(S02E22) “Chuck vs. the Ring”

As far as season finale’s go, I’m saddened to admit, Chuck’s was a bit lacking. Not only is this a season finale, it may be a show finale. For a series filled with spies, humor and romance, I expecting it to go out with more of a bang. Not that two weddings, a shoot out and the shows biggest stars coming together is going out with a whisper; far from it.

Perhaps if we had not hit a sadly expected “to be continued” at the end, I’d feel a bit better about it all. Or if the spies who came in to overpower both fulcrum and the government had more of an introduction and explanation. Even Chuck’s new found kung-fu power seemed just a tad too random.

In the end we’re left with a happily married Ellie and Awesome. Orion/Dad is back in the family with a warm welcome. Sara gave up a life of espionage with Bryce in order to stick with Chuck. Even Casey looks like he’ll have his happily ever after, filled with guns, manpower and control. Then there’s Chuck. Forever stuck as the governments pawn. It’s so disheartening. Moreover, it’s so just like every other episode where he almost gets his freedom then “poof” gone a second too soon. Bummer, that’s all I can say.

“Southern Gentleman Prefer Blondes” (S02E22)

Poor Rufus, Gabriel sure does know how to hit a man when he’s down. That’s not the only thing he’s learned. He’s also king of the scam, too bad he doesn’t speak upper-east side lingo. A little slip up with Georgina’s hair color as well as a club’s off night could cost him his stolen fortunes.

Never fear though tweens, the sly Chuck and cunning Blair are on the lookout for their next big scandal. Happier to make a boyfriend than keep a girlfriend Blair is putting everything on the line to catch Serena’s thieving boyfriend in the act. Too bad Nate’s not so into the Harriet the Spy act. I bet Georgina could give it a real go though.

For Vanessa and Dan the only thing left to do is gulp away one’s sorrows. Who needs Yale when you have classic drinking games to keep you company? Once Jenny finds out Dad’s been taken for every last dime, she may even take a seat at the bar. After all, this is Gossip Girl. Everyone drinks, sleeps around and cheats to get what they want.

(S02E21) “What You Do For Love”

I find myself asking, again and again, what went wrong with “Private Practice“? “Grey’s Anatomy” was so good, and then bam, you get this new sister show that has such potential, so you watch it for a season or two but it just keeps falling short. Not always, but most nights, it’s just missing something.

I couldn’t believe it when Sheldon asked Violet to marry him. Sure, it was incredibly romantic, especially when he declared that he didn’t care whose baby she was carrying. But there’s just no chemistry there. I’d buy it more if Cooper asked. Sheldon asking seems almost ridiculous. Even Pete would have better odds of seeming a more suitable mate.

And what is with Addison? Does she like to get burned or what? Every time that girl sees fire she can’t help but putting her finger in to see if it’s still hot. Oh she’s great at playing the disapproving good girl with Noah but in the end she leaves just that little hint of pleased smile at seeing him around you just know what’s really on her mind. It’s pathetic.

Then, out of the blue tonight, Sam decides that he can no longer have a friendship with Naomi. Now, had he decided this maybe two to three episodes ago when they were both having relationships with other people and he was exploring any potential lingering feelings he might have for her, that would have made sense. Now it just seems cold and unbelievable. If anything, she should be pushing him away, in a brutal attempt to start fresh with this new career opportunity that has been offered to her, not the other way around.

I’m just so disgusted by how far astray this show has gone from the potential it once had. Hope is not lost, of course there’s always another episode with another story line, but it sure is lacking.

(S05E18) “Sweet Surrender”

If there’s one thing I’m anticipating after tonight’s “Grey’s Anatomy” it’s the huge Mer-Der wedding. Her dress was gorgeous! Plus, you have to love that Sloan and Derek made up in this episode. Even Meredith and her new bridesmaid Lexi shared a few very cute sister moments.

My only hope is that Izzie is around for the big day. After starting off chemo in full wedding preparing swing, her world came tumbling down as soon as she passed out and hit the floor. From the sounds of it, she got the first nasty taste of what her life trying to beat cancer is going to be like. With Cristina, Karev and the rest of her friends by her side, you can’t but root for the character, even if the actress may be happy to say good bye.

