Without A Trace 3.12 "Penitence" Review

CROTON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
Prisoners are escorted on a bus, inside one starts a fight and others join in.  One standing around with a broom disappears.

42 Hours Missing
The prisoner’s name was John MacAvoy (Jeremy Davidson) and his sister Laura (Anne Ramsay) asks the FBI for help. Viv  (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) tells her he’s not a missing person.  Jack (Anthony LaPaglia) says everyone including the warden think he’s escaped.  Laura says he would have been out on parole in 2 weeks and reads them an extract from his letter; 'my faith is truly being tested.  Come what may know that you are truly in my heart and that I have tried to walk the path the Lord has laid out for me.  Love Mac.'  Viv asks what’s happened to him if he hasn’t escaped.  On her last visit he told her he was attacked by guards and they threatened to kill him.  Viv assures her they’ll look into it.

44 Hours Missing
There were 66 inmates and 64 after the fight was stopped.  Ferris (Corey Reynolds) also escaped.  They don’t have any leads.  The fight was a distraction and they hid in the food service truck.  The guards realized they were missing after a head count but it was too late.  The guard assigned to the gate left it open, it was him, Orley (Dean Norris).  The Warden Hillary Guiterrez (Jenny Gago) says the relationship with her staff was fine.  Mac punched a guard 18 months ago during a fight.  Viv tells her they’re here because he’s missing.  Damon Ferris was state raised and has been in and out of prison since 16.  He and Mac weren’t friends as Mac was part of the Arian tribe; the leader is Beast.

Laura doesn’t seem to recall when Mac told her about the attack.  Jack tells her the real truth is she called everyone, i.e. the sheriff, warden to sell them the idea of him not escaping.  He lied about being killed by the guards.  He beat men up as part of a group.  Laura tells him people change and she saw this at his parole hearing.  He apologized for killing Mrs D’Angelo’s husband in a drunken brawl and cried.  He seamed sincere.  Mrs D’Angelo dropped her objections to parole.  Jack wants a list of known associates Mac may contact.

Danny (Enrique Murciano) and Viv question Beast but he’ll only speak to Danny, he’s not black. He has a 666 tattoo on his arm.  Viv asks him why Arians would help a black inmate escape?  He replies there’d be one less of someone like her.  Viv says he’s trying to steer them towards Ferris.  Danny replies that’s why they’ll focus on Mac.

Sam (Poppy Montgomery) finds Mac hasn’t contacted anyone on the list.  Viv asks for a background check on Orley.
The Chaplin (Damien Leake) attended Mac’s hearing and wrote a letter about his deeds.  He can’t see into the priosners’ souls.  They’re usually working an angle anyway.  Mac assumed religion for parole until a few weeks ago.  Mac told him he got no comfort from religion.  His father was a drunk and beat him up.  Every hit made Mac meaner.  He excluded his weak feelings and doesn’t cry or show mercy.  He can’t even recall the face of the man he killed and now sees him all the time.

Danny reads a bible in the prisoner’s cell.  He speaks with the Professor (Dave Florek) Mac’s cellmate.  He wants a job in the library in return for information.  Mac left the Arians and cut his tattoo.  He and a prisoner Randall Bowen (Billy Lush) seemed to be an ‘item’.

47 Hours Missing
Randall attempts to hang himself in his cell.

48 Hours Missing
Viv asks the warden why he wasn’t placed on suicide watch? As he was Mac’s punk, the warden thinks he’s got a death wish.  Viv says he had a good reason to escape.  Mac was protecting Randall.

Kansas (Cyrill O'Reilly) runs a gang.  He comments that Viv did a good thing by bringing a white man with her, i.e. Martin (Eric Close). Martin says he’s in charge and they ask why Beast helped Ferris escape?  Why Mac escaped and carved out his tattoo?  Martin comments on how it must be frustrating not having visiting privileges.

Jack tells Sam the Highview PD reported a stolen car with guns and ammo.  Sam thinks the escapees must be up to something big.  Danny questions Randall.  He understands why he needed protection from Mac and made a choice to survive.  Randall tells him it wasn’t his choice to make.  The others gave him to Mac as a present when they heard about his parole.  Kansas said they should take care of each other.  Mac didn’t want Randall.  He protected him because he reminded Mac of someone.

49 Hours Missing
Sam finds that in 1999 a Jersey City patrolman was shot and killed.  This carries a capital sentence.  An eye witness, Doris came forward to testify against Kansas at the Grand Jury trial.
Danny asks about Doris.  They need Randall’s help and offer him protection.  Viv says he knows something.

Jack tells Laura he’ll arrest her for obstruction.  Mac didn’t mention Doris and he wouldn’t kill her.  They had an argument and she wanted to help him.  He hasn’t done anything good in his life and only knows how to be inside.  He belongs in prison.  Jack tells Laura Mac was trying to let her down gently.  Laura asks Jack if he’s ever tired of being wrong about people.  Danny is stabbed by Randall.

53 Hours Missing
Martin pulls off Danny’s blood patch.  No one else knows of this set-up and he’ll be  recognized by the others for stabbing an FBI agent.  Randall tells them Mac kept a low profile.  He requested Randall should get transferred.  Mac told them he wasn’t one of them anymore.  Kansas wanted him to take care of Doris.  Jack says Doris is alive and well and in protective custody.  Sam says she spoke to the DA 6 months ago, the same time Mac began Bible class.  The DA moved her up so Mac had to escape now.

Ferris is picked up by state troopers.  He got the weapons from his cousin.  He doesn’t know where Mac is.  He saw his chance during the yard fight.  Mac was sweeping, minding his own business.  The guards went in and headed straight for Mac.

55 Hours Missing
Viv tells the Governor Orley is dirty.  He paid cash on an addition to his house costing $100,000 on a $45,000 salary.  The records of prison assignments show Orley changed Mac’s assignment to yard duty.    Martin wonders how Kansas keeps going inside.  He’s missed his daughter’s life whilst inside and knows he’s filed 7 petitions for visiting privileges.  Viv brings his daughter to the prison.  Martin tells him the fight was a diversion for Mac to be taken out.  He tells him to speak with Randall.

Danny tells Randall part of the reason why he tried to kill himself is because Mac tried to protect him.  His sister deserves to know the truth about her brother.  Kansas gave up Randall so if he goes back inside he’s a dead man.  He tells Danny Mac couldn’t kill Doris.  Kansas wanted him to persuade Mac to change his mind.  The guards brought Mac to him and din’t have a choice.  Mac lights a candle.  He’s listening to someone else now and says doing this will make Randall safe.  Mac hugs him and Randall stabs him twice.  He cleaned up and Mac’s body was burnt in the incinerator.

Jack tells Laura that Mac didn’t suffer.  Laura reads his letter:
"Dear Laura
It seems like every week the Chaplin preaches on Psalm 23 – like I have to be reminded that I’m walking through the valley.  It’s the other stuff, the goodness and the mercy that I need to hear about and I’m trying to find inside myself.
My faith is truly being tested but I’m not afraid.  Come what may, know that you will always be in my heart and that I have tried to walk the path the Lord has made me.
Love Mac."

Jack: “I don’t appreciate being made a jackass.”
Laura: “People change.  You’re wrong.”
Jack: “Not people like that.”  hey this people change line was used by Horatio in CSI:Miami 10.11 Crowned.  That was a coincidence all these years later.

Viv: “Your brother talk to you about what I was like inside?”
Danny: “No, the only thing he said is that everything that happens in here happens for a reason.”
Of course Danny’s brother was right about things only happening in prison for a reason, almost always the wrong ones.  No wonder prisoners who go in come out worse off than when they went in, in most cases. We get a mention of Danny's brother and him being in prison and how lucky Danny was not to have walked that path.

Danny looking through the Bible in the cell, was he just looking at it or was he looking for something inside it.    Typically prisoners do find religion in prison.

Professor: “You should watch your back…sweat smells of fear…”
Danny: “You should watch your mouth….maybe you should get your nose checked out.  That’s a little friendly advice.”
Danny has to rescue Randall when he hangs himself, true to form it’s what we’ve expect from him: he always has to do this, save someone or find the DBs etc.

Jack: “I just get tired of being right.”  Again he’s proved wrong.  Though makes you wonder why he wasn’t right about Maria or maybe he didn’t want to believe what a backstabber she’d turn out to be.

Danny being stabbed.  You could sense that was a set up a mile off.  He wouldn’t really be so silly or reckless as to walk around in prison on his mobile, oblivious to his surroundings.  Especially since he knows all about prisons and the prisoners.  Though on the other hand, it would’ve been interesting if something actually happened to one of the team at some point and not just Sam.

Danny:”You just shanked a Fed – thanks to me, you’re big man on campus okay.”  But in the end he didn’t really need his help anyway or protection.

Danny: “do the right thing.”

Randall stabs Mac in exactly the same way he did to Danny, no wonder he was such an expert at it.

Jack: “For what it’s worth you were right.  Your brother had changed.”

Mac’s letter at the end and the Chaplin referring to the same Psalm, you’d think he’d had a premonition about his fate and what awaited him.  Especially since he also tells Randall that doing what he was would make him safe.  He didn’t put up a fight.

Jack mentioning he’s never wrong about people.  Whereas at the end you know he’ll be proved wrong again.  The second time in this season so far.  He was also proved wrong in season 3 episode 2 about the bomb at the abortion clinic being on a remote, whereas I was on a timer.

It was a bit silly Beast saying he’ll only talk to Danny since Danny isn’t exactly a WASP, though he is 'white.'  Would’ve thought the Arians would’ve been prejudicial not only against black people.

Jack: “You shouldn’t eat this stuff.”  Another clue as to what’s going on between Sam and Martin when Jack tells her she shouldn’t eat junk food.  Some of Martin’s bad habits running off there since he’s the only one who does this.  Also one episode Martin eats a sandwich for a change so there’s Sam's good habits brushing off on him.

Going to prison didn’t affect Danny in any way re Viv’s question to him about his brother, does this mean they’ve been speaking to each other since he was released.

Danny’s scar seems to have vanished from his wrist.

A familiar episode of CSI here.  Lots of clues about what happened in this episode; such as the shank, Danny getting stabbed was just a repeat of what happened to Mac.  Wonder if they knew then Randall was guilty.

Also appears in the last episode with Danny’s brother, season 2 episode 18 Legacy – he didn’t really tell anyone about him and Viv asks about him in this episode.  Does that mean everyone knows of his brother now.  If so, she knows his name at least Danny’s real surname.  DO we take it they’ve been talking about his brother.  She could find out Danny’s name, that is if Danny isn’t his actual first name.

See CSI:Miami episode 24 from season 1 Body Count where an inmate at a prison is stabbed to death in the prison yard.  The murder being a decoy to help inmates escape.  Corey Reynolds before being cast in The Closer.

Downton Abbey Series 3 Episode 3

More monetary woes from Mary (Michelle Dockery) as she tried to talk Matthew (Dan Stevens) round into accepting the inheritance from Swire but Matthew was standing firm and not having any of it.  So the big wedding day was almost upon the residents but not before the family set out to see their new humble abode.  We shall name it Downton Place Robert (Hugh Bonneville) said.  Yet all this was being kept quiet from the servants, well most of them were going to be laid off.

As Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) fretted over the news from the doctor, Carson (Jim Carter) wheedled the news from Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nichol) by telling her he'd spoken with the doctor Clarkson (David Robb) who told him of the cancer but it wasn't conclusive yet.  Thus Mrs Patmore although aware of doctor/patient privilege went ahead and blabbed anyway, thinking the doctor told him.  Prompting Carson to request Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) to have a word with Mrs Hughes.  Telling her she can stay here for as long as she needs to rest.  Carson also attempting to lighten her duties.

Elsewhere, Thomas (Rob James-Collier) took it upon himself to get back at O'Brien (Siobhan Finneran) oh come on are these two just going to play like little children and try to get one up on the other, i.e. tit for tat.  He tells Molesley (Kevin Doyle) O'Brien will be leaving soon and he heard one of his nieces was in need of employment.  Leading Molesley to get in early with Cora and ask that she be considered as a replacement.  This being news to her and is thoroughly disappointed O'Brien didn't tell her for herself.  As if O'Brien would love such a cushy position!

Carson reveals O'Brien's plans to leave at dinner, which is also news to her.  Thomas with smug grin on face, which O'Brien later warns will be wiped off his face soon enough.  Actually, when he least expects it.  Thomas thought he was clever and tells her and Albert (Matt Milne) he hid some of Robert's shirts so he won't be caught out next time!

Mrs Hughes is given the all clear and everyone is relieved.  Not more so than Carson, who takes to singing whilst polishing at the end.  Ethel (Amy Nuttall) comes to see Isobel (Penelope Wilton) and is troubled but can't talk abut it.  Isobel gets her address from Mrs Hughes.  That place of Isobel's, it's so obvious the 'pros' are only there for a free feed, not to actually make something of themselves, is there a pun there?

Can't tell if Daisy is in awe of Albert or whether she just wishes she could be like him, care free and living for the moment as she asks Anna for advice about love.  Think she has a crush on him.  Anna pays a visit to Vera's friend and pays her off but she's reluctant to speak at first.  She tells her Vera was afraid of Bates (Brendan Coyle) and he had changed.  Telling her Vera had made pastry beforehand, as she scrubbed her fingernails.  Was this some sort of a clue?  Why make pastry if you're going to end it all anyway.  In prison, Bates is warned about being set up before a cell search.  He finds the offending material and hides it in his hand as the guards search and one of them is disappointed at not finding anything.  Talk about making it obvious that something had been planted!

As for Edith's (Laura Carmichael) wedding, the Dowager Countess (Dame Maggie Smith) is still insistent Robert get Sir Anthony (Robert Bathurst) to call the whole thing off again remarking despondently on the age difference.  Robert doesn't want to but he still has a word to Sir Anthony about it at dinner.  He hopes he will accept Branson (Allen Leech) into the family, just as they have.  Edith comments on her sisters being married and Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay) having a baby on the way.  Oh how did Sybil and Branson afford to be there for the wedding this time round.  So Downton has seen two weddings, it couldn't be third time lucky of course.  Where's the drama in that?  The big day arrives and Sir Anthony finally jilts her at the altar even if he was in torture.  The Dowager intercedes and tells her to let him go. As he's finally doing the right thing.

Think Mary jinxed the entire wedding by wishing Edith all the luck in the world before she stepped into the church.  Edith is resounded to life as a spinster and doesn't want any comforting from her sisters.  Well it's always Edith who has all the bad luck in the family and despite her selfish snickering ways, especially during the first series, you would think the writers would manage to give her some happiness, even if it was only for a few hours.  But alas it wasn't meant to be.

As for the inheritance, Mary secretly reads Swire's letter to Matthew and it transpires he knew all along about Matthew and his feelings for Mary, so he didn't want Matthew to feel guilty about anything.  Apparently Lavinia wrote to her father whilst she was dying.  Yet Matthew won't believe there is a letter.  After making enquiries, Daisy reveals to Mary she sent the letter for Lavinia when she was making the fire, they talked.  Matthew finally relents and gives Robert the news about not having to leave Downton.  Robert accepts his generosity but on the condition they are both lord and masters of Downton together.

Agh these Downton men and their notions of honour.  Matthew refusing to accept the inheritance, Robert only accepting Downton be saved if they share the manly duties and if Matthew invests in Downton.  Sir Anthony abandoning Edith as it's the honourable thing to do, never mind her happiness.  Yet the Dowager coldly steps in and stops Robert and Edith from talking him out of it.

Merlin 4.8 "Lamia" Review

A couple hear  a noise outside and John (Wayne Foskett) goes to check, telling her to lock the door behind him, but if the thing is supernatural, it will get in anyway.  Mary (Melanie Hill) comes to see Gwen (Angel Coulby).  The village has sickness and they need a doctor.  Gwen takes him to Arthur (Bradley James).  Gaius (Richard Wilson) declares Camelot is under a sweating sickness and he can't go, so sends Merlin (Colin Morgan) instead.  Arthur finds that hysterical but Gaius says he can describe him the symptoms and tell him so he can find a remedy.  So why couldn't anyone else do that, cos they don't have magic.  Arthur comments he's not capable of finding his backside most of the time."  No cos he's too busy making sure Arthur doesn't lose his, ha.  That's harsh coming from Arthur.

Gaius knows Merlin knows more than that and they put their life in his hands everyday.  he is intelligent, courageous and passionate.  "I have every faith in you."  He has Gaius's medical bag.  Merlin changes his shirts now in between from red to purple.  Elyan (Adetomiwa Edun) calls him Merlin and not a boy.  The sickness strikes without warning and his magic doesn't work.  Merlin sees a shadow outside and it's not Gwaine (Eoin Macken) answering his call of nature.  Merlin believes magic is at work.  John felt an evil and they need Gaius.

They come across some slave traders with a girl and they rescue her.  she forms a bond with Percival (tom Hopper) who becomes protective of her and she lashes out at Merlin.  She's a Lamia (Charlene McKenna)  Arthur feels they should have returned by now ad he leaves to rescue them.  Leon says they should ride east as she wants to go home.

Merlin tells him the people need help and Leon retorts he's not a knight, "you're nothing but a servant."  Elyan tells Gwen to stay out of it ad they've all fallen under her spell.  Arthur finds the abandoned wagon and dead men.  the scratches were made by a human.

Gwaine and Leon fight over her.  Agravaine (Nathanial Parker) left yesterday for Camelot.  Merlin suspects their strange behaviour began when they found Lamia.  She's bewitched them.  A Lamia is a "creature of magic".  the high priestess took the blood of  a girl and mixed it with a serpent, sucking life from them.  they become monsters.  Elyan is attacked.  Gwen was meant to wake them.  Elyan is then found unconscious.  Gwen tells Merlin Lamia did it./  the castle is near.  they leave a trail for Arthur, placing rags on tress.

Agravaine covers over their footprint.  Lamia disappears when they get t the castle.  Merlin tells them Lamia attacked Elyan and they can't see it.  Arthur must find them.  Gwen was with them.  Gwaine goes in search of more wood and is attacked.

Arthur finds the rag from Gwen's tunic, of course he'd "know it anywhere."  Merlin uses his magic to attack Lamia with a sword and she changes into the "hideous monster" Gaius mentioned.  Gwen fights it and Arthur saves the day.  Arthur: "...almost good to see you."  Arthur humorously comments Merlin was saved by a woman.  Arthur thought he knew everything about her, her loyalty, wisdom, when did Gwen become a "fearless hero."  he's proud of her.  well that felling won't last long.

