What a Night!

So, my friend encouraged me to get back to writing stuff on the blog. Most likely, this means that I'll write a flurry of posts over the next two weeks or so, and then we'll see what happens. In the best case, I'll get back to writing posts, rather than just thinking of them. In the worst case, we'll get back to one post every other month. Or maybe I got those backwards, I don't really know (doesn't really matter, either).

In any case, I'm going to start using posting as an excuse to not play Dead Space. Why I need an excuse to not play a game that I'm really enjoying and am totally excited about will, hopefully, get its own post. But that's not this post. This post is about TV. Again. Yeah, I'm sorry.

Anyways, this was possibly the strongest Monday I've enjoyed since, um, well, fine, let's just go for the hyperbole and say it was the best Monday in my memory (while watching prime time television, which really means of the past 18 months). Terminator had a lot of fun. Chuck was as amazing as always. And, most amazingly, Heroes just finally got me hooked on this season. Yeah, that's how it is.

So, Terminator: The River is Really Freaking Hot Chronicles is really starting to remember to play to its strengths. Well, not its strength named River, but its other strength: you know, John. I'm finally over the fact that he cut his hair to look more military and intense and now they're finally starting to develop that character arc they started in the first episode when he killed the bad guy. Of course, the first step in starting that arc was admitting that he killed the guy, so it did feel kind of good to get that confirmation. I think John's a really fun character and this episode (as well as some other recent episodes) really showed it.

John is the only member of the group that is always looking for human contact. Two weeks ago, he made a friend in military school. Well, a friend whose life he saves and will help him in the future, but a friend all the same...plus the friend was in Carlsbad...I think I've heard of that place...although I've never heard of any La Brea Tar Pits there (on the completely unrelated topic of La Brea, Brea Grant is really hot, but I'll bring that up in the Heroes section). This week he hung out with a psychiatrist. And it's this time that he spends, interacting with real human beings who are not obsessed with preparing for the future destruction of the human race that John gets to be himself and interesting. It's fun knowing that he's supposed to become the charismatic future leader of the human resistance and then getting to watch him build connections and trust with everyone he gets the opportunity to interact with. He's training himself for that job without even knowing it. And he's training himself well.

River has been a little disappointing for me recently. For one, she hasn't tried to seduce John, or anyone else for that matter, since episode 2, I think. That obviously makes me sad. In exchange, they gave us tons of backstory on her. And, well, to be perfectly honest, I didn't really want backstory on her. I mean, I thought I did, but now I realize that I didn't really want it. Basically, if John doesn't know it, I don't want to know it. Obviously, I want John to find out about it, but that's a different story. River's an enigma. A black box from the future that was personally programmed by John to help himself. I already believed that she's supposed to seduce/sleep with him without being told that she's modeled after his, um, consort from the future. I'm still waiting for them to tell me what they plan to actually do with this whole 'River is not exactly functioning properly' thing. I guess I would be willing to settle for them actually doing something with it as well.

In other news, I really liked her obsession with suicide this week. I liked how much it scared her that John could potentially kill himself. The idea that she has to protect him from himself, and how she threw herself at it full force immediately. It was just really cool. Her last scene was even more thoughtful, though. After defeating another terminator sent from the future (although, at this point it's not totally clear that this terminator was sent be SkyNet...and I might be willing to go on record predicting that it was sent by someone else...yeah, that's my super vague prediction that's got pretty decent odds of coming true for the week), it self terminates to stop them from accessing its memories or reprogramming it. In her final scene, she's just contemplating that decision it made. Thinking about suicide. Thinking about what she would do if John were to die.

In other news, they introduced a random Asian chick for Derrick Reese to have sex with. The juries still out, but I'd say I can't come up with any reason for her to exist. It seems like she's a traitor, which is a little weird, to say the least. I mean, even if you were going to betray humanity and work with Skynet and get sent to the past, after that point, dude just do whatever you want, you don't owe SkyNet anything, it doesn't exist yet (admittedly, she mainly seems like a traitor because that's what she's doing, while also keeping tabs on John). The other possibility, which I'll admit is possibly more likely, is that she's prejudiced against re-programmed terminators like River and so is not actually following John for SkyNet but is following River, because she thinks it's her duty (to kill her). I hope she doesn't convince Derrick to come to her side (pun absolutely intended).

