Thursday's ER episode was heartfelt and moving without being too sentimental. There was a return to character-based storylines, something that had been put on the back burner during the last few episodes.
There were three main storylines during the episode. One was based on Tony, another on Morris and the third on Brenner.
1) At the beginning of the episode, Brenner announces that Banfield will not be working that day (she hasn't been on the show in a few weeks) but that everyone's mission is to get their patient satisfactory levels up, especially Tony. So Tony is sent to work on some elderly people and told to keep them happy. He works with this one man in particular who does not like doctors because he watched his wife die after receiving care. The old man is dying and surgery could help extend his life, but he is 78 years old and says he would rather just let life take its course. The man has family who care for him and at first Tony tried to scare him into agreeing to treatment, but Neela tells him that they have to stand by his wishes. As the episode comes to an end, Tony shows the man compassion and tries to make him realize that there is still a lot to live for. It is only then, after Tony proves he is a caring guy, that the old man agrees to have treatment so that he can live long enough to see his granddaughter graduate from college.
2) We see a little more of the Morris/police officer relationship bloom in this episode. Morris thinks he is in for a romantic date, but is instead blindsided when he shows up at the address she gave him and finds himself at her nephew's birthday party surrounded by her entire family. He obviously does not fit in and this becomes all the more obvious when he is asked to dress up in a superhero costume as the party's entertainment. By the end of the party one of the kids gets hurt and Morris has to take a trip to the ER in the costume, hence the quote that is this posts' title is uttered.
3) The episode starts with the happy couple - Simon and Neela. Neela gets a call for an interview at Duke and we see that Brenner really does not want Neela to leave. He obviously has strong feelings for her. Once at the hospital, a truck slams into an ambulance in the docking area of the hospital and inside is a mother and daughter. They become the central storyline of the night. We find out that they are alone and it is just the two of them. The mother has a brother but she does not want him called. Brenner calls him anyway because the daughter needs someone to stay with while the mother is in the hospital for about a month. When the brother shows up we find out (SHOCKER) that he is actually the daughter's father. No he did not have a child with his sister, but he did have a child and when she was 3 years old leave her with his sister while he ran away in the middle of the night. She then raised the girl as if she were her own daughter. Brenner tries to talk to the father and get him to agree to care for the daughter for a few weeks and at first it seems as if he might. He even fills out the paperwork, but the episode ends with Brenner and the little girl waiting outside for the father who they both know is not coming back.
One of the best scenes I have seen on the show in a while also happened within this storyline: The mother goes into v-tack and they have to use the defibrillator on her. The young daughter is in the room while this is happening and she is crying and freaking out. The entire time this is happening the viewers are sitting at home yelling at the TV "why is she still in the room?" Then Brenner saves the day. He stops working on the mother long enough to swoop the girl out of the room and carry her down the hall. It was a very emotional scene.
So what did you think about this week's episode? Are you as excited as I am for the return of Noah Wyle as John Carter for five episodes? The preview said it starts this week. I can't wait.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
SNL Valentine's day episode
I won't be posting any clips from last night's show, but that doesn't mean the show was a dud. Alec Baldwin hosted and the Jonas Brothers performed (and were even in a few skits). The show was humorous (there of course were some pretty awful skits) but the funniest skits - the Vincent Price Valentine's Day special and the Wii playing with the father and sons - were high on the sexual innuendos so I am not sure how appropriate it would be to put them on my blog. If you are interested I suggest going to the SNL page on nbc.com to find them.
But the reason I really wanted to post about the show was that I appreciated how the show, though it took place on Valentine's Day, did not bash you over the head with mushy stuff and constant love reminders. It was just another show and I appreciated it.
But the reason I really wanted to post about the show was that I appreciated how the show, though it took place on Valentine's Day, did not bash you over the head with mushy stuff and constant love reminders. It was just another show and I appreciated it.
Dollhouse premiere - "Who does she think she is?"
Going into watching this show I had pretty low expectations. I was watching it more for something to do since I am really sick and stuck in the house but ended up enjoying it. I don't know if I will continue watching, but it was worth experiencing.
