Roundup: 'Closer' Gets Emotional - Again; 'Bar' Sticks Up for the Little Guy - And Loses

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Raydor vs. BJ - Round 2

I happened to be a day late (though hopefully not a dollar short) on my recap of The Closer this week. And yet, as if by some divine intervention, said lateness afforded me to the opportunity to catch a Touched By An Angel re-run LAST night that featured the one and only Captain Raydor (Mary McDonnell) before she was ... well, Captain Raydor. Since MM was again another major player in BJ and Co's face - er, I mean department - this week in the wonderful world of LAPD's Major Crimes, I found the TBAA viewing ironically timely because I.Just.Love.Captain.Raydor.

Can we just make Mary McDonnell a regular? Like, now? Better yet, can we just schedule giving her a guest Emmy nom for next year?

Seriously.

Not only do I like watching the characters go toe-to-toe with what each other's priorities - Raydor trying to prevent the LAPD from being sued/wrongly accused/unfairly blamed when a civilian is killed, BJ not giving a rip who does what as long as she solves her murder - the actresses seem to have created this perfect-pitch antagonistic chemistry that remains brimming with irritation, controlled with restraint, and tersely respectful.

The case this week was a tough one. They usually are when they involve the death of fellow officers. The show has delved into this realm before, and I think they once again did a pretty bang up job showcasing just how intense it gets when one of their own is killed. When it turns out that Neo-Nazi's who have a thing for killing cops are to blame, can't say I fully object to the rather confrontational nature Major Crimes adopted in bringing down said subjects. Sometimes, the little black rule book doesn't apply.

BJ never consults it.

Raydor lives by it.

Great conflict.

Strong episode.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



We Can't Save Everybody

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: watching Raising the Bar has given me a newfound respect for Public Defenders (PDs).

This, of course, is not surprising given co-creator David Feige WAS a New York City PD. And, any time he writes an episode, there is usually a very intimate and personal look at how PDs have to struggle with the clients they represent.

As in, some of the client's stories are fairly gut-wrenching yet they are not guaranteed a happy ending.

Case in point this week where one of Rich's clients is busted for not paying his court fine. Okay, sounds simple enough ... except for the laundry list of hardships that make it nearly impossible for the poor guy to scrape together $235 to pay the fine. For people like Kathryn Morris, this is lunch money or possibly 1/3 payment for some Christian Louboutin shoes; to those living on public assistance and/or bringing home $30 a day when they HAD a job, this is practically life savings.

And Kessler, true to form, had no sympathy.

And even though Rich does pay his guy's fees after losing the hearing to Kessler, he still kinda-sorta gets in trouble with Roz (in the nicest way) given that PDs can't bail out their clients - no matter how gut-wrenching the story.

Bummer.

Or how about Jerry's client, who gets to go free for four seconds only to be rearrested outside the courtroom on an old charge for violating his parole when he tried to disarm a kid on the street. He held the gun for maybe two seconds, yet because he "handled" a firearm he was busted for violating parole - and sentenced to serve ANOTHER 24 months after JUST getting out serving the same amount of time for the crime in which he was just acquitted. Double jeopardy does not apply nor does his previous time served.

Seriously, I don't think I could be a PD. My heart couldn't take it.

In other news ... Kessler is now signed up with a hoity toity dating service. Too bad she's ... uh, a snore to be with, yet can't admit this to Charlie, and thus, tells him said blind date asked her out again (not). Something tells me Kessler is going to remain pretty lonely for a while.

And Bobbi ... what is up with this girl? I am loving Natalia Cigliuti's increased screen time AND her back-and-forth with Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Jerry. But, I feel like I want to slap the character. Now we're blaming Jerry for the divorce - that she left dearly demented doc because she just so "wanted" Jerry. Uh, 'kay. I thought it was because doc was a nutball? addicted to drugs? abusive? I know the suicide thing is a shocker, but seriously, Bobbi ... blaming Jerry for your issues isn't fair.

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

To Chain or Not to Chain

"Nah. I'm not going to chain up. I'm only carrying 12,000 pounds." Famous. Last. Words! This week on Ice Road Truckers, Hugh quickly learned that what worked in Canada doesn't work on Alaska's Dalton Highway. Chains may not be a part of the daily grind across the smooth, frozen Arctic Ocean, but along the ups and downs and the 4-mile stretch known as Atigun Pass they become a necessity. As Hugh slipped his way up the stretch, he realized that his decision to skip the chaining up process was a mistake. You live and learn and then you chain up. There's only one problem, though; out there on the Dalton, one mistake can cost you your life. Hugh eventually made it up OK and continued on to Prudhoe Bay where he completed his 6th load of the season (one ahead of rival Alex, although, Alex was gaining ground as he headed out of Prudhoe with his 6th load while Hugh remained ground waiting for "Phil-Billy").

This week's episode marked the return of "The Dalton Ace" Jack Jessee. I missed Jack and his ridiculously large oversized loads. This week: a 100,000-pound storage tank and he had a buddy making the haul with him with his own storage tank. We finally got to meet the appropriately named Carey Hall. Like Jack, he's a heavy-hauler and it seems, the two have quite the tit-for-tat when it comes to haul-road pranks. First, Jack taped a message on Carey's side view mirror that read, "If you are looking here, you know ugley (sic)." Carey, not one to be out-pranked, got him back by attaching the largest pair of underware ever onto the back of Jack's truck. He made it quite a ways up the Dalton before Carey finally came clean. In between the joking, there was a tense moment when Carey almost plowed through Jack while they traveled through The Rollercoaster. Jack was unable to find the right gear, and Carey (unable to slow down his rig) was quickly approaching and bringing a whole new meaning to "Objects in the rear view may be closer than they appear." Jack found his gear and another almost-catastrophe was avoided.

This episode was a bit Lisa-Lite, but she had some interesting moments through Atigun Pass and then later through the Beaver Slide on her way back to Fairbanks. First, she found herself having to drive in the opposite lane as she descended through Atigun because the northbound trucks (which always have the right-of-way on the Dalton) were having a difficult time getting traction as they ascended in the northbound lane. She was inches away from the edge (there was a small guard rail separating her rig from thousands of feet straight down) and having a difficult time seeing, but she cleared the descent and allowed the northbound trucks to maintain traction in the southbound lanes. Later, she found herself facing a very slick Beaver Slide. Her wheels spun and she quickly geared down in time to help her truck make it up the incline. Earlier in the episode, she mentioned that there are two kinds of drivers on the Dalton, "The ones who have been in the ditch and the ones who are gonna go in the ditch." So many times on this show it seems that the latter are about to become the former. And this is why I can't take my eyes off of my TV screen.

Ice Road Truckers airs Sunday nights on History Channel. To catch up on this season, click on over to HistoryChannel.com where you'll also get show info, driver bios, and an IRT app for your iPhone.

'Pains' Next EHM

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Probably thought I'd forgotten about last week's episode of Royal Pains, eh?

More like a) I had to catch up with it via the DVR this weekend; and, b) didn't want to interrupt PTR's birthday wishes to fave Kristen Bell.

And yet, after watching the ep I felt ... well, not sure.

So Hank and Co. attend a "Bark" Mitzvah (yes, seriously ... hey, it's the Hamptons) at New Parts Newberg's palace, who also just so happens to have signed a retainer whereby Hank is at her beck and call for the slightest of ailments. It is there that partygoers - including Newberg - seem to be getting sick faster than Hank and Co. can diagnose them. It seemed as if they had a dangerous outbreak of who knows what on hand, but that was before Hank got Dr. Macgeyver-y once again to figure out the true source of the problem: Newberg's DOG was responsible for the spread of a kind of staph infection to individual partygoers, who then passed it to each other.

