Mad Men 510 Review- Merry Krishna

Pete- "Ya know, if I had told you last December that we'd be in the running for a car, you would've kissed me on the mouth."

Don- "Maybe you and I should go as a couple."

It's that time of year, when the world falls in love...or maybe it's just that time of year when the world pretends to be in love because her better half is a really good recruiter for her religion.

Seriously, between Harry's trip down Krishna lane, and Lane's money problems, there was a lot going on in "Christmas Waltz" that couldn't have cared less about.

As Harry's plot continued to get stranger and stranger as it went, I started wondering what the point was of adding this arc to the series.  Was it just to show that audience how caring Harry was?  Was it to add some religious elements to the mix?  Whatever the reasoning, I found myself not caring in the least what happened to the new Paul, and his lovely friend.

Similarly, I was bored out of my mind whenever Lane was by himself worrying about his money situation.  I understand that this certainly creates major issues for the company, but either the idea wasn't fleshed out that well, or I just can't handle Jared Harris as Lane after watching him as David Robert Jones during my recent Fringe catch-up binge.

To read the rest of my review of this week's Mad Men, head over to TV Fanatic.

Mad Men 510 - "Christmas Waltz"
Review
Recap
Quotes

The Borgias 207 Review- We're Gonna Have To Take The Boy

Juan- "If you don't have the stomach for this spectacle, you'll find that Spain lies that way."

Since Francois Arnaud and David Oakes have both been so fantastic during The Borgias second season, it's a shame that the series has had such a difficult time showcasing them in the same episode.  "The Siege at Forli" was yet another example of this mishap as Cesare Borgia was sidelined for the majority of the hour.

From his triumphant return, to his battlefield tactics, Juan Borgia was quite the standout once again.  It felt so good to have him back, especially when his return meant a pet panther and cigars for the pope.  I'm not sure which was more fun, watching the then unheard of cat bite the finger of Lucrezia, or watching Juan explain to Rodrigo and everyone else what the then unheard of cigars were and did.

It wasn't all panthers and puffing for the second son, though.  He also made his way to Forli to take out the great Catherina Sforza in battle.  What made his inevitable failure, and the quasi betrayal by his brother Cesare, so epic, was the feeling of superiority he and Rodrigo had going during their fireside chat early in the hour.

The father, sorry Holy Father, was proud that his boy had become a man, and truly felt that Juan was going to wipe out Catherina and take her back to Rome completely compliant.

To read the rest of my review of this week's The Borgias, head over to TV Fanatic.

The Borgias 207 - "The Siege at Forli"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Community 321 Review- A Plan Changs Together

Abed- "Which wire do I cut?"

Troy- "There's only one."

Abed- "God, I hope I'm right."

After a long season of reviewing The Office and 30 Rock here at TV Fanatic, giving both middling grades at best, it was a breath of fresh air when the boss asked me to help out with one of this week's trio of Community episodes.

Unlike its elder Comedy Night Done Right brothers, which in one way or another are shells of their former selves, Community is in the midst of one of the best two-season sitcom runs of all-time. It may be getting banished to Friday nights next season, but right now our favorite Human Beings are still the funniest people on television.

"The First Chang Dynasty" did not let me down in that regard. The penultimate episode of Community's third season had a nearly perfect combination of parody, physical comedy, sight gags, puns, characterization, heart and plot development. I know, that's a lot, but I don't get to review Community very often, so I need to stress how fantastic it truly is.

As a huge fan of Ocean's Eleven, I absolutely loved the Greendale Seven's parody of it. My favorite moment might have been the description of just how difficult the plan was going to be. There is no way they’re going to be able to get past Joshua, or figure out the code that is changed... once a day!

To read the rest of my review of last night's second of three episodes of Community, head over to TV Fanatic.

Community 321 - "The First Chang Dynasty"
Review
Recap
Quotes

30 Rock 622 Review- I Now Pronounce You Divorced

Liz- "Hey, I don't bail. I am still watching Smash, Criss."

Television shows, especially sitcoms, normally lose some of their luster as time goes on. Whether it be that the series actually gets worse, or simply our perception of it does because the novelty has worn off, more often than not, things are not going to be the same by season six.

Because of that fact, 30 Rock should be commended for how good its sixth season has been. There have been misses like Hazel Wassername, and big hits like the second live show, but all in all, this spring has been a solid run for the veteran sitcom.

Unfortunately, "What Will Happen to the Gang Next Year?" wasn't one of 30 Rock's better outings. The season finale had some one-offs that were nice enough, like the different things Liz's plant baby was up to, the fact that Criss has seen everything The Beek has done except Dawson's and Kenneth's reasons for calling people he likes bitches.

