Doctor Who - 5.1: "The Eleventh Hour" Review

The fifth season opens with the eleventh Doctor, crashing the TARDIS to find Amelia Pond; a girl with a crack in her wall. Then leaves her promising to return for her.  Just cos we're getting this again on TV.

Appropriately titled for the Eleventh Doctor in the form of Matt Smith, who explodes onto our screens! The scene opens with him clinging onto the TARDIS, flying over London and him narrowly missing Big Ben.   A girl speaks to Santa and talks about the crack in her wall, she can hear voices from it.   She asks him to send "someone to fix it."  Cue the Doctor and the TARDIS; well he crash lands on the shed. "Can I have an apple?" Are his first words, he's never had cravings before.   He's still "cooking" so he doesn't know who he is yet, but he still calls himself the Doctor.   He hates apples now and asks for other  food, "new mouth, new rules." He opts for fish fingers and custard.  her name is Amelia Pond (Caitlin Blackwood) and he calls it "a name in a fairytale."  She's not afraid of anything.

He examines the crack in her room to find a draught coming through it.   But the crack isn't in the wall.  It's "two parts of space and time that should never have touched." He also hears the voice: (David De Keyser) "Prisoner Zero has escaped."  He thinks it will snap shut.  Amelia letting a complete stranger into her house and feeding him too, even if she thinks he has been sent by Santa.   There's an eye in the crack and he can see something form the corner of his eye.   He needs five minutes to stabilize the TARDIS and then he'll return for her.  "Trust me, I'm the Doctor."  The Doctor returns for her later, he doesn't see Amelia but Prisoner Zero is here.  The creature turns into a man with his dog, but the man barks.  The Doctor realizes he's 12 years too late, not 6 months.  She's Amy (Karen Gillan) now and asks why he said he'd be back in 5 minutes.

T'he residence will be incinerated' message can be heard everywhere.   The Doctor loved the name Amelia Pond.   The message is being broadcast globally.   He's got  a new face and Gran says he's "the Raggedy Doctor" from  from the cartoons on TV.   He asserts the residence in the message refers to the entire planet.   Jeff (Tom Hopper) asks if he's the Doctor.   There are 20 minutes before the world ends.   The eleventh Doctor is still dressed in the tenth doctor's outfit (David Tennent) but he's no time to change yet, he's saving the world, he hasn't even seen his own face yet.   But he comments he has a new face.   There's a forcefield around the planet and people take videos on their video phones.

Patients in a coma in hospital call out for the Doctor and the nurse, Rory (Arthur Darvill) thinks they're asking for Dr Ramsden (Nina Wadia).   But it's the other Doctor they call out for.   We get grown up Amy in a sexy police woman's uniform.   He's 6 months late.  he asks her to count the rooms cos "it will change your life." He tells her to look in the corner of her eye and she counts 6 rooms.   Her house has a perception filter in it.   He asks for his screwdriver.   It's in the room and the creature appears behind her.   The Doctor warns her not to look at it.   The Doctor calls it a 'multi-form, "one creature disguised into two."  Amy's a kissogram, not a policewoman.   It was this or the French maid outfit as he broke into her house.

Amy asks who he really is and he gives her the apple with the smiley face she gave him as a girl.   He's real and she should "Believe me for 20 minutes."  He recalls Rory in his mind, photographing the man with the dog, since he's meant to be in a coma in the hospital.   Rory says it's him, the man in the story.   He's back.   The ship scans for non-terrestrial technology, i.e his screwdriver and then leaves.   The man and dog melt down the drain.   All this happened in only 3 minutes.   Prisoner Zero arrives at the hospital and the Doctor says it got a fix on him through the crack, but it took him 12 years to get here, arriving just as the Doctor returned.   The Doctor asks what his name was, "Not him, the good looking one."  Meaning Jeff, not Rory as he needs his laptop.   Amy even made Rory dress up as the Doctor.   (All will be revealed in the finale.)

The Doctor takes Jeff's laptop and says he should get a girlfriend, cos of the adult stuff on there.   He types messages to NASA and other space centres, including one to Patrick Moore.   Gran likes him so he says he'll get his number for her.  He then writes a computer virus onto the phone and everyone needs to send this message to each other at a certain time.   Patrick asks about the lady friend with him.  He tells Jeff he'll be a legend in 10 minutes and he needs to make everyone trust him. "Today's the day you save the world." Then advises Jeff should delete his Internet history.

The man with the dog now becomes a woman (Olivia Coleman) with 2 children at the hospital.   But the girl sounds like a woman.   The Doctor commandeered a fire engine, as we know it's got a handy ladder on it.  Prisoner Zero watched Amy grow up.  3 minutes to go (the longest 3 minutes in TV time ever.)  It knows he's a Time Lord and the Atraxi (on board the ship) will kill it.   The crack didn't just open, "it's in the skin of the universe...the universe is cracked, the Pandorica will open; Silence will fall."  (All to come later.)   His team is spreading the word and the word is "Zero." The clock strikes zero.   The virus is in the phone so the ship finds them.   The phone contains photos of all its forms.  2 minutes left and the Doctor asks "Whodaman?"  To which no one replies so he won't say that again.

Amy is unconscious and Prisoner Zero takes Amelia's form as a child and then the Doctor's; who doesn't know what he looks like yet, it's been a busy day.   What in all the 12 years he wasn't around, he hasn't looked in a mirror, or in 6 months or 5 minutes or whatever the time was.   He tells Amy to dream about what she saw in the room inside her house, causing Prisoner Zero to impersonate itself as a snake-like creature.  It utters "Silence will fall." Leaving big clues behind as to what will come this season.  The Doctor quotes Article 57 of the Shadow Proclamation saying the Atraxi were going to burn an established planet and calls them back here.

He needs a decent outfit to save the world.   The Doctor undresses and Amy stares at him instead of turning away!  Well someone enjoyed themselves.  He tells them the world is important and it's not a threat to the Atraxi.   Flashes to the Daleks, Cybermen and others, such as the Ood, Hath and Sea Devils; and to the past Doctors.   He asks what happened to all the enemies, replying, "Hello, I'm the Doctor basically. Run!" There's his customary bow tie.   Doctor: "Oh you sexy thing" to the TARDIS.

He leaves and arrives with Amelia waiting for him 12 years ago, then back to her older self.   He always comes back.   She comments on his bow tie. "Bow ties are cool."  She can come with him, anywhere she wants to go.   He's come back 2 years later, so he's been away for 14 years.  "The girl who waited, you waited long enough."  The new interior of the TARDIS is also revealed.  She's coming but needs to be back for tomorrow morning.   Tomorrow morning will take all of the season to arrive, practically.   He's lonely.   Doctor: "I am definitely a mad man with a box."  She should remember that as her life may depend on it one day.  

Inside Amelia's suitcase we see miniatures of the Doctor and other various sketches and dolls strewn across her drawer.  Some shows you can keep watching and this is one of them,  even if this review is of a repeat showing.   Great to see how it all began and how things happening from this season, continued on in season 6.   Also lots of clues here as to what will be happening in this season too.   Good continuity here as the first scene opens with the TARDIS still ablaze from the season 10 finale.  Amy has seen the Doctor starkers! She finds it difficult to trust him because when she was Amelia, the child, he said he'd come back for her, but he didn't, not straightaway after 5 minutes.   So she wasn't going to be so easily fooled this time.  Even though he had the same face and sported the same clothes, she still didn't trust him, until the apple.   Okay, he begged her to believe him for 20 minutes.

The outside of this new TARDIS also carries the St John's Ambulance logo.   When the Doctor tells Amelia "had some cowboys in here" that line was an allusion to the episode The Girl in the Fireplace.  Lots of humour in this episode and action-packed too.   Amelia is played by Caitlin Blackwood who is really Karen Gillan's cousin.

It was good to see Matt Smith bursting onto our screens as the new Doctor and how he's really made the character his own this season and in season 6.

NCIS - 8.1: "Spider and the Fly"

Gibbs aims to settle the score with Paloma and her brother Alejandro as she goes after Gibbs' father; whilst attempting to secure a route for her drug cartel.

 Paloma (Jacqueline Obradors) arrives at Gibbs' (Mark Harmon) father's store continued from season 7.   He tells her to leave and pulls a rifle on her, firing a warning shot.   He was raised on a farm and tells her he isn't like Gibbs, but Gibbs is more like him.   She leaves and orders men to fire on the store.   Of course he's not going to hang around.   Jackson Gibbs (Ralph Waite) is at Gibbs' house, getting him to eat breakfast, the most important meal of the day; which is what Gibbs' mother used to say.   As for the agents outside the house, again apparent that his father is there.   Jackson has been here for months and had his storm cellar to hide in back at the store.

Tony (Michael Weatherly) watches the surveillance video on Alejandro (Marco Sanchez) in Mexico, escaping when ordering someone to fire shots.   Tony realizes it was a trap.   Gibbs tells him watching the video won't change it.   Tony: "Hard to observe when you're being shot at."  He wonders if Vance (Rocky Carroll) is angry at him as he stands behind him.   SecNav wonders why they can't locate one drug dealer.   Ziva (Cote de Pablo) is in Mexico and McGee (Sean Murray) is in Canada.   Hey McGee actually got to go somewhere so much for his complaining he doesn't and Tony's left in the office, after his trip to Mexico floundered.   Vance comments Paloma could be anywhere and Gibbs adds, "could be across the street."  Well he was right about that, or should I say his gut was right.

There's a DB in Virginia, a reservist and they're headed for the Blue Ridge Mountains.   Hey that was home to The Waltons, funny that should be brought up here.   Two DBs on the ground.   Ducky (David McCallum) determines the captain was shot on the ground.   Palmer (Brian Dietzen) says they shot each other and asks where the guns are.   Tony finds the captain recorded his flights and plays the video back to reveal Paloma.   TOD was 9 hours ago.

