To Skin Her Or Not To

And here's another TV jumble of the stuff I have been watching the last fortnight.

V: I don't know why but I am actually enjoying this series a lot. Yes, there have been better updates on classic sci-fi shows but for some reason, I think this one is really finding itself rather nicely. The last two episodes have certainly seen Anna at her gloriously manipulative best, all the while trying to prove Diana wrong at every turn and it's nice to see how desperate Lisa is becoming to not turn out like her mother. The fifth column stuff took a gory turn with Erica and company's torture of a Visitor agent (even I had a hard time watching those scenes) but overall, I am really hoping that this show actually pulls a miracle and bags a third year. I can wish, right?

Desperate Housewives: Oh, Beth Young - I started off not liking you and over the last few episodes, feeling quite bad for you. The housewives were bitches to you, your husband callously delighted in telling you he killed your aunt and your mother heartlessly disowned you. Beth's solution to all these woes - shoot herself in the hospital so that Susan can get a kidney. Pretty strange way of going about things but not for this show. And to be fair, this was also in an episode where Susan and Mike shagged in the woods, Gabby and Lee competed with their kids in a talent show, Lynette pulled a childish prank on Renee and Bree basically bullied everyone into getting tested for Susan. The funny part was that this was also the second episode of the season as well as being the show's 150th episode too. Imagine that!

The Walking Dead: It's weird how long it's actually taken me to watch this show. FXUK have aired it twice already and Channel 5 started it on Sunday, so I finally decided to catch up with it. Was it worth it? I guess so. There was a lot I liked here - the main cast are likeable, Andrew Lincoln is a good everyman hero type with Rick Grimes, the zombies look great and there's a genuine menace in the air as a result of their invasion, so overall, I think I could be hooked to this show. The next couple of episodes will be the decider for me.

Shameless US: I'm going to have to eat some humble pie here because for over the last few weeks, the US version of this popular Brit one has actually gotten better. The cast have certainly found their groove (okay, maybe not Steve/Jimmy but everyone else has) and the stories being retold are working very well too. Also, while the image of a punked out Karen shagging Frank and putting it online is one that I can easily do without (along with this version of Monica, whose as bad as her UK counterpart), I am rather pleased that this series has gotten a second run. I like Kash way more in this one than in the UK one and Kevin/Veronica are definitely the better pairing in this show too.

Being Human US: Not a bad slew of final episodes here and like Shameless US, this one has certainly come leaps and bounds as well. I'm glad that the series went and bumped off Marcus, Rebecca and Bishop like the UK one did but I am surprised that we're getting the werewolf baby plot with Josh/Nora so quickly, given that we have yet to see the fruits of both George and Nina's labours. As a gang though, Josh, Aidan, Sally and Nora are also coming along rather nicely too and I did like the subplots of Aidan's relationship with Selene as well.

Boardwalk Empire: This series really seemed to go by so quickly, didn't it? I watch pretty much most of the first season as I could and I definitely got why the show has become as acclaimed as it had been. The characters are certainly rich and multi-layered and if we ever needed a successor to The Sopranos, then this show certainly fills that void and the last scene with Nucky and Margaret was an interesting ending for the first year.

- Jonathan Groff is reprising his role as Jesse for three episodes in the last throes of the second season of Glee. Holly will also be singing Adele's Tuning Tables when the show returns next week.
- Expect another child added to the Walker clan as well as the return of Tyler in the last four episodes of Brothers And Sisters. Plus an incredibly terrible retcon concerning Sarah.
- Robert Sheehan will not be returning for the third season of Misfits. Instead a new character called Rudi will be introduced, though the role has yet to be cast.
- Desperate Housewives will be coming back for an eighth season, according to new reports and Vanessa Williams will also be sticking with the series.
- Kathy Griffin will be guest starring in an upcoming episode of Drop Dead Diva.
- An advertising company have had to apologise after placing ads for The Walking Dead next to a funeral parlour.

Red Rain

And here are some more highlights over the last few weeks ... V: I watched most of the first season on and off because after a rather good start, this show kind of became a little middle of the road. The first episode of Season 2 that aired last Thursday served well enough catching people up with the basic premise of lizard alien creatures Visitors pretending to be of peace but at the same using healing centres, blue energy and now red sky and rain as weapons for turning the Earth into a breeding ground. Erica and the 5th column really do need to get off their backsides and be a little more assertive in trying to tackle Anna and her race but the most discussion worthy of this episode was obviously the return of Dianna from the original series, imprisoned in this one as Anna's mother. Here's hoping Jane Badler gets some good moments to shine. Grey's Anatomy: Season Seven has also been something I've been watching off and on and to be honest, I've never been the biggest die hard fan of this show. It can be entertaining but it also be damn frustrating and this episode that aired on ABC and RTE2 within the last week maintained that. This has been a season devoid of Izzie, no baby for Meredith and Derek, a speedy marriage for Cristina and Owen, more developing for Jackson, April and Teddy and their various love interests and apparently one where Alex wants to date a snarky girl named Lucy and Bailey's screwing a sexist nurse named Elijah. Even more frustrating is that Callie/Mark/Arizona have become a source of tedium now that Mark has gotten Callie pregnant and Arizona's mission on the show is to look pissed off all the time. The girly baby shower aside, who didn't see both Callie and Arizona winding up in a car crash? This week's musical episode should be interesting or disastrous. Desperate Housewives: Ah, now there's some needed improvement. The last two episodes saw Bree and Keith breaking up as the latter grappled with becoming a father, Lynette gaining and losing a father in law in a short space of time as well as the show reminding us for the billionth time how pathetic the men in her life are, Carlos and Gabby trying harder to deal with their loss of Grace, Susan gaining a stalker but no kidney and some development on Paul, Zach and Beth but not nearly enough sadly. Still, there's some improvement. Skins US: While I side with most people criticising this show, I actually thought the last two episodes of this were rather decent. Tea finally faced up to her responsibilities with both Tony and Betty, Abbud and Daisy's relationship deepened, Stanley and Cadie did a great version of Shout and there's a mildly interesting triangle with them and Michelle while Tina and Eura got decent centric episodes, with Tina actually having to suffer consequences for her relationship with Chris, thanks to a spiteful Dave. Only Chris and Tony didn't seem to fare as well from these ones though. I still can't warm to Tony and I've been somewhat put off Chris in this one too. Being Human US: It's taking me longer to watch the episodes and when I do, I'm liking them but I'm not being impressed by them. Which is odd, because the writing has gotten better, the acting is definitely tighter and the shows attempts of fleshing out Bishop, doing the dog fights and dealing with Bernie's death have all been handled nicely but I don't have the same emotional connection to any of these characters as I do with the UK series. Maybe it's time I realised that this version isn't for me. White Van Man: Another week, another BBC3 comedy series being dolled out. It's not a bad one but it's not a great one either. Will Mellor is good enough in the role of a guy taking on his dad's business and lusting after a woman who is literally the Doctor's daughter and soon to be wife in real life but I guess it's just not my bag, show wise, though some of the supporting cast show promise.
- AMC have confirmed that Mad Men will not return for a fifth season until 2012.
- Glee's April 26th episode on FOX will be a 90 minute episode that will feature Lady Gaga's Born This Way in it. An Adele song may also appear in the second season's last few episodes.
- Both Elizabeth Mitchell and Jeremy Irons will appear in an upcoming episode of Law And Order: SVU.
- Fringe has been renewed for a fourth season.
- John Rothman, Cristine Rose have been cast as Cooper's parents while Tess Harper has been cast as Charlotte's mother as they all take part in the couple's upcoming wedding in Private Practice.
- Shonda Rhimes has promised that this season's finale to Grey's Anatomy will be a more quiet affair compared to the previous year.
- Balthazar Getty and Sonia Braga will be both back for the finale for Brothers And Sisters.

