Riders in the Storm

There is only one thing better than a new episode of Ice Road Truckers: a new episode that deals with wicked weather!  A blizzard that blows so hard truckers can't see the road right in front of them, dangerous drifts pile up faster than Alaska state DOT teams can clear them, deadly avalanches could strike at any moment and Atigun Pass closes stranding drivers in Coldfoot (the lucky ones) or in their cabs along the deadly Dalton.  In the last post, I mentioned that "rely on the delineators" is my new least favorite phrase, but this week, the truckers couldn't even see them to rely on them!  They were basically traversing the section from Atigun to Prudhoe on a wing and a prayer at best.  As you can imagine, the dangerous weather elicited different reactions from the different drivers.  One driver decided to take a risk while another played it safe.  One stuck with a convoy and another tried to live down a new dubious reputation.  And one driver had a moment that was a little too livin' on the edge -- and that was before he reached the storm.

Happy Reunions

I have so much love for this week's episode of In Plain Sight!  It's my pick for best of the season thus far.  Maybe it was the simple fact that Mary and Marshall were working together on the same case at the same time, or maybe, that was just the icing on the cake.  Of course watching them together reminded me once again how we've been cheated this season with them working separately, but I didn't care because I was so excited to have them together again.  I watched most of the episode with my fingers crossed because I kept worrying that Marshall was going to get pulled to that other minor story involving the tip-happy witness that no one wanted to help.  Thankfully, Charlie saved us all by taking an interest in that witness and stumbling upon a shocking discovery.  But the thing that made this episode stand out was the story surrounding the witness-of-the-week.  It was an emotional ride that had me hooked from that first moment outside the library until the warmed-even-Mary's-heart ending.

'Truckers' Get Dealt a Blow

Hands clenched, sweat beading up on the back of your neck, knuckles quickly turning white... and that was just my reaction while watching those white-out conditions (or, as Alaskans call it, "a blow") during the second episode of History Channel's excellent Ice Road Truckers this week.  I can't even imagine how the drivers were feeling!  Seriously, the phrase "rely on the delineators" might be my new least favorite saying.  Sister show Deadliest Catch (which I also love) puts me on the edge of my seat, but this show does something to me that no other show can: it transports me to the Dalton and puts me right there in that cab with the drivers whose every decision could be the difference between life and death.  It's that serious and it's that scary.  Just ask the driver who found himself on the very fortunate side of fate this week.

'Plain' Old Truth

Who would have thought that Mary would find herself in her latest witness?  The woman, Judy, had Asberger's (it must be the special needs du jour for the TV world) and Mary was told to handle her with kid gloves, no sarcasm, and to keep everything fair.  So basically, she couldn't be her usual sarcastic, hard truth self.  After taking this advice for most of the hour, Mary finally ditched it and decided to be herself and let Judy know what was really at stake no matter how hard it was to take.  It worked, and the realization allowed Mary to see that she and Judy aren't that different.  Mary likes the truth -- not sugar-coated or twisted -- just the straight truth.  She doesn't appreciate BS and doesn't want people shielding her from the hard truth.  It was an interesting parallel and made for an excellent story line. Despite the great Mary story, there was still one downer about this episode and it's the same downer that has been hanging over the show most of this season.

Don't Stop Believin'

I liked Glee when it first premiered.  I loved it when it returned after a way-too-long hiatus.  But after this week's finale, I (heart) it so much words cannot describe my warm and fuzzy feelings for this show.  Every scene was emotional, every Sue moment was HI-LARIOUS (and one was actually touching), every song was awesome and the surprises were perfect.  In fact, the entire episode was kinda perfect.  We even got an awesome Jesse solo (despite his evil, heart-breaking ways, I still adore his angelic voice).  But the most exciting thing about this week's season ender for me was that fan-freakin-tastic Journey medley that New Directions performed at regionals.  Oh. My. Steve Perry!!  It was the greatest thing since, well, the last time Glee did Journey (a little awesome number called "Don't Stop Believing" during the series premiere).  And then there was the night's biggest twist that led to a happy ending for several of our favorite characters.

