Charlies Angels - 1.6 "Black Hat Angels" Review

Bosley is set up by his one time partner in crime after a painter disappears. The angels learn more about his computer hacking days, as well as who Elizabeth is.

The scene opens with Bosley (Ramon Rodriguez) being chased  by police officers.   As an appropriate soundtrack plays over the chase scene, he is arrested and proclaims his innocence.

24 hours ago  Eve (Minka Kelly) finds a postcard for Bosley from Paris but it doesn't have a message.   She comments no one's taken her there.   She also adds, "Maybe it's your lost love trying to heat things up again."  That could have been true, see my comment later.  If nothing else Eve knows Bosley's middle name is Eduardo.   Bosley: "I like to keep my private life, private."  That's not what he would have said in the previous episode and if that's the case it must be difficult if he talks in his sleep.   A lost love doesn't seem possible.   He also tells Eve.

Abby (Rachael Taylor) and Kate (Annie Ilonzeh) bring caffeine and carbs.  Charlie (Victor Garber) hands them a missing person's case. That's all they seem to be doing, mostly.  Also Abby says that too.   Eve explains it's cos they're good at what they do and word gets around.    There's a painting which has been drawn by Lee Bowen (Keram Malicki-Sanchez) who is the Vic.   He drew it from memory and disappeared two weeks ago.   It took a long time for his agent to come forward and claim him as a missing person.  That should have been a clue right there.   Lee doesn't have any enemies and Zoe (Peyton List) is their client and his agent. She is suspicious looking.   She thinks he's been kidnapped and was looking out for him since "anyone could take advantage of him." The anyone being her of course.

One gallery owner took him on as a client and wanted exclusive rights to his work, Steven Lesher (Michael Rivkin).  (Hey that was a character name in season 6 of NCIS.)   Abby knows the place, of course she would.   Look at the way Zoe looks at Bosley.   He and Abby portray a couple looking for artwork and ask for some Lee Bowen.   Kate plays an air conditioner tech.   Bosley tells Steven they have to get him back and he's the last person who spoke to him.   There's a photo of the two of them together when he went missing.  Abby takes out a gun and shoots paintballs at the paintings.  "I have an artistic streak"  and she's ready to go Jackson Pollock.   Steven once sold dodgy Warhol's and got an e-mail with old papers.   They wanted an artist and he told them about Lee.  He shows them the e-mail and Bosley takes a photo of the address.   The paintings were covered over with cellophane.

Eve doesn't find anything in Lee's apartment.   Bosley calls Steven the middle man and when he analyzes the address and DOB, they all lead back to Bosley.   Eve: "It's you."  The way she said that was as if she almost believed Bosley was guilty.  Charlie claims his ID has been stolen.   Kate thinks there are signs of a personal vendetta.   Bosley has lots of enemies.   They've hacked his system and even his "firewalls have firewalls."  Bosley has his own suspicions of who could be behind this and he needs to start from the beginning.   Zoe makes some excuse about her and computers not gelling and computers hating her.   An obvious excuse on her part again.   Bosley checks out the trash in her computer as she may have had contact with the kidnappers without being aware.   Zoe: "You don't know what it's like to lose someone close to you." There, her entire demeanour and everything else she's been up to shows she knows more than she's letting on;  why make that comment unless she knows about his private life?  Bosley replies, "You'd be surprised."

Abby says if she had Bosley's details she'd be on a spending spree now.   But nothing's been taken.   There's a safe deposit box and to Abby that's like catnip.   Eve goes undercover as Ms Depesto (hey that name was used in Moonlighting ha.)   There can only be a limited number of customers in the vault and Abby and Bosley go in as another couple again.   Well they did make a cute couple.     Bosley opens the box to reveal a bomb: C4 and there's only 30 seconds.   Abby tries to disarm it. What would they have done without her? Not very much.   Oswald leaves a message.   They need to evacuate the bank.   Abby disarms it but moments later it rearms, which Bosley should have known especially when dealing with Oswald.   That table in the vault came in handy though. Surprisingly it bore most of the brunt of the blast.

Kate analyzes the bomb and finds a partial print on the Sim card, wouldn't that be the job of the police and forensics.   They ask who Oswald is.  Bosley's former partner in computer crime.   He calls them 'Black hats' which are hackers.   He met Oswald online.   Abby comments online dating sites don't work.   Abby always manages to get a comment about dating or loser men.  Someone beat him to the finds in a Berlin bank.   They worked together two years and were a perfect team.   Bosley assumes Oswald is a man.   Eve: "You've worked that close with a man you've never met."  Eve appears to get the dumb lines.   As Abby tells her they work for Charlie.   There is no Bank of London, though it was for the purposes of the show.   Oswald cut a deal with the Russian mob to go underground.   Abby says there's no getting away from the mob.   The print leads to a condo lease.

Here they find computer screens and Bosley says Oswald is turning the tables as all the screens are eyes.   But he thinks Oswald kept the same passwords.   He finds Lee a captive and also plates nearby used for printing money.   Oswald is Zoe, well that wasn't a shock.   Abby says she wanted to kill Bosley who is "looking good for a dead man."  She then notices they're watching her.   Bosley thought 'she' was dangerous.   Zoe comments on there being new women in Bosley's life.   Less expendable than the last companion.   She copied her handwriting on the postcard.  

Bosley manages to trace Zoe's location.   Zoe: "Bad things happen to the women in his life, ask Elizabeth."  But Elizabeth as we know is dead.   The angels don't know about her.   Zoe spent the last three years of her life to the mob.   Bosley got the location and other things on the hard-drive.   Eve guards the perimeter and the police arrive.   Bosley has outstanding 'fake' warrants and one came through right now.   Bosley claims his innocence.   Lee had to make money, counterfeit $100 bills.   Kate tells them about her six years in law enforcement and two years undercover.   They arrest him for the murder of a policeman but he runs.

 It had to be Eve in the police car otherwise she wasn't doing a good job of guarding the perimeter.   How come he didn't see who was driving the car?   How could Eve be tracking Zoe getting away with millions?   Bosley uses the iPad to unlock her history and finds she's on a flight to Rio.   Bosley cancels her flight and tracks her on her phone.   She knows his weak spot, the women he cares about and that's where Zoe is getting him.   Zoe blows up the truck with the money inside.   But was it all the money?

Charlie is impressed with them but Bosley says she got away.   Eve asks about Elizabeth.  She's the one with all the questions, always and Abby tells him he can talk to them anytime.   Bosley was in love and Elizabeth "turned down a dark path and I lost her." She died.   Was Charlie still on the phone listening.   Bosley did everything he could to stop her and love wasn't enough.   He went off the rails and met Oswald until Charlie saved him.   Abby says he shouldn't blame himself for Elizabeth, which is what Charlie told him in 1.4.  Angels in Chains.  Is that why Charlie rescued his angels cos of Elizabeth?   Yet Bosley doesn't tell them Elizabeth was Charlie's daughter.

Zoe visits Victor (John Terry) in prison and tells him she'll have a new alias by tomorrow.   But Abby won't know she's met with him cos he probably won't tell her.   Instead he would probably work with Zoe to bring down Charlie.  Victor has a vendetta  with Charlie.   She can help him "unmask" Charlie which is what Victor wants.   So who exactly is Victor doing this for? It doesn't appear to be for Abby.

