7 posts tagged “alias”

I know it's only like week 3 into the new season, but it already feels like the shows have been on forever. It's going to be a long one folks.

Prison Break 3.04

So that's it? We get a generic dark haired female head in a box? REALLY? I haven't been a huge PB fan, and I definitely wasn't a Michael/Sara shipper, but I'm a little offended at the way things turned out. I didn't really care about this until I read the interview Michael Ausiello conducted with the PB PTB. Essentially, they didn't want to kill Sara, but when Fox rejected their other pitches, they decided to go and kill off Sara. Fine, sounds risky, but they would have some sort of suspense or payoff, right? Well, then Sarah (the actress) didn't want to come back and shoot the 13 or 14 episodes she would now be in (reduced from 22). Then the writers wanted to go and shorten the arc to just a few episodes... Nope, still a no-go. So what do we get? A head in a box. I couldn't believe it was actually hers. I mean, I knew, but I couldn't really believe it until I read Ausiello's piece. What a slap in the face for hardcore PB fans. I feel for ya. I might even stop watching, I didn't watch last week, but it doesn't look like I missed anything. Instead of watching this season, I might just go a rent the first season. Same plot, much better execution.

Heroes 2.03

HRG CANNOT DIE. But part of me feels like he has to. LOST SPOILER FOR SEASON 3 - - - This is sorta like the Charlie situation. Desmond said he was going to die, and by the end of the season, it was clear it had to happen or else it would have felt cheap and lame. Now, unless the writers pull a massive rabbit out of a hat, it looks like HRG's got to kick it. Why couldn't it have been West instead?

Oh West. West, West, West, West, West. What a massive tool. What a giant asshole. What a total douchebag. Can he die? Please? Him I wouldn't mind a death painting of. When he started rambling like a total nutter in class, I just wanted Claire to cut off his toe after class. And now they're like love interests? BLAH and LAME. BLAH. Anybody else annoyed we're going down that "HRG WAS EVIL" route again? Didn't we resolve all of this last season? He's looking out for Claire, he's actually a good guy... Now we're back to "HRG LOOKED AT ME LIKE I WAS AN ANIMAL!!!" Why even go back to this? I love the relationship Claire and her dad have now. Why do this? It's not even a good storyline, it's just regressing. Even West's dramatic line... "The man with the horned-rimmed glasses" was soooo first season. *eyeroll*

Lots of blah. Nikki... blah, twins... blah, Peter... mega blah, and crippled!Sylar... worse than blah. Sylar cannot be a criple. Just not allowed. I suppose the writers couldn't have him all megapowerful forever. I suppose the same with Peter. He's not in control and can do like a few things intermittently. Did I mention Peter's storyline is blah? Why can't he open the box? Who's he afraid he'll be? Darth Vadar? Lord Voldemort? In love with his niece? What? We all would like to know.

Hiro. Oh Hiro. Hiro and DavidTakezo. That's getting blah. Hiro's going to do all of Takezo's tasks, makes the legend... Uncertain about getting the girl. Looks like Hiro's fighting a losing battle on that end. That storyline needs to wrap up soon. I know David is a regular, but I assume he's going back to present... right?

Is anybody else amused by Mohinder and Matt's efforts to raise Molly? I find their partnership the most bizarre. I'm tempted to ship them, it's so amusing. Matt holding down the fort in a frilly pink apron while Mohinder is out Alias-ing it.

This episode felt really cheesy and the special effects looked really cheap. Must be the NBC budget cuts. First, Sylar is treated to a painfully blue screened Hawaii, Hiro and Takezo teleport to this magical world of CGI, then West flies Claire away in what looks like 1970's style flying effects. That's really the best they could do? To quote Kyle from South Park, "REALLY?!"

The paiting. This painting that shows HRG dead. Way uncool. Take a look at these two caps here and here. Basically HRG's got a bullet-sized hole in one of his lenses, and looks pretty dead. Then Claire is off in the background, and is either hugging or making out with someone. In the second picture, it looks more like hugging, and the other person looks kinda like Nathan. However, she could easily be making out with Peter. Yeah, I went there. I dunno, I definitely don't want HRG to die, but at the same time, I don't want this to be a cop out.

House 4.03

Erm... OK. Firstly, I'm not happy about the new team. I want our three back together... and Cameron as a brunette. I'm soooo not feeling the blond. Secondly, the writers need to give House something reasonable to be bitchy about. The afterlife? Really?

I was on top of continuity in this episode. When Foreman wanted to give the woman chemo, I was like "You did kill someone with chemo that actually had an infection", then two seconds later, his boss brought up the same point. When House went and shocked himself, I told my mom "He's already almost died twice and had various weird visions" (Three Stories and No Reason), then as soon as it came back, Wilson brought that up. So I pwn.

House is again being unreasonably over the top. It wasn't even normal and within limits. This was just flat out insane. I hate when this show does that. Then Cuddy and Wilson both just stand around and do nothing. Remember when Cuddy put up an actual fight? Like got lawyers and brought patients' families into the fight? Remember when Cuddy had a backbone? I miss those days.

