Bones
With Bones it’s business as usual. I like their cases and their chemistry and I just enjoy watching them.
And I loved it how Brennan managed to jump over her own shadow for this kids show:

Castle
The same is basically true for Castle. Castle and Beckett are hilarious together and I love the way they solve their cases. Both shows have put the WTWT topic on a back burner which is good for now but it’s obviously still there and will become an issue again. I don’t mind as long as it’s well executed.

Chuck
Chuck’s family tree is becoming more complicated than the one Jennifer Garner had in Alias – and that’s saying something.
Chuck as a person has grown but luckily that doesn’t take away the humour and the appeal of the show. If anything the addition of Morgan as Casey’s “partner” made it even better.

Community
I love it how every episode is mainly about one or two characters but it doesn’t really feel that way because everyone is contributing their own point of view and in the end it’s always an ensemble show.
The zombie movie homage in the Halloween episode was so cool – and I don’t even like zombie movies.

Cougar Town
The show continues where it left at the end of the first season. I’m glad that it doesn’t really matter that Travis is in college because he’s either at home or they are visiting him, so he’s still a full cast member.
I also love how they toy with the series name, for example in episode five the title card read 100% Cougar Free Cougar Town.

Gossip Girl
They certainly have kicked the drama up a notch. I love it that even the viewer doesn’t know what Juliet’s and Ben’s and Colin’s problem with the mains is and what they’re trying to achieve.
[Austin Powers]Gimme more drama, babe![/Austin Powers]

House M.D.
I love the new House, how he’s trying to change, how he behaves with Cuddy. The last episode where he played babysitter was great. “What? How did you eat a dime?” – “House.”

How I Met Your Mother
Somewhere along the way the show lost its appeal. It’s still enjoyable but it’s not high on the priority list anymore.
I often can’t really put it into words why I don’t enjoy that much anymore. But I can still determine it by asking the simple question “Am I going to buy this season on DVD?”. The more important a show is to me, the more eager I am to purchase it.

Life Unexpected
They, too, turned up the drama factor.
Maybe I am gender-biased but when I compare Ryan’s and Cate’s lies and transgressions I still think Cate’s the most dishonest person on the show. Maybe that’s why I like Baze being with Emma. He’s trying to make it work. All Cate ever does is sabotaging her own marriage.

Melissa & Joey
They play very well off each other and I enjoy every episode of it. It’s fun to watch. What more can you ask of a sitcom?

No Ordinary Family
I still haven’t watched more than the pilot and while I like the idea and the characters I’m not too eager to watch the next episode. I think this is going to be a filler series for the mid-season break.

Raising Hope
Still weird. Still very enjoyable. I can’t really explain where the fascination comes from but it’s there.

$#*! My Dad Says
Sometimes it becomes a bit too self-referential (making a career out of writing down what his dad says) but I really enjoy father and son (and to a degree the big brother and his wife).

Smallville
Nothing has changed with this show. Sometime you ask yourself if the writers really know their own canon or just retcon what they need as they go along. Sometimes you have to ask yourself if Clark is ever going to make one step all by himself without being pulled or pushed by a third person.
And still: Clark and Lois, Lois and Clark. They are great together this season. Their “I love you”s in Homecoming, his reveal in Isis, I would totally trade places with Clark just to look into Lois’ sparkling eyes. *extreme character crush*

Supernatural / The Good Wife / The Vampire Diaries
I haven’t even watched one episode of the new season yet. It’s not that they are bad shows; I just wasn’t in the mood yet.

Terriers
Another show I haven’t continued watching (yet!).

The Big Bang Theory
Still as funny as ever. Unfortunately Kaley Cuoco broke was trampled by a horse and broke her leg but it’ll heal and she’ll be back soon.

Two and a Half Men
Even in its eighth year this show is still funny as hell. The focus has shifted a bit from Charlie to Alan but it works.

The Good Wife 1×23 Running
Whoah. This episode just added so many new shades of grey that we have a full 256 colour palette – without any colour in it.
This ending proved what a great year this has been. I knew exactly when the cliff-hanger was coming without even looking at the clock and I enjoyed it. It gives me something to wait for. I usually don’t like cliff-hangers because normally they just interrupt an action sequence on its climax and you know how it’s going to end anyway (maybe not the specifics but in general). But this was different.

