CSI 13.14 "Exile" Review

                                             
A singer performs at a club whilst a woman is beaten and killed.  Silvana (Sandra Vergara) and Antonio Jaramillo) find her DB in Silvana's dressing room.  Nick (George Eads) confirms this isn't the primary CS as there isn't any blood here.  Also Marta (Alexandra Manea) has been dressed in an outfit from Silvana's wardrobe.  David (David Berman) finds evidence of blunt force trauma and TOD is about six hours ago.  Marta was Silvana's sister so DB (Ted Danson) wants to know why Marta was dressed in Silvana's clothes and made to look in her mirror.  He sees a photo on the wall with blood and behind it is a message in Spanish reading , "Silvana eres la proxima," that Silvan is next, well Nick has to translate it.  Silvana tells DB that Marta went shopping and designed her costumes.

Greg (Eric Szmanda) and Morgan (Elisabeth Harnois) arrive at the scene where protesters stand outside protesting about Cuba.  Greg says she's a famous singer in Cuba and Morgan wonders why she hasn't heard of her.  Well Greg is a bit of an afficianado on music, all kinds.  Their manager, Antonio tells Officer Crawford (Alimi Ballard) wait he's a detective now as he's no longer in uniform; that they both received death threats.  So he was their security.  Crawford also noticed that he had a government official stamp on his passport.  So he was here to ensure they returned back to Cuba and was their handler.  Antonio talks about Eddie Santos (Castulo Guerro) and how he's been following them all round Vegas.

Morgan finds traces of a black substance on the floor, there's also a fibre near the chair and more that lead to the back door of the alley where outside there's a trash disposal and inside Morgan finds the sack that was used to move Marta's DB.  Yes, but why dump it there and not take it to dump elsewhere.  Okay jumping the gun here, but I suspected Silvana already. Just wanted to make that clear.

Sara (Jorga Fox) questions Estefan (Ignacio Serricchio) who owns the club and he has no security cameras working except the one at the cash register.  Sara reprimanding him for this as he thinks money is more important than the people.   He doesn't like the protesters and he's Cuban American.  His parents came here when he was 11.  Sara tells him to fix the cameras or he won't be going on with the show.

Doc (Robert David Hall) calls Finn (Elisabeth Shue) to autopsy and she asks him about the music he's paying.  He went to Cuba 15 years ago for a forensics symposium and he could tell her a story or two but tells her about Marta.  She has signs of torture where the hands and feet are tied, he calls it hog tying, then made to sit on a chair and beaten.  When in Cuba he was told this technique is used by the police.  There are signs Marta had sex and he finds a piece of metal embedded in her foot.

Ecklie (Marc Vann) waits for Hodges (Wallace Langham) to confront him about Morgan writing a deposition for his immigration approval and hopes that he doesn't let her down.  As his supervisor he should have come to him and even his mother is angry about him not telling her.  SO they're still dating then.  Hodges tells DB the black residue is oil and the metal is coated in chrome, both leading to an auto shop.  There's only three places that do this and one is near to the club.  Here Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) and Nick find the shop open and inside is evidence of Marta being tortured here.  Eddie arrives and is arrested.

Eddie is known as the face of the Cuban exiles and he was following them around, as he says it's a free country but he didn't kill her or rape her.  He freely gives his DNA.  Thought Nick and Brass were a bit heavy handed in their interrogation, sure he's a suspect but he's old and may not be guilty after all.  Henry (Jon Wellner) finds his DNA doesn't match to the rape kit but there's a secondary match, either to a sibling or to someone like a nephew.  DB thinks if Greg's friend Diane was here she could have looked up the family history but Greg knows enough to do that for himself.

Doc finds Marta's lungs were cherry red inside thus meaning she was poisoned and then beaten up at the same time.  Sara looks at her phonebills and finds three calls made to a number in Washington DC.  She's thinking CIA when access is denied to the caller.  Nick still has his dog and has to bring him to work.  Hodges tells him about Elisabetta and Morgan's deposition.  Nick is looking forward to meeting her.  He says he would have agreed to vouch for him.  Hodges finds Marta was fed cassava leaves.  They're used for medicinal purposes when handled correctly otherwise they can release cyanide into the bloodstream.

Greg finds out about the Santos family tree, finding an army photo from 1973, showing that Eddie was in the army under a General Cuerto, he was Silvana's and Marta's grandfather.  Eddie and some other man made a remark about the general having black market connections and found themselves in prison where they were tortured for six years by him.  So they think this is a feud between the two families.  Eddie's sister married and had a son called Estefan who is Eddie's nephew.  Morgan and Greg tell him about finding his DNA on Eddie's couch where he assaulted Marta when Silvana is rehearsing and she collapses.

Silvana ends up in hospital, this is where Silvana was confirmed as the killer for me.  She also has the same symptoms of cyanide poisoning but in her case the method of ingestion was different.  Hodges finds she was given capsules or took them inadvertently without realizing they were poisoned.  Greg found a bottle of Tilo and so the prints on the bottle and capsules are checked.  They match Antonio.  He of course was the 'patsy' as they say and set up by Silvana to take the fall.   Estefan says he loved Marta and couldn't hurt her.  He knew the sisters when he was younger and they were friends.  Eddie's place was where they could meet in secret.  Silvana tells DB she shouldn't have come here and none of this would have happened but she wanted to be a star here.  Also that he should find who killed Marta.  Another giveaway she was behind the murder.  Marta dies and she survives.  Don't think so.

Morgan gives Hodges Silvana's stomach contents and he gets a call from immigration confirming the approval of the Green card.  He has ninety days within which to get married.  Morgan wishes him well but clearly she's not happy to hear that and walks off in a bit of a huff.  Ecklie spoke to the State Department and was told the sisters were defecting to the US, giving more motive for Antonio to be behind the killing.  Crawford tells them Antonio took Silvana from the hospital and they're at the hotel room.  When he arrives a gunshot is heard and they see Antonio standing over Estefan with a gun.  With Silvana in the bathroom saying Antonio tried to kill her.

Antonio claims self defence.  Estefan had the gun and did you see how fast Silvana ran into the bathroom and closed the door!  Greg finds another fibre on the floor and on the air conditioning vent.  Inside is a bag with blood, the leaves and the rope used to tie Marta.  The blood matches Marta and the bag belongs to Antonio.  So why would he keep the evidence anyway if he was the killer.  Antonio admits the Tilo was his but he's being framed.  Hodges double checks all the evidence and then tells DB he found some evidence which belongs to an old Chevy.  They immediately think Eddie since he was driving an old car but his car hasn't been cleaned.  DB them notices the photo with Silvana, behind her is a car.  The assistant told them he hadn't seen anyone return such a clean hire car before.

DB confronts Silvana who confesses she was in love with Estefan but Marta took him from her.  She'd kill her again is only she could bring Estefan back.  DB plays song lyrics to her about love for Estefan.  Also how she would get redemption, but DB tells her there wont be any redemption for her here.

I'm sure that part about the song lyrics being a giveaway has been done before but at the moment I can't recall where I've seen it before.  Probably another CSI episode of one of the shows.  This one was a little lacklustre of an episode in that it wasn't too original.  It's not the first time a sibling has killed another over love.  Was it me or did Hodges look as though he may be having second thoughts about the marriage, especially since the language barrier is one aspect, but everyone also keeps bringing up the marriage as does Morgan, who really isn't as happy for him as she makes out to be.

Nice continuity there with Greg twice over, first with his knowing about music and having heard of Silvana too.  Then with the knowledge he's acquired from seeing Diane at work with family trees.  Perhaps an episode which would have been more at home in CSI:Miami and one where Det Carlos Moreno (Enrique Murciano) would have been good in.

Sherlock "The Blind Banker" Review

                                              
As Watson (Martin Freeman) struggles to check out his shopping at the supermarket, Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) struggles with a masked marauder.  Watson gives up and finds Sherlock on the sofa as if he hasn't moved from there.  He needs money for shopping so Sherlock gives him his card.  When he returns he finds Sherlock using his computer which he takes from him.  A friend, or rather acquaintance of Sherlock's has asked him to look into a possible job.  A break in at the bank where he works.   Someone sprayed a painting with a message aimed at someone.  But before that the joviality's begin, i.e Sherlock working out his friend has been out of the country and has just returned.  It was Sherlock's 'thing' at uni which annoyed everyone.  Which Watson has first hand experience of since he did the same to him about his brother, who turned out to be his sister last episode.

Sherlock tries to work out how the intruder could have gotten in and also how he could have reached the painting without being seen.  This involves a series of leaping and darting around watched by office workers who think he's lost the plot, well who wouldn't.  Also Watson takes the retainer of £5,000 since Sherlock doesn't "need an incentive" to take the case.  He finds the person came in through the balcony.  That stockbrokers work at all hours and it was someone who was working on the Hong Kong desk.  This leads him to Eddie Van Coon (Daniel Purcell).

