Glee (s2ep01): Audition
★★★
Season 2 begins with more budget cuts looming and the glee kids reeling from their loss at Regionals. There are new members to recruit, ampoule but Rachel and Finn don’t see eye to eye on them. Meanwhile, recuperation McKinley High has a new football coach, Shannon Beiste (Dot Marie Jones).

The Vampire Diaries (s2ep03): Bad Moon Rising
★★★★
Elena, Damon and Alaric travel to Duke University to research Isobel’s past and her studies in paranormal phenomena. Meanwhile, Stefan faces a terrifying new danger in the woods, and Tyler learns a surprising secret about his uncle Mason.

Nikita (s01ep03): Kill Jill
★★★
Nikita is hurt while rescuing a journalist who is trying to reveal Division’s link to a large plane crash. Meanwhile, Michael and Percy zero in on Birkhoff as Nikita’s mole and have Amanda interrogate him.

Fringe (s3ep01): Olivia
★★★
In the third-season premiere, Olivia struggles to free herself from the alternate universe, while her auburn-haired counterpart works alongside the oblivious Peter and Walter.

Baze: Alright kiddo, whoever you’re all pretty for is one lucky kid.

Last week, Cate and Baze were fired, both literally and figuratively. This week it’s a bit of a filler episode as they’re both in will they or won’t they get a new job mode. Speaking of will they or won’t they, I kept waiting for Baze to realize Ryan’s sister, Paige, was his bartender he slept with last week. What makes it even more amusing, "Ryan in a dress doesn’t do it for me." Unfortunately for you Baze, you already did.

And Lux seems to have copied her dad’s interet in out of towners as she too has a new love interest, Eric, a teacher at her school. After kissing him, before knowing he was a teacher, last week, this week’s she’s wearing a dress to school. To what? Get his attention? And Baze even accidentally condones it. Lucky for him Eric doesn’t seem interested anyway.

Baze: She just got cann…
Cate: …cer.

I love that whenever Lux is in trouble Baze and Cate come together as parents. They banter like an old married couple though. And I can’t believe Lux is failing, I’m sure she’s just not applying herself. I mean, Cate is right: "You have academic in your blood…counteract the dumbass from Blaze." Oh, and getting Baze and/or Cate to do Career Day? This is going to be priceless.

Ryan: I vote for the one that has nothing to do with not having sex…or are we not having sex again anyway?

I’m starting to wonder if anyone even cared about Cate in the Cate and Ryan show. No one seems to care about giving her a show at an hour that isn’t 2am. And I feel the same way as Cate, wondering why didn’t Ryan stand up for her? Why did he not quit, too? And then he tries to get her a job at the same place she was just fired, but for less money. Embarrassing much? I guess I appreciate the sentiment and the effort, but really?

Lux: Do you know what I keep thinking about? That night. You can say what you want, but to me, it was real.
Eric: Lux, it was real.

I’m reluctant to say I actually like this Eric and Lux relationship. I know it can never last, I mean she’s only 16. And I really don’t want to root for a doomed, or illegal, ship. But I do kind of like it. I’m glad they went somewhere to talk about what happened though, because at the least things needed to be resolved. But he is leading Lux on by admitting the feelings were mutual.

Baze: I think showing up at an all woman’s gym speaks for itself.

Baze is growing up, guys! When this whole episode started I didn’t think he’d be able to get a job. I mean, really, who talks personal business in the elevator at their place of possible employment? But I’m glad to say he really gave it his all for this job, including harassing our very own Emma Caulfield at the gym for it. Also, welcome back to tv, Anya!

Ryan: I want to feel like she’s my kid, too.

OMG, Just when Ryan I’m not loving him as much, he turns it around. He totally saved career day, inspired Baze, and fixed his marriage with Cate. I’m glad they resolved that storyline and explained why Ryan didn’t quit his job in case of less money, a different city, etc. And I’m with him on Lux, he really should be able to get more involved. I mean him and Cate are married now.

Baze: Oh my God! Fire girl!