Battlestar Galactica S4 Promo

*BREATHES IN*
*BREATHES OUT*

So I feel like Starbuck isn't the other Cylon, because it sounded like Anders was telling her she was... But Sci Fi isn't that great with their surprising promos. For the third season finale, they included the bit with the Chief saying "We're all Cylons..." But I'm sticking with Kara or Baltar.

Speaking of Kara. OMG she looked so fucking hot. Oh Katee. For some reason, I just can't get into her on Bionic Woman. Just doesn't do it for me. But oh I missed Starbuck. Starbuck and Lee. Oh everything looks so intense. That's the BSG I've been missing

When I was looking at my stuff at home, I found out I bought Battlestar Galactica Season 2.0! So now I have both 2.0 and 2.5 and I don't feel wasteful! Hurray!

Heroes 2.01

You know, I really, really enjoyed this episode. I was talking to my friend about how, even after 1 season, I'm still surprised that I like Claire. Well, tonight I pretty much love Claire. It takes a lot of talent to write a likable, pretty, blond cheerleader. As for her future flying boy love, the jury's still out. He was kind of an asshole for judging her. Like, appearance wise, he's totally fine in my book, but once he opened his mouth, everything he said just turned me off. There are some guys like that here at college, heh. Why do you think they decided to have him fly? It's no coincidence that Claire's Dad can fly, is there some implied incest undertones?

For the record, totally Peter/Claire still. I had a minor fangirl freakout about the end bit with her crying about him to Nathan. And yes, I did sorta freak when I read that they were dating in real life. So does that make my incest ship less creepy? No? Maybe? Still going to Hell?

Mohinder was likable. That's saying a lot, normally he just drives me crazy. I cringed a little at his voice over. Still don't like them. I like that he's going into the company and doing HRG's bidding. Should I go with Noah? Or Mr. Bennett? Or Mr. Butler? I'm sticking with HRG, because he is still such a rocking badass (way to pwn that asshole manager at the Paper Company). Anybody else expecting a subtle reference to Dunder Mifflin or Wernham Hogg?

I squeed so hard about David Anders. I'm so glad my roommates weren't in the room, because they would have thought i was insane. Well, they would have found out I was insane. God he's so hot. His accent, not so much. When I was younger, I didn't know he was American, but watching older Alias episodes, it was a pretty mediocre accent. Tonight's was better, he slipped out of it somewhat, I couldn't tell if he was trying to do a more proper accent or a more colloquial, common one. His was sorta a mixture of both, possibly a tad anachronistic (random note: I think that's my favorite word). But hot! Did I mention that?

Hiro, Hiro, Hiro. Tonight was not such a great episode for our Japanese boy. First, his Dad dies in modern times while H. is stuck in past Japan. He's not going to be OK when he jumps back. Then his childhood hero turns out to be a drunk dud (albeit a really hot one, see above). Now he's got to correct history/make sure it lines up with his knowledge of history. Who wants to bet that Hiro is the legendary Takezo Kensei?

Poor Nathan, these four months have not been good for him. It's never fun to see bad facial hair on good looking men. I'm looking forward to learning more about how he lost his family. I mean, he did screw Jessica, and he was a deceptive asshole. Then I guess he turned into a drunk, deceptive asshole.

Good to see Matt's doing alright for himself. But what's up with his divorce? His wife was pregnant and it seemed they were going to reconcile, but I guess not. But he's got Molly (btw that actress improved a lot from last season) and Mohinder. Two men and a baby? Anyone? Molly's got some scary stuff going on. That guy who can see her, it actually would be terrifying, especially for a little kid.
Now for the elders. So are we clear that those are the original founders of the Company? That's what I'm going with. I'm really intrigued by the older generations on this show. I'm glad it appears they're going to be more of a focus this season, or at least for a storyline.

Peter!! I actually forgot to mention him until now. So our boy's locked in some container in a bizarro world where people speak with horrible Irish accents! I know I said I loved Milo with the longer hair, but ZOMG I'm totally fine with that new cut. He might actually be hotter. After you and Hayden are done, can I have you, please? Plz?

For a first episode, this gave a great look into what we're to expect this season. It put all the cards out and we're going to get to see how they play out. Hopefully they can keep up the excitement, the fun, the humor, and the squee factor. Oh and please make Kristen Bell's character (Elle) awesome. 13 episodes are a lot, and if she sucks, well I'd be upset. So what if I'm feeling season 1 Veronica Mars nostalgia? What're you going to do about it? Huh??