McGee talks to Tony from Canada and gets pushed by the horse.   Tony: "Poor McMountie."  Tony teases as usual.   McGee has been working unlike certain other people.   Gibbs: "Certain people here have been working."  The helo was headed to Canada.   Palmer takes over Ducky's story and tells his own about driving to the Florida keys and liked the key lime pie.   Ducky mentions insect bites which are unique to their locale.   The DB had bites and he checks his stomach contents to work out their destination.  Well Abby (Pauley Perrette) does that.   Tony gets an e-mail from Senior, his father and he can't discuss his situation now.

Ziva returns to Tony's description of looking barmy.   She doesn't know what that means.   She was working just like McGee.   Tony asks if he sees tan lines, she doesn't have any, she just lay in the sun in the morning before leaving.   Hmm, so what was she up to indoors that she didn't get any tan lines?   Mexican drug shipment came by boat to Florida and she found this out before she left and Alejandro visited the mayor.   Tony adds the Wonder Twins were busy referring to Paloma and Alejandro.   Gibbs' instincts were right and Jackson wants him to come back and fix the store with him after.

Mike (Muse Watson) shows up too, using the back door.   He spent time recovering at a convent and he felt close to God.   He took on Bell's men in Mexico and took some out, they shot his finger and he wouldn't miss Paloma's revenge.   Mike: "Do what you have to for family." Gibbs: "What rule is that?"  Mike: "unwritten one."  Strange Gibbs asking what rule that is when he got his rules, or at least the idea of rules from his wife, Shannon.   His one perfect wife I should say.   Abby asks the agent guarding her on his advice about dog collars.   She found the food trail went all along the south of the country, en route to Canada.   Abby is concerned Paloma knows things about Gibbs and he needs to find her.   He's got a plan.   McGee returns from Canada, you know just add a couple of Mounties in the background to show a feeling of being in Canada, ha.   Tony: "prodigal probie returns."  He's not the probie anymore.   He asks why Ziva is so tanned (cos they just returned from the Summer hiatus!)  She winders why he's so pale.   He's always been like that.   McGee waits for his welcome from Gibbs before getting to work.

Vance gets a call from Eli David and tells Gibbs it's need to know.   Gibbs: "I don't." [Need to know.]  Tony and McGee check out  a DB drug dealing butcher in Maryland.   Vance wants Jackson moved to a safehouse and was thinking that cos of his wife last season, when the rogue Korean agent was after him.   McGee drives under the speed limit and Tony senses a change in him.  He's more French Canadian and has to get Celine Dion in.   Paloma killed the butcher and his store was a front for dealing.   Jackson has been working on the dolls house for two months now.

Mike is frustrated and they need to go to Paloma.   Gibbs says it's hard to take him seriously when he keeps getting body parts blown off.   Ziva laughs at an e-mail from her friend which arouses Tony's curiosity which isn't hard to do.   She has a friend who is a man.   Alejandro arrives at NCIS.   Vance is creeping up on Tony now, like Gibbs.   Vance is angry his men fired on his agents and Alejandro protests he was in as much danger as Tony.   He wants Paloma out of business but wants her extradited to Mexico, so she can just walk free and he's here to plant a bug.   As if Vance wouldn't know that when he did that himself last season, planting the bug to listen in on Gibbs and Alejandro.

Tony has things he'd like to say to Alejandro which Ziva believes would get him arrested.   Gibbs concludes it wouldn't be the first time.   Gibbs saw a cat smile like Alejandro once.   Oh come on did Alejandro really think anyone would believe he was being sincere, he and Paloma are family after all and as Mike said you do anything for family.   Poor Abby had to walk in at that point and is adamant she sent him the report.   He threatens Abby to drive carefully, the roads are dangerous.   He should threaten Gibbs not his people.   Vance adds he needs to be shown out before he hurts Alejandro.   Why didn't Abby and Ducky stay at work, when Ducky finds a doll on his car and so does Abby, which she recognizes as a Mexican Day of the Dead doll.   Paloma calls with another Tennessee Williams quote: "Don't look forward to the day you stop suffering, because when it comes you'll know you're dead."  McGee traces the call to Gibbs' house where one agent is killed and there's a doll inside.   There that's what Gibbs said, she could be across the street and she was.

Vance and Gibbs drive to that same studio street set used in many seasons and Gibbs tells him Paloma's got a fight.   Alejandro calls the ambassador and Vance hangs up and lets him go.   He meets Paloma in the ally who says it's time to avenge their father.   Gibbs places a black band over his badge for the dead agent.   He can stop this but he needs Jackson's help.   Vance and Tony speak about the location of the safehouse in his office, on purpose.   Alejandro makes a call on his phone which McGee monitors and Vance calls Alejandro for a meeting.

Ducky tells Abby about the first case he and Gibbs worked on.    One sailor stabbed the other and thought his actions were justified.   Abby likens that to Gibbs twenty years ago.   Ducky recalls Winston Churchill's speech from 1940, "This was their finest hour."  Saying the "hour is upon us." Vance agrees on Paloma going to Mexico and Tony comes in with a fake message, which Vance leaves in his file on the desk and leaves Alejandro alone in his office, something he wouldn't ordinarily do.   The Message reads: "Paloma Reynosa killed."  That was a foreboding.   Yet Alejandro falls for it.   Alejandro removes the bug.   McGee blocks his phone signals.

Alejandro fires on the safehouse and shoots Paloma.   That was coming.   She mentions the spider and the fly and she fell for it too, Gibbs being the spider of course.   Anyway that was the only option available especially given what she knows about Gibbs.

Vance gives Mike a plane ticket as Amira and Layla are waiting for him; so what happened to his in-law, Shakarki, Layla's mother then from season 7's Outlaws and Inlaws who was also staying with him?   Gibbs helps Jackson repair the store.   Gibbs: "Do what you have to for family." Which appears to be the theme of this episode.   Vance files away Abby's report on Gibbs, thought there was only one copy and gets a text from Eli David: "I found him."

So begins another saga of what that cryptic text means and yes we're a year behind again!!  Glad the Reynosa story was laid to rest as much a possible as it was getting tedious now.   Until it's brought up again.   Paloma didn't turn out to be quite the formidable foe she thought herself to be and neither was Alejandro.   Both full of hot air and needed other people to do their work for them.   They thought they were calling all the shots as far as exacting revenge for their father but how wrong could they be.

Plenty of possible future story arcs or just one off episodes being touted here: the most obvious being Vance and Eli, with the possibilities of who "him" could be.   Vance is up to more secretive business and does Ziva know he's in touch with her father so often and so closely, even though he and Eli are friends.  Eli probably gets reports about Ziva from Vance.   Why would Vance need Eli's help in locating, "him?"  At least it appears that way.   Tony's father, Senior and the need for him to discuss his situation.  Also Ziva's mysterious man friend from Miami, anything to do with her father?

Vance putting the report away like that wasn't really hiding it. Sometimes it is best to hide things in plain sight, but is this one of those times?   Will there be more mention of Vance's personal file again?   Gibbs' line of thinking Mike was dead, "Thought you were dead." Mike: "I got better." Alludes to one between Gibbs and Fornell in season 2 when he returned after faking his own death.   Also in 7.15 Jack Knife, Fornell once again faked his own death.

Mounties as we know don't wear the red uniform for work, but only for ceremonial purposes and Tony's mention of the Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, both comicbook superheroes and made an appearance in a season 9 episode of Smallville.   The Spider and the Fly, a poem by Mary Howitt.

CSI: NY - 8.8: "Crossroads" Review

The murder of a judge calls into question his past cases. Jo meets the daughter from the Washington rape case again and Curtis walks free on bail, as he said he would.

A man comes too on the floor of an apartment and the TV plays in the background, a scene about self defence and not being believed.   He leaves on his bike.   A jury and judge arrive to view a CS and the judge is shot by a shooter on a bike.   Mac (Gary Sinise) picks up his rolling cigar.   Flack (Eddie Cahill) comments the criminal court judge was shot under the noses of the cops and the jury was sequestered.  Judge Vinnie Corsica (Brad Blaisdell) was presiding over the Markov trial, a Russian mobster.  Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) talks about him being the "Sammy Bull" of Russian organized crime and Markov has "a dozen bodies on him." Mac: "Looks like it just went to a baker's dozen."  Groan that was definitely one of Stella's lines.  

Hawkes (Hill Harper) and Lindsay (Anna Belknap) process the CS.   Hawkes finds a smashed bullet.   Three are in the van and one bullet is missing.   Hawkes says the biker rode down the alley so there may be a blood trail.   The bullet must have hit his backpack since that was obvious.   Hey CSI:NY called the backpacks as 'backpacks' whereas CSI called them 'fannypacks.'  Lindsay walks the alley and meets up with Danny at the other end.   He tells her there won't be any blood trail.   The judge was on  a protection detail so the roads were closed, leaving the bike as the only mode of transport.   She mentions his backpack but doesn't think he could have taken the bullet with him, or at least hit the backpack.  

The bike was hit by a car and Danny finds glass from the car.   Mac gives a press conference and tells them they are using every possible resource to show how "powerful our system of justice is." That was an understatement.   He's asked questions about John Curtis (Jason Wiles).   His preliminary hearing is tomorrow.   Mac also defends Jo (Sela Ward).   It was a lab tech who blew the case, not Jo.   Which does not bode well for Lindsay, no really see later.   (Like I care.) Jo has "courage and integrity."  He tells the press Jo isn't working the rape case, which is what I said last episode and she wasn't working it either.   More's the pity.   She can't work it cos of bias.   Jo visits Curtis and wishes she could gloat but it would be at the expense of Ali and the other Vic's.   Curtis claims he will walk free which again was obvious.   Jo: "You will not walk away this time."

Sid (Robert Joy) finds the bullet killed the judge instantly and he found one in his kidney leading to him discovering traces of antifreeze in the tissue sample.   (Reminded me of Desperate Housewives season 7 when Felicia was poisoning Paul using antifreeze in his food and blamed it on Susan.)  It was thought he suffered food poisoning.   Hawkes says this wasn't the first attempt on his life.   Mac thinks the shooting and poisoning are related.

