The Morning After: Lights, Please

I missed it? *Lip twitch*

And here I was watching Dirty Jobs. *Facedesk* Although I do love Mike Rowe, I would have forsaken him for one night for the granddaddy of all the Christmas cartoons.

Reaper was really good last night. I have been most impressed the last few weeks with Sock's character - that actor (like Ray Wise) totally owns his role. BTW: How the heck could Sam leave Sock in charge of the ashes? Bad idea, dude.

The story arc with the grandma coming around to realize that Ben is doing God's Work was totally predictable, but surprisingly satisfying nonetheless. I liked the talk between Sam and his Dad about how to wear girls down, and appreciated Sam's renewed efforts to woo Andi. However, the boy has a problem with follow-through (especially looking at the previews for next week). He seems to think that he has to either have Andi NOW, or wait FOREVER, when all he needs to realize is that she just needs a little time to come around. Ben should have been honest with Sam about what Andi told him. I couldn't suss out why he wouldn't tell Sam that very relevant bit of information while Sam was trying to make his mind up on such an important matter.

And on that note, I love Missy Peregrym, and think she is really good as Andi. I just wish that the writers would give her a little more to do than sit around and waffle and not know what she wants - I feel like they are kinda wasting her talent so far. She will be a freakin' awesome addition to the team whenever she finally finds out what they are doing. I know that Sam wants to protect her from being on The Devil's Radar (which will definitely be the name of my metal band, if I ever develop musical abilities and form one, or the name of my horror movie, if I ever get around to writing one. . .).

The side plot with Mimi (was that her name? The devil's insecure girlfriend, who I think was also the ho Captain Mal had sex with in Firefly) was also well-done. I laughed till I cried when the devil snapped his fingers and said that she got hit by a bus, and then acknowledged that he was just kidding. Put me very much in mind of Eddie Izzard's Ingleburt Humperdink skit (telling the audience that he had died, then repeatedly nodding and shaking his head in quick succession so nobody knew if it was true or not).

So do we think that girl is the devil's daughter 4realz?

@shara: Insecure girlfriend was both Firefly ho and Julie Cooper from The O.C.

I'm sorry that "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is broadcast so early. It's so hard to find it listed each season, and if you can't, that's it for the year.

What, no discussion of the Booth-Bones kiss?!?

Seriously, I loved the tweak of this supposed "watershed" moment - Bones FINALLY kissing Booth. For those who missed it, Bones was blackmailed into kissing Booth under the mistletoe by Caroline (the U.S. Attorney on the show) in exchange for Caroline signing off on a family Christmas for Bones' family (her dad and brother are in jail).

So, while there was CLEAR sparks for their "5 steamboat" kiss, the set up was an artifice, and both Bones and Booth tried to downplay its significance, arguably rationalizing away/in denial about any emotions it might have served.

Pretty inspired way of addressing the "Moonlighting" will-they-or-won't-they problem, if you ask me...at least in regards to the first kiss. It gave the audience something they wanted, without ruining the sexual tension (if anything, it heightened it)

@ Chaddog:

OMG!!!! BOOTH AND BONES KISS!!!!!!! I had saved the episode to watch 2nite, because I missed last week's episode and wanted to watch them both together at my leisure. I am now so very excited!!!!! Thanks for the heads-up

Dude. Bones has really picked up this season. For some reason I wasn't all into it for the first few episodes, but the last several have been really good. Bones always does Christmas very well. Last night's episode was awesome in so many ways. First, the Singing Santas fussing at the Killer Santa when he got caught. And the shrink convincing Bones that it was OK for kids to experience the 'magic' of Christmas. And the family Christmas in the Big House, the sweet blackmailed kiss, and Booth and Parker with the Christmas tree in the snow.

Agree with Chaddog that the relationship angle is being handled really well. We have gotten a believable sense of them growing together as people over time, as they developed respect and affection for each other so gradually that now they're kinda surprised that it's there, but it seems so close to being comfortable. The actors play that so well.

Charlie Brown has already aired?! It's not even December yet! What is wrong with these people?

I hope they rebroadcast it closer to Christmas. Otherwise, I'll have to steal my mother's old VHS copy.