Give It Up For An Original Song That Is

And here's a jumble of some of the stuff I've been watching over the last few weeks ...

Being Human US: I need to catch up with the ninth episode (and I will) but episodes seven and eight are showing me that the show can improve. Dedicating one episode to Josh's family and Sally's attempts of getting Bridgette away from Danny was good but the other episode's attempt of retooling the paedophile storyline from the UK series wasn't as successful. The cast are gelling better with each other and Josh's developing relationship with Nora is a nice piece of normalcy for the series as well but Bishop isn't drawing me the same way that Herrick would do in the UK show and Aidan needs to be darker. He's too twee at the moment.

Desperate Housewives: Oh Lordy, we're in a dearth of uninteresting plots. You know something it worrying about a series when you have Gabby using a doll to cope with her grief as the strong point. The rest has been rubbish - I didn't care for Lynette's passive aggressive attempts of getting back at Tom and nor do I care for her mother's racist new boyfriend. Similarly, Susan's kidney plot is tedious, Renee still isn't gelling that well as a character, Bree just became a massive bitch by concealing Keith's kid from him and the return of Zach isn't doing much right now to kickstart this storyline with Paul and Beth. Damn it, show, get a flipping move on already. I don't want to be bored by you.

Glee: I've already kind of talked about the last two episodes pretty extensively already but keeping things simple, I loved the sex education courtesy of Holly and I loved that New Directions actually won for a change at Regionals, so for me, these last two episodes have been a blast. While I also think Santana's realisation of her feelings have been better handled than Blaine suddenly fancying Kurt, the show should be praised for forwarding these storylines at long last. Now if only Finn could grow a backbone and pick between Rachel and Quinn and Sue could suffer some actual consequences for her monstrous behaviour, then everything will be right with this show.
Modern Family: I haven't been catching up on this as much as I should have but the last episode I watched was the one with Chloe from 24 in it and I enjoyed it. Often I find Cameron and Mitchell too stereotypical for my liking but I really liked this episode. I sort of guessed that the child that Mitchell thought he fathered would end up being his ex-girlfriend rather short boyfriend but it was handled pretty well and I might try and make more of an effort to try and watch the remainder of the season.

Skins UK: Ah, not one but two great final episodes. I love the way certain fans went apeshit over the idea of Grace and Rich actually getting engaged. I knew they wouldn't actually tie the knot and even if they had, it wouldn't have bothered me. This finale managed to be better than either finale the second generation had and while I'm not keen on a pairing between Franky and Matty, I really am finding it interesting that Mini's attitude towards Franky has dramatically changed since the start of the season. I just hope that low ratings aside, we do get a sixth year so this lot can be seen out in style.

Skins US: I need to catch up with Tina's episode but both Michelle and Daisy's ones were enjoyable, surprisingly. Or maybe I'll just never tire of seeing Tony getting socked by Michelle, regardless of incarnation but either way, this show is improving. Michelle's episode was pretty faithful to it's UK version but Daisy's deviated quite a lot from the Jal one it was inspired by. I'm not sure about Daisy and Abbud but seeing as he's improved greatly as a character, I'll keep an open mind. I hope the last two are great.

- Kristin Chenowith and Leslie Bibb are amongst the actresses signed up for a new ABC series called Good Christian Bitches about a woman who returns to her old town after her marriage collapses.
- Being Human US has been picked up for a second season while the UK version has deservedly bagged a fourth year.
- Matthew Morrison has revealed that he thinks both Will and Emma will eventually get together in Glee. Meanwhile watch for Sue assembling her own legion of doom against Will towards the end of the season.
- It's been revealed that Season 4 of True Blood will take place a year after the events of the previous year.
- Jeri Ryan will be guest starring in Law And Order: Criminal Intent soon.
- Sonia Braga will be reprising her role as Gabriella for the season finale of Brothers And Sisters.
- Andrew Lincoln has revealed the second season of The Walking Dead will be more emotionally charged.
- Merlin has now been picked for a fourth season of 13 episodes instead of 10 as originally reported.

My Review of Being Human's 3x08: "The Wolf Shaped Bullet"

Written by Toby Whithouse
Directed by Daniel O’Hara

Mitchell (to George/Nina/Annie): “Thank you, all of you. You made me human.”

Wow, just bloody wow – they actually did it. They actually went and killed Mitchell and if you’ve read Toby Whithouse’s statement on the BBC blogs you’ll know that this show is coming back for a fourth year and it will be one without Mitchell. Can the show survive without him? We’ll find out in 2012.

I’m going to commend both Toby Whithouse and Aidan Turner. The former, because he’s actually did something genuinely ballsy by killing off a man character that will probably never return and the latter because it was him who suggested that Whithouse did it. Aidan Turner was a huge asset to this series and Mitchell was such a big character but for me, the character’s death made so much sense.

Given the whole atrocity of the Box Tunnel Massacre, Mitchell was on borrowed time anyways and even though Lia’s prophecy actually turned out to be a mind fuck from her, it made total sense that Mitchell would die at the hands of George but not out of revenge – out of love instead.

George had been ready to kill Mitchell when he thought Nina was a goner and when Mitchell begged George to end him, it did take a lot of convincing for George to go through it with. Even the interruption from Edgar and a new arc being put in place couldn’t deter the unavoidable – Mitchell was going to die and George was the one who staked him.

I’ve had my issues with Mitchell throughout the third season but even I cried at his death here but as upset as I am by it, there is no way in hell I’m giving this show up. This season alone has been the series at it’s best and most innovative and I am so looking forward to where it goes from here with George, Annie and Nina against Edgar and the old ones as well. Looks like a fantastic arc has been set in place.

The old ones – maybe it’s not the most innovative of names for a high vampire order but with Edgar Wyndham, they’ve got a charismatic and lethal head honcho at the top. Lee Ingleby is pretty fine casting and it’s going to be incredibly interesting to see how our trio from Honolulu Heights are going to be able to take on that lot with the limited resources and allies they have. George’s fighting words at the end were great but our trio are definitely at a disadvantage right about now.

At least with Herrick, he was just one vampire and something tells me that Edgar is not going to be as easily vanquished as Harrick was in this one. Which leads to a slight disappointment as well with this finale. I was totally expecting Herrick to die and I was definitely expecting Mitchell to do it but Herrick’s death second time round didn’t have the same punch to it than when George was ripping him to shreds.

Plus, I guess I was little miffed that Herrick didn’t get to live long enough to create even more chaos. Instead he went about trying to salvage some of Mitchell’s mess before kidnapping his progeny and George in a bid to get them to kill each other. And even then, he failed but I guess that was largely down to Tom’s welcomed interruption.

