Doctor Who - 5.3: "Victory of the Daleks" Review

Winston Churchill calls upon the Doctor for help and shows him his new secret weapon, known as Ironsides, but they're really Daleks and the Doctor plays right into their hands.

Cabinet War Rooms controlling air squadrons and Churchill (Ian McNeice) deems it time to "roll out the secret weapon."  Daleks.   Churchill is always after the TARDIS key.   He comments the Doctor's (Matt Smith) face has changed.   He's had some work done lately.   Churchill called him a month ago.   Amy's ( Karen Gillan) finally lost her pyjamas.   Churchill will do anything to win the Nazis and introduces Professer Bracewell (Bill Paterson).   This set looked like the one of wartime London with Rose.  (Billy Piper) This is history.  The Dalek (Nicholas Briggs) in, khahki paint, attacks the German planes.  Claiming: "I am your soldier." This is one of Bracewell's Ironsides.   But who are they kidding, they're fooling no one, the Daleks always know their mortal enemy, the Doctor.

The Dalek claims not to know who the Doctor is.  He tells them Bracewell didn't invent the Daleks.  The Dalek claims their objective is to "win the war." Yes, but not the Second World War, their true agenda is to win the war against the Doctor once and for all.  Doctor: "they're alien...totally hostile" and he demands they be destroyed.  The Daleks watch the Doctor's every move.   He wants Amy to tell them about the Dalek's invasion of Earth, but she doesn't recall ever seeing them before.  The Doctor is certain they're up to something.   Amy questions their motive.    The Dalek was a sinister looking menace.   The Doctor reiterates what he already knows of them, having no "conscience, mercy or pity...they're my oldest and deadliest enemy.  Hate looks like a Dalek" and he'll prove it.  Bracewell is positive he controls them all.   The Doctor insists the Daleks can't be trusted and loses his temper; questioning which war the Daleks want to win? "The war against all life forms."

The Doctor attacks the Dalek in an efforet to make it fight back, little realizing that's exactly what they want him to do.  "You are my enemy and I am yours." He despises them.   Doctor: "I defeated you time and time again.   I am the Doctor and you are the Daleks.  The Dalek speaks: "review testimony."  Then transmits the Testimony to the mothership.   They had him fall for that one, looking for the Doctor.   The Daleks are beamed aboard the mothership.  Doctor: "I was their plan." He goes after them in the TARDIS.   Phase 2 begins.   Amy is concerned he's on the mothership in the midst of it all.

All power is transferred to the Progenitor.   The final phase begins.   The Doctor threatens the Daleks with a Jammie Dodger: it's the self-destruct key to the TARDIS.   The Dalek explains the progenitor is "their past and their future."  Containing pure Dalek DNA.   The Daleks built Bracewell.   The Progenitor didn't recognize Dalek DNA, but it did recognize the Doctor and accepted his word, his "testimony."  But this Doctor was new, so they had to be sure they had the right Doctor.   They light up London, allowing it to be bombed.   Amy is adament they need to fight the Daleks and their weapon is a gift from the Daleks.   The Doctor still threatens them with self-destruct and their greatest victory would be to leave.   He's determined not to let them get away.   New Daleks emerge from the Progenitor: new brightly-multi-coloured Daleks, like Fruit Pastilles.   Their new destiny: the resurrection of the Master race.   (Obsessed with the master race just as Hitler was and to think they were meant to be helping to fight him!)

Bracewell has memories and Amy is sure only he can help, he's alien technology like the Daleks.   Bracewell suggests sending something into space through the gravity bubble.   The new Master race of Daleks extermintes the old ones, they've served their purpose.  Doctor: "What do you do to the ones that mess up?" They must exterminate the Doctor, who warns, "don't mess with me, sweetheart!"  The Spitfires have the coordinates of the mothership and attack it.   Lead by Danny Boy.   Doctor: "It's a Jammie Dodger, but I was promised tea."  He didn't want any tea from the Dalek, he was too busy riling it up and himself along with it.   He tells the planes to blow the dish on the ship's side but the shield holds.   The Doctor can disrupt the shield for a few seconds.   Didn't think the Daleks would let him enter the TARDIS.

The Doctor orders them to destroy the ship and the Daleks threaten to destroy the Earth.   Bracewell is a bomb.   The Oblivion Continium gives him the power.   The Doctor rues this was his only chance to destroy them for good.    If he lets the Daleks go the new race will be stronger.   He must choose.   Plenty of choices for the Doctor again, just as in the episode before, Amy made the choice for him, which he bereated her for doing.   Now it's his decision once more.   The Dalek tells him his "greatest compassion is his greatest weakness."

The Doctor arrives back on Earth and wants Bracewell to prove he's human, he can't explode the bomb because he's human.   Amy interjects that he fancies someone he shouldn't.   He recalls Dorabella and the bomb finally deactivates.   The Daleks jump the time continium and escape.   Sadly they won't be featured in anymore episodes in season 6 and the foreseeable future, as Stephen Moffat doesn't want them in anymore storylines.   Which is a shame after we got new ones.  So enjoy them while they last, like a mouth-watering Fruit Pastille they won't be around for long! The Doctor is saddened as they knew he'd choose to save Earth and so they won.   Amy tells him the Doctor saved Earth, but he's always saving Earth, with a little help.   Churchill wants the Doctor to help him, but the Doctor tells him the world has Churchill.   Amy notices him take the TARDIS key.  The Doctor gives Bracewell time to leave before he's deactivated.

Everyone has enemies the Doctor tells Amy, it's dangerous being with him.   He always worries about the Daleks, well no more worries there then.   What's wrong is that Amy should have known about the Daleks but she doesn't.   Suggesting all the past history between the Doctor on Earth and the Daleks never happened.  The crack from Amy's bedroom wall is visible behind the wall where the TARDIS landed.

Where did the Daleks get the 'pure DNA' and more importantly who does it belong to? This new Doctor's portrayal in meeting the Daleks seems to be one of despair, having to deal with them over and then they manage to escape by holding Earth to ransom once more.   Just when he's close to defeating them for good.   Matt Smith really has come into his own now with his believable reactions of anger on the one hand, to comical and compassionate the next, in the never-ending realm of choices he's forever faced with.  great choice for the Doctor to be played by him.  Again it's Amy who saves the day as she does.

When the Doctor alludes to Amy not recalling the Daleks on Earth, he's referring to past episodes, The Stolen Earth and Journey's End.  The Daleks being slaves of humans was done in Power of the Daleks, where they uttered, "I am your servant." Wanting to see the Daleks destroyed was also said by the Doctor in Evil of the Daleks.   The call-sign used between control and the Spit fires, "Broadsword to Danny Boy" was from the movie Where Eagles Dare (1968).

Supernatural - 6.14: "Mannequin 3: The Reckoning" Review

Dean tries desperately to ensure Sam is well, as their current case leads them to mannequins and blow-up sex dolls. Lots of jokes but mostly this episode seemed like it was all done before and much better in the past.
Dean (Jensen Ackles) attempts to wake up Sam (Jared Padalecki).

Great Falls Junior college, Paterson, New Jersey  a janitor is killed by an anatomy dummy.   Dean offers pills to Sam but he doesn't want them.   He felt like he was out for a week but he doesn't want to talk about it, taking another page out of Dean's book.  He's okay.   Dean tells him it was hell and Sam could have died.   Dean adds the past belongs in the past and Sam's meant to ignore it.   Violence and alcohol may work for Dean, but his life's on the line.

They investigate the janitor, Steve's (Nicholas Carella) murder and Dean is preoccupied by the dummy, out he comes with the jokes, "Be my Valentine, have a heart."  He also smells sulphur and Sam has to point out they're in  a lab.   Lisa (Cindy Sampson) calls.  There's mention of Dr Laura and Ghosts Gone Wild.   Sam picks up a strange EMF reading from said anatomy dummy. The video from the lab doesn't help them and Sam tells Dean about Steve who appeared to be a model guy (no pun intended by use of the word model!)  He rubbed his girlfriend's feet whilst watching Glee.   Dean comments he just threw up in his mouth.   Also mentions Kermit.

They then check out the killing of a security guard.  Dave (Jorge Vargas) at a mannequin warehouse, obviously the mannequin did it.   As they don their suits once more.   Could almost get a joke here with mannequins and suits, oh never mind.   Sam gets another EMF reading, this time from the mannequin and mentions the "Anatomy dummy you were molesting at the lab" gave him the same reading.   References to Chucky and Dean thinks it creepy. "I don't like the way Kim Cattrall's looking at me."

Isabel (Rosalie Ward) tells them her sister Rose (Christina Sicoli) went missing a year ago and Dean thinks a vengeful spirit may be involved.   Lisa's phone rings again and it's Ben (Nicholas Elia) on the other end.   He claims she's locked herself in her room and won't come out or take calls.   Sam tells him he had to deal with his year and so must Dean.   Rose was shy and an easy target, but she did more for Isabel than anyone else.   That was a clue.   The two DBs are in the photo she has and they all work at the factory.   Steve quit after Rose disappeared.

Dean goes to see Lisa and Sam questions the factory workers, one gets nervous.   Jonny (Jake Richardson) insists there's nothing wrong.   Lisa opens the door dressed for a date and Dean posits they've been Parent Trap-ed.   She doesn't want anything from Dean and Dean tells her she should ask for something.   She just wants to move on.   Jonny feels a cut on his head and Sam returns to save him.   He places salt around the doors and windows and ensures Jonny stays inside the salt circle.   Rose is back and Sam asks what he did to her.   He, Dave and Steve set her up on a blind date with a dummy and made her think she had a secret admirer.   She hit her head on the table and they buried her.   It was Steve's fault and Jonny wanted to call for help.  Hey if Sam didn't have a soul he'd have thought it funny too.

