An Early Christmas Present from the Ashitaka's Angels

Three. There are only three more days until one of the biggest events of the year...The Doctor Who Christmas episode! And, yeah, I guess Christmas is pretty important, too. In the spirit of the holidays, the Ashitaka's Angels would like bestow upon you an early Christmas present. Er, it's actually our Season 7 Midseason Reaction podcast that I didn't get around to editing until now, but a present's a present! It was either this or regifting you some tube socks. Don't say we never give you anything ;)

 

Anyways, here's the rundown!

00:00:00~00:01:19 | A Very Special BSG-themed Intro as sung by our very own Lea

00:01:20~00:03:43 | A Round of "WHO Said that?": The Season-Wide Edition!

00:03:44~00:15:25 | Our General Reactions to the Season as a Whole

00:15:26~00:29:44 | Our Favorite and Least Episodes of S7

00:29:45~00:41:16 | Our All-Time Favorite Episodes

00:41:17~00:45:19 | How our Favorite S7 Episodes Measured Up to Our All-Time Favorite Episodes

00:45:20~00:46:18 | Jenni shares some Doctor Who-centric sentences written by one of her students

00:46:19~00:51:45 | Our Favorite S7 Episodes vs. Our All-Time Favorite Episodes (cont.)

00:51:46~01:08:35 | Our Discussion of the Ponds' Legacy (and that of previous companions)

01:08:36~01:10:35 | re: the Daleks; Also, Who Really Said that: Galaxy Quest or Winston Churchill?

01:10:36~01:17:37 | What We're Looking Forward to in the 2nd Half of S7

01:17:38~end        | Signing Off Until 2013; Rachael Nearly Meets the Same Fate as the Ponds

And in case you haven't seen it yet, scope out the trailer for Doctor Who: The Snowmen, airing on Christmas at 9 p.m. on BBC America!

[image credit: bbc.co.uk]

You are MISSING OUT

Parks and Recreation is brilliant. I admit it, I haven't seen it until now because I was little wary of it's spin off status (It debuted as a spin off of The Office). But in reality Parks and Rec is its own show. Stylistically its the same and it is from the same creators but it involves the government and politics with a personal touch. But really what makes this show separate and better than any other spin off I've seen is the SNL cast guest stars. You get Andy Samberg as way too loud Park Ranger, Fred Armisen as Venezuelian official, and Will Forte as a Twilight fanatic.

So Season 1 is only 6 episodes but it's a great set-up to the rest of the show. You get introduced to the staff of Parks and Recreation and Leslie Knope (Amy Pohler) the star, and Anne develop their friendship. Plus you get Leslie Knope on a date with an elderly person, set up by her mother. It's actually quite fantastic. And of course there's the pit, which is what brings Anne and Leslie together and rallies the department around a project. Additionally the pit provides gags for numerous people to fall in and in the next season even living space for the lovable and idiotic Andy Dwire.

As Z says and I completely agree Season 2 is where the show finds its voice. You really get to know the characters; Jerry the governmental screw up, Ron Swanson the director who hates people, the government and has an enamored relationship with breakfast foods. Honestly he has better relationships with food than with women--his ex-wives, both named Tammy are truly the devil. His first ex wife makes him act like a child and his second one works for the evil Library department and takes him down a torrential sexual spiral--its some seriously crazy junk. There's also April Ludgate, the eventual wife of Andy Dwire, apathetic young adult turned intern turned governmental assistant. Donna who lovers her Mercedes above all else. Then we have Tom Haverford who is all about entrepreneurship but he has some of the worst ideas known to man and when he gets together with Jean Ralphio the stupidity and extravagant lifestyle just escalates.

Season 2 also brings a mix up when budgetary issues arise for Pawnee's governmental and we get  Chris Traeger, an enthusiastic, health obsessed guy who puts a smile on everything and Ben Wyatt who are sent to balance the budget and get the government running again. Of course this brings the conflict that all great stories need. And as the season wraps up its quite clear that Leslie won't let a government overhaul keep her from a job, working to make Pawnee the best place to live or leave any doubt that the Parks and Recreation Department can cause change. It quite clear that Ben and Leslie are going to be butting heads.

In season 3 we continue to watch Andy chase after and eventually win over April. They get married! Also Leslie's manipulative side. We get insight into her background and a hatred for Eagleton, where whenever you go even jail you get a gift bag. And of course with working together on the Harvest Festival, the big project for the Parks and Recreation department--with its success they're back if it fails they are out, Ben falls for Leslie, but the new catch is that with him staying as the Assistant City Manager he is now her boss and not just a consultant to city of Pawnee. Unfortunately this means they can't date.

I really felt there struggle, the romantic pacing was brilliant this season and you really see the admiration in Ben's eyes. Also I couldn't understand how Chris, the new City Manager and Ben's friend couldn't see the sparks. But eventually Leslie and Ben decided to do the only thing they can---sneak behind Chris back and date. It turns out feelings are greater than rules. And if this isn't enough with their hiding their relationship Leslie inadvertently provides fodder for her mother to be attracted to Ben during a meeting. The season ends with Leslie Knope being vetted for City Council and ultimately makes the romantic secrets that much worse.

Season 4 is all about the campaign but along the way viewer's get Tom & Jean Ralphio's 720 Entertainment company, which ends up bankrupt because he and is partner spend more money on swag and hyping the company than actually doing work for clients.

Choosing to embark on the campaign Leslie and Ben decide to break it off. But when Ben starts pulling away first from being friends and then at work, Leslie can't bear the thought of him moving on or not being any part of her life--so the only choice she feels she has left is to go back to dating. This time around they decide to tell Chris and this leads to an ethics hearing, which can lead to her termination. Throughout the process Leslie seems to find an answer for everything but when things start to slip from her grasp she finds out that Ben takes the fall and resigns from his job. On the record he admits his love for her and she in turn does the same, in Leslie Knope over the top fashion.

The second half of the episode brings probably one of the worst starts to a campaign; after the scandal with Ben she drops to 1% in the polls but Leslie Knope is not a quitter and with Ben by her side they pull off the greatest combat and win the election from Bobby Newport, played by Paul Rudd who portrays a high-schooler stuck in a 30 year old. Ben is offered a job in Washington and Leslie encourages him to take it which kicks off season 5 and the shippers in a long distance relationship.

So now that Parks and Recreation has got a footing and relationships have been formed and  characters are now beloved in our hearts, this past Thursday the writers gave the fans a sweet answer to what Leslie and Ben have coming in their future. At the end of his campaign in Washington, he's offered another job in Florida. Very far from Indiana, Pawnee, and Leslie. And just when you are wondering whether the nerd and the overachiever will ever make it to their happy ending--Ben shows up, looking sharp and with a diamond. That's right kiddos Ben pops the question in classic form and Leslie not only gives him an answer but she interrupts--just she can take in the perfect moment. What does the future hold for Parks and Recreation and the future Mrs. Wyatt?