Now, moving on to Chuck. To be honest, there isn't much to say, besides that this show turns me into a stupid little girl. It's so amazing. There might be squealing involved. Scratch that. There are significant quantities of squealing involved when watching this show. The sequences with the Buy More are struggling, though, which is too bad. This is primarily because Chuck and Jayne don't actually spend any time there anymore. Morgan, who serves no real purpose, has to be the primary source of comic relief when Chuck is gone from the Buy More, and it just doesn't work right. But, now that the Indian dude gave up being Assistant Manager, maybe Chuck will take it and have to actually spend time at the Buy More again.

Let's see, week before last we got to enjoy watching Chuck attempt to seduce Inara's friend who slept with Mal. Obviously, that was hilarious. Last week was a little annoying because Bryce Larkin is annoying. Note that copious volumes of hilarity was involved in that as well. Very dense hilarity too, just to be clear (meaning, of course, that the sheer mass of hilarity involved was downright astounding). I'm sorry by the way. I don't know what I'm typing. It's late. In any case, every week goes by and I just keep loving this show. It makes me very happy.

But, I do have one complaint. I'm getting really tired of Charles Carmichael. Seriously, Chuck, be proud of Chuck Bartowski. He's awesome. Carmichael's just kind of stupid. I don't mind Chuck attempting to be that person as a joke, occasionally, but he's pulling it out every single episode. It get's old. I liked it when he introduced himself to new villians as plain old Chuck, when he would try to convince them that he was just working part time for the government. That was cool. Telling people that he's a spy and taking credit for saving the day, well, that's just not how Chuck was raised.

In other news, Jordana Brewster's finally coming on next week. It will be amazing. Although from the preview scenes, they're going to try to make her look kind of nerdy. I won't say it won't be hot (because, let's be honest, it will be), but it's not really the direction I would take her (um, let's not think about alternate interpretations of that statement, alright? Thanks). I will, of course, reserve judgement.

Okay, Heroes. Well, this was the best episode since sometime in Season 1. Hands down. What was awesome in this episode, you ask? Well, how about watching Father Petrelli take Adam down, like a little two-bit punk? Was that not the most awesome way to introduce your next villain, ever? It's okay, I'll answer for you. Yes. yes it was the most awesome way to introduce your next villain, ever.

Another awesome thing would be Brea Grant. I'd also like to admit that Brea Grant was not in Jericho. It turns out she has a doppelganger named Ashley Scott. You can kind of tell the difference between them because Ashley has a bigger mouth. Completely unrelated, but I think Brea Grant had a non-speaking role in Max Payne. There was some beautiful woman who looked just like Brea Grant (even the same hair cut and I can't imagine there's more than one girl with that hair, and I'm only sort of saying that her hair cut is ridiculous) who possibly get's killed by valkyries or something at a party (it's not really clear).

Did I mention that I like her? Well, I'm glad to be seeing that she's having doubts about this whole "join the bad guys, destroy the world" thing. I really hope Parkman saves her life, for both our sakes' (without Kristen Bell, there just aren't any other cutes blondes to look forward to on Heroes).

Of course, Hiro was awesome. They kindly let us know that Hiro did (spoiler) not (end spoiler) kill Ando last episode (OMG, RLY?!?). I know, who would have guessed that one.

Mohinder is basically going completely batshit crazy on us, and I wouldn't mind so much, except he's still doing the voice overs. That's kind of ridiculous. It made sense earlier in the series since he was supposed to be the voice of reason and intelligence. Right now, he's the voice of neither. So he should shut up. Of course, I'd take any excuse to make him shut up, but that does not invalidate my argument. I think.

Oh, and the most awesome thing of all. Peter lost his powers. Craziness, right there. Craziness. That's just, what needed to be done. I'm kind of hoping/expecting that somebody'll figure out how to give Peter his absorbing powers back, but it's still perfect. I can't wait for the rest of the series. What an episode.

That is all.

Francis