Mysteries of Laura 2.1 "The Mystery of the Taken Boy" Review

                                               
Laura (Debra Messing) investigates the kidnapping of a boy. Theo (Jared Rascio) from his home, after he was almost abducted when he was in the park, as a man stops a taxi from coming towards him and is killed.  It appears the man was actually out of rehab and was going straight  also having a girlfriend.  Theo wasn't the parents biological son since Laura notices the husband, Carl (Peter Rini) telling his wife, Julie (Cara Buono) to take her pills to calm her down, which gives Laura a clue since she was meant to have had a birth without any meds.  Also thought the daughter, Candace (Taylor Rose) was hiding something too, of course one thought was he could've been her son really, but that wasn't the case.  There had to be a catch too of Theo needing his insulin cos hes diabetic and the kidnappers not knowing this, meaning having to work against the clock.

We did get illegal adoptions though being run by a shady doctor, Pamela King (Claudia Fielding) when Meredith (Janina Gavankar) and Billy (Laz Alonso) visit her in desperate need for a baby.  The precinct gets a new Captain Santiani (Callie Thorne) who's meant to be there temporarily since Jake (Josh Lucas) was off on sick leave and he returns early.  She lets him investigate the case with Laura, but they all want her gone.  Only she's not leaving cos she likes the place and she thought she'd be promoted at her old precinct so was horrible to everyone there, turns out she didn't get the promotion. She is a stickler for getting the job done, but at the same time she doesn't really want to get to know her team and how they operate before coming in all gung ho and wanting things done her way. Almost wish Jake did use that info on her to get rid of her.  Whereas in comparison, we have Jake who came back early to work and wanted to get back into the swing of things, but is partnered with Laura which he didn't really object to at all.  One way to be with your ex, or close to her is by working with her so closely.  Even if he can't recall what he said in the hospital at the end of last season, we do, about still having feelings for her.  Ultimately we know this is gonna come back and bite!

But all Laura could do was go on about how for the past five months she had to care for his ass and do everything for him, well he has a pretty cute ass.  Erm, yeah including bringing up his "smart ass" sons.  Well you're their mother!  Anyway she must have some iota of feelings for him if she was willing to do all that and not just cos he's her babies' daddy and out of the goodness of her heart.

Santiani has her own way of doing things which causes the case to go south almost as she doesn't listen to Laura when she tells her the kidnapper isn't the one who has the boy, but he was in the van when Julie was making the drop, cos the cable van doesn't service this area.  As always some piece of foreshadowing accompanies the ep and this time it was Laura's throwaway comment at the beginning of how everything's expensive and she's got  cable bill to pay.  Along with her gluten free comment and how everything tastes better with gluten, in front of Theo and Julie.  It appears Candace knew the dead man as they were both in rehab together, and that's what the family were hiding.  As well as giving them the break they needed as to where the kidnapper was hiding out.

Jake isn't getting his job back, so takes a demotion just to stay at the precinct and goes back to being a lieutenant.  Which was a shame cos he had a laid back way of doing things, not that he was lax cos things did get done, but Laura got leeway on her cases, not that she didn't and wasn't going to get her own way as usual.  No mention of Billy and Meredith and whether they got together, not even when they went undercover in that short scene.  Frankie disappears so I don't know why they bothered bringing her into the show last season, she was a much better addition than Santiani, who comes across as a bit of a bully.  And a little like the Captain in Castle!  Surprised she doesn't want to be called "sir" as well!

Once Upon A Time 5.3 "Siege Perilous" Review

                                             
Back in Camelot Regina (Lana Parilla) et al still hide Emma (Jennifer Morrison) being the Saviour and the Dark One which obviously still gets on Emma's nerves.  As Snow (Gennifer Goodwin) comes up with the idea of getting Merlin to talk with them.  Which Regina finds they can do with the help of a magic mushroom.  Which sets David (Josh Dallas) and Arthur (Liam Garrigan) onto a quest.  Taking his sword and also the lasting light, well okay the eternal flame from the Burning Bush to guide them.   Which had to be a Biblical reference cos of the knight's crusades and all that.  Before telling him of the Knights of the Round Table and how Lancelot (Sinqua Wells) betrayed him, but he got his wife back.  The chair is reserved for those he can trust.  David tells him that Lancelot is dead.  Setting off in search of the magic mushroom, which they find across a bridge.  Each one swapping stories of how they're not noble and Arthur isn't royalty but a peasant.

