Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Sons of Anarchy: Season 4 Episode 14 - To Be (Part 2)



Whew, I'm exhausted after this season folks.  High stakes, high drama, high caliber acting, awesome twists.  Kurt Sutter messed with our heads and divided the fans of this show into 2 groups.  1.) Those who thought the show would take the ultimate risk of killing off a lead character in the middle of a show's run.  2.)  Those who just KNEW there would be some twist that would force that same character to stay relevant for 1 or 2 more seasons.  I hate to be someone that rubs things in people's faces, so I'll just say that!  But, all the little hints were planted along the way that this story was far from over.  And Kurt Sutter did an interview that posted immediately following the finale that goes into his very detailed thoughts for how things play out from here.  I swear this guy could be a distant relative of mine because I was basically thinking the same way!  Anyway, I salute Sutter, the cast and the entire crew of Sons of Anarchy on a job VERY well done this year.  This is how TV should be done!  Between this and season 4 of Breaking Bad, I just don't know how television gets any better (well, having LOST still be on the air might do the trick!).  So, let's get into my quick thoughts about the episode and open the floor for discussion.  Here we go!

As we have done for the past few episodes these are my bulleted thoughts on the episode.  No full recap here!
  • So, after last week's scene where Romeo told Jax that Otto didn't rat anyone out and the deal was still on, we started to speculate that something was fishy here.  We speculated that either Romeo was either a Fed or maybe his #2 guy was involved.  But we wondered how either could be Feds but still go along with putting a hit on Tara.  All of our questions were answered within minutes.  The RICO Sting operation was in full force and then shut down within minutes when Romeo, #2 and some CIA guy show up.  Yep, the Galindo cartel is working with the CIA.  It's a whole political thing where the feds are controlling the drug running and working to shut down other cartels or something.  Vaguely reminded me of the movie TRAFFIC and how the government needs drugs to stay functional.  I may remembering that movie incorrectly, but it's something like that!
  • Anyway, apparently the deal between the SONS and the Irish needed to happen because Galindo needed the money from the drugs and guns.  Potter suddenly because a sympathetic character as he associated the Sons of Anarchy with "The Good Guys" and the CIA/Galindo as the bad guys.  He gave Roosevelt the file on Juice and dismissed all the charges against him (YAY!).  And then he went up against Crazy Haired Mayor guy and shut down his "Charming Heights" project with some sex toy props.   I loved his "I don't like you and the good guys need a win" speech.  But I really wish he said "I don't like you OR your hair."  Man that dude has had crazy hair for this show's entire run.  Get that mop under control man!  You're an insult to bald people everywhere!
  • Meanwhile, Jax and SAMCRO went to make this deal with the Irish happen, but they would only see the deal through with Clay.  Suddenly, that random Irish Baby Factory from last week didn't seem so random.  It solidified their trust in Clay vs. the Jax and the rest of the club.  We had speculated that last week, but I still thought it was quite random.  
  • So the deal was dead for now, JAX tried to tell Romeo that SAMCRO was out and then Jax found out all about the CIA deal with Galindo.  There was no way out.  The deal has to happen and the Mexican Connection (no relation to the Billy Joel song) between Galindo and the Sons has to stay relevant in order for SAMCRO to survive.  And of course, Jax can't tell anyone about this revelation.  And since he's the only one that knows and doesn't want the club to die, he must take the gavel and do what's best for the club.   And yes, my friends, Clay has to live!  
  • Oh right, and we found out that the cartel was never going to harm Tara!  They did admit that they were the ones Clay hired for the hit but they were going to brief her and put her in protective custody.  That would explain the kidnap attempt instead of just offing her in the park. 
