Tuesday, March 30, 2010

...Set: Life Unexpected 1x11 "Storm Weathered"

In case you weren’t catching on what this week’s theme was, Ryan spelled it out for us about 3/4 through the episode. So what’s the winning theme? Rejection! Whether it be romantic or familial, it was all about rejection. Per usual, we had our two basic plotlines - the adult and the teen. And, per usual, the adult one was more interesting than the teen one.

Jones invites Lux over to his place for a party. He manufactures an “accidental” kiss out of a game of suck and blow, and Lux freaks out about it. But that doesn’t compare to the following freak out she has when she finds him making out with another girl! What, you’re allowed to have a boyfriend, but he’s not allowed to do stuff with other girls when you’ve rejected him? Ah, irrational bouts of irrationality. At least she actually realizes that later when she’s having a chat with Ryan, telling him bits about her life story growing up, with some inconsequential flashbacks that weren’t really needed. He reassures her that she was just acting like anyone does who has been rejected. A little bit cray cray.

Recap/review of Life Unexpected 1x11 'Storm Weathered' by freshfromthe.comMeanwhile, Baze and Abby are still dating, and she’s moving things awfully fast. Moving stuff into the top drawer, wanting to change their relationship status on Facebook, deleting his roommates stuff off the DVR (whoa, that is a big no-no, you don’t just delete other people’s DVRs!). Cate inevitably finds out and inevitably freaks out. The irrational freak outs are something Cate and Lux both do so well, are they not?

Things come to a head back at Baze’s when Baze, Abby and Cate get stuck in the loft during the storm that leads to a power outage. Baze’s buddies pressure him to cut things off with Abby, since he was only doing it so he could prove to everyone that he was capable of being in an actual relationship. He attempts to break things off, but when she doesn’t have it, he pulls the trump card and says they can’t be together because he has feelings for Cate. Cate, of course, overhears this, and freaks out some more. Baze must later fess up that he didn’t really mean it, he was only saying it to cut things off with Abby. But Abby gives them both a dose of reality. They both have feelings for each other, whether they’d like to admit it or not. As if anyone really needed to be told that. Hello, obvious!

Oh, and, Cate and Ryan get re-engaged. They were going to go elope to avoid any family drama, but in the end decide that they’re going to get married with their families - in two weeks rather than in June, however. Everyone congratulates them, but Baze looks a little stunned, which Lux notices. Come on now, Luxy, did you really not realize your parents have a little somethin’ somethin’ brewing?

Next week, we meet Cate’s father and it looks like Lux confronts Baze about how long he’s had feelings for Cate. And apparently it’s the second to last episode of the season! Or the series? I don’t think we’ve heard yet whether it’s been picked up for season two.

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

...Set: Chuck 3x12 "Chuck versus the American Hero"

I feel like I say this every week, but this week truly stepped up the game on Chuck. The spy story merged with the side story in an awesome way, and we got one heck of a cliffhanger. I’m sad that the number of viewers has started dropping off again. Why aren’t other people as in love with this show?! It’s got everything you’d want - action, comedy, romance! What more do you want, fickle viewers? How can repetitive crap like CSI draw in the bajillions when it’s the same damn thing week after week? Okay, okay. I’ll stop my rant. Phew. Take a deep breath, Jen. It’s okay.

Chuck meets up with General Beckman in DC, where she fills him in on his upcoming extended mission in Rome. He’s to be a rich playboy, blah blah. He’s not ready to go solo, but Beckman tells him she’ll give him a week off before he comes back and assembles his team. Oh wait, he gets to have his own team? Well then! It’s back to Burbank to get Sarah back on his side.

Of course, Sarah thinks Chuck isn’t the same man she fell for back in the day, because she thinks he killed that Hunter Perry dude last week. He can’t tell her that Casey was actually the one who did it, so instead decides he’s got to win her back some other way. Enter an unlikely trio to help: Morgan, Casey and Devon. They work out a plan for Chuck to crash on a date between Shaw and Sarah, getting Shaw out of the way so Chuck can talk to her.

Recap/review of Chuck 3x12 'Chuck versus the American Hero' by freshfromthe.comWhat they don’t know is that certain Ring members are also trailing Shaw. They almost capture him, but thanks to some bumbling from Morgan and Devon, they manage to get away. Chuck, meanwhile, was just about to confess his love for Sarah, but got interrupted by the shenanigans. Ellie finds out about Chuck working to get Sarah back, and is upset he didn’t ask for her help instead of the yahoo trifecta. She tells him that he can’t back down. If he loves her, he has to fight for her.

Shaw devises a plan to get inside with the Ring, so they can at least take out one of their strongholds (he’ll go inside with a tracker, Beckman will send in an air strike to take out the location). Sarah is against this plan, because it will surely mean he will be killed. Chuck arrives in time to hear the end of the conversation and see Shaw leave. Sarah immediately starts working on a plan of her own to help Shaw, but Chuck locks her down in Castle and goes to do it himself.

Meanwhile, Jeff and Lester are pissed that Chuck and co. didn’t ask for their help when stalking Sarah and Shaw earlier. To prove that they are the best when it comes to stalking, they start following Shaw, or as everyone enjoyed calling him this episode - the stallion. Good thing, too, because when Chuck shows up to where Shaw’s tracker is, he just finds it lying on the ground. Those Ring guys made Shaw barf it up earlier. But it’s Jeff and Lester to the rescue.

Chuck infiltrates the Ring headquarters, but doesn’t make it to Shaw before he meets with the head dude - in hologram form. This head dude shows Shaw a rather disturbing video of who actually killed Shaw’s wife. It was SARAH!! Maybe some of you all saw that coming, but I didn’t until they switched to the other video! Shaw is enraged, but can’t do anything because they tazor him into unconsciousness. Luckily, Chuck is inside the building and takes out some of the guards. He’s able to get Shaw out of there just before Beckman’s bomb takes out the building.

Chuck finally gets his chance to talk to Sarah and tell her how he feels. He loves her, and he wants her to run away with him, like they should have in Prague. He heads off to wait for her in the train station.

