Crossroads: Truth and Consequences on Friday Night Lights

And that's how you do a pitch-perfect episode of Friday Night Lights.

I've been on the writers' case this season for the handling of the Julie Taylor storyline, or more specifically from the, er, swerve it made into the territory of cliche. I can only hope that it was a case of taking a shortcut to get Julie to the here and now as quickly as possible because the ramifications of Julie's actions have proven infinitely more exciting and provocative than the actual commission of her affair with married head TA Derek Bishop.

This week's fantastic episode of Friday Night Lights ("Swerve") delivered an installment that offered a look at the sacrifices and frayed bonds of family, contrasting the fallout from Julie's transgression--and its effects on Eric and Tami--with the way that Vince handled his own plight, turning to Ornette for help out of a terrible situation.

The way Ornette may have handled Vince's situation might not have been what Vince had intended, as Ornette not only resorted to violence but may have placed himself and their entire family at risk from retaliation. I watched the rest of the episode expecting gunfire to erupt as Vince and Jess' families came together in one perfect moment of unity. Even though the episode ended without any violence, I'm not entirely sure that the other shoe won't drop yet...

Vince has of late been all about honesty, even when it has a nasty way of backfiring, from Ornette's violent outburst (in defense of his family) to Luke's crushed feelings upon learning that Vince was the object of TMU's interest and not him. It was interesting to me that Vince nearly went to Coach Taylor with his situation but instead chose to keep the problem within the family, coming clean to his father about what had happened and asking for help.

It's something that Julie hasn't been able to do. While the episode split the focus between Vince, Luke (and Billy's ascension to the role of Coach Taylor, Jr.), and Julie, it was the latter's storyline which had the most searing impact. Julie's behavior this season has been out of character entirely; she slept with Derek knowing fully that he was married, despite his line about being emotionally disconnected from his wife. Her attempt to flee Dillon wasn't a result of a broken heart but rather embarrassment at being called out by Derek's wife in front of her dorm mates.

In fleeing to her parents' home, Julie attempts to run away from her problems. Her arrival last week was an act of denial, an attempt to delay the inevitable. But Julie takes her denial a step further this week, intentionally crashing her car into a neighbor's yard and lying to her parents in an effort to buy some more time. But Julie doesn't want to go back to college; she's been humiliated but she's also not accepting responsibility for what she's done, nor the gravity of the line that she's crossed.

When she does come clean to her parents, it's through Tami that she unburdens herself and receives a mother's unconditional love. Tami believes that they need to support Julie and offer compassion; Eric disagrees. He believes that what Julie needs is tough love. But what Tami doesn't know--or doesn't want to accept--is that Julie compounded her transgressions by lying to them. She did intentionally crash her car. She did lie about it. She does offer up platitudes that she believes her parents want to hear ("I'm sorry I disappointed you") rather than words of sincerity. Or words that prove that she is aware of the damage she's caused.

Julie's actions have driven a wedge between the Taylors. The scene in which Eric attempts to drag Julie--literally kicking and screaming--down the hall and into her car was painful to watch in the best possible sense. As Eric physically grabbed Julie and pulled her, Julie's childlike tantrum echoed through the narrow hall, as Tami screamed out at her husband.

It was a side of the Taylors that we've not seen up until now. They've faced their problems as any married couple have and despite disagreements, they've always been a unified front, a single entity locked together against the world. Here, we're seeing them come apart at the seams. That separation symbolized solemnly in the scene where Eric comes home to find Tami, half-empty wineglass by her side, asleep on the couch. He doesn't wake his wife nor does he talk her. It's the first major communication breakdown between the two we've seen.

What Eric does do is go to sit beside Gracie, to see his younger daughter in her innocence and namesake grace, unsullied by the world, undamaged by the choices she might later make in life. For this child, anything is still possible and he desperately wants to believe in her innate innocence and beauty. Julie's aforementioned words to her father, spoken softly from the doorway, receive no reply.

Eric, Kingmaker though he might be, that molder of men, has failed to raise his oldest daughter properly.

That realization its home in a major way for the Lion's coach, though he's guilty of walking away from an uncomfortable situation (Luke Cafferty) just as much as his daughter. But what Eric doesn't see is that Julie is an adult and that both he and Tami are right in a way. Julie DOES need to accept responsibility for her actions and to accept what she did was wrong but she also does need her parents' love and support in order to get through this.

Eric is a good father--no one, after all, can ever strive for perfection at that particular job--and a damn good coach. He is a molder and a motivator of men both on and off the field. The fact that Billy stepped in at the last minute to deliver an Eric Taylor-style motivational speech to the players--and took a drunk Luke under his wing--proved that Eric's moral fiber has rubbed off on those around him.

Julie's actions aren't the result of bad parenting or of a lack of discipline. She's an adult and she's going to fail. She will make mistakes and her parents have to hope that she's able to pull herself up again afterward and that she realizes the errors she's made.

What concerns me is that the fallout from Julie's actions will affect Eric and Tami's marriage directly. (Connie Britton told me a few months ago that we would see the two involved in a dynamic that we haven't seen so far. This would seem to be the beginning of just that.) I don't believe that this will be the end of the Taylors but I do think that their marriage--and perhaps, temporarily, the way they view one another--will be challenged by their reactions to Julie's behavior.

Complex, emotionally resonant, and grounded, "Swerve" is not only the very best of the fifth season to date, putting it on par with its fantastic season opener. It's one installment that will stay with me for quite some time to come and one with lasting repercussions for the residents of Dillon and for the families at the series' heart.

What did you think of "Swerve"? And was Eric's reaction toward his daughter's actions justified? Did you side with him or Tami? And did you love that scene between Luke and Becky at the post-victory party that Mindy orchestrated? (I did.) Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Friday Night Lights ("Perfect Record"), rivalry week stirs up controversy; Vince is caught in the middle between Coach and Ornette; Billy takes Luke under his wing.

A House Divided: An Advance Review of Masterpiece's Extraordinary Downton Abbey

“Death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate.” - Ambrose Bierce

A house might be a home, but it can also serve as an apt metaphor for an entire country. Numerous writers have offered portraits of the changing face of their nation in such condition-of-England novels as Charles Dickens' "Bleak House," Evelyn Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited," and Elizabeth Gaskell's "Cranford" and "North and South."

In the case of Julian Fellowes' extraordinary period drama Downton Abbey, launching January 9th on PBS' Masterpiece Classic, the titular country estate, home to the well-heeled Crawley family, is in turmoil. Great houses such as these are both relics of bygone eras as well as living, breathing organisms of their own right, humming along as they employ a staff of hundreds.

Everyone--from the lord and lady to the humblest footman and scullery maid--has their function and their duty to maintain. That holdover mentality from Victoria's reign--everything in its place and in its place everything--is what keeps estates like these running. Just as the servants have their duties, so too do the family, maintaining the spirit of noblesse oblige that marked the many centuries of England's aristocratic rule.

Set in the period between the sinking of the Titanic and the outbreak of World War I, Downton Abbey's first season--here presented as four episodes rather than the seven installments of this fall's UK run--offers a detailed representation of life both above and below stairs in the early 20th century, focusing on the lots of both the Crawley family and their servants.

Beginning just after the destruction of the unsinkable ship, Downton depicts the tragedy of the Titanic, keenly felt by the Crawleys as it claimed the lives of the two heirs next in line to inherit both the estate and the title of Earl of Grantham.

The current lord of the manor--that would be Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville)--has three daughters, which sets up the central conflict of succession and inheritance, as the daughters cannot inherit Downton and Robert has no direct male heirs. Furthermore, the estate and the fortune that Robert's American wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) brought into the marriage are all tied up in the entail. And the whole lot will, upon Robert's death, will be inherited by a distant cousin, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), a middle-class solicitor from Manchester whom none of them know.

The fates of everyone at Downton Abbey rests squarely on the shoulders of a distant relation who doesn't want the responsibility thrust at him. What follows is a most remarkable series which took the UK by storm when it aired this fall.

The unfairness of the Crawleys' position is keenly felt as they attempt to fight the entail with tooth and nail. This is especially felt by Robert's mother, Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham (Dame Maggie Smith), whose husband created the legal bind that they're in today. Cora's vast fortune cannot be separated from the estate, which means that the family will be ruined and lose their home should Matthew inherit. Their hope lies in a legal battle and in a matrimonial one: if their eldest daughter, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), should make an ideal match with a man of wealth, their fortunes could be reversed.

In an ideal world, Mary would marry Matthew and the estate and the fortune would stay in their immediate family. But Mary has no taste for the modern Matthew, who is brought to the estate with his mother Isobel (Penelope Wilton) and set up at Crawley House. Their lives are immediately transformed as they must adapt to a life of wealth and privilege... and leisure. The two are given a staff, including a gentleman's valet, Molesley (Kevin Doyle), and told to settle in for the long haul. But Matthew isn't a gentleman: he's a middle class professional with a more modern way of seeing the world.

Matthew doesn't need a valet to dress him or pour him his tea, not can Isobel--a doctor's wife--simply sit idly. But their intrusion into life at Downton shatters the ordered and rigid way of doing things, testing the social structure of the village and the estate, even as they represent a very real threat to Downton Abbey. (Progress is always viewed with uncertainty and suspicion.)

Not everyone at Downton is stuck in the past. Youngest daughter Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay) is a progressive firebrand, a politically motivated woman who strives for equality and change in everything that she does, seeing a housemaid as no better or worse than herself, a chauffeur as an equal, and the future as something malleable. (Middle daughter, Laura Carmichael's Lady Edith, is less interested in politics and more interesting in snaring a husband, overlooked by all as she is.)

The atmosphere downstairs is no less fraught with conflict. Butler Carson (Jim Carter), housekeeper Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan), and cook Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol) attempt to keep their staffs in order, running a tight ship below stairs, but change is seeping into life downstairs as well. Housemaid Gwen (Rose Leslie) is secretly studying to be a secretary, wanting to leave a life of service forever; chauffeur Tom Branson (Allen Leech) is a socialist; and then there's the arrival of valet John Bates (Brendan Coyle), an acquaintance of Lord Grantham himself, who fought alongside him in the Boer War and was injured.

His arrival, echoing that of Matthew upstairs, sets in motion a series of intrigues, plots, and jealousies, as many take umbrage that this disabled man would be appointed as the lord's valet, rather than the First Footman Thomas (Rob James-Collier), who was angling for the job. Opportunistic Thomas and his partner in crime, sullen lady's maid Sarah O'Brien (Siobhan Finneran), are dangerous and cunning; they see an opportunity to send Bates packing and set in motion a series of events that has disastrous consequences for everyone at Downton, even as the secretive Bates is drawn towards Head Housemaid Anna (Joanne Froggatt).

It's fitting that things cut both ways at Downton: just as the family's lives--their sins, sexual dalliances, and failures as well as their triumphs--consume those below-stairs, so to do the goings-on with the servants spill over onto the family; each half is part of a greater whole, mirror-images of each other. (This upstairs/downstairs focus is summed up in the title's logo, which depicts the reflection of the Abbey below it.) Throw a spanner in the works of either, and you'll see the entire machine start to break down.

I don't want to spoil too much of the plot (there are some gasp-inducing plot twists ahead), because is really is one of the most exceptional and original period dramas ever to grace the small screen. Petty crimes mingle with great transgressions, romances flare up as do bitter rivalries, love and betrayal walk through these halls together, secrets and scandals bubble up. What follows is engaging, surprising, and intoxicating as well as beautifully crafted. Special attention must go to directors Brian Percival, Ben Bolt, Brian Kelly, the production team and designers, and the phenomenal cast.

Downton Abbey is not your standard costume drama. For one, it's not an adaptation of a period novel, which might explain the modern viewpoint despite the period settings. While the action might be unfolding circa 1912-1914, Downton Abbey is a modern creation concerned with modern mores and perspectives. As the year moves on for the Crawleys and their servants, the threat of doom and war hangs over the proceedings as the viewer knows just what the next chapter of life in England holds for these men and women.

Can Downton Abbey be saved? And should it? Has the era of the aristocrats come to and end? Just who should rightfully inherit the estate--and by dint England itself--its rule? Are the old ways or the new modernity necessarily better than one another?

Under the pen of the great Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park), life at Downton Abbey springs to life with astonishing vivacity and depth, as he depicts in precise detail the lives of the aristocrats and the servants with equal weight. Each member of the sprawling cast gets their own storyline, their own burden to bear, their own moments of joy and grief.

Ultimately, Fellowes' Downton Abbey is transcendent television, offering both a creatively accomplished portrait of life at the turn of the last century and a timeless human drama. Once you fall under this series' rich and intoxicating spell, it is impossible to leave. Thank the Queen there's another season on tap.

Downton Abbey begins January 9th at 9 pm ET/PT on PBS' Masterpiece Classic. Check your local listings for details.

Uncontrollable Christmas Cheer: An Advance Review of Community's Stop-Motion Animated Christmas Episode

There's something both innately comforting and deliciously off-kilter about this week's stupendous Christmas-themed episode of Community ("Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas"), which uses the stop-motion animation of holiday classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to offer an imaginative and emotionally resonant episode that explores the true meaning of Christmas (or any holiday, really).

Community has thrived at both satirizing and embracing certain comedic tropes, twisting them together into a malleable and winning format in which anything and everything is indeed possible, from a zombie attack to an all-out paintball war, transforming broadcast network comedy into an infinitely elastic form.

In this case, it's quite easy to accept that the Greendale gang would be portrayed as plasticine personages, as the episode unfolds from the perspective of meta-embracing Abed himself, who claims to have woken up that morning seeing everything in stop-motion animation.

Rather than see this as an adorable eccentricity or some holiday-related mirth, Jeff and Britta decide to get Abed some psychological help (or at least the closest thing: psychology professor Ian Duncan), even as he departs into a world of singing toys and frozen memories.

But this isn't just an out-there episode with no emotional stakes. Quite the contrary in fact.

By utilizing the familiar format of stop-motion animation, Dan Harmon and Co. take the viewer on his or her own individual journey back to childhood, even as Abed himself is forced to contend with some hard truths about growing up. The use of the Rudolph-style animation and seemingly traditional Christmas special storyline belie the true aching heart and bittersweet nature of the installment.

Just as last week's episode ("Mixology Certification") dealt with Troy seeing his friends not as adults but as equals (and just as inherently flawed and human as himself in the process), here Abed learns some valuable lessons about the adults in his life and about the true spirit of the holidays, forging a new tradition out of an old one.

The stop-motion animation isn't superfluous to the story but rather the raison d'etre. There's a reason why both the writers and Abed have chosen this style to tell this particular story, one that fits into both Abed's backstory and the psychology behind his so-called break with reality, embracing a child's fantasy vision of the holidays that is at odds with the truth of his situation.

The result is sweet, funny, magical, and slightly crazy and this winning Christmas special also contains one of the all-time great Lost-related gags ever on television. Our favorite Community characters, here rendered as an assortment of Christmas special archetypes: jack-in-the-box (Jeff), toy soldier (Troy), robot (Britta), wind-up ballerina (Annie), wizard (Professor Duncan), teddy bear (Pierce), baby doll (Shirley), and snowman (Chang). Fittingly, Abed's choice of role for each study group member is deliberate and apt and the gang attempts to decipher his logic in their own way.

Along the way, there are some songs in keeping with the traditional Christmas special theme as each of the cast members gets a chance to sing, with Danny Pudi's Abed offering an array of original holiday tunes. ("Sad, Quick Christmas Song" might be an out of the blue new favorite.) Yes, everyone from Joel McHale and Gillian Jacobs to Yvette Nicole Brown and Alison Brie--whom I heard sing on stage just the other night--join in the Christmas cheer, with a series of alternately adorable, poignant, and hilarious songs.

The result is touching without being treacly, sweet without becoming saccharine, and perfectly within keeping with Community's penchant for fusing together humor and heart in equal measure. By the time the credits have rolled (after an adorable visual that I won't spoil here), one would have to be a Grinch to not to feel that we've been watching a true Christmas miracle in the making.

After all, Christmas is about more than just "Santa Claus and ho-ho-ho, and mistletoe and presents to pretty girls," as Lucy Van Pelt once said. The spirit of Charlie Brown's scrawny little tree is alive and kicking right here.

Community airs Thursday evening at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

Brilliant But Canceled: FX's John Landgraf on Terriers' Cancellation

Critics and audiences alike were disheartened--if unsurprised--by FX's decision to cancel the critically-adored but low-rated freshman drama series Terriers this morning.

The announcement about the fate of Terriers, created by Ted Griffin and executive produced by Shawn Ryan, was made via a PR email to press members, which promised further information and a statement from FX president John Landgraf at an unprecedented telephone press conference later today.

Many of us were curious to see just what Landgraf had to say about the network's decision not to bring Terriers back for a second season (and why he was willing to host this conference call), though the writing was on the wall for the drama, considering the ratings chart that FX sent out this morning, which compared Terriers's thirteen-episode run with that of fellow FX series Dirt, Damages, The Riches, and Over There, all of which were canceled by FX yet all had significantly higher ratings than Terriers (more than two times), particularly in the key Adults 18-49 demographic.

(It's worth noting that Damages was rescued from the scrapyard by DirecTV's The 101 Network, which will air the next two seasons exclusively.)

Landgraf said that he had met with Ted Griffin, Shawn Ryan, and Tim Minear on Friday to have a "postmortem" for the show and told them that the network would not be picking up Terriers for a second season. Landgraf called New York Magazine's decision to name Terriers as the third best show of 2010 "bittersweet."

The reason behind the call with press? An effort at transparency, which is something that Landgraf believes in both internally and externally. Given the support the show received from the creative community, Landgraf didn't want press to speculate about why the show was axed.

Landgraf did take some umbrage at the notion that the terrier-centric billboard campaigns in New York and Los Angeles affected the ratings (he went as far as saying that FX's marketing team had unfairly taken the blame for the series' failure), particularly as the on-air campaign tested well with the network's 600-person focus group, who felt that it captured the tone, setting, and plot of Terriers.

"For whatever reason the show didn't work, it wasn't because the promos didn't show Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James..."

So what did the postmortem findings show about why Terriers failed?

"People felt the show was compatible with the FX brand but dissimilar to other FX shows," said Landgraf about the postmortem he had with the series' producers. "The things that were wonderful about the show were subtle... It had a subtle charm that crept up on you. [But] I don't know if subtlety is something that the American public is buying in droves today."

(Interestingly, the focus group testing showed that the perception was that Terriers was "less sexy [and] less edgy" than FX's other programming.)

The numbers, according to Landgraf, further supported this: Terriers was losing 47 percent of its lead-in audience an dropped an average of 16 percent over the course of its hour run.

