The TV Addict 

For all its flaws, BROTHERS & SISTERS knows how to play the emotional beats of a story. When Kevin walked into the living room to see that his mom had not only ignored his “no flowers” edict but transformed the room into a virtual greenhouse, it was both predictable and charming. “Tonight, Kevin, you don’t get to be guarded or cynical,” she told him, barely holding back her tears. And it was interesting to get the perspective of older, newly-out Saul, who called his nephew’s commitment ceremony “one of the bravest things” he’d ever seen. It’s an interesting commentary on how far network television has come in a relatively short period of time that Kevin’s big day was not given the sort of “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” treatment that it might have received only a decade or two again. (Think DYNASTY’s sexually confused Steven or MELROSE PLACE’s perpetual also-ran, Matt). Frankly, it’s kinda surprising to me that this show got “the gay story” so right and yet completely blew the Justin/Rebecca situation. I can’t help thinking that the ickiness of their relationship might not have been so jarring had they show done what I’ve been begging them to do for ages and slowed down. Not every story has to unfold in two episodes. that episode-ending kiss may have been a little easier to accept had viewers had the summer hiatus to adjust to the idea. Instead, it was too much, too soon. Meanwhile, did anyone else half expect Robert and Kitty to announce they’d be adopting Rebecca? And I’ll make an early prediction right now: Next season, the Walker clan will discover that their mysterious new sibling is… Ryan Atwood, a troubled kid from the O.C.! Oh, and a note to the ABC promo department: A new family member and a kiss everyone saw coming a mile away do not constitute “the jaw-dropping cliffhanger of the year.”

I have to admit that I skipped out on the first two hours of last night’s SURVIVOR fest. As exciting as this season has been, I found that I didn’t really care which of the four gals walked away a winner. I did, however, tune in for the reunion special, which is always a blast. Did someone forget to tell Jeff Probst when it was going to be? Is that why he showed up looking as if he hadn’t washed his hair for a week? That said, he’s such a pro and always knows exactly what questions to ask. He talks about the things we the viewers want to dish about, unlike a certain Chenbot whose BIG BROTHER interviews are just notoriously awful.

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With tonight’s shocking revelation that Rebecca wasn’t actually ‘the other’ Walker, this TV Addict wanted to be the first the throw out his casting suggestion for BROTHERS & SISTERS’ new mystery brother.

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Afford me a moment of clarity: A woman who slept with a married man while also sleeping with another lover and then assumed — and, more importantly, allowed everyone else to assume — that her child belonged to the wealthier of the two somehow reacts to her daughter finally learning the facts of (her) life by kicking her out? What in the world has BROTHERS & SISTERS done to Holly Harper? Granted, she was never the most moral of women, but now, she’s been turned into a lying slut with a persecution complex! Worse, Holly then swooped in and basically took over the Walker family biz before anyone could find out about the fraud she’d perpetrated upon them via her daughter. Frankly, Rebecca should run as far from this dynasty of dysfunctional drunks (and take Scotty with her). I mean, Justin reacts to finding out that she’s not his sister by going off on the poor girl? This show frustrates me like no other… I love the actors, love the fun aspects, but when it comes to storylines it is as unsatisfactory as sex with a blow-up doll. Um, from what I hear.

I have so many mixed feeligns where this weeks GOSSIP GIRL installment is concerned. Plot wise? Great episode with a lot of fun stuff going on. Man, are they making great use of Georgina. But here’s where I get slightly disturbed: I get that in the end, GG sent a very nice message by having Serena and, eventually, Lily accept Eric’s homosexuality, having Asher toss around words like “queer” and “faggot” was a little unsettling for a show aimed at a teen audience. It might have felt different had we seen the self-loathing Asher brought down, but the social humiliation fell on the shoulders of his “hag”, Jenny. Meanwhile, what the hell has happened to Chuck? Remember when he was our nefarious nasty? These days, he’s Eric’s off-screen confidante and a background player. And why no Nate and Vanessa? Would it have killed the show to have them show up at — and utter a few lines during — Asher’s party?