In Storybrooke, Emma steals the dwarf's axe in the hopes of using it on the sword, since their swords can go through anything.  Only it won't work on magic.  Rumple (Robert Carlyle) tells her she needs to find someone who is pure of heart.  As Regina finds the book she marked with a question mark on the mushroom's page.  They need to find it.  Arthur's informed of the missing contents in the chest and they had a magic bean which would take them back to Camelot.  Everything from the chest is gone and they surmize it wasn't Emma who stole the contents as the lock was broken.  Obviously it was Grif (Giacomo Baessato) he was too obvious a suspect and as David and Arthur chase him, they finally find the mushroom back at the camp.  As David arrests Griff.  Arthur later pays him a visit and tells him he played his part well and gets him to drink poison all in the name of Camelot.  See Arthur had the mushroom all the time.

Regina tells Zelena (Rebecca Mader) she can't escape to Oz and take Robin's baby with him as she's still harping about how the baby will love her.  Regina threatening to hurt her but not her baby, which was a pretty pointless scene, six weeks earlier at Camelot.

Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) talks to Robin (Sean Maguire) about Emma as Granny (Beverley Elliott) gives him his order and Emma's note to meet him on his ship.  Belle (Emilie de Ravin) searches for something that Gold touched when he was a man as she found a spell which could wake him up. Hook has dinner with Emma and they talk of how she's not the same and she questions if he still loves her.  He used to, well not in that dress though!  ha; and now he doesn't cos he doesn't trust her and she won't tell him what's behind the door in her house.  He tells her about the Dark One and she's dark now as she recalls how Belle and Gold loved each other.  So they can do the same.  As Hook divulges how he was the villain on this ship as he held Gold to ransom, so he's the only one who's really changed.  He leaves her.  Asking Robin to hep him break in cos he needs a thief, he says he's reformed and Hook replies, he's like him, once a pirate always a pirate.

Belle notices the petal's almost fallen off but then the flower grows to be intact but Gold isn't at the shop.  Obviously Emma has him, along with Hook's sword which was the last object he touched as a man.  He's surprised at seeing her but he's no longer the Dark One.  She tells him he can help her and become a hero cos he's neither light or dark, hence she can can get him to pull the sword out.  What exactly does she need with the sword anyway.

Back in Camelot David is knighted and given the seat belonging to Lancelot, as Snow finds Lancelot lurking, he's still alive and he tells her Arthur's not good.  Thus we see him back in Storybrooke getting Grif to take the bullet, so to speak and poison him, cos there's no magic bean but they need to get back to home.

Hook shouldn't have been so quick to break up with Emma cos up to this point she still wanted him and he could've seen what she was up to, somehow.  Maybe she would've trusted him in time.  The title referring to the seat occupied by Lancelot which was hypocritical seeing as Arthur's up to no good, but he had the gall to say Lancelot betrayed him.  The scene with the truck and jousting when Arthur could've just left Griff escape.  Seems this ep was just to let David have his day and show he's not worthless like he thinks he is for not being able to save Emma, as well as losing the mushroom, which Arthur actually stole from him, cos he took along time coming to his help when he was fighting the knights on the bridge.  Arthur just seemed to have vanished.
Hook and Robin over their prospective love interests with Robin secretly viewing Zelena's sonogram of the baby.

NCIS 13.20 "Charade" Review

                                        
Phony Tony's was a little like the season 2.12 Doppelganger, episode where we got to see the entire NCIS with their so-called doubles in the PD, at least they were meant to be in mannerisms and similar names, not so much in looks.  This one had Tony's (Michael Weatherly) Id being cloned, ripped off and the like and that's what you get by having a loose woman in you apartment.  So she, Leah from 13.17 After Hours was just on a date with him cos of who he was, ie an agent rather than actually wanting him.  As he said he got picked up in a bar, which is how he usually meets women.  Must really be desperate lately ha!

What stood out about this ep was the relationship/bromance between Tony and McGee (Sean Murray).  They really have come a long way and easily watch each other's backs and have each other's backs should I say, after all that teasing and mucking around over the years, especially since McGee was Probie.  Though Ellie (Emily Wickersham) doesn't get the same sort of treatment as a Probie, she's not really treated as one so much as McGee was and Ziva too.

