Comments by Keith Vlasak (Page 6)

126. NCIS Review: Devil's Trifecta (With the Devil Always Being the Ex)

     12/17/2012 8:43 AM
     
     @Michael -- I get about choosing your battles and deciding what is important enough to fight for ... but there's also consideration of other human beings. By that I mean if a show I've enjoyed changes, for whatever reason, and I don't like the changes but it's the highest rated drama on television, for instance, then one could consider that a lot of other people like it just the way it is and it's a wrong use of one's efforts to try to make them all miserable about what they like. There are a lot of advantages to respecting other people in the world and learning to listen, which is learning, with being friendly, supportive, and friendly with one's fellow man --and that doesn't mean one isn't able to make decisions about what to fight for, but it helps in determining what is important.

127. NCIS Review: Devil's Trifecta (With the Devil Always Being the Ex)

     12/16/2012 11:22 AM
     
     @Eula - I agree too! There are a lot of shows I've stopped watching when they made casting changes that made the show not fun for ME to watch (even if I'm the only one). Off hand, CSI (on 2 occasions!), Last Man Standing when they got rid of my favorite daughter, CSI:NY when they added the new woman (who I didn't like on House either), and Criminal Minds when they got rid of JJ. I always find something I enjoy to watch -- so why would I watch what makes me mad?

128. Elementary Review: Measure of Success

     12/15/2012 10:18 PM
     
     Mrs M -- The episode guides found under shows at tv dot com says "Elementary" next episode airs January 3, 2013, and is called "Dirty Laundry," and suggests some progress on whether or not Watson is leaving.

129. NCIS Review: Devil's Trifecta (With the Devil Always Being the Ex)

     12/14/2012 8:08 AM
     
     Like I said, I could find nothing -- but teases are like what he may have read/seen/latched onto (??)(if someone is falsely accused of something and taken into custody (even if it's to sit in a room for a few questions, the tease will be about how will the character adjust to prison or some cliff-hanger). That's all -- and, I'm not jumping on you here, Michael, but sometimes, like who Ziva's sleeping with, you do get things wrong ... for instance, it might be that what Michael saw is a misinterpretation of one of the spoilers I was looking at which speculated that the NCIS producers may want to get rid of the actor who plays Ziva's father because he was recently arrested and in jail and so could be killing him off. That was the only mention of jail I was able to find ....

130. NCIS Review: Devil's Trifecta (With the Devil Always Being the Ex)

     12/14/2012 1:21 AM
     
     I can't find anything about jail, but I think Michael was referring to something he read about what's upcoming in January, first episodes after the Christmas hiatus -- which is a 2 part story ("Shalom," in which Ziva's father shows up strictly to visit with Ziva, and "Shiva", which is a week long mourning for immediate family, in which episode there is also supposed to be flashbacks). Anyhow, couldn't find anything about jail, but do think Michael wasn't wishing for Ziva to go to jail, but that he read something that she was going to???

131. The Mentalist Review: High Times

     12/12/2012 11:19 AM
     
     The website TV By the Numbers is the source of CBS tries to stay ahead of the ratings game by canceling shows early to try something new ... and they are the ones who are saying that CBS will cancel CSI:NY, The Good Wife, or The Mentalist. Of the 3, The Mentalist has seemed to me to have the best ratings (when they aren't pushed past prime time by football) -- always getting a 10 or better (by the TV Fanatic numbers), and always more than The Good Wife right before it. But NOTE!! At the website I mentioned there is an article with the headline "CBS: 'CSI:NY' Is Likely To Be Canceled."

132. The Mentalist Review: High Times

     12/11/2012 9:50 AM
     
     If Summer gets into any kind of trouble, she'll call Cho. That means they can bring her back anytime it suits the show's creative direction. It's also a pretty standard story line that a "female" character who's not so smart who thinks she's pulling one over on a "male" she thinks she's smarter than ... usually is wrong. With her "nerdish" husband being jealous of keeping what's fallen into his lap, not believing his good luck(?), I think they are building to bringing her back -- and what better way than the baby being Cho's!?

133. Castle Review: Secret Santa

     12/4/2012 10:55 AM
     
     I think there's always dram in relationships and that Castle-Beckett portrays this -- like the "don't get me a present" and at the end he says he didn't get her a present ... and her look revealed that the show used the ancient movie cliche (when she says she doesn't want anything, she wants the guy to ignore what she said and get her something). So, it doesn't surprise me she wouldn't come out and say something she (in her heart) wants him to somehow know (in his heart). I just think their relationship is mostly fantastic fun to watch (although I'm not a fan of wondering if he's a murderer ... or the previews have her saying he may not be the man she thought he was, etc.) -- but mostly great fun and we'll see how the next "drama" works out.

