The Lists I Didn't Get to Make

Seeing as I clearly was unable to do my eleven days of New Years, I decided to do a quick write up of other lists I may have put more time into otherwise. But seeing as we have approached the eve of the New Year I don’t have much more time to harp on 2008. I want to ring in 2009 with a fresh start and lots of great, new television to look forward to.

My New Favorite Old Shows
This basically includes shows that I watched on DVD throughout the year that I had not previously seen.

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (seasons 1-7)
2. Bones (season 1)
3. Friends (seasons 1-8)

The Holiday Wishlist: DVD Style
The things I got and didn’t get for the holiday season.

1. Damages (season 1)-☺
2. Mad Men (season 1)-☺
3. Lost (season 4)-☺
4. Pushing Daises (season 1)-☹
5. House (seasons 1-3) *really given to my sister, but we play nice and share ☺
6. A blu-ray dvd player…yippie! ☺

Most Memorable Episodes of 08
The title speaks for itself.

1. The Constant-Lost, season 4
2. Chuck vs. the Seduction-Chuck , season 2 (I actually can’t really chose an episode of Chuck from this season that I like way way better than any other, but this one sticks in my head so…that says something.)
3. Comfort Food-Pushing Daisies, season 2
4. The Fight-How I Met Your Mother, season 3
5. House’s Head & Wilson’s Heart-House, season 4
6. Goodbye Toby-The Office, season 4

Honorable Mentions
Not necessarily television related but worth a mention in the lists of 2008.

1. Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog
2. I’m F***ing Ben Affleck-youtube video
3. I’m F***ing Matt Damon-youtube video

So what did I miss? Anything else from 2008 that was worth mentioning that I forgot about (which I would definitely believe considering this was what you might call a rushed list)?

The Long Awaited Naughty List

So I was clearly wrong when I thought I’d be having lots of free time during the holidays. What was I thinking? Between catching up with friends, holiday shopping, and crossing some movies off of the classics list, the blog was kind of placed on the back burner. But now it’s back to business and time to present the Naughty list. So who’s got on Santa’s bad side this year? Follow the link to find out.

Now because I make a strong effort not to watch bad television this is going to be a list composed of the shows, people, networks, or anything else I was disappointed with this year.

1. ABC for canceling Pushing Daisies. The show entranced me from the start and now that the magic is ending I really unprepared to say goodbye. The final three episodes have yet to be given a spot on the air and I have not had my fair share of pie making and dead-waking for my liking. The characters and relationships have grown immensely this season and I’m extremely sad to have to let them go.
2. Tim Kring of Heroes for not taking the show in a new direction. The first season of Heroes blew me away. The fast paced story lines, interesting character backgrounds, and action packed episodes made for extremely entertaining hours of television week after week. Then came around season two and something went horribly wrong. I lost complete interest in the characters, hating the so-called “heroes” of the show, and not really understanding who the villains were supposed to be. Even Kring acknowledged his mistakes and promised to do better this year. However, his promise went unfulfilled and he gave us as uninteresting a season as before. While it was slightly better than season two, season three didn’t prove that the show could live up to its freshmen year. Now at the end of the first arc of season three, we are exactly (and I mean exactly) where we began before the show even aired. We’ll see if Mr. Kring can prove himself this time around, but I’m going to keep my expectations low.
3. Fox for preemptively dooming Dollhouse. Now, maybe the show has had its complications in the pre-production stages, and sure, some critics haven’t given the pilot episode two thumbs up, but still it deserves a fighting chance. Placing the show in the Friday night graveyard doesn’t help.
4. The Writer’s Strike for destroying several months of television and ruining the run of freshman shows (such as Pushing Daisies). I fully supported the cause of the strike and believed the writers deserved to take a stand for themselves. The consequences of the strike are what disappointed me. I hate reality TV, more than other people probably, but the reality that came out of the strike was particularly bad. The combination of bad reality tv and a lack of real entertainment really put me in a cranky mood for several months and most certainly deserves a spot on this list.
5. And the ultimate winner, Shonda Rhimes of Grey’s Anatomy for cooking up possibly the worst story line…ever. And not just for sticking with the story, but for believing that it is good! I mean really, a dead guy having sex with a living, otherwise interesting character. It doesn’t even sound good. I don’t think I can really go on to describe how much I hate the story line because it would be a useless rant. But basically, dead ghost Denny + real Izzie + physical contact – a real reason for his being there thus far = BAD.

Agree or disagree? Who or what did you think deserved to land on the naughty list this year?

Making My Lists, Checking Them Twice

Tis’ the season to make lists. As the holidays swing closer and the New Year approaches the time to take inventory on television of the past year has arrived. And as I am sitting in an airport waiting for a delayed flight I figured no better time than the present to get started. So what will my top tens consist of?

Well, seeing as there eleven days until the New Year, I’ve decided to a list a day plus something special (to be thought of at a later date) on the eleventh day. Now, I’m going on the assumption that I will update everyday for the next eleven days in a row, which I think is conceivable. You know how ABC has the 25 Days of Christmas? Well, Addicted to the Idiot Box now has the Eleven Days of New Years…maybe I’ll come up with a new name later.

