Chalk Up Another Victory For The Misleading Promo Department

So, wait, who died on Brothers & Sisters' 2-hour movie event that promoted a "shocking death"?

Um, no one.

Yeah.

Huh?

Thanks to the promo department I was expecting NOTHING to happen to Robert and for the whole thing to be one massive mislead until someone else bit the big one.  And then I was thinking that the incumbent governor spiked Robert's drink with something (yay, poison).  And then I was thinking that Holly would smother Baby Elizabeth Walker while "babysitting" for Julia as she was lured away to the hospital because of her husband's sister's adopted child's birth / her husband's sister's husband's medical incident.

Whatever.  The show itself, on its own merits and without the promo department evil, was better than the series has been much of this season, what with the big, overly dramatic musical montages and the constant heart-string-tugging.

It's Alive!

OMFG, ya'll. Sunday night TV.

Dexter: Went to a friend's house who gets the east coast feed of Showtime so we watched Dexter. Eh. That premiere did not have a ton of oomph. At the end of season two it seemed like there was going to be this massive transformation in how Dexter went about, y'know, his business. But after the 7 minute "previously on" (eye roll...) segment... not a ton changed besides Deb's hair (cute!) Highly underwhelming. And am I the only one who didn't care fore Jimmy Smits? The show is always so spot on with creating these characters and making amazing, unique casting choices... this didn't work for me. Well, I'm still hooked, of course, but... eh.

The Amazing Race: God I've missed this show. It was such a mistake for CBS to only do one cycle last season. This show demands you watch it. It's the only show that keeps you on the edge of your seat and your heart, er, racing the entire time. The usual business of a first episode for the cycle, and I'm sad to see the team that left leave so early (they definitely stood out in the crowd), but it looks like there's a lot of Ugly American activity brewing. Yay! Also... we have a new himbo.

Desperate Housewives: First few minutes? Wow. They didn't come out and say it, per se, but THEY KILLED MIKE. In such a quaint, amusing way! And the device bringing us from the "characters we knew" to the "five years later" versions was used to great, smooth effect. Well done, show. GABRIELLE'S KIDS ARE FAT. Bree... you're Martha Stewart. And you always should have been. And Andrew's... well, in a suit. Can he please have a gay boyfriend this season? Now that he's an adult and all. Katherine: "If there's one thing you're really good at, it's posing as a chef." I wish they would've shown the pie-in-face hilarity (they still may). Parker and Preston... eh, they're still causing trouble for poor Lynette. And Brian Kinney is screwing Susan! Of course he was fantastic, Susan, he's Brian Kinney. Hm, the awkward kicking-him-out-of-bed and secret-relationship talk makes me think that (a) Mike is not dead, and (b) Susan is having an affair... but she's just "still getting over it" etc. Hm, Brian needs to work on his abs. Hm, creepy blonde dude moving into neighborhood by sorta-force-evicting some old dude... and he's married to Edie! Edie's back! Okay, time to enjoy this show and stop gabbing.

Hi, okay, I'm trying, I really am, but yay to the gay househusbands sitting on their porch and snapping a cameraphone (even if it was a clunky piece o' crap phone) a picture of Brian Kinney escaping Susan's house in his skivvies in the middle of the day. Marc Cherry, please, keep this quality up!

Fun Orson cameo. Is Kyle MacLachlan going to be on the show or will he just be doing that brief bit of The Doors karaoke? Aw, Bree took Orson back. And Danielle took her son from Bree and Orson. Where is Susan's son in all of this, b-the-dubs?

... and Mike is not dead. Not sure how I feel about that. Though it does explain where her son has been while she's, y'know, sleeping with Brian Kinney. I like that this episode progressed all these characters so much without writing people like Orson and Mike off.

The ending with "creepy blonde guy married to Edie is (a) really crazy, and (b) on Wisteria Lane to hurt/kill/whatever some mystery person" was extremely clunky, though. I've always found the serial mystery plotlines to be the most forced and, after the first season, unnecessary part of the show. But, well, everything else in this episode was so good that I'll let it slide... for now...