  • Even while I watched Jax stare at Clay with his blood thinner needle, and looked to lock the door and close the blinds, I knew this scene wasn't going to go the way many thought it would.  It looked for a moment that Jax was still going to go through with his plan for all of the crap Clay has put him and the club through.  But instead, we got an emotionally charged scene between the 2 when Clay woke up.   Jax revealed his knowledge of the letters, of Piney's death, of JT's death, and the hit on Tara.  You could tell Clay was trying to tell Jax something.  His side of the story.  The side where Gemma was somehow involved too, but Jax didn't want to hear anything.  And at this point, it doesn't matter.  Clay has done enough for anyone to be furious over.  I mean, at least 50% of the show's fans wanted his head on a spike!  For now, Jax wants Clay to stay alive ONLY to work the Irish deal.  He doesn't want him to interact with Gemma, Tara or really be involved in any other of the club's business.  In other words, he's the new Piney as far as the club would be concerned.  (straight from Sutter's mouth)  Clay would rather be dead, but Jax obviously isn't allowing that.  I loved his "You're already dead." line that ended the scene.   Powerful scene and I admit I did cringe a bit when Jax was digging that knife into Clay's neck.
  • So the majority of the rest of the episode followed Jax as he set up the 8:00 meeting in the "chapel" and came half-way clean to Opie and all the way clean to Tara.  I really thought Jax would confide in Opie, but it made sense that he didn't.  He told him enough.  He's staying in town, he's taking the gavel and wants Opie at his side as VP.  It's their club.  They've been dreaming about this day for years.  They can finally put right what was wrong except for one minor detail.  The Mexican Connection must stay so that the club isn't destroyed.  And Clay has to live to make sure the deal happens.  Opie wasn't happy about all of this and he didn't show up at "church" that night.  But, per Sutter, it seemed too soon for him to be ready to return to the table.  I'm thinking we'll see Opie as VP next year.  Should be exciting!
  • Jax's conversation with Tara was full of emotion as well.  He came clean about the CIA and Tara was beyone shocked. She knew that Jax couldn't leave, but he still told her to go with the kids.  He couldn't even look at her after he told her.  But, there's even a piece of Tara that wanted to stay too and cement her place in this club.  The final shot showing Gemma staring at Tara behind Jax in the club room and mirroring it to Gemma and JT all those years ago was very poignant.  And my initial reaction was this symbolizing that Tara may go down the same path as Gemma.  She is Gemma's protege afterall and she mentioned last week that she's just doing what Gemma taught her. Sutter explains again that there are differences between Tara and Gemma and we will continue to see that.  Plus, I don't think she'd ever help put a hit on Jax or anything!
  • Other things to note at Chapel.  Chibs will be the new Sgt. at Arms, not Tig.  Tig was Clay's man and he also just tried to take on the Niners all by himself killing a significant girl in the process.  The man his demoted!  The rest of the crew looked pretty elated that Jax was taking the gavel.   Juice returned and said he is fully recovered.  Will the group ever find out about his father and that he killed Miles to cover it up?   Right now, I think that storyline is finished, but you never know.  Secrets tend to be exposed in bold fashion on this show!  I guess maybe there would be a vote to make the changes official, but it seemed like the group was cool with where this was going.
  • Bobby is still in prison after Otto ratted him out.  But, Romeo did say that if the Sons cooperate they will try to get him out. 
  • We should note that Gemma burned the letters that implicated her and Unser.  (Was Unser smoking that joint in Gemma's house at the end too?  Interesting.)   But with Clay still alive, her side of the story may still get exposed.
  • And a big thread left hanging for next year, apparently the girl that Tig accidentally killed was the daughter of some big Crime Boss.  I could see that boiling up into a big conflict for Jax's administration in season 5.  
I think I covered most of the episode, right?  I personally love the fact that Clay lived.  I had speculated before 2 things.  1.) I couldn't see Clay being killed off until maybe the season before the last season.   Having one season where Jax and the club would be left to go on without his involvement.  Maybe start building a brighter future. Or at least trying. Sutter seems to confirm this line of thinking too.  He never intended to kill off Clay.  He even said Clay seemed to be relevent for at least a couple more seasons.  With a 7 season plan, season 5 and 6 would be a couple more.  Does that mean Clay will die in season 6?  Maybe, but not necessarily.  2.)  I had speculated that it would be cool to see Jax take over the club, forcing him to stay in Charming and have Clay be in a lesser role but still involved in the club.   There is plenty to explore in that dynamic.  Clay still has his story to tell about Gemma and what really may have gone down all those years ago.  But showing Jax give the orders and Clay have to follow them?  That will be pretty priceless.