"What would I have done differently? At a minimum, I'd probably call it 'Terriers: PIs," said Landgraf, chuckling.

"The show failed to launch," he continued. "It was the weakest premiere that FX has ever had... One of the luxuries that cablers have that broadcasters don't is that we could leave it on-air... You put things out there, you give people the opportunity to find it and sample it, and talk to their friends."

He pointed out that FX's upcoming drama Lights Out is unique in the respect that it's the only show featuring an ex-boxer trying to make it, whereas there is a lot of familiarity with buddy private detectives. Clearly, FX couldn't make the public feel that Terriers was innately different or superior to those similar series that came before.

"There's a relatively low correlation between excellence and commercial success," said Landgraf, who went on to say that FX is committed to finding the overlap. "We just try to make really good shows."

"Part of what was great about Terriers was its integrity and its subtlety. Season Two would have been great and it would have been better than the first. But the question was, can we at FX justify [a second season] as a business?"

Despite being heartbroken about FX's decision, I do applaud Landgraf for taking the time to make the network's decision-making process transparent and speaking to press about the reasons and rationale behind the cancellation. Series, even beloved ones, get axed all the time without the sensitivity and grace shown by FX in this case. ("I'm glad that some people saw it and loved it," he said courteously thanking members of the press for supporting the show and writing about it. "That's not nothing.")

"One of the things we've done well is take risks and continue to put shows on the air," said Langraf. "The reality is that this is hard when you're aiming for creative excellence... and commercial success," said Landgraf, somberly.

"This isn't the first really good show that we've had to cancel and it won't be the last."

Putting the Dog to Sleep: FX Cancels Terriers

It's official: FX has opted not to move ahead with Ted Griffin and Shawn Ryan's brilliant PI drama Terriers.

The news of the cancellation was announced this morning by FX SVP of Media Relations, John Solberg, in an email to members of the press which invited us to participate in a conference call with FX president John Landgraf later this morning, in which Landgraf would discuss the network's decision not to order a second season of Terriers.

The cancellation hits amid a fall season that hasn't generated too many hits, either critical or audience ones. (In fact, the only two new series that I fell in love with this fall season were Terriers and Boardwalk Empire, which should say something about the lackluster nature of the offerings this season>.)

Hank and Britt's tagline may have been "too small to fail," but in the end it seems that Terriers itself was too small to succeed. Despite its creative triumph, the series was undone by low ratings, a terrible title, an even worse marketing campaign, the FX/Dish carriage dispute, and audience apathy.

Which is a real shame, as the public missed out on a remarkable series that those of us who tuned in week after week had fallen head over heels in love with. I've already written about the joys of watching this beautiful, introspective, and genre-busting series over in another post, "Don't Put This Dog Down: TV Needs FX's Terriers," so I won't reiterate my thoughts again here. (Though I urge you to check it out as it will be, tragically, a eulogy for the already mourned show.)

If I'm being honest, I'll say that it was a longshot for Terriers to get renewed, given the ratings that it had achieved in the 13-episode run but it would also have been a triumph of the medium--and of creative achievement--if FX had given the show a reprieve and allowed it time to grow... and time for the audience to discover it on DVD.

Alas, it was not meant to be. The cancellation shows once again that television might be a medium but it's also a business, even in the more creatively charged waters of cable.

I loved Terriers and I was continually astounded and impressed with what Griffin, Ryan, the writers, and the series' talented group of actors, was able to achieve in the thirteen episodes allotted to them. Even if this is the end for this amazing series, I did relish every minute of those thirteen episodes, every pithy line of dialogue, every hard moment of emotion, and every smile that passed between Hank (Donal Logue) and Britt (Michael Raymond-James).

Ultimately, Terriers might be too small to fail, but it's not small enough that it will fade from memory any time soon. You and your maverick spirit will be missed, my scrappy friend.

VIDEO: HBO's "Inside Game of Thrones" Special, Big Love, HBO 2010 Image, Mildred Pierce

No better time than Monday morning for a mega-video roundup.

In this case, you find below a roundup from last night's gorgeous selection of HBO goodies, including the 15-minute behind-the-scenes look at the pay channel's upcoming Game of Thrones, two trailers for Season Five of Big Love (including the somber "Winter" trailer with the wives and Bill in the snow), the teaser for Kate Winslet-led miniseries Mildred Pierce, and the HBO 2010 Imagine campaign, which itself has some scenes from their upcoming series.

Whew. Look at it as the perfect holiday present in video form.

Inside Game of Thrones



Big Love Season Five "Winter" Trailer



Big Love Season Five Tease



HBO 2010 Image



Mildred Pierce

Life Serial: Dexter Gets Sixth Season

Not exactly a shocker: Showtime has officially renewed its top-rated drama Dexter for a sixth season.

The current season will wrap up its run on Sunday, while Season Six of Dexter will go into production in Los Angeles in the spring. No word on when the next season will launch on the pay cabler, but another fall launch--such as the one for the current season--is more than likely.

“Dexter is the best suspense drama on television,” said Showtime President of Entertainment David Nevins. “To grow its audience so significantly in its fifth season is an enormous accomplishment by this amazing cast and crew. This is the easiest decision I’ve made since I got to Showtime.”

The full press release from Showtime can be found below.

SHOWTIME SLICES INTO A SIXTH SEASON OF DEXTER
Network’s Top-Rated Drama Series Renewed

DEXTER On Pace To Post Its Highest- Rated Season Ever
LOS ANGELES, CA — (December 6, 2010) — As season five of SHOWTIME’s top-rated drama series DEXTER, starring Emmy®-nominated and Golden Globe® award-winning actor Michael C. Hall, heads toward another powerful, suspense-filled finale on Sunday, December 12th at 9 PM ET/PT, the network has renewed the series for a sixth season. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks. Season 6’s episodes will go into production next spring in Los Angeles.

“DEXTER is the best suspense drama on television,” said Nevins. “To grow its audience so significantly in its fifth season is an enormous accomplishment by this amazing cast and crew. This is the easiest decision I’ve made since I got to Showtime.”

One of the most acclaimed series on television, DEXTER received seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations this year, including Outstanding Television Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Michael C. Hall and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for John Lithgow, which Lithgow won. Additionally, director Steve Shill won the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. The series has received numerous Golden Globe nominations, as well as a prestigious Peabody Award in 2008 and was twice named one of AFI’s top ten television series.

DEXTER had its second highest ratings ever with this season's tenth episode (Nov. 28), delivering 2.54 million viewers, up 43 percent versus the season five premiere (1.77 million). The telecast was the second-highest delivery in the series’ history, behind the season four finale (2.57 million).‬

DEXTER stars Michael C. Hall (Golden Globe and SAG Award winner) as a complicated and conflicted blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department who moonlights as a serial killer. Season five of the series also starred Jennifer Carpenter, Desmond Harrington, C.S. Lee, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, and James Remar.

Raising the Bar: Thoughts on Community's Contemplative "Mixology Certification"

Ah, how the child becomes the parent.

Last night's sensational and heartfelt episode of Community ("Mixology Certification"), written by Andy Bobrow and directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, brought us Troy's 21st birthday and took the group out of the study room for a night of debauchery that gave us a glimpse into Shirley's dark past, Annie's home life, Troy's state of mind, and Abed's, um, love of Farscape.

Now in its second season, Community has proven that it's adept at conflating genres and smashing expectations about what's possible within the confines of a broadcast comedy: it's a workplace comedy, thriller, horror survival story, romantic comedy, mystery, buddy comedy. An episode jam-packed with jokes and sight gags can give way to an episode like this one, that's higher on the heart quotient and lighter on overt humor. And that's a Very Good Thing for a thoughtful and contemplative episode like this one.

The series' innate unpredictability gives Community a vital edge over multi-cam comedies; one show can be all things, within reason, given the flexibility of Community's overall premise, the skill set of its writing team and its talented actors, and the absurd nature of the show itself.

That absurdity, granted by creator Dan Harmon, gives the show the ability to be both untethered from reality and emotionally grounded. The situations the gang at Greendale might find themselves in might invite disbelief, but the relationships between these characters and their emotional bonds keep the series from flying off into outer space. (Literally, once.)

This week's episode was no exception, offering us a night at The Ballroom, in which Troy's expectations of his first legal drink were dashed on the rocks when he saw the behavior of his friends influenced by alcohol: Jeff and Britta's squabbling, Annie's attempt to become someone else, Abed's abject loneliness, and Shirley's sad, drunken past. His unsipped seven-and-seven emblematic of a choice he's made.

Jeff and Britta, as previously noted, have served as the heads of Community's family of former strangers, often sliding into their self-determined roles at the drop of a hat. From Britta's censuring of Troy at the episode's start (after convincing Pierce that he owed him for the "cake deposit" for Pierce's non-existent birthday party) and Jeff's tacit approval of said incident, we see a Troy desperate to please his knowledgeable and worldly parents, even as they slip into roles that are less becoming, arguing over which of their local haunts is the better bar. Is it L Street? The Red Door? The fact that both are one and the same--revealed at the episode's end--undermines their authority within the group, at least in Troy's eyes.

Jeff and Britta are not infallible.

That seems to be the takeaway for Troy, as he sees them not as unstoppable forces of nature or as all-knowing parents, but as flawed individuals who know nothing more than he does. As the scales fall from his eyes, we see Troy take that first full step into adulthood as he learns that most important--and heartbreaking--of lessons.

