CHUCK! It’s a hidden gem. I SWEAR.

I know that a computer whiz downloading government secrets into his brain (and later becoming a super spy) sounds a little (ok, a LOT) out there. I get it. That’s what I thought too! But it’s about the characters. Chuck’s a likable boy next door who works at the Buy More (aka Best Buy) and has a “secret” life complete with NSA & CIA handlers John Casey and Sarah Walker. And OMG, their interactions and spy missions are awesome. Throughout the past 3 seasons, we’ve watched them accept each other and develop into a real team capable of learning from and appreciating one another. Throw in Chuck’s nerdy best friend Morgan and his over-protective sister Ellie (neither of whom know his secret) and you’ve got yourself a fun action-comedy.

LOVE THIS SHOW. Catch up on DVD!

The rest of the prompts…

Day 01 – A show that should never have been canceled
Day 02 – A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 – Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 – Your favorite show ever
Day 05 – A show you hate
Day 06 – Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 – Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 – A show everyone should watch
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 – A show that disappointed you
Day 12 – An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood show
Day 14 – Favorite male character
Day 15 – Favorite female character
Day 16 – Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 – Favorite mini series
Day 18 – Favorite title sequence
Day 19 – Best TV show cast
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite ship
Day 22 – Favorite series finale
Day 23 – Most annoying character
Day 24 – Best quote
Day 25 – A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 – OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 – Best pilot episode
Day 28 – First TV show obsession
Day 29 – Current TV show obsession
Day 30 – Saddest character death

Day 01 – A show that should never have been canceled

I’ll agree with EVERYONE and say Firefly. I found the show on DVD well after it was canceled and with only 14 episodes, it left me wanting more. I loved Mal and his ragtag band of Serenity crew members. Freaking FOX always ruins everything.

I’d also like to give an Honorable Mention to Everwood. The show did have 4 wonderful seasons, though, so I’m just being greedy.

The rest of the prompts…

Day 01 – A show that should never have been canceled
Day 02 – A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 – Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 – Your favorite show ever
Day 05 – A show you hate
Day 06 – Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 – Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 – A show everyone should watch
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 – A show that disappointed you
Day 12 – An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood show
Day 14 – Favorite male character
Day 15 – Favorite female character
Day 16 – Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 – Favorite mini series
Day 18 – Favorite title sequence
Day 19 – Best TV show cast
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite ship
Day 22 – Favorite series finale
Day 23 – Most annoying character
Day 24 – Best quote
Day 25 – A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 – OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 – Best pilot episode
Day 28 – First TV show obsession
Day 29 – Current TV show obsession
Day 30 – Saddest character death

I’m excited that the show is back on but I feel like the dancers are (again!) getting the short end of the stick because of the changes…

– No Top 20. Instead, it was supposed to be a Top 10, making the competition even tougher. Unfortunately, the producers and judges decided to wimp out and cast a Top 11 because they couldn’t decide on just 5 guys. COME ON. Top 11 is silly! They should have either had the balls to cut a guy (Billy Bell would be my pick — he failed to impress unlike last season) or at least invited another dancer (Anthony Burrell!) and made it a Top 12.

– Partners change each week. I like this but have to admit I’m going to miss getting invested in “power couples” like Katee & Joshua or Sabra & Dominic. On the other hand, this means there won’t be another disaster like Mollee & Nathan who only seemed to bring out the worst in each other.

– AND instead of pairing up the dancers with one another, they’ve brought back a group of All-Stars from previous seasons who will partner with the newbies when their style is chosen. Part of me is super excited about this because… Pasha! Anya! Dominic! Courtney! Mark! Neil! Love them. Could do without Lauren (ugh). Anyway. Seriously though? This season’s dancers are totally getting the shaft with the introduction of the All-Stars. Viewers are already familiar with them so it’ll be that much harder for the actual contestants to break through and be memorable. The All-Stars will likely have an impact on the voting as well.

I also do NOT like seeing the contestants receive the good or bad news with their families. Was it really necessary to fly the judges around the country to tell people they didn’t make it to the Top 11? What is the point of that?!

