Narrator: So, I don’t know why anyone would miss an episode of Glee, but here’s what’s been happening in case you did.

There was a different and highly amusing previously at the beginning of this episode for the finale. Despite all the previous quibbles with recent episodes, including continuity issues stemming from apparently the last two episodes being switched, this episode seemed to go back to the beginning.

We’ve got Rachel and Finn getting on better ground after the recent Jessie incidents, ending with a kiss and starting the song that also started their relationship in the pilot, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. See, we even went full circle in their choice of song, even with changes such as Santana and Puck getting lines, and it was brilliant to go back to that with a Journey mashup.

At first it also seems like a rehash of the first competition at the midseason finale, maybe even using the same theater to film. But there’s also some new and different developments. This time around Sue is one of the judges, and it seems she’ll be the reason they lose. Yet, Sue is small fries amongst the judges, and the only one of the judges for our glee kids. And this time they don’t win, which I’m actually glad to see.

Yet, one thing has steadily changed, and grown, over the season, the sense of family the kids get out of glee club. One of the most poignant scenes of the season I feel is seeing all of them at the hospital with Quinn as she’s wheeled away to have her baby.

This is what Glee should be about over the music, with the show should focus more on it’s writing and development. I even liked the kids singing to Mr. Schue (‘To Sir, With Love’) and him singing back to them (‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’) at the end.

And it was just icing on the cake to see Rachel’s mother who never got a chance with her own daughter, and is finally ready to settle down, to adopt Quinn’s baby. It’s actually kind of perfect. It was a bit odd to have ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ inter-cut with the birth, but I suppose it worked.

So well done Glee. I’m not happy with you yet, but this episode was actually kind of a step up. Well, if I ignore some little things that bothered me, such as Quinn’s mother reappearing after being gone most of the season just because her husband had an affair.

There are high school relationships, friend relationships, romantic relationships, family relationships, and most importantly the sense of mystery the show is going to milk as much as it can. Think Desperate Housewives meets Gossip Girl. I call it soap opera with a twist. It’s definitely not Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Also, like other ensemble shows there’s a character for everyone. There’s the sporty one, the overachiever, the normal one, the pretty one, etc. We’re crossing all the lines with this show, too and lots of setup for the rest of the season. We’ve got a lesbian relationship in the making, a student-teacher relationship, and suggestions of infidelity and teenage drama.

The show still has room to grow, but it’s good enough for some light mysterious summer fare.

That said, there’s always one character in each show that constantly gets screwed over. In this one I think it’s Caroline. She’s always second to Elena, in life, in love, and when she gets a guy it’s an evil blood sucking vamp aka Damon. That sucks, literally.

Then, there’s Matt who is a total sweetheart next to his sister Vicki. He gets a lot of crap also, starting with his losing Elena to Stefan, and yet, he still manages to be a total sweetheart to everyone, even Stefan. I love how we’ll see the friendship between Matt and Stefan continue to grow throughout the season.

Tyler: Oh look, there’s Elena and her new boyfriend. And what are they doing? Oh they’re walking, walking, walking, look they’re walking right into the sunset.

We also have the beginnings of the Bonnie and Stefan relationship, and her witchy powers, in this episode. I’d forgotten their storyline started way back at the beginning. Another thing I like about this show, the fields are all prepped early on for the sowing later. How’s that as a metaphor for you?

Then, the most important relationship of all doesn’t even involve Elena, but Stefan and Damon. Each episode we get more backstory as to why they hate each other and what’s up with Katherine. It’s like Damon was created just to annoy Stefan, and isn’t that what siblings are for? That and sharing, since Stefan and Damon share everything, including girls, right? Well, Katherine anyway.

Damon: Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul, so many… adjectives.

Damon: I’m sorry, Elena. I know what it’s like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we’ve ever cared about die.
Stefan: We don’t need to get into that right now, Damon.
Damon: Oh, you know what, you’re right, Stef. I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up.

Stefan: They are people, Damon. She’s not a puppet, she doesn’t exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to.
Damon: Sure, she does. They all do. They’re whatever I want them to do. They’re mine for the taking.

Which brings me to one of my favorite moments when Elena realized both Damon and Stefan dated Katherine. Then, her saying ‘I’m sorry’ to Damon cause ‘you lost her, too’ , the expression on his face was the best. The first human moment Damon has had since he arrived.

Of course, their friendly status doesn’t last long as Damon has to try and kiss her just to screw with Stefan. Thank goodness Stefan had already given her the vervain necklace.

Elena: Let’s get one thing straight, I am not Katherine.

It’s my theory that Damon never gave himself over to the monster within.

Stefan: There must be a shred of humanity left inside my brother, somewhere, I keep hoping, but how do I make him see it? And how do I protect her?

But Damon doesn’t want anyone to see him as weak, so he does everything he can to prove his human side doesn’t exist.

Stefan: Because deep down inside there is a part of you, that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you. That you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be.
Damon: Who’s pretending?
Stefan: Then kill me.
Damon: Well, I’m – I’m tempted.
Stefan: No, you’re not, you’ve had lifetimes to do it and yet here I am. I’m still alive and there you are, you’re still haunting me after 145 years. Katherine is dead. And you hate me, because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, that is your humanity.
Damon: If that’s my humanity, than what’s this?

He then attacks and kills Mr. Tanner, forcing Stefan to reconsider.

Stefan: I thought there was hope. That somewhere deep inside, something in Damon was still human, normal. But I was wrong. There’s nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness, no love. Only a monster… who must be stopped.

Then in the last scene we see Damon caress Elena’s face while she sleeps, and we realize Stefan was right and it’s love that keeps Damon human.

It’s his love for Stefan that keeps him from killing his brother, though it doesn’t keep him from making his life miserable as he said in the pilot: "I promised you an eternity of misery, so I’m just keeping my word." The question now is does Damon see Elena as Katherine or was he moved by Elena’s consideration of his loss of Katherine?

Narrator: So, I don’t know why anyone would miss an episode of Glee, but here’s what’s been happening in case you did.

There was a different and highly amusing previously at the beginning of this episode for the finale. Despite all the previous quibbles with recent episodes, including continuity issues stemming from apparently the last two episodes being switched, this episode seemed to go back to the beginning.

We’ve got Rachel and Finn getting on better ground after the recent Jessie incidents, ending with a kiss and starting the song that also started their relationship in the pilot, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. See, we even went full circle in their choice of song, even with changes such as Santana and Puck getting lines, and it was brilliant to go back to that with a Journey mashup.

At first it also seems like a rehash of the first competition at the midseason finale, maybe even using the same theater to film. But there’s also some new and different developments. This time around Sue is one of the judges, and it seems she’ll be the reason they lose. Yet, Sue is small fries amongst the judges, and the only one of the judges for our glee kids. And this time they don’t win, which I’m actually glad to see.

Yet, one thing has steadily changed, and grown, over the season, the sense of family the kids get out of glee club. One of the most poignant scenes of the season I feel is seeing all of them at the hospital with Quinn as she’s wheeled away to have her baby.

This is what Glee should be about over the music, with the show should focus more on it’s writing and development. I even liked the kids singing to Mr. Schue (‘To Sir, With Love’) and him singing back to them (‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’) at the end.

And it was just icing on the cake to see Rachel’s mother who never got a chance with her own daughter, and is finally ready to settle down, to adopt Quinn’s baby. It’s actually kind of perfect. It was a bit odd to have ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ inter-cut with the birth, but I suppose it worked.

