As everyone lost their powers in the eclipse (who didn’t see that coming?), the characters had to find their way again and learn to live, however briefly, without their powers.

They were acting somewhat like they did when they first discovered their powers: Uncertain, hesitant, willing to take risks but not ridiculously so.

The confusion Claire felt in testing the limits of her power back in Season 1 was echoed in Elle and Sylar’s confusion over the loss of theirs Monday night. The competition and bickering between Nathan and Peter harkened back to their arguments over whether or not either of them even had any powers, before Nathan accepted that he could fly.

Why, exactly, does the eclipse matter?  And how did they not have these powers before the eclipse? How did their parents know who had powers and who didn’t? (Guess it could have been blood tests?) It doesn’t make any sense. How would an eclipse have any affect on their powers?

Even Hiro’s reversion to a 10-year-old wasn’t so annoying, because he even seemed to be back to that child-like innocence and idealism that made him so endearing in Season 1. Totally loved it when he started throwing corn at Matt. It was completely random, but Hiro was right. Matt had to do what he had to do. Without Hiro’s corn-tossing, it wouldn’t have happened.

Daphne, I found interesting. The reason she has had such a hard time not working for Arthur Petrelli is because without being a speedster, she’s crippled. Literally. The question is, how did she get her power? Was it activated by the last eclipse? Again, that doesn’t make sense. And if not, then how did Arthur Petrelli manage to give it to her without the catalyst (Claire)?

Mohinder still annoys the crapola out of me. Have to admit, I enjoyed it when he was smashed up against the glass wall.

I enjoyed seeing the Haitian back. I really didn’t want to have another character introduced, though. The Haitian’s brother with the impenetrable skin just needs to go away. Of course, he’s a Level 5 baddie working not at cross-purposes with Arthur Petrelli.

Question is, if everyone’s powers return, do they return as they were before the eclipse? Or will Peter get his primary power back, but have to regain his other powers? Would Sylar still have all his powers because his body actually learned how to rewire, rather than absorbing the powers like Peter? Would Arthur have just his power-sucking power, or all the powers he’s soaked up?

I suppose we’ll find out next week.

In other news, Tim Kring apologized to fans who don’t use DVRs to record the show for calling them “saps and dips***s.”

Photos courtesy of NBC Universal.

Come here at 8 p.m. for all the fun:

The CW’s new Sunday night lineup will be:

5 p.m.: Everybody Hates Chris
5:30 p.m.: The Game
6: p.m.: The Drew Carey Show
6:30 p.m.: The Drew Carey Show
7-8 p.m.: Jericho
8-10 p.m.: Movie

What else does this mean? Valentine and Easy Money are gone. This Sunday’s their last time on air.

Last night’s episode of Heroes was, simply put, silly.

It seems, apparently, that all that is needed to counter any bad power any Hero has is luv. Or, luvvvvvvv.

Look, I’ve been arguing against the Heroes haters this season. I’ve enjoyed it very much, for the most part, and have thought the storyline good.

But last night? As some on the internetz say, “wtf?”

Daphne’s luv of Matt saves him from the dastardly Arthur Petrelli. Angela Petrelli reminding dearest Arthur of the luv the once shared saves herself from the dastardly Arthur Petrelli. Sylar remembering how Elle saved his life makes him luv her and, in the end, saves her. He has empathy — which can, sometimes, be considered to be love of a sort.

Claire loves her Hero, Peter, and must help save him. Peter loves his niece (and girlfriend in real life, ick!), Claire, and doesn’t want her to turn to the dark side. Trikkica (Tracey/Nikki/Jessica) loves herself and just wants to be in with the in crowd.

Oh, please, people.

That’s the best you can do, Heroes? Really? I mean, really?

Then we had to be subjected to Arthur chatting up Mohinder the Fly in one of the worst bits of foreshadowing EVAR. “Oh, you’re interested in solar phenomenon, too?”

It sounds like a really lame pickup line.

I also got really annoyed by Hiro’s transformation into a 10-year-old. Why didn’t Arthur just take away Hiro’s power, like he does with everyone else? Was it that he wants to make sure someone still has that ability so he can order him around? Admittedly, he wasn’t finished with Hiro, somehow Ando managed to get Hiro to teleport away, but the regression to a 10-year-old is just weird. Is that simply a byproduct of not finishing the mind meld or just lazy writing?

And the entire Sylar/Elle storyline was too precious for words. With cool lightning bolt effects, but when she started to help him learn his new power when he’s standing there all shirtless? Oh, please. This is Heroes, not 90210.

Still — toldja Elle was the mother of Sylar’s child. (Like that was hard to guess, but even so …)

OK, OK, enough bashing.

There were a few things not completely unworthwhile about yesterday’s episode, and they were:

• There’s a third part to the formula? Orly? So Claire’s the catalyst. That would explain why they faked her death to get her away from her mother. They must have chosen her because both her parents’ families were rife with powers. The product of such a union must be able to withstand virtually anything. So storing the catalyst there would seem safe. I’m curious who Meredith’s parents were, though. If anyone thinks by this point that there’s anyone out there with powers that The Company or the Petrellis don’t know about, they’re fooling themselves.

• Sylar can now harness new powers without opening people’s skulls. Bonus. W

ill he be the one to help Peter regain his powers?

• This part of the season is nearly over. Next up is a two-parter called The Eclipse. From what I read somewhere (I swear I bookmarked the link, but I can’t find it, I think it was on TVGuide.com — promise to update it if I find it, and if anyone else read it, please let me know in the comments below), the second half of this season is a reboot (again) and is the next “volume.”

One thing that I do like about the show is the concept that you cannot outwit fate. New York almost got blasted out of reality and our Heroes prevented it. Then there was to be a pandemic. That was avoided. Now everyone’s going to get powers and rob each other blind. Wait? OK, that last one isn’t quite as catastrophic. But they’ve been talking about avoiding the destruction of the world, so they’re trying to prevent something bad, it seems.

But what’s the point of any of these Heroes having powers if they cannot use them to better the world? If they cannot use them to save the world?

Maybe that’s what their fate is — to constantly put their lives in danger in order to save the lives of the mere mortals around them. Isn’t that, after all, what superheroes do?

Photos courtesy of NBC/Universal.

Supernatural has been nominated for a People’s Choice Award in the “Favorite Sci-Fi/Genre Show” category. The nice thing about the PCA is that you can vote once a day, so start voting now. Click here.

In addition, the final episode of the year will air next Thursday in its usual timeslot, 9 p.m. SPN starts airing new episodes again on Jan. 15.

Thursday’s ep, for which we have three clips down below, is the second half of a two-part episode and is entitled “Heaven and Hell.”