So the highlight or main of this episode is when McGee bails Tony out from the police station and he says he's quite frankly giving it up, or fells like he wants to leave the job.  How he doesn't want to be doing this anymore.  Sounded to me like something that may be written in when Michael leaves.  But probably think the writers/producers will have something completely different in mind.  More memorable of a swansong for Tony, as long as it doesn't involve any deaths or women, will be fine by me.  Think the title was a bit of a clue as well, heck Tony got a title to a film that's been mentioned before.  Okay I know that's not why.  Since we also had Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and McGee posing as Senators, didn't anyone think McGee looked a little young for a senator, nah more interested in the money.  But these phony Tony's nowhere looked like our Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo,

Maybe this episode is an extension of Bounce from season 6, one of my faves, but at least that fake Tony had a resemblance to him, even in passing.  As said Tony agreeing with the phonies that he doesn't have a life outside of work and no family of his own to show for it.  Doubt he has that many friends either, outside of work.  But his personal crisis will be a stepping stone to his decision to leave, however he does take that final step.
Tony: "I feel like I don't know who I am and it's strange because she stole my identity...What is this, seriously is this some kind of weird metaphor for my current psychological state."  We know Tony is more than that and has more potential, he's a damn fine agent and if he wasn't he wouldn't be on Gibbs' team for starters and that he was getting his own team but preferred not to take it at that stage. Now he's ready and so he can make other changes in his life too.

Aside from that, best line has to be Abby (Pauley Perrette) at Tony's apartment "Ziva's putting on weight."  Oh and didn't Miss Blondie Cloner touch the photoframe when she told him he likes dogs too, or some such nonsense, but Tony recalled the chardonnay bottle!!  Didn't After Hours seems like a prequel of sorts to this episode in that we get to see what he does in his time off (as if we don't already know) but that most of his time off and dates are mostly deja vu for him (and for us).  That he needs to change now he's getting older, age aside, that he has to find something more in his life and to his life than work.  To be fair, he did want Jeanne (Scottie Thompson) and would've gladly settled down with her, but she's married now
But Tony 'dying' in a car crash, a little too close for comfort, not to mention he's been lucky evading those, like when his car was blown up is season 5.1 Bury Your Dead, when he was undercover.

Was reading some comments from fans, no-fans generally when they mentioned how Gibbs is too old to be in front of the camera now and Mark Harmon should do the decent thing and leave or go behind the cameras.  That was harsh and such an ageist comment, why should he and he still looks good for his age.  Whilst others were bemoaning how Tony has just remained stagnant throughout the 13 seasons and is always portrayed as being nothing but a comic and always getting the funny lines and comments.  Well enjoy it while it lasts cos we won't be getting those again and no character like him either.  Begging to differ, he has evolved in many ways.  He's had his sad moments, heart broken, he's been almost given his own team, but preferred to stick around for his old team, especially when they needed him.  He's made headway with Senior (Robert Wagner) and even become friends with McGee.  There's plenty more he's done too like going undercover, rescuing Ziva and taken plenty for the team too.  SO if sometimes he needs to be be the clown, it's his right to be!

Paranormal Lockdown 1.6 "Kreischer Mansion"

The season finale proved to be every bit as exciting and interesting as the opening episode of this show, living up to its expectations of being an informative new concept and surpassing that.  It delivered results, not just evidence, captured from a 72 hour lockdown, but also how really putting yourself out there and interacting with the spirits can lead to a much more worthwhile investigation. As most things happen, or I should say many things happen when the spirits got to know Nick and Katrina over the time period.  As well as the investigations, Nick and Katrina are such a great team. No competition, no egos, no battles over finding the best evidence, or arguments.

Kreischer Mansion was one place I'd like to see, being into the mansions/homes.  The energy there didn't immediately strike as being dark, aside from that one room on the second floor, the one that kind of kept calling out to them and leading them astray, or off-point from their investigations, as if they should spend all of their time in that one room.  The one where Nick felt like something was trying to possess him and the evil vibes.  As well as the same room where Katrina's name was constantly called out.  And something being thrown there too.  To Katrina being grabbed on her elbow, which she hates, i.e being touched.  It's no wonder no one spent a night in that room, it would've proven to be next to impossible and dangerous.

The best evidence of the night was when Nick actually got "I'm Edward Kreischer" on the EVP.  Reinforcing he was still around, Edward was the one who committed suicide and his house was also the one which burnt down.  Had a feeling of deja vu whilst watching, the feeling I've seen the house before, something eerie anyway.

After the seance I wonder if they returned to that one room for one last time to see if they got anymore negativity or responses.  Even during the seance it was as though once again that room was attempting to distract, to pull them away from what they were trying to do in closing the doorway opened by the seance conducted by Edward's brother Charles and Frieda.  What I wanted to know is whether there was still activity in that room or whether this decreased after their own seance, using medium Colleen and whether the atmosphere in the mansion was still the same or if it changed.  Also was Edward still there and was it Edward on the EVP recorded during the seance, saying he was sorry, was that for taking his own life, or being driven to do it.  I ask since when Nick turned on the Geobox in the morning and Edward came through, Nick asking if he'd like some breakfast, sure there was a 'nooo' there in response.

