A Surprising Alliance

There's no way that letting Sylar out in the real world with someone who doesn't have any powers is a good idea. I mean, this has disaster written all over it. Just ask Weevil Jesse. I guess we won't be getting any more Veronica Mars reunions. No doubt that HRG is a pretty powerful guy even without any special powers, but he's no match for Sylar. Sylar's "urges" are too strong and I'm just not sure that HRG is going to be able to find his weakness and exploit it. Unless, the Haitian is able to block all of Sylar's powers the way he blocked Hiro's and speedy girl's powers at the German movie theater. Then, HRG stands a chance.

Meanwhile, armed with the knowledge that she can't die, Claire is taking matters into her own hands because she wants to hurt "him" the way he hurt her. I'm guessing the "him" she's referring to is Sylar, so I'm not quite sure how she can hurt him. This seems to be the catalyst that sends her down the dark path we see her on in the future. And from the promos for next week, it looks like we're going to see more of Dark Future Claire. Remember when she was just the cute, sweet cheerleader that they needed to save in order to save the world?

Matt is still stuck in the African desert and I'm beginning to worry that this story will become as long and involved as last season's Hiro-lost-in-time snoozefest. Strangely enough, his guide has the same paint-the-future power that the departed Isaac had complete with weird white eyes syndrome. Even stranger -- Matt was able to do the same when he put the headphones on while painting. What in the world is playing on those headphones?

Finally, Tracy/Niki/Whomever is trying to piece together the incredibly strange parts of her life and how they intersect with women who look exactly like her. This little journey took her to New Orleans and Micah (and a coffin containing Niki's body) and then to Los Angeles and a Dr. Zimmerman. She knocked on his door, but he didn't seem too surprised to see her. He just wasn't sure which one she was, and when she pressed him about the fact that he knew her, he told her that he created her!

Summer Love on 'Chronicles'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Summer Glau, I love you.

You freakin’ rock.

Seriously.

I keep begging the Warner Brothers publicity people for the opportunity to tell you this in an interview, but alas, no avail … sooooo, the above will have to do until they take pity on me and/or I break onto the lot and kidnap you.

JOKING, folks – though not about the begging (please, please, please friends at WBTV Publicity??????!?!?!?!? We really are quite lovely here at PTR.)

Anyhoooooo, let me just also say I love the Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles people by the hour these days. As in, after last night’s ep, I would be broke if they were actually charging a fee.

They give me a Summer-focused ep that explains how dearest Cameron came to be – her human inspirational blueprint a one awesome Allison Young, part of John’s inner-circle in the future, captured by the machine to be copied, emulated.

OMFG, I have once again died and gone to Terminator heaven.

To be fair, one could say this was one big Concerning Cam Moment of an episode. However, this week, I don’t care.

I don’t care that her chip goes on the fritz only to remember the actual girl she was based on – her history, her human tendencies - all of which gave us a rare moment of Cam being Allison, having fun playing foosball, calling the mom who hadn’t given birth to her yet a la John meeting his baby toddler of a father last season … do I love this show or do I love this show?

But back to the Summer love … I already said I was her #1 Fan last season even though I technically can’t be, given I know there are plenty of people who loved her before T:SCC. But still, I am enjoying her as much this season as last season, and she continues to impress me with each successive performance – particularly last night’s performance.

A human performance.

I think we take for granted just how good she is at not being human. The precision and conscious awareness to subdue every tick and twitch that she has forced herself – as an actress – to adhere to so as to remove every human element from what we see as Cameron, yet still maintain a remarkable sensitivity and bring a sense of humanity to Cameron.

So. Darn. Good.

And yet last night, we were treated to seeing her in the complete opposite mindset. A girl on the run, trying to survive capture, interrogation and torture by the machines, telling us the raw truth of her life post-judgment day.

I just can’t say enough.

Except to say thank you, Summer.

Now, on the flip side … or, should I say the moments not occupied by Summer … we watched Sara play mommy-and-me best friend to the preggers girl who is, technically, their landlord. I haven’t mentioned her as yet, but I really like how they’ve juxtaposed her against Sara’s general angst-ridden approach to living in the world. Here’s this girl, about ready to give birth, going to be on her own (given things aren’t exactly kosher between her and LAPD detective baby daddy) talking to the mother of all mothers who knows about raising a son completely on her own and with a ridiculously huge burden of being the future leader of mankind. That said, I so enjoy watching Lena Headey’s understated portrayal of Sara’s emotions. As I said last week, she never lets us forget she is human, compassionate and, above all, a mother. There is something so endearing in her subtle, shy reveals to complete strangers about her life - if she reveals it at all.

And on the Shirley front this week … soooo, we have a daughter? No way. Kid has got to be a mini-machine or something. But, she is putting the moves on Agent Ellison, and he’s going to take her up on the ol’ job offer seeing as being a rather depressed and on-the-outs FBI agent doesn’t quite seem appealing at the moment. That, or it reminds him way too much of the 28 people who died on his mission-gone-wrong from last season’s finale, which saw Cromartie live.

Ouch.

I do kinda feel sorry for Ellison. He’s pulling a classic Lilly Rush-esque “Oh, I’m fine, even if I just got shot and had my mom die in my arms” stiff upper-lip routine.

I’m going to guess he’ll either crack or get some serious revenge.

All of which will be on Shirley watch.

Uh-oh.

The fight to save the world continues.

New episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles air Mondays at 8 p.m. on FOX. You can also watch full episodes online. Visit the Official Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Web site to catch up (or re-watch!)

Welcome Back ‘Dexter’

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Oops.

Big oops.

It’s not often we see Dexter Morgan do something spontaneous and unplanned. Sure, he adapts to the odd occurrence here and there, but rarely does he ever just instinctively react in the heat-of-the-moment.

It is against his serial killer nature.

But there’s a first time for everything.

And so went the premiere of the third season of Dexter, where Dex really did have a rare oopsie daisy when he accidentally kills the baby bro’ of Miami’s high-powered Assistant District Attorney.

Ouch.

He had it all planned out – thug o’ the week was a drug dealer who had gotten off
lightly after the murder of two college girls. Cue name: Freebo. As par usual, Dex scoped, prepared and was all set for the strike when SURPRISE! Freebo is in a struggle with aforementioned baby bro’ right as Dex goes for the kidnap.

Bummer.

Worse bummer: in the struggle that ensues, Freebo gets away whilst baby bro’ attacks Dex, for which Dex – in a strange turn of self-defense – ends up killing him.

Double bummer.

Enter Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado.

And the always fabulous Jimmy Smits.

I have to say, this was a very, very clever way to introduce Smits and his character into an already stellar cast and show. I’m so used to seeing him come in and be instantly strong, instantly powerful, instantly imposing – and all in a good way. He just has that kind of wonderful presence on screen.

