(Season 4, Episodes 7-10)

Some weird black and white recreations/flashbacks were going on in these episodes, as well as in episode 4.6, and I hope it’s not a new thing. It felt very Cold Case, only that’s not what this show is about. If no one in the courtroom gets to see these things during trial, what do we need them for?

Six episodes with Richard Bay (Jason Kravits) down; only 25 more to go!

4.7 “Victimless Crimes”

Interesting episode title, considering the two cases of the week were Jimmy defending a woman accused of murdering her rapist, and Bobby defending his cousin, a dentist who bit Lucy on the breast while she was anesthetized.

Jimmy’s court-ordered client was interesting, a woman not seeking sympathy or empathy from anyone. I’m sorry for her that she was made to feel alone and defenseless, and I’m even sorrier that there isn’t just a card stamped “Not Guilty” handed out to everyone who murders their rapist. Most of all, I’m sorry that she got a guilty verdict. Some guy decides to violently rape her, and she’s the one going to prison?

If that’s not strange enough (albeit too common), Bobby actually went to bat for his cousin, a pervert who took advantage of his patients while they were in his office seeking treatment. I was happy when Lucy resigned (sad when she came back), but also found myself proud of her for standing up to Bobby — an employee should never be put in that type of a position by her boss. Nice try asking for partner on your return.

4.8 “Committed”

This episode continued the back-and-forth between Lindsay still recovering from her stabbing and being all of the way back. A court-ordered client, a serial killer who’d been a patient at a mental hospital for twenty years, caused Lindsay to relive some of her experience with George Vogelman. But I really dislike the forced nature of these emotions. There’s a total lack of fluidity to something that should either be there or not be there. It’s almost as if the writers throw it at Lindsay when they can’t think of anything else for her to do.

A strange secondary case involving a dead man in Eugene’s ex-wife Sharon’s bed, their son Kendall the prime suspect. Can you really say she’s stepping out on Eugene when they are no longer married? At the same time, what ever happened to the seeming reconciliation that was going on between them a few episodes back?

And this Richard Bay guy is a real piece of work. He has a huge chip on his shoulder, for God knows what reason because he came onto the series with it, and all he can do is bark at the attorneys from Donnell and Associates. Someone should kill him and leave him in Sharon’s bed … the way he acts, Eugene wouldn’t even be near the top of the list of suspects (although Ellenor might be).

4.9 “Bay of Pigs”

I really think Richard is a serial killer in the making. I’m not sure why he carries around all of the anger that he does, or where it stems from, but he’s going to blow with a serrated knife at the necks of a bunch of old ladies.

And yet Helen agreed, albeit reluctantly, to go out on a date with him. And she kissed him. And then gave him a kissing tutorial the following day. I suppose she really will sleep with anything. Please tell me things aren’t heading towards a real relationship between these two.

Jimmy’s case of the ex-girlfriend who sold her eggs to pay the rent and was suing a customer for failure to pay was … well, how that resulted in his breaking up with Judge Kittleson I’m not quite sure. But she did see Jimmy and his old flame/client together. Are all the clues we’ve gotten that point to Kittleson being a crazy stalker ever going to pay off?

4.10 “Day in Court”

Eddie Wicks (Mark Sheppard), a drug dealer who was one of Bobby’s first clients, stands trial for murder. I wasn’t sure what was better: his claiming self-defense after stabbing someone seven times, or his calling Eugene “Genie” (I’m leaning toward the latter). I’m getting tired of Bobby and his partners looking down on everyone they defend these days. Why not move into white collar crime if you can’t stomach the riffraff?

It was about time for Helen to completely lose it during a case, which came sometime after Eddie physically attacked her in open court. She’s so bad as a lawyer, it’s just surprising that her breakdown didn’t come sooner. At least it’s nice to know that if Donnell and Associates is up against Helen, they’re going to win.

Still want to bring her on as a partner, Lindsay?

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Now that I’m really getting into V, I thought I’d honor the Visitors’ leader, Anna (played with reptilian grace by Morena Baccarin), by putting together a list of TV’s memorable alien villainesses, whose insidious forces have infiltrated, assimilated, assaulted, insulted, and generally picked on the human race.

Number Six (Battlestar Galactica, reimagined series) — Technically, she’s not the sole leader of the Cylons, nor is she necessarily evil, but from the moment she arrived on that remote space station at the beginning of the miniseries, dressed in her trademark fire-engine red, she became the face of the Cylons. Less than an hour into the series, Six seduces Gaius Baltar, snaps a baby’s neck, and facilitates the destruction of the Twelve Colonies — more than earning her Evil merit badge.

Borg Queen (Star Trek: Voyager) — I remember the Borg Queen primarily from Star Trek: First Contact, but the Borg Queen also appears in a few episodes of Voyager, including the series finale. Like many alien collectives, the Borg seems to be based on an insect hive; thus, they have a Queen Bee, who euphemistically describes her role as “bringing order to chaos.” Just remember, resistance is futile. She will bring order to your chaos whether you like your chaos or not.

Wraith Queen (Stargate Atlantis) — Yes, there are several Wraith queens that John Sheppard’s team encounter over the five seasons of Atlantis, but they are all played by the same actress, Andee Frizzell, with vicious aplomb. The Wraith are another alien species that have a hive hierarchy, but they are quite unlike the Borg. A Wraith queen’s motto is “Why assimilate them when you can eat them?”

The Founder (Star Trek: Deep Space 9) — She’s also known as the Female Changeling, and she leads the forces of the Dominion against the Federation in an attempt to take over the entire Alpha Quadrant. She is ageless and incredibly patient. She can also shapeshift into almost any form, so it’s strange that she chooses to look like Play-doh, even when she is not with her fellow changeling Odo (whose face looks like Play-doh because he is not skilled at shapeshifting). Personally, I think her choice reflects her contempt for “the Solids,” which is what she calls non-liquid people.

Commandant Grayza (Farscape) — An ambitious Peacekeeper leader, Grayza has a nifty weapon, a gland that secretes an oil that bends men to her will. This weapon, along with some manipulation and plenty of shouting, has kept her in command despite the fact that anyone could probably take her in a fight. Grayza manages to oust Scorpius as John Crichton’s number one enemy after subjecting him to her own unique methods of, um, interrogation. You know that made him mad; after setting off a weapon that could destroy the universe, John shouts an unforgettable line for all to hear: “Can I get a huzzah from the grand Peacekeeper Bitch!”

Some other memorable bad girls include Farscape’s War Minister Ahkna (played by Ben Browder’s wife, Francesca Buller), Adria (another Morena Baccarin character) of Stargate SG-1, and any number of Romulan commanders from Star Trek, beginning with the one who tried to seduce Spock in “The Enterprise Incident.”