'Ice Road' Open

On the road again!  Dalton Ace Jack Jesse, Alex Debogorski, Hugh "The Polar Bear" Rowland, and my girl Lisa Kelly are back on Alaska's Dalton Highway navigating treacherous conditions, steep passes and hairpin turns in order to bring much-needed supplies to the oil rigs up on Prudhoe Bay -- part of Alaska's oil-rich North Slope.  And this TV fan couldn't be happier!!  This season, two new drivers are joining the line-up: rookie Ray Vellieux and Greg Boadwine (who sat out most of last season after wrecking his load of pipe on the side of the road and narrowly escaping serious injury).  Ray seemed to struggle a bit this week while Greg made it his mission to beat the Dalton Ace to Deadhorse.  But new faces weren't the only changes this season because the show decided to up the ante a little by adding two new side roads along the Dalton.  One is actually a trail (as in un-paved grassy/woodsy path through the woods) that involves crossing a frozen river and swamp land to get to the remote town of Bettles.  The trail is the only way in or out of this town and it's only accessible 30 days out of the year!  The other involves crossing river ice to reach the native village of Nuiqsut. And just in case this wasn't enough excitement to start the season, a trucker flipped right outside Deadhorse spilling his entire load of pipe and landing himself in the hospital.  He wasn't the only close call, though.

A Friend Indeed

In Plain Sight is not supposed to be sad!  Mary's biting and charming wit is supposed to be cracking me up on Wednesday nights.  Instead, her tears were causing my own eyes to well up there at the end.  Having said that, it was nice to see the show's more emotional side this week.  We're used to seeing it employed for Mary's personal story, but this episode's sadder notes dealt with the witness-of-the-week.  Learning that Mia was dying from a terminal brain tumor certainly put a damper on things both logistically and emotionally.  The prosecutor dropped her testimony and WITSEC sent her on her way, but Mary wasn't willing to leave her out in the cold.  Mary always cares about her witnesses, but this one was special and she left a huge impact on Mary's life.  Maybe that's why the ending was just so darn sad.

'Glee' Has the Funk

Somebody has egg on their face today and it isn't Rachel!  I totally, 100%, completely believed that Jesse St. James was a good guy.  Maybe his sweet voice made me want to believe so badly that I finally did -- I don't know, but I was very wrong about him and I'm so, so bummed.  In fact, I'm so bummed, I'm in a funk.  Maybe I should try the Quinn panacea for getting out of a funk.  Or maybe, I should just listen to Jesse sing "Hello" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" over and over until it erases the bad taste of this week's events.  I get it -- everyone deals with having to say goodbye in their own way.  More than likely, Jesse's horrible behavior was his way of distancing himself from Rachel and focusing on beating her and New Directions at regionals next week, but seriously dude, FIND A BETTER WAY!  Preferably one that doesn't break my Rachel's heart.  Fortunately, there was one lasting moment at the end that almost made everything O.K.

Gaga for 'Glee'

If Lady Gaga and Glee aren't a match made in Heaven, I don't know what is!  A show about the picked on social outcasts at a small town high school took on the music from the woman who champions the outcasts of society.  Her dedicated fans lovingly call themselves her "Little Monsters," and more often than not, could each fill a book with their high school experiences.  Much like the kids of Glee who have been called "freaks" more times than they care to remember.  This is especially true for Kurt who took more than his fair share of crap this week for his love of all things Gaga.  But, it was nice to see him back to expressing his true self and being happy with who he is instead of trying to be someone he thinks his father wants him to be (and MAJOR to kudos to his dad for defending him against Finn).  This week, however, it might have been Rachel who was having the most difficult time.

All in the Family

Count me among those who never saw it coming.  Until Chuck was on the floor watching him bleed, I had absolutely no clue that the elder Bartowski was not going to live past this season's stellar finale.  But before we get to that fateful moment, we should back-up and take a look at what led up to the face-off between Chuck and super baddie Shaw.  We learned during the previous episode that Shaw was still alive, at least, we assumed as much after seeing him from behind and then seeing his picture on the screen as he gained access to the Intersect.  This, of course, also let us know that he had the Intersect inside his head.  This meant one thing: his brain was slowly being fried just like Chuck's and he, too, needed the one thing that could stop that process.  Chuck's father had that one thing and the knowledge to build more.  Thus, the showdown was set.

