Hellcats @ Wikipedia
Hellcats @ IMDb

Marti Perkins is a scholarship student at the Lancer College in Memphis. Due to budget cuts her scholarship gets cancelled and the only way for her to remain in college is to get a cheerleading scholarship. And since she used to be a gymnast, she gives it a try even though she has no love for the sport. And her arrival at the team is also met with mixed feelings.

I thought I gave it a try since I like Bring It On with Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku and Bring It On: All or Nothing with Hayden Panettiere. These movies didn’t really take themselves seriously and had a high Guilty Pleasure factor. But this series seems to be all work and no play. I’m also not really impressed with the lead character. So I think, I stay with Life Unexpected and Gossip Girl, that’s enough drama for one season.

Community

A cool sitcom (without laugh track) about a bunch of students in a Community College.
As with most shows, it needs a few episodes to settle in, but I really liked it from the start. The dynamics within the group is so great because they have such heterogeneous backgrounds. If it weren’t for that college, these people probably would have never met. That’s were a lot of the fun comes from.

Cougar Town

A sitcom (again without laugh track) about a divorced mum, her teenage son, her ex-husband, her neighbour friends and her assistant/friend.
The show started out as exactly what it says on the tin but moved quickly away from it. Which was a good idea. They are probably going to rename it next year. All the characters are very quirky with Jules being the queen.

Glee

The Glee Club at a high school.
I’ve watched the first two episodes but it just wasn’t my terrain. It seems to be a big hit in the U.S. but I simply can’t see the appeal.

The Good Wife

Alicia Florrick is the wife of a former D.A. who has been charged with crimes regarding the misuse of the powers of his office. Now Alicia has to work again and she starts as a junior associate at a law firm of an old friend.
I really enjoyed this year, it was a good drama show with a lot of interesting characters. And it’s never clear-cut, not black/white. Just like reality.

Human Target

Christopher Chance (not his real name) works for people who need a bodyguard of the special kind.
This is a popcorn show. You watch it, you enjoy it and you don’t think about it. If you watch it, you’ll enjoy it most of the time. If you don’t watch it, you haven’t missed anything.

Justified

Deputy U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens has been transferred back to his old hometown in Kentucky where he meets his ex-wife and his old flame who just shot her husband. And that’s not the only baggage he’s having.
The first season as a few more episodes but I really like it. All the characters have depth and it’s obvious that there’s a bigger plan and not just writing on an episode-to-episode basis.

Life Unexpected

A teenage girl wants to escape the Foster system and finds her real parents. And they try their best to give her a home.
Sometimes it’s corny, but I really enjoyed the show. The characters are all interesting and while the show progresses they move away from the concept that the episode has to end on a high note.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand

Spartacus is the name he was given by his Roman captors. Now he’s a gladiator and he’s fighting to get his freedom back and to see his wife again.
A very graphic show (in all aspects) that has an actual story behind all the blood and the sex. Should the Vampires of True Blood ever have a blood shortage, they could come here.

Stargate Universe

A group of military personnel and civilian scientists make a one-way travel onto a ship in a galaxy far away. Now they try to discover the secrets of the ship, of that galaxy and they try to get back home.
It’s not just because it’s different from its predecessors SG-1 and Atlantis. It’s because the characters make no sense most of the time (like starting rebellions when there’s nothing real to gain) and also because most of the time nothing happens. And even when something happens, it’s not interesting. I haven’t even watched the last few episodes anymore and I doubt I ever will.

White Collar

Basically a spin-off of the movie Catch Me if You Can. A former con man works now for the FBI, solving crimes.
Peter and Neal have an interesting relationship and their cases are also interesting. And the co-characters like Peter’s wife and Mozzie also have their charm. Just like the guys from Leverage Neal is a con man with style.

More details (for other shows, too) here.

The Big Bang Theory 3×19 The Wheaton Recurrence
Didn’t they have the “I love you.” – “Thank you.” joke on last year’s Two and a Half Men (another Chuck Lorre production)?
But first to the Wheaton part: I enjoyed him being back and once again triumphant over Sheldon. They can keep this up if it were for me.
Now to Leonard & Penny: I smell break-up. But the problem is that it wouldn’t feel organic if they did. Penny and Leonard had the most normal intimate relationship in all TV shows over the last few years. They got together and then they just were. No obstacles, no real complications – most often their relationship wasn’t even a real topic in the episode. And suddenly Penny gets cold feet. Maybe they decide that they need a break. Then Leonard sleeps with another woman, Penny doesn’t forgive him and five years later she has a baby with him and in the end she wants to move to Paris and … oh hold on there. That was another couple…

LOST 6×10 The Package
I liked the idea of Sun not speaking English anymore. It brought back memories of the first season.
Unfortunately I didn’t feel that both stories brought the entire story really forward (except for the last minute, but I already guessed that it would be Desmond).

LOST 6×11 Happily Ever After
Everything is falling into place, I can feel it. I still don’t see the whole picture or how this flash-sideways is going to turn out but I can really feel how we’re steering towards the end of a long journey and I’m still exciting to be on board.
If Smokey can’t penetrate an EM fence and Desmond can survive huge EM pulses maybe it will be his task to lure Smokey into such a place (Remember? Huge EM pockets beneath the island?) and then tear him apart in an EM eruption.
And I think Penny and Charlie are so much more interesting than their counterparts on FlashForward.

