Wednesday, August 28, 2013

'She's Mine' -- Suits 3x07


Warning: Spoiler Alert

So, everything has now come to a head, and we find out what was really going on with the supposed bribe that was made. Well ... it was a bribe, but just not from the people that we thought that it was actually from. And, in a way, I' really glad to find out that it was Steven, since I had started to not care for what was going on between him and Harvey. Plus, him leading the DA to the exact person that he needed to make everything sticky for the gang was pretty suspicious. If he was really the "fixer" that dude claimed that he was, such a rookie move probably wouldn't have happened.

And what makes things even worse is that he hurt Donna cuz of what he did. Making Donna cry ... not cool, man, not cool. Makes it that much more significant that she's such a hard-nose, and he got enough under her skin to have that effect on her. With all of her "Donna skills," it's surprising that she didn't see this coming, but I suppose that even she has to have a few moments where things get past her ... even if she is Donna. And it still seems like the best idea to get to Harvey (and make sure that everything he was trying to do was undetected) by going through Donna; it's the way that he would probably least expect it, and that's how it ended up.

Harvey laying the beat-down on Steven after Donna apologized to him ... I'm really glad that happened. It wasn't just that I was waiting for it, or that I was glad for Donna ... it was that he was the reason that everything bad had been happening with their case. So, really, on several different levels, he had it coming ... hard.

Also, it makes me happy that Donna broke up with him prior to any of the information about what he was doing came out. At least she has that under her belt, right? It makes everything just a little more satisfying that she was able to at least have that before everything else went down.

I have a feeling that something more is going to come of this whole thing, but I am not sure what it is, especially since Steven is basically Harvey on the other side of the ocean. I think that maybe, this season is going to end with them finally winning this case, and next season may be all about how to get themselves out of the deal that Jessica made to save the firm.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

'The Other Time' -- Suits 3x06


Warning: Spoiler Warning

It's kind of amazing just how much of a number that Steven is playing when it comes to Donna and Harvey's relationship, and I'm not talking about the whole thing where she is in love with him, and he doesn't love her back. It's the whole thing where she used to just be able to tell things about him, and she's been thrown off lately; and it's also the fact that they always seemed to be on the same page, cuz they still cared about each other as friends ... and cuz she was his "girl Friday". I realize that I wanted her to be able to have some lovin' (and I still do), and that I thought that Steven had a very lovely accent, but I want him to take a hike now. As much as it appeared that he was really interested in her in the beginning, it seems much more like he was sent to mess with Harvey, and the best way to do that is through Donna. Before this point, I would have thought that no one would have been able to get to him through her, cuz she's mfing Donna, but Steven's done a number on her head, and he just needs to go now ... right after Donna beats the crap out of him.

I really did not like the way that Harvey treated her in the flashback, when he was "explaining" the hierarchy ... even when it became clear that he was super conflicted about the situation that he was being put in, and the same thing had been happening to him. It made me feel a little bit better about the whole thing that he kind of twisted Jessica's arm to bring Donna along when he joined her firm, even though associates weren't supposed to have secretaries, and he agreed that she be paid out of his salary (so that he would be taking a cut to make sure that he was able to keep her with him).

But at least Harvey was finally able to admit to her that it bothered him that she was having a relationship with Steven. It really is unfair of him to think that he should be able to have all kinds of flings, but that she shouldn't be able to see anyone (even as a fling) herself, cuz he knows that she loves him, and cuz she's always been loyal to him when it comes to their working relationship. It is too much like he's wanting to have it both ways, and that really isn't fair to her. She should be able to find someone who loves her the way that she loves Harvey, and to be able to love that person back ... and barring that, she should at least be able to get some. A girl's gotta eat ... wait, that's not right ... I don't think. lol

Also, I think that I could have done without the flashback information about Mike, even though it meant we got to see Grammy again. I think that we have been given enough information about Mike's past to be able to know what's going on with him, and for it to not be all that interesting anymore ... at least, it's not all that interesting to me. I'm much more interested in Harvey and Donna's past than I am about Mike's (and not just cuz I want to know what the hell is going on with their little private pre-trial ritual).

Speaking about being more interested in Harvey and Donna's past, I was really excited to be able to see something of Harvey's dad, since we know practically nothing about his family (other than he had a brother who he's really protective of). It was good to see that he had a good relationship with his father, and it mattered to him what his father thought of him (since it doesn't seem to matter to him what pretty much anyone thinks).

And now I'm wondering what's going to be happening with Jessica and Harvey now that he's told her that he had put a plan in motion to get her thrown out of the firm. She's not going to take that lightly, but I'm not entirely sure that she would try to get rid of Harvey (especially now that she has just put his name on the door ... which I'm still iffy about, cuz it still doesn't feel like he's earned it, and she was just trying to buy him off). It seems much more like the writers are thinking about getting rid of her ... and possibly of Rachel as well, since they're moving forward with the whole "let's send Rachel to Stanford for three years" thing. If I was about looking for spoilers at all, I think that I would try to find out what I could about the future of those characters, but spoilers are not my friends.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

'Shadow of a Doubt' -- Suits 3x5


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I'm glad that it turned out that Donna was worrying over nothing when it came to her super happy play time with Steven, and how Harvey would take it. It's too bad that she thought that there would be an issue between her and Harvey cuz of what was going on with and Steven ... not that I am surprised seeing as how he was so pissy with her when she tried to tell him before. But I did not think that it was at all cool that Steven tried to use her against Harvey, and she had every reason to be pissed at him for doing that. It made me want to pinch him, even if his accent makes me all kinds of happy on the inside. Doing that is such a huge no-no.

The whole thing with Rachel applying to Stanford ... didn't we already go through this last season? Back when Luis was dating that blond from the admissions office there ... when she didn't make it through the interview process? What's going to have changed between then and now (especially when the time on the show isn't real time, and even though that happened last season, it's really only been a few weeks or so) that would have made them put her back through the admissions process when it's the same school year? I'm just confused as to why she would have been trying to get back again so soon, instead of trying to wait until next year. Maybe I'm just missing something? Or it could be that the writers aren't thinking about continuity (which the writers of this show have been pretty good about).

I'm glad that Mike was able to meet Rachel's parents, but I kind of think that he got off a little bit easy with them (seeing as how her dad is such a bulldog). Yeah, her mom was probably making sure that he played nice with the new boyfriend, but I'm kind of surprised that her dad didn't ask Mike anything about Stanford ... which would probably have made him suspicious, when Mike wouldn't be able to answer anything correctly. But maybe the fact that Rachel was acting so cagey with her mom (when Mike and her dad were out back) will make her mom suspicious about Mike ... which will lead her dad to look into him. Anyone finding out that he isn't actually licensed to practice law (who isn't part of their circle of trust) would probably lead to bad things for Mike (and the show), so maybe the writers aren't going to go down that road (in they are afraid that they might paint themselves into a corner).

And in the midst of Harvey trying to get rid of Jessica, she decides that she's going to put his name n the wall ... something fishy is going on there. I get the feeling that maybe she got word that Harvey was up to something ... she may not have found out that he's trying to get rid of her exactly, but she may figure that he's unhappy and is up to something (cuz she knows him well enough). And even though it's nice to have his name on the wall, I don't want it to happen yet, cuz he hasn't earned it yet ... and as it is now, it's a bribe (no matter how it's wrapped) to keep him in his place. That may not mean as her pet bulldog, but it could still mean keeping him inside the firm (where she can at least try to continue to control him).

DW Rambles.