Here’s the official description:

The second half of a two-part episode bloc, “Heaven and Hell” resumes right where we left off last week, with Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) struggling to save the mysterious Anna Milton (guest star Julie McNiven).  As Anna starts to remember her past, the brothers begin to understand the reason behind Castiel and Uriel’s (guest stars Misha Collins and Robert Wisdom) desire to see her dead and ignoring the angels’ orders, they attempt to help her recover an important part of her past so she can be saved.  Meanwhile, Alastair (guest star Mark Rolston) and his demons continue to try to get to Anna and the Winchesters before the angels can.

So, hopefully I will be all caught up come Jan. 15 and be able to watch along with you in real time.

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Not all daddies – mainly Papa Petrelli, with a side order of HRG.

We were due for this, of course, seeing as we have only just met Papa and didn’t even know what his power was nor how he didn’t actually “die” until just a couple weeks ago.

Long story short? WAIT – Have you watched it? If not, STOP READING NOW. There. You’ve been warned. STOP. Really. Now.

Papa is a baaaaaad man. What a freakin’ bastard.

Seriously, Linderman is basically redeemed. After one half-hearted attempt, he basically refused to kill Nathan. And Papa didn’t even blink an eye when it came to the decision to kill his first-born.

One question was answered for me, however: Peter’s abilities are natural. It seemed obvious from the convo that Mama and Papa had, where Mama was saying something about the man Peter would become once he came into his own. I think that’s why Papa, however, manages not to really care about Nathan — his firstborn was too weak to have natural abilities, had to be enhanced.

We now have the whole setup for this war between the Heroes, though. Papa’s side – not so good. Mama, who always seemed to be a really mean lady, appears to be the good guy, so to speak, in all this. Surprise, surprise.

Not everything else was at it appeared, either.

Would Sylar actually have died without Elle’s intervention?

Would Sylar have turned to good — or, at least, not to evil — had Elle not brought weird emo guy with the pretend handgun power to his apartment and played him like that? And why did Sylar not kill Elle?

We now also see HRG for the man we knew him to be at the start of the first season. He’s no innocent in Sylar’s rise to villainy.

One could even say he caused it. Not completely, not 100 percent responsible, for sure. But Sylar was trying to control his hunger. HRG got Elle to push him too far. And poor little Elle. She did like him, didn’t she? Is she the mom of Sylar’s Future Son, Noah?

I was curious, though, how Hiro managed to see all this? Was it the paste interacting with his time-traveling ability? And what about the poor unfortunate future-painter who gave the paste to Hiro. How do these guys who see the future manage to keep getting killed? First Isaac, now this guy? And now Papa can time-travel, having absorbed Hiro’s ability? Does that mean he’s gonna go back and kill Nathan?

By the way – I found it very interesting that Claire’s mommy  is the big sister of that really evil guy. I can’t remember, is he dead? Did Sylar kill him?

And, Eric Roberts has a conscience. Gives a new perspective on the Company Man episode. He knows that Claire must be the missing daughter and doesn’t have much sympathy for HRG in that respect, eh?

And nice touch – Claire’s mom caused the accident that was in the very first ep?

Lots of questions. Answers to come.

On a side note, I honestly don’t really understand why so many people are hating on this season. I’ve enjoyed most episodes. I thought the last episode, two weeks ago, was rather weak, admittedly. I can’t even remember what specifically happened, and I think life got away from me and I never blogged about it.

But most episodes this season have been chock-full of Heroes mythology and action.

I’m interested in what’s going on. Anyone with me?

Photos courtesy of NBC Universal.

From Jan. 16-18, in Pasadena, a series of auctions will be held to sell off pieces of television history.

OK, that may be a bit overwrought, but the Sci Fi Channel’s Battlestar Galactica series is one of the finest ever to grace the small screen.

It’s coming to an end with its final ever 10 episodes starting in January, when to coincide with it, props, set pieces and costumes are being auctioned off.

Among the items to be auctioned off:

A life-size Viper
A Cylon raider
Admiral Adama’s duty blue uniform
Apollo’s Viper flight suit
Caprica Six’s red dress (hold yourself back, boys!)
Consoles from the CIC
The Arrow of Apollo
Admiral Adama’s painting of the first Cylon war
Colonel Saul Tigh’s eye patch and liquor bottle
President Laura Roslin’s desk
Original production sketches
Set plans and drawings

• Preview Day – Friday, January 16, 2009 – Pasadena Convention Center (Doors open at 10:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m) (Panel schedule to be announced at another date).
• Live Auction Day – Saturday, January 17, 2009 (Doors open at 8:00 a.m. Auction begins at 9:00 a.m.).
• Live Auction Day – Sunday, January 18, 2009 (Doors open at 9:00 a.m. Auction begins at 10:00 a.m.).
• Online Auction of 200 Items – Tuesday, January 20 (Auction goes live at 9:00 a.m. (ET) and will conclude Friday, January 23, starting at 9:00 p.m. (ET).
• First of Several Weekly Online Auctions – Beginning on Friday, January 23, weekly online auctions on eBay begin at 9:00 p.m. (ET).

Sigh. I want the viper. And the raider. And, in the old days, Six’s red dress, but these days that would just be scary on me.

Maybe I’ll settle for the eyepatch and booze bottle.

Photos courtesy of NBC Universal.

Later this month (Nov. 23), we get the two-hour 24: Redemption telemovie, which I finally got a chance to watch last night (more on that later in this post).

Even more importantly, Fox has finally released the premiere date for Season 7, which will come rushing at us like Season 6’s premiere did: Two hours a night for two nights: 8-10 p.m. Jan. 11 (a Sunday) and Jan. 12 (a Monday). It finally settles into its regular time slot at 9 p.m. Jan. 19.

And, not shockingly for those with basic math skills, the fourth hour of the season is the show’s 150th on the air.

Now, for my initial thoughts on 24: Redemption.

Sigh.

So much promise, so … well, dull.

Sure, it was fun to see Jack break a bad guy’s neck with his legs (it was in the trailer, so don’t yell that I’m spoiling anything for you). And Jack was Jack — he yelled, he whispered, he squared his jaw, he saved lives, he took lives. Every moment Jack was on screen, it was enjoyable to watch.

But there was far too much of the bad guys running around trying to kidnap child soldiers. I know it’s a Serious Subject and it’s Important and we should all Care. I felt vaguely guilty when my attention wandered and I started thinking, “Where’s Jack? Show us Jack!”

Like this:

It did, however, set up some interesting issues for Season 7, showing us the Bad Guys now and explaining how Jack got here from there and why he comes back to the States to testify before a Senate panel. We got to meet new President Allison Taylor and bid a fond farewell to slimy President Noah Daniels. We met some new folks and missed dear Chloe (who’s in the Season 7 trailer with a classic Chloe line).

Jack said “dammit” a lot and the telemovie was in Real Time, unfolding over a two-hour period in some made-up African nation and in Washington, D.C.

And despite everything I just said, it was still among the better two hours you could spend watching television. But the Season 2 and Season 5 peaks will be hard to top.