LOST 6×12 Everybody Loves Hugo
Yes we do! I liked Hugo from the moment he fainted over the U.S. Marshall. He’s basically the only one who didn’t have a big agenda over the last six years, he just went along with one group or the next.
I think it was a big mistake of Smokey to throw Desmond into that well because I bet that’s the place where Desmond was supposed to end up anyway, at the core of everything.
Assuming Sun is the correct Kwon, it means that all remaining (known) candidates are in one place: Jack, Sun, Hugo, Sawyer, Sayid and an unknown person.
One oversight on Richard’s part: since he cannot blow himself up, he should have handled the dynamite…

Smallville 9×15 Escape
It was an OK ghost story. I’ve read somewhere that “Silver Banshee” is a known DC character but I have to say I’ve seen better guest appearances of other DC characters.
But I’ve enjoyed the bathroom scene very much; somehow it reminded me of the first witch episode in season 4. I also like it when they play the forgetfulness card to embarrass one of the characters – like when Chloe figured everything out.

Smallville 9×16 Checkmate
I don’t know if it’s really a good idea to bring yet another party into the game at this point in the season. We’ve already got the “JLA”, the Kandorians & Checkmate. Why a fourth group and why would John join them? – Unless of course it’s the old JSA who don’t yet trust the “new boys in town”. We’ll see. I just hope they don’t screw it up again towards the ending – but so far I’m very optimistic since I’ve enjoyed the entire season so far.
Too bad Lois wasn’t in this episode, I missed her. In earlier seasons I didn’t mind but by now I feel she should be present most of the time.

Human Target 1×10 Tanarak
It was an OK episode but the end fight had some obvious continuity errors (like when they jumped of the truck but were nowhere to be seen in the wide shot afterwards when it blew up only a second later and to the other car with it).

Human Target 1×11 Victoria
While the plot was obviously a big nod towards Princess Diana, I did enjoy the episode; especially when the Irish Connor recognized the Princess of Wales.
Though they seemed to have a problem to get enough people with an English accent to pose as security detail – I doubt the queen would have that many Americans in her staff.

Human Target 1×12 Christopher Chance
I honestly don’t think she’s really dead. Why? Because it was one of these obvious fake TV deaths. You see something blown up where you saw the “dead” person last alive. But here it’s even worse than in White Collar. Because there were minutes between when we saw her and when the boat blew up. I know Baptiste is rather ruthless, but maybe he had another plan or he couldn’t get to her before she vanished. Or whatever.
But as long as I don’t actually see a person die on television I am not convinced she or he is actually dead. And even if they are dead: If it’s the right genre that might mean nothing.

Everything considered I think it’s a nice action show but if you don’t watch it you haven’t missed anything either.

Smallville 9×17 Upgrade
Ah the good ol’ Red K again.
What bothered me about this episode (and every time it has happened in the past) is when Clark asks or demands of someone to be “totally honest” with him. I know he just wants to protect them but it’s always a bit hypocritical because … well you know why. If he doesn’t want to share his secret that’s fine with me but he should give others the same right.
I’m also still worried about Chloe, she has done too many things to others “for their own good” and of course without telling them. I think that will backfire one day – way worse than it did this time with Clark. And since this is Allison Mack’s last season (as far as I’m aware) this could go down rather badly.
LoJacking Lois may also not have been Clark’s best idea – even if he just wanted to protect her. And what was with his Red K ego this time? I know they tried to explain it in the end, but I still though he was very different than on his previous travels to RedRubyLand.

Bones 5×17 The Death of the Queen Bee
Sweets: And this Ray Buxley was a prime suspect in ‘94?
Booth: He was high school custodian, but they didn’t have enough to hold him.
Sweets: Lives alone, low-status job, obsession with gruesome crime stories, surrounded by teenage girls. Very creepy. It’s like Freddy-creepy.

He can still pull it off. I loved it how Ray and Bones talked about things that are slightly disturbing from an outside POV and thought nothing of it. In fact I loved the entire aspect of Bones’s class reunion and how the others reacted to her.

10 Things I Hate About You 1×13 Great Expectations
It was an average episode and I can’t really say much about it.

Castle 2×20 The Late Shaft
I didn’t enjoy this episode as much as other Castle episodes, mainly because the trail to the murderer felt a bit too constructed (a death threat by a not-murderer started the whole thing and it ended with the elaborate way he was actually murdered) and I couldn’t really feel why he did it even though he spoke the words. It was just not really convincing.

Justified 1×03 Fixer
I like that strange assortment of people they seem to have in that town. And I like this man’s style. He certainly makes sure that the prisons aren’t overly crowded.

Justified 1×04 Long in the Tooth
I enjoyed Alan Ruck in this role, it was fitting for him (Cameron Frye anyone?). And the whole thing that got the episode started: Ouch. Too bad it ended that way but I assume he knew that his wound was fatal and he tried to protect her…

Justified 1×05 The Lord of War and Thunder
No wonder he wanted to get away from that town. That’s quite a family. And one has to give it to him: He is persistent; gardening for days just to get a peek into a house…

So far me is liking that show.

A few months back I was wondering if TV Show seasons are getting shorter and I expressed some regret over it. Now I’m not so sure that this is really a bad thing. 13 or 16 episodes are still in a range where you can tell a good story.
I may be imagining it but I thing these shorter series seem to have less or no filler episodes like the full season series do. Shorter seasons also make it possible to watch more and different series.
Don’t get me wrong, if there’s enough story, sure, go ahead, tell a full season. But if there isn’t then less is more.

Life Unexpected 1×11 Storm Weathered
Nice analogy there between Jones-Lux-Bug and Baze-Cate-Ryan. I bet after the revelation that Baze might have feelings for Cate after all, it’s going downhill from here.

Life Unexpected 1×12 Father Unfigured
While it adds drama, I liked it that not everything is now suddenly sunshine and roses. I don’t think it would have been a good idea if Cate’s father would now suddenly return and become yet another piece of this already complicated family puzzle.

