Teen Wolf: Venomous

"This may make me sound like a bitch, but I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to steal someone else’s boyfriend. I bet it’s a pretty sick rush of power.”

Those of you who are familiar with some of the reviews I’ve posted in the past will know that I’m a sucker for a teen fantasy show. Though I’m happy enough to accept any series that straddles either side of the fence, genre wise, it’s the shows that blend the teen melo-drama with the over-the-top horror that really get me going. 'Venomous' was the perfect representation of the type of series that I love, as the traditional teenage theatrics and not-so-traditional monster hysteria collided in an altogether amazing episode of Teen Wolf that was both exciting and intense.

Merlin: The Sins of the Father

“Arthur Pendragon, a great destiny awaits you. The battle for your soul is about to begin.”

I love this episode. Another stone cold classic from the mighty Howard Overman. There are times I wish he would quit Misfits and just write every Merlin episode. I know, unlikely, not to mention impractical. Plus, 'The Labyrinth of Geldref' showed that not everything he touches turns to gold. But, damn, when he's good, he is very good.

Community: Accounting for Lawyers

“If I wasn't actively repressing my bi-curiousity right now, I would kiss you on your beautiful mouth.”

It seems strange to have a 'Jeff is a jerk and learns a lesson' episode so soon after they opened the season with a great big 'Jeff is a jerk and learns a lesson' episode. I could let it go if 'Accounting for Lawyers' had at least been a good laugh. But it was not.

Star Trek: Elaan of Troyius

"Well, I've heard of reluctant brides, but this is ridiculous."

Taming of the Shrew meets Love Potion Number Nine.

Nikita: Game Change

"I want a home; I just wanna be able to live with myself when I get there."

Season premieres are almost always risky propositions and I think Nikita did a very good job with its second year opener. While there was a bit too much exposition (as expected), the hour arranged this season's chess pieces in a nonetheless exciting and intriguing manner.

Nikita: Pandora

"You know, I'm really sick of people telling me that you're dead."

The first time I watched Nikita's first season finale last year, I liked it but I didn't really love it. You see, I always set enormously high expectations for season finales, and I'm often disappointed when I don't get an explosive hour and a jaw dropping cliffhanger to top it off. This episode wasn't much of a spectacle at the time, so I was obviously let down. Now that I've seen both seasons of the show, I can appreciate the effectiveness and thematic relevance of the hour, and I've come to realize that it's actually quite the stunner.

Alphas: Alphaville

It was so nice to see Skylar back this week not just because I am a Summer Glau fan but also because I like her character. Nina and Rachel both have fairly “feminine” powers but Skylar is a gadget wizard and her daughter is not only a girl who likes math, but probably the best mathematician in the world. Unfortunately, being found again is not a good thing for Skylar and Zoe. It is sad that Dr. Rosen, in his pursuit of what he thinks is right, endangers, and even stoops to use those he claims to care for. To quote an old saying, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Nikita: Betrayals

"Operation Sparrow? Honestly, where does he come up with these names?"

This was undoubtedly Percy's episode, and it did an impressive job of elevating our Big Bad to a whole other level. While I still think Amanda suits the show better as its primary antagonist, this hour cemented Percy as a brilliant and surprisingly perceptive psychopath.

Nikita: Glass Houses

"We don't have to fear the outside world, Jaden. They have to fear us."

While this hour didn't have the most exciting plot (the Dana Winter storyline), it's an undeniably memorable episode as it's home to one of my most favorite endings of a television show ever.

Teen Wolf: Abomination

“Nobody trusts anyone.”

The best thing for a fantasy show to do after it’s established its roots is to expand its “universe” by adding new layers and depth to its basic formula. I’ve already mentioned that Teen Wolf has given this a try by adding in new plot pieces, like this new monster that’s terrorizing Beacon Hills. 'Abomination' was all about shedding light on this new addition to the show’s mythology. It may not have been the season’s most exciting episode, but the show capitalised on this exposition by bringing even more new information to light, broadening its story field immensely.

Breaking Bad: Say My Name

Jesse: "How many more people are going to die because of us?"

I should have been shocked. Instead, I was just sad.

True Blood: Save Yourself

Pam: "Nice plan."
Tara: "Sure beats yours."

And I thought last week's episode was a bloodbath.

Nikita: Girl's Best Friend

"Come on, I'm an agent all over again. Isn't that some sort of fantasy of yours?"