So to start spreading the holiday cheer I present to you my Top Six Shows of 2008. Follow the link for to see what made the cut.

Now why six? Well, I chose from the shows that I really consider worthy of a spot. Meaning, I’m most definitely not going to include Gossip Girl. I’m not going to add a show that I feel I haven’t followed enough to know its true status in the realm of good television. Now keep in mind there are plenty of shows that I was unable to watch that I should have (and plan on watching in the near future). However, this is just a short list of the shows I have watched that were particularly noteworthy through 2008.
(To borrow a catch phrase I’m going to do this In No Particular Order just to make things nice.)

The Nice List

1. Chuck: As you may have noticed, I’m kinda obsessed…just a little bit. If I was impressed by Chuck in it’s first season, the second season has completely blown me away. Each and every episode this year has brought a smile to my face and that is not something I can say about many shows. The already strong cast members continue to grow and improve with each passing episode. Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak, along with an impressive writing team, have proved themselves as geniuses through inspired plots and parallel story lines between the Buy More and Chuck’s spy life. Not to mention stuffing as many pop culture references as possible into a single episode. As Devon would say, this show is “Awesome.” Enough said.
2. Lost: If you weren’t blown away by season four of Lost, you must have missed something. While season three may have been slow to start, by the time the game changing season finale came around I knew good things were on the way. The show went from aimless and slow, to plot driven and fast. 2008 gave us some of the best episodes of the show to date, possibly some of the best-written hours of television in general. While I’ve grown kind of sick of the Jack/Kate/Sawyer, Desmond and Penny completely make up for that. The mysteries of the island are only just beginning. Even though we found ourselves off the island at the end of season four, in the words of Jack, “We have to go back!”
3. The Office: The folks at Dunder Mifflin continue to impress me. But, the one employee that made the show this year was Amy Ryan’s Holly. Oh how we miss you. Holly provided the perfect match for Michael, and I’m going to be honest, I did not think it was possible. Amy Ryan was absolutely brilliant and clicked with the cast instantly. The only bad thing I have to say about her stay is that it was far too short. As for the rest of our Dunder Mifflinites, Jim has had some of his best prankings this year from Bill Butlicker to a desk made of cardboard boxes, Phyllis has proved herself as the best head of the party planning committee ever, and Dwight never fails to prove himself as the most amusing character on TV. Working at a paper company may be boring and tedious, but with that group it’s gotta be a little fun, if not crazy once in a while, don’t ya think?
4. Fringe: Rookie of the year award. Not that there was any other shows in the running. Fringe went from seems interesting, to where is this going, to I have to wait a whole week for another episode?! While the long term plot lines of the story are still some what fuzzy, one thing is for sure, something creepy is going on. Put together the oddly omniscient Massive Dynamic company, a creepy bald guy that is everywhere (click here to see what I mean by everywhere), and one of the best father-son relationships on TV and you’ve got a show that will certainly keep me watching. The chemistry between Joshua Jackson and John Noble makes one of the most amusing and interesting relationships on TV between father and son. I’m even starting to warm up to Ana Torv a little more who has improved drastically in the past few episodes. J.J. Abrams seems to have done it again with a show that can attract new viewers while keeping the followers enticed enough to wonder what on earth the Pattern really means.
5. Pushing Daisies: My heart breaks as I write this knowing that only three episodes of this fairy tale of a show remain. Every episode this season has been magical and exciting. I still can’t get enough of the intense colors, amazingly creative sets, and perfect costume choices (see episode Comfort Food). And even better, the stories this season have really gotten into the depths of the characters. Bryan Fuller and the creative geniuses working behind the scenes introduced the family trees of the characters in ways that were interesting and out of the ordinary. And who can’t get enough of the star crossed love of Ned and Chuck, the undead and the living, the couple whose romance is adorable yet they frustratingly can’t touch. I’m really going to miss Wednesdays at the Pie Hole, especially since it was just starting to get some new flavor.
6. How I Met Your Mother: Oh beloved HIMYM, how you entertain my Monday packed nights. This show has continued to impress me even in it’s fourth season. I’ve got to say that I’m glad Stella is gone, not that I didn’t like Sarah Chalke, I just really didn’t see her Teds story tale happily ever after. And I’m totally ok with that. In fact, I think I’m much happier when Ted isn’t trying too hard in a relationship (unless it’s season 2 and he’s with Robin, who we know isn’t the mother). I love the episodes that allow the gang to show their true colors in terms of friendship and character dynamic. In particular, Barney and Robin. Now that is a relationship that interests me. What I’m basically saying is that it doesn’t really matter to me how Ted met the random kids on the sofa’s mother, I care more about the stories between his friends who led him there. That is where HIMYM shows it’s true colors—when a normal night at McLeran’s turns into something legendary.

