The Walking Dead: Isolation (4x03)

I'll dive straight into the plot.

Tyreese is horrified to find Karen and David's burnt corpses outside, and tells Carol, Daryl, and Rick that he wants the murderer found. He is so upset, in fact, that he gets into an altercation with Rick over it. Rick goes a little crazy, beating up on Tyreese until Daryl can pull him off.

Meanwhile, the infection that killed Patrick is still spreading. Although initially hopeful that the deaths of Karen and David may have cut the infection off at its source, the group soon discovers the extent of their dilemma. When Sasha starts to show symptoms, she goes to find Dr. S and the other patients. She discovers that everyone, including the doctor, is violently ill. All of the patients remain in isolation, and the children and the old (aka Hershel) are put in isolation elsewhere, in an attempt to stop the sickness from spreading. Glenn begins showing symptoms as well, to Maggie's horror, as does the little girl, Lizzie, whose father died in the previous episode.

Hershel states that the disease itself isn't what's killing anyone, but rather the symptoms. If they can get antibiotics, they might have a chance. Daryl, along with Michonne, Bob, and Tyreese, who is still angry about Karen's death, decide to go try and find medicine. On their way to a veterinary school, they are unexpectedly surrounded by an enormous horde of Walkers. They have to abandon their car, but they all manage to escape, at least for the time being.

The Mentalist: The Red Tattoo (6x05)

Another episode that propels the Red John plot forward! And hey, did you see that promo for next week? Things are seriously heating up!

A man is found dead in a hotel room, and it turns out he's a member of Visualize. Ray Haffner (representing Visualize) is going to be working on the case, which of course makes the team very uncomfortable. Having a Red John suspect work side by side with the team is a genius way of setting up some great tensions throughout the episode.

The case is nothing all that special. The clues seem to indicate that the killer was in two places at once, which of course makes no sense, but upon further investigating Jane discovers the answer, just like he always does. The victim, along with being a Visualize member, is also a gymnastics coach who had been having a long affair with one of his male students. It turns out that the student was going to reveal the affair and make the guy sound like a pedophile, and during an altercation, the teacher got knifed. He made his way up to the hotel room, where he bled out from his wound.

The Vampire Diaries: For Whom the Bell Tolls (5x04)

This episode has a good title. I mean, it's a really obvious reference, of course, but it fit very nicely with the themes of the story. I'm starting with the title because I really don't want to talk about this episode. I mean, my God. What are they doing to Stefan's character? He's never been particularly well developed or consistent in the past, but are you kidding me with this crap? My eyes were rolled almost permanently back in my head over his antics here. I feel bad for Paul Wesley, because he's a genuinely talented guy who has some crappy luck with the role he's playing.

But let's slow down and look at the episode a bit closer, because it did have some very nice elements to it as well.

Mystic Falls is celebrating a Remembrance Day to honor the dead, in which people ring a bell for their dead loved ones. I liked this setup, because it came across as a meta reference to the absurd amount of people who have died in this town. This framing device sets up a lot of the smaller stories in the episode.

First, there's Matt, who has discovered thanks to video cameras set up around the house that he has been possessed by Gregor. He also has a mysterious knife on him, and Gregor (through a video) warns Matt to protect the knife, or else he will be killed. I'm not sure I like where this plot is going, since it seems ultimately not to fit with everything else that's going on. However, I did like the scene that Matt had with Jeremy, where he's freaking out. Poor Jeremy was dealing with his own problems, however, of which I'll talk more about in a moment.

Parenthood: Let's Be Mad Together (5x05)

I'll go through plot by plot and give some pros and cons.

Starting with probably the weakest, we have Crosby and Adam attempting to make their new record label successful, but struggling with the unruly antics of Ashes of Rome's lead singer. Basically, things are not going so well until Crosby listens to some great classic records and decides to lay down the law: he announces that they're going to strip away all the fancy layers and just let these guys jam.

Cons: the premise itself is silly. Why on earth is Adam pushing so hard for this whole record label thing? It doesn't make any sense. I also think the singer is too unrealistically annoying. It would have been better if he'd been a reasonably normal guy who just doesn't get along with Crosby for some reason.

Pros: Crosby's go get 'em speech may have been a bit cliche, but it was still a powerful moment with a lot of great acting choices. I also just love seeing him take the lead and work with this business in ways that Adam can't. It shows that they are ultimately a pretty good partnership.

Grey's Anatomy: Map of You (10x06)

I'm going to dive right in, and try to be brief. (God, I've been saying that a lot lately. I'm not very good at it). 

Meredith is looking for a research project, and although she struggles with it at first, she eventually decides to go with a project her mother had started years before. Her and Christina are still in a bad place, as Meredith is still angry with Christina for not being there for her as she struggles to balance her newborn baby with her career. I liked this plot, because I like to see the growing and adapting Christina and Meredith friendship, and I also like seeing Meredith continue to be passionate about her career.

Christina meanwhile forms a professional connection with Shane, to her surprise. (There's this really uncomfortable scene where Shane basically breaks up with Derek because he decides to work with Christina... that was awkward). Christina also has to deal with Owen and his new girlfriend, who, it turns out, is coming in to observe on a surgery. When Christina tries to talk to her, she learns that Owen hasn't even mentioned that they were once married. This is obviously difficult for Christina. I didn't love this plot, but it was fine. I'm hoping that we can get Christina out of this Owen rut soon and move on to something better. On the other hand, she did some very groundbreaking surgery in this episode, which was cool to see.

The Big Bang Theory: The Romance Resonance (7x06)

I'm not sure entirely why this is, but this episode felt a bit unfocused to me. I liked almost everything about it on the level of humor and basic story, but I think a lot of the pieces just didn't click the way I would have liked. On top of that, there were some really overused tropes. Let's take a look.

The main plot of the episode involves Sheldon making an important scientific discovery, which leads to a new element being synthesized. This is amazing scientific news, of course, but Sheldon then realizes that it only happened because he made a lucky mistake. He now doesn't feel like he deserves the praise, and he gets mad when everyone tries to make him feel better. Amy doesn't try to spare Sheldon's feelings. She says that she thinks his mistake was very bad, and that he isn't deserving of any praise. Sheldon says that this is the most romantic thing he has ever heard.

At the end of the episode, Amy imagines what it would be like for Sheldon to kiss her, but then is sadly pulled back to reality. In typing this summary, I realized my big problem with the episode. Ostensibly, the theme that ties everything together is the romance, right? The other two plots (Leonard/Penny, Howard/Bernadette) center around the way these couples express their love for one another. But Amy and Sheldon don't really have a romance plot of their own. Instead, you have Sheldon's scientific breakthrough and then freak out. There's an episode tag dealing with Amy and Sheldon's relationship, but really the Sheldon plot with his discovery seems like it belongs in an entirely different episode!

Elementary: Ancient History (2x05)

So, there were two main plots going on in this episode. One of them was pretty neutral for me. Nothing bad, nothing amazing. The other one was freakin' awesome. I'll start with the lukewarm stuff and move on to what I really loved.

Sherlock is bored, and decides to go try and find a case by looking for unsolved mysteries in corpses. This I liked. It was a funny setup. Rather than a case dropping into their laps, they really had to seek it out. The case itself was a bit of a mess in my opinion. Basically, it all had to do with the Russian mafia. There were multiple twists and the criminal in the end was one of the original participants: the wife of the body that Sherlock saw in the morgue. 

There were some decent bits here and there. I liked the way that Sherlock and Joan tracked down part of the mafia by finding a beauty salon and identifying it as a front. The guest actors were pretty compelling, actually. Things I didn't like? I really want more Gregson and Bell. I think I mentioned that for last week's review, too. I just really want to see more of these two, and I feel a bit robbed when they play such a background role. Last season, they had so much more to do in terms of advancing the plot. I'd love to see them interact with our two leads a bit more.

Modern Family: The Help (5x06)

Alright. Three plots.