The only bits of evil that Herrick did manage to express in this episode were his utter delight in telling George about killing Nina and lamenting about having the world at his feet before Mitchell staked him good and proper. Now, much as I love Herrick, I think after this finale, it’s time to lay the character to rest like Mitchell.

As for the other plot points in this episode – am I the only one who watched this episode and didn’t care how Nina survived? I know fans like to argue about plot holes and logic gaps and so do I but I was so grateful that Nina and the baby survived, I really didn’t care because losing her and the baby on top of Mitchell would’ve been too much for me as a viewer.

Similarly I have little issue with Lia being forced into admitting that she made the whole prophecy about Mitchell up either. The girl had every right to want to get even and even her turnaround about revenge sucking made narrative sense following her conversations with Annie in this one. If it hadn’t been Lia, it would’ve been someone else that Mitchell killed.

Last but not least, Tom. I’m glad he survived this episode too and while I liked the fact that McNair left him a letter telling him to move on with his life, I really do hope that he’s a returnee for the next series. Okay, we might need another vampire for the gang (or not) but I definitely wouldn’t object to seeing more of Tom next year.

Also in “The Wolf Shaped Bullet”

Bad news male viewers, Nancy actually died in this one. I was hoping we’d see her ghost but Edgar more or less confirmed the news when he was firing all the police staff in Barry.

Annie: “Oh, Mitchell, I don’t know how to make this any clearer to you – I don’t want you to get out.”

The old ones have infiltrated the police – that makes sense but it does feel similar to Herrick’s methods as well.

Policeman: “That was me? What was I saying?”
Annie: “I don’t know.”
Policeman: “No!”
Annie: “It’s your door. It’s what happens next. I’ll come with you.”

Mitchell: “Yeah, wouldn’t expect you to understand. Your character’s always been pretty consistent.”
Herrick: “I think that was a dig.”

I’m surprised Annie wasn’t pursued by the men with sticks and ropes when she went to purgatory again. This time we saw Lia’s bedroom in it. Very girly.

Herrick: “You’ll be the villain now?”
Mitchell: “Christ, I always was.”
Herrick: “There’ll come a day when one of us will kill the other.”
Mitchell: “But it won’t be today.”

Tom (re Herrick): “He killed McNair.”
Mitchell (re George): “He’s one of your own, Tom, don’t let it happen.”

Both Lia and Edgar used rhyming to draw attention to themselves – Lia through a corpse and Edgar through a police speaker. Lia’s was more effective.

George (to Mitchell): “You don’t say my name now. You don’t even look at me now. You are not my friend. You better go, your boss is waiting.”

Annie: “I was the weapon?”
Lia: “Now she gets it.”

McNair’s name was Anthony Michael McNair and Annie mentioned Gilbert when recommending a friend to Lia. Jason Healy was also blamed for the Box 20 thanks to Edgar.

Annie: “What the hell? I was going to spend eternity in a prison cell with Mitchell, I might as well spend it with you. Besides when Nina gets here, I want her to see a friendly face.”
Lia: “Yeah, I think we’ll be great friends us three.”

Lia: “If you go then I won’t know anyone here.”
Annie: “This is not the way to make friends and influence people, trust me.”

The spin-off series, Becoming Human will air as a 50 minute special next Sunday at 9pm on BBC3.

Herrick: “Look at this world. How does it make you feel knowing that soon this will be ours?”
Mitchell: “Don’t you understand? It always was.”

George: “What you’re asking me to do -”
Mitchell: “Is heroic. George Sands saves the world.”
George: “Yeah, that was never one of my ambitions.”

The show has been officially renewed for a fourth season of eight episodes that will air in early 2012.

Mitchell: “This has to end.”
Edgar: “Sorry, you’re going to dance for me. You’re going to kill and rampage. You’re going to be my attack dog.”

George: “I’m doing this because I love you.”
Mitchell: “I know.”

Standout music: Pretty much the score music in the last ten minutes this one.

Niggles aside, I loved “The Wolf Shaped Bullet”. This season set the bar high and for me, it delivered wonderfully and while there are some who might not want to watch a fourth year without Mitchell, I however will definitely be watching.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

My Review of Being Human's 3x07: "Though The Heavens Fall"

Written by Toby Whithouse
Directed by Daniel O’Hara

Herrick (to Nina): “I remember every moment, so now not unreasonably, I want him to suffer but not for moments – for days, weeks, months and the best way to do that is to kill you.”

And on a list of TV characters I would like to see not die in 2011, Nina Pickering has risen to the coveted position of number 1. It’s an interchangeable list but seriously, Herrick, you evil bastard. How dare you stab the only person in that house who showed you kindness and leave them for dead? Have some standards, man!

For all the people who’ve bitching constantly bitching for the last fortnight over Nina dropping Mitchell into the cops, I hope you’re flipping happy now. The poor woman got rightly shafted for trusting Herrick and while I saw it coming a mile off, it doesn’t mean that I wanted it to happen.

I’m not gonna come out with an outlandish statement such as ‘if Nina dies, I’m done with this show’ but I really do hope that both her and the baby pull through in the next episode because even though she made a mistake with getting the authorities involved and not letting Mitchell stake Herrick, she is nowhere near the nasty, selfish, cruel person that half the insane fans online are portraying her to be.

George snapping at Nina when he realised that she inadvertently unleashed a shit storm did annoy me actually but I guess he was thinking of the bigger picture in terms of Mitchell being arrested and at threat of exposure, something which is undoubtedly going to have a big role in the finale but I really don’t want him to lose both his girlfriend and unborn child at the same time either.

Herrick’s return to menace however was undoubtedly a superb moment. Where Mitchell failed, McNair’s vigilantism succeeded and it was a shame that the latter had to die for Herrick to be restored but shit happens I suppose. I liked McNair but he was way too overconfident with his attempts to kill both Mitchell and Herrick and it backfired spectacularly for him. I can’t see Tom coping with his death particularly well either.

The one thing I will credit Herrick with is that he doesn’t do things by half measures. Killing McNair may have brought him back to himself but aside from stabbing Nina, he also managed to chomp on a load of coppers and Nancy for effect too and the sheer relish of it meant that Jason Watkins really stole the show in this episode.

However, reading some of the reactions online and even checking the cast list for the finale, I’m also beginning to wonder if there’s a possibility that Nancy might have been turned as a vampire. I mean, Cooper was so impressed with her detective skills that he tried to turn her (before Annie staked him) and I wouldn’t be surprised if Herrick saw something in her that justified turning her.

Plus, in the last two episodes Nancy had really stood out as a character. She had been clever enough to get past both Mitchell and even Nina’s deception in order to realise that Mitchell had killed those people in the Box Tunnel and her banter was always pretty damn amusing as well, especially in her scenes with Annie – and that’s despite the fact that she didn’t even know Annie had her back either.

Now, as for Annie, I really felt bad for her this week. There have been times in the season when Annie’s faith in Mitchell has been gravely misplaced and she got one hell of a nasty wake up call thanks to Nancy and Cooper. There was a part of me that would’ve preferred if Annie had pieced Mitchell’s killings together all by herself but her reactions were definitely believable though.

Annie had every right to tear into Mitchell after confronting him over the murders but like Nina, telling Mitchell to turn himself in wasn’t a good idea. Exposing the supernatural world aside, how the hell is Mitchell actually going to get out of this one at all? Unless the wolf shaped bullet prophecy is actually fulfilled, it doesn’t seem like Mitchell has a lot of options right now. Well, I suppose Herrick could maybe throw him a lifeline but that’s not likely to happen, right?

