My Review of True Blood's 3x05: "Trouble"

Written by Nancy Oliver
Directed by Scott Winant

Eric: “You learn any tricks?”
Talbot: “Eric, you know as well as I there’s nothing new, except someone new.”

And isn’t that interesting little bit of information? When Talbot isn’t dishing out bitchy comments, he’s certainly doling out perceptiveness to Eric. I seriously did not expect that the sight of a Viking crown would ignite certain memories of Eric’s to resurface but I sure as hell should’ve done.

Russell’s not stupid and the second that Eric came to be in his captivity was the same one that meant he would be tested by Russell, just like Bill has been for the last three episodes. The only difference will be whether or not Eric can retain his cool. Talbot unlocked memories that really should set Eric like a time bomb.

Werewolves killing off Eric’s parents would’ve been a shocker if it hadn’t been implied in previous episodes that Eric had a personal grievance with werewolves in general. So, things just fall into place when viewing that flashback and having Russell be the one responsible for the death of Eric’s family was an interesting twist. Undoubtedly it will also play a major role in later episodes.

Eric coming/being brought to Russell couldn’t have come a moment sooner. Not only was Russell able to see through Eric’s initial facade but he almost seemed sympathetic when he realised that Pam’s life was endangered by the Magister. If vampires have given the Magister the power to be judge, jury and executioner then it makes perfect sense that they will also be the ones to strip him off his powers as well.

But back to Eric, now that he knows about Russell’s involvement in his parents death = how will he strike? He’s crafter than Bill but he’s also capable of losing it too and I got the impression that Talbot could easily pick up on his discomfort over seeing the crown instantly. I just hope that Eric has more of an advantage when going up against Russell than Bill does about now.

And that leads to Bill nicely. He was doing so well and for a tiny bit, he might have totally won Russell over but there were several drawbacks this week. The first one being that his research into the Stackhouse family tree at the behest of Sophie-Anne was exposed thanks to Franklin’s snooping and Bill certainly did a bad job of trying to bluff his way out of that one with Russell.

Then there was Sookie and her life being in danger yet again. Of course Cooter would take Bill aside and goad him about Sookie and Alcide and of course Bill would have to go and find them. As a viewer, I knew as soon as he did that, both Russell and his goons would come to snatch Sookie and the end of the episode didn’t disappoint in that respect.

Having Sookie pull the same telepathic/electrical stunt on Cooter that she did with Maryann back in “New World In My View” was impressive. Russell certainly seemed entertained by it and I’m hoping that within this season, there are some concrete answers behind Sookie’s developing abilities, preferably before Russell tries to use them for his own ends as well. I can’t see him killing off Sookie when she could prove to be useful for him, even if Lorena might happily do it.

As for Sookie, this episode was actually surprisingly light with her as well but when she did appear on screen, things were being progressed along. Alcide grudgingly found himself falling into line with her over talking to his pack master, Colonel Flood and it was through that conversation that showed an emphasis on how much influence Russell has over the werewolf community.

Then there was Debbie. She’s still an absolute bitch but until realising that Sookie was staying with Alcide, I got the impression that she was trying to help her ex-boyfriend in some weird way. I like the areas of grey that this show and Brit Morgan are doing with this character that it’s beginning to make me despair more for the book version of the character. I can’t see Debbie living long enough to redeeming herself but she’s certainly more interesting here than I expected her to be and that’s a plus.

Also interesting is Franklin’s history with women. I should’ve seen it really. Franklin fixates on a woman and if it goes wrong, then there are bodies as a direct result. Sadly for Tara, she’s become the very woman that he’s fixating on right now but on the plus side, being put in this rotten predicament is giving her a semblance of strength.

Don’t get me wrong, Tara still showed signs of fear from Franklin and she did try to make a break for it, even if Cooter did stop her but she’s also smart enough to try and keep Franklin on side to keep herself safe. I noticed that her facial expressions changed when she was slowly manipulating him. And if she’s smart to find a way of making sure that he doesn’t turn her into a vampire, then more power to Tara. I like seeing this clever side of her and I definitely hope that she does overpower Franklin’s grip on her soon, even if he is a fun addition to the series.

Speaking of overpowering, has Sam lost his fucking mind? I’m all for him giving Tommy some work at Merlotte’s and the two of them spending time with each other but he seriously needs to ditch Melinda and Joe Lee pretty soon. There’s always been tell tale signs that Joe Lee is rotten to the core but this episode proved it tonight. Why else would Tommy not want to be around his father?

I found it suspicious when Joe Lee lost the plot and both him and Sam nearly came to physical blows. Fair play to Sam for standing his ground with Joe Lee but I have a feeling that Tommy’s scars that we saw earlier in the series might have a lot to do with his no good parents. Any chance that Tommy’s being forced into fighting for his parents’ income? It certainly would explain some of Joe Lee’s comments come to think of it.

Also I’d like an explanation for Jesus waiting nine hours to spend time with Lafayette. I’m all for Lafayette getting a love interest, especially one as gorgeous as Jesus but the more I watched their scenes, the more I thought something was off. I’ve heard rumours that Jesus might not be all he seems to be and that does worry me.

I’m less worried about Jason and Crystal because while I know who/what the latter really is and can guess what will happen to the former as result of hanging around the mystery blonde, it’s the only plot that didn’t jump out as much to me. Granted, it was preferable to Sam’s parents but it’s a slighter weaker plot in this episode. That being said, I actually do like Crystal and despite Jason’s lack of efforts/blackmailing, I do think that he probably would be an interesting cop.

Also in “Trouble”

I found it a little odd that when it came to Sookie and Alcide that we didn’t get anything on the wolf bit from the club.

Tara: “What is going on here? What’s wrong with you?”
Lorena: “Yes, Bill. Your behaviour is somewhat erratic.”
Tara: “Help me.”
Bill: “No.”

I did feel bad that not one vampire in Russell’s home had any desire for Tara at all. Bill refused to help, Lorena saw her as undesirable, Russell barely acknowledged her and Talbot patronised her.

Bill (to Lorena): “You know, Russell’s right, you’re not very smart. You’ve painted yourself into a corner, you tiresome cow.”

Russell (re Bill/Eric): “A king in front of them, a queen behind them and they're talking about a human girl.”
Talbot: “Men.”

Arlene is still coming across as a bitch in this episode. Not only is she getting Terry’s hopes up but she can’t even manage to be civil towards Jessica. I don’t blame Jessica for glamouring the customers not to give Arlene tips.

Debbie: “I will fuck you up, I will cut you.”
Alcide: “Sookie, back off!”
Sookie: “Where is Bill Compton?”

Arlene (to Sam, re Terry): “I never thought it would happen again and again and again and that other time too, but especially now.”

Despite being mentioned several times, this episode was a Pam free zone. Hopefully we see her next and the Magister hasn’t killed her.

Sookie: “Work with me, Alcide, it gets easier.”

Flood: “I am saving us from extinction.”
Alcide: “Well, I’d rather be extinct than slave to a dead man.”

Alcide seems to have an inability to keep his shirt on for very long, doesn’t he? Also the growling thing is rather neat as well.

Jason: “Are you resisting me because if you are, please observe the official police vehicle I came out of?”
Crystal: “Where’s your badge? Where’s your gun? Where’s your shirt?”

Franklin: “You’re afraid of me? Of me? That’s insane!”
Tara: “But you tie me up.”
Franklin: “To keep you safe. Oh my God, what other reason could there be?”

There was some flirting going on between Jessica and Tommy in this episode. Also, it was a little silly of Hoyt to bring his date to the same place where his ex-girlfriend was working.

Jesus: “So we gonna play?”
Lafayette: “I’ll play and I’ll break.”

Jason: “Those things you can’t explain, I don’t care about them.”
Crystal: “That’s what you say now.”

Standout music: Honeycombs “Little Moon” and Jackie DeShannon’s “Trouble”.

Tara: “We need to talk.”
Franklin: “Don’t say that. Women say that, everything goes black and I wake up surrounded by body parts.”

Cooter: “I’m gonna get you.”
Sookie: “Maybe not”

Chronology: Little bit from where “9 Crimes” left off.

These episodes are getting busier and busier by the week. However to be fair towards “Trouble”, a lot of progress has actually been made in this one and it’s nice to see that Sookie and Russell are finally getting some screen time with each other. It’s definitely making me eager for the next fix.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Superpowered ASBOs

I've never really been big into My Family as a show. It's always been one of those series that's just been there. It's never awful but it's never awfully exciting and given the big deal made into the fact that the character of Michael Harper was going to come out to his family, the episode didn't do anything that extraordinary with it. Sure, they played on Ben's oversupportive stance and had Michael's partner's father take the homophobic but aside from that, nothing new. Still, maybe that's better than how EastEnders have been dealing with the Masoods over Syed in the last few months.

