REVIEW - Vegas S1E09

This week Lamb and his posse track down the killer of a young showgirl. The case resonates with Katherine on a personal level, allowing her much more screen time than usual. And boy does she shine – especially in her scenes with Lamb. The sheriff wants to keep her safe (which has thus far meant keeping her off our screens!) but he doesn’t get his way this week as the feisty (yet constantly elegant and poised) lady does some investigating of her own.

Wouldn’t it be great if the writers allow the Katherine-Lamb relationship to blossom? We think it would add a missing dimension to their characters and help centre the storyline.

At the moment, Vegas is all over the place. It’s like watching two movies at the same time. In one corner we have Lamb playing detective and in the other we have Savino playing games with a high roller he needs to pull other high-stakes players into the casino. The two barely even cross paths this week.

So we put it to you, Vegas watchers, what did you think of Episode 9 ‘Masquerade’?

Review by Catherine Jones

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REVIEW - Gossip Girl FINALE

Gossip Girl has seen a major slump in the ratings these last few years, but fortunately The CW have kept investing in the show to give it a 6 season run. After a really short 10 episode run this season the time has finally come to say goodbye to Gossip Girl and celebrate the show that had everyone talking.

 Season 6 has been mostly about the main five that the show started with. Dan, Serena, Chuck, Blair and Nate. Finding out that after high school and college things are not just handed to you on a silver platter and you have to work for what you want in your life.

The finale continues Nate's incessant search to discover the identity of Gossip Girl. He has arranged a board of clues and still cannot identify just who it is. Serena is heading on a plane to Los Angeles and is determined to NEVER come back after Dan's chapter on her in Vanity Fair, Blair and Chuck are still recovering from the death of Chuck's dad Bart.

After years of will they, won't they the wedding between Blair and Chuck is in the first half of the episode, it is a beautiful affair and all the main players are there to witness the event, as well as Cyrus and Eleanor.

A storyline about the police wanting to question Chuck and Blair about the death of Bart falls flat on its face and is an annoyance rather than whatever they thought it was meant to be.

In the second half of the episode we get to see all of our old favourites come back to reel over the news of just who the mysterious all knowing Gossip Girl is. Vanessa, Eric, Ivy, and even Kristen Bell and a guest appearance by Lucy Hale keeps things interesting as the final reveal of the illustrious GG.

If you do not wish to know who GG is stop reading this right now.

Ok so after the big reveal that Gossip Girl is actually Dan Humphrey, things start to make a lot of sense. It is the ultimate outsider story, the tale of a tortured high school student who was a "hipster writer" and wanted to become part of the upper east side. This twist is so deliciously perfect, not only do the people around him question it a little bit, but once they understand they are accepting.

The series finishes with a beautiful surprise second wedding...I will leave you guessing as to who that could be...

It was been a fantastic show and it will be missed.

xoxo Gossip Girl

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REVIEW - 902190 S5E09

These guys just never seem to have luck when it comes to love. Dixon and Adrianna are no longer together. Annie can never seem to be able to keep a guy. Silver can never make up her mind and the healthiest relationship on the show is Naomi and Max. So this week’s episode picks up from when they showed Vanessa (Liam’s crazy ex) swimming in a pool, very much alive. Liam gets another letter from his stalker but this time they want five hundred thousand dollars. Annie insisted to help him out with her inheritance money. Liam’s new security officer Ashley that has been attending to him is secretly obsessed with Liam and is not happy when Adrianna tells her of Vanessa’s reappearance. Ashley stops Liam mid-way from delivering the money, thinking he wants to rekindle his relationship with Vanessa and arrests him instead to prevent him.

Max is depressed since he lost job to Bryce the woman he hired. Naomi wants help him get back on his feet and, to prevent Max from opening another business with Alec. Max wants Naomi to stop meddling in his career. As usual Naomi already has a master plan up her sleeve, as she invites Navid over and makes a deal. (She will help with his Christmas party if he takes out Bryce and find out who told her to fire Max). Navid and Bryce surprisingly hit it off, and unaware Bryce explains that Alec was behind it all. Naomi confronts Alec and when she hashes out the events, she realizes that only someone in love would go to all that trouble…

As for the rest of the gang, Dixon gets a letter from his doctor and he surprises Annie with the best gift, seeing her brother walk again. Dixon is still angry with Adrianna and is spending much more time with Megan (the girl whose father was in the same accident as Dixon).

Annie has decided she wants to take up writing and gets into a writing program in Scotland. She breaks the news to Riley by buying him a new Surface tablet for Christmas and suggests they could Skype when she leaves. Riley gets upset that she didn’t let him have a say in the matter. This makes Riley motivated to finally take a chance and decides to try surgery so he can walk once again.