134. Elementary Round Table: "The Long Fuse"

     12/3/2012 10:28 PM
     
     Since Watson is living with Sherlock, could they possibly have her just stay on while she's looking for another position?

135. Elementary Review: The Truth is in the VCR

     12/1/2012 11:09 AM
     
     part 2:
     And he sang Czech drinking songs and loved that song "Those Were the Days" and had all these stories about bootleggers he knew way back when -- and my grandmother had stories of his hitting her and my father stories of having to go find him before school so he'd get to work, plus all the car wrecks. In AA he was a sponsor and took his turns as the middle of the night emergency contact and helped a lot of people and was sober for 40 years ... and still missed the lifestyle and drinking and drank a lot of Vernor's ginger ale ... and at the end of his life really wanted a drink.

136. Elementary Review: The Truth is in the VCR

     12/1/2012 11:09 AM
     
     @Pooter - There is a lot you can find, if you so choose, that I believe would contradict what you surmise/believe. I have known people in AA and have had relatives in AA, but I've always been scared of drugs and get a headache too easily from alcohol. My grandfather was sober and in AA for 40 years when he was in the hospital dying of liver cancer and was mad he was dying without having a chance to go out and get good and drunk. Really mad.

137. Elementary Review: The Truth is in the VCR

     11/30/2012 1:38 AM
     
     I was thinking they might be adding Alfredo as a recurring character, that he had skills and possibly even connections from his former and current careers that could be useful in crime investigation ... and then I'm wondering if Lucy Liu is leaving the show before or after the end of the first season??

138. Modern Family Review: Let's Get Phil-sical!

     11/29/2012 8:45 AM
     
     I didn't say it very clearly, but I was trying to conclude that some of the more heavy handed commentary on "modern" families, like noting that the kids took different sides in the divorce, which in "real-life" happens and then each has to work through all of the changing dynamics with each other. It was also interesting and a little touching that Manny tried at one point to develop a step-brother/step-sister relationship with Claire, which both fit his character to try to do and hers to have not have realized that relationship (or "Grandma" Gloria taking Alex to buy a dress). I miss a little of it -- but this show sure is funny!

139. Modern Family Review: Let's Get Phil-sical!

     11/29/2012 8:35 AM
     
     No matter the premise, the show always turns out to be pretty funny. I think it's the large cast and each one's own type of humor/jokes (like the cast in Big Bang or the old Two and a Half Men). Like, the one perfect (or Teflon) sister, Hayley! Remember when she was pretending to have a job, which Alex knew and got her family to go to the restaurant where Hayley supposedly worked ... and they never found out! Same joke, maybe--but still funny! The humor has also changed a little from early (like the difference between the big-glove fight and when Jay flew his model airplane into Phil's face (and his daughter knew it and called him out on it) ... or Claire and Mitchell arguing over :"Mommy" and "Daddy" ....

140. NCIS Review: Gone, But Not Forgotten

     11/28/2012 7:06 AM
     
     The actress who played Rosie looked familiar to me. Looked her up. Madison McLaughlin played Annie Lisbon on The Mentalist (Lisbon's niece).

141. Bones Review: Joke's Over

     11/27/2012 8:54 PM
     
     I completely disagree with this: "What has always set Bones apart from other crime-solving procedurals are the season-long story arcs, or partial-season arcs, that draw us to the characters." And I hope the reviewer doesn't get whatever it is she likes about Bones, which I guess is very very little ("We want our show back.").
     
     When I re-watch episodes of the show from the very beginning, I mostly skip the Gravedigger and Pelant episodes.
     
     This was a semi-touching (Zed-Angela-Hodgins) and pretty funny (characters & scenes could have been right out of "Punchline"). Fisher was a his best. Sweet's was in the role he's cornered (interviewing, profiling). And Booth's arrow-through-the-head lame sense of humor and what jokes Bones finds funny ... Great show!

142. The Mentalist Review: The Red List

     11/26/2012 12:32 PM
     
     Lisbon has been pretty consistent in being influenced by Jane (and before Jane, Bosco). Even when she's disagreed with either of them (her partners) she's only raised it like something to be considered, like a "maybe if such and such is a problem, it's because ..." I don't think it's a weakness on her part, more the band-of-brothers, the thin blue line. Remember when Jane needed a prisoner released or he'd turn Jane in -- and she just walked in and punched him? It's also gone the other way, Jane supporting her and getting her off when she's been in trouble, both when she was accused of murder (via her psychologist) and when he Lisbon's whole team had to pay for not controlling Jane (and he destroyed another team so they'd be brought back). As Billy the Kid's gang said: "Pals."