It's interesting to see how two weeks in the Big Brother house have changed things. The likes of Sunshine, Nathan and Ife all became evicted and temper tantrum maker Shabby stormed out of the show, not noticing that no-one really cared. Even Caoimhe (who surprisingly has become more bearable) has forgotten about Shabby. However the last two weeks have been a mixed blessing. Hats off to the producers for the delightful appearances from Titan during the man versus machine task and new housemates Andrew, Keeley and Rachel have fared well enough so far. The Come Dine With Me and Uber Cougar challenges were also funny to watch as well as that parrot spouting off quotes. On the flipside, Ben is still painfully pompous, Mario needs to keep his cock to himself (and to stop whining when put up for eviction), Dave's religious banter still annoys me and JJ continues to argue with everyone, even if he was right in both circumstances to read both Ife and Ben the riot act.

I hate not catching something first time round. I made the mistake of not watching Misfits during it's E4 transmission but aren't I glad that Channel 4 decided to air it on Saturdays? In ways, it's just Skins meets Heroes but damn, it's bloody funny. Five ASBO kids getting superpowers after a storm is a nice enough twist. I assume that smart-arse Nathan has them too, even if we haven't seen them yet. As for the rest of them - Curtis gets to mess with time, Kelly can hear people's thoughts, Simon gets to be invisible when seriously ignored and Alisha bring out the worst in people sexually when she touches them. If this was an American series, they'd be the added angst factor but here, yeah they're freaked out but you get the impression that each of them is going to have some fun with their powers. They need to avoid getting banged up for murdering their probation officer and the fact that there are other storm freaks out there does seem to a continuing strand in the series.

I've been watching more of Smallville and I'm actually liking it for the most part. The last few episodes seem to be cementing the uneasy alliance between Zod and Tess and can I say that Callum Blue is a welcomed addition to the series? I've always liked him in other series but he's really bringing a nice sense of menace to Zod without making him into a one-dimensional baddie. Also, the episode where twins Zan and Jayna tried to help out with the Blur/Clark's legacy was also a lot of fun. Well, certainly more fun than watching Lois doing therapy and talking about her sex dreams in regards to Clark.

- Sherlock Holmes will be airing Sundays 9pm on BBC1 from July 25th.

- The US version of Being Human will have Sam Witwer playing the role of Aidan (the Mitchell character) and Mark Pellegrino playing Bishop (the Herrick character). The roles for Sally (Annie) and Josh (George) have yet to be cast.

- Expect the death of a male character in True Blood soon. Also expect the arrival of Lara Pulver's fairy, Claudine in the seventh episode of the latest season.

- HBO have picked a drama from Dustin Hoffman called Luck. The drama will focus on horse owners, gamblers and jockey and sees Hoffman in a role of a man who's recently left prison.

Tom Hopper - Gay Times Tidbit From DW

So what do you think your character Jeff was looking at on his computer that caused the Doctor to be so shocked?

"Me and Matt Smith decided that it was maybe some hard-core animal porn. Because we needed something that would absolutely shock. And I know that there's been some talk about, 'it was definitely gay porn he was looking at'. I probably shouldn't say this actually, but there was a cut line where Annette Crosbie came in and said, 'is this one of your gay friends, Jeff?' and I go, 'Gran, I'm not gay!' And they cut it in the end, maybe for that reason, but me and Matt were saying it was definitely some hardcore animal porn, pure shock!"

Maybe some of that scene should've been kept in. Interesting factoid though. Maybe we'll get it in deleted scenes for the Series 5 DVD. You can read Tom's interview with Gay Times now as it's currently out in the shops to buy.

First Look: Christopher And His Kind

Want more of Matt Smith on your screen but before Christmas? Well, then, get ready for BBC2 biopic, Christopher And His Kind, due to air later in the year.

Filmed in Northern Ireland a month ago, Christopher And His Kind is a biopic on writer Christopher Isherwood (Matt Smith) breaking from his suffocating mother, Kathleen (Lindsay Duncan) for the hedonistic lifestyle of Berlin between the period of 1929-1939, the events that inspired the musical, Cabaret.

A bevy of different actors appear in this 90 minute biopic including Douglas Booth, whose character Heinz becomes a love interest for Christopher as well as Imogen Poots as aspiring actress, Jean Ross and Toby Jones as Gerald Hamilton, the man who provided inspiration for Isherwood's book, Mr Norris Changes Trains. Christopher And His Kind is written by playwright Kevin Elyot and directed by Geoffrey Sax. Expect a review for the biopic on this blog.

Press Release:http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/comingup/christopher-and-his-kind/

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJqUb0-lhtk&feature=player_embedded

My Review of True Blood's 3x04: "9 Crimes"

Written by Kate Barnow And Elizabeth R. Finch
Directed by David Petrarca

Bill: “I am death. I will bring you only suffering. Our worlds are too different, our natures too. We were doomed from the start.”
Sookie: “I don’t believe you.”
Bill: “Believe what you want. You are no longer of concern to me. Don’t try to find me, I do not wish to be found.”

They say breaking up is the hardest thing to do but Bill made damn sure when he did with Sookie to be as extra callous as humanly possible in the hopes that she would give up her pursuit of his whereabouts. Well, as plans go, it’s safe to assume that this was an utter failure through and through.

Don’t get me wrong – I was pretty convinced by Bill’s utter coldness towards Sookie as well with that phone call and it sure as hell helped that he told her about banging Lorena and allowed Lorena to get a snarky moment in the conversation as well but surely Bill knows something about Sookie by now?

Sure, she was upset as hell, even more so given that this was her first proper relationship seemingly coming to an end but she was still determined to find Bill so he could say it to her face. I couldn’t help but admire and want to face palm Sookie at the same time for that. The girl certainly has gumption and a little stupidity in her corner.

Alcide himself wasn’t exactly a great help either, which was an interesting thing given that he was going through his own woes with Debbie’s engagement to Cooter of all weres. However while his comments were harsh to Sookie, they weren’t exactly all that misplaced and even without prior knowledge to the books, there’s a building of an attraction between him and the telepath.

Sookie herself certainly didn’t want him out of her sight after being dumped by Bill and even liked what she saw when Alcide wasn’t wearing a shirt. To be fair, I don’t fecking blame her for it either. While I’m mixed on him as a character, I definitely can’t help but find him rather nice to look at as well and I don’t find myself annoyed with his annoyance at being Eric’s henchmen either for some reason.

But Alcide and Sookie as a couple? One word: rebound! Sure, there’s Alcide’s biker chick sister, Janice trying to play matchmaker with the pair of them (and please tell me she’s coming back – I really like her) but Sookie’s in an vulnerable position and Alcide himself is too wrapped up in Debbie that I don’t think a relationship between him and Sookie is viable, especially not a lasting one.

I wasn’t especially looking forward to see Debbie Pelt on screen because in the books, she’s rather one dimensional, even if she is a danger to Sookie but I have to admit that Brit Morgan is off to a good start in arguably one of the least thankful roles you could snag on this series. I don’t suddenly love Debbie Pelt but this episode is something of a good indicator for making me at least give a crap about her and that’s something.

Okay, so she’s a horrid bitch towards Sookie in the were bar and pretty damn spiteful towards Alcide as well but for a moment until Cooter interrupted, I almost got the feeling that both Sookie and Alcide were getting through to her. Then she threw it back in their faces and allowed herself to be initiated into Cooter’s pack with some old fashioned branding.

The branding is one of many scene in this episode that sees a female character getting seriously pained. I didn’t particularly enjoy watching that scene and the atmosphere intensified when Russell came in and gave all the weres a shot of his own blood to send them into a frenzy. No wonder the lot of them are so loyal to them. Russell sure as hell knows how to inspire/instil loyalty in various ways.

Threatening Sookie for the past two episodes was the very thing that had Bill in his corner and this episode had him finding out about Sophie-Anne and Eric’s V dealing antics. I actually hated Bill for dobbing them to Russell, even though I understood his motives behind it but it was still a reckless thing to do.

He might hate Eric’s guts but Eric’s probably closest thing to a strong protector that Sookie has outside of Alcide and putting him in danger with the Magister is undoubtedly going to have repercussions down the line. The Magister himself certainly seemed to enjoy making an example of Pam as well by torturing her in front of her maker. I hope Eric is clever enough to come up with something in the next two days or else Pam’s an even deader woman as a result.

When Bill wasn’t dropping Eric right in it, he was also making it clear to Lorena that he despised her. I don’t think Bill gets it really. Lorena’s so bloody obsessed with him that as long as he’s in her proximity, she’ll be content even if that means he does despise. Sadly though, I don’t see Russell eager to actually Lorena anytime soon unless she outlives whatever usefulness she has for Russell. Either that or angers him in some way because I’m struggling to think as to what Lorena is good for when it comes to Russell’s schemes.

As for the killing of poor Anne the stripper, that slippery slope for Bill just keeps getting worse and worse. In some ways though, its good writing but I do wonder when it comes to eventually redeeming Bill whether or not this show will go the easy route in doing it. I hope not but I wouldn’t be surprised if they do.

Speaking of routes, Tara really doesn’t get much fun in this episode either. Throughout the entire hour, she’s being glamoured by Franklin, used to locate Sookie and when that fails, she’s bound and gagged on a toilet seat and bitten by her vampire lover. Franklin sure as hell has a funny way of showing a girl how interested he is in her.

In the book, Franklin didn’t really give a shit about Tara and in spite of the cruelty he subjects her to in this episode alone, there’s an obsessive streak in him as well. Instead of killing Tara or leaving her in his motel, he decided to take her to Russell’s house and then there’s the moment where he talked about opportunity on the car ride as well. He sees Tara as a opportunity of satisfying his own emotional needs and for Tara; this will definitely not end well. That girl really cannot catch a break at all.

Whereas thanks to Sam, both Tommy and Jessica are given ones but in different ways. Jessica scored herself a job at Merlotte’s and seemed to take to it pretty well and Tommy seems to have earned Sam’s sympathy and trust. In some ways that’s a good thing but I’d still be wary of Tommy as well and if I were Sam, there’s no way in hell I would’ve offered Melina and Joe Lee a place to stay. That’s just asking for trouble in a big way. These two will literally have to die if Sam wants rid of them.

Also in “9 Crimes”

No new cast members were added to the opening credits but Jesus still hasn’t shown up again though.

Alcide: “How many relationships have you been in?”
Sookie: “What does that matter?”
Alcide: “All I’m saying is there’s no nice way of getting out of those things.”

I just caught the name of the were bar in this one – Lou Pines! Just like vampires, werewolves seem to enjoy puns as well when it comes to naming bars.

Tara (re Jason): “I thought I loved him for a long time but he never loved me back.”
Franklin: “Then he’s an idiot.”

Eric: “How goes the search?”
Sookie: “Turns out, he’s not who I was looking for.”

That seduction sequence was brilliantly played, even if it was in Eric’s head. And Sookie could smell his memories – very interesting.

Sookie (re Alcide/Debbie): “Why did he stay with her for so long?”
Janice: “She was his first love, he never felt so alive, all that shit.”

Russell: “You’re playing coy, William. Which do you doubt – my intention or my power?”

Talbot didn’t especially look all that pleased to see Franklin with Tara. I sensed a bit of tension between Franklin and Talbot.

Franklin: “I can’t stop thinking about you. Something about you is – what’s the word?”
Tara: “Motherfucker.”
Franklin: “Magical. We have so much ahead of us.”

Calvin: “You’ll have to kill me first.”
Eric: “No, I think I’ll kill your brother cousins first. Does that sound lovely?”
Lafayette: “That sounds good.”

I’m not sure I like this sleazier depiction of Calvin Norris in the TV series and once again, Crystal only briefly appeared and did nothing.

Tommy: “Why did you look us up anyway?”
Sam: “When I was your age, I had no example.””

Pam: “Magister, what a pleasant surprise.”
Magister: “There’s nothing pleasant about this. This is blasphemy. Take her.”

Jason tried to blackmail Andy into getting him as an officer while berating Kitch about getting older. Bud also had a retirement party and Arlene didn’t take to Jessica (who glamoured bible pal Chip into forgetting he saw her working at Merlotte’s) while Terry also thinks Joe Lee and Melina are crap parents.

Russell (to Bill): “You said you were a procurer, now procure.”

Magister (to Eric, re Pam): “They say the loss of a child is the deepest despair. Two days, Mr Northman or she dies.”

Standout music: Massive Attack’s “Paradise Cirus” and Damien Rice’s sublime “9 Crimes” at the end of this episode.

Debbie (to Alcide): “You brought this skank here to make me jealous.”
Sookie: “Skank? Wow, coming from you that’s funny.”

Chronology: A little bit from where “It Hurts Me Too” left off.

After the previous disappointing episode, “9 Crimes” is definitely a massive improvement. We’re not getting much in the way of answers, which is a little frustrating but a lot of this build up and the influences that Russell has both vampires and werewolves certainly is intriguing stuff nonetheless.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

First Guests Announced For DW Christmas Special

It's been nearly three weeks since Series 5 concluded on TV and now the 2010 Christmas special of Doctor Who has a Welsh opera singer and Dumbledore in it's cast. No, I'm not being snide, I'm actually intrigued/delighted by this.

Katherine Jenkins tweeted this morning about her filming with regular cast members Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill (whose name will be in the opening credits from now on). And she will be playing a character, rather than herself.

But I bet more people will be delighted with the casting of Michael Gambon as well for this special, especially given that he was rumoured a few weeks ago to be appearing and now he is. Filming pics should start surfacing within the next few hours, so expect this blog to update you on it.

Press Release: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/07_july/12/doctor_who.shtml

Guardian Article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jul/12/doctor-who-christmas-special

First Look: Sherlock Holmes

Okay, so we're a while from this actually transmitting but at least we finally have some images from the BBC adaptation of Sherlock Holmes by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss and directed by Euros Lyn. Yes, there's another one.

I don't want to make comparison but the first picture of Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman) does remind a little of the Doctor and Martha cast shots from the third series of a certain show. Anyways, both Cumberbatch and Freeman look like they'll make for a more dynamic team than Robert Downey Jr/Jude Law last year.

The BBC are airing this in three parts and it's rumoured that a fourth part was scrapped due to quality but it's definitely going to be one of the biggest things on TV during the Autumn season and something I'll be looking into review wise.

Benedict Cumberbatch Interview: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/tubetalk/a223953/benedict-cumberbatch-talks-sherlock.html

My Review of Buffy The Vampire Slayer's 8x35: "Twilight Part 4"

Written by Brad Meltzer
Artwork by Georges Jeanty

Angel: “No. You’re wrong, Buffy. The orcs aren’t coming.”
Buffy: “But – that’s not – the orcs always come.”
Angel: “Until the day they don’t.”

I could give you reasons as long as my arm as to why it’s taken two months on my part to actually get round to reviewing this issue but I’ll go with one – this comic is horrible. I’ve been one of the biggest defenders of this Season Eight comic story but even I’m now convinced that Joss Whedon and company are pulling this out of their arses.

This was one of the reasons why I ditched the Angel comics last year because it was blatantly clear that nothing was actually happening and it’s why I’ve been lax with these last few issues. I never used to believe that one issue alone would be enough to turn me off these comics but the second Angel was revealed as Twilight, I suddenly did.

The previous issue really didn’t help matters with Buffy and Angel astral-shagging all over the place and with the both of them seemingly birthing new reality; I’m still as confused and unsatisfied as I was beforehand. Also I find it hilarious and uncharacteristic of Angel to be so quickly accepting of their new utopia as such.

A part of me probably should’ve found Angel’s enthusiasm a tonic to Buffy’s increasing cynicism and ‘woe is me’ of the world but it turns out that being a raincloud of doom (thank you, Nathan from BB11) can actually have some positive. Like knowing that your new world is way too good to be true.

The orcs that are constantly mentioned seem to be Buffy’s vocal way of conveying her doubts but it’s overanalysing the sex from the last issue and Angel picking up on the fact that their clothes kept changing that also provided a bad omen. Then again, if you had to read some of the cheesiest shit coming from Angel’s mouth, you’d know that you were basically up the creek without a paddle.

I find it interesting that this place reacted a lot to Buffy and Angel, suggesting that they had some control over their own destiny. That idea in of itself could’ve been used better to show a level of resistance for Buffy as well but I am actually proud of the fact that she decided to abandon this world to help out her friends.

It’s not much of a shocker that Angel too decided to abandon it as well but it was Buffy that motivated him into ditching utopia as such, even if his desire to be with Buffy seemed to be more intense (but not as engaging) than on the actual series itself.

However if you’re a Buffy/Angel lover and you were hoping that after so many years that this comic alone would seal them permanently as a couple, then you really should’ve anticipated the final moment. Does Joss Whedon and his writing staff like happy endings for couples? Not remotely!

Of course Spike would have to resurface at the end of this comic and a part of me groaned. His return was pretty inevitable and while he does/did work better in Buffy’s world than in Angel’s, I just have a feeling that we’re going to subjected to fan pandering of the worst kind in the remainder of this season.

Joss Whedon knows that fans are either Team Bangel or Team Spuffy and by trying to either appease to both ships or set them on each other; it could end up backfiring on him big time. Sales for the comics have dropped over the last year and this could easily be perceived as a desperate ploy in trying to generate more interest.

Normally that wouldn’t be a bad thing but it also smacks of laziness as well. I’m not big into either ships for different reasons and this season has also been rather crap in recent issues with handling already established couples such as Willow/Kennedy and Xander/Dawn. Plus more character development and growth for the Scoobies would be preferable to an ill advised love triangle that we don’t need.

As for the rest of the issue, meh, it just reeked of filler to be honest. Both Willow and Xander tried in different ways to take Giles to task over his knowledge of Buffy’s potential world creating destiny but neither could really get a constructive argument with the amount of times the comic kept chopping and changing back to Buffy and Angel.

It also didn’t help with the raincloud of monsters attacking the team, the horrid subtext of Warren showing something vaguely resembling decency (do not, I repeat, do not try to redeem that Tara killing scumbag) and Spike’s beyond silly entrance in the issue. If I could pick a positive with this issue, it’s probably down to the fact that out of every character, Amy is still the only one being consistently written along with her general mate.

Also in “Twilight Part 4”

Jo Chen continues to give us beautiful covers with Willow, Giles, Xander, Faith, Angel and Dawn all above Buffy’s head.

Buffy: “No, the moment you look away – the bad guy jumps out ... there’s a bomb under the car ... the apple’s been poisoned.”
Angel: “Apple, maybe. Poison no.”

There’s a subtitle for this issue: The Final Chapter: The Power Of Love. Jennifer Rush or Frankie Goes To Hollywood version?

Xander (to Giles): “So these demons pouring out all over us are some sort of afterbirth? What! Placenturians! That I’m gonna copyright.”

Andrew: “And F.Y.I. – the shield doesn’t boomerang back like you think.”
Warren: “Then why do you want it so bad?”
Andrew: “Why do you think?”

Why the hell did Spike arrive in a spaceship in this issue? I know Buffy/Angel shagged above the Earth in the previous one but come on.

Amy: “Warren does know we’re going to kill them after all this, doesn’t he?”
General: “Relax, Amy. Current problems first. Our erstwhile leader and his cooze are AWOL and if I were guessing, I’d bet that boy has no idea what he just ripped open.”

Angel: “The universe we’re going to make ... it’s not just that we get to be together, Buffy ... we finally get to be happy.”

At one point during the several costume changes between them, Buffy was wearing Angel’s Twilight jacket as well.

Angel: “You do understand that being here is what you’re meant for?”
Buffy: “Don’t you know me by now, Angel? I never do what I’m meant for.”

Spike: “Enough of this. You wanna put these demons down and end this ‘Twilight’ crap once and for all? You talk to me.”

There’s a Riley one shot due out in August before the final arc, “Last Gleaming” starts in September.

As I said at the start of the review, I didn’t really enjoy this one a lot. I struggled with “Twilight Part 4” and I have serious reservations about Spike being added into the mix. Hopefully I’ll be proved wrong though.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 4x24: "On The Road Again"

Written by David Marshall Grant And Geoffrey Nauffts
Directed by Ken Olin

Robert (to Kitty): “Then I saw you holding him so strong, so loving and I knew that you would. I knew this.”

And so after four seasons, Rob Lowe is no more. Hey, it happened with The West Wing so I guess it was going to be inevitable than he wouldn’t stick out Brothers And Sisters until the bitter end (which more than likely will be next season) and in case some people think I’m being harsh on the guy, then look at his reasons.

Rob Lowe apparently decided to abandon ship with this series because he felt that his character was underused. The lamest excuse ever when you consider the fact that Robert has generated more screen time in the last four years compared to the likes of Saul, Justin, Tommy, Scotty and Rebecca. There were plenty of times when I wanted less of Robert on my screen rather than more.

With this episode I guess my wish came true. There always was the suggestion that his attempts of going up against Bill would generate a death of some kind and the conspiracy theorist in me found that whole car crash pile up at the end a little too suspicious for their own good.

All of the Walkers in different ended up crashing, except for the car with Rebecca and Justin. That was extremely odd in the least. Robert’s death however actually packed more of a punch than I thought it would do for some reason. I wasn’t exactly tearful when Kitty realised that he was dead but the scene certainly was effective.

Whatever issues I’ve had with Robert throughout the series, the one thing I would never deny is the chemistry between Rob Lowe and Calista Flockhart on this show. Both of them were well suited and did their best to make me care for Kitty and Robert, even during moments when it was bloody hard to do so.

Flockhart herself has been on fire all season, first with the cancer storyline, the political trail and now the death of Robert. Although the show will survive without him, it will be a little strange not seeing him with Kitty and the fact that it’s rumoured that the series will be jumping a year is a little worrying as well. I don’t want Kitty’s grief skimmed over as well as other plots.

The question is though, was this an accident or was Robert genuinely bumped off because of those tapes? It’s way too coincidental that the second Robert and Kitty decided to hand them was the same one in which we got multiple car crashes in one. The other weird thing is that we never see the crashes either, just the aftermath when Justin and Rebecca stumble upon it as well.

Robert being dead wasn’t the only problem that the crashes brought up. Sure, some of the Walkers were shaken, bruised and confused and while Holly looked in rough shape as well, I doubt that this is the end of her. If Patricia Wettig was leaving the series, it would’ve been announced around the time that Rob Lowe’s departure was.

Back to the other bit, Saul – does he have HIV? He was very adamant about neither Nora nor Kevin touching him in the wreckage and the whole episode made a huge deal out him not getting tested, finally getting tested and the sharp way in which he told Nora he was fine when it clearly suggested the opposite.

I’m all for Saul having bigger storylines next season but I was kind of hoping that we wouldn’t get this one. Still, my biggest complaint with this show has been the writers giving Ron Rifkin naff all to do and this does seem like a storyline that he could do justice to. I just hope that the opening episode next season doesn’t tease things out, especially if we are jumping a year as well.

The strangest thing about this episode wasn’t just the way that the episode led to Saul’s possible HIV reveal but more about his sexual history. I often forget as a gay person that socially I do have a comparatively easier time of it compared to what Saul would’ve endured at my age and Scotty and Kevin themselves despite meaning well also seem to have that lapse in perception.

This episode also revealed a lot more about Saul’s sexual history than any episode ever has as well. I liked the scenes with him and Nora in the Ojai ranch talking about his past and the fact that he had stave off loneliness in rather desperate manners. In that respect, this is another reason why I don’t want Saul to have HIV. The poor guy suffers enough without this being added on to him. Why can’t he just get a nice boyfriend and be happy?

Speaking of happiness, I bloody well knew that Narrow Lake would end up solving the Walkers finances again. A friend of mine (and fellow blogger) pointed out how reminiscent this whole plot has been to a certain one from the first season but that aside, I actually don’t mind. They’ve lost one business so here’s hoping that they’re successful with another and let’s face it, everybody does need water so congrats to them on that score.

Also if I had to sit through another episode of moping Sarah, I might have chucked something at the screen. Rachel Griffiths can do comedy brilliantly but even Sarah was getting on my nerves here with her self-pity that I found myself actually feeling bad for Luc at the start of the episode when he was trying to get her to eat something properly.

The road trip bits with her, Nora and Kitty on the latter’s campaign trail also suffered because of Sarah’s moods, so seeing her elation when Narrow Lake literally sprang a leak was a bloody relief. Just don’t let this business go under, eh writers.

As for Justin and Rebecca – seriously Justin, I don’t blame Rebecca for actually taking the job even if she didn’t tell you about it until after the fact but if you want to go to Haiti, then bloody do it. Next season the writers really do need to iron out these two because their constant arguing has more than become a source of tedium.

I did however enjoy most of Justin’s scenes with Robert in this episode, especially when he discovered that Robert was taking medication for arrhythmia and the cryptic bits about a mystery safe deposit box as well. Why is it that Justin and Rebecca are better people when they’re involved in other people’s storylines? Two seasons later and the writers still haven’t progressed them enough in my book.

Also in “On The Road Again”

It’s interesting that both the opening and final episodes of this season have had the word ‘road’ in them.

Robert (to Kitty): “You should take her. You have sixteen stops. You need someone to play cards with.”
Nora: “I play cards. Where are we going?”

In the space of a couple of hours, Kitty’s campaign trail was in Sacramento, Oxnard and some other place. Geez, couldn’t the writers have picked another city?

Saul: “Did we wake you up?”
Kevin: “What, with all the banging, the clanging, the Olivia Newton John playing? Absolutely not!”

Saul: “Look at this. I just got another friend request.”
Scotty (to Kevin): “Saul’s just discovered Facebook.”

It was nice to see Saul and Scotty using the rest of the Walkers as test subjects for the food they were planning to serve in their restaurant. And Saul was born on August 11th 1938.

Sarah: “I’m not self-medicating, mom, I’m grieving. There are stages.”

Kevin: “Saul, are you holding a glass against the wall?”
Saul: “No, but I have my new hearing aid in.”

I’m surprised to an extent that Robert didn’t entrust the key to the safe deposit box to Kevin, given the bromance the writers have been building with them for the past two seasons.

Justin: “Rebecca, we just got married. The point is to stay together.”
Rebecca: “I took the job, Justin.”

Sarah: “Mom, I love you but you have to stop. You cannot solve everyone’s problems – mine, Kitty’s, Saul’s, just leave it alone.”

Obviously no Ryan or David in this episode, very little of Luc but no Tommy either, which was a shame given that he was in the previous episode.

Saul (to Nora): “I spent most of my life living in shame. There were no role models for me when I was growing up and you can be alone but there were times I let myself.”

Kitty: “I heard you were part of a covert operation this weekend.”
Justin: “Yeah, so covert I had no idea what was going on.”

Standout music: “12” by Alex Murdoch during the final few minutes of this episode.

This season has been uneven in places, magnificent in others but in terms of finales, I have to say that while “On The Road Again” has its drawbacks, there’s a lot going for it as well, particularly with Robert’s death and Saul’s storyline for next season.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 4x23: "Lights Out"

Written by Brian Studler And Molly Newman
Directed by Michael Morris

Tommy (re Ojai): “It’s just a building.”
Nora: “It’s not just a building, it’s our history. It’s my history.”

In the past we’ve had far more exciting penultimate episodes and watching this one twice, I was a little underwhelmed with it. And that’s not a good thing because an end of an era is being represented here and the last feeling I want to have is being underwhelmed.