Anyway, it was a great season and it really could have gone either way.  But I do love the route Sutter decided to take.  While it felt like season 4 was a final season, he managed to find a way to show how things will still stay meaty and interesting for seasons to come!  That is a brilliant storyteller right there folks.  And I'm on board for the ride!  Can't wait for more.  We'll see if I still find time to write about it next year.  In the meantime, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you around here for our other show recaps!

37 comments:

MJ said...

OMG that was an awesome show and season.

The end with the Tara/Jax morph to Gemma/JT gave me goose bumps.

Never did think CIA - just figured someone was in on the Rico thing. Good surpise on Sutters part.

I never could make up my mind if Clay would be killed. I was sure Jax and tara would not leave - the show needs them, but I kept vacillating on whether Sutter would choose to be bold enough to kill Clay or clever enough to keep him in a meaningful way. Cause Sutter is certainly capable of either one. But I knew whichever way he went it would be great.

He said most of the same stuff in an article in TV Guide too. Funny how he referenced Shield and the tension between Mackey and Shane over Lem - cause there were 3 characters from Shield on SOA this season. Practically everyone BUT Mackey and Shane.

I def agree that Tara is not as dark as gemma - but I think tara is gonna learn that when you are the President's old lady you probably have to get a little dark. I think that will be her struggle. Cause she's already decided to still keep a secret from jax when this would have been the time to come wholly clean. So she's starting over while still having a secret. Something Gemma would do.

I think tara's struggle will be to not become Gemma, just like Jax will struggle not to be Clay. Power courrupts, secrets rot things - so they both have quite the problem ahead.

Whew ! Great finale. Quite a lot less action than I was thinking - but I loved it. Surpried at NO deaths though. LOL

MJ said...

Oh - meant to say that I read the other day that the 24 movie is actually in production. Nice surprise - though I think they've waited too long.

Kelly said...

Ok, so Clay lived.. I was hoping he wouldn't, but I can't say I'm surprised. It WAS hard to believe that Sutter would kill off such an important character, but he's the kind of showrunner that WOULD do that sort of thing. I'm sure there will be some nice tension in the future because of this.
As soon as Tara started standing over Jax, I knew that they were going to make a connection with that photo of Gemma and JT. Totally solidifies the way the couple is headed.. not saying that they will necessarily turn into Gemma and JT, though! I can't see Tara ever having a hand in Jax's death.
Oh Opie, you are so deep-in-thought and pensive. I love you, lol.
Though I'm not always a big fan of a complete 180 of a character, I did love the transition of Lincoln going from secret enemy of SAMCRO to secret hero of SAMCRO, lol. When he walked in with that doll flopping around, I was like, "YES!". And Eli's comment was perfect- "You're a really odd dude, man". LOL!
Loved how Juice was watching The Shield in that holding cell, lol. I didn't watch it when it was on, but it still gave me a smile.
All in all, the best season of SOA yet. The finale didn't hold a candle to last season's finale, but it's ok. THAT finale was beyond awesome, it would take A LOT to top that one!

On a completely different note, Hawaii 5-0's connection of the week was Simon (what that his name?) from The Event. Just my little "where are they now?" updates, lol

Mike V. said...

All good points MJ and Kelly!

I don't know if I thought specifically CIA either....it was definitely a funny twist that government politics shut down the whole investigation we've been following all season. As far as Clay dying, I'd say there was a hint of doubt in my mind that he might not live...but I just couldn't see him doing it. Yes, he could have made it work but I just didn't see him going that route. As far as Sutter being someone who WOULD kill off a major character, I guess it seems that he would, but I think he's just really good at making us think he might. All of these situations from seasons 1-4 where we thought Opie, Tara, Clay might die....they never have. Who HAS died? Prospect, Piney, Milo, Otto's wife, bad guys.....yes major characters, but not the more popular or MAIN ones. (Maybe more from his experience on the Shield has given him this reputation lol)

It was crazy that nobody died in the finale (unless you count the Crime Boss's daughter in part 1)....you gotta kind of look at both parts of that episode as it was originally going to be one 45 minute episode (if you don't count commercials).....Sutter didn't want to cut a scene so we were left with a lot of these intense character to character scenes. Most of the action was in the first half. I loved it.

