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« Roush Dispatch
Week in Review: The Good, Bad & Ugly Betty
Neil Patrick Harris by Sonja Flemming/CBS
What a wacky TV week it has been, from Paula Abdul’s latest live-TV debacle to the usual array of sweeps stunt castings. Here in roughly chronological order is another top-20 list of watercooler moments that had me buzzing: sometimes happily, sometimes not.
1. Josef turning Mick back into a vampire after his brief fling with mortality on Moonlight. That was one hot scene of desperate sacrifice, mutual feeding and otherworldly brotherhood. Also liked Beth’s final word on the situation: “You may have forever, but I don’t.” Mick can fix that, but will he?
2. In a challenging and disturbing episode of Battlestar Galactica that spent a lot of time at the intersection of pain and pleasure, Colonel Tigh sees the face of his dead wife Ellen when he looks upon the imprisoned Caprica Six, all an attempt to understand his inner toaster. “I want the pain. It’s how I learn,” she says. Six goes on to beat Tigh bloody, then kiss him. Oh those tormented Cylons. (Seriously, this is one of those episodes that will reward further viewing and study—when things slow down.) And how about Adama saying of the classic book he’s reading to Roslyn: “I’ve never read the ending. I like it so much I don’t want it to be over, so I’m saving it.” Yes, Bill, we’re having separation anxiety over the show ending, too.
3. Gaby showing her selfish side to Carlos’s adorable seeing-eye dog on Desperate Housewives was just about the last straw. When Edie Britt of all people has to tell you that your bratty-bitch behavior is no longer cute, something’s amiss, missy. (But love Gary Cole as Katherine’s sinister ex, making time with daughter Dylan on the sly.)
4. The “de-Walkering” of Rebecca on Brothers & Sisters, already dealt with at length in an earlier Dispatch and in the most recent Ask Matt. Hate the storyline, love the acting. Emily VanCamp can do no wrong. But did the show really have to go there?
5. Sir Thomas More beheaded for his beliefs on The Tudors. Not quite A Man for All Seasons, but Jeremy Northam went out on a dramatic high. And Anne Boleyn has finally woken up to the fact that she has created a monster in her savagely vengeful King.
6. Cutest guest baby ever on Bones, adopted by the squints—especially Bones herself, who may not be innately maternal but knows all about parental abandonment issues. Watching her wiggle her fingers while chanting “Phalanges, phalanges, dancing phalanges” to amuse the infant had me cooing in delight.
7. Buffy vet Michelle Trachtenberg as wicked minx Georgina, arriving on Gossip Girl as “the ghost of parties past,” come to haunt and re-corrupt Serena and drug her former BFF’s Diet Coke so she misses her SATs. Dee-lishiously evil. And who’s dressing Chuck in those flaming red and orange coats? And who’s “coming out” next week? Hooked again.
8. Another awesome How I Met Your Mother episode, as Barney confesses under duress that he broke the “bro code” by sleeping with his best friend Ted’s ex, Robin. He gets a punch to the groin as Ted breaks up with him in a limo. And yet, it’s still hugely funny as Barney shakes hands with shame for the first time ever and Lily grills Robin for details on her night with Barney. (“That is so gross. Was it amazing?”) My favorite comedy episode of the week, hands down.
9. House and “Cutthroat Bitch” Amber sharing custody of Wilson on House, including arranged play dates and a schedule approved by Cuddy. Yes, it’s silly. Sue me, it made me laugh.
10. Cristian de la Fuente injured mid-samba on Dancing With the Stars. So dramatic. Somewhere, Marie Osmond faints. But the next night, the results show unforgivably waits until almost the end (during which Shannon Elizabeth is sent packing) to reveal that Cristian will soldier on and dance again, despite the ruptured bicep tendon. If Marlee could dance without benefit of hearing, he figures …
11. Paula Abdul’s crazy comments midway through the most embarrassingly haphazard episode of American Idol in recent memory, triggering endless conspiracy theories and a new barrage of late-night ridicule while confirming yet again her complete incompetence as a coherent judge.
12. On one of the best Reaper episodes to date, Andi learns Sam’s secret after witnessing him beheading a demon (Ian Gomez! Who regenerates and rides Sock naked!) and being introduced to gay demon Tony in full bat-flapping mode. Andi even wields a mean scythe when given the chance. This quirky show is finding its rhythm. Hope it’s not too late.