So...agree? Disagree? Keep in mind I’m not purposely leaving out shows like Mad Men, The Shield, The Wire, and other critically acclaimed shows. I’m only saying I don’t have the credibility to give them a spot on my list…or not this one at least. The Naughty list to come soon. Meanwhile, what were your favorites of 2008?

"Chuck vs. Santa Claus": Ned? Ned Rhyerson?

Forty-six days (from this very delayed review posting) until Chuck returns from a far too long hiatus through January. Why, oh why NBC do you torture me so? You are leaving us after possibly one of the best episodes of the series to date. And yes, we know Josh Schwartz loves his Christmas (or Chrismukkah) spirit that both Seth Cohen and Chuck Bartowski seem to possess in massive quantities, but really, Mr. Schwartz, you have outdone yourself. Now while I get some tissues to mourn the loss of Chuck for the next month and a half (and to ease my sniffles), you sit back, relax, and click on the link for some spoilers.

Buy More’s winter wonderland really put a smile on my face with the cheery music opening to what seemed to be a “heartwarming” episode of Chuck…for the first half hour at least. And if the Buy More all dolled up in decorations didn’t make you grin, then I’m sure you did at the sight of Morgan in that elf costume as he pleaded, “Do I not look like an adult to you?” I enjoyed seeing the entire Buy More staff decked out in holiday costumes, save Casey and Chuck, from Big Mike’s jolly Santa outfit, to Anna’s shockingly revealing elf costume. And Christmas would not have been complete without Awesome and Ellie making an appearance. Of course, the car would crash into the Buy More directly after Awesome argues that he needs just a little bit more excitement in his life. Gotta love Anna with her initial reaction of “pay up suckers.” You go girl.

As General Beckman gives her report on how to go about this seemingly timid mission, we receive the flawless, “Its an electronics store Major, not Bazra.” Love seeing the General getting some personality in there. I’d also like to point out that by this point in the episode, I totally bought that we were going to be experiencing a “flashless” episode with a comic hostage situation to take us through Christmas. I guess that would make me naïve. But really, I can totally see a happy, comic Chuck episode to take us through the holiday season, can’t you? (What we got was of course better than I could have possibly imagined.)

Then we get our formal introduction to Ned. Ned? Ned Rhyerson? From high school? (Love Groundhog Day, and the perfect name choice seeing as our beloved show does not return until…oh look at that—Groundhogs day!) The writers on this show must have the time of their lives coming up with this stuff. I know I would…a girl can dream right? So we now have two secret entrances from Castle into the Buy More, one being the trap door in the home entertainment room, and two, behind the lockers in the Buy More. Wonder what other goodies we’ll get to discover soon. Casey is certainly made very vulnerable in this episode. First his fingers all cut up from gift-wrapping, and then his first major injury in his career, the loss of a toe. Poor Casey.

Almost half way through the episode at this point with no flashes, no major injuries (Casey minus a toe), general Christmas fun, and Ned proving to be a pretty incompetent criminal yet I’m still loving the episode. Chuck provides the necessary “aw” moment as he gets Ned to allow everyone to call their loved ones. First up we get the thumbs up from Devon saying everything is awesome. Then the pure joy in Lester’s face as he calls the love hotline was too perfect to be true. Jeff’s second prison reference of the episode as he calls Prisoner 27318, aka Mom, is followed by yet another revealing moment for Casey, who hence forth shall be known as Johnny Boy. As for the heart of the episode, Sarah’s face as she watches everyone calling their loved ones was enough to break a heart. Props to Yvonne Strahovski; she gets better each and every week. Now my question is, where are these so called cute nerdy boys who give charm bracelets to their girlfriends, fake or not, because I certainly don’t see any. I may be gushing of my love for the Sarah/Chuck romance a bit much but really, Chuck’s face when he says, “I know” in response to Sarah resisting the emotion filled present. Cue the “aw” cards for the audience.

With the emotion in place, it would make perfect sense for Ned to express his only wish is to celebrate Christmas with his family. Who did you think was gonna leave? My money was on Ellie and Awesome, maybe Lester would have tried to pull an Emmet and get out quick. But when Johnny Boy and Sarah were released my spider sense started tingling. Nothing good could come of Chuck’s protectors leaving his side. Gone for less than 10 seconds and Chuck flashes, in a big, scary, Fulcrum filled way. Only a show like this one, with great actors and great writing, can make the transition from light and fluffy to dark and thrilling without missing a beat.

Again, at this point I still bought that Ned was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Obviously, I was wrong. However, I still hold the belief that Ned was not Fulcrum but someone enlisted by Fulcrum to cause the ruckus at the Buy More and follow Mauser’s orders at any cost. Did I miss something there, was he revealed as Fulcrum at some point or are we just supposed to assume that he’s an agent? Chuck’s sacrifice of himself for his sister was completely believable. This show has made it clear that Chuck almost always puts the safety of his family and friends before his own which is usually where his mistakes come in. That is part of what makes the show work; Chuck’s heart almost always works before his head, which obviously plays a much larger part in the last few minutes.

