Damage Control

Damages:
Since I'm a week behind with this, I'm just listing some random observations about episode 2:

• Oh, killed with a bookend. That sucks.
• "Now" is 6 months after Ellen joined the firm.
• Eek! Patty just gave it to poor Katie. ("How old were you when you realized you were a good liar?" Awesome.)
• The security detail for Ted Dansen looks like a uni-bomber.
• "Become powerful enough and eventually every option becomes available to you."
• Wow, Patty takes her son getting strippers pretty hard for being such a hardass. That interesting. It looks like the son's going to be in some trouble next episode though, so this sounds like foreshadowing.
• Katie's smarter than she seems--making a scene was when the assassin guy was following her was a really good idea.
• "Just think--for a reasonable fee, she's available to cater any occasion."
• Hmm, Katie's having a clandestine relationship of some kind with Jennie Garth's husband. That can't be good.
• Patty bought Katie a puppy! And found Ellen an apartment ! Wow, Patty's like Santa.
• Whoa, did Ellen really kill her boyfriend? Wow, that would be a twist.

A Very Solid Monday

Wow. A solid 3-hour chunk of original television on a Monday night in July? Crazy! But thoroughly enjoyable.

Kyle XY:
So now Kyle can telepathically communicate with coma victims. Who does he think he is? Marlena from Days of Our Lives? ("Come to me in dreams, John! In dreeeeeeeeams!") Oh well. Anything that causes Kyle to wake up covered in pastel powder is fine with me.

I assume that I wasn't the only one who saw that it was Jessi who knocked Lori out and stole her necklace coming from a mile away. Next week looks interesting, as it seems the reprogrammed Jessi likes Kyle instead of Declan. So, I guess, "reprogramming" just means giving her some common sense. (Sorry, Declan and his frosted tips, vapid personality, and somewhat strange-looking eyebrows do nothing for me.)

I suppose the big news from tonight's ep was that Kyle and Amanda finally kissed. Not sure why the "timing wasn't right" while they were having the heart-to-heart in his bedroom earlier, but I guess it finally was in the gardens after talking about her dead father again. Those two are certainly a strange lot. The kiss was pretty hot--but would have been much better if ABC Family hadn't already been showing it in the promos all week.

Speaking of promos, next week they're touring through an underground metal maze. What happened: did they accidentally end up in an episode of second season Lost? Poor Lori. She doesn't get to have any of the boys, but she sure seems to have a lot of crap happening to her lately like getting beat up in the alley and locked behind weird automatic metal doors.

Greek:
Hmm. I'm definitely glad I gave this show another try last night. I enjoyed last night's ep much more than the other 1.5 episodes of it I've watched.

Cappie is growing on me. My major reservation about him is still that he makes me really miss his apparent role models, Hidden Palms' Cliff and Veronica Mars' Dick Casablancas. And missing those two makes me depressed because they are gone. But even though the kid playing Cappie is no Michael Cassidy or Ryan Hansen, he definitely didn't deserve the senator's daughter saying that he looks like Rob Thomas! Ouch! Seriously low blow.

Cappie definitely is the comedic highlight of the show. He has a tendency to over do it, but often he's very funny:

"We're down three goals, there's a minute left. There's only one thing to do: start drinking now."
and,

Quote of the Night:
"We may be puking, but the Omega Chis are not used to running on puke like we are."

My other favorite part of the show is Dale a.k.a. Clark of Clark and Michael. No surprise though: Michael Cera has good taste. Dale's a riot. I love whenever he and Rusty talk physics (because physics geeks really are that nerdy), his borderline-scary religiousness (going to "the most fantastic Left Behind party ever!" and pointing out that "the next one might be in heaven"), and his hot yellow shorts!

What I definitely don't like about this show is the senator's daughter pledge girl. She's so annoying. And are there really people like her in real life? I would recommend that the people in charge of Greek write her off the show and give all of her airtime to Dale.

Two final observations:

Whatever town this college is in is extremely lax in enforcing the underage drinking laws. Does no one ever card Rusty at the bar? He looks like he's 14.