She’s in her apartment, seemingly packing. Either to go with him or go to DC. Casey shows up to tell her the truth about who killed Perry, and she is genuinely happy that he told her. But before she can go and meet up with Chuck, Shaw shows up claiming some mission and whisks her away. And he’s put back on his wedding ring. Uh oh.

Chuck talks with Beckman in Castle, who fills him in on what the Ring showed Shaw. She also tells him that Shaw has taken Sarah to parts unknown. Dun dun dun! Next week’s preview gave very little away, but did include a great line from Casey telling Morgan to “get me my suit.” It pretty much looks awesome.

Quotes:

“You’ve seen the stallion she’s dating?” - Casey

“There goes our chance to ever get out of the Buy More.” - Casey
“Really, is that what they teach you in the Marine Corps?” - Morgan
“Hmm?” - Casey
“Roll over and die?” - Morgan
“This isn’t exactly combat, Morgan.” - Casey
“That’s where you’re wrong, Casey. Because love, love is a battlefield.” - Morgan

“Chuck better move quick if he wants to get his froyo ho back.” - Jeff
“Another fella sniffing around the Orange.... Orange.” - Lester

“Wow. Now that guy can fill out a pair of slacks. A real stallion.” - Morgan

“I’m afraid my days of legalized body snatching are over now.” - Casey

“”Cause you live in a bubble. Take a look at yourself, go ahead. It’s a freakish bubble of handsomeness.” - Morgan, to Devon

“Bring a stretcher. A wheelbarrow. Possible change of pants.” - Morgan

“We’re as shocked as you are.” - Casey

“And what’s more, Chuck came to you three for advice, before me. Why am I not surprised this ended in jail?” - Ellie

“You are a Bartowski, Chuck. Start acting like one.” - Ellie

“Do they have any idea how much stalking experience I have?” - Jeff
“If only they did, Jeffrey. You’re very prolific. You’re the Picasso of creepiness.” - Lester
“It’s true, and this is my blue period.” - Jeff

“Stalker’s log. Stalkee is behind a gray van, with another male, possibly for a sexual encounter. Both are physically fit, should be lively.” - Jeff
“Jeffrey, don’t make me afraid to be alone with you.” - Lester

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

Monday, March 29, 2010

...Set: So You Think You Can Dance - Season 7 News

There is big news afoot for the upcoming summer season of everyone's favorite dancing show (well, it's MY favorite, and that's all that matters on this here blog) - So You Think You Can Dance. The show comes back with a two hour premiere on May 27th at 8pm, but what is in store for us this season? We all know how the producers like to shake things up. Need I remind you of last season, where they stopped switching out the third judge, had that bigger stage, and everybody kept getting injured? Yeah, I'd rather forget it too. The changes this season are even more dramatic! Get ready for a handy dandy list of all of the changes thus far...

Only one dancer goes home every week. Yep, you read that right. Instead of two dancers getting the boot, only one is going home. Which means an odd number of dancers. Which leads to...

Couples will be rotated every week. Unlike every season in SYTYCD's history, we will not have set couples until the top 20 dwindles down to the top 10. Though sometimes the couples are exhausting, sometimes they are a revelation that light up the screen. Benji and Donyelle, Katee and Joshua, Brandon and Janette. And do you know why?

There will be no top 20. Apparently we will be starting the competition straight from the top 10? Madness!

Less than four dancers will compete in the finale. That's a rather welcome change, I must say. Last season, there were six dancers in the finale and it was ridiculous. That never should've happened. But I have saved the the biggest news for last...

Season 7's top 10 will be dancing with a rotating pool of an as yet unannounced roster of all star SYTYCD alumni. As Entertainment Weekly's Adam B. Vary points out, this makes the show a lot more like the abominable Dancing with the Stars (heck, some SYTYCD alums are already on DWTS), just instead of celebrities we have unknown supposedly great dancers trying to make their way. He also notes, and I agree, how it will be hard for the new contestants to outshine their all-star counterparts. Now if we had a SYTYCD all-star competition, that would be pretty cool. But that's not what's happening here. But HEY, if they decide to go be crazy and have another fall competition, I would recommend something like that instead of the regular stuff.

Anyway, what do you think of all of these changes? I'll be tuning in to see whether it's amazing or a train wreck, but who knows what will happen. I think half the reason last season was so lackluster was because the choreography wasn't as exciting as in the past. Hopefully the choreographers have gotten enough rest now to think up some cool shiz. Time will tell!

Chocolate Chip Paisley Blondies

To those who have been perusing my blog of late, it may seem that I never do any baking! Au contraire. I was in the process of moving, but finally got settled enough that yesterday I got to break in my new oven. And do you know what the best thing about my new oven is? It's not 20 years old! It's got a digital thermometer and timer built in! OMG! WHAT! Yes, a new age has dawned.

So what did I make for my first recipe? I didn't feel like going to the store (um, do I ever?), so I looked through my meager collection of cookbooks - I have like, two - and came upon a recipe in “Home Cooking The Costco Way” for Chocolate Chip Paisley Blondies. Essentially these are just chocolate chip cookies made into bars with a little extra dose of chocolate sauce thrown into the mix. As you'll see from the recipe, that chocolate sauce and an extra egg, plus using baking powder instead of soda, are really the only main differences between your general chocolate chip recipe.

Chocolate Chip Paisley Blondies by freshfromthe.com

Chocolate Chip Paisley Blondies

3/4 cup ( 1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate syrup

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan.

Beat butter and sugars until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; beat into the butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Spread half the batter (about 2 1/2 cups) in the prepared pan. Spoon syrup over the top; evenly spread over the surface to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Drop teaspoonfuls of the remaining batter over the syrup so the surface is almost completely covered. (As the blondies bake, the syrup showing in the spaces between the batter form a paisley effect.)

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes about 36 bars.

The butter and sugars.

After the eggs and vanilla.
And the flour.

The chocolate chips. I didn't do nuts.

After drizzling on the chocolate sauce. And as the directions say, it's very important to leave space around the edges! Otherwise the chocolate cooks into the side of the pan, making it impossible to get the babies out of there.

Dollops of more dough go on top.