Silver is ready to get pregnant but needs Teddy to sign off his parental rights. Like the nice guy Teddy is, he instead offers to be part of the child’s life but Silver doesn’t feel the same. She doesn’t want to have to share and this could lead to war between the best friends.

This episode was the mid-season finale and boy, did the show leave you wanting more. There will be more heartbreak and disaster when 90210 returns next January 21, 2013.

Review by Jessica Tisdell

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REVIEW - Elementary S1E10

Television shows possess a great ability to test your faith in them. Just as it starts to run out and you give up hope, they can manage to pull you back in. This has certainly been the case with Elementary. After a few signs of the show starting to run out of steam, it has begun to redeem itself with an episode the reignites the spark that had once seemed lost.

Moving away from the standard murder mystery format that the show had been indulging in, Sherlock is presented with something that he just cannot ignore. A seemingly impregnable safe is broken into leaving its designer with no other option but to turn to Sherlock as a last resort to save his reputation and his company and figure out how the thieves got it. The case takes in the search for a mythical thief, secret computer codes and Sherlock’s temporary ownership of a missing Van Gogh masterpiece. All in a day’s work!

The slight tweak in format and different style of mystery provides a refreshing alternative to the rather more formulaic offerings of previous weeks. If there is a weakness it is that towards the end it is an episode that resorts too willingly to safer ground by throwing in a few murders. The heist solution is also rather unsatisfactory but there are enough surprises and twists along the way so that it is not a disappointment that it too greatly felt.

Previous episodes have tried to explore some of Joan’s past and provide her with a greater backstory. This endeavour has not been entirely successful and has been unnecessarily tacked on to earlier episodes providing no great satisfaction in learning more about the character. However, this week’s customary Joan backstory subplot introduces her mother and brother and finally starts to offer a few genuine relationships rather than some of the forced ones we have been previously fed.

Jonny Lee Miller remains one of the strongest components of the show and his performance is back to the manic, high-octane state of earlier episodes. However, while it is a fun and entertaining turn, it is starting to feel less and less like the true essence of the character of Sherlock Holmes despite Miller getting to use one of the literary version’s greatest quotes during the course of the episode.

Lucy Liu continues to be quietly impressive as Watson and gets to share a heartfelt scene with her mother during the episode’s denouement. With Detectives Gregson and Bell left in the background it is truly an episode that gets to fully play with the Holmes/Watson dynamic. Just as there are signs that there is a genuine mutual respect developing between the two and that a partnership is being forged it is intriguing to ponder how the writers will deal with the impending conclusion of Watson’s employment as companion and how they will keep them together. This also proposes the tantalising prospect that an introduction to Sherlock’s father cannot be too far off.

This is a return to some kind of form and the return of a spark that will hopefully not be squandered.

Review by Jonathan Gray

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Bates Motel Sneak Peek

IGN have posted a behind the scenes look at the new show Bates Motel coming in March 2013. The show is based on Psycho and is set to be a re-imagining of Norman Bates as a young boy/teenager joining the motel.

Check out the trailer below

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REVIEW - American Dad S08E05

In 'Ad-Ventures in Hayleysitting', Amercan Dad! teaches us how to travel from place to place using only a bottle of lubricant and that horses are the best aphrodesiac ever.

This lesson is tacked on to a plot about Hayley trying to prove she's responsible while Steve tries to prove he's not a 'dweeb'. It's always a surprise to see the ultra-liberal take the forefront given her lack of focus over the years.

While she was once the foil to ultra-conservative Stan, we don't see as much of Hayley Smith-Fischer in the later seasons. I've never been sure if this is a good thing or not given the shift from political sattire to the bizarre family slice-of-life we love, but I have a hard time not comparing her to Meg of Family Guy.

Even though the episode has her name in the title, Hayley isn't as prominent as Stan and Steve. Yes, we see her searching town for Steve and trying to prove she's responsible, but most of the screentime is allocated to Steve trying to prove to his sister he isn't a dweeb and Stan and Francine trying to get to a horse show.

It makes me wonder if maybe Seth MacFarlane should have written her out of the series via having her and Jeff move out upon getting married. It means they can still drop by and visit if they want to use her plus I'm not sure that many would notice her absence.

This said, we still get the screwball humour we know and love with plenty of heartwarming moments. This episode has Steve and Hayley together more than usual. It's rare to see them working together instead of against each other (or, more commonly, not interacting at all); this made the somewhat-predictable conclusion of the episode all the sweeter.

However, this is American Dad! so I have to answer this question: was it funny?

Yes and no - the sequences with the babysitter (particularly the conclusion of her mini arc) felt very tacked on and were more dragged out than the usual gags the series has. The humour in this episode is the strongest when either focusing on Roger (whose only purpose in this episode was getting Stan and Francine to the horse show) or Steve's attempts to rebel against Hayley. I couldn't help but snicker as Steve proudly declared that he was making pasta sauce from scratch.