Sam burns her bones.   Dean knows no matter how much you love someone you can't stay to hurt them.   If he stays Ben will become like him and he's not someone Ben should be.   In a role reversal Dean is the one who now gets a called a 'dick.'  He's walking out on his family, but Sam is his family.   Sam calls Jonny to return home and he lives near the bar where Isabel arrives.  As we get flashes to Dean's year with Lisa and Ben.   Jonny has a blow up sex doll and is killed, and he had the audacity to be part of the joke they played on Rose.

Isabel was also at the college and the bar so Sam makes the connection that it has something to do with her.   She has Rose's kidney, which is the point she made about Rose being the only one who did anything for her.   She has a haunted kidney and Dean suggests they call Dr Robert.   Sam thinks otherwise and suggests hoodoo.   Dean leaves the impala behind and Rose possessed the sex doll.   Dean: "This is not a sex doll, you leave my baby alone." As his beloved possessed baby gives chase to him.   That's the second time his baby has been possessed by a spirit.   It was taken over by Constance, the woman in white  in the pilot episode and chased them, both having to jump the bridge to escape.   The Impala crashes into a shop window and Isabel gets glass in her, so the possessions over and Rose is sorry.   Yeah, she gave her the kidney to save her life and then she's the one who snatches it away from Isabel.   How did Isabel end up where she did anyway?

Not another Rose who was possessed, there was a Rose in 2.11 Play Things.   Dean fixes the Impala again, "carjacked by a Poltergeist." Dean says an innocent was killed and Sam adds they save lives now and then.   Sam: "Satan's left the building."  He has a soul cos of Dean and he'd have done the same for him, is what Dean can say.   Which is all they do for each other really.  Since season 2.   The same way Rose gave her kidney to save her sister Isabel, parallels can be drawn with Sam and Dean, two brothers always saving each other.   It's like a continuing cycle or catch 22.   Sam has Dean's back.   Sam also used to say over the seasons that they can't save everyone all the time, all they can do is try.  

As Lisa is shown quite a bit now, there's no moving on from her for a reason.   Have to say the title of this episode didn't live up to much of a reckoning, not even for Sam judging what happened to him at the close of last episode.   Just another ghost getting even and taking her sister out in the process too, even if that wasn't her intention.   2.11 was all about hoodoo and creepy dolls, as Dean referred to them.

Lisa and Ben are getting tedious, and they appeared to be included just so Sam can get his line in about having to deal with his year and Dean must do the same.   Dean being different as he can recall hos past but Sam's not meant to.   Yes, Dean remembers all and he shouldn't have to either, especially since they said their goodbyes and moved on, or at least were meant to forget each other.   Which is what Lisa was doing, but Dean in opposite of chick mode wasn't dealing with it at all.   Well usually the chick is portrayed as having all the relationship issues and hated the way it was brought down on Dean, that he was the sole reason for their not being able to have a life together.

Does Dean deep down somewhere, kind of regret Sam coming back cos that sort of wrecked havoc on his life?   Not that Dean would ever have such feelings; as they both live (and die) for each other; but Sam had to make an appearance cos of the Djinns in 6.1 Exile on Main Street.   Then it has to be asked, whose fault was that?  Samuel's, the Campbell clan for hunting them.   Don't think they would have tracked Dean down otherwise, or would they have, especially since the female Djinn told Dean he killed her father?

Dean's reference to 'Snooki' was about Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi from Jersey Shore.   Dr Laura is Laura Schlessinger who had a radio talk show and expressed her right wing opinions.   It's mentioned here how Dean turns to violence and alcohol to deal with his problems, in 2.11, it was Sam who got drunk to escape what he may one day become.   Then he shares a beer with Dean at the end of this episode.   Sam also took the Impala in the episode Changing Channels, as well as Andy in Simon Said.

Smallville - 10.10: "Luthor" Review

Clark finds himself in an alternate universe where he's Lionel Luthor's son, Lex is dead and everyone knows Tess is Lionel's daughter. Lois and Oliver hate Clark and everyone else hates Oliver.

Tess (Cassidy Freeman) receives a box, which turns out to be some sort of a Kryptonian relic with a symbol, but one with powers.   Clark (Tom Welling) calls her for help and meets Tess at Cadmus Labs.   Apparently the Lex clone has escaped from the lab, but how did Clark know this; as it's not explained.   He opens the lead lined door, only to find it empty.  Clark realizes Tess was harbouring Lex (Alexander) as he's left a note behind for her.    Tess drops her bag and Clark asks why Tess lied to him and Oliver (Justin Hartley) after everything they did for her.    Tess admits she was going to come clean about the Kryptonian symbol artifact.   Clark twists the box and disappears to find himself in a parallel/alternate reality; waking up with two bimbos.

He's Clark Luthor and Lionel (Julian Glover) quotes Marcus Aurelius, calling Clark "son."  Just like he used to call Lex.   Clark's alter ego in this reality is "Ultraman," with his symbol being inverted (obviously since he's in a parallel universe, the mirror image is reversed.)  Lionel raised him in his image and he was lucky Luthor was the one who came across the traveller (referring to Clark) than the first farmer that came along; putting down to the Kent's.   Clark high tails it to the farm to find an auction notice and the farm deserted, aside from Tess, who has been waiting for him.   She and Clark have a thing.   Knew she had the hots for Clarkie, only it comes true here.   Clark finds out in this reality that Tess is Lionel's daughter and she admits freely she's his "bastard" child.   Why did Lionel choose to call him Clark and not some name beginning with 'L'.

Clark tells her he's not who she thinks he is and he used the "mirror box."   Assuming Tess knows all about the box, which she does.  Clark thinks he can return to his own reality, where Clark/Ultraman now resides.   Lois (Erica Durance) drives into Clark and he bends her fender, but fixes it before she's out of the car.   She and Oliver hate Clark and they're engaged.   In this reality Ultraman kills anyone who lays eyes on him.   Clark: "Lionel's turned me into a murderer."

The camera spins the symbols over and we get back to Clark's reality, where Ultraman has been transported.   Neat trick with the symbols as if to show Clark is in hell in that reality but this one will soon be that way if he can't get back.   Clark/Ultraman kisses Tess, who obliges, showing she does harbour some romantic notions for Clarkie.   Then she notices the scar on his arm with an 'L' realizing he's not really Clark.    Presumably no one noticed this Clark dons a ring.   He wants the box and he likes this world, which marks a refreshing change from Lionel not being here.   If he can destroy the box then he can't return.   She tells him Lex killed Lionel.   (In the episode Descent.) Clark says he did something right then.   He's not used to not having blood on his hands before lunch.

 Lois ignores Tess's call  Lois' credit card is refused at the coffee shop and the man in the queue passes his phone to her.   Tess is calling for a reason from Watchtower.   She can see anything anywhere with all the surveillance cameras around.   Tess is unable to round up the others.   Lois is safe from Clark at Watchtower.   Clark apparently knows about Watchtower too, we'll see later on how and tosses Lois aside.   Demands the box from Tess and threatens to kill her.   The other world belongs to Lionel but "this world will be mine."

Funnily enough as Clark is bad in this reality, he should be vulnerable to the Darkness taking him over, but no signs in this episode.  Tess in the alternate bad reality, breaks into Lionel's office and tears the page from the journal which contains info on the box.   Lionel sees through her and takes the page back.   He's aware of the coup she and Clark are planning and accuses Tess of corrupting Clark.   Tess replies he should look in the mirror.   Lionel calls her a half-breed tramp with a Magdalene complex and has her removed, before which she smashes the frame with Clark and Lionel's photo.

Clark arrives at the Fortress to speak with Jor-El but he and Lionel have silenced him.   This time Lionel talks King Lear and his three children.   How two lavished gifts upon him and the third  one said he loved him.   This child he hated because of this and this third child was meant to signify Lex.   Clark killed him.   Clark defends Tess saying she was looking for the box for him; whereas probably the bad Clark of this world would have turned her in and stabbed her in the back.   Lionel says the Queens had the box when Veritas was dissolved.

Oliver remains despondent, even in this reality, as no one likes him.   The party guests are only there for Lois.   She picked him out of everyone else cos he's a good man.   Oliver believes there's someone better than him out there.   Clark whooshes in and takes Lois.   He wants the box in exchange for her.   Lois doesn't like Clark/Ultraman as we know and she also repeats that no one lives who's seen his face.   Clark tells her she's brave, etc and misspells little words which she doesn't admit to when he catches her out.   Which should have shown Lois that this isn't 'their' Clark, since presumably they don't work together, even though he may have the paper.   Clark: "I promise I will never let this happen to us because I can't live in a world where you don't love me."  Ahh hankies out, blubb, blubb.   He meets Oliver for the box at their version of the Watchtower building.

 Oliver has set a trap for Clark, he waited years to get him here since the Swanns died (and lo and behold the same thing was happening in his reality too.)  He comments Clark Luthor is a terrible name, did he look it up.   Oliver evicted farmers to mine the green Kryptonite (that's why he's disliked here) and had the trap set up.   He 's sorry a little since they could have saved the world together.   Lionel hits Oliver  and Clark thinks he's there to rescue him, but he has an ulterior motive.   He's going to prevent him from stabbing him in the back with Tess, as Tess said he would.

Lionel had the box all along.   Just as Clark's about to meet his doom, Oliver turns off the Kryptonite.   Oliver realizes he's the good one and Clark says they do save the world together.   Oliver needs to turn on the Kryptonite as soon as the other Clark appears.   Just as Clark is about to leave, Lionel rushes behind up, being transported to his reality with Clark.

Lois, Oliver and Tess hold Kryptonite weapons on Clark and he tells them it's him.   He has to turn to Lois once more to convince them it's really him.   Tess didn't tell them about Alexander cos she didn't want him taken from her, but he fooled her.   He's much smarter than Lex ever was.   Clark admits he was wrong about her and Lionel, it's not his blood that corrupts, but the man himself.   Tess is lucky she grew up without him.   Tess is upset he threw her away and didn't want anything to do with her.

Lionel buys a paper and mingles into the crowd with the other umbrellas.   You see everyone in Metropolis carry the same black umbrellas.   Not only did Clark allow the Darkness through the portal, but he now lets in Lionel too when he returns.   Wonder if Lionel will change Tess now and if she'll have anything to do with him, or be influenced by him, since she regrets the way he treated her and not knowing him as a father.

