Charlies Angels - 1.1: "Angel with a Broken Wing" Review

The angels burst onto the screens investigating the murder of one of their own and find themselves with a replacement angel as they bring a child trafficker to justice.

"Once upon a time there were three young girls who got into very big trouble.   First the Park Avenue princess turned thief.   The second was a marine decorated for valour, court martialled  for a deadly mistake and the third was a dedicated police detective turned dirty cop.   They each made mistakes but I gave them a second chance and now they work for me.   My name is Charlie."

A sixteen year old runaway, Sarah is held in a hotel and is being sold by a child sex trafficker known as Pajaro.   Abby (Rachael Taylor) picks a man's pocket after bumping into him.   Gloria (Nadine Velazquez) picks up Fisk at the airport, the traffickers contact.  Abby has to ensure Bosley (Ramon Rodriguez) is in position.   Thus cue an older man we're meant to think is Bosley but he's actually frolicking in the pool.   Pajaro's broker e-mailed him the photo of the girl and Gloria fires shots around him asking what their plan is and where Sarah's being held.  The man calls the hotel to let them know the broker will be late and Bosley retrieves the hotel room number.

Abby scales the building wearing heels, which change into flats when she climbs onto the balcony.   They rescue Sarah with Abby declaring, "We're angels." They don't know Pajaro's ID and no one's probably ever met him.   Abby: "That's ironic coming from Charlie." (Victor Garber)  Abby likes men who are sexy dreamers.   She touches Gloria on her arm so you can see her tattoo.   As they head for drinks, Gloria has other business to attend to and Kate (Annie Ilonzeh) found Abby's father's letters in the bin.   So expect him to turn up soon.

Gloria's car explodes and Kate doesn't seem to be able to shed any tears, so much for them being colleagues and friends, but they were sisters as they say.   Bosley says Charlie is devastated, "losing an angel is his worst nightmare.   Mine too."  Next day at work, Abby turns up in shorts, would've thought the occasion warranted something more sombre.   Charlie calls Gloria's murder personal and reminds them, "You're angels of justice, not angels of vengeance."  Also reminding us they've been in trouble before and shouldn't overstep the mark this time round either.

They notice a woman on a bike was behind Gloria's car on the surveillance footage and Kate spots the same tattoo as Gloria on the back of her neck.   They must have been members of the same car stealing gang.   Kate's ex fiancee was a cop and she uses his badge number to bring up info on the tattoo woman.   Would've thought Bosley would have been able to find info on her seeing as he's adept at hacking.   She is Eve French (Minka Kelly) and lives on  houseboat.   They pack their weapons.  Gloria was a sister to Eve and a helicopter approaches outside and opens fire as they speak.  

They meet her at work.  Gloria wanted to show Eve something about the case she was on.   Abby and her dirty looks towards Eve clearly showing she doesn't like or trusts her.   Kate is more reserved, showing why later the two of them get on better.   Eve and Gloria were both at an orphanage in El Salvador and Eve was upset, Gloria helped her.   Gloria came to her now with something she wanted to tell her.   Abby is hostile again and and a much as Bosley loves a catfight, he has to stop them.   It's left to Eve to think about checking out Gloria's apartment, when they should have done that much sooner.   Abby decides to wear flats now as she scales the pipe to get into her apartment.

The place has already been searched and Abby finds the gator she gave Gloria for Christmas.   Eve knows where she'd hide valuables as they learned that at the orphanage too.   There' a cat litter tray but no cat, Gloria was allergic and beneath it is a trapdoor with a safe. Again it's left to Abby to break into that too, since this episode showcases much of Abby's skills as a thief.  The box belonged to Gloria's mother and she had it with her at the orphanage.   Also found is a DNA analysis report with two samples and a shot glass.   The samples were a match to one person and there's a photo of Nestor Rodrigo.   (Carlos Bernard) Eve says Gloria found Pajaro.

She pulls a gun on them and she's going after him as she made a promise to kill him, Gloria called her cos of him.   Kate says they need to save more girls and have to take him down the right way.  Bosley confirms the prints are a match.   He led a death squad in El Salvador and they saw him there.   They sneaked into the chapel and he came there to steal girls, killing the nuns and boys. "I have an angel to thank for that."  They saw his face when he searched the chapel.   Eve hit him with the angel and ran.  Bosley understands why she wanted to get him so badly, but we haven't had any backstory on him yet, so clearly there's something in his past too.

Abby: "We're angels not saints." Pajaro's foundation builds orphanages.   Nadia Kozlova (Ivana Milicevic) is his right hand woman, and has a photographic memory.   She stole money from the Russian mob.   Charlie wants Eve to help and believes in second chances.   They infiltrate his party as waitresses, dressed as red devils and spray the food with laxative, but Nadia doesn't eat any of it.   Abby manages to exact some revenge on some girls she knew from school.  when they take a photo of her dressed like that for Facebook.   They need to utilize Plan B: Bolsey.   He spouts a list of numbers including guests at the party etc and Nadia pulls a knife on him, but he manages to get her into the truck.   Eve doesn't leave as she sees the angel with the broken wing.   Her ear wig is knocked out.   The others meanwhile, threaten to take Nadia to Russia unless she gives them info on where the girls are being held.   Kate speaks Russian.

At the boatyard they also find Eve being beaten (as in 1.4 Angels In Chains).   Bosley and Kate rescue the girls and Abby rescues Eve who then drives into Pajaro to stop him.   Meant to be demonstrating her driving skills as she's into cars.   Charlie wants to offer Eve a job as an angel.   Bosley tells her about his twenty year sentence for tax fraud which Charlie rescued him from.  He explains the first rule is "zero face time with the boss."   Bosley says they turn up when least expected and "when you need them the most."  Charlie calls them angels but she's no angel.   It is like the second chance Eve gave Gloria and she took the blame for her.  Bosley says they're all family too.  Kate tells her Abby will borrow her clothes, (will they fit her) and Kate is bossy.

1976 Ocean Drive, the address of the agency where the '1976' refers to the year the original Charlie's Angels was aired: 22nd September 1976.   Kate Jackson played Sabrina, one of the original angels and here Kate appears to be named for her.   Kelly (Jaclyn Smith) was an orphan and Jill (Farah Fawcett) was into cars and racing.   Just like Gloria and Eve.

Even before this reboot was touted, there was to be a planned remake of Charlie's Angels and was to be called 'Angels 88'.   This was to have 4 angels instead of 3, all were actresses who were the stars of a fictional detective series whose series gets cancelled and they join forces to become a real life detective agency.  Charlie and Bosley would be absent so as to give these angels more of a liberation.   It was to have starred Tea Leoni, Karen Kopkins.  Sandra Canning and Claire Yarlett.     However this series never sprouted wings and was cancelled even before anything was filmed.

In 1998, Drew Barrymore acquired the rights of the show for her production company, Flower Films.   These angels in the movies were named Dylan (Drew Barrymore) Alex (Lucy Liu) and Natalie (Cameron Diaz).   However as the original TV series, the studio, Sony Pictures didn't want to see this as a women, kick-ass orientated show, but rather wanted more "jiggle" for the male eye.

As with this 2011 series, it was inevitable it would head to cancellation since the stories and plots didn't seem right for the current climate on TV and the cast didn't quite seem to gel.  It appears the shows only saving grace was Bosley, as many have commented.   Perhaps it should have been more fast-paced, less tedious script and not so cliched  for it to have actually gotten somewhere.   I was a fan of the original show but this didn't and couldn't compare to that.   Neither, in my opinion, did the two movies.

Smallville - 10.12: "Collateral" Review

Having being released by the VRA, everyone thinks Chloe has betrayed them as they have flashbacks to seeing her. Lois is the only one who has faith in her cousin. Clark finally flies...

Lois waits at the farm for a woman from the VR Agency to answer the phone.   Her call is on hold and you know how long that takes.  When the call is finally answered, Lois threatens her, after she calls her huffy, "stop giving me the runaround bitch, or I will come for you." There's no record of Clark Kent (Tom Welling.)  Clark returns and begins to pick up the pieces of the glass Lois dropped, but his finger bleeds and doesn't heal.   The VRA took away their powers.   Oliver (Justin Hartley), Dinah/Black Canary (Alaina Huffman) were all released, just like Lois was.  The VRA were waiting for them at Carter Hall's (Michael Shanks) funeral.   Which explains what that pyramid object was.   Lois claims she went all Erin Brokovich on them.   They couldn't really remove Clark's powers could they since he's not a 'meteorite freak' and doesn't have powers in that sense.  

Clark has a flash of  memory with Chloe (Allison Mack) injecting him and the cover being closed over him, he thinks he was experimented on.   Oliver returns and needs a drink before recalling Chloe too, throws his phone down which has her photo and shrinks into a corner.   Clark goes to Watchtower and finds Dinah, they need to find who did this.   They can't recall anything after Carter's funeral.  That's all he was relegated to, a memory from his funeral.   Dinah thinks Chloe is their only chance of getting their powers back, again if the VRA don't know what their powers are, then how could they take them.   Especially since the only power Ollie has is to shoot arrows with precision.   Think it was more  a case of mind over matter.   Oliver finds himself in a straitjacket.

Clark finds him and tells him they'll fight this.   Oliver wonders how as they have no weapons.  They are in his head making him believe Chloe is behind this.   Clark doesn't want to give up on Chloe just yet, but deep down he probably has.   Oliver says she tortured them.   Cue Chloe as she walks through the wall.  She wouldn't torture them.   She also explains they were all caught after Carter's funeral (er how many times will that be mentioned?!) and hooked to a virtual reality world, driven by their subconscious.   She's "Chloe in the sky with diamonds."  A take on Lucy in the sky with diamonds, the John Lennon song, apparently written when he was high on LSD.  Chloe created an avatar of herself to get to them.   Their body flatlined when she tried to get them out so she had to plug them back in.   Oliver must believe everything he sees isn't real.   He can manipulate it and his straitjacket vanishes.