'Fringe' on Top

Three words: Best. Finale. YET!!!  This was one of those hanging-on-every-word,  glued to the edge of my seat, mouth and eyes wide open awesome thrill rides of an episode that demonstrated how a series should end its season.  At this point, I can't imagine any show other than Lost topping this finale.  We know this show has brilliant writers (how else can we explain the way the show makes the impossible completely possible and even, at times, probable?), but this week, they got to have some fun -- A LOT of fun!!  Twists, turns, fight scenes, romantic scenes, explosions, tense moments and a quest to find Peter and get back to our universe were just some of the things that made this episode so freakin' wonderful.  But it was the final scene that made our jaws drop and left us wondering how the writers are going to fix this huge issue next season.

Conflict of Interests

The title of this week's Bones finale says it all: "The Beginning in the End."  At least, that's what I kept telling myself over and over again as I watched that heart-wrenching final scene unfold between Booth and Bones.  Where the finale scene in the 100th was heartbreaking (as in, actually painful), this one was more hopeful.  There was no denying Brennan's feelings as she and Booth said goodbye in the airport lobby.  It's only a year, right?  Like Booth said, what's a year in the grand scheme of things?  And absence makes the heart grow fonder, so in reality, this separation could wind up being a very good thing.  I know, I know -- I'm really sunny-siding this, but it's how I'm going to get through this very cruel, cruel summer.  Before we arrived at that emotional scene at the end, there was a very interesting process that caused Booth and Bones to decide to leave their work (and more importantly, each other) for a year.

'Sight's' Daddy Issues

Marshall's brand-new fancy cowboy boots: a lot of money.  Putting a young witness through boarding school: even more money.  Mary working with Marshall and his father: PRICELESS!!  The pleasure she took in watching the Mann men interact was just too good to be missed.  But it didn't stop there, Mary thoroughly enjoyed and took advantage of every moment she got to be a part of this family unit.  It wasn't all fun and games, though, as Mary soon discovered that Marshall and his father have very different ideas on how to deal with criminals.  And that difference came to a head over one of Marshall's witnesses and his young, troubled girlfriend.

BREAKING UPFRONTS NEWS: CW Shifts Returning Faves

The last of the broadcast networks presented its new fall schedule today, and like CBS yesterday, The CW decided to shake things up a bit.  Since today is the last day for the big networks big schedule announcements, we can all commence our sighs of relief for our faves that were renewed and/or our cursing the networks for those that were not.  But first, here's a wrap-up of The CW's presentation.  Teen dramas 90210 and Gossip Girl will team up on Mondays while returning series One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected will both move to Tuesdays.  Fan favorite Supernatural returns and will join Smallville on Fridays.  The net will also add two new series, the college cheerleading drama Hellcats and the action-packed Nikita.  See what The CW's new fall schedule looks like after the jump.

'Glee's' Not So Impossible Dream

Neil Patrick Harris and finding out Jesse isn't bad all in the same episode??!!  What did I do to Glee to deserve such awesomeness??!!  The only thing missing from this episode was Jesse's sweet, sweet voice serenading me Rachel, but I'm going to overlook it this one time because of two incredible duets that made up for it: Rachel and Ms. Corcoran singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables and Will and Brian Ryan (NPH) singing Aerosmith's "Dream On."  I think Glee might have crossed that threshold where actors (particularly those broadway-trained) and musical artists are lining up to be on the show.  Idina Menzel has a recurring role and NPH made a guest appearance even though he has his own very successful comedy on CBS.  I love it!  But it wasn't just great guest stars and awesome duets this week.  Rachel made quite the emotional journey and ended up uncovering a family secret.

