CASTLE AND BECKETT FINALLY KISSED!!!! Now what??

Well folks it has finally happened.  Castle and Beckett finally KISSED.  And although it was done as a “ruse,” it was pretty obvious that they were really into it.  After the episode aired, I read someone else’s recap about the big kiss.  That writer said she could feel the heat between Castle and Beckett radiating out of her TV screen- my thoughts exactly.

My absolute favorite episodes of Castle are the ones that delve into Beckett’s past.  These episodes tend to be my favorites for two reasons:

 1) They show us another side to Beckett (I love seeing that the usually bad-ass character has a vulnerable side)

2) They reinforce how deeply Castle cares for Beckett (I just love Castle and Beckett)

While ‘Knockdown’ (the most recent episode) did accomplish those two things, it also did much more.   Other episodes that have centered on Beckett’s past have reinforced to the audience how much Castle and Beckett care for one another.  Sadly though, these episodes never really reinforced to Castle and Beckett how much they love care for one another.   ‘Knockdown’ however, contains certain developments that, for the first time, allow Castle and Beckett to get closer to expressing their repressed feelings. 

One of these developments took place during the scene with Castle and his mom.  I absolutely loved that scene; Susan Sullivan (Martha) was brilliant.  It was so nice to see her actually get offended when Castle didn’t seem to realize how much she really loves him.  I also loved how she came right out and said to Castle that he had written plenty of books before “her.”  This statement caused Castle to say something MAJOR: “It’s not just about the books anymore.”  When he said that my heart leapt out of my chest! Now if only he could just say that to Beckett too…

Another development was when Castle and Beckett referred to each other by their first names. Did anyone else notice that?  They NEVER address each other in that way, which made those moments feel all the more intimate.  While this development might not be a huge one it still struck me as progress for these two.

So now that the big kiss and these developments have occurred, what do you guys think will happen next?  Will Beckett and Castle act differently around one another?  Or will they just revert back to their same old bickering routine?

Personally, I’m going to go with the latter (and I’m sure most of you are going with that one too).  The writers know we want them together- so naturally this will get dragged out as long as possible.  And that is okay with me…as long as we get an episode of this caliber every once in awhile.  An episode like this makes it all worth it J.  

Did you guys love this episode as much as I did?  What do you think is to come for the “will they, won’t they” pair?  Chime in below with your thoughts! (By the way in case you couldn’t tell this episode is definitely a WIN)

Who Belongs With Inez Salinger?

So now that Inez is in the clear and the murder storyline appears to be winding down (at least I hope it is) maybe she will finally become involved in a real relationship.  In soap land, nearly every character has a significant other (soaps are after all about relationships) so I would assume the writers are planning on hooking Inez up with someone.  Obviously she won’t be getting paired with Bo or Clint anytime soon, so I really wonder what the future holds for her in terms of love.

Do you guys have any ideas of who Inez should be with?  Share below.

PLL: That Was Supposed To Be A Dance-a-thon Right?

Weird fact about me: When it comes to TV shows I can often let big things slide.  However, little things can really, really bother me.  For example, I love the High School Musical films (don’t judge).  The reason I like them so much is because they fit into a category I refer to as SBIG (So Bad It’s Good).  I’m sure you all have TV shows and movies that fit into that category too. Come on everyone has their guilty pleasures!  When things reach a certain level of ridiculousness (i.e. in HSM when all the characters magically  know all the words to every song) I realize “Okay this is just how this story’s universe works.  For the overall film to work it has to happen this way.” But when things are unnecessarily stupid- then it starts to get on my nerves.

There are plenty of things in Pretty Little Liars that I let slide.  For example, the girls could have taken evidence to the police how many times now?  And if I was in their position I would go to my parents or someone that could help protect me.  Yeah they all have “secrets” but people are dying here.  Anyway, even though the fact that they haven’t gone to any adults yet is well…stupid, deep down I realize that if the girls did that the mystery would be solved faster and the show would end.  So I realize that this dumb thing has to happen in order for the show to work.  So okay I’m cool with that. 

What I’m not cool with is when the writers mess up on small things that could 1) easily be fixed 2) would not hurt the plot if done differently.  For example, in the most recent episode the Pretty Little Liars were supposed to be at a DANCE-A-THON.  Now I’ve never gone to a dance-a-thon myself but I’ve seen plenty on TV.  I’m a die-hard Gilmore Girls fan and I’ve seen the episode where Rory and Lorelai enter the Stars Hollow dance-a-thon more times than I can count.  So despite my lack of personal experience, I have learned by now that the object of a dance-a-thon is to continuously dance. 

