Stargate Universe: Hope

... in which Chloe makes an unexpected connection through the communication stones.

Star Trek: The Gamesters of Triskelion

Kirk: "I must say I've never seen a top sergeant that looked like you."

Harnesses, whips, nudity, disembodied brains. How can I possibly complain? (Well, I can. I'm a critic. It's my job. Or it would be if I were getting paid for this.)

Eureka: Blink

... in which Carter investigates a hit-and-run accident that Taggart believes to be the work of Gigantopithicus Americinas (Big Foot), but turns out to be the result of excessive speed.

Fringe: Bloodline

“Nothing is set in stone.”

It would be easy to dismiss this episode as nothing more than “advancing the plot,” whatever that utterly meaningless phrase means. To do so, however, would be to ignore the lovely character moments, structural risks, and tantalizing hints of “Bloodline.”

Stargate Universe: Alliances

... in which Wray and Greer trade places with a senator and scientist from Earth just as the Lucian Alliance attacks Homeworld Command.

What Are You Doing During the Hiatus?

When April, with its showers sweet with fruit,
Hath pierced the drought of March to the root,
And bathed every vein in such liquor,
That we must scramble to find the clicker—


When TV has also, with his sweet glow,
Quickened again: to our couches we must go.
So tender plots and twists, in the night hours,
Make us feel so much less dour,
And many little bloggers make melody,
That sleep through all the night with open eye,
(Since Nature makes them feel so bold)
Yet now folks long for TV that is not old.

April may be the time for pilgrimages and palmers, but we’re still stuck in the Lenten purgatory of the March hiatus. There’s much to look forward to in April: new show, the return of old friends, the Easter Bunny. What are you most looking forward to when TV comes to its senses and starts showing new episodes?

Brand-new shows include: Game of Thrones, Camelot, and The Killing.

Returning favorites include: Doctor Who, Glee, Supernatural, and the Vampire Diaries.

In the meantime, however, we're miserable and alone without TV. What are you doing with the spare time that re-runs of Outsourced and episodes of Wipeout have given you?

Let us know in the comments!

NewsFlash: Fringe Renewed for Fourth Season

Great news, Fringe Fans: Fox has renewed Fringe for a fourth season of 22 episodes.

Maybe this means my greatest wish will be granted, and Walter will discover the most important dimension of all: the world of nothing but shrimp.

Fringe: Stowaway

“Destiny, fate. Jung called it synchronicity. The interconnectedness of apparently unrelated events. Don’t you think it’s curious we meet a woman unable to die at the exact moment my consciousness returns from the grave?”

The Theme of the Week is fate. The question of the week is trickier—how much fate happens despite (or because of) our heroes’ actions, and how much does William Bell make happen? Is he really the focus of all this synchronicity?

Doctor Who: "Space" and "Time" (Comic Relief Special)

Amy: “Okay kids, this is where it gets complicated.”

Sound familiar? It should do. It was the same line Amy used in last year's season finale. This year, instead of a Children in Need special, we got a Comic Relief special. Same idea, same station, roughly the same length: just a different charity. Same wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey goodness, though. And two Amy Ponds! Be still my beating heart.

Star Trek: The Trouble with Tribbles

Kirk: "You should sell an instruction manual with this."
Jones: "If I did, what would happen to man's search for knowledge?"

Other episodes are probably considered to be the "best" of classic Trek, but "The Trouble with Tribbles" is probably the most beloved. It is by far the funniest, with an exceptionally witty script and clever plot. And it even manages to give us valid science fiction in the form of an encapsulated ecological disaster, the consequences of interfering with the balance of nature, rabbits in Australia, and so on.

Being Human: I Want You Back (From the Dead)

Nora: "If you're not letting me in, then what's the point?"

I've been trying to resist getting sucked into this show. Too bad, though. It's happened.

The prevailing theme of Being Human (both versions) is that we have three inhuman characters who feel a strong but probably forever-to-be-unfulfilled need to be like everybody else. In this episode, all three of them reached out, with varying degrees of nonsuccess: Josh with Nora, Sally with Nick, and most tragically, Aidan with Bernie.

Aidan

It may have been predictable that a no-impulse-control child vampire would go right for the bullies that had made his life hell, and I could see the end in the woods coming, but it didn't matter -- it was really powerful. Big gold acting stars for Sam Witwer. Aidan lost control three times in this episode -- in the hospital, in the blood brothel, after killing Bernie in the woods -- and Witwer got to me, every single time.

Rebecca was also tragic; it's hard not to like the poor thing. Consciously or unconsciously, she was trying to play house, to create a child for herself and Aidan. She turned Bernie without consulting Aidan, who wouldn't have let her do it. Interesting that Aidan didn't tell Bishop that it was Rebecca who turned Bernie. Was he trying to protect her? Rebecca is sort of Aidan's child, too, after all.

Sally

Fallout from the message wall led Sally to an old flame, only wetter. Nick was really cute, smart, and fun to have around. Unfortunately, he has a death echo problem. Why does Nick "re-live" his drowning death every day? Is it involuntary? How could it not be? How could anyone want to relive something so horrible every day, whether it makes him feel human or not?

Nick told Sally that she didn't have to fix him, but she can't help trying; it's how she is. So much for that relationship, I guess. I want to know why he won't let his death go and move on. Was he lying to Sally about how he died? I kept thinking maybe it wasn't an accident, that he committed suicide, or was murdered. I hope we find out, and that Nick isn't a one-shot character.

Josh

I got a bit frustrated with Josh trying to "dial things down" with Nora, because it felt pointless. Nora just isn't the type of woman who will put up with a guy manipulating her, no matter what his reasons are. Josh needs to either break up with her, or tell her the truth and let her make an informed decision about their relationship.

Nora is such a strong, outspoken woman that it's hard to picture her as a victim. What happened to her? What did her ex do to her? Those were some pretty terrible scars on her stomach.

To conclude....

The moral of this episode is that the situation is hopeless and failures like Bernie are inevitable. But what can they do? Not interact with human beings? It's just like all of us. We can't help repeating our patterns, getting into destructive relationships. Or we're like Sally, hiding at home, unwilling to try anything or anyone that's not perfect and safe. Lose lose.

Bits and pieces:

-- Bernie's young mother was played by Cindy Sampson, who has a continuing role as a young mother on my favorite current show, Supernatural. She did a good job.

-- They used the term "death echo" in Supernatural, too.

-- (Yes, I'm aware that one of the two show runners is an ex Supernatural writer.)

-- Blood brothel. Blothel?

-- Loved the Sally/Nick "sex cloud." Josh, try the decaf.

-- Sally died at 23. I can't remember if they've told us that or not. And she has no bedroom of her own in their house, which is sort of sad. But with the cost of housing in major cities, not a surprise.

-- Not that it matters, but what did Bernie's mother bury if Bernie's body was gone?

-- The accompanying music was particularly good this week. I especially liked "Mad World."

Quotes:

Josh: "Are you in the dead poets society right now?"
Sally: "It's weird, right? He and I both died, years apart, and then find each other again in limbo?"
Josh: "You know what? You're a ghost talking to a werewolf making an egg salad sandwich. I no longer compute what's weird."

Sally: "I've never used my ghost powers to peep at naked people."
Nick: "Seriously, Sally? That's like ghosting 101. Not even, that's like pre reqs."

Nick: "Why do some ghosts get their doors and some don't? I wish I could Google this crap, Sally."

Little girl: "Want some Red Vine?"
Ha ha.

Nora: "So, to sum up. You want to see me as much as you do now, but care about me less. And in between, while I'm waiting for you to call and tell me what DVD we're renting, I should get reacquainted with my vibrator because I'm not to see anyone else. Sold."

Four out of four death echoes,

Billie

And P.S. I'm still not ready to commit to reviewing the entire series, but I'm open to the possibility. We'll see how it goes as season one continues.

