If you're at all like me, you've been intent on finding 3D glasses not so you can watch Super Bowl commercials but so that you can check out the special 3D episode of NBC's Chuck, airing on Monday night.

Thanks to the good folks at NBC, I had the good fortune of screening Chuck's 3D episode ("Chuck Versus the Third Dimension"), written by series co-creator Chris Fedak, last night and it really is quite a lot of fun to see our favorite spies in box-busting 3D form.

I'll preface my thoughts on the episode's plot by saying that the three-dimensional effects (knives thrown through the air, doughnuts about to be chomped by Big Mike, a lingerie-clad Sarah, etc.) are enjoyable, but don't fret if you're not able to get to one of the many participating retailers to pick up 3D glasses. The glasses are not necessary to enjoy the episode itself, which can be viewed in plain old 2D just as easily. (And I'll admit that fumbling with the glasses at times distracted me from the genial atmosphere of the episode itself.)

So what should you expect from "Chuck Versus the Third Dimension" on Monday night? Let's discuss.

Fans worried that the tension between Chuck and Sarah, whom Chuck saw killed an unarmed Fulcrum agent in order to protect his identity in "Chuck Versus Santa Claus," would be swept under the rug have nothing to fear: the fallout from what Chuck saw is foremost on his mind and it's affecting not only his work with Sarah and Casey but his, er, subconscious as well.

Look for Sarah to ream Chuck about his duties to protecting the country and for Chuck to make a decision about the future of his professional relationship with Sarah. And, oh, for Chuck to take one giant leap for nerdkind.

As hinted above, Sarah does make her entrance in the 3D episode in some jaw-dropping black lingerie that must be seen to be believed. Just what is she doing vampishly seducing Chuck? Watch and find out.

Dominic Monaghan is absolutely fantastic as boozy rock star Tyler Martin; Tyler and Lost's Charlie Pace are anything but the same character. Tyler is prone to bedding multiple women, wearing way too much eyeliner, and peeing in public fountains and is generally a hell of a lot more fun than island-bound Charlie. The dance scene at the nightclub had me in hysterics, especially at the sight of poor Chuck in all his awkwardness. (Little Drummer Boy, anyone?)

Zachary Levi does a pretty decent if thoroughly fake British accent.

Avid Arrested Development fans should keep their ears atuned for not one but two references to the Bluth family, from Emmett Milbarge's "No Touching!" during the Tyler Martin signing at the Buy More to a particular tune that every Arrested fan knows extremely well.

The competition at the Buy More between ex-con Butterman (Jerome "The Bus" Bettis), Lester, and Jeff to be Morgan's plus-one backstage at Tyler's concert takes a turn for the truly disgusting, all the more for being in 3D. Yes, seriously, they do go there and the series proves that it definitely has a handle on male-driven gross-out humor as well as high-kicking spy intrigue and romantic drama.

All in all, "Chuck Versus the Third Dimension" is an entertaining episode that doesn't exactly advance the overarching plot or mythology of the series but offers viewers a lighthearted installment that allows Chuck Bartowski to step outside his comfort zone (and, er, his pants), proving that heroes come in all shapes, sizes, and, well, cool factors.

Chuck's 3D episode, entitled "Chuck Versus the Third Dimension," airs Monday at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC. For information about where to pickup your 3D glasses, click here.

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Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I'm currently drowning in pilot scripts and hoping to use this weekend to get through a bunch of must-read scripts. Fingers crossed.

ABC handed out a pilot order to comedy Let It Go, starring Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls), about a self-help guru whose teaching mantra to women is to let it go, but she can't quite follow her own advice when her seemingly perfect boyfriend dumps her. Project, written by Alex Herschlag (Will & Grace) and executive produced by Hersclag, Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum, and Kim Tannenbaum, will be produced by Sony Pictures Television and Tantamount. Also on order at the Alphabet: an untitled multi-camera comedy from writer/executive producer Tad Quiller (Scrubs) about two forty-something friends who face different challenges when one has a baby and the other deals with a suddenly empty nest. (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS finally announced some pilot orders, handing out pilot pickups to three drama projects, all from CBS Paramount Network Television: an untitled US Attorney legal drama from writer/executive producer Frank Military (The Unit) about a group of federal prosecutors in Manhattan; mystery drama Back, from writer Dean Widenmann (Bones) and executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, about a man who returns home to his family to discover that he had been reported missing eight years earlier after September 11th and must find a way to reconnect with his family; and procedural drama Washington Field, about the FBI's National Capital Response Squad, an elite team of experts that travel the globe responding to threats to the country's national interests, from writer/executive producer Ed Bernero (Criminal Minds) and writers Tim and Jim Clemente. (Variety)

Nikki Finke says that Ben Silverman is holding a corporate meeting at his home for top executives. "Its purpose is to ask 'Can't we all get along?' and then 'Hug it out,' says my source," according to Finke. "(Remember, Ben did a cameo on Entourage last season, ergo Ari Gold's phrasing.) 'And then to figure out what to do with the network.' Oh yeah, that." (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

TNT is launching the encore run of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which launched on Cartoon Network in October, with two back-to-back episodes on February 14th at 11 pm. The following week, the series will move into its regular timeslot of Wednesdays at 10 pm. (Hollywood Reporter)

Doctor Who's Easter Special ("Planet of the Dead") will reportedly have the Doctor face off against a new alien race called the Tritovore, a half-man, half-fly-like creature. (Digital Spy)

NBC has ordered an additional twelve episodes of unscripted series Howie Do It, which has seen gains for the network in the Friday at 8 pm timeslot, previously home to Crusoe. (Variety)

Elsewhere at the Peacock, NBC confirmed the episodic orders for its other current series this season, with Heroes (26 episodes), The Office (29 half-hour episodes plus one hour on May 14th), and My Name is Earl (26 episodes) all coming in above the traditional 22-episode season. Chuck, 30 Rock, Law & Order, and Law & Order: SVU will air 22 episodes this season, while Medium will air 19 episodes. (Futon Critic)

Michael Ausiello talks to Prison Break's Robert Knepper about T-Bag's endgame and whether the writers will find a way to redeem his psychopathic character. (Hint: they won't.) (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The networks quietly unveiled their May Upfront plans yesterday, expected to be another low-key affair given the state of the economy. CBS will make its presentation on Wednesday, May 20th without a post-upfront party; ABC will announce their schedule on May 19th (no party there either); FOX will move its presentation to Monday, May 18th, in order to use NBC's absence from the day they traditionally announced; CW will stick to Thursday, May 21st but will present in mid-morning; NBC will once again host "in-fronts" with advertisers in April. (Variety)

A&E has ordered eleven episode docuseries Obsessed, which follows the lives of people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and other generalized phobias. Network plans to launch the series in the second half of 2009. (Hollywood Reporter)

Former MTV executive Christina Norman has been named CEO of Oprah Winfrey's OWN network, where she will work closely with president Robin Schwartz; network is slated to launch either later this year or in 2010. (Variety)

The US Senate unanimously passed a bill that would extend the DTV switch-over from February 17th to June 12th. (TV Week)

Disney-ABC Television Group will eliminate 400 jobs across the board, an estimate of about five percent of its total workforce, with layoffs expected for about 200 employees and the culling of 200 additional open positions that had been frozen several months ago. "After months of making hard decisions across our businesses to help us adjust to a weakening economy, we're now faced with the harsh reality of having to eliminate jobs in some areas," said president Anne Sweeney in a letter to staffers. "This was not an easy decision, nor one made lightly." (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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Oh. My. God.

Three episodes into its fifth season, Lost is proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that it will not be treading water until its series finale at the end of Season Six but will be pulling out some neck-snapping plot twists on a regular basis.

This week's episode of Lost ("Jughead"), which I had watched during the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour a few weeks back, contained not one but several gasp-inducing revelations likely to rouse Lost's rabid fanbase into discussion mode.