This is certainly a show that will find its way onto my shelves.

Let me add something to that last statement: I don’t know if I’m ever going watch this first season again. Not because I didn’t like it (obviously) but I am watching a lot of things and my time is limited. And I buy faster than I can actually watch.
But I have a principle: Since I am not American, I cannot watch all that stuff I am watching totally legal (or I would have to wait a few years and then watch it dubbed on German TV). So when I really like a show, I still want to make a “contribution”, to make sure the producers get something back for giving me more than 16 hours of entertainment. Thus I buy it on DVD even though I know I might not have the time to watch it ever again.

Justified 1×11 / 1×12 Veterans / Fathers and Sons
Some families. Boyd & Bo, Raylan and Arlo. I find it fascinating how the show appears to be black’n'white and absolutely grey at the same time. For now I’m just wondering what Boyd’s true endgame is (excuse me for being a not-yet-believer that he’s truly changed his ways).

Burn Notice 4×01 Friends and Enemies
So, he’s back in the spy game and he’s not. It could be interesting, depending on how they manage to portray his on-duty activities (if they ship him out, he can’t have a civilian case in the same episode and that everything happens in Miami would be not very convincing).
But I’m glad he’s back.

The Vampire Diaries 1×16 / 1×17 / 1×18 / 1×19 / 1×20 / 1×21 / 1×22 There Goes the Neighborhood / Let the Right One In / Under Control / Miss Mystic Falls / Blood Brothers / Isobel / Founder’s Day
It’s not that this isn’t a good show. It has an interesting concept, interesting characters and a good dynamic between them.
It’s just never that high on my priority list. There are those shows that I need to see immediately (like Chuck and The Big Bang Theory) and those that I dropped altogether (like FlashForward and Stargate Universe). This show is somewhere in the middle sector. I watched it ’til the end because I wanted to know how the season ended but if I don’t turn in next season I wouldn’t feel like I missed out on something.

Party Down 2×06 “Not on Your Wife” Opening Night
Another one of these WTF episodes this show is so fond of. Loved it.

Party Down 2×07 Party Down Company Picnic
Finally the old order has been restored. Unfortunately there are only three episodes left this season and I honestly can’t imagine how this show is going to work without Henry and Casey. The others are fun, too, but I just have to look at the new woman who still doesn’t really fit in.
But it was great to have Uda (Kristen Bell) back. She has a great presence and her character fights right into this band of loonies.

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 3×07 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

Chuck 3×05 Chuck vs First Class
Both stories were really great. It was really cool that put the Buy More (without Chuck) in the focus and Morgan and Casey are awesome together. But Chuck’s mission was also really cool. And I have to admit it: I really like Kristin Kreuk. I liked her on Smallville and I like her here. She’s probably one of very few persons that I wouldn’t mind as “love interest” replacement for Sarah. And Shaw seems to be a good character, too.

Castle 2×14 The Third Man
Another nice scavenger hunt I enjoyed very much. The “double date” dinner was really cool and the case itself was fascinating. It was so funny how Castle tried to hide the newspaper(s) from Beckett and how the “Gossip Girl” had to explain to him why she wrote it that way.

House M.D. 6×11 Remorse
The schizophrenic was a nice proxy to get a glimpse into House himself. This episode was very well written and I really liked the side-story about his former fellow student and (however short) Cuddy. I wish they’d make a full-blown House/Cuddy episode anytime soon.

Life Unexpected 1×02 Home Inspected
Things were a bit rushed in this second episode because of the custody inspection (which they had to pass in order to get the show running) and this caused this back-and-forth in just one episode. But I liked the part about her orphan friends and I still think this is going to be an interesting show.

White Collar 1×09 Bad Judgment
“What does the fridge magnet represent?” – “A fridge magnet.” I really liked this episode, the way they played the OPR agent and made him lose his judge-in-the-pocket. But Mozzie was once again the funniest part of the episode.

Heroes 4×17 Chapter Sixteen ‘The Art of Deception’
Tracy! Long time no see! Finally I get the feeling this season is going somewhere. Though this somewhere looks suspiciously like X-Men: The Last Stand. But as long as they can deliver, I don’t mind.

