Brothers & Sisters was riding smoothly until the crash

     I have some complaints about ABC's Brothers & Sisters finale, "On the Road Again", but first, let's start with the good stuff.  The Walker family mostly worked out their issues.  Justin (Dave Annable) and Rebecca (Emily VanCamp) seemed to be in a good place.  They have decided to spend a year apart, but, based on interviews I've read with the people that make the show, they'll be all right.  Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) was taking the dissolution of the family business pretty hard, but I'm sure that she'll recover.  Though are her kids ever on the show anymore?  Scotty (Luke Macfarlane) and Saul's (Ron Rifkin) restaurant looks to be the new business venture for the family, and I'm hopeful.

     Sadly, though, Saul has HIV.  I understand the explanation that he could have had it for decades without symptoms, but it seems to be stretching some already stretched believability.  When the series began, there was no hint of Saul's homosexuality, and it seemed to come from nowhere.  I am glad to see plot for Saul, when he is often left out, so I will forgive those mistakes.  I will also forgive the finding of water at Narrow Lake, though again, it seems very convenient, and a little cheap.

     Killing off Robert (Rob Lowe) was the best way to go, if he had to leave the show, though I'm still bitter about his departure.  It was also nice that it was done in an unexpected way.  However, the multi-car pileup, with so much of the family involved, was not handled all that way, and I am unsatisfied with it.  If Holly (Patricia Wettig) dies, I will be furious.  She is easily one of the most interesting characters on the show, and sorely needed.  I was sad to see her get so little screen time this week, but the series has been fairly good to her lately, so it can have a pass, for now.

     I am being this tough on Brothers & Sisters because it is usually such a good show, and I was not happy with the finale.  I don't feel it lived up to the show's usual standards.  I am not sure about how the reduced role next season of Kitty (Calista Flockhart) will bode, nor is it a good sign that only eighteen episodes have been ordered.  By contrast, this year saw twenty-four hours, and most drama series deliver twenty-two currently.  Next year will also pick a year after the events of this season, so perhaps that may give it a new injection of life.  I am simply concerned, and really hope that I one of my favorite shows bounces back soon.

The House falls in

      Fox's House finished it's sixth season with huge developments last night in the episode "Help Me".  If you have not watched the episode yet, please do not continue reading, as I do plan on discussing the shocking ending, including the scene cut from press screening copies, so I really will spoil everything for you.

     The episode began with a different atmosphere than normal, House (Hugh Laurie) giving Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) the book her ancestor wrote.  She seemed off, and the crisis of a crane collapsing sent them both rushing to a construction site, without time to discuss what was going on.  Going without the theme song, House, of course, quickly found a mysterious case, but as Cuddy would not allow him to return to the hospital, his case of the week provided only brief scenes for the rest of the cast, and took a back seat to the real drama.

     House found a woman buried in a collapse parking garage, and tried everything he could to save her leg.  He was his usual rude self, but found compassion.  That is not an unheard of story for the show.  What was going on here that made it more than that was his insistence to save her leg, he himself having been miserable for many years because of his own bum appendage.   Not only that, but in this case, House failed, as she ended up dying in the ambulance.

     This sent House spiraling down his dark, demented path once more.  Having been clean for a whole season, he ripped his bathroom mirror off the wall to find his hidden stash of narcotics.  At this point, only one thing could save him from falling off the wagon.  Cuddy.  Coming to him, revealing she had broke up with Lucas (Michael Weston), and declaring her love for him.  It's something fans of the show have been waiting a long time for, and his recent good behavior and maturity, well, relative to his past actions, have finally made him ready to be with her.  A setback would have destroyed all that, so in retrospect, the ending was obvious and timely.  And yet it was a shock.  What will this mean for the show, if Cuddy and House pursue this relationship?  How will it change him?

     Also, Thirteen (Olivia Wilde) asked for some time off, her health seemingly declining.  Will she be House's next patient, or the next one to leave the cast?

     House has already been renewed for a seventh season, which will air on Fox.

Where did all the good Saturday Night Live go?

