A Television Viewer's Diary: 10/13-10/19: South Park

WARNING: The free form ramblings continue, be prepared for run-ons, incomplete thoughts, and atrocious punctuations. This is what happens to a mind on TV, it's not pretty, but kind of fun.

Best show I watched this week: South Park
Worst show I watched this week: The War at Home

Sunday 10/13.

• The Simpsons (Fox 8pm). Marge buys a tandem bike, but cannot entice Homer away from his one dumbbell. Instead, Bart joins up on her adventures and becomes a mama's boy. Mediocre episode of a slipping series. **
• The War at Home (Fox 8:30). Only taped and watched out of convenience. I cannot believe this is still on and Arrested Development gets the shaft. This episode has the daughter wanting breast implants, much comedy ensues. *
• Family Guy (Fox 9pm). Brian gets a job with the New Yorker, but to keep it he has to go back to college. On a funnier side, Peter and the gang form their own version of the A-Team, with disastrous results. ***.5
• American Dad (Fox 9:30). The Smiths are still in Saudi Arabia. Stan is loving it while the rest of the family has their own issues, including his wife's musical strip show. Funny stuff. ***
• Desperate Housewives (ABC 9pm). The guy locked in the basement gets out, Edie has a break up, the Scavo's find some new playmates, and Gaby has trouble fitting into a dress. **.5
• Grey's Anatomy (ABC 10pm). Derek and Addison take sides regarding a friends proposed surgery. But the best is Cristina and Burke's date which turns into a surgical opportunity. ***

Monday 10/14.

• WWE: Monday Night Raw (USA 9pm). A wonderful tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero. ****
• Surface (NBC 8pm). Miles is distraught after giving up Nimrod, while his parents mull over punishments. Laura, Rich, with Jackson build a sub to try to get a glimpse of the creatures and get more than they bargained for. I like it, but I don't at the same time. **.5
• Las Vegas (NBC 9pm). Guilty pleasure of the week. This show is so fluffy non-serious, that it is just fun to watch. This week has a sapphire stolen from high security and the prime suspect is Monica. It is up to Danny to find and return it before the viewing. Meanwhile Monica tries to get Ed back at the Monticito. ***
• Prison Break (Fox 9pm). This show is becoming gloriously over the top. The plot to escape is becoming more and more complex. Surprising none of the guards have stumbled across the plot yet. Outside the doors, the cover up is growing into the high reaches of government. ***.5

Tuesday 10/15.

• Bones (Fox 8pm). A mummy is found in the wall at a club, along with a good deal of meth. Who killed him? Was there another victim? Who cares? I like this show, but it is not about the mysteries, it is about the characters and their interactions and quips, and small moments. On that level this show is a success. ***
• House (Fox 9pm). A champion cyclist falls ill and admits to straight blood doping to give him an edge. House uses his natural charm to drill down to the truth, while also fending off the anger from his ex. The formula is still working. ***.5
• My Name is Earl (NBC 9pm). Earl's next project is helping with Joy's wedding to the Crab Man. Hilarity ensues as nothing quite works out as it should. Including a little role in the hay prior to the wedding. Meanwhile, Randy just wants to see Catalina dance. ***.5
• The Office (NBC 9:30). Michael's non-existent romance is the focus during performance reviews. I will repeat, anyone who has worked in an office must see this. ***.5
• Supernatural (WB 9pm). Sam and Dean return to their childhood home, only to find that there are still problems going on there. The current inhabitants are experiencing strange things. The boys get help from an old psychic friend to stave off the haunting. They also see their mother again, but leave before the reveal of their father. ***
• Law & Order: SVU (NBC 10pm). Dean Cain guest stars as a rapist that Benson goes undercover to catch. The catch is a loyal girlfriend who he manipulates almost too easily. Still may favorite of the L&O series. ***

Wednesday 10/16.

• That 70's Show (Fox 8pm). Surprised this show is still going. So far this year has been better than last. Kelso proposes to Jackie, in the dumbest thing he's ever done. It also marks Kutcher's last episode and Bruce Willis as a guest star. ***
• Stacked (Fox 8:30). How can a show like this survive and Arrested Development gets canceled? It's a sad state. Still, I find this show to be somewhat addicting. Jenny McCarthy guest stars as an old friend marrying an elderly man. Funny, yet insubstantial fluff. **.5
• Lost (ABC 9pm). This week saw how the other half lives. Analucia and the rest of the tail-enders tale is told. Survivors dragged into the jungle, the debate of whether to stay on the beach, Echo's silence after almost being taken, the discovery of a spy. All of it leads to the arrival of Sawyer, Michael, and Jin. We end up at the shooting. ***.5
• Invasion (ABC 10pm). I really want to like this, but it is taking too many cues from Lost, taking too long to get anywhere. It is still oddly compelling. ***
• Veronica Mars (UPN 9pm). The mystery continues. Logan continues his relationship with Kendall. Keith sets out to take on Sheriff Lamb. Dick and Cassidy learn that they have some big trust fund money coming. Veronica takes a job as a babysitter to find the identity of an abused child. This is one of the best shows going. ***.5
• South Park (Comedy Central 10pm). "Tom, come out of the closet." "Mr.Cruise, please, come out of the closet." Very funny send up of Scientology and Cruise. Reminds me of their take on the Mormons. ***.5

Thursday 10/17.

• Smallville (WB 8pm). Martha falls ill to what appears to be a Kryptonian disease. Chloe is put on the trail of Fine by Lionel, and Brainiac is revealed as he uses Clark to try and free Zod. Can't wait until Zod finally makes an appearance! ***
• Alias (ABC 8pm). Sloane continues his good guy/bad guy flipping, this time double crossing Dean to help out the good guys. Syd sets up a date with her Dad to put a crib together, and they try to setup Dean at a race track. Good stuff. ***
• Reunion (Fox 9pm). Strangely, I still find myself intrigued by this show. The drama with Carla continues, while they try to narrow down who the killer may be. We also see Aaron get bought by the up and coming America Online.
• CSI (CBS 9pm). Part 2 of the big shootout that began last week. A cop was killed, an unarmed man may have been shot, and a boy was shot for his bike. Lots of bullets, a huge crime scene and the involvement of Brass. Very good episode. ***.5
• ER (NBC 10pm). Everyone is going about their day when an explosion causes a plane crash and a whirlwind of problems in the ER, plus there is the renewed relationship between Abby and Kovac. Then there is the issue of Neela in the field with John Stamos. ***

Friday 10/18.

• Ghost Whisperer (CBS 8pm). Straight outta the movie theater comes EVP. A static spirit is calling out to Melinda and her son, but it is causing a lot of harm on the way. Not one of the better episodes. **
• WWE: Friday Night Smackdown (UPN 8pm). Tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero.

Saturday 10/19.

• TNA: Wrestling Impact (Spike 11pm). Fun wrestling show, features the debut of Christian Cage.

To be dropped from the "To Watch" list:

Shows on the bubble:

That is all for this week.