There were very few truly hilarious moments, though, and that is what we usually look for in a great episode of 30 Rock. For a season finale, this was pretty underwhelming. There was too much Hazel, Jack and Avery weren't at their best, and Jenna and Tracy were sidelined a bit too much.

To read the rest of my review of last night's 30 Rock season finale, head over to TV Fanatic.

30 Rock 622 - "What Will Happen to the Gang Next Year?"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Survivor Finale- Kim Possible

Well that's all she wrote.  Another season of Survivor in the books, and another Fantasy Championship to Jaydon.

Here is an update on the history of Fantasy Survivor winners...


Spring 2012: Jaydon
Fall 2011: Larry
Spring 2011: Jaydon
Fall 2010: Dan
Spring 2010: Jaydon
Fall 2009: Jaydon
Spring 2009: Jaydon
Fall 2008: Mags

The dude has now won more than half of the seasons we have played this game.  Good work.

Meanwhile, only one season after winning his first championship, Larry is sent down to the Developmental League after coming in last this spring.  Who moves up?  None other than the first ever winner, Kyle Mengus.  Welcome back.


Champions League

Jaydon

Matt -100
Kim +361: Immunity (+20), W14 (+82), Immunity (+20), W15 (+96), Winner (+111)= +690
Alicia +416: Votes (-12)= +404
Nina -24

Last Week +653: Team Total= +970



Me

Jay +71
Chelsea +315: Votes (-8), W14 (+82), W15 (+96)= +485
Monica -5
Colton +25

Last Week +406: Team Total= +576

Jack
Troyzan +208
Christina +320: W14 (+82), Votes (-12)= +390
Kourtney -45
Bill -45

Last Week +438: Team Total= +508

Larry

Michael -17
Kat +179
Jonas +9
Tarzan +278

Team Total +449




Free Agents
Leif +146
Sabrina +429: W14 (+82), Votes (-4), W15 (+96)= +603

Developmental League

Mags

Matt
Kim: Immunity (+20), W14 (+82), Immunity (+20), W15 (+96), Winner (+111)= +329
Alicia: Votes (-12)= -12
Tarzan

Finale= +317, Team Total= +1,483

Marsh

Jay
Chelsea: Votes (-8), W14 (+82), W15 (+96)= +170
Bill
Christina: W14 (+82), Votes (-12)= +70

Finale= +240, Team Total= +1,221

Tippy

Troyzan
Kat
Colton
Monica

Team Total= +553




Rizzo

Michael
Jonas
Kourtney
Nina

Team Total= +49

Free Agents
Leif
Sabrina: W14 (+82), Votes (-4), W15 (+96)= +174

Mad Men 509 Review- Get On The Scale, Get Off The Scale

Michael- "I feel bad for you."

Don- "I don't think about you at all."

Both of Don Draper's former wives made valiant returns in "Dark Shadows." Fat Betty ate up the screen (pun intended) with every emotion you can imagine, while the deceased Anna Draper appeared in mention only via an attempt to cause a rift in Don's now solid family situation.

Although everyone in the known universe hates Betty Francis, it is difficult to argue that January Jones has been amazing in the role over these past five years. Let's look at the depth at which she portrayed the character this week by running through the many emotions of Fat Betty...

Sadness
Not only did it make me sad watching Betty attend those bizarre Weight Watcher meetings, it obviously was making her sad to be there. The leader of that crew is all well and good, but I think they could all benefit from a more influential instructor. I would suggest someone like Tony Perkis, who always knows how to treat his students at a "weigh-in."

Jealousy
With things seemingly not running so smoothly with Henry, Betty was supremely jealous when she walked through Don's apartment. The trendy furniture wasn't the only thing she was jealous of, though. Seeing Megan with her shirt off – and later reading that note from Don to his new wife – must have shattered Fat Betty's self confidence a lot.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Mad Men, head over to TV Fanatic.

Mad Men 509 - "Dark Shadows"
Review
Recap
Quotes

The Borgias 206 Review- Do You Perhaps Take Gold?

Rodrigo- Save your thoughts. Say nothing."

Cesare- I haven't uttered a word."

Rodrigo- No, but we can hear you thinking."

Similar to Sons of Anarchy at its best moments, the second season of The Borgias has done a fine job at showcasing both the outside and inside threats to its protagonistic family in concert.

While those coming from elsewhere - such as the Sforza forces or the Friar Savonarola - have been pushing the story of the season along, it is those issues close to the heart of the Borgias that has interested me most since the premiere.

The epicenter of the series' success continued to be Francis Arnaud's work as Cesare Borgia during "Day of Ashes." The eldest son of Pope Alexander kept striving towards earning the armor fit for the leader of the Papal Army, but per the usual, Rodrigo still didn't agree.