So well done Glee. I’m not happy with you yet, but this episode was actually kind of a step up. Well, if I ignore some little things that bothered me, such as Quinn’s mother reappearing after being gone most of the season just because her husband had an affair.

There are high school relationships, friend relationships, romantic relationships, family relationships, and most importantly the sense of mystery the show is going to milk as much as it can. Think Desperate Housewives meets Gossip Girl. I call it soap opera with a twist. It’s definitely not Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Also, like other ensemble shows there’s a character for everyone. There’s the sporty one, the overachiever, the normal one, the pretty one, etc. We’re crossing all the lines with this show, too and lots of setup for the rest of the season. We’ve got a lesbian relationship in the making, a student-teacher relationship, and suggestions of infidelity and teenage drama.

The show still has room to grow, but it’s good enough for some light mysterious summer fare.

That said, there’s always one character in each show that constantly gets screwed over. In this one I think it’s Caroline. She’s always second to Elena, in life, in love, and when she gets a guy it’s an evil blood sucking vamp aka Damon. That sucks, literally.

Then, there’s Matt who is a total sweetheart next to his sister Vicki. He gets a lot of crap also, starting with his losing Elena to Stefan, and yet, he still manages to be a total sweetheart to everyone, even Stefan. I love how we’ll see the friendship between Matt and Stefan continue to grow throughout the season.

Tyler: Oh look, there’s Elena and her new boyfriend. And what are they doing? Oh they’re walking, walking, walking, look they’re walking right into the sunset.

We also have the beginnings of the Bonnie and Stefan relationship, and her witchy powers, in this episode. I’d forgotten their storyline started way back at the beginning. Another thing I like about this show, the fields are all prepped early on for the sowing later. How’s that as a metaphor for you?

Then, the most important relationship of all doesn’t even involve Elena, but Stefan and Damon. Each episode we get more backstory as to why they hate each other and what’s up with Katherine. It’s like Damon was created just to annoy Stefan, and isn’t that what siblings are for? That and sharing, since Stefan and Damon share everything, including girls, right? Well, Katherine anyway.

Damon: Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul, so many… adjectives.

Damon: I’m sorry, Elena. I know what it’s like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we’ve ever cared about die.
Stefan: We don’t need to get into that right now, Damon.
Damon: Oh, you know what, you’re right, Stef. I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up.

Stefan: They are people, Damon. She’s not a puppet, she doesn’t exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to.
Damon: Sure, she does. They all do. They’re whatever I want them to do. They’re mine for the taking.

Which brings me to one of my favorite moments when Elena realized both Damon and Stefan dated Katherine. Then, her saying ‘I’m sorry’ to Damon cause ‘you lost her, too’ , the expression on his face was the best. The first human moment Damon has had since he arrived.

Of course, their friendly status doesn’t last long as Damon has to try and kiss her just to screw with Stefan. Thank goodness Stefan had already given her the vervain necklace.

Elena: Let’s get one thing straight, I am not Katherine.

It’s my theory that Damon never gave himself over to the monster within.

Stefan: There must be a shred of humanity left inside my brother, somewhere, I keep hoping, but how do I make him see it? And how do I protect her?

But Damon doesn’t want anyone to see him as weak, so he does everything he can to prove his human side doesn’t exist.

Stefan: Because deep down inside there is a part of you, that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you. That you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be.
Damon: Who’s pretending?
Stefan: Then kill me.
Damon: Well, I’m – I’m tempted.
Stefan: No, you’re not, you’ve had lifetimes to do it and yet here I am. I’m still alive and there you are, you’re still haunting me after 145 years. Katherine is dead. And you hate me, because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, that is your humanity.
Damon: If that’s my humanity, than what’s this?

He then attacks and kills Mr. Tanner, forcing Stefan to reconsider.

Stefan: I thought there was hope. That somewhere deep inside, something in Damon was still human, normal. But I was wrong. There’s nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness, no love. Only a monster… who must be stopped.

Then in the last scene we see Damon caress Elena’s face while she sleeps, and we realize Stefan was right and it’s love that keeps Damon human.

It’s his love for Stefan that keeps him from killing his brother, though it doesn’t keep him from making his life miserable as he said in the pilot: "I promised you an eternity of misery, so I’m just keeping my word." The question now is does Damon see Elena as Katherine or was he moved by Elena’s consideration of his loss of Katherine?

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Narrator: So, I don’t know why anyone would miss an episode of Glee, but here’s what’s been happening in case you did.

There was a different and highly amusing previously at the beginning of this episode for the finale. Despite all the previous quibbles with recent episodes, including continuity issues stemming from apparently the last two episodes being switched, this episode seemed to go back to the beginning.

We’ve got Rachel and Finn getting on better ground after the recent Jessie incidents, ending with a kiss and starting the song that also started their relationship in the pilot, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. See, we even went full circle in their choice of song, even with changes such as Santana and Puck getting lines, and it was brilliant to go back to that with a Journey mashup.

At first it also seems like a rehash of the first competition at the midseason finale, maybe even using the same theater to film. But there’s also some new and different developments. This time around Sue is one of the judges, and it seems she’ll be the reason they lose. Yet, Sue is small fries amongst the judges, and the only one of the judges for our glee kids. And this time they don’t win, which I’m actually glad to see.

Yet, one thing has steadily changed, and grown, over the season, the sense of family the kids get out of glee club. One of the most poignant scenes of the season I feel is seeing all of them at the hospital with Quinn as she’s wheeled away to have her baby.

This is what Glee should be about over the music, with the show should focus more on it’s writing and development. I even liked the kids singing to Mr. Schue (‘To Sir, With Love’) and him singing back to them (‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’) at the end.

And it was just icing on the cake to see Rachel’s mother who never got a chance with her own daughter, and is finally ready to settle down, to adopt Quinn’s baby. It’s actually kind of perfect. It was a bit odd to have ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ inter-cut with the birth, but I suppose it worked.

So well done Glee. I’m not happy with you yet, but this episode was actually kind of a step up. Well, if I ignore some little things that bothered me, such as Quinn’s mother reappearing after being gone most of the season just because her husband had an affair.

There are high school relationships, friend relationships, romantic relationships, family relationships, and most importantly the sense of mystery the show is going to milk as much as it can. Think Desperate Housewives meets Gossip Girl. I call it soap opera with a twist. It’s definitely not Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Also, like other ensemble shows there’s a character for everyone. There’s the sporty one, the overachiever, the normal one, the pretty one, etc. We’re crossing all the lines with this show, too and lots of setup for the rest of the season. We’ve got a lesbian relationship in the making, a student-teacher relationship, and suggestions of infidelity and teenage drama.

The show still has room to grow, but it’s good enough for some light mysterious summer fare.

That said, there’s always one character in each show that constantly gets screwed over. In this one I think it’s Caroline. She’s always second to Elena, in life, in love, and when she gets a guy it’s an evil blood sucking vamp aka Damon. That sucks, literally.

Then, there’s Matt who is a total sweetheart next to his sister Vicki. He gets a lot of crap also, starting with his losing Elena to Stefan, and yet, he still manages to be a total sweetheart to everyone, even Stefan. I love how we’ll see the friendship between Matt and Stefan continue to grow throughout the season.

Tyler: Oh look, there’s Elena and her new boyfriend. And what are they doing? Oh they’re walking, walking, walking, look they’re walking right into the sunset.

