Unofficial Press Release (Doctor Who Season 5 Spoilers)

We're still weeks away from the fifth season of Doctor Who and some of the spoilers are coming thick and fast. A rumour date for the new series has been sometime in March but here's a press release that explains more about the upcoming season.

A new era of Doctor Who begins in Spring 2010. This latest series of the BBC’s flagship drama programme sees Matt Smith’s debut as the new, Eleventh incarnation of the famous Time Lord alongside a new travelling companion, the enigmatic Amy Pond (Karen Gillan).

Together they explore 16th century Venice, France during the 1890s and the United Kingdom in the far future, now an entire nation floating in space.

As always, wherever the Doctor goes, his oldest enemies are never far behind – the Daleks are hatching a new master plan from the heart of war-torn London in the 1940s. But they are not the only strange creatures the Doctor and Amy must face – there are also alien vampires. humanoid reptiles, old enemies such as the Weeping Angels, a Star Whale, and a silent menace that follows Amy and the Doctor around wherever they go…

More information here ... www.radiofreeskaro.com.

From Digital Journal

Actress Nina Wadia, a star of the UK’s top television soap, is to play a Doctor Who baddie in an episode set to air in the spring, it has been revealed. Wadia (41), a star of the BBC’s long-running soap EastEnders and the hit film Bend It Like Beckham plays a battleaxe named Zainab Masood in the soap, but in Doctor Who she will portray an evil psychiatric expert, playing alongside new Doctor, Matt Smith, who has just taken over from tenth Doctor David Tennant.

Wadia’s sharp-tongued EastEnders character is at war with her gay son Syed, whom she forced into marrying Amira Shah, played by Preeya Kalidas. Syed (played by Marc Elliott) has been in a relationship with another character called Christian Clarke (John Partridge). The episode in which they featured their first kiss was fiercely criticised, mainly on religious grounds because the character of Syed is a Muslim. According to the tabloid Sun, Wadia said of her Who role: “It was brilliant to be let out [of EastEnders] for a couple of days to do something else and it was great working with Matt Smith.

“I play a bit of a baddie. And yes, like my EastEnders character Zainab, she’s not a very pleasant woman – but at least I’m human and not some kind of strange alien life-form. I play a doctor – more of a psychiatric doctor than a traditional medical one.” Indian-born Wadia gained fame in the BBC comedy Goodness Gracious Me, and has been playing the strong-willed postmistress in EastEnders since 2007.

Wadia follows her Goodness Gracious Me colleague Meera Syal into the long-running sci-fi series. Syal confirmed last November that she would be joining Doctor Who in the 2010 series.

Meanwhile if you have a hankering to ask Karen Gillan any questions, you can do so here .... http://www.radiotimes.com/blogs/875-doctor-who-ask-doctor-whos-karen-gillan/

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 4x05: "Last Tango In Pasadena"

Written by Jason Wilburn And Molly Newman
Directed by Bethany Rooney

Sarah: “I can’t believe you flew six thousand miles to see me.”
Luc: “I can’t believe you can’t believe it.”

And doesn’t that make for an interesting discussion. Is it suspicious that Luc decided to pursue Sarah so much that he flew over to America or is he really just a big old romantic at heart? Either way, this episode wasn’t particularly subtle with the impression that Luc was making on the Walker family.

Sarah herself clearly likes the guy but not enough to introduce him to Paige and Cooper as her boyfriend. There’s a degree of sense in Sarah’s logic. Both she and Luc haven’t known each other that long and it’s sensible for her to approach him with caution but at the same time, she’s also put Luc within her family’s orbit.

To try and briefly keep Luc away from Paige and Cooper, she did kind of railroad Nora into letting him stay with her. Nora had a right to be less than keen with taking Luc in and it made sense that she would be the last person to be taken in with his charms given her current worrying over Kitty’s health.

However if you’re one of those people who finds yourself watching a television series and can’t help but complain when a particular character (regardless of gender) is objectified a hundred fold, then this episode will give you a lot to complain. Or maybe you’ll think the Walker’s ogling of Luc is perfectly fine.

It’s a funny moment when Justin was being taught how to dance by Luc when Kevin interrupted them with his jaw literally hanging out. Kitty can definitely be blamed for this one, given that she texted everyone to come to the house and gaze at Luc’s manly French physique.

Gilles Marini doesn’t really do it for me and while the ogling got a little silly, there was also a fun side to it as well. Luc himself wasn’t particularly bothered with everyone eyeing him up and the Walkers themselves had fun watching him getting out of the pool. Saul even went as far as to flirt with him in French and honestly, that’s the most that Saul has contributed all season so far.

Plus there was the fun of Luc’s dancing as well. Okay, the writers here were definitely capitalising on the actor’s previous bout on Dancing With The Stars but I found it interesting that Luc had more chemistry dancing with Justin than the latter has in general with Rebecca. Similarly Rebecca herself had more chemistry dancing with Luc than she’s ever had on screen with Justin. I can’t be the only one who picked on that, can I?

Of course with everyone else being impressed with Luc, Nora’s hostility towards him wasn’t going to go unnoticed and in this week’s argument both her and Sarah had it out over Luc and Kitty. One of the things I like about this show is that you do get to see both points of views and here’s the same.

With Nora, she was right to tell Paige and Cooper about Kitty’s illness. They asked an honest question and Nora did do her best to cushion the blow as much as she did. Maybe it wasn’t her place but I do think that she made the right call. And both Cooper and Paige were able to handle it better than Sarah expected them to do so.

As for what Sarah said, she was right too. Nora needs to let up a little when it comes to Kitty. I know she’s worried about her and no-one begrudged that but Sarah’s idea of keeping things fun isn’t a way of denying Kitty’s illness either. It’s good that towards the end of the episode both women were able to put their differences aside and focus on Kitty.

Speaking of Kitty, this was probably her lightest episode so far this season. Most of it revolved around her excitement to go to a Republican bash and then being happy (after some initial disappointment) when she realised that Robert had actually planned a surprise dinner and fireworks for her instead. I can safely say that Robert is definitely staying in my good books with this episode.

As for the less engaging stuff of the episode, Ryan – why are you here? You’ve been missing for the previous two episodes and here you’re reduced to a line or two before disappearing. Unless the writers do actually have something interesting lined up for him later on, I really cannot fathom as to why Luke Grimes was made a regular this year, I really can’t.

Another thing I can’t fathom was the writers’ decision to suddenly make Holly scammed by a fraudulent. Maybe it’s a nice way to remind viewers not to put your financial eggs into one basket or maybe it was another in series of failed attempts to get viewers to care about Holly. Okay, it was the latter and no, I don’t especially care that Holly got screwed over.

A tiny bit of me thinks that maybe I should care given that Holly kept harping on about wanting to give Rebecca the best wedding ever or when she lectured David to pull his finger but I just can’t be bothered. After enjoying her scenes with Rebecca in the previous episode, I pretty much wanted to fast forward all of her scenes in this one. Figures.

Something else that frustrated me this week was Kevin and Scotty. After one episode where we didn’t have to have them arguing about having a kid, Scotty had to come up with the worst idea ever – use Michelle as a surrogate. Okay she suggested it but Scotty for some insane reason actually thought it was a good idea.

While there’s nothing wrong with him wanting to take an assertive role in his marriage to Kevin, this was the worst time to do. It’s not like I think Michelle is the devil incarnation (though after having the misfortune to watching The City, Roxy Olin definitely comes across as a pain in the arse), Kevin was right to allude to the fact that she was a flake.

I really wished for this one that Kevin had actually stuck to his gun because so far, both of them haven’t shown that they’re ready to start being parents. They should wait and obviously they should try and get a surrogate without the kind of baggage that Michelle has. This whole plot seems to have disaster inscribed all over it.

Also in “Last Tango In Pasadena”

Wow, the writers can’t even be arsed to actually show Joe on screen. He must’ve left massive skid marks when Sarah opened the door to let in Paige and Cooper.

Michelle: “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Kevin: “I don’t know.”
Scotty: “What are you thinking?”

Since her last appearance in the first season, Michelle seems to be trying to sell bags for a living. Kevin sensibly refused to finance her.

Kevin (re Michelle): “I’m not comfortable with her being our surrogate.”
Scotty: “Why?”
Kevin: “You have to admit she’s a little flaky.”

Scotty (to Kitty/Rebecca/Justin): “Oh hey, give this to Kevin.”
Kevin: “What for?”
Scotty: “The drool on your chin.”

It wouldn’t have killed the writers to have actually shown us that Scotty and Michelle were close in Seasons 2 and 3. Something about their closeness just came across as extremely false to me.

Kitty: “You never do anything halfway, do you?”
Robert: “Not when it comes to you.”

Sarah: “Sometimes men can be so stupid.”
Luc: “They’re all fools when it comes down to love.”

There was some nice continuity with Kitty and Robert’s helicopter experiences in “Valentine’s Day Massacre”.

Robert: “I’m starting to think that my surprise isn’t as my cover story.”
Kitty: “I don’t know. I guess I was hoping for a night without cancer.”

Standout music: Gotan Project’s “Santa Maria”, which was also used in the third season of Nip/Tuck.

Luc: “So who will be the girl?”
Kevin: “Her name is Michelle.”
Luc: “Good for you.”

Chronology: None specified since “From France With Love”.

It’s hard to maintain the standards that this season has been setting out so far but at least they’re trying. “Last Tango In Pasadena” was another enjoyable hour with the Walkers and Luc could be a good addition if kept on (okay, I’m aware of a certain spoiler but bear with me here).

Rating: 8 out of 10.

My Review of Dollhouse's 2x09: "Stop Loss"

Written by Andrew Chambliss
Directed by Felix Enriquez-Alcala

Echo (to Victor/Sierra): “I don’t need thanks. I don’t need goodbyes.”

The best thing about this show’s cancellation has been the progression of the Rossum storyline and also the fact that we got the back story on Sierra/Priya. Now it was only fair that the same should happen with Victor and I’m not gonna lie, his back story was good but was also certainly predictable.

Episodes such as “Needs” and “Belonging” hinted at a military background for Victor and it was no surprise that when his contract was up, he was reverted back to his original persona – Anthony Ceccoli, a soldier with post traumatic stress disorder. His five years were up and he was a free man.

This being Dollhouse of course, even when a contract was up, no-one is ever really free and Tony was barely out of the Dollhouse for a day when he was kidnapped by Rossum for some super soldier experimentation. There were only two people who could save Tony and one of them certainly wasn’t Adelle.

Having Echo and Priya (yes, that’s right – Priya, not Sierra) be the ones to launch into a rescue mission made sense. Echo had all the personalities for every potential obstacle and Priya would be the emotional anchor that Tony/Victor would respond to, what with his new pals brainwashing him and all.

The nasty part of being a super soldier apart from being dragged into another series of senseless wars was also the fact that you had the thoughts of all of your comrades and them your thoughts. That was more than enough voices in one person’s head and this is coming from someone who’s been watching Echo dealing with multiple personalities all seasons.

Speaking of Echo, of course her tactic to try and best all the soldiers during this little game would be to inject herself with the same grouping that Tony had to endure. It’s a good job that Echo already had a handle on different voices because I’m sure those soldiers certainly would’ve driven her over the edge.

The Tony and Priya of this episode were a shipper’s dream however. Both realised that they loved the other, tried to protect each other and thanks to Echo, they were about to get the opportunity to even go and start a life with each other. It’s too bad that Adelle decided to scupper that one big time.

Adelle’s been darkening in these last few episodes so I was hoping that Boyd’s pep talk about her getting her shit together would’ve worked in the favour of the good guys. Instead she turned out to be an even colder bitch than she was in “Meet Jane Doe” by deciding to restore order in her house.

Having Boyd arrested was one thing and I could almost understand deciding to put Echo in the Attic but Victor/Tony and Sierra/Priya as well? That’s just pure evil. Fair play to Olivia Williams because in this episode she made Adelle far scarier than Alpha could ever hope to achieve during his height.

I know spoilers in later episodes are supposed to redeem Adelle but right now, I never thought I would hate the woman that much. Her callousness towards everyone certainly raised alarm bells and that was before she opted for the Attic option with her three pivotal Actives.

Also in the first season, she seemed to favour Echo a lot of the time but here, she’s flat out resentful of the girl. She seemed to take a little too much glee when Echo was being punished. It’s lucky for us however that Echo did seem to be immune to the Attic effects as well. Make her pay, Echo, make her pay.

Also in “Stop Loss”

Victor’s the only main Doll we’ve seen fulfil his contract so far in the series.

Adelle (to Topher): “So where did this mystery woman come from?”
Victor: “Has anyone seen Sierra?”

Adelle had Victor programmed as Roger one last time. She also seemed to blurt out to Topher that she was Miss Lonely Hearts as well.

Boyd (re Echo): “You want her to suffer?”
Adelle: “Pain reveals who we are.”

Sierra (re Victor): “He wouldn’t leave me.”
Echo: “He’s free. They gave him his life back.”

Paul got moved to a location so Adelle could spite Echo. With four episodes left, I wonder if they’re going to kill him off and be done with it.

Topher: “Who am I talking to now?”
Echo: “Echo. You’re always talking to Echo.”

Victor (to comrade): “You want me to be a soldier? Where do I sign up?”

Harding didn’t appear in this episode but he certainly made his presence felt when reading Adelle the riot act down the phone. Adelle being drunk was oddly funny as well.

Priya: “Now we need to make sure Anthony sees me.”
Echo: “He’s already seen you.”

Priya: “I shot at rabbits, I didn’t hit anything.”
Echo: “Same idea, just bigger targets.”

Standout music: Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”. Not the first time the show has used her music.

Echo (to two soldiers): “I knew you were gonna do that. And you knew I was gonna do that.”
Adelle (to Echo): “They say it’s whatever hell you imagine but I think it’s far worse.”

Chronology: A few days after “A Love Supreme”.

Definitely one of the strongest episodes of the season without a doubt. “Stop Loss” is definitely Dollhouse at it’s most vicious and now, I really can’t wait to see this house come crashing down. Only four more to go.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Doctor Who's: "The Deadly Assassin"

Written by Robert Holmes
Directed by David Maloney

The Master (to Goth): “No, we could not have used anyone. You do not understand hatred as I understand it. Only hate keeps me alive. Why else would I endure this pain? I must see The Doctor die.”

And the story in which The Master is at his most spiteful goes to ... this one of course. It’s funny because in nearly every Master story that we’ve seen on screen, this was the only one where his hatred for The Doctor really did cloud his judgement. But even in hatred you can trust The Master to be obsessed with the do-gooder Time Lord as always.

The opening for this story is utterly brilliant. Some of the best stories regardless of Doctor often take a while to get to the main point but here it’s given to us in less than five minutes. The Doctor saw the Lord President about to be assassinated and went to Gallifrey in order to prevent this from happening.

Of course the second he landed on his home planet there were guards waiting to arrest him once again. If I needed a reason behind The Doctor being more than happy to keep his distance from his people, then this story was the perfect example. In the first half an hour alone, he falls into a trap and was on the verge of being executed for the Lord President’s death.

The Doctor probably should’ve gotten assistance when he went up that tower because at least then, he wouldn’t have to have protested his innocence with his people. It’s a good job for him that nominating himself for President was enough of a technicality in order to delay his execution. You also didn’t need to be a psychic for the look of disgust that Goth conveyed when The Doctor made that little proposal.

Having The Doctor given two days to prove his innocence could be seen as too much time to exonerate himself but it did overall work in intensifying the jeopardy. Other stories in the past often wasted too much time in building up The Master’s return. Here everyone figured out that he was responsible for the President’s death within the first half of the story.

The only challenge that then lay was having The Doctor go into the Matrix itself in order to prove his innocence. We’ve had future stories where this plot device hasn’t been used as effectively but here, it did lead to some of the best stuff within Tom Baker’s reign as the Fourth Doctor.

The Matrix itself offered a lot in the ways of inventive means to torture The Doctor. You could barely go a minute without him hanging on for dear life or a mysterious gunman determined to end his life. The gunman in question went into great detail about revelling in destroying The Doctor once and for all.

While the scene where The Doctor’s foot is caught on a train track felt a little cartoonish, the one where the gunman is trying to drown him was certainly one of the most violent we’ve seen on the show. For a brief second, I almost think that the likes of Mary Whitehouse might have had a point when moaning about how the show could get dark at times.

The distress of seeing The Doctor nearly drown though raised the possibilities of him dying in the Matrix. If he wasn’t so fused with artron energy, he probably would’ve been a dead man but at least he was able to fight off his mysterious assailant, which before hand had been revealed to be Goth. Goth being the Time Lord who was assisting The Master wasn’t however that much of a shock.

There were earlier indications that he was lusting for the Presidency in the story and his natural disdain for The Doctor did make him a suspect also. Even the Castellan, Engin and Borusa were less hostile towards The Doctor. Of course Goth’s greediness did end up getting the better of him and there was no surprise when The Master killed him out of sheer frustration with the man.

As for The Master’s motives, this was where the story was incredibly straightforward. The Master only wanted two things – to make The Doctor suffer (which he mostly achieved here) and to get a new set of regenerations, seeing that he was on his incarnation. This was also where stealing Rassilon’s sash and the Great Key were supposed to help him out.

Because of the delay with The Doctor and The Master meeting up, the fight to stop the latter from using the Eye Of Harmony to achieve his goal did feel a little rushed and it was pretty obvious that The Master would somehow manage to escape as well. I guess the need to survive really was overpowering for some like The Master.

He tried to fake his own death to get what he wanted and when he failed, he waited for The Doctor to leave before exiting Gallifrey himself. It’s almost disappointing that as a viewer you would’ve had to have waited another four seasons before he returned but perhaps the endearing thing about Tom Baker’s era was that like the Daleks and the Cybermen, The Master wasn’t heavily relied which gave his very few stories at that time more effect as a result.

Also having to follow up from Roger Delgado was always going to be a hard task but for one story, Peter Pratt played The Master at his most vicious. The decayed shell was also The Master at his most scary looking as well. I can imagine a lot of children back in 1976 having nightmares over that ghastly image. I think I would’ve if I had been a child during that time.

As for The Doctor and Gallifrey, did we really need to have it pointed out in great detail that he was often seen as the runt of the litter? Probably not but the Time Lords have been depicted as being rather set in their ways so I don’t understand why some viewers at the time felt like they had gotten the raw end of the deal.

Besides if it hadn’t been for the Castellan and Engin, The Doctor would’ve never been able to clear his name anyways so some of them are good, though I’d watch out for Borusa. His happiness to paint a different version of events won’t be the only questionable thing he does in the series future.

Also in “The Deadly Assassin”

Weird to have this episode open up on a narration but it’s also quite effective and stories like “The End Of Time” would also adopt this years later.

The Doctor (to the TARDIS): “Obsolete? Twoddle! Take no notice my dear old thing.”
This is probably the only story in the series history that is genuinely companionless, even though Castellan and Engin were helpful to The Doctor.

Hilred (re The Doctor): “I apologise Castellan. He won’t evade capture a second time.”
Castellan: “In light of your impressive record so far, I would make no commitments.”

The Master (re The Doctor): “Of course. He knows he’s entering a trap but how can he resist such a bait?”
Goth: “The hope of preventing an assassination.”
The Master: “Quixotic fool, he will die quickly. Make sure he dies very quickly.”

This was the first story to be properly set on Gallifrey as well as mentioned the Celestial Intervention Agency (CIA), Type 40 TARDIS and Rassilon. That’s a lot of stuff.

Runcible: “Something the matter?”
The Doctor: “No, no just a twinge.”
Runcible: “Well if you will lead such a rackety life. You have a facelift?”
The Doctor: “Several so far.”

Castellan: “What is The Master like on mathematics?”
The Doctor: “He’s brilliant, absolutely brilliant. He’s almost up to my standard.”

One thing that this story didn’t explain was what happened to The Master that he became so decayed as well as the time that passed for him between this story and “Frontier In Space”.

Goth: “I am the creator here, Doctor, this is my world. There is no escape.”

Goth: “Finish Doctor, you’re finished.”

Those soldiers reminded me of the opening scene from “Genesis Of The Daleks” and clowns, really?

The Doctor: “No answer to a straight question. Typical politician.”

The Doctor: “Why did you bring me here?”
The Master: “As a scapegoat for the killing of the President. Who else but you, Doctor, so despicably good, so insufferably compassionate? I wanted you to die in ignominious shame and disgrace.”

This DVD was released on May 2009 with a commentary from Tom Baker, Bernard Horsfall and Philip Hinchcliffe.

“The Deadly Assassin” is definitely a classic to own in your collection. Arguably one of the best stories featuring The Master but also maybe the best story in Tom Baker’s run and there are plenty to choose from there.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

My Review of Being Human 2x05: "The Looking Glass"

Written by Tony Basgallop
Directed by Kenny Glenaan

Mitchell: “It’s complicated.”
Josie: “Take your time. I’m tied to a book shelf.”

After last week’s underwhelming episode, this was one that really set a bar in terms of brilliance. Mitchell’s little world is crashing around his feet and truth be told, this time around he’s probably picked the wrong woman to try and save him.

The one thing I have loved about this season was that certain important things weren’t dragged out. For instance, Nina didn’t waste too much time in telling George that she was now a werewolf and we didn’t have to wait exceptionally long to find out that Lucy was Jaggart either.

With this episode we’re blessed with that fortitude as well when Lucy revealed to Mitchell that she knew he was a vampire all along after getting him to confess to what he was in the first place. I also might add that Lucy didn’t exactly pile on the pressure when doing it, even if she knew the right words to get Mitchell to spill the beans.

Lucy seemed to be conflicted in this episode. She started questioning Kemp’s desire to have vampires like Mitchell wiped out and defended the fact that Mitchell was capable of saving. However when she realised that he had killed again, Lucy could also barely contain her disgust with him either. It’s even amazing that they actually slept together.

And then there was the scene where he was sleeping and she contemplated staking him there and then. There might have been no danger in her actually going through with it but with three episodes left and the preview for next week’s episode, it’s safe to assume that this relationship will not be surviving into the third series for sure.

Mitchell’s relationships were certainly the topic of discussion this week. With women, Mitchell’s certain a love them and leave them kind of guy but with Herrick’s influence, he can barely remember killing them. And it didn’t especially help him out this week when he decided to hold a certain woman hostage.

I should’ve guessed from the minute we saw her that the young woman whose flat Mitchell broke into would be Josie. The episode wasn’t glaringly subtle with the pointed and significant conversations that the pair of them had throughout the hour. Even when he couldn’t put up with her talking, Josie had an uncanny knack of getting Mitchell to open more than anyone else did at the time.

Josie probably bought herself a lot of time because if Herrick had gotten to her first, she wouldn’t have made it halfway through the episode alive. Herrick certainly wasn’t as open to Josie’s charms as Mitchell was in this episode. He even laid on a thick speech about humans being restricted in order to get Mitchell to kill her.

Luckily for Josie and viewers alike, she made it out of the episode alive. It helped that for the series, we were already aware of their established connection. She tried to save him last year when he was veering over the edge and here was the episode where we first saw her trying to help Mitchell.

Charlene McKenna was a good casting choice and is probably known more to Irish viewers for her roles in Pure Mule and Raw. Although her Irish accent was noticeable in this episode, she was fine throughout the hour and I could see why Mitchell in spite of his initial resistance would want to spare Josie’s life.

It’s also interesting that while we were getting to see two very different relationships that Mitchell had had and is having with two very different women, it also didn’t stop him from expressing his own opinion on George’s relationship with Sam. Like it or not, George, Mitchell’s got a point here.