So, we have a new doctor, and 12 isn't going to be female. Poopy. Cuz it would have been amazing if 12 was female, and 13 was Hiddles. Yeah, I know that Hiddles isn't likely to start doing TV work again, but a boy can dream, right? Especially since no one can tell me that Hiddles wouldn't make an amazing doctor. Amazing on the level of David Tennant (who will always be my doctor ... no matter that I have become fond of Matt Smith and 11).

But maybe since River gave up her regeneration energy to the doctor to save his life in "Let's Kill Hitler" ... maybe he'll have at least 10 more regenerations. But then also, it would appear that 11 said in an episode of "The Sarah Jane Chronicles" that the actual limit of regenerations is 507. So, maybe I could still get at least one female doctor out of this (and even Hiddles, if we all begged him hard enough, and the Beeb threw enough trucks full of money at him), since it's now canon that 12 regenerations isn't the limit as far as what's possible (and that it may only be the limit as far as the law with Time Lord society, or even the limit when it comes to what is socially acceptable). But who wants to bet that as soon as we get close to 13 looking like he is about to die, we get something from the writers about how it's possible for him to keep going at least for a little bit longer (especially since the show is so popular right now)? We can already kind of count out the "there can only be 12 regenerations" rule, seeing as how there is a version of the doctor out there that isn't counted as one of the doctor's regenerations (since he did something that wasn't done in "the name of the doctor") ... even though it's still completely him, and the writers are still leaving us with the impression that he's going to have at least one more regeneration. So, that old school rule is probably going to be completely chucked out at some point (after the writers are able to create the proper amount of suspense).

I'll admit that I haven't really seen Peter Capaldi in much of anything, but now that he is going to be 12, and he was also one of the W.H.O. doctors in World War Z, it makes me want to giggle up a storm.

I am wondering if the writers are going to deal with the fact that he's already had parts in DW and TW before. Maybe the doctor decided that he wanted to look like one of the people that he and Donna saved on Volcano Day? Cuz if they don't at least acknowledge the fact that he's made appearances in the DW/TW universe before, and now he's the DW universe, I have a feeling that it's going to drive me a little bit bonkers. Stupid INTJ brain that wants everything to make sense.

'Unfinished Business' -- Suits 3x03


Warning: Spoiler Alert

Ok, first of all ... I can't stand blondie ... I can't remember her name, and I really can't be bothered to go look it up, cuz I kind of hate her (and don't want her name stuck in my head for all of eternity). I really wish that she wasn't now on Team Litt (even if she kind of blackmailed her way onto the team), since I would love it if Luis was able to get past all of his petty stuff ... and even more that he was able to get beyond how kind of naïve he is. I have a feeling that if he had himself a Donna, things might be different for him. Sure, he would still have his prick tendencies, but he would at least be able to have someone there would look out for him (not just from others, but from himself to) and to make sure that he didn't alienate himself from too many people.

And I'm not at all sorry for the fact that I'm glad that Harvey yelled at blondie. She should stop treating people the way that she does ... like when she keeps treating Rachel like crap for being a paralegal ... or when she secretly records conversations. It makes me want to pull her hair. Seriously.

Second ... Donna and Stephen Huntley ... YOWZAH!! I love, love, LOVE that he's pursuing her, and that he seems to be just her type. I seriously want the two of them to get together and have lots of wild sex together. And I want him to lavish her with gifts and be amazing to her in all of the ways that Harvey should have been but wasn't (and I'm not just talking about the romantic aspect of it, cuz you can't force someone to feel what they can't get themselves to feel ... I'm also talking about the friendship stuff, since there have been times when it came to the way that he's treated her that has made me want to smack him upside the head). And even if the two of them decide that they don't work romantically, I would still love it if they were able to be friends ... friends who have happy fun sexy time with each other every once in a while after they've gone to see The Scottish Play. Speaking of The Scottish Play, boo! on the writers for not calling it The Scottish Play (and calling it by its actual name). Tempting fate, bitches. lol And I don't believe for a second that they would have thought that people wouldn't have "gotten" the reference they were making, since the writing is so smart, and they don't ever talk down to the audience.

'I Want You to Want Me' -- Suits 3x02


Warning: Spoiler Alert

You know, the more that we have interactions with Luis, the more I feel sorry for him. The man has absolutely no idea of how to interact with other people, and it's making it so that he can't really have friends. And in those instances when he tries to be friends with someone, it always ends up blowing up in his face ... granted, he does it to himself a lot of the time (like with dude from England that is now in charge of the Associates) ... but some of the time, it's through no fault of his own. I kind of hoped that things would work out between him and Mike, and the two of them would start working together, since I think that Luis really does like Mike, and the two of them might have been able to work really well together (especially after they won that case together), but the show probably wouldn't have worked if Mike and Harvey hadn't made up with each other (since it really all comes down to the two of them at the center of everything, and it's their relationship that is really what is interesting). But that doesn't mean that I didn't feel really bad for Luis when he saw Harvey and Mike making up, and he had that cake in his hands (even before I saw what was written on it). He had just been so excited about the possibility of working with Mike (and even went out of his way to go watch Jerry Mcguire) that it made his disappointment (and hurt feelings) even that much sadder.

It makes me want there to be someone there for Luis now. He had Rachel for a while ... and then, Mike ... but that's not the same (even if they both seem to realize that he really isn't the douche that everyone thinks that he is). It would be really nice if there was someone who was there for him all the time, who wasn't afraid of him the way that most of the associates are, who could see how desperately he needs to have a friend, and who isn't going to be intimidated by Harvey (or by extension Donna).

And even if Mike and Harvey have "made up," I don't think that this isn't going to come back to bite Mike in the ass again later on ... despite the fact that it was thrown into Harvey's face that sometimes people do things cuz they think that they don't have a choice, and that they don't do it cuz they don't like someone. Also, I think that there may be some problems between Rachel and Donna now that Donna has admitted that she had said that Mike should break things off with Rachel (beside the fact that she refused to step in for Mike, cuz she didn't think that Harvey should forgive him ... or really, that "they" shouldn't forgive him).

Also, I don't see Harvey forgiving Jessica ... probably ever, and he's I see him either taking her down, or figuring out a way to get out of his contract so that he can go into business for himself. I really see Harvey and Jessica's relationship coming down to her liking being in charge, and liking the idea of having him chained up in the backyard ... only to let him out to go tearing after the neighbor kids if their ball gets in her yard. I really don't see her thinking of him as anything more than a Pit Bull/Doberman/German Shepard ... some kind of dog that one might use in a military/home defense scenario. If things hadn't changed after Mike got there, I don't think that they ever would have (and I get the feeling that Mike may have been the catalyst ... it probably would have happened eventually, but I get the feeling that it was him that ultimately was the cause). But I don't see how she would have thought that things would have stayed that way forever.

You know what I would kind of love to see? After the battle between Harvey and Jessica that is bound to happen ... to see them all standing around in a pile of rubble that was once their office building. Not just figuratively ... literally. I want the entire building to be turned to rubble after their fight, and for Harvey, Donna, Rachel, and Mike to go on to start their own firm ... and for them to take Luis along with them. I know that it isn't going to happen that way, but it would still be all kinds of fantastic.

'The Arrangement' -- Suits 3x01


Warning: Spoiler Alert

"Suits" is back!! Hizzah!! I love this show!! So much fun. And the thing is, I think that I love it more for the interactions between the characters, and the funny (and completely random)references to pop culture, than for the actual overall plot of the show ... which is still interesting.

