06.30 It Takes A Thief
11.00 The Avengers
01.00 Kolchak: The Night Stalker

It Takes A Thief. Episode 5. "One Illegal Angel" Very good. Nothing flashy this time. It's a simple tale, well told. Al steals a painting to sell it to The Bad Guy. He then has to swap the real painting with a fake (which contains a bug placed there by the Good Guys). The first half of the episode is devoted to Al's relationship with the women checking the authenticity of the painting. Katherine Woodville is great. Very classy and sexy. The second half is all about Al doing his thing: breaking and entering. And (for the first time in the series) rescuing The Girl.



The Avengers. Episode 135. "Look- (stop me if you've heard this one) But There Were These Two Fellers..." Pure Avengers. This is as good as it gets, baby. I would/could never tire of watching this masterpiece. Why is it so good?

The killers are two clowns! The find ingenious ways to commit the murders and then dance out of camera shot to a very jaunty tune. Clowns! On a murderous rampage (and there are lots and lots of murders in this one) while in full clown make-up! It's genius. And they totally manage to make it work. Plus, as I said, the killings are cool. My favourite? The killers unspool a long red carpet, wait for their victim to walk upon it and they pull it from under him (sending him falling through a nearby open window to his demise far below!). Where else would you see that?

Linda Thorson is beautiful beyond belief in each and every shot. She wears a succession of fantastic outfits and is both funny and charming in scene after scene. Her prolonged scene of awkwardness with the man she is protecting is a classic. And her outfit for the final (funny scene) is simply breath-taking. I gasp when she walks into shot.

The mastermind behind the plot gives his orders using Punch And Judy puppets. What more needs to be said about that?



The guest stars are fantastic. Jimmy Jewel is one of the killers. That's pretty cool. But the whole episode is stolen by John Cleese and Bernard Cribbins as two of the murder victims. Cribbins turn as joke writer (firing joke after joke at Steed) must be one of the best guest shots ever in the series history.

The comedy is way, way Over The Top. It reaches it's zenith in the final minutes with a succession of costume changes during a fight scene. Everything from a cowboy to an Indian is included. Completely absurd. Even Steed gets in on the trick for the hilarious final seconds.

Such a delight. A true classic.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Episode 6. "Firefall" The series puts a bold step into uncharted territory. Everyone has heard of Jack The Ripper, vampires, zombies, UFOs and werewolves, the foes that Carl faced in his first five episodes. But from here on in the show has to get a bit more creative, and is - in my opinion - all the better for it. These episodes, more than any others, are the ones that can seen as templates for shows like The X-Files and Supernatural.

So how does it measure up to the expected Kolchak formula?

The Bad Guy. This time out the baddie is a ghost, a doppelganger spirit that can burn you alive if you fall asleep and ultimately wants to take your place. It's totally goofy, but it's highly creative and lots of fun to watch. Since the evil he faces isn't as easy to define as in earlier stories, Kolchak takes a while to (logically) figure out what it is. So much the better for the show. Our hero investigates several real-world options before accepting that this is a supernatural force. He seems much less like a nut, and very much like a clever reporter.

The Authority Figure. After two great ones (the LA Cop and the Ship's Captain) we are back to having a bland forgettable police Sgt. He's no real match for Kolchak and, since this is an episode without a conspiracy, he is matter less to the story.

The Conspiracy. There isn't one this time. There's no indication that the cops know what is happening. Kolchak does end up arrested at the very end, but it's not part of a cover-up this time.

The Experts. Kolchak often enlists Ordinary People as Experts in his quests. This time out there are two. David Doyle and Madlyn Rhue are two of the best. He plays a flame/fire expert and she plays a fake psychic who actually knows a lot of this stuff and is, in fact, the character to tells the viewer what is happening.

The Regular Cast. Not much comedy from the regulars this time out. Simon Oakland is good as always, but the script gives his very little to do (that is funny or interesting) and it totally ignored the others.

The FX. The effects don't match the script and kinda ruin the early scenes. The Ryder Bond doppelganger is too transparent. We can barely see him. Yet witnesses claim the saw the man clearly. It would have made much more sense to have skipped the effects altogether and just have Fred Beir walk in and out of shot quickly. That's always bugged me about this episode.

The Scare Factor. Off the chart!! The scenes in the church are classic. The music and sound effects are beyond superb and Fred Beir is totally creepy leaning in the various windows.

The Logic. This one skips a beat here and there. The witnesses claiming to have seen Ryder Bond when (thanks to goofy effects) he can barely be made out on-screen is one great big logic flaw for me. Also, if the doppelganger can only kill sleeping people, how come he is able to kill one guy who is driving a car. Did he dose off? What the heck happened?

Flaws aside, I still think of this as a damn-near perfect episode of KTNS. Grade: A

Highlight? The Avengers (pure avengers)
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11.00 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
01.00 The Larry Sanders Show
01.30 Curb Your Enthusiasm
02.00 Son Of The Beach

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Season 3, Episode 8. "Frank Sets Sweet Dee On Fire" I loved Melrose Place. I devoured it. It was the über-soap. It spat out storylines with reckless abandon, changing direction every few weeks, and it was a delight. Always Sunny reminds me of that. Aside from the fact that it is very, very funny I love this show because no two episodes are remotely alike. It completely recreates itself every single week and I am in awe. This week, the characters decide that they want fame more than anything else. Dee and Mac spend the episode trying to get into a nightclub, while the others run about town posing as a TV news crew in search of the big story (which somehow involves putting kittens in deadly peril).

There are many wonderful comedy moments. Every time the camera cut to Dennis dancing like a demon I cracked up. Particularly after the stand-out scene where Dee verbally abused the bouncer. I also loved the local access TV show of the dancing men, which the gang loudly derided but couldn't manage to turn away from.

The Larry Sanders Show. Episode 1. "The Hey Now Episode" Before The Office, there was The Larry Sanders Show, where comedy and drama held hands on a weekly basis. The first episode filmed is a pretty good introduction to the world of late-night TV host Larry Sanders and his 'friendship' with sidekick Hank Kingsley. The other characters get put to the background somewhat in this story, as Larry takes umbridge at Hank's catchphrase and asks him to stop using it. The mid-portion of the episode is deadly serious as the two men have a bitter conversation and leave the dressing room in silence. Larry walks around for a while. Upset. The camera follows him. But there is no dialogue.

Right from the get-go you know that, while this is a funny show, it is not just a funny show.

Curb Your Enthusiasm. Episode 2. "Ted and Mary" Solid episode. Larry and Cherly befriend Ted and Mary. However, Larry likes Mary more than Ted and wants to hang out with her. His 'like' takes on 'crush'-like proportions and - pretty soon - Larry has transformed himself into a man who loves to go shopping with women, just so he can hang with Mary. It's great fun watching Larry and knowing (because he's right about social conventions) that he is doing something wrong. And that it will blow up in his face.



Son Of The Beach. Episode 2. "Two Thongs Don't Make a Right" Less over-the-top than the opener, this episode is still very funny. A kid goes missing on the same day that the Mayor has banned thongs on the beach. Notch stands up for the thong and - in the process - loses his job. But, guess what? He still goes after the missing kid! What a guy!

Timothy Stack can make any line funny. And he does. But there are other laughs to be had. Best bit? The little boy (trapped in an underground cavern) is praying for rescue. He offers up the promise that he will never again look at top-shelf magazines, or want to see naked girls, if God sets him free. At which point Jaime Bergman (clad in her yellow bikini) falls from the sky in front of him! Hilarious.

Highlight? The Larry Sanders Show (it's just as much about the friendship as anything else)
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05.30 The Sarah Connor Chronicles
06.30 Prison Break
07.30 Slings And Arrows
02.30 The Twilight Zone
03.00 Big Wolf On Campus

The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Season 2, Episode 10. "Strange Things Happen At The One Two Point" It puzzles me that TSSC never became a big ratings hit. Maybe the show is too cerebral? Despite the fact that most episodes (including this one) feature a strong action element, this is still show driven by concepts and ideas. It's a clever show. Maybe too clever for it's own good.

The show is not driven by easy-to-define ideas, while the other best shows on TV are. "Find Earth", "Get off the island", "Steal Scylla" are the engines drive other TV shows and you can see - every week - how the heroes are progressing towards that goal. On TSCC it may not be possible, for the average viewer, to see how the story onscreen fits into the stated aim of the heroes: "Stop Skynet."

This is not a criticism. Just an observation. I love this show and every element of it. And the show's fans love it. I just don't think that the average viewer (who flicks across channels and finds the show) is going to see anything that will grab them. It's a pity. It's a remarkable show. And this is yet another very strong episode. One packed with some surprises.

Sarah becomes involved with a company called Dakara Systems because she believes that they will lead her to the Turk (from Season One) and - once again - the show introduces us to apparently decent people whose actions will inadvertently lead to the rise of Skynet. It's one of my favourite elements of the show: Sarah and the gang having to stop good people.

Things are not as they appear, however, and by the end of the story Sarah is kicking ass in a major way. She throws the Dakara guy around the room in much the same manner that Cameron flings people around and reminds me that she is still the central hero in the show. Lena Headey does a great job in the role. She not only makes Sarah believable as an action hero but she conveys all the confusion/doubt that the character has been experiencing in recent episodes.

This is the episode that tells us that Riley is all all she appears to be. I love the character of Riley. Not because of the character herself. It's not like liking Emerson Cod on Pushing Daisies, which means I love the character and if they spun him off into his own show I would want to watch it. No, this affection for Riley is based on how she fits into this show and how she affects John. His mother and the rest of the gang have told him to stay away from Riley and he has disregarded them every step of the way. I find that fascinating, as an example of his growth into manhood.

Tonight we learn that there is much more to Riley. She's an agent for Jesse and she is deliberately trying to get John away from Cameron. Wonderful. The show has made us think in the past about John's influence on Cameron, and we've seen her changing (or appearing to change). Now, for the first time, the show makes me think about Cameron's influence on John. Jesse says it. In the future, he has spent decades with this woman/android. She is his only confident. And that is fascinating.