Sam’s a nice girl but the truth is, George doesn’t love her and I’m not saying this because I’m a fan of him and Nina, I’m saying it because it’s so blatantly obvious that even Sam would probably guess it if she was aware of Nina’s impact on George. However that didn’t stop from trying miserably to win over Sam’s daughter, Molly and even wanting to move in with the woman.

Sam had the good sense to tell George that they were rushing into everything and declined on his offer but this being TV, you just know that George and Sam will be playing house in the next episode. It also doesn’t help that like Mitchell, George’s quest for order seems destined to blow in his face. I’m beginning to think that Annie’s the only sensible one left.

She’s the only one so far who hasn’t been darkened this season and while she got a little overprotective of baby Rufus at the end with his feckless mum, her emotional state seems a lot healthier compared to Mitchell and George. Plus, while babysitting is not on my list of fun things to do, seeing Annie having a go at it was amusing to no end.

Annie started off the episode struggling to keep Rufus from crying and ended it wondering if she had left it too late to have a child. I found that a little odd, given that Annie herself was so young when she died but I think that might be the non-paternal side of me coming out. I like kids but not for me.

As for the other little problem of the episode – Mitchell killed a copper and granted it was the corrupt one we’ve had to deal with all season but even still, it was a very dumb thing for Mitchell to do. And I don’t doubt that it will help Kemp turn Lucy totally against him as well when he finds out about it.

Also in “The Looking Glass”

It was nice to see Herrick in this episode and it didn’t contradict Toby Whithouse’s claims of Herrick being dead. He only appeared in 1969.

Mitchell: “Are you gonna cause me a problem or not?”
Josie: “Are you gonna hurt me?”

Charlene McKenna who played Josie in this episode used to date (or still does, I’m not sure) Aidan Turner.

Molly (to George): “Free makeup kit. Why don’t you just put me on the game and be done with it?”

Campbell (remembering his girlfriend): “This happened to you too.”
Mitchell: “Yeah in glorious Technicolor.”

The man that Mitchell had been forced to kill was a paedophile but even Mitchell couldn’t do it. I could actually understand where that constable was coming from.

Mitchell: “Do you want me to bring anything?”
Lucy: “A sense of humour.”

Kemp (to Lucy): “You know the few things I like about you is that you don’t call supper tea.”

Kemp gave Lucy a 13th Century stake to use against Mitchell. He also feared that she was going to be seduced by him.

Annie (re having kids): “I’ve left it too late, haven’t I?”
Ghost: “You weren’t to know.”

Herrick (to Mitchell): “A vampire is the only truly free man.”

Standout music: “Somebody To Love” by Jefferson Airplane and Annie singing LaRoux’s “Bulletproof” and I don’t even like LaRoux that much.

Lucy: “What are you?”
Mitchell: “I’m a vampire.”

Chronology: Over a week or so since the previous episode.

This was certainly more like it. A fantastic episode that seemed to have pushed things necessarily forward for the series. With only three episodes left, it’s high time for Kemp and Lucy to make their move already.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Top 50 Buffy Episodes Part 5

Halfway point now.

26: Dirty Girls (Season 7, Episode 18)

After three years, it was the episode that would reintroduce Faith into Sunnydale and for the most part, Buffy managed to keep her resentment to a minimum. It's also the episode that debuted Nathan Fillion as the disturbingly misogynist preacher Caleb, the most effective acolyte of the First. And then there's what happened to poor Xander.

27: The Harvest (Season 1, Episode 2)

The show opened on a two-parter and while the opening segment is a little higher on this list, this is still a cracking continuation as the Scooby gang are basically formed in this one. Too bad that Luke and Jesse didn't last a little longer as characters though.

28: Into The Woods (Season 5, Episode 10)

Riley's never been one of my favourite characters and while him and Buffy were never going to last, a part of me did feel bad for him as well. He did love her and she didn't feel the same way. Xander's pep talks in these episodes had more substance than Spike's usual nuggets and the last few minutes are brilliant.

29: What's My Line Part 1 (Season 2, Episode 9)

I love this two parter a lot. It's a pretty underrated story but it did debut Marti Noxon as a writer (she co-wrote the first part with Howard Gordon) and it also debuted Kendra, which meant from now on that Buffy wasn't the only slayer in existence, despite the fact that she'd conveniently ignore that fact a good chunk of the time.

30: Bargaining Part 2 (Season 6, Episode 2)

Marginally better than the first part, Buffy's resurrections episodes were always going to be interesting. Like who would bury a 20 year old woman in a black dress as garish as the one Buffy was forced to wear. On a serious note, the tower scene between Buffy and Dawn is one of the best scenes from the season.

Damn It (Desperate Housewives Season 6 Spoilers)

Julie Benz being cast on Desperate Housewives is good in it's own right but the writers have only apparently gone and done something rather unprecedented, wouldn't they?

They're gonna make her character Robin a nice person. I don't think I can comprehend this. We're actually going to get a fantastic actress in a good role who doesn't have a desire to wreck havoc. Hell must have frozen over because damn, that's brilliant.

It seems that as well being a little unhinged this season, Katherine's going to be making some interesting insights into her sexuality when her and Robin get a little closer to each other in later episode. Robin debuts in the fourteen episode, The Glamourous Life. I'm not actually sure how many episodes she'll be in but it could be a lot.

It seems that Katherine and Robin make out after being stuck on a double date from hell. Robin comes into the series when Susan inherits a strip club and befriends the woman. Susan even goes as far as getting the woman a job in her school as well. Although the women of Wisteria Lane are attractive, I think Julie Benz wins hands down in the pretty stakes and it's a good move for her after a certain thing on her last show.

And some bits from TV Guide Magazine on the Robin/Katherine snog ...

“This kiss comes out of a funny moment where we’re trying to ditch some guys,” says Julie. But something very real develops, which is exciting for Dana. “I guessed it,” she says. “I asked, ‘Am I becoming a man?’ And [creator] Marc Cherry said, ‘Close.’” Dana compares Katherine’s realization to recently un-closeted actress Meredith Baxter. “For a woman in her fifties to make this announcement to her community is huge,” says Dana. “I hope it sticks.”

Julie and Dana became friends years ago when they costarred in a failed “Scarface”-type TV pilot. So how long will these naughty girls play house? “I’m now up to four episodes, but they have an option for more,” says Julie. “I’m bribing the writers with cupcakes.”

Damn it, Marc Cherry you have the potential to do something amazing here so don't fuck it up. Bob and Lee are glorified extras (still) and Andrew's long gone and it doesn't help that you've diminished Susan/Mike, Bree/Orson and Lynette/Tom.

Afterellen Interview With Julie Benz: http://www.afterellen.com/blwe/02-05-10?page=0%2C1
Preview:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_cFb-95tWg

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 4x04: "From France With Love"

Written by Sarah Goldfinger And Michael Foley
Directed by Michael Morris

Sarah: “I’m sorry. You mad at me?”
Kitty: “I’m not mad; you took my mind off everything. I’m just very sad you didn’t get to have a love affair with a hunky Frenchman.”

Ah Sarah Walker, how we very much missed you. You abandon us and we’re stuck with Holly and Ryan but now that you’re back, it’s certainly nice to catch with you and next time you decide to go to France, you’re bringing us with you.

Now back to sounding like a sane person. Sarah’s return meant that she had a chemo partner after having to reject both Robert and Nora but it also meant that we got some insight into exactly what she got up to during her missing episode.

I’ve got to admit that I love flashbacks, even ones that are cheesy and that’s good because Sarah’s flashbacks in France were most definitely the cheesiest I think I’ve seen in any show for a while now but they were also a lot of fun as well. After all, it would’ve been more disappointing if she didn’t have a love affair.

Gilles Marini doesn’t really do it for me and while his acting wasn’t exactly a required demand on the Sex And The City film, he was reasonably alright in this episode. Luc seemed like a typical flirt, wasting no time in having some fun at Sarah’s expense before wooing her with a nice picnic and some racy-ish public displays of affection.

