Sunday, January 29, 2012

White Collar - 3.13 - Neighborhood Watch - Preview

Neighborhood Watch airs this Tuesday on USA Network 10/9 C.

I have to admit that I am completely biased about this episode. Mozzie is my favorite character on White Collar and my favorite partner for him is Elizabeth. Therefore, I went into this episode expecting great things and I wasn't disappointed. Neighborhood Watch starts with Peter geeking out about surveillance equipment. He accidentally leaves one of the pieces on when he heads to work and Elizabeth overhears a neighbor talking to someone else about a big pay day and avoiding more jail time. She tells Peter what she overheard but unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a crime at the time and place she tells him. Peter, Neal, Jones, and Diana dismiss it as nerves after being kidnapped by Keller. El is not as sure and elicits Mozzie's help to dig deeper. When they track the voice to a handsome new neighbor (Joe Manganiello of True Blood fame ), they see a gun and a duffle bag and decide they are on the right track. They eventually elicit Neal's skills with Peter the last to know to his great displeasure.

What really worked for me in this episode was Mozzie and Elizabeth playing off each other. It's obvious that Mozzie wants to be in El's good graces after the Keller debacle. "I'd normally let aspiring criminals do their thing, but for you I'll make an exception." However, I never expected a sort of role reversal that has Mozzie playing the more cautious one. El on a mission is quite determined and watching Mozzie try to keep up is fun. They also get the best lines. "It's definitely a Sig Sauer P227…or a Tony Award." Bwah! And no White Collar episodes would be complete without me learning something new. This episode - how to use a lock pick, stakeouts aren't just for deviled ham, Peter has serious tool issues, spousal immunity, and sex not only sells, it is handy in a getaway. Too bad the criminals never watched White Collar though. They are incredibly stupid. One other interesting note: This episode had a scene where I was genuinely nervous about a character's welfare. I love White Collar and think it has great plot arcs, but I rarely get my blood pressure up because I am worried about what will happen next on screen. This episode I did.

Highlights:

Best use of a pot - EVER!
Dr. Seuss - White Collar style
Elizabeth and Mozzie impersonate Peter and Neal
Good neighbor guerilla warfare
Neal gets nostalgic
Neal goes casual
Nick Halden returns
Operation Dinner Roll
The ending scene

Great lines:

"Are you going to bow to the will of the establishment?" - tied for my favorite line of the night
"Careful, this neighborhood's ripe with tetanus."
"Elizabeth is like a terrifying amalgamation of Danica Patrick and the Man from U.N.C.L.E."
"Even when Neal's not around, I end up eating dinner with grand larcenists."
"It's all good in my hood."
"Seriously? You are a bad influence." -tied for my favorite line of the night
"Stay here Moz. I need to save Elizabeth."
"That's the worst plan I've ever heard. Literally ever."
"They don't call me Mrs. Suit for nothing."
"Two dates a week? I'll have to take you ring shopping."
"When you make a rubbing at a strip club, your options are limited."
"You and your eye shadow may have cracked the case."
"You look like Wonder Woman."

Don't forget to watch this episode of White Collar at 10/9 C on USA Network this Tuesday.

Screencap by USA Network
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Monday, January 16, 2012

Supernatural - 1.01 - Pilot - Short Take

Note - Recaps take a really long time for me to write and quite frankly the Supernatural community tends to be contentious and whiny, making me less thrilled to post them. Therefore I've decided to switch gears. While I may do some recaps of new episodes, I will be working mostly on shorts of past episodes. Each short will include a brief synopsis of the episode, my favorite lines, and the best of usually small things that tend to get overlooked. They may or may not be important but they do stick out in my mind. Since I will be concentrating on what I like about an episode, this won't be a real critique. However, for my own purposes I will put a scorecard at the bottom to help me rank episodes. Feel free to add your favorite lines or little moments in the comments below. Unless you are going to whine…then mosey right on by.

Brief synopsis (including the ending):

Dean and Sam Winchester, two estranged brothers, team up to locate their missing father, John Winchester. Raised to fight the supernatural after the death of their mother, the brothers track John to Jericho, California where he was working a woman in white case. They successfully destroy the ghost but their father is nowhere to be found. Dean wants to continue to look for their dad but Sam has a law school interview. They split ways but when Sam goes in his apartment, he finds his girlfriend Jessica sliced on the ceiling. She bursts into flames just like Sam's mother did when he was 6 months old. The supernatural it seems has other plans for Sam Winchester. Thankfully, Dean is there to pull him out of the burning apartment.

Favorite scene: Jessica burning on the ceiling and Dean forcing Sam out of the room. No love triangles here.

It's in the small things:

First glimpse of Metallicar's trunk. She's awesome by exterior alone but add that trunk and she became legendary.

John says, "We're ALL in danger." I firmly believe this is why Dean went to get Sam. He would have said BOTH if he were just talking about himself and Dean.

That freaking bird ALWAYS makes me jump. ALWAYS. Even though I've seen this episode at least 100 times.

Sam steps on Dean's foot. Dean Gibbs-slaps Sam.

When they are questioning Amy outside, the brothers keep stepping into the other's space and tripping over the conversation. It's obvious they are out of practice because there is nothing smooth about this. Also, Sam's reaction when Dean introduces him as Sammy.

