Sunday 8/7.
- Wanted. Has the potential to grow on me, but nothing special yet. This was a bit better than the pilot, bringing in a wise ass US Marshal to the team. The humor quotient went up, leading to more enjoyment from the series. **.5
- The 4400. The search for Collier's killer continues, and they get closer to finding Kyle. Tom finds out and decides to fight the law and help his son. I will say that if the end of this episode really is the end of the investigation, I will be very disappointed. It had such an anti climatic finish that left me flat. **.5
- The Dead Zone. Danny Masterson guest stars as a former student of Johnny's who is working on a material that may be exploited for military purpose. Johnny sets out to stop it, but his vision wasn't entirely clear as to who is doing what, with tragic results. **.5
Monday 8/8.
- WWE: Raw. I would have watched this, but couldn't as I foolishly taped the wrong channel. This is the first Raw I can remember missing for a number of years.
- The Closer. This procedural continues to be one of the better ones on TV. This week features the murder of a maid's daughter and the twists it takes to bring a certain level of justice to the killer. Kyra Sedgewick really breathes life into this character, and through that is a bright spot in the show. ***
Tuesday 8/9.
- Reno 911. Does Garcia have a secret girlfriend? The force does, and proceed to find out all they can, until an ugly secret rears its head. Of course, it wouldn't have been so ugly had they gotten all the facts right. Police and facts? Very funny. ***
- Stella. What happens when the guys get lost in the woods? Well, nothing that is easy to explain. A de-evolution rapidly occurs, plus some playful cannibalism. ***
- Rescue Me. Jerry invites the gang over for his son's birthday party which is one of the biggest gay parties of the year. Franco and Laura take the next step until his fling with the nurse is exposed. One of the best dramas, if not the best going right now. ****
Wednesday 8/10.
- Miami Ink. I will once again reiterate "I do not like reality television." I enjoy seeing the tattoo work done and the reasons behind the designs and the designs themselves. Fortunately, this show delivers the goods, the artists are clearly very talented, and they get a wide array of clientèle from first timers to those literally covered in ink. This time around is a man getting a tribute to his dead cat, a teen getting her first work, and an old friend getting a new piece done. Nice work is on display. ***
- Mindfreak. Criss Angel's latest "freak out" is being shackled and buried alive. The feat is staged on the set of the Firefly home, from The Devil's Rejects and he even has Rob Zombie on the location to witness his feat. It may be some major thing to do, but it didn't really do much for me. I am still astounded by how much this guy is full of himself, and magicians in general from my admittedly limited experience. I still like his smaller tricks. **
- Over There. Powerful new series enters it's third week. This time around we get to see the transport of a prisoner which gets sidelined by a more sadistic officer wishing to exact his own brand of torture. Meanwhile, a soldier is trying to deal with the loss of a leg, those results are not pretty. Another firefight breaks out and an air strike comes through. Not a very good description, but this is fast becoming one of the most compelling dramas on television. ****
Thursday 8/11.
- WWE: Smackdown. Not much of note, they did continue the Guerrero/Mysterio story. Other than that, I don't remember.
- Starved. This is growing on me, the eating disorders and the effects it has on their lives. Some of them may be trying to hard to be tragic and charming, but it is growing on me. Besides, who doesn't get a kick out of seeing a man moving on all fours frantically with a stream of water firing out of his ass? ***
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Still not sure what I think about this. On one hand it is rather funny, on the other, it seems to be rather shallow. Somehow I still find myself attracted to it. This time one of the guys finds that he may have a 10 year old son. This leads to humorous results, while the other guys try to pick up women at abortion (pro and con) rallies. **.5
Friday 8/12.
- Monk. To me the story was secondary, the really gripping element is Tony Shalhoub's performance. Monk has a breakthrough with his condition while reading one of his deceased wife's poems, and actually starts getting better. Then he discovers that she may actually be alive, a fact hidden by his assistant, Natalie. Tony's performance is terribly moving, the relief he has when the breakthrough occurs, and the love and pain that builds up upon discovering the new possibility of life. The "plot" meant nothing next to his emotion. ***.5
- Stargate: SG-1. The threat of the Auri continues, as does Claudia Black's entertaining run. It is a joy seeing her back on TV, the smart ass attitude she brings to Vala is a bright spot on the show. Browder as the new team leader is good, but hasn't really asserted himself as a lead on the show. The focus on Jackson and Vala has been entertaining. This week we watch as they try to save a society which just found out that the Goa'uld have fallen, but they have serious competition from a Prior. The results are not good. ***
- Stargate: Atlantis. During a trip to a new planet, they find the gate to be on an island used as a prison, to keep the worst criminals out of their safe and structured society. Turns out that any criminal goes to this island which serves as a feeding ground for the Wraith, to keep them from coming to the city. Shepherd, McKay and the others get shot down on the island and have to fight off the potential criminals as well as incoming Wraith. It was decent, but I felt as if I'd seen this story before. **.5
- Battlestar Galactica. Still the best science fiction show on television. Starbuck and her new friends on Caprica attack a Cylon outpost. In the firefight, Starbuck gets hurt and finds that she is in a Cylon base where they are experimenting with hybrid breeding. Very good episode, I just don't have much to say. Sorry. ****
Saturday 8/13.
- Alien Siege. Like a low rate rip off of V, we are faced with an alien race which is taking people and turning them into a vaccine to save themselves. There is a small group of resistance fighters looking to put a stop to them. Joining them is a doctor intent on getting his daughter back at any cost. Not well acted or anything, but it made for a decent B movie diversion. **
- Alien Express. Finishing off a double feature of alien carnage comes this little hybrid of Aliens and Under Siege. Not a good movie, but star Lou Diamond Phillips sells like it's an Oscar contender, if that's not dedication. Aliens land via flaming meteor and start making lunch out of everyone on a fast moving train. Their weakness? They have high methane content and explode when faced with a flame. Another fun diversion. **
End. Transmission.
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