Agreed though that the season 3 finale would be hard to top. That was a good one. But this one was excellent on a different scale. It reminds me of the Season 4 Finale of the Sopranos. Everyone was disappointed in that season because there wasn't much action or killings or what not. But slowly brewing over the season was the collapse of Tony and Carmela's marriage...and there was an all-out blowout in the finale....totally worth the price of admission and didn't have anything to do with a Mob Hit. The events of this season were totally game changing and the finale set up where all the pieces will be in the new game. AWESOME job.

I like the comparison of Tara struggling to not become Gemma vs. Jax struggling to not become Clay. Probably very accurate to how it will go down.

And yes, Potter's 180 was awesome. I hated the dude all season but couldn't help but love him in this final hour!

Didn't notice The Shield was playing in Juice's room...pretty funny stuff. I really do need to watch that show one day. Just like the promos for Justified make me want to catch up on that! But my resolve is strong...I'm TiVo'ing season 3 and will catch up on 1-3 this summer!

Kelly, nice connection to The Event. I'm so far removed from that show I can't even remember who Simon was! lol

MJ, AWESOME news on the 24 movie! I heard that they kept reworking the script or something which was why it was taking so long. They want the movie to be a 24 hour day but condensed to a 2 hour (and change) movie. This allows international travel and all that fun stuff. lol I'm probably not telling you anything you didn't already know! Excited to hear it's in production though.

Thanks for the comments! Back to work now. :-(

MJ said...

Yes - the shield DID give him the rep. The show was about 4 crooked cops - 1 one the ring leader - but all 4 were major chars and if you read his interview he talked about Mackey having to live with Shane knowing he killed Lem. So not only did he kill one of them, he had one kill the other ! So I was very comfortable thinking that Sutter is one of those guys who will truly kill a major char for great story telling.

Yes kelly - i also noticed the Shield and laughed over it. Very cool.

I agree with you both about Potter - i just had so much to say earlier that I forgot to mention him. Maybe now the mayor character goes away totally - hes' annoying. Potter was waaay more calm then I'd be if the CIA swooped in and ruined months of my work.

Oh = and I LOVED the re-worked words in the song at the end of the ep. Very moving.

I'm hoping they move on from the Juice's dad thing - esp since Chibs told him it's about what race is listed on the birth cert. I'm sure it will come around about him killing his club-mate though.

Mike V. said...

Yeah, I did watch SOME of the first season of The Shield, but just stopped before I really got into it. I'm sure I would have loved it! I skipped the parts about THE SHIELD in the interview in case I ever watch the show! lol But even reading what you wrote, it doesn't make much sense since I don't remember character names! I do remember there being a surprise death early on in the show though. (I think)

It seemed like Potter had been down this road before. So close to bringing people to justice only to get caught up in the system. lol Mayor dude...totally annyoing. But not as annoying as his hair!

I noticed the reworked songs to House of the Rising Sun too. Very good!

Only reprecussions I'd expect from the Juice thing would be for killing Milo. But I'm guessing it was all covered up fairly well. lol Milo wasn't a big character anyway.

MJ said...

Doh ! I've meant to say each time I've posted - I agree that there was something that Clay was trying to say. And I think it's something big. the obvious is Gemma's complicity in getting rid of JT - but I think it's more than that. Guess we'll find out next september.

Ron Perlman interview
http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/12/06/sons-of-anarchy-season-4-finale-ron-perlman/

Mike V. said...

Nice, thanks for the link! Yeah, no doubt it's more than just Gemma's involvement. I would think there would have to be a lot more than just "Gemma told me to do it" to somehow give some redemption to Clay's character! lol

Mike V. said...

Looks like i was right to think that they may revisit the Juice and Milo scenario lol

Another great interview with Sutter.

