Once Upon A Time 2.9 "Queen of Hearts" Review

                                         
Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) comes to rescue Belle (Emilie de Ravin) when she's being held in Regina's (Lana Parrilla) castle and he kills the guard.  He's not a slave "I'm a captain."  He wants info from Belle, who's been counting the days of her captivity on the wall of her cell.  Hook wants to stop the Dark One and she wants to talk to him as he's not a monster.  She doesn't know how to kill him, so he's not here to rescue her since she can't help him.  "So pretty, but so useless."  Regina says she's not useless.  Regina refuses to return his hook to him.  She knows all about him and what he wants to do to Rumples (Robert Carlyle). Regina can help him kill Rumples if he does something for her.  That being going to Wonderland through Jefferson's hat portal and killing Cora (Barbara Hershey).  She tells him about the curse and "a land without magic" so he won't need any magical weapons to kill Rumples.  Cora isn't to follow her there.

Charming (Josh Dallas) needs true love' kiss and won't wake until Snow returns.  Gold thinks that's optimistic of hRegina, saying "until" she returns.  None of them want Cora to return.  They must destroy the portal so they can summon magic between the two of them and stop Cora.  If they stop Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Emma (Jennifer Morrison) Regina becomes Henry's (Jared S Gilmore) mother.  She doesn't want to lie to Henry.  She must prove it if she wants to be better.

Snow et al arrive at Rumple's cell where Aurora (Sarah Bolger) finds a scroll with "Emma" written several times on it.  Henry reads to Charming and Regina tells him it will happen.  She needs to prepare for their return.  Gold takes Regina to the mine and takes all the diamonds and the dust with a dead fairy's wand.  Regina returns Hook's hook (ha) after enchanting it to rip out one heart, Cora's.  Which explains why he was able to take Aurora's heart.  SO at least that question was resolved.    He has to take back Claude, the dead guard to Wonderland, "one goes in, one comes back..."etc

Cora reveals herself as the Queen of Hearts, which is who I said she was in an earlier review.  Hook is unable to take her heart as she's protected herself and doesn't keep her heart inside of her.  But she reaches for his and he's made to tell her everything.  Disappointed she didn't use her "off with his head line" here as she did with Jefferson.  So Cora took Jefferson's heart.  "when you hold a heart, you have the power."

Aurora throws the ink pot and seals them in Rumple's cell.  She's helping Cora.  Cora was wrong when she says Rumples couldn't escape from the cell. Actually he didn't want to escape.  Said that too.  Since he knew about the ink all along so he just wanted to wait and see the product of "true love."  That being Emma.
Hook says he wouldn't have abandoned Emma on the beanstalk and shows her the bean, a souvenir of his conquest and a symbol of hope and magic.  Hook to Emma, "Dried up, dead useless, much like you."  Yes loved that line, ha.  Oh another thought, could Hook have been taking about Emma her also, since it turns out she has magic.  Then again how would he know?

Grumpy/Leroy (Lee Arenberg) calls Ruby (Meghan Ory) and shows her the empty mine.   Emma blames herself for getting them into trouble, that's true. She realizes it was Gold's plan for her to break the curse.  Cora takes Hook to Lake Nostros where they will cross into Storybrooke.  She uses magic to make the water flow again.  Hook asks for honour for her to kill him.  Regina should have killed her herself.  Cora used Hook too, so he was used by both mother and daughter. She can give him what he wants.  Seems everyone knows of Hook's vendetta aginst Gold except for Gold himself.  She says the curse will make him forget but she'll help him remember.   Hook brings back Cora's DB and Regina says goodbye.  So who's heart did Hook give her?  Or didn't Regina ask for one.  She recalls Cora telling her "love is a weakness."  Regina loves her and she's her weakness.  Her grip on "my heart is just too strong" and she can't be weak for what she must do regarding the curse.

Hook returns and they set their plan into motion since Regina will need Cora in Storybrooke to pick up the pieces.  Also they must protect themselves from the curse.  She uses magic to leave a part of the Enchanted Forest protected by a 'dome'.  The curse will end in 28 years.  He'll be frozen with all those in this corner of the land.  Regina "will lose everything and that's when she'll truly need me."  As Henry is taken from her again.

They get to the well and await for Cora.  Snow realizes the ink is on the scroll and how she watched Cora practise magic.  "The spells were in the book."  Snow blows the words onto the cell and they escape.  Mulan  (Jamie Chung) will retrieve Aurora's heart.  Cora opens the portal.  There's a fight at the lake and Emma gets the better of Hook with a punch. What are you man or pirate, getting knocked out like that.  Mulan leaves Snow her sword as it deflects magic.

