Chuck 420 Review- Chuck's Bogus Journey

Volkoff- "Remember, family and friends are everything. Money, greed, and power are a dance with Satan...and he looks like me."

In "Chuck Versus the Family Volkoff," Chuck the series returned to the excellence it was missing for the last half a dozen episodes. Was that due to the return of Timothy Dalton as Alexei Volkoff? Yes.

When you can have almost an entire episode of Chuck without Morgan Grimes, and not realize he's been missing until there is only 10 minutes left in the program, you've done your job of working smoothly around acting budget cuts.

And Dalton was the reason that the lack of the Bearded Wonder wasn't so bothersome. I've always been a fan of the Volkoff character, but as he straddled that line between evil bad guy Alexei Volkoff and 12 step program, sappy father Alexei Volkoff in "Family Volkoff," he was even better.

For the first time in weeks, the Chuck Triple Threat was in full force. Before we take a look at how it played out, grab the UNO so we can play one quick round...

To read the rest of my lengthy review of last night's return of Chuck, head over to TV Fanatic.

Chuck 420 - "Chuck Versus the Family Volkoff"
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Round Table
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Quotes

The Borgias 103 Review- The Unprofessional

Cesare- "Most things in life prove to be sad, sis."

After what was a great start to the series in last week's premiere, "The Moor" was a bit complacent, and felt extremely similar to what we had already seen.

Maybe this is just what The Borgias is going to be. Each week there will be a new plan to have somebody killed, and they will either succeed or fail.

In "The Moor," the Borgia family recorded one success in three attempts. The first attempt by Juan to kill the Moor himself, Prince Djem, and his subsequent murder by pillow were much more interesting than Micheletto's adventure in Naples.

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

The Borgias - "The Moor"
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Recap
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American Idol Top 9- Shock Wave

Spoiler Alert...Below are the results and some thoughts on this week's episodes of American Idol. So before reading any further, watch the eps, sing a song shirtless, then read what I have to say.

Well that was fantastic am I right? I mean I liked looking at Pia Toscano as much as the next guy...well maybe not as much as the next guy since I didn't think she was all that attractive, but it was hilarious watching her leave American Idol last night. There's nothing more upsetting than when a front runner on Idol leaves the competition early. That is, unless said front runner is really boring and you didn't enjoy watching her performances.

Everyone had been talking about how Pia was one of the contestants ready to win this thing, which made seeing her in the bottom three fantastic. With her and Jacob in the bottom three, I knew I had a 66% chance of laughing out loud when the elimination was announced. Not that I wouldn't have enjoyed seeing Stefano leave, but it was more expected than either of the other two. So when Ry Ry announced that Pia was leaving Idol, I had to rewind it once to make sure. Then and only then did I burst into a type of cackle that I normally reserve for watching NBC comedies.

Many critics around the interwebs, including Alan Sepinwall's here, have been analyzing why Pia was the one heading home this week. Cutting to the point of Alan's post, he had two theories.

1) Simon wasn't there to judge, so the happy-go-lucky judging didn't get Pia's fans (or Casey's two weeks ago) to vote for their favorite enough.


2) There's a gender problem on Idol because all of the voters are girls and they're all voting for the guys that they're attracted to.

While both of these theories may be right, I have different opinions on the first subject. First of all, who's to say that Simon wouldn't have doing the same thing to other contestants and lighting fires under their fans to get voting? I don't care what the judges would have said to Pia, she was going to continue to sing well, while underwhelming everyone watching. She was just boring, and Simon telling her to not sing another ballad after week two wasn't going to do anything about that. Her ballads got repetitive, but they were all better than her performance this week. Pia went home on her worst performance of the season, and I for one have no problem with that.

And on the second point, there is a gender issue on Idol. The girls go down like flies year after year, but they're usually not as good. I'd take Paul, Casey, and James over Pia, and feel Stefano and Scotty are right on par with her. Haley is the only female this season that stacks up with my favorite guys.

As for the judges being particularly shocked out of their minds by the result...you said everyone was fantastic last night! How can you not expect someone you liked to be heading home? Instead of having Steven Tyler telling the contestants that they sing beautiful every week, we should just open every show with him doing a duet with Carrie Underwood like he did at the ACM Awards last week.

So who were my favorites from Wednesday night? Well Paul of course. I didn't know that Johnny Cash song before he sang it, but he murdered it. Absolutely fantastic. The other two in my top three? Haley and Casey. Neither of them were as good as the week before, but still pretty great.

