Last Week

Our intrepid artifact hunters missed one in the mail that made the whole town the scene of a number of really bad movies. The final one Doctor Doomsday they stopped just before he blew up the town. And Pete got a new veterinarian to fuss over and Claudia got a hardware-store boy to blush over. The cold shoulder they have been getting all over town also got its explanation, their cover is IRS agents.

This Week

Myka is in a sword fight while Pete eat dirt in Wales and an old lady disturb a Fashion show in Milan. Artie calls and tells them to stop by in Milan on their way home. Need a geography lesson? The old lady said “they stole me” in Russian before she died. Peter, the expert on breast implants track down her identity as Anya Verdikov a 19 year old fashion model that disappeared two days ago. Back in the Warehouse we learn that this is just the last in a series of disappearing fashion models. Off to Fashion Week in Manhattan we go.

Pete thinks he is in heaven. They discover one of the models they meet have similar symptoms like Anya after talking to her agent. When Pete rush after her she transforms to and old woman and collapse. Peter is spooked. We established earlier this episode that Myka was a tomboy learning to fight with swords as she grew up. Pete is delighted with his plan to infiltrate Fashion Week. Myka is going undercover as one of the Models and Peter as her obedient slave/assistant. No sooner than she is embedded she is approached by a creepy photographer to take her photos, but Gunther is not the photographer we are after.

Miss Donovan is getting persistent text on her Farnsworth from hardware-store Todd. It was so amusing to see Artie dig himself a hole with saying you are not a girl any more (meaning be responsible and call answer him). Back home Claudia plays with a Big Needle before going on coffee with Todd. While entertaining the date is a train crash and Claudia rushes home to yell at Artie for telling her to be herself.

It seems like someone is peddling youth to elderly people and it looks like Myka’s photo is involved. An old lady is shown Myka’s photo and says she is perfect. Pete’s pep talk before going out there was warm, corny and effective. Myka noticed an old woman with huge ruby earrings watching the show but she disappears before Pete and Myka can get to her. Unfortunately that also means Myka turns old. There is silver-nitrate in Myka’s blood which leads them to Man Ray’s camera and one of the photographers. He escapes  but Pete track him down and Artie figures something out before everybody else and take a photo of him overexposed on a photo of Myka. They guy had been stealing youth for a long time but it is over now.

Claudia and Artie has a cute father daughter talk before Todd walks into the Diner. Gulp from Claudia and a not so subtle go away to Artie. Young love, so charming.

This was a very corny episode but I liked it. Maybe that tells you something about me. I expected something for the season arc but it never landed, maybe it is something with Todd and the season arc? The friendly bickering was great this episode and showed how fond the characters all are of each other. Could all these fuzzy warm feelings be a buildup for something? Or am I just paranoid? I don’t know but I am going to watch next week when Fargo from Eureka comes to visit …

Things learned

• There was a holy grail
• Myka’s sister was the pretty one, the cheer leader the boys was crazy about.

Next week

This is crossover-with-Eureka Week; there might be more than one this season according to rumors from comic con.

Tuesday, August 3

Warehouse 13 2.05 – 13.1 (Syfy).
Douglas Fargo (Neil Grayston) of Eureka’s Global Dynamics is sent to Warehouse 13 to help update its aging computer system. This triggers a seemingly sentient computer virus that sends the Warehouse into lockdown and traps the team inside.

Friday, August 6

Eureka 4.05 – Crossing over (Syfy)
Claudia Donovan visits Eureka to see if Fargo’s promises of wondrous devices are true, but she finds herself in the middle of a mystery suitable for Warehouse 13 when objects begin to appear randomly around the town and GD, and it must be solved before there are deadly consequences.

Related Posts

• Warehouse 13 2.03 – Beyond Our Control (Review) July 21, 2010
• Warehouse 13 2.02 – Mild-Mannered July 14, 2010
• Warehouse 13 – Season 2 premiere July 6 July 3, 2010
• Myka Bering on Warehouse 13 July 2, 2010
• Warehouse 13 Season 2 Promo April 10, 2010
• Warehouse 13 renewed for a second season August 20, 2009
• Warehouse 13 pilot July 8, 2009
• Warehouse 13 sneak peak March 28, 2009

Last Week

Last week Annie wrestled with a renegade British MI6 agent planning an IRA attack on American soil. That was after Walter, a ten year old boy walked in.

This Week

This week Annie enters a more sordid part of the CIA business, she has developed an asset, a young college boy from Caracas who thinks he is in love with her only to get in touch with his sister back home. The sister is mistress to a government official (Victor) that has been skimming hundreds of million dollars the last years. CIA wants to know where they have gone. We start this episode as she makes her move to convince him he should introduce her.

While this takes place we also watch as the local agent in Venezuela is killed, this is not anything the agency knows about.

Annie goes to Venezuela with her new ‘boyfriend’ Diego. He can’t resist letting his hands wander and she has a hard time keeping him in check and at the same time it is quite sad the way they use ‘assets’ to get what they want. Diego’s sister is a beloved person; she is called the mother of the neighborhood for her charity work. Annie has a hard time convincing the sister and stealing the code key so they can put a trace on the money. There is a quite entertaining car scene where Victor reveals her as a trained agent and she dumps him out of the car and speed away. Annie gets back to the bank minutes before Victor and they discover that he has been financing terrorists. They flee the country with Victor on their tail.

The siblings are put into protective custody in a safehouse but the story is not over yet. About the same time Annie realizes the sisters charity money is from Victor the sister sneak out to meet Victor. The final confrontation reveals Victor as the monster he is as he tries to have the sister killed. Annie and Diego shows up in time to distract Victor while another agent takes them down.

One interesting detail in this episode was the meetings and support from Langley that made it feel more genuine and realistic. Don’t get me wrong this is a fun spy action adventure type of show but I find it a stamp of quality that they try to make the whole thing more realistic with things like that.

The way the sister has a hard time giving up on her love for Victor reflects back on Annie’s unwillingness to leave her love behind. It is clear that she will continue to carry a torch for Ben.

I like the episode but are not things moving a bit fast for Annie? I can understand if the agency wants to keep Annie in the frying pan to lure Ben out so maybe that is it. Annie convinces as a rookie agent and she feels like shit after the mission because what she had to do to Diego and his sister. Auggie is there with perspective, I like him a lot. USA has hit another great dynamic duo with Auggie and Annie.