She's programmed a portal to get them out.   She shoots at VRA security men, if they find her and who she's contacted they'll be killed.   Oliver asks where the rabbit hole is (the portal) and calls her Alice (as in Wonderland.)  Oliver trusts her with his life, which is the same as Clark last season, when Oliver and Chloe didn't trust him and were stockpiling large amounts of Kryptonite, just incase.   Now Clark doesn't trust Chloe.   The others see footage of Oliver and Chloe breaking out and Dinah thinks Chloe could have contacted them but doesn't want to.   Which is a little silly cos Chloe will contact all of them soon enough and they won't believe her aside from Lois, who believes in Chloe.   Lois and Dinah argue over Chloe, whilst she texts Clark to meet her on the roof.   Which was a good way for him to get away from the cat fight.

Oliver tries to explain what Chloe told him.   Clark doesn't have any abilities here.   They blocked his neural pathways to see if they can remove their powers in the virtual world.   If they succeed they will do it for real.   Which doesn't make that much sense when you think about it, again Oliver's powers may extend from his mind, i.e.  he shoots arrows etc cos he thinks of it, but Dinah has her 'screeching' powers and again that's not really an extension of her mind, it's what she can physically do.  They're just being led to believe they don't have powers.   Chloe can get Clark out if he believes everything he's seeing is fake.   They have to jump to get back int the real world.   But instead Clark prefers to waste time on questions.   He wants to trust her but...Chloe and Oliver jump.

Oliver is released in reality and they kiss.  Flagg (Tim Whittall) holds a gun on him, "keep your shirt on Queen."  Oliver says he'll take care of the ladies.   Flagg tells them all the VRA are trained killers.   Chloe needs to get five more out, but we don't see the others, as they're not really there.   Chloe goes back for Dinah and tells her she's "caught in a virtual world." Dinah believes Chloe is a traitor.   They fight and  Avatar Action woman Chloe goes into full-on fight mode.    Watch out for Chloe's boots in the chick fight scene, they're flatter. Dinah comes into reality and apologizes to Chloe.   She has 17 minutes to get Clark out from the "Pixar postcard." They need him to fight the others, but they appeared to do just fine without him.

Chloe tells him Clark lost trust in her, cos, finishes Oliver, she left them.   Clark needs a pep talk from Lois, a lot of that lately.   He should trust Lois if he doesn't trust Chloe.   Chloe and Clark have been through plenty of battles together so this should just be another day to them.   Clark doesn't know her anymore and still goes on about Chloe not telling him why she left.   Lois says she's always been there for Clark, he's known Chloe the longest: the Torch, the Summers at the lake, Watchtower.   Lois: "...the hardest thing ever is  is to trust someone enough to let them have their secrets."  Meaning Clark not telling anyone his secret.   Clark's heart is saying the opposite and his heart is usually right.   Oliver and Chloe jumped cos it's a real portal, he has to believe for himself.

Chloe sits at the computer but she didn't hear or see Trotter (Lori Ann Triolo) sneak up in the reflection and is knocked out.   They use Chloe's avatar in an attempt to trick Clark and Lois, but didn't reckon on Lois knowing her cousin!  At least I got my question answered about Trotter being  on the trot/loose (bad joke) last episode.   Chloe asks if Clark is really going to let Lois jump.   Lois tells her she's not real and whacks her.   Flagg and Oliver take down the VRA.   Deadshot (Bradley Stryker) saves Chloe as does Oliver.   Dinah, as the Canary screeches at Trotter.   Plenty of Chloe's avatars appear whilst Clark still contemplates jumping.   Chloe knows he will never jump, he's the most reluctant to accept his abnormality.   If he takes a leap and won't defy the rules of this world and it'll kill him.   Lois once again has to talk him round.

 Clarkie this is getting to be a bit of a habit with you, since when can he no longer think and decide for himself.   He was doing that a long time before he met Lois.    He needs to trust himself like when he told her his secret.  "Close your eyes and ears and take the leap of faith...I believe in you."  We get a teaser of what Clark will really eventually do and fly.   Well Lois got to the portal easily she didn't have to jump.

Chloe looks at their old photo with Pete and one with Clark and Lois as Homecoming King and Queen.   He tells her it wasn't the same without her.   It was good she wasn't here when Trotter took them or she couldn't get them out.   Chloe tells him the helmet warned her.   When she found out Flagg wanted ro kill the General ( episode Abandoned) she gave him a choice of reporting to her or reporting him to the government.   "Every Frankenstein has a heart," referring to the Suicide Squad.   Chloe had her suspicions about Clark back then, but still carried on. "Their lies are there to protect you." It's not trust if you have to explain themselves.   Clark fears it's hard to do that.   She'll never give up.

Trotter and her men are sent to a "virtual venom" world of their own.   Lois asks Chloe to be her maid of honour.   Oliver gives her flowers.   It's a long time she got those.   Oliver stopped looking for her when she went away cos it's what she wanted.   That he trusted her means a lot to Chloe.   She wanted to call but the helmet warned her to stay away.   She didn't trust herself to leave if he was near her.   Clark looks at Carter's book and finds a photo of him inside, so we don't forget what he looks like, ha.  He's been thinking a lot about him.   Lois thinks he'd be proud of Clark.   Clark shut his eyes and ears to the outside world to figure out what's true.   Lois got him to believe and fly...in cyberspace.   Clark: Who knows one day we may get to fly in the real world."  She believes he can do the impossible.

Lois doesn't recall being zapped after she saw the object or even that she saw the object in the last episode, or perhaps someone forget to write that in.   A bit of an anti-climactic episode .   Thought it could have been done much better maybe that's just me and my high expectations, and found an alternative way to bring Chloe back.   Clark not trusting Chloe when she's the only one he's ever trusted.   So her "betrayal"  as he believed it was would hurt him more than the others.   She left without telling him anything and so didn't trust him, though she was protecting him.  Oh come on the entire scenario Clark found himself in had to be fake, from what we've seen of the VRA, the government, Trotter, would never release the vigilantes after they were caught.   What was happening to them in the real world of virtual reality is what would happen anyway,  Chloe told them as much.   It was naive, particularly of Clark to believe they were suffering from some form of post-traumatic stress.

Apparently Chloe had more than five other vigilantes left to release, unless she had gotten to the remainder who attended Carter's funeral (now I'm saying it!) first and released them, but they would have stuck around to help, had they been in the episode actually, save for the budget required to get the actors back.   At the funeral were meant to be Zatanna, AC, Impulse, Stargirl, The Flash, as well as Clark and Lois and Lois wasn't released yet either, so she should have said six; as far as we know only Oliver and Dinah were released by her.  Some mention that Cyborg was also there, oh who knows, we couldn't really see them anyway.   Others disputed whether it was Zatanna or Mera, but Mera isn't the type to wear fishnets.  (Oh unintended pun there!)

Chloe referencing plenty of films you'd think it was an episode of NCIS, ha.   The Wizard of Oz (1939), Oliver mentions Alice in Wonderland, book and movie, as well as referring  to Narnia, from The Chronicles of Narnia.   The closest one to this episode Chloe mentioned was The Truman Show; where a man growing up in a town, which wasn't real, had his life aired as a reality show to viewers.

Castle - 2.4: "Fool Me Once..." Review

This episode involves a conman who is killed whilst on a video viewed by school children. Beckett finally reads Castle's new book and he catches her reading it too. So much for denying it.

Children watch a man via videolink supposedly in the Arctic and he gets killed on camera.   Alexis (Molly Quinn) is having violin lessons with Dylan;(Tyler Hoechlin) a hunk whom Castle (Nathan Fillion) strongly objects to since he could end up having designs on her.   Castle: "You went male model."  Martha (Susan Sullivan) likes Dylan too.

Beckett (Stana Katic) tells Ryan (Seamus Dever) she'd have spoiled the surprise if she told Castle about the shooting and where the DB was.   Castle: "Do we have jurisdiction in the North Pole?"  Well they would have found some way to get there to assume jurisdiction, ha.   He thought "it was awesome."  Beckett notices a building in the glass which Castle states has classic Upper West Side architecture.   Hey he's an exert on buildings too.  Wheeler, (David Ramsey) the teacher, saw Steven Fletcher two weeks ago.   Watch out for the nifty brochure, it was a clue since it turned up everywhere.

Ryan gets a hit on the building ID.   The door is unlocked and Castle assumes the killer had a key, or the Vic knew his killer which is the more likely scenario, or both.   Beckett refers to Fletcher as a squirrel and surprised Castle didn't know what she meant by 'nuts.'   He has a one track mind has our Castle and  the scene reminds Castle of Capricorn One (you now the movie where they alleged the moon landing was a fake.)  Lanie (Tamala Jones) finds he was shot once in the face.   There are even more brochures in his apartment and the photos on the walls were also a clue.   Castle picks up a book saying Fletcher had no intention of returning the library book.

Esposito (Jon Huertas) finds lots of fake passports.   Then Beckett picks up the brochure again.   She hasn't read his book yet or so she claims.   Castle thinks she's just saying that to annoy him.   She was doing a lot of that this episode.   Ryan claims to have hurt his back so he doesn't have to carry any boxes.   The real Fletcher is Hawaiian.   Castle tells them it's a game to a conman as he's into the thrill of it.   Beckett comments Castle was just telling them about his experience as a fraud.   The Captain (Ruben Santiago-Hudson) needs this solved as public schools are getting angry.  A woman named Patty was conned out of her savings.  Castle goes on to give an impression of someone in a strait jacket, don't give up the day job(s).

Patty (Stephanie Faracy) meditated and killed him in her mind.   Beckett was ready to close the case with that confession, well practically.   Castle says he's been married twice so he knows what it feels like to be duped.   Castle thinks Fletcher is a master con man.   He was engaged to Elise Finnigan, (Kathleen Rose Perkins) who refuses to believe he was a conman.   Sue (Jennifer Riker) was a suspect considering she hardly said two words but just happened to be there, who was she anyway, no one introduced her.   There's no match on Fletcher's prints.   The Captain loves a good con movie.   Oceans Eleven, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels...   Castle's fave was The Sting (Paul Newman, Robert Redford.)  Beckett hates con movies.   That from someone who claimed not to have seen Showgirls either.