Chocolate Chip Paisley Blondies by freshfromthe.com
Out of the oven. Look at those fun chocolate swirls!

Chocolate Chip Paisley Blondies by freshfromthe.com
Yum!

The extra egg in the mix makes these cookie bar blondies much lighter than if you just did them regularly. I suppose the baking powder may also have a hand in that, but as I can never tell the difference between powder and soda, that's beyond my reckoning. You can see that I only have my square pan when the recipe calls for a 9x13 one. I used half of it in here and tried the other half in a cupcake tin. Which I DO NOT recommend if you don't have cupcake liners to use. And even then, I imagine they would get very stuck to the liners and be hard to eat. I ended up having to trash all of them because they literally would not come out of the cupcake tin. So - from the pan, good! From a cupcake tin, bad!

Chocolate Chip Paisley Blondies by freshfromthe.com

Thursday, March 25, 2010

...Set: Supernatural 5x15 "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid"

My oh my, it feels like forever since last the Winchesters were on my TV set! But back they are. With a vengeance? Ummmm. Points for mixing up the zombie format, but lest we forget, we’ve seen zombies in some form or another on the ole Supes a few times already. This time, instead of a spell or a virus, it was thanks to that pesky Horseman by the name of Death that Lucifer raised some episodes back. Oh yeah, did you forget that happened? I kind of did too.

Anyway, let’s get into this recap, shall we? In Bobby’s town of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, people are raising from the dead. They seem perfectly normal, apart from the fact that they’re dead. After one such dead dude kills the hick that originally killed him, Sam and Dean roll into town to figure out what the dealio is, but get held up by the local sheriff, who figures out they’re not really FBI when they try to pull the ole give her a fake card to call Bobby as their supervisor. How does she know it’s fake? Because she knows Bobby for reals. Whoops!

Recap/review of Supernatural 5x15 "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" by freshfromthe.com
Bobby, acting a fool.
Bobby assures the boys that nothing’s going on, but they figure out he’s giving them a load of BS when, oh hello, his wife Karen just happens to be one of the zombified! Yep, even though she was cremated, she’s back too. They figure out it must be the Horseman Death doing it, and while Sam goes into town to check on people, Dean stays behind to keep an eye on Karen, just in case she, you know, wants to gobble on Bobby’s brains like the old zombies of yore.

They reunite briefly to chat about their findings (Sam found a creepy lady who wanted to eat him and splooged some reallllllly nasty white goop on his face while Dean chatted up dead Karen, who seemed perfectly nice), then split up again. Sam heads into town to find the sheriff to get some help in killing these zombies once they go bad, which they will all do because they get the munchies. Dean stays behind to keep an eye on Bobby.

Sam ends up having to kill the sheriff’s zombie son after he eats on his dear old dad, then they go round up every other alive person to get to shooting some heads. And might I say that every time they shot a head this episode, it looked really fake? It did. It looked really fake.

Back at Bobby’s, Bobby and Karen have a heart to heart, which ends with him having to kill her again. Bobby can’t catch a break this season. But no sooner has he done it than he and Dean are being attacked by a whole horde of zombies seemingly bent on getting them. Action, action, action, they end up stuck in a closet together about to get attacked but bum bum bum bum! Sam and the sheriff show up just in time to save the day, head explodey style! Like there was ever any doubt.

In the end, Bobby informs the boys that this was all a message. He didn’t figure that out on his own, though, because apparently Karen was told to tell him it was a message. Whether Death wanted to take his life or his spirit, it was a sort of punishment for helping Sam and Dean. And though he has made it through with his life, it’s not quite clear whether his spirit has made it through this ordeal with him.

So, question. They burnt up all the bodies after everything went down, BUT Bobby apparently cremated Karen back in the day, yet she was brought back. What’s to say Death couldn’t just keep bringing people back over and over again?

The preview for next week was super short, but apparently it’s something to do with Zachariah and “One man’s Heaven… is another man’s HELL!! MUAHAHAHA!” So maybe I added the exclamation points and the evil cackle, but it may as well have been there in the ad.

Quotes:

"You gave yourself your own nickname? You can't do that." - Dean

"What is that smell? Is that soap? Did you clean?" - Dean
"What are you, my mother? Bite me." - Bobby

"So you are, in fact, a dead guy?" - Dean

"I can't believe you were going to kill me!" - Clay
"You're a zombie." - Dean
"I'm a tax payer!" - Clay

"Awesome. Another Horseman. Must be Thursday.” – Dean

“Yeah, I’m gonna regret this.” – Sam

“Okay, I’ll hit the town and rescue everyone. Should be easy.” – Sam

“A simple no would’ve been fine.” – Dean

“Don’t you ever get tired of being wrong?” – Bobby
“I make this up as I go. Sue me.” – Dean

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

Monday, March 22, 2010

...Set: Life Unexpected 1x10 "Family Therapized"

For the first third of this episode, I thought we were going down another sad road of Cate and Baze trying to do something for Lux, failing, and Lux getting all cranky whiny upset about it. But, luckily, after some of that happened, things took a turn and became what this show should always be about.

But, I suppose I must start with the stuff we've gotten used to. Lux, annoyed with both Cate and Baze, hangs out with Bug to hand out fliers at a club late into the night. She gets picked up by the cops for being out past curfew (and maybe I was just a big goody two shoes, but I don't remember the curfew thing really being a thing when I was a teenager in Portland). This gets them a meeting with Fern, the social worker, who tells them that things aren't looking so hot and their evaluation that wasn't supposed to be for some time has now been moved up to the following Monday.

Recap/review of Life Unexpected 1x10 'Family Therapized' by freshfromthe.comIn an effort to make things better, Cate decides to try to get Bug a job at the station to make Lux happy. Only, Bug has no high school diploma or experience of any kind, so he doesn't get the job. Lux flips out about it, being ridiculous. Baze, upon hearing of the whole thing, decides to give Bug a job at the bar, which Bug actually excels at, but then Baze ruins it all when he says something about Bug not mattering within earshot of both Lux and Bug. Whoops.