Things learned

• Annie’s name is Anne Catherine Walker according to her business card at the Smithsonian
• Annie and her sister grew up as army brats

Next Week

Covert Affairs 1.04 - No Quarter (USA)
Annie needs Auggie’s help to return from Zurich where she is stranded with an untrustworthy Mossad agent. At the agency, Joan and Arthur suspect Auggie to be the CIA’s leak.

• Link to USA preview

Related posts

• Covert Affairs 1.02 – Walter’s Walk July 22, 2010
• Covert Affairs – New Series Premiere Review July 14, 2010

Related posts

• Caprica 1.09 – End of the Line Mid-Season Finale April 28, 2010
• Caprica Series Review (Episode 1-6) March 6, 2010
• Caprica Series Premiere (New TV Show) January 23, 2010

True Blood continues strong with sexy, fun supernatural action. Here are the crimes I saw.

1. Stealing – Sam has his hand full with his no-good-stealing-drinking family, but he is a decent guy so he let them stay even after they BBQ a dog on his parking lot and his brother breaks into the bar.
2. Kidnapping – is only one of the tings  Mott is doing to Tara. She has a thing for bad boys but Mott is over the top and then some, talk about creepy guy. They go and visit the king, but he is out eating with Bill and Lorena.
3. Blackmail – Jason, Jason when will you ever learn. Blackmailing the new sheriff so you can become a cop?
4. Dealing V – Lafayette got his new ride but no one to tell; because Tara is tied to a toilet in Sookies house and can’t come to the phone right now. Then he goes to Norris and tries to convince him to sell V only to be roughed up by his cousin-brothers and saved by vicious new buddy Eric. The king is also a dealer but to a more select clientèle – biker werewolves, that’s culture for you.
5. Treason – is what Bill commits  when he breaks Sookie’s heart and when he tells the king about Eric’s and the Queen’s little drug dealing business
6. Snitching is what the King does when he tells the Magitrate about Fangtasia.
7. Framing – But Eric doesn’t snitch he tells it is Bill who is behind it instead, that is not snitching that’s framing.
8. Mind Control - Jessica gets a job at Sam’s but is recognized. Mind Control is what baby vamp Jessica does to that nice young man from bible study. Pity young Hoyt is watching.
9. Bloody murder – is what three vampires does to that poor stripper in the back of that limo, dripping blood all over that street. Bill got his old job back, procurer.

There is also a case of branding a skanky bitch but that’s has more to do with Alcide’s ex and the Nazi werewolves.

Said and done

• It’s a were thing, we run hot. (Alcide to Sookie)
• Eric has an interesting day dream of Sookie seducing him. Bad Sookie is a nice girl.
• I kill all your brother-cousins first (Eric)
• Love is a hell no one get out of alive (stripper to Bill)

Syfy brings a new TV series called Haven based on Stephen Kings Hardboiled mystery novella The Colorado Kid to the air this summer. The premiere is Friday, July 9.

Haven centers around the town of Haven in Main, where else, which turns out to be a longtime refuge for people that are afflicted with a remarkable range of supernatural abilities.

Emily Rose (Jericho, Brothers and Sisters, ER) plays lead role of Audrey Parker, the shrewd and confident FBI agent with a lost past who arrives in the small town of Haven to solve the murder of a local ex-con. Before long, her natural curiosity lands her in the epicenter of activity in this curious enclave.

This feels a bit similar to Gated and Eureka in setup even if the subject matter is different. I don’t mean that negative in any way, I love Eureka.

As the townspeople’s dormant abilities begin to express themselves, Audrey helps keep these forces at bay while discovering the many secrets of Haven – including one surrounding her own surprising past in this extraordinary place.

Lucas Bryant (Queer as Folk, Dollhouse) will play Nathan Wuornos, the wry local cop who soon becomes Audrey’s partner. Bristling under the thumb of his father, the Chief of Police, Nathan has a quiet, controlled demeanor that often clashes with Audrey’s feisty one: a dichotomy that also makes them perfect complements. As events in the town begin to unfold at a surprising pace, Nathan’s usual controlled sense of calm is put to the test.

Also among the citizens of this eccentric town is Duke Crocker played by Eric Balfour (24, Six Feet Under), a charming yet mysterious jack-of-all-trades. Though Duke outwardly appears to be a free spirit who lives an unobtrusive life on his boat, it becomes apparent that his mellow demeanor may conceal a much darker agenda.

Production on Haven is expected to commence in Spring 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. So far there isn’t any photos out from the filming.

The team behind Haven are heavily from The Dead Zone team.

The pilot is written by Sam Ernst (Shrek the Third, The Dead Zone) and Jim Dunn (Shrek the Third, The Dead Zone) who will also serve as executive producers on the series.

Videos after the break

Short Teaser

Audrey Parker Promo

“Normal Life” Promo

Last week the Monohans moved into the Gates; Nick had a busy first day as chief of police, a mysterious disappearance and the body of the last chief of police in the Gates; The neighbor wife took one bite too many; Charlie meet the mysterious Andie Bates at school and liking emerge, it’s just that the werewolf boyfriend could be a problem. Now for Episode two.

We start off with two wolves hunting together, a white and a dark one, poor Bambi. It is Lukas and his father Simon having a not so good hearted competition.

Todays episode is about the investigation of the murder of the former chief of police. He was found shot in the head, assassin style. Nick soon uncovers that the chief has side income ‘loosing’ reports. One report concerns Claire who was stopped covered in blood something which Dylan explains with nose bleeds when Nick seeks him out. He also goes after Lukas father for covering up his son’s vandalism. Both turns out to be ‘false’ leads as they talk to former employees of the police department. Longest time anyone worked there was one year, wonder if more of them has been shot? Eventually they find the gun that killed the chief of police at former officer Taylors residence, but I am not sure it wasn’t planted there.

The murder scares Sarah. Dana is scary smart as she does psychology on the other members of the family.

Andie prepare for school when she notice some weird markings on her back so she looks up the school nurse Peg who takes some samples telling Andie it could be stress. Andie admits to being stressed over the two boys situation and tries to ignore Charlie but that doesn’t work out so well. We gets to hear Peg telling Andie’s father she has the succubus gene and they need to tell her now so that they can start treatment directly and yes she could be a deadly threat to any man she meets. Meanwhile Andie and Charlie goes riding. Charlie falls off his horse because of Lukas? There is an emotional boy charms girl and they kiss situation that gets a bit intense and we know the danger he is in but Andie breaks it off and rides off before anything happens.

