FRIDAY is the new MONDAY!!

What a Fantastic Friday night showing in the television scene this week. 

It has become apparent to me that I now look forward to Friday night television shows more than Monday night television shows. A few years back, no day was nearly as important in the TV world as Monday Night. How I met your Mother was in its prime; Two and a Half men was still hilarious with the antics of Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper; House MD was endearing, with every episode providing enough to keep one interested.. Castle was Castle- Always Awesome!! But now, How I met your Mother has deteriorated, Two and a half men is absolute crap, House is decent, but not what it used to be.. although Castle is still Castle!!!

**SPOILER ALERT**

Then Consider Friday night, Spartacus has reached the level of phenomenal with the episode Libertus and the return of Gannicus which was executed exquisitely. Fringe is near perfect at this stage and it is beyond me how a show this terrific is given a Friday night slot knowing full-well that viewership at that time-slot is not the best!! 

In the Fringe episode, they finally gave some insight into the Observer called "September"- who he is? where he is from? why or whether he is important to the fringe story-line?? Moreover, the Olivia-Peter arc has also further developed.. and even more crucially- Fringe continues to screw with us when it concerns Nina Sharp- whether she is good/bad.. what her role is in the David Robert Jones Plot- its absolutely crazy, and I love it.. Pure J.J. Abrams at his best!!

If you're a fringe fan- you need to watch this episode LIKE NOW!! I give it a 10/10.

As for Spartacus, well I can finally say this season has come into its own. I must admit that I was a little skeptical that this new season would amount to much, especially after the first 3 episodes when it seemed the only thing important was Crixus finding Naevia, and that was the focus of the show. I felt they ignored the Roman arc a little, and didn't do much into developing other story-lines amongst the other former slaves.

But now, the Roman Arc is in full swing with a dramatic conclusion in the episode that saw Gaius Claudius Glaber murder Ilithiya's father in order to ensure that his marriage stays in tact. We saw the dramatic return of Gannicus and the much need confrontation between him and Onamaeius over Milita- and what a powerful, emotional scene it was. Perhaps my only criticism is that instead of just a fight, they should have had a few more words- something to express the kind of emotion that was experienced. However, I assume they avoided that because the betrayal was many years passed and not fresh!! But it was still glad that they aired it out!!

I don't want to divulge too much about the episode because I'd advise all fans to simply watch it for themselves. As for the rating- another 10/10.

At this point, I will not be offering my opinion on Nikita, a show I do follow and like. I am currently a few episodes off pace, and would like to give the show time to conclude its season, and give my overall views of the season as a whole.

Fortunately, its Sunday and a few great TV shows will air in just a few hours!! 

Code Name: DUTCHESS

Except for the episode Linchpin of Castle which was absolutely phenomenal, TV this week has been pretty much standard and nothing extra-ordinary has come to light as of yet. However, I say that in the wake of new episode releases of Person of Interest, 30rock, Parks and Rec, and of course ARCHER!!


Before 2009, we relied on Seth Macfarlane and Trey Parker for comedic laughs in the form of animation(for those without access to adult-swim)- however as most of us would agree- after the several seasons of Family guy, South Park and American Dad- the laughs seem to have simmered down some, and the animation scene looked to be drying up. Enter- ADAM REED, who created the brilliant show Archer. To this day, I am yet to come across a single person who has attempted the show Archer and concluded that it is anything less that hilarious!!


**SPOILER ALERT**
The most brilliant thing about Archer is its ability to continuously deviate from the normal animation TV norms of having a decent ending, or some sort of lesson learned by the characters focused on in the episode- a stunt common to all Seth Macfarlane Shows- especially American Dad- and I must say it really does irritate me. If you take for instance the Last episode of Archer: "Lo Scandalo"... the entire episode was based on the premise that Malory was responsible for the killing of the Italian Prime Minister, and 
 fact she vigorously disputed claiming that she was attacked by a group of armed men. As the episode progresses, one can slowly turn to believe her story that "it wasn't what it looked like"... but by the end of the episode- they realise Malory invited Lana and Archer to help her cover up her murder of the Italian Prime Minister over his growing devious sexual desires. At the end of the day, all the characters we'r okay with that and the episode ended- spewing tonnes of hilarity throughout the entire episode. Why can't more shows be more courageous to be completely out of the box!!


One Tip I would give anyone who watches Archer.. either be really familiar with Urban Colloquial- because some of the really F**KED UP Jokes are sometimes tricky to get, or open google.. because when you get the feeling something is supposed to be funny and you don't know what it means, odds are it is funny.. so LOOK IT UP!!! "Johnny Bench Comb"


So instead of waiting for the next brilliant episode of South Park which is far too often only 5 out of an entire season, or waiting for something exceptionally new from Seth Macfarlane.. I suggest you all just watch ARCHER... Believe me when I tell you- you will not regret taking this chance!!

Castle encounters Pandora's "Box"

Apologies for the Silence fellow readers. I had to leave the world of cyberspace to focus on preparation for something, and in that week encountered hardly any television. But no matter I'm Back, and after having spent the last 2 days in bed catching up with my regular shows, you will be hearing a lot from me this week!!


First and foremost, we're going to have to start with "CASTLE"!!! Pandora was a phenomenal episode. As most of the Castle regulars will know, every season has a 2 part episode which is frankly often the best episode of the season. The reason for this is that it tends to deviate from the regular procedural pattern of dealing with one homicide per episode and deals with things out of the ordinary, for instance serial killers, terror plots and other interesting things.


Pandora was only part 1, so for now I'll refrain from spoilers for all you would be watchers, all I can tell you is to expect fantastic dialogue, an incredible plot and the Castle-Beckett drama kicked up a notch from the usual, although probably still played down a lot more than it should be. Generally, I'm not a big fan of Romance arcs in television shows, they tend to destroy the chemistry of the characters and more often than not, they destroy the television show in general. I'll give you an example- Season 7 of House was perhaps the weakest season in the entire series and the primary reason for that was the House and Cuddy relationship. I opined it might have been interesting to see House of its element but oh how I was wrong. All the things that made house interesting as a character just weren't there... and we only got glimpses of the anti-social misanthropic maverick doctor that we all came to love.
That Said, I really really want to see Castle and Beckett give it a try. I mean its season 4 and its been hinted since season 1. Enough is enough. how many death Experiences do they need for them to realise that they are right for each other- Gaddam it!!


Anyway, now that I'm done with that rant, Expect a 9/10 for Pandora. I loved it and I'm sure you will to. Also, expect to see Jennifer Beals (L word and Lie to Me) and Paul Adelstein (Prison Break) as guest stars.

Jack Bauer Becomes Martin Bohm

After 8 seasons of watching Kiefer Sutherland play the role of Jack Bauer, I always felt as though it would be very difficult for him to shake the persona much like the majority of the actors in "Friends" Struggled. Rather amazingly, after just the Pilot of the new series "Touch"- Kiefer Sutherland has already showed his depth and skill as an actor, and all traces of Jack Bauer are behind him.

I first heard about this show at the start of the fall TV-season of 2011/2012, and was rather curious about the direction the show would take. I must admit that I was rather skeptical about this show because it was created by "Tim Kring". Don't get me wrong, Tim Kring is a very innovative and extra-ordinary producer, however he has a history of tanking his shows after the first season. We all recall how beautifully "Heroes" began only to go into a downward spiral from the second season on-wards. I'm sure most of us were surprised that it made to season 5, just i'm sure most of us gave up on the show long before that! However, one thing that I truly admire about Tim Kring is his passion for introducing an international dynamic into his shows. In the Pilot of Touch, we were taken from New York, to Ireland, to Tokyo, to Baghdad and back to New York- intimating that what happens around the world is really all connected, and we're all part of this world.


The pilot truly was extremely 'touching'. The characters of the show were introduced in a very human manner, and each actor delivered.  I will not go into the details of the episode or give spoilers because I firmly believe everyone should watch this show for themselves. What I will say is that very few shows have hooked me from the pilot itself. Several of the great shows I watch now including Breaking Bad, Mad men, Dexter etc, are all shows that I stuck with despite not having a very strong Pilot. Touch has the advantage of coming strong from the get-go, in similar fashion to Suits and Lost- and looks very promising.


I give the Pilot 9.5/10. 


If you're still not convinced, take a look at the trailer: