Maybe I’ve been conditioned to expect a cliffhanger at the end of a season finale, maybe I’m just used to actually enjoying season finales recently. That’s why I don’t feel fulfilled by the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy. That’s not to say that things didn’t happen, they did. Christina and Burke broke up, as did Meredith and Derek, George failed his intern exam and is no longer a surgeon, Alex(with coaching from Addison) realized that he loved Ava, Callie ripped Izzy’s heart out by letting her in on her plans to have kids with George, Adelle lost her baby, oh and Callie won Chief Resident destroying poor Bailey. So yeah, LOTS of things happened but they just didn’t have the emotional punch they should have.What’s really annoying is that Grey’s seems to have gotten in the habit of setting up a plot-line and then taking the easy way out. They set up the fight for the Chief resident and then Derek just says no when the Chief offers him the job. They set up Meredith and Derek to be an epic couple, then have Derek act like an act for the better part of the season and then they try to make him the good guy in the end? He told Meredith he was all in, yet he also said flirting with the ‘other woman.’ On paper I should be sympathizing with Derek but instead I pretty much detest his character. I have no sympathy for him or his emotional issues. Sure he can gaze and look all dreamy but is he really? I think not.

Of course there’s one big shocker, the identity of that other woman Derek flirted with. The same girl just happens to walk into intern change-room and introduces herself to George as….wait for it…..Lexie GREY. Yeah, they went there. Derek was flirting with Meredith’s little sister. HER LITTLE SISTER. Words can’t describe how angry that reveal made me. This pretty much counts as the last straw.

There was once a time when I trusted the writers of Grey’s Anatomy to take me wherever they wanted. Now I consider watching the show a chore. This is why I can confidently say that I won’t be a regular viewer of Grey’s Anatomy next season. That’s not to say I intend to stop watching the show, because I can’t imagine doing that. I’ve watched Grey’s Anatomy since the pilot episode and was promoting it to friends and colleagues when it was just the show after Desperate Housewives, so letting go of it isn’t exactly easy but with a ridiculously crowded Thursday night it’s not as hard as one would think.

Popularity: 21% [?]

The miniature killer is Lizzie Miller? DAMN. Turns out Natalie, played by The Nine(I miss that show!!!) veteran Jessica Collins, was the foster child of Ernie O’Dell, who Gill took down. So the recent killings were to challenge Gill. Oh, Natalie’s insane, like vacant eyes, throw your little sister off the doll house crazy. But I guess a serial killer kind of has to be. While stalking one of the crime scenes she was able to see that Grissom and Sara were more than just coworkers. Don’t you just love it when the serial killer is more perceptive than all of the coworkers? Natalie, being the female Michael Myers that she is, saw the chance to get back at Grissom. The season ended with Gill desperately trying to find out from Natalie where Sara is as Sara’s dying under a car.

Really, that’s it? CSI meticulously planned this miniature killer arc with the end result being a Sara cliffhanger? That seems…..odd. And by odd I mean stupid. Too bad Jorja Fox’s contract negotiations pretty much spoiled this plot weeks ago.

This is the second underwhelming finale of the night. Looks like I’m relying on the NBC comedies to up the ante.

Popularity: 32% [?]

How great was The Office last night? Seriously, how great? If you didn’t love every minute of it I advise you to turn away now because I sure as hell did.

Highlights:

* Creed’s blog.(which actually exists over at NBC)
* Meredith explaining how her gentlemen like it behind.
* Jan’s new lady lumps.
* Kevin. Every single thing even did.
* The Stanley Nickels v. Schrute Bucks.
* Karen rightfully exclaiming, ‘Pam’s a bitch!’
* Angela’s ecstatic, ‘Goodbye, Kelly Lapoor.’ No one makes a better Lady McBeth than Angela Kinsey.
* The surprising emotional resonance that Pam’s note(with the Olympic medal) had to Jim(and myself).
* Michael’s absolute horror in the car ride home with Jan. He knows he’s trapped and there’s nothing he can do about it.
* And the final moment with Ryan, in skeezeball glory, not even looking at Kelly. ‘You and me. We’re done.’