While this is happening Soo Lin (Gemma Chan) makes tea in a museum and more of that yellow spray paint is revealed to her on a statue causing her some distress.  To the point where she goes missing and her friend/co-worker Andy (Al Galbraith) turns up but she doesn't answer her door in Chinatown.

Arriving at Eddie's apartment Sherlock is unable to gain entry so he asks a newly moved in woman for entrance and to use her balcony.  Inside he finds him dead, an apparent suicide, but it's just at first glance.  Watson still buzzing on the door since he won't let him in.  Watson also concludes suicide but Sherlock says it wasn't since he was lefthanded.  Also explaining this to new DI Dimmock (Paul Chequer) on scene as Le Strade is busy.

In Chinatown they realize the graffiti is actually Chinese numbers.  Look it's those Chinese Lucky cats!  Sitting in a restaurant, really Watson can't get a meal can he and eat in peace.  Sherlock asks when it rained as he notices a wet Yellow Pages outside Soo Lin's apartment.  Breaking in once more, he once again doesn't open the door for Watson.  Thus he is attacked by the killer who leaves an Oragami black lotus flower in his pocket.  Watson standing outside muttering to himself again and saying "I'm Sherlock Holmes..."  Sherlock doesn't tell him he was attacked though he sounds horse.

Sherlock takes Watson to meet someone who's adept in graffiti and asks him to look out for some Chinese numbers, which he does.  When the CSO arrive they flee leaving Watson to take the blame, spray can in hand.  Later he shows them more graffiti and they find more on the wall and Watson fellows the train tracks to find some on a wall.  By the time he gets Sherlock to come the graffiti's been painted over.  What followed was another great scene which makes people like this show so much.  Sherlock trying to get Watson to remember everything he saw.  But he doesn't need to since he took a photo.  They try to work out what the numbers are, when Sherlock reads about another murder, this time a journalist.  Again no signs of forced entry and the killer came through the skylight deduces Sherlock.  Looking at his books he sees he was at the library.  Here Watson finds more numbers behind some books.

At the museum they talk with Andy who tells them what Soo Lin was working on last and Sherlock notices that the teapot has been used.  They then see the statue with more numbers.  Soo Lin finally comes out of hiding to tend to her teapot and nearly drops it but Sherlock catches this priceless antique.  She tells of how they're footsoldiers for the Black Lotus gang lead by General Shan.  She has a black lotus tattoo on her foot, as did the journalist Brian Lukis (Howard Coggins) and Eddie.  She's going to die soon by the hands of her brother who was also a smuggler but she left and now they've found her.

The killer shows up, timely as they're here and she's out of hiding.  Sherlock chases after him but loses him and this gives him a chance to shoot Soo Lin.  Sherlock wants all of the books from the other CS as he needs to find the cipher to the code.  Coming up empty handed.  Watson falls asleep on the job but asks Sarah (Zoe Telford) out on a date.  Sherlock recommends the Chinese circus.  Tickets are booked in the name of Sherlock Holmes and Watson pays for them, he also got himself a ticket too.  The killer is agile and where else would he be but in a circus since exit visas are rare from China.  Sarah catches Watson telling Sherlock he wants "to get off with her!"

At the circus they see the escapology trick and the giant spider leaving Sherlock to investigate further.  He finds the spray can and is caught, bringing the fight to the circus itself.  Back home Sarah tells Sherlock that some of the numbers have already been deciphered as Watson searches for food, that's a tall order.  Hey Sherlock doesn't eat and what happened to the shop he just did?!  Soo Lin began to translate the numbers.  Sherlock leaves and realizes the book he's after is the A-Z.  Thus snatching it from a pair of German tourists.   He returns home to find Watson and Sarah gone.

He works out the message from the wall and locates where they are.  Still taking taxis obviously.  Shan thinks Watson is Sherlock since he's got the cheque, the credit card and the tickets were in that name too.  She wants the missing item but he doesn't have it.  Sherlock arrives and hey there's more from the circus act again.  Instead of pushing Sarah out of the way, why was he untying her.  Shan runs.

The item was a jade pin Eddie gave to his assistant and she doesn't realize it's worth £9 million.  Shan talks to the mysterious 'M,' Sherlock's admirer really and promises not to reveal anything about him.  Which he agrees with and shoots her.

Watson gets himself  a job as a  locum cos someone's got to think about bills and all that.  But he's also got other needs, which clearly Sherlock doesn't nor does he demonstrate his desire for any female here either.  Though he does talk Ms Morgue ME, Molly (Louise Brealy)  into showing her the two DBs to ascertain they did have the tattoo too and to this end he flatters her by noticing her new hairstyle, now parted at one side.  As for the book everyone owns, well, in this day and age many rely on the Net and Googlemaps anyone, okay aside from tourists but I haven't seen that many tourists walking around with it.  Maybe only the Germans.  Okay that was another swipe, sorry.

Still I loved the pairing between the two and this is my fourth time of watching this episode, yeah only far so far! and it still appears refreshing to me and so much more.  Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch have a chemistry on screen that really works and the casting of these two was perfect.  Though time has passed since watching these for the first time in 2010, as now I can't get "Baginses" out of my head everyone Martin/Watson was on screen!  Stroke of genius too was Watson being mistaken for Sherlock something perhaps Sherlock would have scoffed at, he's the world's only "consulting detective" you know, but luckily he wasn't around to hear that, unless Watson blogged about it.  Then again he doesn't read blogs (!)

One thing that I didn't like was how Soo Lin was left alone when they were meant to be protecting her, obviously she had to be killed so the clues had to be figured out by Sherlock, but it was a bit messy in terms of plot.  No security either.

Revenge 2.21 "Truth" Part 1 Review

                                            
Emily: "Darkness scares us. We yearn for the comfort of light as it provides shape and form allowing us to recognize, to define what's before.  But what is it we are really afraid of, not the darkness itself but the truth we know hides within."

Emily(Emily VanCamp) Nolan (Gabriel Mann) and Aiden (Barry Sloane) wonder what's going on and what the Initiative are planning.  No lights, no phones, but no one wants to use a landline.  Daniel (Josh Bowman) takes Charlotte (Christa B Allen) back to campaign HQ cos it's secure whilst Conrad (Henry Czerney)sends home most of his staff.  His helicopter is ready as he'll need it to get Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) here in the morning for his final speech and what a blow out of a speech it will be.  Declan's (Connor Paolo) stuck inside with the awful Regina (Seychelle Gabriel) who has the video of her and Charlotte kissing on her phone.  Jack's (Nick Wechsler) stuck with Victoria and he still foolishly confides in her about the computer and Conrad having Amanda killed.  He thinks it's in the safe in his study but he couldn't get to it.  Thus Victoria obliges.

Once there he doesn't find the computer but he sees the file on Amanda which Victoria said she needed as she came after her family, but he can have now.  Also she hides Jack's file.  Later when she disposes of it in the garbage cos she's not heard or seen a shredder before, no it's easier to just dispose of it intact so anyone can find it.  Funny enough she chooses that certain bin with the discarded pregnancy test and thinks it's Emily and that's why she's marrying Daniel.  He denies this of course and she realizes it's Charlotte.  Daniel has an IT guy there to ensure all trails lead back to Aiden.

Emily and Nolan find a way to ensure Aiden is off the hook as far as taking responsibility is concerned and she thinks Takeda (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) can help since he knew of the Initiative's plans.  Nolan tries to access Carrion but the Falcon has excluded him from the programme.  He accompanies Emily and she finds Takeda's DB.  Thinking the Initiative may be behind it.  She sees the sword and that it was a fair fight as they were evenly matched and finds his own box of secrets.  The photo of a woman and one of a man whose is circled.  Emily thinks he may be the killer.

She warns Aiden to leave and he wants her to go with him but she refuses.  He hands her the passport and she sees the marks on his hand and arm.  He killed Takeda but he tries to explain Takeda drove him to it when he threatened to expose him to Emily.  He had his own "revegenda" as Nolan called it.  His fiance was on the flight, a stewardess and so he wanted Emily to take her revenge cos he wanted it too.  Daniel calls and she leaves.  At Grayson Global she sees the man in the photo as the IT man, which we already knew.

The power is restored of course and Victoria lets Conrad in on a few secrets.  Such as Jack wanting the computer and Conrad remarking it's at the bottom of the ocean.  Funny that, cos that's exactly where Emily threw it.  Also telling him Ashley (Ashley Madekwe) is working with Jack.  Yet again, "oh my poor Conrad .  yet another female conquest hell bent on your destruction.  Oh my God it's like deja vu all over again." Causing Conrad to set up a plan to ensure Jack doesn't use the recording by giving it to the press.  He tells Ashley not to let Jack in and the first thing she does is to text him with Conrad watching, stupid Ashley, no brain at all! ha.  Jack gets the message but can't call her.  In the file he finds that Amanda had been to Japan.