Hopefully, Season 7 can erase Season 6 from our collective consciousness.

Don’t forget: Tony’s one of the Big Bads this season. And though he wasn’t in the premiere, he was in the trailer, and Jack and Tony get up close and personal.

I have my own theory on why Tony’s a Bad Guy now: He was “killed,” basically, by the powers that run this country, kinda sorta. Jack’s family killed Michele Dessler and David Palmer and tried to kill Tony. They’re the people who were behind President Charles Logan (you know, the bad president).

Tony’s not turning against his country, I don’t believe, but rather the corrupted politicians running it and the power brokers who’ve corrupted them.

Photos courtesy of Fox.

I’m posting it after the break, because he used a four-letter word that isn’t really really bad, but isn’t really at place in a family blog, though I’m sure you can figure it out from the headline to this post.

After the break, Kripke’s message, verbatim, and then three clips from next week’s episode, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester.”

Also, if anyone wonders: I’m only on Season 2 of SPN, so I haven’t been posting updates on the show this season, because I don’t want to be spoiled. Hopefully I’ll catch up by the winter break and then be able to watch Season 4 and erase the eps from my DVR and blog regularly in the new year.

OK, now the break:

Here you go, Kripke’s message:

So I’ve never before responded directly to the fandom’s comments about an episode, and I don’t plan to make a habit of it, but I couldn’t resist dropping in a thought about the episode “Yellow Fever.”

Which is this:

Dean is not a dick.

None of the writers, or anyone on the creative team of Supernatural, think Dean’s ever been a dick, past, present, or future.  He’s a hero.  Dean did NOT contract the ghost sickness because he’s a dick.  Victims contract the illness because they use “fear as a weapon.”  Dean asks Lilith at the episode’s end, “why did I get infected?”  And she cryptically responds, “you know why.  Listen to your heart.”  We, as the writers, probably should have emphasized this mystery more, I take responsibility for that omission.  But the point is: the reason he was infected is because of a SECRET he’s keeping.  A dark secret that will be revealed in Episode 10.  And not at all because of any dickishness, implied or otherwise.

Thanks, gang.

Now, the clips:

No. 1:

Download:

No. 2:

Download:

No. 3:

Download:

Photo courtesy of The CW.

First off, WHEW. I was exceptionally relieved that Hiro didn’t actually kill Ando. I shouldn’t have doubted him that way. Even at his most suspicious, Hiro has always loved Ando, and he’s treating his best friend like he used to: A partner, not an appendage.

That was some clever thinking on his part, too. A fake sword and fake blood? Nice job, Hero Hiro!

Of course, he doesn’t get exactly what he wanted to out of the play acting, either — he doesn’t get to meet his purported new bosses right away; he has to go to Africa first to capture a precog — i.e., someone who can see Hiro’s every move before he makes it.

I found it interesting that the African precog went willingly. He obviously knows what is coming and believes he’s better off going on his own accord. I don’t believe he is evil. I think he’s much like Isaac. The only question now is whether he’s a natural mutant or made that way. I’m betting on natural. Papa Petrelli, so far, seems to be seeking out only natural mutants.

Which brought us to our Darth Vader moment: Hey, Peter! Daddy’s not dead. Oh, and he can suck away all your powers and killed Adam Monroe (dammit! Stark is a great actor and I’d hoped to see much more of him as a villain this season), the unkillable man.

That begs the question: Does Peter have the ability to remove other people’s powers? It appears to me that Papa Petrelli is able to do that if all he wants is to gain their powers: i.e., Parkman’s dad’s telepathy/ability to get into people’s minds. Mr. Parkman’s still alive. But if he wants all your powers and to take them from you, that’s it.

But if Peter does have that ability, was he stripped of it by his father? Or must he simply dig deeper into himself to find what he’s lost?

And the other question it begs is this: How did Papa Petrelli end up immobilized? Did Mama Petrelli try to kill him because he was too power-hungry or evil? He obviously didn’t kill himself, and I somehow doubt very highly that he even tried to kill himself.

Peter should have (I can’t believe I’m saying this!) trusted Sylar/Gabriel. He truly is trying to understand himself and his powers and to bring his hunger under control. Peter can’t bring himself to trust his newfound brother who, I’m more and more convinced is a natural mutant, as opposed to Nathan.

Speaking of Nathan, bravo for Tracy for thinking on her back (she was strapped to a table, couldn’t think on her feet!) and saving herself and Nathan from Mohinder. He’s so freaked out by what’s happening to himself that he’s desperate to take down anyone he believes can help him fix himself and bring himself powers.

He doesn’t care about helping people get rid of their powers; he just wants to be a superhero and to allow anyone to be. He’s always wanted to be “special,” but he’s blinded by that desire now.

Also blinded by desire: Claire. She so wants to show everyone that she can take care of herself that she doesn’t care what she has to do to prove it. Despite the fact that she knew she would recover from being shot, she knew it would be tough for her mom to pull the trigger. She pushed for it anyhow, knowing it was the only way out. Her mom was adorable, I thought, joining her, “One of you, one of us.” I thought she handled herself pretty well, all things considered.

I did wonder, however, if Claire’s father maybe wasn’t the fat marionette guy. He obviously had control over Claire’s biological mother for quite some time. What if he was her father? He seems to have natural powers (who would have given him powers?); we know Nathan’s powers weren’t. What might that mean for offspring?

Finally, Daphne and Matt are SO cute. I love that she came back to the airport throughout the day to check on Matt, to see if he was still there. Of course Matt’s going to join the bad guys, if only to be close to Daphne. He knows she’s his future and is determined it will be a different future than the one he dream-experienced.

Photos courtesy of NBC Universal.

Picking up from last June’s jarring cliffhanger – the Colonial fleet and their new Cylon allies led by Admiral Adama and the Galactica crew discover Earth to find it a barren nuclear wasteland – the finale season promises to be rife with drama, action and revelation.

Honestly, I can’t frakkin’ wait.

And “So Say We All: The Battlestar Galactica Blog Carnival” also will return in January, on the 20th.

There were several jaw-droppers, I thought, in the episode, not least of all the BIG one — Hiro kills Ando?

I know, you thought I was going to say that the big one was Matt’s dad making folks see Linderman and THEN finding out that Papa Petrelli is actually giving Matt’s dad orders.

And while that was a surprise, you can’t tell me that until the second Ando slumped onto the floor, seemingly dead, that you didn’t believe Hiro would find some way to save his best buddy. But Hiro is blinded by the thought of being a hero (which is exactly why the formula is out there in the world now anyhow – Hiro couldn’t stand the thought of having to be at a desk for the rest of his life, so he disobeyed his father’s dying request/order) that he believed Ando’s death was justified if it meant being able to save the world.