One question, where was Chloe (Allison Mack) in the alternate reality - surely she should have been there; but no so much as an utterance of her name.   Everything in this reality was clearly altered (should've got Dr Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) on the case, they had enough alternate realities in Stargate-SG1.   I jest.   I only said this as he returns in the next episode as Hawkman.)  Notice the portrait of the Mona Lisa is also reversed, she's facing to her left and not her right, in the scene where Clark and Lionel joust.

I liked this episode as it made a change from the usual episodes we've had, where Clark's been affected by the Kryptonite (all colours) and turned bad.   In this reality he's no good cos of Lionel and his upbringing.   So Clark should count himself lucky he was found by the first farmer that came along.   The lighting also reflected the darkness of this reality, the dismal nature of this world was cos of Lionel.   Lex killed Lionel in our Clarkie's reality and in the alternate reality, Clark has killed Lex.   Lionel turned Lex into a killer and here, he turns Clark into one; prompting Clark to realize Lionel the man is the sum total for all things being bad.

At least Lois and Oliver were still good in the alternate, even if she and Oliver were together, showing they were together in Clark's real world once upon a time.  and Oliver wishing for one brief moment they could be once more in season 9's Roulette episode.   Oliver evicting farmers to mine for Kryptonite is an allusion to Chloe stocking up on it last season, incase they had to use it on Clark, if he ever became corrupted or an uncontrollably mad Kryptonian with delusions of grandeur.   (Wait that was Zod (Callum Blue).   He wasn't  Kryptonian though, but Kandorian.)

The 'U' was for Ultraman as Lionel explained and in the comics, the 'U' in the upside down pentagram was representative of the evil Superman from a parallel Earth.   The 'U' symbolized it was all about him!  Ha.   Lionel tells Tess she has a Magdalene Complex, which means a woman who is attracted to beards.   But Clark doesn't have a beard and surely she can't be attracted to Lionel cos that's just wrong, so why did he say that to her.

CSI: Miami - 8.6: "Dude, Where's My Groom" Review

A groom fails to show up for his wedding, leading the CSIs in search of not only him, but also the missing groomsmen, whilst stumbling across a theft and a murder.

Groom, Charlie (Charlie Koznick) doesn't turn up to his wedding and his groomsmen are missing too.   The bride-to-be, Kim (Alexa Havins) says if he doesn't show he'd "better be dead or dying."  Naturally she'd have to make that comment and then take it back.   A call is made where it appears there are two DBs in a bloodied fountain.   They're not dead, but the missing groomsmen; Jack (Tug Coker) and Sean (Greg Winter).   Tripp (Rex Linn) says the blood in the fountain is human, from their clothes, but it's not theirs.   Horatio (David Caruso) says "someone's dead." Calleigh (Emily Procter) asks for Charlie's brush and a photo so they can check the blood for his DNA.   Calleigh gets the last line before the opening credits now, which was always left to Horatio in the past.

Natalia (Eva LaRue) takes a sample from the fountain for analysis and to check the DNA.   Jesse (Eddie Cibrian) prints Sean and Jack and tells them that "not remembering, doesn't mean not guilty."  Their blood is also taken for the Tox screen.   Jack was the best man but hadn't spoken with Charlie for over a year.   Sean had a crush on Kim that he couldn't get over.   Jesse shows Ryan (Jonathan Togo) the bloodwork results on "Dumb and Dumber" which had traces of Scolpamine, if added to alcohol, it impairs memory.   Jesse comments it's abundant in the LA club scene.   Just incase no one knows or remembers that Jesse returned to Miami from LA.   They need to "rely on the evidence to tell them what happened."  Says Jesse.   How many times was the word, phrase, needing to rely on the evidence, etc, said in this episode alone.

Jesse notices some residue on the bottom of the champagne bottle.   Ryan finds some green flakes on Jack, when they process the two.   Ryan thinks it's confetti.  Jesse uses the UV light and finds a stamp on Sean's hand from the Ciel Blue hotel.   (In much the same way that Mac (Gary Sinise) shined the UV light on the apron in season 7's CSI:NY episode, Do No Pass Go.)

To Natalia's dismay, all the blood samples prove to be contaminated from the chlorine in the fountain.   So Horatio knows the blood can't be confirmed as Charlie's.   He tells her Walter (Omar Miller) should check the paper from Jack's pocket for any writing.   Jesse and Calleigh check out the hotel and find nothing of any use.   Calleigh doesn't find any evidence of blood but does find a pair of undies with a logo of a drop of sweat on there.   Jesse identifies the logo as being from Club Perspire which perks Calleigh's interest, of wanting to know how Jesse knows.   Trying so hard to give him some sort of a character, but it was just not enough for Jesse to be around as a character for much longer.   He replies Walter told him about it.   As only Walter would or could!

At the club they find the undies belonged to Carmel (Jessie O'Donahue).   Charlie  was here with Jack.   She calls Jesse "Dimples" so Calleigh had to follow suit.   Jesse wonders where Sean was and accuses him of getting Charlie out of the picture so she could have Kim.   He's over her and is married with a baby on the way.   Calleigh didn't do a very good job of watching the video footage from the club, when it's left to Horatio to spot Kim near the door, "catching her fiance in the act."  Charlie left her a message promising there'd be no strippers and she accuses him of lying.   Which Horatio sees as motive enough to kill him.  She went back to her parents house.

Walter only now analyzes the paper, when Horatio mentioned it ages ago.   He didn't have to wait to analyze it in front of Horatio.  He uses Haematol to remove the blood and see what is under there, it should absorb and dissipate the blood, but instead it begins to destroy the writing.  Horatio sends Calleigh to check out Julio, the bails bondsman (Sal Lopez).   Jack was there alone and bailed out Sean with a cheque.   That's why Jesse explains Sean wasn't at the club with them.   Jesse calls them 'Frick and Frack'.   Why take the two there, when they could have just shown the bail bondsman photos of them.   Calleigh takes the cheque which was signed by Kim's father, Timothy Hewitt (JC MacKenzie).   He tells Calleigh Charlie turned down an offer of a job with him and he gave him the cheque for a downpayment on a house.

All three of them were at Clay Bennett's (Philippe Brenninkmeyer) house.   He called the police to have them removed and Charlie and Jack stole his limo, so he sent his security man after them.   The limo is found with a DB inside, that of the security man, Tito (Chris Gonzalez).   Tripp asks if 'The Three stooges' could be capable of something like this.   Natalia found DNA in the back pant pocket and it doesn't match Charlie so he could be alive.

ME Tom (Christian Clemenson) finds epithelials under his fingernails.   Ryan finds the same green flake on Tito's body and wants it for analysis.   Tom tells him it's his as the body is his.   Ryan: "Territorial much?"

Tom replies, "Snarky much?"  It's protocol and belongs to him since it's on the DB.   He lets Ryan have the limo.   Another scene in which Ryan is shown as being rather forceful and not getting on well with ME Tom either.   Just as he made the remark to Jesse in the episode In Plane Sight, about him checking out the toilet on the plane.   Don't think they knew quite what to do with Ryan this season.   He finds blood and more flakes inside the limo.

Walter's analysis on the flakes reveals the cheap green paint is leaded on the other side.   Azurite was a pigment used before World War One.   His mother made him minor in Art History, which Ryan sneers at.   SO what, he's rather judgemental these days! Ryan thinks Bennett was more concerned with the art in the limo than the limo itself.   They check out the hotel room and Walter comments he's more of a Guitar Hero god.   Taking the dart out of the deer painting on the wall, Walter finds there's a painting under it.   Probably a Cezanne.   Ryan tells him it's a Matisse.   Ryan didn't take Art History too, as Walter suggests, but says the painting is signed.   The painting had been stolen.

They search Bennett's house but there's no sign of Charlie.   Calleigh states the DNA shows Tito has an altercation with both Jack and Sean.  Tom explains the murder weapon was the car door, it was swung twice with brute force.   So Jesse says one person did it.   The photos showing the COD have prints on the ear and cheek on the limo, so they know the position Tito was in.  Calleigh sees the prints are smudged.   However Jesse notices (as always, must he do all the work!) a finger pattern in the smudges.   So the killer braced himself with his right hand and swung the door with his left., explains Calleigh.   Jack signs the form for his belongings with his left hand.   Calleigh, the "evidence always remembers." Sean is an accessory to the murder.  Calleigh feels Jack's lawyer may be able to argue diminished capacity as he couldn't remember what he did and he was drugged.

She only says this to Jack and not to Sean, implying Jack was the only one who was drugged.   Why was Sean drunk, or drinking, as he said he's been sober three years.   (Unless he isn't quite over Kim as he claims to be - which is a bit far-fetched.)  Also he was missing from the strip club, as he had been arrested by Fort Laudadale police, so he couldn't have been drugged by Carmel; causing him to have no memory of the night's events.   However, the bottle was found with them, so the implication must be that Jack took it with him, explaining why Sean also drank from it.   Unless this was a major boo-boo on the part of the writer.

Tripp notifies Jesse about Carmel leaving the club, she was the last one to see Charlie.   Jesse grabs her bag and finds Scolpamine instead.   Yeah she thought she'd hang onto that, even after she was already paid a visit by them.   Calleigh attempts to dissuade Jesse from searching her bag as they don't have a warrant.   Did she think Jesse would gamble with Charlie's life if he was still alive by wasting time waiting around for a warrant.    She was paid to take Charlie to a car outside and the man had a Southern accent.   Of course it was obvious her father would have dealt with Charlie, as he told Calleigh earlier on he turned him down with his job offer.   It was apparent the cheque was to buy him off so he'd leave Kim.

As always in the CSI shows, in the flashbacks to the crime or the incident in question, they always manage to give the game away when they show the killer with the same clothes as one of the suspects is wearing, or similar ones.   Here, her father was wearing a striped shirt and in the flashback, the abductor was wearing a striped shirt also.   (Something to watch out for, if you never get your suspect/killer.)