Yet, his arrival to the Land o’ Dex was far more understated, which made it even more effective and well-done. I loved seeing him shattered and broken by the death of his baby brother, kind of off his game, yet trying to maintain his cool demeanor, his rage and his sense of order all the while getting the lay of the land of who is what in Miami Metro.

GENIUS!

Speaking of lay of the land, we can officially say Lieutenant LaGuerta has slept her way to the top. Seriously, this chick is the epitome of a political case and has no business being in charge of the squad given she seems to have had personal relationships with just about everyone in a high-powered position, including Prado. Oy vey. The woman is already on my list, and I just had to roll my eyes when she “disclosed” her past history with the Prado family.

Just. Go. Away. LaGuerta.

And what was with her mopey attitude? Still morning the loss of Doakes or what?

Meanwhile, my favorite Deb is now trying to clean up her act in the hopes of getting that ever-elusive detective promotion. And she got a hair cut.

And how funny was that?

Seriously, the whole “Did you get a haircut?" routine was just too darn funny. How many times do we watch shows whereby one of the main characters gets some sort of different hairstyle (ahem … Cold Case) and NO ONE acknowledges it? I loved that the Dexter folks decided to own up and joke about it.

But what is up with IA setting their sites on Deb to get close to a new squad member in an attempt to accelerate her detective promotion? Have to say, the girl playing the IA sneak was a kick. And can I just say I love it when Jennifer Carpenter gets to have that snarky, back/forth fast paced, no BS dialogue. She has the knack for perfect delivery every time.

As for my second other favorite Rita … wow, she’s come a long way, hasn’t she? Lovin’ where she’s at right now – so distraught and wounded in season one; coming into her own and really taking charge of herself and of her relationship with Dex in season two; now, things couldn’t be better for her and Dex (and I do mean could.not.be.better). Plenty of bedtime rompage happening. As much as I disliked Lethal Lila Looser from last season, she did free up Dex’s … how should we say … McLovin’ side. And I’m glad to see Rita the beneficiary of it.

The pudding sequences? Fantastic.

But pregnant? Ahhhhhhhhh!

And let me just round out this round up with the a GO BATISTA on being promoted to Detective Sergeant! Yay!

Although Cam and Co. (Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles) have the title of My Favorite Show, Dex and Co. are tied with the honor.

Welcome back, team!

New episodes of Dexter air Sunday at 9 p.m. on Showtime. Check out the official Dexter Web site for the inside scoop on the series.

'Cold Case' Tackles College Football

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a HUGE college football fan. As in, Saturdays in the fall are my favorite day of the week because I get to plant by fanny on the couch and watch non-stop action from the nation's top college football programs. Soooo, I was a little worried about how one of my favorite shows, Cold Case, would tackle this topic (yes, pun intended). As is usually the case with Hollywood (pun not intended this time), there was the typical spattering of cliches: steroids, boosters, dumb jocks, etc., but I thought the story was strong enough to overcome them. And as much as I hate to admit it, it isn't as if these stereotypes don't exist, but they're not as wide spread as Hollywood would have us believe. I liked the way this episode showed the dark side to steroids -- from Breeze's career-ending kidney issues to Mike's liver damage. As the episode pointed out, nobody really knew what steroids would do to the body back in 1973. I also liked the true-to-life portrayal of the die-hard fans who, as those awesome ESPN-U ads say, never graduate. I'm one of them, so I get it. And having just spent the weekend at my alma mater watching them take on a tough SEC opponent between the hedges in Athens, GA, I can assure you that I am not alone. My one complaint about the outing was a minor less-than-realistic moment when Lilly and Scotty threatened the murdering booster with bringing the "witness" in to ID him. Clearly, the man has changed a bit in the last 35 years and even if the "witness" had seen the driver's face, he never could have IDed him now (I know, they were simply trying to goad the guy into confessing, but still).

Let me think... did anything else happen during the hour? Oh yeah! We found out that not only did Jeffries play high school ball, but he was known as "The Tombstone" because, as a linebacker, he knocked everyone into the ground. Go Jeffries! I really liked the way his knowledge and experience came into play with the case. It was seamless and made sense. The show is off to a good start with blending personal into the cases this season.

What else happened? Nothing? Well, there was that little thing with Lil and Saccardo! I've been a bit lukewarm on the Saccardo character because he burst on the scene in a very, let's just say, rude way. He was better in the finale and I even felt a few sparks between him and Lil. So, how did the story line work in the premiere? I thought it was much better than last season. Lilly was actually flirting with him at the bar! And did I see her make the first move? Just watching her let loose, go after someone she's attracted to (instead of constantly being the chasee) and take time for herself outside of work is really enough to make this story work for me. I'm not sold that Saccardo is a good match for her, but I'm at least interested to see what happens between the two and that's more than I was last season.

Overall, a solid start to the season. Cold Case wins its opener and starts the season 1-0 (finally after many seasons of writing about this show, that analogy works!). Screencaps courtesy RichE at Look Again.

'Dexter's' Third Round Begins

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Power-saw to the people.

Dex is back.

Wah-hoo!

In case you haven' been following our Dexter countdown widget, or seen every conceivable mocked-up magazine cover advertised on various billboards, bus stops, sides of buses, buildings, etc. to make it seem as if ol' Dexter Morgan made the cover of ... well, every magazine there is ... PTR's (and America's) favorite serial killer returns tonight to Showtime with the premiere of its third season.

Now, if you're going to tune in to ol' Lil' on CBS, be sure to set your DVR so that you don't leave Dex out in the cold. And if you don't have Showtime, you can always download the new season via the likes of iTunes or Amazon Unbox.

So what can we expect with the premiere? Read on!

From Sho.com

"OUR FATHER"

For Dexter, life seems to be going well. His relationship with Rita and her kids is back on track. He’s no longer under scrutiny at his day job as a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Homicide. And his night job as a serial killer is operating on all cylinders. So when he sets his sights on Freebo, a dope dealer and killer, it looks to be just another night of Dexter’s dark justice. But things don’t go as planned and Dexter must find a way to extract himself from a pair of problems that he created, both in his home and night life. Dexter also finds himself inexorably drawn to Miguel Prado, an Assistant District Attorney, who has a very personal reason to bring Freebo to justice. Meanwhile, Debra is put in a difficult situation when someone from Internal Affairs wants her to inform on her new partner, Quinn.

Directed By: Keith Gordon
Written By: Clyde Phillips

TV-MA (V,S,L,D) - Nudity, Graphic Violence, Adult Language, Adult Content

The third season premiere of Dexter gets underway tonight on Showtime at 9 p.m. Check out the official Dexter Web site for the inside scoop on the series.