I’ve probably neglected to mention some great characters. Who are your favorites? Let me know in the comments.

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Brace yourselves, because I’m about to get extra-nostalgic. I remember stumbling out of the theater one afternoon in September of 2004, feeling more excited and wired than I thought humanly possible, not because I had just went to my first rated R movie, but because every part of Shaun of the Dead still rattled in my brain. In the ensuing days, I had to learn everything I could about the creative team behind the film, and one of the things that kept popping up in my endless research was a British comedy called Spaced. Mind you, this was in the age before YouTube, so it’s not like I could just hop online and check out a clip.

For the purposes of this post, I delved back into my high school blog and I see that I made a point of celebrating that Trio had decided to start airing Spaced in conjunction with Shaun’s release. I also see that past-me was so goddamn hooked on Spaced that, two episodes in, she (I?) had already got it in her head to buy the DVD box set. And a region-free player to play said DVD box set.

Needless to say, I really freaking love Spaced. And I want you to love it too.

Spaced was a sitcom that aired on Channel 4 for fourteen episodes over two seasons (1999, 2001). It was written by Jessica Stevenson (now Hynes) and Simon Pegg (now still Pegg), who also starred as Daisy, a struggling journalist, and Tim, a struggling graphic artist. They were strangers that sympathized with each other’s kind of, sort of homeless situation and, after finding a dream flat that advertised to “professional couples only” they decided to fake it and move in together. Hilarity and a bunch of weird stuff ensued.

Hynes went on to do more films and become the ideal dorky girl for geeks everywhere (she’s made out with Ten in Doctor Who, so major bonus points right there), and Pegg made the jump to the big screen, co-writing and starring in Shaun of the Dead and, later, Hot Fuzz. Both of these films co-starred Nick Frost, who also played Pegg’s best friend in Spaced. Pegg and Frost are now working on Greg Mottola’s Paul.

The sitcom was as directed by Edgar Wright, who only had a few other credits to his name at the time. Wright directed and co-write Shaun and Hot Fuzz and is currently in the editing stage of his next directorial venture, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (which, if Wright’s daily photo blog has been any indication, is going to be deliciously insane).

The show itself was notable for its commentary on the life of almost-30s and non-stop pop culture references (a helpful feature on the DVD was the Homage-O-Meter, which displayed captions identifying references as they happened). Despite the fact that some of the references were pretty dated by the time I watched the show (my frustrations toward Phantom Menace had faded for the most part) and I was way too young to relate to that “time to grow up” late-20s panic, there was something about the show that really resonated with me. Maybe it was the snappy dialogue or maybe it was character chemistry; whatever it was, it clicked. It was different from the American sitcoms that I was used to; it was daring, in that it felt like the creative minds weren’t putting on a show for the audience as much as they were making a piece of art that they knew they would be proud of.

And visually, the show was unlike anything I had ever experienced on television. It was obvious where a lot of Shaun’s quick pans and energetic cinematography got its legs. Wright shared a very surreal and highly cinematic view with Spaced, and it showed a lot of promise, like Wright had yet to land a budget that would be enough to catch up with what he had envisioned in his head.

I’m actually having a great amount of difficulty forming into words how much I love this show (it’s part of my top three, nudging the original UK version of The Office right in its rear). So, here are some bullets to simulate real-life conversational listings. Pretend I’m wildly gesticulating as I’m half-shouting these to you.

• Tim’s ravin’ friend Tyres. Sweet Christ, Tyres was amazing. I would abandon my overall misanthropy and anti-party attitude to go to a rave with Tyres for one night. After seeing the show, I also took to dancing in public whenever there was an incidental beat. I was deemed a weirdo.
• Fine art vs. Illustration. Maybe I’m a little biased because I happen to be a visual artist too, but I really appreciated the inclusion of different kinds of artists in this show. There was the painterly Brian, the comic book-crazy Tim, and the whatever-the-hell Vulva. My favorite part was how no one really seemed to “get” what they really did (”So… watercolors?”), which rings true in the lives of young artists everywhere. Struggling creatives! Always hilarious.
• An argument between Tim and Daisy cut around a Tekken 2 clip. Enough said.
• Mark Heap’s performance as Brian. Mr. Heap never fails to amaze and amuse me. It’s a delicate combination of well-tuned physical comedy and distinct voice work. Take a look at his work on Spaced and then consider his portray of Dr. Alan Statham on Green Wing. Truly incredible.
• Tim/Mike. As much as I loved Tim and Daisy as a pairing, I though Tim and Mike were kind of perfect together too. There was that strange, vaguely homoerotic tension between the two best friends that always made for hilarious and accidentally tender moments. Pegg and Frost have spectacular chemistry, and it’s really a gift to the world that they took that to the big screen.
• The soundtrack, heavy on the electronica and remixed versions of “Peter and the Wolf”. It all worked out to be a beautiful voice for the show. Hell, I still pump up the Fantastic Plastic Machine song on the rare occasion I get to do a celebratory walk down the street.
• Fake gun fights being part of an unspoken connection between men. I have seen this tested in real life. It’s completely true.
• Peter Serafinowicz as Tim’s nemesis. Serafinowicz is a funny man in his own right (also the voice of Darth Maul), and he made an amazing villain and classic super-douche.
• Lines like “Oh yah! I ha’n't fought o’ dat!” and anything Bill Bailey says. Forever quotable.

Years after Spaced wrapped up, and after Shaun and Hot Fuzz became  hits in the States and developed more than just a cult following, Spaced was finally released on Region 1 DVD.  The set was pretty much like the UK box set, which I bought oh-so long ago, but it included commentary from various famous American fans of the show, including Bill Hader and Patton Oswalt (who happens to have a wicked crush on Hynes).

Revisiting the series, I see that the first season/series had the strongest voice. It was fresh and exciting, and then it kind of tried too hard with the next season, like its self-awareness worked against itself. That is not to say it wasn’t excellent television, because it was, but I guess they set the bar really high with the first season. There was no Christmas special or anything of the sort to put a cap on the show’s ending. It was just a beautifully executed season finale that tied up all the loose ends that needed to be addressed and left other matters open for viewers to suss out for themselves. Well, there was a brief moment in that DVD extra documentary that shared what happens to Tim and Daisy, but I won’t ruin it….

And finally, Spaced was the reason why I sought out Jaffa Cakes, with which I have since developed a filthy junk food love affair.

Give the show a try. After two or three episodes, if it still feels like it’s not for you, then it’s probably a lost cause, but if any part of it resonates with you, I guarantee you’ll fall in love soon enough.

