Joe Hellandback

Not even Bruce Campbell? Where would L&O;SVU be without it? Aren't we all the hero in our own minds? Yeah, I noticed that, I guess they don't use conventional gunpowder in the future? The good; Love the ice planets, someone should make those for real. We see more of Mal and Zoe during the war pre-Battle of Serenity and nobody pines as well as Kaylee does (except Willow?) The bad; Kinda a weak story with not that great a denouement. Best line; Zoe (to Tracey); "The first rule of war is never to let them know where you are" Mal (exposing himself to the enemy and firing wildly) "Here I am! Here I am!" Zoe; "Of course there are other schools of thought" also like; Jayne (non-plussed by Tracey's unexpected resurrection but observes) "Spry for a dead fellow!" and Tracey; "Do you think I'm stupid?" Mal; "In every possible way" not to mention Mal; "There's always someone out there keeping a bullet with your name on it. The secret is to die of old age before they get a chance to use it" which leads to; Tracey; "You killed me" Mal; "You killed yourself, I just carried the bullet for a while" Kinky dinky; Jayne infers that seeing corpses puts him in the mood for sex but is quick to deny necrophilia. Naked Tracey. Capt subtext; Womack threatens the postman with homosexual rape in prison. Mal straddling naked Tracey. How'd they get away with that? Simon cutting Tracey, yeesh! Whedon clichés; Devoted siblings, haunted charismatic leading man. Teenage girls with superpowers. Hookers. Babbling insane girls with truth in their madness. Fake cockneys. Misguided religious zealots. Numbered t-shirts. Girls with botanical names (Willow, Saffron, Jasmine). Absent fathers. Clever use of extensive flashbacks. Women in boxes. Bondage; I've been reminded that I didn't include Mal and Wash tied up by Niska in War Stories so... Mal; 2 River; 1 Simon; 1 River; 1 Jayne; 1 Wash; 1 Knocked out; Book; 2 Simon; 2 Kaylee; 1 Jayne;3 Mal; 2 Wash; 1 Inara; 1 Zoe; 1 River; 1 Kills; Zoe kills 2 Alliance soldiers during the war. Mal kills Tracey who seems very resilent, perhaps due to his organ smuggling surgery? Mal; 12- Zoe; 12- Jayne; 11- Wash; 2 River; 3 Alliance good or bad?; Inara seems to be suggesting she return the Lassiter for a reward but Mal won't hear of it, maybe to avoid her getting in trouble or maybe he just couldn't stand dealing with the Alliance? Womack is operating by himself as obviously the Alliance consider organ smuggling illegal although it doesn't seem to bother Mal and co. Missing scenes; One rumoured storyline for later in the season is that Mal is approached to join a group of ex-Browncoats who want to restart the war and destroy the Alliance. He is then faced with the choice represented by Zoe on one side who wants to go back to the war and Inara on the other who says that would be madness. Also supposedly a scene where Zoe and Wash ask Dr Simon for advice on conceiving a child. Reminds me off; The spaceport very reminiscent of Blade Runner whilst the post office scenes are reminiscent of season 4 of Babylon 5 (governments rise and fall but the postal system is forever). The police craft is reminiscent of the former US Navy F14 Tomcat fighter. Questions and observations; No aliens in the Fireflyverse, much like BSG. Simon just seems to live with his foot in his mouth (even River thinks he's a 'boob'). I guess being such a goodlooking guy and a successful surgeon he never really had to try to get girls before. His observation that every other woman in his extremely limited social circle is married (Zoe), a professional who refuses to 'service the crew' (Inara) and his sister leaving Kaylee as a last resort is about as sensitive as bombing Hiroshima. Jayne has a mother (and possibly a sister?) whom he sends money to. Jayne wears a hat which is unusual, in Firefly it's mostly the bad guys who wear hats. A very different version of pre-Serenity Mal here, funloving and seeming to think of the war as a great big game. Kaylee has rigged a hammock in the engine room, perhaps because of the events of Out of Gas? Or because that way Simon can just walk casually in on her which he couldn't in her room cabin? The mule has survived it's use as a kamikaze in War Stories and is lodged in the Serenity's hold. Interestingly Jayne who we think of as a tactically shaven gorilla shows surprising sensitivity, removing his hat at the sight of the corpse and telling Book that seeing the dead makes him value life all the more. Nice mention of Saffron, Mal&co thinking that the Feds are after the Lassiter because she sold them out. Shepherd once again shows an interesting depth of knowledge of the Alliance police. Marks out of 10; 6/10 A little disappointing after the quality of the preceding eps, largely rescued by a few good lines.

What a shame, I loved both series, do you remember when they had ED and Summer Glau presenting both shows together? OMEGA The good; Got to say I didn't see the Whiskey twist (is that a drink?) coming at all. Utterly brilliant, this storyline lifts the series up and helps it go off on a high. Such a dumb gag but it always makes me laugh out loud when Alpha 'watches his step'. The bad; How stupid must the Dollhouse be to use criminals as Dolls? Although wouldn't it be wonderful if we could reprogramme paedophiles and psychopaths so they were no longer either? Packing heat; both Boyd and Ballard (the latter switching to a Colt 45 for some reason) plus November and Sierra Echo;6 Boyd; 8 Dominic; 8 Sierra; 4 Victor; 2 Ballard; 9 November; 1 Echo kissage;2 Kinky dinky; Lovely though she is I never really thought of Amy Acker as turn-your-head-gorgeous in the same way as Eliza Dushku, Charisma Carpenter, Sarah Michelle Gellar, (they tried to make her into AI's glamourpuss in season 5 but it didn't really work which is why we got more Mercedes McNab as Harmony who IS turn your head gorgeous),but here she is a revelation, I was firmly convinced that it was Eliza doing the slinky dance to Roy Orbison's dreams but WOW! Also Echo's push up bra and Daisy Duke denim short-shorts as part of her white trash princess look. Bounty hunter Sierra seems to have an instant attraction for Ballard. Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost; Echo; 3 definite, 1 possible November; 1 Ballard; 1 Victor; 1 Adele; 1 Sierra 1 possible Topher; 1 possible How'd they get away with that? Killing the girl implanted with Caroline's memories is hideous. Alpha's idea of kidnapping a string of girls, implanting them with Carolines' memories and then killing her over and over again is too horrifying for words. Meeting 'Alpha's' first victim is also very disturbing but not half as much as his bloody rampage in the Dollhouse, especially how he kills his handler. He also refers to Crystal being a 'woman at 13'. This weeks fantasy; Sierra and November are bounty hunters, Echo is Crystal and her composite personalities Total number personalities; Echo; 21 Sierra; 10 Victor; 6 November; 3 Total dolls; add some Whiskey to the mix! 8-Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango, Alpha, Whiskey Topher is a bit geeky; He refers to Solyent Green (Angel also a Charlton Heston fan) Bondage; Sierra tied up; 1 Ballard; 1 Knocked out; Echo; 2 November; 1 Sierra; 1 Victor; 1 Topher; 1 Kills; poor Wendy is killed by Alpha Sierra; 2 kills Echo; 1 November;1 Dolls injured; Echo winged by Alpha's bullet. Capt subtext; We finally learn November's real name and she is released from her contract (love Adele's very genuine hug for her). I guess whatever was between her and Ballard was quite real for him to pick her over Caroline? The heartbreaking scene where Dr Saunders tells Victor he's broken and no one will want him any more hardly needs explaining (thankfully the lollipop scene makes up for it). Why did Topher programme Dr Saunders to hate him? Perhaps because of his own self-loathing? Or did the original Saunders already hate him? Know the face? 7 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock, Gregg Henry, Alan Tudyk Missing scenes;. Very important, if you have the DVDs be sure to watch them to find out what happened to bounty hunters Sierra and November and how Alpha got away. Reminds me off; Echo/Crystal and Alpha/Bobby on the run are very Badlands/True Romance/Bonnie and Clyde. But above all they remind me of Spike and Dru whom Angel once described as "Bonnie and Clyde if they had 100 years to get it right" The idea of violent prisoners being 'cured' by brainwashing sounds a bit 'A Clockwork Orange'? Ponder the fact that this series has a character called Ballard (and indeed Dawn was reading 'Empire of the Sun' for school in the later seasons of Buffy). Alpha digs out the tracker on the back of Echo's neck much like Dark Angel. Caroline refers to Return of the Living dead as Xander did in Buffy. Topher talks of souls in jars which may be an Angel ref. Alpha's madness is similar to Glory whilst the way he kills his handler is reminiscent of Buffy killing Gnarl in season 7. The track 'Dreams' which Whiskey dances to is also used to good effect in Blue Velvet. Breaking the programming; Echo as a conglomerate of her personalities breaks away from Alpha's crackers plan, possibly because most of her imprints (Margaret from Haunted, the Dominatrix, Esther from True Believer etc) were good people mixed with her base personality of Caroline. By contrast most of Alpha's imprints were bad people mixed with his underlying personality of a psychopath. Questions and observations; Ballard's plan to get rid of the bomb squad is truly inspired. Interestingly despite the bad blood between them Tanaka doesn't arrest him. Great double bluff, we think that Caroline is being let go but actually it's November whose real name is Madeline Costly. More episodes like this and Dollhouse would be a far superior series to what it was. Marks out of 10; 9/10 really good