Baze then gets his inspiration on with Lux. Too bad it works against him, and Lux decides to cheat instead to maintain the status quo set by her parents. Everyone is excited, everyone is doing well, but it’s all a lie. Oh, and best part, Baze finally meets Paige. OMG, that face.

Rachel: Listen Sunshine, we need chorus members. People to stand behind me and stare at me with wet, moved eyes while I sing solos.

The first possible member is Sunshine who Rachel sings Telephone with in the bathroom, my favorite of the episode along with New York. But unfortunately Rachel ends up being insecure and sending her to a crackhouse, so she moves to Vocal Adrenaline instead. Then, there’s the guy with the huge mouth who does ‘Billionare’ and it’s not bad.

Sue: Female football coach, like a male nurse? Sin against nature.

Then there’s the new football coach, who is one manly woman, and is responsible for the new glee and chearleading budget cuts. I like that she can take care of herself and standing up to Sue, but at the same time she has a softer side. I also loved the shenanigans against Sue and Will got into against her. But I’m glad Will finally realized what he was doing was wrong.

I’m sad she kicked Finn off the team, but if that’s the way to get him a new storyline then so be it. And Quinn is back on the cheerleading squad!

Tina: You ignored me for weeks this summer.
Artie: I was playing a marathon game of Halo, woman.

There’s also Tina who is now dating Mike while Artie pines away in the background. I’m not sure what to make of it. After all that development last season it feels like they just dropped it with this new season. Granted, I guess they haven’t let it go completely if they’re noting it. And it did make for amusing material as Artie tried to get on the football team to win Tina back.

Rachel: I’d never break up with you.
Finn: Me neither.

And then my personal favorite is Rachel and Finn. Rachel really comes out this week as the overcontrolling person we all knew she could be. I figured poor Finn wouldn’t be able to take Rachel forever. But it turns out there’s something more there as by the end of the episode they both realize they can’t be apart. Their last scene was my favorite of the episode. And Rachel has a cute new hair cut.

Damon: Ric, we need to know what we’re dealing with.  If this wolfman thing is true, I’ve seen enough movies to know that it’s not good.  It means Mason Lockwood is a real life Lon Chaney, and that little Tyler punk just may be Lon Chaney, Jr.  Which means Bela Lugosi, meaning me, is totally screwed

We were teased all last season with a possibility of werewolves in the Lockwood family. Finally, we get to find out exactly what’s up with the town that has vampires and werewolves. Oh, and amusing anecdote of the week, the show finally acknowledges it’s southern roots: the old lockwood property was slaves.

Jenna: Uh, no, don’t do that.  Not the half-maybe-apology-hope-for-the-future thing.

Alaric is finally back from AWOL, and even better is he’s joining Damon and Elena on a road trip to Isobel’s alma mater. I love seeing Alaric and Damon together as partners in crime. Besides that, I’m just glad Alaric is back in the mix at all. I’d even forgotten about the whole Alaric/Jenna ship until now.

Stefan: Look, I’m not going to let the fact that Damon is going keep you from an opportunity to get some answers.” 
Elena: You hate it though. 
Stefan: I hate it.
Elena: I love you too.

Stefan/Elena are still as cute as ever as she asks him if it bothers him that she’s going with Damon and Alaric. Of course it does, silly. But Stefan takes it like a champ and knows Elena needs to know if there’s information out there about Katherine. Plus, we got that oh so hot kiss as Elena rubs it in Damon’s face when he gets a little too snide with the innuendos.

Stefan: No, we’re not making it easier for her.  We’re just giving her the chance to survive. Look, every day that she’s cut off from her old life, from you, from Elena, from Matt, it will make it that much harder for her to hold onto her humanity.
Bonnie: And how do you know that she won’t hurt anyone else?
Stefan: I don’t.  But if we don’t do everything we can to help her, or at least trust the fact that she can keep it together, we might as well stake her right now.
Bonnie: I don’t know if I can trust her.  Not with this.
Stefan: Then trust me.