     With the close of the latest season of NBC's Saturday Night Live, one question hangs over our heads: why does SNL currently suck?  It still includes most of the same cast that made it such a hit during the 2008 election.  Kristen Wiig is still a comic genius.  Andy Samberg still makes Digital Shorts, though the laughs come less often.  Will Forte is taking his MacGruber sketch to the big screen very soon.  Bobby Moynihan can still deliver with his impersonation of Snooki from Jersey Shore.  Seth Meyers remains the head writer, and the Weekend Update segments are as funny as ever.  But the rest of the show largely falls flat on it's face.

     To get an answer, perhaps we should ask why any season of Saturday Night Live has sucked.  On the air for thirty-five years, the series run in hit and miss cycles, and we are currently in the middle of a low point, made all the more obvious by just high they got in fall 2008.  Even Betty White, bringing a host of alumni with her, delivered only mediocre stuff.  Don't hate on me for saying it.  I was enthralled with the beloved actress and her posse as anyone, but had the season been where it should have been, that episode would not have seemed as good as it did.  At best, it was good, not great.

      Perhaps in an effort to salvage something, uber-host Alec Baldwin was brought in for the season finale this weekend, tying Steve Martin's record of 15 hosting episodes.  Sadly, he, too, left something to be desired.  Let me say that again.  Alec Baldwin had a bad episode.  That just doesn't happen.  So why, with all the golden ingredients, is SNL not doing better?

     I can come up with no satisfying explanation.  I remember how good the show is when it hits it's peaks, and so I'll just do what any of us can do.  Keep watching, hoping it gets there again soon.

Salute American Dad

    Thank goodness only one of Fox's Animation Domination shows ended as last night, as I have too many other finales to cover from last night.  But American Dad went out on a wacky high with "Great Space Roaster".  Roger the alien (voiced by Seth McFarlane, the show's creator) wanted a roast for his birthday, but he took the family's comments too much to heart, vowing revenge.  After several attempts on their life failed, they fled to space, but Roger followed them up there, too, where he tied them up and made them roast each other, only to realize that he actually was part of the family, and he was loved no matter what they said.

     For awhile last year, American Dad surpassed Family Guy in consistent humor, and while the latter has been doing much better, the former has stayed relevant.  What started out as a cheap copy of a popular animated sitcom has found it's own legs in the last couple of years.  The characters have become better defined, and their antics have gotten more side-splitting.

     Total lack of care about others seems to be the hallmark of comedy today.  From shows like Seinfeld and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, American Dad simply continues a formula that seems to work.  For example, as Roger attacked Francine (Wendy Schaal) and Hayley (Rachael MacFarlane), Stan (also S. McFarlane) got to the escape pod, believing his family a necessary sacrifice to save himself.  This isn't an uncommon scenario on the show, and while the big guy certainly loves his family, they come second to himself.

     Hayley in particular has become a more interesting character, though there weren't any great examples of that last night.  She began the series as a liberal counterpoint to Stan's conservatism, but though out they have learned to get along and care about each other, as much as Stan can care about someone.  He did say she was elected 'gun shield' for the family in last night's episode.  But we have gotten to see that Hayley is an open, warm person, as evidenced by her latest relationship with unexpectedly funny koala-spy Reginald (Erik Durbin).

     American Dad has already been picked up for aanother season, and will return to Fox in the fall.

Vampire Diaries spills requisite amount of blood

     The first season of the CW's The Vampire Diaries has just ended with "Founder's Day", and is it just me, or does it feel like it went through several seasons worth of plot?  Don't get me wrong.  It's been great.  I have definitely liked this show a lot.  But so much happened in just the first year, and several of the characters have gone through big, dramatic changes, that it seems like it got started a lot longer than nine months ago.

     The finale spilled more than it's share of blood, which will surely have lasting repercussions.  All of the tomb vampires are dead, bringing to a close the question of when any would return to cause trouble.  Or it is assumed they are all dead.  Perhaps a few didn't return to town.  The most unfortunate of those was the lovely and not evil Anna (Malese Jow).  Poor Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen)!  Doesn't any girl he likes survive?  No wonder he was swallowing pills!  Obviously Jeremy will return next season, but will he be human or vampire?  Uncle Jonathan (David Anders) also bit the dust, and as much as I love that actor, his death was welcome.  And very cool.

     The biggest mystery left unsolved is why the mayor (Robert Pralgo) and his son Tyler (Michael Trevino) were affected by the vampire weapon.  Tyler's eyes flashed, and the mayor was burnt alive.  But they aren't vampires.  This is supremely weird.