Watching Cesare use his "stray dogs" to take out the caravan, and steal all of the Medici gold, was fun, but it wasn't enough to change the Pope's mind. At the end of the day, that was all that Cesare was looking for. He wants to be the "one son in amour."

To read the rest of my review of last night's The Borgias, head over to TV Fanatic.

The Borgias 206 - "Day of Ashes"
Review
Recap
Quotes

American Idol Top 4- Ho Hum, Hollie

Fantasy Idol

Larry
Phillip Phillips: Safe (+55)
Skylar Laine
Erika Van Pelt
Adam Brock
Brielle Von Hugel
Top 4: +55, Team Total: 342

Rizzo
Jessica Sanchez: Safe (+55)
Shannon Magrane
Elise Testone
Aaron Marcellus
Johnny Keyser
Top 4: +55, Team Total: 276

Jack
Deandre Brackensick
Baylie Brown
Joshua Ladet: Safe (+55)
Chelsea Sorrell
Creighton Fraker

Top 4: +55, Team Total: 237

Tyson
Heejun Han
Hollie Cavanaugh: Eliminated (-24)
Jeremy Rosado
Hallie Day
Chase Likens
Top 4: -24, Team Total: 134

Me
Colton Dixon
Reed Grimm
Eben Franckewitz
Haley Johnson
Jen Hirsh
Team Total: 58

The Office 824 Review- You Down With M-O-P?

Phyllis- "What's he doing?"

Dwight- "He's searching out younger gays."

"Free Family Portrait Studio" was the last episode of The Office this season. It was the final half hour with James Spader in the cast. It might have been the last we see of Kelly Kapoor and Dwight Schrute. Heck, it might be the last episode ever.

With all of those factors on the table, I couldn't help but be disappointed. This wasn't one of the show's worst efforts of the year, albeit that is a difficult feat to achieve, but nothing about it felt like a finale.

Was that supposed to be a send off for Robert California? I know he was only here for one full season, but it sure felt abrupt. He's getting paid by David to travel the world with hot gymnasts? It's strange.

When it comes to Andy Bernard, I have had more quarrels with the character lately than can be imagined, but I was enjoying what B.J. Novak for Ed Helms to start the episode. The fake, down-on-his-luck, drunken janitor bit was kind of working for him.

To read the rest of my review of last night's season finale of The Office, head over to TV Fanatic.

The Office 824 - "Free Family Portrait Studio"
Review
Recap
Quotes

30 Rock 621 Review- Soccer. Jazz. Infidelity

Liz- "I could dip into my 401 K...is something I've heard old people say in commercials."

On the heels of the announcement that the series was picked up by NBC for a seventh and final season, 30 Rock aired a staggeringly average episode in "The Return of Avery Jessup."

The originality and creativity involved in recent outings such "Live From Studio 6H" and "Queen of Jordan 2" make them inherently divisive. People will either respond well to such comedy... or hate everyone for putting it on their televisions.

On the other side of the spectrum is an episode like "The Return of Avery Jessup," which seemed impossible to love or hate, because it was just so run of the mill. If you enjoy watching 30 Rock, you probably thought this was fine. If you don't like 30 Rock, why are you reading this review?

As I've said a number of times before, 30 Rock is such a great show because even when it doesn't fire on all cylinders creatively, there are always enough jokes to make it a worthwhile 30 minutes.

To read the rest of my review of last night's 30 Rock, head over to TV Fanatic.

30 Rock 621 - "The Return of Avery Jessup"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Survivor Week 13- Just The Girls Now

Just as I posited, this game has become boring with all of these lame people remaining.  Therefore, I have nothing to say this week.  All I need is Chelsea to make it one more week, so I can pass Larry, and not be sent down to the Developmental League.  Let's go!

Champions League

Jaydon

Matt -100
Kim +282: W13 (+79)= +361
Alicia +317: Immunity (+20), W13 (+79)= +416
Nina -24

Last Week +475: Team Total= +653

Larry

Michael -17
Kat +179
Jonas +9
Tarzan +298: Votes (-20)= +278

Last Week +469: Team Total= +449

Jack

Troyzan +208
Christina +241: W13 (+79)= +320
Kourtney -45
Bill -45

Last Week +359: Team Total= +438




Me

Jay +71
Chelsea +230: Reward (+10), Votes (-4), W13 (+79)= +315
Monica -5
Colton +25

Last Week +321: Team Total= +406




Free Agents
Leif +146
Sabrina +350: W13 (+79)= +429

Developmental League

Mags

Matt
Kim: W13 (+79)= +79
Alicia: Immunity (+20), W13 (+79)= +99
Tarzan: Votes (-20)= -20

Week 13= +158, Team Total= +1,166

Marsh

Jay
Chelsea: Reward (+10), Votes (-4), W13 (+79)= +85
Bill
Christina: W13 (+79)= +79

Week 13= +164, Team Total= +981

Tippy

Troyzan
Kat
Colton
Monica

Team Total= +553




Rizzo

Michael
Jonas
Kourtney
Nina

Team Total= +49

Free Agents
Leif
Sabrina: W13 (+79)= +79

The Voice Finale Results- Live Blogged

From complaints over Christina Aguilera, to a few truly impressive performances, season two of The Voice has offered viewers ups, downs, high notes and lows. And it comes to an end tonight.

