The Candidate

LOST
Season 6, Episode 14: The Candidate
Review by Ian
TV-14


episode recap
We all knew it was coming. We all had that feeling inside that there would be one huge 'LOST' event that would change everything. And last night's episode entitled 'The Candidate' gave many characters the retribution they did not deserve. If you haven't seen tonight's episode yet, I would look away because this review gets extremely spoiler induced after these words.


In the on-Island timeline, we start off with the survivors being captured by Widmore's (Alan Dale) goons. They are brought to the cages again and kept there. Flocke (Terry O'Quinn), Jack (Matthew Fox) and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) attempt to save them and are successful, but Kate gets shot near the shoulder, but seems fine. The gang goes over to the Ajira plan, only for Locke to discover that Widmore planted a bomb there so when the plane turns on, the bomb goes off. Locke puts the bomb in his backpack, and tells the survivors about it, so they go all the way to the submarine. They all plan to go into the submarine, but Sawyer leaves Locke and Claire (Emilie de Ravin) stranded on the docks, when Claire tries to get in the submarine, Locke strangles her and says "Trust me, you don't want to be in there.", as the submarine starts to move away and go deeper into the water.


What? Yeah that's right. Locke switched Jack's backpack with his (which has the bomb in it), which is now under 3 minute countdown. The problem is that it would take the submarine 5 minutes to resurface. Now we've got a major problem. Sayid, Sawyer and Jack try to prevent the bomb from detonating, and Sawyer pulls out two plugs, only to make the countdown go faster. Sayid tells Jack "it's good to be you" and runs off with the bomb in the submarine, and it explodes as he's taking it to a room, killing Sayid. Jack comes to the conclusion that Locke needs to kill everyone at once so he can leave the island.


Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey) gets knocked out, and Sun (Yunjin Kim) is trapped. Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) tries to save her but she pleads for him to go. Jin stays with Sun until the ship sinks, where they both die together, holding hands. What a sad kodak moment. Sawyer receives a concussion causing Jack to carry him up, and Hurley takes Kate up.


Death count: Sayid, Sun and Jin
IDK Factor: Lapidus (hopefully he stays alive), Desmond (wasn't on the submarine but from recent events he could be dead)
Alive: Jack, Hurley, Claire, Flocke, Ben, Richard, Miles
Alive and NOT well: Kate and Sawyer


Locke realizes that many of the survivors still aren't dead yet and he goes off, with Claire asking where he is going, he replies with "to Finish what I started".


Alternate Timeline: It's a Jack and Locke centric episode.
We meet the Alternate Anthony Cooper, who is paralyzed due to a plane accident where Locke was flying the plane (which is revealed how Locke got paralyzed in the alternate timeline).


Jack and Helen (Katey Sagal) talk about getting Locke to undergo the surgery to regain the use of his legs, but Helen and Locke both say that Locke is going to stay in the wheelchair.


Jack talks with Claire (Emilie de Ravin) and offers her to stay at his house, since they are "family" now.


episode review
The episode wasn't that shocking since I knew what was going to happen, but that big scene was done differently than I thought it would be. I sincerely hope that they don't kill off Lapidus, because I think 3 is enough for one episode.


Obviously the creators made this choice because they wanted the audience to know that they will kill off ANYONE since it's the end of the season. At least Sayid died because he sacrificed himself, and Jin and Sun died because of being heroes, even if their planned attempts failed. I think it's a little cruel that Jin and Sun were reunited just to kill them off, together.


Every week I'm hoping more and more that the survivors from the On Island timeline's souls transport to the Alternate Timeline world, so all the dead characters are not really dead.


OVERALL EPISODE GRADE: B




RETURNING CHARACTERS:
From what I understand and know, these are the only returning characters that have yet to make an appearance in this season.
Ana-Lucia Cortez (played by Michelle Rodriguez) - Will return in the Finale, or maybe the 16th episode.
Shannon Rutherford (played by Maggie Grace) - Will return in the Finale, or maybe the 16th episode.
Walt Dawson (played by Malcolm David Kelly) - Will return in the Finale.
Vincent the dog (played by Madison, the dog) - Will return in the finale, or maybe the 16th episode.
Danielle Rousseau (played by Mira Furlan) - Will return in the Finale.
Dr. Christian Shephard (played by John Terry) - Will return in the 16th episode and/or finale.