NewsFlash: Being Human (US) renewed

The new American SyFy reboot/take-off/whatever of the UK hit Being Human has already gotten renewed for a second season.

This is great news, because I like this show. I thought this week's episode "I Want You Back (From the Dead)" was excellent -- the best episode so far, a four star episode. And they did what I wanted them to do, too. They may have started with a season one plot (Episode Four), but they went in an entirely different direction than the UK episode. Sam Witwer was terrific. If I'd reviewed it, I would have given him gold acting stars.

Are you watching this show? If you are, what do you think of it so far?

(We're tracking renewals and cancellations on our Bubble Watch page.)

Glee: Original Song

The Regionals competition provides the backdrop for Kurt and Blaine’s budding romance. Quinn’s cruelty allows Rachel to channel her pain into songwriting, and the rest of New Directions also try their hands at it.

My major gripe with this episode was the way Blaine and Kurt got together. After ‘Sexy’ had Blaine confusing Kurt’s sexy faces for a gas problem, I figured the two wouldn’t become more than friends until near to the end of the season. How wrong I was. The only thing Kurt did prior to singing Blackbird was to express jealousy for Blaine’s copious solos – really Not a recipe for love. But still, one funeral dirge for a bird, and one epically bad writing decision later and Blaine suddenly sees Kurt differently. Where’s the romance?! Where’s the slow, believable development of Blaine’s feelings as a result of Kurt growing as a person? Instead we get instant attraction after a long period of keeping the two apart, cheapening the memory of Blaine’s anxiety and desire to “not screw this up” in ‘Silly Love Songs’, and lessening my investment in the couple rather than increasing it – presumably the writers intended the opposite? Blaine and Kurt’s unification didn’t exactly add much to the tension or excitement of the rest of the episode either, so I am completely perplexed as to why it had to be achieved in such a rush. Oh well, it’s done now. Woo, go Klaine.

Less disappointing, but also slightly annoying was Quinn’s regression into Queen Bee-atch so that she could hurt Rachel so that she could find the pain to write a decent song in time for Regionals. How convenient! I just didn’t buy that Quinn would be that cruel, or that her dreams culminate with her and Finn being prom king and queen and sticking around their town forever. On the plus side, I did start to feel a little sorry for Rachel and was therefore suitably heart-warmed when she was unanimously awarded MVP by the rest of New Directions. The Regionals competition felt a bit lacklustre, with Sue and Aural Intensity posing almost no threat, Blaine and co. destined to lose, and the original songs being built up so much that they didn’t really live up to the hype. The large number of songs meant that the episode had little time for plot or emotion – Glee works better with fewer, longer performances in my opinion.

Loved

- World War Sue!
- The warblers are so overly dramatic: “Why don’t we just play it on kazoos?” and “This is a kangaroo court!”
- Brittany has somehow heard and fallen in love with My Headband. Of course she has!
- I’m glad they explained where Holly went, even if a meditation retreat is up there on most cliché excuses for a character’s absence from an episode

Didn’t Love

- The possible high of having the episode start with a musical number was spoilt by having Kurt being unenthusiastic about it.
- Sometimes Glee being self-referential works, sometimes not. Having Kurt take issue with the number of solos Blaine gets
- Why would all the Warblers be so quick to give up their chances for a solo at Regionals just because Blaine wanted to sing with Kurt? He already got to do that last week.
- Why was Brittany wearing that ugly floppy hat during Hell to the No? No no no!
- Pavarotti’s casket? Tacky!
- “We got each other out of all this” – what did Blaine and Kurt getting together have to do with Regionals? Nothing! What a stupid line.

Glee Against the Music:

Misery – Maroon 5 (Blaine and The Warblers):
This would have been a stronger opening number a few episodes earlier, before we had reached Blaine saturation (at least, before Kurt had). Still, the vocals were classic Warblers and it was fun enough. Grade B.

Only Child (Rachel):
I feel your pain Rachel. This managed to improve on My Headband while still being completely ludicrous. Bravo! B-

Blackbird (Kurt and The Warblers):
This is the first song that I thought The Warblers didn’t do justice. It seemed to be too fast, and more upbeat than the original, which didn’t fit with the funereal atmosphere at all! Blaine suddenly inexplicably staring longingly at Kurt didn’t help. Grade C.

Trouty Mouth (Santana):
Whilst Santana has an impressive ability to make a song about fish lips sultry, I was already bored of the joke. I’d much rather Santana write a song that expressed her true feelings for Brittany, that could have been the start of a much more enjoyable subplot for this episode. When will Artie and Sam find out anyway? Grade D

Big Ass Heart (Puck):
Some of the lyrics in this were pretty witty, and it was quite catchy too. Good effort Puck! C+

Hell to the No (Mercedes):
Mercedes definitely has some songwriting talent, I enjoyed this, even if I don’t want to hear the phrase ‘hell to the no’ again for quite some time. B-

Jesus Is My Friend (Aural Intensity):
I was reminded of Rehab and Mercy by Vocal Adrenaline back in early Season One, but this wasn’t as good, and it wasn’t that funny. D-

Candles – Hey Monday (Kurt, Blaine and The Dalton Academy Warblers):
Just like their blossoming romance, their first duet was a bit disappointing. For a start, it wasn’t a love song, and it wasn’t their most powerful performance. It was also rather un-Warblers, not feeling quintessentially a cappella like most of their songs do. C+

Raise Your Glass – Pink (Blaine and The Warblers):
This was more like it. Great vocals, energy and choreography, although slightly strange to sing about being ‘wrong in all the right ways’ and ‘dirty little freaks’ just after a gay duet. B+

Get It Right (Rachel):
This was a fairly average ballad, but it was a great performance, and of course the lyrics were very appropriate for Rachel to sing. I was slightly perturbed that Kurt somehow sussed that it was an original composition in the first 30 seconds. Does he know every song out there? Grade B.

Loser Like Me (Rachel, Finn and New Directions):
Cheesy, lacking depth and possibly annoying in the future, but still, I really enjoyed it. It was a great idea to incorporate the Glee ‘L’ into the song, and also clever with the slushie machine and cups filled with glitter. How very Glee. B+

Quotes for Gleeks:

Sue: “You took away my Cheerios. Consider this the opening salvo of World War Sue.”
Quinn: “Sometimes I worry about Finn, I mean how damaged does a guy have to be to be into someone as annoying as Rachel?”

Quinn: “Prom queens live, on average, five years longer than regular people. It’s probably because they smile a lot, and smiling has been proven to ward off diseases…”

Santana: “You blew me off to be with ‘Stubbles McCripplePants.’”
Blaine: “We should practice.”
Kurt: “I thought we were.”
Kurt: “Yeah, I just really, really wanted to win.”
Blaine: “You did win. So did I. We got each other out of all of this. That beats a lousy trophy, don't you think?”
Tammy Jean Albertson: “I Twittered that Obama’s a terrorist... I had to, it's a fact.”

Sister Mary Constance: “The convent is the one place I knew I could stay off the pole…”

Rod Remington: “Can I add a dash of Rod to this lady soup? My hairdresser is a gay, and for 15 years he’s been with his partner, also… a hairdresser. I see no reason why they shouldn’t be allowed to marry and raise a family of beautiful wigs.”

For me, this episode contained a lot of disappointments, and not nearly as many laughs as I’ve gotten accustomed to. While we got some good fuel for our mp3 players this week, that’s about all we got. Two out of four lockerfuls of dirt.

Stargate Universe: Twin Destinies

... in which an attempt to gate back to Earth by dialing while Destiny recharges inside a star doesn’t go according to plan.

Being Human: The Wolf-Shaped Bullet

Mitchell: "Thank you, all of you. You made me human."

What an exceptional season finale. I watched with five friends, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. (Apart from Sue, but she's menopausal.) As far as emotional punches go, tonight's episode was brutal. At one point, it looked as though Whithouse would press the reset button. He didn't, and I applaud him for that. Unfortunately, we're now a cast member down -- unless, as well as entering houses unbidden, the Old Ones know how to bring people back from the dead. I'm clutching at straws, I know.

Mitchell's departure was everything it should have been and more. It was inescapable, tragic and positively dripping pathos. Realistically, there was nowhere left for Mitchell to go. He's tried hard to curb his instincts these past three seasons. But, tonight, Mitchell finally lost the will to fight. Carl killing Dan last season showed us that even the best of vampires can fail. There's an inevitability to it. The vampire gene is stubborn. It finds a way to thrive. Rather than waiting for the cycle to repeat itself, Mitchell chose to remove himself from the game.

I was surprised Lia's prophecy turned out to be bogus. She couldn't see the future after all. But she knew the psychological impact a lie would have on Mitchell's fragile psyche. She also recognised the power of a self-fulfilling prophecy. She wanted to break Mitchell. To turn him against his friends, and then rip away all that he holds dear. Trapping Annie in purgatory was part of that plan. As was allowing Mitchell to rescue her. It was the catalyst which brought them together and allowed them fall in love. By luring Annie back to purgatory, and keeping her there -- apart from Mitchell -- Lia hoped to ruin him. It would have, too, had Annie not managed to talk herself back out.

All she had to do was appeal to Lia's humanity. She made her see that revenge would have implications far beyond personal retribution. Nina and George would be left bereft. Is that what Lia wanted? To destroy the lives of two innocents -- like her own family had been destroyed? I loved Annie's comment about Lia waking up somewhere unfamiliar with her underwear on back to front. That summed up the situation perfectly. Lia was lashing out. She'd become drunk on revenge. All Annie had to do was draw Lia's attention to the consequences of her actions, and remind her of who she was.

I was a little disappointed that Herrick's protégé story had no real function. It was but one of several red herrings tonight. Cara didn't bring Herrick back from the dead, she simply dug him up. George ripping him apart had been nothing more than an inconvenience. Only a stake through the heart can kill a vampire; a piece of information which, in the end, sealed both Mitchell and Herrick's fates. There's no coming back for either of them.

Which is a shame because Jason Watkins was brilliant again tonight. I loved watching him drive a wedge between Mitchell and George. George's roar of pain on learning of Nina's death was heart-wrenching. It made sense that George would suspect Mitchell's involvement in the box tunnel massacre. But it was Nina's death which pushed him over the edge. If he could have killed Mitchell there and then, he would've. All Herrick wanted was to see himself reflected back in Mitchell. He wanted him to be ugly and corrupt. In the end, he got his wish. Maybe that's why he smiled when Mitchell staked him.

I loved Mitchell's manipulation of Herrick. He made him believe he was back on side. That he was a shallow man, forever changing allegiances for the sake of expediency. And Herrick fell for it. George, however, saw right through Mitchell's façade. Even threatening to kill Nina and the baby wasn't enough to fool him. He's known Mitchell long enough now to know his heart. He knows what Mitchell feels for him. He also knows how he feels about Mitchell. I seriously welled up when he cried out "I can't believe this is happening". It was an iconic moment seeing him stood there, stake in hand.

Their final confrontation was mesmerising. In truth, Mitchell had had enough. For a moment, I thought Edgar Wyndham's last minute appearance might offer a way out. But even death was preferable to Wyndham's proposed plans for world domination. How ironic that Wyndham's attempted intervention was the very thing which gave George the courage to kill Mitchell. In the end, George was the wolf shaped bullet. But it wasn't an act born of anger and violence. It was intimate, and perfect, and was fuelled by love. In killing Mitchell, he also saved him.

So, where does that leave us? Will Tom become a regular cast member? I'm guessing not. Four werewolves living under one roof is just too many. But replacing Mitchell is a near impossible task. There's still plenty of story potential. In fact, I'm excited about season four already. But, how long can the show run? Can Being Human survive without Mitchell? More importantly, should it even try?

Other thoughts:

I didn't think much of Lee Ingleby's contribution as "Old One" Edgar. He lacked any real presence. Physically, he was smaller than Mitchell. “I'm the man from Del Monte,” isn't much of a catchphrase, either. It was probably meant to be the cryptic ramblings of a madman; but, Edgar felt way too generic. George's lack of fear said it all. He just wasn't imposing. I'm glad he didn't kill George, Annie and Nina, though. I'm curious to see how Nina's pregnancy pans out. And whether Annie's as powerful as Edgar suspects she is. Could make for an interesting fourth season.

I was surprised that McNair turned out to be a man of substance. His final letter to Tom revealed a side of him we never really got to see. His single minded pursuit of Herrick had made him bitter. He'd turned Tom into a weapon. Did McNair know that he'd die? Is that why he wrote the letter? Or was it simply a precautionary measure? Maybe, like Mitchell, McNair had simply had enough. Perhaps he realised that the only way Tom could truly live was if he died.

Hopefully, they'll develop Annie's character more consistently next season. In two episodes she went from being hopelessly in love with Mitchell, to wanting to kill him. All because of a lie she wouldn't let him explain? I truly believe Annie can be a great character, and a fine asset to the show. But they need to do better than this. Hopefully, next year will be Annie's year.

Bits and Pieces:

-- McNair's full name is Anthony Michael McNair. I keep hearing Anthony Michael Hall in my head.

-- Loved one last reference to The Real Hustle. It won't be the same without you, Mitchell.

-- You can only kill vampires by staking them though the heart? Well, why didn't someone tell us? I had no idea.

-- Why do vampires never use their super speed when it would actually do some good? Like in taking out Tom?

-- Did we get gypped by too many of the story elements being essentially irrelevant? (The protégé back-story, Lia's fake prophecy, Herrick coming back to life, only to die again?) I have mixed feelings. On balance, I think the emotional ending more than made up for any minor quibbles I had with the denouement.

-- It was sad seeing George cast off Mitchell like that. Thank goodness they reconciled before he died.

-- I guess DC Nancy Reid is dead. Boosh!

-- Nina and the baby survived. Hurrah! I've no idea how Annie brought her back to life, though. Is this another of her new skills?

-- RIP John Mitchell. Thanks, too, to Aidan Turner for three fascinating seasons. Here's hoping he moves on to bigger and better things. We love you, man!

Quotes:

Mitchell: “Yeah, I wouldn't expect you to understand. Your character's always been pretty consistent.”

Mitchell: “I get the fuck out of Dodge. That's what I do.”

Edgar: “I'm the man from Del Monte.”

Herrick: “You'll be the villain now?”
Mitchell: “Christ, I always was.”
Herrick: “There will come a day when one of us finally kills the other.”
Mitchell: “But it won't be today.”

Herrick: “Sorry about these two, it's clearly dress-down Friday.”

Herrick: “George, did you know you've been living with a celebrity these last few weeks. Oh, it's not me. No... you're so sweet.

Herrick: “Come on. Me and the boy wanted a fight. There's popcorn. And at half time were were going to have an espresso.

Lia: “I can't control people. I can't see the future. You've been watching too much TV.”

George: “Is this really happening?”

George: “I'm doing this because I love you.”
Mitchell: “I know.”

Herrick: “Listen, it's okay. I understand. You've just agreed to abet the decimation of mankind. It's bound to put a man out of sorts.”

Mitchell: "You are the love of my long life."
Annie: "And you are the love of mine."

Mitchell: "I guess I'm finally doing the decent thing."
Nina: "Then this is what we'll remember."

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Farscape: Vitas Mortis

D’Argo attends a dying holy woman during her last rites, but when she uses the ritual to make herself young again, Moya and Pilot begin experiencing the effects of advanced aging, posing a threat to their lives and those of everyone on board.

I’m conflicted on this episode. After re-watching it the first time, I was so unimpressed I dubbed it the worst episode since ‘Jeremiah Crichton’ and declared that if forced to watch one again, I would choose ‘Jeremiah Crichton.’ Unfortunately, I had to watch ‘Vitas Mortis’ again to complete my review. But, you know, after sitting through it twice, my opinion has moderated a bit. I still don’t think it was a particularly strong episode, but the overall story wasn’t patently ridiculous and we did learn a bit more about D’Argo and Luxan culture, so it wasn’t all bad.