Phil's dad is staying at the house with the Dunphys, since he's feeling down after he and his girlfriend broke up. Claire suggests that he see a therapist, but Phil insists that it's not necessary, and Jay backs him up. The three guys go out to a bar to try and find a woman for Frank to hook up with, and he does seem to really hit it off with this girl. However, instead of spending the night with her, he picks up a hooker and brings her back to the Dunphy house.

Phil is horrified, and tries to lie to Claire and say that the woman is the therapist, which leads to a hilarious conversation in which Claire talks about how much she admires the woman's work, etc. Meanwhile, also in the Dunphy house, Haley and Alex have been butting heads. They are still sharing a room, because Frank has been staying in the basement.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Girl in the Flower Dress (1x05)

Cliche. That's the best word I can use to describe my problem with this episode. Cliche. Let's take a look at the plot.

So, a street magician in China (Chan Ho Yin) seems to have some pyrotechnic powers. He is visited by a mysterious girl named Raina, who is the "girl in the flower dress" mentioned in the title. Raina wants to help him turn into a real super hero. We find out that Chan is in contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. and they've been keeping an eye on him. When Chan doesn't make a meeting with his S.H.I.E.L.D. handler, they realize he's been taken.

Apparently, the reason Raina and her people were able to find Chan is that the Rising Tide leaked S.H.I.E.L.D. information. This points the finger of blame, initially, to Skye. She denies any involvement, but now she's in a tricky spot, because she does know the hacker responsible. His name is Miles, and he and Skye have a complicated history. Let's stop and look at a couple of problems. One, I don't understand why Coulson's team is even being brought in on this case in the first place. Clearly they have agents stationed in China... why couldn't they handle this one? Oh well. And also, we're starting to see Skye's conflict in the episode here, and it's a very tired and cliched one.

Supernatural: I'm No Angel (9x03)

I'm not going to go into a meta rant about Destiel. So if that's what you're looking for with this review, I'm sorry. However, I will inevitably be bringing up the emotionally charged moments between Dean and Cas that occurred in this particular episode. But I'm not freaking out. I'm not despairing about Destiel, and I'm not suddenly ecstatic about its imminent arrival. I'm exactly the same about it as I have been - excited about the possibility, but not holding my breath.

That being said, let us dive straight in to the episode!

This is a Castiel-centric episode, which makes me happy, happy, happy. This character really needs time to to breath on his own. I want him to be with the Winchesters for emotional, personal reasons. Of course I do. But because Cas is a regular now, he needs to develop an identity and a plot arc without Sam and Dean, as well.

The plot was actually very basic. Cas is out on his own, homeless, struggling to get by. He sleeps at shelters, gets together with other homeless people on the street, and anything else he can to get by. He's being tracked by angels, however, led by Bartholomew, a disciple of Naomi. In order to avoid being found, he gets Enochian tattooed on his stomach, which prevents the angels from tracking him.

Castle: Time Will Tell (6x05)

Brief summary. Brief. I can do this.

Basically, the primary murder suspect in Beckett and Castle's case says he's from the future... Beckett thinks it's silly, Castle thinks it's amazingly interesting. Things get more and more complicated when another supposed time traveler enters the picture. Apparently, some big event from this time period will cause a ripple effect into the future and kill millions of people. Blah blah blah, the usual cliched time travel story.

I liked Ryan and Esposito in this one, because they thought the whole thing was as ridiculous as Beckett did, and they didn't even think the crazy guy's story was any good. It was also funny to see Castle get sucked in to the guy's wacky story, especially since the supposed time traveler seemed extremely... sane. Yeah, he seemed like a pretty normal guy, which I really liked.

In the end, they discover that the bad time traveler guy wants to kill this one grad student who (according to people "from the future") is going to play a big part in saving the world in a giant energy war. Beckett and the team stop the guy from getting murdered, which supposedly restores balance to the future world.

How I Met Your Mother: Knight Vision (9x06)

I'm gonna rapid-fire review this baby, because I'm working under time constraints. Three plots:

Ted's plot involved him trying to pick a girl to hook up with for the wedding weekend. In a parody of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Barney warns him that he only has one chance, so he has to be careful not to choose poorly. Initially, he chooses a girl named Cassie, but that ends up being a terrible choice. Throughout the evening, he just makes increasingly poor choices, such as choosing to allow Cassie to answer her phone, which leads to her learning she's been fired, and choosing to go get a drink which causes them to run into Cassie's parents... the list goes on. In the end, Cassie and Ted don't hook up, because she's grieving her recently ended relationship and is in a really bad emotional space. Ted takes the high road and doesn't have sex with a vulnerable woman, so that's good.

Basically, all of this means that he never hooks up with anyone at the wedding, leaving him free to meet the Mother. There was nothing wrong with this plot line, but it was a little dull at times, and I think the mention of the Mother at the end really only highlighted the fact that we haven't seen her in quite some time. I want her back, stat!

The Walking Dead: Infected (4x02)

I'm going to be really brief! I promise! It's going to be difficult, because this was a really meaty episode. But I'm going to be brief!

So, Patrick the Walker goes on a bit of a killing spree. It's slow, it's creepy, I just kept waiting for someone to walk around the corner and see him, but nobody did. One of the more genuinely scary moments in the history of the whole show, in fact, so kudos to them for that. So, thanks to Patrick quite a few of the inhabitants get bitten and the entire cell block is in danger of being wiped out. The survivors, including a lot of our main cast, rush in and kill all of the Walkers, but the casualties are pretty high.

In particular, we focus on Carol as she comforts a man named Ryan Samuels who has been bitten. His two daughters, Lizzie and Mika, come in to say goodbye. Although initially one of the sisters wants to be the one to stab her father's corpse in the brain, she's too afraid to do it and Carol ends up being the one. Wow, that's a really intense sentence. Yeesh, this show is gross sometimes. Carol plans to look after the two girls like they are her own daughters.

Once Upon a Time: Nasty Habits (3x04)

This was a strong one. I have a couple of qualms here and there, but overall I think any episode focusing on the deliciously complex dynamic between Rumple and Bae/Neal is going to be a good one. In a show with a lot of frankly average actors, Robert Carlyle and Michael Raymond-James are the standouts, and whenever they share the screen, things are great.

The plot: Neal is in Neverland, and he manages to escape Felix pretty quickly. Rumple is still bent on sacrificing his life to save Henry, but some hallucinations of Belle tell us that Rumple's worried he might be unable to kick that "nasty habit" of self preservation. Enter... Neal!

Obviously they're both really surprised to see each other, and Rumple thinks Neal is another hallucination at first. But then, they decide to work together to find Henry. Neal knows the island better than his father does, so he takes the lead. They obtain ink from a squid, then sneak into Pan's camp. Rumple uses magic to knock out everyone in the camp, including Henry, but Pan is immune to his magic. Neal then comes in and shoots an arrow at Pan. Instead of lacing the tip, he laced the staff with the squid ink, which means when Pan catches the arrow, it immobilizes him long enough for the two of them to get Henry and get out.

The Mentalist: Red Listed (6x04)

I'm going to be really brief, which is ultimately a shame, since this episode was really plot heavy and deserves a lot of attention.

Okay. So, Jane planted a decoy list of fake Red John suspects in case anyone tried to steal the list from him. One of these fake suspects ends up dead, and suddenly a hunt begins. Lisbon and Jane suppose that the reason Benjamin Marx is dead is because someone else is trying to eliminate Red John, and Lisbon knows she needs to offer protection to the other fake suspects. One problem: they're all pretty much terrible people, and a lot of them don't want to offer help. One of them, Richard Haibach, is captured before the team can attempt to help him.

FBI Agent Reede Smith and Bob Kirkland are both in this episode, meaning we had to contend with two different Red John suspects at once, which was interesting. In a conversation between the two of them, Kirkland reveals that they've learned about a secret government organization working around Red John. He tries to ascertain if Smith knows anything by using the group's password, "Tiger, Tiger," but Smith seems totally ignorant. Things are getting interesting!

The Legend of Korra: Beginnings, Part 1/Part 2 (2x07/08)

I decided to put both parts of this under one review, because it really does tell a continuous story, and besides, the episodes aired on the same night. So... sorry about that, I guess I'm getting lazy.