In two hours, following Monday's final performance show, the NBC competition will crown its second winner. Seems like the perfect time for a live blog, doesn't it? Comment along with me below as The Voice names a winner and Christina tries not to alienate any more fans...

-------------------------------------------

9:00 Here. We. Goooooooooo!

9:03 As we watch a recap of last night, I am reminded that I didn't like Jermaine's solo performance nearly as much as everyone else, and Christina really hates Tony Lucca.

9:06 Oh my goodness!  How many times are we going to listen these coaches wax on about how great these contestants are? We get it. They're awesome.

9:10 Jermaine Paul is hitting the stage again, and he's bringing Jamar Rogers, James Massone, and Pip with him!

9:12 With his first solo, Jamar proves he deserves to be in the finals over Jermaine. Oh, and Pip is still wearing a bow tie.

To read the rest of my rundown of last night's The Voice finale, head over to TV Fanatic.

The Voice Finals Review- 99 Problems But The Pitch Ain't One

The final night of competition on the second season of The Voice featured a variety of performances that mostly impressed, which will make things difficult for America over the course of the night. The champion will be crowned Tuesday, but for now, let's try not to take any cheap shots like Christina when we look back at what went down in the finale.

---------------------

Jermaine Paul - Solo - "I Believe I Can Fly"
Throughout this season he has made some of the most clichéd and passé song choice of all time, and this wasn't any different. Everyone is going to have their own reasons for who they think deserves to win The Voice, but for me, that performance was the exact reason Jermaine should not be the champion. He hit a really long note in the middle, and he did the R. Kelly thing near the end where he went up, and down, and up, and down, but the whole thing was way too lounge-esque.  He has a great voice, and he probably does extremely well as a backup singer, but I'm sure he will continue to do so after the show ends.
Grade: C+

Juliet Simms - Tribute - "Crazy"
This was a nice tribute to her Coach. It's tough to compete with Cee Lo when she was sick, and even normally she wouldn't be able to hit some of the notes that he does, but this was pleasant enough to get by.
Grade: B

To read the rest of my review of last night's The Voice Finals, head over to TV Fanatic.

Mad Men 508 Review- Death Is The Only Adventure

Megan- "I felt better failing in that audition than I did when I was succeeding at Heinz."

Rory Gilmore, Mr. Belding and the end of Megan Draper's run as a copywriter highlighted the eighth episode of Mad Men's fifth season, "Lady Lazarus."

One stanza in the Sylvia Plath poem that this episode gets its title from reads:

Dying
Is an art, like everything else.
I do it exceptionally well.

Just as the lady of the poem wants nothing more than to finally die after being revived time and time again, Megan Draper wanted nothing more than to finally get out of the advertising business.

She was great at her job. Like the above excerpt reads, Lady Lazarus was exceptional at everything, and like Peggy so astutely commented to Joan, Megan is good at everything...she's just one of those girls.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Mad Men, head over to TV Fanatic.

Mad Men 508 - "Lady Lazarus"
Review
Recap
Quotes

The Borgias 205 Review- Sex and Death 101

Rodrigo- "Know your enemy, Cardinal. Know him better than your friend."

Following four episodes that had me singing the praises of The Borgias, the fifth installment of season two - "The Choice" - was markedly worse in terms of episodic entertainment.

The hour continued to drag on and drag on until Catherina turned down Cesare and Pope Alexander's offer to come to Rome willingly.  The best moment of the entire episode was probably watching Catherina toy with the Cardinal after pleasing him many a time in the bedroom.

Her simple way of skirting around the subject, and continuing to mention how much she was enjoying her duck, was irresistibly charming. The fact that we had just watched the two of them enjoy each other's company so much, and then do so again after dinner, made Catherina's eventual "no" that much more intriguing.

She was fun to watch, and could make for a great foe in the future. Unlike her cousin Giovanni, who was never interesting to see on screen and will be doing nothing in the future thanks to the amount of times Cesare stabbed him in the gut and neck.

To read the rest of my review of last night's The Borgias, head over to TV Fanatic.

