05.30 NCIS
06.30 House
07.30 Supernatural
08.30 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
11.30 Night Court

NCIS. Season 5, Episode 7. "Requiem" An amazing episode. I had tears in my eyes, from start to finish, as Gibbs meets (and bonds with) the best friend of the daughter he lost when she was a child. Gibbs has never recovered from her murder. He never speaks of it. But regular viewers know that if affects him because we are often treated to quick flashes of what Gibbs is thinking about at different times.

Full praise to Shane Brennan for creating this amazing new character (I hope we see her again). Maddie is someone for Gibbs to talk to, about his daughter. What a stroke of genius. And what great casting! Cameron Goodman is adorable. Her chemistry with Mark Harmon is amazing. They seem like a father/daughter team from the moment they appear on-screen together.

Harmon does some great work in this episode. Gibbs never opens up, even in these situations, so Harmon has to find other ways to show us what Gibbs is feeling.

Gibbs goes off-book at the end of the episode. And he nearly pays for it with his life. Interesting that this would happen at time when he runs away from his existing family (the NCIS Team) in an effort to save/create a new family (with Maddie).

The episode is filled with truly cool/wonderful moments. I love Gibbs at the best of times, but he is especially awesome when playing the protective father to Maddie.

The episode's use of photographs is exceptionally clever. An old photo of Kelly and Maddie is used a few times in the episode, as is a brand new snap of Gibbs and Maddie standing side-by-side. In the closing seconds of the episode, one photo is thrown on top of the other, so that it creates the optical illusion of Gibbs standing between the two girls: the daughter he lost and the new 'daughter' he has just found.

A beautiful idea/image/moment.

Had I not already had tears in my eyes, at that stage, I would surely have started wailing when I saw that.

House. Season 5, Episode 10. "Let Them Eat Cake" For the second week in a row, Olivia Wilde totally steals the episode out from her cast mates as Thirteen confronts some bitter memories from her childhood. Last week, Wilde was the best thing in the episode because pretty everything else was rubbish. That is not the case this time out. She's still the best thing about "Let Them Eat Cake" but - across the board - this is a great episode.

When, in Episode 9, House went up a crazed gunman and behaved completely in character, I was a tad bored. In this story, House is face to face with a beautiful woman offering him the chance of a proper adult relationship. He behaves totally in character (ie. he's a jerk) and it's completely riveting. Watching him screw up something this great before it gets started is completely absorbing.

Kutner and Taub have a hilarious subplot with a great twist at the end, while Taub gets some great scenes with the case-of-the-week patient. The show is great at this: bringing in patients, whose lives/decisions reflect/mirror the lives of one of the doctors. And it's one of the reasons I love this show.

But this episode belongs to Thirteen, as she remembers her mother's final days.

Supernatural. Season 3, Episode 7. "Fresh Blood" Stronger than recent episodes. Gordon Walker is out of prison and out to get Sam... dead. A vampire called Dixon enters the picture and - before long - Gordon has become a creature of the night. He's not lost his sense of self, however, and he determines to end his own life... after he kills Sam. So the stage is set for a show-down between the Winchesters and a super-powered Gordon Walker.

It's a bloody episode. Lots of graphic deaths in this one. Heads being ripped off, and such. There's some nice character work on the brothers (the Dean-decides-not-to-leave-the-motel scene and the fixing-the-car scene at the very end) but the climax is a cheat. Walker has them totally beaten. In particular there is nothing to stop him from killing Sam. Then he goes and blows it all by sending the two of the flying through a wall and out into the open where Sam can get the upper hand.

Sloppy writing, with regard to the climax, but this is a better episode than many recent ones.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Season 3, Episode 11. Another genius idea as we discover that "Dennis Looks Like a Registered Sex Offender"! Where do they come up with this stuff? Once again, it's a very funny episode with great storylines for all the regulars. Picking a favourite character is very hard, but I really loved Mac in this one. Boundless, blind, enthusiasm as he tries to bond with his ex-con father. All to no avail.

Night Court. Episode 6. "Death Threat" Another omnipotent being visits the courtroom in this one. First it was Santa, this time it is God himself who pops in and dishes out sage advise to Harry during a crisis. He is receiving death threats. The ending is a bit twee, but this is a good episode. It's quite serious as Harry examines his conscience and very funny as a clumsy bomb disposal expert keeps bumping into things.