Another week, another subpar DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. If the networks want to know why their shows aren’t doing so well, they might want to consider the fact that despite the fact that shows have fewer episodes (thanks to the strike) and we were told a heck of a lot of story would be crammed into them, what we’re actually getting feel like filler. Quick, name a major plot-point from this weeks DH. Were there some snappy lines? Sure. (Thank God for Gaby.) But most of the episode revolved around Kayla’s bad girl act (a retread of the routine she pulled upon first arriving), Susan’s trying to impress her ex-husband (yawn) and Bree refusing to forgive Orson. But again, and you’ll notice this is a recurring theme with me: Do we need yet another recurring regular (Gaby’s housemate) when so many interesting ones exist but are never used? Where is Bree’s son, Andrew? How about Susan’s nephew, Tim? Or maybe Rick, whose restaurant Lynette’s boys burned down? Why is Tuc Watkins (gay nabe Bob), one of the funniest actors to come out of daytime (where he plays ONE LIFE TO LIVE’s David) being completely wasted? Maybe it’s my completion issues, but it annoys me when shows introduce us to characters and then let them sit there doing nothing.

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Since this TV Addict turned REEL Addict for the night by catching a 7:15PM showing of IRON MAN [click here for review], I leave it up to you, my fellow TV Addicts. Did BROTHERS & SISTERS up the Justing/Rebecca creep factor? Did Lynette institutionalize her two fire-starters on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES? Is anyone watching the soon-to-be-brilliant-but-cancelled ALIENS IN AMERICA? Post away with your comments below.

Normally, I ask y’all not to judge me. But today… yeah, feel free. Because I’m gonna admit that last night, I watched FARMER WANTS A WIFE. Not that I’ll be making that mistake again. Where the heck do they find these people? From the kinda creepy titular farmer, Matt, to the ladies competing to play hen to his rooster, this show was a mess. And not the kind that comes with the word “hot” before it. Of course, several of the women are virgins, because that’s the new thing on reality. (When even PARADISE HOTEL 2 landed one, virginity officially became a reality trend.) And what are we to make of Josie, the republican who declares that she wants to live on a farm so she can ride horses and attend polo matches, because “a farmer’s wife doesn’t work. She has people who work for her.” If there’s one thing the women — save Brooke, who actually, heaven help her, seems like a nice gal — have in common, it is that they believe “big city” guys are losers. Hello, pot? This is kettle. I will, however, give the show credit for having one of the most unusual elimination ceremonies in the history of reality television: Each girl had to pick up a live chicken to see if it was sitting on an egg, with the egg-free lass being sent back to the city. I couldn’t make this crap up if I tried. Given that the first episode ended with Farmer Matt sending Stephanie packing instead of the idiotic Josie, who is obviously there to create drama and wouldn’t accept if this guy proposed anyway, tells you everything you need to know. Obviously, producers had more to say about the outcome than the farmer, so having the entire thing come down to the laying of an egg is wildly appropriate.

Anybody else think BROTHERS & SISTERS moved way too fast with Kitty and Robert? Why the heck are they suddenly all about having a baby? Haven’t they been married for, like, three minutes? Meanwhile, the whole Rebecca/Justin thing is just playing kinda creepy. Yes, we suspected for a while — and now know — that she wasn’t a Walker. (First clue: She doesn’t drink nearly enough.) But Justin doesn’t know that, so he needs to stop leering at his supposed sister! And it was nice to have Scotty refuse to be patronized to by or settle for Kevin’s offer that they become domestic (or, as one of the Walker boys put it, “domesticated”) partners. More and more, I’m realizing that I watch this show more for the dialogue and acting than the storylines. In fact, I tend to watch it DESPITE the storylines. Am I alone in that?

SURVIVOR has been on fire this season, and in recent weeks, it’s been entirely about the hidden immunity idol. First, Ozzy found the real one, replaced it with a fake and used it to great advantage before being blindsided. Then Jason found the next hidden idol, failed to play it and was blindsided in exactly the same manner! It’s been a while since I’ve been this into SURVIVOR, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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Not only did this TV Addict not make it home in time to catch the return of my favorite fictional BROTHERS & SISTERS, I woke up early this morning only to discover that GlobalTV [the Canadian Network that simulcasts the show] had hijacked the ABC HD feed and worse still, didn’t even bother broadcasting the show in high definition. Something which by the way I pay big bucks for. Needless to say, Global TV should expect an angry email in their inbox this morning [because that will show ‘em!]