I think my primary problem with ‘Vitas Mortis’ is its stand-alone nature. After six heavily serialized episodes, it was really jarring to open on a brand new adventure with no real sense of what the characters were doing, how they got there, or how long it has been since we last saw them. Apparently the crew visited a commerce planet, heard a rumor about another Luxan living nearby, and decided to check it out. This type of “random new adventure” setup was pretty standard for the first season, but after such a long stretch of episodes in which we started off with a pretty clear understanding of their predicament and the events that led to the mess, I found it very hard to adjust when thrown into an entirely new story. The first time I watched, I spent the bulk of the episode thinking, “What the hell are they even doing there?”

Other strikes against the episode include (1) the “giddy honeymooners” phase with D’Argo and Young Nilaam, which was just awkward and kind of icky; and (2) Crichton continuing to seem somewhat out of character. He veered from quick-tempered and judgmental at the beginning to somewhat disengaged when interacting with Chiana and Rygel back on Moya (before the hull breach). For the latter, you could reasonably argue that he was distracted by D’Argo’s situation, but for the former, it felt very out of character for Crichton to become so viscerally hypercritical of D’Argo’s decision to attend the Orican when he had no understanding of what was involved with the ritual or its significance for D’Argo.

Crichton: “I do not understand, D’Argo, what do you get out of it?”
D’Argo: “You know what? You sound like Rygel!”
Zhaan: “Luxans consider it a great privilege, John, to attend an Orican.”
D’Argo: “No, not merely a privilege. It is the highest honor we know.”

Where does Crichton get off aggressively questioning D’Argo’s choice with such a morally superior attitude? Or going behind his back to confront the Orican? He actually had some very valid concerns about his friend’s safety, and I have no trouble believing that Crichton would raise such issues, but I would expect him to do so in a calmer, more rational “hey, let’s think about this for a minute” manner. Instead he got all shouty and high and mighty, and basically acted like D’Argo was a freaking idiot for even considering the job. What’s more, he tried to undermine D’Argo’s choice by challenging Nilaam directly! This reaction could reasonably be explained by his recent experiences and his confession that he’s afraid of losing his friends, but his demeanor and approach still felt very out of character to me.

Despite my problems with the episode, I did enjoy learning a bit more about D’Argo’s past --- he bears the markings of a general because he once took over for his wounded general to protect him from an interrogation D’Argo knew he wouldn’t survive --- and he had some very nice moments at the end. I was particularly pleased that he stayed true to his character development thus far and refused to trade Moya’s life for a chance to find his son and build a happy life with Nilaam. Their confrontation when she was attempting to run away was quite powerful and Anthony Simcoe was very strong in the scene.

Nilaam: “D’Argo, it is just a ship.”
D’Argo: “Moya is not just a ship! She’s alive. And you are taking her life to restore your own.”
Nilaam: “The life of a Leviathan for the life of an Orican.”
D’Argo: “How can an Orican justify taking life? Have you forgotten who you are?”
Nilaam: “Have you forgotten what I can do?”
D’Argo: “I have not forgotten what you cannot do, which is restore Moya’s life!”

However, I wasn’t quite feeling D’Argo’s subsequent devastation at having to take Nilaam’s life, because I didn’t really buy into the depth of their connection. Would he really go so completely gaga for her after an afternoon of great sex? He was acting like he was losing his wife all over again. Perhaps killing a holy woman against her will is very shameful in his culture. Or maybe something about the ritual of passing (or rejuvenation) enhanced the pull between them, making the loss incredibly painful for him. Or maybe it was all about glimpsing the possibility of a happy ending and having it slip from his grasp yet again. Whatever the case, it didn’t resonate with me in the moment. Of course, now that I’m pondering the possible deeper meanings and thinking back on his final moments in Nilaam’s room after she was gone, I feel pretty darn bad for the guy.

Crichton: “You want me to get lost?”
D’Argo: “Why would I want you to do that?”
Crichton: “In case you wanted some time alone.”
D’Argo: “I do ... but not yet.”

Other Thoughts

They must have picked up some new clothes on the commerce planet, because most of the characters were sporting a slightly new look. I liked Crichton’s long leather coat, and the green shirt/leather vest/ leather pants combo is one of my favorite Aeryn looks. I’m not digging Zhaan’s new high-necked gown with the gold trimming, but it probably makes the makeup chair a lot easier for Virginia Hey.

Zhaan seemed back to her normal self. But she did make me a bit nervous with her envious longing that D’Argo might get to peek into the next realm of existence.

Chiana appears to have developed a thing for D’Argo. When did that start?

Aeryn was rather haughty with Chiana. It seemed strange to me, after all they’ve been through, that she would expect Chiana to just do her laundry. Chiana’s not, nor has she ever been (except as a covert strategy), a serving girl. Plus, for Aeryn to throw her words back in her face after she got stuck in the am-nexus fluid just seemed mean. Sheesh. Not good moments for Aeryn.

On the other hand, her vow to get justice for Pilot was very powerful. “I don’t know if this can be reversed, Pilot, but I promise you this: I won’t let Nilaam keep what she’s stolen.” Although it seemed a bit premature to gun down Nilaam before they knew if she could reverse the process, I loved how Aeryn’s fiery response reflected the depth of her bond with Pilot and, by extension, Moya. Plus I love that slow-mo shot of her firing the pulse rifle. It looks really cool, and it reminds me of when she blew away the Sheyang on the Zelbinion in ‘PK Tech Girl.’ She is so badass.

Nilaam’s intricate tentacle headdress was impressive.

Old Nilaam was played by Melissa Jaffer, who returns in Season 4 in a major continuing role, and it kind of weirded me out to see her in this role. Also weirding me out: Young Nilaam’s freaky resemblance to Dianna Agron (Quinn, Glee).

World-building tidbit: Leviathans can live to about 300 cycles, and Pilot’s species can live 1,000 cycles or more. However, when bonded to a Leviathan, a Pilot only lives as long as the ship does.

Aeryn: “So when Moya eventually does die …”
Pilot: “I will go as well. I would not have it any other way.”

Quotes

Nilaam: “The spiritual realm frightens you?”
Crichton: “Losing those I care about frightens me.”

Nilaam: “You know, D’Argo, I’ve hardly been able to leave this bed for over six cycles. And now that I can, I don’t want to.”
I kind of hate this expression, but I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.

Rygel: “What did you see from the outside?”
Aeryn: “Few gaps in the outer hull and your backside hanging out in space.”
Rygel: “Am I ... intact?”
Aeryn: “You seem to be all there, but I can’t say I looked too closely.”

Final Analysis: Not my favorite episode, but not as bad as I initially thought.

Fringe: Os

“It’s about trust. So it’s a great game, if two people are playing.”

For the past five episodes or so, I’ve had the same thought after each airing: How many viewers will call this the last straw, the final push, the reason to rant and rave and, ultimately, walk away? Fringe continues to push us past our comfort zone, not just in terms of scientific possibilities but also in the intersection between the personal and the scientific, with interesting results.

Glee: Sexy

“Sex. It’s just like hugging. Only wetter.”

…and this week’s Glee was just like shagging. Only better. Well, maybe that’s a small exaggeration, but Kurt’s sex education and Santana’s romantic realization provided strong emotional scenes that meshed well with the return of Holly Holiday and her own brand of kerazy sex and kerazy information.

Do you want to touch Holly there?

The decision to revolve a sex education episode around Holly Holiday was a risky one. Holly is rather unrealistic character, so too serious a tone would not have worked. Glee has been inconsistent with its messages regarding sex, sometimes glorifying it and sometimes moralizing to the point of the ‘after school special’, but this episode was less about sex education and more about exploring the role sex plays in the lives of individual Glee characters.

