Saturday Night Live – Recap & Review – Zooey Deschanel

photo: nbc

Saturday Night Live
Zooey Deschanel

Original Air Date: Feb 11, 2012

Len – Senior Reviewer
len@thetwocentscorp.com

Sometimes you get a Valentine’s Day gift that absolutely floors you – like plane tickets to an exotic destination, or an engagement ring in your champagne, or having your sweetheart spray paint your name on an overpass (it’s a DIVERSE country, people).

Other times, you just get a very simple gift that, at second glance, turns out to be a really sweet gesture that puts a smile on your face. And that, to me, was tonight’s episode, hosted by actress, musician, and New Girl star Zooey Deschanel. I like Zooey Deschanel. At first, I felt underwhelmed by most of the show. But then when I thought back to every time she was in a sketch tonight, I smiled. I may not have LMFAO’d (more on that later), but I lit up a wee bit.

And that’s fine, because I only ask SNL to follow one simple maxim: Make me laugh. Or if you can’t make me laugh, at least make me smile. If you were looking for the huge belly laughs tonight, you probably didn’t find everything you were looking for. But I still thought it was a pretty good show overall, even though a few dead roses got lumped into the floral arrangement.

So click the link and read my Valentine’s gift to you. And if you didn’t get me anything, that’s cool. Just post your TwoCents in the comments at the end, and we’ll call it even!

Supernatural – Recap & Review – Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie

photo: cw

Supernatural
Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie

Original Air Date: Feb 10, 2012

Anne – Associate Editor
anne@thetwocentscorp.com

We all have fears; some more rational than others. What is your biggest fear? Mine is fire. But at the same time, I love fire. It amazes me. I can go down to my parents’ house and watch the fireplace for hours. It’s the same way with tornadoes for me. I’m awed by them, but scared to death. As for a more irrational fear, I would have to say it’s the sleestaks from Land of the Lost. I used to have nightmares about them as a child and they still scare me. Stupid reptiles.

For those of us who have been watching from the beginning, it’s no secret that Sam Winchester is deathly afraid of clowns. Let’s just say tonight is not his night.

CSI:NY – Recap & Review – The Ripple Effect

photo: cbs

CSI:NY
The Ripple Effect

Original Air Date: Feb 10, 2012

Maria – Sr. Reviewer
maria@thetwocentscorp.com

The episode starts with a man walking through the streets on New York with a revved up chainsaw, cutting down a tree. In the apartment above, two men are in the middle of an exchange, then the man runs chased by the other guy. The running man ends up dead at the foot of over a hundred steps, bloody and broken. Did he fall, or was he pushed?

Blue Bloods – Recap & Review – Leap of Faith

photo: cbs

Blue Bloods
Leap of Faith

Original Air Date: Feb 10, 2012

FK – Sr. Editor
farrah@thetwocentscorp.com

So the Giants won the Superbowl. I bet the Reagan family – diehard Jets fans – are bummed. But none of that this week, straight to business.

This week is all about faith. Frank is approached to give his evaluation of backing a Saint while Danny and Jackie are assigned to a case where the only suspect is being accused by someone who talks to the man upstairs. Do they listen to her or ignore her?

Fringe – Recap & Review – Welcome to Westfield

photo: fox

Fringe
Welcome to Westfield

Original Air Date: Feb 10, 2012

Rachel – Sr. Managing Editor
rachel@thetwocentscorp.com

Do you like The Walking Dead? How about The Thing or Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Play a little Silent Hill in your day? Watch a little Twilight Zone? Well, then, this episode is for you! I’m not sure if the writers meant to homage a lot of great SciFi, but they did. Heck, there was even some Buffy in there! And I’m complaining. At all.

Olivia is awoken (from a very hot-and-heavy Peter dream, I might add) by a phone call from Peter needing help with The Machine. He and Walter have been working on it non-stop for days and have made a breakthrough. They have come up with a bio-mechanical interface that is calibrated to only respond to Peter, but need authorization from Broyles to test it. Enter: Olivia. They need her to sweet-talk the director.

Merlin – Recap & Review – A Servant of Two Masters

photo: syfy

Merlin
A Servant of Two Masters

Original Air Date: Feb 10, 2012

Melanie – TwoCents Reviewer
melanie@thetwocentscorp.com

I can’t deny it, I loved this episode. Sure, there isn’t a big adventure-journey, or some threat to the whole of Camelot to be contended with (at least not a direct threat to the lives of all in Camelot) but there is a shirtless king (twice! Yay!), a visit from the ever-hilarious Dragoon/Emrys, and an encounter between Emrys (80 yr old Merlin) and Morgana.

And then there’s Merlin’s attempts to kill Arthur…

Grimm – Recap & Review – Tarantella

photo: nbc

Grimm
Tarantella

Original Air Date: Feb 10, 2012

Wyner C – TwoCents Reviewer
wyner@thetwocentscorp.com

“Instantly, the priestess changed into a monstrous goblin-spider and the warrior found himself caught fast in her web.’

The itsy bitsy spider went up a nifty loft.
Down came the violence and pissed the spider off.
Out came acid and the freaky fangs.
And the itsy bitsy spider devoured the frisky man.

Can you guess the creature of the week and the killing method?

A Gifted Man – Recap & Review – In Case of Complications

photo: cbs

A Gifted Man
In Case of Complications

Original Air Date: Feb 10, 2012

Dennis – TwoCents Reviewer
dennis@thetwocentscorp.com

So you guys know that basically every medical drama, or just procedural in general, is obligated to do a hostage episode, right? Well, we got A Gifted Man’s answer to that trope tonight. Clinica Sanando gets taken hostage by a woman who wants Michael to pay for what he did to her family.

So what did Michael do that made this woman so angry? And which one of the residents was a possible casualty of tonight’s episode? Read on for tonight’s recap.

The Mentalist – Recap & Review – At First Blush

photo: cbs

The Mentalist
At First Blush

Original Air Date: Feb 9, 2012

Kym – TwoCents Reviewer
kym@thetwocentscorp.com

Let me just start by saying “Bravo”! This weeks episode proves the point I’ve been trying to make all season. Patrick Jane doesn’t need Red John. Red John’s not even hinted at during this episode. Jane simply makes a wholly altruistic decision based on a gut feeling, proving that he has come to enjoy being the good guy and doesn’t need his crusade for justice to motivate him. The results were, in my opinion, engaging and entertaining.

There is no body to look at this week, the victim is long dead. Instead we start with Jane seeing Eve Mulberry, well-known vineyard and winery owner, being raked over the coals by the press before going in for closing arguments. She’s on trial for murder and all Jane wants to know is this – did she love her parents.

The Big Bang Theory – Recap & Review – The Vacation Solution

photo: cbs

The Big Bang Theory
The Vacation Solution

Original Air Date: Feb 9, 2012

Kym – TwoCents Reviewer
kym@thetwocentscorp.com

Physics Mad-Libs? Really? I see a flaw in Sheldon’s plan to get kids “interested” in Physics this way. They’d already need to know about irrational constants and the Greek alphabet – not subject matter for your average kid. They also wouldn’t get the joke if they didn’t already know Physics. I do know some Physics, and I didn’t get it. Sheldon’s hysterical laughter does indicate that he needs a vacation though, which he’s being ordered to take. Starting Monday – whatever will he do with an entire week off?

But that question pales in comparison to the question Bernadette’s about to ask Howard…..