Pia, Scotty, Lauren, and Stefano all get lumped into the "mehh so what?" category. James Durbin gets no credit for slowing things down and fake crying this week. You can't just be crazy every week and then slow it down and think you're going all Adam Lambert on us. When Ms. Lambert graced us with the gift of "Tracks of My Tears," he knocked it out of the park and proved why he was one of the best to ever perform on Idol. Durbin continues to prove that he is a Lambert knock off that doesn't pack the punch of the season eight runner-up.

And no matter how many people I hear saying Jacob Lusk is good, I immediately hate his performance one note into it. Scratch that...as soon as he steps onto the stage I hate the performance. There is something about this guy that I can't stand. Telling America that if he's in the bottom three it's because we can't "look at ourselves in the mirror?" Shot yourself in the foot with that one. I hope America continues to hate you for that one. Let's hope your the next to cry off the stage.

Fantasy Scores

Peaches

(2) Casey Abrams- Safe (15)= 15
(11) James Durbin- Safe (15)= 15
(14) Scotty McCreery- Safe (15)= 15
(23) TaTynisa Wilson
Top 9= 45 Total= 157

#hoponthelaurenalainatrain

(1) Lauren Alaina- Safe (15)= 15
(12) Lauren Turner
(13) Stephano Langone- Bottom 3 (-7), Safe (15)= 8
(24) Naima Adedapo
Top 9= 23 Total= 94

Paula's Incoherence

(5) Paul McDonald- Safe (15)= 15
(8) Robbie Rosen
(17) Kendra Chantelle
(20) Jovany Barreto
Top 9= 15 Total= 49

Missing Didi

(4) Clint Gamboa
(9) Thia Megia
(16) Jacob Lusk- Bottom 3 (-7), Safe (15)= 8
(21) Rachel Zevita
Top 9= 8 Total= 48

Thia Megia #cangetit

(18*) Haley Reinhart- Safe (15)= 15
(19*) Ashton Jones
(15) Karen Rodriguez
(22) Brett Loewenstern
Top 9= 15 Total= 42

*acquired from Larry via trade

Preacher With a Satan Tattoo

(6) Julie Zorilla
(7) Pia Toscano- Bottom 3 (-7), Eliminated (-14)= -21
(3*) Tim Halperin
(10*) Jordan Dorsey
Top 9= -21 Total= 10

* acquired from Tyson via trade

Survivor Week 8- Circle of Life and Death

Spoiler Alert...Below are the results and a few thoughts from last night's Survivor: Redemption Island. So before reading any further, watch the ep, name your tribe after a stuffed animal, then read what I have to say.

Redemption Island is over...and Redemption Island is back. Matt makes his way back to the camp from Redemption Island...and then Boston Rob sends him right back where he came from. After Matt got back to camp and the two tribes merged, it was like all that had changed just made everything the same.

Boston Rob is controlling this game right now. Why would Matt ever tell him what his masterful plan to eliminate Rob was? You think that wouldn't give Rob a reason to eliminate you? Crazy. Well God has a plan for Matt. And it seems like it is to get ousted from Survivor, because there's no way he makes it all the way back to camp again, right?

I love that Phillip has made it to the merge, because he now has two things that are really in his favor.

1) He is so annoying to the other contestants.

2) He is not good at any of the challenges.

Both of these characteristics should help him get to the end. No one will want to eliminate a guy that can't win an immunity challenge. Did you see how difficult it was for him to balance on that log? Comical. And everyone is going to want to bring him to the end, because he won't receive any finale votes. At the end of the day I could care less if Phillip wins the whole thing, but if he makes it through the entire season, that will make my viewing experience that much better. That's what I'm here for. Let's go Agent Phil!

Fantasy Results

Slay or be Slayed

Matt- Duel Win (10), Merge (8), Votes (-24)= -6
Grant- W8 (29), Merge (8), Votes (-20)= 17
Ashley- W8 (29), Merge (8)= 37
Natalie- W8 (29), Im (20), Merge (8)= 57
Week 8= 113 Total= 433

Fuchsia Federal Agents

Boston Rob- W8 (29), Merge (8)= 37
Andrea- W8 (29), Merge (8)= 37
Phillip- W8 (29), Merge (8)= 37
Kristina
Week 8= 111 Total= 355

My Orbitz Account

Mike- W8 (29), Merge (8)= 37
Steve- W8 (29), Votes (-4), Merge (8)= 33
Stephanie
David- W8 (29), Merge (8)= 37
Week 8= 107 Total= 351

Montecito Lancers

Russell
Ralph- W8 (29), Merge (8), Idol Misuse (-10)= 27
Krista
Sarita- Duel Loss (-10)= -10
Julie- W8 (29), Merge (8)= 37
Week 8= 54 Total= 222




Free Agents
Francesca

Justified 209 Review- Brother Keepering

Mags- "You pick the devil you run with."

