Quad Blogs

I can't find a picture from tonight's episode so here is an adorable Jack Russell Terrier

Penultimate episodes are usually fun and gripping. After these episodes, audiences should be frustrated that they have to wait a week before the resolution the season finale will bring to the various arcs built throughout the season. Terriers’ penultimate episode of season one (and possibly the series) is fun, gut-wrenching and packs the familiar punch that’s become the Terriers trademark. And it’s fantastic.

“Quid Pro Quo” focuses entirely on the Zeitlin case. What exactly does he plan on doing with the various land grabs? Well, Zeitlin wants to pave over Ocean Beach and replace it with an airport. For the majority of the episode, it looks like the good guys will win. Hank and Laura enjoy a tremendous amount of success. Sam Albrect, public defender, joins the duo in hopes of bringing down whatever Zeitlin’s planned (of course he eventually gets paid off and forgets whatever he learned about the airport and refuses to return the incriminating evidence). Gretchen’s new husband. Jason, is the architect of an exciting development that he learns will fail because of Zeitlin. With this knowledge, Jason helps Hank and Laura identity blueprints for the planned airport. The amount of information that Hank gains throughout the episode puts various characters in jeopardy, including Laura’s source and Jason. Meanwhile, Britt cuts a deal with Zeitlin to free himself of possible prison sentence (following the brutal beatdown of Katie’s classmate who didn’t deserve the beating). Zeitlin assigns Britt to figure out whether or not a co-worker of his is the source leaking info to Laura Ross. Britt continues to keep Hank in the loop throughout so there’s no duplicity on the part of Britt. Britt only wants to find out more about the goings-on inside of Zeitlin’s offices as well as what his lawyers work on all day. Britt learns that the lawyers work on various real estate deals without knowledge of who’s exactly buying and whatnot.

Lives become endangered because the development deal is worth billions. The people involved haven’t hesitated in the past to kill and/or threaten anyone with advanced knowledge in the actual plans on the Montague group and the other group whose name I cannot spell from memory alone. Of course, by episode’s end, there is a body count. Laura’s souce and Jason become victims of Zeitlin.

The death of Jason especially ties into a season-long theme, and something so fundamental to Hank’s overall arc: Hank pushes too much and people get hurt or die. Hank had the best intentions throughout the episode. He offered Jason a way out after he explained how Zeitlin murdered Mickey and threatened Laura. Hank even accepted that Jason wasn’t the awful man he tried to push into Gretchen’s mind a few episodes ago. He tells Laura that Jason’s a “straight shooter.” Jason wants to remain involved because he and Gretchen envisioned raising their children in Ocean Beach. When Hank discovers the dead body of Jason, Hank’s face drops and he repeats “no, no, no” because of his epiphany about his past and his present. Hank wanted happiness for his wife. Hank told Gustafson last week that he needed to make amends for his behavior as partner. Internally, Hank realized he needed to make amends for his marriage with Gretchen, and his behavior in the days before the wedding and his way of making amends was to let the marriage be, to accept it and move on, which he had. And now something awful happened. The scene between he and Gretchen as she cried and he repeated the words “I’m so sorry” was so damn moving.

“Quid Pro Quo” packed everything Terriers does so well in one episode. The episode had good buddy cop humor, hard-boiled noir elements, dark and emotional pain, detective story and underdog story. The show belongs to Hank Dolworth. After 11 episodes in which he never gained persoanl victory, I hope the season finale makes a hero of Hank Dolworth.

Other thoughts:

-The episode contained a ton of set-up. Most of the episode was a super exciting chess game each piece getting to the place it needed to be by the finale. Such an episode is difficult to write much about in an English major kind of way. It doesn’t mean the episode was boring because the episode was great from start-to-finish.

-Hank buys a plethora of weapons at the end of the episode, ready and willing to engage in war with Zeitlin because things got personal. Very bad-ass.

-Angela Kang & Leslye Headland wrote the episode. Adam Arkin directed.

-Folks, don’t worry about not seeing the entirety of the season. Watch whatever episodes that are ondemand before the finale because Terriers is a show that deserves a second season. The finale’s going to be awesome.

-Please read my Happy Thanksgiving Week 12 NFL picks below this very entry.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

THE WEEK 12 PICKS

It’s the 5th annual Happy Thanksgiving NFL Picks. Thanksgiving Day football should continue to be unwatchable with Detroit, Dallas and Cincy facing teams that will blow them out. Anyone who declares love for NFL Thanksgiving Day football is insane.

I rebounded from a poor week ten with a 14-2 week eleven. If not for the Browns inability to tackle Maurice Jones-Drew and Rusty Smith of the Titans, the perfect week would’ve been mine. But alas, the perfect week eludes me. My overall record is 94-66.

New England over Detroit

-I’m so glad the Lions remain a Thanksgiving tradition. It’s so much fun watching the team get blown out every Thanksgiving as the broadcasters lie to the audience about the bright future of the Lions. Calvin Johnson’s the only player worth watching on the Lions. Belichick will be thinking about which pie he wants by half-time rather than adjustments to win the game.

New Orleans over Dallas

-You’ll be wise to the mute audio of the game and engage in discussion with relatives because Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will speak incessantly about the Cowboy woes and how Jason Garrett’s out to prove that he can be the permanent successor to Wade Philips. Maybe he will be and maybe he won’t be. I don’t care. Their season is over. Please move on and discuss how the Saints somehow became the dark horse in the NFC, the team that talking heads forgot about because of Mike Vick and the-team-that-can-only-win-on-turf Falcons of Atlanta. The Saints offense has returned. The hangover is gone.

New York Jets over Cincinnati

-The rematch of last year’s awful wildcard playoff game. Terrell Owens described his team as terrible. It’s about time Owens realized the truth of the situation. What an amazing loss to the Bills. Marvin Lewis should feel relief when Mike Brown makes him the scapegoat for the team’s failures. If the Jets struggle to beat the Bengals then perhaps the Jets conversation can steer towards criticism rather than praise for their never-say-die attitude. The Jets haven’t exactly beaten the 85 bears in these comebacks and have fallen two scores behind some mediocre football teams. But the team is good. They have a realistic chance to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Green Bay over Atlanta

-The Packers became bored with only ending the seasons for opposing quarterbacks. The Pack decided to end coaching tenures now. Mike Smith is safe though. The Falcons need to win the game to prove themselves as a legitimate power in the NFC. The team absolutely needs home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. I won’t be surprised if Green Bay views this game as a statement game. Green Bay could win by two scores, which would lead to the talking heads hopping on the Packer bandwagon they leaped off after the team suffered a few injuries. Also, how long until Greg Jennings gets respect as a number one receiver? I thought he was considered a number one but apparently not.

