Funeral Blues

And here's another look at the last few shows I've been watching ...

Desperate Housewives: Ah, Susan. You try to do good and you wind up nearly getting sent down for trying to poison Paul. As if Susan would have enough braincells to try that for starters. Still, the last two episodes that I've seen were actually quite good and with RTE2 set to air the finale on Tuesday, I'm intrigued to see where the show ends, given that both the Paul and Felicia strands have been dealt with. I suppose there's still Gabby coming face to face with her stepfather and Bree's relationship with Chuck. As for Lynette and Tom's shaky marriage - I'm really struggling to care at the moment because neither of them are remotely sympathetic.

Game Of Thrones: Another two episodes I've managed to watch together, I have to admit that this show is really gathering apace. The fanservice scenes between Renly and Loras aside, the characters in this episode are clicking more for me - Tyrion, Dany, Ned, Cat and Jon Snow are all definitely getting stronger with each episode and while I do find both Cersei/Jamie horrible people, they are however decent antagonists for the series and more effective than the King at the moment.

Glee: Great set of episodes. Okay, the Prom episode hardly reinvented the wheel for that particular theme and the cynic in me thought that Jean's death was an excuse to give Jane Lynch an Emmy submission but the uneven writing aside in places, I actually am looking for the finale the finale. It's nice that more progress with Santana, still happy that Brittany/Artie are no more, officially bored to death with Jesse/Rachel/Finn/Quinn quadrangle but musically the last two episodes did give us numbers from Adele, Amy Winehouse and ABBA and that was a lot better than Kurt and his neverending showtunes. Step out of your comfort zone, Kurt and nice Sue will not last for long.

The Walking Dead: Really brilliant last two episodes. I definitely want more of this series. Everything seems to have clicked better - the characters, the pacing, the introduction of Jenner and his abrupt demise but either way, I left watching the last two episodes wanting more from the series. Season 2 can't start soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

V: I still have to catch up with the double bill episodes that SyFy to end the series but the last two I watched were strong enough episodes. I like that Lisa's trying to play the game with Anna while scheming with Diana and even Erica's brutal methods with the Fifth Column make more sense than Tyler's increased gullibility. Only Ryan's storyline with his daughter and Jack are beginning to be sore points of each episode. Looking forward to the last two.


- Joseph Morgan may become a regular in the upcoming third season of The Vampire Diaries.
- Ricky Gervais has recently complained about the celebrity cameos in The Office finale. Er, you were one of them, Ricky.
- Chris Vance has signed up for a series based on The Transporter movies.
- Supernatural has been picked up for a seventh season but Misha Collins won't be a regular.
- Peter MacDissi will be playing a vampire in an upcoming episode of True Blood.
- TNT have confirmed that a decision has not been made on the Dallas reboot just yet.

All The Muck That's Fit To Rake

And here's another TV jumble for you ....

Desperate Housewives: I have to admit that Season 7 has been something of an improvement recently, with nearly every plot minus anything Lynette/Tom (I'm fit to kill the both of them) actually being interesting. Bree and Gabby trying to maintain their friendship in spite of Carlos's wrath, Susan befriending Paul and Felicia subsequently poisoning, Karen getting a little more involved with Felicia and even Renee has been enjoyable. Here's hoping the last few episodes wrap up the season nicely.

Game Of Thrones: The show moves at a somewhat slow pace but it's actually becoming interesting viewing though. Ned is definitely a better character than I expected him to be and Tyrion is by far the best character of the bunch, though I'm liking Arya for smacking Cersei's bratty child down and John Snow is still a sympathetic character too. Sometimes the politics is a little hard to keep up with though but I'm still sticking with this show.

Glee: Really loved the last two episodes. Okay, so doing Born This Way was nowhere near as great as Rachel/Quinn's mashup of Unpretty/I Feel Pretty but you have to admire Santana's scheming. The girl managed to neutralise Karofsky in a way that no-one else managed to and Kurt returned to McKinley and while Sue might need to up her game beyond rumour spreading, I did enjoy Will and April taking on Fleetwood Mac's Dreams and the subplot about Sam being homeless was pretty effective as well. Looking forward to the final three.

