*Reviews May Contain Spoilers*

Gossip Girl – The Sixteen Year Old Virgin

Jenny: I’m a virgin. I just wanted you to know, in case…I just wanted you to know.

This was a great episode! My favorite story line was with Dan & Vanessa. Dan being incredibly cautious and paranoid about Vanessa in front of Rufus was hilarious! I laughed so hard when he said he would draw V a map about the friends, friends with benefits zones. I laughed even harder when V did what she had to do to get him to relax. Great writing and great acting. I loved every moment of it. Still not a lot going on with Chuck & Blair as a couple, being as Chuck is dealing with a lot of family drama right now. I’m surprised Blair is not helping Chuck and getting a background check on his mother. But his mother is quite irritating so I don’t even want to dwell on her. As for the others…Nate & Serena focused on not themselves but on Jenny and made a a decent team…but nothing compares to Chuck & Blair. They tried to persuade Jenny not to have sex with her boyfriend and they did not succeed. So umm, more Blair & Chuck scheming instead please. Or all of them scheming together, but at least Chuck or Blair has to be involved. As for little J…she is a big annoyance actually. Her character has changed so much and not in a good way. When a character is so unlikable that I don’t even root for her to rise above the nonsense, something is wrong. The past 2 episodes have been so good and have made me fall in love with all of the characters except Jenny all over again. The big question is, will Jenny be likable before the season is over?

90210 – What’s Past Is Prologue

Liam: Suspended from school? Sounds more like a vacation.

Navid: You ever face disappointed Persian parents? My own mother said I urinated on the legacy of my ancestors.

This was quite an entertaining episode. The writing has been especially great these past few episodes! First, Dixon inviting his birth mother to stay the night at their house put Debbie in quite an overwhelmed state if her arrival didn’t already have Debbie in a tizzy. It’s all understandable but what’s next for this family? What is Dixon’s birth mother’s aim? One person who has a clear goal in mind is Jasper. Jasper stalking Annie is not cool at all! She needs to tell her parents what is going on. I would say go to Naomi and her friends to help devise a plan to bring Jasper down but she is responsible for killing a man, so she is just as guilty, if not more than Jasper. Even if there was a way for Annie to make Jasper out to be the bad guy without getting caught up in her guilt herself…it wouldn’t seem right. Speaking of what’s right and what’s wrong…Silver doubting Teddy’s loyalties to her and sending Gia to spy on him was quite fun to see, until things turned out to not be in Silver’s favor. Of course Silver can’t keep anything to herself when she feels guilty, so now Teddy needs space. Nobody can hate on Silver for doing the right thing when she does something “wrong” but it is interesting to think about what is right and what is wrong, especially when it comes to Silver. That’s what I like about her character. She is so complex and in an intriguing and thought provoking way. Lastly though, Amber Wallace (One Tree Hill) guest starred as Lila who went on a hot date with Navid and was a member of the band Adrianna auditioned for and got into. Adrianna trying to get Navid back quietly or at least keeping tabs on him and Navid seeming to being moving on…ah it was so sad to see. While Navid can do better in a sense, Ad & Navid seem so right! Maybe not though…maybe if Ad tried having a relationship with Gia, she could discover that females are better for her. Only time will tell.

Melrose Place – Mulholland

Lauren: Look Riley, you just came out of a 5 year relationship that didn’t end well. Have some fun.

Good episode. Now that Lauren is in this predicament of Michael blackmailing her for knowing about her other job, will Lauren come clean to David soon or will Michael’s plan out her? Does it matter as much now that Lauren broke up with David? Will neither of those options play out and will David find out on his own about Lauren? I say this because after being broken up right after the “Noah is my son from Vanessa” confession…what Lauren said to him might encourage him to find out what path she is on and how he can fit into it. Does the ring David was trying to steal from Morgan’s family (Melissa Ordway) have anything to do with wooing Lauren or it’s simply for his business plans? As for the other couple…Ella and Jonah on their first outing as a couple was sweet until Ella turned it into work, which then brought on an argument and the two giving each other space. These two are so cute together and yet so complex with such different lifestyles…it will be interesting to see where these two are by the end of the season, if they are still together. Lastly, Riley kissing her boss was not cool, especially since Amanda found out through her PI. It was unfortunate but expected for her boss to give her an ultimatum and a very intelligent choice for Riley to break up with him and leave the job with her head held high. Riley rose above the nonsense. So is a relationship with Drew next? Good episode but I’m still not as excited about watching this show as I was when it first began.

