(S08E14) File this one under be careful what you wish for ... I feel like Rod Serling writing that, but there was a bit of a Twilight Zone feel to this episode of Monk. It was Monk in an alternate universe, only it looked like the same place we'd been to before. Same with Natalie. More on how things were the same, but different, after the jump.
That was some Mad Men finale, wasn't it? If you haven't seen it yet, please stop reading now, because there was just too much going on for me not to just launch into some discussion.
OK, I'll wait until after the jump to really get into things. But, suffice to say, the end of season three left some characters going down a pretty well-determined path, but others have entered a sort of limbo state, where we don't quite know what their roles will be in season four.
(S03E13) It's a cold Friday, December 13, 1963. The President's been killed and the world as Don Draper knows it has pretty much fallen apart. For most of the season, the ground has been shifting under Don's feet and he's be holding on, trying to right himself and his life. He's tried with Betty. He's tried for Sally and Bobby and Gene -- at least as much as Don is able to try.
With Conrad Hilton he's never been on a level playing field, and from the moment he was forced to sign the contract, Sterling Cooper has not been his domain as it had been. With this episode, this season finale, all was changed and, perhaps, all has been righted. More after the jump.
I had been expecting the JFK assassination to become part of the Mad Men storyline from the moment they showed us the invitation for Margaret Sterling's wedding on November 23, 1963. Expectations are one thing. Watching the way the national tragedy was depicted was quite another. As I watched the scenes unfold, I was riveted to the screen – and that was a surprise to me because on Fox the Yankees and the Phillies were locked in a very tight World Series game, and I cared about the outcome.
But I found myself unable to turn away from Mad Men. It wasn't pleasant to watch those black and white images of anchormen Walter Cronkite and Chet Huntley. The moment I saw the flickering images behind Harry and Pete in the Sterling-Cooper office, I knew what was happening. It was terrific storytelling, by the way, for the viewer to know, but for Pete and Harry to be oblivious.
(S03E18) Army Wives is the highest rated series in the history of Lifetime, and this season has done little to infringe on the show's popularity. For me, though, this past season has been a bit of a drag... until tonight's dramatic finale. In the tradition of the show, cliffhanger endings are its specialty and more than a few lives were torn asunder by the time the credits rolled on tonight's show.
There's a lot up in the air going into next season (which has already been ordered by Lifetime, so don't worry about these storylines not being resolved). Before looking at the couples, one by one, overall I think Army Wives could use some shaking up. There's a bit of complacency setting in, but more on that and the couples after the jump.
(S01E13) Drop Dead Diva has lived up to the pilot/premiere, and in some ways, exceeded it. The Deb/Jane dichotomy has morphed into someone different than either pure Deb or pure Jane. Brooke Elliott is wonderful as "New Jane" with just a hint of Deb. As season one comes to a close, even if the writers hadn't left us with a cliffhanger ending, I'd be more than anxious to tune in next year.
There were two interesting cases on the docket for the finale, with Stacy offering lots of comic relief as second stool -- chair -- to Grayson in a lawsuit brought by a lingerie model who'd been fired because she went public with her surviving breast cancer. Jane's case was more complex, but not until after it had been won. More on both cases, and Jane's dilemma on the dating front, after the jump.
(S11E30) Natalie and Kevin made it scheming all the way into the final three on Big Brother 11. But, did they make it to the final two? Did one of them win the half-million dollars? Or did Jordan blow them both out of the water? It was an unlikely final three and the first two-hour live season finale. Despite the rather lame "high school cliques" theme to the season, it definitely had its moments of BB history.
Simon Cowell predicted it and he was right (and he has a hand in all this, you know). Susan Boyle is going to appear on the season finale of America's Got Talent, giving all of us a chance to see her as she is now. As this beautiful photo shows, celebrity has already transformed Susan. The shock to her system after the sudden fame has apparently waned, and she is now ready to bring her act to America. Britain's Got Talent nearly overwhelmed her, but that was then and this is now.
The appearance on America's Got Talent will be included in the NBC show's two-part finale airing September 14 and 16. And, they're calling this her "official" U.S. TV debut, but I think that's referring to singing only, because she's been on talk shows.
(S05E12) Kind of like the summer season finale for Burn Notice, it seemed like they saved the best for last with The Closer. There was an interesting case, a colorful new character to go nose to nose with Brenda, and an up tick in the action, including a chase that was top notch. Kudos to Kevin Bacon who directed the episode and brought it all together.
For a time, it looked like Brenda and Major Crimes were on the trail of a ninja. No, not a real ninja, but a guy dressed all in black who kind of looked like a ninja. He used a blade, albeit a knife, and he was a stone cold killer who showed no mercy and seemed to take pleasure in the kill.
(S05E22) The judges were so excited about the final four that they even critiqued the solos. I was glad to see Adam Shankman on the panel as he's one of the few guest judges who truly offers quality criticism to the dancers. Surprisingly, hip-hop was completely absent tonight, but there were some amazing performances. And ballroom came on strong!
GROUP
"Boys Boys Boys," Lady Gaga (Pop-Jazz, Wade Robson) That was cute. It was a little more mellow than I expected, but I do believe that every man out there with a cheerleader thing just passed out. It was a hot and fun little high school number, and nobody stood out in a negative way so I'll give them that. A feel good opening for sure.