Ultimately Parks and Recreation is definitely GG approved. And to show my love here are a few of my favorite gags from the show:

1. Ron pulls his tooth out; the best part is that Ben just takes off, no questions asked, he turns and runs out the door. (3.9 "Andy and April's Fancy Party")



2. Ron/the whole department drunk on Snakejuice--the liquior Tom invented. (3.13 "The Fight")



3. Denmark declares war on Peru (4.7 "The Treaty")



4. Ben's interview with Dennis Feinstein. (4.10 "Citizen Knope")
With Ben resigning he attempts to move to the private sector and goes on a few interviews. The most memorable being with Dennis Feinstein a fragrance mogul, but what makes the interview high-octane humor is that the current accountant for the company is in the room, making it that much more awkward.

5. Ben's fear of cops (3.4 "Ron & Tammy: Part Two"/ 4.15 "Dave Returns")




I've said all that I can and hope you check out this humorous look at the government, the friendships and relationships.

The Walking Dead, 3.02 "Sick" Live Blog

Best character on the show

This live blog is going to have no redeeming value. Let's go!

Doctor Who: "The Angels Take Manhattan" Live Reaction Podcast: The Weeping Ashitaka's Angels Edition!

You saw that title right, folks. Who better to discuss an episode about the Weeping Angels than the Ashitaka's Angels, who also, consequently, wept with abandon after watching it (well, at least 2/3 of us did). Going in, we fully expected the Ponds' farewell to be an emotional one, and we were not disappointed. In this podcast, we discuss those pesky and creepy Weeping Angels and say goodbye to an amazing companion duo while wading waist-deep into an ocean of Pond feels. Wade with us, won't you? 

Here's the rundown:

00:00~00:53  Let the sadness begin!

00:54~09:36  Chapter 1: Crying. We talk about whether or not we cried, what parts made us cry, and what other episodes (if any) made us cry. Spoiler alert: One of us shed no tears.

09:37~19:20  Chapter 2: Least Favorite/Favorite parts; we also discuss different versions of the Angels,  Matt Smith's heartbreaking performance, and the Statue of Liberty

19:21~24:49  Chapter 3: Confusion, part 1: "How do those Angels work?" and other time-traveling queries. Also, why did Rory have to go back?!

24:50~26:47  Chapter 3, continued: Our theories on how "The Angel's Kiss" gets published; also, head canon!

26:48~33:54  Chapter 4: The Farewell Itself; We discuss how happy we were with how the Ponds departed/the finality of their departure

33:55~39:21  Chapter 5: River Song--why she can't travel too long w/The Doctor; the beginning of the end; our thoughts on The Doctor and River's relationship

39:22~45:32  Chapter 6: Emotional Respite a.k.a. we play a brief round of "WHO Said That?" (Yes, I am that corny sometimes) to distract ourselves from the sadness. Also, Maxine explains why she would carry a sledgehammer with her if she were The Doctor

45:33~46:54  Chapter 7: Scolding Rory (but not really)

46:55~53:07  Chapter 8: More Time-Travel Centered Confusion. Lea asks a big question about the very last scene + leftover favorite Amy/Rory moments

53:08~1:00:12  Chapter 9: Displacement. Maxine literally gets displaced in time for a quick second; we discuss The Doctor's having to let Amy go

1:00:13~1:03:51  Chapter 10: The Doctor. How he's been erasing himself from history, being scary while traveling alone, his dislike of endings

1:03:52~end  Chapter 11: Speculation on Oswin/Clara, how we'll process not seeing the Ponds anymore + wrapping up

Though the Ponds' days of time-travel with our favorite time lord have concluded, our discussion of it will continue. Our mid-season podcast recap will be happening soon! 

8.1 Farhampton

Ted and the gang returned last week with the Season 8 Premiere and fans were rewarded with a foggy Marshall and Lily, a sentimental Ted and Barney hiding his former relationship with Robin from his fiancee, Quinn. Barney's plan blows up in his face.

 In addition Ted spends the night trying to get Victoria's after thought of a note back into her room which proves to be a feat--but the important thing he learns on this night is that there is no almost to "The One." Victoria's almost first husband gives an passionate speech about knowing that someone is perfect--there is no one else that it can be--that's the realization that he was try to come about with Victoria and never did. Ultimately that's the realization that Ted will eventually have to come  to with his dating choices. The question will be whether or not Ted still continues on this path with Victoria or let her find the only guy for her?

So now on to what I really care about. The biggest rewards fans got with this premiere we finally where and when Ted meets "The Mother." That's right not only does the sage voice of Bob Saget tell his kids the location but that beautiful bright yellow umbrella returns.

After the wedding/non wedding of Barney and Robin (the conclusion is still to be seen), we find Ted waiting at a train station, the fateful train station of Farhampton is where he will finally, finally, finally meet his future wife.

I really enjoyed this show as a whole, it's hilarious, the characters never cease to entertain and their dynamic is superbly enjoyable. I am definitely an enthusiast of this show, at the same time I would be content with it ending, it's time for Ted to stop doing foolish things like riding the Drunk Train or following Barney into his childish pre-Nora antics. It's about time he finds the girl to sit on the porch and grow old with.

I am looking forward to the witty and comedic adventures the writers will come up with the gang, finding out how Barney and Robin get back together and toward that prosperous aisle. Also whether or not they indeed get married and stop all the angst. The thing about Robin and Barney's relationship is that the Barnacle, has never stopped chasing her. And I think that sounds loud and clear with the conclusion of the season premiere. Finally and of course who the mother is and how she ties back into all the former mentions of her.

Doctor Who: "The Power of Three" Live Reaction Podcast! (The Repodcasting)

Why the 'repodcasting,' you ask? Because we love the show so much we had to talk about it twice (and not because of technical difficulties that occurred during the first recording)? Sure! Let's go with that. Tomorrow's episode, as all Whovians know, is when the Ponds say farewell. So, naturally, in this podcast, we couldn't help but dip into an ocean of Pond feels. Even Mrs. Hughes from Downton got in on it. It'll make more(?) sense when you listen.

Here's the rundown!

00:00~06:43  A quick recap and a Quotes Quiz! Which Doctor Who character said what?

06:44~12:31  General reactions/Our favorite parts

12:32~20:11  Lea blows Jenni's mind with a Doctor Who theory. More theories abound soon after.

20:12~26:32  A Spice Girls mention followed by the beginning of our Pond feels/ General companion commentary/ a discussion of the lonely Doctor

26:33~27:01  Spoilers?