Really, I think it's epic, Buffy confronting her imminent death and for her heart to heart with Joyce alone. I would also have like to have seen Not even Angel or WTTH/The Harvest? Nah, The Zeppo, Grave and BBB show X-man at his best. Prophecy Girl The Good; Buffy's unjustified (but very human) rant at Giles, the wonderful slow motion fight with the vamp whilst Cordy is parking with a guy. Buffy accepting her fate for the sake of her friends and family. The Buffy/Master confrontation and her final battle with him. Xander listening to country music, the white man's blues. Xander practicing on Willow and Willow consequently turning him down. Cordy and Will finding the bodies. Cordy's car trick and the girls fleeing in terror. The Buffy/Joyce scene. Love Buffy's dress. The Bad; The tentacles from the Hellmouth look pretty weak. Also I thought the boy who get's killed is the same one as in the last ep but it's not, Cordy seems to have a new guy every week. I always think that's lame on TV, characters get boyfriends/girlfriends one week who mean the world to them then they're forgotten about the next ep. Best line; Angel; "I like your dress" Buffy; "Big hit with everyone" Kinky dinky; watching the scene you could interpret it as virginal Buffy in her white 'bridal' dress appears to orgasm wildly more or less against her will as The Master paws her and penetrates her body with his fangs. For such a self-professed pro-feminist Joss puts his heroines through a lot as Alien 4 may prove? In 'Get It Done' we learn why Slayers have these dark sexual desires. Questions and observations; Buffy dies for the first time and is bitten by a vampire for the first but by no means the last time. Giles get's knocked out for the first time (by Buffy!). Jenny's back, yay! Presumably the reason Cordy is being so nice to Will and isn't mad at her boyfriend du jour is that it's one of the signs of the apocalypse? Note that when Buffy comes back from the dead they play the show's theme full blast. According to Joss the theme starts off like a conventional horror theme but then kicks into rock and roll thrash because it signifies that Buffy and co won't conform to the horror stereotype, they won't take it any more. So we have Buffy dying just as the prophecy says, like all the Slayers before her but she rebels and comes back. If you wanted to see a feminist subtext, she refuses to be the victim, to accept the gender role assigned to her. I don't know if Joss intended it but someone at The Bronze once pointed out that the Scoobies are actually the clichéd victims you'd find in any horror film, the sexy blonde, the athletic hunk, the bitchy cheerleader, the hapless nerd, the wiseass jerk and the stuffy authority figure. But in Joss' show the victim's fight back and win. Angel has a phone and Giles' know's his number. Buffy actually says she feels stronger after Xander brings her back. She shouldn't of course, she should be weak as a kitten so maybe this is God's/the PTB's doing after her 'baptism'? Now of course, at the end of this we see the characters walk off into the sunset and we have no idea if there will ever be a second season? If the series had stopped there it would have been a good ending and fondly remembered, we'd assume the Hellmouth was closed and that our characters would go on to lead fairly ordinary lives. Except for Angel, of course? So if Buffy had died for real what would have happened? 10/10 even with the stupid tentacles

I'll have to rewatch

Checking out his IMDB page I wonder if there was a 90s series Armin Wasn't in?

Actually the bible is rather vague, the 10 commandments say 'Thou shalt not kill' but tell that to the first born of Egypt? It launched a thousand slashfics! Got the order wrong although that's hardly surprising. War Stories The good; So lovely to see Kaylee and River playing together at the start like excited children with Mal and Inara looking on like a pair of devoted parents. Exciting ambush and final rescue and some nice comedy with Inara and her client and the crew's reaction to her. Also hints that River may be a lot more dangerous than we ever thought she might be and some nice character stuff between her and Simon. The bad; How exactly does Niska find out where Mal and co are doing the deal? Aside from that not much. Best line; Wash; "I am a large, semi-muscular man" also like; Jayne; (aroused by the sight of Inara kissing her female client goodbye); "I'll be in my bunk" Zoe; "Jayne grab your weapon!" portending of things to come; 'No power in the verse can stop me' said by River and Kaylee in 2 VERY different ways. Kinky dinky; The henchman is reading some truly ancient porn when the Serenity arrives, did the Alliance ban Playboy or something? Zoe tells Mal to 'Take me sir, take me hard', naughty schoolgirl style prompting Wash to give his wife a hearty spank on the ass as foreplay for their 'bunk time'.. Notches on the Serenity bedpost; Inara's first female customer. Mal confirms that he and Zoe never had sex. Capt subtext; So the whole idea of the River/Simon incest vibe was actually given to people by Alan Tudyk's in his commentary for this ep? Doesn't give a jot of evidence for it though. Inara's first female client, as Kaylee observes "They look so glamorous". Love her 'God!" expression as Jayne leers over them. The latent jealousy between Mal, Zoe and Wash comes to a head, noticeably Zoe never promised to obey Wash but does Mal. Of course she picks Wash to save over Mal which must reassure him. The central message seems to be that Zoe loves them both equally but Wash in a sexual romantic way and Zoe as a friend/war buddy. How'd they get away with that? Mal and Wash horribly (yet somehow quite amusingly) tortured by Niska. Stops being funny when he cuts Mal's ear off! Subverting the Hollywood cliché; Amazingly Niska escapes. Mal actually wants the guys to shoot the torturer rather than deal with him himself. Wash does his 'Leave no man behind' schtick whilst cocking about the smallest pistol you've ever seen. Kills; Inara takes no part in the combat and Kaylee never even fires her gun. Hard to tell amongst all the confusion but I'll give Zoe and Jayne 4 kills each and Wash 2. 3 kills for River. Despite both participating in the gunfight neither Book nor Simon kill anyone. Mal; 11- Zoe; 10- Jayne; 11- Wash; 2 River; 3 Happy high-class hookers in Space; Everyone seems to be insatiably curious of whom the Companions are hired by, even Book, they're the futuristic equivalent of Heat magazine. She seems to specialise not so much in the sexual aspect of her job but in making everyone feel special. Shot; Jayne get's clipped during the rescue Mal; 2- Kaylee;1- Jayne;3- Book;1- Crew injured; Mal and Wash tortured half to death with Mal's ear cut off. Thankfully Simon reattaches it. Reminds me off; The desert hill where they get ambushed is the same one Buffy fights the First Slayer on in Restless. Questions and observations; Niska returns as a recurring villain, I've often thought that Dollhouse and Firefly fall short of Buffy and Angel's success partly because they didn't have the interesting and exciting returning villains those series specialised in. Apples again, I'm beginning to formulate a theory that the entire series is actually about fruit. Alan Tudyk states that he believed Wash flew a couple of missions for the Browncoats during the war then was interned by the Alliance before seeing any action. Jayne and Book are workout buddies. Note that Jayne still takes the time to loot the bodies at the ambush site (and presumably recover the drugs from there and the money later from Niska's space station). Note it's Book who rigs the bomb on the mule. So what is River who can effortlessly shoot three gunmen without even looking? Did the Alliance's experiments turn her into some sort of supersoldier and is that why they're so desperate to retrieve her? Or is she some form of X-men style evolving super being and the Alliance's experiments were designed to prevent her becoming dangerous? Or some secret weapon one of the sides developed during the Unification war and are now trying to cover up? Is that what scares Kaylee at the end? Zoe cooks for Wash at the end which takes in greater significance if you've watched 'Our Mrs Reynolds'. Marks out of 10; 8/10 and again bordering on 9, continuing the high standards of Ariel.

