TV Tues - Transcending the Situation

Afraid I fell behind on TV viewing last week, so quite a few shows won't be getting their proper review today; maybe next week.

THE WEEK THAT WAS

WEDNESDAY, Oct 15

Pushing Daisies (ABC 7:00): It appears that the first episode of the season may have just been a brief misstep; I blame the ton of exposition which forced the rest of the plot to move at even faster speeds than normal, criminally wasting the talents of both Missi Pyle and Autumn Reeser. But I digress; while not as consistently laugh-out-loud funny as the circus ep had been, the nunnery themed episode was still a great time.


THURSDAY, Oct 16

Survivor: Gabon (CBS 7:00): Well, the elephant sighting was nowhere near as traumatic as I'd hoped, nor was G.C.'s tardiness.

Grey's Anatomy (ABC 8:00): Think this may have been the first episode this season where I felt like all of the characters were actually acting like themselves. I am so happy that they've decided to make George likable again; he was always one of my favorite characters in the early days, but the last couple of seasons he kind of went off the rails. All of the scenes in the dermatology lounge were great as well.

Life on Mars (ABC 9:00): Well, luckily the beating Sam received at the hands of a bunch of uniforms was not as a result of them blaming him for the shooting, as I had originally feared, so that's something, anyway. Still, this much more volatile version of Sam keeps throwing me off; I'm also unsure of how I feel about the substitution of the Mars rover for the Test Card F Girl as Sam's recurring hallucination of choice, and not just because having a Mars rover pop up feels a little too on-the-nose -- no, I just really, really miss the creepy girl with the creepy clown. Yeah, the Test Card F Girl might not be the cultural icon here in the states that she is in the UK, but I made it through both series of the original without knowing who she was supposed to be, and I still enjoyed the heck out of it. The one positive change for the American version so far would have to be the introduction of Sam's spacey neighbor, a nice change that helps to distance this from the original without destroying its spirit.

SATURDAY, Oct 18

UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leiben (Spike, 8:00): All in all, not the most exciting batch of fights; as Cap'n Peanut pointed out to me, it was strange to see so many matches stay almost completely on their feet, hardly any ground game at all. About the only fight that was really worth our while was the Chris Lytle/Paul Taylor match; those two came out swinging and never let up. Three rounds of non-stop action -- don't see that nearly enough.


MONDAY, Oct 20

Big Bang Theory (CBS 7:00) : Sheldon wins the rationalization of the week award for his reasoning behind quitting the driving lesson: "I'm not giving up -- I'm transcending the situation." Greatness. As was the scene with Sheldon screaming for his life on the back of Howard's scooter. Man, I love this show.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS 7:30): What?!?!? You mean Stella's not the mother? I'm shocked, shocked I tell you! Seriously, though, how telegraphed was the "Stella's going to hook up with her ex" thing? Some nice gags here and there (Barney and the whiteboard, everyone's reactions to no booze or meat at the wedding, alternate future timeline kids), but all in all, not their strongest ep.

Two and a Half Men (CBS 8:00): First of all, does anyone out there regularly sing Bringing in the Sheaves in church anymore? Secondly, that last shot of Alicia Witt seems to be setting the stage for her to become a Rose-substitute; I will only endorse such a move if it paves the way for Rose to return and take on her rival for the title of Charlie's Ultimate Stalker.


THE WEEK TO COME

TUESDAY, Oct 21

Fringe (Fox 8:00): The team tries to track down a Typhoid Mary-esque case.

Privileged (CW 8:00): The fall-out from Charlie's realization the Megan will never see him as anything other than a friend.

The Mentalist (CBS 8:00): A locked room mystery

The 2008 Scream Awards (Spike 8:00): Spike's annual award show for Horror, SF, Fantasy, and comics; I expect lots of posthumous awards for Heath Ledger's Joker.

WEDNESDAY, Oct 22

Pushing Daisies (ABC 7:00): Really looking forward to this one, which not only introduces David Arquette as a new recurring character, but also Emerson's mother, as played by the incomparable Debra Mooney, a.k.a. the no-nonsense nurse Edna from Everwood.

Private Practice (ABC 8:00)

Ultimate Fighter (Spike 9:00)

THURSDAY, Oct 23

Survivor (CBS 7:00): Now that G.C. is gone, Ace is next on my "please vote off now!" list, but from the previews it looks like this week's ep might cement his place on the show for a while.

My Name is Earl (NBC 7:00)

Kath and Kim (NBC 7:30): Since I haven't watched last week's ep yet, I haven't made a final decision on whether to jettison this one or not

The Office (NBC 8:00): Michael and Holly go on a date; the geeky behavior should be at an all time high

Grey's Anatomy (ABC 8:00)

Life On Mars (ABC 9:00): This week the show takes its first giant step away from the original series by not mutating an existing plot, but making up its own: the murder of a Vietnam vet.

SATURDAY, Oct 25

UFC 90: May or may not get this, still up in the air; really want to see the Anderson Silva fight, and would love it if Thiago Alves kicked the crap out of Josh Koscheck, who is stepping in for an injured Diego Sanchez.

MONDAY, Oct 27

For some reason all the CBS sitcoms are re-runs this week

Chuck (NBC 7:00): Chuck gets called to task by the Buy More efficiency expert, as played by Tony "Buster on Arrested Development" Hale

Heroes (NBC 8:00): Return of Elle

My Own Worst Enemy (NBC 9:00)