Castle wonders why he would write back to every child if he was just scamming them.  Beckett calls the Captain a "sucker," inadvertently.   Beckett leaves and Castle thinks she's got a date, yeah with his book obviously.   Esposito asks if Castle has unresolved feelings.   Well he has got feelings and they won't be resolved, no they'll drag on, which is good for us.   Beckett reads his book in the bath with a glass of wine.   Would've thought she'd have gone through most of it, oh she didn't want to end up looking like a shrivelled prune in the bath.   Wait, a prune is already shrivelled.

Castle spies on Alexis when she's having a lesson with Dylan as it gets too much for him.   He thinks Dylan is lying and they know nothing about him.   He's a little paranoid especially after this case and wants to polygraph Dylan.   Martha says Alexis's "excuse is hormones, what's your excuse?" He has the mind of a writer...

Beckett is sparring and Castle imagines it's with a woman, which is arousing.   Beckett admits she had a date with his book and then lies.   Castle thinks of Elise's father Gerry Finnigan, (Robert Pine) cos of his own heightened paranoia, who also has a gun.  Gerry hired a PI who has photos of him.   Fletcher agreed to a prenup.   Beckett believes the killer could be in the photo and doesn't think people can change cos she's seen too many repeat offenders.   Wheeler is in one photo and he wanted to make some money from the scam too.   Elise is also in the photo and she thinks Fletcher was CIA.   Castle has a man there.   Castle: "This is the best case ever." Leading to another bet, this time of $1 between Castle and Beckett and she doesn't agree on his calling his man until he actually mentioned a bet.   Castle: "I've got a guy everywhere."  In which case why couldn't he get the lowdown on Dylan without wanting to resort to a polygraph.   He did end up checking on whether he was actually at Julliard though.

Agent Gray (Chet Grissom) turns up behind them at work when Castle is divulging some of his secrets and well Castle could have got him to check out Dylan.   Fletcher wasn't CIA and he liked Heat Wave, particularly the sex scene.  Castle also used some of Beckett's lines in his book.   Beckett: "There's a sex scene between us."  Beckett appears to be Freudian slipping, no?  Castle: "between Nikki and the ruggedly handsome reporter helping her."  He likes his use "ruggedly handsome" to describe himself.   Alexis lets rip at Castle, she's a good daughter and never does anything wrong.   Beckett says she is good, she took Castle apart like a pro and he should take it from her cos she was a teen once, teen girls are never easy to raise.   He's been encouraging her to break the rules and now he doesn't like it.   But she hasn't broken any rules.

Sue is with Elise when she just happened to get that phonecall from Fletcher.   Elsie is unnerved.   Anyone could tell that was a recording, no one speaks like that.   Lanie hasn't been able to ID Fletcher.   They begin getting hits on various aliases of his to put them off the scent.   Beckett recalls Elise is his weakness.   Beckett seems to be on the ball this season - coming up with her own deductions.   Beckett spots the photo album at Elise's for their wedding as it's in the form of that dreaded brochure, see big clue! Sue is a graphic artist and she took the photos on display at the apartment too.   She's conning Elise and she takes out money from the bank.  "The con is still on." They arrest Sue and Beckett calls Castle an easy mark.

Ryan finds Fletcher's voice recorded on the laptop.   Beckett tells Elise he loved her really.   She then rushes to the loo to read that scene and Castle catches her with his book.   It's on page 105.   Martha takes lessons from Dylan.   Castle trusts Alexis and she has to be patient with him since he never had a "teenage daughter before."

The number of times Castle used the phrase "fool me once" in the Pilot ep and later, it had to become an episode title sooner or later. "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me..."  when Beckett handcuffed him to the police car and the second time he was prepared for it.

Throughout it all, no one mentioned the children and the effect this murder had on them: scarred for life.   Even if Fletcher knocked over the camera, they would have still heard the shot.   Castle has his own personal problems with Alexis, but really they're of his own making, stemming from his suspicious mind.   He's right to have his doubts as a father - but he should also know Alexis wouldn't betray him or do anything wrong.   The trouble starts with this case which has him believing Dylan could be a bad guy with ulterior motives.   Yet he never thought that about Owen who turned out to be interested in other girls.

No episode would be complete without a movie or two, Castle is going the way of NCIS as far as movies are concerned!  Beckett leads Castle on a merry dance and he falls for it every time.   He is an easy mark this episode, or should that be unsuspecting mark.   Didn't think Beckett's date would have been anything other than reading his book, she did that before last season, implying there was a date and there was none.   Speaking of, what's the deal with her FBI friend?  Beckett on a date with Castle's book, a product of her subconscious, she doesn't want to succumb to his charms but has the book instead.

So they never found out who Fletcher really was.   Beckett showing she really has a heart when she told Elise of his true feelings for her.   In The Mentalist episode 1.21 Miss Red, Patrick (Simon Baker)  came across a con woman and they didn't know her real name either.

Supernatural - 6.18: "Frontierland" Review

Supernatural does Westerns as Sam and Dean are transported back to the West to find some Phoenix ash which can be used on Eve. It's a dream come true for Dean.

Sunrise, Wyoming March 5 1861  Two men engage in a showdown and one is Dean (Jensen Ackles) in cowboy attire.   The clock strikes high noon.   The Supernatural opening is similar to Bonanza.

48 Hours earlier  Sam (Jared Padalecki) searches the cellar for books etc for anything to help them with Eve.   Bobby (Jim Beaver) mentions Phoenix and Dean asks, "Is that River, Joaquin or the flaming bird."  "Ashes of the mother can burn the mother."  "...killed a phoenix today and left a pile of flaming ash."  That's from Samuel Colt's journal.   Dean doesn't share the journal and he actually found what they needed too.   So much for Sam being the geek, ha.  "Star Trek IV the bitch," is Dean's suggestion.  "Save the whales, go back in time and hunt the Phoenix."

Obviously no one knows the plot of the film.   Dean knows someone who can do it.   Cas - "I dream of Jeannie your ass down here pronto."  Rachel (Sonya Salomaa) comes instead as Cas (Misha Collins) is busy.  Dean adds they get stuck with Miss Moneypenny.   Yet he didn't fancy her, huh, what's happening with Dean and chicks this season?   She thinks they all only call on Cas when they need him.   Cas arrives and stops her from ranting.  She's his lieutenant.

Cas can only give them 24 hours.   The further back he sends them - the harder it is to bring them back.   Dean went shopping, ha for the whole kitten caboodle.   Dean has a fetish and recites all Clint Eastwood movies.   Bobby asks even the monkey ones.  Sam: "Especially the monkey one."  That's orangutan.   His name's Clyde.   Cas didn't know they wear blankets.   They can use the gold Dean stole form the dragon's lair.    Sam calls Dean "Sundance."  Dean wants to hit on the saloon chicks.   Sam steps in poop.

March 4 1861.   Elias Finch (Matthew John Armstrong) is being hanged.   He declares they will all burn for this.   A man notices Dean's blanket and he becomes self conscious and removes it.   Dean names himself Marshall Eastwood and Sam is Walker, Texas Ranger.   Elkins is meant to be a barkeep at the saloon, as in an ancestor of Daniel? Dean is shocked at the appearance of the saloon chicks!  "This is not awesome."  Sam has sarsaparilla.   Samuel Colt is building a railroad.   Dean: "It's so much more germier than I pictured." Darla makes a move on him and he's saved by the judge (Scott Hylands).   Dean says there's a Phoenix walking around in the form of Finch.   Sam is sent to get the colt.   Dean will put together a posse, he's "a posse magnet."  Sam has to ride a horse.   Dean's into westerns, well we'd never have guessed.   Just like the movies.   Finch returns for the sheriff (Dean Wray).

Rachel doesn't believe what she's hearing and asks if Cas's dirty secret is true.   Cas must defeat Raphael and has no choice.  She attacks him with a knife.   Did she think she could kill Cas?   Cas is wounded and heads for Bobby's, everyone bastion of refuge.   Dean comments on his new hat. "I look good."  There's no posse and Dean's the new sheriff now.   Sam finds Samuel Colt (Sam Hennings) after two demons have paid him a visit wanting the Devil's Gate to be opened.   Dean: "Howdy pilgrim."  The deputy (Gordon Michael Woolvett) is the bait.   Sam tells Samuel to throw holy water on him, he's not a demon and shows Samuel his phone.  He's going to shoot a demon in three hours and shows him the journal.   Sam tells him there's no such thing as a retired hunter.   Samuel's a hero in Sam's time.   Yes but not everyone knows about him.  He calls the colt a curse.   Sam wants it.

Cas can't bring Sam and Dean back cos he's weak.   He needs to touch Bobby's soul for energy.   Cas using the word 'gingerly,'  he needs to do it carefully or Bobby will explode.   Finch is exacting revenge for his wife's killing and wants the deputy.   Dean mentions the iron shackles and bars.   Dean's a hunter/sheriff.   Dean must kill Finch cos he knows what he is.   Finch shoots the deputy but Dean didn't see that coming.

Sam returns with the Colt and they head for the showdown.    Dean manages to dispatch Finch but they stand around and don't bother going for the ashes as Cas brings them back and Dean left the colt behind too.   Cas can't send them back.   Dean: "screwed the pooch."  Sam gets a package from Samuel with the ashes.   It was lying in the post office and it had to be delivered today.   Samuel got Bobby's address from Sam's phone, what would Sam be doing with Bobby's address in his phone.   He'd have his number that's more common since he knows where Bobby lives and why would he want to advertize it.   Dean says they can now take the fight to Eve.   Where was the colt?

A fun filled episode of the show - even if it was meant to be serious in their objective of heading back to the Old West, in the hopes of finding a weapon to use on Eve.   It was also something Dean was excited about, with his love of the West, thus the chick shopping trip for mostly wrong accessories, but he felt satisfied.    Shame then that Dean failed at the end considering he did everything else right: handled the supernatural element of the Phoenix; took him down in the showdown and yet managed to not retrieve any ashes.   Could say the same for Sam - hey he's meant to be more on the ball than Dean, you know, keep his head when Dean was sort of losing his over the thrill of where he was.

