Without A Trace Pilot Review

A woman on the street is seen talking to a man.  She enters her building on Tuesday at 10:47pm.  Jack (Anthony LaPaglia) does a voiceover; Maggie Cartwright, 28, single, a marketing executive.  She didn’t show up for work

34 Hours Missing

There was no forced entry and her door was open.  She left everything behind.  She spoke to her mother and disappeared after the call.  Her boss sent out the missing call.  The police canvasses the neighbourhood and found nothing.  Jack picks up a book in her apartment: Karma & Reincarnation and reads a highlighted passage. She has travel books and Danny (Enrique Murciano) says she went backpacking.

 FBI MISSING PERSONS UNIT

MANHATTEN

37 Hours Missing

Maggie (Arija Bareikis) was vice president of marketing.  Her mother is Nancy, her father is Paul (Bruce Davison).  They were divorced in 1982.  He’s single and lives at Alphabet City.  Danny finds the night foreman at Maggie’s building has a record for dealing cocaine.

11:02….  Tom Wilkins is the last person she called so Jack tells them they must speak to him first.  The security footage shows she left work at 6. 

 Jack introduces Martin, (Eric Close) a rookie and new member of the team.  Martin didn’t want his father to call Jack.  They don’t know if Maggie’s been murdered or kidnapped.

38 Hours Missing

Maggie had a meeting that day and her boss says it was the best presentation she had ever given.  Everyone respects her and she was promoted to president of marketing.  Martin thinks he may have been sleeping with the boss and since she’s been climbing the corporate ladder.  Jack tells him he loves her but isn’t sleeping with her as he’s gay.

39 Hours Missing

 Martin adds she doesn’t have a computer.  Danny says the doorman saw her with a man, blonde, 6’1”. Viv Marianne Jean-Baptiste) says Tom (Taylor Nichols) arrived at Heathrow on flight 43.  He’s staying at Claridges.  Maggie sent an e-mail to Brian Docherty on Tuesday.  Jack deciphers it’s true meaning.  Her position on the relationship was clarified, she was sleeping with him so they have a suspect.

41 Hours Missing

Brian paid off a witness in a Federal investigation.  It was meant to be a fling and he called it off weeks ago.  He was in Philadelphia at a conference.  Maggie’s computer harddrive was being formatted, except for her e-mails, everything else had been wiped out.

12:30…

Her father describes Maggie as independent.  She dated Tom for about a few weeks a year ago.  She told him about her affairs.  He spent $300 on her Saturday night.  Sam thinks this behaviour odd.  Men only spend so much out of guilt or romance and no one goes to ‘Carmen’s  unless it’s Valentine’s day or to propose.  Jack asks how she knows. Sam (Poppy Montgomery) thinks he treats her like his mistress.  Jack calls her a role player as everyone in her life treats her differently.

44 Hours Missing

She had problems with her files, internal e-mails.  Martin doesn’t think there was anything suspicious and no internal competition at work.  Tom is a tax attorney, 41 and divorced.  The computer technician at the company tells Martin Maggie was trying to hide something.  Sam says they don’t know where she was between 9:15 and 10:47pm.  Danny says the footage form the security camera in the alley of her building shows her with a backpack at 2:32am.  The 'ying & Yang’ logo matches the one in her photo.  None of it makes sense.

4:23AM

Jack ponders why she left through the alley.  Sam replies she may be hiding, or adds Jack, escaping.  Her backpack had personal items form her childhood etc.  Sam thinks maybe she’s committed suicide.  Jack say she has no friends, is an only child and she role plays.  There’s a ransom note received.

7:21AM

Viv finds she made withdrawals from an ATM every year and then stopped.  Danny thinks it could be related to drugs or blackmail.  Her doorman is a dealer.  Martin suggests it could be Brian, perhaps Maggie threatened to tell his wife about them.  No one saw him until 9AM the following day.  The last train left from Philly at 10:30PM or he could have rented a car  There’s an 11:15 New Jersey transit to New York at 2 AM and he could get here and back within 4 hours.  Sam thinks it was her father so he could get the money.  Viv suggests Tom.  Jack wants her to get him back to New York.

1:30PM

Sam recalls her father wanted to pay the ransom so she suspects him.  She used to tell him everything and now he knows nothing.  Tom arrives on Concord. (Which is no longer flying.)

3:23Pm

He was with clients in London.  He dated Maggie a few times.  He saw her Tuesday she had something to tell him, but in the end she didn’t.  Jack thinks it convenient all that money is in London.  Tom hasn’t checked his answering service.  Jack tells Sam it’s not Tom.  Things aren’t normal.  Maggie saw Brian, her mother, father and Tom: she was saying goodbye.

48 Hours Missing

Viv checks the names of an employees travelling and finds Bartholomew Higgins, (Bradford Tatum) the computer technician.

4:29PM

Higgins has gone for home for lunch.  Sam asks about Martin at the office.  They find photos of Maggie at work.  Martin spots Maggie’s backpack at his apartment.  Sam and Jack find Martin passed out on the floor and Maggie's in the bath.  Danny arrests Higgins with the money.

Jack tells Martin off for going in alone, he almost got her killed and shouldn’t have gone in alone.  Maggie wanted to disappear back to Nepal.  Higgins understood her so they began hanging out after work.  She brought the wrong passport.  She left the apartment like that, she was dreaming.  Jack tells her she wanted to be found.  Higgins real name is Joseph Deemar, wanted for murder in Delaware; he would’ve killed her.

The pilot episode didn’t have any opening credits only cast names.  This episode was also directed by David Nutter who directs most Pilot episode such as Dark Angel and the X-Files.

 A good opening episode which not only introduces the team at work but also Martin, the newcomer and all his naivety and mistakes, of which he makes many and also in episodes to come.  Also it appeared that anyone who knew Maggie was suspected at one point or another so it took a while to find the real suspect.

It was fast paced and action packed compared to some other episodes and especially compared to some season 2 ones.  Which were markedly slower and had less in content, plotwise, with fewer suspects.

The highlighted passage reads: For his past works – he shall return once more to birth, entering whatever from his is set on.

Danny: “Two years working white collar in Seattle and he gets this assignment.”

Sam: “Doesn’t hurt to be Victor Fitzgerald’s kid.”

Danny: “No wonder he’s smilin’.”

Sam: “Not a bad smile either.”  First day on the job for Martin and already they’re gossipping about him.  As well as knowing who he really is, i.e the son of the deputy Director of the FBI.

Martin: “I don’t want nay preferential treatment.”

Jack: “Good, cos you’re not getting’ any.”

Jack: “We’ve gotta work from the inside out.  Once we find out who she is, odds are we’ll find out where she is.  In most cases after 48 hours, they’re gone.”  Not only giving insight into how they work to find missing persons, but also the time factor involved is important.

Martin: “What cos he called her a fireball?”

Jack: “No, cos he was checking you out!”  Didn’t Martin notice?

Jack: “Everyone skeptical of you white collar guys.”

Martin: “yeah, I’ve noticed…password is ‘Nepal’.  Think it means something?”

Jack: “What’s your password?…see.”  We’re not told what his password is but judging form the conversation about women they have later it’s probably something unmentionable anyway.

 Viv: “…had to get them to put down their fish and chips.”  That’s very stereotypical.  Viv got this line, she’s from London.

Jack: “Sam you in a trance?”

Danny: “Maybe a booty call.”

Sam: “Your mind is always in the gutter.  There was no call.”

Danny: “Tom Wilkins, 11:48.”

Martin: “in my experience, there’s usually a 3 hour lag between the call and the delivery.”  Everyone looks at Martin.

Sam: “Think a fresh change of clothes will make up for last night’s lack of sleep?”

Jack: “If I looked as good as you in black, I wouldn’t need to change.”

Sam: “Jack, your collar.”

Jack: “You’re starting to sound like my wife.”

Sam: “You should listen to your wife.”

Jack: “Do this for Dr Fred?”

Sam: “sure.”

Jack: “How is Dr Fred?”

Sam: “Busy and unavailable, just the way I like ‘em.”

Funny, in the previous scene jack has just been analyzing Maggie’s intimate e-mail and here there are intimate goings on too.

Jack didn’t wear black in this pilot episode, but began to wear it from episode 2.

 Sam seems to have something against her father of fathers in general.  But everyone has a suspect  they like to link to her disappearance in this episode also.

Jack: “That’s our job.  It’s what we do.”  Again, the episode finishing with Jack summing up they’re here to find missing persons.

 Personal Window

The conversation between Jack and Sam is very intimate and personal, not to mention flirtatious.  It all seems harmless until Jack mentions his wife. So we suspect there’s something going on between them.  Her line about being ‘busy and unavailable and how she likes them' : a possible reference to Jack.

Sam’s had 2 relationships in this season plus Martin’s enamoured with her too.  Plus she keeps commenting on martin’s pretty face and nice smile so she must feel some sort of immediate attraction towards him.

Sam mentioning Danny’s mind is always in the gutter, what about her and her beaus?

Martin not only embarrasses himself on the first day by that ‘booty’ conversation but then proceeds to play hero and gets told off for it.

Said Eric: “Obviously when he first joined the team and he had that moment where eh went in and tried to stop the criminal and then almost got himself killed – that was in the first season, and that was embarrassing for him.”

CSI: NY - 1.12: "Recycling" Review

The death of a bike messenger leaves the team with a puzzle, meanwhile Mac and Aiden walk into the world of dog shows and the bitter rivalry between owners vying for the prize.

Story 1: A bike messenger collapses and has a prior record for assaulting a taxi driver.   Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) asks "Is that still a crime in New York?"  It's probably commonplace since there's an abundance of taxis in the city.   He suffered a stab wound to his upper right side.   It appears to be the secondary CS.  Danny finds his delivery manifest, his boss was Michael Stalin.  Speaking with him, Danny is told, the better the route, the more money they were paid.   Danny: "I'm looking for the truth, you don't seem so eager to deliver." Danny questions another messenger, Brett (Aisha Hinds).   So there would be plenty of suspects vying for his route.

The second story sees the death of  a dog handler.   Flack (Eddie Cahill) questions Emily Curtis who showed other dogs.   The show's vet, Ross, (Zach Grenier) found the body, but he didn't hear anything.   She had the key to the dog's case in her hand, the one containing the dog's medication and a knitting needle in her bag.    Milly (Julia Duffy) wasn't well liked and a judge had to recuse himself.    Aiden (Vanessa Ferlito) finds bloody paw prints leading away from the CS.