Meanwhile, Caroline is having difficulties dealing with her life as vampire. For someone who loved being a part of the world, she’s now sadly on the outside looking in. Loved the whole scene when Matt came to the door and she couldn’t cross over the light to get to him. Luckily, Stefan convinces Bonnie to be non-irritating for just long enough to make Caroline a daytime ring. But oh Stefan, again with the promises?

Caroline: And now you want me to eat bunnies, and I’m kind of freaking out right now. And now you’re laughing at me.
Stefan: No, no, I’m not laughing.  None of this is funny, trust me.  It’s just that when someone becomes a vampire, all of their natural behaviors get sort of…amplified.
Caroline: What do you mean?
Stefan: I mean, as a human, I cared deeply for people, how they felt.  If they were hurting, I felt their pain and I felt guilty if I was the one that caused it.  And as a vampire, all that got magnified.
Caroline: So now you’re saying that now I’m basically an insecure neurotic control freak on crack?

Elsewhere, Stefan stays behind from road tripping to watch over Caroline and teach her the ways of the vamp. Cuteness ensues as Stefan explains whoever you were as a human is magnified as a vamp. I know a lot of people are shipping them already, and while I think they’re cute together, I’m not one of them.

Vanessa: The short story: 600 years ago, the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires.  They terrorized the countryside, made farming and hunting impossible.  Until an Aztec shaman cursed them, making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves servants of the moon.  As a result, vampires could only prowl at night, and werewolves could only turn on a full moon.  When the full moon crests in the sky, whoever’s unlucky enough to fall under the werewolf curse turns into a wolf.

Back in roadtrip-vlle, Vanessa shows them to Isobel’s research and mentions her major in comparative folklore. Wouldn’t that be a cool major? After she shoots Elena with a crossbow, and misses thanks to Damon, she let’s us in on the deal of werewolves vs. vampires. Natural enemies. Can kill vampires. Dun, dun, dun.

Caroline: Why are you looking at him with your serious vampire look? I mean, it’s different from your worried vampire look. Neither of which stray too far from your ‘Hey, it’s Tuesday’ look.

More cuteness ensues, between Stefan and Caroline. Plus, Caroline as a vampire means just more Caroline in general. And more of Stefan’s smile. It’s a win-win for me.

Matt: I’m not kidding. I’m not gonna put up with the drama.
Caroline: No, no more drama.

The moment someone promises no drama, is when drama happens. Caroline is trying to make nice with Matt, but werewolves are afoot. We don’t actually see a transformation, but we do get to see the end result. I’m just glad there’s no CGI if they can’t do it 100%. Instead we get some beautiful cinematography.

Caroline: I shouldn’t be with him, should I?
Stefan: I’m the last person to make that kind of decision for you. I mean, if I followed my own advice, I would’ve walked away from Elena a long time ago.
Caroline: Do you ever think you should have? 
Stefan: I know I should have. I just can’t.

I was really not expecting Caroline to actually bite Matt, and on the wrist and neck, too. I’m not sure what else they should have done, but compelling never ends well. It was sad to see Caroline be stronger than Stefan, and actually break up with Matt. I think she just needs more time and then those crazy kids will get back together.

Damon: No. No, I didn’t. Katherine really pissed me off, and I snapped and … I got lucky with the ring. And I don’t know what I would have done if he wasn’t wearing it. Elena, I’m sorry.
Elena: Thank you for being honest with me. And the answer to your question about our friendship is yes, you have lost me forever.
Damon: But you knew that already, didn’t you? You used me today.
Elena: You had information about Katherine that I needed to know.
Damon: I thought friends don’t manipulate friends. You and Katherine have a lot more in common than just your looks.

I know Damon was really seeking forgiveness in this episode from Elena, but he had to know that admitting he did intend to kill Jeremy would get him the opposite. I appreciate the sincerety from Damon, but I’m not sure how Elena will ever get over it.

Katherine: We’re going to have so much fun together.

Dun, dun. After being MIA last week, it’s welcome back Katherine. Is she going to force Caroline or will she do it on her own? What’ll happen next?