This episode brought to light a very interesting debate: can Division be used for good? Michael seems to think so, and I sure loved watching him try to convince Nikita of his unorthodox opinion. It provided quite a bit of compelling material for the hour.

Nikita: Into The Dark

"It's one thing to face your sins; it's another to let them eat you alive."

After witnessing the brilliant highs of Nikita's second season, I'd forgotten just how impressive the show's debut season was as well. This was yet another solid offering from a production that's just very confident in its tone and complexities.

Doux News: August 26, 2012

This week: Grimm -- Person of Interest -- Teen Wolf -- Lost Girl -- Arrow -- Revolution -- Falling Skies -- Tweets -- Cats

Castle: A Death in the Family

“Most people come up against a wall, they give up. Not you. You don’t let go. You don’t back down. That’s what makes you extraordinary.”

The title of this episode is excellent, because the show is all about Castle’s families -- personal and professional.

Lost Girl: Fae-nted Love

Kenzi: "I need your help. I lost Bo. Well, she ran away. Her Bo-dacious brain went kerplooey."

I liked this episode a lot. We got Kenzi saving the day and an amnesia plot. Good stuff all around... well, except for the Dyson subplot. I get it, he lost his love, but seriously, Dyson needs to get the stick surgically removed already. Or he needs to beat down the Norn that stole his love. Ah, I get the title now... tainted love, indeed.

Nikita: Covenant

"I don't think you're capable of not caring."

Michael hasn't been the strongest character throughout Nikita's debut season. He's had some good moments, but overall I've found him to be a sort of one-note character who I'm not usually eager to see more of. That all changes with this hour which capably turns the character into an intriguing presence in his own right.

Alphas: Gaslight

Last week was such a good episode. I wasn’t happy to get back to the disjointed, not sure what’s happening or why, mode of this season. Even the title, which refers to a classic trope in movies, didn’t really fit.

Community: Anthropology 101

“And we're back.”

It's the start of a brand new school year and Brittamania is sweeping through the halls of Greendale Community College. Her very public declaration of love for Jeff Winger has resulted in her becoming the one thing she has never been before: popular with other women. And Jeff can't handle it for a second. Thus begins a deadly game of love chicken that threatens to tear the study group apart.

Teen Wolf: Ice Pick

“There’s always crossfire.”

When a show undertakes an expansion of its primary cast, there’s a cautionary tale to go along with it. Too much energy focused on any new arrivals could mean that the pre-existing, already well established characters will be sidelined, leading to hostile fan reaction, and a resulting drop in quality. In 'Ice Pick', two new secondary characters were brought into the fold, but the success of their introduction lies in this show’s ability to always keep its core cast front and center.

Star Trek Voyager: Eye of the Needle

“I knew when I accepted this assignment that there would be a price to pay. Perhaps I didn’t realise how high that price would be.”

Voyager finds a teeny tiny wormhole and tries to send a message back to the Alpha Quadrant with the help of a friendly neighbourhood Romulan. Unfortunately, there’s something about this particular wormhole that they don’t know.

Grimm: The Kiss

Grimm finished its two-part season opener with a bang - great fight scenes, humorously awkward moments, and wow-did-they-really-just-do-that revelations.

Castle: Little Girl Lost

“What’s there to be jealous of? You couldn’t reel her in.”

We’ve got another rather run of the mill case that has been done by every procedural show any of us has ever watched. A child is kidnapped and, as there is only one possible twist in this story, we all know right from the start who the guilty party or parties is going to be. Nothing too exciting here.

Merlin: The Witchfinder

“The Witchfinder serves no one. He is a law unto himself.”

Because he is bored, Merlin carelessly uses magic out in the open. Since this is television, the incident is witnessed by a jittery blabbermouth who goes running straight to the king. Feeling his own methods are too lax, Uther calls for the witchfinder to save the kingdom from the terror of giant horses made of smoke.

Roswell: Destiny (2)

“We choose our own destinies.”

As great as the past few episodes have been, one thing that’s been bothering me has been the lack of human presence in the show, particularly Liz’s; something made even more obvious by the fact that Liz is the driving force of the series. It’s easy to lose that in all the alien hunter madness, but one of the reasons this finale works so well is that it balances Liz’s human side with Max’s alien one. It felt like the perfect blend of the show’s original, mellow stories and the new, more exciting ones.

Teen Wolf: Shape Shifted

Scott: “If I’m with you, I lose her.”
Derek: “You’re going to lose her anyway.”