“Silent Night” has never been as haunting as it was in the maze of Christmas trees as Chuck, Mauser, and Sarah lurked around the shadows. Here is where we see Chuck’s heart work before more rational thinking again as he turns back to…protect Sarah is my best guess. While he may not have had an exact plan in mind, he only had Sarah’s safety on his mind as he chose to turn around. Unfortunately for him, he returned only in time to see Sarah commit murder. Chuck missed Maseur showing absolutely no mercy as he beat Sarah up, and taunting her as he stated that Fulcrum had won and Chuck would never be safe again. Despite this reasoning, I can still see Chuck being upset by watching Sarah kill in cold blood. Throughout the show, we are aware as an audience that Sarah has killed before for her job. In the pilot episode Chuck’s flash shows us that she has killed, in several flashbacks we have learned that she had to poison or shoot for her own safety, but in the present we have not seen her kill anyone while protecting Chuck. I’m looking at this as a very interesting obstacle for the star-crossed couple to overcome. It provides a more “real” reason to keep them apart than the sole fact that they aren’t allowed to be together as their emotions have clearly been expressed to one another through the past few episodes. The hurdle that this Fulcrum agent brought in for the couple is only made larger as Sarah lies looking directly into Chuck’s eyes with a big smile on her face. Trouble is most definitely in paradise. With the end of Christmas at the Buy More, the show closes with the perfect paralleling of Chuck and Morgan’s lives.

Replay worthy moments:

• Sarah envying the picture perfect family hanging up in the Orange Orange.
• Christmas at the Bartowski’s complete with “eggnog, pjs, fake gas fireplace, and that’s right, twilight zone marathons.”
• The entire Buy More staff pointing at Chuck as in charge.
• Jeff’s prison rules back in play: “Every man for himself”
• Sarah’s perfect delivery of “I’m just scared. I’ve never been this close to a gun before.” Priceless
• The reactions of, well everyone, after Chuck yelled “No!” to letting Sarah go.
• “Ouch.”
• “It’s going to be a cold Christmas at the Bartowski’s.”
• “Oh no he didn’t.”
• The entire sequence of Awesome’s plan of attack on Ned which deserved much more attention than this but I can only write so much on one episode. To name a few highlights:
• Jeff and Lester ready to fight with candy canes.
• Morgan jumping out the snow without Anna seeing.
• The body slam sandwich of Awesome, Big Mike, and Ned.

Forty-six days isn’t that long right? Right? Let the countdown begin.

My Dad, Buffy, and I

I think my dad began his attempt to get me to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer sometime in middle school. As a thirteen-year-old girl reading gossip girl and focused on bar and bat mitzvah’s every weekend, I never even considered the concept. Why on earth would I waste my time watching a show about vampires when I could watch The OC? More after the jump.

Then I got to high school and I became infatuated with Veronica Mars. “You know, if you like this, you would love Buffy,” my dad would say. I just rolled my eyes at him. I probably should have listened; at this point I knew that we had similar taste, I just had this preconceived notion that anything with vampires would be, well weird. How could a show about a girl in high school who fights vampires in her free time be anything like a show about a girl in high school who solves mysteries in her free time? Hmm…apparently I failed to see the parallels. I refused to back down from my stand against Buffy.

Three years later with Veronica Mars cancelled and the writer’s strike around the corner, our Tivos began to empty. All of the shows I lived by dropped off the air like flies. One by one, shows like Chuck and Lost were replaced with “Farmer Wants a Wife” and “The Pussycat Dolls 2.” Being the TV addict that I am, I was having major withdrawal from new quality television to satisfy my entertainment needs. So as part of my TV addict strike survival guide I went through the first step of the process. I admitted that there was nothing on TV to watch anymore. That’s as far as I got. If there were any other steps, they were immediately ignored and disregarded. Luckily, I’m not the only addict in my family and my dad has made it his life goal to own as many movies and TV shows as possible. So, one fateful day, I took the journey downstairs to the library of DVDs to see what would win a place as the key to surviving the strike period. In desperation I turned to the show that I had turned my back on for so many years.

I was addicted before the first vampire was dusted. But I didn’t dare say that to my dad, not when I had denied that I would like it all these years. We finished the pilot and he looked at me as if to say, “I told ya so.” And all I said was, “it was all right,” followed by a chill, “we could watch the next one…if you want.” From that day on, with no good shows to occupy our time, my dad and I made a plan to watch at least one episode a day (emphasis on at least) in an attempt to finish the series before I left for college.

Joss Whedon quickly became one of my heroes. Every aspect of the show enamored me. Could Buffy and Angel be together despite their star-crossed love? Would Xander ever realize how many years Willow had been pining for him? How many times would Buffy die and revive throughout the series? Would anyone at Sunnydale High ever go to the library and realize the odd assortment of books and weapons available there?

