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]

Big Bang Theory, "The Irish Pub Formulation": An okay episode. I watched it with friends who aren't so keen on the note-taking during viewing, so I'm going purely off of memory. (No quotes)
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Now I barely remember Priya at all, but the show was, thankfully, kind enough to remind us about her without bashing us over the head with history. Penny was once again missing due to actress Kaley Cucco's broken leg, though there was no mention of her.

Otherwise, this week was finally a Leonard story. Not a particularly thrilling one, but genuinely about Leonard. He sleeps with Raj's sister, then gets in trouble trying to get away with it. There's a hilarious scene with everyone confessing what horrible betrayals of trust other people have done - it was cute, and a reminder of how solid (most of) their friendships are. Otherwise, Sheldon's idea of a lie [above] and it's eventual blow up were predictable, though funny. I mean, dude, it was Caprica night. Leonard should have known he would get caught.

Then again, someone should tell the BBT guys that Caprica is getting the axe: http://blastr.com/2010/10/syfy-wont-pick-up-season.php. Ouch. Sorry guys.

Riese, "Bind": I'm still rather iffy with the narration. It gives the episode a stilted feel as the thoughts of our main character are told to us instead of truly acted out (plus still really heavy with the exposition). It doesn't help that the narration makes cliches all the more apparent. Cliches like a convenient brand that marks the princess and a magical surviving family portrait that there seems to be multiple copies of, despite that fact that it's hand drawn.

However, on a good note, the baby harvesting is an icky yet interesting plot. Plus, seeing creepy steampunk Darth Vader one-up the still incredibly gorgeous and stylish evil queen was rather fun. I'm still up for watching future episodes.

Sanctuary, "The Bank Job": First off, the Henry quote at the top of the page made me crack up. So did several other lines throughout this episode, I'll try to hit all of them. The Sanctuary writers seem to stepping their game up, as all the dialouge has been extra snappy and quotable so far this season. Or is it that I'm just paying much closer attention? 

Anyway, first reaction to this episode: "Is that Chevron guy????? At the bank counter?". And the answer? YES. YES IT WAS. That was Gary Jones, aka Walter Harriman, aka Chevron Guy [right] from the Stargate franchise. Which made it even funnier when he poked at Magnus' dropped accent saying "I knew that British accent was fake!" Great guy, always funny, and good to see a subtle Stargate reunion. It in no way takes away from the episode, merely serving as a little easter egg for those of us who recognize him.

The Heist [below]: First thing - how does Helen not notice the holes and goo when she first walks into the vault? Come on Helen. Otherwise, this was a hilarious set up for an episode. We are given exposition gradually (though there's a rather blatant point in the middle where Will asks for a totally for the audience's sake recap). And Kate gets her chance to shine as Magnus let's her "quarantine the bank." It's a nice reminder of her past that kicked off with her excellent lines about the bank security cameras. Also, this episode was proof that psychologists make bad bank robbers as Will had a very difficult time playing bad guy. But in an adorable sort of way. Oh, and Kate has soooo many phones.

Plus, Helen purposefully drops her accent (my assumption is that an American robbing a bank is less suspicious and harder to track down than a British woman robbing a bank). So basically, my brain switched from "Magnus is robbing a bank" to "Carter is brunette and robbing a bank!" And it was TOTALLY AWESOME.

The Hostages: Um, who loved the crazy chick hitting on Will, cause I thought she was absolutely hilarious! There were so many great decoys in this episode. Not only did we have Chevron guy, we had the aforementioned crazy chick, the mysterious millionaire who hits on Kate [below] (who we never really got an explanation about), the old woman who he won't leave without, the pregnant bank employee, and the angsty dude who turns out to be a bounty hunter. What an excellent bunch, and it really kept me guessing until the end about who was infected and who was the threat.

Henry and the Van: Ok, that is one super fancy, super sketchy van. And Henry had to really work when everything went to pieces with the quarantine of the bank. He jokes when he's under stress, and since he had to really scramble to help out Magnus, that lead to him having a fair amount of the best moments of the episode. Between his attempts at chemistry, him doing retinal scans using a device used to find counterfeit bills, and him crashing through a wall, he was a crucial part of making this episode so great.

The Holes: Sorry, but there were some plot holes that really need to be looked at. Mostly in the aftermath. Even if Mr. Millionaire doesn't turn them in, there are plenty of witnesses who can ID them. Will and Kate [right] weren't very good at covering their tracks - there's got to be plenty of fingerprints and other evidence left behind to track them. So hear we have to rely very, very heavily on belief in the power of Helen Magnus' influence. Even with her reluctance to call in the government help while catching the creature, it is possible that she will ask after-the-fact that they cover her trail. My question is whether this'll ever be addressed within the next few episodes. Also, I kinda missed the point of the bounty hunter's tracking beacon besides giving away the fact he was there.

Finally, some of my other favorite lines:

• "Orfice of choice" - ok, this makes the list because it was distinctly not my favorite phrase, it was actually kinda squick
• "It frightens me that we're coworkers"
• "Come on sweet pea..did you guys hear that?" - It's ok Henry, all good nerds talk to their computers
• "...you didn't know you were pregnant?" - Magnus said this one with such apparent frustration it almost drawls
• "Smells like root beer, I hope that's a good thing"

And finally - TESLA'S BACK NEXT WEEK. Who's excited besides me? Can't wait to see what our favorite mad scientist vampire-turned-Magneto has been up to since "Sleepers."

~ Sarah