Kim telling them now she called her father from the club and not earlier on, she could've saved valuable time there.   She just said she went to her parent's house.  As said, the cheque was to make Charlie go.   He wouldn't take it so he left him in a raft on the ocean.   So Coast Guard helicopters don't take the Vic's to hospital then, be much quicker than driving.   Oh and on go Horatio's shades!

A bit of a routine episode, so how many wedding episodes has CSI:Miami had now.   Also meant to be a send-up of sorts of the movie, The Hangover (2009) sharing similar plots.   It was good the way they pieced together the events and their actions with only the evidence, which explains the many references to the evidence.

Jesse had no patience with Carmel, implying there's something going on with him as far as women hiding things, or keeping secrets.   That was a little varied character trait to the Jesse we've seen so far.

Lie To Me - 1.7: "The Best Policy" Review

Cal has to investigate an old friend of his. Alex continues his betrayal of Gillian, who is on a case relating to a brother and sister being held hostage in the Yemen.

A brother, Marcus (Brian Noons) visits his sister, Nicole (Jessie Lande) in Yemen on Spring Break and can't help but bring out the drugs.  A convoy of military approach and arrest the two of them.   Later the two publicly apologize and ask for forgiveness.   The State Department Official, Peters (Rick Hoffman) shows this to Gillian (Kelli Williams) and Eli (Brendan Hines) who are hired to see the reactions of the Yemeni officials in negotiations for the pair's release.   Gillian notices the reaction of Nicole.

Cal (Tim Roth) has a case of his own - close to home - when an old friend, Jeffrey (DW Moffett) whom he knows from Oxford wants him to find out who stole the formula for their groundbreaking drug, Priox.   A man is in a coma after taking the drug and suffered a stroke.   Jeffrey introduces Cal and Ria (Monica Raymund) to Erica (Alexa Fischer) who pioneered the drug and they believe the inferior version of the drug is the cause.   Jeffrey tells Ria that Cal used to be a pathological liar.   Cal talks with three suspected employees and tells them they have found fingerprints after the computer was accessed.   The two men protest but the woman, Aisha (Deidre Henry) freely volunteers her prints.    Cal immediately knows she's lying since she used gloves and so she knows no prints will be found.   She then confesses she didn't want to take the formula or give it away but there's a cover up and Priox is causing the deaths.   She's turning whistleblower.

Cal shows Jeffrey an analysis done by a lab showing Priox is not safe.   Jeffrey prefers to believe Erica, having an ulterior motive for putting so much faith in her, well he has to.   Either he knows about the drug or there's something more personal involved.  Gillian shows up at Alex's (Tim Guinee) office and his secretary appears flustered at seeing her there, telling her he's out.   Gillian monitors the Yemeni along with the negotiators and notices that Ambassador Hassan (Nick Hodaly) is just a puppet.  Ambassador Rafik is the only one holding the real power, since in Arab culture, the most powerful person enters a room last.  They show Peters a tape of Arafat with another man and they both want the other to enter the building first.   Eli looks over Marcus's tapes.

Ria and Cal have that same old conversation about knowing Alex is lying to Gillian and again Cal replies it's none of her business.  He asks her how many people she trusts and she says 6.   By the time she reaches Cal's age that number will be reduced to 3.   When Gillian wants to talk, she'll come to him.   Aisha has been arrested and Jeffrey tells Cal he's fulfilled his part in finding the thief.   He tells Cal she has a large amount of money deposited in an offshore account, after selling the formula.   She again admits she did sell it but she had a change of heart when she found what the drug was doing to people.   Cal thinks turning whistleblower is a convenient way to keep the money.   She sends Cal to the original lab that tested Priox.   Their contract has been withdrawn but the drug wasn't any good.

Gillian shows Cal the videos of Nicole and Marcus and Nicole is slurring her speech on purpose.   Gillian then shows the tape of a soldier from the first Gulf War to her parents showing the military are trained to speak in a certain way.   Nicole is communicating in that way to show she hasn't been broken.   She's a spy which her mother knows nothing about.   Peters tells Gillian one person will be released and they want Nicole back, she's the most important with all the info she knows about CIA safehouses.   A Red Cross worker shows their father, Rob (Lou Richards) photos of Marcus smuggled out by a nurse who attended him, showing bruises when he was beaten up after an attempted escape.   He has been denied medical treatment and will be executed.

Cal cunningly tells Erica reporters are interested in the drug and want to meet with him.   Erica bit her lip everytime Cal mentioned the drug.   He meets with an FDA official, Jim (Marc Vann) who has no evidence to pull the drug.  Cal wants to be certain Jeffrey didn't know about the drug.  Ria shows him a video of Erica speaking about the drug and each time she bites her lip and turns to look at Jeffrey, who lowers his head in guilt.   Which Cal thinks is a sign he knew about the effects of the drug.   When confronted Jeffrey admits he was having an affair with Erica and Cal warns him to keep away from Erica.

Gillian and Peters tell Rafik he will be invited to an important event at the Whitehouse where he will sit next to the President and shows him an invitation.   The US will honour every humanitarian demand from Yemen.   Jeffrey goes straight to Erica, as Cal knew he would which is one reason why he said not to go there.   They talk about the drug unaware Cal has planted a bug on him.   Erica was in a hurry to release the drug and needs more time.   Erica is arrested and Jeffrey is angry.   He tells Cal he could count the number of friends he could trust on one hand and Cal was one of them - thus Cal telling Ria that the number of people she can trust will be reduced to only 3: the number counted on one hand.

Gillian tells Cal Jeffrey will get over it eventually and is disappointed Alex cancels dinner.   She comments she was at the State Department during the day and he spends his nights there.   Cal takes a rain check on dinner as he's got something to do, spying on Alex with a blonde.   An episode that's personal for Cal and for Gillian.   He loses his best friend who was there for him when his mother died and as he said to Ria, they all have secrets which they don't want anyone to know about in the workplace and she must respect that.  

Cal: "Yeah, congratulations.   Once again you've earned the apparently foreign destination of 'none of your damn business.'"
Ria: "I don't get you."
Cal: "Good.   Stop trying."

Gillian is still oblivious, maybe she's in denial about Alex's cheating.   Wonder if that started when their baby was taken from them, or is he just no good?   Jeffrey is also having an affair with Erica which Cal didn't pick up on.  How did he miss that?   Cal says if they're one of them, then it's different, they don't talk about it.   Obviously he's got secrets he doesn't want to share as Ria found out in an earlier episode he was hiding something, as she also finds Gillian was hiding something here.   Let's hope this doesn't continue for too long for those of us who haven't seen the show in its entirety yet.   Gillian doesn't eat anymore, not her junk food and not much of anything really, did someone forget?

Doctor Who - 5.11: "The Lodger" Review

The Doctor becomes a lodger to find why people go up the stairs of a house and don't return, whilst also giving a couple a helpful nudge towards true love.

The Doctor (Matt Smith) lands on the ground and the TARDIS explodes and vanishes and he can only shout to Amy (Karen Gillan) who is left on board.   A voice from a house attracts passers-by, asking for help and the door at the top of the stairs opens to let the person in.   Sophie (Daisy Haggard) notices stains on the ceiling of Craig's (James Cordon) room downstairs.   Sounds can be heard from upstairs.   Craig has placed an ad for the spare room.   Sophie asks if he's found her a man or she might just have to settle for Craig.   That was an apparent hint.  Notice the Vincent Van Gogh card on the fridge advertizing the exhibition at the Museum D'Orsay.  

The Doctor arrives, he's the new lodger, "this is going to be easier than I expected."  Craig says "I love you" whilst opening the door to him.   He describes himself as an "ancient amateur and an absolute dream" and Craig is lucky the Doctor just happened by.  He likes sweets and he's called the Doctor and he calls himself Doctor too, but he doesn't know why.   He's got one of those faces where people blurt out their plans to him.   He hands Craig a bag full of money.  The stain has gotten bigger and spread.   The Doctor doesn't identify it as mould or mildew.   He has references including from the Archbishop.   The Doctor attempts to make Craig an omelette.

Amy attempts to land the TARDIS.   The Doctor cooked in Paris in the eighteenth century, no the twentieth and has been told he's weird.   He comments Craig is beginning to look like the sofa.   The Doctor can cook, but in 5.8 The Hungry Earth, (sure there's a pun there) he said he couldn't even make a meringue.   Craig tells the Doctor whenever he wants to bring over a girl, or a boy, then Craig will leave him alone.  The Doctor warns against touching the rot, as he refers to it.   The Doctor realizes a materialization loop means the TARDIS can't land, whatever's in the flat is preventing the landing.   The room upstairs claims another victim.

Sophie mentions the Doctor's bow tie, as is mandatory now every episode, ha.   He can't use the Sonic or any technology.   He scrambles the signal when talking to Amy so anyone who listens will hear gobbledygook, which Craig does.   Amy: "Bow ties, get rid."  Doctor: "Bow ties are cool."  There's time distortion and the zig-zag plotter will keep the TARDIS steady.   The Doctor brings back a trolley load of stuff, looking like junk, to build a gadget and then sings in the shower.   The Doctor's starkers and then in his towel and Amy's not around to have a good look again, ha.   But Sophie sees him in the towel.   Craig refers to Sophie as his date but says he didn't.   He's playing football and the Doctor must make up the numbers.   Doing blokey things is our Doctor, which is unusual for him cos they're very human.   The Doctor mentions Sophie has two sets of keys to someone else's house, she likes it here too.   Sophie says Craig didn't mention the Doctor was gorgeous.

The Doctor loses his bow tie now and wears shorts to show off his footy skills.  A girl's voice is heard on the intercom now asking for help.   Well, whilst the Doctor is out indulging in  human pursuits, another person falls victim.   He could have refused to play football with more important matters at hand; he was there about the upstairs after all.   He then says, there's  to be no violence when he's around, "I'm the Doctor - the oncoming storm."  mentioned by the Daleks more recently in 5.3 Victory of the Daleks.    He gets serious when violence is mentioned.   Time begins to repeat.   Amy tells him the scanner reads '9'.   He thought the TARDIS had gone into the vortex with her, it reads '5' now.

