Weekly TV Recap - May 15th

Time for my thoughts on this week's episodes.  Lots to get to, so let's start.  Keep in mind that there are spoilers below.

Amazing Race - Well, my brother called it. Based solely on the way they were editing the show, he said that Dan and Jordan would win. They were showing the most growth. Even so, we rooted for Jet and Cord to pull it out. They did a good job of editing the season finale to make us all think the Cowboys had a chance, but I bet it was never even close. Even in defeat, it looked like Jet and Cord kept their good humor to the end with a minor exception when Dan and Jordan cut in front of them in line (and make no mistake, that's what they did and they know it.) I couldn't believe Carol (or Brandi, which ever it was) who were still giving Katie a hard time for U-Turning them when the finale team reached the finish line. I mean, seriously! You were a jerk and deserved the treatment you got. Deal with it.

Chuck - This felt like a place holder episode to me. It was enjoyable, but it felt like they were setting the characters up for the story they have to tell in the final three hours of the season. It wasn't the strongest episode of the season, but it was still good. Best line of the night? Sarah and Chuck discussing the fact that there is nothing good on TV when Chuck says, "There's never anything good on Monday nights."

24 - I like the fact that Chloe is working behind the scenes to try to help Jack again. All is right with the 24 world. However, those scenes of torture at the end went way too far. It ruined much of the episode for me. I really do think they could have moved the story forward without the swallowed sim card and the burning, etc. Way too much gratuitous cringing on my part from the gratuitous violence on their part.

Dancing with the Stars - Two rounds always starts to separate the dancers from those who are still struggling. The rankings seemed about right to me this week. The dances by decade always either soar or bomb, and Nicole's 50's Paso worked for me. I did love her Fox Trot better, however. Frankly, I think I am rooting for her over Evan at this point. I figured it would be either Chad or Niecy who would leave this week. As much fun as they are to watch, they are the weak links at this point. I wasn't too surprised to see Niecy go. Unless he really wow us or one of the other three stumble, my guess is Chad goes next week.

Castle - I love this competition they've got going on between Castle and the robbery detective. It's added a nice bit of punch to this episode. And I thought the dual motives/killers was brilliant as well. Yes, it's been done before, but it's always great to see it when I'm not expecting it.

Lost - Okay, I know that was background stuff we will need to know. It did answer some questions like the Adam and Eve skeletons and how the smoke monster was created. But with only one episode and the finale left, it felt like a waste of time. I think I would have enjoyed it more had it been earlier in the season.

V - Man, this show is getting so good. The scenes between Erica, resistance member, and Anna, leader of the V's, sparkled. There was so much subtext to their exchanges. The writing was absolutely perfect, and the acting brought it to life. Not that I expected anything less from the two best actors on that show.

In Plain Sight - The only series regulars we saw this week for any real length of time were Mary and her boss Stan. But that didn't really keep me from enjoying the episode, mainly because they brought back Stephen Weber's FBI agent. I really like his character and I think he makes a great foil for Mary. And this show always works best when there's a good foil involved. The case was interesting, too, although watching Mary has become my favorite part of this show.

Survivor - Wow, does Russell have an ego problem or what? I mean, the guy doesn't get picked to go on a reward by the winner, and he starts threatening people. This is on top his sending Danielle home last week. As several players said, everyone is afraid of him. I wish it weren't true because I would love to see the look on his face if he were to get voted out. He needs to be taken down a peg or ten.

FlashForward - Another good episode tonight, although I guess not that many people are watching since it's been canceled. The pieces are in place for a great finale next week. I am very curious what they are going to do (and just how much closure we'll get.)

The Mentalist - Having just started watching with this season, I had missed Leslie Hope's previous appearance. I like her. She adds a nice foil for Patrick Jane and really seems to keep him on his toes. The case was pretty standard for the series, but her scenes really popped.

Renewals and Cancelations - No, this isn't some new show I'm going to be talking about. I'm just going to comment on the TV news that's been coming out with the new season announcements due out next week. We are finally getting word about the fates of some of my favorite shows. Coming back are Chuck and V. I can't tell you how thrilled I am about both of these. They only get 13 episodes each. For now. Of course, Chuck was renewed for a 13 episode 3rd season and wound up with 19 episodes, so anything is possible. And V is getting so good. I hope it's numbers improve somehow because I want them to have time to fully develop things.

On the cancelation front are FlashForward and Heroes. I am actually rejoicing that Heroes has been canceled. I was still watching, but I'm not sure why. The show had turned boring, silly, and a bit hard to follow. I am sad to see FlashForward go, although not that surprised. I knew its numbers kept falling each week. I had hoped something would turn it around since I know there is a whole lot more story they wanted to tell. I must admit I am hesitant to watch the finale on Thursday, afraid they will leave us with a cliffhanger. But if I don't watch it, I'll always wonder what happened.