The good; Totally had me fooled with Alpha (partly because his agoraphobic uber-geek and Ballard makes such a great team). Stunning performance on both counts. You really feel for Mellie when Ballard dumps her. Great performance from the actress who plays the little girl too. Dominic asking for 'Whiskey' is a masterful bit of foreshadowing and Ballard is one smart cookie with his plan (but not as much as you-know-who). The bad; Alpha's plan seems unnecessarily complicated? Ballard says he doesn't have a badge any more but then he shows one to 'Kepler' (did he swipe Loomis'?) Best line; Adele; "There's indignation enough for everyone to have seconds" plus reprogrammed Echo upon seeing Alpha "My prince" Packing heat; Both Boyd and Ballard with their pistols again. Ballard also uses a stungun on Topher. Echo;6 Boyd; 7 Dominic; 7 Sierra; 3 Victor; 2 Ballard; 8 Echo kissage;2 She plants a big old smackaroo on Alpha, so much so it cuts her lip How'd they get away with that? Watching Alpha slicing up Victor is HORRIBLE! The little girl's plight is also horrific but at least she has a chance to recover. Also hard to watch Ballard cruelly dumping Mellie and her near suicide. Plus Alpha's recycled urine. This weeks fantasy; Topher has made Echo into a grown up, healthy version of the damaged little girl in order to counsel her, Alpha turns her into a white trash princess. Sierra is a CSI girl (her technobabble may be a subtle joke on them). Victor is Dominic Total number personalities; Echo; 19 Sierra; 9 Victor; 6 November; 2 Total dolls; add Alpha so 7 Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango, Alpha Topher is a bit geeky; He actually uses the phrase 'All frakked up'. Subverting the Hollywood cliché; Amanda lets Echo sit near her, not because she trusts her but because she has flicknife concealed on her. Bondage; Boyd puts Ballard in handcuffs (presumably his own?) Sierra tied up; 1 Ballard; 1 Knocked out; Toper get's tasered into unconsciousness by Ballard Echo; 2 November; 1 Sierra; 1 Victor; 1 Topher; 1 Dolls injured;. Poor Victor, traumatised by Ballard and Boyd crashing down on top of him and then cut to ribbons by Alpha. Capt subtext; Check out the very caring, maternal way Dr Saunders helps Victor who really comes across as a frightened child. The Briar Rose story has a feminist slant on it similar to Buffy, Amanda and Echo prefer the ending where the Briar Rose saves herself. Echo says that Amanda is "Close to moving forwards but it'll hurt" just as she is. Interestingly when Ballard asks Alpha is he Kepler he replies "Well there are a lot of aspects to that question" . He also refers to the Dollhouse as 'The New Eden' which it just might be. He asks Dr Saunders if she always wanted to be a Dr and when she says yes tells her that's a lie. (Un)Happy hookers; The little girl seems to have been exploited as a child prostitute by her mother's boyfriend. All the Dolls in the Dollhouse are above the age of consent but only those we've seen (and only in LA). Know the face? Alan Tudyk was Wash on Firefly/Serenity 7 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock, Gregg Henry, Alan Tudyk Guantanamo; Drugging and torturing Dominic who's on a day trip out of the attic, very hard to watch (great performance from Enver, really nails Reed Diamond in his mannerisms). Sending Echo to help the little girl is everybodys way of living with themselves. Fanfic; The adventures of doomed lovers Echo and Alpha disturbingly popular. The little girl's story reminded me of a Buffy fanfic "Thanks for taking care of my body, Faith' where we learn why Faith is as screwed up as she is and Buffy, Joyce and Dawn help her get over it and adopt her as a new Summers girl Questions and observations; So, the headquarters for the whole Dollhouse project is in Tuscon? Can anyone tell me exactly WHY Alpha is hiding naked in a dumpster when he kills the homeless man? Or am I trying to find logic in the actions of a madman? Note when Ballard finally gets into the Dollhouse he says 'It really exists', he'd obviously begun to doubt his own sanity. 'We call that editing' may be a subtle joke on the crew. Alpha thinks the Dollhouse is a good place but with bad people. I hate stairs without risers too, always fear I'm going to fall through them. Note Boyd gives Ballard a way out, he's not going to turn him in if he can help it. Surely consensual slavery is a contradiction in terms, if it's consensual it's not slavery? The Dollhouse we see was only built ten years ago despite the rumours dating from the 80s. Marks out of 10; 9/10 really good