     The biggest moment in the finale was Uncle Jonathan's death, because of who did it.  Katherine (Nina Dobrev) has returned!  Season one wondered where she is, what she's doing, and why Elena (also Dobrev) looks just like her.  Now that the evil vamp herself has blown into town, perhaps we can get a few answers.  Also, having Dobrev play her means no worrying about actress availability or an extra salary.

     Fans of the show have taken to the internet, and many of them, myself included, are a bit bored by the Elena / Stefan (Paul Wesley) relationship.  Now that Damon (Ian Somerhalder) has decided to allow emotion and guilt back into his life, she and him would make a much better pairing.  Let's hope the show's second season, which has already been ordered, goes there.

Smallville kneels before Zod

    This past Friday, Smallville ended it's ninth season with "Salvation", an epic battle between beings with more powers than the average person.  Clark (Tom Welling) made the choice to leave earth, despite what he believed about destiny, in order to save the world.  Turns out, though, that he managed to make all the Kandorians leave, but stayed himself.  How?  That's still fuzzy.  Zod (Callum Blue) apparently stayed initially because of his blue kryptonite, which he stabbed Clark with, and then dissolved.   Ok, so the blue kryptonite makes you stay.  Noted.  Then why did Clark not disappear before he was stabbed with it?  However, I won't miss that particular plot, and it was my least favorite role for actor Blue, who has been wonderful in other shows.

     More disturbing is the apparent death of Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman).  After two seasons of filling in for Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), she died in a hospital bed after being burned by Zod.  However, despite her being listed as confirmed dead on Ausiello's blog, I don't buy it.  My evidence is the mysterious knitter in the hall, who I would not be surprised at all to learn was Lex.  Or someone associated with Checkmate, though that seems less likely.  Lex himself appeared to die several times, but the awesome glimpse of Smallville circa 2013 at the beginning of the episode revealed that he is alive and kicking.  And so is Jimmy Olsen, who was played by Aaron Ashmore before his surprise death last year, but I assume this is a different Olsen, which may be may not be explained in the series.  Anyway, does this mean that Rosenbaum may be returning, and that's why Tess was expendable?  Because I don't consider her so, but I would love to see Lex return.

     This also gives the show some kind of timeline.  Many thought season 9 would be it's last (and that was also thought of previous seasons).  With the surprise negotiation of season 10, which would end in spring 2011, that puts us only two years away from Lex running for president.  So if the show would conceivably get more seasons, as the tenth has not been officially revealed as the last, Lex would have to return by the 12th, much to fans' delight.  I don't see twelve seasons as likely, but I also didn't think that of ten.

     The big question is who will be returning next year?  I would be highly disappointed if Oliver (Justin Hartley) is dead, though what was attacking him will hopefully lead into next year's mystery.  Chloe (Allison Mack) is indispensable, but at the time I am writing this article, she has not been signed for next year.  With those two up in the air, that leaves only Clark and Lois (Erica Durance) confirmed.  Though, there are plenty of recurring characters to choose from to bolster the roster.  Even better, are the right to the actual character of Superman at hand?  We got a glimpse of the famous suit.  It would be awesome if the Man of Steel finally joined the show.

   ARTICLE UPDATE: The tenth season will be Smallville's last, and while Allison Mack will appear in multiple episodes, she will not be returning full time.  Also, Tess is listed as full-time for next year on the Season Ten cast roster.

Private Practice more than doesn't suck, it's awesome!

     It has arrived.  Last night was the Private Practice season finale, "The End of a Beautiful Friendship", on ABC.  It had me in tears through sections of it.  Which means, it was fantastic, of course.  If it stays this good, it will surely be one of my favorite shows to tune into every week.

     For one, several of the love triangles that have knotted our characters for weeks have sorted themselves out.  I am still very sorry for Sheldon (Brian Benben), and sincerely hope a love interest is brought in for him next season.  However, Cooper (Paul Adelstein) proposing to Charlotte (KaDee Strickland) was one of those tear jerking moments.  Even more so was the office scene near the end, where he asked for the ring back so he could propose again tomorrow.  They are the couple I have rooted for for a long time, and they had better be solid now.  Also, Peter (Tim Daly) and Violet (Amy Brenneman) have been mooning over each other for awhile.  It got annoying, so I stopped being in their corner, but their apparent reconciliation brought back the memory of that brief time they were happy together, and it's wonderful that the uncertainty is over.  They can be a great mommy and daddy now.