"Q: Let’s talk Juice. Was Chibs telling the truth when Juice finally told him his father was black: It wouldn’t have mattered because his birth certificate says Juice is hispanic?

Sutter: Yeah. That’s the sad irony of everything that happened. It’s what we do here: If people just told the truth from the beginning, they’d all be so much better off. But, they just don’t have the capacity to do that. But the truth is, Juice has still done some other bad things: shooting Miles and ratting on the club. That’s all there, and even though it’s buried somewhat at the end, Juice emotionally has to live with that, and there are still some people out there that are aware of it. That stuff can go away for a while, but it’s like what we did with Bobby and Luann this season. It’s still out there, it’s still something that impacts the character emotionally, and it’s still a story that we can pull on at any point."

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/12/07/sons-of-anarchy-season-4-finale-kurt-sutter/

Mike V. said...

AHS - Anyone watch yet? If not SPOILERS BELOW!!

So, I forget if we talked about the giant rumor out there with Violet that was going on for the past few weeks. Ryan Murphy seemed to dismiss it in his interviews, probably because he was hoping it wasn't THAT obvious. I don't think I would have picked up on it if I hadn't read the rumors. But, still a cool twist either way! Also provides a reason for that family to stay in the house (if Ben and Vivien ever find out what's going on there!) Should be a pretty intense final 2 episodes of the season. I know the show isn't for everyone, but I'm surprised the critics are still being so hard on it. It's a good show! Of course, in comparison to some of FX and AMC's other offerings that we've seen this year, it's not AS good! lol I know I enjoy that it has that "must discuss with others" feeling to it. (i.e. watercooler/LOST effect)

All the other stuff in the episode was crazy, like Larry taking the fall for the Boy Dhalia's murder, more of Constance's history. The Tate/Ben battle, Ben and Vivien's discussion. Oh and if we didn't suspect anything about Violet before this episode once we heard she had been missing from school for so many days, that was a dead giveaway!

Also cool seeing her try to leave the house and just find herself back in there. So I guess we know what would happen on Halloween if those people didn't get back to the house in time. lol

MJ said...

I did not watch AHS last night. My cable actually went out for 5 mins so I had to re-record the show late last night to catch the whole thing ;-(

I'll have to watch tonight.

MJ said...

Oh - Mark Pelligrino has been everywhere lately. He's done on Supernatural but has been recurring on and off on The Closer, he's coming back for a guest shot on Being Human - and just heard that he'll be on an ep of Castle. Lost was good to this guy !

Mike V. said...

Pretty rough weather in this area last night but that still sucks! Oh well, at least you were able to re-record!

Mike V. said...

Agreed on Mark P. LOST was defintiely good to him! Crazy, he was only in a handful of episodes but playing such a major character makes it feel like he was part of the whole thing! lol

Kelly said...

Mark Pellegrino, yay! Unfortunately I don't watch any of those shows, so boo to me.. Did I ever tell you guys that a Lost-obsessed couple I'm friends with met him a couple years ago? They were in CA on vacation and saw him, said hello, and saw the he had the final Lost script. Of course, they asked him abuot it but he coudn't tell them anything, lol. They said he was really nice :)
I need my Titus Welliver fix. Is he doing anything lately? Cuz I'll watch it, no matter what it is!

As for AHS...... AVERT YOUR EYES, MIKE!


Wow, am I stupid for not seeing that coming at all? Even when Violet kept trying to flee the house, I didn't put 2 and 2 together, lol.. but I like the twist, I think it works. Just one question- where did Tate put the body of the exterminator?
I must say, though, finding out about Violet's death doesn't have the same impact as it could, because everybody is friggin' dead in this show! Don't get me wrong, I was still like, "WTF? WHOA!" when they revealed it.. I just feel like they have to level off on the body count for a while. And THANK YOU for no Hayden this episode! She's really a great actress, but I'm so sick of her, and not in the "love to hate her" kind of way.
And yeah, MJ, seems like now there will be a reason for rest of the Harmons to stay in the house. I wonder when Violet will break the news.. two episodes left, right?
I wonder how Ben will react when he sees Tate again. I mean, obviously he'll be angry.. I just wonder what the repurcussions will be.