This double episode takes us back into the ancient history of the Avatar, and explains how the first ever Avatar came to be. The framing device is this - Korra, completely ignorant of her identity, is sent to commune with the spirits and learn who she is once again. In the end, she remembers her identity as Avatar Korra.

So, here's the story. Wan is a boy who lives atop a Lion Turtle. He is poor, and often steals from the rich ruling family of the town (a bit like Aladdin, basically). In these ancient times, the people living on any given Lion Turtle believed that they were the only human inhabitants in existence. In order to travel out in the dangerous forest, where Spirits roam freely, the Lion Turtle grants the power of the element to individuals - to be used temporarily. Wan receives Fire Bending from the Lion Turtle, but when he enters the city without returning the gift, he is banished. While in the woods, he runs into Spirits, whom he eventually befriends despite the natural prejudices between humans and Spirits.

Several years later, Wan has mastered Fire Bending like no one else ever has. At this point, he meets two great Spirits who are fighting. Their names are Raava (the Spirit of Light) and Vaatu (the Spirit of Dark). Vaatu tricks Wan into helping him escape from Raava, at which point Raava tells him the awful truth: if she cannot control Vaatu, he will destroy the world!

The Vampire Diaries: Original Sin (5x03)

*Long dramatic sigh of annoyance*

Oh boy. Here we go.

Zombie-Stefan is lurching around outside until he stumbles into a bar, attacks a girl, but manages to stop in time to tell her to run away. When he goes outside, sans daylight ring, he starts to burn up.

Cut to... Elena waking up suddenly. Apparently it was all a dream! Damon isn't at all interested in hearing about Elena's weird connection with her ex-boyfriend, because he says it makes him uncomfortable. Okay, yeah, that would be a fair enough point, if he wasn't also your brother, you jackass! Like, seriously, does Damon not care about Stefan's well-being at all? Well, regardless, Katherine comes in to say that she had the exact same dream as Elena, so we're probably looking at something real.

Elena, Katherine, and Damon go on a very uncomfortable road trip. Things that are awesome about these scenes: Katherine, Katherine, Katherine. My love for Nina Dobrev's portrayal of bitchy, whiny, sarcastic human!Katherine knows no bounds. Seriously, it's hilarious. I keep on forgetting that Elena and Katherine are played by the same person. Also, the split screens are pretty seamless. I'm always impressed with how well this show puts Katherine and Elena on screen together.

Grey's Anatomy: I Bet It Stung (10x05)

Alright! A good episode that discussed a lot of different and important character dynamics. I really enjoyed this one.

Meredith is back at work, and excited to be scrubbing in on a heart/liver transplant with Christina (I know nothing about anything, but apparently this is a big deal sort of surgery, and it's very exciting to be involved with one). Bailey, who had initially been the surgeon dealing with the liver, is bitter about being replaced, but Meredith and Christina are just excited about doing groundbreaking surgery together.

There's only one problem - Meredith is too preoccupied with Zola and baby Bailey to be prepared for the surgery. When Zola gets mildly hurt at daycare, Meredith goes to her as Alex gives her stitches. Meredith arrives late to the surgery, and Christina announces that Bailey will be scrubbing in instead. Meredith is angry about this, but Christina announces that Meredith's priorities have shifted. As Christina says consistently throughout this rather heartbreaking speech, it's okay that Meredith has let up. She wants to be a better mom than Ellis Grey, but she has to acknowledge that it affects her skills as a surgeon. This scene was actually quite intense, and I enjoyed seeing an interesting conflict introduced into the epic "twisted sisters" friendship of Christina and Meredith.

The Big Bang Theory: The Workplace Proximity (7x05)

This episode was built around a simple premise, which usually makes for a focused story and some good jokes. However, I felt like a lot of the potential of this story was lost. There was nothing flat out terrible about it, but I just didn't really enjoy it the way I wanted to.

Basically, Amy gets an opportunity to work at Caltech, and she checks with Sheldon to make sure he's okay working in such close proximity to her. He says yes initially, but a conversation with Howard changes his mind. Essentially, Howard says that spending that much time with Amy is bound to annoy him, just like it would annoy Howard if he had to see Bernadette all day at work. Unfortunately for Howard, Sheldon repeats this statement to Amy and the other girls. Bernadette and Amy are both furious at their significant others.

Amy declares that she's going to work at Caltech anyway, and when Sheldon tries to make nice by talking to Amy's research colleagues, he only succeeds in embarrassing her. In the end, Sheldon goes to try and make things better between them. In a moment that could have been really meaningful, he says it can be difficult to be in a relationship with someone who has trouble with social situations. But, as it turns out, he was talking about Amy and not himself. This moment could have been an interesting opportunity to look at a more serious aspect to their relationship, but instead it was turned entirely into a joke.

Parenthood: In Dreams Begin Responsibilities (5x04)

Let's dive right in to all of these different plot lines.

Kristina's mayoral campaign continues, but she's not doing so well on the donation front. She needs one big donation, and her campaign manager Heather gets her a meeting with a developer. The developer gives her $20,000, but Kristina feels dirty accepting it, because she knows that if she's elected she won't be supporting the developer's work. She decides not to accept the money. Meanwhile, Adam tries to get the money from Mr. Ray, a rapper who has recorded at the Luncheonette. Initially Adam gets swept up in the idea of opening up a new label with Crosby, but eventually he gets the money from Mr. Ray, who has a kid and supports Kristina's platform of education.

Things I don't like: it's still stupid that Kristina is running for mayor. And Adam excitedly deciding to open a label because Mr. Ray says it's a good idea? That was weird too. Crosby was the more practical one in the room during that conversation, and that's really saying something. I also don't like that Adam is apparently all on board with Kristina's campaign now, because I enjoyed seeing the tension created by his doubtful attitude. Things I do like: the scene with Max at the end, where he encourages his mom to stay in the race. He even hands over the $20 he earned from Hank after staying quiet for a whole hour. Adorable. I also liked Mr. Ray, and Adam's obvious fear of him. Crosby had very little to do this week, but I liked how annoyed he was about the rude lead singer of a band recording at the Luncheonette. It was funny to see him try and remain professional when he clearly hated this guy's guts.

Elementary: Poison Pen (2x04)

Eh. I don't have anything to dislike strongly about this episode, but ultimately there wasn't much to be all that excited about. The case was a bit complicated and there were a few too many false leads and suspects.

Basically, a corpse is found by a dominatrix, and this dominatrix is a friend of Sherlock's, so she calls him in to help. The police determine that the victim was poisoned with nitroglycerin. While questioning the victim's wife and his children, Sherlock meets the nanny, a woman he recognizes from a murder trial several years earlier. Some prying from Joan reveals that Sherlock wrote letters back and forth with Abigail Spencer, who had been accused of murdering her abusive father. Although Sherlock never said as much in the letters, he grew to believe she was guilty, and relished the opportunity to learn the mind of a killer.

Abigail's father had died due to nitroglycerin poisoning as well, so she becomes the prime suspect. However, as time goes on, we learn that the victim's wife and the victim's oldest son both also learned of Abigail's past, and therefore both also would have had a good reason for using that method to murder someone, in that they could frame the nanny.

Parks and Recreation: Gin It Up (6x05)

I'm going to be brief. There were three plots going on this week, all of which had some cute moments.

Donna accidentally used the Parks Department twitter page to send a personal tweet, and the scandal gets blown out of proportion by those who want to recall Leslie. Donna says it was just a mistake, but Jamm and the other enemies of Leslie uncover Donna's private twitter account, wherein she is constantly complaining about Leslie (#bitchboss). Later, however, it seems that Donna is also talking about how great Leslie is and how she's kicking ass with this whole recall thing. Donna and Leslie have a conversation in which Leslie apologizes for being annoying sometimes, and Donna apologizes for complaining about her. 