Pittsburgh over Buffalo

-If the Bills plan on trailing by 17 at the half then making their move in the second half, I would advise Chan Gailey to re-think his plan. The Bills deserved those two weeks of happiness since James Harrison will try to kill one of the Bills. The Steelers caused a fumble only to have the takeaway taken away because Harrison committed an unncesscary roughness penalty. James Harrison’s tempter-tantrum about retirement forever altered my perception of him. He is like the 123 Kid after he lost the Cry Baby match to Razor Ramon.

Cleveland over Carolina

-Did anyone’s jaw drop when CBS showed that Brian St. Pierre’s Panthers made it a 1 TD game against Baltimore? Cleveland experienced a period of time that went very well for them. Losing to the Panthers would be a Cleveland thing to do, just the thing the city doesn’t need on the first Sunday of advent. The Browns defense played great except when it came time to tackle Jones-Drew. This is a good test for the Browns. They can lay down and kill their season or they can continue to fight.

Jacksonville over New York Giants

-The Jags had a 6-4 record last year at this point in the season. Shortly after, the Jags went into a free-fall. The Jags, of course, face a team that only loses when the games really matter. The pick is a lose-lose. Eli will be without his top 2 wide receivers. Jacksonville continues to defy logic and reason so why not pick the Jaguars. They used to be my favorite AFC team until Del Rio tossed Leftwich aside like a piece of garbage.

Washington over Minnesota

-Childress gets fired and everyone assumes Favre will pack his bags and head back south. I thought athletes and the media hated quitters. What would make Favre anything but a quitter? The team falls to 3-7 and he bails? What a terrible way to end a career. The Vikings make the Redskins look like a functional franchise. Imagine how good McNabb would’ve been if he had one awesome receiver to go to his entire career. McNabb gets plenty of criticism for his performance this season but he’s throwing to Santana Moss and Anthony Armstrong plus he has no running game to rely on. I loathe the Redskins but I’m a Donovan McNabb fan. I have no comment on the 12 interceptions. Moving on.

Houston over Tennessee

-Remember when the Titans were considered one of the top AFC teams? Now, Rusty Smith becomes the face of the franchise. Beat writers will have fun in their game stories if Rusty struggles on Sunday. He shouldn’t struggle. The Texans defense have as much talent as the New York Islanders do. Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans used to be enough to earn the defense respect. And will Jeff Fisher ever be fired?

Oakland over Miami

-ESPN’s John Clayton raised an interesting question: why doesn’t Tony Sprano use his two running backs more? Without paraphrasing the backstory, I declare that Tony Sprano’s gone insane. Without any clear motive, he abruptly benched Chad Henne. With Thigpen, he didn’t bother running the ball too much even though Thigpen clearly needed the help. Regardless, the Dolphins are doomed to fail. The Raiders are no sure thing to win the game. If they do, Raiders and playoffs will be in the same sentence. People of Oakland, do not fret that your baseball team might not sign Iwakuma. Rejoice that the Raiders have begun to turn the corner.

Seattle over Kansas City

-The Qwest field factor disrupts rational thought. The Seahawks held their own for the most part in New Orleans. Brees and the offense were unstoppable though. It’s like they were out to show the talking heads that the champs are still strong. The Chiefs are an average-but-maybe-good team. I’m not sure. I don’t trust any team in either of the western divisions except for San Diego. Also, Dwayne Bowe continues to have monster weeks. He waited long enough.

Philadelphia over Chicago

-One knows the Eagles have become prime-time again, along with Vick, when the Daily News sends Donnelon to his local sporting goods store to report on whether parents will buy their children a Vick jersey. The Eagles are fun right now. The young team gets better with each week which is what I expected in the pre-season (with Kolb of course). The sky’s the limit for them in a league full of parity. Also, how does Asante get fined for his hit and Tolefson doesn’t? I’m well-aware of the rules but the rules have gaping holes in them. Asante led with his shoulder, and the helmt contact were unintentional and unfortunate while Tolelfson led with his head as he hit Ellis Hobbs. A kick returner is considered fair game even though Tolefson led with his head. Why doesn’t that hypocritical fuckhead Roger Goodell outlaw helmet-to-helmet hits as a whole? If a hit leads to a season-ending neck injury from a legal helmet-to-helmet hit (HUH?!?) then maybe that hit shouldn’t be legal. But Goodell is the same asshole who wants to extend the season by two games despite the overwhelming physical evidence that 16 games is even too much for the players.

St. Louis over Denver

-Denver’s the favorite? DENVER’S THE FAVORITE? Maybe the Rams won’t make the playoffs but they will in seasons to come because Spags has done a great job overhauling the team and team atmosphere. As for Denver, McDaniels has to be on the hot seat. He’s made more bad decisions than the 76ers front office.

Baltimore over Tampa Bay

-Raheem Morris might need sedation if his team upsets the Baltimore Ravens. Tampa’s certainly allowed to have the ‘no one believes in us’ mantra because no one should believe in the team to do anything worthwhile in January. Baltimore’s on-fire and they need this game to be considered a team on the same level as the Pats and Jets.

San Diego over Indianapolis

-Chargers/Colts games never disappoint. Both teams have had their fair share of injuries during the season. This game could decide the NFL MVP because both QBs have gotten praise for keeping their teams above-water (the Chargers just got above water of course) so the game’s all about which QB plays better. Yes, I’m basically picking Rivers over Manning which is risky since Rivers won’t have Crayton to throw to but Chargers only win games at this time of the year.

San Francisco over Arizona

-I thought flex scheduling started at week 12. What the hell are these two teams doing in prime-time? ESPN insults me with this game and they insult every football fan by expecting people to watch the game. And I will because I like football but that doesn’t mean I won’t complain about the battle between two teams who have no bright prospects for a long-term QB in the near future. The majority of America will enjoy themselves more if they watch ABC Family’s sequel to The Dog Who Saved Christmas.

Last Week: 14-2

Overall: 94-66

SCREENPLAY OF THE DAY

Buffy, The Vampire Slayer–”Pangs”–Written By Jane Espensen–http://buffyworld.com/buffy/scripts/064_scri.html

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

No Ordinary Family followed their most promising episode with a 14 year old overseeing major and complicated surgery, the introduction of lip gloss-as-kryptonite and even less Amy Acker plus more procedural-type nonsense. Not good.