It was stories like this that actually kept Kitty amused during her first chemotherapy session but Kitty soon rumbled that Sarah was lifting stuff from an old movie when Sarah told her that Luc had cheated on her with another woman. The fact that Kitty didn’t get mad with Sarah was great because she knew Sarah’s heart was in the right place and who could blame Sarah for wanting to amuse her sister during a rotten time?

Except for the nice twist in the end – Sarah’s affair with Luc had been real and the only reason she left him was because she found out about Kitty’s illness. Luc actually showing up on Sarah’s doorstep in the end wasn’t a shock by comparison but I’m all for seeing Sarah have a little fun and if Luc’s able to give her that, then why not.

Sarah was pretty much the tonic that Kitty needed in this episode but Kitty herself seemed to be a lot more concerned about Robert’s campaign than her own wellbeing. I think her reasons were justified enough but I sided with Robert wanting to make Kitty his priority because it was something that was overdue and it’s been great seeing him put her before himself, which is something we haven’t seen him do a lot in previous seasons.

Kevin much as I love him did pile on the pressure with Robert this week. Yes, the campaign was taking a hit and yes, Robert was sabotaging himself but even I would’ve been apprehensive as Robert was when it came to Kitty talking about her cancer and the impact it’s had on the family.

It was predictable that Kitty herself would then come up with the notion of wanting to go public to talk about her illness. One of the best moments in the episode was when she told interviewers that she was surrounded by love because it genuinely tugged at the heartstrings and because this story has been fantastic for the actors so far.

Even Nora put her hurt about not being Kitty’s chemo partner aside to concentrate on doing the right thing. The scene where Nora talked about wishing she had cancer instead of Kitty was a hard one to watch. Calista Flockhart and Sally Field sold that scene so beautifully. I know that Kitty won’t actually die but I still have to praise the writers for the way this storyline has been tackled so far.

Kitty’s illness has definitely affected Justin as well. It’s because of her ordeal that he went into looking about Oncology and it’s also because of his tardiness that Carter wanted a different lab partner. I don’t mind Carter all that much and I can see his point of view but I did side more with Justin here than Carter.

Having Madsen be the one to pull Justin aside could’ve gone a lot of different ways. Madsen tried to get Justin to ease up on taking on too many things but he also raised an interesting enough point in Justin and Carter actually needing each other as well. This plot might not be entirely realistic but it’s certainly more interesting than anything on actual medical shows.

Speaking of interesting, this was also a strange episode for another reason – Holly had a fair amount to do and I didn’t want to tune out. I haven’t suddenly decided to like her but I do like the fact that when her and Rebecca argued over wedding locations, Nora didn’t get dragged into things and Holly didn’t somehow try to blame Nora for anything.

The fact that Nora and Holly were civilised in the entire episode with each other was shocking enough. Maybe one day they might actually like each other – nah! Even the scene where Rebecca and Holly actually have a heart to heart about the former’s inability to come up with her fantasy wedding was enjoyable to watch. And this is bearing in mind that we’ve had better episodes in the series where Holly’s involvement has been tedious.

In terms of the wedding stuff, we saw Rebecca being stressed but by some miracle, it also didn’t translate into her and Justin butting heads either. I know later episodes will undoubtedly throw more tension at them before they walk down the aisle but for once, it was nice not to have to deal with that. Sometimes less really is more and that was certainly applicable to this situation.

As for the Ojai stuff, I still don’t really care for it. Holly and Saul still seemed to be in a continuous arguing loop over the cheap plonk idea but other than that, we’ve had nothing of real interest. Even Ryan can’t be arsed to try and throw another spanner in the works but then again, this was the second episode in a row in which he’s not bothered to show up. I’m beginning to think that he has a worse work ethic than Justin.

Also in “From France With Love”

Apart from the lack of Ryan in this episode, this was also the first one in the season not to feature Scotty either.

Robert: “I don’t want you staring at the word ‘tumour’.”
Kitty: “Robert, do you think I’ve forgotten I have cancer?”

The opening scene with Robert and Kitty playing scrabble was a nice one, though it’s in a long line of episodes that have opened up with the pair.

Sarah: “I’m very glad to have amused you.”
Luc: “It was cute.”

Nora (re filming crew): “Must be a period piece.”
Organiser: “I think it is.”
Holly: “What period?”
Organiser: “Um, olden times, I can’t keep up.”

Actually it was a porn film that was being made. Maybe Rebecca should reconsider the place if Hawaii doesn’t go her way.

Luc: “Your face is powerful and soft like you.”
Sarah: “What do you know about me except for my inability to read a map?”

Robert (to Kitty): “Just leave California out there. In here, it’s just you and me.”

I know it technically doesn’t involve them but I’m slightly surprised that we haven’t seen Robert’s kids and Courtney, seeing they all like Kitty now.

Kevin (re Robert): “All he wants is to be here with you.”
Kitty: “Well, too bad. He can’t.”

Nora: “I feel like I’m not doing enough.”
Kitty: “Well you can’t cure me.”

Standout music: Keeping with the French theme, Carla Burni’s “Le Temps Perdu” that played during one of Sarah’s flashbacks and Benjamin Taylor’s “Something For Nothing”.

Robert (re TV interview): “What is this?”
Kevin (re Kitty): “Your polls going up. Her idea.”

Chronology: Not directly after “Almost Normal”.

This season is like the gift that keeps on giving. “From France With Love” nicely brought us up to speed on Sarah’s antics in France, progressed Kitty’s storyline with some truly stunning moments and even made me care about the Justin/Rebecca wedding than past episodes have managed to do. And there was a timely reference to Tommy, given that he’s due back in a fortnight.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Touching The Stones (Doctor Who Season 5 Spoilers)

Looks like it is the finale that's currently been done then after all

The Doctor (Matt Smith), Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and River Song (Alex Kingston) reunited again and at Stonehenge of all locations. I'm really not sure how this location exactly plays into the episodes being filmed but I'm certainly curious.

There wasn't many cast shots around this time but there's definitely lovely moments here with this particular location, though I'm surprised that we haven't seen Arthur Darvill on set. There's an ongoing rumour of the Doctor and River attending Amy and Rory's wedding in the finale, I just hope something shows up to confirm that one.

Vague one of Matt Smith there in between takes. So far this does seem to be the finale. There's also supposed to be a scene where River is given a certain diary and sonic screwdriver as well.

Matt's touching the stones - naughty boy. Although we don't have a date confirmed for Season 5 just yet, the first three episodes will be called (thanks to DWM 418) The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below and Victory Of The Daleks. The first two are written by Steven Moffat and the third one is by Mark Gatiss and from the production notes there were mentions of: "the dread truth behind the fifth door", "the ruins of Razbahan", "the Doctor's mistake in the maze of the dead", "the secret of Aickman Road" and "the choice of the Dream Lord". Rory is meant to be her fiance though and there's been rumoured that him and Amy marry in the finale. Emphasis on the rumour part. The Doctor nabs him on his stag night at the start of the sixth episode by jumping out of a cake (allegedly). There's also a rumour that he's a casualty in the second two parter so how him and Amy get married if that one is true will be interesting to see played out.

Sophie Okonedo's character in The Beast Below is called the Masked lady according to DWM 418. Ian McNiece is playing Churchill and Bill Patterson is Bracewell in Victory Of The Daleks while Bill Nighy is playing Dr Black in the Van Gogh episode. According to the latest issue, it's Matt Smith and Beth Willis who were more responsible for Eleven's outfit because Steven Moffat originally wanted something akin to Captain Jack Sparrow. .

My Review of Dollhouse's 2x08: "A Love Supreme

Written by Jenny DeArmitt
Directed by David Straiton

Echo (to Alpha, re Paul): “He’s ten times the man you are and you’re like forty guys.”

At some eventual point this season, Alpha was going to have to rear his ugly head again and after the recent spate of events, I suppose now was as good as any to bring him back. Even the opening scene set up his reasons this time around.

One of Alpha’s minus points (apart from those sociopathic tendencies of his) was his obsession with Echo. He went as far as to try and get her to kill Caroline off forever and imprinted with 38 different personalities, so what he does this time around was hardly something that could dubbed as a shock to the system.