Jim Beaver got a line about Deadwood as he was in that.   Perhaps Supernatural took a note out of Deadwood's saloon chick appearance, but not as grotesque.   Cas kills again - this time an old friend and lieutenant of his.   He appears to be hiding plenty and doing an awful lot of killing and other sneaky stuff you wouldn't normally expect to Cas to do.   Granted he's fighting a war and war is dirty and hell, but sometimes wonder why he's really fighting for and why.   Rachel was a friend and he turned on her; so would he do the same as far as Sam and Dean go?   (Just thought I'd mention Anna while I'm at it too. He killed her to stop her from going back and killing Sam and Dean's parents.)  So the outlook for our Winchesters does not bode well with the path Cas is on.   Believe that to Cas, the ends justify the means.

Finally got to meet Samuel Colt and he didn't do much, aside from sussing out Sam's phone and mailing the parcel.   Considering Dean was coveting his journal at the beginning, thought he would've wanted to meet him - okay his love for the West overtook everything, playing sheriff and he fitted into that role - a shame they only had 24 hours to do all this.   Otherwise pretty sure Dean may have accompanied Sam, then again Samuel Colt wasn't really a big hero of his or anything.   Or no one thought of that angle.

Also in the previous episode Cas mentions he can bend time occasionally it's fluid.   Here that's what he does.   However in 4.3 In The Beginning, when he sends Dean home, it's said angels can 'bend' time but not change destinies.   See this in conjunction with the previous episode and the entire continuing argument over determining your own destinies later.

Lots of Back to the Future references and allusions here.   Cas was used to send them back instead of a Delorean and then Back to the Future III when the parcel arrived with the ashes.    However this allusion wasn't a new concept as it was alluded to in the 4.3 In the Beginning episode when Dean went back in time to meet their parents.   The Colt was also left behind in this episode as it was here, and back then it turned out to be in the possession of Daniel Elkins in 1.20 Dead Man's Blood.   Also here Samuel is building the Devil's Gate, located in Wyoming and in the season 2 finale, All Hell Breaks Loose Part 2, they have already been to the gate and had to stop it from opening.

Bobby has watched Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Jim's late wife, Cecily Adams had a recurring role in this  from 1997-1999.  Jensen always wanted to make a cowboy movie so this is the closest he's come so far.   Jensen and Jared would make great Butch Cassidy and Sundance in a movie.

Lie To Me - 1.11: "Undercover" Review

Cal looks into a possible attack on the city and has to determine which of the police officers is really a sleeper agent. Eli's past actions come back to haunt him.

Two men arrive at a building and re-stock a vending machine  One of them is dating a Czech woman.   A man passes them and they stare back at him.   How long were they undercover that they stare when he's looking right at them.   He runs and they give chase, culminating in a rooftop shoot out, where the man is shot and falls over the edge of the roof.     One goes to check and tells the other to call it in.

Cal (Tim Roth) leaves dinner with Gillian (Kelli Williams) and Alex (Tim Guinee), who has to work late.   He seems to have misplaced his glasses.   Cal follows and spies him with a blonde, whom he introduces to Cal as a friend when he returns his glasses to him.   Cal is then sent a text to investigate a shooting by the Mayor's department and he and Ria (Monica Raymund) meet up with Henry Strong (DB Woodside). They question each of the officers separately and their superior, Hoopes (Jason Beghe) tells Cal he believes them both.   Whereupon Cal calls him an arse and calls Strong one too.   One of the agents is calm and the other appears to be hyper.   As Cal leaves the station, he is photographed.  

Ria returns home to Dupree (Sean Patrick Thomas)  and he plays her a message left her on her machine.   It's Eli (Brendan Hines).    She tells Dupree she covered for him as a friend for something he did at work.  (1.8 Depraved Heart).   It was apparent that would come back to haunt them and she asks if Dupree is keeping secrets from her.  He replies plenty cos he's a good friend. Gillian believes Eric is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.  

Cal watches the video and reminds Gillian they have a staff meeting.   Cal breaks the news they are being sued by Hollins.   Eli worries and tells Ria she must cover for him when the lawyers interview her and he gives her some pointers on how to act.   He even offers her pills to suppress her emotions.   Trying to guilt her into doing what's best for the institute rather than him.   Ria replies he's only lied once to be good at it. At the hospital, Cal speaks with the boy's father, Conrad (Dan Martin) who tells him Andre (Harrison Knight) doesn't have a gun, but his brother Antwon (Terence Hardy Jr) hides something.   Andre had a gun for protection.

 The FBI takes Cal away and tell him Eric is an agent who found the DC police have been infiltrated by sleeper terrorists.  A terrorist attack is being planned on the city.  Cal asks for one question to be answered by Eric, whether Andre had a gun.   He knows Eric is lying when he replies he did.  Gillian believes they should let Andre take the fall but Cal's not willing to let an innocent boy spend time in prison.   She reluctantly allows him to call the Mayor.   For a moment there, Gillian also wanted to lie as it's for the greater good: what's one life compared to thousands.   Kind of the opposite of the maxim: let ten guilty men go free, than convict one innocent man.   However there is no due process where terrorism is concerned. Ria shows Cal a photo of Andre robbing a store with a gun.   Ria is interviewed by Wexler (Scott Klace) and appears to be nervous and glances at the camera.  

Cal asks what Eli notices about Andre in the photo and he replies nothing, he's not displaying any emotion.   Meaning the photo was doctored, someone else is holding the gun and Andre's face was substituted.   Funny Cal should asks Eli that particular question, cos bet he's been exhibiting lots of emotion.  Did he think he could play Cal at his own game?   Recall the suppressors Cal gave to the army woman in 1.2 Moral Waiver. Cal meets with his friend, Owen (David Warshofsky) and asks if the FBI is looking into a planned terrorist attack.   Eli undergoes his interview and feels relieved.   Dupree leaves tickets for Ria with Eli and reprimands him for using Ria in his lie.   He'll easily find another job but she'll have to return to the airport.  

Cal sees Gillian with Christine, (Wendi Kenya) who calls her an acquaintance.   Andre is conscious and admits he had a gun but got rid of it.  Gillian believes him since he didn't lie about owning a gun.   Gillian checks out other interviews Duke (Marty Papazian) conducted with suspects and one in particular with a Neo Nazi, where he shows contempt towards him, proving he wouldn't plot against the country thus confirming Eric as the sleeper, or someone who is framing Andre.   Cal says one of the agents has gone rogue.   Cal speaks with Eric saying he's spreading bad info.   He's plotting to make the police and other agents look bad in revenge against the shooting of his daughter, a soldier who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan.   Eric is angry at the lies and cover up.   Cal understands his anger and grief.

 Eric finally gives up sleepers who were working as EMTs, so if there was an attack they'd be allowed in without question.   Eric planted the gun on Andre, when he was only holding his phone.   Duke is sorry for shooting him - bit late if he was killed. Cal lets on to Eli he's aware he lied about the SEC and he's known all along.   Well it'll be a cold day in hell before anyone getting anything past Cal.  

The rouse about the lawsuit was a plan to test Ria.   Eli admits he was the only one involved.   Cal isn't firing Ria, she proved she can be loyal and keep secrets.   Eli can leave or choose to stay as an unpaid intern cos that's all he's worth.Gillian asks what he'll do and Cal has no answer.   She tells him he wasn't the only one who lied and she should have told him Christine is Alex's sponsor.   Don't think Cal believes that's all she is and neither do I. is Gillian really falling for more of his lies.  Considering all the lies Alex told her about wanting to get away and having to work late, he's obviously having an affair.   Gillian doesn't want them to cross the line as far as 'analyzing' each other goes and Cal was protecting her. Lots of touchy feely stuff between Cal and Gillian and there's more to them just being colleagues and friends.   Or at least there should be.  

This episode Gillian almost crossed the line - at least she thinks about it when not wanting to tell the Mayor to save lives.   Her actions can be viewed as being for the interests of others, whereas Eli just demonstrated contempt when he called the SEC.   It was important for one person to be brought to justice than the investors getting their money back.   One v thousands or thousands v one.   I also don't think Dupree is good for Ria for some reason. Cal: "Loyalty's crucial here - what you did is inexcusable - involving her is selfish, disrespectful and just plain stupid."  so he does have a soft spot for Ria.   The FBI scenes were filmed on the set of Bones.

The Vampire Diaries - 3.11: "Our Town" Review

It's Caroline's birthday but she's not in the celebrating mood. Stefan wins one over Klaus but at Elena's expense. Jeremy says goodbye to Mystic Falls.

There, opening scene: Damon (Ian Somerhalder) naked in the shower. Like he said last episode about the someone having to get naked, well maybe it's not the same thing, but he wasn't having a cold shower either!  Elena (Nina Dobrev) trains with Alaric (Matt Davis).   Stefan (Paul Wesley) asks why Damon's in such high spirits.   Damon suggests he stays calm otherwise he'll lose his hair.   Elena didn't sleep and neither did Alaric, at which point I would say she was dreaming about Damon and that kiss, but since she was awake she must have tossed and turned and thought of  THAT kiss instead.   Elena is frustrated (some may add sexually).    Jeremy (Steven R McQueen) is packing.

Bonnie (Kat Graham) chants a spell but the coffins don't open.   Stefan is adamant they must protect the location of Klaus's (Joseph Morgan) family.   The less people who know the better and Damon hasn't told Elena about it either.   Damon hears a noise and then stakes a hybrid.   Damon: "Hybrids really bringing the neighbourhood down."  Elena needs to tell Bonnie about Jeremy leaving so she can say goodbye.   It's Caroline's birthday and they put balloons on her locker and a sign.

Damon says Klaus had six siblings so who does the lockbox belong to?   He comments the spirits of the dead witches can hide the coffins but can't work out how to open one.   Damon asks Stefan if he just expects Klaus and his hybrids to pack bags and leave.   Stefan refuses to go on the defensive since he has the upper hand with Klaus's family in his possession.   Damon knows Klaus will kill everyone Stefan values including Damon.   Klaus will only call Stefan's bluff Stefan must be "willing to lose everything if you're wrong,"  which gives Stefan an idea or should I say, plan.

