The Vampire Diaries - 2.19: "Klaus" Review

Since Klaus is around now in Mystic Falls, we get an episode devoted to his background and how he met Katherine. Stefan and Damon fight over Elena again and Elena takes it upon herself to bring back Elijah.

England 1492  Elijah (Daniel Gillies) asks about the mystery girl, she reminds him of someone.   Meanwhile in the present, Elijah and Elena (Nina Dobrev) ask if they can trust each other and she gives him the dagger.   Stefan (Paul Wesley) educates Damon (Ian Somerhalder) that Andie's (Dawn Olivieri) not a 'wind up toy.'  Maddox ( Gino Anthony Pesi) is going to retrieve Klaus so he can get out "of this bad haircut." He needs t be here as it's the birthplace of the doppelganger.   He found her birthplace and slaughtered her family.   Hopes Elijah isn't as stupid as Katherine and compels Katherine to stay.

Elena wants Elijah's help and he needs her help to kill Klaus.   Elijah lives by a code of honour and Elena trusts him.   Stefan believes Elena can convince Elijah to kill Klaus.   Damon needs to back off and trust her.   That's what Bonnie's (Kat Graham) there for.   Elijah tells Elena one of Klaus's fave tricks is taking over bodies.   Another flashback to the real Klaus (Joseph Morgan).  The name his father gave him is Lord Niklaus, but he prefers Klaus, cos it hides a multitude of sins, my insertion.   Ha.  

Elijah compels Carol Lockwood (Susan Walters) to help.   He got her off vervain before he was killed twice.   Jenna (Sara Canning) called Stefan and left messages for her to stay away from Alaric (Matt Davis).   She's back home now.   Damon is backing off so nothing stupid is done.   But he's going "rogue."  Katherine was released from his compulsion when Elijah died and wants Katherine to pay.

Flash: Klaus is from Bulgaria (as is Nina Dobrev).   Klaus is Elijah's brother and he tells her the word she's looking for is "OMG." Damon takes Andie to Alaric's apartment (why are apartments in Mystic Falls so ordinary looking.)  Damon thought Katherine might be dead.   Alaric/Klaus is already home before Stefan arrives.   The whole family of originals, had seven children and their whole family was human, "and from us all vampires were created."  Klaus is Elijah's brother and he wants him dead. Surely nothing can be simple.  Not in this show.   As Elena has a plan whereby Elijah will kill Klaus for them, we know beforehand this won't work since all plans backfire!

Damon is here to see if Katherine deserves to be rescued.   Alaric/Klaus had too much info and Damon's brought vervain for Katherine.  She can prevent further compulsion form him when she drinks it.   Damon is still peeved she doublecrossed him with Isobel.  She owes him and he's here to collect.   Alaric as a history teacher finds vampires fascinating and he's obsessed with them.   Stefan comments he only likes them in literature.   There's an Aztec curse on both species, vampires and werewolves and Klaus wants to do anything to have it broken.   Elijah tells Elena nothing can kill an original but the wood from one tree: white ash which must be put on the dagger.   Klaus wants to break the sun and moon curse.

Flash to Elijah with Roman scrolls containing Aztec drawings.   It was Klaus who drew them and not he Aztecs.   The curse of the sun and moon doesn't exist.   Elijah says he faked it.  There is a real curse placed on Klaus and Elena's his only hope.   Elena's word won't mean anything to Elijah until "you live up to it."   Another flash to Katherine (looked as though Elijah wanted Katherine) telling him Klaus doesn't care about her, she wants more. "True love is not real unless it is returned."  Elijah claims not to believe in love, yet he professes to loving Klaus.

Elena's mother told her about vampires and didn't know it was true.   Jenna's meant to protect them.   Elena blames herself.  Damon doesn't want Elena to leave.   Saying Stefan stood in his way twice, "I wouldn't try a third."  She pretends to be compelled.  Greta (Lisa Tucker) turns up.   Elijah says their father wasn't close to Klaus, he's not his father's son but from a different bloodline.  He killed their mother's lover igniting a war between the species: vampires and werewolves.   Klaus's real father was a werewolf, making Klaus both.   A hybrid, deadlier than a vampire or werewolf.   Klaus wants to trigger the werewolf part and sire his own bloodline.   An original can't be killed without anything on the dagger, white ash, which he already said.   The curse can be broken during the full moon.   A witch with enough power can kill Klaus, since it was a witch's curse.

Flash:  Elijah says the witches may have a way to spare the doppelganger .   Klaus says Katherine is human and her life is meaningless.   Klaus: "Love is a vampire's greatest weakness."  Something which Damon and Stefan choose to ignore throughout the ages.   Klaus says they are vampires and they don't feel or care but Elijah reminds him they used to once.   There is a way to save the life of a doppelganger and Katherine took things into her own hands.

Stefan believes Damon is victimizing Andie, who keeps him "from going after what I really want." Stefan adds Damon can be in love with Elena all he wants if he can protect her, but Stefan's got her respect and he'll never have that.   They fight.

Flash: Elijah told Katherine nothing but she's gone.   Elijah wants an apology in return for not harming Damon and Stefan.   That's all they ask for don't they, see next season.   Stefan apologizes.  He did it for Elena, who is adamant the sacrifice will happen and Elijah knows how to save her life.   Damon wants them all to go to hell.   Andie wants to be with Damon but he's angry with Stefan and demands she leave.   Andie cares about him and he bites her.   Compelling her to leave before he kills her.   There that's what I was saying about Damon venting his anger on humans.

Maddox and Greta chant.   Alaric returns and faints.   Klaus returns.   Damon's all mad over Elena and how Stefan has her so he's got no hope, so he turns into a vicious vampire killer like he used to be, so nothing's changed.   An episode with lots of exposition with flashbacks galore to fill in the blanks about the curse placed on Klaus and Klaus himself.   Yet throughout it all, Elena forgets Elijah is a vampire - an original at that and vampires lie.   She's so willing to trust Elijah who loves his brother, it's apparent he does.   She goes behind everyone's back and removes the dagger from him, "resurrecting" Elijah.   Something Klaus told Katherine he didn't want to do last episode.   Elena is certain she can trust him even returning the dagger to him.   Big hole in story: why Stefan and Damon still had him lying around in the cellar to begin with, where anyone could get to him, at least Luka and Jonas did, they being witches aside.   They seem to have forgotten that.   But for the purposes of this show, he wasn't disposed of since he needed to be brought back.

So much for Klaus declaring he's against love and Elijah being much the same back in 1492 (Christopher Columbus discovered America then, any coincidence to this year being used?)  Both brothers were after Katherine.   Oops, flash forward to Damon and Stefan, first both wanting Katherine and now both in love with Elena!  Joseph Morgan (also in Ben Hur) gave Klaus his evil side which was both believable and refreshingly charming and cruel.   He was really in his element here.   Klaus knew what he desired even back then and nothing and no one was going to stop him, just as now.   Didn't like Damon brooding and ruing over Elena and being horrible to Andie.   It's fine when he needs 'fulfillment' from her, but the rest of the time if whinging Damon can't have Elena; he'll fight with Stefan and then take it out on someone else - a trait he doesn't appear to get over.   It's just akin to a child throwing a dangerous temper tantrum.

As for Klaus's sun moon curse being a fake, it doesn't look to be plausible even if he would make it up to conceal he's a hybrid.   Elijah knows and tells Elena too.   Elijah came across as 'slippery' since he claims he has a code of honour - but he is loyal to Klaus. His allegiances would lie with his family.   What an easy way to get hold of the doppelganger for Klaus by spinning her  a yarn.   Elena is surely taken in.

Klaus finally gets his own body too, "bad haircut" in all, ha.   Jenna also shockingly discovers vampires exist when Stefan turns into one to fight Alaric/Klaus.   Damon being so tortured by his feelings for Elena, but I can't really see him killing Andie just cos he can't have Elena.

CSI: Miami - 8.24: "All Fall Down" Review

The CSIs come across a case whereby someone sends them out pieces of a puzzle, when joined together reveal the location of a shooting. Plenty of suspects in this finale and one where the lab is attacked by a noxious substance. Not everyone will rise

Similar mail is sent to the CSIs.   Walter (Omar Miller) thinks it might be his seminar registration.   Ryan (Jonathan Togo) asks how many nerd clubs Walter belongs to?  Walter asks if he wants to be beaten up.   A woman gets shot through her kitchen window.     The envelopes contain transparencies cut into pieces and there's no postmark or return address.   They join together to form the woman in the the window, through the cross-hairs of a rifle.   Numbers are on the transparencies giving the woman's location.  Horatio (David Caruso) comforts her daughter, Daria (Abby and Emma McCoy) she's okay now.

Calleigh (Emily Procter) thinks if they opened the mail sooner, they could have saved her.   Jesse (Eddie Cibrian) doesn't know if that's the case, since the message had already been sent to them.  The shooter left the rifle in the plants outside and is found by Jesse and Walter.  Jesse realizes the shooter wasn't here to actually shoot the woman, as the rifle was wifi enabled and controlled remotely.   Her husband, Craig (JR Cacia) gets threats from the ex-spouses of his clients as he's a lawyer.   Horatio asks what his wife, Janice (Justine Eyre) did at Dade University as she has pay cheques in her maiden name.    Delko (Adam Rodriguez) asks why anyone would target the CSIs.   Horatio picks up on hearing the word, "us" and asks if he wants to return full time.