Brothers & Sisters: The only issues I have going into this premiere are (a) icky Justin-Rebecca feelings lingering, and (b) the fact that I know that Ryan, the new "other Walker sibling" won't be around UNTIL EPISODE 14 (thank you, spoilers from casting friends). This is my favorite guilty pleasure, sappy-emotional fluff hour of TV. I don't analyze and criticize it like I do, say, Heroes. I just laugh and smile and cry and hold my breath along with my heart on my sleeve. And to do so... I need to just watch. So... yay, the Walker family is back, I'll blog ya tomorrow with thoughts on Mad Men and the Fox comedies (er, not King of the Hill of course) if I feel an urge to (and if I'm able to watch them tonight, as it's already close to midnight and tomorrow is, well, Monday...

An Evening with the Walkers

I'm gonna miss the Walkers until they come back in a couple months.

A bit weird to have this episode airing in the middle of February, considering that one of the major plot lines is a presidential candidate's run for the Republican nomination. Of course, they're talking Iowa, Wyoming, and Michigan and what they want for their campaign heading into Super Tuesday...

... but we forgive the show because the episode would have airing on January 13th (two days before the Michigan primary on January 15th) but for the strike.

Argh, to think what could've been. This could've been a fantastic storyline unfolding fictionally in parallel to real events.

I have a better title

For tonight's Brothers & Sisters than "The Missionary Imposition". It's "OMG AWKWARD GAY LOVE TRIANGLE". And I think it fits.

Nice progress in the various stories tonight. And, lord, this show employs, like, all of Hollywood's best TV actors (er, except Balthazar Getty...) doesn't it? Nice to know that there's a new episode next week, and then it'll be back in a couple months!

With the Lena thing apparently a thing of the past... WHAT FRESH HELL AWAITS????

Sunday Night TV

The Amazing Race: This has been one of the funnier episodes of the season in the first 10 minutes anyway. Random confessional/interview with Nate and Jen talking about "no more nice Nate and Jen" (which, um... okay...) then Jen can't pronounce Taipei and then Nate says that they don't know much about Taiwan, except that they like Thai food. Y'think!?!?!? Also, the road block? The person who does it is driven underwater for 17 seconds and has to hold their breath (naturally) so Phil describes as "if they are still alive when it's over, they'll receive their next clue." Yes! Yes!!! Kill Ron! The tea place thing... man, the Asian legs have been to Christina and Ron's advantage (her knowing Japanese and them both knowing Chinese). Anyway... with Nate and Jen gone... I'm conflicted. I'm not actively rooting for any of the teams. And I have no team to root completely against. SIGH. Also! What's with the show doing away with the Super Leg? Huh? WTF!?

Sarah Connor Chronicles: Too long since I've watch the original pilot to recall the tweaks. I seem to remember the school shooting scene to be more violent, but, well, I understand having to tone it down a bit after the Virginia Tech shootings last year. Obviously the show needed to use Summer Glau (and scenes she's in from the last three fifths of the pilot) to promote the heck of the thing, but it does make the "reveal" that she's a terminator (even if a friendly one) less impactful (IMHO). Now that it's been pointed out to me, it is very strange that she starts with a flawless impersonation of a weird teenager, but as soon as she's on the road with Sarah and John, she's... well... robotic. I really do love the idea of a Terminator time portal appearing in the middle of the 101 (I think that was the 101 anyway...) I think the last 2 minutes were new material, they definitely helped with my question of "okay, but what is the rest of the series?" after the massive reset button that was the pilot (well, in the sense that you know the agent guy is still after them). Eager to see what the series looks like tomorrow (with its massively reduces budget).

Family Guy: ... ugh, there just aren't words to describe how bad that way.

American Dad: Um, that (an American Dad parody of spy films, with the character playing various stock characters) should've been brilliant? But it wasn't. But it was waaaaay better than Family Guy.

Brothers & Sisters: Nice, frothy fun. An episode fairly like last season's "Something Ida This Way Comes" in that it was sort of an airing of issues, tied up a couple loose ends, unraveled a bit... but not that much in the eventful department. And I'm happy (if Holly is telling the truth) that Rebecca asked the question I was thinking during the episode about her mother's mysterious friend. I don't want Rebecca to not be a Walker! That ending was interesting... but you know that Isaac had something to do with Robert's competition dropping form the race, which is going to create wonderful tension between Kitty and Nora. Ugh, only two episodes left! And the next one airs... when??? My DVR doesn't have it as new next week.