Rob and I were watching the Veronica Mars season 3 DVDs last night (I got them for Christmas — thanks Robyn!) that we almost missed the countdown to the New Year! Heh. We’re geeks, I know.

Anyway, yup, I’m back in the Bay. I got back on Sunday night and have been lounging in front of the TV ever since. It was a great vacation and I can’t believe it’s over.

I’ll blog about the past few weeks when I can dig myself out of my current bout of laziness.

Anyway, I want to keep my TV wrap-up going so here goes…

Tuesday shows! Beware spoilers…

Gilmore Girls
I have to admit that I was a little upset with the show when Rory and Logan broke up in the penultimate episode. I know Logan wasn’t the best boyfriend but I really grew to love his character. So I was bummed even though I know it was probably the right decision for both of them. As for the finale, I thought it was pretty darn perfect. YES, I cried. It felt a *bit* rushed but I still thought it was such a beautiful ending for this show to have Lorelai and Rory at Luke’s Diner — exactly the way the show started. And I absolutely loved seeing all the Stars Hollow townspeople gathered together at Rory’s party. Though the show’s about the girls, it was nice to have a chance to say “Bye” to them as well.

Veronica Mars
The finale left me feeling really… incomplete. Maybe even a little depressed. I mean, the last shot of her walking in the rain after voting for her dad was pretty brutal. I adore this show (even though I may complain and gripe about it once in awhile) and I’m actually really sad to see it go. Veronica may have been a bit out-of-character this season (at least to me) but I still loved her and I’m going to miss her spunkiness. With that said, I enjoyed the finale (even though it didn’t really pack the same punch as the season 1 finale) and I’m glad everyone had their part, particularly Weevil and Wallace.

In other non-TV news, I saw the movie Knocked Up today. HILARIOUS… except for the last few moments of the movie. That just made me nauseous. (If you’ve seen the movie, you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about). Highly recommended.

Hmmm… I told myself I was going to re-read all my Harry Potter books before the last one is released. But I haven’t started yet. Oops.

I guess I was wrong.

Show Me the Monkey was a FUN episode — great start to the murder mystery, lots of interaction between the characters (love the Veronica/Mac/Parker trio), and it actually made me care about Veronica again. Good stuff.

The only bad thing about the episode was the lack of Wallace.

My favorite exchange of the episode had to be –
Veronica: “A monkey… as in…”
Mac: “Touch my.”

BWAH! That was the best.

I think Six Degrees may be my first casualty. I do have the third episode saved on the Tivo so that’ll be the deciding episode.

More comments on returning shows…

SPOILERS ARE AHEAD…

CSI
Really enjoyed the first 2 episodes… Catherine’s “rape” (the morning after scene gave me chills) and the Sam Braun storyline was intriguing. And I liked that Catherine turned to Sara for help. Finally! I like both characters a lot and I wish they would get along. :/ They always seem to be shown as adversaries. It’s like the writers don’t know how to write friendly relationships for female characters or something. Annoying.

Gilmore Girls
OMG. Lauren Graham is amazing. She makes me *feel* Lorelai’s pain. GUH. She is so good. Now, I know that the show will eventually make its way back to Luke/Lorelai but until then, I’d love to see more of Christopher (I’m sorry, I like him!). Good to see Lane again but I really hate that she’s pregnant. I feel like it’s such a cop-out storyline for her. Blah. On a shallow note, I absolutely love Alexis Bledel’s hair lately. I have hair envy.

One Tree Hill
I totally rolled my eyes after the cold open of the premiere. I mean, really. Nathan washing up on land holding Rachel. WHATEVER. I wish she would go away. And what’s with Nathan’s angst? That came out of nowhere. But I’m glad that Brooke and Lucas finally broke up. As much as I don’t like that pairing, I don’t like watching Chad and Sophia even more. The thought of their real life problems makes me cringe. I feel bad for Sophia. :/ It looks like the signs are pointing towards a relationship to develop between Lucas and Peyton. Yay. I’ve been waiting since season 1! And can I just say how happy I am to see Skillz in the credits? Antwon Tanner’s awesome.