Aiden gives Nolan an envelope for Emily as he's leaving.  Admitting he killed Takeda and Nolan lets slip she left her revenge behind once when she went to Japan for Jack.  He thanks Nolan for being a good friend in the end.  Emily opens the envelope to find a clipping with the four stewardesses on the flight.  He was protecting Emily by not telling her.  They ID IT guy as Gregor Hoffman (Falk Hentschel) an assassin as Conrad sets up Jack by using Ashley's phone to send a message saying the computer is at Grayson Global.  Emily and Nolan try to reach Jack but he's already in the building as Emily rushes to save him.

Conrad gives his speech about uniting as one and sees the assassin nodding to him.  That's why he wanted Daniel here by his side as he sets the explosion at Grayson Global.  With Jack inside.  But we know Jack isn't the one who die's he's too pivotal a character.

Meanwhile there's that whole Charlotte mess with Regina lying to her telling her Declan threw her on the street and stole the money.  Of course he denies it but Charlotte doesn't listen and has him escorted out.  Victoria blabs to Declan about Charlotte being pregnant and he should stay away from her.  Well she'll get her wish.  Charlotte finds out Regina lied when he tells her she's in love or obsessed with her and has that video.

So we have to wait for part 2, why couldn't we have just got it in one go too!! Okay spoiler here but by now everyone knows the one to be killed off is Declan.  Which is a bit of a silly plot to pursue, first Jack loses Amanda now Declan, especially when Charlotte is pregnant.  If anyone had to go as I said before I would have opted for Charlotte.  She's always been a loose end.

Seeing as Conrad puts his own agenda into motion by blowing up Grayson Global seems everyone underestimated at how much of a villain he could really be.  Not only to cover his back re the investor money but also to ensure the blame gets put onto Aiden and that Jack is taken care of in the process too.  As well as ensuring before the explosion ensues everyone gets a message on their phones: "Long live David Clarke."  As we see Conrad stoop to this level do we assume that he was the one behind the first plane explosion?  Is he really behind the Initiative?  Well it's a good way for him to cover his tracks and still stay in everyone's good books as an innocent 'pawn' of the Initiative.  Considering there wasn't much of backlash when Helen was killed and no one even thought about Trask and what happened to him.  Also Helen always dealt with Conrad.

SO Jack thinks he's doing the right thing in exacting revenge on Conrad re Amanda but he ignores all the warnings.  Emily warned him about trusting Victoria but he didn't listen.  Then they try to warn him again but he's hell bent on revenge he doesn't see the bigger picture and more fool him for trusting Ashley too.  She's so useless.  Past experience shows nothing good comes of teaming up with her, remember Tyler.

Even after Emily finds out about Aiden killing Takeda she still fears for him and wants him to leave though she won't go with him.  Hurry up Part 2!

Once Upon A Time 2.8 "Into the Deep" Review

                                              
Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) comes down from the beanstalk and the compass has eluded him.  Cora (Barbara Hershey) is waiting below and tells him he betrayed her.  They will get to Storybrooke together.  Cora using their fave word again when she asks who bested him.  He chose Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and there are consequences for that betrayal.  She's going on ahead without him. She doesn't need him.  Cora vanishes into her purple smoke as she vanishes leaving him to fall flat on his face.  Think he deserved that!

Cora raises the dead to help her, look the walking dead!  Aurora (Sarah Bolger) sees Henry (Jared S Gilmore) in his dream.  Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) doesn't think it was a dream as she's been in that room and they've both been through the sleeping curse.  Snow was protecting Aurora by not telling her.  They have a way home, a compass and she knows Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) will know how to stop her.  So she appears to Henry again.  Henry tells them they have to defeat Regina's mother.

Rumples/Gold has that burger with Belle (Emilie de Ravin) when Regina (Lana Parrilla) needs to talk.  She can speak in front of Belle, telling him Cora is on her way here.  He's adamant he's more powerful than her and the only one who needs to be worried is Regina.  Also that Regina told him she was dead.  He taught Cora well.  He tells Henry he can go back and tells him a story about how Snow and Charming (Josh Dallas) captured him and locked him up using a quill.  The ink was the weapon not the quill.  It was from a mermaid far below the ocean, harvested from a squid.  It's in his jail cell.  Question being why's it in his jail cell?  Cos they didn't know the power was in the ink.  Then again Rumples did so he didn't remove it from there and continued with the subterfuge.  However Henry can't get this message to her since Aurora is swept away.  Mulan (Jamie Chung) notices the burn on Aurora's arm but she still wants to help them.  It doesn't matter if they're strangers.

Cora's zombies catch up to them and they must fight.  Emma can't keep that compass safe, it's always in her hand.  Mulan takes Aurora and runs and she's taken by Cora.  Cora wants her help but she refuses even when she tries to convince her she can bring back Phillip.  The wraith only take souls to another realm, how many are there anyway?

Snow thinks there's a way to find out Gold's message since Snow has also been through the sleeping curse.  But Mulan hasn't any sleeping powder left.  She needs more poppies.  Charming decides to take Henry's place since it'll be too dangerous for him and Regina agrees.  He must be put to sleep.  Regina concocts the potion.  She hasn't used magic since getting rid of Daniel and she's trying really hard.  She will need to use it when Cora arrives.  Charming must prick his finger with his blood after the potion has been put onto the blade attached to the spinning wheel.  Charming thinks Snow will wake him with true love's kiss.  He won't go to the fiery, disco floored room since he hasn't been under the curse and must find his way there.

Charming ends up in a hall of mirrors surrounded by fire lanterns.  Whilst Mulan crushes the seeds and blows them onto Snow.  She arrives in the room looking for Henry.  Charming sees the talisman light up and drops it onto the floor, it's hot.  Thus the fiery room is underneath. Crashing through he finally sees Snow and gives her the message but they can't kiss since they're in different worlds.  So it's Charming's turn to remain under the spell.  \He has faith they will find each other as they always do.  SO why didn't he say that last ep when Red had to tell him he will get them back.

Mulan has disappeared with the compass, see Emma can't do a simple thing like that and look after it.  Hook rescues Aurora by letting her go since he wants to prove to Emma he can be trusted.  He however has an ulterior motive.  Cora finds him there and traps him removing his hook to take his heart but he has a gift for her.  It's a heart.  This way she can manipulate Aurora as she tells the others about Hook.  Cora will know where they're heading and get their first.

Seems Hook isn't as innocent as he looks  and beneath that pretty boy exterior lies a devious mind.  He wants to get back to Storybrooke for revenge.  Obviously he will have to stoop to such measures when he's dealing with Aurora.  SO how did Hook take her heart? When she was sleeping?  She's being held captive and still manages to fall asleep.  Charming shows once again why he's a prince even though he's always called a shepherd by George.  He put it all on the line to get his family back and shows his faith this episode.  Snow showing true emotion at losing him but this time loses her faith.  Think Snow should take hold of that compass!

Gold: "Condiments are this world's magic."  Also he uses "dearie" again!
Hook: "surprise is fun of the gift giving."

The Vampire Diaries 4.23 "Graduation" Review

Bonnie (Kat Graham) wants to go to their graduation even if she is a ghost but Grams (Jasmine Guy) tells her she has to say her goodbyes to everyone.  Caroline (Candace Accola) calls to ensure Bonnie is graduating with the rest of them.  Damon (Ian Somerhalder) gives Elena (Nina Dobrev) the cure but she doesn't want to take it.  He even tries to get Jeremy (Steven R McQueen) on side to help in his cause but Jeremy says he'll love her whether she's human or a vampire.  Damon had the cure in a box on his bedside table this time round and not hidden in some soapdish!  In that case Jeremy says both Elena and Stefan (Paul Wesley) should go to their graduation.  Meanwhile Lexi (Arielle Kebbel) and Stefan discuss whether Elena will choose him or not and he seems to be happy whatever decision she makes.  Ah who's he kidding.  But he would take her back in a heartbeat if she chose him.  Like she would and no you shouldn't take her back like that after everything she's put you through!  Lexi listens in on their conversation even though she's not meant to.

Damon catches Stefan and Lexi drinking and listening to Bon Jovi  and takes a swig himself.  All of them arrive for their graduation and beforehand Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) confronts Bonnie about not wanting the veil to go back up.  He wants to stay here as do the others, as he points out the witches and ghosts in the graduation audience. Bonnie tells her father (Rick Worthy) she's grateful for everything he's done.  That's her farewell to him.  She takes Kol and shows him her DB.  She wants the same thing too but wants to put the veil up locking him in an invisible forcefield with a spell.

Vaughn (Charlie Bewley) shoots Damon with a bullet as he wants the cure to use on Silas.  Connor (Todd Williams) calls Elena and reminds her he wants the cure and that she killed him.  He threatens to blow up the bar as Alaric (Matt Davis) confronts him.  This is his bar and he's not having anyone blow it up.  Elena notices the wound on Damon's shoulder the bullet was laced with werewolf venom.  So they come up with a plan where Damon takes Vaughn to the quarry where he tries to figure out where he buried Silas but Vaughn realizes he's messing him around and fires some more bullets especially after he realizes they were laced with venom.  Alaric arrives to save the day and tackles Vaughn over the edge taking the the cure from him.  Caroline tries in vain to call Klaus (Joseph Morgan) so he can help Damon.

