A look back at the best and worst of the past week on TV, and a look ahead to what’s coming up.
Highlights
1. The last five minutes of “Lost.” It was a kinda slow, uneventful episode that didn’t raise or answer many questions. One of those setting-the-stage episodes. Until the last scene. It’s not every day you see a supposed good guy shoot a child and be pretty much justified in doing so. Maybe I should have seen it coming, but I audibly gasped. And that doesn’t happen much.
2. “Party Down.” I’m really liking this new Starz sitcom, and Friday’s episode involving Young Republicans, virgin cocktails and flag-burning cracked me up. The series is quickly becoming the best workplace comedy on TV. (“Better Off Ted” isn’t quite hitting all cylinders yet, and “The Office” has been . . . lacking somehow. “30 Rock” is still at the top of the heap.) And it drops f-bombs.
3. “Reaper.” I mentioned earlier in the week that I’m back on the bandwagon. The formula has been tweaked slightly and a few new characters introduced, and I’m really liking it. It may be becoming even more “Buffy”-lite, but I’m OK with that. “Reaper” is fun and light and a welcome break from shows that force me to use my brain. Last week’s episode was great — I loved Nina the demon/girlfriend; Morgan, the devil’s son who’s a cross between Craig Kilborn and Brendan Fraser; and the re-animated corpse of Sam’s dad.
3.5. Bonus item: As I’m writing this, I’m watching a 2007 documentary on Sundance Channel about the Icelandic band Sigur Ros. It’s fascinating. It follows a series of live shows they did in small towns around Iceland, and their haunting, atmospheric music fits into scenes of the beautifully harsh landscape really, really well. I’m not a big Sigur Ros fan, but this is surprisingly interesting. As an added plus, I recognize obscure little places that I saw when I took a trip to Iceland a few years ago. Very cool. It’s called “Sigur Ros: Heima” and definitely worth checking out if you come across it while flipping channels.
Lowlights
1. NCAA Tournament. This might be the most forgettable tournament ever. Not nearly enough close games, not nearly enough surprising teams and absolutely nothing that will stick with me a week from now, much less a year from now. CBS might have to shorten “One Shining Moment” to about 26 seconds.
2. Lily and Rufus sharing their who-I’ve-slept-with lists on “Gossip Girl.” Oh come on, who does that? They’re old enough to know better. And Lily’s list was alphabetical? Ouch, that’s never a good sign. And how OCD do you have to be to alphabetize it?
3. “Damages.” The previous episode revved up the intrigue, left cliffhangers and had me excited for what was next. But this week the action came to a screeching halt. Sure, a few plot points moved along, but at a much slower pace. Nice to see they resolved the Daniel Purcell murder case, but I wanted more. An episode paced this way would have worked better mid-season. As it was, it really messed with the flow. And it seems like there’s way too much up in the air headed into the season finale this coming week.
Looking forward to . . .
1. “Damages.” (9:30 p.m. Wednesday, FX) Yep, I’m a sucker. But this is the season finale, and I expect all hell to break loose as we finally get some answers. Like if Ellen really shot Patty. And what about Frobisher? And Ketchup Cop sneaking into Ellen’s apartment? And who did Wed shoot?
2. “My Boys.” (10:30 p.m. Tuesday, TBS) This romantic/buddy comedy is back for a third season. I hate to describe it this way, but this show is . . . nice. It’s lightweight, but breezy and fun. It’s one of those rare series where you physically feel good after watching it. Like video sunshine. And Jordana Spiro is just cute as a button. A really hot, blonde button.
3. “Lost.” (9 p.m. Wednesday, ABC) So is L’il Ben dead or alive? Either way, trouble is coming to Dharmaville. This could be good. And how long before Kate and Juliet finally square off? You know it’s coming.
