For the Doctor Who fan...

In celebration of me finally catching up on Doctor Who (well, the new series of course) and the fact that I finally understand this, I thought I should share:

Time for a very long flight home...
~ Sarah

Tuesday Night Mid-Season Finales

SPOILERS: NCIS, Glee, SGU, and Riese

Whoops....I guess I fell a liiiittle behind. My bad.

Damn, this is a lot more stuff to go through than all the Monday ones. Once again, aiming for impact and general opinion rather than specifics, sorry, or else this post would be way too long and I'd never get to enjoy my vacation.

Which is going great, by the way. I love holidays. Video games, home cooked meals, being driven crazy by your family (but of course you still really love them)....thank goodness none of them read this blog.

Also, if you're interested in plays and/or gay rights, I highly recommend the play called "The Laramie Project"; very moving and emotional. On a similar note, hurrah for the end of Don't Ask Don't Tell! (You can tell when I started writing this post by this paragraph)

Anyways, Riese actually turned out rather less disappointing towards the end. My final say would be, watch it if you enjoy artsy sci-fi or fantasy. It's nothing really original and the actors fall flat at times of the potential I know they have (kind of like watching Natalie Portman in Star Wars - you can tell she's trying but the dialouge she has to work with is just too awful). However, I was struck by the beauty of the show - the costumes, the gadgets, the scenery, all really stunning. It's aesthetics make it past that dividing line that makes certain steampunks shine while others are merely clunky and flashy. If you have some time to spare this break, watch it, and maybe like me you'll look forward to a potential second season. But you'll also see that it's no surprise that they weren't given their own TV show - this is no Sanctuary.

Merry Christmas to All!

No matter you're religion, celebrate Christmas as a lovely themed day when, at the very least, everyone else is busy with family, leaving you a nice day off.

Except for people in service industries. Sucks to be you, sorry, but there's always Boxing Day. I always did like Boxing Day....

Anyways, here's something to bring a bit of Christmas Joy:

~ Sarah

Sad News (part 2)

Last time I posted under this heading it was because the Sanctuary premiere had been postponed a month. Unfortunately, this news also has its roots in SyFy. Courtesy of blastr.com:

"Syfy announced today it will end its original action-adventure series Stargate Universeonce the show returns to finish its second season in the spring of 2011. The upcoming 10 episodes will be the series' last."

Some people are sad, and some people are relieved. Interestingly, this means both of SyFy's Tuesday night shows have been cancelled (SGU and Caprica) while Sanctuary is thriving in it's Friday night slot.

My opinion is leaning towards the relieved. I'm always sad to see a show with potential cancelled, and SGU did have some gems with the characters of T.J., Rush [above], Eli, and even Young at times. Season 1 stumbled trying to find it's footing, and Season 2 seemed to be headed in the right direction until...

It turned out there was a higher intelligence involved in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. And then the religion metaphor, which was actually somewhat lovely to see at points, became heavy handed and substituted in in the place of science and actual ongoing action and drama.

So maybe it's time for the show to end. Like Dollhouse, the remaining episodes may spur them into actually reaching some resolution for the fans. Or like Kyle XY, Firefly, Jake 2.0, or the Middleman, maybe we'll be left throwing things at the TV going "WHAT THE @*&$#(@*#& you can't end it there! That didn't explain anything!!"

What do you think. Not given the chance to shine or a decision that should have been made ages ago?

Monday Night Mid-Season Finales

SPOILERS: Chuck, House, Castle

IT'S SNOWING!!!!

Ah, the tragedy that is mid-season break. Chuck, House, and Castle are all done for this year. Castle will be back as soon as January 3rd but the other two won't be back until January 17th. But they did have the decency to end on different weeks so I'm not just stuck with tons of shows on one week and none anytime else. So this is technically my review of Monday November 22th, 29th and December 6th.

Some of these are a bit scant, apologies, I went more for my general opinion rather than details as these are end of the season.

Episode of the Week(s?): Either "Chuck versus the Leftovers" or Castle's "Last Call"

Sanctuary Episode Review - "Trail of Blood"

Hey Magnus, guess who's back in town...or at least the Columbian Highlands...

This is extremely late, but I wanted to do a really really thorough review of this episode cause it deserves it. And I guess it's ok to do it now because thanks to SyFy's extreme internet delay policies (30 days before show's are on hulu!) the episode is just now on the web. [Pics also courtesy of SyFy]

Thank You Internet!

Ask and ye shall receive. It took two days after Vigilante airing and the aforementioned Tesla scene is already up on the web. It's either a late Hanukah present or an early Christmas one. Enjoy!

~ Sarah

Another thing to tide you over...

Still working, still catching up on TV. Bones made a comeback, by the way, with a hell of an episode "The Doctor in the Photo", and Sanctuary tied up their Father Jensen storyline nicely and is headed toward Hollow Earth next week.

Plus, I know I've said this before but, Jonathan Young is so great as Nikola Tesla on Sanctuary. Who else can make walking away saying "you're welcome" after unbuttoning a woman's shirt with magnetic powers while she awkwardly flirts with another character [below, on the right] so wonderfully snarky and hilarious? Once I find a clip of that scene, I'm posting it here, let me know if you find it!

Speaking of clips, here's two more to keep you going. Taylor the Latte Boy and Taylor's Response - these have been playing out of my headphones all finals week. These are my favorite performances; the original song doesn't have a set girl's name in it (it's not from a show) which is why the name changes from Kristen to Lindsey. Enjoy!

~ Sarah

Finals Finals Finals Finals

AHHHHHHHHHH. FINALS. TAKE HOME FINALS. PROJECTS.

Anyways, I'm busy, and behind, and all that. I'll have to pull another double post at the end of this week, but until then, I've got something for each category of readers: a little House (procedural), a little Doctor Who (sci fi), and a little Kristen Chenoweth (musical). Enjoy and Happy Chanukah to any fellow Jews out there!

Thursday November 11 and 18, 2010

SPOILERS: Big Bang Theory, Bones, Riese, and Sanctuary

Yep, yep, yep, still behind, catching up, here's last week and the week before for these shows. Trail of Blood still on it's way, I swear, Animus was also another knock out of an episode. Really, Sanctuary is on a roll this season, there's not a single episode that didn't end without me anxiously ready for the next week. Plus yesterday?! I mean, that was a Magnus-fest, and a wonderful one.