However, in the diner the brothers ay in tandem, "What do they talk about?" We get our first glimpse of the awesome Winchester team.

Sam pushes Dean's chair away from the computer. Dean: "Dude, you're such a control freak." Yep, they're brothers.

Dean silently freaks when the sheriff tosses John's journal on the table.

One paperclip and Dean's out of cuffs before the police even leave to respond to the 911 call.

Sam tells Constance that she can't kill him because he's never been unfaithful, establishing that Sam is a good guy.

Dean's reaction to Sam saying he needs to be at the law school interview instead of looking for John.

Jess leaves cookies with a Miss You post-it on them letting us know she's an awesome girlfriend.

Sam and Dean exchange looks over the MetalliTrunk. Sam nods briefly.


Top 5 lines:

5. Sam: "I swear man, you've gotta update your cassette tape collection." Dean: "Why?" Sam: "Well for one, they're cassette tapes."
4. Dean: "I can't do this alone." Sam: "Yes, you can." Dean: "Well I don't want to."
3. Dean: "You talking like misdemeanor kind of trouble or squeal like a pig kind of trouble?"
2. Dean: "House rules Sammy. Driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cake hole."
1. Dean: "No chick flick moments."


Other Lines:

Sam: "Cause we're not exactly the Brady s." Friend: "And I'm not exactly the Huxtables. More shots."
Dean: "Whoa. Easy tiger."
Dean: "I love the Smurfs. You know I got to tell you, you are completely out of my brother's league."
Sam: "So he's working overtime on the Miller time shift. He'll stumble back in sooner or later."
Dean: "Dad's on a hunting trip and he hasn't been home in a few days."
Dean: "I'm 26 dude."
Sam: "It's a law school interview and it's my whole future on a plate."
Sam: 'He's just deer hunting up at the cabin. He's probably got Jim, Jack, and Jose along with him."
Dean: "Yeah well, hunting ain't exactly a proball career."
Dean: "No sir, we were just leaving. Agent Mulder. Agent Scully."
Sam: "You smell like a toilet."
Dean: "You sly dogs."
Sam: "Jerk." Dean: "B**"
Dean: "Dude, 5-0. Take off."
Sheriff: "Boy you are officially a suspect." Dean: "That makes sense because when the first one went missing in '82, I was 3."
Sam: "I'm taking you home."
Sam: "What were you thinking shooting Casper in the face you freak?"
Dean: "I'll tell you another thing. If you screwed up my car, I'll kill you."
Dean: "Sam. You know we made a hell of a team back there."
Sam: "We've got work to do."

Episode Score = 3

Scorecard - Here's how the rankings break down in my scorecard.

1 = One of the best episodes in all of Supernatural, or in all of TV for that matter.
2 = A great episode when judged against other Supernatural episodes.
3 = A good Supernatural episode, which means it's better than almost anything else on TV
4 = A poor episode when judged against other SPN episodes, meaning still better than most TV.
5 = A bad episode, meaning only better than some TV

Monday, January 9, 2012

Supernatural - 7.11 - Adventures in Babysitting - Recap

Note: My biggest fear about this episode is that it would start another freefall into despair. Since it didn't, I'm one happy glamper. Sue me. I like Supernatural. I like season 7.

Previously we were Ridin' the Storm Out (with REO Speedwagon no less). LeviaCas reinterpreted the Creature from the Black Lagoon, things died, the Impala roared, spells went awry, Lucifer became scary, Sam went nuts, the warehouse scene rocked, Frank is nuts, Amy split the fandom, Mensa Monster was my favorite, the special effects budget went to Leviathans, Bobby was smart, Crowley stole the scene(s), Dick was, Bobby figured out LeviaPlan and got shot for it, Dean denied, "Idjits" became sad, and things forever changed on Supernatural (maybe). Have to say all the references to Sam's hellucinations give me hope this is all in his head. I love Denialand.

A smarmy voyeur guy watches a truck stop hooker try to seal the job and since I only care about Bobby right now, I'm impatient. Just die already. Probably Evil Waitress makes small talk as Voyeur leaves a tip to go after Hooker. Yeah, we get that Hooker is eeevvilllll so Voyeur becomes Probably Dead Hunter (PDH). Appropriately tense music plays as PDH walks around some trucks (And we're walking….) and runs into….Definitely Evil Waitress. PBH is "a little cobble wobble" (snickers) from the drug DEW slipped him. She's all cat eyes and fanged buck teeth. In other words awesome! She knocks him out. "That's for the cr***y tip." Ha! I like her. The title card explodes in LeviaGoo.