Emma and Hook's little tete a tete or heart to heart may appeal to fans.  Especially when he enjoys other activities when a woman is under him.  Emma takes the compass.   Hook catches Aurora's heart from falling in.  He can't have a woman lose her heart "unless it's over me."  Well he's captured many a hearts.  Snow tells Emma "good always wins."  Just as Cora tries to take Snow's heart, Emma steps in and she tries to take Emma's heart. But she can't.  Emma contradicts her by telling her "love is strength."

Henry wants Regina to stop but Cora will destroy everything she loves, including Henry and she can't let her.  Regina and her favourite word again, "destroy" you.  Should be her catchphrase.    Henry wants Regina ot have faith in him and Regina stops the magic, allowing them to return.  Emma thanks Regina and so does Henry.

Gold thinks he owes Emma an apology but she wants to know how he knew about her.  He didn't create her, she was the product of true love.  But he did set in motion those events and he needed them to find those things in the cell.  He created the curse and took advantage of what she is.  So she's powerful and done everything for herself.  Cora tried to rip her heart out and failed cos of magic and he didn't do that either.  Mulan and Aurora go in search of Phillip.

Hook and Cora arrive in Storybrooke as he uses the rejuvenating powers of the lake where he throws in the magic bean and it brings them through on his ship.  Well his ship is necessary for things to proceed as it will come into play later in the season.  Funny Emma didn't tell Gold about Hook and his revenge, well she doesn't think he'll come here.

It was kind of a good twist seeing Cora wants to help Regina whereas Regina doesn't want her setting foot in Storybrooke.  Of course it could all still be just a rouse, but imagine if they teamed up, what a formidable force they'd make, much to Gold's dismay!  Emma is revealed as having magic too which does make her a savior but not in the sense she thinks.

Many will be pleased with Snow and Charming reuniting with true love's kiss since they found each other as they always do.  Emma also thanking Regina but she's left all alone and Gold's words are no comfort that they may invite her to dinner one day.  Especially since right now she's all alone and vulnerable and would easily be manipulated by Cora and become evil again, just for the sake of it.  Though she would have kept Emma from Henry here as she did last season.

Hey just thought in last season's ep where Jefferson wanted Emma to make another magic hat, he knew she had magic already and she only now realizes this is true in season 2.  Just thinking of the possibilities they could have had with Jefferson still in the show, gosh darn  it!

Can't help noticing they've been alluding to Pirates of the Carribean a lot throughout as well.  Well there's the compass, the ship, Hook of course and there were little nuances of Captain Jack Sparrow in this ep of the show that Hook displayed.  The way he said "gentleman...pirate;"  he wouldn't let a lady lose her heart and so on.  Yes there is more which I'll reveal in posts later on.

Matt Smith Bids Farewell to Doctor Who

                                                 
So it's official, Matt Smith has confirmed he will be leaving Doctor Who after the Christmas Special.  That's a little heartbreaking since we had gotten so used to him playing the role now.  He excelled in the role after taking on the mantle from David Tennant and fast became one of my fave Doctors.  Okay, David was my first fave, but Matt kind of took over.  This is disappointing since he did confirm he'd be back for a series 8!

His funny antics, serious moods and just unsurmountable energy brought something special to each episode.  WE laughed with him, cried with him and he made bow ties cool and the Fez too!  Matt played the role since 2010 and brought to the screen a special kind of Doctor.  Admittedly he was the youngest so he had quite a lot to live up to with those that had gone before.  He said it was an "honour" to play the Doctor.  That it was his "most brilliant experience as an actor" which he put down to his fans, cast and crew.  Jenna-Louise Coleman will still continue as Clara.

Matt said: "thank you so very much for supporting my incarnation of the Time Lord, number Eleven..."
Stephen Moffat also paid tribute to Matt's time on the show, adding, "every day on every episode, in every set of rushes Matt Smith surprised me.  The way he'd turn a line or spin on his heels...or out of nowhere make me cry...he is one of the nicest and hard-working people I have ever had the privilege of knowing."

Going on to say: "...this Christmas prepare for your hearts to break, as we say goodbye to number Eleven.  Thank you Matt, bow ties were never cooler."  Yes our hearts will break just as they did for David before him.

SO the search will continue for someone to fill Matt's shoes.  Some fans now want an older actor in the role, so it's open for anyone to play him.  This will be the Twelfth regeneration and some have also questioned how long the show can continue.  Right now no 'older' actor springs to mind for me, how about you?  Leave a comment as to who you'd like to see as the next Doctor.  But I thought of Colin Morgan who did a superb portrayal of Merlin and would have a different approach to the role, as well as plenty of energy and pizzazz.  He would really make the character his own.  Well the beautiful Benedict Cumberbatch is otherwise occupied! Of course there could be a reverse regeneration to allow David to return; remember there's still a double of him out there with Rose (Billy Piper).  Yes I hear shouts of Colin Firth too.

