'Dexter' Keeps the Code

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Last week, we thanked the heavens for Harry.

This week, we thank the heavens for The Code.

Even Dexter's modified version of it.

As in, we don't go after defense attorneys just because Miguel Prado as a bee up his bum and/or said defense attorney is a) very good, and b) makes Prado's work difficult by doing said good job.

THANK. GOD.

I was going to flip off the channel to Dexter last night if Dex really did take Miguel Prado up on his let's-go-after routine as it pertained to Ellen Wolf, Miami's numero uno defense attorney.

Miguel needs help.

And it is not of the vigilante justice variety.

Perhaps both he and Ramon need to enroll themselves in therapy.

I'm not convinced Miguel has the discipline nor the exquisite moral center that Dexter has so as to engage in Dex's version of justice. Ellen Wolf gave us hints as to Prado's less than ethical practices as an ADA (among others: planted evidence, jury tampering) whilst Prado's wife said it plainly: he's one thing in public; something else in private. And what he is in private doesn't seem to be much better than what he is in public. We saw him snap at Dex because he would NOT just blindly kill off Ellen Wolf. Prado's mea culpa at the end of the ep was predictable if not totally anticipated. I half wanted Dex to just end it right then and there, but alas, more Prado Bonding Time is slated for next week.

But perhaps above anything else, I get the sense there seems to be a whole lot more simmering under the surface as it pertains to Prado, and that has me a) suspicious and b) wary of any further involvement on Dex's part in the Prado world.

And while you could make the argument that Dexter is also one thing in public and another thing in private, there is a BIG difference: Dex has his emotions under control and in check; he not does he fly off the handle or use his "condition" for personal vendettas. Prado seems to think he's got Carte Blanche to go after whomever he chooses depending on whether he's had a bad day or not. Oy Vey.

I cannot see how this is BFF routine is going to end well. And next week's preview has got Miguel sitting in on a Dex kill? As in, let me show you how to do it?

Harry must be rolling over in his grave.

Isn't this the part of the code Dexter just swore last week he wanted to keep to himself - that actual killing?

Hello? Is this on?

Whatever.

Now what I did love about Dex this week was his Angel of Death Mercy routine for poor ol' Camilla. I confess I was really hoping they'd take it in this direction because I just couldn't bear the thought of this good woman dying so ... well, awfully. Losing all sense of herself, her faculties, and the pain being beyond anything she could continue to bear had me literally saying, "Just put her out of her misery, Dex."

And he did.

At her request.

And whilst it technically violated Dex's own code of never hurting a friend, this one was definitely worthy of the exception. And, although Camilla has played only a minor role, she is a huge key link to Dex's past - knowing how and what Harry rescued him from, and she seems a much better definition of BFF than Miguel Prado would ever comprehend.

And did Deb just rock it this week or what?

Give that woman her shield already.

Now, she did compromise the Freebo investigation by tipping off her CI they wanted to use him as bait, BUT she backed it up with some awesome all nighter detective work and came up with a new lead on her own!

My concern is my favorite IA snitch is going to not only nail her for it, but also nail her for now being personally involved WITH the CI.

Bummer.

Because I really like where that is going. Adorable, actually.

But can we really think Yuki Amato is NOT going to look for a way to stick it to Deb for screwing up her IA investigation of Quinn (apparently a cop killed because he cut corners, not because they had an affair ... seriously?). Me thinks this will get juicier as we had toward the last half of episodes for the second season.

And can I just say the way they shot Jennifer Carpenter moving around the briefing room, with every folder and picture of the Freebo victims spread on the floor as she tried to piece the new lead together whilst balancing the effect of what would have been a metric ton of caffeine so as to make it seem as if she had Tourette's ... GENIUS!

The tempo of her line delivery was just.too.funny.

Get some sleep, Deb.

And I'm LOVING the Detective Batista story with the Vice cop. It's about time Angel had a good woman in his life.

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.

The Test of Friendship on 'Crusoe'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

I'm starting to think we all could use a Crusoe in our lives.

Loyalty. Honor. Decency. Courage. Intelligence. Humor.

And one heck of a friend.

As in, the guy you want to count on when there is NO ONE, who will put aside his own wants to make sure YOU are okay.

They really don't make 'em like they used to.

And this was beautifully on display in Crusoe last week.

One of the things I have come to really enjoy about this show (aside from the mini-adventures each week) is the deep friendship that has been established between Crusoe and Friday and of which is fantastically portrayed by Philip Winchester and Tongayi Chirisa. It is as good as Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter's bro/sis chemistry on Dexter. As such, you believe these two really are best friends and would stop at nothing for the other.

They are true equals in a world that would otherwise see one as inferior. Their plight is shared, one never blaming the other for any given predicament. They continue to learn from one another irregardless of whether they agree or disagree on any given issue. This episode was filled with fine moments that further explored the Friday/Crusoe camaraderie.

Never mind that Friday drops the ONLY working compass into the fire (which they found in a boat that happened to be lodged in a tree no doubt thanks to a storm from some time ago), or that he doesn't really want to break into the mutineers camp to steal another one ('cause we remember the gang is still lampooned on the island, trying to fix their ship which ran aground in the previous ep), or that he fears any escape from the island and subsequent return to England alongside Crusoe will lead to slavery.

When he ends up at the bottom of a well, nearly crushed under the weight of a log that fell in after him, Crusoe stops at nothing to rescue him - even forgoing the saving of the newly repaired boat they were going to use (along with said compass) to try and make their way off island.