Is it Andie’s new powers that makes the boys react like they do to her? Charlie is smitten and Brett declare his love and abandon his fellow pack mates for a girl. I like both Charlie and Brett and have a feeling they could end up friends in the long run. Brett saves Charlie from being beaten up when Lukas gets in his face about the chief of police harassing Lukas’ father. Wonder what Lukas did that his father need to cover up? What is Lukas doing watching Andie and Charlie in woods? Is he also affected by her succubus charm?

I am starting to feel sorry for Claire, she is being blackmailed by Devon to give a vial of her blood so Devon can cover up her indiscretion with the contractor she killed but we all doubt what Devon really need it for, vampire mind control? She obviously has serious problems with her cravings and living as a ‘Stepford’ wife. Guess there is an equal rights kind of thing here? I can’t figure out their family situation, Dylan made Claire, but how does their daughter come in? Can vampires get children?

There used to be a finger print database of all the residents but the last chief made it all go away. It seems like the old chief made a lot of things go away.

One unresolved plot is young police assistant Marcus who meets a beautiful redhead named Trica at the cofee wagon. She seems to be picking him up though. So far they went on one date but I feel that there is something more to it.

Sarah and Claire also have a play date for Emily and Dana. Devon is creepy when she offers to watch the kids if the grown ups wants to have a spa day.

Nick notice there is a parcel from Devon at the murderer’s house and he questions Devon. Could she be behind the death of the old chief? The episode ends with Clair showing up at Devon to succumb to the blackmail and leave blood.

I really like this show. Next episode is two weeks though.

The Gates 1.03 – Breach (ABC) will air June 11, 2010.

There’s been a robbery at the McCallisters’, setting off a series of similar mysterious robberies around town. Meanwhile Brett does his best to get his relationship back on track with Andie, though she still finds herself drawn to Charlie; Lukas encourages Brett to join the pack and blow off a little steam; Leigh is not herself when she loses an important package, and possibly her connection with Marcus; and Claire reunites with an old friend who questions her transformation to a humble housewife.

This week’s episode of Chuck sees the return of his father. Elli thinks she works for CIA and that Casey is a bad guy out for her father but she has been duped by a Ring operative. Chuck had a dream about Shaw being alive and asks Morgan for help in finding Shaw.

Chuck still has dreams of Shaw being alive and turns to Morgan for help to keep it a secret from Sarah, but Morgan cannot resist Sarah’s interrogating techniques.

Meanwhile, after being contacted by Ellie, Chuck’s father Stephen shows up at the Buy More, not knowing about the Intersect 2.0 in Chuck’s head.

Worldbuilding

The seasons Ring arc is revealed. The Ring has built a new Intersect and the Ring agents have been trying to get some way to safely download it. Remember the episode where they fried the brains of subject after subject? They know that Stephen Bartowski has survived having Intersect 1.0 download and now they are after his solution.

Plot

The Ring is after Stephen and his invention. They use Ellie to get his location but Sarah and Chuck foils that attempt. After Sarah fells the last kidnapper with a well aimed kick Stephen asks Chuck.

Does she have the Intersect too? No Dad, that all her

Chuck asks Casey to protect Ellie and he follows her but comes to believe she is having an affair. Casey asks Morgan what he believes so Morgan does an interview with awesome and almost falls into love with him himself.

When Ellie returns home unexpected and discover Casey scouting out her place she wacks him on the head with a frying pan, twice and escapes with the ring operative.

We see agent Shaw downloads the Intersect in the closing scene. Is that version 3.0?

Characterization

This episodes theme is on lies, especially the ones of the Bartowski family. Part of the charm of the series is Chuck, Morgan and Awesome’s inability to lie convincingly. But here Ellie lies too and see where that takes her.

When they try to track Shaw Casey makes Sarah re tell everything she and Shaw did in Washington, to which Chuck mentally grinds his teeth. He is not the only one lying.

Big Mike reveal his past as Rain in Earth Wind Fire and Rain as he gives Lester his tacky scene outfit and tell him you have the hips of a six year old girl, use them. The whole Buy More subplot with Jeffster splitting was as always amusing and entertaining. Lester’s rant against the Man was memorable.

After they find Shaw’s spy will in his penthouse there is much talk about the dangers in their line of work. It is and endearing scene when Sarah gives Chuck her spy will.

My View

Chuck vs the Living Death was a great episode, fast paced, with big arc revelations, intense buildup for the finale next week and a very fun episode. There is much happening in it so I had to re watch it before writing this. If you are not watching Chuck you are missing out on some great TV.

Chuck’s two hour season finale is tonight, Chuck vs the Subway and Chuck vs the Ring Part II

Shaw returns to threaten everything that Chuck holds dear as his friends, family and the woman he loves are all put in mortal danger. Chuck has to find Shaw and stop him before his own world gets torn apart but with Chuck finding it increasingly difficult to flash, will he find Shaw in time or will the Intersect that has saved his life so many times in the past, finally be the thing that kills him?

Stargate Universe is one of my favorites and this episode proved me right. It’s setting the scene for the season finale. This episode goes back to the first episode and what happens here explains a lot of what we saw then. It is about treason/mind control and the Lucian Alliance (read about it on stargate.wikia.com). The Incursion Part One starts next week.

Worldbuilding

We learn something about the Lucian Alliance, they knew about Icarus and Destiny beforehand. Now they are trying to take it over again. According to Rush they are a human coalition made up of various Milky Way planets formed in the power vacuum left behind by the Goa’uld. They’re criminals, mostly… Street gangs with spaceships. But it seems that they might be something more, and they might even have some right in their complains that the Terrans take it all for themselves and don’t share, at least that is what Kiva says.

Plot

Dr Rush is disturbed by haunting dreams of handing secrets over to Lucian Alliance spies on Earth then he sees himself reflected in a window, he is Colonel Telford. He tells Young and convinces him to let him take the next stone to Earth to find out the truth. Young doesn’t trust Rush so he goes after and tells General O’Neal who sends Dr Jackson another old SG-1 member to follow him.