It also draws attention to the idea of John and Cameron spending all this time together. A friendship/love that spans the years. And nobody outside the two of them quite understanding what it is that they have. What a tragic 'love affair'.

Tragic is the word to describe the death of Dr. Sherman. Killed by the AI (now called "John Henry") who doesn't understand the idea of death. This incident (which was a twist I did not see coming) allows Ellison - and us - take a fascinating journey into the mind of the AI. What a great creative decision it was to avoid using a corny computer voice and instead allow John Henry to communicate through pictures. Genius.

As Ellison went head to head with John Henry to talk about morals/ethics and The Ten Commandments I was riveted to the screen. These concepts are at the core of what the Terminator Universe should be about. But, again, I wonder what the average viewer makes of all this stuff?

On a sidebar, I notice that the show started off with two strong heroic females and has added three deceptive/duplicitous females to it's ranks in Season Two. And, when you think about it, the jury is still out on Cameron.

Prison Break. Season 4, Episode 12. "Selfless" A thrill ride from start to finish. One of the wonderful things about Prison Break has always been it's skillful storytelling. They always manage to keep back crucial details, and mislead you about what you are seeing. You see something and you think you know what it means. You think you know why the information has been given to you. Misdirection. The stuff of good comedy, good magic and great storytelling.

There were many twists in this episode. We find out who the General's daughter is and we see how Michael uses that to his advantage. We also find out that Self is more than he appears to be.

It was a very satisfying episode. Seeing the General react to everything that Michael said/did was a hoot. Seeing really mean bad guys get taken down in spectacular fashion is part of the reason for watching this wonderful show. And it never fails to deliver.

Slings And Arrows. Episode One. "Oliver's Dream" Superb opening episode. Most of the hour is devoted to Oliver Wells and the opening night of his 10th production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in the town of New Burbage. It's a flat, lifeless production and Oliver knows it. So his story is a sad one, but not without its laughs. Other characters step into the limelight: An eager young actress, her jaded friend, the general manager of the theatre/festival and - most notably - an actor who is no longer part of life in New Burbage.

It's a superb opening hour. The feeling of backstage life is perfectly captured. I've been there and I recognise the types. It's a superb cast but Martha Burns really impressed me.

The Twilight Zone. Season 3, Episode 4. "The Hunters" Some cave paintings come to life, kill an archaeologist and are then destroyed by the local sheriff. End of story. Not much of a story. Just a tale of an odd happening, with nothing much to tie it to the characters in the story. The first three episodes were much stronger. The first tale was about one man's vision of the world. Story two was also a personal tale while the third one was a study in personal guilt. This one is different. And is all the weaker for it.

Michael Hogan is good as the Sheriff, Louise Fletcher is a bit stiff as the archaeologist, and the while thing looks good. The scenes where she is being menaced in the cave are very effective. When the Sheriff sees the cave paintings move, it looks great.

But, ultimately, none of it means anything.

Big Wolf On Campus. Episode 15. "Fangs for the Memories" Some vampires hit town. It's an okay story but the pace is quite slow. There are only a few changes of setting/location and most of the story is confrontations between the heroes and the bad guys. The show is at it's best when it stops for comedy. Very few of the comedy highlights are Merton-based, which is unexpected, and the character of Stacey is not at all nice. For instance, she is really horrible to Tommy for coming to her rescue (when she is being hassled by the vampire guys). It looks like some misguided attempt at writing female empowerment.

Highlight? Prison Break (satisfying)
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05.30 Law And Order
06.30 Raising The Bar
07.30 30 Rock
08.00 Keen Eddie
09.00 Flashpoint
10.00 24

Law And Order. Season 18, Episode 15. "Bogeyman" It's great to see Nicki Aycox in a good guest role, but this is a weak story. It's mostly about a crazy religious group which is very similar to a story from two weeks ago, and the killer is too much of a nut to be believed. He shoots his wife for very odd/fuzzy reasons, he throws himself out a 4th floor window to frame somebody and he is tricked - at the very end - by some very wacky logic. I bought none of it. Too early, also, to see if I am warming to Lupo's new partner.

Raising The Bar. Episode 4. "Richie Richer" Great to see a show where the heroes all care so darn much. At first I thought Jerry was the only lawyer on this show who wore his heart on his sleeve for every client, but now I see that Richard is itching to hug every one of them and Rosalind is crying cos one client gets killed in this episode. I'm not making fun of the show. I like seeing all these earnest people. It's refreshing in a cynical age.

The ending to the a-plot in this episode is absolutely fascinating. Richard has used the press to get the story out, Judge Kessler is trying to hide her culpability so she intercedes and brings about a swift resolution. More than on any other legal show, you feel you are getting a look into side the system. It's not pretty or perfect, but it's what we've got.

Michelle, meanwhile, is continuing to behave like a total bitch with each and every case that crosses her desk. Is this going to be one of those shows where every client is innocent and the D.A.'s are always the bad guys? I hope not. That will get old fast. I want to like her, but the show is making it hard.

30 Rock. Season 3, Episode 2. "Believe in the Stars" Is it me or does 30 Rock always take a while to get 'up to speed' every season? I'm just not feeling the vibe this year. Again! This is a fine episode. Amusing in places. Weaker than the premier. Weaker than 30 Rock at it's best and certainly weaker than Office, Corner Gas or Always Sunny. Oh well, maybe the next one will have me laughing...

Keen Eddie. Episode 12. "Eddie Loves Baseball" Below average. There are some good ideas in here, but none of it ties together very well. It's starts off very strong. A man witnesses a crime. And when he IDs a suspect it turns out to be a national hero: a famous footballer on the verge of a big game. Our man then becomes the victim of a public hate campaign and he loses his wife and his job in rapid succession. All good so far. However, at the midpoint of the story we learn that it's actually a kidnapping story, and the footballer's child is missing. The last half of the episode is then devoted to finding the child and the eye-witness gets lost in the shuffle. We come back to him at the end, again, but he's not made any great difference to the story. So why do we care? We don't.

Even the 'Miss Moneypenny' scene is a bit of a bust. It's a full-on fantasy sequence, complete with sexy outfit and OTT moaning. Now, while the sight of Rachael Buckley faking an orgasm is enough to put a smile on my face any day of the week it's just wrong for the tone of the scenes between her and Eddie. They work best as subtle asides: things that Eddie may, or may not, have heard. There is a mystery to them. This sequence is just a full-on male fantasy. There's nothing funny or interesting about this. It's just Eddie looking at her and imagining her in another setting. Funnier/Better when she's the one in control and Eddie is suffering from whiplash. With a "What the-?" look on his face.

The episode is not a total washout, however. The Eddie/Fiona scenes are wonderful. She takes a week off work to devote to 'me time' and make herself happy. The final scene of the episode finds Fiona in tears. She confesses that she doesn't know how to be happy. Eddie gives her some words of comfort. It's evident that he cares. And she's glad of the friendship/comfort. The camera pulls away as they are holding hands. Lovely.

Flashpoint. Episode 10. "Eagle Two" Once again the show finds a clever way to break from formula by finding a (slim) reason to turn the team into a security detail protecting some VIPs. This gives the show a fresh look and a chance to see that Amy Jo Johnson is seriously delicious in civvies. Nice. As usual the show delivers a strong story. Colm Feore gives a great performance as a man whose past catches up with him. What makes the story/ending work is that he happens to be very, very much in love with his wife. Flashpoint really sells that story. I'm not sure any other show would. And certainly not this well.

24. "Redemption" The show nearly broke my heart with a very disappointing sixth season. It was hard to stomach vague storytelling and ridiculous characters after the greatness of Season Five. But, after this good movie, I'm ready to forgive. This was 24 as I know and love it.

New Characters were introduced and I cared about them all. I loved the little kid who idolised Jack. I warmed to the new president at once, and her son. And his lingerie-wearing girlfriend (always a good thing!). Plus Jack's friend who was willing to lay down his life for the kids. He was cool. Reminded me of Jack. The bad guy/guys look awesome, too. And there is no indication that any of them is, in any way, related to Jack Bauer. Good. Hope it stays that way. ("Cousin Marty! You're behind all of this?")

The story was good. Both the immediate story of getting the kids to safety. That's the sort of story that works best on 24. A tangible goal that will make you feel good when it is accomplished. Not a squabble over some piece of tech. How is the audience supposed to invest in that? The background story was good, too. Do I trust the lingerie-wearing girlfriend? Not a jot. Do I want to see more of her? You betcha!

The action scenes were good. Jack takes on a squad of baddies at the school in typical 24 fashion. Later, he goes up against a helicopter and - finally - there's a pitch battle on a crowded street.

Jack was badass cool. See previous paragraph!

Yes, this was 24 as I know and love it.

Highlight? 24 (Jack is back!)
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05.30 Pushing Daisies
06.30 Kyle XY
07.30 Supernatural

Pushing Daisies. Season 2, Episode 6. "Oh Oh Oh...It's Magic" Delightful from start to finish. Ned is rather grumpy for the duration of this episode and Lee Pace has a field day with the role. He's hilarious. Anna Friel gets to shine, too, when Chuck tries out various accents and constantly bombards her real mother with phone calls from 'strangers'. With a storyline closely tied to Ned's family background this episode feels less like a case-of-the-week and is all the better for it.

Kyle XY. Season 2, Episode 14. "To C.I.R., With Love" How exactly did Jessi survive that fall? They never tell us. She just did. So... Accept it. Hmm.

It's a good episode. The Treger's now know everything about Kyle and set out to help him. Resulting in the (apparent) ending of several story arcs. Plus the start of some new ones. The show evolves wisely. Phase 1: Nobody knew where Kyle came from. Phase 2: Kyle knew but kept it a secret from his family. Phase 3: Everybody knows. Logical progression. I like it.

Supernatural. Season 3, Episode 1. "The Magnificent Seven" This show works best when it is about two guys on their own. Yet, somehow, the addition of Jim Beaver/Bobby doesn't harm the show at all. I credit the actor with this. He's just a cool guy. And he makes a great third team member.