I was so happy that we got psyched out about Rachel telling on Mike for practicing law without having gone to Harvard, or having gotten his license. Usually that sort of thing gets on my nerves, but I don't want the show to take that turn with Mike's character (and especially not have it be Rachel that tells on him, since I want the two of them to be together). I should have realized that we were being psyched out with that, since that would probably end the show, and I don't see the writers doing anything to jeopardize the success; this seems to be one of the more popular shows on USA, and when you have something that's doing well (and which has only been going for a couple of years), it doesn't seem likely that you'd want to send it down a road that would end it all.

I really, really, really want Mike to get back together with Harvey and Donna. Really. I don't like it that they're fighting. I kind of want to shake Mike, and tell him that he should have seen something like this coming; Donna is going to back Harvey. Period. Harvey isn't going to take what he sees as disloyalty (regardless of whether or not the person doing it thought that they would get boned in the process) very lightly. And I'm kind of surprised that Mike didn't realize that there really wasn't going to be a way for Jessica to send out anything that would have damaged him last season (since he's such a smart guy). If she really had sent out that paper that supposedly would have given away his secret about practicing law without a license, she would have gotten in trouble for knowing about it and not doing anything about it. And really, how hard would it have been for him to go on the stand at some sort of hearing after the secret came out, and tell everyone that she knew (regardless of how long she knew) that he was a fraud. With his memory, he would have been able to give dates and times of when she knew and how much she knew. Even if she didn't end up with jail time as well (which I'm sure he would, if/when it ever comes out), she would most likely end up loosing her license; and if by some miracle, she was able to keep it, it doesn't seem likely that she would be able to keep practicing (once people started finding out, she would probably be kicked out of her firm, and would probably be unable to get any clients).

And Mike probably would have been reluctant to say anything about Harvey and Donna telling, but I have a feeling that his honesty streak would have gotten them in trouble as well. Jessica probably wouldn't care if that came back to bite Harvey (or Donna) in the ass, but she would certainly care if it came back to bite her. It's kind of crazy how much things have changed between Jessica and Harvey. In the beginning, she liked him (and he was her pet); but as time has gone on, it seems more and more like she keeps getting pissed off with him. But that probably has a lot to do with the fact that he seems to be less likely to just roll over and take whatever she gives him (regardless of how crappy it might be).

I can see there being an all-out war between Harvey and Jessica this season ... something that there probably isn't going to be any coming back from. Once she realizes that he's trying to get rid of her, either she's going to be driven out or he is. Eeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Yeah, I'm really glad that this show is back on the air.

'Goodnight, Sweet Grimm' -- Grimm 2x22


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I think that the fact that the opening of the episode had a line from Hamlet threw me off a bit, and really, I should have been paying a bit more attention to the name of the episode instead. I kept thinking that it was going to be either Eric or Renard that something was going to happen to ... even though I couldn't see the writers doing anything to either of them just yet (since that seemed kind of stupid, when that would get rid of an entire subplot so early in the run of the show (two seasons isn't really that long of a run so far)). If I had remembered the name of the episode, I'm sure that I wouldn't have been paying as much attention to the brothers as I ended up doing.

When Juliette asked the tow truck driver what kind of Wesen he was, God, I wanted to smack her across the head for being stupid. She's struck me as being smarter than that, and it would seem like it would be smart to pay attention a little bit more before asking questions of the person that she doesn't know anything about (especially when asking said question could give away information that he probably shouldn't know anything about). If she really wanted to know something like that, it would seem much more clever to wait until one of the Scoobs were away from dude, and asking them about what was going on. But maybe we can excuse that as her still being new to the whole thing, and she was kind of high on being able to finally be in the know that it drove out everything else.

Is it wrong that I kind of want to see Nick thrown in the middle of the royal families, and for them to do some horrible things to him so that he can fight his way out? Yes, I like Nick (even though he's kind of thick sometimes), but I kind of want horrible things to happen to him right now ... but then, sometimes I want horrible things to happen to characters that I like just so that I can see them try to get out of those situations. I have no delusion that there might be a chance that he's going to be able to pwn all of the royals, since that's stupid (he's only one guy, and doesn't have enough training as a badass to be able to do any significant damage to such a juggernaut of a secret organization; plus, like I said before, it's still early in the run of the show, and there's still all manner of good times that could come from the royals at this point). Now, if Nick were his mom, I might think that a bit more damage might be done ... but not when it's Nick that we're talking about.

'The Name of the Doctor' -- DW 7x13


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I am still having an issue with the idea of the doctor crossing his own timeline ... again. I didn't like it during the big bang 2, even though I was willing to handwave a little bit and try to convince myself that the whole universe was fucked anyway, and with it being so small, there was no way that he wouldn't be able to cross his own timeline at least once. But this time ... with the doctor and Clara going to his grave cuz some dude who was about to get hanged said something about it ... bollox. At what point do you go, "Ok, we've gotten this information from someone who may not be all there. Crossing your own timeline is also no bueno. How about we just don't tempt fate on this one and leave it alone? Cuz sometimes, going after something that you shouldn't will be what causes bad things to happen, not prevent them."

I will fully admit to only really liking River during the library episodes, and once we found out that the River that we were seeing in this episode was the copy from the library, it did make me wonder a couple of things. 1) How would she have been able to get into the conference call? It was essentially a dream that the other four were having, with a bit of "let's play with time" added in, so how would someone who is essentially a digital echo of someone get into the mind of people who are biological? The electrical currants of the brain might be able to interpret what was going on, but I'm still having a bit of a problem with having this jive inside my head without the others having been "jacked" into the system that she is now a program of (a la The Matrix or something). If anyone has any ideas on this that will make my brain not want to reject this out of hand, I would love to hear what you have to day. And 2) I keep going back to River's saying to 10 in the library that that was the youngest that she had ever seen him. The thing of that was that it implied (at least to my mind) that she had known more than one version of the doctor, which isn't outside the realm of possibility (since Rose knew 9 and 10, and Sarah Jane new 4 and 10). And even if River is somehow able to stay ... I don't know ... hacked? ... into his brain and come to know 12 and/or 13 (or even the doctor that isn't the doctor), that doesn't mean that real!River would know them. I guess that I just figured that she would have known more than 11 ... but then, this may mean that we will see less and less of River, which doesn't make me sad, since she annoyed me overall.

I want to call bullshit on Clara. I'm actually kind of ok with their explanation as to why she kept appearing everywhere (even though, I'm not buying the whole, "I couldn't ever seem to get his attention ... even though I've interacted with him before he was 11 (and am the one who apparently told him which TARDIS to steal). And so, he never remembers me until it is totes convenient for him to so that I can become a dues ex machina"), but the fact that she didn't die once she entered the "scar tissue" ... despite the fact that River just said that she would be disintegrated ... I'm calling bullshit on that. It would seems rather stupid to get rid of a companion that soon, but if you're going to have her told that if she does something, she is most certainly going to die ... and then, she doesn't cuz she's magic ... I call shenanigans and demand that they do a redo until someone comes up with something that doesn't contradict itself (cuz I'm not going to accept that she's too magic to die in the thing that she was told two seconds before would kill her).

And having a new "doctor" that isn't the doctor (cuz he did something that he didn't do "in the name of the doctor") ... isn't that essentially creating a 14? And would this alternate not!doctor be able to regenerate into other bizzaro!doctors (which could feasibly become a new adversary, a la The Master)? We already have Tinkerbell!10/10.2 ... and now we're getting someone else who appears to be outside of the normal 13. What is it with the doctor and having off-shoots of himself? I mean, really?