Rush sets up a meeting but is exposed almost immediately, captured and taken off Earth on a Lucian cargo ship and tortured by Commander Kira until he reveal his identity. He is then taken to a gate world similar to Icarus where they have setup operations to dial Destiny. Everyone on the Lucian side might not be on the same side, one guy behaves suspiciously. Rush is forced to help them.

While Rush is being tortured Telford goes straight to Camile Wray, Is she a Lucian spy too? That would explain a lot. Eventually Young confronts him, interrogate him and even fight him but he doesn’t get him to tell the truth until he brings General O’Neal aboard.

All this not knowing gets the civilians nervous and without information they seem to assume the worst and rumors fly around. The failed revolution is not forgotten. I wonder if there are more Lucian spies on Destiny? They knew about Icarus on forehand thanks to Colonel Telford, they might have slipped in a group of infiltrators. That would help to explain why they in my opinion overreact and try to take over the ship.

Characterization

TJ’s baby shower unites the crew. It is heart breaking how they craft little gifts for her child.TJ is still worried and Chloe tries to comfort her. Alaina Huffman continues to convince as pregnant medical officer.

Commander Kiva played by Rhona Mitra would be a wonderful addition to Destiny. She is hot and interesting and she believes she is doing the right thing. I am a reasonable person that only tries to do the best for my people she tells Rush while he is being tortured. You make a terrible first impression he replies. I am afraid it is most likely that she will only be on for a few episodes and then as the enemy but a man can always wish ( I know she has a role on The Gates this summer as a vampire housewife so she might not have the time anyway).

Master Sergeant Greer had some anger issues this episode too, when he almost beat Telford to death. That is a man about to explode.

Young continues to fight with his demons. The way he orders the others to stay out of it when he tortures Rush shows leadership. He doesn’t want to do it but he can’t see any other way. It is especially clear when he in the end tries to force the truth out of Telford by opening his cabin to space while he forces himself to watch.

I am starting to like more and more of the crew, Greer, Young and TJ especially. I can’t say I like Rush as a character but he is interesting and more understandable now and well played.

Trivia

They showed one of the best science fiction books ever as a tribute to the author John Scalzi there when Rush asked the escort if he was okay staying in the car and he showed him The Old Man’s War (read my review) . John Scalzi is a Creative consultant for the show. He also has an impressive blog with SGU discussions called whatever.

My View

Good episode with lots of interesting stuff happening that ties back even before the series started and it all starts to come together. We are getting more and more of the big picture. The Lucian Alliance are about to try to take over the Destiny. This can go in many ways, they might succeed (at least for a while) or they might fail or Stargate Command might even be able to use the gate to keep contact with Destiny. I love SGU and it keeps getting better and better.

After the cliffhanger ending of Over There part 1 I’m thrilled and filled with anticipation for part 2 the season finale of Fringe. Walter had been shot and collapse outside a hospital. William Bell steps out of the shadows outside Alt-Olivia’s window and tell Olivia he has been expecting her (If it wasn’t for the high respect one have for his character and the actor playing him one could come up with other reasons an elderly man hangs outside a lovely young woman’s window) and Walter is in trouble. In addition to that Peter is about to help Walternate build a sinister world-busting-looking bomb that might be missing only the detonator and that missing piece might be Peter himself.

Roll the tape!

Worldbuilding

Airships are so cool, why don’t we have more of them? The Alterverse seems to have had much trouble with Fringe events; maybe their warlike reaction is not totally unfounded. On the surface it seems like Walter has a lot to atone for. I would not be too surprised if most of the Fringe damage in Alterverse stems from Bell’s and Walternet’s experiments through.

In many respect the tech levels in Alterverse is higher than us, they have fast healing drugs, exploding bullets, flexible touch pads and much more quite spiffy.

The differences between our two world where something to enjoy in this episode, I would like to learn more. Even the comics in the background was changed Red Lantern instead of Green.

Plot

The plot is that Walter and Olivia with the help of William Bell tries to save Peter before he blows up. Walternate and Alt-Olivia tries to stop them and Walternate follows his own agenda which seems to be the destruction of our universe. He almost tricks Peter into charging the power supply for the bomb, but Peter becomes suspicious when he realizes that it is attuned to one individual only – himself.

In the end William Bell powers their return trip to this universe, but Olivia was switched and Alt-Olivia took her place instead. It is not clear whether or not William Bell survived that.

In the end Alt-Olivia contacts Alterverse and asks for instructions via the Typewriter we have seen before. She gets them, but we are not allowed to see them yet.

Characterization

Yes, you do. I have thought of one hundred reasons…
why you should come back. To — to fight the shape-shifters,
to take care of Walter, to -
- to save the world. But in the end…
you have to come back.
Because you belong with me.

Anna Torv really gets to shine this episode; she plays both Agent Dunham and Alt-Olivia. First she confronts herself to learn where Peter is being kept but she is not very cooperative. Is it still a catfight if she fights herself? She also finally confesses her feelings for Peter and they kiss.

They’re our doubles, alternate version of ourselves,
but don’t be deceived, Olivia.
They’re monsters in our skin.
They’ll do anything,
say anything to gain our trust,
but they can’t be trusted.

Alt-Olivia is an interesting character; it feels like she has empathy and was about to realize that they didn’t have to be enemies at times. The first time she sees herself is such a good scene. She gets so psyched when she discover herself rescuing Walter on the security video at the hospital..

Them both talking about their families was also one of the many highlights.

Peter also did well in the character department. Meeting Alt-Olivia was a great scene and she escorts him to a safe house. How is she? Alt-Olivia asks interested in Olivia. She always tries to right some imagined wrong, haunted I guess …; The way Peter describe Olivia makes it clear how much she means to him.

Changing the Laws of Physics might be above my abilities.
Peter tells Walternet

Walternate is Alterverse’s Secretary of Defense and he is a cruel man, wonder if having his son taken caused that or if there is something else behind it? The way he treats Olivia in that dark isolation chamber when she plead and beg to be let out is cold. How is the political system in Alterverse? I get a feeling it is much more totalitarian than here? What do you think?

Harvard is on the edge of a Fringe zone of people frozen in a brown field. It’s there Walternet has been trying to find a way to travel the universes. How much of the damage to Alterverse is he responsible for?

Bell to Walter about Olivia
We accomplished a lot together, but she might be our greatest accomplishment

Walter finally got to confront Bell about his memory, and the answer didn’t surprise. You asked me.