The dogged determination and frustration of Crusoe juxtaposed against the surrender on the part of Friday to his fate was fantastic. Both were willing to put the other before their own self - even if that meant losing a life in the process.

We should all be such a good friend, eh?

On the flashback tip this week, we learned that Crusoe got into a bit of a shady deal with Susannah's brother. Even though Susannah swore her brother was upstanding and trustworthy, it turns out Crusoe ends up investing in a legalized version of piracy.

Bummer.

Another bummer turns out to be Blackthorn, the cryptic supposedly looking after Crusoe character played nicely by Sam Neill. Looks as though he aims to set-up Crusoe to be arrested (or not?) for participating in the rebellion being planned by the Duke of Monmouth to overthrow the king, even though Crusoe does NOT support it.

Hmmmm ... it looks as though our loyal, decent, honorable, courageous and intelligent castaway has got a better friend in Friday than he ever had in England.

New episodes of Crusoe air Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

Crushed 'Bones'

This week, we had the long-awaited return of Bones and it came with a few surprises. Here's the breakdown of the show's post-MLB/post-election return.

THE GOOD
Just the simple fact that both Booth and Bones were back on my TV screen was really enough to keep me happy. I missed my Booth and Bones during the ridiculously long hiatus. Additionally, I liked Bones's mistaking "da bomb" for, well, an actual bomb and really enjoyed the scenes between Sweets and Angela (who, apparently, subbed for Booth and Bones this week, but she filled in so nicely that I didn't even mind the absence of the Sweets/ Booth/ Bones funnies). And then there was Angela's really touching inner struggle after running into her former college love. I don't think that we've seen the last of this story line, and I'm interested to see what happens next between her and Roxy.


THE BAD
The return of annoying Zach replacement Daisy Wick! Cam isn't the only one about to explode in her presence. Luckily, Sweets fired her, but it wasn't all bad news as we learned that the two are seeing each other and can now do so in the open since she's no longer working at the Jeffersonian. This led to a discussion between Booth and Bones about how wrong for each other Sweets and Daisy are because she's a woman of science and he's man of psychology and so on. Of course, we all know who they were really talking about (wink, wink). On second thought, this might actually be a "Good."

THE UGLY
That entire crushed car/crushed artist demo in the Angelator. Plus, the actual crushed body and the beetles eating the flesh off of said body. As usual, just yuck!

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

'Damages' Returns in January

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Mark the date: January 7th.

Mark the time: 10 p.m.

Mark the Network: FX.

And let the second round of Patty v. Ellen begin.

Or should we say Ellen v. Patty?

I finally saw the first promo for the new season of Damages this week, and can I just say: Can't. Wait. It seems like FOR-EV-ER since season one came to a humdinger of a close, and from the looks of the latest FX promo touting the return of our dynamic out to get one another lawyering duo ... hold on to your hats, folks.

And watch out for Ellen.

Close Call on 'Chronicles'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Let there be no mistake: Cromartie is really good at being bad.

So good, in fact, that I'm starting to ... wait for it ... like him.

ACK!

What is up with that?

Two words: Garret Dillahunt

Two more words: Digging him.

We already know I am a devout admirer of one Summer Glau, and her absolute brillance in portraying the Cameron terminator to perfection - the stillness, the precision, the one-liners. But, I don't think I'm giving enough credit to Garret's portrayal of Cromartie this season. As in, he's awfully good.

Creepy, but funny.

Cruel, yet tempered.

I confess I didn't care much for him last season. He was a little awkward, perhaps a little too machine-y. But this season, he's cool, clever, wickedly efficient and has a weird sense of humor that only machines seem to have without knowing they actually have it. And Garret seems to have ratcheted up doing his own machine-ness thing to perfection.

Even if it is for the bad guys.

(And in the interest of full disclosure, I did actually dig Robert Patrick's original portrayal of the T-1000 in the T2 film, so I guess I CAN like the bad guys, too.)

So it may come as a surprise (or not) that in watching this week's ep of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, I found myself more fascinated in all-things Cromartie. His hot pursuit of John lead him to pair up - briefly - with Allison's (read: Cameron's) former best friend from the shelter (featured in the "Allison from Palmdale" ep). You know ... the one she tried to kill?

Revenge anyone?

And don't forget the milk, dear.

Girl was clueless she was driving around town with a machine. But hey, aren't they all.

And how about Agent Ellison almost being offed by his machine double of a self only to be saved by Cromartie because the C-Man believes Ellison will eventually lead him to the Connors? Nice!

Bummer for Ellison, though, since his "double" was identified as murdering a civilian when he ... ahem, arrived via his energy bubble.

Busted!

But have no fear. When you work for a well-placed T-1000, she'll get you out of impending murder charges faster than you can say Skynet.

Got to love Shirley. She just knows how to be in touch, eh? Not to mention she's the only one who believes Ellison at the moment. The whole wink - wink - you - know - I know the machines are here thing.

What didn't concern Cromartie this week concerned, as Derek said, "John Connor acting more like John Baum every day."

As in, do we think JC just wants to bail on this whole future leader of mankind thing?

No, but he surely wants to push all of mom's buttons in trying to have some sort of a life in the process - particularly after their house was broken into (whereby their indentities and small stashed fortune of diamonds fell into the wrong hands because girlfriend Riley forgot to reset the alarm code).

Oops.

Security risk.

Time to go, Riley.