Lamia was mentioned in Supernatural season 6 episode Weekend at Bobby's. Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) were on the hunt for one.  Lamia apparently sucks the life from men.

Didn't think this was that good an episode for season 4.  there was no Morgana and Lamia was predictable and boring, she didn't even look evil, let alone cat evil.  Arthur recognizing Gwen's rag from her tunic was the comedic highlight of the show.  Merlin having to put up with yet more jibes and put downs from the knights, even after they were under her spell.

Don't know why Agravaine was around - was it to ensure Gwen isn't found and thus he can be of help to Morgana with this unforeseen opportunity presenting itself.  Even the lamia didn't come after him, what a shame.

CSI: Miami 10.11 "Crowned" Review

CSI:Miami delves into child beauty pageants this episode.  Mothers preen their daughters for the beauty pageant and there is marked animosity between two of them.  Later the mother of one of the girls, Melrose (Danielle Parker) is found dead and Melrose hides out in the bathroom.  There are pillows stuffed under the bed to make it appear someone is sleeping.  Now how many adults would think of doing something like that?  The room is processed by Ryan (Jonathan Togo) and a pink bead is found on the floor by Delko (Adam Rodriguez).

Calleigh (Emily Procter) and Ryan talk with the pageant organizer, Darla (Kiersten Warren) she herself resembled a little girl in terms of intelligence and she sends her husband, Edwin (Larry Sullivan) to take care of the mothers.  Darla hasn't announced Suzanne's (Jenny Cooper) murder yet, but Calleigh breaks the news with the other mother, Alicia (Lindsay Northern) there.  Those girls didn't even look like children and Delko later says what I was thinking, that they resemble dolls, real life ones you could play dress-ups with.

Melrose is drawn towards Calleigh who tells her the Doctor, Rachel Porter (Aisha Hinds) will come and talk to her but Melrose doesn't want Calleigh to leave.  She gives her the necklace she wears for Melrose to hold onto for her.  This season they were showing how much children are drawn to Calleigh, prompting her later on to perhaps decide on having her own.  Well it looks that way.  It was obvious Melrose had something to do with with Suzanne's death.  I mean who would hide out in the bathroom if she didn't have anything to hide.  Some children would want to get out of there and get help.

Rachel asks if she saw who hurt her mother and Melrose recalls her father shouted at her.  Melrose also replies her mother just fell.  Which was another obvious clue.  Larry (Nick Sandow) says they argued over the amount of money Suzanne was spending at these pageants and he wasn't aware Melrose was awake, but he didn't kill her.  Ryan and Calleigh look at the surveillance photos and Ryan finds the tape was played and stopped at specific intervals.  Especially when Melrose and Tori (Caitlin Carmichael) the other girl, were in the frames.  Thus the girls were being targeted.  Calleigh calls Delko, who arrives at the room to find Tori missing.  Alicia didn't kill Suzanne over a Regional but she took the dress to her room to show her what she had done to it.  That's when the bead must have dropped off.

Darla's phone shows she was allowing her husband, Edwin to target the girls.  She claims he made her do it and threatened her.  At their house, Delko finds a separate part in the garden which reveals a section for children.  Natalia (Eva la Rue) finds Tori's clip on the ground and Delko finds a music box.  Prints on the box show that Jan (Meredith Hagner) Melrose's sister was also at the scene.  Showing she too had been kidnapped by Edwin.  But she doesn't recall anything and also used to take part in the pageants.

Horatio (David Caruso) wants her  to see the Doctor and she coaxes memories from her.  Jan recalls seeing a big mouse on screen and was held in a cinema.  Walter (Omar Miller Benson) finds six cinemas where the cartoon played and Edwin used to do his own thing on a Tuesday.  Only one of the cinemas was closed on Tuesday.  Tori is being held here and refuses to play with Edwin.

Natalia and Horatio holds guns on him and he threatens to shoot Tori.  Horatio allows him to run so he can give chase and shoots at Edwin.  He falls over the balcony and hangs from it.  Horatio refuses to help him and Edwin pleads for help, stating he can change.  Edwin falls and Horatio just casually looks on.  Clearly wanting to mete out his own justice once again and play vigilante.  However Edwin being a paedophile wouldn't have lasted long in prison anyway.

Walter analyzes the crown and finds there are prints on there which weren't visible before, like someone was holding it.  The substance is analyzed as fake tan.  He asks ME Tom (Christian Clemenson) if Suzanne has tanned fingers and he finds she does.  He thinks he missed it but Walter reassures him it wouldn't have been visible yet.  Melrose was being sprayed by Suzanne and she didn't want to be, whilst jumping on the bed.  She took hold of the crown from her mother and Suzanne fell onto it.  It is ruled an accident. Calleigh hugs Melrose.  What if she really wanted her dead - so no more beauty pageants.  Just saying there are children who are capable of such actions.  Calleigh reveals to Ryan she was in a pageant herself when younger, seems like they're the done thing down South.  Ryan can't believe parents would subject their children to them instead of letting them be just that, children.  Delko is disgusted with the whole idea.

Once more we get Horatio showing how much he has really changed and is no longer able to tolerate criminals without taking on the role of judge, juror and executioner upon himself.  Which is demonstrated over and over again every episode, practically.  It appears the writers were no longer concerned with 'doing the right thing' and especially as a law enforcement official.  Either that or they thought, CSI:Miami will probably meet its end and so they couldn't be bothered anymore.  Cos Horatio has come  along way from the caring officer he once was.  Edwin: "I can change..."
Horatio: "none of us changes that much."  Well Horatio is living proof that he has changed for the worse.

The idea for this episode was pitched to the writers by Eva La Rue and her own daughter, Kaya McKenna Callahan was seen in the episode as Blakley.

Walter: "Samo I got something."
Samantha "oh way to go Simmons."
Walter: "was that supposed to be funny?"
Samantha; "seeing as you're holding biological evidence in the trace lab, I figured you came in here for an ego boost."  A fun scene between the two to break up the seriousness of proceedings.  Just as well.

Doctor Who 7.5 "The Angels Take Manhattan" Review

"New York: the city of a million stories.  Half of them are true, the other half just haven't happened yet.  Statutes the man said, living statutes that moved in the dark."  Garner (Rob David) is a PI who is paid $25 a day plus expenses.  Grayle (Mike McShane) asks of he believes in statutes that can move.  Only they can't move when you look at them.  "The address was an apartment block near Battery Park he said it was where the statues lived.  I asked him why he didn't look himself.  He didn't answer.  Grayle was the scariest guy I knew.  If something scared him I kind of wanted to shake its hand."  'S Garner' on the door but it wasn't his place, not yet anyway.  There's an old man in the bed who is Garner.  "They're coming for you - they're gonna send you back in time...I am you."  'The Dying Detective"  is typed on the typewriter.  Statue of Liberty is behind him on the roof.

The  Doctor (Matt Smith) reads aloud from a book "...packing cleavage..."  Amy (Karen Gillan) doesn't want him to read aloud.  The book is written by Melody Malone PI in New York.  Did anyone think Melody as in River when he said that name.  Amy doesn't like him saying "Yowza" either.  Rory (Arthur Darvilll) adds only the Doctor "could fancy someone in a book."   Something's different about Amy, her glasses.  The Doctor says they "make her eyes look liney."  Rory tries to be diplomatic; saying "yes/no, not noticing them."  They kiss and the Doctor finds it humiliating when they do that.

He tries her glasses on, but hey her glasses were square rimmed, not round like he wears!  She wants him to read to her and he tears out the last page, "then it doesn't have to end.  I hate endings."  He reads: "...saw the thin guy..." i.e Rory.  Who meets River (Alex Kingston) "hello dad."  She doesn't know how he got here.  She is Melody!  The Doctor found the book in his jacket.

The year is April 3rd 1938 and River didn't come in the TARDIS since there are many time distortions in the city.  She used a vortex manipulator, "it's less bulky than a TARDIS.  Well she always used one of those.  It's impossible to land the TARDIS here.  Amy mentions weeping angels in a cemetery.  The Doctor explains the weeping angels take them back in time but Amy says they didn't start out in a graveyard.  On Page 43 she tells him he's going to break something. She has to stop reading ahead and "if you find that Rory dies...once we know it's coming, it's fixed."  Amy tells him time can be rewritten.  That's his line, he knows that, but it can't, not once you've read it - it's written in stone."  As in Rory's headstone which reads: " In loving memory Rory Arthur Williams."  Why did the Doctor refer to Rory dying, he could have said anything but he utters that specific phrase.

The Doctor needs landing lights.  The vase River looks at in Grayle's mansion is early Ming dynasty.  Rory can translate the Chines letters.  River tells him "a gift of the TARDIS hangs around."  Rory is looked with the babies, ie. cherubs and is given some matches.  China 221 BC, the Doctor has permission from the emperor to be here.  "Yowzah" is written on the vase and River says, "hello sweetie."

Grayle doesn't want anyone to see what's behind the curtain and turns out to be a weeping angel.  She sends the Doctor a message, "yowzah" and he locks onto the signal.  The angel grabs River's wrist.  River: "just you wait until my husband gets home."  The Doctor does a "final check" and fixes himself up for her.  "Sorry I'm late honey, traffic was hell."  He asks, "where now Dr Song?"
River: "it's Professor Song to you."  She was pardoned and there's no record of his death.  His existence, he deleted himself from every database."  The doctor replies River said he got too big.
River: "didn't you used to be somebody?"
Doctor: "weren't you the woman who killed the Doctor?"
River: "Doctor Who?"  Oh not that again!

