666 Park Avenue 1.12 "The Elysian Fields" Review

Jane (Rachael Taylor) meets with Hayden (Teddy Sears) at a diner to tell him about her engagement to Henry (Dave Annable) and that she can't see him anymore as she's keeping her meetings from Henry as it is and she thinks Hayden is in love with her.  He tells her he knows someone in the FBI who can help decipher the code to help with the journal.  She already knows what it says and it keeps coming back to one word: "conspirati."  Also that Harland Moore is alive and is at the Drake going by the name of Phillip Corey (Richard Short).  As Jane meets with Hayden her apartment is ransacked as two men search for the journal.  When she arrives home, she finds them still there and they demand the journal.  She gives it to them.  Thought she'd have put up more of a fight, or at least tell them it's somewhere else.  But not to be since there wasn't much time left to go into all that before the final episode.

As they leave one of tem is caught by a pair of hands from the floor and is pulled in.  The other one gets away. Jane meets with Corey who tells her nothing much really.  Louise (Mercedes Masohn) wakes up in Corey's apartment and realizes she's made a mistake as he wants to go for a fourth round.  Oh stop calling everyone "doll."  She's ashamed of herself for what she's done.  Brian (Robert Buckley) searches for Louise as she didn't come home the night before and Alexis (Helena Mattsson) tells him they're meant to be together, not him and Louise.  What they did meant nothing and he was angry at her, it shouldn't have happened.  Brian realizes Louise has been unfaithful as Corey walks into their place using the keys Louise left behind between the sheets.  Brian is disgusted with her, well he can talk, how many times has he been with Alexis!

Brian returns to find Louise packing and wants to leave but pleads with her that they can make it work.  This leads Alexis to drug Louise and threaten her with a kitchen knife.  Telling her what she ran over that night wasn't a dog, but her.  Brian walks in to try and stop her and Louise who couldn't move five seconds ago now hits Alexis with a poker.  They can't go to the police since she's got a record for drugs and assault and won't believe it was an accident.  Seems like these two actually deserve each other don't they.  They've both been unfaithful, had their problems and still can't let each other go.  Also it appeared all three of them were in some cheesy play Brian had penned!

Henry tells Jane he blabbed to Olivia (Vanessa Williams) about their engagement beforehand even though she wanted it kept private but Olivia helped pick out the ring.  So she's throwing them an engagement party.  Leading Jane to recall her father and wishing she could see him.  Henry uses Gavin's Merc to pay Nate (William Sandler) a visit.  His last name is McKenny and Jane's is Van Veen, so whose name did she take?Breaking the new of their engagement to him.  He's happy but can't see Jane.  He tells Henry how Jane was a baby when her mother died, she was killed in the bathtub and Jane was in the crib when he came back.  Wasn't that a replay of Jane's great grandmother getting killed too.  Not in the bathtub as we recall Kramer killed her, stabbed her?  Was it the women's lot in this family to get killed off.  Leaving us more questions as to why?

Jane meanwhile thinks Hayden is involved and was behind the journal being stolen, so she follows him to a place known as The Elysian fields.  She asks what that is and she's invited up where she meets the man who stole her journal and Hayden.  As well as Eunice (Elizabeth Morton) Corey's granddaughter.  Hayden is part of the Conspirati and is there to protect Jane.  The Conspirati is a secret society who basically were started bu some priests in Rome after they believed the papacy was taken over by evil.  The priests were killed in 1542 but one survived.  They oppose the Order of the Dragon.  Eunice needs to know what Corey is doing in his apartment.

Jane breaks in through the air vent from the utility cupboard and takes a photo of the Dragon mosaic on the floor.  She hears weird noises and has a nosebleed, prompting the Dragon to come alive.  Kandincsky (Misha Kuznetsov) has interrogated the other man who stole the journal and shows Gavin (Terry O'Quinn) the tattoo on his neck.  Gavin knows he's part of the Conspirati too.  He wants to take care of them but he'll handle Hayden.  As Kandinsky sees Jane and Hayden together.   Hayden needs to protect Jane after she sends him the photo she took and heads for the Drake where Gavin confronts him.  Gavin promises he'll protect Jane and Hayden tells him Corey is Harland thinking this will save his life, but it doesn't since he's swallowed by the wall.  What did he really think Gavin would just let him go.  Eunice told him Hayden wouldn't be coming back if he went.  Also the way Kandinsky just shot three people before they could shoot off one bullet was a little ridiculous.  Seems the Conspirati weren't trigger happy enough to be quick off the draw.

Jane sees Corey at the party who wasn't invited but he knows what she did to the Dragon.  Telling her back then women weren't independent and knew their place, just like his wife who's been dead forty years.  Jane knows Henry went to see her father who decides to show up here.  He tells her she was a baby here and they used to live here, but not about her mother and why he wants her to leave here.  Well what was the point of coming as it seems we'll probably get all this wrapped up in one episode, that is if we do get a  conclusion.  You'll also recall a few reviews ago I mentioned that Hayden would turn out to be someone else after all.  Though we weren't meant to think he was one of the good guys.  Jane also told him she's embarrassed about what she said to him cos she thought he wanted her.  Hey he did.

Jane tells Henry he's the constant in her life and we see Hayden calling out to Jane from withing the wall.  Is she going to dream of him and get him back I wonder?

As for Corey well he gets Gavin all tied up with vines from the Dragon as he stands over it.  Gavin stole the Drake from him and he wants it back.  Begging the question why Gavin didn't recognize him.  For a moment it appears Gavin will get his comeuppance but as said it's not so easy to kill him.  This time Olivia turns up to save the day with that red box of theirs.  Telling Corey to let Gavin go and he can have the heart of the Drake, contained in the box.  He opens it up and is sucked into it.  Gavin welcoming him to his new home.  So Olivia will do anything for Gavin even letting her daughter go wherever she ended up.  She's mentioned this week as Henry tells Olivia Laurel e-mailed him to say she's in San Francisco.  Olivia doesn't react, oh she's cold!

So there you have it, one more to go and I can't help feeling we'll still be left with loose ends.  It's obvious this Conspirati was a last minute thing and this new addition to the story seems rushed.  What was the point of them if they were so easily defeated and why does Gavin want Jane?  The question being Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? which wasn't answered in the episode of that name.

Gavin to Hayden when he cocks his gun, "stop acting like you're in some western."  Gavin hates westerns. Which is exactly what Kandinsky was engaging in when he shot three people just like that.  Oh Jane leaving her phone behind now for the party when that's all she needed at the Hallowe'en party, was just plain ridiculous and utterly cringe worthy!  What she didn't need it now!

The Elysian fields is from Greek mythology referring to the afterlife where mortals who were related to gods and heroes were granted entry, as Hayden explains to Jane.  Also Gavin and Corey talk about gods and how Corey's gods deserted him, leading him to lose the Drake.

Waiting For The Sky To Fall - Richard Grieco

Musical tastes and trends tend to vary from different eras as these are the times we live in and that's how I'd describe my taste in music too: varied, eclectic, never the same.  I buy an album, CD cos I like the songs or the artist or both and sometimes on a whim.  So when Richard Grieco released his debut album Waiting for the Sky To Fall back in 1995, you could say I was amongst the first to snap it up.  Okay I had German connections!  But also gotta thank RTL4 in The Netherlands, not only did they show Booker un-encrypted on satellite, but they also played the video of Waiting For the Sky to Fall, so at least could watch that and wear out the video tape.  I still have it along with my Booker eps (yes on video! SO?)  At least the original songs on the show and the theme song, Billy Idol's Hot In the City, are still intact, since DVD/song copyright made it difficult for these to be transferred onto the DVD release. (In 2009).