Mac talks with Senator Matthews (Jeffrey Nordling) who likes playing these father roles.   In Body of Proof he was Megan's daughter's father, a lawyer and in Desperate Housewives he was a step father and former agent who went on the run with a witness.   His daughter, Serena (Jenn Proske) is also there.   Mac tells him he always has a lot on his plate and his team always does a good job.   Lindsay goes through what happened and she is now going by Lindsay Messer and not Monroe Messer as she was before.   Jo had to walk past at that moment.   Mac has already said Jo isn't on the case so doesn't the Senator listen to the news? In such an important case, I would have thought he'd have known that; considering he was the one who got Jo booted out of the FBI.   Surprised he wouldn't have gone to Chief Sinclair and put his foot down already and had her removed from working the case through official channels.   Mac tells him if this happened to his daughter he'd want Jo on the case (and not Lindsay!  I would add.)

Danny found partial prints on the bike and food residue.   Also grey paint from an Audi on the bike.    Hawkes' bullet fragments matched a Russian gun.    Also a print was found on the casing belonging to Barshay.   Flack raids his house and finds it empty, but the furniture has been overturned and a window is open.   The Barshay's were away.   The place was cleaned.   Hawkes notices food particles on the table and brings in a doggy bag from outside.   Flack is reluctant for him to open that bag inside but it's a food doggy bag.   Great funny scene!  He finds part of an eaten sandwich inside.   All roads lead to food which was the key in solving this case.

Danny searches through the camera photos from the police car in the hopes of finding the bike or car and Lindsay had to turn up.  He thinks she'll be fine in court.   Jo talks to Serena who doesn't blame her.   It must have been difficult for her as a mother and a woman to watch Curtis walk free.   Jo forever thinking about everyone else says it's not about her.   Mac knows about Jo's visit to Curtis which wasn't a good idea.   Danny discovered the car was rented by Danshov, Markov's man and has three parking tickets from the same place.   Flack gives the car a flat and when Jo sees the tyre she gets an idea to check out the bike tyre since it's probably been changed.   Danny says the inner tube would have to have been patched so there'll be prints.   Danny: "Don't care what everybody says around here - you're good." So who is this everybody then, Lindsay ha.   That was Danny's little pep talk to Jo, how sweet.

Danshov's (Ivo Nandi) accent was funny.   He hit the bike and thinks the judge was crooked.   It would have been more opportune for them to blackmail him than to kill him.   He wasn't "squeaking clean."  Flack corrects him, "squeaky clean."  (Who was he, Ziva from NCIS getting his words wrong.)  The judge eats at the steakhouse and had an expensive lifestyle.   Jo looks into the judge's past cases.   Danny hits on a print from the bike to a Nicholas Albertson (Tony Oller).   Flack arrests him.   His funny line of asking whether the Porterhouse is as good as everyone says it is, even though it's not the right time to ask.   The show is skimping out on the Flack/Danny chase scenes now, they don't have far to run anymore!

Nick was the delivery boy and Flack tells him the judge was a regular there.   He denies everything and Flack posits he thinks it was just a coincidence the judge got sick there.   Flack's funny acting when he mimics Nick denying all.

Danny and Flack go over the facts and the route taken by the bike and come up with the bike coming from two different directions, meaning there were two bikes and thus two different riders.   Jo finds Nick's conviction wasn't in the Criminal Court database. She had to search for the file.   Nick stole gum and was his first offence.   Instead of community service, he was given three months at Forest Brook, a juvenile camp.   His co-defendant was Tommy Hill (James Preston) who got six months for a first offence.   If the computer file was erased why make the mistake of leaving behind a paper trail.   The camp is owned by Nelson (Casey Sanders) who got a fee for every child sent there.

Hawkes extracted a profile from the sandwich to Tommy, who is the killer.   Danny and Jo arrest Tommy and the backpack has a bullet hole, like I said.   Tommy admits to the killing.   He overheard him at the steakhouse.   Nick talks to Danny now and he got Tommy a job there.   Nick was more forthcoming with Danny than Flack, even though Danny is also a cop.   Nelson was also there with him.   The judge remembered Nick and they bought off his lawyer too.   Nick wanted to go to the police but no one would believe them.   Tommy knocked Nick down in the beginning where we came in.   The judge ruined lives and got away with it, as Tommy says.   So much for Mac and his press conference statement about the system of justice and Jo says it too.   As often said it's the only system there is.   Nelson kills himself.

Lindsay needs to talk to Ali (Beau Garrett) about the levels of GHB in her system which are inconsistent with the timeline.   Flack is willing to believe her but he's not a scientist as he's said in the past.  Lindsay had to drop the ball on this one - not that she could keep the info to herself but it's that lab tech ref.   At the hearing she testifies the levels of GHB in Ali's blood are "impossible." If she had that amount in her she'd be dead.   Curtis is granted lower bail.

Was Ali a plant, as an escort she could have been hired by the Senator to ensnare Curtis, wouldn't put it past him.   It's just all this looks pretty suspicious especially when it came to the GHB readings in her blood and getting the readings wrong.   No that Ali wasn't attacked by him otherwise why gloat but he seemed so sure he would get out.   Also maybe it wasn't meant to go so far as for her to be beaten.  As Curtis is adept at not leaving behind any forensics aside from the GHB, which any of his Vic's knew and so did the Senator and Serena, otherwise how else could the inconsistent GHB readings be explained.  Anyway I love me a good mystery and speculation too.   Let's see what happens next episode.

In the other case, if Nick hadn't interfered and gone after Tommy, it appears he would have gotten away with the killing. It was only the collision with his bike and him leaving it behind at the scene which led to Nick and through Nick they found Tommy.   Jo uses Danny's "boom."  Adam (AJ Buckley) was missing this episode and yes it was noticeable.

Sela and Jeffrey Nordling were both in the series Once and Again.   In CSI:NY 2.13 Risk, Mac finds a link between the death of a man on a subway train and the use of antifreeze, though not in the context of food.

Smallville - 10.2: "Shield" Review

Lois arrives in Egypt to end up in a deep and meaningful with Carter Hall, who checks up on her for Clark. Oliver finds out Chloe traded her life for his and a new reporter arrives.

The scene opens in the desert with Lois (Erica Durance) arriving in Egypt.   Her dream assignment is going down the plughole fast.  She picks up a manuscript with two Egyptian gods and Carter Hall (Michael Shanks) calls them star-crossed lovers.   Plenty of references to those in this episode, what with Clark (Tom Welling) and Lois, Chloe (Allison Mack) and Oliver (Justin Hartley), as well as Carter and his wife, Shayera.   (Which was about as close as you could get to Daniel Jackson's wife's name in Stargate SG1! - Sha're.)  He comments, "guess you never know what fate has planned for you." The star-crossed lovers being an allusion towards Clark and Lois and he's here not only to keep an eye on her but ensure they do get together; or at least they can in the future.  Carter as we recall is Hawkman.

Clark leaves messages for Chloe about the dark force Jor-El warned him of.  Some soppy music in the moments when Clark looks at Lois' empty desk.  Which doesn't last long as his new partner, Kat Grant (Keri Lynn Pratt) arrives.  She offers him a Brownie whilst she throws Lois' name block in the bin, rescued by Clark who throws her Brownie away instead.  Hero-bashing can be heard on the radio and Kat is against vigilantes too; blaming it all on Lois.   Who she points out is in love with The Blur.

Oliver looks into Chloe's disappearance with Tess (Cassidy Freeman) admitting she's not behind it.   He can't wait around for his girlfriend to return like Clark.   No digital record of Chloe can be found anywhere.   Tess tells him Chloe is the only one who can erase herself.  Tess also didn't write the e-mail Chloe left for Oliver, only Chloe could write something like that.  Calling Oliver her "knight in shining leather, my hero." Tess did help Chloe reset the system because Tess would understand why she was doing that.   It's what Chloe wanted, Tess trusted Chloe had a plan and he should too.  That's what Clark will also tell him.

Carter talks about Isis (in full Daniel Jackson mode! ha) and texts Clark that Lois is fine, as well as mentioning Ra, the Sun god, who was born again at sunrise.  (Hey so was Clark in the first episode Lazarus, when the sun came out to give him the energy he needs).   Ra was revered.  Lois repeats "a god born again with the sun" alluding to The Blur/Clark, as I just said.  She comments about the "guy sitting across the room from you is Ra."  She has plenty of questions for Clark and Carter suggests she should ask him.   So Carter knows Lois knows about Clark being The Blur.

A mysterious man in cowboy attire fires a bullet with precision marksmanship, to blow up Kat's car but she's saved by Clark.   Clark being the real intended target, which was obvious.  The letters 'A R N T' are all that remain visible on the bullet, which Clark and Tess believe was meant for Kat Grant.   But was really meant for Clark, it's clear someone is aware of his secret identity too.  Clark lets Kat stay at Chloe's apartment where Oliver is already there, searching for clues and finds an empty bottle.  Kat believes the Green Arrow is trying to kill her and he tries to convince her that he's not a criminal.  She tells him innocent people are being tortured at the docks, which he later checks out.

Kat's real name is Marie and Clark believes Lois should live her own life. Tess had the bullet analyzed at Luthor Labs and the bullet had Clark's name on it.   She believes the shooter was on Checkmate's most wanted list, known only as 'Deadshot' (Bradley Stryker).  Cue said assassin speaking with Flag.  He has another bullet for Clark.  Kat admits she's in hiding from her ex boyfriend and has to hide behind the power of the pen, with no one knowing who is behind her words.   Another allusion to Clark if ever there was one.   He's doing exactly that, writing under his name of Clark Kent whilst hiding from the world in order to save the world.

Lois believes Clark's destiny is huge so she has to stay away from him.  Carter tells her Clark worries about her and "every great relationship comes with a great burden and the strength to carry it." He gives her a book to read that his wife gave him.  Telling her the story of Prince Khufu and Shayera.   Their love was strong and they bonded through eternity; were born again to find their true love; then lost each other.   Khufu travelled the world in search of other women.   He finally saw her in his palace where she was all the time, only he didn't recognize her as the time wasn't right. "Love made their love stronger." He sees Shayera and tries to kiss Lois.  But Lois isn't his beloved as we know.

