The Mentalist: Black Market (7x04)

Another adorable adventure with Jane and Lisbon, but yet another episode with no kiss! Let's dive right in. Again, I apologize for my lateness and for my brevity...

In this episode, Lisbon and Cho pose as a couple to uncover an illegal diamond operation. The team must go to a diamond showcase to find the people responsible for the sale of illegal, unregistered diamonds. One of the sellers winds up dead, and the mystery deepens. Jane, however, is getting sick, so he can't really take charge of things himself. He has an idea to talk to everybody and play the psychic game to reveal the killer. He has Lisbon act it out for him, while Jane talks to her through the phone. Lisbon is able to uncover the truth: a young woman who had partnered up with the victim was to blame for his death.

Meanwhile, Vega keeps trying to get back in good with Cho, but Cho is cold to her. Abbott asks Cho to bring Vega along while they are working the case, and Cho reluctantly does so. Eventually, Cho makes Vega an offer of continued partnership, and Vega gladly accepts.

In another subplot, Abbott's wife is up for a big promotion, but Abbott has a secret from his past that might prevent her from getting the job. One of Mrs. Abbott's future coworkers suggests that she and her husband create the illusion of separation in order to distance her from the potential scandal. Abbott wants to go through with it so as not to hurt his wife's future.

Elementary: End of Watch (3x08)

Wow, sorry this is so late. Also sorry this review isn't going to be very coherent or detailed.

Basically, this episode is about the murder of a police officer. Sherlock, Joan and Kitty are called in to investigate. Through several twists and turns, another death of a police officer, the discovery of a drug ring, etc., the truth comes out. The first cop was actually involved in some illegal activity, and it got him killed.

Far more interesting, unfortunately, than the actual murder case, was Sherlock's meetings. He discovers that someone is taking quotes that he says in his private meetings and posting them online to help inspire other drug addicts to do better. With Kitty's help, he tracks down the person who is doing it and threatens to expose his secrets if he does not take it down. Sherlock says he needs the anonymity in the meetings in order to feel like they are working. Unfortunately, his faith in the system seems to be shaken - he does not choose to say anything at the next meeting.

I know that was the briefest of all plot summaries. I'm sorry. I do have a lot of problems with this episode, actually.

The Legend of Korra: Day of the Colossus/The Last Stand (4x12/13)

What did I just watch? What the hell just happened?! Is this real life? I'm gonna be honest with you... I probably wouldn't have noticed if the whole episode sucked, simply because of that very last scene. But it didn't suck. It was excellent. Let's dive in.

Basically, this entire episode is about Kuvira's attack, and Team Avatar's fight against it. The Air Benders send paint bombs, which cover up the giant Meccha-Suit's windows, but this doesn't work for long. People try all sorts of fancy Bending, but also to no avail. Asami and Varrick, along with Hiroshi Soto's help, get some small Meccha-Suit prototypes working (Hiroshi was released form jail to help out). So, Varrick and Zhu Li take one Meccha-Suit, while Asami and Hiroshi take the other. The plan is to get inside the giant Meccha-Suit. The plan works - they succeed in drilling a hole through the material. However, Hiroshi dies in the effort.

Korra, Mako, Bolin, Lin, and Suyin all go inside the giant Meccha-Suit. The Beifong sisters go off to try and disable the weapon inside the arm, while Mako and Bolin go straight to the Spirit Vine that is powering the entire thing from inside. Korra goes for Kuvira, who is using Bending to manipulate the controls from inside the Meccha-Suit's head.

Suyin and Lin manage to succeed in disabling the weapon, so Kuvira rips off the giant gun and flings it away into the forest. Mako and Bolin try to disable the power source, but they can't do it using the controls, since Kuvira has rerouted the power somehow. Mako has the idea to Lightning Bend into the Spirit itself, which will cause it to lose stability and explode. Bolin is nervous about this, because it could mean Mako will die. However, he manages to survive, and Bolin drags him, badly injured, out of the ruined Meccha-Suit.

Once Upon a Time: Heroes and Villains (4x12)

Yikes! I can't believe I have to wait until March to see more. Lots of sadness and drama in this one, but also some hope and happiness. Let's jump in.

Because of Ingrid's magic, nobody can leave Storybrooke unless they plan on never coming back. Even though Elsa is able to take down the ice wall, it looks like the Arendelle people are still stuck in Storybrooke. They need to get back, quick, to save Arendelle from Hans' control. Hook, spying on Rumple's orders, reports to him that Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff are stuck here. Rumple needs to get Anna out of the way, because she knows about Rumple's plans to part from the dagger. So, he has Hook tell Emma and the others about a portal that will take the Arendelle folk back home. Emma notices that Killian is acting weird, but Hook insists he's fine.

They go to the Sorcerer's house, where Ingrid first came through and entered this world. Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff say their goodbyes, and enter through the portal. Just before sh goes through, Anna asks about Mr. Gold, wanting to thank him for helping them find the portal. David tells her that Mr. Gold's real name is Rumplestiltskin, and Anna is able to tell them what she knows about him.

Back in Arendelle, Anna and Elsa successfully defeat Hans, and Anna gets ready to marry Kristoff. All is well for them.

Now that Emma and the others know something fishy is going on with Rumple, they head off to stop him. While all of this has been going on, Rumple tells Belle to pack her bags so they can go on their honeymoon. While Belle is packing, she comes across a magical gauntlet that leads people to their greatest weakness (aka the thing they love the most). We learn the story of this gauntlet in the flashback, which is back during the time that Belle was Rumple's prisoner. At one point, Belle is kidnapped by Cruella de Vil, Ursula the Sea Witch, and Maleficent. They demand that Rumple bring the gauntlet, and he does, trading it for Belle. Later, however, he goes back and takes the gauntlet away from the three villianesses. When Belle sees the gauntlet, it makes her realize that Rumple will never be able to truly give up power for her.

The Mentalist: Orange Blossom Ice Cream (7x03)

The cuteness continues to grow! Although I'm getting a bit annoyed that there hasn't been another Jane/Lisbon kiss. Let's jump right in.

So. The CIA wants the FBI's help in tracking down a group of criminals that might have plans to attack on US soil. There's one guy who has connections to this group, and his girlfriend happens to be Erica Flynn. Erica agrees to work with the police to apprehend her boyfriend, in exchange for her freedom, since she had escaped from prison and has been on the run for the past couple of years. Erica also has one other condition - she demands to work with Patrick Jane.

So, Jane and Lisbon go off to help Erica deceive her criminal boyfriend. Here's what will happen: Jane has to earn the trust of Jan, Erica's boyfriend. He will then give Jane a set of numbers that he will have to memorize. Jane will then give these numbers to a contact. Jane doesn't get to know what the numbers mean. The plan doesn't exactly go off without a hitch, as Jan has his men push Jane's head into a bathtub while reading off a bunch of words. Jane then has to repeat those words to Jan to prove he is capable of remembering. Lisbon is then pulled into the room - apparently Erica told Jan about Lisbon to "gain his trust." In any case, it's a close call, but Jane and Lisbon get out of the situation alright.

Jan gives Jane the numbers, and Jane turns around and gives them to Wylie. Cho suggests that they go meet with Jan's contact, since of course this man won't know what Jane's supposed to look like. Vega wants to go with Cho, so she lies and says Abbott gave the okay. They go to the meet, but things go wrong and Cho is forced to shoot the contact. Later, Cho learns that Vega lied about Abbott giving her his permission. Even though Vega did good work, Cho says that he can't trust her, and he won't be bringing her out in the field again.

The Legend of Korra: Kuvira's Gambit (4x11)

Ahhh! Things are seriously heating up!! I can't believe next week is the end. The finale is being released in two parts, I guess, and after next Friday, we'll be deprived of The Legend of Korra forever more! Let's take a look.

So, Republic City is preparing for the imminent attack from Kuvira by evacuating the city. Prince Wu and Mako are in charge of these efforts, and they aren't going well, because the evacuation is voluntary. Asami and Varrick, meanwhile, continue to work on their Mecha-Suits to use during the upcoming battle.

Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Asami go to try and head off Kuvira and take out her Spirit Vine weapon before she can get to Republic City. However, they quickly discover that Kuvira is coming earlier than expected, and after dodging an attack from an enormous Mecha-Suit, Korra and the others rush back to Republic City to warn everybody.

Prince Wu is told that the evacuation of the city is now mandatory, and he does a surprisingly good job of calming the inhabitants of the city down and restoring order, after Mako first makes the announcement and riles everybody up.

Kuvira arrives and uses the giant Mecha to blow up the Republic's navy. Raiko, out of options, is forced to surrender. Korra has one last idea, though - if they can take out the Mecha, they might still have a chance to defeat Kuvira. How can they do that? By getting to the Mecha's creator, Baatar Jr. Korra and the others kidnap him. Baatar refuses to give them any information, but Korra then threatens to keep him away from Kuvira for the rest of his life. Baatar and Kuvira talk over a radio line, and Baatar tries to convince Kuvira to give up and leave Republic City alone. At least they will still be together!