I always thought its' main significance was we start seeing a different side to CC? Out of sight, out of mind; The Good; One of the best allegories yet for High School as hell. Real sense of menace to the knife floating behind Buffy although from what we've seen since it probably didn't pose a real threat to her. Cordelia starts to come more and more into her own here and some funny stuff from Snyder The Bad; Not much, very strong episode Best line; Cordelia; "Oh my god, is she really wearing Laura Ashely?" Worst line; Willow; "Mitch was attacked by a floating bat?" Xander; "Maybe it was a vampire bat?" (GGRRRoooaaannn!) What the fanficcers thought; Invisible Marcie later showing up to save the Scoobs common see 'Why do we write this?' Questions and observations: So, the government know what's going on in Sunnydale and are exploiting it to their own ends? A sign of the times that Marcie at the end is training to assassinate cult leaders as this was just after Waco. Nowadays of course she'd be after Osama and co. Interesting that the class are doing The Merchant of Venice, Marcie easily resembles the figure of Shylock. If you've ever watched the DVD commentary for The Grudge SMG remembers Jason Behr who played Ford in 'Lie to Me' appearing on Buffy but not Clea Duvall. Rewatching the ep you realise that she never has any scenes with visible Marcie so they probably never met. Harmony again, named for the first time. Cordy has passed her driving test to judge by her story of running the girl on the bike over. The scene where the teacher is nearly smothered by the plastic bag is HORRIBLE. First meeting between Giles and Angel. Cordy, Buffy, Willlow and Xander are all knocked out, the start of a grand scooby tradition. Ironically Giles who is so notorious for it stays conscious. Cordy and Buffy are also tied up, another Buffy cliché that will see much use. How exactly does Marcie get Cordy and Buffy to the Bronze? I gotta say, if faced with the choice of being gassed or risking an explosion I'd take explosion every time. If you'll pardon the pun it would have been lovely to 'see' Marcie again, maybe in season 7 Buffy could have been chained up and helpless only for her bonds to miraculously unravel? But if at her new school she's got friends etc won't she become visible again? I don't know if it's deliberate but the title reminds me of the story where Soviet premier Breshnev is meeting the US President Nixon and during the chitchat he asks where the vice-president Spiro Agnew is? (some form of demon according to Angel and Fred's dad). Agnew was keeping a low profile at the time as he was under investigation for corruption so Nixon replied, "Oh, you know, out of sight, out of mind'. Breshnev looks at Nixon oddly then hurriedly walked away whereupon Nixon's translator tells him that Breshnev's translator interpreted 'out of sight, out of mind' as 'Invisible maniac' Good ep, 8/10

That would have been an interesting dynamic, what would Willow have thought?

1. I liked the Henry debate, shows Liz DID care for her son having seemed very cold to him for a long time. In retrospect Paige refusing to say goodbye has greater significance, she's planning to stay. The scene on the train platform still a shocker though. 2. For a moment I thought they were going to pull a fast one and have their airliner to be KAL 007, the Korean Airlines plane shot down by the Sovs but that was earlier. 3. Love that their last taste of America was a McDonalds, also great use of Brother's in Arms and With or Without You. Why risk a train though? The border is huge and largely unguarded, ditch the car by the road and have a long snowy walk through the woods. 4. Felt a shiver when Philip says to Stan 'We were just doing a job", even then I thought they'd try to keep bluffing but now the truth was out. Although of course they still lie to him, probably for the best. A very low key and realistic ending and maybe all the better for it. This was a great and fitting ending to one terrific series.

Paige; hides out in Claudia's apartment taking drugs and drink until her money runs out, becomes a stripper then prostitute but kills her pimp with the skills her mother taught her when he abuses her and the other girls in his stable. She seeks out Henry and the pair set up home together, leading very ordinary and anonymous lives. Henry; struggles with the reality of what has happened but is aided by Stan, quits school and gets an ordinary job and is quite lost until Paige finds him, helping her and keeping her safe gives him purpose. Philip; splits with Elizabeth and quits the spy business, opens up a successful travel agency in Russia using his experience in the US. Hires a private detective to find his kids and is at least in contact with them by letter. Elizabeth; sides with the Gorbachev faction in Russia and continues to work as a spy. Approaches Philip for help and he agrees only if the FSB make a trade, getting the FBI to drop all charges against Paige so she has a clean slate. The family meet up Berlin, watching Checkpoint Charlie be dismantled, Elizabeth commenting that this is their true legacy. Years later the CIA approach them both to be spies against Putin and whilst Philip refuses at first he eventually relents in return for them being able to return to the US to live with Paige and Henry. Stan; serves out his time in the FBI and retires, finding his girlfriend is not KGB. He works in private security, lives near his son and writes his (heavily redacted) memoires. He helps Anholt and the CIA approach Elizabeth and Philip to be their agents. Oleg; Is released from custody as a gesture of reconciliation to the new regime and joins his father and family in the railroad business Claudia (the last spy runner): is locked up for her role in the abortive coup but is later released and becomes Putin's biggest fan. Martha; is allowed to come home, Anholt and the FBI interrogate her but decide she's not worth prosecuting. Becomes a care assistant at a retirement home.

Finn; "There he is, let's get him" Carisi; "Wait a second, he's giving the speech at his daughter's wedding, why don't we let him finish it and arrest him in private afterwards? I mean he could be innocent?" Finn; "Huh?"

