Joe Hellandback

You couldn't have just another village which needed saving every week, variety was sometimes a good thing Actually if you're a pacifist having a Demi-Goddess girlfriend/bodyguard is a pretty sensible thing.

1. Rather love the Zsaz/Penguin dynamic, full of great little moments such as Victor's pride at solving the riddle (who would put that in a children's book?), check out Oswald's little look to him at that point. 2. Did they have to kill off the Riddlerette? (clever how they introduced her, you think it's Selina or Tabitha and then maybe the new Ivy at first). Love Ed's answer of a "Zebra with a gaping hole in it', shows how his mind works. 3. So, Barbara and Raz, she sure can pick them, nicely defies expectations that he's not mad with her but actually very proud. But did we have to have the 'when I bathed you in the Lazarus pit' exposition line? 4. No Tabitha this week and very little Harvey, find it a little painful to see Bruce and Selina fall out 5. Very Miami Vice feel (lame Colin Farrell movie version) to Jim and Sophia who is very clearly poisoning her dad, Mario was obviously the very best of this screwed up family. So pretty much a holding ep, not that great although we'll see how intellectually challenged Ed copes, his brainpower always his defining characteristic.

Rather than eps I'd like to see here are a few scenes I'd really like to see; Defence solicitor (Nic Brendon/Michael Biehn/Thomas Gibson?); "Lieutenant Benson, you have testified here that you are an expert on sex crimes, is that correct?" Benson; "Yes" "How many innocent people have you convicted in your career?" "Errrr?" "The answer is at least 5, isn't it?" "If you say so" "How many innocent people have you charged and brought to court?" "Ummm?" "The answers is dozens, isn't it?" "Probably" "How many innocent people have you arrested?" "I don't know" "But it would run into the hundreds, yes?" "I'd think so" "So what makes you think you're an expert on anything?"

1. The SVU are asked to review the investigation by another jurisdiction's sex crime unit which is investigating a long dead politician after being accused of ignoring allegations against him when he was alive. However as they delve deeper into the accuser's stories and fail to find accomplices or physical evidence they begin to have their doubts. But having announced the investigation in a blaze of publicity and spent millions on it the high command are loathe to admit they are wrong and are desperately trying to find anyone to convict. 2. A rape allegation against a notorious Mafioso results in a turf war between the SVU and the FBI who want to use the charges to flip him as an informant. However when it is discovered the victim's father was murdered by the Mafia the SVU begin to wonder if this was a set up for revenge? 3. The SVU work with IA to investigate a precinct which failed to investigate missing teenagers from a children's home who were then subjected to rape and underage prostitution. However the police union argue that the priority should be victims who want help which the missing kids reject and if every case was investigated thoroughly there would be no time for anything else. As Carisi goes undercover in the precinct he begins to share their point of view. 4. An expert witness is targeted by a hate campaign for his testimony, which of the previous victim's he discredited is responsible? 5. A recently renovated block of flats causes tension in a community who accuse it of gentrifying the area at the cost of the local people. However things take a more sinister turn when a series of residents are raped in their homes, the suspect seemingly able to penetrate the building's state of the art security system at will. But does the threat come from the inside or without? 6. The vital witness in a rape investigation turns out to already be in the witness protection programme, how does Stone use him at trial without getting him killed or kicked out of the programme? 7. A victim of a fentanyl overdose claims she was raped and then forcibly injected by her rapist to kill her. The SVU explore the possibility that a serial killer/rapist is targeting the members of Narcotics Anonymous and murdering them by staging fake overdoses. 8. An online guide for paedophiles is published outlining grooming tactics, legal loopholes they can exploit, how to avoid police entrapment and identifying members of the SVU complete with their pictures. As Stone attempts to have it banned the question arises where does freedom of speech end and conspiracy to commit crime begin?

1. The scene with Lee in the bloody bath, dear lord! How did they get away with that? Not a fan of their relationship but that was truly shocking. 2. So Bruce gets his suit, following the idea of Batman Begins that Batman's toys are Wayne Enterprises military prototypes. 3. Poor Ivy, she just so wants to belong. 4. So Barbara is back, as Debbie Harry apparently. Don't buy her story, I think Dr Bashir resurrected her and backs her. Love the Babs/Tabby/Selina triangle. 5. Quick thinking from Bruce as to why he was on the roof, impressive. 6. The way to overcome fear is to become that fear, maybe laying the ground for the Joker once more. 7. Mutiny in the GCPD, interesting to see where this goes.

I thought that was Batwoman, not Catwoman? Which version?

Great, we in the UK can catch up a little.

Ah but there could be additional factors, he didn't have his cellphone and he thought the kid was heading home.

1. A toddler is reported missing and the last man to be seen with her is brought in as a suspect. When the child is later found drowned in a nearby pond he is charged with reckless endangerment for not taking her back to her parents and just leaving her on the road but claims in his defence he was terrified that people would think he was trying to abduct her. Both the nation and the SVU team are split down gender lines, women thinking his excuse is ridiculous but men understanding his viewpoint in the current climate. 2. A hidden camera is found in an athletics hall capturing teenage couples who sneak in there to have sex. The camera is traced to an athletics coach but he claims he never watched the footage and it was to prevent false accusations against him whilst working with students. Meanwhile the camera tapes reveal a young girl in what appears to be an abusive relationship with her boyfriend but both consider themselves to simply be in a tempestuous love affair, the girl having previously been a self harmer. 3. An elderly billionaire industrialist is named as a sexual abuser by multiple accusers. However his family claim he is suffering from dementia and is unfit to stand trial, hiring private detectives (Chester Lake? Monique Jeffries?) to delve into the background of the complainants. Is the suspect faking to avoid prosecution or is he the victim of fraudsters wanting to sue a rich man who can no longer defend himself?

Love this series, my favourite of the moment, watched this ep 3 times! 1. Mike Buscemi! Knew he looked familiar and when you saw the name in the credits you instantly knew who he was. Very much a successful actor in his own right and a busy, busy boy according to IMDB. 2. Tabitha and Selina, the tabby and the kitty. So they're girlfriends and partners but are they 'girlfriends and partners' as Tabitha and Barbara were? I like to think so and I'm sure there's plenty of slashfic on the matter. Love the dynamic between them and Ivy, the green eyed monster rearing its' head (remember Ivy is still just a little kid in a hot woman's body) . Camren gets more beautiful with every episode and Jessica Lucas is the sexiest woman on TV. 3. So now we have the Scarecrow? Feel sorry for Jonathon, he may be a monster but he was also the victim in all this. I'd love to see the effect of his serum on various characters, what does Tabitha fear (Theo Galavan?). What does Selina fear? 4. The crime licence seems a bit hokey but seems to make sense, someone should write a books on 'Thuganomics'. It rather reminds me of the Angel ep 'The Thin Dead Line', choosing to allow more normal violent crime rather than have 'benevolent oppression'. 5. No more Mayor James? Awww, I really liked Richard Kind in this role, I think one of most appealing things about Gotham is that it makes you genuinely care about people who are essentially despicable (very Jim light ep). I hope we see him again. 6. So Bruce is now the proto Batman? My theory was always that it was his clone who was working the streets. 7. David seems to be getting very tall, if (fingers crossed) we get a season 5 he should hit the gym so he looks like the more muscular Batman of the modern comics. 8. Zsasz always gave me the creeps and I was surprised to see him flirt with Tabitha, he always struck me as somewhat asexual. The ring gag is funny though and like a bit of Rick Astley. A week seems a long time to wait for the next ep!

Fellow Brit, huh? I had given up on Channel 5 ever showing the rest of the series despite the fact that it was a major hit for them, I figure they'd spent their budget on Will&Grace.

1. Stone is contacted by Internal Affairs to work with them after they receive credible information that a New York SVU detective is sabotaging investigations for $50,000 a pop. He goes undercover for them and get's to know the members of the unit better, with some surprising revelations about their private lives. 2. A series of rapes against poor, African-American women is complicated by a copycat who targets rich white girls using the same MO and signature. When the copycat is brought to trial he claims he was motivated by a desire to show how differently the police/criminal justice system/media/society treat people due to their race, class, attractiveness etc 3. The latest internet craze is the '$15,000 slut challenge'. A website publishes a location and some cryptic clues about the identity of a person at the scene, if a contestant has sex with the right person they win the cash reward ($5000 for oral, another $5000 for vaginal, another $5000 for anal). The SVU is deluged with claims of rape from contestants who had sex with wrong person (guys flooding the area pretending to be the target in the hope of getting lucky) whilst Stone struggles in court to have the site shut down as a form of prostitution.

I can't recall the name of the episode but it was where the vigilante was killing those he thought hypocritical including a newspaper editor murdered in her hot tub who campaigned against cannabis but had her own plants growing in her backyard. Reid looks at a rape statement and is able to conclude it is false within 30 seconds. A lot of the time the BAU actually point the investigation in the wrong direction and people get killed, we see it in real life like the DC Sniper the FBI comes into huge criticism but that never seems to happen on the show, they should be held more accountable.

Things I've learnt from watching Criminal Minds; 1. The FBI can seemingly access every and all computer systems in the world and do so instantly without the need for a warrant from a judge that should be a legal requirement. 2. Every small town police department in America has it's own SWAT that it can deploy instantly upon FBI request. 3. Furthermore that SWAT team will allow the BAU to accompany them into danger rather than tell them to sit to one side and wait. 4. Dr Reid can instantly differentiate between a real and fake rape statement, if he really can this would be an invaluable skill to every police force in the world (it would certainly save Olivia Benson no end of trouble). 5. Small time police departments will always welcome teams of outside law enforcement with open arms/hero worship rather than resent them as a comment on them not being able to cope with the cases themselves. 6. An amazing number of serial killers will be incredibly intelligent, computer literate, well-funded and prepared. But can't shoot for toffee. 7. The BAU will never be held to account for the numerous mistakes they make during investigations even if they cause people's deaths. They will also hardly ever be expected to testify in court. 8. Criminal Profiling has a 100% success rate when in reality it has been largely discredited and police prefer geographical profiling instead; https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/sep/14/psychological-profile-behavioural-psychology

Seconded, started watching CI because of all the Buffy alumni who turned up (MT especially impressive as the killer of Reid's girlfriend, Dawn goes EVIL!), love to see Nic back, he seems to be doing a lot better theses days. You wonder if he and Thomas Gibson were drinking buddies?

Okay, nice to see the Buffyverse continue, I think a dozen more issues and the comics will have actually more editions than the shows had episodes. Are they still going ahead with a new series of Buffy books?

What's the story on the Buffy comics? I heard that the season 11 were going to be the last? Is that it or are we still going to have Buffy the High School Years and Specials like Giles? What about the Angel comics?

I don't think so, he was the core of the group and always tried to do the right thing despite lacking superpowers (his conversation with Dawn in Potential alone demonstrates that.