Holly’s frankness was a strength here, providing the springboard for Santana and Brittany to discuss the nature of their relationship, waking Will up to his feelings for Holly, and forcing Emma to come to terms with her ‘sham of a marriage’. This last aspect didn’t work so well for me, since Emma was pretty unbelievable in her naivety and aversion to sex. No one is That frigid, and Emma hasn’t been consistently portrayed in such a way before. Plus, Dr Carl is John Stamos! How could you not want a piece of that fine man butt? Ahem. At least Holly bluntly saw right through her and cut to the heart of Emma’s issue, which is her remaining affection for Will. In any real situation, this wouldn’t stop her from getting her sexy on with the finest dentist alive, but the Glee writers seem determined that Emma and Will must eventually reunite. Can I just ask, do we care? Wouldn’t it be fun if Terri turned up on Will’s doorstep, genuinely pregnant after their hook up in The Substitute? I miss Terri, and Jessalyn Gilsig is still in the credits after all. First though, we have some Holly and Will smooching to enjoy. I am happy to see Will opening himself up to the idea of a relationship with someone new, but I can’t see it lasting too long with Holly, mainly because Gwynnie P. is a guest star.

Take a bite of my Blaine tonight

Blaine returned to his former saintly self this week, all confident, clued up and compassionate. I didn’t mind at all since it gave him the chance to have a very important talk with Burt which was rather contrived but brilliantly acted. There really is a lot less information out there when it comes to teaching gay teens about sex, and internet is a dangerous place to get clued up - most parents won’t be lucky enough to have a gay son that mainly thinks about the odd placement of tattoos when watching Those movies. I’m glad that gay life coach Blaine was on hand to point Burt in the right direction. That chat opened the way for Burt and Kurt to have a much more believable man-to-man discussion that resonated with me to the point that I wish every teenage gay guy had a father like Burt.

Santana been afraid of changing

The real afternoon delight of this episode was Santana coming to terms with her feelings for Brittany. I have moaned before that their relationship was mostly played for laughs or cheap thrills, never dealing with the fact that both girls are likely bisexual (and possibly agalmatophilic and dendrophilic in Santana’s case!), even when Kurt was being bullied by Karofsky. Thankfully, the writers have wised up to this previous inadequacy. Santana’s declaration love for Brittany felt real, as did Brittany’s refusal to break up with Artie. Santana’s inability to accept Brittany’s decision made sense – Santana sees boys as purely for sex and reserves her love for Brit, while Brittany is far more innocent and doesn’t separate sex and love, allowing her to love both Artie and Santana. I wonder how Artie will react when he finds out Brittany has been cheating on him, and how the school will react if Santana and Brittany become an item officially.

Loved

- Brittany’s cover shoot on the inside of her locker

- Will temporarily forgetting Emma’s name. At least he didn’t call her Ella or Ellen like Sue does!

- The Brit-baby rumour spreading scene – scarily accurate and very funny

- Breakfast confuses me too! I never know what’s appropriate.

- Sue's coffee/enema was mainly syrup. Maybe that's why she's so sweet?

- Puck finding a way to connect with Lauren by tapping into his inner nerd. This makes perfect sense since really Lauren is a big nerd too, she just does a great job of acting like she’s too cool for school.

- Rachel annoyingly taking over celibacy club like she takes over everything

- Quinn’s presence at celibacy club being explained by her return to make-out sessions with Finn

Didn’t Love

- Emma is terrified of the hose monster? Come on writers, didn’t you give her enough hang ups already?

- How much coffee are Blaine and Kurt drinking? Those two never leave The Lima Bean.

- I didn’t get the softball factory reference. Splainy?

- A Zizes sex tape? Even the concept makes me feel faint!

- Yuck, Holly is one of those people who casually says ‘love you’ to people she doesn’t know

- Kurt refuses to talk about sex with the guy he most wants to have sex with?

Glee Against the Music:

Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah) – Gary Glitter (Holly Holiday):
I wasn’t sold on the song choice, but the sheer outrageousness of Holly’s leather clad performance won me over (coupled with Will’s turned on/terrified looks), so like the initially frigid Rachel and Quinn, I warmed up to it by the end. Grade B+

Animal – Neon Trees (Blaine, Kurt and the Dalton Academy Warblers):
Completely unnecessary, and completely wonderful. I’m glad that Kurt finally got to share the spotlight, and he made the most of it with his high kicks and animal paws. Blaine’s consternation at Kurt’s sexy/gassy face was priceless. And then they turned it into a big gay foam party complete with bobby-socked school girls and break-dancing! I’m sure you’re all getting bored of my inability to mark Blaine and co. fairly, but after 50+ replays I still think they deserve a Grade A.

Kiss – Prince (Holly and Will):
Very sexy, and completely absurd. Holly and Will did some kerazy dancing while shooting some kerazy hot looks at each other. Also, Matthew Morrison’s falsetto is insane, I could barely tell his and Gwynnie’s vocals apart. B+

Landslide – Fleetwood Mac (Holly, Santana and Brittany):
This was really beautiful, but it was Santana’s performance that really got me choked up. I liked that the song worked for Holly’s realization that she needed to open herself up to the idea of a romance with Will, as well as a way of Santana expressing her feelings for Brittany. One minor niggle, this was much closer to the Dixie Chicks’ cover than the original - why would Santana choose a country style performance? I don’t see her being that much of a country-loving gal. Grade A-

Afternoon Delight – Starland Vocal Band (Emma, Carl, Quinn, Rachel and Puck):
Quite funny, but I found it a little hard to believe that Emma could choose the song and not know what it was about. The long skirts were hilarious, especially Rachel who seemed to be really going for it! Poor Dr Carl didn’t get enough to do, and I would have liked the last song of the episode to be more powerful. Grade C.

Quotes for Gleeks:

Emma: “I am very inspired that both of you are showing how celibacy is a viable option for teens who simply aren’t ready for intimacy. And for those who are older and are terrified of the hose monster.”
Finn: “Wait, cucumbers can give you AIDS?”
Mercedes: “Seriously. Because I just had one on my salad.”

Brittany: “Three days ago a stork built its nest on top of my garage. I’m not stupid, it’s obviously getting ready to bring me my baby. I know where babies come from.”

Holly Holiday: “I’m off to have kerrrazy sex – because I’m kerrrazy informed about it. Kidding.”

Holly Holiday: “Sex. It’s just like hugging. Only wetter.”

Brittany: “I get my information from woody woodpecker cartoons.”

Holly Holiday: “So, just remember, whenever you have sex with someone you’re having sex with everyone they’ve ever had sex with. And everybody’s got a random.”

Sue: “Porcelain, you just made yourself a powerful enema.”

Santana: “Are you kidding? It’s better when it doesn’t involve feelings. I think it’s better when it doesn’t involve eye contact.”

Holly Holiday: “My sex tape with J.D. Salinger was a disaster.”

Kurt: “I have about as much sex appeal and knowledge as a... baby penguin!”

Holly: “Welcome to my sacred, sexy, sharing circle.”

Santana: “I’m attracted to girls and I’m attracted to guys. I made out with a mannequin. I even had a sex dream about a shrub that was just in the shape of a person.”
Holly: “Well, we’ve all been there…”

Holly: "I thought you'd never ask!"

Sam: “Pretty cool that our girlfriends are such good friends, right? I wish you and I were that close.”

Rachel: "Are you lost, Noah?"
Quinn: "Yeah, you don't belong here, you're the biggest French whore of them all."

Emma: “A nooner’s’ when you have dessert in the middle of the day, right?”

Holly: “My lips are sealed. Just like your legs.”

Santana: “Brittany, I can’t go to an Indigo Girls’ concert, I just can’t.”

Brittany: “The key is to use your curling iron in the bathtub to keep you from being burnt.”

Puck: “I know hickeys. I’m a freaking connoisseur. I can make them into shapes like balloon animals.”