27:02~31:27  A chat with Mrs. Hughes and more spoiler talk

31:28~31:53  Funniest scenes in "The Power of Three"

31:54~42:03  Favorite episode so far/General thoughts on this season as a whole/What kind of episodes appeal to us

42:04~44:44  A brief discussion about cardiac arrest

44:45~46:50  The Doctor vs. Rory: Who has better hair?

46:51~53:59  Our attempts to emotionally prepare for the Ponds' farewell episode

(50:48)           Lea does a spot-on Dalek impression

54:00~58:09  Comparing different companions' departures

58:10~1:07:59  Top Amy/Rory moments; Plus, a discussion of the dynamic between the Doctor and the Ponds; Basically, all the Pond feels are belong to us.

1:08:00~end  Wrapping up!


Are you prepared to say goodbye to Amy and Rory? Excited and/or terrified to encounter the Weeping Angels again? "The Angels Take Manhattan" airs tomorrow on BBCA at 9:00 p.m.!

Is it possible to cry from Pond feels and not blink for fear of the Weeping Angels at the same time? I guess we'll find out.

Television for the Week of September 16th

This is where I talk about all the tv I watched during the week. Featuring Boardwalk Empire, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Project Runway.

Our Doctor Who: "A Town Called Mercy" Live Reaction Podcast!!

Last night's episode of Doctor Who brought out some interesting reactions, Pond feelings, and, yes..."Gangnam Style" interludes.

Here's the rundown!

00:12~12:24  General Reactions

12:25~15:43  Thoughts on Isaac's death, the Western theme, and the main baddie

15:44~18:16  Residual thoughts on the "Ganger" episodes with a brief shootout to Susan, the horse

18:17~18:52  PSY/Gangnam Style Break!

18:53~22:16  Favorite parts of the episode, or lack thereof

22:17~27:34  Thoughts on the Ponds and next week's episode. Also, Lea shares her ominous dream.

27:35~31:01  How long the Ponds have traveled with The Doctor; the motivation for the Ponds' exits compared to previous companions

35:29~39:07  What scares Steven Moffat? / Who's scarier: the Weeping Angels or The Silence?

39:08~42:06  The age old Companion's dilemma: Would you choose to stay with The Doctor, or would you live your own life?

42:07~50:57  Randoms and Possibilities: Is Amanda a "ganger"?; "Ganger Style," Professor Who, A Community/Who Crossover, Female Timelord

50:58~58:05  What we're looking forward to for next week's episode, "The Power of Three" (cont.)

58:06~59:44  This episode's side characters vs. those in the past: what makes them memorable?

59:45~1:00:15  Amy, Rory, and the Doctor as Hermione, Ron, and Harry

1:00:16~end  Wrapping up...with Gangnam Style!!! If you're unfamiliar with this song, be unfamiliar no longer:


Due to the Ashitaka's Angels incredibly tight, jet-setter schedules, next week's podcast will be postponed a couple of days. We can't wait to watch and talk about "The Power of Three"!

Doctor Who "A Town Called Mercy" Teaser Clip

Some stray thoughts:

• I'm getting serious Terminator vibes from our mysterious gunslinger. Unfortunately, he doesn't have an Austrian accent. Fortunately, unlike Ah-nold, it looks like he won't be back for 3 sequels, the first of which was great; the other 2...meh.
• For a second, I thought the word 'Exterminate' flashed in aforesaid gunslinger's crosshairs and became immediately annoyed because it made me think of the Daleks. I then remembered how to read and became annoyed at my brief illiteracy. 
• Spoiler-alert, the guy gets shot and says, "Am I the last one?" The last what, pray tell?? 

Anything you're wondering about from the previews for episode 3?

See the answers unfold in "A Town Called Mercy," which airs at 9 p.m. this Saturday on BBC America!  

this is a post

A post where I post things. It's been since January since I last made a post of my own. So here's some of the things I've missed posting about or just have on my mind:

True Blood Season 5

• Yes, this is still a thing that I watch. 
• Yes, it's still as trashy and ridiculous and as not good as ever.
• Yes, I still kind of enjoy it for its trashy ridiculousness and cheesy badness.
• I think this season was better than season 4? Most of the seasons kind of run together for me at this point, but the main storyline with the Authority was pretty interesting and I even kind of liked the faerie stuff for once.
• I've come to the realization that Jason Stackhouse is the only character on this show that is always enjoyable and wonderful even if his storyline is horrible. Not that Jason's storyline was horrible this season (I can't even really tell you what his storyline was, tbh. Something about visions of his dead parents), but there are some characters who crumble under the weight of shitty writing (Tara and Sam come to mind). But not Jason. If he was just in every scene ever that would be fine with me. Seriously, gosh I love Jason.
• Speaking of Jason, the resolution of the Hoyt/Jessica/Jason storyline was the absolute best part of the season and one of the very few times I can remember True Blood ever making me cry! I've been really pissed at this show for what it did to Hoyt and Hoyt/Jessica, but the resolution was so beautiful and heartbreaking and if Hoyt/Jessica wasn't going to be endgame, than this is the perfect way to end it. Way to surprise me, True Blood!
• This is the most I think I've ever liked Sookie. Mostly because she didn't have a lot to do. Except get drunk and complain about her life. Which was kind of hilarious.
• Vampire!Tara was better than I expected, but Pam is starting to annoy me.
• THAT ENDING WAS SO RIDICULOUS WTF BEEL?! W T F.

The Legend of Korra

• Why do I do everything out of order all of the time?!
• I still haven't finished watching Avatar, but I watched this show because I was bored one Saturday morning.
• I liked it a lot! The animation style is gorgeous and the characters were really fun! Also, the action scenes were kind of incredible.
• I can't compare it to Avatar too much since I've only seen the 1st season of that show, but I liked how the characters in Korra are more grown-up. As such, the storylines seemed more sophisticated, especially with all of the politics revolving around the benders vs. non-benders.
• The look and feel of Republic City reminded me a lot of Fullmetal Alchemist.
• I have to say though, the finale was kind of disappointing. Hated how easily things got resolved for Korra.
• Bolin is definitely the best character.