Tess only wants Clark to trust her.  Clark believes there's more to the shooter's plan.  Tess tells him if he knows Clark "is faster than a bullet "then he'll go after someone else, i.e.  Kat.   Clark arrives in time to rescue her from the bullet, only to have been shot by the bullet himself, since it enters and disperses with a skull logo inside of him.  Kat tells him they need a hero in "red, white and blue," or red and blue, since that's what Clark is wearing and what he always wore in the show.  Carter is also shot by one, as is Oliver who tells Flag (Ted Whittall) that he's only got a bow and arrow not a gun.   Everyone thinks his group is dead and asks Oliver to join them.   Oliver beats the info about Chloe out of him.  Chloe took cyanide and died.

Oliver tells Clark the group call themselves "crimefighters" who think they should remain in the shadows.   Oliver found a cyanide antidote bottle in her apartment.   Clark realizes this is what Chloe was planning when she saw the future, begging Clark to trust her and her decisions.  Oliver wallows in believing he let Chloe down.   Clark wants Lois back, but "they left us." Oliver believes they should have remained in hiding then none of this would have happened.

We get an intro to the Suicide Squad, formed of Plastique, Deadshot and Flag.  Plastique says everyone's been tagged with the bullets.  Carter apologizes for the night before, he's too caught up in the story.   Lois tells him it's his autobiography, she found a note reading: "To Carter, my once and ever Prince, with love Shayera.   Shanghai 1824.   Lois knows he's not the only one of Clark's friends "with a mysterious past."  Carter had a vision of his wife last night and knows he will join her in a new life, but to do so, he has to leave this one. "It's time I met my destiny, before you go, I wanted you to meet yours."  Carter tells Lois.  Clark can't save the world without her.   He tells her about Nietzsche and how he believed that people who chased dreams were running from their true destiny.   They should embrace life and make it better.   Calling them the "uber mensche."   Lois translates as "Superman."  Nietzsche believed every one could be one, "in our own way."

Clark loses the black in favour of the new leather look!   Lots of love notes and love e-mails in this episode and one clearly putting forward events to be played out the rest of the season.   Be sad to see Carter leave, but he can't just yet since he's been infected with the bullet.   Also lots of references to the destiny we know that Clark will embrace along with Lois.

Amanda Waller (Pam Grier) mentioned the Suicide Squad in the season 9 episode Absolute Justice.

Merlin - 4.01: "The Darkest Hour" Review

The Knights search for Morgana who makes a sacrifice of a dying Morgause in a bid to keep a grip on Camelot, and Arthur must prevent sacrificing himself in the process.

In the opening episode to season 4, the Knights of Camelot  come across Morgana (Katie McGrath) after her deception and betrayal.   She is with a disfigured Morgause (Emilia Fox) and she strikes them down.   Merlin (Colin Morgan) is in the kitchen and he hasn't been there before.   Arthur's (Bradley James) shirt gets dirty and Lancelot (Santiago Cabrera) suggests he should use salt but hinting to use magic on it instead.  "I'm sure a man of your talents can think of something."  Arthur's already dressed with his shirt sticking out at the back.   Merlin gives him a lecture and teases him as usual.   Merlin's also written a speech.

Morgana must reach the Isle of the Blessed with Morgause.   Gwen (Angel Coulby) has a new dress for this season 4 and Uther (Anthony Head) isn't over Morgana's betrayal as it's been a year.   His heart was broken by her that is something he will never recover from, even for the sake of his son.   Gaius (Richard Wilson) also calls it heartbreak.   Gwen stays with Uther for the sake of Arthur.

Sir Leon (Rupert Young) tells about encountering Morgana and Agravaine (Nathanial Parker) Arthur's uncle on his mother's side sends out a patrol.   Her powers have increased.   Agravaine believes Arthur shouldn't have to live in fear and his uncle promised his mother he'd be there for Arthur and Morgana too.   Beware men wearing black in this show.

Morgause is worried that whatever Morgana does will affect everyone including Morgana herself and will "bring our enemies to our knees."  Morgana sacrifices Morgause as she was dying anyway and this way she can open the veils between the two worlds.   This is Morgause's "final parting gift to Morgana."  Merlin feels the evil unleashed and a woman calls out to "Emrys." Merlin faints to Agravaine's chagrin.   The woman is the Cailleach (pronounced kay-lyx) the gatekeeper to the spirit world.   Morgana has torn the veil between the worlds and the Drocha: the voices of the dead have been freed.   Enemies will rue the day and destruction, a new world will be created.  "Emrys will walk in your shadow - he is your destiny and he is your doom." Cailleach (Gemma Jones) warns Morgana.   Gaius tells Merlin he was out cold.

The Drocha will be released at the stroke of midnight when the veil between the world's is at its thinnest.   Merlin doesn't believe the Cailleach was a vision as she knew him.    Another scene with a gratuitously shirtless Arthur, really it's only the first episode!   A girl is attacked in the village and Drea (Katie Moore) describes them as being without faces.   Merlin gets an eerie feeling and Arthur asks if he needs his comfort blanket, also calling him a clodpole.   Merlin: "That's my word."  Arthur: "it suits you perfectly." Nice to know when the chips are down and there's plenty happening they can still find time to be funny.   As does Gwaine (Eoin Macken) who has to eat as usual. "We are literally chasing shadows."

Screams are heard and Merlin's magic proves to be useless.   Of course that's why Lancelot was around with the torch cos he knows of Merlin's magic.   Merlin knows they can't be chased or killed.   Camelot is attacked and Merlin's never felt so powerless, he felt empty inside and couldn't breathe.   Gaius reassures it's not his fault and calls the Drocha the spirits of the dead which have been released by a blood sacrifice, that being Morgause.   Morgana would do it.   No mortal has survived their touch.

Merlin thinks he saw something in the shadows and Arthur has to prove he didn't.   Arthur makes light of Merlin once again.   Arthur: "I could never let myself look so spineless."  Merlin replies he could not make himself look so "heartless, humourless." Arthur's afraid more than Merlin is.   Knights are also attacked in the village.  Percival (Tom Hopper) rescues the children and Elyan (Adetomiwa Edun) isn't going to let Percival have all the glory as he comes to help.

Gaius tells they're not defeated by swords and they must travel to the Isle of the Blessed and repair the veil.   But sealing it will require another blood sacrifice, which Arthur will undertake.   Arthur must lay down his life.   Agravaine rushed to Morgana, she always needs help from some quarter and she can't wait to tell him about Emrys.   The throne will belong to her with Arthur dead.   Still going after that unattainable throne, when will she learn it's not hers for the taking.  She missed that chance last season when she was queen for an instance.

Arthur bids his farewell to Uther who taught him to be a prince and Uther wants Arthur to stay.   As does Gwen.   Arthur wants her to recall the first time he kissed her and he wants that memory.   He also trusts his uncle completely and leaves Camelot in his hands.   Merlin will go as it's his destiny to protect Arthur, then he has to sacrifice himself.   Merlin's life has been marked by destiny. "I will gladly die knowing that Albion will live."

Gwen asks Lancelot for a promise and no she didn't want to talk to him to declare her love.   She wants him to look after Arthur. "I will protect him with my life, you have my promise."  Well that will turn out to be prophetic and have repercussions also for the future.   Lancelot tells Merlin he's not a warrior and his duty is to protect Arthur which Lancelot can understand.

Morgana dreams of dead knights and of Emrys as an old man asking her if this is what she wanted.   Does she care about life? No, only what she desires.   The knights are attacked by the Drocha and Merlin accompanies.  Since when does he know how to collect firewood?   Arthur and Merlin are caught out alone and Merlin doesn't feel cold.   Arthur thinks he's brave and Arthur has never worried about dying with everything he's encountered.   Merlin believes they would have been good friends if things were different and they shall defeat them together.   Arthur believes Merlin's a great man "between battles." Merlin says Arthur doesn't know how many times he's saved his life.   Merlin saves Arthur from the Drocha, heading straight into its path and is frozen.

The action jumps forward a year - though it's not abundantly obvious, other than a brief mention and there's been character development from Arthur and Merlin but not much else.   Arthur looked after the kingdom for a year as prince after the season 3 finale and he has matured, even though his comments to Merlin are still childish and churlish at times.   Then that's the relationship of master and servant, but there's much more than that going on here.   Merlin still gives as good as he gets and has been 'promoted' to speech writer.

Now Arthur has Uncle Agravaine to contend with and from the outset it is apparent he's not as innocent as he appears; as Morgana now finds a new ally to spy for her in the Camelot camp.   One thing not explained is how the two came to meet ad strike an ill-fated bond.   What is clear is Agravaine holds great contempt and animosity towards Uther for his sister's death - but why hold a grudge against Arthur: he is still his sister's son after all; irrespective of whether magic was used to conceive him.   Is Agravaine really privy to that secret when Arthur isn't?

Merlin feels he's the one who is going to make the sacrifice even if his magic proves useless in the face of the Drocha and by episode's end this won't be the case as Merlin is in no condition to do much of anything.   Morgana sacrifice Morgause to open up the veils still thinking she has a shot at Camelot and Arthur.   Yet her anger and bitterness has not been reduced within a year as she now enters her "Goth stage."  Dressed in less than luxurious attire - would've thought she could have conjured up something more fetching.   However even her clothes are a reflection of her determination and her evil persona as well as an indication of her dark personality.

What was the significance behind tearing the the veil?   Only logical explanation is that she wanted Arthur in the Isle of the Blessed so he'd have to sacrifice himself for his kingdom, noble regent that he is.   That could have been better explained.   Uther is now a shadow of his former defiant self, which Anthony Head managed to bring out with his limited lines of the scene.   He bemoans the betrayal by Morgana and losing her as a daughter but still had love for Arthur.