Week One - it sucked out loud. A sad oboe screeches as the brothers sit. And stare at walls. And don't look at each other. Even Sam's sideburns are melancholy. Week two - there's slow motion drinking and kitchen work. The numbers 45489 have been penciled over so many times they could bleed graphite. Sam's Adam's apple wavers as he finds Bobby's address book. The oboe reminds us we are still sad. Dean's clipboard reminds us we don't know what the numbers mean. Week Three - the oboe gets company and it's time for action. Knowing Supernatural fans, people are upset that Bobby's funeral pyre didn't make the cut, but I'm good with focused rage because a ticked off Winchester on a mission beats everything. Plus, no pyre means possible future Bobby sightings and I'm all for that. The usual wall of weird becomes the Dick Roman stalking board and Dean's taking notes. Sam is taking a beer and trying to delicately start a conversation about letting other people know Bobby's dead. Ouch! That's got to hurt. Both for the brothers and the confirmation it gives the fans. Dean skirts the issue by letting us know Frank is on the numbers case. "How along ago did I give Frank these numbers. I mean it's been a few weeks right? Is he nuts or is he just being rude?" Sam: "Probably both." Agreed Sam. Dean goes for the third option "a Leviathan ate his face." Dean wants to find Frank, Sam wants an answer about Bobby. Dean wants to know why they have to call but Sam rightly says that they are all Bobby had. Aww, Bobby, you and this show break my heart.

Luckily a phone rings ending this conversation. I once said I'd watch the Winchesters read the phone book but I'm not up for one-sided "he's dead" conversations. Dean refuses to answer Bobby's phone so it's Sam by default. Sorry Sammy. A teenage girl asks for Bobby and Sam can't bring himself to tell her he's dead. He calls himself a friend but she hangs up anyway. Dean wonders why "some kid" is calling Bobby. Somehow I don't think it's Girl Scout cookies. Sam agrees. He thinks she's a hunter's kid who needs help. Sam wants to find the girl first; Dean wants to find Frank. Dean: "Sam, Frank's been working on the numbers that Bobby spent his last breath on and you want to back burner that." And there's the confirmation. Bobby's officially dead. The fandom, okay me, weeps. I knew he was dead. I even somewhat accepted it. It still hurts. But Leviathans and other evils don't stop because my heart aches. Dean suggests they split up and while that always leads to unhappy fans, I think it's a good plan. Sam: "Fine, but you know what, on one condition. If Frank is just spinning his wheels, then you bail out on crazy and come meet me." Even better plan, Sam. Dean head nods and picks up an empty beer, which he accuses Sam of drinking. Nope, Sam has his own beer and accuses Dean of drinking it without remembering. I'd be suspicious without the plinking of "something big just happened" music in the background and Dean's genuinely puzzled face. Yep my friends, I think we've got a thirsty Bobby ghost on our hands and I for one am stoked about it. Here's to finding out in the next few episodes. Could ghost Bobby be the friend Sam meets in a future episode? We'll have to wait because…

Sam enters a monthly apartment rental that's a lot better than the motel John left his sons at in Something Wicked. Either PDH is much better at hustling pool or he has a lot less ammo to buy. Sam knocks, saying they talked on the phone. And the teen girl inside…alone….opens the door to a complete stranger. What? Back the reality truck up. NO WAY! I was a latch key kid and the first thing every latch key kid learns is never ever open that door. Not even for the neighbor. Scared Straight has nothing on parents about to leave their kids at home alone. Every kid knows the little chain on the door can't stop someone from coming in. Especially someone who stalked your phone number to your address. I know it's Sam but she doesn't and it's beyond creepy - missing dad or not. But Sam stuttering through telling her Bobby's dead stops my ranting. Aww baby. Your life sucks. And I'm sad until Latch Key Krissy let's Sam in. No id check. Just Sam's sad eyes and a tale of woe and she lets him in. Argh! Why not meet him in public if she really needs to talk? The common sense fairy did not bless her, 911 on speed dial or not. Krissy says her dad's a salesman and calls every night. Man he's making John Winchester look bad. It's been 5 days and she's worried. Sam empathizes and offers to help. He asks for coffee so he can check out PDH's bedroom. Considering the huge black closet doors I'm surprised Sam doesn't check there first. After all, is he really going to hide his inevitable wall of weird in the drawers? Yep, it's in the closet. He heads out with a picture of Krissy and her dad after giving Krissy his number and promising to check in. Krissy: "You say that. That's what my dad said." Ah, so young, so sure life sucks. The life of a hunter's kid doesn't change even in comfortable housing.

Meanwhile Dean pulls up to Frank's abode in a suitably classic car only to find a mass of wire, empty beer bottles, and a fully armed Frank. Frank thinks he's LeviaDean. Too bad he was beheaded in Ankeny. He was funny. Dean denies any LeviaGoo which doesn't reassure Frank. "Sure you're not a Leviathan. Dick Roman's not a Leviathan. Gwenyth Paltrow is not a Leviathan." Ha! That's as funny as his March of Dimes comment. Since we haven't had enough self-mutilation this season, Dean says he'll prove his blood is red. Frank goes to shoot him in the foot and I nearly fall off the chair. BWAH!!! Dean: "Whoa, let's take the guns out of it okay." He slices himself as I look away and wince. In a bit of turnabout, Dean insists Frank do the blood test too so more wincing. Dean: "There. I'm glad we could share that together." I wish they had talked to @Gypmama ( Kosherart on Tumblr) first. She suggested a little Borax. Definitely more sanitary than all this bloodletting. Frank tells Dean to follow him, bring his gun, and not make noise. Why all the stealth? Oh yeah, I forgot. It's Frank, no explanation needed. They drive to a decked out mobile home because Frank insists people are watching him. Or not. He can't tell but paranoia works for him. "You think it's easy to see this deep into what's real and also be bipolar with delusional ideation. There's no pill for my situation sweetie pop." Did he just call Dean sweetie pop? Bwaaaah!!!

