Once Upon A Time: Broken

Welcome back, Oncers! Did everyone have a great summer? I'm so glad to see you all again!!

So, what a premiere, right?! The mysterious man in the opening?! The big reveal at the end?!? God, I missed this show!!

We begin in...Central Park?!
A 'mysterious man' is walking home from work.
Y'know, I was going to get into the whole thing with this guy, but then I read this post by TVLine.com.
There's NO way I could do it any better than they did! They have pictures and links to the exact album that is playing through his headphones and everything!
So PLEASE click that link, have a look, be awed, then come back here and finish this recap. Okay? Good.
I'll wait.

You back? Pretty trippy, right?! Okay, ready? Here we go again, Oncers! Season 2!

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In Storybrooke, we come back to the EXACT point where we left off last season. THANK YOU, OUAT writers!

Snow and Charming are reunited with Granny and Red...and then Snow with her Dwarfs, as I laugh through my happy sobs....And then with their daughter, Emma.
I'm so, so glad the writers gave this to us. That they allowed us to be a part of the reunions and realizations.
What amazingly touching, emotional scenes!

The Blue Fairy arrives and tells everyone that magic has been brought to Storybrooke.
Emma wants to confront Gold about the purple smoke, but Snow wants to talk about Emma.
Luckily, they're interrupted by an angry mob who's on the way to kill Regina!

Jiminy runs up and explains that Dr. Whale has whipped the townsfolk into a frenzy, and Emma has to try to stop them from killing the Evil Queen!
Henry begs Emma to help, "Please. She's still my mom!"

Meanwhile, in the forest, Belle tells Gold that Regina had her locked up for the last 28 years. Belle makes Gold promise not to kill Regina, and that they'll be together.
As always...there's a loophole...

Gold brings her back to his shop to find her some clothes. While he's there, he brings out a mysterious gold amulet and holds it menacingly.

Back at Regina's, the mob, with Whale leading, is out for blood.
Regina threatens them with magic...but it doesn't work. Her magic is broken!

Just as Whale is about to wrap his hands around Regina's evil little neck, Emma and company come to the rescue.
Emma is still the sheriff, and Regina is thrown in jail.

Interesting little reveal here--The curse IS broken, but that doesn't mean that everyone knows who everyone else is.
Charming has no idea who Whale is, and Whale ain't telling! Ooooh!


Regina tells Snow and Charming that Fairytale Land no longer exists, and that's why no one returned when the curse was broken.

By the way, I found it adorable how Charming no longer even speaks like David. He's ALL Prince Charming now, right down to his speech!

At the jail, Emma and company go off to find Gold...who walks in just after they leave.
Gold tells Regina that 'magic is different here...dearie.'
He's TICKED about what she did to Belle, and he shoves the gold amulet against her hand..but nothing appears to happen.

Gold goes back into the woods and summons...something, with the gold amulet!
And in her cell, Regina wakes up in pain and sees a strange mark on her hand.

Back in town, Snow and Emma finally talk.
Snow desperately wants to know about her daughter. She wants to be a mother and she wants her daughter's love.
But Emma...can't. At least not yet.
Emma had a very hard life. She was alone. They abandoned her. And while she does understand why...She feels that she should have been with her parents, curse or not.

They finally head to Gold's shop and the confront him about everything. Gold says they should be thanking him instead, for reuniting the family.
The town suddenly quakes and Rumple tells them that it's his gift to them. That's what's going to get rid of Regina.

They leave (but not before Gold reminds Emma that she still owes him a favor!) and Belle comes in. She's overheard everything and she's upset. He broke her promise with a loophole...
"You lied to me."
"No, no, I kept my word! I will not kill her."
"You toy with words like you do with people"
(What a brilliant exchange!)
She leaves his shop as he yells apologies after her.

At the jail, a wraith attacks Regina and starts to suck her soul out!
Charming, Snow and Emma arrive and scare it off with fire....but it will return.
They prepare to get rid of it by sending it elsewhere with Jefferson's hat.
The wraith returns but the hat won't work....at least not until Emma touches Regina and her magic...er...magically returns!

The wraith is sent to another land, but it takes Emma with it!
Not about to lose her daughter again, Snow dives into the portal with her, and it closes just before Charming can dive in as well.
Charming is angry and goes after the Evil Queen...but she uses her magic against him. She makes trees on the wallpaper (LOVED that!)  bind and choke him!
Luckily, Henry enters with Red and begs Regina to stop. He tells her to leave everyone alone, and Charming takes Henry to stay with him at Snow's.
He promises Henry that he'll find Emma and Snow. That he'll 'always find them'.

Back at Gold's shop, Belle returns.
She notices that he still has the chipped teacup.
"There are many, many things in this shop. But this? This is the only thing I truly cherish. And now you must leave."
"What?"
"You must leave because despite what you hope, I'm still a monster."
"Don't you see? That's exactly the reason I have to stay."
(LOVE SO MUCH!)

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In Fairytale Land, we meet Prince Phillip, Aurora and Mulan.
Phillip wakes and rescues Aurora.
The three are suddenly attacked by a wraith, but Phillip fights it off. He also cuts a very familiar-looking amulet off the wraith, and picks it up.
He doesn't realize that this is how the wraith marks their prey...which is what Phillip has now become.

Phillip doesn't tell Aurora and Mulan that he's been marked. He brings them to a safe spot to camp, and then disappears while gathering firewood.
Of course, the women go after him (and Aurora figures out that Mulan is also in love with Phillip), but they're unable to save him and can only watch helplessly as the wraith sucks the soul from Phillip's body, killing him (or is he only 'mostly' dead?). ;)

Mulan gives the charm to Aurora and the two prepare to leave Phillip's body in the castle.
Mulan finally tells Aurora the truth.
That something happened while she was asleep...
"Are you familiar with Regina the queen? She cast a curse on this land. A terrible, terrible curse. It ripped everyone away to another world. This corner of the land was untouched. No one knows why, but something saved us. And for 28 years, we were frozen. And then..time started again."
And now Fairytale Land is full of beasties and bad things.
Those that remain are in a 'safe haven', and the two have to go there.