Life Unexpected 1×13 Love Unexpected
What? No Big No at the end? The deal is sealed? This is going to be an interesting honeymoon… It was fascinating how Baze changed his opinion very five minutes, depending of with whom he was talking to before. But since Ryan and Cate had their doubts, too, I’d rather not speculate how long this marriage is going to last (provided that the show gets a second season).

I have to say I enjoyed this new series. The characters were interesting and it’s nice to watch a show once in a while were not the entire world is at stake or where an killer has to be caught every episode. This is just about a small family who have their own problems. “Bend or broken is the family tree…”

Doctor Who 5×03 Victory of the Daleks
Now I’m wondering why Amy doesn’t know about the Daleks. Obviously it has something to do with the crack in the reality but I wonder how the Doctor caused it and more importantly: When. If the Daleks are survivors from the end of season 4 then logically it should happened before that. But then Amy should remember the Earth out of orbit and in the Medusa Cascade. Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff makes my head spin.

CW 13-16

Gossip Girl 3×15 The Sixteen Year Old Virgin
Ah, curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal! Sometimes things are very predictable. OK, I did not see Chuck’s mom in league with Jack but since she is an adult, she wasn’t to be trusted in the first place…
But at least I’m into this show again and can enjoy all their plotting and scheming again.

Chuck 3×11 Chuck Versus the Final Exam
Chuck has lost something. If I had to put a finger on it, I’d say it lost its fun. Why does Chuck have to kill someone to become a real spy? He isn’t a Double-O agent (Was the bathroom scene a reference to the one in True Lies or Casino Royale?) and I can’t imagine that a kill test is part of the initiation ritual even in a TV show CIA. And if he fails they fire him? What about the Intersect in his head? Since when isn’t that a problem anymore? In the first season they wanted to throw him in a dark place in Nowheresville if they couldn’t protect him where he lived.
And what about Rome? Chuck living alone in Rome? Away from his friends, his family AND Sarah? What’s the point of being in Rome then?
Why does he need to be a “real spy” anyway? In a real-world scenario Chuck would be a great analyst; someone who stays in the Van and is the eyes and ears of Sarah and Casey in the field. He sees what they see and when he sees something important he flashes, informs them and they take out the bad guys.
I want the show be lighter again, more of the humour that made it so fun during the first two years. You can’t take it seriously anyway since there are enough plot holes in it to build a second Grand Canyon – I choose to ignore them as long as I enjoy watching the characters. But when they fail to shield me then the holes become even more visible.

Castle 2×17 Tick, Tick, Tick…
Whoa. What an end. Great episode. Even though I knew that the bad guy wasn’t dead the moment he moved away from the window I enjoyed this episode and Castle’s childlike excitement about all these new toys very much. Now I wonder how Beckett saved herself – I’d've jumped into the bathtub, it worked in Lethal Weapon 2.

Life Unexpected 1×10 Family Therapized
If at first you don’t succeed, … This was definitively an interesting “re-start” of the show. Now the big question is what the characters will do differently now. But it was a good idea to let Lux burst a bit, the “Why did you leave me?” question had to come up at some point.
I’ll have to admit that I had my doubts but I enjoy this show more and more (with Lux and Baze being far in the lead in regards to character liking).

LOST 6×09 Ab Aeterno
When I read the year I was a tiny bit disappointed: 1867. I always imagined that the Black Rock was from the 17th or even 16th century. But he’s barely 160 years old!
And does this mean that the island was once in the Atlantic? We know the island can be moved but it was never established how far. But if the Black Rock sailed from Tenerife and wanted to get to America it hardly ended up somewhere in the Pacific (where it would have to be to “allow” a plane crashing on it that flew from Australia to L.A.).
This episode gave me not so much answers but more confirmations of theories. And that’s what worries me now. What if there’s no surprise anymore? There are so many theories about the island out there someone was bound to have the right idea. What if I already read the solution without knowing it?
I hope there are still one or two surprises on the road now that we’ve reached the halftime of this final season.

The Big Bang Theory 3×18 The Pants Alternative
So great. “Sheldonopulous.” “It’s only one colour!” “For you – no charge.” “Dark side of the moon.” They should make Sheldon an alcoholic.

How I Met Your Mother 5×18 Say Cheese
This episode had the disadvantage of me watching it right after TBBT and them having a fight. But I still enjoyed how Robin tried to make a bad photo of Barney.

Two and a Half Men 7×18 Ixnay on the Oggie Day
Tricia Helfer or Jennifer Taylor? I know I couldn’t decide between them.
But I have decided that I don’t need Charlie and Chelsea together as long as she drops in regularly.

Cougar Town 1×18 Turn This Car Around
Cool inverse intervention. Great (literally) dog. I’d love to see more Travis (the son, not the dog – OK the dog, too); when he’s older he could become a Colonel and travel through Stargates – he has the sense of humour to pull it off.

Human Target 1×09 Corner Man
This show has an unsteady quality. One week you can totally enjoy the (ridiculous) story and another it just purls slowly down to the valley. They tried to bring an emotional depth to the characters I am simply not interested in. Who cares what Chris’s backstory is as long as he kicks ass?

The Vampire Diaries 1×15 A Few Good Men
“I binged it.” – It’s funny how they try to product-place Microsoft’s search engine.
I like all these twists the story is having but maybe it would have been better if they had given the show a different name. “Diary” always sounds girly to me but despite the inevitable romance there’s more to this show than what the name makes it sound like. But then again, who names a show Buffy the Vampire Slayer?!

Supernatural 5×15 Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid
“Awesome. Another Horseman. Must be Thursday.” Cool reference within a reference. (Thursday is of course the day Supernatural airs but it’s also a wink to the following line: “Dawn’s in trouble. Must be Tuesday.” (Buffy’s musical episode Once More With Feeling).
Nice to see Bobby again and he even looked decent. The episode was OK, but nothing special. I just hope that it was the cue for Bobby having a bigger role again.