OK, now off to do some homework. I was working on my Comp Sci lab during Prison Break (not much to say about that show...), so that's something. Random Pushing Daisies note: So Elyssa is pretty convinced it's going to be canceled, but I've got some hope. Fuller isn't a complete failure with longevity, Dead Like Me did last two seasons and now has a made-for-DVD movie in production. He also worked on Heroes. I read an article that characterized his departure from the show as a big deal. Well we all know how Heroes worked out. Plus, Daisies is on ABC, which keeps shows on the air even with low ratings. I am worried that I haven't seen many advertisements for the show. NBC's been promoting their fall line up every chance they get. I haven't watched much ABC, but I've only seen Private Practice and Ugly Betty promos. I wish they put more ad money behind this special show. PS: You must watch it. MUST.

Is it weird that I'm not feeling a lot of the "big" fall shows this season? I didn't like Gossip Girl (though I liked the VMVO's, heh) and I found myself hating Chuck. When I first saw it, I strongly disliked the entire premise, but now I'm curious as to why so many people like it? Is it the cute guy? Is it the pretty well written dialog? Is it the Adam Baldwin? Hell if I know.

Ok, lots to talk about, mostly Doctor Who

Doctor Who 3.13

I felt that this would suck. I wasn't looking forward to this like I was to "Utopia" or "The Sound of Drums." I just knew this would suck deep down. *sigh* I have several reasons for this, most of which lead down a path of Martha vs. Rose, which led to a fascinating conversation with anythingbutgrey. If I cared enough to rewatch every painful episode, I could formulate a solid case to argue. Unfortunately, I guess I'll just go with what I know, and have to defend myself. But, we'll save that nasty bit for the end. I had quite a few different problems with this episode aside from Martha Jones, the legend.

-- The Doctor. You know, I know Davies wanted us to feel sorry for the Doctor, but I hated feeling sorry for him. It just made me feel uncomfortable. Once again, I know this is what he wanted. I just wasn't a fan of seeing Gollum in a cage. But the Doctor got better, which leads to my next point.

-- Deus Ex Machina. This was a horrible Deus Ex Machina, like on levels we haven't seen since Alias. I mean, "Think: Doctor" Fuck that. Hey, listen, they can be pulled off. Just because you're going to have a bunny out of a hat ending doesn't mean it has to suck. Let's just look to my second favorite episode ever, "The Parting of the Ways": That was a Deus ex Machina if I'd ever saw it. Rose absorbs the heart of the TARDIS and Jack is brought back and all the Daleks are turned to dust. See, problem solved. But it was amazingly executed and, yes, I cried. This was just bizarre. Destroy the Paradox Machine and then time reverses itself? REALLY? WOW, because that's ridiculous and makes no sense. Like, that's bullshit even for Sci Fi. And somehow everyone on the ship remembers. "Eye of the storm" my ass.

-- The Christmas special. I know it hasn't even started, but that teaser with the Titanic just sounds dumb. "Voyage of the Damned". A special worse than "Runaway Bride"? We might have a winner. You know, that's kinda mean of me, seeing as we did only see 3 seconds of ship, but I'm angry and bitter, so I'll react as I like.

-- JACK AS THE FUCKING FACE OF BOE. GRRRRRR. This pissed me off, one of those revelation where I was like "ABSOLUTELY NOT". Sorry, I just wanted to believe Jack will be like Jack forever, which would be a nice thought. I get that it makes sense, but the whole revelation bit was just stuck in there. I mean it was completely random. "Oh I used to be known as The Face of Boe." WHAT WAS THAT? Ugh, I don't even want to think how Jack became that. I also don't want to know how Jack ended up with the ability to have children (the Face of Boe was pregnant at one point in time). I mean, just... Ew. Although, Cassandra wasn't the last human, Jack/Boe was.

-- Utopia. Poop. I really wanted to have some sort of happy ending. I like those "Everybody lives," stories. Although, how can you avoid the end of the Universe? Pretty impossible. But I did say we'd have to see those last Humans again. But it was really sad to have them be the metal orbs.

-- Well, I've avoided it as long as I could, but alas, we've reached my Martha Jones rant. First, I like Martha, I do. But I've had problems with her, or rather, problems with Russell T. Davies handling of Martha. Most of my issues are with him, actually. But first, why I'm so disappointed. I've been used to Martha following and obeying the Doctor. We'd been seeing her do that all season. That's what she believed she had to do, as a companion. I don't blame her, I'd be doing the same. Then we had "Utopia." For the first time, Martha Jones had really heard about Rose. Prior to that, it had just been Rose this, Rose that, but never "Rose risked her life to save to save the world and did it against the Doctor's wishes." But in Utopia she did, and Martha had this look of understanding, like "That's why Rose is Rose to the Doctor." I thought that Russell was building up to some major Martha Jones climax. And at the end of "The Sound of Drums," we had seen Martha telling off the Doctor about her family and then at the end she was on her own. Or so we thought. I thought it was Martha Jones, saving the world. Turns out it was Martha Jones, Minion of the Doctor. Ugh. Her big adventure was to tell a story? Sorry, I expected her to do something on her own. And I expected it to take less than 1 year. What a let down, I thought this would be Russell's way of saying, "Martha Jones can now have the Doctor's respect." Maybe in a way she did, but certainly not in the way Rose did. I just wanted this to be Martha's moment, and it wasn't. After all, it was the Doctor's.