That brings them to the meeting with Fern, wherein they all lie about being one big happy family. Fern sees right through it, however, and challenges Lux to tell Cate why she's really so upset with her, since it's not so much about letting her friends down, but about letting her down. And that's when Lux finally opens up and the episode started to get interesting. Lux revealed that she hasn't forgiven Cate for giving her away and never going to look for her all those years ago. Very powerful scene, which ends with Lux leaving the room. But don't despair, Fern tells them, this is actually a very good step to them actually becoming a family, and she thinks Cate and Baze can start working on getting their parental rights back.

But that's not the end yet! Cate goes to Ryan to ask him to help her with Lux, stating that she has changed since Lux has come back into her life, and she just needs some help to get things moving in the right direction. Ryan is reluctant, but he does eventually talk to Lux and help convince her of Cate's changing and deserving a second chance. Lux turns that around on him and asks why she should be able to give her a second chance, but he can't. Good point.

Baze also goes to apologize to Bug and tells him that the job at the bar is still his if he wants it. Bug decides to take him up on the offer, and Baze then asks if he can get some practice on being a dad with Bug since Bug's dad isn't in the picture and also because Lux told Baze a little earlier that she'd rather have him as a friend than a dad. Bug has sort of a weirded out look on his face, but he didn't say no.

In the end, Ryan brings Lux back to Cate's place, and decides that he's going to stay and try to work things out as well. Cate isn't left alone and crying at the end of an episode, for once!

And, I didn't really mention, but yes, Baze and Cate's sister Abby are still having their flingy thing. At one point he tells her he has to break things off because he needs to set a good example for Lux, but then he goes to her later on because he needs someone to talk to about this whole friend versus dad issue. She suggests that they try being a real couple rather than just some spring fling. Blah blah. This will not go over well with Cate either way, people.

Overall, one of the stronger episodes of the season. For the most part, this show has seemed to want to keep things light, but it really is better when it delves into the deeper emotional issues these people have at their cores. Lux was in the hospital for much of her young life, and then in foster care for the rest of it. That does not leave a person unscathed. Cate's mother is a drunk and her father wasn't around, and Baze has issues with his dad as well. Let's stick to those and not have another nearlywed game or a hands on a car contest, yes??

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

...Set: Chuck 3x11 "Chuck versus the Final Exam"

Okay, I'm going to make this brief because I'm beat after a day at Disneyland and tomorrow I've got to get up and move to my new apartment. Yep, these are busy times in the life of Jen.

But what's going on in the life of Chuck? He's been tasked with his final exam to test if he is ready to be a real spy. Which would mean he goes undercover in Rome by himself. Interesting that he only seemed to care that he wouldn't be with Sarah anymore. What about Ellie, you know, his sister?

In any case, he's got to go to the Cobalt Hotel to track down this Russian dude, Anatoli something-or-other, who is meeting up with a rogue CIA agent. Chuck's mission is to ID the rogue agent. After some funny bits involving Chuck in nothing but a towel running around the hotel, he sees the rogue agent - one Hunter Perry.

Recap/review of Chuck 3x11 'Chuck versus the Final Exam' by freshfromthe.comChuck thinks that the mission is over and he has succeeded with flying colors, but of course he would be wrong. Because that was only half of the mission, the other half is to complete his "red test" meaning, he must kill Perry. Sarah sets up a meeting for them, and Chuck corners Perry and they fight a bit (with some rather weird camera work, I might add), before Chuck gets a little soft and lets Perry get away.

He chases him down and must make a decision whether to go through with it, when he's saved by Casey, who shoots the guy for him. Sarah, Shaw and Beckman all think that Chuck has done it himself, so he has passed the test in their eyes, while Chuck and Casey both know that he wouldn't have been able to do it. This breaks Sarah's heart, because she feels responsible for everything Chuck has become.

In the end, Chuck receives a plane ticket and his new special spy badge - he's got to fly to DC and start his new life. But is he ready for this new life? And what will it mean for him and Sarah, who he was finally going to confess his feelings for if not continually disrupted? Next week looks like we'll find out.

In the side story of the night, Casey had to deal with the likes of Jeff and Lester being pricks and Big Mike trying to get Casey to be less John Crazy and more John Casey, which included getting him a tailored suit and making him eat a questionable tunaroni sandwich Jeff had taken a bite of. How long until we get Casey back on the team? Poor guy is just not suited for civilian life.

Quotes:

"Jeffrey, there's so much more that I want to do. To feel." - Lester

"I love irony." - Casey

"See, being the accused in a number of civil, and criminal, proceedings has left us extremely litigious." - Lester

"Scan trons!" - Chuck

"Wow, that just really self-destructed, did it not? That's like in the movies, that's incredible." - Chuck

"Excuse me, inside the steam room? Is that really hygienic?" - Chuck

"This would've been easier in underpants." - Chuck

"I am a spy! ... Oh no! .... I am a naked spy." - Chuck

"Mind you, there's literally no way of knowing where this guy's mouth has been before this. Fire hydrants, diseased animals, puppets." - Lester

"You know that giving away a government issued firearm is a felony, don't ya? ... It was a thoughtful felony." - Casey

"You're not a killer, Chuck." - Casey
"Thanks." - Chuck

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

Monday, March 15, 2010

...Set: Life Unexpected 1x09 "Formal Reformed"

This week's episode was centered around a staple of any high school TV show or movie: the dance. In this case, the winter formal. Which is where, if you remember, Baze and Cate hooked up back in the days of the Spin Doctors. I have to say that this was actually one of the more cohesive episodes in a while, though it does seem like every episode ends up revolving around some sort of event where Cate and Baze make a scene, thereby embarrassing either themselves or Lux or both. And tonight was no exception to that rule.

At the top of the hour, we find Jones asking Lux to the winter formal on very short notice. Right after she says yes, guess who shows up at Baze's looking to reconcile? Yep, Bug. Things get hot and heavy between them, until Bug finds out that Lux is going to the winter formal with Jones, then he gets all huffy about it. Lux calls him out on it, and gets the grown up award, at least for now.