The CD is still available if you look, sites such as amazon and ebay always have a copy or two, there are also some sites where you can download individual songs.  Good news is Richard uploaded it to iTunes so it's available to a wider audience now.  For those who missed out, would love to relive their misspent youth, something about that phrase which makes me refer to it over, never mind.  I'll think of a different one eventually.

It may not appeal to everyone and some may even call it an acquired taste, with which I don't agree.  Yeah I admit my reason for getting it was cos it was Richard's creation, so I was/still am into anything he does.  Been a fan for 25 years and counting - quarter century kind of sounds cool.  Dedication, obsession who cares!

Richard has a distinct voice, he sounds a little Bryan Adams to me and a lot of his lyrics are meaningful, others are just rocking.  Many of the tracks were used in Richards show, Marker which was enjoyable too and would have run for a lot longer, but them's the decisions of Networks, they get it wrong 90% of the time! As Fox did with Booker! Tsk.

My favourite song is the title Waiting for the Sky to Fall for various reasons, it can pick you up when you're down, at least it worked for me, sending me to a whole different thought plane.  Music is often called a drug, but one that doesn't cause you to have withdrawals unless you're waiting around for more songs.  The album was successful in its native Germany where it was released and most of Europe.  It's edgy with a sophisticated style and sound.

The Track I believe In You for some reason took me back to being at school, college, it was a song about being young and carefree. Lasting/losing friendships.
Okay there are a few out there who wanted me to mention Lay Your Body Down cos it sends them to a whole other plane, one of fantasy and dreams (wet) ooh!  There done.

You will know Richard from 21 Jump Street and spin off  series Booker.  As well as various other films, movies such as If Looks Could Kill (aka Teen Agent in UK), Mobsters.  Currently he's concentrating on his art.  His paintings are terrific, check out his site  http://www.griecoart.com 

and follow on Twitter @Richard_Grieco and Facebook.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/waiting-for-the-sky-to-fall/id451058342  Songs available here

Revenge 2.18 "Masquerade" Review

                                            
Emily: "All too often, we mask the truth in artifice, concealing ourselves for fear of losing the ones we love or prolonging a deception for those we wish to expose.  We hide behind that which brings us comfort from pain and sadness or use it to repel a truth too devastating to accept."

Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) preens herself in front of her mirror after she receives a letter which Ashley gives her as it was delivered to their campaign office, dated 1973, which has been addressed to Victoria with Conrad's (Henry Czerny) name crossed off.  It's an RSVP saying they will be at the masquerade ball.  Daniel  (Josh Bowman) also tells her about his keeping away from Emily (Emily VanCamp) even though he wants her by his side, he doesn't want to endanger her after the Initiative sent that photo.  She also tells him he's inviting Sloane (Kate Herman) from his past which he isn't happy about as she doesn't really approve of any girls he's been with.  Cue Ashley (Ashley Madekwe) ha.  Well no one approves of her.

Emily turns up hoping to get an invite from Victoria but she refuses.  Actually Emily was practically begging, that did not become you Emily! As most of the cast keep telling us it's been six weeks later.  There's been no word on Padma (Dilshad Vadsaria) and Nolan (Gabriel Mann) desperately puts up all leads on his office window and  detective Durand (Marcus A Ferraez) doesn't have any news for him.  Daniel is angry Aiden (Barry Sloane) went ahead and invested Trask's (Burn Gorman) money, as he shows up.  Daniel shows the photo to of hi and Emily to him and Trask replies they don't threaten in the second but the third dimension.  So he finds out the Initiative didn't send the photo.  Giving Daniel a chance to use it to his advantage.  Firstly by inviting Emily to the ball and secondly by publishing it in the paper, Page Six.  Oh there's another six reference.  Are the writers now beginning to portray numbers as having some sort of significance in the show, well I can ponder.

Jack (nick Wechsler) calls Nolan to ask for his help as Conrad is having a press conference at the Stowaway again and Jack has helped him gain four points in the poles.  Jack plays the snippet of the recording Nate made about Conrad being behind Amanda's death and wants Nolan to put it through Conrad's earwig, to get him worried.  Ashley suggest the earwig so that Jack can prompt him during the Q&A session.  She also suggests Conrad should wear a tie since the people want to relate to him and not have him being related to them.  Jack also tells him he shouldn't refer to them as "working class."  Jack can probably help them get a page 1 headline in the papers again.

Charlotte (Christa B Allen) talks to Victoria as Emily sets up the black roses ploy by taking 12 roses and snipping one off the stem.  With a card saying he'll be wearing that one at the ball, "your loving son."  Victoria says it's just someone who sent them to her.  Later Conrad finds out and asks if she has another son.  She tells him she got pregnant by one of her mother's boyfriend's but she terminated it.  The flashback suggests otherwise and it's obvious Victoria wouldn't terminate one baby and have two others.  He doesn't want anything getting out when he's this close to being elected.  At the Q&A session, Nolan plays the tape so it plays into Conrad's earwig and phases him, prompting Jack to come to his aid.

Aiden kidnaps Trask in a bid to lead him to Padma but he takes him to her DB instead saying she wanted to be with her father and she is, but what of the video he made her record last ep?  Also telling Aiden that there are motion senors so the police will be on their way and find him with one DB or two.  Aiden doesn't shoot him but breaks his neck, for Padma, her father and for Colleen.  So who else from the Initiative will turn up, or is that the last we'll hear of them.

Victoria thanks everyone for coming to the ball and looks out for men wearing a black rose.  Emily shows up too in white with a white mask and Victoria is surprised she's here.  Daniel invited her.  Aiden tells Emily about Padma and she breaks the news to Nolan who is beside himself and blames everyone including Emily for what happened.  He wants to be alone.  Nolan referring to Aiden as the "Phantom of the opera" in his black jacket with white striped collar, beforehand.  Victoria sees someone who is wearing the same jacket as Aiden and a black rose but he disappears, leading her to Aiden.  Where she faints.  Daniel shows how he and Emily are together as he lauds it over Aiden.  Charlotte punches a girl, Regina (Seychelle Gabriel) for saying nasty things about Amanda and she can't let it go, Declan (Connor Paolo) coming to her rescue.

Conrad thinks Ashley was behind the faux paus at the conference and says she will be fired after he gets elected. It couldn't be Jack since he helped him out, but she thinks he could have done that to cover himself. Which Jack overhears.  he reveals he's out to get Conrad and she wants the same thing, so recruits her to help him bring him down.  She swears she had nothing to do with Amanda.  Jack also reminds Victoria that Carl will grow up without his mother.  Again another thing leading her to recall her abandoned baby.

Emily turns up at the house next day as she has seen Nolan and Aiden seems to be cold towards her.  She thinks Daniel will find out about his past and his father since Trask put him onto him.  So his stay in the Hampton's could be threatened.  The way he tells Emily he's disgusted with her, oh trouble in paradise no wonder Emily gets closer to Daniel.  The detective turns up to see Nolan and tells him he withheld things from him, accusing him of being the killer.  As we're shown the Grayson campaign badge once again.  Just as Jack showed it to Nolan before.  Nolan isn't saying anything without his lawyer when the detective tells him Padma died the same day and not six weeks ago.