All that said, I’m still excited. I love dance so much! It doesn’t hurt that the dancers are easy on the eyes.

All-Stars!

Top Eleven!

Early favorites so far – Kent Boyd (he is adorable), Alexie Agdeppa (she’s filipino! and a former Laker girl!), and ALEX FREAKING WONG (AMAZING).

Been too busy at work. Leaving no time for TV or blogging (cannot believe it’s been over a week since my last entry). HORRORS.

Anyway.

So… the Lost series finale. After my initial viewing, I was a little underwhelmed. But now after multiple viewings and over 2 weeks to mull it over, I think I love it. I really, really do. (Or maybe I’m just easily manipulated). It was emotionally satisfying and that’s enough for me. I’ve never been as invested in the mysteries of the island anyway. The mysteries may have hooked me but I stayed for the characters, their personal journeys, and the relationships they formed with one another.

I know I won’t be able to write a proper review of the finale (I’ll direct you to one of my favorite TV critics instead) so I’ll just run through some of the great moments that really stayed with me…

Seeing Rose, Bernard… and Vincent too! So happy they were given a happy ending. I was a little worried Smokey was going to kill one or both of them off.

The first of the flashbacks between Sun and Jin. *sob* I never thought I would love them so much. I didn’t care for Jin at all at the beginning of the show.

OMG. I TOTALLY knew that Juliet was going to be Jack’s wife in the sideways-verse. I KNEW IT. Oh, show. Sometimes you are so predictable. I’ve always been a Jack/Kate ’shipper but this scene made me realize how good Jack and Juliet could be too.

Smokey/Locke: “Jacob, being who he is… I expected to be a little more surprised. You’re sort of the obvious choice, don’t you think?”
… then later …
Jack: “I’m gonna kill you.”
Smokey/Locke: “How do you plan to do that?”
Jack: “That’s a surprise.”
BWAH. Dun dun DUN!

BOONE! I was so sad when he died in season 1 so it’s been great to revisit his character again in this last season. And as much as I like Shannon/Sayid, all I kept thinking during this scene was… what was Boone’s “moment?” You know, his own moment of clarity?

OMG. This scene was so beautiful. I loved that Kate’s moment came when delivering Aaron. Again.

“I saved you a bullet.” YES. Kate kicking ass! There have been times over the years when she’s disappointed me (*ahem* indecision over Jack and Sawyer) but definitely not in the finale.

SQUEE! Jack and Kate’s “I love yous.” Only one word to describe this scene… FINALLY. But so unbelievably sad knowing what happens to Jack. It upsets me to think that Kate left the island and had to live without him. *sob*

THIS reunion scene between Sawyer and Juliet was the one that really *got* to me. Just… so perfect and romantic. AND HAPPY! You can clearly see the joy in their faces. They’re so in love! Their relationship surprised me back in season 5 but I fell hard for them and was seriously heartbroken when Juliet died setting off the bomb in the season 6 premiere.

Jack’s confusion and hesitance to accept the truth and let go. Seriously, Matthew Fox KILLS me with his eyes. He is SO GOOD at being on the verge of crying… his eyes fill with tears and just a few of them roll down his face. It gets me more upset than if he was straight-out sobbing.

Hurley becoming the island protector with Ben as his second-in-command. I’ve never been able to fully embrace Ben as a character but I’m glad that he found what he’s been searching for — respect.

And finally… *sob* Acceptance and all the characters reuniting in the sanctuary. I have to admit — I wasn’t crazy about the explanation for the sideways-verse. I thought it felt too easy. I was expecting a huge reveal tying the sideways-verse with the “real” world. It took me awhile to realize that’s what I got. It was just less “Oh sh*t!!! WTF!” and more of an “Ohhhhh…” moment. LOL. Sometimes I’m slow. What can I say?

And of course, Jack’s death. WAHHHH. I had a feeling Jack was going to die so it wasn’t a surprise. He was at peace, he knew his friends made it off the island and he wasn’t alone (Vincent!)… so as sad and twisted as it sounds, his story got a happy ending too. Love the callbacks to the pilot with the entire scene. Details like that make me happy. Total TV geek, I know. But seriously, this episode (and the show in general) gets better and better each time I watch it.