We also have the beginnings of the Bonnie and Stefan relationship, and her witchy powers, in this episode. I’d forgotten their storyline started way back at the beginning. Another thing I like about this show, the fields are all prepped early on for the sowing later. How’s that as a metaphor for you?

Then, the most important relationship of all doesn’t even involve Elena, but Stefan and Damon. Each episode we get more backstory as to why they hate each other and what’s up with Katherine. It’s like Damon was created just to annoy Stefan, and isn’t that what siblings are for? That and sharing, since Stefan and Damon share everything, including girls, right? Well, Katherine anyway.

Damon: Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul, so many… adjectives.

Damon: I’m sorry, Elena. I know what it’s like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we’ve ever cared about die.
Stefan: We don’t need to get into that right now, Damon.
Damon: Oh, you know what, you’re right, Stef. I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up.

Stefan: They are people, Damon. She’s not a puppet, she doesn’t exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to.
Damon: Sure, she does. They all do. They’re whatever I want them to do. They’re mine for the taking.

Which brings me to one of my favorite moments when Elena realized both Damon and Stefan dated Katherine. Then, her saying ‘I’m sorry’ to Damon cause ‘you lost her, too’ , the expression on his face was the best. The first human moment Damon has had since he arrived.

Of course, their friendly status doesn’t last long as Damon has to try and kiss her just to screw with Stefan. Thank goodness Stefan had already given her the vervain necklace.

Elena: Let’s get one thing straight, I am not Katherine.

It’s my theory that Damon never gave himself over to the monster within.

Stefan: There must be a shred of humanity left inside my brother, somewhere, I keep hoping, but how do I make him see it? And how do I protect her?

But Damon doesn’t want anyone to see him as weak, so he does everything he can to prove his human side doesn’t exist.

Stefan: Because deep down inside there is a part of you, that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you. That you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be.
Damon: Who’s pretending?
Stefan: Then kill me.
Damon: Well, I’m – I’m tempted.
Stefan: No, you’re not, you’ve had lifetimes to do it and yet here I am. I’m still alive and there you are, you’re still haunting me after 145 years. Katherine is dead. And you hate me, because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, that is your humanity.
Damon: If that’s my humanity, than what’s this?

He then attacks and kills Mr. Tanner, forcing Stefan to reconsider.

Stefan: I thought there was hope. That somewhere deep inside, something in Damon was still human, normal. But I was wrong. There’s nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness, no love. Only a monster… who must be stopped.

Then in the last scene we see Damon caress Elena’s face while she sleeps, and we realize Stefan was right and it’s love that keeps Damon human.

It’s his love for Stefan that keeps him from killing his brother, though it doesn’t keep him from making his life miserable as he said in the pilot: "I promised you an eternity of misery, so I’m just keeping my word." The question now is does Damon see Elena as Katherine or was he moved by Elena’s consideration of his loss of Katherine?

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Narrator: So, I don’t know why anyone would miss an episode of Glee, but here’s what’s been happening in case you did.

There was a different and highly amusing previously at the beginning of this episode for the finale. Despite all the previous quibbles with recent episodes, including continuity issues stemming from apparently the last two episodes being switched, this episode seemed to go back to the beginning.

We’ve got Rachel and Finn getting on better ground after the recent Jessie incidents, ending with a kiss and starting the song that also started their relationship in the pilot, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. See, we even went full circle in their choice of song, even with changes such as Santana and Puck getting lines, and it was brilliant to go back to that with a Journey mashup.

At first it also seems like a rehash of the first competition at the midseason finale, maybe even using the same theater to film. But there’s also some new and different developments. This time around Sue is one of the judges, and it seems she’ll be the reason they lose. Yet, Sue is small fries amongst the judges, and the only one of the judges for our glee kids. And this time they don’t win, which I’m actually glad to see.

Yet, one thing has steadily changed, and grown, over the season, the sense of family the kids get out of glee club. One of the most poignant scenes of the season I feel is seeing all of them at the hospital with Quinn as she’s wheeled away to have her baby.

This is what Glee should be about over the music, with the show should focus more on it’s writing and development. I even liked the kids singing to Mr. Schue (‘To Sir, With Love’) and him singing back to them (‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’) at the end.

And it was just icing on the cake to see Rachel’s mother who never got a chance with her own daughter, and is finally ready to settle down, to adopt Quinn’s baby. It’s actually kind of perfect. It was a bit odd to have ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ inter-cut with the birth, but I suppose it worked.

So well done Glee. I’m not happy with you yet, but this episode was actually kind of a step up. Well, if I ignore some little things that bothered me, such as Quinn’s mother reappearing after being gone most of the season just because her husband had an affair.

There are high school relationships, friend relationships, romantic relationships, family relationships, and most importantly the sense of mystery the show is going to milk as much as it can. Think Desperate Housewives meets Gossip Girl. I call it soap opera with a twist. It’s definitely not Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Also, like other ensemble shows there’s a character for everyone. There’s the sporty one, the overachiever, the normal one, the pretty one, etc. We’re crossing all the lines with this show, too and lots of setup for the rest of the season. We’ve got a lesbian relationship in the making, a student-teacher relationship, and suggestions of infidelity and teenage drama.

The show still has room to grow, but it’s good enough for some light mysterious summer fare.

That said, there’s always one character in each show that constantly gets screwed over. In this one I think it’s Caroline. She’s always second to Elena, in life, in love, and when she gets a guy it’s an evil blood sucking vamp aka Damon. That sucks, literally.

Then, there’s Matt who is a total sweetheart next to his sister Vicki. He gets a lot of crap also, starting with his losing Elena to Stefan, and yet, he still manages to be a total sweetheart to everyone, even Stefan. I love how we’ll see the friendship between Matt and Stefan continue to grow throughout the season.

Tyler: Oh look, there’s Elena and her new boyfriend. And what are they doing? Oh they’re walking, walking, walking, look they’re walking right into the sunset.

We also have the beginnings of the Bonnie and Stefan relationship, and her witchy powers, in this episode. I’d forgotten their storyline started way back at the beginning. Another thing I like about this show, the fields are all prepped early on for the sowing later. How’s that as a metaphor for you?

Then, the most important relationship of all doesn’t even involve Elena, but Stefan and Damon. Each episode we get more backstory as to why they hate each other and what’s up with Katherine. It’s like Damon was created just to annoy Stefan, and isn’t that what siblings are for? That and sharing, since Stefan and Damon share everything, including girls, right? Well, Katherine anyway.

Damon: Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul, so many… adjectives.

Damon: I’m sorry, Elena. I know what it’s like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we’ve ever cared about die.
Stefan: We don’t need to get into that right now, Damon.
Damon: Oh, you know what, you’re right, Stef. I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up.

Stefan: They are people, Damon. She’s not a puppet, she doesn’t exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to.
Damon: Sure, she does. They all do. They’re whatever I want them to do. They’re mine for the taking.

Which brings me to one of my favorite moments when Elena realized both Damon and Stefan dated Katherine. Then, her saying ‘I’m sorry’ to Damon cause ‘you lost her, too’ , the expression on his face was the best. The first human moment Damon has had since he arrived.

Of course, their friendly status doesn’t last long as Damon has to try and kiss her just to screw with Stefan. Thank goodness Stefan had already given her the vervain necklace.

Elena: Let’s get one thing straight, I am not Katherine.

It’s my theory that Damon never gave himself over to the monster within.

Stefan: There must be a shred of humanity left inside my brother, somewhere, I keep hoping, but how do I make him see it? And how do I protect her?