Jeremy truly believes he'll have a better life in Denver and Bonnie tells him that's exactly what Elena said.   Caroline (Candice Accola) refuses to speak to Tyler (Michael Trevino).   He's helpless against Klaus's sire bond and he can't ever put her first.   He gives her a charm bracelet for her birthday.   Stefan pays a visit to Klaus and tells him he lives here.   If Klaus wanted to argue the point, he could say that he was here first.   Stefan hates his hybrid friends, they're like fleas and he wants them gone.   Klaus says Stefan's on vervain now.   Stefan: "Friends don't strip friends of their free will."  Klaus demands the return of his family.   Stefan gives Klaus an ultimatum and Klaus threatens to kill people but Stefan is beyond caring, but Klaus may care if he puts Elijah in the Arctic.

Klaus is willing to lose a brother if it means he'd get to kill Damon, so Stefan lops off Mindy's (Kimberley Drummond) head and that's what you get for being inn the wrong place at the wrong time.   Or that was in response to Klaus's bad joke/comment of Stefan leaving and failing to make his point.   Elena, Bonnie and Matt (Zach Roerig) bring the party to Caroline who says she's "stuck in a filler year."

Klaus wants to use Tyler in revenge and he has lost his friends and girlfriend.   Klaus wants him to bite her since a hybrid's bite is deadly to a vampire.  Tyler refuses so it's not clear if Klaus compelled him in some way cos of his sire bond or whether Tyler just gets carried away in the moment later on.   Presumably Klaus was relying on Tyler's emotions getting the better of him as far as Caroline is concerned.   Knowing how intense their feelings are towards one another, Caroline and Tyler that is, not Tyler and Klaus.   Klaus is testing Tyler's loyalty.   Yet somehow Klaus knows he will always return to Caroline in the end.

Alaric asks Damon if Stefan is willing to risk his life after he was the one to save him.   He asks if he still has his humanity.  Damon likens him to a dimmer switch and can't predict how far Stefan is willing to go, thus he didn't see what was coming with Stefan and Elena, but like I said Damon did kind of put the idea into his head.    

Damon has a small list of people he'd like to protect.   There's another council meeting.   Elena has a 'funeral' for Caroline to say goodbye to her old life and move on, which is what she should have been doing for herself.     Alaric comments on the model of the bridge where Elena's parents died.  Meredith (Torrey DeVitto) is there and knows of the town's vampire problem.   It's more a hybrid problem right now, or a Klaus problem even.    She's on the founder's council as her family goes back generations.   She says the Brit guy promised to pledge a dollar for every dollar raised.   Klaus plays nice to Carol (Susan Walters).

She's so taken by Klaus that she doesn't even listen to Damon when he tells her he turned Tyler into a hybrid, was she compelled.   Klaus has promised to protect the town and Damon asks from whom.   She's agreed so it doesn't appear she was under his compulsion and Damon must control Stefan or the council will take action.   Should have seen that coming, if Klaus can't get his way being bad, then he'll worm his way into their good books and take them down from the inside.   That's how it appears cos this episode was trying to show there's another side to Klaus and eventually they'll see the consequences of being taken in by him.

Caroline texts Tyler and Bonnie is angry that Elena shouldn't be able to control everyone all the time.   She's wrong to take Jeremy's choices away.   The sheriff (Marguerite MacIntyre) won't let the town be held hostage.   Damon thinks she's "all strong and sheriffy." Meredith fights with Brian, (David Colin Smith) her prom date and the town ME.   He warns Alaric he should get to know her first cos she's psycho.   Which doesn't seem to bother Alaric, since she's new in town, he still wants to play hero.   Stefan's at the meeting too and Damon prevents him from killing another hybrid.   He asks if Stefan wants to see Elena as a blood bag forever and has to use his brains.   He doesn't care about Elena.   Stefan has to be the better bad guy in order to beat the bad guy.

Matt wants them all to be happy in the life they're stuck in.   Elena doesn't want to lose anyone else she loves, which we already know.   Tyler turns up and won't let Klaus control him, he loves her  They kiss and he bites Caroline, so instead of helping her he runs away cos she tells him to, how is that love.    Stefan attacks Matt and takes Elena.   Stefan has Elena's phone and asks what Klaus would do if he can't make anymore hybrids.   Damon warns Klaus to listen to Stefan but he thinks he's bluffing.   Damon suggests he should believe him cos he knows Stefan and doesn't know how far he'll go.   That was either stupid or arrogant of Klaus to think Stefan wouldn't carry out his threats.   Klaus has seen Stefan at his worst, courtesy of putting him through it all and yet he still thinks he won't go ahead and kill Elena.  

Elena asks Stefan's plan, ugh there's that word again.  Will he lock her up, Stefan may just turn her into a vampire.   Klaus wants his coffins and Stefan threatens to drive Elena off the bridge.   He feeds Elena his blood.   Klaus calls his bluff and agrees to his demands.   Elena is angry with Stefan for almost killing her in the place her parents died.   Stefan was the one who saved her and he had to make it look convincing.   If Stefan knows Klaus's weakness he can destroy him.   That's all he has left.   He lost Elena when he left town, but she was still his and he kept ignoring that cos he wanted to keep her safe and maybe part of him still does, since that word humanity was used again.   Stefan doesn't care what Elena thinks of him.

Klaus turns up to help Caroline, his blood will heal her and he's invited in.   He wants the sheriff's support which he'll get cos she'll be indebted to him for saving her, so much for standing by Damon.   So Stefan may have won this battle, but Klaus also won too and the war isn't over yet.   As Klaus gets everyone on side.   Caroline thinks he'll kill her but she has plenty to live for.   He thought about dying over the centuries.  "There's a world out there, waiting for you."  She drinks his blood.   So what's the difference between a hybrid's bite killing vampires and Klaus's blood, also a hybrid, which can save them?

Elena calls on Damon again to pick her up, why not Matt or anyone else, like Alaric?   Damon thinks Stefan won the round and he's proud.   Damon can't kiss her again, it's not right.   Damon: "It's right, just not right now."  Klaus leaves a gift for Caroline, an even better bracelet than the one Tyler gave her.   Elena feels stuck holding onto the girl that was meant to have died.   Matt doesn't believe that's her and she let her go.   He throws flowers in the water and says goodbye to Elena.   Brian is found staked in the woods and Damon says he's not a vampire.   Probably Meredith did it, well she was probably the last to see him alive, she has motive of not liking him and he called her a psycho in front of Alaric.   Plus she didn't come right out and tell Alaric she's a founder's ancestor and wanted to appear all mysterious.   Also the "lost a patient" line she used and what was it with telling Alaric he's a day drinker too, as opposed to a night drinker.

Lots of free will being spouted and spread around.   Everyone was talking about it, Klaus to Stefan, to Tyler.   Bonnie and Elena.   Thing is no one was really exercising much free will - at least not for the right reasons anyway.   Except Stefan got one over on Klaus using his free will, which had been stifled by Klaus for so long and using Elena as bait.   Which negated her free will cos she didn't want to go along with it and really was afraid Stefan would crash the car.   Oh Stefan - my how you've grown so insensitive and callous in your darkness.   He can't argue compulsion anymore - only revenge.   He had the chance to change - he still does but he is blinkered when it comes to Klaus.   So much for vampires talking about free will when they resort to using compulsion, double standards, 'ey?

More funny moments from Damon and he also believes Stefan did a great job as far as Stefan is concerned and you know what? Elena doesn't hold that against Damon; for thinking that way when Stefan held her life to ransom.   Heck she's so besotted with Damon she doesn't even shout at him after what she's been through.   Maybe they had it out in the car and we didn't get to see it.   Didn't Elena in a way, get a taste of her own medicine.  Bonnie called her controlling but Elena sent Jeremy away to protect him (like Klaus can't find him if he had the inkling).   Stefan was doing the same; trying to control Klaus, the situation and Elena at the same time.   She couldn't see that.

Hey one plan that actually worked, although it may have been a spur of the moment decision; fuelled by Damon's earlier comment.   Not liking Meredith Fell - she seems to have an agenda and is too sneaky for my liking.   Caroline so heading towards a 'friendship' with Klaus, however the producers have said there won't be any romance on the cards which is a good thing.   I mean can't let Caroline go after the entire male population of the town, ha.   We're meant to believe (see) for ourselves that Klaus has some humanity when he saves Caroline - yet it's all a ploy in getting people on his side and driving a wedge between the town and the Salvatore's.   Oh come on Klaus only cares about himself and his family - when the need or fancy strikes him.   He's keeping Rebekah on ice.   Klaus has flashes of 'humanity;' of other worldliness in that he gets lost in the past, like he did with Caroline before he healed her, kind of childlike and innocent.   But he's far from that.

Damon finds himself increasingly in Stefan's shoes when he had to reign Damon in and control him once upon a time, which is fun to watch.   It was Elena's 18th at the season's start and it's Caroline's birthday halfway through the season, yet she hasn't aged or added another year.  She will remain forever 17 and she hates being stuck.   The point Matt was making about being stuck.   Caroline knows it and hates it so maybe when Klaus helps her, his plan all along, and leaves the gift for her, she might see a way past the rut.   The sheriff trusting Klaus so completely, first she invites him in and them leaves him alone with her.   As does Matt.   Then she gets Damon to the CS, she can't have it both ways when she's going to be called upon for her services from Klaus.   Did anyone tell Elena what happened to Caroline, or Bonnie for that matter?   They were so friendly and now it seems the three friends are moving further apart.

Smallville - 10.11: "Icarus" Review

Clark finally pops the question to Lois. Oliver is attacked whilst saving a woman from a mugger and Carter Hall/ Hawkman is killed whilst saving Lois from Slade.