Also in “Though The Heavens Fall”

Twenty years ago, Herrick had witnessed McNair survive a cage fight with a wolf and become infected with the curse. That’s two Herrick flashbacks we’ve had in the last two weeks.

Herrick: “Tell me about yourself. Married, kids?”
McNair: “Maybe one day.”

I never thought I would say this but prior to wolfing out, Robson Green actually looked pretty damn fit. I’d still take Tom over him though.

Mitchell: “I wouldn’t have known you.”
Annie: “Play my ‘what if’ game.”
Mitchell: “I’d tear the world apart.”
Annie: “That’s the correct answer.”

Herrick: “Do you trust Mitchell?”
Nina: “If Mitchell said the sky, I’d have to go outside and check.”

Solving a season long mystery, it turned out that McNair killed Daisy and was planning to add Herrick to his tooth necklace collection before his death.

Tom (to George): “You people really do swear a lot, don’t ya? Just an observation. McNair says it suggests a limited vocabulary.”

Nancy (re Daisy): “So now you think she didn’t have anything to do with the murders?”
Mitchell: “It’s pretty unlikely, yeah.”

Okay, interesting that vampires can leave prints and very clever of Nancy with the glass as well.

Herrick: “But we’re not at war.”
Mitchell: “Oh, we are. It’s a secret war but yeah, we are. And sometimes we’ll be asked to do things that seem to be bad but they’re not. And this is very important, they’re not bad, they’re brave.”

Nancy (to Nina): “Something is going on in this house. The people in it think they can lie to me and I don’t like that.”

We found out in this episode that Nina has been pregnant for sixteen weeks instead of eight, which makes sense given that she’s showing. Or she’s really giving birth to a wolf.

McNair: “Another barbarity, fucking southerners. Let’s see if this jogs your memory. You walked unharmed from a plane crash, only now I don’t know what to do with you. Ring any bells?”

Mitchell: “How did you find out?”
Annie: “Nancy and a vampire. Does it matter? Was Daisy even involved?”

Standout music: A bloody fine selection with Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like The Wolf” and Shirley Bassey’s “History Repeating” during Herrick’s slaughter of Nancy.

Annie: “Let this happen, Mitchell, please Mitchell. Please no more killing.”

Nina: “Where are you going?”
George: “The police station. I’m going to get him out of there.”

Chronology: It has to be 2011, if Nancy kept being specific about Daisy “dying” in 1941.

What a mind fuck of an hour was this? “Though The Heavens Fall” really did up the ante and then some. I would say best episode of the series but I’m going to wait until the finale airs but either way, this definitely shocked me.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

Don't Blow Up A Cow Man

Okay, it's been a fortnight since the last jumble but here's some of the stuff, I've been watching over the last 14 days.

Glee: It's that kind of an episode. The one where everyone drinks and it's bad, right? Except not really to be honest. Sure there's plenty of commentary on the consequences of excessive drinking and the fact that Brittany's version of Tik Tok resulted in her and Santana vomiting on stage but other than that, this episode isn't as moralising as it could've been - thankfully. Bonus points awarded to the continued friendship between Will and Beiste but the whole possibly bisexuality saga between Kurt/Blaine/Rachel seemed a little tacked on. Hopefully the bisexuality arc with Brittany and Santana is better tackled in the next episode.

Desperate Housewives: Fecking hell, RTE2 - three months since the last episode? Um, I liked this one quite a lot. Bree and Keith have a great banter and it was nice that a returning Orson didn't overall damage that but I'm not sure I like the passive aggressive way in which Lynette is trying to deal with Tom and Renee though. Why not just have it out with them? Susan's kidney problems were also surprisingly effective and while I feel for Juanita, I have to admit that I do have a certain amount of sympathy for Gabby as well. She's not coping with Grace being gone all that well as buying that creepy doll displayed and perhaps Carlos should be a tad more sensitive. Better still was the ruling out of Felicia and Mike as suspects for Paul's shooter and Paul realising who exactly Beth is related to. Is it too much to hope that after a shaky start that Season 7 is finally getting it's shit together?

Secret Diary Of A Call Girl: Note to writers - Belle is not Carrie Bradshaw and this show, while liked will not have the same type of fashionista influence that Sex And The City seemingly has. That aside, I did like the fact Poppy had a realistic reaction to learn about Belle's profession and Steph's too. Unfortunately the subsequent whining and lashing out has been far less entertaining to watch. I get Poppy being furious at her mother but how can she act like a bitch to Belle in one episode and then worship the backside of Charlotte in the next one. As for Ben, he's behaving like a douche I almost wish Belle would go off with fanatical copper Harry. As for the movie stuff, a little metatextual but fun enough though. Only three episodes to go.

The Big C: Another episode of this show and I might like it more. It's definitely good stuff and Cathy's an interesting enough protaganist but I always think it could be a little better. Last week's episode where Cathy was trying to discipline her son as her estranged husband played sport was amusing though. I'll stick with it for a while longer.

Being Human US: Okay, I have to catch up with the seventh episode but the last two that I've watched were actually good if still treading UK show territory. Josh discovered the truth about Ray making him a werewolf, Bishop's plotting a vampire takeover, Danny's been exposed as Sally's killer and despite initial friction, both Josh and Nora are being drawn to each other along with Rebecca continuing her quest to sink her fangs into Aidan. The only differences here were the return of Emily and her being attacked by Marcus and Sally's interactions with a poltergeist. It's not as good as the UK series but it's definitely interesting enough though.

Skins UK: Definitely getting better. I enjoyed both Nick and Alo's episodes and while neither are classics, both of them were extremely entertaining and drew some much needed scope for both characters. Alo's episode however was the strongest because not only did it draw on his own failings (and the death of Bessie the cow), it actually forwarded stuff. Rich and Grace took their relationship to the next level, both Mini and Liv challenged Franky on her sexuality (Matty, do not pit Franky and Liv against one another) and it also had a rather nice scene or two between Mini and Alo. For a girl who's such a bitch, Mini can be surprisingly sensitive and she's becoming my favourite female character of this new set. Can't wait to see what the last two episodes give us but in terms of parents, I hated Nick and Matty's father but I could believe in Alo's parents, even if his mum was a total bitch in parts of his episode.
Skins US: I need to catch up with Michelle's episode tomorrow but I didn't mind both Stanley and Abbud's episode, no matter how similar to their UK equivalent they were. The writing is still patchy in places though and I really could've done without Tony and Tea actually sleeping with each other. Tony is now the weakest link of the kids from this show. No disrespect to James Newman but he's just really miscast for the role but given how badly this is doing in the ratings, I'm thinking a second season will be a no go.

- Ryan Devlin will be reprising his role as Seth in Brothers And Sisters later in the season but has admitted that he isn't certain if the show will be picked up for a sixth year.
- Brian Austin Green has left Desperate Housewives but Bree will be getting another love interest later in the season.
- Elizabeth Hurley has been cast as a bisexual villain for the new Wonder Woman series that's due to air on NBC.
- Shameless US has been renewed for a second season while the UK version will be going on a break for a bit.
- There are rumours that the UK version of Skins will be getting 10 episodes for it's sixth season.
- James Callis is the latest Battlestar Galactica alumni to sign up for Ron Moore's new show, 17th Precinct.