Modern Family: The Late Show (5x05)

This episode was a perfect example of why I love this show. It took a very basic premise and really explored all its potential. I was chuckling through the whole thing. Sometimes it seems like sitcoms try to go too big, and the best episodes are the ones that narrow their focus. This episode was the strongest of the season so far for me.

The three adult couples are all planning to go out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, and the kids are staying at home. All three couples are really late to dinner, which results in their losing their reservation and having tacos instead. And that's it. That's the basic plot. But its tight focus is what made it so strong.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Eye Spy (1x04)

This episode gets a failing grade for title creativity. Seriously. Eye Spy? Are you people kidding me? But if I stop sighing in exasperation at stupid title puns, this episode did have a few good things to offer us. It was certainly stronger than last week's. For the first time, I felt some connection to Skye's character, which is a pretty significant improvement and a definite step in the right direction. But let's slow down and look at the plot.

We open with a very interesting scene. This was my favorite opening sequence on the show so far. There were creepy people with red masks and briefcases. They get on a subway and a suspicious looking woman suddenly shuts off the lights. By the time they come back on, the masked men are dead, and one of them has even had his hand cut off. Why?

Well, it's Coulson and the team to the rescue. They're not clearing this mission with the higher ups, because Coulson soon identifies the suspect - Akela Amador, his former student. She's been missing for years, presumed dead, although Coulson has always had his suspicions that she was still alive. Now she seems to be evil, running heists and stealing diamonds, not to mention the bodies she's leaving in her wake.

Supernatural: Devil May Care (9x02)

And here we have part two of our three-act opening story. Last week we established the characters, this week we established the main problems of the season: Abaddon, making a bid for Queen of Hell, and Ezekiel!Sam, or more specifically Dean keeping this secret from Sam. There's also the lingering threat of Crowley, tied up in the bunker, and Cas is still not with our boys. Ultimately I don't think this second episode was quite as strong as the first, but it still set up a few of the season's conflicts very nicely.

Let's look at the plot. Crowley has been taken captive to the bunker, where Sam and Dean tell him to give them a list of all the demons currently on earth. Crowley refuses, amused. He doesn't think anything the Winchesters do is going to be enough to force him to talk. In response, Sam and Dean leave him alone to stew in silence. As the main plot takes the brothers out of the bunker, Kevin is left alone with Crowley.

This leads to a very intense exchange between Kevin and Crowley. By asking Kevin not to go near Crowley, Dean was asking almost the impossible - it would be like telling Dean to stay away from Azazel. Crowley murdered Kevin's girlfriend and his mother - but oh wait. Maybe not his mother? Crowley says she's still alive, and that if he lets him go, Crowley will release her. Kevin is clearly upset by this information, but of course he doesn't let Crowley go. This scene between them was genius. Crowley got straight to the heart of the matter when he made Kevin doubt his place in Sam and Dean's lives. He suggested that Kevin was only being kept around because he was useful, not because they cared for him. By the end of the episode, Crowley is willing to give the brothers some names.

Castle: Number One Fan (6x04)

I liked this one. Unlike a few episodes back when Castle was dying from exposure to poisonous gas, the threat to Castle's life here was much more immediate, and thus more believable. I want to say that this was a stronger episode than the average fare on this show. However, when looking at how the episode fits into a larger whole, I see a lot of problems. Let's take a look.

Beckett is bored without her job, since the FBI firing thing is apparently sticking, and she can't get her job at the precinct again because of a hiring freeze. Then, Captain Gates calls Castle, asking for him to come in. He does, bringing Beckett with him. Apparently a woman who is suspected of murdering her boyfriend is holding people hostage in a dentist's office. The weird part? She's asking to speak to Castle, and only Castle.

And not just on the phone, either. Castle goes in to talk to this crazy girl, Emma, who it turns out is a super fan of Castle's books. She says that she didn't kill her boyfriend, and that she wants Castle's help to prove her innocence. At first it seems tricky. This girl is clearly a piece of work, and there's a very real chance she could have killed her boyfriend while drugged/drunk and be unable to remember it. But throughout the episode, we dig further and further into her past.

How I Met Your Mother: The Poker Game (9x05)

It's Friday, 6 pm. The poker game, started in the previous episode, continues. To be honest, this is one of those episodes that I forgot almost the second I watched it. There was nothing offensively bad about it, but it just didn't do much to keep my attention. One of the plots was really dull, and the other had a few good laughs but ultimately not much of a payoff. Let's take a look.

So, as the poker game progresses, Robin is getting increasingly annoyed with James' persistent jabs against marriage. She talks to Barney about it, but he insists that he doesn't want to take sides. Robin takes matters into her own hands by betting and winning James' wedding ring. Then, James' and Barney's mom enters the scene and demands Robin give the ring back. Barney tries to convince her to play nice, but instead she goes back to the poker game and cleans everyone else out, getting Loretta's blouse in a round of strip poker. Barney is torn, once again anxious about taking sides. After some advice from Lily that says the wife is always right, Barney decides to cut ties with his brother and his mother for Robin. Only one problem: he tells them that the whole thing is Robin's idea. 

So... there were a few potentially funny parts of this episode. I enjoyed Barney's realization that James was a bad husband, and his determination to be a better one for Robin. But beyond that, I was mostly just bored by this plot line. I find myself not caring at all about Robin and Loretta's feud or any of the rest of it. Only time will tell if something in this thread will grab my attention in the future.

The Walking Dead: 30 Days Without an Accident (4x01)

We start our new season after a lapse of several months. A new system is established: crops are being grown, Walkers are being dispatched in planned attacks, Carol is teaching the younger kids how to use weapons, Beth has found herself a boyfriend, and Carl has made a friend. There's even a sense of hope - people are starting to think far enough ahead that when Maggie has a brief pregnancy scare, she knows that she could have gone through with it if she had been pregnant.

I'm going to be brief about this episode, and there's a good reason for that. More than anything, this opener was an establishing episode. Sure, stuff happened. We had three deaths right off the bat, although all three of them were new characters from this episode. But mostly this episode served to show us the system in place. We can see where all these characters are and get a good sense of how they're doing. This way, moving forward, we can see the way the system will fracture and change.

The main plot of the episode centered around a planned run to a local store to get more supplies. Among the party are Daryl, Glenn, Beth's boyfriend Zach, and a new guy to the group named Bob. While in the store, Bob accidentally knocks over a shelf which causes the structural integrity of the roof to cave in, and Walkers actually start falling down from above, which was all sorts of terrifying. They've really stepped up the Walker makeup this season, and some of the effects were truly cringe worthy. The group at large manages to escape, but Zach is killed. One of the strongest and most heartbreaking moments in the episode was when Daryl goes to tell Beth about Zach's death. She is very serene about the whole thing. She says that she doesn't cry anymore, and she gives Daryl a hug and asks him if he's doing okay.

Once Upon a Time: Quite a Common Fairy (3x03)

Yes. Good. Awesome. Problematic at some points. But still good. Let's take a look at each of these plots individually.

First of all, we've got the only total dud of the night: the plot with Henry and Peter. Basically, Peter tries to convince Henry that he belongs with the Lost Boys. Henry isn't buying it, because he's not an idiot. Peter tries to get him into the spirit by having him attempt to shoot an apple off of another boy's head, but Henry tries to shoot Peter instead. Peter, because he's super human, catches the arrow (laced with poison) before it can do anything. In the end, Henry is left slightly uncertain after he sees a picture of himself that Peter has apparently been holding onto for quite some time.

I just didn't like this thread. The only interesting thing to come out of it was what Peter says about Henry's parents. Emma is the product of True Love. Neal was the offspring of the Dark One. Their child has got to be something pretty special. Beyond this interesting observation, I just thought the stuff with the Lost Boys was kind of boring. Peter is a decently menacing character, but I'm not sure if the actor they have is really pulling it off.

The Mentalist: Wedding in Red (6x03)

Let's jump straight into the plot.

Jane wants to keep an eye on Sheriff McAllister (one of the Red John suspects), so he convinces Lisbon to take a case in Napa. The case involves a wedding between a rich, snobby socialite girl and a lower class Hispanic man. Cliche of all cliches, but it actually worked. Despite the families battling about their kids getting married, the couple very clearly loved each other. The victim is the bride-to-be's uncle, who everyone agrees is nobody worth murdering, or even really talking about.