I’ve liked and loathed the Ojai Foods side of this show a lot of the times in the past four seasons. For the most part, the family business part has been a vital asset to the show but every season we’ve had some disaster or another nearly ruin the business, so in a way the fact that it’s going out of business should be a good thing.

Post-Ojai, Sarah, Saul, Holly and Rebecca are free to gain employment that won’t bog up the screen too much while at the same time, maybe not have to deal with the big burden of financial ruin. Well, maybe not Saul in that case if he and Scotty are actually successful in opening up a restaurant together.

For Sarah though, the emphasis on her shame with Ojai’s failure drove this episode a lot. There are many moments where even I was frustrated with Sarah. I liked the fact that she wanted to ensure that all of Ojai’s loyal staff had further employment elsewhere but she was reckless in giving those semis to Sergio and no-one needed to hear Kevin reading her the riot in order to come to that conclusion.

Also she was a little too keen to initially sell Ojai to a buyer who only wanted it for parking space. I get her reasons behind not wanting to be sentimental about a building because she couldn’t afford to but at the same time, she still should’ve looked into other buyers who might have actually wanted to do something with the building.

It’s weird that during her arguments with Nora that I found myself mostly on the latter’s side. Sarah really does have this complex to try and fix everything and usually ends up doing a bad job because she shuts other people out. She’s far from stupid but she does need to let people in at the same time as well.

I did love that her argument with Kevin and Tommy about the semis did open her eyes a little as did her later conversation with Nora. I think Sarah’s had to deal with a fair amount of failures in the space of four seasons but even with Ojai Foods being no more, it’s obviously that the Walkers are going to bounce back in some way.

Besides, why were we shown schematics to a house that William had intended to build in Narrow Lake? William for all his numerous faults at least seemed to believe in having several backup plans. Clearly there’s going to end up being something in Narrow Lake that will improve the Walkers finances. I don’t think it’ll be enough for them to save Ojai Foods but definitely for them to bounce back next season.

The last scene with everyone in Ojai Foods – Sarah, Kitty, Kevin, Tommy, Justin, Saul, Nora, Holly and Rebecca however is one of my favourite moments from the series. The last drink to Ojai Foods and Scotty’s rendition of “The Parting Glass” was just wonderful. It’s also odd given that I come from a family that largely listens to Irish music and yet this was the first time I have ever heard that song and I don’t even like Irish music.

Still Scotty’s excellent vocal chords aside, this isn’t a huge episode for him. In fact apart from great singing and ridiculing the jokes Kevin got from a joke writer for Kitty for a function, Scotty has naff all to do in this one. Even Luc is surprisingly underused as well, only providing food for Sarah in one particular scene but I’m not too sad that Luc wasn’t in our faces a lot this week.

Besides in terms of significant others, you’ve got both Robert and Rebecca vying for different jobs and both of them getting different results. I’m not really too bothered that Rebecca managed to snag a vice president role in a company where Holly didn’t even get a look in. Some things, regardless of how implausible they are just aren’t really worth overanalysing that much, even if there more tension between her and Justin.

As for Robert’s job – well, he sucked, didn’t he? If he was hoping to expose his new corrupt friend from the previous episode, he failed because he was caught conversing with Joe. I have a feeling that Robert will probably have to worry a lot more about his corrupt pal beyond a potential disaster for Kitty’s political career.

By the way, the jokes section – they were terrible, so technically that’s good writing, isn’t it? The fact that both Kitty and Kevin were hurling completely terrible political jokes at each other to see what would stick was awkward to watch. Scotty’s snarky comments during one of those scenes just about made it bearable to be honest.

Speaking of bearable, Roger’s return was a mixed affair. He was being a smarmy git when Nora was trying to get interest in Ojai Foods but at the same time, I like that he actually took her words to heart and gave her the original drawing to Ojai Foods and Narrow Lake, especially for the reaction Sarah managed to get out of her with regards to William. I guess he really did love her, even if he was incapable of being faithful to her.

Also in “Lights Out”

I liked the idea of Paige documenting the fall of Ojai for her oral history project. One of the best uses for Paige in an episode, in my opinion.

Kitty: “You see, I can’t tell a joke.”
Kevin: “Tell it faster.”

Kevin worked on trying to get all the employees some work for Ojai in this episode. Maybe it’s something he should try doing until he figures out what he wants to do career wise.

Sarah: “It’s a building for god’s sake. While it might hold some sentimental value for us, I can’t keep that from letting us make the right deal.”
Nora: “Fine. Then I will find someone to buy the building myself.”

Saul: “Dating? Could you imagine if we had stayed together?”
Holly: “Yeah, you and I in our platonic relationship, snuggled in front of the TV watching classic old movies. That should’ve been my first clue.”

Justin wanted Rebecca to move to Haiti with him during the episode so he could help out with disaster victims. I have to admit that maybe Rebecca was right to decline on this one because I don’t think Justin thought it through.

Kevin: “I paid good money for these jokes.”
Kitty: “Yeah, well they must’ve been having a two for one sale.”
Scotty: “At the lame joke store.”

Roger: “I had no idea that you’d my dating a younger woman so personally.”
Nora: “I don’t give a rat’s ass about your girlfriend. It’s the disdain you have for your own past that bothers me.”

Where has David been for the last few episodes? And when are they going to remove Luke Grimes’s name from the credits given that Ryan has clearly no intentions of coming back?

Saul (to Paige): “I have been very lucky. I’ve gotten to work with people I love but there’s a danger to it.”

Sarah: “I’m sorry you didn’t have your camera with you, Paige. You could’ve gotten the real story about the end of Ojai.”

Standout music: Obviously Luke Macfarlane’s take on “The Parting Glass”. Nothing else came close this week.

Kitty: “Besides you’re funnier than I am.”
Robert: “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
Kitty: “I said you’re funnier than I am.”
Kevin: “That’s true.”

Sarah: “This is more than a house, mom, it’s a love letter. He really loved you. You’re allowed to lean into those feeling you know.”
Nora: “Yes, I guess he did.”

Chronology: I’d guess that it would still be May 2010 at this point.

Not as exciting as I had hoped and certainly elements were rushed, but there are some wonderful emotional scenes in “Lights Out” that work beautifully. Scotty’s use of an Irish song being a valid case in point.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

The Tree Is At Arms

Yeah, I've been getting into the last season of Big Brother for some reason. I mean, it's not like it used to be but it's an improvement on the last few years. I could do with less of Shabby and John James strops and the unrequited attractions between Sunshine/JJ, Shabby/Caoimhe and Mario/Ben are a bit depressing but I am beginning to like the tasks and Ben does seem to be unintentionally hilarious. For a guy who perceives himself as being so smart, he can be a little dense at times. How hard is it to organise an arm wrestling match? I did get a laugh out of the Tree Of Temptation calling him Brideshead at one point. Eerily timed as well, given the comments about Caoimhe and Ife were making about his sexuality. As for Dave's 'drunk on the Lord' spiel, has he ever considered going cold turkey? I suppose until he does, I should be grateful for the mute button.

Okay, so Spartacus: Blood And Sand has been airing for the past month on Bravo (who watches that station?) and last night, TV3 decided to air the first episode. I'll admit that it's actually better than I expected and that some of the sexual content/violence isn't any more shocking than Rome. I even love Andy Whitfield in the title role and any show with Lucy Lawless is worth watching alone. I'll be keeping more of an eye on this show as it progresses.

Ah, Grey's Anatomy, of course you'd do a miserable finale. Last year, you went and killed off George and left Izzie in dire states. This season, it's a madman shooting up the hospital and injuring/killing as many main characters as humanly possible. Both Alex and Derek got shot, Reeds was killed and Meredith had to miscarry. Really, Shonda Rimes? Meredith couldn't actually be happy for a few minutes. On the plus side, it does seem that Callie and Arizona seem to have made a compromise on the issue of children and Teddy's been less annoying in the last few episodes than she was at the beginning of her debut this season.

Sky 1 sure as hell do love their Terry Pratchett adaptations, don't they? The latest one, Going Postal aired over a month ago and it was actually a pretty good one as well. Richard Coyle made for a good Moist Van Lipwig and he was backed up with an able cast comprising of Claire Foy, David Suchet, Charles Dances and Steve Pemberton. It'll be interesting to see which other Pratchett story gets adapted next.

Southland - I've never heard such hype for a show that's been cancelled before. Also, why did More4 take so bloody long to air it? Anyways, I caught the first episode last night and I did like it. I even thought Benjamin McKenzie was convincing as the rookie cop of the piece and Michael Cudlitz's John Cooper is certainly a promising enough character as well. It's certainly got nothing on The Wire but it's got a grittiness that instantly makes it preferable to the slick and overpolished CSI franchise but given the show's fate, I don't know if I want to stick with it, get attached and then annoyed when I realise that there's no more to follow.

- Kevin Alejandro has promised that there will be some raunchy content between his character Jesus and Lafayette in True Blood.

- Lacey Turner and Robson Green will both be appearing in the third season of Being Human. Lacey will play a character called Lia who forms a bond with Mitchell and Robson will be playing a werewolf.

- Dexter's fourth season will air on FXUK from August 27th. Maria Doyle Kennedy and April Lee Henderson will be appearing in the series fifth season.

- Futurama have done a spoof of Susan Boyle in a recent episode.