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Each week, I slave over a hot laptop to bring Medium fans news, promos, and other goodies associated with the show. These are some of the highlights from the past week at Medium Dreams. Enjoy!

• Here’s the promo for this week’s episode, called “The Future’s so Bright.” In it, Allison has to wear shades. Get it??? In any case, she sees numbers on people’s heads that correspond with the number of days they have left to live. Lee has a “1″ on his head! Ack!
• As long as we’re talking about promos for this week’s episode, here are the promo photos!
• CBS has been interviewing the real Allison DuBois, and in this video, she and Medium Executive Producer Glenn Gordon Caron talk about the origins of the series.
• As Brett can attest to, I was super-excited to hear a Paula Abdul song during a key scene in last week’s episode. Here’s the song, in case you were one of the viewers who was wondering what it was. The video co-stars Keanu Reeves!
• Once again, it’s my favorite part: Dueling reviews! Here’s Brett’s take on last week’s episode, “Once in a Lifetime,” and here’s mine. We were both caught off-guard by all of the twists.

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I’ve been thinking back, yet again, to the days of old. So many shows that have joined the annals of television history, some good, most bad. Actually, an overwhelming number of shows that have seen life have been bad. Yet in the totality of things, every network can boast at least one lineup of historical successes per night.

Or so I’m out to prove. Or disprove. Well, really, all I’m out to do is schedule the ultimate in television experiences for a week. If I can ever make it that far. Many months ago, I talked about my ultimate in NBC Thursdays. Then, more recently, I moved on to Sundays on FOX. The goal is to find one perfect week of TV, but that’s many posts away. So for now, let’s deal with the challenge at hand: Tuesday nights on ABC. Ah, the memories.

8:00-8:30 In the early ‘80s, this slot was home to none other than the gang on Happy Days (doesn’t that seem so recent?). As time went by, it aired such successes as Who’s the Boss?, Full House, Roseanne, Home Improvement, and Spin City. Not to mention duds like Cavemen, According to Jim, and the ridiculous stuff that rotated on the channel last season. Personally, I’d much rather play it safe here, since competition from other channels is going to be fierce going forward. But for ABC enjoyment, I’ll take Who’s the Boss? in this half hour. It was fun, fresh, and even today it can still make me laugh.

8:30-9:00 Another crazy collection of classics, like Laverne and Shirley (I hear it’s one), Happy Days, Growing Pains, Roseanne, The Wonder Years, Head of the Class, and Home Improvement. Then there’s the embarrassing admission that I have memories of shows like Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper and Phenom. But it’s actually a recent show that calls to me, partly because its short life on the air means that this is really the only time slot I can schedule it for, a fact not true for the other series that populated this half hour. I know a lot of people panned it (clearly), but I think that Carpoolers was one of the most interesting conceits to see the airwaves in a while. Even if that’s a stretch, no one beats Marmaduke (T.J. Miller).

9:00-9:30 Wow this was a hot night. 9PM saw Three’s Company, Moonlighting (never saw it, but I’ve heard good things), Roseanne (not a fan, but I respect the following), Home Improvement, Spin City, and NYPD Blue. I feel bad ignoring Dharma & Greg because of Thomas Gibson, but, come on. More recently, this slot has seen history made on Commander in Chief, and lots of laughter over on Sons & Daughters. Nowadays some dancing thing is on. I’m actually not sure which way to go on this one.… You know what? I actually think I’m going to go with the underdog and pick Sons & Daughters. First of all, my wife will appreciate that choice (always important). Second, Fred Goss is hilarious, and this allows me to get back-to-back showings of him.

9:30-10:00 Strange how the night historically fell off at this time, after three straight well-stocked time slots, boasting such winners as 9 to 5, Oh, Madeline, Chicken Soup, Grace Under Fire, Hiller and Diller, The Geena Davis Show, Less Than Perfect, Rodney, Hope & Faith, Help Me Help You … you get the idea. But it’s also aired Coach, Spin City, and the greatly revered Sports Night. Now, I’ve admitted before that I’ve never seen the show, and I’m also quite tempted by the 1981 inhabitant of this hour, Too Close for Comfort. But with respect for Ivey, as well as for Aaron Sorkin, I’m going to give the slot to Sports Night. Just because I haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it isn’t the right choice for the perfect night.

10:00-11:00 There are some interesting choices in the 10PM hour. A lot of good dramas, or shows somewhere in that realm, have aired on ABC at ten. Shows like Hart to Hart, thirtysomething, NYPD Blue, Boston Legal, and  Eli Stone. Even The Forgotten is a strong series, although I don’t think it’s ready for the big time just yet. And lest we forget the bums: Jessie, Our Family Honor, Jack and Mike, Once and Again, Blind Justice, Women’s Murder Club, and Cupid. Once again, however, I’m going to have to go with a forced decision. Eli Stone doesn’t really offer many options, and it was too great to be left off of any list of ABC hits. Jonny Lee Miller it is!

Definitely a night that I’d enjoy. What does your perfect Tuesday night on ABC look like?

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For those of you who haven’t given up all your worldly possessions, you still have two days to sign up for the Subtle Sexuality giveaway. For those of you unfamiliar with the previous statement, Subtle Sexuality is the singing duo of Dunder Mifflin’s Kelly Kapoor and Erin Hannon. It’s also the newest Office webseries. And, to celebrate its release, as well as Subtle Sexuality’s new song “Male Prima Donna,” we’re giving away a “Subtle Sexuality World Tour” T-shirt and a CD of the song.

All you need to do is go to the original Webisode Clack post and tell us what your favorite Kelly, Ryan, or Andy moments are. Submit your entries to this giveaway by Friday, November 20th, at 5 PM ET. We will pick one person at random to receive the package, and alert the commenter after the giveaway ends. Only one entry per person, and you must have a valid U.S.-based mailing address. Not following these guidelines voids your entry.

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Aside from star Rowan Atkinson, who went on to become the internationally popular (or hated, depending on who you talk to) Mr. Bean, the series featured Tony Robinson, who went on to numerous television and political projects in the UK; Miranda Richardson, who went on to star in a number of well-known television series and movies (including a role as Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire); Stephen Fry, who has popped up in pretty much everything, including a recurring role on Bones; and, of course, Hugh Laurie, who appears in some small American television series about an acerbic doctor.

The second point of interest culled from the box set is that the four Blackadder series, and their specials, are timeless. Though many of them aired over two decades ago, there’s no sense of aging to the humor or the characters. Well, if you count the fact that Blackadder took place during four important eras in British history, then you could argue that there’s some aging. However, that would be on purpose. Because these shows have aged so well they are still enjoyable.