Janice was working for a university  psych project for a student, Melissa (Kristen Hager) studying the human brain.   The Milgram Behavioural Study of Obedience.  If questions are answered incorrectly then an electric shock is administered, which is what Janice did.   Natalia (Eva La Rue) attempts to trace the trigger command to its origin and get an IP address.    Calleigh doesn't find anything on the bullet in IBIS.  The mail was left in Chris Potter's mailbox, for the CSIs.   Ryan notices this envelope is postmarked and also has an augmented reality tag marking, a barcode, websites put 3D graphics on the computer screen and can be accessed via the barcode.   (As did Lindsay all the way back in 2008 episode of CSI:NY, entitled Dead Inside.) A photo of a pool comes up and Natalia thinks it could be from anywhere.   Sometimes she's so defeatist, that's why the photo was sent to them so they use their nouse and work it out, not just give up.   A man dives into the pool and is killed when the pool cover closes over him.   Drowning him.

The pool is located at the university and is used by faculty members.   Horatio walks through the press furore and asks them to let him do his job.   ME Tom (Christian Clemenson) attributes COD to drowning.   With bruises and contusions to the scalp and the Vic has torn and bloody fingernails.   Also finds a trace of blue fabric.   Delko concludes the Vic was fighting the pool cover.   Horatio posits Janice volunteered in the Vic's, Dr Brusatti's (Jim Vickers) department.   A Fleur de lys on fire is painted onto the pool cover.   That was their next clue.  They believe Melissa  killed Janice and Dr Brusatti; as Janice saw Melissa doctoring her results and was going to report her.   Melissa manipulated the data to fit her theory and was thrown off the course.  

Horatio calls Melissa to ask for her help, she tries to be clever.   Horatio comments Melissa cheated and didn't get her PHD.   He asks if she killed them?  That's Horatio's theory.   Melissa replies there's no evidence to accuse her and she says Horatio is the one cheating.   Horatio says he'll find her.   Professor Madsen (Esai Morales) and Bob (Roger Bart) are placed under  MDPD protection.   Bob was Melissa's adviser but none of them recognize the significance of the Fleur de lys symbol.   Bob is adamant he doesn't need their protection.   As he would be since he was my suspect as soon as I saw him and not cos he was in Desperate Housewives, where he actually was a killer either.   He knew Melissa was cheating but he covered it up, as he later tells her, the trick when doctoring your thesis is not to get caught.   What sort of advice is that to give to your student, that's why he was shifty.

Madsen gets Natalia as his protection and she was so flirting with him, even to first name basis! Madsen gets burned after taking a shower and using the cologne.    How did he miss the symbol on the aftershave bottle.   The flowers he tells Natalia, beforehand, were from a departmental party he hosted.   Tripp (Rex Linn) watches Bob.   Walter locates the symbol on the cologne bottle.   Delko conducts a flame test  to determine the incendiary agent.   The flame burns purple, indicating the presence of potassium, which combusts on contact with water.  Ah flame tests, takes me back to school chemistry.  Melissa was on the guest list and there's a message on the bottle.   Natalia researches to find an article written by Bob.

Jesse shows Bob the article and Tripp acerbically comments he, "couldn't put it down."  Jesse tells him of the quote left for them at the Madsen's home and they again believe Melissa is behind this.   Bob admits he sees Melissa all the time.   Jesse processes everything in Bob's office.   Tripp audits his class, as he puts it.   Melissa turns up at the lab.   She gives Horatio her diary.   Walter times how long the Fleur de lys took 46 minutes to dry after being painted by the killer on the pool cover.  So he works out it was painted about 1.30pm.

Melissa was at her Pilate's class and brings in witness statements to that effect.   Delko comments she wanted them to believe she was guilty.    Oh come on it was so obvious they were being used by her for her new thesis!  Based on first impressions; false perceptions.  Delko again puts his foot in it by saying they followed actual evidence.  (It was evidence she wanted them to find.)  Melissa adds they followed the evidence to their detriment.   Horatio tells her she's not an impartial observer if someone else dies.

Ryan, making judegements again, believes Melissa is guilty.  Jesse looks over Bob's articles and Calleigh discovers his application for tenure was denied, two of the Vics were on the committee who rejected him.  Calleigh: "What if the person we're protecting is actually our killer."  Ryan finds the stamps used on their envelopes in his things.   They'll have fingerprints on them as each sheet has a watermark to prevent counterfeiting.   Jesse determines Bob sent them the letters and the marks match.   They begin to cough and fall down in the lab.

Horatio arrests Bob at uni.   He admits Janice made him look bad so she was the first target.   Horatio asks why he sent them messages.   Tripp hands Horatio a letter with the message, "They all fall down" written in it.   As in the 'Ring-a-ring-a-roses rhyme.   Only we don't use "ashes" in our version, we use "atissue," as in sneezing.  (Since it dates back to the time of the plague/Black Death in medieval England.   Delko arrives at the lab and rushes to Walter but leaves him in search of Calleigh, how nice.   Notice the lab woman in the green top falls down in the middle of the floor, but when she's shown again, as Delko arrives, she's propped up against the wall.

Obviously none of the main cast will be affected by this storyline, except Jesse, as Eddie Cibrian isn't in season 9.   Perhaps one of the regulars may suffer from some sort of lasting effects from the noxious substance.   CSI:Miami does plenty of that in its storylines, having the cast suffer from the fall-out, such as Calleigh in the fire, twice, Natalia and her hearing from the bomb blast.   Delko from when he was shot by a bullet first time round and then last season.   Bob's articles also revolved around pandemics; so this was him testing his theory out on the entire lab.  

It's not clear whether Bob had singled out  MDPD beforehand  since he already sent them those messages, or whether he decided he would test his theory on them later, since maybe he thought he'd get away with the murders.   Also Jesse processed the things from his office, only after they saw him as their main suspect, when they found his article.   Then again, letting Melissa get away with cheating, he could simply be doing the same, he was evil enough to murder, so he'd release the substance in the lab anyway.   Just another way to prove his point.   Melissa wasn't so squeaky clean either, surprised she got accepted to conduct another thesis at a new uni, clearly they didn't care about her antics at Dade Uni.

At least this cliff-hanger made a change to the more usual ones we have of chasing suspects, CSIs going missing or being shot at, like Delko in season 7.

Desperate Housewives - 8.01: "Secrets That I Never Want to Know" Review

As the final ever season returns, the women try to cover up the murder of Gaby's stepfather, but Susan has a lot to live with, as does Carlo. Who will crack first?

Mary Alice: "Previously...Bree's relationship with Detective Vance got serious.   Tom and Lynette decided to separate.   Gaby's stepfather returned to terrorize her again until Carlos stopped him, permanently.   Yes there was the dinner party."

Mary Alice (Brenda Strong): "Every hostess knows there's work to be done after the guests leave the party - only best friends stay to help clean up the mess."  They need to bury Alejandro (Tony Plana).  "No task more unpleasant than getting rid of an unwanted guest."  Bree (Marcia Cross) tells them the hardest part's over after they finish burying him and then his phone rings, cos no one checked his pockets.  As Susan (Teri Hatcher) also says.   So what else did they miss and she thinks people will come looking for him and they can still go to the police.  Lynette (Felicity Huffman) adds it was self-defence.   Susan: "We're not criminals."  Bree takes a firm stand in that they have to protect Carlos (Richardo Antonio Chavira) and Gaby (Eva Longoria).   Bree: "When we bury the body, we bury the secret forever."  They all make a pact.   Though nothing lasts forever in this show.

Mary Alice: "It's only the best friends who stay to help clean up the mess...even when that mess may be bigger than they bargained for. It has been said that change doesn't happen overnight..a woman who helped cover a crime is now sleeping with a detective [Bree] - a woman who once told her husband everything  is keeping a terrible secret [Susan]...a couple will go to great lengths to show nothing has happened."  Lynette and Tom (Doug Savant) still haven't told the children they're separating and he thinks they should.   Gaby's having a barbecue now. What was that in aid of? Wasn't it a bit too soon even though she said she wants to move on?

Vance (Jonathan Cake) tells Bree everything's changed since they had the party but Bree attempts to take his mind off things using her feminine wiles.  Juanita (Madison De La Garza) has made waffles and Carlos is abrupt with her.   Carlos is angry cos he killed a man and wants to move on. He needs to confess and Gaby agrees.   He needs his conscience to be clear.   Susan resorts to cleaning tiny dust particles from the windows, causing Mike (James Denton) to worry about her.   She's had a fight with the girls and she doesn't see them now.   Susan goes jogging and ends up in the woods by the grave.   So will she cave in and blab, but that would be too soon since the show's only just started. They haven't had the blackmailing element introduced yet.   Oh wait, that's happening next episode.

The women talk of a new man moving in. He's rich and single, called Ben (Charles Mesure).   Renee (Vanessa Williams) thinks the worst about his looks and he comes up behind Gaby.   He now realizes why his jeans cost $200.   Renee shouts "dibs" on him. Well who else was going to chase after him, considering they're all married or have someone, aside from Lynette who's separated.   Susan's avoiding them and they worry about that, with Gaby calling her a loose cannon.   Bree finds comfort in the fact if there's an investigation, she'll be the first to know.   Really it's cos Vance is great in bed.

Susan is a substitute teacher and has to bury a dead school pet, bringing up those memories for her. She did look a nervous wreck.  At confessional Carlos finds there's a new priest and Father Dugan (Sam McMurray) is taking a sabbatical, also he's about to tell Carlos what he heard in confessional.   Gaby tells him she once made out with two chicks in college (when did she go to college).   Susan is anxious about burying the hamster and wasn't meant to be here today.   She's "in the wrong place at the wrong time" again.   Gaby is still concerned about Susan  and begs for her to keep the secret for the sake of Carlos and the girls.