Alexander (Paul Telfer) puts Matt (Zach Roerig) on a pressure plate with explosives and Rebekah (Claire Holt) tries to talk him through it.  Saying what she'd like to do, go to that small town in Italy.  She then kisses him and changes places with him whilst later exploding the explosives and taking Alexander with her.  Not that she can die.  Klaus finally arrives since he was on his way here anyway in response to Caroline's graduation invite and saves Damon.  Question being why he'd be so obliging now.  Seems Damon got cured easier now than he did in the season 2 finale.  Another rehash here of Damon being affected by werewolf venom again.  Klaus helped her cos she sent the invite and he's also letting Tyler come back to Mystic Falls cos "he's your first love but I will be your last."  So they leave the school before more hybrids and witches come looking for them.  Klaus also saving them from the hybrids.

Matt agrees to go with Rebekah to Italy as he's never been out of this town but she can't turn him into a vampire and also whatever happens on the road, stays on the road.  Of course we know Rebekah will be going to New Orleans and won't be returning here next season.  Katherine wanted her immortality from Bonnie but didn't get it so she goes looking for trouble with Elena.  Personally I liked how Elena was going to be attacked by Kol again but the veil goes up and he vanishes.  As does Alaric when Damon thinks he'll be around watching over him.  Alaric saying he got the girl.  Cos he does get the girl. Elena chooses Damon cos he made her feel more alive even when she was dead and she's in love with him.  Lexi catches Stefan eavesdropping this time round as he leaves to bury Silas.  Lexi and Stefan joke about where they should go and he tells her Elena was his first love, she was the one.  Lexi tells him he'll love again but needs to move on.  Kind of what Klaus told Caroline.

He tells Damon he's happy for him but he's leaving as he said before.  Didn't he realize Lexi was going to disappear when Bonnie puts the veil up, so it wasn't a wise decision going alone.  Katherine confronts Elena as she wanted to be immortal but didn't get to.  Elena commenting he wasn't happy with being a vampire immortal.  Katherine wanted her graduation day too as she never gets anything.  To think Elijah was in love with this deranged vampire.  She stabs Elena in the neck and reaches for her heart when Elena remembers the cure and forces Katherine to take it.

Elena finds Stefan and tells him he's really Silas.  He invented the immortal spell and nature needed to redress the balance so he needed a shadow self to be killed.  Katherine was his shadow self but he turns into Stefan and puts him into the safe, throwing him over into the quarry.  The spell was broken when Bonnie died.  Stefan doesn't know she's really dead.  Bonnie tells Jeremy she's a ghost and he will always be able to see and speak to her.  She did a spell and it worked, Jeremy is alive and she leaves with her Grams.  He must tell the others she's gone to spend Summer with her mother as for the first time her friends are happy.

SO Elena makes her decision and chooses Damon, that wasn't a surprise.  They've been tip toeing over this issue for so long now it was getting boring, but I would have thought Elena wouldn't have chosen Damon especially since he's not meant to get the girl.  Think the writers/producers just wanted to satisfy those fans who wanted this from the onset.  Elena's reasons for wanting Damon cos he makes her fell alive and all the rest of it.  Well she's still a vampire how alive does she want to be.  Also would have been better if she didn't choose either one of the brothers.  First Stefan, then Damon - bit tedious, all a case of keeping it within the Salvatore family.  So Stefan left town as he said he would only he ends up a few feet under in the quarry.  Think they love their watery finales in this show, last season it was at the bridge.  That was  a bit of an anti-climax too expecting Silas to be defeated so easily.  He may have been stone for the past 200 odd years but it doesn't mean he wouldn't play everyone as he did and get his own way in the end, but why choose Stefan out of everyone he could have, just cos he was disposing of the pieces.

Then Bonnie leaves to be with Grams.  There are so many death and resurrections in this show, it's probably beaten Buffy in the 'rise again from the ashes' stakes! (No pun).  So Katherine is now mortal, will she handle that or will she disappear into hiding.  She can be easily killed now.  Not to mention out of everyone who wanted the cure she didn't.  Also Elena is angry at Damon for not taking the cure when he was dying, to the point of slapping him.  Which they listen to as well.  He would rather have died than become human, something Elena can't understand.  He would die than become human and not be able to live without her whilst she carried on.

Also Stefan gives her the cure back cos he'd want her to choose whether she becomes human or is a vampire, going back to all the exposition they had in season 2.20 The Last Day when they were pondering if she wanted to become a vampire to save her when Damon tied to turn her into one.  Seems she's now happy to be a vampire.  Having her humanity back she no longer is tied to the sire bond and makes her choice.  So Stefan in a safe, metal box whatever it was, just like Angel was chained and ended up at the bottom of the ocean in Angel.

Why was Caroline's mother not at the ceremony, infact they didn't show any of her relatives or anyone else's. Why didn't Jeremy go too instead of hanging around with Lexi.  Bit silly.  Scene stealer would have to be Klaus making his entrance by lopping off a witch's head with a mortar board.  Hmm, never thought of using those as flying frisbees at my graduation!  Probably would have ended up losing the hiring deposit! ha.  Your final Damon shirtless scene to keep you going through the Summer!  Thought Stefan looked cool in his grad robe and hat!

Revenge 2.20 "Engagement" Review

                                               
Emily: "engagement can be a commitment to love or a declaration of war.  One must enter every battle without hesitation willing to fully engage the enemy until death do you part."

The episode goes full speed ahead as Emily (Emily VanCamp) and Daniel (Josh Bowman) break the news of their engagement to Conrad (Henry Czerny) and Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) she's appalled but Conrad congratulates her.  Emily also says they'll be heading to Paris and getting married there, then staying on permanently.  Much to Victoria's chagrin, as she just hates how Emily has wormed her way in for a second time and the dislike for each other isn't hidden anymore.  She tells her she doesn't need her traipsing in the mansion just cos she's engaged to him and she was here to invite Charlotte to their engagement party.  Jack (Nick Wechsler) walks in and Victoria senses the coldness between them.  Victoria tells Jack that Emily broke off the engagement first time round cos of him which comes as news to him.  Jack is here on his continuing mission to bring down Conrad and gives Victoria the photo of Conrad with Allison Stoddard (Jessica Tuck).  Victoria knows Jack wants to bring Conrad down as much as he does.

She speaks with Allison who tells her that her husband is ill and she wants him to lose that's why she's feeding Conrad info about his campaign.  Adding when Conrad wins Victoria should make sure he only stands for one term as it's a tough job.  Victoria hands over the info to Conrad who uses it in his campaign which surprises Jack.  Ashley (Ashley Madekwe) admits she saw the two kissing together and had to tell Daniel since she wanted him.  Jack doesn't seem too perturbed at that.  

Daniel wants his trustfund from Conrad and thinks Aiden (Barry Sloane) should be removed as treasurer of the foundation.  Aiden asks why Daniel doesn't want him around and he lets on about Takeda (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa)  telling him Aiden is a liability, as well his father being the baggage handler who planted the bomb.  Aiden wants to get out now and needs Nolan's (Gabriel Mann) help in breaking into the Grayson's hidden assets account and stealing them.  He wants to take Emily away now since revenge has no purpose after all.  Whilst he's trying to break the code, Takeda confronts Aiden and they fight to the death.  That being Takeda's.  Guess he got his comeuppance for killing Tyler last season.  But it just seemed too easy, Aiden shouldn't have been any match for him, plus they had pretty crappy swords!

Nolan visits the Falcon (Susan Park) in prison wanting the Grayson's passcode to their account.  She says the code is where she first started out or something cryptic along those lines, frankly I gave up a little on her, she was so smarmy and smirking every second, surprised Nolan could't tell she was up to something.  She will help if he gets her out.  Then says either way she'll get out cos the Initiative also have a vested interest in getting her out too.  Apparently Victoria paid Patrick $5 million, yeah whose money was it exactly,  when he came looking for her years before.  She also warns Nolan he's being played him but he doesn't listen.

Charlotte (Christa B Allen) (waste of space) should be her nickname is still being influenced by Regina (Seychelle Gabriel) who takes her out again and gets her high.  Declan (Connor Paolo) finds out and is there when she's arrested outside another club.  Declan and Regina try to raise bail money for her, as if Charlotte is going to wait around for them and wouldn't call anyone else.  In this case it's Daniel, charming since she was rude to him not five seconds before.  

Daniel is given the trust fund cheque he asked for and Victoria and Emily look as if they're going to have a catfight.  Victoria makes a speech, nothing new. This engagement party was not the dramatic one as in season 1, maybe cos Ashley didn't organize it, ha.  It wasn't Fire and Ice themed but there was plenty of animositypresent in this ep between the two female leads!  Trading insults and Victoria even tells Emily she knows she doesn't love Daniel. 