The Borgias 205 - "The Choice"
Review
Recap
Quotes

American Idol Top 5- Ledeted To The Judges

I like Phillip Phillips.  I would probably enjoy his music when he comes out with a record.  Phil is probably well on his way to winning this entire competition, but he was God awful this week on American Idol.  As bad as Joshua Ledet?  No, but still bad.  You have to give the judges credit.  They decided that they wanted Josh to make it to the end for some ridiculous reason, and they have done as much as possible to make that happen.  He was in the Bottom 3 guys the very first week of the finals!  He has passed a ton of people on his way to now being voted as one of the Top 3 overall this week.  With their constant praise, and non-stop standing ovations, Jennifer, Steven, and Randy have triple-handedly advanced Joshua to the Final Four.  That is a feat worth celebrating, because he is the absolute worst.

Fantasy Idol

Larry
Phillip Phillips: Safe (+45)
Skylar Laine: Eliminated (-22)
Erika Van Pelt
Adam Brock
Brielle Von Hugel
Top 5: +23, Team Total: 287

Rizzo
Jessica Sanchez: Safe (+45)
Shannon Magrane
Elise Testone
Aaron Marcellus
Johnny Keyser
Top 5: +45, Team Total: 221

Jack
Deandre Brackensick
Baylie Brown
Joshua Ladet: Safe (+45)
Chelsea Sorrell
Creighton Fraker

Top 5: +45, Team Total: 182

Tyson
Heejun Han
Hollie Cavanaugh: Bottom 2 (-11), Safe (+45)
Jeremy Rosado
Hallie Day
Chase Likens
Top 5: +34, Team Total: 158

Me
Colton Dixon
Reed Grimm
Eben Franckewitz
Haley Johnson
Jen Hirsh
Team Total: 58

The Office 823 Review- Dwight-namic Duo

Gabe- "Sometimes I wonder if I have ovaries in my scrotum, because I am great at girl talk."

"Turf War," by playing up the dynamic duo of Dwight and Jim - while reducing Andy's role to cooking cherries jubilee and making one pitch to a client - gave The Office some promise heading into next week's season finale... and then what will be an interesting offseason for the NBC hit.

With rumblings of spin-offs and departures, The Office needed all the positivity it could get, if indeed everyone involved wants it to stay on the air. As the back half of this season has gone on, I haven't been so sure that I would even want this incarnation of the show to continue for another year.

After a couple of unsurprisingly solid supporting performances by B.J. Novak and Brian Baumgartner, and then this week's improving half hour, The Office might be putting out just enough good moments to earn another season, which will then inevitably disappoint us yet again.

Even though I couldn't stand a second of time James Spader spent on screen, let's take a look at the funny and/or heartwarming moments that made "Turf Wars" one of the better Office outings as of late.

To read the rest of my review of last night's The Office, head over to TV Fanatic.

The Office 823 - "Turf War"
Review
Recap
Quotes

30 Rock 620 Review- Reality Blerg-ed

Gus- "We're higher up here, so the sun's electricity is stronger."

30 Rock debuted "Queen of Jordan" last season to rave reviews, specifically from me. It was a hilarious parody of the awful reality television that America has embraced in recent years.

The problem with this week's sequel, "The Mystery of the Phantom Pooper," was that all of the shiny, new mockery from the first one had already been used. The funniest moments from the original just felt a bit watered down in part two.

Whether it was using subtitles when we could obviously hear what the characters were saying, playing up the fact that all these types of shows want to do is have giant fights or the ridiculous titles and descriptions on the title cards, we had seen it all before.

To read the rest of my review of last night's 30 Rock, head over to TV Fanatic.

30 Rock 620 - "Queen of Jordan 2"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Survivor Week 12- Katty Cousins

This is always my favorite episode of the Survivor season, when a bunch of grown adults cry like babies because they get to see family members after being away for two weeks, but this time there were some extra special scenes.  My favorite was when I lost all notions that Kat was cool, because she sprinted like a maniac, jumping and yelling at the sight of her cousin.  Get a life Kat.  First of all, your immediate family was probably upset when you said that your cousin was more important to you than anyone else.  Secondly, get a life.  You haven't even been away for a minute.  Oh yeah, and Tarzan needs to see his wife more, because he's old?  Well, then just send him home.  Does seeing his wife right in this moment have anything to do with the fact that he probably has 20 less years left on this life then the rest of you?  No, it doesn't.  Man, I love this episode.  And man, do I hate people.