Recap/review of Life Unexpected 1x09 'Formal Reformed' by freshfromthe.comCate, trying to make things better between her and Lux, helps her pick out a dress for the dance, but it ends badly when they get into some kind of fight again. I don't even remember what about, something or other they've fought about before. Oh wait, Baze. It always comes back to Baze, doesn't it? Indeed. Lux goes off in a huff. There's a lot of people going off in huffs in this episode, if you hadn't noticed yet.

Math, in an attempt to get closer to Cate, asks if she'd like to co-chaperone the dance with him, as a sort of date. While Jones and Lux have a good time on the dance floor and Cate is lamenting to Math about her own disastrous high school days, Baze has found a condom in the loft, and thinks it must be Jones'. He hurries off to the formal and things get heated out in the parking lot between Cate, Baze and Lux. Lux reminds him that she had a boyfriend named Bug that she was going to live with, and that any sort of sex talk he wants to try on her is already too late. And guess what she does now? She goes off in a huff!

By this point, Jones has had enough of the drama, particularly when he finds out that Lux had just been with Bug earlier that day. He ditches her, but don't worry, Lux isn't lonely for long, because guess who shows up at the dance with a bouquet of flowers and puppy dog eyes? Yep, Bug. They dance, they kiss, they generally make up.

But Baze and Cate? Oh they do what they do best: get into another argument. But this one took a sad turn when Cate revealed just how terrible Baze really was to her in high school. Basically, after they had sex, he completely denied it to his friends and said there was no way he'd sleep with someone like her. She's still hurt about this, all these years later, even after Baze tries to apologize and convince her he's not that guy anymore.

But has Baze really changed? Because later, he goes back to the bar and encounters Cate's sister Abby, who he had recruited for an ill-advised sex talk with Lux earlier on, and don't you know it, they end up in bed together! Yeesh, that was as subtle as a freight train. And, Lux walks in on them during the deed, because it turns out that Cate has shown up there to try to start anew with Baze and let go of the past. Yeah well, how long is that going to last?

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

...Set: Chuck 3x10 "Chuck versus the Tic Tac"

This week's Chuck was all about our favorite grunter extraordinaire - one John Casey. Or, should I say, Alex Coburn? That's right, that name we heard a couple episodes back is Casey's real name, which it turns out he gave up back in 1989 when he was approached by a somewhat shady spy guru, Keller, played by the always great Robert Patrick. I kind of wanted Morgan to make some sort of terminator joke when he saw him, but unless I missed it, it didn't happen. Oh well!

Keller has re-commissioned Casey for another task, only now he works for the Ring, so when Casey steals a special drug called Laudanol (in development for use by soldiers to not feel any fear), he's really committing treason. Chuck accidentally rats him out thinking it was an inside job, so Casey is arrested. But Keller and his crew bust him out of the super top secret Level 15 lockdown of some kind of CIA headquarters.

Recap/review of Chuck 3x10 'Chuck versus the Tic Tac' by freshfromthe.comChuck and Sarah are convinced that Casey hasn't really changed sides and are determined to help him out. They're right, of course. They meet up with Casey and he tells them that when he was Alex Coburn, he had a fiance, and now Keller will kill her if Casey doesn't give him the Laudanol. They come up with a plan to set things right. Chuck will go and take care of Kathleen McCue, the former fiance, while Sarah will stow away with Casey while he goes to deliver the pill to Keller.

Casey and Sarah kick some ass against Keller and his crew, with Casey ultimately snapping Keller's neck! Whoa! That was pretty intense. My favorite part about that whole bit was how Casey indicated to Sarah how many men she was going to have to face - by lighting a cigar, then dropping the remaining matches on the ground with five sticking up, to indicated five guys. Clever!

Meanwhile, at Kathleen's, some of Keller's men show up. Chuck's in a panic and can't flash, so Casey (over the phone) tells him to take the Laudanol, which he had secretly stuck in Chuck's pocket. Sarah clearly doesn't want him to do this, as they had an earlier conversation about Chuck losing himself in the spy work, but Chuck takes it and kicks some butt. He almost kills a guy in exactly the same way that Casey killed Keller, but luckily Sarah shows up in time to stop him. Kathleen is safe. AND, she has a daughter. Named Alex! Casey's a father! He practically runs out of there when he sees her.

Back at Castle, Beckman has come to tell Casey that he'll get a second chance, but as a civilian. And that probably broke Casey's heart more than anything else could have, because I'm pretty sure I detected the trace of a tear in his eye. Later, Chuck tries to get him to go and meet his daughter and try that sort of life, but Casey tells Chuck he made his decision - love of his country over love. And now Chuck is going to have to make the same decision.

In our side story of the night, we've got the Devon and Ellie Doctors Without Borders dilemma, which becomes more complicated when Ellie is offered a position at USC doing something with neurology that she's always wanted. In the end, she is about to tell Devon that she'll go Doctors Without Borders, but he turns it around and tells her they can stay since this is what she's wanted for a long time. There was also a rather hilarious bit where Morgan and Devon figure out that they both know about Chuck in a roundabout way.

Overall, another solid episode. The twists and turns keep on coming! How is Casey going to become a part of the team again? Will Sarah really move on to another position in, possibly, Washington DC? How much longer can Chuck walk the line between his old life and his spy life without it feeling contrived? I guess we'll see!

Quotes:

Not a ton this week, it was a rather serious episode. I would've transcribed the whole interaction between Devon and Morgan, but you know what, just go watch it.

"Oh it's just you, Chuck. I thought you were KGB. Or maybe a ninja. Although in that case, your footsteps probably would've been quieter, wouldn't they?" - Morgan

"What is that, static?" - Chuck
"Carrots, actually." - Morgan
Chuck gives him a look
"I'm sorry, I get hungry on a stakeout." - Morgan

"Can I get a cool code name like Condor or Lady Fingers?" - Morgan

"I'm the gas company!" - Chuck

"He's the best choice I ever made." - Ellie, about Devon

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

Saturday, March 13, 2010

New layout!

After months of dissatisfaction with my layout, I have changed things up a bit! I'm sure there will still be tweaking to come, but overall I like it much better!

What do you think?