Now you probably know what I am going to ask next- how many times during that episode did the girls stop dancing?!  I felt like dancing wasn’t even important and that kids could just come and go on the dance floor whenever they pleased.  I probably wouldn't have thought much of it but the writers even included two scenes where people explained the rules of the dance-a-thon.  Scene 1: When Aria’s mom explains to Aria’s dad how the dance-a-thon works.  Scene two: When the students are told that chaperones would be making sure students were dancing the whole time.  So what was with the girls getting to take constant breaks and being able to leave whenever they deemed necessary?  The writers could have done a better job with that….Yeah I know in the big scheme of things this isn’t a huge deal, but that is why it bothers me!   How hard would it have been for the writers to have made the dance a different theme?  How hard would it have been to have the girls get a certain number of breaks and to work those breaks in like the writers did in Gilmore Girls?  

So while I do love PLL there were certain parts of the last episode that just seemed off to me.  People have also pointed out that the video at the end of the previous episode (Know Your Frenemies) shows Allison falling to the ground with her wrist and bracelet visible to the viewer.  When that same video is replayed at the start of the most recent episode (Careful What U Wish 4) when Allison falls to the ground she is instead wearing a long sleeve t-shirt and her wrist is not visible.  To me this is just sloppy.  So unless there is a major reason behind it I feel like the writers could have done a better job.

So all in all I rate this episode as a TIE.  I did like the story going on and I thought the girls did great in it.  I especially loved seeing Aria get jealous.  But those little things just irritated me a bit too much for me to rate this one a win.  Does anyone agree?  Or am I just being nitpicky?  Were there any parts that bothered you?? Let me know!

HIMYM: Are Comedies Allowed To Be Serious?

How I Met Your Mother had another serious episode this past week, ‘Last Words’.  While the ending didn’t slap us in the face like ‘Bad News’ did (yes I did use slap on purpose) the episode was definitely not one to take lightly.  Now considering HIMYM is my favorite TV show, I read a lot of blogs, tweets, posts (you name it- I probably read it) about it.  I’m always interested to see how fans react to the episodes.  And the fan reaction to these serious episodes is definitely interesting.

When ‘Bad News’ aired people started freaking out.  They didn’t understand why a comedy would have something so sad in it (has no one seen Scrubs?).  Like I said in my last post, people need to realize that How I Met Your Mother tells a story.  Things aren’t sugarcoated for the viewer…ever.  Even when Bob Saget future Ted tries to gloss things over for his kids, the audience still always sees what is actually happening.  Yes we might see sandwiches instead of bongs…but hey we know what is going on.  Anyway, back to my point:  because HIMYM is told as a story it is going to have high points and low points.  That is the main reason why so many people love this show; they can relate to it. 

I recently read an interview with Craig and Carter (I told you I read a lot about this show).  They said that they chose to have one of the characters suffer a major loss because HIMYM covers major milestones…and unfortunately, no matter what your age is, loss of a loved one is typically a milestone most people experience.  I personally love that they included it- like I keep saying it makes the show feel more real.  But anyway enough about that, let’s get back to the show at hand.

When ‘Last Words’ aired I looked around to see what people thought of that episode.  To me it was definitely another tear jerker—I mean come on it was a funeral.  But in my opinion, despite the episode revolving around something so somber, they did it in their classic “HIMYM way.”  Robin was hilarious as Vice Girl.  She literally had everything in that purse (including Crocodile Dundee 3)! I was cracking up when Lily said she was fine because Robin gave her some orange pill and it “really got the juices flowing.”  Also, Ted and Barney handled the situation exactly like you would expect- they tried to make their best friend laugh with immature jokes and live theatre.  Basically the only sad part was Marshall…and again what would you expect? His father just died!  And to me, seeing Jason Segel playing such a serious role makes me appreciate him even more.  He portrayed the loss of his dad so realistically which is the reason I was crying at the end.

So for those of you who didn’t see the last episode and don’t know what happened towards the end (although I don’t know why you would still be reading this if you didn’t see it…I bet you’re highly confused) the theme of the episode was last words.  Marshall was trying to recall the last words his father ever said to him.  He kept remembering random things from his dad’s visit- so he wasn’t quite sure exactly what his dad had last said to him.  But finally, he found out he had a voicemail from his dad- which would truly be the last words spoken from his dad that Marshall would ever hear.

Sidebar- Marshall didn’t get the voicemail because his phone had been dead.  In ‘Bad News’ he uses a cell phone to call his dad, after his dad had already died.  A lot of people thought this was a goof because how could Marshall call his father then and not see there was a voicemail?  Well if you think back he used Ted’s phone to call his dad.  I thought this was a really smooth move by the writers.  I love that they are always thinking ahead!

So Marshall goes back and forth the whole episode deciding whether or not to listen to the message.  Finally when he listens to it, it is a pocket dial.  A freaking pocket dial.  Obviously Marshall flips and Lily cries (so I cried too) which leads to an extremely sad scene.  I’m sure a lot of the anti-serious fans were pretty pissed by this point.  But finally after Marshall basically tells God off, his father’s voice comes through.  He tells Marshall that he loves him…and talks about his foot fungus…but he tells Marshall that he loves him!  It was beautiful.  It was well written.  It was HIMYM. 

Towards the end we see all of the characters call their dads- except for Barney.  Barney calls his mom…but tells her he wants to finally meet his dad.  This is HUGE.  People were upset about this too because they thought it took the spotlight away from Marshall, but it was so heartwarming to me.  Barney has clearly been struggling with this forever, and now this situation finally gives him the push he needs. 

Now as I always say, everyone here is entitled to their own opinions.  I am The TV Referee, not The TV Expert, but I definitely have my own opinion.  I thought this episode was freaking brilliant.  It was funny at times and serious at others.  It had character development.  Like I keep saying it was classic How I Met Your Mother…and to me this episode was a big fat WIN!

PLL: Who I DON'T Think A Is

Just like all loyal fans, as Season 1 of PLL has progressed, I have been thinking more and more about who A might be.  In my head I’ve created a rough list of suspects.  Last night 1 ½ people on that list got crossed off (yes I know it’s not an even number, I’ll get to that).

The one person I completely crossed off my suspect list last night was Noel Kahn.  In my last post I made it pretty clear that I already had my doubts about Noel being A.  Last night only reaffirmed this.  When Noel was caught having stolen test answers, and A sent Aria and the rest of the Liars that text (A is for Alison not Amatuer), it became pretty clear that Noel is definitely not A. First of all that text message seemed to be telling the girls that Noel isn’t A (he does seem rather amateurish).  Second of all, why would Noel turn himself into the principal AND help Aria and Ezra stay together (unless he is trying to throw the PLL off his case…but I really don’t think Noel is that smart)?  So despite coming off fairly creepy in the past few episodes-- to me the way the scene played out simply showed the audience that Noel has only been a red herring.  By the way I absolutely loved that scene.  The looks on Aria and Ezra’s faces when Noel got busted were priceless!  They both looked so relieved, and I felt so happy for them (if you can’t tell I am completely Team Ezra). 

Now I did say last night I crossed 1 ½ people off of my list.  The “½” person I crossed off last night was Maya.  Although Maya seems to make Emily really happy I have always had my suspicions about her.  Does anyone else just get a weird feeling from her?  I’m not even sure why she gives me a weird feeling…for all I know it could just be the way the actress portrays her… but I have never really trusted Maya (even though yesterday I will say her and Emily were really cute!).   Yesterday I kept trying to look for clues to prove that Maya is A.  Instead of finding incriminating evidence against her though, I only found evidence supporting her innocence.  At the end of the episode, A is clearly watching the PLL and Maya through the window of Spencer’s house.  Since Maya is with the PLL during this, it is rather impossible that she could be A (how can someone be in two places at once?). 

However, like I said, she is only halfway off my list.  Why? The Pretty Little Liars have mentioned in the past that A might be more than one person.  If this is true, it is possible that while Maya (A #1) was inside talking to the girls, her partner in crime (A #2) was outside spying and waiting to meet up with Maya.  After all when Maya left Spencer’s house she did seem to walk right over to the spot where “A” was standing.  Also even though Maya claims she is being sent to rehab camp by her parents, maybe this is all just a ruse that will allow her more time to spy on the girls...maybe she is the one who suggested she should go to rehab to get her parents off her case and is instead lurking around Rosewood stalking the PLL's every move!  Now I admit this theory sounds really out there so that’s why Maya is for the most part off my list of suspects.  What motive would she have to destroy the PLL anyway?  But hey this is a crazy show, so anything is possible.  Also, the only reason I am in any way supporting this crazy theory, is because I think Maya is smart and capable of something this extreme (unlike Noel who unfortunately comes off like an idiot to me).