Victoria goes to the convent where she gave up her son and Sister Rebecca Gallagher (Myra Turley) tells her she hasn't revealed anything to anyone about him, even we he came looking for his mother.  When she leaves Emily turn up feigning pregnancy to gain the sister's trust.  Which was up her sleeve all along as no one knows who Victoria's son is or what happened to him.  Nolan was really grieving over Padma, I just thought is she really dead, you know Aiden wouldn't really have looked and that detective looks a bit shady too.

Masquerade ball, another chance for everyone to get dressed up again and don masks cos everyone was keeping secrets behind their masks.  Victoria's reply to Ashley was funny: "you're right it's just a seasonal trifle, not like yourself."  There was kind of a Phantom of the Opera vibe going on with the music especially when Victoria was looking for the black rose-wearing son of hers.  One of the best scenes was Emily holding Nolan when he broke down and their scenes and relationship really is the centre of the show.  In another similar turn of events Jack gets Conrad unnerved whilst Emily does the same with Victoria and it's about time they really did discover they're both on the same side and are working towards the same goal.

From Emily's face couldn't tell if she was making that up about the pregnancy or if she really is pregnant, she's been with enough men!  Poignant moment, Nolan telling her "I love you too."  When she said she won't leave him alone.

Some great quotes this ep, Daniel when he returns Victoria the bullets, "I believe these are yours, feel free to use one for each of your two faces."
Victoria and her constant references to ghosts and not being laid to rest by anyone, a main premise of the show.  "I try to keep the ghosts out but they always force their way back in."  She follows the man with the rose and he leads to Aiden, could Aiden possibly be her long, lost son?

Once Upon A Time 2.5 "The Doctor" Review

Lancelot died a hero's death says Aurora (Sarah Bolger) as they return back to the village.  Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Emma (Jennifer Morrison) find the people dead but one survivor remains, Hook/Killian (Colin O'Donoghue).  Snow realizes Cora ripped their hearts out, using her magic "twisted and evil."

Charming (Josh Dallas) punches Whale (David Anders) for sleeping with Snow, he asks if he means Katherine.  he was cursed he didn't know.  So he slept with both of them! He  wants to know if the Enchanted Forest still remains intact.  Charming says there aren't any secrets any longer so possibly all the land exists.

Regina (Lana Parrilla) comes to see Archie (Rapheal Sbarge) as she hasn't used magic for two days as she promised Henry (Jared S Gilmore).  Magic was her way to get everything.  This is her chance to start again.  Whale wants Regina to send him back.  The curse only brought the living.  She can't send anyone anywhere.  Her father is here, as Archie tells her.  She brought who she wanted.

Regina shows her magical training to Rumples (Robert Carlyle) by freezing a unicorn and he wants her to take its heart, just like her mother did to Daniel (Noah Bean).  Rumples wants her to kill the unicorn by crushing its heart.  Rumples: "nothing is innocent."  the heart becomes enchanted, stronger than a normal heart, once it's removed so you control the beast.  She has to take power otherwise she's not learning anything.  She preserved Daniel with a preservation spell and he's in in her family mausoleum.  She leaves the session.  In the rain, she sees Daniel.  Yeah it had to be a thunder storm too.

Charming takes Henry to the stables to learn to look after his steed before the knight can learn to ride.  The horse will tell him when he's ready to ride, why is he Mr Ed? Ha.  Regina goes to the mausoleum and finds Daniel missing and then searches for Whale, whom she finds has been attacked by Daniel.  Rumples asks Regina what she really wants, to be taught magic to bring back the dead.  Magic can't do that, "dead is dead."  Jefferson (Sebastian Stan) says nothing is beyond his reach.  Rumples wanted the slippers, Dorthy's ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz, but gets a crystal ball.  His hat only land transports between magical lands.  He takes the ball.  Jefferson introduces himself to Regina as a man who travels and knows someone who can bring back the dead.  Yeah he's a travelling salesman, ha.  He knows a wizard, being a reference to The Wizard of Oz but he's actually Dr Frankenstein.  He wants a free passport to travel her world.  This is her first meeting with Jefferson which is why she needed his hat later on.  (Well earlier as it was in season 1.)

Emma wonders why Cora would leave a survivor, she's probably tricking them and he's lying.  Killian pretended to hide under the dead.  Emma knows when someone is lying to her.  Jefferson takes Regina to Doctor Whale.  He hasn't brought anyone back from the dead as the procedure is experimental.  The last piece of the puzzle exists here, a strong heart.  They rip the organ out of the living while it still beats says Jefferson about those who practise the black arts.    She knows here to get a heart.  Whale brought back Daniel but he's not dead, he's a monster.

Regina shows them the hearts her mother collected.  She calls Cora a monster.  He takes a heart but doesn't use it for Daniel.  The Doctor tries to resurrect Daniel but the heart isn't strong enough and fails.  Thus she's left with no hope but to return to the master.  Now dressed in black leather, she finally becomes the Regina we know and takes the heart of Rumple's current apprentice, crushing it.  This is exactly what he wanted as Jefferson leads the doctor back to his own land with the use of his hat.

Regina tells Charming about Daniel and she thinks he'll go to the last place she saw him, just like Charming when he regained his memory.  He's at the stable and so is Henry.  She doesn't know whose heart he took, it was impossible to keep count as she took so many she tells Charming.  In a repeat of the line she said about her mother.  Daniel attacks Henry and then Regina but she pleads with Charming to let her talk with him.  Daniel wants her to end the pain and then he attacks her again, before she tells him she loves him.  She needs to let him go and she kills him.

Hook is tied up and threatened with being attacked by the ogres.  Hook says they "bested him."  Snow finds his hook. He tells them about Cora and the portal, magic wardrobe (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe perhaps, it did transport them between lands.) Cora's using the ashes to open up the portal.  He can get them back to Storybrooke if they take him.  She needs more to find their land, an enchanted compass.  Which is up a beanstalk complete with Jack and giant.  Emma asks him why he wants to go and he better be telling the truth.  He wants to kill Rumples, he took his hand.

Jefferson tells Regina if the doctor can't do what she wants then Rumples was right, it can't be done.  You see, the Doctor kept the heart for himself to use for his brother.  "Magic comes at a price" which Rumples tells her and also Whale at the end when he comes to Rumples for him to use his magic to put his arm back.  All Rumples needs to hear are the words, "I need magic."  Whale wants to return home and help his brother.  In the story of Frankenstein the monster killed his brother and Victor Frankenstein in his guilt tried to bring back his brother. Strange that Rumples/Gold in the present gets Whale to say those words since as Victor Frankenstein, he believes science is more powerful than magic, which he says at the end when he brings back his brother.  So ironic that Gold made him utter needing magic.  To Gold and to Regina, magic is everything as shown by his trying to find a spell to break the curse that will make them forget if they leave Storybrooke.

                                       

Doctor: "I need my powers to transcend the limitations of your magic."  The powers of magic is all that exists to Rumples and he asks him to wager, and it did come back to haunt him, as said above.  Whale thought he could help Regina by bringing back Daniel and she'd return him to his world.  The first time ended badly so he needs to return.    Then again Regina got her own back on Jefferson too when he got his head lopped off in Wonderland, though she didn't know about his betrayal along with Rumples and Whale.

Regina returns to Archie saying she used magic.  Yes Regina you had a relapse.  Now she has to start counting the days over. The laboratory scene at the end in black and white was clearly the best scene this ep.  Taking you back to the original black and white movie of Frankenstein.  So atmospheric and eerie.  Victor believes he did it but he failed cos he tells him he needs to find his brother again.  Frankenstein; "it's not magic, it's science."

