Modern Family: The Big Guns (6x12)

Eh. There was nothing wrong with this episode, but I only really liked one of the plot lines. The other two were basically just mediocre. Let's get going.

The Dunphys have another run-in with their neighbors Ronnie and Amber, when they park a giant boat in their driveway, making it hard for Phil and Claire to park their car in their own driveway. They try to be nice about it and ask them to move it, since it's technically against the law for them to have it there, but they won't listen. Phil and Claire invite Phil's dad over with his retirement buddies, and they park their giant RVs in the Dunphy driveway as retaliation. However, this plan backfires when the old guys get along really well with Ronnie and Amber, and hang out with them in the boat. Phil's father convinces them they should move the boat, though. Just as it looks like things are wrapping up peacefully, the police show up because Claire had called them to complain. Both families get written up for having the boat and the RVs in their driveways.

There wasn't anything wrong with this plot, but I didn't laugh at it. The closest thing to a funny moment was when Luke is trying to get the hot teenage daughter of Ronnie and Amber to like him. He tries to flirt with her, but it doesn't work, so he then follows Alex's advice and goes outside for something without even looking at her as she sunbathes in the driveway. The girl is miffed at not being ogled, and Alex declares that soon, Luke will have won her over. She also lets slip that her own personal fantasy would be being kissed in the science museum. So, that subplot got some chuckles out of me. But honestly? All the stuff about the boat and the RV and Phil's father and everything... it was all just a bit of a letdown. Ronnie and Amber usually make for a funny episode, but there wasn't really anything too special here.

Parks and Recreation: Ron & Jammy (7x02)

Disclaimer: I watched the Producer's Cut for this episode, which is available at the NBC website. So, I might comment on things that you didn't see. I honestly don't know which parts were not in the TV-release version... sorry. Let's get started!

It looks like Councilman Jamm is the deciding vote about whether the land owned by Newport can be a commercial area or not. Ron obviously wants this, because of his contract with Gryzzl, while Leslie wants to stop it. It turns out, Jamm is going to vote the way his new girlfriend tells him to. Who is this woman? It's Tammy II! Oh no! Leslie and Ron band together to save Jamm from her evil clutches. Jamm eventually manages to break up with her, and he then decides to abstain from voting altogether so as not to choose between Leslie and Ron. The vote remains at a tie, so nothing can move forward.

While this is happening, April is delighted to see her favorite crazy person: Joan Callamezzo. She went completely off the rails, and April finds it hilarious. However, when Joan says that the only way to live is to be extra passionate about your work, April starts to question her own life. Does she even like her job? Ben helps her to follow her passions, but after discovering that working as a mortician isn't as cool as it sounds, she is left without any real answers. However, she does hug Ben and thank him for his help, and she knows she'll have to keep looking to find her next dream.

Parks and Recreation: 2017 (7x01)

It looks like for the first few weeks, Parks and Recreation is going to be running two episodes back to back. I'm still going to review them separately, though, because these are not two-part episodes. Okay! Let's get started.

It's three years later, and things are very different. Leslie is the Regional Parks Director, Ben is City Manager. A lot of the characters have moved on - Ron now owns a construction company, Donna runs a real estate firm and is engaged, and Tom owns multiple restaurants. April and Andy are still working for Leslie, but Andy now has his own TV show based on his "Johnny Karate" character.

It looks like Leslie and Ron are no longer close, due to some incident referred to as "Morning Star." We so far have no idea what that's about, but in any case, Ron is working closely with Gryzzl, a tech company. Gryzzl and the Parks Department are the two main contenders looking to buy a parcel of land from the Newport family. Gryzzl can offer all sorts of money, and the Parks Department can't. Leslie tries to come up with money, but in the end she offers to name the new national park "Newport Park," and tries to get the Newports to consider donating the land. It looks like this fight with Gryzzl will be one of the main tensions of the season.

Castle: Castle, P.I. (7x11)

Okay! Back from hiatus. Let's just jump right in to this adorable episode.

The case of the week is this: a woman who worked for a high-end private pre-school ends up murdered. After multiple false leads, eventually we discover that she was looking into a murder that happened fifteen years ago, when her college boyfriend died falling out of a window. She believes that he was killed, and in the process of looking into it, she gets herself killed.

The other main tension in this episode is that Castle, no longer able to work alongside Beckett at the NYPD, gets his PI license and starts his own "parallel" investigation. Beckett, Ryan, and Espo are constantly confounded by Castle's ability to find clues and beat them to the punch at several key moments of the case, given that he has access to far less resources than them. In a pivotal scene, both Castle and Beckett try to ply each other with wine to get answers about the other's investigation. They agree to help each other out, just this once, which leads to their information fitting together to figure out a big piece of the case. Beckett and Castle both greatly miss working together, but obviously it's against the rules.