At least we now know why Ando would turn against Hiro to the point of trying to take his life. The question is: Who finds Ando and saves him? The Mama Petrelli faction or the Papa Petrelli faction?

Daphne is becoming a more complex character, too (speaking of, check out this interview that TVGuide.com did with Brea Grant, who plays the speedster). We saw a bit of that last week in the flash-forwards where she’s married to Matt. But it was nice to see it in the here and now. Up until this point, she was merely an impish, superfast girl. Now we are seeing the woman she will become. Even though she is unable not to obey “Linderman,” she recognizes that, on some level. And she found Ando’s killing extremely distasteful and wasn’t afraid to say it.

Which brings us to the Papa Petrelli/Mr. Parkman reveal.

First off, I was quite surprised when Linderman appeared to Daphne. I thought he was Nathan’s hallucination. Obviously, it was more than a mere hallucination, but still I figured it had something to do, specifically, with Nathan.

Which is not to say it doesn’t. Note that Papa and Mama Petrelli appear to be on opposites sides in this Heroes vs Villains war. Maybe Linderman was Nathan’s dad? Could be, could be…

And who, exactly, are the heroes and the villains here? The Mamas or the Papas?

And now we know that Nathan also wasn’t born with powers. Was Peter? Sylar? (Or did I miss that Mama’s answer to that?) Which other Heroes were born powerless?

I don’t believe Claire was among them. It doesn’t make sense that she would have been given to HRG if she’d not had powers. She’s pretty much had it with HRG now, too. I wonder if she’s the one who ends up killing him.

It’s not bad enough that daddy dearest is now partnered with the man who stole her powers and terrified her; now he’s threatening the life of a mutant who isn’t a bad man just to kill Sylar? Claire realizes that her father, on some deep level, cannot be trusted.

It was a shame, though, that Vortex Man (I can only think of him as Bubbles, as Andre Royo so ably played that character for so long on The Wire, it was hard to get it out of my mind while watching him) got sucked into his own vortex. I think he could have been a very interesting character. Just starting to gain control over his own powers, thought to be “bad,” but just a guy who wants his family back.

Claire’s starting to see — truly, truly see — what work her father has done all these years. Is that how she ends up working for Papa Petrelli?

And quickly: Nice to see Adam back. He’s so deliciously evil. It was fun to see Hiro use his power so easily to keep Adam from strangling him. And seeing Sylar “repair” his broken neck made my neck hurt.

Now, creepiest for last: wtf is up with Mohinder? We all joked that he was turning into the fly, but it appears he actually is. Or a spider. Or some sort of insect creature that takes his victims and entraps them in some sort of weird cocoon. Too bad Dana didn’t have it in her to kill and Suresh knew that. She shoulda gone all Raid on him — kills bugs dead.

We know from Evil Future that Mohinder just hangs out in his dusty laboratory, wearing a hoodie and generally not cleaning up after himself. What, exactly, is going on, and why did his formula go so horribly wrong? Is it that whatever it is in his blood that enabled him to cure the other mutants of that strange disease in Season 1 caused the power-giving blood to mutate him in this way?

Stay tuned…

Photos courtesy of NBC Universal.

What was not so apparent, in retrospect, was exactly which ones are the evil ones and which are good.

Even after watching last night’s mind-twisting hour (complete with nuclear explosion, what, just halfway through???), that remains up for grabs, but I’m starting to think the obvious wasn’t so…

What? I didn’t do a spoiler alert? C’mon. It’s the day after the show, I really didn’t think I needed to … Fine. If you didn’t watch, don’t read. There. Happy now?

Thanks. I can get on with things now.

First, I want to apologize. Last week, I said Hiro & Ando were trapped on Level 5. I was incorrect, I noted last night: They are on Level 2. The primary differences appear to be that Level 5 has no air ducts, individual cells and big glass windows so Mama Petrelli and HRG can watch the mutants. On Level 2? Air ducts in the cells with covers that can be pulled out if you catch a belt buckle in them just right, very small windows on the doors and room for two per cell. (Maybe more.)

OK, since I started with the dynamic duo, I’ll take care of their storyline quickly: I’m annoyed at Hiro for not recognizing the fact that the more he pushes Ando away and doesn’t trust him, the more likely it is that Ando will actually turn into the person who murders Hiro. I mean, duh.

But even so, it was cute to see the two of them working together again, even for something as stupid as the airduct (which I’m not altogether sure that Hiro would have fit into). It was interesting for Mama Petrelli to be telling Hiro the high hopes his father had for him and that he could still save the day. If that formula is put together, the bad future we saw with all the flying people is going to happen.

And, see, that’s why Future Peter sounded so rational. He is right. They can’t allow the formula to get out there and be sold to the highest bidder. Human nature is such that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Not everyone, but enough to make things suck.

But this is the question: Is future Peter on the up and up?

Claire sure seemed to be the bad one, but is she? She’s trying to prevent the formula from being put together. She wants to stop Peter from gaining Sylar’s power, because with all his other powers, he would become truly unstoppable — plus, as we learned last night, Sylar’s power comes with a hunger. Even if you want to be good, it can be hard.

So riddle me this, Batman: Who’s the mother of Sylar’s son? (Did you notice he was named Noah, and HRG was nowhere to be seen in the bad future?) How did Sylar come to be living in Claire’s house? Her accusation that Peter had taken away everything from her – does that mean Future Peter killed HRG somehow?

So who truly is evil? Sylar only goes nuclear because his son is killed. Who among us with children can’t relate? Future Peter seems to be trying to change the past so not everyone can have a power – for a price – but is he being honest with Present Peter? Claire seems to be trying to kill Peter – Future and Present – to prevent them from … something that we’re not quite clear on yet. Might it be for noble reasons? Parkman seems to think that Peter’s a monster. What has he done?

And is Future Nathan (President? ugh) dead? Did Present Peter kill him or just badly injure him? That was unclear, but there was an awful lot of blood. (By the way, was the Present Nathan/Tracey scene where he goes all Superman on her and flies her to his apartment just too cute for words? Yeah, it made me a little queasy, too.)

And, finally, what is up with Mohinder? Obviously, he got the formula wrong, somehow. It’s not only given him super strength, stamina, etc., but also made him a super-jerk. (OK, some might argue that had happened already.) Seriously. He’s a total jerk. And now he looks like a science project. Did you catch his hand in the Future? It looked all reptilian. What, exactly, did he do to himself? And can Peter save him, somehow, with the formula from the past/present/future?

And who, exactly, is trying to get the formula?

Phew. I guess the only thing I didn’t address was Tracey’s conversation with Dr. Zimmerman. He was working for someone — some company? — that wanted to create these folks with superpowers. So do the lines break down between those who were made and those who were born? Was the company the company that Mama Petrelli works for?

Oh, and … Adam’s back!!!!!!!

Photos courtesy of NBC Universal.

So, Tracey’s not Nikki and Nikki is truly, madly, deeply … dead. In the coffin and everything.