Hawkes (Hill Harper) finds the bike messenger had multiple heeled fractures of the collarbone and ribs.   A hairline fracture to his pelvis where he was stabbed.   Part of the murder weapon was left behind.   He lost a lot of blood and kept going due to the adrenalin.   Stella (Melina Kanakaredes) says the Vic was stabbed in his right leg and there's blood on the left pedal, so blood transferred to the bike.   Danny says the red mist is too fine to be blood spatter.   There's a grey, granular compound on the back of his jacket.   Stella finds the two grey fibres on the jacket are woollen.   There's a second DNA sample.   Danny thinks they can narrow down the path he went on using the heart rate monitor, which is interpreted wirelessly to his wristwatch showing where he was riding.

Mac (Gary Sinise) finds Hawkes in the freezer. The pipes were iced when a trainee left the door open, revealing a wealth of talents on the part of Hawkes.   COD was a ruptured aorta.   The needle should have passed through without any trouble, but it caught her aorta.   There are no defensive wounds and foreign hairs are present under her clothes, a bite mark on her leg and piece of latex in her mouth.   Milly has animal hair all over her.   The paw prints in the blood belong to a Spaniel or a hunting dog.   The dogs are lined up and their paws checked.   Elaine and the handler were involved, she had a fetish and bit her on the leg.  

The messenger's last delivery was on Wall Street, his heart rate spiked between Clarkson and Walker.   Danny uses his jacket to provide a sequential time line, cement and red paint reveals he rode on the pavement through wet cement.   The bike tyres match red paint on a sign.   That is the primary CS, near a news paper vendor.   A knife is found in the gutter.   The DNA from the blood matches Brett Stokes and Danny sees the female bike messenger.   Danny: "Think I might have spoken to her this morning."
Stella: "Really, she seem suspicious?"
Danny: "I didn't think anything."
Stella: "Cos she's a girl."  Now Stella's getting Danny's lines.   Well actually she did kind of take a shine to Danny.   I liked the way Danny got the cryptic lines, kind of.   It's the sort of reply he gave Mac in the earlier episodes when they spoke about the evidence and getting the job done.   There's a residue on the tip of the blade containing aromatic hydrocarbons found in lotion.

Aiden's results from the Tox screen reveal anti-depressants.   Serotonin suppressors, used for Serotonin Syndrome, which can cause nausea, hypothermia.   Mac doesn't think it was accidental, but she fell onto the needle..   A DNA profile is carried out on the skin under the nails and matched to CODIS.  Ross is a compulsive gambler and has a scratch on his hand from a dog.   Mac: "Someone wears a nice shirt and that makes them a player."  Elaine scratched him.   He pretended not to hear her as he was gambling.

Danny doesn't find the DNA under the messenger's nails matches Brett.   Danny has the time to joke though, "Don't kill the messenger.   See what I did there?"  Actually don't think so, since Stella feels she's the only one who can make jokes.   It matches Theodore Gates (Brad Greenquist) who was convicted for sexual misconduct on an 8 year old boy.   Danny flashes his badge.   Stella tells him they're not here for a Megan's Law visit and Danny asks, "What's the matter, am I too old for you?"  Theodore lost his knife and was at an airplane model convention for which he has a receipt.     Yeah probably scoping out more younger Vics.  

Danny checks the lotion.   Stella: "If you wanted beauty tips all you had to do was ask." He tells her that water mascara dries out lashes.   Don't think Stella would be the first port of call for beauty tips.   The substance was actually hand lotion given away as a free sample in magazines.   It was the news vendor who came into contact with it, again the apparent suspect and he also wears woolly gloves, thus the fibre.   He used a box cutter.   He's the sole worker at the CS.   Danny tells him he took an innocent life.   The messenger raced past him on the street and next time he did that he stabbed him.   All for what, racing around when he knows what the streets are like.  

Mac checks out the Ross's alibi and Elaine's stomach contents are examined.   She ingested it in liquid form.   Mac sees a woman drinking from the dog's feeding bottle.   The dog's water is tested for SSRIs (the suppressors).   The lock on the case was tampered with and the dog's hair sample is a match to the hair in the bottle.   Elaine put the dog's depression meds in the dog's bottle.   Milly was tired of her dresses and wanted to slow her dog down.   Mac: "You had everything to do with her death."  Aiden explains Elaine was on medication of her own and she reacted to the dog's meds which made her fall onto the needle.   This wasn't Milly's intention.

Mac takes Stella to the dog show and they eat hot dogs, betting on which dog wins.  Of course Stella wins the bet.   Mac doesn't wear  his tie which will become commonplace in the next seasons.   Stella: "Some days you're the dog, some days you're the fire hydrant."  So not funny, Stella calling herself a dog there.   You know, every dog has its day.

This is Danny's second arrest.   Stella got Danny to be her 'dog's body' this episode, making him fetch and carry for her.   Both stories had Vics with trace under their fingernails.   See CSI:Miami episode 7.7 Cheating Death where a suspect had a credit card receipt to provide an alibi, but she was actually the killer, so a receipt doesn't really prove much of anything.

Megan's Law was mentioned in a season 1 episode of CSI:Miami and relates to federal law which requires states in the US to tell communities if a sex offender is in a neighbourhood.   Megan's Law was named after Megan Kanka, a seven year old who was assaulted and killed in New jersey by a neighbour who had previous convictions for child sex offences.

Doctor Who - 6.8: "Let's Kill Hitler" Review

The Doctor meets Mels, an old friend of Rory and Amy's who he's never heard of and neither have we. She wants to kill Hitler and commandeers the TARDIS with a gun to the Doctor.

Rory (Arthur Darvill) and Amy (Karen Gillan) drive around in the car making crop circles, with Amy giving instructions in the passenger seat (!)  This is to contact the Doctor (Matt Smith) and they write his name in the form of a crop circle.   Which becomes a headline in the local Leadworth paper.   Amy asks if he's found Melody yet, he's had all Summer (and so have we waited around all Summer for the remaining episodes.)   He reassures he'll find her cos of who she grows up to be.   They notice a line running through the crop circle, which they didn't do.   Mels (Nina Toussaint-White) drives up in a stolen car.   (NO prizes for guessing Mel is short for Melody.)  Oh spoilers, never mind.    It was obvious.   Mels tells Amy she "never said he was hot."  Think Matt Smith's Doctor is probably the only one who'd be described as hot!  Other than David Tennent.

Rory tells her she can't keep doing what she does, "you're going to end up in prison."  Ain't that the truth!  She asks if the TARDIS is the fun box?   Mels is their best friend.  The Doctor repeats, "never said he was hot."  The Doctor doesn't know her and he danced with everyone at their wedding, even the men, most of whom were  shy.   Well she was around at the wedding, only with  a different face, thus all the clues and allusions.   If you get the feeling we're being toyed with here, well we are.  

A long time ago in Leadworth:  Schoolgirl Mels (Maya Glace-Green) asks if he's hot.   Amelia (Caitlin Blackwood) replies he's funny (clearly Mels was more mature than Amelia.)  He's got a time machine.   Rory's ignored as usual, even back then.   In class Mels gets into trouble when she replies the cause of the Titanic sinking was cos the Doctor didn't save it.  Mels says the Doctor didn't stop Hitler.   She's always in trouble and she needs a 'Doctor'.   Amy's lucky she's got Rory, but Amy replies he's not hers and he's gay.   Which Rory denies.   The TARDIS goes haywire cos Mels shot at the console.   He told her guns don't work in this place.  Doctor: "that was a clever lie."

Berlin 1939:  Miniature people are inside a Third Reich officer's body.   The Captain, Carter (Richard Dillane) orders Harriet  to check his skintone and is about to be killed by antibodies since her bracelet isn't green, thus she's not authorized.   The man transforms into another version of Zimmerman (Phillip Rham) right before his eyes.   He's guilty of war crimes so they can leave him to the antibodies.   Which were like robotic Oods without bodies.   Just as the transformed Zimmerman is about to shoot Hitler (Albert Welling) the TARDIS crashes though the window and saves him.   The Doctor doesn't know what room they're in as he hasn't memorized all the rooms in the universe yet.  They notice it's Hitler and realized they saved his life.   Doctor: "it was an accident."  He tells him it's a policebox from London.  "The British are coming."  Rory knocks Hitler out and puts him in a cupboard.   Zimmerman faints and the Doctor calls it a 'perfect faint'.

Mels has been shot.   The ship identifies the box as the TARDIS and they've come across the biggest war criminal ever.   When they said 'she' it could only be Mels.   She tells the Doctor she used to dream of him and the Doctor mentions the Vampires of Venice was a great story.   She was going to marry him.   He tells her if she recovers, he will marry her.   He must ask her parent's permission and they're right here: Amy and Rory.   She regenerates into River (Alex Kingston).   She recalled being a toddler in New York (6.2).   The Doctor realizes Mels is short for Melody and tells Amy, "you named your daughter after your daughter." River tells Rory to shut up, she's focusing on a dress size.   See they got to be with her growing up after all.   Though they appeared to be similar ages back then.

River has to examine herself like the Doctor did after every regeneration.  She loves her new body, she's all 'sort of mature,'  "Hello Benjamin...watch out for the bow tie."  She utters when she gets close to the Doctor.   For the first time he doesn't reply, "bow ties are cool."  He calls her River Song and she asks who that is.   Doctor: "spoilers."  Did he get that line from her or did she pinch it from the Doctor? River: "What's spoilers?"  They don't know her yet, she's here at her start and she doesn't know her name yet either.   She pulled a gun on him.   Thought they were getting married.   The Doctor anticipated her going for the gun and emptied it.  He knew she was coming.   Knew she'd go for the gun after her bow tie line, so he gives her a banana.   He tells her she could have killed him in the cornfield.

 River: "I'm a psychopath, I'm not rude." She was born to kill the Doctor and he reminds Amy she was being built at Demon's Run (6.7).   Doctor: "building my bespoke psychopath." She calls him sweetie and the Doctor tells her only River song can call him that.   She kisses him and then adds "my love."  He missed that she'd poison him with her lips.  "Oh River, River, River, more than a friend I think."  She tells him he doesn't understand all warfare except for the cruelest, it was never going to be a gun for him (as in 6.1).   She's poisoned him.   The Doctor knows she's been brainwashed and "she's a woman."

She rides off on a motorbike and Amy and Rory follow, also on motorbike.  Jim (Davood Ghadami)  comments the Doctor must die at a confirmed "fixed point, he always does." The Doctor inside the TARDIS needs a voice interface and it comes up with Rose (Billie Piper) , then Martha (Freema Agyeman).   The Doctor calls them all guilt.   And Donna (Catherine Tate) is the biggest guilt of all.   There must be someone in the universe he hasn't 'screwed up yet' and the interface becomes Amelia.   But she repeats she's not Amelia Pond several times.   He'll hang on for her, but he can't regenerate.   She finally says "fishfingers and custard,"  (from 5.1) giving him hope.