'kay. That's new.

I have to give the writers credit. They've got to come up with what I'm going to begin calling the EHM: Emergency Hank Moment each week, and it has to be both "out there" in concept (given it IS the Hamptons where anything goes) YET still serious in medical nature (as in, we don't really want to be laughing at seriously ill people - no matter how absurd they and/or their surroundings may be).

As such, I've started to watch this show almost as if it were a game. When is the EHM? Who is it going to be? How much is Evan going to get in the way? Is Divya going to rock it? What is Jill's role?

On the flip side, this becomes somewhat formulaic, and I have yet to determine if I might get tired of the routine. There is enough "other" stuff going on that keeps me interested - mostly the inter-personal relationships being developed by everyone BUT Evan. And, the setting continues to prove ever so much fun to watch not to mention listening to the tremendously snappy and witty dialogue with everyone BUT Evan.

Dunno, though. We shall see.

In other news ... Divya's got an arranged marriage going on, eh? I confess I wondered whether this whole my-parents-don't-really-know-what-I-do thing might give way to a surprise or two as it pertains to this character's development. Seriously ... how long could she really keep that a secret in such an exclusive world where everyone seems to know everyone's business?

On the Jill and Hank front ... I did like the way their relationship was tested during this ep given it was Jill who suddenly got a case of need-to-keep-it-on-the-down-low given her previous personal history. Of course that was a very temporary case of DL-ness; she was over it by the end of the ep. And yet, it does seem to be a conflict of professional interest for her to be involved with Hank, and I'm not sure we've seen the last of this potential blind spot - especially if she seems to have already been judged by some of her peers for mixing too much business with pleasure.

And Evan ... meh, who cares.

New episodes of Royal Pains air Thursdays at 10 p.m. on USA Network. You can join other fans on Facebook; follow Royal Pains on Twitter, or visit the official Royal Pains Web site for the scoop on the series!

Birthday Wishes

PTR Fave Kristen Bell celebrates a birthday today!

Happy Birthday Kristen!!

Your Friends at PTR

Look for Kristen to appear on the big screen in several films now in production including Couples Retreat with Vince Vaughn and You Again with Jamie Lee Curtis, Betty White and Sigourney Weaver. Her comedy When in Rome is scheduled to hit theaters next year. She's also the famous voice of Gossip Girl Monday nights on The CW. XOXO

'Grace' Tests the Jewish Faith

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

So as I excuse myself for the lateness on recapping all-things Saving Grace this week, I'm trying to think about what it was that really jumped out from this episode.

I did like it, but it felt more like a study of the customs and traditions of Hasidic Judaism than anything else. And yet, the reason I liked the ep was that it forced Grace to once again ask some pointed questions of Earl and/or observe the practices of a faith that she would not normally do, which in turn, continued to challenge her understanding - her acceptance - of spirituality.

A particularly enlightening moment was when Earl essentially showcased just how powerful prayer is as he allowed Grace to listen in - if only for a moment - to the millions of voices praying to God all at once. Given how disbelieving Grace has generally been about all-things faith, I thought that scene was unique. It seemed to be another of Earl's guiding moments that continue to help Grace's new sense of enlightenment and make her more spiritually inclined.

So far, she hasn't really turned back.

Now, I didn't really care for the mooooooooooooooooo cow nonsense, even though the killing the cows was important to the case given the victim was connected to meat plant that the cows were from. But it did seem ... well, kinda dorky at times.

In other news ... Ham's sister-in-law (the wife of his now deceased brother) seems to not quite have dealt with her grief. I confess I was shocked that Ham himself seemed more at peace and/or having moved on than her. Seriously? Codependent slobbering mess Hamilton?

As for Grace's continuing caretaking of Neely ... that took an interesting turn this week with Neely: a) having woken up and begun speaking fluent Portuguese so as deliver a strangely coded message to Grace; and b) having "left" the hospital by the end of the ep. It seems Earl whisked Neely off to this so called “Room of Miracles” in a Bonfim Church in Brazil whereby wax dolls and limbs hang from ceilings and, as Earl says, you put up whatever is ailing you only to have millions of voices pray for you to recover (that whole hear-everybody-praying thing I mentioned earlier). Now, seeing as Neely DID seem to be awake and conscious and/or interact with Grace YET gone from the hospital at the end of the ep, does this mean she's well? Was Earl the one praying for Neely's recovery in Brazil and/or took her there as part of her recovery? Did Grace?

Lots of good questions. Not sure they seemed completely answered.

But THAT is a good thing these days.

On side note, I'd like to congratulate Grace herself, Holly Hunter, on receiving a Primetime Emmy nomination this week for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama. This her second year in row being nominated.

New episodes of Saving Grace air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on TNT. You can watch full episodes of the show anytime over on the show’s official Web site. You can also visit EmbraceYourGrace.com to share your stories of how you embrace your inner-Grace.

Another 'Catch' Loss that Hits Close to Home

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

I realize this post is a wee bit late for my recap of all-things Deadliest Catch, but this past week's episode boiled down to one poignant and ever-so-sad moment: the Northwestern's Jake learning that his baby sister - who suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis - had passed away.

And by "baby sister," I do mean child - not teen, not young adult, not young woman.

It was one of those moments where as a television viewer, I felt as if I shouldn't be watching this young man go so numb with grief and sadness. Lke, I just wanted to let him have his space. But that's the thing about being on a crab boat: there isn't any space. You are right there in the moment with each other. You fight, you haggle, you laugh, you cry, you grieve.

And, in this case, you rally to support your youngest crew member in a time of a devastating family tragedy when you are so far FROM that family.

The way Captain Sig, Edgar, Matt and the rest of the Northwestern gang closed ranks to support Jake, thus, reassuring him he needed to be with his family and/or they'd hold down the fort without him was as touching a moment as we've seen since the Katmai episodes. I loved when Sig said he'd bust through the ice to get Jake into St. Paul Harbor so he could catch a flight home, and when he shared his story about the loss of his own father.

Go.Sig.

This past week's ep was truly a lesson in just how tight-knit these crews - these men - are. And it showcased once again just how much they sacrifice to do what they do. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jake and his family.

I'd also like to congratulate the Deadliest Catch/Discovery Channel gangs for being nominated for four Primetime Emmy awards this week: 1) Outstanding Nonfiction Series; 2) Outstanding Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming; 3)Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming; and 4) Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming.

New episodes of Deadliest Catch air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Discovery Channel. Visit the official Deadliest Catch Web site for the latest on the captains and crews of the Northwestern, Cornelia Marie, Time Bandit, Wizard, Early Dawn and North American and the new boat, the Incentive. You can also catch up with Deadliest Catch folks on Twitter: fvnw_erin / CaptPhilHarris / northwesternpat / NorthwesternPR / captjohnathan / northwesternsig / DeadliestCatch (which is actually the Cornelia Marie) / DiscoveryChPR.

The Countdown Pushes On with Episodes Full of Surprises

The countdown is moving full steam ahead with three more shining examples from this past season. But before we get to them, we have to go over the rules for the countdown. LillyKat and I ended up with 33 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 2008 and June 2009. 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 Friday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 27-25.

27: "Tuesday the 17th" - Psych
Who doesn't love a good horror flick? Especially when you're watching it home alone. In the dark. And noises, which would normally go unnoticed, become magnified and severely menacing. Now, have one of TV's funniest shows satirize this classic format and you get a fan-freakin-tastic mix of scary and funny. Shawn and Gus find themselves at a remote (of course!) summer camp "psychically" investigating the disappearance of one of the camp's counselors, but things quickly take a freaky turn when bodies start turning up And The There Were None-style. Shawn soon realizes that the entire thing is staged (the camp is about to re-open as a murder mystery camp for adults). They have a laugh or two until a real body surfaces in the pool. With the power knocked out from the storm, things go from creepy to creepier without losing a sense of humor -- just how we like it. Written by (series star) James Roday and (executive producer) Steve Franks and directed by James Roday.