13. Robin Williams on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. That was a joke, right? Not so much his scenery-chewing performance as the preposterous storyline that turned this villainous crank into an instant anti-authority media hero (appearing on Morning Joe) who proceeded to kidnap Olivia, threaten her with torture in front of Stabler (a predictable fakeout) and then vanish into thin air like a comic-book villain. Ludicrous episodes like this are why I often dread sweeps months.
14. Better news on the original Law & Order front, as Anthony Anderson joins the ensemble as Kevin Bernard from Internal Affairs and the show doesn’t miss a beat. There’s some nice tension between him and Lupo, especially when the maverick Lupo goes off the books (not Bernard’s style) and enlists an administrative assistant for an undercover assignment. Still, the detectives were upstaged by the prosecutors this week, especially in Cutter’s final ploy, pretending to be a Systemotics (read: Scientology) member to fake out the paranoid defendant.
15. Survivor continues a run of some of the best tribal councils in years, as Amanda shows how an immunity idol ought to be played. (She only tells her closest ally she has it, and engineers the ouster of Alexis.) “You guys are perfecting the art of the blindside,” says an admiring Jeff Probst. Meanwhile, James is sidelined because of an infected finger. How the mighty have fallen: first Penner, now James to injury. (The less said about crazy Kathy, who simply quit a while ago, the better.)
16. Christian Siriano’s kooky cameo on Ugly Betty, dissing Daniel for using the word “fierce.” Saith the Project Runway diva (with Nina Garcia in awkward tow): “No one uses that word around me. It’s over.” Until Renee shows up in full meltdown mode. “Sometimes there’s no other word: Fierce,” Christian preens, marking perhaps minute 13 of his requisite 15 minutes of media notoriety. Was this a manic episode or what? Glad Renee’s history. And that Betty and Henry are simpatico again.
17. Stanley finally lets Michael have it on The Office. “You are a professional idiot,” he blasts his boss. Tell us something we don’t already know. As Cheers & Jeers duly noted, Leslie David Baker was sensational. Pam’s back-up glasses? Hilarious. Dwight bullying Andy to sell him his car, so he could flip it for profit? Less so. Ryan dissing Jim’s job performance? Not funny at all.
18. With Private Practice on ice until the fall, Addison returns to Grey’s Anatomy and gets caught up on all of the gossip (including a touching encounter with poor Bailey). Addison threatens to kick Meredith’s butt if she lets Derek slip away with that doe-eyed nurse. My hero. (Loved the elevator scene with McDreamy sharing a ride with all of his past and present girlfriends. McSteamy grins: “I bet you wish you’d taken the stairs about now.”) And the return of Jane Doe/Rebecca? Bad news all around. She is so “coded.”
19. 30 Rock’s Liz Lemon declaring, “For once I am not going to be Jan Brady. I’m gonna be Marcia,” only to be hit in the face with a projectile. “Oh my nose.” Otherwise, not my favorite episode.
20. Ditto with a Jack-centric Lost, which bogged down in a graphic but not especially suspenseful appendectomy, but did creep me out with Jack’s and Claire’s visions of their shared dead father. As Claire vanishes in the jungle at night, we contemplate a rocky future for the ad hoc family of Kate-Jack-Aaron. And poor Hurley at the Santa Rosa Mental Health Facility: “We’re all dead.” With his beyond-the grave message from Charlie to Jack: “You’re not supposed to raise him.” One-way flight back to Mystery Island, please!
What were your favorite moments from the week in TV? Share away below.
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May 2, 2008 2:00 PM
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Thanks for the shout-outs to Moonlight and Reaper, which both deserve a second season. I loved everything about the latest episode of Reaper, especially Andi's reaction when she learned the whole truth, and that scene between Mick and Josef nearly left me breathless. The kiss between Mick and Beth was really hot as well.
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May 2, 2008 4:09 PM
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I'd been meaning to send you a note to ask if your early season opinion on Reaper had changed, but I guess this answers it. My wife and I have been loving it of late--maybe our third favorite show after Lost and Battlestar Galactica (OK, fourth for me, since I probably put Dexter in there too).
We think it's been doing a great job of breaking the mold of its first five or so episodes, first with the girl who might be the devil's daughter, and more recently with the demons trying to overthrow the devil. Plus it's hilarious, with both the devil and Sock engendering a lot of laughs.
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May 2, 2008 4:16 PM
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I totally agree with you about the HIMYM episode.The Barney-Robin fallout was hysterical! I just hope the show finds some way for Barney and Robin to get back together with Ted moving on with Stella -- or some other possible Mother for his kids. The comedy pairing of Barney and Robin creates so many legendary possibilities. Of course, it might be a great final episode of the series to have Barney realize that he wants to settle down with Robin.