Just then, they hear a noise. They go to investigate and discover exactly what brought the wraith to them...They see Emma and Snow lying unconscious in a pile of rubble...With Snow gripping Emma's jacket tightly in her fist.

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Epic premiere of epicness or what?!?

Highlights:
--That wonderful, touching scene when everyone reunites. I lost it with the dwarfs!

--"I assume this is all your doing?" (Regina)
"Most things are." (Gold)

--"One night stands and the like." (Snow)
"One night stands?!" (Charming)
"Whale." (Snow)
"WHALE?!?" (Charming)
"We were cursed." (Snow)
LOL!!

--Henry calling Charming, "Grandpa."

--The Gold/Belle kiss. *swoon*

-That amazing opening with the mysterious man! SO MANY DETAILS in that apartment!!


What questions do we have after this episode?

-Who is the mysterious man in the opening?!

-Who is Whale?

-Will there be any kind of mental issues with Belle being in an asylum for 28 years?!

-Why did Gold bring magic to Storybrooke? He had it planned way before he found Belle!

-What's up with Emma seemingly 'powering up' Regina's magic?! Is she a kind if link to it?

-Is Jefferson's hat destroyed? Charming smooshed it!

-How did some get left behind in Fairytale Land? What protected them??

-Who was left behind in Fairytale Land?

-Where's the 'safe haven' in Fairytale Land?

-Aurora mentions making a sacrifice? What was it?

-Will we learn more about how Mulan and Phillip met?

-And about Aurora and Phillip's past?

-Is Phillip truly dead?

-Mulan says, "Those are the sounds of the souls it's trapped, trying to escape." CAN the souls escape the wraith? How?

-Are there TWO gold amulets?! How??

-How does Mulan know the others were sent to another land?

-How will Snow and Emma get back to Storybrooke?

-Will they find a way to bring the others to Fairytale Land, or vice versa?
-Who sent the postcard to the mysterious man?

My theories so far:

First, I love that the Storybrooke timeline and the Fairytale Land timelines are almost equal! The wraith was sent through from SB to the exact moment we saw FTL!
I believe that Mulan and Aurora (and the rest of the FTL folk that were left behind) will be our 'eyes' this season in that world. I think we'll get to see exactly what's going on there in the present day since the curse broke through them, just as we're seeing exactly what's going on in Storybrooke.

I think there will be a rocky road ahead for Gold and Belle. There's no way he'll change so quickly. He's STILL Rumple.

And the 'mysterious man' in New York?
Yeah, I'm going with everyone else and saying it's Rumple's long-lost son, Baelfire.

Next week's episode looks awesome! Jefferson is back!

Almost forgot! The opening was a wraith!

Okay, your turn! Let's hear your theories, your questions, your opinions and thoughts! Did you like the premiere? Who do you think is the mysterious man? And who is Whale?

I'm SO happy you're back with me again, Oncers! Here's to a fabulous season!

See you next week!

Doctor Who: The Angels Take Manhattan

Is everyone okay? Y'all still with me? Yeah? Okay, good.

So that was HELL, right?! OMG, ALL THE FEELS!! SO MANY SOBS! I WAS A BALL OF TEARS ON THE FLOOR!!!

Yes, yes, there were plot holes and cheesy bits, but I'm more than satisfied with how we say goodbye to our Ponds.

So, the Weeping Angels have taken over Manhattan and they're using it as a 'farm'. Oh, that's not at ALL creepy!

The Ponds, older yet again when we see them now (Amy has 'lines' on her eyes), are with the Doctor in New York.

The Doctor is reading an old dime-store crime novel written by 'Melody Malone'. He rips out the last page because, "He hates endings".
Rory goes to get coffee, and the angels--BABY angels--send him back to 1938, where, luckily, River just happens to be investigating angels!
Oh, and by the way she's PROFESSOR Song now. Not Doctor...Who else caught that pause before the Doctor moved on in the conversation? Does he know she doesn't have much time left with him?

So, as Rory's getting the coffee, the Doctor realizes that the book he's reading is ABOUT THEM. They realize where Rory must be and they try to get there with the TARDIS but can't.
The angels have the city full of time distortions and they just bounce off and back to 2012...but into a graveyard this time...where we get a glimpse of a gravestone that reads, 'Rory Arthur Williams'.
Amy continues reading the dime-store novel and starts to read ahead. She tells the Doctor that he's going to break something and he freaks out. He explains that once you know what's coming, time is fixed.

The Doctor realizes that to get to Rory, he's going to need an EXACT time and location. If he's off by even a nano-second, the planet could explode!
He needs a signal to lock onto--and luckily River is able to send them one with her vortex manipulator!

Speaking of River, she and Rory are taken--at gunpoint--to some guy's house. The guy is obsessed with the angels--and even has one captured, in chains!
He wants River to tell him everything she knows about the them...

Rory is taken to a dark room and given to 'the babies'. The matches he's given don't last very long, and once again, he's touched by the baby angels.
This time he's sent to a different location only. Not a different time.
And River? Well, she gets caught by an angel as well...but it's not strong enough to zap her away.
Thank goodness that Doctor arrives to rescue her, "Sorry I'm late, honey. Traffic was hell."

River explains that she was pardoned from prison. Apparently the man she killed never existed.  It's then that we learn something that I'd suspected--The Doctor has been erasing himself from all of time and space!

