Jess's 2010 Favorites

Like last year, for 2010 I’m doing a list of the shows least likely to stack up on my DVR, which aren’t necessarily representative of the best TV had to offer this year. Read on for my favorite show picks from 2010 (in no particular order).

Billie's favorite TV of 2010

It's the end of another year. How does time manage to fly so quickly? We here at Billie Doux (I still find it weird to refer to myself as a website) are planning to once again talk about our faves. It's fun, and we get to post pretty pictures. (See the three gorgeous guys to your right.)

What was my favorite show of 2010, you ask? Or maybe you didn't ask, but I'll tell you, anyway...

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol

Doctor: 'Tonight, I'm the Ghost of Christmas Past.'

You've got to hand it to Steven Moffat—his first Christmas episode was an absolute blinder. It was exactly how a Christmas episode should be: it was different enough from a regular episode to justify its special status; it had regular companions (even if they were criminally underused); there was a strong Christmas theme; it had great celebrity guests; and there was an emotionally engaging narrative which both warmed and broke our hearts. In short, it was both Christmassy and special.

Holiday Gift Guide: Being Human

‘Tis the season for feeling the pain of your bank account decreasing with a rapid speed as you continue to buy novelty gifts for friends and families. It’s also the season for ghosts, goblins and ghouls. So, while I enjoy my fancy, luridly coloured cocktails on the beach in 30 degree Celsius weather, let’s have a look at the gifts you can get for those open and secret Being Human fans. Mum, dad ... Take note.

Star Trek: Journey to Babel

Kirk: "They're both stubborn."
Amanda: "A human trait, Captain?"

So it turns out Vulcan family dynamics aren't that alien, after all. Spock as a rebellious son sparring with Mom and Dad? That alone makes this episode a winner.

Holiday Gift Guide: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Tree. Nog. Roast beast.

It's pretty easy to come up with gift ideas for the Buffy fan. Candles for Wiccan rituals. Self-defense lessons. A mummy hand would be perfect. (Fingers sold separately.) Stylish, yet affordable boots. (Maybe you could wear them with a suede Billie Doux bag. There actually is such a thing.)

Holiday Gift Guide: Lost

If you missed the auction of Lost memorabilia back in August, there are still perfect gifts for the Lost fan on your holiday list.

Holiday Gift Guide: Supernatural

It's hard to think of a gift that would say Supernatural. Let's face it, the homeless Winchesters have practically nothing but a classic car and each other, and sometimes they don't even have that.

Farscape: A Bug's Life

When the crew encounters a damaged Marauder, Crichton and Aeryn pretend to be Peacekeepers on a special assignment. However, their ploy goes horribly awry when Chiana and Rygel tamper with the Marauder’s cargo, releasing a deadly, intelligent virus.

Holiday Gift Guide: Fringe

The problem with parallel universes isn't that they force us to radically re-conceptualize our understanding of space, time, and reality. No, the problem is that now we're responsible for getting twice as many people Christmas gifts, stocking stuffers, and Chanukah chotchkies. And what do you get the shapeshifter who has everything? Read on to find out:

Holiday Gift Guide: Glee

So your father/mother/sister/brother/lover/best friend/pet/all of the above is a major Gleek? They're so into Glee that they've bought the all the DVDs (and Blu-Ray, for good measure), all the music, the calendar, t-shirts, mugs and bath-mat. They've seen the cast on tour and stolen Matthew Morrison's empty Starbucks cup, the dregs of which are kept in a vial around their neck. What Gleeful gifts are you going to give them for Christmas?

NewsFlash: Torchwood casting

Really interesting casting news for the fourth season of Torchwood, airing this summer on the BBC and Starz. Mekhi Phifer (whose name I always have a terrible time spelling) has been cast as FBI agent Rex Matheson. And Bill Pullman has been cast as Oswald Jones, a convicted murderer and pedophile. They'll be joining original series stars John Barrowman and Eve Myles.