Funny Emily warns Jack against trusting Victoria cos she can't be trusted and that's exactly what he does after going to Victoria with that piece of info about Conrad.  Seems like she's determined to be the only one to bring him down.  Aiden hastily goes to Nolan and wants to take the money now when Emily shows up telling him he can't do it, after Nolan realizes the password is her Streetfighter II score.  Well Emily you were the one who gave Nolan the clue where to look!  Aiden presses the button and all hell breaks loose.  Charlotte tells Daniel she's pregnant.  As the lights go out all over Manhattan.  Well that shows 'em!  or Em, ha.  That's what the Initiative wanted all along.  Which is more pear shaped than ever since Takeda had a plan about taking down the Initiative, wouldn't reveal it to Emily and Aiden had to kill him.  Then didn't tell her of his dirty deed, so much for being honest!

Nolan: "maybe he wants her recipe for Devil's Food cake." When Emily wonders why Jack is talking to Victoria.  Then we had Aiden rushing around being headstrong, what happened to his training and Nolan's jacket, ha, it wasn't Hallowe'en!

We're not getting a two-part finale here, no we're getting two parts!  Thanx.

CSI:NY 9.15 "Seth and Apep" Review

Mac (Gary Sinise) and DB (Ted Danson) are in New York and are staking out the meet with Boyd (Kirk Acevedo) and the men who have Christine (Megan Dodds) and Shawn (Rodrigo Rojas) his brother.  He hands over the diamonds but Zane (Navid Negahban) didn't bring them with him.  He pulls a gun on him and Flack (Eddie Cahill) thinks he's going to shoot him.  DB says he's testing him.  Zane puts the gun away after questioning Boyd as to why he didn't answer his phone for 6 hours.  As they get to the news stand Boyd looks straight at Flack as Zane makes him for a police officer.  Flack shoots two of the men and Mac chases Zane.  Adam (AJ Buckley) has the faces of the men using the traffic cam.  Zane says Mac will never see her again.

At the precinct, Mac interrogates Zane but he's not talking.  Jo (Sela Ward) watches from the other side as do DB and Flack.  Mac loses his cool and applies pressure to Zane's wound but he doesn't give in.  Boyd is in the hospital.  Their kidnapper talks to someone on the phone and is about to shoot Shawn when Christine tells him he can use them for leverage since her boyfriend is a cop.

Sid (Robert Joy) autopsies the DB and finds a tattoo on him.  He tells Hawkes (Hill Harper) it's of Seth and Apep but he hasn't heard of them.  From ancient Egypt, Seth used to protect Ra.  So chaos was used to destroy evil.  He thinks it could belong to an Egyptian gang and the gang cold be here or have ties here.   Lindsay (Anna Belknap) processes a piece of paper found on he Vic as well as a notepad which is in Arabic but she hasn't been able to work out what it says.  (It wasn't really written in Arabic). The paper turns out to be a laundry receipt, Nailah's (Tehmina Sunny) laundry.

Mac contemplates his actions as we get flashbacks of him and Christine.  DB informs him of Interpol getting a hit on Zane as he killed a member of the Egyptian parliament, he's wanted for murder over there.  They figure he's working for someone here.  Flack gives Mac a box that was left for him and inside is someone's tongue with a message to "answer our call at 3."  Mac is overcome with emotion and walks away, he can't bear to think it might be Christine's.  Adam manages to trace the call when it comes through, as Mac sits in his office.  He gets a call earlier at 2.45 and leaves.  DB notices and goes after him.

Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) says the tongue is being matched in CODIS as it's male and the phone rings.  Jo answers and Adam is able to locate its signal.  Danny is sent to Chinatown whilst Jo takes Flack to locate the signal of the phone.  There's no one there when they arrive at both locations and Flack finds a discarded phone in the bin.  It was just a ploy to separate his team.  Mac notices DB following and stops to tell him he has to be at the warehouse alone.  DB will go with him and stay back.

Hawkes and Lindsay go to the laundry and the woman there, Nailah tells tehm how they have to pay protection.  She identifies one of the man by name as Faraj (Omir Zader).  But doesn't recognize Zane by name, only that he used to come sometimes to get the money.  Of course she was lying and anyone could see that but not it seems Lindsay.  Mac gets to the location and finds Shaan's DB.  Christine calls Mac and is made to read a message telling him to bring Zane to Teterboro airport.

Jo, arrives at the location where Danny and Lovato (Natalie Martinez) are with the DB.  She says they will do as they always do and follow the science.  Sid finds a tattoo on Shawn's leg which was drawn in his blood and Jo notices a fingerprint belonging to Christine, she was trying to tell them something.  Flack tells mac the US Marshalls are coming for Zane since they were alerted by Interpol but Mac needs him to exchange for Christine.  Flack agrees to stall them by telling them he was accidentally taken to another precinct which DB adds is his fault since the form looked different. They go for coffee.  Mac arrives at the airport but Christine isn't with him.  He shoots two of the men and takes out a second gun, threatening Omar (Farshad Farahat) with Russian roulette.  Of course the gun is empty as it's obvious Mac didn't put a bullet in it.

Adam matches the locations of the other businesses being extorted on the map and finds the laundry isn't listed there.  Thus Nailah is running the racket and is Zane's sister.  Jo thinks the tattoo was the symbol Christine saw from where she was held captive which is a restaurant across the road from the laundry.  When they arrive Christine isn't there.  So Mac threatens Omar with a loaded gun this time.  Mac knocks out Ahmed (Anthony Martins) and rescues Christine.  She's in the hospital and DB tells Mac it's his turn to look after her now.  Mac thanks DB for being here and DB adds when Mac buys him dinner in Vegas next time, he'll bring his whole family.

Didn't really think much of this episode, it suffered from too many flashbacks and Mac kind of lost the plot a little in being too emotional, understandable it was more so than he would have done with anyone else, but he doesn't really think straight for a while.  Jo mentions the suspect saying he played Russian roulette with him, but Mac says it wasn't much of a game with an empty gun.  As we know he wouldn't overstep the mark even though he did resort to using a little 'torture' on Zane.  Also DB didn't really have much to do in this episode except babysit Mac.  He was underused especially when none of Mac's team saw Mac wander off early than the call.  Wouldn't he have stuck around for it and they didn't realize he got called on his mobile either.

Seth was the God of Chaos who beheaded Apep, the God of evil to save Ra.  Does the title suggest anything more, doesn't seem like it.  Mac taking out all the men to save Christine.  So how'd Christine manage to paint that tattoo so perfectly on his leg anyway for someone who was quivering from fear not five minutes before.  Flack and his "not much you can do.  Clerical errors tend to happen from time to time."

Flashbacks were from the episodes 8.12 Brooklyn Til I Die, 8.14 Flash pop, 9.7 Clue SI and 9.10 The Real McCoy.

CSI 13.13 "In Vino Veritas" Review

A couple arrive at an expensive mansion to a swinging party.  Jonah Drake (Damian O'Hare) is accompanied by Samantha (Nicole Steinweddle) and he leaves her to attend a meeting with Vogel (Edward Herrmann).  As well as speaking with Jack Davari (Jeff Branson).   Drake agrees to buy something.  Greg (Eric Szmanda) and Sara (Jorga Fox) arrive at a CS where blood appears to be leaking from a wine barrel.  Sara has already smelled the decomp and they assume the DB was dumped here since there's no blood.  Greg opens it up to find a DB inside dressed in a tuxedo.  As Sara says he was, "dressed to kill."  Greg adding, "or be killed."  David (David Berman) takes the DB and Hodges (Wallace Langham) examines the barrel for trace.  He knows it was for wine as he can still smell the aroma inside and takes a good long whiff.

Mac (Gary Sinise) arrives to meet with DB (Ted Danson) as he's meeting Christina later who's here for a restaurant convention.  Hodges says he can't be here unless he has clearance and DB says the head of the NY Crime Lab and would know his way around a crime lab.  Hodges wants to shake his hand but has blood on his gloves.  Greg is with Doc (Robert David Hall) as he examines the DB, finding a cufflink with the initials 'JD.'  The Vic was killed with a GSW to his face.  There's also a wound on his hand which was caused by an object with a head, Greg thinks like a nail.

Hodges examines the barrel as he tells Morgan (Elisabeth Harnois) it is charred which adds to the enhanced flavour of the wine.  She'll stick with vodka.  He knows plenty about wine as Elisabetta's family are in the business.  Morgan making another snide remark about Immigration not getting hold of that info and then apologizes.  She hopes her Green card comes through.  The barrel is made of white oak hailing from France.  Sara tells DB that the DB's stomach contents show he had whale.  Leading them to Vogel.

Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) and Sara arrive at the mansion and see Tom (Nichols Bishop) outside with wine.  He'll sell her some for $100,000.  They show Vogel the Vic's photo and the cufflink which he IDs as belonging to Davari.  He runs an auction house here and there was one here last night.  Davari had an argument with Mark Ratelle (Christopher Heyerdahl) who is a famous winemaker from France.  Marc was trying to buy back his own crate of wine from Davari.