The poor unfortunate former client of Echo’s set up a template. Anyone who was stupid enough to actually be in love with Echo was a target for Alpha and let’s just say that Echo really did become the number with the amount of bodies that Alpha was going through in this episode.

His happiness at dismembering was in character for the guy and he certainly got inventive when he got his claws on Matt. Matt liked being tied up during his engagements with Echo. Alpha used that against him when he decided to blow the rich kid as well. Though that scene was a lot less gory that you’d imagine it would be.

After getting through nearly all of Echo’s lovers, the only other person left on the list had to be Joel Minor. It might have helped that he guest starred in the most memorable episode from the first season but what also helped was the series of surprises we got with the Dollhouse’s methods of trying to protect Joel.

First of all, it was a bit of a surprise that Joel wasn’t actually using Echo’s services anymore and it was also encouraging that he was getting engaged to a nice lady. He was actually progressing and had no intention of handing himself into the Dollhouse. Would you if Paul of all people came up to you?

Letting Echo pose as Rebecca again was a good way of getting Joel to come back to the Dollhouse. There was even some humour when he realised how easy it was for Alpha to break into the Dollhouse as well. The best part however was the fact that Joel wasn’t the actual target that Alpha intended on bagging.

Paul for his many faults became an unfortunate victim when Alpha decided to make him brain dead. I could joke that Alpha wouldn’t have had much to do there but damn it, even though I don’t generally care for Paul, I did feel bad for the guy.

Alpha’s little act of spite stemmed from the obvious. Not only was he blissfully aware of how Paul felt about Echo but he also knew that Echo herself reciprocated the feelings. Alpha really does take the biscuit as stalker type boyfriends go. In his little minds, if he can’t have Echo, then no one else is going to have a shot with her either.

Having people withering on about how special Echo is something that’s been done to death. We all know it and now Adelle finally seemed to have proof of it. She already didn’t buy any of Paul’s lies about Echo’s three month absence and when the signs were out that Alpha was back, she even assumed that Echo and Alpha had been working together.

The funny part was when Alpha broke into the Dollhouse again. Adelle was more than happy to put both Joel and Echo’s lives in peril to keep hers safe. I know Adelle’s a survivor but that was pretty cold of her no less. Not that Alpha actually needed Adelle’s help anyway so technically while their little interaction was fun; it was also a touch pointless.

Alpha was able to use his own tech to control the Actives into lashing out at the rest of the staff and while Alan Tudyk got all the best lines of the episode, Alpha and Echo’s round two was anticlimactic. Yes, he put Paul in a bad situation and there was some good fighting between him and Echo but overall, he just up and left. Why not just grab Echo there and then? What does she have to do or become for him to think she’s ready?

Speaking of Echo - way to torture in the first bit of this episode. Adelle certainly enjoyed depriving her as much as possible, even if it was to make Paul and Boyd squirm and I don’t think she’s suddenly going to go easy now, even if Echo did manage to stop Alpha.

Topher’s reaction to learning that Echo could control all of her imprints was brilliant. He had absolutely no idea how to really react to it as such and it’ll be interesting to see where his loyalties lie in the next episode.

Also in “A Love Supreme”

Apparently Echo married a lot during her romantic engagements, including at two different times, marrying women. I don’t really get why some romantic clients would go for the marriage bit.

Alpha (to Echo’s client): “You wanna know the saddest part? It’s the ending. It seems like maybe love wasn’t enough.”

The first client that Alpha killed blew all his money on the Dollhouse. I doubt he was the only one stupid enough to do that.

Victor (to Adelle): “No wonder you despise that girl, Echo. She gets to be the whore and the virgin.”

Topher: “Nice to meet you.”
Echo: “We’ve met Topher, don’t you remember?”
Topher: “She’s funny.”

Sierra had to pose a prostitute this week (as hired by Alpha to deliver a message) while Victor to play doctor and help with hurting Echo.

Paul: “Put it down, Alpha.”
Alpha (re Matt): “If I do, then he becomes a splash of colours. I’m thinking red.”

Alpha: “Okay, tell me the truth. What do you think of the suit?”
Adelle: “You’re quite the dandy.”

And if Alpha’s really up to his British pop culture references, he might appreciate the Jon Pertwee reference. I’m not remotely surprised that he’s a Monty Python fan though.

Alpha (to Paul/Joel): “Bait meet switch. Hello lover boy.”

Alpha: “Are you gay?”
Paul: “No.”
Alpha: “Then it’s love. Dewitt thought so too.”

With five episodes left, it’s going to be interesting what exactly will turn Alpha into something good because this episode hinted nothing of the sort. Maybe it’s Paul’s imprint inside him.

Alpha (to Echo): “Boyfriend’s dead, wanna snuggle? Too soon.”

Chronology: A few days since “Meet Jane Doe”.

“A Love Supreme” had some interesting comments about the nature of love and obsession and having Alpha in an episode certainly livened things up a little but I was slightly disappointed with this one as well. Not sure why but something didn’t stick.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

My Review of Being Human's 2x04: "Educating Creature"

Written by Jamie Mathieson
Directed by Kenny Glenaan

Lucy (to Kemp, re Mitchell): “He is capable of change and I will prove it.”

After last week’s excellent little ender, it would’ve been extremely unfair not to have delved further into the origins of Kemp and Jaggart but this episode doesn’t reveal all that much about the pair, except how they met, which was a year ago after one of Lucy’s paper impressed Kemp and he persuaded her to join with him.

If the series was going to go down the route of making Lucy into a total psychopath, then I’m actually glad that this episode didn’t. Lucy might be happy to experiment on werewolves and do her research on vampires but unlike Kemp, she doesn’t seem to harbour a total hatred for the supernatural, nor she is devoid of compassion either.

I’m not exactly giving Lucy a free pass but if it hadn’t been for her intervention in this episode, then Nina would’ve been a dead woman. Kemp and Lloyd were happy to do nothing when Nina was about to go the same way as the previous test subject. We can thank Lucy for actually getting involved and ordering Lloyd to lower the pressure of that wretched chamber.

This to me almost makes me think that Lucy Jaggart is a pawn in all of this as well. Given that her real identity had been concealed for so long, I did believe that she would be a bit more ruthless in proceedings. Her attitude towards werewolves was one thing, but her one towards vampires is also interesting.

Lucy genuinely believed that Mitchell had it in him to go clean and this was even after Kemp had shown her that a certain funeral home had become operational once again. When Lucy discovers more about Mitchell’s latest antics, well it can’t bode all that well for him, can it?

Four episodes in and Kemp does still feel like the main villains of the bunch. He didn’t hold back on his views that vampires couldn’t be saved and while he admitted that it was possible to save werewolves, he wasn’t exactly worried about Nina’s physical condition in the slightest. Nina had a lucky escape in this episode but that was all down to Lucy mind.

Although Nina had a minor role in this episode, the fact that she made contact with George at the end of the previous had consequences. The idea of George coming to terms with the fact that he only changed one night a month and wanting to live his life should’ve been a liberating experience for him. Why did it have to go so spectacularly wrong then?

He buys a cage for the house so that he doesn’t have to go out in the woods and then he used tranquilisers so he could keep the wolf asleep. I guess the lesson here was that you can’t really suppress the beast in you without it bleeding out into other parts of your life. George learned that in the worst way possible.

His bouts of Tourettes style swearing were amusing to begin with (Mitchell certainly got a laugh out of proceedings) but as the episode progressed, it just got more and more worrying. George couldn’t control his temper and while that irritating principal deserved taking down a peg or two, what George did actually scared me a little. Judging by the way George was crying in his cage at the end, it rightfully scared him too.

The other thing I didn’t like about George’s plot was him and Sam. I like the actress (she was Kathy Nightingale in “Blink”) but it just seemed a little tacked on giving him another romance when it’s obvious that he’s still pining for Nina as well. It also doesn’t help that Sam has her own baggage as well that George will inevitably have problems dealing with as well.