Peter has not forgiven Walter but he is not angry any more. You did cross universes twice to save my life he tells him.

My View

Over There was an excellent season finale, it explained a lot but it also created new questions. The introduction of the alt team is great. I can imagine all kinds of wonderful uses for this next season; we might even get to see the two teams work together? Is it a Multiverse?

Once again Fringe proves that it is the best SF show around!

Official Synopsis

NIKITA When she was a deeply troubled teenager, Nikita was rescued from death row by a secret U.S. agency known only as Division, who faked her execution and told her she was being given a second chance to start a new life and serve her country. What they didn’t tell her was that she was being trained as a spy and assassin. Ultimately, Nikita was betrayed and her dreams shattered by the only people she thought she could trust. Now, after three years in hiding, Nikita is seeking retribution and making it clear to her former bosses that she will stop at nothing to expose and destroy their covert operation. For the time being, however, Division continues to recruit and train other young people, erasing all evidence of their former lives and turning them into cold and efficient killers. One of these new recruits, Alex, is just beginning to understand what lies ahead for her and why the legendary Nikita made the desperate decision to run.

The series stars Maggie Q as Nikita, Lyndsy Fonseca as Alex, Shane West as Michael, Aaron Stanford as Birkhoff, Ashton Holmes as Thom, Tiffany Hines as Jaden, with Melinda Clarke as Amanda and Xander Berkeley as Percy.

NIKITA is from Warner Bros. Television in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision, with executive producers Craig Silverstein (“Bones,” “K-Ville”), Danny Cannon (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Chuck”), McG (“Supernatural,” “Chuck,” “The O.C.,” “Charlie’s Angels”), and Peter Johnson (“Supernatural,” “Chuck”). The pilot was directed by Danny Cannon.

Promotional photos

Learned from casting

Maggie Q (“Live Free or Die Hard”, “Mission Impossible III” ) has landed the lead role in the CW pilot. Pretty amazing casting for The CW. She’ll play the title character, a spy who goes rogue. Said hour then tracks both Nikita and Alex, a troubled 19-year-old girl who’s recruited to bring her in. Anne Parillaud, Bridget Fonda and Peta Wilson played Nikita in its previous incarnations. Shane West (“ER”) has booked the male lead on the drama pilot, about an assassin for a top-secret government organization who goes rogue (Maggie Q) and the new assassin who is trained to replace her. He’ll play Michael, the agent in charge of recruitment sent to bring in the rogue Nikita.

Melinda Clarke (“The O.C.”) as Amanda, a division operative tasked with educating the newly recruited Alex (yet to be cast) in how to use her femininity to her advantage.

Aaron Stanford (“Traveler”) as Birkhoff, a computer specialist who enjoys Red Bull, potato chips and watching skateboarding bloopers on YouTube.

Xander Berkeley (“24″) as Percy, “the Machiavellian leader of Division – a secret unit inside the government.”

Lyndsy Fonseca (“How I Met Your Mother”) has scored a lead role on the drama pilot, a 21st century take on the “La Femme Nikita” franchise. She’ll play Alex, a 19-year-old felon who – after being sentenced to 25 years in a federal penitentiary – is recruited by a secret government agency to hunt down the title character (Maggie Q), her predecessor. She’s detailed as an “attractive, young, white female with virtually no personal ties or paper trail,” a profile which is deemed ideal for their kind of work.

Spoiler warning!

This was hidden in The CW’s press release for the upcoming Season and answers questions left open from Supernatural’s recent season finale. A very unusual move, wonder if it was intended?

SUPERNATURAL: Season six will be a season of mystery and shadow. Heaven and Hell have been left in complete disarray since the apocalyptic events of season five. And now, monsters, angels and demons roam across a lawless and chaotic landscape. And so Dean Winchester, who has retired from hunting and sworn never to return, finds himself being pulled back into his old life – pulled back by none other than Sam Winchester, who has escaped from Hell. The two reunite to beat back the rising tide of creatures and demon-spawn, but they quickly realize that neither are who they used to be, their relationship isn’t what it used to be, and that nothing is what it seems.

I must admit I love True Blood and the summer premiere is closer (June 13). thank the folks at HBO we got some entertaining Mini-Sodes to keep us amused. This one is about Sam.

This weeks episode is about feelings and fears. I am still amazed about how down to earth Stargate Universe is and how clever the writers put it all together.

When the crew suffers from vivid hallucinations that tap into their personal fears, Tamara Johansen isolates the affected from the rest and then tries to seek out the cause of the affliction as it spreads and becomes life-threatening.

Expectations

From the description above I expect some kind of infection making the crew see things. But I also wonder about Destiny. Isn’t there like a medical computer on the ship? It’s on a mission boldly going where no Ancient has gone before, and they don’t have any automated hospital aboard and It doesn’t have some kind of medical scanner integrated in the gate room. That is kind of weird but could be explained by the ship not recognize them as crew I guess, so it hasn’t activated those systems yet.

Worldbuilding

Not much worldbuilding this episode. Young is still searching for Franklin the missing ‘chair man’ but have not found him. The entry into a whole new galaxy at the end was extremely undramatic.

Plot

The away team to the last planet brought ticks back. They inject a poison that affect the emotional centers of the brain and cause hallucinations of things you feel strong emotions about. Here is how they affect different people:

• 2nd Lt James makes sweet, sweet love to Mathew Scott before whacking him on the head with one of the lamps, killing him dead.
• Greer sees Camile Wrang conspire with Rush to take over the ship and in the end he acts out on it and almost kills her. In the end he stops when he sees his father.
• Dr Dale Volker is afraid of enclosed spaces so he is locked in in his room, walled in in a corridor and locked in in his bed. Interesting how the man afraid of enclosed spaces have the only bed seen so far that is a bunk in a wall.
• Lt Mathew Scott sees his son, I have to go back and re watch some episodes, I don’t remember him having a son? The kid asks “Why did you leave me?”.
• Chloe sees her beloved father
• Rush sees the aliens that took him prisoner, at one stage he is in a room similar to that on the alien ship, slowly filing with water.
• One crewman tries to carve up his forearm to get the snake he sees in there out.

It takes a while until TJ and the others can figure it out and find a safe way to remove the ticks. They also have to save the people affected from hurting themselves or others.

Characterization

This episode is about feelings and fears. At the end the people affected stand there with their naked feelings open to themselves and others.