How does one take the show seriously following a 14 year old overseeing major surgery while his mother, who hasn’t performed surgery since med school, does the heavy lifting? Stephanie Powell isn’t Andy Brown. On Everwood, Ephram did help Treat and his beard deliver a child. Greg Berlanti created the show and had a large part in that particular story. And the story worked because Treat portrayed a doctor and his son merely held blankets and water. I’m aware that No Ordinary Family focuses on people with superpowers. J.J. became the smartest man in the world with his superpowers; however, MAJOR SURGERY?!?

The injured character is none other than the evil Mr. Litschfield, the math teacher who resented the improvement of J.J. Litschfield opens the arc by failing JJ’s friend because he suspects blatant cheating. JJ deems the grade unfair because he only tutored the friend. JJ decides to hack into the school system so that he can change his friend’s grade. Of course, he gets caught. Later, Jim argues that his son made a mistake and the crime should be forgotten, even though JJ should be punished for hacking to the school system and attempting to change someone’s grade. But the writers must spend as much time developing characters as they do eating pastries in the writers room so the math teacher remains a bad guy despite the fact that he should report JJ to the school and the police. Nevertheless, Jim treats Litschfield as the villain, Litschfield drives off and gets hit by the nefarious carjackers who’ve gripped the town with fear.

At the hospital, we learn surgery is impossible and that Litschfield will die with or without surgery. JJ decides to use his powers for good so he studies medical books for about 45 seconds, fails to convince his parents to help him with the surgery and goes to the hospital himself. Steph discovers an empty room and takes off for the hospital where she eventually preps for surgery. The duo, plus Jim, manage to bypass the multitude of nurses, doctors and other staff members in the hospital so this must be the worst hospital in America. JJ and Steph engage in the most cliche-ridden surgical procedure until everything works out and Litschfield lives. Post-surgery, he tells JJ that the near-death experience taught him to let JJ’s crime be forgotten.

The story didn’t resolve the issues between Litschfield and JJ as much as it delayed the issues until the writers need to fill ten minutes with a useless plot. JJ, of course, becomes a selfless hero because of his daring and courageous decision to perform major surgery without experience. I know that isn’t it. It is because he saved the life of a man trying to ruin his. Oh, ABC, you are nothing without LOST. NOTHING.

Meanwhile, Jim dealt with the possibility of losing his powers forever. I had high hopes for this particular story. Unfortunately, the story fell flat on its face. Throughout the episode, Jim would lose his powers and then regain the powers. Katie’s hypothesis was that Jim had a virus that messed with his immune system and, naturally, his abilities. The loss of powers frustrated the man as a gang of carjackers terrorized drivers all over the city. Eventually, Jim stopped the bad guys because this is network television and the show has embraced its procedural-ness, and we learned that lip gloss temporarily messed up his powers. LIP GLOSS. Katie then remarked that lip gloss is the man’s krpytonite.

Daphne continued to change her identity because of the boy from last week until she realized that she needs to be herself, and not someone else, if she wants an honest, healthy relationship with the boy. She realizes she needs to figure out who she is before that happens. By far, this was the most natural story of the episode so, naturally, this was the C story.

Sylar II continued to charm Katie and Dr. King injected the man with a green liquid. Sylar II also met Steph face-to-face. The plot thickens.

Sonny Postiglione and Leigh Dana Jackson wrote the episode. Tom Verica directed it.

Obviously, I didn’t like the episode. Can a show 8 episodes into its first season jump the shark? If that’s possible, No Ordinary Family did it with JJ overseeing major surgery. What a disaster.

SCREENPLAY OF THE DAY

Hannah and Her Sisters–Written By Woody Allen–http://www.awesomefilm.com/script/hannah.html

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

Thanksgiving week is upon us. I planned on writing 75,000 words about why How I Met Your Mother should hire Jorge Garcia as a regular until I read on theavclub.com that Garcia will star in an upcoming J.J. Abrams series about an island and time-travel. Obviously, Thanksgiving and this piece of news share nothing in common. Of course, Jorge Garcia guest starred in the latest episode of How I Met Your Mother–an episode about Thanksgiving and missing awesome things.

Now, the episode had three references to LOST–the show Jorge Garcia worked on for six years as the lovable Hurley. Immediately, I want to write 4,000 words about LOST for old times sake. I remain thankful for the six years of awesome television LOST produced. I digress. Perhaps the Blitz (a name given to a person who misses amazing/awesome things once they leave the room) represents the plethora of fans who abandoned the show after two seasons or turned their back on the show despite the greatest series finale of all-time. More likely, the writers wanted to have fun and the Blitz allowed the fun to occur.

Indeed, fun was had. For 21 minutes, the gang simply had fun (except for the character who became the Blitz). The episode stands alone except for the progression of the Ted and Zoey arc, which bordered on redundant considering the show advanced the relationship between the two in the museum. The regression of Lily continued at an alarming pace. She steals now. The gang went from place to place in hopes of finding a spot for their thanksgiving dinner (since Robin broke Ted’s whilst dancing) until they settled on joining Zoey for Thanksgiving.

At Zoey’s, Barney wallowed in his Blitzness while Zoey and Ted bickered like two characters with sexual tension. The bickering climaxed once Ted compared Zoey to Cinderella’s evil step bother. Zoey, hurt by the comparison, kicked the gang out of her house. Later, Ted realized why Zoey felt wounded by the comparison. Earlier, Zoey invited the gang to spend Thanksgiving with her because her husband spends the holiday with his daughter. In the cab, following Lily’s boasts about her theft of a toy turkey, Ted concluded that Zoey felt sad and hurt because her husband and step-daughter rejected her on the holiday. Ted returns, with his nonsense turkey, and the two become friends for the second time in November.

Nothing much happened for the second week in a row. Last week, Ted decided to be his friend’s best man at a wedding which proved the show did not forget about the season premiere. This week, more Ted and Zoey stuff.

Many fans of the show have expressed their negative opinions about Jennifer Morrison to which I respond with this: who is responsible for the character? Yes, Jennifer Morrison portrays the character but she doesn’t write the character. Alyson Hanigan’s one of my favorite actresses because of Buffy and her character continues to suck on a weekly basis in this show. Jennifer Morrison is delightful and I hope Zoey never leaves the show.

In other news, Warner Brothers will reboot the Buffy franchise without the involvement of Joss Whedon. A young screenwriter, Whit Anderson, will pen the script. Drew Goddard’s become a successful features screenwriter. Why not hire a former Buffy writer for the reboot? If Goddard got the gig, the Whedonverse wouldn’t revolt. But Buffy will be rebooted sans the cast and crew that made Buffy into one of the great television shows of all-time, and there’s no use crying about it. Hollywood will do what they do. Us fans will always have the seven seasons of the show.