Maybe the Doctor and Martha will have a different relationship now. I mean, maybe Martha's big moment wasn't to save the world, maybe it was to leave the Doctor. The Doctor's a cocky character, and what a metaphorical slap in the face to have one of his ladies leave him. That was Martha having a mind of her own. But still, no big, huge, giant, Martha Jones-saving the world, which for me, was a letdown. Le sigh.

I wrote that review a few days ago, and I'm still reeling from the finale. Then this morning I read that Kylie Minogue is going to costar in the "Voyage of the Damned." Ick. I've got nothing against her, per se, I just have trouble trusting musicians who want to act. I know Billie Piper sings and all that, but generally they suck. It's just such a random casting choice. So I was pissed about that this morning, then anythingbutgrey asks me if I know about the new companion. Turns out Martha's gone for the first half of the fourth series. She's off doing some Torchwood episodes, then back to Who. So who gets to fill Martha's shoes? Catherine Tate. Yup, she's back playing Donna, the bride who annoyed me to death. Since "The Runaway Bride" aggravated me so much, I won't be rewatching that when it airs this Friday on Sci Fi. Therefore I won't have an opportunity to decide if Donna was indeed as obnoxious as I thought she was. So I guess I should give her a chance, like I gave Martha, when I was prepared to despise her before "Smith and Jones." Morale of the story? Russell T. Davies fucking hates me.
In the mean time, I'm just going to watch this bit with Catherine Tate and David Tennant, since it amuses me to no end. Oh, I finally got a digital camera after wanting one for years and years and years. 10X Optical zoom bitches!

24 6.13

I had no idea I would miss the Logans this much. I have no clue what I was on last year that made me not like them. Well, I didn't like Pres. Logan, and not in a love-to-hate way. He just annoyed me. But having him in CTU made things super interesting. Chloe said it best "Sorry, I'm feeling ambivalent, I'm gonna go." Best. Line. Ever. She said it in her sour-O'Brian way. Oh how I adore thee, Chloe. Morris also took this hour to share his style habits, which include shirts that don't wrinkle. Take that Rick Schroder, God what a douchey character he was chosen to play.

But lets get to Martha, who keeps getting sent to institutions. I mean, I get she's a not the sanest one of all, but damn, she's not batshit crazy. Wait? What's that? She stabbed who? SHE STABBED HER EX-HUSBAND IN THE NECK? Take that all back, that bitch is crazy. But I do adore her, plus she offed the worst fictional president ever. Or did she? It was pretty ambiguous if Mr. Logan kicked it. (How awesome was it when Aaron Pierce put the emphasis on Mr., when he addressed his ex-boss?

Lost 3.12

One of the saddest things this season is the ratings decline. This episode hit a series low, and it's so tragic. The episodes this part of the season have been top-notch, and no one is watching them. Well, 12 mill isn't exactly no one, but the media certainly sees it as such. Oh well, those of us still with the show know how great this week's Claire episode was, and I have a renewed interest in the show. Sorry if the following comments are random, I'm pasting them from a conversation I had with a friend, much easier than reformulating my opinions.

I didn't hate Charlie at all. Actually, since Des said he was gonna die, I've begun to like him. Now I'm positive he's dead.

I'm so glad I didn't ship Jack/Claire, seeing my track record with related couples, it's a miracle I didn't jump on that boat.

Once again, bravo Evangeline Lilly. She used to be really bad, right?Because there is serious acting going on this season. I'm just astonished by how not annoying Kate is.

I love how the writers are beginning to think like the fans. Notice how Locke blamed Sayid for not telling him about the C4? I was smacking my head last week because no one told Locke. There is such a lack of communication, I'm glad the Losties are figuring this out and making note. Too bad Locke DID know and took the explosives for some reason.

Rousseau... I think it's odd that she went from stealing Claire's baby40-some days ago to get her daughter back to not wanting to know anything about her kid. She seems less crazy lately, so maybe she's gotten some clarity. That or the writers changed their mind. I like to think it's the former.

I underestimate Claire episodes, and I have no idea why. I think all of them have been fairly strong, but for some reason I tend to forget them when I list some of the great episodes.

Part of the reason I think this episode really worked was that the flashback was part of the subplot of the episode and not the main part. Claire had nothing to do with Sayid's crew, which were clearly the focus of what was going on. Claire, Charlie, and the birds were fun but not the point of this episode. It was merely a nice addition to the necessary story arc. See, the old Lost would have had Claire be the focus and we'd see Kate and others maybe twice doing nothing.

This is the perfect example of a good flashback episode that features a secondary character not involved with the major arc. Normally, Charlie,Claire, Hurley, Sun and Jin episodes try to focus primarily on those characters, who normally are pretty out of the Dharma/Others plots,which we all really want to learn more about. Hence, those episodes are stand-alones, which is probably why I forget them so easily. This episode, so obviously not a stand alone, aka AMAZING.