He informs us Leviathans are everywhere and insists Dean cut him "some slack. You called me like 4 days ago." Um, make that 4 weeks, Frank. I don't think the medication is working. Dean isn't amused since he paid Frank $15,000 for info. That's serious change for a hunter. "Dick Roman is every card in my hit deck. You understand that. Those numbers, they got something to do with him, okay. Bobby died for those numbers." Frank is sorry about Bobby and starts rambling about Fresno. Like Dean, I just want him to shut up and give me some answers. Dean: "No, I'm not going to play This One Time with Bobby cr**. Alright, I'm not going to get all warm and fuzzy with somebody else who barely knew him." Frank cites friendly conversation and suggests LSD; Dean cites the money he's paid and the answers he didn't get. As Dean turns to leave, Frank says they have to "probability generate." Frank: "You run most reasonable possibilities for a Levi-related 5 digit number written by a dying drunk and you come up flat. You know what you start to wonder? Hey, maybe I'm missing a number." He expanded his search and got the bull's-eye at 6 numbers. It's coordinates to a Wisconsin field. Dean harumphs. "Bobby didn't give us coordinates to some patch of weeds in Cheeseville." Frank says Dick Roman bought it. I wonder why he didn't say so at the beginning. We didn't need a 10 minute warm up to the info. Dean asks what they do next. Frank: "Stay away." Ha! I agree. Or they could do some surveillance. Guess which one they choose.

Switching to the morgue, Sam looks at Matthew Havlena's dead body. He's got bite marks on his thigh and neck and is down 5 pints of blood. Sam says animal attack; the coroner says vampire. I laugh as the coroner expects. Sam's not amused. He calls Dean for an update, protesting Dean's plans to go to Wisconsin. Dean: "Relax. It's a field not the Death Star." Yeah, you say that now but I know Supernatural. Something deadly and explosive will come from this. Just like the Death Star. But Dean's confident since Huffington News said Dick is at a conference. Shout out to their coverage of all things SPN. Sam scoffs at Dean reading but it's part of Revenge 3.0 or is it 4.0? I've lost count. Sam says Krissy is hunter-knowledge free and 4 men have died. They agree to more updates as Frank yells about costumes. Anyone else flash to Dean's costume reaction in Shadow? It's the same here. Time for telephone repair in a cherry picker. Dean protests since he's not crazy about heights, but Frank's costume says Manager so he's screwed. As he works to understand the cherry picker, Frank says to come down. There's surveillance all over. And this is a surprise to anyone? Dean: "You know it's going to be a little difficult to set up surveillance if there's uh surveillance everywhere." Plan B Is much easier. Frank hacks Dick's surveillance in the trailer. He tells Dean to sleep; he'll take first shift. Dean falls asleep during the offer. He's so exhausted he sleeps through his phone ringing. It's Sam expositing a new monster, the vetala. Yeah for expanding the monster mash. Basically, they're like wendigos in that they wait to kill their food but like werewolves in their distaste for all things silver. It sounds so simple that I worry it'll get complicated. (Well that and the promo pictures.) As Probably Dead Hunter is now probably alive, let's call him Lee. Sam is focused on keeping Krissy from having to deal with death in a nice parallel to his situation. He ends saying, "I could use your help. Call me." For some reason, it really touches me. But no time for sentimentality as we head to the truck stop. Sam asks if DEW's seen Lee and she sends him to Hooker. I would have bought her innocent act if I hadn't already seen her fangs. Nothing like blaming your partner to seclude your new victim. She does faux fear well and Sam never suspects before Hooker sinks her fangs in him to knock him out. Poor Sammy.

Dean wakes up from a 36 hour nap according to Frank, but he confuses 4 days with 4 weeks so I'm guessing it's a ballpark figure. Dean freaks. "Why didn't you wake me?" My mind says, "Because I'm an awesome big brother" thanks to my season 1 rewatch. Frank: "I'm not your butler." I wish Sam was here. Still Frank is useful because he's got intel on Dick Roman's employee Amanda Willer, who's surveying the land to build something. What? We don’t know. Perhaps it's a Death Star. Frank tells Dean it'll take patience; Dean's not big on that. Don't blame you there. I don't want to wait 4 episodes to find out either. Frank tells him to "go out and kill something or whatever you kids do to blow off steam." Dean: "I don’t think you're in a position to be giving suggestions, alright. I think you're one tinfoil hat away from a rubber room." Frank tells Dean he looks awful again and he takes offence. "Maybe because somebody I cared about just got shot in the head. And this is like shoving a rock up a hill. And…screw you." Dean's being honest. Wow! Didn't expect this for another 3 episodes. Too bad it's to Frank. "Here's my advice you didn't ask for: Quit." Dean protests. "I want Dick Roman on a spit." Frank: "But you're going to drive yourself into the ground first. Good plan." Now I'm thinking Dean's speech in Salvation. This whole episode channels season 1. Only this time it's Dean driven by vengeance. Dean: "I'm not going to quit. It's not even an option. I'm not going to walk out on my brother." The words sound like The Man Who Knew Too Much but there's a hidden longing there to just get out. Could Dean be tired of hunting? Frank suggests he try his method. Dean: "What? Go native. Stock up on sea rations." Frank calls Dean cupcake which I again I find funny minus any beating hearts. Less funny is Frank's story about his murdered wife and 2 kids. This shouldn't come as a surprise to Dean or me but it does. Frank: "(I) decided to be fine until the end of the week. Make yourself smile because you're alive and that's your job. And do it again the next week." This hits Dean in the gut - the call to fake it. Frank: "I call it being professional. Do it right with a smile or don't do it." It's Advanced Repression and Dean swallows hard with a short nod. Excellent scene! Kudos to Jensen and Kevin McNally. Still this should have been Bobby's moment and it saddens me that he wasn't there.

