TVSquad

(S01E07) This was quite possibly the best In Plain Sight so far. This is the one I'd submit for Emmy consideration next year. Seriously. From start to finish, this one had it all -- a good story, interesting characters, not too much voice over, a relatable situation and ultimately, a satisfying resolution that was realistic but tough. It also had what has been sorely lacking in the previous six episodes -- balance.

Marshall got as much to do as Mary, for a change, and was equally involved on an emotional level. Too often, Frederick Weller's character has been reduced to Mary's sidekick and support system. Not this week.

The credit for this show likely goes to veteran director Sam Weisman. Bring this man back! He gets In Plain Sight and has a feel for the wry humor off-setting the real drama.

(S01E23) At the beginning of the episode, Justin says, "Life is what happens in between big sets." He is talking about surfing, and also the past year and everything that has happened. I'm still trying to figure out whether or not that is true, profound, or whether, as Justin said, it just sounded poetic in his head. And I think I'm going to have to go with poetic in Justin's head. Just like I think this episode was probably so much better in the writers' heads. I have to admit, I am a little disappointed. I am struggling with a huge bias here though: I HATE slapstick. Hate it. And so whenever this show employs it, I just kind of shut down and zone out. Last week was a brilliant, beautiful episode, and I wish they had just stopped with that. In fact, in my mind, last week's episode is just going to be the season finale, and we'll just pretend this one didn't happen, shall we?

(S01E21) I have to admit it. Dorky as it is, I love the titles they come up with. "Grapes of Wrath." Very funny. These episodes, in which the Walkers all end up at a gathering making a scene, are getting better as the series goes along. The stories are well-conceived, and the characters are all so well-developed. It just shows that the actors feel so comfortable with each other now in a way that they didn't early in the show. Well, in all fairness to the actors, perhaps it is just that I am more comfortable with the characters. But this continues to be one of my favorite viewing pleasures.

In the middle of his sermon, Reverend Daniel Webster (Aidan Quinn) poses this question to the congregation:

"If there were no temptation, how can there be redemption?"

The Book of Daniel made its much anticipated debut Friday night on NBC with a two-hour episode. If you saw it, you know there were so many subplots that trying to recap them here will make your (and my) head spin.

In a nutshell, Daniel's life is a complicated one, to say the least. This Episcopalian man of the cloth has to deal with his teenage daughter (Grace) being arrested for dealing pot, to having a gay son (Peter) that causes confusion for him, to having an adopted son from China (Adam) who pokes fun at his Asian features and heritage, to having a neurotic wife taken to having martinis as soon as noon passes, to having a female bishop critiquing his Sunday sermons, to finding out his brother-in-law has embezzled $3.2 million from the church, to dealing with a stiff and wooden father who happens to be a bishop, to his mother suffering from Alzheimer's, to interacting with a Mafia-connected Catholic priest. (I could go further but I think you get the general idea.)

After a month's respite from searching for karma, Earl is back to righting his past wrongs. This week, we find out that when Earl was married to Joy, he wasn't much of a father to her two boys. Although he wasn't their biological father, he wasn't much of a role model, either. As a result, the boys' troublesome behavior motivates Joy to enroll them at the "Right Choice Ranch" in order to get them on the right path, but because their last name is Hickey, they are denied entry into the program.

We learn that as a kid, Earl also was at the ranch, along with brother Randy, but they never seemed to draw any lessons to lead better lives. In fact, a barn ended up being burned down while they were there, which still resonates at the ranch. Earl decides to attempt to cross off number 164 on his list--burned down a barn at the Right Choice Ranch.