Also, you get to hear me snap when it comes to Bones this season.

Tuesday November 9 and 16, 2010

SPOILERS: Glee, Riese, Stargate Universe, and NCIS

Hello world! I am writing to you (and programing from) the glorious Pittsburgh airport, in a desperate attempt to fulfill my promise to catch up. Ehhhhh. More and more bullets. And don't even think about an episode of the day. Or pictures. I'm that behind, sorry.

Also, I've come to the conclusion that it's not Amanda Tapping's fault. Not even Morgan Freeman could make the Riese narration bearable.

Finally, I've got a question for all the SGU watchers: At the end of last weeks episode, did Rush deliberately miss? I'm not sure myself. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Monday November 8 and 15, 2010

SPOILERS: House, Chuck, and Castle

And, I'm back! I've survived my birthday and a hell week of work all to bring you the glory of my opinion on the latest episodes of major television series. Miss me?

Episode of the Day: Ah, screw it, too many to deal with. And bullet form, by the way.

Delay of Game Penalty

Sorry guys, I'm totally swamped with work this week. And by swamped I mean one test, one large paper, multiple programming assignments, a Linux program to set up for research even though I use Windows, and multiple problem sets.

I'll try to catch up as soon as possible, but we're looking at a double week here: I'll post both weeks info in one day post.

Except for my Trail of  Blood review. It's still on it's own. It's late, I know, but it's going to be a masterfully written epic piece of awesome devoted to analyzing the wittiness of the dialouge, the implications of both storylines, combined with a tad bit of adoration of the masterful acting skills belonging to Amanda Tapping, Johnathan Young, and Ryan Robbins.

Just wanted to let you all know: I'm not lazy or dead, I'm just a busy college student.

~ Sarah

Thursday November 4, 2010

SPOILERS: Big Bang Theory, Riese, and Bones

Once again, Sanctuary pulled out one hell of an episode, thanks to the pure genius that is Johnathan Young as Nikola Tesla. Seriously that man is wonderful. The only reason he isn't a main character is because his character is so well done there is no way to work it so he would join the Sanctuary team without fans crying foul.

Oh, but don't forget about the guest stars on the other shows - BBT had Eliza Dushku (Buffy, Tru Calling, Dollhouse) and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson (director of the Hayden Planeterium and my boss' boss over the summer) and Bones brought in tWitch from So You Think You Can Dance.

And Riese....well, you know how I feel about Riese. Nothing changed. More cute kidnapped tattooed babies though!

Episode of the Day[s]: Yeah, no question here, Sanctuary, "Trail of Blood"

Which is why, PSYCH, it's getting it's own recap. So it's not actually in this post. Just thought you should know how awesome it was.

So, episode of Thursday: Big Bang Theory, "The Apology Insufficiency"

Tuesday November 2, 2010

SPOILERS: Riese and Stargate Universe

No NCIS or Glee, so this was a thoroughly Sci-fi/SyFy day. Though the best sci-fi of the week honor most certainly goes to Sanctuary (more on that later), Stargate Universe did pull out a good episode.

As for Riese....Ehh. One plus, however, is one of the cutest kidnapped tattooed babies ever. Really. So adorable.

Monday November 1, 2010

SPOILERS: Chuck and Castle

Who's awesome? This guy...

Oooh, it's November. Hope you all had a good Halloween and maybe even made it to the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear like me! According to lots of fancy websites, November is sweeps month. I'm not sure quite what that means, but the result is that we'll be seeing all our favorite shows trying to pull out all the stops to woo us over the coming weeks.

And I totally love pandering. Bring it. Guest stars, plots twists, and cliffhangers galore.

Episode of the Day: Chuck, "Chuck versus the First Fight" because of this guy [above]. Timothy Dalton. Aka James Bond (The Living Daylights and License to Kill), albeit for a short period of time. 

By the way, when I say "Spoilers", this time I really mean it. There is a massive Chuck spoiler after the jump. Really. Don't ruin this episode for yourself by reading it if you plan on watching the show soon. I'll put the Castle review first. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Thursday/Friday October 28/29

SPOILERS: Big Bang Theory, Riese, and Sanctuary

Henry (to Magnus): "I do tech, you do drugs...You know what I mean"

Thursday was lacking in Bones, but Friday totally made up for it. Sanctuary had another stellar hell of an episode except this time it really was one a newcomer to the show could watch and enjoy. On top of that I finally realized my subconscious desire to see Sam Carter rob a bank, Chevron Guy made an appearance, and then Sanctuary went for a trifecta by following it up with the best preview a fan of Nikola Tesla can ask for. Oh, and there were other shows on too.

Episode of the Day: Sanctuary, "The Bank Job" [quote above]

Tuesday October 26, 2010

SPOILERS: Stargate Universe, NCIS, Glee, and Riese

Tuesday also turned out to be a hell-of-a-day, which would explain why it took be three days to catch up on all of it. It made me 1) feel emotions for Matthew Scott on SGU, 2) become terrified about Abby's mental health on NCIS, 3) come to the realization that Amanda Tapping is no Morgan Freeman, and 4) once again question what the hell determines what gets censored on Glee. 

And in case you're confused, Reise (a.k.a. Riese: Kingdom Falling) is a web series that was just officially picked up SyFy and is now being put up in pieces online on the SyFy website and Hulu. I'm not familiar with it, but the cast is a who's who of minor actors from other SyFy shows, and it's narrated by Amanda Tapping, so I thought I'd give it a chance and let you know what I think. The theme is typical fantasy with a steampunk sense of style.

Episode of the Day: Glee, "Rocky Horror Glee Show"

Monday October 25, 2010

SPOILERS: Castle and Chuck

No House this week, but it didn't stop Monday from being totally freaking awesome. Seriously. Freaking. Awesome. So much. Two thumbs up.

I can't decide on an episode of the day, Castle and Chuck were both total winners. SO, I'm leaving that debate up to anyone who wants to comment! (And I'll probably play devil's advocate)

Thursday October 21, 2010

SPOILERS: Big Bang Theory, Sanctuary

No Bones this week, which means a very sarcastic thank you and a rather rude gesture towards the abstract concept of sports on Fox. However, it does mean I can spend much more time on the wonderful awesomeness that was the Sanctuary episode. Oh, and BBT had something too.