WHOever takes on the part will have the time of their lives no doubt, as long as it's someone we can all warm too as well...

Sherlock "The Great Game" Review

                                             
Funny intro with Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) with the killer who thinks he'll help him, though he did have time to give him a lesson in proper grammar, before he was hanged.  Then finding out Watson (Martin Freeman) has a blog and Sherlock doesn't know anything about the stars or the earth is round.  Which was obviously going to come into play later on otherwise it wouldn't have been mentioned, the stars that is.

Sherlock is bored and can't contain his boredom, resorting to firing Watson's gun inside.  Mrs Hudson (Una Stubbs) wasn't happy with seeing her wall like that.  Mycroft  (Mark Gatiss) wants him to take on a case involving national security but he's too busy for that, mundane work.  As he tries to annoy with his violin.
                             
                                      
                                       "Ah, precious..."

Mycroft gives the file to Watson  concerning the disappearance of some Ministry of Defence files, only he doesn't tell Watson that straight off.  Watson leaves and there's an explosion outside.  He spent the night on Sarah's (Zoe Telford) sofa, not lilo as Sherlock refers to it.  It's put down to a gas leak but it's more than that, it's a bomb explosion.  All this being done to catch Sherlock's attention of course.  Lestrade (Rupert Graves) calls and wants him on the case.  Someone left a letter for him, a note, which he works out is written in a lady's hand and the paper is Czech, Bohemian.  That was the Czech connection.

Inside is a phone which is pink, similar to the phone from the first episode but not the same.  Someone's gone to a lot of trouble to make it look the same.  It rings and there are five pips.  Which he puts down to a message as secret societies used to send a message with melon pips or orange pips.  There's a photo of a fireplace which he recognizes as being the one at the house.  It's the downstairs flat which Mrs Hudson can't let out.  Inside are a pair of trainers.  Needing to analyze these he returns to St Bart's and examines the pollen.  Molly (Louise Brealey) comes in along with Jim (Andrew Scott) from IT who wants to meet him.  Sherlock mumbling "gay" under his breath.  He drops a dish and leaves behind his card as Sherlock tells her.  He's rather abrupt as we know and she leaves in tears.  After giving her a blow by blow account of his underwear, his dyed eyebrows, and he uses hair product.  As does Watson, but at least he washes his hair.  He's saving her the trouble of finding out later.

Sherlock asks Watson to describe what he sees on the trainers and he notices the name inside and how they've been kept clean.  Sherlock finds pollen unique to a specific area.  When they leave he recalls the case about Carl, a missing boy who was later found dead.  He noticed he left his clothes at the pool but his shoes weren't found.  The police refused to listen.  The woman with explosives strapped around her reads out a message for him from a pager.  When he solves the case about who the boy is she's freed.  But he didn't find out who killed him though so that wasn't consistent with what the bomber wanted him to do  Other than the fact Sherlock linked the bomber to also being the killer.

The next pip is a photo of a car and Sherlock is called on the other line.  Sally (Vinette Robinson) referring to Sherlock as "freak." The man saying he knows he went to the police.  This leads to an abandoned car with blood on the seat.  The missing man was probably a banker as Sherlock infers, what another one, and his wife (Deborah Moore) arrives at the scene.  Sherlock feigns being his friend and his tears too.  Though he does cry since he wipes his tears afterwards.  She tells him more than she thinks as he uses the past tense to talk about her husband and she follows suit, but they haven't even found the body yet.

The caller tells him Janus Cars is a clue.  Since the car dealer's called Janus Cars and he was connected to the wife.  Sherlock asks for change to use the cigarette machine and notices his wallet.  He had a note from Columbia, was tanned.   Thus he disposed of the bankers DB in Columbia.  Janus being the God of two faces as Watson says.  Surprised no one saw that man standing in Piccadilly like that as suspicious and what happened to all that CCTV too.

Third Vic is a blind woman who calls and he has to look into the murder of a TV personality, Connie Prince (Di Botcher) who made people over.  Watson watches her show with Mrs Hudson.  There are scratches on her arms and the cut is made after she was already dead.  But no one noticed the botox injection marks, well Sherlock did , but didn't put them together right away.  Okay he did but not that we were meant to know this just yet.  He sends Watson to her brother's, Kenny (John Sessions) to question him and Watson notices the cat.  Also the gardener Raoul (Stefano Braschi) who kept the house spotless as Sherlock tells him.  The cat has disinfectant on its paws but Sherlock tells him she was killed by botox and Raoul did it.  Sherlock's Home office contact the Home Secretary owed him a favour and found Raoul had been ordering botox from the Internet.  He also finds that Carl's shoelaces were laced with botox.  He had eczema so was on medication.  He went swimming and was paralyzed, causing him to drown.  The blind woman (Rita Davies) tries to talk about the mysterious man but is killed.  She lives in a flat so 12 others are also killed.