While the overarching story of Carol and Black Pike versus Mags and the Bennetts came to a close, "Brother's Keeper" had so much more going on it, that the momentous meeting between Carol, Mags, and Boyd seems like an afterthought at this point.

That meeting of the minds was indeed fantastic though, as Mags outwit Carol and the fine people of black pike out of a ton more money than anyone could have ever thought. Because Mags knew all along that she had the upper hand, she continued to be calm, cool, and collected.

As always, Margo Martindale played the scene masterfully.

So that is probably it for our new friend Carol Johnson, as she heads off to the next mountain with her tail between her legs. Luckily, she did get a big smooch out of Raylan Givens, even if that was all the U.S. Marshal would give her.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Justified, which some critics are calling the best episode of 2011, head over to TV Fanatic.

Justified 209 - "Brother's Keeper"
Review
Recap
Quotes

The Borgias 101-102 Review- A Monkey That Bites You

Pope Alexander- "Oh what would Rome be without a good plot?"

That just about explains what The Borgias is going to be about. Constant plotting against the Pope, and then his ability to fight back against all those that oppose him.

There was all you could ask for in the two hour premiere in terms of corruption and deceit. If you saw any of the promotion for the show, you could not have been surprised.

When you market a series as "the original crime family," you are going to get what we saw tonight; buying your way into the Papacy, killing off those that would rather you not be in power, and plenty of sexual transgressions for good measure.

Sometimes these cable two hour premieres can act like a made for TV movie that just continues on the next week, but although "The Poisoned Chalice" and "The Assassin" weren't technically split up into two parts, they felt like two separate pieces of work.

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

The Borgias 101 - "The Poisoned Chalice"
Review
Recap
Quotes

The Borgias 102 - "The Assassin"
Review
Recap
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Spring Poolies Watch- Reality and Others

With only two months left in the Poolies season, it's time to take another look at how things are shaking out before the final ballots are released on June 1st. Here's your chance to agree or disagree with the chairman in order to give whatever show or character tickled your fancy this year a shot at glory. Next up are the reality awards along with a few others, let's take a look around the pool...

The Battle of the Network Stars Award For Best Reality Competition Series

Definites
Big Brother, Top Chef, Survivor, American Idol, The Amazing Race, and The Sing Off. Nothing to see here folks. Keep moving.

In For Now
Bachelor Pad, Ultimate Catch, America’s Got Talent, and The Bachelor. Sometimes I think about switching this award to only five nominees, but then I think about getting rid of one of the six above and realize that is not possible. With The Voice and X-Factor on the way, it seems even less possible.

The Terry Fator Award For Best Male Reality Competition Contestant

Definites
Enzo (Big Brother), Hayden (Big Brother), Richard Blais (Top Chef All-Stars), Morgan (Top Chef Desserts), and Phil Sheppard (Survivor Redemption Island). Morgan’s hatred of Zac, who you’ll find on the most hated list in a bit, was ultimately what made him a definite.

In For Now
Kevin (Top Chef), Lane (Big Brother), Jesse Kovacs (Bachelor Pad), Zev and Justin (Amazing Race 18), and Paul McDonald (American Idol). Unlike with the scripted series, there is a lot of time left for reality contestants to make their moves. No one is safe, but these five are even less safe.

Outside Looking In
Fabio (Survivor Nicaragua), Mike Isabella (Top Chef All-Stars), Boston Rob (Survivor Redemption Island), Flight Time and Big Easy (Amazing Race 18), David Good (Bachelor Pad), and Jet and Cord (Amazing Race 18).

The Kellie Pickler Award For Best Female Reality Competition Contestant

Definites
Britney (Big Brother), Tara (Ultimate Catch), Brenda (Survivor Nicaragua), and Natalie (Bachelor Pad). If you watched Big Brother, you’re voting Britney number one. If you didn’t, you should watch one episode, so that you will have reason to vote her number one.

In For Now
Lauren Alaina (American Idol), Mallory (Amazing Race 18), Danielle (Top Chef Just Desserts), Amanda (Top Chef), Haley Reinhart (American Idol), and Ashley Underwood (Survivor Redemption Island). As always, this is a tough category to fill out, which causes me to think about adding judges and hosts to the category. Then I always nix that idea.

Outside Looking In
Monet (Big Brother), Kelly (Top Chef), Peyton (Bachelor Pad), Nat and Kat (Amazing Race 17), and Andrea Boehlke (Survivor Redemption Island). I don’t like any of these people.