We didn’t finish all seven seasons before I left for camp. Needless to say, the two months without a Buffy episode was grueling. But within the first three months of school I was watching the last minutes of the final episode with tears running down my face. Every character of Buffy was one that I loved to watch. Whether I enjoyed watching the characters out of hate or out of love, I always wanted to know what would happen to them. That is not something I can say about many shows. Joss’s ability to do an entire silent episode and a musical episode is unparalleled by any show to date. I don’t think any other complete series I have seen thus far in my television-watching career has been as satisfying. Veronica Mars ended too soon. Gilmore Girls screwed up its final season. Smallville…oh wait, that show is still on. Freaks and Geeks I have yet to experience in it's entirety…although by now I should know to trust my Dad’s judgment. Guess that’s next on my list. But shh, don’t tell my Dad or he’ll think I’ve started listening to him.

"Chuck vs. the DeLorean": Anyone got some high-grade Plutonium?

A DeLorean. Anna returns. Captain Morgan forced to grow up. Chuck works his German accent. Casey shows feeling. Yvonne Strahovski works her emotional magic. What else could I ask for in a Chuck episode? Follow the link to find out.

Not much. As they stated many times throughout the episode, “Chuck vs. the DeLorean” was “personal.” The writers managed to connect the A and B story lines through their “personal” themes, which made the entire story, flow nicely. I was extremely happy to see Anna back with the Nerd Herd in Buymorea. And not only did her return add to the usual atmosphere of the Buy More, but she came back with a plan—to make Morgan grow up. This led to all sorts of fun between Morgan and the Nerd Herders in addition to giving Captain Awesome some great material. I loved how Morgan didn’t even refute Awesome’s insults of his childish lifestyle, but added to it by admitting that he only did his own laundry “occasionally.” Gotta say, I was initially surprised that Awesome would so willingly offer $2500, but then was glad to see that he included 12% interest in the matter. Was it just me, or did Morgan not really seem to understand that concept?

And then of course, as Morgan takes the slow walk of shame towards Anna and his future, Jeff and Lester step in the way. Or more accurately, a spitting image of Back to the Future’s DeLorean drives in the way, at a whopping 22 miles per hour. The introduction of the car was complete with Lester’s Cameronesque speech, a slow pan checking out the car, and the Bueller music. Oh yeah.

Awesome’s realization that his money could not be trusted with Morgan led to some of the best lines of the episode. First, we get Lester and Morgan’s thoughts on what they’d do when they get the car running at 88 piles per hour with high-grade plutonium. Jeff’s daydream of traveling in time to Lester’s birth was perhaps the most disturbing line he has had yet…“I’d love to see the look on your face when you emerge from the vaginal canal.” That is just creepy. And then Morgan enters, sunglasses on, with his new license plate, the DEMORGAN. It doesn’t get better than that. Awesome’s fury was only matched by Anna, who easily gave away their sex life due to Morgan’s refusal to use their money in a more productive manner.

On the spy front, we get to meet Jack Burton, played by Gary Cole. I’m assuming that we called him Jack Burton solely because that is the name Chuck knows Sarah by. But I’m not sure how she explained this to her Dad. Strahovski did a great job with the father-daughter relationship with a past in conning. Chuck’s spy sequence as he followed Sarah on her “personal day” was anything but impressive secret agent-wise, but Chuck-wise it was incredibly funny and realistic. As Mr. Burton relived the glory days of “Angel hair” as a youngster and her superb conning ways, Gary Cole was completely believable as Sarah’s father. Their dynamic together was great, complete with Sarah being ashamed of him while still clearly showing how much she cares about his safety.

Sheik’s arrival invoked Sarah’s security to come out with beautiful results. As Sarah and Jack try to talk their way out of problems with some intimidating men, Chuck brilliantly poses as the solely German speaking Mr. Lichtenstein. A very Carmichael move if you ask me. After Sarah gathered her “con team” on the good side of Mr. Burton, Jack maps out their plan in an extremely thought out manner. Cop face is placed on security detail and Shnook is told to do nothing. Almost like stay in the car but better. The detailed transformation of the hotel into Lichtenstein Enterprises was impressive, withstanding the crooked “N” that almost ruined it all. But no, the “N” did not fail them; in fact they didn’t fail at all. Even when Chuck’s German is jeopardized, they still manage to make the deal and transfer the money. If only Daddy didn’t run away and put the money in the wrong place, everything might have worked out for the best.

But then we wouldn’t have gotten the inspirational speech from Chuck to support Sarah as she deals with her father’s disappearance again. Oh how I love that articulate shnook. Moving on, I wonder if all of the Sarah-centric episodes are going to include a fighting out her feelings with parallels from her past scene. Two for two so far.

The garage roof scene put the icing on the cake of a beautiful episode. We’ve got Sarah’s emotional conflict of interests as she goes to save her con father. Then we have a nice snail paced entrance of the demorgan with Chuck to save the day. Not only did he get Sheik’s account number, but he inadvertently got Morgan the money he needed to pay back Awesome by leaving the demorgan unattended. Casey’s arrival with the crown vic and his cop face on for game put some sprinkles on the icing of the scene. I loved that Casey took no shame as he threw Chuck on the roof of the car and put the handcuffs on with a look of deep enjoyment. Typical.