Did anyone get crossed off your suspect list last night? Did anyone get added to it?  I’m starting to hear theories that people think A might be Aria’s brother….do you agree?

Oh and how bad did you feel for Toby last night :( ? I'm happy Spencer saw him though...maybe this will give her a little more insight into who he really is.

So Who Really Killed Eddie Ford?

Okay One Life to Live fans- by now I’m sure this question has crossed your mind a LOT.  I know I have thought about it quite a bit and as of right now I have two prime suspects: Nora and Clint.

Why not Inez?  I see her as a very weak character.  I honestly can’t see her murdering someone…for heaven’s sake she almost passed out just drugging Bo’s beer!  Also, she loves her boys more than anything.   I could never see her let Nate take the fall for something she did.  If anything she already feels guilty enough for abandoning her first two children..she wouldn't screw over her third.  I think OLTL has only been using her as a red herring. 

Now let me explain why I think the killer is either Nora or Clint.  Let’s examine Nora first.  Here are some pieces of evidence I have against her.

1) Nora was not with anyone at the time that Eddie was killed (therefore no alibi to prove that she didn’t do it). 

2) When she was with Rex earlier that night she was not being herself at all.  She was clearly in shock and suffering severe mental trauma which could have easily caused her to go over the edge.

3) She does not remember anything that happened after the car crash took place.

To me these three things really suggest that Nora did it.  I mean, if she doesn't even remember what she did the night Eddie was killed, obviously no one else does. And if she did kill Eddie it would make sense that she would block it out.  But for some reason all of this seems too obvious to me (then again this is a soap opera).

Now on to Clint- clearly Clint has gone to the dark side.  I’m not even going to provide examples because as of now there are just too many to talk about.  Hell, he has even made me feel bad for Matthew lately and trust me right now I am not Matthew’s biggest fan.  Anyway here are my reasons for why I think the killer might be Clint:

1) At this moment in time, killing Eddie seems like a very "Clint thing" to do (I know that probably sounds like a lame reason but seriously the guy is a douchebag).  

2) Perhaps in some sick twisted way he would think killing Eddie would give him more leverage over Inez (allow him to blackmail her more by threatening to incriminate her children).  

Although these are the two reasons that have been making me suspicious of Clint, nothing really stuck out to me as hard evidence against Clint until today.  When he was on the phone towards the end of the episode and said that he wanted to “make sure Nate was put away,” it really struck me as an odd thing for him to say.  If Clint didn’t kill Eddie, why would he care who did?  That statement alone made me really suspicious of him….

Anyway those are my reasons for why I think the killer is either Nora or Clint.  Do you agree, or is there someone else in Llanview you think is responsible?  Comment below!

PS. When will they wrap up this baby paternity story….?  I was so ready for Natalie to finally tell John and then when she decided to just “keep it between her and her nameless son” I wanted to strangle somebody.  

PLL: What was the clue Norman Buckley was talking about on Twitter?

So anyone who follows Pretty Little Liars director Norman Buckley on Twitter, probably noticed him mention yesterday that there was going to be a subtle clue in last night’s episode (btw if you don’t follow him you should-->  @norbuck).  Of course as soon as he said that us fans started to go crazy.  So he told us:

        

          1) To calm down because the clue would only make sense in retrospect  

          2) Not to kill ourselves looking for the clue because it would only be a single subtle shot  

Well naturally I didn’t listen to his advice and was constantly on edge the entire episode wondering what scene had “the clue.” Because he said the clue was going to be subtle I completely disregarded anything blatant.  For example, I am pretty positive A is not going to be Noel.  It just seems too obvious and the show is already known for throwing curveballs at us.  Although it was weird when Noel crossed out his C and wrote an A...

Now I’ve only had time to watch the episode once, but I did want to go back and rewatch the party scene.  I want to pay closer attention to who was around the kitchen (in particular the cabinets with the pasta boxes) since A was obviously able to get his/her hands on the cash Hannah’s mom stole.   Did any of you notice anything fishy about the scenes in the kitchen?  I definitely think there is some clue potential there…

Aside from the party, the only other part of the episode that I can think of that might allow for a subtle clue when Noel calmly talks to threatens Ezra.  During that scene you can see writing on the chalkboard behind Ezra.  I really wanted to pause the scene so I could read exactly what the board said, but I was watching with my mom and she would not have been too pleased if I paused mid-episode.  The only reason I am curious about the writing on the chalkboard is because of the time when the students had a “substitute teacher” who wrote her name on that very board—Ms. Shephard.   Well since the lady playing the substitute was Sara Shephard, the author of the books, obviously the chalk board was being used to point something out to us.  So maybe that same chalk board is trying to tell us something now…

Anyway, what are your opinions on last night’s episode?  Did you catch any clues?   Do you have a theory on who A might be?  Do you think Hannah’s mom is a complete nutcase?  And by the way, how cute were Alex and Spencer?? That is until he went psycho because of A…. so it goes. 