It is clear that 2nd Lt Vanessa James is pining for Scott, they might have had or is having an affair, it’s not clear to me at this time. She walks in on Mathew making out with Chloe. “Couldn’t find a broom closet?” she says bitterly. But from earlier discussions she had with TJ I wouldn’t rule out she is pregnant with Scott’s kid.  We got to see quite a lot of her this episode, good acting and good characterization by Julia Benson. In the end I think the only one not knowing that Vanessa got feelings for Mathew is Chloe.

Feelings over the foiled attempt by the civilians to take over the ship has not gone away. Master Sergeant Ronald Greer is still deeply suspicious of Camile Wrang and Dr. Nicholas Rush which comes to the surface when the tick affects him. It is also not clear to me if they have given up on the thoughts of taking over the ship again. I think I said it before Jamil Walker Smith does angry really well. The scene afterwards when he meets Wrang in the corridor is as emotionally awkward as they get. I can’t stop the feeling that there is more to Greer’s obsession with Camile, does he have feelings for her? As far as we know she is in a happy same sex relationship, but some men go for unobtainable.

I guess it was time for Chloe to be emotional again, the writers are not kind to this character. Even though she knows it is a hallucination she persist in staying with her father. She even gets Eli to promise not to tell anyone else she is affected. In the end Eli and Scott has to drag her to the infirmary.

I haven’t figured Eli out yet. He is the basic good guy, being infatuated in a girl that just wants to be his friend. It’s empowering the way he doesn’t pine for her, much and the scene in the end where she stand there unhappy looking into the void, he turns and walk away, was good.

As I said before Young is not a happy man. He is more collected this episode but the scene in the end when the clock starts on ten hours and they find a planet in range, show with all clarity the fatigue he and the rest of crew feels. For a moment there it was almost like he gave up before ordering an away team to get ready.

My View

Pain is a strong character driven episode with some action. We learn more about the characters but not much about the universe. I feel a bit cheated out of a passing the void episode, did Syfy change the order of the episodes? It was a good and entertaining episode and the writers are building up the characters and universe towards the finale that hopefully is about getting a bit more control.

Chloe, Mathew and Eli is left behind when Destiny starts to cross the void between galaxies.

Young is not a happy commander, he has to reinstall rationing and abandon all hope to rescue the ones left behind, deal with personal failure and T.J’s pregnancy.  You feel his emotional pain as he watches himself in the mirror, deciding not to shave before facing the crew. He isn’t forgiving himself it seems.

Rush discovers that they all are going to die of old age before reaching the next galaxy, Destiny have been trying to conserve energy for a reason. The jump will be five percent short, leaving Destiny to drift powerless for thousands of years before it reaches their destination. Their bones will be dust long before that, he state.

Amanda Perry is the only one able to help them repair the ship in time according to Rush, but she is paralyzed from the neck down. She also has a history with Rush. Lt James is the first one to use the much hated stones but she can’t stand it. Camile Wray takes her place.

Camile wants to go home. Her girlfriend is creped out you can tell, imagine someone else with the mind of your loved one. I am not sure I would have kissed them.

Rush and Amanda walk around the ship like two starstruck teenagers. I can understand Amanda’s delight in being able to move and eat by herself for the first time since she was nine. Rush clearly has feelings for this woman.

An explosion shakes the ship out of FTL, one of the drives is damaged. The transit disturbs the mind stone connection and Lt James experience short time memory loss. Considering what happens later I wonder if the aliens somehow spoofed the stones signal here? Staying connected to the mind of Lt James without her knowing it? They where able to intercept a stone transmission before. Lt James dream about being locked in a dark room, so she don’t sleep much. Could this be something going back to the attack on the gate planet?

Franklin, the guy who became comatose after using the command chair where also affected by the transit. He seems almost lucid now.

They get the scare of their life when someone dial in on the Stargate, but it’s just Eli, Chloe and Mathew coming back. That was an anticlimax. No expansion on their experience on the planet? They discover aliens on the planet they just left when they dial back. Is it only me that find that suspicious? At least they arrived after the explosion.

They seems keen of doing a rock video kind of sequence in every episode now? food stinks, people shave, run and make moonshine and drink.

The robot is a bit of a disappointment, it repairs the engine and bypass the damage.

Of course Amanda tries to sleep with Rush before she leaves. What is it with these body switchers? It creeps me out that they feel free to use the bodies they borrow to sleep around. Luckily TJ walked in on them.

The explosion in the engine was probably a sabotage by the aliens to disable the ship and signal their position to them. Or is Rush mind affected? Chloe seems to have memories from her short imprisonment in the aliens mind reading machine. Rush was there much longer.

The Aliens reappears and commence to attack Destiny. Young write his will and prepare to sit in the command chair when Franklin speaks and asks to sit in the chair, strapped in he tells the others to go and a mist starts to fill the chair and they jump to FTL at the last minute.

Amanda says an emotional goodbye to Rush before leaving. Young and James open the command chamber only to find the chair empty. Where is Franklin?

Sabotage was a good episode, it would have been great but for the abrupt ending of the two episode left-behind arc, that felt just wrong, it might have it’s explanation in later episodes but here it felt too simple. I have all respect for the writers, but why didn’t they expand on the stranded people, cancel the cripple and put Amanda Tapping on?

So what’s next? A total reset as they leave that galaxy behind? Next episode is called Pain and is about something they brought along from the last planet.

The Event is a NBC drama picked up for series according to the Hollywood Reporter.

It might be something science fiction with it, the description says “a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind” … that sounds SF.

Does Jason Ritter’s casting here mean what I think? Will Life Unexpected be canceled soon? It is on the bubble.

“The Event” is an emotional high-octane conspiracy thriller that follows Sean Walker (Jason Ritter, “The Class”), an Everyman who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée, Leila (Sarah Roemer, “Disturbia”), and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history.

Sean’s quest will send ripples through the lives of an eclectic band of strangers, including: newly elected U.S. President Martinez (Blair Underwood, “Dirty Sexy Money”); Sophia (Emmy Award nominee Laura Innes, “ER”), who is the leader of a mysterious group of detainees; and Sean’s shadowy father-in-law (Scott Patterson, “Gilmore Girls”).

Their futures are on a collision course in a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind. Ian Anthony Dale (“Daybreak”) and Emmy winner Željko Ivanek (“Damages”) also star in the ensemble drama.