26: "Officer Down" - Cold Case
There were so many good things about this one. Turns out, Cold Case is clever. There was a flashback from "March 15, 2009... 5 minutes ago." What a great way to bring in the usual CC fare without being boxed in by the formula. And, the show surprised me: the connection between Pops and Jeffries, Lilly's father and her emotional response to his gift, Scotty and Frankie continuing to test the waters, and Lilly shooting the younger brother. The best part of this episode, though, was the emotion. There was emotion from the characters for their fallen comrade, emotion from Lilly for that gift, emotion for the loss of Pops, and emotion from every single character in the episode. CC can rip your heart out and break it in a million pieces and that's what makes it so good! Written by Christopher Silber and directed by Alex Zakrzewski. Screencap by RichE.

25: "A Pretty Girl in a Leotard" - Damages

(ETA: Apologies to our readers for adding this write-up LATE. There is this thing called real life that gets in the way of my television obsessions at times - LOL!)

I remember I nearly fell out of my chair watching this episode of Damages when it was revealed Arthur Frobisher (yes, that would be Frobie - the man Patty buried into oblivion in the first season) was going to be the Plantiff in the mother-of-all class action suits she intended to level against Walter Kendrick and Ultima National Resources (UNR). It was such a brilliant twist. The fact Patty was conveniently withholding that little bit of information from out-to-get-Frobie-at-all-costs Ellen made for even more intrigue. And in this episode, my heart ached for Ellen. We'd been seeing the more vengeful, sinister side to her character in the first episodes. But, we were treated to that softer, more emotional side when she returned back to her and now deceased fiancé Doc David's boxed up apartment - the memory of finding him murdered in the bath tub still haunting her every move. We also got our first extended look at Marcia Gay Harden's Claire Maddox character in this ep. I remember thinking ... tramp? pimped out hot stuff attorney on the UNR payroll? sleeps with everyone? I did not see that characterization coming. It was one thing for her to have the affair with Daniel Purcell, but the sleep around thing was quite curious to me - and got even more curious as the season progressed. Written by Adam Stein and directed by Greg Yaitanes. - LillyKat / Senior Staff Writer

So, there's a look at numbers 27-25 on the countdown. What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Leave us a comment with your thoughts. And be sure to tune in next Friday for #24-22 on the list.

Remote Rewind: Birthday Kiss

Up until this point, we'd been anxiously awaiting the moment when Michaela and Sully crossed the line from friends to something more. And really, is there a better time than on Michaela's birthday? But before we get to that fateful moment, we have to back up to the beginning of the episode and one very down-in-the-dumps Michaela Quinn. Her looming birthday was weighing on her mind especially since she was beginning to feel like a spinster with no romantic prospects on the horizon (I know, but remember, I keep telling you that both she and Sully seemed hell-bent on derailing that train). To add insult to injury, her mother sent her a nice set of china, but it arrived in pieces. The kids decided to cheer her up by trying to set her up with one of the townsfolk. This went over as well as you are probably imagining. They tried, but no one was man enough to take on a strong, independent woman like Michaela. It began to feel like a lost cause with even Sully declining their request (he explained that "courtin'" was complicated).

Even though no one in town was interested in "courtin'" Dr. Mike, they pitched in and got her a nice sign to hang over her medical clinic in town. This was a HUGE gesture considering the fact that no one in town was willing to allow her to practice medicine on them when she first arrived in Colorado Springs only a short while ago. They also helped the kids throw Michaela a surprise party and both the party and the sign seemed to lift her spirits. But it was after she was surprised and after the sign was revealed that things heated up. Sully carefully chose his moment. He waited for the townspeople and the kids to head over to Grace's for the celebration. He waited for Michaela to be alone admiring her new sign and what it meant to her and her place in the hearts of the people of Colorado Springs. As she stood there looking up at her new sign, he appeared in a suit -- gift in hand. He had made her saddle bags to carry all of her medical supplies when she traveled to patients and to treat the Cheyenne. They were beautiful, but it was what he did next that left the lasting impression (on both Michaela and all of us watching at home). When she kissed him on the cheek to thank him, he saw an opportunity and he seized it. They kissed, they finally kissed! It was short, but sweet and it validated all of those pent-up, repressed feelings these two had been saving up since she arrived out west. It was great, but it was only a start. A start that had to wait some time before it turned into a story. There was one more bump in the road before that kiss and the awkwardness hanging between them after it, turned into one of the best romances in TV history.

Feeling nostalgic for Dr. Mike, Sully and the rest of the residents of Colorado Springs? Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Series is now available on DVD.

Roundup: Comic 'Closer'; 'Bar' Blames the Victim - And it Works

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Comic Genius

Whew! That's over.

"That" being the underwhelmed malaise in which I found myself after watching last week's episode of The Closer. (Seriously, I don't like it when my shows go off their mark; and, contrary to what one might think, I really DON'T like having to bag on them to get back on track).

Nonetheless, we returned to fine form with this week's offering.

Why?

Comic genius.

Even after five seasons, the comedy-heavy episodes this show still comes up with prove to be some of the most entertaining. From the get-go, the writers have consistently struck that precise balance in not being TOO funny whilst trying to solve a murder. In fact, I think they're right up there with the good folks over at Bones, who also have this knack for capitalizing on the strength of their cast's chemistry, which in turn allows for genius timing and dialogue delivery.

And when it's all working like a charm, it's the best stuff on the tube.

And, it doesn't get much better than a mentally unstable guy (which puts it lightly) posing as a Detective Richard (make that Dick) Tracy investigating the death of a reality show numnut called Intrigue who just so happened to specialize in showing men how to pick up women in a bar, bang the lights out of them, then leave them the next morning (seriously, Sanchez? You want to be like THIS with women?) only to have his producer turn on him given the show was SO bad she was going to lose her career over it.

Obviously, Mark Burnett passed on THAT show, eh? (Love ya', Mark!)

Seriously, the whole spin on just how ridiculous the reality show genre has gotten cracked me up. And the producer getting in over her head with a host who ended up being a complete jackarse was a nice swipe at nearly every reality show contestant who ends being WAY too much to handle once they actually get on camera. Add the producer's screaming former assistant, and I found myself just laughing right out loud.

But credit must be given to the whole routine with wanna-be Detective Dick Tracy. Totally.stupidly.funny.brilliant.

Sure, maybe farfetched, but hey, it's television. People have impersonated police officers in real life in a less convincing fashion - and done far WORSE things in the process. I thought the initial fooling of Pope, Provenza and Flynn at the crime scene was awfully good - seeing as they all seemed to be sleepwalking through their day anyways. Tracy's interaction with BJ and Co. had this knat-flying-in-your-face feel; you wanted to swat at it but couldn't quite get it. I loved they had to pretend to treat him LIKE a detective so they could get the case solved.

Eps like this prove this show has so much more left to give.

No more undewhelmed malaise in them here parts.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



The Good and Bad About Lawyers

Over and over again, we hear people say, "I hate lawyers." Or, "I'd never want to be a lawyer."

Raising the Bar manages to show us why this is true BUT ALSO why some lawyers are good.

And necessary.

Especially to fight for those of us who may not know any better.