Vance informs Bree about finding a DB today and it's not theirs of course, not yet.   He saw the car which the killers forgot to get rid of, which sends warning signals to Bree's brain.   She and Gaby have to find his car.   She suggests they drop it off in the bad part of town.   Gaby has to drive since it's a stick shift, which is actually called a gear.   She gets pulled over by Vance no less and he drives for them, needing them to resort to pretending it's Gaby's aunt's car.   Vance was nosing around in the car. Even if he is a cop, remember don't let someone like that in your car, or anywhere else.   He finds men's cologne which Bree attributes to her aunt being a lesbian and Gaby chews tobacco.   When they stop cos Gaby's sick, the car is carjacked and Bree says Aunt Shirley took it.

Ben refuses Renee's advances which wasn't anything new cos he has to have some secret of his own and he didn't invite anyone in.   Nor did Bree turn up with her muffins, or Susan even.   Okay they have things on their mind but still it's a Wisteria Lane ritual.  Gaby finds Father Dugan and takes the airport van on a detour. He tells Carlos he needs to show repentance by what he does, such as confessing to the authorities, but he can't cos other innocent people are involved.   Carlos won't ever be okay and Gaby needs to find a way for him to stop thinking about this.   Carlos finds there's "no absolution" for him so Gaby will absolve him.   She tells of how her stepfather, Alejandro, would always be waiting for her everywhere.   She was afraid of him and he'd be in her dreams, her nightmares, she couldn't escape him and now she's not scared anymore cos of Carlos.  "Took a life but you also saved one."  Gaby managed to escape him just fine for 7 seasons, until the writers wrote him in, ha.

Lynette dreams of Gaby's stepfather now but it's a ploy to make her run to Tom for comfort and they spend the night.   He's okay with them getting back together but that wasn't what last night meant to Lynette.   She was afraid.   They finally tell the children.   Susan doesn't want to go to the barbecue.   Mike has concerns about them and their marriage cos she's been keeping him out and Susan insists it's not him.   The others, especially think her telling Mike is a bad idea and Lynette sides with Susan. Susan should let Mike know.  Also stating Bree didn't ask for anyone's opinion when she made that pact.   Gaby and Susan wrestle one another and end up in the pool on the pretext of a lost earring.   Lynette thinks Mike and Tom not knowing means they can't be implicated.   Susan can never tell anyone and she'll try and live with it.   Wonder if she would have done the same thing for Mike when he killed a man?   Bree would agree with Gaby as she's been through all that with Andrew.

Mary Alice: "It's only the best friends who to help clean up the mess - to cleanse the pain of a guilty conscience, to pick up the pieces of a broken marriage...good to have friends who clean up our messes - every housewife knows when one mess is cleared another appears."  Bree gets a note: 'I know what you did and it makes me sick.  I'm going to tell.'

Don't know about you but this episode was kind of tedious with just the usual happening over again.   One of them would have a guilty conscience, Susan, whilst the others would try and prevent the secret getting out. (Think this show did run its course so it was best to quit while they were still a little ahead.)   There are only so many secrets and acting up stories that can be done.   Also Renee wasn't a part of their pact, wonder why?   Now we've got the mystery of the new neighbour moving in and this time it's man and not the usual family or single woman.  

This opening episode however, did bring us back full circle to the Pilot episode, where Deidre was also put into a chest just like Alejandro here.  Also Mary Alice's 'I know what you did...' note rears it's ugly head again now and harks back to the first season too.   But Mary Alice was alone and didn't really share anything with the women, though they were around at the time, which led her to taking her own life.   Another episode title taken from a Stephen Sondheim musical, 'Into the Woods' from the song lyric, "I know things now."  A reason for this being used is that they buried Alejandro in the woods.  

Alejandro drove a two door Ford Focus in the season 7 finale and here it tuned into a four door.

CSI: Miami - 8.23: "Time Bomb" Review

The plot thickens as to who planted the bomb killing ASA Rebecca Nevins, leaving Delko to come clean about his spying on the CSIs. Elsewhere the identity of the evidence thief is also revealed. Not as shocking as it could have been.

20 minutes earlier:  Calleigh (Emily Procter) agrees to meet Delko (Adam Rodriguez) for coffee and then follows him.   See there's hardly any trust demonstrated between them.   Calleigh freaks out, he's been lying to her and Delko's still working for ASA Rebecca Nevins (Christina Chang).   Calleigh demands the truth.   He admits he's working on the theft from the lock-up, only cos he was placed on the spot; and half a million dollars worth of heroin is missing.   Delko tells Horatio (David Caruso) this is Sully's (Brad Leland)  past case.   Horatio suspects the bomb could have been for Delko.  No one else knows what Delko was working on.   Horatio: "She was our friend, let's not forget it."  Horatio did have a relationship with her of sorts and as we know, anyone who has a relationship in this show has got to be killed off, or be a suspect.   Delko only told Sully about it and no one else.

Jesse (Eddie Cibrian) tells Calleigh he's here if she needs to talk.   Just like he eventually opened up to her about his wife.   Also sadly this relationship could have developed further, as friends and who knows maybe giving Delko a run for his money, but then there was no Jesse/Eddie next season.   Calleigh's found thin, grainy residue on the site and on the door panel from the car, which isn't dust.   Jesse notices the white residue smells of fuel from the bomb; contains ammonium nitrate and the bomb originated from the car.  They need to find the detonator.  

Natalia (Eva La Rue) asks Delko what he knows and he should "drop the act."  Calleigh overhears.   Everyone deserves to know.   Delko admits to wearing a wire for Rebecca.   Walter (Omar Miller) is completely shocked, "you were spying on us."  Though he shouldn't be really since he knows Delko blabbed to Rebecca about his bank records.  Delko in an attempt to cover his back says it was either him or someone who wouldn't protect them, well he didn't do a thorough job of protecting Walter or Ryan (Jonathan Togo) when it comes to it.   Natalia knew what he was doing.   Walter: "some team." Yes but he'll get over it.   He'd be twice as shocked if he discovered Natalia was also a mole once upon a time.

Jesse has to call Delko over, which he's relieved with since he can make his escape without any further recriminations from anyone.   As conveniently Jesse missed the 'reveal' about his 'spying' as he was actually working.   Jesse tells him every VIN was  stripped before the blast.   Delko analyzes the remains to find the car had an hydraulic suspension system and the serial number for it will be as helpful as the VIN.   The car was a 1986 Cutlass and was used in a bank robbery in 2008.   MDPD owns the car, it's in their impound yard.   Det.  Carmichael signed it out.   Tripp (Rex Linn) says he didn't bring it back.   Delko finds another car was signed out by Carmichael, so they need to begin with his last case.   Leading Horatio and Delko to prisoner, Tino (Ramon Fernandez) he was being investigated by Carmichael and disappeared.  Tino admits he killed him and Horatio doesn't believe him.  Tino says they're being played.   That was obvious.

Horatio talks to Rick Stetler (David Lee Smith) who tells him to go through all of Carmichael's files and inform him of his investigation, there are to be no interviews without him present.   At this point the writers were attempting to be sneaky as Rick, being IA would need to investigate Carmichael as he could have been a dirty cop.   On the other hand Rick would have his own ulterior motives for wanting to be kept in the loop, if he was somehow involved.  We have seen the worst of Rick's personal side, so anything's possible.  Walter still reeling over Delko's revelation, admits to Ryan he's never stolen anything in his life.   Delko doesn't know him that's why he went after Walter.  Ryan defends Delko in that he wouldn't just pick on him like that.   Well he has to prove himself right at the end of the episode.

Walter finds lots of metal sprockets which were part of the bomb.   Ryan works out the bomb was detonated remotely using a cell phone.   (How many times has that been done in both CSI:NY, season 2 episode Charge of this Post  and CSI 11.1 Shock Waves).  Walter thinks they can match the sprocket with the motor, which turns out to be used in golf carts.  Pollock ( Brett Rickaby) says he cooperated with Rebecca that's why he's out of prison.   Ryan accuses him of revenge against her.   ME Tom (Christian Clemenson) conducts Rebecca's autopsy with a digital fluoroscope, she suffered massive concussive injuries and scrapnal wounds were present everywhere on her body.  He also finds a GPS chip on her body, which was from the car.   If Jesse uses the chip to reverse journey, it should lead back to the bomber.

Calleigh asks Delko if he was wearing the wire when they were together.   He's hesitant when he replies but answers in the negative.  Though I wouldn't put it past him after what he did to Walter.  The GPS leads them to Ryan's house.   Ryan being the obvious Patsy of choice as he's been in so much trouble since he joined the team.   Jesse defends him in that no one can believe it would be Ryan.  Walter wants them to be careful with his things as he's one of them.

 Calleigh firstly tells them they have to do what they have to do, it's their job and then adds they have to exonerate Ryan by doing this.  As if to justify tearing his place apart.   Natalia isn't happy with it.   Ryan naturally would be angry and accuses Delko of investigating him now that Walter's investigation didn't get him results.  Delko finds the diamonds.   Ryan's being set up, but Rick says the diamonds aren't his because he stole them.   Again Rick being there to get in on the search and can't wait to arrest him.   He asks if Ryan had more gambling debts and if Rebecca was getting too close, and the evidence is leading them one way.

Horatio practically orders Ryan to back off.   Ryan counted the diamonds and signed out with an officer.   Horatio concedes this is procedure and it's still an active investigation.   Rick cuffs Ryan and when Horatio says they're not necessary, he repeats what he said, "By the book, Horatio." Walter sees what's happening and gets the others to look, this isn't right.   Jesse says they don't have any DNA or usable trace to help Ryan.   Natalia adds they don't have any human DNA, since she read an article about leaving behind a bacterial signature when any object is touched.   This signature remains for two weeks and doesn't match 87% of the population.  They need elimination samples from the workers.