If done right this could have been an interesting story arc, but we'll never know what happens or would have happened now.   The backstory on Bosley had potential, more than the angels as well as the storyline about Oswald and Victor gunning for Charlie.  What if Zoe was Elizabeth and Eve was kind of hinting at this when she saw the postcard?   Well Elizabeth could have had a facelift, changed her appearance.   Who else would have such a grudge against Charlie and want to get back at him?   Which also means Bosley recognized the handwriting and wasn't at all curious to investigate.   That was a bit of a let down in the plot.   This episode however, was one of the better ones and the show did seem to be improving.   Enjoyed this one.

In the original angels, Bosley (David Doyle) and Kris (Cheryl Ladd) used to play a couple, married or otherwise and here it was mostly Bosley and Abby.   In the original angels there were many episodes which boasted lost loves of the angels, um, maybe boasted isn't exactly the right word.   Sometimes they would be criminals and other times there'd be two angels falling for the one man.  

Supernatural - 1.3: "Dead in the Water"

Sam and Dean investigate the deaths of some people, in what appears to be drownings, some within their own homes. Sam learns the extent of Dean's true feelings about losing Mom and how he's never told him everything about the events of that

Something pulls a girl under whilst she's swimming in the lake.   Alluding to the title of this episode, Dead in the Water in two senses: firstly, that whoever got killed was dead in the water (not so funny) or secondly, whatever or whoever did it, was dead in the water.   No reference to boats/ ships here, as that's what the title more commonly refers to.

Sam (Jared Padalecki)  and Dean (Jensen Ackles), in a diner for the first time, and we see how much Dean just loves his food and witness his idea of 'fun'.   "You know Sam, we are allowed to have fun once in a while - that's fun."  Ugh and we thought it was something completely different, naively, ha.  Gotta love the way Dean has this whole new spin on words and vocabulary too.   Dean comes across the article in the paper and they head to Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin.  Where there's more of Dean's version of 'fun' to be had!  Last episode Dean mentioned Wisconsin in reference to the Wendigo and this week they're in Wisconsin.

There wasn't any body found in the lake, but the family went ahead with the funeral for closure.   Sam: "...what closure.   People just don't disappear Dean.   Other people just stop looking for them."  Sam clearly means Dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) here and he's concerned everyday they search for Dad and don't find him, the trail's growing colder and soon they'll never find him.   Uh oh, here comes Dean with the recriminations and the defensive attitude he's mastered, and more of the arguments I love between the two.   With Dean saying Sam was never around, it was always Dean who was with Dad for the past two years.

Dean knows all about Pep rallies.   Sam's not the kind of dude who frequents Pep rallies just for the 'fun' of them if at all.   There's plenty of unsaid deep and meaningfuls between them and a truck loads of anger inside of Dean just waiting to boil over to the surface.   Not much response from Sam though a bit of a shame.

This episode their IDs are from the US Wildlife Service (Dean knowing tonnes about wildlife - not of the animal variety!)  and introduces himself as Agent Ford and Sam as Agent Hamill (from Star Wars (1977).   Dean naturally being Harrison Ford, the one everyone drooled over!  Listen out for the line "she was safe out there" as in her own bathtub.

Sam and Dean speak with Sheriff Jake Devins (Daniel Hugh Kelly) and aren't quite sure her death was only an accident.   IN walks Dean's idea of 'fun' in the shape of Andrea (Amy Acker) .   (Our loveable Fred from Angel).   Leading Dean to comment on how great kids are.   But Andrea's not Dean's average type of 'fun' and comes back with the line, "must be hard with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pick-up line."  However much Dean claims to like kids, he can't name three, when Sam asks.   Well, Sam was a kid, once upon a time, ha.   Andrea's son, Lucas (Nico McEown) doesn't speak.

They theorize over what could be in the lake, recalling the Loch Ness Monster, and the number of sightings it's had.   Here they just turn up empty.   They find that Lucas had to be rescued and he was in the water for two hours.   Big clue here that he wasn't harmed in the lake, when Andrea's husband drowned.   Dean immediately thinks of Mom (Samantha Smith) and how she died, "watching one of your parents die is something you just never get over."

In the same way Sam saw Jessica (Adrienne Palicki) die.   Dean bonds with Lucas and tells him he loved toy soldiers and how he saw something bad too, no one would believe him, but Dean will listen to Lucas.   Dean's not good at drawing and he calls Sam "his geeky brother" when describing his family.  It's amazing but not surprising how Dean can share thoughts and feelings with Lucas, that he can't with Sam - at least not right now and opens up about things he's not told Sam.   Sam has to overhear Dean.

Lucas gives Dean a picture of a house with a red roof.   Another victim drowns in the kitchen sink after getting pulled in, head first.  They're dealing with something that controls water and the water is from the same source, as Sam says - the lake.   Dean notices the red roof on Carlton's house.   Dean opens up to Lucas telling him he was there and saw Mom die, so how do you get over something like that.   He's obviously kept it all in since he didn't want to talk about it, but he's telling Lucas now.   Also how Mom would've wanted Dean to be brave and he tries.

 Sam does realize just how much Dean has kept from him and when he asks Dean about it, he fobs it off as not being a big deal and his, "Oh God, we're not gonna have to hug or anything are we?!"  He only shrugs the moment off not realizing or being concerned about how important it is for Sam.   I'm guessing no one even spoke to Sam or told him in detail about how Mom died - but Dean was there and actually witnessed it, yet he doesn't dwell on it.   This was news to us too since all we saw in the Pilot was Dad asking Dean to take Sam.   As we know, Dean doesn't like to talk - unless he wants to; he's not all touchy-feely either when it comes to true emotions.

Instead, he'd rather berate Sam with "college boy thinks he's so smart."  God forbid he and Sam should bond.   Lucas gave Dean a picture of a yellow house this time, a red bike and a boy outside the house.   But there's no boy here.   Bill (Bruce Dawson) used to ride his bike home from school and Bill knew Peter.   Sam believes all of the boys back then who knew him are being punished.  Bill takes the boat out onto the lake and is taken.   Jake checked out Sam and Dean to find they're not with the Wildlife Service, and wants them out of town.

Lucas draws a black hole and Dean turns the car around, they're not leaving.   Andrea fills her bathtub.   Dean doesn't want to leave Lucas as he was afraid of something.   Sam's shocked to see Dean can actually care about someone.   Sam: "who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

The bath water turns muddy and Andrea is pulled under - cue our heroes to the rescue, with Dean breaking down another door.   Didn't Lucas hear her screams.   Dean discovers a connection between Chris and Jake.   they were both involved in Peter's death.   Jake and Bill bullied Peter and held him under the water, causing him to drown.

Lucas attempts to retrieve his toy soldier from the lake and is pulled in.   Prompting Dean to jump in after him and so does Jake.   He's sorry for what they did to Peter, who now has gotten his revenge on everyone.   Dean pulls Lucas out.

Sam tries to comfort Dean with his line, "we're not gonna save everybody" - a line synonymous with the premise of the show.   To which Dean could've been snarly and replied, "it's 'we' now is it."  Since he did the rescuing, of Lucas that is.   Sam did get Andrea out of the bath.

