Isn't it fun having new episodes of our favorite shows again? I mean, the hiatus is nice because we're all entirely too busy to catch new episodes during the holiday season (and thus the reason for the hiatus), but it's a welcome change when they do return. I guess absence truly does make the heart grow fonder! This was certainly the case last night with my love affair with Cold Case. I was once again skeptical of the single-artist soundtrack idea because I haven't been the biggest proponent of this device in the past, but I thought it worked nicely here. Of course being a huge Veronica Mars fan, I couldn't help but notice right off the bat that Meg was back! I mean it wasn't actually Meg (since she died on Veronica in the last new episode). Once again actress Alona Tal played a character in love with someone who was really in love with someone else. Except, poor Meg didn't live long enough to actually marry the person in love with someone else. It was good to see Meg again, though. Show creator and executive producer Meredith Stiehm wrote this episode and according to the article in the January 1st-8th edition of TV Guide, she actually wrote the episode to the lyrics of the Bruce Springsteen songs she wanted to use. It was an interesting experiment and it really served the show well. I thought the device worked best in the flashback where Clem decided to help Petey steal cars in order to get enough money to help May. The flashback was done so well that it didn't even require dialog because the lyrics from Springsteen's "Stolen Car" told the story. Director Mark Pellington (one of the series' stand-out directors) did an excellent job treating the flashbacks as music videos. I thought this was another episode where the resolution made sense and I wasn't left scratching my head.
Regarding the scoop last week from TV Guide that I covered here, it seems the wheels have been put into motion. I think this case had everyone on the team thinking about second chances. Stillman decided it was worth it to try and patch things up (piece by piece) with his ex-wife starting with dinner. May claimed that she and Clem tried to go back, but they learned that you couldn't, but I don't think she truly believed that idea. If things had turned out differently for Clem, I think he and May would still be happily together. This episode was really about the choices we make to follow the dreams we have when we're young and the lasting effects they have on our overall happiness. Sally and Clem found that the happiness they had with each other faded when the real world stepped in. I think the case left Lilly wondering what might have been if she and this "motorcycle man" had actually walked up those steps at the courthouse instead of sitting outside on them for hours. How would her life be different? It's hard to picture our sensible, by-the-book Lil running off with someone she had known two weeks and almost marry him, but when you hear the part about how they sat on the steps and never entered the courthouse, it makes sense. It sounds like she was running away from a life that was more than likely suffocating her, but the sensible side in her realized marrying a virtual stranger wasn't going to fix anything. The closing shot of her in bed looking over the photos was more than likely (based on the TV Guide scoop) a bit of foreshadowing of future episodes. It will be interesting to see where this journey takes her.
Dear Lynette,
"You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss."
I really wanted to send these famous lyrics from "As Time Goes By" to our poor stressed out Lynette last night. We've seen the jealous side of her in the past. Anyone remember her antics that led to Tom losing/quitting his job and staying home with the kids? So yeah, my girl Lynette has some issues when it comes to the security of her marriage. I get where she was coming from, but she knows Gabby better than to think that she would "hit on Tom" by carrying out that silly stunt that she pulled. I loved Lynette's little experiment to even the score by using Carlos. Gabby certainly changed her tune when she found herself in Lynette's shoes, though. Of course, if Lynette had known the can of worms she was about to open she never would have evened that score. Speaking of plans to even scores, Gabby's idea to allow Carlos to have an affair in order to keep him from judging her has disaster written all over it! Other musings regarding last night's episode:
- I was really glad that Andrew's blackmail plot didn't pan out as he had hoped. Not that I agree with Bree's behavior regarding Andrew's relationship, but there's just something wrong about blackmailing your mother.
- Is it just me, or is Zach getting stranger? I feel like he's about to break at any point in time from under this nice facade (and yes, I do have the sinking suspicious that it is, in fact, a facade).
- And why is the Applewhite storyline so lackluster? It has such potential, but it seems to always fall flat. Susan's little bump that exposed the body set up an interesting situation, but overall, this storyline is the only one that hasn't improved lately. I'm holding out hope that it will in subsequent episodes.
About Last Night... CBS claimed the first hour of the night with its mix of the last 45 minutes of 60 Minutes and the first fifteen minutes of Cold Case, followed by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC and Fox comedies The Simpsons and The War at Home. At 9, ABC took over the lead spot with Desperate Housewives, followed by the end of Cold Case and the beginning of CSI: NY (r) on CBS and NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent. The final hour of the night went to ABC's Grey's Anatomy (clip show), followed by NBC's Crossing Jordan and the end of CSI: NY (r)/beginning of CSI: Miami (r) on CBS. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Laura and Rich become fugitives and Laura receives a mysterious internet message from someone who claims to know where the creatures came from on NBC's Surface. ABC Family's hit summer show Wildfire returns for a second season.
@9 p.m. - Heather Graham returns to television (after a multi-episode arc last season on NBC's Scrubs) in her own sitcom Emily's Reasons Why Not on ABC, followed by the second season premiere of John Stamos' Jake in Progress. Over on NBC, chef Wolfgang Puck makes a cameo on Las Vegas as his restaurant opens at the Montecito.
@10 p.m. - Allison has a frightening vision that shows her daughter in the clutches of someone from one of her past cases on NBC's Medium. Over on ABC, it's the premiere of The Bachelor and this time the romance competition takes place in Paris.
QUICK CUTS
*CBS is releasing the identities of the 16 contestants that make up the next installment of its hit reality series Survivor. They consist of a yoga instructor, a retired astronaut, airline pilot, and registered nurse to name a few. The show, which is about to enter its 12th season, will travel back to Panama where it has already traveled for its Pearl Islands season, but this season will bring many changes to the show. The contestants will be divided into four teams instead of the usual two during the first episode and the game is installing a new device: Exile Island. Every episode, at least one player will be sent to a remote location where they will have to fend for themselves, but there will be a hidden immunity idol on the island that, if they find it while in exile, can be used for future eliminations. Survivor: Panama -- Exile Island premieres February 2nd on CBS.
*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! The first season of Lifetime's long-running Strong Medicine finally makes it way to store shelves tomorrow along with Viva La Bam (seasons 4 & 5) and The Flash (the complete series). For the complete list of releases, visit tvshowsondvd.com.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for thoughts on Medium (is all as it appears to Allison in her dream about Ariel?) and some thoughts on the future of Surface (hint: it isn't sounding too promising). Plus, all the latest television news!
2 comments:
I can't comment on CC since I haven't seen it yet. I do think Alfre Woodard's storyline on Desperate Housewives is pretty lackluster. It seems to me this is because we never really learn anything new and it never seems to really evolve into something. Although we did learn last night that the guy in the cellar is the brother.
Well you already know what I thought of the episode. Much better than I'd expected. Good insight you got there! I'm a little sorry they didn't give it a more startling turn... but, well, I guess they're trying to make Lilly real, and what's more real than a rebel teenage boyfriend? Loved the scene at the end, with the cats. Best scene of the whole episode IMO. And not necessarily because she looked at the pics.
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