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Vampire Diaries: The Last Day

“You’re gonna screw it up, aren’t you?”

VD doesn’t let me hold a grudge. Just when I thought they might have gone a retcon too far, this episode sucked me back in. (It’s a whole big sucky thing.) I still have some issues with the Great Sun and Moon Lie, but that doesn’t really matter, because everything terrible is happening right now. OMG, indeed.

Eureka: Phoenix Rising

... in which an eclipse coincides with a series of deaths by spontaneous combustion.

Glee: Born This Way

Welcome to super-size Glee. Featuring more songs, more plot lines, more issues and waaay more cheesiness. Did I love it? Hell to the YEAH.

Game of Thrones: The Kingsroad

“Stick ‘em with the pointy end.”

Our Theme of the Week is the injuries that aren’t inflicted by swords, but by the blunter, crueler weapons: the refusal to acknowledge someone’s pain, disloyalty, and an averted gaze. Game of Thrones may be a pseudo-medieval knights-and-nations epic, but it’s not all swords and fire. Although there is an awful lot of blood.

NewsFlash: Vampire Diaries and Supernatural Renewed


We can all start partying now! The CW has announced early pickups for five series, including The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Gossip Girl, 90210 and (do we care?) America's Top Model Something or Other.

Yes, we knew it would probably happen, but I for one am relieved. You never can tell what a network will do.

The Killing: Super 8

“Unless this is a snuff film we’re wasting our time.”

For me ‘Super 8’ was the weakest episode of the series so far. I found it a chore to get through at times. While the Larsen storyline was as strong as ever, the others, those more dependent on narrative momentum, felt as if they were treading water. Offering us only dribbles of new information with little of it riveting. One of the drawbacks of long form mysteries like The Killing is that they are, well, long. In order to sustain suspense for the entire season you sometimes have to drag things out as well as hold back on major revelations.

Stargate Universe: Epilogue

... in which the alternate history for Destiny’s crew is revealed.

Smallville: Booster

Lois: "Real heroes don't stop to strike a pose."

One of the major things that has made Smallville unique is its emphasis on Clark, not Superman. Ten years in, and we really haven't even met the Man of Steel yet. We're invested in Clark as a person. And only Clark.

Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut

Doctor: 'I wear a Stetson now. Stetsons are cool.'

It must be hard for any show to live up to the pre-season hype. They're always promising bigger, better, weirder, more satisfying story lines. Of course, it's usually just talk. Maybe they're too close to the project to be truly objective, or more likely, they feel obligated to big-up the show to the size they hope it will be. So what are we to make of Steven Moffat's 'it's the Doctor's darkest hour' and 'it's going to be a real game changer' pre-season spiel? Should we write it off as mere rhetoric designed to get our fantasy/scifi juices flowing, or will there actually be some substance to the Moff's grandiose promises?

Fringe: 6:02 AM EST

“I think this is what I’m supposed to do.”

Television shows are made up of many things. Dialogue and actors. Cinematography and score. Overarching plots, character development, and important moments. Great images and great lines. There is also an element of expectation—as viewers, we expect some moments to be presaged by rising music, for instance. Years of suckling on the boob tube makes even the most casual viewer a master of prediction and anticipation.

Supernatural: Frontierland

Bobby: "Are you going to a hoe-down?"
Castiel: "Is it customary to wear a blanket?"

Watching Dean live out a western movie fantasy was downright adorable. Even the part where his clothes were too clean and no one understood what he said. Or maybe especially the part where his clothes were too clean and no one understood what he said.

Vampire Diaries: Klaus

“I believe the term you’re searching for is OMG.”

Quite a bit happened in this episode. The Vamp In Black finally stopped possessing John Locke’sAlaric’s body. JacobElijah, momentarily resurrected, revealed his relationship with the Vamp in Black, and Desmond Elena continued to struggle with her role as the doppelganger who has the unique power to save the Islandmaintain the curse. And we’re left wondering if BooneJenna will be the sacrifice the Island demands.

Glee: A Night of Neglect

To raise money for Nationals and the Brainiacs club, New Directions puts on a benefit concert. Unfortunately Sue has a new scheme to stop it, replete with henchmen. Will and Holly struggle with their relationship, and Lauren encourages Mercedes to demand respect.

Star Trek: A Piece of the Action

Spock: "Logic and practical information do not seem to apply here."
McCoy: "You admit that?"
Spock: "To deny the facts would be illogical, Doctor."