Veronica Mars
Hee! There was a BSG reference! I thought the premiere was great… well, except for the whole Kendall/Cormac storyline. But that’s because I had no idea what was going on. Hopefully it’ll be explained in the upcoming episodes. Anyway, I normally don’t like new characters right off the bat but I really, really liked both Piz and Parker. They both have such different personalities from the rest of the characters yet they fit right in. Strangely enough, I wasn’t feeling Veronica. At all. She’s normally a know-it-all (in a good, lovable way) but she took it too far. I couldn’t even enjoy the Veronica/Logan scenes because I was so annoyed with her. KB did have rocking hair, though… that’s me, I’m all about the shallow.

Supernatural
Daddy Winchester!!! *sniff* The premiere rocked. Seriously, my mind was blown. Jensen, Jared and JDM were all so, so awesome. The ending killed me dead. The scene when Sam drops the coffee cup and runs to his dad… just, GUH.

Battlestar Galactica
The premiere was SO frakking GOOD. Gaeta rocked, the insurgent team of Chief/Helo/Tigh rocked, Lee and his angst rocked, Starbuck and her bad self rocked. Baltar and Ellen did not rock but that’s fine… it was all pretty damn amazing anyway. And the ending! I gasped when the prisoners were given a rest break and the cylons appeared. Noooo!

Whew. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

I’m finally getting around to blogging about this season’s finales (most of these finales aired weeks ago but just in case, SPOILERS ARE AHEAD)…

Grey’s Anatomy
AMAZING finale. Too bad it was ruined by my ANGER at Izzie. Argh. She frustrated me so much. I realize her actions were motivated by love but OMG, she had her crazy face on. I never thought that Denny would survive (it just didn’t make sense in terms of the story) so I wasn’t suprised when he died. It did break my heart, though. I wouldn’t call myself a Denny/Izzie fan but watching her break down in tears pained me. But I loved, loved, loved when Alex picked her up off the bed… it was such a beautiful gesture. But then I’ve loved everything about Alex recently (despite his assiness). Cristina disappointed me a little bit with her inability to be supportive of Burke (*sob* I hope his hand is okay) but the big disappointment was the Meredith/Derek love triangle ending. I’m so over them. And I’m a Mer/Der fan. They almost killed the finale for me.

America’s Next Top Model
Loved that both Joanie and Danielle were in the final 2. I would have been so pissed if Jade had made it that far. I was already pissed that she was in the final 3! I think I was rooting for Joanie just a tad bit more but I’m satisfied with Danielle winning. They both took absolutely gorgeous pictures. Overall, though, I think this cycle was kinda… meh. No one really stood out to me (well, except for Jade but she stood out for all the wrong reasons). Even Joanie and Danielle don’t seem to have that “it” quality. In person, they just don’t come across like models. But then, a couple of the past winners didn’t strike me as having model qualities either (ie. Naima and Nicole). Oh well, I’ve never thought that ANTM actually produced real models anyway.

Veronica Mars
So it was Beaver. He did exhibit some questionable behavior throughout the season so I can buy it. I liked him, though… when I thought he was just a shy teenager who was bullied around. Now? Not so much. He orchestrated the bus crash. And if that’s not enough, he raped Veronica. !!! *shudders* Poor Veronica. I was crying with her when she confronted Beaver about the rape. And while I’m not a Logan/Veronica fan, I did love the way he was so protective of her in that rooftop scene but their reunion gave me whiplash. It wasn’t too long ago that Veronica walked away from him with tears streaming down her face. Plus, I would rather *see* them get to the point where they can be in a relationship instead of watching flashbacks of their summer together in the season 3 premiere. As for the rest of the finale, I thought anything involving Jackie was unnecessary (her storyline should have been resolved in previous episodes) and my favorite scene was Duncan’s brief conversation with Clarence Wiedman and their reference to the CW. Hehe! I’m worried about Weevil, though… I hope his arrest doesn’t mean he won’t be around next season.

Aaaaannnnnddd I have about 10 other finales to write about but it’s time for bed.

