TVSquad

(S01E05) I don't think I've sighed as hard as I sighed during the opening scene of this episode of White Collar in a long time. Caffrey and Moz find a note hidden by Kate ... in Grand Central Station? And not even in the station, but in the corner of the building outside. Did I miss some massive clue that Caffrey was following to find the exact location of the note shoved into a crack? Or are we just supposed to assume he's so smart and perceptive that he can find an old note within three minutes of showing up in front of the building? If I missed something, it was silly. If that's exactly how it went down, then it was kinda stupid.

Fun episode, though!

(S01E03) "I like my miracles with more smiting and lightning." - Burke

Would the FBI really help a bad guy get a church Bible back? Sure, it turned out to be a very important Bible, but the way that Barelli just comes into the FBI and asks for their help in getting the book back and the chief takes him seriously from the get-go didn't ring true to me. Sure, Burke told him to just go to the local police, but then the chief pulls him aside and says that he doesn't need the Archdiocese breathing down his neck about it. That just seemed like a way for the writers to justify the plot in the first place.

(S01E02) "Please don't try anything. I have five bars and free long distance. I can be far away and still cause you pain." - bad guy with phone bomb

First the bad news.

I can buy the FBI spending $5000 on a party featuring 65 supermodels and a rooftop terrace to catch a crook. I can buy a rich woman giving a complete stranger an apartment for $700 a month even though he's an ex-con. I can buy a fancy dress with some security device inside of it that a master criminal would kill for. There's a lot of stuff I'll buy in a show like this.

What I can't buy is that hat Matthew Bomer insists on wearing. He wants to be Rat Pack-era cool but with the hat and the vest and rolled up sleeves, he looks more like he's doing a fashion shoot for Details or maybe fronting a boy band.

(S01E01) USA Network likes to remind us that characters are welcome. Thankfully, that's not just a slogan, as all of their shows actually do have great lead characters. And this holds true for the latest light comedy-action drama White Collar.

Sure, there's similar DNA that runs though a lot of the USA shows. Burn Notice, Royal Pains, and White Collar all have a similar setup and feel to them, but when the shows are actually good (like all of these shows are) that's not a problem. I don't know if there's anything "deep" about this show, but it's entertaining as hell.

Yesterday we had a video that "explained" why Tiffani Thiessen was too busy to reunite with her Saved By The Bell costars on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. But the new People has the cast on the cover. Everyone except for Screech, who is busy with his tell-all book.

So what is Fallon going to think about this? He's been trying to get them together for months! It will be anti-climatic now.

Just the other day I was wondering what was up with Tiffani (no Amber) Thiessen. And now we know. She's so busy she can't do that damn Saved By The Bell reunion on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, so don't ask her anymore, OK? She has a live-action cat comedy to direct!

Did you ever think when you were watching a pre-teen Keshia Knight Pulliam play a no-longer-cute Rudy on the last years of The Cosby Show that she was going to grow up to become a slamming hottie? Neither did I. But if you've seen her act or host one of those child star clip shows recently, you know that's exactly what happened. She's one of the more surprising entries on this list of ten child actresses from 1980s TV shows that became hot adults, courtesy of our new best friends at Wikia.com.

(S02E19) That wasn't much of a finale, was it? You can definitely tell that there were a couple more episodes that were meant to be and this one just got tweaked a little. I'm not sure how much else could have changed had we gotten a full 22 installments, but you never know.

As I expected, Dave and Deena's impromptu wedding become the focal point of the episode, while everyone else just ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. That's one of the things you still gotta love about this show. No matter what else is going on, it always boils down to who's sleeping with who.

(S02E18) What about Brian? Hell... I forgot about Brian. Didn't even realize there was a new episode last night until about an hour ago when I decided to clean out my TiVo list. I really do like this show, but apparently I'm not the only one who doesn't have it at the top of their list. Next week is the season finale, meaning the show order got cut by three episodes. First it got the 13 half order, then the full 22, and now it's been slashed to 19. What is it about the 10:00 PM time-slot on Mondays? Can anything stand up to CSI: Miami? It isn't being called the series finale next week, but with this news, it doesn't look likely that we'll see a third season.

(S02E16) I have to admit, I keep flip-flopping on this topic. I'm for Marjorie. I'm against her. Back and forth. I think what I'm starting to realize is that I really didn't like her character at all, but rather what she brought to the table: something that tied the whole series together. Something that gave the show meaning.

After her departure, there were what, two really great episodes? And now this. I'm not saying I didn't like this episode, but it was a bit of a step down. There are just far too many little stories going on (most are great), but what's tying them all together? There's nothing that feels like it might turn into a big plot for the rest of the season. This show needs that right now.

In what looks to me to be a desperate attempt to gain viewers any way they can, What About Brian is adding Tiffani Thiessen (Saved By The Bell, 90210, Fastlane) to their cast. She will play Natasha Dylan, who is described as being sexy, manipulative, and a shrewd business woman. Natasha will join the show as Dave's new boss at KC Gaming.

I don't know if adding Thiessen is the best of decisions, but then, it really can't hurt. What About Brian is struggling to keep its head above water at this point. The last original episode finished last in the time slot with only 4.54 million viewers, and that was up against repeats of Studio 60 and CSI: Miami. To put that in perspective, the last episode of Six Degrees that aired before it was pulled had 7.59 million. And the last episode of Smith was good for 8.43 million. Total viewers isn't the be all end all of keeping a show on the air, but someone needs to ask, "What about those ratings, Brian?"

The preview for this weeks Blade teased a kiss between Krista (Jill Wagner) and Chase (Jessica Gower). In celebration of that possibility, I thought now would be a good time to touch on other girl-girl kisses in our television history. Sometimes they are to make a statement. Sometimes they are a ploy to grab ratings. And every once in a while, it's just a natural part of the story. Here are the five that come to mind first for me.

Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Sharon (Mariel Hemingway) - Roseanne
This was an important moment in television. At the time, there was no L-Word, and two girls kissing was still a very controversial thing. Roseanne has her faults, to be sure, but standing up to the network to get this episode on the air is something to be proud of.

Ally (Calista Flockhart) and Ling (Lucy Liu) - Ally McBeal
This one strikes me as somewhat the opposite of the Roseanne kiss. There was much less statement, and much more ratings grabbing sensationalism in this lip-lock. In that regard, it worked very well. Of course, the gang over at Ally McBeal had plenty of practice. Along with Ling, Ally also kissed Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith) and Elaine (Jane Krokowski). But if I have to pick one, it's Ling every time. And yes, I was an Ally McBeal fan.