V: I still have to catch up with Birth Pangs but the last two episodes were delightful. Finally, Erica and company make an aggressive effort to take out Anna. It's just a damn shame that it failed, Ryan betrayed them and Erica's ex-husband ended up being killed instead. On the flip side, it's been six episodes and Diana has yet to do anything really significant. Hopefully now that Lisa is aware of her grandmother's existence, this might finally change.

The Walking Dead: This show is definitely getting a lot better. Nice to have Rick reunited with his family and surprisingly decent of him to try and retrieve that racist hick with a small team as well. However, the women on this show need a more active role, other than dying (I liked Amy, shame to see her go) but overall, this show is definitely getting into it's groove though and I can't wait to see what the last two episodes have in store.

- Brothers And Sisters could be returning for a sixth season as little as 13 episodes. ABC won't reveal the show's fate until May 16th.
- All My Children actress Susan Lucci could be appearing in Desperate Housewives in the near future. There's been some contradicting reports on this one.
- Puck, Artie and Sam will be singing Rebecca Black's Friday in this week's episode of Glee. There's also rumours that Season 3 will feature a Cheryl Cole song. Ugh.
- Dexter and Deb's relationship will be further explored in the upcoming sixth season of Dexter. Will she finally realise her brother kills people? Dexter will also not be pitted against one big bad this season.
- Grey's Anatomy will see both Meredith and Derek facing tough times as they struggle with adoption.
- Chris Colfer has sold a pilot to the Disney Channel called The Little Leftover Witch, based on the Florence Laughlin books.

Neglecting The Neglected Here

Okay, because I'll be distracted by some bloke in a bow tie and his three mates this weekend, here's a look at some of the stuff I've watched over the last week ...

Desperate Housewives: I need to catch up with an episode later tonight but I did like the last episode that dealt with the consequences of Beth's death and actually humanised Paul for the first time this season. It's just too bad that the poor woman's death served an opportunity for Felicia to get free from jail but I did like that Paul allowed his wife to die, so that Susan could get a transplant, which means that plotline is now coming to an end. Other good plotlines included Andrew's alcoholism (even if came out of nowhere) and Bree trying to help him as well as Gabby learning a bit more about Renee's past. I have to admit that Renee is beginning to improve as a character too but the Lynette/Tom storyline bored me senseless yet again.

Game Of Thrones: You have to hand it to SkyAtlantic for being so quick on the ball with airing this series a day after HBO did. The first episode of this fantasy epic was alright, moved rather slowly in places and because I've never read the books, it did take a while to actually keep up with what was going on. The incestuous brother/sister duo harming Ned's son at the end of the episode was nasty as was the poor girl pawned off by her brother for an army. In terms of characters, the only ones I've liked so far as Ned, John Snow and Tyrien, the randy little imp. With a further nine episodes, I do think I'll be sticking with the show though.

Glee: When you do an episode about neglected artists, it's probably wise to actually do an episode about neglected artists. Which means doing songs by Jack Johnson, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin or current chart fave, Adele doesn't count as neglected. Tina seemed to be the only to actually get the memo and the poor girl didn't even get to sing. As episodes go, this one was more lightweight with Sue assembling the worst supervillains going, Sunshine reminding us how well she can sing, Mercedes fighting for attention in the dumbest way possible and Will/Holly coming to a predictable break up. On the plus side, there was the joy of Santana threatening Karofsky and Brittany's knowledge of feline diseases to keep the episode going.

V: Ah, now I am really enjoying this series. Can we please have a third season, ABC? This episode might not have been the best one going but it was decent enough. We had Erica and the gang finally meeting Eli and Anna at her scheming best as she paid a holy visit this episode. Also, I really want Erica's new partner not to be a threat but the show kind of eviscerated that one quickly. That woman doesn't have the greatest of luck, does she? The downside was Tyler trashing the church but I've given up on that character so his doltish behaviour no longer shocks me.
The Walking Dead: Solid second episode. One criticism is that the show tends to move at a snails pace in parts but two episodes in and I can definitely understand the hype for the series. This one was certainly interesting with the gang actually using an interesting method to try and blend in with the zombies, just too bad that it didn't last for too long. As for Rick, he's still a likeable enough leading man but how much longer will we have to wait before he's reunited with his family?