Those of you who read my advance review of "Jughead," know that I was absolutely blown away by this installment, which focused on Desmond and the time-tossed castaways rather than the Oceanic Six, and that I've been teasing you by withholding a theory I had after viewing this episode. Rest assured, you can read my bound-to-be-controversial theory below.

A brief disclaimer before we begin: With the third episode of the season now having aired, I'm now caught up to the on-air transmissions of Lost and have no knowledge of any future events nor have I been spoiled about any future developments on the series.

Widmore. One of the biggest shockers so far this season is the dramatic revelation that Charles Widmore is... an Other. I was absolutely gobsmacked by this reveal as it puts his war with Benjamin Linus into stark perspective since Widmore (wearing the US military officer uniform of Jones) was on the island as a youth. I have to hand the writers some credit for keeping an inkling of this firmly under wraps. I've always made the assumption that Widmore was desperate to find the island for personal gain but never for a second thought that he came FROM the island and was trying to get back.

How absolutely shocking. It completely changes his role in the grand scheme of things and points to some sort of civil war within the Others' camp between Richard Alpert and Ben on one side and Widmore on the other. Given last week's reveal that Ben has a network of operatives working for/with him (like Jill the Butcher), one can make the leap that so too does Widmore and that these were the people that Ben instructed Sayid to kill off. It also means that people can leave the island far more easily than Ben originally made it out to be. Hmmm... And it was a Very Good Thing that Locke didn't shoot "Jones" as he would have undone the entire space-time continuum by killing off Widmore.

Baby Charlie. I loved the reveal at the episode's start that Penny was in labor with Desmond's child and that, with all of the time that has passed since they left the island (three years, no less!), the baby boy isn't quite a baby any more but a little boy... named Charlie. Seriously, my heart leapt into my throat when they said that they named the baby after our dear departed Charlie, whom Desmond tried over and over to save in vain. A beautiful nod to the history of the series and the relationship between Charlie and Desmond during Season Three.

Kids. It's interesting to me that there's now three children who are connected to the island, between Aaron, who was born on the island, Ji Yeon, who was conceived there, and Charlie, who is the son of the very "special" Desmond after he left the island. (Let's also not forget that Juliet is an aunt.) It's also equally interesting that the series should suddenly be flooded with wee bairns, given the Others' fertility problems and inherent fatalities from pregnancies. Could it be connected to the time-hopping that's going on? Did Ben unintentionally cause the end of the Others' reproductive capabilities by turning that wheel? Curious.

Locke. How awesome was it that an injured Locke just casually walked into the Others' camp demanding to see Richard Alpert? Seriously, John manages to continually impress me with his pragmatic attitude about just about everything. The scene between the two of them as Locke gave Richard the compass (after stunning him into submission by saying that Jacob sent him) was fantastic as Locke tried to plead with Richard into telling him how to get off the island and then told him where and when he would be born. Now we know just why Richard Alpert was present at Locke's birth, as seen during Season Four, and why he made repeated visits to Locke when he was growing up, testing him to see if he was the Chosen Leader.

Charlotte. Could Charlotte be the very first fatality from the Sickness? She's clearly feeling the effects of the time-skipping and her symptoms are most definitely the same as the construction worker who nearly pierced the donkey wheel chamber in "Because You Left." I had a feeling that Charlotte Staples Lewis was a goner as soon as Faraday admitted that he was in love with her... and she seemed to return his affections. Love is never a good thing on this series (just look at poor Shannon) and every happiness turns out to be way too short-lived. I'll be pretty crushed if Charlotte dies before we learn her full backstory (after all, she claimed to have been born on the island and has been investigating Dharma-related sites), so I'm hoping that she sticks around long enough to clear up her past. But poor Faraday, really.

Jughead. Loved that Jughead referred to an undetonated hydrogen bomb that the US military attempted to test on the island, as it did many South Pacific islands in the 1950s. Only problem: this bomb casing is cracked and causing radiation leakage. Faraday claims the only solution is to use lead to reinsulate the casing and bury it in concrete. As he says, the island exists in the future, so the bomb clearly hasn't gone off yet. Which is troubling as it means that the bomb is still sitting undetonated on the island and could go off at some point in the future. The fact that Faraday tells Ellie what to do also concerns me as Faraday has influenced the past now. Could it be that he is just as "special" as Desmond is or Ms. Hawking? Are they able to course-correct the timestream without following the same rules that everyone else does? Hmmm...

Desmond. I loved the stuff with Desmond at Oxford as he attempted to track down Faraday's mother and uncovered a conspiracy that was concealing all evidence that Faraday was ever employed at Oxford. We also learn just what put Faraday into the care facility we saw him in at the start of Season Four. After he was able to send those rats' mind back in time, he clearly attempted to replicate his study on a human subject: his lab assistant Theresa Spencer (who, one might also believe, was his lover), who fell into a vegetative state as her mind drifts backwards in time. Desmond gets a first-hand sight at Faraday's work when he meets Theresa's sister Abigial and also learns that Widmore not only pays for Theresa's medical treatment but was Faraday's benefactor and financed his research. WTF?

Meanwhile, despite promising Penny that her father would never know they were in England, Desmond goes to see Widmore and storms into his office. He's there for some answers and to find the location of Faraday's mother, since he now knows that Widmore knows Faraday. And sure enough, Widmore has the location of Faraday's mother: she's in LA.

All of which brings us to...

JACE'S THEORY TIME!

I've thought for a while now that Faraday's mother was Ms. Hawking since I saw "The Lie" in December. Given that Widmore tells Desmond that she's in LA, it's now all but confirmed that she is his mother. But that's not the interesting bit that has me practically foaming at the mouth.

In the 1950s, Faraday encounters a young blonde woman named Ellie on the island, who is headstrong, good with a gun, and clearly a rising star in the Others' camp. Staring at her, he's instantly reminded of someone he knows; when Ellie questions whether it was a woman other than Charlotte (whom he's just declared his love for), Faraday smirks. The woman she reminds him of his none other than his mother: Ms. Hawking.

But there's more. Ellie and 1950s Charles Widmore are about the same age. In the present day, they're still about the same age. Widmore knew Ellie on the island; he knows Ms. Hawking in the outside world in the present. They're not just mere acquaintances, either; Widmore knows Hawking so well that her location is right within his reach: in his address book in a box on his desk.

We never learn Ellie's last name and we still don't know Ms. Hawking's first name. Both are of British extraction and have similar coloring and facial features.

Therefore, I rest my case: Ellie and Ms. Hawking are one and the same.

Which might not seem like a major revelation but it does raise some interesting questions about just what happened all of those years ago between Richard Alpert and Widmore's faction. And it makes me wonder just how close Hawking and Widmore really are. Is Widmore just Faraday's benefactor? Or is there a closer relationship there? Something like father and son? Hmmm...

It also explains why Hawking had to interfere with Desmond proposing to Penny because she needed to course-correct the time stream in order to ensure that he would eventually end up on the island... and then come looking for her in LA.

Meanwhile, I'm very worried for Penny after Ben promised to kill her last season. Not good now that she, Des, and Charlie are heading to LA...

What did you think of this week's episode? Were you shocked by the revelation that Charles Widmore was an Other? Do you agree with my theory about Ellie/Ms. Hawking? Will Charlotte survive more than a handful of episodes now that she's sick? Discuss.

Next week on Lost ("The Little Prince"), Kate learns that someone knows the secret of Aaron's true parentage; the shifts through time place the lives of the remaining island survivors in extreme peril.

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Once again, FX's Damages managed to surprise the hell out of me. No mean feat, that.

This week's episode ("Hey, Mr. Pibb!"), written by Aaron Zelman, found Ellen and Tom traveling down to West Virginia (and listening to some bluegrass) in order to locate journalist Josh Reston (Matthew Davis) as Patty attempted to use her resources to track down Christine's ruby ring in order to free Daniel Purcell from prison. Straightforward, no? The truth is that the episode was anything but, offering several reveals that made me question my knowledge of characters' motivations and histories as well as shattering one alliance that seemed to underpin the entire season.

You've already read my advance review of "Hey, Mr. Pibb!" but now that the episode has aired, we can discuss everything together.

The Visitor. I'm now referring to Ellen's mystery guest in the chair as The Visitor until we're more fully aware of this person's true identity. This week, we gained a valuable clue to that end as we were treated to a split second shot of The Visitor sitting down in the chair opposite Ellen, a shot that revealed a patterned skirt. So The Visitor is apparently a woman then and my theory is that Ellen's victim isn't Patty (too obvious) but Claire Maddox. Whoever it is brought a suitcase full of money with them to the meet at Ellen's apartment and, after shooting him/her, Ellen dashes off with the money in hand. Interesting... Could it be part of a payoff to silence Ellen about Ultima or is it a personal matter, as it would seem from Ellen's line of questioning in "I Lied Too."

Daniel Purcell. After seeing this episode, I am now more than ever convinced that Daniel did kill Christine. Despite the dream sequence at the episode's beginning, in which a dish-washing Daniel sees a hooded attacker sneak up behind Christine, the flashback with Purcell and Darrell Hammond's chapstick-wearing mystery man, and Kevin Walker (the stringy-haired blonde guy) seem to indicate that he did kill Christine. After all, Purcell had the cut on his forehead and we clearly saw him and Christine arguing the night of the gala. Did he accidentally kill her in one of his violent rages, freak out, and call Suttry's people for help?

We now know that The Deacon (a.k.a. Chapstick Freak) took the ring off of Christine's hand, hired Kevin Walker to pawn the ring and got him to get himself arrested in order for Purcell to ID him in the lineup, and told Purcell to go back inside and call 911. They also arranged for a large sum of money (likely millions) to be deposited in Purcell's bank account after he testified on the record that they had not falsified the toxicity report... and blindsided Patty. Was all of it payment for making the murder go away? It certainly seems that way; hell, Purcell faked fleeing just so he could be arrested and have the set-up seem more convincing. It even seemingly convinced dogged Detective Huntley (Tom Noonan), who had serious doubts about Purcell's innocence. (Although, consider the scene between Huntley and Patty in a different context: did he drop by personally to see HER reaction to the news?)

Still, I did not for a second expect Purcell to dump the water sample that Josh Reston had managed to steal and that Ellen managed to smuggle out of West Virginia. Nor did I expect him to double-cross Patty on the witness stand in her motion against Ultima. I'm not entirely sure why Patty would ask Purcell to run the test on the water himself instead of having an independent third party test the sample. As for Purcell, he's made his choice, to provide for his daughter Erica's future, even if it means letting people die in West Virginia as a result of Ultima's toxic runoff. Was it payback for the botched custody case against Patty for their son Michael? Patty did say that she would destroy Purcell if he attempted to face her in court, so was it revenge?

Patty. It was interesting to see a softer side of Patty in this week's episode, as she weighed the consequences of telling Michael that Daniel Purcell was his father. The scene at dinner, in which Michael analyzes Phil's dream (one of two dreams in this episode, it's worth noting), was a fantastic way to show Patty's idealized domestic life, a scene of true familial happiness, and a reminder that she had kept this secret from Michael for far too long. Echoing that scene is the shot of her on Purcell's balcony as she watches her son and the father he never knew walk together on the dock. Because Patty so rarely removes her armor, this betrayal is really the cruelest cut.

Stomping down those courthouse steps (in a fantastic scene of simmering rage), Patty knows that she's been used from the start by Purcell and Ultima and been discredited in the process. The look of absolute malice exchanged between her and Daniel Purcell in that courtoom is a signal to let the true game begin. She once promised that she would destroy Daniel and I have a feeling that she will follow through on that pledge.

Claire Maddox. Despite being romantically involved with Purcell, she's clearly keeping things close to the vest. I loved the scene in which she confronted Walter Kendrick (John Doman) about whether Ultima was involved with Christine's murder and advised him to sever ties with Wayne Suttry as soon as possible. Something tells me that Kendrick won't be doing that and that not even Claire is entirely aware of just what is going on here. Still, the smug look on her face when Patty was blindsided by Purcell's testimony was priceless. After all, not all cats--even ones who look like they've eaten a canary--have nine lives when Patty Hewes is involved.

Kevin Walker. Clearly, he got involved in this massive conspiracy for the money which his strung-out wife Liza is claiming she needs for medical bills. And, sure enough, there was no happy ending for Kevin as he's stabbed to death in prison. Now that the conspirators got the end result they wanted, there's no reason not to tie up some loose ends. Buh-bye, Kevin, courtesy of Mr. Kendrick.

Ultima. It's clear that Ultima's runoff is toxic and it's affecting not only the livestock (showing a 30 percent increase in fatalities near the coal plants) but the residents of this backwoods berg as well, who are showing triple-digit increases in leukemia rates. The town, including the police and the newspaper, are clearly under Ultima's heel and it's only a matter of time before Josh Reston gets killed investigating this story. But at least now we know why Purcell suddenly stopped taking Reston's calls: he flipped sides.

I'm curious to see what you all thought of this week's episode. Were you surprised by the reveal about Daniel Purcell's involvement in the conspiracy? Do you think he killed Christine? And was it an accident? And just how will Patty enact her revenge? Discuss.

Next week on Damages ("I Agree, It Wasn't Funny"), Patty questions Ellen's motives for returning to the firm after David's death; Patty tries to stop a corporate merger that she thinks is connected to the murder of Christine Purcell.

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Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. I hope everyone is recovering from some truly fantastic installments of ABC's Lost and FX's Damages last night.

FOX has announced that it will air at least one live special with enfant terrible chef Gordon Ramsay, in which he teaches viewers at home how to make a three-course meal alongside him. Network will likely air the special, based on Ramsay's UK series Cook Along and part of Ramsay's overall deal with the network, in late spring or early fall. "My frustration is that most cooking shows don't really cook," said Ramsay. "Their ingredients are prepped earlier, that's not cooking... it's nice to show the journey from live ingredient to (finished meal)." (Hollywood Reporter)

Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) has been cast as the lead in Terrence Winter and Martin Scorsese's HBO pilot Boardwalk Empire, where he will play Van Alden, a senior Treasury agent tasked with stamping out bootlegging in Prohibition era Atlantic City. Also cast: Vincent Piazza (The Sopranos), who will play a young Lucky Luciano. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has ordered a pilot for one-hour dramedy Parenthood, based on the film of the same name, which will be adapted by Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights). Katims will executive produce the Universal Media Studios project, along with Imagine's Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Move marks the second time that Parenthood has been adapted for television; first was for a 12-episode series in the 1990s on which Joss Whedon was a staff writer. (Variety)

Billy Campbell (The 4400) will star in NBC dramedy Lost in the '80s, from Sony Pictures Television, about the suburban Mobley family as they deal with the ups and downs of life in the Reagan era. (Hollywood Reporter)

Ellen Barkin will star in an untitled comedy pilot for HBO about a woman who divorces her high-profile husband and returns to the dating scene, where she forms a "close, platonic bond with the 24-year-old son of her ex-husband." Script will be written by Shauna Cross (Whip It!) and the deal marks the first television series for Barkin. (Variety)

ABC has ordered a pilot for multi-camera comedy Threesome about a thirty-something guy in a state of arrested adolescence who finds himself caught between his needy best friend and his new girlfriend and her teenage kids. Project, from Warner Bros. Television, will be written/executive produced by Ricky Blitt (Family Guy). (Hollywood Reporter)

Olivia Wilde jokingly blames the backlash against her House character Thirteen on the fact that she had a gay sex scene earlier this season on the FOX drama. "I think it's because she had a gay sex scene [this season]," she joked to Michael Ausiello. "I've got to be honest with you, I think that's what it is." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

SAG representatives will meet with the AMPTP next week in order to resume contract negotiations. Talks will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday at the AMPTP's headquarters in Sherman Oaks; neither side would comment about the meeting. (TV Week)

ABC is said to be in talks to pick up Media Rights Capital's 13-episode comedy series Surviving Suburbia, starring Bob Saget, Cynthia Stevenson, Jared Kusnitz, G Hannelius, Jere Burns, and Lorna Scott, which was to air on MRC's Sunday night CW block beginning in March before the CW ended its deal with MRC in November. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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I received an unexpected treat yesterday afternoon in the form of tonight's outstanding episode of FX's Damages ("Hey! Mr Pibb"), a fantastic hour of serpentine plot twists paints a convincing picture of a larger conspiracy at work as it pushes the characters to some dark places so far unseen this season.

Plus, don't be surprised if one of the episode's many reveals leaves you wondering just what you truly believe after all.

Want a few hints about what to expect for tonight's episode? Let's dive in.

For those of us who are spoiler-averse, I won't divulge full-on spoilers here but will merely hint at some developments in this week's episode. So what can you expect?

• That water sample that journalist Josh Reston (Matthew Davis) managed to steal from one of Ultima National Resources' coal plants in West Virginia? It becomes increasingly valuable to everyone involved in the case... and proves the lengths that some interested parties will go to conceal the truth.
• Look for a suitcase full of money to make an appearance in an intriguing way.
• Saturday Night Live's Darrell Hammond turns up as a shadowy chapstick-wearing mystery man. Yes, seriously.
• Christine Purcell's ruby ring resurfaces, as does the stringy-haired blonde man who pawned it.
• Patty makes a self-sacrificing decision that could change everything.
• Claire Maddox (Marcia Gay Harden) is a high-powered attorney but I am glad that she still has time to shop at farmers' markets and question her boss about Ultima's involvement with the Purcell murder and middleman Wayne Suttry (Brett Cullen).
• Tom is a bluegrass and classic country music aficionado. (Really?)
  
• Just what is that smell in the air?
• Ellen and Tom make a good team and are a far shrewder pair than we typically think.
• This is exactly what scares me about small towns.
• Watch the legs.
  
• Dream deciphering reveals just as much about the analyst as it does the dreamer.
  

All in all, tonight's episode of Damages is a simply fantastic installment that ramps up the tension and narrative stakes this season and alters the ongoing plot in an incredible and unexpected way. It also proves just why serialized dramas still work in an age of procedural dramas: the subtle way they get under your skin and can manage to surprise even the most jaded of viewers.

Tonight on Damages ("Hey! Mr. Pibb"), Patty concentrates on defending Daniel Purcell in the murder case against him, while Ellen and Tom travel to West Virginia research the case against Ultima National Resources.

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Is it just me or is Fringe's Astrid Farnsworth the latest victim of Mary-Sue Syndrome?

After many episodes of limited character growth, Fringe's writers are now shoving Astrid's amazing skills down our throats with greater frequency... instead of investing time to flesh out her painfully one-dimensional character.

She speaks Latin! She majored in linguistics! And in last night's episode of Fringe ("The No-Brainer"), we learned that she minored in computer science and can take apart computers and fix crashed hard drives with ease. It now seems that when the writers need an esoteric skill that none of the other characters possess, they magically give Astrid the ability to perform miracles.

I've been bemoaning the lack of character development for Astrid for some time now. After all, we're now more than 13 episodes into the season and other than the facts that Astrid has told us, we've yet to see her grow as a character or be fleshed out into anything other than a device for regurgitating exposition.

I don't blame actor Jasika Nicole; she's clearly doing the best she can with the limited material at her disposal but the answer isn't to attempt to dazzle the audience with Astrid's diverse skills but to find a way to have her do something other than answer the phone, snoop through the garbage, or repeat everything that Olivia has just said.

"The No-Brainer" once again demonstrated that the series would be just the same were you to remove Astrid from the equation altogether. Yes, she assisted in the case at hand by cracking open those hard drives but the heavy lifting was done by Peter's contact Akim (played, one must note, by The Wire's Gbenga Akinnagbe) and, while she went into the trash to pull out that note from Jessica Warren (Dawson's Creek's Mary Beth Piel), it was Olivia who confronted Peter about her.

No, far more interesting to me were the supporting players this week, such as Jessica Warren and Brian Dempsey (The Wire's Chris Bauer). Which is a bit of a problem: when you only have maybe six leads on the series and one of them is still a complete cipher, it's not good when they're overshadowed by the guest stars.

What do you think of Astrid? What suggestions do you have for Fringe's writers in order to make her a more compelling, three-dimensional character? Discuss.

Next week on Fringe ("The Transformation"), another bizarre incident aboard an international flight prompts the Fringe Division to investigate, where they encounter some rather freakish remains at the crash site; Olivia receives a visit from an old friend who may have crucial knowledge about the event.

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Just wanted to share a few quick thoughts about the first two episodes of BBC America's addictive culinary competition series Last Restaurant Standing, which kicked off its second season last night.

As always, it's early days on the series, so much of the action focused on the couples preparing their signature dishes for Raymond and his inspectors, Sarah Willingham and David Moore, and setting up their new restaurant spaces... just in time for Opening Night. Well, for nearly all of the teams, that is.

You read my advance review of the first three episodes of Last Restaurant Standing, but now that Season Two has launched, let's talk specifics.

First off, I'm really quite surprised and disappointed by the performance of mother-and-daughter team Annette and Kashelle. Kashelle seems like such a natural in the kitchen and we see her in pre-shot segments preparing some truly gorgeous Caribbean food, so why on earth would she opt to prepare a mango whiz, a dish that required no cooking whatsoever? In actuality, the entire dessert took quite literally three minutes to prepare, including the time it took to pour out the tinned mango pulp, mix in some cream, and squeeze in some lime. Did they really think that this was the most indicative of their style of cooking and the strength of their food? Did they play it far too safe?

I knew that they'd be getting cut from the competition as soon as Kashelle opened up that can of mango and I can't say that I'm disappointed, though I did have high hopes for them initially. There was no way that Raymond and the inspectors were going to let a display like that slide by and I knew right away that this couple was sailing off into the sunset before the restaurants even opened.

I'm totally baffled by Laura and Peter's Welsh-Chinese fusion concept (they seem to be equally confused) and I'm not sure why they didn't just name their restaurant after the building's dragon motif. After all, dragons figure prominently in both Welsh and Chinese mythology and there was a bloody dragon on the front door, so wouldn't that have been more indicative of what they're trying to pull off than The Welsh Wok? Just a thought.

I'm also not sure that former British Airways flight attendants Richard and Scott are long for this competition. Their restaurant, Sorbets & Seasons, is woefully mismanaged, Scott has no control over his kitchen (yet again, a sous chef rises to take the reins), and their concept is just odd. I had assumed that, in addition to serving seasonal food, they would treat the sorbets as they are traditionally used in fine dining: as an intermezzo palate refresher between courses. Not as they did by having a pea and mint sorbet shoved onto the menu... and then have no one order it. Sorbets should be light and refreshing, not heavy, creamy, or savory. Color me confused.

I was quite disgusted by watching James sweat into the food and work quite so hard to produce one dish for three people... when the challenge really involves cooking better than that to deliver fine dining for 80 covers. His arrogance is really quite off-putting as is his way of talking to best friend Alasdair, but I will say that I felt sorry for the boys not to get to open their restaurant due to a gas leak. If it had been any fault of theirs, I wouldn't have sympathized but as it was so out of their control, I did feel bad, given the amount of prep work James had done. Can he calm down and lead coolly rather than with an iron fist?

Likewise, I felt really bad for Harriet, who is teamed up with her father Mike, who is running front of house at their Oxford restaurant The Blue Goose. Mike had a good idea in asking diners to pre-book their dinner options but completely screwed up whatever advantage they may have had going into Opening Night by completely mismanaging the front of house, not working out a table plan for the restaurant, and then having the gall to demand payment for drinks from customers who were leaving after waiting several hours for food they had ordered two days earlier. Badly done, Mike.