Delko tries to bring a case against Pollock and Sully worked it, he was also the only one he told about the investigation, well more fool him.   That's why he got Rebecca killed, he didn't have to tell him about it so soon and thought he was suspecting everyone there, which should have included those no longer working there, as the drug case was Sully's.   If Sully's dirty he'd want Delko and Rebecca dead.   Horatio questions Sully and tells him it's his chance to come clean.   Lots of that happening here.   Including the writers also clearing the Miami house.   Sully pulls a gun on Horatio in the hopes he will be shot since the other alternative was too dire for him to face.   I.e telling him who was behind it.   Horatio concludes they're looking for another cop.

Orlansky (Rashawn Underdue) worked the impound yard, so knew Carmichael.   He wasn't in the lab when the diamonds were stolen and admits he didn't call Tech Services when the cameras lost their feed but instead went there in person.   Horatio asks him who signed the cars out.  Rick gives Delko Ryan's file, so unbeknown to him, Natalia can check out his bacterial signature, which matches Rick.   Tripp gets Ryan released.   Rick: "So we got our man."

Horatio: "We do, Rick." There he spelled it out for him.   Horatio doesn't need Rick's DNA as they have Orlansky's testimony.   They can't wait to get their claws into Rick with Delko accusing him of always going after one of them, now he's the dirty cop.   Rick explains it began with one car.   Carmichael was missing and no one cared or noticed.  Everything remains in the impound yard and in evidence.   He threatened Orlansky with failing his next drug test unless he covers for him.   The diamonds were meant to be his last work and he didn't want to let years of work go to waste.  Rick:  Twenty years, "I gave my life for this." The only thing he'd have to show for it would be a pension and a cheap watch.   He only stole from thieves, which doesn't make it right.   The thieves stole from others.   As he told Ryan, the diamonds weren't his.   Horatio calls this "the nature of the sacrifice."  That Rebecca was one of them and he killed her.

Ryan takes pleasure in returning the favour and cuffing Rick.   Then thanks Delko for having his back, thereby proving my earlier point about Walter being wrong about him.   Delko and Calleigh get lovey dovey in their own cryptic way.   Delko calling her "quite a sight."  Flattery won't get him anywhere.   It will take a while for him to earn back her trust.  hey he could have meant quite a sight in a bad way! Ha.

Shame to see Rick go in such a way, yes he was always on their case and abused Yelina (Sofia Milos) but he was meant to be  a cop and one of the good, 'good' guys (cos he was IA, then again I suppose that says it all.   No one was watching IA watching the cops.) No one likes IA so true to form he had to have been stealing evidence.   It's always the last one big steal which brings them down.   As for framing Ryan he really should have known better since he's been working with Horatio and his team for so long, he knows how good they are.   Horatio goes to bat for them and would never see Ryan be accused of something he didn't do.

Over the seasons Rick proved to be a worthy adversary for Horatio and the rest of the CSIs, constantly breathing down their necks.   Pity they had to take him on this road.   Let's hope he reaches out from prison in a revenge attack.   Either that or they just may kill him off there instead.  You never can tell with CSI writers, they don't hesitate in killing off characters we get to like or love to hate.

Rick accuses Ryan of his gambling addiction leading to the theft of the diamonds; but who had the hidden addiction, including taking risks.  It started out with stealing one car and the way they showed the scenes where it escalated into another and another was a nice touch.   No one noticed which made it easier to come back and take another; but that he got away with it time and again due to his threats against Orlansky.   This made Rick bolder, upping the anty and graduating onto other evidence from lock-up.   It was also nicely demonstrated that when Orlansky was assigned to lock-up, that's when that evidence began disappearing too.   Probably Rick may have had a part in his transfer.  

At least Ryan got to get angry this episode and never got the chance to make silly comments.   He blew his top at Walter especially, as well as Delko, who has known him for a long time and is the closest to.   Ryan's neck was on the line yet again.   He also would have loved putting the cuffs on Rick as he sacked him in 5.22 Burned when his secret gambling addiction was discovered and that he was gambling on the job.  But back in season 5, the writers had no idea they would turn Rick into a dirty cop and in doing so now, just felt so rushed and an afterthought.   (Can't help but wonder why Warrick (Gary Dourdan) wasn't fired in CSI - with the amount of betting and gambling he got up to , also whilst he was on the job.   Especially early season 1.   Guess most of the CSIs were into making bets with each other, if not at the casinos or with bookies etc.   They still do.   Maybe it's cos they're in Vegas.  Anyway, that's moot point now.)

So they took out plenty of birds with the old proverbial one stone in this episode, Rebecca, Rick, Sully.   The three shows never fail in 'recycling' stories, plots and dialogue from each other.   In CSI:NY 7.21, Life Sentence, Hunt (Peter Fonda) Mac's (Gary Sinise) former partner, used the same justification for his stealing the money from a  drugs bust.   Saying he'd get a measley pension, he's divorced, after so many years of service with nothing to show for it.   He even mentioned the obligatory cheap watch being handed out.   Which was no excuse for being corrupt, as Horatio said here, them's the 'perks' of their job.  I.e you don't get any benefits.  It's good old fashioned work all the way, the pay sucks, it's lousy hours but if you can't hack it, you shouldn't be in it.

Desperate Housewives - 8.2: "Making the Connection" Review

Susan goes all out in her bid to get the punishment she deserves from anywhere she can. Gaby attempts to seduce Carols and get their lives back on track. Bree visits Paul in prison.

 Mary Alice: "When I was alive, Bree van de Kamp was one of my closest friends...had so much in common...received a threatening letter...I had once committed a desperate act of my own...someone found out and was determined to expose me....with one final act I had to consign my act to history...history has a way of repeating itself."  Was this a not so subtle reference to how this final season is alluding to many aspects of the series from years gone by.    Bree (Marcia Cross) tells Vance (Jonathan cake) she has only got  a letter from a friend.   Karen( Kathryn Joosten) hasn't seen anyone by her mailbox.   Mary Alice (Brenda Strong) : "Bree Van de Kamp and I had so much in common.   We shared similar lives and now Bree found herself praying that we wouldn't share a similar fate."

How come Bree was the one to receive the note? I know it sounds a simple question, not simple as much as common question, but why her out of everyone, especially since the murder affected Gaby more?   Yet Bree has turned a corner in her character, maybe not for the better some would say, all those things she has gotten up to in the past, covering for Andrew,  and then now the pact to cover up the killing.   Uh oh, does this mean Bree will also follow in Mary Alice's footsteps and attempt suicide?

Mary Alice: "In the divided world of the suburbs, everyone was looking for some way to make a connection...to fend off loneliness with casual conversation...help a neighbour make a difficult move...but for Carlos and Gabrielle Solis, the only connection that mattered was a romantic one.   Gaby (Eva Longoria) was willing to pull out all the stops." She tries to seduce Carlos (Richardo Antonio Chavira) and gets nowhere, he can't 'perform.'

Mary Alice: "Like Carlos, Susan Delfino (Teri Hatcher) was also feeling disconnected, her guilt made the world a scary place where she could be exposed."  A security guard stops her for stealing a case of soda and he calls her a criminal.   She agrees she's bad and did a horrible thing and deserves punishment.  Mike (James Denton) fixes Ben's (Charles Mesure) plumbing problem and tells him he should be fine now as he was the one who put in the pipes originally.   Ben has heard good things about Mike and is looking for help on a real estate development, that's what he does.   Renee (Vanessa Williams) wants the low down from Mike on Ben and he reminds her she never paid his bill.   He saw a plaque Ben has for helping the elderly.

The children had fun with Tom (Doug Savant) and Lynette (Felicity Huffman) tells him she refuses to be the bad guy anymore.  That sounds like sour grapes cos she's no longer able to push Tom around and get him to do everything she wants.   Tom recalls he no longer has to listen to her and leaves.   The girls play poker and Gaby asks for tips on spicing things up and Bree suggests role playing.   Lynette tells her about getting a stripper to teach her lap dancing.   Susan understands Carlo's guilt and deserves to be punished.   Gaby: "There's a bucket of crazy where your head used to be."  Bree warns Susan can't attract attention to herself.

Vance asks Bree if they're okay.   Renee brings Karen over a meal whilst Ben is outside and bribes her with $100 to tell Ben good things about her.   Bree visits Paul (Mark Moses) and shows him the note.  It's the same as Mary Alice's letter, but she was hiding something and Bree isn't, she just wants to get to the bottom of it and thinks it must be someone who knew of the original note.  Martha didn't send it.   Paul thinks it could be one of the girls and Paul warns her not to keep it to herself cos if Mary Alice had shared things then she may be around today and things would have been different for all concerned.

Susan drops a turkey carcass in the recycling and the binman doesn't care. Neither does the security guard who asks her for a smoke.   Ben tells Renee he misjudged her and the way in which she's helped Karen.   He's involved with seniors too and asks if she's free.   Parker (Joshua Logan Moore) wants to go to a party and asks Lynette for permission who tells him to ask Tom.   He says to ask Lynette.   It's "entirely his decision."  They both don't want to say no, cos even when they're separated they have to compete with each other.

Gaby wants to learn pole dancing cos Carlos is having problems in the bedroom and she falls from the pole.   Ben takes Renee to serve food at a senior citizen's centre.   Gaby blindfolds Carlos who comments he was blind and doesn't want to relive that.  Gaby hired a stripper, Dakota (Jillian Nelson) and Carlos is embarrassed cos she told her about his problem.   They will never be normal after what he did. "What I did you can't wish it away." Ben was working and Renee has nothing in common with him. She doesn't do charity and neither does he. He knows why. Does she?   Rene's mother died and she was passed onto relatives , most of them were poor and she spent time in places like this.   He knows what that's like and decide they do have something in common after all.  