Which is why the release of Blackadder Remastered comes as a welcome gift. Though many of the series, as well as Blackadder’s Christmas Carol, appear on your local PBS station, they come infrequently, as stations rotate their never-ending supply of British comedies. With the DVD box set, you can watch the series, in any order, while enjoying a number of special features.

There are six DVDs in the box set, all set in individual plastic sleeves to resemble the pages of a book. The first four discs contain the digitally remastered episodes of The Black Adder, Blackadder II, Blackadder The Third, and Blackadder Goes Forth. Each DVD also contains a section of important historical references so you can follow, for example, butler Blackadder’s confrontation with the Young William Pitt, or Captain Blackadder’s hatred of Field Marshall Haig.

There are also the obligatory audio commentaries for various episodes of each series. These are always good for a one-time listen just to get a behind-the-scenes feel for an episode and how the actors and creators think about it now. Plus, they’re always good for some laughs. For instance, in one of the Blackadder The Third episodes, Rowan Atkinson begins his commentary by saying “The great Dr. House awakes,” in reference to a scene with Hugh Laurie.

The last two discs contain the special features. The fifth disc contains the Blackadder specials that have aired over the last 20 years. While most folks will be familiar with Christmas Carol, they may not be so familiar with the 1999 tele-movie Blackadder Back and Forth, which had a bit of a Doctor Who time travel feel. Nor will they recognize Blackadder The Cavalier Years, which seemed more like a potential series episode than a one-shot deal.

The last disc contains the documentary Blackadder Rides Again, which features interviews with all of the major players of the Blackadder universe.  During this 60-minute program, the various members of the Blackadder cast and crew recall the series. There’s even a moment where Rowan returns to the North Umberland castle where the exteriors for the first series were filmed.  In addition, there are extended interviews with Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Miranda Richardson, and that Hugh Laurie guy.

If you’re a fan of any of the Blackadder series, then the $42 price tag won’t be too much of a dent in your wallet. Not only will it allow you to view the shows whenever you want, but it will also be a history lesson for you and members of your family.

Disclosure: This review is based on a commercially available copy, provided complimentary to CliqueClack TV by BBC Video for the  purpose of review.

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(Season 2, Episodes 2-3)

Season two continues to march on, and Carnivale continues to be interesting and compelling. The relationship drama that had me a little bored toward the end of season one seems to have cooled off, but the character development remains, which is nice.

I’m really enjoying the play between Brother Justin and Tommy Dolan. Dolan is an interesting character. It’s clear that he knows that Justin is somewhat dangerous and that he probably shouldn’t be getting involved with him. At the same time, however, the overly ambitious reporter just can’t help himself. As I watch this show and Heroes, I’m amazed at how different Robert Knepper looks and sounds in the two roles.

“Alamogordo, NM”

I mentioned in my previous entry that it seemed like, perhaps, Ben’s vision of a nuclear explosion could be somehow tied to the Manhattan Project. Is it just a coincidence that the title of this episode is also a town that housed a research facility for the nuclear research program that oversaw the first test explosion? I think not.

Why does Brother Justin get a creepy underling to do all his dirty work and Ben has to do it all by himself? That hardly seems fair, but it’s been fun watching Varlyn Stroud wandering free. Brother Justin was busy in this episode breaking ground on his new temple.

There more visions of the tatooed man, or “the usher” in this episode, with one of them ending up being Sophie. Is she somehow tied into all of this good vs. evil stuff? Management certainly seemed rattled when Ben informed him that he had seen the usher in visions.

“Ingram, TX”

It’s certainly been an interesting start of the season for Sofie. After losing her mom, she’s trying to find where she fits into the carnival. I don’t quite understand why she can’t read the cards without her mother. Certainly the readings wouldn’t be as accurate without her mother’s visions of the future, but doesn’t she still know how to read the cards? I guess it’s just too painful for her.

I think my favorite moment in this episode came during Brother Justin’s radio address. His “notes” for the sermon actually consisted of twisted and dirty doodles. It was a disturbing reminder that Justin seems to be sinking deeper into madness. Iris caught sight of this and closed the notebook to protect her freaky brother.

Poor Balthus is now being “cared” for by Brother Justin. That must be absolutely terrifying for the poor, crippled old man. I’m guessing that he wishes he had the courage to bash in Justin’s head when he had the chance.

It seems like a lot of interesting things were happening at the end of the episode, too. Ben was captured by hillbillies (which remains a completely terrifying scenario. See: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. See: Deliverance. See: The Hills Have Eyes. Hillbillies are freaky), Ruthie is being haunted by Lodz, and Sofie is hearing Brother Justin’s message. That can’t be good.

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Or, put another way, is there only so much funny out there in TV land that if another success story shows up, or something already on the air gets better, everything else is destined to get worse?

Maybe it’s that as individual viewers we’re only allotted so much laughing in a week. I don’t know which is the case … all I know is that, week in and week out, some of my favorite sitcoms are consistently falling flat.

Let’s look at my network comedy viewings for the week. On Sundays, I tee things off with The Simpsons and Family Guy, but they’re both more shows to watch while doing something else. I’ve been catching The Simpsons for years now, but I think it’s loyalty more than enjoyment that keeps me coming back. Plus it’s not offensive, so nothing’s really pushing me to cancel that season pass (although it was borderline distasteful how bad the movie was). And Family Guy? I like Stewie and the evil monkey.

Mondays we move on to How I Met Your Mother. Now, I’m a believer in Barney and Robin as a couple, but, eerily coincidentally, ever since they got together at the beginning of this season, I’ve barely found anything to laugh at on what was once one of my favorite shows. Maybe it’s the new jiggering of things that was required to have them dating, but episode after episode has just gotten worse for me, culminating in an abomination last week with Barney in a fat suit. Debbie and I are definitely watching different shows.

But jump ahead to Wednesday night. Where did The Middle come from? And Modern Family’s not too bad itself. Strong concepts, talented casts, and writers who know how to craft a joke, or a funny situation. I know that others have found the same to applaud on Cougar Town, but I think I actually liked Hank better (and I definitely preferred Joey), so that should give you a pretty good picture of where that one resides for me.

And then on Thursday, while The Office is struggling for me, 30 Rock is showing some strength, with the right mix of characters balancing out the weaker, now less prevalent ones. Which, to me, is like Thursday went and sat itself down on its head. What planet am I on?

(Oh, and nothing to do with nothing, but I’ve caught a few of this season’s episodes of Parks and Recreation and Community on Hulu, and I’m still waiting for something to make me crack a smile.)