The Doctor realizes that to free River, he's going to have to break her wrist. THAT was what Amy read in the book, and now he has no choice.
Amy realizes that the chapter titles might help them and they're also spoiler-free. The Doctor has a look.
Through those, they discover that Rory is in the cellar and Amy goes off to find him.
Then the Doctor sees one that literally makes him stagger. And then it makes him VERY angry. More angry than I think I've ever seen him!
The chapter is called, "Amelia's Last Farewell". (And this is the spot where I started crying in my rewatch)
He growls at River to get her wrist out on her own without breaking it and storms off.

Amy and the Doctor discover that they're too late, and that the baby angels have once again sent Rory elsewhere.
They're trying to figure out where he could be when River comes in and says she knows where he is. He's been moved in space, but not time.
The Doctor is very happy to see that she's gotten herself free and that her wrist is okay. He knows now that time can be changed and that there's hope!
....until he grabs River's hand as he dashes off to save Rory and she screams in pain.
Time hasn't changed after all.
He helps her heal with regeneration energy (yes, I'll talk more about this later), and River gets mad. It's a waste of regeneration energy.
She tells him he's a sentimental idiot and that he embarrasses her--which is a VERY similar statement to what HE said to HER in The Wedding of River Song, hmm?

Amy asks River why she lied and River replies, "Never let him see the damage. And never, ever let him see you age. He doesn't like endings." LOVED that bit!

Oh, and that guy who was obsessed with angels? Well, we don't need to bother with him anymore. He got exactly what he wanted. (Also, that guy was Mike McShane. You might remember him from the British version of Who's Line Is It Anyway? Yeah, he's lost a TON of weight!)

Meanwhile, Rory is in the same building we saw in the opening....and I believe we all knew what was coming here.
The Doctor, Amy and River catch up, just as Rory enters his older-self's apartment.
Older-Rory sees Amy, takes her hand and dies.

The Doctor realizes that the angels will zap anyone who tries to escape the building and feed off their time energy over and over again.
They need to get out to create a paradox that will kill all the angels.

Rory and Amy run, and the angels chase them to the roof of the building, where they're met by...the Statue of Liberty. (*facepalm* I'll go into that later, yep.)
Rory realizes that if he jumps off the building, the paradox will be created and the angels will die, which means that they'll be sent back to the correct timeline!
....but he's not certain if that's how it works.

Amy climbs up with him (this is where I started to cry during my first watch) and they jump together.
"Together...or not at all."
(The music was BRILLIANT in this scene!!)

The paradox works, and all four are sent back to the graveyard, 2012.
But...one angel survived. And it zaps Rory back.


Because the timelines are completely screwed up, the Doctor can't go back for him. Another paradox would rip the city apart.
Amy realizes that the only way she can be with Rory is to be zapped back to him.
She says goodbye to her daughter, "Melody, you look after him. And you be a good girl and you look after him."
The Doctor pleads with her, "You are creating a fixed time. I will never be able to see you again."
Amy just wants to be with her soulmate, "I'll be fine. I'll be with him."
The Doctor cries. Amy cries. River cries. I cry.

"Raggedy Man...Goodbye."

Amy blinks.

In the TARDIS, River pilots and tells the Doctor not to travel alone.
He asks her to go with him, and she says yes...but not all the time.
She mentions the book, and that she'll have to send it to Amy to be published. And that she'll tell Amy to write an afterword. For him.

The Doctor travels back to New York city, to the rock where he ripped out the last page of the book.


"Hello, old friend. And here we are. You and me, on the last page. By the time you read these words, Rory and I will be long gone, so know that we lived well, and were very happy. And above all else, know that we will love you, always.
"Sometimes I do worry about you, though. I think...once we're gone...you won't be coming back here for awhile, and you might be alone...which you should never be. Don't be alone, Doctor.
"And do one more thing for me...
"There's a little girl, waiting in a garden. She's going to wait a long while, so she's going to need a lot of hope.
Go to her. tell her a story. Tell her that if she's patient, the days are coming that she'll never forget.
"Tell her she'll go to sea and fight pirates. She'll fall in love with a man who'll wait 2000 years to keep her safe. Tell her she'll give hope to the greatest painter who ever lived. And save a whale in outer space. 
"Tell her...this is the story of Amelia Pond. And this is how it ends."

I LOVE the fact that, the WHOLE TIME they traveled together, Amy KNEW about many of the adventures that would happen...because he went back and TOLD HER when she was 12 years old!!

Amazing. Astounding. Brilliant. Emotional. Wonderful.
For me, this was the perfect send-off for our Ponds. They live. They're together. They live long, happy lives.
What more could we want for them?

Things I'm going to ignore:
-Amy's parents and Brian. Yes, I know they'll be devastated. I'm sure the Doctor will explain to Brian, and I'm just going to pretend Amy doesn't have parents.
-The Statue of Liberty-angel. No. Just...no. First, it would never be able to move because someone is ALWAYS watching it. Second, it would step on hundreds of people. Third, it's just stupid!
-The fact that River could have gone back to see her parents, Amy and Rory could have met the Doctor in another city or another time. I'm covering my ears and signing loudly. I CAN'T HEAR YOU, LALALALA.
-The regeneration energy. No, the Doctor has never really used that before. No, I don't care that it was a cop-out. No, I don't care that it's a misuse of what regenerating is. Shaddup!

You guys, it's a TV show. It's WHY I love TV. I can suspend belief. I can forget about laws and physics and just WATCH and FEEL.
Never forget why you love this show!

Now, if I may gloat here for a moment, I'd like to mention that 2 1/2 years of saying, "That scene in The Eleventh Hour HAD TO mean something!! The TARDIS noise, the smile...It HAD to!!", has FINALLY paid off.
YEAH, BABY! I KNEW IT!
Ahem...

Other theories I'd mentioned about The Angels Take Manhattan that came true:
-Rory getting zapped back in time and Amy having to witness him dying.
-Amy getting herself zapped back.
-Amy and Rory getting trapped in the past.
-The Doctor being unable to rescue them.
-Amy and Rory living a long, happy life together in the past.
-The stupid Statue of Liberty-angel (said that one after Blink, for God sake!)