So here is the premise. There are these people called actives who have their minds erased so that they have a clean slate and can be turned into different types of people. The actives are regularly reprogrammed to become a specific person. For instance, they can be an assassin, a dominatrix, a teacher, whatever. What is more interesting is that they are not only programmed to know what to do, but the actives are given memories and personalities based on other people's real memories and personalities. The people in charge of the operation call themselves humanitarians but they also acknowledge that if anyone even found out about what they do they would go to jail.
Echo, played by Eliza Dushku, is the main character. We learn early in the episode that this sort of lifestyle makes it difficult to form relationships. Also, as you watch the show and see the people who live in the "dollhouse," which is where the "treatments" happen, they act like robots. They cannot think for themselves and show no emotion.
I won't go into too much detail about the premiere episode in particular, but I will mention this: Throughout the episode we see that there is someone on the outside who suspects that this dollhouse exists. He seems to be a cop of some sorts and when he tells other people about it, they do not believe such a place is real. As the episode ends, we are shown a video recording of Echo before she became an active. She is graduating college and talking about what she wants to do with her life, which consists of a pretty long list. She says, "I want to do everything, is that too much to ask?" For someone who wants to do everything, her life as an active makes this possible. But I have a feeling she did not become an active by choice. But how cool must it be for an actress to get to play so many different roles on a television show?
So what did you think? Did you watch the premiere? Will you continue to watch?
If you want to see a one minute recap of the first episode, you can go here. Who knows, maybe your interest will be peaked.
So here is the premise. There are these people called actives who have their minds erased so that they have a clean slate and can be turned into different types of people. The actives are regularly reprogrammed to become a specific person. For instance, they can be an assassin, a dominatrix, a teacher, whatever. What is more interesting is that they are not only programmed to know what to do, but the actives are given memories and personalities based on other people's real memories and personalities. The people in charge of the operation call themselves humanitarians but they also acknowledge that if anyone even found out about what they do they would go to jail.
Echo, played by Eliza Dushku, is the main character. We learn early in the episode that this sort of lifestyle makes it difficult to form relationships. Also, as you watch the show and see the people who live in the "dollhouse," which is where the "treatments" happen, they act like robots. They cannot think for themselves and show no emotion.
I won't go into too much detail about the premiere episode in particular, but I will mention this: Throughout the episode we see that there is someone on the outside who suspects that this dollhouse exists. He seems to be a cop of some sorts and when he tells other people about it, they do not believe such a place is real. As the episode ends, we are shown a video recording of Echo before she became an active. She is graduating college and talking about what she wants to do with her life, which consists of a pretty long list. She says, "I want to do everything, is that too much to ask?" For someone who wants to do everything, her life as an active makes this possible. But I have a feeling she did not become an active by choice. But how cool must it be for an actress to get to play so many different roles on a television show?
So what did you think? Did you watch the premiere? Will you continue to watch?
If you want to see a one minute recap of the first episode, you can go here. Who knows, maybe your interest will be peaked.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Spoiler: The crossover that did happen ...
...and will continue next week. I don't know about you, but I am over this idea of the Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice double episodes. The shows need to return to their stand alone form. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the episodes tonight, but it was only OK because I thought it was going to end shortly. I guess ABC is truly trying to garner audience attention and this was the best idea they could come up with.
A lot happened in the two hours, so I think the best way for me to handle this post is to just run down a bunch of facts and explain what happened. I may throw in a bit of opinion, but mostly I will leave that up to you.
- Owen's ex-fiance is in the hospital because her father, who has cancer and has already been through radiation but has not told his daughter, is there. For the first time we learn a bit about Owen, including that his mother does not know he is home from Iraq and that his ex-fiance thinks he has changed and is harder since returning from way. We also get a glimpse into his relationship with Cristina. He tells her that he is a different person from when he left for Iraq and that he feels like a ghost but the only person who truly sees him is Cristina. This made me almost sympathize with him. He is still pretty screwed up, but at least we know a little more about him.
- Izzy, as a way to boost morale with the interns, organizes a game for them to play. At points throughout the episode Izzy is unable to see out of her peripheral vision and Alex notices. Later in the episode, he questions Addison about whether or not she is happy. He tells Addison that he is thinking about running away from his problems like she did and all she really says is that she did not run but walked. Alex says he loves Izzy but wants to run because he senses something really bad is about to happen. (Foreshadowing, anyone? Not that we didn't already know she is dying.)