But back to my point — it could also be that the balance isn’t being helped any by the fact that shows like Castle and NCIS, to name but two, are funny as well, thus further diluting the week’s quota of ha ha. Or maybe it’s just some unseen-by-us-viewers seesaw that’s being ridden by the stars of two shows, like Patricia Heaton on one end and Neil Patrick Harris on the other; we don’t know about it, but when Heaton’s the heavy, Harris is flailing in the air (come to think of it, he was mostly MIA during the Everybody Loves Raymond years … something to that theory, maybe?).

Or this could all be due to any number of other factors or theories. The moral of the story, however, is that they all lead back to the same conclusion: I’m just not laughing with my television like I once did. Anybody else out there feeling the same?

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Like I said from the start, it’s just not fair at all to compare this series to the original Prisoner. It bares little resemblance, and really stands on its own, right up to the end. Well, I guess one way in which it doesn’t stand on its own is it’s another complete “Why The Face” through and through, including an ending that, for most, is completely unsatisfying.

After watching the third and fourth hours of The Prisoner last night I popped in the DVD with the final two hours, hoping things would start to make more sense and help strike this series as being one for the books. Well, it did that alright, only the books it made it into aren’t the good ones. I can’t begin to fathom why this series sounded like a good idea when the entire script was presented to … anyone. Did Caviezel and McKellan see anything beyond the first couple of episodes before committing to do the series?

What really felt odd about how this series went down was how each hour really did feel like an episode, and not like another hour of a long TV movie. In fact, at times I thought the show would have done better to have consisted of more hours, in order to establish the story a bit more and make more sense out of it, give us a reason to want to see it through other than thinking, “I’ve seen two hours so far, with four more to go. It would be a waste not to see it through now.” The Prisoner is making you a prisoner to watching the whole thing!

It’s quite possible that this series was simply completely beyond me, and called for a lot deeper contemplation and analysis than I’m able and willing to give. That’s a shame, because I really, really wanted AMC to hit this one out of the park. The fact that the buzz for the series strangely died down after its first announcement makes me wonder if the people at AMC thought, “Wow, this is just not going to be good. Quick, tone back the promotion so we can save some face before it’s too late!”

Let me know what you think if you decide to make the full commitment and sit through all six hours of this series. I’d love to hear from anyone who disagrees with me, along with what good you got out of it. Maybe it’ll trigger more contemplation out of me. Oh, who am I kidding?… This was painful and I’m glad it’s over.

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I’ll take “people we got an earful from this week” for two hundred!

I was going back and forth through the quotes submitted by our writers this week, and I couldn’t quite understand why the haul seemed so light. Then it dawned on me: ABC didn’t air its new Wednesday night comedy lineup this week. Can you believe how quickly those three shows (sorry Hank!) have entered our pop-culture? Yowza.

30 Rock

“Alright hosers: I want all 12 of us fighting for every meter on all three downs. And we’re gonna make this a Boxing Day the Prime Minister will never forget.” – Danny, in his Canadian football movie

“I feel about as useless as a mom’s college degree.” – Kenneth, on his problem with Danny

“Do I look okay?” – Liz
“That’s exactly how you look.” – Cerie

“The future is like a Japanese game show; you have no idea what’s going on.” – Tracy

“Cause after all, what’s a problem but an opportunity disguised as a stripper having a seizure on your boat?” – Tracy, during his and Jenna’s closing ad for “Problem Solvers”

The Big Bang Theory

“‘Sorry’ doesn’t make up for the fact that I had to make chicken and rice with this vegan guy! Do you know what vegan chicken and rice is? Rice!” – Raj

How I Met Your Mother

“It was called the Death Star, baby — they knew what they were getting into.” – Marshall to Lily when she realizes that Storm Troopers are people, not robots

Bones

“I just need you to help me fire my gun.” – Booth
“That sounds desperately phallic.” – Gordon Gordon Wyatt

“I’m fairly certain that Iron Leprechaun is not his actual name, but his wrestling moniker.” – Bones

Criminal Minds

“Password was Cullen.” – Garcia
“Of course.” – JJ
“Colon?” – Reid
“Cullen. The vampire family from Twilight?” – JJ
“What’s Twilight?” – Reid
“Do you ever read anything other than technical books?” – JJ
“Not much in English.” – Reid

Curb Your Enthusiasm

“I’m Larry David. I happen to enjoy wearing women’s panties.”

House

“You don’t ask what I want, you ignore my wishes, and you drug me….” – Wilson
“I’m waiting for you to name something new to our relationship.” – House

The Office

“Monkey see, monkey do … monkey pee all over you.” – Michael

Saturday Night Live

“This year’s Rockefeller Center’s Christmas tree is a 76-foot-tall Norway Spruce from Easton, Connecticut. So come on down to Rockefeller Center and watch a tree slowly die.” – Weekend Update

South Park

“Then how come Gordon Stoltski got to go on for like five minutes that one day?” – Cartman
“Well, because he was being murdered.” – Mr. Mackey

Supernatural

“Ya, how original. Supernatural bringing in more creepy children. Sigh!” – German Supernatural LARP’er

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Who doesn’t love a good, old-fashioned showdown? Today we pit Private Practice against Grey’s Anatomy in an epic Battle of the Medical Soap Operas Sprung from Shonda Rhimes’ Dark and Twisty Mind. I’ll compare three aspects of the shows. Your votes will decide which one is better.

Cast of characters. Both Private Practice and Grey’s Anatomy feature some strong characters. Practice has Addison (who was one of the most interesting characters on Grey’s), Pete and Violet (both so dark and twisty, their baby will probably be the darkest and twistiest person alive), and Charlotte, who is now my favorite character after starting out as the mean Southern lady who refuses to give surgeries to dying babies and puppies.

For me, the standout Grey’s characters have always been Bailey, Christina, Callie, and Alex (I also love to look at McDreamy and McSteamy). The show keeps adding great new pieces like Owen Hunt (the awesome Kevin McKidd) and Teddy Altman (Kim Raver of 24 and Lipstick Jungle). Seattle Grace’s merger with Mercy West has brought a lot of new faces to the show as well.

While both shows feature ensemble casts, Grey’s clearly has many more characters, which means less screen time all around. With its smaller core of characters, Practice theoretically can focus more on character development; however, the patients take up a lot of the focus. Practice differs from Grey’s in that the patients are recurring characters (like the two moms whose embryos got switched … whoops). This creates continuity and allows us to get to know them better. Unfortunately, a lot of the patients are idiots, so I haven’t exactly warmed up to them.