Teen Wolf is starting to show its affinity for mastering moving parts this season. 'Shape Shifted' not only did justice to the already strong story arcs introduced last week, it also birthed a few new ones that emulated the formers’ success. Also, Allison Katniss Everdeen-ing it up was pretty bad-ass.

Warehouse 13: No Pain, No Gain

… in which Pete and Myka investigate a hockey player with the seeming ability to instantly recover from injuries. Meanwhile, Artie and Jinks identify and track artifacts that have gone missing from the Warehouse, and Claudia joins Mrs. Frederic for lunch.

Copper: Surviving Death

This is a pilot review and contains minor spoilers. At this time there are no plans to review this show in an ongoing basis.

Copper is a British show that takes place in 1860's New York. The action centers around the Five-Points area of Manhattan, which was a notorious slum riddled with crime and disease. It is the first original scripted show produced by BBC America, and it stars Tom Weston-Jones. He's an actor that was born in England and grew up in Dubai, who is playing an Irish-American detective. That feels like a lot of simple production obstacles that could easily strangle any show. In fact, my first impression was that it was trying to hard. Which was an impression that lasted for about the first ten minutes.

Falling Skies: A More Perfect Union

Red Eye: "Keep the fight going."

I guess the theme for this final episode was trust. Can the 2nd Mass trust Bresler? Can Bresler trust the 2nd Mass and their alliance with Red Eye and his rebel Skitters? The answers to those questions turned out to be surprising. Bresler was just as bad as Manchester said he would be. He betrayed the rebel Skitters without even blinking, and treated the 2nd Mass with as much skepticism and dismissal as Manchester did. But what was truly surprising was that Red Eye was not only trustworthy, but somewhat noble.

Grimm: Bad Teeth

Grimm is back! The action picks up right where we left off last spring - well, actually 10 days before that. I'm not sure why the intro had to back up and show all the 10 days, yesterday, one hour ago stuff? I think we could have figured it out, though I guess it shows that the cargo container, with its vicious surprise, traveled to Portland from far away. This new kind of Wesen, Mauvais Dentes, is pretty gruesome, truly embracing its saber-tooth-tiger-like side. It's worth noting that this is one of the few kinds of Wesen on the show that don't have a German-based name.

Nikita: Echoes

"Hi. This is Nikita. I'm out saving the world right now, please leave a message after the beep."

As far as I'm concerned, "Echoes" is Nikita's second masterpiece after "All The Way". It's a near perfect episode that's thrilling, thought-provoking, and just visually gorgeous to look at.

Castle: Ghosts

“You afraid of a little action?”

The premise of this show, a person hiding his or her identity for years because of something s/he did in the past, has been done in just about every show I have ever watched. The plot is always the same: an “ordinary” person is murdered; turns out they are not who they said they were; family is shocked and law enforcement is stymied; the murder has something to do with what they were involved with all those years ago. Yawn. The writers of this episode, to their credit, did manage to create a pretty good twist on the tale, but like I said, it’s been done.

True Blood: Sunset

Pam: "Since when did I become a halfway house for wayward baby vamps?"

Wow. Do you think there were enough stakings in this episode? It was nuts!

Breaking Bad: Buyout

"Are we in the meth business or the money business?"

They're certainly not holding back, are they? I spent most of this episode waiting for somebody to kill somebody. No one did, but what a way to ratchet up the dramatic tension, guys.

Teen Wolf: Omega

“Yeah, right, ‘cause when it comes to werewolves you’re a real model of self-control.”

There are shows out there that come straight out of the bat, all guns-a-blazing. There are others that emerge with a subtle confidence, never trying harder than they need to in order to draw in an audience. Then there are ones that start out weak, with awkward writing, hard to like characters and only a small flicker of appeal. It’s only in the rarest of cases that these shows develop into something more. The Vampire Diaries did it, and I guess it’s time to add Teen Wolf to that list. There was a certain self-assuredness that developed during the second half of Teen Wolf’s debut season, eventually taking hold during its strangely impressive season finale. Omega solidified that confidence, almost taking it to the next level. Teen Wolf is on, people.

Roswell: The White Room (1)

“Who’s inhuman now?”

Agent Pierce has been a malevolent force for some time now, so the moment when his true colours were shown had to ensure that he was someone to fear. Max’s capture and subsequent treatment were as disgusting and inhumane as you would have come to expect.

Nikita: Alexandra

"Judging by the heavy eye makeup and tacky jewelry, I’d say she's still plying her trade.”