Susan parks in a fire zone in the hopes of being arrested but the policeman (Scott Michael Morgan) doesn't give her a ticket cos he's a new dad.   That's how Susan's trying to alleviate her guilt and tears up his photo of the baby.   He arrests her when she knocks over his bike.   Ben has a problem with Mike and he knows he was an ex-con.   Mike's not that guy anymore.   For Ben life means getting what you want and protecting what you have.   He can use him, what he sounded like he's planning some sort of a job.   Carlos bails Susan out cos he was the only one she could call and she's doing these things to get caught, which helps for five minutes.     Carlos can't move on.   Everyone's acting like things are okay and they're not.   Affair bells ringing here, anyone?!  Carlos says it's good to talk about it yet he can't talk to Gaby and she can't talk to Mike.

Lynette goes looking for Parker and Tom walks by when she's upside down drinking from a barrel.   He blames her for letting Parker come and get drunk.   Lynette was giving him the chance to be a father.   Tom can only say yes and when he was living here, had a ritual.  He knew that things that mattered were okay, the children were okay.   Lynette says they're excited to see him when he comes. She's losing them to him.

Bree shows Gaby the note and they have to act like normal, but she can't do anything to get rid of Vance cos she feels safe with him.   Bree gets a call from Paul telling her when he confessed to Martha he mentioned the note to a policeman, named Vance.  Hey great minds or what I was just thinking that when Bree picked up his badge!!  Bree isn't breaking up with Vance.  

Mary Alice: "In the divided world of the suburbs, everyone is looking for some way to make a connection - focusing on common good...sharing pain no one else can heal...there are those who once sought to make a connection, but who now want to escape."

Someone appears to be obsessed with Stephen Sondheim musicals as they seem to form many the titles to this show.  This episode is from the lyrics to Putting it Together from Sunday in the Park with George.   Gaby still seems selfish in how she's treating everyone including Susan, but I didn't like Susan's storyline at all, seems rather childish even for her.   Especially since if you think back to the pilot episode she burned down Edie's (Nicholette Sheridan) house and kept quiet about it for ages without feeling any guilt at all.   Now she didn't kill anyone all she needs to do is keep quiet about burying the body and she can't handle it.   Okay even if they are accessories.   Renee just came across as tedious man-chasing as usual. They don't seem to do much with her character.  It's  just a rehash of last season.

Also the same with Tom and Lynette.  After all this posturing, they'll probably end up together anyway.   So much for Lynette finding out about his and Renee's affair.   Tom's free now and Renee doesn't want him.

CSI: NY - 1.22: "The Closer" Review

This episode sees the CSIs investigating three cases, each one different and yet slightly similar. The first and second cases turn out to be related, or to use Mac's phrase, everything is connected.

A scantily clad woman comes out of nowhere and is runover by a truck.   This forms the basis of the first story.   There's bruising on her wrist and lacerations on her cheekbone.   Mac (Gary Sinise) comments her injuries are not consistent with trauma from a car accident.   Stella (Melina Kanakaredes)  spots the inverted  number plate: 73X on her DB.

In story 2, Gilbert Novotney, a Boston fan, is found dead in his car.   Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) posits his theory.   That of theory number 2 where the baseball on the ground had ink on it which umpires rub onto the ball to remove the 'newness' of the ball.  Mac needs to know what Margo, the dead woman was doing an hour before the game.   Mac and Flack (Eddie Cahill) check out her apartment, owned by a sports management firm.   The door has a hole in it and the bathroom window is open.   She possibly climbed out of the window onto the ledge and received puncture wounds on her feet from the pigeon spikes placed there.   Flack also finds a baseball in the bath.   Now there's no doubt as to the first two stories being connected.  

Gilbert's ticket was brought by a radio station in New York and there's a tape with Gilbert speaking with an angry fan, Tony (Jason Cerbone).   Popcorn was thrown about at the game and Danny tells Aiden (Vanessa Ferlito) the results of the DNA from the kernel, which Jane (Sonya Walger) ran on CODIS.   These belong to an 'Anthony.'  Aiden has a photo of him and when he sees them he runs.   A chase scene ensues.   He admits he threw the kernels, known as Crackerjacks, but denies killing Gilbert.   He was thrown out of the stadium.

From the footage of the game they find the presence of a man between Margo and Gilbert who wasn't there before.   His name is Reuben (Amaury Nolasco) who wanted to be a baseball player.   Margo wanted to represent him as his agent.   When Reuben pitched, the speed gun measured it as 94mph and he puts his saliva on the baseball.   Danny catches the ball to analyze.  Dry blood is found in Gilbert's nose and lividity in his lower body.   He had an expensive seat which Aiden finds the ticket to.   He died in his car and there's a brown hair on the ball.   Danny and Aiden check out the stadium.   Danny finds blood on the ground where Gilbert got his bloody nose when seated.

Danny posits Reuben threw the ball at Gilbert and at Margo's door.   There's a piece on the Jumbotrom where Gilbert kissed Reuben on his mouth and Margo laughed at him over the kiss.   That's no reason to kill, though as they say, people have killed for less.

In story 3 Mac is contacted by a man he sent to prison, Sullivan (Clarke Duncan) doesn't want to spend the rest of his life there for a crime he didn't commit.   The murder weapon had a mix of his and Alyssa, the Vic's DNA.   He needs to check the evidence.    Mac feels he's made a mistake and Stella doesn't believe that.  She doesn't make mistakes.   Sullivan claimed not to have owned the hammer.   Stella notices the evidence on Mac's desk.   Mac only collects the evidence and analyzes it. He does not decide if Sullivan committed the crime or not.   Sullivan is accusing the prosecution of profiling, as Mac tells Sullivan and Sullivan says he's the prime suspect as he's got big hands and a deep voice.   But, says Mac, it's the DNA that finds the match.   The hammer belonged to him but it was misplaced.

Stella in yet another confrontation with Mac wants him to tell her if he's looking over the evidence. He's the boss. He doesn't need to tell anyone anything.   He knows there was no control sample for the hammer.   Mac thinks if a suspects DNA isn't found on the murder weapon it doesn't follow they are guilty.   He wants to believe Sullivan.   If the hammer was his then his DNA due to his epithelials would already be on the hammer.   Alyssa's blood spatter was on top, leading to a match for both when tested.   Mac has to show the blood belonged to Alyssa only.   He tells Stella about Claire and that he needs to do this.

Stella asks why he's not taken his ring off.   Cos he doesn't want to.   Mac must prove the hammer belonged to Sullivan in order to prove his findings, this the concept of reasonable doubt.   DA Latham (Raphael Sbarge) refuses to let the defence have this evidence.   So Mac testifies on behalf of the defence, saying the evidence was retested.   Sullivan is released.   There will be a civil trial but the evidence should help Sullivan.   Mac liked changing things.

Oh no, Stella not admitting she likes to be wrong either and telling Mac he hasn't been this happy since losing his wife. What sort of a comment was that? So tactless.   At least Mac was willing to admit he was wrong and made a mistake, as long as she wasn't included or named as being part of that mistake too.   Mac: "Because a small mistake can be significant enough to change the dynamic of everything that happens."
Stella: "We don't make mistakes.   Hell, I don't make mistakes."  Stella calls the DB George and not Gilbert and he's referred to as this throughout the episode.

A case of the evidence tainting the truth.   The part about Danny being injured, a wrist injury and wanting to play baseball was similar to Carmine's reasons for not being able to play baseball either.   Danny graduated the police academy at the top of the class.

In CSI season 5 Mea Culpa, trace blood was found in the grooves of the wrench and the suspect's prints were on the handle.   In CSI Cool Change, a partial licence plate was found in a bruise on the DB.

NCIS - 7.19: "Guilty Pleasure" Review

Gibbs comes across Holly Snow again during an investigation, where he needs her help and Tony goes undercover, for a brief spell. As well as meeting his new best bud on the case again and ditches McGee.

A marine is run over, but he is already stabbed and dead.   McGee (Sean Murray) removes sprinkles from a donut.   Tony (Michael Weatherly) stood him up, they were meant to meet  at a bar at the Air and Space Museum.   Ziva (Cote de Pablo) asks if they're both dating now.   Tony comments he should buy one without sprinkles, huffing and puffing "trying to blow the coffee down."  McGee calls Tony to cancel, they're done.   Ziva: "seven year bitch?"  Tony: "Itch." Ziva thinks they're like an old married couple.   Gibbs (Mark Harmon) doesn't agree, they're still speaking.

Ducky (David McCallum) finds the Vic was stabbed with a big knife.   Moss walked into the street and Ducky says loss of blood led to disorientation.   This isn't their CS.   Tony and McGee follow the trail.   Tony: "You were funnier when you were fatter."  Well McGee could say, so was Tony when he was younger and less fatter too.   Ooh.   McCadden (Adam Kaufman) arrives on the scene, well he's already there and adds, "quid pro quo, Clarice."  Tony calls that  a nice movie (referring to Silence of the Lambs (1991)) and calls him McC.   Tony and McCadden think of Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003) when they see the room and it had been rented by Moss.   His wife Emily (Jillian Bach) arrives to pick Moss up.   He was meeting a prostitute.   Moss was a reporter for the Navy Herald and was interviewing escorts for a story.   She doesn't know who he was meeting.   Tony implies Moss could be cheating on her.