She asks why he must break her wrist. Amy read it in her book and he has no choice.  River hasn't written it yet so they can't read it. River doesn't like the cover, but she was dressed like that when she came in.  Amy suggests they can read the chapter titles.  Chapter 11 Death at Winter Quay.  The Doctor is frantic when he reads Chapter 12 Amelia's Last Farewell.  Which is meant to be in reference to her last farewell to Rory, but in fact it isn't that at all!  He tells River to get her wrist out without breaking it and change the future.

Amy can't find Rory and he's disappeared from the cellar.  He's at Winter Quay.  He's been moved in space but not in time.  River got out but she doesn't tell him she broke her wrist after all and did change the future, kind of.  River: "that's marriage honey."   So she's not that good as he says she is. Why lie to him anyway?  he asks.  River: "When one's in love with an ageless god who insists on the face of a 12 year old...hide the damage."  The Doctor replies it must hurt.  River: "yes, the wrist is pretty bad too."  He heals her wrist using regeneration energy and she slaps him for wasting it.  She tells Amy to " ...never ever let him see you age, he doesn't like endings."

The door reads 'R Williams' now and old Rory "just died."  'Death at Winter Quay' is typed.  People get zapped back in time and creates time energy and the angels feed on it and send them back feeding off their time energy, like a  battery farm (at Battery Park.)  New York is the city that never sleeps.  There's plenty of food source and they're coming for Rory.  They will zap him back here and he will live here forever in that room until he dies in that bed.  Amy wasn't there cos he was pleased to see her.  Rory thinks he can run.  The Doctor tells him it's already happened.

River says if Rory got out it would create a paradox, the whole place would never have happened.  The Doctor says they need power for that.  Amy says they've got her. (The power of love.) They will run forever.  Amy: "husband run."
River: "husband shut up."  Hey the Doctor says that, shut up a lot that is.  They run.  Rory always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty.  He wants to jump over the edge so he will "die twice on the same building on the same night" creating a paradox.  Killing the angels.  Amy wants to jump with him.  Rory asks "when doesn't he come back to life."  Dying is better than old age without Amy.  "To save you I could do anything."  Amy wants him to prove it and take her with him.  Amy: "changing the future, it's called marriage."

They all end up at the cemetery again after they both jump.  The Doctor says they collapsed the timeline and "came back here where we belong."  Rory asks in a cemetery?  The Doctor hugs them and doesn't want them to do that again.  Rory looks at the gravestone which now reads: "Rory Arthur Williams Age 82."  Rory disappears and there's an angel pointing to the gravestone.  The angel is a survivor.  The Doctor says he's in that New York apartment.  River calls Amy 'mother.'  Amy wonders if there's room for another name and will the angel send her back to the same time.  River adds it's her best shot, all she has to do is blink.  "Me and Rory together" it's where she belongs.

The Doctor is despondent and doesn't want her to go, she'll be creating fixed time.  "I will never see you again!"  He was being selfish, well he had to be, also for us too.  Amy: "raggedy man, goodbye."  The gravestone now reads "and his loving wife Amelia Williams Age 87."  Inside the TARDIS the Doctor apologizes to River, they were her parents.  "Sorry, didn't think."  River says it doesn't matter.  What matters is he shouldn't travel alone, as Amy says.

River can travel with him but not all the time.  She will send the book to Amy to get published so she'll get Amy to write him an 'Afterward.'  'Maybe he'll listen to her.'  He recalls the last page, as did we and it's still there in the picnic basket, as is the basket!

Amy: "afterwards by Amelia Williams.  Hello old friend and here we are.  You and me on the last page.  By the time you read these words Rory and I will be long gone.  So know that we lived well and were very happy and above all else know that we will love you always.  Sometimes I do worry about you though.  I think once we're gone you won't be be coming back here for a while and you may be alone which you should never be.  Don't be alone Doctor.  And do one more thing for me.  There's a little girl in the garden.  She's going to wait a long while, so she's going to need a lot of hope.  Go to her, tell her a story.  Tell her if she's patient the days are coming which she'll never forget.  Tell her she'll go to sea and fight pirates.  She'll fall in love with a man who'll wait 2,000 years to keep her safe.  She'll give hope to the greatest painter ever lives and save a whale in outer space.  Tell her this is the story of Amelia Pond and this is how it ends."

Oh but we don't want it to end.  Did that have you in tears?  SO that's how the Ponds, Williams actually, left the show.  At least they didn't get killed off as most were expecting but got to live and get old.  Only live apart from the Doctor which is what he couldn't stand and didn't want.  That's what happens when you get to close to companions, but he needs them around.  So did anyone tell Rory's dad?

River somehow always ends up in a black dress somewhere doesn't she, re black dress with the Daleks in Manhattan.  Anyhoo, in the afterwards Amy refers to the episodes: The Eleventh Hour, The Curse of the Black Spot, The Big Bang, Vincent and the Doctor, The Beast Below.  Steven Moffat said he "completely changed" the ending he was writing and Karen Gillan cried when she read the script, that is when she got round to reading it.

Don't think Amy and Rory could have ever been killed off as they were rather well loved companions and though they were separated from the Doctor, they could never be apart from each other, after everything they went through.  It took the Doctor to bring them together in Asylum of the Daleks after that ridiculous divorce they were going through and they couldn't be apart now and not for all his woeful pleadings either, he would have realized that eventually.

Most of the filming took place in Central Park in April 2012, including some night filming.  The cemetery was in Llanelli, Wales and other shots were filmed at Bristol and Cardiff Universities.  Have to complain that Rory didn't get much of a send off being taken back like that and Amy didn't hesitate in wanting to join him.  She didn't want to stay with her raggedy old Doctor, no matter how much he wanted Amy to stay.  It was Amy's choice and she chose Rory - always.  SO much emotion and sadness and yet River never flinched even if the emotion showed in her face.  She knew how strong love is and she wanted Amy to be with Rory for as much as River loves the Doctor.

River and her vortex manipulator, could she visit them with it.  Even if she could 'send' Amy her book, where would she send it.  Not to that hotel since the hotel no longer existed cos of the paradox that Rory and Amy created when they jumped.  So when the angel sent Rory back, was he was presumably sent back to the same time and year but not the hotel, and Amy too.  So they wouldn't be stuck in that hotel together if it was destroyed.

A fixed point in time cannot be changed as we saw in the Impossible Astronaut and the Doctor's Death.  Tine can't be rewritten once you've read about it, that's a new one and River didn't mention her "spoilers" as she did non-stop before.  Oh and the flickering lights in the hotel when Rory went there.  But why did he go there and what made him enter it to begin with?

River being concerned the Doctor was using his regeneration energy on her why?  But hey she was/is his wife. Also River correcting him, she's not a Doctor but a Professor, as she was when we first met her in Silence in the Library.  No mention of him no longer not being able to recall her.  Maybe another time, as this was definitely Amy's story.  Yet he will travel to see the little girl in the garden won't he.

As for Chapter 12 Amelia's Last Farewell, this didn't turn out to be for Rory but to the Doctor as she bid her raggedy Doctor goodbye forever.  So much emotion exuded from all the cast but Matt's portrayal of the Doctor just gets better with age.  No pun there.

River and her line of "texting a boy."  Also great to see Amy finally calling herself Williams and not Pond, showing she embraced her life, both their lives in the end.  Karen cried in that final scene in the cemetery for real. We'll miss our fave companions Amy/Rory, Karen/Arthur!!

Can't help but think PI Sam Garner was named for James Garner, the actor who played Jim Rockford PI in The Rockford Files.  They always used to mention his expenses in that, though it was $200 a day plus expenses.  The first name Sam probably cos of Sam Spade, fictional PI in Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon novel.

Also when the Doctor tried on Amy's glasses they were round rimmed, Amy's were square rimmed and when he read the book they were still round rimmed glasses!  Just like the ones Matt Smith wore in Bertie and Dickie!

Some parts of this episode drew me back to the season 6 ep The God Complex. Amy saw herself in one of the room sin the hotel as Amelia waiting for the Doctor with her suitcase.  he tells Amy he's not a hero, that it's time she stopped waiting for him.  Which she finally did and even more so here.  Also Rory says, "not all victories are about saving the universe."  This one was clearly about saving Rory or even Amy but seems strange how the Doctor was unable to do that here, as he always has come up with some plan in the past.

 In 6.11 The God Complex, the weeping angels were also in one of the rooms and the Doctor reassures Amy they weren't real when he puts his hand through them.  Amy: "don't blink."  Here she does "blink" and in some ways this could be seen as a piece of foreshadowing here - that she and the others come across the angels again and it is them who separate the Doctor from his beloved companions forever.  In 6.11, the Doctor also tells Amy he's just a mad man in a box and here River alludes to not having two psychopaths  in the TARDIS at the same time.  In 6.11 the Doctor also acknowledged Amy as Amy Williams.  She went on to call herself Amy Williams when she was reunited with Rory.

CSI:NY 7.17 "Do or Die" Review

A killing of a popular student at a prestigious New York school has the CSIs investigating far more than education, as a far more sordid picture of the rich and elite develops.