Holly summed things up better than I could - “That’s awesome, and ridiculous!” This episode had lots of the most unreal, crazy bonkers comedy that Glee does so well, and mixed it with beautiful, frank and emotional character moments resulting in a hefty slice of musical TV pie that left me feeling very satisfied. Mmm Glee pie.

Four out of four hose monsters. Hasta luego!

Eureka: Dr. Nobel

... in which Fargo and Spencer accidentally activate the ultimate weapon of mass destruction.

Being Human: Though the Heavens Fall

Herrick: “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

With Herrick back from his sojourn in la-la land, the body count tonight was freakishly high. Standard penultimate episode etiquette dictates that, come the closing credits, at least one main character must be either dead, seemingly dead or dying. Tonight, Toby Whithouse chose Nina as his sacrificial lamb. I was so shocked by what happened to her that I actually tweeted Sinead Keenan to express my concern. In case anyone's wondering, Sinead's fine. Nina... less so.

On top of Nina's little mishap, there was a whole host of assorted carnage to enjoy. We now know that McNair killed Daisy. (So, sadly, she won't be returning for any last minute hurrah.) Honolulu Heights was a veritable blood bath come those last ten minutes. Is DC Reid dead? Or does Herrick have other plans for her? (Like turning her into a vampire.) More importantly: is Nina dead? I thought for a moment that Herrick had exhibited a rare moment of compassion. If he did, then it was short lived. I cheered when he killed Nancy. I nearly cried when he stabbed Nina. I feel so guilty for liking Herrick. How cruel of him to dangle the carrot of freedom in front of Nina, only to return moments later and knife her. Psychologically, I found that quite damaging.

In fact Nina had a terrible episode all round. Despite being right about Mitchell's involvement in the box tunnel massacre, her reporting him to the police has had disastrous repercussions for all of them. She did try to mitigate her mistake by attempting to deflect blame onto Daisy. But the damage was already done. If Mitchell's outed, then they're all in peril. Wouldn't it be ironic if Nina ended up being the one who eventually saves Mitchell? Maybe she could be his protégé? Would that make up for her betrayal? I think it would. That's assuming she lives.

The situation between Annie and Mitchell is so complex, it's making my head hurt. Mitchell's screwed up big time. There's no denying that. But, despite his crisis of conscience, it's still way too early in his rehabilitation to tell whether he'll stay the course. He almost sent Nancy to her death tonight. Admittedly, he saved her at the last minute. But it was a close thing. Short of killing himself, I'm not sure what Mitchell can do to to make amends for the suffering he's caused. Daisy's dead, so there's no justice to be had there. And he's undoubtedly making progress. He does seem more compassionate this season. But he's so on the limit. It feels as though anything could push him over the edge.

Should he have told Annie about his part in the box tunnel massacre? Probably. But it's not as though he didn't try. Annie just didn't want to listen. And, thus, the lie was compounded. Personally, I think Annie's solution to their dilemma is too simplistic. She's completely ignoring the fact that Mitchell's not a normal human being. He's a vampire, and vampires don't go to jail. They can't be photographed. If they are, then the secret's out. No wonder Mitchell implored Annie to try and understand the impossibility of what she was asking of him. What a mess.

For Mitchell, moving to Barry was supposed to be the start of a new life. It was a way of wiping the slate clean. But his past has caught up with him. The most efficient way of solving all his problems would have been to (a) let Herrick kill Nancy, (b) beat the secret of resurrection out of him before he becomes too strong, and (c) kill Herrick. Job done. I know he promised George that he wouldn't kill him, but that was before everything went to hell in a handbasket. Things are different now. What are a few more deaths on Mitchell's conscience? Like he said to Herrick, killing can be heroic. It can save lives.

But, if Mitchell wants to be with Annie, then the killing has to stop. So Mitchell's being forced to compromise his safety, the security of his friends, and the anonymity of his people... for love. Not that I'm against love. It's lovely. (Hence the name.) But Annie's solution just seems too dangerous. What kind of fool would agree to it? Plus, the Old Ones are going to be mondo pissed when they hear about Mitchell's latest indiscretion. He's already in their bad books over the box tunnel massacre. Why antagonise them further?

I was surprised that McNair died so easily. Why was there a knife lying in the middle of the Herrick's bedroom? It looked kind of heavy for a piece of cutlery. There was something sad about Herrick killing McNair. Herrick was directly responsible for McNair's condition. McNair dying felt like Herrick having the last laugh. Despite setting him free, Herrick never really let him go. Herrick seems to catch up with everyone, eventually. The Question is: will Tom catch up with Herrick?

James Watkins knocked it out of the park again tonight. I've never really appreciated Herrick's cruelty before. Barbarity seems like such a hackneyed part of being a vampire. But contrasted with Uncle Billy's helpless old man routine, it made Herrick seem all the more evil. Was there ever a chance he'd let Nina live? Or was his dilemma over whether to kill her all part of the psychology of a murderer? The galling thing is, Nina's indirectly responsible for her own downfall. If she hadn't shown Herrick compassion in the first place, and let Mitchell kill him, then she'd never have been stabbed. Oh, the cruel irony of it all.

So now Nina's half dead, George is on his way to help Mitchell, Annie's vacillating wildly between being upset and being illogical, and Mitchell's about to reveal the existence of vampires to an unsuspecting world. I've no idea where they're going with this.

Bits and Pieces:

-- What's Annie doing agreeing to stay with Mitchell? What does a man have to do to scare her away? Shoot puppys? I do feel for Annie though. She's too sweet for this kind of life.

-- Nancy Reid is a terrible detective. Firstly, she's too young. Secondly, no detective says “cocking” to people they don't know. Thirdly, when you're trying to escape from someone, don't keep shouting at them. They can hear your voice and know where you are.

-- When George said “we've got guests,” what did Mitchell mean when he said “That's five”?

-- I guess Herrick wasn't faking his amnesia after all.

-- Nina's baby is 16 weeks in size after just 8 weeks. I hope the little fella lives.

-- I think we can rule McNair out as being the wolf-shaped bullet. Nina, too, probably. Which leaves Tom and George.

-- Tom's chicken was much bigger than George's. Ain't it always the way?

-- What was all that grunting at the police station about? They didn't do that when I went and reported my bike missing.

-- What did McNair write down before he died?

-- That was totally a safety razor Nina used to shave Herrick. You could see the lines in the foam.

-- How big is their house, exactly? The soundproofing must be awesome. Mitchell's been kicking the crap out of Herrick for days now and no one's heard him?

Quotes:

Mitchell: “This is first contact. It's biblical.”

Nina: “You're not going mad. But any other reaction in this house would be insane.”

George: “You shouldn't be killing vampires from a shitty camper van. You... you should have chlamydia and a 24 hour hangover.”

Mitchell: “I know you're in there. You old bastard! I can see you sniggering behind his eyes.”

Annie: “There has to be justice. Whatever the cost.”

Mitchell: “Prophecy, my arse.”

Annie: “Was Daisy even involved?”
Mitchell: “Yeah, but it was my idea.”
Annie: “Thank you. That's probably the first honest thing you've said to me in months.”

Annie: “It spreads, Mitchell. What you've done has contaminated us all.”

Mitchell: “You've no idea what you've done.”

Nancy: “Get your coat love, you've pulled.”

Policeman: “Date of birth, Mr Fuck You?”

Mitchell: “It can't happen like this. Not here. Not in Wales!”

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Stargate Universe: Deliverance

... in which Destiny’s crew must find a way to escape the automated drone attack.

Smallville: Scion

Tess: "I'm saving him from an encore performance of Daddy Dearest."

I had a hard time making myself write about this one, probably because there were a lot of comic book references I wasn't getting. (Teen Titans? Teenage Superman clones?)

Star Trek: Wolf in the Fold

Jaris: "How could any man do such monstrous things?"