Funny side note: On LOST this man (Titus Welliver) was Smokey before he looked like Locke. On Supernatural he’s one of the Four Horsemen, namely War:

This is LOST’s Jacob (Mark Pellegrino), but on Supernatural he’s Lucifer himself:

Coincidence?

Justified 1×01 / 1×02 Fire in the Hole / Riverbrook
It looked fairly interesting. Timothy Olyphant certainly can wear that kind of hat. I have to watch a few more episodes to make up my mind but I’m not disinclined to continue watching.

FlashForward 1×13 Blowback
What happened this week? Ah, yes. Sadbeard’s daughter was kidnapped. And something with self-recognition in a mirror. I believe that was it.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand 1×10 Party Favors
They all must have an inherent death wish.  Last week it was Batiatus, this week Ilithyia. Must be a masochistic trait to cross a man who does brutal killing for a living.
But I am also sad that Blondie is gone, he was fun to have around.

CW 13

Chuck 3×10 Chuck vs. the Tic Tac
The team has hit rock bottom now. It’s basically not even a team anymore. But as the saying goes, it’s always darkest before dawn and since this season was only supposed to have 13 episodes and got an additional set of six and going by what I’ve read I assume this arc will be resolved by the end of episode 13 and then a new one begins.
Chuck without either Sarah or Casey wouldn’t work, so I’m pretty sure they’ll find a way to bring them both back.

White Collar 1×14 Out of the Box
This was a pretty cool season finale. I didn’t expect that so much would be going on in there. As for the final scene, I didn’t really care whether Neal was going because if there’s a season two he would have come back anyway. But this ending was a bit too clichéd – no way in hell did Kate die on that plane.
I certainly like that show and I will be back for the second season.

LOST 6×07 Dr. Linus
The episode didn’t do much to bring the mythology forward but it was a helluva story. Both sides were really great. I loved it not knowing how Ben or Dr. Linus would decide and I loved it how he decided off-island and how the story turned on-island. Michael Emerson is a great actor one has to admit that.
Now I am wondering how this puzzle will look when completed since off-island Dr. Linus and his father have actually been to the island.

LOST 6×08 Recon
And another great episode. Miles and Sawyer as cop-buddies – I’d watch an entire show of that. What did strike me as odd though was the fact that now-we-know-he’s-a-cop Sawyer let Kate escape at LAX in LA X. And I have to wonder if everything has a deeper meaning or if the producers just throw in a bone from time to time (“LaFleur”).
And it’s nice to know that LAPD cops are allowed to sleep with suspects.

Gossip Girl 3×13 The Hurt Locket
Four months can be a long time. And it has been four months since the last Gossip Girl episode had been aired. And I have to admit, I had forgotten about what was going on in the show. Thus the first half of the episode I was figuring out the who-why-what questions.
And even at the end of the episode I felt very indifferently towards all of the characters, not even the Jenny drug scam could upset me.

Gossip Girl 3×14 The Lady Vanished
I’m still only slowly reconnecting to the show. All the dramatic events of this episode had little to no effect on me.
As I said before the big break I thought that Chuck has become a grown-up man. But now I also noticed it with Sabrina, Blair & Nathan. They’ve all seemed to have become older and more settled whereas the real adults haven’t changed at all and are as unsteady as ever.

How I Met Your Mother 5×17 Of Course
Going by this episode I bet Barney and Robin are back together by the end of the season. And I am not against it. Once again Barney has proven he’s a decent guy after all.
All in all it was a very funny episode.

The Big Bang Theory 3×17 The Precious Fragmentation
But this one was even better. I laughed so hard at all these nerd jokes (I recognized all of them of course ) and I loved it how they recognized how very nerdy they behaved (which happens very rarely).
“I pity the fool who’s illogical!”

House M.D. 6×14 Private Lives
I know that woman. But from where? Even though I have trouble recognizing faces I am not familiar with it happens from time to time that I see a face that I know I know and just can’t plcae it anywhere. Naturally I look it up, favourably in IMDb. And what do I see: I already looked her up recently; the link is marked as visited (I came from an episode of How I Met Your Mother). But I didn’t found what I was looking for since there are no other links visited. But now I take a closer look and what do I find? That ’70s Show. And now I suddenly see her clearly before me in that garage they used to hang out. Funny thing the mind is because I couldn’t tell you if I had ever seen two full episodes of that show. It was just something that flashed by when I zapped through the channels and yet I can clearly see that big dumb guy, a small Italian(?) guy, the blonde in question and a hot redhead? No wait the hot redhead was in the show with that toy rabbit in the basement…

Anyway… I loved the whole porn story and also Wilson’s retribution. They are becoming more and more The Odd Couple (if that wasn’t the template from the start ). And the whole Chase-”I am really good looking?”-affair was also very funny.

House M.D. 6×15 Black Hole
With this episode I have to wonder if that brain imaging machine is actually something real (or at least a theoretical concept in some young doctor’s dissertation) or if it’s just techno voodoo. Because I don’t really like it when shows drift from “real” to science-fiction. For example: Bones had that stuff from the beginning so it didn’t bother me. But House seemed to be a bit more grounded even when they stretch their diagnostic abilities to the breaking point.
This was once again an episode that showed how House has changed since his visit to the loony bin. His mind is still great but he doesn’t (necessarily) use it anymore to torture those around him (like when he said to Taub “Good for you.” and seemed to mean it).

With this episode I have watched 300 episodes in this TV Season 2009/2010 Diary now.

