Californication 6.11 Review: The Abbey

While initially well conceived by wanting to ensure Charlie maintains his job as Atticus's manager Hank and Faith's blatant attempt to destroy any chance of the rock star's sobriety were disheartening to watch, despite the fact anything Californication ever does is meant to be played for laughs. They use Richard Bates, who, by the way, is a very poor excuse for a creative writer teacher to distract Gabriel, sponsor at the rehab centre Happy Endings so that they can get to Atticus. If waving drugs in Atticus's face and using Becca to lie about being a fan of his wasn't enough, the return of the crazy sex addict patient and then Gabriel's own submission back onto drugs was just painful to watch.

Meanwhile, Opheila tries to reconcile with Marcie after having tasered Charlie and Stu. Opheila tells Marcie that she is in love with her and that she wants Marcie to be her first. Marcie declines and goes to leave but Ophelia tasers her. She manages to get a text to Charlie asking for help, but when he arrives Ophelia tasers him as well. Both awaken chained up in Ophelia house and tell one another that they're still in love with each other. Ophelia enters with gardening shears planning to cut off Charlie's penis. Marcie tricks her into thinking she'll do it instead and when Ophelia unites her, she tasers her. Despite Marcie's short foul mouthed speech about what it means to be a feminist this was a very predictable end to a bizarre and disturbing seasons long storyline that unfortunately dragged Marcie's character down quite a bit. Ultimately it was only a matter of time before a Charlie and Marcie reunion but it was a poor effort to Crete genuine feeling and character development out of it though.

Back at Hank's Charlie and Marcie announce they are to be remarried and Atticus, naturally being a minister, tells them he'll do in onstage at one of his concerts on tour. He invites Hank and Faith on the tour as well so that they can continue working in the musical. Afterwards Hank and Karen see Becca off on her literary pilgrimage. Once she has left Karen wonders if Becca was the only thing that was keeping her and Hank together, quite an emotionally poignant end to an otherwise crass episode. While we all know Hank and Karen will reunite at some stage whether or not we'll see it next episode remains to be seen and at least allows a little bit of substance to show through the show.

Rating: 2/5

Revenge 2.18 Review: Masquerade

After Padma's kidnapping Emily and Aidan try desperately, for Nolan, to track down The Initiative. Aidan uses his position at Grayson Global to ruin the companies finical holdings, which losses him his job but is successful in reuniting Daniel with Emily, Trask informing Daniel that The Initiative will no longer be doing business with Grayson Global. Aidan kidnaps Trask, and he takes him to Padma's body, revealing he killed his sister and father. Aidan snaps his neck, but Nolan is blamed for Padma's death. To me, Emily and Aiden felt cold towards Nolan throughout the episode, not truly understanding his loss. I'm interested to see when The Initiative and the Falcon will return, they obviously still have Carrion and I'm sure they have plenty more nicely dressed employees where Trask came from.

I love that Jack is infiltrating the Grayson's in an attempt to get his own revenge for Amanda, but his attempts to do so beg a different question: what does he actually want to do to make them pay? Emily has less problems in this department. She's after retribution for her father, and just when you think it's Jack's master plan to detour Conrad's election Q&A, Emily uses Nolan tricks to manipulate Conrad into making David Clarke's pardon for his crimes an election promise. This is all well and good for Emily, but it still annoys me that Emily never seems to be out of control, and I'd love to see Jack start spoiling her plans. He seems to know the right person to turn to as well, who else would want to recruit the self-serving Ashley Davenport as their co-conspiritor to bring down the Grayson's? Not a smart move Jack.

Using Mason Treadwell's information that Victoria had a son she put up for adoption when she was sixteen, Emily tortures her throughout her masquerade ball, sending letters and flowers from the abandoned son causing Victoria to faint. It also caused her to return to the nunnery to which she gave up the boy, unwittingly leading Emily there as well. What plans Emily good possibly have involving Victoria's long lost son is beyong me, but let's just hope it's good considering her mistreatment of both Nolan and Aidan to further concentrate on exciting her revenge.

Rating: 3/5

Game of Thrones 3.1 Review: Valar Dohaeris

Beyond the Wall Jon Snow finally meets Mance Rayder, the king of the wildlings, and is duely accepted by him because of his noble reasons for abandoning the Night's Watch. Jon will no doubt struggle adapting to the foreign community, but already his presence amongst a new group of characters seems promising against the stark comparison of his storyline last season.