EVERWOOD
Ephram
1. Amy: I thought you’d be in New York already.
Ephram: I think I’m gonna skip New York this year. I mean, it’s the worst time to go anyway.
Amy: Really? I didn’t know that.
Ephram: Yeah, it’s super humid. Maybe for Christmas.
Amy: Yeah, it’d probably be nice to be home for the holidays.
Ephram: Yeah, maybe, but…
Amy: But what?
Ephram: I am home.
– Episode 1.23: Home
Awww. Happy Ephram rules.

2. Ephram (to Madison): I’m going to my car, when I turn around, you’ll be inside and that will be that.
– Episode 2.18: Last Looks
I’ve always thought this was a perfect break-up scene. Sad yet hopeful at the same. And Ephram’s face… he made me sad right along with him.

3. Ephram: Amy? I still love you.
– Episode 4.09: Getting to Know You
This broke my heart. Ephram found the courage to open his heart to Amy and it was beautiful.

Bright
1. [Amy and Colin are announced as Homecoming Couple but Colin is nowhere to be found. Bright takes Amy's hand.]
Amy: What are you doing?
Bright: Standing in.
Amy: I can’t go up there, Bright. Not without Colin.
Bright: It’s OK. We’ll do this together.
– Episode 1.14: Colin the Second
One of my favorite Everwood scenes. It just captures who Bright is as a character.

2. When Bright gave up sex with Gemma to rescue Dr. Abbott who is asleep on a ski lift. He mutters to himself, “If I die tonight and don’t go to heaven, I’m gonna be so pissed.”
– Episode 1.15: Snow Job
Bwah! Bright rocks.

3. Bright renting the Promebago.
– Episode 2.20: Do Or Die.
No other reason than it’s classic Bright.

ONE TREE HILL
Nathan
1. Nathan (after giving Haley a Cracker Jack bracelet): Don’t say I never gave you anything.
– Episode 1.03: Are You True?
Ahhh, the original arrogant Nathan. And so began my Nathan/Haley love.

2. It’s a small moment but I just adore when Nathan finally shows affection towards Haley at school. He runs over to her at the end of the episode and gently tucks a strand of hair behind her ear as his friends look on.
– Episode 1.08: With Arms Outstretched

3. Nathan: I gotta tell you, man. I never thought when we played that one on one game, that I’d end up back here, feeling like this.
Lucas: Like what?
Nathan: Like I’m going to miss you. But you’ve gotta do what you feel. I actually wish you weren’t going to leave. Because you’re one hell of a basketball player. And because you’re my brother. Take care of yourself, man.
– Episode 1.22: The Games That Play Us
As much I love Nathan and Haley, it’s the relationship between Nathan and Lucas that are the center of the show. And this scene shows how far they’ve come since the pilot.

THE O.C.
Seth
1. Seth: Well, what if we were to slow it down a little bit… maybe start from the beginning.
Summer: What do you mean?
[Seth gets off the bed and puts his record player on. 'Wonderwall' begins to play. He motions for Summer to join him.]
Summer: You are so cheesy, Cohen.
Seth: Come on, I’m sweeping you off your feet.
Summer: Well, the sad part is… you kind of are.
– Episode 1.19: The Heartbreak
Really a Seth/Summer moment but I just love the way he is so gentle with her. *sigh*

2. Seth wearing Ryan’s wifebeater. HEE!
– Episode 2.07: Family Ties

3. Seth (to Kirsten during the intervention): Mom please, you gotta do this.
– Episode 2.24: Dearly Beloved
Oh man. This was so effective. GUH.

VERONICA MARS
Logan
1. Veronica: Look at you, all helpful.
Logan: Hey, your peskiness being unleashed on Connor brings me joy. Annoy, tiny blonde one. Annoy like the wind!
– Episode 1.10: An Echolls Family Christmas
Classic Logan charm.

2. [After finding out that his sister was the one who used his mother's credit (and effectively squashing his hope that his mother was still alive), Logan's rests his head on Veronica and she brings her arm around his head and cradles it and rubs his back with her other hand. He weeps.]
Logan: She’s gone. She’s gone.
– Episode 1.15: Ruskie Business
*sob*

3. After Logan and Veronica share their first kiss and Veronica silently walks to her car, Logan follows her with a look that makes me swoon.
– Episode 1.18: Weapons of Class Destruction

DAWSON’S CREEK
Drue
All my favorite Drue moments include Jen… pretty much because the writers didn’t flesh him out as a character too well. I wish they had kept him on for season 5, though, because I thought he and Jenn had great potential. Ahhh, what could have been…
1. Jen: Drue, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry I used you.
Drue: Apology accepted.
– Episode 4.17: Admissions
Up until this point I wasn’t entirely convinced that Drue really cared about Jenn. But this scene cemented it. He looked so hurt. Oh, the angst.