Clark (Tom Welling) takes another look at the engagement ring, when waiting for Lois (Erica Durance).   He's made reservations for dinner at an expensive restaurant, but she prefers to just have dessert at home.   He promises her dessert even if he he has to fly to Madrid for cherries and hot chocolate.   Lois wants to spend time with him, yet she was stopping him at every opportunity when he was coming up with all the suggestions and having booked a busy restaurant too.   She'd like to pretend for one night that the world isn't crazy.   The government has updated their status from vigilantes to terrorists.

Clark calls Lois at the phonebox and tells her to look up, he throws petals from the sky and then proposes on bended knee.  Now that's how a proposal should be, unashamedly romantic: raining petals from the night sky.   Clark tells her she's "the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, the woman that I love."   Well she accepted his proposal without any questions or longwinded answers.   Lois speechless again aside from the word 'yes'.

Lois leaves a message for Oliver (Justin Hartley) then tries to show off her ring to everyone, which Cat Grant (Keri Lynn Pratt) notices.   At the first sign of trouble, make sure Cat's around to start it.   Lois gets a note from Chloe: "they say you never know what fate has in store for us; but I say you can see some happy endings coming from a mile away."  Well that and having actually seen the future helps.  Flashback to 10.1 Lazarus with Chloe (Alison Mack) and Lois, when she questions Chloe on how she and Clark can have a life together.   Had to bring up Lana, she's not "the one fated to be in Clark's life." Nah she was too weak and wishy-washy.   She gives Lois "something borrowed."  Cat's first question is whether Lois is expecting.   She gloats Lois doesn't have to write about the VRA anymore.

Tess, (Cassidy Freeman) Oliver and the others throw them a surprise party.  Tess must've seen the petal shower from the surveillance cameras at Watchtower.  Seems Lois has forgotten about those.   Oliver tells Clark that a lifetime with Lois deserves moral support.   He wanted that lifetime with her too last season.  Oliver is now labelled a terrorist, yes but Clark already said all of the vigilantes are known as terrorists now.  Clark asks Oliver to be his best man since he's there for the worst days, now he wants him to be there for the best ones too.   Carter (Michael Shanks) married Shayera a hundred times, so he'd know all about weddings.  He also had to lose her that many times too.   He tells Oliver he's sorry about Chloe.   He doesn't get warm and fuzzy too often.   They miss their loved ones most at a time like this.   Oliver wants reassurance they won't hug each other now.  Carter: "Fear should never decide love."  That's twice Chloe's been mentioned now, in readiness for the next episode.

Oliver saves a woman from a mugger and is himself attacked by the crowd, when one man recognizes him as the Green Arrow.   That's funny, he wasn't recognized as Oliver Queen, but as his alter ego.   A few episodes ago he told Lois he has to travel incognito and hide to avoid being recognized and has a body double.  Stargirl/Courtney (Britt Irvin) and Carter have to rescue him.  Oh funnily enough, Clark couldn't hear all that commotion now!  At the farm, Lois tells Clark this is the first party where she doesn't have to hide anything from anyone and she's happy to take a backseat to all his responsibilities.   Clark can handle both if they're together.   Maybe he can't cos it takes Lois to turn on the TV and see the news report on Oliver for Clark to be aware of the situation.   How come Clark didn't hear that on the TV either, he has to watch it when Lois tells him.

"Queen without a country" is the headline Cat was vying for for the Daily Planet and she berates Tess for not letting them run with the story and the photo, cos Cat wanted the glory for the vigilantes being arrested.   The farm is searched for Clark and Tess and Dr Emil (Alessandro Juliani) are arrested.   Clark asks why Oliver didn't call him.   Carter told Oliver the "human speedbag" would want to know.   Oliver wanted him to spend time with Lois, as if he would when that was happening, cos it concerns all of them.  Slade (Michael Hogan) is seen to be alive on the TV and blames Oliver for the explosion.   Black Canary (Alaina Huffman) is weary that Slade knows too much about them.  Clark tells them Slade needs to pay for his crime.   Then decides it's time they all went underground.  Oliver comments they're "all card-carrying members of the fugitives club." Clark shuts down Watchtower.

Lois looks at the paper with photos of: the Blur, who has a question mark for his photo.  Green Arrow, Impulse, Supergirl, Stargirl, Black Canary, Aquaman, Hawkman, Zatanna.   Who are all on the 'most wanted list'.  Trotter (Lori Ann Triolo) talks about Clark.  Lois finds Tess, Dr Emil and Cat all awaiting questioning.   Lois trying to text Clark, didn't she realize the phones would be bugged.   Dr Emil works for the poor of the city who can't afford medical help and Trotter points out he's on Oliver's payroll.   She doesn't want Oliver, only his friends.   She wants their real names.   A bit of a strange plotline here, since if they have their photos, surely the military can find out their real names.   Look how easy it was for Chloe (okay she's Chloe) and Clark to find out about Carter and the Justice League last season (episode Absolute Justice Part 1.)  Someone like Zatanna should also be easily identifiable.

Lois tells her that her relationship with the Blur is non-existant.   Trotter refers to all those quotes she has from him for her articles.   Er there's more than one way of getting quotes and they don't necessarily have to be obtained in person.   Then Trotter goes on to say she wants the Blur, Clark Kent in person, so she already knows about him so how come there was no photo for him on the poster.   Carter finds Clark at Slade's office, he's there for answers too; saying, "you don't go underground until you're dead." An obvious line for what's in store for him.   Clark is more worried that Lois' relationship is more with the Blur and not with Clark, instead of focusing on the matter at hand.   Oliver arrives too and comments that they can't follow orders even if they gave them themselves.   He talks about Slade's 'mega-marker darkness thing'  which Carter tells him is called "Omega." The Darkness is behind everything.   Carter recalls humanities darkest hours and having seen them all, including the Spanish Inquisition, the Third Reich and a "brighter force rose to send the darkness back."

Clark says Carter helped then, now it's their time.  Carter: "justice isn't only blind, it's broken." They must stop Slade.   Clark has a plan to put Slade where he can't hurt anyone.   Lois tells Trotter they won't be seen as good if they target civillians without proof.  Tess has news for Trotter, she works and Oliver plays, but Oliver once played with Tess.   Did Trotter think she'd get anywhere with this 'questioning.'  Lois finds Tess's secret passage and runs into none other than Cat.   Lois knows Cat ratted them out and now she can do something good for the heroes who are risking their lives to protect them and tells her Cat's a good reporter.   Cos if all else falls, there's always Cat's ego to appeal to.   That the Blur saved Cat twice without her knowing it.   Cat tells her Slade has a new way to take care of the "heroes."  He's using Oliver to find the others.

Slade calls his hunt for the vigilantes Operation Icarus, which Oliver says applies to fallen heroes who reached too far.   Clark has to wait to be asked to look at the computer footage again.   Slade is using their own security systems against them.   Carter attempts to type on the computer, he misses his typewriter.   Olives jokes "you miss your telegraph." Why send Clark to the Planet, when Carter has to go to Oliver's office.   Clark misses Lois there and so much for his hearing, he doesn't hear anything happening at Oliver's office or Lois falling.  Slade waits for Lois and Carter and he battle it out, finally Slade stabs him.  Carter sets fire to the gas which explodes and Lois is thrown out of the window.   Oh Lois you always get in the way.   So Carter has to save her for Clarkie.   Yeah all those centuries, Hawkman saves humanity and now Clark's on the scene, he suddenly becomes so useless and has to die.   Carter flies after Lois akin to Icarus with burning wings when he flew too close to the sun.   Prophetic or ironic.   Clark heard the explosion but nothing else.

Slade: "...see a man with burning wings plummet from the sky..." Clark sends Slade elsewhere using his Kryptonian gadget, probably the Phantom Zone.   Carter has something for Clark, Lois in his wings.   It's too late for help.   Carter: "I'm a pro at dying."  It's all their fight and not just Clark's.   He'll be with Shayera now.  Carter: "We can't do what we have to do if there's an emptiness in our hearts."  They accompany him all the way to Egypt to bury him next to Shayera.   Lois sees a pyramid-shaped object appear which zaps them all with a blinding light.

So much for it being said not much happened this episode.  Hey not much: Clark and Lois finally got engaged; and Hawkman died a miraculous one hundred and one times.   He did say in 10.2 Shield that he's awaiting his death to be with Shayera again.   But it was sad to see him go.   Slade may be gone for now, but Trotter still knows who Clark is and she's still around.   As is the VRA and they're all still fugitives for now.   Slade comments he escaped the "Grim Reaper's death stroke." Deathstroke is Slade's alter ego in the comics.   Luckily we only had a week to wait for the next episode.

Lois tells Trotter the VRA shouldn't put the Vigilante's faces on air, but she was looking at the 'Most Wanted' poster with their photos on it, aside from the Blur.   When did Zatanna become a Vigilante.   When Oliver looks at the Daily Planet's security feed, Tess and Lois have photos on their files but Dr Emil doesn't, when Trotter knows his identity and has him in custody too.   The song used at Hawkman's funeral was City Lights by Paul Taneja, which was a fitting song under the circumstances, neither sad nor happy.

Lie To Me - 1.9: "Life Is Priceless" Review

Cal and Gillian are called to a collapse at a construction site and must determine who was behind it, whilst Ria and Eli are hired by a millionaire to discover if his fiance loves him or his money.

Cal (Tim Roth) is asked to look into a collapse at a construction site by FEMA where three construction workers are missing.  Everything is in chaos with the FEMA agent Greg Stevens, Boulware (Richard Brooks) and the construction foreman, Kevin (Fredric Lehne) blaming each other , causing Cal to grab a bullhorn.   Stevens (Chris McGarry) gives Cal the lowdown.   Boulware tells where the focus of their search has been.   Gillian (Kelli Williams) gives Ria (Monica Raymund) and Eli (Brenden Hines) one of her cases and joins Cal at the site.  Ria tells her to drive fast as Gillian comments she needs to get there before Cal alienates everyone.

Cal and Gillian question the worker who last saw the men and he appears to be holding something back.   Cal shows his photos  and asks him to describe the emotions he sees from the photos.   The only one he gets right is disgust, cos as Cal explains, no one can lie about being disgusted.   He admits he's an addict and he lied about where he saw the men.   Dogs are brought to the site and banging can be heard, directing the search to that sector.