Mike V. said...

I heard Titus is going to be making his appearance on something soon. I just can't remember! Did I ask if you ever saw Deadwood? He was on the 3rd (and unfortunately final) season of that. Anyway, didn't hear about the LOST couple or may have back when LOST was on but I forgot. Cool story! lol

I am not averting my eyes! I'm the one that watched AHS! It was MJ that missed it (to no fault of her own). lol You're not stupid for not figuring it out. Like I said, I wouldn't have either if I hadn't read theories about it.
Now...maybe if I was "LOST-LIKE" obsessive and blogging every detail of the show and rewatching and all of that stuff, I may have picked up on it. lol But, just watching late at night and once a week? Naaa, no way would I have been thinking about something like that. Very cool twist though. As for the exterminator body? I have no idea...I figured in the crawl space somewhere...but since we didn't see him when we saw Violet maybe not. There are bodies all over and under that house! lol Maybe that's what Larry was doing with that brick wall? Disposing of the exterminator? I forget what order those scenes were. lol

Well, now I'm reading speculation that the ENTIRE Harmon family may die by the end of this season and then they'll just be around to haunt the NEW family that comes in. (and perhaps it's a new family every season) But if they don't kill Ben and Vivien...then we at least know why they would want to stay in that house now.

I guess you thought MY post about AHS was MJ's post? lol Good stuff.

Ben/Tate's next meeting? Should definitely be interesting. But where is Ben right now? Just unconscious? Probably, but some are speculating he's dead now. But I think there were scenes from next week that proved otherwise.
Anyway, fun stuff!

MJ said...

Titus Welliver will be on Grimm for an episode !

I've avoided the AHS talk - I'll catch up tomorrow on those comments.

Kelly said...

Lol, there are too many M names, I guess I just glanced and figured you were the one who didn't see it.. sorry! And yeah, I was responding to YOUR post.. this is what an average of 4 hours sleep a night for a week does to you :P
That's interesting that the entire Harmon family may die by the end of the season. It'll be interesting to see where this all goes.

Mike V. said...

That's right MJ, thanks! Titus wil be on Grimm. I knew I read something recently.

Kelly, not a problem! I'll avoid saying anything else about AHS in this post so there's no need to AVERT eyes! But as for 4 hours of sleep, I'm sure I'm going to have to get used to that VERY soon! :-) lol

Oh and there's a couple AHS columns on EW if you're curious to read up on some more thoughts!

MJ said...

I had not read the rumors and was pretty shocked. I'd noticed that she never seemed to go to school any more - but i put it down to schoold just not being integral to the story at the moment. I'd beens aying for a long time though that the Harmon's are lousy parents as they didn't seem to care that she just hangs in her room all the time though.

I didn't figure it out until she could not seem to leave. Knew they flies pointed to a dead body - just didn't hink it was hers. Boy - dad's gonna freak since he had just spoken with her the day before. LOL

Yeah - read one of those articles where they joked about calling the Ep The magic Towel. Very funny.

Can't believe there are 2 left. Have we actually heard if they got picked up for season 2 ?

I don't think that Ben is dead yet - that would be a little repetative.

The Constance stuff was fab. The smouldering children was creepy though. So - if Tate is the one who buned the guy, then did he actually go to jail for setting his family on fire ? Cause he told Ben (I think) that that is how he got burned. So was it a partial lie or was all a lie ?

Kelly said...

OMG Titus on Grimm? SQUEEEEEEE! Love love love that man, even if his fake Irish accent is terrible, lol. Looks like Arzt will be on Grimm, too.. Did anyone watch last night's episode? I really liked it, can't wait to see tonight's episode.
AHS was picked up for season 2. It was actually picked up really quickly, especially for FX. I believe they were only 3 or 4 episodes in when season 2 got the ok.
Yes, Larry did lie when he told Ben he killed his family.. I forget which episode it was, but Ben called him out on it. Said he did some research and Larry went to a mental hospital, not jail.