Elementary: The Adventure of the Nutmeg Concoction (3x07)

Okay! Another good one! Lots of Kitty character development! And Joan character development! And nutmeg. So, all in all, good stuff!

Joan is asked to investigate the disappearance of a girl that happened five years ago. Sherlock gets involved when he's interested by a strange detail in the case: at the scene of this woman's disappearance, people noted the smell of nutmeg. This same smell has connected several crimes over the years. Joan, Kitty, and Sherlock go to talk to the man in charge of the case, and Sherlock quickly deduces from the man's files that the "olfactory signature" is not from the murderer, but rather from someone who is called in to help clean up after crimes. Long story short, it was a man who used to work for the police to clean up crime scenes. He went rogue. They catch the culprit and all is well.

Meanwhile, we learn that Kitty used to play clarinet at an expert level. At the end of the episode, Sherlock praises her progress with her detective work, since she was the one who found a key clue to help them solve the case. As a reward, Sherlock tells her that she can play her music as loud as she wants instead of shutting it down. Kitty decides to put in some classical music, apparently reminiscing about her past.

Joan meets up with an old boyfriend who wants her help as a detective because his medical ID badge was stolen. Joan asks Kitty to take care of it, which she does, quickly. All of this makes Sherlock notice that maybe Joan isn't that happy in her current relationship with Andrew. It's true - Joan is getting frustrated because she and Andrew are basically in a long-term relationship for the time being. Sherlock notes that maybe Joan doesn't really want a normal relationship, and that she might be happier with some other arrangement wherein she only has casual sex or is free to pursue other partners. As Joan prepares a fancy dinner for her and Andrew, she laments that maybe Sherlock has a point.

The Big Bang Theory: The Clean Room Infiltration (8x11)

An okay episode. Nothing too special going on here, though. There were a couple of setups that could have been capitalized on a bit better. But let's just talk about the story.

Raj tells everybody that he will be unable to host Christmas dinner because his father is coming into town. Amy volunteers to host instead, saying that she wants to throw a Victorian Christmas, with traditional games. At the party, Penny and the elder Dr. Koothrappali are bored by Amy's strange games, as they wait for the others to arrive.

Bernadette is giving Sheldon a ride to the party. He laments that he is being forced to celebrate the holiday. He wants to do something to punish Amy the way he feel he's being punished. His solution? Buy Amy a present. Since the two of them have agreed not to exchange gifts, any present from Sheldon will make Amy feel guilty and ashamed. Then, maybe they'll never have to celebrate Christmas again! Sheldon gets Amy a thoughtful present - a picture of him sitting on Santa's lap at the mall.

At Amy's party, Sheldon gives Amy the gift, which she loves. Turns out, she has a present for him as well - a box of Christmas cookies made from his gradmother's recipe. Sheldon grudgingly admits that maybe Christmas isn't so bad after all.

The Vampire Diaries: Christmas Through Your Eyes (6x10)

Nice! What a way to go out before the break! Lots of intrigue, lots of action, lots of angst. And a Damon/Stefan hug! I'm happy.

Kai wants to merge with Jo and become all powerful, and Tyler wants to help him. If Kai merges with Jo, that will protect Liv and Luke from having to do it. Liv is all for going through with the plan, but Luke has mixed feelings, because if Kai wins, he'll be all-powerful and he will hurt innocent people. Kai actually needs the help of the twins to find the dagger with Jo's magic in it, since he has no magic of his own to do a locator spell. Kai kidnaps Jo out of the hospital, and then manages to find the knife, which Damon had hidden away. So, Kai now has Jo, Liv, and Luke at his mercy and he is ready to get this party started.

Damon has a plan - let's go find Kai, and kill him! He and Alaric go to find Kai. Alaric is still pissed at Damon obviously, but he's willing to help him. The two of them manage to trap Kai, but before Alaric can kill him, Jo tells them not to. If Kai is dead, it will force Liv and Luke into the merge, and Jo realizes that it's not fair. She thinks she can defeat Kai, if she just has a bit more time to gather her strength. However, Kai has other plans. He has been chained up by Damon, but he starts to suck the magical energy out of the land. There's lots of magic in Mystic Falls, due to the spell cast by the Travelers that's keeping everybody magical out of Mystic Falls. Kai becomes all powered-up, and breaks free. He throws Alaric around a bit, and then vanishes. However, there is one good piece of news here - the whole magic-less dome thing is over with! All the vampires can go back home now!

While all of this has been going on, we've been getting flashbacks to earlier Christmases, where Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline are all fresh-faced, human, and have living parents. Oh, the good ol' days. In their junior year, Caroline apparently got picked by Stefan for Secret Santa, and he bought her a snow globe key-chain (lammmeee). In the present day, Liz Forbes comes to help Caroline decorate her dorm room (does anybody else get annoyed by Caroline's unrealistically large dorm? I'm a college student. I know that's crap.) In any case, Caroline is happy to see her mom, since she can't exactly go home for Christmas without dying. Then, Stefan shows up to help decorate. It seems that Liz is trying to help mend some fences. However, Caroline doesn't have very long to stay angry at Stefan, since suddenly Liz collapses!

Modern Family: Haley's 21st Birthday (6x10)

Cute for the most part. A little weird in a few places. Let's jump in.

It's Haley's 21st birthday, so she goes out to a bar with Claire, Gloria, Cam and Mitch. Claire is committed to having a more adult relationship with her daughter, which eventually leads to the two of them talking about boys and sex and all sorts of stuff like that. Gloria, to Claire's annoyance, continues to egg things on, until Haley announces that she wants to get a tattoo, and Gloria suggests that she and Claire get matching tattoos. Claire decides to go for it, to have this special connection with her daughter.

Meanwhile, Cam and Mitch think that a group of girls at a bachelorette party are going to glom onto them all night because they're gay. Instead, a younger gay couple get accosted by the women. Cam and Mitch are insulted to find that they are considered too old to be the fun gay guys. They decide they'll get tattoos too, so they can be cool.

At the tattoo parlor, Claire gets the word "mother" in Sanskrit. However, at this point Haley decides to back out. She's afraid of something so permanent. Cam and Mitch also decide getting a tattoo is a bit desperate, so they back out as well. Claire is obviously pretty pissed off.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: What They Become (2x10)

What. The. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.

Nope.

Nope I do not like this. Take me back. Make it stop. Let's just... ugh. Let's just do the plot. I am upset.

This entire episode was non-stop go-go-go.

As HYDRA tries to shoot the Bus out of the air, May uses evasive tactics to escape, and then goes to meet up with Coulson and the rest of the team to formulate a plan to get Skye out.

Meanwhile, Ward brings Raina and Skye to San Juan, and takes Skye to meet her father. Turns out, his name is Cal. He tells her the story of what Whitehall did to her mother. He also tells her that her own name is Daisy. Whitehall himself is there at the HYDRA base in San Juan to oversee the plans to reach the city. Whitehall makes Skye pick up the Obelisk, which Skye does successfully. Whitehall is excited to see if Skye is as "special" as her mother. Cal is furious. Whitehall has Cal, Ward, and Skye all tied up to keep them out of the way for the time being.

Cal manages to escape from his bonds, leaving Ward and Skye behind while he goes after Whitehall. However, Coulson and the team show up at this point, ready with their plan to extract Skye, and to seal off the entrance to the underground city. Coulson shoots Whitehall, killing him. Cal is furious because he wanted revenge against Whitehall. He tries to kill Coulson. Ward, meanwhile, gets free and also sets Skye loose, thinking to get her to safety. Skye takes advantage of Ward's trust in her and shoots him several times, running off. Skye shows up and sees Cal beating up Coulson. She threatens to shoot her father if he doesn't leave Coulson. Cal runs off, promising that Skye will someday see how special she is. Skye is devastated that she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger and kill Cal. She runs off to fix the situation, with Coulson, injured, calling after her.

Supernatural: The Things We Left Behind (10x09)

I can't believe I'm saying this, but... eh. I wasn't really a fan. I mean, it wasn't bad. But it wasn't... it wasn't mid-season finale-ish. I felt sort of disappointed in the end. Let's go ahead and talk about what happened.

So. Cas decides to go find Claire Novak, because he feels guilty for taking her father away from her. He tracks her to Pontiac, Illinois, where he finds her in a group home. Claire is apparently quite the troublemaker. Cas talks to her, telling her that sadly her father is dead, but that he wants to help her in any way he can. Claire asks Cas to pretend to be her father and get her out of the group home. Cas tries, but the woman running the home doesn't let it happen. She says that Cas is looking to be Claire's friend, when Claire needs a father.

Cas is still determined to help Claire, so he helps her to escape. The two go out for food at a diner, but Claire manages to steal Cas' wallet and she runs off. Cas calls in the Winchesters to help him track her down, since he believes she is his responsibility.

It turns out, Claire lives with a father-figure-type person, Randy, who uses her and one other troubled teen to help him steal money. Randy is in trouble with a loan shark, and he needs big bucks, fast. Claire is sent to rob a convenience store. However, Cas and the boys track down the other kid who lives with Randy, and he spills the beans about what Claire is up to. Cas stops her before she can commit the crime. She is angry - she thinks of Cas as the monster who killed her father, and the Winchesters were just the jerks who stood by and let it happen.