Eli and Ria meet with Jason Kachani (Pej Vahdat) a millionaire who wants to hire them to determine whether his fiance loves him for his money.   She insists when they met she didn't know who he was.   Ria refuses as they don't look to invade people's privacy.   He writes them a cheque which makes them change their minds.   Gillian is told about the amount (we're not) and she tells them to take the case.   As the saying goes, it's easy money.

The Mayor of Frostberg, Meredith Fallon (Cheryl White) lied at the press conference and Cal asks why.   She feels responsible for what happened as she made the construction company hire more men than needed.   The men have been located by a fibre optic camera and are alive.   One of them Cal notices shows fear when told they will be rescued soon.   He thinks Jered Blunt (Shea Whigham) is responsible for the explosion.   Did you notice the look that passed between Jered's wife and Kevin when she was leaving the trailer?   There was something going on there.   Cal questions Jered's wife, Valerie (Lauren Bowles) and thinks domestic violence may be involved and when Cal and Gillan put on an act for her, culminating in Gillian slapping Cal, she's clearly disgusted.

Cal wants Jered's photo blown up and sends it to Eli, who believes Jered is lying.   Ria leaves with Michael (Ramon De Ocampo) to question Nadia (Virginia Williams) and Eli says he always tells a woman how much money he's got, which is why he doesn't get another date.   Cal realizes Jered is exhibiting muscle spasms and suffers from multiple sclerosis.   Cal and Gillian also see Kevin and Valerie being very friendly with one another, showing they were intimate with each other.   Kevin tells them  they had an affair when she was separated from Jered, but she went back to him.   From his use of language such as 'cloud nine' etc, Gillian deduces he's not lying.   Jered says he was using a blowtorch and dropped it when his hands shook.

Ria meets with Nadia pretending to know her from college and they talk.   She tells Ria the same thing she told Jason, that she didn't know who he was when they met but she loves him.   Eli shows this to Jason and says Nadia is lying, as she's not using her hands, known as 'illustrators' when she talks about him.   Jason leaves and Ria wants him to stay as there's more  to tell him.  That was Eli being blunt and so to the point again, i.e.clinical cos he's had trouble with lies and women, he thinks it's fine to think the same and that

Nadia is lying point blank.   Ria adds Nadia was using illustrators when she talked about Jason, but Eli just dismisses her as using, 'manipulators.' - touching her ear etc, which is what Farida did in 1.7 Do No Harm.   They conclude Nadia does love him and his money.   Eli justifies this by asking Jason if he finds her beautiful, which is one reason why he loves her and she loves his money in the same way.   Yet the two aren't mutually exclusive and can be used to decide she's okay to marry, since one is a physical attribute and the other's an attribute of a different sort.   Eli suggest Jason should get a prenup.

Boulware lies to the press about the blowtorch causing the explosion .   He was bribed to miss an inspection and is concerned the cause of the explosion may be methane, making Cal call off the drilling, but no one listens.   The trapped men are told to move into the lift shaft and seconds later, there's an explosion.   Jered is killed, speeding up the inevitable death he was facing anyway.  Gillian accuses Kevin of knowing about the methane and bribing Boulware, which he denies.   Cal notices the expression of relief on Meredith's face as someone else is being accused, showing she's responsible.   She never meant for this to happen.

Gillian and Cal return to the office where there Gillian gives Cal a real drink.   Gillian: "Why do people think they're the only one with a secret?"  Funny she should ask that and to Cal of all people.
Cal: "Human nature I suppose."  Cos they've both got secrets and Cal knows Gillian's but she doesn't seem to want to admit it.  As Cal earlier asks how her husband is when she was calling Alex.   Gillian: "How'd you know...don't do that."  He was watching her expression when she called him and she doesn't like that.   Cal and Gillian acting like an old married couple when they put on the 'act' for Valerie.

Eli referring to Nadia as a hanging fly with yet more references to intercourse.
Ria: "It's not so easy to be open about money."
Eli: "I always tell women exactly how much money I have in the bank on the first date."
Sylvia: (Jessica Wright) "And you wonder why you never get a second." Thought it would be the nature of Eli's work that would drive women away and not really his bank balance, but then again he can be so brutally honest, or dishonest when he lied to Gillian last episode to save himself.

Kevin: "My men need engineers and rescue workers, not a couple of freakshow shrinks pointing fingers."
Cal: "She's the shrink, I'm the freakshow."  And he means it too.

CSI: NY - 1.10: "Night, Mother" Review

A woman is caught with her hands inside another woman's body and is suspected of her murder. Mac seems to think she may be innocent and needs to prove this. Danny and Aiden look into pickpocketing.

In story 1, a night basketball game leads to the discovery of a woman performing a heart massage on another.   Flack (Eddie Cahill) deems it an open and shut case.   The Vic was Rachel Camden, ( Ranjani Brow) married and divorced.   Flack says the suspect was covered in blood and the murder weapon was found next to her.   Stella (Melina Kanakaredes) says the Vic died instantly.   Mac (Gary Sinise) comments on it being a "crime of passion between two apparent strangers."  She looks at Mac.  Stella processes her for trace, talk about giving her the rough treatment.   She drinks water and Stella takes the glass.

In story 2, the DB of an unidentified man is found.   Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) notices the presence of blood spatter.   Aiden (Vanessa Ferlito) notices his pockets have been turned inside out and he doesn't have a wallet or keys.    Hawkes (Hill Harper) removes his clothes (no not his own clothes!) and finds fibres on his socks and money in his undies.   COD was blunt force trauma and he had collapsed nasal bones, showing he was beaten with great force.   Danny thinks it's brutal for a robbery.     The Vic wore contacts, implanted for people with serious astigmatism.   There were clinical trials in the US.   Aiden looks at his lens to find a name.   Danny processes the money.

Hawkes posits the Vic in the first story was killed using a wooden stake, akin to a "crude knife," penetrating her heart.   There's some sort of resin in her hair.   Mac takes a lock of hair and a sexual assault kit is done.   Rachel's husband, Todd (Corin Nemec) is questioned and he doesn't know the suspect, named Ophelia (Heather Kafka).    Stella process the evidence and discovers cardiac muscle tissue taken from Ophelia's hands.   The prints on the stake belong to her.   Mac checks the surveillance footage and Flack believes Ophelia killed Rachel.   Mac: "What's your rush to put this woman away?"  Flack: "You saw her, what's your rush not to?" They make Flack appear eager to get the job done here, without waiting until the evidence is in, but Mac appears unduly sympathetic.   They usually only do that with Mac when he's sure the suspect is innocent, otherwise more times then not, he sometimes is quick to rush to judgement, just like Stella.

Mac replies to this, "In all my years of doing this, there's one thing I've learned - sometimes, the slam dunks are the most deceiving."  The video shows Rachel and Ophelia, Mac wonders why a stranger would stab her and then try to grab her heart.    Again he asks why?  She doesn't recall the injury on her shins and Ophelia disposing a corpse is a misdemeanour in NYC.   Mac tells her she wasn't disposing but tampering with evidence, which is a Class E felony.   She's a paralegal and hasn't met Rachel.  Ophelia is sorry for keeping Mac up so late.   Mac: "You're not keeping me up."  As we know Mac doesn't sleep.   Stella's got a bit of a sloppy lab technique.   The residue from the water Ophelia drank shows nicotine.   There's nothing at the scene to show what made the shin injuries.

At her apartment, Mac believes she lived in fear.   She was trying to stay in and her door opens into the hallway.   Which is nothing new really, since most US doors open outwards.   There's a child's book with an inscription to Chris.   Stella tells Mac that according to Flack, she didn't have anyone.   He was right, as we'll see at the end, she didn't have anyone.   Stella trying to imply Flack can't do his job!  Sorry love that's you.   There's a step ladder near her bed and blood, so she hit the ladder when she woke up.   Ophelia is a sleepwalker.

Doctor Rydell (Scott Valentine) diagnoses her as a parasomniac, stuck between stages 3 and 4 of sleep; caused by trauma, depression.   Stella brings out the big books again with her comment, "the unconscious mind overrides the conscience self."  Stage 4 is partial arousal where Ophelia wakes up and hits her legs over and over in a stabbing motion.   Mac tests out the splinter pattern on a pig by stabbing at it.   Dr Giles (Grant Albrecht) says, "thy science is after all sadness."  Mac knows that's Thomas Hardy and asks for some help.   Well, a hand, literally.   The murderer was pushing against the grain of the wood.   The splinter pattern is different and these will be shown on the killer's hands.

Danny processes the money and finds fingerprints.   Sequential Aussie bills.   Aiden finds the lens trial was at NYU and the prints Danny found match Ryan Mallone (Nicholas Pratley).   He changed money at JFK.   He hasn't seen the DB and the name on the lens matches Lenny Cook (Craig Baxley Jnr).   At the apartment they find mannequins with bells, which Danny explains to Aiden are practise dummies for pickpockets to perfect their 'trade.'  Danny tells Aiden to try it and then comments, "you're such a girl." Danny finds money under a torn carpet and blood.   Which could be ketchup stains as Danny recalls from his time at the 63 Precinct.   Also found is an NYC train pass.   One of the stains isn't ketchup but blood.

The sexual assault kit shows a condom was used recently and there's resin in Rachel's hair,  identified as architect's glue.  Stella thinks her hair was brushed up when that happened as there's evidence of "motion and  and direction."    Various hair wigs are pulled with resin.   She had waves in her hair, thus she had implants in her hair and it was pulled.   Todd admits they fought and he suspected her of having an affair.   She didn't use birth control.   Mac believes Ophelia isn't the killer.   Stella: "You're never going to get any sleep in this lifetime."  Mac: "Not when there are questions keeping me up at night."  Ophelia noticed bruises on her body and she was putting on weight.   She put up barricades for herself but got around them.   She doesn't recall being outside.   Mac explains she subconsciously knew Rachel was dead, shown by her use of the word 'corpse'.