The screeching and screaming added some dark creepiness to the episode which is more eerie than past.  Nathanial Parker could have been given more to do than play Morgana's minion as he rides about everywhere like a lowly messenger.   What does Agravaine hope to gain and what has Morgana promised him, other than revenge?

This episode was a hark back to the season 1 finale 1.13 Le Morte d'Arthur where Arthur was bitten by a Questing beast and after vanquishing the creature he hovers between life and death.   The Dragon advises Merlin to find the Isle of the Blessed where followers of the old religion can save Arthur - but there is a catch: a sacrifice is needed, a life for a life.   So how could Merlin have forgotten that now as Gaius explains what must be done?   In this episode it was to be Gaius making the sacrifice.

Supernatural - 6.3: "The Third Man" Review

A policeman, Hatch ( Todd Mann) cuts himself and his skin falls off, only his blood and entrails are left behind.   Ooh Dean (Jensen Ackles) get a shirt!  Dean is dreaming, Sam (Jared Padalecki) is exercising and Dean's on the road.   SO we see him naked too!  Sam's been with a pro, (Julia Voth) which he wouldn't really do if he was the 'old' Sam.   He pays her and where was Dean's tattoo as Sam still has his?   Sam throws her card away - well he can hook up with anyone and he does that as routine now.

Sam is in Pennsylvania and Dean tells him it's been one and a half days, since they were just on a case, Sam likes to work.  Dean: "Who died and made you boss?"  That's a loaded question for this show considering the number of deaths of lead characters and others.   SO don't answer that Sam.   Colfax (Justin Reinsilber) says he called but the chief wouldn't take his call. He's told to calm down.   The patrolman, Gray (Darren Bennett) breaks out into pustules.  Sam and Dean a la suit and Sam asks, "You molding the minds of tomorrow?" Dean: "Still driving the plastic piece of crap." Not for long.   The man has been liquefied.   Toby Gray came out in boils and there's no signs of any hex.   Dean refers to the DBs as "Skidmark and Bubblewrap."  Charming Dean, won't look at bubblewrap in the same way again!  Especially when to comes to popping it.   He has such a way with words.

Dean pulls out in front of Sam on the road, Sam's racing him.   Dean: "No, I was kicking your ass."  Sam: "very mature."  In terms of being ahead of him.   Dean calls Colfax 'Kojak'.   These Feds portrayed by Sam and Dean don't have names.   Sam breaks his door in.   Usually that was Dean's forte in the past.   Dean: "Dude."  Faces have been scratched off the photos.   Colfax scratches his head.   They all had it coming and he's next.   God wants them all dead cos of Birch.   Sam loses his cool again.   They planted the gun on him.   Colfax's head bleeds and he dies.   Locusts then crawl out of his head.   Sam thinks the angels are behind it.  Dean calls Castiel (Misha Collins).   Sam says he tried to call Cas as soon as he got out.   Dean tries and he appears for him.  Why would he come for Sam?  Sam comments "He's right behind me isn't he?"

Cas can only say hello to Sam, cos he likes Dean better.   He and Dean share a more profound bond, but he wasn't going to mention that.   If Cas had answers for Sam then maybe he'd have answered but he preferred to keep him in the dark anyway, or should that be hanging for answers.   Dean says he should have answered Sam.   Cas isn't here cos Dean called.   All the men were killed with the Staff of Moses but the weapon hasn't been used to its fullest capacity. "I think we can rule Moses out as a suspect."

Cas tells them heaven is corrupted, powerful weapons were stolen during the chaos and he needs their help, for a change.   Cas reverts to using 'inverted comma' gestures.   The only lead they have is Birch's father, Darryl (Ian Brown), anyway the father would have been too obvious.   Sam and Dean still have their old pics on their fake IDs.   Darryl didn't do it and the boy, Aaron ( Adam Osei) still has part of the staff and he got the staff from an angel.   At least it's part of the staff, thus it wasn't used to its fullest.  He bought it and gave his soul in return.   Sam can't believe he did that.   Cas explains if a claim is made on a living soul it leaves a brand and he can read it.   Dean protests and Sam asks if there's any damage, like he'd care.  AS there isn't, he's all for it.

Dean can't believe he'd torture a child.   Cas doesn't have the luxury to think about that and well Sam doesn't really care either way as long as they get what they're after, which isn't really Sam as we knew him cos he doesn't feel anything at all.

Cas realizes it was Balthazar, (Sebastian Roche) a good friend.   Dean wonders if his buddy is "moonlighting as a crossroads demon." One of Balthazar's henchmen appears and fights Cas and they both fall out of the window landing on Sam's car.   That put a dent in the works.   See it wasn't around for long.   Sam seems to bemoan the loss of his plastic car but not Aaron being used in that way.   Hey couldn't they have just vanished instead of just landing on the car.   Sam: "My car!" Dean: "Okay silver lining."

He's working with Raphael.   Dean thinks there's too many angels.   They don't want a civil war, whoever has the weapons will win.   Raphael wants the apocalypse back.   Cas didn't say anything cos he was too ashamed.   He takes Dean's blood, why not Sam's.   Well I had to ask.   Again they leave evidence behind in the hotel room and won't they know who was in the room, even if they used fake IDs.   Also who called the police anyway when you hear the siren?

At Balthazar's house, Dean comments 'It's more Dr No and less Liberace'.  Cas grieved for Balthazar and he can do whatever he likes.   He was brave and honourable and they fought together.   Balthazar still sees Cas as a brother.   He stole the weapons cos he could.   He's just following in Cas's footsteps.   Cas proved they could do anything.   Cas believes if they can beat Raphael they can end this.   Thunder crashes and Raphael arrives.  Sam says he's also got a knife so why didn't the angel think about throwing the knife.   Raphael and Cas fight and Balthazar turns him into salt.   Raphael needs a new vessel now.   They surround Balthazar with oil and he calls Dean a "hairless ape." Well that's no different from Uriel and all the other angels now is it, so much for being different than them, harking back to season 5.   Cas: "I believe the hairless ape has the floor."  Balthazar is forced to release Aaron's soul.     Souls hold power.   Was that a clue for Sam?   Cas lets Balthazar go.

Ben's Hallowe'en costume was a wendigo mask, which Sam finds.   Dean asks if Sam's Okay.   He's been wondering since he didn't object to Cas tazering Aaron.   Dean was the only one who objected, whereas in the past Sam would have been the one to raise an uproar, he just went along with it now.   Sam didn't care but Sam argues Dean's wrong.   Dean: "Somethings different with you."  Sam knows, he's been hunting for a year and he's "rough around the edges."

Dean is aware what hell does to a guy. Sam replies he knows what it did to Dean, but he's fine, cos Dean was tortured.   Sam believes they're both different, but he's not saying he's stronger than Dean.   Yes they are different and why'd  Dean return with his soul intact, since we all know that's where the show was heading this season?     Sam is more than just rough around the edges. He genuinely doesn't care anymore, he's more interested in hunting at any cost.   Then Sam doesn't want to talk about his time in hell and that's not shocking since Dean felt the same.   Dean was tortured but Sam wasn't.   At least no one knows for sure yet.

Sam without a conscience gave Jared a different character to play, rather than caring Sam who always had to opt for the right thing. It's Dean's turn to do that now and it gives them both a different dynamic, whereas before Dean would be the first to pick up a gun or torture for info. He now is the voice of reason.   Dean almost always used to do the killing, now Sam doesn't wait to get stuck in.

Supernatural kind of picks up this episode with the slow start of the past two episodes.   What I don't like is the Lisa and Ben dynamic.   They were fine when first introduced in season 3 and Dean thought Ben was his - but after so many episodes, they just make the scenes drag on.   Everytime Lisa comes on it makes me cringe.   Frankly why'd Dean want to hook up with someone as boring as Lisa is beyond me.   Granted he wanted and deserves a family, but this 'ready made' one just doesn't fit Dean or the show.   Dean just appears to fall into a quivering heap or mess after his encounters with her.

Dean's references to "Chuck Heston's disco stick" was a reference to Charlton Heston's portrayal of Moses in the Ten Commandments.

Dean's line, "I don't know who's on first; what's on second" dates back to the Abbott and Costello comedy double act films, One Night in the Tropics (1940)  and The Naughty Nineties (1945) where baseball players on a team were named "Who; What; Didn't Know; Why; Because; Tomorrow; Today."  Costello doesn't understand it when Abbott tells him 'Who is on first base.'    So he asks "Who's on first?"  Abbott replies: "Yes."  It makes sense, really it does.   Reminds me of the lines from that Cary Grant movie, The Bachelor and The Bobby-Soxer, aka Bachelor Knight (1947) with Myrna Loy and Shirley Temple.
"Hey, you remind me of a man."
"What man?"
"Man with the power."
"What power?"
"The power of Hoodoo."
"Hoodoo?"
"You do?"
"Do what?"
"Remind me of a man..." And on it continues.

Dean also calls Colfax Kojak and everyone knows who he's talking about.

At least some reprieve in the form of Cas, his fight scenes and Sam's car being totalled much to Dean's pleasure.   Bobby could've salvaged it at the yard.   Many angels from the past returning such as Raphael and Balthazar pledging 'allegiance' to Cas only to get the same burning oil treatment too, all the while all the angels being the same in their allusions to humans being hairless apes.   Actually some of hem are hairy!  Cas prefers Dean to Sam, as we already knew.

CSI: NY - 8.9: "Means to an End" Review

The Curtis story concludes when he attacks Jo. Frank arrives on the scene and Ali is killed. The reveal as to what happened in the courtcase with GHB levels is solved,to no great surprise.
 Jo (Sela ward) is thrown against a mirror and hovers between consciousness, as a man walks around the room, which we know can only be Curtis (Jason Wiles) and throws bullets around.  