But never fear, Micah can talk to machines and was able to inform Tracey that she and his mommy were born on the same day … in the same hospital … delivered by (dun dun DUN!!!!) the same doctor. Dr. Zimmerman.

Awww, Micah hugs his mom’s clone twin. Creepy.

I was glad they didn’t drag out the whole “is she or isn’t she” storyline like some other shows are wont to do. (Look, I’m a huge Lost fan, but they’re killing me! And don’t even get me started on the identity of the final Cylon.)

But I admit I was a bit surprised, and then not so much, when Doctor Zimmerman informs Tracey that she’s his creation. So are the Nikki/Tracey/Jessica line a series of clones? Or were they actual twins whose abilities were implanted in some way?

Obviously, the formula to create powers existed in whole at some point in the past. Or in the future and then the past. And we know that these mutant powers go way, way, back. Unless Adam, somehow, was sent back into the past and wasn’t really born way back in the day.

So this made me wonder, was Sylar “created” in the same way that Niktressica was? Is Mama Petrelli actually Sylar’s mother in the biological sense or more in the sense that she presided over however he was created?

On the one hand, it doesn’t make sense that she’d give up this son, when she kept two others. Unless he was the product of an affair with one of the Older Generation. Or unless they knew he had potentially fearful powers and as the son of a politician that wouldn’t be good? Or unless they purposely put him with a watchmaker, knowing that such detail work at some point would lead him to recognition of his power?

Seeing him trying to be “good” is kind of creepy, though. I was glad when he killed Sonic Boom guy (Black Canary, anyone?), indicating he wasn’t all sugar and spice, but I wasn’t clear if the other three bad guys are dead? I hope not. Their evilness and their powers promised lots of fun for future episodes.

Speaking of good vs evil, what’s up with Claire?

Her super-mom really did some number on her, but it probably was a good thing she admitted why she really wanted to learn to fight. I thought Claire couldn’t feel pain now, though, so her choking thing was kind of weird. I guess when you’re gasping for air, you’re gasping for air.

But on the sci-fi website i09, we find out the scene was written differently originally:

This scene originally took place in a deserted warehouse where Claire was surrounded by fire.

What, exactly, Claire thinks she’s doing and where she’s going, I’m not sure. Is she going to kill bad guys? Sylar? Her cheerleader nemesis back in Odessa?

As for Hiro and Ando, we saw Hiro’s mistrust of Future Ando sow the seeds of a split between the best buds. The question is, does Ando already have a power and just doesn’t know it because he hasn’t tried, or is he the beneficiary of Mohinder (aka The Fly) or The Formula?

Also, from i09, same link as above, we learn that the German movie theater scene was originally written differently:

The Hiro/Ando/Daphne scene, which currently occurs in a German movie theatre, originally took place on a train traveling through India, complete with Hiro and Ando on the roof of the train and Ando nearly falling out the side of a baggage car.

Anyhow, now Hiro and Ando are trapped on Level 5 (dun dun DUNNNNNN!), and Sylar is … accepting his confinement there?

And Daphne got away with the formula. To take it to … ??

So, what does anyone else think?

Photos courtesy of NBC Universal.

Last season, like most, I was dreadfully disappointed with the slow pace it took. I didn’t mind the plot arc overall (but what did ever happen to Peter’s girlfriend trapped in that alternate future with the plague?), but rather how freakin’ slow it went.

If last night was any indication, Season 3 will not suffer from that malaise.

Granted, we were treated to two full hours (sorry, I don’t watch “countdown to” shows unless it’s for Battlestar Galactica) of twists and turns that left me with whiplash. And seldom have I been so pleased to get whiplash.

There was quite a bit to digest, so I’m not going to do a start-to-finish recap. After the jump, I’ll discuss the high points and some theories I came up with last night. The theories can’t be considered spoilers, seeing as I have no inside knowledge and I quite often make completely erroneous assumptions about my favorite shows. There are tons of spoilers, though, if you didn’t watch both hours, so don’t bother clicking on “read more” if you didn’t.

Ready? See you after the jump.

Mohinder

Slightly more annoying now that he has this awesome new power (s?), I started to feel sorry for him at the end of the second episode.

The interesting thing about his new power is that he seems to have multiple new powers; or are all his powers a part of the same? He has these hightened senses, super strength (Hulk), ability to climb up walls (Spider-Man), seemingly a new-found super-sexiness to the ladies (Wolverine) and … well, his skin’s peeling off and he’s starting to mutate (eww). Into what?

Given that his blood was the antidote to the virus that kills the Mutants (sorry, I just always think of them in X-Men terms), I wonder if that’s why he is having this reaction to the Mutant-maker shot.

Has he stumbled upon the mysterious “formula” that the older generation of Mutants were protecting? Did he discover it and the older generation got it through time travel or something and took back to the past to protect?

Hiro and Ando

Of course the loveable goofball opened the safe and lost the half of the formula that can destroy the world. Why can it destroy the world? Well, obviously, it leads to that war Future Peter keeps referring to. The ability to give powers and take them away is more than man should have. Humanity has, time and again, in real life and in fiction, proven itself incapable of wielding such extreme power humanely.

I thought the trail that super-fast girl left behind her was very cool, though. Interesting that Hiro doesn’t exactly STOP time inasmuch as he slows it to almost a complete stop. That’s why Superfast Girl could move; with her super-speed, she just seemed to be moving at a normal speed to Hiro when everyone was frozen around them.

Now, the part of this story that got interesting was Ando’s seeming betrayal of Hiro in the future.

First off, the way Hiro is treating Ando in the present time because of his belief that Ando may not be trustworthy is likely the reason Ando ends up betraying him. Proof that you can’t really change the future; you may be able to change little aspects of it, but if the world’s going to end, it’s going to end.

The Mutants may have stoped the nuke from blowing up New York City, but the world’s going to hell in a handbasket in other ways. One future that may or may not have been averted is the one where Peter’s Irish girlfriend got trapped. Then there’s the one with evil Claire trying to shoot Peter. Then there’s this chaotic one where Ando betrays Hiro. Then there’s whatever future the release of the Evil Men from Level 5 has wrought.

So how does Ando get a power? Is that really Ando? Is it Sylar, pretending to be Ando, with Elle’s power? Or some other electric mutant’s power?

Speaking of …

Elle

First off, bad repair job they did on her forehead. It looks like they used Silly Putty to fix the slice Sylar had managed to carve into her forehead.

But how cool was it that her electricity just exploded and managed to knock Sylar out when he tried to get into her brain?

I felt sorry for her when she saw her father killed, though. He was a jackass, but she’d only ever wanted to please him. I think it’s good for her that she’s freed of her father. With Mama Petrelli kicking her out of the “organization,” will she join up with the good guys? It think she really liked/loved Peter when he was captured by her dad.