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After months of hype, FOX finally unleashed TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. Not surprisingly, this TV Addict has a few question. Did it live up to the hype? Is Summer Glau not incredible? And most importantly, did last night’s pilot accomplish the most important goal of any pilot. Sufficiently hook you so that you’ll be tuning into tonight’s second episode? (Which in this TV Addict’s opinion is even stronger than the first.)

Moving on, last night’s episode of BROTHERS & SISTERS had all the ingredients for the perfect Walker evening. Mix a bunch of family secrets with a classic Walker family dinner. Add an ample supply of alcohol, plus a dash of awkwardness courtesy of newcomer Isaac. What do you get? The perfect way for BROTHERS & SISTER to kick off 2008. Agree/Disagree, Post away.

Back in mid-December, we asked the readers of theTVaddict.com for their favorite TV Moments of 2007. Here’s another favorite moment, courtesy of reader Katie

Katie said: “On Brothers & Sisters, when all the Walkers, Rebecca, Robert and Holly jumped into the pool at the end. It was such a great scene, and the perfect way to wrap up an amazing season.”

Check back throughout the week to see if your moment is featured in the 2007 TV Year in Review.

You know why SAMANTHA WHO? is my household’s favorite new show? Because it isn’t trying to reinvent the long-rumored-to-be-dead comedy genre, it’s just — and this is pretty crucial — funny. Very, very funny. Every performance is spot on. Yes, yes, Melissa McCarthy is basically playing GILMORE GIRLS gal pal Sookie, but I loved that character (before she became a breeding machine) so big whoop. Best of all, SAMANTHA doesn’t settle for the typical sitcom set-up, punch line dialogue, instead offering such witty exchanges as when our heroine apologized for dragging Andrea (the deliciously wicked Jennifer Esposito) into her web of deceit, only to have the bad girl reply, “I’m a lawyer. Web of deceit is where I pick up my mail.” This week’s outing — in which Samantha’s car accident triggered a chain of lies leading to an unexpected twist involving mom Jean Smart — was another sparkling entry, although it would have been nice to see Sam’s in-progress story with Eddie Cibrian continue. Then again, no need to rush things… right?

I tried watching another episode of REAPER last night, and within the first five seconds, Tyler Labine — or rather his character, Sock — was once again ruining the show for me. The guy is a seriously talented actor, but I just can’t stand the walking slacker stereotype he’s playing.Not that his alter ego isn’t completely in keeping with the tone of this show, on which Ray Wise’s devil refers to his minion as a “wienie.” You don’t need to see the scene in which the lead’s two best friends easily convince his girlfriend to bare all in a hot tub to realize who the target audience is here. We’re in what was once Porky’s territory here, where authority figures are to be mocked, feminism is a dirty word and men will be boys.

There’s something kind of kharmicly pleasing when one of the annoying twosomes is eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE. This time around, it was bickering Shana and Jennifer. While they weren’t as bad as some previous contestants, their whiny, bitchy ways had me hoping that the next leg of the race would involve a bus which someone could then throw them under. And yet, such is the power of this show’s closing moments that when the two annoying blondes spoke of having learned so much during their journey and then were shown walking hand-in-hand into the sunset toward a gorgeous windmill, I couldn’t help thinking, “Aww… they’re not that bad!” Especially when compared to Nate and Jen. At various points in the evening, he called her a bitch and said “I just can’t believe what kind of person you’ve turned into. It’s the ugliest thing I’ve seen in my life.” Her response? “Same with you, Nate.” At this point, I’m totally rooting for Kynt and Vyxsin, the goth duo who seem not only genuinely nice and loving, but actually take the time to smell the roses. Far too few of the teams seem to do that.

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It was cliffhanger madness on TV last night. Fellow TV Addicts, we now have seven long days to ponder who Holly’s mystery-man is [aside from real-life husband Ken Olin] and how the final act of the delicious Dexter Doakes Dance is going to play out. Any Guesses? Post away.