- Tonight's episodes seemed to imply that Sloan is actually ready to commit to Lexi. We'll see if this actually happens in the coming weeks.
- When Addison, Naomi and Sam show up with Archer in Seattle, they are reunited with Derek and Sloan and there is a lot of reminiscing and celebrating (especially after Derek saves Archer).But this leads Meredith to feel left out and she tells Cristina she feels like she does not really know Derek. I think this is foreshadowing Meredith turning down Derek's proposal, if he ever actually asks her to marry him. She is going to feel like they are not ready because they do not know each other well enough. This is just my opinion, maybe they will actually live happily ever after.
- I think it is hysterical that Archer is the pain in the butt of the episode. Bailey, more than once, refers to him as evil and unlikeable. It is also humorous that Derek saved Archer's life, yet Archer previously did and at the end of the episode still hated Derek.
- How cute was Sam throughout the episodes? First, he travels to Seattle to stand by both Archer and Naomi. How awkward must it be to watch your ex-wife with one of your oldest friends? But he stands by. And then he starts having bad asthma attacks. Addison and Sloan say they think it is because he is still in love with Naomi and they are being caused because he is watching her with Archer. But then we find out it is because his prescription was refilled with the generic brand and he is allergic to something in it. He then gloats and tries to get Naomi to understand that he is over her. But right before the end of the episode, Bailey (always the voice of reason) makes Sam realize that he may not really be over Naomi.
- The opening of the second hour was humorous. Archer's surgery had already been successfully completed (or at least they thought so at the time) and the cast members at Oceanside Wellness are sitting in the staff room worrying about Archer and wondering why they have not yet heard from anyone. Then it cuts to Addison, Sam and Naomi in the bar rather drunk and dancing. It was a cute scene and an interesting contrast.
- As for the important case happening in California, Cooper has a mother come in who is obviously sleep deprived and it is through this case that the rest of the Cali-side action happens. We find out that the mother has postpartum depression and momentarily tried to kill her newborn baby. Cooper, Pete and Violet work together on the case. Pete uses discussions about the case to talk to Violet, essentially telling Violet that he does not want to be cut out of her life. It was sincere and I hope she realizes soon that having Pete in her life would be a good thing. Violet also starts to have bad thoughts about herself when thinking about the circumstances of the postpartum mother. She starts to list off ways in which she could screw up being a mother to Cooper, who tells her everything will be fine.
- I love Charlotte. When she corners Cooper late in the second hour and tells him that she understands that he needs to be there for Violet, I almost melted. And then it continued and she admitted to him that he can't have Violet as a best friend because he should want her to be his best friend. She is right. That is what true love is, now when is Cooper going to realize it?
- In Seattle, Derek needs Addison's help on a case. He did a surgery and during it he made a mistake that led to him needed to give the pregnant patient a blood transfusion, which later led to her having pregnancy complications. Addison swoops in and saves the day, much like how Derek saved the day with Archer by removing eight cysts filled with parasites from Archer's brain. But as the episode closes, we find out that the patient may not actually be fine, which leads to yet another week of crossover that must be used to complete the storyline.
- On the Archer front, even after he is continuously told that all of the cysts are gone and that he will be fine, he swears that he is still dying and requests more tests. Therefore he begins to confess past sins and share his sole, only to find out that he is not at all dying but will actually be just fine. It was funny to see him slapped in the face after making embarrassing confessions.
So I think that is it. I guess we have to watch for one more week before this crossover event concludes. Tell me what you thought. Any non-Private Practice watchers out there confused by the storylines? Did experiencing some of the show convert you into PP watchers? What are you looking for from the conclusion next week? I want to hear from you.
A lot happened in the two hours, so I think the best way for me to handle this post is to just run down a bunch of facts and explain what happened. I may throw in a bit of opinion, but mostly I will leave that up to you.
- Owen's ex-fiance is in the hospital because her father, who has cancer and has already been through radiation but has not told his daughter, is there. For the first time we learn a bit about Owen, including that his mother does not know he is home from Iraq and that his ex-fiance thinks he has changed and is harder since returning from way. We also get a glimpse into his relationship with Cristina. He tells her that he is a different person from when he left for Iraq and that he feels like a ghost but the only person who truly sees him is Cristina. This made me almost sympathize with him. He is still pretty screwed up, but at least we know a little more about him.