Everyone reacted really strangely to hearing about his death. It was basically just some disappointed sighing, and the bride seemed more upset about her wedding being ruined than anything else. I guess I could say this attitude was one of the biggest flaws in this episode. The weird reaction to murder had me thinking that something bigger was going on - maybe the reason that nobody seemed surprised or concerned is that they weren't, and that the murder took place with their knowledge. However, in the end it was nothing like that. Instead, one of the groom's friends had been trying to steal a rare and expensive bible, and he had been caught in the act. The murder was pretty run of the mill, in that sense. 

The Legend of Korra: The Sting (2x06)

Good episode. I think it was an improvement on last week's, but still not the strongest we've had this season. I guess I'll start off by saying something kind of troubling... I found myself enjoying the lack of Korra. I like Korra, but without her presence there was a chance for some of the other characters to stretch their legs and really affect the plot. 

So, Mako, Asami, and Varrick are upset to discover that the ships sent to help the Southern Water Tribe have been attacked. This is a huge blow not only for the South, who are in desperate need of reinforcements, but also for Asami, who lost a lot of her product. The investigation about the bombing in Republic City is still going on, and Mako thinks he has some clues as to who the bombers are. The others, including Lin, shut him down, firmly convinced that the North is responsible.

So, Asami and Mako decide to take things into their own hands. They enlist the Triple Threat Triads to try and lure the attackers out, but they are double crossed. When they get back to the city, they see all of Asami's merchandise has been stolen. When visiting the set of Varrick and Bolin's movie, Mako finds a clue and puts the awful truth together: Varrick was responsible for the bombings in Republic City, and thus also for sinking his own ships.

Parks and Recreation: Doppelgangers (6x04)

Cute episode! The basic premise was simple. As Pawnee and Eagleton merge, Leslie pairs up the Eagletonians with their counterparts from Pawnee in the government so that they can figure out each other's jobs and try to make things more efficient. Ultimately, this means half of the employees are superfluous.

Tom isn't paired with a person, but rather with a computer program that basically makes his job obsolete. He decides to pretend that it is a person - a racist, messy, incompetent person, at that. This basically ensures that he will keep his job, even though the program is much better at it than he is.

Donna's counterpart Craig is this crazy manic guy who loves his job and frightens Donna with his intensity. This character was a lot of fun. In the end, Leslie talks to Donna, who says Craig might actually be better for the job than she is. Donna says she actually wouldn't mind moving on to the next stage in her life. As the episode ends, Leslie hasn't decided which one to keep.

Elementary: We Are Everyone (2x03)

This was a good one. It had an interesting case of the week and focused on some issues regarding Sherlock and Joan's style of living. I found myself drawn in by every second.

The plot was as follows: a man leaked government information and then went into hiding to avoid arrest. Sherlock believes he's hiding with a group of hackers called Everyone, so he takes to the internet to solve the case.

Meanwhile, Joan's friend sets her up on a dating site. She is hesitant, but eventually decides to go for it. Sherlock thinks the idea is silly, since their lives are already full of meaning without attempting to find love as well. It seems our poor Mr. Holmes doesn't believe in love anymore after what happened with Irene/Moriarty. Seriously, who can blame him?

Things get tense when the hackers get into Joan and Sherlock's technology, causing chaos with their phones and online accounts. They then find the suspect, who is believed to have killed the woman who was keeping him hidden, on top of releasing government secrets. He demands to be released, since he knows information about secret operatives that could get them killed if released to the public. This plan works temporarily, but due to some pickpocketing by Miss Watson, they manage to get enough evidence.

Parenthood: Nipple Confusion (5x03)

A decent episode. I liked almost every story line in here. Unfortunately, the weakest one was the one that inspires the title, but I'll get to that. Let's dive in!

Kristina's campaign is still running a mile a minute, and Adam is getting more and more worried about the budget. When he tries to confront Kristina about it, however, she accuses him of not supporting her. He tries to convince her to let Sarah take her campaign photo for cheap, but Kristina is initially resistant. She agrees eventually, and Sarah comes through for her. In the end, Kristina admits that maybe she went a little too fast with this campaign thing, and she agrees that they should pull back on the spending until they know they have donations coming in to cover the cost. Adam, sensing this manipulation for what it is, capitulates and hands over his credit cards.

I enjoyed this plot quite a bit because it continued the tension between Kristina and Adam while still showing the strength of their marriage. Adam and Kristina both actually had very valid points in their arguments, and I was glad to see them have a moment of reconciliation at the end.

Grey's Anatomy: Puttin' On the Ritz (10x04)

I think I was expecting a little bit more from the 200th episode. I don't know what, exactly, but in all I was a little let down. There were a lot of different things going on here, as always with this show, and I'll attempt to briefly touch on them all.

Jackson is hosting a huge gala to raise money for the hospital. It is very elaborate and has trapeze artists and all manner of fancy spectacles. Jackson, Owen, Christina, Callie, Derek, Meredith and other members of the hospital all attempt to flatter the rich guests into donating money.

It becomes a bit of a flirting contest between Owen and Christina. Christina flirts with a young attractive man who later gives a lot of money to the hospital (Christina rejects his romantic advances once she has the check in hand). Owen, on the other hand, hits it off with a beautiful doctor from a competing hospital and as the episode ends, Christina leaves the two of them alone, seemingly unsure what to think of this newest development.

Callie is busy telling people at the gala that Arizona is dead, but then she feels guilty about it. However, it does bring in more money to the hospital.

The Big Bang Theory: The Raiders Minimization (7x04)

Ultimately, this is an episode with very little substance. I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way, because it still had a lot of funny jokes, but there was really nothing going on here that added to a deeper understanding of the characters or advanced a larger plot in any way. Let's take a look.

Amy and Sheldon watch The Raiders of the Lost Ark, which Amy enjoys, despite the story problem. Sheldon doesn't believe there could be any flaw, but Amy points out something obvious: Indiana Jones actually makes no difference to the plot. With or without him, the Nazis would have found the Ark, opened it, and died. Sheldon is angry that Amy ruined the movie for him, so he tries to ruin something Amy loves, such as Little House on the Prairie or Garfield. Sheldon and the other guys all try to come up with a way to refute Amy's claim about Indiana Jones, but they are unsuccessful.

The Vampire Diaries: True Lies (5x02)

Okay, yeah. I liked this one. I'm a bit annoyed about a few things, but in all I thought the episode had a lot of good moments.

The plot: Elena and Caroline are trying to figure out what the heck is up with their dead roommate, and they come across a really rude Biology teacher who seems to have something to do with it. They also have further interactions with Jesse, the upperclassman who seems to enjoy flirting with Caroline. (Caroline doesn't have much to do in this episode other than grapple with the Tyler issue and reject Jesse's advances).

Then, "Stefan" shows up. It's not him, of course, but rather Silas. Elena is so relieved to see him, but he ends up mind controlling her to kill Damon. She nearly does, but she manages to stop herself once Damon realizes what's going on. Elena actually stabs herself through the leg to prevent herself from killing him, but unfortunately her anger at Damon is acting as a trigger for her homicidal thoughts. She's angry because of all the chaos going on back in Mystic Falls that Damon didn't tell her about. Eventually, the only way to stop Elena's crazy thoughts is for her to think of something stronger than her anger at Damon. What emotion is stronger, you may ask? Well, these intense feelings she's been having about Stefan. She can sense that he's in a lot of pain, and is just trying to call out to her for help. This helps break the mind control, and her and Damon are able to start looking for Stefan.

Modern Family: Farm Strong (5x04)

Let's dive right in.