Mac and DB arrive at the hotelroom but there's no answer.  DB notices the blood on the handle.  Surprised Mac didn't see this first.  Mac breaks down the door and inside the room is a mess.  Finn (Elisabeth Shue) and Nick (George Eads) process the room.  Finn notices blood on a rock like object but someone's hand must have left the blood there.  Also the table's been smashed.  Thus whoever entered the room was already bleeding, which also explain the blood on the door handle.  There's a bloody shirt found under the bed but whoever had the shirt on wasn't the one whose blood was found.  Henry (Jon Wellner) finds the blood belonged to an unknown female.

Greg and Sara find Marc checked out of his hotelroom and there's a callout to Vogel's.  Here Brass and Mitch (Larry Mitchell) find Marc smashing bottles of wine.  His wine.  He says they're not real and Mitch threatens to taser him even if he is standing in wine.   Morgan finds Marc had a bottle of the 1936 wine which is valued at $82,000.  Hodges finds all of the wine was fake even if it had the expensive labels on it.  He then uncorks the expensive bottle and he and Morgan sample it,, for evidential purposes.  Yeah well the cheese they were having with it, wasn't so expensive.  The fake wine contained radioacive isotopes since after the nuclear attack in World War II, the fallout changed the Carbon 12 and 14 in the soil all over the world, which shows in the grapes used in the wine.  Marc wanted to buy the fake wine since being a vintner  has a reputation with it, but didn't kill Davari.  He also has an alibi.

Nick puts together the broken pieces from the table, didn't those pieces look like they had been cut and not broken, they had perfectly rounded edges.  He finds a print on the glass but no match.  He then finds a diamond too which has a serial number and is traced to Sadat jewellers.  Outside the shop the door is open and there are two DBs.  Finn also finds Christine's phone, which conveniently has Mac's photo on it too.  A print was lifted from the safe which is matched to James Boyd (Kirk Acevedo).  Mac knows the name since he was Christine's former restaurant manager.  She fired him and wanted nothing more to do with him as he was into gambling.  Texts on the phone show she was opening another restaurant in Vegas with Sadat as an investor.  Also the texts sent by Christine to Sadat are very intimate, as Nick describes them.  Finn calling them flirtatious.

The wine was bought by Drake and Brass questions both him and Samantha.  She claims they had an argument over the wine as she didn't want him spending so much money on buying more.  She's from Boston and they don't like to show off their wealth.  The argument over the wine should have made her an immediate suspect.  Greg and Sara check out Davari's warehouse and here they find blood on some corks, as well as on a corking machine.  There is still some trace left inside the machine.  It's an operation set up for making wine.  Davari got the hole in his hand from the machine.  The blood is matched to Tom but contains levels of estrogen in it.

Tom tells them he and Davari were into making and selling fake wine for a fortune.  They collected open wine bottles for their labels and Davari had a knack for making the wine look authentic.  He has an alibi as he was at the Acid Bar and everyone confirms this. Greg looks at Tom's medical records and finds he was a bone marrow donor for a sibling, in this case, Samantha.  She fell in love with Drake and wanted to get out of their scam.  But Davari wouldn't let her go, threatening to expose her as a whore.  Drake wanted to buy more wine but she didn't want him to lose his money.

Sadat;s car is found with traces of blood and in the boot they find a DB of a woman.  There's also white trace on the side of the car which shows Boyd changed cars.  Nick tells DB they've found Boyd and he wanted to tell him first.  DB thinks it's a good idea if Mac was part of the interrogation.  He demands to know where Christine is and he tells them she's in new York.  She was never here.  He was scamming Sadat for money to finance the restaurant so he could pay off his gambling debts.  He used his girlfriend cos she looked like Christine and so the texts were from him.  Things fell apart so he stole the diamonds.  He needs to take them back to New York but his brother has Christine, only both of them will be killed if he doesn't return.  Mac needs to take him back and DB agrees to accompany him too.

Mac and DB met at a forensics conference in Kansas and became friends, who knew?  As he's over here now to surprise Christine with Celine Dion tickets.  SO it's no surprise when they begin an investigation here.  Would have thought they'd have checked airport surveillance at least to see if she actually got on the plane since it was discovered she checked in but isn't found there.  Just about anyone cold have checked in for her and this case had more holes than the wine barrel.  Now they're sloppy and don't check hotel surveillance to see who she may have left with!

Also Hodges becoming quite the wine connoisseur as we find out he's engaged to an Italian was rather convenient.  As was sharing that bottle of wine with Morgan of all people.   Thought she was into vodka!  You'd have thought the wine case would have ended up being connected to the Christine disappearance, but alas no. Don't really see the need for the crossover since it's been done so many times before, with Horatio, Gil, Ray and it wasn't even that compelling a storyline except to have Mac act worried and declare his love for Christine.

The title means "in wine there is truth" in Latin, yet we don't get any answers about Morgan and Hodges and their kiss either!  So we still don't get any answers about Sara's call from Gil.  Keep us waiting why don't you...

Once Upon A Time 2.7 "Child of the Moon" Review

The dwarfs dig for diamonds and find them.  The Blue Fairy (Keegan Connor Tracy) tells Charming (Josh Dallas) to look after Jefferson's hat cos he'll need it when they get the fairy dust.   Billy (Jarod Joseph) asks Ruby (Meghan Ory) out but she's busy, Belle (Emilie de Ravin) says they're having a girl's night.  Billy was a mouse in Cinderella's castle.  Obviously since Billy was shown he was going to end up in some sort of trouble.  Granny (Beverley Elliott) empties the freezer and reinforces it so Ruby can be chained.  She lost her hood and doesn't know where it is.  She hasn't turned in 28 years cos of the curse, it's "wolfstime."  Charming says she won't hurt anyone.

Henry's (Jared S Gilmore) drinking coffee to say awake and Spencer (Alan Dale) confronts Charming.  But we don't know where he was hiding out all this time still.  Spencer and Charming can fight him here again.  He wants his family back.  He's just a shepherd pretending to be a prince and he's not fit to run the town.

Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Red are on the run from the Queen's men in the woods and Snow rips her wanted poster from a tree.  Funny she got it screwed up so much in such a short time.  Red tore her hood and thinks it won't wok now.  Snow thinks it will.  She wants Snow to run.  They'll meet up at the stream.  Snow is being kind to her cos it's not who she really is.   They'll meet up at the stream.  Next day Ruby wakes and someone steals her hood.  Of course they would the way she just dropped it there.  His eyes glow, he's another wolf, Quinn (Ben Hollingsworth).  He tells her there's a way to control being a wolf and takes her to their secret hideout; the grand hall of the castle which has sunk to the ground.

Here she meets the rest of her pack and her mother, Anita (Annabeth Gish).  Granny lied to her.  Anita knows of how she can control being a wolf.  Ruby is found in the forest and thinks she killed someone as they find Billy dead, his legs in a dumpster.  Ruby wants to be locked up in jail so the town is protected from her.  Anita doesn't believe they're monsters.  She helps them embrace their true nature, she can only control the wolf by accepting it's part of her.  She doesn't need her hood.  She begins to run with the rest of the wolves.

Henry has another nightmare surrounded by fire (didn't he look like he was standing on a disco floor) there he sees another robed figure who has to be Aurora (Sarah Bolger).  He awakes to find Regina (Lana Parrilla) there.  Charming called her cos he's on an emergency.  She sees Henry has a real burn on his hand showing it wasn't just a dream.  She takes him to Gold (Robert Carlyle) for help and he gives him a potion contained in a talisman which she should wear around his neck when he sleeps.  Regina says her Vics weren't meant to wake up from the curse so she didn't care about them  A sleeping curse means their souls falls to Netherworld and it's real.  Even when the curse is broken the Vics find their way back to that world.  Just like Aurora.  Henry can control his actions in the world and his fear will stop.  Then he can come and go as he pleases.  Regina won't be able to afford a housecall but it's on him cos it's for Henry.  This means Aurora was also under a sleeping curse which is why she is having those dreams and finding herself in the Netherworld.

Spencer threatens Charming by getting the townsfolk to turn on him since he's protecting Ruby who he says is the real killer.  Charming takes her to the library where Belle will chain her up.  However Ruby wants to turn herself in cos she's to blame and should be punished for her actions.  Charming knows the only way to prove Ruby's innocence is to find out who really killed them.  Would have thought that was apparent, Spencer who else, surprised Charming didn't think of him.  Granny smells blood in the boot of  a car where they find Ruby's hood and an axe.  The car belongs to Spencer.  Ruby is cornered as a wolf and Charming tells them Spencer was responsible for the killings.  Charming talks Ruby down and makes her control her wolf side.  Spencer escapes and throws Jefferson's hat into the fire.  Like that will stop him from getting the others back.  Ruby stops Charming from shooting him.  She knows he'll find a way to bring them back and he'll have help.