ABC Family is a product placement whore. If it's not Sour Patch Kids, it's Andy Samberg movies... ("Hot Rod? Hilarious." First of all, I seriously doubt that, and somehow I really don't think Casey would find that movie funny either.)

My Boys:
This show is much better if you can somehow train yourself not to pay attention to the voice-over.

Highlights from the two episodes:

• Bobby's NASCAR sound effects
• A cameo from 30 Rock's Kenneth! He's so cute.
• "What am I, a heroin addict? How am I supposed to sleep in the chair?"
• "You put the lotion in the freakin basket!" (he he, what was she talking about?)

I personally didn't find P.J.'s performance on the talk show to be any worse than everyone else's, but whatever, it was funny.

Voice-Over(whelmed)

My Boys:
Yesterday afternoon I found myself watching some of TBS's My Boys marathon (and, heaven help me, 1.5 Lifetime movies, but that's another story). The second season of My Boys begins tonight at 10 p.m. and all the Season 1 episodes are online, which is pretty cool.

At first, I was impressed with My Boys yesterday. The cast is funny and the writing isn't bad at all. It's not the edgiest or most revolutionary comedy ever, but it's fun. But then I remembered why I'd given up on this show last year: the voice-over.

The events of each episode of My Boys is put into the context of a baseball analogy via P.J.'s voice-over. Ok, we get it: she's a tom-boy. That's already obvious--you don't need to constantly remind us! And we especially don't need to hear the same freakin baseball analogy episode after episode.

I'm sick of the V.O. in general. Admittedly, some shows use voice-overs very well: Arrested Development, Sex and the City, Veronica Mars, The Wonder Years, early Desperate Housewives, etc. But now it seems like every show on T.V. is trying to use one, and that, my friends, is just really lazy storytelling. If the action and dialogue of a show are so confusing that a disembodied voice has to explain it to viewers, then the writers just aren't doing a very good job. And if, as in the case of My Boys, the action and dialogue of the show are rather self-evident and the writers add a V.O. anyway, then they're just hitting the audience over the head. Viewers are not that stupid. We watch Lost for crying out loud and that doesn't have a voice-over.

Original, quality programming on the internet! Score!

Clark and Michael:

So if you're not feeling the summer onslaught of crappy look-alike, talent show, lyric remembering, hidden camera reality programming, the good news is that there are now other places to turn to than the major networks. Basic cable is now pulling it's own weight (I'm of course partial to Kyle XY and Damages), but also don't undercount the good ol' internet!

I'm a couple of months late to jump on this bandwagon, but I'm totally in love with the internet episodes featuring Michael Cera (my beloved George Michael Bluth) and Clark Duke (from Greek). Michael Cera could say absolutely anything and it's a distinct possibility that I'll fall off my chair laughing at it. I love, love, love him. Even though (and perhaps partially because) he tends to dress like a grandfather. You're definitely going to want to check out clarkandmichael.com and experience the wonderfulness that is Michael Cera (yep, I linked to it twice: I mean business).

Best line from Episode 1:

Michael: I mean, maybe it's me, but I have a feeling that there's a whole undiscovered, untapped market of shows that aren't about forensic scientists or police officers or school teachers or some such shit.

Pain and Suffering

Damages:

Woohoo! After my third try at watching a new cable show this summer (well, in fairness, I only watched the first five minutes of Saving Grace), I've found one I really, really like! What is impressive is that Damages not only provided one great hour of thrilling television, but it also helped me erase the negative connotations that the word "damages" has for me, which stem from a very late night in the stairwell of Sussex Hall reading a very long book about the very botched delivery of twins and the very drawn out legal aftermath. Helping me forget about that is no small feat.

But anyway: There was so much to like about this show. It started off great with some very sexy (in a judicial sort of way) opening credits. The opening scene was fan-freaking-tastic with the orchestral, movie-esque music contrasting the eventual appearance of a bloody, disoriented Ellen.

