Lost: The Package

Keamy: "I'm sorry. Some people just aren't meant to be together."

I wasn't sure what to think about this one. It was like they threw all of the continuing Sun/Jin plotlines at us in pieces instead of as a whole. And –disappointment – I thought Sun and Jin would finally be reunited, but nooooo. And how come the cliffhanger? It's the final season! We shouldn't be getting cliffhangers in the final season, she said indignantly.

Chuck: Chuck versus the American Hero

“Love is a battlefield.”

Here’s a couple of things you might need to know, or maybe just forgot: Chuck originally got at 13-episode order, and it wasn’t extended to 19 until all 13 of those episodes were in some stage of production. So tonight’s episode was originally the lead up to the Season Three finale, and next week’s was the original Season Three finale. The remaining six episodes (numbers 14-19) will be more like Season Three and a Half.

Supernatural: Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Bobby: "The dead rise during the Apocalypse. There's nothing in there that says that's bad."

FlashForward: Blowback

“Irrational, erratic, and frequently stupid.”

Christ on a cheese platter, this was awful. I actually laughed out loud at some of the awfulness—loud enough to wake up the cat (sorry, boo). We had FlashBacks. ShoutingMatches. MovingBoxes. TrustIssues. And all under a new ShowRunner with a penchant for awkward indie music that seems to have been tacked-on at the last minute, without regard for the editing.

Lost: Ab Aeterno

Hurley: "Your wife sent me."

Is anyone else getting a "my favorite sci-fi show is turning religious" Battlestar vibe?

Chuck: Chuck versus the Final Exam

“No, Chuck. Just you.”

How far is too far? At what point does patriotism become murder? Can a good man do bad things, if he does them for the right reason? Just when Casey is at his lowest point, reduced to exorcising his grumpy demons by threatening Jeffster, Chuck reaches the potential acme of his nascent spy career, and is forced to make a difficult choice.

FlashForward: Revelation Zero, Part 2

“For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.”

Remember Dominic Monaghan’s Dr. Evil chair-spin in "A561984"? Remember him staring at a laptop and muttering ‘Annabel’? Well, the writers have figured out what’s going on with his heretofore ambiguous, cheesy, and completely confusing character. He’s a black and white kinda guy: most people, he doesn’t care for. Why should he? He’s a genius. But there are a few that do matter: his sister, his father, maybe even Lloyd.

FlashForward: Revelation Zero, Part 1

“How did you find us?”
“You called me.”

Lots of answers. Lots of questions. A little bit of ret-conning. A few missteps. And the best use of a take-out menu I’ve ever seen. FlashForward’s return lived up to my expectations by doing something I didn’t expect: focusing on the two most interesting (and thus far, sidelined) characters: Lloyd Simcoe and Simon Campos. Simon Campos, you’ll be interested to learn, is played by some actor named Dominic Monaghan. Seems like he might be one to watch.

Lost: Recon

Man in Black: "You are the best liar I've ever met."

I am loving these karmic flash sideways so, so much.

Chuck: Chuck versus the Tic-Tac

“It’s Casey.”

But this episode turned out to be pretty awesome, wasn’t it? Oh, wait, you haven’t been participating in the conversation inside my head. It went something like: “Wow, Chuck has been uneven.” “Yeah, right?” “I wonder how they’ll pull off this [finally!] Casey-centric episode.” “Yeah, I’m sort of nervous.” All of my internal dithering aside, though, I loved this week’s edge, although I’m not sure every episode should be this suspenseful or this gloomy. Plus, Robert Patrick? How cool is that?

Lost: Dr. Linus

Arzt: "You know, you really had me fooled with that sweater vest. Linus, you're a real killer."

And the Emmy goes to...

Chuck: Chuck versus the Beard

“You’re a good liar, Chuck, but you’re not that good.”

I know y’all have each and every word of my past reviews memorized, but just in case you’ve forgotten, I said something brilliant in my explication de Chuck at the beginning of the season: “Chuck is right. His emotions screw everything up.” That’s the theme of the season, but what exactly constitutes Chuck’s emotions have lead to the unevenness of the past few episodes, as well as the occasional fan- or Josie-outrage.

Smallville: Conspiracy

Lois: "Zod. How did you end up in my nightmare on psycho street?"

What I liked about this one was the conflicting ways the Kandorians were portrayed.

Lost: Sundown

Ben: "There's still time."
Sayid: "Not for me."