I'm okay with Mekhi. He's a dynamic actor who can handle difficult stuff, although I have a hard time seeing him as something other than a doctor or a cop. (So I guess it's good that he's playing a cop; it's just the sci-fi venue that's new, so he gets to arrest aliens now.) I was a bit put out, though, because I'd heard a rumor that Enver Gjokaj (whose name I also have a terrible time spelling), the guy who did such amazing work as Victor in Dollhouse, was up for the role.

And I'm oddly weirded out by the casting of Bill Pullman, and I'm not sure why. He can definitely act, and I know he can do heavy; he's certainly done a lot more than romantic leads, goofballs, and the test pilot president in Independence Day. Maybe the description of the character is a turnoff. It's hard to picture the star of Spaceballs playing a homicidal pedophile. And maybe it's just weird to see a British show acquiring American cast members.

Casting weirdness aside, I am SO looking forward to the return of Torchwood this summer. And yes, I'm definitely reviewing it.

More about it on The Sci-Fi Wire That Isn't The Sci-Fi Wire Any More

NewsFlash: Stargate Universe Canceled

I am completely bummed to report that SyFy has canceled Stargate Universe. We're getting the spring ten episodes, and that's it.

Yes, the ratings haven't been great, but I have always enjoyed this show. Dramatically, I thought it stood head and shoulders above Atlantis. I look forward to it and it never sits unwatched on my DVR. (I finally deleted the last two episodes of The Event, unwatched.)

What do you think? Were you still watching? Did it deserve cancellation?

Smallville: Icarus

Carter: "This is what we do."

They started with an engagement and ended with a funeral. Do you think they were hinting that there are no happy endings for superheroes?

Holiday Gift Guide: The Vampire Diaries

December is a special time of year. A time to remember how much we love our families and friends. A time of high-caloric sweets, astronomical heating bills, and pine-tree-induced allergic reactions. A time to incur massive amounts of debt in a feeble attempt to provide the best useless gift that will live in someone’s closet gathering dust mites.

Dexter: The Big One

Deb: "Nothing is as simple as it seems."
Dexter: "You're right about that."

This entire episode had me on the edge of my seat. And the ending was not what I expected. Actually, the entire season was not what I expected. That's a good thing, by the way.

Supernatural: Appointment in Samarra

Death: "I want you to be me for one day."
Dean: "Are you serious?"
Death: "No, I'm being incredibly sarcastic."

Farscape: Through the Looking Glass

In an effort to prove herself late in her pregnancy, Moya attempts Starburst and winds up split between four dimensions.

Fringe: Marionette

“She’s taken everything.”

I wondered last week why the Fringe powers that be didn’t use the last episode—specifically, Olivia’s return—as the mid-season finale. It was exhilarating, fast-paced, and nicely concluded one phase of the longer story about the two worlds. Now that I’ve seen “Marionette,” I understand.

Vampire Diaries: By the Light of the Moon

“Do nothing.”

Hey! That’s not what was supposed to happen! This was not the episode I was so excited about, and I’m feeling pouty.

Being Human: Another Fine Mess

George: I'm not the pervert, that's my housemate. And actually, he's not a pervert either.

If I thought I was going to have trouble writing the review for the third episode, I should have seen how difficult I would find it writing this review. I thought it was an incredibly strong episode; addressing just how two men living together can be seen from the outside, the familial love of a parent and child, as well as just how far someone will go for someone they love.

I'm glad that the writers didn't leave the video storyline hanging. I didn't expect them to use it with Bernie. In hindsight, it became pretty obvious that it may happen, but still ... Oh, Mitchell. I'm glad that storyline is over.

The series has gone strength to strength when it comes to their guest characters. First Tully, then Gilbert and now Bernie. I believed the blossoming friendship between Mitchell and Bernie; Mitchell (as well as George and Annie) really needed a friend outside of vampires and his housemates. He just picked someone who could get him in trouble. However, with regards to Bernie's mum, Bernie really needed an authoritative figure to look out for him and keep him safe.