143. NCIS Review: Shell Shocked and Awed

     11/21/2012 1:55 PM
     
     @ Michael -- I don't know if you mean something else (NBC won the November sweeps, could that be it?), but the ratings report for last night on this site, TV Fanatic, has The Voice at 9.3 million and NCIS at 16.4 million.

144. NCIS Review: Shell Shocked and Awed

     11/21/2012 12:19 PM
     
     Something this episode made me think about is a difference between Tony and Gibbs, both of whom were described by Vance as (paraphrasing) old school and alike, as opposed to McGee who is a new model agent with computer skills. Tony is always doing things like the opera CD, such as tracking down the kid using McGee's credit cards, or his trying to help the bookstore girl who was ricin pellet poisoned; but Gibbs is more intense/focused and easily offers a place to crash, but I think has tended to expect people to then help themselves ... except every once in awhile he's more mellow regarding a veteran -- like that Christmas episode involving The Wall. It just struck me that this is a change for Gibbs, recognizing that he's on the home side now and there are things he ought to do, like he might do more of them.

145. Bones Review: They're Back!

     11/20/2012 6:26 PM
     
     Are shauna, ella, kay, and carole all the same person?

146. The Mentalist Review: See Jane Run

     11/19/2012 6:28 PM
     
     The show "The Fugitive" needed the one-armed man, sure -- but a thought about that: it was always in the background (sometimes Kimble was closer to being caught than he knew and sometimes he got a clue to follow). With "The Mentalist," Red John is the focus of maybe 40-50% of the episodes, that he's even caught and killed him, but then found out he hadn't (but there was all kinds of RJ associates around to conceal evidence). I would watch the show as a procedural, but maybe those who say RJ being solved would end the show are correct -- Kimble stopped bumming around doing odd jobs and meeting interesting people once the one armed man was found (why would he keep doing that?).

147. The Mentalist Review: See Jane Run

     11/19/2012 6:21 PM
     
     I've been thinking they're building up Kirkland as a suspect -- but now wonder if logic can be applied to the clues and that Lorelei wouldn't know Kirkland and Jane had shaken hands because that happened after she was being hustled out of the picture (and also after so short of a time she couldn't be conclusive about them having not become pals), meaning that the clue she gave him should hint at someone from at least awhile back if not long ago ...??

148. The Mentalist Review: See Jane Run

     11/19/2012 1:39 PM
     
     @Barbara K -- I'm glad you brought up the security guard scene (because I hadn't considered it in a long time). I didn't necessarily think it had to be a real guard at the time, but the two things I thought then and need to remember is that all of Lisbon's team were accounted for, commiserating with Jane after the interview and, if the guard or disguised as a guard was anyone "big" or executive with CBI, the guard leading the prisoner or the blonde who was a higher up (I think with DA) escorting the prisoner and guard would have recognized who it was. So, that eliminates a lot of people!

149. The Mentalist Review: See Jane Run

     11/19/2012 9:05 AM
     
     @fede - the FBI never let her go, but outflanked Jane's legal moves to get her turned over to the CBI by "disappearing" her to a high security federal prison. That wasn't told to us, however -- it's just where she ended up.
     
     I like Jane solving cases ("doing his act" as Lorelei/Loralei says) -- so this episode was only Ok for me. This is such a great, fun show -- but I believe the creators think we only watch to see who Red John is, which makes for twists on twists on twists (like the whole FBI working for Red John, it sure seems)!

150. Elementary Review: Like Father, Like Son

     11/18/2012 11:57 AM
     
     I was kind of wondering if the show didn't say Irene was dead because Watson is a female and not the original concept of a close and dear friend (but add modern sexual tension to the mix)? Also, the original Holmes existed in an age when there were opium dens and medicine cabinets generally might contain laudanum/morphine or about anything. Today, we need a "story" to explain addictions and we associate them with a fall from grace rather than the dark boredoms in the original -- so, possibly Irene Adler, whom they might not need having Watson, could have been offered up as the "story."
     
     Of course, I think what writers like about Irene Adler is that she's a tragic and sympathetic figure who is lately played as a con woman which means they can do anything with her, including bringing her back from the grave!