     Though not a hater, I am less thrilled about Addison (Kate Walsh) and Sam (Taye Diggs).  They stayed away before because of the risk of hurting Naomi's (Audra McDonald) feelings.  Now that she is good with them again, will their finally getting together keep everyone ok?  I'm sorry, but Addison needs a friend much more than she needs to be with Sam.  She needs something, as she used to be my favorite character on the show, but now is pretty far down the list.  Speaking of Naomi, her own situation sorted itself out, as one guy left the picture.  I think her Fife (Michael Patrick Thornton) being together may take the sting off of the Sam and Addison thing.  I hope.

     Ok, to the elephant in the room.  It was no big surprise when Dell (Chris Lowell) died, though the plot was structured in a way to keep you guessing.  After all, he is the most dispensable in the love stories, as he hasn't connected with any other main characters in a very long time, and he was dropped to a limited number of episode this season anyway.  However, he also filled a role no one else did, and so I will miss him.  I'd much rather he have left for medical school than died.  Leaving Betsy (Hailey Sole) an orphan that way was heart breaking.  But the bright side is, that leaves room for a new cast member.  I nominate Sheldon to full time status, instead of 'Also Starring' in the credits.  I'd also like it is Fife and / or Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) stuck around, though, to be honest, Amelia is definitely the third place choice.  Her value would be a friend for Addison if everyone turns against her for hooking up with Sam.

     The good news is the show is considered a sure thing for a fourth season, and I am very much looking forward to it.

Old Christine headed for new adventures?

    Last night began the first of this year's season premieres.  First up for review is the CBS sitcom, The New Adventures of Old Christine.  The episode was titled "Get Smarter", with Christine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Seinfeld) feeling dumb next to her fiance, Max (Eric McCormack, Will & Grace).  She feels that way because it turns out that Max's ex-wife is a super genius.  Of course, as Max points out, she has no room to be jealous that he still hangs out with his ex-wife, as her ex-husband, Richard (Clark Gregg, Iron Man and the other upcoming Marvel movies), is one of her best friends.

     Perhaps, because it was the series season finale, the other main characters didn't have their own subplots.  New Christine (Emily Rutherfurd) and Ritchie (Trevor Gagnon) didn't even make an appearance, although the two have seemed less visible this past season.

     This sitcom has the ensemble down pat, and the characters fully fleshed out by this time.  It is consistently funny, without being too obnoxious.  Should the show get a sixth season (it has yet to be picked up, but CBS will announce the fall schedule next Wednesday), hopefully Christine will finally grow, get married, and head back to college, as she announced she would in the finale.  More likely, though, things with Max will full apart, and she will drop out of college even more quickly.  The status quo is what works for the series and I wouldn't expect any serious, permanent changes until the series comes to an end, should they have time to write a proper ending.

     Which begs the question, why don't all long-running shows get to do a proper send off?  After give years, Christine has plenty of fans.  But it could easily be among the number of series that are pulled without closure.  At this point in time, it would be rotten for a network to do such a thing.  At least give them a handful of episodes next fall to end things right.

     The New Adventures of Old Christine is far from the best sitcom on television, or even on it's channel, but it has a certain charm and enough humor to earn a season pass on my TiVo.  Please give it a second chance.

Have Mercy on Mercy

     I have found NBC's Mercy to be one of the most interesting new shows this year.  Some may dismiss is at yet another medical show, but the characters seem more genuine than most, and the plots have been fun to follow.  Plus, it's a much more serial show than the standard case-of-the-week, so I like it.  And the Jersey charm is oozing from every pore.  Unfortunately, though the season finale, "That Crazy Bitch Was Right", has already aired, the fate of a second season is still up in the air.  Just look at that episode title.  Doesn't that make you want to tune in?

     Last night, Veronica (Taylor Schilling) was trapped in a collapsing building with two boys, one of whom she had to quickly amputate his arm.  But that was just a distraction, evidenced by the fact that that crisis was over halfway through the episode.  What was really important was the two men who have been fighting over her, and which one she would run to when she got out.  And the consequences of that decision.