New 'Case' This Weekend

Cold Case rolls out its 6th season this weekend, but it may look a lot like its first. "We're bringing it back to its roots," says executive producer Jennifer Johnson in the Fall TV Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly. "A lot more investigative work, a lot more focus on our cops. Bringing back some humor; some levity." This should be welcome news for fans who have lamented the show's shift in focus and less than stellar decision to feature main character Lilly Rush less. Johnson promises more off-the-case moments for Rush as well including a bowling scene with guest star Bobby Cannavale (who turned up last season and ruffled a few of the uptight homicide detective's feathers). And series star Kathryn Morris tells TV Guide that things are beginning to look up for her troubled character. "There's been a break in the clouds at last," she promises. "Saccardo (Cannavale) helps her be a better cop and not take herself so seriously. She starts to go out and have a few laughs and live a little."

So, what else is in store for the crime drama's sixth season? Here's a look at the first set of episodes. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD...

"Glory Days" (season premiere) - Lilly and co. re-open the 1974 case of a college football player murdered the night before the big championship game. Jeffries gets some new direction on the case from a former college teammate from back in his football days. Apparently, he was known as "Tombstone" on the field!

"True Calling" (scheduled as the 2nd episode) - Lilly and the gang re-open the 1991 murder of a recent Princeton grad who decided to teach at an inner city school in Philly. The victim is found shot in the school's parking lot. Also, Vera has a run-in with a surly ballistics lab tech and one of the detectives gets pranked.

"Wednesday's Women" (scheduled as the 3rd episode) - Lilly and co. re-open the 1964 murder of a housewife whose body was found in Philly's famous Fairmount Park. Also, Jeffries and Kat go on a roadtrip to Mississippi and Lilly and Saccardo go bowling.

"Rollergirl" (scheduled as the 4th episode) - The Cold Case team investigate the 1978 murder of a 15-year old girl who was found dead in a ravine after disappearing from a local roller rink.

"Shore Leave" (scheduled as the 5th episode) - The team reopens the 1951 case of a Marine killed while home on shore leave. Meanwhile, Vera takes boxing lessons.

"The Dealer" (scheduled as the 6th episode) - Lilly and the gang reopen the 1981 case of a car dealer/mother murdered while trying to carve out a career.

"One Small Step" (scheduled as the 7th episode) - The team reopen the 1969 murder of a 12-year old boy whose body was found near a river the night of the moon landing. Lilly befriends the original detective assigned to the case and gets a glimpse into her own future.

"Pin Up Girl" (scheduled as the 8th episode) - The gang looks into the 1953 murder of a pin up girl. Meanwhile, Scotty goes on a date with a young photography expert the squad employs to help on the case.

"Triple Threat" (scheduled as the 9th episode) - Lilly and co, reopen the 1989 case of a teenage opera singer who defected from the Soviet Union. Turns out, a young rookie cop helped her and her family defect back in '89, and he was none other than Vera!

Also, there's a possibility that we will get to meet Lilly's elusive father. As a reminder, all of the info (including episode order) could change at any point before these episodes air this fall on CBS. Special thanks to all of the spoiler queens at Look Again for the information.

Cold Case kicks off its 6th season this Sunday on CBS (WARNING: May be delayed due to football).

'Bones'' Purple People Eater

This week's body parts in the purple muck episode should have many of you buzzing, but somehow I think it might have little to do with the case of the week (wink, wink). Then again, is that ever what has us buzzing??

THE GOOD
Zach. OMG! How wonderful and fabulous and totally awesome was it to have Zach back?? It was a Zach Attack and I LOVED it! I'm not even a Zach fangirl and yet, here I am squeeing just like one. Oh, how I've missed Zach. Also, the usual Booth/Bones/Sweets funny quota, more emotional impact for Hodgins and that cute little scene at the end where Booth retrieved Brennan's manuscript and quoted her reviews and then she fixed his back. I guess you could say it was a nice "I'll scratch your back and you scratch mine" kinda moment.


THE BAD
Zach. I know it seems strange because, as I've already enthused, it was so fabulous to have him back, but this is the same reason why having him back was so bad. It's kinda like when you're a kid and your parents come to visit at school -- you're psyched to see them, but after they leave, it makes the rest of the day that much harder. Having Zach back was a tease. And learning that he's not a cold-blooded, deluded killer and he doesn't want Sweets to share that little tidbit with Bones and co. was just torture. Free Zach!!

THE UGLY
Take your pick: those body parts floating in the purple water, the ugly side of the publishing world and the effect it had on Brennan, Booth's back injury, the latest intern misinterpreting Dr. Brennan's "have you ever had sexual relations with an older woman" question, and that fly-hatching-visual.

If you missed last night's episode ("The Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond"), check it out for free at Hulu.com.

The Psychic Network

Can you imagine if the government really did develop a "Ghost Network" whereby agents could communicate via internal psychic messages? How much of a game changer would that be?! It certainly made for an intriguing story line for this week's episode of Fringe. Of course, any network is only as good as its security and this one was compromised by a man who thought his visions were sent from God. Had he not turned to his priest for advice, Olivia and her crew may never have learned about the "Ghost Network" and those behind The Pattern would still be using it to communicate. The people who carry out The Pattern (the Patterners? The Pattern Society??) will most certainly find another covert way to communicate, but at least Olivia was able to track down one member (who subsequently stepped in front of a bus). I'm still convinced that Nina and Massive Dynamic are behind The Pattern and those who carry it out are following orders from her. Now, we have to suspect Agent Broyles as well. Why did he turn over that smalll, plastic-like disc to Nina at the end?? I guess The X-Files said it best when they said, "Trust no one."

Speaking of trusting no one, Peter is having a bit of trouble putting his high-risk, less-than-legit former life behind him. What was with the guy in the diner? The government paid off his debts, so he should be trouble-free, but it seems that there's more to his non-legit side than we first learned. I wonder if Olivia can get him out of whatever trouble this diner patron represents. Let's hope so for The Pattern's sake.

Fringe airs Tuesday nights on Fox. If you missed last night's episode, watch it for free at Fox.com. Photos courtesy Fox.

‘Chronicles’ Stays Efficiently Entertaining

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

I said it last week, and I’ll say it again this week: the efficiency of the machines is just so irritatingly amazing.

And this week, they just really irritated me.

As in, why do they have to be so good.

Let’s just recap how efficient Cromartie (who I am now going to call Tin Man) was over on Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, eh?

He kidnapped Charley’s wife knowing it would full well prompt Charley to call Sarah for help and/or have her come to the rescue, which Sarah did but without John. ‘kay two points for Sarah. Still, it was bad enough that she even went out to middle of the desert with Derek (who knew it was a ploy all along but went ahead anyways) to take on a machine.