Dean's voice mail rings for no reason ending the moment. He freaks when he hears vetala and then realizes it's voice mail. He flips over to find Krissy on the line. It explains the ringing but not the voice mail. I give thanks for my 4 year old no frills phone. Krissy explains that Sam gave her Dean's number, telling her to call if she hadn't heard from him. The music of doom crashes in like a bad Bond movie and Dean goes freaked face. At the same time Sam wakes up in the scrap yard of bad kitties. Lee gives the low down about vetala bites. Sam admits he's a hunter and says Krissy's safe. He asks for a way out but given Lee is tied to a chair I'm guessing he has no answers. The exposition fairy lands on Lee and we learn that vetalas tag team and 3-4 snacks kills the meal. It's a bad drug experience and Lee's already been through it 3 times. We all know where this is heading, but on to Dean and Krissy first. No coffee scheme for Dean. He warns Krissy she should scoot but she's not buying. It's straight to the big black doors we go and nothing. Because Krissy already took it all. She knows about hunting so I'm not sure why she's playing games with Dean when her dad's life is on the line. She's bitter that Sam went missing as well and when Dean tells her to cough up the map, she pulls a gun. This is particularly stupid. Is she going to hold a gun on him as he's driving? Dean: "Alright I get it. You're a tough kid, but I'm trying to get Sam and your dad back." Krissy: "My dad left and he didn't come back. Sam left and he didn't come back. I give you the info, you leave, you don't come back." Dean assures her he will but she's got good reason to doubt him and she's not letting him leave unless she goes too. Dean and I respond: "No, no. Hell no." She waves the gun and Dean's out of patience. Bye bye gun. But Krissy has the upper hand because she claims she burnt the map so she's the only one who knows how to get there. I eye roll and bemoan the lack of corporal punishment in America these days.

In the world's second most uncomfortable car ride after the No Exit one with Ellen, Dean sports intensity face while Krissy attempts 20 questions. Dean: "Alright, here's the deal. I'm a fun guy. I'm actually awesome okay, but right now I'm not in the mood. I'm neck deep in some serious c** and if this wasn't an emergency I would drop your a** off at the nearest mall." While I wholeheartedly agree, it's unlike Dean to snap at children. The Winchesters really need a vacation. Krissy asks what he's dealing with and Dean responds, "Revenge cr**. Alright now shut up. Eat a cookie or something." Krissy goes for the big question instead. "One thing doesn't make sense though. My dad's a pretty great hunter and your brother's the size of a car so, so how'd this thing get them both?" First ha! Second, evil takes down hunters all the time. Especially if they are working with bad intel like Dean exerts. Vetalas hunt in pairs not solo. And how does Dean know? Because finally after 7 years we get info on what Dean was doing while Sam was at college. Strike up the band folks because that's been on my Supernatural to do list since mid-season 1. Krissy gets all tetchy about Dean not sharing info and I officially want to smack her. Shut up kid. We're getting to the good stuff and he's not Grandpa Creepy. Why on earth would Dean bring up vetalas if they haven't run into any since then? Dean shares Sam's collegiate dreams and Krissy is stunned. I want to hear about the vetala hunt but no, the stunned silence takes Dean on another track. "You could too you know. Go to college. Be a hunter/pediatrician." Okay? It beats wearing a pediatrician like Alastair. And it definitely beats being Hooker's dinner. She traipses in talking about the "hunter buffet." As she goes to chow down on Lee, Sam spouts off about killing some of her sisters in Utah. "You remind me of them. Except they were so much younger. I tied them up. Not because I had to. More so I could take my time….Just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed cutting up your sisters." Oohhh, it's like RoboSam is back. I love it! Hooker takes offense and chows on Sam instead. I applaud Sam for saving Lee but worry she might overdo it in her anger.

At DEW's catnip truck stop, Dean questions Krissy's hunting experience. In short, she has no experience but she helps out. Dean calls her on being scared but she denies it. They spat back and forth but in all honesty the entire scene is tiresome and I can't wait for Krissy and her dad to reunite so she can leave my screen. She opens her mouth to smart off and I'm excited when Hooker and DEW arrive. I do question why they keep taking guys from the SAME truck stop. Shouldn't someone be suspicious? There's a birds and bees joke next but my eyes are already strained from rolling. In the end, they tail DEW back to her lair. Dean goes to fist bump Krissy and she shoots him down. "What century is this? No one fist bumps anymore." Yeah well don't get me started about all the things you've done that teens don't do anymore. Perhaps I'm just grumpy about being uncool. She calls Dean a dweeb but as she goes to fist bump, he handcuffs her to the steering wheel. I laugh. "I got an idea. How about you stay here?" He refuses to bring a kid to a hunt. Well duh! (Bet no one says that anymore either.) Krissy claims she can hunt as well as Dean and he tries to reassure her that he will bring her father back. She stops him from leaving by saying Sam and Lee are probably dead. Dean sits back down as she explains how she saw her mom get shredded. She's seen death and Dean relates. Krissy: "Let me go in there and kill them." Dean can also relate to revenge, given he was raised on it and it's his focus now. He thinks about it but "No. I'm sorry." I wonder why he even paused. She calls him a hypocrite but she's still a kid. Before he leaves Dean demands her lock pick, which she denies she has. Dean: "I will frisk you." She hands it over, he thanks her and leaves. I remember Fiona's advice on Burn Notice. Everyone should carry a bobby pin. There's no way Krissy stays in the car but boy do I wish she would.