Story lines. Grey’s has the crazy Merry-Go-Round of Love thing going on. Nearly everyone has hooked up with everyone else, and just when you think a couple has finally got it together, they ruin their relationship and move on to a new partner. I hope Izzie and Alex will buck the trend, but in the latest episode there are hints of something starting between Izzie and the Mercy West guy, Charles Percy.

I wish Izzie could have heard the speech delivered by Charlotte last night on Practice (she basically told her patient, “Your relationship is not always going to be a fairytale; don’t run when things get hard”). That episode also reminded me that Practice does the same relationship-hopping thing but on a smaller scale. The characters shuffle partners to the point of ridiculousness. Last night, when Sam and Addison kissed, it was George and Izzie all over again. One of the things I love about Practice is the now steady relationship between Cooper and Charlotte. That’s something that I want for Alex and Izzie.

Besides the Merry-Go-Round of Love, medical things also take place on these shows (gasp!). On Practice, the medical stories tend to lead, while the relationships provide the B-stories. Practice can be pretty heavy-handed when it comes to using bizarre medical cases as opportunities to moralize via an ethical dilemma of the week. The patient stories on Grey’s are usually funny or tragic, not quite as preachy, and they reflect (rather conveniently) whatever is going on in the lives of the residents.

Writing. Let me say a few words about the dialogue, because that is something Shonda Rhimes’ shows are known for. There is something in the water at Seattle Grace that causes everyone — doctors, nurses, patients, and visitors alike — to speak in long, eloquent monologues. While these speeches can be deeply moving, I look for the part at the end where the person starts repeating the same phrase over and over again. The style carries over to Practice; last night, it was Addison, weeping, “Get me out of this car. Get me out of this car! Get me out. Get me out of this car! GET ME OUT OF THIS CAR. Get me out ….” (I wonder when the director let her stop.) That said, Practice does a better job of making the dialogue feel natural. Perhaps the older, more experienced cast knows how to deliver the lines so that each character’s unique voice is maintained. The writing on Grey’s is certainly more eloquent as a whole, but when the characters on Grey’s begin to speechify, they can start to sound the same.

Both shows have strengths and weaknesses, but these depend on your perception and preferences (i.e., Do you like an emphasis on relationships or on medical dilemmas? Do you prefer eloquent or natural dialogue?).

I have barely put a dent in this topic, and all of the observations I’ve made are colored by my personal opinions. That’s why I’m not going to decide the winner of this showdown. You are.

Leave your comments, cast your votes, and may the better show prevail.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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AMC’s remake/retelling/reboot (let’s call it a reboot) of The Prisoner series kicks off this coming Sunday night at 8 PM Eastern on AMC. Some of you who’ve followed this site may remember I did a Virgin Diary review of the original series a few months ago. Honestly, I didn’t get as wrapped up in the series as some people have (not NEARLY as much, that’s for sure), but I did find an appreciation for it in how it influenced other mainstream shows and pop culture, even today. I’m definitely curious how a reboot of the series will turn out and whether the ending will be as much of a WTF moment as the original was.

To mark this occasion, we’re giving away a few Prisoner goodies!

In this giveaway we’re including one limited edition lenticular poster (motion activated — images change when you walk by them) and a 36″ diameter “personal Rover” (pictured at the top of this post). To enter, simply tell us if you’re planning on watching AMC’s The Prisoner Sunday night (or what you thought of it) by next Friday, November 20 at 5 PM EST. We’ll pick one recipient completely at random and alert them after the giveaway ends (make sure your spam filters aren’t blocking mail from @cliqueclack.com!). Only one entry per person, and you must have a valid U.S.-based mailing address. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents of 18 years of age or older only. Not following these guidelines voids your entry.

Good luck, and be seeing you….

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Today we’re going to offer you, the tried-and-true CliqueClack reader, a two-for-one special. Not only will we be reviewing the latest set of webisodes from The Office, but we’ll also be giving away a sweet package, courtesy of NBC Universal Comcast (sorry, got ahead of myself there).

For the latest round of Office webisodes, the creators have taken a page from the continuing surge in everything musical, and whipped up a small story — a behind-the-scenes look, shall we say — about a music video produced at the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of Dunder Mifflin. Not a video by one of the hottest bands of today, like Bon Jovi or Ace of Base. Rather, this video was directed, written, and produced by two members of the D.M. staff.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Kelly Kapoor and Erin Hannon; otherwise known as the duet Subtle Sexuality.

In addition to Kelly and Erin — known in real life as Mindy Kaling and Ellie Kemper — the web series features Ryan Howard and Andy Bernard (Misters B.J. Novak and Ed Helms), with cameo appearances by Oscar and Kevin. All of the action takes place inside and outside of the Dunder Mifflin office, as Kelly and Erin attempt to produce a music video for their song “Male Prima Donna.” Along the way they encounter their own M.P.D in the form of Ryan, then conduct a talent search when Ryan goes all diva (or is that divo?) on them.

The highlight of the series is the third episode, which is Subtle Sexuality’s video. Using all of the facets of the D.M. office complex, the video features Mindy and Ellie in leopard-print jumpsuits, as pirates, and as a bride and a priest. Ryan and Andy both appear on the video as well, with Ryan donning the white-suited persona of Mr. Understood and Andy portraying Nard Dog. We already knew Ed Helms had a good singing voice from some of the songs he performed on The Office, but both Mindy and Ellie can also hold a tune.

In addition to the video, which can be seen on the official Office website, there’s a Subtle Sexuality website that you can peruse at your leisure. The website features the duo’s hit video, as well as features like their world tour schedule (with stops in Scranton, Dunmore, Scranton, and Scranton), photos, free items like wallpaper and AIM icons, and, being NBC, things to buy. Which brings us to our giveaway.

NBC has been nice enough to provide us with an exclusive “Subtle Sexuality World Tour” t-shirt and CD of the soon-to-be blockbuster “Male Prima Donna.” All you need to do is tell us what your favorite Kelly, Ryan, or Andy moments are. Submit your entries to this giveaway by Friday, November 20th, at 5 PM ET. JoJo the Prize Monkey (stolen from a CHR station from the 1980s) will pick a comment completely at random to receive the package, and alert the commenter after the giveaway ends. Remember, only one entry per person, and you must have a valid U.S.-based mailing address. Not following these guidelines voids your entry. Good luck, and enjoy Subtle Sexuality’s first video.

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Today’s Guest Clack is from Izzy Plumbly, a writer from Manchester, England who has a full-blown addiction to TV and has never quite gotten over the mess that was Buffy season six. Or the last episode of Angel. But The Wire and Sons of Anarchy soon made up for those, as did Mad Men, Bones … the list goes on….