The final scene really brought closure to the episode. Casey showed true loyalty to Sarah, with a tiny bit of emotion revealed. Morgan warmed up to the idea of moving in with Anna, only to be brought back down with another Bueller moment with yet another out of date car. Then the heart of the episode was revealed as Sarah makes the decision to let her Dad go before the cops arrived. And Dad delivers the perfect fatherly speeches to both Sarah and Chuck. I thought it was really poetic how both Sarah and Chuck have very similar pasts (in different ways), which deepens their relationship in a nice way that isn’t too cheesy. Sarah should listen to Papa Burton, I mean after all he did make a “ten million dollar bet” that Chuck loves her…and he is almost certainly right. It’s only a matter of when. Charlie is the right shnook for Sarah according to Dad. And we all know, father knows best.

Replay worthy moments:

• “Aw, that’s sad, you’ve confused me with someone who cares about your life before the intersect.” Typical Casey.
• “Welcome to adulthood. We’ve been waiting for you.” Perfect delivery by Captain Awesome.
• The many great reaction shots of this episode: Chuck when he see’s the “N”; the faces of Morgan, Lester, and Jeff at the DeLorean; Sarah’s exchange of looks with her dad before shooting him
• The demorgan’s arrival and departure to the scene ontop of the garage…scratch that, any scene with the demorgan was great.
• Morgan catching Anna’s kiss.

The only thing I really find has been missing from the episodes lately is some quality Chuck, Morgan time. They have great chemistry and haven't been given much lately. Hopefully that will change before our month break. *tear*

So what would you do with the DeLorean (if you could go back in time)? And more importantly, what did you think of this week's Chuck?

HIMYM "The Fight": Lightsabers and Punches

The past few HIMYM episodes haven’t been quite up to par with their normal level of awesomness…but “The Fight” brought the show back to it’s roots. It brought the show back to what it is good at. Pure funny, not relationship focused or long term stories. One episode, one plot line, all funny. For spoilers follow the cut.

Classic Barney made this episode. Next to Marshall’s family fights…and Robin’s Canadian attraction to scars and lack of teeth. Ok, everything was really on tonight. But we’ll start with Barney. His lack of attention to the conversation with fillers of old black sitcoms was perfection. Even better though, was his attempted seduction of Robin by choosing to fight in order to impress her. Really, when are those two gonna get together? The look on Cobie’s face after she touches Barney’s scar was pure gold. She did a great job throughout the entire episode, from her inappropriate joke (that’s what she said anyone?) all the way through her asking Barney out and then backing down after discovering it was a fake fight: “I got that a…that a…that a…” And that was seven (count em, seven) “that a’s” for those of you who didn’t catch it.

Then we have Marshall. Oh how I love Marshall. The group’s idea of the Erikson brother fights complete with hot cocoa breaks and tickling was priceless. I believed it, which was further enforced by his use of puppets to try and get Lily’s kids to learn about fighting. Gotta love Mahatma Panda and Martin Luther Koala. But even better was the truth about Marshall and his brothers. Brutal, hard metal packed fighting, in the living room nonetheless. I knew Marshall had it in him.

Replay Worthy Moments:

• Barney punching himself and Ted...and Ted crying.
  
• Barney’s girl scream as he run’s away from the second fight scene.
• What Marshall was doing while Ted and Barney were fighting:
  
• “Your nails”
• “Relationship quiz in this months Cosmo”
• “Your best not to cry when Big came back for Carrie at the end of the Sex and the City movie” (spoilers much? Agreed Marshall)
• “The captain of the football team because he gave you his promise ring and you looked so pretty in your open back homecoming dress.”
• Marshall using a light saber to carve the turkey

Were you as glad to see the old HIMYM back as me?

CT, 24: Redemption, Bauer is Back

In the last Campus Times of this semester, I review the two hour television event of 24: Redemption. Overall, I really enjoyed watching Bauer in action again. My only issue with it was that it didn't have that nail biting, edge of your seat, suspense that 24 is usually able to express. But...if the movie didn't provide that, the first 17 minutes of episode 1 certainly did (buy the dvd or search you tube for that treat). Click here to read my article online.

Or click here to read it in PDF form. Scroll to page 15.

Procrastination 101...Chuck Style

I couldn't resist. Take your pick (no pun intended)...which is your favorite iPhone photo from Chuck's phone?

a) John Casey's infamous growl

b) Sarah Walker with the pigtails from the unmatched "weinerlicious" costume

c) Captain Awesome...being, well awesome.

"Chuck vs. the Gravitron": Where Can I Get an iPod Compatible Nerd Herder?