1. A hit new TV comedy features a womanising character who blatantly lies to and manipulates women in order to have sex with them (think Barney Stinson, Joey Tribbiani, Sam Malone, Charlie Harper). He becomes a cult icon and a wave of copycat frat boys lead to sex crime allegations. Should the SVU join in the wave of protests trying to get the network to censor the show? Especially as Stone is a fan of it? 2. The team work with the ATF as a series of bomb attacks target forensic labs, rape crisis centres and victim support groups. Is it an ideological terrorist, a vengeful rapist or is someone trying to hide a wider agenda by laying a false trail? Meanwhile the SVU has to cope with the fallout from victims whose cases are having to be discontinued because the evidence is destroyed and appeals from convicted prisoners whose forensics can no longer be used against them at court. 3. ISIS/Boko Haram publish videos that appear to show American teenage girls being snatched off the streets of New York and sold in slave auctions in Africa/Syria. Outrage and hysteria sweep the city and when alleged escapees from the gang turns up the FBI work with the SVU to try to find out if this is real or an elaborate hoax? 4. A 'gentleman rapist' starts raping shut-in women, agoraphobics who cannot bear to leave their flats, thinking he is doing them a favour. When the case comes to court he claims he gave them the choice of fleeing or staying with him for sex, therefore giving implied consent. 5. A school mass-shooting rocks New York, the SVU team asked to help out the investigation using their expertise at interviewing traumatised victims. However when the school is cleared and a gun and suspect's clothing found hidden the SVU begin to wonder if one of their witnesses might actually be killer?

I pronounce you legend-wait for it-dary!

Don't wake my friend, he's dead tired.

Yeah, the essential thing about Kennedy was that she wasn't Tara, it would have been very easy for them to have cast a carbon copy replacement but they went in a different direction. Kennedy is a good character, she saves Faith and is the best leader amongst the potentials but I don't think people had time to warm to her.

Never quite sure about Parker, is he a sleaze or does he just not see Buffy as a long term girl and she goes all Bunny boiler and hits him over the head with a branch when he tries to apologise to her? Love Kathy, the actress turns up in a very similar role in DH and it explains why Buffy had such problems with Sunday if Kathy was sucking her soul.

Personally I thought Alexis killed it as evil Wesley, it showed what great range he had as actor, J August is pretty good in that one too. Fred never grew on me, she was that stock Whedon character the adorable female nerd who you see time and again in his works, Illyria was more interesting. Holtz is great, you know he's justified in his vengeance and I like his relationship with Justine (originally supposed to be Kate but she changed her identity and became a lesbian DA in New York instead).

You know, I sometimes wonder why we keep watching this show, it seems to annoy so many of us? Good; I'm going to go against the grain here and say I rather liked this one. It started off one way but then went another, it was largely a courtroom drama rather than a cop action show which was refreshing. For the first time in ages we had a genuine ethical dilemma and you don't know who's right or wrong, nor does everyone agree what's the right thing to do, especially liked Finn's hard as nails 'dead is dead'. A little cheesy that it's Olivia who has to find the injured girl and make the last second run to stop the chopper but actually a good scene, she's normally so self-righteous but here she genuinely wonders what the right thing to do is and we're right there with her, even the girl's parents aren't sure. Rather surprised the defence don't put her on the stand and try to make the jury see that even she had doubts. We also have Stone vs Olivia at the end and this can only be a good thing, personally I side with Stone as he's correct, you have to make an example of this Doctor however heartrending. Thought they were going to ruin it in the end when they go through her financial records and find something Stone 'needs to see' (how many times in SVU is the villain revealed to be a greedy Doctor who everybody previously admired?) but they resisted the temptation. The one question they should have asked her is did she consent to her son's organs being harvested? Bad; No one thought to search the community centre BEFORE they start thinking of kidnapping? To make sure she hadn't collapsed in the locker room from meningitis or whatever? When will they learn to separate witnesses up so they don't intimidate/influence one another? Carisi and Rollins are so taken with the story of the bike guy that they split up and don't even handcuff him? What if he's lying, he's the kidnapper and jumps Amanda (who doesn't even have her gun out) once she's separated from Carisi? Or search his flat properly in case he has her stashed somewhere? I realise it's for dramatic purposes but do we really believe the hospital will phone the SVU to tell them the kid in Buffalo died? Does Stone eat dinner in that same bar every night? Doesn't he own a stove? Also surely these 31 dead kids would have saved more than 31 donor recipients, you only have 31 hearts but you have 62 kidneys, 62 lungs etc and you can get by just fine with 1. 8/10