Episode of the Day: No brainer, probably the episode of the week, Sanctuary, "Firewall"

Tuesday October 19, 2010

SPOILERS: NCIS and Stargate Universe

No Glee last week. BUMMER. But we get Rocky Horror Picture Show this week, so hang in there!

Episode of the Day: Not that I have huge diversity to pick from, but I'll give it to SGU episode "Pathogen" for making me feel emotions during an episode about Chloe. Well, they weren't about her. But still, baby steps.

Because TV Reviews Sometimes Aren't Enough

Something random to make any Batman Begins (or Morgan Freeman) fan laugh, courtesy of comixed.com

Monday October 18, 2010

SPOILERS: House, Chuck, and Castle

Episode of the Day: Chuck, "Chuck Versus the Couch Lock", thanks to excellent use of the song "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo.

Thursday, October 14, 2010 (plus Sanctuary premiere!)

SPOILERS: Big Bang Theory, Bones, Sanctuary

Delay, yes, almost late, yes. I've decided that since Thursday is a little lacking, I'm tossing in Sanctuary as well (also, there's nothing else on Friday nights cause...well, it's Friday night and on any channel except SyFy that's not a good night).

Episode of the Day: Sanctuary, "Kali Part 3" (Not perfect, but an extremely excellent premiere)

Tuesday October 12, 2010

SPOILERS: Stargate Universe, NCIS, Glee

And...onto the late Tuesday post. There's a handy little pic in the SGU summary for those of you who are as confused as I am about telling the supporting cast of scientists apart.

Episode of the Day: Ouch, actually hard. They were all surprisingly great. So I'm going to have to go for a pity  handout and give it to NCIS for "Royals and Loyals" as I don't think they'll be winning again this season with the way Glee and SGU are headed.

However, I do want to give a small shout out for the brilliant song choice of Tina/Mike Chang's duet of "Sing" from A Chorus Line. Absolute perfection. Probably the best 3 minutes of TV from this week (excluding the Sanctuary premiere).

Monday October 11, 2010

SPOILERS: House, Castle, Chuck

Ok, no excuses this time. Truth is, I got a mid-semester break from college and spent it playing video games and watching Season 1 of Ugly Betty (it's on Hulu!). It was wonderful. I fan-girled more over Christopher Gorham (Henry, also Jake from Jake 2.0 and Auggie from Covert Affairs) and am now convinced that Eric Mabius (Daniel Meade) and Jonathan Young (Tesla from Sanctuary) must be related. Insanely perfect spikey hair has got to be genetic, right?

Anyways, yes, this is from a week ago. Congrats to Castle for finally capturing the coveted spot of....

Episode of the Day: Castle, "Punked"

Sanctuary Mega-Awesome-Spectacular Recap

SPOILERS: MAJOR spoilers for the past 2 seasons below the "Read More" line. This is meant to totally catch you up on the show, and as such, it fills you in on almost all killed off characters, back stories, etc. 

That being said, I don't think it will ruin your enjoyment of the show to read this and then watch the episodes they spoil. Sanctuary has a VERY HIGH re-watch value.

Finally I get to publish this! It's been in the works for two months. Friday, October 15 at 10pm I will be glued to my seat in front of the TV. Hopefully, not because someone was playing with super-glue. That's right, it's the Sanctuary premiere! It is my favorite show currently running, so I've chosen it as receiving special attention.

Here's what you need to know about Sanctuary and why you should watch it (complete with video clips!)

And yes, it's long. Very long. But also, very funny. And I promise, the clips are worth it. :)

[By the way, it's really hard to find actual clips of episodes on YouTube. It's all really terrible music videos for different relationship pairings, and some of them are rather disturbing. Just thought I should let you all know how much I suffered for this]

Premise: The show follows 159 year old British scientist Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) and her team as she studies Abnormals, "the next step in evolution": species of creatures and altered humans who are ignored by the general public and would be called monsters. She offers Sanctuary and aid to those who wish it, and in rare cases, protects the rest of the world by forcibly capturing some of them.

Though the basic premise could be termed very "monster of the week", Amanda Tapping and the other show producers have often talked about trying hard to keep the show from that format. Most episodes do focus on the main characters, either through backstory or addressing ongoing themes. 

The nice thing about this show is they don't move on quickly from major events. When a main character was killed during the season 2 premiere, the characters continued to mourn her and talk about her for several more episodes well into the season.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

SPOILERS: Big Bang Theory and Bones

Ditto as before, not enough time, bullets, blah blah blah.

Episode of the Day: Bones, "The Maggots in the Meathead"

Tuesday October 5, 2010

SPOILERS: NCIS, Glee, Stargate Universe

AHHHH MIDTERMS! Bad bad bad bad. Very delayed. Therefore bullet form and no pics. Which is bad because Grilled Cheezus was my favorite Glee episode of the season, possibly of all time. Sorry sorry sorry sorry!!!! Maybe I'll go back and flesh this out next weekend. But probably not.

Episode of the Day: No question, Glee, "Grilled Cheezus". However, I would like to point out that SGU had a stellar, no pun intended, episode in the form of "Aftermath"

Monday October, 4 2010

SPOILERS: House, Chuck, and Castle

Annnnd, it's October. Premiere's are over (except for Sanctuary on Friday October 15!) which means shows are focusing less on shocking us and having huge dramatic twists, and more on returning to formula episodes that make the shows consistently enjoyable. Not that this is a horrific thing, but it means I'm slightly less thrilled. 

Still, House pulled out an amazing episode, so episode of the day: House, "Unwritten"

Thursday, September 30, 2010

SPOILERS: Bones and Big Bang Theory

Ahhh, behind. Also, not really the bestest episodes I've ever really seen, so this is short and sweet.

Episode of the Day: Neither. Not a very good day.

Tuesday September 28, 2010

SPOIELRS: Glee, NCIS, Stargate Universe

What a diverse bunch of shows to be watching Tuesday night. We got procedural (NCIS), sci-fi (Stargate Universe), and whatever the hell you call Glee - musical dramedy? Anyway, all three shows had a good week, which, considering how nervous I was about the SGU premiere, is quite good news.