48 hours earlier  Jo spots a man outside the courtroom, who is revealed as Frank (Michael Weston).   Serena (Jenn Proske) is distraught over Curtis walking free.   Jo is adamant they will get him.   The Senator (Jeffrey Nordling) asks how she can say that.  Jo isn't involved in the case and "the case still fell apart."  That's a damning indictment against Lindsay (Anna Belknap) and her skills if ever there was one, ha.  

3 years ago Washington DC, a flashback to Jo meeting the Senator and Serena.   He doesn't want any press involvement that's why he called in the FBI.   Serena was drinking and blames herself.   Present day  Jo gets out the evidence  and Mac (Gary Sinise) reaffirms she can't be on this case, but she can check on the DC evidence with Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo).   This is personal to her.  

Ali (Beau Garrett) rants to Flack (Eddie Cahill) who mentions the inconsistencies in her statement.   Physical evidence is needed otherwise they only have her testimony.   There's no way for her to drop the charges now.   No wonder she was having a case of cold feet.   Danny comments on there not being much evidence to look at on the DC cases.

3 years ago  Jo wasn't going to let Frank stand around whilst she processed Serena, how embarrassing and humiliating would that have been for the Vic after her ordeal?   Jo insists it's not Serena's fault.   She can recall Curtis's face.   Present day, Jo meets Frank after he calls her.   He's working in the private sector at Rothwell Labs.   He covered up processing the DNA in the Serena case.   Jo isn't willing to take the blame for what he did even back then.

Lindsay retested the cut on Ali's face using immunochemical testing and the wounds were sustained a few hours before she was processed by her.   Ali is lying about everything.   Now didn't I say that last episode?   Flack and Lindsay investigate Ali's murder, as her DB is found in Central Park.   Lindsay also has to brag to Flack that Ali done it to herself.   Flack: "She didn't do this to herself."  Oh what a witty retort from Flack, showing Lindsay was wrong on both counts, cos she didn't punch herself in the face either.

Flash to Curtis being acquitted in DC.   He comes into the precinct and will only talk to Jo and she video records their conversation and he mentions it's so he doesn't beat himself up and claim brutality.   He admits to having sex with Ali but didn't rape her.  Probably giving Mac the final clue he needed .   Curtis questions Jo about her alibi since she had motive to kill Ali.   Why do suspects always try to turn it around on the CSIs? Can't they see how pathetic that sounds?  

Sid (Robert Joy) processes Ali and finds an unknown piece of trace in her hair.   Lindsay can't even phrase a simple question now when she asks Sid if he's "seen someone punch herself in the face." Not successfully he replies and Ali would have to be strong.   Adam (AJ Buckley) finds dermal tentacles on Ali's coat.   Her real job was as a pharmaceutical rep.   The company was developing time sustain capsules and Ali worked for the same company as Frank, Rothwell Labs (small world), which Jo just happens to arrive in time to hear.

Frank calls Jo when they arrive at his apartment with the intention of ending it all as he blames himself and Flack doesn't get to him in time outside.    Photos of Curtis are plastered all over his wall.   Mac calls it an obsession.   Danny discovers credit card receipts from hotel bars and Hawkes (Hill Harper) notices equipment and chemicals to manufacture GHB.   Hawkes posits Frank could be working with Ali and they set up Curtis - but Frank had forensics experience and so would know the levels of GHB to use and think Frank killed Ali.  

Jo was close to Frank once and doesn't believe he killed Ali.  Sid finds he was using chemicals without gloves or a respirator.  Hawkes discovers a conversation recorded on Frank's phone between him and Ali in which he tells her she should have figured out the right levels of GHB before she dosed herself.   Good that Hawkes broke the case with this to prove Frank is innocent of murder and wasn't involved in the set up, as well as disproving Lindsay's absurd theory that Ali punched herself.   Curtis's prints were on the containers in Frank's apartment and found in the trash by Frank, as shown in the photos he took.   Danny analyzed a single hair found in Curtis's car and matched it to Amanda (Erica Piccininni).

Lindsay shouldn't be let loose in the lab alone as she bashes various items against dummy skulls to find the murder weapon, she may end doing herself an injury ( Sid asked was she planning on punching herself, earlier? ha.)   She IDs the trace as pink ivory and Mac recalls the Senator and his fancy umbrella from last episode.   The Senator and Ali were both in the same places at the same time.   The Senator believes he should have just gunned down Curtis himself.   Ali panicked and he killed her.

Jo talks with Amanda who kept a wine glass from the attack and she goes with her to retrieve it.   Curtis has beaten her to the punch, oh bad pun and knocks out Amanda and Jo.   He then empties Jo's gun of bullets and  talks about intentional mistakes and smashes the wine glass.   Jo got too close and she reaches for the gun, adding people who end up shooting themselves forget the bullet in the gun chamber.   She reloads another bullet and shoots again.

Oh wow can't believe what I wrote in my review for 8.8 Crossroads was correct; as Morgan Brody said in CSI, "I love it when I'm right."  Ha.   It's just so believable and conceivable that everything the Senator did, would do, for his daughter.   He couldn't just sit by and let it go when Curtis got away once and since he found the chance to frame him for the rape of Ali, he would take it.     That much was apparent, he wanted to see justice done for Serena, only he went about it the wrong way.   So much for having Lindsay on the case. She just didn't do anything.

As for her telling Adam to "Shut up" and not make her regret bringing him along to help process the CS was uncalled for.   Who died and made her boss.   She's no expert at her job and neither does she treat Vics with the sympathy and respect they deserve (going back to season 7's Vigilante episode.)  Her telling Flack and Sid about whether someone could punch themselves was nothing but showing off and smacked of smugness.   Also in the Vigilante episode Lindsay had that entire conversation with Hawkes in the lab about having to do their jobs and treating the suspect who carried out the rapes as a Vic.   But here she hardly exhibited any sympathy towards Ali, who was now a murder Vic; irrespective of what she may have done in the past.   Lindsay was just out to prove her point.

Jo telling Frank she's not to blame for the events in DC and the case going awry was delved into a bit too much, since it was already said in the last episode.  Almost as if Jo had to justify her actions to everyone over and over.   Frank came to her with evidence in the manila envelope when he met up with her for breakfast and cos of the recriminations, she refused to listen and he would have provided her with photos and other info on Curtis.   He probably wouldn't have killed himself either, which was an easy way out for him after the evidence he collected.   It wouldn't have made up for his past mistake, but would have gone some way in helping him come to terms with his mistake which cost the trial and led to Curtis preying on other Vics.   Glad to see that Jo did have something nice to say about him when he died.

Jo being beaten up by Curtis was too close for comfort.   Just as Stella (Melina Kanakaredes)  shot her abusive ex Frank in 2.21 All Access, she fired three shots, the third one killed him.   Here Jo does the same thing, a bit of an easy cop out on the part of writers, but what can you do?   That happening to a CSI isn't pleasant to watch, especially one as well liked as Jo. Well it saved the cost of a trial when she shot him.   When the Senator asked Mac what he'd do if it happened to his daughter, he doesn't reply.   Whereas we know the views of the others, Danny, Hawkes and Flack from season 7's Vigilante episode (who'd have known back then this episode would have such an impact on future CSI:NY episodes) they all had opinions on what they'd do.   Mac remains silent and tactful. He can't really answer that, not in his position.

Adam got two scenes this week, so much for Lindsay berating him.   Danny and Flack not much to do this episode and Mac took a backseat too.  Shame Jo went to the apartment alone but she had to be the one to end this case and get the final say.   Touching scene at the end when she rests her head on Mac's shoulder.   Serena turning up to see Curtis in a bodybag, bringing her some closure too.

Jo's computer screen in flashback also had Post -It notes on it. Nice to know some things never change.

Doctor Who Season 7/ Sherlock Holmes

Doctor Who season 7 boasts more emphasis on stand-alone episodes and less on story arcs as said Steven Moffat, they "went quite 'arc' last time...but that doesn't mean there aren't those things creeping in."  He told RadioTimes.com.  "You've got to find a way to make the last episode special and by God that worked, ratings-wise last year."  He also told fans to look out for the episode 7.2 of the show's title as "it's one of my favourite titles ever."

As well as dispelling rumours that Benedict Cumberbatch would make an appearance on Doctor Who since shooting takes place at the same time for both.  I don't know, seems like having Sherlock Holmes in Doctor Who may look out of place and may appear to be garnering for ratings on the back of both shows. Perhaps further down the track there could be mention of this; it could work like the inclusion of Charles Dickens, Shakespeare.  However Matt Smith and Benedict are actors who exhibit similar acting traits and nuances to their respective characters.  So I'm happy watching each actor stick to their own show!

Meanwhile, Benedict has been pondering the role of Dracula and said, "there's a script in the pipeline - I've been fighting it rather than being it."  It can be argued any role he takes will fit as he just makes each one his own.  "There's a lot of Gothic in Sherlock.  I don't like to repeat myself much.  I think there are too many vampire franchises."  Have to agree there: vampires can be overrated or underrated, but at the moment he's happy with his lot.

Mind you, Dracula's been done to 'blood-curdling' death.  Either it would need to be revamped as Sherlock was or else be extremely atmospheric with perhaps an emphasis on the character of Dracula, rather than the story or myth surrounding him.
For now, Benedict wants "to do something with an American accent, so you won't recognize me."  Not a chance there!  Of not being recognized I mean!

Stargate Atlantis - 5.2: "The Seed" Review

Jennifer Keller is attacked by a strange organism which grows and takes over her body, as well as most of Atlantis. Dr Beckett is released from his stasis pod and makes a full recovery. Woolsey arrives On Atlantis.

Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) thanks Jennifer (Jewel Staite) for helping Kanaan and the others get better.   Jennifer owes it to Beckett's (Paul McGillion) retrovirus and she may have found a formula to help him too.   She hates seeing him in a box.   Of course she'll have found a way to treat Beckett cos she'll need his help now.   Rodney (David Hewlett) visits Beckett and she's surprised by Rodney, cos she likes him.