Dean walks in as the vetalas contemplate dessert. He takes out Hooker with a beam and is about to knife DEW when Krissy comes in to ruin everything. Thanks kid. Hooker takes her hostage and demands Dean put the knife down. Hooker: "Let her go or little Miss Sunshine here gets it." Aw, she's not near as precocious as Abigail Breslin was in the movie. Lee blames Dean for bringing Krissy on a hunt. I blame Lee for not disciplining her more as a child. Krissy is weirdly calm and I flash to the typical Supernatural evil child. My pillow is at the ready if she turns out to be evil. Instead, she's just smug. Dean: "She's just a child. Let her go." Krissy goes baby voice, whimpering for her Daddy as I drop my pillow in bafflement. Huh? DEW bites Lee, Krissy calls out for Dean, and then stabs Hooker in the gut. "I guess I'll have to help myself then." Dean gets the knife, DEW goes after him, Krissy unties Sam, and Sam guts DEW. That was quick, but the special effects were nifty. Krissy ruins it by gloating. "Bad actress huh?" No kid, just stupid. If you hadn't traipsed in Dean would have taken out DEW without the histrionics. Dean: "Yeah, I take it back." I don't. Thankfully we move to random hospital instead. Dean and Sam visit a groggy Lee where Sam claims Krissy saved their lives. My capillaries burst from rolling so hard. Dean: "Don't thank us. Quit. Your daughter's 14 years old. She's already a hunter with a kill under her belt. I'm not trying to be a d** but what do you think that does to her lifespan? She could still be a regular kid." I don't know about regular but great speech. In some ways it shows great growth in Dean but really Dean's been against kids hunting for awhile now. He knows how rough it is. Lee says he has a reason for hunting. Dean: "I know - your family. That's the same reason you should get out now." Lee: "I can't. You ever know anyone who left the life?" Dean when he was with Lisa and Ben comes to mind. Dean: "No. They all get killed first." Think that one over Lee.

Dean and Sam leave the hospital but Krissy follows. She uses the word a**hat and I wonder if it was Word of the Day in Hunter's Weekly. Not typical teen language. Krissy: "I just wanted to tell you that you are kind of amusing for an old man." (snickers) Alright, I'll give her this one. Ha! Dean: "You know you could have gotten yourself killed." Krissy: "I saved your bacon." Dean: "My point stands, but yes." Dean has serious face and I'm struck at how he would make a good dad. Well if he could drop all that baggage on a Greyhound bus and let it move on. Krissy says she's retiring - "one and done" - to Dean's delight. She's pondering Stanford like Sam and in a great gesture, she puts her hand up to fist bump Dean. "We're so lame." Dean: "Yeah we are. Take care of yourself." The brothers drive off into another NotImpala chat. (Huge sigh) Don't you think it's time to get her out of storage PTB? Sam is happy for Krissy and Lee. Dean agrees. "It's nice to walk away from someone and feel like they could be okay." He asks Sam how he's doing and Honesty Sam appears again. I love that guy. "No. I'm definitely not. But you know, I mean, I think maybe I just want to work." He pauses. "Should I even ask?" Aw, I love when the brothers look after each other. Dean: "I'm fine." I live in hope that new Honesty Sam will rub off on Dean or at least Gibbs-smack him every time he uses the word fine. Sam presses on. "Fine meaning?" (Utterly screwed in the head maybe?) Dean: "You're right. We should just work, right? Figure out a way to kick Dick Roman's a**. But hey, we are the professionals." I fear I will hate that word just as much by season's end. Sam gives him a quizzical look and settles down to sleep as Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy" plays. It's apt given that thinking you can make it by smiling through all that stress and grief is a complete fantasy. The NotImpala drives through the night as Dean practices his professional smile. He's giving it his best but the tears in his eyes and smile turning to a grimace is one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever seen on this show. And that's saying a lot. Excellent job Jensen Ackles.

Next week: We travel back in time where Eliot Ness appears as a hunter. Woo hoo, given that Eliot Ness is Nicholas Lea. Jason Dohring is the god of time that makes it happen. Have I said how much I love the casting this season?

