Sawyer Gets the Last Con and 'Veronica' Gets the Money Shot!

It was good to see Lost back on track last night after a week off and a weak episode the week before. So Sawyer does have a heart, but he just doesn't know how to use it properly. I really thought that Cassidy was going to change him, but I also knew that she was going to turn out to be "the long con." I think in the end he did what he did because he did love her and didn't want her to end up dead. It seems that the entire experience made him realize that getting too close to people in his line of work only puts them in danger and wounds up a liability for him. I didn't see his con on the island coming, although, when I went back and thought about it, it all made sense. He got Jack to think that accessing the guns was his idea by having Charlie pretend to kidnap Sun. Once the guns were in motion, he was easily able to track them down using Charlie, and gain control. It was a genius scheme, but I'm not sure that using people on this island is a good idea because you can't just pull a con and take off. I have a feeling that it's going to come back to get him, but I guess this tiger can't change his stripes. Did anybody else spot Kate's mom in the diner that Sawyer ate at with his partner? She was the waitress, so this makes another connection between the survivors before they ever crashed on the island.

I've decided that even a less-than-excellent episode of Veronica Mars is better than a lot of other shows' best episodes. Last night's episode was not as strong as the rest of them have been this season, but that's ok because every show is allowed to stumble from time to time. I think it just seems odd when Veronica Mars stumbles because it is usually the most consistently excellent show on television. Last night's episode was missing the usual pizzazz, and I think that was due to several factors - the dialog wasn't as strong as it usually is, Keith and Veronica weren't working together and almost the entire episode took place during the Winter Carnival. The last of these slowed down the pacing of a show that usually moves so fast that your head is spinning at the end of the hour. Despite the weaker dialog, there were still a lot of good lines and interesting exchanges. And most importantly, the show still managed to surprise me. I had no idea that Weevil had stolen the cash (or at least what was left of it after Mrs. Hauser took a large chunk and Weevil used some of it to frame Thumper). I loved Veronica's reason for not turning him in. I found myself feeling really bad for Jackie, something that I never would have imagined possible when she first came to Neptune (nice character development). I think that she and Veronica could be great allies since Veronica has been where Jackie is right now. Despite Keith and Veronica's lack of daddy/daughter time, I thought that Keith's scenes were fantastic. He got to be face-to-face and share a beer with his favorite baseball player, but he also had the not-so-happy job of finding out that his hero is flawed, although, not flawed enough to rig a bus to kill a bunch of kids thankfully. I thought these scenes were very nicely played and extremely topical. It seems that Logan is moving on with sophomore Hannah, but there is that pesky problem about her being the daughter of the doctor who framed him for Felix's murder on the bridge. Where this one will lead, no one knows, but we can't wait to find out! Oh, and then there's Neptune's new cutest couple - Mac and Beaver! Overall, an enjoyable hour, but not one that will be making my "best of" list.

About Last Night...Fox won the first hour of the night with American Idol, followed by the first hour of CBS' broadcast of the Grammys and ABC comedies George Lopez and Freddie. At 9, CBS took over with the second hour of the Grammys, followed by ABC's Lost and Fox's Bones. UPN's Veronica Mars once again landed in last place for the hour behind dismal lead-in South Beach. The final hour of the night went to the final hour of CBS' Grammy broadcast, followed by NBC's Law & Order and ABC's Invasion. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. -The remaining five teams compete in two more dance routines on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Over on UPN, it's Valentine's Day - Everybody Hates Chris style. One castaway is ready to quit on CBS' Survivor.

@9 p.m. - Lady Heather (The O.C.'s Melinda Clarke) returns as the team investigates the bizarre death of a young woman on CBS' CSI. Over on Fox, Clarke goes up against herself as tragic news looms over Valentine's Day and Nikki Reed joins the cast of The O.C. Earl tries to return a stolen laptop and ends up falling for its owner (special guest star Christine Taylor). You can also catch an encore presentation of Sunday's post-Super Bowl episode of Grey's Anatomy starting at 9:30 p.m.

@10 p.m. - Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio returns tonight on CBS' Without a Trace as the team searches for a missing suburban housewife who may not be as innocent as it seems. Over on NBC, Carter (Noah Wylie) returns for a guest spot on ER.



QUICK CUTS

*The first season of TNT's summer hit The Closer is heading to DVD this spring. The crime show stars Kyra Sedgwick as a detective brought in to head a special unit of the LAPD that deals with high-profile murder cases. All 13 episodes of the show's successful first season will be included along with bonus content including unaired scenes. Look for the title to hit store shelves May 23rd. You can click over to tvshowsondvd.com for a first look at the cover art. And while you're there, check out the cover art and fact sheet for the upcoming release of Scrubs (season 3) on May 9th.

*Spoiler Alert! Veronica Mars's creator and executive producer Rob Thomas revealed today during his live Internet talk show webcast on upn.com that Veronica's old boyfriend from the first season, Troy, will return to Neptune sometime soon. Sounds like trouble may be brewing in Neptune!

*And finally, CBS' announcement yesterday that it's moving The Amazing Race an hour later to make room for new show The Unit leaves Love Monkey on the outs. The relationship drama is currently airing in the Tuesday night 10 p.m. slot. A spokesperson for the network tells Broadcasting & Cable that no decision has been made yet on Love Monkey's future, but an article from The Futon Critic says that the network will fill the slot with reruns of its popular procedurals until Race's 2-hour premiere February 28th.

That's all for today and this week. I'm off tomorrow, but you don't want to miss Monday's edition because I'm going to have a HUGE Pass the Remote announcement that has something to do with Veronica Mars (and it affects you as well). Plus, thoughts on Desperate Housewives and all the latest television news!


SAVE EVERWOOD NOW! Click HERE to learn how to help the show get another season

Don't forget to help Veronica Mars with the $4,000 Shower Campaign. Click HERE for details