I thought for sure that they would be sent home after Opening Night but I was glad to see that Raymond had a change of heart and opted to keep them around for another week before putting them into the Challenge. It was Harriet that I really felt for; nothing was said about her cooking or the food at the Blue Goose, because very few people actually got to eat it. I would hate to see them sent home because of Mike's inept front of house.

But I am curious what you all thought of the episode. Were you happy to see Harriet and Mike stick around for another week? Does hyper-arrogant James need to be knocked down a peg or two? Who are you routing for to win their own restaurant? And who do you think should be eliminated straightaway? Talk back here.

Next week on Last Restaurant Standing, the eight remaining couples have another chance to please Raymond and his inspectors and tweak elements that didn't quite work for Opening Night; James and Alasdair have a chance to open their eatery, The Gallery, after the gas leak; three couples are selected to go into Raymond's Challenge.

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Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

ABC ordered three drama pilots yesterday: Inside the Box, about a female news producer in a Washington network news bureau from writer Richard E. Robbins and executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers (Grey's Anatomy); I, Claudia, about a young prosecuting attorney who is unaware that in the future she will be a contender to be the first female president of the US, from writer/executive producer John Scott Shepherd (The Days); and an untitled US adaptation of Argentinian series Brothers & Detectives, about a detective who discovers that he has a brilliant 11-year-old brother after the death of his estranged father, from Daniel Cerone (Dexter). (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC has ordered a pilot for futuristic drama Day One from writer/executive producer Jesse A. Alexander (Heroes) about "the aftermath of a global event that devastates the world's infrastructures when a small band of survivors strive to rebuild society and unravel the mysteries of why the event took place and what the future has in store." Project, produced by Universal Media Studios, should not be confused with CBS' Jericho, seemingly about the same subject matter... (Hollywood Reporter)

Kristen Johnson (3rd Rock from the Sun) is said to be in talks to star as Eddy in FOX pilot Absolutely Fabulous, a US remake of the BBC comedy created by Jennifer Saunders. Johnson appeared at the table-read of the pilot script on Friday; also participating in the read: Kathryn Hahn (Revolutionary Road). (Variety)

Elsewhere at FOX, the network has given a pilot greenlight to drama Masterwork from Prison Break creator Paul Scheuring. Project, from 20th Century Fox Television, is a globe-spanning adventure in recover artifacts and is said to be in the same vein as National Treasure or The Da Vinci Code. (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Guide has a look at the best of Sawyer's constant stream of sobriquets on Lost. Any you would have added in the mix? (TV Guide)

NBC has announced that it will launch unscripted celebrity genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are, based on the BBC series, on April 20th. Series, which will feature such celebs as Lisa Kudrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Susan Sarandon, will take over the Monday night at 8 pm timeslot currently home to Chuck, as "slot occupant Chuck will have finished its season run by then." Is anyone else troubled that Chuck will wrap in April and not May? (Variety)

Bonnie Sommerville (Cashmere Mafia) has been cast in NBC comedy pilot Off Duty, opposite Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) and Romany Malco (Weeds), about a decorated detective on his way out (Whitford) who is assigned a new partner (Malco) who is a straight arrow both on the job and off. Sommerville will play Malco's wife. Also cast: Capethia Jenkins as the police district chief. Elsewhere, Jesse Tyler Ferguson (The Class) has been cast in ABC comedy pilot An American Family, from Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd and 20th Century Fox Television, where he will play one of the neighborhoods' gay dads. (Hollywood Reporter)

Unnamed SAG board members, speaking on condition of anonymity, claim that talks between the guild and the AMPTP could begin as early as next week, following the ousting of chief negotiator Doug Allen. Meanwhile, the board has also voted to remove president Alan Rosenberg's ability to speak to the press on behalf of the guild. Another sign of things to come? (New York Times)

TNT's launch for scripted drama Trust Me scored not such great numbers, capturing only 3.4 million viewers and 1.3 million adults between 18-49, significantly less than its launch for Leverage, which bowed with 5 million viewers without support from a lead-in from The Closer, and Raising the Bar, which launched with 7.7 million viewers. (Variety)

Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick (Quarterlife) have sold a drama pilot script to CBS about a "marriage that works." Relationship dramas are no strangers to Hershovitz and Zwick, who also created Once and Again and thirtysomething. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

UK's Channel 4 has acquired rights to two HBO series: True Blood and Generation Kill. (Variety)

Noel Clarke, who played Mickey on Doctor Who, has said that he would love to return to the series. "Who would turn down a return to Doctor Who?" said Clarke in an interview with The Sun. "I love the show and have always supported it. I was there from day one when nobody was sure if it was going to be a hit. But the show moves on. Who knows? Whatever happens, happens." (Digital Spy)

Generate has signed a multiple-year overall deal with 2oth Century Fox Television to develop and produced scripted series for broadcast and cable networks and will grant a first look to the studio for its alternative and reality projects. (Variety)

Style has acquired exclusive off-network rights to all seasons of ABC's Supernanny, which it will launch in the fall. (Hollywood Reporter)

TBS has ordered 80 additional episodes of Tyler Perry comedy series Meet the Browns, which is currently in the middle of a ten-episode test run that started January 7th. Order pattern closely follows that of Perry's other TBS series House of Payne, which launched with ten episodes and went on to receive an order for 90 additional installments. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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Longtime readers of this site know of my near-obsession with BBC America's addictive culinary competition series Last Restaurant Standing, which returns for a second season of kitchen catastrophes tonight.

As in Season One of Last Restaurant Standing (which airs in the UK as The Restaurant), famed chef and two-Michelin-starred restaurateur Raymond Blanc (of the fantastic Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons) gives nine couples the dream of a lifetime: the opportunity to open their very own restaurant with him. But before they get to that point, they'll be culled one by one as they are given the keys to individual restaurants and tasked with running them, including everything from devising the menu and preparing food, to training staff and designing the decor.

Assisting Raymond in keeping tabs on the would-be restaurateurs are Raymond's diligent and attentive inspectors, including Season One's Sarah Willingham and newcomer David Moore, the owner of the two-Michelin-starred Pied à Terre in London. Sarah and David are the eyes and ears of Raymond in the field and there's little they don't notice, whether it's a lack of cutlery at a table service, the unhappiness of hungry diners, or chaos in the kitchen.

Think of it as Top Chef's Restaurant Wars challenge every week, albeit on a larger scale and with amateur cooks and novice restaurateurs rather than classically trained chefs. And just like on Top Chef, these competitors quickly feel the heat of the kitchen... and the sharp sting of regret. Every decision they make comes under Raymond's review and every other week, three of the underperforming restaurants will be placed in The Challenge, a last-ditch effort to see if they can sink or swim under Herculean odds... like running a highway rest stop restaurant.

This season's hopefuls are a motley bunch, comprising a mix of styles, attitudes, backgrounds, and skills. There's father-and-daughter team Mike and Harriet, who hope to take over Oxford with their concept for The Blue Goose, their eatery which promises modern remakes of classic dishes... but they quickly run into trouble with front-of-house, overseen by Mike, on their opening night. There's husband and wife team Peter, a Blue Chip company exec, and Laura who manage to confound both Raymond and the locals with their Welsh-Chinese fusion food; sparring best friends Alasdair and James who hope to perfect a fine dining concept but leave doubts in the judges' minds after delivering an awful signature dish; flight attendants Scott and Richard who have a bizarre concept involving seasonal food and sorbets... but fail to deliver on either front (just wait until Episode 3 to see it truly hit the fan).

Who else? Well, there's ex-naval officer Stephen and his wife Helen who offer rustic European fusion-style food in a family restaurant; newlyweds Chris and Caroline who promise a menu of British food made from high-quality ingredients... in a restaurant named after an English version of Raymond himself (Ray White's); dating couple Michele and Russell offer a friendly atmosphere at The Cheerful Soul but leave their customers anything but; and line cook Tom and his HR manager wife Lindsie devise a brasserie focusing on true provenance but don't quite seem to grasp the concept.

Having seen the first three episodes of Season Two (including tonight's two-hour season premiere), I'm once again hooked on Last Restaurant Standing's elegantly simple concept, its blend of winning casting and dramatic, high-pressure stakes, and its fantastically subtle narration (provided, this season, by Cranford's Barbara Flynn). The cast itself is a great mix of heroes, villians, misfits, and hopefuls and it's easy to become invested in their struggles and triumphs. On no other series could one feel bad for an arrogant team when it seems like they'll miss Opening Night because of a gas leak at the restaurant. And yet Last Restaurant Standing accomplishes just that rather effortlessly.

While the pressure is just as intense as it was the first time around, Season Two adds another layer of difficulty for the contestants by including new inspector David Moore, a man who would seemingly rather slap the wannabe restaurateurs than crack a smile. Winning him over is not going to be an easy feat.

Nor will it be to please Moore's teacher himself, Raymond, who remains just as precise and demanding as ever. However, it is nice to see Raymond demonstrate some tasks for the contestants this season, such as when he shows the couples how to elevate a boring bowl of gazpacho into something quite extraordinary and memorable. It's these little touches, the details and extras, that turn a restaurant into something magical and one can't help but feel that, regardless of the outcome, each of these couples is blessed to have been in the presence of a true alchemist.

Season Two of Last Restaurant Standing launches tonight with two back-to-back episodes at 8 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

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Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

ABC has ordered a pilot for a modern day remake of seminal 1980s mini-series V, to be written/executive produced by Scott Peters (The 4400). Updated V, from Warner Bros. Television, will focus on a female Homeland Security agent. Elsewhere, NBC has removed the contingency from period comedy pilot Lost in the '80s, from Sony Pictures Television and Tantamount, which will be directed by P.J. Hogan (Shopaholic). (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Doctor Who co-star Freema Agyeman will reportedly reprise her role as Martha Jones in one of the four Doctor Who specials planned for 2009, despite some rumors of bad blood between her and outbound head writer/executive producer Russell T. Davies, said to originate when she accepted a role on ITV's Law & Order: London rather than star in a new season of Torchwood. “Freema’s on board," said an unnamd source. "It’s early days so it’s unclear what exactly Martha will be up to in the new show. Whatever happens it’s good news for Freema and shows that whatever friction there was between her and Who bosses has gone.” (The Sun)

It's looking increasingly likely that 24's Day Eight will be the last for Kiefer Sutherland. "Whether Season Eight is the end or not, I don't know," said Sutherland. "I love making the show, so I'm leaving my options open. And in all fairness, I think the audience will dictate that more than anybody." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC has shifted a comedy block of Samantha Who? and new series In the Motherhood to Thursday nights at 8 pm, a timeslot traditionally held by Ugly Betty, which will go on hiatus until the two series wrap their runs. Additionally, Scrubs will be paired on Wednesdays with new comedy Better Off Ted in an 8 pm timeslot. But don't count Betty out just yet; ABC said that the struggling series would have been airing repeats during that time anyway. (Variety)

Amy Poehler's untitled NBC sitcom, from executive producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, now has a title: Public Service. Series is set to launch on April 9th at 8:30 pm ET/PT. (New York Times)

More info about Scott Bakula's multiple-episode story arc on Chuck from NBC: "In the storyline, Chuck made a promise to his sister, Ellie that he was going to find their dad in time for her wedding. But when he does find him, Chuck discovers that his dad is not necessarily a guy who wants to be found. He's living in a trailer, he's disheveled, he's paranoid and he's claiming constantly that Ted Roark (guest star Chevy Chase) -- who he used to work with -- stole all his ideas from him. In addition, Ted Roark has now become a super-successful software billionaire while Chuck's dad has become an eccentric, living in the shadows." (press release)

Jon Hamm is set to appear in three episodes of 30 Rock starting next week but you can get a sneak peek at footage of him as Dr. Drew Baird on the NBC comedy right now. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Among the teams racing for the million-dollar prize on the next season of CBS' The Amazing Race: screenwriter Mike White (best known for Freaks & Geeks, Pasadena, and Chuck & Buck, among many others) and his father, a gay-rights activist and former speechwriter for Pat Robertson and Billy Graham, and a 22-year-old deaf student and his mother. (Associated Press)

Producers of FOX's House are said to be in talks with Anne Dudek about reprising her role as Amber, Wilson's, er, dead girlfriend, later this season. Just don't look for her to return as a ghost like Grey's Anatomy's Denny. "If we could figure out a way to bring her back that is not a ghost sex plot," said executive producer Katie Jacobs, "we'd be thrilled to do it and have her back." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Doug Allen has been fired as national executive director and chief negotiator for SAG in a move that also replaced the SAG negotiating committee, which is being viewed as a sign that the guild may soon sign a feature-primetime deal. "I'm sure it was a difficult decision to replace SAG's negotiators, but if the other entertainment unions can make a deal their members can live with, SAG can too," said Sally Field, who has audibly opposed Allen this past year, "and now I feel certain that will happen, quickly and productively." (Variety)

MTV has renewed The City and Daddy's Girls for second seasons as well as handed out a twenty-episode order for Teen Cribs and another batch of 28 episodes for series Made. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

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Is it just me or is this season of HBO's Big Love shaping up to be the very best one the series has done to date? Taut, suspenseful, and emotionally resonant, Season Three has ramped up the drama and tension that have been slowly building over the last two seasons; every episode is a paragon of subtle narrative storytelling and serialized sizzle.

While you've already read my advance review of Season Three's first three episodes of Big Love, you've now seen the third season's second episode ("Empire") last night so we can get discuss specifics.

Last night's superlative episode of Big Love, written by series creators Will Scheffer and Mark V. Olsen, featured a mix of both good and bad news for the Henricksons as Bill made his case for the Indian casino, the family started dating Ana as a group, Roman blackmailed Bill, Barb received news about her health, and Sarah made a shocking discovery. So, just another day for everyone's favorite polygamist clan then?

Nikki. I cannot believe that Nikki is deliberately trying not to get pregnant and is willfully deceiving both Bill and her fellow sister wives by secretly taking birth control pills. Interestingly, Nikki tells Adeleen that she saw how Adeleen resented her children by making her more mother than wife to her father but is that really why Nikki is going to such lengths? She's always been extremely self-serving (though I do have to say that her fear and concern for Barb's health was genuine and heartfelt) and manipulative but also been portrayed as a true believer in their religion, which states that the purpose of wives is to expand the family. So what's the real reason? Is it a quiet form of rebellion? A way for Nikki to gain control over her destiny and her life by not becoming a brood mare? What do you think?

Margene. Even after becoming Bill's good luck charm with Weber Gaming and finding a calling for herself in sales, Margene proves that she is far more self-sacrificing than Nikki as she tells Barb that she'll put her professional life on hold to become a mother again. The scene in the fertility clinic between her and Barb was as touching as it was sad. Their sisterhood is meant to be supportive and nurturing and each to make sacrifices for the other. That she would choose to expand their family once more so soon after giving birth to a baby while Nikki goes to great lengths not to get pregnant really shows major character growth for Margene.

Barb. I'm really happy that Barb isn't facing another cancer reoccurence and that the diagnosis was negative. Like Margene, she put her family before herself, pushing Bill to make his intentions to date Ana clear in case something should happen to her and concealing her health scare from everyone--even Bill--so as not to jeopardize the fragile balance of the family at a more than difficult time. The look of sadness on Barb's face when she realized that she would have to tell Bill she was in the hospital was profound... as was the look of dawning realization when she realized just what she had done in pursuing Ana, even though she herself wasn't sick after all. That final shot of Barb, surrounded by the family's children, her sister wives, Bill, and Ana but standing alone, was absolutely heartbreaking as she learned that she wasn't sick but realized that she had altered the fabric of their family for no reason. It doesn't point to good times ahead for Boss Lady.

Sarah. Well, now we know another reason why Sarah is so desperate to get out of Utah and away from her family and Scott: she's pregnant. Dumping the news that she wants to attend school in Arizona (despite the family being strapped with the casino business and Weber), Sarah then breaks up with Scott outside the creepy runaway home (a.k.a. The Butt Hut) and is later seen crying while holding a copy of a pregnancy book. Poor Sarah. She, along with Barb, have got to be the most tragic figures in this story and I don't think that the Henricksons are going to be very supportive when they learn that their teenage daughter is carrying her boyfriend's child. Not good.

The Butt Hut. How entirely creepy was that house for compound exiles/runaways? I was surprised that Sarah would want to go there with her friends and Frankie but I didn't quite expect to see what they encounter there: a mix of "pure" girls waiting out the time until they are eighteen and can return to the compound and the misfit boys kicked off the compound, clearly engaging in drugs, alcohol, and sex. And, quelle surprise, Granny herself--Wanda--happens to live there in a room decorated with a collage of photographs of herself.

Roman. I can't believe that Roman would threaten to expose Bill's family yet again if he didn't deign to become his Errand Boy. Yes, Roman is against the wall and facing not only man's justice but his own mortality, but he proved once again that his protection of Nikki only goes so far as his own self-preservation. And of course it all comes down, once again, to schemer and opportunist Rhonda Volmer...

Lois. I literally gasped when Frank threw Lois against the wall and began to strangle her. Their messed up realtionship has been at the heart of Big Love since the very first episode and Bill's entire character has been shaped by Frank's decision to kick him off of the compound as a teenager. That thirty years of betrayal and rage would be crystalized in this one moment (complete with Wanda blindly thrusting in the air with a chef's knife) was absolutely perfect... and that Frank would be knocked to the ground with a shovel held by Frankie's mom only fitting. That scene of Frank bound and gagged in Lois' basement definitely points towards a reckoning coming between them and if I were Frank I'd be very, very scared.

Don. Poor Don. Bill's never been very supportive of him throughout the last two seasons (or very nice to him) but he made up for it this week, lending his old friend his support and trust when he told Don to seek the bank loan for the casino, after two of Don's wives ran off with their kids. The hug that they share before Ben's flag-raising ceremony was touching and heartfelt. I'm glad that the series' writers are dealing with Don and Peg's relationship more and I am interested to see where they take the former polygamists now that they are forced into monogamy against their will.

Wanda. Bill's sister-in-law is clearly becoming unhinged once again, as she threatens to harm Kathy if Alby doesn't reassign her... but Alby has unknowingly tipped his hand when he tells Wanda that he will be very displeased (and even send her someplace far away) if anything happens to Kathy. Wanda's already suspicious about what Joey and Kathy are whispering about and she knows that the Jane Doe defendants against Roman Grant are being protected. I do think she's put two and two together and realized that Kathy is going to testify against Roman... but will she out her sister wife?

Ana. I think it's abundantly clear that the life of plural marriage doesn't suit Ana, as much as she might claim she's open to it. The two "group dates" that the family goes on with Ana are both a disaster. The first time she's questioned about "bone meal" and other bizarre topics, though she does get, as Nikki says, "the front seat and endless refills" of soda. The second time, she's deserted by everyone at the communal table, alone in the shared backyard. I just don't see a future for her with the family, no matter how hard everyone tries to win her over.

Best line of the evening: "Wanda, why are you massaging that bird's anus with a Q-Tip?" - Lois

Next week on Big Love ("Prom Queen"), Bill attempts to bribe Rhonda into going underground at Roman's behest; Bill's commitment towards Ana is tested; Margene receives some disturbing news about Ginger; Wanda reveals a long-buried secret about Nicki's past.

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It's hard to let an episode of Battlestar Galactica go by without saying anything, especially as the series only has a handful of episodes before it sails off among the stars (sadly, with no resurrection ship anywhere in sight).

While I wasn't going to write about this past week's episode of Battlestar Galactica ("A Disquiet Follows My Soul"), which found the ragtag Colonial Fleet dealing with a number of internal fractures, from Laura Roslin deciding to stop treatment for her cancer, Gaeta stirring dissent among the shell-shocked crew of the Galactica, and Tom Zarek making a power grab with Roslin indisposed.

While this episode--written and directed by Ronald D. Moore--lacked, say, the narrative heft of the previous week's installment ("Sometimes a Great Notion"), it perhaps will later be viewed as an installment which figuratively drew a line in the sand for the series's characters.

After learning that Earth was no more than a barren wasteland and the site of its own nuclear holocaust, the crew of the Galactica is quite literally pressurized into making some rather bad decisions. For Laura, it's the feeling that she can no longer be the dying leader that the scriptures prophesied and that she needs to live for a change. The result is that she skips her cancer treatment and goes for a run around the ship, experiencing a chemical euphoria from withdrawal from her cancer drugs. But is she truly living? Or is she in a state of denial about the future of the human race? About her own responsibilities as president of the Colonies?

I'm glad that the series' writers have dealt with the troubling notion of Cally and Chief's offspring, finally revealing that baby Nicholas isn't Tyrol's son after all, but the result of a relationship between Cally and Hot Dog. After all, it did diminish the weight of Hera being the savior of the Cylon race as the first human-Cylon offspring if there was a second one waiting in the wings. No longer. Still, I can't help but feel bad that, even in death, bad things just keep on happening to Cally.

Over the last season, Gaeta has subtly turned into one of the series' most enduring villains, the sort that you never see coming. His latest act, after picking a fight with Starbuck in the cantine, is to have his own desire to stop the humans' collaboration with the Cylons dovetail with Tom Zarek's latest bid for power. Separately, these two didn't have a chance of changing the the status quo. Zarek's attempt to hold the Tillium ship hostage until Adama reversed his position on a permanent human-Cylon alliance (including integrating Cylon jump technology into the civilian fleet) ended, rather predictably, in defeat and he himself wound up in the brig. After being largely ignored by Doc Cottle (who was focusing his energies on Tigh and Caprica's Six's unborn child), Gaeta's efforts to sow seeds of dissent among the crew may have found some converts but there's no way that he could have enabled any sort of power struggle on his own.

Scarily, together, these two could prove to be exceptionally dangerous. Zarek has the ear of the quorum and a long reputation of being a freedom fighter and the enforced use of Cylon technology seems to be a hot-button issue that he can use to his advantage. Gaeta brings with him a crew that has been pushed beyond the brink and that has lost its way after being promised a new home on Earth by Adama and Roslin. Should the use of Cylon technology be a ship-to-ship decision? Or is Adama right that the safety of the fleet is his priority and his decision alone to make? Gaeta certainly believes the former, as evidenced by his menacing look at Adama and blatant sneer as he questions the Old Man.

Among all of this chaos and mutiny, however, was the absolutely gorgeous scene at the end between lovers Adama and a bald-headed Roslin in bed. Lit by candles and wrapped up in Adama's arms, Laura did seem as though she was living again for the first time in a very long time; hell, she practically glowed. But, given the forces mounting against them, one can't help but view that scene with a twinge of fear. It may always be darkest before the dawn and their candles may have kept the darkness at bay for a little while but that dawn only seems more further off than ever now.

On the next episode of Battlestar Galactica ("The Oath"), Zarek and Gaeta's mutiny kicks into high gear, Adama is removed from power, and the lines of battle are drawn within the Colonial Fleet as opposition to the Cylon alliance turns violent.

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Torchwood fans have something to look forward to next month at New York Comic-Con.

Digital cabler BBC America has announced that it will bring its highly rated sci-fi series Torchwood to New York Comic-Con 2009, presenting a sneak peek of the series' third season, Torchwood: Children of Earth, and a panel session with series lead Eve Myles and director Euros Lyn.

The Torchwood panel will be presented on Saturday, February 7th at 4:15 pm and marks Myles and Lyn's first U.S. panel appearance. Myles, of course, plays Torchwood mainstay Gwen Cooper, while Lyn directed the entire five-episode third season of Torchwood. (Of note: Lyn will also direct David Tennant’s final two episodes as the Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who.)

Torchwood: Children of Earth will air later this year on BBC America as a five-part television event that finds the Torchwood team battling for the future of the human race against the fiercest force they have encountered to date.

“Torchwood face their toughest battle to date in this new series,” said series creator/executive producer Russell T. Davies in a statement. “This latest threat causes global shockwaves and the team has to fight with everything they’ve got to survive. Viewers are in for a real treat.”

Stay tuned for news about a launch date for Torchwood: Children of Earth on BBC America.

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It's rather easy at first glance to draw comparisons between TNT's new drama series Trust Me, which launches tonight, and AMC's award-winning period drama Mad Men.

Though Trust Me is set in the present day, both series are set in advertising agencies and seek to capture a photograph of the society in which they inhabit. After all, advertising needs to speak to its buyers and what better way than by reflecting people's dreams, fears, hopes, and excesses?

Unlike Mad Men, Trust Me, created by The Closer's Hunt Baldwin and John Covent, attempts to take a more humorous approach and seeks to mine its agency setting to maximum comic effect.

While it's essentially an ensemble piece about the employees of Chicago's Rothman, Greene & Moore agency, the real heart of the series is the relationship between a pair of best friends and partners, mature and level-headed Mason McGuire (Eric McCormack) and creative manboy Conner (Tom Cavanagh) as they pitch, whine, fight, make up, and scheme.

Sadly, these two are less than convincingly drawn. Conner is especially irritating at times, particularly in the pilot episode, and one can't help but feel that we've seen Cavanagh essentially play the same immature, self-absorbed character several times before on other series. When Mason is picked for promotion by boss Tony Mink (Griffin Dunne) after the death of the comically irate Stu (Jason O'Mara), Conner goes on the warpath and calls their partnership quits... but we are never really privy to any displays of why Conner thinks he would be worthy of advancement or his genius skills as an ad writer. Indeed, he's portrayed as a shallow buffoon who happens to come up with some fairly decent copy... often during sex.

Adding to the characters' lack of sympathy is Monica Potter's Sarah Krajicek-Hunter, a completely unlikeable award-winning copywriter who joins the firm from one of their rivals and drones on endlessly about her lack of a window office, as she's forced to sit in a cubicle. (Given the nation's mounting unemployment rate, this doesn't paint her in a particularly sympathetic light these days.) She's also irritatingly dour, has an aversion to working on shampoo ads, and we're told by her old boss (Adam Scott) that she believes every man is hitting on her. Yep, that's about as deep as her characterization goes, except for the fact that her old boss hates her. I'm glad to see that he's not the only one.

In the two episodes provided for review, the series comes off as about half as clever as it thinks it is. The ads that Conner and Mason concoct are really not that intelligent and when Mason saves the day at a client meeting with a brainstorm of an idea, it's actually quite a terrible ad that he's envisioned. (I was hoping that this scene would have been reworked when the producers recut the original pilot and altered the opening.) And Mason's input of a tagline--What can you do with one hand?--for a mobile phone company was slightly amusing for its sophomoric double entendre... until the second episode when it becomes clear that no one--not Mason, not Conner, not the client--never noticed that it could be a barely concealed reference to self-love.

Seriously?

If Trust Me is going to work as a dramedy series, it needs to find a way to make these characters far more intelligent and three-dimensional than they're initially presented and find a way to really mine their situation and environment for outrageous and unexpected humor. As it is, Trust Me plays it way too safe and doesn't, as that very same client sadly tells Mason, make me at all nervous in a good way.

Trust Me launches tonight at 10 pm ET/PT on TNT.

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Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

FOX has handed out a pilot order to a US remake of BBC comedy series Absolutely Fabulous, which follows the boozy exploits of PR magnate Edina Monsoon, her magazine editrix best friend Patsy, and Edina's uptight daughter Saffy. US version will be set in LA and the script written by Christine Zander (Less Than Perfect), who will executive produce with Jennifer Saunders, Ian Moffit, Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum, and Kim Tannenbaum. Project will be produced by Sony Pictures Television, Tantamount, and BBC Worldwide Americas. (Variety)

Battlestar Galactica's Jane Espenson will serve as an executive producer on BSG prequel series Caprica and will eventually become the showrunner on the series, slated to air on Sci Fi in 2010. Espenson, whom many fans will know from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gilmore Girls, will take over the reins of Caprica's writers' room from co-creator Ron Moore later this year. Production on Caprica--which will also feature BSG writers Michael Taylor and Ryan Mottesheard, production designer Richard Hudolin, composer Bear McCreary, and special effects supervisor Gary Hutzel--is scheduled to begin in July. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Lauren Graham talks to Michael Ausiello about her upcoming run in Guys & Dolls on Broadway, the likelihood of a Gilmore Girls movie (slim to none), and her new ABC pilot--about an embittered self-help guru--which she says is a much "darker" comedy than Gilmore and features a character who is "deeply flawed." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

In other pilot news, ABC has ordered a two-hour pilot for mystery Happy Town from writers/executive producers Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, and Scott Rosenberg (October Road, Life on Mars). Project is said to be in the same vein as Twin Peaks and is "set in the hamlet of Happy Town, which had enjoyed a seven-year peace after a series of kidnappings until it is hit by another crime." (Hollywood Reporter)

As expected, NBC has given a pilot order to medical drama Trauma, from writer/executive producer Dario Scardapane, that is said to be a "a high-octane emergency medical procedural that takes place out in the field." Project, from Universal Media Studios and Film 44, will also be executive produced by Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey. (Hollywood Reporter)

Disney has renewed syndicated fantasy drama Legend of the Seeker for a second season on Tribune-owned stations. (Variety)

As anticipated, series 30 Rock and Mad Men, and mini-series John Adams swept the television categories at the SAG Awards last night and House's Hugh Laurie and Brothers & Sisters' Sally Field took home individal awards. (Hollywood Reporter)

Shortly after upgrading Sara Gilbert from recurring to series regular status on CBS' The Big Bang Theory, the former Roseanne star has now been bumped back down to recurring on the comedy series. The reason for the about-face is said to be due to the fact that the series' writers couldn't create enough story for her and Johnny Galecki's Leonard. "They couldn't write for her, so they changed her status to recurring," a source told Michael Ausiello. "It's a little mystifying." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Lauren Allen (Dirt, The 4400) will appear in a two-episode story arc on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, where she will play the ex-girlfriend of Kevin McKidd's Dr. Owen Hunt. [Editor's note: the story says ER, but they clearly mean Grey's Anatomy.] (Variety)

Executive producer John Wells is writing the series finale for NBC's ER, which is wrapping its run on April 2nd after fifteen seasons. "You want to try and find the essence of the series," said Wells about writing the finale script. "You want to find the thing that people actually identify with in the series and do something that leaves them feeling satisfied for having spent X number of hours of their lives devoted to watching your ongoing narrative." (Los Angeles Times)

CBS has ordered a pilot presentation for Missing You, an unscripted crime series which follows missing persons investigators as they take on various cases each week. Project will be executive produced by Shaun Cassidy, Ned Nalle, and James Bruce. (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC Universal has signed a deal with American Airlines to provide the carrier with in-flight entertainment. Under the terms of the exclusive two-year deal, NBC Universal will replace CBS and provide American with four 90-minute programs each month beginning March 1st. Content won't be limited to NBC, as the studio will draw from the Peacock as well as Bravo, Sci Fi, USA, Oxygen, MSNBC, films from Universal, and programs from NBC News and NBC Sports. (Variety)

Starz is developing a comedy series based on online series Tom and Sam Are Stuck, from creators Tom Saunders and Sam Laybourne, about a man and his uncle from the future who find themselves trapped in the present day when their time machine fails. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

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