2. Drue: Jack told me everything, and my answer is yes. Jen, I’d love to go to the prom with you.
– Episode 4.20: Promicide
Hee! The HUGE smile on Drue’s face is classic.

3. Drue climbs up to Jen’s window and she lets him inside her room and wraps a blanket around him since he’s freezing from the cold outside. He asks for a place to crash for the night and when she says “Yes,” she tousles his hair and he gives her the CUTEST smile ever. AWWW.
– Episode 4.22: The Graduate

Audrey
1. Giving Dawson a tour of the Worthington campus.
– Episode 5.02: The Lost Weekend
I saw potential for a fun relationship with Dawson and Audrey (she would totally loosen him up!).

2. When Audrey spilled food on herself (twice!) to get Joey to accompany her to the kitchen and talk about the kiss they saw between Jen and Dawson.
– Episode 5.10: Appetite For Destruction
I’m not the biggest Audrey fan but I do think she was a good friend to Joey (a much-needed female friend, actually). At least in season 5.

3. Speaking her mind at Christmas dinner.
– Episode 6.10: Merry Mayhem
Her little tirade was completely inappropriate for the occasion but it was spot-on.

Pacey
ACK. I LOVE PACEY. How can I pick just 3 favorite moments?!?
1. Pacey (to Joey): I remember everything.
– Episode 3.22: The Anti-Prom
The ULTIMATE ROMANTIC moment.

2. Pacey (to his dad who has passed out drunk on the beach): Why can’t you see me, huh? When did you give up on me? When I was 5? 10? 12? I’m 16 years old, Dad! *starting to cry* I’m trying so hard for you. It’s your job. It’s your job to love me no matter who I am or what I become because you’re my father! You’re my dad! You’re supposed to love me you son of a bitch. I can’t do this by myself.
– Episode 2.12: Uncharted Waters
Pacey’s pain *kills* me here. Josh Jackson is amazing.

3. Pacey sitting in the graduation seats at Capeside High by himself with his head tilted to the sky and a smile on his face.
– Episode 4.22: The Graduate
Just a really sweet moment. I love Pacey.

PHEW! That was tough.

Anyway, keep naming characters for the meme in the previous entry! I’ll post my answers tomorrow.

So I hear that Veronica Mars is moving back to Tuesdays at 9? It won’t have ANTM as a lead-in anymore… I hope that won’t cause the ratings to go south. I guess that’s a better slot, though, since it won’t be against Lost anymore. And I’ll be able to watch VM live now. I can always Tivo Supernatural.

Anyway, just wanted to do this fun TV meme stolen from Alie…

List your six favorite TV shows:
I’m doing current shows since I’m sure you all don’t want to hear about Dawson’s Creek anymore…
1. Everwood
2. Grey’s Anatomy
3. Veronica Mars
4. CSI
5. One Tree Hill
6. The OC

