The CSI episode that aired on April 26 was called “Ending Happy” and marked yet another departure from the typical CSI formula. There was just one storyline throughout, but it played more like a comedy than anything else. Unfortunately, I don’t tune into CSI for laughs, so I didn’t like it at all. Nevertheless, I’ll still write a quick recap of what happened in episode 7×21.

“Ending Happy” opens with Grissom and Sara getting called to a brothel. A former prizefighter named Happy Morales has been found floating face-down in the pool, so the CSIs get to work trying to determine exactly what happened.

That task turns out to be more difficult than usual because Happy has a whole slew of injuries and ailments that could have contributed to his demise. These injuries become apparent when Happy is on Doc Robbins’s autopsy table, and include such things as blunt force trauma to the head, two holes in his throat from being shot by an arrow, anaphylaxis as a result of a shellfish allergy, and snake venom in his bloodstream.

It turns out that four different people in the brothel attempted to kill Happy via the means listed above, but none of those things actually caused his death. Instead, he drowned after falling into the pool due to a broken leg on the chair he was sitting in. So after getting confessions from all the suspects, Brass can’t even make an arrest because Happy drowned on his own.

My Reaction: For a show like CSI, I find that comedy works best when it comes in the form of throwaway lines or brief moments between the characters. So basing an entire episode on a comedic premise didn’t work for me at all. I was pretty bored throughout the whole thing and ended up reading emails and surfing the ‘net while the ep was still on.

I also wanted to say that I still get squicked out whenever I think of Sara and Grissom together as a couple. Therefore, when I heard them openly discussing sex, and how Sara makes Grissom happy, I nearly vomited then and there. Gawd, no more of that crap please!!!

The newest episode of Grey’s Anatomy was number 3×21, and it covered a lot of ground for once. It seems like several different storylines are moving forward at last. Although I didn’t agree with the all the things that happened in the ep, I did like it as a whole. Here’s my recap of “Desire”:

Mer/Der: These two didn’t interact very much together, but that was by design. Meredith was actually reaching out to Derek; however, he didn’t respond because he’s still struggling with his desire to be chief of Seattle Grace. I think he’s finally able to see Chief Webber’s point of view that it will be impossible to balance work and family if Derek assumed that role. Plus, Derek realizes that Meredith is perhaps a lot more screwed up than he initially thought. At the end of the ep, he makes this whole speech about being her crutch — and it really sounds like he’s ready to give up on them as a couple.

George/Izzie/Callie: I admit that when George and Izzie first slept with each other, I was disgusted that the writers decided to go in that direction. But now that these two characters have been interacting with each other more and more in the last few episodes, I have to say that they’re sort of growing on me. They just look like they’re so in tune to each other and are actually having fun together.

Of course, there’s still Callie to deal with. In this ep, she confesses to Addison that the way George and Izzie spend so much time together makes her uncomfortable. Addison says there’s probably a good reason she feels that way, which prompts Callie to come right out and confront Izzie. She basically begs Izzie to back off from George, saying that she wants her husband back. And just like that, Izzie decides to comply and give George the cold shoulder for the rest of the ep.

Cristina/Burke: Burke is pressing for Cristina to make a decision about the wedding cake, but Cristina keeps putting it off because she has a huge exam to study for. Plus, I’m not even sure why they need a cake when Cristina insisted that she just wanted to go in front of a Justice of the Peace with only Meredith and maybe Derek as witnesses. Anyway, Burke is patient as usual and Cristina finally chooses a red velvet cake.

Mark/Addison/Alex: Sloan reminds Addison of how many days they have left in their “60 days of no sex” agreement. He has actually been adhering to the terms of the agreement, which shows that he’s really serious about getting back together with Addison.

But Addison’s not as into it as Mark is, and that’s because she’s got Alex on her mind. In fact, she gets jealous when she sees Alex acting protective of Jane Doe when the woman undergoes a C-section, and gives vent to her jealousy by reprimanding Karev for getting to close to a patient (a la Izzie and Denny). Then, she realizes where her feelings are really coming from, so she kisses Alex, pushes him into the nearest empty room, and has sex with him.

Then later, Mark realizes that something’s going on between Addison and Alex, so he abruptly tells her that he’s broken the agreement and slept with someone else. This catches her off guard, so she goes looking for Alex. But he’s been talking to Jane Doe, who overheard Addison tell Callie that she likes Alex because he seems so “stable”. Apparently Alex doesn’t like that, because he ends up being a complete ass to Addison, telling her that she’s not his girlfriend and that he’s too busy to go out for a drink with her.

My Reaction: As I said, I liked this episode because of the forward progress in a lot of these storylines. It’s clear that the writers are setting up Addison’s big spin-off move, and I’m ok with that. I’m looking forward to watching the new show and hope Kate Walsh can pull it off. Furthermore, I’d like to see Meredith and Derek break up once and for all. They are a boring couple and the show would be much more interesting if each of them started pursuing other love interests.

I hate the way Callie’s once-strong character has turned into a groveling wimp. It doesn’t seem like she would actually beg Izzie to stay away from George. If this had happened a couple months ago, she would have been demanding things and giving out ultimatums. Still, I’m interested to see how long her marriage lasts.

Finally, it was nice that the writers once again showed the interns being interns and studying for an exam together. I’ve missed this group camaraderie, especially since they’ve pretty much paired off since Season One. More scenes like this, please!

After several weeks of monitoring my traffic stats, I’ve decided not to post any more recaps of House. This show is just not bringing the visitors that my other regular TV programs do, so it almost feels like a waste of time to blog about it at this point. Perhaps I’ll reconsider when I get caught up to the current season, but for now, I’m just going to watch the rest of Season One, as well as Seasons Two and Three without posting regular recaps (unless I come across a truly outstanding episode).

Thanks for understanding!

I had to TiVo the April 23 episode of 24 and I just got around to watching it this morning. Since I’m so late with this post, I’m just going to give my reaction instead of running through an entire recap. The episode was 6×19 and the action took place between 12:00am and 1:00am.

I can’t believe the writers went ahead and made Karen (of all people) fire Bill Buchanan from his post as CTU director! I think Bill is the most competent director they’ve had in the six years I’ve been watching the show, and I don’t understand why they’d fire him now — especially for something that happened off screen. I mean, if he’s gonna go, at least let him go out with a bang.

I haven’t been reading any gossip magazines or websites lately, so I don’t know if James Morrison (the actor) is leaving 24 or not. I hope this is just a temporary thing for the character and that he’ll be back once the current Chinese threat is resolved and CTU gets back to normal. Oh — Nadia is acting director now until Division sends over someone more qualified. Gah.

Jack’s plan to rescue Audrey and destroy the circuit board didn’t go over very well (how could it? There are still five hours left in the day!). He arranged to meet Cheng in an abandoned motel, got there early, and wired the place with C4, planning to blow the place as soon as Audrey was safe. But Doyle figured out where Jack would be and he arrived there before Cheng also and had to muck things up.

I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: when will CTU operatives learn to TJB (Trust Jack Bauer) and not go sticking their noses in his plans? He’s saved the U.S. countless times already. Why would any of his actions be questioned?

Anyway, by the end of the episode, Cheng escaped with the circuit board containing algorithms to Russia’s entire defense system. But hey, at least Audrey Raines is safe (albeit a bit twitchy and mentally disturbed).

There was more White House nonsense as well, but I haven’t cared about that stuff all season and still don’t.

Overall, this was an OK episode. I would have liked it a lot better if they hadn’t canned my beloved Bill Buchanan though…. He better be back at CTU before the day is over!