TVSquad

There's so much cool stuff on SlashControl, it's hard to choose what to feature. But since I get to do this every day, that'll make it easier. Today, I'm featuring a clip from one of my favorite new shows, Mercy. It's not like we don't have enough hospital/doctor/nurse shows on right now, but there's something about Mercy that's different.

Maybe it's the actors, which include Taylor Schilling, James Tupper, and Michelle Trachtenberg. Maybe it's the fact that the main character, Veronica, has just come home from Iraq and is still wounded from that experience. And yet she keeps moving forward, despite issues like smashing a windshield with a cinder block when she's angry.

Last week was a really special week for late night comedy shows. No, I'm not talking about a certain feud between a host and a politician. I'm talking about the four shows that The Colbert Report did from Iraq. There was a lot of great stuff, and if you missed any of it, here's a quick recap. (Video also here.)

If you missed last night's Colbert Report, you missed one of the great episodes. Colbert is in Iraq entertaining the troops, and last night he showed how he got there (it involves a poison dart). I especially like the golf club nod to Bob Hope. Full episode below! (And also here.)

As most of you know by now, Stephen Colbert is taking his show on the road again and this time, the Colbert Report is going to Baghdad. It's certainly a far cry from his first TCR outside of New York, that week in Philadelphia way back in April of last year (check it out, I was there). The troops and the casual viewers at home will definitely be in for a treat.

Something I certainly was not expecting out of this trip was a new look for Mr. Colbert. Sure, he was bound to incorporate some camo to get into the spirit of things, but I was expecting maybe, like, a tie or a playful lapel pin. But no. As we can see from this video, Mr. Colbert is hardcore enough to bypass the semi-patriotic accessories and get a full-on buzzcut.

The time and nation that Stephen Colbert couldn't reveal where he is taking his show has been revealed. And because elite Army ninjas have not sneaked into his studio and whisked him away to an interrogation room for breaking the military code of silence, it's been confirmed by the network.

Stephen Colbert is taking his Colbert Report to Baghdad for the troops next week. The network claims this is the first time the USO has brought a television show into a combat area for a week of shows, if you don't count, say, the news.

Colbert has landed in Baghdad and underwent some basic military training to prepare for his visit to the region at Camp Victory, the former home of Saddam Hussein's Al-Faw Palace. That alone should provide hours of hilarious material for the show. But there's more going on than just producing something to keep you entertained during your post-work Kraft dinner.

(S02E13) There was a lot of action is this penultimate episode of Army Wives. After the ripples created by all these stones in the water, I expect that next week's season finale will be a humdinger, although I don't think the finale can equal the punch of last year's suicide bomber at the Hump Bar.

It's clear that the writers like to keep us on our toes, surprising us, and I don't mind the unexpected. But the twist in tonight's show really came out of left field. I'll be frank; it was bad. I won't talk about it further until after the jump, but suffice to say I felt very manipulated, and not in a good way.

The Trevor/Roxy drug story has been building and it's definitely coming to a realistic boil. I feel for Roxy. She's doing her best to keep it together and Trevor has been like another person since returning from Iraq, guilt ridden and injured.

(Part 7 of 7) "Dude, check it out. I wrote U.S.A. with my piss." - Person

All that for nothing. Not much was gained and so much was lost. Over the span of Generation Kill we've all marveled at the ineptitude and idiocy of the people running the show over in First Recon, but not until this episode did it become clear that it wouldn't have made a difference who was in charge - dumb or stupid. This was a losing battle before it even began. Operation Iraqi Freedom? US military PR at it's finest.

(Part 6 of 7) "You know, Iraqis don't really seem good at fighting, but they never really completely surrender either." - Person

And therein lies the difference between the Iraqi Republican Guard forces and the Fist Recon Marines: heart. Guess which side is lacking it?

The point is furthered even more when most of First Recon finds solace and happiness as they realize that their mission is over. M.R.E. milkshakes, Colbert's stash of Chef Boyardee, and an unopened issue of Juggs are the things that make people smile now.

So while everyone is celebrating the end, leave it to Brad to run around with his shirt off, giddy that Godfather is giving First Recon one more mission - one more chance to maybe, just maybe, do something remotely close to what they were trained for.