Ugly Betty – Million Dollar Smile

Betty: I hit my head…I don’t know, maybe I have a concussion or…

What an exciting episode this was! Kathy Najimy guest starred as Dr. Frankel who takes Betty to an alternate reality after a bump on the head. Alternate realities are my favorite episodes in TV shows and this was no different. Viewers got to see Hilda as the ugly sister, with no son, and marrying a much older man. Ignacio was a gambler and seemed to have no sight of his morals and family lifestyle. At work, Betty seemed to have made it to the top after being Wilhelmina’s assistant! Which of course meant that Marc assisted Betty. Though he was as nice as can be to Betty’s face, he was terrified of her and what a sight that was. At least his personal life seemed stable and satisfying, with a partner and baby girl. Will we get to see Marc fall in love before the series is over? The most painful part of the alternate reality was watching Amanda be a best friend to Betty instead of Marc. Amanda + Marc forever! Also disappointing but expected in a way was finding Amanda and Daniel as a married couple, both cheating on each other. They are best off in an open relationship, alternate reality or not. Lastly in the alternate reality…it really hurt to see Claire butting heads with Betty since their relationship in the real world is so genuine and nice and heartwarming in a sense to see. There’s a bit more that is said and seen in the alternate reality that I won’t spoil because it is just all so good! I will say that it was incredibly refreshing to see America Ferrera as a pretty Betty. America is gorgeous and it is about time we saw that under all of the “ugliness” created for the ugly Betty character. In reality, it should not have surprised me that Betty would be getting her braces taken off at work (well at a work event). Her work life and personal life never cease to part. Betty getting her braces off was just the beginning of Betty’s transformation but such a pivotal moment in the show as it makes the mark of the end of the series seem all the closer. It was so bittersweet to watch and this wasn’t even the last episode.

Vampire Diaries – A Few Good Men

Damon: If she’s related to Elena maybe she’s related to Katherine and Katherine sent her to me. It can’t be a coincidence that Isobel sought me out.

This was another great episode full of revelations and questions. In the beginning of the episode, Elena found out that Alaric’s wife is her birth mother and at this point believes she had died. She continues to look for more answers about her birth parents and seems to almost get herself into the same dangerous predicament after visiting Trudy as she was in when she got in a car accident not too long ago. But it doesn’t take long for both Elena and Alaric to find out more as they both learn that Damon did not kill Isobel, but he turned her! Alaric had quite a lot to deal with in this episode, finding out he has a daughter and finding out his wife is indeed a vampire. Since Alaric is protected by Isobel’s ring, will Damon come after Alaric again or is it not even worth it? Will Alaric search for Isobel or will Isobel send a warning to him like she did to Elena? Now that Elena has heard the voice of her birth mother…surely that will drive her even more to finding her, despite the warning. It will be quite a journey for her in the next few episodes and I really hope she comes face to face with her birth mother before the season is over. Aside from the main story line, Melinda Clarke (The OC) guest starred as Matt’s mother. How many episodes will she appear in? Whatever the number, it needs to be more because I can’t get enough of her! Lastly, I have no idea what is going on with the vampire that escaped the tomb and is now meeting and scheming with Anna and her mother. I honestly thought the Anna story line was over with so I’m not too thrilled to see this go on. Overall, this was such a good episode and I am anticipating what is coming next for Elena.

Flash Forward – Blowback

Zoey: Baby, I’m scared. I don’t want you to die.

