“The Walking Dead,” Season 1, Episode 6: “TS-19”

“The Walking Dead” had some ups and downs for such a short season. But Sunday’s season finale more than made up for any of the times I was bored by the show.

It opened with a flashback between Shane and Rick. It recounted how Rick was both abandoned in the hospital and why Shane thought his friend and partner was dead. Shane isn’t a bad guy (which I hope we all realize). It’s just that what’s going on around him has turned him into a live wire. The flashback proves Shane did all he could to rescue Rick from the hospital. He at least kept the dead out of his room by barricading it with a hospital bed.

Cut back to modern day. The group of survivors are inside the Center for Disease Control and appear to be the safest they’ve been since the outbreak. Dr. Jenner says they can come in as long as they submit to a blood test. They agree. He also warns them that once the doors close they won’t reopen. They don’t question this.

The group isn’t happy to find that Dr. Jenner is the only person left at the CDC. But they are happy there’s food, hot water and general safety. But something still isn’t right. He’s not telling them much. Everyone gets drunk to forget their worries. A drunken Shane nearly rapes Lori. But she scratches him and he leaves.

The following morning at breakfast, they demand some answers from Jenner. He takes them to where all the CDC magic happens, queues up the computer and gives them a lesson. He shows them what happens to a person who is infected through death and resurrection. He also lets them in on the fact that he’s failed, has no idea what the disease is and there likely isn’t any cure anywhere. Or maybe no one else but them for that matter.

Then someone notices a countdown clock and Jenner tells them that’s when the generator power runs out. He won’t tell them what that means exactly. Rick asks the computer. “She” informs them that once the power runs out the CDC will undergo complete decontamination. Which they soon learn means the entire building will be blown up by explosives almost as powerful as a nuclear weapon.

Jenner kind of flips out a bit and locks them all in there with him. Playing God, he informs them they’re stuck and they’re better off to stay in there with him and meet a quick and painless death. The alternative doesn’t sound much better, but they’re not ready to give up. Well, most of them. Jenner does finally let them free but Andrea and Jacqui decide to stay and meet their deaths. Dale convinces Anderea to go just in time.

Everyone who wants to be outside is just as the clock is running out. Then the CDC explodes. I won’t complain about how fake and disappointing the graphics were here because I liked the episode.  So the survivors get into their vehicles and take off. Who knows where they end up and what next season holds.

I thought the finale was a great mixture of suspense and drama with a great payoff. I knew they weren’t all going to die, but I never quite expected it to end the way it did. It got pretty intense in the last 15 minutes. I kind of hoped Andrea had stayed in the building. I know that sounds terrible but I don’t like her. If I see her pull a gun on someone she shouldn’t one more time, I’m going to explode.

It was also pretty frustrating in the sense that Jenner kind of betrayed them. They thought they were safe there. They not only thought there would probably be a cure there, but the facility is kind of a dream for survivors. There’s no way the dead could get into that building. And there’s food. And water and comfort. Then they find out it was all very temporary.

Were you as impressed by the season finale as I was? What did you think of the season as a whole? What do you think Jenner whispered to Rick before he left the building? Maybe one of the survivors is actually infected?

“Dexter” Season 5, Episode 10: “In The Beginning”

For the first time this season, “Dexter” grabbed me, pulled me in and made me care about my favorite TV show again.

It’s been a long and slow season for me. I love the characters and am devoted to the show but I’ve felt so disconnected this season. I feel like the usual “Dexter” magic is missing. But Sunday’s episode brought the magic back. I’m connected once again. It’s not cool that it took 10 (out of 12) to get me there, but at least it did. And I knew it would.

Last week ended with Jordan Chase calling Dexter’s (Michael C. Hall) house and realizing he was talking to Lumen (Julia Stiles). So this week, Dexter takes all precautions. He sends Harrison away and he takes Lumen to his (or is it Deb’s?) apartment as they plan to get rid of Lumen’s final two attackers.

The blood sample Dexter took from Jordan’s necklace turned out to be from a woman still alive. Dexter and Lumen visit her but she shuts them out.

Back at the station, LaGuerta (Lauren Velez) and the team are going over the newly-reopened barrel girls case and their prime suspect is Jordan’s head of security Cole. But of course Dexter and Lumen disposed of him last week. Since they don’t know that, Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) and Quinn (Desmond Harrington) go after Cole. Jordan informs them he’s been missing for a bit. Deb rips Jordan a new one. And they’re off.

At Cole’s house Quinn finds a collection of DVDs that feature the recorded tortures and murders of the 13 victims. That means Lumen’s DVD is in the mix too. And Deb has seen Lumen. Dexter panics. He quickly figures out a way to get the No. 13 DVD so no one will ever link Lumen or him to the case.

Lumen goes back to the woman from Jordan’s necklace. This time she lets her in. She tells Lumen everything. Jordan, who used to be a fat kid called Eugene, and his buddies (Cole, Boyd, Dentist Dan and mystery man) raped and tortured her at a summer camp when they were teenagers. She also tells Lumen who the fifth man in the photo is. His name is Alex Tilden.

Before Dexter and Lumen get to Alex, Deb and Quinn do. It turns out Alex (Scott Grimes) had shown up in Cole’s phone call log and Deb and Quinn were there checking him out.

Lumen and Dexter first have to check out Alex’s house and figure out where the kill room should be. They find a place and plan for the kill the following day.

Jordan shows up at his first victim’s house and we learn that she is still in with Jordan for some reason and she told Lumen everything because he asked her to. So there’s something very strange going on there. He even tells her she made him who he is today. What? I really can’t wait now to find out that’s all about.

Dexter and Lumen are getting ready for the big night. Lumen comes out in her tight-fitting black kill suit and you can almost hear Dexter’s boner popping up. He gives her a gift: her very own black murderer gloves. How sweet!

Oh, and RoboCop (Peter Weller) is totally on to Dexter and Lumen. He is recording them and sees Dexter teaching Lumen how to stab someone. Even though that’s unnecessary drama, I’m interested to see what becomes of his investigation and, in turn, Quinn. Will Dexter have to kill them? Or will there be a much easier way out?

So it turns out Jordan is setting up Lumen and Dexter. He knows they’ll be going after Alex next, so he scopes out Alex’s house until the two arrive. He then calls Deb and tells her some garbage that will lead her to Alex’s house right in the middle of Dexter and Lumen’s kill.

So Alex is plastic wrapped and wakes up to Dexter cutting his face. Then Lumen comes in to do her first official kill. It turns out to be one of the craziest scenes in a long time. Deb and Quinn are closing in on Alex’s house. Dexter’s boner returns over Lumen doing her thing with Alex. And she really does it. I wasn’t sure she would, but she did. She stabbed Alex in the heart.

Then Deb and Quinn bust in! Psych! They’re at Alex’s house, but the kill room was set up in an empty house on Alex’s street. Brilliant. That’s the show I’ve loved for five years now. But Deb is starting to piece things together. After everything else that’s been going on and after finding a small footprint outside Alex’s home, she has a hunch that the 13th victim might be on a vigilante killing spree.

Following the kill, Dexter and Lumen have sex (told you he had a boner). We all know Dexter gets his rocks off from killing and it looks like Lumen does as well. Maybe Dexter has finally found his soul mate. His final line of the night could be very telling. “With Lumen I’m someone different, ” he says. “In her eyes, I’m not a monster at all.” But we’ll see how that really plays out in the last two episodes of the season.

So what did you think? What’s going on with Jordan and his first “victim?” Thoughts? There were SO many things going on in this episode. What did I miss? Let’s talk about it all.

“The Walking Dead,” Season 1, Episode 5: “Wildfire”

After last week’s attack on the camp, the survivors are starting to clean up and regroup. Rick, using his CB radio, has warned Morgan (from episode 1) to avoid Atlanta. And Andrea is watching guard over her dead sister Amy.