Anyone who had psychic powers would know that the director of the original Frankenstein movie from 1931 was James Whale.  Thus the reference to Dr Whale here in Storybrooke.  Though we're not mind readers so we couldn't have guessed this is what the writers had in mind when they came up with his name.

Of course the crystal ball belonged to the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz. Wonder how Jefferson got  hold of it.  It's good to see Rumples had his hands in everything isn't it and had everyone working for him even before Regina became powerful.  SO naturally he'd be the one to give her the curse to use, when once again it was for his own ends, to find Bae.

David Anders did an excellent portrayal of both Whale and Victor here, he was funny and a womanizer as Whale but as Victor he was truly tormented with bringing back his brother and using science to fix everything. Yet as Whale he was still a doctor so that part of him didn't change though he couldn't remember who he really was.  Lots of talk of monsters here, Regina calling Cora one as well as Daniel and Whale saying he's not creating a monster but bringing back his brother. When in actual fact he did create a monster.   Also this talk of travelling between lands, Whale must have been the Wizard in Oz, the Emerald City since he was in search of the perfect heart for his brother.  In Oz, it was the Tin Man who was in need of a heart.  All these lands must somehow have a connection to the Enchanted Forest though various portals and not just Jefferson's hat.
Would have thought Jefferson would have had more to do since we won't get to see him anymore.  No fair!!

Just a few more thoughts, Daniel tells Regina she should find another love, well Regina had the sheriff remember last season,  whom she killed by crushing his heart cos he betrayed her with Emma, and now will she get a new love interest if so who and don't say Hook.   Regina really felt sorrow for having to kill Daniel so maybe she will turn over a new leaf.  At least she'll need her magic to fight her mother.

Doctor Who 7.12 "The Crimson Horror" Review

                                            
Yorkshire 1893 A man goes into a room filled with red light and says goodbye to his wife.  When a woman comes with others to tell her that her husband's not going to be okay.  A man, Mr Thursday (Brendan Patricks) comes to ID his brother, Edmund (Brendan Patricks) in the morgue and to collect his body to take back to London.  He's told there are many others like that too.  He takes a photo of his eyes cos according to Romani myth the eyes retain a picture of the last thing they see as Thursday tells Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh) as he turns to her agency for help.  The last thing Edmund saw was an image of the Doctor - WHO else.

Vastra and Jenny (Catrin Stewart) set off for Yorkshire, or North as they call it and Strax (Dan Starkey) thinks he can go undercover at Mrs Winifred Gillyflower's (Diana Rigg) meeting.  However it's Jenny who goes in with Strax still referring to her as a boy  and has in mind to use yet more explosives and weapons.  Well once a Sontaran, always a Sontaran.  Jenny infiltrates the meeting where Gillyflower talks about Sweetville and shows them a plan of the mill buildings.  Where the rains from the heaven will rain down on them??  Jenny signs up to go.  Gillyflower also introduces her daughter Ada (Rachael Stirling) who she describes as being blinded by her husband.

When they arrive at the mill, Jenny strikes up a conversation with another woman whose friend told her about Sweetville but then was never heard from again.  Jenny pays her a guinea to create a diversion and she breaks into the place.  Here she sees a room full of large gramophones and men carrying  a large bottle filled with red liquid.  Vastra visits the man at the morgue and he gives her a bottle of the red liquid, known as the 'Crimson Horror'.  She lifts her veil and exclaims she knows what this is.  She likes revealing her face.

Jenny searches the place and finds the door where Ada had just fed hee monster and she opens the hole where he grabs her.  She opens the door and finds it's the Doctor (Matt Smith).  Leading him out to the room where he turns back into himself with the use of his trusty Sonic.  He needs to rescue Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) but Jenny wonders why, cos she died in The Snowmen.  It's a long and complicated story but he'll try and shorten it.  SO we get a fast, old Victorian picture show style, in sepia, complete with grainy picture and sound and splotches on the film summary of how the Doctor and Clara arrived here.  As they were meant to to go Victorian London but ended up in Yorkshire.  They meet up with Gillyflower after Edmund shows them Sweetville and strange goings on there.  Going undercover as a married couple, the Doctor and Mrs Smith.  Gillyflower shows them around Sweetville where this handsome couple will fit right in.  She opens the door to a house and the two of them are taken.

The Doctor ends up in the vat and is "fried tonight," as Clara stands with other women.  He ends up on the reject pile where he reaches out his hand as Ada is passing.  Ada takes him in as her monster and keeps him locked and shackled up.  He heads back to the house where he sees himself and Clara preserved in a glass belljar.  He takes her back to get the mill and that room to get her back.  Jenny and the Doctor are surrounded by others and Jenny takes off her dress revealing her catsuit outfit and manages to kick a few of them.  Before others arrives as does Strax to save the day. Vastra thinks he's hyper cos he's been eating jelly sherbet fancies again.

The Doctor wonders what Gillyflower has in mind and Clara tries to tell him about the chimney, succeeding on the third attempt, there's no smoke from the chimney.  Vastra recognizes the Crimson Horror as a red leech that got into the water system and contaminated it. He sees Ada again and makes her touch his face, he's her monster.  Yes also he could be an alien cos of his "big chin".  Never miss an opportunity to get that line in!   They must stop Gillyflower and head to confront her as she sets the rocket to launch.
Doctor: "I'm the Doctor, you're nuts and I'm going to stop you."  Great line!
She reveals Mr Sweet, the leech attached to her body and how she aims to destroy the world.  Ada walks in and attacks her as Clara uses a chair to stop the launch.  Not letting the Doctor use his Sonic.  Hey she only used the chair after he used it first to get her out when he smashed the belljar.  He uses it again to break the window as Gillyflower takes Ada hostage.  There's a secondary launch button to the rocket and this time she manages to launch it.  Only Jenny and Vastra turn up with the big red bottle.  Strax arrives and holds a gun on Gillyflower who shoots at him and he shoots back of course.  She falls down the stairs and Sweet leaves her dying body.  Ada tells her she won't forgive her.  Then proceeds to kill the worm with her walking stick.

Jenny asks about Clara but it's complicated to explain.  He drops her back home and the children have photos of Clara and her time travelling adventures on the computer, they found them at school.  They want to time travel too or will tell their parents.  Calling the Doctor her "boyfriend." As if we haven't had enough snogging this time round, ha.  SO next ep it's those Cybermen again.  Can't have an episode without them.

Note Sherlock-esque music when Vastra was meeting with Thursday in the conservatory.  Clara reminded me of Ingrid Bergman with her dress and her hair done like that from Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Gaslight.  Thought the large vat the bodies were being dunked in was a bit Carry on Screaming, without the shouts of "frying tonight!"  The Doctor in his long Johns was a bit Odd Bod like from the same film too, if not a little akin to Frankenstein's monster.  Thus Ada referring to him as "my monster."  Also the Doctor speaking in a northern accent, as he did in season 5's The Lodger.  With his line of, "things 'taint right 'tat mill."

Funny them using the name Doctor and Mrs Smith, since last ep we were shown the key with the name Smith on it, even though we know the Doctor has been known as John Smith in the past. The Doctor mentioning dropping off the gobby Aussie at Heathrow Airport was a reference to Tegan. Brave heart, Clara."  Tegan was the Fifth Doctor's (Peter Davidson) companion.  Also when the Doctor says "look at the muck in 'ere" which was said by Larry Grayson from the BBC's The Generation Game.

Mark Gatiss especially wrote the parts of mother and daughter here for real life mother and daughter, Diana Rigg and Rachael Stirling, as Rachael said they have never been in anything together.