Andrea thanks Dean and kisses him.   Bet he was just hanging on for that moment since they hit town..

Recall the line "safe in her bathtub" - well, Andrea wasn't since this is where she was attacked.

Great to see another side of Dean in this episode: a more caring side.   That he has it in him to be vulnerable and not just maintain his macho, tough -as-nails exterior, or as he would call it: his "game face." for the sake of Sam.   Someone should've told him it's okay to share with Sam - of all people- cos he's family and they're both going through this together.

Only enough is revealed about their past to keep you thoroughly glued!

The Vampire Diaries - 3.14: "Dangerous Liaisons" Review

Ester sends out invites to the town inviting them to a ball at Klaus's newly renovated mansion, but she has a plan for which she needs Elena's help.

Elena (Nina Dobrev) is watched by someone at the hospital as she talks about the attacks with Matt (Zach Roerig).   He's lucky the only thing he needs to worry about is work, but that won't last long.   Outside Elena backs onto something and when she gets out of the car she's confronted by Rebekah (Claire Holt) who's out for revenge for getting staked by her.   Elijah (Daniel Gillies) saves her from being bitten and he asks Rebekah if she's challenging him.   So was Elijah watching out for Elena or was he the one who was watching from the hospital?

Damon (Ian Somerhalder) wonders how Ester (Alice Evans) is even alive.   Elijah wants them all to live in peace, yeah that'll happen.   Stefan (Paul Wesley) says they need a weapon to help them win over Klaus (Joseph Morgan).     Damon: "Anyone else feeling a little used right now?"  No, but he will be by the end of the episode.   Elena receives an invitation to the ball at the mansion from the Mikaelson family.   Elijah told her they don't want to hurt anyone.   Stefan asks who that family is.   Ester wants to meet with Elena alone.

Klaus is angry at Rebekah for going after Elena and Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) exclaims he's not his father.   "You should go back to staring at yourself," he tells Kol.   Klaus talks of 'peace, acceptance, family.'  Why did Ester forgive him.   She had a thousand years to heal.   Her dream is for them to be a family, as it's a gift.   Stefan says Bonnie opened the coffin for a reason and he tells Damon it's now his job to care if Elena lives or dies, it's not Stefan's anymore.   Damon thinks he should go back to being the old Stefan to see if he cares or not.   Damon volunteers to go to the ball since Stefan's upset enough originals already.

Tyler leaves a message for Caroline (Candice Accola) and is sorry about Bill and is fixing himself.   Klaus sends an invite to Caroline, "Save me a dance fondly."  He also sends her a necklace and a dress.   Caroline tells Elena the ball is a "twisted Cinderella fetish." Well everyone's getting in on the old fairytale act, so...Salvatore's look better in a tux.   Bonnie told Caroline about Elena and Damon's kiss and Elena doesn't know how she feels about that kiss.   Rebekah turns up again and invites Matt to the ball as a way of getting to Elena.

Damon asks Carol (Susan Walters) if she's hanging out with her 'besties' now and she says she's trying to protect the town as Mayor.   Kol thinks Damon stands out.   Who is blown away by Elena in her gown.   Stefan beats him to her and then Elena takes both their arms: it's the beautiful threesome! ahh.   Caroline also arrives wearing Klaus's gown.   Finn (Casper Zafer) doesn't let anyone else see Ester, Elena must be alone.  Damon and Stefan are protecting Elena since Ester tired to kill her once.   Damon and Stefan both notice Ester upstairs and Damon has the first dance with Elena.   She should tell him before she walks into the "lion's den."  Stefan watches Caroline who watches Rebekah with Matt.   Klaus says she looks ravishing and Damon calls Elena stunning.   What did Klaus want to bite Caroline with his choice of words, ha?   Caroline comments she was Miss Mystic Falls.

Stefan cuts in to dance with Elena, the Mayor brought him here.   Damon should have figured out Elena can look after herself.  Damon doesn't compliment Rebekah as she tried to kill Elena.   Who tells Stefan she needs to see Ester.   When they were together he trusted her and she made her own decisions and she hopes that hasn't changed.   Rebekah wants Kol to kill Matt cos he's Elena's friend.   He doesn't want to help her cos of Ester's rules but he's in.

Stefan snaps Damon's' neck so he's out of commission.   That wasn't nice.   Elijah believes Ester willing to forgive Klaus for killing her is strange and he wants to know what they'll talk about.   Ester burns sage with a spell so no one can hear their conversation.   Ayanna preserved her body with a spell and Bonnie and Abby complete the Bennett bloodline.   She was on the other side for over a thousand years.   Esther needs her help.

Klaus fancies Caroline.   He was hunted by his father for a thousand years and the closest he came to Klaus was by killing his horse.   Klaus turned against Ester.   Elena asks how she can kill him when he's immortal.   Ester will use magic and resistance to perform a ritual.   She will need blood from Elena for this.   Elijah is suspicious but needs persuasion.   She will get her children to drink and they will be linked as one under the spell, so if one dies, they will all die.   She thinks of them as an abomination, "It's my duty to kill them." Is that what the spell is really for?   It could just be to make them stronger as one.   First Ester didn't want her children to be killed by werewolves and now after turning them into vampires, she wants to kill them, don't believe she'd want that.   As a mother she may want Klaus destroyed but not the others.

Kol suggests killing Matt on the stairs and making a spectacle of it.   Damon is trying to keep Elena alive.   Stefan knows his emotions are getting in the way of the plan.   Yet more plans which will end up backfiring.   Matt and Rebekah walk outside and Matt gives his coat to her.   Rebekah changes her mind about wanting him dead.   Elijah is concerned about Ester's intentions and Elena lies to him.  They all drink the champagne.   Elijah didn't look like he drank it and the way Elena was watching Elijah was suspicious too.

Caroline looks at Klaus's sketches and a landscape he drew is hanging at the Hermitage.   She wants him to give Tyler his life back and she thinks he only compels people cos his father didn't love him.   Damon doesn't think Elena had a plan and he's angry with her cos he loves her.   Elena thinks that Damon cares too much.   "How ironic."  Damon rescues Matt from Kol after he breaks his hand and beats him up, then snaps his neck.   Stefan thinks Damon's crazy.   Caroline wants Tyler back here and she has a gift from Klaus; a sketch of her with the horse and a note, "Thank you for your honesty."

Ester wishes the others were more like Elijah since he's moral.   Finn is ready to die and she completes Finn's link with his blood.   Elena has signed Klaus's death sentence but even she thinks Damon was being self-destructive when he went after Kol.  They both said something they weren't meant to.   Elena demands to know why Stefan acts like he doesn't care about her.   He hurt her and he hates himself and if he cares he'll feel pain.   Matt wants to be left alone and Damon comments Rebekah was rejected by the captain of the football team. "Welcome to adolescence." Damon and Rebekah get it on together.   So much for caring about Elena, confessing his love for her and then going after skanky Rebekah, as Caroline calls her.

Trying so hard to make us love Klaus or at least feel something other than contempt towards him; forgetting all the nasty, cruel things he done, such as making Stefan lose his humanity; killed Jenna, sired Tyler.   Now they're trying to make him appear so sad, lonely and vulnerable.   It's Klaus against the rest of the world.