This is a solid season opener. Long on action. The brawl/fight/attack at the bar was beyond awesome. The stuff with the couple trapped inside was some of the best that the show has ever done, and the fight/rescue that followed immediately was - likewise - an example of the show at it's very best.

Interesting to watch the boys adjust to the latest development in their lives. Sam being passive and letting Dean away with everything. Dean being a big kid and preparing to party like crazy for the year that's to follow. Plus repeatedly mentioning the sacrifice he's made. Good stuff. Can't wait to see where this all leads.

Highlight? Supernatural (scary bar fight)
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05.30 Dexter
06.30 Friday Night Lights
07.30 Burn Notice
08.30 Rising Damp
09.00 The Office
09.30 Corner Gas

Dexter. Season 2, Episode 10. "There's Something About Harry" There's a lot of great stuff in this episode, but all I wanted to see was Dexter and Doakes. How can the show get out of this? I mean, Dexter likes Doakes. He can't actually kill him and still be our hero? Can he? At the mid-way point the episode makes you think that Dexter has actually decided to do the deed. But it proves to be - yet another - red-herring. The show has gotten really good at doing these.

Almost as exciting as the Doakes storyline: Lila. She drugs herself and passes out while on a date with Angel. To what? Frame him? Can't wait to see where this goes and what Dexter does about it...

Friday Night Lights. Season 2, Episode 9. "The Confession" Tami and Julie have more mother-daughter moments. It's good... Don't get me wrong. But haven't they done this already? Or is this different in some way too subtle for me to pick up on?

Much, much better is all the stuff with Santiago and Buddy. I don't know what to think. After Buddy dropped the ball (ha-ha! a FNL joke!) with Riggins a few weeks back, I keep thinking he'll make a mess of things with/for Santiago. But, in this story, he appears to give some really good advice and Santiago gets to not only play at the end but also understand what it's all about: playing with/for your team. Powerful/moving storytelling.

Jason has a dreadful date but, predictably ends up with the waitress. Predictable but irresistibly cute nonetheless.

And, in the main storyline, Landry is cleared of all charges. His guilt/stubbornness nearly ruins things for him. He and Tyra are back on speaking terms now, even hugging and stuff, but they are not dealing with their relationship. Which is what I want to see/hear. Is she going to tell him (on camera) why she said those horrible things to him?

Glenn Morshower continues to steal this show out from under it's named stars in exactly the same way he has been stealing 24 for all these seasons. He's awesome. Every show needs to cast this man in some supporting role. Immediately!

Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 7. "Rough Seas" Everybody's favourite reluctant hero is called in when some medicine (destined for sick kids, of course) is stolen. Never has the show more closely resembled it's forefathers (A-Team, Equalizer, etc.) than in a story like this. There are sick kids in it, for frak sake! And the bad guys have stolen their medicine! How can you not root for Michael and the team.

As usual, it's clever and funny. Michael even gets to be a little jealous of Fiona's mysterious date and Sharon Gless (normally underused) gets several great scenes. Funny lady.



Rising Damp. Season 2, Episode 3. "A Body Like Mine" The formula is intact: Rigsby is shooting his mouth off and Philip challenges him to a boxing match. Sure, it's the exact same idea as last week. It doesn't matter. It's really, really funny. The comedy comes from the conversations and Rigsby's ideas about the world. Most of the episode is devoted to Rigsby and Alan chatting. The landlord and tenant have a close friendship and - at this stage in the series' run - are willing to be each other's confidant. Even when Alan thinks the older man is completely wrong. Which is 100% of the time.

The physical comedy in this one is top notch. The exercise scenes and the actual boxing match are hilarious. The twist ending is delightful.

The Office. Season 5, Episode 8. "Frame Toby" I liked this episode, but a part of me is sorry to see Toby back. I mean, it's as if he was never gone and the whole (wonderful) Holly thing never happened. I loved Holly almost as much as Michael did. So, now, I think I hate Toby too. But not quite as much as Michael does. That's not humanly possible.

The Jim/Pam storyline was predictable but, nonetheless, enjoyable and sweet.

Michael buying grass to frame Toby (with Dwight helping him) generated all the laughs you'd expect from an episode of The Office.



Corner Gas. Season 5. Episode 6. "The Eight Samurai" In a sea of great lines/moments there's a doozy from Oscar: "You ever notice how every few weeks either me or Hank or Wanda has some crazy new job?"

Man, I laughed at that. What prompted it? Well, this is the episode where Wanda becomes... the town bartender. Naturally, her attempts to listen close and give good advice sows seeds of disharmony between Davis and Karen.

The best bits of the episode, though, are the ones that revolve around Dog River's previous attempts to be twinned with a town in Germany. At several instances during the episode, in quick flashes, we get to see what happened: Hank sent a gift, which looked like a bomb and sent the whole town into a mad panic. Wonderful stuff.

Highlight? Dexter (and Doakes) (Oh, and Lila, too)
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07.00 Due South
08.00 The Avengers
10.30 Kolchak: The Night Stalker

Due South. Season 3, Episode 3. "I Coulda Been A Defendant" First time I saw this episode I didn't like it very much. Yet, repeated viewings have made it into one of my favourite episodes. The story isn't really up to much (brother tries to kill brother, yadda, yadda) so, on first viewing, it's rather bland. Thing is: the episode has some fantastic performances and - quite possibly - the most visually/aurally stylish climax that they show ever delivered. On first viewing I really liked that aspect of it, but over the years since it has come to haunt my imagination and remains one of the coolest things I have ever seen in a television show. Ever.

A good Samaritan runs from the TV cameras that captured his good deed. Fraser and Kowalski give chase and, when they spy a gun, they arrest the guy. Turning him into even more of a celebrity. Turns out that he is in the Witness Protection Program. His own brother is the agent that put him there. And, would you believe it, it was the brother that actually did the crime (more or less). It's a Rainman type of scenario. But never mind. In the end, there's a climax in the pouring rain. And I mean pouring. Never has there been a downpour like this. And our heroes are out in it, fighting for their lives in a pitch gun battle, while Dire Straits/Brothers In Arms dominates the soundtrack.

See this once and you will never forget it.

The Avengers. Episode 134. "Have Guns- Will Haggle" Most really good Avengers episodes are high-concept ones. The ones that are easily described in one sentence and revolve around something really unusual. This isn't one of those. It's an average story with only a few Avengers touches.

Lots of high-tech guns have been stolen. And a bidding war follows the theft. Steed (easily) poses as a bidder, while Tara is captured and used as a target for the demonstration. It could be any sixties spy show. And when you can say that about an Avengers episode, you know it's a fairly bland one.

It does have some nice touches. The chief baddie is a frightfully posh, very sexy lady and Steed's rival bidder for the weapons is dangerous but he and Steed conduct very civilised conversations (even after an attempt on Steed's life). It's all very cool. But there's just not enough of it.

Tara switches outfits and wigs with wild abandon (due to behind the scenes production problems) and looks fantastic in every scene. She gets captured easily, it is true, but she acquits herself wonderfully when it matters. As we wait for the duel to start, the viewer is breathless hoping that Tara runs for the same gun as her rival and not to the one that has been left out for her. After the signal is given to run, the camera cleverly hides from us what she is doing, then reveals to us (and him!) that she is right behind him and ready to beat the living tar out of him just as he reaches for his weapon. You go Tara! It's a cheer-out-loud moment in an otherwise dull episode (Apart from a cool car chase earlier on, where Tara shows off her excellent driving skills.)

Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Episode 5. "The Werewolf" One of my favourite episodes. The whole thing is set on a cruise ship so it feels very different to all the other episodes. It's also got some great guest stars. And it's a ton of fun from start to finish.

Christmas at INS and Tony learns (at the last minute) that he cannot go on a working cruise. He is crushed. Carl isn't. He gets to go instead. It's a Single's Cruise. Carl's not too chuffed about that aspect (or with is bubbly cabin-mate: Richard Gautier) but he makes the best of it. Until he (and several crewmembers) witness what can only be a werewolf running amok on the ship. There then follows one of the best Kolchak investigations/situations. He and the passengers are trapped at sea. The captain (a superb Henry Jones) and crew know what is going on, but - of course - they won't tell anybody and they hate Kolchak for knowing. Our hero pulls together a band of helpers (unusual for this show) and they help him find the necessary tools to finish the werewolf. Nita Talbot is the best of the bunch. She's got spark and great chemistry with Darren McGavin. For once the woman working with Carl isn't passive, this lady gets in the trenches (distracting people so Kolchak can get important stuff done) and the episode is all the better for it.

As is always the case with Kolchak episodes, the killing sprees are fast and violent. The action scenes don't look like anything else on TV at the time or since. The activity is fast and (mostly) a fair distance from the camera. It looks, to be honest, like a camera crew filming a real werewolf attack on another deck, or at the other end of the hallway, or whatever. It just looks real. A great compliment for any series about supernatural killers.

Rounding out the great cast is Eric Braeden. We get to see the Bad Guy in this one. Braeden is the werewolf. But, unlike previous killers on the show, he is not a deliberate murderer. In fact, as the story unfolds we are inclined to feel sorry for the man and the hand that fate dealt him.

It's a fast-moving, violent episode with a strong story. And several comedy highlights. Carl pretending to be the Captain's son is a personal favourite of mine. Leading to the great line: "And stop pretending to be my son!"

Highlight? Kolchak (werewolf on a cruise ship, where do you hide?)
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07.30 NCIS
08.30 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
09.00 Supernatural

NCIS. Season 5, Episode 4. "Identity Crisis" When Ducky finds out that one of his cadavers (used for teaching) is actually a victim of murder he goes ballistic. David McCallum rules! I wish he had dominated this episode the way he dominated the opening ten minutes, because I would love to see a Ducky-solo story. Even these few scenes give us a great view of his passion for his work and for justice. Torri Higginson makes a great guest appearance. Hopefully we'll see more of her.