Human Target 1×08 Baptiste
This episode worked much better than last week’s. Lex Luthor’s ex-wife has more chemistry with Chance than the guerrilla woman from the episode before. I also liked the way they told the story with mixing the talk on the bench with scenes of what happened before. Not just a simple “8 hours earlier” and that’s it.
But they didn’t fool me, I didn’t believe she was dead. I can’t remember the last person who was in an episode of any show and then “died” off-screen that was actually dead in the end.

Life Unexpected 1×08 Bride Unbridled
Sometimes I have the feeling they add the drama for its own sake. I really can’t think of an actual reason why Lux would be mad at Baze for helping Jones to give her a happy day – a day where she had the chance to see her best friend again.
But I liked it that Ryan and Baze had a man-to-man and I hope that they will get along better from now on.

Life Unexpected 1×09 Formal Reformed
OK, that went not so well. Maybe Baze is still a bit of the guy he was 16 years ago. And sleeping with Kate’s sister might also not have been his best idea. But on the other hand, he is not in a relationship and Kate has pushed him away once more. So he’s not obligated to anyone. But I bet there will be drama when this comes out.
But in one regard mother and daughter have something in common: They both have more than one guy who cares for her.

Two and a Half Men 7×17 I Found Your Moustache
It was an OK episode, Chelsea’s father and his friend a certainly a funny addition to the show.

The Good Wife 1×15 Bang
Gary Cole was a really interesting character and I loved it how he “spoofed” Diane’s picture with Hillary Clinton with his own: Him & Sarah Palin.
I also like Eli, he’s so refreshingly outspoken.
But what I found most amusing was that this book actually exists. (Check out the Customer Reviews!)

The Good Wife 1×16 Fleas
I wouldn’t have liked it when they had taken that Drug Lord as a client. I know that law firms are by definition not only representing the good guys but sometimes I like to indulge myself in the illusion that at least my television law firms belong to the good guys.
And now really start to appreciate Eli.

The Good Wife 1×17 Heart
This episode was a bit too American for me. All these endless abortion arguments and the husband who has been unfaithful and now needs to make amends to the public…
Real life example: Why did Tiger Woods apologize to the public because he cheated on his wife?! She has to decided whether she accepts his apology; the public has no business in what happens in other people’s bedrooms if no felony is involved.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand 1×06 / 1×07 / 1×08 / 1×09 Delicate Things / Great and Unfortunate Things / Mark of the Brotherhood / Whore
I wouldn’t have it thought possible but they actually managed to show even more naked women per episode. In some scenes there’s not a single dressed woman anymore. It’s like softporn – with an actual story.
And now they not only show gallons of blood in the arena, but also in the mind of the protagonist.
What I also noticed is that they disposed of quite a number of characters in the first two episodes. And when Spartacus finds out that he had his wife killed Batiatus’s life won’t be worth a single coin…

At this point I’m wondering what the long-term plans for this show are, i.e. do they make it up as they go along or is there a master plan that at some the story point switches from the arena to his uprising?

FlashForward 1×11 / 1×12 Revelation Zero, Part 1 & 2
It was not perfect but I thought it was much better than the last episodes I saw of this show. But maybe it was because Mark wasn’t that much in it. I don’t know, we’ll see.
And the hobbit has lost parts of his finger; that brings back old memories.

CW 12

Chuck 3×08 Chuck vs the Fake Name
Chuck sad. The path of the hero is a lonely one.
I think Chuck made the right choice (even though it was cruel to her) but I’m also sad that Hannah is gone (at least I assume she won’t be there in the next episode).
What I personally would love to see would be an episode where Team Bartowski has to hunt random bad guy into a mall and Hannah is in one of the lanes. Casey is running behind bad guy, Chuck comes from the side, does one of his dorky moves and brings down bad guy. Casey cuffs him and when the Mall Cops arrive, Sarah IDs herself as CIA – with Hannah witnessing all this from afar and finally understanding (yes, I know the scenario is a lot like the one in Smallville’s Promise, but I loved that scene, too).
PS: Is it just me or does “Sam(antha) Lisa” not really roll off the tongue?

How I Met Your Mother 5×16 Hooked
Barney’s history of jobs for attractive women was very funny but the episode as a whole wasn’t as memorable (in fact, having it watched two days ago I’ve already forgotten most about it).

Smallville 9×14 Conspiracy
This is an episode I have some issues with. And all these issues are connected to Chloe, my once favourite character of the show. But since the Doomsday/Brainiac arc she has changed.
While it’s technically true that Clark has lost his moral compass at times, it’s always been when he was under influence of something (e.g. Red K) but I can’t remember him doing anything immoral when he was “normal”. He might not have done what was necessary (for example: before and during Zod’s first appearance) but that is a big diff from doing what’s morally right.
And why she is blaming him for the disaster that was Doomsday is beyond me; I’d say Clark is one of the least guilty in that whole affair.
I fear that when Zod finds the tracers in the ID that this will be the reason he convinces his people that Kal-El and the Earthlings are not to be trusted and he will use them against him.

The Big Bang Theory 3×16 The Excelsior Acquisition
Also an average episode. Granted the bit with the Restraining Order was funny but overall it was pretty predictable.
And let’s face it: DC also has it’s share of identical-initial-names: Lex Luthor, Lana Lang, Lois Lane, …

Two and a Half Men 7×15 Tinkle Like a Princess
This was a good sad episode that showed the door isn’t closed. And yet Charlie remained Charlie (with the church and afterwards). I like it that there’s hope after all (even though only he viewer can see it right now).
I also liked the opening theme spoof with the growing Jake – they either used it for the first time or I just didn’t notice it before.

Life Unexpected 1×06 Truth Unrevealed
For me, Kate is the least likable person. I can understand that Ryan’s pissed but he’s also honest enough to show it openly so that Baze knows where he stands. And even though Baze also keeps the secret he has no obligation to be truthful, it isn’t even his place. But Kate’s juggling with knives here…
I also believe that this was the first episode that didn’t end on a high note.