Don't like Ester.   She had a thousand years to come up with this plan: kill her children, when she should be avenging  herself for Klaus's actions.   Then again the same could be said about Stefan and Damon.   Stefan killed Andie and has fed on plenty of others, as well as killing them too.   Elena so desperately trying to convince Stefan to come back to her - she still wants him, even if she tells Caroline she's not sure how she feels about the kiss, which just won't go away.

Caroline seems to be sympathetic towards Klaus however most of it appears  to spring from her getting him to release Tyler from his sire bond.   She's missing him and he should be here for her now in her time of need after losing Bill.  

Loved Elena's gown.   Lots of switching partners and sides happening at the ball.   Kol agreeing to kill Matt even if Ester wouldn't like it.   Perhaps another reason for her to want to dispatch her brood.   They're all doing whatever they please.   Elijah had his suspicions and I was surprised he didn't do much about them, other than trusting Elena who ends up lying to him.  

As for Damon and Rebekah getting it on, that was always on the cards going back to Smells Like Teen Spirit and beyond.   Damon always reaches for the nearest bit of skirt when he's rejected and dejected and misunderstood.   Either that or he goes crazy, as Stefan put it and 'self-destructive' as Elena said.   That's his nature and well, Alaric wasn't around so he couldn't kill him again.   But Kol was just what he needed.   After his random act of self-pity with Rebekah, Elena won't want anything to do with him now, romantically.   Talk about telling someone you love them and then betraying them in that way the next.

As the title suggest Dangerous Liaisons conjures up the very picture of what was happening here.   Ester tried to kill Elena once and what does she do? Walks into her parlour and worst still turns around and gives her blood without questioning.   Actually that should be freely 'donating' blood which could be used for anything.

Klaus is already aware of Caroline being Miss Mystic Falls.   Another scene on Elena's porch this time it's her and Stefan, and he didn't kiss her which is what she wanted.   Got some 'ripper' action between Damon and Rebekah with ripping off clothes that is - all very Tyler and Caroline a few episodes ago.   Oh and Elena left Alaric alone in the hospital where anything could be lurking - forgetting Bill was staked there.

There's not going to be any romance between Caroline and Klaus though, no e-mance either (my word for e-mail romance.)  That would be too obvious.   As for Elena learning about Damon's betrayal with Rebekah, Julie Plec commented, "The thing with Damon is, as we've seen, when he's hurt, he lashes out, and ...this is the most cruel way he could have lashed out."  Also showing how he's matured character-wise since "he's striking where it hurts the most - Elena,"  whereas in the past he carried out some other evil act instead.

Smallville - 10.16: "Scion" Review

Tess brings Alexander, now known as Connor, over to the Kent farm to hide out from Lionel Luthor. before she ousts Lionel from LuthorCorp. Nothing's that easy.

Tess (Cassidy Freeman) lets herself in at the farm to ask Clark (Tom Welling) to look after Alexander (Lucas Grabeel).   Now going as Connor; which stands for Congenita Neuroplastic Replicant.   Claiming she and Clark haven't caught up in a while.   Alexander's  been rebooted and is in need of guidance from Clark.   Who states he's "a genetically, engineered version of Lex." He needs a family.   Here be the beginnings of Superboy.   Connor, meanwhile in the barn, lifts a tractor - he's got half of Clark's DNA, which wasn't the only hole in this story.    As later Tess and Clark will talk about Connor, seemingly in private, did they forget about his super-charged hearing.   Clark suggests Oliver (Justin Hartley) but he's in Star City with Chloe.  (Allison Mack)

Lionel (Julian Glover) searches for Alexander but Tess tells him he's dead, hoping to throw him off the scent.   That he should check his DNA in the ashes, did she think he wouldn't.   Dumb move on her part.   She says that Lex killed Lionel in her world, which Lionel explains is the sign of a true Luthor.   Something Tess will never be.   He regrets trusting Clark over Lex in his world.   The Luthor legacy will end with Lionel.   Lionel then giving Tess  a huge clue when he mentions adoption papers, for later, which she doesn't get and tells her if he was Lionel in this world, he'd have signed the adoption papers too.   She's inferior.

Clark speaks with Connor explaining Tess is trying to protect him.   It doesn't matter what he is after people get to know him.   Connor can't recall anything from the past, which is good news in some ways.   But he needs to know where he's from.   He then sees Clark has powers too, or abilities, as they call them here.   Clark prefers being called a brother to dad.   He also finds out Clark is the Blur and he's read about him .   Clark says he needs to learn to control his abilities and needs to practise on the farm.   Until he sees Lois (Erica Durance).   He clearly demonstrates he's not in control when he watches her with his X-ray vision.

Clark explains about taking Connor under his wing but she doesn't receive the news well.   She expected some hitches with Clark being the Blur but Clark pleads for her help.   His blood was stolen by Lex from Helen Bryce's office and prevented the accelerated mitosis within Connor.   She calls Clark Chicken Little.   She didn't see what it was like to grow up, feeling like a freak.  It "never goes away - it's always in there."  Only Lois has made him feel normal.  So what about his parents, though this could have been a clever ploy on his part to subtly coax Lois into going along with him.   Which works.

Lois tells Tess there are other ways of making Lionel go away and he knows what can hurt Clark and she was right, as he used the Kryptonite on Clark and a gun on Lois, almost.   She comments Elliott Ness used tax evasion to nab Al Capone, so Tess finally gets that an overlooked detail on his part will prove he's a fake.   He already told Tess about this overlooked detail, wake up Tess! Dr Lammel is named but not shown, but Lexia Doig was credited as a guest star.   So what was the point.   The resultant tests on Lex's remains, show the DNA doesn't match him.

Clark informs Connor about how his parents were there for him, his dad taught him the power of hard work and was a means to control his powers.   He'll be there for Connor, who burns Clark's shirt when he uses his heat vision.   Tess tells Clark that Lionel is aware of Connor's whereabouts and Connor hears every word they say about him being a Luthor.   Lois is taken hostage by Lionel after she breaks into his office, but comes up empty.   Lionel finds Connor at the remains of the Luthor mansion, he was tracked from the farm.   Lionel wants to answer his questions and tricks Connor into wearing a red Kryptonite ring, knowing full well the effect it will have on him.   Connor is part Lex and part Clark.   Lionel tries to convince him Clark considers Connor a threat as he's a Luthor.  "Embrace your future."  What's Lionel's future going to entail?  He convinces Connor the ring is his birthright. "Now the journey begins."  Hence the title, Scion meaning descendant, heir.

Lois claims she's not afraid of Lionel, he brought her to the slaughterhouse so no one would hear her screams.   Lois is not really a 'screamer' (!)  She was raised to protect the one you love.   Lionel is about to shoot Lois but is rescued by Connor who carries her off, Lionel telling her lesson 1 before she's whisked away, "never let anyone stand in your way," which Connor has taken to heart since he left Lionel standing.   He goes on to steal a fur coat and necklace for Lois and a car which they drive off in.