I'm sort of in mourning today. I loved Sayid. He was my favorite character. And now he's...um... Lost. That clever Man in Black; he picked the one thing that Sayid would sell his soul for.

Chuck: Chuck versus the False Name

“Live the lie.”

I’ve attempted to write this review three or four times. I kept writing paragraphs that contradicted each other. (Chuck is a successful liar!) Re-watching the episode didn’t help. (Chuck is only a successful liar to those who don’t know him!) Thinking about past episodes didn’t help. (Chuck is a low-down dirty playa who sleeps with women and then abandons them!) So I’m just going to emote: I’m not buying it.

NewsFlash: HBO Okays Game of Thrones

SciFi Wire reports that HBO has picked up ten episodes of the television adaptation of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series – they're calling it The Game of Thrones, after the first book. The first season will feature Lena Headey, Sean Bean, and Peter Dinklage, among others.

If you haven't read Martin's books (there are currently four out of a planned seven), now's your chance. If you have read the books, I imagine that you're doing the jig of joy. Dance! Dance! Dance!

Justified

Season 1 | Season 2 |
Season 3 | Season 4 |
Season 5 | Season 6 |
Book Reviews | Cast |

Justified (2010-2015) is about Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), a deputy U.S. marshal who returns home to Kentucky, where his family, old friends and former loves tend to make his work just a bit more complicated. A strong crime drama with a backdrop of contemporary rural America that deliberately echoes the old West, Justified features an exceptional leading man, complex characters, compelling story lines, and witty dialogue.

Season One

1.1 Fire in the Hole
1.2 Riverbrook
1.3 Fixer
1.4 Long in the Tooth
1.5 The Lord of War and Thunder
1.6 The Collection
1.7 Blind Spot
1.8 Blowback
1.9 Hatless
1.10 The Hammer
1.11 Veterans
1.12 Fathers and Sons
1.13 Bulletville

Season Two

2.1 The Moonshine War
2.2 The Life Inside
2.3 The I of the Storm
2.4 For Blood or Money
2.5 Cottonmouth
2.6 Blaze of Glory
2.7 Save My Love
2.8 The Spoil
2.9 Brother's Keeper
2.10 Debts and Accounts
2.11 Full Commitment
2.12 Reckoning
2.13 Bloody Harlan

Season Three

3.1 The Gunfighter
3.2 Cut Ties
3.3 Harlan Roulette
3.4 The Devil You Know
3.5 Thick As Mud
3.6 When the Guns Come Out
3.7 The Man Behind the Curtain
3.8 Watching the Detectives
3.9 Loose Ends
3.10 Guy Walks Into a Bar
3.11 Measures
3.12 Coalition
3.13 Slaughterhouse

Season Four

4.1 Hole in the Wall
4.2 Where's Waldo?
4.3 Truth and Consequences
4.4 This Bird Has Flown
4.5 Kin
4.6 Foot Chase
4.7 Money Trap
4.8 Outlaw
4.9 The Hatchet Tour
4.10 Get Drew
4.11 Decoy
4.12 Peace of Mind
4.13 Ghosts

Season Five

5.1 A Murder of Crowes
5.2 The Kids Aren't All Right
5.3 Good Intentions
5.4 Over the Mountain
5.5 Shot All to Hell
5.6 Kill the Messenger
5.7 Raw Deal
5.8 Whistle Past the Graveyard
5.9 Wrong Roads
5.10 Weight
5.11 The Toll
5.12 Starvation
5.13 Restitution

Season Six

6.1 Fate's Right Hand
6.2 Cash Game
6.3 Noblesse Oblige
6.4 The Trash and the Snake
6.5 Sounding
6.6 Alive Day
6.7 The Hunt
6.8 Dark As a Dungeon
6.9 Burned
6.10 Trust
6.11 Fugitive Number One
6.12 Collateral
6.13 The Promise

Book Reviews

Elmore Leonard does Raylan Givens, which is mini-reviews by Billie Doux of all of Elmore Leonard's Raylan Givens books

Cast

Timothy Olyphant (Raylan Givens)
Nick Searcy (Chief Deputy Art Mullen)
Joelle Carter (Ava Crowder)
Jacob Pitts (Tim Gutterson)
Erica Tazel (Rachel Brooks)
Natalie Zea (Winona Hawkins)
Walton Goggins (Boyd Crowder)