As for Torres, I thought tonight’s episode did an excellent job of showing the tight but dangerously thin ropes that bind child to parent. It’s obvious that her dad loves her, even if he can’t accept who she is right now. We should all be so lucky as to have someone like Arizona that’s there to pick up the pieces when others can’t. I believe Bailey knows this best of all.

Now the only couple not together is Hunt and Cristina. It’s obvious he cares for her a great deal though as he puts his pride aside to seek professional help. I don’t doubt this coupling will eventually work itself out. They’re perfect for each other. Maybe one day we’ll even see Cristina in one of those big white dresses again.

Yay weddings!

(S18E09)

Typically, in Survivor, the most interesting part of the episode tends to be the very last few minutes. It’s at this time that you hear the hard and sometimes awkward questions answered. It’s when you get to see the jury hint at which way they may be swayed come the final vote. Most exciting, it’s where the blindsides happen. Never have I seen this opinion of mine held so true as during tonight’s episode.

Let’s face it, the whole episode was full of the players personal problems with each other. Between Seirra begging for mercy and making excuses to Tyson and Erinn’s obvious annoyance, I was pretty much over it come time for tribal council. And then Stephen and Erinn spoke up. Now wouldn’t it make most sense to get rid of the strongest players so that the rest of the group could have a fighting chance at winning? Fancy that thought. I mean, it’s not like any other survivor tribe has come up with that idea.

In any case, given that Tyson was the leading opponent in individual immunity challenges, his name was immediately put on the chopping block. Even the ever praised J.T. shook his hand with coach and then immediately “spit” on it when it came time to voting. (Which makes me wonder, why exactly do they love that kid so much? He’s not loyal. He’s not even nice sometimes. I don’t get it.)

Making Brendan a very happy first jury member, Seirra was saved by her own incapability and Tyson was blindsided in, what may be, one of the best blindsides we’ll see this season of Survivor.

Don’t cry Coach, but I fear your days are numbered.

(S02E21) “Seder Anything”

Could Chuck and Jenny be the next “we never thought it would happen” couple? I sensed a moment in the kitchen. I’m just saying.

Not that Chuck knows a good for him thing when he’s got it. He all but pushed Nate back in Blair’s direction after she royally blew it at rich cousin Trip’s pre-arranged everything wedding. Who knew being a socialite was worth selling your sell to grandpa? Even the old man managed to throw her under the bus. But, ah, there’s always dear sweet Cyrus!

At Blair’s new Daddy’s Seder celebration poor Cyrus got far more than he bargained for, and the quite little guy didn’t even bat a lash. First Blair goes AWOL for the wedding celebration, then Lily and Poppa Humphrey show up unannounced discovering their cater-waiter son serving the upper-eastsiders, oh and then Serena and her husband soon appear. That’s right, Spain is apparently the new Vegas for drunk teens to run off and make big mistakes. Luckily for her, the marriage was probably a joke anyway, unluckily for her, it appears her new “boyfriend” has got something up his sleeve, and my bet is it’s a fat request for the family cash or dirt. Oh he’ll hit cash dirt all right. With this family, he won’t have far to dig.

So what does the future hold for college going boys Nate and Dan? Ivy-league or city-prep? Will uppity Blair ever be able to hack it at artsy NYU? And most importantly could gal pal Poppy be any worse for S than coniving Blair?

(S02E21) “Chuck vs. the Colonel”

Will Chuck be returning next year? The jury’s still out on that one. However, I believe that if they can step up next season like they were able to do for these past few episodes, they could definitely start gaining back a little audience appreciation. I actually had to double check my TV listing to ensure that tonight’s excellent episode wasn’t the season finale, it was that good.

Orion has been saved! Better yet, the intersect is, once and for all, out of Chuck’s head. I mean really, why would they not save a little bit of that for the conclusion? Don’t worry, the finale will still be interesting. Seeing as the mastermind bad guy survived and is en route to Ellie and Awesome’s wedding, the spy drama is far from over.  More exciting than that, it appears as if the whole team will be fighting together on this upcoming mission.

It was so cute to see Casey struggle with his inner soldier in order to join Sarah and Chuck as they saved Orion. I almost wanted to shed a tear as he stood by  Sarah and informed the General that this whole time Sarah was acting for the better good of the country while undercover instead of actually acting on pure emotion as she saved Chuck. Ok, so I didn’t actually cry, but still, it was a touching moment. As was the slow clap Morgan received as he exited Buy More for the last time ever.