Clark believes Lionel is turning Connor into something he's not.   The red Kryptonite brings out the core of selfless freedom.   Clark won't let Lionel hurt Connor like he did Lex, calling Lex his close friend.   Lionel is adamant Clark destroyed Lex with his secrets.  Clark arrives at the mansion and Lois escapes as if she wasn't there - but Lionel already told Clark she was with Connor and he finds the coat.   Clark is trying to keep Connor safe which is what he said about Tess.   They fight and Clark manages to smash the red Kryptonite in the ring.   Connor accepts he is a Luthor.   When Clark said he's coming home with him, he sounded more like a dad than a brother.   But not before Lionel arrives with the green Kryptonite as Lois predicted, but Connor destroys it with his heat vision which he can now control, especially when it mattered.   Lionel exclaims Connor was "meant to be a god."  Connor: "I know who I am."  Gotta love Lionel and his eccentricity.

Tess hands Lionel papers to relinquish his control over LutherCorp to her.   He drank the Scotch which was laced with nano receptors, so she'll know his location.   She won't kill him, it's not in her.   However the adoption papers show his prints are reversed in this world, proving he's a fake.   See that was Lionel's big clue in the beginning.   Lionel's final words to her, deep down, she'll always be a Luthor.  Yet he just said she was inferior earlier on.   Associating being a Luthor with being inferior there,

Connor repairs the farm and Clark tells him "you decide who you really are."  There's a shadow inside him he doesn't need to embrace, that being the Luthor part of him.   Connor reveals the Blur's red 'S' on a black T shirt.   Clark's enrolled him at Smallville High and his name is Connor Kent, he figured Connor needed a last name.  "Welcome home." Lois admits she was investigating Lionel.   Clark has a new found respect for his parents, that his powers can cause harm if misused.   he didn't just realize that though.   They were responsible for raising him and the world would have been dark if Clark didn't have them.   Lois thinks he'll be a great father.

Lionel laments what could have been at Lex's grave, what could have been if he was here.   He'd give anything to have him by his side,  allowing Darkseid to emerge, with red eyes a-glowing.     Lionel is now confronted by Darkseid, but he was always susceptible to be taken over by the darkness within.

In the comics, Connor's shirt was the black shirt Superboy used to wear.   Lots of darkness going on in this episode, but it goes to show Clark and Connor both need to be under the influence of the meteor rock to undergo changes, they have the ability to do good and remain strong at all other times so they couldn't be under the influence of Darkseid, ever.   Suppose Oliver will get his money back now that Tess has taken LutherCorp back.   Most of this was just how Clark's parents raised him, which we didn't get to see, but he tells Connor and Lois about.  

Lois was wrong when she tells Connor that Clark never acted in the way he's doing for love.   Since Kryptonite does have an effect on him and he has no control over.   In the episode Crimson, Clark, kidnapped Lana in the name of love, whilst under the influence of Kryptonite and tried to strangle Lex.   So maybe Lois is oblivious to this part of Clark's past.   Clark mentions Helen Bryce (Emmanuelle Vaugier) who was a doctor and who double crossed Lex, after he married her.   Tess refers to Lionel as "Daddy Dearest" alluding to Mommie Dearest, book and movie, written by Hollywood film star Joan Crawford's daughter.    Lois says she feels like she's in a Tom Clancy novel.   As well as mentioning Lazarus, which was also the title of the first episode of season 10, as Clark got his strength back from the yellow sun, saved by Lois.

Lois mentions Don Godfather in relation to Lionel and also Romeo and Juliet.   Been referencing plenty of movies, books, this season, which they hardly ever did in past seasons.   Jonathan was mentioned in this episode in preparation of next week when he makes an appearance.

CSI: NY - 1.14: "Blood, Sweat and Tears" Review

Mac and Stella look into the apparent death of a circus performer, but the story turns into one of Romeo and Juliet. Danny investigates the murder of a woman in her apartment.

In story 1, a swimmer finds a box on a beach with a DB inside.   It hasn't been in the water for long.   Mac: "It's not a box, it's a coffin."  Cold water leads to minimum bloating, he was probably in the water for 48 hours, surmises Hawkes (Hill Harper).   Mac (Gary Sinise) must straighten out the body back at autopsy.   Stella (Melina Kanakaredes) finds salt water residue on the box.   The lid has some fibre with roots, but the hair isn't human.

Story 2, blood from the apartment went through the ceiling.   Paige Worthy (Sarah Lafleur) wasn't seen for a week.   Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) "That doesn't mean anything, I've lived in my apartment 3 years and none of my neighbours recognize me." Maybe they have a reason for keeping to themselves, ha.   Flack (Eddie Cahill) "You better hope you don't go missing."  There aren't any signs of a struggle and Danny believes the DB was carried out in a shower curtain.   Danny: "You've gotta get out of here without leaving a trail of evidence and that trail starts right here."

Hawkes finds skin under the nails, bruises on the male DB.   He finds it difficult to ID a COD.   There are no broken bones inside his body and he determines COD is asphyxiation, but he wasn't strangled.   He was alive when inside the box and was grabbed by large hands, thus the bruises on his arms.

Danny finds multiple prints on the door knob and an unknown powdery substance on the floor.   Gravitational blood drops leading to the rubbish chute and blood on the handle.   The DB found in the shower curtain doesn't match Paige's photo.   Hawkes says she was married also there are defensive wounds on her hands and the COD was exsanguination.   She was stabbed by a small blade, severing her femoral artery and she bled to death.   Danny thinks she could have been a battered wife.

Mac doesn't believe the man was double jointed but had very loose tendons and ligaments, he could be an escape artist.   Aiden (Vanessa Ferlito) matches the hair Stella found to an elephant.   Neiman (Mark Ivanir) saw him last night and Lukas was a contortionist.   His box was part of the act.   Neiman punches Bernardo Espargosa (Jim Pirri) who is a trapeze artist.  His daughter, Anasuya (Katie Conacus) is the star of the circus.   She has scratches on her hand.   Mac says Lukas was off limits and so was she, thus invoking Romeo and Juliet.   The theme of the circus act.   Act 2 scene 2: "parting  is such sweet sorrow."  She hurt her arm on the trapeze, it was a bad release and her father caught her.   Stella finds twine used on the box in the elephant enclosure and sand but they don't find Lukas's costume, which is in the bin.

Lita Carty was the woman at the apartment.   Paige stayed in a hotel.   Her husband, Jason (Vidtor Browne) didn't hit her cos she was pretty and educated.   He was at the apartment but she didn't open the door.   Mac has to give Danny another pep talk, of sorts and tells him to breathe.   Danny: "I feel like it's right in front of me, Mac, I just can't see it." Mac wants him to talk it out.   The husband's DNA doesn't match.   The substance on the floor was loomi, a Middle Eastern spice made with boiled limes.   Mac concludes Jason wasn't there but someone else was.   Mac: "...evidence is right there Messer, you're not." Danny was a bit messed up.

There was a powdery substance on the arms and chest on the costume.   Also wool fibre.   Jake the elephant handler has his coat and fingerprints checked.   The coat is made from cotton and not wool.   The box has clown make-up on it.   A cane was used to cause the bruises.   Lukas spilled the bubbles and his act failed.   He was taken to clown court and punished in the stocks.   His costume had traces of corn syrup and washing up liquid.   The white powder is identified as chalk, used by trapeze artists.  Bernardo grabbed Lukas as he attacked Anasuya.   His first name, Bernardo means 'strong as a bear' in Portuguese.   Hawkes says Lukas had Ehlers Danlose Syndrome, "a genetic defect in manufacturing of collagen"  for which there is no cure.   His skin was elastic-like and so could be easily bruised.   Mac asks why he didn't fight to get out of the box.   Life imitating art backstage.    Lukas wanted to leave this life but why is Juliet still alive?