Also, in my unprofessional opinion, any episode where Jeff's around is bound to make you chuckle at least once.

This episode might be a bit hit and miss at points, but it's still worth a shot. I feel that Hayley didn't see as much use as I might've expected in an episode focused on her, but it's good to see the Smith children trying to understand one another.

Review by Greta Rehak

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REVIEW - Glee S4E09

Picking up from last week’s incident (Marley passed out during sectionals), the New Directions get disqualified for leaving the stage mid-performance, leaving way for the Warblers to win. As a result of losing, Principal Figgins gives the Glee Club room to Sue Sylvester for the Cheerio’s and Finn has no choice in the matter. Sue gets her undying wish-Glee club is over until next September. Tina and the other Glee members waste no time placing the blame on Marley and they all disperse into new clubs. Artie plays the drums for the marching band, Tina and Blaine join the Cherrios, Ryder and Jake join the basketball team, while Wade (Unique) joins the floor hockey team and Joe discovers there is an interfaith paintball league.

A new romance blossoms between Sam and Brittany. They sing a duet ‘Something Stupid’ and share a kiss. Brittany asks Sam to choose between a VIP dinner date at Breadsticks or rehearsal for the Holiday Concert.

In New York, Rachel is hoping to gain a spot in the Winter Showcase and to her surprise she actually does, making her the first freshman to participate in 7 years. As Rachel’s journey continues at NYADA, she begins to stand up against Cassandra and they have a dance-off with the classic Broadway song ‘All That Jazz’ (from Chicago). In the end, Cassandra may still be the better dancer and Rachel admits it but believes she is the better singer. 

While Kurt begs for another audition into NYADA, Carmen rejects him. At the Showcase, Rachel kisses Brody and blows the crowd away with her voice. Carmen calls Kurt to the stage to prove he deserves to get into NYADA once and for all. He gets a standing ovation and Carmen finally looks happy that Kurt has shown his true potential. Rachel calls Finn to remind him that it was the love of music and people (people like Puck and Artie getting the chance to be friends and the romances) that made the Glee Club.

Back at Mckinley high, Marley apologizes for being insecure and Finn is determined to bring the glee club back together through song. Kurt gets his a letter from NYADA and he gets in! The ‘Swan Song’ episode is a great episode filled with drama and new beginnings. It just proves that the Glee Club is not going anyway, anytime soon.

Review by Jessica Tisdell

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REVIEW - Elementary S1E09

The relationship between viewer and show is a complicated one and like any other real world relationship. Following the initial thrill of meeting the characters and the excitement of a new show comes the true test of its staying power. After a few weeks you start discovering if there is enough there to keep you interested long term and whether it is sustainable after that first buzz.

Excuse the crude metaphor, but this is how Elementary is making me feel this far into its run. Despite the thoroughly enjoyable opening few episodes and having first encountered Jonny Lee Miller’s manic, entertaining version of Sherlock Holmes, the show is struggling to maintain the momentum it built at the beginning.

Detective shows are notorious difficult to write as they can quite quickly fall into the trap of becoming too formulaic. This is the problem that Elementary is fighting desperately hard to combat.

This week’s case sees Holmes and the NYPD on the hunt for a killer who shot a university professor in the eyes. There are campus based conspiracies and a visit to Chinatown. All the while, Holmes is struggling with a fever and Watson is dealing with a character from her past.

The ingredients are promising and there is an intriguing start but the episode fizzles out towards the climax. The investigation in Chinatown is a highlight and is rich in potential. It presents the opportunity to explore a different side of New York that had been left un-tapped up to this point. However, no sooner does Holmes arrive in Chinatown than he leaves and concludes that part of the investigation. It is a shame, as it becomes a wasted opportunity to offer a case with a greater culture clash than what we have seen so far this season. The chance to see Holmes let loose in a different environment would have been interesting.

The subplot with Watson having to deal with an ex-boyfriend who has been arrested is not wholly necessary and seems designed merely to give Lucy Liu something to do. However, it does pull off one feat in bringing Holmes and Watson slightly closer together as friends with Holmes offering his assistance and Watson using some of his methods of reasoning. It also allows the characters to share a tender moment at the episode’s end. There are also a few signs of the two becoming more of a team, mainly during the explanation scene. Hopefully, this is something that the writers will look to further develop.

What is missing is more development of Holmes himself. After a few glimmers of his past life the trail has gone cold. This is something the writers would be wise not to neglect for much longer.

These are the first signs of strain in our relationship, but like Watson the loyal companion, I will stand by the show. For now…

Review by Jonathan Gray

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REVIEW - Homeland S2E09-10

The first season of Homeland delivered scores of intensity and intrigue, however the second has been somewhat lacking. Nonetheless, the last two episodes really turn up the suspense. Some moments will leave viewers incredulous but disbelief is (for the most part) suspended thanks to fast pacing and top-notch performances.