In the end, Castle helps to save the day and solve the case, but he is still banned from working with the NYPD. Beckett tells Castle that she's proud of him for his innovation and creativity, and Castle decides that he wants to keep being a PI. Even though he originally did all this for a chance to work with Beckett, he still likes it in his own right, and wants to keep going. Beckett buys him a deerstalker cap and a magnifying glass, to show her support.

Elementary: The Eternity Injection (3x09)

Wow, what a great episode for Sherlock and Joan! I had forgotten how much I missed their partnership. Kitty doesn't get sidelined completely, though. Let's start with the plot.

An old colleague of Joan's from the hospital shows up to say that a friend of hers (another hospital employee, a nurse) has gone missing. Shortly after, Sherlock, Joan, and Kitty discover this missing person's body. DNA under her fingernails leads them to the killer, but it looks like he's been murdered by someone as well.

Eventually, they discover what links these two people. Each had been paid a lump sum by a mysterious company that turns out to be an illegal drug trial. The point of the drug is to create in the minds of human beings the illusion that more time is passing than it really is. So, for example, you could get a week's worth of living done in a single hour. The woman who was murdered was one of the nurses who was administering the drug. The second victim was one of the people who was testing the drug. Turns out, it doesn't work correctly - it causes severe brain damage.

Several of the other trial members also turn up dead, and they realize that the people behind this whole thing are trying to cover up their mistakes. Eventually, they are able to find a patient of the drug trial who is not dead. He was given a smaller dose than others, and seems to be still partially sane. He is able to help them find the man in charge of the drug trial. Turns out, this man was trying to find the drug to help an old mentor of his, who had a terminal illness and wanted to experience more life than he had left to live. Before they can arrest this old man along with his pupil, they find that he has taken the drug. They are left to wonder if anything will be left of his mind when he awakens.

The Big Bang Theory: The Space Probe Disintegration (8x12)

Actually... sort of a good job with this one. Let's dive right in.

Sheldon and Leonard are getting ready to play a Lord of the Rings board game, when Penny decides she's had enough. She says that she and Amy are always doing what the boys want to do, and that it's their turn to decide. After a lengthy debate on the best activity to please Amy and Penny while making the boys miserable, Sheldon helpfully suggests that the girls could go shopping while the guys sit on uncomfortable chairs and hold their purses. This is agreed upon.

At the store, Penny and Amy have a talk about how Penny always controls their friendship. Amy decides she should stand up for herself more, and Penny approves. While waiting outside, Sheldon and Leonard get into an argument about who makes more sacrifices for the other. Leonard pulls out the trump card when he says that he's not living with the woman he loves because of Sheldon. Sheldon says that Leonard often hurts his feelings with his snide remarks and eye rolling. The two of them both shed some tears, and then come to an arrangement: Leonard will gradually move out of Sheldon's and into Penny's place, starting with once a week. We later see Penny and Leonard together in bed at Penny's apartment, while Sheldon sleeps on the couch.

Parenthood: How Did We Get Here? (6x10)

Okay! Not much to say up front about this one. We're nearing the very end of the show. Let's just get started with the plot!

Zeek is rushed to the hospital, and all four of his kids are called and hurry to the hospital. It looks like it's pretty bad. After examining all the options, Zeek is stuck between a potentially life-threatening surgery, and the idea of doing nothing and playing the odds. It's very stressful for all involved.

Things are sort of awkward between Julia and Joel, since they spent the night together. However, Joel is being the perfect and helpful husband, fetching coffee and calming everybody down. Hank wants to be there for Sarah, so he picks up Drew from his school when Drew's car won't start. Drew is particularly tense because he knows that his last exchange with his grandfather was not a good one. Hank tells him that he knows, as a father, that Zeek isn't thinking about any of that right now. Drew and Hank seem to bond a bit. Hank realizes that he wants to be "all in" with Sarah, so he proposes to her. She's shocked, and they agree to talk about it later when there's a better time.

Meanwhile, in the chaos of trying to figure out if Zeek is okay, Crosby and Adam get some bad news - the Luncheonette has been robbed, and it's really bad. Luckily, they do get a large settlement from the insurance company. They now have to make a choice - should they replace the equipment and keep going, or should they take the money, liquidate the business, and both come out with some money and a clean slate? 

Modern Family: The Day We Almost Died (6x11)

Very cute. The setup for this episode is simple, and it goes in a lot of really fun directions. Let's get going.

The Dunphys, plus Manny, are all driving back from going out to breakfast together when they are nearly killed by a truck. Each of them has a different reaction to this, all of which spiral into crazy behavior.

Claire decides that she has to stop micro-managing her life and live in the moment. She pulls Mitch away from work to take him rollerblading, but Mitch is not so much into this. He ends up getting mugged in a dark tunnel, before rushing back to the office for his meeting. Claire realizes eventually that she can't let go of all of her control and planning.