SCREENPLAY OF THE DAY

Everwood–”Unhappy Holidays”–Written By John E. Pogue

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

THE WEEK 11 PICKS

There’s plenty to write about that doesn’t even include the sixteen games on tap for week 11. The Sixers are terrible. Their 2-10 record is second worst in the league, besting the 1-11 Clippers. I asked a friend to explain the mess of the Sixers and he answered with two words: “Andre Miller.” I agree. The team went to hell after Stefanski and Jordan agreed that Lou Williams would be as good as Miller running the point. I like Lou Williams. He’s a very good as the the spark plug off the bench. Obviously, the plan failed and Jrue Holiday has become a capable point guard. Now, the team doesn’t know what the hell they’re doing on a regular basis. In fact, Andres Nocioni yelled in San Antonio “what are we doing?” Not winning is what they’re doing. The team is more expensive than last year’s 27 win team. The Dalembert trade RAISED payroll. The only thing the Sixers can do is completely blow up the team now. I care not for this “we have to win games to produce a winning atmosphere” because that philosophy hasn’t worked. The last two years the Sixers made the playoffs, it was with a losing record. In the process, they botched their chance at a top 7 pick which could’ve netted them a great young basketball player.

The Sixers interviewed Monty Williams during the off-season. Doug Collins got the job because of his history with the team. Also, the team wanted to make it up to him for choosing Eddie Jordan instead. Bill Simmons warned Sixers nation about Collins. So far, he’s been less than impressive and he can’t find a solid rotation. The rotation problems last season led to the destruction of confidence in many of the core players. Collins routinely stated that his bench guys are better than his starters. I bring up Monty Williams because he began the season 8-0 as the head coach of the New Orleans Hornets. Right now, the team sits atop the standings with a 10-1 record. I won’t argue that Monty Williams would have a 9-1 Sixers team but maybe Monty would have a decent record–not 2-10.

But, perhaps, any coach is doomed to fail with the Sixers. The talent is scarce. I will continue watching poor efforts like last night’s loss to the Raptors in hopes that the team eventually “gets it.”

As for football, I had a miserable week 10. I finished with a 5-9 record. The overall record is 80-64.

Chicago over Miami

-Tyler Thigpen returns to the big stage for the first time since 2008 when he provided the few bright spots in the Chiefs season. Thigpen’s quite capable as a third string quarterback. Plus, he’s the freshest guy on the field with the short rest. If the Bears lose, I probably won’t learn my lesson about home teams on Thursday nights. The Bears deserve more credit than the media’s given them. They had a great win on Sunday and that nonsense group of receivers continues to come up big for the Bears. As for the broadcast team, download some podcasts and listen to those. Bob Papa, Matt Millen, and Theismann will not enlighten us.

Buffalo over Cincinnati

-Terrell Owens actually tweeted an insult directed towards McNabb, possibly forgetting that his team is 2-7 and his T.Ocho show attracts as big an audience as this blog does. Carson Palmer makes about five terrible decisions in a game. I wonder if he thinks he’s impervious to corners jumping the route and intercepting him. Of course, Ochocinco and Owens might think about their failure of a show instead of the route so Palmer might not be at fault. Anywho, the Bills finally won. Harvard Fitzpatrick deserves some level of success in the NFL. I doubt he finds it. He played for the Rams, the Bengals and, now, the Bills. Also, Chan Gailey finally remembered that Fred Jackson is good.

Dallas over Detroit

-Detroit will lose yet another road game since the Cowboys decided to care again. Thankfully this isn’t the Thanksgiving game. The real story in Dallas belongs to FC Dallas, the MLS team who defeated the LA Galaxy 3-0 to advance to the MLS cup. They battle the Colorado Rapids for the championship. I did not foresee a Rapids/FC Dallas Cup when the season began. But Dallas can rejoice knowing that every team except for the team they love most succeeds.

Tennessee over Washington

-Both teams were terrible last week. The Redskins were much worse. I hope Dan Snyder never sells the team. The Titans somehow lost to a team that used three quarterbacks. But the Redskins are the team that gives wins to teams when they need one. They are a charity. The Redskins love to lose.

Kansas City over Arizona

-I guess cupcake games don’t exist for the Chiefs. After all, they once lost 28 of 30 games. Lost in the blowout was Cassell’s excellent garbage time numbers of 449 yards. Arizona’s defense gives up yards and points easily. The Chiefs lose this game, the season is over and the Todd Haley jokes begin again.

Green Bay over Minnesota

-Elizabeth Merrill wrote 2,000 words on the dysfunction of the Vikings. The 2,000 words can be summed up in a sentence: the players dislike their head coach immensely. Not exactly breaking news. Brett Favre’s playing injured and now he gets a fresh Clay Matthews to deal with. The Packers were playing outstanding football going into the bye. I expect the outstanding play to continue. The Merrill piece included a rather sad moment though. She said Childress clutched a newspaper with an article that had quotes from Kevin Williams defending him. I’m a Childress fan. He was the offensive coordinator for some of the funnest Eagles football I’ve experienced.

New York Jets over Houston

-Maybe the Jets will win convincingly. They’re a flukey 7-2 team but they’re 7-2. I’d usually rail about how undeserving the Jets are but why bother. Houston had the exact opposite luck last week when they lost on a hail mary. They’re a good team going nowhere once again because they get bad breaks or they make dumb mistakes at crucial times. One of these years the Texans will exceed expectations. Arian Foster is a beast though.

Pittsburgh over Oakland

-Heads will explode if the Raiders win. Football fans aren’t ready for Raiders in the same sentence and bubble graphics as playoffs.

Baltimore over Carolina

-Brian St. Pierre starts for the Panthers Sunday. He’s thrown 5 passes in 8 years. Does anyone think they’ll win the game? The Ravens can go to the matinee showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and still win the game.

Cleveland over Jacksonville

-The Browns are good. It took them a few weeks to get it together but they are actually good. Of course, they can prove me right by beating the lucky-and-underwhelming Jaguars. In other news, I’ve become a fan of the Penn campus. It’s amazing how ugly the Drexel campus is compared to Penn’s considering the close proximity. I even walked through the Penn quadrangle. If only someone had mistaken me for a quadruple major Ivy leaguer. I’d declare that I am in the midst of re-definining post-structuralism.

Atlanta over St. Louis

-Atlanta sort of quieted critics after the win vs. Baltimore. They need to prove that they can win games on the road. The Rams have responded well after tough losses this season. I’m looking forward to the game.