Farewell, Lost. I will miss you!

Many thanks to Lost Media and ABC for the pics.

So work has been rough lately. Which means I’m super behind with TV. And I totally forgot So You Think You Can Dance premieres this week. WTF is wrong with me?

I did manage to watch the 24 series finale, though…

I complain a lot about this show. It has been enormously frustrating the past few seasons. But I freaking LOVE it. It brought me Jack Bauer and his Jack-pack, one of my most favorite couples in Tony and Michelle, Bill, Chloe, Presidents David and Wayne Palmer, Aaron (the best Secret Service agent ever), and many others.

OMG. I will miss this show so much.

Season 8 was a weak season overall (what was the BIG DEAL with the peace treaty and why didn’t the Russians want to sign it?) and the series finale wasn’t much better but it had some great character moments (mostly between Jack and Chloe) that I loved…

– Chloe bringing Jack back from the dark side. It’s been really hard for me to watch Jack let his need for vengeance get the better of him in these last few episodes (the episode where he cuts open Tokarev to find the SIM card comes to mind… *shudders*). And it made sense for Chloe, someone who’s truly his friend, to be the one to make him stop and think about his actions before he went through with the assassination.
– Jack forcing Chloe to shoot him. OMG. This scene was unintentionally hilarious. I don’t know if I’ve ever loved Chloe as much as I did here.
– President Taylor and Dalia Hassan’s throwdown. FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. You could seriously feel Dalia’s shock at being simultaneously betrayed and blackmailed. I have to admit, though, that I’m a little disappointed that Taylor’s character was written this way to begin with. This was the same President who sent her daughter to JAIL last season because she had such a clear sense of right and wrong.
– President Taylor’s desperation and remorse at finding out she might not be able to stop Jack’s execution. The way she leaned on the wall in the elevator as if she couldn’t hold herself up… that was amazing acting.
– The final scene between Jack and Chloe. It was perfect. Their farewell was unbelievably emotional (no doubt Kiefer and Mary Lynn’s own). I loved the way Jack looked straight at the screen like he was addressing the viewers and thanked Chloe for having his back all these years. *sob*

I wish Jack didn’t have to be on the run, though (way to recycle the season 4 ending, writers). It’s not fair that he’s rebuilt his relationship with Kim and now he won’t even be able to watch his granddaughter grow up. That makes me sad. But I guess the ending had to be open-ended if the rumors for a theatrical movie are true. Maybe Tony can be a part of it somehow.

Farewell, Jack. It’s been a fun 8 seasons.

DAMN IT!

Supernatural 05.22: Swan Song

This seriously felt like a series finale.

Season 5 has been very “meh” (the episodes *barely* moved the story forward, if at all) so it was only fitting that the BIG! HUGE! FIGHT! between Michael and Lucifer (and Adam and Sam as the vessels respectively) was a big anti-climactic disappointment. Poor Dean didn’t even have an important role to play. Instead, he gets beat to a bloody pulp. He did deliver my favorite line of the episode, though — “I’m not gonna let him die alone.” *sad*

I’m glad that Castiel and Bobby were brought back to life (especially Cas — love him! Ass-butt!) but I feel like their deaths totally lost any kind of emotional resonance when they were so easily restored. It wasn’t earned. It was lazy writing. Their deaths didn’t even have a chance to sink in yet! But I guess I’m torn because I don’t think the show would be the same without either of them.

As far as the ending, I had a feeling that Sam (or is it Lucifer?) was going to reappear. There really isn’t anywhere else the story could go. I just hope they’re not going to recycle the Buffy storyline with Sam not coming back “right.” I’m happy enough with Dean giving up hunting and settling down but a part of me wishes it could be with Jo. Why’d they have to kill her off? I’m sure I’m the only one in this fandom that feels this way, lol. I just love Alona Tal.

Lastly… Chuck? God?! Where did that come from? I guess we’ll see what happens in season 6.

So finally last week I totally SQUEALED at the TV when she was wearing something I ACTUALLY OWN. !!! She totally stole this felted lei cardigan (thanks Anthropologie) from my closet…

I’m so ridiculous.