Sophie comes round again and the Doctor interrupts them, asking where the switch is for an ordinary screwdriver.   He takes a sip of wine and then spits it back into the glass.    Everyone's got dreams he says, but only  few will achieve them.  "So why pretend."  His words of wisdom.   Sophie can do anything she wants and has to work out what's keeping her here.   The Doctor uses his gadget to find there aren't any traces of abnormal technology from upstairs.   He can't go upstairs without finding out what's there first and get himself killed.   Well the others were killed.   Craig touches the rot and the Doctor makes him breakfast.  He needs to reverse the energy decay in Craig.   He then takes Craig's place at work where he's also a big hit.   And also gets to eat Custard Creams, his favourite biscuits.   Thought they were Jammy Dodgers.  Sophie thinks about volunteering with an animal charity.

Craig noses around in the Doctor's room and the cat's been upstairs.  The Doctor talks with the cat and Craig wants him to leave.  The Doctor calls his gadget art and he must stay, headbutting Craig to reveal various versions of Doctors and the TARDIS, time travel is possible.   Amy hasn't written the ad yet and it must be in red ink.   The girl calls out to Sophie for help and she calls her "my love" (River's phrase.) There's a time machine upstairs and people are being used to launch it.   Time repeats, Sophie is dying there.   Amy has plans of the building and there's no second storey.   The time engine is the flat and the Doctor says someone's attempting to build the TARDIS.   The perception filter is in use again.   The Doctor gets upstairs and calls himself, "Captain Troy Handsome of International Rescue."

The man is the hologram of the crashed ship and he's slaughtering people until the correct pilot is found which turns out to be the Doctor.   The Doctor posits the entire solar system will blow if his hand touches the panel.   He asks why he wants Sophie? The machine wants to escape and leave here like she does.   Craig shouts "Geronimo" and he must think of everything that's keeping him here, he loves Sophie and so does she and they kiss.   The ship's imploding and then vanishes.   The Doctor explains there never was a top floor.   The rot's gone.   Craig lets the Doctor keep the keys.   'The Doctor rocks' can be seen on the fridge and behind the fridge the Crack appears.   Amy must leave the ad for him in the shop in red ink and she finds the ring box.

An episode clearly about the Doctor trying his hand at being human, without using his Sonic but still manages to build a gadget to help him out, using only things available on earth; not to mention playing football too, even though people were still dying upstairs.   Not much for Amy to do, but to leave the note and that will become clear later.   This episode humanizes the Doctor and he repeats the line the Daleks did about him being the "oncoming storm" which he is in the context of the final two episodes of this season.

The Doctor refers to himself as Troy Handsome, an allusion to Troy Tempest from Stingray  and International Rescue  of course from Thunderbirds.   He also wears the number 11 on his footy jersey, alluding to the eleventh Doctor and the eleventh episode.   In the shower, the Doctor can be heard to sing, 'La donna e mobile.'

CSI: NY - 1.3: "American Dreamers" Review

A skeleton found on a tour bus leads to the mysterious disappearance of a boy many years ago, as the CSIs struggle to ID him, it appears he was behind a murder.

A tourist on a tour bus finds a dressed up skeleton.   First on the scene is Stella (Melina Kanakaredes) with lame joke in tow and Mac (Gary Sinise).   Stella "How long was that soda?" That was meant to be funny.   Mac on the other hand comments it's a "new take on a bitch ride to hell."  Wouldn't expect to hear something like that from Mac.   Stella thinks perhaps it's an urban legend or a joke shop gag to scare tourists and the skeleton was probably bought from a store.  Mac has to describe to her the difference between store bought and an actual skeleton and she's come across how many skeletons during her career that she can't tell the difference.   A store bought skeleton would be bleached, have drill marks when assembled.   This is brown with no such marks.  Mac: "This is a joke I'm not laughing.   These bones are real."

Aiden (Vanessa Ferlito) comments this wasn't clever as whoever assembled it didn't take anatomy class since the bones are reversed, held together by wires.   Stella uses adhesive putty to get a print.   Hawkes (Hill Harper) examines the skeleton which has a pronounced brow ridge.   The head is long and narrow and the nasal bone and spine stick out over the maxilla.   He's white.   From the fusion of the clavicle and other bones, Hawkes determines the age and Mac says he wasn't even 18.   The skeleton was shielded from the elements and has black discoloration.   Mac needs a finger.

Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) comments about the newspapers posting the story and Mac doesn't call it news even if, as Danny says it will sell papers, cos of where it was found.   Danny: "The media don't care."  Mac: "I do."  Aiden wants the skull, "human skull, big fun."  Another insensitive comment.   Danny notices the dark substance is layered and has been there a while.   Mac finds aromatic hydrocarbons and engine exhaust from a diesel truck or a bus.   Benzene is concentrated in a  deeper sample, maybe from an old engine.  He appears to have been dead for 10 years.   Mac mentions between 1990-1993 there was a two thousand per year murder rate. "Dream with me a city that can be better than the way it is now."  That was Mayor Giuliani's inauguration speech in 1994.   Stella was working narcotics back then at Brooklyn North.   (Should've stayed there, ha.)

Six prints were found and one belonged to Lester Jayne (John Ross Bowie) at the NY bus terminal who reads the paper and laughs, admitting he did it as a prank..   Flack (Eddie Cahill) comments "NYPD didn't find it funny."   Mac notices exhaust fumes from a  bus, leading to a vent and almost causing him to be run over by a  bus in the process.   He comes across clothes and more bones decomposing.   Stella thinks this is where he died and Mac adds he lived here too, was probably a runaway.   The initials 'AM' are on the backpack.   Blunt force trauma from a pipe and a pocket knife is found in the shoe.   A copy of Bright Lights, Big City is found, copyright 1984, indicating he may have been here for 20 years.   The book was about a man who gets out of the city before it gets him.  

Hawkes assembles the skeleton bones.   Mac processes the clothes and finds a paper in the pocket of the jeans.   Danny prints the pipe.   Danny: "It's tough being in the bullpen waiting for your nod."   Hawkes determines the full skeleton would have been 5' had his teeth pulled and saw a dentist.   Last time he saw a doctor he had a broken tibia and left with a  limp.   Aiden boils the skull.   Places markers where the bones, features should be, then sketches a face.   Puts in glass eyes, moulds features and adds hair.   Prints aren't in AFIS.   There are no DNA matches from the bones.   Nothing on the missing persons database.   Mac finds a diary, a sketchbook of pics of the Flat Iron building, the NY skyline with the WTC.  Mac says the man was following his dreams, he never got out.  Why?

The parents of John Doe, Mrs Moreland (Susan Ruttan) and Mr Moreland (Charles Parks) arrive and say their son, Aaron was a musician.   He left home in 1987 at 17.   His backpack was monogrammed by his mother and his father doesn't think it was him.  Mac tells them they're not looking for their son, but they stumble across him anyway.   Danny uses a different approach and  finds 113 arrest records of crimes committed 3 blocks away from where the skeleton was found.  Stella tells them they need to stick to the hard evidence first, only cos she wasn't able to come up with a plan using lateral thinking for herself.   His last sketch was a landscape which wasn't native to NY.   He was alone here and lost.   Mac: "reality rarely lives up to expectations especially when you're a teenager."  Criss-cross beams in a sketch resemble the Port Authority, he was looking at it, which means he was inside the only building in the city which allows homeless children free range of all the floors.

They talk to a man, Joel (Johnny Sneed) at the shelter.   Faces all look the same after a while.   Danny processes the clothes and looks in the directory of logos.   Fibre analysis comes up with nylon microfibre from the 1990's.  Aiden asks Mac about giving the reconstruction photos of the face to the media. "I figured it was one of the few times that us and the media are on the same team." Mac uses an ALS (Alternative Light Source) on the paper he found in the pocket.   He's only just analyzing that now.   It shows 2/2/90  3.50pm.   His shirt wasn't on the market and was a prototype  from 1988.   It was off the rack from 7th Avenue.   Danny says to be a rack runner you don't need any experience.

A watch was pawned at Bruno's pawn shop and was picked up by the owner.   Mac doesn't believe it was a coincidence it was picked up after 14 years.   Why was the watch still there after 14 ears?  Mac comments it's not easy to hide anymore cos of CCTV.   Reflections are visible from the man's glasses and NTSC signals are over scanned.   He touched the guitar so it can swabbed for DNA.  Danny: "creative enough for you."  Dr Giles (Grant Albrecht) puts the swabs into CODIS; the missing persons database.   Aaron, who is Joel, is now 34 and a prime suspect in a murder.

Arron wasn't ready for NY.   The boy ran racks and he saw him there, he always had money and Aaron always needed money.   He sold the knife.   He wanted more money.   Six years later, he was clean and helped others.   Mac tells him he killed for $2.   Stella says the watch connected him  to the Vic.   That line was intended for Mac since he's into 'all the evidence being connected'.   His parents never stopped looking for him.   They don't know the boy's name.   This ended up being like Blink, where they never found out Jane Doe's name either.

Mac reads from the book, "...leaving a dwindling trail of images and emotions, until all you can remember is a name." Stella: "His name is the only thing we don't know." Mac: "Now we never will."  Stella asks Mac for a drink and he asks what the coffee's like.  He'll love the Irish coffee.   She loosens his tie and he tightens it back.

A strong story which develops from a joke into a real human interest episode about how lonely life can be in a big city and how it can eat you up.   The twist being Aaron left home for an exciting life in a new city and he becomes attracted by its seedy underbelly and he turns to a life of crime, to satisfy his insatiable greed for money to support his habit.   Mac understands how the city can swallow you up - but he's from Chicago and that ain't no small town.   Stella however, is every bit as uncaring as she'll be in later episodes.   Ordering Danny to focus on the evidence: something she had trouble doing in the last episode, Creatures of the Night and doesn't manage to find any sympathy.   Fast becoming the shallow, inconsistent character she'll remain throughout.

