Over the past couple of days, I’ve previewed the upcoming new dramas for both ABC and CBS. Today, it’s time to look at The CW. I’ve always been a fan of the upstart network, though I thought last year’s slate of new shows left a great deal to be desired. Of the five that premiered, only Arrow and The Carrie Diaries survived. This year’s offerings, however, look much better. Of the five new shows that survived The CW’s development process, there’s only one or two that probably won’t find a place on my DVR.

There is one big question about The CW’s schedule: Where are they going to fit all these shows? They’ve got fourteen hour-long shows on the scheduled, compared to twelve last year. Nikita is already announced to have a shortened final season — much as Gossip Girl did last year — but I think considering the network’s shorter primetime window, that some of these new shows might only see thirteen episode seasons.

I just hope it’s not one of the ones I really like.

The Hundred (Midseason)

The CW has been looking for something for the Hunger Games demographic to latch onto for a couple of seasons now, and I believe they’ve found a good one in The Hundred. Count this on my list of shows I most like that are scheduled for midseason. In a dystopian future, what is left of humanity circles the nuclear ravaged planet on a large space station with dwindling resources. Because the adults don’t want to risk their lives on an expedition to the surface to see if it inhabitable, they send 100 juvenile delinquents to do the job for them. I really liked the dynamic between in the stories with the kids on the planet — especially Eliza Taylor (Neighbours) – and the adults on the station, including Henry Ian Cusick (Lost), Paige Turco (Person of Interest) and Isaiah Washington (Grey’s Anatomy)

Verdict: May the odds be ever in The 100’s favor.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: As I see it yes.

The Originals (Tuesdays 8:00PM)

If you like The Vampire Diaries, you’re probably going to enjoy its spinoff. I’m actually marathoning TVD this summer, and am enjoying it quite a bit more than expected. I screened The Originals before I started on that marathon, so I suspect I’ll like it quite a bit more when I get to it again as it aired as a part of TVD‘s latest season. The original has done quite well building a niche audience on the CW, and I suspect the spinoff will do just as well.

Verdict: I’m much more likely to watch now that I’m enjoying The Vampire Diaries this summer.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: Signs point to yes.

Reign (Thursdays 9:00PM)

Considering how deep the CW into genre programming with the other four pilots they ordered this season, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to scratching my head at Reign. There’s a big part of me that wants to call the show an attempt at Game of Thrones-lite, but I think that would be a little unfair. Fellow Clacker Deb apparently really liked it, and I think the CW is an excellent fit for the show. I would have never thought we’d find a show about Mary, Queen of Scots that was targeted at the 90210 crowd, but Reign pulls it off.

Verdict: Sorry, just not my thing.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: Cannot predict now.

Star-Crossed (Midseason)

The CW has tried twice in two years to build a show around former Friday Night Lighter-er Aimee Teegarden – her pilot last year the Selection didn’t get picked up – but I’m not sure Star-Crossed is going to be the hit they are looking for. It seems like half of the things on The CW started off as stories about star-crossed lovers; I’m not sure the network can sustain the weight of another. Star-crossed’s most interesting plot line wasn’t Teegarden’s Emery and her boyfriend Roman, but the treatment of the group of alien “teenagers” selected to be integrated into a red-state high school.

Verdict: If something special happens in the first couple of episodes, the show feels like it isn’t Roswell enough.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: I don’t think so.

The Tomorrow People (Wednesdays 9:00PM)

Since the Upfronts, The Tomorrow People has been one of the most buzzed about pilots out here, and it lives up to the hype. The cast is solid, though I think the CW might be relying just a little too heavily on the Amell family for their programming – Robbie is the lead here and his cousin stars as Oliver Queen on Arrow. I’ve never experienced the original British show, so I can’t make those comparisons … but the remake is very good. Amell does a solid job, I’ve been a fan of Peyton List for several years now and you can always count on Mark Pellegrino to always bring the goods.

Verdict: I’m sold. Big time.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: It is decidedly so.

The obsession with celebrity is nothing new, much like most things art likes to talk about. It is quite the same thing for the travails of disaffected youth, although there is a bit more of that in more wealthy countries — it becomes a parallel to the classic hero’s quest, the search for meaning by those that already have everything they need to survive. But one thing that has become particularly prevalent in recent years is the concept of someone “being famous for being famous,” a circular death spiral feeding on itself like the legendary Ouroboros. They become famous by virtue of association with others famous for talent or deed. And yet, media attention on the rich and beautiful has really always been around in one form or another, at least as far back as “media” goes. Think of the scandal sheets of the early 20th century or the gossip mongers of centuries even earlier. Nowadays it’s just easier for more people to be reached and think “you know, that could be me!” After all, they didn’t do anything — they just became famous, which isn’t entirely accurate. It’s a careful model followed by the rich wannabes seeking the spotlight. Is it any wonder that the impressionable youth wants in?

The Bling Ring is a film from Sofia Coppola, based on the real life events chronicled in the Vanity Fair article “The Suspects Wore Louboutins” by Nancy Jo Sales, about a group of teenagers that robbed the homes of some of these rich folk. The movie mostly follows the perspective of the new kid in town, Marc (Israel Broussard), who acts as the catalyst to really get things going, but only because he is befriended by Rebecca (Katie Chang) who’s already a delinquent. Soon enough they discover that Paris Hilton (famous for having rich parents which she parlayed into a sex tape and a vapid reality show) will be out of town for a party, so they break into her home and steal things, because who would notice anything missing? A fair point. But then their friends get on board, including Nicki (Emma Watson) who is charismatic, amoral, and artificial (she’s also home schooled by her mother, played by Leslie Mann — terribly though). The robberies get more frequent and more blatant, moving on from such luminaries as Audrina Patridge (famous for being rich and having a vapid reality show) to legitimate actors like Rachel Bilson and Orlando Bloom. But we know these kids will get caught — it’s in the opening few seconds of the movie, after all — the question is when and how… and whether or not anyone’s learned anything.

The movie is shot beautifully and truly draws you into the dangerous crimes these kids are performing, with one particular external tracking shot that was luminous and entrancing. Nobody slouches here in terms of acting, although Emma Watson is excellent as the terrible person she portrays, while Katie Chang is great as the off-putting but persuasive schemer and Israel Broussard is decent as the lone voice of reason who’s constantly going along with it anyway.  But despite looking amazing and having great acting, the movie fails to really say anything important. None of these characters are particularly worth investing in emotionally, because they’re all barely thinking about consequences and don’t really care about hurting people (even the rich ones that can recover easily). There are few very tense scenes that work suspensefully, and a few laughs here and there. But ultimately it seems as lightweight and uncaring as the kids it’s purporting to talk about. Sure, celebrity obsession can be dangerous, leading in real ways to criminal and dangerous acts, and yes, young men can be stupid.

Perhaps the movie is constrained by the subject matter — we know what will happen in the end, so there can be no true tension. And yet, films based in reality like Argo managed to pull it off — so maybe that wasn’t the point. Maybe the point is that there is no point, and our culture is broken and poisoned, even more so than in ages past. But I don’t think so — context is everything, and nothing exists in a vacuum. Particular acts against the moneyed nobility (celebrities) are always responded to with overwhelming force, more so than is warranted. Money has always entranced those without it (they want it) and those with it (they want more). Perhaps we shouldn’t be so shocked or saddened when things like this happen; maybe we can actually figure our priorities out. Or you know, watch a movie or something.

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After six seasons, The CW’s Gossip Girl took its final bow (and not a moment too soon), and now you can own the final season or the complete series on DVD February 12. Also on home video this week are the final season of Weeds and last season’s Nurse Jackie. More reality shows hitting DVD include Storage Wars and Toddlers & Tiaras, and classic TV like The Hardy Boys, Bonanza, Matlock and Family Matters. For the kids, we’ve got Duck Dodgers, Big Bad Beetleborgs, Babar and more! Have a look at our shopper’s guide for these and more, and click on a link to make a purchase or to get more information.

I love ION TV’s Holiday romantic comedies. Despite my cold, cynical, Grinch-like heart, I love Christmas; girly, quirky romantic comedies and films that combine both into one. I’ve always loved ION’s family friendly programming and each year I gather around the TV to catch its romantic comedies. This year, I was lucky enough to preview ION’s December 2012 romantic comedies offering cheesy, quirky, vicarious fun with a dash of hope.

I have to hand it to ION for picking films, Golden Christmas 3 and Anything But Christmas, that highlight the realistic over the idealistic. A perfect, chiseled white knight is fun; but, that isn’t what happens in actuality. Despite the Cinderella fairytales on TV, relationships aren’t meant to be easy. This year, I felt ION focused less on making ‘holiday romantic comedies’ but on romantic comedies that happened to occur on the holidays. I think that’s a good focus. Forcing the holiday theme where it doesn’t work isn’t necessary. I’d rather have a strong, relatable script.