First things first, let’s get this straight. I loved Defying Gravity. Thirteen beautifully crafted episodes that paid off bit by bit, readying me for the big reveal — that I’m pretty sure would have been metered out morsel by tasty morsel over the series — Ron Livingston doing his “man with a difficult past” routine, Christina Cox’s awesome tough-girl act … I could go on.

However, thanks to the popularity of shows effectively the mental equivalent of Paris Hilton reading the phone book, Defying Gravity never stood a chance. Why would viewers invest their time in another multi-layered and twisty-turny plot when they can get everything they want from this week’s Melrose Place or NCIS:LA (which, yes, I have actually watched, tempted by LL Cool J’s once-upon-a-time-coolness, only to find I’d been horribly duped and he’s just terrible. And alongside Chris O’Donnell. There’s a reason why that guy never made it past being a bland sidekick).

Think about it. You turn on Melrose, you get some nice colours, some pretty girls, moderately hot men, quick storylines with just the right amount of naughtiness, a face from the old version of the show (hello Sydney, Jane, Michael and Jo, next Amanda, rescuing Heather Locklear from spending the rest of her career in moderate oblivion) … it’s so easy. And for a few moments, it makes you feel great.

Defying Gravity was something different. There wasn’t much exposition, a shiny blob in one bit of the spaceship turning everyone a bit mad, Livingston’s aforementioned puppy dog and furrowed brow not-at-all-suggesting-that-something- happened-in-his-murky-past and mysterious flashbacks. Unless you commit to watching this, there’s no point at all. And most people can’t be bothered. Between each episode you’re left wondering what Paula is hiding because no one is that bothered about a dog, why Nadia’s hallucination looked like her in a dude’s outfit and what the hell fractal tomatoes are. It really turned my cogs. And that’s not meant in a dodgy way (get your mind out of the gutter. I know what you were thinking).

But the payoff, gentle viewers, would have been fantastic. If James Pariott’s vision would have been allowed to continue, we would have been in for a treat; I was particularly looking forward to when the Antares reached Saturn, when Rollie inevitably told Jen about the crash and when everyone realized Goss was a total wally and revoked his clearance. And when Peter Howitt did some more Dick van Dyke impressions. Wait, that’s not what he was doing?

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(Season 4, Episodes 4-6)

Three types of clients appear on The Practice: the one-off jokesters, the multiple-episode-arc accused, and the repeat customers. A lot of the first group are lightweights, though I suppose that makes sense. The middle category has yielded some interesting television, and I’m sure it will continue to do so — those trials are generally the sensational ones. But for some reason, this show has the most love for the third group of clients. Shows definitely should not live in a bubble, but just how realistic is it that so many people keep on walking back into the offices of Donnell and Associates?

4.4 “Legacy”

This time it was Ray Oz (James Whitmore), fighting his wife Joanne (Bonnie Bartlett) over her plight to be named his conservator. Clearly Ray was worse than he was when first on the show, and clearly Bobby was going to ignore all of the signs.

Unfortunately, everybody but Bobby and Ray were right. Ray’s dementia was only getting worse, and it culminated in his murdering Joanne after winning the competency hearing. But Bobby to the rescue!

Eugene got corralled onto a case with sad-sack attorney Harland Bassett (Ernie Sabella), instantly recognizable to me as Leon Carosi. Great to see him! The only notable thing about the case was the penis viewing in Judge Hiller’s chambers — if you negate the fact that this guy is Jimmy in 20 years. Who gets a penile enlargement to avoid flashing charges?

And Ellenor fell apart over her failure to see that George Vogelman was a psycho. Except only in the last five minutes of the episode, when they found some time for her. Otherwise she was doing okay … glad to hear.

4.5 “Oz”

It’s Walter Powell! James T. Callahan made an appearance as Trevor Wayne, a friend of Ray Oz’s testifying for the prosecution in his murder trial. Bobby seemed like Lindsay when her professor was up on murder charges — totally irrational and dangerous. Going to Judge Kittleson and trying to get her to recuse herself on the grounds that she has a conflict with their firm because of Jimmy? After he went up against Helen countless times WHILE they were dating? Back it up, Bobby.

I’ve never understood the go-to of many of these legal series, that angering a testifying witness proves that they’re prone to violence because they can’t control themselves. Ray couldn’t get justifiably angry at Helen when she embarrassed him in open court without it looking like he’d murdered his wife in a fit of rage? Where’s the connection between the two?

They got the NG (not guilty) anyway, because Donnell and Associates always seems to win, and Helen’s a bad lawyer, but it still gets to me … I know how to cut vegetables, so I must be a serial murderer who slices his victims up with precision, right? Because “A” always gets you “T”….

4.6 “Marooned”

It looks like this wedding may still be on track. Lindsay bought a dress, only to discover that Bobby wanted her to wear his mother’s dress. I actually thought they’d go somewhere else with this — according to Bobby, they discussed the issue while Lindsay was in the hospital. I thought this was going to turn into a concern that she had lingering health issues following her stabbing. Instead that part was glossed over, and it became more about Bobby being too much of a bossy guy (which he is). Lindsay wants a partner in a marriage, as well she should … though I think she, or someone, needs to insist on that at the office, too. Bobby is not good at sharing.

While I don’t understand how the firm can afford to double up on any cases, I like Rebecca and Eugene together. I think they complement one another nicely, and they’re also friends, but don’t have a nauseating relationship. It’s a shame they got their client off on claims of PTSD following the abuse she suffered as a child by her father, only to have her kill her sister. The mother was one thing, but I think the sister was a little more revenge than it was as a result of visions of their dead father walking down the street. These things are going to haunt Rebecca.

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(Season 2, Episode 1)

I’m on to the second (and final!?!) season of Carnivale now, somehow finding time to squeeze episodes in even though we’re in the middle of the November sweeps. So far, it seems like things are going to be kicking into high gear if the first episode is any indication. I certainly hope that’s the case because there are only twelve episodes left, and there is a whole lot of story left to tell.

“Los Moscos”

So…. is this show really all about nuclear proliferation? It was a little unclear to me what the nuclear blast that Management showed Ben meant. Is their goal to stop the creation of nuclear weapons? It certainly seemed like the explosion in the desert (with the corresponding warning horns) was a test run during the Manhattan Project. Was that it, or was it a different nuclear blast? Perhaps part of a nuclear holocaust? Or maybe it was just a metaphor and I’m over thinking it.

In any case, it was good to learn about the nature of Management. I wasn’t shocked to learn that he was, at one time, like Ben. I wasn’t expecting him to be one of the “good” guys, though. I figured that since Scudder was Ben’s father, Management would have been on the bad side, and Scudder good like Hawkins. I’m still confused as to why a woman (Linda Hunt) is voicing Management. Perhaps there’s a reason for that which will be revealed later. Perhaps not.