Look for Juliet, Boone, Libby, Alex Rousseau and other characters already shown this season to make at least one more appearance!

The Power of Madonna

GLEE
Season 1, Episode 15: The Power of Madonna
TV-14
Review by Ian

Songs Covered:
Express Yourself - Madonna (covered by Glee club girls)
4 Minutes - Madonna, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake (covered by Kurt and Mercedes)
Vogue - Madonna (covered by Sue)
Like a Virgin - Madonna (covered by Santana, Finn, Emma, Will, Rachel and Jesse)
What it feels like for a girl - Madonna (covered by Finn, Puck, Arty, Will and Kurt)
Like a Prayer - Madonna (covered by whole club)
Borderline/Open your Heart - Madonna (covered by Finn and Rachel)

Episode Recap:
Will (Matthew Morrison) thinks the glee club's guys need a lesson in treating women with respect, so he has the club sing Madonna songs.
Sue (Jane Lynch) who is still blackmailing Figgins (Iqbal Theba), puts Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Mercedes (Amber Riley) on the cheerleading squad to annoy Will.
Will and Emma (Jayma Mays) break up after he finds out she's a virgin, they figure that they need to spend some time apart.
Santana (Naya Rivera) offers to have sex with Finn (Cory Monteith) to not make him a virgin anymore, and he reluctantly accepts, trying to annoy Rachel (Lea Michele).
Rachel and Jesse (Jonathan Groff) think about having sex but they cancel out at the last minute, unlike Finn.

Episode Review:
While I think this was one of the more overrated episodes of television this year (some people called it the best episode of the 2009-2010 television season), I thought it was awkward in some parts, cheesy in the others, great in the remaining parts.
I particularly liked the 4 minutes cover more than I thought I would, and the Like a Virgin cover was extremely awkward. Imagine if I was watching that performance with my family. I can't even begin to think of the faces I would make with my eyebrows towards the television.

Overall Episode Grade: B

(MORE) Dream Glee Songs!
Since this show is so popular and predictable, I'm posting more of my dream songs I would like to see Glee cover!
Head over Feet - Alanis Morissette (covered by Rachel)
Lady Marmalade - the p!nk, mya, lil kim and christina aguilera version (glee club girls)
Baby One More Time - Britney Spears (any of the girls could do it)
I Want You Back - Michael Jackson (whole Glee club, it could sound great)
Hey, Soul Sister - Train (glee club guys)
Bubbly - Colbie Caillat (covered by Rachel)
Fireflies - Owl City (covered by whole club)

Some of these sound stupid, but I thought 4 minutes would be stupid when I first heard Glee was doing it, but I was wrong, so give these ideas a chance.

AAAAAAND.... Glee themed episodes ideas(since Madonna was a theme)
Michael Jackson
Britney Spears (it's not my idea but it's been tossed around and I would consider it if I were Ryan Murphy)
DISNEY CLASSICS EPISODE (Part of your world - Rachel; Reflection - Rachel; A Whole New World - Finn and Tina or Rachel; Colors of the Wind - Mercedes; Circle of Life - whole club; I Won't Say I'm in Love - glee club girls; I'll Make a Man out of You - glee club guys)

BONES: the first season

BONES
SEASON 1, EPISODES: ALL
review by: ian
episode ratings: TV-14


I can't really watch much of this show all in a day. It's one of those series in which you can only watch like 1-2 episodes at a time to fully appreciate it. Mostly because you could already predict the ending by the time you're half way through the episode (because most of the episodes are about murders, and the murderer usually is the person we only see for like 1 scene until they appear at the end).


I didn't have any favorite episodes, because if there would be an episode of Bones that you would watch, you'd either think it would be average-predictable, good, or just bad-creepy-unrealistic. Sometimes good-creepy.