The survivors are trying to destroy the campers killed in the attack because it’s inevitable that they’ll become zombies. Andrea, however, is holding out with her sister. She even pulls a gun on Rick (for the second time, mind you). For some reason, that action really made me mad. So mad that I thought they should just kill her too. I can’t believe I actually agreed with resident redneck Darryl. But I did. Andrea has done nothing but piss me off since the beginning. I’m wondering since her character has no redeeming qualities if she’ll end up dead before the end of next week’s season finale.

Amy finally wakes up as a zombie. It turns out Andrea was just waiting on that moment so she could apologize for being a crappy sister. Andrea realizes Amy is hungry and shoots her in the head. What a terrible task that had to be. This show really goes places we’ve never been.

Just as things have quieted down, we find out Jim, the prophet from last week, has a secret. He was bitten by a walker. He’s getting sick fast. Darryl, of course, suggests pickaxing him in the head then and there. But Rick decides it’s time to leave camp and head for the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta. There could be hope for Jim and the rest of them there.

So the campers pack up and hit the road. Rick sends Morgan the message that they’re leaving the camp. But we still don’t know if Morgan is even hearing it. On the road Jim’s condition worsens and he asks to be left behind. The others grant him is wish, prop him up against a tree and take off.

Elsewhere we see a new face. A man is talking to a monitor. “It’s day 194 since Wildfire was declared,” he says. “There is no clinical progress to report.” That’s Dr. Jenner, the lone survivor at the CDC. He’s still working on a cure for the outbreak (Wildfire), which (I think) we learn is called TS-19.

Dr. Jenner then makes a mistake, contaminates his work which self destructs, thus destroying any chances of finding a cure. Then the survivors show up. He spots them on a monitor and debates on whether he should let them in. As walkers approach, Rick pleads and begs for someone to let them in. Dr. Jenner finally does.

Next week is the season finale. What do you think or hope will happen?

“The Walking Dead,” Season 1, Episode 4: “Vatos”

“The Walking Dead’s” fourth episode opened with some pretty subtle foreshadowing.

Andrea and Amy are fishing and reminiscing about how their father taught them to fish. It was a tender family moment, but a bit forced. I immediately knew something was going to happen to one of them. Also in the opening scene, we see Jim frantically digging holes. Is he looking for something or is he digging graves? Oh, it’s probably just nothing.

In the city, Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Daryl realize Merle cut his hand off to escape and is definitely still alive. They follow his blood trail for awhile then hatch a plan to re-claim the bag of guns Rick left behind earlier. Glenn goes for the bags but is intercepted by another group of survivors who appear to be gang members. They kidnap Glenn but leave behind one of their own, leaving Rick and crew with some leverage.

They meet up with the gang to exchange “prisoners.” Yeah, I know, it seemed like a lot of unnecessary and boring drama to me too. Then we find out the gang is really just guarding a deserted nursing home still filled with patients. Lame. Boring.

So they call a truce, share some guns and decide to head back to their own survivor camp. But their van is missing. Uh oh. Merle. They believe Merle is headed back to the survivor camp to start trouble.

As we’re expecting Merle to crash in on the nice little fish fry at the camp, we’re surprised by a zombie attack. The first victim is the much deserving Ed. But then Amy is attacked. Brutally. So that’s what that family moment in the beginning was about.

About 12 more zombies show up and they’re grabbing survivors left and right. The survivors start fighting back but the attack isn’t over until Rick and company return to help. It’s unclear of what the body count is, but Amy seems to be the only surprise victim.

At least there are some graves started thanks to Jim’s premonition.

The episode was pretty slow. I was almost annoyed over the Glenn kidnapping and gang element. I’m just in the belief that walking dead people and the drama within the survivor camp are plenty to deal with. But the show redeemed itself at the end with the gory zombie attack. That also still leaves open what will happen when Merle finds his way back to the group.

What did you think of this episode? And there are only two more left. What do you hope happens?

“Dexter,” Season 5, Episode 8: “Take It”

I’m not sure what makes Dexter think he can trust anyone after Lila, Miguel and Trinity, but for some reason, he decided to spill his guys to Lumen in Sunday night’s episode.

Dexter (Michael C. Hall) and Lumen (Julia Stiles) spent the episode stalking Cole, one of the men who raped and tortured Lumen. Dexter had decided the place to make Cole his next victim would be at the hotel hosting Jordan Chase’s latest conference. He rented the room next to Cole’s and set his plan in motion.

