Final Goodbye

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to finally post this final sign-off.  I had planned to finish out the regular season of Ice Road Truckers and then finish PTR, but time got away from me -- FAST!  In any event, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has helped with PTR over the last 5 years.  HUGE thank yous to:

Senior staff writer LillyKat for all of your wonderful posts, interviews and web help.
All of the staff writers who have contributed over the years especially Trublu.
My fellow TV bloggers who have linked to, promoted and supported this site.
Kathryn Morris's biggest fan RichE from Kathryn Morris UK for all of the "Kathryn scoop" and photos.
Look Again for all of the Cold Case help and support.
All of the networks, including broadcast, cable and premium, who have supplied this site with info and news about our favorite shows.
The wonderful folks at Veronica Mars who allowed me and a small group of regular old bloggers to visit their set.
The PR folks who gave us opportunities for interviews and scoops.
All of the shows, actors, writers, etc. who have helped along the way.

And last, but most certainly not least, thank you so much to all of the readers.  Your comments and support have kept this site fun and interesting.  It has truly been so much fun to do this blog.  If you'd like to continue getting (shortened) news and thoughts on the new TV news,  follow PTR on Twitter for.  Happy TV viewing!

'Ice Road' Melting

Normally, I'm glued to the drivers and the perilous conditions they drive through on the mighty Dalton Highway in Alaska.  But this week, I was completely transfixed by the folks who work hard to keep the Dalton up and running and make sure it's safe (as safe as an iced-over road with steep drop-offs can be anyway).  Whether it was the people dishing out the violations to perennial violator Hugh and a newcomer to the citation game or the Alaska DOT worker known as "K Bear" who had one of the scariest jobs I've seen (and that's saying a lot for a road that has an avalanche crew) -- this week was all about the behind-the-scenes people who keep everything running so that important supplies can get to the North Slope.  The theme of the week was melting ice, and as we learned in this one, the simple act of snow and ice turning into water isn't just a welcoming sign of impending spring.

PTR Announcement

Dear Readers,

As the summer comes to a close and the new fall season approaches, exciting times are ahead.  We will soon eagerly welcome back our favorite shows and characters and make room on our TV schedules for new favorites.  Like many of you, I am excited to see the return of my faves (most notably Bones, which returns in 1 week), and I'm still deciding which new shows to add to my "Season Pass" list on my DVR.  Over the last five years, Pass the Remote has been covering many of those old and new favorites along with some TV news and specials peppered in.  It has been such a joy to write my thoughts down about something that I truly love: Television.  So, this is a decision I have not made lightly.  At the close of the summer season, I will no longer be updating and/or blogging about television here at PTR.  Changes in my own life (all good) have caused me to not be able to dedicate the time and resources I would like (and that you have rightfully come to expect) to updating and maintaining this site.

I will still be watching my favorite shows and might even post a special write-up from time to time if a particular episode takes me out of TV blogger retirement, but officially speaking, PTR will go dark at the end of the summer season.  For those of you who follow PTR on Twitter, I will continue to post short thoughts and TV news regularly over there.  For those who do not follow PTR, but would like to, click the link on the side bar or find me HERE.  This site will stay up as an archive, so all of PTR's past writings will be accessible at all times.

Thank you all, dear readers, for allowing me to write about something that I love for the last five years.  When I set out to create this blog, I wasn't expecting anything from it, but I have gotten so much from all of you throughout the years.  Thank you to all of the networks, PR people, shows, actors, writers, etc. who have helped me along the way.  A special HUGE thank you to the wonderful folks at Veronica Mars who allowed me and a small group of regular old bloggers to visit their set and spend the day getting an inside look at one of my favorite shows of all-time.  It has been so much fun to do this blog and I will miss it.  But, good things are on the horizon and a new TV season is about to begin, and I will be watching this one as a regular TV fan for the first time in years.  When the summer season has officially ended, I will post a final goodbye.  Until then, we have an all-new episode of Ice Road Truckers to look forward to this Sunday!  We'll discuss on Monday.