Life Unexpected 1×07 Crisis Unaverted
And crashing down it comes. And rightly so. With a show like this I assume it will be made right eventually but for now I am curious how this new dynamic is working out. And since I have been complaining about these instant-problem-solving plots I certainly like this new approach much better.

LOST 6×05 Lighthouse
Seems like every character is getting his/her own episode that tells the on- and off-island story. Someone guessed that the off-island stories are actually the epilogue of the show – the things that happen when this season is over and the island story is resolved. TBH I wouldn’t be against it.
But I would have liked to know what name was at 108 degrees…

LOST 6×06 Sundown
“He came back wrong.” – Also a common theme among fantasy shows. But I choose to believe that the pre-death Sayid would not have helped Smokey-Locke even if he promised him Nadia just like Claire wouldn’t be able to kill someone so mercilessly.
While it isn’t impossible that Smokey-Locke is actually the good guy and Jacob the bad, I honestly can’t see playing it out that way right now. I would think it more likely that it’s more like the Babylon 5 Vorlon/Shadow arc were both parties weren’t really the god guys.
I also could imagine that Jack and Sawyer become the new Jacob and Smokey, effectively inheriting their roles because it’s somehow important for the island/the world.

White Collar 1×12 Bottlenecked
The Anti-Caffrey. The Bizarro-Neal. It was an OK episode but nothing special.

White Collar 1×13 Front Man
This one I liked better because Neal and Mozzie could show their talents. I really liked the discussion about Neal’s future at the end and I am curious if he will manage to steal the box (if he tries it) and keep a straight face with Peter. Next week’s season finale will tell.

Burn Notice 3×15 Good Intentions
Too bad Jonathan LaPaglia’s role wasn’t bigger, I loved him as the slightly crazy chrononaut in Seven Days, a series where I occasionally watch an episode or two.
But 24’s Tony Almeida was also a very good guest character. His character here was a bit more convincing than Tony at the end of 24’s season seven.
And the end of the episode – I did not see this coming, even though it becomes a repeated theme in Burn Notice (anyone remembers Caprica Six or Daniel Jackson?).

Burn Notice 3×16 Devil You Know
Hey, Cromartie is a spy/killer – who could have known?
I loved it how Madeline stood by her son until the end and I hope she gets a big pay-off for this next season. She deserves it.

CW 09-10

LOST 6×04 The Substitute
This episode was much better. It didn’t give us many answers (if you consider the association of numbers and names an answer at all) but it’s a start and the off-island story was much more interesting (especially with seeing Katey Sagal again). It’s funny to see how they all still manage to run into each other even though they never met.
Locke and Smokey-Locke were both great and I long to find out what this is all about.

Life Unexpected 1×05 Turtle Undefeated
Ended well again. What a surprise. Since this season has only 13 episodes I’m probably going to watch it completely – one has to give a show a chance after all – but so far I still don’t think this is a show I’m going to watch for years.

Human Target 1×06 Lockdown
It was nice too see Alias’s Marshall Flinkman again – and again in a role as tech-savvy developer. I also liked it that Chance’s back story is slowly becoming a part of the show. I suspect it will be a background-arc that pops up once in a while just like Beckett’s mum’s murder in Castle. We’ll see.

Leverage 2×15 The Maltese Falcon Job
Too bad the season is already over again. I liked Jeri/Tara on the team very much but now Gina/Sophie is back and that’s good too. At least I hope she is since I have no clue how the ratings were this year and whether the show will return. I certainly hope so. But I also hope they don’t pull this trick at the end of every year – the team falling apart I mean.

Burn Notice 3×14 Partners in Crime
It was nice to see the gang reconcile after the events from last week. It was also interesting because I can’t remember the last time Michael actually “lost” a client.
While Fi played her role as kidnapped girlfriend very good it was nothing against Sam’s “CSI: Caruso” impersonation and one-liners.

Smallville 9×13 Persuasion
I bet there are already some fan discussions out there about Clark being a terrorist who brings the Twin Towers down. While it looked funky, the moment you bring your logic part of the brain into this, ou realize there was no way he could make sure no one was getting hurt. Yes, there was a time component involved but by no means had he to destroy the build that instant in that fashion to save the day.
Still the episode managed it quite well to mix the serious Kandor storyline with the more funnier Valentine’s storyline.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand 1×05 Shadow Games
Slowly but steady something like a story is creeping into the show. But it is still mostly a blood fest with some titties thrown in for good measure. One could argue that the latter is an actual portrayal of these times but we all know why they do it in this show…

After I read that LOST’s Sawyer played in the Angel pilot, I had to look. Found him:

And Christian Kane also has changed quite a bit since these days:

CW 08-09

Chuck 3×07 Chuck vs the Mask
This episode has cause quite an Internet Backdraft, for example: Chuck, “Chuck vs. the Mask”: Night at the museum, The Double-Edged Sword Of Devotion: ‘Chuck’ Vs. The Entitled Fan Base.
I agree on the part that Sarah/Clark KentShaw was indeed a bit rushed. But I disagree on the Chuck/Lana LangHannah part. And I think that both couples actually do have chemistry. Maybe that’s the reason people are so irritated about it.
I also agree on the assessment of one of the commentators on the first link that Chuck is trying to wear a mask to become a better spy and that he runs the risk of becoming the mask. My prognosis is that the mask is shattered when (and I’m totally guessing here, I have no actual spoiler infos) something happens to Hannah – she’s only a guest star after all.
So in sum, I liked this episode because I didn’t think it was unbelievable what I saw.

Heroes 4×19 Chapter Eighteen ‘Brave New World’
When a friend told me last week that this would be the season finale I was stumped. I couldn’t fathom how they could bring all these loose ends together in just one episode. They somehow did but it felt very rushed and in my opinion it fell a bit flat – but that seems to be a Heroes tradition since season one.
I liked it when they started slow, I got a bit bored when it didn’t speed up in the middle and then it end abruptly.
To be perfectly honest I wouldn’t care if there were never a fifth season – but if there is I’m probably going to watch it anyway in the slim hope that they manage to return to the quality of the first season (excluding the end).
Heroes seems to be the perfect example of a New Year rocket. It rises fast, burns brightly and is burned out even faster.

House M.D. 6×13 5 to 9
That was a great Cuddy episode, it worked really well. From this point of view it’s even more astonishing how Cuddy can bear House and his games and habits.
What bothered me about this (and also last(?)) episode is Lucas’s behaviour. House is a jerkass (with a heart of gold), he always has been and Cuddy knows that. But Lucas isn’t that much better. We saw him threaten House and Wilson over the condo issue and now he’s betting with House about his sex with Cuddy?! If he isn’t a good person, Cuddy might as well choose the original bad one instead of this copycat…

Human Target 1×05 Run
The show is very predictable; there are no hidden plots or meaning, no surprises: WYSIWYG. For example, it was totally obvious that the D.A. was his daughter. But somehow that is part of the fun. It’s like riding a rollercoaster. You know it’ll be fast, you’ll get two downhills, maybe a looping but in the end you’ll get safely back to the station.

Castle 2×15 Suicide Squeeze
Parts of the reveal were pretty predictable this time, with Castle’s background and all… Apart from that not much else happened either.

Burn Notice 3×13 Enemies Closer
One has to wonder why Michael actually does what he does. The series premise prevents that he actually becomes a spy again or the show would be over. But that is a narrative point of view. But even inside the question stands whether Michael actually wants to become a spy again one day. He has been burned for 2.5 years now and his life has changed. He isn’t the man who got beaten up in Africa anymore. So why does he bother himself with Gilroy and his secret agenda?

Cougar Town 1×15 When a Kid Goes Bad
A cool episode again. What’s great about this show is that it hasn’t two or three distinct plots per episode. Sometime it’s even hard to figure out what the plot actually is. Everyone is running into everyone else and taking part in their story. This episode started out with the issue of manscaping and ended up with Christmas decoration on Valentine’s Day…

How I Met Your Mother 2×15 Rabbit or Duck
“The Phone from Hell” was great and so was “The Naked Man”. It was funny to see this extremely fast-paced episode and it had a heart-warming ending.

Leverage 2×14 The Three Strikes Job
It was certainly a very interesting start but I’ll hold judgement until I’ve seen part 2.

Life Unexpected 1×04 Bong Intercepted
I’m afraid this is not my kind of show; it’s too happy-worldy-endy for my taste. Nothing against a happy end, but not in every episode after a major blow-out. I’ll keep watching for a few more episodes to give it a chance, but I don’t think it’ll work for me.

LOST 6×03 What Kate Does
This was a bit of a letdown after this superb season opener. Once again it didn’t happen much on the island (or off for that matter) and I have no idea where the off-island story is supposed to be going (and not in a Oh!-So-many-clues-and-riddles! way). I hope they know what they are doing and don’t deliver a Battlestar Galactica or Heroes ending.

Smallville 9×12 Warrior
This was another really cool episode. It was funny to see Chloe and “Warrior Angel” together and also Clark and Zatanna. I also really liked the ending because it would be another great pairing.
Too bad they didn’t show the scene where Lois and Clark went to the Costume Ball, I really would have liked to see this.
I also really liked it when Clark made the typical superhero move and ripped his shirt open.

Supernatural 5×14 My Bloody Valentine
It was a really good and dark episode where one can really feel that the Apocalypse is actually coming. I especially liked Jensen’s portrayal of the slowly breaking Dean who becomes ever more “mechanical” and less of a real person – and then having this end of the episode…

The Big Bang Theory 3×15 The Large Hadron Collision
When Penny showed the first signs of sickness I thought Sheldon had something to do with it – but I guess that would be against the mood of the show.
I liked the fact that Leonard openly stood against Sheldon and his ridiculous “roommate agreement” until the end. I think that’s good for both of them and the show itself.
Overall I had much fun with this episode.

The Good Wife 1×14 Hi
“Number 12. A judge….” I loved it how Kalinda managed to phrase her statement in a way that “convinced” the judge to stop this kind of questioning.
But I also liked the primary case and how it played out.

The Vampire Diaries 1×14 Fool Me Once
As I’ve said before I like it that they don’t stretch the arcs to all eternity but give the viewer an intermediate result once in a while. OK, so Catherine wasn’t in the tomb but at least they opened it now and can get on with it.

Two and a Half Men 7×15 Aye, Aye, Captain
These two episodes were very funny, the second one in particular (when Charlie was drunk) but the downer ending was still fitting. I just hope that this isn’t the end because Chelsea has become an important part of the show for me and seeing what’s going on in Charlie Sheen’s real life there is a chance that this could be the last season…

White Collar 1×11 Home Invasion
I have to admit, I did not recognize her by her face, but when she spoke I knew I knew that voice and suddenly it made *bling*: Smallville’s Alicia Baker (aka Sarah Carter).
I enjoyed the episode with Peter’s staying at Neal’s and the interference of Alex during the undervcover op and all. It’s a lot fun to watch.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand 1×03 / 1×04 Legends / The Thing in the Pit
It’s still a lot of blood and sex. But apart from that? Not much to be honest.