Take this week's example: a guy taken to the cleaners (and I do mean cleaners, folks) by his lawyer, who managed to bill out so much of his time in "expenses" and "prep" that he ended up taking 99% of his client's settlement against a hospital's negligence for treatment of said client's wife that it left said client with a mere 1% of the settlement.

So make that: Lawyer gets $370,000; client gets $3,700.

Ouch.

The fact said lawyer had a history of taking his other clients to the cleaners makes for a double-ouch.

I confess I took a small amount of pride in Jerry managing to win this case. His hands were tied from nearly every angle - including the fact said client ran down lawyer with his taxi cab (given lawyer wouldn't return calls and/or even TALK to said client after running away with the settlement). But in a sign of the ever developing maturity of the character, Jerry kept his cool (yes, really), made his case to the jury and WON.

Notch one back for the good lawyers in the world.

Which Jerry is.

In other news ... sooooo, Bobbi is now divorced (yay!), and she's about to get cozy with Jerry (double yay!) only to find her now ex-husband having hanged himself in the living room of her apartment after signing the divorce papers (bummer). Actually, not really a bummer. Truth be told, Gavin was getting to be Evan Lawson-esque in annoyingness - sans all the chatter. Perhaps they should've hung out?

In Teddy Sears news ... my bud Rich Woolsley actually took the easy way out with a client this week. WTF? He didn't even ask the client why he had broken into the medical lab (which was, in fact, to steal back his wife's tainted urine sample so she wouldn't lose her job as a result of random drug testing that would've busted her for ONE try of a joint). He ASSUMED the client was there to steal medical equipment to sell on the black market. Rich, Rich, Rich ... what happened, buddy? Thank you, Marcus for agreeing to a do-over.

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

'Plain' Old Family Problems

Years of television viewing have taught me to predict certain story elements with the greatest of ease. For example, it was no surprise that Olivia stood up in the middle of the courtroom and moved to her father's side after realizing that her "Romeo" was still loyal to his father. Ergo, it was also no surprise that Jesus's fuzzy memory about his former boss's "business dealings" suddenly became crystal clear. Nor was it much of a surprise that Olivia was in love with the son of her father's enemy (after all, we've all read Shakespeare). A certain level of predictability is good -- it allows us to feel smart when we figure out something before the characters and/or our fellow viewing partners do. Along these same lines, I've also come to expect that characters with "daddy issues" aren't very fond of commitment and are unlikely to ever be truly happy or permanently attached in their personal lives. Both of these truths were blown to smithereens this week! Raph proposed to Mary (sort of) and she said yes!!!??? And it wasn't some strange dream sequence! Even as it was happening, I kept thinking, "No way!" It turns out, yes way. Like Raph, I assumed that commitment issues brought on by daddy/abandonment issues were at the root of Mary's very clear, adamant dismissal of his first proposal. It seems it was all about the timing (sort of).

What came across to Mary as a desperate, last-gasp effort before being called up to the Majors was actually 6 months in the making. Raph had the ring for six months! He just chose the wrong time to pop the question. This led to, as Mary put it, a "communication issue." This time, both were sure to lay it all on the table before proceeding. I'm proud of Mary. She realized her mistake and what it was costing her and she rectified it. Of course, I have little doubt that seeing Olivia and her father contributed to this new-found clarity. She saw what their differences were costing them and how putting them aside allowed them to share the greatest gift: love. She seemed determined not to let her hurt over her father's decision to leave the family (SIDE BAR: I still believe that he entered WITSEC and wanted to spare the family the burden of entering with him, but we'll see) ruin her chance to be with the person that she loves. Growth and character development are beautiful things. Characters welcome, indeed.

In Plain Sight airs Sunday nights on USA Network. If you missed this week's episode, check it out for free at Hulu.com

Stranded in Coldfoot

I literally watch this show on edge: my stomach's in knots, my jaw's clenched, and my foot shakes off nervous energy. And this week the show decided to up the ante even further. As if ice, steep passes, high altitudes, severe weather and a variety of road hazards weren't enough to get my heart racing, this week the Dalton added ice fog (a.k.a. "white death"), huge snow drifts, and super-slick ice that left truckers without brakes leading to a host of deadly dangers including jackknifing and sliding off the edge. Oh, and Hugh was also hauling 18,000 pounds of toxic waste. That'll give a man extra pause about driving recklessly on the Dalton. Most of the increased dangers this week could be chalked up to the impending winter storm that promised to choke Atigun Pass and make driving on the flat sections almost impossible. Hugh and his lead truck (Carlyle Safety Instructor Phil) made it to Atigun, but got caught waiting for a less fortunate driver to get his truck towed after turning sideways on the Pass. So, what do you do when you're stuck in -20 degree weather? Have a cook-out! Phil (or as Hugh calls him, "Phil-Billy"), planned ahead and brought caribou, veggies and a small grill to prepare them on. I have to admit, it was pretty awesome.

Meanwhile, Alex and his safety instructor Jack were trailing Hugh and Phil so they didn't reach Atigun until dark. To make matters worse, Jack got frustrated with Alex's lack of "chaining up" experience and left him to finish the process himself and then cross Atigun alone. This was toward the end and by this time, my nerves were a bit frayed. I know he made it across safely, but the details are a bit sketchy. He said a prayer and then took it nice and slow until he reached safety at Coldfoot (the Dalton's midway point). And then there's George and Tim and their harrowing trek through the flats with snow drifts that resembled snow mounds. These "drifts" were all over the road as the wind from the storm whipped more and snow into their lane. You could hear and see the stuff hitting the side of Tim's truck! It was intense!

My girl Lisa tackled her third oversized load of the season, but she only made it to Coldfoot because the storm shut down Atigun Pass before she had a chance to go through it. She, like most of the trucking fleet, was grounded in Coldfoot until the storm passed. Before she got there, though, there were a few tense moments. As any driver knows, our worst enemy is the other drivers on the road. They're unpredictable, distracted, and no one (and I mean no one) drives as well as we do. The Dalton is no exception. Lisa feared that the southbound traffic would brake as they approached her, causing their trailer to jackknife and plow right into her. Then, she lost her brakes for "The Rollercoaster," which, thanks to some awesome camera angles, put me right into the driver's seat with her. It was scary, but she made it safely to the bottom (full speed ahead). It was just another day on the Dalton.

Ice Road Truckers airs Sunday nights on History Channel. To catch up on this season, click on over to HistoryChannel.com where you'll also get show info, driver bios, and an IRT app for your iPhone.

TNT: They Know Giveaways ... and We've Got One!

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Anyone up for The Closer, Raising the Bar and HawthoRNe swag?

Our good friends over at Turner have given us the opportunity here at PTR to give away a pretty darn cool prize pack that includes a variety of items from a sampling of their shows. The prize pack will include:

From The Closer

- Chocolates (though not straight from Brenda's desk drawer)
- Season 4 DVD Set

From Raising the Bar

- Season 1 DVD set
- Raising the Bar T-shirt.

From HawthoRNe

- Signed poster by star and executive producer Jada Pinkett Smith

(**NOTE: The folks at TNT need to disclose this particular poster has a slight hole on its side BUT they assure us that if it were framed, it would not be noticeable; a picture of the poster is unfortunately NOT available

We here at PTR need to disclose that the pics listed over to the right are stock images of the cover art for the DVD sets; the HawthoRNe picture is just promotional and is NOT necessarily the poster you'll receive.)

To enter to win PTR's TNT: They Know Giveaways swag:

- Send an e-mail to: lilly_of_philly(at)hotmail.com with the following:

** Subject line: TNT Giveaway
** Message Body: MUST contain your FULL NAME.

- Entry rules are as follows:

** Entries must be received by July 31, 2009.
** The winner(s) will be drawn at random on or after August 1, 2009.
** The winner(s) will be notified by e-mail
** You must be a U.S. resident to enter and over the age of 18.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. New episodes of HawthoRNe air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on TNT.