“The Event” is a production of Universal Media Studios and Steve Stark Productions. Stark (“Medium,” “Facing Kate”) serves as executive producer, Nick Wauters (“The 4400,” “Eureka”) is creator/co-executive producer and Jeffrey Reiner (“Friday Night Lights,” “Trauma”) is the director/executive producer.

NBC’s newly picked up drama series The Event is looking to become the new 24 and now it is close to tapping one of the key writer-producers behind the departing real-time Fox drama, Evan Katz, as showrunner. (deadline.com)

Learned from castings:

A thriller about a regular Joe caught up in a large conspiracy. It is about Sean a regular man fighting his way through the mysterious circumstances of a conspiracy to assassinate the U.S. president.

Ivanek is set as Blake Sterling, the “fervid and brash” director of the CIA.

Dale as Dan Taylor, a government operative assisting Sean in thwarting the assassination attempt who might have ulterior motives.

Sarah Roemer (Fired Up!) will play Sean’s girlfriend, Leila Gasiorowski, an MIT-educated biochemist who disappears as part of the conspiracy to force her father, Mark Gasiorowski played by Scott Patterson (described as affable, Marlboro Man good looks”), an airline pilot, to crash an airliner into the presidential retreat.

Laura Innes is believed to be playing the leader of the inmates at the Mount Inostranka Facility, a secret prison in Alaska. Said role, Neil McCann, was originally written as male.

Blair Underwood (“Dirty Sexy Money”) has been tapped as the president on the drama pilot, a thriller with a unique storytelling device that features multiple points of view concerning a decent, regular fellow who battles against mysterious circumstances that envelope a larger conspiracy.  His role, Elias Martinez, a family man who wants to fight the good fight, was originally written for a Hispanic man. (efc)

Wes Ramsey (“CSI: Miami”) and Taylor Cole (“Heroes”) have both landed roles in The Event. While not indicated, they’re believed to be playing Greg and Vicky, a couple who Sean and Leila befriend while on vacation that may have ulterior motives.

Nick Wauters is behind the hour, which is set up at Universal Media Studios.

Castiel was taken by Angles earlier and believed to be dead or at least out of the count, now he is back with no recollection of what happened to him and with his ‘Angelic Battery’ all discharged, so Bobby have to wire him money for airplane fare. I would have liked to see him on that airplane. While he take this more mundane way of transport Dean and Sam goes after Pestilence at a hospital.

Matt Frewer plays a magnificent Pestilence, I love his character in Eureka and this is almost as good. Sam and Dean are detected sneaking in the corridors and Pestilence twist his ring and infect them with deadly viruses. When all seamed lost Castiel storms in and save the day, at least almost. Pestilence’s last words are “You are to late”.

Back at bobby’s hideout they learn that Bobby sold his soul to Crowley. I hope they don’t kill of the King of the Crossroads this season, he is such an enjoyable villain. The scene that also was in the promo with Bobby being asked “Did you kiss him?” No! Then Crawley show them the picture on his cell.

Sam and Dean’s talk was good when they gear up Crawley jumping into the conversation was also good “You guys are lucky you have your looks” when they are a bit clueless. Castiel bitching with Bobby about being useless was also an amusing scene. This is the kind of humor I love with Supernatural.

Remember that future episode, with zombies affected by a disease? The vaccine Pestilence’s henchman was brewing is about to go national in a few days. They have to stop that and get Death’s ring at the same time.

Crawley is a wicked, wicked demon, he gives back Bobby the use of his legs, Bobby is so happy that you can see him considering selling his soul again.

Sam and Bobby goes after the warehouse the vaccine will be shipped from. Good fight there, Sam saves at least ten people and in the end Castiel finds himself useful as he blows the head of a Zombie that is strangling Sam.

Death has a nice theme song as he rides up in his grey Mustang (I think it was a Mustang). Crowley and Dean have to look for him before finding him in a Pizza place. Death is eating Pizza. Would you eat a Pizza offered by death? Dean does. Death wants the devil’s control off. He calls him a bratty child having a tantrum. He gives the ring to Dean on the conditions that Sam is the only one that can stop Lucifer, and Dean has to promise to let him. Dean promises him. Remember you can’t cheat death, Death warns him before teaching him to use the rings.

They now have all the rings. Death told Dean how to operate the rings. Next episode is the season finale “Swan Song” airs May 13.

How fitting isn’t it to start this new series of post with Olivia in Fringe, one of my favorite shows.

Olivia Dunham is played by the talented Anna Torv

When I first meet Olivia she was about to become engaged to fellow FBI agent John Scott, played by Mark Valley (Boston Legal, Human Target). John is killed after being exposed to a flesh-dissolving agent, but no one is ever completely dead in Fringe. In a desperate attempt to find out where he was affected Olivia link her mind with his dying mind in a strange experiment by Walter Bishop, a scientist fresh out of the loony bin. For a while Olivia mistakes John’s memories as her own.

As a result of that and her general competence she is recruited to a multi-agency task force called the Fringe Division. Where she works together with Peter Bishop, his crazy scientist father Walter and Walter’s assistant Astrid (she is supposed to be Olivia’s assistant) . Homeland Security Special Agent Philips Broyles is the head of the Division.

In the first season she was still deeply affected by her fiancées death but there was a definite chemistry with Peter that develops further in season two.

At the end of season one we learned about another dimension where the two twin towers still stands. Olivia went there to meet William Bell played by Leonard Nimoy, he calls her the Guardian of the Gateway. Season two’s arc is about stopping an invasion from the other dimension so that might have significance.

As a small child Olivia was subject to experiments by Walter and his partner William Bell. We learned about them in season two when a case brought them back there. As a result she can see a shimmer around people from another dimension. She also have other more unspecified psychic powers, once as a child she burned out a whole room with her mind, and she has defused a bomb also with her mind.

Nine years old Olivia shot her abusive stepfather but he survived and disappeared, she has said she knew from she was nine what she wanted to do when she grew up.

Olivia has a niece she cares much about named Ella daugther of Olivia’s sister Rachel. We see more of Ella than her mother even though they stayed at Olivia in season one.

At the moment she is struggling with Peter, she understands he is from the other dimension when she sees him glimmer, Walter asks her not to tell him, but he finds out anyway and takes off by himself. I haven’t seen this weeks episode  but I expect him to be back in her life before this season is over.

