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"

NCIS, "Short Fuse":

• Since when is Tony bad at taking photos?
• Bomb tech, interesting person, not a character we've seen before
• Liver transplant, seemed a bit too easy of a way to identify someone
• Gibbs recycling, nice little moment
• Gibbs and Fornell are such a cute couple - dinner scenes were absolutely hilarious
• "Back to the duck pond" (Abby shooing Palmer away from her lab)
• Abby uses an IPad, I begin to dislike product placement
• Hasn't Tony referenced Body Heat before in a previous episode? It sounded very familiar

Stargate Universe, "Aftermath"

• Ginn - "Totally against my will, all of it" Translation: Look at this low cut outfit! I should clearly stay on this ship as substitute eye candy for people tired of Chloe.
• Since when does Young wear glasses?
• Gloria's presence, wonderful - the actress who plays her is excellent, playing the calm, chill voice of reason to balance Rush
• Crashing = dramatic electrical sparks, always, regardless of what actually happens to the ship
• "Experience tells me this is a very good time to panic" - yes Eli, yes it does
• Continuity reference with explosions and gates, I like that. It really makes a difference to me that a show puts in the effort to reference past events or discoveries when they impede them instead of just as deus ex machinas.
• Absolute silence when Young suffocated Riley - dramatic, chilling, meaningful, and almost horific

R.I.P. Riley

Riley is a lot like Vanessa James. He gets wailed on in every episode and vanishes when they don't want to write lines for him. He almost dies every time, but this time he didn't make it. And I was sad. Really really sad. More sad than I think I would've been for half of the main cast in his place. Take note, SGU writers. That was drama. That was good. No, that was great. And I'm still sad thinking about that episode, something that hadn't happened yet from this series.

Glee, "Grilled Cheezus":

• Finn's first prayer to Grilled Cheezus - "You kinda owe it to Artie"
• Grey's Anatomy DVDs? Really Kurt? I thought he had better taste
• Puck's argument - "I see G-d everytime I make out with a new girl" :D
• Singing only Jewish artists - LOVE "Only the Good Die Young" (only wish it had gone longer)
• It's gonna be one of those sad episodes, really like the silent slow-mo scene 
• "They're not great, but they're girl-boobs" - possibly the funniest monologue Glee has ever produced
• A little choppy into Mercedes' first song, seemed kinda forced
• Kurt speaks for all atheists and doubters, and doesn't want their prayers, good for him!
• Nice reminder of separation of church and school from Sue
• "Heart attacks are just from loving too much" - thank you Brittany
• Sue makes an argument against religion, and a very strong one (false comfort argument)
• More Barbara Streissand references with "Papa, Can You Hear Me?", excellently performed by Lea Michelle
• "Amazingly, needles pierce the skin better than songs"
• Wonderful choice by Kurt, I've loved slow "I Want to Hold your Hand" since the movie Across the Universe, and the montage was heartbreakingly sad and beautiful
• Finn "Losing My Religion" excellent choice given the plot and well sung
• Great spaghetti monster in the sky! If you don't know what that is...Google is your friend!
• What if G-d Were One of Us, beautifully done at the end

This episode was spectacular because Glee proved they have the guts to talk about a very controversial topic on TV and not take sides. Though most of the Glee clubbers are subtly religious, Finn takes on the side of uninformed evangelical and Kurt and Sue take on those who either disbelieve or see no place for religion in school. The episodes makes excellent arguments for all sides, and even manages a fair amount of great humor. For that I cannot congratulate them enough. Well done.

~ Sarah