Cam's sister Pam comes to visit, and Cam doesn't want to tell her that he's getting married because she's apparently always been sensitive and she'll be upset that he's getting married before her. However, the news slips out, and Pam seems very excited. She then reveals that she's also engaged - to Cam's childhood crush. Now, Cam is acting upset. Pam seems to think that Cam is the sensitive one in the family, rather than it being the other way around. At a family gather at the end of the episode, Cam insists that everyone start telling him things they were too afraid to say because of his sensitivity. The secrets start pouring out, which upsets Cam even more. In the end, however, the combined efforts of Mitch and Pam calm him down.

There were some really cute moments in this plot line, such as Cam talking "straight" on the phone to Pam's new fiance, and his attempt to reign in his emotions when he learns that Claire met Beyoncé.

Meanwhile, Luke is on a soccer team, but he's almost constantly benched and Claire and Phil are getting tired of going to the games. Claire convinces Phil to skip the game, but she ends up finishing all of her chores early and going to the game. While there, Luke plays the game of his life. Claire feels awful for making Phil miss it, so she has Luke keep Claire's presence there a secret. At the family gathering, Cam lets slip that Claire was at the game, which causes Phil to be really angry at Claire but really proud of Luke.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Asset (1x03)

Mehhhh. Not good. Just... not good. I wanted it to be good, I really did. But there were so many problems with both the plot and the characterization in this episode that I'm left feeling rather discouraged. I'm still rooting for this show to get better, but it still has a long way to go, to be honest.

A scientist and former teacher of Fitzsimmons has been kidnapped by the unambiguously evil Ian Quinn. Dr. Franklin Hall (the kidnapped guy) is being kept in a country outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jurisdiction, so going in to rescue him is going to be tricky.

So what do they do? Oh, just let Skye infiltrate, since she's not actually an official agent yet. That is the stupidest plan in the world, and Coulson is really lucky that it's too early for the big reveal about Skye's continuing allegiance to the Rising Tide, or else this could have gone very poorly for him.

But, yeah. Skye goes in to distract this Quinn guy and disarm some of the security so that Coulson and Ward could go in and rescue Hall. Skye manages to succeed by playing a double agent, but then things get pretty tense when Quinn discovers her betrayal. She saves herself by jumping into a pool, and Ward shows up to save her. Meanwhile, Coulson finds Hall. But... plot twist! He actually planned his own kidnapping to get into the research facility and get his hands on the Gravitonium.

Castle: Need to Know (6x03)

This was a fun episode. It knew exactly what it was trying to do, and it accomplished its goal by being really light hearted all the way through, but still touching on some more serious elements as well.

Basically, the premise is that a child star has died, and the Feds are assigned the case for some reason. Beckett and McCord come down and basically block Esposito and Ryan from investigating. Castle ends up mixed up in the case as well, since he's looking for something to get him out of the apartment and away from Pi and Alexis.

Part way through the case, a CIA agent also shows up and complicates things. Long story short, the FBI keeps blocking the NYPD from getting things done, and then the CIA does the same thing to the FBI. This silly chain of inconvenience is played for laughs, and the episode knows exactly how hokey it really is. 

Of the case, nothing much needs to be said. The child actor was working on a reunion movie from the teen show he was on when he was younger. The suspects include people working on the movie, and then a bigger plot is revealed, in which Russians are using the movie to smuggle guns into the country. (I know. What?)

How I Met Your Mother: The Broken Code (9x04)

This was an episode that was mostly just average, but had one large problem which unfortunately impacted the whole tone of the story, and made it hard for me to be overly enthusiastic about this one.

So. Barney confronts Ted about his moment holding hands with Robin in the rain, but Ted immediately assures Barney that it meant nothing. Barney appears to accept this instantly, and all is well. However, Barney starts to abuse Ted's job as best man and have him fulfill a series of insane tasks. Initially, Ted is willing to remake fancy place cards and store doves in his basement room and do all sorts of other unpleasant things. However, when he discovers that Barney has started a special poker game without him, and makes Billy Zabka his new best man, Ted realizes that Barney is still upset.

In order to mediate the tension between them, the two turn to Marshall. Lily has turned her famous "Marshpillow" into a more advanced model by attaching an iPad to the head with Marshall skyping in from the road. He determines that Ted holding Robin's hand is only weird if it's weird to hold any friend's hand. To test this theory, the three guys (or two guys and one pillow contraption) go outside and sit on the ground. Ted and Barney hold hands. Barney agrees that it's not weird, since of course Ted doesn't still have feelings for Robin. When Ted is unable to confirm this, Barney is understandably angry.

Supernatural: I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here (9x01)

Holy codependency, Batman. Like, wow. That premiere was dark. In a good way. It was a brilliant premiere. One of the better episodes of Supernatural ever. I had some teeny tiny flaws with it but really they are more problems that involve speculation about the future - which is hardly fair, if I'm really judging this episode on its own. But I might as well dive in and discuss my thoughts about all this stuff, huh?

So. Sam is in the hospital, and he's really sick. Dean hears from the doctor that there's really nothing left to do, and Dean being Dean of course refuses to accept that. He prays to Cas, asking for his help. But no, hold the phone - he's not asking for his help, he's just asking for his presence. He just wants Cas there. It was a beautiful scene. As someone who only mildly ships Destiel, I really could not help myself from getting all gushy over this one. The sweet soft music in the background, Jensen's choked up and desperate acting... ugh. So much love for this moment.

Cas doesn't show up, obviously, and Dean then turns his prayer to a wider audience. He basically makes a general announcement to all angels, asking for help and promising help in return. As Dean later says, this proves he's pretty darn desperate, since he has no way of knowing what these angels will do when they turn up. After a conversation with a grievance counselor, Dean realizes that even if angels don't turn up, he might still have someone who can help.

Once Upon a Time: Lost Girl (3x02)

Yay! Another strong episode. They are really picking up the pieces from a rather weak end to Season Two. This new Neverland plot has really invigorated the story and the characters.

So, in Neverland there are two plots occurring. One of them was probably the weakest part of the episode for me. Rumplestiltskin is still searching for Henry. He makes preparations for his journey by disconnecting himself from his shadow and having it hide his dagger from everybody - including himself. Then, a vision of Belle appears. At first Rumple suspects that she may be a trick of Pan, but we then learn that he himself is imagining her in order to learn something about himself. He tells Belle that he's afraid of what he might do - he knows that he should save Henry, but Pan's offer is tempting as well, because it will mean that Henry will no longer be his downfall. Belle tells him to be strong. In the end, we see that the doll given to Rumple by Felix (a gift from Rumple's father) is indestructible, even by magic, and Rumple puts it in his pocket.

This plot felt like a really cheap way to bring Belle into the story and give her some romance with Rumple. I didn't enjoy it. The question of Rumple's grey morals is usually interesting to explore, but here it felt too simplistic and acted only as a vehicle for a bit of romance.

The Mentalist: Black-Winged Red Bird (6x02)

Noooo. After a strong opening, this episode of The Mentalist fell back in a big way. I was pretty disappointed. There were a few good things going on here, but to be honest I just felt let down after that awesome season premiere.

So, the case of the week involved someone being taken out by a drone strike. In their car. You know where I've already seen this strange plot before? On Castle last season. You snooze you lose, guys. And even on top of that, the mystery ended up revolving around a ritual samurai suicide, since the guy who died was apparently all about honor. But there was still a bad guy, even though it was a suicide... apparently the guy had feelings for a girl he worked with in developing drones, and she pressured him to keep a dangerous secret about their new product.

This wasn't the worst procedural plot in the world, but it really didn't do much for me. The characters weren't all that compelling, and the mystery was pretty hokey. Samurais, drones, roll-playing prostitutes...  (Jane kept calling the prostitute a "hooker." I have no idea why, but that bothered me). It was just a very unbalanced story, and I never felt totally into it.

The Legend of Korra: Peacekeepers (2x05)

There were a lot of things about this episode that just felt too simplistic. I understand that it's a show geared towards a younger audience, but normally I expect things to be a bit more nuanced. That being said, there were still some good moments and interesting issues addressed.

Korra and the gang are back in Republic City, and things are tense. Members of the Southern and Northern Water Tribes are protesting in the streets. Mako is back on the beat as a police officer, and he sees some men setting the Southern Water Tribe's cultural center on fire. Korra automatically assumes that the Northern Water Tribe is responsible. Mako is not so sure.

