Game of Thrones – Recap & Review – Winter is Coming

photo: hbo

Game of Thrones
Winter is Coming

Original Air Date: Apr 17, 2011

Meg – Staff Writer
meg@thetwocentscorp.com

After months (and months and months) of HBO telling me that “winter is coming!” it’s finally here! Game of Thrones (based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series) has finally come to the small screen.

I recognize that a reviewer is supposed to be somewhat unbiased. But, this is The Two Cents and—in sharing my two cents—I’m admitting off the bat that I am insanely biased. I love this series. I devoured the novels last year and staked out recapping rights when this series was but a glimmer in HBO’s corporate genius eye.

But enough fangirly gushing from me—on to the show!

The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business – Recap and Review – I Cannot Deal with your Psycho Behavior (Vienna, Austria)

photo: cbs

The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business
I Cannot Deal with your Psycho Behavior (Vienna, Austria)

Original Air Date: Apr 17, 2011

Rachel – Sr. Managing Editor
rachel@thetwocentscorp.com

I’m pinch hitting again for our fearless recapper Farrah who is moving across the country. Best wishes to you, my dear! At least you’re not moving from India to Austria (lame segue, I know)! This week we travel from India to Austria, where there are some Freudian slips, a lot of schnitzel, and references to not one but two Julie Andrews films. With that I give you…

The Top 6 Things I Learned From The Amazing Race:

1. Zev and Justin: Even if a team is forced to do both sides of the Detour, that team can still come in first. Eat a meal in twelve minutes? No problem! Wait… what? Not one team who took the “Quick & Easy Meal” branch of the Detour finished. Z&J were no exception. Their first choice was to eat an entire Austrian meal (complete with wiener schnitzel, potatoes, and dessert) while riding the Wiener Riesenrad, a Ferris wheel made famous in the film The Third Man (not a Julie Andrews film, by the way). When the boys couldn’t finish the task, they high-tailed it to “Long Hard Walk” where they carried an analyst couch from the home of Sigmund Freud to his place of work at the University of Vienna a couple of miles away. After doing both Detours (and getting lost on campus, I might add), they still hit the mat in first, winning a 2012 Ford Focus… each.

TTC Weekly Picks April 18 – April 24

staff picks

April 18 – April 24

Anne – Associate Editor
anne@thetwocentscorp.net

Every week, the staff at TheTwoCents will be posting their top picks for viewing. They won’t always be the top shows of the week, but the programs that each writer is most looking forward to checking out that week.

So, set your DVRs, watch, and then come back here to discuss how the picks worked out for you.

Brothers & Sisters – Recap & Review – Wouldn’t It Be Nice

photo: abc

Brothers & Sisters
Wouldn’t It Be Nice

Original Air Date: Apr 17, 2011

Karen Belgrad
karenbelgrad@
thetwocentscorp.com

After last week’s two hour extravaganza, tonight’s episode set up the drama that will surely play out for the rest of the season. Kitty and Tommy were still nowhere to be seen, but the rest of the Walker family is out in full force tonight.

Two big secrets seemingly came to light tonight, while another disagreement was actually had and resolved within the hour. Let’s break it down and see what happened, shall we?

Desperate Housewives – Recap & Review – Moments in the Woods

photo: abc

Desperate Housewives
Moments in the Woods

Original Air Date: Apr 17, 2011

Annette – Associate Staff Writer
annette@thetwocentscorp.com

We’re back and gearing up for the season finale.  This is the first of four new episodes straight before the big finale that will change Wisteria Lane.  (We’ve heard that before, haven’t we?)

Mary Alice talks about forgiveness in this episode, and we find out how hard it is for some residents of the Lane to forgive all those past wrongs.

Smallville – Recap & Review – Kent

photo: cw

Smallville
Kent

Original Air Date: Apr 15, 2011

Addison- Senior Reviewer
addison@thetwocentscorp.com

How do you let go of the things that used to protect us? Can you let go of the past? When Clark is once again transported to the Alternate World he discovers just how dark things could become. A death of someone close to him and a reunion with a loved one show him that it’s time to move on, but could that mean selling the Kent Farm and moving to Metropolis?

Smallville has returned from its long hiatus for the final episodes before the series finale, and get ready for one heck of ride. They always save the best for last.

Degrassi – Recap & Review – Drop The World (Part One)

photo: teennick

Degrassi
Drop The World (Part One)

Original Air Date: Apr 15, 2011

Karen Belgrad – Associate Editor
karenbelgrad@
thetwocentscorp.com

And so it begins, as it ends. We’re now at the penultimate episode of Degrassi: In Too Deep. We’ve got one episode left before the spring finale. And Degrassi is ready to go there!

This week is largely about the set-up for next week, but it didn’t make it any less breathtaking. We’ve got our usual three story arcs happening, so let’s take a look and see what’s going on with our favorite high school students.

Fringe – Recap & Review – Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

photo: fox

Fringe
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

Original Air Date: Apr 15, 2011

Rachel – Sr. Managing Editor
rachel@thetwocentscorp.com

Oh, Bellivia. How I’ve missed you. In case you’ve just joined us (silly, silly you), William Bell’s consciousness is in Olivia’s body. Olivia’s consciousness is hidden somewhere inside her own brain where she’s obviously watched a lot of Inception and The Walking Dead.

After a failed attempt to shift Belly into a very Jell-O-y new residence (in the form of a brain-dead older gentleman), Olivia peeks through the murk and asks for help before collapsing in a serious seizure. They rush her to the ER where Belly takes over again and shares some bad news. When he first started experimenting with soul magnets 30 years ago, his test subjects “got lost” after two weeks. Apparently, at a certain point, the brain can no longer accommodate the consciousness of two people and one starts to fade away. Judging by the events of the day, Belly surmises that the team just has a day to get Olivia back before she disappears completely.

Supernatural – Recap & Review – My Heart Will Go On

photo: cw

Supernatural
My Heart Will Go On

Original Air Date: Apr 15, 2011

Alyssa Silva – TwoCents Reviewer
alyssa@thetwocentscorp.com

Supernatural is back baby! After what felt like a tortuously long hiatus filled by me looking up videos from various conventions, and having Kripke tease about the season finale, I was expecting an episode designed to help start bookending the mythology that Gamble & Co begun at the start of the season. I got something that was half-mythology, half-introspection. It all starts with that eternal burning question: how would your life change if the Titanic didn’t sink?

To find out how the Winchesters get on without Celine Dion’s seminal classic, read on after the jump!

Confirmed: AJ Cook signed a two year deal with Criminal Minds

photo: cbs

It has been confirmed that AJ Cook, known as Jennifer ‘JJ’ Jareau on hit tv show Criminal Minds has signed a two year deal to come back as a series regular this fall. Her first appearance back will be in the May 18th season finale as a guest star.

The good news was posted by AJ Cook herself on twitter. And has been re-tweeted by cast and crew members. No details on how JJ’s coming back are known at this point.

At the beginning of the season AJ Cook’s departure from the show stirred up fan actions to get her and Paget Brewster back but the network was relentless. No matter how many actions were started on the internet and mainly on twitter, AJ’s option was not picked up.

JJ left supposedly to move on to a bigger, better job with the government at the Pentagon. She briefly returned for Paget Brewsters’ (Emily Prentiss) last episode as a guest star.

With the recent departures of executive producers Ed Bernero and Simon Mirren, Criminal Minds will be run solely by executive producer Erica Messer and seems to be heading in a new direction.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for more good news!