Bones 5×13 The Dentist in the Ditch
OK case, OK side-story. Nothing that will stay in mind.

Burn Notice 3×11 Friendly Fire
Nice to see Danny Trejo again. Also Mike was a really cool ominous man; I bet the gangbanger will one day become a proper client of his.

Leverage 2×12 The Zanzibar Marketplace Job
Nice to see Mark A. Sheppard again. Also “interesting” that everyone in Kiev seems to speak a decent English.

Smallville 9×10 Disciple
Archer story boring. Zod story mildly interesting but predictable since Zod is no question mark in the Superman universe.

The Vampire Diaries 1×12 Unpleasantville
I always have one problem with big casts: I can’t memorize the faces of the minor characters and can’t remember if they appeared before and what their role was. But at least the episode ended with a bang (IMHO).

Supernatural 5×12 Swap Meat
I’ve recently talked with friends about this and since this episode is the first encounter with it since then, it gets the load: I’m starting to hate this “48 Hours Earlier” crap. It’s worn out. It doesn’t surprise anymore. When an episode starts and the character behaves totally uncharacteristically or is in a shitload of shit then you’ll know by now that after the opening credits they will through you back a couple of hours or days to show the viewer how he came to be in that unfortunate situation. The WTF? moment is totally gone for me.
What me also bothered in this episode was that at the end their dead school buddy wasn’t even worth a mention. I get that with adults (but even then it’s questionable) but the teens should be totally freaked out.

CW 04-05

Human Target 1×01 Pilot
The pilot episode certainly looked interesting. The action was well balanced above realistic and below unrealistic. It looks like as if it’s going to be Die Hard or Lethal Weapon in a series format and I certainly will watch more episodes of it.
“You wore a vest? Where’s my vest?” – “I’m your vest.”

24 8×01 – 8×04 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Dammit. I should have known better. I decided to watch the season en bloc when it is over. But I just had to peak a little and was already drawn back in…
I love Jack’s new “Are we done here? Can I go home now?” attitude. Of course they aren’t done and Jack can’t go home.
When I read that that Freddie Prince jr. (Wing Commander, Scooby Doo) – He married my Buffy, dammit!!! – would take the part of the leading CTU Field Officer I was a bit worried. But he has gotten older and looks like he can pull it off.
Of course there are again the typical 24 plot points like the incompetent CTU boss, the CTU member who has private problems and I am already wondering who the mole is – but that’s OK, it’s 24 after all.
What I also like is that – aside from the 24 alumni who have returned this season – these episodes feel like a huge School Reunion party: The aforementioned Freddie Prince jr., Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica) – looks gorgeous btw -, Paul Wesley (Stefan in The Vampire Diaries), Cliff Simon (Ba’al in Stargate SG-1), David Anders (Takezo Kensei / Adam Monroe in Heroes, Julian Sark in Alias), Jürgen Prochnow (Dune, Das Boot) and according to the CTU files Callum Keith Rennie (Ray in Due South, Leoben in Battlestar Galactica) will also appear anytime soon.

Life Unexpected 1×01 Pilot
I was made aware of this series at least twice. The second time was a few days ago when blogs reviewed the pilot episode. But I’ve seen bits and pieces of this episode before – most likely in a trailer a few months back. And even though I had forgotten the show in the meantime I now remember that I decided back then that I’d give it a try.
I really liked the pilot. The characters are believable and down-to-earth. Even though the show runs on The CW this isn’t Beverly Hills 90210 or Gossip Girl, this is different. As with every show it now depends on what kind of storylines they are going to tell and how this triangle+attachments is going to work out.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand 1×01 / 1×02 The Red Serpent / Sacramentum Gladiatorum
Lots of nudity (male and female). Even more blood. Better you put a bucket below your telly in case it spills out of the screen. The optic leans more towards 300 than Gladiator, especially when there’s blood flowing. The problem is the story. These first two episodes show how Spartacus became a Gladiator but it didn’t give the viewer an idea what the entire show is going to be about. And that’s why I am not yet convinced. To quote Buffy’s Spike: “I love a good slaughter as much as the next bloke” but I also need a real story in between.
Time will tell … at least you now get the chance you never got with Xena: To see Lucy Lawless in the nude.