Glenn Close was great--so smart and yet so, so creepy! And she's married to Summer Roberts' dad (and Uncle Saul's almost boyfriend) of all people! Of course, any show with Jimmy Cooper (Tate Donovan) in it gets a thumbs up in my book. Well, except for that frawful (freakin awful) astronaut episode of Law & Order: CI.

But, let's be honest, what I really loved about this show was that it's Alias, but with lawyers instead of spies. Actually, I think some of it was so much like Alias that it was encroaching on plagiarism, but ripped off Alias is better than living in an Alias-less world.

Another thing I liked was that I felt smart while watching it. Like any other self-respecting Alias addict, I saw the dead-fiance-in-the-bathtub coming a mile away (that poor guy literally was Danny Hecht without the Australian accent). But I was really impressed with myself that I figured out that Patty didn't really fire Jimmy Cooper. Come on, he's Jimmy Cooper! You wouldn't fire someone that adorable! (Well, maybe if he embezzled several million dollars from you, but that was a different show.) If they were impressed with Ellen's ability to see through bull shit, and I did a better job of it than she did, does that mean that I have a job waiting for me at Patty's firm? Though after watching this hour of television, I think I'll pass on that job.

And I'll admit I enjoyed the extra swearing that basic cable allows in their shows. It just made it seem more authentic.

Highlight:

Patty: "'Hope' is the thing with feathers."

Ellen: Emily Dickinson. That bitch will say anything.

I loved that it ended with Ellen saying, "Get me a lawyer." Unfortunately, it looks like lawyers are what got her into this mess in the first place...

Another wacky similarity to the Alias pilot was that it was presented commercial free. This time, though, I have Cadillac to thank for me having to go to the bathroom and not being able to for 45 minutes.

P.S. Damages has quite a swanky official website.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (a.k.a. It's a Man's World)

Mad Men:

Hmm. Well, I've be reading and hearing such great things about AMC's first original series Mad Men that I was pretty excited to check it out tonight. And I don't know. It was very well made--the periodness was impeccable and the cinematography was lovely. But the whole thing just didn't suck me in as much as it apparently should have. I don't know. Could it be that watching people brainstorm about advertising campaigns just isn't the most exciting thing in the world? And that it's still not particularly interesting even if you make them all chauvinist jerks?

I guess considering all the hype, I was expecting the pilot to jump out of the screen and grab me, and it didn't. Watching it wasn't particularly enjoyable. I don't think I liked any of the characters and they weren't really the kind of "psychotic jackasses" that you love to hate either. Oh, and as soon as Dennis Martino/Gaby's mayor husband shows up in something, that's a huge strike in my book.

The big development at the end that the main guy had a wife and kids was not particularly surprising. And they were sure hitting the fact that the one guy was closeted and gay really, really hard. I would imagine that one would be better at hiding things like that if one lived in such an intolerant society. He was being so obvious that the other characters just looked stupid for not picking up on it. And women weren't considered equals and treated like crap. Ok, we get it.

I did want to like it. There were some good things: There were some moderately funny parts. (However, the "Freud, you say? What agency does he work for?" line would have been soooo much funnier if delivered in a Veronica Mars-like manner.) It was like a history lesson (wait, is that good or bad?). The opening credits were nice. The slutty secretary in the green dress had pretty hair.

Yep. That's all I got.

While I was watching it, I wished I was watching the Men In Trees rerun. Does that mean I'm shallow? Or does it just mean that I don't hate women? Or does it mean that John Tupper is just way hotter than all Mad Men's guys with suits and slicked back hair combined?

30 Rock:

Hahahahaha. The receptionist girl wants to name her baby "Bookcase."

The Office:

I love that even Michael Scott came to the conclusion that Ben Franklin is "kind of a sleaze-bag." That's what I've always thought.

Tuesdays make me sad now.

Grr, CW. I was so enjoying savoring the Veronica Mars rerun every Tuesday at 9 p.m. So, of course, you had to take that away from me too. You suck. I'll admit that I did very much enjoy this cycle of Beauty and the Geek (I'm still somewhat madly in love with Scooter), but I don't need to see it again! Come on.