- Russell Brand is the latest celebrity to be featured in an episode of The Simpsons.

- Sandra Oh will be appearing as Det Sarah Chen in Thorne: Scaredy Cat with David Morrissey for Sky1.

- Vanessa Williams character in Desperate Housewives is called Renee Filmore-Jones, a former work colleague of Lynette, who has a secret. Oh and Harriet Samson Harris will be reprising her role as Felicia Tillman for the new season.

My Review of True Blood's 3x03: "It Hurts Me Too"

Written by Alexander Woo
Directed by Michael Lehmann

Sookie: “They took someone I love from me. I don’t know about you but I was raised to fight back.”
Alcide: “Great. You’ll get us both killed.”

Ah, that Sookie Stackhouse. The girl really should come with a health warning but to be fair, while the girl can display some serious recklessness from time to time, I do admire the fact that she’s willing to get stuck in and try and rescue Bill and I don’t mean that from a shipping perspective.

Given that this season is clearly following the books, there’s no doubt that Sookie and Bill’s relationship is coming closer to imploding anyway and this episode certainly speeded up things. I’ve heard of twisted sex but trust this bloody show to be so literal about the damn thing.

Last week, we were treated to flashbacks with Eric and Godric and this week, it had to be with Bill and Lorena, didn’t it? I suppose seeing more into their past does help to give insight on the resentment harbours for Lorena over her obsession with him. Adding Caroline into the mix was also an interesting step.

Of course Bill would be one of those turned vampire who would go back to take a glimpse of his former life. Much as I hate Lorena, I always believed that she wasn’t kidding when she said doing such a thing would only cause pain. His visit to Caroline very nearly got her killed and Bill didn’t benefit from it either.

Caroline was shocked to see Bill but she was completely disgusted when she realised that he was a vampire. Having a demon there while she was struggling to bury their dead son certainly didn’t help Caroline’s frame of mind. Come to think of it, Lorena also catching a hold of her didn’t help matters either.

I was actually surprised that Lorena didn’t kill Caroline but settled for making Bill glamour his wife into forgetting their visit. Was that kindness on Lorena’s part or just preservation? Personally, I’d venture for the latter given that we know how desperate Lorena was to please Bill during their time together, a desperation that now is seeping through Bill.

He failed to get rid of her by setting her on fire, given that she survived the burning and when he vowed his allegiance to Russell, more trouble was to be had because Lorena did not believe that he was genuinely joining the team. Lorena’s got good reason to feel that way inclined though. Bill will just about do or say anything to keep Sookie safe and you don’t have to be a shipper to think that.

As for the sex scene between Lorena and Bill – he twisted her neck so he wouldn’t have to look at her during the act and she still got off on it? Lorena clearly has some bloody issues given how aggressively Bill was attacking her. Either that or Lorena will take satisfaction of Bill’s hatred towards her because it’s an indicator that he still feels something for her and that’s probably better than nothing.

Of course, Lorena is the least of Bill’s problems. Russell may have a charming banter and way about him but he’s someone that Bill will want to be very careful about going up against. Even Cooter seems to have a certain level of fear with Russell and I get the feeling that Bill may have to watch himself around that particular werewolf.

Speaking of werewolves, this episode was actually a rather perfect way to introduce Alcide into Sookie’s life. I’m slightly mixed about the character given his representation in the books, so I’m hoping that the series develops his story better, especially the dynamic with Sookie as well.

In the books, Alcide had a thing for Sookie and that’ll clearly make it’s way into the show but I liked for the most part that he was a little freaked out with her ability but admired her gumption in trying to get information at the were bar. It’s only too bad that Sookie’s snooping got the both of them the wrong kind of attention at the bar. Can Sookie not go five minutes without something or someone trying to kill her?

This episode started with a V crazed werewolf attacking Eric in her home and then nearly ended up with her as dinner for a few aggressive weres as well. If Sookie wants to find Bill, then she really does need to heed Eric’s advice about being careful. She doesn’t need to attract trouble when there’s plenty of it gunning for her anyways.

Russell using her life as a bargaining chip with Bill aside, I find that Franklin certainly has a direct approach with trying to get the goods on the girl. When Tara didn’t want to open up to him after their freaky sex, Franklin fond that little force with Jessica earned him some much needed information. I loved the little fang off between the pair of them and the glee Franklin took in showing Jessica the head of the guy she had killed a few nights before.

Franklin is finally an evil vampire on a smaller scale that we need and while I do love that he poses a threat, a part of me hated the fact that he was able to glamour Tara into inviting him into Sookie’s house. Tara’s barely been out of Maryann’s influence for less than a week and already she’s under the thrall of Franklin. The poor girl really can’t catch a break, can she?

Speaking of breaks, Sam really should consider cutting his family loose and sooner rather than later. Maybe Melina is a decent person underneath but Joe Lee is an alcoholic scumbag and Tommy certainly showed no remorse for trying to kill Sam. And I wouldn’t be surprised if it had been him who broke into Sam’s office and stole from him as well. Sam needs to cut this lot out of his life before they really do bleed him dry because that certainly looks like what they intend to do to him.

As for Jason, I like the fact that he wants to become a cop and do something good with his life but he really should’ve made an effort when Hoyt was trying to help memorise vital rules from the book for his exam. Jason will probably achieve the goal anyways given that he and Andy are closer now but it would be nice if he did apply himself instead of trying to wing it as well.

Also in “It Hurts Me Too”

No new names were added into the opening credits for this episode, even though Alcide did debut in this episode.

Russell (to Bill, re Talbot): “Really, it’s like Armageddon in here every time someone chips a dessert glass.”

When he wasn’t giving Sookie good advice, Eric did try to buy Lafayette with a flashy new car. Lafayette wisely expressed some reservations with Eric’s gift.

Tara: “Go ahead; bite me, fucking do it. What the hell? I said you could bite me.”
Franklin: “No.”
Tara: “Why not?”
Franklin: “Because you want me to.”

Pam: “So, the problem you have is there is no dead body in your house?”
Jessica: “Yeah.”
Pam: “Doesn’t sound like a problem to me, gotta run. Babies, they all sound the same to me.”

Yvetta’s a lucky girl, isn’t it? First, the bondage sex with Eric and now some office time with Pam. I hope she’s got health insurance.

Lorena: “This is your doing I assume.”
Bill: “Unhand her, she’s my wife.”

Caroline here was played by Shannon Lucio and halfway through the episode, Bud actually quit when Jessica’s victim’s body was found by Hoyt. And why did Arlene have to lie to Terry about him being the father of her baby?

Jason: “I know what you’re thinking but I’ve got a lot on my mind lately.”
Lafayette: “That must feel now.”

Alcide: “I hear you read minds, is that true?”
Sookie: “Yes it is.”
Alcide: “Son of a bitch.”

Alcide was hired by Eric to protect Sookie due to his father’s debts. We also learned that his ex Debbie is engaged to the pack leader as well. I’m not looking forward to Debbie’s arrival on the show to be honest.

Caroline: “If you can kill me, please I beg you, do it now.”
Lorena (to Bill): “Make her forget. You brought this upon her, you must undo it.”

Jason: “You seem okay, are you okay?”
Tara: “I’m getting there, little by little.”

It was a nice thing of Sookie to arrange Eggs’s funeral for Tara. I’m glad the both of them patched things up this week.

Sookie: “We’re not dressed properly?”
Werewolf: “You look like dinner.”

Standout music: “It Hurts Me Too” by Gaye Adegbalola.

Bill (to Lorena): “We can never love humans without bringing suffering upon them. You taught me that and I will never forgive you for it.”

Chronology: Exactly from where “Beautifully Broken” left off.

I didn’t like “It Hurts Me Too” as much as I’ve loved past episodes. Something was a little off with, even though with an average episode of this show, you’re still never bored because there’s always a lot happening so you can’t be.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 4x22: "Love All"

Written by Michael J. Cinquemani And Sarah Goldfinger
Directed by Michael Schultz

Nora (re Jake): “Why did he go back, Justin? It breaks my heart that he was there.”
Justin: “Somebody had to be.”

Speaking of heartbreak, I’m sorry that I’ve been late with reviews for this series. I’d like to put it down to apathy but the season’s been mostly fine and it has been other stuff getting in the way but I am determined to catch up on the remainder of this season, where hopefully the next few episodes pack more of a punch than this one.

In this issue of Sarah vs. Luc in regards to Cooper – well, I’m sorry parents everywhere but I side with Luc on this one, simply due to the fact Cooper was behaving like a brat in this episode. The way he was consistently hostile towards Luc to the point of ruining the tennis game being the last straw.

Why didn’t Sarah speak up sooner with Cooper? She became one of those parents who let him play video games instead of him being out in the fresh air (and granted, at his age and even now to a degree, I’d still rather be indoors than outdoors during summer) and when Nora or Luc challenged her, she didn’t like it one bit.

It’s not that Sarah is a bad mother or anything but both Luc and Nora were talking perfect sense and Sarah wouldn’t budge. Luc might not be Cooper’s father but if he’s going to be a permanent factor in Sarah’s life then he’s not exactly demanding much by wanting to be treated civilly by her children, especially given that he’s been reasonable with them so far.