The Petrelli Clan

None of the Petrellis can be taken singly.

First off, it’s nice to really find out what Mama Petrelli’s power is. Dreams of the future. Who were all those people in her apocalyptic future? Sylar, sure. Adam. Nikki/Jessica/Tracey/Gina/psycho woman of the week. Was that older guy Parkman’s father? And who was the fifth? The new Evil Guy from Level 5 who takes people’s fears and turns them against them, played by Marlo from The Wire?

And if Claire’s head is cut off, does she actually die, despite what Sylar told her?

Obviously, Mama’s dreams are an interpretation of reality. Claire hasn’t worn that cheerleader outfit since the first season.

As much of a mean mama she is, she’s right about what she’s telling Future Scarred Peter. He can’t change the future. Any change he makes will just make it worse or, at least, no better. He’s setting things in motion that no one can foretell quite yet.

And so we have dueling Peters.

We have Present Peter, trapped in the body of Evil Man from Level 5 whose power was simply stated as “sound manipulation.” I have a feeling we’ll find out what that means and I’m assuming that Peter being in his body will mean that he’ll be able to use that power in the future.

And we have Future Scarred Peter. Even his powers of regeneration couldn’t repair that scar. What caused that? Considering he fully repaired himself from his nuclear detonation above the earth, you’d think he could get rid of an unsightly scar. Or is it that he doesn’t want to, he needs the reminder of whatever happened to him?

He really has become adept at handling his powers. Of course, he has a few years on Present Peter.

I was only half surprised when we found out he was Nathan’s shooter, though. Many had supposed that over the long hiatus, and I have to admit it was so unlikely that it seemed the most likely option. His reasons were interesting, though, that he’d choose to sacrifice his beloved brother for the greater good. Perhaps because his brother had once almost sacrificed himself for the greater good (getting Nuclear Peter into the stratosphere before detonation)?

Don’t blame Nathan for not being sure how he feels about it. Here’s the question though: Did Peter really revive him, or is he somehow connected to Malcolm McDowell psychically, so even though Malcolm’s dead, he still healed him? I know that sounds stupid, but …

We all know his selection as the junior senator from New York is no coincidence. And who was behind his rise to Congressman?

That brings us to …

Nikki/Jessica/Gina/Tracey/Ice Queen/Incredible Hulk/Whatever personality she feels like trying on today

Here’s my theory on Nikki: She isn’t actually Nikki. She’s Jessica. But not split personality Jessica; she’s Nikki’s actual twin sister (remember, the one who supposedly died at their father’s hand?) I believe she was never killed; I believe the Older Generation wanted to split them up. Twin mutants would figure out their powers a lot faster, I’d think, because they’d have someone to confide in.

So they were split up. Nikki was made to believe Jessica was killed. Jessica’s memories of being Jessica were somehow erased and she was brought up as someone else entirely.

I do believe Nikki was blown up last season. There’s no way that in just a couple of months, one of the top advisers to the governor of New York could come out of nowhere and no one do a background check, etc. (No Eliot Spitzer jokes, please.)

Tracey/Ice Queen is not Nikki. Plus, she has a totally different power. While it’s not impossible that Nikki could have had two powers, it would have been far more likely, I’d think, for her to fling the guy across the garage in a murderous rage, given how angry she was at him, than for her to turn him into ice.

Mark my words.

Claire

Why does Claire turn bad?

I think that part of it is Future Scarred Peter pulling away from her in present time because he’s not Present Peter. Part of it is her new connection to her birth mother. Part of it is HRG becoming partners with Sylar. Part of it is Sylar having “turned off” whatever nerves in her brain that felt pain. She no longer feels pain.

It’s a lot easier to go into a situation if you know you won’t feel any pain. I mean, sure, she can regenerate, but she always still felt the pain of the branch into her head, the cutting off of her toe, the fall from the water tower. You’ll take greater risks if you don’t feel pain. I sure would. And she herself points out that she feels less and less human.

If she’s not human, does she have to be humane?

Sylar

He’s become extremely powerful, and he can now regenerate, sure. But it’s good to see he’s not completely without an Achilles’ heel.

Whatever it is that the Organization uses to keep the mutants under its control seems to be working. How could Mama Petrelli just walk in there?

And, is she really his mother? I mean, biologically? Or is it that she’s spiritually his mother? Will be interesting to find out. Wonder if her dreams of the future foresaw that he’d be evil, and sending him off to a nice watchmaker’s family was their attempt to give him a good life and prevent him from ever discovering his true nature.

Why would he want to work for the Organization, though? Is it a matter of getting access to all the records of all the Mutants?

Evil Men from Level 5

Obviously, these men are going to wreak havoc and display their powers overtly. How much of an influence will Present Peter, trapped in Sound Manipulator’s body, be able to have over them? How, exactly, did Future Scarred Peter put Present Peter in there?

These villains, I believe, are going to become Sylar’s gang of four. He’ll plan all sorts of stuff, and when he’s finished with them, he’ll steal their powers. Of course, if he realizes Present Peter is inside Sound Manipulator, he’ll kill him right off, hoping to get all his powers in one fell swoop.

I have to admit, though, it’s nice for a change to see the Mutants using their power for evil. We know that the better side of man is not usually the one that rears its head. It’s more realistic this way.

If Heroes can keep up the pace it set in the first two hours for the rest of the season, we’re in for some ride, my friends. Some ride indeed.

Photos courtesy of NBC Universal.

I really don’t have much else to say.

Maybe I’ll update this when I have the chance to ponder the season finale by the light of day.

Thoughts, anyone?

Fox has made the trailer available in a shareable widget, poted below. Enjoy.

Again, tonight had some laugh lines (Mama Westen saying her new counselor was pretty sure Michael was the cause of her problems; Sam, well, being Sam; Michael’s exchange with Jeannie in the bathroom when he tells her someone’s been hired to kill her … him), but at the end, I didn’t have much to say.

We learned very little about the folks Michael’s been working for.

We do know thathe’s basically been running errands for a sniper and whoever the sniper’s gonna snipe must be pretty important.

We did get flash backs of the entire season when he realizes this, neatly showing how the entire season has been leading up to this point.

Sniper Bill Johnson shreds an awful lot of stuff, but who doesn’t these days? But he does use some dry cleaners solution that REALLY hides the info you don’t want found.

The most enjoyable scene was when Michael and his mom kicked the shrink out of their house.

Tim Matheson’s gotten really old. When did that happen? Oh, that’s right. I’m getting old.

Basically, that’s all I have to say.

As it’s been, I enjoy the show while I’m watching it, but I just can’t get excited about it.

‘Tis a shame.

Just hope Tricia Helfer makes another appearance in next week’s season finale, “Good Soldier.”

Photos courtesy of NBC Universal.

