This Week on My TV: December 13, 2014

Disclaimer: Consider the fact that there could be spoilers ahead. You read at your own risk!



**(The Mentalist, S7E1 "Nothing But Blue Skies") I wasn't initially impressed with the new detective, Vega. Maybe she'll grow on me. -- After all this time, it's...weird seeing Jane and Lisbon in a romantic relationship. But even though (unlike Pike) Jane doesn't have some Grand Life Plan to offer Lisbon, he seems to "get" her and that's a pretty important factor in a relationship. For all the plans Pike had, they didn't succeed in a lasting relationship. -- Oh, Cho, don't you and your sarcastic sense of humor ever change. -- I didn't get into the case of the week very much. Maybe because it, once again, involved some random law enforcement person who is unfamiliar with Jane's methods and gets all aggravated, only to have Jane solve the case. Spackman did have some great facial expressions along the way, though. -- I would never have recognized Pike when he stopped by to say hello to Lisbon. I actually had to look it up in order to believe it was the same actor, with that new beard he's sporting.

**(2 Broke Girls, S4E6 "And the Model Apartment") I'm pretty sure *I* could deliver Max's and Han's lines more smoothly than they do. Max is just abrupt and shrill, and Han says his lines like he's reading them off a card for the first time. The lingerie models without personalities had more acting talent...and they had very little. -- Sophie's "hey, everybody!" is still the best part of this show. -- I have to admit, I was shocked Oleg actually made an effort to stay faithful to Sophie. -- Max is far more funny when she doesn't speak. Like when she came out of the diner kitchen wearing one of her new bras *over* her clothes.

**(Mike and Molly, S5E1"The Book of Molly") Mike was really cute, waiting for Molly at the window. -- LOL: That scene in the diner when Mike was telling Carl how relieved he was Molly was back and Carl made a remark that left the two of them staring at each other, clearly trying not to laugh. -- It felt like they might be toning down last season's somewhat obnoxious, over-the-top-ness a bit. I'll be glad if they can meet in the middle between this show's two personalities. -- As well as Mike knows and understands Molly, it would have shown she knows him just as well if she'd taken part of the check to pay down a good chunk of her/their debt, and used some on a more modest, more reliable pre-owned car rather than a pricy sports car.

**(The Mentalist, S7E2 "The Greybar Hotel") What is it with angry women in the FBI interrogation room this season? -- It seemed just a little too easy that Marie suggested the prison break like Lisbon and Jane planned, and a lot too easy for them to actually walk out of prison. -- I do think it was sweet that Jane told Lisbon to wear flipflops in the shower because they will make her less attractive and that he was ready to take a bullet for her when she was being held at gunpoint by Marie's crazy boyfriend. -- About that final scene with the file on the smuggler's girlfriend. I wonder how it's going to play out with that former sort-of-flame of Jane's turning up in the next episode?

**(Marry Me, S1E8 "Stand By Me") I could have lived without ever seeing Gil in his tighty whities. -- How did they get Jake into those crazy yoga poses? -- Gil: Much like this Eric Stonestreet limited edition buttondown. ... It took me a second, and then I realized "plaid with a paisley accent inside the collar and rolled cuffs" Cam from Modern Family! LOL -- Gil was a mess. I kind of hope this episode evolves him a little, so his character can be slightly less annoying.

**(Reign, S2E7 "The Prince of Blood") The imagery of Mary and Francis sitting at opposite ends of a very long breakfast table spoke volumes of the distance between them as a result of the secrets he's keeping from Mary to protect her from the knowledge that he killed Henry. -- Mary: If you treat people as your enemy, that is what they become. -- Oh sweet irony ... Mary: Unfortunately my husband isn't giving me what I want so I've come to ask you instead. ... She says to Conde, who just got finished bedding another man's wife. -- Poor Kenna. She seems to want to find a friend and keeps finding girls who are insincere. -- I waver on whether or not I kinda like Narcisse. Part of me thinks he's being sincere in what he wants from Lola...and the rest of me doesn't trust him any further than I could throw him. -- Princess Claude is a handful and a half. Catherine has issues with her daughters, between this one and Clarissa. And what about those two little ghost girls Catherine keeps seeing? Are they really daughters that died in infancy? -- I was rather impressed with Lola's reaction to Narcisse kissing her, slapping him and telling him not to take before she gives. -- Once again, Francis forgets that he is a better ruler when he and Mary work as a team and that he is weakest when they are apart, literally or figuratively, even when he's trying to protect her.