I think it's been so long since we've seen Jack that I was actually glad to see him. And I thought, gee Jack is a hottie. Yeah it's probably because he didn't say anything.

Next week: I hope to God this isn't a case of over-hyping. How horrible would it be if this was a case of "THREE BIG MYSTERIES WILL BE REVEALED. Major Suckage. I'm hesitant to believe we'll learn anything, but you never know, right?

Grey's Anatomy 3.18

So I didn't watch this last night because I chose to see The Lives of Others (so not better than Pan's Labyrinth) and I came home and asked my sister, without revealing anything, if it was good or not. She shrugged and said it was alright. So I had no clue what was about to occur. That was until a friend spoiled me on facebook with the following message:

"Izzie and George? Eeeeeeew."

That still didn't fully prepare me for the look of horror on Izzie's face when she rolls over to discover she just had sex with her married best friend. Holy Crap!

Now, I've expressed my newfound adoration for Meredith, and it keeps growing. Her family storyline really keeps my attention, I mean when Thatcher thought that picture was with his other daughter... OMG. What a horrible thing. Not only did this guy abandon Meredith and end up with a perfect family, but he's forgetting about his first family. Sorta. If this episode proved anything, it proved that Thatcher really WAS a caring father. I mean, we knew he had to be a good father, because look at his other family and his happy children! When Thatch pulled out the screw that he put there to protect Mere, it reminded her that this guy wasn't the devil that she deep down believed him to be. He took care of her, even if Meredith doesn't remember. I find it slightly amusing that Mere bonds more with her stepmother than she does with her own biological father.

WHAT IS UP WITH THE ATTENDINGS? This episode had a big case of the "adults acting like babies." I just wanted to smack all those adult doctors and kindly remind the writers the age of their characters. They are not 13, OK? It's OK to do funny with adult behaviors, really, it's possible.

Oh Cristina. Not mentioning you banged well-known-English-doctor? Not a smart move. She doesn't get it does she? 3 years, and she just ups and leaves? No problem? No wonder Burke's seeing warning signs everywhere. Especially since Cristina doesn't want to get married, or maybe she does, but just said it wrong. Because later she tells Meredith "I'm going to screw up my engagement," which implies she cares. So when she told Burke she didn't really want to get married, she probably meant something like, "I love you enough to get married, but I don't need to be married to feel married." That is what she meant, but it came off as "Well, if you want to be married, fine, I'll do it. Whatever, it's stupid anyways." Bad move Cristina.

Screw you Callie. I really dislike her, especially keeping her wealth from George? Bad. Men have pride, and George paying the "1/2" gave him that pride, like he was helping, but telling him his money is actually going towards tips? That's hurting ego right there. GOD. It's one thing to hide wealth to live normally, it's another to hide it, spend it, and lie about how you're getting nice things. Though Izzie bringing it up to Callie, that wasn't so great. Izzie really should have been more mature about the Callie situation, for George's sake. She owed it to her best friend (now lover) to do it. I doubt the situation will get any better, especially since George and Izzie did the nasty, just like Callie feared. I don't think it's because Izzie and George have feelings for each other, I think it's because they were drunk, George was pissed at his wife, and he brought up Callie's idea, that Izzie had a thing for George.

Am I the only one who is dying to know why Pregnant Ferry Girl is? Jane Doe is the biggest mystery on this show, and I am starting to get a wee bit impatient about this. I think PFG is, too. I mean, it's been... 2 months. I think they established this episode took place 2 months after Mere almost died and Ellis did die. 2 months and no one knows who this woman is? Poor lady.

Rumor had it Veronica Mars is getting the ax. I wish to God I cared about this show the way I used to. I just can't. For me it's not the same, Veronica is just too different for me. She's become a normal girl who comes up with clever remarks. It saddens me that this show could end and I just wouldn't care. I sorta hope it does get canceled, because shows that receive the news often have amazing episodes that lead up to the series finale. Angel and Alias come to mind. I just want my old troubled, pained Veronica back, because her inner demons from S1 and S2 aren't the kind to just *poof*, which is why this season bugs me. She says these sarcastic lines, but she doesn't have those painful memories to back them up. She's not quipping to someone who's betrayed her or quipping about stupid people, she's making these comments to everyone about everything, even in inappropriate situations, like in jail, or to her father. The quips have replaced meaningful conversation. This probably doesn't make sense to anyone, but it does to me. At least think about it, and think about Veronica in season 1 or season 2 acting this way. I understand characters need to change and develop, but they do it in a way that makes sense with circumstances. Her transformation skipped the circumstance part, and we're just seeing the result. Once again, you probably disagree and want to argue with me about it. I just don't have the passion to deal with this.