I didn't like that, Pyg may be crazy but he had some nobility about him, killing the innocent homeless just makes him one more callous psycho. 'Noble cause' corruption, not taking Penguin's money to pay his bills. I miss James, I really liked Richard Kind and it was nice to see him as Mayor when he was the Mayor's assistant on Spin City for so long.

I thought that too but pretty sure this ep scraps the Sofia/Pyg alliance theory? Oh very good! There is no spoon! Also a soldier who served in the first Gulf War? 1. Nice to see Lucius back with actually something to do. Love the detail of the Gothamite who points out that the pigs are eating one of the dead homeless people in front of the GCPD but still keeps devouring his sandwich? 2. What does Jim stand still when Pyg drives off with Harper? Why doesn't he shoot the tyres out or circulate the description of the van? And when he confronts Pyg at the end why does he jump on the table, why doesn't he grab his gun, duck under the table and kneecap Pyg? A little absurd but check out the scene where Jim and Pyg struggle, he doesn't half resemble Hitler. 3. Note Oswald's little laugh when he realises he has to eat the human pie, considering the irony of what he did to his stepmother? Oswald really is the hero of the dinner nightmare, risking his own life to save Martine and Sofia. But doesn't he carry a gun or at least some deadly trick in his cane? 4. The end of 2 bromances, Jim/Harvey and Bruce/Alfred but Oswald and Martine bond? Extremely painful to watch both. Then again, is Martine on the level, after all we never know the upshot of his little chat with Sofia about what he was writing? 5. So Harper carries a backup knife? Why not a pistol? Also why don't they secure Jim with his own cuffs? Was pretty sure Penguin's lackey was going to say "I'm your friend' but he didn't.

Ties that Bind The Good; Xena deals with her daddy issues (I remember a great fanfic where Barney Stinson from HIMYM seduces Xena, Wonder Woman, Buffy etc by exploiting their daddy issues, strikes you how many superheroines have them?) , Gabby proves her worth both to Xena and the 'soiled dove' slave girls. Atreus is actually very plausible. The Bad; How come Xena never mentions her mother and 2 brothers? Also is Xena the only person in the ancient world to be called that? Recurring Characters; Ares Autolycus; 1 Charon; 1 Toxeus; 2 Ephiny; 1 Hades; 2 Ares; 2 Marcus; 2 Falafel; 2 Cyrene-1 Lila-2 Gabby's dad-1 Perdicas-1 Draco-1 Sisyphis-1 Maeleger; 1 Xena clichés; Village in peril, many skills and the pinch Doubles; 1 “I have many skills’; 2 10 years ago; 1 Dead Gabby suitors; 2 Dr Xena-7 Xena in bondage-2 Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-4 Gabby captured-7 Village in peril-4 Duel to settle things-2 The Pinch; 6 Xena animal skills; 2 Xena fire-breathing; 4 Kills; amazingly none. Xena; 14 Best quote; -Ares; "There's a reason I play the part of Atreus so well" Hmmmmm? Greek myths; Subtext; Personally I always believed Ares was Xena's father, it really is the only reasonable explanation for the facts we know. Some of the looks they trade suggest a little something GSA going on and they seem to be pushing Ares sexuality, lots of lounging about in bulging leather trousers. Notches on the Chakram; no but some obviously raped slavegirls. Xena; 1 Other; We see the old vengful fire in Xena's eyes and we see how necessary it is for her to have Gabrielle to temper her warlord instincts. An enjoyable ep all around, signalling the fact that Ares is to become a major character in the show. Rating; 7/10

You think of Joss Whedon's comments about a show giving the fans what they need rather than what they want?

You mean 'slashfic'? Not to mention no mobile phones (although CC had one in The Harvest?)

Well, he is in a sense, he does in the Wishverse. Does he ever do that? We only really see him in dark alleys and the Bronze? Buffy needed a love interest and if it wasn't Giles/Xander/Willow?

So she is 16 but this isn't her birthday, ah I see.

Why on earth do they not release Buffy on Blue Ray and get the cast to do commentaries? I never noticed that Snyder thing, was it deliberate or a happy accident?

S3 SMG fat? Only by Ally McBeal standards!

Totally fooled me, I thought she was genuine. Do you have a source or is that just your theory? I like that aspect as it shows how much he sacrificed for the sister he loves (like Buffy?) You can also catch her in Angel in a small role as a barmaid in an ep called 'The Prodigal' interestingly enough. The good; Real white knuckle stuff with Zoe and Kaylee on the garbage barge, Indy snatching his hat close. Also love a paralysed, terrified Jayne at Simon's mercy calling out 'Anybody there?" only for River to stick her head around the corner of the door, for such a little thing she can be extremely sinister ("When did your little sister become unbelievably scary?"). 2nd appearance for Saffron and when you see her turn up you just know it's going to be a good one, the interplay between her and Mal and the bitchy rivalry between her and Inara is delicious. The bad; Doesn't anyone notice a bloody great spaceship like Serenity screwing with the garbage? Best line; Saffron; (of Mal) "He's my husband" Mal; "Well who the hell in the galaxy ain't!?" plus Doren; (after Mal has explained they're here to steal his property but that Saffron lied to him) "I appreciate your honesty...not you know, a lot...but...." Packing heat; The whole plot revolves around 'The Lassiter', an antique laser pistol of untold value (check out Jayne's double take when he hears the name). We've seldom seen projectile energy weapons in the Fireflyverse, most people seem to still rely on lead. Noticeably the police on the core worlds seem to use some form of advanced stun guns whilst those on the outer planets stick with bullets. Inara with a gun, the first time we see her with one an elegant, delicate looking affair, maybe a Ruger.22? Kinky dinky; Naked Mal. Give Joss his due, whilst he has plenty of female nudity on his shows he makes sure there's plenty of male eye candy too (Spike, Angel, all the Actives in the Dollhouse showers). He frisks Saf-Brid-Yol commenting he's "never been there before'. Capt subtext; Inara's customer was able to provide sophisticated medical equipment at the drop of a hat which Simon uses to sew Mal's ear back on, if we do believe that Inara is sick, maybe this was all intended for her as part of her treatment? Inara accuses Mal of avoiding the core planets not through his hatred for the Alliance or wish to avoid law enforcement but because he's jealous of her clients and wants to stop her working. Inara resents Saffron so much because she recognises her as a fallen version of herself? Total Serenity crew; 9-Inara refers to 'our cut' and actually participates in the plan which is unusual for her (or at least she's the backup for when it inevitably all goes wrong). Simon and River inform Jayne they won't kill him for his betrayal because they consider him part of their crew. Knocked out; Jayne by an electric shock Women good/men bad; Even by his standards Jayne is amazingly crude to Simon and River, threatening to show then his 'man parts' and proclaiming that 'womenfolk ain't to be trusted'. Saffron leaving Mal naked in the desert is undoubtedly funny although would it have been acceptable to us if Mal had done the same to her? Fanfic; read an interesting one where Mal does leave Saffron naked in the desert. He returns a year later to find her running her own 'Heart of Gold' style brothel Happy high-class hookers in Space; Inara refers to her 'house mistress', presumably some form of high-ranking companion supervisor/tutor. She also refers to the Geisha dolls Mal has been smuggling, a similar profession to her own. Is she Mal's Geisha Doll? Mal calls Saffron a 'Dirty, dirty whore' as an insult, once again showing how his mind works. Saffron asks Doren if he regards her as his 'Princess in the tower', maybe suggesting she was a companion who made the mistake of becoming a kept woman as a couple of Inara's past clients have wanted of her. Alliance good or bad?; Mal actually shows real sympathy for Duren even though Saffron claims he's an Alliance war criminal, pronouncing him the one guy 'who don't have it coming'. Maybe Mal is starting to put the war behind him? (Or did his own share of looting which is how he afforded the Serenity?) Crew injured; Mal gets a bloody nose from Saf-Brid-Yol. Reminds me off; Inara's pistol is reminiscent of Princess Leia's in Star Wars. The police vehicles remind me of US Navy Viking ASW planes. The phonebox amongst Doren's collection may refer to Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Floating balloons on tethers as we saw in The Initiative and may refer to The Prisoner. One of the fences Mal suggests is called Ellison, again a famous sci-fi author. Questions and observations; All the mechanics on the Serenity seem to (literally) revolve around the one moving part, it's like the engine on the Beatles' Yellow Submarine or something. So what did happen to Heinrich the security guy? Saffron refers to a fence she has standing by on Prersephone to buy the Lassiter, does she mean Badger? Simon is noticeably dressing down now, no longer so dandy as he used to be (like Wes on Angel). Does River just sense Jayne's betrayal on Ariel or can she actually read his mind? Check out Kaylee's flowery cup, you just instinctively know it's hers. It seems to be you can now fix spinal damage with a simple injection. So, River tells Jayne that she can kill him with her mind? Does she mean by telling what she knows? Because she's so much smarter than him? Or does she mean literally, implying once again the supersoldier/Dark Phoenix from the X-men idea? Marks out of 10; 8 out of 10, an awful lot of fun to be had, as Mal says at the end, it's a good day. For me Firefly is very much hitting it's stride at this point.