All in all I like this episode. It gets better in the rewatch with the exception of the Krissy and Dean truck stop car chat. That one is great on mute. I went into the episode expecting Bobby to be dead and after that amazing tribute to him in Death's Door I didn’t need much closure. The brothers saying he was dead is enough for me. I'm sure that isn't the popular view but the Winchesters are never allowed to dwell on their grief in one episode. It leaks out of them over the season and occasionally comes out in bursts of rage or Impala chats. That's par for the course and I'm sure it will be the same for Bobby's death. That is if he stays dead. The empty beer bottle is majorly suspicious although I hope the afterlife would kill off all addictions. If they do bring Bobby back to life, let's hope it makes sense. It's all just a dream or cosmic do-over will spark a thousand jump the shark conversations. As for the other guests, Frank is growing on me in a Bela way. I can take him in small doses but only if he is not a replacement for Bobby. Bobby is irreplaceable. Krissy grates. I thought she was kind of cool the first time if a bit irritating. By third watch she turned into a typical bratty teen albeit a lot more savvy about life. I found her off-putting but that may just be because I've seen her so much in the last 36 hours or because I work with bratty kids every day. Let's just say if she never returns I will be happy thinking of her enjoying high school. If she does return again, I will wish she were Ben Braeden. Lee was a decent if barely there character and the Vetalas were campy but fun. Love the retro hair. As always, Jensen and Jared did an awesome job portraying the brothers' grief in different but equally painful ways. To watch their hearts break always breaks mine and to watch them both see themselves in Krissy showed even more how screwed up their lives were from the start. However, my favorite thing about this episode is that while melancholy, it wasn't desperate or desolate. It gave me hope that the Leviathans would be defeated after they figured out what Dick was building and that they could overcome Bobby's grief just a little if they were immersed in a case. I expect there to be a lot of fallout from Bobby's death but I am glad it wasn't all in this episode.

Edited to add…In between writing the rough draft and the final draft of this recap, I skimmed the discussion thread at SpoilerTV, which I rarely do. I am shocked by the amount of negativity people have for this episode. I knew fans would be unhappy about Bobby's death and the brother split. I knew we would have comments about the lack of a role for Sam, but I never thought it would be this virulent and usually I'm pretty good at guessing how this fandom will react. All I can say is that I liked this episode. It was a solid episode that mixed the standalone and the mytharc well for me. The quiet grief was effective and hit me harder than any full on emoangst ever would. The concern the brothers have for each other was clearly evident. I love that the brothers had an unqualified win for the first time in what feels like forever. The monsters died, the PiP's were ALL saved, and they changed a young girl's life for the better. That and the beer bottle give me hope. But mostly, this episode made me excited for what is in store for us in the future. I'm curious about what Dick is building in that field. How fast will he complete it? What is it for? How bad for humanity is it going to get? And most importantly, how are two brothers together going to defeat the most powerful creatures they have ever faced when their home and resources have been taken away? I for one can't wait to find out.

Grade: B

Best moment - Ugh, this is always hard. I choose Frank laying it on the line to Dean, but there's a lot to choose from.

Best line - "Fine, but you know what, on one condition. If Frank is just spinning his wheels, then you bail out on crazy and come meet me." Normally I'm all about the funny lines, but this one hit me hard. Sam is worried about Dean's revenge obsession and it seems dead on accurate as something Sam would say to me.

Other great lines: "Sweetie pop."
"I will frisk you."
"I could use your help. Call me."
"I'm not going to quit. It's not even an option. I'm not going to walk out on my brother."
"Relax. It's a field not the Death Star."
"You know it's going to be a little difficult to set up surveillance if there's uh surveillance everywhere."
"I call it being professional. Do it right with a smile or don't do it."
" My dad's a pretty great hunter and your brother's the size of a car so, so how'd this thing get them both?"
"I just wanted to tell you that you are kind of amusing for an old man."
"It's nice to walk away from someone and feel like they could be okay."

Best use of a mute button - Dean and Krissy spat to ever increasing screechiness levels
Best use of a Kleenex - Dean practices his professional smile

Screencaps by Home of the Nutty
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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Supernatural - Midseason Polls - Favorite Comedy Episode Semifinals

And then there were four. Making it into the semifinals for the best Supernatural comedy episode are: Changing Channels, Bad Day at Black Rock, The French Mistake, and Mystery Spot. Now it becomes impossible for me because my two favorite comedy episodes are going against each other. Still it's a good excuse for a rewatch. Voting will end when Supernatural begins in St. Louis -woo hoo! Until then, enjoy the anticipation before Adventures in Babysitting lands on your screen. Here's to an exciting race to Leviathan end and an explanation of unicorns.





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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Supernatural - Midseason Polls - Favorite Comedy Episode Round 3

Less than 48 hours and the season 7 midseason hiatus will officially be over. With all the previews and promo pictures, I know excitement is skyrocketing. But until then, we still have a best comedy crown to bestow. The final 8 have been selected with nary a sweat broken. In fact, Changing Channels ended last round with a whopping 90% of the vote. Perhaps this round will be more suspenseful. After all, it sees Tall Tales take on Mystery Spot, two fan favorites. Voting ends at 9 PM tomorrow St. Louis time. Enjoy!









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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Supernatural - Midseason Polls - Favorite Comedy Episode Round 2

Round 1 is complete and we head into round 2 of the Best Supernatural Comedy Episode Contest. We are left with 16 contenders and I think people will be happier with the choices today. Except for one, it's definitely easier for me to vote. Round 3 will be another story entirely. Again, voting here will close at 9 PM St. Louis time.