'Sacrifice' -- SPN 8x23


Warning Spoiler Alert

Well, at least one thing that I was fairly certain would happen (or in this case not happen) was Kripked instead of Jossed. I didn't see there being any way for the boys to actually close the gates of Hell by the end of the season, not when there was another season coming. Cuz if they closed up Hell, it didn't seem like there would be enough filler for an entire season (even with the run-of-the-mill boogeymen or angels roaming around and causing trouble). It seemed like they would still need to have the demons around to cause a stink, since that's the show's bread and butter (and as Dean said, fighting demons is what they do).

Was rather disappointed that Metatron turned out to be the ultimate baddie for the season, since I love the idea of using Metatron as a helper (or even as someone who would be willing to fight a bit, even if that isn't necessarily what he was originally created for ... whether we're saying that he was originally Enoch, or was originally from the secretarial pool). In my head, he's got a mixture of SPN did with Gabriel/Loki (where he wasn't necessarily a fighter, but he still stood up to Lucifer to protect the boys) and what Kevin Smith did with Metatron in Dogma.

I'll also freely admit that I still have a bit of a hard time believing that Naomi would have jumped ship on what she was doing previously to warn Castiel about Metatron. After all of the shady things that she's done to Cas and the boys, and always giving the impression that she was trying to trick the boys so that she could use them (or even kill them) later on, her leaving Metatron alone to warn Cas seemed a bit out of character to me. And she ended up feeling like a tool to me, which I didn't care for. I was hoping that she would turn out to be a little more ... competent? ... menacing? ... and a little less of a masochist for the sake of having an angel that seemed to enjoy hurting people. She kind of reminded me of Alistair in a way, and I'd love it if someone did a meta comparing the two of them.

I'd still love to know exactly who the shadowy figure was that we saw in the first episode. Were we supposed to think that it was Don? I have a feeling that we could always handwave that figure into being Don, but I have more of a feeling that the figure was part of a plot thread that the writers either forgot about, or dropped and just didn't bother to go back and explain.

Also in the WTH? category ... when did Mama Tran die? Did I just completely black out or something? I mean, that's entirely possible, but ... I don't see how I could have forgotten something as important as that ... especially after remembering how odd it was that she hadn't tried to find Kevin after he was kidnapped by Crowley. Someone ... please ... tell me that I'm just forgetting something and that isn't one of those times when the writers just threw in a statement about how something happened like we should have remembered it when they never did anything about it in the first place.

'The Waking Dead' -- Grimm 2x21


Warning: Spoiler Alert

The addition of a Wesen that had some basis in the Hoodoo/Voodoo religion could have been kind of interesting, provided that it was done correctly. However, the way that things were done in this episode, it really didn't seem like there might have been a whole lot of thought put into that character (or that particular Wesen race) since the addition of that particular character was only to keep things going in the background (and to get things set up for the season finale). I'm not necessarily complaining about that, since I was glad that there was a bit of forward motion when it came to Juliette finding out about everything that was really going on with Nick and the Scoobs.

The one real problem that I have with Juliette finding out was the way that she found out. I have no problem that she found out, since I have been wanting her to know what has really been going on for a while, but I think it's kind of iffy to have someone other than Nick tell her what was going on ... or at least, to not have Nick involved with the telling. Juliette, Monroe, and Bud telling her what they were was good, since I'm not overly fond of people telling other people's secrets to anyone else, but them telling her what Nick is ... I still don't feel right about that ... kind of the way that I still don't feel right about the way that Juliette was trying to force Monroe into taking her to Aunt Marie's trailer (since it wasn't for Monroe to show her, what with it being Nick's secret, and not Monroe's ... just like I still have an issue with Rosalee seeming to think that it was ok to try to twist Monroe's arm into taking Juliette there).

But at least, now she knows, and she seems to be alright with everything (which I had a feeling that she would be). I thought it was almost endearing how she said that she needed to get the flowers into water before they woged ... even though that's not how you would use the word. I thought it was more irritating that she was using the word incorrectly than I found it endearing, but at least she was trying, right? So, now we can maybe (finally) get over this whole amnesia thing, and have her a full member of the gang (with all the rights and privileges there in, and get her all of the necessary equipment that she might need (ie, her key card to the secret clubhouse, her decoder ring, a lightsaber in the color of her choosing, all of the flash-bangs she could possibly use, and a coupon for Ninjutsu training at the dojo of her choice).

I wonder what Eric is up to, especially when considering the things that Renard's homie found in Eric's desk ... even if I think that it might be unlikely that Eric would leave things like that lying around so easy to find if he didn't want someone to find them and make assumptions about what they meant. At the very least, it seems likely that he's going to try to cause some trouble for Renard, but that seems kind of obvious (especially since there is absolutely no love lost between the two of them). But what the purpose of causing trouble might be, or for what reasons he might want to cause that trouble ... I'm not sure yet. I have a feeling that any guess that I might try to put forth at this moment might prove to be wrong, since I have a feeling that there might be a whole lot more going on than what we are aware of at this point, whether we're talking about their relationship or the general politics of the royals.

Also, I don't remember hearing that Eric and Renard were princes ... even though I wasn't really surprised to find out that they are. When Eric was told that the king was on the phone for him, and it was clarified that it was actually his father, I had a reaction of "well, duh. Of course it's his dad on the phone, and of course his dad is the king." But I really can't remember there being any clarification up to this point as to what their actual position within the hierarchy was. Yeah, Adalind called Eric, "highness" ... but you can still be a prince without being the next in line for the throne (Prince Andrew's daughters are princesses, but Charles, William, Harry, and Andrew would all have to die before either of them would really be in line for the throne ... and probably a few more at that, since I'm not that familiar with their family tree). But now we have come clarification as to how high in the royal family either of them really are ... well, maybe not Renard, since he's been ostracized.

'Watershed' -- Castle 5x24


Warning: Spoiler Alert

Sooooo ... are we supposed to be concerned over whether or not Beckett is going to say yes to Castle's proposal, or if she is going to break it off and take the job in DC? Cuz like I've said before, the writers of this show don't really do very well with the cliffhangers. There really isn't much of any suspense about what she's going to do ... or at least, not for me. It's not necessarily that I know for certain what's going to happen (even though I have my suspicions), it's more that I think that they don't do that well with this sort of thing ... even though you think that they would, seeing as how suspense/mystery is pretty much the genre of the show.

I am fully going to predict right now that what's going to happen is that she's going to end up not taking the job in DC, but she's also going to say yes to Castle. Why? I have the feeling that she will torn between seeing that he wants to take their relationship to the next level, and realizing that he is only really willing to take that next step cuz he doesn't want her to leave (so, she'll probably see it as him doing it for the wrong reasons). So, NOES ALL AROUND!!

But then, I was wrong about when the writers were going to have the two of them get together (cuz I thought that it would work best if they got together in the very last scene of the very last episode of the series), so maybe I'm wrong about this. Still, I really don't think that they're going to have her leave the show ... and I just can't see them having her say yes quite yet (even though I think it will happen eventually).

Also, good on Martha for telling Castle that he's being a giant dumbie. The man shouldn't only be motivated into action cuz he's terrified of the alternative; he should be motivated to want to do things cuz he loves her, no?

'Nightmare in Silver' -- DW 7x12


Warning: Spoiler Alert

Yet another episode that I wasn't altogether thrilled with. The thing is that it was something that really could have been fantastic ... and something that I think that under normal circumstances, I might have been pretty happy with. But I think that the way that I've been pretty underwhelmed with this series has colored the way that I've looked at episodes that I might have otherwise liked. Hell, the fact that Warwick Davis was in the episode, and that he turned out to be the emperor probably would have given me all kinds of fangirl glee otherwise ... but there was no glee, I'm sad to say.