Bad/Creepy/Unrealistic Episodes: Pilot, The Man in the Bear, A Boy in a Bush, Two Bodies in a Lab
Favorite Episodes: The Man in the Wall, The Woman at the Airport, The Man on the Fairway, The Woman in the Tunnel, The Skull in the Desert, The Soldier on the Grave


I know for a fact that Jonathan Adams' character Dr. Goodman never returns after the season finale because he's on sabbatical. Bitch, hes on sabbatical for 4 frickin years? It's time to bring his character back already.


I don't like how some episodes didn't really bring conclusion to some small storylines in the episode.


Overall I liked the season but usually each episode's format was the same, so it was frustrating at times to watch.


Favorite Character: Angela Montenegro (Michaela Conlin)
Least Favorite Character: Dr. Hodgins


I kind of like Dr. Brennan (Emily Deschanel) when she's being too literal (eg. "Males often bond when they exaggerate sexual activities" or something like that).


OVERALL GRADE: B

Goodbye Ugly Betty

Review By: Manju

Ugly Betty

Season 4, Episode 20: Hello Goodbye

It's always extremely difficult to say goodbye to a show, any show, that you've stuck with from beginning to end for four years. Thinking back to a flashing America Ferrera on Times Square just remembers how popular this show once was. But it's the story with every break-out hit; people forget. Through four seasons, the core fans went through creative ups and downs, heartbreaks and goodbyes, loving moments and self-reflecting career moves. What makes Ugly Betty stand out from other shows is that it was eccentric. Bright colors, a lot of fashion talk, and always with a warm feeling and constant guidance of excellent music by Jeff Beal, the show was really not for anyone who prefers stone-cold action above loving reconciliation. But if you look past the female touch, you still find an amazing character-driven drama show, or telenovela. Past the story of a young woman trying to make it in the world, there was an outstanding supporting cast that made the world of Ugly Betty so much prettier. Much like the show, the finale was about Betty, but thank Horta there was still proper amounts of goodbyes to all the amazing characters that made you love them.

In the final act of the classic story of an ugly duckling in a beautiful world, Betty has to make a choice. Until the final moment, it is up in the air whether it is professional and personal, but whatever Betty choses, it's defining. From the very moment Betty walked in Mode with a poncho, red glasses, braces and a self-proclaimed confidence that still couldn't stop her from walking into a glass door, the show was telling the story of her working on herself. The finale reflects that more than anything. Betty made the people in her world accept and love her. She changed herself, probably more than she could've imagined, but she also changed others for the better. And in an episode that was really one big farewell, every single thing you loved about this show, gets a chance to shine while Betty makes the final career move on the show.

Because there are other things to get to. Just like the first, genius, season finale, the previous episode featured a gun shot, leaving the viewer wondering who survived. To nobody's surprise, the series finale opens with a funeral, and the show isn't pulling a second 'How Betty Got Her Grieve Back'. There are many Mode-politics to get to and Claire and Daniel will have to act or react to whatever happens with the company that has been the decor of a lot of drama on the show.

And let's not forget about Amanda and Marc, the two who even in the dullest moments still offered so much comedy that nobody can ever get bored, whether it's on a podcast or in interviews, they had the best humor. Luckily, they aren't done yet. Mandy still has daddy-issues to get through and Marc is faced with relationship issues. True, both story lines weren't dealt with in perfection, but considering the time there was left to deal with it, there aren't any complaints here.

As for the Suarez family, nobody expects a sad ending here, otherwise they haven't been paying attention. Because wherever Betty goes, Ignacio, Hilda and Justin have always had her back. And so did Daniel, who plays a key role in the final conclusion of the series.

For anyone who spend the last four years watching an modern fairytale develop, this finale is rewarding and intriguing. There are tears, there is laughter and there's the ultimate Betty feeling of having accomplished something. This was a goodbye, to an unique show that was entertaining, funny, loving and bright. But most of all, it was beautiful.

Overall Grade: B+

Everybody Loves Hugo

LOST

SEASON 6, EPISODE 12: EVERYBODY LOVES HUGO

REVIEW BY: IAN

TV RATING: TV-14

EPISODE RECAP

ALTERNATE TIMELINE:

It's a Hurley (Jorge Garcia) centric episode.