Tin Man then sets up this whole decoy - kidnapped - wife - sitting - on - bomb - don’t - move - or - we - die thing to get everyone preoccupied about being blown to Smitherines all the while disabling their car and/or having a cell phone monitoring something-or-other in the back room of the shack so that he could get the real prize: John’s cell phone number and special announce the year/date code greeting thing, which he easily got thanks to Sarah’s call to John to warn him of the whole hullabaloo once she figured out it was all a trap.

Sooo, Tin Man calls John, impersonates Sarah, gets him to meet him at the pier and … tah-dah … John is screwed.

Oh, and did we mention Tin Man blew up the cell phone tower out in the ol’ desert after he got the John Cell Phone Number Prize so that our team couldn’t call for help? And since the car was dead, they’d have to walk their arses out to the highway, which would not bode well for a John Rescue.

So. Irritatingly. Efficient.

Want to give props to Charley’s wife: she was no pushover and/or helpless damsel in distress. She held her own, and I was kinda sorry (though not surprised) to see her not make it. This, of course, sets up Charley to either be a) the new member of the team with no attachments; or b) insanely pissed off at Sarah for essentially getting him involved in the first place. I’m guessing the former.

Speaking of pissed off, Sarah was pretty irritated at herself for still caring enough about Charley to even try this desert storm rescue. I really thought she was just going to keep four wheelin’ their van out of the desert (which conveniently appeared for them to … ahem … flag down and steal) as Charley’s wife was bleeding out in the back, but she stopped.

And this is what I love about Sarah.

She still – even though she has been through hell and back more times than we care to count, and has carried the burden of being the mother of the future leader of mankind – she still has her humanity, her compassion. She can still do something because it is the right thing to do on a human level, not a save-the-world level. I love that.

So what about Shirley this week? She seems to be trying to bribe Agent Ellison to come work for her. Oy vey. Look out. Remarkably, no T-1000 liquid transforms this week. Just Shirley as Shirley.

Classic Cam Moment of the Week: Figuring out the dead center of the house, and that at its current miniscule movement of the foundation, the team will have to repaint next summer; that the bird living in the chimney must be terminated (but won’t be, thanks to Sarah’s ultamatium); and,she doesn’t swim.

Concerning Cam Moment of the Week: NONE!

Speaking of machines not swimming … Cromartie came awfully close to getting John this week. Thankfully, he sank down to Davy Jones Locker after jumping off the pier. Have to admit that was funny.

So, it appears Captain Jack Sparrow and Terminators get free passes in and out of Davy Jones Locker.

Why is all but the rum gone?

The fight to save the world continues.

New episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles air Mondays at 8 p.m. on FOX. You can also watch full episodes online. Visit the Official Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Web site to catch up (or re-watch!)

'Heroes' Fights the Future

Was that the third season premiere of The 4400 or Heroes? Hard to tell. You know, I never put a lot of stock in those proclamations that the two shows were very similar, but last night’s premiere rang way too familiar for me to ignore them any further. Mohinder discovered that the formula that gives people special powers reacts with the adrenal system, so he used Maya to extract the substance and then planned to mass produce it so that everyone can have an ability power. All it requires is a little shot. OK, OK – the substance isn’t glowing green, but let’s face it, this is Promicin redo. Additionally, there seems to be a great risk in taking the shot as we saw Mohinder beginning to have a bad reaction to it. At first, he developed heightened senses, but by the end, he was peeling chunks of skin off of his back. Yuck! And this wasn’t the only Yuck! Factor of the night. I’m not very squeamish when it comes to Hollywood guts and gore, but that scene where Sylar stole some of Claire’s indestructibility power was downright NASTY! I actually felt my stomach starting to turn as Claire laid there with the top of her head lying on the floor and her brain exposed for Sylar to exploit. I’m re-grossing myself out just writing about it!

Now that Sylar has Claire’s power, he’s even more dangerous and he’s even more like The 4400’s Isabel. Some of his scenes last night reminded me so much of that show’s villainess who also happened to have many dangerous abilities. The weird thing is – after Sylar took some of Claire’s power, she ceased to be able to feel pain anymore. Glass pierced through her palm, but she didn’t even know it. This had her questioning once again whether she was even alive, especially after she learned from Sylar that she’s “special” and can’t die. Apparently, she’s “not like the others.” Kinda explains that opening scene where Claire tries to shoot Peter, huh? She repeated that line about being special and it seemed that Sylar’s revelation had lasting effects. Of course, none of that may ever happen thanks to Future Peter’s meddling. It’s called “the butterfly effect” and clearly, Peter never saw the movie because he was unaware that his interfering with one event changes the course of numerous other events.

Elsewhere, Niki is now Tracy and seems to be completely unaware of her former self, Nathan lives after taking several shots to the chest (thanks to Future Peter), and the governor of New York is tapping Nathan to be the junior senator from that state after seeing his miraculous recovery. Hmm… seems Linderman has far reaching effects even as a ghost (or figment of Nathan’s imagination). Hiro is dealing with a super-fast thief and the knowledge that Ando will betray him in the future (if Future Peter doesn’t interfere, that is) , Matt Parkman is lost roaming the deserts of Africa (thanks to Future Peter), and Elle is dealing with the sudden death of her father (another victim of Sylar). How awesome was that mini Veronica Mars reunion, though? Veronica and Weevil together again?! Too. Good. To. Be. True!! Finally, it seems that Mrs. Petrelli is hiding even more than we thought. Sylar is her son?! He’s Peter and Nathan’s brother??!! Oh boy!

PTR Faves Attend Emmy Awards

Well, another Emmy show has come and gone. The statues have been handed out, the dresses have been fully analyzed and the all-important swag has been cleared out. But, who won TV's biggest awards? Here's a list of the winners (in the major categories) from The New York Daily News:

Drama Series: "Mad Men," AMC.
Comedy Series: "30 Rock," NBC.
Actor, Drama Series: Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad," AMC.
Actress, Drama Series: Glenn Close, "Damages," FX.
Actor, Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock," NBC.
Actress, Comedy Series: Tina Fey, "30 Rock," NBC.
Reality-Competition Program: "The Amazing Race."
Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Zeljko Ivanek, "Damages," FX.
Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Dianne Wiest, "In Treatment," HBO.
Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Jeremy Piven, "Entourage," HBO.
Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Jean Smart, "Samantha Who?," ABC.

For a full list of winners, click HERE.

Congrats to all of the winners, especially PTR faves Glenn Close and Zeljko Ivanek from Damages and to The Amazing Race.

And now, PTR continues the Emmy tradition of bringing you photos of some of our faves who attended the ceremony...

The Closer's Kyra Sedgwick

Best Actress in a Drama Winner Glenn Close

Dexter's Jennifer Carpenter

Damages' Rose Byrne

L&O: SVU's Mariska Hargitay

Lost's Evangeline Lilly

Dexter's Julie Benz

For more photos from last night's event, visit Getty Images.