But he decided to let Lumen in on it. He even sent her on a hardware store trip to buy “kill room” supplies. Lumen even helped him prepare the room. Of course when it came down to it, the original plan was foiled. The backup plan was as well, as Cole spotted Lumen and chased her down. As he was attacking her, Dexter comes in and saves the day.

Cole wakes up on the table and refuses to give up the other attackers, so Dexter does the deed. Lumen watches. She’s figured out who Dexter is but I don’t think she sees him as a monster. She sees that he’s doing a good deed. Dexter confirms Lumen’s thoughts and hands the slide with Cole’s blood over to her. She accepts it and is therefore accepting who Dexter is and who she has become as well.

There was one thing that really confused me about all that. Apparent Dexter didn’t know Jordan was in on Lumen’s attack. I knew. You knew. I thought Dexter knew. But he didn’t figure it out until this episode. I guess I was jumping the gun, but I’ve known for two weeks that Jordan was a part of that team. I’m so confused why Dexter didn’t.

Elsewhere, Lt. LaGuerta (Lauren Velez) is up to her old tricks. She’s put the blame on the Santa Muerta case blunder on Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) which resulted in Deb’s suspension. I’m not surprised. LaGuerta isn’t a villain, she just will not let anything come between her and her job. Anything.

Batista (David Zayas) catches Deb on her way out and lets her know he’s not going to stand by his wife’s decision to blame everything on Deb. That should cause for some interesting twists with Batista and LaGuerta. They probably never should’ve been paired together anyway. I’m starting to think the show runners are thinking that as well and are correcting it with this storyline.

I do love all the screen time LaGuerta is getting. I love that character and I love Velez. Even more LaGuerta please.

Oh, and RoboCop photographs Dexter and Lumen dumping Cole’s body at sea (that’s some high-powered lens). Looks like he’ll show Quinn (Desmond Harrington) next week, sealing both their fates. There’s a chance Quinn s might survive this season, but Peter Weller is done for.

“The Walking Dead,” Season 1, Episode 3: “Tell It To The Frogs”

Last week I said I was ready for some character development and human drama on “The Walking Dead.” I sure got my wish with Sunday night’s episode. And well, I take that wish back. I’m not invested enough in the characters for that yet. I need zombies. And didn’t get any this time. So needless to say, I was a little disappointed in the third episode.

I’m not giving up on the show or even giving it a bad review necessarily. I just think it was too early to slow things down. I do want to see the human drama, just not so much so soon. And as far as character development goes, there aren’t very many people to get behind. Most of the survivors we’ve met so far are kind of jerks.

The episode opened with Merle chained to the rooftop where we last saw him last week. He’s trying to escape, but the Walkers have made their way to the roof. The opening credits roll, so we have no idea what became of him.

Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the others (minus Merle) make it back to the camp and everyone is happy to see them. The camp is introduced to the new guy, Rick, and then he spots his partner Shane (Jon Bernthal) and his son Carl and wife Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies). Everyone is shocked but quickly reunited.

Rick doesn’t pick up on the romance that has blossomed between Shane and Lori. And no one seems to be telling him anytime soon. I’m happy for that. Let’s keep the Jerry Springer drama off to the side for a bit.

Merle’s brother is told what happened and isn’t happy, of course. Rick feels guilty and decides to return to Atlanta to rescue Merle. I’m not sure why. He was a jerk and is almost certainly already dead. Right? So Merle’s brother Daryl, Rick, Glenn (Steven Yeun) and T-Dog return to the city. Even if Merle is a lost cause, they can maybe pick up the weapons Rick left behind in the first episode.

While they head back to the city, we get to meet the other assholes that occupy the camp. I’m not sure why idiots, rednecks and wife beaters always survive apocalyptic events. (Actually, I do. It’s so they can die later, thus satisfying our desire to see them eaten alive).