Hurley talks with his mother briefly about him needing a woman in his life. His mother tells him she set him up on a blind date with a girl named Rosalina, so he shows up... but she never does. But at that restaurant, alternate Libby (Cynthia Watros) sees him and (she already had her flash of the island) said that she saw him somewhere, but he doesn't recognize her. She is traveling with the Santa Rosa institute, and her supervisor apologizes to Hurley and takes her away. At another restaurant, Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick), now stalking the 815 passengers, talks to Hurley and tells him that he should go chase after Libby. Hurley goes to the mental institute (where he has never been before apparently, since it is the alternate universe) to talk to Libby. They agree to meet at a beach, where they have the picnic they never had (in reference to the picnic they would've had if she hadn't been murdered by Michael), and they kiss. Hurley sees the island timeline flashbacks of them kissing and Libby is happy because she realizes that she isn't crazy. Desmond looks on the scene, and then travels to the school where Locke works. He then hits Locke with his car,  obviously in hopes of making him see his flashes.


ON-ISLAND TIMELINE:
Hurley visits Libby's grave and gets visits from Michael (Harold Perrineau) from the dead, saying that if Hurley doesn't take initiative, than everyone is going to be killed. Ilana (Zuleikha Robinson) gets dynamite from the black rock and gets a bunch of survivors to go with her to the airplane, but Hurley starts arguing with her that blowing the plane up isn't the best idea, but Ilana disagrees and, while packing furiously, puts the bag down forcefully, causing the dynamite to explode, which kills her. It was a really stupid death scene but more on that later. The group is then split whether to go to blow the plane up to keep MIB from leaving the island or actually going to MIB. So Jack, Sun, Lapidus and Hurley to go MIB to talk, leaving Ben and Richard to go destroy the plane. While traveling to MIB, Hurley talks to Michael again, and Michael reveals that the whispers resemble the dead people that's spirit's cant go on. After Sayid (Naveen Andrews) gets Desmond, MIB finds out about the radioactive attack and takes Desmond to the well and pushes him in it. We don't know if hes dead yet because look what happened to Juliet.


EPISODE REVIEW
I thought some parts of the episode were a little stupid, for example, the Ilana scene. Shame on the writers for pulling an Arzt on us  (season 1 death that ended the exact same way). I know it was shocking and made us all be convinced that characters would be dropping like flies this season, but still, really, writers? At least give our character a satisfying ending, and we better be seeing her in the alternate timeline, or someone's going to be pissed. Almost as pissed as when this certain person found out that Mr. Eko wouldn't be returning.

So you can get the idea of how stupid her death scene was, here you go:

I really wanted to see Libby appear to Hurley in the island timeline. A real reunion would've been great.
Believe it or not, Dr. Chang (Francois Chau) was the one announcing Hurley in the beginning of the episode, he just wasn't credited, but it was definitely him, I can say that. There was no sign of Charlotte (Rebecca Mader) in this episode seeming as it took place at the museum, but hopefully we'll get the polar bear question answered soon in the finale. And by we, I mean the audience, not myself and the imaginary frog in my pocket as my father thinks.


OVERALL EPISODE GRADE: B+

SPOILERS

NEXT WEEK: Look for Nadia (Andrea Gabriel), Cindy (Kimberley Joseph), Zoe (Sheila Kelly), Zach and Emma (Mickey Graue and Kersten Havelock) to appear.

Many characters will return this season. Here's a list of some that haven't been shown this season so fare but will be featured throughout this last season. The main characters or past main characters are in bold.
Maggie Grace who played Shannon

Vincent the Dog will also return

John Terry who played Christian Shephard

Kevin Tighe who played Anthony Cooper

Mira Furlan who played Danielle Rousseau (she was first confirmed to not return but then she changed her mind as is returning near the end of the season, probably in the series finale)

Michelle Rodriguez who played Ana-Lucia

Suzanne Krull who played the Psychic (from Tricia Tanaka is dead episode in Season 3)
Malcolm David Kelly who plays Walt

 The producers have confirmed Matthew Abaddon (played by Lance Reddick) will not return and Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) is not returning also (WTF producers!). Sarah, Jack's ex-wife (played by Julie Bowen) won't be returning either apparently.