Our parents are just as human and as messed up as we are.

It's that knowledge that pulls us, often kicking and screaming, into adulthood. Troy might be 21 (I loved how the gang worded this Jehovah Witness' birthday cake) but he's realized that his expectations of what that entails and what that means for him have been greatly exaggerated. If a night at the bar means this sort of drunken upset, he doesn't need to have that seven-and-seven, after all. And after a heart to heart with Annie (one of the episode's best scenes), his handling of the unruly "kids" in the backseat of Jeff's car fulfill this trajectory from child to adult. ("Abed, no one likes a tattletale.")

Growing old, it seems, is not what Troy believed it to be. It's not a gateway to coolness, but to just growing old. Often, it seems, without the wisdom that Troy believed his older peers to have.

I mentioned briefly that scene between Troy and Annie, notable for the tenderness of the interaction between Donald Glover and Alison Brie and that heartfelt embrace (a nice callback to the crush Annie formerly had on Troy), and for the fact that we got a further look at where Annie lives, a part of town that everyone acknowledges is rough. (As Brie told me a few months back, that opening shot in the season opener was meant to show Annie's bedroom is right across from an adult bookstore and frequent drug deals.)

Annie's journey in this week's installment show her disconnect from the reality of her situation, her using of Caroline Decker's sold Texas ID to become someone else altogether, a girl from Corpus Cristi with nary a care, a "drifter" who is the opposite of Annie. The more she fantasizes about Caroline Decker's life, the more Annie hopes to dissociate from her own, from the future that she has intently mapped out for herself, from her shabby apartment in the wrong part of town.

Just as Shirley attempted to erase proof of a less-than-perfect past, Annie attempts to eradicate her future, assuming someone else's Texas drawl and their looseness with their future. It's a very un-Annie character that she becomes that forces her to see how she's been running just as much as Caroline Decker, putting her all of her energy into 15-year plans to rigidly run her future life rather than live it now.

Sometimes a drink is just a drink. And yet sometimes it's indicative of something else. That first legal drink, that milestone in everyone's adult lives, marks a major turning point for Troy, one that he walks away from in the end. Not because it means the end of innocence or the loss of one's childhood but because he sees the effects of alcohol on the so-called adults around him. And in that moment, Troy takes one giant leap into maturity that puts him well above his metaphorical parents, Jeff and Britta, and his own mother, seeing her lies for what they are.

Along the way there were laughs, but this episode also brought a somber, introspective quality to the mix, seeing Troy's birthday as not just a festive time of merriment but of change and transformation too.

Kudos to the Community producers for casting the always fantastic Tig Notaro and Paul F. Tompkins in this week's episode, here playing respectively the bartender and Abed's would-be "gay sex" partner. The handling of the scene between Abed and his erstwhile paramour was pitch perfect, with Abed's interest being limited strictly to have found someone he could talk to about "Sci Fi original series Farscape."

In its way, "Mixology Certification" once again pushed the envelope in terms of what Community is able to accomplish, bringing a cable sensibility to its broadcast network roots. It's not often that broadcast comedies can handle such life-changing moments without veering into "very special episodes," yet Community pulled this off remarkably well, delivering an installment that blended together heart, humor, and painful realizations. Not many comedies can do that and yet Community once again manages to make the seemingly impossible look all the more effortless.

I'll raise a glass to that.

Next week on Community ("Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas"), Abed goes on a quest to find the meaning of Christmas after he awakens in stop-motion animation; Jeff and Britta seek help from Professor Duncan after getting concerned about Abed's mental health.

Don't Put This Dog Down: TV Needs FX's Terriers

"Which way will it be?"

And now we wait.

I'm not typically an optimistic person. My cynical worldview has served me well in my thirty-plus years on this Earth, but for some reason I'm holding out hope when it comes to FX's Terriers, which wrapped up its sensational first season last night and is currently on the bubble for renewal.

It will take a bit of a Hail Mary for this remarkable if underrated series to avoid the guillotine and return to fight again. Too small to fail? You bet. But unfortunately the smallness of the ratings have made Terriers' future less than certain.

Which is a shame, really, because those of you who didn't give Terriers a chance missed out on what was easily the best new series of the fall season, a genre-busting crime drama about real estate swindles, brotherhood, secrets, and lies. It was humorous, heartbreaking, and human drama at its finest, the story of two men who try to do good yet usually wind up making things worse for everyone around them.

But whether FX ends up going straight or turning left, Ted Griffin's smart and savvy Terriers, executive produced by Shawn Ryan, gave us a fantastic season of deft characterization, tautly scripted dialogue, and one of the best TV partnerships in leads Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James.

Along the way, the series' early episodic cases gave way to a taut overarching plot which managed to dazzle and surprise in equal measure, a smart callback to the Lindus case of the pilot transforming into something far more sinister and complex than it originally seemed. Bodies piled up, vengeance was had, the real puppet master revealed, and both Logue's Hank Dolworth and Raymond-James' Britt Pollack learned that their actions had consequences.

Which brings us to that climactic final scene between the two of them and the question that lingers in the air: do we run or do we face up to what we've done? It's a question that's unanswered as the screen fades to black, offering a cliffhanger ending even after the Montague land grab storyline is more or less wrapped up in "Hail Mary." Have the events of this season lead Britt to see that running never truly equals freedom? Will he serve his time or flee? Will we, the viewers, have a chance to see just what he chooses?

The uncertainty of that final moment in "Hail Mary," (written by Ted and Nicholas Griffin and directed by Ted Griffin), of which way Hank turns the car, of where we go next, encapsulates the uncertainty of the series' future at FX. While some have pointed towards the fact that the scrappy Terriers doesn't quite fit into the FX brand, I blow a big raspberry at that logic.

Granted, yes, FX has a particular brand and most of its shows tend to fit into the network's depiction of brash, loud, and raucous manhood (which might be why the more female-centric Damages got the boot earlier this year), and Terriers might be a quieter, more low-key exploration of modern masculinity and brotherly love. Yet, I can't help but wonder whether Terriers' ratings would have been better if the FX/Dish conflict hadn't come to pass. After all, the series wasn't available to Dish Network customers and had to have been adversely affected by the elimination of FX from Dish's offering lineup. But also, Terriers was also perhaps undone by its title and the promotional/marketing campaign, which I've already discussed in full elsewhere.

I'm not going to be blind and pretend that people were tuning into this series in droves because they weren't. The ratings were not good, but for those of us who looked past the title and the dog-focused advertising and gave Terriers a chance, we discovered its beauty and humanity, its humor and its pathos, and its incredible array of eccentric and flawed characters.

There's special praise necessitated for the many superb actors who filled out Ocean Beach so memorably, each turning in nuanced performances that made me fall in love with this quirky crime drama. Logue, Raymond-James, Laura Allen, Kimberly Quinn, Jamie Denbo, Rockmond Dunbar, Loren Dean, Karina Logue, Alison Elliott, Michael Gaston, Daren Scott: you each brought your A-game to Terriers and it hasn't gone unnoticed. In the pinball machine of Terriers' plot, your characters served as the the flippers, bumpers, and kickers, knocking Britt and Hank around, either physically or emotionally.

I'm not ready to say goodbye to Terriers, certainly not yet. While the plot of the Ocean Beach land grab scheme may have been tied up now, there's the matter of the duplicitous and menacing mastermind behind the scheme, Cutshaw, played ably by Neal McDonough, a corrupt soul whose seemingly benevolent charity work belies a horrific true nature, the man behind the mask willing to kill Mickey Gosney and whoever got in his way in order to get that scandalous photograph back. (I'm going to assume that the photo depicts him engaged in child abuse of the most awful kind.)

Is Cutshaw intended to be Hank and Britt's new target next season? Do they go straight or turn left? Does Britt cut and run or serve his jail time? Will we get an answer or will their decision sit, unanswered, forever, a car idling eternally at a traffic light? Do we need tidy endings to our stories or does the messiness of life--and art like Terriers depicting that messiness--mean that some things are unknown and unknowable?

The one certainty is that television was improved by Terriers' bark. Fusing together a buddy comedy, a relationship drama, a crime procedural, and a taut thriller, Terriers truly defied pigeonholing. If this is the end for the series, its creative spirit and its gonzo nature will be remembered for some time to come. For those of us who fell in love with its quirky charms and underdog status, these 13 perfect episodes represented an alternative to the by-the-numbers nature of this season's programming.

Ultimately, it's not just Hank and Britt who have to make a decision, but FX as well. Will the show have time to develop, to win over audiences who might have been put off by titles or campaigns, and who might discover this winning series on DVD? Do they take a chance on Terriers or do they cut and run?

For those of us who love television, I hope it's the former rather than the latter. With the broadcast nets decidedly uninterested in taking risks at the moment, Terriers represents the outlaw spirit of cable. I just hope that, in the end, FX gives this dog its rightful day.

Chopping Block: Knives Out for Start of Top Chef: All Stars

And that's how you start a season of Top Chef. While there was heated drama and some tears, the focus was once again on the innate talent and staggering skill sets of these fierce competitors.

While I already shared my pre-air thoughts about the season opener of Top Chef: All-Stars, now that the episode ("History Never Repeats") has aired, we can discuss specifics of this fantastic installment, which saw some fan-favorites return for another shot at Top Chef glory and what might just be the very best Elimination Challenge to date (which is what I told executive producers Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth when I saw them the other night).