And yet, I still like her, and I still like the fact John is trying to have some normal teen bonding time. But this leads to the ongoing John v. Sarah conflict (sheesh ... John's got as many mommy issues this season as Dexter does with daddy issues). That said, I do appreciate mother and prodigal son are NOT getting along. There is resentment, there is anger, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight to it.

But I can do without the mopey, need - to - grow - a - pair version of John, which thankfully was missing this week.

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!)

Ready, Set, VOTE!!!

In honor of Election Day, LillyKat and I will not be posting anything today. We're out doing our civic duty by voting and we think you should be too. So, get out and vote! And when you're done, tune into your favorite network to get the results. Here's a handy Election Widget from MSNBC to help you keep track:




Happy Voting!!!

'Dexter's' Voice of Reason

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Thank you, Harry.

Father knows best.

And Dex needs to get over his hate - you - you - lied - to - me - I'm - doing - my - own - code - from - now - on thing and start listening to you once again.

Even if it is only in his own mind.

Or else ... well, I don't know.

What I do know is that finally, thankfully, wonderously, Harry was the voice of reason this week on Dexter - something he hasn't been since ... oh, let's see ... some time last year. As we know, Dex has daddy issues this season, and they aren't just of the Will I Be A Good Father to Rita's Kid variety.

He continues to be all irked with what we'll call Harry's imperfections. As in, Harry lied. He cheated. He was repulsed by Dex.

Yeah, okay. Nobody's perfect. Especially parents.

Of a serial killer.

Need we remind Dexter Morgan that Harry DID raise Dex to survive in the world. He DID make it seem as if this serial killer kid was going to do something more than end up on Death Row. He DID save Dexter from his brother's twisted fate.

Soooo, on balance, Harry isn't all that bad compared to a whole lotta parents. And he's the only one (besides me, I guess) who thinks this Miguel Prado thing has got to go.

Do we not remember the old The X-Files adage Trust No One ...? (perhaps Dex needs to rent the series on DVD and catch up)

Or we could Dexter-ize it to say Trust No One (Especially If You're A Serial Killer).

N-ee-ways, don't get me started on this week's Tag Team, who-can-we-go-after-next routine between Prado and Dexter. However, I will give Dexter credit for picking some sort of Holy Grail of perps to test Prado's resolve.

To which he jumps in with both feet.

Of course.

But what really got my attention this week is the suggestion by one of Prado's foes that Prado is ... how should we say ... ethically challenged on how he goes about his ADA business. As in, potentially could be brought up on some charges.

To which LaGuerta balks.

Of course.

After all, this is the woman who defended Doakes, right?

But I am way curious as what is up with Prado's ethics, 'cause he seems to be ready, willing and overly able to bend a whole lotta rules way too easily - not to mention take part in a different sort of vigilante justice than bro' Ramon. That said, my issue remains the drawn out process by which we are getting to this point (and the overkill BFF routine between Dex and Prado that has preceded it).

That aside, I have to say the show redeemed itself a bit this week with this subtle planting of an issue with Prado. Is it bad that I now kinda want Dex to end up offing Prado should Prado lose the plot?

On the non-BFF front this week, Deb totally scores one for the team by bringing in the other Prado bro' on kidnapping, false imprisonment and torture charges seeing as Ramon will stop at nothing to find Freebo's killer.

And apparently, my favorite IA deckhand Yuki Amado is out to get good-guy-bad-guy-back-to-good-guy Joey Quinn on a personal vendetta. Now, I'm not sure I believe this, but okay. Strangely, I've come to like how he works with Deb. He's actually shown her a few good pointers. But he's set her up, too. Dunno. Verdict is still out on this guy.

Go 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.

Mutiny Loves 'Crusoe'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Note to self:

"Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen. The deepest circles of hell are reserved for betrayers and mutineers." - Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Actually, this week's mutineers over on Crusoe weren't all that interested in anything other than resupplying themselves with the island's riches. And by riches I mean the basics - food, water, all that stuff you run out of when you gallabanting around the Caribbean either as a pirate or as a merchant sailor.

The arrival of mutineers gave Crusoe a much welcomed opportunity to escape - if he could align himself with the captured Captain.

Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

Have to say, Friday digging up some long lost remains and building himself spookfest skeletons to make it seem as if the island was haunted by spirits as part of his and Crusoe's Take Back the Captain jailbreak was perfect (especially since this episode actually aired on Halloween night). And how about their whole junglerama disguise? Too. Funny.

How these guys come up with the gadgetry, the ideas, the quick execution ... we should all be so talented, eh? (Okay, so I do suspend a healthy dose of reality when watching this show, but whatever. Actually, I'm starting to think Crusoe is/was related to MacGyver. Remember him - could make an engine out of toilet paper, shoe string and orange juice?)

Anyhoooo, unlike last week whereby I was hanging on Crusoe's every move so that he would indeed get that darned wedding ring back, I actually did not want him to get off the island this go around. Just kept thinking something wasn't quite right with the mutiny on the bounty folks - especially given the "Lets' take 'em!" breakout with the captured Captain lasted all of two seconds.

Oops.

On a side note, one of the mutineers is actually a woman disguised as a young lad serving as (I'm guessing) some sort of medicine man (not a full blown doctor). When a nice Pirates-esque swordfight ensues between Chief Mutineer and Crusoe aboard the ship on which they arrived, she takes the helm and deliberately or not runs the ship aground.

'Cause I think she kinda likes Crusoe.

This means our castaways are going to get a second chance to escape next week.

Or at least try.

Which also means they're likely to be hunted down, too, considering everyone now does know they are on island.

Wilson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New episodes of Crusoe air Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

Lilly Gets the Deal

Oh, you guys know I love the 80s, so this week's episode of Cold Case gets mad props for taking us back to 1981! How rad was that soundtrack??!! And how awesome was it that the story revolved around a cheesy car dealership chock full of cheesy car salesmen (and women)?? I mean, it doesn't get more 80s than that! I don't want to put a damper on this 80s spectacular, but the best part of this episode for me was its year. The story was fine -- not one of the best, but certainly not one of the worst either. It was pretty straight forward: woman discovers that she's good at selling cars, starts outselling the men, one of those men gets demoted to washing cars before they leave the lot, said man finally gets close to making the sale that could put him back on top and then woman closes the deal, so man kills woman in a fit of rage and jealously and complete desperation. Of course this being the 80s, there was plenty of sexual harassment, extramarital affairs and cheestastic hair, make-up and clothes thrown in to spruce things up a bit and throw us off the scent of the real killer, but when it was all said and done, the murder was pretty cut and dry. Nothing wrong with that.

There wasn't too much going on other than the case this week. We did get a throw-away line from Lilly that should be given a second look (especially if you've read ahead). When she was talking to Marisa about her mother, she told her that she had a parent walk out on her and she knows what that feels like vis a vis, she knows that Marisa's mother did not abandon her. We know mom stuck around (and I use this phrase loosely since we know that mom was drunk more times than she was sober, but I don't want to speak ill of the dead), so that leaves dad. And then there was a fun exchange between Jeffries and Vera about Vera needing a new car. These two are becoming my new favorite funny duo (behind JD/Turk and Shawn/Gus, of course). All of this was enough to push CC to 6-0 on the season.

Screencap courtesy RichE at Look Again.

Notso Easy Street

In football, coming off of a big win can lead to a HUGE letdown the following week. Knowing this, I was a little cautious going into this week's episode of Friday Night Lights after last week's outstanding- get- up- and- cheer outing. But, this week's hour, which included the return of Jason Street, did not disappoint. It wasn't a HUGE win like last week, but it was a solid win all the same. I wasn't sure how the Street story line was going to go because I felt like the show sorta drop the ball on Street toward the end of last season (of course, it was shortened by the writer's strike, so that could have something to do with it). I'm glad they fastforwarded to after the birth of the baby and focused on the struggles of young parents instead of a pregnancy. Jason is carrying a huge weight on his shoulders and he doesn't have a football scholarship, college degree, NFL contract or even a well-paying job to help lift some of that weight. He needs to earn more money so he can help his family, but times are tight and he just isn't catching any breaks. So, he decides to go in on a real estate investment -- buy Buddy Garrity's house with a few others, fix it up, and flip it for a nice profit. Sure, it's risky, but it could pay off well for Jason giving him the capital he needs to support his family. There's only one problem: the mother of his child has decided to take Noah and move back east to be with her family. Talk about a heart break! Let's hope Jason is able to change her mind.

Elsewhere, Julie was facing off with her parents about her new tattoo, which led to a really nice mom/daughter heart-to-heart on the side of the road. Sometimes, a tattoo is just a tattoo and not a gateway to bad behavior or a one-way ticket on the Bad Path Express. And while I understand Tami's concerns about Tyra and her influence on her daughter, I'm not so sure that Tyra is as bad as she used to be (back when Tami had more reason to be concerned). She seems to have matured a bit over the course of this series, even if she's ditching school for a rodeo cowboy. I get it, though, she has some pretty strong feelings for this guy and that has her questioning her priorities. In the end, I think she'll figure it all out (if a surprise visit next week doesn't do it for her).

Friday Night Lights is airing new, commercial-free episodes Wednesday nights on DirecTV's 101. The third season will be seen in its entirety early next year on NBC.

Military 'Case'

Someone at Cold Case must be a hopeless romantic because this week's Korean War outing was less about war and more about love. On the eve before shipping out to Korea, a young marine meets the girl of his dreams -- the woman that he thinks he should spend the rest of his life with. But, he only has the rest of the night because he's murdered before the sun rises on the following morning. Girl of his dreams waits for him the next day to see him off to war, but he never shows. She never knew what happened to him, but he does leave her with something (or rather, someone) to remember him by -- a son. And I guess I'm a sucker for this sort of story because I just loved the way that Lilly and co. were able to find the truth (as tragic as it may have been, at least she knows he didn't abandon her). This was one of those episodes, though, where I spent most of the hour trying to sort out all of the suspects. I knew their faces (even between past and present for the most part), but I just couldn't keep their names straight. The episode did do a nice job of picking an unlikely, yet plausible, killer (trust me, this is a delicate balance that is hard to reach). I kinda dismissed the sergeant early on because he was so quick to call out Tully as a deserter. Shows what I know!

In addition to the case, there were several funny moments between Vera (the class clown), Jeffries and Valens. I think I laughed the hardest at the "Ask me about erectile dysfunction" sign on Valens's back. Good stuff. It was nice to see Vera taking the boxing trainer's advice and throwing a few punches around during the closing scenes. Meanwhile, this was another knock out for Cold Case, so the crime drama moves to 5-0 on the season.

Screencaps courtesy RichE at Look Again.

'Crusoe' Calls Out the Spirits

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Confession: Back in the day, I used to watch Xena: Warrior Princess (XWP).

Now, I wasn't the obsessed / go to the conventions / decorate my house / collect every piece of XWP memorabilia possible type (no disrespect to those XWP folks who were - I'm all for the seriously dedicated, fun-loving fandoms).

But, I did enjoy the show for mainly one reason: it was an escape.

You were taken on a little adventure each week, and it required no knowledge of forensic crime scene investigations or wanna-be medical student terminology.

Remember that?

Or am I just showing my age?

Anyhooooo, Crusoe is evoking all my warm and fuzzy memories from my XWP days. That is, the little adventures we go on each week are reminiscent of what made XWP fun to watch. You suspend a little bit of reality, get yourself into a different mindset that revolves around the action/adventure/fantasy realm, throw in some history and just have fun with it.

I dig that.

And this week was all about ex-or-sizing the demons.

And finding one very special wedding ring.

Friday takes it upon himself to take a dream (or nightmare, depending on what side you're on) rather seriously, aiming to set free the spirit of a woman who, by the looks of it, was sacrificed on the island many moons ago yet still wanders in a state of unrest. He and Crusoe go back and forth about who's vision of a higher power/life-after-death scenario is right: Crusoe's Christian principles, or Friday's tribal practices. And it wasn't in any sort of overly-preachy way, either. More like a civilized this is what I think / this is what you think / did you notice we kind of think the same things and just call it something different type of discussion

It was an interesting dilemma. Crusoe didn't really take Friday too seriously, and thus, was more concerned with getting their fresh water supply running again whilst Friday was intent on pointing out the reason their water supply suddenly wasn't available was because of the spirit. But if put to rest, all will be well and good, and rewards will follow.

As if to drive that point home to the disbelieving Crusoe, he almost loses his wedding ring in this process (suffice it to say it had with him trying to unclog the well from which our castaways get their fresh water, sticking his hand where he shouldn't and essentially kicking off the whole spiritual-water-lost-wedding-ring conundrum).

Can I just say I was obsessed for him to find that darn ring?

And he did.

Rewarded.

And did we mention they also get their fresh water back?

Double reward.

This week also showed us via the flashback sequences that poor ol' Crusoe was the unpopular choice of husband according to Susannah's father. And he kinda wasn't all that handy with making an income on his own, either.

But hey ... I love him anyway. Noble, honorable, good guy, handsome. So what if he wasn't the richest guy on the block. What about love, eh?

Argh, the 17th century.

(cue the Heart rock ballad)

New episodes of Crusoe air Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.

'Dexter' is MIA - Seriously

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

So, I was all amped for this week's ep of Dexter.

The previews lead me to believe we might be getting things back on the awkwardly suspenseful track for America's Favorite Serial Killer.

As in, no more Mr. Mom or Hubby-To-Be doldrums.

Back to mysteriously disappearing to ... you know, kill people.

Well, we had that.

For about five minutes.

The rest was more Prado Stalkerazzi.

Golf.

A tiff with Rita over whether or not to give up the ol' bachelor pad now that marriage is on the horizon.

And a medical emergency whereby I a) thought for sure Rita was going to lose the baby and/or b) was actually kinda disappointed she didn't.

Horrible to say, I know. But seriously, the trauma that would've come with her having lost the baby might have put some serious Oomph back in this tangent-esque season, or at least made Dexter oddly grateful he didn't really have to face the dad equation given I'm not buying that he actually wants to be a father. If anything, sister Deb seems more capable at this point.

Whatever.

And now we have Prado baiting Dex? As in, setting up his kills for him by "leading" him to some slugs o' the earth that he himself couldn't put away?

How convenient.

I love Jimmy Smits. I do. And none of this is his fault given he's only as good as the material that he's given.

Which is exactly the problem.

I just don't know what in the world the Dexter scribes are going for with Miguel Prado, and they've given me way too much way too soon. As such, it's now farcical. The Stalkerazzi, Best Bud, We're the Same is just not believable. That kind of smothering alone should be making Dexter annoyed to the point of aversion. He has never let anyone do this to him, and he hasn't changed sufficiently to suddenly be having lunch dates and golf lessons. And if we're really keeping score, the stalker-wanna-be-best-bud routine is actually three seasons old: first the brother, then Lila, now Prado.

And third time is not a charm with Prado.

Did we not think he connected Dex's MIA routine for Rita's medical emergency a little too easily? As we all know, Dex has been missing before. Sure, OK, Rita wasn't necessarily in the hospital when he was, but 12 messages? Having the the U.S. Coast Guard on speed dial so as to track down Dex on his fishing day off?

I guess the National Guard not available.

Give me a break, folks.

Do I need to start a Save Dexter From Absurdity Campaign?

The one thing that I did like about this week was the flashback sequence whilst Dex was stalking his prey in Bimini. According to Harry, Dex must choose who is his wife, and who is the mistress. Meaning, is his condition his wife, and Rita the mistress? Or the other way around?

Thank goodness, too, that Deb still continues to hold my interest. No IA axe to grind this week, but a touching interview with a young kid potentially tied to the Freebo case.

And on a totally random note: Can I just ask when did Deb start driving a BMW convertible? Granted it is an oldie, but still ... where did that come from?

Anyways, seeing the The Exorcism of Emily Rose on cable this past weekend reminded me again why I do love Jennifer Carpenter.

She's saving the show for me right about now.

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.

Smash Leaves the Dillon 'Lights' Behind

I'm pretty sure that out of all of the story lines on Friday Night Lights (past and present), the Brian "Smash" Williams story was the best written, consistently most emotional and all-around champion of the series. As such, it was bittersweet to see it come to an end this week. Of course, I was happy for Smash. He finally landed a walk-on position at a university (no less than Texas A&M). Knowing everything that he had to overcome post-knee injury and how much this opportunity meant to him made it that much sweeter. There were two moments during this week's episode that cemented this series as network television's best and left me completely in awe of its brilliance. The first occurred when Coach Taylor walked across that Texas A&M field, got the coach's attention and convinced him to allow Smash to tryout. It was one of those moments when you have to fight the urge to leap out of your seat to give the writers, the actors and every single other person who works on this show a HUGE standing ovation. That, my friends, is the Coach Taylor that we love. It's the Coach Taylor that we keep coming back to watch and it's the Coach Taylor that keeps us fighting to keep this show on the air. The second scene came at the very end when Smash finally got the call from A&M. My eyes welled up with tears of joy as he told his mother that he was going to college. What a payoff for all of his hard work, determination and disappointments along the way. I will miss Smash, but I am very happy for him.

Trying to nail down two outstanding scenes in this series is like trying to decide which UGA football highlight is my favorite: they're all excellent! And this was most certainly the case this week as we also had a couple of emotional scenes involving Landry and Tyra. I'm not sure why she fights her feelings for Landry. Is it just because she's afraid of them? She told him in the latter scene that this is the closest she has ever been to a boy, but she stopped short of fully explaining her feelings and how deep they run. I'm still holding out hope for them, but I do think that Tyra needs to mature quite a bit first.

Raise your hand if you thought that Tami was ultimately going to win this re-appropriated funds battle -- yeah, me neither. You just knew that the boosters were going to get their jumbotron in the end, but it was nice to see Tami get the last laugh. Sure, that money would have been much better suited for things like teachers' salaries, textbooks, etc., but there was no way the football-loving boosters were ever going to see it that way. And with the mayor and superintendent in the tank for the boosters, well, Tami couldn't win. Hey, nobody said being principal was going to be easy.

Friday Night Lights is airing new, commercial-free episodes Wednesday nights on DirecTV's 101. The third season will be seen in its entirety early next year on NBC.

'Dexter' Renewed for Two More Seasons

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

It seems America's favorite serial killer will be back next season.

And the season after that.

But ... I am still in a slight conundrum as it pertains to this season.

As we know, this third season has fallen somewhat flat for me, and I'm not the only one who feels this way: the Chicago Tribune's TV Watcher Maureen Ryan echos a lot of the same concerns I've had (is she reading PTR ...? KID-ding) about this season being "the least interesting." Like Maureen, I will still watch the show as I do love Dex. But it needs to be kicked back up a notch. We really don't want him to be so ... well, normal.

Glad to know I'm not the only one.

The full Showtime press release announcing 'Dexter's renewal is as follows:

SHOWTIME has ordered two more seasons of its award-winning top-rated drama series DEXTER, starring Emmy®- and Golden Globe®-nominated actor Michael C. Hall (“Six Feet Under”), it was announced today by Robert Greenblatt, Showtime President of Entertainment. The Best Drama Series Emmy®-nominated DEXTER premiered its third season three weeks ago to widespread critical and audience acclaim plus record ratings as it surpassed 3 million viewers in its premiere week and ranks as SHOWTIME’s top-rated drama series. Seasons four and five will consist of 12 episodes each, with production on season four set to begin next spring in Los Angeles.

"DEXTER's enormous success is a tribute to the great achievements of its cast, the producing team, the author of the original book, and the gifted Michael C. Hall,” said Greenblatt. “I thought at best we would attract a devoted cult audience but soon realized that, ironically, this show is so thematically rich and layered with humanity that audiences of all kinds have flocked to it."

One of the most acclaimed series on television, DEXTER stars Michael C. Hall (two-time Emmy® and Golden Globe®-nominee) as a complicated and conflicted blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department who moonlights as a serial killer. The show was nominated this year for five Emmy® Awards including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. The series also received a prestigious 2008 Peabody Award and was twice named one of AFI’s top ten television programs. DEXTER is SHOWTIME’s highest rated drama and was the network’s highest rated show in 2007. Additionally, DEXTER has been the most successful SHOWTIME DVD title to date and continues to be one of the top selling titles for the network on iTunes.

John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Clyde Phillips and Charles H. Eglee serve as executive producers for season three. Michael C. Hall, Scott Buck and Melissa Rosenberg serve as co-executive producers for season three.

'Fringe' Explosions

This show is a lot X-Files, a little Heroes and a dash of The 4400 thrown in just for good measure. I couldn't help but think of the departed USA sci-fi series this week when the episode opened in a diner with a young woman who started getting upset and then seemed to combust, taking many lives with her. The entire scene was very 4400-esque (second season style). Maybe this is why I enjoy Fringe so much. It encompasses elements from some of my favorite former shows (yes, I know Heroes is still on, but I enjoyed its first season, liked its second and am less than enthused about its third, so I'm taking only its former self into account here) and blends them together into a new, all-inclusive series that has me totally hooked. And, I'm not much of a science-minded person, but even I have to admit that the science behind some of these cases is pretty fascinating. The show actually makes the impossible seem plausible, and that's an impressive feat! In fact, I don't even question the explanation when we get it -- maybe that's just a testament to the character of Walter and his enthusiasm for his work and his understanding of the process.

This week, we learned what happens when you pop too many time-release radiation pills (as part of a controversial treatment for a rare disease) and then wind up in the wrong hands (i.e. an arrogant, power-hungry pharmaceuticals CEO). These "wrong hands" discover a way to activate all of the radiation at once, and effectively, turn you into a nuclear bomb available to the highest bidder. Now, that's scary! I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't holding my breath at the end when Olivia tried to talk the latest victim into jabbing that syringe full of anecdote into her jugular in order to keep her from exploding from the radiation.

Speaking of Olivia, she was having a tough day. It was her birthday and her birthday always brings a card from her stepdad (whom she shot when she was a kid to prevent him from further hurting her mother). She thought she was in the clear when nothing showed up at work, but she was disheartened to find a card slipped under her door at home. Looks like step-daddy-dearest knows where she lives. Not a comforting thought.

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

A 'Chronicles' Smackdown (and thensome)

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Ahhhhhhh.

Now, that is more like it.

After a week’s hiatus (and a ho-hum previous episode), Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles returned last night in fine form.

And giving us a Cameron v. T-888 smackdown?

BONUS!

(Mark that one down in the Epic Cameron Fight Sequence Hall o’ Fame)

But aside from the No-Love in an Elevator sequence between the machines, who was it who actually stood out for me in this ep?

None other than Shirley.

Yes, we had John moping about in therapy. And, I will admit the opening sequence (with John, Cam and Sarah) in the psych doc’s office actually did play pretty funny. They were undercover of course (aren’t they always?), seeing as psych doc is of some significance in the future. But with everyone making plans to come back separately for more spy-on-doc time, it actually gave us a breakthrough with John’s mope-o-rama ness. He’s basically exhibiting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms, á la a war vet who has trouble adjusting to not being in a war zone and/or not quite having recovered from having killed people (you know, like, from the season premiere? When the baddies after the TURK nonsense bust into the house, and throw Sarah and John around whilst Cam tries to recover from being blown up in the jeep?). At least we’re getting somewhere with John’s mopefest. And he seems to think he’s found someone he can talk to, which isn’t mom (much to Sarah’s chagrin).

We also had Derek come face to face with his girl toy from the future, who seems to have gone AWOL from being part of John’s resistance because ... well, gosh darn it, she's just has had enough of the ol’ war and wants to be with Derek when the world ends.

Awwww.

Problem is, she seems to be infiltrator. Read: machine who is impersonating the girl who, by my count, was likely terminated. Those present day spy photos on the floor by the bed couldn’t just be for nostalgia, eh? Like we said a few weeks ago, the machines are so irritatingly efficient. I kinda hope this actually is not the case, but I'm not holding out a whole bunch of hope. Will be interesting either way. And it was nice to see Derek let his guard down and actually feel something. He’s so hard core all the time.

But it was Shirley who stole this episode for me. We finally got to see a flaw in her machine perfection: she has no idea how to be a “mother” to that little girl who – my bad – is actually NOT a Machine Mini-Me.

No, it seems her real mommy, Catherine Weaver, was terminated and replaced by Shirley for the inside access to develop whatever nasty technology the machines can think up to take over the world (given Weaver was/is a high-tech CEO). And that, of course, currently involves developing and training a human interactive AI (artificial intelligence) to be like a child - which got the better of her this week with its Why Is a Math Book So Sad riddle (because it as a lot of problems – ha!).

And since ol' Shirl's having issues with her daughter, she of course is also making visits to aforementioned psych doc (did you catch that near miss when she and John were there at the same time?!?!?!). And given psych doc’s expert reputation, it was he who had to translate the AI’s prank on Shirley and Co, since she only could see the random selection of images it kept playing back/forth as a malfunction and/or error in programming, not the fact that the AI had actually developed at a faster rate than even she (and the tech nerds working for her) could figure out. Thus, the AI was playing a trick on its creators as any gifted/genius child would do once they got bored with themselves, and the games given to them to keep them entertained.

Doh!

Welcome to stump the machine day.

And in that, Shirley Manson turned in a rather chilling performance. She was so precise, so awkwardly secure, so calmly frustrated. And how about studying the old tapes of “real” mom, trying to figure out how to show affection to the child (who lost daddy, too, though I can’t confirm/deny exactly how- no doubt at the hands of the machines when mom got offed)?

It begs the question as to why the child wasn’t offed as well. I’m guessing it would’ve caused the machines more of a headache to have to program Shirley to be a grieving mom as opposed to just an aloof one.

So. Good.

All in all, spot on ep. Go Team T:SCC!

The fight to save the world continues.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Due to the start of the Major League Baseball World Series on FOX, the next new ep of T:SCC will air in two weeks.

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!)

The 'Case' of a Father Figure

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

** WARNING: This post contains a major Cold Case spoiler; if you don't want to know, don't read any further

Never say never.

Nearly a year and a half after Cold Case offed Detective Lilly Rush's mum in a less-than-stellar (or should we say memorable) storyline for which there was a) never any funeral and/or b) real sense of closure, it seems we'll be getting a look at her dad this season in the form of actor Raymond J. Berry. Dad (name will be: Paul Cooper) seems to be the final piece of the Rushian fracture of a family to finally make an on the screen appearance seeing as sis' hasn't been around since season two, and mum is ... well, no longer an option.

Let's hope for a better handling of dad than mum.