Speaking of dealings, Ivan helping Mitchell out with the rehab plot wasn’t something I was expecting. A part of me was then unfazed when Mitchell was forced into giving Ivan human snacks behind closed doors. It’s worrying how progressively dark both Mitchell and George’s plots have become just of late.

The rehab thing should’ve been great given that some of the other vampires were actually trying to stay clean but it was just another of validating Daisy’s previous statement of vampires being unable to suppress their true nature. It almost makes Kemp justified in his contempt for them as well.

The best plot of this episode however belonged to Annie. The men with sticks and ropes really are an ambitious bunch. I think there’s more than Annie just being a lost soul with the way that they’ve been sending agents to catch her. Something about Annie is specials because this lot are too determined to get her through that door.

Last season, Annie got some ghostly perspective from the lovely Gilbert. This season, we got Sykes who wasn’t as snarky as Gilbert but he certainly had some delightful moments. Testing Annie’s abilities to read auras was one thing but teaching her how to combat agents was another. That scene where Annie was talking to an agent wearing her own body was a creepy moment, not the creepiest in this episode but effective no less.

There are still a lot of questions about the ghost world that this show does need to look into but at least we did get more here. Annie now knows how to counter any more agent encounters and how to close those wretched doors. That might come in handy in later episodes for her.

Also in “Educating Creature”

Lucy was looking at a patient where both men were not the father but it was her papers that intrigued Kemp.

Sykes: “You closed the door.”
Annie: “A thank you would be nice.”

The actor who played Sykes popped up in Torchwood’s second season episode, “Adam”.

Annie: “I’ll haunt you.”
Sykes: “You can’t haunt a ghost.”
Annie: “I’ll give it a damn good try.”

Ivan (to Mitchell): “That’s addicts for you. Always looking for loopholes.”

Because we got Ivan this week, Daisy was missing in action. I wonder if she’s actually sticking with being clean – yeah, right!

George (to Annie/Mitchell): “So is there anyone left in Bristol that thinks you can have a shag without being tied up?”

Nina: “I have a nosebleed. Hello? Should this be happening?”

George thought that Lucy was out of Mitchell’s league. Similarly the principal thought that Sam was out of George’s league.

Annie: “George, I’m happy for you.”
George: “I’ve done it, I’ve put the wolf to sleep. I’m free. I don’t know what to do first.”
Mitchell: “Take a shower.”

Mitchell: “Do you have any idea what you’re asking me to do?”
Ivan: “I could ask you the same.”

Standout music: Nothing really stood out compared to other episodes, aside from the score music in places.

Sykes: “I’m a coward, Annie.”
Annie: “That’s the one thing you’ll never be.”

Chronology: None is specified since the previous episode.

I have to admit that while it’s a very good episode but it’s the weakest one I’ve seen so far. Annie’s story is probably the strongest right now, especially given that she isn’t tainted by darkness. Mitchell and George could do with some of that.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

For Shows I Don't Review On An Episode Basis

It's been nearly three weeks since I've actually blogged on TV Tome and I think I'm beginning to lose the will to want to as well, so maybe every once a fortnight (or a week), I'll use this blog to talk about shows I either don't or no longer review episode wise.

Glee has become the must see TV show so far this year. You can't move for the amount of hype it's generated and it seems to be on five days a week (Wednesdays/Fridays on TV3/3E or Monday/Thursdays/Sundays on E4/C4). Following episodes have had some fun moments, especially the absolutely hysterical version of Push It (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNdght8qDQg). Sue's turning out to be one of the most quotable characters on television and Terri is nuts.

Heroes has had the misfortune to be shunted into a Saturday BBc2 timeslot and while the show's best days are definitely behind them, this season's been a little bit of an improvement on previous years. Danko's gone for one thing, Hiro's storyline isn't boring me to tears, Claire's kind of fun and the carny folk are interesting. The back and forth with Sylar and Matt is grating a little. Given that we know Nathan is pernamently dead, it might be nice to get that out of the way already.

I stopped reviewing Desperate Housewives this year, mainly because I didn't have the time and like another show, I had fallen out of love reviewing it weekly. Season 6 has been a lot better than previous seasons, I don't deny that but while crazy Katherine is amusing in it's own right, I hate that Susan still acts like a teenager, that Bree doesn't woman up and toss Orson out, that we're lumbered with Lynette being pregnant yet. On the plus side, Gabby vs. Ana is less predictable than expected and the Bolens are a step up from Dave.

Secret Diary Of A Call Girl - Up until the point of Brooke Magnati revealing herself as the real Belle du Jour, Billie Piper did mention that some people saw her as the face of prostitution. Bit of an overexaggeration there but Thursday's double bill was a decent romp (pun intended) but if Belle is so determined to keep her profession a secret, why would she take her sister to a sex club? I'm also not really sure what to make of Duncan either. He could be a nice guy but he comes across as a little sleazy.

I love Skins and I was looking forward to the opening episode but I have to admit that I found this deeply underwhelming. Yes, it was hight time we needed a look into Thomas's background and a look into the way he viewed UK attitudes and the like but this didn't grab me as much as it could've. The acting was fine and the dead girl in the beginning did set up a tense mood and I'll be happy if someone punched Cook in every episode but they should've opened with a lighter episode. And I didn't see Naomi being the one responsible for selling Sophia the drugs, though I probably should've.

I had given up on Nip/Tuck and to be fair, Season 6 hasn't exactly been the starting of a satisfying wrap to the series. Christian and Liz divorced with as much bad feeling as the writers could muster, Matt used mime to rob stores (and got shot, pity the store clerk didn't aim for his stupid head. Teddy's sociopathic tendencies have been slightly better but even her arc is now coming to an end, following her failed attempt of bumping Sean off. I hope the remainder of this season is better.

- Ugly Betty's been cancelled after four seasons. Too bad because it was improving in my opinion.
- Julie Benz and John Barrowman are appearing in Desperate Housewives this season. The former is playing a stripper and the latter a villain, connected to the Bolens.
- Bill Nighy will be guest starring in Doctor Who. He'll appear in the Van Gogh episode as an enthusiast of the famous painter.
- A love interest is being cast for Mercedes for the second season of Glee.
- Matthew Graham has promised a "beautiful" ending for the final seaon of Ashes To Ashes.
- Lost Season 6 will air Fridays at 9pm on Sky1, starting February 5th.
- True Blood Season 2 airs on FXUK from February 26th at 10pm with Season 3 set to start on HBO in June.

My Top 50 Buffy Episodes Part 4

And here's Part 4.

31: Bargaining Part 1 (Season 6, Episode 1)

Okay, this without doubt the darkest opening episode from the show (appropriate given the season in question) but Buffy's resurrection was never going to be easy. Willow had to dabble in magic that would corrupt her throughout the season and a gang of demon bikers certainly didn't help matter. At least Buffybot was a bright spark (pun actually intended).

32: Restless (Season 4, Episode 22)

And the award for the most innovative finale goes to ... this one of course. It served as a wonderful epilogue to a good fourth season, delved into the Scoobies subconscious and thre some neccessary foreshadowing moments to later seasons. And we met the first slayer as well, who was better than Adam.

33: Primeval (Season 4, Episode 21)

In a lot of ways, this was supposed to be the Season 4 finale. It brought the Initiative arc to a much welcomed end, got rid of Adam and finally saw the gang reconnect. It's also one of many episodes from this point onwards that would use similar slow-mo type effects from The Matrix too.

34: Bad Girls (Season 3, Episode 14)

Ever since her arrival in Sunnydale, Faith's hedonism harboured something potentially destructive. Nothing brought that more when she inadvertantly killed Allan Finch and refused to feel remorse for it. On the plus, the episode generated some comedy at the expense of Wesley, who pissed everyone off on contact.