This was a fun and enjoyable episode and Doctor Who seems particularly more interesting when it's set in Victorian times.  Though the doctor doesn't make an appearance until at least 14-15 minutes into this episode and here Vastra and her companions were the ones who discovered the mystery behind the Doctor being involved and disappearing.  The Crimson Horror having a striking similarity as a title for a Sherlock Holmes mystery!

The Mentalist 5.20 "Red Velvet Cupcakes" Review

                                            
Nice to see the show take a different approach to cases lately.  This time we have Cho (Tim Kang) and Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) at the CS with Lisbon (Robin Tunney) taking a backseat and Patrick )Simon Baker) locked up in his attic.  Cho examines the DB of a woman who was shot through the chest and then shot through the foot.  Rigsby calls Patrick but he can't come in, he's busy going over his board of RJ but we don't get anything more baout that this ep, as we take a break from the hunt for Red John. He asks Cho to describe the scene to him and then asks Rigsby to describe the bedroom, which is ordinary, quite sparse and no photos around. "I want to understand their relationship, bedroom says a lot."  A possible hint at the ending of the ep here too. Then sends Rigsby to the kitchen, ooh big mistake, Rigsby and kitchens! ha.  He opens the fridge and then spots cupcakes on the counter.  Red velvet cupcakes, hence the title.  Rigsby has a food fetish, ha.

The wife, Missy (Amy Motta) is thin and into exercise and her baking, whilst her husband Kip (Chris Marrs) is portly and has a personal trainer.  He's meant to be on a rafting trip, which Patrick doesn't think he'd go to.  Lisbon arrives to take Patrick out of his attic and onto the case.  He can hear her 'shuffling' footsteps, just like he did with Cho last ep and she tells him he can work on Red John later.  "I need you."  That got him up since he was reading at this point and not working on RJ as she thinks.  Patrick: "It's nice to be needed...anything for you Lisbon."  Oh let's hope they're not leading up to something romantic here.

Kip and Missy were on the radio show, "Prescription for Love" which Lisbon admits to knowing about. She listens to it on the car radio and Patrick knows she's a big fan.  Hey with all that cold reading Patrick does, how could she keep this hidden from him anyway and other things too.  Begging the question has he cold read her about her possible feelings for him?  The receptionist at the radio station thinks Lisbon and Patrick are a couple here for a show but she flashes her badge and says they're not.  Patrick whilst his hand is in the sweet jar says "ours is more of a platonic love.".  See his attitude was completely different here than his jump to help Lisbon co she needed him.

They listen on the radio show with the love Doctor, Buddy Hennings and his wife, Elizabeth (Molly Hagan) and Gary (Patrick Fischler) tells them Missy was liked.  Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) and Rigsby are sent to stake out Monica (Samantha Esteban) who slashed Missy's tyres.  He talks about thinking of her when she was in California after the strop he threw about her having a boyfriend earlier on.  She says she thought of him too.  Monica arrives and Rigsby has to give chase, with throwing the drugs into the dumpster.  Rigsby asking Van Pelt if she's okay, of course she would be, she drove there.  Ahh that was Cho's scene, he's always in a chase scene!

Patrick goes on air and puts out a request for Kip's car sightings and offers a $10,000 reward, which is reduced to $20 and a chance to appear on the show as a host, with Gary throwing a fit over this.  Oh Patty first the TV and now radio.  He really got into that part didn't he.  You know singy voice and everything. Well he knows where he's got another career if he leaves CBI.  The appeal pays off as the phone lines light up and they find he's at some motel.  Patrick asking if the blonde he's with is fit, muscular.  They hear noises from the room, obvious what was going on there and Patrick takes a step back as Lisbon gets her gun out!  Funny I was just thinking he's going up against RJ, and the things he's capable of and yet he always takes a step back or runs away at the first sign of trouble on other cases.  Whereas with RJ he's kind of reckless and doesn't think baout putting his life on the line in this endless pursuit of his.  Well at least he didn't start it this time!

Kip admits he was having an affair and Missy found out about it but she was the only one.  Their marriage fell apart after not being able to have children and they went on the show.  Cho is disappointed in him and how he cheated, but then it's Cho and he's always judgemental, which is good at least he doesn't shy away from giving his opinion.  Patrick wants to see photos of Missy's closet and sends Cho and Rigsby back to look for her golden sandals, calling them "a sexy pair of shoes."  This he realizes after watching the webcast of Kip and Missy after walking in on a couple being prepped for the show.  He asks if there are any other angles on the camera.  Finally Missy puts her leg up and he sees the sandals.

Patrick also notices Buddy has a manicure and has ballet shoes and a giant foot in his office, thus he's got a foot fetish.  Notice when Patrick sneaked into the radio station, the sweet jar was now full.  Rigsby asks what sexy shoes look like and picks out a pair which Cho calls "beige and not sexy."  Rigsby tells him he spoke with Van Pelt.  The shoes are missing.  Leading Patrick to buy a pair of stilettos for Van Pelt.  Rigsby and Van Pelt go undercover, as Stace and Dwayne but not before Patrick dispenses with the previous couple, Shana (Briana Barran) by telling Michael (Ace Gibson) he should tell her he doesn't want to do the show, he carries her handbag and listens to everything she says.  Would like to have seen what happened with them, did they break up?

Van Pelt and Rigsby talk about their feelings for each other and are actually honest about them.  It wasn't just work that made her break it off with him but she was young and wasn't ready for a relationship, just like him.  She likes who she is no and who he is and calls him a man.  She also liked he's a father, after getting angry over his having  a baby with Sarah, someone he hardly knew.  Where is Ben anyway?  Yeah with his mother but haven't seen him in a while.  Patrick calls Rigsby and he leaves on pretence of work.  Lisbon doesn't think they should be listening to Van Pelt and Rigsby and their personal thoughts but Patrick calls her a "prude."  Hey she was fine with listening into to complete strangers.

Van Pelt stays and Buddy offers to call her a cab.  She leaves after kissing him on the cheek and breaks the heel off her shoe.  He nurses her sprained ankle and massages her foot.  As Rigsby gets jealous in the car.  Lisbon asks how he knew about the foot fetish, cos of the manicures he had, he watches women get pedicures and the ballet shoes in his office.  Rigsby calls that "gross."  Buddy gives Van Pelt the sandals to wear and his wife walks in with a gun.  Obviously it was her, cos him having a foot fetish means he wouldn't have shot Missy in the foot, twice!  She hated him having affairs and going after younger women.  Something she tells Van Pelt that Rigsby won't love her when she's older and will leave her.

Patrick asks Lisbon about her vices and she doesn't have any, mentioning her Catholic school upbringing.  It's okay for her to have a fetish.  Hers he puts down to turtlenecks and she walks off.  Van Pelt turns up at Rigsby's place in high heels and they kiss.  Well finally, let's hope they stay together this time.
Patty stuffing his pockets with sweets whilst having told Rigsby to put the cupcake back, we all know he'd go for a cupcake!

Patrick also mentioning the guilt about having an affair, shows he feel this guilt himself over Lorelei and how he did the same with her.  Also the other love 'specialist' he met was Erica Flynn in Every Rose Has It's Thorn and she escaped too.  He also developed an attraction towards her, so that guilty aspect could also be a reference to that episode.  Especially since it was really the first time he had been close to a woman since his wife was killed and well, Kristina Frye doesn't count. There was a similar scene with Patrick when he watched the videos that Erica had made of her clients.  Yet Erica was more into seducing men and having affairs with them for the sake of it.  Buddy has a fetish here which leads to his affairs.  Lisbon asking if he's brought something for her when he gives Van Pelt the shoes, hey they were for the case, he wasn't buying gifts for everyone this time round.  Also he quotes Sherlock Holmes, "the game is afoot... two feet."