But speaking of Warwick being the emperor ... good on the girl (whose name I am completely blanking on) that Clara is the nanny for, and her ability to pay attention to things that are around her. Being the only one to figure out that he was the emperor, even while everyone else was thinking that he was just another doode that was hiding out in the amusement park ... she gets a shiny star sticker for that.

And I'm not sure that the writers really did well enough with the whole, "wanting to get away from being emperor" thing. Sure, he felt bad about everything that has happened to humanity since the war, but it didn't seem like things were really bad enough for him to not want to be who he was (and to want to run away from his life). But part of it might have been the way that it was acted, with there not being enough sorrow there? Or a combination of the two, maybe? But whichever it was, I wasn't quite believing that there was really enough horribleness for him to want to run away from it and be someone else (and I get the feeling that I was supposed to).

Also, from the preview for this episode, I was under the impression that we were going to see Jenny again in this episode. But it turned out that the person that I thought was Jenny was someone else entirely. So, I suppose that we will have to wait for Jenny in some other episode (since, from what I understand, she is supposed to be in one this series).

'Clip Show' -- SPN 8x22


Warning: Spoiler Alert

Well, I suppose that I've now had another part of my headcanon of Show torpedoed. First, it was the idea that Metatron might actually have been Chuck (which is still an idea that I like far better than what he's supposed to be). But now it's the idea that the boys might have come from a line of angels (and that somewhere in their family tree there was a Nephilim). It possibly could be argued that they might be at least a little bit angel, and that's why they were the perfect vessels for Lucifer and Michael ... but I don't see Metatron saying that there was only one Nephilim in the world if the people who are the perfect vessels had even a bit of angel blood inside of them. And again, I like my idea much better than the one that has now become canon, but ... what can you do? Nothing, really.

Also, if Crowley is supposed to be the demon that they save, that may kill the theory that he might be a fallen angel ... which I am also a bit disappointed about. But then, my brain is needing some "bigger meaning" to his reference to Mesopotamia ... something bigger (and which makes more sense in canon) than "the writers just fucked up," since my brain wants things to MAKE SENSE, BITCHES!! I'm sure that this would be another point where would have been telling me that genre television isn't supposed to make sense, and maybe realizing that should mean that I need to sit the hell down instead of trying to rip out my hair.

But at the same time, it seemed kind of like it was getting to be inevitable that the boys were going to try to do something about Crowley ... even if it didn't turn out that he was the final trial. Crowley has kind of become a bit too large when it comes to power, and may start going into YED territory pretty soon. Without the bitch check before that happens, it could be that Crowley becomes an even bigger pain in the ass for someone else later on down the line.

And now we do know that the angel tablet is in Crowley's possession. I'm glad that this was addressed, cuz I'm sure that it would have bugged the hell out of me if we weren't given some kind of answer. Though, I'm not entirely sure that Metatron would have remembered what was on each of the tablets, regardless of what he says about them being things that you wouldn't forget. And from the way that it was worded, I'm taking it as him remembering what was on each of the tablets, and not just the angel one (cuz that's the one that affected him most directly as an angel). He seems far too ... absentminded? ... put your head in the sand? ... to necessarily remember what all the trials were.

Speaking of the trails, and the fact that the first one was to cut the heart out of another being, and that Metatron claimed that he couldn't do it himself since he's just a "pencil pusher" and Cas is the warrior ... bullshit. What he is, is just as bad as the archangels, getting someone else to do his dirty work. Someone needs to knock him on his ass, cuz I have the feeling that it's a good thing that he was in hiding for so long; if he hadn't been trying to stay out of everything, I have a feeling that things would have been much worse. He probably would have been the guy who was whispering in someone else's ear, trying to get them worked up and doing something stupid ... what I would think that Lucifer does in the traditional Christian sense of the being ... or even the way Loki was in Thor.

Was it just me, or was Dean acting like a whiney, little bitch in this episode? Sure, Cas hurt him, but Cas was doing what he thought was right ... and it seemed like Dean should have realized that without needing to be told. Hell, even when Sam is on the angel's side, that should be a clue that you need to let things go, broheim.

'Kiss of the Muse' -- Grimm 2x20


Warning: Spoiler Alert

So, that's why Hank was wheeled off in the beginning of the episode a couple of episodes ago, and then, didn't show up in the last one ... he broke his leg or sprained something pretty badly. Now it makes sense that he would be sent off for no apparent reason so near the end of the season. I was wondering what was going on there, but now ... simple answer.

Finally, Juliette is able to remember that Nick is a Grimm, and that there are Wesen in the world. This whole thing with her remembering has taken entirely too long, and that is no lie. Maybe we can finally get to something else ... and maybe even get her in as part of the gang now. PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MAKE HER A PART OF THE GANG!!

She did seem to take the whole thing of remembering a bit better than one might have hoped, since there could have been a real chance that she would have freaked out with what she remembered (only half-way knowing the truth of the situation) and may have decided that she didn't want to be involved with anything that was going on after all. But maybe the fact that something so strange had happened to her cuz of her memory loss that she was able to believe a little more readily than she might have otherwise ... though, I have a feeling that she might have come to terms with everything after a bit (especially with Monroe and Rosalee's help).

But the whole thing with Nick falling under an obsessive spell, and the only cure being his love of Juliette ... after the whole thing with the obsessive "love" that was going on between Renard and Juliette, that seemed a tad bit stale. I suppose that there could (ultimately) be something going on with the two of them realizing just what they mean to each other, and having their relationship be stronger cuz of what they have gone through, but ... I kept thinking through pretty much the entire episode, "Didn't we already do all of this?" And I'll admit that I was getting kind of bored with the whole "obsessive love that is really manufactured by someone" thing.

The only part of the episode that I really and truly loved (to the point that I had a bit of a giggle fit) was when Renard stepped on Nick's gun after dude tried to pick it up off of the floor, and just went "Really?" It was such the dead-pan delivery of it all, along with a weariness that someone would try something so completely tired, instead of doing something original.

'The Human Factor' -- Castle 5x23


Warning: Spoiler Alert
Ahhh, so, now we've gotten our set up for the thing that we're supposed to be in suspense about over the summer. First it was all about whether or not Castle and Beckett would ever get together, and then, it was all about whether or not she would survive the shooting during Montgomery's funeral, and now, we're supposed to be afraid that she's going to take the job with the Attorney General. The only thing is that the writers of this show do a really horrible job with the suspense between the seasons. It was obvious that eventually the two of them would end up together at some point, and there really was never any danger of her dying (since there's no way that they were going to write her off of the show ... not when she is one of the two leads, and without her the show would fall apart). And there really is no danger of her taking the job in DC, since it's the same thing as when she was shot ... if she leaves the show, everything falls apart, since it's all about the relationship between Beckett and Castle. You can say all you want about how it's a murder mystery show, and in part it is, but the foundation of the show isn't the mystery element; the foundation of the show is the relationship between these two characters (no matter how many times I have wanted to shake the shit out of Beckett ... which is usually at least once per episode, but sometimes more). So, I don't see how they really expect us to feel like there is any danger of her going off and taking another job ... at least not at this point. Maybe she might do it when the show ends, but there is no way that she's going to do it now and only become a tertiary character that only shows up every once in a while.

I suppose that she might try to get the whole team on the payroll, but I don't see that happening; neither her asking, nor the boys wanting to go. I especially don't see it of Ryan, not after Jenny freaked out on in when he went undercover a few episodes ago. But besides that, this is a very New York show, and a very New York homicide show. I really don't see the writers changing the entire format of the show to turn it into something akin to "Criminal Minds," where they go to different sites and try to figure out what the hell is going on there. The only real difference that I see with that would be that they wouldn't be called in by the local PD to help out; they would just go there to try to get things done.