Hightlight? NCIS (the pictures at the end)
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08.00 The Sarah Connor Chronicles
09.00 The Hitchhiker
09.30 Swamp Thing

The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Season 2, Episode 13. "Earthlings Welcome Here" The weakest episode of the season so far. Sarah is off on her own, obsessed with her vision of the three dots and unsupported by the rest of her team. She winds up in the middle of a group of UFO abductees, befriends one of them and ends up getting shot at some secret facility. It lacks the tension and coherence of most episodes of this great show. In general, I'm not enjoying this Sarah-is-obsessed-and-nobody-believes-her storyline.

The sub-plot, meanwhile, tells us Riley's backstory. It is much as we suspected. It's not great, but it is much better than all the Sarah stuff.

The Hitchhiker. Season 3, Episode 6. "Ghostwriter" One of the very best episodes. Willem Dafoe fakes his death to make his books sell better. His wife and his agent are happy to find him dead, since they are lovers, but his return complicates things. So a real murder is planned. However, all is not as it seems and the fast-paced script keeps you guessing as to who is really working with whom.

Swamp Thing. Episode 2. "Falco" It's an odd world, the world of the Swamp Thing. The bad guy of this one is a former bird who has been turned into a man by the evil Dr. Arcane. He makes an attempt on the evil scientist's life and then... does nothing much for a while. He just kinda wanders aimlessly. A bit like the script, really.

Jim, possibly the most annoying child ever featured in a TV series, falls out of a boat later on. And the bird/man saves him and learns a valuable lesson: it's not so bad being human.

Swamp Thing appears, too, and talks to the bird/man a couple of times without really accomplishing anything.

A very strange series.

Highlight? The Hitchhiker (twists galore)
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06.00 Prison Break
07.00 Mission: Impossible
08.00 The Closer
01.15 NewsRadio

Prison Break. Season 4, Episode 15. "Going Under" The weakest episode of Season Four. While it is always nice to see guest stars like Muse Watson, Titus Welliver and Denise Crosby all of the stuff that takes place inside Michaels' head is boring old guff and the stuff that takes place outside his head is too far-fetched to be believed. Even for Prison Break.

The twist that Linc is now working for The General, and potentially working with T-Bag, Gretchen and Self from here on in, is just too hard to take. It's a huge leap and I'm not sure I'm able to make it.

Alex gets the best scenes. And his escape is thrilling. But haven't we seen all of this before?

In it's first three seasons, PB reminded me of 24. This year it's been more like Mission: Impossible than anything else. And with this episode, it made another switch. Now it resembles Alias. Heroes and Villains working side-by-side and nobody trusting anyone. Not sure if I like this new direction.

And what the heck is all that 'Bargain' stuff about?

Mission: Impossible. Episode 79. "The Controllers" Leonard Nimoy joins the show as the fourth season gets started with this exciting two-parter. An evil scientist has created a mind-control drug and it's up to the IMF to discredit him and his creation. The pace is fast and there are two moments in supreme tension in this first hour. Barney is driving a fake prison van at one stage and split-second timing is needed (of course) to substitute Willy for a real prisoner. In the middle of it all, the real prison van had engine trouble throwing off the timing.

Later, Willy has gone undercover and has convinced a room full of observers that he is under the spell of a fake mind control drug. They want to test it. And the suggestion is made that that Willy should shoot himself. The tension ramps up as the viewer wonders how could the IMF be ready for this, and how will Willy get out of it.

Other trademarks of Mission: Impossible are to be found in this first hour. Two real prisoners are taunted and tested while Willy stands by and does nothing. He can't do anything, really. But if this was another show, then he would. Not on Mission: Impossible. The tone here is always darker and more brutal. Brooke Bundy and Stanley Kamel have several great scenes as the unfortunate couple. He eventually gets shot during a break-out attempt and she gets dragged away screaming.

In short, the bad guys are truly evil and you cannot wait for the IMF to win the day.

The cliff-hanger, when it comes, packs quite a jolt.

The Closer. Season 4, Episode 10. "Time Bomb" Teenagers plan to go on a killing spree in this untypical episode. One of them is dead before the episode starts (it is his death that starts the investigation) and a second one is dead in police custody by the mid-part of the episode. After that, the police assume that the threat is over. But the script leaves enough questions unanswered to keep the viewer (and Brenda) unconvinced. The tension builds until most of the regular characters are caught in the middle of a long, graphic gun battle. Slow-motion violence is not normally what you expect to see on The Closer, but when they go this route they really pull out all the stops. It's stunning television. And makes for a great cliffhanger when Sanchez takes three bullets in the back...

NewsRadio. Season 3, Episode 1. Jimmy runs for "President" as the third season kicks off. Lisa sets out to bring him down (by uncovering his skeletons) while Bill gets the episodes biggest laughs by being smarmy every chance he gets. The Matthew-grows-a-moustache storyline gets many more laughs than you would expect. All told: a winner.