But Damon doesn’t want anyone to see him as weak, so he does everything he can to prove his human side doesn’t exist.

Stefan: Because deep down inside there is a part of you, that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you. That you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be.
Damon: Who’s pretending?
Stefan: Then kill me.
Damon: Well, I’m – I’m tempted.
Stefan: No, you’re not, you’ve had lifetimes to do it and yet here I am. I’m still alive and there you are, you’re still haunting me after 145 years. Katherine is dead. And you hate me, because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, that is your humanity.
Damon: If that’s my humanity, than what’s this?

He then attacks and kills Mr. Tanner, forcing Stefan to reconsider.

Stefan: I thought there was hope. That somewhere deep inside, something in Damon was still human, normal. But I was wrong. There’s nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness, no love. Only a monster… who must be stopped.

Then in the last scene we see Damon caress Elena’s face while she sleeps, and we realize Stefan was right and it’s love that keeps Damon human.

It’s his love for Stefan that keeps him from killing his brother, though it doesn’t keep him from making his life miserable as he said in the pilot: "I promised you an eternity of misery, so I’m just keeping my word." The question now is does Damon see Elena as Katherine or was he moved by Elena’s consideration of his loss of Katherine?

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Narrator: So, I don’t know why anyone would miss an episode of Glee, but here’s what’s been happening in case you did.

There was a different and highly amusing previously at the beginning of this episode for the finale. Despite all the previous quibbles with recent episodes, including continuity issues stemming from apparently the last two episodes being switched, this episode seemed to go back to the beginning.

We’ve got Rachel and Finn getting on better ground after the recent Jessie incidents, ending with a kiss and starting the song that also started their relationship in the pilot, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. See, we even went full circle in their choice of song, even with changes such as Santana and Puck getting lines, and it was brilliant to go back to that with a Journey mashup.

At first it also seems like a rehash of the first competition at the midseason finale, maybe even using the same theater to film. But there’s also some new and different developments. This time around Sue is one of the judges, and it seems she’ll be the reason they lose. Yet, Sue is small fries amongst the judges, and the only one of the judges for our glee kids. And this time they don’t win, which I’m actually glad to see.

Yet, one thing has steadily changed, and grown, over the season, the sense of family the kids get out of glee club. One of the most poignant scenes of the season I feel is seeing all of them at the hospital with Quinn as she’s wheeled away to have her baby.

This is what Glee should be about over the music, with the show should focus more on it’s writing and development. I even liked the kids singing to Mr. Schue (‘To Sir, With Love’) and him singing back to them (‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’) at the end.

And it was just icing on the cake to see Rachel’s mother who never got a chance with her own daughter, and is finally ready to settle down, to adopt Quinn’s baby. It’s actually kind of perfect. It was a bit odd to have ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ inter-cut with the birth, but I suppose it worked.

So well done Glee. I’m not happy with you yet, but this episode was actually kind of a step up. Well, if I ignore some little things that bothered me, such as Quinn’s mother reappearing after being gone most of the season just because her husband had an affair.

There are high school relationships, friend relationships, romantic relationships, family relationships, and most importantly the sense of mystery the show is going to milk as much as it can. Think Desperate Housewives meets Gossip Girl. I call it soap opera with a twist. It’s definitely not Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Also, like other ensemble shows there’s a character for everyone. There’s the sporty one, the overachiever, the normal one, the pretty one, etc. We’re crossing all the lines with this show, too and lots of setup for the rest of the season. We’ve got a lesbian relationship in the making, a student-teacher relationship, and suggestions of infidelity and teenage drama.

The show still has room to grow, but it’s good enough for some light mysterious summer fare.

That said, there’s always one character in each show that constantly gets screwed over. In this one I think it’s Caroline. She’s always second to Elena, in life, in love, and when she gets a guy it’s an evil blood sucking vamp aka Damon. That sucks, literally.

Then, there’s Matt who is a total sweetheart next to his sister Vicki. He gets a lot of crap also, starting with his losing Elena to Stefan, and yet, he still manages to be a total sweetheart to everyone, even Stefan. I love how we’ll see the friendship between Matt and Stefan continue to grow throughout the season.

Tyler: Oh look, there’s Elena and her new boyfriend. And what are they doing? Oh they’re walking, walking, walking, look they’re walking right into the sunset.

We also have the beginnings of the Bonnie and Stefan relationship, and her witchy powers, in this episode. I’d forgotten their storyline started way back at the beginning. Another thing I like about this show, the fields are all prepped early on for the sowing later. How’s that as a metaphor for you?

Then, the most important relationship of all doesn’t even involve Elena, but Stefan and Damon. Each episode we get more backstory as to why they hate each other and what’s up with Katherine. It’s like Damon was created just to annoy Stefan, and isn’t that what siblings are for? That and sharing, since Stefan and Damon share everything, including girls, right? Well, Katherine anyway.

Damon: Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul, so many… adjectives.

Damon: I’m sorry, Elena. I know what it’s like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we’ve ever cared about die.
Stefan: We don’t need to get into that right now, Damon.
Damon: Oh, you know what, you’re right, Stef. I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up.

Stefan: They are people, Damon. She’s not a puppet, she doesn’t exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to.
Damon: Sure, she does. They all do. They’re whatever I want them to do. They’re mine for the taking.

Which brings me to one of my favorite moments when Elena realized both Damon and Stefan dated Katherine. Then, her saying ‘I’m sorry’ to Damon cause ‘you lost her, too’ , the expression on his face was the best. The first human moment Damon has had since he arrived.

Of course, their friendly status doesn’t last long as Damon has to try and kiss her just to screw with Stefan. Thank goodness Stefan had already given her the vervain necklace.

Elena: Let’s get one thing straight, I am not Katherine.

It’s my theory that Damon never gave himself over to the monster within.

Stefan: There must be a shred of humanity left inside my brother, somewhere, I keep hoping, but how do I make him see it? And how do I protect her?

But Damon doesn’t want anyone to see him as weak, so he does everything he can to prove his human side doesn’t exist.

Stefan: Because deep down inside there is a part of you, that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you. That you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be.
Damon: Who’s pretending?
Stefan: Then kill me.
Damon: Well, I’m – I’m tempted.
Stefan: No, you’re not, you’ve had lifetimes to do it and yet here I am. I’m still alive and there you are, you’re still haunting me after 145 years. Katherine is dead. And you hate me, because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, that is your humanity.
Damon: If that’s my humanity, than what’s this?

He then attacks and kills Mr. Tanner, forcing Stefan to reconsider.

Stefan: I thought there was hope. That somewhere deep inside, something in Damon was still human, normal. But I was wrong. There’s nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness, no love. Only a monster… who must be stopped.

Then in the last scene we see Damon caress Elena’s face while she sleeps, and we realize Stefan was right and it’s love that keeps Damon human.

It’s his love for Stefan that keeps him from killing his brother, though it doesn’t keep him from making his life miserable as he said in the pilot: "I promised you an eternity of misery, so I’m just keeping my word." The question now is does Damon see Elena as Katherine or was he moved by Elena’s consideration of his loss of Katherine?

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Narrator: So, I don’t know why anyone would miss an episode of Glee, but here’s what’s been happening in case you did.

There was a different and highly amusing previously at the beginning of this episode for the finale. Despite all the previous quibbles with recent episodes, including continuity issues stemming from apparently the last two episodes being switched, this episode seemed to go back to the beginning.