Snow stumbles into their hideout by following wolf tracks like Red taught her.  The Queen's men follow and Anita wants her to kill Snow, they'll feast on her.  Red won't let her do that so she turns into a wolf and Anita is accidentally impaled.  Red saved Snow and she calls her family.  Snow was the only one who didn't make her choose between being a wolf and a human.  They go off in search of that cabin in the woods.

Henry sleeps again and ends up in the same place, he controls the fire and sees Aurora.  Emma (Jennifer Morrison) tells Snow Mulan knows where Cora might be.  Aurora tells them about seeing the boy whose name is Henry.  Gold coming to Henry's aid was a stroke of genius especially since it's a possible way of crossing between worlds now that Jefferson's hat is in the wind, er fire actually.  Since he's no longer in the show, he can't make anymore hats.  SO we don't know what happened to him or to Grace.  Hate things being left up in the air like that.

As for Spencer he was evil and cruel just for the sake of it since he doesn't really achieve much.  He couldn't get the townsfolk to turn against Charming and killed innocents, only to have his plan backfire on him.  Showing good did triumph after all.  Anyway what would Jefferson's hat have done as a portal is was already in tatters.

Red was a bit too hasty in going along with her mother and falling in with the wolfpack, so Snow had to help her there, as Charming helped Ruby in Storybrooke.  I didn't think her story was that memorable.  She knows she has good in her and she only killed Peter and no one else and was a bit too quick to fall on her sword.  Though the way her backstory was told it looked as though the wolves had come to Storybrooke too and did the killing.  But not clever enough since Spencer was an obvious guilty party from the outset.

"May you always run free beneath the moon's pale light."

The title is a Rollin' Stones song on the reverse side of Jumpin' Jack Flash from 1968.  Ruby's arrowhead earrings are a tribute to Quinn. who was killed by an arrow when they came for Snow in the hideout.  Also the blue star on the tow truck was an allusion to the Blue Fairy as she appeared as a star to Pinocchio.  In the Pilot episode Emma's birthday candle was in the form of a blue star too.

Also noticed the townsfolk out for Ruby's blood were just extras and none of he main cast proper.  Would've thought Regina and Rumples would have been on that lynchmob, once upon a time!  Ruby returning each time to being human with all her clothes intact.

Doctor Who 7.14 "The Name of the Doctor" Review

                                         
Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh) finds the Doctor (Matt Smith) is in trouble after she visits a prisoner about to be hanged for murder.  He tells her about the Whispering men.  She arranges a conference call whilst they're asleep bringing Jenny (Catrin Stewart) Strax (Dan Starkey) who is fighting some Scot in a Glasgow pub and has to take a raincheck when he gets a message from a "girl."  He asks to be knocked out with a shovel, which will take some time.  Others present at the table are Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) who is given a message in a letter transcending time.  Even if she doesn't take the potion, the letter has been lined with it so she passes out too.  Last to arrive is River (Alex Kingston) who brings champagne and doesn't drink tea.  Clara is introduced by Vastra as the Doctor's new companion, assistant traveller.  Clara wants to know who River is.

Jenny senses someone else is there as she senses she has been murdered and is surrounded by those men in top hats, the Whispering men.  Vastra comes out of the sleep and River throws her drink onto Strax to pull him out too, but it's too late.  Clara wakes up to find the Doctor playing blind man's buff with the children who have sneaked off to the cinema anyway.  She tells him about the message and he is in tears.  Clara follows him to the TARDIS.  He mentions the place Trenzalore but everyone go it wrong.  It wasn't his name they weren't meant to discover but that place.  He takes the TARDIS there but she fights him and doesn't want to return there.  They get to the place and the TARDIS stops short of the planet.  Clara asks if they're going to jump.  No, but he'll disable the anti-gravity so it'll be a bumpy landing.

Arriving on Trenzalore the Doctor tells him his grave is here.  His future grave.  They all die eventually and he is buried in the TARDIS.  SO it's coming undone, it's now getting bigger on the outside.  There's also a tear in it in the fabric of time.  The place was mentioned by Dorium in The Wedding of River Song.  (Should have known that episode would be kind of relevant here since there were lots of recent views on my blog.) Here he also finds River's grave and she appears to Clara.  She can't tell him she's here but tells them to go to the grave as it contains a way for them to get in.  Which leads them to the catacombs.  Clara begins to remember  memories the Doctor said she would forget, like the girl who saved him from the Dalek's and being in the heart of the TARDIS.  She wants to know who she is and why she can remember.  This not being the time for answers.  Here they're followed by the Whispering men again and meet up with the others.  Vastra wants Strax to get Jenny back so he administers some cardio shock to her.  Also here is the Great Intelligence (GT) in the body of Dr Simeon (Richard E Grant) from The Snowmen episode.

Simeon/GT wants to get inside the Doctor's tomb but he can only open it if the Doctor says his name.  Which he refuses to do.  GT threatens his friends and one of the men puts his hand inside Strax to reach for his heart.  The Doctor pleads for him not to, but to no avail.  The entrance to the tomb opens since River said his name.  Inside they don't find the Doctor's DB but light.  The scar tissue of the Doctor's time travels which he calls his "time tunnel."

We see how Clara helped the First Doctor (William Hartnell) choose the correct TARDIS to steal.  That Clara has always been there throughout the Doctor's time and travels, throughout all of his regenerations.   As we get footage of all of the Doctor's (barring Paul McGann and David Tennent).  Clara was born to save the Doctor and how she was a leaf blowing in the wind and she's still blowing.  Always there to rewrite history and save the Doctor as we saw her first do in Asylum of the Daleks.   Clara also learns River is the Doctor's wife and earlier on she said she had heard the Doctor mention Professor Song, but thought she was a man.  River tells Clara how the Doctor saved her and put her into a library when she died.

GT wants to enter the Doctor's light and says he will not be the one who feels pain but the Doctor will and no one can stop him.  He can kill the Doctor anywhere in his timeline.  The Doctor falls to the ground in pain and Clara realizes she must save him now as she did all those other times too.  He doesn't want her to enter  and River tells her she knows what entering will mean.  Clara has no other choice.  Outside Vastra sees the stars and planets are disappearing, all those worlds the Doctor saved and Jenny also disappears as he saved her too.  Strax and Vastra become enemies once more as he tries to take out the reptile but Vastra kills him.  Clara enters and everyone returns.

River's an echo the Doctor tells her who should have faded a long time ago, but it would have hurt too much.  River says she would have taken it but he replies it would have been too hurtful for him.  He kisses her and she wants him to say goodbye only in a way she knows he'll return and she'll see him again.  He adds the others can't see her so their passionate clinch may have looked strange to them.
Doctor: "since no one else in this room can see you, God knows how that looked."
He says " see you later" and the usual.  With her "hello sweetie" to him.  But she reminds him that Clara must still be alive if River is still here and she's  connected to her.  So what does that mean?  "Spoilers."  Clara is who exactly?  Their daughter, granddaughter.  Yes it's all still intriguing even if we know she's the impossible girl who was created to save him over and over.

Clara sees the other Doctors running about the place inside his tomb.  The Whispering men were a little disappointing and no match for the Silence, as they came up with rhymes relating to what will happen to the Doctor.   The GT was a bit of a disappointment too since he entered the light but didn't really do much of anything else as Clara saved the day.  Yet there was still much more going on here.  The Doctor has to rescue Clara just this once as he speaks to her.  The leaf she lost blows to her and how she was born on that leaf, still blowing.  Then reaches out to her.  She tells them she saw all of his eleven faces but not that one.  As a man stands with their back to them.  The Doctor explains he took the name of the Doctor for himself but that other man is his future self?  The Doctor tells her "I said it was me I never said  it was the Doctor."

He turns around and is revealed as John Hurt.  He was the one who broke the promise and did he bring about the Time War.  So in the count of Doctors' who is the Twelfth Doctor, John Hurt or Matt Smith?  The GT also said he'll be come to be known as "the storm, the beast, the Valeyard."  The Valeyard was in Trial of A Time Lord.  He says "What I did, I did without choice."  So what was that?  We get many questions to be answered as we're told Doctor Who will return November 23rd.  Ugh six months away!  The 50th episode!

Also in The Crimson Horror dating back to 1873, Clarence knew where the Doctor's grave was, as did Dorium.  Also alluding back to the first episode of this season with Clara, The Bells of St John, we don't know why Clara was in that painting either.  So some questions were answered, but isn't there that little question left of who Clara really is still?  Re River's spoilers.  Liked Clara making souffle again where we came in, in Asylum of the Daleks and adding like her mother said, it's not the souffle itself but the recipe.  Which is the line she uses for saving the Doctor.  Uttering the line, "run you clever boy and remember me."  Which he did.  Also she recalled that line too.

One of the best Doctor Who episodes in a long time, especially as it solved a little mystery, but left more to be answered.  Had some excitement, funny moments with Strax and of course some weepy bits too, like River too and the Doctor saying goodbye to her, as well as saying he's always seen her as she's always been by his side!  Also how he hates endings that's why he wouldn't let her go.  Well we hate endings too and especially when they end on such a cliffhanger!