Claire runs home to Randy. The loan sharks are there. They offer to let Randy off the hook for his debts, if he'll only turn over Claire. Randy does so, selling Claire to these evil men. Luckily, Cas is able to rescue her before she is raped. However, Dean's Mark of Cain is triggered by this terrible group of potential rapists. He slaughters them all brutally. Cas, Sam, and Claire, who had all been out in the car, come rushing back in to see the carnage. Sam desperately asks Dean to tell him that it was self defense, but Dean, in a bit of a daze, can't deny what really happened. The episode ends.

Castle: Bad Santa (7x10)

Oh noooo! I wasn't expecting that. This is going to be interesting. Let's start with a plot summary.

A man is killed by someone in a Santa costume, which is an odd way of starting things off. Very quickly, the victim is identified as a doctor who worked (in secret) for a mob family. Castle actually knows Dino Scarpella, the Don, because the man helped him write his novels. So, Castle goes to talk to Dino about the murder, thinking that he can help them solve it.

Very quickly, it looks like Dino's right hand man is the guilty party, but Dino is convinced that this is not the case. He makes Castle swear a blood oath that he will track down the real killer. Castle investigates further, and for a while it looks like it might be Dino's daughter who did the killing. Dino is furious at Castle for accusing his daughter, and he nearly kills Castle on the spot. However, the daughter comes forward and tells the truth: she didn't kill the man, but she was there at the scene of another murder, that of her boyfriend. This boyfriend, it transpires, is in a rival mob. The two of them were in love, and planning on running away together.

Eventually, after a few more twists and turns, the real murderer is apprehended - it was another detective, who had been investigating mob activity for so long that he wanted in on the action. Shocking! Unfortunately for Castle, his connection to the mob and his cooperation with them means that the NYPD is nervous about him. Captain Gates sadly tells Castle that he is no longer allowed to work at the NYPD.

Once Upon a Time: Shattered Sight (4x11)

Okay, this episode was hilarious! There were touching and sad moments here as well, but mostly it was absolutely precious and it made me laugh multiple times. Let's start with a plot summary.

We get flashbacks to when Ingrid first entered our world in the 1980's. She goes to see a psychic, to ask about Emma, but quickly realizes that the woman is a fake. She angrily declares that she'll wait as long as it takes to find Emma. Years later, Emma enters Ingrid's house as a foster child. Emma wants to run away at first, but Ingrid and Emma eventually form a bond. After a while, Ingrid tells Emma she's going to adopt her, and that she can be like Emma's big sister. Emma is thrilled. Ingrid believes that Emma is starting to show signs of magical power, so she decides to spur her into realization by throwing her in front of a car. Emma angrily dives out of the way. She thinks Ingrid is crazy, and she runs off.

Ingrid uses the scroll given to her by the Sorcerer's Apprentice to get to Storybrooke, where she knows Emma will arrive on her 28th birthday. Emma does indeed come to Storybrooke, as we know. When she sees Ingrid in the ice cream shop, she is angry and scared. Ingrid realizes that Emma still isn't ready to embrace her powers, so she takes Emma's memories of Ingrid away using a memory stone, which explains why Emma doesn't remember anything.

In Storybrooke, the Spell of Shattered Sight has begun to affect the town, and people are going crazy. Mary Margaret and David are yelling at each other, Kristoff is griping and complaining, while Anna just tries to keep the peace. Townsfolk are rioting in the streets, etc. Anna, Emma, and Elsa, who are all immune, try to come up with a plan. Elsa and Emma leave baby Neal with Anna, while they go to confront Ingrid. However, when they do, they realize that the ribbons Ingrid has put on them make it impossible for them to hurt her.

The Mentalist: The Greybar Hotel (7x02)

Jane and Lisbon are killing me with cuteness. I love them so much I'm not quite sure what to do about it. Let's take a look at this episode.

To start, we see a couple arrive at a fancy party and try to commit a robbery. Cole gets away, but his girlfriend Marie is caught. She won't rat Cole out, so she's sent to prison. The FBI are interested in this whole thing because Cole is working with some international car smugglers, and they think some of these smugglers might have ties to terrorism. If they can get Marie to give up Cole's location, they can make progress in catching some really bad people.

In order to accomplish this, Lisbon goes undercover as an inmate, and she bunks with Marie. Lisbon manages to form a bond with Marie, who then lets slip some information about Cole. However, they are unable to find Cole based on these hints. Jane has another idea - what if Marie and Lisbon break out of prison? Then, Marie will lead them right to Cole!

The plan is put into place, and Lisbon and Marie escape. The FBI were supposed to follow them, but they lose the trail when the escaped prisoners switch cars. Things start to heat up when Cole shows up to get them at a gas station. He shoots the gas station employee several times, killing him, before taking Lisbon and Marie away to meet up with a helicopter that's going to get them out of the state. Jane arrives at the crime scene and realizes that Lisbon has been there. Despite Vega's protests, Jane runs off to get to Lisbon before backup can arrive.

The Legend of Korra: Operation Beifong (4x10)

Toph! That's enough to get me to like any episode, honestly. I'm pretty easy. But let's go ahead and look at the plot, shall we?

Lin, Opal and Bolin all approach Zaofu to save the rest of the Beifong family. Toph shows up to help them out. She and Lin have a rocky relationship, but they are willing to work together to save Suyin and the rest of the family. They track the prisoners to one of Kuvira's camps, where they are testing the Spirit Vine weapon.

Kuvira herself shows up to see how the testing is going, but something seems to be wrong with the machine. Very quickly, Kuvira realizes that Zhu Li was sabotaging the weapon. She sends Zhu Li to an abandoned town, where she will be tied up and then killed during the testing of the weapon.

Toph, Lin, Opal, and Bolin manage to rescue the other Beifong prisoners, but when Bolin finds out that Zhu Li is in danger, he says he has to go after her. Opal decides to go with Bolin to rescue Zhu Li. When Baatar Jr. sees that his sister Opal is down in the abandoned town, he tries to call off the weapons testing, but Kuvira is relentless.

Lin, Suyin, Baatar, and the rest of the Beifongs fight against Kuvira's Earth Benders. Suyin fights against Kuvira herself, while the others stave off further attacks. Just when it seems all hope is lost, Toph shows up and knocks the Earth Benders out. As the whole crowd escape on Opal's Flying Bison, Toph tells Kuvira: "You give Metal Benders a bad name!"

Elementary: Terra Pericolosa (3x06)

OH MY GOD SHERLOCK HOLMES YOU ARE TOO ADORABLE. I absolutely loved everything about Sherlock, Joan and Kitty in this episode. Let's get crackin'.

So, the case of the week involves ancient maps, and thievery. I won't go into too much detail, because as I think I've made clear, the case-of-the-week stuff is never the stuff that I'm really interested in. Basically, a guard at a library is murdered so that someone can get their hands on a very specific map. Sherlock, Joan, and Kitty all investigate, along with Gregson and Bell. Sherlock eventually detects some slight differences between different copies of the map, and he realizes that the whole thing was set up by the granddaughter of the man who originally loaned the map. She had paid a forger to make a forgery that looked really old, so she could trick everyone into thinking that the original was the forgery. She is arrested.

The much more interesting plot of this episode involves Kitty, Sherlock, and Joan's personal relationships. Joan notices that Sherlock has been sending Kitty on lots of little errands, several of which seem beneath her. Joan learns from Kitty that there's a group of friends she has met, and she has turned down going out to drinks a few times, because Sherlock needed her to do something. Joan tells Sherlock that he has to give Kitty some free time, and Sherlock reveals that Kitty has a suitor. This man is interested in her, and Sherlock is worried that Kitty is not ready for this step. He makes up busy work on purpose so that Kitty will not be able to go out with this man.

The Vampire Diaries: I Alone (6x09)

Ugh. Damon you asshole. Poor Rick! I don't know what to think! Let's dive right in.

So. Alaric steals the Ascendant from Jo by making her a nice dinner and getting her to open up. She eventually lets slip where she has it hidden, and Rick gives it to Damon. Damon then compels him to forget the whole thing ever happened. Jo quickly realizes that the Ascendant is missing, and she confronts Alaric. Of course, he has no idea what happened, but Jo figures out that Damon must have compelled him. The two of them drive into Mystic Falls, which causes Rick to remember the compulsion.

Ascendant in hand, Damon and Elena are all set to go into the 1994 Hell and get Bonnie out. Elena tells Jeremy the good news that they're going to save Bonnie, but Jeremy is not enthused. He has only just started to move on with his life, and he doesn't think the plan is going to work.

Liv has been staying with Tyler so that he can protect her from her crazy family, but Liv insists on leaving so she can help Elena and Damon get to Bonnie. She uses her magic to do so, and Damon and Elena are sent to 1994.

They manage to get a hold of Bonnie, who is driving back towards Mystic Falls from where Kai left her when he took her blood. While they're waiting for her to return, Elena figures out that Damon compelled Alaric to steal from Jo, and she gets angry at Damon, saying that he only wants to rescue Bonnie so that he can get in good with Elena. Damon tells Elena that Bonnie means a lot to him, and that he was doing it for her, not for Elena. Elena apologizes for erasing her memories of Damon, and Damon says that it's okay - they'll make new memories.

Modern Family: Strangers in the Night (6x09)

Quite a few funny one-liners in this episode. I'll try to remember a few of them to quote for you. In all, this isn't an episode I'll be remembering particularly well, but I did have fun while I was watching it.

A white rose is delivered to the Dunphy house, and Alex is offended that nobody thinks the rose could be for her. She tells her family that she has a boyfriend, but Claire, Haley, and Luke all think that Alex is just making up this boyfriend. However, it turns out he's real, but that he is moving to Africa with his family. The Dunphys think this is rather convenient. Later, she says she already has another date, but they continue to think she's making it up. When the boy, an ex-con with a motorcycle, shows up to take Alex out, Phil and Claire are relieved to know that Alex isn't crazy, and really does have a boy in her life. However, Phil quickly chases them outside to stop Alex from going off with such a scary and dangerous guy.

Cute. Nothing terribly outstanding, but very cute. The best part was when Phil and Claire were in Alex's room, and she was talking about her date. She kept saying things that sounded like they were being made up on the spot due to their correspondence with objects in the room. That was pretty funny. I also liked that Alex wasn't making up the boyfriend, but that everything did come across as very coincidental. Alex's boyfriend's name, for example, was Alec, so when Alex claims she has his coffee cup, Claire sees what looks like Alex's own name written on it. Pretty funny.

Supernatural: Hibbing 911 (10x08)

So. Incredibly. Cute. I am so happy that this episode exists. Supernatural has never been the best when it comes to representation, and even now all of the main characters are still white males. However, this episode is one of those signs that at least they're trying to do better. This was the episode of Jody Mills and Sheriff Donna Hanscum being buddy cops together, and it was glorious.

So, Jody is on a cop retreat in Hibbing, Minnesota, at the insistence of her boss. She is paired up with Donna, who is overly chipper, but very nice. Jody is grumpy about being on the retreat, and she is worried about Alex, who she left at home. Then, bodies start dropping. Jodie calls Sam and Dean to ask them about what's going on, but she says that she can handle it. However, Dean is sick of being stuck in the bunker researching the Mark of Cain, so he gets Sam to agree to go to Minnesota. They show up.

Donna sees one of the cops standing over the body of another cop with vampire fangs out. She tells Jody, so now they know they're working with vampires. Donna is understandably shaken by all of this, but she puts on a brave face and goes to help the others clean out the vamp nest.

It doesn't work out so well, and they are all captured. We learn that the one cop used to be the leader of the coven, but he has turned away from harming people and has tried to help people. The rest of the coven are disappointed in his choice to turn on them. Dean manages to get free of his bonds, and he attacks the vampires. Donna ends up killing the final vampire, saving Jody's life.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: ...Ye Who Enter Here (2x09)

Yikes! I wasn't expecting that! Let's do the plot.

We start with Skye, as she has a bad dream wherein Coulson and May, seemingly her parents in the dream, abandon baby Skye. Once she is awake, Skye cannot get rid of the ominous feeling the dream has left her with.

Raina is nearly captured by HYDRA, lead by Agent 33, who still looks like May. They need her because she can safely touch the Obelisk. However, Raina is saved by two of the Koenig brothers - Billy and Sam. Coulson sends Skye, May, and Lance Hunter to go get Raina. Meanwhile, he goes with Bobbi, Mack, Fitz, and Simmons with him to find the alien city, which is apparently hidden underneath San Juan.

In San Juan, Simmons tries to talk to Fitz about their relationship. She has gotten advice from Bobbi that she should share her feelings. However, Fitz cuts her off and announces his intention to let her be the head of the science department. He says he wants to move to the garage and work with Mack. He'll work for Simmons, but he can't work with her. Bobbi, meanwhile, asks Coulson if he plans on destroying the Obelisk, or if he wants to take it and use it for himself. Coulson insists that he wants to destroy it, because he doesn't want to put people at risk. Unlike Nick Fury, his "acceptable losses" number is zero. Bobbi has a contact who helps them find a way into the underground city.

Castle: Last Action Hero (7x09)

Not a fan, to be honest. There was nothing technically wrong with this episode, but it was just... I don't know how to describe it. It was missing something, though.

The plot is pretty basic. An action hero from the '80s is murdered. Castle, a big fan of the man's movies, immediately comes up with all sorts of crazy theories as to how it happened. Along the way, Castle gets to meet the other stars of one of his favorite movies. The main suspect turns out to be the man who played the victim's arch nemesis. The other actors basically abduct Castle and take him along on an illegal operation to get a video recording that might prove this man's guilt. It turns out that the son of one of the actors was actually the biological son of the victim. This adds a whole other layer of complication to things, and in the end it turns out to be this son's mother who actually killed the victim.

There's a very brief subplot about Beckett saying goodbye to her apartment. She is ready to move in and start her life properly with Castle, but she still feels an attachment to the apartment, and is sad to be letting it go. She commiserates with Lanie, but eventually says a wistful goodbye to the apartment.

The Walking Dead: Coda (5x08)

Oh for the love of God. Stop reading now if you haven't seen it. I'm just... I cannot even handle it. God damn everything ever. Damn it my heart cannot even ugh freakin' UGH. Let's just start with what happened. I don't even know how to type this right now. Damn.

Back at the church, Father Gabriel is accosted by a group of Walkers. He runs back to the church and begs for Michonne and Carl to let him back in. They had barricaded the door for protection, and have to fight to get through to Gabriel. The Walkers swarm in, but they manage to escape through the floorboards that Gabriel had earlier used. Turns out, Gabriel had left to go to the nearby school. He says he had to "see it for himself." At this point, the DC crew arrives back. Eugene is still recovering, but Maggie gets some good news: Michonne tells her that Beth is alive, and that the rest of the group has gone to rescue her. So, they all decide to go meet up with them and help them rescue Beth. Michonne, Carl, baby Judith, Father Gabriel, Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, Maggie, Glenn, and Tara all head out.

Meanwhile, Rick chases down Bob Lamson. He keeps telling him to stop running, and when he won't listen he runs him down with his car, hurting him. He then shoots him dead. The two other officers say they're still willing to make the trade and help them get through to Dawn. They agree to lie and say that Walkers killed Lamson. The trade is arranged.

Inside the hospital, Beth is still horrified by all of the things that Dawn lets slide. When she accuses Dawn of doing the wrong thing, Dawn continues to insist that the ends justify the means. One of the officers overhears Dawn talking about how Beth killed Gorman. He threatens to tell everybody what's going on, and tells Dawn that she has to get rid of Beth. Instead, Dawn threatens to shoot this police officer. Eventually there is a scuffle, and Beth pushes the man down the elevator shaft. Beth believes that Dawn has only protected her thus far so she won't have to do her own dirty work. Beth is the one who has been getting rid of Dawn's problems, after all.

The Mentalist: Nothing But Blue Skies (7x01)

So. Cute. I cannot even stand it. This was adorable. Jane and Lisbon. Oh, how we've waited. Years and years of waiting. It. Was. Worth. It. Eek! Let's do the plot first.

Jane and Lisbon have both been taking some time off from work. They're cute and slightly awkward together, and as Lisbon suggests maybe Jane should have a key to her house, they are interrupted by Abbott calling Lisbon. There's a new case, and he wants to know if she can come in. He then also calls Jane. Lisbon says that she wants to keep their relationship a secret for now, and Jane agrees.

The case is tricky - somebody is shot and killed. Nothing too mysterious. However, it turns out that the victim was undercover with the FBI, looking to crack open a gun smuggling operation. They have to figure out who killed him, without revealing his undercover identity. At the bowling alley, where the operation is being run, Jane gets impatient with the agent in charge of the case, because he is rude to Lisbon. He quickly pulls one of his stunts, reading the faces in the room to reveal who is the gun seller. He succeeds, but the woman runs off and gets away.

It looks like the case is ruined, because now everyone knows about the undercover investigation. However, Jane apologizes for being hasty and promises he'll get everything sorted out. Meanwhile, we learn that Kim Fischer has transferred, and the team is getting a new member - Michelle Vega. Vega is young and inexperienced, but she seems sharp and dedicated to learning.

Once Upon a Time: Fall (4x10)

Oh my God this is going to hurt so bad I can just feel it coming and I don't want to deal with this I can't handle it noooo! Plot? Let's do the plot before I explode.

Ingrid is casting the Spell of Shattered Sight. She tells Rumple that it will take hold by sundown. Rumple has a proposition - if she will allow him to leave with Belle and Henry, then he will leave her alone to be with her "sisters" Elsa and Emma. If she refuses him, then Rumple will make it his life's mission to make her miserable. Ingrid agrees to let Rumple go.