I like Olivia she is a resourceful agent that show her human side and I know I am going to enjoy the upcoming finale. Season three is already in the bag.

Other posts on Female Protagonists on SciFi TV

1. Olivia Dunham in Fringe
2. Max Guevara (X5-452) in Dark Angel
3. Erica Evans on V
4. Molly Anne Caffrey on Threshold
5. Wendy ‘Dub-Dub’ Watson on The Middleman
6. Jane Vasco on Painkiller Jane
7. Æon Flux on Æon Flux
8. Dana Scully on The X-Files
9. Myka Bering on Warehouse 13
10. Dr. Helena Magnus on Sanctuary
11. Sarah Walker on Chuck
12. Echo on Dollhouse
13. Amy Pond on Doctor Who

Chuck is really heating up with them being a couple and Morgan joining the team. This week they brought a new intro, a 60s kind of homage to old school spy series with chuck driving in a red sports car, and Sarah driving in her black car, them looking at each other and then Morgan driving up in a scooter behind them. And then Morgan wakes up. Neat.

I almost forgot that Morgan is living with Chuck now, at least he doesn’t sleep in the nude any more, but I can understand Sarah’s reluctance to move in.

The spy business is back on track, Chuck and Sarah are assigned to a mission lead by a legendary CIA power team, Craig and Laura Turner, a married couple. At first Sarah and Chuck are happy they found their role models but they show themselves to be nothing of the sort. Remarried three times they are bitter and fight all the time, but charming in a way. Their mission is to steal a chip at a party, but they ‘botch’ it by starting a family shooting match drawing all the attention. Chuck and Sarah pick up the ball and decide to show them how it is done, not knowing the chip is guarded by a Bengali Tiger. That’s was quite amusing, Chuck not wanting to shoot it, because tigers are an endangered species.

Meanwhile Casey got his orders to train Morgan or they both would have to go back to boot camp. Casey is great, no one can do angry like he can. He and Morgan has an interesting report, and Morgans assignments are timely cut in between Sarah and Chuck’s. I thought they did it particularly well when they synced Morgan sneaking on Big Mike trying to steal the security card he had around his neck switching back an forth to Chuck sneaking up on the sleeping tiger to get the necklace with the chip. You know that Chuck is allergic to cats? now you do. His sneeze wakes the cat and they have to run for it. Why didn’t you shoot it? It almost ate me, he asks Sarah. Its an endangered species she answers calmly.

Mission accomplished they leave the party only to be relived of the chip at gunpoint by the Turners.

After being double crossed by the Turners, Chuck and Sarah wants revenge, so they track down them at their hotel and bag and tag them, bringing them home to Chuck? But instead of the US Marshals, the thug they stole the chip from is outside the door, with his tiger. There are some tense moments there before Morgan and Casey arrive. Confronted by the tiger Morgan does the brave thing and bait it into Ellie’s apartment and locks it inside. It totally wreck the place which is going to be interesting next week when Ellie will return home to much surprise.

I was afraid they wrote Mr and Mrs Awesome out of the rest of the season, but I am happy to discover they didn’t. We get to see them arrive in Africa in pouring rain, run into the wildlife and treat some patients before Awesome suddenly falls ill and they have to ship him back to the states for treatment. I thought that was nice by the writers to get them back that soon, but they are more wicked than that. To my surprise the camp boss picks out a Ring communication device and report ‘They don’t suspect anything’. He caused the sickness somehow, returning Ellie and Awesome, next week.

Could this be the start of the season arc? We will see next week. I can’t wait.

Last week Eli, Chloe,  Scott and Greer was left behind in a cave in with big spiders and unstable tunnels. This episode switch back and forth between Destiny and the team left behind as they try to resolve the situation. The ship suddenly looses power while Rush and company tries to find a way to rescue the ones left behind. Now Rush have to deal with the ships behavior as it prepare to leave the galaxy possibly leaving the team far far behind?

We have learned that T.J is pregnant, but she hasn’t told Young yet. In fact she spends the whole episode trying to. Is the other soldier woman pregnant with Scott’s baby? Are we going to have a baby boom on Destiny? Only thing left now is Chloe hatching one too.

Talking about Chloe, she starts to be useful this episode as she discovers maps to the underground maze and understands it’s symbols. Is it memories from her captivity in the alien mind reading machine? In that case, what kind of memories do Rush have? He was there far longer than her. Greer rush off to find another map but gets buried behind rubble and the others have to leave after failing to get to him or raise him on radio.

While they find a way out, Greer relives memories from childhood and an abusive and cruel father. Young Greer plays angry well while elder Greer plays desperate as he dig his way out only to arrive at the gate minutes late. Eli, Scott and Chloe leave the planet jumping gate to gate in an attempt to catch up with Destiny. Greer is left alone without hope.

On the first planet just as scott says ‘We give each planet ten minutes’ they hear heavy breathing and something huge approaching, that was a scary alien but one of the highlights. Meanwhile Greer continues to remember.

When Destiny drops out of FTL they also sends out a rescue team, backtracking the gates and eventually finding Greer and bring him back.

Chloe-Scott-Eli discover to their horror that they picked the wrong way as they discover the planet with the alien ship where Young left Rush. In their brightness they set off the same signal Rush said he did, but Chloe decipher the meaning of the alien database and they chase off after Destiny only to be there a few seconds … after Destiny jumps.

This time they are left behind again but now Destiny is about to leave the Galaxy. ‘Luckily’ the name of the next episode is ‘Sabotage’, someone or something disables one of Destiny’s FTL engines and there might even be an alien attack? Watch the promo on New & Returning TV This Week (May 3 -9)

If I where to speculate here it would only be so you can mock me when I am wrong on Friday. Destiny will be disabled and they have to find something to repair it with, forcing them to stand off the aliens in this galaxy while they do it? And do a little SGA searching for it on the planets in reach? What’s your theory?

In the military outfit and hat, Chloe remind me a bit of Summer Glau? Thoughts?

Great episode, make it Friday now!

Lily, Robert and Miller find themselves in a support group for people who attempted suicide.

This episode introduces us to Robert and Lily, two star-crossed lovers from very different worlds who would probably never meet under normal circumstances, are thrust into a support group for survivors of suicide attempts which soon changes their lives forever.