Sincerely,
TVFan      

Convoy on 'Ice'

Well Ice Road Truckers fans, we've got ourselves a convoy! I know it's highly doubtful that Carlile coincidentally chose only the stars of the series to run this convoy to Nuiqsut, but I don't care. I LOVED the fact that they all traveled together, got stranded in Prudhoe together, and ventured out onto the river ice together. Of course, there were some tense moments between the drivers, but there were some fabulous bonding ones as well. One such moment happened in one of the most remote places on earth and involved a unique native tradition and an even more unique menu.  But first, the drivers had to make it 500 miles through some pretty hairy conditions and then across weakening river ice.

Live and Let Spy

I'm sure everyone is still buzzing about THAT moment from Psych's summer finale this week.  BUT, I was left a little underwhelmed by it and I'm not exactly sure why.  We've been watching the romantic tension between Shawn and Jules build over the course of the seasons.  We've been rooting for Shawn to finally get the girl.  We've rooted for Juliet to get her moment.  But now that the two shared a momentous kiss just as she was about to jet off to the Amalfi coast with Declan, I'm not all that satisfied.  To be clear, I wouldn't be anymore satisfied if Jules had ditched the Amalfi (and Declan) for Santa Barbara and Shawn (after all, it is a "beach community").  Maybe it was the sorta cliche way in which Jules finally learned the truth or the kinda overused finale tactic of having Jules heading off with another man but thinking that she might be making a mistake just as the episode (and the season) came to a close.  I don't know, but the story line has a big question mark hanging over it for me and I don't think I'll make a final decision on it until we see more in November.  In the meantime, let's focus on the funny from this otherwise excellent finale in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split" after the jump.

'Ice Road' Racing

On the Dalton, racers never win.  Especially when one of those racers is a rookie who spent some serious time in a ditch just one episode ago and he's racing one of the biggest cowboys to ever drive the Dalton (at least out of those whom we've seen on IRT).  Ray was kinda doomed the moment Hugh passed him, but trying to reclaim his lead while driving in the southbound lane while climbing a steep hill sealed his fate.  Not to mention raised a red flag with the Carlile management back in Fairbanks.  I'm wondering if Hugh will get in trouble as well since he is already on a sort of probation.  While Ray and Hugh were raising up the Dalton, Jack was pushing a HUGE load up it with the return of my new favorite ice road tactic: Push-Trucking.

PTR Reveals the Best Episode of the Season!

We have made it through the summer-long countdown!  This can mean only one thing:  it's 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. We ended up with 28 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 2009 and June 2010. 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, PTR will reveal a few each week all summer. Since this was a summer-long countdown to the number 1 episode, we revealed a few each week all summer. Before we get to numbers 3-1, here's a quick review of numbers 28-4 after the jump.

'Ice Road' Ditch

What is it they always say?  Oh, right... pay back's a b*tch!  Of course, they also say that there are two kind of drivers on the Dalton: those who have been in a ditch and those heading into one.  Both of these little pearls of wisdom apply to Ray's unfortunate incident during this week's episode of Ice Road Truckers.    Thankfully, no one was injured and considering the amount of people who die every year on the Dalton for taking their eyes off the road for a split second, that's saying a lot.  Ray wasn't the only driver having a bad trip, though.  Two others found themselves struggling with their loads and one wound up in a bit of hot water upon his return to Fairbanks.  But, Ray's trip into the ditch was the night's scariest mishap.

The Countdown Enters the Home Stretch

The finish line is in sight this week as we wind down our summer-long countdown of the Best Episodes of the Season!  Before we get to the #1 episode next week, we have three awesome episodes to tied you over.  But before we get to them, we have to go over the rules for the countdown. We ended up with 28 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 2009 and June 2010. 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, PTR will reveal a few each week all summer. So, be sure to tune in every Friday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 6-4.

The Countdown Gets Emotional

Single digits, Y'all!!!  That's right, this week on the summer-long countdown of the Best Episodes of the Season we finally hit the single digits with three episodes that were heavy on the emotion.  But before we get to them, we have to go over the rules for the countdown. We ended up with 28 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 2009 and June 2010. 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, PTR will reveal a few each week all summer. So, be sure to tune in every Friday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 9-7.