Danny posits Lita bought food and Flack comments anything can be delivered in NY.   She ordered loomi and who made the delivery? Danny ran tests and the blood on the knife was from the delivery boy.   He spilt loomi on the floor and was flirting.   Flack states she misread the signs and she wasn't into him.   Danny said he did it and Jason was trying to get in.   It was too late to save her when he left, so he threw her out instead.

There's also female DNA on Lukas's costume.   Mac: "Not blood, not sweat, I think I know what they are."  Anasuya wears a woolen jumper.   They are her tears, as the droplets had traces of mascara.   Stella says Lukas committed suicide and she found him.   She hated it here and she got away and she was going to kill herself too by jumping from the trapeze, but she changed her mind.   As they always do in a suicide pact, one person relents when it's too late for the other.   "A pair of star crossed lovers take their lives..."

As always the clue is always in the title, especially as far as the first story was concerned.   Pointless loss of life in both stories, Also the time her husband was at the door, was time wasted when she could have been saved.   Why didn't Anasuya tell Lukas she didn't want to die and save him too.   Evidence of powdery substances in both stories.

In CSI episode Chaos Theory, a DB was disposed of down the rubbish chute, and there was a bloodstain on the dumpster chute.   Season 2 CSI:Miami episode, Complications, a DB was found hanging just when her husband was outside the door whilst she was being killed.   Season 2 CSI episode The Finger,  a shower curtain was used to wrap the DB.

CSI - 11.01: "Shock Waves" Review

Season 11 opens with an explosive start as several bombs explode in a continuation from the season finale. Ray fights for his life after being shived, as Nick faces up to being shot.

Ray (Laurence Fishburne) is rushed to hospital after being stabbed by Haskell (Bill Irwin) and whilst there he hallucinates him escaping his handcuffs and being attacked by him.   He comes out of it when he hears Nick (George Eads) saying he'll be okay.   Glad Jorga came back, she was missed!  Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) worries about her team, which some may call being too emotional for a woman! But she's got the right balance between knowing when to show emotion and when to be heavy-handed.

At the funeral of Officer Clark (Reggie Vaughn Watkins), Nick is asked to leave by Brass (Paul Guilfoyle).  "Sometimes the best thing to do is to just walk away."  Understanding Officer Clark's family's grief, but that was a harsh thing to do, it's not his fault he died in the line of duty and Nick wasn't the one who pulled the trigger.   Nick is clearly hurt by this and his pain is apparent.   Brass has been where Nick is.   Leaving Nick to sit alone in his car and cry.   He's another CSI who gets to show plenty of emotion, which is a good thing and again isn't a sign of weakness.   He flashes back to sending Officer Clark to the back of the restaurant and getting shot.   There's something about Nick and guns in this show - ever since season 1!  Nick spots cockroaches streaming over and under a parked van and hears chirping.   Our Nicky being the curious CSI that he is, has to check this out , hearing a clicking sound, he finds a bomb strapped underneath.   Before he's able to act/react, two bombs go off one after the other, sparking chaos and panic.   Causing everyone to run towards the parked van.   Nick fires his gun to warn them off, the bomb explodes and the door comes hurtling towards us on the screen.   Duck!

Nick can't hear Catherine question him due to temporary tinnitus.   He tells her Pariplaneta Americana (a species of cockroaches) were attracted to the clicking.

So are Catherine and Lou Vartann (Alex Carter) still seeing each other, they appear to be.   Brass vents to Catherine, angrily that if Haskell remained in prison then none of this would have happened and his officers wouldn't have been killed.

Greg (Eric Szmanda) takes Nick's jacket for evidence.   It was his best suit.  Greg asks if he's seen the state of his car.   Nick heard that or did he read Greg's lips.   Still it was Nick's car, so must be a male thing as far as car's are concerned.

Ray asks after Nick and refuses morphine as it has an affect on his thinking process.   Haskell's mail and calls were being monitored, but he could have got outside help, as he's used acolytes before.   Ray informs Brass to "play your game, not his" when questioning Haskell.   Ray has lost one of his kidneys.   Haskell hopes Ray's fine so he remembers him everytime he uses the loo, he'll see the scar.   So why did Haskell want to be untied so he can eat lunch, he doesn't need to be untied.

Kacey Monahan (Sienna Guillory) is the resident bomb expert on the scene, finding unexploded ammonium nitrate, as only one barrel went off.   Ugh if I hear one more Brit who can't speak their own accent properly, I'll scream!  No one really talks like that here.   It's meant to be called a 'lilt', her accent.   But she ended up sounding like Peyton (Claire Forlani) from CSI:NY.

Catherine and Sara (Jorga Fox) determine the bomb was to cause maximum chaos and injuries.   Catherine has plenty of evidence.   Nick finds a cellphone under the turf, which was the detonator.   He asks if it could make a clicking sound.   There were three different bombs.   The first was the casket bomb, in the coffin of officer Clark, the second the tombstone bomb.   The first was a low explosive.   Ray explains it was easy to build the car bomb, as a similar one destroyed the Federal Building at Oklahoma City.    The tombstone contained a Claymore and the van was the kill bomb.   The first bomb was to scare, not to kill, so people would run for cover towards the tombstones where the second bomb was planted and the third bomb was in their path when they ran to it.   Ray: "shock, run, kill."  Catherine believes the bomber has a grudge against cops.

Nick finds it difficult to work with one arm and Catherine tells him to go home.  She almost lost him and Ray and she doesn't want to lose this case.   She advises him to see the shrink, as is standard procedure, she's not worried about the rules, but him.  Nick feels he'll just be wasting time when he could be working the case.   She confides in him that after losing Warrick (Gary Dourdan) she threw herself into work so she wouldn't have to think about his death, but "there isn't enough work in the world.   I realized I couldn't do my job without talking to somebody."  Nick didn't know that about her and she's good at hiding things.   She asks if Nick would want to be his own back up in a situation if he was called out to the same restaurant where Clark was killed.

Doc Robbins (Robert David Hall) comments how Clark has now been in his morgue twice.   He finds a simcard in the officer's body.

Kacey finds the bomber's signature, he took the wire out of the post and twist it.   Maybe he had OCD and was meticulous.   She admires his work.   A phone number is found on the Sim.   Sara: "hey bomber we got your number."

Thomas Rand was a marine who died in Afghanistan.   Brass questions his wife who gave the phone for a charity drive at the community centre.   Well that was easy.   Also we find out Brass was a marine in Vietnam.   Hey what's the SEC NAV (Jude Ciccolella) doing playing a radical, sorry wrong show, that was NCIS.  Ha.   Sara taking a swing at that woman was fun to watch, she's never done that before and later tells Ray, she's like Ghandi and believes in turning the other cheek.  Ralph was Jason's brother and he speaks up for him, in the first scene with Justin Bieber.