At a hotel restaurant, River sends everyone running in their undies and tries on their clothes.   Rory and Amy drive up, hotly followed by a robotic version of Amy.   The miniature people having transformed into her appearance now.   Rory and Amy are trapped inside of her with the antibodies about to attack.  Rory's stuck inside Amy's body, "how can I not see this as a metaphor." Jim gives them bracelets to show they're authorized.   They're in a Justice Department vehicle, the Teselecta.   They're not guilty of anything and can live.

The Doctor quotes Rule 408: "time is not the boss of you." He's changed into his wedding attire, top hat and tails, with a cane.   Thought he was about to burst into song there.   That's his new sonic, Amy having the other one.   Rule 27: "never knowingly be serious."  Amy signals him with the Sonic.   River is caught in a beam, streaming from robot Amy's mouth.   The Doctor admits he didn't see the miniatures coming.   He's still alive and he's the Doctor so whether River kills him or not has nothing to do with them.   Their job is to extract them near their time lines and "give them hell."  Who (!) do they think he is?  He demands to see his biography.   Amy convinces them to let him do that.   The Silence want him dead.  The Silence being a religious order/movement.  'The Silence will fall when the question is asked.   The oldest question in the universe hidden in plain sight.   The question is unknown.'

The Doctor tells Amy and Rory to stop River getting hell (as she's engulfed in fire.  That's hell.)   She's their daughter.   Amy uses the Sonic to turn everyone's bracelets red.  Doctor: "rule 7: never run when you're scared."  The miniatures are beamed onto the mothership.  River notices he still cares.   The Doctor calls her River and she says it must be a woman.   He pleads for help to save Rory and Amy and why didn't River care enough to do that, they're her parents and she was brainwashed into killing the Doctor, not her parents.   The TARDIS lands over them.   River did it.   The TARDIS let her fly and taught her.   River refers to the TARDIS as 'her'.   The Doctor said she's "the child of the TARDIS."

The Doctor says she must find River song and whispers what to tell her.  River wants to see her biography and the Teselecta turns into River.   The Doctor dies.   River asks if he's worth it.  She regenerates and saves him.  Saying "hello sweetie" in the process.  Amy says she used all of her regenerations in one go to save him.   (That's so she'll have to remain as River now, with her face.)  He told River no one could save him but he must have known she could.  The Doctor tells them Rule number 1: "The Doctor lies."  Mind you it could have been a cunning ploy on his part to make her use up all her regenerations and in the process, she became a better person.   Considering the Doctor has died now and that she killed him, what of dying on 22 April 2011? River said the Doctor lies to Amy in The Time of Angels episode in season 5.  The Doctor leaves a blue journal for River by her bedside, she's going to be amazing.   So he gave her the journal, was it cos he already knew she had one, so he was responsible for her writing one.   Which means he should have known who she was in the library but didn't, since his "foreknowledge" only extended as far as these events and his upcoming death.

The Doctor tells Amy they have to let her go her own way.  "We have too much foreknowledge." 22/4/2011 appears on the TARDIS screen, when he dies.   Rory recalls she was in prison for murder.   Amy: "Whose (Who's) murder."  Well she just answered that question.    Amy asks how people look for him and he replies Amy should know that by now.

The Luna University 5123: River wants to study archeology  as "I'm looking for a good man."

So this episode clearly shows the maxim of her past being his future, yet he's managed to find out some things for himself and also steered River in the right direction, making her a different person.   The Doctor knew he was going to die so that's why he sent out those invitations in 6.1 The Impossible Astronaut.   As I already said in my reviews for season 6 episodes, he already knew about this as only he could have invited them to Utah.   It was the only thing that made sense.  The girl regenerated into Mels in 6.2.  Day of the Moon.   So we know she used up three of her regenerations.   The Doctor doesn't tell them here that he already knows of his demise, even when Amy asks him and that's why in 6.6 The Almost People, I also said he was aware of this when Amy tells him he's going to die, thinking he's talking to ganger Doctor, when actually she was telling the real one.   River was meant to kill him on 22/4/2011, but this date's already passed for us.

The Doctor calls her River, but she doesn't know it's her name yet and she was programmed to be a psychopath, hence all the hell raising when she was growing up.   A bit of a nice touch for Amy and Rory to be around her when she was growing up, suggesting they were all the same age when they went to school together and Mels was the one who got the two of them together, matchmaking her own parents.   River saying she was going to marry him when she was little.   He says he will marry her if she gets better, which she did, so he has to marry her now.   This was the question they had fun with at the end of 5.13, The Big Bang, you know, was he asking her to marry him and did she think he asked her.   Of course River was at the wedding leaving all those clues around for Amy to remember the Doctor.

The Doctor giving her the journal, kind of prophetic in a way, also knowing they'll see her again.   Foreknowledge of events, which means he knows about his future, River's past.   How did River end up in 5123.   As for the title, a red herring if ever there was one, since the episode was all about Mels/River and not about Hitler or killing him at all.   Though she did say that line.  Fishfingers and custard was also mentioned in 6.1 The Impossible Astronaut.   Mels was conceived in the TARDIS, so her DNA took on remnants of the Time Lord features/characteristics, as was said in 6.7 A Good Man Goes to War.

River's use of the phrase, "Hello Benjamin" when she sees the gun, was a line used in The Graduate by Anne Bancroft's character, Mrs Robinson.   The Doctor being Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman's character), and she does the same motion as Mrs Robinson with her leg.   In 6.1 The Impossible Astronaut, the Doctor likened River to Mrs Robinson.   As for the banana ploy, the ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) used the same tactic on Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) when he replaced his sonic weapon with a  banana.  In this episode, River kisses the Doctor for the first time, whereas in 6.2 Day of the Moon, it was the Doctor's first time he kissed River.  

More paradoxes in this episode as in 5.13 The Big Bang.   The Doctor tells Amy she named her daughter after her friend, i.e.  she named her daughter after her daughter.   Also he gives River the journal, possibly cos he's seen her with it already, but she didn't think about keeping a journal until he gave it to her.   Mels was instrumental in getting her parents together; otherwise they wouldn't have gotten together, or married, with Amy under the mistaken belief Rory was gay.

The miniature people reminded me of the movie Fantastic Voyage (1966) when the doctors were shrunk and placed on a ship inside a man's body.   In one scene, they're attacked by his antibodies.   So what's the oldest question in the universe: 'will you marry me?'  When the Doctor asks River to marry him, well the Silence are a religious order, or perhaps me just being romantically sentimental, ha!

The Closer - 6.12: "High Crimes" Review

Delk asks Brenda to look into a series of armed robberies which Robbery'Homicide hasn't been able to solve. Fritz tells Brenda her post to Assistant Chief is all but complete.

Major Crimes looks into an old case at the request of Pope (JK Simmons) but Chief Tommy Delk (Courtney B Vance) wants Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) to investigate one involving a spate of armed robberies at medical marijuana stores; on the basis that Robbery/Homicide haven't been able to solve them.   Whilst there, Delk also offers Brenda Pope's position as Assistant Chief.  The team aren't happy about this new assignment, especially not Provenza (GW Bailey).   Brenda breaks the news to Pope about his case being dropped and he tells her he's only received job offers outside of the state.   It's difficult for him to accept as he can't take his children, unless their mother leaves too.   Brenda lies about Delk offering her Pope's job.

Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) interrupts, as usual and tells Brenda there's been another robbery and a murder too.   Sam Dodson (Tim Guinee) - suspect number 1, owned the store with the Vic, Shea Collins .   He appears to be upset and the only one who signed in at the store was John Park (Aaron Yoo) whom Flynn (Tony Denison) will locate.   Their best seller at the store was 'Shea's Lounge' which Collins came up with.   Gabriel finds fliers written by Collins which warn of a man with a phone who cases the stores prior to the robbery.   Brenda requests a forensic botanist from Delk and the store to be closed.

Provenza can't get over the Hippies and their 'Mary Jo' and vents the LAPD have done enough to protect them.   His outburst leads Delk to assign him as liaison for the other store owners.   Brenda watches the surveillance footage from the cameras with Buzz (Phillip P Keene) and notices Park let the robbers in when he was leaving the store.   Flynn brings in Park who is high and he describes an orange car belonging to the robbers.   Provenza informs Brenda about one of the owners who spotted a man casing the store.   His physical description is a match to the one on the other tape.

Fritz (Jon Tenney) celebrates Brenda's assignment as Assistant Chief with champagne for her.  He was told the news by a reliable source - this being Delk.   However Brenda tells him she doesn't want Pope out of his job and if it wasn't for him they wouldn't be married now.   Fritz likens that to him still being married to his ex, Cindy.   Fritz wants her in the new job so she won't be out in the street catching murderers.   They use the store as a set up to catch the robbers.   One of them gets into the car after robbing the store and Brenda sets off a smoke bomb covering him in blue dye.   The other two are arrested by Sanchez (Raymond Cruz) and Gabriel.

After analyzing ballistics, Tao (Michael Paul Chan) reports the guns are fake.   Pope tells Delk Brenda won't stop until she believes her case is solved.   Taylor (Robert Gossett) believes they have the robbers and that's all they need.   Two of the robbers ask for lawyers and the third, AJ Clark (Noah Harpster) who was prop master on a  failed legal show says they didn't kill anyone.  Brenda has Flynn and Provenza show the other two footage of AJ cooperating and they revoke their right to a lawyer, saying they didn't kill anyone.

Fritz admits he doesn't like Brenda working with Pope as he still has feelings for her.   Brenda doesn't want Fritz telling her which job she should be doing.   Either way, Fritz tells her Pope is out; would she want someone she didn't like in the post, someone like Taylor?   Fritz gives her an idea as to who might be behind the killing, which was obvious from the start.   She calls Gabriel telling him to release the store back to Sam, who turns up for the drugs.   He stole the drugs and put them in the loft for safekeeping, where he also placed the gun and then tries to say Collins shot himself and put the gun in the loft!  He killed Collins cos he wasn't charging enough for the drugs and for the money.

Provenza has to get his say, sarcastically telling Delk that surprisingly, the drug dealer killed his partner for money.   Delk looks for Brenda but she's not in her office.   She's admitting to Pope that she lied about the job Delk offered her but she wants Pope to stay and fight, as she needs him.   She's not taking the job.   Pope agrees to stay "to the bitter end," cos that's what it will come down to.   After all that, Brenda still doesn't want the job.  She doesn't like anyone, including Fritz telling her what to do and he should know that.   But she didn't really come up with anything to sort out Pope's feelings for her like she told Fritz she would.