It’s a night of sneak peeks and repeats — before the 24 preview, we’ll get an “exclusive first look at an extended scene from the highly anticipated film ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still.’” (Don’t you just love the breathless way these press releases are written?)

Then we get a preview of the two-hour November telemovie and a repeat of the Fringe series premiere, “followed by an exclusive preview of the not-to-be-missed, heart-pounding first four minutes of the series’ second episode.” (If that’s not breathless, I don’t know what is.)

Here’s what Fox says about the 24 telemovie:

Filmed on location in South Africa and Los Angeles, 24: REDEMPTION airing Sunday, Nov. 23 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT on FOX, stars Emmy Award winner Kiefer Sutherland along with new series cast members Cherry Jones, Robert Carlyle, Gil Bellows and Academy Award winner Jon Voight. The two-hour event finds Jack Bauer battling an international crisis, while here at home the nation prepares for a new president on inauguration day. Taking place just a few months before the new day dawns, 24: REDEMPTION will set the stage and raise the stakes for Season Seven, which will debut in January 2009.

Even so, you know I’ll be watching. Just hope they get the narrator’s voice right this time.

They will also be able to socially engage viewers with features such as sharing, polls, ratings, and contests.

Jericho had decent, but not “great,” Nielsen numbers for traditional viewing. They went up considerably when you took DVR (time-shift) viewing into consideration. Take into account the folks who watched the episodes online, on CBS’ own website and the numbers were unknown. But based on the online chatter, it was not insignificant.

If folks could watch CBS content without even having to go to the CBS site (or using BitTorrent or other — generally illegal — download sites), imagine how many people would watch shows online.

Mashable has an important point, though:

The big question will be whether or not iWidgets will be able to handle the incredible bandwidth requirements this endeavor will demand, especially when it comes to High Definition content down the road.

Speaking of Jericho, the Blackjack Fairgrounds Jericho Blog Carnival is alive and well, and this month’s installment is hosted over at Kricka’s blog, Short Story Life. The theme this month is “Jericho Minstrels: Fan Fiction, Videos, Poems and Songs.”

Thanks to Kricka for an excellent hosting job, to Gwen for keeping the carnival alive and to all those who contributed their considerable creative talents. For past and future hosts and to submit entries, go here.

Photo courtesy of CBS.

• Kim Bauer will appear in Season 7 and be toting a rugrat along with her.

• Production’s shutting down for rewrites.

Let’s tackle the latter first, shall we?

EW.com today reported that once Episode 18 finishes filming Sept. 15, production’s shutting down until Oct. 9 “while the writers reshape the upcoming season’s creative direction—specifically the transition leading to the end game.”

Now, this can be good news or bad news.

As bad: What? They still have no idea how they’re ending this season? Haven’t we been there before and no good can come of that? (Ahem, Season 6.)

As good: Perhaps Season 6 was a crap-fest because they didn’t takea break for a while and try to figure out exactly where things were going. Season 6 seemed to lurch from mini-plot to mini-plot with little thought to the overarching thread that generally ties the season together.

There were some absolutely stellar moments (a nuke going off in hour FOUR?), killing Curtis and Chloe dropping a d-bomb. Plus Milo getting killed off and Kim becoming a babbling idiot (OK, I know some might argue she was before, but now she was inarguably a babbling idiot).

But pretty much all the folks I know who are fans (including my buddies from Blogs4Bauer, where much of this entry will be cross-posted) agree the end left us sitting there and pretty much saying, “WHAT? NO, SERIOUSLY, WHAT????”

Howard Gordon told this to EW.com:

We had a couple of scripts that we weren’t happy with. We just couldn’t get this direction to work, and we found another one that we liked better, so we wound up retooling it.

Now, the totally weird:
Michael Ausiello, formerly of TVGuide.com and now of EW.com, reported exclusively earlier in the week that Elisha Cuthbert had agreed to come back at some point (one episode? two? five? At least, given that they’re on Episode 18, it can’t be more than six, thank goodness) “for a season-ending arc” as Kimmy and she’ll be toting a wee one.

She won’t have her loser psychologist boyfriend (C. Thomas Howell) with her, praise be.

Head on over to B4B for “Kim Bauer’s kid jokes,” which include this timeless classic:

Kim Bauer and her child were in Orlando and saw a sign that said “Disney Left.”  So they went home.

Photo courtesy of Fox.

The SciFi Channel has said rumors to the contrary, that BSG wouldn’t be back until April with the final episodes of Season 4, were “inaccurate.”

The reports are erroneous, the channel confirmed to SCI FI Wire. “It is still slated to return January 2009,” a spokesman for the channel said.

Yet the Sci Fi network has decided to torture both the cast of BSG and its fans by first dividing its fourth and final season in half and then by not even scheduling the second frakkin’ half of the season!!!!!

As Apollo and Starbuck might have said in the series’ first incarnation: Felgercarb!

At Dragon-Con ‘08 this weekend, Aaron Douglas (Gaelin “I’m a Cylon? No way!” Tyrol), got big applause when he opined “and the Sci Fi Network sucks,” in talking about how the networks seems to have totally blown off its biggest (and most critically acclaimed) hit.

Douglas said no one’s been told when the final 12 episodes of the season might air, though it might be as late as April.

Michael (Col. Saul Tigh) Hogan, Richard (Tom Zarek this time around, Apollo in the 1970s) Hatch and James (Gaius Baltar) Callis seemed to feel similarly to their castmate, and even Edward James (Adm. Adama) Olmos needled the network.

Here’s the only info I’ve heard about the finale, and if anyone says I needed a spoiler alert for this, they’re insane:

The series finale is said to be a tear-jerker, according to science adviser/consultant, Kevin Grazier.

“I don’t know anyone who hasn’t cried after reading the final episode script,” Grazier said.

First off, over the Labor Day weekend, Kiefer took his Alsatian (related to German shepherds) to a beach in Malibu, and all the tabs informed us he’s looking pretty buff.

Some of the body art originally belonged to his character Jack, but the actor committed to it in real life, too, after getting fed up of waiting to have them painted on by the show’s makeup team every day. Other pieces commemorate key moments in his life the star wanted a permanent record of.

His ex-wife, Kelly Sutherland, is the listing agent. Is the commission part of her alimony, mayhaps?

Sounds like a nice place:

The residence is unassuming from the street, but inside its rooms all open to one another, and it just screams, “What’s a New York loft like me doing in a place like this?” There are 25-foot ceilings and polished concrete floors warmed by radiant heat, and the studio and offices are just down a hallway. The building is a former ironworks/foundry warehouse.

Fox is going to release the 24: Exile movie on DVD two days after it airs on TV. It’s supposed to retail for $26.98 and will have 10 minutes of unaired footage and the first 16 minutes of Season 7’s first episode, besides the usual kind of behind-the-scenes featurettes and the like.

Anyone willing to take a bet when the DVD shows up on Canal Street? (Clue: Less than 2 days after.)