What a showstopping performance by Lyndsy Fonseca. She's certainly proved herself as one of the most talented young stars around today and she was particularly mesmerizing in this one.

Nikita: The Next Seduction

"You fought Nikita; it wasn't a fair fight."

While I appreciate Gogol's involvement in this episode, the hour just felt messy to me. It seemed to lack focus and there wasn't really much thrills to make up for that.

Nikita: Coup De Grace

"Don't underestimate people. All they really want is someone to believe in them, someone to fight for what they want."

After a slew of arc-heavy episodes, it's a bit weird to have such a standalone hour in the middle of the season. Nevertheless, I can't deny that it was still highly enjoyable. I just wish it did more to advance the season's various arcs.

Star Trek Voyager: The Cloud

“There’s coffee in that nebula!”

In an attempt to find a new energy source to run the replicators (Neelix's coffee substitute being undrinkable and cafetières and percolators being a lost technology in the twenty-fourth century), Voyager enters a mysterious nebula, only to find out it’s not quite what it seems.

Nikita: Free

"You're not like other girls, Alexandra. You never will be."

After the epicness that was "All The Way", Nikita was always going to fall short in its subsequent outing. There's a very jarring tone-shift with this one as Alex settles in her new life. The music, the lighting, it's all very CW-ish but it's definitely not the disaster than many make it out to be.

Community: Pascal’s Triangle Revisited

“Do you try to evolve, or do you try to know who you are?”

Ah, the end of the school year. A ritual we all appreciate—even the LA radio stations air a wildly appropriate Alice Cooper song with some regularity—and can identify with. Jeff was willing to say one last witty thing to various bit players at Greendale, Troy was forced to leave the nest, and Shirley did her very first keg-stand. But, of course, there’s a “classic last day of school plot twist.” And, because he must, Abed identifies it as it happens.

Roswell: Max to the Max

“We control our own lives. I won’t let any book tell me what to do.”

Considering how many moving parts there are to this season’s concluding arc, it goes without saying that an opportunity to lay out the clear enemies in all of this is a necessity. Max to the Max took apart any preconceived notions of murder and made sure that the true antagonist is revealed, but not before it’s too late.

Warehouse 13: There's Always a Downside

… in which Myka and Jinks search for an artifact with seemingly positive effects, Pete and Claudia team up to help an old friend, and Artie keeps trying to stonewall Brother Adrian.

Alphas: When Push Comes to Shove

Nina (pushing herself): “You’re happy, this is everything you always wanted.”

We knew Nina was off the rails but we didn’t know how far or why. The scenes with Nina as a child were heart-breaking. When your parents are fighting nastily and your father finally decides to leave, what little girl wouldn’t want to make him stay? Nina could and her ability to do so ended in tragedy. He needed to leave and when he couldn’t he took the only way out left to him. I love how this show doesn’t sanitize the super powers that people have. People with super powers are still going to be people.

Community: English as a Second Language

“¡Nuestra amiga está moriendo!”

Chang’s revelation that he’s not really a Spanish teacher shouldn’t come as a surprise. (Although I do wish we’d gotten to see the classes in which he really taught Klingon.) Annie discovering Chang’s revelation was not a surprise. But Jeff’s reaction to Annie’s discovery of Chang’s revelation? A bit of a letdown.

Community: Modern Warfare

“Come with me if you don’t want paint on your clothes.”

“The Art of Discourse” sucked. But it’s a freakish aberration, and Community is back with its A-game in “Modern Warfare,” aka “The First Paintball Episode That Is Totally Awesome and Sets the Standard for a Four-Shirley Episode.”

Nikita: All The Way

"Now hit me, and make it good."

"All The Way" is probably one of my most favorite hours of television ever produced. It's a stunning masterpiece that perfectly epitomizes what great television is all about. It's also the hour that elevates Nikita to another level and raises the standards of the show to an unexpectedly grand caliber.

Roswell: Four-Square

Michael: “Why are you so scared of being an alien?”
Max: “Why are you so scared to be human?”

This episode was all about awakening. Just as Max is finding himself touching a darker part of himself that he doesn’t want to know, Michael and Isabel are fighting their own inner selves as they both suffer dreams that bare some startling news for them both. It’s an interesting spin on this show’s thesis of identity and feeling different from everyone else. Change is a part of life, and this awakening is only a branch of that, and it’s something we all have to go through in one way or another.