Champions League

Jaydon

Matt -100
Kim +195: Immunity (+20), W12 (+67)= +282
Alicia +250: W12 (+67)= +317
Nina -24

Last Week +321: Team Total= +475

Larry

Michael -17
Kat +193: Reward (+10), Votes (-24)= +179
Jonas +9
Tarzan +231: W12 (+67)= +298

Last Week +416: Team Total= +469

Jack

Troyzan +208
Christina +174: W12 (+67)= +241
Kourtney -45
Bill -45

Last Week +292: Team Total= +359




Me

Jay +71
Chelsea +163: W12 (+67)= +230
Monica -5
Colton +25

Last Week +254: Team Total= +321




Free Agents
Leif +146
Sabrina +287: Votes (-4), W12 (+67)= +350

Developmental League

Mags

Matt
Kim: Immunity (+20), W12 (+67)= +87
Alicia: W12 (+67)= +67
Tarzan: W12 (+67)= +67

Week 12= +221, Team Total= +1,008

Marsh

Jay
Chelsea: W12 (+67)= +67
Bill
Christina: W12 (+67)= +67

Week 12= +134, Team Total= +817

Tippy

Troyzan
Kat: Reward (+10), Votes (-24)= -14
Colton
Monica

Week 12= -14, Team Total= +553




Rizzo

Michael
Jonas
Kourtney
Nina

Team Total= +49

Free Agents
Leif
Sabrina: Votes (-4), W11 (+67)= +63

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Top Ten

It is that time again, and with the Fourth Annual Poolies only a month away, the most recent installment of the Quiet Pool Bi-Monthly Television Power Rankings could not be any more relevant.  As always, these rankings take into account current success or failure, as well as those achievements or defeats that occurred far in the past.  We now move onto those ranked 10 through 1.

Rank. Show (Last Time, Highest Ranking) green=moving up, red=moving down

10. Fringe (12, 10) Fridays on FOX
The show may have lost a bit of steam with the story starting season four, but things have more than picked up as of late, including a fantastic guest performance by Henry Ian Cusick a couple weeks ago.  The fact that Fringe got picked up for a fifth and final season next year makes me very excited that they are going to be able to end things the way they want to.

9. Sons of Anarchy (8, 3) Tuesdays on FX
The gang won't return until this fall, but the news that Jimmy Smits is going to be on as a guest star only has me more excited than usual for Sons of Anarchy to come back.  Smits was fantastic in his run on Dexter, so I have no doubt he will bring some major entertainment to this FX staple.

8. Happy Endings (9, 8) Wednesdays on ABC
Now that the gang has finished up their second season, I can't stress enough the fact that you need to catch up on Happy Endings.  It seriously has something for everyone, and for me, every single one of those somethings is gold.

Come get some with Jane, Max, and Brad on Happy Endings

7. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (7, 7) Thursdays on FX
The more I think back on this past season of It's Always Sunny, the more I realize how great it was.  All three of the main dudes had fantastic years, and even Dee, who I normally don't enjoy all that much, had some great moments in her.  The finale alone kept this show in the top ten.

6. Breaking Bad (6, 2) Sundays on AMC
How much longer can this series go on?  It has to be coming to an end sooner rather than later, and I can't wait to see how they decide to carve out the finality of this epic tale.  Will there be a new big bad in the mix, or will the Walt/Hank showdown finally come to the forefront?

5. Curb Your Enthusiasm (5, 1) Sundays on HBO
A sub-par season overall, with a number of fantastic individual efforts, Curb stays put based on its great legacy in the comedy world.  When will LD decide to make another season?  And will it compare to the best that this series has had to offer?

4. Game of Thrones (2, 2) Sundays on HBO
Thrones takes a slight dip, because unlike what I heard about the beginning of season two, this is starting slower than season one did.  I honestly think that this show would greatly benefit from a 14-17 episode season.  Sometimes it feels like they are just glancing over moments instead of digging deep.  Why not take advantage of the source material, and make each book two seasons of 10 episodes even?

3. Homeland (3, 3) Sundays on Showtime
September 30, that is when Homeland returns, and we can't wait.  The trailer is out, and it has me all excited.  How will Carrie get things done after all that happened at the end of the first season?  What about Brody?  Nazir?  The mole?  There are a lot of questions to be answered.

2. Community (4, 2) Thursdays on NBC
The NBC comedy jumps up to its highest ranking ever at the Quiet Pool.  A number of great episodes in a row will do that for a series, and between the war ep, the Blade ep, the Law & Order ep, and more, Community has had that in spades.

1. Justified (1, 1) Tuesdays on FX
The champ remains.  Justified has been number one for a long time now, and a season that backed up its stellar sophomore campaign should keep it here for a good while longer.  The question now becomes, "can they do it again?"  And "will they ever run out of steam?"

The Voice Semifinals Results- 60-40 I Forget The Whole Thing

In comparison to Monday's semifinals, there was very little Christina Aguilera on tonight's The Voice Results. That made me happy, but it probably disappointed the loyal Xtina lovers, which includes many of you TV Fanatics.