PTR's Emmy Picks

This Sunday, we'll find out if our faves take home a statue on TV's biggest night. The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards will be handed out this weekend live on ABC. In the meantime, LillyKat and I thought it would be fun to make our picks on who/what we want to win in some of the biggest categories. Here's what we came up with...

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Tony Shalhoub - Monk
Steve Carell - The Office
Lee Pace - Pushing Daisies
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Charlie Sheen - Two & a Half Men

TVFan's Pick: Tony Shalhoub. The Monk star makes the series with his hilarious OCD detective.
LillyKat's Pick: Anyone BUT Steve Carell will do. I know that's harsh, but I just don't like the guy whatsoever, and I've never taken to The Office given I prefer the o-rig-i-nal UK version.


Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy
Tiny Fey - 30 Rock
Christina Applegate - Samantha Who?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - The New Adventures Of Old Christine
America Ferrera - Ugly Betty
Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds

TVFan's Pick: 30 Rock's Tina Fey. I'm not a regular viewer of any of these series, but Fey's delivery and timing make her a stand-out for me in this category.
LillyKat's Pick:Again, anyone BUT Julia Louis-Dreyfus. I actually DO like her, but she's already won for both Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine. I prefer when the Academy quits rewarding the same person. That said, I'm partial to America Ferrera or Mary-Louise Parker.


Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
James Spader - Boston Legal
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Hugh Laurie - House
Gabriel Byrne - In Treatment
Jon Hamm - Mad Men

TVFan's Pick: Dexter's Michael C. Hall. Hall is Dexter and without him, this show just wouldn't be the same. He brings such conflicted complication to the role and has us feeling sorry for his serial killer character.
LillyKat's Pick: Definitely Michael C. Hall. I am just dying (no pun intended) to have him be recognized for bringing to life one of the most compelling characters on television. But I'm wondering if it's going to be a Mad Men evening, and thus, Jon Hamm could find himself with the Emmy hardware.


Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Sally Field - Brothers & Sisters
Glenn Close - Damages
Mariska Hargitay - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Holly Hunter - Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer

TVFan's Pick: Glenn Close. This is a difficult category given that it also includes the fabulous Kyra Sedgwick, but Close's portrayal of the uber-complicated Patty Hewes was, hands down, the best performance of last season in any category.
LillyKat's Pick:I cannot decide between Glenn Close and Kyra Sedwick. Purely on sentimental value, I want Kyra to win. She has delivered year-in, year-out yet has only ever been nominated, not won. I don't want her to turn into the Susan Lucci of the Primetime Emmys. On that fact alone, I'd like to see her finally get recognized. However, Glenn is just too darn good. There are hardly words to describe her captivating portrayal of Patty Hewes. So, if Kyra has to lose AGAIN, I'd want her to lose to Glenn.


Outstanding Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
The Office
30 Rock
Two & a Half Men

TVFan's Pick: The Office. This off-beat comedy never fails to make me laugh and marvel at its clever use of its faux-documentary style.
LillyKat's Pick:Hmm ... I don't watch much of any of these shows. I'll guess it'll be between The Office and 30 Rock (who surprised everyone last year, remember?)


Outstanding Drama Series
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

TVFan's Pick: Damages. This is the toughest category for me with Dexter and Lost keeping Damages company, but the FX freshman series absolutely blew me away. This first season was the finest season of any show I've ever seen. If Damages doesn't win, I might have to re-think lifting my Emmy ban.
LillyKat's Pick:I'd be happy with Dexter or Damages, with Damages possibly getting the edge given the intricacies of the show were just so captivating, and the entire ensemble cast turned in amazing performances tall the way around. But again, I'm wondering if we might see a Mad Men sweep. The good news is that sometimes the shows with the MOST noms go home with the LEAST awards. So here's to some of PTR Faves giving them a run for their money.


You can find out if these nominees and your faves take home the statues this Sunday evening on ABC (8 PM/7 PM).

Dog 'Bones'

I've decided to try a different approach with this week's Bones write-up. You know, give it a little extra something to separate these postings from the rest of the pack. So, let's take a look at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from last night's dog-fighting episode "The Finger in the Nest."

THE GOOD
Lots of funny moments and lines this week (as always). The banter between Booth and Bones is second to none. It was nice to see some scenes with Booth and Parker and then later, with Sweets. At the end when Brennan told him that he was a good father, I had to agree. He went out of his way to make sure that finding that finger wasn't going to traumatize Parker (I'm not what he had to worry about, though. After all, Bones stumbled upon a dead woman when she was a kid and look how she turned out). And speaking of that little scene at the end -- it was so tragic to learn that they euthanized the dog and then to watch Brennan's reaction to the news just broke my heart. She had a friggin' collar! As usual, Booth was there helping her work through it. And, I was happy to finally see someone, in this case Hodgins, reacting to Zach's revelation last season.

THE (Kinda) BAD
While it was great to finally see one of the team members suffering the effects of Zach's surprising confession and abrupt departure, it just wasn't enough. I don't expect Brennan to be boo-hooing in her Cornflakes, but I did expect some sort of emotional fallout reaction. She was close with Zach and he looked up to her. Maybe it just hasn't hit her yet. I'm also not liking this revolving door Zach replacement story they have going on this season. None of the replacements (save for week one) has made any sort of lasting impact or contribution. If we can't have Zach, then I'm ready to just find his replacement and move on. Finally, the Dog Whisperer cameo was a bit contrived. Why was he helping Booth and Bones exactly? I know, I know -- it was a stunt to draw in viewers, but my problem with it was that it came across as such. Bones works just fine without the stunt casting.

THE UGLY
Those horrible dog fighting photos! Like Angela and Brennan, I found them hard to look at even if they were fakes for the show. They did, however, continue to raise awareness about the atrocities of dog fighting, and that's always a good thing.

If you missed last night's episode ("The Finger in the Nest"), check it out for free at Hulu.com.

'Fringe' Aging

I have heard the comparisons to another Fox series that found two FBI agents investigating a series of unexplained incidents, but despite the obviously very similar description, I didn't feel like Fringe was that akin to The X-Files (which I LOVED, btw) when I watched last week's series premiere. There were parallels, but overall, I felt that they were fundamentally dissimilar. And then last night's episode aired and I began to feel a little differently. The rapid aging incident (that had a woman get pregnant and deliver a full term baby who went from infant to old man to corpse all in matter of minutes) was very X-Files-esque, and I LOVED it! Fringe seems to be carrying on the tradition started by the sci-fi series back in the late 90s. Having seen the most recent X-Files movie this summer, I was missing the original Fox intrigue show so having this new one is beginning to fill that void nicely. Of course, Olivia and Peter are certainly no Scully and Mulder (and their obvious attraction seems to be heading somewhere more sooner than later), but they'll do.