• By the way, when Kiefer was in jail for drunk driving? According to iafrica.com:

The 41-year-old actor said: “I actually dropped the soap. I remember looking down at it, and then I looked around and thought: ‘Soap is overrated… I’m done with this shower!’”

• Navy SEALs give some help to Jack Bauer in Season 7, according to Navy News.

A group of Navy SEALs from San Diego volunteered to act as extras in the show, adding realism to a story for “24.” They were accompanied by two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters and their flight crews assigned to the “Blackjacks” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21. The Sailors were asked to participate in fast-roping and target-assault scenes.

“We originally called upon the Navy because we needed helicopters,” said producer Michael Klick. “The story line called for a joint FBI-Navy collaboration. We called the Navy Information Office and they got back to us with ‘how about we have Navy SEALs fast-rope and participate in the scene?’ and we thought that it sounded great.”

• Producer Howard Gordon told the Jewish Journal that the show’s “only politics is to have an exciting show.” He points to those who have said the show is anti-Muslim, pro-Obama (it had a black president, after all) and has a neocon right-wing agenda.

Kinda hard to be all of the above, ‘tis true.

• A documentary show being billed as an “Asian 24” will be produced in Macau, I read in the Macau Daily Times (hey, I have a Google search alert for news stories mentioning Jack Bauer). I’m not entirely sure I understood what the deal was on this show, but it’s billed as a documentary and features “the daily lives of two Asian stars Barry Cox and Ayi Jihu.”

In the show, Barry Cox, a Chinese singer who was born in Liverpool, England, will play the role of Jack and will act alongside Chinese blues jazz singer Ayi Jihu.

• Finally, the Independent has a really long article/interview about/with Kiefer.

Touches on lots of stuff, including “Life as Jack Bauer,” “Advice from his dad”

He’s given me one great piece of advice, when I was 15 years old. He said, within the context of the character, don’t ever get caught lying—because they’ll never forgive you for it. And what he meant by that was within any moment, don’t try to find a short-cut or do what you think the audience wants to see. Do what you actually feel is right. The times I’ve tried to do something different, I’ve got nailed for it. So he was right.

Enjoy!

Did the writers learn nothing from Gabrielle Anwar’s disastrous attempt at an Irish accent in the pilot?

Don’t do accents.

Look, I love Jeffrey Donovan. Seriously.

I mean:

But every time this guy tries to do an accent this season, I’m completely taken out of the episode. He’s horrible at them. Really. Bad. Stinky. Poopy. Crappy. HORRIBLE.

I love looking at the guy. Sam and Fiona and Mrs. Westen are fab.

Even though the plot is recycled week after week, that’s OK. Most shows are like that, honestly.

But every time Jeffrey Donovan opens his mouth and tries to speak in a dialect or accent, all attempts at suspension of disbelief are moot. There’s no way that anyone Michael Westen’s dealing with could possibly believe the accents he’s trying to do.

The African/Australian/bastardized British accent he tried to do a few episodes back was atrocious and it stood out. The happy idiot guy who got the fake building badge made a few weeks ago was ‘eh’ at best. But last week’s accent, I couldn’t even place. I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what ethnicity/nationality he was going for.

And when that happens, you lose the viewer.

So, BN staff, take notice: Drop the accents. Stick to the goofy dialogue and action and funky camera work.

We liked it last season.

The accents? Not so much.

Photo courtesy of NBC Universal.

Last week’s Burn Notice was good. Interesting, the overarching plot moved ahead a teensy bit, the humor was there … blah, blah, blah.

But I couldn’t put my finger on the reason why it was so difficult for me to blog about it. I’ve enjoyed the last few episodes of BN, but I just don’t, well, care.

Here’s a paragraph from the BlogCritics review that struck me:

It kind of made me feel like too many episodes of Burn Notice are done with fill-in-the-blank scripts: The week, Michael will be going up against _ (insert name of nefarious activity, i.e., gambling, drug-running, grand theft auto ring, here). The case will be referred to him by (friend, ex-friend, ex-co-worker, or family member, etc.). Michael will initially refuse the case due to (date with Fiona, helping Sam with something, too busy with his own problem, etc.), but finally acquiesces when he learns that _ (client’s family is in trouble, his mom will guilt-trip him, the money is too good to pass up). Along the way, this case will jeopardize his learning more about his own problems due to the amount of time the case takes. Eventually though, Michael solves the case. In the end though He does/does not (circle one) progress on finding out who burned him.

I don’t want to get tired of the series, and I even liked the episode itself. But my patience is indeed being tested. Something’s gotta happen. The preview for next week showed Michael being offered a job by the folks who burned him.

Maybe that’ll be different enough.

I hope. Few shows have as good a cast with scripts this good and humor this sly.

But those that do are generally a bit more enjoyable than BN’s become.

Yes, he of Ferris Bueller/Spin City fame. Most excellent. And the clip has some excellent back-and-forth between Allison and Carter, not least of all the discussion of her dress.

Watch, enjoy:

Download:

I still enjoy it; the mystery of Michael’s burn has been taken up a notch with Carla’s addition to the cast; Fiona’s hesitance in screaming for the police because she didn’t mind Sam getting a little bit of the crap beaten out of him was vintage BN (if anything in its second season can be considered “vintage”).

I came to this conclusion: I have no idea. How’s them apples?

So about last night:

You knew the second that he got pulled away from Carla’s hideout that it wasn’t going to be so simple for him again. Unfortunately, Michael Westen has a soft spot for losers who get into trouble so he went to help on the “heist” rather than break into Carla’s hidey-hole.

Can’t say I was surprised at the champagne and mylar balloons that greeted him second time around.

But he’s getting closer, and Carla and her handlers must be sweating a wee bit, don’t you think?

And was it, me or did anyone else think the episode was slightly darker last night, what with the bad guys turning on each other and the woman killing the mastermind, believing he had the jewels? Usually the bad guys get caught by the authorities, even badly injured. But she put one right between his eyes. Brutal.

And poor Sam, getting kicked out. Fiona was 100 percent right, though. The fact that he was still married had to come out sooner or later, and I honestly think Sam’s girlfriend maybe overreacted a bit. Sam should seek out his ex and file for divorce and all will be fine. Or he’ll just find another sugar momma.

Or, do you think — perish the thought! — that Fi and Sam might some day get together.  Naah. Or?

Missed Michael’s mom last night, though.

See? This is what I mean. I can’t seem to find a lot to write about BN.

Help me out, folks.

Photos courtesy of NBC Universal. 

The theme this month is “Happenins in the Jericho Fandom.”

So mosey on over and check it out.

And remember: No guns, thieves will be strung up, and be sure to leave before nightfall!

You can follow us here:

http://twitter.com/RemoteAccess 

And, if you have questions about our shows that you don’t see answered on Remote, feel free to tweet us back.

Enjoy!