My Review of Being Human 3x06: "Daddy Ghoul"

Written by Lisa Magee
Directed by Philip John

Nancy (re Mitchell): “You don’t think so?”
Herrick: “You wouldn’t either if you knew.”
Nancy: “Knew what?”
Herrick: “What lies beneath the surface.”

For a man who still hasn’t pieced together that he’s a vampire, there’s an almost weird reassurance of sorts that even in amnesiac form, Herrick can retain his evil manipulations brilliantly. Last week, he worked excellently on Nina and this week, the rather delightful Nancy became victim to his scheming.

If Herrick can’t remember who he is and still wants to refuse drinking blood, it’s interesting to see how determined he remains in wanting to bring Mitchell down. Nina did her bit by contacting the cops with dropping Mitchell in it about the Box Tunnel Massacre but Nancy was the only one who was interested in it.

I guess for the cops, they’ve probably endured far too many nutters giving them false leads that when even a reliable one surfaced, they’d question it and dismiss it if they don’t think it’s much cop. I’m actually glad that Nancy was suspicious and wanted to pursue her hunch in regards to Mitchell, even if she does have very little support at the station.

For Nancy, the Box Tunnel Massacre is personal and while she might not be a victim like oh say, Lia, it’s obviously that investigating the case has taken its effect on her and it was also nice that she was able to see through Mitchell even before Herrick got to her. Which then lead to another interesting thing ...

That bathroom scene between Nancy and Herrick was definitely one of the most intense scenes we had this week. Herrick spent most of this episode denying his bloodlust (apart from that bit with a bloodied tissue) and for a second, I actually thought he was going to snack on Nancy. He’s definitely getting closer to becoming the man we know him as, that’s for sure.

However the scene between Mitchell and Nancy was the most tense. Yes, I guess he was naturally going to get back his dossier from her and while I was glad that he didn’t hurt Nancy, I’m not sure what else she can do now to prove that he’s a killer. Also the fact that Nancy joked about her job being the death of her could very much become a literal thing in the next two episodes if either Herrick or Mitchell get their way. I don’t want Nancy to die – I really like her and this show could do with having a recurring, non corrupt detective around.

Speaking of Herrick and Mitchell, their dynamic in this episode was interesting. Mitchell’s desperate to get that resurrection ritual and his frustration seems to be on the increase with Herrick’s refusal to drink blood from anyone. Don’t worry Mitchell, it won’t be long before Herrick does come back to his bloodthirsty self. Only then, resurrection ritual aside, I don’t think you’ll be all that grateful for it.

As for Annie trying to play the role of investigator in the Box Tunnel Massacre – good for her, especially now that she knows Lia was one of the victims as well. Yes, it will probably ruin her relationship with Mitchell and how she sees him as a person but I want her to find out the truth because Mitchell’s continuous lying has created more harm than good and also because like George, Annie has the right to know as well. Sorry, Mitchell but this is your own doing.

In lighter storylines this week – I can’t believe George Senior got introduced into this series by faking his own death. More to the point, I can’t believe how doing something so stupid and illegal actually managed to be a good thing for the man as well as George and possibly Nina too.

For one thing, it finally got George to open to his parents about being a werewolf and while they didn’t believe him, at least George no longer has to hide from them. I’d say that was a result, almost as much as having George Senior punching obnoxious Marcus’s lights out as well when he decided to win Ruth back.

As plots go, it was definitely one of the lighter ones but it was enjoyable nonetheless. We needed a bit of a breather after the intensity of the previous two episodes and overall, it gave George/Nina something outside of Mitchell, Annie and Herrick, so overall it worked for me. Here’s hoping that George Senior and Ruth show up next series.

Also in “Daddy Ghoul”

Annie mixing WH Auden with Cheryl Cole – how do you do that? I didn’t keep a straight face during that scene.

Mitchell: “I don’t need a protégé.”
Herrick: “It isn’t always about you. Why do you think some of us live forever and some of us are like fireflies?”

The flashback to Paris 1933 with Mitchell and Herrick wasn’t one of the show’s best ones but clearly Mitchell’s refusal to make an heir is coming back to bite him now.

Annie (re George): “Did I, did I punch him?”
Mitchell: “Yeah.”
Annie: “See, this is what happens – I panic. I’m not very good with death. What was I thinking?”

George: “You’ll be fine.”
George Senior: “I wish I thought so.”
George: “You will, I promise.”

George Senior’s list of unfinished businesses included telling Linda about something she couldn’t have on the Atkins diet, watching Titanic (and misquoting it) and paying a newspaper. Good job he wasn’t actually dead then. Those would’ve been rubbish things to have resolved before having your door come up.

Nancy (to Nina): “My God that is a good cup of tea. I think I’ve shagged people for less. Do you have any biscuits?”

George: “Dad, death gives you a great sense of perspective. I’m not going to see her. I can’t ever do that.”

I did love George and Nina trying to coach the former’s dad in wooing back Ruth as well as Nina’s conversation by herself with George Senior. Wonderful little character moments there.

Nancy: “This place will be the death of me.”
Annie: “Tell me about it, Reed. Tell me about it.”

Annie (to Mitchell): “I need to help Nancy solve this case. Not just for you, for Lia too.”

Mitchell gave Nancy some half-information on Daisy’s involvement with the Box Tunnel Massacre. Does that mean Daisy will finally appear in this season?

George Senior: “At the funeral, I saw you. You looked, you looked so upset.”
Ruth: “Of course I was upset. You were my husband, George. I loved you.”
George Senior: “Loved or love?”

George: “I’m a werewolf.”
George Senior: “Now, you are taking some form of medication at the moment aren’t you George?”

Standout music: Girls Aloud’s “The Promise”, if only for George Senior’s delightfully embarrassing dancing.

Nina: “Did you dad just misquote Titanic?”
George: “Yeah, just don’t ask.”

Nancy (re dossier): “It’s a bit of a sick hobby.”
Mitchell: “So is taxidermy but it’s not illegal.”

Chronology: Only a day or something since “The Longest Day”.

Okay, “Daddy Ghoul” probably won’t be seen as one of the strongest episodes we’ve had but I actually liked that it was a bit of a lighter one. If the trailer for next week is anything to go by, things are going to get even messier for the characters anyway, so maybe this breather episode was needed.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

My Review of Being Human's 3x05: "The Longest Day"

Written by Sarah Phelps
Directed by Philip John

Mitchell (re Herrick): “Do you think I’m enjoying this?”
Nina: “I think there’s a poison in you which has nothing to do with being a vampire, so yeah, I think you do enjoy it.”

Okay, and just when this show can’t possibly shock any further, we end up getting an episode like this one. I mean I’ve desperately wanted someone to find out about Mitchell’s box tunnel massacre and for that person to Herrick and then Nina was above and beyond in terms of perfection. Mitchell, you really are going to be up shit creek without a paddle.

But then again, much as I do like Mitchell, it’s not hard to admit that he’s actually had this coming for a while now. The erratic behaviour in the last few episodes was one thing but adding to the fact that he’s seemingly losing the plot – can anyone actually blame Nina for her actions this week?