BREAKING UPFRONTS NEWS: CBS Shuffles Schedule, Leaves 'Case' in the Cold

CBS stepped up to the podium today and broke my TV-loving heart.   THEY CANCELED COLD CASE!!!  OK, so technically we found out about it yesterday, but today it was official and I'm officially bummed.  Thankfully, the show went out on a high note and there was a sense of closure in the final episode, but it still stings.  When I have more time, I'll write-up a tribute post to the show.  But right now, we're moving on because CBS sure shook things up today!  Chances are, if you watch a CBS show, it has moved to either a new night, time or both.  Mega hit The Big Bang Theory moves to Thursdays, CSI: Miami relocates to Sundays (in Cold Case's old slot -- sniffle, sniffle.  CSI: Miami fans -- welcome to the fun world of your show starting late week after week due to sports) while sister show CSI: NY gets relegated to Fridays, and Survivor moves to Wednesdays.  That's a lot of shuffling!  Take a closer look at CBS's new fall schedule after the jump.

Lyin' and Spyin'

The Bartowski children sure lie to their dad about the most extreme stuff!  Chuck lied about working for the CIA, being a spy (and not just an analyst -- awesome Jack Ryan reference, by the way) and having the Intersect 2.0 in his head.  Meanwhile, Ellie was doing some lyin' and spyin' of her own.  Most kids sneak out, lie about boyfriends/girlfriends and/or school, but not the Bartowkis (who, admittedly are a bit older than the usual lie-to-the-parents sort).  Of course, their father has been lying to them for years.  They didn't even know where the man lived!  Once the secrets started coming out, though, things got interesting.  Ellie's potentially deadly secret remains to be revealed, and it could land her dad and brother in some serious danger.

The Baggage 'Mother' Load

For a lot of guys, being dragged to the latest rom-com is just about the worst form of torture, but imagine if that rom-com was actually a really bad movie about your life!  Or in this case, one chapter of your life that led to some baggage that you still haven't been able to unload.  And then imagine that the movie went on to become the 5th highest grossing movie of all-time and a box office blockbuster over seas.  Welcome to Ted's life this week.  I never liked the way things ended with Stella (that 2-minute date is still one of my top HIMYM moments), so re-living them this week was almost as painful for me as it was for Ted.  Plus, as we've discussed in the comments here at PTR, I just feel like this show has lost some of what made it so good.  The mama-drama is growing tired and I'm getting to the point where I feel the show needs to "pee or get off the pot."  But I digress.  This week, it was another girl, another failed relationship.  This one, however, was going along fine until some rather large baggage got in the way.

BREAKING UPFRONTS NEWS: ABC Announces Schedule

It's day 2 of Network Upfronts week and ABC's turn to reveal its new Lost-less schedule.  As we learned late last week, the alien thriller V will return (albeit later in the season) while fellow intrigue drama Flashforward will not.  Staples Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice will return to Thursdays and Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters will remain on Sundays. Take a closer look at ABC's new fall schedule after the jump (NOTE: while V will return next season, it does not appear on the fall schedule indicating that it will premiere sometime later in the season).

BREAKING UPFRONTS NEWS: FOX, NBC Set Schedules

These things are becoming a bit anti-climatic with networks announcing renewals/cancellations ahead of time and, in the case of NBC, releasing the entire fall schedule before the announcement, but nonetheless, it's that nail-biting time we call Network Upfronts Week where our faves get a second chance or an early retirement.  Fox was up first and there weren't too many shake-ups.  PTR faves Bones and Fringe will retain their Thursday night slots while fellow PTR fave Glee will stay on Tuesdays, but move to an earlier slot (8 p.m.).  Glee will also get the coveted post-Super Bowl slot in February.  Meanwhile, bubble series Human Target got picked-up, but moves to Friday nights.

Over at NBC, "new" is the buzzword as the network will roll out five new comedies and seven new dramas this fall.  On the returning favorites side, Law & Order: SVU will move back to the 9 p.m. slot on Wednesdays where it was earlier this season, PTR fave Chuck will return to Mondays at 8 p.m., and one of TV's best character dramas, Parenthood, returns to Tuesday nights.

Get a closer look at both Fox and NBC's fall schedules after the jump.