We’ve got Rachel and Finn getting on better ground after the recent Jessie incidents, ending with a kiss and starting the song that also started their relationship in the pilot, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. See, we even went full circle in their choice of song, even with changes such as Santana and Puck getting lines, and it was brilliant to go back to that with a Journey mashup.

At first it also seems like a rehash of the first competition at the midseason finale, maybe even using the same theater to film. But there’s also some new and different developments. This time around Sue is one of the judges, and it seems she’ll be the reason they lose. Yet, Sue is small fries amongst the judges, and the only one of the judges for our glee kids. And this time they don’t win, which I’m actually glad to see.

Yet, one thing has steadily changed, and grown, over the season, the sense of family the kids get out of glee club. One of the most poignant scenes of the season I feel is seeing all of them at the hospital with Quinn as she’s wheeled away to have her baby.

This is what Glee should be about over the music, with the show should focus more on it’s writing and development. I even liked the kids singing to Mr. Schue (‘To Sir, With Love’) and him singing back to them (‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’) at the end.

And it was just icing on the cake to see Rachel’s mother who never got a chance with her own daughter, and is finally ready to settle down, to adopt Quinn’s baby. It’s actually kind of perfect. It was a bit odd to have ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ inter-cut with the birth, but I suppose it worked.

So well done Glee. I’m not happy with you yet, but this episode was actually kind of a step up. Well, if I ignore some little things that bothered me, such as Quinn’s mother reappearing after being gone most of the season just because her husband had an affair.

There are high school relationships, friend relationships, romantic relationships, family relationships, and most importantly the sense of mystery the show is going to milk as much as it can. Think Desperate Housewives meets Gossip Girl. I call it soap opera with a twist. It’s definitely not Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Also, like other ensemble shows there’s a character for everyone. There’s the sporty one, the overachiever, the normal one, the pretty one, etc. We’re crossing all the lines with this show, too and lots of setup for the rest of the season. We’ve got a lesbian relationship in the making, a student-teacher relationship, and suggestions of infidelity and teenage drama.

The show still has room to grow, but it’s good enough for some light mysterious summer fare.

That said, there’s always one character in each show that constantly gets screwed over. In this one I think it’s Caroline. She’s always second to Elena, in life, in love, and when she gets a guy it’s an evil blood sucking vamp aka Damon. That sucks, literally.

Then, there’s Matt who is a total sweetheart next to his sister Vicki. He gets a lot of crap also, starting with his losing Elena to Stefan, and yet, he still manages to be a total sweetheart to everyone, even Stefan. I love how we’ll see the friendship between Matt and Stefan continue to grow throughout the season.

Tyler: Oh look, there’s Elena and her new boyfriend. And what are they doing? Oh they’re walking, walking, walking, look they’re walking right into the sunset.

We also have the beginnings of the Bonnie and Stefan relationship, and her witchy powers, in this episode. I’d forgotten their storyline started way back at the beginning. Another thing I like about this show, the fields are all prepped early on for the sowing later. How’s that as a metaphor for you?

Then, the most important relationship of all doesn’t even involve Elena, but Stefan and Damon. Each episode we get more backstory as to why they hate each other and what’s up with Katherine. It’s like Damon was created just to annoy Stefan, and isn’t that what siblings are for? That and sharing, since Stefan and Damon share everything, including girls, right? Well, Katherine anyway.

Damon: Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul, so many… adjectives.

Damon: I’m sorry, Elena. I know what it’s like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we’ve ever cared about die.
Stefan: We don’t need to get into that right now, Damon.
Damon: Oh, you know what, you’re right, Stef. I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up.

Stefan: They are people, Damon. She’s not a puppet, she doesn’t exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to.
Damon: Sure, she does. They all do. They’re whatever I want them to do. They’re mine for the taking.

Which brings me to one of my favorite moments when Elena realized both Damon and Stefan dated Katherine. Then, her saying ‘I’m sorry’ to Damon cause ‘you lost her, too’ , the expression on his face was the best. The first human moment Damon has had since he arrived.

Of course, their friendly status doesn’t last long as Damon has to try and kiss her just to screw with Stefan. Thank goodness Stefan had already given her the vervain necklace.

Elena: Let’s get one thing straight, I am not Katherine.

It’s my theory that Damon never gave himself over to the monster within.

Stefan: There must be a shred of humanity left inside my brother, somewhere, I keep hoping, but how do I make him see it? And how do I protect her?

But Damon doesn’t want anyone to see him as weak, so he does everything he can to prove his human side doesn’t exist.

Stefan: Because deep down inside there is a part of you, that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you. That you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be.
Damon: Who’s pretending?
Stefan: Then kill me.
Damon: Well, I’m – I’m tempted.
Stefan: No, you’re not, you’ve had lifetimes to do it and yet here I am. I’m still alive and there you are, you’re still haunting me after 145 years. Katherine is dead. And you hate me, because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, that is your humanity.
Damon: If that’s my humanity, than what’s this?

He then attacks and kills Mr. Tanner, forcing Stefan to reconsider.

Stefan: I thought there was hope. That somewhere deep inside, something in Damon was still human, normal. But I was wrong. There’s nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness, no love. Only a monster… who must be stopped.

Then in the last scene we see Damon caress Elena’s face while she sleeps, and we realize Stefan was right and it’s love that keeps Damon human.

It’s his love for Stefan that keeps him from killing his brother, though it doesn’t keep him from making his life miserable as he said in the pilot: "I promised you an eternity of misery, so I’m just keeping my word." The question now is does Damon see Elena as Katherine or was he moved by Elena’s consideration of his loss of Katherine?

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Narrator: So, I don’t know why anyone would miss an episode of Glee, but here’s what’s been happening in case you did.

There was a different and highly amusing previously at the beginning of this episode for the finale. Despite all the previous quibbles with recent episodes, including continuity issues stemming from apparently the last two episodes being switched, this episode seemed to go back to the beginning.

We’ve got Rachel and Finn getting on better ground after the recent Jessie incidents, ending with a kiss and starting the song that also started their relationship in the pilot, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. See, we even went full circle in their choice of song, even with changes such as Santana and Puck getting lines, and it was brilliant to go back to that with a Journey mashup.

At first it also seems like a rehash of the first competition at the midseason finale, maybe even using the same theater to film. But there’s also some new and different developments. This time around Sue is one of the judges, and it seems she’ll be the reason they lose. Yet, Sue is small fries amongst the judges, and the only one of the judges for our glee kids. And this time they don’t win, which I’m actually glad to see.

Yet, one thing has steadily changed, and grown, over the season, the sense of family the kids get out of glee club. One of the most poignant scenes of the season I feel is seeing all of them at the hospital with Quinn as she’s wheeled away to have her baby.

This is what Glee should be about over the music, with the show should focus more on it’s writing and development. I even liked the kids singing to Mr. Schue (‘To Sir, With Love’) and him singing back to them (‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’) at the end.

And it was just icing on the cake to see Rachel’s mother who never got a chance with her own daughter, and is finally ready to settle down, to adopt Quinn’s baby. It’s actually kind of perfect. It was a bit odd to have ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ inter-cut with the birth, but I suppose it worked.

So well done Glee. I’m not happy with you yet, but this episode was actually kind of a step up. Well, if I ignore some little things that bothered me, such as Quinn’s mother reappearing after being gone most of the season just because her husband had an affair.