Highlight? Mission: Impossible (cool)
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05.30 30 Rock
06.00 The Jury
07.00 Law And Order
08.00 House
12.00 Wings

30 Rock. Season 3, Episode 5. "Reunion" Another winner. The Liz high school reunion story is very funny and very clever. It confounds expectations, very nicely, when it reveals that Liz was the mean one at school. She didn't plan it that way, and she doesn't even remember it that way, but... she was mean to everyone and they hate her. Hilarious. Alec Baldwin pretty much steals the episode and it proves, once again, that the show works best when Liz and Jack are teamed up in the same plot.

The Jury. Episode 4. "Mail Order Mystery" When you tune in to watch The Jury, you are getting two stories in parallel. The story of the case-of-the-week, a typical murder mystery yarn with all the usual suspects, cops and lawyers. You also get the story of what happens in the jury room. This is a much more low-key storyline. But it always proves to be just as interesting as the flashbacks to the murder trial.

Marlyne Afflack and Jim Gaffigan are the two stand-outs among the jurors. They battle for most of the episode. In the twist-ending we learn that he was right all along, but she makes a much more convincing argument and is able to sway the jury. It makes for fascinating viewing.

Tom Atkins plays a man who may, or may not, have killed his mail-order bride. A lot of the jury deliberations are focused on whether or not he loved his wife, or whether she was just a companion that he bought. It's a thought-provoking story, and the ending - with the haunting music they always use in the final seconds when they reveal what really happened - is wonderful.

Law And Order. Season 18, Episode 18. "Excalibur" The show brings the eighteenth season to an ending with one of the strongest episodes ever. The case-of-the-week is good. A man murders his brother-in-law as a means towards getting back into the family business. He's also hiding a dirty little secret: he runs a prostitution ring on the side. And, in the second half of the story, this takes centre stage as Jack and the team discover that one of the clients is the governor (who has appeared on the show before as a political friend of Jack's). This is where the story heads into A+ territory, as we see Jack caught up in all sorts of political games as he tries to see justice done.

This is one of the episodes where the good guys lose. The killer pleads guilty, so that a trial is avoided, and it is implied that the governor will grant him early release after a few years. In the closing moments Jack and his team take stock of how all the witnesses are disappearing, or being taken care of, in sundry underhanded ways. It's a nice, dark, conspiracy-laden conclusion. I hope the show returns to the story of the Governor and gives Jack a chance to take him down.

House. Season 5, Episode 9. "Last Resort" The hostage-siege episode. With Hugh Laurie and Zeljko Ivanek in the same room (and a gun between them, too) you expect it to be a truly superb episode with great performances. Not so. It's actually a pretty weak, kinda dumb storyline. And all the acting honors go to Olivia Wilde who blows the two guys off the screen for the majority of the episode.

The patient is a jerk. And so is House. Watching them endanger everyone else in the room is pretty boring, once you realise that both of them are one-note characters in this little tale. I knew that House would eventually get the gun off the guy, and I knew that he would then give it back. It also made sense, early on, that the patient would continue to be a threat long after House did this, so that rendered most of the episode pointless.

Olivia Wilde, however, made the episode worth watching. Thirteen starts off not caring about her life and - by the end - she is pleading not to be killed. Wilde brings the character (and the audience) on a wonderful journey and is the only thing worth caring about in this mess of an episode.

Wings. Season 2, Episode 5. "" Kelly Connell guests as a guy who went to school with Joe and the gang and maintains that Joe was his best friend. Thing is: Joe doesn't remember him. Neither does anybody else. And the guy has shown up on Nantucket to get married and Joe is his Best Man. It's a slim idea, more sad than funny, and the laughs are thin on the ground. Lowell is the funniest character in the show and there is one nice twist when the stripper hired for the bachelor party remembers the guy that nobody else recalls. Nice. But not worth a half-hour of my time.

Highlight? Law And Order (the good guys lose)
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05.30 Pushing Daisies
06.30 Kyle XY
07.30 Supernatural
11.30 Good Morning Miami

Pushing Daisies. Season 2, Episode 9. "The Legend of Merle McQuoddy" This time out the case-of-the-week is as strong and interesting as the ongoing storyline.

Emerson Cod and Olive Snook team up to investigate a murder in a lighthouse. They make a great team and provide one of the episode's highlights (at the end, when Emerson told Olive she could come work with him anytime). Olive is even more cute, and adorable, than usual as a tough-talking pi.