Phil has pretty much the opposite reaction. He decides he's going to take total control over his own life. He goes to a house and yells at Gil, his rival in the real estate business, and then he helps Cam to get the dryer that he ordered. Apparently, Cam had ordered eggshell, but the one that had arrived had been white. Phil's assertiveness and power make Cam realize that Phil might actually be hot, but this thought is immediately derailed when Phil decides to get an alpaca, something he has always wanted.

The Mentalist: Green Light (7x06)

Interesting! Jane and Lisbon are pretty much a subplot in this episode, and yet I still enjoyed it quite a bit. Let's jump in.

The DEA raids a restaurant looking for drugs, but nothing turns up. The FBI are sent to do an investigation, because the raid got a little bit heated, and one of the agents attacked someone. Turns out, it's a good thing someone's looking into it, because this agent, Gonzales, is murdered shortly after. Abbott's involvement in this investigation is a bit awkward, because the head of the DEA unit is his old boss, a man who worked with Abbott in the past and knows a terrible secret about him. Abbott wants to avoid this secret getting out not only because of his own career, but also because of his wife's.

Quickly, it turns out that there's a criminal within the DEA who has been tipping off drug lords to help them avoid raids from the DEA. Jane and the team begin to investigate. Abbott's old boss tells Abbott to let him have the credit for catching the traitor, and that if Abbott refuses, he'll let old secrets spill. Abbott is nervous about it, but he doesn't know who to confide in.

Eventually, at Jane's prodding, Abbott tells Jane the secret. Years ago, he killed a man who he was supposed to be watching - he knew this man was about to slaughter innocent people. Jane thinks he has a way of catching the killer, but he'll need everybody's help to pull it off. He gathers the ten most likely suspects, based on who has improved their physical appearance over the last several years. His logic is that people who have a sudden influx of cash are likely to start looking better. He eliminates people who have spouses in the beauty industry, or who have just been left money by a deceased relative, or who have gone through a divorce and are "back on the market," as it were. That leaves just three.

The Mentalist: The Silver Briefcase (7x05)

Aww! Another adorable episode for Jane and Lisbon. I cannot get enough of these two. Let's jump right in.

The FBI and other officials are participating in a training exercise. Cho and Lisbon are kicking ass, beating a lot of the other teams at the exercises. While there, Jane and Lisbon meet a colonel. Jane thinks something is odd about this man, and when he finds out his wife was murdered several months ago, he wants to dig into the case. Abbott gives Jane and Lisbon permission to discreetly investigate, but he warns them that the colonel can't find out.

Jane and Lisbon investigate the crime, getting Cho, Wylie, and Vega to help along the way. They discover that the colonel must have killed his wife. Well, it was either him or his lover, a woman who Wylie discovers due to the type of decorations in her office. In the end, Jane and Lisbon force the colonel and this woman to confess in order to save themselves, bluffing that they have irrefutable evidence. The truth is left unclear as to which one of them actually stabbed the victim - they both insist it was the other.

Jane and Lisbon also continue to talk about the possibility of leaving the FBI. Lisbon says that this job is her life, but Jane thinks that they might both be happy doing something else, too. There also seems to be the beginnings of a romance between Vega and Wylie, which is cute.

Doctor Who: Last Christmas (2014 Christmas Special)

What a mess. I'm sorry, but that was really bad. It felt... heartless. There were individual moments that worked alright, but the cohesiveness just wasn't there. I'm sorry, but I just didn't feel the Christmas-y energy in this episode. I tend to come out of episodes of Doctor Who nowadays with such a sense of dejection. Even in the decent episodes, I just get no real pleasure out of them anymore. It's sad, but true. And we all know who I blame for this.

In any case, let's go over the convoluted and unnecessarily twisty plot of this episode.

On Christmas Eve, Clara goes out on her roof to find Santa Claus. She is obviously confused. Then, the TARDIS shows up, and the Doctor tells Clara to get inside, obviously concerned about this whole Santa thing. The two of them show up at the North Pole, where they find a group of scientists who are investigating the "Sleepers," a group of creatures that are completely blind and deaf, and can only sense people when they are being actively thought about. Just as they are all about to be attacked, Santa shows up and saves them from the Sleepers.

However, a bit later, Clara gets caught by a Sleeper and put into a dream state where she will slowly die. In the dream, it's Christmas morning, and Clara is with Danny Pink. They spend a lovely Christmas day together and exchange gifts. The Doctor, meanwhile, purposefully lets one of the Sleeprs get to him so that he too can enter the dream world and get Clara out. With Danny's help, Clara is ready to admit that this is all a dream, and wake up from it. She says a sad goodbye to Danny. With the Doctor and Clara safe, it seems like all is well... that is, until the Doctor realizes that all of them have been dreaming this whole time.

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!