He also comments that journalists don't pay for interviews (how would he know) and wonders what a grand buys.   Tony immediately jumping to his usual theory/conclusion his wife did it.   Abby (Pauley Perrette) comments it's no time for smalltalk.   The motel footage shows "female-ish hunk of pixels."  The bar footage is clearer.   Abby says a good lawyer bailed out the woman on the footage.   She was arrested but there's no DNA on file.   Abby is sure Holly Snow (Dina Meyer) would know plenty about sex and adds Gibbs, sexual harassment, which is what Holly now lectures on.

Tony and McCadden still talk movies, the best film based in San Francisco was Vertigo (1958), Dirty Harry (1971).   (They didn't mention Bullitt (1968) by name.)  Road Warrior and Diner (1982).   Ducky says there's a multiple offender on the loose.  Holly is surprised to see Gibbs there.   At least she calls him Agent Gibbs.  She has an ankle bracelet monitor.   Gibbs says he retired to a beach shack in Mexico and liked it.   He's here to find Charlotte, not talk about himself.   Holly tells him Charlotte (Taylor Cole) isn't a murderer and it'll cost him, whispering in his ear, which Gibbs calls a "deal breaker."  Holly: "you need me Gibbs, use me."  She wants to go back into business and she'll find Charlotte.   Vance (Rocky Carroll) is also surprised Holly wants back in.   Gibb's says there's nothing magic about Charlotte calling Holly and they can get her for solicitation, bring her in and get her DNA.   Gibbs: "It's sex, Leon, ain't nothing easy about sex."

Abby reluctantly talks to Holly, she's been following her career.   They admire each other's shoes.   Holly asks if she has a problem with her work, she has problems with legal, moral and women's issues.   Holly arranges a date with Charlotte, Tony being the one undercover and he wears a robe!  Holly: "Light KB, possible mox half round." McGee asks her what that means.   Holly glances at McGee's nether regions.   He'll check it on the Net.   McGee thinks Tony is compensating with the jacket.   Holly suggests he takes it off and calls him Heff (as in Hugh Hefner.)    She messes up Tony's hair.

Tony: "instructing a DiNozzo how to act around woman."  Holly tells him to pretend he's done this before.   What makes her think Tony hasn't.   He's wearing undies from a packet.  Very Special Agent DiNozzo, change menu to "spicy canton." He puts money on the table.   Tony: "Daddy's gonna go make wee wee." Can't believe he just said that.   McGee: "That's Tony improvising."  Charlotte takes the money.   Tony says she doesn't know what she missed.   McGee finishes, "or how lucky she is."

Dwight, (Jason London) her lawyer arrives.   He was my suspect.   Gibbs questions her on 4 murders.   The hair they found matches Charlotte, and he puts his hand on her shoulder.   Gibbs questions who charges more, him or Charlotte.   She's a material witness.   Holly comments she can't be bought.   She knows people get what they paid for.   Gibbs doesn't really care how Holly ended up in this business.   She had student loans, no family and working 3 jobs.  Gibbs: "they say you can't make money with a liberal arts degree."

Another DB is found, so Charlotte couldn't be guilty, but that doesn't rule out Dwight.   Tony mentions fave finales.   McCadden says Terminator (1984), for Tony it's Terminator 2 (1991).   McGee comes up with a cute couples contraction calling them, T-Cad.   Tony calls him "McBitter."  McGee comments Tony and McCadden are wearing the same suit..   McCadden thinks the killer is strong and looking for a woman.   Or Tony posits, "Ziva."  Holly asks Charlotte for a  name, someone who is violent.   It's about her and the killer won't stop with them, he'll get mad  at her and  she'll end up a DB too.   Nicholas (Cliff Weissman) is the one Holly shook hands with  at the talk.   He wants her to stop seeing other men.

 McGee asks for his Nutter Butters - Tony calling him, Slim Tim, says he forgot.   Tony's next category is best call girl movie ever, Klute.  (1971) McGee says Leaving Las Vegas (1995).   Pretty Woman (1990).  Abby talks about Tony's new romance, she tells McGee not to worry, it'll be over soon.   Someone needs a hug.   Abby found trace amounts of the killer's blood in the stab wounds.   Nicholas bought a hunting knife, matches the wound patterns of all the Vics.   No hilt so it was hard to grip, so there'll be a cut on the palm of his hand.   Abby asks Gibbs to give McGee her hug cos he needs one.   Nicholas doesn't have a cut on his hand.

Tony says Probie does plenty for him.   McCadden thinks Tony deserves better and Tony doesn't think there is any better.   Next movie is The Untouchables, (1987) but Tony thinks Battleship Potemkin (1925).   Tony's gone off McCadden now.   Thought Ziva was now Probie.   That didn't last long.   Ziva says the knife was clean and Nicholas has an alibi.   McGee believes another connection is Holly.   Tony asks where Ms Holly Golightly is.   (That was Audrey Hepburn's call girl character name in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961).)  Her ankle monitor is on the move.   Tony gives McCadden the brush off and tells him to hit the road.   Gibbs tells Vance he didn't chain Holly to his leg.   Vance: "why not, other men have paid to do it."  the signal is lost.   The last text message she got was from Charlotte.   Holly went to help her.   Charlotte is in DC ER, her boyfriend beat her, him being Dwight.   Phone records indicate an office complex.  He wants to make sure other men don't see Charlotte, it's all Holly's fault.   Gibbs shoots him 4 times.

Tony cancels their "date."   McGee drinks his coffee.   Ziva: "did you dump him Tony,  - has your man-mance come to an end?"  (personally I prefer man-mans.) Tony replies, "never had any man-mance."  Ziva says he had a fling.   To Tony, they were just hanging out.   Ziva: "Things were hanging out, that's disgusting."  Well she got that well and truly wrong.   Tony wants to buy McGee a cookie.   McGee thinks it's cos he feels bad and he should .  Tony won't apologize - huffing from a cup again.   Tony: "you're annoying."
McGee: "you're juvenile."

Holly and Gibbs eat a steak dinner at his house - that was her deal breaker - "dinner without expectations - with a friend."  Gibbs asks we're friends?  Holly has a call which she can explain.   Gibbs says she doesn't need to, she doesn't know what he's thinking.   Holly: "friends" she doesn't have any.   Neither does Gibbs.   She kisses him on his head.   On the contrary thought Fornell was Gibbs' friend.  Gibbs really getting on with Holly, well we knew she wouldn't ask him for anything risque, cos he'd refuse her.   Was the call from Holly's child perhaps when Gibbs says he doesn't want to know.   The first time Gibbs meets a nice redhead and she's out of bounds.   Wonder if it was coincidental naming Dina's character Holly.

At least Dina had a bit more of  a part in this episode than she did in Jet Lag.   Also Adam Kaufman reprises his role from 7.16 Mother's Day.   Tony actually thinks highly of his team, after McCadden insults them.   Then again Tony didn't have much loyalty to them to begin with, especially McGee, turning on him like that.   He is juvenile.   That's Tony's fear of commitment sneaking in - even when he had his man-mance.    One of those episodes where what's happening between the characters  is more interesting than the plot.  How many movies did Tony mention this time and he had McCadden joining in too.   Though he didn't mention the main one relevant to this episode, Breakfast at Tiffany's, he only said the characters name of Holly Golightly.  Others included or alluded to include Escape from Alcatraz (1979).

Funny part where Tony came up with Ziva when McCadden said the killer was strong, he always does that and the number of times he associates Ziva with being a killer, even if she was an assassin in a past life.   Ziva didn't feature much in this episode.

Supernatural - 1.11: "Scarecrow" Review

Sam and Dean go there separate ways this time, after a row over Dad. Dean ends up wrestling a scarecrow pagan god and Sam meets a mysterious blond, to whom there's more than meets the eye. But the two aren't separated for long.

Burkitsville, Indiana  one year ago:  A lost couple are given directions in the town onto Orchard road.   The woman notices his tattoo, so we can watch out for it later too.   The couple breakdown and see lights in the woods.   She tells him if he had  a brain they wouldn't be lost, naturally the scatty scarecrow doesn't have a brain.  The scarecrow in the field moves and comes after them.

Dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) calls Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) and tells them he's fine but not where he is.   Sam says he's after the thing and Dad tells them "it's a demon."  He knows what happened to Jessica and is sorry, "I would have done anything to protect you." He warns them they're everywhere and they can't help.  Dad orders them not to follow him.   He gives them the names of missing/dead couples and Dean obeys his order, "Yes sir."

The couples went missing from different towns, each one ended up in Indiana, all on the second week of April.   This is the second week of April.   Dean's in awe of Dad putting together a file like he did based on obits.  "The man's a master."  Sam tells Dean to stop the car.   He's going to California.   Dad called them from Sacramento area code.   If Dad's closing in on the demon , he wants to be there to help.   Actually the demon was closing in on them.  Dean argues over the order and wanting to save peoples' lives.

Sam wants a week to get answers and revenge.   They argue, Dean doesn't know how Sam feels.   Sam: "How old were you when Mom died, 4.   Jess died 6 months ago - how the hell would you know how I feel."  Dean repeats what Dad said telling them, no ordering them to stay away cos it's dangerous.   Sam: "I don't understand the blind faith you have in the man.   I mean it's like you don't even question him."  Dean calls it being a good son.   Sam's selfish, he'll do "whatever you want, don't care what anybody else thinks."  Dean leaves Sam on the road.

Dean speaks with Scotty (Brent Stait) at the cafe and calls himself John Bonham, the Led Zeppelin drummer.   He hasn't seen the missing couple.   Sam meets a hitchhiker in the middle of nowhere.   It's understandable Dean leaving Sam there, but how did she get there.   She hitches a ride alone and tells Sam: "You could be some kind of freak." No, that's you."  Dean visits the general store and the couple, Harley (Tom Butler) and Stacey (P Lynn Johnson) deny knowing the missing couple.   The girl from the garage, Emily (Tanya Saulnier) tells him they were just married and left town.   Dean drives  and the EMF goes off now.   Since Dean conveniently leaves his bag on the backseat, whereas it's always in the boot (trunk.)  He walks in the orchard and comes across the scarecrow, "dude, you're fugly." He takes a closer look and notices a tattoo on his arm, just like the one the missing man had.