'Pains' Own Royal Pain

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

So, after enjoying a week off, Royal Pains returned last week with more of the same of what bothered me when we last left the Hamptons.

Evan Lawson.

Seriously, just.go.away.

As much as I liked the back and forth rapid fire one liners in the pilot (or that Paulo Costanzo and Mark Feuerstein could be brothers in real life), the subsequent episodes have left me feeling slightly smothered by this Evan character. As in, he's starting to seem like one of those rogue robots in WALL-E who needs to be sent to the repair ward.

Cue Sigourney Weaver's voice over.

Caution: Evan Lawson.

Caution: Evan Lawson.

I've also started to wonder if half of what Paulo Costanzo is saying in his scenes is actually written into the script, or if he is just riffing indefinitely and Mark Feuerstein is left to keep up.

If it is more riffing than script, I don't like it.

If it is more script than riffing, I still don't like it.

Again, we have the Trust Me problem. Too much random chatter from the mouth of a character that is supposed to seem witty or funny but ends up being way too much of an earsore. Or, we have such an absurdly spazball character opposite a straight arrow character that it makes you wonder how the straight arrow would allow the spazball to remain such a liability in his/her life for so long - especially if jobs are on the line and irregardless of whether they are related to one another.

At the end of the day, I've seen all this before.

It's not original.

I need to feel the Evan character is worth caring about. Right now, I don't. Right now, the show could be doing just fine WITHOUT the Evan character given there's plenty of interesting and neurotic stories to be told of the Hamptonites. Thus, wasting so much screen time on Evan and his non-stop rambling takes away from everyone - and everything - else.

If we were suppose to be seeing his "softer" side this past week, it didn't work for me. I didn't buy into the "manny" (read: nanny) act - especially after he once again pretended to have experience in something he does not so he could once again weasel his way into mooching off of another of Hank's patients/assignments (this time, the super-secluded getaway of super-exclusive family whose super-private matron is about to give birth and of whom Hank was charged to look after).

Is this all we're ever going to get with Evan? Is this all this characters has? I think it worked for me in the pilot because the character of Hank was so lost that Evan seemed his only out. That is, Evan - being so unlike Hank, so out there in his own being - was perhaps the only thing to snap Hank out of his downward spiral.

I just didn't think we'd have to get this episode after episode. It's already getting old - and we're only a few episodes into the series.

In other news ... I liked Jill trying to recruit Hank into being an ER doctor for Hamptons Heritage. This would obviously create a whole bunch of issues mixing personal with business BUT it forced Hank to admit he's actually enjoying what he's doing AND doesn't feel like he wants to give it up.

Note to writers: Can you do less with Evan and more Divya? She steals EVERY scene.

New episodes of Royal Pains air Thursdays at 10 p.m. on USA Network. You can join other fans on Facebook; follow Royal Pains on Twitter, or visit the official Royal Pains Web site for the scoop on the series!

The Countdown Rolls On

Last week, we kicked things off with three great episodes. What will be on this week's list? Before we get to that, we have to go over the rules for the countdown. We ended up with 33 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 2008 and June 2009. 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 Friday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 30-28.

30: "Private Eyes" - My Boys
When PJ starts dating "a mystery man," the boys want to know who he is and they're not willing to take PJ's dismissal for an answer. So, what to do? They plan an elaborate spy mission that finds Stephanie wearing a wire at dinner with PJ and the boys hiding in Andy's minivan (not so) discreetly across the street. Things go from funny to hilarious from there as Mike starts thinking like a cop, the boys order pizza delivery, and PJ catches on to their scheme. And they say girls are the nosey ones! This episode had me laughing from start to finish as the boys acted like they were uncovering government secrets instead of PJ's boyfriend. Of course, the joke was on them. The "mystery man" was one of them: Bobby.

29: "Apocalypse... Now?" - Medium
You know how it is when you have a nightmare -- you wake up relieved, shake it off, and move on with your life. Unfortunately for Allison, things aren't quite that simple and when that nightmare (or series of nightmares as it were) includes visions of the end of the world and that end looks imminent, she has to take action. This episode was fascinating because it delved into human nature and how we react when we're forced to fight for survival. Allison's dreams aren't always literal, but there's no way to know for sure until everything plays out. Luckily, this one wasn't, but it was a very important clue to saving a kidnapped girl and finding the man responsible. And once again, I was reminded why I'm glad that I do not possess Allison's "gift." Written by Michael Narducci and directed by Larry Teng.

28: "Intervention" - How I Met Your Mother
When your friend refuses to cease using a fake British accent or cannot see that they are totally too tan what can you do? If you're part of the crazy HIMYM gang, you stage an intervention. The idea started innocent enough with them trying to help out a friend with an alcohol problem, but it was so successful, the gang decided to stage interventions for everything. Enter the fake British accent one (Lily), the totally too tan one (Robin), and many others until Barney accidently torched the sign (during his pyrotechnics magic tricks intervention) and the group realized that they needed to stage an intervention to stop the interventions. Months later, Ted finds a banner indicating that they had planned to stage one for him because of his relationship with Stella. The hilarity of the interventions combined with the hard truth about Ted and Stella made for a strong outing. In fact, I might need an intervention if this show keeps bringing the awesome like this episode. Written by Stephen Lloyd and directed by Michael Shea.

So, there's a look at numbers 30-28 on the countdown. What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Leave us a comment with your thoughts. And be sure to tune in next Friday for #27-25 on the list.

'Grace' Gets Two Angels - One Good, One Bad

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Okay, Saving Grace.

You seem to be doing NOTHING wrong for me at the moment (as I outlined last week).

And now, you really have me tapping into some seriously fantastic Touched By An Angel memories with Grace being fought over by "good" angel Earl and "bad" (or, perhaps we should say "alternative") angel Matthew.

YES!

File this under: another.cool.development.

I know the SG folks like to remind us they are anything but TBAA. And we know they're not. It only takes an episode or two with wild-child Grace doing something absurd to remind us of this fact. Plus, Earl is ... well, not Monica by any stretch of the imagination.

But, seeing as TBAA eps are ridiculously fresh in my mind right now (given a) Hallmark Channel is doing me a favor airing four eps a day; and, b) Roma Downey is best.interview.ever), I could not help but watch this week's ep of Saving Grace and remember when Roma's Monica had to fight off evil temptations taking over her assignments either via b) early-season bad girl angel, Kathleen, or, b) her own evil twin, Monique. Earl now seems to be having to do almost the exact same thing opposite cryptic Matthew.

As in, keep your dang hands of my Grace. kthanxbye.

I think what is perhaps the BEST news about the fight over Grace is that Grace herself is not only willing to accept the fact it IS happening (which, again, shows huge progress on her part given she fought Earl and his existence for most of the first two seasons), she is also remaining fiercely loyal to Earl (even if she doesn't fully understand why two angels would be fighting over her in the first place).

Now, it is true she might have been momentarily tempted by Matthew's I'll-solve-all-your-cases-for-you option. But when she questions Earl about what he does or does not do for her, he talks about choices always being hers to make - not his. This, in turn, reminded me of one of the main recurring themes of TBAA: angels don't interfere with human free will. And that, it seems, is what Grace is exercising in a far more mature and educated way these days - and she does so alongside Earl, not against him.

Go, Grace, go.

In other news ... what is the deal with Ham and birds? Wow. Maybe want to take something for that, eh Hamilton?