With some help from the coaches, America whittled the remaining crop of hopeful artists from eight to four, preparing us for what should be an exciting finale next week. Who made it through? Who was sent home? And which former finalist returned with the best performance of the night?

That's right. Before we got to all of the results, there were a few performances by some friendly faces. Last season's final four, Dia Frampton, Vicki Martinez, Beverly McClellan, and Javier Colon were in the house to belt out some tunes.

Dia sang with Kid Cudi, Vicki performed with her former coach Cee Lo, Beverly rocked out with Cyndi Lauper and Javier worked solo. I wasn't surprised by the fact that last year's champion was still my favorite an entire year later. Dia was also pretty solid.

To read the rest of my rundown of last night's The Voice Semifinals Results, head over to TV Fanatic.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

It is that time again, and with the Fourth Annual Poolies only a month away, the most recent installment of the Quiet Pool Bi-Monthly Television Power Rankings could not be any more relevant.  As always, these rankings take into account current success or failure, as well as those achievements or defeats that occurred well in the past.  We now move onto those ranked 20 through 11.

Rank. Show (Last Time, Highest Ranking) green=moving up, red=moving down

20. Top Chef (-, 18) Wednesdays on Bravo
It wasn't the best season that Top Chef recently finished, but you can never go wrong with sitting down to a nice and easy episode of this cooking classic.  If the unbelievably annoying Sarah hadn't made it to the final three, this reality competition might have made its way even further up the rankings.

19. Wilfred (16, 16) Thursdays on FX
This strange comedy returns to television screens in less than two months, premiering its second season on June 28.  Jason Gann and Elijah Wood were terrific in the first season, with the former putting forth one of my favorite individual performances of the year.

18. The River (HM, 18) Tuesdays on ABC
In all likelihood, with the below average ratings it continually brought in, The River was probably a single season endeavor.  It was a pretty good season though.  The eight episode run made it possible to keep things tight and not bore the audience at all, while the mystery always kept me guessing.

How long could this mockumentary go on with The River?

17. Survivor (14, 14) Wednesdays on CBS
While I still find it as the top reality show in the game, Survivor takes a bit of a drop due to the severe lack of talent on this year's cast.  Thanks to the fact that the women have taken control of the game, we are probably in for a mediocre end to the season, especially since the lone entertaining dude - Troyzan - is out the door.

16. Shameless (18, 16) Sundays on Showtime
Even though the show found a way to ruin my favorite first season character - Lip - Frank and Kevin made such great strides in season two that Shameless continues to climb up the Power Rankings.  Now that I'm thinking of it, Frank's ex, his mom, Sheila, and Ian all were absolutely worthless as well.  Maybe I didn't like this season as much as I thought I did.

15. Parenthood (15, 13) Tuesdays on NBC
I feel like it has been forever since Parenthood has been on the air, and I've wanted to slap Jabbar across the face.  Do I just have too much hate built up right now?  There ARE characters on these shows that I enjoy.  Adam, Max, and Joel are a fantastic trio on Parenthood.  If they could find a way to get Sam Jaeger more screen time, this show could be in contention of the Top Ten.

14. 30 Rock (17, 2) Thursdays on NBC
Maybe I am still on a high from the great live show last week, which introduced us all to this instant classic - "Alfie and Abner" - but I think 30 Rock is having itself a fine season.  If Tina Fey could only figure out to write her own character in a way that didn't make me want to throw up so much, this comedy could make it back to the top of the heap.



13. Boardwalk Empire (13, 12) Sundays on HBO
Nothing much to see here as Boardwalk won't return again until this fall.  The HBO drama concluded its season in fine fashion, not unlike the similarly loved Breaking Bad.  It's just too bad that neither can figure out a way to start its seasons the way they end them.

12. Mad Men (10, 3) Sundays on AMC
Mad Men is great and all, but a conversation I had with T-Time recently helped me understand why it will never be in the same league as the top dramas on television.  The stakes are just never as high, and nothing ever seems as important as what goes on during an episode of Justified or Game of Thrones.  That's not to say that you need murders to make a show fascinating, but it is just the scope of everything that is happening just seems a bit trivial.

11. The Vampire Diaries (11, 11) Thursdays on The CW
The CW's lone hit has continued its success this season.  To go along with non-stop action, unlimited twists and turns, and some great romance among its characters, The Vampire Diaries benefits from what I have discovered is the best looking cast on television.  Top to Bottom, male and female, TVD's cast is the best looking, and I'm not sure how close it is.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

It is that time again, and with the Fourth Annual Poolies only a month away, the most recent installment of the Quiet Pool Bi-Monthly Television Power Rankings could not be any more relevant.  As always, these rankings taken into account current success or failure, as well as those achievements or defeats that occurred in the past.  We begin once again with the Honorable Mentions, not necessarily the shows just missing the cut, but rather the series I feel like mentioning at this time.