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May 2, 2008 4:46 PM
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I actally liked the previous Reaper episode better. The show started improving as soon at it creating arc storyline like the Demon neighbors and Sam's relationships.
I have been paying close attention to Reaper's ratings the past couple of weeks. All I can say is that it's holding its own and building on its lead in, Beauty and the Geek, by considerable margins. Plus, it has performed better than the past two episodes of Supernatural which has Smallville as a lead in.
I think the CW should and will renew it.
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May 2, 2008 5:22 PM
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The turning scene on last week's Moonlight was not reflecting "brotherly love". As Alex O'Loughlin himself acknowledged in the tvguide watercooler interview, it was very much erotic, in a boy-boy kinda way. YAY!
In tonight's ep, there was another pivotal scene when Beth came to Josef behind Mick's back and asked him to kill someone who was about to out Mick as a vamp.
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May 3, 2008 1:43 AM
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To me, L&O SVU has just been eye-rolling and well...just bad over the last year. Robin Williams was good in the role, just didn't buy any of it. Ad the ending was just stupid. Did love seeing more of Munch though! The pillow fight was worth watching.
Agree on the original L&O. The show is getting good again. And is Cutter indeed a member of the church? His last line was chilling. And he did seem to know a lot about them.
Any episode of 30 Rock is great and I have already watched it 3 times. Love this show, it can do no wrong. And kudos to Pete for playing the creepy fast food manager on SVU this week!
Lost was a bit anti-climatic for me. I don't like Jack and Kate together as I find Juliet much more interesting. Ben needs to be in very scene, very episode. When he is on, the action is not far away. Give that man his EMMY.
And Barney portraying his founding father ancestor was....wait for it...awesome!
Love the weekly round-up Matt! See ya next week!
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Edited by KateDFW at 05/03/2008 7:20 AM
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May 3, 2008 10:20 AM
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I too love your Week in Review. Glad Moonlight made the list, hot, hot, hot and that scene took my breath away, as did the idea of his "my beth", "I love her" and the kiss on the rooftop. Blew me away.
Agree too on comments on my other favorite shows, Survivor, Lost, Desperate Housewives, DWTS, and AI, and I'm sorry I don't watch the others because you make me want to.
Wonder HOW you do it though! So little time, so many programs, but aren't we lucky we have them NOW. Somewhat looking forward to repeats so I can watch the tapes of some of the shows I didn't get to see.
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May 3, 2008 10:46 AM
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Matt-
Hope you keep these lists coming! Its the first thing I look for during my Sat morning web surfing. I'm surprised you didn't like this weeks Lost. I thought it was amazing. I do agree with you on 30 rock- it just seems off since it came back from the strike. its not gelling together for some reason?
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May 3, 2008 11:04 AM
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Supernatural, baby! There was a lot of discussion about last week's ep (which was cute) but this week was back to the angst. Both boys were great as usual, but Jensen was fantastic. Dean's desperate desire for his father's approval and guidance, his terror at going to hell were palpable...but you know he wouldn't have done anything differently. They should send this ep in for an Emmy.
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May 3, 2008 12:31 PM
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<< 14. [snip] There’s some nice tension between him and Lupo, especially when the maverick Lupo goes off the books (not Bernard’s style) and enlists an administrative assistant for an undercover assignment. [snip]
Not just an administrative assistant, but the widow of his late brother. (Wasn't it her?)
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May 3, 2008 12:53 PM
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Gossip Girl gets a mention and a great episode of Supernatural doesn't. Matt, Matt, Matt.
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May 3, 2008 1:22 PM
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Love reading your reviews and mostly agree with them. Wasn't that impressed with Grey's and starting to loose interest. Tired of all the whining...love Christina...she was always my favorite but doesn't have enough to do though.
Doesn't get any better than LOST. Wish they would move back to 9 though. At my age it is hard to keep my eyes open...but I manage. Could do with Jack/Kate...there are more interesting character's now. Need more of Jeff Fahey..been a fan of his since Silverado.
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May 3, 2008 1:55 PM
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Matt - You and I had the same No. 1 moment: Josef's turning Mick back into a vampire to save Beth. It was an amazing scene and Jason Dohring's acting in it was wonderful. He has been woefully underused in the series, and I hope this portends more appearances by him. Thanks for the shout-out to Moonlight.
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May 3, 2008 2:35 PM
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Matt,
Thanks for the shout out to Moonlight and BSG..Friday is fun again!
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May 3, 2008 6:54 PM
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