I'm rather thankful that Annie was in the background this episode. Her popping up here and there, causing vases to explode and not really having a storyline made it easier for me to focus on Mitchell and George's dilemma with the community. Being attacked by their neighbours for something they weren't, rather than for what they are, made the realisation that the group really are alone even more tragic and obvious. George's reaction to the misspelling of the word 'Paedophile', along with other small moments, kept the episode light enough with humour so that it didn't get extremely heavy. With a plotline such as this, it is easy to get lost in the situation, and not be able to get back out of the hole. I think I just mixed metaphors. George would not be happy.

Nina's misunderstanding of George's "problem", thinking he was a paedophile, rather than a werewolf, will hopefully come to a head soon. I like Nina and George and I really wish that George could tell her that he is a supernatural being. But I guess they don't make a Hallmark card for that. I hope Nina isn't going to look into George's past to work out what is wrong with him.

The small sections with Lauren, Herrick and Owen kept us in the loop on the other storylines in the series. I find Herrick and his Vampire Revolution starting to bore me. Maybe because it just seemed too out of place in the episode for me, but I don't think Herrick or Seth really needed to be in it. Lauren was a lot like Annie in the episode, with one scene with Mitchell at the bowling alley and then poof! This works for me. I genuinely thought that she was going to attack Bernie or Mitchell, but thankfully, I was wrong.

The episode's climax - Little Bernie, the boy who pretty much started the problem for George and Mitchell, gets hit by a car, along with Mitchell, who tries to save him. Shocking, but sadly predictable. However, I honestly did not expect Mitchell to turn Bernie in order to save him. He came out, so to speak, to Bernie's mum in the ICU about being a vampire and that he could save Bernie. After what happened with Becca in the first episode, you would think we wouldn't change his mind. I honestly thought that Bernie's mum would turn Mitchell's offer down. I loved the set up in the morgue for the scene in the train station. When Bernie arrived and told his mum that he was hungry, I yelled, "Oh my God, don't eat your mum!". I hope that Bernie is seen or mentioned in the future, but I wouldn't be torn if he wasn't.

Bites and Pieces:

-- I loved the Laurel and Hardy figurines. Very cute.

-- How adorable was George, Mitchell and Bernie's little picnic in the house? I used to do that with my sisters when we were little.

-- More dysfunctional George and Nina, please.

Quotes:

Mitchell: Where do I belong? Where do I fit? Who are my people? Where do my loyalties lie? We all choose our tribe. It's that need to belong, to live within boundaries, cause it's scary on the outside, on the fringes. Some labels are forced on us. They mock us, set us apart 'til we're like ghosts, drifting through other people's lives. But only if we let the labels hold. You can piss your whole life away trying out who you might be. It's when you've worked out who you are that you can really start to live.

Annie: For all I know this could be perfectly normal. You find out your fiancé killed you, you become a throwing things about ghost.
Mitchell: Poltergeist.
Annie: See, you know the terms, you know how this works. I mean, do you know if I can channel it because I have been dying to pull that fridge out and clean behind it.

[Looking at a figurine of Laurel and Hardy]
Bernie: Who are they?
Mitchell: Are you serious? They're Laurel and Hardy!
Bernie: Was the fat one Prime Minister?
George: You might be thinking of Churchill.
Annie: Or Hitler - same 'tache.

Nina: Saying 'it's not you, it's me' is a stabbable offence in my book and I can easily get my hands on scalpels.

George: Who keeps their rotten tomatoes? Who looks in their salad cooler, sees their tomatoes are on the turn and thinks 'oh no, no I'll hang on to those in case some paedos move in opposite'?

George: What else have you got up there, some German scat inside Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?
Annie: How many times have you watched it?
Mitchell: I've never even seen any scat. Oh well, just that first time, to see what it was...