Now I must know, which was your favorite Chuck moment?

Wow, I’m pretty confidant that Coach took a crazy pill before they filmed tonight’s episode of Survivor. I guess he got the last laugh though. He may be loco, but he’s still in the game. Brendan, however, was officially slayed.

After an excellent bonding trip which saw Debbie, J.T. and Brendan white water rafting through some of the best rapids out there, I really thought there was  some potential for an alliance between J.T. and Brendan. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who saw this. Spending a sleepless night strategizing about how to keep J.T. safe in this game, Brendan instead ended up sacrificing himself to a complete blind side which was made possible, in part, by this “really great” country boy.

Having had her only true alliance taken away, Seirra is now left holding the bag. Both Coach and Tyson pretty much want her destroyed, and from the looks of next weeks teaser, they’re a fan of playing with their prey before going in for the kill. Poor kid, I didn’t have too big a hope that she’d win, but I didn’t expect her to be personally attacked before her exit either.

(S02E20) “Chuck vs. the First Kill”

Poor Big Mike. On tonight’s Chuck, Emmett gets sneaky and tricks Morgan into leading a group brown-nosing session where all hail to Chief Emmett in order to get him out of the store and onto better things. Unfortunately, what Morgan and the rest of the crew fail to realize is that Buy More’s corporate manager wasn’t there to evaluate Emmett, but instead Big Mike. The very man they sent on a fishing trip for the day while the store was left in Emmett’s “safe” hands, ends up demoted and miserable.

The Buy More crew weren’t the only one being used and abused. In a desperate attempt to break his dad free from harm, Chuck turns to ex-girlfriend/fulcrum agent Jill who eventually leads them to a Fulcrum cover building where recruitment as well as holding cells are used in exchange for her own freedom, a freedom Chuck and the crew never plan on showing her. However, after Jill proves useful, Chuck realizes that he may not have a lot, but he does still have his word and he cuts her loose.

The General, less than thrilled that Jill is now running free and Orion is still MIA, instructs Casey and Sarah to trick Chuck into their custody where they’ll take him underground and destroy any hopes of his having a normal life. Basically, they’re planning on putting him into a nice little prison where his problems no longer have to be there own. Casey shows no hesitation but Sarah, of course, is not ready to let her almost-boyfriend go. After a final show of humanity and trust by Chuck, Sarah decides that keeping him alive and in a somewhat semblance of normal is more important than government orders. The pair are now AWOL and soon to be hot pursuit from the government.

There’s plenty of big questions to be answered this season. Will Orion be saved? Will he be able to get reverse the damage that the intersect has done on Chuck’s brain and personal life? Will Sarah and Chuck ever be able to experience a normal relationship? However, the question I’m most curious about at the moment is, which side will Casey choose? This Regan-loving, all-American soldier sure does find pride in his CIA roots, but one has to wonder if there will ever be a time when humanity will win out over patriotism. Something to ponder anyway.

Survivor Tocantins claimed it’s first injury victim tonight

Joe, who’s had a cut in his leg for so long that I can’t even remember when it happened, was finally spotted by Jeff at the first ever merge challenge and held back for examination by the medical team. Unfortunately for a very gaunt looking Joe, that inflamed red hot area spanning close to his whole shin wasn’t anything to mess around with and he was shipped out on the first helicopter without even having the chance to say good bye.

My favorite part was when the Probstmeister risked his own good health to trek through the pouring rain looking as fresh and clean as ever to tell the poor ragged, dirty and cold remaining survivors that, not only was their teammate gone, but their expected evening rendezvous at tribal council would be cancelled. Instead of bringing screams of joy, or at least private confessions of  “thank God,” the new Forza tribe members were mostly mad. What seemed like a solid pact for Debbie, Coach, Tyson, J.T. and Taj to vote out either Seirra or Brendan is now in major danger of being blown to bits by bad timing and loose mouths.

Oh how easily the Timbira and Jalapao tribe members shed their red and black bandanas to snake in and out of each other’s circles of trust. In a shout out to the arrogant  Coach, I must ask , which beast will have their head chopped off at the end of the next day? My bets are on the dragon slayer himself.