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Peanut Butter Middles

Peanut Butter Middles by freshfromthe.com 
I saw these cookies over on the Tasty Kitchen Blog and thought they looked right up my alley. Peanut butter? Chocolate? Peanut butter in the middle of chocolate? Please and thanks. They were a big hit and fairly easy to make, though I will go into a couple issues I had along the way.

Ingredients:
Cookies:
1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
½ cups Cocoa Powder
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
½ cups White Sugar
½ cups Packed Brown Sugar
½ cups Butter
¼ cups Peanut Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 whole Egg

Peanut Butter Filling:
¾ cups Powdered Sugar
¾ cups Peanut Butter

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and 1/4 cup of peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg. Slowly mix in the flour mixture. Set aside.

For the peanut butter filling, combine confectioners’ sugar and 3/4 cup peanut butter. Beat together well. Roll filling into 30 small balls. Try to keep the balls all the same size—around 1 inch.

For each cookie, use 1 tablespoon of chocolate dough and roll into a ball. It helps to flour your hands first. Squish the ball of chocolate dough flat and place a peanut butter ball in the center. Wrap the chocolate dough up and around the peanut butter ball to completely cover. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Dip the bottom of a glass into white sugar and use the cup to lightly flatten the cookie balls. Bake for 7-9 minutes.

First up, mix the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together in a small bowl.

In a separate large bowl, beat together the sugars, butter and peanut butter.

Mix in the egg and vanilla until it's light and fluffy. Right now it looks like regular cookie dough. But then...

Mix in the flour mixture and boom - chocolate!

In another bowl (or the flour bowl you previously used, like me!), mix together the powdered sugar and peanut butter.

I didn't have a lot of time and it was too much of a hassle to take pictures in between steps, so here are the cookies ready to be baked. 

Please note, though, that I had some issue with the peanut butter filling being too sticky to roll into balls. I ended up making the chocolate balls first, flattened them out, then took a small spoonful of the peanut butter filling and plopped it in the middle, and then wrapped the chocolate stuff around. I also didn't care too much if there was peanut butter sticking out in places, so that's the little tan bits you see.

Peanut Butter Middles by freshfromthe.com.
Baked. They don't look much different than before, so don't overbake. As you can see, I used parchment paper, but it's not a necessity.

Peanut Butter Middles by freshfromthe.com.
If you've done things correctly, when you bite in, there is the surprise peanut butter filling in the middle. It makes people think you've done something amazingly complicated, when really it's not so hard!

Peanut Butter Middles by freshfromthe.com.
Be careful, these are addictive.

Monday, March 8, 2010

...Set: Life Unexpected 1x08 "Bride Unbridled"

Alas, dear friends, this week features the return of the dreaded Lux acting like a wee baby sourpuss. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, but she acts rather foolish and self-righteous quite a lot of the time. Actually, most of the characters do apart from Ryan and, so far, Jones. The teenage boy being one of the most mature people on the show? Unexpected, indeed.

Lux is still upset after the previous events of Bug leaving town and Tasha going off to another foster home an apparently inconceivable 3 hours away. She is in a slump, so when Jones stops by to "give her her homework" (yeah, sure), Baze decides to give Jones a little push in Lux's dateable direction. And with some advice from Lux's dear old so-and-so, he takes her on a 3 hour road trip to visit her bestie.

Recap/review of Life Unexpected 1x08 'Bride Unbridled' by freshfromthe.comMeanwhile, Cate and Ryan - who have broken up after the revelation of Baze and Cate's more recent rompy roo - are being forced to take part in a Bridal Expo and keep up the happily engaged facade. Blah blah boring, really. Even once Baze and Math show up to shake things up, it didn't really get that much more engaging. Why did Baze and Math show up, you ask? Because Baze accidentally intercepted a text from Ryan to Lux, consoling her about Bug and talking about giving her a car. Baze, ever upset about anything related to Ryan giving Lux anything, but particularly a motor vehicle, he storms the Bridal Expo.

It all ends in Ryan, Baze and Math taking part in a Nearlywed Game, matching answers to Cate's. Wah wah. Baze and Ryan start getting testy with each other again, until Ryan storms out. They have a minor encounter backstage, in which Baze tells Ryan off for being so mad at him when he didn't even know he was in the picture when he slept with Cate. Math overhears the sleeping with Cate stuff and gets all huffy because, in case you forgot, he's been in love with Cate for ages. Better get over that Math, there are much prettier men vying for her affection at the moment. Ryan leaves, also in a huff.

Meanwhile, Jones brings Lux back home and fesses up to the fact that it was actually Baze's idea to take her to see Tasha. And for some ungodly reason, Lux flips the hell out and says some BS thing like, "If you don't know why it was wrong, then you don't know ME!" Bzuh? She proceeds to also get all stompy and pouty to Baze about it and... Pardone moi, but they were just trying to cheer you up, you little insouciant.

Anyway, she eventually gets some sense knocked into her by Ryan, after he has a little heart to heart apology time with Baze. Those two will probably be friends eventually, yeah. After she realizes she's been rather a dope, Lux goes over to Jones' and does the whole "let's start over with the lame-o handshake and hi my name is yada yada." Because we haven't seen that done a million times before! NEXT!

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

...Set: Chuck 3x09 "Chuck versus the Beard"

For those who don't know, Zachary Levi, our erstwhile Chuck, made his directing debut with this episode. And what an episode to debut with! The show was running on all cylinders - lots of spy stuff, lots of Buy More stuff, and we even had some Ellie and Awesome. Plus, spoiler alert - Morgan FINDS OUT! Yep. The big secret, he's in on it now.

The episode starts out with Shaw putting Chuck on the sidelines for their next mission because he hasn't flashed since the last one. So, while Shaw and Sarah go off to play newlyweds with Casey doing his favorite thing, sitting in the van doing surveillance, Chuck must wait it out at in the Buy More. As it turns out, the fight comes to him. Because, the spy crew finds out that the hotel mission they're on was purely a set up to get them away from Castle. Dun dun dun!