Show (Last Time) green=moving up, red=moving down

Awake (-) Thursdays on NBC
What was once the most promising pilot of the 2011-12 season has turned into a police procedural with the occasional interesting idea floating around.  Thankfully the acting performances by Malfoy's dad and Jack Shephard's son have been extremely good, or this would be painful to watch at times.

Lucious Malfoy as Detective Britten on Awake

Big Brother (19) Summers on CBS

The summer reality series made its way back into the Top 20 back in March thanks to a weak crop of shows currently on the air, but some new additions knock Big Brother back out of the rankings.  Sometimes a horrible cast ruins the season for everybody.

The Borgias (-) Sundays on Showtime
This Showtime series has gotten out to a fantastic start to its second season.  It has been action packed, full of twists, and has created a few great relationships on screen.  If you are into historical series in any way, this is one you should definitely give a try.

Dexter (20) Sundays on Showtime
The carousel of showrunners has finally seemed to catch up with Dexter.  This season was the worst yet, but there is definitely still hope for the serial killer and company to turn things around.  With the big reveal at the end of the season, I wouldn't be surprised by a bounce back in 2013, followed by no critics admitting that it's good again.

Girls (-) Sundays on HBO
I wish I had more time to write about how much I hate this show.  I hate this show so much that, like I have done with Louie, I am going to watch every episode just make sure that it remains awful.  For a comedy it is not funny at all. There are no dramatic moments that can even compare with any good drama on television.  And all of the characters are either completely uninteresting or unbelievably detestable.  Why are critics pretending to like this show?

Magic City (-) Fridays on Starz
Not a bad start to this period drama.  Ike Evans is a protagonist that I already find myself rooting for, and Ben Diamond is among the most evil villains currently on tv.  This is an interesting take on the 50s/60s, and if NYC and advertising don't do it for you with Mad Men, how does Miami Beach and the mob sound?

New Girl (-) Tuesdays on FOX
The FOX comedy has been on a good run this spring, which is thanks in large part to the major character change in Nick Miller.  He was God awful at the start of New Girl's run, and recently, he's been carrying the series on his back.  Schmidt and Jess are staples, but Nick has been the reason it has excelled as of late.

Once Upon a Time (-) Sundays on ABC
This most recent episode showcasing August was the reason I tuned into this fairy tale series to begin with.  It had heart, it had excitement, and it revealed some secrets while providing even more questions for the audience to ask.  The more Once Upon a Time serializes itself, and the less it does random one-off episodes of new characters, the better off the show will be.

Scandal (-) Thursdays on ABC
I have been seriously surprised at how good Scandal has been through its first four episodes.  I have long since tired of Grey's Anatomy, and never quite got into Private Practice or Off the Map, so I didn't have high expectations for this Shonda Rhimes series.  There has to be someone else running the show, because this intense legal thriller has been interesting from the word go.  Like the best in the business, Scandal does a great job of weaving episodic stories with the overarching plot dealing with the President.

Veep (-) Sundays on HBO
I have yet to watch this week's second episode of the series, but after one viewing I am definitely on board.  Julia and Tony Hale won me over, and I look forward to seeing if it sticks with me or dies out slowly.

The Voice Semifinals Review- Xtina Marks Her Spot

Christina Aguilera and her fans in the crowd are becoming more and more difficult to deal with on The Voice, but it's worth suffering through to get to fantastic performances like we saw on this week's Semifinals.

Seriously, I'm not sure which is worse, the fans that repeatedly scream out that they love Christina, or the pop queen responding to them every single time. It was more than that, though, this week. Christina was taking every opportunity to show her pipes, get up on stage to show her booty and make every contestant's performance about her. At first it was a bit entertaining, but now it's just getting annoying.

There were some great performances, too, making it even more of a shame Christina was too busy to notice them. Let's take a look at all that went down on The Voice's Semifinals...

Tony Lucca - "How You Like Me Now"
So his sob story is that he cooks dinner for his family? That's not going to get it done, Tony. What will get it done, though, is that performance! What is so interesting about Tony is that his voice doesn't sound all that phenomenal, but I am still intrigued every time he's on stage. Maybe it's that he is just so darn cool, or perhaps it was his unbelievably exciting performance skills, but I loved this a whole lot.

Blake said it was bad ass. Christina tried as hard as she could not to compliment him, but enjoyed his dance moves. Cee Lo became a fan of Tony. Adam said it was the perfect thing at the perfect moment.
Grade: A-

To read the rest of my review of last night's The Voice Semifinals, head over to TV Fanatic.