Forcing the chefs to redo the dishes that got them sent home the first time they were on Top Chef was a stroke of genius that played up to the chef's egos and their nerves. Would they be able to overcome what sunk them last time around? Would they redeem themselves or fail again?

And which of the chefs would be forced to bear the burden of being the first one sent packing?

On that last note, I have to say that I was really sad to see Elia go home, especially as I thought that Stephen and Fabio both performed worse than Elia. Perhaps it was her nerves, her memories, or her lack of concept, but Elia was sent home twice for making the same dish. She didn't quite grasp that she needed to improve the dish, rather than reproduce it. Her changes were so slight, her execution so similar to the first time around that she was doomed to fail where some of the other contestants soared.

But I wrongly assumed that the judges would spare Elia, especially given the travesty that was Fabio's dish, its slick greasiness making me as queasy as Anthony Bourdain, its use of paper rather head-scratching and odd. And, sorry, Stephen, but I already feel as though you are way out of your element. I think you've got a great palate, consummate wine knowledge, and a polished presence in the front of house, but I don't think that you're as strong as many of these contestants. Which is why I was shocked that he wasn't made the sacrificial lamb here.

But I've been wrong before.

As for what the chefs made, they had to get through a team-based Quickfire Challenge (no small feat, considering the egos involved and it was their first challenge), in which they had to collectively create a dish that summed up the city where their season took place.

So what did they make? Let's take a look:

• Washington D.C. (Angelo, Tiffany): crab cake essence with rockfish, lemongrass, jalapeno, Old Bay
• San Francisco (Tiffani, Stephen): cioppino gazpacho with sourdough
• New York (Jamie, Fabio, Carla): curried apple soup, pasta with caramelized apple, rib eye with apple
• Miami (Tre, Dale, Casey): pork tenderloin, avocado lime puree, tostones, habanero sauce
• Los Angeles (Marcel, Elia): shrimp tacos with guacamole in an apple wrapper
• Las Vegas (Mike, Jennifer): bucatini with bacon lobster carbonara
• Chicago (Dale, Richard, Antonia, Spike): pork and black pepper sausage, mustard ice cream

I had a feeling that the Chicago team had won as soon as Richard Blais whipped out the liquid nitrogen to create some mustard gelato, an inspired take on a Chicago classic that summed up the city while also showcasing Chicago's "avant garde" nature. I also knew that Marcel and Elia would end up in the bottom as the apple wrappers for their tacos were too thin and the entire dish looked messy and impossible to pick up and eat with one's hands. New York should have made one dish rather than three, really. But I want to commend Mike Isabella for making that sumptuous buccatini with Jennifer; the pasta looked so lush and tender and I wanted to eat a bit bowl of it straightaway.

For the Elimination Challenge, there was the aforementioned "historic" trip down memory lane as the chefs had the opportunity to redeem themselves by perfecting the dishes that got them sent home. It was an inspired challenge that raised the stakes and offered the audience a chance to see them put through their paces by revisiting the ingredients that undid them the first time they competed.

Here's what they made:

• Elia: red snapper steamed in ti with snapper jus
• Tre: cured wild King salmon, grapefruit gelee, salted macadamia cookie
• Fabio: handmade caserecci, crawfish and crab stew
• Stephen: lobster harumaki, hibiscus ponzu, and coriander; soup dumplings; egg rolls
• Tiffany: pan-seared halibut, coconut curry, steamed rice balls, pea tendrils
• Tiffani: crispy branzino, black olive pappardelle, and spicy fennel
• Dale: butterscotch miso scallops with crispy long beans and spicy eggplant
• Richard: pork belly with bread and butter radishes, mirin, and cheddar
• Angelo: homemade ramen with sweet glazed pork belly and watermelon
• Marcel: uni and caviar, Meyer lemon gelee, fennel cream, and kalamata olive dust
• Spike: pickled mushrooms, scallops, lime dressing with hearts of palm salad
• Jennifer: duck, squash, foie gras, apple cider vinaigrette, micro arugula
• Carla: grilled strip steak, smashed potatoes, tarragon butter, red wine sauce
• Antonia: sausage with cilantro, pigeon pea puree, roasted cherry blossoms
• Mike: melted leeks, carrot puree, salt-crusted potatoes
• Casey: molasses-glazed pork belly, pickled peaches, whipped creme fraiche
• Jamie: pan-seared black bass, celery, green peppercorn sauce, herb salad
• Dale: curry-poached lobster dumplings, chanterelles, corn, and bacon

Whew.

Given how many chefs there are in the game at this point, I didn't expect that each of them would get reactions from the diners and the chefs but I do wish that they would have focused on the dishes a little more, especially as this was an extended-length episode. As it were, I can't seem to remember whether all of them even appeared on-screen for more than a second.

Having said that, there were some definite stand-outs. I do believe Richard Blais may have won if it hadn't been for the fact that he was still plating when the timer went off. I don't think for a second that there was anything malicious going on here in the least. He's often so focused on the task at hand that he seems closed off to what's going on around him. It's his laser-like intensity that has made this chef a force to be reckoned with but it was his undoing here. As it was, he was disqualified from the win, even after scoring one of the top dishes. Alas, rules are rules.

Kudos to Jamie for reinventing Eric Ripert's dish which got her eliminated last time; I thought she did a remarkable job taking the essence of Ripert's dish and elevating it into something different and unique to her, transforming her failure last time into a victory here. Well done.

While Marcel's dish wasn't singled out for praise, I do have to say that it was the most visually stunning plate on display here. Slightly alien and undersea-like, it was a sight to behold, a carefully plated masterpiece of abstract art that intrigued and repelled at the same time.

Spike did a fantastic job concealing those frozen scallops; so much so that Bourdain noted that the scallops were superfluous on the plate. Bingo. Always crafty, Spike wisely disguised the scallops' frozen nature and offered a ceviche rather than seared scallops and a lime vinaigrette that distracted entirely and made the scallops all but disappear from the plate. Sneaky, sneaky.

It was obvious that Elia, Fabio (that awful dish!), and Stephen would land in the bottom and, as I said earlier, I'm surprised that it was Elia who was sent packing, rather than one of the other two. Especially as Fabio's specialty is Italian and he failed to score well this week after making TWO pasta dishes.

What did you think of the judges' decision? Should Elia have been set packing? Who are you rooting for this season? Head to the comments section to discuss and debate.

Next week on Top Chef: All-Stars ("Night at the Museum"), the chefs visit the American Museum of Natural History to cater a snack for a group of children spending the night there.

Top Chef: All-Stars Preview: Sugar Hoarder


Top Chef: All-Stars Preview: Angelo's Intentions

Reminder: Do Not Miss Tonight's Episode of Fringe!

Fringe fans: you do not want to miss tonight's fantastic episode ("Entrada").

While I raved about tonight's installment a few weeks back in my advance review of "The Abducted" and "Entrada" (which you can read here), if that wasn't enough of an incentive, I suggest you check out FOX's awesome feature film trailer-style promo for "Entrada," which you can view in full below.



Fringe airs tonight at 9 pm ET/PT on FOX.

Kingdom Come: Fry Bread and Breakdowns on Friday Night Lights

"Julie Taylor is a slut!"

Let's be honest about this: we all knew that Derek Bishop was bad news and we all knew that it would come to this, a screaming match in a crowded college setting in which his wife railed at Julie for sleeping with her husband.

Or at least, it's what I've suspected--and dreaded--for some time now. I've been upfront about my dislike for Julie Taylor's storyline this season and the way that her college experience, summed up by her relationship with doctoral candidate/TA/fry bread-addict Derek has veered sharply into cliche, which is something that Friday Night Lights doesn't typically do.

Julie's arc thus far this season has seemed to be the means to an end: the way to get Julie back to Dillon without her just dropping out of college, despite her ambition and her smarts. Enter the crazy wife of Derek, with a well-timed rant (even if I found it hard to stomach that this PhD candidate would mispronounce "cliche") and a sharp slap across Julie's face. Yes, Julie, there are consequences.

This week's episode of Friday Night Lights ("Kingdom"), written by Rolin Jones and directed by Patrick Norris, didn't focus entirely on the Julie/Derek storyline but their affair hovered uneasily over what was otherwise a fantastic installment. Julie's own shocking naivete was paralelled in Luke Cafferty's. His belief that TMU wanted both him and Vince will likely come back to haunt him. The two might be "brothers," branded forever as Lions, but likely this relationship is going to hit the skids once Luke realizes just what is going on with the TMU recruiters.

Luke, as we've seen throughout the last two seasons, sees the best in everyone and expects that things will work out. Despite injury, defeat, Becky's pregnancy, he seems to have an innate belief in optimism and providence. His rivalry with Vince has transformed into something closer to brotherhood, their team a pride of Lions. (I loved Luke's drunken depiction of "pride.") By branding themselves, by "walking through the fire, they make their commitment to the team and to each other permanent, a visible reminder of the bond they share. But nothing in life is permanent.

I'm glad that Vince and Ornette are heeding Coach Taylor's advice and allowing him to be the liaison with TMU and I'm glad that Vince was upfront with Luke, even though Coach told him to keep the news under his hat. But Luke is going to be heartbroken when his vision of the two of them on the TMU field doesn't come to pass. Did he damage his own chances by bringing Vince to TMU in the first place? And will he come to resent his teammate once the truth becomes apparent?

Glad to see Buddy Jr. already enmeshed in the group, from his flirtation with the lipstick girl (loved that he snagged the lipstick as a memento) to the rawness of his arm, post-branding. The guys may have hazed him a bit throughout the episode but his decision to get branded reflected his passion and devotion to the team. And it was fantastic to see him so out of his element, having entered Hastings' world. (As well as seeing Billy get to use his Riggins' Rigs knowledge to get the team to Kingdom.)

Kudos too to Coach for realizing that if the team is going to make it to State that they have to embrace the rough side of things, bring the street to the football field and that they need to play smart and play rough if they have any chance of victory. His inclination proved correct and those "forfeit" signs came down pretty quickly once the team shifted into high gear. But Eric also seemed to be somewhat haunted as well. He's been a man of morals, on and off the field, and his disinterest in the poker game seemed to reveal that his decision to play tough was eating at him a little bit.

I loved his semi-drunken call to Tami ("what are you wearing?") and Tami's own drunkenness with Laurel (four bottles of wine between the two of them!), which may have accounted for her sheer joy at seeing Julie return home to, uh, do some laundry. Tami's loneliness, with Eric away and her daughter at school, may have clouded her perception here. The implication with Julie's arrival in Dillon is that she might not be returning to school and her attitude was cagey and furtive, something that Tami--in her happiness--failed to pick up on.

I'm happy to see the writers further developing Laurel and giving Tami a sounding board. (My only complaint was that this episode was, by necessity, Tami-light.) Their drunken conversation was a nice counterpoint to the tension on the field. But my favorite moment had to be Coach silently listening to his players on their hotel balconies as he tried to carve out a moment of solitude. From learning a bit more about Hastings (he's been in Kingdom before and has moved around a lot) to Tinker's misunderstanding of how the hotel minibar and pay-per-view worked, it fused together a comedic situation with something deeper and more poignant.

Which is something that Friday Night Lights does like no other series.

It might be why the Julie situation has gotten under my skin in the way that it has. FNL doesn't go for the obvious or the cliche, so the fact that the turning points in Julie's arc have been glaring like spotlights has rubbed me the wrong way. Yes, it seems intended to bring Julie back into the fray and return her to Dillon but I wish things had played out differently. Or at least not quite as predictably.

What do you think? Am I being too hard on Julie Taylor and her current storyline? Or have the writers lost their way a little with this one? Head to the comment section to discuss.

Next week on Friday Night Lights ("Swerve"), a popular magazine hails Coach Taylor as the Kingmaker; Vince's past catches up to him when an old acquaintance demands he pay his debt; Luke reacts to the truth about TMU; a suspicious car accident delays Julie's return to college.

The Daily Beast: "Twin Peaks' Strange Reunion"

"She's dead. Wrapped in plastic."

Twenty years ago today (yes, precisely to the day), Laura Palmer's killer was unmasked for Agent Dale Cooper and Sheriff Truman on ABC's seminal series Twin Peaks. Tonight, many of the original cast members of the haunting and harrowing series will reunite on-screen for the first time in two decades on USA's Psych, which airs its Twin Peaks homage episode, "Dual Spires," tonight at 10 pm ET/PT.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, entitled "Twin Peaks' Strange Reunion," in which I explore the enduring legacy of Twin Peaks and speak with the series' co-creator Mark Frost and Laura Palmer herself, Sheryl Lee, about the groundbreaking drama series and where things went wrong, and speak with Psych's star James Roday (who penned tonight's "Dual Spires" episode) about his Twin Peaks obsession (one that rivals my own).

All this plus, a damn fine gallery feature entitled "The Cast of Twin Peaks: Where Are They Now?" which explores what 12 of the series' stars have been up to since they last set foot in the Double R Diner.

Serve up a slice of cherry pie, grab a cup of Norma's coffee, and remember when...

Under the Nail: An Advance Review of Psych's "Damn Fine" Twin Peaks Homage, "Dual Spires"

Smell that cinnamon...

While USA may not have planned the stars aligning just so, it is twenty years to the day that Agent Dale Cooper unmasked Laura Palmer's killer on Twin Peaks, so it's only fitting that Psych should celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the series that changed television with an episode that both a send-up and a loving tribute to Twin Peaks.

Tonight's damn fine episode of Psych ("Dual Spires"), written by James Roday and Bill Callahan, does just that, offering a plot in which Shawn (Roday) and Gus (Dule Hill) travel to the quirky small town of Dual Spires for a cinnamon festival and encounter a revolving door of eccentric individuals. But their presence in town coincides with an eerie mystery, the murder of a local girl that is far more sinister and weird that it initially seems.

If you've never seen Twin Peaks, you might be slightly bewildered by the oddness unfolding around Shawn and Gus in this bucolic town where there's always music (or cinnamon, anyway) in the air. Red-suited individuals dance to creepy jukebox music, ceiling fans revolve menacingly, clues are found under the nail of one character, a woman clutches a log, and a man barks like a dog. It's weird, it's unnerving, and it's wonderful.

But if you've seen (and loved) David Lynch and Mark Frost's groundbreaking original series, it's clear that Roday has dropped in a kitchen sink's worth of allusions, shout-outs, and callbacks to Twin Peaks, loading the episode with a forest full of in-jokes for Twin Peaks devotees to catch, everything from The Great Northern (here Dual Spires' newspaper) and Windom Earle to a certain someone's transformative hair color. (And some clearly intentional music meant to recall Angelo Badalamenti's amazing score.)

I don't want to say too much lest I spoil this fantastic and fun episode, but I will say that the appearance of Twin Peaks regulars Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Sherilyn Fenn, Dana Ashbrook, Catherine E. Coulson, Lenny von Dohlen, and Robyn Lively only serve to enhance an already winning episode. (Extra points for getting Julee Cruise to perform the Psych theme song.) Fenn is pitch-perfect as sultry local librarian Maudette Hornsby (cough, cough) and it's fantastic to see Lee not serve as the victim this time around.

(Aside: I had a long conversation a few weeks back with Lee about her experiences shooting this episode and Twin Peaks in general and she fulfilled by 20-year love affair with the show and her characters. Some of which can be read here.)

Lee is fantastic here and one of the most famous scenes in Twin Peaks history, the discovery--in the pilot episode--of Laura's body, wrapped in plastic, is celebrated in rich fashion. As Lee's Dr. Donna Gooden stares down at the corpse of a local girl, whose body is wrapped in plastic, on a sandy shore, there's a sensation of being caught in a hall of mirrors, as Lee looks down at both the victim, herself as Laura Palmer, and herself as the actress playing Twin Peaks' most famous "dead girl."

It's also us, and our own memories of Twin Peaks, twenty years on, reflected back.



Psych airs tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on USA.

The True Cutthroat Culinary Competition Returns: An Advance Review of Top Chef: All-Stars

Longtime readers know that I am obsessed with Bravo's culinary competition series Top Chef, but also that I've been disheartened by the last season (and the trainwreck that was Top Chef: Just Desserts), so there was a lot on the line for tonight's season premiere of Top Chef: All-Stars, which reunites some of the fiercest competitors ever seen on the series for another shot at the title.

Arriving as it does on the heels of Top Chef: Just Desserts, there hasn't been a lot of time to regain one's appetite for the franchise, thanks to a schedule that now sees three iterations of the Top Chef formula airing basically year-round. Which might be a recipe for brand awareness, but it doesn't quite keep the franchise at its freshest.

Last season, which saw the competition move to Washington D.C., might is regarded by many as the worst season to date, saddled with some lackluster casting, some dull challenges, and some lazy editing. And Top Chef: Just Desserts, while high on reality-TV drama, was often histrionic and off-putting. Or just plain creepy. ("The red hots were for my mommy!")

Fortunately, Top Chef: All-Stars taps into what made the series so wildly addictive and delicious, bringing back some fan-favorites (Richard Blais! Jennifer Carroll!) and some duds (Stephen Aspirino) and putting them through their paces once again.

The first episode, airing tonight, contains a team Quickfire Challenge that's tied to the history of the show and what might just be the all-time greatest Elimination Challenge ever, one that has a strong emotional hook to it and which ties into the season's underlying theme. (That's all I'm saying on that front.)

Liquid nitrogen, inspired flavor profiles, and strokes of culinary genius mark tonight's episode and offers a taste of what's to come: some kick-ass and cutthroat competition from these returnees as they go head to head with some seriously strong chefs. Wondering just how Angelo might stack up against Richard or Marcel? You're in luck.

Look for egos, rivalry, and bruised feelings as the competition heats up and some nastiness between one chef and one of the judges as old wounds sting after renewed criticism (though, in my opinion, absolutely earned). And a shocking decision at the episode's conclusion. Which adds up to a fantastic episode of television and of Top Chef in general, reigniting my love for this series and keeping me on the edge of my seat.

The winner, in the end, is quite obviously us watching at home.

Top Chef: All-Stars begins tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on Bravo.

The Daily Beast: "Twitter's TV War"

Twitter should be a tool for audiences to interact with the talent behind their favorite shows—instead, anonymous users heap abuse onto writer-producers for ruining "their" shows.

Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "Twitter's TV War," in which I speak to Community's Dan Harmon, Bones' Hart Hanson, and Grey Anatomy's Shonda Rhimes about the complicated relationship between access, privacy, and angry fans on the social networking platform.

I'm curious to know what your take is and whether you side with showrunners or fans. What happens when the dialogue turns ugly? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Penalty Time: An Anger-Filled Amazing Race Watch

Must. Restrain. Myself.

I was going to write a post about last night's episode of The Amazing Race ("I Hate Chinese Food") but I'm actually still too angry at contestant Nick to think clearly... and at the producers for keeping this buffoon around another week.

Quick recap: after shouting at his asthmatic girlfriend Vicki all season, making her do just about every challenge, and managing to avoid elimination several times thanks to Vicki, Nick decides that he's going to take a nap rather than help Vicki look for a boat registration number in the dark, even though he spent several hours sitting in a chair while Vicki gorged on Chinese food and puked her guts out.

Nice boyfriend.

Nick had given up and wanted to walk off the race when they opted to take the six-hour penalty for not completing a Detour and simply walked onto the mat. It had to be over for them, right? They were so far behind the first place team--Nat and Kat--and had that penalty on top of it.

But, surprise of surprises, it was a non-elimination leg, the second time that this team has been spared this season, leaving them still in the running to land in the final three, and thus have a 33 percent chance of winning a million dollars.

Kids, the lesson is: even if quit and don't want to play by the rules, and act like a total tool all the time, you too can still make a killing! (Personally, I wish that they would have dropped out of the race, only to learn after making their withdrawal official that it was a non-elimination leg.)

I do feel bad for Vicki. She might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she's been horribly mistreated by Nick this entire time. Nick, who has no sympathy for her asthma or the fact that she's the one keeping their team racing week after week. Nick, who says that Vicki taught him that other people's feelings matter... because being mean doesn't get YOU anywhere.

TAR has had some selfish, awful contestants in the past but I haven't felt this level of anger towards a race participant in quite some time. Nick, you really do take the cake for being just so woefully awful. And, Vicki, word of advice for you: run as far away from this loser as you can.

I'm curious to know what you think: am I being too hard on Nick? Or are you as turned off by this clown as I am? Head to the comments to discuss.

Next week on The Amazing Race ("I'm Surrounded by Ninjas"), the teams head to Seoul, where one team will be eliminated while the others compete for a final chance at the million dollar final prize.

The Vanishing Act: Crimes and Misdemeanors on Boardwalk Empire

"You're so wicked." - Robert

The sins of the past were on everyone's mind this week as tensions came to a head in every corner of the Emerald City: the tenuous relationship between Nucky and Margaret seemed to shatter like her looking glass; the uneasy past between Gillian and the Commodore was dragged out into the light; and Angela made a difficult decision, only to have her choice explode in her face.

And then there was that baptism scene...

This week's penultimate episode of Boardwalk Empire ("Paris Green"), written by Howard Korder and directed by Allen Coulter, gave us several displays of sleight-of-hand, intricate magic tricks designed to distract, to incapacitate, or simply to kill outright, an extravagant and riveting installment that pulled back the curtains to reveal the true face of Oz himself.

Atlantic City exists because of the power structure that the Commodore built and Nucky Thomson finessed in his inimitable style. But the walls are closing in on Nucky from every direction. Even his mentor has seemingly turned against him, while Margaret reveals that she is not willing to stop asking probing questions about Nucky's work and Eli has become too much of a loose cannon. (Or is it the other way around?)

But it was the escape act of Houdini's brother Hardeen which gave this week's episode its driving motif, a magic trick of the highest order that set up a series of revelatory actions from the series' cast of characters, giving us a sequence of vanishing acts, soothsayers, and escape artists.

It seems that everyone in Atlantic City is running some kind of racket, from Margaret's unspoken validation of Nucky's actions by accepting his numerous acts of kindness and hospitality, to the Ponzi scheme that Annabelle's Harry has fallen prey to. Gillian is revealed to be poisoning the Commodore in a bid for his fortune, revealing that he is Jimmy's father and that she conceived him when she was just thirteen years old, a flower procured by Nucky for his mentor's pleasure.

But there's one act of trickery and deception that's all the more heartbreaking: after Angela decides to flee to Paris with Mary, she leaves Jimmy a note explaining all... only to discover that Mary and Robert have used her money to leave Atlantic City, playing her for a fool. Jimmy's coldness towards her and his haunting words towards their son--that it will soon be just the two boys, up all hours--add another layer of anguish to the proceedings.

Not only has Angela had her heart broken and her money stolen, but she's soon to lose her child as well. Her vanishing act, concocted in the heat of the moment, wasn't hers at all. It was a bit of legerdemain designed to distract, just as Hardeen steals Margaret's bracelet and places it on Annabelle's wrist. What's been lost is far more precious than any bracelet and the consequences of her actions will likely haunt poor Angela for the rest of her days.

Margaret, meanwhile, was far more successful in her own efforts to disappear (just as Harry successfully evaded Annabelle), effectively vanishing from the luxurious apartment that Nucky set her and the children up in. Distracting watchman Richard Harrow, Margaret flees, leaving only that same bracelet--a gift from Nucky--behind, a bitter reminder that she will not be enslaved to his whims.

Just as the mirror was smashed in an act of anger by Nucky (the same mirror, it must be noted, that she gazed in at the end of last week's episode), Margaret's efforts to leave reveal that she saw the bracelet as a gilded chain, her home as another prison to escape from. Nucky was not the man she thought he was, Lysol her only means of preventing another link in that chain.

Margaret has been willing thus far to keep her mouth shut when it came to Nucky's line of work. After all, she has the sense to look into the ledger when he places her in charge of guarding his office after Eli's shooting. She speaks out on behalf of his candidate for mayor, securing Bader the endorsement of the League of Women Voters after her fiery speech on his behalf. But she's no fool and the scene between Nucky and Annabelle put her in the position of patsy. She may have kept silent this whole time but she knows full well how Nucky made her a widow.

Duplicity, as Hardeen says, is most successful when people want to be deceived.

A bottle of Lysol becomes an escape route; stashed money an escape hatch; a smashed mirror a symbol of male anger, just as a cookie becomes not a pleasurable sweet but death incarnate in the hands of the vengeful Gillian. The Commodore's mystery illness has been lurking on the periphery of the action but here it was pulled into sharp focus, a plot designed to bring Jimmy and the Commodore together, just as it was to end the old man's life and land Gillian payback for her ill-use as a teenager.

Gillian might have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been been for Jimmy tasting one of those cookies... and violently vomiting as a result after tasting the Paris Green contained within. (Of course, it's an intentional callback to how Angela's own dreams of Paris turned as bitter as arsenic as well.)

And then there was Van Alden and poor Sebso. In the episode's most brutal and shocking sequence, Van Alden forces Sebso to undergo a baptism in the river, despite the fact that Sebso is Jewish and does not want a baptism. But with Van Alden's suspicions at an all-time high (and comments about damnation and hellfire awaiting Sebso), he agrees to go through with it, it seems, just to placate his increasingly unstable partner.

Little does he know, however, that Van Alden uses the baptism to save his soul at the cost of his life, dunking him under the water repeatedly until he drowns, the congregation aghast at how Van Alden has inverted this ceremony into something violent and savage, a magic trick itself designed to entrap Sebso, a "righteous" vengeance raining down on the turncoat and traitor to Van Alden's own cause.

He's a believer, after all, a man who sees himself as carrying out the Lord's work on Earth, a good man, even in spite of his many, many sins. He can deceive himself because he wants to be deceived.

As does Nucky, in the end, it seems. Despite seeing the fortune teller as nothing more than another con artist, Nucky travels to her boardwalk shop and enters, curious about his future. It might be a lie, another trick, but it's the lie that he wants--or needs--to hear.

Next week on the season finale of Boardwalk Empire ("A Return to Normalcy"), Nucky and Atlantic City brace for change on Election Day; Torrio brokers a deal between two nemeses, with far-reaching consequences; Jimmy ponders his future, as do Margaret, Agent Van Alden, and Eli.

Ep. 12 Preview

Knife's Edge: The Spotless Mind on Chuck

Knock-knock.

It's been a while since we've had an episode of Chuck that focused on Chuck Bartowski's better half, Agent Sarah Walker.

We've been given slivers of Sarah's backstory--it was only last season that we learned her true name (that would be "Sam" for those keeping score)--but the enigmatic spy who has stolen Chuck's heart has remained largely an international woman of mystery, her heart encased in stone until Chuck came around. But does Sarah love Chuck for the man he is or the man that she thinks he could be? And with the Intersect out of commission for the foreseeable future, what does that mean for their own?

This week's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus Phase Three"), written by Kristin Newman and directed by Anton Cropper, did not disappoint on that front, giving Yvonne Strahovski the perfect showcase for her skills, both in terms of silently emoting and kicking butt. While the action led Sarah (and Casey and Morgan) to far-flung countries before learning of The Belgian's Thailand hideout (where this "giant blonde she-male" took on an army), the episode itself was more about the lengths we'll go to in order to save the ones we love, whether that might be a literal rescue (in the case of Chuck/Sarah) or a figurative one (Ellie/Awesome).

Love, it seems, is all about making sacrifices... and refusing to back down.

I can't go any further without first praising Strahovski for her gutsy performance in this week's episode, from her high-flying fight scenes (the way she took out that Thai fighter was wickedly awesome) to the more tender scenes. Zachary Levi's Chuck might be the heart of the series, but Strahovski's Sarah is its ethereal soul.

From the way Strahovski silently conveyed her innate sadness and regret upon learning of Chuck's elaborate proposal scenario (complete with multiple sports cars and a white stallion), stabbing herself inwardly for not telling him out loud what she thought was obvious, to the way in which she finally came clean, bringing Chuck back from the edge of emptiness during the Phase Three procedure all summed up her quiet strength and charisma as an actress. (Plus, that shot of her emerging from the water with a knife clenched between her teeth? Epic.)

With Sarah, it's been just as much about what's not been said as what has been, her whole life being a struggle to compartmentalize, to rationalize, to think logically and keep her emotion in check. But when she saw clearly that her chance at real happiness was in peril, she didn't hesitate from crossing several lines in order to save her boyfriend. International incident be damned, really. From kidnapping an official on Thai soil (plucking him right out of the Thai embassy in an automated carpet) to threatening him with an ammonia injection (!!!), Sarah was willing to do whatever she had to in order to get Chuck back safe and sound. If that's not true love, I don't know what is.

Sarah has long seen Chuck as more than just an asset, as more a three-dimensional man than just someone carrying the Intersect. It's bloody obvious that she would love him regardless of whether he could be in the field with her, or whether he had access to the Intersect or not. But from Chuck's perspective, one can see why he might wonder whether his abilities enable his relationship with Sarah. (After all, it's not like she would have been willing to jump into bed with Chuck when he was just a Nerd Herder. We can all admit that she was initially way out of his league.)

Those fears and insecurities were given form by the procedure that The Belgian and his scary scientist helper (whom you might recognize as Adam Sandler's doctor in Funny People), a nod to both Charlie Kaufman/Michel Gondry's The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and perhaps to Christopher Nolan's Inception as well. I kept waiting for a spinning top to turn up in one of Chuck's dreams, each designed to force him to flash.

I especially loved the final dream sequence at the apartment complex, as Ellie and Awesome drifted back into their darkened apartment and Chuck walked through shards of glass in the living room. Beautifully directed and exquisitely imagined, the sequences allowed us to take a look into Chuck's mind without superfluous exposition, bringing his subconscious thoughts to life in a visual format. Interestingly, however, it's his knowledge of those around him that act as a trigger (such as Ellie's lack of anger about him spying again), reminding his subconscious that he's dreaming in the first place.

But it's Sarah's confession--that she loves him, Intersect or not, and wants to be with him--that pulls him back from the very edge, mere seconds before his entire consciousness would have been wiped out, rendering Chuck an emotionless robot with a computer in his head. Love does conquer all, it seems. Even doomsday psycho-surgical procedures.

Meanwhile, Devon attempted to help Ellie out by drafting the entire Buy More staff to fix the mysterious laptop that Stephen left Ellie in his old car, clearly intending his daughter to find the device. Sacrificing the next 36 hours (and his dignity somewhat), Devon trades medical consults with the Buy More staffers in exchange for spare parts and technological know-how.

He does get the laptop up and running again, just in time for Ellie to return home to solve the riddle. (Fortunately, the response to "Knock-Knock" wasn't "who's there?") It's fitting that the solution should be something deeply personal, something that only Ellie would know ("I'm here"), making me believe that whatever it is that the computer contains--and we're only given Ellie and Awesome's facial response (and a "whoa" for good measure) this week--it's something vital and something that Stephen intended for Ellie, rather than Chuck to have. So it's not an Intersect mainframe. But what is it?

That's the question and one I wish I had an answer for, but we'll have to wait a week to find out just what is lurking on that laptop. Is it something that could restore the Intersect? Or something altogether different?

Regardless, I'm intrigued and I thought that this week's fantastic Sarah-centric episode of Chuck removed some of the sting of last week's sub-par installment, which left me cold. Definitely a step in the right direction and it used the series' sprawling cast to good effect here, while also injecting some humor into a some very tense situations. Well done, all around.

This season of Chuck has been a mixed bag, with some very strong episodes ("Chuck Versus the First Fight") sitting alongside some lackluster ones. I'm definitely missing some of the writers who left after last season--from Ali Adler and Phil Klemmer to Matt Miller and a host of others--who seemed to nail the show's voice and tone better than many of these newcomers. Which isn't to say that they won't in time adapt to the rhythms of the series, but it's been a bit of a teething process, I think, this season. Fingers crossed that the upcoming episodes are more in line with "First Fight" and "Phase Three" and less like "Fear of Death" or "Cubic Z."

But an ass-kicking Sarah Walker taking on anyone and anything getting between her and Chuck? Thank you very much indeed.

What did you think of this week's episode? And of this season of Chuck so far as a whole? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Leftovers"), Chuck's mom comes over for Thanksgiving leftovers dinner the day after the holiday; Morgan and the rest of the Buy More crew deal with the busiest shopping day of the year.

Mermaid's Tale: The Mausoleum of All Hope and Desire on The Walking Dead

"I remember my dream now." - Jim

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that I've been watching screeners of AMC's zombie apocalypse drama The Walking Dead but haven't been as captivated as I was with the pilot episode. However, I watched the fourth and fifth episodes of the series over the weekend and found both of them to be on par with the harrowing atmosphere of the pilot, giving viewers an intense experience that shows the gripping struggle for and by humanity.

In a land beset by demons, can the survivors of a global apocalypse retain their humanity? Or does killing monsters make you a monster yourself? Once you cross that moral line, can you step back over it?

This week's sensational episode of The Walking Dead ("Vatos"), written by Robert Kirkman (who created the series' underlying material) and directed by Johan Renck, put the focus back on the human aspect of the drama, giving us an installment that largely revolved around familial bonds, starting with that gorgeous scene in the boat between Andrea (Laurie Holden) and Amy (Emma Bell) in which they reminisced about their father, likely dead, and their own childhoods, the way in which their father taught them to fish using different methods.

He understood that the two girls, separated by twelve years, needed different things: that Andrea needed to catch fish to feed the family and that Amy needed the throw them back into the water. Two very different women joined by the unbreakable bond of blood.

But, even amid the madness of the helter-skelter world they live in, Andrea's focus wasn't just on survival by on Amy's birthday and she wanted to make it as special as possible, looking everywhere for something to wrap up the mermaid necklace she took from the department store back in "Guts." A birthday present, a charm, for a smiling girl.

It was not to be.

I want to commend Laurie Holden for her breathtaking performance in this episode, for both the love and loss that she conjured out of thin air and for the heartbreak she displayed upon Amy's death at the hands of a walker. Her eternal concern for her younger sister--evidenced by when Amy got up to go to the bathroom--transforming itself into a keen grief when she sees her ripped into my a walker upon emerging from the RV in search of toilet paper.

Such a human dilemma, really: her final words, her last thought on this earth, being something so trivial and so universal. A flicker of normalcy in a world gone mad. The horror that Holden's Andrea displayed filled me with dread, so connected as it was with Jim's own history: his own experience of seeing his family ripped apart by walkers, unable to save them, unable to do anything. Amy's fate decided while Andrea sat not 30 feet away with the others.

If Merle hadn't have taken the van, it's possible that Rick and the others could have saved more of the group. As it were, they arrive just as the walkers attack the camp and are able to save the majority of refugees. But if they hadn't gone back for Merle in the first place--or that bag of guns (or gotten diverted by the vatos who kidnapped Glenn), Amy's death could have been prevented.

Instead, a few hours shy of her birthday, Amy bleeds to death in front of the RV, her broken body cradled by her sister Andrea. "I don't know what to do," Andrea cries out, guilt and her confusion coursing through her veins as her sister dies in her arms.

The fragility of human life, the transience of all things, are only too fitting when juxtaposed with Dale's concerns with time, his insistence on winding his watch, his belief in the importance of keeping time. The watch itself emblematic of Faulkner's line about "the mausoleum of all hope and desire."

The horror of Amy's death is at odds with that beautiful scene at the beginning, two sisters in a boat on a cerulean blue lake. What's left of that bond leaks out onto the ground. But the terror is not just of a woman passing, it's that death isn't the end anymore. In this new world, the dead walk again, demons in human form, all teeth and nails and insatiable hunger. Is this what time holds for Amy? For all of them? Is there any place of safety remaining in this world?

There's something to be said for the vatos' philosophy. They closed themselves in, barricaded the doors and looked after the elderly that were left behind. Their aggression a front for something else. While I wasn't crazy about the vatos storyline--thugs with hearts of gold! a factory concealing an old folks' home--it showed that there is still humanity in the midst of savagery and there are other bands of survivors just like our central group.

But surviving is a relative term. Jim survived the zombie attack that killed his family. He escaped at the price of their deaths but he's haunted by what he experienced. How does one go on with that rambling through your head? His dream, the reason for digging those graves, tenuously out of grasp until he glimpses the carnage around the campfire. He now knows why he was digging those holes. He knows for whom he was digging them. But is it a sign of prescience? Or of inevitability? That death would claim those close to them, breaking their charmed circle?

"Wildfire," next week's episode--which I watched yesterday--continues the threads here, exploring the aftermath of the attacks and giving Holden another incredible opportunity to soar as an actor. (The teaser scene below gives you a taste of her agony.) It's an episode that sets up the final act of the season and offers a few intriguing questions as well as some potential answers.

While it might strike fans of British drama series Survivors as somewhat familiar (and seemed to jump over some key points along the way), the episode plays out with a tremendous amount of tension and dread, a riveting installment that refuses to let go of your attention. It's both harrowing and heartbreaking, gruesome and gripping. And I can't wait to see just what happens next...

Next week on The Walking Dead ("Wildfire"), Rick leads the group to the CDC after the attack; Jim must make a terrible life and death decision.