defying for someone that age to pull off. And I wonder why the alien’s do not just sing the building around the navy like they did the last time the government were closing in on them? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Castle: Holy Corbin Bernsen sighting! I bet there was no one more exited to hear Charlie Sheen talk about Major League 3 than Corbin. Until he realized that he already stared in the third movie entitled Back to the Minors. And poor Mac, I knew she did it as soon as her new boss hired as a staff writer. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Lights Out: Like I said back in the second episode, that picture at the kids birthday party was going to come back and haunt him. But he sure came up with a good plan to make it go away, although I am not sure how wise it was to put his fate on a guy with dementia. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Lights Out on iTunes.

Survivor: Redemption Island: Russell has gotten a lot of grief for his strategy of picking dumb hot chicks to do his bidding, but Boston Rob has done the exact same thing on his seasons to the detriment of his chances of even making the jury. Natalie and Ashley may out dumb blonde any of Russell’s dumb blonde alliances. He should thank the other tribe for throwing the challenge because he could have easily have seen Russell on Redemption Island at some point later. But much like last week, I am still waiting for something interesting to happen but we are probably too deep for them to swap tribes and may be two or three episodes away from a merge. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Justified: Even though I could have done without another Wynonna theft episode, this is the episode where things are going to get rolling when the mining company goes after the Bennett’s with the Raylan and the Marshall service caught in the middle. I can’t wait. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Justified on iTunes.

Community: I am not sure who was more upset that Abed’s dinner turned out to be another homage, Jeff or myself. It is really annoying when the show does parody’s of movies I have never seen. And I would have much preferred a Reservoir Dogs party to a Pulp Fiction one. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 3/20/11

Shameless: When Liam’s blood test came back with Frank as his father I was convinced that someone swapped it because I didn’t see how there were going to explain it any other way. I guessed the title of the episode, Nana Gallagher had an Affair should had tipped me off. Speaking of Nana, we actually get to meet the matriarch tonight.

Chuck: The top of the Greta crop were the Old Spice Guy and Stacy Keibler? Didn’t the latter get knocked out by Stone Cold Steve Austin? It is too bad Olivia Munn and Summer Glue were too busy slumming it on shows that are already doomed. Also not to producers in charge of finding Regis’s replacement: drunk Olivia Munn would be rating gold. (If you do not know what I am taking about, Google it.) You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

The Event: I really hate when show insult my intelligence. Just minutes after complaining that the prisoners at Innastranka didn’t have the security of the nuclear plant, they only guard the transported uranium with two guys and three drivers? If you still do not trust Sophia, how about using a small army as an escort? But I did like the unintentional comedy of the token hot chick being paranoid that guys were watching her. Of course every guy is tailing her, she is absurdly attractive. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Lights Out: No better fight promotion that an impromptu brawl that probably hit YouTube before either fighter made it to jail. Almost makes you wonder if Barry K. Word did some puppet mastery behinds the scenes to make it happen. I know Don King is kicking himself for not thinking of it first. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Lights Out on iTunes.

Survivor: Redemption Island: We have finally reached the point in the season where it has gotten too predictable. No matter who wins immunity it is clear who will be going home. Hopefully there is a blindside or switched tribes, because this could get boring quick. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Mr. Sunshine: This show really needs to incorporate more lingerie football matches into the show. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Mr. Sunshine on iTunes.

Justified: I am a little surprised that they are expanding the Wynona theft storyline into multiple episodes. I assumed that when Raylan found the bill that would be the end of that. I am not sure how more of this can continue being entertaining. But I guess if they can include something as funny as Art’s footrace with the guy who needs an oxygen tank in the next episode, it will be entertaining enough. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Justified on iTunes.

Community: Jeff really needs a hair intervention. If you have a receding hairline, you have no business trying the Justin Beiber. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Outsourced: Why are we not celebrating Holi here in America? It could be right up there with the biggest drinking days in college along with Fat Tuesday, St. Patrick’s Day and the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. My college experience now feels incomplete having not throwing a Holi party. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Outsourced on iTunes.

Best of the Week - 2/5/11

Quote of the Week: How much of a bad guy is her brother-in-law? Heads in a duffel bag or just an (expletive deleted)? (Raylan, Justified)

Song of the Week: I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor (as sung by the Gallagher Family, Shameless)

Big News of the Week: Charlie Sheen is a Bi-Winner: Charlie Sheen was in rare air this week, he haven’t seen a public meltdown this big since Britney Spears circa 2007. But Sheen is much bigger, he is like Spears, Mel Gibson, and Lindsay Lohan all mixed in one bag of tiger blood and Adonis DNA. The next question is what network ponies up three million dollars for a Charlie Sheen reality show with his goddesses? And will that give up are inevitable first on screen reality death?

Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:



Free Download of the Week: The Beat Goes On - Beady Eye (iTunes): The Gallagher brother from Oasis that was the singer but didn’t do the song writing has finally after decades of fighting has left his big brother behind for a new band featuring two other Oasis vets. Grab their first single for free.

Deal of the Week: 100 Albums for $5 Each: This month you can pick up albums from Beastie Boys, Counting Crows, R.E.M., Eisley and more.



New Album Release of the Week: Collapse Into Now - R.E.M.

New DVD Release of the Week: The Walking Dead: Season One

Video of the Week: As I mentioned earlier this week, Breakout Kings premieres tomorrow on A&E and you can check out the trailer for the show below:

Breakout Kings - Theatrical Trailer


Next Week Pick of the Week: The Event, Monday at 8:00 on NBC: It has been over three months since that last episode of The Event so hopefully there will be a lengthy recap before the first of two episode on Monday because I only have vague recollections of what happened in the first ten. I guess it may not matter as the promo for the show’s returns seems to have a couple of big spoilers, like what will The Event be? Bad Promo Monkeys.

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. CLIX

The Walking Dead: Gee, if you are going to move from your camp, why go to the unknown of the CDC instead of the old folks home where you just donated half your guns to? Oh well. The introduction of the CDC worker (which begs the question, where are all his coworkers, no one else was quarantined with him in the building when the outbreak broke out?) was very Lostian, in the best sense of the word. You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Chuck: What an odd villain for such an odd season. I really do not know where they go from here. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

The Event: I was recently lamenting to a friend how the next cheap remake Hollywood needs to do is Out of This World and low and behold, The Event apparently is doing the half human, half alien storyline, at least I assume that all the kidnapped girls are hybrids. Which begs the question were the old faced girls the result of being a half-breed which the shady organization are trying to cure (and apparently did so with Layla) or is the cause of it? And in another storyline stolen from the eighties, I take it the satellite that Thomas launched was to summon his race to Earth which potentially set up a second half of the season to be a V rip-off, but without the lizard undercarriage. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: Wow, that almost made up for the lackluster Irish storyline that dominated this season. I knew either Stahl and Jax would turn on each other and naturally it was both of them. And ever since Jax made the deal I wondered why not tell the club because it was a good deal and kept Gemma out of jail; it turns out they were in on it all along. Nice twist. I wonder when next seaon will start off, will we get a season on the inside, or will it start just as the club is getting released? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Glory Daze: Funniest moment of the week had to go to Jason being left hanging, trying to duet Up Where We Belong with his girlfriend (who need to be promoted to series regular) only to be helped out by Eli. It’s too bad they didn’t recreate the Officer and a Gentleman scene. You can stream recent episodes over at TBS.com.

Survivor: Nicaragua: Purple Kelly has to go down as the worst casting ever in the history of Survivor. Most people who got voted off first had more screen time then she had this season, and the four times she opened her mouth all season showed exactly why they didn’t go to her more often. It is a wonder how she got through casting, she isn’t practically attractive, so you cannot blame it on eye candy. Ugg, this season has just left a terrible taste in my mouth. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Terriers: I guess the theme of this show is that powerful men cannot keep it in their pants. The season started out with a sex scandal and ended with one. The guy behind the curtain seemed a little to calm about his airport plans going down in flames to a low rent private investigator. Should make for an interesting second season (hopefully there is one). You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Terriers on iTunes.

Community: Annie’s bad Texas accent was oddly alluring. But sadly (or lucky depending how you look at it) for me my twenty-first birthday fell on the same day as an econ test, so no bar hoping for me. Who knows if I would have survived the night if I didn’t have a reason to stay in? You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. CLVIII

The Walking Dead: I have a real problem with the ending this week, and not even because they killed off the token hot chick (which never a good sign for a show), just last week we saw that the camp is surrounded by those cans, but we didn’t hear them make any noise. After last week’s close call, shouldn’t they have beefed up their alarm system, not make it more porous? You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Chuck: As much as I enjoy Sarah partaking in a kickboxing match, it seems like the writers are trying a little too hard to make us the viewers believe that shge loves Chuck that much to do the things she did in this episode. But I did enjoy the B-plot of the Nerd Herd doing a little quid pro quo to help Captain Awesome. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