Meanwhile, Varrick starts to work on propaganda against the North, and he uses Bolin as the star. This idea comes from a scene where Bolin gets a lot of popular support at a Pro Bending event, even though he doesn't say anything substantial. Varrick makes a joke about how this will make him a great public figure for the war.

Elementary: Solve For X (2x02)

Sorry I'm so late on this one. This was a fantastic episode. There were two main plots:

The first was the case of the week, which involved mathematicians attempting to solve P vs. NP, a famous math problem that, if solved, would greatly affect the real world. Two mathematicians working on the equation were killed, and Sherlock and Joan are on the case to figure out what happened.

There were some good guest characters here, and some nice misdirection. Nothing so dazzling as to stick out of the texture of the average procedural, but it was a particularly good example of procedural television. I had trouble figuring out who the killer was, but in fact the obvious suspect was the killer - her alibi, which had earlier ruled her out, proved false. I like the way that Sherlock acts on these cases. Instead of just being a know-it-all, he really listens to and respects the opinions of Bell and Joan as he works through the case.

The real meat of this episode, however, took place in the other story line. Joan comes across the son of a former patient - the one that died under her care, and the reason she got out of medicine. This kid, played by Jeremy Jordan (of Smash fame) asks Joan to invest money in the bar he is opening. Joan asks Sherlock for a $5,000 advance, and Sherlock uses his famous deductive skills to figure out that this has something to do with her former patient. 

Parenthood: All Aboard Who's Coming Aboard (5x02)

Lots of good stuff going on this week, but there were a few missteps as well. I'd say this episode was generally a bit stronger than the first one, but still about in the same ballpark. It was subplot palooza with the Braverman clan, meaning we didn't have any big unifying scenes with our whole family like we briefly did last week. However, this didn't detract from getting the ball rolling with some of these continuing story lines.

First up: Kristina running for mayor. I still don't think it makes any sense. And guess who agrees with me? Adam. He knows how slim her chances are, and he's worried that the stress of a campaign will be bad for her health. Kristina now has a campaign manager as well. Her name is Heather, and she's young and ambitious and I guess she wants to take a nobody like Kristina and turn her into a winner. I like the character okay, but I just can't tell if we're supposed to think Kristina is a valid candidate or not. Because she isn't. Valid. And if she wins this thing I'll actually be pretty upset. However, I do like the stakes this is creating in Adam and Kristina's relationship, since Adam has to struggle between being supportive and stating his very logical concerns.

Julia gets stuck volunteering at the kids' school for the sustainability program, and she works with a guy named Ed. He's also a stay-at-home parent who used to have a job, so Julia really relates to him. They both talk about how useless they feel about their jobs. There were some funny moments here, but mostly it was just a pretty blatant set up that Ed is somehow going to threaten Julia and Joel's relationship. I have hope that it could be more interesting than that - Ed might act as a catalyst to show that Julia is dissatisfied without her job, which could in turn bring up old resentments in their family.

Parks and Recreation: The Pawnee-Eagleton Tip Off Classic (6x03)

Yay! Eagleton! As much as Leslie Knope hates Eagleton, I love to watch her hating it. I think what makes the whole Eagleton thing so interesting to me is that it's Leslie's one exception. She's normally so wonderful and considerate to everyone, but when it comes to Eagleton, she has a blind hatred that's always amusing to watch.

So, Ben and Chris (cute bromance in this episode, by the way) go to help Eagleton out with their recent financial troubles. Leslie decides to tag along. They realize that Eagleton is in really bad shape because of all of their extravagant spending, such as paying for the whole town to have HBO and filling the local pool up with bottled water. Leslie is delighted about this, but she does offer to help Eagleton out with loaning some money from Pawnee. The Eagletonians have had enough of her cocky attitude, and they don't accept her offer.

Grey's Anatomy: Everybody's Crying Mercy (10x03)

I'm going to be brief about this one. I really am. It's way too easy to ramble on about Grey's Anatomy. 

Basically, Richard is being a bad patient. He refuses to get a feeding tube and he can't eat because he can barely swallow. Shane is upset, Bailey is defending Richard's right to make the decision. Eventually, Meredith comes in (she's supposed to be on leave because of the baby and the surgery). She's worried about Richard. Shane finally convinces Richard to take the feeding tube. In a heartbreaking conversation, we learn that Richard didn't choose Meredith to be his family. He chose her because he thought she would make a logical and unemotional choice, and that she chose wrong when she let them do the surgery on him.

Meanwhile, Callie and Arizona are still having major problems. Callie is snippy at everyone, but a situation with a patient who cheated on her husband made her realize that things can get complicated. Arizona really wants to go to couples counselling, but Callie doesn't go. You're meant to feel really bad for both of them in that moment, and I think it works really well. 

The Big Bang Theory: The Scavenger Vortex (7x03)

Cute episode! Probably the strongest one of the season so far. It made a smart decision by sticking to a simple premise and milking it for all it was worth. There were really no parallel plot lines going on, because the entire group was all involved in the same story, making it well-focused and fun.

Raj decides to set up a scavenger hunt as a fun activity for all of the friends. (His murder mystery dinner party idea didn't go over so well). So, he sets up ten clues and says that at the end, the winning team will find a gold coin hidden somewhere in the city. As he announces the scavenger hunt and explains the rules, he uses a lot of silly magic tricks and gimmicks to make it more interesting. To be honest, this was not too funny and was probably the low point of the episode for me.

So, they all need to partner up. Leonard suggests they pull names out of a hat, which makes Penny suspect that he doesn't want her as a partner because he thinks she'll be a liability. Turns out pretty much everyone thinks that. They pick their teams randomly, and they stand as follows: Leonard is with Bernadette, Sheldon is with Penny, and Howard is with Amy.

The Vampire Diaries: I Know What You Did Last Summer (5x01)

Oh, boy. We're back. This show has had a whole bunch of problems over the years. I'm not denying that. However, I'm happy to report that there were a lot of compelling things going on in this premiere episode. Hopefully the momentum can keep up as we continue into the season. Let's take a look.

Over the summer, Elena and Damon have a lot of sex, and Jeremy (newly alive) is disturbed about that. Jeremy is also helping Bonnie write emails and postcards to her father and her friends, keeping up the illusion that she's traveling. She still hasn't told anyone she's dead. Caroline and Elena are both also getting ready to go off to college. Katherine is struggling with being human. Matt and Rebekah went on their world travels, and obviously didn't leave things platonic for very long... there was even a threesome involved! Also, nobody has heard from Stefan all summer. (One thing that bothered me about this episode was the fact that nobody thought this was suspicious. I mean, I can buy that Damon and Elena didn't want to look too hard, because it's sort of awkward. But Caroline? Why didn't see try and find her friend?)

So, Elena and Caroline go off to college, and are shocked at the presence of a third roommate in their shared room. Her name is Megan, and things start to get really weird when Caroline discovers she has vervain in her water. Then, Megan gets killed by a vampire at a college party. The campus security and the police seem to be covering it up. The final pin in the weird-and-crazy coffin comes when Elena discovers a picture of Megan with Elena's father. So... that's weird. And intriguing. I think there could be some really cool stuff going on with this plot. I'm excited to see Elena and Caroline struggle with college. Hopefully we see them actually going to classes. 

Modern Family: Larry's Wife (5x03)

This was a fairly cute episode. Let's go through the plots.

Gloria is worried that Joe is afflicted with her family's curse, and that that's why he's such a mean baby. Meanwhile, Jay and Manny go to see a movie, and Jay teaches Manny about getting mad and making a scene. Gloria sees the way that Jay is influencing Manny, and figures out that Joe's mean behavior isn't coming from her side of the family, after all. I liked this plot. It was probably the strongest one in the episode. I always enjoy seeing Jay and Manny bonding.