Kelly said...

Also, is anyone still watching Person of Interest? I'm kinda "meh" about it myself lately. I was looking forward to last night's episode but wound up rolling my eyes at all the cheese. It's just way too procedural for me- I already have Hawaii 5-0, I don't need more! I think this and The Office are gonna be blacklisted from my DVR soon so I can free up my Thursdays for more important things, lol

Mike V. said...

Yep, we definitely have a season 2 coming our way! Magic Towel episode title was a pretty funny story. lol Yeah, I'm a little upset that EW ruined that surprise by asking Ryan Murphy about it. But people did speculate it so that's why they asked! It was still shocking regardless.

Agree, I don't think Ben is dead yet.

Kelly answered the Larry thing which I was a little confused on too. So good stuff! lol

I didn't watch Grimm from last night yet. Probably won't watch tonight either so I'll have a couple to watch next week. I am enjoying the show though!

New Chuck tonight! If I'm lucky, I'll get to watch it. lol

Mike V. said...

I'm like 5 or 6 behind on POI now. I enjoy the concept, but I'm just not normally into procedurals. I know there is a bit of an ongoing story arc, but it's still a CBS drama when all is said and done. lol If I get a chance maybe I'll watch them.

The Office, yeah it's getting pretty painful. We all knew it would happen and I was kind of impressed at the start of the season. It seemed like they had a rejuvination after Steve left. But, I hope they don't drag things on too much more. Maybe they bring in Steve for a finale episode and then just end it this season. But we'll see!

Community and Parks were fantastic last night. It's a shame not more people are watching them!!

MJ said...

Thanks for reminding me kelly.

I gave up Person of Interest after like 3 or 4 eps. My husband still watches it though. Just a little dull for me - they needed more humor or something.

Well - everyone have a great weekend.

MJ said...

I do watch parks - but am 2 behind sadly. Heard they are both great eps. Holidays getting in the way now. Too much to do.

Didn't watch Once last night as I had to watch my NY Giants kick some Cowboy a** ! LOL

I did get my Chuck in though !

Mike V. said...

Totally hear you on too much to do, MJ! Of course it's the holidays combined with baby prep for me! Fun stuff.

I watched Once and Chuck (and Homeland which I still highly recommend!) I saw the Thursday ep of Grimm. And I got spoiled on the Boardwalk Empire season 2 finale (but I've only watched one episode of the entire season so oh well. lol) 6 eps behind on Dex now. I suggested to my wife that I burn them on DVD and bring them to the hospital with us. Something tells me watching a serial killer show while bringing new life into the world isn't the best idea! lol

Anyway, I do want to discuss ONCE but I can wait until everyone is caught up!

CHUCK - Another entertaining episode! I was wondering how they were going to explain Lester and Casey both being in prison but Lester not knowing why Casey was there. I love that Casey said it was for unpaid parking tickets. lol

Trinity killing Susan's ex husband from Desperate Housewive (don't remember his name on Chuck but then again, apparently I don't know Trinity's either! lol) That was pretty nuts! I'm sure she could return for the finale to have a happily ever after for casey. Unless that's not in the cards.

I believe there was a star wars reference in the episode but I totally forget what it is right now. Oh right...i remember...Morgan talked about a prisoner transfer from cell 38 or something like that. (Star wars it was "prisoner transfer from cell block 1138"...which was in reference to Lucas's THX 1138 movie)

Chuck as a hacker and the hack-off? AWESOME. lol Loved that he drank wine while he did it and forget what he called himself. All good stuff though! Crazy to ponder that they might not be spies when all is said and done but we'll see!

I think that's all I have for now!

MJ said...

I know you had to love Chuck with the Community guests. I loved Chuck as the Piranha - the wine swilling hacker.

Richard Burghi (Decker) has made a great baddie. But Moss's Verbanski has been fabulous with Casey. I DO hope they bring her back for the finale and they are together for the future.

I can't believe they would stop being spies. Sarah's face was not happy when Chuck talked about going Tech.