I assumed we’d get some sort of Jim and Pam romantic moment this episode was I was truly shocked when Jim interrupted her talking head to ask her out. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t have a smile on my face as wide as Pam’s when that moment went down. Even more pitch perfect, the absolute honesty they shared with one another during the flashback. It’s great to see two characters truly comfortable with being truthful to one another. Sure, as Pam said, it took 3 years but you know it’ll be a fun ride next season. I personally can’t wait for the scene of Jan in stretch-pants waiting for Michael at 5:15.

Congrats need to go out to Melora Hardin for being able to disguise the absolute BatShitCraziness of Jan. I never understood why Jan wanted Michael so much until tonight. She is the female Michael Scott. Same congrats for Jenna Fischer, who with a single talking head broke my heart and made me jump for joy. That smile was infectious.

Popularity: 23% [?]

It’s episodes like this that remind me why I love Lost so much. I am willing to say that this episode was perfect. Perfect. I love seeing how meticulous the crew at Lost is when setting up their season enders. Plus it was great to see some old favourites back in action. Remember that hilarious scene with Locke and Rousseau over dynamite a few episodes ago? Turns out Danielle’s in cahoots with Jack and Juliet to defeat The Others. Also returning this episode, Bernard, Rose and Carl.Charlie’s flashbacks counted down the 5 top moments of his life. The first time he hears DriveShaft on the radio, Charlie learning how to swim, getting a family heirloom from his brother(that he would later leave to Aaron), saving a woman from getting robbed(it was Nadia!) and finally his #1, meeting Claire for the first time.

When Sayid discovers that Naomi’s satellite phone signal is being jammed by the Others he needs a volunteer to go dismantle the signal. Jack, knowing it’s a death mission shuts Sayid down. Charlie volunteers because he realizes it’s his prophesy to turn the switch and disable the jammer. Ben returns from ‘killing’ Locke, and he’s pissed. He orders Richard and the others to prepare to go that night to get the women. Ben’s obviously not there anymore. He’s unfocused and willing to kill easier than usual. Or maybe it’s just that now we’re aware that Ben is BatShitCrazy and we can look at him from a different perspective. Alex, upon realizing her fake daddy’s plan tells Carl to go warn the Losties. He does and they alter their plan of attack. Except now a few people have to stay behind to shoot/ignite dynamite while everyone else goes with Rousseau up to the radio tower.

The episode ends with Charlie swimming down to the underwater hatch only to realize he’s not going to drown, the hatch isn’t flooded. As he jumps out of the water and onto the hatch, screaming in excitement two women come barreling at him with guns. He’s not alone.

Lately flashbacks of original characters have been wearing thin on me, but Charlie’s worked great this week. If next week brings the end to Charlie’s story it won’t feel rushed. He kissed Claire and got the girl, told his surrogate son that he loved him and proved Nadia right by being a hero and knocking Desmond out and swimming down to the hatch. Charlie knows that if he dies, he died saving Claire and Aaron. You can’t get a better end than that. That’s not saying that it won’t be bittersweet, because it will. When I started watching the show I wasn’t a fan of Dominic Monaghan’s stubbly little hobbit but now I love Charlie.

I’d have to say the teaser of Jack describing his plan for The Others was definitely one of the most exciting of the season. You could feel the tension rising, the confusion, and the need for the Losties to have a true leader. Sawyer didn’t seem to have a problem with Jack taking control but Sayid felt it was important to remind him that if he’s the leader, ‘he must act like one.’ Jack eventually acknowledged his status and accepted the responsibility, but he’s still an annoying ass. He’s also remarkably flawed, particularly since he had to be reminded by Sayid that the ultimate goal was getting off the Island, not just getting revenge. That’s what happens when you spend so much time with Juliet.

It’s obvious big things are coming for Lost. Not just the final battle with The Others but maybe something even greater. It’d be hard to imagine the Losties not being on the island but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them do get off, while others are left behind. If the producers stick to their vision of 3, 16 episode seasons I think we’re in for a great ride. As for next week, I haven’t anticipated a season finale this much in years. I’m so excited for it that I don’t even care that the next new episode will be 10 months away.

Favourite Quotes:
‘They know Carl, but thanks!’ -Juliet
‘I like you better since you got back Jack. You’re almost an optimist.’ -Rose

Popularity: 23% [?]