What an intriguing episode all about the lengths one will go for the one they love. Quite a shocker right out of the gate in this episode! Who knew Aaron had a criminal past?! This episode focused on Aaron trying to figure out why a black-ops unit was looking for his daughter. The moment he opened his mouth and told his friend that his daughter was at his house, I knew it was on. It was so Edge of Darkness. Looking forward to seeing what Aaron does to reunite with his daughter. As for the others in this episode…Zoey going to Mark about Demetri’s future murder was bold and smart but it didn’t get her anywhere and showed more of Mark’s colors…he would be willing to kill Demetri if he was a traitor. Hmmm. What did surprise me (why it did, I don’t know since…why wouldn’t you go the distance for the one you love?) was Zoey going to Mark’s workplace and demanding to look at the classified Mosaic files. Good thing girl’s a lawyer…otherwise this kind of help would not be available to her. Can Zoey make a positive difference or will she also be putting herself in danger? As for Mark…Mark and Lloyd putting the pieces together of their flash forwards was interesting to see because it almost makes me believe that the two are not just working together but friendly to each other in the future, despite the love triangle. Lastly, Janis trying to get pregnant was so heartwarming to see since she finally is taking action into her beliefs that she doesn’t want her life to be all about the FBI. It’s amazing what a little peak into the future will do for someone’s hope and outlook on life. This was such a powerful episode and one of my favorites of the season because it was incredibly engaging and thrilling in every moment. Looking forward to many more of those moments.

The Office – Happy Hour

Michael: Hi, I’m date Mike. Nice to meet me. How do you like your eggs in the morning?

Episodes have been more dramatic recently, so this was a pleasant surprise. There was lots to laugh at and there were no incredibly awkward moments either. Everyone going out for drinks was quite entertaining to watch since Pam came out of the house to hang out, she tried to hook Michael up with her friend, Julie, Dwight reconnected with Pam’s friend, Isabel, and lots more! I was quite surprised that Dwight chose Isabel over Angela and that Isabel stayed with Dwight for the moment even after finding out about Dwight’s agreement with Angela. As far as healthy relationships go…Erin and Andy trying to keep their relationship a secret was hilarious and so unnecessary! Thankfully it didn’t last long because if anyone in the office didn’t know what was going on with these two, they were not paying any attention. Lastly, Oscar trying to score a date with his co-worker was interesting since this story line kind of came up to the surface in quite a random sense. Not sure what to think about this story line in regards to how much we are going to see. It would be nice to see more, so hopefully this is not too minor in future episodes. Overall, this was a great episode and focused on many of the characters as opposed to about a few, so that was nice. This was definitely more enjoyable than the past few episodes…though still not up to par with how funny we all know this show can be. I am really looking forward to an incredible episode to air before the season is over.

Caprica – End of Line

Tamara: You’re wasting your life. I don’t want you watching me… because if that’s all you do, that’s all you’ll ever do.

What a fantastic mid-season finale! There were some amazing revelations and many more questions that arose from this episode. Zoe attempting to escape was a moment we all had been waiting for, so that was quite exhilarating to see. Now that Zoe has crashed and the cylon has ultimately been destroyed…how will her avatar make it into the real world again? How and when will Daniel tell Amanda about all that has been going on with Zoe? Will Amanda and Daniel have a more open dialogue after Daniel’s confession and Amanda’s suicide attempt? After losing a daughter, finding out that your husband hired people to kill and steal for him, and dreaming about her dead brother, I’d say it’s understandable why Amanda has been so down. But will she have another chance to attempt suicide again or will she go into a recover program? Will Sister Clarice take advantage of Amanda’s weakness and continue to use Amanda to get to Daniel’s work or will she back off? Will Lacy go to Sister Clarice and tell her she was supposed to kill her to honor Barnabas who is the STO or will Sister Clarice find out somehow? Is Lacy able to leave the STO or will her life be on the line if she chooses to do so? Aside from the questions that arose after watching this episode…a big shocker of the night was finding out that the woman helping Joseph in Cap City was his mother! I would really much rather like that Joseph never find out that tid bit…or if he does, years from now when he is in the right frame of mind to accept and understand why she did what she did. Joseph watching Tamara “die” and then being killed in Cap City by Tamara herself, stopping him from ever coming back was heartbreaking and yet so very much needed. Though with the news at Upfront that this story line has not wrapped up, one can only imagine what is next for Joseph to deal with. There is so much in store for the second half of the season and the writers did a fabulous job setting up what is sure to be only a portion of what they have planned. Last week and this week’s episodes are my favorite of the season and portray clearly why I love this show so much. I can’t wait for new episodes to air this fall.