Woolsey (Robert Picardo) arrives on Atlantis, well he's beamed down and doesn't have any words for them.   Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) "nice speech - very inspiring."  Jennifer finds a sticky substance on her hand as she awakes form falling asleep at her desk.   Sheppard notices the new table in the conference room, which Woolsey brought with him.   Ronon (Jason Momoa) thinks Carter did a good job as leader.   Sheppard calls Sam a victim of her own success.  Sam and Weir didn't stick to protocol either.  Jennifer mentions Sheppard's foray into the future (season 4) and he learned what would happen.   Sheppard: "Woolsey wasn't the weirdest things of that timeline."  Sheppard doesn't believe Michael is dead, he could have left the ship.   Rodney reminds someone stole their jumper.   Woolsey thought you needed the gene to fly those.   Rodney adds gene therapy works all the time.

Jennifer believes she may have found a serum to help Beckett but has to know if it works for certain.   Beckett is removed from his pod and they must watch out for cellular degradation, but there aren't any signs of this so far.   Beckett wakes and missed Atlantis but he's being sent back to earth for monitoring.   Teyla is concerned Jennifer didn't report for duty.   She asks Rodney to break into her chamber and trust Rodney to come up with the line of her being naked!  Jennifer has some sort of fibrous growth on her.   Beckett saw something like this in Michael's lab, except the tendrils are attached to her and the bed.   She's isolated.   Beckett needs to stay to help her.   Sheppard tells Woolsey Beckett staying, "isn't exactly by the book."

Beckett identifies some sort of alien pathogen and they could all be exposed too.   Tendrils have spread to form a cocoon.  Jennifer appears to be communicating with it and hears voices.   Everyone who was on MZS445 has to be tested, Sheppard, Rodney and Ronon test positive and are confined to quarters.   Sheppard protests if this was to happen to them then it already would have.   Beckett sees it as some form of biopolymer and Woolsey asks for an explanation for the uninitiated.   Zelenka (David Nykl) explains how Wraith ships are organic and how they are formed.   The tendrils have extended to the walls and are on three levels taking power from the electric system.   If they cut power they could slow it down.   Teyla suggests taking the ZPM out after speaking with Rodney.   Zelenka agrees and they conduct a visual inspection.   Zelenka is attacked; leading Beckett to comment it shows intelligence.   They need to separate Jennifer from the main body.   Beckett thinks a phage could sever the connection but it's never been tested, allowing Sheppard to volunteer to test it.   He thinks it could turn him onto another Iratus bug, but he's already been there.   Beckett was going to say it could kill him.

Rodney complains of palpitations, etc.   Beckett: "That's nothing new."  Sheppard flatlines and the treatment works.   Ronon volunteers to inject her and he won't get through obviously.   Ronon shoots at the tendrils and is trapped.   Sheppard speaks to the alien and takes a jumper, with Beckett distracting it, he flies straight into it.   Why didn't it attack Sheppard when he was walking through it to inject Jennifer?   It didn't attack until after he injected her.   Ronon suffers from a bruised larynx and can't speak for days.  Sheppard: "I wonder if anyone will notice the difference."  Beckett leaves for earth.

Woolsey tells Sheppard he admitted in his report he compromised protocols and compromised the safety of the base.  Sheppard assures him if he played by the rules, Jennifer would be dead.   The IOA agree but Woolsey knows the rules are there for a reason and he's not sure if he can do this job.   Sheppard welcomes him to the Pegasus Galaxy; where there really are no rules, only a fight for survival.

Woolsey gets his first initiation into the galaxy by having to break rules.   Now he must understand how all the others gone before were placed in that position - but he's still a stickler for rules.   A possible allusion to prisoners, aka "enemy combatants" at Gitmo when Woolsey mentions those Atlantians who were converted into hybrids by Michael.   Rodney and his sarcastic humour, brings home a true point by saying maybe they should leave them there forever then.   A bit of a slow start, predictable in places like needing Beckett to help Jennifer; thus the serum worked on him.   Sheppard volunteering to test the phage solution was nothing new - he'd take the risk, it's in his nature and also when he flew the jumper into the alien, again showing he wasn't going to lose another team member if he can help it, as he said last episode.

It was good to finally get an explanations to how Wraith ships are formed.   This episode was nominated for an Emmy for Visual Effects in 2008.

CSI: NY - 8.10: "Clean Sweep" Review

A cage fight ensues, where Petrov (Tito Ortiz) is beaten by Ryan.   He accuses Ryan of cheating and they make it seem like he holds a grudge against him and will be up to no good.   A burned DB is found.   Flack (Eddie Cahill) asks Mac (Gary Sinise) if he's skipped breakfast.   A melted driver's licence was found which Ided him as Ryan (Alex Nesic).   Mac believes the DB was burned here and accelerant was used.   The body was allowed to burn.   Mac: "Somebody wanted to destroy the evidence."

Sid (Robert Joy) is out of autopsy again and gasoline was used.   Hawkes (Hill Harper) wonders why it kept burning, not being pedantic but he was an ME before and they didn't need for him to ask that question, though it was for our benefit.   Sid believes it was the candle wick effect.   His clothing kept on burning like an inside out candle wick.    With a "continuing supply of fuel in the form of melting human fat." Hawkes thinks that's disgusting.   Flack comments Ryan was an up and coming cage fighter which he thinks is "an excuse for two grown men to beat the bloody pulp out of each other." Flack is a fan nonetheless.   He would be, well he's into sports though some people would have difficulty defining this as a sport.

A reporter, Julie Walsh (Vinessa Shaw) arrives at the scene wanting to interview Mac over the NYPD's "inability to police themselves." She brings him coffee and a blueberry muffin.   Mac gave up coffee a year ago, which is news to us and he's allergic to blueberries.   Suppose Flack wanted the coffee and the muffin.   Flack thinks it's a joke.   Mac: "I am a big fan of the rules."  Mac doesn't have any personal or other comment.   He does the job to the best of his ability and expects others under his command to do the same.   Where has she come from now and why the idea for the story?   There was publicity over the John Curtis trial and over Jo and how he stands by her, but it's a bit late to be coming up with this now isn't it.

Sid finds fracture's on the Vic's cranium meaning he was exposed to flames before the actual fire.   Hawkes found lead and antimony in the nugget Sid discovered fused to the base of his skull.   Hawkes calls it, 'death by GSW.'  Mac posits the Vic was shot at the back of the neck, hit on the head and set on fire.   Which Sid refers to as "overkill."  Jo (Sela Ward) speaks with his wife, Lisa (Laura Breckenridge) and she tells of a stalker back in Oklahoma.   Jo reassures they will do what they can to find out who's behind this.   Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) compared the reference sample Lisa gave to the blood at the CS and it's a positive match  for Ryan.

Jo says the stalking stopped when they moved.   Smug Lindsay (Anna Belknap) turns up and the way she gives them the info she's found with a permanent grin on her face is awful, like it's really something to smile about.   She found e-mails from the same person and has a photo from the fight which was sent to Ryan.   Adam (AJ Buckley) tries to work out who took the photo.   Jo spots a VIP badge around his neck.   The serial number was issued to Petrov, who sold it.   Jo finds peanut shells where the man was standing during the fight and she recalls the tin of peanuts in his hand.

Flack deals with a man reeking of gasoline and covered in blood at the precinct.   He thinks he killed someone.   Flack was a bit rough on Marty (David Gallagher) since he hasn't got the full story yet and so treats him like a suspect.   It was his twenty-first and he got drunk.   Flack; "I've had my fair share of rough nights." Especially in season 6 when he was drinking.   He could have killed Ryan.

Mac finds flowers on his desk and no card. They're not from Jennifer who has a pass to the lab, wanting him to read her draft of the article and she's free for dinner.   He doesn't fell obligated to read it and he's not interested if she's free or not.   Mac takes her pass and Lindsay had to walk in calling her cute.   She's so nosy, did the same thing we Jo and Russ (David James Elliott) last season.   Hasn't she got a life of her own?   She finds the blood on Marty's clothes doesn't belong to Ryan and the gasoline doesn't match, but there was asbestos on his clothes.   She makes another crack about the flowers and cos it's pet Lindsay, she's allowed to get away with it.

Jo asks Mac how he eats his peanuts cos down South they boil them so they can break the shells with their teeth.  What and eat the skin too?   She finds DNA from the saliva which is a match to Aaron Collins.   He's found by Danny and Flack at the store where he works cos this was going to be the shortest chase scene in CSI:NY history.   They didn't even get out of the store!  Not so much a chase scene as one involving destruction.   Flack: "Why do they always run?" Cos then we wouldn't be able to get our Flack/Danny chases.   Danny: "Don't know, must be brain damage."  Danny picks a chip off Flack's head and eats it, doesn't Lindsay feed him.  Ha.

Aaron took the photo Since he knew Ryan from school and he took a cheap shot at him, breaking his knee.   Mac accuses him of killing Ryan.   He sent the photo and the death threat to frighten Ryan and has an alibi.   Sid's X-rays of Ryan's leg shows screws in his ankle but the medical records show his ankle wasn't broken, so it's not Ryan.   Mac comments the blood was gravitational and Jo thinks Ryan could have planted it and she was right.   Which is what I said.   He would have needed a body so he could have still killed someone.   Sid removes a screw and matches the serial number.

Danny says Ryan took out life insurance, but Jo finds he was rejected cos of his profession.   He volunteered to help the homeless which was a clue as to how he got the body.   Sid explains how the FDA requires documents of surgically implanted medical devices and Hawkes finds one DB from the Naval Medical Centre, matching Vet Charlie Hunt. USMC. He was shot nine months earlier which was the bullet Sid recovered.   In walks smug Lindsay again to tell about Marty's dorm room being near a condemned building.   Jo thinks the two cases are connected.

Marty recalls knocking over a heater which is why he smelled of gasoline and Jo takes him through a relaxing technique to help him remember.  He heard a noise and the beams fell on top of Charlie.   He left him here.   There's blood on a beam and Jo and Mac follow a blood trail, so Charlie was still alive.   Adam called Mac a genius before and Ryan contacted Lisa by sending her a postcard.   He analyzed the DNA from the stamp which belongs to him.   Adam: "I know..." in congratulating himself for being a genius, but wait, was that what Mac was going to say.