Meanwhile, Chuck's dad proves to be a real jerk. There's a great fight scene between him and Ned and lots of conflict for the young lovers: Ned and Chuck. They weather the storm very nicely and provide another one the episode's highlights (up on the roof, when Chuck grabs the plastic sheeting and kisses Ned passionately).

This current run of episodes has been the highlight of the series so far.

Kyle XY. Season 2, Episode 17. "Grounded" For the third week in a row, the show delivers a flawless and wonderful episode. At the end of episode 16 Amanda arrived at Kyle's window and asked to hide out and spend the night (while she figured out how to confront her mother). This episode picks up seconds later as Kyle and Amanda prepare the sleeping arrangements. It's a great opening: funny and sweet and romantic. With a strong undercurrent of teenage sexual tension. Next day, with Amanda still hiding in the house, a social worker descends on the Tragers to ascertain if Kyle is living in a suitable environment. And while Kyle is trying to hide Amanda from everyone, Lori is trying to hide a room full of beer! There's a lot of running around, all very funny, and some nice character work on all of the regulars. Josh, in particular, gets a great scene telling his older sister that it's about time she cut Declan a break. Hear, hear! Well said, Josh!

Kyle gives a great speech about what family means to him and there's a nice twist at the end.

Jessi has, in these last few episodes, taken huge leaps towards becoming one of my favourite characters on the show. She's like a lost puppy. Eager and needy... and likely to cause damage if left watched... She has evolved into the perfect baddie for this show. She can cause, trouble, yes but there is the potential for eventual redemption.

Supernatural. Season 3, Episode 6. "Red Sky at Morning" A very weak episode that finds the boys going up against the ghost of a vengeful sailor. It's another one of those goofy story ideas, in which future victims see a huge ghostly sailing ship hours before they die, but that is not why it fails to entertain. It's a dud because Bela sucks and none of the comedy works.

Bela is an unsympathetic and boring character. I liked her first episode, but this time out she adds nothing to the story. She has no chemistry with Dean (although the story is written as if she does) and she manages to outwit the boys, even though it is blatently obvious to the viewer that she will steal the cursed object (a hand) as soon as she can. The fact that she succeeds in doing this makes the heroes of the show look like idiots. How could they trust her? Seriously?

The episode tries to be funny on several occasions. The lack of chemistry between Dean and Bela ruins a few of these scenes (particularly the chewing-gum-in-a-tuxedo scene, which would have been very funny with Sam as Dean's partner instead) while pointless repetition ruins the rest of them. A older lady has a crush on Sam and keeps making advances on him, to his considerable discomfort. It is mildly amusing the first time, but after the show returns to play out the exact same scene several times the idea wears very thin. Oh look, it's that old lady again. And she's still putting the moves on Sammy! And he's still uncomfortable. Yawnsville.

On the plus side, the climac (ghost against ghost) is clever and looks good on screen. But I must confess that I don't really know what happened. Which ghost destroyed which ghost?

Good Morning Miami. Episode 11. "I'm With Stupid" One of the best episodes. Jake squabbles with Dylan because she's into crystals and all sorts of 'mumbo jumbo' that he thinks is stupid. He overreacts because, being in love with her, he wants her to match his idea of perfection. Nobody understands why he's taking it so hard, except Penny, because she knows his secret. Penny, however, has a secret of her own... she's in love with Jake.

This little love triangle yields many good scenes. Some are very funny and some are very poignant.

The final Dylan scene (where she tells Jake why she is into all this stuff) is a real standout. It fits nicely into her already-established background and helps make the character more real and interesting than ever before.

Seconds after this wonderful scene, the show delivers another superb moment. Penny has been waiting for Jake to take her out to dinner, but now that he's patched things up with Dylan he cancels on poor Penny, leaving her to fake disinterest, while we know how she really feels about all of this.

Great storytelling.

The main cast get some great material, but the supporting characters are royally screwed! Lucia doesn't appear. She's been written out, and will never return from vacation, while Sister Brenda decides to stop being a nun. We will never see her again after this. Frank, of course, remains with the show (and is probably the funniest one in the ensemble) but he's gets almost no screen-time in this outing.

Constance Zimmer (my favourite cast member) has a tough part in this episode. And she pulls it off with style. Penny has been established as a tough cookie. Cynical and snarky. Yet, we also know that she's fallen for Jake. This episode shows us both sides of her character. It's a tough sell. On one hand she's an iron lady, quick with the witty put-down, and on the other hand she's very girly girly: spraying herself with perfume and hoping, hoping, hoping, that Jake will notice her. I'm not sure many actresses could make it work, but Zimmer pulls it off in spades. Penny is the Olive Snook of GMM and I love her.

Highlight? Kyle XY (very funny)
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