Everyone else is trying to figure out a way out of this Curse. Emma suggests that they simply get out of Storybrooke, but Ingrid's ice wall won't let them escape. Belle sets to work with the fairies to try to come up with a spell. They can use Anna's necklace, which Elsa recovered from the ice, to make a counter-spell. Since Anna has already been through the Curse, she'll be immune. Using the necklace will take a long time. It will be faster if they can find Anna herself, and use her. When the Charmings tell Elsa to hand over the necklace to the fairies for their spell, she tricks everyone by putting rocks in a bag and handing it over. She runs off with the necklace, using it to track Anna. She is convinced that she will find her.

Meanwhile, Rumple forces Hook to hide and wait for him to remove Belle from the company of the fairies. Once Rumple manages this, Hook uses the Hat to suck up all the fairies, including the Blue Fairy. Rumple tells Hook that he'll be dead in the morning. Rumple then kisses Belle goodbye and locks her up in the shop where she'll be safe.

The Legend of Korra: Beyond the Wilds (4x09)

I'm so proud of Korra. I know that's a weird thing to say. But I am! I'm so happy for her and I'm proud of how much she's grown over the years. Let's look at the plot of this one.

In Republic City, the world leaders are having a meeting about Kuvira. While President Raiko and Lin Beifong want to go on the offensive, Fire Lord Izumi and Tenzin refuse to back their play. Prince Wu is there too, but he's not much help. Bolin and Varrick show up and tell everybody about Kuvira's plans to weaponize Spirit Vines. Even so, the counsel decides to go on the defensive instead of attacking Kuvira right out. Korra is insulted that she wasn't invited to the meeting, and she thinks that nobody believes in her anymore.

One of the Air Benders is giving a tour of the Spirit Wilds, when suddenly a Spirit Vine seems to kidnap all of the tourists. Jinora, investigating what happened, is also taken. Korra is able to tap in to the Spirit Energy to see what Kuvira is up to, and she, along with Mako, finds the captured victims. She thinks maybe if she meditates and goes into the Spirit World, she will be able to get them out. However, she finds herself unable to get into the Spirit World, still haunted as she is by memories of Zaheer.

Korra realizes that she needs to face Zaheer once and for all, to move past what happened to her. Tenzin is hesitant to allow this, but Korra persists. Face to face with Zaheer, Korra seems completely overwhelmed by her fear. Zaheer tells her that she can't move past what happened to her until she accepts it as part of her life. Zaheer then helps Korra to meditate into the Spirit World, helping her past her trauma. Korra is able to save Jinora and the others, and she regains faith in her own ability to do good.

Elementary: Rip Off (3x05)

Woah, I almost didn't realize that this episode had aired. It's weird to have a new one on a holiday! In any case, here we go.

First of all... I'm confused. Was last week's episode not supposed to be continued? Because to me it felt really unfinished. Are we really never going to discover what happened with Bella? And that professor guy? That seems totally ridiculous! But maybe they will come back in later. I hope so, anyway. But setting that aside, we should look at this episode for what it was.

In this episode, someone finds a severed hand in a sewer. Sherlock and Kitty are called in to investigate. (Joan is in Copenhagen and remains there for the whole episode).  The victim ran a mailbox service, but Sherlock quickly uncovers the truth: he is a jewelry smuggler. Sherlock is able to discover that the victim's hand was actually torn off by someone, which limits their possible suspects to body builders. They find the culprit, but it turns out that it was a paid hit. Eventually, with Kitty's help, Sherlock realizes that Amit, the victim's employee, is the culprit.

Along the way, Kitty is doing an experiment with Clyde where in she is hooked up to a mild electric shock and to a bell, and she sees which one Clyde is more inclined to use to get food. He seems to favor the shock. Also, Sherlock is acting cagey and makes Kitty sign a nondisclosure agreement. Sherlock eventually tells her why. Apparently he discovered Joan's "Casebook of Sherlock Holmes," and he feels betrayed. Kitty assures Sherlock that she won't read it if he doesn't want her to, and even pours something on the laptop to ruin it. Sherlock admits that part of his motivation for not reading it was fear of what Joan really thinks of him.

Supernatural: Girls, Girls, Girls (10x07)

Alrighty! I'm pretty late with this review. Sorry. But I liked it! For the most part!

Sam is amused and annoyed to discover that Dean has taken them on a detour to meet up with a girl from a dating app so that he can get laid. However, the joke is quickly on Dean, as he discovers that the girl is a prostitute. However, her payment isn't money - it's her soul. Dean quickly gets the girl to confess that she has been forced into this job, and he and Sam trap the demon responsible. Before they can question the demon about the brothel where other such forced prostitution is going on, the angry woman kills her pimp, cutting off their best lead. However, they are still able to track down Raoul, the man running this operation, by finding some of the cards he passed out to possible clients.

When they get there, someone has beaten them to it, and Raoul is already dead. It was a witch by the name of Rowena. She liberates some of the women who were forced into prostitution, taking them under her wing to train them as witches. Sam and Dean track her to a fancy hotel. Sam tries to fend off one of the girls, who Rowena has transformed into some sort of monster. Dean chases down Rowena, and actually manages to stop her. However, at this unlucky moment, Cole shows up to finish things with Dean once and for all. He forces Dean to let Rowena go.

Dean and Cole fight, and Dean manages to overpower Cole. However, he hands him back his gun, saying that if Cole still wants to kill him once he's explained himself, then Dean will let him have his shot. He explains that Cole's father was a monster, and reveals that he does in fact remember having killed him. Sam shows up but Dean tells him to put his gun down and let him keep talking with Cole. He tells Cole that the people who love him had pulled him back from the edge of darkness, but that once that darkness is in you, there's nothing you can do to stop it. Cole has a family that he has to get back to, so he shouldn't do this. And... Cole decides not to. He drives off to head back home.

Castle: Kill Switch (7x08)

Esposito-centric episode! Yes! Some days I think this show should just be about Espo and Ryan. As much as I love Castle and Beckett, most of my favorite episodes of this show, ever, have been ones that focus on one or both of the Ryan and Espo pair. Let us begin with a brief look at the plot.

Basically, the team is investigating the murder of a man who died in the park. Esposito and Ryan go to track down someone they think might be involved. As Ryan waits in the car, Espo follows this man into a subway car. Once in the subway, Espo is horrified to find that the man (Jared) has a bomb strapped to his chest. The rest of the team and a very worried Lanie have to figure out what's going on, while Espo tries to keep Jared from setting the bomb off. He also makes friends with another cop on the subway car by the name of Marisa.

Slowly, pieces start to fall into place. Jared only has one demand for the police - he wants his girlfriend, Erin, to be released from prison. Later he asks for her to be taken to a specific location. Ryan discovers that Jared seems to be following very specific instructions, like he's acting on behalf of somebody else. In the end, everything becomes clear: Jared was passionate about freeing Erin, and he fell in with someone on the internet who told him to use the bomb to get people's attention. Turns out, Jared was being used as a tool to disseminate a deadly strain of the H5N1 virus to the people. That way, the people with the antidote could make a lot of money. The real bad guy is apprehended.

The Walking Dead: Crossed (5x07)

Eep! We finally got an ensemble-based episode where we got to check in with all of our characters! I was missing the big ensemble-based feel of the show, so it was nice to have it back.

First of all, we spend a little bit of time with the DC gang. Maybe we can't call them that anymore. But in any case, Eugene is still out cold, and Abraham appears to be in a bit of a trance. He won't talk to anybody or drink any water. Glenn, Tara and Rosita go off to find more water while Maggie stays with Eugene and Abraham. Glenn, Tara and Rosita all seem to bond, as Tara tries to make jokes to lessen the tension, and they even succeed in catching some fish! In the end, Eugene starts to wake up, and Abraham, seemingly relieved not to have killed him, finally drinks some water.

Inside the hospital, Beth is horrified to learn of Dawn's decision to cut off Carol's medication, because it is taking too many resources to save her life. However, Dawn tells Beth that she had to side with one of the cops in this matter, to maintain the balance of things. She gives Beth the key to the medicine cabinet and tells her to save Carol herself. Beth does so, using some of the other patients to help her with her plan to get Carol the medicine.

The Legend of Korra: Remembrances (4x08)

Okay, okay, so this was a clip show. I've actually never had to review a clip show before, so this is a bit new to me. I'll start off by saying: the reason for this is all about the budget. They needed to fill the number of episodes and a quick way to make a cheap episode is to do a recap. Is it annoying? Yes. But I actually thought they did a good thing here. For one, I was actually in need of a reminder about some of the stuff from Seasons One and Two. For another, they didn't just have a few little intro scenes and then bombard us with old images. They actually sustained a new narrative with new dialogue over these images, which is frankly more effort than I would have expected. And, they managed to get a lot of humor in! I'm gonna mention some of my favorite things.

The first of the three narratives was Mako talking to Wu about his past with Korra and Asami. This was probably the weakest of the three, and that's mostly because the love triangle was always a weak point in the show for me. However, I did love Wu's constant interruptions. I also found Mako's conclusion to be really satisfying. He admits that it won't work out between him and Korra, but that Korra taught him so many amazing things about himself, and he's happy to fight by her side and be her friend. That's lovely!