Phil has been selling houses to recently single women. He becomes a shoulder for them to cry on, but it begins to affect his life at home, as he continually forgets to help out around the house while Claire is busy with her new job. It all culminates into a funny scene where Phil gets caught with three of the different women and Claire at the grocery store. The whole thing crumbles when it becomes clear that he's been basically "cheating on" all these women with one another. Claire gets to say I told you so. This plot was sort of funny, but perhaps a bit heavy handed.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 0-8-4 (1x02)

A promising second episode. Here's what I'll say upfront about this show. It's still early days. It's hard to be too critical of something that's still just learning to walk on its own, and while Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is not up to masterpiece standards, I think about the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I know that sometimes true art takes a while to emerge. I trust these actors and especially this creative team to give me a quality product. It's just not quite there yet.

In this installment, the team has been ordered to retrieve an 0-8-4, which is basically an unidentified object. They arrive in Peru and find something weird and alien looking shoved into the wall. Fitzsimmons and Skye take a look at it. Ward is a bit annoyed at Skye's presence on the team. Already, Fitzsimmons aren't trained for combat, and now Skye is yet another liability. He is having a particularly hard time adjusting to working with other people.

Ward and Melinda May are outside of the temple when suddenly they find themselves surrounded by a bunch of military looking people. They disarm them like total badasses, and when Coulson arrives on the scene to see what's happening, he sees Camilla Reyes, a woman he used to work with. And sleep with. Which is quite obvious within two seconds of them sharing the screen. Reyes is the commander of the soldiers, and she tells them to stand down.

How I Met Your Mother: Last Time in New York (9x03)

Cute episode. Really cute. There was really only one big problem with it, but I'll get to that in a minute. The plot:

It's 52 hours before the wedding. Lily discovers a list that Ted has made of things to do before leaving New York. It includes things like saying goodbye to the Empire State Building (which Ted affectionately calls "Empy") and getting a drink with his favorite students. It also includes drinking one last scotch with Barney. They have been saving a very special Glen McKenna for the occasion.

As Lily tries to convince Ted to stay, we get a few flashbacks that show how Ted and Marshall accidentally ruined Lily's dress for the rehearsal dinner when having a sword fight. It is then revealed that the special bottle of Glen McKenna was destroyed by another sword fight between Lily and Robin. These were really humorous flashbacks, and definitely one of the highlights of the episode.

In the end, Lily gives Ted a piece of advice - instead of saying goodbye to all the good things about New York, he should say goodbye to the bad things - all the times he's felt lonely, etc. These are the things he should be happy to be doing for the last time. Ted reveals one last thing on his list: get one last Life Lesson lecture from Lily. This was the flaw in the episode. It was so ridiculously cheesy that it completely pulled me out of the moment. This show has been around for quite some time, and it's okay to get a bit sentimental, but I was rolling my eyes while Lily was talking. They should be saving the sentimental stuff for further down the rode.

Castle: Dreamworld (6x02)

Yeah, this episode had all the problems I anticipated. The plot surrounding Castle's impending death was... well, it lacked heart. There was no real possibility of him dying, so it felt totally unnecessary to waste an episode with that hanging over it. It might have been worthwhile had it revealed something new about any of the characters, but that wasn't really the case.

The case itself kept up its momentum from the premiere. The intrigues continue to grow as important government members get drawn into the mix. In the end, it turns out that a US operative was killed in a bombing (her codename was Valkyrie), and the dead woman's boyfriend is bent on revenge. He tried to write an article about Dreamworld (the secret base from which the mission was conducted) but he was shut down. Then, he decides to go after the wife of Secretary of Defense, in order to make him pay for what he's done.

I've got to say, the conclusion to the case seemed rather weak to me. I think it's because after following up so many intense terrorist-related leads, the answer in the end is all about a personal revenge. The episode was so focused on the case that it didn't leave much room for character stuff, which isn't necessarily a problem if the plot is just so interesting that you can't take time away from it. But that wasn't the situation here. I'll admit that I wasn't sure how the case would be resolved, so there was some suspense. Other than that, nothing too special was going on.

Once Upon a Time: The Heart of the Truest Believer (3x01)

I know I expressed a lot of annoyance with the end of Season Two. There were a lot of really weak episodes, and even though the finale managed to be decent enough, it still did not match the intensity of Season One. I'm happy to report, however, that the start of this new season is very strong indeed.

In a show like Once Upon a Time, you have to suspend your disbelief in more ways than one. Of course there are the magic beans and the fairies and all that stuff, but there's also the utter cheesiness of the characters and themes. Since this is a show centered around fairy tales, I'm okay with the theme of the episode being: "let's all work together!"

But let's first take a look at the plot.

Emma, Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Hook, and Gold are all on a ship headed to Neverland. They get through the portal okay, and now they are sailing on their way to find Henry. Rumplestiltskin makes an early exit, donning his fairy tale outfit and magic-ing himself off to find Henry the quick way.

The Mentalist: The Desert Rose (6x01)

Good, strong opening episode! I'm actually getting excited about this season of The Mentalist, which is not something I was expecting to happen. Plot-wise, we pick up where we left off.

Jane and Lisbon are shocked at the discovery that Red John knows the list of seven suspects. Jane appears to be at a total loss as to what to do. Then, they get a case.

It's a run-of-the-mill sort of thing. A body has turned up, but it's old - a skeleton. It takes some time, therefore, to ID it. They think it belongs to a man who went missing quite some time back. Along the way we meet the wife, the son (from another marriage), the people at the local bar... there's some disturbing stuff going on, like the wife having sex with her stepson. In the end, Jane uses a "psychic" trick to reveal the truth: the waitress and some of the regulars at the bar were responsible. They did it to get the guy's money.

In all honesty, this case-of-the-week barely kept my attention. It wasn't bad, but it had nothing particularly special going on. The episode should have spent more time on its strongest plot thread: the subplot about Red John.

Breaking Bad: Felina (5x16)

Wow. I can't believe it's really over. This show is one of the best - if not the best - examples of television I have ever seen. And while the finale actually wasn't the strongest episode of the season, (that honor remains firmly with Ozymandias) it was still an enormously satisfying conclusion. I really feel like Breaking Bad was a show that respected its viewers. It trusted us to be intelligent. It didn't mess around with our expectations, and it gave us a product of extremely high quality.

So. In this final episode we see Walt go to Gretchen and Elliot Schwartz in their fancy home, ambushing them while they are enjoying an evening alone. He brings in his money and tells them to give it to Walter Jr. when he turns eighteen. In order to solidify this command, Walt threatens them with snipers waiting outside. We later see that the snipers are nothing more than Badger and Skinny Pete with laser pointers. From them, Walt learns that the blue meth is still circulating in the area, and he determines that Jesse is still alive and cooking for Jack.

This scene was really chilling. Walt was so calm about breaking into the Schwartz's home. He didn't sneak around or try and be quiet. He just calmly entered their house and waited to be noticed. It almost seemed like he was having fun as he threatened them with imminent death. I also have to respect Walt's plan, here. He may have found the only way to successfully get that money to his family.

The Legend of Korra: Civil Wars, Part 2 (2x04)

And now we have Part 2 of our Civil Wars episode. You know what the best part of this episode is? The fact that it's only the beginning. I'm so relieved that we're taking our time this season and really spreading out the plot here. This civil war is by no means over. Things are just getting started.

There were a lot of things I loved about this episode, and a few things I did not. I definitely don't think it was as strong as last week, but it also didn't drop the momentum, so at the end of the day its flaws weren't a huge detriment to the season's building story arc.

So. Unalaq is putting Tonraq and Senna under arrest for conspiring to assassinate him. Unalaq tells Korra, of course, that he has to follow all leads but that he's sure they won't be found guilty. However, Tonraq is found guilty. He is sentenced to death, but Unalaq pleads mercy for his brother and for the other guilty parties. Instead, they are given life in prison.

Korra is understandably quite upset about all of this. And she's even more upset when she learns from the judge in the trial that Unalaq had set the whole thing up. Not only that, but he had set up the earlier incident in which Tonraq was banished from the Northern Water Tribe. Basically, (surprise, surprise) Korra finally sees how evil Unalaq truly is.