Not much is seen or heard of Flack in his third episode, momentarily only suspended in his short role as eye candy, ha.   Neither do Danny and Aiden get to shine.   The book Bright Lights Big City by Jay McInerney in 1984, was turned into a movie with Michael J Fox in 1988.   In the CSI episode Who Are You? a Jane Doe's face is reconstructed.   When Aiden was reconstructing the face, the hands shown were not Vanessa's.

Castle - 1.10: "A Death in the Family" Review

Castle looks into the murder of Beckett's mother, even after she warns him against this, whilst they investigate the death of a plastic surgeon. Alexis goes out on her first date.

A DB is towed away in a car.   Castle (Nathan Fillion) asks a reknown forensic pathologist, Clark Murray (Robert Picardo) to look into the death of Beckett's (Stana Katic) mother.   He comments Castle usually contacts him to ask about a head in a microwave.   It's a ten year old cold case.   Martha (Susan Sullivan) asks what 'Dr Death' was doing here.   Beckett doesn't know what he's doing and Martha tells him to drop it as it's Beckett's private business.   Castle tells her there's no reason to say anything until he knows something for certain.   It's not like he's snooping in her underwear drawer.   Alexis (Molly Quinn) announces she's going to the Prom with Owen.  Castle hasn't even met him yet.

Beckett refuses to do a background check on Owen for Castle.   Ryan (Seamus Dever) claims he should be more worried that Owen is a teenage boy.   Esposito (Jon Huertas) wouldn't let his daughter out of the house.   Castle wonders why no one noticed the car had 6 parking tickets, or looked inside.   Hey no one even stole the car either.   Castle notices the plastic bag and duct tape used to kill the Vic.   Which Beckett says makes the killing personal.   Lanie (Tamala Jones) finds his finger nails were removed and his fingers were broken premortum.   The DB, Dr Leeds had a fiance, Courtney (Carrie Southworth) who he was meant to meet to sample cakes.   Ryan says there aren't any security cameras on the street.  His office was mid-town so what was he doing in Harlem.   Castle thinks he might have secrets his fiance didn't know about, like being involved in black market organ harvesting, which is a great idea so he has to write it down.

Castle asks Beckett if she's thought about re-opening he mother's case.   They can work together on it, he has resources.  Beckett threatens to send Castle packing if he does that.   She memorized every line in the file and worked on it all her free time for 3 years.   Spending a year in therapy.   She had to let it go.   At the Doctor's office, Beckett asks what it is with men and boobs.  Castle replies it's biological, they can't help it.   Beckett comments even if they're not real.   Castle: "Santa's not real - we still like opening his presents."  But they're not from Santa.   Got my suspect here, as soon as they got to the staff.   They think of Jacey Goldberg (Delane matthews) a patient who had 3 facelifts and sued Dr Leeds.   She was committed for psych treatment and Dr Leeds testified.  Look at Maggie casually standing by and not saying anything.

Esposito wonders how anyone can do that to themselves, when looking at Jacey.   Castle thinks she's escaped from the Island of Doctor Moreau.   Ryan's got Castle's book again.   Castle makes pouty lips when he sits in on the interview.   Castle: "Well if you wanted the surgery so badly, why didn't you see another lips...lip doctor?"  Her alibi checks out, she was having surgery.   Captain Montgomery (Reuben Santiago-Hudson) asks what else she had left to have surgery on.  Beckett replies they can do plenty 'down there'.   A surgeon with broken fingers means someone's sending a message.

Alexis goes dress hunting and tries on a pink number that looked straight out of Beckett's closet.  Castle is upset Martha's trying to give Alexis "body image issues," which Martha says everyone has.  Castle recalls Alexis looked beautiful in a pink tutu and tiara.  No wonder he said she looked good in that awful pink dress.  Esposito and Ryan check out Leed's office, he didn't even have any porn on his computer, an oft used line in this show; and Ryan notices the wedding file contained patient records.   The nurse doesn't know about his secret.   He didn't use regulars for a nine hour operation.   Castle mentions one place where you can get info from is the billing department of a hospital.

Castle is going home to a long-standing tradition of torturing the boyfriend.   Ryan recalls at his Prom, the girls' father checked his wallet for condoms and showed him his gun collection.   Esposito locates the wire transfer to pay for the operation was from the US Attorney's office.   Beckett says the operation was to change soemone's ID.   He had to be in witness protection.   Castle and Beckett pay a call on 'Hard Candy', Candace (Ion Overman).   When they don't get any answers from her, Castle suggests they ask the other side, they should know who was out to kill Leeds.   Beckett asks if this is a Mamet play.   He forgets she reads plays.   Castle knows a capo with one of the families, who owes him a favour.   Sal (Robert Costanzo) tells him, Jimmy 'the Rat' (Joe Martinelli) turned state's evidence on the Spolano family.   Castle reminds him of his novel, Storm Warning, where the hitman had a signature style.   That's something Sal says Jimmy would know.

Beckett thinks they should talk to Will (Bailey Chase).   Castle: "tall, brooding and judgemental." Castle's not the one he's trying to get back together with.   She takes Will a donut with sprinkles.   Beckett says he should think of the doctor that was killed cos of them and give her the info for him, not for her.   Castle dresses in a bloody coat with severed head in hand.   Martha and Alexis want him to put it away.   Martha comments at least one child has grown up, meaning Alexis.   Castle does an imitation of Chris Walken, which Beckett doesn't recognize when she calls him to tell him about the meet with Jimmy.   Where was Beckett taking her files and bag, she doesn't need those.   Castle refers to the garage meeting as being cliched, and how the car will be a black suburban with tinted windows.   Someone's been watching too many Bruckheimer films.   The bag over the head is Jimmy's MO so someone's sending him a message.

Castle informs the others cos of them, Jimmy refuses to testify.   Captain tells Beckett the van was fired on and Will's in hospital.  Esposito says they used Teflon rounds which went through the door.   They were followed.  Beckett: "If I were a better cop..." she'd have known.   Oh finally, she admits she's not  a good cop.    Castle tells her she cares and never gives up, that's cos she has his help now and has to follow the leads he provides her with!  Castle waits up for Alexis and tells her he won't be doing that for much longer and if a gold digger steals his money, then he'll come and live with her.  

Beckett's been at work since 4 and called the others in at 6.   After what Castle said to reassure her, he didn't want her going all Beautiful Mind on him.   Out of all the  staff, Mario  was the last one to join the office.   He was working late at the office, Julia was alone and Maggie started work there a few months ago.  Maggie, I got her as soon as they showed her in the beginning, stole someone else's ID.   They arrive at the hospital before her, while she attempts to kill Jimmy.   Castle tells her they knew she was coming.

Maggie turns state's evidence too.   Beckett tells the Captain, "I don't think I could have done it without Castle," finally another admission from her she can't do her job without his help.  Murray gives Castle the results of his analysis and that her mother was stabbed and the knife was twisted.   The other marks were just for show.   This wasn't random and not an isolated incident.  Martha tells him he has to let Beckett know even if he doesn't work with ehr anymore (yeah that'll happen.) Castle tells them he's on the last chapter of his book and Will lets Beckett know that Castle likes her.   He's meant to tell Beckett about her mother, but seeing as this is the final episode of season 1, that'll have to wait for season 2.   Unless you've already seen season 2 and were watching repeats here, like many were.   Or if you can't wait, you can always read up on it, watch the DVD.

Beckett gets to say what I've been saying all along, that she's not that good a cop and she needs Castle's help!  Will getting shot was obvious and again Beckett couldn't tell on their way there whether they were being followed or not and didn't take any precautions for this eventuality.   She told Will they were responsible for getting the doctor killed, but she was responsible for getting them both shot.   Castle has been investigating Beckett's mother's case, as we know, but it's only mentioned here again since it'll be continued over as a cliff hanger.  

Beckett was naive, thinking he wouldn't look into it just cos she told him to back off, he doesn't listen to her and she knows that.   Also after saying she couldn't have done it without Castle, she refuses to let him help with her mother's case, is it out of guilt, embarrassment she didn't get anywhere with it, or just that she doesn't want to be indebted to him, as she knows he's more than capable of getting to the truth and solving the case; something she couldn't do and had to let it go for her sanity.   Others would have persisted until they made a breakthrough  and not think about themselves.

The title could be a reference to the family as in mob family or refer to Beckett and her mother.

In 1.20 Red Sauce episode of The Mentalist, the team investigate the mob style killing of a man in witness protection.   Patrick (Simon Baker) tells Lisbon (Robin Tunney) not to be grumpy.   The interrogation of Jacey reminded me of the season 2 episode of CSI:NY, Grand Murder at Central Station, which involved the death of a plastic surgeon.   His patients were suing him for surgery gone wrong.   One patient they come across resembled a cat.   The patient asks Flack (Eddie Cahill) what type of animal she resembles and he replies without hesitation.   He even tells one woman who has over-botoxed lips, that she's "got something to smile about," that she's going free.   Here Castle can't resist bringing up Jacey's lips and the expression on his face says it all.  Whilst he's happy for other women to have their surgery for boobs etc, he doesn't want that for Alexis.

The Vampire Diaries - 3.8: "Ordinary People" Review

Elena gets a lowdown on her family's past by Rebekah and how they became vampires. Alaric deciphers the cave drawings, Mikael turns up and Damon tries to find a better way to help Stefan reclaim his humanity.

Alaric (Matt Davis) brings Elena (Nina Dobrev) to the tunnels and advises her to ignore Damon (Ian Somerhalder) as he's doing.  Alaric believes the story tells of a "really old moon cycle of a man, a wolf.   Damon: "It's the Lockwood Diaries Pictionary style." Werewolves have been in Mystic Falls longer than the Lockwood's.   The drawings appear to be runic and containing Viking script.  He can make out the names, 'Niklaus', Rebekah' and 'Elijah.'