The only thing that I see coming from this is that it might create some kind of stresser in Beckett and Castle's relationship. The preview did show Castle giving her an ultimatum about the job, and I can see her not taking very kindly to that. I have a feeling that something like that would probably come back to bite him in the ass later on, and the two of them would probably have to "work through their issues" in the oncoming season. Not necessarily something that I'm overly thrilled about happening, since I'm so over the whole Beckett and Castle having a tiff that lasts forever thing. That trope has lasted entirely too long on this show.

'The Crimson Horror' -- DW 7x11


Warning: Spoiler Alert

While I was gratified to see Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax in another episode, since the three of them amuse me so very greatly ... I am still rather bored of this season. I'm even getting rather bored of the "mystery" that is Clara ... not that I was ever overly interested in finding out what is going on with her (the most that could probably be said was that I was mildly interested in finding out what is happening).

It would have been nice if the doctor would have actually answered Jenny's question about what the whole thing with Clara was all about, instead of blowing her off in that regard. For all we know, the three of them would have been able to put their brains to task and gotten some kind of answer for the doctor so that he can stop freaking out about what it's all about. They may not have, but we don't know that at this point; and besides, sometimes having someone else look at something may give a new perspective that may help in getting answers when you're stuck.

And really, I think that it's kind of amazing [/sarcasm] that the doctor is the one who is so in need of an answer about Clara. It's her life, and yet, she's not the one that needs to know anything about this great mystery. And the thing is, it seems as if the doctor had left her alone in the first place, there would probably have been no mystery to begin with. If he hadn't gone chasing after her, she would have just been a normal girl, and there probably wouldn't have been multiple versions of her. I would not be at all surprised if everything comes back onto the fact that she started traveling with the doctor, and the traveling is what threw her into different times (kind of like with River ... if he had just left Amy and Rory alone, Amy wouldn't have gotten pregnant while she was traveling with him, wouldn't have gotten kidnapped, Melody would never have gotten kidnapped and programmed to kill the doctor, and she never would have gotten herself some Time Lord energies).

Also, I thought it was kind of strange that the kids that Clara is a nanny for were able to happen across all kinds of pictures of her from different times. That seems like a bit of a stretch. And I don't see why they would necessarily think that it was her, or that their first instinct was to go for "ZOMG! She's a time traveler!!" when that isn't something that most people would really consider (even within the DW universe, there aren't that many humans who know who the doctor is, or that he can travel through time, so it doesn't seem like this would be most people's first reaction). And it kind of bothered me that the writers had her built up as being clever (even if it was something that came about cuz of something that was done to her), and she felt the need to correct them about where she had been in this episode. On the one hand, yeah, she's clever and maybe wants to be specific about where and when she actually was, but that still doesn't mean that she should tell the kids what is actually going on. Wouldn't it have been more clever to keep that information from them, and pretend like she didn't know what they were talking about? Especially when she doesn't know if the two of them will be able to keep the information to themselves? For all we know, they might tell their dad, who (if he believed them) might freak out and send her packing; and they might tell their friends (or whoever else) which might send "X-Files" type authorities to pick her up. It's not like traveling with the doctor is the safest thing that you can do; it's not just the danger that he puts you in while he's with you, it's also the fact that he has made so many enemies over the centuries who may use you to get to him.

'Endangered' -- Grimm 2x19


Warning: Spoiler Alert

It seemed a bit convenient that Monroe was able to just happen to recognize the tiny part of the map that was on Nick's key. That was a tiny bit too convenient that he not only had the maps from some random uncle, but that he studied them enough to know where the secret spot was that the keys probably pointed toward ... especially since the royals had some of the keys, and as far as we know, they haven't jumped all over that place. Maybe they are wanting the keys so badly, not cuz they are so desperate to figure out where they should be going, but that they want to open whatever it is that they've found, but that's not the implications that we've been given. From everything that Renard has been saying about the keys so far (and we haven't been given any indication that he's been keeping anything from Nick), the royals haven't found anything yet ... and since they would have more money and more resources, it doesn't seem like Monroe would figure that out before they would. It's possible that Renard doesn't have as much information as he might need to know where Erik may be in figuring things out (since he's kind of on the outs with his family), but like I said, we haven't been given any clues that that's what we should be seeing in this.

And the fact that we now know where the map may be pointing us toward, I wonder if at some point, Nick is going to be making a trip to the Black Forest. Even if he were somehow able to find whatever it is that was hidden, that doesn't mean that he would be able to open it (since he only has one of the keys, and I have the feeling that there might be something that would make sure that you wouldn't be able to open whatever locks there were without all of the keys present ... maybe some kind of witchy locks put on there by a hexenbiest that was allied with them. Might not be the most likely thing possible, but it could happen. After all, Nick's friendship with Monroe, Rosalee and Bud should prove that it's possible for Grimms and Wesen to be friends).

Ok, this is where my brain went with the Glühenvolk ... if they were hunted to near extinction, and there is a small group of them in Alaska ... what is the chances that there would be in-breeding amongst them, and wouldn't there be some issues cuz of that? And I started thinking about how much safer it would probably be for them to each have multiple children with multiple partners so that they could encourage genetic diversity. And Alaska may be pretty secluded in a large part, but if an outsider came into their community at some point, wouldn't their bioluminescence become just that much easier to see reflected off of the snow? This is probably just another instance of me overthinking things, but that's what my brain does.

'The Great Escapist' -- SPN 8x21


Warning: Spoiler Alert

Good on Kevin for figuring out that the dudes that were hanging around were actually demons and not the boys. I like him more and more every time that he's around. Too bad that the boys thought that he was dead for a while, since I'm sure that caused them some turmoil ... and possibly them. But if they hadn't, I have a feeling that he might not have been rescued by Metatron, since they probably would have gone out looking for him, and there wouldn't have been the real possibility of him being saved ... even though it does seem a tad bit convenient that Metatron was able to get to him and get him to safety. I'm kind of conflicted as to whether or not I like that it happened. Sure, I'm glad that Kevin is not dead now, but to have Metatron come in just in time to save him seemed a little too deus ex machina, and the only one who I was ok with doing that was Bobby.

I was super glad that Metatron did manage to make it into Show ... even if I'm disappointed that they changed his backstory so that he was originally an angel (and part of the "secretarial pool"), when he's supposed to be Enoch ... and Enoch was originally a human who became an angel so that he could be the "voice of God" ... at least according to folklore (Book of Enoch ... read it ... it's kind of awesome).

I'm really hoping that Kevin ends up staying around with Metatron. He won't need to translate anything anymore (so that will cut off all of the bad things that have happened to him from translating the tablets), and he will be around the angel that he should have been around the entire time. Maybe there will finally be some kind of balance in the Force when they are together ... at least as far as Prophets and the Word of God (and the tablets) are concerned.

And when Metatron nabbed Kevin from Crowley, it kind of bothers me that we don't know whether or not he also grabbed the angel tablet. Sure, he knows what's on the tablet itself (since he's the one that made sure that it was made), but it doesn't seem like the kind of thing you should just leave hanging around ... especially when the King of Hell is right. there. The thing has already proven that it has some kind of magical properties inside of it, and I have a bad feeling that if Crowley figures out how to use it, something bad is going to happen. SOMEBODY TELL ME WHERE IT IS, SO I CAN STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS!!!!