There are high school relationships, friend relationships, romantic relationships, family relationships, and most importantly the sense of mystery the show is going to milk as much as it can. Think Desperate Housewives meets Gossip Girl. I call it soap opera with a twist. It’s definitely not Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Also, like other ensemble shows there’s a character for everyone. There’s the sporty one, the overachiever, the normal one, the pretty one, etc. We’re crossing all the lines with this show, too and lots of setup for the rest of the season. We’ve got a lesbian relationship in the making, a student-teacher relationship, and suggestions of infidelity and teenage drama.

The show still has room to grow, but it’s good enough for some light mysterious summer fare.

That said, there’s always one character in each show that constantly gets screwed over. In this one I think it’s Caroline. She’s always second to Elena, in life, in love, and when she gets a guy it’s an evil blood sucking vamp aka Damon. That sucks, literally.

Then, there’s Matt who is a total sweetheart next to his sister Vicki. He gets a lot of crap also, starting with his losing Elena to Stefan, and yet, he still manages to be a total sweetheart to everyone, even Stefan. I love how we’ll see the friendship between Matt and Stefan continue to grow throughout the season.

Tyler: Oh look, there’s Elena and her new boyfriend. And what are they doing? Oh they’re walking, walking, walking, look they’re walking right into the sunset.

We also have the beginnings of the Bonnie and Stefan relationship, and her witchy powers, in this episode. I’d forgotten their storyline started way back at the beginning. Another thing I like about this show, the fields are all prepped early on for the sowing later. How’s that as a metaphor for you?

Then, the most important relationship of all doesn’t even involve Elena, but Stefan and Damon. Each episode we get more backstory as to why they hate each other and what’s up with Katherine. It’s like Damon was created just to annoy Stefan, and isn’t that what siblings are for? That and sharing, since Stefan and Damon share everything, including girls, right? Well, Katherine anyway.

Damon: Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul, so many… adjectives.

Damon: I’m sorry, Elena. I know what it’s like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we’ve ever cared about die.
Stefan: We don’t need to get into that right now, Damon.
Damon: Oh, you know what, you’re right, Stef. I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up.

Stefan: They are people, Damon. She’s not a puppet, she doesn’t exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to.
Damon: Sure, she does. They all do. They’re whatever I want them to do. They’re mine for the taking.

Which brings me to one of my favorite moments when Elena realized both Damon and Stefan dated Katherine. Then, her saying ‘I’m sorry’ to Damon cause ‘you lost her, too’ , the expression on his face was the best. The first human moment Damon has had since he arrived.

Of course, their friendly status doesn’t last long as Damon has to try and kiss her just to screw with Stefan. Thank goodness Stefan had already given her the vervain necklace.

Elena: Let’s get one thing straight, I am not Katherine.

It’s my theory that Damon never gave himself over to the monster within.

Stefan: There must be a shred of humanity left inside my brother, somewhere, I keep hoping, but how do I make him see it? And how do I protect her?

But Damon doesn’t want anyone to see him as weak, so he does everything he can to prove his human side doesn’t exist.

Stefan: Because deep down inside there is a part of you, that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you. That you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be.
Damon: Who’s pretending?
Stefan: Then kill me.
Damon: Well, I’m – I’m tempted.
Stefan: No, you’re not, you’ve had lifetimes to do it and yet here I am. I’m still alive and there you are, you’re still haunting me after 145 years. Katherine is dead. And you hate me, because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, that is your humanity.
Damon: If that’s my humanity, than what’s this?

He then attacks and kills Mr. Tanner, forcing Stefan to reconsider.

Stefan: I thought there was hope. That somewhere deep inside, something in Damon was still human, normal. But I was wrong. There’s nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness, no love. Only a monster… who must be stopped.

Then in the last scene we see Damon caress Elena’s face while she sleeps, and we realize Stefan was right and it’s love that keeps Damon human.

It’s his love for Stefan that keeps him from killing his brother, though it doesn’t keep him from making his life miserable as he said in the pilot: "I promised you an eternity of misery, so I’m just keeping my word." The question now is does Damon see Elena as Katherine or was he moved by Elena’s consideration of his loss of Katherine?

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

new

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, disinfection
then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Breast
Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Narrator: So, I don’t know why anyone would miss an episode of Glee, but here’s what’s been happening in case you did.

There was a different and highly amusing previously at the beginning of this episode for the finale. Despite all the previous quibbles with recent episodes, including continuity issues stemming from apparently the last two episodes being switched, this episode seemed to go back to the beginning.

We’ve got Rachel and Finn getting on better ground after the recent Jessie incidents, ending with a kiss and starting the song that also started their relationship in the pilot, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. See, we even went full circle in their choice of song, even with changes such as Santana and Puck getting lines, and it was brilliant to go back to that with a Journey mashup.

At first it also seems like a rehash of the first competition at the midseason finale, maybe even using the same theater to film. But there’s also some new and different developments. This time around Sue is one of the judges, and it seems she’ll be the reason they lose. Yet, Sue is small fries amongst the judges, and the only one of the judges for our glee kids. And this time they don’t win, which I’m actually glad to see.

Yet, one thing has steadily changed, and grown, over the season, the sense of family the kids get out of glee club. One of the most poignant scenes of the season I feel is seeing all of them at the hospital with Quinn as she’s wheeled away to have her baby.

This is what Glee should be about over the music, with the show should focus more on it’s writing and development. I even liked the kids singing to Mr. Schue (‘To Sir, With Love’) and him singing back to them (‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’) at the end.

And it was just icing on the cake to see Rachel’s mother who never got a chance with her own daughter, and is finally ready to settle down, to adopt Quinn’s baby. It’s actually kind of perfect. It was a bit odd to have ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ inter-cut with the birth, but I suppose it worked.

So well done Glee. I’m not happy with you yet, but this episode was actually kind of a step up. Well, if I ignore some little things that bothered me, such as Quinn’s mother reappearing after being gone most of the season just because her husband had an affair.

There are high school relationships, friend relationships, romantic relationships, family relationships, and most importantly the sense of mystery the show is going to milk as much as it can. Think Desperate Housewives meets Gossip Girl. I call it soap opera with a twist. It’s definitely not Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Also, like other ensemble shows there’s a character for everyone. There’s the sporty one, the overachiever, the normal one, the pretty one, etc. We’re crossing all the lines with this show, too and lots of setup for the rest of the season. We’ve got a lesbian relationship in the making, a student-teacher relationship, and suggestions of infidelity and teenage drama.

The show still has room to grow, but it’s good enough for some light mysterious summer fare.

That said, there’s always one character in each show that constantly gets screwed over. In this one I think it’s Caroline. She’s always second to Elena, in life, in love, and when she gets a guy it’s an evil blood sucking vamp aka Damon. That sucks, literally.

Then, there’s Matt who is a total sweetheart next to his sister Vicki. He gets a lot of crap also, starting with his losing Elena to Stefan, and yet, he still manages to be a total sweetheart to everyone, even Stefan. I love how we’ll see the friendship between Matt and Stefan continue to grow throughout the season.

Tyler: Oh look, there’s Elena and her new boyfriend. And what are they doing? Oh they’re walking, walking, walking, look they’re walking right into the sunset.

We also have the beginnings of the Bonnie and Stefan relationship, and her witchy powers, in this episode. I’d forgotten their storyline started way back at the beginning. Another thing I like about this show, the fields are all prepped early on for the sowing later. How’s that as a metaphor for you?