Why are there so many science fiction stories about Jack the Ripper? The obvious answer is that he was never caught, and that he was so incredibly evil and vicious that he seemed inhuman. Actually, I think most of us find serial killers so alien that we'd prefer that they weren't human. With the possible exception of Dexter.

Farscape: Mind the Baby

While Moya attempts to find Talyn in the asteroid field, her scattered crew members cope with the aftermath of the attempted escape from Scorpius’s command carrier.

Ever have that experience where a show you love finishes up its season with a really strong run of episodes, but when it comes back from summer break, things just aren’t clicking like they were before? Yeah, that’s how I’m feeling about Farscape’s second season premiere. While the episode offered up good material --- including secret alliances, double crosses, and solid action --- I can’t shake the overall sense that something about it was off.

At first, I chalked up my vague discontent to the story being too plot-heavy and overly light on the character beats. But that’s not really true. ‘Mind the Baby’ certainly had its hands full resolving the cliffhanger, getting us caught up on everyone’s status, and finally allowing our heroes to escape the immediate Scorpius threat, but it didn’t accomplish these things at the expense of character moments. We had several nice moments with Moya’s crew bonding and reconnecting, or calling each other on their dren. I particularly enjoyed Crichton and D’Argo confronting Aeryn about her evasiveness, and Aeryn taking Zhaan to task for checking out on her friends.

Yet, something about the episode still felt off kilter. Ultimately, I think boils down to two key issues. First, we never got a clear indication of how much time had passed since Moya jumped away and Aeryn rescued Crichton and D’Argo, which left me suffering from some major temporal dissonance. Quite frankly, since D’Argo was just regaining consciousness, it didn’t seem like all that much time had passed. Crichton said he was out for “Days. I don’t know how many. I kind of lost track of time.” But my brain couldn’t wrap itself around the notion of Crichton sitting around for a week or so watching over an unconscious D’Argo while Aeryn scavenged for food, so I kept thinking it had only been a day or two since we saw them floating in space above the flaming skies near the Gammak Base.

As a result, I was kind of thrown when it became clear that Zhaan, Chiana, and Rygel had had enough time away for a side adventure involving some sort of trial on place called Litigara. Moreover, I found Talyn’s desire to bond with Crais rather jarring. Maybe if we had gotten to see more of Crais and Aeryn working with Talyn, the offer of “the hand of friendship” would have felt like the culmination of that developing relationship instead of a sudden and overly convenient turn of events that returned Aeryn to Moya and sent Crais and Talyn off in their own direction. Logically, I can see how Talyn would latch onto Crais, even after limited exposure, given his maturity level and psychological state at the time, but to me the moment when Crais became Talyn’s captain felt extremely abrupt. (Of course, maybe that’s how we’re supposed to feel given that it was such a shocking and devastating blow for Aeryn.)

Second, the episode felt off for me because several characters weren’t quite themselves --- notably Zhaan, Crichton, and D’Argo. Zhaan was the most overt casualty of the summer break, having retreated into her spirituality in an attempt to attain enlightenment and move on to next level of existence. Clearly this shift is supposed to be discomfiting, and we’ll likely get a flashback to her trial at some point to explore what happened to drive her to this emotionally distant place. Crichton and D’Argo, on the other hand, suffered from some less obvious and perhaps less intentional changes. Crichton frequently seemed like an overly exaggerated version of himself. He struck me as too manic or excessively quippy in several scenes, which made it harder for me to connect with him, even in his more intimate moments with Aeryn. And D’Argo just looked strange. The production team tweaked his makeup or prosthetics, but I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly was different. Was it his nose? Did he have less heavy prosthetics around his eyes? He kind of looked like he spent the summer in a tanning bed. Maybe the makeup artists made some adjustments to allow Anthony Simcoe to better use his face when acting. Not a bad thing, necessarily, but it’s going to take awhile for me to get used to the new look.

Overall, the combined effect of the character changes and my temporal dissonance made for an episode that didn’t quite gel for me as well as the final run of episodes in Season 1.

Other Thoughts

Our first look at Scorpius’s cooling rods was pretty gross. The tissue all over the cylinder that screws into his head was really nasty.

I’m glad that John and D’Argo quickly realized something was up with Aeryn, and I’m really happy that she didn’t look Crichton in the eye and lie to him after he confronted her. Plus, we finally got confirmation that Crichton and Aeryn slept together on Fake Earth! Yea! Of course, they still seem confused about what they are to each other, despite countless non-goodbyes and cuddly closeness in Pilot’s den (how weird was that?). Just freaking admit you are in love and a be couple already!

I really liked the reveal that the only reason Aeryn was able to save D’Argo and Crichton was because Scorpius let it happen. For some reason, it is much more satisfying to know that it wasn’t a convenient last minute rescue despite overwhelming odds, but rather one that was allowed to happen for a specific purpose. (Even if, in the ultimate resolution, things did rather conveniently work out at the last minute.)

The sexually charged scenes between Crais and Aeryn were creeping me out. No. Just no. I’ll assume any attraction is all from Crais’s direction, and that Aeryn was grudgingly humoring him to stay close to Talyn and protect her friends.

Chiana’s “welcome home” jump was rather over-the-top. I get that she was overjoyed to see Crichton, but the leap looked kind of ridiculous. Rygel’s choking on strong emotion was more effective. “I didn’t know you had strong emotions in you, Sparky!”

As noted above, I was a little put off by how quickly Aeryn got booted off Talyn. The writers got us all worked up with another big non-goodbye for Aeryn and Crichton, only to reverse it in a matter of minutes. The quick resolution felt like it cheapened the power of her decision to leave with Crais in the first place. Ah, well. I am glad she’s back, and at least the experience left her dealing with the sting of failure for letting Talyn fall under Crais’s sway, so it wasn’t just about giving us another emotional parting for Crichton and Aeryn.

I loved Crais telling Scorpius that Crichton was dead just to screw with him. “As for Crichton, he is dead. I killed him with my bare hands. My brother is avenged.” I actually believed he’d realigned himself with Scorpius until that moment. Maybe there is hope for Crais yet. Or not. As D’Argo said, he’s only loyal to himself now, which makes him more dangerous, not less.

Quotes

D’Argo: “As John once said, I would rather go down on a swing!”
Crichton: “Swinging. You wanna go down swinging.”

Crichton (to Aeryn): “Whatever our relationship is, we should be at a place where we can trust one another.”

D’Argo: “I owe Crais.”
Crichton: “You think I don’t owe him?”

Scorpius: “My patience is formidable, Crais, but it is not infinite.”

Crichton: “You’re asking me if I’ve harmed Aeryn? That’s a winner, Crais. Do Sebaceans have a word for chutzpah?”

Chiana: “We can’t ditch. We have to stick.”
Rygel: “Stupid though it may be.”

Rygel: “May your afterlife be almost as pleasant as mine.”

Zhaan: “Worldly concerns do not interest me now.”
Aeryn: “Oh really? Well then don’t give me any dren about how much you love me.”

Aeryn: “I’m just an ignorant warrior who believes that love means you’re willing to fight and die for your fellow living beings.”

Scorpius: “Crichton is alive. [Growling] And I will find him.”

Aeryn (re: Crais): “Maybe he’s changed. Well, you do believe people can change. Don’t you, John? [He laughs.] Well?”
Crichton: “Well ... you have. I have. But Crais?”

Final Analysis: While a decent enough resolution to the cliffhanger and the extended engagement with Scorpius, this episode didn’t sit quite right and left me feeling vaguely dissatisfied.

Supernatural: ...And Then There Were None

Rufus: "If anything crawls out of anybody, somebody step on it."

Just a bit heavier than the last episode, huh?

Eureka: Invincible

... in which Carl Carlson --- pioneer in the field of cellular regeneration and extreme germophobe --- accidentally blows up his lab, then discovers he has become indestructible.

Being Human: Daddy Ghoul

George Senior: “I came back from the dead for you, Ruth. How many men can manage that?"