Another episode where Brenda shows she and Major Crimes are an asset as they can get the job done and solve crimes, a credit to Pope as he came up with the idea.   Buzz revealed (to everyone's shock), that his mom has a prescription for medical marijuana and he's helped her out through the doors sometimes, as they have electrically secure locks.   Flynn: "...ever buy anything."
Sanchez: "How do you think he got the name Buzz."

CSI: Miami - 8.13: "Die by the Sword" Review

The Japanese Mafia encounter the CSIs this episode, with the inevitable story of a child being involved yet again and Horatio coming to his rescue. Natalia faces up to her hearing injury but not in the way she expected.

 A man chased by a motorbike is cornered and decapitated.   Horatio (David Caruso) says he's been cut clean through.   The Vic was Russell (Brian McGovern)  and Jesse (Eddie Cibrian) comments it's a long time since he's seen so much blood.   From the blood pool Horatio finds where he was killed.   There's a damaged tile on the floor.   Jesse notices cast off from the weapon in oral drops formation.   The torso would have been where the tile is damaged and Horatio uses a magnifying glass to identify a metal flake in the tile.   ME Tom (Christian Clemenson) says the weapon entered the left side of his torso and out of the right.   Horatio asks what type of blade could cause such damage.   ME Tom surmises the weapon slashed through his spine and bone, so a sword was used.  

Walter (Omar Miller) asks Travers (Christopher Redman)  what kind of world they live in where you can't go out for a walk without getting killed.   Travers replies the same one which keeps him employed.   Walter notices the blade had three layers of steel.   Travers only knows of one sword which uses this type of material and is folded over: a Japanese Katana.   To Walter that's a Samurai sword.   Jesse is refreshing himself on the Japanese mafia.   In LA he undertook a 6 month investigation on a gang calling themselves Sikuru.   A friend from the FBI sent over surveillance.   A Katana is their weapon of choice.   If any member disgraces the gang then they cut off their pinky, which is the most important finger required in using the Katana.

Photos from a club reveal Yamada (Roger Yuan)  is in Miami.   Bamboo reeds are being used to apply a tattoo onto his arm.   Yamada expects pain from such  a process.   Adds Horatio ,it's other people's pain.   Jesse says pain is necessary to be a Sikuru boss.   Yamada replies the group values discipline, loyalty.   Yamada has lost several of his fingers, through insubordination; one for a girl he wishes he never met (was that Kenny's mother) and one for the boss's daughter.   He is unable to lift a sword.   But it doesn't preclude him from getting someone else to do his dirty work.

Tripp (Rex Linn) says Russell taught Social Studies.   Natalia (Eva La Rue) goes off on her own without waiting for the others when they arrive at Russell's house.   She doesn't hear Ryan (Jonathan Togo) when he tells her to wait for them.   Ryan and Natalia check the rooms upstairs and she doesn't hear the closet door being opened.   Ryan shouts to her and the boy runs, to be caught by Tripp.   The boy tells him you can't always trust the police.   Ryan takes the sword for DNA.   The boy, Kenny (Booboo Stewart) claims he had the sword for protection since his father was killed.   Tripp doesn't believe he's Russell's son.   Tripp: "I don't see the resemblance."   Natalia thanks Ryan for saving her, she knew he had her back.   She says she didn't see him.   Ryan corrects her, she didn't hear him.   He tells her to get checked out by a doctor before she gets someone killed.   In other words, 'Pull your finger out', Natalia.

Horatio tells Kenny the sword has his father's blood on it.   They were out eating and Russell saw someone.   Kenny hid and he saw a bike chase him.   He found his father's body and took the sword for protection.   Horatio asks him if he's had any dealings with Sikuru?  Kenny recalls someone coming to their house and he took a photo of him, that was handy.   It's Sully, (Brad Leland) Horatio's former partner.   He works security for Yamada.   He was at the house at the personal request of Yamada.   Natalia doesn't find any adoption papers for Kenny.   He and Yamada could be related.   Horatio recalls Yamada getting a tattoo at the club so they can test his DNA.   Natalia says they don't need a warrant for the trash.   Walter will go and he recommends a doctor to Natalia.   Ryan told him about her condition.   Ryan likes to spread the news doesn't he, especially when it's not about him.

Russell met Kenny's mother when he was in the navy and took him as his own son.   He doesn't have any photos of her.   Kenny doesn't identify anyone from the Sikuru photos.   Horatio as usual; promises Kenny he'll sort it out.   Walter finds the bamboo reed in the trash and Natalia processes the DNA.   Jesse says the DNA matches Yamada, Kenny is his son.   His name is Yoshi and he was stolen from him.   He filed papers in Family court.   Jesse says that proper procedures will take time but Yamada knows the DNA test will strengthen his case.   Jesse states he had Kenny's father killed.   Horatio comments Russell's death was an important token.

Tripp and Kenny are involved in a car crash and a woman takes Kenny from the car.   Well, it was apparent something was about to happen.   The police arrived quickly though.   Calleigh (Emily Procter) notices the woman has Sikuru tattoos.    She wasn't kidnapping him, he's her son.   Yamada put the tattoos on her and raped her when she was 15.   She would never want him raised as Sikuru and she met Russell when she came here.   Her new name is Susan Lee (Michelle Krusiec).   Russell called her two days ago.   Jesse tells Kenny she might be his mother and when the time is right he should let her explain what happened.   He knows it's hard for Kenny.   Jesse in his understanding, compassionate mode again.   Natalia has her hearing tested.   It was just reinforcing what she already knows, that she has a hearing problem, but she doesn't want to admit it.

Horatio accuses Yamada of assassinating Russell for Kenny.   Sully tells him he doesn't need to kill anyone.   Horatio: "Seeking and achieving" are different.   Sully won't help Horatio.   Jesse contemplates the motive for the killing as being a family feud.  Calleigh doesn't believe they have enough physical evidence.   She processes Russell's clothes.   Jesse : "...thought I'd seen it all until today."  Another one of his and Calleigh's conversations when they process evidence together.   Calleigh smells pine needles on his jacket.   She and Ryan return to the CS and Ryan finds a shoe with a dead fish.   The sprinkler comes on and the run off leads to the CS below.   Ryan calls it "a waste of my time and my pants."  In what was the only sarcastic comment of the episode and even Walter and Jesse weren't around when he said that, like normal.   Calleigh smells pine needles again.   The trace was found on the Vic, so it would also be found on the killer.   Jesse  tests the suspects from the club, but doesn't find any trace of pesticides on their clothes.   The bartender is missing a finger and there's reflective trace on the back of his neck.   He acted alone.   Horatio: "You fell on the company sword."

Natalia has a flashback to the meth lab explosion in Count Me Out whilst undergoing tests.    Jesse comments Calleigh's nose for pine needles paid off.   She replies they got "the who, but not the why." Jesse already told her the why, it was a family feud, but his real reason for wanting his son was just so he could steal his liver.   Jesse checks out Yamada.   His blood sample was checked during the investigation and it was Type O not Type A.  Calleigh tells him when you undergo a liver transplant the blood type changes.   Jesse recalls the tattoo was applied with bamboo so the ink blocks the sweat glands.   He needs a liver transplant from Kenny.   Ryan informs them Kenny is missing.   Sully tells Horatio he called his helicopter to the park.

Horatio drives up, dodging bullets in the Hummer again.   They love these shoot-out scenes in CSI:Miami and Horatio always shooting his suspect too, without being injured by a mass of flying bullets.   He shoots Yamada, begging the question of why Yamada pushed Kenny out of the way, only to be shot.   He knew that was coming.   So that's another promise Horatio kept to help Kenny.

The doctor informs Natalia that the force of the vibrations from the explosion damaged her hair cells in her ear.   She lies and tells him she didn't have any symptoms before the blast.   He's a doctor, she can't get away with lying to him and he hands her a booklet on domestic violence, he thinks will be helpful for her.   This kind of injury he's only seen in abuse cases and believes she suffered a head injury.   She denies it, saying she only suffered an injury at the CS.   But she picks up the leaflet when he leaves.   So that's another issue she never dealt with from her abuse.   The fact that she may have suffered physical injuries she wasn't aware of.   Clearly she hasn't had closure on that part of her life still, as it has come back to haunt her.   It was good to see Ryan being concerned about her since he knows what it's like to suffer an injury and be in denial.   The same thing happened to him and his eye when he was shot with the nail gun.

Kenny misses his father and Horatio says he should give his mother a go.   She gave him up to protect him and missed him for 15 years.   She doesn't want to do that anymore.   That's the great thing about a CSI:Miami episode, in most of them you have to suspend disbelief and just enjoy it for the entertainment that it is.   Like when Horatio goes all out on a one man crusade to rescue Vics and doesn't get hurt in the process.   That's the fun of it all.   Though to give them their due, the storylines do deal with serious issues and murder is no joke.

NCIS - 7.11: "Ignition" Review

McGee gets to take lead on a case close to his heart involving rocket packs, whilst Gibbs 'nemesis' arrives in the form of a lawyer, M Allison Hart. We know how he hates them!

Forest rangers find a burned DB, which is only burnt on one side.   Ziva (Cote de Pablo) looks up stuff on the Internet and wonders why hair loss pills are advertized, why would she need more hair?  Tony (Michael Weatherly) replies it's not her her, it's for men.   Ziva: "Like I need more men."  No after the experiences she's had with them, she doesn't.  But doesn't stop her from looking.  McGee (Sean Murray) comes up with a novel idea.   An industry where they take hair from women and use it for men.   Her Internet skills need tweaking, not "Tweeting."  McGee finds a link stating Col Bell (Robert Patrick) has been released from prison.  He should print it out on paper for Gibbs.

The DB, Sayers was a test pilot.   Tony comments the other half of him is crispy like a "McDLT."  Which isn't a nickname for McGee.   Sayers' arm blew off prompting Tony to add, "Looks like he pulled a Scarecrow."  From the movie The Wizard of Oz (1939).   Gibbs refers to the squirrel as a "flying monkey" later.   Neverending references to this movie, had one mention in episode 1.5 of Castle too.     Ducky (David McCallum) and Palmer (Brian Dietzen) arrive on an (ATV) quad bike, he wouldn't let Palmer drive.   McGee works out he fell from the sky.   Metal parts are scattered everywhere.   Tony finds another DB, that of a squirrel and a fuel tank.   Ducky says McGee has an instinct and thinks 'the bird is ready to leave the nest.' McGee is certain he knows what killed him: his jet pack exploded.   Gibbs (Mark Harmon) asks him if he thinks or he knows.