New Orleans over Seattle

-Me and Seattle don’t see eye-to-eye. I assume the 1-15 pre-season prediction is the reason. Each week I pick the Seahawks to lose, they win and then they lose when I pick them to win. Seattle sucks on the road. New Orleans had the bye week. This should be easy in theory.

Tampa Bay over San Francisco

-Amazingly, the 49ers have a shot to win the worst division in football. Tampa Bay faces the real test as the season heads towards the stretch. The NFC teams are heating up and getting better. The Bucs have to keep up. Freeman’s extraordinary though. He’s one of those quarterbacks who makes every guy around him immediately better. I’d like to see continued success for the Bucs. The city of Tampa doesn’t necessarily deserve a good team because the fans are atrocious but the team deserves to succeed.

New England over Indianapolis

-I love New England/Indy games. Indy’s a wounded team right now and the Patriots showed exactly what they can do when motivated enough (what the hell happened in Cleveland?). Brady vs. Manning will always be a must-watch game.

Philadelphia over New York Giants

-Michael Vick delivered one of the greatest QB performances of all-time. Philadelphia, outside of the Sixers, has been a lucky with their teams lately. Halladay threw a perfect game and then a no-hitter in the playoffs. The Flyers made history. Vick reclaimed his status as the greatest player in the NFL. Considering the rest of the NFL, the Eagles can certainly win the Super Bowl. Andy and Marty deserve a steak dinner for that Redskins game.

This game will be good. The Giants remain a good football team. The defensive line can take advantage of the so-so offensive line of the Eagles. The Eagles defense is developing an ability for takeaways though. Eli has thrown his fair share of interceptions this season. I expect a low-scoring game and the game will be won in the trenches. And, lest we forget, the winner takes sole possession in a two horse NFC East race. I’m stoked.

San Diego over Denver

-Denver can inject meaning into their season if they defeat the Chargers. Oh, the West. The Chargers are an unpredictable team. One week, they look like a 14-2 team then they don’t. The talking heads blame everything on the special teams because they revere Norv Turner. But, of course, I’m aware of how special teams can derail a season. I remember the Rory Segrest Eagle special teams. Anyways, watch Community tonight on NBC.

Last Week: 5-9

Overall: 80-64

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

Tim Minear and Tucker Gates reunited for the first time since 1999 (in which Tim Minear wrote ANGEL’S episode titled “Hero” and Tucker Gates directed the episode) and magic happened yet again in the latest episode of Terriers, titled “Sins of the Past.”

Tim Minear has mastered the art of the flashback structure in an episode. I only wonder what the man would’ve done with an episode of LOST. I digress. After ten episodes, Terriers delivered a sort of origin story for Hank Dolworth. The final days of Hank’s cop career neared an end as he hit the bottle more furiously, pursued suspects more vigorously if said suspect once dated his ex-wife and completely let his partner down. Meanwhile, the flashback juxtaposed Britt’s present as he hit the bottle fairly hard and beat up the wrong guy thinking that he slept with Katie.

The episode belonged to Hank Dolworth though, the hero and anti-hero of the show. His personal arc has dominated the first season of Terriers. He lost his wife and job though we didn’t know why. Well, now we do and Gretchen used a perfectly adequate term for her ex-husband when she described him as the live grenade in her life. Laura Ross shows up in Hank’s house with information on the Billy Whitman case that cost Hank his job and his life. Billy Whitman was accused of being a serial rapist three years ago and Hank was convinced the man was guilty, especially after he learned that Gretchen dated him while in college.

The Whitman case allowed the show to delve into the absolute worst time in Hank’s life. He drank on the job. He ignored the rights that every suspect has in the United States of America. He was sort of like Luther except no colleagues encouraged his behavior. And he let his personal life and his insecurities interfere with his professional responsibilities and duties as a cop. Past episodes showed that Hank sometimes falls into his old, destructive habits. The man won’t let go of something until the something dies or leaves him or gets him fired from his job. Hank cared deeply about catching the man who violated tons of women but he was obsessed with destroying someone who might’ve forced his current wife into sex while in college. Gretchen obviously leaves him at some point. The Whitman obsession was simply the tip of the iceberg. His alcoholism become a burden in the marriage. Gretchen worried about Hank more off duty because he would drink for hours at the bar, arrive home late, forget important events. He was a mess.

He loses his job. His co-workers, and Gustafson, suspect that Hank ran Whitman off the road and planted evidence in the back seat because Whitman wasn’t identified and would be released. And, of course, Whitman didn’t commit the series of rapes. Det. Reynolds was the serial rapist. Hank apologizes as best as he can. Later, he tells Gustafson that he had the wrong guy for three years, that Laura solved the case. The sun won’t consistently shine in Hank’s life any time soon. He lost his wife and his job, after all. Plus, he severely damages his friendship with Britt when he tells Britt that he knew about Katie’s infidelity and kept it hidden.

Of course, the flashback involves the beginning of Hank and Britt’s friendship. Hank suspects Britt as the serial rapist in the beginning because he was at the scene of the crime. Britt is innocent of the rape but guilty of petty theft. Hank offers Britt his card at the end of the episode, and encourages Britt to find new legal line of work and a new partner.

Meanwhile, Britt hits the bottle in the aftermath of the Katie revelation. I wrote about the destructive behavior of both lead characters once love left their lives. Hank was a self-destructive mess before Gretchen left but Britt becomes a self-destructive mess after losing Katie. Hank pleads with Britt to quit drinking and to forget about finding the man who may or may not have slept with Katie. Britt ignores the pleas and beats the man up. He lands in jail and learns that he beat up the wrong man. Britt’s in some trouble, folks.

It was important to learn about the past as the show looks toward the final two episodes of the season. Hank let down Gustafson three years ago and he let down Britt in the present. While the Whitman case resolved itself, Hank had nothing to do with the resolution, which means that he NEEDS the Zeitlin case to truly earn his reputation as a good cop back. He has his work cut out for him in his personal life as well. He must rectify his relationship with Britt as well as his ex-wife and, possibly, offer an apology to Jason. The final two episodes of the first season (and possibly) the series should be glorious.

Other thoughts:

-The scene between Katie and Winston was sad. Dogs are great.

-Tucker Gates directed “Sins of the Past.” Tucker Gates earned my praise for “Ab Aeterno.” Why hasn’t the man moved into feature films? He’s talented.