As always, we knew Steven Moffat wouldn't actually reveal the Doctor's name (but is it really Doctor?) and no can say it, Clara didn't remember what that was here as she read in the journal, but it was a build-up to this episode.  Perhaps the name no one should have known was Trenzalore since that's where the Doctor is buried.  It was just like a repeat of Let's Kill Hitler really title wise, cos you knew that wasn't going to happen either!

Vastra's line: "the stars are going out" said by Wilf in Turn Left with the Tenth Doctor (David Tennent).  Here were more lines included too.  In The Parting of the Ways, the Doctor is known as "the oncoming storm" as part of Dalek legends.  In The Trial of a Time Lord, the Valeyard was referred to by the Master as "...the darker side of the Doctor's nature...penultimate regeneration...between his Twelfth and Thirteenth regeneration.  The beast hasn't bee mentioned before, except with the Tenth Doctor in The Satan Pit.  Could this be a possible allusion?

SO why did the Doctor look especially as the piece of broken glass on the TARDIS window?
Doctor: "What did you expect, a body.  Bodies are boring I've had lots of them"  As he's shown as strings of light, almost like a mass of DNA sequence.

"On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the Eleventh, when no living creature may speak falsely or fail to give answer, a question will be asked.  A question that must never, ever be answered."  Which was kind of answered here.  Then again we weren't actually shown the battle at Trenzalore itself.

The Mentalist 5.22 "Red John's Rules"

                                               
Lisbon (Robin Tunney) comes to see Patrick (Simon Baker) once again in his attic.  Here she finds Patrick outside burning the Red John evidence he's collected cos he's narrowed down his list of suspects and doesn't need it anymore.  She's curious to know what that is.   Patrick is exhausted and needs his sleep since he hasn't slept for a week.  She wakes him up and tells him they've got a case which may involve Red John.  At the motelroom Brett Partridge (Jack Plotncik) is already there and thinks this may not be a Red John killing.  Funny he should show up now seeing as he's also mentioned as one of the seven.  Patrick feels the Vic looks familiar and notices a number written on the wall which he dials.  He also knows it's RJ cos he can feel it's him.  It belongs to Child Protective Services at Carson Springs.  He's familiar with the area since he was there when younger.

Lisbon doesn't think it's a coincidence that as soon as he gets close to finding RJ he starts to kill again.  But he won't tell her who the seven are since she'll start to act strangely around them.    Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) and Cho (Tim Kang) talk to the motel manager (Homie Dooridian) who tells them about a big man who came there the night before.  Also that the maid, Sandra Guzman (Marisa Guterman) who found the DB has gone home as she was covered in blood.  Lisbon and Patrick are told by the woman at Protective Services, Miriam Gottlieb (Laura San Giacomo) that the woman is Eileen.  They are looking for Roddy Turner (Scott Anthony Leet) her husband.  Patrick doesn't need the address cos he knows where Stony Ridge is.  They used to stay here when the Carnie was in town.  Stony Ridge "is practically my hometown."

Pete (MC Gainey) and Samantha Turner (Tangie Ambrose) know Patrick but don't think Roddy would have killed Eileen and taken the baby. Roddy is Pete's nephew.  Patrick knows they're hiding something from him and have someone else in mind for the killing.  Lisbon finds Eileen is Suzan and Kevin Barlow's daughter.  Patrick knew them.  He tells Lisbon about having a happy childhood memory related to a song or smell and Lisbon recalls the cake in the rain song reminds her of her mother feeding pigeons.  Cho and Rigsby wait for Roddy to return to the motel since Pete will call him and whilst they wait for him, Rigsby mentions Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti).  Cho knows they're having sex again but Rigsby doesn't like the use of this word, they're in love.  Roddy is arrested.

He tells Van Pelt he doesn't know anything and wants to find his baby.  Patrick doesn't think Roddy killed Eileen, who was raised by her uncle Shawn (Michael Hogan).  He knew Patrick's father and they had a falling out over a business deal.  Lisbon and Patrick go to Venice Beach, Ca, to talk with him and Lisbon insists on going in with Patrick.  Patrick is concerned that Red John has reached into his head and taken away his "happy memory" from his childhood. Especially since Pete told him earlier that Shawn could be RJ, which is highly unlikely.

They get into a discussion about morals and how the Jane's would pretend to be psychic and con money from people.  Patrick telling him he doesn't do that anymore.  Also adding the Barlow's claim to have "real psychic powers."  But Shawn wants the baby.  He also asks Lisbon about her faith and believing in life after death.  That he can read her too, she was lying awake in bed and thinking of Patrick cos "she's a little in love with him."  To which there's no reaction from Patrick and Lisbon just makes one of her usual faces!  Coupled with the fact he then adds Patrick is "so secretive and controlling."  Which Patrick later admits he is, not the love bit though!  Anyway no further mention is made of this so probably it was just put there to get fans shipping some more and to carry on with next season at some point.

Shawn asks him why he's never thought of why RJ is always one step ahead of him.  Probably cos he's psychic and even better at it than Patrick.  Who has a plan and he goes to Miriam asking if she'll go along with the plan to out the killer by telling he suspects they've found Caitlin.  Then whoever is innocent will turn up for the baby.  She goes along with it.  A little strange that Patrick should do this cos he doesn't usually reveal any of his plans except to the CBI team.  SO that was also a bit of a giveaway if you didn't realize she was involved already.

Roddy arrives and then so does Shawn.  Van Pelt then calls Patrick as he wanted and plays along.  Patrick has a trick up his sleeve as usual as he borrows Miriam's phone to call Van Pelt back to ask for the hospital name as there are there.  Obviously  she was my suspect straightaway, who else would know all about Eileen and where she'd be.  Also Patrick saying Red John needs to offer people something in return.  She'd want a baby.  Patrick admits to Roddy and Shawn that he lied again about finding Caitlin but they will find her soon and will be in touch.  They drive to the address Van Pelt located from the phone and Patrick tells Lisbon about suspect names.  One of them being Bertram.  Now Lisbon won't know how to react in front of him, which is why Patty didn't tell her any of the names.  But that's all about to change.

Lisbon thinks she may call on the landline but people store numbers on their mobiles.  Funny she wouldn't have the number memorized considering she left the baby there.  It took them a while to drive there, but she got there quickly.  Patty hiding well away from where the action could take place, you know, gunfire, just incase.  Miriam has a message from Red John for Patrick if it came to this.  Nappies and milk were removed from the motelroom so it would be a woman, naturally.  RJ was a good friend to her but doesn't know why he killed Eileen.  It was important it should be her.

Once again they omit the fact every one of RJ's cohorts, acolytes etc always kill themselves or are killed, so why leave her in a policecar with her hands in front of her.  Also why wasn't she searched, come on your're not amateurs.  So we get a song now too in the ep, which we don't usually.  Seems it was appropriate though.

It was funny Lisbon mentioning LaRoche as a suspect when he wasn't even on his list but the first one she thought of.  Maybe she still has that Tupperware box on her mind from last ep.  Patrick: "no offence but you have no dishonesty in you."

Patrick once again looks through his window and lets Lisbon watch the CD, made by Lorelei (Emmanuelle Chiriqui) before Red John mercilessly ensured she didn't die a painful death, but she would die and why did she deem it necessary to tell RJ about the handshake, I mean it's not as if she was going to be spared.  Couldn't she take one secret to the grave with her.  RJ knew Patrick would narrow down the names to seven people.  Lorelei told him about shaking people's hands, as said.  he used his memory and research but he's not clever.  Clever is RJ killing "a  happy memory he never told anyone and lead you right to this video."  He should look at his suspects names: Brett Stiles, Gale Bertram, Raymond Haffner, Reed Smith, Bob Kirkland, Sheriff Thomas McAllister, Brett partridge.  red John now has new rules to the game, first Eileen and now he'll stat killing again "until you catch me or I catch you."  Patrick breaks the CD to pieces.

At the end of the day we didn't get anymore answers and many will feel cheated at this since the final scene opens up a whole other set of possibilities not as to the suspects, most of them were already on our list, but as to how Red John manages to stay one step ahead of him.  The fact he's also able to get inside Patty's head when no one else is able to is chilling.  How well does he really know Patrick and being a part of the CBI too.  It's too much to think about.  So all of this work Patrick did, all the research amounts to nothing when it boils down to RJ being ahead of him even in his list of suspects.  

Also in a way it kind of narrows down suspects, firstly Kirkland was the only one who was shown stealing the evidence from Patrick's attic, thus he either was a red herring to completely throw us off the tracks.  Since if he already knew the suspects and what info Patty had, he wouldn't need to steal it.  Then Brett Partridge conveniently being at the CS again after appearing in the Red Lacquer Nail Polish episode earlier on.  He does seem shifty enough, has the voice to be RJ but is he really clever enough to be one step ahead of Patrick.  Sticking my neck out, I'd eliminate him too.  He seems a little too young.  We haven't seen Sheriff McAllister since the second episode of season 1 Red Hair and Silver Tape.