The case-of-the-week, when we get to it, is pretty good. Full of typical NCIS twists and turns. And this time they appear to make total sense. A pretty FBI girl joins the team on this one and Ziva goes ballistic when Tony shows a romantic interest in her. She lays it on a bit strong, as usual, but I find those scenes (between Ziva and Tony) amusing and cute.

It's a fun episode. Tony is relentlessly hilarious in this one.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Season 3, Episode 7. "The Gang Sells Out" When Richard Ruccolo shows up and offers to buy out the bar the guys accept quicker than you can say 'sell out'. This leaves Sweet Dee pennyless and jobless, but they don't care. She finds a job. And when they ruin the deal, like we knew they would, they follow her to her new place of business.

Once you accept that these are vile people, there is no end to the laughs to be had. Sweet Dee's relentless stealing is my favourite part of the whole episode. Not only the act of stealing itself, but her whole attitude/sense-of-entitlement cracks me up whenever her supervisor (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) calls her up on it.

Not quite as over-the-top as some episode, but still hilarious. Not far behind Office/Corner Gas as the funniest show on TV.

Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 21. "All Hell Breaks Loose" It's been a great season for Supernatural. They've added humour to the mix. They've locked down and defined a lot of the rules of their world, while - at the same time - broadened out the show by doing standard stories from the Fantasy genre (Zombie Flick, Parallel World, I can't wait to see them do a time travel story!).

This one is basically a superhero story. Sam and a bunch of people with powers are locked in a ghost town and must fight to the death. The opening reminded me of the first X-Men movie (they even have a Rogue character). The group is likable, there are some surprises in what happens and the demon's plan (although completely goofy) makes sense.

The roadhouse is burned down (Yay!) and the cliffhanger is stunning. Roll on part two...

Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 22. "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part Two" Well, it's not the best episode of Supernatural, but it's a very good one and it's a perfect ending to the story arc of the Fredric Lehne Demon. He even gets his commuppance in glorious slo-mo at the hands of Dean using the gun introduced last season. It's very satisfying. And it speaks of a well planned-out story arc.

Even better it sets up (what appears to be) a great storyline for the third season.

My only gripe is with the Demon's plan. 23 years for this? Really? Was all of this really necessary? And, yes, I know I'm over-thinking it. And, also, missing the point of the episode. What's the point of the episode? Well, Dean hits rock bottom without Sam and does something typically noble/stupid. And it's great. Every darned second of it. But the rest of the episode is just kinda goofy and doesn't really bear too much thinking about.

Highlight? Supernatural (Dean can't live without Sam)
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07.00 Logan's Run
08.00 The Sarah Connor Chronicles
09.00 House
11.30 Big Wolf On Campus
12.00 My Secret Identity



Logan's Run. Episode 7. "Crypt" It might be a tad po-faced and slow in places but this is a great hour of TV. On their way to rescue six cryogenically frozen plague sufferers Logan and his crew are caught in an earthquake and half of the antidote is destroyed! So Logan is face-to-face with six strangers (from 200 years in the past) who only have 48 hours to live, and only enough serum to save three of them. It's a great dilemma, perfectly realised by six talented guest actors: Led by the always-great Christopher Stone and a very sexy Adrienne Larussa who sets out to seduce Logan.

REM (the show's best regular character) gets several solid scenes in this one: trying to understand the strange ways of humans and (in the story's final moments) giving a long speech before revealing which of the candidates are not who they appear to be. Although they both get a fair amount of screentime, Logan and Jessica appear here as secondary characters to REM. The opening scenes are nothing more than the two of them firing questions at REM. Questions he is always able to answer. Later his very nature (as an android) is a matter of much debate among the plague sufferers and - as I said - at the very end he is the one who solves everything.

The end of the story is very good. And, while Logan's Run is certainly not as good/clever as something like Star Trek, it is far above '70s contemporaries like Fantastic Journey, Man From Atlantis or Buck Rogers.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Season 2, Episode 9. "Complications" Another flawless episode. Ellison makes a horrible mistake that has me shouting at the screen in despair. But, given all that has been happening to him this season, it makes sense that he would trust Catherine Weaver. Idiot!

Cameron gets some amazing scenes this week, as her nature continues to evolve. The scenes with John and the moment where she turned Ellison over (from lying on his back) are among the best that the show has ever done with this character.

But the absolute how-frakkin-cool-is-this highlight of the episode was the Derek storyline as he and Jesse capture/torture/execute a man from the future for crimes he committed in a timeline that Derek does not remember anymore. Awesome.

Awesome because we have tangible proof that the heroes are getting some good work done and awesome that a TV show delivers a low-key time conundrum that makes sense. Ideas like the decision to torture the younger version of the prisoner really make this the most exciting show on TV right now.

Brian Austin Green does some of his best work in his scenes with Richard Schiff. The whole thing is a delight.

House. Season 5, Episode 7. "The Itch" When you watch House you keep hoping for things to happen that never will. You want House to show his nice side and treat someone with compassion. In this episode Thirteen (who is dying) is spiralling out of control and you keep hoping House will treat her well, reach out to her. But if he doesn't then he's not really House any more.

It's a great episode. Thirteen's downward spiral into drugs and casual sex is wonderfully realised and you keep hoping the show will offer her a light at the end of the tunnel. But if it does than it's not really House any more.



Big Wolf On Campus. Episode 1. "Pilot" Broad comedy and great characters. While both stars are terrific in their roles it is Danny Smith as the sidekick who gets all the big laughs and provides the main reason for watching/loving this cool little show. The tone of the show allows the comedy bits to be large and OTT, but the moments that allude to the friendship between the guys are played down and - consequently - work. Brandon Quinn is a terrific leading man. Tommy is an atypical superhero. In his normal life he is the popular kid: everybody loves Tommy and he's the star of the school. Becoming a werewolf puts a major crimp in his style until Merton shows up with a ton of answers and their friendship is born.



My Secret Identity. Episode 1. "My Secret Identity" It's got one of the best-ever TV Themes and it's about a comic-book reader who gets superpowers. What's not to love? Jerry O'Connell and Derek McGrath make a great team from the get-go. So what if the mechanics of the plot (the kidnapping of a girl that Andrew likes) are simplistic? It's just a ton of fun watching Andrew master his powers and Jeffcoate rush in to give back-up.

Highlight? The Sarah Connor Chronicles (time-travel conundrum)
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05.30 Prison Break
04.30 NewsRadio

Prison Break. Season 4, Episode 11. "Quiet Riot" Since the start of this season the show has been reminding me of Mission: Impossible. Never more than in this episode, which is dominated by a long sequence of silent action where Michael, Alex, Linc and Sucre execute their plan to break in and steal Scylla.

As well as the fact that this is one of the most tension-filled hours of Prison Break ever filmed this episode illustrates once again why this series deserves to be listed as one of the best shows of all time. Two weeks ago we were witness to one man's very dark journey as Alex Mahone tortured and executed the man who killed his son. This week we have a tour de force of silent action as the four heroes try to steal their goal. There's nothing even remotely alike about these two episodes. Proving that PB can tell any sort of story that it wants to. This, more than anything, separates PB from similar shows like Mission Impossible or 24.

In other news: Jodi Lyn O'Keefe looks totally hot as a 'naughty schoolgirl'. Wow. That's gonna fuel my fantasies for a few weeks.

NewsRadio. Season 2, Episode 20. "Coda" Storylines for Joe and Matthew generate minor laughs while Dave, Bill and Mr. James steal the episode by being locked in a room with an editor trying to create the perfect promo. My favourite bit occurs when the editor goofs around and makes Bill's voice say: "I'm Bill McNeil. On! Crack. I like. Boys" and Bill totally fails to see the humour. That moment gave me one of the biggest laughs the show ever gave me. I think of it from time to time and I always chuckle. "I'm Bill McNeil. On! Crack. I like. Boys"

Highlight? Prison Break (tension)
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05.30 Law And Order
06.30 The Jury
07.30 30 Rock
08.00 Life On Mars
02.30 Wings



Law And Order. Season 18, Episode 14. "Burn Card" GREAT. A script with a very difficult job. Since this is the last episode for Jesse L. Martin, the story has to service him and his character (Ed Green) so that his fans won't feel short-changed. It succeeds. Green shoots a criminal, appears to have planned the murder to cover his own dark deeds (as if!) and is cleared with the revelation that he is covering for someone that he feels responsible for. At the end, he walks out as even more of a hero. Nice.

Amazingly, the script is not dominated by Green. In fact, four of the other five regulars get very meaty roles. The episode gives Jeremy Sisto/Lupo lots of key scenes, too. Confusion over his partner's involvement, passion to clear Green, outrage over the way the D.A.'s are handling it, etc. Lupo continues to be my favourite new TV cop.

Speaking of the D.A.'s this is one of the best-ever episodes for Alana De La Garza and Linus Roache (and their characters). Cutter (to his credit) goes after Green as he would any suspect, while Rubirosa has never been cooler as she defies Cutter (in open court) and de-rails one of the prosecution witnesses. You can almost hear her heart beating in terror, and their confrontation afterwards is the sort of solid character scene the show rarely bothers to do.

Even S. Epatha Merkerson gets lots to do. Van Buren's relationship with Green, Lupo and (new regular) Bernard is explored in several instances. The writers even manage to give Bernard lots of good solid character moments. His introduction as a potential replacement for Green is a bit heavy-handed, unfortunately, but in an episode this great that is not a major problem.

I've enjoyed these 14 episodes of Law And Order as much as any episode from the first decade of the show. While Jerry Orbach and Chris Noth will always be the quintessential detective duo on the show Green and Lupo come pretty darn close (in my book) and I've had an absolute ball watching them together this season. I wish Martin/Green was staying, to be honest.



The Jury. Episode 1. "Pilot" Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana and the other people who made this show also made Homicide, the best cop show ever. And with credits that include stuff like Oz and St. Elsewhere you know that these people cannot deliver anything except High Quality Television. So it is with The Jury, their attempt to do Twelve Angry Men every week.