I really, really wanted to see the VM episodes from the second mini arc of Season 3 because I can barely remember what happened in them. Luckily, I've discovered that reading the recaps on Television Without Pity is the next best thing to actually watching the episodes. They basically tell you what happens minute-by-minute and work in some snarky comments as well. And there's nothing a VM fan likes more than snarky comments.

And, joining the conspiracy to make me the saddest girl in the whole world (Marissa Cooper, I'm gunning for your title) is Warner Brothers, which is not releasing the VM Season 3 DVDs until October. Here's a clip of Veronica acting like I feel. Ha.

I want a 'holographic memory' too!

Kyle XY:
The new "holographic memory" (while having a kind of stupid name) is definitely one of Kyle's coolest abilities yet. Now Kyle has a complete catalog of everything that has ever happened to him in his head and he can reference any particular moment that he wants, remember it exactly as it happened, and even freeze time so he can walk around and see things from new angles.

That's insane. I want one too! Think of the possibilities. For example, I could remember the time in the fourth grade when my teacher was screaming at us for writing our reading logs in print, but this time, I could slide out of my real body, and using my memory body, say, throw things at said teacher. Or dance around singing "nah, nah, nah, nah!" Or something more mature that I will have to think of later.

Even better, this nifty little holographic memory development would make DVDs and VCR tapes somewhat irrelevant. Say I'm going through some Veronica Mars withdraw pains (which I totally am because it's a day ending with a 'y'). All I have to do is remember the time I watched episode 13 of Season 3 and, suddenly, I can be watching (myself watch) Dick making fun of mopey Logan! Fantastic! Think of the hours and hours of television episodes I'd have stored in my head! I could "watch" them while I'm waiting for an hour in the lobby of the dentist's office!

Oh my gosh! This could be the best thing ever! And I have a sneaky feeling that do-gooder, sappy Kyle is going to waste it. On things like finding hidden, coded CDs in old books. Oh, Kyle.

What was notable:

• I'm now 90% sure Kyle XY gets their soundtrack by raiding my iPod. I just can't figure out how they are doing it without me noticing.
• It's sweet how much Kyle genuinely seems to like meeting people.
• Did the earthquake happen because Kyle and Jessie finally got a good look at each other, or was it just a coincidence? I hope that won't happen every time they see each other. That would get old fast for everyone else.
• Josh's response to Kyle predicting the earthquake: "I got two words for you: lottery ticket."
• I still think Kyle and Lori are secretly in love. I'm glad she's still playing the guitar and that Kyle talked her into performing even though Declan was acting like an ass.
• "You couldn't be more screwed if you were between a wall and a Phillips head." Yikes, that was a pretty ridiculous thing to come out of a "16-year-old" girl's mouth. On the bright side, it proves that she (Andy) and Josh were made for each other.
• Aww, Kyle speaks Hungarian! I love how matter-of-fact he was about it. I like it when he gets cocky about how smart he is.
• Zzyxx has the creepiest lobby ever. Mr. Trager is really, really dense if he doesn't notice there's something weird about his new employer.
• Kyle XY is big on Pachelbel's Canon. Kyle played it on Lori's guitar the other week and now Amanda's listening to it.
• Why is Lori talking to Jessie about Declan? She's being a masochist.
• Josh's "gf" (Andy) has hideous yellow nailpolish... and violent headaches apparently. Does Jessi give her headaches too? I would understand if Josh gave her headaches, but this seems to be a new development, so there must be something else going on.
• "She's helping me polish my game to mirror-like shine." See? The kind of guy who says stuff like this would fall head over heels for a girl who makes a good, specific screwdriver metaphor.
• The scene where Kyle sees the mouse on the piano was funny. "No, that's real." Can't blame him for thinking that was a vision too.
• Amanda was wearing a very nice necklace. Perhaps she could sell that (since she's keeping her special bracelet).
• Where are these memories of Jessie's coming from? Did they program her with someone else's? I forget.
• Do you think Kyle's "holographic memory" will "become an important power"? Because I don't think they hit that point hard enough...
• "Why all that work for such a simple message?" Um, Kyle, it was a plot device so we could see you wet and shirtless. Don't ask questions.
• Ahahaha. Jessie made herself look like she's in a black and white movie. That poor chick is so clueless. I can't believe that Nicole hasn't picked up on the fact that she and Kyle have the same exact cluelessness.