Then, the most important relationship of all doesn’t even involve Elena, but Stefan and Damon. Each episode we get more backstory as to why they hate each other and what’s up with Katherine. It’s like Damon was created just to annoy Stefan, and isn’t that what siblings are for? That and sharing, since Stefan and Damon share everything, including girls, right? Well, Katherine anyway.

Damon: Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul, so many… adjectives.

Damon: I’m sorry, Elena. I know what it’s like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we’ve ever cared about die.
Stefan: We don’t need to get into that right now, Damon.
Damon: Oh, you know what, you’re right, Stef. I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up.

Stefan: They are people, Damon. She’s not a puppet, she doesn’t exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to.
Damon: Sure, she does. They all do. They’re whatever I want them to do. They’re mine for the taking.

Which brings me to one of my favorite moments when Elena realized both Damon and Stefan dated Katherine. Then, her saying ‘I’m sorry’ to Damon cause ‘you lost her, too’ , the expression on his face was the best. The first human moment Damon has had since he arrived.

Of course, their friendly status doesn’t last long as Damon has to try and kiss her just to screw with Stefan. Thank goodness Stefan had already given her the vervain necklace.

Elena: Let’s get one thing straight, I am not Katherine.

It’s my theory that Damon never gave himself over to the monster within.

Stefan: There must be a shred of humanity left inside my brother, somewhere, I keep hoping, but how do I make him see it? And how do I protect her?

But Damon doesn’t want anyone to see him as weak, so he does everything he can to prove his human side doesn’t exist.

Stefan: Because deep down inside there is a part of you, that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you. That you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be.
Damon: Who’s pretending?
Stefan: Then kill me.
Damon: Well, I’m – I’m tempted.
Stefan: No, you’re not, you’ve had lifetimes to do it and yet here I am. I’m still alive and there you are, you’re still haunting me after 145 years. Katherine is dead. And you hate me, because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, that is your humanity.
Damon: If that’s my humanity, than what’s this?

He then attacks and kills Mr. Tanner, forcing Stefan to reconsider.

Stefan: I thought there was hope. That somewhere deep inside, something in Damon was still human, normal. But I was wrong. There’s nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness, no love. Only a monster… who must be stopped.

Then in the last scene we see Damon caress Elena’s face while she sleeps, and we realize Stefan was right and it’s love that keeps Damon human.

It’s his love for Stefan that keeps him from killing his brother, though it doesn’t keep him from making his life miserable as he said in the pilot: "I promised you an eternity of misery, so I’m just keeping my word." The question now is does Damon see Elena as Katherine or was he moved by Elena’s consideration of his loss of Katherine?

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.

And I did like seeing Mike Chang get a song focused on him, but I still wish it could have been Artie dancing with Tina in the end.

This week’s episode is what last week’s episode of Fringe should have been. Count me in as someone who enjoys the mythology of the alternate universe. Fascinating. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on, too.

Automated Tour: Midtown quarantine. Fringe Event 89722. An unstable wormhole at the Madison Square Garden that would not close was quarantined by Fringe Division in 1999. Due to recent legal developments, the 10,000 citizens encased in quarantine amber have been recently ruled legally dead.

One of the critiques on Olivia is she’s so stoic and reserved most of the time, but I like how she’s changed since the season finale last year and all this season. Anna Torv and Olivia has definitely grown on me since the show began. I love that she’s getting to play such a different character in Bolivia (ew.) and spreading her acting chops.

Bolivia: What’s she like?
Peter: Who?
Bolivia: Me.
Peter: She’s a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She’s always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess. (pauses) Maybe she’s nothing like you at all.

Bolivia: You keep your backup gun in your purse, huh? I keep mine in my jacket.

I’m sad we’ll no longer get to see William Bell anymore. I loved all the drama between him and Walter and all the problems they crated. However, being disintegrated in order to get your best friend back to his universe is a good way to die.

Bell: We’ve accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.

Peter and Olivia. I’m not really on the bandwagon yet, but I have to say they must hold the record for fastest kiss between partners. We had to wait 7 years for X-Files, 3 years for Bones, and only two years for Fringe? Fans are just getting less and less patient, eh?

Peter: How long did you know?
Olivia: A few weeks. Peter, I…
Peter: …don’t worry. I’m not gonna let them do this.
Olivia: I don’t think that he can. I mean, not without you. Peter… you don’t belong here.
Peter: No, I don’t belong here. But I don’t belong there, either.
Olivia: Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters, to take care of Walter, to — to save the world. But in the end… you have to come back. Because you belong with me.

Did I mention that I love William Bell?

Bell: (retrieves weapon from car) I supplied Fringe Division with the ‘76 model. (shoots a vehicle and it explodes) This is the ‘77.

I’m so glad Walter and Peter are going to be able to work things out. Walter still not off the hook of course, but it’s understandable after what he did that Peter is not ready to completely forgive him. At least it’s better than what Walternate, Peter’s real dad, was going to do to him just to stick it to our universe.

Walter: Peter… you are back now, aren’t you? You’re,you’re not leaving again?
Peter: I’m trying to see this your way, Walter. I can’t. But… you did cross universes twice to save my life. So that’s gotta count for something, right?
Walter: Thank you, Peter. (Peter leaves) My son.

And at least the real Olivia didn’t get blown to bitsies. Walternate is an ass for locking up our Olivia, and replacing her with an impostor. How long do you think it’ll be before anyone notices? Do you think it’ll be Peter? All I know is it should be an interesting season three.

These are my favorite types of Stargate Universe episodes, the MOTW ones that bring character development, but are also pure escapism. Unless the mythology is really interesting or good, then I’d just rather have these kinds of episodes. Still, it took me a little while to realize what was going on with everyone until I remembered the summary I’d read for this episode and it all clicked.

I’m so glad Matt wasn’t really sleeping with what’s-her-face. (He wasn’t right, right?) I also found it interesting to see Rush’s greatest fear as the aliens running amuck on the ship. Turns out Chloe wasn’t the one most affected by the encounter. Speaking of Chloe, so sad to see her greatest fear is having and losing her dad again. I did love seeing Matt, Chloe, and Eli together again though and supporting each other. OT3!

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion

Unlike the previous episode, I wasn’t really feeling this one. Even the returns of Daniel Jackson and General O’Neill weren’t enough to get me in. It’s kind of been a while since the season premiere when we last saw the Lucian Alliance, and we’ve been more involved in discovering what’s out there, so it was jarring to have the Alliance come back now with bigger and greater plans. It appears they’re here to stay though, so I better get on board soon.

I did like finding out Telford was a mole, cause I dislike him just as much as Young. It’s also always nice to see Rush vulnerable and having a different role than antagonist. And even though I dread cliffhangers, I love how we’ve had so many lately. It just means the action is revving up for the long haul with the two-part season finale coming up. I know the fans wanting more SG1 style action were probably loving this episode though.

Gossip Girl (s3ep22): Last Tango, then Paris
★★★

In the third-season finale, Blair must make a decision about her future with Chuck. Meanwhile, a post on Gossip Girl about Dan causes problems for Nate and Serena; Georgina returns to town; and things go from bad to worse for Jenny.

Glee (s1ep19): Dream On
★★★★

Will’s high-school rival (Neil Patrick Harris) shows up and causes trouble for the glee club. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles with a longstanding personal problem; and Artie’s dream leads to an adventure.

V (2009) (s1ep12): Red Sky
★★★

Season one ends as a V soldier pursues Val, and her water breaks; Erica goes on the offensive by securing a dinner invitation for her and Tyler on the mothership.