Case #1 find the jury talking about the case of a cop who may (or may not) have driven over a homeless man and fled the scene. It's a strong case/story and the cast are terrific. In the end it comes down to a discussion over whether the homeless man's life is worth anything when balanced against the life of the cop.

30 Rock. Season 3, Episode 1. "Do-Over" Not the funniest episode but, because I was happy to see it back, I laughed out loud at the most minor of gags. It's an inspired idea for a story. Liz is being evaluated as a potential adoptive mother and the inspector (who followed her to work) is given a severe concussion (by the gang at 30 Rock) and forgets the dreadful morning that has just occurred. Liz could/should take her to hospital but - given the amnesia - opts instead to pretend none of it happened and take the hapless woman on a second tour of the building. For the first time.

Megan Mullally underplays it and gets lots of good laughs. But the big laughs go to Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. Baldwin's character is about to sell his body to get ahead.

Life On Mars. Episode 2. "The Real Adventures of the Unreal Sam Tyler" Harvey Keitel is awful and the case-of-the-week is boring, so watching this second episode is a bit of a chore.

Wings. Season 2, Episode 2. "The Story of Joe" AVERAGE. It could be any episode from any season. A reporter comes to write about Joe but finds his brother much more interesting and this leads Joe to sulk and admit (at the end) that he wishes he were a tiny bit like Brian. It hits it's quota of laughs, most generated by Rebecca Schull as Fay and two guest characters from it's parent show Cheers.

Highlight? Law And Order (bye-bye Detective Green)
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05.30 Blood Ties
06.30 Kyle XY
07.30 Supernatural



Blood Ties. Episode 10. "Necrodrome" Another perfect episode. This show has found a great balance between fantasy and reality and created a very distinct world for itself. In the opening scene a corpse gets up and walks from a funeral home during the night. The owners catch it on surveillance video and are assured - by a recurring minor character in the series - that Vicki Nelson is the private eye for the job. So it's not one of those shows where only the hero knows that there are supernatural things happening, and it's not a show where there is any great big conspiracy to unite any of these events. No. This just happens to be a world where odd things happen and people do not to talk about it very much (or they will be locked up for being nuts).

So Vicki takes the case and Henry helps out. Last week, Vicki to go hassle him (basically) to get him to join her on the case. This time out, he's an eager beaver. Mike gets a lot of screen time this week, too, but the show devotes no screen time to the love triangle. This episode is dominated by the case-of-the-week: corpses brought back to life to fight to the death (again!). It's a really strong story and Ken Kirzinger gives a terrific performance as the resurrected corpse gone missing. Very strong, very dangerous and driven by the urge to see his wife one more time. Henry convinces him it's a bad idea, so (in the episode's wonderful final minutes) he pretends to be 'dead' again so she can see his body and say her final, tearful goodbye (while he listens). She leaves and he opens his eyes, waiting for Henry to step forward and send him back to final rest.

It's a goofy story idea, but the show makes it work with 100% success. The acting and the tone sell it. And it's a story moment I'll remember for a long time to time.

Worth noting, too, is the fact that this is the third successive episode to end/fade to black with a strong story moment. First it was Vicki holding on to a means to stop Henry, then it was Vicki and Mike side-by-side in the woods reflecting on unrequited loves and this week the show fades to black as the main guest character dies (a second time) and Henry backs away into the night. Great endings like this make me eager to see the next episode.

Kyle XY. Season 2, Episode 13. "Leap of Faith" Flawless episode. Kyle and Jessi team up and go searching in the woods. Their bond is strong now. They are basically brother and sister, right, so why don't they come out and say it? Bugs me.

Kyle phones Amanda to get her help at a key moment. She's having a hard time dealing with the while Jessi situation but the bottom line is: she trusts Kyle and agrees to help. Good character writing. I'm more interested in this type of storytelling. Having Amanda storm out when she thinks something might be happening between Kyle and Jessi is a bit too fake for my liking. This is more credible drama.

The stuff in the woods was good, but so was the stuff back at the Trager House. The family (kept in the dark for all of Season Two) start to put the clues together and ask questions about Kyle and his nature. These are some of the best scenes the show has ever delivered and so is the scene between Declan and Tom Foss (Kyle's Guardian Angels).

Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 20. "What Is and What Should Never Be" Wow. I admire the way this show can take standard stories of sci-fi/fantasy and bring them into it's own narrowly-defined mythos. When they were able to do the Zombies overrun the town plot and make it work I came to the conclusion that they can make any story work on Supernatural.

And, gosh darn it, I was right again!

This week, they have a go at doing the ol' Parallel World storyline: where the hero gets to see an alternate version of himself/herself and various other series regulars. Many shows have used this idea to shed new light on the characters and, even when it fails to have depth, the tales are usually a lot of fun.

The SN version is the best of both worlds. Because the 'world' that we are seeing is generated by Dean's deepest wish, we can surmise a great deal about him from what we see onscreen. And, of course, because everybody in it hasn't been scarred by the events of the real world we get to admire the coolness of all these people being shown to us in a new way. In the case of two of them, just being alive is what's cool. And in the case of Sam Jared Padalecki gets to present us with another version of the hero. He's played a couple of versions of Sam in recent weeks and this time out we get to see a Sam who has lived a normal life.

But the episode is not about Sam, it's about Dean. It's about what he wants and - in the end - it's about what he fears.

The first third is mostly light-hearted. Dean's reactions to the world are wonderfully funny. SN has started being funny, now, and I like it. There are many wonderful scenes/moments. My favourite is the lawn-mowing bit, where Dean waves to the guy across the street with unabashed glee. Then he sits and Jensen Ackles delivers an amazing look of self-referential 'knowingness' that speaks volumes for what is really going through at that exact moment.

By the mid-third things have started to go awry, as Dean learns that his dream world is not all that it is cracked up to be. For all that he has, there is something that he does not have: a close relationship with his brother.

Why, one wonders, can the genie (for it is a genie that is doing all of this) not deliver unto Dean a perfect world where is also very close with his brother? I have no easy answer. But I can surmise that because the world is a reflection of the man (and Dean is no fool) it must adhere to certain basic rules of common sense. Deep down Dean knows that their hunting days have brought them together. So in a world without that spark, their friendship lies dormant.

Of course, the episode could have taken it in another direction. Dean's fantasy could have had them as best friends. And Dean's intelligence could lead him to be troubled by that and question it. Thus leading to the same story resolution. Either version works. Bottom line: Dean it too smart to be fooled or - more important - fool himself.

Also, and this is a different take on things: Dean's never had it easy. There's always been a fly in the ointment. Why should his fantasy world be any different?

By the final third, the story has gotten truly cool. Dean realises that it's all a dream and sets about fighting his way out. If the episode has a flaw it's the fact that Sam was there waiting for him when he opened his eyes. Yes, Sam would obviously track him down, he knows - roughly - where he was so that's not the issue I have. I just feel it would have been more powerful if Dean had fought his way out and found himself alone and trapped. Briefly. Then, Sam could have arrived to the rescue. I would have liked to see Dean hit rock bottom (having left the perfect world behind him) before his brother (the real reason he left) showed up and lifts him up again.

But this is a minor quibble.

I loved this episode. And it cements my belief that Dean is an epic heroic figure burdened by choices that his brother does not have to make. This time out he chose to sacrifice an entire world of perfection because he loves, and wants to be with, his brother.

Highlight? Supernatural (No contest. As good as everything else was, this show was off-the-chart awesome this week.)
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07.30 Dexter
08.30 The Sarah Connor Chronicles
09.30 Rising Damp
10.00 The Mary Tyler Moore Show
10.30 WKRP In Cincinnati
11.00 The Office
11.30 Corner Gas

Dexter. Season 2, Episode 9. "Resistance Is Futile" My stomach is tied in knots after watching this amazing episode of Dexter. Surely the single best episode they have thus far delivered? The first half is constructed to make you think that Dexter has been found out. You are thinking to yourself that that cannot possibly be the case, yet how else do you explain what is happening?

The answer, when it comes, surprised me. It shouldn't have. I should have anticipated that Doakes would be a suspect. But I didn't. I could see it heading in this general direction, yes, with him storming out on the meeting with Lundy in the previous episode. But I did not expect things to move this fast. Pow! This show hits you between the eyes.

Barely had I processed the fact that Doakes had found Dexter's hidden stash of blood samples (last week) than the FBI has the box and is using it as the main evidence in their case against Doakes. Wow! I feel whiplash from the speed of that development. Yet, it makes perfect sense.

Then, before I have time to process that development, Dexter and Doakes are locked in a pitch battle to the death (which, of course, it isn't) with one of them getting shot and Doakes - finally - confronting Dexter about his murderous ways.

It's brilliant. But the show is brilliant in other ways, too. Usually, the fact that Dexter is a serial killer takes second place to the fact that he is socially inept. And, usually, the moments of high drama, come from Dexter's attempts to lead a normal life. This is not one of those episodes, however the scenes that depict Dexter's normal life are just as gripping as usual this week.

His ex-girlfriend showing up, in the midst of his friends, trying to pretend that all is rosy between them (while - in private - they have a blazing row) is a moment that pretty much every viewer can relate to. I know I can. Likewise, Dexter's humbling but honest/heartfelt apology to Rita struck a chord.

It's amazing. In the midst of a crazy, wonderful, OTT plot development about a serial killer covering his tracks this is still a show about a ordinary guy trying to navigate the pitfalls of everyday life.

Which is what makes it such a great television series.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Season 2, Episode 8. "Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today" If this isn't the best single episode of the show to date, it is certainly the cleverest. Terminator goes Boomtown on us as it shows the events of the day from the perspective of each of the regular characters. It doesn't add anything much to the story, but it sure as heck is a cool way to tell a story.

The effect is stunning. Gripping. Wonderful. We see early on that Sarah is captured by Cromartie, then the narrative follows John and Riley on the sojourn to Mexico. To the considerable credit of the show, the writers and the actors every single second of this is absorbing and superb. Even though we know that Cromartie is on his way, we are never for one second bored by anything that happens between John and Riley. Their conversation (as she tries to peel back the layers of who he is) is relentlessly fascinating. I love this character. Love her because of the way she impacts on John and I love the way he sticks by his decision to bring her into his life. This show is extremely well-written and planned out. It has a very strong overall arc. John is making the wrong decision here, but I want to see how long he sticks to his guns.