**(About a Boy, S2E8 "About a Christmas Carol") This was actually a really great Christmas episode. For once Fiona didn't drive me crazy. I appreciated her Christmas spirit and determination to keep it magical for Marcus. -- LOL: Marcus and Will howling to get out their sadness about their fathers. -- I cannot believe this show made me *cry*. But when Will's dad showed up with his string quartet, playing Will's one hit, Runaway Sleigh, I was wiping tears off my face. I am such a sap.

**(The Middle, S6E9 "The Christmas Wall") Frankie: Where are you going and what's with the hat? Axl: If you must know, it's for our new business venture: Tree Wise Men, a subsidiary of Boss Co. Enterprises. -- Darrin: Rudolph made me sad, you know? They wouldn't ever let him play any reindeer games. That's B.S., man. -- LOL: Brick and the Christmas newsletter. -- Frankie [about Christmas]: I don't know if I can do it, Mike. I think I'm done. Mike: Did you get into the eggnog already? There better be some left! -- That $3 that Tree Wise Men earned after damages should have gone entirely to Darrin. It was Axl and Sean who fought over King Moonracer and destroyed stuff. -- LOL: The Heck's artificial Christmas tree with the green bottom and the pink top. -- I loved Boss Co laying in the Heck's front yard making snow angels. -- Awwww. The look on Mike's face when they all woke up Christmas morning to see that Frankie had put up Christmas after all, after Mike confessed he never celebrated Christmas before her. (Yes, I cried. Good grief.) -- By the way, I'm Team Axl on this one. King Moonracer was NOT a toy.

**(Modern Family, S6E10 "Haley's 21st Birthday") LOL: Lily asking Alex, Luke, and Manny if they know how babies are made. Luke telling her to get him a bagel and a pen...because she's going to need to take notes and he's hungry. And the expression on Lily's face when Luke and Manny are explaining about babies. -- ::snort:: Alex called Luke and Manny "Fuzzstaches." -- Haley: You're like my Grandma. Gloria [holding a dart]: Grandma. Easy...I have stabbed closer relatives than you. -- Lily's explanation of where babies come from: When I grow up, I wanna have kids. Well, first I want a perfect husband. Someone who takes care of me. And then we're gonna make a baby. Which is easy: you  just put eggs and tadpoles in a glass and the woman has to drink it. Then the woman and man kiss and jump on their bed. After a year, she pees and a baby comes out. -- LOL: Phil wanting to get a tattoo on his lower back that says GO DEEP BAM! Oh, Phil.

**(The Big Bang Theory, S8E11 "The Clean Room Infiltration") Amy: Wait, She Hulk's a lawyer? Howard: Yeah, she works at a lawfirm in New York. Sheldon: Yes, but she's the only monster at the form. Between you. me, and the wall, I think she's an affirmative action hire. -- Sheldon: Ugh. English pudding. You get yourself all excited for pudding and here comes a cake with raisins in it. -- Raj's father sure spent a lot of time bashing marriage to the newly engaged Penny. Now I'll be waiting for that to resurface. -- LOL: Bernadette singing "Santa Claus Comes Tonight" in the car next to a sullen Sheldon. -- Bernadette: Why'd you turn it off? Sheldon: Because in the last ten minutes, Santa Claus came to town, kissed Mommy, and ran Grandma over with a reindeer. I had a drunk uncle who did all those things. Nobody sings songs about him. -- Awww. At the mall, when Sheldon was talking about all the things Amy loves. Who knew he paid that much attention to anyone but himself? He really *does* love her! -- Where was Emily for Christmas? I know she's a doctor...but isn't she a dermatologist? That's not exactly an "on call for Christmas Eve" sort of medical specialty, is it? -- So Howard, Raj, and Leonard erased their names from the sign-in sheet at the lab, for the clean room, and left, pretending they were never there. First, every time I'm ever erased something there is always some sort of lingering evidence. The "ghost" of the pencil marks, smudges, imprint from the point of the pencil. Second, did they close the loading dock door? Or just leave it wide open for anyone to walk through and steal expensive lab equipment or who knows what? And finally, doesn't the University have security cameras that would show who was there and when, especially for cases when a bird gets into the clean room, causing it to be shut down for weeks and require extensive cleaning? -- Amy's face when she opened the framed photo of Sheldon on Santa's lap and then listening to its recorded message. -- Totally teared up at this scene. ... Sheldon [opening his gift from Amy]: Cookies? Amy: They're your Mema's Christmas cookies. I called and got the recipe. Sheldon [looks at one, then takes a bite, and looks at Amy]: They're perfect. It tastes like her hugs.