The voice on the Geobox that says, "kill him," has an accent.  After Nick asks if something bad happened here, the voice replies, "I was hunted..."  If that was Edward and it did sound like him, it suggests there was more to his death just a suicide.  Considering the bad luck he encountered, including having his house burned down too, or was he driven to do it.
Though I have to also say that the Mafia killing could have also involved their intended victim hunted down and murdered too as he was lured there.  I was half expecting something to appear on the thermal camera and also on Nick's phone when he took the stills in that dark area of the doorway behind them, but nothing, aside from the creepy crawlies.  Katrina was right to wear her hat, I'd have done the same!  Ha.

Another compelling episode with some excellent findings as the season ends.  Hopefully there will be another season.  Though it's easy to say 6 episodes weren't enough for those of us watching, I'd also say 6 were enough for Nick and Katrina since they have to actually go through the rigours of the investigation and the lockdown itself, subjecting themselves to 72 hours of physical and mental exhaustion, whilst putting themselves out there completely.  Another 6 eps will do us just fine!

Mysteries Of Laura 2.2 "The Mystery of the Cure to Loneliness" Review

                                                  
Laura (Debra Messing) investigates the death of a woman in her apartment who allegedly committed suicide.  However with the Diamond sixth sense on the trail it appears she didn't, since there's an abundance of evidence stating otherwise, like the junk food, a whole pot of linguine.  No suicide note and why would she kill herself with hemlock when there are far less painful ways, that was my observation.  She's been getting meals delivered to her which leads them onto the suspect list which grows per investigation as we know.  But Santiani (Callie Thorne) isn't too convinced it's a homicide. Now that she's also got that marker board to display suspects and evidence (along the lines of Castle) which Laura doesn't like and I don't blame her.

Apparently she faked her cancer and only feigned to have it so she could meet people, which she did and helped out with various charities and helping sick children too, including helping with all the donations that came through after an Internet journalist did a story on her and her friend April (Krysta Rodriguez).

Well my suspect radar was on the ball as usual since it would have had to have been someone with access to her apartment and who else but Ted, (Richie Moriarty) especially since shifty Ted passed the buck onto another poor unsuspecting, er, suspect to get the heat off him as being the last one who saw her alive.  I mean as a suspect he couldn't even make a convincing getaway, crashing the car with the money inside and yeah you greedy people give that money back!!  Funny Laura picked on that man in the suit rather than anyone else, as if he's loaded cos he's wearing a suit!  Ha.

Silly line they gave Laura when she asked who takes the labels off their pill bottles, if you're going to dispose of them that's what you should do, hello, Laura police officer/detective, heard of ID theft!! Pill bottles here carry not only your name and address, but also your doctor's too, how easy would that be to get your identity stolen and cloned!

However how many of us only watch the show (okay investigations aside) to see the dynamic between Jake (Josh Lucas) and Laura, did I say dynamic, I mean the smouldering chemistry, those lingering forlorn looks, oh boy ditch Tony (Neal Bledsoe) he's just not right for her and I didn't like him last season either!  Yes Jake betrayed her, yes he's sorry, will he do it again, who knows but we both know where his feelings lie and I have to say Laura does have a soft spot for him.  Only a few minutes before I said they forgot what Jake said to her in the hospital last season finale and then forgot moments later, about his love for her and here Laura mentions it to Meredith (Janina Gavankar).  Loving Laura and Jake as partners, but it was a shame he had to take a demotion to hang around at the precinct.
Also obviously he still hasn't recovered 100% from his shooting, still needing pills for the pain which he's also hiding, was that out of his eagerness to get back to work, or not wanting to be a burden on Laura for longer.

Oh and Tony turns up empty handed, I mean what happened to all that food considering the way to a woman's stomach, I mean Laura's heart is through her stomach.  Skimping out on the food now and getting to second base already!  That's not on.  But I liked how Jake turned up at the end, cos an ending's not complete with him!  Laura really wanted him to recall what he said to her and gosh he looked so confused, didn't you will her to put him out of his misery, but it seems the writers are getting her and us to wait it out!!  Ahh that line, 'is there something you want me to say,' paraphrased of course!!  Poor man!  Which has nothing to do with me being a fan of Josh for THE longest time!! But maybe I am biased by an awfully large smidgen!!

And no I don't want to know any spoilers, I've strategically missed any and all tweets from September until now, so I'm not going to start reading either.  Though I still managed to hear about the season finale, which I'm putting out of my mind until I watch it, which is easier said than done, since I never forget a thing!!  When we getting news on a third season seeing as we only got a measly 16 eps this season?!!