 Game of Thrones Season 2

• Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
• I can't believe I didn't post about this season at all this year! Besides Breaking Bad, it was probably my favorite tv thing I experienced.
• I'm not going to say this season was better than season 1.  I think season 1 had the benefit of a more linear story to tell, so the episodes fit and ~flowed better than this season. But at the same time, I think season 2 was a lot more confident in its storytelling and was able to delve into the characters in more interesting ways.
• Season 2 definitely had more divergence from the book than season 1, but it was still quite faithful. There are a few changes here and there where I was wondering what they were thinking, but for the most part, I think they did a good job at the adaptation.
• And Clash of Kings is kind of a transition book anyways, so if some of the storylines were boring or didn't go anywhere, well...they were probably boring and didn't go anywhere in the book too (See: Daenerys Targaryen).
• Fucking hell, but I hated Theon so much in the book when I read it, but good lord, did they do a fantastic job on his storyline this season. You understood him so much more in the show and I genuinely felt badly for him on numerous occasions. Kudos to Alfie Allen and the writing for giving Theon so many more layers than I ever thought. Just thinking about his conversation with Maester Luwin in the last episode makes me want to cry.
• Speaking of Maester Luwin, his death and Ser Rodrik's probably affected me more than any death on the show thus far. Why are these minor characters making me love them so much?! I pretty much openly wept at Rodrik's execution (I'll never forget you Beard Burns!) and forlornly shouted 'noooooooooo' at the screen while Luwin was dying. Although maybe I was so affected because I can't handle seeing my little Bran-Flakes and Rickon-King upset (holy crap y'all, Rickon has lines! And that little actor is actually acting! And doing a really good job! Future King of Westeros!).
• All of the new actors were phenomenal. How amazing were Davos, Melisandre, and Stannis?! Every time Davos was onscreen, I think I screamed from joy.
• Every time Jorah has said 'Khaleesi' on the show.
• No lie, ever since the show was first announced, the thing I've most been looking forward to seeing onscreen is Jaime's storyline with Brienne from Book 3. And it's here! It's already here!!! And it's so perfect I could cry! In fact, I believe I did cry whilst watching the first scene they had together. He was being so mean to her!! It was so beautiful! :')
• LOOK AT ALL THIS BEAUTIFUL SEASON 3 CASTING! The Reeds, you guys! THE MOTHERFUCKIN REEDS! And Blackfish!!!!!!!

Mad Men Season 5

• I'm gonna be honest, I don't really remember a lot of individual things about this season.
• I do remember being kind of disappointed by it though?
• Maybe disappointed isn't the right word. I think I might just be losing my interest in it a bit.
• Because most critics are calling this the Best. Season. Ever. And I don't see it? 
• It was very good, don't get me wrong. Still one of the best things on tv, but eh...I think I miss Betty too much. And there was just too much Megan!
• I miss not feeling guilty about loving Pete. 
• I was reading through some of my old Mad Men posts and I was struck by just how much joy Pete brought to me. Even when he was acting slimy, I still found everything about him so utterly enjoyable. 
• It was HARD being a Pete fan this year. I still love him, but man, I was pretty disappointed with all of his choices.
• I realize that this is a very specific issue that probably only I have.
• The best (and probably worst) thing to come out of this season of Mad Men:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXoILGnHnvM.
• Actually, years from now I'm pretty sure that's the only thing I'm going to remember about this season of Mad Men.

Downton Abbey

• Here's a preview for season 3
• Season 2 of Downton Abbey was.....ridiculous!
• Sometimes in a good way, often times in a bad way.
• Mary/Matthew was still wonderful though.

Breaking Bad Season 5.1

• Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
• 'Whee' is probably not the right reaction to this show, but ahh I can't help it, I love it so much!
• This was the first season of the show I got to watch 'live' and it was awesome yet painful having to wait weeks between episodes.
• I loved the first half of Season 5. Absolutely loved it.
• I do think it started off a bit slow. But I think that's par for the course with this show.
• I think those early episodes work though because they felt like they were all leading up to that moment where Todd shoots that poor kid. Everything seemed to fall apart after that happened.
• And what a moment that was! I was so preoccupied with the train heist (which was awesome, btw) that I had completely forgotten about the kid on the motorbike from the opening scene. And then...
• The last 3 episodes of the season were amazeballs. It was kind of similar to season 4 for me, where the first part of the season was good, but kind of slow, but as soon as we got to the last 5 or so episodes it became truly amazing.
• This season further cemented my hatred of Walter White. I've hated him for a while, but seeing him in full Heisenberg mode made me loathe him. He's still a fascinating character and I love watching him on the show, but I really know that I can never root for him again (even though I pretty much knew that since the end of season 2).
• And a lot of that had to do with him killing Mike. Who was a character I always really enjoyed. Mostly because he was always so grumpy! But I felt like we got a lot of good Mike stuff this season and I really liked the relationship he had been building up with Jesse since season 4. I had a feeling something bad was going to happen, but I was still shocked at the reactionary way Walt killed him. Mike did end up getting a great last line though.
• If there's one thing I do think this season was missing was more Jesse-focus. Of course I'm always going to want more Jesse since he's my favorite. But I feel like in every season we are right there in Jesse's head along with Walt's and this time, we didn't get that as much. Or maybe I didn't like the direction Jesse was going in - obediently following all of Walt's plans to further the business. I think that's why I really loved the last 3 episodes because we got a little more from Jesse and what he was going through. We saw the toll the murder of the little boy was taking on him, and his ultimate decision to quit the business made me so proud of him! All of his scenes with Walt in the last 3 episodes were brilliant (and occasionally hilarious like that scene with the Whites at dinner), especially their fight in "Say My Name". Jesse is the one character I most want to be happy at the end of this crazy mess, but his life has been just one big tragedy and I'm afraid it's going to end that way.
• I love the notion that Hank is really the hero of the show, so the last scene of the mid-season finale was awesome! I think I was expecting Hank to find out in a "bigger" way, but that's why it was so great. It was very unexpected. I can't wait to see what will come of it!
• To end I'll start at the beginning. With a Walt with hair celebrating his 52nd birthday and buying a gun to do, well, we don't know exactly! But I love this glimpse into the future and I love that Breaking Bad is still taking risks in its 5th season. 
• Basically I just really love this show!

Doctor Who: "Dinosaurs On A Spaceship" Reaction Podcast!!!

Once again, thanks to the Internet, the Ashitaka's Angels (and friends of the blog) got together on Saturday night to discuss our favorite time lord in the latest episode of Doctor Who, "Dinosaurs On A Spaceship"!

Full disclosure: there are a lot of tangents, but they enhance the discussion. Naturally :)

If you want to keep the whole podcast for yourself, you can actually download it by pressing the 'Download' button on the player.

If you want to skip around, here's the rundown!

00:00~09:27  General Reactions

09:28~13:00  Speculation on the Ponds' farewell

13:01~19:31  Our dream guest stars for Doctor Who
                      ...followed by a quick discussion of the Bifrost from the movie, Thor

19:32~22:05  How many times we thought of Jurassic Park during the episode;
                      ...Also, a clarification of the term "Goldbluming"

22:06~26:16  Thoughts on the relationship between Rory & his dad (played by Mr. Weasley!)