At the Buy More, some "potential buyers" show up to look over the place and interview all of the employees to decide who will stay and who will go. It's fairly obvious that they're more than they appear to be, which is confirmed in short shrift once they determine that Chuck is part of Shaw's spy team. And their mission now is to find the entrance to Castle so they can get all of the information the team has put together on them (the Ring).

Recap/review of Chuck 3x09 'Chuck versus the Beard' by freshfromthe.comBut here's where things get interesting. One of the goons finds an entrance in the locker bank - and Morgan sees the whole thing and slips inside after them! He makes it out and tells Chuck of his discovery, much to Chuck's dismay. They try to get all of the Buy Morians out of the store because the Ring plans to blow up Castle once they've got the info they need, but the herders and green shirts have staged a revolution - a lockdown. They will not go if they are going to lose their jobs!

Morgan and Chuck end up getting nabbed by the bad guys and tied up in the training room. After the lead bad guy threatens Morgan, Chuck must fess up to the truth - he's a spy. Though Chuck thinks that Morgan is going to be all mad, it turns out that Morgan is actually very excited by learning all of this - it explains everything, and is super cool at that. While they bond, the spy crew tries to get access to Castle, but is repeatedly denied. Shaw says they're going to have to terminate it, with Chuck inside, but Sarah manages to get him to delay it for five more minutes.

Which is, of course, all that Chuck needs to get his head on straight. Which is really thanks to Morgan, who gets him to admit that he's in love with Sarah, despite trying to tell himself that he's not. That unlocks whatever block he had, and he busts into butt-kicking action, saving the day with a little help from the bearded one. You see, the beard of the title had more than one meaning. First meaning: Morgan, the small bearded man. Second meaning: Sarah was his "beard" - meaning they were in a fake relationship.

Anyway, Chuck and Morgan exit Castle just before Shaw was going to make the call. The Buy Morians get to keep their jobs (which they were never going to lose). And Devon decides that he and Ellie have got to get away from all of this, far far away - because I didn't mention it earlier, but the set up at the hotel was a fake Ring mission to kill Devon. So now Devon is freaked about their safety and wants to get Ellie to join Doctors Without Borders with him.

Then, we end things with a TWIST. The Ring phone they confiscated earlier, that gave them the clue that it was all a set up, rings down in Castle. Casey picks it up and we hear this mysterious voice say: "Hello, Colonel Casey. It's been awhile." I think maybe this has something to do with that little bit last week. I guess we'll find out next Monday!

Quotes:

"I'm not a machine! Okay I am a machine, but I'm also a person." - Chuck

"I'm saying, do not bet against the brown beauty and the snake. He can unhinge his jaw and he sheds skin." - Lester re: Jeff fitting a whole apple in his mouth

"When we get back I expect this place to be exactly as I left it." - Casey

"What are you two doing here? You're not supposed to be here. I just reclaimed my Awesomeness!" - Devon

"Mike, gentlemen, assorted ladies..." - Chuck

"Because the only thing I hate more than hippy neo fascist liberal anarchists? Are the hypocrite fat cat suits they eventually grow up to become." - Casey

"Wow. Wow. I don't.... My best friend is a SPY? This is unbelievable! This is the best news I've ever heard!" - Morgan

"Bag 'em and tag 'em, Sarah. Excuse me. Agent Walker." - Morgan

"Yeah, because Awesome's Awesome and Grimes is a moron." - Casey

"Colonel Casey. Always walking around so angry. Should've known you had a big secret." - Morgan
"God help us." - Casey

"Okay so am I like, officially part of the team or..?" - Morgan
"Let's um, let's walk before we run, huh, buddy? Maybe crawl before that." - Chuck

"VICTORY!" - Big Mike

"You did your flash thingy on it. You flashed on Duck Hunt." - Morgan

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

Monday, March 1, 2010

...Set: Life Unexpected 1x07 "Crisis Unaverted"

You guys, I think this is a momentous occasion for one Life Unexpected. How is that, you ask? Because I don't think I have a single SHLOCK ALERT for this episode! What?! I know. It's nuts. There was a moment where things could've gone schmaltzy, but thankfully they refrained from going too far this time. No "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at me" speeches. Yay!

So there were two basic stories this episode. I'll start off with the more boring of the two - the Lux/Tasha drama-rama. It's becoming a trend where I like the adult stories better. I wonder if this is because of my age or because of the quality? Perhaps it is a combo of the two. At any rate, the drama for these besties arose when Tasha got picked for a new foster family that lived, gasp!, 3 hours away! They've apparently never been that far apart before! Lux promptly freaked out, and then had a rather very extremely unlikely coincidental moment in which she saw Tasha's real mom on the streets of Portland while Tasha was apparently stealing a dress.

Life Unexpected 1x07 'Crisis Unaverted' by freshfromthe.comTasha's mom was a druggie who quit rehab, but now she's got a husband and two new kids and looks to be on the straight and narrow. After some reluctance from Tasha, Lux gets her to agree to go talk to her. And I must say the casting department did a rather bang up job in matching the mom's looks to Tasha's, because they really looked like they could be related. Anyway, it seemed like things were going to go well when Tasha was greeted with a big hug, but it turns out that she reminds her mommy too much of the bad times, so she can't take her in.

Lux, in a panic, decides that because Cate told her earlier on in the episode that she could come to her with anything, that clearly she meant it would be just fine and dandy to ask Cate to take Tasha into her home as well. This coincided right at the worst point in Cate's story (which I'll get to in a bit, do not despair), so Cate said no. Which was the sane thing to do, duh. Rather stupid of Lux to then go all "BUT YOU SAID! I HATE YOU!" and then go to Baze. Baze, trying to connect with Lux and be the dad, decided to try to take Tasha in, but was rejected by Vern, the case worker lady. But, on the plus side, she did grant him dual custody of Lux, so she is now allowed to live there as well. Which she promptly decides to do since she is all uppity toward Cate for no real good reason other than being kind of snippety.

Now for the Cate-Baze-Ryan drama. Baze feels like he is being frozen out of Dad time with Lux thanks to Ryan, and decides to take a stand. This comes in the form of competing in the Hand on a Hybrid competition that Cate and Ryan's radio station was holding, and in which Ryan was also competing. Now, if you remember, Ryan is especially mad at Baze at the moment because he believes that Baze tried to kiss Cate and she pushed him away. Which is a LIE, since they actually had sex and it was mutual. But Ryan doesn't know that, and Baze doesn't know that Cate told the lie. And when she gets sort of bitchy to him about not competing in the competition, I gotta say, I was on Baze's side.

AT ANY RATE. At the competition, things get heated between Baze and Ryan to the point where Ryan actually punches Baze in the face! But it wasn't because Baze even told him the truth. He sort of told the truth, then figured out that Cate had actually lied about the sex, and went along with it to a point. Ryan storms off, and Cate goes after him. Thinking Baze must have told him the truth, she starts babbling on about how sorry she is and how it was just sex the one time. Well. The Truth is out. And Ryan is pissed, as he should be. He says it's over and storms off, despite Cate's protestations.

In the end, Cate is left alone to wallow in ice cream and wine. But she sort of deserved it. Not so much from Lux, but definitely from Ryan. And Lux cried on Baze's shoulder about the departure of Tasha, who she apparently did not get to say goodbye to.

Next week, the show moves up to 8pm. Which totally ruins my DVR schedule, by the way. Now I can't record How I Met Your Mother! Dang it. It seems like everything is always on at the same time.

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

...Set: Chuck 3x08 "Chuck versus the Fake Name"

I feel like I've started to say this at the beginning of every Chuck recap, but shoot: what an episode! I must say that I thought the first two of this season were only okay, but things have certainly picked up in the last few. Some shows tend to struggle when introducing new characters to the mix, but I think the opposite is true with the addition of Shaw. I think I read that they extended Brandon Routh's contract longer than it was supposed to be initially, so it looks like he'll be around for a while longer at least! And hey, if we get to see him wet and shirtless again? Well. That's just a bonus.

Recap/review of Chuck 3x08 'Chuck versus the Fake Name' by freshfromthe.comThe spy plot this week had to do with an assassin - Rafe Gruber (is it just me, or does anyone else only think of MacGruber when you hear that?) and his intended target. Chuck has to take on his identity to get in contact with the people behind the next hit so they can figure out who it is they're trying to kill. I'm guessing he has some connection with the Ring, but honestly I don't always listen to the down and dirty details of the assignments! So Chuck has to meet up with some Mafia-ish semi-lugheads, and Casey accompanies him as backup. But, one of the guys recognizes him from somewhere and, long story short, Chuck has to pull out Casey's tooth in order to stay in character! Gah! He also kicks Sarah and Shaw's butts. OH, yes, and we also hear this name which will probably come back into play later - Alex Coburn, which has something to do with Casey's past. Who is Alex Coburn? Good question.

Chuck is almost discovered at the Buy More, but is able to cover when the two Mafia-ish lugheads show up. They take him to the location where he will be taking out his intended target. At this point, I'd already figured out who the target was, but in case you didn't... dun dun dun - it's Shaw! And not only is Chuck aiming a special long-range sniper at him, Sarah happens to be in the room as well. It helps that he can hear their entire conversation, which is basically about how Chuck is turning into a spy and less and less like himself, which is conversely making Sarah want to remember who she used to be. And THEN, she reveals her real name - Sam. That's right, Sarah's real name is Sam. Though we don't know her real last name. Yet.

All of this pulls Chuck out of his assassin mode, but he's actually able to cover rather well, telling the Mafia-ish lugheads that he and "Sam" used to have a thing. They encourage him to take Shaw out all the more because of that, but he manages to make them believe he needs to do it face to face. He heads over there and starts fighting with Shaw to stay in character. But, meanwhile, the real Gruber has escaped from his handcuffs and storms the place. He gets the upper hand and has a gun to Sarah's head while Shaw and Chuck watch helplessly! But never fear, for Casey is here! Or, across the way. He uses the long-range sniper and takes out Gruber. Phew.

For the side plot of the night, Ellie confronts Chuck about Hannah. They have a double date which goes pretty well, and Hannah wants Chuck to meet her parents. But Chuck is so confused by this whole situation. He's gotten really good at lying and pretending to be someone else that he doesn't feel like himself anymore, so instead of trying to keep things going with Hannah, he breaks things off with her in an attempt to be the nice guy, even though she thinks this all makes him a terrible guy and ends with the gut-wrenching line: "I hope your lies keep you warm at night." Oh man, serious burn.

At the beginning of the episode, Sarah told Shaw that she couldn't go down the mixing of professional and personal roads again, but after her revelation of her real name and the revelation that Shaw now seems to be on the Ring's radar, so he'll have to stay in hiding, she apparently decides it's okay? Because she ends up kissing him again. Which, really, who can blame her?

There wasn't much of a Buy More story this week. There was something about crock pots, but really any time we saw the Buy More-ians, it was so they could comment on Chuck's apparent prowess with attractive ladies. Morgan was "out of town" for some such, and I didn't really miss him all that much.

And now for the...

Quotes:


"I think I know a thing or two about acting. I played Perchik in my high school production of Fiddler on the Roof and I was prrrretty good." - Chuck

Shaw's response? SLAP!

"Because I like cupcakes, that's why. Who doesn't like a good cupcake?" - Chuck, pretending to be Gruber

"Nice job, Bartowski." - Casey
"Who the hell is Bartowski?" - Chuck, still in Gruber mode

"Chuck's the greatest lady killer Burbank has ever seen." - Lester

"He's a real Chuck magnet." - Jeff

"Please, with the puns." - Lester

"I've narrowed it down: either mind control, LSD, or sorcery." - Jeff, on his guess as to Chuck's female prowess

Later... "Definitely a deal with the devil." - Jeff

"I'm so lonely." - Lester

"Is this stuff sterile?!" - Chuck, breaking character... quickly getting back into it, "I take pride in my work, all right? I wanna kill him, not some secondary infection."

"Lou. She was a fine, miniature piece of woman." - Big Mike

"Jeffrey. If you double dip, we all may die." - Lester

"Five people in the world can make that shot, huh? Guess I'm one of 'em." - Casey, awesome sniper

Previous Episode -- Next Episode