One of those to almost certainly die in the future is Ed. He beats his wife. He threatens to beat other women. He’s just bad news. They should probably just kill him themselves. Actually Shane almost does. When Ed hits his wife, Shane goes off on him and nearly beats him to death. Shane is likely more aggressive now that he knows he no longer has a secure sex partner and the pickings are slim.

Back in the city, the group makes it to the rooftop to find that Merle has sawed off his own hand to escape the handcuffs and probably hungry zombies. But is he dead? We don’t know yet. The episode ends.

Even though I found it slow compared to the previous two, it was still a good episode. We now know everyone is kind of a live wire. Anyone can go crazy at any second. And no matter how much they should be sticking together and fighting the monsters, there’s always going to be inner turmoil. When there are no rules and regulations, human nature becomes a monster itself.

Tell us your thoughts on the episode. Also, are you liking the series so far?

“The Walking Dead,” Season 1, Episode 2: “Guts”

When we last saw Rick he was trapped inside an Army tank surrounded by an army of zombies. With the help of another survivor, he’s able to escape, setting the tone for the entire episode and likely the entire season.

Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his new friend Glenn (Steven Yeun), make their way into a building where a group of survivors are waiting. It turns out they’re from the same survivor’s camp where Rick’s wife and son are. Of course he still doesn’t know. The group ventured into the city to pick up some supplies for the camp. Rick kind of foiled their plans of an easy return to camp.

Speaking of the survivor camp, Rick’s wife Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and his partner Shane (Jon Bernthal) had sex in the woods with only a slight touch of guilt over Rick. I kind of can’t wait to see how it plays out when they’re all reunited next week.

OK, back to Atlanta. The group is already having some inner turmoil because of a disgruntled and racist member named Merle. He’s throwing punches and throwing slurs. Why’d they bring that a-hole along in the first place? I’m sure his ignorance isn’t a new trait he’s picked up. Rick earns some respect by handling him and handcuffing him to a rooftop.

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It’s week 2 on Dr. Paul Weston’s couch and if I were to make an early diagnosis, I’d say everyone’s immature and bitchy. Even Paul himself.

On Monday, Paul (Gabriel Byrne) met with Sunil (Irrfan Kahn) and Frances (Debra Winger). Sunil is still working through the major changes in his life. He lost his wife and was basically forced to move from India to New York to live with his son and daughter-in-law.  He doesn’t get along with the daughter-in-law much and we’re not sure why just yet. But it’s starting to seem she’s the root of most of the problems. Sunil told an odd story of running into her while they were both only wearing towels. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. But something strange is going to come up, I’m sure.

Frances is still forgetting her lines. This session she showed Paul an ear piece her director insists she wear to be fed her lines. She says she’ll refuse. Paul seems to believe she’s dropping her lines because of the stress involving her sister’s illness, her divorce and her daughter’s distance. Paul tells Frances that he talked to her sister and learned she had no idea he, her own former therapist, was treating her sister. Frances had claimed she had asked for her sister’s permission.

On Tuesday, Paul meets with Jesse (Dane DeHaan) and his new therapist Adele (Amy Ryan). Jesse, a promiscuous gay teen, is struggling with the idea that his birth mother has recently contacted him. He’s been pretty troubled in the past, selling his medication and have sex with adults who don’t realize he’s a minor. He seems to hate everything,  especially his adopted mother. It looks like he and his bitchy attitude might storm out of Paul’s office every week. That’s going to get old.

Despite rudely dismissing her last week, Paul decided to actually give Adele a shot at treating him. He starts out being t pretty nice to her and ever tells her she was right about some things she said last week. He also tells her that he’s been reading Gina’s book and he’s certain she’s modeled one of her characters after him. Once Adele starts going beneath the surface, Paul lashes out, treating her almost as bad as Jesse treats him.

So those are their problems. But it’s their actions that are really dominating. Frances is a narcissist. She came to Paul for help but snaps at him when he tries. She says horrible things then demands Paul react a certain way. She’s even lied to Paul. Diagnosis: bitch.

Jesse is ridiculous. He’s nasty. He says nasty things. He threatens Paul’s things. He’s always looking for a fight. I know teenagers are angst-ridden, but I’m starting to wonder if that character is laying it on too thick. He needs slapped.

Then there’s Paul. He’s a huge baby when he’s in a session with Adele. He’s constantly insulting her age and experience and every time she gets close to pointing out a fact, he retreats within himself. We learn that Paul’s neurologist did not diagnose him with Parkinson’s and he almost seems disappointed.

Sunil is the only patient who is acting like a patient. He’s revealing details of his life to Paul and actually allowing him to listen. He’s not yelling at him every five minutes or making some insulting psychology or sex joke.

“Dexter,” Season 5, Episode 6: “Everything is Illumenated.”

Sunday night’s “Dexter” finally felt like “Dexter.” I’d say welcome back, but I’m still skeptical after this slow season. Maybe next week I can say it.

Dexter (Michael C. Hall) decides it’s time for things to get back to normal. He’s sent Lumen (Julia Stiles) away. Or so he thinks. And he has a new target: A guy (Chad Allen) who cruises for gay sex and leaves his hook-ups dead. Things forge right ahead. Dexter rents an RV, posts an ad online and soon enough the guy is there to meet him. He walks up to Dexter and says “10 inches of steel?” “You betcha,” Dexter replies as he sticks the needle in his neck.

Then it cuts to him plastic wrapping the vicim and Lumen calls. Ignore. She calls again. Ignore. Voicemail. He listens. Lumen says she found one of her attackers and has killed him. In Miami. She never left. Great. Fantastic. Dexter has to go to her. He takes the sedated, wrapped victim and puts him in the back of his SUV. He believes he can deal with Lumen’s problem before the guy wakes up.

So much for Dexter getting his routine back.

Very unhappy that she’s still in Miami, Dexter is basically ready to kill her. She leads him to the body and it’s gone. More great news. They begin tracing the blood drops when Dexter gets called to a possible homicide scene. And it’s the scene he’s already on. Someone heard Lumen’s shots and called it in. The two find the guy, still alive. Dexter thinks Lumen is just shooting in the dark so to speak and that the man is innocent. After the step away, they hear him on a cell phone basically confessing to being one of her attackers. Dexter snaps his neck and Lumen smirks. Uh-oh. Her Dark Passenger is showing.

So they have very little time to clean up the mess before Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) and Masuka (C.S. Lee) show up to investigate. Then there’s a crash. Chad Allen has escaped from the back of Dexter’s car. He’s wobbling along, half wrapped in plastic wrap and he’s headed right for the oncoming Deb and Masuka. Dexter catches him, strangles him and has time to stage that victim next to his and Lumen’s. Then Deb and Masuka, five minutes late per usual, get there and find Dexter. He explains that it must be a gay hook-up gone wrong. Masuka agrees, and this being right up his alley, presents some very hilarious visuals as to what must have gone on.

A great episode finally!

Oh yeah. Before I leave, I better talk about those other storylines. There’s that whole Santa Maurte murder case. They’re closing in on that, I think. Batista (David Zayas) makes nice with LaGuerta (Lauren Velez) by finding a promising lead on that case. Also, we see Quinn (Desmond Harrington) and RoboCop (Peter Weller) working on proving Dexter was tied to the Trinity Killer. Really? Just drop it.

Everything else is quiet in Dexter’s world. Harrison is doing great. And the nanny is doing a great job. BUT. My suspicions for her are growing. Aren’t yours?

“The Walking Dead,” Season 1, Episode 1: “Days Gone By”

AMC’s new horror series “The Walking Dead” fittingly premiered Halloween night and I’m going to go ahead and call it a runaway hit.

That that would actually happen has been widely doubted. A lot of people believed only horror fans and zombie nerds would be tuning in, but I beg to differ.

What will allow the same person who usually watches “Mad Men” in the same Sunday time slot to watch “The Walking Dead?” The fact that it’s not exactly scary. There were no jumpy moments, which was a very smart move. The reason most people dislike horror movies is because they don’t like being startled.

Another reason? There’s already a good story developing there. Sure the zombies are going to dominate the story, but what happens when people are in survival mode is when the real drama comes in. Not to mention the fact that the main character’s wife and police partner thinks he’s dead …

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