This rapid aging incident was another product of Dr. Bishop's fringe research. Apparently, the U.S. government had requested a corp of soldiers that would be born and aged to 21 years in a matter of minutes, but Dr. Bishop and his team were never able to slow the aging process at 21 years old, thus, the subject would continue to age and die. A colleague, however, continued the research and found that stealing the pituitary glands of others slowed the process. He employed the theory to a test subject that he had grown quite fond of and didn't want to see aged to death. It was another part of what's known as "The Pattern." But, who is behind all of the unexplained phenomenon? Right now, it feels a lot like its Massive Dynamics, which just so happens to be headed by Bishop's former partner who has a very suspicious (and slightly creepy) secretary Nina. Notice that we never seem to meet the supposed CEO and instead, deal directly with Nina. And speaking of Nina, her job offer to Olivia was a clear sign that she's getting worried about Olivia's involvement in investigating The Pattern. Perhaps, she's concerned that Olivia may stumble upon the truth and wants to keep her close so she can control her better. It looks like Olivia may have a very tough road in front of her.

Fringe airs Tuesday nights on Fox. If you missed last night's episode, watch it for free at Fox.com.

Something Anew on 'Chronicles'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

There’s a new girl on the block.

And it isn’t Shirley Manson.

For the first time, John Connor brought a girl home from school.

Awww.

Seriously, it’s cute and funny to have John so clueless, Sarah so irked (no surprise there), and Cameron assessing new girl’s (Reilly) “threat” level (as only Cam can do).

Can’t fault ol’ John for wanting to live a little. I mean, what’s the future leader of mankind to do, eh? He even gave Reilly his cell number. Go, John.

On the save the world front this week on Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, the team had to stop a power plant from falling into the hands of the machines. Unfortunately, I’m not really feeling like the team succeeded. Sure, they averted a Three Mile Island-esque meltdown, but now six power plants are going to go online to be monitored by … wait for it … a computer thanks to the human error(s) perceived to be the source of this "failure."

Not.

More like machine manipulation.

See, in the future, this particular power plant is being used as a major strategic source of power by the machines. Right now, it just seems to be trying to get itself back online thanks to one Carl Greenway who, naturally, finds himself terminated. Too bad, too, ‘cause he seemed like a nice guy who was trying to do the right thing in not putting a nuclear reactor online when it had safety issues (generally a good call).

Except that’s what the machines want.

They’re all for faulty power plants nearly melting down so as to point out just how error-prone human monitoring of these systems can be, and thus, prove why they should all be linked up and/or online together.

Argh.

And isn’t it convenient that our Three Mile Island incident of this week just so happens to have a company waiting in the wings to instantly take care of putting six power plants online at once.

Run by Shirley’s evil T-1000 self.

Double argh.

Their efficiency is just so irritatingly amazing.

(And for the record … I know I shouldn’t be calling Shirley Manson's character “Shirley,” since that is her real name, not her character name. But it’s just more fun this way. And besides, we’ve only heard her character name once, and she T-1000’s herself into various different persona, so it’s just easier to call her Shirley because we at least know who we’re talking about.)

Classic Cam Moment of the Week: doing her best impression of a pool shark, with the whole “Gee, I’m a girl, I don’t know how to play this game” routine. She raked in the cash, eh? Seemed kinda proud of herself, too. I think I’m going to call her Pool Shark Cindy from now on (okay, not really, but that was a funny sequence)

Concerning Cam Moment of the Week: She just seems off, doesn’t she? Like, delayed reaction, sort of processing things slower … I don’t know. As Sarah said, she seems to now be a guard dog that can’t be trusted. Why oh why did she have to have her chip tweaked?!?!?!?!? Well, I still trust her. What can I say: I LOVE CAMERON!!!

Anyhoooo … have some serious concerns for Charley next week. He’s now going to have do the live-on-the-run thing. Bummer. And if his wife keeps smacking him around for trying to be a good, there’s a cold case homicide detective in Philadelphia who could use a decent bloke for a change.

The fight to save the world continues.

New episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles air Mondays at 8 p.m. on FOX. You can also watch full episodes online. Visit the Official Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Web site to catch up (or re-watch!)

Da' 'Closer' is Da' Bomb

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Holy. Freakin’. Cow.

Do the folks over at The Closer know how to do their season finales or what?

Four seasons in, and they have never disappointed me. But last night’s “Time Bomb” episode has left me breathless.

Just. Plain. Breathless.

I’m still sort of stumbling over myself today after the shoot - out - at - the - OK - Corral - Mall. I don’t think I blinked for the last five to seven minutes of the episode – rivaling my stare-at-the-TV-screen-mouth-agape for 15 minutes after last season’s Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles finale.

Who’da thunk it could happen twice in the same calendar year?

And a writer’s strike year at that.

As we just got done singing the praises of last season's amazing “Blindsided” ep (which ended up Numero Uno on our PTR Best Ep Countdown), last night’s summer finale is going to give us a lot to think about between now and January (when BJ and Co. will return with new eps).

And perhaps for much longer than that.

Seriously.


The Case

Silly me for thinking this ep was going to be funny.

It sure started out that way.

BJ seemed so antsy pantsy in having to adjust to now being “Major Crimes,” not “Priority Homicide.”

And the case seemed to just be about a teenage kid who ended up on the unlucky side of building himself some pipe bombs (read: blew himself up with one).

Comic relief came at the expense of BABS, a state-of-the-art UGV (unmanned ground vehicle) called into investigate what became an instant bomb threat once the victim was identified as having schrapnel in his stomach. And from there, I thought we were in for the ultimate of Keystone Cops routines – whether it was Brenda’s impatience with BABS; her seeming confusion of who was where, with what and how; being carried feet first over the shoulder of Detective Sanchez and a Bomb Squad Task Force member not once, but twice, in order to force her to stand clear of the danger bomb zone; Lieutenant Provenza and Lieutenant Flynn laughing at the rather … how should we say … expressive way the young teenage victim expressed his appreciation of his high school principal (let’s just say he used the desk as a toilet).

Then it changed.

Turns out three teens were in cahoots to plan a Columbine-esque massacre in the name of being Agents of Extension of the human race.

Evolution’s End.

As in, set off bombs inside a shopping mall so as to force everyone outside, then take high positions on the roof and pick them off with an array of semi-automatic weapons so as to get the maximum amount of carnage and make their point – as per the original Columbine plan, except the bombs inside the school failed to detonate. As Fritz said, "As bad as [Columbine] was, it could’ve actually been worse."

Any time the word "Columbine" enters into a sentence, nothing is funny anymore.

And when someone actually tries to duplicate the tragedy?

Yikes.


The Shootout

This was some sequence.

Wow.

Nerves, urgency, uncertainty, fear, wrapped up into a shootout of all shootouts.

Once BJ has tracked down the last surviving teen involved in the plot, it is somewhat too late.