And can I just say that if this recurrence of dad puts a wet blanket on the fun, living-life-again Lilly ... memo to Cold Case: please, don't go there.


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From The Hollywood Reporter

Early father's day for Ward and Berry
Actors to recur as dads on 'Tara,' 'Cold Case'

Oct 17, 2008

By Nellie Andreeva and Kimberly Nordyke

The female leads on Showtime's upcoming comedy "United States of Tara" and CBS' "Cold Case" have found recurring father figures.

Fred Ward has landed a role on "Tara" playing Tara's (Toni Collette) father, Frank Gregson, while Raymond J. Barry has been added to "Case" as Lilly's (Kathryn Morris) dad, Paul Cooper.

Ward, repped by Innovative and Kritzer Levine Wilkins, next appears in "Management," "Armored" and "Bonjour Farewell."

Barry, repped by Metropolitan and McGowan Management, just wrapped the inide "Charlie Valentine," in which he plays the title role.

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'Heroes' Pulls the Strings

I took the week off from writing about Heroes last week because I needed to re-access my commitment to the show. I still haven't decided whether or not I'm going to continue to write about it every week, but I thought that this week's episode was strong enough to warrant a write-up because I actually have some positive things to say about it. First, as usual, the Claire story line is the best, most engaging, and interesting of all of the heroes' stories. And last night's Puppet Master nail-biter exemplified why she seems to get the best material. Obviously, the best outcome to that intense game of Russian Roulette was for one of them to shoot Claire (while being under the Puppet Master's control) because she can't die. So, it was bang, bang, bang, bang and Claire's not dead, but surprising the Puppet Master with a bop over the head and a quick call to HRG. Now that she has orchestrated her first villain round-up, HRG is thinking that he may want to take this show on the road because he could use Claire's help in capturing the others on the loose.

The other interesting story is the Speedster and her struggle with good and evil as she rounds up the villains for her boss. She doesn't want to do Pinehearst's bidding, but she has no choice for some reason. I'm curious to find out about that reason. And speaking of Pinehearst, the symbol for the company is clearly that weird "f" insignia that we've been seeing since season one except it has been turned on its side and paired up with a mirror image of itself. Could this represent the two halves of the formula that give the heroes their powers? Only Mr. Petrelli knows for sure.

I'm still hating the Mohinder story and the Peter one isn't much better. I like Hiro and his sabbatical to Africa and I'm curious to see where things lead now that he has found "the pre-cog." But, my interest in this show is hanging by a very delicate thread. I will continue to watch for now, but I can't say how much longer I'll continue to dedicate space here at PTR to it.

'Crusoe' Completely Captivates

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Move over Sarah Connor.

You've just been swashbuckled by Robinson Crusoe.

We remember how much fun I had watching the series premiere of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles last January - the action, the pace, the amazement at turning the T2: Judgment Day film into a television series. Well, I had the same kind of fun watching the premiere of Crusoe last Friday evening on NBC, and I'm stoked to tune in again this Friday.

And on a side note, can I get a tree house like that sometime soon?

Actually, I'd just settle for Disneyland revamping the Swiss Family Robinson tree house ride to be Crusoe-esque (like they did with the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which took on a Captain Jack Sparrow-esque makeover with the success of the Pirates film series ... and yes, I grew up near Disneyland, so I know the rides a bit too well).

Seriously, though, Crusoe was just fun. We got a little bit of everything - adventure, fantasy, history, humor.

And the humor totally surprised me. There were some truly funny bits of tongue-in-cheek, snarky dialogue. Who knew Crusoe himself would be so funny? Or the pirate invaders?

And how about his buddy Friday ... do we love him or do we love him? I don't think a cannibal has been this charming since Hannibal Lecter. Tongayi Chirisa has a tangible, charismatic, sweet energy that I just so enjoyed watching. And his devotion to Crusoe (who saved his life) ... awww! Makes you kinda wish Tom Hanks had more than just the Wilson volleyball in Castaway, eh?

When the LA Times calls this series a "grandness rarely seen on television," they weren't kidding. It's like you're watching a movie, not a television show. Production value is top drawer, and I loved how a majority of the premiere was shot on location. You got the cliffs, the rivers, the ocean, the majestic conundrum of being so isolated on an island of such beauty shot in true living color, not in CGI. That stuff can't always be done after the fact, and sometimes, we want to see the real thing, not the bluescreen version.

What I also enjoyed was the fact this was no stiff-ended period piece with everyone wandering around talking in 17th century verbiage. Nor was it just a word-for-word adaptation of the ol' book we all did a book report on back in the day.

Wherefore art thou?

Not so much.

It has some spice, some pep.

Think more like the Pirates of the Caribbean films, where they've opted for a more modern day dialogue, intermixing the occasional formality speech and behavior.

And can we just say Philip Winchester owns this role. It doesn't hurt that he's awfully impressive wandering around shirtless (okay, that's from a female point of view, so whatever). But he's not just some hunk in trunks. The flashback sequences where he longs to return to his love, Susannah, are beautifully tempered. The expression on his face when he awakens from the momentary dream sequence ... perfection. You know what he feels; it's in his eyes; he doesn't have to say anything.

And the chemistry he shares with Chirisa is as good as it gets.

Well done, NBC. You've got this viewer permanently in the tree house.

New episodes of Crusoe air Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Visit NBC's Official Crusoe Web site for the inside scoop on the series. The site is awfully cool - and that's not just the Pirates fangirl in me talking.