Ouch, this one’s gotta hurt. Remember all those rumours that Veronica Mars would flash forward 4 years to get to the good stuff? The CW didn’t want to let a good idea go to waste now that Veronica’s dead. Turns out they’re gonna use the idea for One Tree Hill instead. Apparently they didn’t think the current OTH storylines of marriage, stalkers and all around craziness were very high school. You just know The Chad is still gonna be all emo. Oh god, and Brooke will really be a fashion designer. Dan will of course be running the world.

Wait…..I totally just outed myself as someone who watches OTH occasionally. Umm, I’m not stupid…really, I’m not!

Popularity: 17% [?]

SPOILER WARNING, SPOILER WARNING

So I wasn’t going to post this video here just because it appears to spoil something pretty big. Something delusional fangirls care about very much. As always with a trailer, take it with a grain of salt. Whatever happens next week is going to be huge, and I think Jack’s choice of words will be one of the smallest reveals.

Popularity: 16% [?]

The best series finales are the ones that go out without a bang, as if it were just a regular episode. Everybody Loves Raymond comes to mind. Gilmore Girls took the bigger is better approach, even if bigger was in fact painful to watch at times.Rory met her idol Christiane Amanpour who gave Rory her card to ‘stay in touch’. It was ridiculously preposterous, an event that could only happen to Rory Gilmore. Later she got her dream job, reporting from the campaign trail of Barack Obama.

Lorelai felt like a supporting character at times since everything revolved around Rory’s goodbye. That’s not to say that Lauren Graham didn’t hit it out of park every chance she got, because she did. Her best scene had no words with Lorelai just crying by Rory’s bedside as she came to the realization that her little girl was gone. It was poignant, painful and the only scene that brought tears to my eyes. Lorelai got her happy ending too, with Luke of course. Upon being told by Sookie that Luke was the reason the Goodbye Rory party happened, Lorelai went to thank him, things got emotional and they both ended up embracing. They’ll get their middle, just not the way fans had hoped.

It was touching to see Rory tell Lorelai that she had given her everything she would need. And indeed she had. Even Richard remarked that Rory’s goodbye party was a testament to Lorelai’s success. It’s hard to imagine a better TV mother than Lorelai Gilmore, especially since she was played with such brilliance by Lauren Graham. The show ended, just as it began, with the girls in the diner with Luke in the background. It was truly the only appropriate way for it to end. The highlights were the things that didn’t change. Babbette got a crazy monologue about her ankles, Kirk talked about his DJing job in college (Kirk went to college?) and Emily stayed true to form critiquing Lorelai’s clothes in her final scene. If the show had had more genuine moments like this then I wouldn’t have had such a negative reaction. Random question: where the hell was Paris? I’m sorry but a series finale without Paris is inexcusable, even if she is supposed to be in India with Doyle.

Yes, I’m going to miss the show now that it’s gone, but I’m not going to miss the Gilmore Girls that would have happened in season 8. I’m going to miss the Gilmore Girls that I loved in Seasons 1 – 4. Those girls were strong, smart and not afraid to be themselves. Those were the girls that I fell in love with when I first watched the pilot episode and those are the girls that I’ll fondly remember.

Popularity: 22% [?]

(N=New, NT=New Time, all times ET/PT)

MONDAY8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
8:30-9:00 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY (N)
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:30-10:00 PM RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM THE UNIT
10:00-11:00 PM CANE (N)

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM KID NATION (N)
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
10:00-11:00 PM WITHOUT A TRACE (NT)

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM GHOST WHISPERER
9:00-10:00 PM MOONLIGHT (N)
10:00-11:00 PM NUMB3RS

SATURDAY

8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS: MYSTERY

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM VIVA LAUGHLIN (N)
9:00-10:00 PM COLD CASE
10:00-11:00 PM SHARK (NT)

Thoughts:
Another network playing it safe. CBS’s schedule is just well…boring. It’s nice to see Without a Trace back where it belongs at 10pm on Thursday. I used to watch that show but then it moved to Sunday and now I have no clue what’s going on character wise. Ever since X-Files I’ve been weary of watching a TV show on Sundays. It’s a trust thing. Swingtown sounds like a The Ice Storm meets Desperate Housewife but it’s got Molly Parker so I’ll give it a shot. Grant Show doesn’t hurt either. Kid Nation’s premise is that they’ll take 40 kids of varying ages into a deserted town to rebuild it….is that legal? Does it make anyone else think of the set-up for a bad horror movie? The Big Bang Theory doesn’t exactly sound full of laughs. Plus, I’ve never exactly been a Kaley Cuoco fan. Viva Laughlin sounds interesting but rumours have been circulating recently that Rob Thomas has been offered the gig to run the show after Veronica Mars is officially axed. So all I can say to that poor show is good luck.