My favorites, A Star for Christmas, Anything but Christmas, and A Golden Christmas 3, featured what you’d expect — good-looking, almost-shirtless men with adorable, down-on-their-luck heroines. However, even more than that they featured realistic relationships. I typically hate rom-coms that feature 24-hour romances that end in magical proposals. Luckily, SC, AC and GC3 didn’t do that. Maybe this year’s flicks weren’t as high on production values as previous years; but, I’d rather see the network invest in films with strong casts and strong scripts than high production values with poor casts and weak scripts. I particularly respect ION for casting established actors who might’ve fallen off the recent pop culture radar like Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) and Catherine Hicks (Seventh Heaven).

Below find my mini-reviews of new and old favorites.

Reviewing New Favorites

A Star for Christmas was my favorite ION holiday flick this season. It’s exactly what you’d expect of a holiday romantic comedy – it’s cuddly, light-hearted, deliberately cheesey, and features a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. A Star for Christmas follows ordinary cupcake bakery owner Cassie (Briana Evigan) — the type of girl who allows everyone to take advantage of her. She shares her dog with her douchey ex-boyfriend. She lets her out-of-work younger brother live in her house for free. Her best friend/employee leaves her high and dry during her busy season. PLUS, despite believing in her business, she refuses to market it, take extra orders or charge what her products are worth. She charges 7.95 for a dozen cupcakes (CHEAP!), doesn’t charge her customers for bonus cupcakes, and allows them to sample entire cupcakes without paying (REALLY?). Enter Alex Cross (Corey Sevier), a mega superstar, who pretends he’s ordinary guy AJ to help her with the business.

Considering I basically wore my hair in a ponytail with messy bangs for a month, I totally identified with the heroine. Plus, I love baking, bakeries, and cupcakeries. I spent a couple weeks volunteering at Zoe’s Cupcake Café in NJ, until my schedule became insane, so the cupcake plot definitely drew me. I enjoyed Corey Sevier as the male lead. While he did a better job playing AJ, the relatable handyman guy next door, than as Alex Cross, the Will Smith-esque superstar, he had great chemistry with Briana. Brooke Burns’ character surprised me. I expected the stereotypical bitchy ex-girlfriend, but instead they made her an assertive, business-oriented character. Despite their surface differences, both of Alex’s love interests (past and present) shared similarities through their desire to help others.

Lest you believe the show is too saccharine sweet, it featured a couple tongue-in-cheek moments, where the writer(s) mocked standard rom-com tropes. There’s an awesome stand-off between Cassie’s two potential love interests that turns comically homoerotic. If you aren’t into holiday romantic comedies, this isn’t for you. Yes, the music sounds incredibly canned. Yes, the puppy is adorable, but probably isn’t sanitary for a cupcakery kitchen. But if you love the holidays and girly films, this is the one that you want to watch.

Anything But Christmas is my second favorite for this year, premiering Sunday, December 9, 7/6c. Widow Grace (Elaine Hendrix) raised her 10-year-old son alone while volunteering in the community, serving as her extended family’s backbone, and nursing her departed husband’s memory. She’s essentially superwoman. In contrast, her boyfriend John (Sergio Di Zio), an unemployed writer, is the ordinary guy next door who her family members hate.

This film does a great job of handling familial fractures and the pressures of pretending perfection during the allegedly ideal holiday. While Anything But Christmas realistically circles the difficulty of one couple connecting, despite multiple roadblocks, familial love (between two people and their community) was the true plot. While watching the film, I felt sorry for the Grace character. Her family members overtly relied on her and expected her to serve as a symbol of the strong independent woman or the strong widowed wife or the strong widowed wife of an army hero. While John is the average guy — selfish, secretive and cowardly — he’s what she needs. He fills in the little cracks of her life and doesn’t allow her to push herself until her engine runs dry. He forces her to look at reality while others allow her to play in unreality. Although her inner circle loves her, they encourage her desire to maintain an impossible ideal for herself without noticing the internal ruptures she experiences trying to perform the facade.

Each actor played their part incredibly well. Christopher Lloyd chewed up the screen as the emotionless, hollowed out father. Sean Michael Kyer, the adorable actor you see everywhere, played the precocious child here. Sergio Di Zio’s emotional vulnerability wooed me while Elaine Hendrix did an excellent job with her character. Through this film we learn love, family and heroism are all about sacrifice and doing anything for your loved ones, including Christmas.

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Watching Gossip Girl has been a guilty pleasure of mine for some time now. I mean, let’s face it: a thirtysomething single hetrosexual male probably isn’t their demographic. Despite that disconnect, I’ve watched every episode covering the exploits of our (my?) favorite Upper-East-Siders for five solid seasons now. Unfortunately, in the show’s sixth and final season, something has happened, and what we’re seeing on the screen is just plain bad.

I get that there are many that would argue that the show has been “plain bad” for a while now – like since the first episode. The show has been defined by unbelievable plot twists and turns – and not “unbelievable” in a good way – and has seen characters flipping personalities at the drop of a hat. But I’m not a fan because of the show’s well-thought out season long arcs, but because I like the way the dialogue is written. To call it smart and rapid-fire and compare it to Aaron Sorkin or Amy Sherman-Palladino is probably a stretch — and insult an insult to those wordsmiths — but the character’s of Gossip Girl have always had a very unique way of speaking. Plus, the show is as full of pop-culture (and New York City) references as much of what Sorkin and AS-P have written in the past. I appreciate a show that makes you think about what the characters are actually saying.

But this sixth season has been nearly insulting to watch. The character flip-flopping and changing personalities that fans have come to tolerate on a quarter-season basis are now happening in single episodes … and occasionally several times in one week. Long time readers know I often complain about manufactured obstacles to couples’ getting together, but the metric tonnage of obstacles that have been created to keep Blair and Chuck separated would take an aircraft carrier to remove from Manhattan. Worst of all is the quality of the acting this season. There have been a couple of scenes where the line delivery has been so wooden I wondered if the talent had been replaced by trees … with mouths … well, the analogy worked in my head.

Gossip Girl has never been home to a collection of Emmy-caliber performances, but it has certainly turned in much better work. It’s a shame, especially for fans who were excited for the show’s half-season pickup to bring the narrative to a close. Instead of ten episodes of closure, we’ve seen storylines launched in different directions with characters acting way out of character (There are other examples, but Nate sleeping with a high school student and cooking the Spectator’s books are two of the more obvious). The show has three episodes left to bring the story to a close, but at this point, the only things I’m looking forward to is counting the number of times Dan and Serena can breakup and get back together again, and the inevitable Kristen Bell cameo.

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One of last year’s best and most Emmy nominated TV series comes to home video this week: American Horror Story. If you missed the first season, this is a must-see before season two begins in October (even though the seasons are all self-contained). Marvel at Jessica Lange’s Golden Globe winning performance (and Emmy nominated as well) as the creepy, Southern Gothic neighbor who knows more about the Murder House than she lets on. It’s one of the best performances of the year, and her final soliloquy is proof that she deserves every award she’s earned for the role thus far. And Lange will be back for season two playing a completely different character, so I’m sure she will be just as amazing. The final season (and a complete series box set) of Desperate Housewives is also coming, along with returning series such as Gossip Girl, Family Guy, and CSI. Have a look at our handy guide for a complete list of TV shows on DVD and Blu-ray coming on September 25, and click on a link to get more information or to make a purchase through Amazon.com. You’ll get a great deal, and you’ll be showing your support of CliqueClack at the same time. We thank you!

As I sat down to watch my three DVRed episodes of The X Factor yesterday, I noticed that there was no host for these past few episodes. I’d known Steve Jones was removed, and I like that decision because I though he was pretty robotic. I’ve heard rumors floating around about new hosts (Kardashian? ugh) as well as Mario Lopez (who I quite liked when he hosted America’s Best Dance Crew – although he’ll always be Slater to me).

But I actually liked the “no host approach” to these auditions. It felt a little more like a narrative without the annoying voiceover repeating things that have already been said, and there is less wasted time with the host onstage — meaningless banter, unnecessary announcements, repetitive interviews with contestants, and grating personalities.

However, what I found a little creepy was that the portions of the show happening in between the singing had that Real Housewives/The Hills/”scripted reality” show feel. The contestants talking smack about one another was dumb. Yet, I found the judges’ conversations in the dressing room/makeup room kind of endearing.

I guess when the host(s) return, I’ll be able to better see what I prefer. But I put this question out to my fellow Clackers: do you prefer The X Factor, or any talent competition really, with or without a host? Is a host actually needed when there are now tons of judges, all with unique (and sometimes clashing) personalities of their own? Here’s what they had to say.

Jeremy: I have found these episodes far more watchable than the first season — but the backstage stuff is really hit or miss. Sometimes it’s about the obvious villain setup which can be a bit tiresome, but the dynamic of the judges is a lot more interesting than with Nicole the Black Hole of Charisma.

Carla: I only watched the first episode last year and then a few minutes here and there. I’ve watch all of this season so far and I love the judges.

When the show moves to the live format it will have 2 hosts. Khloe Kardashian and Mario Lopez are the favorites, but Khloe’s running into contract problems with E! The other potential host is Corbin Bleu.

Me: Yeah, I actually really like Britney and Demi – more than I thought I would.

Tara: I covered this show last year. Here and there, I’ve caught moments, but I sat and watched it tonight.

Anyway, I guess I’m in the minority here, because Britney and Demi leave me cold. I guess anything is preferable to Nicole, as Jeremy pointed out. But Britney looks half dead even with twelve tons of makeup on, and I wonder why I should give a rat’s ass what Demi Whoever says.

The “Camina Burana” music in the background causing needless drama, and the canned and edited responses of the audience give it an even more false feel for something that was taped live. (The girls in the audience crying when they see Britney is just over the top.)

The absence of Steve Jones is welcome, I agree.

And even though I’ll love Simon forever, he seems like he’s trying to talk me into believing they’re finding the next “star” here. There’s no driving force here. Nothing to keep it moving and exciting. That’s why a host is desperately needed. Say what you will or won’t about Crusty, but he can keep you interested. Lord help us all if it’s a Kardashian. I’m not understanding host or judge picks for most of these singing shows lately.

I’m liking The Voice a lot better than this show. The blind auditions are fun.

Me: Tara, I feel exactly the same way about the music! That’s one of the main reasons I stopped watching The Biggest Loser.

Michael: Between The Voice and The X Factor, there sure is a lot of monkey business going on.

Hosts sometimes make the grandest of impressions … usually unintentionally.

• Ryan Seacrest of American Idol attempting to high-five a legally blind Scott MacIntyre.
• Steve Jones on last season’s The X Factor announcing the ousted one evening: “… in no particular random order …”
• Vernon Kay on Skating With The Stars (there are so many):

1. “Welcome to Skating With The ***** … !!!” Vernon exuded while spreading his hands out wide as could be and effectively losing his voice in the process for lack of a mike at the last word.
2. “If you like watching stars fall over — and who doesn’t? — you’ve come to the right place!” Vern gushed at the start of the show.
3. “Still standing — so far, so good!” Vern noted part way through!
4. “Tune in next week for Round Two!” Vern cried as he held up all five fingers of his left hand

Shows need hosts. Please.

When Kardashian comes on, I don’t expect anything from her. I’m reserving judgment. I have no point of reference when it comes to those folks.

P.S. The Voice is killing me right now, what little I’ve seen of it. Christina‘s chest is falling out all over the place, Cee Lo is pointless, Adam is annoying as all get out, Blake is verging on ridiculous. I’m with Tara — thus far, Britney and Demi are lethargic and verging on Ellen Degeneres on Idol.

What do you think, viewers? Is The X Factor better off without a host, or would something crucial be missing?

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Anyone that has been keeping up with Clacking in Color knows that I am in love with television. In fact, I think I may be a tad bit obsessed with it. Perchance I’ll enlist in counseling. Just like the racially diverse actors and actresses that I commonly write about, I don’t discriminate against the sitcoms and serials that I watch. I like all kinds of programming — except for, well, reality television. That stuff is crap.

Now, I’m not knocking anyone who finds these kinds of programs fascinating. Hell, I’m a 25-year-old man and I still think Power Rangers is appointment television. Nevertheless, I feel as though a little bit of me dies whenever I’m forced to look at some of the latest reality shows — especially the urban ones on VH1 — and for the life of me, I can’t seem to understand why some of them are so darn popular. One in particular seems to really grind my gears — Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta. Some believe it’s entertaining. I feel it’s ignorance … on acid.

Since its debut on June 18, the “reality” show has followed the lives of the sassy (and good-looking) girlfriends of rappers and hip-hop music artists. The premise is fascinating. It’s the fights, back-stabbing, gossiping, cheating and gold-digging that makes it nonsensical. With the recent news of Steve Harvey becoming an advice-dishing talk show host, maybe these brassy ladies can book a gig with him to sort out their issues. I mean, seriously. Can’t we all get along? I’m all for seeing more chocolate-colored individuals on TV. Quite frankly, I think most networks could use a little more infusion of minority magic. However, shows like Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta, The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Basketball Wives reinforce negative stereotypes and tend to knock us back several years. If I wanted to go back in time, I’d call Doc Brown and board a DeLoreon. Alas, I like 2012.

And people like Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta apparently.

It’s frequently the highest rated Monday night show on basic cable, and its season finale drew 3.7 million viewers. Oy, gevalt. The world must be coming to an end. Having said that, why do so many people watch this stuff?

Perhaps it could be for the very reason that I loathe such programming — it’s mindless. A friend of mine, a savvy law student, admits to watching the program for that very reason. She said that after learning so much in a day and spending hours upon hours in textbooks, it’s rather relaxing to watch nonsense. Those were her words. Not mine. Pardon me for saying so, but I just feel that shows like that aren’t exactly the best depictions of minorities. Heck, they really aren’t the best depictions for anyone of any color, sexual orientation, preference or background. I’m looking at you, Big Ang!

Maybe some of the individuals in these so-called reality shows have hopes of making it big. Perhaps they figure that the more loud, rude, and “real” they are, the more they’ll get noticed. Isn’t that what garnered NeNe Leakes, of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, fame and media attention? That sister just landed on one of NBC’s brand-new anticipated sitcoms, The New Normal. Still, why act bad-mannered and ill-bred to garner attention? Isn’t that backwards?

I’d think that given everything we’ve been through these last four years, one would be trying to move forward. Why spend your life looking in the rear view mirror? Didn’t Rihanna say shut up and drive? Okay, so that was a joke, but you get my point, right? With minorities on TV being so few and far between, we could use a few positive role models. Instead of seeing a basketball wife, I’d love to see the president’s wife, Michelle Obama, with a reality mini-series. I bet it’d be inspirational. Unfortunately, inspiration doesn’t sell. Ignorance does.

And that’s reality.

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Relationships end for a variety of reasons; sometimes the two parties slowly drift apart, sometimes it’s sudden and tumultuous. Other times, it can be nice: all mutual and civil like. Those types of separations are – at least in my experience – a rare breed, but can often lead to most surprising catharsis. That’s pretty much how I felt after watching the premiere of the eight season of Bones; I don’t particularly dislike the show anymore … but I surely don’t feel compelled to invest any more of my time in it.

Our coverage of Bones has had a fairly interesting history in the four years of CliqueClack. The past couple of seasons, Julia and I have traded the show back and forth; once either one of us would get fed up with the direction of the show, we would punt the show back. Based on that history, I really shouldn’t be surprised that I’ve finally hit my limit. But once I get invested in a show – and watching for seven years is definitely what I call an investment – I rarely walk away. I’ve tried several times before, but no matter how many times I gave up on shows like Smallville and Gossip Girl, they always find a way to drag me back in, just like Pacino in Godfather III.

As I screened the premiere a week or so ago, I realized that I just don’t care anymore. Everything that originally pulled me in seven years ago is still there: I love the actors and character dynamics. Sadly, though, I just am not really interested in what happens to them anymore. Brennan’s decision to go on the run at the end of last season created a problem with only one solution. Unless showrunner Hart Hanson was setting up an extended run of episodes with the show’s leads separated, this was pretty much the only way this episode was going to end. (Well, other than Pelant’s last minute reprieve, but considering they’ve never given me a reason to fear – or care about – this particular big bad, I’m not getting worked out about it.)

I hate to make the comparison to Castle – wait, that’s a bold-faced lie, and everyone knows it. Let me back up for a second: I generally don’t like procedural crime dramas. Frankly, I find them repetitive and very rarely challenge me as a viewer. That being said, I get drawn into certain shows from time to time if there’s a hook: generally an actor/writer/director/showrunner I am already a fan of will garner a new show a “chance” on the ole’ DVR. In Bones’ and Castle’s cases, it was David Boreanaz and Nathan Fillion respectively. But even when a show’s got a hook, that doesn’t necessarily mean I stick around. I mentioned earlier that Bones drew me in because of the actors – and their performances – and the interesting character dynamics. Castle has done the same thing, but is considerably more funny, and has managed to move the relationship between the leads on at a much greater pace than Bones did, which avoided getting stale in its fifth, sixth and seventh seasons.

But I’m not here to sing Castle’s praises – talking about your new crush while in the midst of a breakup is a big faux pas. Bones and I had a good run; sure, every relationship has its bumps in the road, and I think we weathered them fairly well early on. But sometimes, the more mature thing is realizing that it is just not working out, and that it is time to move on. Maybe we will run into each other at the bar from time to time — when everything else is in repeats. Rebounding can be a serious problem, but I think we won’t have any issues there. In this case though, it’s not me: it’s you.

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