So this is the time for college decisions. Today I found out that I got waitlisted at a top non-Ivy school, one of the 25 new Ivies. I'm not sure how I feel about this, should I be happy that I wasn't rejected or disappointed that I didn't get accepted? I'm currently just confused. Do a lot of people get put on waitlists? Should I feel special? Do I have a chance at getting admitted from the waitlist? My parents seem thrilled, they thought I would get rejected. This school was a very tough school to get into, the type of school where acceptance is based on more than just intelligence, because so many really smart people apply. This waitlisting also brings up another point: I have 5 schools left to hear from. I have 2 more very good non-Ivy schools, both new Ivies. I have better chance at getting into those schools, but not that much better. They're still tough to get into. Then I have 3 actual Ivy schools, all of whom release their decisions the same day. Now, if I couldn't get into this non-Ivy, I'm sort of resigned to believing I'm not getting into an actual Ivy. Though that logic is probably flawed. This school received more applications and accepted a lesser percentage than some of the actual Ivies, but still.

Now, speaking of a school I did get into, this was also one of the 25 new Ivies. I got in, and I got a 20K scholarship, which I had no idea I would get. So that's a pretty big incentive to go to this place, except they don't have a strong liberal arts base, and while I'm a science/engineer person, the humanities are very important to me. Plus this school is in a dump of a city. I think my mom is pushing for this school more since we found out about the money, but I have no idea what to do. The schools I have yet to find out from I have little to no chance of getting any sorta scholarship, so that means this is the best I'm gonna do. Gah, I totally shouldn't be thinking about this, I'm on break, srsly. I'm gonna try sleeping now, night.

24 6.08, 6.09

So, I pretty much loved these episodes. I have trouble with 24, I find it hard to relate to the characters and story-lines and keep track of the hour to hour dealings. But this weeks ep had really brilliant moments. I loved when CTU electronically pulled the fire alarm, they showed the residents gathered outside of the building, and one of them was holding a big birdcage in her hands, which I thought was hysterical. This women, when believing there was a fire, slows herself down to grab a big ass bird cage, and risks her life. I thought that was so clever, only 24 would be that meticulous with their extras and props. Another moment, when Morris reveals he wrote a working program, and Jack flips out. Morris's reaction was so human, like "WHAT ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO." Not every computer geek is like Marshall on Alias, who when captured wrote a dummy program. In the real world, untrained geeks do what they're told, especially when they're getting holes drilled in their bodies. AAH. How painful. Chloe! My hero! When Jack is dismantling the atomic bomb, he is freaking out. I really haven't seen Jack freak out like that. I loved how his initial reaction was "Uh-oh." I mean, you see a nuke, and I think your first reaction is shock and you would say "we have a problem." I chuckled, we really don't have many of those overly simplified lines. Everyone on 24 is so complex and convoluted, a short response like that was perfect. Back to Chloe, when Jack is asking for help, and the first suggestion doesn't help, Jack flips out on Chloe, and she deals it right back. She shuts Bauer down. She's like "We have a bomb, you really want to be arguing? Let me save this fucking city." Ah, our gal has balls. So Morris is lying in bed, feeling like shit because he gave terrorists a working program to activate nukes, and Chloe smacks him. She doesn't have time for his bullshit. If he wants to make things right, then he gets to help CTU instead of being whiny asshole in bed. I found this episode quite refreshing and real, the type of episode to bring me back in the 24 mentality.

Veronica Mars  3.13

I guess people are pretty pleased with the show still. I'm just unable to care. Veronica was such a brilliant and complex and pained character. Now I just see her as smug and obnoxious. Her clever quips are used instead of useful dialog. The promo for next week shows her laughing and goofing off in jail... Veronica has made light of certain things in the past, but jail wasn't one of those things. I honestly believe the writers think that Veronica is just good for clever remarks. She is so much more than that, but all we've seen if this obnoxious, overbearing girlfriend. This whole LoVe story line has bored me to tears. Last week the pillow talk consisted of Veronica asking Logan if he'd gotten hookers. The fact of the matter is, Veronica doesn't have the deep pain that caused this sarcastic layer in the first place. She seems pretty happy, you know except for relationship problems. It's not like she was raped and socially ostracized! Oh wait, not only was she raped (that whole Beaver revelation really impacted Veronica), but she was almost raped again, and drugged before that. You would think that she would have a more bitter reaction to society, like she did way back when. I'm not saying she should be the same Veronica as S1 Veronica, but S2 Veronica was different, but she wasn't annoying. It was weird seeing her not be this outsider, but in S2, she was able to keep this perspective and you could still tell, even though she was happy, that there was dark stuff in her past. This season you would never know what she's been through. People change, but the amount of trauma Veronica's experienced (almost killed by best friend's dad, mom ran away and took her college money) I'd think she'd be angry. But she's not. She still makes these snide comments, but they no longer fit into her demeanor. It's not that Veronica anymore. Last week, Veronica apologize to the boy for making the wrong judgment. Um? No? Veronica doesn't apologize, she is stubborn and proud and she's been wrong in the past. She never says she's wrong. Then, Veronica wimps out on crushing Madison's car. Grr. Weevil said it best "You've gone soft." It's so true. Veronica really has lost her bite, which makes these one liners the more annoying. Imagine the most popular girl you know, imagine their conversations consisted solely on Veronica-esque lines. See my problem? It's like the words make sense, but they're coming out of the wrong mouth.