So, ‘Episode 9: Two Hats’ opens with our favourite CIA team thinking Brody is dead – ‘if not physically, then operationally’. Once it’s ascertained he’s alive, the conversation turns to whether or not they can trust him – after all he’s been alone with his former captor for at least 12 hours!

Brody capitalizes on this uncertainty and leverages with what power he momentarily has to make sure his family’s taken care of before he continues on as ‘super-spy’ (thanks Dana!). Nazir has all but threatened them if Brody refuses to follow through with what’s planned for Walden.

Just a quick aside, (insert sheepish side-ways glance), I haven’t really mentioned Peter Quinn up ‘til now – I know, I know, he’s been one of the main players this season - but this week he definitely warrants a mention. It seems Quinn is not what or who he seems (‘Wow! A new theme for Homeland’, I’m sure you’re thinking!).

Anyway, as I was saying, Carrie tucks the family away in a luxurious safe house and enlists the help of Uncle Mike. Of course, Jess takes this as an opportunity to refuel lingering flames. Things could really go up in smoke if Brody catches wind of them; his love for his family is what has thus far kept him from detonating (yes, both literally and metaphorically).

But his feelings for Carrie are what define his behaviour in ‘Episode 10: Broken Hearts’ (more like bleeding hearts!).

Following the foiled eradication of Nazir, the Brody clan is reunited but still in lock-down. Carrie calls Brody to let him know the Attorney General is going to to let him resign from Congress and reject the Vice President bid. Woo Hoo! His duty is done. Or is it? Of course not!

…Carrie has to go and get herself kidnapped. To be fair, it’s a pretty brazen ‘napping, and almost too well-timed to be believable. And who really cares? By this stage, we’re well and truly hooked.

Back at the safe-house Brody gets a video call from Nazir who shows him Carrie – bound and gagged, and demands Brody gain entry into the VeePee’s office to find a box containing the serial number for Walden’s pace maker - this will allow third party access. I won’t give too much more away, but heart-stopping drama ensues!

What did you think of these episodes? What themes stood out for you? Let us know in the comments below.

Review by Catherine Jones

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Ratings - Tuesday

Parenthood, The Voice and Shark Tank were all up in viewership while Hart of Dixie and Go On fell.

Broadcast primetime final ratings for Tuesday:

Time	Net	Show	18-49rating	18-49 Share	Viewers Live+SD (million)
8:00PM	NBC	The Voice	3.5	10	11.52
	CBS	Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer -R	2.9	8	10.11
	ABC	Shark Tank	1.8	5	6.89
	FOX	Raising Hope	1.4	4	3.66
	CW	Hart Of Dixie	0.5	2	1.60
8:30PM	FOX	Ben And Kate	1.1	3	2.60
9:00PM	NBC	Go On	2.4	7	6.67
	CBS	NCIS -R	2.0	5	11.06
	FOX	New Girl	2.0	5	4.10
	ABC	Happy Endings	1.3	3	3.37
	CW	Emily Owens MD	0.4	1	1.41
9:30PM	NBC	The New Normal	1.7	4	4.55
	FOX	The Mindy Project	1.3	3	2.68
	ABC	Don't Trust The B in Apt. 23	1.2	3	2.98
10:00PM	CBS	The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show	3.6	10	9.48
	NBC	Parenthood	1.8	5	4.98
	ABC	Private Practice	1.2	3	4.42

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Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2012 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

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Ratings - Monday

How I Met Your Mother and Hawaii Five-O were up from last week while Gossip Girl fell.

Final Monday broadcast primetime ratings for Monday, December 3, 2012

Time	Net	Show	18-49rating	18-49 Share	Viewers Live+SD (million)
8:00PM	NBC	The Voice (8-10PM)	3.9	10	12.11
	CBS	How I Met Your Mother	3.1	9	8.26
	FOX	Bones	1.9	5	7.29
	ABC	Extreme Makeover: Home Edition	0.9	3	4.23
	CW	90210	0.5	1	0.99
8:30 PM	CBS	2 Broke Girls -R	2.2	6	6.72
9:00PM	CBS	2 Broke Girls	3.5	9	10.17
	ABC	Extreme Makeover: Home Edition	1.0	3	4.61
	FOX	The Mob Doctor	0.8	2	3.26
	CW	Gossip Girl	0.3	1	0.79
9:30PM	CBS	Mike & Molly	3.1	8	10.23
10:00PM	NBC	Blake Shelton's Not So Family Christmas	2.7	7	8.88
	CBS	Hawaii Five-O	2.3	6	9.32
	ABC	Castle	1.7	4	8.50

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Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2012 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

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