The (later) scenes with Sarah locked in the truck are wonderful. We see nothing. We hear much gunfire and carnage. The show is promising a fantastic climax. So - by doing that - it is running the risk of failing to deliver and disappointing us.

Some hope! The climax is superb. Some of the best action this show has thus-far delivered. Unable to provide Terminator-style carnage on a weekly basis, the show instead concentrates on solid drama week-in week-out with an occasional all-out action episode to keep the blood pumping. This is one of those.

Cromartie bites the dust. I'll miss Garret Dillahunt. I warmed to him slowly, but once I did embrace him I loved what he did with the role. His removal shocks me, but I suppose it makes sense and represents a logical step-forward for the show. Cromartie is gone and Ellison and Sarah are united (?).

I wonder was this originally supposed to be the Season One finale? Had they had 13 or 16 episodes last year, instead of 9. We'll probably never know, but it feels like the ending of one chapter and the start of another.

Rising Damp. Season 2, Episode 2. "Food Glorious Food" Rigsby shoots his mouth off and Philip challenges him to stay off food for 48 hours. Simple premise. Delightful execution. Leonard Rossiter is hilarious in every scene. As usual, his bond with Alan comes to the forefront and he pleads with the young medical student to sneak him some food. It doesn't happen, but it nicely sets up the twist ending. Very funny.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Episode 18. "Second Story Story" When Bob Dishy and Vic Tayback are your guest stars you can't really go very far wrong. And so it is with this MTM episode in which Mary is burglarised and two cops investigate. Episodes away from the workplace tend to interest me less, but this one has some nice bickering between Rhoda and Phyllis and lots of laughs along the way. Highlight? Dishy.



WKRP In Cincinnati. Episode 65. "A Simple Little Wedding" Not the funniest episode, but one of the sweetest. Carlson and his wife plan to get married again. Because - the first time around - they eloped as everybody was interfering too much. Particularly his mother. Guess what? They end up having to elope again because everybody is interfering too much. Particularly his mother.

The episode's best scene occurs when Herb hires two strippers to dance in the newsroom. The camera pans across the faces of the six male regulars and each one is having a different reaction. Perfectly in character. A sign, not only, of what an accomplished actor each man is, but also of how well these characters have been defined. Johnny is enjoying the strippers, but in a furtive (about to get caught) kind of way. Venus is openly enjoying the performance in a confident, man-of-the-world kind of way. Les is bewildered by all the fuss. Andy is like a kid in a candy story. Carlson is embarrassed beyond belief. Herb is sleazy beyond belief.

That quick pan is an example of why I love this show so much. Great performances and great characters. You could drop the WKRP regulars into any given situation and you can imagine how each will react. It's like Sam and Woody on Cheers. Each has moments of being stupid, but it's a different kind of stupid for each man. Well defined character, brought to life by superb performers.

The Office. Season 5, Episode 7. "Business Trip" If there ever was a 'perfect' episode of The Office, then this is it. It was very funny, it gave many characters a lot of good screentime, it was sad at times, it fed into the ongoing growth/education of the lead character and it ended with a wonderful romantic reunion. It had everything packed into one half-hour. Most shows would be lucky to deliver a quarter of that in twice the length.

There was many, many great laughs in this one. Most of the best bits came from the Kelly/Ryan hook-up. I particularly loved the shot of Darryl walking away after being dumped by Kelly (in a text message written by Ryan). What's not to love about every single development here? Ryan's closing line is a classic: I can't - for whatever reason - do better than Kelly.

It was great to see Oscar getting quality screentime, and pairing him with Andy was genius. Their partnership was funny and reminded us that - for all his ineptitude - Andy is basically a decent guy. It was priceless, however, when Oscar got drunk and started asking him what he saw in Angela. Who hasn't wondered that about some co-workers hideous partner? And the show really ran with it, and Oscar continued to let his true feelings for Angela dominate the questions that he asked. Hilarious.

In contrast with this, most of the Michael scenes at the very end were very sad, as he confronted his boss about sending his girlfriend away from him, and so were the scenes between Jim and Pam as they came to terms with the fact that she was going to have to stay in the city for longer than planned. Michael continues to evolve. He gets to experience sex-without-love in this outing and his rant at the end was wonderful to see. The audience likes/loves this guy for all his flaws. We don't want to see his heart broken like this.

But the episode didn't end on a downer. There was a lovely 'twist' at the end. Dwight being there, to totally ruin the moment, made it all the more perfect.

Man, when you watch The Office you are in the hands of a group of writers who really know what they are doing.

Corner Gas. Season 5, Episode 5. "Wash Me" Nancy Robertson is the funniest thing in this episode: trying (unsuccessfully) to ask a guy out and coming up with ever-more-bizarre ways to her hide her embarrassment ("Milk!!"). It's a great episode all round. Most of the storyline depend on the quirks of these wonderful characters: Hank writing important info on his dirty truck, Oscar and Emma getting into a war of toiletries, Davis spending most his days asleep. You could not pinch this script and use it in another show about folks living in a small town. The jokes depend on these specific characters in order to work. It's funny because we know these people. And it's funny because nobody can extol the virtues of milk like Nancy Robertson!!

Highlight? Dexter (shocking developments)
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06.30 It Takes A Thief
07.30 The Avengers
08.30 Due South
11.00 Kolchak: The Night Stalker

It Takes A Thief. Episode 4. "A Very Warm Reception" Since some elements don't quite work, this is the least enjoyable of the first four episodes. But there's still a lot that does work, and it's still an enjoyable spy yarn for all it's 'flaws'.

Since the tone of the show is deadly serious (we open with the brutal gunning down of a SIA agent) it doesn't quite gel when Al is able to enter the embassy at the centre of this week's story using three separate comedy disguises. Also the first third of the episode (where Al uses a cardboard cutout of himself to fool the bad guys) is too silly for this show. Much better is the last two thirds as Al and his team pull out all the stops to derail an embassy function and steal some important microfilm.

Previous episodes have highlighted Al as very much a lone wolf. Working with a team, yes, but still the only one who can get the job done (on his own) at the very end. This story is different. Al relies on others very much in this one. And it feels in many ways like a Mission Impossible story.

Katherine Crawford (who would go on to work side by side with the Gemini Man) makes a great guest star in this story. And another great female partner for Al. She's clever and funny and - in the episode's thrilling final moments - she saves Al's life when a bad guy has a gun on him. Refreshing and very enjoyable.

The Avengers. Episode 133. "Get-A-Way" DELIGHTFUL. This one is pure Avengers: the good guys have a high-security prison, for spies, which is a monastery patrolled by monks (!) and the bad guys are escaping from said prison by dousing themselves in a liquid which gives them the properties of a chameleon (so they can hide in plain sight!). I love it.

The opening is unusual in that is goes to great lengths to give Steed an emotional connection to the first two murder victims. Usually, on The Avengers, people are being murdered left, right and center and the script never dwells on the loss of life. It's not how The Avengers works. This one is a tad different. These were Steed's two best friends (we are told) and this personal loss is referenced once or twice later in the episode. Not sure that it works and not sure why the writers bothered. This isn't suitable for The Avengers and including it in the story does nothing for the story. As, by the mid-point, they two dead men, might as well have been any two agents. The friendship angle is never mentioned again. Maybe it had more to do with the fact that Steed was 'showing off' Tara to his oldest friends. Maybe it was about her, not them. I don't know.

Peter Bowles gives a great performance in this one as the lead Bad Guy and all of his scenes with Patrick Macnee are pure heaven to watch. Bowles is superb as the master spy/killer tauting Steed over civilised glasses of vodka.

Linda Thorson is especially beautiful and elegant in this episode. Tara (once again) doesn't work side by side with Steed but she is given plenty of screentime on her own. She makes a lot of the deductive leaps that solves the mystery and the bad guy is very enamoured of her brains in the closing moments of the story.



Due South. Season 3, Episode 2. "Eclipse" is one of my favourite episodes of Due South. It's devoted to the show's new character (Stanley Ray Kowalski) and it's a hoot from start to finish, largely due to the performance of Callum Keith Rennie. Some elements of the story don't work but the ones that do work are so good that they overshadow everything that fails.

Ray is needed back at the precinct to cover for "The Real Ray" in an Internal Affairs Investigation, but he's more concerned with taking the day off to track down a bank robber who affected him deeply when he was a child.

The Internal Affairs Investigation angle of the story doesn't work and seems to be there to create false tension (some place that Ray ought to be). However, everything that happens in the graveyard is great fun. Ray is staking out a funeral waiting for the bank robber to show up to say good-bye to his mother. Fraser tracks him down fairly easily and the two of them have some healthy debates. It's a busy day at the graveyard and - before long - the duo have two crooks, a drunken caretaker and a very odd widow locked up in the crypt with them, on the stakeout, and all six characters are hilarious together, with conversations running the gamut from how attractive Ray is/isn't to the writings of Francis Bacon.

We learn about a lot about Ray in this one, and his love for his ex-wife Stella. We also get to see (again) what a good person Fraser is (and how good a friend he is willing to be). So, in many ways, this episode makes me fall in love with the two men and their friendship/bond and accomplishes everything the convoluted season premier failed to do. After seeing this I was a fan of the show for the first time ever and I was excited about seeing what happened next.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Episode 4. "The Vampire" After the misfire of the previous episode, KTNS returns to form with this superb episode. The story is strong (a sequel to the first movie), the bad guy is great and William Daniels makes the first superb Police foe for Kolchak to spar with in the weekly series. Their scenes together are terrific. Each one (the press conference, alone at the crime scene, and after the football players are killed) is capable of being rewatched many times over. I know. I've done it.