I know some fans online blasted Nina for calling the cops on Mitchell after Herrick revealed the little journal to her but if you were in Nina’s position, wouldn’t you do the same thing? I certainly would and for all the criticisms that some viewers have given, I’m gonna commend the writers for approaching the situation as realistically as they can do.

Technically the police are a moot point – there’s very little they can actually do with Mitchell, unless they learn he’s a vampire and promptly stake him but Nina’s heart is in the right place. She’s not a nasty person and her mistrust of Mitchell isn’t hard to fathom when you take in his behaviour over the last few episodes into account.

Plus a lot of fans seem to neglect the fact that Nina’s experiences in the supernatural aren’t as lengthy as lengthy as any of the other characters. She’s only been a werewolf for the last few months and has had her life put in danger by both vampires and humans within the same time period. Not to mention the fact that she’s still unsure of what lies ahead of her with a baby on the way. For those reasons alone, I can’t bring myself to mad with her.

However when it came to Herrick, he is clearly manipulating her and maybe Nina should’ve picked up on that (especially during his scenes with Cara) but again, her experiences with Herrick aren’t the same as Annie, George and Mitchell’s and for the most part, she sees Herrick as a frightened, psychiatric patient rather than a homicidal vampire. Nina will eventually cop on to Herrick but probably at the worst time though if this series is anything to go by.

As for Nina being the wolf shaped bullet that Mitchell thought she would be – who knows. It could be a red herring but then it might not be. Just because Mitchell’s paranoia is reaching fever pitch, it doesn’t mean that he’s wrong about Nina but at the same time, Nina is not an evil person and I could never see her killing Mitchell for malicious intent or pleasure.

Nina even had a hard time trying to comprehend George’s quick agreement with Mitchell when it came to killing Herrick. Now that’s another problem for me too. Technically both Mitchell and George are right – Herrick is dangerous and it’s only a matter of time before he actually harms either George or Nina but at the same time, I could also see where Nina was coming from with this as well. Unlike the rest of them, Nina isn’t trying to be human; she’s just not allowing her supernatural side completely take over her as well.

I was worried with Herrick’s return to the show last year but after this episode, it actually felt like the character had never gone away. Jason Watkins is such an incredibly brilliant actor and Herrick throughout the entire hour kept me guessing all the time. If he’s not faking amnesia, then Herrick is just a cold hearted bastard nonetheless.

For all the scenes of him apologising to George, freaking out over the lack of a reflection or placating Nina, there were plenty to counter it as well. His brutal dismissal of Cara’s affections led to her staking herself and he certainly didn’t waste a lot of time in trying to create between George and Mitchell as well, though the latter most definitely deserved that shiner he was given.

And then there were the scenes with Annie as well. Calling her peripheral might have had an impact in the first year but I loved how instead of it making Annie want to cower in a corner and lick her wounds, it instead made her aware that Herrick wasn’t to be trusted. Annie calling Herrick a little man was one of many highlights in this gripping episode. I also loved how she gave Mitchell a good piece of her mind when he behaved like an asshole towards her as well. Annie with a backbone is definitely the kind of Annie I want to see on this show.

As for Wendy the social worker, it was a nice little guest role for Nicola Walker. Given the fact that Wendy had to go through scenes where she was being ignored because Nina was trying to calm her ‘Uncle Billy’, I think she did a terrific job when she did manage to interact with Mitchell, George, Nina, Herrick and briefly, Cara as well. Even small roles on this show are just so well written nowadays. If I only had one gripe with this episode, it was that I wished Cara hadn’t killed herself so quickly but everything else was fantastic.

Also in “The Longest Day”

For the most part, this episode did take within the time frame of a day, except for the last few minutes when Nina made a certain phone call.

Nina: “I thought I lost it.”
Annie: “Oh, but you didn’t. No, you didn’t, it’s alright, it’s okay. It can survive a transformation. I hate calling it “it”. The baby can survive.”

Cara said that Herrick had escaped from her at the hospital but given that it took two vampires to bring him back, where was Daisy? Is she going to factor into any of this at all?

George (re Herrick): “Is it him, Mitchell? Mitchell, Mitchell, what are we going to do?”
Mitchell: “Stake him.”
Nina: “What did he say?”

Mitchell: “For fuck’s sake, Annie.”
Annie: “Don’t talk to me like that.”
Mitchell: “Well say something sensible then, Jesus.”

Isn’t it a bit weird that out of everyone that Herrick has made into a vampire, that Cara was the one he told about the resurrection ritual? Maybe Herrick knew that somewhere down the line, Mitchell would betray or abandon him.

Nina (to George): “In seven months time, we’re going to have a baby. I don’t want our baby to have a father who sticks his fingers in his ears and agrees to murder like it’s nothing.”

Cara: “I’m nothing without you.”
Herrick: “Well, then you are nothing. Don’t you look ugly when you’re crying?”

Mitchell said a lot of things in this episode that I wanted to punch him for but referring to George as a dog really crossed the line for me.

Mitchell: “You want every little corner of me but I just don’t want to give it.”
Annie: “Why are you being like this?”

Herrick: “What was it that I did to you?”
George: “It’s complicated.”
Herrick: “And did you do something to me?”
George: “Yeah, you could say that.”

Standout music: “Dirge” by Death In Vegas, which was the song played when Nina found about Mitchell’s little killing spree.

Herrick: “Just tell me how you do it.”
Annie: “Guess.”
Herrick: “Give me a clue, chuck me a bone. What are you?”
Annie: “What am I? Onto you, that’s what I am. I’m onto you, little man.”

Nina: “It’s not proof, it’s not proof.”
Herrick: “No, no, we must be careful, very careful. The others, they don’t see the sort of man he is but you and I, we see.”

Chronology: None specified since “The Pack”.

This show is really crushing my objectivity at the moment. “The Longest Day” could be one of the best pieces of televisions I’ve ever seen and the performances here were certainly sublime, particularly from Sinead Keenan and Jason Watkins. I really don’t want this season to end because I’m enjoying it so much right now.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

My Review of Being Human's 3x04: "The Pack"

Written by John Jackson
Directed by Colin Teague

McNair: “Vampires and their vanity.”
Mitchell: “I’ve done nothing to you.”
McNair: “You’ve spilt my boy’s blood so I’m gonna spill yours.”

Now those are fighting words if I’ve ever heard ones. Maybe I should’ve been annoyed with the anti-vampire rhetoric spewing from McNair’s mouth every time he shared a scene with Mitchell this week but I wasn’t because right now, I’m seeing a side to Mitchell that’s very worrying all of a sudden.

He might be able to laugh and joke with George and Nina and be stoked about them becoming parents but if his relationship with Annie can’t go an episode without a dark incident happening, then it’s not very promising, now is it? I want to ship Mitchell and Annie as a couple but episodes like this are making me approach them with caution.

It would make sense that Annie would try to get around the sex obstacle by getting Mitchell to seduce a girl and for Annie to feel it through her but it was also an incredibly reckless thing for her to do. Mitchell himself should’ve flat out refused to do it as well. He might have only scared Sadie when they were at it but it could’ve been so much worse than that.