26:17~33:38  Our reactions to the Doctor letting Argus Filch die (Solomon in the episode); a discussion  of the Doctor's personality

33:39~38:53  Thoughts on the trajectory of future episodes based on "Dinosaurs On A Spaceship"

38:54~42:17  On whether or not Eleven's dark side will emerge

42:18~47:44  Lea's dog, Sonny, pays us a visit/ our favorite moments from the episode

(45:12~46:20  Technical difficulties, which made Lea, Jenni, and I sound like Daleks)

47:48~50:13  Clarification on what happened to the dinosaurs at the end

50:14~53:22  Wrapping up

Enjoy. And join us next week when we discuss Season 7, episode 3, "A Town Called Mercy". Same bat time, same bat channel :)

September Ya'll

Happy September!! September not only means Labor Day and the start of Autumn  mostly means the return of television series and good bye to talent(less) summer shows. I am very excited for September finally being here. And here's a list of all the programming I missed with the included start dates.

September 11 Parenthood 
September 13 Glee
September 17 Bones & The Mob Doctor
September 20 Up All Night & The Office
September 24 HYIMY & Partners
September 25 New Girl, Ben & Kate and The Mindy Project
September 26 Guys with Kids, Modern Family & Criminal Minds
September 30 Once Upon A Time and Revenge
October 4 30 Rock
October 8 Gossip Girl 
October 10 Arrow
October 19 Community and Nikita
October 23 Happy Endings

Here's a heads up on what I'm looking most forward to and what new. The show that I am most excited about returning would most definitely have to be ONCE, the writers moved quickly in the first season and the truth and questions everyone had including the characters were promptly answered. But as soon as they gave us that resolution instantly another problem was given. That being the return of magic. 

With Regina/The Evil Queen finally defeated Mr.Gold/Rumpelstiltskin brought magic to our world. It will be interesting to see if it leaks further into reality or is contained to the little, humble town of Storybrooke. Also it will further be of intrigue to finish the story of Mary Margaret/Snow and David/Prince Charming/Prince James. We've seen the beginning and now the end but the middle may just be the meaty-est and most savory of all.

 We'll get a chance to see how their love grew from such desperate measures of always chase one another down, forgetting each other or even become so changed as to commit murder. It will also be interesting to see how their lives will change with the truth--with every one know who they are and others are in relation to them (i.e. James and Snow having a grown child). Finally I want to see more of Henry's child-like enthusiasm and maybe a bit about his dad and of course the elusive son of Rumpelstiltskin. Of course what other fairy tales the show will undertake or pull from the very rich and extensive Disney Vault. One thing remains unknown whether the second year will either break or make my love for the show. I can only hope for the best



The new shows I'm looking forward to are The Mob Doctor, Partners and The Mindy Project. First I have to say that the Mob Doctor looks like it has possibility because she will have to balance her principles and morals against chooses that will save her family--thus excellent fodder for conflict. I'm really excited for Partners because I really love Sophia Bush and my guts telling me that only hilarity can ensue from a gorgeous girl, nerd guy with a gay bestie. Finally, The Mindy Project seems like the single girl's answer to the 2010 blues, so to speak; and they couldn't have picked a better spokes model. Mindy Kaling is one hilarious human being and I really am excited to see what she comes up with outside the world of cubicles and office hijinks. 

Wow that is  a lot but there are no promise from me that I will blog on every single episode, but I do promise to give you the important stuff, the Cliff Notes as it were. Media has the ability to impact many things in our lives maybe even every once in a while present a little magic; And the TV shows/episodes that produce this feeling will get their well deserved space. So until then, Happy Watching. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BLOG!!!!111!!!!!

Yesterday, for some reason, I was perusing the Ashitaka's Angels archives and stumbled upon the blog's first post. Turns out it was posted on this exact date 4 years ago:

Crazy how time flies. Even crazier is that this blog's name is based on a Princess Mononoke reference. (Or is it just awesomer?)

Anyways, in honor of the blog's 4th birthday, here is a picture of the Ashitaka's Angels official mascot, Domo, domo-ing at a TV:

Classic.

And here's Domo wishing us a happy birthday!

Does anyone know if Domo can actually speak?

Here's to more blogging, TV watching, and general (and entertaining) flailing courtesy of your Ashitaka's Angels!

YAY, TELEVISION :)

Ashitaka's Angels Doctor Who Live Broadcasts!

Friends, Whovians, general TV-lovers, lend us your ears!
The Ashitaka's Angels are shaking things up for September and the new fall season of television. As you can see above, one new thing we're trying out is live podcasting our reactions for Season 7 of Doctor Who.

After the premiere last Saturday, the Ashitaka's Angels and a couple friends of the blog got together (thanks, Mixlr.com and The Internet!) to have a roundtable that was chockfull of timey-wimeyness, laughter, insights, loud noises, and expectations for the new season. We had such a good time that we're hoping to do it again. And who knows? Maybe we'll get a few more Whovians to join us. More details to come on that front soon.

There are 3 ways to listen to the podcasts:
1. If you don't like waiting, and you want your Doctor Who commentary quicker than the time it takes a Weeping Angel to attack a blinking person, you can listen live on the Ashitaka's Angels Mixlr player located on the blog. We'll tweet on @ashitakasangels when we're about to broadcast.

2. If you kind of like waiting, you can listen to a saved recording of the broadcast on our Mixlr page: http://mixlr.com/ashitakasangels. These will post on the night of. This is the LINK

3. If you enjoy waiting a whole lot, we'll also post the recordings on this here blog via sound cloud usually a day or two after we've broadcasted live.

We'll be on-air next Saturday to talk about "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship," or as I like to call it, "Motherf***in' Dinosaurs on a Motherf***in' Spaceship."

Until then,

zozizzle

DOCTOR WHO New Season 7 Trailer!!! I AM EXCITE.

Some stray thoughts:

• RIVER SONG!!!
• Re: The Dalek Tribunal: If they all say, "EXTERMINATE!" simultaneously, I may have to punch someone in the face. Their voices are sooo annoying.
• I.LOVE.THE.PONDS. 
• Rory(yyy!): "Who killed all the Daleks?" The Doctor: "Who do you think?" #DoctorDropstheMic

No official air date for the season premiere has been set , but it's been speculated that it'll take place near the end of August. This of course begs the question: What are you excited to see in the new season of Doctor Who?

Breaking Bad Season 4; Haiku Impressions

Hi, there! It's been a while. Contrary to appearances (and to echo those immortal words from one of my favorite parts of Monty Python and the Holy Grail) "[We] are not dead yet." Though our online commentary has slowed, our television-watching never will. And, oh, the television we have watched this summer! Game of Thrones, Mad Men, reruns of Game of Thrones and Mad Men, and more recently for me, Breaking Bad.

Thanks to methods I will not mention, I've recently been catching up on Season 4 of my favorite hour of children's programming, Breaking Bad, a show where the majority of episodes are brought to you by the letters A and B. "A" as in "anti-hero," "all the sads," and,  of course, "Aaron Paul's Emmy reel." "B" as in "blue meth," "blowing up shiz," and, of course, "Bryan Cranston's Emmy reel."

Originally, the plan was to post haikus after every season 4 episode I watched, but that didn't quite pan out, seeing as most episodes left me shocked, fascinated, mouth agape, flailing, and generally unable to form coherent thought for 17 syllables.  So, instead of 13 haikus, there are about...4?

This first one is called:

My Stream of Thought During Pretty Much Every episode:

[Walt,] How could you do that?!

Oh, no, that guy's gonna die.

[Walt,] How could you do that?!

Next is a tribute to ABQ's most feared fried chicken purveyor/meth distributor, the not-so-dearly departed Gustavo Fring:

Gus Fring: Chilean BAMF (Inspired by Ep. 10, "Salud") 

South of the border,

The Chicken Man gets pay back 

--sangre por sangre

Here's another one, also inspired by "Salud." Though most of the episode is about Gus showing Don Eladio who's really in control of the cartel, Walt finds out from his son how his own need to be in control has hurt his family instead of helping it. 'Twas an excellent interaction for both characters.

The haiku is simply called:

From the Mouths of Babes a.k.a. He Does More than Eat Breakfast

Junior finally 

gets out of the kitchen and

serves up some hard truth

And lastly, I leave you with my attempt at a season-wide haiku recap:

Bloodshed, Suspicion,

Innocence Lost: the side effects

of Breaking Bad

Hope you enjoyed these. If you have any Breaking Bad haikus nestled in your mind grapes, feel free to share them here :)

Breaking Bad Season 5 premieres tonight at 10/9c on AMC!!!

Leap Day

Happy Leap Day Everyone!!

With this extra magical day I've decided to finally say goodbye to Chuck (tear). I think its time plus I'll be able to pick up Psych starting tomorrow (girl without cable here). Yup today the mid-season of Psych with Gus and Shawn is back, its exciting.

But more exciting is a $5 Footlong from Subway and letting go of the best TV Boyfriend a girl could want.

Chuck vs. The Bullet Train

As promised the "Hail Mary" of blogging and Chuck Marathon ends in time for the series finale tonight. It's truly sad and depressing to think about, but the Saga ends here. So heres what you need to know before you tune in tonight.

Quinn has kidnapped Chuck, the two are on a bullet train in Tokyo miles away from Sarah and Casey. He plans to force Chuck to rebuild him a clean and working version of the Intersect, but unknown to Quinn, Sarah and Casey did not die but instead Sarah has the intersect and when she and Casey save Chuck and have Quinn captured he has to recalculate his plans. This leads to him using Alex as leverage against Casey.

Back in the States Ellie and Awesome are working to figure out how the Intersect melted Morgan's brain and erased his memories in hopes of preventing the same thing from happening to Sarah. But Morgan and Awesome get called away when they re informed of Aex's situation. But with all their attempts to be stealthy to two also get captured before they can save her. Luckily Jeff and Lester have been snopping in the parking lot where the drama is taking place and somehow with their over the top and offbeat talents turn out to be the heroes in exchange for the truth about the underbelly of the Buymore.



What Ellie learns from her experiment is that the more a person flashes the faster the memories fade. So in an attempt to prevent that from happening to Sarah they blind fold her because she cannot control her flasing and start working on a suppresion device. Unfortunately the formerly neutralized Quinn returns and draws both Chuck and Casey away from Sarah. When he seems to be losing the small space combat he takes off.

When he heads in her direction she takes it upon herself to stop him. As mentioned Quinn doesn't give up easily. So he uses he's transform he's retreat plan into an opportunity to take the Intersect with him and make her work for him. First he continues to fade and erase her memories with triggers from the Intersect; Which he has studied intensely.

The episode ends with Sarah waking up in her hotel room from five years ago without a clue of her life with Chuck. I really enjoy the homage to the old days and it almost feels like we're going to begin--like we get a chance to see what would have happen to her with the Intersect. Of course Quinn uses this opportunity to pose as her handler and inform her that Chuck is to blame for the injuries and loss memories from the last mission. Tonight's episode will be full of confrontations, danger, violence and of course the power of love versus the games life may play with your memories and true feelings.

Chuck vs Bo

With Jeff and Lester stumbling onto their secret agents for hire lair, Casey and Morgan go to work to make them forget and fill their heads with a faux trip to Vegas. The one thing they don't count on is the 24hour memory erase doesn't get rid of their suscipions about there being more to the Buymore. So this sends them in a loop, constantly ending up between Vegas and Burbank and thoughts of their co-workers being spies for the government.

Due to the recent pregnancy scare Sarah comes up with a new plan for the company in which they track down cyber threats to the country, hoping for a lot less kidnapping, torture and face down guns. Once Chuck and her get the rest of the crew on board all seems to be well.

But a haunted iPhone from Morgan's douche days shows up with a cryptic video related to the Intersect. This gives Carmichael Industries their last secret agents for hire mission.

For the mission to work douche Morgan with the frosted tips and they get led to Vail, Colorado where they run into Bo Derek. It turns out that Morgan had relations with Bo but she was interested in him because he was bragging about being the Intersect four months earlier. Surprisingly it turns out that beyond being the boy hood crush of Chuck and Morgan, Bo Derek is a spy. She also works for an ex CIA agent who was suppose to have the Intersect in the first place. A man named Nicholas Quinn. Eventually they end up figuring out where Morgan hid the shades and have a gunshoot out at a Bizarro Buymore (i.e. Big Michelle). In the end they finally succeed in getting rid of Lester and Jeff's suscipions and have the Intersect.

Just as they are planning to destroy the glasses and toast to their new company Chuck gets kidnapped by Nicholas Quinn. Of course he wants a trade and tells Sarah to bring the shades to get her husband back. Unfortunately Casey and Sarah end up out manned and all Sarah has left after the bullets are the glasses.

The episode ends with the wickedly awesome Walker using the Intersect to save her and Casey's tail. As awesome as an intersect she makes it upsets me that the Intersect keeps getting passed back and forth. The whole point of Chuck having the Intersect was based on the idea that he had a special brain that was receptive to that amount of information. It was a unique defining characteristic of his....I don't know how's its gonna end. Personally I feel that if Chuck doesn't have it no one should.