- Izzy, as a way to boost morale with the interns, organizes a game for them to play. At points throughout the episode Izzy is unable to see out of her peripheral vision and Alex notices. Later in the episode, he questions Addison about whether or not she is happy. He tells Addison that he is thinking about running away from his problems like she did and all she really says is that she did not run but walked. Alex says he loves Izzy but wants to run because he senses something really bad is about to happen. (Foreshadowing, anyone? Not that we didn't already know she is dying.)
- Tonight's episodes seemed to imply that Sloan is actually ready to commit to Lexi. We'll see if this actually happens in the coming weeks.
- When Addison, Naomi and Sam show up with Archer in Seattle, they are reunited with Derek and Sloan and there is a lot of reminiscing and celebrating (especially after Derek saves Archer).But this leads Meredith to feel left out and she tells Cristina she feels like she does not really know Derek. I think this is foreshadowing Meredith turning down Derek's proposal, if he ever actually asks her to marry him. She is going to feel like they are not ready because they do not know each other well enough. This is just my opinion, maybe they will actually live happily ever after.
- I think it is hysterical that Archer is the pain in the butt of the episode. Bailey, more than once, refers to him as evil and unlikeable. It is also humorous that Derek saved Archer's life, yet Archer previously did and at the end of the episode still hated Derek.
- How cute was Sam throughout the episodes? First, he travels to Seattle to stand by both Archer and Naomi. How awkward must it be to watch your ex-wife with one of your oldest friends? But he stands by. And then he starts having bad asthma attacks. Addison and Sloan say they think it is because he is still in love with Naomi and they are being caused because he is watching her with Archer. But then we find out it is because his prescription was refilled with the generic brand and he is allergic to something in it. He then gloats and tries to get Naomi to understand that he is over her. But right before the end of the episode, Bailey (always the voice of reason) makes Sam realize that he may not really be over Naomi.
- The opening of the second hour was humorous. Archer's surgery had already been successfully completed (or at least they thought so at the time) and the cast members at Oceanside Wellness are sitting in the staff room worrying about Archer and wondering why they have not yet heard from anyone. Then it cuts to Addison, Sam and Naomi in the bar rather drunk and dancing. It was a cute scene and an interesting contrast.
- As for the important case happening in California, Cooper has a mother come in who is obviously sleep deprived and it is through this case that the rest of the Cali-side action happens. We find out that the mother has postpartum depression and momentarily tried to kill her newborn baby. Cooper, Pete and Violet work together on the case. Pete uses discussions about the case to talk to Violet, essentially telling Violet that he does not want to be cut out of her life. It was sincere and I hope she realizes soon that having Pete in her life would be a good thing. Violet also starts to have bad thoughts about herself when thinking about the circumstances of the postpartum mother. She starts to list off ways in which she could screw up being a mother to Cooper, who tells her everything will be fine.
- I love Charlotte. When she corners Cooper late in the second hour and tells him that she understands that he needs to be there for Violet, I almost melted. And then it continued and she admitted to him that he can't have Violet as a best friend because he should want her to be his best friend. She is right. That is what true love is, now when is Cooper going to realize it?
- In Seattle, Derek needs Addison's help on a case. He did a surgery and during it he made a mistake that led to him needed to give the pregnant patient a blood transfusion, which later led to her having pregnancy complications. Addison swoops in and saves the day, much like how Derek saved the day with Archer by removing eight cysts filled with parasites from Archer's brain. But as the episode closes, we find out that the patient may not actually be fine, which leads to yet another week of crossover that must be used to complete the storyline.
- On the Archer front, even after he is continuously told that all of the cysts are gone and that he will be fine, he swears that he is still dying and requests more tests. Therefore he begins to confess past sins and share his sole, only to find out that he is not at all dying but will actually be just fine. It was funny to see him slapped in the face after making embarrassing confessions.
So I think that is it. I guess we have to watch for one more week before this crossover event concludes. Tell me what you thought. Any non-Private Practice watchers out there confused by the storylines? Did experiencing some of the show convert you into PP watchers? What are you looking for from the conclusion next week? I want to hear from you.