You think Bobby Cannavale has felt the sting when all those episodes of the failed second go-round of Cupid have been burned off by ABC this past few weeks? It's got to be a shot to the ego, even for an established, successful Emmy-winning actor. Well, here's some news that should puff him back up again. Cold Case is bringing Bobby Cannavale back for the new season.
Cannavale appeared last season on Cold Case as Detective Eddie Saccardo, an undercover narcotics cop -- think Serpico with a sense of humor -- who had a brief romantic fling with Lily. It was one of the only happy things in Detective Rush's life last season, so the return of Eddie could be just what the doctor ordered for Kathryn Morris's character.
(S02E13) Cause and effect, random selection, grief, life and death... "My father is my hero, he's just decent." Breaking Bad covered all that and more in the season finale, setting up Walter White's life after successful surgery that bought him more time. The question was this when the end credits rolled, what will that life be for the New Mexico science teacher after all that's come before?
Anyone out there who thinks they know is lying because only creator Vince Gilligan has a handle on what's been going on and what's to come. What we do know after watching the season finale is this: Breaking Bad is as good as any other drama currently on television, and that includes Lost, Mad Men, House, 24 and the other potential Emmy nominees for Outstanding Drama Series.
(S04E24) It's been an interesting season for How I Met Your Mother, hasn't it? The ratings for the show have never been better, but longtime fans (me included) have been concerned about its inconsistency this season. Episodes that would be considered in the pantheon of Mother classics -- ones that mess with timelines and talk about the "mother mythology" and the stories of the rest of the Scooby gang -- were mixed in with standalone plots that were sometimes funny but other times were contrived and sitcommy.
I knew that the standalones would be more prevalent this season -- Carter Bays has told me and others as much -- but as I watched this season, I wondered why they were trying to make the show more accessible. Now that I've seen the fourth season finale, I completely understand why the show is going in that direction. And I'm not sure how I feel about it.
Alan Alda returns as Jack Donaghy's dad tonight on 30 Rock for the show's season finale, "Kidney Now." The plot finds Jack trying to put together a benefit concert for Alda, who is in need of a kidney. That, of course, means the ep will be loaded with appearances by famous musicians.
Guest stars include Elvis Costello, Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Clay Aiken. The clip below reveals some shocking truths about some of these famous crooners, including Aiken's relation to NBC page Kenneth Parcell.
Now that the show is over, I'll finally admit it: I've been a closet fan of this season of The Biggest Loser, at least since the early stages. I seem to take pleasure in the irony of watching it with my fiancee while we eat ice cream (low fat ice cream, but ice cream nevertheless). Anyway, the show is at once exploitative and inspiring, showing people losing cartloads of weight in order to give them back the fulfilling lives they lost as they packed on the fat. It also gives viewers a chance to decide which of the trainers -- Jillian or Bob -- is most manly.
(By the way, my money's on Jillian there. She's attractive, but she scares the living crap outta me.)
But what seems to happen between the last challenge and the live finale is that the finalists tend to go from healthily thin to scarily emaciated, all in the name of winning the grand prize. And, after taking a look at this year's winner, I have to ask: Is this healthy? And will it cause problems down the road?
(S03E18) Army Wives is the highest rated series in the history of Lifetime, and this season has done little to infringe on the show's popularity. For me, though, this past season has been a bit of a drag... until tonight's dramatic finale. In the tradition of the show, cliffhanger endings are its specialty and more than a few lives were torn asunder by the time the credits rolled on tonight's show.
(S01E13) Drop Dead Diva has lived up to the pilot/premiere, and in some ways, exceeded it. The Deb/Jane dichotomy has morphed into someone different than either pure Deb or pure Jane. Brooke Elliott is wonderful as "New Jane" with just a hint of Deb. As season one comes to a close, even if the writers hadn't left us with a cliffhanger ending, I'd be more than anxious to tune in next year. 
Simon Cowell predicted it and he was right (and he has a hand in all this, you know). Susan Boyle is going to appear on the season finale of America's Got Talent, giving all of us a chance to see her as she is now. As this beautiful photo shows, celebrity has already transformed Susan. The shock to her system after the sudden fame has apparently waned, and she is now ready to bring her act to America. Britain's Got Talent nearly overwhelmed her, but that was then and this is now.
(S05E12) Kind of like the summer season finale for Burn Notice, it seemed like they saved the best for last with The Closer. There was an interesting case, a colorful new character to go nose to nose with Brenda, and an up tick in the action, including a chase that was top notch. Kudos to Kevin Bacon who directed the episode and brought it all together. 
(S04E24) It's been an interesting season for How I Met Your Mother, hasn't it? The ratings for the show have never been better, but longtime fans (me included) have been concerned about its inconsistency this season. Episodes that would be considered in the pantheon of Mother classics -- ones that mess with timelines and talk about the "mother mythology" and the stories of the rest of the Scooby gang -- were mixed in with standalone plots that were sometimes funny but other times were contrived and sitcommy.
The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
Let's talk about spoilers ...
The Prisoner -- An early look