Mitchell talked about using sex as a weapon and we’ve already seen enough times that often he kills those whom he’s slept with as well. Perhaps McNair’s pithy comment about Annie being dead wasn’t so unfair after all. If Mitchell’s going to lose it like this for the next few weeks, it might not be a werewolf that finishes him off after all.

After four episodes, the one thing that I wish would happen is for Mitchell to fess to George, Nina and Annie about the box tunnel murders and Lia’s prophecy of a wolf shaped bullet. He’s doing no-one (including himself) any favours by keeping that information to himself and surprisingly enough, he actually gave a lot of power over to McNair as well.

McNair is now aware of Mitchell’s paranoia with werewolves coming after him and he certainly took a fair amount of glee in letting Mitchell know that he’ll die soon. I suppose with all that posturing, it could be an indicator that maybe McNair won’t be the one to end Mitchell’s existence. After all, there’s still George, Nina and Tom.

What can I say about Tom as a character? Keeping it simple, I think he’s actually a very sweet if somewhat naive young man. His complete cluelessness in relation towards women and his moral obligation to want to help George and Nina actually endeared him a lot to me in this episode.

I have to admit to laughing at his bumbling attempts with Nina. He misinterpreted her kindness for lust and when both of them along with George ended up being thrown into werewolf fighting; he even offered to ensure that Nina survived the longest as well. He might be a little odd but he’s definitely a gentleman nonetheless and I found his attempts of trying to form a pack really endearing as well.

I also found it refreshing that George and Nina took the initiative to actively seek out Tom and McNair for advice on their baby. It’s almost a shame that Tom was made a werewolf instead of born as one but I did like how the reveal of McNair not being Tom’s real father was handled. It also explained the way McNair was with him and I guess we’re going to have to wait a little to find out how Nina will cope with a baby growing inside her.

One thing I wasn’t overly keen on in this episode was the return of the werewolf fight club run by vampires. I also wasn’t keen on the idea of Richard and Emma running it either but thanks to Mitchell’s flippancy, Nina, George and Tom were nearly killed. It’s a good job that McNair did put his differences with Mitchell aside to help rescue them all but it was a bloody exit for Richard though.

I was kind of happy to see the back of Richard finally. Both him and Emma’s regards towards werewolves was much nastier in this episode and they certainly deserved their comeuppance in this one. Emma might have escaped being ripped to pieces but I say it won’t be long before she gets a house call of her own.

Also if this episode wasn’t eventful enough, the writers managed to slip in Herrick’s return as well. Granted it’s only a small little scene but judging from the trailer for next week, it’s one that’s definitely going to have the gang in a tizzy. Welcome back, Herrick.

Also in “The Pack”

There was a Buffy episode in the first season of that show that had an episode with the same title as this.

Annie: “Maybe your jeans are too tight.”
Mitchell: “No, no, the jeans are fine. Just, just go with the flow.”
Annie: “But who leads the flow?”

Lenora Crichlow’s flair for comedy certainly hit a new note when Annie was trying out dirty talk for Mitchell. Pity it didn’t seem to get the reaction Annie was looking for.

Tom (re Nina): “She was pretty though, wasn’t she?”
McNair: “We do not judge women by their looks.”

Annie: “Why would I keep it a secret?”
Mitchell: “I don’t know. I’m not exactly boyfriend material, am I?”

Interesting that Tom was leaving totem statues for George and Nina but it was also a sweet gesture as well. Tom’s from Cornwall originally.

George: “Look, I know you’re nervous but why can’t you believe that everything is going to be alright?”
Nina: “Because it’s inside me. I need to be sure, that’s why I brought him here.”

McNair (re Annie): “Lovely girl.”
Mitchell: “You don’t talk to her. You don’t even look at her.”
McNair: “Well, lucky she’s dead already. Saves you the trouble of killing her one day.”

Was it Lia who somehow managed to write ‘wolf shaped bullet’ on that dollhouse in the attic of the B’n’B? We didn’t need the extra hint but hey, it still managed to be effective.

George: “Just because we’re not normal doesn’t mean we can’t be normal. Really, you of all people.”
Nina: “That’s not what I’m saying. You’re taking it completely out of context.”

McNair: “I’ve always tried to do my best for you.”
Tom: “What about the pack?”
McNair: “It’s just me and you.”

Nina voiced some disapproval over Mitchell and Annie being a couple. I have to admit, like George; even I was a little taken aback by it.

Tom (to George/Nina): “If you want, I can kill you and Nina can kill me before we change. I won’t fight back.”

McNair: “Ladies and gentlemen, there’s been a change to tonight’s billing. In three minutes, I’m gonna kill everybody in this room.”

Standout music: I’d say the score music during the scenes at the boxing club this week were the strongest and most effective.

McNair (to Mitchell): “We may be square but you’ll get yours someday soon. Somebody’s gonna get you. Bang!”

Chronology: Not much time since “Type 4”.

Without a doubt, “The Pack” is the strongest episode this season. The brilliant character moments, the last scene, to be honest there was very little about the episode that wasn’t worth paying attention to. This season is definitely hitting it’s stride.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

Thriller Superbowl

And here's another TV blog to savour with some of the shows I've been catching up on over the last few days.

Bedlam: Ooh, SkyLiving decide to do a spooky series and while this show will win nothing in terms of originality, it is rather decent. Okay, so maybe there's plenty of gratituous shots of Theo James's character, Jed Harper in states of undress but the spooky goings on of an old asylum called Bedlam and Jed's mission to deal with the ghosts along the way is interesting enough. The rest of the characters are a mixed bag so far, though Will Young is pretty decent as the nerdy Ryan. It's not the best thing I've seen but there's definitely potential there at least.

Being Human US: Okay, I am beginning to fall out of love with this series. It's not like the last two episodes haven't been uneventful (Sally's mulling over Danny/Bridget, Josh meeting both Ray and Nora/the Nina character in this one and Aidan dealing with both Garrity and Rebecca's bloodlust) but it's beginning to take itself a little too seriously for my liking. The reason why the Uk version works so perfectly is because there's a sense of fun attached to it. This show could do with implementing that a lot more, otherwise it's just going to be like any other vampire themed show out there.
Glee: It's been two months since my last fix of the series and the show's come back fighting with two bizarre but brilliant episodes in it's own right. The superbowl episode definitely saw Sue going too far with the cannon antics but I did like the temporary truce with the Glee and Titans for the Thriller bit and points for attempting to humanise Karofsky, though it's going to take more than this for me to sympathise with him. The Valentine's episode was a lot better though, especially with Santana in full bitch mode (exposing Finn/Quinn sneaking around by giving the former mono was an extreme move) and heck, even Blaine was made somewhat more believable as well but less of the Dalton numbers because they're not overly adding to the series at the moment. Oh and more of the Rachel/Mercedes/Kurt sleepovers and Puck's pursuit of Lauren.

Skins US: Another set of mixed episodes here, I'm afraid. On one hand, there was Chris's episode, which was completely the same as the UK version but surprisingly, nearly as effective. The actor playing Chris in this one is the only male actor on this version that can actually act and I'm liking the friendship between Chris and Daisy as well. Unfortunately the Cadie episode was a hot mess that bored me senseless and the less said about Tony's fixation on Tea, the bloody better. Here's hoping Stanley's episode is a cracker this week.