Once was awesome. So sad though.

I'm now 2 behind on Dexter. I have all the Homeland's - will try to catch up over the holidays.

And no - Dexter during labor probably not good. LOL though I'm sure there's been worse.

Mike V. said...

CHUCK - Totally forgot to mention the community guests but yes that was a good time! Ahh Decker and Verbanski, that's right! Yeah, I know happy endings are cliche' but who cares!?!? lol I want our favorite characters to sail off into the sunset with smiles from ear to ear. Sue me! :-)

Agreed that Sarah would not fit into a non-spy world and she knows it. She actually smiled when Chuck said they had to keep going with the spy game. Not sure how they're going to end this show!
ONCE - Yeah, it definitely was sad. Obviously, I was reminded about LOST a couple times in the ep. The whole Fairy Tale reveal was very much like the Sideways reveal in season 6. (mainly because it happened via a kiss lol) ....but I guess since it happens when 2 people connect where there's some meaning....then Snow and Charming getting together would probably make them remember. Not sure if we saw it before but the Queen's address is 108 also.

So I'm not quite sure that the Sheriff/Huntsman is dead dead. It sucks that once they finally had us emotionally invested in a character and a relationship with Emma, he dies? Still cool how they did it....but something tells me there's more going on. Also why was Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin roaming around wherever the Sheriff was? He seemed like a villain at first, but it seems like he may be doing something that is in the best interest of the fairy tale folk. We'll see!

You're gonna love Homeland and burn through them very quickly! Dex, I'll get to it eventually! And definitely will keep it out of the hospital. :-)

MJ said...

They really got me at first showing the Queen being nice to Snow. thought it was actually before whatever happened to make her hate Snow. Guess they'll tell us that 'something' one day.

I'm hoping that just because the kiss and connection made isn't going to keep being the trigger to remembering. that's a total rip-off. I'd much prefer the triggers be different for different circumstances.

I thinnk Runmplestilskin is out for himself. Not helping either as a goal but just doing whatever bests himself. But you're probably right - I rarely am. LOL

This show is much better than I had predicted it would be.

Agree - I think Chuck will end on a happy note. Even the 'this is what happened in the future' sort of thing too.

Mike V. said...

I will not rub it in that I had faith in ONCE when everyone else doubted it! :-) lol But yeah, agree with you...hopefully it's not a total LOST/ FLASH SIDEWAYS rip off.

Naa you're probably right on Rumple (easier to type, I'm gonna call him that or Gold)....Kinda like a Ben Linus character. You root for him and against him depending on the situation. (then again, I did that with Smokey too. lol)

Yeah, Chuck is overall a positive show. Some tragic things happened along the way, but I don't think a bittersweet ending is in the mix. We'll see!

MJ said...

Oh - caught up on Parks too ! had heard they were great eps and they did not disappoint. Ron Swanson has to be the best charater on TV - except maybe Liz Lemon.

But all that catching up and I had no time for Terra Nova. Wonder if they'll get a second season.

Mike V. said...

Truthfully, I haven't even missed 30 Rock. But it's hard not to love Liz and Jack. But yeah Ron Swanson is such a great character!! Loved how he couldn't put together a gingerbread house and Andy could!

Terra Nova, the things I'm reading are that with all the money they invested in getting the show into production, there will most likely be a season 2....but I recommended in the blog that it again be a 12-13 episode season and not go the full 22 or whatever. It's just too much!

MJ said...

I'm hearing great things about the 2 hour finale - pacing similar to the premier. But the only interesting parts are really the Niners and the head guys son. The rest has been rather lame. The finale would have to be fantastice to bring me back next year.

Mike V. said...

If that's what you like then you'll like last night's episode even if there wasn't much substance to it (mostly setup).

I agree though, I'd probably watch again next year...but probably not gonna blog it.

Mike V. said...

Just so no one is confused on where to look...let's keep all AHS discussions in the latest Terra Nova post! :-) (and...OMG!!)

MJ said...

Yeah - couldn't watch wed so i watch AHS last night. WIll scurry over to Terra Nova to talk ! OMG is right.