The Crazy James Zinkand Award For the Reality Competition Contestant You Love to Hate

Definites
Rachel (Big Brother), Ragan (Big Brother), Zac (Top Chef Just Desserts), Jane (Survivor Nicaragua), and Gia (Bachelor Pad). The reality awards are worth it if only for this category. There are so many contestants that I can’t stand, but these five definitely took the cake over the course of the year for me.

In For Now
Alex (Top Chef), Wes (Bachelor Pad), NaOnka (Survivor Nicaragua), Ralph (Survivor Redemption Island), and Jacob Lusk (American Idol). Lots to hate on the most recent seasons of Survivor and American Idol. Give these guys time and they’ll make their way to the top.

Outside Looking In
James Durbin (American Idol), Naima Adedapo (American Idol), Brook and Claire (Amazing Race 17), Carla Hall (Top Chef All Stars), Margie and Luke (Amazing Race 18), and Holly (Survivor Nicaragua). And there were more! Keep the hate coming.

The Johnny Carson Award For Best Late Night Host

In For Now
Jimmy Fallon
Joel McHale
Conan O'Brien
Daniel Tosh
Steven Colbert

Outside Looking In
Jon Stewart
David Letterman
Jay Leno

The Chris Farley Award For Best Sketch Performer

In For Now
Bill Hader
Fred Armisen
Kenan Thompson
Kristen Wiig
Jason Sudeikus

Outside Looking In
Jay Pharoah
Bobby Moynihan
Andy Samberg

The Flintstones Award For Best Animated Series

In For Now
Family Guy
South Park
The Ricky Gervais Show
The Simpsons
Archer

Spring Poolies Watch- Action

With only two months left in the Poolies season, it's time to take another look at how things are shaking out before the final ballots are released on June 1st. Here's your chance to agree or disagree with the chairman in order to give whatever show or character tickled your fancy this year a shot at glory. Next up are the action awards, let's take a look around the pool...

The Sopranos Award For Best Action Series

Definites
Justified, Chuck, Dexter, Terriers, Sons of Anarchy, The Walking Dead, and Boardwalk Empire. As we get closer to the end of the judging period, less spots will be available. These guys all are going to have a spot, so that puts three more up for grabs.

In For Now
Hawaii Five-0, The Mentalist, and Spartacus. What the first two shows lack in serialization, they make up for in good characters and in the case of Hawaii Five-0…fantastic scenery. Spartacus was only six episodes long this time around, but it improved greatly in quality from its first run. With some new show beginning in April, none of these guys are safe.

Outside Looking In
True Blood, Human Target, The Event, Sherlock, Nikita, Persons Unknown, The Chicago Code, V, and No Ordinary Family. Oh how the mighty has fallen. Just last year, True Blood finished in sixth place and received a fifth place vote from yours truly. Now the only reason I still have it on the list is in case other voters find that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was this past summer.

The Frank Pembleton Award For Best Lead Character in an Action Series

Definites
Raylan Givens (Justified), Jackson Teller (Sons of Anarchy), Morgan Grimes (Chuck), Chuck Bartowski (Chuck), and Britt Pollack (Terriers). We are not as top heavy in this category, as I worried to even label Chuck and Britt as definitely in. Although Sons was off its game this past season, that is no slight to Jackson, who I have grown even more fond of after watching a whole bunch of Undeclared as of late.

In For Now
Patrick Jane (The Mentalist), Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock), Hank Dolworth (Terriers), Steve McGarrett (Hawaii Five-0), and Dexter Morgan (Dexter). For all of the rave reviews Scott Caan received early in Hawaii Five-0’s run, it really has been Alex O’Loughlin’s Steve McGarrett that has made that show so watchable in its first season. Sherlock didn’t have much screen time, but what it did was showcase the creativity of Sherlock, which puts him in mix here.

Outside Looking In
Nucky Thompson (Boardwalk Empire), Danny Williams (Hawaii Five-0), Eric Northman (True Blood), Christopher Chance (Human Target), Rick Grimes (Walking Dead), and Jimmy Darmody (Boardwalk Empire). The Boardwalk cast was too large, and Buscemi too dull at times to warrant any of them a nomination at this point. Similarly, six episodes and not much characterization makes it a slim chance of Rick Grimes getting a nod.

The Desmond Hume Award For Best Supporting Character in an Action Series

Definites
Boyd Crowder (Justified), John Casey (Chuck), Opie Winston (Sons of Anarchy), Dickie Bennett (Justified), Gannicus (Spartacus). Those first three do not even need to be talked about. Dickie Bennett, on the other hand, has been a joyful addition to the Justified crew. Although his voice sometimes reminds me of Daniel Faraday, he act so extremely different that it’s been fantastic so far. And one of the main problems with the first season of Spartacus, other than bad acting and writing of course, was that there weren’t any likable characters. Gannicus changed that this year.

In For Now
Auggie Anderson (Covert Affairs), Kimbal Cho (The Mentalist), Joey Quinn (Dexter), Jimmy O’Phelan (Sons of Anarchy), and Devon Woodcomb (Chuck). Slim pickings down at the end of this category. If anyone shows much promise to start the season in some of the new shows, look for them to easily slide ride in.

Outside Looking In
Guerero (Human Target), Billy Blackham (Persons Unknown), Art Mullen (Justified), Al Capone (Boardwalk Empire), Jeff Barnes (Chuck), Crixus (Spartacus), and Alexei Volkoff (Chuck). A couple of these guys, most notably Jeff Barnes and Art Mullen, suffer from the fact that I’d rather not nominate three characters from a single show. Then there is the case of Al Capone, who I may have loved mostly because he was AL CAPONE. I did enjoy him, but again he was the product of lack of screen time.

The Samantha Marquez Award For Best Female Character in an Action Series

Definites
Sarah Walker (Chuck), Deb Morgan (Dexter), Katie Nichols (Terriers), Teresa Lisbon (The Mentalist), and Ames (Human Target). Is there really a chance that Sarah doesn’t win this award for the third straight year? Not much competition by the looks of it.

In For Now
Ava Crowder (Justified), Annie Walker (Covert Affairs), Tara Knowles (Sons of Anarchy), Jessica Hamby (True Blood), and Lumen Pierce (Dexter). Only half way through this season of Justified, I’m hesitant to put any of the ladies in the mix. Ava has been absent for most of the season, while Winona has been more prominent, but kind of the worst. The rest of these girls are nothing to write home about.

Outside Looking In
Mags Bennett (Justified), Ellie Bartowski (Chuck), Alex (Nikita), Winona Hawkins (Justified), and Kona Kalkua (Hawaii Five-0). I’m still torn on what to think of Margo Martindale’s Mags Bennett. I either really like her, or I think she’s a great character but I don’t like her. The latter being the way I feel about Gemma Teller of Sons of Anarchy.

The Teri Bauer Award For the Character You Love to Hate in an Action Series

Definites
Tara Thornton (True Blood), Erika Taylor (Persons Unknown), Tyler Evans (V), Nelson Van Alden (Boardwalk Empire), Ilsa Pucci (Human Target), and Moira (Persons Unknown). What’s funny is that I’ve only watched like two out of the ten episodes of V that have aired, but I know I am going to hate Tyler as much as ever, so he is definitely in. Erika and Moira from Persons Unknown made up one of my most hated combos of all time, so they are safe. And there were so many awful characters on True Blood this season, but Tara took the cake.

In For Now
Franklin Mott (True Blood), Angel Batista (Dexter), Liam O’Neill (Sons of Anarchy), and Miles Fiedler (Rubicon). Before he was the weird bad guy on The Cape, and after he was Audrey Raines’s husband on 24, he was a crazy terrible vampire on True Blood. The worst. I really don’t think Rubicon deserves any nominations, but they had so many detestable characters, that one of them should receive a nod.

Outside Looking In
Jesus Velasquez (True Blood), Maria Laguerta (Dexter), Lucy Danziger (Boardwalk Empire), Lucretia (Spartacus), Kale Ingram (Rubicon), and Oenomaus (Spartacus). Wow do I hate Lucy Lawless as Lucretia on Spartacus. How is she still on the outside? That may or may not change by the time June rolls around. The rest of these guys should be safe from a nom as we head down the final stretch.

The “Through the Looking Glass” Award For Best Action Episode of the Year

In For Now
Breaking Bad 313 – “Full Measure”
The Walking Dead 101 – “Days Gone By”
Justified 113 – “Bulletville”
Sherlock 101 – “A Study in Pink”
Terriers 113 – “Hail Mary”

Outside Looking In
Boardwalk Empire 112 – “A Return to Normalcy”
Chuck 413 – “Chuck Versus the Push Mix”
Sons of Anarchy 313 – “NS”
Dexter 508 – “Take It!”
Persons Unknown 112 – “And Then There Was One”
Spartacus 006 – “The Bitter End”

So many great Justified eps have occurred this season, that I’m having trouble picking one over last year’s finale at this point. As for the Walking Dead, I also have the finale “TS-19” in the mix. Plenty of more finales to go at this point.