- Cassidy Freeman has admitted that her character Tess Mercer will have scenes with Lex Luthor in the series finale of Smallville.
- In news that won't shock but Games Of Thrones has been renewed for a second season after the success of the premiere episode.
- BBCAmerica will be co-producing the fourth season of Being Human with the BBC.
- Jim Carrey is the latest guest star for the finale for the US version of The Office. Others include Catherine Tate, Ray Romano, Will Arnett and James Spader.
- Former Heroes actor Masi Oka is writing and starring in a pilot for SyFy called The Correctors.
- Kevin Alejandro will appear in the season finale of Bones, playing the role of Hercules 'The Tornado' Maldanado.

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.

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.

It's The Afterbirth You Dickhead

Okay, this is probably the last TV jumble blog for 2010 and here are the end of a few shows I've been watching over the last few weeks.

Ugly Betty - Yes, Season 4 has finally finished up on E4 and while it continues to show us that Vanessa Williams was better here than in her new gig, I have to admit the last few episodes have been fun - Betty getting rid of her braces, Hilda getting married, Justin finally coming out, Wilhemina and Cliare burying the hatchet, Amanda finding her real father and of course, Betty leaving for London and Daniel going after her. The series wasn't perfect but it was a fun, feel-good antidote that will be missed.

Misfits - I loved the last two episodes of this show. The finale might have pulled something of a reset after the consequences of milk guy nearly killing everyone but it certainly made for a fun episode and it's incredible that even with a rubbish power, Brian could manage to be a fairly credible threat as well. As for the Christmas special, well, it certainly won't go down as too schmaltzy anyways. You had Marnie giving birth with Nathan stamping on the afterbirth for gore along with Nikki's swift death, a guy pretending to be Jesus, Simon and Alisha's reltionship developing and the gang losing their powers only to gain some new ones. Thank goodness this show is due for a third run.

The Vampire Diaries - Three episodes in a row and I've finally finished off the first season and it was fun. I liked learning more about Stefan and Damon first few hours as vampires, Isobel's brief entry into Alaric and Elena's lives was amusing enough and the writers have made sure I don't feel an ounce of compassion for John Gilbert. Heck, even when Katherine in the final minute chopped his bloody fingers off, I couldn't muster any empathy for the guy. Damon had some nice moments of decency, Jeremy lost another girlfriend with Anna and Tyler was also effected by the noise of that device, which can only mean there's something supernatural about him. Here's hoping TG4 don't waste too much time and air Season Two pretty sharpish.

Desperate Housewives - I was waiting for one episode this season to truly blow me away and I actually got it. Okay, so event episodes are all spectacle and I'm still not sure how Paul's storyline can be sustained for the rest of the season but at least someone had the freaking sense to shoot him. I'm betting it'll be someone like Mitzi or even Lee if they want to be a tad risky. As for the riot, it felt devastating enough and here's hoping that the remainder of the season will finally get the show back on track too.

The Apprentice - Irish/UK Versions - Ah, it's an all girl victory on both sides. Michelle predictably bagged it for the Irish and Stella (less predictably for me) won the UK one but either way, both versions had some enjoyable moments and sure, it won't be too long before the seventh series of Alan Sugar's version hits our screens again.

- Along with Caprica, SyFy have also pulled the plug on Stargate Universe. Wow, it's really not good to be a spin-off nowadays.

- The producers of Smallville have been trying to get Michael Rosembaum to reprise his role as Lex Luthor for the show's final run.

- Ian Somerhalder has revealed that Klaus in The Vampire Diaries will make Damon shake in his boots. Sounds like my kinda character, then.

- Damien Lewis, David Harewood, Mandy Patinkin, Claire Danes and Laura Fraser have all joined the cast for new Showtime series, Homeland.

- John Corbett has landed a multi-arc role on Parenthood.