A girl staggers through the hall with a wound to the back of her head and drops dead.   The other pupils can only stand around, stare and take photos on their phones.   Got my killer straight off, after she was interviewed, it was too easy: jealously, the girl scorned, made fun of, the boy never noticing her.   It's been done before.   Flack: (Eddie Cahill) "The digital grapevine is in full effect." They even snap photos of Jo (Sela Ward) and Mac (Gary Sinise) arriving.   The Vic was Olivia (Cassandra Jean) valedictorian of her senior class.

Flack wants the student body cleared from the crime scene.   Would've thought they'd have done that as soon as they arrived.   Those students were just making a spectacle of the Vic.   Imagine going to school with that shallow lot, though most teens usually are, but not everyone.   Jo comments on how most of the rich kids shop on the Upper East Side.   She was murdered on school grounds.   Flack: "used to be you'd tell your kids you'd be safe walking home from school; not through."  Mac translates the school motto but clearly they were not preparing for life.   Flack: "someone at Archford had a different idea."

Lindsay (Anna Belknap) had to be first on the main scene.   Mac comments on the lasceration to the back of her skull, which took some force.   Olivia staggered from the primary CS.   Lindsay says the students will never forget this day.   Actually they'll remember it for reasons other than compassion or suffer nightmares from it.   Lindsay still recalls in detail the night her friends were murdered.   As we get a flashback.   She had to bring that up.   Here we go again - everything suddenly becomes about her and not the Vic!  Mac on the other hand actually hopes one of them will recall what happened here for the investigation.

Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) removes a book on Greek Tragedies from Olivia's backpack, a library copy.   Danny: "You got a hallpass young lady."  Jo flashes her badge.  There's medium velocity blood spatter on the edge of the sink.   Olivia apparently was smart and had a book on Calculus C.   Jo didn't realize there was an A or a B.   Jo finds shoe treads on the toilet seat and unknown trace.   Danny's line of that being an unusual way of doing your biz!  Well, in some countries, the toilet seat is exactly where you put your shoes to do your biz.   Oh digression.

Flack: "Popularity has its price" and someone tried to take Olivia's spotlight.   Jo questions Olivia's parents who tell her she didn't have time for boyfriends.   Her parents didn't know what she was like at school, but then they're always the last to know the real truth about their children.   Jo promises to find her killer, just as Horatio (David Caruso) would promise.   The Vic reminds Sid (Robert Joy) of his niece.   The COD was epidural haematoma and the murder weapon was the sink.   There was no evidence of substance abuse and there was skin rash on her knees; which developed within hours of contact.   Traces of a microrganism.  A mark on her finger reveals an 'F'.   Prompting Mac to ask, "How does the smartest girl in the school, get an 'F'." Cos she wasn't smart.

Adam (AJ Buckly) processes her clothes and her backpack.   Danny incubated Sid's sample of the microrganism, which was mould, all grown indoors.   They need to grow cultures and isolate where she was.   This turns out to be the library.   Lindsay wants Lucy at this school, she's very easily impressed with outward appearances.   Danny's adamant she's going to go to a public school like he did and not one with such kids.   He mentions the Dewy-magicimy codes on the side of the book, which he never could figure out.   Lindsay has to call it by name, the Dewy Decimal system, what a show off, don't see her explaining it to him though!  What was the point of that line from Danny anyway, you don't need to understand it, unless you're a librarian.

Needless to say what followed next between the two was so forced and highly embarrassing for want of a better word.   When Danny finds signs of activity in the back: handprints on the table and Lindsay would have to notice the bum (ass) print!  Did we really need a 'demo' from them on the table - it's obvious what was going on there and something we didn't need to see!  Danny: "extra curricular activity" and Olivia must have witnessed it.   The prints on the table match  Benjamin (Austin Butler) that was convenient.   Having a record, so the school lets anyone in.   They search his locker to find porno DVDs he's filmed at the school.   Danny asks the principal what they're being taught here.   So that's his decision of not having Lucy here justified!

Flack questions Becky (Cherilyn Rae Wilson) the girl on the DVD and she's worried her parents will find out.   Well a  bit late for that now.   Flack: "I didn't realize having sex was considered homework."  Flack doesn't want a complete description of what happened.   Mac thinks Olivia threatened to tell what she saw Benjamin was up to, but on the contrary, she wanted in on it.   Adam believes he's found Martian soil on her blazer.   Jo asks Adam if the dog ate his homework.   Lots of school jokes from the team this episode.  Adam tells of the same chemical consistency of the soil from Mars.   Jo asks if she should get Flack to put out an APB on a little grey man.   Good to see Jo as the voice of reason here, advising Adam there's another explanation for this as secondary transfer, but equally good to see Adam acting so flustered and worried at the prospect of telling Mac, to the point where he's off when he sees Mac approaching.   Adam has to be sure of his findings.

Hawkes (Hill Harper) just when you thought he wouldn't be in the episode, says he's found the trace was from the intestinal remains of a scorpion.   The biology teacher, Booker (Jeremy Glazer) tells them it was stepped on when one of the students played a prank on Emmy (Scout Taylor-Compton) she and Olivia were very different from each other.   Emmy and Allen (Matt Angel) are working on a project together and who could have missed that soil in the cage! And the lava lizard from the Chilean desert, would have a completely different habitat.   Emmy hid in the toilet after that incident.   The cheerleaders knew she was there and were talking about her on purpose.

Jo was a cheerleader and says to Lindsay, "Don't act like you weren't."  Lindsay doesn't strike one as being a cheerleader, she doesn't look the type, and she doesn't answer either.   So whilst she was suffering from the trauma of what happened to her friends, she was on the cheerleader squad, don't somehow think so.   Mac suggests they're not looking at the evidence close enough.   Mac notices Russian names on the water bottle label, found in Olivia's backpack, so again it was apparent Olivia was the one who was cheating, but as she was the Vic, it was assumed she was innocent; because she was popular, didn't mean she was smart.   Lindsay trying to be clever again, but is caught out when she says the 'A' in National Security Act stands for Agency!  Jo calls it a cheatsheet.   Hawkes is impressed, but he's never cheated.   Hawkes finds prints on the label belonging to Olivia and another set inside the label, but no match.

Adam tells Danny about the teacher's computer being hacked to get the exam questions by way of a remote desktop access programme and demonstartes this by hacking into Mac's computer.   Jo comments every school has its cheaters and Olivia had everything going for her, but a popular girl also lacked a boyfriend.   Adam matches the soil to the Chilean desert.   Jo reads a note on the school paper from Allen to Olivia.   Flack says Allen forgot to remove the barcode from the bottle which was traced back to a credit card used by his mother.   Allen had study sessions with Olivia and he was helping her cheat, but he had an alibi.   Flack asks why he helped her cheat and finds there is a motive.   Mac explains there are three reasons for murder: money, revenge, jealousy.

Leading them to Emmy, at last.   She knew Allen in the third grade and he noticed her for herself, he didn't treat her like the others.   Jo tells her at that age she had braces and was made fun of all the time, like Emmy, she took that.   So Jo was a cheerleader with braces, ha.   She shows Emmy the school paper with the photo, she was jealous of Olivia.   Who exploited Allen to get what she wanted.   Olivia tells Emy she looks at Allen like he looks at her.   Clearly he was overwhelmed by Olivia, so he'd do anything for her.  Emmy regrets killing Olivia but she doesn't have regrets over saving her best friend.

More 'digital snapping' as she's arrested and taken away.   Jo wonders if Allen knew she loved him.   Mac says they learn all sorts of things not on the curriculum.   To Jo high school is not the end of the world, it's just the beginning.   Mac adds life's not a lesson that can be learned in school.   Was Allen really worth having as a freind when all he could think about was impressing the prettiest girl around, who clearly had no interest in him, other than using him.

Don't know about you, but this episode had pangs of the show Popular about it, aside from the murder, but nothing changes in school, over the decades; it's always about the popular girls and the jocks versus the geeks and the ordinary girls.   As for Emmy saying she regrets killing Olivia, she doesn't seem remorseful at all, that she was found out only serves to draw out the confession from her.   In the flashback to where she actually kills Olivia, it's so cold blooded and vicious.   She didn't really do it for Allen, it seems she did it for herself, without Olivia in the picture, she would be free to have Allen as her friend and the way she denies he's not her boyfriend to Olivia, just makes her sound desperate, that she wishes he was, but knows she'll never have him.   Though Olivia was the Vic and she didn't deserve to be killed, there's not much sympathy to waste on her.   She was just using Allen to get what she wanted and a better thing would have been if she had got her comeuppance as a cheat, losing her poplar status, than Emmy being marked and remembered as a murderer.   But  what I say is today's news is tomorrow's deleted text message!

Not CSI:NY's first foray into elite schools as the episode Dancing with the Fishes, featured a private Manhattan school where parents would go to any lengths to get their children a place and perhaps this episode shows what happens when their children get there!

Lindsay making judgements already about Olivia's death affecting them, when this is just something that's news for them.   She wasn't around when Flack, Jo and Mac arrived initially, so she didn't see the spectacle that was the real students at the school, snapping away.   Hard to believe any of them had consciences, which is generalizing I know, but at their age, they're not going to be reminded of this or be haunted by it either.   Yet even after Lindsay finds out what's been happening at the school, the writer didn't have her taking back this earlier observation.