Flash Forward (s1ep21): The Countdown
★★★

Mark continues interrogating Hellinger about the next blackout; Demetri chooses between helping Janis and Simon break into NLAP or turning Simon over to the FBI; a conflicted Nicole ponders what would happen if she informed Bryce of Keiko’s whereabouts.

Fringe (s2ep23): Over There, Part 2
★★★★

In the conclusion of the second-season finale, Olivia and Walter’s mission to the other side continues, with the fate of both universes and some key individuals very much up in the air.

Stargate Universe (s1ep16): Pain
★★★

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Stargate Universe (s1ep17): Subversion
★★★

Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Am I the only one still not ready to see Blair forgive Chuck? Even though they’ve both constantly played games with and against each other, this last time I think it just went too far. I mean he was pimping out his girl for a hotel. I don’t think Chuck has adequately apologized enough for that yet. And his grand gesture of her meeting him at the Empire State Building if she still loves him isn’t it. It surprises me to see anyone wanting them to get back together already.

Dorota: Blair loves the Empire State Building. Even though she doesn’t want to, and she should just admit it and make all our lives easier.

I am happy to see some forward movement again to Dan and Serena. It’s about time something happens between them again, even if it was just sleeping in the same bed and an unseen kiss. Clearly, there’s still underlying feelings there if they’re both supposed to be with other people and keeping getting drawn together. Besides, Serena is right she needs time to be single and figure things out first, but her being the one to let Nate go after her kiss with Dan was priceless.

Serena: Do we have to tell anyone?
Dan: Not on your life. No. I mean, there’s no reason to explode our whole world just for some… meaningless kiss between old friends.
Serena: Whatever this was, it’s just between us. So, it’s not like we can’t keep that safe. Call me if you need anything.
Dan: Okay. All right. Bye. (almost kiss again) That was a mistake. It was completely random. It was gravity.

I also don’t understand Blair’s big deal with Jenny sending a picture of Dan and Serena to Gossip Girl. Yes, it was probably wrong to do, but she acts as if none of them have ever sent pictures to Gossip Girl before. There’s always been drama going on between everyone and Gossip Girl since the beginning of the show. This is no different to me.

Dan: Blair, say life is giving you signs, and you’re ignoring them because you’re afraid of the thing they’re signaling you to do. But… but then you think, what if these signs are here for a reason and… and ignoring them just makes me a coward?
Blair: Signs are for the religious the superstitious and the lower class. I don’t believe in them and neither should you. (sees Empire State Building) Damn you, Chuck Bass. Damn you to hell.
Dan: Why… when did we start talking about Chuck Bass?

I know Chuck’s the reformed bad-boy, but, as I said, I think he really still has a lot of issues to work out. By the time Blair finally believes the signs and arrives late to meet him at the Empire State Building, because of Dorota having her baby, he’s already slept with Jenny and taken her virginity. Jenny of all people. Granted it’s of course half Jenny’s fault, Jenny has been OOC all season anyway, but Chuck really should have known better. Still, there’s probably a lot of Jenny hate going on right now.

Gossip Girl: Then again, maybe you should guard your heart. Dorota’s water might not be the only thing breaking tonight.

Chuck (to Jenny): The world you’re looking at only exists from the outside. The only reason I survive in it is that I always knew it was empty.

Then, there’s everyone else finding out. It’s nice to see Dan stand up for his sister, but heartbreaking to see Blair’s realization of what happened between chuck and Jenny. And Rufus and Lily coming into the conversation completely unaware: “I have enough bagels to feed…what did I just walk into?” What a clusterfuck.

So, Blair saw the signs and they didn’t work out for her, instead she’s escaping to Paris with Serena, which I’m glad to see the BFFs support each other again. Dan saw the signs and was halfway to booking a ticket to Paris to go after Serena, but it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him either. Georgina comes in with the news she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby. For real? As a regular but casual viewer, I can’t even remember when they slept together.

Even though I think Blair shouldn’t forgive Chuck, and he was all ready to propose to her before everyone found out about Jenny, I felt really bad for him at the end when he wouldn’t give up the engagement ring he still held with him to the muggers. (He was in Paris, right?) Poor Chuck, it took seasons for him to admit he’s in love with Blair, and now it’s going to take even longer to fall back out of love.

Gossip Girl: But if we hold onto the past too tight, the future may never come.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Glee all season, but when you put together two evil masterminds, Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris, you’re bound to get something good. This is probably one of my favorite episodes of Glee so far.

Barring continuity issues that contradict previous episodes, which the show does often anyway, the writing was stellar and each of three stories flowed beautifully and with purpose. The directing from Joss Whedon was also to perfection with a lot of pretty angles, closeups, and wide shots.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome as Bryan Ryan, and he stole every scene with his sarcastic dry humor. There seemed to be an inkling of Dr. Horrible behind the bitter former glee club member who has taken it upon himself to disillusion everyone else’s dreams.

Bryan: Then, something amazing happened: I was introduced to Jesus…he was my Honduran social worker. I straightened up, put down the pipe, met the love of my life Wilma, and now I run a successful used Hummer dealership. Don’t make that face — global warming’s a theory.

Bryan: Can’t feed a child sheet music, Will. I mean, I suppose you could for a while, but they’d be dead in a month.

Bryan: I have a box of Playbills hidden away in my basement, Will… like porn.

Bryan: Sue, you’re an impressive woman. I can’t tell you how much you turn me on right now. You ever heard of the term, “anger sex”?
Sue: It’s the only kind I know, Bryan.
Bryan: I should tell you I’m married.
Sue: Not a problem for me.
Bryan: And I’m still cutting half your budget.
Sue: Eh, you win some, you lose some.
Bryan: Should I lock the door?
Sue: No. Got a secret room upstairs — like Letterman.

I loved the showdown between Bryan and Mr. Schu singing ‘Dream On’ for a part in the play. I totally think Bryan was better and should have won that part, but hearing him sing just made me excited again for Dr. Horrible II. Oh, and when Bryan lost the lead part to Mr. Schu, and was later practicing his one line of “Hooray!”. Hilarious.

I also think it’s very telling how Mr. Schu gave up his lead to Bryan in the end for his new dream, the glee club. Or maybe he’s giving up his dream so the glee club can have theirs. Hm.

Jessie helps Rachel achieve her dream of finding out about her mother. It’s nice, because this whole quest brings some sympathetic layers to her character, while still preserving that classic Rachel ego we’ve come to know and love.

Rachel (on her mother): What if she’s singing on the tape? What if she’s terrible? Or worse — what if she’s better than me?

Shelby turns out to be her mother, in a twist pretty much everyone saw coming. It’s nice to know Jessie has good, albiet ulterior motives, for dating Rachel rather than just a school rivalry. I’ve also softened a bit towards the Jessie and Rachel relationship, even though Finn is still leading the way in my heart.

Jessie (to Rachel): You singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in front of a sold-out crowd isn’t a fantasy. It’s an inevitability.

The duet of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ between Lea and Indina as mother daughter singing their hearts out was also probably the best vocal performance the show has offered so far. Artie and Tina were so cute with her supporting his dancing dreams, even going so far as looking up scientific fact behind his paralysis for him. I know we were all hoping he’d be able to walk again, but I think the fact he never will speaks to an even greater message. We needs to focus on the dreams we can achieve rather than become disillusioned by the ones out of reach.

Tina: If you can imagine it, it can come true.