Once Upon A Time 5.2 "The Price" Review

                                             
The Dwarfs packed up and wanted to leave Storybrooke for good but didn't know what they'd be in    for so one volunteered, Dopey (Jeffrey Kaiser) to cross the Storybrooke line once more and he was turned into a tree,a and in the middle of the rod, now that was safe; did this have connotations to or with Merlin then?  Seeing as he's somewhere in a tree in Camelot.  Speaking of, Regina (Lana Parilla) pretends to be the Saviour since Emma (Jennifer Morrison) can't, but you can tell she was getting peeved at being ignored and not being able to use her magic, with Regina taking all the credit for it.  Regina having to explain everytime Emma uses her magic she risks destroying them and Arthur (Liam Garrigan) is also looking for the dark one, so it makes sense if she doesn't actually advertize who she really is. Well for someone who didn't want magic and almost give it up last season, she's pretty much changed her tune and not cos she's dark either.  However Emma not using her magic can only be dangerous cos she'll need some way to vent her anger for having her glory taken from her.  Then again she can't be the Saviour and the Dark One too.

Also back at the ball, Henry (Jared Gilmore) meets Violet (Olivia Steele-Falconer)and David )Josh Dallas) calls it his first crush.  Whilst everyone is having a ball(!) Percival (Andrew Jenkins) dances with Regina and reminds her of a little boy in a village she destroyed as the Evil Queen and looked at the boy and smiled, as he tries to kill her, using the necklace he gave her.  However Robin (Sean Maguire) attempts to save the day and gets stabbed.  However Regina's magic can't save him, so they tell Emma to use her magic on him.  With Rumples (Robert Carlyle) appearing and telling her it comes at a price, so if she saves him it'll be one life for another.  Emma willing to be that price, but it doesn't work like that dearie!

Back in Storybrooke, Henry summons Emma and Regina also arrives, Henry saying that her speech wasn't meant for him but he didn't do anything to hurt her in Camelot like the others did.  Regina says she should just tell them what that was.  Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) sets it upon himself to break the curse using true love's kiss and questions Belle (Emilie de Ravin) on why this didn't happen with Rumple and Belle.  Cos as we know he wanted power and to keep his power and was afraid of losing it.  Wouldn't that make Emma the same since she's all dark now.  True love's kiss won't mean the same thing to her, if there still is any true love between them still.  So Hook does try it as Emma invited him into her lair, I mean new house, which really wasn't doing much for her, it wasn't as palatial or as regal as Regina's when she was evil, but she doesn't have any practice at being regal. He notices a locked door which later Rumple opened.  However no amount of snogging made any difference to Emma, who was just interested in having Hook stay around for a 'quick' one, which he refused, he's not into dark ones!!  At least not Emma when she's dark.  Well let's face it, all this time he wanted her when she was good and she just put him off and now she's Dark and in the mood, she expects him to do what she wants.  Maybe that does sound sexist but he wouldn't want Emma like that or to take 'advantage' of her in that way.  Though his way was okay in past seasons, I joke!

Arthur's also in Storybrooke along with his knights and others from Camelot who find themselves in the merry woods, as Robin and the others try to help, Robin's taken away by a dark flying creature and Regina can't save him.  Regina venting on Gold, is shown a book by Belle who says the creature is a Fury.  The only way she can save Robin is if it takes who the fury was originally meant for, that being her.  As they find him by the lake before the moon rises, and the Ferryman approaches to take him to the underworld, cos we'll also be in that territory soon, Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) joins hands with Regina saying she won't be alone, as does David and Grumpy (Lee Arenberg).  Showing they're no match for the Fury, well that's one plan foiled for now.

Rumple led her through the locked door into the basement where there was Excalibur waiting for her. Foolish girl had no recollection of the past and the warning in the cinema and tries to pull it out of the stone. Failing miserably.

So why couldn't Regina use magic to stop Percival and funny scene with David offering to teach her to dance, how many times would she have had that chance but as she told Snow, her father also danced with her and not his wife.  Henry playing music on his pod or whatever, which actually seemed to work and not freaking Violet out with that loudness.  At least got to see Hook in his red waistcoat again!  Which was probably the highlight of the ep!  Emma got her hair done from the mess it was last ep.

Didn't Guinevere (Joana Metrass) remind you of Marion, seems Arthur scoured the lands to find someone who wasn't much of a queen.  Almost a cue for Zelena to inhabit her body too, ha.  There must be something about Once Upon A Time and trees since Regina used to have her red apple tree in her garden and she also said last season how she feels close to Daniel since they used to meet under it.