Two ... Okay, maybe three out of four Laurel and Hardy figurines.

(I would like to apologise for not posting up a review in the last couple of weeks. I feel dreadful about it, and I promise it won't happen again. After a frustrating week of travelling, electrical storms and losing my money card, I can safely say that I am back.)

Morgan India.

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Warehouse 13: Secret Santa

... in which Pete and Myka head to L.A. to investigate a Bad Santa attack, while Claudia celebrates her “first time in forever” holidays with people in her life by attempting to find the perfect gifts for her Warehouse family.

Eureka: O Little Town

... in which the great scientific minds of Eureka take on the “magical” Christmas season.

Smallville: Luthor

Clark: "Luthor blood is Luthor blood. It's poison."

This episode was terrific. It was like we went back to season five or six. Either that, or the evil quotient got dialed up to eleven.

Glee: A Very Glee Christmas

Awwwwwwwwwwww. This week’s Glee may have been cheesy as all get-out, but if you can’t stomach it at Christmas then you’re lactose intolerant. My heart has melted into a big pile of snowy slush with food colouring in it. “You can eat that you know.”

Dexter: Hop a Freighter

Lumen: "It can't end this way."
Dexter: "It's not going to."

Would it be too much of a cliche if I said the suspense was killing me?

NewsFlash: Supernatural on the cover of TV Guide

Great news, Supernatural fans! The great TV Guide fan vote is over, and against tremendous odds, Supernatural has beaten out five other shows. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are going to be on the cover of TV Guide magazine next week.

Fringe: Entrada

“It's like nothing ever happened.”

After a great deal of action in two separate universes, we’re left with sadness: Olivia has to try to fit into a world that has changed; Fauxlivia has to fit into a world that doesn’t know she has changed—or even been gone.

Supernatural: Caged Heat

Sam: "You know what? When angels and demons agree on something, call me nuts, I pay attention."

Well, they had to make a hugely serious attempt to retrieve Sam's soul, and this was it. And they discovered what I'd already guessed: that Crowley was lying to them.

Farscape: A Human Reaction

When Pilot discovers a wormhole that appears to be a gateway straight back to Earth, Crichton takes what may be his only chance at returning home. But upon arriving, he soon discovers his dream of home could easily become a nightmare.

Star Trek: Metamorphosis

McCoy: "You're not a pet. You're not a specimen kept in a cage. You're a lover."

As an alien/human love story, this episode is actually rather lovely. It even has a happy ending. And it introduces an important character in the Star Trek universe who shows up later in one of my favorite Star Trek movies. I just wish the story weren't so full of inconsistencies.

Vampire Diaries: The Sacrifice

“He’d die before he let anything happen to her. They both would.”

The problem with having wonderful friends is that you just might want to sacrifice yourself for them. That’s certainly Elena’s problem, and Stefan’s, and Jeremy’s, and Bonnie’s. Each one of those people did something phenomenally stupid, but they had a really, really good reason for it.

Glee: Special Education

“You’re a constellation of stars. I would just hate to think that you might be ignoring some of them because they don’t burn quite as obviously bright.”

This week the revelation that Santana and Finn boinked causes some unnecessary drama, a magic comb holds the key to New Directions winning at Sectionals, Kurt struggles to fit in at his new school and new glee club where he isn’t the star, and everybody sings.

Chuck: Chuck versus the Leftovers

“You didn’t think I could have a relationship with your family?”

This isn’t an easy episode to review. Emotionally, it was quite satisfying and had many good moments. But the writing and direction were awful—I wonder if some of these scenes were “leftover” from earlier episodes and just piled onto the plate to provide a filling, nourishing meal without much taste or flair.

Stargate Universe: Resurgence

... in which the crew takes Destiny “off-road” to explore a strange energy signature and discovers a debris graveyard from an earlier space battle.