35: Tabula Rasa (Season 6, Episode 8)

Amnesia type episodes are all the range and while Angel would tackle one similarly the year after, this show did it better. A memory wiped gang had some comic moments but this was also the episode Tara had to dump Willow and Giles went back to England, so not all laughs either. It's still a classic though.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 4x03: "Almost Normal"

Written by Jennifer Levin And Sherri Cooper-Landsman
Directed by Michael Schultz

Nora (re Kitty): “Kevin, aggressive could kill her.”
Robert: “Cancer could kill her.”

Okay because this desperately needs to be asked, but what are some online viewers problems with this season because right now, apart from one particularly boring plot with Ojai, I’m on the verge of thinking this season could be the show’s best since the first year?

If it’s down to Kitty having lymphoma, then shame on everyone. Shame on you all. Clichéd or not, I’m actually finding this plot very absorbing and difficult to watch and a lot of it is down to some family experiences with an unfortunate outcome. The writing and the acting overall so far has been fantastic and it doesn’t stop here.

In fact there are plenty of harrowing scenes in this episode. In particular the first one involved Robert and Nora with Kitty when Dr Avadon told her that there was nothing in Kitty’s bone marrow but that it had spread to other areas. The most harrowing part during those scenes were Kitty’s muted silences as her options were being explained to her.

Chemotherapy was the obvious option but it’s not always a successful one, though Kitty would probably have the best of luck with it due to her age and the fact that she was at Stage 3 with her lymphoma. The other option that was being discussed was the R-Chop, which I’m gonna be honest with was something I had never heard about until watching this episode.

It’s one of those experimental procedures, mixing chemotherapy with drugs aggressively and also the one with the higher risks for Kitty in spite of some of the success it’s generated in other cases. Naturally it was also the option that Robert seemed the keenest on and yes, it would be the one that would lead him and Nora into conflict.

A lot of viewers on TWOP complained about Nora and Robert’s fighting in this episode and while both of them should’ve come to a compromise earlier, this was one of those moments where I got their fighting. It wasn’t over the top and neither of them were technically wrong. Both of them wanted Kitty to get the best treatment but they just went about it the wrong way.

Nora had something of a point when she highlighted Robert hadn’t been the best of husbands to Kitty in the last few months but there was also a degree of truth when he cited the Walkers mob mentality as well. Luckily for us, even after the disaster of the first dinner, it was nice that Nora and Robert were able to put their differences and focus on Kitty.

As for Kitty’s choice in going with the R-Chop treatment, I don’t know what to really say because it still is an experimental treatment and I can understand the opposition it generated from the likes of Nora, Saul and even Scotty during the dinner debacle but if it actually works for Kitty, then it’s worth it. Only time will tell, though it’s safe to assume that Kitty won’t be dying on us anytime soon.

As for Kitty trying to avoid getting into it and making a choice, I think I would have a similar reaction. It’s pretty organic and throwing herself into trying to pick a wedding dress for Rebecca might not have been the wisest thing but could anyone really say that they wouldn’t behave similarly in Kitty’s circumstances?

Kitty having to tell the rest of her family about her lymphoma was heartbreaking, especially given the circumstances in which Kevin found out. I’ve no idea how Travis got a hold of the information but the fact that he promised he wouldn’t use it against Robert’s campaign is definitely the least he can do.

Kevin’s reaction was absolutely gut wrenching and I can relate to it a lot. I’ve found out some pretty horrid stuff myself in relation to family from outsiders like Travis and it’s not the nicest thing in the world. Kevin assumed that Travis was making it up at first but when Kitty admitted it, it was really hard not to feel for the guy.

And then there was telling Scotty, Justin and Rebecca. Justin seemed restrained compared to other people and Rebecca herself felt guilty about the wedding shopping that she and Kitty had been doing during the day. Scotty won me over (not the hardest thing in the world) with his offering to cook for Kitty. Plus it made sense that Justin and Rebecca would postpone their wedding until Kitty had gone through her treatment.

Because of that it also made sense for Kitty to insist that they continued with their wedding plans as well. I’m not shipping Justin and Rebecca but in a lot of ways, this was one of their best episodes both as a couple and as individual characters. Just the way Rebecca was with Kitty as well nicely strengthened their bond.

One thing I also loved about this episode was that after one disastrous dinner, we got one that actually went off well. Even better was the return of Sarah at the end of the episode. With Rachel Griffiths on maternity, I thought it would be another week or two before Sarah reappeared but it was nice seeing her at the end. There are times when no words need to be spoken to convey a lot of feelings. Kitty and Sarah’s hug at the end did that in spades.

Kitty’s illness also caused ripples in other plots. Not only did Robert rightfully make her his number on priority but Kevin and Scotty wisely decided that it would be better to wait a while before having a child. It was this episode that actually made Scotty consider parenthood for him and Kevin. I’m still not totally sure about it but it’s nice to see them on the same page on the issue that I won’t deny.

For Justin it also seemed to get his backside in gear when dealing with a cadaver. It would’ve been so easy for him to freak out over seeing the dead, so it was a relief that it was his child prodigy lab partner who got the jitters instead.

Some people thought that Justin was too harsh with the guy but I actually think under the circumstances that Justin wasn’t. He gave the guy the right push without coming across as a dick. That’s good writing in my book. Plus I like the lab partner. There could be some good storylines there and Justin could use someone to interact with that he isn’t related to.

As for the segment of the episode that didn’t work – Dennis. I couldn’t care less about William screwing you over and I have little interest in whatever little scheme you have to try and tank Ojai. I did however like Saul taking charge of Holly trying to meet up with the guy and telling Dennis to get lost. Too bad with Ryan on the payroll that Dennis won’t do that.

Also in “Almost Normal”

Another opening scene with Justin and Rebecca, so can we have one with Kevin and Scotty even if we did see them in bed in this episode?

Kevin (re computer): “It’s not a baby.”
Travis: “Whatever it is, deal with it. I’m glad we settled this issue.”

Scotty using a computer programme as a dress rehearsal for parenthood? He would’ve been better off getting the doll in my opinion.

Nora: “Honey, you heard the doctor. You have to make a decision now.”
Kitty: “I will but we’re going shopping and I need to help Rebecca find a wedding dress.”

Nora: “Listen to me, Robert, I don’t care if you’re the senator or governor or king of Siam, you’ve not shown me that her life is safe in your hands. You don’t get to call the shots.”

With Sarah’s return, it was odd not to see Tommy, though I don’t doubt we will see him soon enough.

Kitty: “How do you feel about feathers?”
Rebecca: “That they belong on birds.”

Kevin: “Kit, it’s me; it’s your little brother. Please talk to me.”
Kitty: “Yeah, yeah.”
Kevin: “Please tell me, what you have, where is it? How long have you known?”
Kitty: “It’s lymphoma and Kevin, I’m so sorry you had to find out this way.”

Kitty and Rebecca were in the same bridal shop that we saw in “Vows” and “Something New”.

Scotty: “I don’t wanna wait for the right time to have a baby. There is no right time.”
Kevin: “But there is a wrong time. All I can do right now is think about Kitty and that wouldn’t be fair to a baby or to me or to you.”

Nora: “I don’t think we’ll ever be on the same page.”
Robert: “Well we both love Kitty. I don’t think we’d be fighting if we didn’t.”

Ryan was a no show in this episode. It isn’t exactly a bad thing but it does make me wonder why they made Luke Grimes a regular as well.

Robert: “I don’t wanna fight.”
Nora: “Good because I think we’re gonna need each other.”

Justin (to his lab partner): “I was really intimidated by you but right now, you’re in the foetal position.”

Standout music: Gregory Alan Isakov’s “3AM” and Michael Franti’s “Have A Little Faith” which was the last song of the episode.

Robert (to Kitty): “Cancer isn’t some magical reset button and I just wanna make sure we’re still working on our marriage, whether you’re sick or not.”

Chronology: A few days since “Breaking The News”.

Could this be the show’s best season yet? I know we’re nowhere near a fraction of the season yet but apart from the Ojai stuff, I think this show is on top of it’s game. “Almost Normal” was drama at it’s finest. This show can be intelligent and thought provoking and episodes like this one (and undoubtedly following ones) highlight that.

Rating: 9 out of 10.