At King's Landing Tyrion is saddened that his efforts during the battle of Blackwater have gone unnoticed by his father. Cersei is overly suspicious of what Tyrion might say to Tywin, but Tyrion asks him for his family inheritance Casterly Rock, to which Tywin replies that Tyrion is an embarrassment. I've always felt sorry for Tyrion in regards to his relationship with his family, particularly after his efforts to save them last season, but we've never actually seen a Lannister family dynamic with Tywin involved. Unfortunately it just led to a very depressing and subdued Tyrion, the opposite of what his character is loved for, so lets hope he soon finds a way to one up his father without being entirely disowned and losing his power.

Meanwhile Petyr Baelish tells Sansa that he is in negotiations to take a role that would remove him from King’s Landing and he offers to smuggle her out with him, but Ross, his handmaiden, tells Shae that Sansa should be careful with Baelish. Margaery Tyrell, Joffrey's newly be throed, has no reason to run, however, undertaking her role as future Queen quite well when she stops at the Flee Bottom and comforts children from the orphanage. Joffrey does not join her, afraid to step out of his carriage, and later that night at dinner Cersei tells Margaery that she ought to be more careful, to which Joffrey openly disregards her. It's great to see some tension between two characters that have been so strong together, especially from Margaery, who is a vast change from having passive Sansa at his side. No doubt she won.t stay there too long though if Cersei thinks she is being undermined.

Stranded on a rock in the bay outside King’s Landing after the battle of Blackwater Davos is picked up by a ship belonging to Salladhor Saan who returns him to Dragonstone despite his concerns about Davos returning. There he finds Stannis secluded and that Melisandre has been burning people alive at his castle for speaking out against her. Davos loses his temper at Melisandre, attempts to kill her, and is sent to the dungeons. While admirable, Davos's constant plight to ween Stannis out of Melisandre's throe has become quite tedious and repetitive. With still no more information given about who Melisandre is and her intentions the storyline seems baseless, and quite a waste of three characters who I'm sure could have potential. 

Across the Narrow Sea Daenerys arrives at Astapor in Slaver’s Bay and is considering buying renowned eunuch slave soldiers, the "Unsullied". She and Ser Jorah witness a demonstration of their fortitude, but Daenerys is horrified to hear of their gruesome training. Later, walking throughout a nearby market, a warlock, masked as a young girl attempts to assassinate Daenerys with a scorpion, but is thwarted by a cloaked Barristan Selmy who swears his allegiance to her. Darenerys self-importance is as heightened as ever now that she has acquired enough money to actually start progressing. However, I'm afraid her storyline will continue to be plagued by distracting subplots as it always has been, and Selmy's arrival at the end of the episode does nothing to qualm those thoughts,

Rating: 3/5

The Walking Dead 3.16 Review: Welcome To The Tombs

After Rick's decision not to give Michonne to The Governor, as well as Merle's suicide mission to stop The Governor himself, Rick and the others found themselves preparing to finally face him, seemingly packing up the prison in an attempt to escape. At Woodbury The Governor tortures Milton for burning the pit of walkers and betraying him, and tells him to kill Andrea. He tries to kill The Governor instead but he is stabbed, and The Governor leaves Milton to die there so he will return as a walker and kill Andrea. The Governor and his troops leave Woodbury to attack the prison, but Tyresse and Sasha stay behind to guard the woman and children that cannot fight. The Governor and his men storm the prison, destroying many gates and blowing up several guard towers with their machine guns. They scour the prison for Rick and the others, and it looks as though they have left until, once The Governor has lead his men into the depths of the prison a group of zombies is strategically released upon them. Majority of the Governor's men panic and flee, forcing them all to retreat, and as they leave the prison, Rick and the others shoot at them. In the aftermath of his defeat The Governor chases down his deserters and brutally massacres them all, except Karen who hides under one of the fallen men's body's. Rick decides that they must chase after The Governor before he attacks again and he Daryl and Michonne follow him back to Woodbury. On their way they come across the massacre and Karen informs them what has happened. Upon arriving at Woodbury Karen explains to Tyresse and Sasha what The Governor has done, and he lets Rick and the others in, who now know Andrea didn't make it make to the prison. They find her in the interrogation room, she managed to kill Milton when he came back as a walker, but not before being bitten badly on the neck. She asks Rick to let her shoot herself before she turns and he obliges. Rick and the others then return to the prison, having bought Tyresse, Sasha, Karen and the the other surviving members of Woddbury back with them.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Walking Dead 3.13 Review: Arrow on the Doorpost