Dean drives to the garage.   Emily came here when she was 13, her aunt and uncle, the store couple, took her in.   Dean calls this a perfect town.   Everyone's losing families but they're blessed.   Sam is stuck in the bus station until tomorrow.   Meg (Nicki Lyn Aycox) meets up with Sam and is also going to California.   Sam's looking for something he lost a long time ago.   Like she doesn't know what, or rather who, that is.   Dean goes to the cafe and asks for some pie, just like the couple, being granted their every wish.   Dean was being friendly but doesn't get his coffee or pie.   Dean: "Sam, my brother could give you a puppy dog look"  and he'd convince everyone .   The Sheriff (David Orth) runs Dean out of town.

Mysterious stranger chick, Meg convinces Sam, or attempts to, that she's left her family too.   They told her everything to do.   Sam is taken in, easily and says it's the same with Dean.   Dean returns at night and finds the couple's car.   He saves them.   Sam calls Dean about the Scarecrow (Mike Carpenter)and he tells him he can "cope without you." He thinks the scarecrow is a Pagan god and has an annual cycle of killings, the Vics are always couples, like fertility rites.   The locals fattened them up.   Sam says their last meal was a sacrificial ritual.   A sacrifice to appease a ~Pagan god.   The scarecrow takes the sacrifice for another year.   Dean meets the professor, (William B Davis) "since I don't have my trusty psychic geek boy to do all the research."

Sam tells him to ask if he needs help.   He's not hinting.   They're both sorry.   Dean replies Sam needs to do his own thing and live his own life.  "You've always known what you want and you go after it.   You stand up to Dad, I ...  I admire that about you and I'm proud of you Sammy."  Sam will take care.   Meg asks if that was his brother, being nosy as usual.   The professor tells Dean about Pagan ideology.   A woods god, Vanir from Scandinavia lives in the orchard.   The energy springs from a sacred tree, if burnt then the god will die.   Dean's knocked out by the Sheriff, plenty of that going round in season 1.   The people need to protect their town.   Harley says this is murder, this is the seventh night of the cycle and Dean needs to die, but why Emily.

Sam can't get hold of Dean and is going after him.   Meg asks why he's going back to him.   Dean needs to find the tree.   An apple tree was brought over by the immigrants, the 'first tree' which is in the orchard.   They leave them tied up in the orchard.   Dean hopes their apple pie is worth it.   Sam finds them.   He stole a car.   The scarecrow's gone and he comes after her uncle and aunt instead.   When they find the tree and burn it, the whole town will die.   Emily doesn't care and lights the flame; then leaves for Boston.   What the town suffers is their punishment.  What about the professor, for Dean to be caught, he had to be in on it too and yet he also gets away.

Sam is stuck with him.   He still wants to find Dad, "but Jess and Mom they're both gone, Dad is God knows where.   You and me, we're all that's left so if we're gonna see this through, we're gonna do it together." He finally decides he can't do it without Dean and they shouldn't be alone.   Dean: "Hold me Sam, that was beautiful!"   Sam says he should be kissing his ass, Dean was dead meat and Dean tells him he had a plan.   Meg hitchhikes and slits the driver's throat, pouring his blood into a cup.   For making a call.  She chants.   She could've got Sam and taken them both, why was she stopped.   Yeah dream on! She calls him/it, "father."

Obviously this chick is a demon, working her way into Sam's life and thought she could have taken them both, yeah in another life.   Dad finally contacts them and tells them he's fine and admits he's looking for a demon.  It took him two episodes later to finally acknowledge them.   But sends them on a job instead.   The best episodes are where the two argue and this was no exception.   Sam admitting from the previous episode that Dean still follows orders and doesn't think for himself, let alone stand up for himself against Dad.   Dean just sees this as being a good son.   But decides Sam should live his own life.   Dean being in trouble draws Sam back to him, much to Meg's chagrin.

An episode honing in on their differences and what each one thinks of Dad, Sam loves him but he won't blindly follow orders as Dean does.   But then Dean's been around him longer when Sam went off to college.   As well as having to dealing with a Pagan god, a scarecrow no less this time round and still no pie for Dean! Well he and Emily didn't get their last meal, which Sam referred to as a sacrifical ritual and thus even if they were left for the Vanir, the sacrifice wouldn't work.   They weren't fattened calves being led to the slaughter as such.

It's clearly not 6 weeks since Jess died since it's the second week of April, 6 weeks would have been in May.  Several Wizard of Oz (1939) references too, such as the "if you had a brain." Emily, though Dorothy's aunt was called Aunty Em, she also had an uncle and aunt.   The trees weren't apple trees and there's no apple harvest in April either.   The town got off scott free as the people still had their lives and could just move away, not a just punishment for all those years of murder.

The Vampire Diaries - 2.18: "The Last Dance" Review

As a dance is planned and underway, Klaus puts his plan into action, as does Damon with his intention to use Bonnie and her powers to kill him once and for all.

Klaus calls Alaric (Matt Davis) "Safari Sam."   Katherine tells him where Elijah (Daniel Gillies) is but he doesn't want to resurrect him and she also tells him about Jenna too.   Katherine wants Klaus to kill her but he knows she's hiding something from him.  He compels her and she blabs about Bonnie (Kat Graham).   Klaus looked for over 500 years for Katherine and her death will last at least half as long if he has anything to do with it.   He compels her to stab herself with a knife over and over.   Klaus: "The fun is just beginning again."

Damon (Ian Somerhalder) believes Bonnie has enough power to to take on Klaus and he wonders if Klaus has killed Katherine, saying, "It's not like she didn't have it coming." Elena (Nina Dobrev) forgets to invite Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon back into their own house.   Damon will only be allowed in if he lets Elena call all the shots.   Elena refuses to be a prisoner in their house.  Bonnie has the ability to take on Klaus.   This was repeated so many times, it's a wonder she will be actually able to do that.

Alaric watches Elena, well he stares really.   Jeremy (Steven R McQueen) tries to prevent Bonnie from doing the spell cos it'll kill her.   Dana (Anna Enger) says a hot guy asked if Elena wants to go to the dance with him tonight and his name is Klaus.   Dana's been compelled.   Damon says they'll find Klaus at the dance and he "won't be sixteen and pimply."  Alaric can come in without being invited.   Damon will chaperon the dance with him.   Bonnie again tells them she can kill him, how many times was that now.  Bonnie uses her power on Damon.   She says it doesn't matter if Klaus is an original.   She had to blab that in front of Alaric/Klaus.   Maddox (Gino Anthony Pesi) finds Alaric's weapons stash and he says Klaus won't get near Bonnie as she'll sense him with her power.   Then tells him the power will kill Bonnie.  So she'll be made to use it.

Alaric's body will last longer as he's human and Maddox can incant a spell to protect him.   Elena has convinced herself Klaus isn't real.   Stefan reassures her they'll take care of him tonight.   Chad (Mark Buckland) is a patsy and Jeremy gives Bonnie his ring, but it won't work on her.   He can't let her get killed and admits he doesn't "have the best luck in the girlfriend department." Damon turns up when they get close to each other to spy on them.   Klaus dedicates a song to Elena and Damon suggests they let Klaus come to them and he  heads right for him - ha.   Damon's not impressed.   Damon and Elena dance.   The last decade dance the vampires won.   Damon: "I've got moves you've never seen."

Caroline (Candice Accola) comes dressed as Jackie Kennedy, which is ironic.   Considering everything Caroline has been through.   Damon dances with Bonnie and  and asks about her odds of surviving, which boil down to fifty-fifty.   But she's adamant she'd do it all for Elena.   Bonnie may start to think Damon may actually care about her.   That'll be a first really as he's most concerned about Elena and killing Klaus.   Jeremy tells Stefan about Bonnie and he confronts Damon.   Stefan also tells Elena and he's changed his mind about not keeping secrets.   Bonnie would do anything for Elena  since Elena would do the same for her.   Damon's a real party guy.

Jeremy still wondering around alone, gets beaten up by Chad.   Damon gets an arrow for his troubles and Alaric/Klaus goes after Elena.   The '60's isn't his decade, he'd prefer the '20's (see season 3's End of the Affair episode.)  Elena asks if he's on vervain.  They still don't get who Alaric really is.   Bonnie isn't getting anywhere and Damon doesn't want Klaus to win tonight.   Song 'Dreamlover' plays when Elena looks for Stefan.   Bonnie says Alaric would want him dead but he must suffer first.   Damon wants them to let her use her magic but she's not strong enough to defeat Klaus.   Bonnie dies.  

Damon doesn't want the sheriff knowing about this.   Damon's left with the job of clearing bodies again and then he gets slapped.   But needs to tell Elena...  Bonnie had to die, she wasn't prepared for that so she couldn't stop until Klaus knew she was dead, Klaus had to believe it.  Bonnie returns, she cast a spell, so Damon was able to keep his secrets.   She wasn't able to do kill Klaus but couldn't tell them.  Damon: "I don't mind being the bad guy" even if it means Elena hates him; but he'll be the one to keep her alive in the end.  Bonnie returns to the house.

Damon posits Elena's reaction had to be real.   Elena understands why he did it.   Bonnie won't die for her.   Damon knows they have to kill the real Klaus and she's the only one who can do it.   Damon will let Bonnie die time and again, "I will always choose you."  Elena bids goodnight to Damon and looks at his bed.   Elena raises Elijah.