Episode of the Day: No question, "Brittney/Brittany", Glee

Monday, September 27, 2010

SPOILERS: House, Chuck, and Castle

Note to self: Lenovo ATI bug is bad. It's worse if you use Notepad and you never save. Soooo....No notes.

I think I always have an excuse when I post; I swear, I'm not that scatter brained. Maybe I subconsciously become scatter brained so that I do something dumb such that I have something to write in this space above the "Read More" lines......

Meh, so much for psychoanalysis, onto the reviews!

Episode of the Week: "Chuck versus the Suitcase" [That's right, Chuck wins 2 weeks in a row!]

Tuesday September 21 and Thursday September 23

SPOILERS: Glee, Warehouse 13, NCIS, Bones, and Big Bang Theory

Yes, yes, yes, I'm very behind. Sooo, very very behind. As my finger has made a full recovery, I'm now desperately trying to catch up. Which means no pics, sorry, and not the long drawn out analysis I really wanted to do (which Glee desperately needs, I got a lot to say about the premiere episode). SO I'm doing this bullet style straight from my notes. Sorry if my lack of formatting or paragraphs bugs you. You should leave a comment and let me know that.

Just a suggestion.

Anyways, episode of the day(s) : Big Bang Theory "The Robotic Manipulation"

Monday, September 20, 2010

SPOILERS: Castle, House, and Chuck season premieres

Apologies for the delays! I managed to get a second degree burn on my index finger Wednesday afternoon, and the band-aid made it painful and really awkward to type. Seriously, all my notes from the rest of this week look incomprehensible because I couldn't hold a pencil.

Anyways, Monday was a great start to the fall season, hope you tuned in. And yes, the reviews are quite long, these were major episodes.

Episode of the Week: Chuck, "Chuck versus the Anniversary"

What You Need to Know for Tomorrow: NCIS and Glee

SPOILERS: Below the READ MORE line for NCIS and Glee

If you aren't psyched up enough for tonight, here's another two more shows to get pumped up about for tomorrow! (Once again, photos courtesy of official websites)

Where/When: CBS, Tuesdays, 8 p.m.

Summary: Gibbs and his team work for Naval Criminal Investigative Services, and track everything from murder to terrorism, all with the unique quirks that make them quite the dysfunctional "family."

How excited I am for this season: B

Why you should watch: It's the only serious crime procedural (yes, I'm discounting Castle) I watch weekly, mostly due to the wonderful cast of characters. And the cases are still surprising, even this many seasons in.

Where/When: Fox, Tuesdays, 8 p.m.

Summary: The glee club at McKinley High is made up a bunch of lovable misfits who sing their little hearts out as they juggle the issues of high school. Plus Sue Sylvester.

How excited I am for this season: A+

Why you should watch: The drama is deliberately absurd episode to episode, which makes the real moments much more touching and surprising. Plus, several cast members have stunning voices, and the show is starting to build an excellent guest cast of both Broadway stars and brilliant actors.

What You Need to Know for Tomorrow: House, Chuck, and Castle

SPOILERS: Basic reviews of the last season of House, Chuck, and Castle below the READ MORE line

That's right, it's that time of year again. The time when I've already been in school for ages, and TV networks finally get around to acknowledging that is time for "fall programming." Tomorrow, we've got a killer trio of shows making their return to prime time. Simple intro/review up top, with more last season spoilery info about what you need to know/should remember below the read more line. (Photos courtesy of their respective official pages)

Where/When: Fox, Mondays, 8 p.m.

Summary: Dr. House and his team solve medical mysteries and though it's never lupus, at the end of the day the truth is that no matter the patient, or the doctor, everyone lies.

How excited I am for this season: A

Why you should watch: Some people claim that the show is tiresome. We know House is going to make the correct diagnosis five minutes from the end. Yet the writers of the show still manage to develop compelling and morality-questioning stories for both the patients and the main cast, week after week.

Where/When: NBC, Mondays, 8 p.m.

Summary: Chuck Bartowski was average tech support until the super-secret computer called the Intersect was downloaded into his brain. Now he works with the NSA and CIA, fighting crime as only a geek can.

How excited I am for this season: B+

Why you should watch: Basically, this is the comedic and more widely popular version of Jake 2.0. Still, it's appealing to nerds as well, given their emphasis on casting actors with spy or scifi credentials.

Where/When: ABC, Mondays, 10 p.m.

Summary: Mystery writer and charmingly hilarious playboy Richard Castle teams up with Detective Kate Beckett to solve the truly weird and strange murder cases of NYC.

How excited I am for this season: C-

Why you should watch: The poor grade comes from a terrible finale. But the truth is that it's a refreshing take on a procedural, and Nathan Fillion (Castle) lights up the screen every time he appears.

This Week in Review ... Wait a Minute.....

So, the only summer shows that are still running right now are Covert Affairs (which had a 2 episode long finale last Tuesday) and Warehouse 13 which finishes next week.

SO I'm ending the summer weekly reviews for now. Next week, I'll start up the nightly (fingers crossed) reviews cause so much stuff will be going on. I'm simultaneously working on end reviews for summer shows and recap posts for new shows, so stay tuned!

Sanctuary/SGU Update

Just a brief note for any Sanctuary AND Stargate Universe fans out there.

SyFy has updated their schedule, so the final news is in. (for now)

SGU is definitely staying with it premiere on Tuesday, September 28 at 9.
Sanctuary is definitely moving its premiere to Friday, October 15 at 10.

Week 9/7/10 - Summer's Almost Over

SPOILERS: Warehouse 13, Covert Affairs

and especially of finales of White Collar, Eureka, and True Blood (separated from the other two)

Summer is clearly coming to an end, which is something I could've told you a month ago when I started classes again. This week brought 3 finales, and 2 pre-finale build up episodes, so I've got lots to talk about, but very little actual time to do it in. (Actually, negative time)

Plus, this blog is on Facebook now. Sweet.