(Part 5 of 7) "You think givin' them some rice and a chocolate bar is gonna fix things?" - Espera

This was by far the best installment Of Generation Kill we've seen yet. Burns and Simon stayed 100% true to Wright's account. I remember reading about the battle on the bridge at Muwafaqiyah and wondering what all that insanity must have looked like. To be so scared that, as Trombley put it, the adrenaline rush is so intense that it messes up your blood flow and some Marines achieve happenstance erections.

It wasn't just the bridge battle that made this one such a memorable episode though. Along with the continuing escalation of stupidity by all those with higher rank, there were some great scenes where we saw Colbert, Fick, Hasser, and even Encino Man evolve. Clichéd as it may sound, war changes people and we're bearing witness to some pretty screwed up transformations.

(Part 4 of 7) "Well sir, it's just that you're incompetent, sir." - Doc Bryan

I've asked before, and I'll ask again: why aren't more of the good guys dying? When CIA-trained Iraqi friendlies get waxed by Saddam's Republican Guard because they don't have a clue? When leadership like Encino Man are floored to hear that they're stupid? When men like Captain America don't understand how using enemy weapons could cause harm? Why aren't more of the good guys dying?

It's because of the bottom on the totem pole players. The Colberts. The Persons. The Ficks. The Esperas. It's because of them that we're getting to see their story as a humorous account on HBO and not as some sappy, tears in your eyes Ken Burns PBS documentary.

(S02E09) Ah, if only we all had someone in our lives who would say that whenever we turn up with a problem. I'd like to say there were some surprises in this episode, but really there was just one I didn't see coming.

Trevor realizes that he's been a handful so when she says, "I wish I could deploy -- to a five-star spa," he takes her words to heart. In typical TV fashion, because in reality this kind of stuff doesn't happen, Trevor decides to create a spa dinner for Roxie.

The tribe chip in to help him, but the surprise is ruined because Roxie can't resist socializing with the girls from her G.E.D. class. Now, that did come as a bit of a surprise. Not Roxie socializing, but that she's a high school dropout. She comes off as a smart cookie, but apparently that's all life experience.

(Part 3 of 7) "Yeah... these guys waving at us are probably the same ones who tried to kill us yesterday." - Cpl. Josh Ray Person

On the road again. More banter. More offensive jokes. And lots more stupidity. Honestly, the fact that no one has uttered the word "mutiny" is mind-boggling. To the contrary, everyone has fallen in line. I'm not sure if you caught it, but Sixta's constant harping about the grooming standard finally worked. All moustaches were gone.

I'm serious about the mutiny thing though... honestly, this is like having Michael Scott (from The Office) as your commanding officer, only with extra idiocy and far less humor.

(Part 2 of 7) "You gotta respect the pajama." - Sgt. Brad Colbert

At the end of this episode, I find myself less enthralled with the battle scenes we finally witnessed and more anxious to just hear what these "devil dogs" will say next. Seeing Colbert and the rest of Bravo Company get "lit up" as they rolled through Al Gharraf was impressive, yet it was still nothing new. War is in the movies and it's on TV and this was standard fare.

Thus far, Simon and Burns have stayed very true to Wright's account, and for those that have read the book, the battle descriptions hold nothing to Colbert and Person's banter. Sadly, we know war. What we don't know is the people who are fighting it. Now we do. And apparently, they think that patriotic, "I love America" songs are "straight homosexual, country music, Special Olympic gay."

(S02E07) Transition. This whole episode felt like a transition from one place to another. Not really very exciting or interesting, just kind of there.

The big news was Roxie getting The Hump Bar reopened as Betty's Bar and Grill. For Roxie, it was all about the process, which included getting the place fixed up while Trevor is starting to pull away because he's managed to get the General to send him back to his unit in Iraq.

I don't know; Trevor is getting what he wants because he acted inappropriately on the TV show. In real life, he would have been reprimanded. Trevor was really happy about being able to complete his duty, but it's going to be really hard on Roxie. You can see it coming.

Anyway, it was refreshing to see Trevor and Roxie having some fights. They are married, you know.

MTV continues its commitment to inspire young people to get out there and vote. As part of the Choose or Lose campaign, on July 4th MTV2 will honor the millions of young men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The day-long programming event will include exclusive messages from both Senator McCain and Senator Obama. The programming block will not only pay tribute to the sacrifice of these young soldiers, but also elevate their issues in light of the 2008 Presidential campaigns.