And all hell breaks lose.

The sound of the gunfire is still ringing in my ears.

In saying that, I want to commend the sound techs (and the post production team) on this one - they left the gunfire very raw, sort of that pop-pop-pop that is real gun fire, not the Hollywood Buh-Bang-Boom version that gets overly done. And the rapid fire succession – that constant pop-pop-pop from anywhere and everywhere - made it feel as if you were in a war zone.

And when the squad wishes each other luck to stop Terminator Teen?

Yikes.


The Slow-Mo Sequences

As if the shootout wasn’t compelling enough, there were some absolutely breathtaking slow-mo isolation sequences that further reinforced the sheer horror of what was unfolding on screen.

I mean, serious s-l-o-w-m-o.

When you can see the bullet shell casings slowly dropping out as the weapon is fired, or each gun’s pullback/release upon being triggered … wow.

Victims of traumatic experiences sometimes say that it’s almost as if time stood still while they were going through it. True, they can often times block out the entire experience. But other times, they can actually remember very precise detail, very specific instances. The way this sequence was shot seemed to drive home that point.

As in, never forget.

Something tells me the entire squad is going to be in trauma therapy next season.

Let’s hope it isn’t the therapist from Cold Case ('cause we know how UNsuccessful that was, eh?)


The Shot

Detective Sanchez.

Not looking good.

How about the bullets actually hitting him in the back as he tackled Lieutenant Provenza to save him? True, from the special effects perspective, we know he was just being squibbed. But still, I can’t say I didn’t go “Ah!” when it seemed as if he was being used for target practice was Terminator Teen.

BJ and Co. could’ve used their own Terminator last night.

Where’s Cameron when you need her?



All in all, The Closer continues to deliver year in, year out – with compelling performances and moving storylines such as this one. Ones that make you think, ones that make you laugh, ones that make you uncomfortable, ones that make you appreciate the truly talented group of people that have entertained us thoroughly for four seasons.

This ep will no doubt find its way on to PTR’s Best Ep list next year.

See you in January.

New episodes of The Closer will return to TNT in January 2009. If you missed any episodes from the summer season, catch up on the show anytime over on the show’s official Web site.

The Bank Job

So, a man walks into a bank. He wanted his best friend/business partner to go with him, but that best friend/business partner chose to wait in the car because he's pissed at the bank for denying him a small business loan for a zip line that delivers food from the kitchen to the living room. While the first man is in the bank, a gunman holds everyone hostage and things begin to spiral out of control faster than you can say "where's the pineapple?" If the first man is Gus and the second is Shawn, then you know that Man #2 was winding up in that bank so he could quell some of that waited-in-the-car guilt. What I didn't expect was to see Shawn running the negotiation for the bank robber. Nor did I expect to see him sparring with someone more obnoxious than Lassie! In fact, Shawn and Lassie were on the same team this week because neither could stand to be around that arrogant SWAT idiot. Too bad Arrogant SWAT Idiot also happened to be dating Jules.

Once inside the bank, Shawn was able to ascertain the robber's motive, mess with SWAT and tease Jules. Funny lines aside, he got himself back out of the bank, saved the robber's wife and figured out who had been holding her hostage to arrange the heist in order to secure a client's rare diamonds. There was only one thing that Shawn wasn't able to accomplish in this mid-season finale -- he didn't successfully lure Jules away from Arrogant SWAT Idiot and into his arms. Looks like it's going to take some more psychic abilities and a few more seasons to pull that off.

Psych will return with all new episodes this January. Until then, you can catch up on this episode and others at hulu.com.

'Bones' Wades Through the Crap

I can watch an episode with a boneless victim or one in which the remains of a man are reduced to a yucky watery substance in a bathtub, but this week's outhouse outing was definitely grossing me out. Call it my aversion to poo, but I was wincing during those early scenes with the feces-covered remains and the squints sifting through piles of excrement. Perhaps, I should have started dinner a bit earlier Wednesday night. Let's just say that I have plenty of leftovers. As usual with Bones, the episode was less focused on the case (thankfully) and more concerned with the off-the-case antics. First, I'm so glad that new girl isn't sticking around. She was a whole new level of annoying and creepy. Her should-be-kept-to-herself love for Dr. Brennan was making everyone uncomfortable and weirding me out. So no, it wouldn't be so great if you stayed at the lab forever because this week's taste of you was beginning to feel like forever and it was only about 25 minutes.

In the spirit of the departed annoying colleague, I'm going to spill the beans on my should-be-kept-to-yourself love affair. I LOVE (yes, it deserves all caps) this Bones /Booth /Sweets dynamic!! Their scenes are the funniest and the most interesting because in between all of those lightning fast quips, there are some heavy heart-to-heart moments and realizations that keep the idea of Booth and Brennan alive. I'm still laughing at the scene outside the elevator (Booth tries to persuade Bones not to date two men at the same time) and the one at the diner. Even though we had seen some of it during those summer promos, watching Booth and Sweets crash Brennan's date and insist that the Botanist is gay was just plain HILARIOUS! Their evidence: "the double kiss thing," never been married, Coldplay, the fact that he's OK with a non-sexual relationship, mint tea and a fruit tart. Oh, and there was that little mention from Sweets that Bones is "hot." Awkward! But the night's funniest exchange came in the beginning when Bones explained her relationship with the deep sea welder (guest star Brennan Elliott who has also romanced Lilly Rush on Cold Case and Diana Skouris on The 4400):

Bones: He can hold his breath for 3 minutes down there.
Booth: Underwater?

Oh yes, he went there! And Brennan gave him a parade of disapproving looks. You really can't beat stuff like this! Throw in the scene at the end in Sweets' office when Booth tells Brennan that there's a right guy out there for her and you have the very essence of what makes Bones so awesome and so far above the rest of the pack. Screencaps are courtesy Emily Deschanel Web.

In Bones-related news, the cast attended Fox's Fall Eco-Casino Party in West Hollywood Monday night. Here are a few pictures courtesy Emily Deschanel Web:




If you missed last night's episode ("The Man in the Outhouse"), check it out for free at Hulu.com.

The Countdown Reveals Best Episode of the Season!