Tonight's episode saw George and Nina take a break from the increasingly bizarre goings on at Honolulu Heights, and take a road trip back home. This was essentially George's "coming out" episode. Not that anyone noticed. After meeting George's parents, it's easy to see why he is the way he is. Yet, his family's prosaism is what makes them so special. It also probably explains why he left.

James Fleet was a joy to watch as the passive George Senior. George and his father had made similar choices in life. Both had dealt with personal trauma by running away. With George Senior, it was a decision born of impotency and frustration. With George, it was more the result of necessity. He'd become a ticking time bomb. How do you tell your parents you're a werewolf? Evidently, by coming right out with it. George's "I'm a werewolf" revelation barely caused a ripple. It simply reinforced Ruth and George Senior's preconceived notion that he'd had some kind of a mental breakdown. In hindsight, maybe faking amnesia would have been the better option.

Despite enjoying Fleet's performance, I was a little underwhelmed by George's reunion with his mother. True, it introduced us to the irritating Marcus -- which, in turn, spawned some hilarious dialogue. But it just didn't resonate on an emotional level. George reuniting with his family should have been a big deal. Instead, it felt superfluous. The meat of tonight's episode was the appearance of DC Reid and Herrick's growing self-awareness. Alongside this, the Sands' soap-opera seemed kind of tame. Maybe it should have been part of an earlier episode.

Back in Barry, the bafflingly inappropriate DC Reid is now aware of Mitchell's secret scrapbook. Which isn't enough to incriminate him. But it's enough to point the finger of suspicion firmly in his direction. Herrick may not remember who he is, but he's doing a fine job of manipulating everyone. The question is: will Nancy live long enough to catch her man? Now Herrick's got her scent, I wouldn't bet on it.

In fact, she was lucky to leave Honolulu Heights alive. Herrick almost exsanguinated her. Mitchell, likewise, looked ready to do her harm. Maybe not there on the doorstep. But I can't shake the feeling that, given the right motivation, Mitchell could easily murder again. Aidan Turner has a killer frown. (Pun unintended.) You could see Nancy visibly wilt under the intensity of his gaze. How much is Nancy willing to risk to solve the case? Tonight she almost lost everything. Let's just hope her ambition isn't undone by a lack of common sense.

The episode started with a brief flashback to Paris, 1933, which introduced us to the concept of vampires choosing a protégé. How it's done, we're still none the wiser. That's something Mitchell still has to coax out of Herrick. But, what we do know is that by choosing an heir, a vampire can come back from the dead. I'm not sure whether the “and so much more” part was to open up future storylines, or will prove crucial come the season finale. Either way, Mitchell now has hope. Perhaps he can't prevent his own death. But maybe he can influence what happens next.

But, if Mitchell's known all along that naming a protégé would save him from death, then why did he try to kill Herrick back in episode four? Does he truly not believe in destiny? Perhaps it took time to digest the significance of Herrick's return. Either way, Mitchell now needs Herrick alive. Which I'm totally on board with. Firstly, because it means we'll be seeing more of the magnificent Jason Watkins. Secondly, because with Herrick alive, even if Mitchell is killed, there's at least a way back. With The Hobbit currently in production (and Aidan playing Kili the dwarf), this may well be Aidan's last season. Let's hope Mitchell finds a way to beat death. Being Human without Mitchell would be unthinkable.

Mitchell's really in an impossible situation. He can either kill Herrick, and risk dying himself... or opt to let Herrick live and hope that, in time, he'll give up the secret of his resurrection. Either option has potential pitfalls. If Herrick survives, it seems unlikely he'll forgive George for eating him. And killing George would likely set off a chain reaction of revenge and recriminations, resulting in losses all round. Mitchell's strong, but is he strong enough to take out a vampire at the peak of his powers? Realistically, he should kill Herrick now. But his promise to George won't allow it.

Yet with each passing day, Herrick's regaining his memory. Even his aversion to drinking blood is waning as his natural impulses grow stronger. Those scenes of Nancy in the bathroom with Herrick had me on the edge of my seat. Watkins' facial expressions are worth a thousand words. Luckily for Nancy, Herrick's humanity is still warring with his dark side, and in this instance, won over. But now the munchies have started, it must only be a matter of time before Herrick starts killing again.

Annie, had another mixed week. Her character vacillates from warm and lovely to ditzy and shallow with worrying regularity. Just when I find myself liking her, she has a week like this, and I go off in a huff again. Her attempts at helping Mitchell are causing him all manner of trouble. It would be better for both of them if he just came clean. Annie's a bit dim, but she must be aware that Mitchell's holding something back. You don't need to be a psychologist to read his body language. It's screaming out "guilty!"

Bits and Pieces:

-- Is Titanic seriously something everyone needs to watch before dying? I think I may be in Hell. Save me Jack!

-- Who'd have thought eating a bag of crisps could ever be so revealing? James Fleet's dance moves haven't improved much since Four Wedding and a Funeral. He still has two left feet.

-- Hannigan Spiteri? A mix of Alyson and Sharleen, perhaps? I'm guessing not Lisa.

-- Herrick sucking on Nancy's bloody tissues was disgusting.

-- I loved George Senior laying out Marcus. Danny Webb excels at playing characters you just love to hate. I laughed out loud at Nina hissing "Of rounders!" at him.

-- Why didn't Mitchell just burn that damn scrapbook!

-- W.H. Auden' "Stop All the Clocks" and Cheryl Cole's "Fight For This Love"? Now there's a Glee mash-up I don't ever want to hear. I'm guessing the inclusion of the Auden's poem was a second tip of the hat to Four Weddings and a Funeral.

-- I thought George was Jewish? George Senior's funeral seemed pretty Christian to me. Maybe he's Jewish on his mum's side.

-- Where do George's parents live? It didn't take Nina long to get there. Surely they don't live in Wales?

-- I liked that, despite George's father being woefully ordinary, George eventually came to realise how wonderful he was.

-- The cult of Earth, Wind and Fire? Where do I sign up?

Quotes:

Nina: “No, no... you're a bit rapey now.”

George Senior: “This is my house, that is my wife. And you, Sir... are nothing but a prick.”
Nina: "Ohh, get in!"

Nancy: “This place will be the death of me.”

Marcus: "Isn't that the plot of Shawshank Redemption?"
Nina: "Well, that's where we got the, frankly ludicrous, idea from."

George Senior: "I'm going to fly, Jack. I'm going to fly!"

Nina: “Did your dad just misquote Titanic?”
George: “Yeah, just don’t ask.”

Marcus: "If you don't get the basics right, well, they are going to be screwed up, aren't they?"
Nina: "You sound like an expert, Marcus."
Marcus: "I'm a teacher."
Nina: "Of rounders!"

George: "Oh, my God! You're not dead."
George Senior: "I can explain."

Marcus: “You're a bunch of weirdos. The lot of you!”
George: “Ha-ha-ha... you don't know the half of it.”

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Smallville: Fortune

Clark: "Are those Emil's pants?"

In last week's review, I mentioned that I wouldn't mind if they deep-sixed the Darkseid and just gave us some old, fun Smallville with no big bad. And voila.

Newsflash: Hulu's Best in Show

Hulu has put together a March Madness-style bracket at their site to determine the Best Show for this past year.

Hulu - Best in Show

Several Billie Doux community favorites are in competition, including Fringe, Supernatural, True Blood, Vampire Diaries, Walking Dead, Dexter, Glee, and Chuck (many in direct first-round competition, alas). The brackets are fairly diverse and laid out in a way that should lead to some interesting final match ups. So head on over and vote for your favorites!

Fringe: Subject 13

“Your imagination can take you anywhere you want to go.”

Episodes like “Subject 13” have a particular fragile beauty, like an original poem inserted into a novel. They create a sense of pause—which always makes us wonder what is coming, and how bad it is that we have to catch our breath first—and add emotional resonance even though they might not contribute too much to the overall plot or mythology.