Episode of the Week: Even with two excellent season finales, I'm giving this to non-finale Warehouse 13 episode "Vendetta"

The Power of Copy/Paste HTML

Notice anything differently? Huh? Yeah, yeah, no posts in the last few days. I blame 4 problem sets, multiple computer labs, and one paper. I have been watching, I'll get my review of last week up later today - they'll contain a brief look at the three finales (White Collar, Eureka, and True Blood) and then I'll do full reviews of each separately. At least that's the idea.

Anyways, the difference is:

this blog is on Facebook!

I think this is cool. You can now like the page and get updates, or like individual posts if you don't feel like commenting. Plus, you can write any comments you have about the blog in general on the wall.

And since my knowledge of HTML code could be fit a single page, many many thanks go to my friend Alex who helped me set this all up.

(By the way, the current picture is a stock one I have of a plaque from the Museum of Modern Art. If you have a better recommendation or idea, let me know!)

Edit: Ehh, not so much individual pages. Still trying to get that to work.

Edit of that Edit: You can like individual places but I don't think it shows up on your feed....Anyway, when you open a post the button on top changes from the general blog to the specific article.

~ Sarah

Sad News

In the middle of all these wonderful season finales this week and next, I'm afraid I have some bad news courtesy of the Sanctuary Facebook page (pic courtesy of the very outdated - as in pre-Season 2 - "official website"):

Sanctuary Hi everyone - we have a new US premiere date...re-mark your calendars! Sanctuary Season 3 will now be back on FRIDAY, Oct. 15, 10pm. We know - it means waiting an extra 2 1/2 weeks for the new season, but trust us, it will be worth the wait. And we love Fridays!


Now I know what you're thinking. "Sarah, really, Facebook? That's your source of news?" Well, SyFy hasn't released a press statement about the time change so it's breaking news, no matter its source. Also, the SyFy channel website hasn't updated their schedule and is still listing the premiere as September 28th. No news yet on if this means a change for SGU as well.


I'm happy for them, since Friday is [I believe] better day in terms of show hierarchy on the business end of things, which means they're doing well, so good for them! Still, the wait's going to be awful. So, reactions? Any chairs just go out windows?

Week of 8/30 - "Wait.......what happened to Eureka? And True Blood?"

SPOILERS: White Collar, Covert Affairs, Warehouse 13

That's right, I got played. I watched my shows, took some notes, and anxiously waited for the Eureka finale on Friday at 9. Course, I ended up not making it back from a meeting until 10, so then I was really bummed. And you know how to treat that kind of depression? Sweeney Todd. You stay up until 3 in the morning watching Sweeney Todd. I love that show/movie. So much.

Anyways, it wasn't until Saturday afternoon that I realized I might have missed something, but...wait for it...No illegal videos to be found. And you know why?

CAUSE IT'S NOT TIL NEXT WEEK.

Damn you SYFY. This always happens. You never tell us when shows are going on one or two week breaks. It's like making it through the day hoping you'll be cheered up by some stupid thing some politician did that Stephen Colbert is going to tell you about, only to get a repeat week with that one boring episode you didn't quite find that funny.

So then I calmed myself down by saying, it's ok, I'll wait for True Blood on Sunday and then add that to my reviews so they don't seem so sparse. And you know what? No True Blood.

CAUSE IT'S NOT TIL NEXT WEEK.

So, as you can tell I'm quite bitter...And I don't have many shows to cover, so I should have posted this last Wednesday. Apologies. Yes, I know it's about a week later than it should be.

Anyways, episode of the week goes to Cover Affairs, for "What Is and What Never Should Be."

Discussion! - James Bond

EDIT: It's been brought to my attention that, in fact, there are quite a few things more awesome and more widely accessible than James Bond. So I suppose, extend the question a little further - what's your favorite spy themed book/movie/TV show/comic/video game? Why?

So, thanks to my wonderful efficiency posting last Saturday, I feel like there should be more gracing the walls of this blog. But shows don't start up again until tonight.

Plus it's repeat week for the Daily Show and Colbert Report. I hate repeat week. I never know what's going on in the outside world....

Hope you guys saw the Emmys! I didn't like Jimmy Fallon as the host, but Jane Lynch (Glee) and Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory) win best acceptance speeches from me. I'm sure they're up on Youtube.

Anyways, I was hopping to hear from readers! You guys don't comment much, so I figured I'd just ask directly. And what's more awesome then James Bond?

Wait, that's not the question! Well I suppose you could answer that one too...But anyway, my question is, what's your favorite set of Bond movies? Are they grouped by Bond actor? Villain? Location? Absurd Bond girl names?


[By the way, this topic is triggered by the fact that I just bought a CD with every theme song on it and THEY'RE ALL STUCK IN MY HEAD]

Fall Lineup (aka What I'll be Watching)

Here's the list of shows I plan on watching this fall (listed by premiere times):

Monday, Sept. 20
House, 8 p.m. (Fox), Chuck, 8 p.m. (NBC), Castle, 10 p.m. (ABC)

Tuesday, Sept. 21
NCIS, 8 p.m. (CBS), Glee, 8 p.m. (Fox)

Thursday, Sept. 23
The Big Bang Theory, 8 p.m. (CBS), Bones, 8 p.m. (Fox)

Tueday, September 28
Stargate Universe 9 p.m. SyFy, Sanctuary 10 p.m. SyFy

There are two things to note here: 1) No new shows. I haven't seen any promising ones, and my schedule is already kinda packed. 2) A lot of them show at the same time. Which means, since I won't be able to produce at automatic review each night (I'll need copies up on the internet first), I get to choose how to do reviews. So, by night or by category? Up to you guys. Let me know what you'd like.

By the way, the categories are as follows:

Procedurals - House, Castle, Bones, NCIS
Dramedy/SciFi - Chuck, Glee, Big Bang Theory, SGU, Sanctuary

Week of 8/23/10 - Summer Season Finales are Around the Bend!

SPOILERS: Warehouse 13, White Collar, Covert Affairs, Eureka

We're heading into the last lap of summer programming, and it shows. They're pulling out all the stops to make sure we're there when they pull out the cliffhangers that are supposed to last us 9 months till next May. To steal a certain company's catch phrase - I'm loving it.

Episode of the Week: Warehouse 13 "Merge With Caution"

Unless, you're an Auggie fan, in which case, it's Covert Affairs "Communication Breakdown"

Premiere Dates!

