Syd's Back! Plus 'Idol,' 'Model' and Breaking Programming News for Tonight

So, what did everybody think about last night's 2-hour Alias return? I loved the way it literally picked up exactly where it left off. It was so seamless that I found myself wondering if Jennifer Garner filmed the cargo ship scenes before she went on maternity leave. I was surprised by how much information and plot lines that I remembered. I had somehow forgotten about Sloane's involvement with Prophet 5, but it came flooding back as soon as he got his little phone call about failing to tip them off about Syd's rescue. Here are some observations about last night's first-rate 2-hour return:

- Why was the baby glowing red and blue in the womb? I know everything checked out when they got Syd back, and the baby appeared to be fine, but that was weird.

- Weiss was back! And with a powerful position! I loved seeing him help Marshall, Dixon, Rachel and Thomas at CIA Headquarters. That scene in the server room with Rachel was intense. I loved how Weiss navigated her through it.

- So Thomas was married and his wife was killed. He tracked down the killer, but we don't know what happened. He said that he wasn't there about "that," which we can only assume is his wife's death. He sure was laying it on thick with Rachel later, though. He lied about the encounter, so it seems that something must have gone down.

- Jack's tactic at the Alpha Black meeting was awesome! He found the mole and got his daughter's location. Of course, he also got arrested, but it was short lived. I don't think I realized that he had such high clearance!

- Irina made me mad when she used her mother/daughter relationship with Syd to find the location of the fabled Horizon, although it was fun to see the family back together again. As soon as she double-crossed them, I knew things were going to get interesting.

- Is Peyton the badest bad girl to ever bad? She's completely ruthless! I knew she wouldn't die, but she did seem seriously injured.

- We're not much closer to finding out what Horizon is or why Prophet 5 wants it. We know it was stored in that safety deposit box on Vancouver during a mission that Vaughn worked in Paris in 1999. Whatever it is, it isn't very big and it's now in the hands of Irina.

- Speaking of Irina, she redeemed herself when she decided to choose motherhood for once. She coached Syd through that birth and made sure they got the help they needed after she left. Is it wrong that I both dislike and like Irina?

- I know none of you was shocked when Vaughn turned up at the end. The fact that he's still alive is like the worst kept secret ever, but a monastery? It seems that he is hiding out, but did I detect a hint that both Syd and Jack were in on his fake death? While they're on the plane flying back to A.P.O, we see Syd look at Jack and say "Dad" and Jack says nothing, but nods. The next scene shows Vaughn finding out about his daughter. It seems that Jack is the one who got word to Vaughn. We'll have to see in future episodes, but if Syd knew all along, that would definitely be a twist I didn't see coming!

Overall, it was great to have Alias back and I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the series play out. What did you think about last night's return? Are you happy to have the show back? Drop me a comment with your thoughts.


The Idol Moment
You listen to me! You really, really listen to me! First, I enlist your help to keep Katharine McPhee out of the bottom three, and it works. Now, you got rid of Ace!! All joking aside, I was so thrilled, scratch that, ecstatic to see Ace go! Finally the faker is gone! Interestingly enough, it was on a night where he wasn't as horrible as he usually is, but no matter. What I am not rejoicing over is Paris' and Chris' descent into the bottom three. Why wasn't Kellie Pickler's tone deaf performance in the bottom three? Why is everyone buying her country bumkin act? It's not fair when fabulous singers like Paris and Chris get relegated to the bottom three and average - at - best singers like Kellie get tons of votes? Please people; stop picking Pickler for the love of Simon! Anyway, I thought Tuesday's performances were good overall. Chris, Taylor, Paris and Katharine shone the brightest, but Elliot did a fine job as well. Ace was his usual so-so self and you know how I feel about Kellie's painful performance. The one thing I will say about Kellie is her ability to recognize her own failures and address them. She was the first to point out that she messed up, and she took the constructive criticism very well. Is this why you're all voting for her?


The Model Moment
Ace's departure from American Idol was deserved, but unexpected, but Brooke's (left - photo courtesy UPN) elimination from America's Next Top Model was as expected as Jade's performance at panel. For weeks, we've been hearing about how she has all the potential in the world, but can't turn that potential into action. Her photos have always been so-so at best. It's a shame because she really does have a lot of potential. I think a lot of her shortcomings have to do with her lack of confidence. It's hard to sell something if you don't believe in yourself. Of course, it's hard to believe in yourself when you keep harping on all the negatives. It was just too much for Brooke to overcome. Is anyone else getting the sickening feeling that Jade is going to win this competition? I feel like the judges put her in the bottom two in hopes that it will fix her attitude because they want to see her through to the end. She needs a huge dose of humility stat! I really enjoyed the doll photo shoot, and I couldn't get over how well Danielle, Furonda and Joanie nailed it! Danielle is still my favorite, and I applaud her effort to hold onto something that she likes about herself, even if the judges are making her close that gap between her teeth. Joanie is my new second favorite. I loved the way she got so choked up about the dental work, and she truly appreciated the results. And her pictures are fabulous! That black and white crying photo was amazing (Above - photo courtesy UPN)!


About Last Night...Fox won the first hour of the night with Bones, followed by CBS' The Amazing Race and the first hour of ABC's Alias. At 9, Fox stayed in the lead with its combination of the Idol results show and Unan1mous, followed by CBS' Criminal Minds and the second hour of Alias. The final hour of the night went to CBS' CSI: NY, followed by NBC's Law & Order (r) and the return of ABC's Invasion. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Chris decides to enroll in karate classes so he can beat his little brother on UPN's Everybody Hates Chris. Over on CBS, one survivor suffers a medical emergency on Survivor.

@9 p.m. - Theresa and the baby return on Fox's The O.C.

@10 p.m. - The team searches for a young blue blood who went missing from the inner city shelter for indigent women where he volunteered as part of his sentence for drug possession on CBS' Without a Trace. Over on ABC, Mac stands by her nominee for Attorney General who takes a beating during his confirmation hearings for being soft on crime on Commander In Chief.



QUICK CUTS

*BREAKING NEWS! NBC is canceling Celebrity Cooking Showdown effective immediately. The celeb-reality competition was set to air its final two installments tonight and tomorrow night, but poor ratings led the network to scrap the series at the last minute. The unaired episodes will be available via webcast at nbc.com. Look for repeats of Will & Grace and My Name is Earl to air tonight and a repeat of Deal or No Deal to air tomorrow night in place of Showdown.

*HBO is giving Big Love a second season. The cable network ordered another season of its new hit show that deals with plural marriage. The show stars Bill Paxton as a Utah polygamist and Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin as his three wives. The second season will begin filming in August and is expected to premiere next year on HBO.

*And finally, is ABC's Lost losing another cast member? I'm finally giving into this story even though it is purely speculative at best. Actress Cynthia Watros (Libby on Lost) is signed on to the CBS comedy pilot My Ex-Life opposite Tom Cavanaugh. The show will focus on a divorced couple who are now best friends and sharing custody of their children. Like all other pilots, the show is vying for a spot on the fall schedule. The speculation is that Watros signed on to the pilot because her character must not live through the season on Lost. For now, Watros' role in the new pilot is being classified as "guest starring" according to The Hollywood Reporter, but she will play one half of the divorced couple. CBS will announce its new fall schedule next month. Lost airs its season finale May 24th on ABC.

That's all for today. I'm off tomorrow, but be sure to check back here for another edition of Friday Fun. This week's edition features thoughts from a controversial team from The Amazing Race. That's tomorrow on a special early edition of Friday Fun!

To read more of today's television headlines and listings, and to get a complete archive with the best of Pass the Remote and a photo gallery, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.



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