The Morning After: Reap Some Cane, House Some War...

I thought House was exceptional. I was curious how they would handle the "departure" of, effectively, half the cast--and they did it extremely well. They handled the transition at the beginning, they left the door open for the prodigal team (Cameron, Chase, and Foreman) to return in another capacity, and they started the process of choosing the new set of teammates. This season's Wilson was great, a lot better than last season's (I thought) rather halfhearted Wilson.

And the janitor saying "it could be lupus"? Pure comedy gold. I laughed myself off the couch.

I had class... and Halo 3 came out yesterday. My mom liked Reaper though.

Best chapter of The War yet. The story of Babe Ciarlo was arresting and moving. The predictability of that story arc actually served to make the whole Anzio-Cassino segment all the more emotional.

I really, really wish that they were not playing episodes of The War night after night when the new season is previewing. Hmmmm, watch two new shows per evening or an installment of The War. The new shows win. Yes, I could record The War, but I have limited viewing time. Anything I record HAS to be important enough for me to make and take the time to go back, sit down and watch. I just don't have that much leisure time. Ohhhh to be paid to watch TV like James!!! The War would fare better in my house if it had come out off season. I watched the first night and part of the second night. I really want to see it, but the commitment is just too large.

I did DVR The Reaper. There were a couple of laugh out loud moments for me. It is an interesting show, but I'll have to see how it holds up long term as to whether or not it will become must see TV.

House's A plotline -- the "lying" and dying patient -- was a terrifically executed med-mystery story from a show that really, really knows what it's doing in that area. The B plot (or the A, I suppose, depending on your priorities), of House dealing with the loss of his team, was more spotty. Pluses: Great interplay with Wilson; clever and witty use of "Dr. Buffer" ("Lupus," indeed). Minuses: Cuddy was more grating than usual, but the big problem was the frustrating lack of suspense. Yes, new faces will appear (Paging Dr. Kal Penn...); yes, their reactions to their situation will be all over the place. And yes, the old team will be back -- as we're told from the get-go, in the opening credits that are unchanged from last year. Obviously our new era of Total Internet Awareness makes it hard for showrunners to pull off "surprise" cast switcheroos, but there's zero suspense to be had when the show itself insists that House's Cameron/Chase/Foreman deficiency is just a temporary ailment and nothing to worry about. The end result is the sense that House is narratively just running around in circles -- which is already true of most serialized TV, so there's no reason to accentuate the feeling.

I laughed more at Reaper than I have at all the half hour comedies this season (and last, come to think of it) combined. Loved the tone. Whether it can become another Buffy (ridiculously high standard to meet) remains to be seen, obviously. But I'm not sure it needs to do anything more than it does in the pilot. There's nothing wrong with just being a lot of fun.

That House was brilliant goes without saying.

As for Cane, how did it make it onto the schedule? Does Jimmy Smits have photographs of someone at CBS in a compromising position with a horse? Maybe there's a group out there hankering for a return to the simple, linear, wit-free, black-and-white morality TV of the 80s, but something this wooden would have been cancelled within 3 episodes even then, wouldn't it?

I didn't get to watch Reaper because Halo 3 came out, and as soon as he got home from work (9pm) my husband commandeered the tv (apparantly for the forseeable future). I'll check it out on iTunes, though, since everybody seems to really like it.

Bones had an interesting season premiere, for once David Boreanaz (sp?) totally stole every scene. The case with the serial killer didn't get resolved, I'm hoping that they continue with that for a couple weeks at least - but they did this last season, had a really promising case (2 Aliens in a Spaceship) with a serial kidnapper/killer that they never came back to. That is really the only disappointing thing to me about that show - I love the characters, dialogue, interaction, etc., but they could do so much more to carry ongoing storylines from week to week, rather than always being so mystery of the week.

Cane was outstanding. Cast & Story Outstanding. Can't wait until next week. Love the insight and references to Cuban Culture. Love seeing sense of family,love the conflict, and the sense of unity.

Loved NCIS, kept me watching the entire 60 minutes. The UNIT started right where the season ended, did a swell job of bringing you up to speed if you missed or forgot the last episode. The new series Cane is one of those wait and see. Very interesting plot line and characters. I liked it but I'm going to wait a couple more weeks before I make a final decision. On the fence right now.