Chuck vs. The Kept Man

This episode is mostly about Casey and there's a lot of grunting. First Gertrude returns since the charges of Decker's death have been dropped and she wants to spend some time with her man. But of course Casey is distant in general and uses his job(s) as an excuse. So she hires Carmichael Industries as a security detail on her previously pitched romantic trip to South Beach, now a weapons deal.

Meanwhile Chuck gets caught giving Casey lessons on sensitivity and caring he misses the fact that Sarah thinks she's pregnant. Of course this leads to talks about how dangerous their job is and even if they should continue as potential parents in the future.

When the mission goes south and Verbanski's personal army shows up Casey feels used especially since her affections toward him seem fiscal. Can you imagine Colonel John Casey as a kept man? Super weird, anyways it turns out she does need him for the second part of the mission. When things fell apart it was more of a sting to get to a bigger and badder force in weapons dealing. So when she gets held hostage the crew returns to South Beach and save her and eradicate the ruthless weapon dealer.

With Jeff being clear headed he's picked up on the fact that a lot of suspicious things happen in the Buymore. Him and Lester seek to discover the truth and their secret forth member of the team. Morgan stumbles upon their board of theories and sends them on Awesome's trail because who wouldn't believe he's a spy. Anyways eventually the plan is to tail Awesome with Lester in drag but it ends when they break thru the wall and gets a glimpse of Castle.

Chuck v The Baby

Five years ago Sarah was sent on a mission thru the CIA to recover a package that turns out to be a baby. Simple right? Well turns out the baby girl is the heir to a large fortune and Sarah handler is dirty. I think as viewers it gets easy to forget the lethal assassin that Agent Sarah Walker was. In the opening scene she takes down eleven mercenaries in a lethal and impressive way.

But here's the thing Sarah never turned the "package" over to her handler or the CIA. So the question on her handler's mind and our is where did the baby end up. This weeks mission is birthed out the need for Chuck to be involved. Obviously we've seen Chuck doesn't handle not knowing something about his wife well. Sarah reluctantly accepts the back up of Carmichael Industries but holds onto the details and secret of why she's headed to Budapest in the first place.

After facing her old handler and being capture, she is reassured of the child's safety. Once the crew gets her out of a bind and they return to the States she realizes her loner mistakes and tells Chuck everything because she accepts her trust in him. Unfortunately her handler has bugged her. So in we are taken to her mom's house where she left the baby girl 5 years ago. Luckily her mom and her sister Molly relocate before the house gets an unwanted remodeling and Sarah gets rid of her greedy, cut-throat handler.

During the mission The Awesome's, Morgan and Alex have a game night which turns into Ellie and Awesome working to bring the two back together and the succeed; cause they're the Awesome's.

This episode is great because we finally got to meet Sarah's mother. Yep kiddos in the bleacher she saved the baby's life by giving her the home and normal life she never had and cut her mother out of her life entirely. The part that I liked the most about this story line is that this mission where Sarah tapped into her understanding, protective and selfless side. This mission prepared her to be Chuck's handler--more importantly it prepared her for a future with Chuck.

Chuck vs. The Santa Suit

It's Christmas in Burbank and this year the group's big present is the return of Shaw. If you don't remember Shaw he also happens to have the Intersect and a big old chip on his shoulder he'd like to stab both Sarah and Chuck with.

With the Intersect driving his plan, taking Sarah hostage in Castle is a breeze. He immediately informs Chuck of this news and puts him to work. He wants Chuck to retrieve a device from Decker's office in the CIA. While Chuck uses a Santa suit and General Beckman to get into the building, Casey finds a way into Castle. But while Casey is breaking in Sarah gets herself out of Shaw's trap. As soon as Casey gets in his shot by Shaw and thrown into a cell and Sarah is chained to a chair. Disarmed by the cold atmosphere he has created to protect the computers from harm.

Meanwhile the Nerds and Buymore are struggling to combat the Omen virus and get customers thru the door. On the side Morgan assigns Lester and Jeff to find out what the Omen does once it's taken over a system. With this information Chuck figures out Shaw's plan and devises a way to remove the Intersect from Shaw.

Once Shaw recognizes he has uploaded a human virus he still throws down against Chuck. The two face off in a very compelling fight but ultimately Chuck sends Shaw back to cell while Morgan and Casey save Sarah from hypothermic death. With Shaw in prison and Intersectless Beckman is more than thrilled and offers each one of them a job with the agency.

But before Shaw goes to solitary confinement for the rest of his days he plants a small seed of terror in Sarah's mind with the mention of a baby.

Chuck vs. The Curse

As soon as Casey is returned to Castle by the air duct system, the team is informed that the CIA has warrents to arrest them for the stolen virus and Decker's death. The team forms a plan where Casey heads to meet up with Beckman, Chuck and Sarah take to Orion's old hideout to search for whose behind the hunt for Carmichael Industries.

Meanwhile Morgan heads back to his and Casey's place to find Alex waiting. The two have a sorta date post break up, with Morgan spending the evening trying to secure Chuck's P.A.N.T.S. (Private Artifacts Not To Share). Speaking of dates amidst new parenthood Awesome and Ellie go on their first night out after baby Clara and the pair decided during date night to pretrend they're spies. Of course when you actually know spies and their a chance of mistaken identity this doesn't bode well for the evening. The two end up bargaining chips for the omen against Chuck.

With the Woodcomb's lives in peril, Sarah and Chuck are back to the old days, where Sarah is playing middleman between the love of her life and national security. Previous to this hard decision, Chuck has withdrawn back to his neurotic and slighty unsure self; Concerning himself with a family curse. Of course Chuck is not willing to sacrifice his sister and takes off on his own to face Robin Cunnings.

While Chuck is facing electrocution, Ellie and Awesome attempt to cause a distraction but Awesome himself becomes trapped. In the end Sarah and Casey execute excellent sniper skills to save the day but its seems a little too late because Robin has uploaded the virus.

Once Robin is in their custody they find out that she herself is just a henchman and does not know the face or name behind the hunt for Team Chuck.

Chuck vs. The Hack-off

Lester and Casey both en wad up in the county jail (bahaha), but it gets better with his tech savvy ways Lester ends up being the shot caller and protects Casey in the joint! In addition to this back at Buymoria in an attempt to get Lester to promise to stop poisioning Jeff they hire an Indian HinJew to make him jealous.

With Casey in jail Sarah and Chuck take a job at Decker's behest to track down a virus, know as the omen, which has the ability once uploaded to destroy and shut down our whole computer system. The deal is to get Casey out of jail. With a new and sketchy mission on hand Casey asks Gertrude to join the team and keep an eye on them for him.