The other case, well Sherlock waits for the call and sits around watching trashy TV.  He's sent a photo of the skyline and the river.  Looking at various reports which turn up nothing he asks if there has been anything found at the river.  Here there's a DB which he deduces was a security guard and that the Vermeer painting due to go on display is a fake.  That's not enough though.  Sherlock deducing he was killed by an assassin, a Golem (John Lebar).  Watson finds out about the guard as he's been reported missing and that he's a star gazer, another clue.  Also professor Cairns (Lynn Farleigh) called for him.   Sherlock uses his 'homeless network' to find out his whereabouts.  Would have called them his "Holmes network."  Hope you got that pun.

This leads them to the professor where once again Sherlock is attacked and almost strangled by the Golem.  Yes Watson you should have shot him like he told you to. He escapes though and isn't caught.  Heading to the museum, Sherlock tells the caller the painting is a fake but he needs more time.  The boy is given 10 seconds and then he finally gets it.  The Van Buren comet painted wouldn't have been around in the sixteenth century.  So he knows his comets but not his stars.  Hey you can't get a view of the London nightsky so clear.

Also they solve the Westie (San Shella) murder, killed by his fiance, Lucy (Lauren Crace) brother since he was a drug dealer and stole the stick.  Disposing the DB on top of  a train but it fell off when the points changed on the track.  Which pleases Mycroft who threatens Sherlock with another knighthood.

It's not all over yet as there's still one more pip left.  Watson leaves to visit Sarah but doesn't get there.  As Sherlock finds him at the pool with explosives around him.  Cue Jim Moriarty but he's not after the memory stick.  He wants to kill Sherlock but not yet.  He leaves after much conversation and his Westwood suit and Watson is saved, remarking how it would be suspicious if anyone saw how quickly Sherlock ripped his clothes off in a dark pool.  But it's not over since Moriarty returns and this time has several snipers trained on them.  Leaving Sherlock with only one dilemma...to blow up the explosives by shooting at them.  But that's for another series...

SO the phone battery didn't die, unless of course the phone was charged without us knowing.  But hey Sherlock doesn't need to charge a phone, that'd be Watson's area.  Continuity here again with A Study in Pink since we got the pink phone again and Watson blogging about this case.  Pink phone had to turn up since Moriarty has been watching every move and the blog.  A bit creepy if you think about it.  Sherlock watching Watson when he went on his case, Moriarty watching Sherlock.

Obviously Jim was so obvious and not just on fourth viewing.  Should have worked that out with his name, Jim, but too busy engrossed in Sherlock to have been paying attention.  Also when Molly introduced him as the IT guy, he's big on that as we saw last episode too. But glad they brought up Sherlock's character here with Watson thinking he's cold and just doesn't care about people.  He does his job cos he's bored and using his brain will alleviate that boredom.  He's not normal in that sense and so wouldn't do 'normal' things.  Still love his "shut up" line.  He's heartless which is brought up again at the end when he finally meets Moriarty face to face, with introductions this time round of course.  Adding some say he hasn't got a heart.

Disproved since he does try to save Watson, okay not just tries but wants to, has to.  Just like he does save the others too.  Guess Watson showed he had the bigger heart in that he held Moriarty to him and wanted Sherlock to leave, which he didn't.  Moriarty, criminal for hire, "criminal consultant" had a nice ring to it, being the polar opposite of Sherlock.  The only "consulting detective."

There was so much happening in this episode.  The five puzzles to solve, the Andrew West case, all linked, had to be.  Sherlock using his "science of Deduction" website.  Also notice he didn't eat again in the cafe, but Watson did.  Those nicotine patches must curb hunger pangs.  Moriarty wanting Sherlock to "burn!"  Also Sherlock with both hands on his hips after telling Molly Jim is gay! ha.

"Catch you later" was funny with it's double meaning.  He did catch him and we did too in series 2.  Watson and his "gottle of geer..." Already used in Doctor Who, The God Complex, with the ventriloquist's dummy.  Ohh bit of a rehash there.  Considering Mark Gatiss was also in that episode too!

It wasn't that much of a wait for series 2, not as long as we're having to wait for series 3!

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.