Can the geniuses behind Chuck please come out and take a bow? The writers behind the best show on tv appear to be able to do no wrong. (*knock on wood*) Chuck is the one show on television that I can consistently count on to provide me with entertainment from all angles. I mean every single angle—it’s like I’m walking around in that fun house of mirrors and in every single mirror the tv show doesn’t fail to entertain me. Whether we are watching Lester twitch at the idea of a real turkey for Thanksgiving, Ellie obsessively cleaning in preparation for the “Very Awesomes” to arrive, or watching Sarah’s never failing, heart wrenching looks at Chuck. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Spoilers after I watch the very familiar Ferris wheel scene from The OC.

I don’t think I can actually describe my conflicted emotions throughout the entire episode last night. Yes, the little voice in the back of my head was saying the whole time that Jill was evil, but from her shooting “Leader” to the lie detector test, my heart just kept jumping in and out of my shirt. Her speech in the fun house of mirrors really had me going there for a minute. Especially after choosing not to shoot Chuck on the Ferris wheel (note the cheesy, yet awesome line “you broke my heart, do you have to shoot it too?”). But then, in that moment when she asked Chuck to let her out of the chair so she could kiss him I knew she was an evil, conniving, Fulcrum agent with her own self interest at heart. Sure, it’s possible that she got in too deep and didn’t know what she was doing anymore, but in my book Jill is a betrayer and always will be. Maybe it’s the Chuck+Sarah support talking, but I am so glad Jill is out of the picture…for now.

And the path to getting Jill out of the picture. You know how people say that when you break up and see an ex there is a clear winner and a clear loser? Well, even though Chuck still works at a Buy More and isn’t exactly where he wanted to be in life at this point (shown clearly by Chuck vs. the Ex), by the end of this episode Chuck is the winner. Chuck wins with flying colors. Not only did he get revenge on backstabbing, betraying Jill, but he did it in the geekiest most Chuck way possible. He used his inner nerd to it’s fullest while getting some of that Chuck charm in there that we have come to know and love. And what made the moment great was while Sarah’s explanation of how Jill would catch Chuck at his most vulnerable moment was exactly how Jill got Chuck’s false trust twice in the episode, it was also the exact method Chuck used to trick Jill at the end. Classic.

Now aside from the great Chuck/Jill arc that closed off this week, the action and comedy of the episode were in full swing as well. I think that the carnival scene is one of the best action sequences Chuck has done thus far. From the scene in the Gravitron (which I refuse to ever go on) with Chuck and “the Leader’s” fight while trying to move around the walls, to the suspense of the scene in the fun house, every scene was done beautifully and artistically. Then there’s Chuck’s seemingly genius use of the Castle’s instruction manual to get them out their sticky situation. That boy knows his way around a computer, and clearly not just the one stuck inside of his head. I am constantly impressed by the ways the writers are making Chuck more and more competent as a spy while keeping his dork in check. Like Chuck said last week, “The running, jumping, shooting people part of the job, that’s all you guys. But the puzzles, that’s all me.” I think he can add instruction manual reading talent and computer expertise to his list of skills that come in handy while on the job.

And let’s not forget our Buy More friends, most notably speedy and loyal boss, Big Mike. His running scenes never fail to make me crack up…especially while wearing a fantastic fishing outfit. The tie-in of Big Mike believing Casey was protecting the Buy More could not have been done any better. In addition, Ellie’s freak-out about Devon’s parents coming for Thanksgiving was not only believable, but also hysterical and showed us a side of Sarah Lancaster that we hadn’t really seen yet. I plan on going back to see exactly how many times she said awesome in that one sequence.

Chuck seemed to hit every mark this week. And even if there are some things that I can find loopholes in, or questions about where the show is gonna go in the future, I gotta say…I really don’t care right now. I am so happy with the way this season is going that I am perfectly fine in believing every aspect of the Chuck world, from Buymoria to Spy Land. Every story line keeps me intrigued, whether my heart is pacing, my laughter is uncontrollable, or my eyes are slightly tearing up. That’s not something I can say for any other show out there.

Other moments I loved:

• After checking: Ellie and Chuck’s conversation used the term awesome five fabulous times.
• Ellie got a slow-mo sequence with the turkey…and the fact that she threw out a perfectly good turkey to Morgan horror.
• Jeff tripping over his own trip wire and the goodbye between Morgan and Leseter.
  
• “Unleash the Casey”
• "You're under arrest Jill--and I'm breaking up with you"

Do you agree? Or am I caught under the Chuck spell? What are your thoughts?

CT, Save Pushing Daisies

With the never-ending influx of negative rumors concerning the looming cancellation of ABC's fairy-tale fantasy Pushing Daisies, I give my opinion on why the show is worth watching and why you should tune in to see what your missing. Click here to read my article.

Or click here to read the PDF version. Scroll to page 15.

CT, Grey's Unceremoniously Sends Dr. Hahn Packing

And with this post, we are finally caught up with all of my Campus Times articles thus far.

In this article I discuss how Dr. Erica Hahn was let go from the cast of Grey's Anatomy without a proper goodbye. Most people speculate that this informal departure had to do with the relationship she had been building with co-worker Callie...unethical much? Click here to read the full article.

Or click here to download the PDF file. Scroll to page 14.