**(Mom, S2E7 "Soapy Eyes and a Clean Slate") Having Baxter suddenly become a more responsible adult, while unbelievable, creates some interesting dynamics between him and Christy. I like that. But not if he tries to take Roscoe away from Christy. -- I finally feel badly for Violet. She's miserable, but she had a terrible childhood and clearly hasn't recovered from giving up her baby. -- Christy's old landlord, Mr. Perugian, has a thing for Marjorie?? That's...weird. -- Nathan Cordrry is back! And not being a scum! I like it better when he isn't being a scum. I don't like disliking him.

**(Last Man Standing, S4E11 "Wedding Planning") You know, it's all fine and dandy to have your own beliefs, but if Ryan showed up at my house and started mocking my beliefs, I would quite firmly show him the door. -- Holy crap. Ryan and Kristin said they want to take a little of the $20,000 Mike and Vanessa gave them for the wedding, have a small wedding, and use the rest to pay off *some* of their debt? SOME of their debt? How much debt have they managed to rack up?! -- Mike [to Vanessa]: Need some help out here? Throw some plates against the wall? Maybe punch that pork roast a couple of times? -- Mike [about Vanessa]: I know. My wife has gone rogue. ... When he said that line, he looked exactly like Buzz Lightyear. -- Kyle learning poker looked exactly like I would trying to play poker. -- Ed's reaction when he learned Kyle only wanted to play poker so he could use the winnings to buy some Christmas gifts for needy kids was priceless. When he started finding ways for Kyle to "win," though, all I could think of was when Chandler "taught" Joey to "play Cups" so Joey could "win" the money he was refusing to take from Chandler.

**(A to Z, S1E9 "I is for Ill Communications")  Andrew and Zelda are the cutest couple on all of tv. -- I wonder if they would have explored a romantic relationship between  Big Bird and Howard, if this show had been allowed to progress past one season. (Even though haven't officially canceled it yet, I'm too afraid to hope it will get a miracle renewal.) -- Loved the dress Zelda wore to decorate Andrew's tree! -- I totally called that Andrew and Zelda were going to turn around and say 'I love you' for the first time after they made up for their fight and went their separate ways at the airport for Christmas with their families. Happy dance! -- Did we ever learn what "awesome amazing gift" Andrew got Zelda?

**(The McCarthys, S1E7 "Arthur and Marjorie's Night Apart") When did Jackie get so pregnant??  -- OMG, did she seriously say Jeter was cute? ::gasp:: -- Marjorie [to Arthur, as she prepares him for her to be away overnight]: Some of the light switches are tricky. When it gets dark, go to bed. ... Three years living at this house and I still don't get the light switches right half the time, so I get what she's saying!-- LOL: Arthur ended up in the hospital because he fell down, trying to make grilled cheese.

**(Sleepy Hollow, S2E9 "Mama") I hate hooded characters. You never know what's lurking under there. -- Poor Ichabod has a terrible cold. I don't know if Tom Mison was actually sick or what, but he sold me on it. -- That was a really good and enlightening conversation between Jenny and Abbie about their mother and what their childhood was like leading up to their mother being sent to Tarrytown Psychiatric. It made me very sympathetic toward Lori Mills. What a terrible position to be in, plagued by Moloch and demons, and wanting to protect your daughters, with everyone thinking you're crazy. -- Ichabod [about the matzoh ball soup Hawley brought him]: Ohhhh, that is... [glares at Hawley] somewhat comforting. -- Henry is so evil, the way he torments Katrina with that (demon) baby, playing on her unfulfilled maternal instincts and the guilt she clearly feels over abandoning him as a child. -- Katrina's special pendant seems to make all manner of evil of look normal. Not only does it give Abraham a head back, but makes a demon look like a newborn baby. -- I knew I didn't trust that "nurse" at Tarrytown! -- Whoa! Demon baby is growing at a rather rapid pace!

**(Law and Order: SVU, S16E9 "Pattern Seventeen") There sure seems to be a lot cases that somehow track back to Rollins and Atlanta. -- Do any other police agencies ever test rape kits in a timely fashion? -- I actually do hope that Olivia gets to keep Noah. She does clearly love him. -- I keep waiting for them to make Deputy Chief Dodds even a tiny bit likable or sympathetic or something. -- Something is clearly going to happen between Rollins and her old boss from Atlanta. That guy is a slime.