Haunted The good; Terrific central concept, imagine waking and being told by your friend that you've died and then getting to attend your own funeral and find out what everyone thought of you. Some lovely scenes too with Topher and Sierra and the continued humanisation of Adele. The story of this ruptured family getting back together is actually very touching especially when the drunken brother reminisces about the first night he and his sister spent in the house together and how glad he was they made up, Gatsby and Nick style, just before she died. The bad; If Margaret and Adele were such good friends why doesn't Adele recognise Margaret's family? Exactly how did Margaret know that someone was attempting to murder her? The idea that her handwriting would be enough to prove that a note is genuine takes some swallowing. Best line; Adele; "Loneliness leads to nothing good, just detachment" which would have been comfort to Ballard who has rough sex with Mellie even though he knows she's a Doll. Mellie; "Are you looking for a Dollhouse client?" Ballard (haunted(!), looking at himself in the mirror) "I found one". Also like Margaret/Echo; "Elmo" Jocelyn; "EMO" Margaret/Echo; "That's not a word sweetie" (her entire character summed up in that sentence) Echo kissage;1 Echo/Margeret kissed by her son. Kinky dinky; Incestuous vibe between Margaret and her son, his 'mother's bed' line especially. When the son says that Margaret/Echo "Checked out his body" she doesn't deny it but claims it was 'subconsciously' and she'd had 'too much wine'. He also spies on her voyeuristically through the window knowing her nightime routine and she doesn't appear at all disturbed. Adele is also a voyeur, watching Topher and Sierra. Ballard's violent sex with Mellie borders on rape fantasy. She digs it but doesn't want it all the time (a common reaction amongst most people I think). Echo in jodhpurs and riding boots, MMMMMMMMMMMM! Margaret seems a cougar, using the Dollhouse for younger men before getting her own. Sierra seems to fantasise about 'Sexy, sexy aliens' is a she a GOT-fic/Monsters and Angels/Taboo Comics fan? Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost; does Topher have sex with Sierra? Possibly... Echo; 3 definite, 1 possible November; 1 Ballard; 1 Victor; 1 Adele; 1 Sierra 1 possible Topher; 1 possible How'd they get away with that? The nanny story is HORRIBLE! The son murders his mother plus the incestuous subtext. Even though it's all a game and she get's into it you feel for Mellie being treated so roughly by Ballard. Question is would he have stopped if she'd wanted him to? Addy is a bit British; Margaret says Adele would keep a 'Stiff back and stiff upper lip" Topher is a bit geeky; Huge geekfest right down to lasertag and classic sci-fi debate. Capt subtext; Topher fantasises about Adele and Margaret together. Margaret expresses her admiration for Echo's body and even gropes her breasts. Boyd warns of the collapse of civilisation. Ballard feels self loathing at having taken out his frustrations about the case by ravishing Mellie, even if she enjoyed it. Adele puts the mind of her old friend Margaret in Echo, the Doll she has developed an affection for. Adele indulges Topher his fantasy in the knowledge that she allowed herself her tryst with Victor. The sons jealousy of the mother's new young husband is pretty clear. Know the face? Gregg Henry played a Sheriff in Firefly (and every other show you've ever seen! Check him out on IMDb, 132 credits in 34 years) 6 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock, Gregg Henry Guantanamo; Rather sinisterly Sierra wants to interfere with the other sleeping Dolls and make them fight for each other's amusement. Her idea about having them perform comedy skits is a lot more reassuring. That the Dollhouse is able to remotely cyber-wipe the FBI computer is scary beyond belief. Missing scenes; Great scene where Adele and Echo/Margaret look at Margaret's body in the coffin and she complains she doesn't like the dress she's being buried in. Questions and observations; Adele is clearly dismayed at the thought of how people would remember her if she died, she's ashamed of the Dollhouse or just thinks people wouldn't understand? She states that 'Illusions aren't pointless. Note Topher doesn't just want a sex slave, the girl he creates for his birthday is sparky and challenging, beating him at lasertag. Call me a sap but I was really touched by the ending, despite all appearances to the contrary Margaret was loved by her brother and daughter and is able to tell them that she loved them in return from beyond the grave, the uncle and niece are reunited and are a loving family once again. Is Margaret really living on? The real Margaret died with her body, surely it's only a copy in Echo? It reminds me of Sheldon's question about the Star Trek transporter, are you really transported or does the real you die and a clone assembled at the other end? When Ballard looks up Novembers prints she seems to have multiple identities, her Dollhouse characters or was she some sort of identity thief? Is it really Eliza on the horse? Adele holds Margaret's hand as she is wiped, does she experience Margaret's life as well? Marks out of 10; 7/10

I actually think this one gets better on rewatch? You didn't like the storyline or you thought it was badly done? Yeah, Xander shines here although Willow's dream is my favourite. Our first sight of semi-nude Xander and he's awfully hunky for the school geek? For me BBB is the ultimate X-man ep Makes a change from the demons being attracted to him? Nightmares The Good; Giles' fear of not being able to read and Buffy dying are also excellent. Willow's stagefright and Cordy joining the chess club/bad hair brigade are utterly hilarious. It rather reminded me of the ep of Sabrina;TTW where Sabrina places a spell on her arch enemy Libby the haughty cheerleader turning her into a nerd only for Libby to become Queen of the nerds and start mocking the less clever. Semi-naked Nic Brendon who in the great comedy tradition wears embarrassing boxer shorts. Some great CGI giant wasps. The Joyce/Buffy scenes. The tough guy whose mum turns up at school (don't know who he is but he resembles a character from Grease?) The Bad; The scene with Buffy and her dad is just too cruel. Apart from that, not much. Best line; Almost Xander's; "Your balloon animals were pathetic!" But the winner is Joyce; "Your father loves you dear but no more than I do" Observations and questions; Xander suffers clourophobia (fear of clowns). He also fancies a teacher called Miss Tishler demonstrating his fondness for older women again. Willow says that there is marital tension in her house (and as we later learn in Xander's also). The Master says he met the last Slayer, did he kill her? Here we have confirmation that Buffy was born in 1981 and is 15 turning 16 in this ep (so shame on you if you fancied her up to this point ) This begins the long tradition of disastrous birthdays for Buffy. First appearance of Hank Summers in the show. The only time we'll ever see Buffy as a vamp but she's still Buffy. You wonder if this is because it's just a nightmare and she's not truly been sired or even if a Slayer becomes a vamp that they're not evil, they're still the Slayer? Great ep, 8 and half out of 10 again

Agreed, rewatching the third season now and I'm beginning to think it was when they introduced Rory who I CANNOT STAND! Other characters like Sugar, Lauren, Weird Hair Christian etc were likeable enough but Rory makes my skin crawl (and I AM Irish!)