Best parts of the episode:
-THE WHOLE THING!!
-Validation that River and the Doctor are indeed very married.
-The Rory/Amy scene on the roof.
-Matt Smith in the graveyard. MY GOD, HE's AMAZING.
-The music was brilliant all the way through.
-Matt filmed the scene on the bench where he's reading Amy's afterword in front of hundreds of onlookers in New York. It amazes me how much emotion he can show with so much distraction!
-"You think you'll just come back to life?"
"When don't I?"
-Karen in the graveyard. THAT'S what I've been waiting for since Vincent and the Doctor! THAT emotion from her. Brilliant job!
-That ending. That wonderful, wonderful ending. What an amazing payoff. Moffat, you brilliant man, having that planned for years!

And finally, what questions do we have after this episode?
-Will the Doctor be okay?
-How will he react?
-How will he manage?
-When will we see River again? (When the Doctor has a 'haircut and a new suit', right before she goes to the library?!?)
-How will the new companion be introduced?
-How will the Doctor accept her?
-How long will he travel alone before he meets her?

And lastly, the opening sequence this week was very dark, and then green (?!), there were TONS of flickering lights, but NO mention of Christmas.

And here's your Christmas teaser.

Now, I would really LOVE to hear your thoughts on the Pond's farewell episode, you guys!
Did you love it? Hate it? Bawl your eyes out?

Okay, everyone--That's it for me and Doctor Who until Christmas!
See you back here in 3 months!

Revolution: Chained Heat

Hoo, boy, what an ending, right?! Did NOT see that coming at all!

I'm having a REALLY hard time trying to figure out my feelings for this show.
I mean, it's good and all, but until the actual end of both episodes so far, it does tend to lag in spots--enough so that my attention drifts from time to time.
Also, Charlie. UGH, CHARLIE. She's SO annoying. She's almost a deal-breaker here, you guys. If she doesn't get better, I can sadly see myself losing interest in this show right quick!

Okay!
So this week we get to see a bit more of the past and how hard it was in those first days after the power were out.
A young Charlie is almost killed by a hungry, slightly insane man because he wants to steal the family's food.
In the end, he does let her go, but walks off with the food when Ben can't bring himself to shoot him.
That is until Rachel pulls her own gun and kills the man.
A mother will do anything to ensure her children don't go hungry. ANYTHING.

We also see Miles leaving the group to find someone named Nora, who's really good at blowing stuff up--and annoying Charlie screwing things up by following along.

The always-awesome C. Thomas Howell has a small guest role as a bounty hunter who's after Miles. I wonder how much fun that sword fight was to film?
Sadly, he's killed. I'm getting really tired of Tommy getting killed all the time, y'know! ;)

Miles goes off to find someone named Nora, and Captain Neville shoots a man who's hiding guns--as little brother Danny watches on in horror--after the guy shoots one of the militiamen first.
Apparently only militia are allowed firearms after the apocalypse.

On the way to find her uncle, Charlie manages to trick Nate--who was following her and who's name is not really Nate, and cuff him to a pole.

Maggie and Aaron, after being left behind, go after Charlie, and Aaron shows Maggie the pendant Ben gave to him.
Aaron tells Maggie that Ben told him to bring it to a woman named Grace, and this is when Aaron addresses all of the questions many of you asked last week. Neat!
"The blackout...THAT doesn't make any sense....Totally corn holed the laws of nature. It shouldn't BE permanent. We should be able to fix this but for some reason, we just can't. But! If it were man-made...
"If it's man-made...then maybe we can fix it."

Miles and Charlie find Nora on a chain gang, and break her out...even though she didn't want to be broken out.
Nora has gotten herself arrested on purpose, to steal a sniper rifle.
She refuses to help them until they help...so they do, with Charlie killing two guards in the process.
They also free all of the prisoners, who, by the way, were pulling a helicopter to General Monroe. He's also the President of the Republic, as we found out tonight!

In a seriously terrifying scene, we find out that Grace is the woman with the computer who tried to help Danny.
There's a knock at her door, she opens it, then slams it again and runs upstairs.
She types, "Randall is here", as we see a man with a taser enter the room. We never see his face, but we DO see that he's wearing the same type of pendant Ben and Grace have.

In the final scene, we're back with Monroe....and Rachel! *GASP*
She's locked in a room, writing something.
He tells her Ben is dead and the he has her son. Is she ever wants to see him again, she's got to tell him everything...About Ben and the power.

So, a shocking ending, lots of fun sword fights, a whiny, annoying female lead and a terrifying Neville!

What questions do we have after this episode?
-How much does Aaron know?
-Who is Grace?
-How much does Grace know?
-What's in the pendant that gives it power?
-It the power failure man-made?
-What does Nora owe Miles for?
-Who's Nate?
-How did Monroe end up president?!
-Who is Randall?
-Why does he wants Grace?
-Why does he have a pendant?
-What is Rachel writing?
-How did Monroe get Rachel?
-Did Ben know she was alive? Do her children?
-What does Rachel know, exactly?

I KNOW there are tons I'm missing! This show is VERY much like Lost, with all the questions! Ha!

Here's the trailer for next week!

I'm going to give it another episode or two before I decide whether or not I'll continue blogging Revolution.

Let me know what you guys thought of the episode!

Doctor Who: The Power of Three

Before I start my recap, I want to mention the opening credits.
Here's a photo I found 'round the interwebs.

As you can see, it's changing each week.
At first, I thought it was only getting darker--which I figured meant the Weeping Angels were coming--but that was debunked this week when it turned...purple?

And then there's this.