Chuck 3×04 Chuck vs Operation Awesome
The only thing I’ve ever seen Brandon Routh in was Superman Returns but here he didn’t remind me of his character there. I like him as addition to the team because he could stir things up a little.
I don’t know if it’s just my imagination because they announced it but the show actually feels a bit less funny and a bit more serious. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still an Action Comedy and there’s plenty of fun in it. But the general tone during the spy action seems to have darkened a little since last year. I’m not complaining – I like it.

Castle 2×13 Sucker Punch
I didn’t think that they would ever bring up the topic of Beckett’s mum’s murder ever again since they so thoroughly dismissed it at the beginning of the season.
I liked how they handled this case and I also liked the end a lot. Now I hope that they don’t forget it again but actively push that story forward.

House M.D. 6×10 The Down Low
This episode had the perfect House mix. Both ploys were really enjoyable (though I had suspected that House helped Foreman – which he did not) and the case was a really good one. I liked how the characters interacted and I also thought it was a good ending to the story even when it was a sad one.

How I Met Your Mother 5×13 Jenkins
While the name-giving Jenkins story was funny I loved the “but, erm” storyline. The drinking game was so cool.
Only while I am writing this I notice that the “mother” topic was put on hold again, but since I didn’t miss it during the episode I can’t really use it as an argument…

The Big Bang Theory 3×13 The Bozeman Reaction
He considers Penny a friend, how cute. I thought it was great that all the characters got their fair share of jokes and screen time (even though Sheldon was the light house again).
I am also pleasantly surprise of how much a non-issue Leonard’s and Penny’s relationship is. I feared it would become the center story with an ultimate break-up and then on and off again (Ross/Rachel or Clark/Lana anyone?). To not making it a major plot point is certainly an interesting move (though I still think there is something coming…).

Two and a Half Men 7×13 Yay, No Polyps
This was also fun, especially the way it played out – even though it played with an old cliché.
Funny thing: I recently showed someone the Pilot episode and recognized Chelsea in there. As it turns out, before Chelsea became Chelsea in Season 6, she also was Suzanne (Season 1), Tina (Season 2) and Nina (Season 5). Not that I mind but since when does Hollywood have a shortage of beautiful women?

Heroes 4×15 Chapter Fourteen ‘Close to You’
I don’t want to complain – or actually I want, otherwise I wouldn’t write this – but the season has aired about 2/3 of its episodes and by now I wish something big should happen. As I said in the beginning I have nothing against a slow start but I didn’t mean that nothing should happen. The goal of the season has been clear for a while now (stop Samuel) but when they did the same thing in the first season with Sylar it was much more interesting – except for the end which was kinda lame.

Heroes 4×16 Chapter Fifteen ‘Pass/Fail’
I have to say I found this episode a bit boring, neither the Hiro nor the Sylar/Claire nor the Samuel storyline really worked for me, especially since I don’t really know what to make of that trial (Was it a dream? But the how he got healed? Was it “real”? I hardly think so). And that Samuel is not the most stable person isn’t exactly news.

Cougar Town 1×12 Scare Easy
And Jules dumped another guy. It was an OK episode but Jules was a bit too quirky for my taste in this one. But I liked the ending; it’d make for a cool Slasher movie.

Cougar Town 1×13 Stop Dragging My Heart Around
Oh yeah, this one will have consequences. I liked the switches between all the couples and their conversations to point out all the differences between them. And I like their attempts at writing songs, it’s a cool new element (or I haven’t noticed it before Scare Easy).

The Good Wife 1×12 Painkiller
The case itself wasn’t that interesting this time, but the story around Kalinda was. Maybe I missed a bit but I couldn’t figure out for which side she’s now really working and where she’s only pretending – if she doesn’t play them all. That was very intriguing and I will figure it out over the next episodes.

Bones 5×12 The Proof in the Pudding
That was a really nice toying with the JFK assassination conspiracy. I liked it how went back and forth about whether this was actually him and thus whether JFK was shot by two persons. But the panicking Camille was also great.