How I Met Your Mother Ep 6.13: Bad News

So although I feel a bit rusty (being away from blogging for so long) there is nothing better than a GREAT episode of TV to get me going again!  This past week’s episode of How I Met Your Mother (Bad News) was incredible.  I completely agree with the many fans who thought this episode felt like an episode of Scrubs.  It beautifully intertwined comedy and drama, something that many shows are not capable of. 

One of the reasons I loved Scrubs so much, is because although it constantly made you laugh, it was also very real.  It dealt with dense issues (such as your dad or best friend dying) which made it extremely relatable to viewers.  Although How I Met Your Mother and Scrubs are obviously very different shows (I mean one takes place in a hospital and one takes place in a bar…) there are definitely striking similarities.  And one of those similarities is that both shows have heart.

Now anyway before I get too wrapped up in talking about Scrubs, I am going to switch gears back to the real topic of this post- How I Met Your Mother.  In Monday night’s episode, HIMYM did something very unique- they had a countdown. The numbers 1-50 appeared subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) throughout the episode in descending order.  While many fans missed this entirely, the fans who did catch on were all thinking the same thing- “What the hell is this countdown for?” The episode mainly dealt with Marshall and Lily have problems trying to conceive.  So considering the episode was titled “Bad News” it would make sense that many of the viewers thought that the countdown was to the obvious Bad News- that either Marshall or Lily would be unable to conceive.  Here’s the kicker though- the bad news had nothing to do with Marshall and Lily’s future baby…it had to do with Marshall’s dad.  At the end of the episode a curve ball is thrown and the audience learns that the lovable Mr. Erickson has died of a heart attack, something no one saw coming (sidebar- Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel’s acting in this scene was BRILLIANT).

Now this plot twist caused a variety of reactions from fans.  Some fans like me were sad, but thought that the way the episode was written was genius.  The story was told in such a way that when the bad news was delivered, we felt the same pain and shock the characters felt- which I think was the point.  But some of the fans were extremely angry.  Tweets were quickly posted saying how HIMYM is supposed to be a comedy, and that something so depressing is uncalled for.  Now while I understand this argument, people have to understand that HIMYM isn’t all rainbows and sunshine.  Like I said in the beginning of this post, HIMYM is real- and that is what a large portions of its fan base respects about it.  I will give the nay sayers the fact that this scene was exceptionally sad due in part to the fact that seeing Alyson Hannigan cry is like having your heart ripped out and torn into a million pieces- and hearing Jason Segel say how he “is not ready for this” is like seeing a dog get hit by car (okay maybe not that bad but still).  Although I fully agree that this scene was horribly upsetting…the reason for this is because of the relationship we fans have developed with these characters.

The only thing I am remotely upset about is the fact that we now have to wait two weeks before another episode airs.  I am dying to see how the characters handle this.  These characters feel like friends of mine, and I am so sad for them and feel so much for Marshall.  While some people might not respect that a comedy has employed such an emotionally devastating tactic, to me that is simply the mark of an excellent show.

So as you can already guess, I definitely proclaim this episode a WIN.  What about you guys? Do you think this episode was well played- or do you think HIMYM should not have done something so heartbreaking?  Or maybe you think that the plot line is okay but that the show should have handled it in a less gut wrenching way?  Please share your opinions, I love reading them!

Long Time No Blog

Hi all.  I know, long time no blogging, I apologize for that.  Not to get too personal (since this blog is for TV opinions after all and not my life story) but my life has been pretty chaotic lately.  I recently moved out of my apartment in Temecula and started a new 9-5 job in San Diego.  Between the holidays, moving, and adjusting to my new work schedule, I haven’t had much time to write.  Now that things are calming down though this will definitely be changing.  I am excited to get back on track and to continue doing what I love- watching and writing about TV.  I definitely plan on getting multiple blog posts up this week- so I hope you all are excited for some new material!  I know I am J