I liked this episode a lot when I was a kid. I thought it was hilarious. So it's not great science fiction. It's definitely a lot of fun.

The Killing: A Soundless Echo

“I am just so ready to start living, I guess.”

It’s strange some of the things you think about when watching a show. I’m not talking major stuff like plot twists and character arcs but little, incidental things like how much the production team must spend on water for those rain towers. The Killing’s Seattle currently rivals Blade Runner’s LA and that nameless city from Se7en when it comes to non-stop torrential downpours. I’m surprised half the cast aren’t dying of pneumonia by now.

Eureka: Once in a Lifetime

... in which a terrible accident leads to the creation of an alternate timeline.

Stargate Universe: Common Descent

... in which the crew makes a shocking discovery when attempting to find resources on a nearby planet.

NewsFlash: Winter Is Here To Stay


Ausiello of TVLine reports that Game of Thrones has already been renewed for a second season. “This is the continuation of an exciting creative partnership," says the HBO president, doing an admirable job of making The Most Exciting News Ever sound like a very dull press release. Thanks to new writer Mark for the heads up!

Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming

“The things I do for love.”

[This review contains some back-story that hasn’t been covered yet by the show, but it does not spoil future events, just a few future revelations. It is safe for all but the most spoiler-phobic.]

Smallville: Kent

Clark: "This place isn't your home. Martha is."

This final season of Smallville has reminded me why I got into the show in the first place. They are no longer artificially extending the story past its shelf life. We're finally getting the good stuff.

Fringe: Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

“I’m not afwaid of you.”

Last season’s “Brown Betty” was about experimenting with form to achieve maximum emotional wallop. I adored that episode, both because I love all things noir and because Walter’s emotional situation was so complex and weighty that the unusual presentation seemed both necessary and inevitable—not a writerly choice so much as a real expression of Walter’s innermost emotional narrative. Like “Brown Betty,” “LSD” plays with presentation to explain an arc more affective than active.

Supernatural: My Heart Will Go On

Sam: "You totally butterfly-effected history."
Dean: "Dude, dude. Rule one, no Kutcher references."

My first impression? Good standalone episode that managed to combine The Butterfly Effect and Final Destination by way of Titanic. Very funny in a sick sort of way, the sort of dark comedy they do best.

Vampire Diaries: The Last Dance

“The fun is just beginning.”

...In which Josie bites her nails and forgets to breathe during the creepiest high school dance ever seen on television. Wow, that was tense!

Eureka: H.O.U.S.E. Rules

... in which Carter becomes fed up with business-as-usual in Eureka and threatens to quit, prompting S.A.R.A.H. to take steps to avert disaster.

Being Human: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Me Killing You

Aidan: "It's not like I borrowed his car without asking. I thwarted his plan of taking over the eastern seaboard."

What a lovely full circle season finale. Josh and Aidan were ready to kill or die for each other.

Stargate Universe: The Hunt

... in which the crew attempts to rescue T.J. and Corporal Reynolds after they get captured by a wild creature. Meanwhile, Rush, Brody, and Eli continue exploring Destiny.

Eureka: Purple Haze

... in which the town's residents mysteriously black out, then wake up with some major personality shifts.

Vampire Diaries: Know Thy Enemy

“Everything you touch falls apart.”

Full confession? I didn’t like this episode much at first. Vampire Diaries has never given us much time to get our bearings, but after a season of twists and turns abruptly bisected by a six-week hiatus, I needed a bearing. Or at least a little bear cub to explain via interpretive dance and diagrams exactly who knew what, who was planning what, and what the stakes were. Because somewhere in the middle of my 42-day crave-a-thon, I’d lost the thread of excitement that keeps me tied to this show.

Eureka: Primal

... in which Taggart’s nanotechnology combines with Fargo’s neural interface technology and Stark’s subconscious to wreak havoc at Global Dynamics.

Source Code

"Everything's gonna be okay."

I loved this movie. It was terrific. Moving and entertaining, exciting and fast-paced without surpassing my violence comfort zone, and surprisingly, while the plot centered around the worst that human beings can be, I left the theater feeling pretty damned good about people. How often can you say that about a science fiction movie?

Stargate Universe: Seizure

... in which Rush and Dr. Perry find a way to enjoy some physical contact, while Telford enlists Rodney McKay and Richard Woolsey in an attempt to dial Destiny’s nine-chevron address from another planet’s Stargate.

Eureka: Right as Raynes

... in which Callister Raynes --- a beloved computer programmer who left Eureka after a fire destroyed Stark’s lab --- returns, just as the town begins experiencing a series of electrical hiccups.