Ray analyzes the blast pattern and finds it was all about timing.   The bomber had 'eyes' there and finds the plane on the film footage.   It was radio controlled and dips and crashes at the same time the as the two explosions.   So the bomber had to be nearby.

Ecklie (Marc Vann) needs more evidence and can only sanction holding the group from the community centre for 24 hours.

Greg finds the plane at the CS because "nobody looks up."  Kacey discovers the cell phone didn't click as the radio controlled detonator can make the clicking sound.   (I have to say come back Wendy (Liz Vassey) all is forgiven.)  The click searching for a signal and didn't find one, Nick comments all he had to do was flick the switch and he becomes a bomber.

Brass has a black eye from the fight before and wants some good news.   A print comes back to an Alex McCann, he has  a brother in their custody, Jason.  (Justin Bieber).   Anyone can tell he was a part of the bombing too and it runs in the family.  Brass is angry at Catherine for telling him how to do his job again and she tells him she's more concerned with how he shouldn't question Jason.   Nick questions him instead and his obvious aversion to authority is apparent.   The little weasel.   Nick describes how the police officer lost his life on Nick's watch and Nick became a part of law enforcement because of his desire to help people.   Nick doesn't have a badge, only an ID.   (As we know, he's a criminalist, not a cop.)  Nick asks where they can find Alex and Jason claims he didn't blow anyone up, he only bought the plane.   He gives up his brother so easily, so much for family loyalty.   Why was he quick to do that, to get him out of the way.   He does exhibit some sociopathic tendencies.   But his innocent exterior hides a murky and depth.   Even Nick couldn't see past his fresh face.

Kacey checks the hideout for booby traps.   Should've exploded her lousy accent.   Nick's arm healed quickly.   White powder is found at the scene which turns out to be TATP: triacetone triperoxide.   Alex ran out of hydrochloric acid so Nick scans the barcode on the bottle to find the nearest pool store for more supplies.  That was simple.  (Agh Kacey is completely cockney now.   talk about changing accents.)  They arrive at the store just in time to see Alex leaving.   Refusing to surrender resulting in a shoot out.   Nick panics and empties his entire magazine of bullets when he fires at him along with the others.   Catherine tells him to drop the gun and finds a map and plans to bomb the entire police department.

Vartann doesn't want Catherine to beat herself up next time Brass tries to do the same to her, she saved the cops and she shouldn't forget that.

Doc gives Ray a walking stick, there are "some things you have no control over in life...and when accept that...  can move on."

Nick glances at Gil's (William Petersen) 'pickled pig foetus' as I call it and decides to call the shrink.   Probably given him inspiration to call.   Gil that is, not the foetus.

Sara is too tired to go home - too tired or some other reason.   Catherine takes Greg to a call out.   David (David Berman) comments that a trash run can be refreshing.   Vartann has no battery in his torch and asks Greg for one, conveniently dropping the battery so the bomb would explode.   He was killed and dragged there to lure them.   Greg pulls back Vartann and saves him after Catherine yells not to touch anything.

So begins the bomber storyline with the CSIs and cops lives being placed in 'grave danger' once more.   (Oh subtle pun there.)  No, it's just an excuse to bring back Justin Bieber!  He was evil!

A great start to the season and a pity Marg is leaving very soon.   With lots of displays of emotion from Nick, Ray and Catherine.

Unlike Lindsay's (Anna Belknap) display of machismo, Nick was finally more than happy to see the shrink.   Nick has an aversion to guns and who can blame him, as he's been on the wrong side of one for as long as the series is old! (Somehow get the feeling the writers don't want to forget how George faced a gun man when he was younger back in Texas, as they seem to keep writing this into storylines with Nicky.)

It's always good to see Nick let go of his emotions and have a good cry since there's nothing wrong with a man showing emotion or man tears.   (Even Horatio (David Caruso) cried in CSI:Miami)  That makes Nick who he is and gives the character a different, more caring and vulnerable edge.   As I said before, he is a criminalist as opposed to a hardened cop and at least there's some consistency with his character.  Similar in some respects to Catherine who is so human and a perfect leader for this team, she cares.   Expect more emotional portrayals from them all in the future.   Especially with Nick I hope, as he's always excellent in that department.  George plays Nick with such believable depth, it's great to watch that in a CSI show.

Catherine telling Nick and Sara to go home.  Whilst all Nick and Ray wanted to do was to get on with the case.   Having Ray liaise and carry out his own investigation from his bed was a good touch.

Using a cellphone as a detonator was also done in the season 2 finale of CSI:NY.

NCIS - 7.12: "Flesh and Blood" Review

Tony's father appears, took long enough, with Tony realizing the truth about who he really is, whilst investigating the murder of an Arab Prince's bodyguard.

A driver/bodyguard, Walid (Yan Feldman) clicks the car alarm and gets blown up when the car explodes.   Tony's (Michael Weatherly) on the phone and says Anthony Di Nozzo Jnr is in Washington.   Anthony Di Nozzo is in New York City.   McGee (Sean Murray) comments on Tony conversing, junior, Senior and asks if the conversation is coherent.   Ziva (Cote de Pablo) says Tony's calling his father to straighten things out.   (Yeah like Ziva did with her father last season and this season - eventually.)  Tony talks about a cruise for Spring Break and when Ziva asks about it, he replies, "none of your business."  Gibbs (Mark Harmon) tells them they have a DB at Pax River, a foreign national.   Tony refers to the cruise as a 'need to know' and she doesn't need to know.  He's not too old for Spring Break.   Not Spring Break again, Tony has already been to tonnes of those and more recently, loosely discussed, this with Kate (Sasha Alexander) in the season 2 episode Conspiracy Theory when threatening to reveal her Spring Break wet T-shirt photos.

Prince Sayif (Amir Arison) rented the car.   Ducky (David McCallum) doesn't find any burns or blistering on the DB's hands but finds the presence of blunt force trauma. "If the explosion had knocked his socks off," would've sounded better.   Sayif is on the Navy Marine Corps Strike Pilot Programme and Gibbs believes the bomb was meant for him.   Sayif comments assassinations are part of the Saudi royal family life.   Gibbs has a say in the US Navy and could have his training stopped if he doesn't agree to protective custody, at the Adams House Hotel.   Vance (Rocky Carroll) thinks the 'Freedom Warriors' could be a part of the attempt on his life and Prince Omar (Alon Aboutbool) is a major part of the family.

McGee tells Tony he's got a visitor, neglecting to tell him who and Tony crouches behind the railing like a little child.   Anthony Di Nozzo Snr (Robert Wagner) tells Ziva, Junior (Tony) mentioned her , she's stunning and suggests she should wear her hair down, which she does anyway at times.   Tony was trying to sort out the mix up at the bank and Senior's name is still there as trustee.   He hasn't seen Tony in a while so he took the train down; obviously cos of money problems.   Which should have got Tony's radar flashing but it doesn't; so much for him being senior field agent.   Tony asks if Ziva's got anything to do.

Senior notices Sayif, he knows his father when they met in Monte Carlo.  Tony wants him to spill the beans on why he's here and then says he can't talk about it, it's work, but then he does mention the car bomb and also where he is, which happens to be the same place Senior is staying and also that Sayif's father is arriving.   Ziva knows Arabic and can understand Sayif and his brother   Abdallah (Mido Hamada) (my suspect) doesn't like Sayif's Western ways and that's why he claims Sayif was attacked.   Sayif selects Ziva as his bodyguard during protective custody.