The second narrative shows Asami comforting Korra, who has been wondering if she's completely useless as the Avatar, because even when she defeats a bad guy, another one just takes over. Asami reminds Korra of all the good that has come out of each of her fights with evil. Because of Amon, Non-Benders have finally gotten a voice in the world, in a way that they hadn't for a long time. Because of Unalaq, the Spirit World has been reunited with the physical world. Because of Zaheer, Korra learned to be stronger than ever. In the end, Tenzin and Asami convince her that she is an important part of the world.

The Vampire Diaries: Fade Into You (6x08)

Okay so this show is confusing sometimes. And there are always these really complicated magical rituals and rules thrown in, and there's a serious problem with exposition overload, and all sorts of other things to complain about... but yet I still love it. Let's take a look at the plot of this episode.

Caroline decides to hold a "friendsgiving" dinner. Everyone is invited except for Stefan. At the dinner, Liam shows up and asks for Elena's forgiveness. Liv seems to be in a terrible mood, and Tyler wonders what's wrong. Luke shows a video of himself and Liv as babies, and Jo recognizes her voice in the video. She realizes that Liv and Luke are her siblings.

Jo then tells the story of her coven, the "Gemini Coven." Apparently, twins are meant to rule the coven. Jo and Kai were twins, but when the family realized how unstable Kai was, and how he took other people's magic, they realized that he couldn't lead them. Kai and Jo's parents kept having more kids until another set of twins was born. Kai, furious, killed four of their other siblings. But, Jo protected Liv and Luke and they managed to get away. Kai was then trapped by the rest of his coven in the purgatory where we've seen him with Damon and Bonnie.

Turns out, after the twins' 22nd birthday, they are supposed to merge together. The stronger twin absorbs the powers of the weaker, who then dies. Liv is of course upset about the prospect, but Tyler tells her that she shouldn't have to cave to family pressure. He vows to protect her.

The Big Bang Theory: The Champagne Reflection (8x10)

Ughhh why do I watch this show?! This episode pissed me off because it was mostly pretty funny, and I was chuckling at a lot of the jokes, but then there were two moments of utterly infuriating and offensive humor, and it just makes me too angry to enjoy any of the episode. Grrr. Let us start with the plot.

Sheldon and Amy record Sheldon's very last "Fun with Flags" episode. Sheldon shows past highlights and brings on guest star LeVar Burton. He continually brings up an incident in which Amy forgot to hit "record" on the camera, so that one of the episodes was never recorded at all. Amy says she's sorry, but she gets more and more frustrated with Sheldon's passive-agressiveness. In the end, nobody seems to care that "Fun with Flags" is over. That is, until one comment on YouTube laments the end of the show. Sheldon instantly decides to bring it back.

Most of this was so funny. Sheldon and Amy's bickering, the highlights of past episodes, Sheldon using the "white flag" for one of its uses, as a hankie, as he says goodbye, etc. However, there were two horrifically offensive things in this plot thread. The first was when Sheldon asks LeVar Burton if something is racist or not. Basically, although we don't see it, the implication is that Sheldon dressed in black face or in some other racially offensive way. I'm sorry, but jokes like this are not funny. The only way this could be okay is if Sheldon came to a realization about how horrible he was, and apologizes for his error. But no. He just brushes it off and says it wasn't racist. Later, he asks Burton if he would like to dress up as a swastika while they talk about German flags. What the ever living Hell, you guys. Not okay. Not funny. Seriously. It's possible to be funny without being horrifically offensive. Wow.

Elementary: Bella (3x04)

Well apparently this is a two-part episode! We're left at the end with things still up in the air... a murderer is still on the loose! Let's see, where to begin?

Sherlock is asked to consult on a very strange case. Edwin Borstein wants Sherlock to help him catch a man who has made a copy of a computer program called "Bella," a highly advanced AI program. Sherlock is instantly fascinated by Bella, as he attempts to prove that she has no real intelligence, as Edwin and his partner suggest might be possible. Sherlock is unable to definitively prove that Bella does not have actual intelligence. He enlists a group of people to help him sort out the puzzle, including Joan's boyfriend Andrew.

Sherlock, Kitty and Joan are able to solve the case and discover the thief responsible for stealing a copy of Bella. However, a new case soon appears - Edwin Borstein turns up dead, a victim of an epileptic seizure caused by a series of brightly flashing images on the computers which house Bella. Edwin's partner thinks that Bella might have murdered Edwin, but Sherlock thinks this is preposterous. He is convinced that Bella has no real intelligence. An investigation proves that Edwin had a flesh-and-blood murderer. The images that caused his seizure were put onto a CD given to him by an internet friend who enjoyed death metal. The friend, it turns out, is innocent. The disk was switched out by a supposed cleaning service.

Who ran this elaborate scam? Apparently, a professor and his devoted student. The two of them think that artificial intelligence is going to threaten humanity, and to draw attention to their position, they decided to frame Bella for the murder of her creator. The student, a young woman, readily admits to the crime. However, Sherlock cannot trap the professor into confessing as well. He tries to blackmail the professor with his druggie little brother, but the professor rightly predicts that Sherlock will not be able to turn on a fellow addict. As the episode ends, Sherlock asks Bella if he should let a murderer go free, or if he should ensure he is caught at the expense of turning in a drug addict.

Grey's Anatomy: Risk (11x08)

Winter finale! Lots of cliffhangers and dangling plot threads here. I can't believe they're making us wait. Let's take this one plot thread at a time.

A patient with both heart and brain problems is running out of time. When Maggie asks Derek for a consultation, he wants to do the brain surgery first. Maggie thinks the heart surgery needs to go first. She asks Meredith for her opinion, and Meredith sides with her, over Derek. Derek then brings in Richard to take his side. Since Maggie is the head of the department, and it's her patient, she gets to make the final call. She chooses to do the heart surgery, and luckily the girl doesn't suffer brain damage, as Derek was afraid she might. Throughout the day, Meredith wonders if she's only digging her heals in because she and Derek are fighting, but ultimately with Alex's help she realizes that she would do the same thing for this patient even if it wasn't Derek arguing the other side. Richard fears that he is only making things worse with Maggie by taking Derek's side with this patient, but Bailey tells him that he has nothing left to apologize for. In the end, Maggie asks Richard to teach her about his risk analysis method, and the two make plans to get coffee. Derek gets offered the job in DC again, and when he and Meredith are fighting, again, about the whole thing, Derek decides to take the job. Meredith tells him to go.

This was an excellent plot. I'm really glad that Meredith and Maggie were right about the patient, but I liked how it really could have gone either way. Meredith and Derek might have been a bit antagonistic with each other, but they both had some good points to make, and they both had reasons to think they were right. Maggie and Richard's little moment at the end was quite sweet, as Maggie admires Richard's professional skill, and Richard finally sees a way to get closer to his new-found daughter. Bailey didn't have a lot to do, but I like that we're keeping up with her resolution to be healthier. (Incidentally, ABC has some sort of deal with the Fitbit, since both this show and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have featured it recently). Of course, Meredith and Derek had the most dramatic part of the plot. Very effective scene. I'm really worried for these two, and I can't wait to see how they find their way back to one another. In particular, I admired the use of flashbacks to their earlier relationship to cement both how far they have come, and how much they truly have to lose.

Parenthood: Lean In (6x09)

Okay... I don't know. There were a few things that I'm a little bit nervous about. But, for the most part I thought it was a really good episode. Let's just take this one step at a time.

First, you've got Julia and Joel. They still haven't signed their divorce papers, and Joel is insistent that he wants to talk to Julia some more. Julia tells Chris that she's having lunch with Joel, just to help give him some closure. At lunch, Joel makes a speech about how much he loves Julia, and how he wants a second chance. When Julia tells Chris that she and Joel still haven't signed the papers, Chris starts to question what's going on. Julia insists that Chris shouldn't pressure her, but Chris breaks things off between them, convinced that Julia is still in love with Joel. Julia talks to her mother about her relationship, and while Camille says that marriage is about forgiveness, Julia says she doesn't think she can forgive Joel. Even though they have both made mistakes, Joel is the one who gave up on their marriage, and Julia doesn't know if she can forgive that. Later, Julia goes over to Joel's place and brings the divorce papers. She signs them, and says it's time for Joel to do the same. Instead, the two of them end up making out.

I liked this. A lot. I have been waiting and waiting for Julia and Joel to find their way back to each other! I like that this isn't so cut and dry. I still don't know if they're going to get back together, or if this is some sort of way of saying goodbye. A final moment of weakness. That ambiguity makes the moment all the more touching and bittersweet. I will say this, though... Chris turned into a jerk right at the end. He totally was pressuring Julia! I mean, I get why he would be upset with her, but he's new to this whole situation. Julia and Joel have been married for years. He can't expect the end of that relationship to suit his timetable. I think ultimately this was a strong plot thread, even if Chris ended up more of a jerk than I would have liked.

Modern Family: Three Turkeys (6x08)

Yay! I've said again and again that Modern Family shines the brightest when all of the family comes together. It allows for so many creative opportunities. Let's take a look at this Thanksgiving-themed episode.