Burn Notice 3×10 A Dark Road
Finally Michael is back. And Cagney & Lacey, too. Both women interacted very well with each other until the bitter end. I still like this show very much, it’s a great cast and a cool story, even though they just exchange one bad guy who looks over his shoulder with the next and everything else remains the same.

Human Target 1×02 Rewind
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the previous episode but I hope that was just a glitch. Time will tell.

Leverage 2×11 The Bottle Job
I believe this story actually worked better with Jeri Ryan in it. Nothing against Gina Bellman, but Jeri is sexier and that was exactly what they needed to pull this double con. And I have to say I didn’t see that ending coming. Especially the recaps were fun because of this.

The Vampire Diaries 1×11 Bloodlines
Just when I feared that they had softened Damon I can calm down, he shows that he’s just as nasty as ever. Good for him.
What I didn’t understand was why they revealed the secret whether or not the teacher was a Vampire (with a ring); they could have toyed with the viewers for a while there.

White Collar 1×08 Hard Sell
So, no game-changer after all. OK then, fine with me.
Even though I am not a big comic collector, I would totally be awesome to have the contents of that vault, especially the “Action Comics” #1 issue.

Supernatural 5×11 Sam, Interrupted
That was a nice twist on the “checked into an asylum” storyline that appears on every fantasy show at some point. It was just a bit incredible how Sam and Dean were constantly able to open all kind of doors in the loony bin. Security and sweeping of patients does not seem to be a big issue there.

CW 04

Bones 5×07 The Dwarf in the Dirt
Gordon Gordon is back! And Stephen Fry has lost a lot of weight. I hope he isn’t ill or something. Booth was certainly the highlight of this episode, both in regards to his mental problems and him being helped by Sweets and Gordon Gordon but also the fight in the midget wrestling.

Supernatural 5×09 The Real Ghostbusters
The second comedy episode in a row but it did work. Though I was wondering why the convention was so heavily unbalanced towards a male audience, but then again the in-universe Supernatural is just a book series and it’s certainly no kitsch like Twilight that is more likely to appeal to women.
But I am glad that they have a lead on the colt and can finally go back into the big battle.

The Vampire Diaries 1×04 Family Ties
I have to admit, the last minute of that episode made the entire show more interesting. Now I am curious what the townspeople know and how deep this thing goes.

The Vampire Diaries 1×05 You’re Undead to Me
It’s fascinating how vampirism and witchcraft seem to be connected. Whenever there are Vampires, witches are never far behind. Why? Just because they both are supernatural fantasy creatures? I wouldn’t mind a show with just Vampires (and Humans) in it.

The Vampire Diaries 1×06 Lost Girls
I am seriously starting to wonder for what kind of audience they made the pilot of this show. The pilot made it look like “Transylvania 90210″ I and nearly didn’t watch another episode. Luckily I was bored. This show definitively has some merrit beyond the “lonely Vampire wants human girlfriend” concept.

The Vampire Diaries 1×07 Haunted
And dead she is. They have no fear of killing off main characters. Cool. And once again the bad guy (read: Damon) is much more interesting than his brother. Currently still a jerkass but he could develop into a jerkass with a heart of gold. And Ian Somerhalder (Boone in LOST, Adam in Smallville) plays this role really well.

The Vampire Diaries 1×08 162 Candles
Too bad they killed Lexi off so quickly. She seemed to be an interesting character, especially with her history with the brothers. Ah well, c’est la vie.

The Vampire Diaries 1×09 History Repeating
So Damon does still have emotions, interesting. But I am glad they don’t try to drag out the storylines over an entire season – or at least it currently appears that way with the destroyed medallion and all. But I wouldn’t want to be Bonnie right now; I think Damon won’t forget this very quickly.

Two and a Half Men 7×08 Gorp. Fnark. Schmegle.
One of the best episodes ever! Yesterday evening we used a conference room at work to watch Back to the Future II and before that we watched TaaHM and TBBT. We laughed so hard on these voice-over scenes and Charlie’s dream.

The Big Bang Theory 3×08 The Adhesive Duck Deficiency
The part with Sheldon and Penny was hilarious again, she has these great facial expressions and he’s Sheldon. But the stoner part was “just funny” especially because they dragged it out for the entire episode. And now everyone: Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr purr…

The Good Wife 1×07 Unorthodox
It was OK, but nothing exceptional happened.