Hawkes having to add he's never cheated, we know about his background from other episodes, so he didn't need to cheat, nor is it in his character, but it felt like he was having to justify himself, a bit like Adam does.   Even whenAdam figures out where the soil really came from and congratulates himself, he doesn't get any recognition from Mac.   Not letting on he hacked into Mac's computer was wise.   Also Hawkes just wanted Adam to tell them his findings, perhaps since Mac was around, but earlier on in the season he teased Adam along with Danny in Unfriendly Chat; they do act differently when Mac isn't there.

That scene between Danny and Lindsay  was so forced and not a hint of attraction or chemistry between them.   If it had been Danny with someone else, or even say, Flack with Angell, (Emmanuelle Vaugier) or someone else, that demo scene on the table, would've been so damn hot, alas it was anything but sexy; a damp squib! and didn't turn out quite as was expected when written on paper!

In the season 3 episode Consequences (one of my faves) mention was made of moon rock and here Adam thinks he found Martian soil.

Merlin 4.7 "The Secret Sharer" Review

Agravaine (Nathanial Parker) rescues Morgana (Katie McGrath) again - she is useless and always needs help.  Emrys knows everything.  Agravaine believes someone's telling him.  Gaius (Richard Wilson) knew he was lying when he spoke as he was the only one who knew of the Femorrah.  If magic was involved couldn't Emrys just know for himself, who said he had to be told.

Not another bedroom scene with Merlin (Colin Morgan) and Arthur (Bradley James).  Merlin gives Arthur a list of what he has to do: presiding over a garland competition.  He drags Arthur out of bed.  Commenting it's like having to work.  Arthur is glad Merlin's friend's at the tavern approve of Arthur doing a great job.

Morgana rides to find Alator the Catha (Gary Lewis) whilst  Agravaine plants the seeds of suspicion in Arthur's mind about Gaius.  Arthur can't believe Gaius is disloyal.  Agravaine tells him he knew where to find Dragoon for his father.  Agravaine wants Gaius to answer questions.  Agravaine: "somebody is plotting against you."  Which is ironic coming from the mouth of the very man who is plotting against Arthur.

Morgana wants someone abducted from Camelot which is not friend to Alator.  She gives him her bracelet blessed by the High Priestess.  Morgana mentions her mortal enemy is being helped by Emrys which is what made him wake up and take notice and help her.

Arthur looks on as Agravaine questions, rather interrogates, Gaius.  Asking what he feels about sorcery.  He replies it's against the law and he did practise it in the past.  Agravaine wants to know how he knew of the sorcerer to help Uther.  Why didn't Gaius just reply it's common knowledge where Dragoon lives, or he made his presence known instead of saying he was told.  Gaius has never met him.  Agravaine tells Arthur Gaius is lying, he doesn't have any evidence. Agravaine will find something.  Agravaine gives Merlin a dagger for Arthur.

Alator kidnaps Gaius, that was easy.  Agravaine leaves the magic book in Gaius's chamber that's why he didn't want Merlin to be around.  Agravaine says Gaius rode away on a white horse and was seen.  Arthur refuses to send out a search party.  Merlin attempts to convince Arthur it's not Gaius as he wouldn't leave without saying goodbye and Agravaine made it up.  Arthur won;t listen cos he's his uncle.  Arthur has had his "heart broken already today" and won't lose another friend.

Morgana asks after Emrys.  Gwen (Angel Coulby) will try and talk to Arthur but he loves Agravaine.  Gaius fights Alator with magic but gives up.  Merlin finds dirt from Agravaine's boots and the magic book in the chamber, couldn't he hide it somewhere.  Agravaine sees Merlin leaving in the mirror.  Gwaine (Eoin Macken) IDs the dirt as iron ore and knows where it's found.  He wants to help.  Agravaine runs to Morgana and Gaius gives Merlin away as Emrys.  Knew Alator wouldn't tell Morgana.  He wants to unite the Powers of the old world and the new..."the time of Albion."  Agravaine wants to kill Gaius until Gwaine arrives, he was right he did take Gaius.  He pretends to check his breath with the knife to see if he's alive and tells Gwaine he followed Gaius here and agrees he was kidnapped.

Morgana wants Merlin to stop interfering in things and wanted info on Emrys.  Alator calls Merlin a "serving boy."  He knows who Emrys is and uses his staff on Morgana.  He watches Merlin's expression when he tells her he knows who and where he is.  Morgana gets knocked out again.  Alator calls it an honour to serve Merlin. He's been hunted and persecuted but he's not alone.  He shares Merlin's hopes and "dreams of a world you seek to build" and will give his life to help him.  He bows before Emrys.

Another of Morgan's plans thwarted.  Agravaine cunningly admits he misjudged Gaius and Merlin was right.  They both owe Gaius and Merlin an apology.  Morgana wakens to find her bracelet.  Oh so she wasn't out cold all day then like last time.  Gaius says he'd protect the secret with his life but he gave it away.  They can't tell Arthur about Agravaine as they've no evidence.  Which is the same story as not being able to tell Uther about Morgana the last two seasons.

Arthur apologizes and Merlin owes Gaius.  Merlin gets time off for more chores.  Gaius loves Merlin too much to betray him.  He doesn't know who took him but is helping Morgana with info about Arthur and Camelot to bring down the kingdom.  Has to ask about Uther and lied about being a sorcerer for fear of being killed.  Uther was dying and he tried to save him.  One day Arthur will understand how much they've done for him.

Another episode where nothing much happened and as usual, the story keeps getting dragged out.  Of course there would be many people out there who want to help Emrys and share his vision, which Morgana doesn't seem to grasp.

The Closer 7.16 "Hostile Witness" Review

Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) is on the witness stand in court and has a flashback to Provenza (GW Bailey) telling Stroh (Billy Burke) he's a free man after he was accused of rape.  This time he is defending George Harris ((Scott Michael Morgan) who raped Gweneth in a motel room and she was found dead.  Kendall (Ransford Doherty) tells her TOD was between 5-6 hours.  Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) points out her clothes were ripped and torn.  Buzz (Phillip P Keene) comments on how she was out alone on Valentine's Day.  Provenza adds she was 'Looking for Mr Goodbar.'

Tao (Michael Paul Chan) tells her Harris was arrested for rape and Brenda emphasizes he had two room keys, meaning he had a partner.  Morales (Jonathan Del Arco) must look at the Tox screen before he can determine what she was drugged with and she has bruises on her face.  She was handled and dragged.  Claire Baldwin (Amanda Mason Warren) the DDA states the pathologist's report has already been admitted and that she was drugged with rohypnol.  Brenda can only focus on Stroh.

Claire asks Brenda why she thinks Gweneth was murdered and Brenda replies since Harris was the last one to see her alive and he left his driver's licence behind.  Provenza finds the same scenario exists between Gweneth's rape and an earlier case involving Natalie Gilbert who has disappeared.  Perhaps she could ID Harris's partner.  The charges against Harris were dropped as far as Natalie (Julia Whelan) was concerned.  Flynn (Tony Denison) tells Brenda Stroh represented him back then and Provenza asks why he did that?

Stroh says the case gave "purpose to his life."  Brenda knows how to find Stroh and she tracked him using GPS since the Johnson Rule came into effect.  Stroh says they're his clients.  Brenda tells him DNA could prove useful in court and he places the dishes in the bowl of water in the restaurant.  Raydor (Mary McDonnell) reminds Brenda of the Federal law suit which has just been settled; seems everyone's still harping on about it though.  Raydor is still unable to prove who the leak is, cos it's going to be dragged out!  Stroh was also part of the lawsuit.

Tommy (Alex Solowitz) the doorman recalls Harris was the taxi driver and he picked up Gweneth.  Brenda shows him mugshots with Stroh and he recalls Stroh left the club earlier on.  Pope (JK Simmons) is angry at Brenda's investigation after he is approached by Claire.  Telling Brenda Stroh is representing the suspect.  Taylor (Robert Gossett) adds Stroh likes blondes.  Brenda reminds them of the creation of the Johnson Rule.  Claire says if the DNA confirms it then she can make a case for rape.  Brenda wants Harris charged with murder and so he'll give up Stroh.  She must prove it.  Taylor says the case won't go to court for a year so Brenda will have all that time, er, not really she won't.  Brenda will be able to get evidence. She must find the Vic first.  Pope insists, practically orders Brenda to treat Stroh as a defence lawyer.  Brenda:" you're always clear."

Fritz (Jon Tenney) finds Natalie in a mental institution as Marilyn Monroe.  Her licence matches Natalie.  She's back on her meds.   Brenda is so annoyed with Claire and calls her so competitive.  Fritz will see if Natalie is lucid and Brenda wants him to signal her in court.  Brenda is cross examined.  The DNA sample doesn't suggest that Harris raped her and Stroh tells Brenda it's only her opinion that she was drugged.  She can't determine when the drug was taken.  He tells her to read out Gweneth's COD, which was OD and the manner of her death is 'undetermined.'

Stroh tells the court he has two keys to his car, his house, "does that make me a rapist."  Well that was a rhetorical question cos everyone knows the answer to that, especially Brenda.  Brenda says 'yes' and points to Stroh.  Claire is angry and Brenda has "guaranteed us a mistrial." Well that's what she wanted all along so she would have more time to find evidence against Stroh, or at least get Harris to give up his partner.  The Closer in the courtroom, my kind of episode!  At least this episode fooled us into believing they were closing the case with Stroh so Brenda was tying up all her loose ends in the last season.  Brenda is still determined to get her man.

Brenda tells judge Crosby (James B Sikking) that Stroh really is a suspect in the investigation.  Gweneth ODed on drugs but as a nurse she would know the drugs would kill her, which is what Claire says.  Brenda replies murder suspects aren't always told they are such.  The judge orders a mistrial.  Claire agrees to a bail at $25,000 and not $75,000 as asked for by Stroh.  The case will resume in one month.  Brenda asks the judge for a removal order for a witness.

Sanchez (Raymond Cruz) says they re-arrested Harris for raping Natalie, after his mother posted bail, which is why it was set so low.  Flynn says Natalie knows her real name.  Brenda sees Natalie as a Vic but Claire calls her a witness and wants to question her, with Gabriel and Tao present.  Brenda wants Gabriel to get Natalie to look at the photo of Stroh.  Raydor reminds Brenda she doesn't have much time to speak with Harris before Stroh arrives.  Claire wants Tao and Gabriel with her as they're great on the witness stand.

Brenda only wants to make Harris aware of the charges against him.  Sanchez tells him they found Natalie and Brenda knows Harris didn't drug her.  His partner made Gweneth OD which is murder.  Natalie doesn't recall the club or how she got there and recalls a room in a motel.  Gabriel is sorry for what happened but she can put away who did this.  She didn't disappear as she was told when the jury heard she was taking drugs for her bi-polar disorder, they wouldn't believe her.  She doesn't know what happened.  Her life is destroyed and Claire doesn't give Gabriel a chance to show her Stroh's photo.

Claire tells her all she has to do is go to court as a witness and tell them she had sex without consent.  Brenda wants to offer Harris a reduced sentence in return for his partner, who drugged Gweneth.  He shouldn't take the fall.  Stroh tells Brenda she's the "worst loser I've ever met."  He found the GPS tracker and figured he was being followed by her, not Harris.  He calls her arrogant considering the lawsuit was settled.  More mention of that dreaded lawsuit.

Tao finds Natalie woke up early cos of the drug she was taking as the rohypnol was blocked by the enzyme and she woke up quickly.  Thus they upped the dose on Gweneth.  Raydor says Natalie refuses to ID him.  Provenza says Natalie is homeless so Brenda takes her home under the Johnson rule, for someone who wasn't happy with the Rule, she finds every opportunity to use the rule to her advantage.  As she needs protection.  Brenda is concerned about what will happen to Natalie when she's not here and the man will come after her again.

Fritz doesn't think Brenda is being fair dragging Natalie through the rape again since the GPS shows Stroh wasn't at the bars or the motel.  Brenda wants Harris and Stroh.  Natalie remembers she was at Stella's - the nightclub.  Flynn takes Stroh there and tells him "it's ladies night."  Natalie recalls the doorman, Tommy and then recalls Charlie, the bartender.  Harris's partner.  Brenda is livid, knew something like that was going to happen.  Stroh tells her he can't understand the point in drugging women to have sex with them, they should be free to fight.  Brenda says she can't make deals with murderers.  Stroh: "lighten up, you got your man, as always." Hey I said that earlier on about Brenda getting her man, but she hasn't.  Not the one she really wants to get!

Harris tells her Charlie met girls and agreed to hook him up.  Brenda gives Stroh dirty looks.  She was choking and he shook her.  She wasn't breathing and Charlie put too much rohypnol in her drink.  Brenda shakes Stroh's hand. "you'll see me again, count on it."  Would have thought she would have got his DNA or something, you know she could have scratched him or something.  Claire has told Pope how Brenda behaved towards her, condescending and harmed the prosecution of her case.  Raydor tells Brenda Pope believes she needs to bring the prosecutors into her cases earlier on.  Brenda is adamant she didn't provoke a mistrial.  The DA's office wants more open access to Major Crimes and Brenda can no longer investigate Stroh without Pope's approval.  She has to take his orders seriously and Brenda replies she is.

There Pope goes again, covering himself in light of this case.  Whether or not Brenda provoked the mistrial, made no difference in the end cos she didn't get Stroh and he was the one who was so arrogant, especially when he he knew he didn't rape this time but it doesn't absolve him of his crimes.  He's still guilty and I hope Brenda does nail the slimy criminal!

Although Brenda mentions the Johnson Rule for the GPS on Stroh's car, she still has a warrant for it.  Provenza; "Pope know about this...I take that as a 'no.'"

Brenda; "The Federal lawsuit is settled, Goldman is ancient history.  Who does the leak have left to inform - you?"
Raydor: "wouldn't that be great."  Isn't Brenda at all curious about who the who's been betraying her.  Great episode, every enjoyable.  Hated Claire though, ugh, she was also arrogant in showing she knows how to do her job.  In that respects, she was no better than Stroh.

Stargate Atlantis 5.17 "Infection" Review

Rodney (David Hewlett) says the shield is better as the cloak offers them no protection as a ship approaches Atlantis.  Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) stands by to fire the drones if necessary.  Atlantis is cloaked.  An encrypted file is transmitted using Daedalus algorithms.  It's a message from Todd (Christopher Heyerdahl) who needs help.  Rodney says the file is corrupted.  Ronon (Jason Momoa) wants to blow him up.  Woolsey (Robert Picardo) tends to agree.  Rodney wants to communicate using the jumper and doesn't find any lifesigns.  Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) can't find any Wraith signs but they could be hibernating.

Sheppard says, he's "flattered to think you think Todd would kill me."  They can now locate the bridge on the Hive ship without Rodney's help.  There's no crew awake and they won't wake up.  There's a power fluctuation and they find Todd's file.  The crew suffered from a disease due to the complications of gene therapy.  He took some of the therapy when he was on Daedalus and it worked.  He treated his crew and then saw problems, some died, others are sick.  Sheppard says he can fire drones at them but Woolsey wants him to find out what went wrong.  Revive some of the crew even.

Ronon kills some Wraith.  Teyla doesn't want them all killed off.  Whilst returning back to the Hive a Marine 'extra' is attacked and killed by the Wraith.  The wall is melting down.  The treatment worked and created a disease weakening their immune system.  Rodney says it helps to have an ego.  They can use the life signal detector but they reach a dead end.  A Wraith tried to eat the Marine, is how Ronon puts it.  Sheppard is attacked by an unmasked Wraith soldier.  Rodney adds that "starving the Wraith led to them learning to use their teeth."

Jennifer (Jewel Staite) hasn't gone though the data.  Sheppard: "the IOA can sue me."  Ronon finds the way back looks different and there's a gaping hole where the way out used to be.  Rodney has a theory, glitches in all the systems.  They self-regenerate when damaged and the ship is reconfiguring itself wrong.  There's no communications.  Rodney thinks they should revive Todd and Jennifer says he won't last long.  That's the one thing Sheppard liked about that plan.

Todd says the Hive ship has the disease as there's an exchange of Wraith fluid with the Hive during hibernation.  Sheppard screws his face in disgust.  Hey one track mind there Sheppard!  Sheppard can't let the other Wraith out and gives the go ahead to kill them and call it a malfunction.  Todd finds it funny a human apologizing to the Wraith.  But Sheppard is a soldier.  She's a doctor and his job is to save lives too.  "He just has a different set of tools."

Rodney can override the safety protocol but one chamber doesn't accept the command.  Sheppard suggests to plant C4 but the pods are already opened.  Jennifer uses Iratus DNA in the treatment and she got the idea from Michael.  Todd can undo the disease.  Healthy Wraith can heal themselves and it's a treatment of the last resort using the Iratus bug.  There's no hope for the others.  There is a planet and it's not about wanting the Wraith restored.  Sheppard owes him but he doesn't owe him anything.  Hey wasn't it dangerous leaving Jennifer alone.

Rodney fears the Hive ship could be ripped in half and they're stuck behind  a locked door.  For marines, they tend to leave  a lot behind.  The Hive ship breaks apart and they head for the planet.  Now they need Todd's help and Sheppard agrees to take him to the planet if he lands the ship.  Sheppard can fly the ship across the water, he's done this before.  The Hive sank after being rescued, Woolsey tells him.  Sheppard wishes he was awake to see that.  Sheppard thinks Todd will die anyway, if successful in therapy they will need Todd's help.  Sheppard made a deal and Todd will remember this.

Lots of interaction between Todd and Sheppard here as Sheppard has to ask for his help with the ship in quid pro quo fashion.  Then has to return the favour by letting him go to the planet with the Iratus bugs.  Showing once again he's a soldier first in having no hesitation in 'culling' the remainder of the infected Wraith.  But as Jennifer reminds him, it's also up to him to save lives even as a soldier, it's not all about killing for him.  Still there's a possible conclusion to the Todd storyline here.

Also references to Carson Beckett with the Iratus bug and Michael's work with Michael holding Carson responsible for his condition.  With Todd trying the treatment for himself without Jennifer's help and on the rest of his crew too.  In some ways he probably holds her responsible too.  Enlightening conversation between Jennifer and Todd about compassion which he views as human weakness.  Yet that same compassion is probably one reason Todd is allowed to leave for the planet, any favours or deals owing aside.

Teyla's reference to Todd leaving his crew to their mercy is from the episode The Lost Tribe.  Ronon's reference to a Wraith ship from another reality is in reference to The Daedalus Variations.  Alex Levine wrote on his SciFi.com blog how, "we needed to tell a story that wraps up the Queen/gene therapy storyline..."  Still at least it wasn't a bad episode, lots of humour and Sheppard comes through in the end with letting Todd go.