How I Met Your Mother: Remember back when all actors talked about not wanting to be type-cast? Well now all of them are more that welcome to play on their past characters and it is starting to get annoying. Life how many Lost references did you count in this episode just because Hurley made an appearance? That aside, this was the most enjoyable episode of the season so far. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Event: I do not understand the turn face of the Vice President. He can easily get his family secret service detail, if they do not have it already. But this was just really a filler episode. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: What was the more surprising death, Jax killing Alverez or Stahl killing her partner? These two will do about anything to get what they want, but who will be the one that turns on the other because I do not see both shaking hands and letting the other get what they want out of their orginal deal. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Glory Daze: I was hoping for more of a confrontation between the Young Republican and the Liberal Professor, hopefully he takes his class next semester. You can stream recent episodes over at TBS.com.

Modern Family: Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Hayley cannot break up with Dylan, the show needs more Dylan, not less. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.



Terriers: Wow, they really pumped things up going into the end of the season which makes me wonder why they didn’t do this overarching storyline the whole season instead of half the season focusing on standalone cases. We finally know what the evil lawyer is up to, an airport. Can’t wait to see how the season plays out. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Terriers on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. CLVII

The Walking Dead: I know the show is about zombies, but does the plot really need to move this slow. I thought going back to Racist McGee would not take the whole episode to happen. His soliloquy in the beginning went on way too long, same for the wifebeater scene. You think for a show that only had a six episode order, they would be in high gear at all times. Speaking of racist McGee, I understand that his brain was literally fried, but would have been that hard to kick that little bar loose he was attached to? Or saw through it when you get the hacksaw? You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Chuck: Why hasn’t this show picked up a full time Nerd Herder since the loss of Anna Wu? It is clear with all the female guest stars from Kristin Kreuk, to Olivia Munn and most recently Summer Glau, they need a tokn hot chick to fill out the Nerd Herd uniform week in and week out. Which begs the question, what is Sarah’s cover these days, can’t she join the Nerd Herd as her cover? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

How I Met Your Mother: Why is it that this show always has the lamest guest stars: Britney Spears, the annoying couple from The Hills, and now a Pussycat Doll. I really need to reexamine why I watch this show. Especially after how insulting their depiction of Cleveland was (sure the Big Chuck and Little John reference was nice, or least it would have been had they not retired a couple years ago). Also, we are doing alright with LeGone. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Event: Another what the frak ending, almost creepy as the old faced little girl. And I almost didn’t realize what was happening until I thought, wait, Hal Holbrook just got young, then old again. That means I will be watching for at least another week. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Castle: These are the types of episodes the show does best, when Castle comes up with an absurd hypothesis that could actually be right, and with every clue Castle gets more giddy and Beckett gets more flustered. And having Lyle Lovett as a Man in Black made it all that better. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: They are not really going to kill Tara off are they? I do not see how she can get out of that situation, should make for an interesting next episode. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Survivor: Nicaragua: When did this season get interesting? I still hate basically everyone left, I laughed when their camp burnt down, yet this episode was king of entertaining. I guess it has to do with the comeuppance for Brenda who was too cocky for her own good. I was actually a little shocked that Sash didn’t give her the Idol (and in fact even voted for her). This may set up for blind sides for the rest of the season because there are no strong alliances left. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Modern Family: I was kind of bored with most of this episode (sans Gloria with the BB Gun), but all was forgiven when Mitchell jumped into the Flash Mob, and the detest on Cameron’s face as he tried to join in because he was not invited in on it was priceless. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.



Terriers: This seems like an episode that should have happened closer to the middle of the season than at the end, but it was still a satisfying flashback. But I do not think we learned why Gustafson told Britt that Hank will let him down. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Terriers on iTunes.

The Challenge: Cutthroat: Finally next episode we will get the anticipated CT sighting that was promised at the beginning of the season. Can’t wait to see how he gets involved (although I will have to wait two weeks, stupid Thanksgiving). And when did Laurel become attractive? You can stream recent episodes on MTV.com. You can also download The Challenge: Cutthroat on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: Who knew Penny and Leonard fake dating would be so much more entertaining than them dating for real? Though I am surprised that Leonard did not try to get a sleep over out of the situation.

Community: Even though I saw it coming from a mile away, all the fake outs at the end were still hilarious. I was kind of hoping that one of the guns turned out to be real. Oh well. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Also check out my Preview of Glory Daze.