In other news, we are only a couple of hours from completing both the Best Song nominees and round 6 of the ranking polls. If you haven't voted yet, hurry. We also have the run-off for the Best Song-to-Scene nominees. Choose up to 2 songs. Remember this is not your favorite song but the one that fits mostly perfectly with the scene it is played in (lyrics, tempo, etc.).



















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White Collar - 3.11 - Checkmate - Preview


White Collar returns on USA Network at 10/9 C on Tuesday, January 17. You don't want to miss it because the ending may just change everything between Peter and Neal. Quite frankly, I never saw it coming.

Last season White Collar left us with a bang of a cliffhanger. Keller kidnapped Elizabeth and was ransoming her off for the Nazi treasure Mozzie stole from Adler, the same treasure Neal lied to Peter about for months. As Checkmate opens, we start right where we left off and man is Peter angry. Getting Neal alone outside, he slams him into the wall and confronts him. "You have the treasure." Neal: "I didn't steal it." Peter: "You SOB. I don't care. You have it. Keller knows. You're going to give it to him so that I can get my wife back." It's a powerful opening scene with a livid Peter. He has every right to be angry and Neal knows it. No excuses, no lies this time. Neal is ready to cooperate. Unfortunately, Keller interrupts the scene with a phone call. They have 12 hours to get the treasure to him. Keller: "So nice to see a married couple so in love after all this time. I'd hate to come between that." Now I'm a big fan of Keller as Neal's foil, but even I hate him for that line. Peter and Elizabeth are sacred - one of the few married couples on TV that don't turn it into a joke or complaint fest about each other. I love that about them.

Since this is TV a major obstacle must stand in the way. Mozzie has already moved the treasure and disappeared. It's a race to find Mozzie before the 12 hours are up. In an ingenuous hat tip to continuity, Mozzie gets the heads up and since it is Elizabeth, he's on board too. But how do they keep Keller from killing Elizabeth after he gets the treasure? Like him or not, Keller's smart. This one has to be good. It's an ambitious con and suddenly the four of them are working together. Let's just say that not everyone wants to play nice. This episode has a lot of going for it. Highlights include (not in chronological order):

A bit of Keller and Neal history
A bit of real history
Elizabeth's intelligence and general penchant for awesomeness
Gladiators
Hidden talents
Neal admits that he doesn't want to leave New York
Neal and Mozzie's relationship
Peter and Neal's rocky relationship
The ruthlessness of Keller
And everything that happens in the last 15 minutes (I was floored!)

Great lines :

"Already done."
"First rule in a fight: Always go for the weak spot."
"He's crazy. I respect that."
"I will not let anyone die on this. That's not up for debate."
"It's a shame I removed that price on your head."
"It's gonna be fun. Who's excited?"
"No beer? Caffrey, you're a terrible host."
"Survival is overrrated."
"That means prison. A lot of it."
"Til the next chapter."
"What part of no killing do you keep forgetting?"
"Welcome to container 10, sweetheart."
"We've been playing by Keller's rules. Let's change the game."
"You could always learn to be a lefty." "And you could learn to walk on one foot."

Checkmate premieres on Jan. 17 at 10/9 C on the USA Network. You don't want to miss it because in the next couple of episodes everything could change.

Screencap by USA Network
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Monday, January 2, 2012

Supernatural - Midseason Polls - Favorite Comedy Episode 1.5

By a mere 27 votes, we crown Death's Door the best season 7 episode so far. The tearjerker that might signal the end of a beloved character squeaked past Meet the New Boss. Now the question is will it remain the top choice once the rest of the season ends. We also have finished the first half of round 1 of the Supernatural Best Comedy Contest with Changing Channels, My Heart Will Go On, Hell House, Ghostfacers, Bad Day at Black Rock, The Monster at the End of This Book, Yellow Fever, and Frontierland moving on to the second round. Now it's time for the second half. Again, the definition of comedy varies a whole lot so happy voting! Remember that voting lasts until 9:00 PM St. Louis time so pass the word.

We also need to have a Best Song run-off to again get us to 32 nominees. I hope this contest makes people happier than the comedy one did. :-) There are some gems in here for me and I will have trouble choosing which 2 get my vote. Voting here will end at midnight tomorrow St. Louis time but the actual competition will not take place until the summer hellatus begins. I have a feeling we will need the distraction then.

If you haven't nominated your favorite song-to-scene please do so soon. Nominations close shortly. Also ranking poll #6 is open until midnight tomorrow.



















Screencap by Supernatural Caps
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Sunday, January 1, 2012

Supernatural - Midseason Polls - Favorite Comedy Episode Round 1

It's finally here! The nominations have been tallied. The final episodes have been voted into the contest. Now it's time to determine the best Supernatural comedy episode so far. Typically, beginning rounds are easier so hopefully there's no hair pulling today. In order to get this contest done as close to one week as possible, voting will end at 9:00 PM St. Louis time (about 22 hours of voting). This will allow me to put up the next set of polls by midnight my time each day or hopefully earlier. Happy voting and remember, comments are the fireworks of life. There's no wrong way to vote so please share why you voted the way you did.

Other Supernatural polls and nominations still open: Ranking polls for the ultimate episode contest this summer - round 4 (until midnight), round 5 and round 6. Nominations for best song (ends tonight at midnight) and best song-to-scene (ends tomorrow).

















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