'Still' -- Castle 5x22


Warning: Spoiler Alert

A clip episode? Really? This close to the end of the season? Really? Aren't clip shows for when you are near the ending of the run of a series, and you want to give a look back at "all the good times" that the characters' had? This close to the end of the season, when we know who the guy was who was behind the death of Beckett's mom, should there really be an episode that's nothing but filler? Shouldn't we go back to the underlying thing that has been driving Beckett this whole time? Figuring out who was involved with that whole thing was so important in previous seasons that it feels weird that it's kind of been dropped. They handed us the final bit of information, and they haven't really been back to deal with it. Sure, the guy is Connected ... but shouldn't that mean that the gang is trying to figure out even more how they are going to make sure that they bring him to justice for what he did? Cuz right now, it really feels like he's been getting away with it, and since Castle and Beckett have been able to get laid, Teh Sex has been overpowering everything else (and all of the motivations that they may have had in earlier seasons).

And you know what? For a second there, even though I was sure that they weren't going to kill Beckett off (since there really wouldn't be a show without her and the relationship that she has with Castle), I kind of hoped that they really would kill her off ... and I almost had a glimmer of hope that they might (when she was looking up at the camera that was located above her). But the fact that they were able to figure out the code to turn off the bomb within the last two minutes ... convenient. ::eyebrow raise:: There really wasn't any suspense to it, pretty much at all. Even when they found out about the timer, there really wasn't any suspense to the situation. Now ... if they had had one of the secondary characters step on a pressure plate, there might have been some suspense about what might happen. Like, if Ryan stepped on one ... I might actually get a tiny bit worried about whether or not he would be written off the show; but Beckett ... there really wasn't much of any doubt that everything was going to be fine.

I'm tempted to look for spoilers for the next episode, just so that I can see if the next episode will actually have a plot that will take up a full 42 minutes (instead of about 20, so that the other 24 has to be filled up with things that happened in previous seasons), but I have had bad experiences with spoilers in the past (like finding out that Wash died before seeing Serenity. Not only was that awful in the since that he's my favorite character from that show, but then, there was no ZOMG! moment when he died, since I already knew what was going to happen). So, I guess that I'll just have to hope that the next episode won't make me want to shake a bitch (kind of the way that this one did).

'Journey to the Center of the TARDIS' -- DW 7x10


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I'm starting to get the feeling that cuz of the 50th anniversary stuff that is coming up, that the writers really haven't given as much attention to whatever else is going on in the season that is leading up to it. It would be fantastic if it felt like there was some thought put into what was going on, instead of feeling like they were just needing to fill up some space between what they were doing in series six and what will be happening with the anniversary.

I have absolutely no sympathy for either of the brothers who made the third think that he was an android. What they did was completely shitty and motivated out of a desire to get even with him out of resentments that they had (about him being the "favored son"). Just did it for a laugh ... whatever. And even if the truth was kind of copped to by the end of everything, I still don't have any sympathy for anything bad that happened with either of them.

I still twitch slightly whenever there is a "crossing of timelines" when it comes to the doctor or any of the companions. I guess that it really got drilled into my head that what should be happening (back with 9) was that they should never do that, cuz of all of the horrible things that could happen when they try to "fix" their own timelines (yes, I learned my lesson from "Father's Day"). I was kind of willing to let it go with "The Big Bang," since the universe had become so small, and they needed to do a bit of cross pollination to make sure that the universe was able to reboot itself ... even though I was still not entirely happy with what I felt like was a retcon of canon. But 11 throwing the grenade through the tear did not make me at all happy on the inside. It felt too much like the writers were being a bit lazy ... like they were borrowing old tropes from the show (having 11 deal with stuff like "The Big Bang," and having there be a rip in time like all through series five ... sure, that sort of thing could happen again, but using a rip in time again (which looks so much like the one that they used in series five, only standing vertically), and have it be so close to the rip that showed up through an entire series ... too soon).

The one thing that I can say that I liked about this episode was the fact that 11 finally came clean with Clara about what has been bothering him about her all this time. I didn't like the fact that he wasn't being honest with her about what was bothering him, especially since it's coloring at least some of his attitude of her (yeah, still very much bothered by the fact that he asked the empath in last week's episode what she was, instead of who she was ... like she might have been something less than person, but that may not have been the intent). Maybe they can finally start dealing with shit, instead of him trying to keep what he's actually doing from her while he's simultaneously trying to show her around and try to figure out what the hell is going on with her.

'Pac-Man Fever' -- SPN 8x20


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I'm kind of torn about how I'm feeling about Charlie right now. On the one hand, I think it would be a completely fab idea to have her join up with the boys in their super-secret clubhouse, since she would be able to help them out a billion ways to Sunday when it comes to figuring things out and research and whatnot (plus, she would be able to get everything in the records digitized and organized and easily searchable in no time flat), and I'm sure that sort of thing would come in complete handy when they are coming up against a brick wall on some things. That being said, I think that if Charlie was around all of the time, I might end up getting annoyed with her enough that I would want to shake a bitch. There are some characters that are awesome in small doses, but if they were to be imbibed on a regular basis, they would be far more annoying than what they would be worth ... and I have a feeling that she would be one of those characters.

Also, with her favorite book being The Hobbit (or at least, that being the book that her mom used to read to her all of the time) ... I have a feeling that the only reason that this particular book was picked (and the only reason why the beginning of it was read at the end of the episode) was cuz of the fact that it's kind of in the public consciousness right now. If this episode had come out around 2001, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the writers would have name dropped LotR. Kind of annoying, but understandable I suppose (in that the writers were probably trying to add to her nerd street cred).

Another mention of Chuck in this episode. Ok, yeah, the name that was used was his pen name, but I'm counting it. I kind of want to think that there is something with the mention for the second time this season ... like it might mean something in the larger scheme of things ... but I also have the feeling that it's not going to pan out to meaning anything at all (kind of like how they mentioned John being in Sacramento in the first season a couple of times, but there really wasn't anything to that ... even though, there could have been something going on there, and the fan reaction of "WTF is going on in Sac to make John either stick around, or go back there for a second time?" was kind of understandable). The idea that Chuck is Metatron is becoming even more firmly placed inside of my headcanon, and I would love it if the writers are trying to prepare us for that revelation by dropping him in every now and again.

Good to know that what I suspected about the Bunker and its protections turned out to be true ... or at least, that there is some kind of protection on/in/around the place so that it's hard to locate. At least now my brain will be able to rest on that front and not want to keep demanding that there be some kind of logic concerning why everything was still intact. Sure, there are still problems with the fact that someone would probably have come across the place at some point (maybe a city worker of some kind), and they may have forced their way inside (and we still don't know what the place has when it comes to keeping unwanted peoples out), but at least now there's something when it comes to an explanation about why it's still around undetected.

'The Squab and the Quail' -- Castle 5x21


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I had forgotten just how lovely that I thought Ioan Gruffudd could be (when he's all swanked out), cuz he really and properly is ... him and his cheekbones. Between him and my imaginary husband (Hiddles), I have a feeling that I should need all kinds of imaginary bandages from those things. Truly.

It was nice to see Castle make at least a little bit of an effort when it came to trying to make sure that Beckett understood that she was important to him ... even if he completely missed the point of what she was talking about when she asked them where they were going (she didn't mean where were you guys going physically right then, stupid. Sometimes he really is clueless). And even if the two of them have been in love with each other for a few years now, yeah, I suppose that they really haven't "defined" their relationship ... it's more them having fun right now (what with the happy sexy time, and him getting to take her places that she hasn't been before that he can try to spoil her every once in a while). I wonder how long it would have taken before Beckett wanted to put that kind of definition on their relationship, if Eric hadn't come along and stirred things up a bit. Probably not very much longer, even as much fun as both of them were having just with the "let's play for a while" mentality that they had going on there.