Downton Abbey Series 3 Episode 2 Review

Mary (Michelle Dockery) and Matthew (Dan Stevens) return to Downton after their honeymoon and Matthew drives up in a new car, which is a luxury he's splashed out on since Downton will be sold soon.  Then again if it is, the show will no longer be able to have that title, ha.  Of course the family are surprised to see the car but more importantly the money issues are still simmering under the surface for Mary.  She still wants Matthew to reconsider taking Swire's inheritance.  He feels he will be cheating the rightful heirs out of it after he broke Lavinia's heart.

Thus leaving Mary and Dowager Violet (Maggie Smith) no choice but to find a way to convince Martha (Shirley Maclaine) to give them the money somehow.  But she sees right through them of course.  Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) and her brother, Harry will share the money and it's not right that her brother should lose out on half his fortune just to save them.  Cora tells Mary she must move on with the times, and isn't too perplexed by them having to move; but Mary insists she wants to save Downton and become Countess Grantham here one day.

More goings on under the stairs, ha, too this week as Thomas (Rob James-Collier) is definitely out for Alfred's (Matt Milne) blood again.  This time he makes mischief by advising Alfred on how best to remove a stain from Matthew's tails.  Instead he burns a hole in there which he can't fix and Matthew can't wear for the elegant dinner Mary has planned.  Thus he sends it to his London tailors, so why not just get another one instead after lavishing money on a car. Alfred insists he doesn't know how it happened and Thomas is adamant he showed him to use soda crystals, however Alfred has an ally in O'Brien (Siobhan Finneran) who gets her own back on Thomas by stealing all of Robert's (Hugh Bonneville) good shirts.  Whatever happened to Thomas and O'Brien and their never ending alliance.

Thomas is beside himself when Robert doesn't have any shirt to wear for the dinner and asks him, "are you not so popular downstairs Thomas?"  That should have been obvious two series ago.  Cue Robert and Matthew both wearing their dress suits and black ties instead of their whites.  Alfred gets cosy with Martha's maid and they steal kisses whenever they can which Daisy (Sophie McShera) spies them doing.  She finds it all a bit fast and he says he's happy and that's all that matters, even if it doesn't last.

Mrs Hughes (Phyliss Logan) finds out she may have cancer as she finds a lump and Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nichol) accompanies her to the doctor.  The house being in even more turmoil now as they haven't the staff and Carson (Jim Carter) doesn't feel Mrs Hughes is pulling her weight.  She wants her condition kept quiet but you know Mrs Patmore will spill.  Daisy notices the oven is smoking but they don't really notice it until the night of the dinner when there's no food cooked.  Martha comes to their aid by telling them to throw together whatever they can find and allow their guests to eat anywhere around the house.  A picnic at Downton. This is all too much for the Dowager who needs a drink and asks Robert for one.  "Oh, I thought you were a waiter," she tells him in his suit.  Alfred finds the shirts and returns them to the cupboard and Thomas can't explain their reappearance.

Anna (Joanne Froggatt) visits Bates (Brendan Coyle) in prison still and is attempting to find info to help him.  She wonders why Vera would write to her best friend instead of visiting her. She brought a garter in France, the highlight of her trip then.  Later on, Bates threatens his cellmate as we see another side of him.  Probably leading us to believe he had it in him to do away with Vera.  He's not happy to hear Downton may be sold.

The scenes with Mary and Matthew make me wonder why they got married, aside from their canoodling, they seem to be so distant especially with Mary showing her elitist snobbery at every moment wanting him to take the money and rescue her family.  Robert is resigned to them losing their home as Matthew tells him about the inheritance and he reluctantly accepts Matthew's decision.  All the while maybe thinking why his son-in-law doesn't have more backbone.

Isobel (Penelope Wilton) has taken it upon herself to help the pros of York and meets up with  the maid with the baby from last season who runs away from her.  Edith (Laura Carmichael) is still pining over Sir Anthony (Robert Bathurst) and the Dowager gets Robert to tell him to keep away from Edith.  Not cos he's a cripple, as Anthony refers to himself, or has money, but cos he's 25 years her senior.  Edith thinks it's cos they don't want to see her happy and she runs to Martha.  She asks why Robert accepted Branson, a chauffeur but can't accept a titled man.  Robert asks her if she's accusing him of being shallow and finally allows the union.  Though they haven't told anyone about their wedding plans yet.

It's no surprise the ratings have dropped for this episode since there doesn't seem to be anything different or exciting happening as in the last two series.  The buzz has fizzled out.  But at least Dame Maggie Smith won an Emmy for Best Supporting actress, without her quips and one liners the show would be even more duller.
Martha decides it's time to leave and they can't wait to be rid of her.  Also singing Let me Call You Sweetheart at the dinner and holding the Dowager's hand in the process.  The Dowager was napping during those proceedings and it's hardly surprising why.

CSI: Miami 10.10 "Long Gone" Review

A man walks his dog home and notices water coming from his neighbour's house.  Ryan (Jonathan Togo) and Delko (Adam Rodriguez) arrive to find the family, the Nolan's, were abducted from their home.  The sink was left running, the stove was on. There is also a daughter, Olivia (Cordelia Reynolds) who lives away from home.  Tripp (Rex Linn) and Calleigh (Emily Procter) go to her house and find a man there.  Officer Delarenzo (Dylan Osean) notices he's not the one in any of the photos.  The man says he'll call Olivia and leaves the room to get the phone.  Why not use one of their own phones, cos he's obviously going to make a run for it.  Calleigh in her heels.

Olivia's boyfriend, Tom (Luke Kleintank) is called and he brings Olivia in.  Her mother, Carol (Timi Prulhiere) suffers from asthma and her inhaler was left behind.  A tooth was found in the driveway and Natalia (Eva la Rue) back this week, analyzes this, finding it's a match to Tom.  He's in the system, as she tells Horatio (David Caruso) cos he applied to work as a teacher.  Tom claims he had an argument with her father, Andrew (Jay Karnes) when he told him he's moving in with her.  There was more going on here than he was letting on.

Ryan says there's not much to go on, as the evidence was washed away by the water and Delko notices an air conditioning system which seems to be sucking air in.  It turn  out to be a dehumidifier and here they find cocaine residue.  Whilst Ryan checks the garage he notices the water was collecting under the car.  In the oil catch they find cocaine.  Olivia denies the family would be involved and she doesn't know her father  lost his job two years ago.

Sam (Taylor Cole) analyzes the cocaine to discover it was from the 1990's and has traces of pesticide the US paid the Colombians to spray over the crops.  Natalia seems to be impressed by this, or rather appears to be humouring her instead.  She tells Natalia she's proficient in firearms and got the highest score.  Natalia suggests they go to the firing range sometime.  She's taken her detective test and can't wait to get back out in the field, as she was previously with the DEA taskforce.  Sam didn't tell Walter (Omar Benson Miller) that.

The drugs belonged to Oscar Duarte (Jonathan Banks)  who was recently released from prison, but Horatio can't tie anything to him.  The visitor logs from the prison show he was visited by Tom who was running the drugs for him.  Duarte buried the drugs in a field which was later developed and the Nolan house was built over this.  Well those developers didn't do a good job of clearing if the drugs were never found!

Andrew found the drugs and sold them to pay for his mortgage.  That's why he fought Tom when he came to retrieve the drugs and his reason for getting close to Olivia.  Tom doesn't know the whereabouts of the family.  When Calleigh and Tripp went to the house with officer Delarenzo, he was introduced as an 'extra' officer, who puts together Olivia's boyfriend not being this man.  analysis leads to Kurt (Blake Shields) the same man at the house and there's a shoot out when they arrive there.  Delarenzo is shot in the neck and Tripp can't save him.  Tripp's known him since he was ten he tells Kurt and he was a friend of his father's.  Another tragedy for Tripp.

On the way to the station, Tripp takes a detour and Horatio is waiting.  Kurt doesn't spill on the whereabouts of the Nolan's so Horatio punches him.  Again crossing the line.  This is getting tedious writing this over and over.  Getting away with police brutality endlessly.  It's not shown what happens to Kurt.  Someone should file a complaint - no really?

Walter had less to do this week.  Delko arrives earlier on at the scene and Ryan mentions the shoeprint and Delko not giving him a few moment of glory.  Andrew convinces Duarte to let him leave and he'll get his money.  He holds up a pharmacy with the gun Duarte gives him and steals money from the till and an inhaler. He then holds the gun on Duarte and pulls the trigger.  He wouldn't give him a loaded gun.  He throws the inhaler to the floor and Andrew agrees to fly him out of the country on one of the company's planes.  Where Calleigh and Delko find him, after a woman calls the police when she spots the van and Duarte spots them both.  Andrew goes for the gun and is shot in the process.  He tells them where his family is before dying.  Horatio arrives in time with the paramedics to save Carol.

Oh look, another shoot out at the airport.  Reminded me of Horatio being shot there and left for dead in an earlier season.  These CSIs have become so amateurish over the years.  No wonder they need to resort to terror tactics.  Can't say I enjoyed this episode much.  Haven't enjoyed one since season 8.  It was about family and what Andrew did to help his but in the longrun he should have known better.  Coming good in the end when he saves his family by taking Duarte out of the motel.

Ryan taking shoeprints from the house which Delko matches to Bobby's shoes.  Ryan: "what is it with you?  You can't let me have two minutes of enjoyment here?"  But Ryan is moved when Delko tells him of Delarenzo's death, cos they've all been there and that close to death too.