On the video, shadows are seen and Ophelia saw the killer but didn't realize.   Mac uses a spoon as the cornea is roughly shaped like that.   If she's in his blindspot it will reflect off.   Stella likens it to corneal imaging.   Magnify and reverse the image to show a T shirt and someone carrying a basketball under one arm.   The player who saw Ophelia, Jason (Bradley Stryker) is arrested and his bag is swabbed for blood.

Danny suggests the killer got on the train and then they work backwards, staking out a train stop where a suspect carries a fake baby.   Danny: "Don't take them down until they snatch the wallet."  Flack: "You telling me how to do my job now."  Yeah the cheek of it Danny! ha.   Her partner picks a man's pocket.   Eduardo asks 'who?'  Flack: with a rye comment, "He's an owl now." Eduardo has blood on his knuckles.   Mallone met the Vic and he scratches his wrist.   Danny: "Something's keeping me in suspense, you know there's something going on and and I can't figure it out."  Mallone scratches his wrist and Danny notices fibres are caught in his watch strap.   Some are left on the table and Danny analyzes them.   Aiden finds the fibres under Eduardo's nails are microscopically similar to brown paper.   GCMS shows green dye in the fibres.   Analyze clothes from Malone's apartment and Danny thinks he may have taken his pants to the cleaners, finding a dime in the fold of the leg.

Stella finds Jason had a splinter in his hand and a condom in his wallet so he had sex with Rachel.   He grabbed her from behind, she wanted to call it off and he stabbed her with the stake.

Danny finds the dime from the cuff of the pants has blood, which matches Lenny.   Mallone took all the money from under the carpet and was allergic to the jute under the carpet.   Lenny was skimming so Mallone was set as a mark and Eduardo beat him up.   Mac looks over the New York News Archives and finds out about Chris who was killed in a car accident.   Ophelia was mimicking the actions in her attempt to save her son, when she was trying to save Rachel.   She tells him his eyes were like Mac's.   Ophelia watched the surgeon in the ER when he tried to save Chris's life, he held his heart in his hand and that's what she was doing with Rachel.

More mention is made of Mac and his lack of sleep, which we get plenty of references to over the seasons.   In contrast to Ophelia and her irregular sleeping patterns.   Danny takes lead on another case with Aiden, it's so great watching these two work together and how they click with each other.   Stella on the other hand, is still attempting to be as clever as ever.   Also being heavy handed when processing Ophelia and convicting her even before all the evidence is in.   A bit like Flack, but then he's not the forensics guy and she should know better.

CSI episode I-15 Murders where a glass chard is found in the cuff of a suspect's pants, as the dime was found here.   Nick found some peanut dust in the cuff of some pants in Evaluation Day.   CSI season 2 episode Cool Change, fibres are found on a watch  and CSI:Miami season 7 episode Headcase, a suspect claiming amnesia was sent to an FBI facility to be tested.   Ophelia was tested here for sleep disorder.

Castle - 2.3: "Inventing the Girl" Review

It's New York fashion week and surprise, surprise Castle and Beckett have to investigate the murder of a model, and a face from Castle's past resurfaces.

A couple find a DB in a fountain.   Alexis (Molly Quinn) and Castle (Nathan Fillion) help Martha (Susan Sullivan) rehearse for a part in a play.   Alexis comments Martha would leave them if she landed the lead and went on tour.   Martha says Alexis would be sad but Castle would be happy.   Castle leaves when he gets a call, "death, murder mayhem" is almost becoming his catchphrase.   Alexis wants him to take her with him but he tells her to find her own "space to hide."

Ryan (Seamus Dever) can't find the DB's shoes and her purse is missing.   Lanie (Tamala Jones) finds she was stabbed in the back.   Castle posits she was a model, underweight, etc.   She was a model for New York fashion week and she'd been to a club.    Castle saying they descend here like locusts, only "locusts eat."  She was modelling for Teddy Farrow (Julian sands) and her dress is missing.   Castle comments he almost filed for custody of those dresses during his last divorce.  He can imagine the blurb of his next book: "New York City fashion week and the clothes are to die for."

Teddy claims the Vic, Jenna was stressed out and she was to be the face of his campaign.   She became bad tempered and paranoid.    Castle notices a woman who waves to him, Beckett (Stana Katic) tells him to "hook it." Sierra (Torrey DeVitto) was her best friend, allegedly and her pink satin pumps are missing.   The dress was one of a kind and Teddy asks for it back.   Beckett says it's got a hole in  the back where she was tabbed.   It's also evidence.  

Castle doesn't recall Rina (Shanna Collins) and she wants him to sign her magazine for her.   The Castle story and photoshoot is out (from 2.1) .   It was apparent Sierra was piling on the fake pity and not the pounds!  Jenna was meant to close the show but she'll get to do it now and become the face of the campaign instead.   Travis, (Matt Barr) Jenna's husband (my suspect cos they forget to look at the spouse first, first rule of detective work, always suspect the spouse.   I am beginning to sound like Tony (Michael Weatherly) here from NCIS.  

Travis claims to have looked for Jenna and filed reports of harassment with the police. She was sent letters and photos.   Ryan comments there wasn't any address or signature on the letters.   Esposito (Jon Huertas) sarcastically comments the 'anonymous stalker' was a rooftop photographer.   Beckett is determined to solve this case and not let Jenna down again.   Castle bought plenty of the magazine issues home.   Alexis breaks the news Martha didn't get the lead but got the crazy granny role.   Where she dies in Act 1 offstage.   Castle says he was picked up by a model.   Alexis: "It's a curse being so irresistible."  She asks if she's a Lola, Bree or Tatiana.   Alexis recalls her babysitter was named Rina.

Lanie finds signs she fought her attacker and had bruises.   Her dress was torn and she was stabbed with a long, sharp  glass object.   Castle: "She was stabbed with the Washington Monument."  Esposito found an SD card on the rooftop.   She also found traces of a drug used for ADD but model's use it for weightloss.   Beckett wonders why Jenna was stalked since she wasn't famous.   Beckett has a magazine on her desk and why wouldn't she since she was in there too.   Castle calls Beckett a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Angelina Jolie, at least she's been described that way by the reporter.   Beckett is upset and she told Ryan and Esposito about Rina.   Castle suggests they shouldn't talk about her like that, "She's somebody's daughter, somebody's babysitter."

There's a hit from the SD card to James (Jon Fleming).   Beckett noticed he had a comp card belonging to Jenna at his apartment, which she knows about.   A card used by models' agents.   Ryan and Esposito ask each other if knew of the comp card.   Obviously Beckett was a model or had associations with the industry.   She gave herself away there.   James has an alibi and denies writing the letters.   Travis says Jenna didn't use drugs and points the finger at Wyatt, (Jeffrey Pierce) the photographer.   That was dumb cos he led them right to the evidence and then back to himself.   He agreed to do another test for Jenna.  Teddy announces Sierra as the new face of his campaign.

Castle mentions the Talented Mr Ripley, Dead Ringers and Showgirls.   Beckett: "No one murdered anyone in Showgirls...I hear."  Which surprises Castle.   Castle spins another yarn about Sierra stabbing Jenna.   Beckett asks with the Washington Monument in her purse.   Rina gives the lowdown on Sierra about how she drugged models and  Beckett assumes she drugged Jenna too.   Ryan and Esposito show up with photos from the SD card.   James was the stalker after all.   Ryan asks if Beckett is "missing the glamorous life."  Beckett calls Castle, "big Rick" for which he thanks her.  

Sierra confesses to dozing Jenna and she slept with Wyatt for her photos and she enjoyed it.   Wyatt's room overlooks the fountain and he left the party early.   Castle finds the pink shoes at his place and there's a missing glass award too: his helo.  She was alive when she left.   She taped Wyatt to show Teddy and they fought.   She hit him with his helo.   Beckett says not everyone in the modelling world are predatory, again speaking from experience.   Beckett doesn't believe Wyatt killed her and didn't clean his place up.  Also why would he dump her in the fountain below his window.  

Beckett doesn't find any App on Jenna's phone for recording but she bought another phone and the GPS was on.   It was found in an alley.   Wyatt's story checks out and there's another recording.   Beckett is going to make the killer confess and since they didn't say who it was, it could only be Travis.    He suspected her of cheating on him and saw them together.   Beckett threatens to play the rest of the recording unless he confesses.   Castle also speaks when Beckett told him not to.   Travis killed her for nothing, she loved him and was going home to him.

Beckett was upset cos Castle didn't give her a copy of the book to read first since she's the inspiration.   He should have known and she should have asked.   Ryan and Esposito upload a photo of Beckett onto her computer from her modelling days.   She modelled one Summer, the money was easier than waitressing.   Martha did okay and gets to die onstage at the end of Act 1.   Rina comes over to watch DVDs with Alexis.   Castle wanted to have a friend looking out for Rina.

Castle going goo-goo eyes over a model - he can't place her face until Alexis tells him she was her babysitter and he gives up trying to chase her.   Hey he even ends up defending her, 'somebody's daughter/babysitter.'  How sweet.   Deep down, he's a big softie at heart and that's why we love him, though he won't admit it.   It'll tarnish his reputation as a womanizing playboy writer.   No dresses at dawn though (oh no just thought this could be interpreted as a bad joke, and it's not meant to be, you know dresses, models) no shaved heads and no continuity from last episode.   A bit of a shame - not even a mention of their bet.   They were all too caught up in the models this time round.  

Beckett defending the industry she once worked in was a nice touch.   Her character really has changed and evolved this season which goes to show how much she's developed and Castle's backed down from investigating her mother, though we know that won't last for long.   He's Castle after all.   Castle really believed Rina was coming onto him.   How easy was it for Ryan and Esposito to dig up things about Beckett - now if only they spent that much time on their cases!  Joke.

Good to see Castle's family didn't give him any clues this time as to solving the case, made a change.   Also it was Beckett who came up with the idea of the phone and how to break Travis into confessing.   She's a detective after all, ha.

Torrey DeVitto is of course married to Paul Wesley from The Vampire Diaries and she and Matt Barr were both in One Tree Hill.