Pretty much, this show has lost me. Logan's become this sappy fool, which is a topic for another rant. Dick has lost a lot of his selfishness (since when did Dick care about anybody but himself? Though there was that great arc where he partied in mourning of his brother, but for the most part, it was Dick. Not Dick caring about Logan...just Dick.) Veronica... Well, I don't know who she is anymore. All I know is that she's lost what made her so real and so special. She's lost her pain, hence my desire for Veronica to get raped. But if an attempted rape doesn't change her view on the world, I don't know what will.

*END SPOILERS*

It's snowing/sleeting right now. I'm hoping school gets canceled, I think the weather's going to be super fucked up tomorrow morning, and I really need a day off. I think everyone does.

What were your top 5 TV shows of 2006?

1. Battlestar Galactica

This show is simply amazing, any way you slice it. In 2006, it went darker, but it didn't get lost in it's own complexity. I think this was the strongest show and there's no way I couldn't include it here.

2. Grey's Anatomy

When I first watched this show, I never thought I would ever have it on a top list of anything. The first season was just so... bleh. It wasn't bad, just... eh. But the second season the writers stepped it up and it was one of the most exciting television shows. Let's not mention the post-Super Bowl television slot that boosted the ratings. Oh and the episode was absolutely fantastic. Yeah, it was brilliant.

3. Doctor Who

I have never cried over anything as much as I did over this show. I swear it just tired me out from all the sobbing and weeping. When I found out that Billie Piper was leaving, everything about that show changed for me, and yeah... I cried a lot before "Doomsday." I cried before, during, and after that episode. I'm falling back into that pit of despair as the finale just aired in the US last week. God, what an amazing and tragic episode.

4. The Office (US)

Like Grey's Anatomy, I never thought I would ever love this show, especially since it's a US translation. The first season was just so bleh, but the second season was hysterical and completely changed my opinion of the show. I even learned to respect the over-the-top Michael Scott. Yeah, I came a long way. And yes I cried at the end of "Casino Night".

5. Lost

Yes I'll get flack, or I would get flack if people read this, for putting this on my list. I think Lost is a little overrated (hence the #5 spot), but the last few episodes of the season and the finale were some of the best episodes since the Pilot. I found myself shocked and gasping at the finale, and it was my favorite finale of the year.

So I have some honorable mentions: House, Veronica Mars, Arrested Development, Alias (yes, Alias. It had some great episodes towards the end, and even though the end was a bit o_0, I cried hysterically at the end, and it felt like an end to me), and My Name is Earl.

Spoilers from Heroes, Lost, and Battlestar Galactica

Lost 3.06
I've decided there are four types of Lost episodes.

Episodes that I just adore ("Pilot", "Live Together, Die Alone")

Episodes that I really like, then think about some more, then decide they weren't actually that great at all ("Exodus", pretty much 1/2 of all Lost episodes)

Episodes that I don't really like, then think about some more, then decide they were actually very interesting and deep. ("Tale of Two Cities", maybe 1/4 of all Lost episodes)

Then there are those episodes that just suck ("Do No Harm")

That being said, this week's fell under the "Episodes I really like, then later decide I didn't like." See, sometimes Lost just confuses me so much I am unable to determine my opinions on the spot. This week just confused the fuck out of me, because I had no idea what people were doing what for.

Take Jack. Is he still doing the Juliet plan? Is he going rogue? Does he really want to save Ben? I mean, WTF? I get him wanting to leave the island, I get him wanting Kate to leave. But that's about it. I really liked Jack this week, he really made sense and his actions made sense. For once he didn't appear to have this Messiah complex going on. At the end he wanted Kate to go, but not Sawyer. Well I guess that still makes sense, he still cares about Kate.

Juliet. I have absolutely no fucking idea what that video was about. It certainly seemed like no one else wanted Ben to die. So obviously she and Ben had a personal incident, but would that make her so angry she wanted him dead? So I'm pretty much clueless in respect to this.

The other Others. Why do they want Sawyer dead? Why would they kill him. It really doesn't appear to serve any purpose other than to have leverage against Kate, but they really do just want to kill him. Also? What are they making Kate and Sawyer do? We've seen them breaking rocks... I don't get it.

Kate. Well, I get the sex, I get her not saying she loves Sawyer (that's a topic for another post), I'm not sure how to take Kate telling Jack she's not leaving without him. It could just be courtesy, I mean they are friends and Kate does care about him. But Kate could have left, or been like "will you be OK Jack?" But she wanted him with her when they left. So where does this leave Sawyer, held at gunpoint? Professing his love to a girl who may or may not have reciprocated it?