Well, we have made it through the summer-long countdown, which means that it is time to reveal the #1 Best Episode of the Season. For the final time, here's a look at the rules for this year's winners. LillyKat and I ended up with 36 incredible episodes that demonstrate the diversity and quality of the current television state. The shows and their episodes are from both NETWORK and CABLE television. All episodes aired between June 2007 and June 2008. Each episode that made the final list moved us in some way; either by making us laugh out loud, cry our eyes out or just left us with that "wow" feeling that stays with you for a few days. So basically, it's completely subjective! Since this is a summer-long countdown to the number 1 episode, we will reveal a few each week all summer. So, be sure to tune in every Thursday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Before we get to numbers 3-1, here's a quick review of #36-4:

36. "Kiss and Don't Tell" - Men in Trees
35. "Chuck vs. The Truth" - Chuck
34. "Ruby" - The Closer
33. "The Dark Defender" - Dexter
32. "World's End" - Cold Case
31. "Let's Get it On" - Friday Night Lights
30. "Lights, Camera... Homicidio" - Psych
29. "Wicked Game (I & II)" - Medium
28. "It's Alive" - Dexter
27. "Spoiler Alert" - How I Met Your Mother
26. "Shrink Wrap" - Dexter
25. "The Verdict in the Story" - Bones
24. "Next of Kin (I & II)" - The Closer
23. "There's No Place Like Home (I & II)" - Lost
22. "Last Days of Summer" - Friday Night Lights
21. "Resistance is Futile" - Dexter
20. "The Mummy in the Maze" - Bones
19. "May the Best Man Win" - Friday Night Lights
18. "I Hate These People" - Damages
17. "The Constant" - Lost
16. "Shawn (and Gus) of the Dead" - Psych
15. "Boy Crazy" - Cold Case
14. "Authority" - L&O: Special Victims Unit
13. "There's No We Anymore" - Damages
12. "Vick's Chip"/"What He Beheld" - Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
11. "Til Death Do Us Part (I & II)" - The Closer
10. "Undercover" - L&O: Special Victims Unit
9. "Ten Sessions" - How I Met Your Mother
8. "Truth Be Told"/"Born Free" - Dexter
7. "Dexter" - Dexter
6. "The Santa in the Slush" - Bones
5. "The Road" - Cold Case
4. "Pilot" - Damages

And now, the Top 3 episodes of the season...

3: "My Princess" - Scrubs
We know that Scrubs is good at blending the imaginary with reality, but this clever fairytale outing really drove the brilliance home. The entire fairytale backdrop was beyond incredible. It was funny, clever, original and well, simply hilarious! This is what would happen if somebody redid The Princess Bride, but made it into a comedy. Everything from the gang staying still so The Todd gets confused, Keith continuing to agonize over Elliot, JD's gloating, the Lost smoke monster making a cameo, "Turla" and their alternating words and shared female problems, "Sasha" the scooter playing the part of the donkey, Janitor as the giant, Village Idiot (JD) and Princess (Elliot) trying to kiss but not being able to reach because they're shackled to the dungeon wall, Laverne, and every single awesome detail of the fairytale story made me laugh. Luckily, this stellar hour was only the end of the season and not the series as the network had planned because episodes like this definitely leave you wanting more. Written by Mark Stegemann and directed by series star Zach Braff.

2: "Pilot" - Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
I've tried to come up with some whiz bang awesome way to describe just how freakin' brilliant the pilot of T:SCC was, but I can't. It speaks for itself. Taking the successful Terminator: Judgment Day (a.k.a. T2) film and turning it into a television series was no small task, yet creator (and fan of the film) Josh Friedman did so without even skipping a beat. The pilot presented the best elements of the film - including the score, the action, the special effects, the backstory and the awesome T on T sequences - whilst simultaneously expanding everything so as to set you up for the deeper, richer and more intricate series on the whole. It also presented some nice new twists not seen in the film – particularly when it came to the terminator sent back to protect young John Connor (portrayed brilliantly by Summer Glau who, I think, single-handedly redefined what it means to be a terminator). Lena Headey's portrayal of Sarah Connor gave us a tangible weariness to an already strong (and legendary) character. For the first time, we saw the exhaustion of maintaining years worth of rules to ensure her and son John’s survival whilst also reconfirming just how strong the mother in her is. And Thomas Dekker gave us a more mature and sensitive John, still trying to figure out how in the world he’s ever going to run the resistance whilst simultaneously trying to remember all of the rules to stay alive in our time today. All in all, I don't know how much better these guys could've done it - which is why it is Numero Two on this year's countdown. Written by Josh Friedman. Directed by David Nutter. - LillyKat, PTR Senior Staff Writer

And now, after an entire summer of counting down episodes, we're finally up to the number one episode of the past season. Drum roll please....

1: "Blindsided" - The Closer
This stellar hour of a PTR fave was so good, it topped both of our lists. So, we each wrote a few words about what made it so great and this year's #1 Best Episode of the Season.

LillyKat Says:
There is only one way to describe this episode: Wow. Just, wow. It's not often we see Brenda Leigh Johnson at her breaking point, but she was all that and then some in this episode. She had already had an encounter with a serial killer the week prior (and thus was being evaluated by a psychiatrist), still at odds with her favorite Sergeant Gabriel over his actions on a previous case, and entertaining the ol' parents. That would've been plenty. But when her ride along with a news reporter and cameraman completely gets ambushed by gunfire whilst driving through an intersection suggesting someone is out to take her life, that's enough to even push her over the edge. The car looked like it had been in a war zone. The shot (in silence) of it just rolling down the street to a dead stop as everyone lie crouched down inside … intense. Shot from low and high angles … doubly intense. And yet, the intensity was coupled with perfectly – if not brilliantly – balanced humor and light-hearted moments once again (something this show does so well without taking the focus off Brenda or her work). Whether it was the fact we got to see her dad for the first time, or her dealings with the shrink, or The Abbott and Costello-esque SWAT guys assigned to protect shadow Brenda’s every move – both in her own house and at the station - this episode was The Closer at its finest. Intense. Shocking. Tender. Funny. Powerful. Written by John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin and directed by Kevin Bacon. - LillyKat, PTR Senior Staff Writer


TVFan Says:
You'd think that after so many years on the force, Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson would be immune to death. But this episode proved that she isn't and that's what made it stand out and land the coveted number one spot on our list this year. For the first time, Brenda was the witness and about this close to being another victim. She and Sgt. Gabriel were taking a reporter and photographer for a ride along. Everything was honkeydorey until ear piercing shots rang out -- too many and too fast to count accurately. One minute the reporter is asking pointed questions, the next he's splayed out in a pool of his own blood in the backseat of the police cruiser. Brenda runs through a gamut of emotions as she comes to terms with what happened to her, in front of her and on her watch. It all culminates in an elevator in one of the most emotional, intense scenes of the series as Brenda faces the man who violently shattered the sanctity of her world. Not to mention the life he took in front of her eyes. This was The Closer at its best and when it's at its best, it's hard to beat which is why it tops this year's summer-long countdown of The Best Episodes of the Season. Written by John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin and directed by Kevin Bacon.

Well, there you have it -- the complete list of PTR's Best Episodes of the Season! Do you agree? Disagree? Are there episodes that PTR left off the list? Leave us a comment with your thoughts on the final list. If you would like to take a closer look at numbers 36-4, click the "Best Episodes" link at the bottom of this post.