As good as the two male leads are, Kathleen Nolan pretty much steals the episode out from under them as the real estate agent that Carl cons into being a journalist to fool Tony. Her scenes with Darren McGavin are hilarious. And the episode has many truly hilarious moments. At one stage Kolchak and Faye pull up at his hotel, he fires her out of the car, yells out the room number and instructs her to "start without me" before he speeds off to the next crime scene. The face of the Doorman is priceless.

This episode is the one where Carl is on assignment in Los Angeles. The way he conned his way onto the assignment is genius/hilarious and all of the phone conversations between Tony (the editor back in Chicago) and Carl (out in LA) are wonderful. My favourite occurs after Carl has submitted the story (written by Faye). Tony (very angry) gets on the phone to Carl and reads back portions of the story that are rubbish. Carl, meanwhile, reading the story for the first time ever at the other end, tries to process what he is reading and - incredibly - justify it to Tony.

As well as being funny, this is a violent episode. Suzanne Charney (who guested with Kathleen Nolan on an episode of The Incredible Hulk) makes a great evil Vampire. Beautiful but scary, her various killing sprees are gripping to watch and the final chase scene (where she tracks Kolchak at high speed through the Hollywood Hills) is a classic. Again, the viewer is reminded that Carl Kolchak is terrified and in a lot of danger. He makes a great Hero. He does what he does to get the story out and defeat the people in power, but he is ill-equipped to the task of Vampire Hunter.

The episode ends with the Iconic image of the cross blazing over LA and the police - of course - charging Kolchak with first-degree murder, as a means of running him out of the city. A classic Kolchak ending.

Highlight? Kolchak (very funny and very violent)
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08.30 NCIS
09.30 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
10.00 Supernatural
11.00 The Twilight Zone
11.30 The Hitchhiker

NCIS. Season 5, Episode 3. "Ex-File" One of the best episodes. The case-of-the-week is so-so, and the twist is the exact same as one the pulled in Season Three, but this one introduces to Gibbs' ex-wife and shows that his relationship with Hollis Mann is alive and well (I like this character and enjoy her relationship with Gibbs).

Kathleen York (looking amazing, as ever) is perfectly cast as the ex-wife and she gets several great scenes (particularly the last one, where she and Gibbs are nice to one another). A lot of the stuff that we knew anyway is pieced together in this episode and Hollis Mann learns a lot of Gibbs past for the first time. Their scenes together are great. Particularly the final moments of the episode where she finds the tape cassette with Gibbs daughter playing the piano.

The case-of-the-week is pedestrian and the twist (the the person working with Abby in the lab is the bad guy) is a repeat of a much better twist used back in Season Three.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Season 3, Episode 6. "The Gang Solves the North Korea Situation" Not only is this very funny, not only is Kaitlin Olson hilarious in scene after scene but this is a very, very clever script/episode. In order to sell the unlikely twist at the end (that the girl that Charlie is dating is actually 12 years old) the show casts a woman to play her father and makes great stock in her/his odd appearance. They even blatantly question the girl's age in her opening scene. Yet, they are able to pull of a hilarious twist at the end. When a twist is brilliant, it works and shocks you, even when the clues where there. How clever of them.

Kaitlin Olson is hilarious in this episode. When her character gets drunk and passes herself off as a health inspector it is pretty much the highlight of the episode. And that is saying a heck of a lot.

Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 19. "Folsom Prison Blues" Solid case-of-the-week with a great gimmick/change-of-pace (the boys are in prison). When they were arrested I was fooled for a minute or two, but I quickly remembered the opening lines of dialogue and realised (just before the script told me) that this was all part of the plan. Wonderful. I don't like heroes who stumble into cases, it's much cooler that the guys are masters of their own destiny and plan everything.

Garwin Sanford, Jeff Kober and Charles Malik Whitfield are three of my favourite performers and each one gets great material in this episode. Sanford usually plays assholes. Not this time. He's a great good guy in this one. And gets to be the source of the episode's other twist. This one I did not see coming, but I had my suspicions.

Had I been the writer of this story, I would have kept the boys from making direct contact with Kober's character for much longer and made the audience think for longer that he was their inside man.

The Twilight Zone. Season 3, Episode 3. "The Crossing" Another pretty good story from the dark corners of the Twilight Zone. It's a story about - shock, horror - good decent priests who work hard for the good of their community. Something you almost never see on TV. Ted Shackelford is perfectly cast as the hard-working hero with a weight on his shoulder. He let a friend/lover die in a car crash many years before becoming a priest. He was thrown free in the crash and the flames kept him back. He's always felt guilty. And this is the story of what happens when she comes back... still driving the same car.

Not as strong as the two stories which opened the season, this is still a memorable and enjoyable tale.

The Hitchhiker. Season 3, Episode 4. "W.G.O.D." Gary Busey is superb in this top-notch tale from the wandering mystery man. He's a radio preacher, who seems genuine in his attempts to reach/help people but his home life is a nightmare: his mother idolises his brother, who went missing years earlier...

Our hero recently invested in a powerful new transmitter for his successful radio station and it seems as if it is allowing a voice to speak from beyond the grave. The voice of the missing brother, who wants to name his murderer...

Things get a bit OTT at the very end, with lots of running around in thunderstorms and blood pouring from the walls/equipment but none of this can distract from Busey's superb performance and the fact that this is a great episode. Watching this I remembered why I loved The Hitchhiker all those years ago.

Highlight? The Hitchhiker (Gary Busey)
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05.30 Prison Break

Prison Break. Season 4, Episode 10. "The Legend" is one of the strongest episodes that the show has ever delivered. All of the best moments in this episode are connected to Brad Bellick (the character who died last week) as we watch each of the regulars mourn his passing in one way or another.

Prison Break has long been described as show about Alpha Males forced to work together - on a temporary basis - by shared goals. It has never been about a team in the traditional sense (shown on TV) and traditionally the death/murder of one regular is never shown to affect the group as a whole. It affects some, yes. But, usually, there are a lot of people who could not care less who else is dying around them.

Bellick's death has proved to be different. I'm surprised by this. And completely delighted. Sucre's outburst (against Don Self) was particularly satisfying. I also loved the way that Alex had his back. Yay Alex!!

Later on, when T-Bag used the death of Bellick to help him make a passionate speech I was gob-smacked. T-Bag is slime, yet the show has made us feel for him (and root for him) on more than one occasion. This was a moving moment. Kudos to the wonderful Robert Knepper.

The Michael-is-sick storyline comes to a head much faster than I expected, and in a great way.

The show is still underusing Stacy Haiduk (shame on you, Prison Break!), but this episode features two of my all-time favourite performers Jennifer Hetrick and Keith Szarabajka so I'm a forgiving mood. For now. I want to see Haiduk doing some major scene-stealing and I want it now!

As for the big twist... T-Bag's little buddy is on Self's payroll. I don't know that that even makes sense, and I certainly don't care. She's hot, but they could write her out and I would not miss her.

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05.30 Law And Order
06.30 The Jury
07.30 Rita Rocks
08.00 Life On Mars

Law And Order. Season 18, Episode 13. "Angelgrove" In a show without continuity and character development, fans jump on any moment of either. Such it is with me in this latest episode. McCoy and Olivet had harsh words in a previous episode (when he engineered it so her affair with a cop would come out) and in this one there's a line of dialogue where he attempts to mend the bridge between then (thanking her for helping out on the current case). She declines to respond and leaves the room.

It's a strong case-of-the-week. Nothing new in it, really but still a great story: a camp where Christian kids are trained as Soldiers Of God, and one of them goes home and stones his adulterous mother to death.

Lead guest star Sean Astin gives a great performance. When does he ever give a bad one?



The Jury. Episode 3. "Three Boys and a Gun" Anna Friel is superb as one boy's defence when a neighbour is shot by a gun he may or may not have been holding at the time.

The episode opens with the closing of the case and we watch the Jury do their deliberations, while flashbacks show us events from the courtroom and the investigation. Friel makes a great impression. She's every bit as beautiful here as she is on Pushing Daisies but she has a different physicality here. She abandons all poise and grace and puts forward a character of passion who is haggard and over-worked.

Billy Burke is just as good as her opposite number. Their scenes together are superb. Each one sure that they are correct.

The jury themselves are all very good. There's a second story being told here: the story of how these twelve people relate to one another. And the cast carry it off very well.

Rita Rocks. Episode 1. "Pilot" Nicole Sullivan is wonderful. Richard Ruccolo is wonderful. But their sitcom is average. It's pleasing, but not amusing. There are no laughs. I like Rita and I like her story, but they would need to make me laugh to make me go back every week.

Life On Mars. Episode 1. "Out Here in the Fields" Harvey Keitel is the weak link in an otherwise strong ensemble (with Jason O'Mara blowing everyone else off the screen). It's a strong concept: cop from 2008 wakes up to find himself working as a cop in 1973. The case-of-the-week is strong and the recreation of the period is good. In a season of many, many dreadful new shows this competent average outing is one of the best. Nice for Life On Mars, but a sad reflection on the state of network TV at the moment.

Highlight? The Jury (After the verdict is given, we get to see what really happened.)
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05.30 Blood Ties
06.30 Kyle XY
07.30 Supernatural



Blood Ties. Episode 9. "Stone Cold" A solid case-of-the-week written by the person who wrote the books that the series is based on (Tanya Huff). Not only is the case good, but so is all the stuff between the three main characters and their messed-up love-triangle. The opening scene deals (very well) with the events that closed the previous episode and then we are launched into the case. A woman is turning men into stone statues. The story works and the writer uses it to (skillfully) make comments about sex-appeal, aging, love and romance. The cast (especially Christina Cox) are nothing short of superb in dealing with the statue and treating it as a real person.

The final scene is very, very sad. Vicki and Mike, out in the woods at night, staring straight-ahead, and talking (very briefly) about the way people sometimes fall in love with the wrong person. Wonderful writing wonderfully played.

Kyle XY. Season 2, Episode 12. "Lockdown" A bottle show, of sorts, where everything happens in the house where the family lives. Kyle has a long dream sequence where his mind manifests two people and he discusses with them the problems that he is facing. For the first time in the history of the show the scenes with Andi were not totally awful and I could bear to watch them. I'm not even remotely interested in her, or her cancer story. I wish the character was dropped from the show, to be honest.