     Poor Veronica has been through a lot this season.  After getting home from Iraq, she divorced Mike (Diego Klattenhoff), moved in with her parents, briefly dated war buddy Chris (James Tupper), turned to alcohol as much as her parents do, and was traumatized during an armed robbery in a doughnut shop when the clerk died.  Can you blame her if she's a little nuts?  But Veronica is getting things back together, and has even moved into her own apartment.  So when she ran to Mike, I was very happy for her.  Mike gets her, knows her, loves her, takes care of not just her, but her family as well.  Veronica and Chris always felt a little awkward.  Perhaps what they had in Iraq was real, but it clearly didn't translate so well back in the states.  In fact, should there be a second season, as I hope there is, ditch Chris and make room in the full-time cast for either of Veronica's parents, Dr. Talbot (K.K. Moggie), or Dr. Briggs (James Van Der Beek).  Each was much more interesting.

     Chloe (Michelle Trachtenberg) also got some great plot development, as she decided to go back to school and become a doctor.  Hopefully she will still be featured in the series, staying at the hospital, working between classes, and eventually joining the staff of doctors.  It suits her.  Sonia (Jamie Lee Kirchner) reconciled with her guy.  There are numerous other colorful, rich characters in this show, and I wish I had time to talk about each of them in this article, but I don't.  Just tune in if it airs again.

     My only complaint about the finale was the forced suspense in the final moments.  A bomb went off as Chris landed at the airport, back in the Middle East, and a car appeared to be running down Mike.  Neither one of those scenarios was necessary, and will only serve to anger the audience if the show doesn't return.  Please, NBC, bring it back, and perhaps have Chris die in the explosion, and Mike be perfectly fine.

SNL: Betty White is not too old for this s***

     Last night's special Mother's Day edition of NBC's Saturday Night Live was a ratings hit, and an audience's delight.  Despite the over three decades the show has been on the air, and the nearly twice that that Betty White has been active in show business, the two had never come together until the 88 year old hosted last night's show.  She had been offered the gig several times, but turned it down, and so SNL had stopped asking.  Then came a recent facebook group, pleased with White's Snickers commercial during this year's Super Bowl, and she decided she couldn't let down the half a million fans petitioning for her.

     The show started surprisingly rocky.  The opening sketch before the theme song was one that has been done on the show before, and despite featuring white and all six SNL female alum who joined her on screen, it stunk.  However, once that was out of the way, the episode was quite good.  White played a nursing home cop in CSI: Sarasota, was McGruber's disturbing grandmother, and, along with several great movie references, made the recurring sketch "Scared Straight" actually funny!  A touching tribute of the current and guest cast singing "Thank You For Being a Friend" to her turned into White donning a ski mask and beating the hell out of them.  In segment after segment, White proved that she should have taken the job years ago.

     The outpouring of emotion directed at White by both the actors sharing the stage and the audience was apparent.  Jay-Z dedicated a touching rendition of "Forever Young" to her, and as she was handed multiple bouquets of flowers at the end, surely tears came to many an eye.  Unfortunately, Jay-Z did not appear in any skits, despite rumors that he would.

     Joining White were a slew of female alum, which, unfortunately, didn't leave room for the current cast to do all that much.  However, they certainly showed that they were missed.  Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon brought back their famous NPR radio show sketch, Shannon also appeared as Sally O'Mally, and Maya Rudolph brought back Whitney Houston.  "Really With Seth (Meyers) and Amy" (Poehler) was resurrected, and added to as "Really With Seth, Amy, and Tina" (Fey).  Rachel Dratch didn't reprise any popular characters, because her Debbier Downer sketch was sadly cut (it can be seen at this link), but she's always welcome in good comedy.  Also cut, but on Hulu, are a Bronx Beat, Joyologist Helen Madden, and C-SPAN's coverage of the Times Square Bomber.  The night ended with Tina and Betty doing a hilarious U.S. Census questionnaire.  Betty was sweet, with plenty of profanity.

     All in all, it was a great night for the show and a triumph for Ms. White.  I certainly wouldn't call in the funniest episode of Saturday Night Live ever, or even of this season, but it was familiar, emotionally moving, and what it needed to be.  Kudos to all involved.

     Saturday Night Live airs Saturday nights at 11:30pm on NBC.