Rick and the Governor finally met this week, under an attempt by Andria to negotiate a seize fire between those at the prison and Woodbury. Both Rick and the Governor however are leaders who will do whatever it takes to get things done, and neither is very willing to compromise. I felt as frustrated at them as Andrea did when they asked her to leave the meeting, but I simultaneously understood that in the world of The Walking Dead trust is something very few survivors can afford to do and both Rick and the Governor live by this. During the meeting Daryl and Hershel conversed with Martinez and Milton highlighting how similar the two groups are and potentially trying to build some history between characters so that when the inevitable time comes they have to fight each other, the stakes will seem that little bit higher (despite that nothing these characters shared during this episode was all that interesting). Back at the prison Merle believes that it's a good idea to attack the Governor now while he's unprepared, Glenn disagrees with him and refuses to let Merle jeopardise the lives of Rick and the others. A fight ensues but Beth breaks it up by shooting a gun. Merle settles down, but tries his hardest to convince Michonne that it could be their last chance to take the Governor by surprise. Later on Glenn and Maggie inevitably make up, so much so that they have sex while on watch. While I was a little annoyed the Rick confide in Hershel that he was considering giving up Michonne, it most certainly brings up interesting ethical and moral decisions that will likely have dire consequences regardless of Rick's choice. If he gives The Governor Michonne he is betraying a woman who, while new, has been invaluable to their groups survival. Then, as we know, the fact that the Governor is going to kill them regardless of them sacrificing Michonne. Rick raises an interesting point to Hershel though. Are they really willing to risk all their lives for Michonne? Yes, the Governor will kill them regardless, but is fighting for Michonne's life a more or less valuable cause then fighting for their own? Rick's decision to tell the others that that Governor wants them dead was a wise move. Now only he and Hershel have to be burdened with the fact that by giving up Michonne they could possibly save themselves, while the others will fight has hard as they can, believing that it is their only option.

Rating: 3/5

Supernatural 8.16 Review: Remember The Titans

This marks the second consecutive episode Supernatural has had a stand-alone that has been very poorly linked to the overall seasons arc. Sam and Dean travel to Montana to investigate a man who was seen lying dead on the side of the road by a state trooper only to resussertate and walk away. While Sam and Dean talk to the state trooper, a fax comes through identifying the man he saw, who now dead and in the morgue. Sam and Dean go to the morgue and the man revives again. They take him back to the motel and he's attacked by Artemis, who we later learn is Zeus's daughter, sent to punish Shane, who is actually Prometheus who stopped Zeus from stealing power from all humans. When Hayley, a past lover of Shane's shows up with their son Oliver, she tells them he suffers the same ailment as Shane and wants Sam and Dean to help her cure it. They summon Zeus to do so, but Artemis stops them and takes Sam and Dean away while he tortures Shane in front of Hayley and Oliver. Sam ridicoulously figures out that Artemis and Shane had a fling and he convinces her to help them. In the battle against Zeus Shane sacrifices himself pushing an arrow Artemis shoots through to Zeus and they both die, curing Oliver of Zeus's curse. The villians were unusually large-scale for such a low-key episode, giving it a disjointed feeling. Sam's connection to Shane/ Prometheus though, that he too could die to save the world in his attempt to shut the gates of hell for good, was a weak attempt to make the episode relate back to the overall arc of the season.

Rating: 2/5

The Vampire Diaries 4.15 Review: Stand By Me

I was highly anticipating Silas' awakening and Katherine's return and while I was a little annoyed The Vampire Diaries slowed down the progression of its major arc during this episode it was understandable that the show took a break for the characters to mourn Jeremy. Elena's denial was painful to endure in the first part of the episode, as was Stefan and Damon's tip-toeing about confronting her straight on about Jeremy's death. When she finally came to the realisation though her reaction was entertaining and Damon's decision to turn off her humanity, while it was just another quick fix, will no doubt provide an interesting change in the Elena, Stefan, Damon love-triangle. Burning down her house, too, will provide a fresh setting for the show. Every character’s ability to leave the island at their will was logistically impossible, but at least Rebekah's discovery that Shane was still on the island, revealing that Silas is posing as him back in Mystic Falls was a thrilling twist. Bonnie's infatuation with bringing Jeremy back is just annoying, despite having her be bad providing cheap thrills. The ability in which Shane a.k.a Silas was able to convince her was not very believable and I hope Bonnie's logic in helping him is further developed, but I doubt it.

Rating: 3/5