Television recap (Sept. 27th- Oct. 3rd)

I have to admit, my television watching habits are pretty much out of hand, but I am not sure which shows I feel like I can get rid of. This week brought the return of Dexter and Californication, to add to the amount of shows I watch.

10. Californication- The shows third season opened with Hank Moody falling asleep during sex and that was not nearly the wildest moment in the episode. I love having Hank Moody back. He is one of the coolest anti-heroes on television. He flicked a cigarette at a guy on a bike, hit on a married woman, gave alcohol to a recovering alcoholic and wondered if his daughter and his daughters best friend were lesbians. I never know what to expect with this show, but I know that I cannot wait to watch. I am unsure of what I think about his ex-wife being in New York now, but if they continue to have phone conversations like the one in this episode, it could work.

9. Modern Family- This show is really coming along nicely. Every week we get three separate stories and they may not even connect. Your enjoyment level will depend on what you think of all of the characters in any given episode and so far I am most taken with the gay couple with the little daughter. I am especially loving the bigger gay guy. This week featured the following exchange, which is all I needed to put it in my top 10.

Gay #1: I know, I know, I'll dance like a straight guy.
Gay #2- No smacking your own butt.
Gay #1: But that's how I make my horsie go!

8. Melrose Place- This is another show I figured I would burn out on after a few weeks, but so far it still has my attention. The serial aspect of the murder mystery keeps things interesting, but it is still soap opera-y, which I need with this show. This week brought some good Elle (Katie Cassidy) moments and brought a former Melrose resident back home. I am not sure what exactly is going on most of the time, but again, a girl who wants to be a doctor is hooking, so things cannot be all bad, especially now that she might have a madame! The engaged couple remain the moral focus of the show, which is nice, but I am still waiting for the show to get steamier.

7. How I met your Mother- This episode kind of encapsulates why I love this show- it featured the absolutely absurd and the truly romantic. First we get that the group often sees doppelgangers of the group- Lesbian Robin, Moustache Marshall and now Stripper Lilly. It is hilarious and ridiculous. Then Ted goes on a blind date with a girl he went on a blind date with 6 years ago. Ted remember tat he did not call her because he is looking for someone who loves his quirks, not someone for whom he has to change. It is a wonderfully romantic notion and it balances out just how absurd it is to have a Moustache Marshall.

6. Grey's Anatomy- I was getting to the point that I felt I watching this show out of duty than anything else last season. However, the show is really cooking so far this season. I am loving the new drama of everyone worrying about jobs. So far the romantic drama has taken a back seat and that is a welcome change for me. I love who Alex is becoming for Izzie, I love who Owen Hunt is becoming for Christina and I love Arizona and I love that Derek has taken charge as The Chief wusses out. However, this week the patients were the key. How amazing was the woman with the crazy son. I really thought it was a powerful story. I think people prefer this show when it is a romantic drama, but I like when it goes away from that for a while. Then we get to see that most of these people can actually act.

5. Glee- This was the first episode I loved. This was the first episode where the non musical stuff was just as good as the musical stuff. Finally the show was deserving of the hype. This was reached by not having Will's crazy wife be featured very heavily. It was also reached it by having Kristin Chenowith guest star as a boozy former high school peer of Will's. Of course, the musical stuff still wowed, especially Chenowith knocking out Carrie Underwood's "Last Name." I would have liked to see Lea Michelle and Chenowith have more to do together and I wish the duet from Chenowith and Morrison would have been more of a duet, but those are minor complaints. I absolutely loved "Somebody to Love." I thought it was a powerful moment.

4. Dollhouse- I was not sure from the previews, if I would enjoy this episode, but man it was awesome. There was not a lot of fighting action, but I think, it gave more of a reason as to why the Dollhouse exists for people and asked all kinds of moral questions, which is what the show is trying to do. Eliza Dushku's Echo had her mind make her think she had just given birth and in order to do that Topher altered her at a glandular level, which is brand new. He talks about the possibilities, in the first of 3 or 4 conversations about the moral properties of the project. Having the former agent Ballard as Echo's handler adds a level of intrigue to the show and just like the premiere, Ballard and Echo have a very interesting conversation to close the episode.

3. FlashForward- Oh FlashForward, can you possibly keep up this crazy amazing momentum for 22-24 episodes?? God, I hope so! Week two of this glorious new show brings more questions, possibly answers a question or two, but mostly it gives us a bunch of awesome scenes and wonderful acting. Now we know that it is possible 2 people were moving during the blackout. Also, will the children be the key? Can the future be altered in some aspects and made the same in others? These are the questions this show is perfectly asking. The pacing was very strong, even if the one comic moment fell too flat for me and then, just like last week, we get a kick ass cliff hanger. I am going to continue going along for this thrill ride and maybe, just maybe, us Lost fans are being left in good hands.

2. Supernatural- Dean goes to the year 2014 after the Apocalypse and finds the world in absolute ruins. Castiel is no longer an angel but a pot smoking hippie who engages in orgies, but mostly, Dean sees that Sam gave into Satan and is now a vessel for the Devil. The bleak look of the future is consistent with the show and it was even caused by something in the shows already established mythology, which was nice. Plus, Dean ran into the 2014 version of himself which led to some classic Dean moments, but also showed us that the brothers need each other to retain the humanity that could easily be lost in a world where all they do is battle the evil of the world over and over again. It took seeing that world to make Dean realize what is important and the brothers were reunited after two weeks apart.

1. Dexter- My favorite narrating serial killer is back! And he has a child! And that is all kinds of fun! Oh and Jon Lithgow has entered the picture as a very naked serial killer. Man was he amazing with only two or three lines. Keith Caradine returned as the serial killer hunter to add more grief to Dexter. I am not sure how much I want to say about the actual episodes because one of the few faithful readers of this blog watches this show on DVD, and I do not want to spoil it for her (Hi Taylor!). So I will just say that having Dexter back on my television makes for funny, creepy and interesting television. And Michael C. Hall is fantastic as a more frazzled out of sorts Dexter.