Lots of red in this ep, red gerberas,  the red in the radio station, the red of the hallway in the motel.  Then there's the room they found Kip in, a jungle theme which he calls "classy."  Jungles bring to mind tigers and that tiger poem from seasons ago. A roundabout reference to RJ if you think about it.  Was Patrick's reference to turtlenecks a harkback to Walter Mashburn as you recall he was wearing a turtleneck and a red one at that in Red Hot, when Lisbon had a one night stand with him.  He seems to be getting her to open up and talk to him about the fetish business but she deems it inappropriate to do so.

Patrick schmoozing on the radio was good, so smooth and velvet like, red velvet, ha.  Adding that "yes the California Bureau of Investigation does exist."  Just incase viewers were in doubt after 5 years, ha.  Patrick was reading Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities.  One of my fave books.  Which has various undertones that could be relevant here, like it being "the best of times, it was the worst of times."  Though Patrick may be seen as a tragic Sidney Carton figure, who helps out his friends, makes his own sacrifice in the end by giving his whole life, after redeeming what he sees as his worthless life.  He's put himself in danger many times as far as RJ is concerned.  He doesn't get the women he's in love with, Lucie Manette (possibly an allusion to Lisbon).  Oh let's hope he's not going to put himself in danger in the season finale.

Patrick has helped out twice before by not actually being at the scene in 1.16 Blood Shot when he was blinded, he had to listen to the others describe the scene to him.  Then the bomb scene from Strawberries and Cream.

The Vampire Diaries 4.20 "The Originals" Review

This was the ep most people have been waiting for, the Pilot to The Originals, which the CW has picked up for a series.  Not sure if the UK will get it, will probably end up on some sat/cable channel.  Anyway the ep begins with some witches and one of them, Jane Anne (Malaya Rivera Drew) casting a spell when spells are outlawed in New Orleans.  Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) finds herself surrounded in the woods and faints.  later Jane Anne turns up dead cos she disobeyed Marcel's (Charles Michael Davis) rules.  Marcel being sired by Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Klaus being his mentor.  Klaus arrives in New Orleans and  heads straight for Marcel who's doing a stint on the stage.

It's an emotional time for Klaus as we get some backstory on how the Originals built New Orleans, especially Klaus who seems to have put in the most blood, sweat and tears and yet was chased off by their father.  Leaving Marcel in charge of the city and now being the king of the city.  Rebuking Klaus's phrase of prince.  Yet there doesn't seem to be any love lost between them.  Klaus wants to know what the witches want with him and he ends up at a bar where he pays the blonde bartender (Leah Pipes) a $100 note.  Marcel sends two of his men to spy on him which he doesn't like since he can't get Sophie (Daniella Pineda) to talk about why he's here.   You see, Marcel kills Jane Anne since she disobeyed his rules and practised magic.  Klaus is peeved as he wanted to question her, but Marcel will find out what she knew.

Think Marcel was covering himself in wanting to find out exactly why Klaus is here incase his territory and his crown is in jeopardy.  Yet Klaus shows him who's really boss since he's an original hybrid and attacks one of his men.  He's the only one who can save him.  Sophie is about to be attacked by Marcel's henchmen but big brother, Elijah (Daniel Gilles) turns up to save her.  He just has to cover Klaus's back since they don't have much family left and family is what this show will focus on.

Elijah confronts Klaus with Sophie and Hayley telling him to listen to what she has to say.  You see Klaus is becoming a father!  Not many would have guessed that but he doesn't want the baby.  He doesn't even believe it's his.  Sophie threatens to kill Hayley, which shocks her, unless he takes down Marcel.  Elijah will protect Hayley and tries to convince Klaus that becoming a father is a good thing.  He will have an heir and leave behind a legacy.  Funny that, since Rebekah was the one who wanted to become human and have a family, seems Klaus doesn't need to do either.  Well a legacy if the inevitable happens, even if Klaus is immortal.
Klaus: "What an entirely unwelcome surprise.
Elijah: "What an entirely unsurprising welcome."

He walks off by himself and meets the bartender, Camille, or Cami as she prefers to be known.  The brave bartender as he calls her since she was confronted by Marcel and she kept her cool.  They watch a painter and she knows what he's feeling.  Lost, alone, were those tears Klaus was about to shed as she asks him if he's a painter and he's disappeared.  He later goes back and gives his blood to cure Marcel's henchman asking if he can stay a while in this city.  Elijah wants to stay too.

Elijah goes back for Rebekah (Claire Holt) but she doesn't want to leave Mystic Falls.  He also says goodbye to Katherine.  Seems family is more stronger than the love he's carried for her over centuries.  So much for Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Katherine being different and yet Katherine still pronounces 'Elijah' just like Elena does.  They could have had her saying that differently.

The Elena borefest continues, well it is, and hey had to make mention of it here as Damon (Ian Somerhalder) feeds her blood with vervain but she's still in defiant mood.  He mentions caring for her, feelings which she doesn't have and she tries to leave the dungeon, with Stefan (Paul Wesley) standing outside.  She tells them to bring it on as Stefan steps into the dungeon and closes the door behind him.  They're going to torture her back into the old Elena.

Elijah wants their family back and a baby could be the beginnings of this.  He's all for Klaus keeping the baby and he's the calm voice of reason throughout as he always was.  Klaus calls Caroline and leaves a message saying he'd love for her to see this city.  It's very atmospheric.  I can agree with him there, New Orleans really is a beautiful and underrated city.   There's an old feel to it like life has passed it by, yet its splendour still remains and a large part of the show was filmed in the French Quarter.  One of my fave scenes was when Marcel showed Klaus the skyline of those buildings, okay most were hotels, but that's one thing I made sure I got plenty of snaps of, the NO skyline, especially at night.

So I was glad this intro ep at least was actually filmed there.  Klaus and Elijah's scene was shot in Pirate's Alley and the painter has his own gallery on Royal Street.  The vampire party was filmed at Hotel Royal during St Patrick's Day weekend, much to the chagrin of some of the dwellers there.  Daniel was almost punched.  Jane Anne mentions werewolves in New Orleans are known as rougarou's, something which the Winchesters from Supernatural are well aware of!

666 Park Avenue 1.11 "Sins of the Fathers" Review

                                          

Sasha (Tessa Thompson) discusses the possibility of Henry (Dave Annabel) using the pulpit to put forward his views but Gavin (Terry O'Quinn) disagrees as he may across as preaching.  Henry thinks it may be a good idea but he hasn't been a Catholic for along time.  She arranges a meeting with the Monsignor (Brian Williams) of St Thomas as Gavin is in good with him. St Thomas of course since he went there on a previous visit and was no coincidence this was chosen.  Sasha arranges a meeting with Father Douglas (Remy Auberjonois) and tells him he sees things in people which no one else can see and it haunts him.  She shows him a Grimoire from the sixteenth century where it says the Dragon can be struck down with the dagger soaked in the blood of a king.