This is probably the first episode that gave viewers a practical obstacle between Sarah and Luc and actually came close to presenting them as a serious couple and not a chick-lit writer’s dream couple. Luc managed to raise some good points without being a dick about it and when Sarah finally realised that Cooper was misbehaving, she did to her credit actually take some action about it.

If we could see these types of storylines between Sarah and Luc next season, then they actually stand a good chance of being a proper couple. I’m still not exactly sold on Luc but this was definitely one of his better episodes and I do like to think positively because while Sarah and he resolved their issues, another couple were met with more.

Of course the last couple of episodes where Justin and Rebecca weren’t arguing would have to come down to an episode where they did again because of them can communicate properly. Rebecca, you don’t need an enormous house when it’s just the two of you and I actually don’t blame Justin for being narked.

Holly might not have meant any real harm when encouraging Rebecca to put in an offer for the house of your dreams but Rebecca should’ve had enough savvy to think that perhaps consulting Justin would’ve been a neat idea before going ahead with the idea./ Naturally, she didn’t and an argument ensued between the pair of them. I really hate when they argue because they’ve done it so much in the last two seasons.

And there was the clanger of Justin wanting to drop out of med school. Damn it, I wanted him to actually to continue with it. Why do the writers always have to do this with him? For crying out loud, let Justin actually stick to something and follow through. He might not be the brightest button but he’s not stupid – he just needs to have some confidence in his abilities and persevere a little more.

As for the threat of him wanting to join the army again, I’m glad that Nora actually did have that one out with him. The death of Justin’s friend clearly ignited the urge for him to be with the people that he left behind but I really don’t think the series or even Justin needs to have the army re-enter his life. Reminders here and there are good but let’s not go back there, eh?

Speaking of stuff that I don’t want to go with would be Robert’s mystery job. Right now, I’m tired of the secrecy surrounding it and kind of wish that this story would speed, especially given that it’ll be the one to exit Rob Lowe from the series. Both Kevin and Kitty have expressed their own suspicions/fears and Robert seemed to foolishly ignore them.

Getting cosy to Bill Staten doesn’t seem to be a particularly smart idea either. Kevin warned Robert about getting involved with the guy and Robert basically ignored his advice. Yes, I’m aware that Kevin no longer works for Robert but I certainly wouldn’t have ignored that little bit of advice from him either.

As for Kevin and Sarah’s tennis competitiveness – apart from the scenes where Kevin seemed a little too blissed out, I thought that Sarah was way worse but that was only because she was being unnecessarily nasty to Luc whereas Kevin was using the tennis as a distraction because of that great big void in his life that work wise, he’s unable to fill.

In the past couple of episodes, he’s done the odd bit of work here and there for Kitty and Sarah. He was even working on contracts for more drilling at Narrow Lake but the truth is, the guy desperately needs to work for his own peace of mind and the fact that he’s going to be a father pretty damn soon.

Scotty and Saul at least have their restaurant idea and hopefully that’ll be something that comes to fruition and actually works out instead of petering out after a few episodes. I liked the last few scenes with Kevin getting some of his confidence back from Scotty but overall, we’ve had better moments with the guys this season. That being said, regardless of the hiccups they experience, Kevin and Scotty are the most stable relationship on most of US television to be perfectly honest.

Also in “Love All”

And the result of the tennis match between Robert/Luc and Kevin/Sarah was a forfeit thanks to Cooper’s sabotaging skills.

Scotty: “Don’t be upset.”
Kevin: “I’m not upset, I’m busy.”

Kevrah was the name of the Kevin/Sarah tennis team up and come on, but it’s hardly surprising that they got booted out of a club in the past.

Robert: “Joe, I’ve known you a long time but I’ll tell you something – never bet against my wife.”

Sarah: “What are you doing here?”
Kevin: “It’s what unemployed losers do. They hang out in their mother’s kitchen making sandwiches.”

Joe has a problem with Sarah dating Luc? That’s a bit rich coming from a bloke who remarried his first wife, isn’t it?

Luc: “Nice try, babe.”
Sarah: “Don’t patronise me.”

Kevin (to Scotty/Saul): “Who knew unemployment could be so much fun?”

It was revealed in this episode that Michelle was two months pregnant but there’s a certain spoiler looming around that means we could be missing a certain scene next season.

Justin: “Time out. Are you mad at me or something?”
Nora: “No, I’m not mad at you, I’m on to you.”

Kevin: “Why are you being so nice?”
Scotty: “Maybe I feel guilty. I haven’t exactly been paying attention to you lately.”
Kevin: “It’s alright. I’m not a child, although I have been behaving like one recently.”

Standout music: Griffin House’s “When The Time Is Right”.

Nora (to Sarah): “I wanted to tell you something. Mothering never gets easier, even when they’ve grown.”

Chronology: Definitely May 2010 but then I’m probably going by episode transmissions, state side.

Not the most interesting episode of the bunch. “Love All” is decent enough and it’s finally nice that the Sarah/Luc bits have a bit more reality in them but the whole thing felt rather filler compared to the last few episodes.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

My Review of Doctor Who's 5x13: "The Big Bang"

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Toby Haynes

Amy: “Okay, Doctor, did I surprise you this time?”
The Doctor: “Yeah completely astonished. Never expected that.”

And as surprises go, this is one finale that’s big on satisfaction all the way. Maybe I’m looking at this with rose tinted glasses as I tend to with every finale but this one was really something else. Different as well in a number of ways too.

Last week looked completely doomy – the Doctor trapped in the Pandorica chamber, Amy dead, Rory the Auton and River trapped inside an exploding TARDIS. There was no way that any of the resolutions given to any of these predicaments will satisfy all viewers but I’m one viewer who was rather happy with matters nonetheless.

First off all, I’m glad that River’s vortex manipulator came in actual use. The Doctor can moan all his wants about how it’s a dirty way of travelling (one day, I want a proper explanation for that and not the one we got in “Utopia”) but it’s also the very thing that saved his backside on a few occasions in this entire episode.

The first time involved a lot of timey wimey stuff that Steven Moffat clearly has adoration for using really frequently. He came to Rory long enough in order to get him to open the Pandorica to release and for that, he needed to needle Rory about Amy’s relevance. I’m glad the Doctor was joking about Amy not being important because even I was tempted to punch him during that scene and I knew what he was doing with Rory.

By doing this, Rory actually got back down to the Underhenge in order to release the Doctor from the Pandorica and it also meant that putting Amy into it would be beneficial. Sure, maybe they could’ve done the same type of spell the Master had done to him last year but using the light from the Pandorica to restore Amy was the better approach.

I knew that as soon as the Doctor told Rory that it would take over 1000 years for Amy to be released that he would want to guard the box. Rory’s dedication to Amy all season has been his most endearing trait and it went into overdrive here. I loved that he went through countless eras and multiple disasters in order to keep her safe. Amy Pond really is a very lucky girl.

And there was the return of her younger version, Amelia. The amount of praise Caitlin Blackwood generated in “The Eleventh Hour” impressed me, even though she’s a brilliant child actor and having her back here was wonderful. An Amelia who didn’t meet the Doctor certainly added a complex layer to this episode.

However Amelia had still believed in the stars no matter what her shrink of Aunt Sharon actually tried to tell her and visiting the National Museum made for the best opportunity for Amelia to go and meet her older self. At some point, this was a TV trope that had to be done and here was the best place to do it.

Both Karen Gillan and Caitlin Blackwood played off each other wonderfully and it was nice to see Amy and Amelia converse and get involved in the action, especially when Rory and the Doctor also arrived in time with a Dalek awakening from its sleep in the museum. With every other monster gone, I guess we needed a threat other than exploding TARDIS removing everything from existences, including the stars.

The scenes with the stone Dalek in this episode were interesting. Sure, it’s not as shocking to see the Doctor hit by a Dalek here when minutes before it, everyone was tending to the injured future Doctor and the Dalek’s analysis of the companions only made an impact when it realised to it’s horror that River Song doesn’t believe in mercy.

The choice of having the Dalek’s extermination off-screen worked in this episode’s favour because never has there been a finale to feature the Daleks where they’re not the main threat. They’re actually on the bottom piles when it came to the amount of lingering threats and plot strands for this episode to sort out.

River’s was another one to figure but it’s done in an easier fashion. Being caught in a time loop with the TARDIS saved her life and it’s done better here than it was done in “The Lodger” but Alex Kingston does have slightly less screen time in this episode than she did in the previous one.

Once all those bits were done with, the biggest problem was saving the day. In an unusual way, it’s actually rather straightforward – pilot the Pandorica into the exploding TARDIS and create a second big bang in order to have everything else exist. The downside would also mean wiping the Doctor from existence as he closed the cracks.

Matt Smith and Karen Gillan have had plenty of scenes throughout the season to hone their rapport and show the depth behind the Doctor and Amy’s relationship. The scenes where he’s telling the older Amy to remember her parents while tucking Amelia into bed and planting memories of him are damn well clever.

I loved the moments where the Doctor was going back during his moments with Amy throughout the year as the cracks were closed. It was nice to have official confirmation of the two Doctors moment from “Flesh And Stone” but the scenes with Amelia had me nearly welling up, especially when he was talking about how he got the TARDIS and the visible sadness of her forgetting him.