Before this we get a glimpse of the Chuck who apparently has an infamous cyber hacking identity and the best part is that he chugs Charnade, which he calls his think juice. We also get to see hacker Chuck in a beanie! Super funny :)

While on the mission Sarah and Chuck stumble onto a nude cult, which the target happens to be a part of show they blend in. In the end Decker gets want he wants the virus and necessary device to upload it. Unfortunately this also means him framing Chuck and renigging on his promise to release to Casey. Just before Sarah and Casey retreat, Gertrude manhandles Decker and swaps the virus for a bomb. They leave the scene with Decker a dead and as possible fugitives. Ultimately Gertrude takes off and disappers but not before helping Morgan to get Casey out of the pen.

Chuck vs. The Business Trip

With Jeff being normal Lester has lost his scheming buddy and friend. In an attempt to bring the goofy brain damaged Jeff back he attempts to poison him with CO. Ultimately this causes panic in the Buymore just at the right time for the spy division below and the beloved phrase "Pineapple!" is brought back.

The plan to save Morgan's life is to remover the Intersect and get the hit called off, which Beckman helps with but it seems in situations like this there is always one assassin who cannot be called back once the order has been sent. In this case it's the Viper, with numerous kills under their hat. While Morgan is in lockdown at Castle, Chuck plays human target with Sarah by his side. Everything goes as planned and they capture the Viper, oh so they think until Morgan is being chased through the store and Chuck is facing a sensitive car bomb threatening to take Sarah's life.

It turns out while they were playing decoy and distracted by friendly normal's they brought home their own decoy. Once the carbomb is disarmed and the Viper apprehended the hit is officially called off by Decker. But unofficially the Viper is ordered to cleanse the Carmichael Industries Team and Alex, save Sarah and Chuck. Due to the late suspicions of Sarah, Casey is sent to follow the Viper and overhears these plans and shoots down the Viper squad. Of course Decker shows up to the Bartowski household to arrest Casey for murder.

Chuck vs. The Frosted Tips

Awesome takes his paternity leave and stays home with baby Clara. He soon finds out that baby time can go by very, very slowly. With him being Captain Awesome he has a hard time adjusting and takes on the project of fixing Jeff. He actually turns Jeff into a functioning, thoughtful, health conscious grown up--super weird!



As I mentioned Casey has a crush on Gertrude from their competiting firm, so when Morgan does the ultimate douchy act and betrays Carmichael Industries and his friends after Beckman gets them a mission that's actually legit, the team has to break into Verbanski Corp. This allows Casey the chance to do some more recon on his love interest and it turns out they uncannily are each others soul mates. The crew walks away with the drive but without their friend. I will say it is truly nice to have the old trio back at their finest. Working hard and standing together.


Just in case you missed it, here's a list of the douche things Morgan did, under the influence of the Interesect:
1. Trades to Verbanski Corp. because of his crazy ego
2. Gets frosted tips
3. Wears overly fancy cologne
4. Drives a motorcar into the Buymore
5. Dumps his girlfriend through text message
6. Hires a interior designer
7. Has his own personal assistant
8. Tells Chuck they are not friends


The episode nearly ends with the showdown between Carmichael Industries and Verbanski Corp. In the end they both split the check for a job well done with an explosion (of course). Chuck also is able to bring his friend back from the douchy dark side transported through a virus that has infected his friend's brain, ego and memories and Casey gets his girl.

But there's more.....thanks to Morgan's blabbing and sharing his Intersect secret there is now a hit on his head!

Chuck v. The Bearded Bandit

With their funds frozen and the future of Carmichael Industries looking bleak the trio goes on a sales pitch that gets upstaged by Verbanski Corp. The best part of the episode is when you know Casey has a crush on the competition. I knew the moment I saw the glances between Gertrude and Casey :)

While the group doesn't walk away with clients clammering at their door they still seem to snag one interested person. It turns out though after Sarah pulls off the best rock climbing stunt that they are working for the bad guy--who sold them on the story that he needed to save his brother whose life was threatened. When in truth he wanted him dead. Guess who was the brother, another hottie I've missed since he left Smallville: Justin Hartley (yum)

In the meantime, in an attempt to drum up some business in the Buymore Big Mike gets Awesome to shoot a commercial. Who just also happened to be an Ambercombie and Fitch model--no surprise there :)

Now that Morgan has the Intersect its a whole new world and the mission world is not the best place for him. Yet Morgan takes to being the Intersect a whole lot faster than Chuck did. In his excitement he charges into the bad guys massive fortress and gets himself and Chuck into a bind. Morgan believes that Chuck and him can be the heroes and save the day. But now that Chuck has been saddled with the responsibility of being his handler, their friendship and role-change has become even more complex. In his fear for his friends safety he calls Sarah and Casey for backup, against Morgan's wishes. In Chuck's attempt to protect his friend his ends up hurting his feelings.

The boldest move anyone can make is call in their competition to help and that's just what Casey and Sarah do to save Chuck and Morgan. While they saved their buddies they may have lost Morgan, their ultimate big mouthed weapon to Verbanski Corp. This episode ends with Morgan meeting with Verbanski and telling her with no qualms that he is in fact the human Intersect.

It's So HARD to say Goodbye to my bestest TV BF

There has been eleven episodes of Chuck and I have only seen the premiere.

You may be wondering Why?--since I've been in love with the show from the very beginning. Here's the thing about me I have a hard time saying goodbye so I've been putting it off. So apologies my fellow Nerd Herders, you deserve better so this begins the "HAIL MARY" of blogging.

The premiere was entitled "Chuck vs The Zoom." As promised the crew started their own secret agents for hire company, but things aren't quite as successful as they planned. First off Morgan currently has the Intersect. That's right folks Chuck is back to relying on his intellegience and ingeniuity. And secondly, Decker still has a major vendetta against them, more importantly the formerly CIA funded Intersect.

The episode starts with Sarah and Chuck in a jam. Even though things are looking bleak Chuck uses this opportunity to phish for what Sarah wants in her dream home. Always the romantic, sigh. Then of course somehow Casey gets caught by the guards, leaving their back up to the same fate. So they are forced to bring in the back up to their back up. The new secret weapon. Morgan. They are hoping and praying that'll he'll be able to flash, and I even as a viewer slightly feared for their safety...but in the end Morgan and his tiny body pulls through. Albeit with a bit of the Bartowski charm.

In the end, their funds get cut off by Chuck's nemesis, Decker. So all they are left with is the Buymore. So now they face the challenge to make the store a success. This should be good seeing as their current employees consists of Jeff and Lester. Also if it wasn't clear before its a certainty that Chuck is having a hard time not being the Intersect. More specifically he's worried that his dreams of buying Sarah the perfect home and providing for his new family might fail along with Carmichael Industries and the current Intersect. Ultimately he's having a hard time finding his place on the team now that he's just Chuck.