Ryan told her what he was going to do and the postcard is the motel where he proposed.   She leads them to him since it's her turn to protect him now and look out for him.   He found Charlie and tried to take him to hospital but he died in his car and so he got the idea to burn him.   Said a prayer, took his dog tags for Charlie's sister.   Mac tells him there's no scientific way to confirm TOD so they can't say if he was killed by him or not.   Mac gets full military honours for Charlie so his family can say goodbye.

Jo understands why Ryan made that choice, "Love makes you do crazy things."  She can plead temporary insanity when it comes to love on many occasions.   She talks about Jennifer, and Mac accuses Lindsay of having an overactive imagination. No she's just plain nosy.   Jo asks if that's all Jennifer was chasing, i.e.  a story since Flack believed otherwise.   Mac: "Flack is dead."  Jo: "You're  a charming, sexy, single man.   There's no hiding from that." Jo's seductive goodnight in her dulcet tone.   Some would like to see Jo and Mac get together but that's not going to happen.   Mac isn't really one for dating co-workers.   Look what happened with him and Peyton.

Not one of the best CSI:NY episodes in my opinion though it did have some great character moments.

Flack tells Mac he hopes he hasn't eaten.   Mac was a Marine before joining the NYPD and his service/tour took him to Beirut which would have exposed him to such sights.   No one should have to go through that and end up being treated in that way.  Blatant disregard for human life and death, to have burnt his body in that way.  Suppose it came back to haunt Ryan since he has to face the possibility of jail since TOD can't be determined so they can't say whether Charlie was dead or not at a specific time.  For all the hype over his appearance, Tito Ortiz didn't get much of a storyline.

There have been plenty of CSI episodes with burned bodies such as CSI season 11 A Kiss Before Frying, but this burned body turned out to be alive.   CSI episode 7.14 Meet Market where a DB was burned and organs removed.   CSI Miami's Slow Burn episode.   The one that sticks out in my mind is CSI:NY Heroes episode from season 2 when Aiden (Vanessa Ferlito) was killed - a burned out car was found with a DB inside which was Aiden.   She'd also been beaten before being burned.

Alex Nesic who played Ryan was also in CSI:Miami episode Cop Killer.   Laura Breckenridge was in CSI Blood Moon and David Gallagher was in CSI ep Tressed to Kill.

Smallville - 10.1: "Lazarus" Review

The new season carries on from where Clark fell from the building, for Lois to find and help him. Chloe sacrifices herself to save Oliver, or so it seems.

Lois (Erica Durance) finds Clark, as The Blur, (Tom Welling) unconscious after his battle with Zod (Callum Blue).  Clark has a near-death experience where Jor-El (Terence Stamp) tells him of how the world is still at risk from evil, that Kal-El is too proud to save the world and to be a hero.  Clark believes the greater evil is Lex as he sees him in the shadows of his experience, only to be brought back by Lois.   She pulls out the blue krytonite dagger embedded in his body, allowing him to heal.   Lo and behold, the sun shines and it stops raining, allowing Clark to get his energy from the sun to heal faster.   She meanwhile stands by and watches from the outskirts, a safe distance away, gotta wonder why he never had any idea or sensed that someone was there.   Hey that's the same thing Chloe (Allison Mack) did when she saw Clark stopping the car with his body.   That's how she found out who he was and about his powers.   Well at least this time Lois was the one who saved him.   Well that's the cat out of the bag along with the new outfit, which his mother, Martha (Annette O'Toole)  had made up for him last season.  As Lois later says, "it's better in technicolour." Since black is so dark and signifies the darkness within Clark that everyone's talking about, especially Jor-El.    

He accuses Clark of being consumed by this darkness inside of him , thus being unable to help the world and yet gives him a second chance.   Hence the title.   Lois looking through the archives at the Daily Planet realizes Chloe, Pete Ross (Sam Jones III) and even Lana Lang (Kristen Kreuk) knew about Clark and his secret.   Lois then teases Clark about being passionately kissed by The Blur, whist Clark smiles with confidence; almost smirking, knowing that it was him who really kissed her.   She's the one who should be sneakily smirking since Lois knows his secret, only Clark doesn't know that.   Even after she she tells him about being "lipsmacked." Obviously he'd kiss the same irrespective of his alter ego!  She's postponed her assignment to Africa.   They need to talk, sounds serious, back at the barn later.   Unfortunately we don't get a talk, which is a shame, would've liked to have seen if she'd have told him to his face and whether, not that he could, Clark denied it.   Guess we'll have to wait for that conversation.  She watched from afar so as not to expose his 'secret' or let on that she knows.

Chloe seeing Oliver tied up and bloodied on the screen; with a new potential enemy, it appears, sounding off, "We're coming for all of you."  She then strikes a bargain with Dr Fate as she attempts to rescue Oliver (Justin Hartley) from his captive.   Some nameless man who clearly is against the heroes fighting for justice and abhors vigilantes and what they stand for.   She puts on the Helmet of Nabu, rendering her unconscious and sees the future.  Oliver's mysterious jailer questions him on why the Queen Industries satellite remained operational, when they were under attack by the Kryptonians.  Oliver attempts to explain that he's good, not evil.   Which falls on deaf ears, as expected.

Tess (Cassidy Freeman) awakens in one of Lex's old labs and is horrified to find her burned face has healed.  Doing the rounds of the lab, she stumbles across human specimens behind glass and finds a clone of Alexander Luthor, (Jakob Davies) as a boy.   He tells her Lex has been cloning himself in order to harvest body parts he can use to heal himself.   She unwittingly lets out the Bad Lex.   Thought Lex was all bad anyway, ha.  Chloe tells Clark she knows where Oliver is being held and she will help him, whilst he has to get to Cadmus Labs which is ablaze.   She saw Clark as the "world's hero" and he wasn't wearing his 'trademark' (ha) black.   She whispers goodbye to him but he's off to the lab.  So she's up to something and keeping it under her hat, or should I say, helmet.

Lois opens the box meant for Clark at the barn, containing the new outfit and there's a note attached to the lid.   Which we don't get a glimpse of; before she's knocked out by Lex, who ties her to the scarecrow post in the cornfield.   Lots of references here to past seasons, such as Tess finding clones of Lex and Alexander.   Meaning, we've seen Alexander as a boy before.  The scarecrow post being the same one where Lex rescued a strung up Clark in season 1 and he lets her know of this too.   Setting fire to the cornfield around her.  

Clark arrives at the barn to find the box.   He runs to save Lois but Lex sidetracks him to have a heart-to-heart.  He reminds him of how Clark rescued him from his water-logged car and saved him from a watery grave in the pilot episode.   Lots of exposition follows about Clark becoming vain and proud .   So he knows Clark is the Blur too, but he's only Lex's clone and he dies anyway, so problem sorted.   Before he dies though, he tells Clark he can either save Lois from the fire or save people from the exploding Daily Planet logo, which will fall from its pedestal.   Was that irony or metaphor there, since it kind of symbolized Clark and his pride coming before a fall, before he realizes he is good, not proud and he is there to save the world.  Lex sees Lois as The Blur's "greatest weakness."  Which must have cemented her decision to leave as she can't have him rescuing her all the time, when he's meant to be saving the world.

Clark excels in doing both, saving Lois from the fire, she's out cold by this time, so as in Lois fashion misses the rescue.  Since he's not meant to know she's aware of his true identity.  He also catches the logo from falling.  Soaring into the air to do so.   He later says he felt like he was flying.   The new outfit is transported to the Fortress of Solitude, where Clark has another showdown, of sorts, with Jor-El.   Again putting him down.   Returning to the farm, he finds a note from Lois saying "I couldn't pass up Africa after all." He then sees Jonathan Kent (John Schneider) repairing the fence at the farm.  He tells Clark how proud he is of his son, that's he's done plenty and still has to do more, to fulfill his destiny.  Jonathan let his anger consume him cos he couldn't let go of his hatred of Lionel Luthor (John Glover) and his anger killed him.   He should prove Jor-El wrong.  Clark has a second chance.   So as Jor-El said the same, we know it was Jonathan who convinced him of giving Clark another go.  Jonathan always watches over Clark.

Tess keeps Alexander at the mansion and Chloe exchanges herself for Oliver's release.   Wearing hoods, so Oliver can't see it's her.  Meanwhile, the new outfit is 'on ice' at the Fortress.  The colours not being red, blue and yellow, but more red, blue and maroon, being attributed to the colours of the costume in the movie, Superman Returns.  Hey Lois' 'S' on her vest was in glorious technicolour, ha!  Okay red mostly.  Hey more irony as soon as she finds out who the Blur really is, she ends up wearing his' letter' in the same place we saw Clark in season 1!

Not much happening in this episode, aside from references to the past and Clark having his near-death experience where he catches sight of Lex and then runs into him in reality, albeit, his clone.   Giving a chance for the Lex to actually return later.   Well the possibility was always there of this.   Tess is meant to have turned over a new leaf and we now get another new enemy for Oliver and Clark to deal with.   Glad Lois and Clark have been separated for part of the episodes at last, as it will let them do their own thing and pursue their own fates and storylines, without the question of how each will handle the revelation about The Blur's identity.   It's better they go into that slowly, instead of hashing it out quickly.   They do work well together, but the two characters also excel in their own plots; whilst still carrying a torch for one another.

Now that Chloe has seen the future she can only use it to help them defeat this new enemy and also Lex, if indeed he is the greater evil mentioned.   Hate that we're just getting this now.   Channel 4/E4 used to show the new season in January or February but kept it back last year.  Shame that this being the last season, Chloe (Allison) wasn't featured in all of it.   No, we get Clarkie and Ollie in the same boat, being separated from the women they love; each one of them thinking they're doing the right thing.   But Clark can see Lois anytime, it's Chloe, knowing the future, whom no one can locate.