This leads to a flashback to Rebekah (Claire Holt) and Klaus ( Joseph Morgan) in the tunnel.   Rebekah is carving on the wall.   She tells Klaus he's afraid of their father and adds that he scares them all and so they should all stick together.   Alaric doesn't think this wall is a fake as he makes out the name 'Mikael', whom Damon refers to as "Papa Original."  The images tell a story.   Away from the tunnels, Damon trains Elena whilst Alaric continues to piece together the drawings.   Elena decides she's going straight to the source of the original stories, Rebekah.  

She wonders why Klaus is running from their father, Mikael (Sebastian Roche)  and tells Rebekah where he is buried.   Another flash to Klaus and Elijah (Daniel Gillies) fighting.   No wonder Klaus ran off, his life is too precious for him to stay and be killed by Mikael.   He's just a coward when the shoe's on the other foot.   Mikael tells them off saying they fight for survival not fun and he calls Klaus "foolish and impulsive," referring to him as just a "boy."  Elena is convinced Stefan (Paul Wesley) will be free of his compulsion if Klaus can be killed.

Damon checks on Stefan calling him "pasty and pouty."  Elena can take care of Rebekah and Damon isn't too keen on "Lexi's recovery plan."  Elena is convinced it will work.   Stefan having to get in that Elena's plans always work, sarcastically.   Well he's right. None of their plans ever work.   Stefan doesn't believe Elena will be safe with Rebekah.   Damon thinks if Stefan believed Elena was in danger then Stefan would be working harder to get better and get out of his restraints.   Damon thinks that Stefan has really given up and undoes his restraints.   Last episode it was Stefan untying him.  This week, it 's the other way around. Seems that's all we're going to get, the same thing happening to each of them.

Rebekah has compelled some girls to try on dresses and wants Elena to pick one out for Homecoming.   She threatens to bite one of them and so Elena chooses one.   Bonnie (Katerina Graham) returns the necklace to Alaric who calls Jeremy an idiot, he knows cos he was just like him too.   There's an image of the necklace on the wall everywhere.   The symbol stands for 'witch.' Rebekah recalls how a plague struck their homeland.   Their mother, Esther (Alice Evans) knew a witch, Ayana, (Maria Howell) and they all lived with the werewolves around.   Another flash to caves under their village, where they would hide when the wolves howled, meaning on the full moon.   Klaus and her younger brother, Henrik, snuck out to see the transformation and Henrik was killed.   So they were no longer at peace with the werewolves.   This was the last time her family were together as humans.

Damon tells Elena he knows what he's doing with Stefan and takes him to the bar, compelling Callie (Karlee Morgan Eldridge) for a "shot of you" for Stefan.   He says Stefan's been on his blood free diet for 50 years so how come he's so good at the drinking game.   Stefan remarks, it's "precision out of boredom." Stating Damon's worse than Elena at all this stuff, especially the brotherly bonding.   Damon likes to be on the edge, but Stefan falls over it.

Rebekah doesn't understand the attraction between Stefan and Elena as a couple.  Rebekah knows Stefan's a vampire and tells her the necklace wasn't Stefan's, it belonged to the original witch.  She turned them into vampires.   Flash to Esther wanting the spirits to find a way to protect their children.   Elena says a curse isn't a form of protection.    They stayed out of pride and to be superior.   The magic will have consequences and the "spirits will turn on them" warns Ayana.   Esther was a witch too from the original family, "the original witch."   She could only be a witch or a vampire not both.   Esther didn't turn but turned to the white oak tree to turn them into vampires.   They were given wine laced with blood and Mikael killed them with swords.

Flash to Rebekah having to drink more blood to finish the ritual.   They felt powerful.   'The spirits turned and nature fought back', the sun, the neighbours kept them out of their houses.   The white oak flowers burnt them and they prevented compulsion so the trees were burnt.   They only craved blood.

Damon: "I thought you could use a hug Stefan."  Damon knows he's given up and wants him to do something about it.   Cue Mikael.   When Klaus killed for the first time this triggered his werewolf gene and Esther put a curse on him to suppress his werewolf side.   Mikael's pride increased as a vampire and he killed half the village and also Esther.   She broke his heart so he tore hers from her chest with Klaus watching.  

Why would Mikael kill Esther when she had done everything to protect his children.  Rebekah and Elijah agreed not to turn their backs on Klaus.   Rebekah is stubborn, Elijah is moral and Klaus has 'no tolerance over those who disappoint him.'  She loves Klaus cos she doesn't want to spend an eternity alone.   The same reason Klaus gives for wanting more hybrids, but he doesn't feel the same emotion towards Rebekah as she does for him, since he'd still have her around, even if he didn't have any more of his kind.  She is his family after all.   Rebekah threatens Elena if she comes after Klaus. She is her father's daughter after all and yet she still fears him.

Mikael posits he's been a vampire hunter longer than Damon's been alive and threatens to rip out Damon's heart unless Stefan tells him where Klaus is.   Stefan can lure Klaus back to Mystic Falls.   Mikael lets Damon go and just wanted to rile him up.   Stefan must get Klaus to return or be killed.   Alaric discovers the tree symbol is a weapon and notices a bleeding heart and a witch figure.   Rebekah doesn't know the real story behind Esther's death, Elena reveals what Klaus told her was a lie to turn her against Mikael.   A symbol for hybrid combines both and the symbol for her mother.   Elena shows Rebekah the story of Esther's death.   Esther rejected Klaus, he was aggressive and violent and he killed her.   Elena wants to make Klaus lose his control over everyone.  

Stefan says Damon didn't get through to him. Damon only proceeded in reminding him what his freedom felt like, when he kills Klaus he will be free.   Damon has to save Stefan as he owes him for saving his life.   Stefan: "Be careful brother, your humanity's showing." That's what Damon just said to him and then Damon lashes out at him.   Damon tells Elena about Mikael and thinks his weapon is a stake.   Elena only sees Rebekah as a girl, "she loves blindly and recklessly even if it consumes her."  Family is important to Elena.   Damon thinks she should tell that to Stefan.   Elena believes Damon will save Stefan from himself not cos Stefan loves Elena, but cos Stefan loves Damon.

Damon always lashes out when anyone mentions humanity: his, or other human emotions.   Like he killed Alaric out of rage and anger for people trying to change him, confirming he's a vampire firstly and foremostly.   So why does he want Stefan to find his humanity so badly, other than owing him his life?  It sure isn't for Elena cos Damon wants her for himself.   Didn't see Elena objecting to Damon being on her bed - nor did she tell him to move or leave, in actual fact she looked quite comfy with him beside her.   Seriously who wouldn't mind him on, or in, their beds!  Perhaps Elena's reference to Rebekah being a girl who loves blindly speaks more about Elena too.

 Lots of background on the "original" family of vampires, which made a change to learn that Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah didn't choose to become vampires and how this elaborate scheme to protect them was born of magic and necessity, by none other than the original witch herself, Esther.   Was she unable to come up with some other means of affording them protection from werewolves?   Also how as well as Mikael rejecting Klaus as he wasn't his son, we find Esther rejected him too and placed the curse on him.   So naturally it only follows he would be the one to kill his mother.

There seems to be more behind Mikael wanting to find Klaus than just to kill him.   On the same note, he doesn't seem to have any urgency in reuniting with Rebekah, in fact he hasn't even asked about her or Elijah.   What of Katherine, no mention of her either in this episode.   Take it the 'witch' mentioned in 3.7 was Esther and the reason for the necklace being returned.  As well as the "original" family being the focus of this episode - the other family in the limelight were the Salvatore brothers and their relationship, though one of sarcasm, jokes and feel-good feeding, there was more serious issues involved in Stefan saving Damon at the end from Mikael.   Yet he hated Damon talking of his humanity and vice versa, which is the part I liked, when they both fight, cos Damon can't stand Stefan associating him with humanity.   It's a sore point for Damon as we know, but now Stefan doesn't like it being alluded to either, or is there another reason for him not wanting to be called human?

CSI - 12.4: "Maid Man" Review

The former Mayor of Vegas is shot at the opening of a mobster museum where the opening is attended by most of the CSIs, and the killing of a hotel maid is investigated.

Greg (Eric Szmanda) Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) DB (Ted Danson) and Ecklie (Marc Vann) attend the opening of the Mob museum, officially opened by former Mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman (Oscar Goodman).   DB does the rounds with Ecklie and then talks to Catherine and Greg about the two wives standing with the wife Joanna (Frances Fisher) of the hitman, Vinny Sapphire who killed their husbands.    As the Mayor toasts all hell breaks loose as shots are fired shattering his martini glass and hitting him three times.  Sheriff Liston (Barbara Eve Harris) also at the event wants Ecklie and DB to get to the bottom of this pronto.

The CSIs compare notes and find shots were fired from two different areas of the room.   DB finds the gun behind one of the dummies, a .38, as is the weapon of choice in a mob hit and the shooter would always characteristically dump the gun at the scene.   DB leaves Greg to process as he and Catherine check outside, where someone by the door would have seen what happened.   The security guard's DB is found shot in the face, Catherine replies he "snorted a bullet."

Inside Greg tells DB there's no blood on the floor so DB has to do his usual act and play a DB again, spotting a mushroomed bullet.   At the hospital Oscar is fine as his jacket took the brunt of the bullets and he's had his fair share of enemies as a mayor and lawyer before that.   DB finds another mushroomed bullet in his jacket.   The security guard was killed with a .44 which Doc Robbins (Robert David Hall) removed from his brain (lots of slicing action on show in autopsy).   He voted for Oscar three times in the past and once for his wife, as he's done a lot of good for Vegas.   Catherine agrees.   They're on the search for three shooters.

One of the guns is traced to Vinny Sapphire, missing since the 1980's and Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) questions his wife, Joanna.  She claims not to have seen him in years but Brass obviously has a soft spot for her and she tells him to come down and she'll fill his whiskey bottle he keeps in his desk. Well, she can't do that from prison.   Not many suspects to go on but as is always the case it's apparent who the killer is and she even gives herself away later when DB and Greg go to the crematorium to find out where the elusive Cesare Mastrantonio is located.