Ducky talks with Vance and not Gibbs, that COD was blunt force trauma.   The Saudi embassy wants the DB released quickly.  Vance asks Ducky about his mother, who is "losing touch with reality."  (The clock on the wall behind seems to be going backwards.)  Vance replies, "I've had days like that."

Abby (Pauley Perrette) calls it 'Mismatched Monday' cos of her socks and shoes.   Gibbs: "Make my day Monday for me."  She found trace of nitromethane and the timer.   Vance says the satellite Echelon will have chatter, the IP address of the computer is traced as it's sending a message with the words: Prince Omar, Assassination, contract and killer.   Tony and Ziva find Senior on the computer at the hotel.   Abby: "Maybe Tony didn't have a mother, maybe he was cloned."  (Oh what like Dark Angel, ha.)  Ducky mentions the strong familial resemblance between Tony and Senior.   Senior: "meet the real Tony Di Nozzo."  Senior says he was contacting a business association, the Prince is known as 'Al' to his friends and was notifying investors.   He's staying at this hotel too.   Ducky's been to the Roof Top Grill too.   Gibbs says Senior has to stay away from the family.   Abby came to see what Senior looks like and she didn't meet him.   Gibbs thinks Senior's got an agenda.

Tony and Senior share a drink at the hotel and Tony has a non-alcoholic beer and a "lecture from Senior."  Tony gets to carry a gun.   Senior wasn't disappointed Tony chose to become a cop, he was supportive but failed to tell Tony this.   He's proud Tony found a career he's passionate about.     Tony tells Senior he didn't know where Tony was or what he was doing when he was little.   But Senior thinks they had great vacations together.   Tony recalls their trip to Maui where he left him in the hotel.   He had to close a deal.  He mentions his ex-step mother, Karen, it was Phoebe.   Tony gives him condolences and his congratulations too.   McGee looked at the surveillance cameras when the car was serviced.   The mechanic is clean.  

Ziva calls Sayif a royal pain in the tush, she got that term right and they should hire someone to protect Sayif from her cos he's a chauvinist.   Vance asks if there are any other leads, cos they only had one.   Gibbs mentions the Amendments to the Constitution, he was born here so he doesn't need to study them unlike Ziva.   Ziva's hair is different here than at the end of the episode, and she calls Senior 'Tony.'  He likes her hair.   Sayif had a party in the hotel and naturally it was on Tony's watch, who attempts to do some yoga.   Gibbs hits him with the cowboy hat several times, party's over.   Their father's plane has landed.   Tony didn't think Gibbs would be here for another hour - honestly.

Senior intercepts the Prince in the lift.   McGee tells Abby to show hers first, her findings that is.   The bomb maker was an amateur as the timer didn't set it off, it was 30 minutes earlier and was set off by the plane overhead.   Abby: "Show me yours." McGee knows the car went to the hotel garage and Pax River.   The GPS shows the car was driven to a part of the base where there aren't any security cameras (not very efficient security for a base).   Abdallah wants to take back the DB.   Vance says the DB's not been released yet.   Senior insists that funds are available in the account.   Of course Tony had to get McGee to check his computer.  Complementing McGee on being a good investigator.  Ziva's hair has changed again.  

Gibbs gives him Senior a tour of their office.   The armoury is their conference room.   Tony: "get your skinny butt up here now." Gibbs talks about Tony who, "hides behind the face of a clown" but he's the best agent he's worked with.   Four years ago, Tony came close to dying, (season 2.22 SWAK, the plague episode) in terms of seasons it would be 5 seasons ago, so longer than 4 years.   But his father didn't show up then, they don't keep in touch.   Gibbs: "Tony inherited his personality from you."  Senior is missing out on Tony's life, something Gibbs would never do with his child if he had had the chance.   Hey I just said that and now Gibbs says it, that he didn't see his daughter grow into an adult, but he can with Tony.  Tony thinks the world of Gibbs.

Abby says trace evidence swabbed by Ducky were molecules of nitromethane.   McGee: "Victim was his own killer."  Abby calls this hinky.   Ziva wonders what the motive was for planting the bomb, which was already revealed by Abdallah, that he didn't like what Sayif was getting up to, partying and the like.   Abby got to meet Senior on the tour.  Abby: "I think I showed him everything on tour."  Senior replies, "Well, not everything."  Hint, hint.   Prompting Gibbs to give one of his looks! Gibbs says they need to look at Walid like a murderer.   Tony broke Rule number 6: never say you're sorry.   Gibbs quotes Rule number 18: "better to seek forgiveness than ask permission." Gibbs says he's not forgiven and he doesn't know his father.   Tony tells him Senior is broke.   Tony confesses to Gibbs but Senior has a chance for a score when the Prince is here.

Tony refers to this as being his father's last con, the end game when he checks out of the hotel and tries to pay his bill.   McGee asks how long they were friends, since Sayif was assigned his bodyguard by Abdallah and if Walid and Abdallah were friends he'd have done anything Abdallah wanted.   Omar sent Abdallah home - part of his diplomatic staff and he'll take care of his son.  Abdallah admitted he attempted to kill Sayif due to his lifestyle.   Omar: "fathers do what they have to do for their children." He'll be in Monte Carlo next month and he and Senior can meet.

Senior says it was great to see Tony and should talk more.  He loves Tony.   Tony shares steak dinner with Gibbs at his place (so if ever you have dinner with Gibbs, expect steak and beer.)  Since when does Tony get invited round.   Tony paid for the hotel bill with his cruise money, but Tony can't fool Gibbs, he doesn't need a Spring Break cruise he's too old for that, or so feigns Tony.  Gibbs: "...conned a con man - runs in the family." Tony still has to stick up for him, "he's my father, he is who he is." The same can be said for Tony. "Sometimes it's better to keep things to yourself."

An episode about fathers and sons this time round just for Tony and insight into his father, well he was mentioned long enough, so it was only right he should make an appearance now.   Knew Tony would pay his bill cos he found out about Monte Carlo for next month and he feels sorry for him; not wanting him to realize Tony knows that he's really a con man.   Gibbs thinks of Tony as a son more than his own father does.

This was NCIS 150th episode.   Senior is quite the ladies man and you can see where Tony gets that from, since he mentioned he hired great women at NCIS, as well as his fear of commitment.   So the saying like father, like son is true as far as Tony's concerned.   Though he may not like to admit that.   Though in some ways, Tony is different, he isn't a con man per se, but he knows how to get his own way more times than not.   Especially specializing in sweet talk and being charming.   All except  to his colleagues that is.  Tony says he was 8 when his mother died, but there's been talk she was still around when he was 10, in past episodes.

This was Vance's first time in autopsy.   Tony doesn't mention any films this time round, though there were a few choice father/son movies he could have mentioned.   Tony was a bit serious this episode with so much on his mind and it's Gibbs that he feels comfortable sharing his feelings with.  Is Tony finally growing up, at least as far as Senior goes.   It's been noted the resemblance between Michael Weatherly and Robert Wagner, but Michael kind of reminds me more of George Peppard in his younger days.  Think Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961.)

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.