New episodes of Saving Grace air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on TNT. You can watch full episodes of the show anytime over on the show’s official Web site. You can also visit EmbraceYourGrace.com to share your stories of how you embrace your inner-Grace.

'Catch' Freezes Over

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Is it possible for one to actually get cold whilst watching Deadliest Catch? Like, by osmosis or something?

I know I've made myself sea sick watching an all day marathon. (Yes, true statement. I watched on a Sunday, went to work on Monday, and then felt as if I was swaying back and forth in front of my computer screen. Weird, but hey, that's me).

So, I figure if I could make myself sea sick watching a marathon of the show, then I guess it's not too much of a stretch to get cold while watching it, either - as was the case with this week's ep, where temperatures dropped into crabs-freeze-their-legs-off territory.

Which is somewhere in the way-too-low-below-zero category.


I'm Sorry, Is This Spot Taken?: You mean to tell me the Wizard's Captain Keith did NOT intentionally set his pots on top of Captain Phil and the Cornelia Marie? With all his GPS wango tango, should he not have figured out that even setting CLOSE to Phil's pots would find them moving INTO Phil's string with the tide shift - especially when you can SEE the Wizard right off the back of the Cornelia Marie? I swear Keith is full of hot air sometimes. And, I have to say, I'm with Josh Harris on this one: another boat within several miles of where one is crabbing is too close.

Do You Want That Straight Up, or on The Rocks?: So Captain Sig takes on the enter-at-your-own-risk challenge and inches the Northwestern into frozen over St. Paul harbor so as not to lose his entire load of crab. I have to say he seems to have finessed it in such a way that it almost seemed military battlefied in nature as he performed this strange little series of right obliques. General Robert E. Lee would've been proud. Anyone know where we can get some red paint?

Fart Grounds: Captain Phil of the Cornelia Marie seems to have this ... uh, system whereby he can see little bubbles on the surface of the ocean that are ... uh, gaseous releases from our little Opilio crabs that indicate they are in the area AND in abundance. So far, he's right. Hey, whatever works. Leave it to Phil to come up with this method.

Dirty Crab: The Incentive taught me a thing or two this week about dirty crab. They can't have any little barnacles on their legs and/or body. They have to have that nice reddish pinky shell. And, you don't find them in the southern, calm, warmer waters of the Bering Sea. You have to scoot yourself north, take on the 40-footers, have your boat freeze over in a complete block of ice and see your crew go hypothermic in order to catch them. Well, duh. This IS Opilio season, Incentive. Did you think you weren't going to have to suffer the wrath of the Bering Sea in winter?

New episodes of Deadliest Catch air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Discovery Channel. Visit the official Deadliest Catch Web site for the latest on the captains and crews of the Northwestern, Cornelia Marie, Time Bandit, Wizard, Early Dawn and North American and the new boat, the Incentive. You can also catch up with Deadliest Catch folks on Twitter: fvnw_erin / CaptPhilHarris / northwesternpat / NorthwesternPR / captjohnathan / northwesternsig / DeadliestCatch (which is actually the Cornelia Marie) / DiscoveryChPR.

Roundup: So-So Goes 'The Closer'; Mean Looking 'Bar'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Going Astray

Confession: I was a little underwhelmed by this week's episode of The Closer.

Not in the I-don't-like-the-show-anymore kind of way; more like the not-really-sure-what-I-want-to-say kind of way.

The case was so-so. It boiled down to a carjacking gone wrong. Carjack-ee ends up threatening carjack-ers with a gun; and, in shooting a couple of warning shots at said carjack-ers, one of the bullets ends up killing an innocent bystander two blocks away.

Now that is what you call one stray bullet.

True, there was a nice Abbott and Costello kind of interrogation by BJ of said carjack-ers, which essentially finds them stumbling over themselves and confessing to a crime they didn't even know they committed and/or that the law covers; and, there was some comical laser tag/beam me up Scotty moments with Detective Tao figuring out the path of the stray bullet. Buzz also got approved for a $70,000+ grant to upgrade the surveillance equipment so that everyone can now watch interrogations in a) 18 different letterbox formats and b) wirelessly at their desk. And, since the stray bullet managed to kill the victim on the grounds of Father Jack's church (who, we recall, has been featured in a previous episode and isn't exactly one of BJ and Co's biggest fans), it made for some interesting moments with Detective Sanchez running THROUGH the church to get up to a higher vantage point whilst making sure he took a moment to kneel at the altar.

But aside from that, there wasn't a whole lot to report in Major Crimes this week.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



Mean People Suck

We all know this bumper sticker, right?

If not, you do now.

And it was the perfect way to describe this week's episode of Raising the Bar.

Let's just say I wanted to slap a stick over Detective Port-a-Prick's desk (or maybe that should've been forehead?) for, essentially, letting one of Jerry's clients DIE whilst in custody just to: a) get back at Jerry; b) get back the woman, who had committed NO crime but of whom one might say had a thing against 5-0 for constantly harassing her and/or thinking she's selling drugs.

Okay, so maybe her adversarial approach in talking to every NYPD cop with an attitude and a load of F-bombs didn't help her reputation much. And she probably wasn't ever going to get invited to any NYPD Christmas parites given she continually refused to knark on those selling drugs in her neighborhood. Still, bouncing her around from precinct to precinct so she wouldn't show up in Central Booking and/or Jerry couldn't get to her wasn't cool. But continuing to do it WHILST she was suffering from a burst appendix and screaming for medical attention - to which she WAS entitled - means one big humongo civil lawsuit coming against this NYPD detective, who also happens to be banging Michelle Ernhardt.

In other news ... how about Judge Farnsworth making the move to potentially steal Charlie from the claws of Judge Kessler?

Go Farnsworth!

(Like Kessler is going to let that happen. Farnsworth: "This is my courtroom." Kessler: "This is my courthouse. Stay away from Charlie ..").

Me thinks this has all the makings for some good tit-for-tat between two really great actors.

And note to Bobbi: Glad to see you are finally growing a pair given that whacked out soon-to-be-ex-husband of yours is just a little too ... well, whacked. Can we please stop the innocent-OMG-what-am-I-going-to-do routine and have more of the confrontational, don'f f**k with me routine from this week's ep? kthanxbye.

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

Remote Rewind: Testing the Water

When we last left Sully and Michaela, he was lusting over her from afar, but this episode brought them a few steps closer to realizing their feelings. It all started when folks began showing up at Dr. Mike's clinic with a bad case of the stomach aches. At first, Michaela was puzzled as to the source. She tried to find a link between the victims, but kept coming up short. They all seemed to have different lifestyles. She suspected the water, but they had different sources (creek versus wells). She soon discovered that those with wells had partaken in a little moonshine from Happy Walker's still and Happy (who, as it turns out, wasn't very happy or very alive for that matter) uses the water from the creek to make his moonshine. It also just so happened that the local mining company was set up along the creek. Michaela suspected that the mining company was dumping mercury-filled waste into the creek causing those who drank from it to get mercury poisoning. But, she couldn't prove it and the mining company wasn't about to let her on their land to find out for sure. It turns out that mercury, in large amounts, can kill you, so Michaela was bound and determined to ascertain the cause of the poisoning and to stop the people responsible.

Enter Sully, a testing kit and an interesting adventure into the wilderness with the two of them alone. There's a great line before they embark on this little fact-finding mission from Miss Olive. Sully was completely against Michaela going along with him (because he believed she would "slow him down"), but she insisted that she be there to conduct the test at the source in order to get accurate results. When she tells Olive that Sully doesn't want her to go along, Olive suggests that Sully is "afraid to be alone with you." It's a loaded line and you can tell that it doesn't quite sit well with Michaela and this sorta sets the tone for the trip. Once in the wilderness together things got more interesting. Michaela, being a girl from the big city who hasn't fully acclimated yet to her new rugged surroundings, brought all sorts of useless "junk" on the trip (a brush, mirror, etc.) and Sully gave her a hard time. Later, she was able to use the mirror to distract a snake and give Sully the necessary time to kill it before it struck him. She immediately told him, "Handy little piece of junk, huh?"