On Thanksgiving, we see Phil preparing the meal. He has agreed to make the food this year, to give Claire a break, but of course she is nervous that he is going to mess the whole thing up. She prepares a backup turkey, and she and Alex wait to swoop in and save the dinner from Phil and Luke, if need be. Claire and Alex accidentally blow the fuse while they're in the garage, which means that they all have to move the Thanksgiving dinner over to Jay and Gloria's house.

Jay and Gloria, meanwhile are lying about their own Thanksgiving. They had plans to be in Mexico, but when the trip got cancelled, they decided to pretend to still be in Mexico so they can have a quiet holiday together. When Claire, Phil, and the kids show up at the house, Jay and Gloria try to hide in the bedroom to get away from everyone.

Mitch and Cam, meanwhile, have been having some problems with Lily. Cam spoils her, so she never does as she's told. When Cam tells Lily to put on the dress they got her for Thanksgiving, Lily does so by putting the dress over the clothes she's already wearing. When they get to Jay and Gloria's house, Mitch and Cam decide to make a point by wearing some of Gloria's dresses to show Lily how silly she's being.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Things We Bury (2x08)

Loved it! Great episode. Answered a lot of questions and raised a lot of new questions. Very, very awesome. I mean, I missed Fitzsimmons again, but we'll get them back eventually. I hope. Let's just talk about what happened first.

So, Bobbi is interrogating one of HYDRA's people, Bakshi. He lets something slip that makes it sound like Whitehall knew Red Skull personally. Simmons, Lance, Bobbi, and May all dig into some old files at the base. These files were hidden there by Peggy Carter. Through these files, and through a series of flashbacks, we learn the true origins of Whitehall.

His original name was Reinhardt, and he was a Nazi scientist working with the Obelisk. He finds out that certain people can touch it, but others die when they do. Peggy Carter arrests Reinhardt, and he remains in prison for several decades. He is then released by Alexander Pierce, and brought to a woman who he had met back in the 40's. The weird thing? She hasn't aged. Reinhardt does tests on this woman, cutting her up and leaving her completely torn apart. He uses what he learns to de-age himself, and then he takes on the name Whitehall and continues on with HYDRA.

Skye's father has been working with Whitehall on the Obelisk, but as part of the flashbacks we see him discover the woman that Reinhardt killed, and vow to do the same thing to Reinhardt. This woman - you guessed it - is Skye's mother.

Supernatural: Ask Jeeves (10x06)

Okay do you guys remember that episode in Season Eight, "Trial and Error," where Sam completes the first trial? It had a family of snooty rich people in it, and while that episode had some good things in it, the snooty family kinda sucked. They were lame and cliche and I was not a fan. Well, when I saw the promo for "Ask Jeeves," I thought I might have similar complaints. However, I am happy to report that I was wrong. Let's do a quick plot summary.

Dean finds one of Bobby's old phones, which contains a message about an heiress named Bunny, who has recently died and has apparently left Bobby something in the will. Sam and Dean decide to go check it out. When they get there, they find a morally bankrupt family of entitled jerks. The butler tells Sam and Dean that the only thing they've inherited is a key. There are jewels on it, but apparently they aren't real. Sam and Dean come back to the house to find that there has been a murder, and that since they were in the house around the time of death, they have to stick around to be questioned by the police.

Things start unraveling rather quickly after that - somebody believes that the murderer was the ghost of Bunny's dead husband. Sam and Dean think this might be a vengeful spirit thing going on, but when Sam finds the body of the butler at the same time as Dean thinks he's talking to the butler, they realize: it's a shifter. They use silverware to surreptitiously check each of the house's inhabitants, but nobody sizzles. Later, the family turns on Sam and Dean - after all, nobody started dying until these two strangers turned up! They lock Sam and Dean in a room.

Castle: Once Upon a Time in the West (7x07)

Again with the adorable. Last week was sweet and romantic and just so wonderful, this week was funny and playful and again showcased the strongest thing about this show: Beckett and Castle's relationship. Let's dive right in.

In an unusual move for this show, we actually briefly see our murder victim alive at the beginning of the episode, in the hospital. She is dying, but she manages to drop a few hints before she dies, which makes the doctors believe she might have been murdered. The team is called in to investigate.

In order to do so, Beckett and Castle go under cover as a newly wed couple (funny, that) at a dude ranch in Arizona. While there, they learn that the murdered woman was apparently having an affair with a married man. When they find the man, however, Castle learns that she came on to him and he rejected her. Turns out, it was a ploy to get the man's key, which opened a shed with dynamite in it. What was the dynamite for? Apparently she was searching for some lost gold and needed to blow open its hiding place! Castle and Beckett find the place where the gold is supposed to be, but when they open the crate they find a body instead.

Turns out, the victim was the daughter of a man who, along with two partners, found the gold several years ago. One of the men is dead in the crate. One of them gets brought in for questioning by Ryan and Espo. They believe he must be the killer. But no - it's the third partner, who works at the dude ranch. He and Castle have a showdown, but Beckett turns up in time to save Castle, and the man is arrested.

The Walking Dead: Consumed (5x06)

I am super annoyed right now because I actually wrote out most of this review, and then I lost the whole thing. So. I apologize for my brevity, but I don't feel like putting the time in to redo this. Grrrrr.

This was a great episode. It focused on Daryl and Carol, connecting back to the time we saw them drive off in pursuit of the car with white crosses. They follow the car to Atlanta. They decide to lay low and try to watch, to see what's going on and what has happened to Beth. After staying in a building that used to be a temporary shelter (Carol and Sophia had once stayed there to get away from Carol's husband), Carol and Daryl decide to find a high vantage point to look over the city. They come across Noah (Beth's friend from the hospital) who takes their weapons. Daryl stops Carol from shooting Noah, saying that he is just a kid.

Daryl and Carol find a van with the white crosses on it, and upon investigation they find stuff from a hospital, which gives them further clues about Beth. However, this van is hanging precariously off a bridge, and when a hoard of Walkers show up, they are forced to get inside the van and hope for the best when it falls to the lower level. They do alright, although Carol does injure her shoulder. Back at the shelter, they find Noah. Daryl wants to leave him trapped under a bookcase and let the Walkers get him, but Carol says no. Eventually, Daryl concedes rescues Noah. At this point they realize that Noah is on the run from the people in the hospital, and Noah tells them that he knows Beth.

As Carol, Daryl and Noah go outside, Carol is hit by a police car. The people load her up onto a stretcher. Noah stops Daryl from going after her, saying that those people are the only ones who can help her. Noah and Daryl find a car and head back towards Rick and the rest of the group, determined to find people and guns to storm the hospital and get Beth and Carol back.

Once Upon a Time: Smash the Mirror Part 1/Part 2 (4x08/09)

Okay! Double episode! I'm going to try to reign myself in and keep the plot summary to a minimum, but there were so many things going on here!

Let's start with the Arendelle plot. We see Ingrid sneak off to hide the Sorcerer's Hat, and then go talk to the Sorcerer's Apprentice. She wishes to make a deal with the Sorcerer - she will return the Hat to him, if he helps her to find her third magical sister. The Sorcerer's Apprentice agrees, because the Hat is very important.

Back in the castle, Ingrid tells Elsa that Anna was planning on taking away her magic with a magic hat. Elsa pretends to believe Ingrid, going down to the dungeons to yell at Anna. Once she sends the guards away, Elsa tells Anna that of course she believes in her - the two of them now know that Ingrid is no good, and they decide they have to trap her in the urn again. Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff search the castle to find the urn. Once they do, Elsa brings Anna back down to the dungeons. The plan is to send Ingrid down to the dungeons to banish Anna, but Anna will be waiting with the urn to trap Ingrid.

However, the plan goes awry - it turns out that Ingrid was ready for this possibility. She casts a spell on Anna, the Spell of Shattered Sight. It makes it so she can only see the worst in her sister. Later, she confronts Elsa about their childhood, yelling at her for shutting her out all those years. Elsa is hurt, but when Ingrid shows up she realizes the truth - Ingrid must have cast a spell on Anna to make her say those things! Ingrid says the spell only reveals Anna's deepest, truest feelings. Ingrid tells Elsa to hurt Anna, but Elsa refuses. Anna captures Elsa with the urn. Once she does, she comes out of the curse and realizes what she's done. Ingrid decides to embrace her villainy, and she freezes the castle, along with Anna and Kristoff. She also uses magic to erase some of Elsa's memories while she is inside the urn.

The Legend of Korra: Reunion (4x07)

Bolin is a bad ass! I love him!!! Seriously, he was kicking some serious butt in this episode. I can't wait for him and Varrick to get back to Republic City and tell their friends what's going on. Let's start with the plot.

Korra is back in Republic City! She reunites with Tenzin, Bumi, Asami and Mako. They all wonder  where Bolin is. Asami, Mako and Korra have plans to go out to dinner together, but unfortunately Mako can't get away from Prince Wu, so he comes to dinner as well. While at dinner, it seems that both Asami and Mako, while happy to see Korra, are a little bit pissed at her for not keeping in touch over the past three years. However, their friendship spats will have to wait, because Wu gets abducted on his way to the bathroom! It seems Kuvira wants him.