-The episode reminded me of “Out of Gas”–a Tim Minear Firefly episode. Minear, as I mentioned, writes terrific episodes with flashbacks such as “Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been?” one of the greatest ANGEL episodes. I wrote more about Minear during my Seven Business Days of Whedon so go into archives.

SCREENPLAY OF THE DAY

Firefly–”Out of Gas”–Written By Tim Minear–http://www.fireflywiki.org/107.html

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

Amy Acker!

The first six episodes of the series featured characters and situations that felt pointless in the grand scheme of the show. The stakes were non-existent because the audience knew the characters would disappear and the case would be forgotten. It appears that the show has begun introducing characters and arcs that mean something i.e. recurring characters and recurring arcs. The show has continuity after all.

The series took a break from the superhero antics of Jim and, instead, focused on his friend George. George has mostly been a cheerleader as Jim stops various criminals from committing crimes. This week was George’s turn to stop a bad guy. “No Ordinary Mobster” is titled for the villain-of-the-week–a man named Luca. George wanted to get Luca behind bars for as long as he can remember but Luca always eluded punishment in courts. Frustrated by not guilty verdict, George tells Luca that he’ll get his boss and then him. Later, Luca shoots George’s new girlfriend Amanda. With the help of Jim, Luca gets arrested quickly; however, Luca saw what Jim could do. Luca threatens to go public unless the charges are dropped. George eventually realizes that the majority of Americans will consider Luca insane. Luca realizes this, too, and can do nothing but return to his cell. The spotlight on George worked. We learned that he made an error when he first prosecuted Luca and the error continues to motivate him. George doesn’t want to mess up again, which explains why he pushes Jim to fight crime. Unfortunately, Sylar II kills Luca with his Sylar-like ability.

Speaking of Sylar II, he has his own agenda. The man isn’t simply the muscle for Dr. King. Upon seeing a photo of the Powells (and, specifically, Jim), Sylar II does not tell Dr. King what he knows about Jim. By episode’s end, he assumes the identity Will Jerome (that J.J. created in a pure Simpsons rip-off subplot). Intriguing.

The series re-visited Steph’s major arc: how did she and her family get these abilities, why and what does it mean? Steph, unfortunately, received a fabricated story from the widow of Volson. Mrs. Volson explains that her husband, after extensive research in fringe science, came home with a concoction that gave both abilities. Once the abilities left, Volson killed himself; however, the widow lied to Steph because of a deal she made with Dr. King. The truth continues to elude the viewers. I’m certainly interested in the show’s exploration of temporary abilities. It seems like the show will explore that area as soon as next week. Steph comes no closer to solving the mystery. At least the show returned to the mystery.

Meanwhile, Daphne and J.J. have love on their minds. Daphne shares a kiss with a boy after she impresses him at a Modernist Art exhibit with the help of her brother. Of course, the boy dates an unlikable girl but Daphne learns, through the power of mind reading, that the boy prefers her over his current girlfriend. J.J. has a crush on Katie and creates his own Woodrow. I don’t have much to add.

“No Ordinary Mobster” laid a solid foundation for the rest of the season. As long as the show never brings Steph’s parents back and continues to produce entertaining episodes like this, I’ll be a content guy.

Other thoughts:

-Amy Acker didn’t get much to do tonight, which is a shame. She is a wonderful actress. Winifred Burkle is one of the great characters of all-time. It seems that her character will return for additional episodes though. It’d be a waste to hire Amy Acker and give her four scenes.

-Autumn Reeser is a delight. It’s difficult to buy that Katie would have trouble meeting a guy and would need to resort to the internet to do so.

-Marc Guggenheim wrote the episode. John Polson directed it.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

Perhaps there is hope for No Ordinary Family. After the worst episode of the young first season, the show delivered its best episode by far. “No Ordinary Mobster” was engaging, fun and energetic. The Powells were likable. Steph discovered more information about Volson, unaware that she fell into a trap set by Dr. King. Sylar II knows what Jim can do and what he looks like. Katie and George were given personal lives (no longer are they characters who live vicariously through their friend/mentor). The case-of-the-week with the Albanian mobster/drug kingpin wasn’t particularly engaging but, at least, the story gave George an emotional arc and a rare victory without Jim. Also, the lovely Amy Acker might just be a recurring character. One can only hope.

The arc of the second season continues to progress and the plot progressively thickens. For the second week in a row, TVD treated its viewers to a massive exposition dump. The curse of the moonstone can be broken through the death of Elena and all her friends. Katherine has been running from an original vampire called Klaus since 1492 after her family disowned her. The original vampires are very powerful, more powerful than any other generation of vampires. For example, an original vampire can destroy glass with only twenty or so quarters. The original vamps possess the ability to compel other vampires. Two warlocks, a father and son, moved into town. The elder warlock works with the original vampires. Elena learned that she bears responsibility for the harm her family and friends encounter because she belongs to the Petrova blood; therefore, her blood can break the curse. Also, Katherine revealed her plan. She needed Caroline as a vampire for sacrifice as well as a werewolf and her doppelganger.

The problem is, the arc isn’t interesting. The villains aren’t compelling or even terrifying. Klaus is a man without a physical identity. Katherine and Slater, the tertiary vampire character only talk about how powerful and dangerous Klaus is. Elijah causes all of the damage in “Katerina” with the implication that Klaus can cause damage and much more. Klaus loves vengeance. Katherine believed she escaped his torment and vengeance only to find her father murdered by the vamp I’d like to refer to as Santa Klaus. Klaus reminds me of D’Hoffryn, a Buffy character who once reminded Anya that vengeance demons never go for the kill when they can go for the pain. Perhaps L.J. Smith or Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec thought of the character and decided, “well, Santa Klaus will go for the pain AND the kill.”

12 episodes remain in the season and I dread watching the central arc unfold, knowing that it won’t conclude until the season finale. The new characters lack the intrigue that the villains possessed in the first season.

In an exposition dump like this episode, the B and C stories move at a snail’s pace and reek of filler. For example, Caroline and Stefan spent most of their screentime discussing Tyler. Caroline summarizes the B story from last week. Stefan wishes she kept her vampiric secret to herself. But she simply wants to waste time and keep Stefan from going to Elena. The story mirrors the writers and their desire to not move the story too fast because, after all, 12 episodes remain. Damon and Rose visit an old vampire friend named Slater. He essentially tells them what Katherine tells Elena about Klaus. The story exists to bring Damon and Rose together sexually. With death an inevitably unless one looks out for one’s own self, Rose advises Damon to forget about Elena. But, after fornication, Rose knows Damon cannot turn off his love for Elena.