Thanks to Glee Images for the pic.

Glee
YAY, it’s back! LOVE this show. But like my friend Sarah, I have to admit that I enjoy this show for the novelty of it. I love the musical numbers, get a kick out of the whiplash-inducing storylines (Rachel/Puck, Rachel/Finn, and now Rachel/Jesse), and adore the snappy dialogue (“Did you know dolphins are just gay sharks?” – oh, Brittany) — but I’m not totally invested in any of the characters. I love them, sure — how can you not love Rachel’s self-absorbed ambition or Puck’s cockiness? I just don’t feel connected or protective of them the way I do with other characters.

As far as the episode…
– Is it just me or did (almost) everything that happened in Sectionals get bumped back to “normal?” Sue and Emma are back teaching (Sue I understand but what happened with Emma?), Finn and Rachel aren’t dating, and Brittany and Santana are scheming with Sue again. Like I said earlier, storyline whiplash. But for some reason, this kind of back and forth doesn’t bother me with this show.
– I like Rachel/Finn (though not enough to officially ship them) but I wanted to knock some sense into both of them! I get the feeling that Rachel only likes the idea of Finn (he’s popular, cute, sings). She doesn’t actually know him. I mean, I know it’s in her personality to be overly enthusiastic about things but Finn *just* found out his best friend and ex-girlfriend slept around behind his back. Cut him a little slack! Not that Finn is any better going out with Brittany and Santana. OMG, these two.
– I’m so torn about Will. I want to like him but he makes the absolute worst choices. Like… MAKING OUT WITH SHELBY WHEN HE HAS A GIRLFRIEND.
– I’ve never seen or heard Jonathan Groff in anything before and I thought he was great! It’s nice to finally have Lea Michele sing with someone who’s actually her vocal equal (sorry Cory). Too bad his scheming was totally projected in that one look he shared with Idina Menzel’s character. This show is so predictable.
– Loved seeing more Mike Chang! Maybe they’ll actually develop his character a little bit this season? If not, I’d be happy with more dancing.

Can’t wait for next week’s Madonna episode!

Ugly Betty
I haven’t watched the last 2 seasons of Ugly Betty (it got a little too over the top for me) but I loved it once upon a time so I wanted to see how it all ended. There were many storylines that I didn’t understand (Amanda and her father, Wilhelmina having a boyfriend in jail, etc) but whatever, I still enjoyed seeing the characters get their happy endings. And yes, I totally cried at the end when Betty says goodbye to her family before leaving for London. Waahhhh.

Back when I watched the show, I DID NOT even think of Betty and Daniel as anything other than friends but after all the hints of Daniel’s feelings in this episode, I totally got on board that ship. When Daniel signs Betty’s contract release form, his quiet sadness about her leaving seriously killed me. I totally forgot how great Eric Mabius is.

And their final scene! It worked for me as an acknowledgment of the possibility of a future relationship. Their flirty banter, awkward hug, and Betty looking back as Daniel watches her walk away… well, that was all just icing on the cake.

Finally, loved the final title card. Just… BETTY. Perfect.

DAMN. The internet feed being on a tape delay was a good twist. CTU was too late to save President Hassan. And the terrorists succeeded.

AND THEN.

Renee’s death (after having sex with Jack!). I totally did NOT see that coming. It was unnecessary! And sad. I’m torn about what this means for Jack’s story. Because seriously? Instead of a happy ending, he’s going to be out for revenge. Again. Just like he was many seasons ago after Teri’s death at the end of season 1 (and even in season 6 after Audrey’s captivity by the Chinese). The only difference is that Teri was killed because of Jack. Renee was killed because of what she potentially knew. Argh to the recycling of storylines!

Oh, well. At least Hassan and Renee’s deaths have lifted the show out of the excruciatingly painful funk it was in the first half of the season.

Well played, 24. Keep it up through the series finale!

Last Friday was the season finale. Possibly the series finale. *sob* Please CBS don’t take away the show when I’ve just found it. In case it is, though, I wanted to dedicate a whole post to the show so you too can meet the characters I adore. A primer if you will. Nicola’s Make It or Break It primer is my inspiration (and MIOBI is another show that has recently become a guilty pleasure though I’m way behind).