The parents have a bad fight but, by the end of the episode, have opted to tell each other some things they know about Kyle. A good step forward. For them, and for the show.

The final scene (Kyle meets Jessi in the woods) is very good. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 18. "Hollywood Babylon" Another funny episode? So soon? And one that really works, too. In-jokes abound as the boys go-Hollywood and join the production crew on a horror flick. Dean is hilarious in pretty-much every scene. But, right across the board, the script is a gem.

Comedy and Horror go together very well on TV. Kolchak: The Night Stalker (the best show in the genre) was very funny and very scary. The X-Files got funny after they moved production to California and managed to poke fun at Fox Mulder and the conventions of the show without ever compromising the integrity of the character or the drama of the stories.

Lots of other shows (She-Wolf Of London, Special Unit 2, etc.) have been both funny and 'scary'.

Supernatural seems, late in this second season, to be finding it's funny bone. And Dean, much like Fox Mulder before him, is the target of a lot of that. Deciding to make the show's most tragic/heroic character a figure of fun is undertaking a dangerous balancing act but the series (and the actor) pulls it off with no strain. Dean is frakkin' hilarious. He's such a goofball and I love him. Betraying his fanboy roots when face-to-face with a modern scream queen. It seems right, somehow, that this kid who knows nothing of pop culture would have found time to devote his free time to the world of low-budget horror flicks.

Comedy aside, this is a great case-of-the-week. Inventive and entertaining. The writers (having well established the rules of this world) now continue to find clever ways to change things around).

Highlight? Supernatural (I laughed. A lot.)
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05.30 Dexter
06.30 Burn Notice
09.00 The Office
09.30 Corner Gas



Dexter. Season 2, Episode 8. "Morning Comes" Another superb episode, with a fair amount of twists and turns. The biggest shock in the episode (and there are many) has to be the sight of Doakes finding Dexter's hidden stash of blood samples. Blood taken from his victims. That's a real what-the-frak-happens-next moment.

Dexter (quickly) realises that he cannot trust Lila and brings their relationship to an ending (after she breaks into Rita's house). It's a show about a serial killer and his new girlfriend is the scary character in it.

Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 6. "Bad Blood" An unrecognisable, but brilliant, Michael Shanks dominates this episode as the new recurring bad guy who shows up to blackmail Michael into doing some bad things for the bad people who are responsible for Michael's burn notice. All of this badness is actually very good. Especially Shanks.

The case-of-the-week is fairly ordinary. Rob Benedict is mis-cast as a greedy bad guy but the twists are still fairly fun to watch. It's fun to watch Michael putting his plans into action. It's even more fun to watch him adapt his plans when things go very wrong.



The Office. Season 5, Episode 6. "Customer Survey" Rare to find an episode about an ordinary day at work, but this is just that. An ordinary day at work. Jim and Dwight receive bad performance reports and strive to find out why. It's a delightful episode. The climax, where Michael and Kelly bond over the fact that some people won't come to their parties is genius.

Corner Gas. Season 5, Episode 4. "Dark Circles" There's one weak link in this - otherwise - very funny episode: Emma getting high on paint fumes. It doesn't really work, but everything else is golden. Hank (badly) attempts to prank everyone in town by creating crop circles. Karen does a much better job, but it rapidly gets out of hand and draws a large crowd. She sets Hank up to take the fall. But the townspeople give him a round of applause. So she own up and is promptly arrested, while a voice in the crowd calls out for Hank to get another round of applause and cheers. Why? No reason that I can think of, but it's an example of the way things happen in Dog River. Wonderful.

Brent, meanwhile, finds that a dark shirt changes people's perceptions of him and Oscar moves in with Davis. Promptly ordering him about making himself a royal pain in the ass. Hilarious.

Highlight? Dexter (What the frak happens next?)
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07.00 It Takes A Thief
08.00 The Avengers
09.00 Kolchak: The Night Stalker

It Takes A Thief. Episode 3. "When Boy Meets Girl" SUPERB. In tone this is a lot more serious than the earlier episodes, but it is nonetheless superb. I've been watching '60s spy shows since I was kid. I've seen I Spy, Man From UNCLE and Mission: Impossible and everything in between. But this third episode of It Takes A Thief is one of the best spy stories I've ever seen. While retaining some of the escapist trappings of the genre (spies are always wearing tuxedos and running around cocktail parties!) it still manages to tell a story that feels like a realistic take on the world of espionage.

Al gets sent behind enemy lines to retrieve information. He is told who his contact is, but is told nothing else. This is refreshing. Usually, sixties TV spies are told everything by their boss at the start of a mission. Not Al. Al is a wheel in a much larger machine. Al, you feel, is expendable.

Once behind enemy lines he meets his contact (a typically superb Donnelly Rhodes) and the two men work together without sharing much information and without really trusting/liking one another. This, too, is refreshing and oddly realistic. Al learns that their target is a woman who previous defected and she is to be kidnapped, questioned and released. Al is told what his part in the mission is and nothing else.

All of this very covert and exciting, and the script reminds us on several occasions that Al Mundy is a very, very clever man. Watching him scam his way around this foreign country you understand exactly why the SIA hired him: he is a bloody clever guy and he's able to pull off some amazing feats.

When the two men have the woman some truth serum is administered and - once again, refreshingly - the information she gives them is totally believable as top secret data. It's about various tech specs on a missile defence system. It sounds rather boring and unexciting and - to the show's considerable credit - it's exactly what you feel a mission like this should be about.

When his contact is unexpectedly killed, Mundy has to use all his wits to improvise and get out of the country. Assuming that the girl is a victim in all of this, Mundy takes pity on her and works his magic to find a way to smuggle her out of the country. It's simply delightful to watch him in action. Every single time you think you are ahead of the script and there's a logic flaw of some kind, Al Mundy has thought of it first and is ready for it.

It's delightful. When you watch a show like this you are taking a leap of faith. You suspend disbelief and allow Napoleon Solo, or Kelly Robinson, to get away with things that would never work in the real world. You enjoy the cleverness of the script, but in the back of your mind you are thinking: "Well, in the real world that would never work because..." It's nothing major, just a tiny voice of reason in the back of your head, and it never stops you enjoying the show. Unless what happens on screen is blatantly stupid.

This ITAT story has several moments like that. Particularly at the end as Mundy does cartwheels to stay ahead of his pursuers. Every time I thought the script was being too kind to the hero to let him escape there was a twist that told me the writer had already thought of that and was ready for it.

As Al Mundy made his final escape I was thinking to myself: "Well, in the real world that would never work because the authorities would make the plane turn back." Cut to inside the plane and Al holding a gun on the pilot! Man, I laughed at that. He took an entire plane hostage to get himself out of the country. Guy has balls, that's for sure.

Even better, the closing seconds of the story reveal that the girl is not a victim at all. And, while Al is basically a decent guy who assumes the best in people, the world he operates in is cynical and hard.

I love it!

The Avengers. Episode 132. "Split!" An episode with a great gimmick... and little else. The central story idea is that a foreign agent has found a way to imprint his brainwaves/personality onto good guys and make them commit murders. It's a cool idea. Typical of The Avengers. However, once the story establishes what is going on it tends to repeat the performance with character after character without telling us much of a story. Steed and Tara do a lot of driving back and forth in this one. Driving to a suspect's house. Leaving. Driving back later for more of the same. Driving to a hospital. Leaving. Driving back later for more of the same. 50 minutes of this is a bit tedious.

Never mind, the rest of the show's elements are very enjoyable. Steed and Tara make a great team in this one. Not a full partnership, mind you. You can see that Steed is very much the solo agent and Tara is a novice. Their friendship hold them together, not a formal partnership. When bad news comes Steed dashes off alone to deal with it, while Tara is relegated to more mundane tasks (ferrying important people from place to place, for instance). Theirs is a tutor-pupil relationship. Which I love. However, while Steed tends to let Tara take a back seat, the script does not. She gets just as much screen time and many of the major deductions/observations come from her not Steed. While she does get taken prisoner at the very end, she proves herself to be a capable and dangerous agent once Steed has set her free.

Best scene: Steed overpowers an evil nurse at once point and gives her a jolly old smack on the bottom for being such a naughty girl. Wonderful! They (sadly) don't make 'em like this any more.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Episode 3. "They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be..." There's only one bad episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker and this is it. I tend not to watch it very much because there's little or nothing to redeem it. It's genuinely bad. An example, I suppose, of what Kolchak could have been had it been thrown together without any attempt to give it depth and meaning.

There are many flaws in the episodes. So many that it is hard to know what to write about first. Animals are dying in the zoo, a cranky man is complaining about strange happenings in his neighbourhood and the police have a fight with an invisible entity that flings them around, creates explosions without sound and can make things vanish in thin air.

Kolchak hears about these unconnected events in rapid succession. Goes to the scene of them and is able to... connect them and set out to investigate the aliens responsible.

Huh?!

It's crazy. Nonsense. Daft-as-a-brush storytelling. Aliens and UFOS are perfect fodder for the storytelling style of KTNS but - on it's one attempt to deal with the subject - the show makes a complete mess of it. The events on-screen never ties together in a logical fashion, no matter what Kolchak maintains. The invisible enemy idea is a disaster, and a great come-down from the four genuinely scary foes that Kolchak has faced up to this point in his adventures.

Every Kolchak story features a cop of some sort. A police captain who tries to get in Kolchak's way. James Gregory is the best of the three featured in the series so far, but he falls short of the great characters to come. Even the comedy moments fall short of what will follow. Nothing that happens between Carl and his supporting characters is very funny this time round. Usually, the exchanges/antics are pure comedy gold. Not this time.

It's a tired, plodding episode. It gives the impression of a badly made series, running out of ideas. Yet this actually came at the very start of the run and there are many, many classic hours of television to follow. Go figure.

Highlight? It Takes A Thief (one of the best spy yarns I've ever seen)
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