DB calls upon Greg to utilize his knowledge on mobsters.   Still no mention of Greg's elusive mobster book he was writing some seasons ago - which it appears he's shelved for good!  DB calls him twice by yelling for him instead of using the phone.   Take it that's his MO at home with his children and his wife! ha.   Oh and no mention of Sara (Jorga Fox)  this episode.

Also new ballistics expert Xiomara (Monique Gabriela Curnen) was used in two scenes; but DB didn't want to listen to her stories - he wanted to tell his own and hog the limelight.   Hodges (Wallace Langham) has discovered footage from the street cameras of a 1979 Cadillac Coup de Ville which circled the museum.   Catherine states Sam Braun had one too and Hodges delves into another personal tidbit about failing his driving test.   The plates match Vinny's car and there's an unidentified driver inside wearing Vinny's hat.

Greg is unable to find any bullets outside the museum and DB gets Greg to "shoot" him with a fake finger gun, but shoots off bullets with his own finger gun before Greg barely manages to point to him.   Thus he won't find any bullets and DB posits the security guard was involved.   He fired through the glass case and through Gedda's head (a statue of him had to be included).   He was the thorn in Warrick's (Gary Dourdan) side and he was one of the last cases he worked on.   Catherine commenting Gedda was shot - again.   Inside they discover something is missing from the display case.   Photos reveal it was Gedda's journal and one page had a list of mob hits, including Cesare, who never existed.   The security guard was thus shot after he stole the journal.

Vinny's Cadillac is found at a motel and inside a female DB lies shot on the bed, a hat next to her.   A cushion was used and feathers can be seen.   Brass saying "a  hat on the bed is bad luck."  Catherine recognizes the woman as a friend of Sam's, Monique (Joyce Hyser).

DB asks Greg if he checked on a death certificate for Cesare, which leads them to Joanna, feather in hair from the cushion at the motel.   Gedda's stash of cash was meant to be in Cesare's memorial and Vinny left her to run away with Monique.   The two women got together after Monique contacted her about Vinny's death and they were meant to get the money.   Monique dumped Vinny in Lake Mead.

Greg tells DB about Catherine's past and her history with Sam, including leaving her a casino.   DB saying he's here with his 'work wife,' i.e.  Ecklie.  

Nick (George Eads) and Morgan (Elisabeth Harnois) investigate the death of a maid at the Eclipse Hotel, found in the room of a Prince Jalal Najib.   This is a first for David (David Berman) as Maria (Ana Isabel Mercado) was stabbed in the eye with a swizzle stick.   Morgan thinks the Prince refers to a rapper when Brass tells her the name.   The room is in disarray.   Nick processes whilst Morgan questions another maid, Paulette (Karen Bethzabe).   She tries to make it appear the Prince was behind this as he always requested Maria, implying there was something sexual in it, yet Morgan didn't notice her nervousness and she kept looking left and down.

Nick spots a hidden lipstick camera pointed towards the direction of the bed so there could be sex tapes.   He thinks they could see who bought it with the serial number.   He also collects towels as evidence, along with the Prince's clothes.   Prints from the camera belong to Matthew Lapaz - a former hotel valet, who has priors for drug possession.   The camera was directed towards a safe so it was safe tapes they were after!  A woman's hand is seen to switch the Prince's watch and jewelley for  fakes.   Morgan takes DNA and the Prince's jewellery. He is brash and arrogant, showing contempt for the hired help, as well as Morgan.  He asks for a male CSI. Morgan takes no prisoners and tells him he can pay her $1,000 afterwards and that she's paid by the hour so she's got all the time in the world.

Nick notices the towels, the one from Paulette's trolley were new and the ones he collected had been used as they have the Eclipse's name on it for laundry purposes leading to Paulette. Obviously it wasn't Maria and it was Paulette's hand in the footage.   She tried to stop Maria and she wouldn't agree to a cut, opting to report her instead.   Morgan returns the Prince his possessions and he can't believe Maria died for saving his things.   He leaves her a cheque for $100,000 for Maria's family.   So Morgan has a change of heart about him.   Loving Morgan - she's great and it's nice to see a CSI who isn't smug and can admit when she's wrong.

Mandy (Sheeri Rappaport) saying she hates it when Nick is sweet whilst waiting for a print after he comments they're both wearing purple.   Morgan: "I'm not sweet."  She likes Morgan.

The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement opened in Las Vegas in February 2012.   Sam wasn't a 'goodfella' as DB assumes but he wasn't a mobster either, more a 'go-to' man.   Greg commenting on the  three mob wives who lost their husbands cos of Vinny, who was Gedda's hitman.   He was shot in season 8 and in the finale Warrick was shot, yet there's no mention of this, or any mention of Warrick even by Catherine or Greg since he was saying plenty.   Would have been good to get a mention.

Xiomara has to tell DB what her name is again, more like how to pronounce it.   Her story was that the gun was associated with unsolved murders from the 1980's.   This episode was Greg's turn to put up with DB as Nick had to "endure" him in the season opener.   So it was only fair we got to see Greg having this interaction as all of the team, barring Nick, had already worked with him.   Thus we the audience got to see this in action too.

Oscar deciding to represent Joanna and Ecklie commenting if he gets into trouble, he wants Oscar defending.   DB says if he gets into trouble, he wants Oscar's jacket.   Yes, but what about the head?  No guarantee shooters will shoot at the body.

The Prince asking Morgan if he saw her topless at the club.   Nick attempting to ensure Morgan sees all sides of the story and not become 'fixated' on the Prince as a suspect.   Also she got to work with Nicky alone this ep - but no repeat mention of any events from last episode when she asked Greg about Nick's personal life.

Stargate Atlantis The Lost Tribe Part 2 Review

Knew they'd be shielded from the blast and Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) gets glass in his back.  Zulenka (David Nykl) comments on losing the stargate.  Todd (Christopher Heyerdahl) contacts Atlantis but Sheppard doesn't know why the gate blew up - where's Rodney (David Hewlett) when you need him?  Well he's miles away.  Rodney says the effect isn't seen here as there's no stargate on this planet. Dangerous radiation is created inside the gate.  Millions will die everytime the gate is is dialled.  Ooh Sheppard shirtless, now come on, gratuity if ever there was any! But who's complaining!!

Woolsey (Robert Picardo) awakes and is used to send a message to Atlantis.
Sheppard will give $5 to anyone who figures how to get in touch with Daedalus and Amelia (Sharon Taylor) says it's on screen now.  Though technically it wasn't her idea so she shouldn't get the money.
Todd will return his ship and crew if the device is shut down.  He's impressed as it was first used by the Ancients ten thousand years ago and its use wasn't continued with as humans would die.  Woolsey is the first one threatened to be killed.  Sheppard claims they didn't do it and Todd is the only one with the ship to deal with this.  Todd demands the coordinates to the planet.

Ronon (Jason Mamoa) opens the doors and intends on crippling the Daedalus and he knows how.  Katana (Daniella Alonso) is sent by Larrin as stargates are blowing up and they can use her ship.  Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) is left in charge.  Ronon shoots out the control systems and the ship drops out of hyperspace.
Daniel (Michael shanks) wants the device shut down, but the people aren't of any concern to the aliens.  They don't use gates and Daniel thinks they're no better than the Wraith. Their planet is dying and will have to venture out into the galaxy with the Wraith.

Mila [!] (Claire Robertson) is the chief engineer and she's only 16.  Jennifer (Jewel Staite) turns herself in for destroying the ship.  Daniel asks why they're still in their armour and the alien reveals himself as an Asgard.  Daniel has worked with them and they were a noble race.  The Asgard were clones going back generations and they conducted research on humans like Loki.  They were attacked by the Wraith and had to live in a toxic atmosphere planet.  They knew why the Ancients built the device.

Daniel says they can't justify what they're doing.  Todd claims to be on a mission for Sheppard.  Rodney must figure a way out and Daniel tells him taking on a third person is a sign of mental instability.  They have to escape and shut down the device.  Rodney suggests an explosion and Daniel asks why people would go rushing towards an explosion, well to put out any fires, rescue casualties...Rodney says he would.  They take the spare alien suits, one size fits all.

Sheppard is surprised Larrin never mentioned him.  The Wraith in the bay are locked out of the flight controls.  Rodney encrypted access to the work station and the aliens leave the planet.  Todd locks the Daedalus guidance system on a collision course with the planet.  Rodney pulls the control crystal manually and Todd leaves the Daedalus.  Sheppard needs the hyperdrive of the ship and takes the Daedalus into it and they travel through the planet.  Daniel is hit by a ray in the enclosure and both are beamed on board.  Woolsey wants the device destroyed.

Sheppard suggests Larrin can drop by.  He's a lot "more charming when my freinds are about to die."  Larrin talsk about him now and then.  Jennifer is interested in Rodney.  Daniel claims it's hard to get a fruitcup and is going back to Earth.  He thanks him for respecting Daniel when he thought he was about to die.  Rodney regretted Daniel being here and all this wouldn't have happened if he wasn't here.

Had to have been the Asgard as I mentioned in my earlier review for part 1, since Daniel was around and he's had dealings with them before in the past.  As with all races there had to be more bad Asgard out there so that shouldn't have been so shocking to Daniel.  mind you, they did believe they were doing the right thing for self preservation and seeing as the rest of their kind were involved in the mass suicide.  Rodney said Daniel's line to Ford (Rainbow Sun Franks) in the episode Runner, "...referring to yourself in the third person does indicate clinic dissociation."  Daniel met Loki in Stargate: SG1 episode Fragile Balance.
As for Sheppard taking the Daedalus on a jump through the planet that was similar to Sam Carter (Amanda Tapping) in season 5 Fail Safe ep, where she does the same to an asteroid on collision course with Earth, sending it into a hyperspace window and through the Earth.