The episode was very weak but not as terrible as last week’s episode. Two consecutive weeks of dud episodes though.

Other thoughts:

-Nina Dobrev was great in “Katerina.” Elena and Katherine played a large role and Dobrev rose to the occasion.

-Luca, the warlock, told Bonnie that he hopes he and his father can fit in the small town. TVD isn’t a subtle show. Witches and warlocks are only African-Americans. I never trust The CW with things like this.

-Why bother with the high school aspect of the show anymore? Why does Stefan continue to attend high school? Slater had the right idea by getting 18 degrees and 4 PhDs though who knows how he paid for college. College is expensive for undergrads and gets more expensive with each degree.

-Andrew Chambliss, the former Dollhouse writer, wrote the episode. J. Miller Torbin directed.

-The Vampire Diaries won’t return until December 2. The CW cares not for November sweeps.

NOTE: Considering I wrote three posts in 1 day, there will not be anything new tomorrow. If I do write something new, it’ll be up in the evening. Also, please read my NFL picks and my Terriers review will were posted earlier in the day.

SCREENPLAY OF THE DAY

Mad Men–”The Wheel”–Written By Matthew Weiner and Robin Veith–http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Mad_Men/Mad_Men_1x13_-_The_Wheel.pdf

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

THE WEEK TEN NFL PICKS

It is Veterans Day and I’d like to thank all the people who’ve served the country throughout history to ensure the safety of this country. Thank you.

The Thursday Night Football games begin. This is the first year I’ll be able to watch the game since the move to the NFL Network. I dread the broadcast team the NFL network assembled. In general, I dread NFL broadcast teams with the exception of a few like Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker and whomever Dan Dierdorf is paired with. The majority of NFL broadcast teams are terrible even the ones with former great NFL teams. Most color commentators narrate whatever we just saw despite the play-by-play guy narrating the exact same thing as the play happened. Phil Simms, when he analyzed a Michael Vick run, essentially said ‘no receivers were open, the protection broke down, he saw space and TOOK OFF.’

I could’ve told viewers the same thing. Sometimes silence is golden. I enjoy radio broadcasts of baseball games because the broadcasters aren’t afraid to be quiet if they need to be. In football, the majority of teams drone on and on while never offering insightful analysis into the game of football. For play-by-play guys, we need more Gus Johnsons and Ian Darkes (I know Ian Darke calls soccer but his excitement and enthusiasm is fantastic). For color commentators, we need more Dan Dierdorfs who sort of yell at the viewer in the second person. The NFL Network couldn’t find anyone else other than Bob Papa, The Man Who Destroyed The Lions and Joe Theissman? Luckily, the Flyers are on tonight and they have a delightful broadcast team.

As for prognostication, I went 9-4 last week. My overall record is 76-54. I’m still searching for that perfect week.

Baltimore over Atlanta

-Two 6-2 teams battling. It should be good. The Ravens and Joe Flacco get better by the week. A trustworthy source told me that Matt Ryan is 17-1 at home in his career so perhaps I should re-think this pick. But I won’t. Hopefully the short rest won’t hurt the traveling Ravens. I think this game will show how good the AFC is compared to the NFC. The Falcons could win. They are a weird 6-2 team. Never sure what to expect from them. I’d compare the team to a TV show but I’ve nothing.

Buffalo over Detroit

-Shaun Hill will start for the Lions barring any setbacks. Until the collapse in the 4th quarter, I was fine with admitting that the Lions aren’t terrible. Of course they ARE terrible and the collapse confirmed it. The Bills have to win eventually. They truly deserve one win if the awful Carolina Panthers stole a win a few weeks ago. If only Chan Gailey was like Sixers coach Doug Collins who usually speaks about his team like they are 12 year olds who don’t know basketball well enough to win. I like Coach Collins but he’s gotta give his team some credit.

Minnesota over Chicago

-Maybe I should pick the Bears. ESPN reported that 6 players want Childress fired. One player was quoted, saying he HATES Brad Childress. Hate is a strong word, anonymous Vikings player. Childress has effectively burned his bridges in Minnesota. The bridges have been on fire since he treated Favre differently in the summer of 2009 actually. The Sports Guy made a Childress/Bud Kilmer comparison and it fits. Which Viking will become Van Der Beek when the coup happens to usurp Childress? I’ll nominate Greg Lewis.

Cleveland over New York Jets

-Oh, Cleveland, you deceptive bastards. The Browns ended my chance to win a $2,500 Best Buy gift card from ESPN’s Eliminator Challenge. I guess the win over the Saints wasn’t lucky considering how they dominated the Pats OR the Pats shouldn’t be 6-2. Anyway, the Jets looked awful for nearly the entire game in Detroit. Rex Ryan has run his mouth about his brother so Rex has assumed the role of heel and Rob is the face. Rob should take this one. I have to admit that I miss Rob Ryan’s wild hair and facial hair from his Oakland days. Now there is no difference between the brothers besides a few pounds and a moustache. Also, I’m glad that Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy are good NFL quarterbacks. I tired of the first round QB busts.

Indianapolis over Cincinnati

-The Colts received a few gift calls during the Eagles game that kept the score close. The Colts were very ordinary last week. Manning is one of the greatest QBs ever but enough injuries will hurt the team. The Bengals defense used to be good. What happened? They’ve been without their top corners. The Bengals could steal this but Manning usually responds well after a loss, and the way teams have thrown on Cincy this season should make for a Manning field day. Owens has quietly put together some good games (of course much of the stats were accumulated in garbage time).

Tennessee over Miami

-Apparently I’m the only guy who thinks Henne is a good quarterback. Pennington returns to the NFL limelight for the first time since being benched. Miami needs this game if they want a real shot to make the playoffs. The Titans get to have fun with Randy Moss. It’s about time the Titans got an actual number one receiver.

Tampa Bay over Carolina

-Well, this should be easy.

Houston over Jacksonville

-The Jags possess a Chargers-like ability to win when I pick against them. What a team. They should be awful yet they are 4-4. The coach should’ve been fired yet he remains. The quarterback was insulted more by head coach than McNabb was by Shanahan yet he can put together games like the one he had against Dallas. The Chargers beat the Texans last week. Does this mean the Jags will follow that up with a win? Eh. Probably. Houston’s not good.

Kansas City over Denver

-The trust is gone between myself and the Denver Broncos. Last year, I thought they’d be terrible and they began the season 6-0 then their second half unfolded like the third act of High Tension. I figured the team would improve in the offseason but McDaniels has proven that he’s just like Alexandre Aja. I don’t exactly admire the Chiefs but they’ve shown an ability to win cupcake games in their soft schedule.