For all of you anxiously wondering when your favorite shows are coming back, worry no more:

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/08/26/fall-tv-cheat-sheet/

The above website covers all major channels. As for SyFy, the big two are Stargate Universe and Sanctuary, which are premiering one right after the other on Tuesday September 28. SGU "Intervention" is at 9 and Sanctuary "Kali, Part 3" will be at 10.

So, which show are you most excited for?

Week of 8/16 - "The Week of Awesome Female Guest Stars"

SPOILERS: Warehouse 13, White Collar, Covert Affairs, and Eureka

Wooo I'm back at school!!!!!!

Yes, I'm that weird. I enjoy school. I also enjoy TV watching. And in between all the re-packing and driving and moving, I managed to watch most of my shows this week. (Still haven't caught up on SYTYCD though I know who won) Here we go...

Oh, episode of the week, purely by number of awesome guest actresses: Covert Affairs, "Houses of the Holy"

Summer Broadway Round 3 - Promises, Promises

Finally, my sister came to visit me during my second-to-last weekend in NY, and what did we decide to see? Well, she saw Next to Normal, which I saw last Thanksgiving (AWESOME show, by the way, though it will leave you in tears).

But THEN we decided to see Promises, Promises, as we are both Kristen Chenoweth and Sean Hayes fans.

Promises, Promises

Music and Lyrics by: Burt Bacharach and Hal David (Book by Neil Simon)

Basic Story: Chuck rents out his apartment to his superiors at work for their illicit affairs, but things get complicated when his dream girl turns out to be involved with his (very married) boss.

Score: As a performance? A-, but as a musical? C

Top Songs: I have many issues with the soundtrack, but I suppose "Where Can You Take a Girl?"

Actors to See: Kristen Chenoweth as Fran, Sean Hayes as Chuck, and Katie Finneran as Marge

Cons: The music. It's repetitive, boring for the most part, and at some points doesn't even match the plot. It's only redeemed by the amazing talent singing it. The show would be much better as a play.

Summer Broadway Round 2 - A Little Night Music

So, my summer progressed on, and I didn't make it to the Broadway theatres as often as I had planned to. But when I heard the news that Catherine Zeta Jones was being replaced by Bernadette Peters, I knew I had to get myself to see A Little Night Music.

Yes, Elaine Stritch replaced Angela Lansbury. More on what I thought of that later...

A Little Night Music 

Music and Lyrics by: Stephen Sondheim

Basic Story: Set in Sweden, at the beginning of the 20th century, hilarious chaos ensues as everyone begins to realize they're with the wrong person. Liaisons and sex-capades abound! 

Score: A

Top Songs: Honestly? The whole soundtrack. Each one will be stuck in your head for ages. But if I have to choose: "A Weekend in the Country" and "The Miller's Son"

Actors to See: Bernadette Peters as Desiree Armfeldt and Lee Ann Larkin as Petra

Cons: I'm going to get so much crap for this but... Elaine Stritch. A Broadway legend, yes, but, as I'll mention later, she was the one crack in an otherwise flawless production.

Once again, all pics come from the shows website.

Week 8/9 - "What?! Hilarie Burton?"

SPOILERS: Warehouse 13, White Collar, Covert Affairs, and Eureka

Soooo very sunburnt. I had a lovely time at the beach, but now I'm in a rush and I still haven't caught up on SYTYCD, so this is going to be quick and to the point.

Episode of the Week: White Collar "Unfinished Business"

Edit: I accidentally had the wrong title for the White Collar episode...

Summer Broadway Round 1 - West Side Story

That's right, no spoilers warning. And I know what you're thinking. "Broadway? What's that? I vaguely remember Sarah mentioning something about Broadway shows a long long time ago..."

Well, guess what. Since I'm still catching up on the TV I missed this week at the beach, I thought I'd distract you all with some extremely missing reviews I had promised. As I was in NYC for the summer, and am a long time musical fan, I just had to be all cultured in my free time and pick up a few shows. So here's the run down, chopped into nice easy to handle pieces.

And, duh, there are spoilers. I'm going to talk about plot, characters, all that good stuff. But I'll post a mini review bite up here above the "read more" line..

West Side Story
Music and Lyrics by: Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim

Basic Story: Romeo and Juliet between two gangs in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, back when that was not a nice part of town.

Score: B+

Top Songs: "I Feel Pretty" and "Gee Officer Krupke" 

Actor to See: Karen Olivo as Anita

Cons: To be more true to its roots, the revival has the Puerto Rican characters more often speak and sing in Spanish. This isn't a con for me, as I've taken 4 years of Spanish; in fact, it enhanced the performance. But if you aren't familiar with Spanish like my viewing buddy at the time, you might feel a little out of place and confused. However, fluency is most certainly not required.

More Excuses....

Unfortunately for, well, you all, I'm at the beach and away from my laptop until Monday. (Hooray for smartphones!) So you won't get an update until then. Two things to mull over until then:

1) No one called me out on the fact that the Eureka actors who play Jo, Henry, and Zane have all guest starred on Warehouse 13, thus ruining possible crossovers w/o lampshading and ruining continuity.

2) For laughs, try picturing your favorite mad (or simply lovable) scientist on vacation at the beach, preferably in a swim suit, in character. It's extremely fun.

- Sarah

Crossover Week (Week of August 1)

SPOILERS: Warehouse 13, Eureka, Covert Affairs, White Collar, and ... True Blood?

Ahhhhhhhh. All the packing and the finishing of work and the presentations and the papers and the partying and the not-sleeping and the driving and the unpacking and the crashing and the sleeping a lot.....................It's finally over. Just in time for me to almost be way too late to post anything. Apologies, but this is going to be short and sweet so that I can post it in time before tonight.

Also, I didn't watch SYTYCD this week; not enough time. I'll watch it before the finale though, don't spoil it for me please!

Week of 7/26/10 in Review - "Dear Sarah, We're Sorry"

SPOILERS: Warehouse 13, Covert Affairs, White Collar, SYTYCD, Eureka

(It's my last week in NY, so this is a bit late - however, my total boredom from returning home will make my future posts much more prompt)

After last week's less than desirable turnout, I was rather nervous to turn on the TV this time around. Especially for Warehouse 13; with the premiere fading from mind I was starting to wonder why I watched that show in the first place. Luckily, USA and SyFy heard my distress and seemed to give me an apology this week as I was blown out of the water by Tuesday's shows (which took until Wednesday night to catch up on....). Though the rest of the week did not quite follow suit, I was distracted by the Sanctuary Comic-Con trailer and therefore cannot really bring myself to be truly cynical and depressing about anything.

Who does the coveted episode of the week title go to? (Yep, just made that up on the spot)
Episode of the Week: Warehouse 13, "Age Before Beauty" (very, very closely followed by White Collar's "Copycat Caffery")

Notes on Future Spoilers

As Comic-Con was a recent event, and since, as you can see by my eager post below concerning Sanctuary, you can tell I follow Comic-Con news, I feel it's necessary I make clear what I will and will not be posting about my discoveries as I muddle my way through the overwhelming amount of panel videos and exclusive cast interviews.

My future spoiler policy is only for basic season arcs, general episode plot lines, or romantic developments. I do not like having distinct future spoilers. When I post future spoilers they are meant to make you excited about or encourage discussion for the next season or episode. 

Here are some examples (taken from old seasons of shows). [I've hidden them below the read more line in case you don't even want to read old spoilers]

Note on Posts

So I've decided that I really like using a week review post like I did for last week; it relieves the burden of feeling like I need to write a lot about a mediocre episode. In the future I'll do full reviews of episodes that are incredibly significant (for better or for worse) and finales. Otherwise, with the number of shows that I watch it's really difficult to pull out full posts on each episode. If you don't want to wait that long or have an issue with it, please let me know, it's open for debate!

However, if you want my initial reaction to this Tuesday's trio of Covert Affairs, Warehouse 13, and White Collar it goes as follows: great, wonderfully adorable, and fantastic. Basically, it was an apology letter from USA and SyFy written to me after last week. 

The basic plan for the rest of the summer is: Covert Affairs, White Collar, Warehouse 13, SYTYCD, and Eureka. So I should be able to post my reviews by Saturday. I also watch True Blood, which shows on Sundays; I can include it, but it will delay the posting.

So please, discuss, comment, complain, argue, let me know if this is acceptable!

Sanctuary Season 3 Preview

Spoilers: It's a preview video. So yes. But only as far as guest characters and basic outline of some future episodes. My review of the video is posted in the comments section - therefore comments are open for spoilers as well.

So, Comic-Con is officially my favorite media related event ever thanks to the extreme number of cast interviews, previews, spoilers, and announcements it spawns. And though I've been picking my way through all of it, my day was officially made by finding this; the Season 3 preview for Sanctuary. I've mentioned this show before, it's wonderful, fun, original, and it's got Amanda Tapping.

Sanctuary fans - good news! The show was finally picked up for a full season (20 episodes) which for one thing, means an extended arc and more guest stars. I don't want to say anymore - just check out the video.

Non-Sanctuary fans - you can watch it for a good time, as it will catch you up on the season 2 finale, but otherwise you won't understand much of what makes it so awesome. I do, however, happen to know that Sidereel has excellent links for both seasons - not that I in anyway support illegally watching shows. I plan to buy both seasons and put them next to my DVDs of Firefly and Buffy because they are just as much fun to rewatch.

http://video.syfy.com/shows/sanctuary#////shows/sanctuary/whats_hot_5/sanctuary--comiccon-2010-trailer/v1241259

What do you think? Favorite part? Mine's at about 11 seconds from the end.

Week in Review: Overall, Not Bad, Not Great

SPOILERS: Last week's episodes of White Collar, Warehouse 13, Covert Affairs, SYTYCD, and Eureka

...and references to Jake 2.0 and the Middleman but I don't know if that counts as a spoiler

So, I've been watching Jake 2.0 all weekend, and I have to say, I'm halfway through the whole series and loving every episode. Of course, the fact that half the series consists of about 8 episode also makes me want to burst into tears. In other words I'm suffering from Firefly syndrome. Or, since it was in part written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach and they didn't even ever air the last episodes, maybe it's Middleman-emonia. Horrible disease; symptoms include speaking in runon sentences and compulsion to curse using odd phrases like "Grapes of Wrath, Dubby!".

Anyways, last week's TV programming was in a similar vein; some good, some bad, all mixing for a thoroughly "eh" week.

On the bright side of last week, I saw A Little Night Music last Saturday, saw Promises, Promises this Friday, and I finally got my hands on a copy of Lord Sunday by Garth Nix. Oh, and I met Bill Nye the Science Guy. So you'll understand if I was a bit busy to do some posting. 

Note: If you didn't understand any of that, get to the googling! Or just wait till I post about them. Up to you.

Recycling - Good for the Environment, but TV?

Warning : this may approach venting proportions at times.

We see it all the time in movie theaters nowadays - remakes of old movie franchises, Broadway shows, and comics; all stories we've seen before which producers are determined to sell to us one more time. After all, why make something new when it's already a hit? It's even happening in video games - between last year and this year, it's been the era of sequels. Just look at Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2, Civ 4 and 5, Fallout 3 : New Vegas, Fable 3, Assassin's Creed 2, and Final Fantasy XIII.

Though some TV shows we always expect to see, like procedurals and teen dramas, we usually hold the hope that when a show promising innovation and quirkiness comes along, it will actually deliver. Look at Joss Whedon - that man does not know the meaning of cliche except when it comes to lamp-shading himself or others. And thanks to our relatively short attention span to TV shows, we have only maybe a decades worth of shows at a time to stand up to.

This whole issue has been brought to my attention rather painfully by my recent watching of a certain show for the first time. About a nerdy guy. Now, this guy, he fixes computers. Until one day, oops, something happens that isn't supposed to, and he has a computer in him that gives him unique abilities such that a secret spy team (as least in part comprised by the NSA) is built for him. Oh, and the computer can't be removed. Bye bye normal loser life, hello lying to everyone. Think you know the show?

It's not Chuck. Well it is. Chuck was premiered in 2007. You know what else it describes? Jake 2.0 (which was shown for one season is 2003).

Yeah. Not so original sounding the second time around. This summer I decided to watch Chuck since I'd heard so much about - and I found it fun, unexpected, and a really cool idea. However, when I posted about Covert Affairs, a friend of mine pointed out that Christopher Gorham used to be the star of a sci fi show I would like - Jake 2.0. And while watching it I thought...wow, it's Chuck. But older. And still really good.

Note: Jake Foley was played by Christopher Gorham. Which means he's been a tech guy for both the NSA and CIA. And he's damn good at it - even though his two characters are extremely different.

I could be ok with similar premises. (Think X-Men versus Heroes) But the most recent episode I watched, the third one, focuses on the manly action guy of the team, Kyle, and his past relationship with another spy. And you know what it made me think of? The Chuck episode about Casey and Karina.

So my question is, does anyone else know any shows like this? Should this not bug me this much or does this stop other people from watching new shows for the fear that they will not be anything new? And does anyone else agree that this is proof that the best super spies are incredibly adorable computer nerds?

Covert Affairs - "Pilot"

SPOILERS: Really? Do I need to even say it?

As I've already said more than a few times, if you're a James Bond fan, you need to be watching this show. I was totally uninterested up until a day before the premiere, when I saw a blurb about one of the character's (Auggie). When the night of the premiere came I didn't decide until 9:58 that I was going to watch it, mostly because Warehouse 13 had been a huge disappointment and I didn't want my night to end on a bad note. Totally a fantastic decision on my part. Go me.

(Unless otherwise cited, pics are courtesy of usanetwork.com)

EVERYTHING that I've been watching

SPOILERS: Since I'm catching up, most descriptions are vague, but they do cover recent episodes of Stargate Universe, Royal Pains, Burn Notice, Eureka, Warehouse 13, Covert Affairs, White Collar, and SYTYCD. Also a few crossover spoilers I've picked up.

...

Don't say I didn't warn you

Yes, I have lots of catching up to do. Part of my lack of enthusiasm for posting is because, to be totally honest, I'm a bit disappointed with summer programming so far. It's neither bad nor good, thoroughly not worth writing about. With one MAJOR exception. If you have ever been a James Bond fan, you should be watching Covert Affairs. Not to say you must be a James Bond fan to enjoy it, but for those of us who are it is absolutely wonderful, and though I watched the premiere on a last minute whim, I will be anxiously counting down the seconds until the next episode. But more to come later (as the newest show, it's at the end, and will probably get it's own separate review).

Warehouse 13 Season 2 Episode 1 - "Time Will Tell"

SPOILERS: Massive ones, since this was the season premiere

First off, I think it's necessary to give props to SyFy for one hell of an advertising campaign. I did not like this show for the majority of last summer, but I kept watching due to their fantastic guest stars. It wasn't until the introduction of MacPherson, a truly delightful villain, that I really began getting interested. Yet somehow, between the bus campaigns, the excessive commercials on Comedy Central, and the advertisement on the NYT webpage, I became extremely excited for this episode - and though I'm iffy about how some mysteries turned out, the episode certainly did not fail to disappoint in terms of shockers. (All photos courtesy of syfy.com)

And before this goes any futher - DID YOU SEE WHO'S ON NEXT WEEK? Jewel Staite and Sean Maher - Kaylee and Simon from Firefly. I'm just going to fangirl for a little bit now........
........
.........
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Ok, all better.

Glee Episodes 21/22 - "Funk" and "Theatricality"

SPOILERS: Well, the episodes for one. Plus a small Season 2 casting spoiler at the end

Ta da! A post! How awesome. It's been a while, and I misplaced all my notes from these two episodes (that's right, I take notes, just for you guys). SO, this is going to be a bit...well...shaky because I'll only be able to write about the things that stood out for me. Also, since I have so much to catch up, I'm combining both episodes into one review. And also, I'm skipping pics for these, since I want to just get them posted - I may go back later and toss some in. Let's get started...

(By the way, I end the post with the casting spoiler, so just stop reading when you see the warning if you don't want to read it)

Proof of Intent :D

Yes, yes, I know - I've somewhat failed at maintaing this blog. In my defense, NY is a much more exciting place to be than either Pittsburgh or Washington D.C., making it extremely difficult to willingly sit down and write. I mean, there is so much free stuff to do when you have an unlimited subway card! And you'll probably hear plenty about it. But I digress...

I have not forgotten about this blog, and to be honest, I'm a bit flattered and surprised by how many people have bugged me about the fact that there is a conspicuous three week gap in my posts. SO, I'm going to try to keep this going - and to prove, here's the list of posts I plan on finally writing this week:

• Glee episodes "Funk" and "Faithfully"
• Stargate Universe two-part finale
• Robin Hood
• Burn Notice premiere and subsequent episodes
• Royal Pains premiere and subsequent episodes
• Richard III (in Central Park, for free) 
• Revival of West Side Story
• Tony Awards
• The Coney Island Mermaid Parade - aka what happens when you add together the beach, BP protestors, lots of body paint, hot dogs with excessive amounts of bacon, something called "orangeade" and a few religious protestors

~ Sarah

Hairspray...the movie....the GOOD one

So, to celebrate one of my last nights at home, last Friday, I decided to do a musical movie marathon, and one of the movies I watched was Hairspray - the recent one based off of the Broadway musical, not the not the not so great first movie that inspired the musical. And I have to say, it was better than I remembered (and I liked it the first time around). What makes the good and bad parts of the movie can really be broken down into its actors. I'm not going to cover everyone, just the few I think will get some discussion. :)

Apology for Lack of Posts!

So, I know I've been a bit slow this week in terms of posts. And I've got a few really good reasons excuses.

• I start my summer job on Tuesday and I've been packing in order to move in to my new place today!
• Lots of finales were last week and summer shows start next week so there's not much to write about
• I've been catching up on Desperate Housewives and Chuck - they're irresistible

Fun fact, by the way - MOST Desperate Housewives episodes are named after song lyrics from musicals written by Stephen Sondheim. And if you don't know who that is...poor you. I bet you know some of his shows and don't realize it. He's absolutely brilliant, and his style of writing has probably definitely biased me in my opinion of musical TV (Glee, musical episodes, etc.).

Anyways, hope you are all enjoying your Memorial Day weekends. Wish me luck on Tuesday! 

~ Sarah