Popularity: 14% [?]

MONDAY:8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars”
9:30 p.m. “Sam I Am” (new comedy series)
10:00 p.m. “The Bachelor”

TUESDAY:

8:00 p.m. “Cavemen” (new comedy series)
8:30 p.m. “Carpoolers” (new comedy series)
9:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
10:00 p.m. “Boston Legal”

WEDNESDAY:

8:00 p.m. “Pushing Daisies” (new drama series)
9:00 p.m. “Private Practice” (new drama series)
10:00 p.m. “Dirty Sexy Money” (new drama series)

THURSDAY:

8:00 p.m. “Ugly Betty”
9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
10:00 p.m. “Big Shots” (new drama series)

FRIDAY:

8:00 p.m. “MEN IN TREES”
9:00 p.m. “Women’s Murder Club” (new drama series)
10:00 p.m. “20/20?

SATURDAY:

8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”

SUNDAY:

7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”

“Cashmere Mafia,” “Notes from the Underbelly” and “October Road” will premiere after “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Bachelor” conclude their fall seasons.

Thoughts:

Seems like ABC has the same attitude as NBC by putting Men in Trees on Friday Nights. For a show they claim to love and renewed so early it has certainly been getting the shaft the past few months. ABC’s slate doesn’t really look that much better than NBC’s. Private Practice is on Wednesdays at 9 but without a lead in of any kind it should be interesting to see how it does. ABC doesn’t claim to be for quality like NBC does, hence why October Road, the worst written show I’ve seen in a very long time is back to torture us some more. Surprisingly, there’s no announced time slot for Lost but I guess ABC’s under the assumption that by the time lost premieres in February 08 that there will be lots of gaps to fill. No Traveler either. Sucks that they got one airing before they knew they were canceled. That’s a cold move usually reserved for a show on Fox.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Tonight rings in the series finale of Gilmore Girls, titled Bon Voyage. The ending is bittersweet for this blogger. I’ve watched Gilmore Girls since the pilot episode. I initially tuned in because I saw this funny actress on a show called MYOB, back in the days when I thought NBC could do no wrong. That show died quicker than a drama on Fox but while watching The Creek a few months later I saw a promo for a new show featuring that same woman. I didn’t know her name yet. That show was Gilmore Girls and the woman that caught my attention was Lauren Graham.I feel in love with the show. It was smart, quirky and tested my pop culture skills. Plus, I was the same age as Rory, in the same grade, going through largely the same problems. For years I was a loyal fan, convinced the show could do no wrong. I always had my favourites, Lorelai over Rory especially. In hindsight I don’t think I ever liked Rory’s character, she was just someone for Lorelai to react off of. I loved the town. Stars Hollow was a magical place where everyone was witty, where troubadours did it for the art and where drinking coffee at the diner was pretty much a religion.

Gilmore Girls was always there. Even if I didn’t watch it(and I didn’t half of Season 7), I knew it was still there. That one show from my childhood, a touchstone of sorts. So as it passes it’s bittersweet for me. Creatively, the show is currently nothing less than a disaster. Since Season 5, it hasn’t been the same, consumed by the toxic combination of romantic relationships and conflict to boost ratings. Season 6 brought April, Season 7, the Lorelai and Christopher marriage, undoubtedly the two biggest creative mistakes the show would make. The Gilmore Girls I grew up with haven’t existed for a few years, sure they talked the same on this new show, but they were not the same. Even so I hoped for a renewal, not only for the characters to get their ‘middle’, but to have that show that made me feel like I was 15 again.

So despite all the negativity in recent months I’d be hard pressed to say that Gilmore Girls will go down as anything less than one of my favourite shows. Sure, it wasn’t smooth sailing the entire way, but the good relationships never are. Where they led, I followed and I don’t regret it for a moment.

Come back later tonight for a full episode recap and review.

Popularity: 16% [?]