Alex. First of all, who the hell comes after guys holding guns with a fucking sling shot? So obviously she was held on the main island, hence the "how'd she get here?" She did ask to see Ben. Yet when Ben asked if Alex wanted to speak to him, someone told him "No." Was it Juliet? Does it matter? Also? What was that when Juliet said "we took her home, I don't know where she is now." Or something like that. Why would they keep Alex from Ben? What does Ben have invested in Alex?

Back on the Island. OK random? Farscape broke the cast up into Moya and Talyn crews and focused on both evenly. So one Moya episode, one Talyn episode. I think that's how this mini season should have been. I mean there was no connection between one group and the other. When they went from one island to the other, it just screwed up the flow. I wish they either scrapped the "Desmond knows the future" or at least gave us a hint as to what that was about. I wish they spent more time on the hatch. I just felt like the writers didn't feel like elaborating on what happened. Oh, speaking of things the writers didn't feel like brining up 6 episodes into the season: Penelope. Fuck! That cliffhanger gave me hope in the show! That was the big ending and what? You can't just ignore your big ending! That's what Alias is for. Lost isn't Alias, I hope not, at least.

So things not mentioned: Eye-patch. GRRR. Not even an inkling that Locke would find them.

I should mention Nathan Fillion. I miss Firefly.

Paulo and Nikki. There had to have been a better way of introducing them. I mean, so far they've done nothing. Couldn't we have just seen them in the background, then maybe slowly integrated like Scott and Steve. Well they weren't integrated, but they were secondary characters who worked without being...Nikki or Paulo.

Battlestar Galactica 3.07
I've loved Baltar. This isn't new, but I'm finding that this season is taking his character to new levels and they're spending a lot of time with him. Now, I know some people feel Baltar's had this coming, but I believe he was a man caught in the wrong situation.

Exhibit A. It wasn't Baltar who first sold out the defense plans in the miniseries. That was Six, but Baltar was in fear of being outed for treason.

Exhibit B. Six is always with him and is able to manipulate every thing he does. On multiple occasions we've seen Baltar try to fight Six, but as in "Six Degrees of Separation," we've seen that she can really fuck up his life. We've also seen reason to trust her. See: "The Hand of God." It is Six telling Baltar to have faith that leads him to craft the plan to get the tylium.

Exhibit C. It wasn't Baltar's idea to get into politics, it was Roslin who asked him for the vice presidency, and it was Six who convinced him to follow it. When it came time to run for President, it was Zarek who was behind it. When we see Baltar right before the Cylon occupation, he's addicted to drugs and completely overwhelmed. He's not a politician, he never was. I'm not surprised he frakked up that.

Exhibit D. When the Cylons came, what was Baltar supposed to do? He had no choice but to surrender. Baltar is not hero, let's clear that up. He is not noble, he is not the man who will sacrifice himself. So he did what he had to do for "self preservation." The Cylons controlled everything Baltar did from that point on. We only saw one instance where Baltar was forced to sign something. I wouldn't be surprised if that kind of thing happened before. It's really a shame that none of the humans will ever see the things Baltar's been through.

Exhibit E. The Cylons basically are holding him hostage on their base ship, and once again, Baltar's fearing for his life. The one woman he thought he could rely on to be on his side, Caprica, really isn't, so he's got to act for himself. It doesn't make it right that he's leading them to Earth, but it explains it. No one is even on Baltar's side except Head Six. She's the only one there to help him. The Cylons think he's betraying them, the Humans know he's betraying them.

I am really in love with Baltar and Head Six. I think they just are the most interesting thing ever, you know, because she's not real. For a figment/angel/chip/etc, she loves him. She eases his pain, gives herself over to him, takes care of him. If no one is on Baltar's side, it can be argued, that right now Head Six is. I believe she's there to save Baltar. Sure she might have fun screwing with his psyche, but I think it's all to lead him to do things. Like when she made him question his humanity, it lead him to go out to that Basestar, which lead to the discovery of this virus. Overall, I'm not sure what will happen to Baltar; he certainly won't be welcome back to Galactica, and he's all alone.

Ok Helo and stopping the Cylon genocide. I understand why he did it. Couldn't he have made it a little covert, like make it seem like the Cylons killed themselves to prevent the disease from getting transferred? Eh, Helo's not the sharpest tool in the shed. But Adama...I don't know why he didn't go after Helo. Well, I guess Admiral's gotten to know Sharon and maybe understands more about how this qualifies as a genocide. I wonder if Helo will get a lot of crap for doing this, because I think everyone knows it was him.

Next week on Alias: Dixon manages to work his way up APO and gets a promotion, only to end up captured by the enemy. Luckily he is rescued, but not by the US, but by a race of humans traveling to find Dixon's home world. Now Dixon is on a personal quest to get back to his normal life with his children. No word on if Jennifer Garner will make a guest appearance.

I suggest everybody watch the Executive Producer's cut of this week's episode of The Office, because I thought it was a lot funnier than the version that aired. It makes you wonder what plotlines end up on the cutting room floor.