Secret Diary Of A Call Girl: Not a bad second episode, actually a lot of fun. Amusing to see that Belle's client this week was one that needed his homosexuality confirmed but what was more interesting was the introduction of Ben's mother. I was expecting her to be a harridan, so the more liberated version we got here was a nice surprise. I'm not sure if Belle and Ben will actually last but the pool scene at the end is certainly making me hope so.

Shameless US: In Ireland, the second and third episodes have aired and I can safely say that this show is not improving. The storylines aren't flowing as well as they did in the UK version, like Frank in this one being sent to Canada wasn't as funny as his UK version being shipped to France and Steve is just boring in this one too. William H. Macy is a great actor but he's just miscast as Frank and the last two episodes almost seemed to emphasise that point even further. Here's hoping that this show does improve soon though, because there are some signs of it becoming good.
- Michael Rosebaum will be returning for the series finale of Smallville. Great news, right?
- Stockard Channing has joined NBC magical based series, 17th Precinct from Ron Moore.
- Wentworth Miller has joined the cast of ABC drama, Identity which sees a police unit dealing with identity theft. Didn't ITV do that last year?
- Hilarie Burton is becoming a regular for the third series of White Collar.
- A previously known gay character on a US show may become bisexual. The shows that are possibly it are True Blood, Glee and Southland but which is it?
- The second half of Desperate Housewives seventh season will continue on RTE2 from March 1st. I assume Channel 4 will air it around then as well.

My Review of Being Human's 3x03: "Type 4"

Written by Jamie Mathieson
Directed by Philip John

Sasha: “Thank you for being my friend, Annie.”
Annie: “It’s easy.”

Aww, wasn’t this a lovely episode with extra gore on top? Seriously, I have wondered if and when the show was ever going to stray into zombie territory and after this episode, I was more than satisfied with the results to be honest.

Okay, I probably could’ve done without the fact that zombies actually do experience serious agony when being burned but the character of Sash was definitely an eye opener for the rest of the gang this week, especially Annie. Annie might have started the story wanting Sasha out of her hair but her mind definitely changed before the halfway point of this episode.

As a guest character, Sasha is another success. Brassy and similar obnoxious to the way Adam was in the last episode but also rather likeable and fun as well. For a girl whose stench was ungodly and whose face was coming apart, she certainly had no problem in one scene pointing out that Annie didn’t look like someone who groomed herself very well. The cheek of her! Annie always scrubs up well.

Playing on the trope of Sasha not actually realising that she was one of the walking dead could’ve been a source for tedium but really it made a lot of sense, Sasha didn’t seem like the deeply self-aware type while she was living and obliviousness to her walking dead condition was actually rather amusing, more so because it wasn’t overextended.

She might not have instantly believed that her new mates comprised of a ghost, a vampire and two werewolves but being rejected by her idiot boyfriend, Gethin was definitely the wake up call that she needed to accept the fact that she was no longer technically alive. Plus prop points to her bravery when briefly embarking on a night out with Annie and Nina as well for equal measure too.

I wasn’t surprised that Sasha didn’t make it out of this episode alive. Her body had been decaying for a start and it had been getting worse as the episode progressed but I definitely did feel sad for her as she passed on. Her words of advice to Annie and Nina might have been laying it on a little thick given their current predicaments but I’m still glad that Sasha went there nonetheless to be honest.

With Sasha finally getting her door to the afterlife, it was up to Annie to actually pursue something with Mitchell. For a woman not remotely famed for subtlety, I’m actually surprised that it took Annie as long as it did to kiss Mitchell. She’s wanted to do it for ages but the sad thing is that despite her insistence that Mitchell’s a good man, it’s slightly hard to ship their relationship when there’s a big massive thing hanging in the air.

Three episodes in and I do think that Mitchell is at the point where he’s going to have to tell Annie, George and Nina about his part in the box tunnel massacre because he’s running out of options. We’ve already had both Lia and Richard wave that nugget at Mitchell and now it was Graham’s turn this week.

The only difference with Graham is that he went out of his way to befriend George and Annie and even came close to telling the latter about Mitchell’s misdeed. If Sasha turned out be a good presence for Annie, then Graham definitely had the opposite effect for Mitchell this week.

Dressed like him, Graham was the type of ‘fan’ to take things too far. Mitchell kept rejecting him and Graham tried to do his own train massacre as a result. Except that Graham managed to get killed by Mitchell before even being able taste a drop out of any of them. Bye Graham, it was a pleasure seeing you off my screen. However now that Mitchell knows that Cara is free, he really should start worrying and start opening up to the rest of the gang.

Speaking of opening up, this episode had the unexpected surprise of revealing that Nina used to be abused by her mother. Sinead Keenan and Russell Tovey continue to pull in some excellent performances in this series and this week was another highlight in the George and Nina dynamic.

I totally expected Nina to fall pregnant and while I can understand why she would consider having an abortion, I’m also really glad that she didn’t. The reveal about her mother and Nina’s own fears of becoming a parent just show how well this series can these types of storylines. I think it’s also safe to assume that with George and Nina’s decision to keep the baby that there’s another purpose for McNair and Tom next week as well.

Also in “Type 4”

Sasha was the hand that we saw at the end of the previous episode. This episode opened with a ‘two weeks ago’ cap.

Mitchell: “Can I have a word?”
George: “Can it wait until the morning or at least until after I’ve peed?”

Poor George, all he wanted to do was to take a leak but with Mitchell/Annie, Sasha and Nina’s pregnancy, he kept getting distracted.

George (to Mitchell, re Annie): “No, she hasn’t told me she fancies you. She doesn’t need to. Her body language is deafening.”

Mitchell (re Sasha): “There’s a car slowing down. I think people can see her.”
Annie: “Well of course people can see her, she’s got a body.”

I actually think it’s brilliant that Mitchell was unaware of zombies himself more or less. 117 years and even Mitchell gets to see something new along with George, Annie and Nina.

Annie (re Sasha): “She has got to go.”
George: “Wow that was easy.”
Mitchell: “Yeah, we thought we’d have to persuade you what with you both being dead and all.”

Annie: “Okay, well I’m a ghost, Mitchell’s a vampire and George and Nina are both werewolves.”
Sasha: “Fuck off. Werewolves.”

If we’re going to deal with the consequences of the Box Tunnel Massacre completely, shouldn’t that also mean that Daisy is dealt with as well?

Annie: “Well, there are worse things than being dead.”
Sasha: “Just look at me.”
Annie: “You can be seen and heard by others. I can’t.”

Nina (to George): “This thing inside me, whatever it is, it’s a baby and I will become a mother and that terrifies me more than any werewolf bullshit.”

I had to laugh Annie’s attempts of trying to fix up Sasha for their night out. It felt like a scene from Death Becomes Her.

George: “Mitchell, shall we get pissed?”
Mitchell: “You are a genius, George.”

Graham: “Tell people that you liked me.”
Mitchell: “I will.”

Standout music: Um, Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” during the scene where Annie’s doing her work on Sasha.

Nina: “George, would you like to have a little hairy baby with me?”
George: “Yes I would.”

Chronology: Two weeks since “Adam’s Family”.

“Type 4” was definitely one of the grossest episodes we’ve had thanks to Sasha’s zombie form rotting up the place but it was also a rather touching episode too. I love that this season not only has found its groove but also how focused it’s become as well.

Rating: 9 out of 10.