At their meeting at the church Gavin visits the cemetery to tell Sasha how he buried his daughter and that he was awake when the call came.  She's sorry she did that to them but through all this facade you can tell how both of them were playing a cat and mouse game, or more like devil and devil's daughter game.  It's like Gavin saw through everything Sasha was planning and was one step ahead of her.   Father Douglas tells Henry he sees good in him and he needs to confess and will be granted absolution before Gavin takes Henry away.  Father nods to Sasha and agrees to got through with the plan. She accompanies Olivia (Vanessa Williams) to an auction where she bids on a painting for Gavin and Father Douglas bids on the dagger used to kill Julius Caesar that's why it was covered in a king's blood.  But it wasn't enough to do the dirty deed since Gavin can't be dealt with so easily.

Henry also lies to Jane (Rachael Taylor) and tells her he didn't leak news of Sullivan's affair to the press and Gavin  had nothing to do with it either.  She wants him to stay as he is, doubt that'll happen but yeah sure enough Henry will stay the boring, old wimp he always was.  Jane talks with Nona (Samantha Logan) and tells her what she found, the line she found about the "shining light in a city of shadows" which is written all over Kramer's journal.  Gavin introduces Jane to Phillip Corey (Richard Short) who was Harlan Moore from last ep and tells her he's moving into 2D (Maris's apartment) so she can discuss the renovations with him.  Corey decides he'll do his own renovating.  Jane later finds a photo of Corey and realizes it's really Harlan. Breaking into his place, he wakes from under a sheet and she wants to know why there's a padlock on the door.  He doesn't tell her way why but tells her that line is a decipher and is all over his journal.  Later we find he's sacrificed the woman he was with and uses her blood to create his own dragon mosaic in the room.  Saying if you want something done you have to do it yourself.

Henry admits to Jane he lied and she's angry since Gavin tells him to come clean.  She doesn't want him getting into dirty politics, but that's how things are done here.  He didn't tell Sullivan to have an affair with his intern.  Nona also says she should forgive him cos all he did was tell a lie.  She turns up to the sermon, sorry Henry's speech and all's well with them.  Henry preaches about forgiveness.  He proposes to her.  A bit eager when he didn't want to a few weeks back, what's he doing, staking his claim.  

Elsewhere Brian (Robert Buckley) and Louise (Mercedes Masohn) are having problems yet again and he thinks her turning up drunk was cos she couldn't be happy for him and his show.  She admits to taking one aspirin.  At a fashion shoot, Alexis (Helena Mattsson) wants to know why she cant be happy for Brian and she's read his play and thinks it's good.  His play is about Brian and Alexis, no surprises there.  Alexis once again loses it with Louise saying it's all about her.  Then she turns up at the theatre during rehearsals and says she's going to take up dance again cos he inspired her.  She kisses him and Louise shows up as we knew she would.  Louise flushes the pills from the cabinet but more turn up. All I can say is hope Alexis gets what's coming to her after all she's the one who made the deal and needs to suffer for it.  Louise shows up at Corey's when he invites her for a drink earlier on.

Gavin waits for Father Douglas in the graveyard and tells him to get on with it but he stops him using the dagger by holding it in his hand.  Sasha takes Olivia down to the basement to do away with her and hopes Gavin will be taken care of by now. Olivia loves him and doesn't think anything will happen to him, cos if anyone tries to hut him they'll have her to deal with, which is exactly what she does here.  She tries to kill Olivia but Gavin stops her.  She's sorry but he opens up the dragon mosaic again using his key from his pocketwatch and Sasha is told she'll end up somewhere better.  She can't stay here and walks down the spiral staircase.  Well Jane ended up in the hospital but doubt the same 'courtesy' will be shown to Sasha.  She's probably sacrificed or doomed to roam the Drake or Times Square without really getting anywhere.  then again maybe not.  Wonder what would have happened if Sasha had refused to go quietly?  

As there are only two episodes left, this did seem a little rushed and a bit no-sensical in places.  Sasha was in hiding all these years and shows up to kill her parents but gets dealt with herself, so much for Olivia wanting her daughter back when really all she loves is Gavin.  Seems Sasha's only motivation for wanting them dead is that they gave her things they took from innocent people.  Gavin telling her they weren't innocent, yeah he can judge.  

Coincidentally this review turns out to be my blog post number 666!

CSI 13.10 "Risky Business Class" Review

                                                 
All the CSIs work in the lab and Sara (Jorga Fox) leaves a message for Grissom.  They are then each texted by DB (Ted Danson) as we see a plane fly over the Vegas buildings.  News comes in of the plane crashing near the Strip and everyone is needed.  Funny Finn (Elisabeth Shue) didn't get a text.  They need to investigate and DB tells them NTSB investigator, Doug Wilson (Josh Randall) is at the scene.  Sara knows him from working with him in San Francisco, as we know that's where Grisson bought Sara in from in the second part of the Pilot episode.  DB thus assigns Sara to work with him as they'll be comfortable around each other and know how each other works.  Finn giving them both a funny look, cos it's obvious there was some chemistry there and looks like there still is.  It was a bit strange that this ep should bring in someone from Sara's past when we all know she and Grissom have been having some problems, marital or otherwise.  How long can a long distance relationship last, though there are many who make it work.

Strange last ep they were working the Strip and this week a plane crashes there.  We don't get the usual CS collection being shown but everything is brought back to the lab as it's already been collected.  Just as Morgan (Elisabeth Harnois) is about to leave Donna Hoppe (Pamela Reed) arrives to do a family tree for her.  She wants it give it to Ecklie for Christmas and as before she still calls Greg (Eric Szmanda) Hojam Sanders, also commenting Morgan and Greg make a cute couple which leaves them speechless.  Well some of us said that last season.  Especially since Hodges (Wallace Langham) has a love of his own now and it ain't Morgan, as we'll see later.

Doc (Robert David Hall) has the DBs in autopsy and one of them has a piece of shrapnel in his shoulder which David (David Berman) found.   Nick (George Eads) and Finn talk to the co-pilot, Dalton Burke (Kenneth Mitchell)  at the airport and he doesn't know that the pilot was taking up any passengers.  He usually makes the bookings but this time he made them himself.  He gets the entire plane but is really cut up over losing the pilot since they were involved together.  Morgan finds a box used to send DNA to the lab for analysis and asks Donna about it.  She thinks one of he Vic's could be involved in a paternity suit, which involves big bucks.  Also asking how Morgan spells her name, sometimes without the 'c'.

Morgan also finds a gun which they find was registered to ??who worked at a law firm dealing with criminal clients.  Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) interviews Jeffrey Forsythe (Mark Moses) who tells them he may have had enemies cos of this line of work.  Hey it's Paul Young, so obviously he had to be involved.  No, seriously he was my first suspect.

Sara has Doug analyze the black box and find the pilot turned the plane back after encountering some difficulties.  She thinks she can pinpoint the location of the missing piece of the plane using physics, that's what she's good at and  wants him to set up a reconstruction of the plane for her and they try out various theories with Doug getting close to her in a scene reminiscent of Grissom and Sara where he took hold of her hands and forced her back in a similar reconstruction of what could have happened.

On the door green paint is found by Hodges and he quizzes her about how close she and Doug were, she's reluctant to answer and Doug shows up, prompting Hodges to leave and walk into the metal trolley.  Nick and Finn talk to the mechanic of the plane, Hal (Anthony Brophy) who says he was out of town so anyone could have had access to his tools.  Nick needs them for evidence now.  Sara matches one of the tools to the paint and to the markings on the door showing the door was tampered with before the plane took off, so it want an accident.  Their various theories rule out a gunshot being fired, and there's a hole in the glass window.  Thus the pilot was pulled out of the plane as it de-pressurized.  Sara is more forthcoming with Finn as she tells her it's hard having a long distance relationship and that she and Doug were together once.  Grissom calls and Sara doesn't answer the phone.  Also we get to hear about Finn and her two marriages, though it was nice seeing husband number 2 back in Seattle.