Sayers call sign was 'Hondo' ( 1953) like John Wayne.   Ziva thought he was The Duke.   That was the name of a movie, which Tony didn't clafirfy for her.   He was stationed at Paxtent River airbase.   Tony and Ziva have to talk about rocket belts.   McGee's passionate about the subject and they've spent enough time here together, so they've cottoned on.   Tony wants to tell them about the special features on the Thunderball (1965) DVD.   McGee tells Abby (Pauley Perrette) about the rocket pack too.   He showed her his Powerpoint presentation.   Five years ago rocket belt residue from  flame suits included kerosene and hydrogen peroxide.  

McGee mentions the charges being dropped and the relationship between Bell labs and tells Gibbs about jet packs.  How at the opening ceremony of the 1984 Olympics one man flew over his head in one.  McGee's got leads.

Sheridan (Jeff Hephner) says Sayers was allowed jobs outside of the squadron and Sayers was careful.   Victor Tillman (Marcus Giamatti) also test flew jet packs.   Palmer gets to fly solo on the autopsy of the squirrel and I refrained from mentioning the crispy critter, oh never mind, just did.   And has a desire to share a story.   Ducky allows him to do so as long as it doesn't interfere with his work and it wouldn't cos he was taught by the best.  His junior year abroad he stayed with a  French family.   He explained he was afraid of squirrels and how his mother would trap them and release them on the other side of the river.   'Recon'  the French word for shark he confused with squirrel.   Which Gibbs doesn't have time for.   COD related to Sayers.   Squirrels eat human flesh and this critters last meal was soft tissue and so was poisoned.

McGee gives a presentation on flight to Gibbs.  Gibbs has to headslap Mcgee after this talk!  McGee in charge of the case has to send Tony and Ziva to the jet pack company.   Gibbs: "the price of being in charge."  Tony doesn't understand McGee staying behind.   They're being followed.   Tony's not touching Tillman for his keycard in his back pocket.  Cos he doesn't want "man mans" with him, to quote Ziva, ha!   Ziva sneaks up on their tail outside and snaps a photo.   Tillman was hiding money from his ex wife, Vanessa (Melinda Page Hamilton) and Sayers was on her payroll too.   McGee questions Tillman when he's brought in.   Tillman was working on a patent for mixed fuel, it was his from the divorce.   Their tail was a PI and Ziva assumes it could have been following Tony, Tony retorts it might be for her.  Cue M Allison Hart (Rena Sofer) and Tony's immediately weak at the knees, well we all know our Tony, I was just putting it mildly.   Only she's not interested in Tony.   Tony: "I'd be happy to hold anything you need." Allison knows who they all are.  

McGee tells her no one's been charged with a crime.   Allison wants him released.   Tony comments on this being a car wreck.  Tony: "Chicks mowing him down and McGee doesn't even know it."  Ziva and Tony commentate on the spectacle, Ziva: "She seems to be enjoying it." Haven't heard Tony use 'chick' before.   Allison harps on about financial records being removed without authority, perhaps McGee should be charged with a crime.   McGee looks at Gibbs, who asks why her client is hiding behind a lawyer?  He should contact her directly in future.   Gibbs asks if she was once a redhead cos he feels like he knows her, yeah like one of his exes.  She wasn't but she knows him, he'll take any shortcuts for a conviction.   That doesn't sound like Gibbs.   Allison knows when they start bar fights (7.10 Faith) and break into impound yards (7.3 Inside Man).   She asks if he has any respect for the law, yeah like she does!

Abby asks what kind of a name is Mallison?  Palmer determines Sayers couldn't fly as he was already dead.   Abby ponders the source of the igntiiton.   McGee thinks the fuel was mixed together the wrong way and had a removable valve, so whoever made the valve is the killer.  Vanessa comments that 'whenever two people try to extricate their lives, frictions inevitably follow'.   Tony: "That true boss?"  Ziva knows what stubborn men are like.   Thought Tony was going to refrain from bringing up Gibbs' marriages.   Sayers told her what  Tillman was up to, Vanessa is also Allison's client.   Gibbs calls that a conflict of interest, her interest is justice.   So is his, he has her card.   Tony mentions movies, Yojimbo (1961) and A Fist Full of Dollars (1964), as Allison is playing for both camps here.   Gibbs wants to know the lawyer's (Allison's) and the pilot's end game.

Tony is confused and Gibbs knows Allison is trying to prevent him from questioning her clients.   Ducky notices Allison is getting to Gibbs.   She acts like she hates him, but talks like she likes him.   Ducky: "Ever been married to her?"  Oh perish the thought Ducky! Gibbs thinks that would explain plenty.   Ducky found acidic erosion inside Sayers' nose and stomach, i.e.  vomit but none in his face shield, so he was dead before he was strapped to the jetpack and a remote control was used.   Can be used up to a kilometre.  Tony: "I don't speak Canadian, how far is that?"  That's British too.   McGee thinks it's neither of the Tillman's and Sayers stole the equipment.   Gibbs mentions TOD was 13 days ago, Vanessa has an alibi.   Allison calls him Mr Gibbs.   He thought they'd seen the last of each other as far as the case goes, but she claims she needs to keep an eye on him, cos she doesn't know what he's doing; yeah, meaning him not the case and not his reactions either.   Just Gibbs the man she has to eye.   The evil eye more like.

Palmer comments on blood out pouring out of the eyeballs and Abby thinks it's impressive, but McGee says there's an art to flying a jetpack, need to be an expert engineer to build a remote and they're looking for both.   The jetpack belonged to Sayers and uses jet fighter engineering.   The intention was to make him crash and dispose of the DB.   Gibbs calls McGee Elf Lord.   Gibbs does his own legwork, she took the case pro bono and was looking for Gibbs.   She didn't pick this fight but she's glad to be in it.  

Powell (Chris Bruno) tries to escape on the jetpak and McGee uses the remote to bring him back, with Tony struggling to grab the remote from McGee like a little boy.   Can't believe he kept the jetpack there all this time!

Gibbs wants photos of Allison, so does Tony, could "get lost in those icy blue eyes." She knew them all before and  she's with Bell in the photo as it was cropped and Tony says Gibbs got that off a pinky, well it wasn't that hard.   Tony wonders what she's up to.   Apparently it wasn't just the jetpack on fire this episode but Gibbs and Allison.   Okay there's meant to be an attraction there of sorts, she's the one doing the pursuing, but we know she's not Gibbs' type: she's not a redhead, she's a lawyer and very sure of herself.   Seems like she had an answer to everything that came up, or should that be well-prepared answer.

Abby was right when she called her 'Mallison', as in Mal, as in trouble!  Much as I like Rena Sofer, she somehow didn't quite fit into the show.   Yes she was an effective would-be nemesis for Gibbs, but she came on a little too strong if all she wanted to do was to get close to him.   Did she think he wanted a fight and that's how he likes his women.  Whilst trying to maintain an air of mystery.  That 'Mr Gibbs' was beginning to grate the number of times she said it!

Tony also mentions the film Better off Dead.  (1985)  Chris Bruno in a bad guy role and his brother Dylan will also appear in a bad guy role in the two final episodes of this season.

Many fans didn't like the addition of Rena, it wasn't as if she was going to be there forever and Rena in an interview told of how one of the security guards at her children's school came up to her and told her he didn't like what she was doing to Gibbs.  Gosh some people can't distinguish between reality and fiction!  Many didn't want Gibbs and Allison developing a romantic attachment, cos Gibbs was theirs!

Desperate Housewives - 8.10: "What's to Discuss, Old Friend" Review

The women are shocked to discover Vance is dead. Bree is rescued, as she would be and she receives another note. Susan runs off to Oklahoma to break the news to Alejandro's family.

Mary Alice (Brenda Strong) "Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross) had always wanted to live life with elegant grace.   That was also how she wanted to die: Chardonnay, lingerie...she had everything she needed for an elegant death, except privacy."  Renee (Vanessa Williams) knocks on the door and shouts, finally knocking the door in.   She doesn't find Ben there but sees the gun and reads Bree's suicide note.   Mary Alice: "Renee Perry had no idea just how close her friend had come to suicide and Bree had no idea how close she had come to being hit."

Mary Alice: "Keeping secrets is a lonely business - that's why we all search for someone to confide in...not everyone you tell your secrets to, will be happy  about it." Tom (Dog Savant) tells Lynette (Felicity Huffman) she shouldn't be involved in this cos it's Gaby's (Eva Longoria) and Carlos's (Richardo Antonio Chavira) mess.   She's helping a friend but she's supposed to be the smart one.   Lynette needs his support.   News comes of Vance being killed in a hit 'n' run.   Gaby is worried about Carlos and she sees it on the news.  

Renee drugged Bree so she would sleep and she's coming back tomorrow too, in fact she's moving in.   At least Bree has someone who cares about her.   She's removed laces from her shoes and also her shower curtain cos it was ugly.   Bree is shocked at the news cos that rules her out as a suspect since she was otherwise occupied.   Susan (Teri Hatcher) sneaks out with a suitcase.   She's running to New York to see what it's like, then Mike (James Denton) can join her later.   But his business is here and he doesn't want to move.   Susan is just running away.

Gaby, Lynette and Bree break the news of Vance's death to Susan, surprised she hasn't heard for herself.   Bree wonders if it really was an accident  Gaby doesn't believe it's any of them.   Susan thinks of Carlos and Gaby lies that he's in rehab.   She's still keeping secrets.   Lynette believes they can now go back to normal, but what's normal for them? Her marriage is practically over, Carlos is drinking, Bree almost killed herself and Susan still wallows in her guilt.   They all agree it must be an accident.   Didn't Mike take Susan's suitcase inside? So what was it doing outside as Susan carries it in after the women leave her house since they would have asked her where she was going if they had seen it?

Tom told Bob (Tuc Watkins) and they need a lawyer.   He's kind of a wimp for a lawyer and since when is he supposed to be making judgements about his clients? He's not paid for that.   They no longer need him with Vance's 'accident.'  Mike tells Susan everyone has secrets and they need to get on with their lives.   Susan shouldn't be depressed.   Gaby heads for the police station and offers her condolences for Vance to Murphy, (Michael Dempsey) who calls Bree a bitch and he doesn't suspect it was an accident.   Lynette thinks it must be someone who knows about what they did and is protecting them.   She and Bree draw a chart, but nothing makes sense.   Bree thinks someone else might know.

Karen (Kathryn Joosten) tells Gaby that Carlos came home drunk and she slaps him.   Carlos doesn't recall, he's going on about killing Alejandro, but that was in her defence.   Gaby finds their car is missing.   Renee is equipped to give Bree advice cos she studied Intro to Psych and slept with a psychiatrist, which makes her qualified.   Bree tells her they're not really friends, but she doesn't have any friends and she didn't consider anyone else when she was being selfish in wanting to end it all.   Renee: "I will not let anyone kill themselves on my watch.   I will not go through that again."  Referring to her mother.

At the funeral, Tom tells Lynette to stop smiling and she still means everything to him.   She invites him home for movie night.   Susan cries and Vance's aunt (Lee Meriwether) turns up, giving Susan an idea.   She asks Gaby what Alejandro's other name was and finds he was living in Oklahoma City.    Carlos calls it risky being here and a cop recalls him from that night when Carlos wanted to confess something.   Gaby interjects he beat her with a candlestick and Gaby defended herself from him.

Bree asks about the suicide but Renee only talks to her friends.   It was her mother and she didn't save her the second time.   Bree tells her about Mary Alice and how she forget the pain she caused.   Renee "will always be the person who saved my life."  And the best friend she'll ever have.   The car is at the police lot and Gaby is taking him back to rehab and threatens if he ever goes to the police again, she'll be burying another body in the woods. What? She didn't learn from her first mistake?

Lynette recalled his fave beer but he forgot she likes the thin crust pizza.   Tom thinks Jane is forgiving and would never criticize his pizza choice.   Lynette was hoping if she said something enough times he'd hear her.   After 23 years it makes her feel like she's not important.   She sends him to Paris.   Susan leaves again, this time for Oklahoma and feels guilty cos Alejandro got a call the night they buried him, means he has a family and they don't know where he is.   So that's why he got the signal, which Vance told Ben about last episode, but he didn't say it like that.   Vance implied Alejandro made the call, darn thought it was more than that.   Gaby sees Susan leave and she 's visiting a family.   Now who's keeping secrets?

Mary Alice: "It's a lonely business keeping secrets.   That's why we all search for someone we can confide in...an ally who will understand, an advisor we can trust; a friend who will never judge.   Yes we all need help hiding the darkest truths of our lives because as soon as you're told one secret - another appears."  Bree receives another note: "You're welcome." Who is helping Bree? It's not Orson is it, just he's also one for 'hit 'n' runs. You know his track record.

Didn't think Renee could be serious - but she has been in the past when discussing her mother (even got drunk over her last season at the dinner party.)  Here Bree makes her recall it all, extremely painful memories for her since she was just a schoolkid.   Thought Gaby was reckless in questioning the policeman over Vance - like plodding Murphy didn't even bother to ask why she was being so nosy, not to mention how forthright he was in letting her speak instead of sending her packing.   Not like she had any info for him.

Bree was ending it all - the last time she'd have any of her luxuries surrounding her (not that she did in that hotel room, which is where she chose to be, instead of at home) cos it was such a selfish and insensitive thing to do choosing to go out that way.   Paper cup for wine, no proper lingerie etc.   How uncharacteristic was that of her, just as contemplating suicide was out of character too.  

Gaby slapping Carlos was done in 12.3 Not While I'm Around when Zach was stalking Gaby.   Renee breaking down the door was done by Lynette in Sweetheart I Have to Confess when she busted in Nora's door.     Tom opened a pizza parlour against Lynette's wishes and he still couldn't bring home her fave thin crust pizza here.   Tom also tried to keep his secret of Kayla from Lynette and here she reveals her secret to him, albeit in last week's ep, never mind.   Carlos should know Gaby's threat of burying him in the woods if he does anything foolish like confessing to the police again wouldn't be empty since in Sweetheart I Have To Confess, she pushed him out the window for manipulating her.

Tom telling Lynette not to smile at the funeral was the same as Carlos telling Gaby the same in 17.5 The Story of Jessie and Lucy.   Bree had her gun here just as she did in the pilot and in Not While I'm around.   It appears Bree is never without her gun.   In 20.5 Rose's Turn, Susan tried to remove the things Dave wouldn't try to kill himself with and here Renee did the same with Bree.

I know the 'death' ep has been screened in the US at the time of writing this,  hand on heart I haven't seen it or read the spoilers or news.   I want to watch it for myself, but I have a horrible feeling that it may be Mike.   Follow: Susan desperately wants to make a new start in New York, Mike wants to stay.   Susan is trying to get over her guilt by running off to Oklahoma now to appease Alejandro's family, not knowing a thing about them or his life there.   She's thinking of herself as usual.   So Mike could become a target of retaliation.   But Susan doesn't think.   So with Mike out of the pic and the show ending, she's free to move to New York or anywhere else and all this cos she still feels guilty.   I doubt it will be nay of the women, cos the show will prob go out as it began with all of them in there still around.

CSI 12.7 Brain Doe Review

A car stops at a diner and then is involved in an accident as it hits a Jeep and a truck gets involved too.  A brain which doesn't belong to anyone involved in the accident is found at the scene which forms the mystery this ep.  Nick (George Eads) and Sara (Jorga Fox) process the DB's car and she finds oxycodone.  Morgan (Elisabeth Harnois) is excited about the brain and getting into it.  Doc (Robert David Hall) finds it belongs to a male as the average male brain weighs over 3 pounds, that's why they're so dense, okay my bad joke!  She likes to poke the brain too.  It's not a specimen as it's not in formaldehyde, so it could have come from "black market brains."

Greg (Eric Szmanda) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) arrive back from court and Catherine comments he should be relieved he wasn't asked if he was a doctor.  The Sheriff (Barbara Eve Harris) offers Catherine a job in DC on the Forensic Science Commission, stating you have to "move out to move up."  It's not easy for women in law enforcement,  hey it's not easy for women in any field.  Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) finds two brains were transported.  Ryan (Erik Aude) was a suicide and suffered from repetitive trauma.  Catherine sees Vartaan (Alex Carter) and doesn't have much to say to him at the scene where another DB has been found.  Lt Seligson feel in his backyard and his brain was removed from the Jewish burial site.  That's why his brain was taken since it wasn't embalmed, I was going to say 'pickled.'
Catherine believes the brain they found must belong to him and they've got "a brain collector on the loose."

Henry (Jon Wellner) doesn't find the DNA was a match to Seligson.  Sara notices yellow powder on the ground, same as she found in Clegg's car, the DB from the accident.  Hodges (Wallace Langham) compares the shoe print found at the scene and it matches Clegg's shoes.  Morgan mentions DMT: dimethyltryptomine, a painkiller and Clegg had traces of chicken nuggets in his stomach.  Hodges posits the food was from Tasty Time and there are 22 in the area since he goes there.  Greg checks the receipts from the diner.  Sara comments he ordered the no 17 special before.  Surveillance shows Clegg met with someone to swap the brains.  The plates match a Dr Hanson Eller, a private pathologist.

Leading to the Seneca suicide of Ryan at a cabin there.  The certificate was signed by Eller. Ryan's wife, Joyce (Robyn Lively) talks of him suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalitis.  DB (Ted Danson) tells her his brain didn't arrive at the hospital.  Ryan was a SFF fighter.  He had memory problems and he beat her. There's motive. Brass chats with Ryan's son, Declan (Kai Caster)and tells about his own father who used to beat him.  Brass finally hit back and it felt good for a second.  He was also a cop.

Joyce found Ryan and called a family friend, his trainer Bill (Victor Webster).  Eller's car is located with him inside, a GSW to the left temple, a car was parked next to his.  Nick finds a 9mm casing on the ground.  David (David Berman) finds the brain delivered to the hospital belongs to Seligson and a hack job was done to remove it.  Morgan notices the cuts were made in a hurry.  Doc says Clegg needed the brain swapped so it couldn't be studied and it was fresh.  He wanted to ensure no one found out about the disease.
Hodges gets nuggets to eat and he tells Sara the powder was talcum from the gym.  Hodges goes to a gym, he's ripped.  Clegg and Ryan were both in the SFF and attended Bill's gym.  He's just signed a multi-million dollar deal and he thinks Greg and Sara are a couple, well maybe once upon a time they could have been.  DB tells Charlie (Brandon W Jones) he lied to him and his coach.  Brass looks at photos from the suicide and sees the gun on the floor.  There was no GSR on Ryan's shirt so it wasn't a suicide.

DB says the "smoke and tyres cleared" and they need to get their brains in order.  Nick believes Ryan's brain has a secret, DMT is in his brain.  Bill could be doping the fighters and the brain would prove this says, DB, "if we could get it to pee in a cup."  Hodges analyzes the brain and finds both Clegg and Ryan were using DMT.  Bill called Clegg when Ryan died and Joyce was having an affair with Bill which Ryan found out about.  She shot him and called Bill.  But I said it was Declan, that's why he was so quiet.

DB tells Charlie to go back to school and take his suspension.  Charlie feels like a freak and DB tells him he's new here and they're both weird.  Others don't understand him here.  "We are weird."  Nick has the ball, number 17 and DB promises he won't tell anymore stories and Nick cuts the ball open.  Ryan played football and it contains drugs.  Nick: "I guess you never really know what's  important..."  The syringes are a match to Bill who still has the gun.  Why hold onto the gun?  The bullets match and he shot Eller.

Declan tells Brass he shot Ryan and he doesn't regret it.  It feels good.  Brass doesn't want him to talk but it's too late and he confesses all.  Brass was assuming this episode but he's allowed, he doesn't deal with the evidence or forensics, he assumed Joyce was beaten and so she had to shoot him.  After relaying his own personal story to Declan about his father; it doesn't occur to Brass that Declan may have been in the same position.  Where Brass used his fists, Declan used a gun.  The look on Brass's face when he realizes this and the scene fades out on him for a change, and on a sad note.

This is in contrast to DB as a father and his relationship with Charlie, though he lies to him and his coach, he comes clean in the end but he knows he won't get beaten.  Catherine is given a chance for her demotion to lead her to better things if she accepts the DC job.  DB's story about the cow was about a traffic accident near a ranch, where a horse was injured and the officer shot him to put him out of his misery.  The bullet ricocheted off the horse's skull and kills a nearby officer.  The chief asks the question: what colour was the horse?  Nick: "If you miss one small detail, then who knows what else you miss.  Cos you never know what is important," as he later repeats.  Hodges: "That is a good story."

Morgan and her brain excitement, she may have a brain fetish! Ha.  George didn't get any scenes with his former Savannah co-star Robyn Lively.