And final thought: Andy is the Anna Stern of Kyle XY. (I can't resist throwing out a reference to first-season The O.C. whenever possible.) I was half expecting her to say "Confidence, Trager," but I guess Josh's problem isn't really a lack of confidence.

I CANNOT wait until next week when Josh teaches Kyle to dance (in the style of a bad teen movie or Ross and Monica on Friends)! That is going to be classic. I like my Kyle best when he's making a fool of himself.

Victoria Beckham Comes to America:

Wow, Posh and her people seriously need more to do. They had to have spent hours making up that blow up doll. Sheesh. Oh well, I don't have a problem with her personally, but I'm really sick of this 24-hour Beckham media blitz. Yep, they're here. I'm over it.

A long time ago, we used to be friends...

Ok, I realize that I'm about two years behind all the other Veronica Mars fans out there, but I just found this biography of Logan in screencaps, and it is hysterical. My favorite part is the collection of random funny expression pics at the end. It must suck to be on TV a little now that people can just freeze you at any possible moment and post it on the internet.

It's nice though to relive Logan's early moments (as the obligatory psychotic jackass) before he and Veronica turned into a big old mess of relationship angst in season 3.

My new plan is to never accept the end of Veronica Mars through sheer force of will.


Lily: Don't forget about me.
Veronica: I could never.

SYTYCD Is Back!

So You Think You Can Dance:
Technically, it was only missing for a week, but SYTYCD's absence kind of made all last week feel a little off to me. Ahh, my television, how I have come to rely on you...

Yea for Pasha and Sara's West Coast Swing routine! So much fun. Definitely one of my very favorite routines of the season. It was also great to see Benji and Heidi back in any capacity. Although, seriously, was Benji THIS full of himself last year? Like I was afraid he was going to strain a muscle from all the hamming it up for the camera he was doing. Bring it down just a notch or too, Benji. Please. (And no more routines that end with you wearing just a patriotic speedo.) Although I did enjoy his blonde-ish spikey hair and glasses.

If Pasha and Sara were made the final two right now, I'd have no complaints. Sara's great; she's very unique in her own style, but also very, very versatile. And Pasha! He's awesome. He looks like Ryan Atwood and he can dance!!! As Seth Cohen would say, that is an unbeatable combination.

And I'm not sorry to see Cedric and Shauna are on their way out. Their mambo was nothing to write home about. Shauna looked terrified the whole time and kept watching Cedric to see what he was doing.

But, just to prove that the mambo can be awesome, here's a link to Benji and Heidi's "Blank Mambo" routine, which is my favorite SYTYCD routine ever. Could Heidi move any faster? This routine is sick.

The Best of the 2006-2007 TV Season!!!

Most Shocking Moments:
"Through the Looking Glass" Lost -- We find out that Jack and Kate both make it off the island in a "game-changing" flash forward.

"In or Out" Ugly Betty -- The mysterious veiled figure is revealed to be not Fey Sommers as expected, but Alex Meade, post gender reassignment surgery!

Funniest Moments:
"The Return" The Office -- Jim and Pam hide Andy's cell phone in the ceiling, causing him to freak out and punch the wall. "That.....was an over-reaction." Yes, Andy Bernard, but it was a hilarious over-reaction.

"Beach Games" The Office -- Andy Bernard falls into the river wearing a blow-up sumo wrestling suit and floats away. Physical comedy at it's best.

"Gay Witch Hunt" The Office -- In the season three pilot, we see a quick flash of Roy's DUI mugshot... and he's a huge mess.

"Swag" Ugly Betty -- When Bradford finds out that Wilhelmina has been charging personal expenses to the magazine like, say, her "butt lift," she responds, "Well, good luck returning my ass!"

Funniest Characters:
Andy Bernard, The Office -- He's just a Cornell graduate trying to take over the world using three sure-fire tactics: name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a hand shake. As he is responsible for two of my Funniest Moments of the season, it doesn't take a degree from Cornell to conclude that Andy belongs in this category.

Tracy Jordan, 30 Rock -- I have an unnatural love for Tracy Morgan. Everything that comes out of his mouth is hilarious, including: his belief that vampires are the best golfers but we'll never know it, his admission that he steals dogs and does the robot backwards into Starbucks, his discovery of anagrams, and "the manatee becomes the mentor."

Justin and Marc, Ugly Betty -- Both the youth who loves jazz hands and the cattiest personal assistant at Mode stole every scene they were in this season.

Dick Casablancas, Veronica Mars -- It's funny. In college I came across literally hundreds (perhaps thousands) of boys who act just like Dick Casablancas and couldn't stand them at all. Yet I love this guy. I love how he's an unapologetic himbo and always ready and willing to say something wildly inappropriate. How amusing people like this are when you personally don't have to deal with them.

Best Performances in a Drama:
Ellen Pompeo, Grey's Anatomy -- Although her acting chops aren't usually the ones people mention when talking Grey's, Ellen really brought it this season. She was especially fantastic in the episode where Ellis miraculously becomes lucid. Watching the look on Meredith face when her mother complains that she's ordinary is like getting kicked in the stomach and Pompeo nailed the confrontational speech and subsequent realization that her mother's Alzheimer's is back. And, showing her range, pre-appendectomy drugged-up Meredith was a riot early in the season and a breath of fresh air in the over-drama that was the third season of Grey's.

T.R. Knight, Grey's Anatomy -- T.R. may not have had the best material to work with this season (even though he leveraged his gayness to get better plots according to Crazy Isaiah Story #3), but he absolutely nailed what he got. His ability to thrive in the extremely drawn-out story line about Burke's hand and the torturous Gizzie scenes proves his value to this show.

Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters -- We like her! We really, really like her! Sally was spot-on throughout the season as Nora, the glue that held the Walkers and this show together. She excelled in both the dramatic moments of dealing with her late-husband's infidelity (the late-night swim comes to mind) and the comedic moments (like the food fight with the mistress) that were my favorite part of the show.

Best Episodes:
"Spit and Eggs" Veronica Mars -- Veronica solves the case and quickly becomes the target of the psycho-villain. It's a cliche on this show for a reason. Making this time even more exciting, Veronica ran frantically down a hallway to dance music, a la vintage Alias. If only all rapists got stabbed by a unicorn horn. Add a crazy Piznarski dance, Wallace talking about "pity balloons," some classic Mac, and Logan smashing a cop car to get in jail to beat the living daylights out of Mercer and you've got one of the best hours of TV this year.

"The Bitch is Back" Veronica Mars -- "After all these years, do you not instinctively fear me?" Veronica asks, and if we didn't, we sure do now. Do not mess with V. In the series' last ep, Veronica goes after the people who posted a sex tape of her on the web, and with friends like Wallace, Weevil, and Logan to mess up cars, go undercover into secret societies, and punch mobsters, she's going to take the bad guys down. And don't forget Keith, whose attempt to cover for his daughter results in the two of them becoming the outcasts they were when the series began. That's called coming full circle, kids, but it's a shame that the CW canceled this amazing show with so much story left to tell.

"Through the Looking Glass" Lost -- It's a flash forward! Whoa! And even though Future Jack seems even more depressed that Present Jack and Past Jack, this episode was one of the best of the year thanks to Sayid snapping an Other's neck with his feet, Hurley and his van saving the day, Sawyer avenging Walt, Charlie's Alias Season 1 finale-esque drowning, the obscured newspaper clipping, the funeral parlor anagram, the mystery man in the coffin, and Kate and Jack's clandestine meeting. Oh, the Alice in Wonderland reference in the episode title is pretty darn cool too.

"Company Man" Heroes -- Heroes really found its stride in this episode, narrowing its focus to the events taking place in the Bennet house as several heroes clash together. Some Lost-style story telling gives us new insights into Noah Bennet's character and he has the Haitian erase his memory to protect Claire Bear.

"The End's Not Near, It's Here" The O.C. -- I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The O.C. rocked it's series finale. The saying good-bye to the Cohen house, the Seth/Ryan hug, the new baby Cohen, the new old house in Berkeley, the few acknowledgements that Marissa Cooper existed and that we loved her, the Julie Cooper college graduation, the Seth/Summer wedding, and the architect Ryan helping out a kid all combined for the perfect ending to one of the coolest shows ever.

Best New Shows:
Heroes, Men In Trees, 30 Rock

Best Comedy:
The Office

Finding a bracelet and starting college...

Kyle XY:
I liked the episode this week despite not seeing any blatant Sour Patch Kids product placement. Did I miss it? It seems like it could have been worked into Josh's pot story line fairly seamlessly. Or Nicole could have offered the uncomfortable Jessie some SPKs to snack on during her first therapy session.

One thing I liked was that the episode was more about the characters and less about Zzyxx (Is that how you spell that? That's ridiculous.) and pondering the questions of Kyle's existence. I personally just like watching the kid flounder around in society.

Highlights:
"Otherwise, I would have heard the car start." Oh Kyle. Surely that big, over-developed brain of yours can find a way to use your supervision and hear loud noises at the same time.

Josh expressing his wariness at Nicole bringing her "freaky patients" into their house, followed by, "No offense, Kyle."

Kyle has a beautiful and naive faith in the criminal justice system. He asked Amanda how long she thought the robber who *didn't* steal her bracelet would be in prison. Granted the guy did do some breaking and entering, but people on Veronica Mars kill people and don't go to jail. Just saying.

I was wondering why Declan can't just decide to drop his Kyle obsession and apologize to Lori and get back together with her. Then I saw that he couldn't even open the door while holding a cardboard box. Yep, Declan is easily taxed.

Did Kyle eye up a prostitute in the police station? Ha ha ha.

The Tragers seriously keep pot from a long-ago New Years party in a shoe box in their closet? With their two stupid kids around? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Kyle takes failure very hard. He should probably work on that.

Kyle: I read the public records.
Lori: Which public records?
Kyle: All of them.

I love the Lori/Kyle team soooo much. I'm still holding out hope that Amanda and Declan will take a hike and Kyle and Lori can hook up. Until that happens though, I'm satisfied with the fact that being with Lori really improves Kyle's sense of humor. His crack about her spending a lot of time in the back seat of parked cars was down right snarky!

"Ok, easy, Veronica Mars!" Ahh. A VM reference. I am forever yours, Kyle XY.

Kyle's trading his ring for Amanda's bracelet was getting much too close to the plot of an O'Henry short story for my tastes...

Greek:
Hmm, yeah, probably the last time I'll be watching this show... My main problem with it was that the Greek kids all seemed waaaaay too old and the show's writers apparently watched Legally Blonde and assumed that that is how sorority girls act in real life. Yeah, I generally tried to avoid sororities as much as possible during my time at college, and even I know that this show's portrayal of them was totally wrong.

The highlight was Rusty's southern Christian "kind of racist" roommate played by Michael Cera's real life friend. That poor kid was transcending his material.

Another thing that bothered me was--and maybe I just feel this way because I've been watching waaay too much VM lately--that it seemed like they were plagiarizing from Veronica Mars. The sorority was "Zeta Beta," which if you add a "Theta" in there is the one Veronica "rushed." That one character was clearly Dick Casablancas only not nearly as funny and with just a bit of Hidden Palms' Cliff mixed in. And there was a character named BEAVER for crying out loud! Come on! ABC Family should just buy episodes of VM and show them instead. Veronica and Keith certainly are "a new kind of family."