After the snake incident, they learned to depend on each other a bit more. At one point, the mining company spoted them and started shooting (as per their sign at the entrance to their property: Trespassers will be shot). In an attempt to flee, Michaela fell and broke her arm making her journey even more difficult. They ended up taking to the water to escape the gun shots and this, combined with the broken arm, led to the famous "buttons scene." After making it safely out of the water, the two stripped down (to their undergarments -- this is the 1870s) and dried their wet clothes by the fire. They stayed on opposite sides of a tree for privacy, but Michaela soon found it much too difficult to button her own shirt and had to ask Sully to do it for her. They shared "a moment" (one of many as I've previously mentioned) and the groundwork for their future relationship was officially laid. It was the first point in which they both realized that they might not be able to stop that speeding train after all, but they were both hell bent on delaying it for as long as possible. But, we have a few more milestones to cover before we get to that part of the story.

Feeling nostalgic for Dr. Mike, Sully and the rest of the residents of Colorado Springs? Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Series is now available on DVD.

Ocean 'Ice'

I know that Ice Road Truckers veterans all love Hugh and Alex because they were in previous seasons when the show took place in Canada, but I can't help it -- Lisa is my favorite. She's hilarious, surprisingly strong for her small stature and she can lug chains, tighten straps and haul the big loads right along with the boys. What's not to like?? I was so glued to her story tonight. I find myself rooting for her to do well with these oversized load tests so that she can become one of the Dalton elite: A heavy-haul driver. This time, the load was long (as opposed to the extra-wide one she hauled last time), so it wasn't as intense along the Dalton as the last one where oncoming trucks became dangerous obstacles. But, things got a bit more intense on the sea ice. This week's haul of 80-foot pipe wasn't bound for Deadhorse. No, it had a one-way ticket for the oil rigs out in the Arctic Ocean, which means harrowing miles across the frozen ocean over sea ice. A trek so dangerous, drivers have to maintain the 10 mph speed limit in order to keep themselves from compromising the ice, and ultimately, falling through into the ice-cold waters below. Instantly, Lisa noticed the wave-like feeling as she edged out onto the frozen ocean. But have no fear, the narrator (executive producer Thom Beers) informed us, "The wave-like motion is the weight of the truck making the ice sag and stretch." Sag and stretch??!! Do you guys see how crazy/scary this job is?

Just in case you're not convinced that sudden death is right around the corner at any given moment, Tim showed us all how one can effectively tempt fate. First, he went to retrieve his broken-down truck and discovered that someone had stolen his chains. He had to drive back to Fairbanks "barefoot." See, this sounds innocent enough until you learn that this barefoot refers to driving on snow and ice down steep hills without chains to help you gain traction. Then after starting his next load, he had a few scares when his truck lost traction with the ice and his steering became almost impossible. I was sure he was going off the road, but luckily, he was able to regain control and steer his truck safely away from the snowy banks and steep edges. And after all of that, he and veteran George got stuck in Coldfoot when a bad snow storm closed Atigun Pass. Looks like they'll be sitting tight for several hours.

Meanwhile, Hugh and Alex have taken their good-natured rivalry from Canada to the States while also getting some ribbing from their American counterparts for attempting the Dalton. Alex did have some tense moments when he and his veteran leader decided to push on despite a stripped tire. He had no traction on the tire, which forced more pressure on the good tire next to it increasing the chance of that tire failing as well. Luckily, he made it safely to Deadhorse. At the end of the day, Jack (who was not featured this week) leads the pack with 8 loads, but my girl Lisa is in second with 7 and as a bonus, she got to cross "driving across the frozen Arctic Ocean" off of her "bucket list." She excitedly exclaimed, "Put a big ol' fat red check mark next to it." Yup, I love me some IRT!!

Ice Road Truckers airs Sunday nights on History Channel. To catch up on this season, click on over to HistoryChannel.com where you'll also get more information, driver bios, and an IRT app for your iPhone.

'Mental'-ly Unfit for Trial

I knew something didn't feel right about this week's episode. At first, I just chalked it up to poor planning on the writer's part or just a weak episode. I couldn't understand why this random court case was inserted into the episode without a lot of background information. It just felt out of place. I went with it, reluctantly, and then things started to get interesting. The ace prosecutor began seeing blurred images of the jury, witnesses, defendant and members of the crowd. I wasn't sure whether she was having an acute vision problem or if she was about to become one of Dr. Gallagher's patients. It wasn't until she started seeing flashes of Jack in a different setting that I began to suspect something was amiss. At that moment on the balcony, I started to suspect that what we were seeing wasn't really happening. I gotta say, this little twist was pretty brilliant! I went from kinda strongly disliking the disjointed feeling to the episode to kinda strongly loving it at the end.

One thing I did not love (at the beginning or the end) was Veronica's continued affair with Baby-Faced Doctor. I figured from last week's "I'm having an affair" discussion with Nora that things were still hot and heavy between these two and this episode confirmed it. I know we don't really know the cutey husband, but I feel so bad for him. I'm not going to deny that Veronica and Baby-Faced Doctor have some serious sparks, but I'm having a hard time getting on board with the story line. She either needs to end the thing, come clean to her husband and move on or end her marriage and be with the young doc. Make up your mind, woman. Either way, someone is going to get very hurt.

Mental airs Friday nights on Fox. If you missed this week's episode, watch it for free at Fox.com.

On Your Mark, Get Set, COUNTDOWN!

As TV seasons go, this past one wasn't one for the record books. While we celebrated the return of a full season, some of our faves let us down. Happily, some that weren't faves rose to the occasion and became new faves by the end of the season. Strange as it may have been, the '08-'09 season is wrapped and in the books, but this means that PTR's popular Best Episodes of the Season summer-long countdown is just beginning. Senior Staff Writer LillyKat and I have come up with another great list. Before we get to that, though, we have to go over the rules for the countdown. We ended up with 33 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 2008 and June 2009. 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 Friday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 33-31.

33: "Friends with Benefits" - My Name is Earl
What happens when a huge misunderstanding finds Randy in bed with another man? HILARITY! Earl goes in search of Joy and Darnell to give them back Mr. Turtle and leaves Randy by himself. This gets Randy feeling a little lonely, but he mistakes another man's interest as brotherly instead of romantic. Meanwhile, Earl discovers that Joy is preoccupied with trying to fit in with her new upscale neighbors. This was one of those episodes where both story lines had me rolling! Pure hysterics between watching Randy trying to replace Earl and Joy trying to fit in with the posh crowd. I know it seems like common sense, but shouldn't a comedy be funny? This episode certainly made for a lot of laughs. Written by Jessica Goldstein and Chrissy Pietrosh and directed by Allison Liddi-Brown.

32: "Gus Walks into a Bank" - Psych
So, Gus walks into a bank. He wanted Shawn to go with him, but he 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 Gus is in the bank, a gunman holds everyone hostage and things begin to spiral out of control. Of course, Shawn finds himself right in the middle of it. 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! Once inside the bank, Shawn was able to ascertain the robber's motive, mess with SWAT team 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. But, it was just another day in the life of Shawn Spencer: Fake Psychic Detective. Written by Andy Berman and directed by Eric Laneuville.