Alaric did a great portrayal of being bad whilst still trying to be good and listening in on everything being plotted against Klaus.   Matt Davis must have been glad to get some screen time to branch out in this way and do some acting completely out of character for Alaric as Klaus.   Though what made this episode hilarious in places  was how Klaus had everyone duped by taking over Alaric's body.   No one knew what to expect of him or from him and what he he'd look like and there he was right under their noses.   Also the scene where he walks towards Damon at the dance.   Will Damon never tire of playing chaperon at the dances? Somehow he's not the obvious choice.   Another not so big spoiler was that nobody would ever die in this show.   As in Supernatural, no one stays dead for long and if they do it's cos they're no longer wanted.

Bonnie is too important a character to be dispatched in that way.   Let's face it, presently Mystic Falls has a shortage of witches, especially with Jonas and Luka being killed.   Er getting back to Bonnie and Damon, knew they had something planned especially when she said she'd so anything for Elena, in much the same way as Damon would.   Damon would come up with some hair-brained scheme/plan.   These plans may not work most of the time but here was one which did, in making Klaus believe Bonnie was dead and she was the only one who had the powers to kill him, thereby providing him with a false sense of security.  Damon getting slapped was an added bonus!  Ha.   No really, much as I adore the guy, sometimes he just deserves it.   Anyway - he wouldn't really turn Bonnie into a vampire, as will be contemplated later by Stefan for Elena.

Another scene at the end with Damon and Elena  that screams out hot blooded passion between the two.    Hopefully  it's put off for as long as possible.   Damon may be ready and willing to collect Elena as the spoils of his love for her over brother Stefan but Elena wouldn't drop Stefan like that. It'll be out of character for her.   Not unless something drastic happens - like a compulsion say.  Pretty unlikely.

Klaus's compulsion of Katherine to stab herself repeatedly, again someone who deserves a little taste of her own medicine at times, but Klaus is just cruel cos he can be and can get away with it.   Though he's in no mood to raise Elijah.   So it was done for him by Elena.   Perhaps she feels he's the only one who can be a match for Klaus if she can get him on side.   An original v a fellow original, somehow doesn't appear Elijah would be a match for Klaus.

As for keeping secrets this episode, when everyone was spilling the beans to everyone else.   Jeremy to Stefan about Bonnie's sacrifice and Stefan telling Elena.   Discovering Damon had a plan after all, which Bonnie goes along with so they had to have some success with it.   Another scene when Damon reveals to no surprise he would do anything for Elena, even if Bonnie dies in the process, he wouldn't beat himself up over it.   He will always choose Elena and not cos she's Stefan's girl either.   Ironic in some ways since Elena always chooses Stefan over Damon and so does Katherine.   Ahh Damon always the underdog no one actually wants.

Not much happening with Stefan as he seems to be taking the backstage lately, as Damon said he lets his emotions rule him.  That's just his humanity, bless him.   Have to say no chivalry lost on Damon though (to steal Alaric's word) as he'd use a woman (even if she is a witch) to save another woman cos he loves her.   Bonnie's fate was a bit like Buffy The Vampire Slayer's fate in the season 1 finale: her dying was her destiny. Here Bonnie could have died for real but ends up being just a plan.   Buffy was brought back too after she died (and not just on one occasion.)

Klaus for all his reputation turns out to be a bit of a wimp.   The sheriff plotting against Caroline with Matt (Zach Roerig) and how they both know about the vampires.   Highlight of this episode had to be Damon telling Alaric about Klaus and his far from flattering feelings towards him.

Desperate Housewives - 8.03: "Watch While I Revise the World" Review

Carlos and Susan continue to bond and Mike suspects there's more going on than just talk. Bree breaks up with Vance and Lynette messes up Lydia's relationship.

Mary Alice: "Susan Delfino and Carlos Solis had never been the best of friends...Susan thought Carlos paid too much attention to other people's opinions, Carlos thought she didn't have an opinion.   Susan (Teri Hatcher) was troubled by thoughts she couldn't share with her spouse and Carlos (Richardo Antonio Chavira) was in the same predicament...suddenly found they had a great deal to talk about."   Carlos sees ghost of Alejandro and Susan feels like she has a flashing 'guilty' neon sign on her forehead.  She got 15 hours community service.   Their talks feel so...Susan: "I know."  She hoped to run into him and so did he.   Carlos hasn't read To Kill A Mockingbird.   Mary Alice (Brenda Strong) "Susan and Carlos were starting to pay attention to one another, but what they didn't realize was someone else was paying attention too." I.e Mike (James Denton) sees them through the window.

Mary Alice: "Wisteria Lane may look flawless...residents are good at concealing imperfection...make an embarrassing mistake disappear...how to make a friend feel better after she's gone through a messy break up." Gaby (Eva Longoria) brings Bree (Marcia Cross) a smoothie only to find Vance (Jonathan Cake) is still around.   Bree thinks he wrote the letter and Gaby wonders what he could want.   She suggests Bree should start snooping in his things since they're all in danger.

Renee (Vanessa Williams) gets a massage from Fredric (Alec Musser) when Lee (Kevin Rahm) interrupts, needing help with Jenny (Isabella Acres).   He likens Fredric to the one in The sound of Music which doesn't get a reaction from him.  Lee asks for a favour for Jenny and needs Renee to go bra shopping with her.   Mike finds out about Susan's community service and she lies to him about the parking ticket.   The man called Mike 'Mr Solis' and she fobs him off by saying she was too embarrassed to call him, but she wasn't too embarrassed to call a neighbour.   Mike shouldn't be worried about their stroll either cos they both couldn't sleep.   Mike tells er she and Carlos never got own well together and she used to call him Ricky Ricardo.   She's helping Carlos with something private and Mike's having trouble dealing with her lying.

Lydia (Sarah Paulson) Lynette's sister and Rashi (Christopher Gartin) are engaged.   She gave up wine which is why Lynette (Felicity Huffman) isn't getting drunk.   Lynette tells her she can't marry him and Lydia invites her to a meditation seminar.   Carlos comes to see Susan at community service and tells her he's reading the book but she warns they shouldn't have any intimate lunches.   Renee increased the limit on the credit card for Lee and bought Jenny make-up, it's only strawberry lip gloss.   Lee protests he could be a girl.   Renee: "You've got the voice down."

Bree leaves Vance to whisk sauce in the kitchen so she can snoop and finds a photo of her hand on the duvet and an envelope with her name on it.   Gaby thinks he may have found a handprint at the CS, so why would he assume it's Bree's hand and how would that give him forensic evidence?   Gaby agrees to search his briefcase. She she can pick locks.  Adultery gave her "valuable life skills." Jenny thinks Renee would be a great mother.   Lee is angry as Renee's not Jenny's mother.   Why's Lynette eating ice cream with a fork?   Lynette thinks Lydia's here cos she's in a happy relationship and wants to show off, yeah cos unlike Lynette no one else has a licence on muddling up other people's lives.   Lynette doesn't believe Lydia can change.   Rashi sees Lydia being her old self and leaves.   There another relationship Lynette's messed up.

Rashi doesn't know if eh can marry her and Lydia thought she could stop being a loser.   Jenny runs away to Renee's house since it's good to have a mother.   Lee worries Jenny does need a mother but Renee reassures him she has everything she needs.   Lynette goes to the seminar to try and talk Rashi round.   Lynette turns Lydia into that person and Rashi thinks they're just like his own family.   His name's Herbert and he can't be around that energy.   Lynette's jealous.   Carlos discusses the book but he actually watched the movie.   Mike sees them painting the wall together and they hide in a van, where they have a moment.   Mike punches Carlos.

Vance takes the envelope with him to the restaurant and Gaby takes it from his pocket.   Bree finds it's a ring and he got the ring size from the photo.   Carlos and Susan tell Mike the truth.   Bree dumps Vance who claims Bree misled him and is like two people.   He thinks the letter she got is from another man and he doesn't care about her now.   She shouldn't come to him if she's ever in trouble and she's made a mistake.   Well that sounded like it was a threat.

Mary Alice: "Yes, the residents of Wisteria Lane are skilled at the art of concealment...know how to cover the end of a messy break up...spare the feelings of a loved one whose taste they may not share.   But for some, the art of concealment comes at too great a cost and so they find themselves forced to reveal the truth - even at the risk of facing an uncertain future." When Mike walked off like that, he was either shunning Susan or appeared hurt she didn't tell him sooner, cos don't think it was what Carlos had done as Mike's been in that position before.

Lynette still making judgements about other people even after her own marriage has fallen apart.   Aside from Bree breaking up with Vance, getting threatened by him and Carlos and Susan spilling, nothing much happened in this episode.   Vance really has a temper which he didn't show signs of or lose when he was divorcing his ex.   Then Bree dumps him and he really loses the plot.  But he can't be the one behind the letter since he just appears too arrogant to be a blackmailer.   Thus further driving the plot home that Bree is all alone now - aside from her friends, yet Mary Alice had her friends and look what she did.   Not as many laughs in this episode as past ones.

Been reading the list of possible suspects in fan forums for the show as to who sent the note.   No one's mentioned Rex Van de Kamp - he's meant to be dead but...I always had a feeling they were meant to being him back after they killed him off for some reason.   Oh another crazy idea I came up with was Mary Alice.   Ha.   If you think about it she and Bree were best friends, but she couldn't turn to anyone and no one knew what was wrong - that she was troubled before she 'killed' herself.   Well to stick my neck out, I say it should be Edie behind it.

Another Stephen Sondheim episode title, this time a line from the song, Beautiful, from the musical Sunday in the Park with George.