New York Giants over Dallas

-I bet Jerry Jones wishes he was Felicity Porter from the beloved WB drama Felicity. In the series finale, Felicity time-traveled to see what life would be like with Scott Foley. Hijinx and death ensued. If Jones could get his team a few more wins, I bet he would glady sacrifice human beings. The Giants defense might actually kill someone before the season’s over. If Clay Matthews played for the Giants, a QB or some other player would’ve died. The defense would win the NFL’s most violent defense award. They ended Romo’s season and they might feel like ending Kitna’s career for all we know.

Arizona over Seattle

-Charlie Whitehurst avoided serious injury in his first start against the Giants. The Cards have a frisky defense. Whitehurst will pay if he throws INTs. But, really, why waste words on this game? I could be reading an interview with Carlton Cuse instead.

St. Louis over San Francisco

-The Rams are going to win the NFC West. It’s going to happen. YES. They could win the division with 7 wins. Arizona is a mess. The Seahawks have fallen off a cliff and the 49ers quit on their coaches the first day of training camp. It will be a pathetic yet great story for the Rams franchise.

Pittsburgh over New England

-I’ve lost faith in the Patriots. If the Browns defense shut them down, the Pittsburgh D will shut them out. The Pats will probably play a flawless game and win with my luck.

Philadelphia over Washington

-I’m pleasantly surprised by the lack of McNabb stories in the Daily News. The hype is non-existent. The Birds should win easily. Vick played a solid game in his return. Nothing earth-shattering. The offensive line continues to be a concern and the defense is jekyll and hyde but the team wins football games. They are getting good breaks. Plus, Shanahan made a mess of his team. Redskin fans, don’t bother watching the team. John Wall is much more exciting to watch.

Last Week: 9-4

Overall: 76-54

I wrote about Terriers earlier today. Please read and watch the show.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

Credit: FX and daemonstv.com

If an episode is titled “Asunder,” the chances of the main characters remaining happy by episode’s end are fairly bleak. Terriers has become a show about pain, sadness, loneliness and heartbreak. Of course, the show is ALSO about rehabilitation, redemption and the healing power of love. After all, many of the episodes are united by the theme of love or the lack of love. This lack of love is a destructive property for the people of Ocean Beach. Characters have died. Characters have been kidnapped. For our two main characters, Hank and Britt, love is central to their own health. Hank did whatever he could to sabotoge the marriage between Gretchen and Jason. The man actually ordered a drink because, after 543 days of sobriety, he never felt more tempted by the bottle than on the day Gretchen re-married. Hank wants to rehabilitate himself and he IS rehabilitating himself as a recovering alcoholic. And his private investigation business helps rehabilitate his image as a man who continues to be a good cop although he isn’t being paid to be one. But, as Gretchen told him, he continues to be a live grenade. He crosses lines to solve a case and that line crossing usually leads to devastation for someone. We’ve seen the man Hank wants to be as well–the complete man Hank wants to be. The man we’ve seen in dreams with Gretchen and the man we’ve seen take care of his sister. The man who took a bullet for Britt. But he has demons and a whole heap of skeletons in the closet.

Until Hank overhears Zeitlin and Burke (you remember those two!) discussing something bad in the bathroom (about causing harm to someone) and Hank springs into action, Hank didn’t know what to do with himself on Gretchen’s wedding day. He cleaned the gutters, took the garbage out, went to AA but nothing worked. Britt asks Hank to drop off a shirt in the belly of the beast–the wedding. Hank delivers the shirt then parks the car and hangs around in the hotel. He orders a drink and then walks away, into the bathroom to collect himself, which is where he overhears Zeitlin and Burke’s conversation. Hank gets a hotle room above the place where Zeitlin plans to meet with someone. The tech guys get hired to bug the room and, fortunately, Hank distract himself with his work.

Zeitlin meets with a freelance journalist, Laura Ross, who has written a series of stories about the land deals taking place in Ocean Beach. Zeitlin wants to know the source who leaked the information to Laura but Laura won’t talk. If one recalls, the land that Montague bought did not have toxins in the ground. The mystery remains: what will this land be used for? Laura doesn’t get the answer but she knows more than Zeitlin wants her to and threatens her mother’s life if she refuses to give up her source. Hank sends text messages throughout the meeting, warning her that Zeitlin will harm her. Hank protects Laura’s mother as well. The tech guys take her in their large RV, away from Zeitlin’s muscle. Eventually, Laura escapes from the room with the help of hotel security. Hank whisks her away from the hotel.

Hank approaches Zeitlin and Burke to let the two men know that he recorded their entire conversation with Laura. Game BACK on. By episode’s end, Hank tells Britt that he really doesn’t need a drink anymore, that he and Britt are among a very few group of people who know more than they should about Zeitlin and Montague. The pain of the marriage won’t heal quickly but Hank sees some light in a dark tunnel. He survived the day and he even saved the life of an innocent reporter’s mother. Hank IS a good guy; however, to reiterate, he has demons but he’s on the right path.

Meanwhile, to return to the theme of love, the relationship between Britt and Katie ended. Katie admitted that she cheated on him with someone, that she isn’t sure who the father of the baby is and Britt couldn’t deal. He planned to move out and told her how much he loved her but added that he never wants to see her again. Katie is the woman responsible for the transformation of Britt. As one might recall, Britt wanted to meet Katie after he broke into her house and saw a picture of her. Upon meeting and dating the woman, he gave up his life of crime for private investigation. He craves the comfort of a drink by episode’s end, unsure of what life will be like without Katie (i of course hold hope the two will reconcile because the chemistry between Michael Raymond James and Laura Allen is fantastic). I wonder if the Zeitlin case will be enough for Britt in his post-Katie existence. In a show in which something devasating follows the loss of love, I’m anxious for the next step in Britt’s arc.

Also, Gretchen and Jason were happily married.

Other thoughts:

-Yet another strong episode from Terriers–the best show on television. I fear that the show will get canceled and become a show that develops a following after the fact. Folks will lament the one-season-and-done yet they will be responsible for the cancelation. Please watch the show. Tell your friends. And HEY, the insanely-talented and awesome Tim Minear wrote next week’s episode.

-Nicolas Griffin wrote the episode and Ted Griffin directed it. It was excellent.

-Follow me on Twitter @JacobsFoot.

SCREENPLAY OF THE DAY

Matchstick Men–Written By Nick Griffin and Ted Griffin–Based on the Book by Eric Garcia–http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/MATCHSTICK_MEN.pdf

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK