The Good Wife 3×21 –”The Penalty Box:” I liked everything about this episode except the case of the week. Cary is FINALLY back at Lockhart/Gardner, and I’m really looking forward to seeing him and Alicia working the same side of the fence from now on. They had some stellar moments together in Season 1 that I think can be reproduced even now. And I was so happy to see Alicia offer Kalinda a seat next to her at the bar. I’ve been waiting the whole season for this moment. Too bad the episode ended right there instead of with them drinking together and talking. From what I hear, the scene picks up right from there next week, so there’s still hope.

Cougar Town 3×09 — “Money Becomes King”: This was not my favorite episode, but at least some things happened. Specifically, I like that Laurie is pursuing her dream in earnest. Maybe if she becomes a business success, that will earn some respect from Ellie. At the very least, it should give Busy Phillips something more to do than just flit in and out of Jules’ house in between walks of shame.

I also liked the house discussion between Grayson and Jules. It’s an important one to have, especially since they don’t want to be carrying two mortgages. I am totally on Grayson’s side for this one. As he pointed out, he’s always the one to compromise, so it’s Jules’ turn to give in on a big issue.

The Good Wife 3×20 –”Pants on Fire:” This was clearly a transitional episode, and though I understand the reason for having it here, that didn’t help me enjoy it. I thought this was rather boring overall, and didn’t have any truly gripping moments. I don’t really care about the constant Jackie/Alicia conflict. I mean, I think they occasionally have some funny moments when they’re trying to one-up each other, but otherwise I don’t see why Alicia lets that stuff consume so much of her time.

Although I personally don’t like the fact that Alicia is going to be at Peter’s side during his campaign, I think this move works within the context of the show. After all, it’s called The Good Wife, with the premise being a Clinton-like woman that sticks around despite numerous scandals. The show just wouldn’t be the same with Alicia completely divorced from Peter. In fact, a full divorce should only come (if at all) during the series finale.

NCIS 9×21– “Rekindled”: I liked this episode more for Tony’s backstory than for the actual case. I don’t care about that shady black ops group at all, so that part didn’t interest me in the least. But I liked learning that Tony saved a kid’s life while he was in college — an action that caused two people to become cops. That storyline played out well and allowed Tony to be serious and reflective instead of a goon for a change.

Cougar Town 3×08 — “Ways to be Wicked”: This episode was kind of “meh” for me. I liked that we saw where Ellie’s extreme meanness comes from, and I thought the bit with Laurie and her cakes was cute, but anything/everything involving Travis is just dumb. I don’t know if it’s the actor’s face or what, but I have never liked him and can’t bring myself to enjoy any of his storylines. Oh, well.

Castle 4×21 — “Headhunters”: I really, really liked this episode! I know it wasn’t typical Castle, but maybe the complete departure from form was necessary to shake things up a bit. I thought this was more fun and certainly more action-packed than any other episode in a long time, and despite the lack of Castle/Beckett interaction, the formula worked for me.

Slaughter was a great (albeit cliched) character. You can just tell he has fast food wrappers in his car, doesn’t change his clothes every day, and splashes on discount fragrance in lieu of taking a shower. Yet he’s effective in his own way and he does manage to get things done. I thought this was an excellent contrast to by-the-book Beckett. It showed that Castle and Beckett really are well-suited to each other, both temperamentally and otherwise. Castle wasn’t cut out for riding along with a guy like Slaughter; Beckett is definitely more of a match.

I guess nothing is going to move forward on the relationship front until the finale. Way to ignore the problem for an entire season. Ugh.