How I Met Your Mother 5×08 The Playbook
I love Barney’s scams. This guy is awesome! I love the writers for coming up with such schemes and presenting them so well. And I also really liked the guest actress (the “scuba diver victim”), she blended in really well with the gang.

White Collar 1×03 Book of Hours
The show is not bad but it’s not that interesting either. I had hoped to see more “con action”. It’s an OK show for when nothing else is on, but with my tight schedule I think this is one of the shows I’ll drop again (along with Stargate Universe).

Smallville 9×06 Crossfire
I liked this episode very much, but I had quite a few resemblance issues. To me, the new hacker guy looked like the little brother of Davis Bloome and the nice-looking lady Clark was blind-dating like the sister of Kara.

Smallville 9×07 Kandor
“You’ve had feelings for Lois since like, the 1930s…”   I can’t believe it, they actually seem to have a plan. Given the stumbling around in the darkness in the past two years, it’s great to see that they actually have an idea where they want to go this year and they even planted that seed in the season opener. It was also a nice explanation why it was Major Zod and not General Zod.

Smallville 9×08 Idol
Was it only me or did the effect of the twins look like black Kryptonite? At first I thought Zod was behind it to discredit The Blur but this solution was also cool. The only thing that shouldn’t have added up was that The Blur always leaves his “shield” burned into something. He’s never used light or graffiti. But still, I like the twins and hope to see them again.

Smallville 9×09 Pandora
With my limited knowledge of Superman mythology I didn’t understand the logic of the red sun at all. Krypton’s sun was red yet they didn’t have any superpowers but now they have except for Clark? I still liked the episode (the whole season so far) and it showed a nice doomsday (not the character ) scenario. But while Major Zod may not be General Zod which leaves them an out to a different end, I doubt the writers will not take this storyline to a big season finale fight. Let’s just hope they don’t screw it up like last year.

The Vampire Diaries 1×10 The Turning Point
I am a bit disappointed that Damon let go so easily but at least there’s a new mystery vampire in town. It’s cool how they point towards the teacher and then don’t again. Evil cliffhanger, too.

Castle 2×09 Love Me Dead
Sometimes Castle’s daughter can be irritating because she’s perfect to a fault. They even point that out in the show. The case was interestingly twisted even though I saw the last twist coming.

House M.D. 6×07 Teamwork
House’s attempts at getting the band back together were only average, he didn’t even do that much. Cameron’s exit on the other hand was great, she’ll be sorely missed as moral compass.

Supernatural 5×10 Abandon All Hope
There will always be soldiers that are falling in battle but it’s hard to see them to. This episode was dark and had a hardness the previous episodes were lacking. But giving the circumstances – we’re reaching the end of a five year travel – it’s appropriate. I already fear for the life of at least one brother…

V 1×03 A Bright New Day
Oh damn, now they’ve killed Alan Tudyk’s character again! But still, I like what I am seeing, this is going to be an interesting show. Unfortunately it’s the only new sci-fi show that works for me, as I’ve already given up on Stargate Universe and FlashForward doesn’t compel me to tune in either.

CW 45-48

If you only watch the pilot you will get the feeling of watching “Transylvania 90210″ and might feel the urge to turn it off. Don’t. Watch at least to the fifth episode to get a glimpse of where this show is really going and I promise you that you will see a lot more depth than was to be expected considering said pilot.

The Vampire Diaries @ Wikipedia
The Vampire Diaries @ IMDb

Stefan Salvatore is at least 160 years old and a Vampire. He returns into his home town of Mystic Falls to “blend in” as high school student. He lives with his nephew who pretends to be his uncle but unfortunately his brother Damon is also turning up. Damon sees Humans as nothing more than playthings and food and he wants to make Stefan’s life a nightmare. Stefan tries to hide his true identity (even before his new girlfriend) but that isn’t easy with a brother like that.

I thought I give it a try but I am underwhelmed. A Vampire who tries to blend in with the crowd but his evil Vampire buddies don’t let him. Been there, done that (with me being the evil Vampire I mean Wink). And these diary entries at the end don’t make it better. I will watch a few more episodes but I don’t think that this is a show for me.

Update: “The Vampire Diaries” Revised