I also didn’t think I’d be enjoying these episodic missions, but I do like the way they combine them with a bit of characterization, mythology, and flashbacks.

Percy: The last thing we need is another recruit finding their inner-Nikita.

I love seeing these flashbacks into how Nikita trained her to gather intel from Division. Jayden sure is annoying, but at least she served her purpose in getting Alex to the window.

I also love that Nikita was smart enough to have had a plan when she kidnapped Birkhoff and planted a listening device in his teeth.

Birkhoff: Great. Psychobabble. How much are you charging for this session?

Even better, we also get to see a little bit of Amanda at work on Birkhoff. And really, he should know better than to mock her. I think he learned his lesson for the next time, yeah?

Percy: If we give them a full profile it will invariably prompt the full moral debate about the target being a good person.

They’re going to start to notice when Alex aces all of their tests. I like that she’s proving to abe a top student, but soon it’ll begin to be suspicious. I thought it was a nice twist too, that they gave them an assignment that was legit and told them it was a test. Ouch.

Michael: The more you try to do this, the more you hurt yourself.
Nikita: Michael, you have no idea how much pain I can take.

Nikita vs. Michael. More UST, more fighting, never gets old. I’m still not really interested in shipping them, but I do like their fighting and tension. We actually get to see them do hand to hand this week, too. Nikita, of course, wins.

Alex: What’s this?
Thom: A CD Player. They used to have them… you know, before MP3s.

There’s more Thom and Alex time, too. I’m still not really into them as a ‘ship, but I don’t detest it either. He’s cute with her.

I don’t think the show reached it’s peak potential yet, but I think each week it’s getting better.

Therapist: You think i’m trying to convince you you’re someone you’re not? Why would I do that?

After being held captive all summer, we’re finally back in the world, er, alt!world of Fringe. (And we even get a series recap to bring us all up to speed.) There’s no mention of how long Olivia has been there, but it’s long enough to look busted and sport new trendy track marks.

The other side fights dirty, and have been trying to make our Olivia believe she’s their Olivia. They really think they can use her to win the war, but lucky for us it hasn’t been working. Whatever happened to the Geneva Convention?

Olivia: Look, I know I sound insane. a little bit. I’m not who they say I am.

Olivia does manage to escape and hijack a cab from Henry, before discovering she’s also been branded with alt!Olivia’s tattoo. They’re really going all out to make her believe she belongs. But how would you even begin to convince someone you’re know who they think you are?

And what’s more, if you’re in a strange new world, "Manhatan", where do even go to get back home? Olivia is Dorothy in Oz, and now she has to follow the yellow brick road. First stop, the last place you remember going, the place where you arrived.

Henry: You’re a hell of a shot.
Olivia: No, actually, I’m not.

Oops, too bad, it’s been ambered. No getting out that way. Next stop? Massive Dynamic. Oops, they don’t exist in this world. Next? The loo at the local gas station to have a good cry. I called it as soon as they arrived, but my heart still broke for her. 

Just cause it needs to get much worse, they’re waiting for her outside the bathroom, forcing Olivia to make a perfect shot on a gas tank to get away. Wait, our Olivia, a perfect shot? Uh oh, something is happening. 

Mom: If I’m not your mom, and this isn’t your home, then how did you know to come here?

Where do you go when everything has gone to shits? Home to momma. Only problem is our Olivia’s mother is no longer alive, and Olivia shouldn’t even know where to find her alternate.

This brings us to the resolution, their memory transference is working and Olivia really is turning into their Olivia. Either that or she’s faking it. The cabbie watches as she gets taken away again. Will he be instrumental in saving her?

Peter: The whole time I was in there, there was only one thing I could think about.
Bolivia: Yeah what? (Peter then kisses Bolivia)
Peter: That.

Back in our world, Peter is explaining to our gov about what happened in the alt!world. He then joins Walter and Olivia outside, I mean alt!Olivia. Alt!Olivia really needs to step off Peter, ew. Just one thing I want to know, where did the zepellin from the alt!world go if it didn’t pop back up in our world?