Korra, Asami and Mako have to save Wu - they try to chase down the car that took him, but it seems that his kidnappers have eluded them. Korra connects to some Spirits using a technique she learned from Toph, and is able to find out that Wu is headed towards the train station.

The three friends manage to get there in time, and they rescue Wu from a moving train! Korra, Asami and Mako all hug it out, apologizing for being snippy with each other earlier. They decide Wu has to go into hiding, and so they bring him to Asami's family's property, where Mako and Bolin's family has been staying.

Elementary: Just a Regular Irregular (3x03)

Great episode! This show has really hit its stride this season. I'm still loving Kitty. And I actually really loved this exploration of Sherlock's character, and how he handles his relationships. Let's start with a plot summary!

Harlan Emple, who previously appeared in the Season Two episode "Solve for X," discovers a dead body while working on a mathematician scavenger hunt/puzzle thing. The team try to solve the case by looking for other mathematicians who were probably solving the puzzle. Turns out, there's a huge monetary reward for being the first to solve the puzzle. However, as the case unfolds, we learn that this isn't the motivation after all. Harlan Emple has actually become an online crusader, revealing to the world instances in which math has been used to exploit the system. Specifically, Harlan revealed a flaw in a certain type of scratch ticket that meant that people could guess which number combos would be winners. A man who has been exploiting this system decide he must kill Harlan. Of course, Harlan goes by a pseudonym on the internet, so in order to track him down, the killer sets up the math puzzle to lure math geniuses out in the open. Sherlock calls the man he suspects of being the murderer and tells him where to find Harlan. When the guy shows up to kill Harlan, he instead finds himself in an apartment with the police. He is arrested.

Meanwhile, Joan asks Kitty for help with a case. It's just a simple one, no murder involved, but Joan wants to give Kitty something to work on. Sherlock encourages Joan to continue forging this relationship with Kitty. Joan worries that Kitty needs more help than Sherlock can give her. Maybe she should be talking to a therapist or going to a support group. Sherlock suggests this to Kitty, even though he's asked her in the past, and Kitty finally agrees to go. We see Joan go with her to the meeting.

Parenthood: Aaron Brownstein Must Be Stopped (6x08)

You know, this whole last season of Parenthood has been sort of truncated for budget reasons, so that every episode we inevitably don't see several of our core characters. This week there was no Sarah, Zeek, Camille, Julia, Joel, or Adam. But actually, I think it's working in the show's favor. I was a big fan of what this episode did, and by focusing on only some of the story lines, we had enough time to delve a bit deeper. Let's go plot by plot.

Max asks Kristina how to ask out a girl. Kristina tries to make Max wait before taking this big step with Dylan, but Max insists that he is going to ask her out. However, when he tries to find her at school to ask her, he finds her kissing Aaron Brownstein. Max then asks his mother to expel Aaron. When Kristina won't, Max then turns to the students, handing out flyers with a list of all Aaron's punishable offenses. The two boys get into a fight, and Max blurts out that he saw Aaron and Dylan kissing. Kristina explains to Max that what he did was not okay, but that it's okay to feel hurt. Dylan comes over to the house later that night and says she's sorry to Kristina. She doesn't know why she likes Aaron, but she just does. She also says she's never going to feel that way about Max.

The next day, Max makes Dylan a collage to express his love for her. Dylan's friends mock him for it, but Dylan is just confused and upset. She finally blurts out that she will never love Max. Max runs out of the school. Kristina follows and tells Max he was very brave for making the collage and telling Dylan how he feels. She gives him a hug and tells him that someday he'll meet the right girl.

You know my favorite thing about this plot thread? Nobody was mad at Dylan for not liking Max. Nobody accused her of leading him on or of being a bad person for not just giving in and saying yes. It's okay that she doesn't like him in that way. Kristina, even while hurting for Max, also understands how hard this must be for Dylan. I loved the complexities here, as Kristina has been afraid of this very thing since the beginning, and yet she sympathizes with Dylan's situation. Great performance from Max Burkholder this week, as I really felt all of his sadness and anger shine through. It was nice that Kristina and Max shared a hug, too.

The Vampire Diaries: Do You Remember the First Time? (6x07)

I liked this episode, because it remained pretty simple. It didn't try to do too many things, so it didn't confuse me like this show sometimes does. Let's get started.

To Damon's horror, Elena does not remember their relationship when she sees him. She is apologetic, however, since she feels strange not being able to access such a large part of her life. At a benefit for the hospital, Elena goes with Liam. Damon shows up to "stalk" her, as Alaric puts it. Damon and Alaric are in a rocky phase of their bromance, since Damon is pissed at Rick for compelling Elena in the first place. However, he is happy that Rick is alive. At the event, Tyler is helping Liv as a waiter. Their romance is a slow-burn. Luke reminds Liv not to get attached, because their coven could call them back at any time.

Damon meets Liam, and seems determined to steal Elena away. Elena tells Damon that she wants to remember, so the two of them go to the last place Elena told Damon she loved him, hoping to trigger a memory. It doesn't work. No matter what happens, it seems Elena's memories are gone. She decides to cross the town border, which of course means she starts to choke on water and drown again, but memories of Damon start flashing back into her mind. However, Damon pulls her back across before the compulsion can wear off. As Damon drops Elena off at her apartment, he tells her that he wants her to be happy, so he's going to let her go. Elena, who was starting to remember something, watches Damon go in confusion.

Grey's Anatomy: Can We Start Again, Please? (11x07)

Wow! This was an amazing episode! Last week, I wasn't too happy with a lot of the plot elements, but this week there was really nothing that I didn't love. Several of the things that I didn't care about in the past suddenly became interesting to me. Let's look at the plot.

A married couple comes into the hospital, having jumped out a window to avoid a fire. The husband is holding the wife in his arms. The paramedics think the wife is dead, and the husband refuses to let go of her. Eventually they convince him to, and when they move the wife they find out that she has a pulse after all. The surgeons set to work on fixing them up. When this couples' grown daughter shows up at the hospital, she recognizes Amelia from their Narcotics Anonymous meetings and says she wants another surgeon, yelling loudly that Amelia is an addict in front of a bunch of people.

Amelia asks Richard what to do, and Richard says that she did nothing wrong. Owen tries to ask Amelia about it, but she won't talk to him. When Owen asks Derek if Amelia is sober, and if she's the best person for the job, Derek hesitates, and Owen draws his own conclusions. Derek feels terrible about it, and he addresses the board, telling them that he led Owen to believe something that wasn't true, because he wanted his old job as Chief of Neuro back. Later, Derek confesses to Amelia that he's been feeling angry and helpless all the time, and Amelia says that addicts call that "rock bottom."

The Big Bang Theory: The Septum Deviation (8x09)

You won't believe this, but there was actually a joke in The Big Bang Theory that made me laugh out loud. Miracle of miracles. First let's do the plot.

Leonard discovers that he has a deviated septum, and he has decided to get a minor surgery to fix it. Sheldon doesn't want Leonard to get the surgery, due to the risks. He tries to figure out the odds of Leonard dying, and as he describes everything that could go wrong, Leonard promises he'll think more about the surgery. Then, without telling Sheldon, he and Penny go to the hospital for him to get the surgery.

Sheldon figures it out, because Amy tells him due to his prodding. In the hospital waiting room, a minor earthquake tremor causes a brief power outage. Sheldon, panicking about Leonard, tries to rush to find him, and ends up hitting a glass door and falling over. We next see Leonard and Sheldon back at home with matching bandaged noses. Leonard teases Sheldon about his dependency issues. Later, Sheldon opens a package with monogrammed urns inside. One is for Leonard, with a message that basically says "I told you so," and the other is for Sheldon, that says "I'm with stupid."

This was actually very sweet. They took a simple premise and did what they could with it, infusing some touching friendship stuff in with an otherwise light plot. The urn thing was particularly hilarious. I also liked how Penny said she was going to spend the rest of her life with Leonard, and Sheldon said that he was too. Leonard and Sheldon have such a funny friendship.

Modern Family: Queer Eyes, Full Hearts (6x07)

Three plots. I'm gonna go fast.

Firstly, we've got Gloria, Jay, and Manny's plot. Gloria hires Diego, a Spanish tutor, to help Manny learn the language. Manny is uninterested, and wants to learn French instead. Diego is a very attractive young man, and Jay gets jealous, watching Gloria and Diego chatter away in Spanish, so he signs a slip of paper that gives Manny permission to switch over to French. Gloria is upset - she says that she's tired of not being able to speak her own language in her own home. Jay then hires Diego back, but not for Manny - for himself. Gloria is touched that Jay wants to learn Spanish.

This was very cute. In sitcoms, I always love it when we can put a serious theme or idea into a comedic premise in a way that feels respectful. Here, we see Jay being jealous of this young hot Spanish guy, but throughout the comedy of that, we still get the more serious angle: Gloria feels lonely when she can't speak Spanish with her loved ones! Her son's rejection of his heritage hurts her. I liked what Gloria said about how smart she is in Spanish. That was a good point, and one that I had never considered before. (Also, of course, this episode contained a few hilarious lines of dialogue including: "What could be more natural than a mother's tongue in your year?" That was great.)