Things were ratcheting up for Brother Justin in this episode too. His twisted sermons began reaching a wider audience as he began preaching over the radio. In a very creepy moment, his sermons touched an inmate, Varlyn Stroud, who heard things that weren’t there, whispers from Justin himself. It seems like both Justin and Ben are going to be searching for Henry Scudder now. Justin searching him out to kill him and become the true “usher” and Ben finding him for Management. It’s going to set up an interesting wild goose chase.

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I know this starts out as more of a post meant for CliqueClack Food, but bear with me.

I grew up hating tequila. OK, by “grew up” I mean since first having it in college; since I’m now in my 30s, college is now, sadly, considered my youth. The reason I hated tequila, though, was twofold: it was always the cheapest crap found on the lowest shelves of the corner package store, and we always threw them back in one gulp with salt and lime. Once I figured out that there was such a thing as good tequila, and that — *gasp* — you can sip it and it’ll taste good, I became a tequila LOVER.

Last month, Cuervo was publicizing their higher-end white (clear, or “silver”) tequila, called 1800 Tequila Silver. In the ads I saw, they were using Michael Imperioli (Sopranos, Life on Mars — see, it’s TV-related) in yet another typecast wise-guy role, this time bullying up to a bottle of Patron. Now, I like 1800 Tequila just fine, but throwing the bird to my beloved Patron? Oh, it is ON, Moltisanti!

I was first made aware of these ads by the people promoting 1800 Tequila Silver, and as part of that they asked me if I’d like to review the tequila for CliqueClack. Uh, good, free tequila to my doorstep? Yes please. I was even more surprised when I actually got the foam-padded box with a full-sized bottle of the sweet, silver nectar.

The first thing I had to try — OK, second thing — was to see if there was anything to this “shot top” thing. Here’s the video I’m talking about:

Now, do you see something missing in that little demonstration from Christoph … er … Michael? Well, I didn’t, until I tried to do his little trick with my own bottle; he doesn’t show you how he’s able to take the full top off and not have the tequila pour back into the bottle, or worse, all over the table, making you look like a drunken, well-dressed slob.

It turns out that, after careful analysis within the controlled environment of the McDuffee Laboratory of Tequilology, it has been concluded that on a scale of extremely unlikely to extremely likely, the shot top has achieved full-on bullshit status. Not only is it nearly impossible for someone to successfully pull off the 1800 shot top, but it’s unfathomable that any sane, rational, sober person would even attempt the task, never mind think the bottle’s cap would make a good thing to shove into one’s mouth (although, that’s an excellent way to claim the bottle all for yourself).

See me back over on CliqueClack Food next week, where I’ll be back at *MLoT to do some actual taste-testing of 1800 Tequila Silver, up against Jose Cuervo Especial Silver, Patron, and Don Julio.

* McDuffee Laboratory of Tequilology

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While I realize that his character was found to be a lawyer impersonator, I think there was a greater significance to Chris Bowers’ Ryan Alprin on this week’s The Good Wife. And I believe that that significance has to do with the trajectory that Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) appears to be headed on.

First of all, we know that Alicia has a natural distaste for the politics involved in the game of law — exhibit “A” being her husband Peter (Chris Noth). But she seems to also be wary of the dollars and cents in play at a big firm … the billable hour requirements, the churning of associates, layoffs, etc. So what’s a woman newly returned to the workforce to do? Why, hang up her own shingle!

I’ll admit that for 50 minutes, that’s basically where I saw Tuesday night’s episode going: Alprin asking Alicia to come and work with him at his one-man operation. I was slightly thrown off that track when Will (Josh Charles) began discussing extending an offer to Alprin, but I quickly rejected that thought when I considered what Alprin would tell Will to do with his offer. So it was back to Alicia leaving the big firm for the small one.

The major flaw in that theory — aside from Alprin being a fraud — is that Alicia needs the guaranteed six-figure income that a first-year associate commands at a big-name firm. I was just watching a season four episode of The Practice, where Bobby talks about his first year in private practice: 17-hour days, three cases at a time, and he was just getting by. Even with the housing downsize and the kids in public school, Alicia could never get by like that.

But then I considered the John Grisham novel, “The Street Lawyer.” It’s a great book about a man named Michael Brock who makes the leap from partnership track to something of a legal clinic. It’s about altruism (Alicia’s got it), caring (yup), and to an extent making amends for your prior sins (I can see Alicia feeling the need to make amends for Peter’s).

So maybe it won’t be with Alprin, but Alicia spent a lot of time looking around at all of the people getting the axe, and I know that something was going on in her head (and with the show’s plot). Maybe Will’s ill-fated move against Stern will cost him, and he’ll leave and take Alicia with him, ala Eli Stone? But then I hope they bring Alprin in as a junior associate after he passes the bar; I liked him — save for his trying to pick Alicia up — and I can’t imagine they introduced him for only one episode.

On a side note, I like that Zach (Graham Phillips) is trying to investigate all of the dirt that seems to be swirling around his father, and that it hasn’t been made into a very to-be-expected brother/sister partnership snooping. I wonder if he’ll actually learn something exculpatory (although it’s tough to see where the womanizing and drugs end and the official corruption begins).

And specific to this week’s episode itself: a Kosher grocery store would never be open on Saturday. A grocery store that is Kosher would exist only to serve a clientele that would never shop there on Saturday, so being open would be akin to burning money. Also, it’s most likely that the shop would be Jewish-owned, likely by someone in that religious community, so they’d never have their business open on Saturday.

On top of that, if a Kosher grocery store were open in that neighborhood on Saturday, the community would have boycotted it long ago and run it out of business (assuming they didn’t first throw stones through its display windows). So even if Dawn (Jessica Bogart) hadn’t known that already when she went there, her bag full of groceries wouldn’t have existed to break and shatter glass when she pretended to fall.

Oops! Sounds like a case for Gardner, Florrick, and Alprin!

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It’s about time for the darn World Series to be over! Didn’t they know that they were screwing up our Glee watching schedule? Sure, you could be like Deb, and let the music carry you over, or you could have enjoyed the cast singing the National Anthem at the start of Game 3. Or you could have been more like me, and just waited very impatiently for the show’s return. “Wheels” will be an episode with some surprising revelations, and a chance to get to know some of the characters — specifically Artie — that we haven’t spent a lot of time with yet.

Be sure to come back to join me, Julia, other CliqueClackers and our friends as we chat live during the Eastern/Central airing of the show Wednesday night.

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