Stargate Atlantis 5.12 Outsiders Review

Beckett (Paul McGillion) is working on a planet where the inhabitants have the Hoffan virus.  The Atlantis team bring him supplies.  The people were survivors and came to the planet.  Beckett has been telling funny stories about Rodney (David Hewlett).  The Wraith arrive too, not a surprise.  Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) doesn't believe it's a culling since there aren't any Darts.  Elson, ((Joel Polis) the village leader says they're looking for survivors/refugees from the planet.  The Hive will destroy the village.  Beckett comments on the Wraith dying if they feed on Novo (Agam Darshi) or anyone like her.

Sefaris ((G Michael Gray) calls a meeting and Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) gives them another way out.  The village won't be culled since the people aren't any good to the Wraith.  The Wraith won't know where the survivors are unless they're told.  Jervis ((Sean Tyson) doesn't agree to this and he's the obligatory dissenter and trouble maker in such eps.  Sheppard thinks they could get to the gate and take the Wraith out, thus getting the survivors out before the Hive, but then the Wraith could kill them anyway.

Rodney thinks they could get jumpers for help but they're stuck on the planet as more Wraith arrive.  Sheppard's new strategy is to stall them.  Jervis rounds people up for the Wraith.  Sefaris also betrays them.  Ronon (Jason Momoa) comments it felt good to stun them and the people are taken to the mine to hide out.

Sefaris gives them Beckett and is killed whilst Rodney and Beckett get beamed onto the Dart.  Rodney has experience escaping from the Hive ship but Teyla was queen last time.  Beckett also comments Tyre didn't escape from one of these on his own.  Beckett is an expert in dealing with the toxin and helped develop it and the Wraith will spare their lives if he finds a cure.  Beckett can't do it since if the Wraith can detect the Hoffan drug then they can hunt the people down and begin to feed on humans again indiscriminately.  Also mentioning the Hippocratic Oath.

Sheppard has a plan and Ronon comments he's got one of those "Beckett faces."  Beckett refuses to help the Wraith commander who feeds on Beckett and dies.  Beckett tested himself and it worked.  He needs to delete the data and Beckett has the Hoffan drug inside of him.  Rodney explores the hive and sends a comms message to Sheppard who tells him to take out the Hive weapons.

Elson lets Jervis and the men free in order to get the Wraith to honour their deal and tells him the people are in the mine.  Beckett and Rodney escape and come across the Dart bay but two can't fit inside of a Dart.  Rodney comments their must be a weight limit.  Beckett: "What's that mean?"  Yeah Rodney, pot calling kettle black there.  Rodney has an idea, what another one, ha.  The mine is empty and explodes after being detonated by Sheppard with the Wraith inside.  The Darts are launched and Rodney and Beckett arrive in the beam after reprogramming the culling beam, since he knew they'd launch the Darts.  Beckett is going with the villagers since there might be something in his cells to help the survivors.

A bit of a stand-alone episode in some respects since it's about the Wraith looking for survivors of the Hoffan drug to eliminate them, as they're affecting their feeding habits.  Providing us with the news that Beckett has the drug inside of him.  Plenty of funny scenes here with Beckett and Rodney, especially since Rodney is caught again after only recovering from his abduction last ep.  Strange he didn't have his usual escape plans to hand this time though he does reprogramme the dart beam.  So he never thought about doing that before?

Also Sheppard's 'ruthlessness' in a dire situation is seen this ep as he detonates mines in the er, mine; killing not only the Wraith but Jervis and others too.  Some may consider it just punishment for their betrayal.  Safe to assume they didn't see that coming.  I say Sheppard's ruthlessness but it was a military tactic on his part and warranted under the circumstances in a kill or be killed scenario.

Paul McGillion in an interview with Pop Cultural Zoo commented, "We're having some really good laughs doing it.  It's been great.  David and I are pretty much throughout the episode."  Of course the Wraith wouldn't keep their word, who did the Balarans think they were dealing with anyway.  See the ep Seteda for  such a betrayal.

Castle - 2.9: "Love Me Dead" Review

Castle and Beckett look into the killing of a supposedly well-respected ADA and the Mayor wants the matter dealt with swiftly. Suspects are piled high but Castle lets himself be played by a beautiful woman.

Castle (Nathan Fillion) overhears Alexis's (Molly Quinn) phonecall and she's keeping something from him which he won't like.  A DB lands on a couple's car, turning out ot be ADA Jack Buckley.  The Captain (Ruben Santiago-Hudson) is at the CS and the Mayor wants it solved.  Beckett (Stana Katic) asks if she hasn't taken Castle away from something, or someone? He says he's "a cool dad." Esposito (Jon Huertas) says there was a fight and Ryan (Seamus Dever) finds his belongings on the roof.  Castle likens the murder to Cape Fear (1991).  Castle is fast becoming Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) in NCIS with his non-stop film references which have become commonplace this season.

The women at work mention Buckley's casefiles which Castle thinks will prove to contain a goldmine of suspects.  Scarlett (Michaela McManus) appears to be upset and they recall a man being brought to the office in handcuffs, a Johnny Knox (Jonathan LaPaglia). He has an alibi, his AA sponsor is a reverend.  That was convenient.  Johnny wonders about Castle and Castle asks if he works out.  Oh finally someone who hasn't heard of Castle.

Ryan doesn't get any leads from forensics but Buckley used to take the subway home, so why did he end up in a garage?  Someone was following Buckley and they have a surveillance camera photo.  The reverend was shifty looking anyway and there's a reason why they didn't show him being questioned.  Castle recognizes the man from the photo since he was in Buckley's casefile. Norman Jessops (JB Smoove).  Castle knew "his file would solve this case."  Ryan comments on Castle's Robert Di Niro send up.

Castle and Beckett go to a bar to apprehend Norman and she doesn't want to get involved in the bar fight since she doesn't want to be hit, which is no surprise as this happens to Castle.  He adds he was in a bar fight once (yeah most likley in Firefly.)  Beckett replies she's not Castle's girlfriend, we're back to those comments this week.  Norman recalls Buckley argued with an Asian man in front of a building and he doesn't want to go back to prison.  Norman isn't a 'wordsmith.'

He rides with Beckett and Castle to find the location of the building and he can get out of his handcuffs which fascinates Castle, well something had to.  Locksmith School turned him down on account of him being a felon.  Beckett is mean to him and Castle agrees.  Norman shows Castle how to remove the cuffs.  Alexis calls Beckett to ask her advice and if she wanted to talk to Castle, why would she call him on Beckett's phone?  Beckett admits keeping secrets from her father.

The Asian man is Paul Cho (oh great, now we're even getting Mentalist names in here.  He was Buckley's ex brother-in-law.  Castle thinks of Family Feud. Cho (Charles Chun) has a penchant for call girls and calls a number.  The girl comes to him.  Cho was attacked by a man in a mask who warned him off Danton.  Castle wants the gir to wear sexy clothes, since there's no reason why they can't enjoy the interview.  Castle positvely salivating when he sees her.  It's Scarlett.  "Did she look like that before?"

Buckley was a client and helped her get a job at the office as an Intern.  She doesn't know Danton. My qualm, she has to know who Danton is especially as she doesn't maintain eye contact when answering this.  Castle ponders why Buckley would investigate a call girl service he was using? Oh and Castle's outburst at seeing her probably gave her the idea to use him.

Castle drops the charges against Norman. He likes him.  Castle then talks to Scarlett who gives him some sob story about being poor and alone in the big city.  Castle asks "What's a nice girl like you...?"  He's old fashioned.  She got into this line of work cos of a friend.

Castle then asks Martha (Susan Sullivan) about Alexis's secret and she's probably talking to Beckett cos women talk to other women.  Castle is aware of this as his depth of female characters was praised by the New York Times.  He should ask Alexis but he doesn't when she returns home.  Martha comments Alexis has more Rick Castle in her and he doesn't like that.

Police detective Navarro (Danny Nucci) couldn't get Danton cos theplace was cleared when they raided.  Dantonelli used to run the service but he's in prison, so the service was franchised out. Navarro comments on Ryan's "honey milk." The business was given to Buckley in return for a shorter sentence.

Ryan and Esposito give Castle more cause to worry over Alexis.  Castle thinks this case isn't just about money.  Beckett believes Buckley wasn't the boss anymore and Scarlett had to have known about Danton.  Scarlett names Johnny after Beckett promises to protect her.  Thing is Scarlett lied once so there's nothing to prevent her from doing it again.  Buckley is dead so she can say whatever she likes and no one will question it.  Castle knows Scarlett is capable of making it on her own, another clue here, cos she just has.  He thinks this is a great story for a book.  Johnny has an alibi.

Scarlett turns up at Castle's beaten up.  She gives him a photo of the reverend with her, thus breaking Johnny's alibi.  Castle is nice to all beautiful women who turn up on his doorstep and she just plays him again, after kissing him.  Beckett is angry Castle didn't call her.  Nor did he tell her about the snog.  Johnny was surveilled, again a clue.  Castle finds Scarlett is misisng from the hospital.  Johnny was under surveillance so he couldn't have beaten her.

Out comes the Writer's vest again for Castle.  Scarlett shoots Johnny and she'll get off with self-defence.  Beckett is wearing a Castle shirt, well it was similar to his.  Norman sees the lock in the CS photos from Johhny's place and notices the dead bolt was open.  Beckett doens't want to write him a letter of recommendation for the locksmith school.

Castle calls Scarlett, he got the number from  apublsiher friend.  Buckley needed Scarlett to run the service. Strangely Scarlett doesn't recognize Castle's voice when he calls her.

Alexis wanted to go on a French exchange student programme but decided against it and wanted Beckett's advice cos she'd been on one.  There's always Oxford for her choice of Unis, which worries Castle.

Michaela McManus was typecast playing a law student here as she went on to play an ADA in Law and Order SVU.  Don't know what to make of the entire handcuff scene with Norman since Castle's already proven he could get out of cuffs in the Pilot and later episodes.  Also all the so-called evidence Beckett had was circumstantial, if that and they were just going on Scarlett's word.  (Appropriate name for her.)  She had the photo too which she could have taken herself with  a hidden camera, proving Johnny didn't have an alibi for her, which added more weight to his being guilty.  Yet I remained unconvinced. It's just my cynical side, ha.

Castle in agony over Alexis's secret and Beckett tormenting him even further was no fun and when I was beginning to like her too.  If he did that to her, she'd be all over him (not literally or otherwise) for interfering in her personal life, as she did with her mother's case, for example.  Not saying she had to break Alexis's confidence but she didn't have to relish treating him like that.  Oh and in The Mentalist territory here, had to get a character called Cho. Must be pretty difficult finding a different Asian name.  Mind you in season 4 of the show, Kimball Cho (Tim Kang) is stepping out with a pro.  Castle getting hit in the bar - a trait too familiar with Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) suffering umpteenth hits to his nose!