The Killing: El Diablo

[Let's welcome long-time best friend of the site Mark Greig! He's going to be reviewing AMC's The Killing for us.]

"No, no flowers. Flowers die."

Game of Thrones

Season 1 | Season 2 |
Season 3 | Season 4 |
Season 5 | Season 6 |
Season 7 | Season 8 |
Related Links | Cast |

Game of Thrones (2011-2019) is based on George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series of medieval-esque fantasy novels. The novels (five so far, with two more in the works) are absorbing and fast-paced, with great characters, impressive world-building, and an exciting willingness to take risks. The HBO series is even better.

Our coverage is complete: we reviewed every episode as it aired. Josie Kafka reviewed the first three seasons, and several Agents of Doux joined in for the final five: Juliette, Mark Greig, Logan Cox, Samantha M. Quinn, Thomas Ijon Tichy, JRS, Heather, and Sam T. Cat.

Season One

1.1 Winter Is Coming
1.2 The Kingsroad
1.3 Lord Snow
1.4 Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things
1.5 The Wolf and the Lion
1.6 A Golden Crown
1.7 You Win or You Die
1.8 The Pointy End
1.9 Baelor
1.10 Fire and Blood

Season Two

2.1 The North Remembers
2.2 The Night Lands
2.3 What is Dead May Never Die
2.4 Garden of Bones
2.5 The Ghost of Harrenhal
2.6 The Old Gods and the New
2.7 A Man Without Honor
2.8 The Prince of Winterfell (for readers of the books)
2.8 The Prince of Winterfell (for people who have not read the books)
2.9 Blackwater
2.10 Valar Morghulis

Season Three

3.1 Valar Dohaeris
3.2 Dark Wings, Dark Words
3.3 Walk of Punishment
3.4 And Now His Watch is Ended
3.5 Kissed by Fire
3.6 The Climb
3.7 The Bear and the Maiden Fair
3.8 Second Sons
3.9 The Rains of Castamere
3.10 Mhysa

Season Four

4.1 Two Swords
4.2 The Lion and the Rose
4.3 Breaker of Chains
4.4 Oathkeeper
4.5 First of His Name
4.6 The Laws of Gods and Men
4.7 Mockingbird
4.8 The Mountain and the Viper
4.9 The Watchers on the Wall
4.10 The Children

Season Five

5.1 The Wars to Come
5.2 The House of Black and White
5.3 High Sparrow
5.4 Sons of the Harpy
5.5 Kill the Boy
5.6 Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken
5.7 The Gift
5.8 Hardhome
5.9 The Dance of Dragons
5.10 Mother's Mercy

Season Six

6.1 The Red Woman
6.2 Home
6.3 Oathbreaker
6.4 Book of the Stranger
6.5 The Door
6.6 Blood of My Blood
6.7 The Broken Man
6.8 No One
6.9 The Battle of the Bastards
6.10 The Winds of Winter

Season Seven

7.1 Dragonstone
7.2 Stormborn
7.3 The Queen's Justice
7.4 The Spoils of War
7.5 Eastwatch
7.6 Beyond the Wall
7.7 The Dragon and the Wolf

Season Eight

8.1 Winterfell
8.2 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
8.3 The Long Night
8.4 The Last of the Starks
8.5 The Bells
8.6 The Iron Throne

Related Links

Doux Top Twenty! Number 9: Game of Thrones
House of the Dragon reviews on Doux
Game of Thrones: Winter is (Finally) Coming Discussion Post and Preview
Five Fandoms that I Missed Out On (And it's Too Late to Jump in Now)
Five TV Shows I Stopped Watching
Discussion: Book versus Show (Season Six)
Discussion: Books versus Show (Season Five)
Discussion: Books versus Show (Season Four)
Discussion: Books versus Show (Season Three)
Discussion: Game of Thrones Book versus Show (Season Two)
Game of Thrones Season Two Countdown
Game of Thrones Season One: Reviewer Melee
Not-A-Review of A Dance With Dragons (in which Josie tries work through her issues about the book but fails to review it)

Cast

Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister)
Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister)
Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen)
Kit Harington (Jon Snow)
Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark)
Maisie Williams (Arya Stark)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister)
Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont)
John Bradley (Samwell Tarly)
Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy)
Conleth Hill (Lord Varys)
Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth)
Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth)
Aidan Gillen (Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish)
Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark)
Rory McCann (Sandor 'The Hound' Clegane)