Nick tells DB the pilot has been found in someone's pool.  Morgan finds the DNA came back to Jordan a passenger in the plane and they use Donna help to find out who she may have been related to.  Jordan was born in 1968 so the father's name wouldn't be listed on the birth certificate thus she may have been given the father's surname as her first name as was the practice then.  Jordan had a half sister and her name is found on Ancestry.com.  She's a resident of a care home.  Which Greg and Morgan visit.  The doctor Paula O'Keefe (Gina Ravera) tells them Jordan did come and see her thinking she was her sister and they find the trail leads even further.  The woman who is at the home's DNA doesn't match Jordan and there's an argument between Greg and his use of science and Donna and her genealogy use.  DB thinks they could both be right.

Sara watches the camera feed from the airport and finds a fuelling truck was by the plane but the driver only got out for a few minutes.  He was wearing one of the mechanic's overalls so his DNA is on there.  Henry (Jon Wellner) matches the DNA to the woman and to the lawyer, Forsythe.  She was being kept there after she suffered an accident and he was scamming money from the trust of Jordan's sister.  The doctor disappears and is later found, giving up Forsythe who says they have nothing on him, no, only his DNA from his sister and from the overall he wore.

Doug asks Sara out for dinner with Grissom but he's out of town and she doesn't go with him alone.  He just felt familiar being back here with her and they hug.  Sara reluctantly puts her arms around him but it probably felt good to hold someone with Grissom not being physically around.  At least Sara didn't oblige as Finn would probably have done since we know she has more integrity and would never cheat on Grissom.  She's that sort of a person but she's also seen what it can lead to in her line of work.  Great to see the writers managed to squeeze in the entire cast for this ep.

Last plane ep I enjoyed on CSI was season 1's Unfriendly Skies kind of have a thing for planes! ha

Revenge 2.17 "Victory" Review

Emily: "In the art of war, if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the approaching battles.  But if you know only yourself and not your enemy, for every victory there will also be defeat."

Emily (Emily VanCamp) tries to figure out who the Falcon is as Conrad (Henry Czerny) tells Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) they need to do something about Daniel (Josh Bowman) and his getting close to Emily as she's too influential on him.  Victoria and Conrad hold a meeting with Ashley (Ashley Madekwe) who tells him he's not doing well in the run for governor, except his ratings did peak when he held that press conference with Jack (Nick Wechsler) showing his support for Amanda, giving Conrad the idea to get Jack to help him with the common vote.  Well you know, the little man, the poor.  Eli (Collins Pennie) turns up to the meeting as does Emily which Victoria said was going to be a family affair.  Eli invited her with an idea of how to use the foundation money since Victoria made him co-chair.  He comes up with the idea of donating to the home where Amanda was brought up.  Meredith Hayward (Dendrie Taylor) the woman who ran the home is having problems keeping the house open.  He wants to tell Hayward the news in person and Emily wants to go too. Conrad thinking it might be opportune after all, "out of the ashes, a beacon of hope."  More like his downfall.

Daniel calls Emily for lunch referring to her as Mr Taylor just incase there are anymore hidden surveillance devices around, even getting Grace to make a reservation  that was out of the way under the guise of not being hounded by the Paparazzi.  Padma (Dilshad Vadsaria) comes to Nolan (Gabriel Mann) with news that her father is still alive and shows him a video message of him telling her what to do.  That was all rather convenient, first his finger and now out of nowhere she gets the new message.  Nolan agrees to give her Carrion but he needs to add something to it first.  Don't suppose Padma is intelligent enough to be the Falcon, nah.  Nolan needs help and Emily says she'll be back in time from her lunch with Daniel to help him.  In the meantime Aiden (Barry Sloane) has the details of their plan.  He'll be there with his gun and will shoot them.  Nolan adding he can't shoot people.  Aiden: " they're not people, they're terrorists."  Nolan still insists on calling them people.

At the home, Hayward is impressed that she will get the money and Eli wants to meet other children there.  He then tells her she'll be cutting him in for 60% which will make up for the time he spent here.  Emily tries to search for the letters that Eli showed her, one that her father wrote.  Hayward kept them all, showing that he loved her after all.  Conrad and Ashley turn up at the Stowaway where they will hold the press conference at Charlotte's (Christa B Allen) suggestion, which Declan (Connor Paolo) agrees to.  Declan also spots Trey (Michael Nardelli) on campus and takes his phone.  As Jack is looking for Kenny (JR Bourne) in search for answers as to why he saved him that night.

Emily says sorry to Jack but doesn't know of his plans.  He tells Declan about Amanda and how she was getting back Conrad and used her leverage to get back the Stowaway for them.  Jack needs to find out what happened.  Declan texts Kenny from Trey's phone and sets up a meeting with him.  Jack confronts him and he denies owning the boat.  He didn't know what Nate was up to, but he has recordings Nate made of his meetings with Conrad, just incase he went back on his deal.  He didn't give them to the police.  Jack realizes Conrad was behind this and he agrees to help Conrad in his bid to get votes.

Aiden calls Emily telling him the meet has been moved forward and she can't make it back in time, she's too far away.  Thus it's just him and Nolan.  Nolan put a tracking device in the dinosaur's flashdrive head.  That was silly since the head comes off.  He doesn't let Aiden shoot when Trask (Burn Gorman) arrives for the meeting.  He doesn't want to be involved in an assassination by association.  Calling Aiden Lee Harvey Oswald.    Someone's shown the flashdrive in the backseat and Padma is taken.

When Aiden and Nolan arrive at the location of the flashdrive, they find the dinosaur's head in a box, obviously.  See Padma knew about that too.  She's taken to her father but has to make a video too.  I just don't believe she's not further involved in this.  Nolan is disheartened since he not only had to say goodbye to Padma when she got her father back, but now the Initiative have Carrion.  Emily vows to help Nolan.

At the press conference, Eli turns the tables on Hayward revealing how ruthless and cruel she really is.  She tries to say he's deranged and adds he made Amanda take the blame for setting the fire.  Victoria removes him as co-chair and he says she can spin this to her advantage.  Emily asks why he did it and he says the fire she lit went out and so he relit it.  He's sorry but they were meant to be together.  She wants him to leave and forgives him.  She thinks her life would have turned out different if that didn't happen.  Eli gets a written confession from Hayward about what happened to her father's letters.  After he locks her up in the same hole she shut them in.  But he doesn't tell Emily this.

Emily meets with Treadwell (Roger Bart) telling him he wants to know what was in the letters and she still holds the key to his getting out of prison and also material for another book.  Daniel is sent a photo of him with Emily at the restaurant along with two bullets.  Later it's revealed Victoria sent it to him.  Well it would be her wouldn't it, considering she has a fascination with bullets from an early age, when her mother got her to kill her boyfriend.

Not sure where this ep was headed as the show once again sets up many scenarios and new plots without giving us anymore conclusions.  Also how cunning Victoria can be when she strives to interfere in Daniel's life yet again, keeping him away from Emily and Mason Treadwell's big reveal, Victoria has another older son.  Well that figures and didn't really come as big news, I mean she kept the news Charlotte was David's daughter from everyone.  I did like how Jack and Emily have inadvertently the same goal of revenge in mind against the Grayson's, him thinking it's for Amanda, when Amanda is still alive.  Oh there was Emily in another red Special K dress this ep at her lunch with Daniel.