31: "Chuck Versus the Colonel" - Chuck
Chuck and Sarah go AWOL in order to save Chuck's dad from the evil Chevy Chase. And while they're roadtripping, a few feelings find their way to the surface. Sarah, in a moment of complete vulnerability, allows herself to get caught up in her feelings and winds up making out with Chuck in their shared hotel room. And if that wasn't enough excitement, Chuck and his dad stop the evil Chevy Chase from carrying out his new and improved Intersect plan. Oh yeah, and there's that little matter of Chuck finally ridding himself of the Intersect. Normal life from here on out, right? Well, it seems, once a spy, always a spy especially when the enemy has not been neutralized and a huge wedding is waiting in the wings. This one had action, adventure, romance and fun. What more can you ask for? Written by Matt Miller and directed by Peter Lauer

So, there's a look at the first set of episodes on the countdown. What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Leave us a comment with your thoughts. And be sure to tune in next Friday for #30-28 on the list.

'Grace' Is On It

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Here's a slightly scary thought: I think I actually look forward to watching Saving Grace MORE than I do The Closer right at the moment.

Whaaaat?

Did I just say that?

About a show I almost abandoned after the first season and still rumbled through the first part of the second season?

Hmmm ... who are you, and what have you done with the real LillyKat?

In all seriousness, I don't have anything against BJ and Co at the moment. But Grace has been on a roll since the end of last season, and the direction the show is moving is everything I thought it WOULD be when I first began watching. That is, we care about Grace; and, she gives us a reason to believe why she should have a last chance angel in the first place (who is becoming, like, more of her partner with each passing episode - love.that).

Case in point: this week's near attempt on Grace's own life by someone not all too happy with her from her past. Sure, we've heard this one before, except this time Grace does get seriously upset upon learning all members of her family are being targeted in this pseudo-revenge plot against her. She clicks into an ultra-protective mode, which I've always appreciated.

In season one, she would've blown all this off. Not cared. Figured out a way to make it NOT a big deal. Drank herself into denial. Banged Ham to get over it.

Now, we've got responsible-on-it-going-to-protect-everybody-at-all-costs Grace AND still make time to visit her ailing buddy in the hospital to check on her recovery (which seems to be going quite fine as Angel Earl seems to be sneaking her away for margaritas. True, Neely is still in a coma in THIS time space, but Lord knows how the partying is going with Angel Earl elsewhere).

And all of this is what I love about the show right now. Grace has got so much ELSE going on, and she's consciously making the decision to do the right thing for OTHER people, not just herself. That is just a true pleasure to watch because it shows such growth of character.

I'm proud of her. Can I even say that?

Even with Rhetta - who is having such a tough time in being forced to sell her family's farm. The Rhetta/Grace relationship is still blossoming, and it is Grace who now seems to be Rhetta's rock - even if she DID throw out all of Rhetta's momentos from the time capsule they buried on the farm when they were 10-years-old.

Hey, they were 10-years-old. It was a neener-neener thing. Can't really blame her, can we?

In any event, Grace has really gotten it together of late: she's on with her job; she's on with her family; she's on with Earl; she's on with Rhetta; she's OFF with Ham (thank.God).

She's.Just.On.

And I'm lovin' it.

New episodes of Saving Grace air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on TNT. You can watch full episodes of the show anytime over on the show’s official Web site. You can also visit EmbraceYourGrace.com to share your stories of how you embrace your inner-Grace.

'Catch'-ing the Midway Point

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

So it is, according to our Deadliest Catch gang, the halfway point of the crabbing season - heavy emphasis on the Opilio part of that season. What have we learned?

- No boat is immune from the ice pack.

- Boats should come equipped with rear view mirrors so as to better watch those Bering Sea 40 footers that sneak up from BEHIND.

- Captain Sig CAN be content; even better, he can actually quit smoking - if only for about three hours.

- Dutch Harbor should be renamed Igloo Bay.

- Captain Phil hasn't lost his touch, but the Cornelia Marie seems to be held together by a couple of packs of gum and some duct tape.

- Captain Keith has made one of the worst decisions of his career this Opilio season (and is still haunted by its repercussions); however, he IS still able to get his s**t together to get on the crab and fill up the Wizard.

- The Time Bandit is still unable to do anything wrong; and, although Captain Andy does have a temper, he uses it sparingly.

- These guys still have one of the most deadliest, most tiring, most mind numbing, most trying, most nerve wracking, most insane jobs on the planet ... and they LOVE it.

New episodes of Deadliest Catch air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Discovery Channel. Visit the official Deadliest Catch Web site for the latest on the captains and crews of the Northwestern, Cornelia Marie, Time Bandit, Wizard, Early Dawn and North American and the new boat, the Incentive. You can also catch up with Deadliest Catch folks on Twitter: fvnw_erin / CaptPhilHarris / northwesternpat / NorthwesternPR / captjohnathan / northwesternsig / DeadliestCatch (which is actually the Cornelia Marie) / DiscoveryChPR.

Remote Rewind: Epidemic Proportions

With all the recent talk of "pandemics" and flu outbreaks and what would we do on a global level to prevent something deadly from spreading around the world at lightning speeds, this week's edition of "Remote Rewind" is going to seem very timely. Actually, one of the things that I always enjoyed about Dr. Quinn was the way it took place more than 100 years ago, but still managed to make stories relevant to today. Back in the 1870s, the concern wasn't over pandemics, it was over epidemics (as most outbreaks were contained to single areas with little threat of them rapidly spreading around the country and then the world as they are today). And the one that struck the most fear into the hearts of townsfolk everywhere was Influenza (and yes, 140 years later, we're still freaking out over the flu -- be it swine, avian or other). Entire towns could be wiped out because this thing would come in and take over. Sterilization wasn't what it is today, but even more so, the research on how disease spreads wasn't there yet. Those infected were quarantined and those lucky enough to stay healthy stayed away from the quarantined buildings full of the sick and dying. Unfortunately for Michaela, she was right in the middle of the quarantine. She was managing fevers, blotting away sweating foreheads, setting up bed after bed after bed, triaging as best she could all while looking after three young children.

The strain took its toll, and it wasn't too long before she came down with the Influenza. She was worn down, under-rested and over-worked while being exposed to a growing number of infected patients. She quickly became bedridden and her medicines were having little to no effect on her worsening condition. Sully stood by helplessly as the flu seemed to grip tighter. DQ was full of "little moments:" brief, fleeting moments that managed to speak volumes. One of those moments happened right there in Michaela's clinic. While the women sponged off her back (in another effort to lower her fever), Sully waited in the hall and he couldn't help but to watch from beyond the door. This wasn't a "creepy Peeping Tom" or "typical guy" kind of watching -- he was drawn to her whether it was his worry that if he looked away she might slip away or just his very strong developing feelings for her -- he was locked on her and knew he had to do something fast.

He took her to Cloud Dancing, a local Cheyenne medicine man (and one of my favorite characters!), who was able to use "Indian Medicine" to bring her fever down and eventually rid her body of the flu. This little turn of events was hugely important for two reasons: 1) it most definitely established Sully's feelings for Michaela and his willingness to do whatever it takes to save her life (a theme we see repeated by both Sully and Michaela throughout the entire series), and 2) it introduced Michaela to "Indian Medicine" and all of the untapped potential it held. In fact, it is this moment that leads Michaela to introduce the remedies into her practice, save her mother's life, and shape the rest of her story as the town's first female doctor. So, out of a terrible epidemic, comes some very important themes for the continuing fabric of the show.

Feeling nostalgic for Dr. Mike, Sully and the rest of the residents of Colorado Springs? Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Series is now available on DVD. Screencaps courtesy Official DQMW Web site.