Numb3rs is about Charlie and Don Eppes — two brothers who solve crimes for the FBI. In very different capacities.

Don Eppes. Also known as my favorite character. He’s a Lead Special Agent in the FBI.

He kicks ass. Has a great smile. Likes the ladies. But has serious commitment issues.

This is Charlie Eppes, mathematical genius and Don’s younger brother. Socially awkward. Means well but often doesn’t understand subtleties of human interaction. He primarily works as a professor at CalSci but also does consulting work for the FBI.

Charlie and Don start the show with a strained relationship. Don resents Charlie for having to live in his shadow growing up (they graduated from high school at the same time) and Charlie feels excluded from Don’s life. However, through their work together, they get the opportunity to see the other at their best and manage to find a way to fit into each other’s lives.

Their dad, Alan Eppes, is also featured on the show because Charlie lives with him (and later on, vice versa). He doesn’t typically figure into the cases too much — he’s there to ground the Eppes brothers. To share their backstory and push them towards their futures.

Amita Ramanujan. Charlie’s girlfriend. He was also her thesis advisor in the first season when she was a student at CalSci. Scandalous! Ok fine. They didn’t actually date until after she received her doctorate but there was definitely sexual tension present. She is now conveniently a professor at CalSci as well. I can’t decide whether I like her or not. My opinion changes each episode.

Rounding out the CalSci crew is Larry Flinehardt (on the right above). Quirky and unique. He was Charlie’s mentor and professor at Princeton and now colleague and best friend. Both he and Amita assist Charlie with FBI cases when their respective disciplines are involved.

On the FBI side of things…

Megan Reeves. Appeared as an FBI agent in seasons 2-4 (she replaced a totally forgettable female agent, Terry Lake, from season 1). She was a strong and spunky character who held her own in a team with 3 males. Eventually the emotion and stress of the job caught up with her and she left the FBI. I miss her AND her unexpected romantic relationship with Larry. Whoa.

Liz Warner. My other favorite female FBI agent. I love that she’s feminine and sexy yet tough. She was introduced in season 3 as an agent who was also a former love interest of Don’s when they met at Quantico. OMG. I really loved them together. But she came into his life again after his recent break-up with Robin Brooks and the writers gave Liz the rebound storyline.

Robin Brooks doesn’t deserve a picture because I think Don deserves better. She’s an attorney who frequently works with the FBI. She and Don have an off again/on again relationship.

Nikki Betancourt. Another female FBI agent brought in to replace Megan in season 5. Terrible choice. My LEAST favorite character. Possibly ever. I cannot stand her. She’s impulsive, arrogant, and has an attitude problem. She’s featured above on the left with Liz.

Now for the men of the FBI team. SQUEE. My absolute favorites next to Don.

David Sinclair. An original character. Has worked with Don since the pilot. I have to admit that he was a little bland in season 1. He didn’t really show much of his personality until…

Colby Granger showed up in season 2. They became partners and so started my favorite FBI relationship. They are the very definition of bromance. When a situation at the end of season 3 (don’t want to reveal too much) causes the team to question Colby’s loyalties, David gets PISSED. Ok, that’s understandable since they’re partners and he thought he had been betrayed. But he continues to hold a grudge at the start of season 4 when Colby’s actions are explained. David doesn’t speak to Colby, doesn’t look at him, and it affects their performance at work. What a girl! It takes Don yelling at them for David to come around. David <3 Colby. SQUEE. Seriously, they're my favorites. The only time I ever liked Nikki was when she asked David, "Hey where's your girlfriend? You know, Colby - not the other one." Heh.

Phew! Now you know all the characters. As far as the episodes, the format is fairly typical -- it starts off with a crime, then moves on to the investigation, and ends with the Eppes brothers (many times with their dad) hanging out, having a beer, and goofing off...

OMG. They’re so awesome. Watch this show! All seasons except the last are on DVD. Please CBS. Don’t let the Eppes brothers leave me.

Thanks to FanPop and CBS for the pics.