The Lighter Side of 'CSI' and 'Trace!' Plus, 'Idol' and News on 'House' and 'Joey'

Has there ever been a show that has explored the depths of the weird side of human nature better than CSI? I didn't think so. Last night's foot fetish episode was a classic example of how this show loves to take a dark comedy approach when addressing the underbelly sector of society. This guy was so engrossed in his foot fetish that he went to extreme measures to feed it, including dressing as a fireman and setting off smoke bombs in the apartment building. The more he did it, the more it escaladed until one of his victims ended up on the cold morgue slab. The best part of last night's episode, though, was the way the show made fun of itself through the reality television show story line. Everything from the comments (Grissom's "There are too many forensics shows on television" and Hodges "Yeah, but when they cut it together, it will only take 30 seconds.") to the overarching satirical theme played nicely into the show's idea to laugh with its audience. In fact, both of those quotes mentioned above were so awesome that I'm giving them each an honorary Scrubie despite the fact that they were not said on Scrubs. They were just that good. What made Hodges' comment even better was the way they went right into one of those 30-second montages that he just described. You have to love a show that is this self-aware this willing to laugh at itself!

Speaking of laughing, it was nice to see Without a Trace take a lighter approach last night. That show is usually pretty heavy, so I enjoy the lighter episodes mixed in. I don't think they did a very good job of connecting Rachel's incident at the bowling alley when she was young to her present day agoraphobia, though. It happened when she was an adolescent, but she doesn't develop the agoraphobia until just two years ago? I'm guessing it has to do with her childhood friend banging on her door that night, but it still seemed strange to me. All of the dots did not connect in this one, but overall, it was a good episode. I loved the ending with Jack and Danny singing, especially since Danny is one of my TV boyfriends (Scotty from Cold Case and Det. Lee Scanlon from Medium being the other two). Jack's one-on-one with Rachel in the bowling alley was nice as well. I'm not a huge Jack fan, nor am I a Jack hater, but he's starting to grow on me this season. Maybe it's the fact that the writers stopped focusing so much on his messy divorce.


The Idol Moment
We're down to the final 12! Yay! Maybe now this show can stop filling up 2/3 of the weekly schedule. I like American Idol, but in a totally non-fangirl type of way, so the multiple episodes a week format drives me crazy. There is just no way I'm catching all of them. But, alas, it is (hopefully) over, and I'll be able to get down to watching the top 12 performances. Four contestants that won't be competing anymore got the bad news last night. I feel like all four of them had the potential to shine in the top 12, but the problem was that everyone in the top 12 does as well (except maybe Melissa, but she could always surprise me). For the ladies, Ayla Brown and Kinnik Sky got the bad news. Both of them are really talented, so we may hear from them again. Ayla can finally accept that basketball scholarship to Boston College. For the guys, it was Gedeon McKinney and Will Makar. Now that we have our top 12, I'm going for Paris, Lisa, Katharine, Ace, Chris and Elliot (yeah, I have a lot of voting to do).

About Last Night... Fox won the first hour of the night with American idol, followed by CBS' Survivor and ABC's movie Bringing Down the House. At 9, CBS took over with CSI, followed by the second hour of ABC's movie and NBC comedies My Name is Earl (r) and The Office (r). The final hour of the night went to CBS' Without a Trace, followed by NBC's ER (r) and ABC's Primetime. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - NBC premieres its Friday edition of Deal or No Deal.

@9 p.m. - Annabeth tries to build a case against a convicted criminal whom she put in jail years earlier after he is arrested for robbing a jewelry store on CBS' Close to Home. Over on NBC, Danny arrests a chip thief who claims to know someone who is planning to blow up the Montecito on Las Vegas. Old wounds are opened for Conti when the NJP team re-investigates the case of a cop accused of killing another cop on ABC's In Justice.

@10 p.m. - Charlie tries to discredit a psychic who may have helped Don and his team solve a crime on CBS' Numb3rs. Over on NBC, the prosecutors must charge a 14-year old boy as an adult for killing his brother on Conviction. Sci Fi channel's Battlestar Gallactica ends it second season with a special 90-minute finale.

SUNDAY EDITION
@8 p.m. - Valens takes an unexpected trip down memory lane when Lilly reopens the 1998 murder of a drug mule and he becomes the focal point on CBS' Cold Case. Over on NBC, The West Wing returns with a nuclear scare.

@9 p.m. - Paul gets arrested, Lynette and Tom butt heads at work and everyone begins to notice Bree's drinking problem on ABC's Desperate Housewives. Over on HBO, The Sopranos begins its 6th season.

@10 p.m. - Cristina has a bad day when Bailey asks her to take care of her baby on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. Over on NBC, A bomber strikes a Boston commuter train, leaving multiple people dead and many more injured on Crossing Jordan.



QUICK CUTS

*NBC is pulling Joey once again. The network announced that the recent decision to order a second edition of its hit game show Deal or No Deal is ending in a bad deal for Joey fans. The extra edition on Friday nights forces the network's Most Outrageous Moments out of its scheduled slot. So, NBC decided to move it to Tuesday nights in Joey's current slot after Joey did so poorly in the ratings this week, which leaves the comedy without a slot. Variety is reporting that the show won't return until the summer, and even then it will more than likely be to burn off unaired episodes. There is no official announcement from NBC yet.

*Fox is ordering another dose of its medical drama House. The show's creator told the crowd at the Museum of Television & Radio's Paley Festival Wednesday night that he had just received word that the show would be back for its third season. Yesterday, Fox confirmed the decision. The show has increased its audience since American Idol returned from more than 12 million viewers to now almost 14 million viewers each week. House airs Tuesday nights on Fox.

*And finally, not getting enough American Idol? Well, the Fox Reality cable channel promises to cure your withdrawal with its new show American Idol Extra. After the contestants are voted off each week, you can tune into the new show to see "the backstage drama of what really happens." The show premieres March 16th on Fox Reality.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in Monday for thoughts on Cold Case(I think Scotty has some splainin' to do! Who wants to bet Lil gets up on her high and mighty horse? This is going to be awesome!) and Desperate Housewives (Seems Bree has some splainin' of her own to do!) . Plus, all the latest television news. And coming later today, a brand new feature on Pass the Remote! Every Friday afternoon, check back for Friday Fun. This latest feature on Pass the Remote will provide a fun, anecdote featuring either video, pictures or other media of your favorite shows and their stars. That's every Friday afternoon on Pass the Remote! Be sure to check back later today for this week's edition.


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