All season long a common complaint with Amy had been the lack of a life she had and with this episode, she suddenly had parents and her wedding with Rory actually happened but it didn’t stop her from realising that something was amiss. The scene where she’s practically willing the Doctor into existence could’ve been terrible but actually it worked out brilliantly. Amy Pond really did get to have her boys and her spaceship but let’s not forget that River was also instrumental in Amy remembering the Doctor.

As for River Song, it finally looks like we’re going to know who exactly she is and sooner than even I expected. At this point, if she is his wife, then it’s been built up to an extent but if she’s not, then that’s fine too. Either way, I’ll be looking forward to seeing her in the next season along with Amy and Rory.

And that’s the other thing – Amy and Rory are staying. I knew it was a definite with Amy but I had my doubts that Rory would stay and I’m so glad that I’m wrong. It’s actually nice that we got a finale for once where none of the main cast has actually left. It’ll be interesting to see how many Steven Moffat can achieve that during his tenure. Even his predecessor wasn’t able to really pull that so it’s nice to see that Steven has.

Lastly, the Pandorica/cracks in time plots may have been resolved but the silence element most definitely wasn’t. The mystery voice in the TARDIS from last week didn’t show up in this episode and the Confidential mentioned that the silence bit is the main theme for Season Six along with River’s identity. Now that’s one way of keeping me interested for next season and then there’s the assumed hook for Christmas with an Egyptian Goddess on the Orient Express as well – can it be December now?

Also in “The Big Bang”

The episode did literally start at the beginning with the events of “The Eleventh Hour” playing out differently for Amelia.

Amy (to Amelia): “Okay, kid, this is where it gets complicated.”

Amy’s Aunt Sharon was briefly seen in this episode and her parents are called Tabetha and Augustus.

The Doctor: “Your girlfriend isn’t more important than the universe.”
Rory (punches him): “She is to me!”
The Doctor: “Welcome back, Rory Williams.”

Amelia: “Who are you?”
Amy: “It’s a long story. Oh, a very long story.”

It’s kind of a shame that we didn’t get a small scene where all the monsters left the Underhenge but I guess with time, it wasn’t really needed.

Amy (re other Doctor): “Is he dead?”
The Doctor: “What? Dead? Yes, yes. Of course he’s dead. Right, I’ve got 12 minutes, that's good.”

The Doctor (to Amy): “Today, just dying is a result, now come on!”

The museum not only had a stone Dalek and the Pandorica box but it also had Nile Penguins, Australian Polar Bears and Himalayan Pharaohs to boot.

Amy: “I’m sorry, I can’t hear anything.”
Rory: “Trust the plastic.”

Dalek: “Records indicate you will show mercy. You are an associate of the Doctor's”
River: “I'm River Song, check your records again.”

We got a fair amount of costume changes in this finale between the Doctor, Amy, Rory and River. Shame that Amy and River teamed up to dispatch of the Doctor’s fez, though I loved him in the black suit for the wedding.

The Doctor: “Amy Pond, all alone. The girl who didn’t make sense, how could I resist?”
Amy: “How can I just forget?”
The Doctor: "Nothing is ever forgotten, not really but you have to try."

The Doctor (to Amelia): “It's funny. I thought if you could hear me, I could hang on somehow. Silly me, silly old Doctor. When you wake up, you'll have a mum and a dad and you won't even remember me.”

This episode was around 55 minutes long, shorter than “Journey’s End” but the same length as “Last Of The Time Lords”.

The Doctor (to Amelia): “In your dreams, they’ll still be there. The Doctor and Amy Pond and the days that never came.”

Rory: “Amy, what is it?”
Amy (re Doctor/TARDIS): “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”

River: “Did you dance? Well, you always dance at weddings, don't you?”
The Doctor: “You tell me.”
River: “Spoilers.”

We didn’t get the title of the Christmas special at the end of this episode but I loved the Confidential showing the US promotional circuit that Matt, Karen, Steven, Piers and Beth did for Season Five.

The Doctor: “River, who are you?”
River: “You're going to find out very soon now and I’m sorry, but that’s when everything changes.”

The Doctor: "Sorry, something's come up. This will have to be goodbye."
Amy: "Yeah, I think it's goodbye. Do you think it's goodbye?"
Rory: "Definitely goodbye."

Chronology: 102 AD, 1996 and June 26th 2010, which is the very day that this episode aired on BBC1. And we got another BBC game this week - "Blood Of The Cybermen".

Well, “The Big Bang” certainly had a lot to brag about, didn’t it? Plotlines mostly resolved, the hint of others coming into fruition next season, Amy’s life finally making sense, no major cast departures but with the Doctor showing up on The Sarah Jane Adventures before Christmas, will Amy and Rory also be destined for a trip to Bannerman Road as well?

Rating: 10 out of 10.

My Review of "Lennon Naked"

Written by Robert Jones
Directed by Edmund Coulthard

John Lennon: “We’ve all contributed ideas.”

There were many lines from this 85 minute biopic that I thought about using for a quote but for some reason that one stood out the most. I think it was down to the way in which the word, “idea” was utterly by Lennon during that press call with the Beatles at the start of this story.

I’m not gonna say that I’m big fan of either the Beatles or John Lennon personally because both were before my time but I will admit that one of my favourite songs is “Woman” and the fact that I’m a big fan of Christopher Eccleston actually motivated me into watching this a lot more than I would’ve.

For me, a lot of the stuff that was unveiled in this biopic piece was stuff that I vaguely knew of. Lennon’s issues with his father were something I was ignorant of however and it played a massive part of this story. Freddie abandoned John when he was six by forcing him to choose between him and Julia. This alone explained a lot about John Lennon as a person and it also served to show that his father was bad news.

Freddie had made contact with John at the start of his fame and then abandoned him as soon as he got the attentions of a 19 year old girl, which in my opinion is definitely creepy and then towards the end of the story was planning on releasing a book about his life. The scene between him and John as a result was single handed the most powerful moment of the story.

John was scarred by his parents abandoning of him but it also didn’t stop him for being rather cruel to his first wife, Cynthia and abandoning her and their son, Julian for Yoko Ono. Amazing how the very thing that John Lennon was scarred from was the same thing he inflicted onto his own son as a result.

As for Yoko Ono, I’ve never really bought into the notion of her being this witch who contributed breaking up with the Beatles or even wrecking his marriage. This biopic often showed that Lennon was responsible for a lot of the decisions he made and the anger he took when the likes of Paul McCarthy announced the Beatles split instead of him.

The relationships between Yoko and the Beatles were depicted as two very different things in this story as well. The Beatles were on a creative downward spiral and Lennon wanted out. If Yoko hadn’t entered his life the way she did, something else would tipped the scale whereas Yoko did work up his creative juices if the nude paintings and strange recordings were anything to go by.

There are tonnes of performances in this story that are worth citing for praise. Christopher Eccleston in particular is a pitch perfect Lennon, even if we never actually get to hear him sing in the whole thing and I particularly liked Naoko Mori’s take on Yoko Ono as well as Adrian Bower as Lennon’s only friend, Paul Shotten. The story doesn’t really allow for any of the actors playing Paul, Ringo or George to develop onscreen but the actors behind them do a decent job.

- The story starts in 1964 with John reuniting with estranged father, Freddie and ends in 1971 when he and Yoko depart for New York.
- This aired as part of BBC4’s Fatherhood season but I hope it actually makes it to a terrestrial channel prior to DVD release.
- Christopher Eccleston and Naoko Mori previously worked with each other in Doctor Who.
- In this story we did see the various attempts for John and Yoko in their peace protests as the story was winding down.

I’m not gonna say it’s the best biopic I’ve seen but Lennon Naked will actually get you thinking to be brutally honest about the iconic man himself and it’s stuff like that we do need more of on television.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

The Sarah Jane Adventures - Season 4 Episode List

DWM 423 has unveiled all of the titles for the show's fourth season, as well as a few guest cast spoilers. In particular, not content with playing the Ghostmaker on Torchwood and Davros on Doctor Who, Julian Bleach has a role in this series as the Nightmare Man. Plus this year's Doctor story just got more intriguing, didn't it?

4x01- 4x02: The Nightmare Man
Written by Joseph Lidster, Directed by Joss Agnew
Guest starring: Julian Bleach as the Nightmare Man
4x03-4x04: The Vault Of Secrets
Written by Phil Ford, Directed by Joss Agnew
Guest starring: Cheryl Campbell as Ocean Secrets
4x05-4x06: Death Of The Doctor
Written by Russell T. Davies, Directed by Ashley Way
Guest starring: Matt Smith as the Doctor, Katy Manning as Jo Grant
4x07-4x08: The Empty Planet
Written by Gareth Roberts, Directed by Ashley Way
Guest starring: Joe Mason as Gavin
4x09-4x10: Lost In Time
Written by Rupert Laight, Directed by Joss Agnew
Guest starring: Cyril Nri as Mysterious Shopkeeper
4x11-4x12: Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith
Written by Gareth Roberts And Clayton Hickman, Directed by Joss Agnew
Guest starring: Julie Graham as Ruby White.