TVSquad

(S01E10) Man, I just love The Mentalist. This episode was no exception. Yes, it's a formulaic show, but like House, I've grown to love every piece of the formula and feel robbed if something is missing.

The only negatives tonight? Once again, I knew who did it early on in the episode, but they really did a good job of creating many believable suspects this week. I also missed mention of Red John, although we did get to learn a little bit more about Jane in the aftermath of his tragedy through his relationship with Sophie.

Let's get into the nitty-gritty after the jump.

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily: Tiny Tree Update! plus,

• The parent company of The Discovery Channel just bought Treehugger.com. Why?
• Law and Order's Elisabeth Rohm wants a midnight wedding.
  
• Kim Raver of 24 is posing nude for a new Vaseline ad.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can subscribe to this podcast via our feed. Plus, you can also download the file directly.

(S01E15) Ah, family! You do all you can to make your them proud of you, make them respect you, and all they do is give you crap. Then, they get bitten by vampires and die without even a 'good job' or 'thanks for everything'. To quote the famous philosopher Stephanie Tanner 'How rude!'.

Hence, the premise of this episode of Angel. We delve into the family lives of two of the players: Angel and Detective Kate Lockley. For Angel we go back to the mid-18th century to his time as the young upstart named Liam. For Kate we stay in the present and focus on her relationship with her father, a retired policeman. In both cases, neither child is given the respect they deserve.

(S01E11) Cordelia: (to Wesley): I don't care how many files you have on all the horrible things that he did back in the Powdered Wig Days. He is good now. And he is my friend. And nothing you or anyone else can say will make me turn on a friend.

Angel: Cordelia, he's right.

Cordelia: You stake him, and I'll cut his head off.

There wasn't much revelation of Angel's infamous past in the first half of the first season of Angel. We had appearances from both Spike and Buffy (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame) to represent his recent past, but most of the episodes featured evil from the present. However, with this episode we took a look far back into the past of Angel, actually back to Angelus to be more specific, and the consequences of his evil doings in the bad ol' days.

(S01E06) Angel: I'm a little reserved, it doesn't mean I don't care.

Cordelia: It's like you don't have a pulse.

Angel: Well... I don't.

Hi, everybody! I'm back from a few days in Canada, also known as the home to every science fiction show currently being made, ready to tackle the newest retro episode of Angel. Except, there isn't that much to tackle this week. Oh, don't get me wrong, there are two plot points introduced that setup future episodes; however, other than those, this is one of the lightest, least substantial shows of the season.

It is also the first time for the series that Angel doesn't focus on one of the three main characters:  Angel (David Boreanaz), Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Doyle (Glenn Quinn). It actually focuses on Los Angeles police detective Kate Lockley (Elisabeth Rohm), who receives the most screen time since her introduction in the episode "Lonely Hearts".

If there is any one show that can claim long-running success with a ever-changing cast of characters, it's NBC's Law & Order. For example, during its 16-year run (which will become 17 years starting next fall), the Assistant District Attorney's second-chair slot, which actor Richard Brooks left back in 1993, has been filled by five individuals: Jill Hennessy, Carey Lowell, Angie Harmon, Elisabeth Rohm (who departed earlier this last season) and Annie Parisse as current ADA Alexandra Borgia. Doctor Who didn't even regenerate this much in so little time!

Well, it looks like Parisee may be heading out the door this season, according to Zap2it. Of course, NBC is keeping mum about this rumored departure in order to maximize its ratings during May sweeps. The only mention of the final episode involves Borgia's boss, ADA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterson), who risks everything in order to nab two vicious criminals.

Parisee's Borgia replaced Rohm's Serena Southerlyn earlier this season when she was let go from the DA's office. In a bit of a departure from the L&O formula, which rarely steeps into a character's background, Southerlyn asked if she was let go because she was a lesbian. Who would replace Borgia? Well, if Conviction isn't renewed, there will be a whole mess of new ADA's to choose from. Maybe McCoy can team up with Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March).