 Honey milk was mentioned by Ryan in 2.2 The Double Down.

Doctor Who - 6.7: "A Good Man Goes to War" Review

The Doctor finds Amy and her baby, goes to war and the real truth is revealed about River Song. Then the Doctor disappears again promising Amy she'll get her baby, Melody back.

 This episode does contain some "SPOILERS" as River Song (Alex Kingston) would say, so if you don't want to know what happens before you've watched the episode then DON'T READ!!!!

Thank you BBC for the mid season finale.   We never get a mid season break here with this show, or any show and it's really disappointing that the powers that be decided on one now!! When the ep was shown for the first time last year.
Amy (Karen Gillan) wants to tell her baby that she'll be cared for and loved, but she can't lie to Melody now.   She'll have to be brave because "there's someone coming, someone who won't let them down and an army can't stop him."  Amy wants the Eye-Patch woman (Frances Barber) to leave the baby.   Amy continues, "he's the last of his kind and he's lived for hundreds and hundreds of years..because this man is your father - the Last Centurion."   She's referring to Rory (Arthur Darvill) but she could also be talking about the Doctor (Matt Smith) in another time, another place; but she'd never do that.

Twenty thousand light years away.    Rory has a message for the Cybermen from the Doctor and a question from him. "Where is my wife?" The Twelfth Cyber Legion monitors everything in that quadrant.   They ask for the Doctor's message, which can be heard outside, viz the explosions.   At the army base where Amy is being held, two soldiers talk about the Doctor blowing up an entire legion.  A message can be heard reminding them that they cannot interact with the Headless Monks without consent.   Lorna Bucket (Christina Chang) tells them the Monk's head meant doubts so they follow their hearts.   In which case shouldn't they have been pacifists.   Lorna first met the Doctor when she was little in the Gamma Forests and he told her to "run." One of the soldiers is sacrificed to become one of the Headless Monks, as a donation.

London 1888 AD.   Parker drives home 'M'lady' in a carriage.   (Hey this isn't Thunderbirds.)  She is Vastra the Silurian (Neve McIntosh) she tells her maid,  Jenny (Catrin Stewart) that Jack the Ripper has taken his last victim.   She ate him.   The TARDIS appears for her.   It's time for her to repay a debt and they'll need swords.

The Battle of Zaruthstra 4037 AD.   A nurse is needed and Sontaran, Commander Strax, (Dan Starkey) enters to administer to a boy.   The TARDIS appears for him too, he had to pay penance for his past and perhaps his penance is over.   (Yes it was over for him.)  River returns home to her prison and Rory arrives to ask for her help.   The Doctor took her ice-skating in 1814 on the River Thames for her birthday and Stevie Wonder sang for her.   Darn, missed the clue when she said it was her birthday!  Rory mentions Demons Run.   She refuses to go, she can't, not yet.   She mentions the Battle of Demons Run being "the Doctor's darkest hour, he'll rise higher than ever and then fall so much further."  She can't be there until the end (for her big reveal.)  River: "This is the day he finds out who I am." So do the others, or wasn't that important enough to get a mention.

The Eye-Patch woman, named Kovarian asks Dorium (Simon Fischer-Becker) what he knows.   They've been waiting for the Doctor for a month.   He replies people in the galaxy owe the Doctor a debt and he's raising an army.   He knows their base is on an asteroid and they call it Demons Run.  There's an old saying: "Demons Run, when a good man goes to war."  The TARDIS comes for Dorium too.  A colonel gives a speech against the Doctor, rousing his troops.   Knew the Doctor had to be one of the Monks.   Lorna gives Amy the name patch she was sewing and calls it a Prayer Leaf.   If she keeps it, her child will return to her.   It says the baby's name in her language.   Lorna tells her she met the doctor when she was little, just as Amy did.   She tells Lorna the Doctor isn't famous.  Lorna: "he's like a dark legend."  Amy accepts the leaf.

Colonel Manton (Danny Sapani) spouts on about the Doctor being nothing special, "on this day, in this place, the Doctor will fall."  A repetition of what River said about him rising and then falling really.     The army is allies with the Monks and the Colonel tells the soldiers why they're Headless, revealing what's under the hoods.  The Doctor also reveals himself from under his hood.   The Monks can never be, as the Doctor adds, "surprised."  The lights go out and he walks away in the dark, spotted by Lorna opening the door with his Sonic.   She follows him out and in the chaos a soldier shoots a Monk.  The base is taken over by the Doctor's own army.   Kovarian tries to flee with the baby, but Rory stops her.   She tells him he can't take over her ship.   But the Doctor's army can, including Captain Avery (Hugh Bonneville).  

The Doctor wants the Colonel to order his army to "run away."  So he will be known as 'Colonel Runaway,' and be famous for those words.  As it wasn't a good idea to get to the Doctor "through the people I love."  Kovarian tells the Colonel to give the order.  "Good men have too many rules."  The Doctor replies, "Good men don't need rules...today is not the day to find out why I have so many."  Rory rescues Amy.   But the Colonel and Kovarian wouldn't give up so easily, nothing happens that easily.   Amy was right when she said they took the baby away.   Rory cries, he wanted to act all cool.   She introduces Melody Pond Superhero, not Melody Williams, (Rory's last name) she's a Geography teacher.   The Doctor speaks all languages including baby and replies to the baby's gurgling that his bow tie is cool.

Vastra repeats what River said: "...you have never risen higher" and now he's going to fall.   Strax says he can feed and change Melody.  The Doctor senses she's tired and brings out his cot.   Amy asks if he has, or has he ever had, children.   She was on this base the entire time.   The Doctor hugs Amy, her heart, soul and mind were on the TARDIS.   When she saw the Eye-Patch woman, that he explains was "reality bleeding through." Last episode he said they were remnants of a time memory.  Rory asks if the signal was being projected into the TARDIS the whole time.   He couldn't say Amy wasn't real since they could have been listening.   He answers the cot is his.

Vastra repeats what he once told her, "anger is the shortest distance to a mistake."  Dorium tells him they found what they were looking for.   Melody has human and Time Lord DNA.   Lorna warns them it's a trap, as she heard Kovarian talking about it.   Lorna wanted to meet the Doctor again, "a great warrior."  Amy says he's not a warrior and Lorna asks why he's called a Doctor then.   (River will explain this soon.)  The Doctor insists Melody is human and doesn't know how this happened, or when.   The child 'began' after Amy and Rory's first time on the TARDIS together on their wedding night.   He refers to sexy fish vampires ( season 5's Vampires in Venice episode) and running about.

Lorna explains the Headless Monks aren't alive so they're not registered as life forms on the scanners.  Doctor: "...can't cook themselves a Time Lord...why would a Time Lord be a weapon."  See they surrendered too readily, too late.   The Monks attack.   There's a flashback to 6.2 Day of the Moon, when River mentions the girl was a human in the suit.   Kovarian calls the child "hope in this endless bitter war" against the Doctor.  There's a forcefield around the TARDIS and the Monks take over the base.  As they fight, River explains:
"Demons Run when a good man goes to war.
Night will fall and drown the sun
When a good man goes to war.
Friendship dies and true love lies
Night will fall and the dark will rise
When a good man goes to war.
Demons Run but count the cost
The battle's won but the child is lost."

When everything is revealed at the end, it had to be River who narrates this, which is of significance.

Kovarian tells the Doctor, she fooled him once - with Amy, as Flesh and she didn't realize it would be so easy" to fool him again with the baby."  Melody was flesh, at least the baby Rory rescued.   Strax is a nurse, not a warrior and he dies, just like Rory is a nurse and not a Centurion.   Lorna warned them.   She met him once in the Gamma Forests, he doesn't remember her, but lies "I remember everyone" and says they ran.   They always do.   River arrives and he gets angry at her.  He questions where she was when he's been there for her all the time she wanted him to be.   She couldn't have prevented this.   River could have tried.
 River: "So my love could you."
Doctor: "This wasn't me."    River insists this was his doing.   He makes them all afraid.   He's able to turn an army around, just by using his name.   She explains Doctor means "healer and wiseman throughout the universe." To the Gamma people, Doctor means "mighty warrior."  As Lorna said.   River claims they will turn Melody into a weapon as they fear him.   River evades answering the question of who she is, focusing on the cot.   The Doctor reads the cot and realizes who she is and does a smooching action with his lips, indicating they kissed.

The Doctor will find Melody.   River tells Amy to concentrate on the cot, but it's Gallifrayan and that can't be translated.   She shows Amy the leaf.   There's no word for "the only water in the forest is the river."   The Leaf reads 'River'.   River: "It's me - I'm Melody.   I'm your daughter..."

When do they get Melody/River back?  Great episode and what a reveal.  At least I said that's what Idris meant in episode 4 (The Doctor's Wife) when she told Rory "the river's in the forest."  Knew it was about our River.   Also if that was River in the future, his future (her past) as a girl, she kills the doctor as the weapon she's been turned into.   Is that why she's in prison now.   I used to say that in the episode Silence in the Library when River was first introduced , that she must have killed someone, or done something to get her into prison.   Thus far it's never been revealed what she's done.   Also, ironically, she dons a spacesuit in her first ever scene.   As did the child who kills the Doctor in the season 6 opener, The Impossible Astronaut.

What an exceptional twist though, to have River as their daughter and her falling for the Doctor.   Being used as a weapon, it begins to fall into place now.   At least some of it.   Though you can tell it was a bit of an afterthought, as Amy and Rory only appeared in the show in season 5 and River's been here a lot longer.   The Silurian sister Vastra talked about was from The Hungry Faith and Cold Blood episodes.   The Spitfires which attack the base, flown by Danny Boy, were in Victory of the Daleks.   Dorium first appeared in The Pandorica Opens, last season.   The Headless Monks were alluded to in season 5's The Time of Angels.   A pity the Daleks will no longer be appearing in the show anymore!

Matt Smith has been quite dark in his portrayal of the Doctor, especially these past three episodes, as well as interjecting with funny moments.   Then running off at the end of the episode, conveniently leaving River to explain who she is to Rory and Amy.   Knowing Amy was Flesh all along, no wonder he gave her all those suspicious looks, especially everytime she wanted to tell him about his future.   Apparently Amy hadn't been Amy since before they went to America.   So maybe, just maybe he knew about his death anyway.   Maybe it's just me but I like to think he did.