See that spiderweb looking thing in the time vortex? If you go back and watch this weeks opening credits, that electricity 'web' can be seen each time there's a lightening strike.
And in the SPACE trailer for Angels Take Manhattan, you can see the TARDIS bounce off of something electrical-looking that resembles this very much.
What does it mean?
I have NO idea, but I wanted to bring it to your attention, because that's what I do! ;)

Okay, onto The Power of Three! Another Chris Chibnall (who just did Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, remember) episode--and again it was just 'meh' for me.

One day, earth wakes up to find billions of small cubes scattered across the planet. They're EVERYWHERE.
And they do absolutely nothing...until they do.

The Doctor, with the help of Amy, Rory and Brian, have to find out what they are and where they come from.
Of course, sometimes the Doctor needs more help than just his companions can give, so enter UNIT, and Kate Stewart.
What a wonderful, amazing homage to our dear Brigadier. His daughter, now the head of UNIT?
And those touching scenes between her and the Doctor? Amazing. Thank you for that, Mr. Chibnall.

Rory and Amy are struggling with a big decision. Real life or the Doctor?
Amy figures that ten years have passed for her and Rory--not on earth, no, but for them (which would make them 31 year old, if my math is correct).
We see them go back and forth on the issue, until Brian actually makes the decision for them.
That was touching and I enjoyed that bit a lot.

The Doctor gets bored of waiting and goes back to doing what he does best, and for their anniversary, he takes Rory and Amy along. The cubes are still doing nothing, so no harm done!
And now I'm POSITIVE that we're seeing these episodes in a wonky order!
I'm absolutely CERTAIN that A Town Called Mercy takes place DURING The Power of Three!
In TPo3, Amy, Rory and the Doctor have to hide from Henry the VIII, and you can see a phone charger near Rory's hand under the bed.
In ATCM, the Doctor mentions Rory leaving a phone charger behind with Henry VIII!
What a VERY cool way to show us the episodes!

When the three return home, Brian realizes that Amy and Rory have been gone again and he asks the Doctor about his previous companions.
"Some left me. Some got left behind. And some--not many, but--some died. Not them. Not them, Brian. Never them."
After that conversation, the Doctor decides to stay with Amy and Rory for awhile. To observe the cubes...and he misses them.
Aww.

Suddenly, just about a year after they arrived, the cubes decide to wake up...and each cube seems to do something different.
One spits fire. One plays the 'chicken dance' on a loop, one shoots lasers, etc.

Rory gets called to the hospital and Brian goes with him.

Amy and the Doctor head to UNIT's secret base under the Tower of London.

At the hospital, Brian is taken by orderlies with strange faces and Rory follows him through a wormhole onto a spaceship, where he is promptly injected by those same orderlies and goes unconscious.

Outside the secret base, Amy and the Doctor have a wonderful exchange, and this was my favourite bit of the episode--

"One day--soon, maybe--you'll stop. I've known for awhile."
"Then why do you keep coming back for us?"
"Because you were the first. The first face this face saw. And you're seared onto my hearts. Amelia Pond."
So, so beautiful, right? *sniffle*

Right after the Doctor has his epiphany, the cubes start to countdown from 7. The world gets rid of as many cubes as it can, but when they do open, 1/3 of the population dies from cardiac arrest....and the Doctor, who was in close proximity so he could see what would happen, loses the function of one of his hearts.

The Doctor and Amy follow a signal to Rory's hospital and the wormhole--and Amy zaps the Doctor's heart back into commission along the way.
They step through ('one dimension to the left', to be exact) and find seven humans on tables, unconscious.
They also find a hologram of a Shakri. A race of people thought to be a myth.

The Shakri wants to kill all humans. Apparently because humans are a plague that destroys everything they touch, and shouldn't be allowed to colonize the universe.
Really? Again? Hasn't this been over-done? *sigh*

So the Doctor waves his magic-screwdriver, makes the cubes zap ONLY the dead people on earth (who, by the way, wake up healthy, with NO brain damage at all), blows up the Shakri ship.
(I'm not going to mention the fact that the unconscious people were still on the ship when the Doctor, Amy and Rory run through the wormhole to safety because it MUST be a continuity error...right?)

Kate and the Doctor say goodbye, and Amy and Rory, with their decision made, leave with the Doctor for their next adventure.
An adventure that will be our last with our beloved Ponds.

NOOOOO, I'M NOT READY!

So, did you notice that I didn't mention the little girl in the hospital once during this recap?
And did you feel at all lost without that?
No? Then WHY was she needed in the episode?!
She made ZERO sense to me.

And those guys with the weird faces?
WHY did they have weird faces, exactly? Did they NEED to have weird faces?

Before I forget, Christmas is again in this episode--it's shown this time and not mentioned.
And we still have light issues--the lights go out in UNIT's secret base.

Best parts:
-"Invasion of the very small cubes. That's new."
-"Can't live like this! Don't make me! I need to be busy!"
-"Brian's log."
-"Welcome back, lefty!"
-The Doctor playing Wii!
-"Is that all you can do? Hover? I had a metal dog who could do that."
-"Mine fired laser bolts and now it's surfing the 'net!"
-The whole exchange with the Doctor and Amy outside the UNIT base.

What questions do we have after this episode?
-How will the Ponds leave?
-What does the changing opening credits mean?
-How will the Doctor manage the Ponds leaving?


Here's the trailer for our last episode with the Ponds--and the last episode until Christmas, The Angels Take Manhatten.

See you back here next week, Whovians...possibly later than usual because I'll be SOBBING MY FACE OFF! :(

My First Race!

I was a bundle of nerves. I'd gotten MAYBE an hour of sleep all night. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping me on my feet by race time.

It wasn't a HUGE race, which was one reason I'd picked it as my first, but I sure felt crowded at that start line!
I was about 100m back from the actual line, and the starter gun scared me when it went off! Haha!

The whole pack started out running...and running FAST. That first km was my best km time, ever.
Sadly, I couldn't keep up the pace and slowed to a walk by minute 5.
I'm not yet able to run a full 5K. I knew I'd be walking much of it, and I was okay with that!