CW 07

Chuck 3×06 Chuck vs Nacho Sampler
Interesting choice of conspiracy partners. I don’t think both will found out but just one of them and he/she will help Chuck cover it up for the other one. On the one hand if it would be his sister, Awesome could finally relax before he breaks. If it would be Morgan it would certainly be fun because he would be a sure candidate for interfering in the wrong moments.
It was also an interesting use of flashbacks to show how much Chuck and Chuck has changed over the past few years. On some level I’m sad that the show has lost its more lighter tone on the other hand I do like it.

Heroes 4×18 Chapter Seventeen ‘The Wall’
So I was right, it will go out in a fight of Specials vs Specials vs. Normals. I liked this episode because this “compressed time” gave Sylar and Peter the chance to deal with their issues. But it’ll only work if the writers don’t come up with yet another Face Heel Turn for Sylar – it’s already hardly believable how often Sylar switched sides…
Now I am keen to see the fight between Samuel’s ma/en and Sylar/Peter. I don’t see him having the slightest chance against them, especially if Peter copies Sylars abilities.

How I Met Your Mother 5×14 Perfect Week
It was OK, but since I knew neither the moderator nor the Yankees baseballer I assume some of the    punchlines got lost on me.

House M.D. 6×12 Moving the Chains
House is doing nice things and still remains a scheming mastermind. I liked both side-stories about Foreman’s brother and the condo pranks. The case was also mildly interesting but pretty routine…

Life Unexpected 1×03 Rent Uncollected
Huh. They pretend to have problems, but they actually don’t. This time Baze had a big row with his parents but in the end his daughter who has known him for merely a week fixes things and the episode ends with a roof-top party.
I had hoped for a more realistic portrayal but this episode was too much 7th Heaven for my taste. If this continues, I’ll drop it again.

The Big Bang Theory 3×14 The Einstein Approximation
We’ve seen a “normal” Sheldon, a drunken Sheldon and now a sleep-deprived Sheldon. He just went up to eleven. I don’t dare to imagine a drunken, sleep-deprived Sheldon.
It was a really funny episode, especially with the gag reel at the end. Bazinga!  

Two and a Half Men 7×14 Crude and Uncalled For
I will hold judgement until I’ve seen the second part.

White Collar 1×10 Vital Signs
I love it when they use Neal’s abilities properly: To con a man into giving a confession. That’s why he’s here for after all.
The talk between Peter and his wife when she found the business card was also great, it was absolutely in the mood of the show.
BTW: Is it just me or does Tiffani Thiessen (Elizabeth Burke in White Collar) a lot like Sarah Lancaster (Ellie Bartowski-Woodcomb in Chuck)?

Human Target 1×03 / 1×04 Embassy Row / Sanctuary
It’s simply a cool action series where one can enjoy a badass hero, badass support and cool one liners without having too much to think about it (in fact, thinking about it may reduce the enjoyment ).

LOST 6×01 / 6×02 LA X
LOST is back and confusing as always. I love it. One has to wonder how many different groups there are on this island and how they managed not to run into each other for so long. I’m also keen to learn how these two different realities (if they are distinct!) will play out.
Once again I’m in full LOST addiction mode!!!
“You’re the monster!” – “Please don’t resort to name-calling.”

Bones 5×14 The Devil in the Details
That was a really cool case with interesting guest characters and a fascinating victim. What I also liked was how Bones fell for that loony’s play and how the chief psychiatrist confronted her because of her vilification of psychology. I also loved Bones’s & Booth’s talk about “reassurement” at the end.
I just wonder how many Angel jokes David Boreanaz got during the production of this episode.

Cougar Town 1×14 All the Wrong Reasons
This episode had again the right mixture of fun and seriousness in all three stories it told. And I liked all three stores, though I have to say that Jules’s/Ellie’s was the least interesting.
Funny thing, I feel a certain vibe between Laurie and Travis but I think that is a major no-no on the show (but I bet it would have fascinating consequences).

Leverage 2×13 The Future Job
It was surprising to see Parker so … human and sad to see her so sad. But the coolest part in the episode was not the final con but the initial con to get him hooked – though I didn’t understand how they pulled off that thing with the cop. But the rest: great.

The Good Wife 1×13 Bad
I loved it that they let it in the vague whether this guy killed his wife or not. In any case he was an interesting and shady type. I also liked the developments in Peter’s trial and how the attorney “deconstructed” both witnesses.
I like the balance between the case-of-the-week and the arc about her husband.

Burn Notice 3×12 Noble Causes
Michael does the Steven Seagal! A microwave actually seems to be a good weapon.
I love it how Michael can be pressured into doing anything Fi or his mother want him to do. It makes it so much more ironic when he’s playing/being the tough guy towards the bad guys.
“To save time, just press popcorn!”

Supernatural 5×13 The Song Remains the Same
I enjoyed this episode a lot, it was nice to see the young Winchesters again and for her mother to see her grown-up children even though the reset button was punched in the end.
But this episode had one major logic flaw on Dean’s part: He said being murdered is not the same as to have never been born. But the end result is pretty much the same. If he really thought that it would be necessary to sacrifice himself and his brother he might as well have Anna let kill his brother and stop the Apocalypse this way.

Smallville 9×11 Absolute Justice
I was a bit anxious after I saw the pictures of the Justice Society member costumes because they looked so comic-like. On screen they still looked a bit out of place but they fitted much better into the scenery.
I liked the whole story because the points made about “family” were true, Martian Manhunter got his powers back and Tess has a new (dubious) part to play in the events to come.
I think I’m going to watch it again soon.

The Vampire Diaries 1×13 Children of the Damned
Oh the irony. When Elena sleeps at Stefan’s house she sleeps with him but when they’re at her own house the bedroom door must remain open…
But I liked the flashbacks to the 1860s though I doubt that a white man would openly show his fondness towards an Asian-looking woman – in a Confederate State during the Civil War.
Be that as it may, I like how the show is progressing.

CW 05-06