01. Who is your favorite character from #2?
Burke. He’s awesome. He’s a strong character but doesn’t come across as unlikable. And he has a really tender and romantic side, which makes me *swoon.*
02. Who is your least favorite character from #4?
That’s easy. Ecklie. I don’t even know his first name, that’s how much I like him. He’s a good antagonist but most of the time I wish he would leave the CSI’s alone!
03. What would a crossover between #1 and #5 include?
EEEK. Well, I hope that the Everwood folks would mellow out the OTH kids. At the very least a confrontation between Dan Scott and Dr. Abbott would be mighty interesting. Dr. Abbott could teach Dan a few things about parenting. Heh.
04. Who is your favorite ship from #6?
This changes a lot (hey, I’m fickle). But right now, I’d say Kirsten and Sandy. As much as I love Seth and Summer, I love Kirsten and Sandy both together and individually which sometimes I can’t say for the teens (*cough*Seth*cough*)
05. If you were to set one person from #3 and one person from #6 on a blind date, who would they be?
Weevil and Ryan? Hehe. They’d actually make an interesting duo since they both seem to have that hero complex when it comes to the women in their lives. I’d also like to see interaction between Taylor and Logan. I think they would be hilarious together. Taylor would boss him around and he would probably love it.
06. If you could meet one person from #4 and spend the day with them, who would it be, and what would you do?
WARRICK!!! It’s a little weird but I’d love to shadow him on an investigation. Just to see the procedures and the whole thought process.
7. If you could change one thing about #2′s plotline, what would you change?
I mentioned this in a previous entry, but I would kill off Denny. I think Izzie’s journey would be much more interesting. I mean, what kind of relationship could she have with him if he lives? It would all be off-screen because I just can’t seem him as a series regular or even a guest star. It doesn’t make sense. Plus, Izzie needs to learn to have some distance with her patients.
Explain a relationship between two people (not necessarily romantic) from show #5, and why you like the relationship between them.
I adore Nathan and Haley. I just love their entire romantic story. From their secret tutoring sessions… To their surprise kiss… And to their gorgeous (but completely unexpected) wedding on the beach. Even in season 2, when the writers messed with Haley and her character, they kept me watching the show.
9. If the lead title characters (first name in the credits) from #1 and #3 were both drowning, and you could only save one, who would it be?
Well… I guess I would have to agree with Alie, I would save Kristen Bell over Treat Williams.
10. If you could change the title characters’ order in the credits for #4, what order would you choose?
Erm, I can’t remember the credit sequence and I’m far too lazy to check my DVDs… I’m sure the credits are fine. I don’t remember ever thinking I wanted to change the order…
11. If you were able to add a new character, any kind of character you wanted, to the storyline for #6, what would the character be like and what would their role be?
The show is a revolving door as it is with all the new characters they have each season so I wouldn’t add anyone else right now. I actually would bring back Teresa. I want to see some resolution to that baby storyline!
12. What happens in your favorite episode of show #2?
Huh. I just sat here thinking about this for awhile and I don’t think I have a favorite episode for GA. There are lots of moments that I love, though… Burke giving Cristina a key, Izzie helping Alex study even after he slept with Nurse Olivia, Cristina and Izzie helping Meredith shower after the bomb explosion, Burke helping Izzie with Thanksgiving dinner… Lots of great stuff here.
13. If you could kill off one of the characters of #1, who would it be and how would you do it?
No one. I love all the Everwood folks THISMUCH. Sometimes I do have it out for Dr. Jake but during those times, I just want him to leave, not die. Besides, I hear that there’s already going to be a character death this season and I don’t want to think about that.
14. If you got the chance to visit the set for either show #3 or show #5, which would you choose?
Tough one. I’d probably choose the set of Veronica Mars just cause I’d love to hang out with Kristen Bell and Francis Capra. I came very close to choosing OTH but the rumor is that the set is ice cold in large part because of the animosity between Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray.
15. If you could date anyone from any of these shows, which show and which person?
Nathan Scott from One Tree Hill. YUMMY.

My Pride and Prejudice DVD arrived today. SQUEE. Can’t wait to watch it.

Anyway, we recently got Netflix again so I’ve been catching movies I’ve wanted to see for some time…

Serenity
Now I know what the hype is all about. Really, really enjoyed the movie. I only watched a few episodes of Firefly when it was on the air and I have to admit that I was not impressed (being on the Friday night schedule also did not help matters). :/ I think I have the DVDs around here somewhere so I’m going to give it another chance.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Cute, cute movie. And it totally made me cry! For some reason, though, I didn’t like Bridget at all. But in the book, I really loved her story. Maybe it was the actress? Or maybe the story about needing to feel loved just didn’t translate well on screen? Not sure. I do know that the movie totally made me want to visit Greece! One day. When I have lots of money.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Brad Pitt is HOT. (Seriously, he looks SO GOOD for his age). Angelina Jolie is HOT. I watched this movie purely to see pretty people wielding guns. It did not disappoint.

Up next is Crash…

Totally random — the artwork for the Dawson’s Creek season 6 DVDs is atrocious. I mean, really.