I was kind of amused with Castle getting so jealous of Eric, but I can't say that I blame Beckett for getting annoyed with him. Being amused by it had more to do with being on the outside looking in on an imaginary relationship; if it had been a real relationship (one that I was a part of, even as unlikely as that is), I think that I'd want to make a point as well about the fact that his jealousy was maybe more of a reflection on whether or not he trusted her (as opposed to someone else). Even if Castle felt like he needed to make clear to Eric that they were in a serious relationship, going past the point of letting dude know he needs to show a bit of respect to the monogamous relationship that they had is overstepping into "make the person I'm with feel like this is about her, instead of the other dude" territory. If he didn't trust Eric, that's fine, but he should know that he can trust Beckett at this point (that she loves him, that she is loyal to him, and that if Eric tried to do anything, she would shoot him down ... just like she did).

'Ring of Fire' -- Grimm 2x18


Warning: Spoiler Alert

Sooooo ... what are we dealing with now? Elementals? Whatever the creature was that they were fighting in this episode, I have the feeling that it wasn't one of the Wesen, and was as different to them as they may be to humans. But if it was some kind of elemental-type of creature (a being that was made up of fire, and was kind of "fire made flesh," so to speak), it seems like it shouldn't have been that easy to dispatch it. After all of the things that it had done just within the confines of the episode, it seems like it should have been a little bit harder for the gang to kill it. I think that I would have bought it if they had wounded it, and if it realized that it may have been hurt pretty bad, which would have led it to make a hasty retreat. But the fact that all it really took was them to get its core body-temp down enough that the fire was turned into obsidion (which I really want to call "dragonglass" ... curse you GRRM!!) so that they could break it apart ... it feels far too easy to me, especially since a lot of the Wesen go out far more difficultly than that, and this thing looked like it was far more powerful than your average Wesen ... and not just cuz of the "being made out of fire" thing, but also the fact that it seemed to know where certain rocks were, regardless of where they had been moved to ... that seems to be a bit geokinetic to me).

I wonder if Adalind is going to get her powers back. It really does seem like the writers like her character and want to make it so that she is back at full power so that she can cause a lot more mischief later on in the series. I have a feeling that no matter what happens with Juliette (whether she is fully able to get her memories back, and is able to stop being all crazy-like), the fact that she is associated with Nick ... that is always going to cause her trouble where Adalind is concerned. Even if Juliette fully gets back to being who she was before the memory spell tore Nick out of her brain-stuffs, with her remembering who she was then (and who she was with Nick), she is always going to have to look over her shoulder to make sure that Adalind isn't there. I really have the feeling that even if Juliette decides that she doesn't want to be with Nick anymore, once she completely remembers everything, Adalind will still want to use her to hurt Nick, since Nick will probably still love her for a very long time (and will probably still want to take care of her, regardless if she doesn't want to be with him anymore).

Speaking of Juliette and her memory ... this storyline feels like it has run its course ... and then some. I would love it if this storyline were tied up, and soon. It was good in the beginning of the season, since it gave a bit of tension within the series, but now that it looks like it's going to last pretty much the entirety of season two ... dear, God. Can we move on already? Either give her back her memories and have her join the Scooby Gang, or fucking write her off the show already. Pick one. And that is coming from someone who likes Juliette, and would like to see her get her decoder ring, and become a full member of the Scooby Gang (with all of its rights and privileges).

'Hide' -- DW 7x10


Warning: Spoiler Alert

So far this is the only episode that I haven't wanted to throw against a wall from the second half of this series ... which isn't saying a whole hell of a lot considering the fact that it still wasn't as great as one would have hoped that it might have been.

I am still kind of bovvered with the fact that 11 asked what Clara is ... not who she might be that would facilitate her showing out throughout history, dying at different points, and reappearing later or earlier on, but what she is. The thing that bothers me about the use of terminology with this question is that there seems to be an underlying assumption that she isn't human ... or at least that she isn't a person, but that she is a "thing". But the fact that 11 keeps referring to her as a mystery that he needs to solve, instead of just an interesting person that he would like to have travel around with him goes along with this train of thought as well (though to a bit of a lesser degree). Yes, he would like to know why she seems to keep popping up all over the place, and he doesn't know why that happens (which creates a tickle in his brain), but that doesn't mean that she should be referred to as anything other than just a person, especially since we have not been given any kind of information that would make us think that there is anything other than human about her; and at this point, it seems better to err on the side of "don't be a dick" than to start referring her to anything other than a person.

Having 11 be afraid ... in a way that was kind of refreshing, especially after Time Lord Victorious, and having our dear boy always assume that he's the most clever person in the room, and make sure that everyone else knows it. Sure, he may be the most clever person most of the time, but that doesn't mean that other people aren't clever as well, and won't be able to figure things out that he wouldn't be able to figure out (since they may have some kind of specialized knowledge about what's going on around them that will put them on better footing than the doctor would have).

Also kind of fab to have the "monster" of the episode not actually be a monster, and just be someone who is desperate to be back with the one that he loves. I love it when things get turned on their heads, and we see that we shouldn't judge others by what they look like.

You're Using it Wrong. Stop it.

Dearest Faith Hunter,

I have been enjoying reading your books. I loved the Rogue Mage books, and I have been enjoying the Jane Yellowrock books. That being said, you have done something twice (once in two different books) within the Jane Yellowrock books that has bugged the hell out of me. You have used "zeta" when you mean "omega". Sweetheart ... "zeta" is not the last letter of the Greek alphabet. "Omega" is. Stop using this letter incorrectly; it is making me upset on the inside.

Sincerely,
Me

'The Fast and the Furriest' -- Castle 5x20


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I think that I might have liked this episode a little bit better if it hadn't revolved around Big Foot, and had been more about Anne Cardinal (the victim) and her life ... since that was far more interesting of a thing to me. But then, any time a show has an excuse to get a bit "ethnic" with what they're doing, as long as they do it correctly (and show some respect), that's what I'm wanting them to deal more about. I do have fun (a lot of times) with Bigfoot stuff, not that I believe that it's real ... but I still have fun watching things where other people believe in the stuff.

But I did have quite a bit of laugh when Ryan found out that some big name Bigfoot researcher was involved, and just the way that Beckett and Esposito said the same words as Castle and Ryan ... and the way that the entire meaning of the question changed by the way that they said it was freaking hilarious. I do love it when they have all kinds of interactions like that with each other.

Speaking of the guy that was supposed to be big named, the actor that plays him is also on "Once Upon a Time," and all I could think whenever he was on the screen was, "Doctor Hopper. Doctor Hopper. Doctor Hopper. Doctor Hopper." So, I really wasn't able to hear whatever it was that he was saying, since the name of his character on the other show was a bit too loud inside of my head.

And like too many of the other shows that I'm watching right now, this felt like it was a little too much like a filler episode, and so I wasn't really engaged with what was going on all that much ... but then, there seems to be a little too many of the filler-type episodes in this show this season (at least from what it looks like to me). It would be nice if there was a bit more going on right now that had me engaged, but it seems like the show has lost a bit of that since they figured out who was behind Beckett's mom's death. Well ... it seems kind of like it started when Captain Montgomery died, but this season it's kind of been amplified.

'Cold War' -- DW 7x09


Warning: Spoiler Alert

I wasn't really impressed with this episode. It felt far too much like it was nothing more than filler material. It would be really nice if I didn't get that feeling about it, especially when we've been waiting for new episodes since December.

I'm really hoping that there's going to be some kind of pay-off when it comes to the anniversary special, what with this season not really being all that fantastic (and generally feeling like it is almost going to be made up of filler material.

Hopefully next week will be better ... but I don't think that I'm going to be holding my breath on that.