I STILL have lots of pain in my calves during km's 2 and 3, so I ran/walked at my normal pace through the pain.
THAT was when your #run3rd dedications helped me the most. I thought about cancer survivors and those still fighting. Sisters-in-law and dolphins and Tyler. Patriotism..and always there at the back of my mind was our fearless leader, Sean. ;)

I had my music in my ears, the sun had come out from behind the clouds (it had rained ALL morning!) and I was finally, finally enjoying my run. The scenery was gorgeous with many trees already changing colours, and the residential area was filled with pretty houses.

At km 4, I was finally out of pain, so I just ran. I ran the full last km--a second personal best km time--and as I rounded the last corner, I turned my music off so I could hear the crowd.
A volunteer yelled to me, "YOU GOT THIS! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE! PUSH!"
That lit a fire under me, and for the last 200m, I sprinted.
I passed my daughter, fiance and step-dad and I could only smile as I ran by. The emotion I felt at that moment was overwhelming, and that's when I started to cry.

I could see my mother, standing right at the finish line with camera in hand.
I crossed the line and fell into her arms, sobbing...and then immediately had to push her away because I thought I was going to puke--that's how hard I ran that last 200m! Haha!

I cried as I hugged my daughter and fiance, with pride and joy and relief!
I wasn't last (that was a HUGE fear for me) AND I'd run a personal best, shaving over 4 minutes off my usual time!

I finished in 45:46...and I'm already looking for my next race. ;)

YA Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Paperback
408 pages
Release date: Sept. 18, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Series: The Raven Cycle #1
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
HUGE thank you to Scholastic Canada for providing this book for review!

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.” It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

What would life be like if you were the only non-psychic in a house full of them?
This is only ONE of Blue's troubles in the AMAZING new book, The Raven Boys!


This was my introduction to Ms. Stiefvater, and yep, it was a good one to start with! (I've had both The Scorpio Races AND the Shiver trilogy on my bookshelf for MONTHS now and haven't had the time to pick them up!)

The characters are amazing. I wanted to be Blue, with all of her flaws and quirks and awesomeness.
Adam and Gansey are both so, so amazing in such different ways. There's no way I can choose between them.
Noah--Aw, Noah. I think I loved him most of all--but it's a completely different kind of love than what I feel for Adam and Gansey, with the hugs and the hair-petting and...d'aw. Noah.
And Ronan? Well...I love his name! And not much more! Ha!

The mysteries, twist and turns in The Raven Boys are fun and thrilling, and the cliff-hanger ending left me literally stunned and speechless!

The book IS a bit over-long and it does lag from time-to-time, but the lovable characters, the intriguing quest and the fabulous writing will definitely keep you turning the pages.
Keep in mind that this IS book 1 of a series and it definitely can't be read as a stand-alone novel, though!

I can honestly say that book 2 is now one of my most anticipated reads of 2013, and I really, REALLY hope we see more of Ronan--who was kind of left on the back-burner with all of the other important plots that were happening-- as well as some of the foreshadowing Ms. Stiefvater teasingly adds in The Raven Boys!

If you liked the Dead Poets Society or Stephen King's It, I think you'll really enjoy this book.
I highly recommend it to teens 14+, because of the slightly complicated plot twists, and to moms and dads, too!
And, YES, I'm happy to say this is a great book for boys to get into, too!

PLEASE oet me know if you read it! I'd love to discuss it with you!

Revolution: Pilot

Before I even get to my thoughts about this show, I'm going to say one thing.

People, this is TV. It's FICTION. I'm NOT going to be nitpicking about why guns work and engines don't.
I honestly don't care. Stuff stopped working. Stuff won't start working again. The end.
Okay? Okay.

So! Revolution!
I've been waiting years for this premiere! I remember when it was announced that Kripke and Abrams would be teaming up! There was much squeeing and rejoicing!

I find post-apocalyptic TV, books and movies fascinating and completely scary.
There's always a big WHAT IF, there, right? It COULD happen....and how would I manage?

Would I be one of the dead? Or would I adapt?
I just don't know!

In this pilot, we see all things electrical suddenly just turn off. Cars stall on the streets. Planes fall from the sky. Every single carton of ice cream in the world goes bad (Nooooooooo!).
Revolution takes place 15 years after the world 'ended'. Those of us familiar with Abrams will find comfort in the use of flashbacks (a la Lost) to tell some of the story.

I'll start with the things I didn't like.
-Charlie. Nope, not a fan of the actress at all. This is a role for someone much tougher than Tracy Spiridakos. She's not believable in the role at all. Sorry.
-Does there ALWAYS have to be a bad-guy-who-might-be-a-good-guy-because-of-love? Ugh. I mean, Nate is cute and all, but the character is so tired and overused.
-The girlfriend of the dead guy who's going to become the love interest of the dead guy's brother. Blech.
-"We have to find so-and-so!" Always. Why can't we follow a group of people who stay home for once?!
-Tim Guinee's death. There had better be a TON of flashbacks with him in them!

Things I DID like:
-Elizabeth Mitchell! She's awesome in everything! PLEASE don't let her be underused!
-Giancarlo Esposito. The guy is brilliantly terrifying!! LOVE.
-Sword fight!
-Ice = Power. Great way to show who's on the top of the pyramid.
-The mystery and tons of questions.



What questions do we have after this episode?
-Er, ALL THE QUESTIONS!?? (Seriously, everything!)
-How did the power go out?
-Who's fault was it, if anyone's?
-Where did Ben work?
-How did he know 'it' was happening?
-What did Ben download just before the power turned off?
-What's up with the militia?
-How did soldier-Monroe become bad-guy-leader-Monroe?
-Why did Monroe and Miles fall out?
-Nate--Good or bad?
-Will Danny escape?
-Will Charlie find her brother?
-How does that woman have the same type of pendant as Ben and how does it give her power?!
-Who is she talking to on the computer?
-The question on the other end of the computer--Did who find what!?

This is one series that I'm definitely keeping an eye on. I'll need until at least episode 4 or 5 before I can decide whether or not to stick with it.

Here's the trailer for next week's episode--

I'd love to hear what you thought of the Revolution premiere!

Will you continue watching? What were your likes/dislikes?

See you back here next week!

Doctor Who: A Town Called Mercy

Well! That was NOT at all what I expected! I expected light and funny and simple...This was SO dark and complicated and sad!

To be honest, after my first watch, I wasn't entirely sure how I actually felt about A Town Called Mercy, and after seeing a few tweets and messages after it aired, it would appear that this episode is either completely love or completely hate...and there's a LOT of hate for it!

I do understand why--The message has been done again and again--but, thankfully, I've decided that I'm in the other camp.
I pretty much loved A Town Called Mercy.

HOWEVER!
It did have it's flaws...and many of them. It definitely wasn't a perfect episode.

For one-- Amy and Rory.
Um...why were they needed, exactly? They didn't do much of anything. At least not until Amy brought the Doctor back down to earth, which I'll get to in my recap.

Second--As mentioned above, the moral of the story has been don SO many times in Doctor Who. "I'm a monster, just like you are". Yeah, we get it. Why do they feel the need to keep reminding us of this?

Third--The western thing. It might just be me, but that felt so awkward. I LOVE westerns, but maybe they're not for Doctor Who. ;)


Okay! Lets get to it, shall we?

We begin with a voice over. A woman tells of her favourite story as a child, about a man who lived forever and fell from the stars.

We then see what appears to be a cyborg killing a man. The man asks if he's the 'last one'. The cyborg answers that there's one more. "The Doctor'.
Aaaaand, cue the opening sequence!
(This week the logo looks like an old wooden wall! Did you notice?)

The Doctor, Amy and Rory are in a town called, surprisingly, Mercy!
Although they were apparently supposed to be in Mexico for the Day of the Dead celebrations.

After the Doctor meets the townsfolk and gives his name, the react rather...oddly...and kick him out of the town. At gunpoint.
Luckily the Marshall comes along and puts things right...but not before we catch a glimpse of that same cyborg we saw in the opening.

The Marshall explains that the cyborg--The Gunslinger--showed up one day and won't let anyone (with food, I guess?) in or out of the town.
The Gunslinger wants 'the alien Doctor'....but not OUR alien Doctor.
The new Doctor, Kahler Jex, crashed just outside of Mercy, and he stayed on as the town Doctor.
He saved the town from a cholera breakout, and gave them electricity. The Marshall seems quite fond of his Doctor, and keeps him safe from the Gunslinger.

The Doctor has a plan to get to the TARDIS, load the town inside, and take everyone to safety.
With Rory and the Marshall playing decoy, the Doctor borrows a horse--a boy horse named Susan--and heads--not to the TARDIS, as planned, but where else? To the crashed spaceship!

Back at the Marshall's office, Jex and Amy have a bonding moment...which pretty much gave away some of the plot.
Did everyone guess that Jex had made the Gunslinger when Amy asked if he was a father?
Yeah? Me too.

The Doctor causes the alarm to go off in the spaceship, and when Jex realizes that the plan has changed, he gets rather upset.
He pulls a gun on Amy--to use her as a hostage while he tries to escape.
Luckily, the Marshall and Rory return in the nick of time.

Meanwhile, the Doctor enters the ship and sees things that make him...well, very upset. We hear screams coming from the monitor as the computer says that the names of the deceased can be found in the drop down menu.
And yet again, we see Angry, Vengeful Doctor.
Apparently Jex isn't what he seems.
As he exits the ship, the Gunslinger is waiting for him.
The Doctor tells the 'Slinger that he knows what happened. He doesn't understand why he hasn't gone into the town and just killed Jex.
The Gunslinger has an issue with killing innocents, and that's what's kept him out.
But now, he's done. The next person to step over the line will be killed.

The Doctor returns to Mercy, and he's VERY cross with Jex.
Have I mentioned yet how amazing Matt Smith plays the Doctor? He absolutely terrifies me when he's angry!

He explains to the Marshall, Amy and Rory that Jex experimented on people during a war and made them into cyborgs. Into killing machines.
Jex explains that when the war ended, the cyborgs were shut down--but one must have been damaged.
It hunted down the team that created it and killed them all. All but one. Jex.

Jex then compares himself to the Doctor and the Doctor loses it.
He shoves him out of the town and then PULLS A GUN on Jex!
This is NOT the Doctor we've come to know and love during the last 4 seasons!
This Doctor is much more like his Ninth incarnation. The one who'd just been through the Time War. The one who'd been travelling alone, full of hate and malice and despair and sadness.
The one who (as much as I hate to admit it!) Rose 'fixed' with her kindness and faith in him.
And we see that faith again, in Amy during this exchange--
"This is not how we roll and you know it. What's happened to you, Doctor? When did killing someone become an option?"
"Jex has to answer for his crimes."
"And what then? Are you going to hunt down everyone who's made a gun or a bullet or a bomb?"

"But they keep coming back. Don't you see? Every time I negotiate I try to understand. Well not today, no. Today, I honour the victims first. His, the Master's, the Daleks, all the people who've died because of MY MERCY."
"See, this is what happens when you travel alone for too long. Well listen to me, Doctor, we can't be like him. We have to be better than him."
*long, long pause*
"Amelia Pond."
And, of course, she changes his mind, as she should. She's right.

The Gunslinger enters the town and just as he's about to shoot Jex, the Marshall pushes him out of the way and takes the bullet.
His dying wish is that the Doctor protect Jex and the town.
And so the Doctor becomes the Marshall.
The Gunslinger gives the town until noon the next day to turn over Jex, or he'll kill them all.