CT, Chuck and it's Awesomeness, Enough Said.

Short anecdote. While watching tonight's episode of Chuck, my two friends and I were literally off of our chairs, shouting at the top of our lungs while the RA knocked on the door telling us to quiet down, as we yelled shut up completely entranced by one of the best episodes of Chuck to date...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Here is my Campus Times article about why Chuck is the best show on TV that you're probably not watching. 

And if you would prefer to read from the PDF file, click here and scroll to page 13.

CT, PB&J: A TV Relationship that Works?

Spoiler Alert: Can Jim and Pam prove that television relationships can actually work once the unresolved tension is...well, resolved? Click here to find out. 

CT, Fall Preview: Thursdays

So here is the final installment of my fall preview that appeared in the Campus Times. I don't talk nearly enough about The Office in this article, but don't worry that will be made up for later. I spend most of the time discussing what Smallville has been doing wrong for the past few seasons. I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised this season (probably due to my extreme low expectations). Enjoy the end of the fall television lineup here. 

CT, Fall Preview: Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Continuing with the fall lineup, I present my take on Tuesday and Wednesday television shows here. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Pushing Daisies which has not been favored in the rumor-mill lately concerning its continuation on the air. Everyone turn in next Wednesday and watch to save this incredibly creative and unique television show. If the amazing sets and characters aren't enough to entice you, how about the wonderful narration by Jim Dale (narrator of the Harry Potter books on tape). Enjoy and let me know what you think!

CT, Fall Preview: Mondays

My next featured article is a three part Fall Preview of television shows. First we have the wonderful plethora of Monday night television. Monday night TV is what gets me through that first day back to work after a nice a relaxing weekend. Read what shows make my Mondays here.

CT, Gossip Girl

My first ever published article in the Campus Times was actually on one of my least favorite shows, Gossip Girl. Ironic, huh? Despite my dislike for the show, many, many others are obsessed and I thought it would be a good way to grab the attention of the readers. You can find my article here. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions for future Campus Times topics.

P.S. In the future, I will also post the link for the PDF version of the Campus Times with the page number of my article in case you like reading off of a newspaper format better, or maybe the pictures just make it more fun :)

Hi. I'm Becky and I'm a TV Addict...

A typical family dinner on a weeknight at my house: "Turn off the TV." Silence. "I said turn of the TV girls." The characters on the show continue to talk while my sister, Dad, and I exchange glances. Then things really start to heat up. My Mom would continue her lecture on how we never listen to her and how dinner is a family time and how she wants to hear about our days and our lives, etc, etc. Finally my dad would jump in, "Ok turn off the TV." Then one of us would turn it off. "Oh so you listen to him!" Then we'd hear the drama about how she feels like she gets no respect from us and we never listen to her even though she always does everything for us, etc, etc. And then, after this twenty-minute ordeal, we'd sit down to one of our many memorable family dinners.

After any lecture such as this one I remember always hearing about the idiot box. My Mom would tell us how Grandma always told her and her siblings to shut off the idiot box. Why are you watching the idiot box? The idiot box is a piece of junk. No idiot box during dinner. Sound familiar?

Well, now a full-fledged college student and living on my own, I am the proud owner of my very own idiot box (shared with my fabulous roommate). We even have an idiot box recorder. Good thing too, because I think my brain would self-destruct without it. I'm what you could call a television addict. Yes, that's right. I admit it. I'm addicted to the idiot box.

You could even say that I somewhat live through the TV shows that I watch. I go to the same bar every Monday night with the gang of How I Met Your Mother. In the same night I (reluctantly) go to the Upper East Side with a bunch of snobs and meet a bunch of people with different abilities from all over the world. But the best part of the night is heading over to the Buy More and going undercover with Chuck, Sarah, and Casey to save the world, one flash at a time. Yea, I'm a busy girl when it comes to Monday nights. Places to be, people to see. Other days of the week I head to the basement of Harvard University to learn about Fringe science, I solve murderers with a guy who brings the dead back to life and bakes pies, I play pranks on Dwight with Jim and Pam while not selling Dunder Mifflin paper, I save lives with the doctors at Seattle-Grace Hospital, and save...well not the world, but Metropolis, with...well not Superman, but Clark Kent. Clearly, life without Tivo would be like me living in my own personal hell. 

So, why start a blog? It was my Mom's idea. Since arriving at school I have started writing for the Campus Times. I basically just write about whatever I want that has to do with television...that's the life, eh? I'm insanely jealous of those people that actually get paid for that sort of thing. So here's some things I plan on including:

• All of my Campus Times articles
• Thoughts about shows (on the air) that I'm watching
• Thought about shows that I'm watching on DVD or shows that I love that are no longer on the air (which I have many of and never get to write about)
• Occasionally some random stuff--good movies, good books, etc.

Now the key word was that these are the things I plan on including. Chances are I won't actually get to update this as often as I would really like to, but you can generally count on it at least once a week. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think, if there's another show I should be watching, or any other thoughts you may have! In the mean time, keep watching that idiot box!