Dancing with the Stars couples announced
We knew a few, but here are all of the pairings:
Belinda Carlisle & Jonathan Roberts
David Alan Grier & Kym Johnson
Jewel & Dmitry Chaplin
Shawn Johnson & Mark Ballas
Lil' Kim & Derek Hough
Gilles Marini & Cheryl Burke
Ty Murray & Chelsie Hightower
Steve-O & Lacey Schwimmer
Nancy O'Dell & Tony Dovolani
Denise Richards & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Lawrence Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska
Chuck Wicks & Julianne Hough
Steve Wozniak & Karina Smirnoff
I don't usually watch the show faithfully, but it is always worth watching a few episodes. I'm looking forward to seeing who's good and who's horrible.
Also, I like that So You Think You Can Dance stars keep trickling onto Dancing with the Stars. First Lacey and now Chelsie.
But here are some of my worries. Lil' Kim and Derek? Steve-O and Lacey? Edyta with another athlete? Cheryl with the nobody actor, good or bad? What do you think?
Belinda Carlisle & Jonathan Roberts
David Alan Grier & Kym Johnson
Jewel & Dmitry Chaplin
Shawn Johnson & Mark Ballas
Lil' Kim & Derek Hough
Gilles Marini & Cheryl Burke
Ty Murray & Chelsie Hightower
Steve-O & Lacey Schwimmer
Nancy O'Dell & Tony Dovolani
Denise Richards & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Lawrence Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska
Chuck Wicks & Julianne Hough
Steve Wozniak & Karina Smirnoff
I don't usually watch the show faithfully, but it is always worth watching a few episodes. I'm looking forward to seeing who's good and who's horrible.
Also, I like that So You Think You Can Dance stars keep trickling onto Dancing with the Stars. First Lacey and now Chelsie.
But here are some of my worries. Lil' Kim and Derek? Steve-O and Lacey? Edyta with another athlete? Cheryl with the nobody actor, good or bad? What do you think?
I couldn't help but post this
I didn't see it live (I am more of a Jay Leno girl) but this has been put on almost every website today. Remember when Joaquin Phoenix was normal? Well here he is barely conscious on the David Letterman show. Letterman tried to make a joke out of it, but Phoenix hardly mumbled a response. It is so bizarre. One word answers? Seriously?! And who can believe him as a hip-hop singer? Stick to what you're good at, honey.
"Joaquin, I'm sorry you couldn't be here tonight."
"Joaquin, I'm sorry you couldn't be here tonight."
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Spoiler: 90210's Valentine's Day episode
I had pretty low expectations for tonight's episode and almost did not watch, but a lot actually happened. Some of it is interesting, some bizarre and some depressing. Here is a rundown of the interesting plot-points of the night.
- I absolutely love how adorable Silver was at the beginning of the episode because she was in love. Even Naomi mentioned how Silver seemed like a "completely different person." Funny how love does that to people. It is also interesting that the first time Dixon and Silver had sex was on tonight's episode and it was only eluded to and not really shown. And the last thing I want to say about this is ... what the heck was Silver thinking getting a tattoo of Dixon's name as a "permanent way to symbolize" their love?! She went from adorable in love to psycho in love very quickly. We'll see how long their honeymoon lasts and how long it takes for Silver to realize what a stupid idea a tattoo was.
- I hate the Annie/Ethan/Rhonda love triangle storyline. In the next episode Ethan obviously has to choose between the two girls. I hope at that point it will be the end of the needless drama and Annie's crying (isn't she an awful fake crier?).
- I'm happy Navid is standing by Adrianna even those she is a mess, as he put it. That is what true love looks like, kids.
- I am curious to see where the Naomi/adorable bartender storyline is going especially now that we know he is also in high school.
Two end notes
- I love that there aren't really any main characters on this show. Each of the kids have their own storylines and they are all explored. This makes for interesting episodes and well-balanced plots.
- The previews at the end of the episode said the next new episode is not until March 31. That is quite a few weeks away. I wonder why there is such a long break. Are you going to go through withdrawals? I liked tonight's episode and the preview made the new episode look intense so I am intrigued. But I guess I will just have to wait.
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