Later that night, the Doctor and the prisoner have a talk about the guilt Jex feels and why he fears death...and that's when the Doctor comes up with a plan.
At exactly noon, the Gunslinger enters Mercy.
With the help of decoys and his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor tricks the Gunslinger and Jex escapes to his spaceship--Where he decides to blow himself up rather than put another town and people through what Mercy had to go through.

And the Gunslinger? Well, the Doctor convinces him that he has a....higher calling.
"By the time the Gunslinger arrived, the people of Mercy were used to the strange and the impossible. Where he came from didn't matter.
"As a man once said, 'America is a land of second chances'.
"Do I believe the story? I don't know. My Great-Grandmother must've been a little girl when he arrived. But next time you're in Mercy, ask someone why they don't have a Marshall or a Sheriff or policemen there. 'We got out own arrangement', they'll say. Then they'll smile like they got a secret. like they got their own special angel watchin' out for 'em. Their very own angel who fell...from the stars."

BEST ENDING!!!
Seriously, tears at that ending! SO GOOD!!!
I think that's why I can say I loved A Town Called Mercy. That ending just touched my heart in the exact right way.
Toby Whithouse and his endings! Gah! 'School Reunion' ring any bells? Sobbed my face off! And last seasons, 'The God Complex'? Teary then, too.
So I say, well done, Mr. Whithouse.
It wasn't a PERFECT episode, and it STILL doesn't feel like 'good old' Doctor Who to me...but I loved it all the same.

Now, I'd like to mention a few things that I've had my eye on, and that I promised myself I would mention if they happened again.

1) Christmas.
Christmas has been mentioned in all three episodes so far.
In Asylum of the Daleks, "At long last, it's Christmas! here I am!"
In Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, "Dad, I'm 31. I don't have a Christmas list anymore." (Rory)
In A Town Called Mercy, "Has somebody been peeking at my Christmas list?"
Why? Is Moffat just foreshadowing Clara's appearance? Or is it something more?

2) Flickering lights.
In Asylum of the Daleks, the lights flicker in Amy's dressing room just before she's taken.

In Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, the lights flicker while Brian and Rory are changing the bulb.

In A Town Called Mercy, the lights all flicker, often!

Why? Foreshadowing the Weeping Angels, who we know are making an appearance in the Pond's last episode?
Or, again, something else? Keep an eye out for flickering next week, you guys!

3) Death.
Oswin (we assume) in Asylum.
Solomon in Dinosaurs.
Jex in Mercy.
Why? Foreshadowing a POND death?!? Will there be another death next week?

4) I have NO idea what order the Doctor, Amy and Rory are travelling!
I assumed it was following the episode order, but now I'm not so sure...and honestly, I'm not ever certain it matters.
I just wanted to point it out.

And so!

What questions do we have after this episode?
-IS there a ton of foreshadowing going on?!
-What will happen to the Doctor once the Pond's leave for good if he's already reverting?!
-Will there be another death next week?
-More flickering lights?
-A Christmas mention?

Best Parts:
-That ending. That wonderful, heart-warming ending!
- "I see keep out signs as suggestion rather than orders. like 'dry clean only'."
- "He's called Susan. And he wants you to respect his life choices."
- "Oy. Don't swear."
- Matt once again scaring the crap out of me with his angry Doctor! LOVE HIM.
- "You're both good men. You just...forget sometimes."
- The score was amazing!! Did you notice?
- "Marshall. Ma'am. Fella." Ha!
- The toothpick! LOL!

And here's the trailer for episode 4, 'The Power of Three', where we'll once again spend time with Rory's dad, Brian!

What did you guys think of A Town Called Mercy? Love it? Hate it?
And I'd love to hear your thoughts on my crazy theories! ;)

See you next week, Whovians! Only 2 episodes left with the Ponds! :(

Back To School Blog Hop and Giveaway!

Welcome to the Back to School Blog Hop, featuring Jenn Cooksey's amazing book, Shark Bait!

You may remember Jenn from our interview, or maybe from my review of Shark Bait!

For this stop in the hop, Jenn and I wanted to do something a bit different. We discovered while I was reading Shark Bait that we're both HUGE Buffy fans, so Jenn had the great idea of a Buffy post!

So, here she is--The incomparable Jenn Cooksey, with an amazing guest post about Buffy!

Take it away, Jenn!


So first I want to thank Christina for having me yet again on her wonderful blog! For those who don’t know, Christina was the chick who popped my “interview cherry” back in July of this year. I’d just published my debut novel, Shark Bait—the 1st in the 6-book Grab Your Pole series, and not only did she read it (YAY!!), but she also reviewed it and interviewed me. I hadn’t ever been interviewed before and I was all anxious and nervous about my first time, just like your typical virgin. She was kind and gentle, though, and when it was over she and I shared a virtual bottle of celebratory champagne.  

Flash forward two-ish months to deciding it’s time for me to get my feet wet in the blog hop pool...

Despite having been reviewed by several other bloggers and readers, being interviewed a good handful of times and even doing a guest post, I found myself feeling like a virgin again. I was trying to think of bloggers who would be interested in participating in a blog hop organized by a newbie featuring a book that was written by one as well. So of course I contacted Christina, because you know, a girl never forgets her first time or the person she shared the experience with. She was totally on board, but since she’d already reviewed Shark Bait and interviewed me, we decided to sort of switch things up a little, thus this Buffy-infused guest post.

Yep, you read that right. BUFFY. 

Although I do heart me a good Star Trek episode and I feel that the original Star Wars trilogy could’ve been left as is, I wouldn’t necessarily classify myself as a girl geek like Christina does. However, there’s one thing that bonds us together like no one’s business and that’s a deep and abiding love for the T.V. show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Christina had mentioned maybe I could talk about how Buffy influenced my writing (because I reference it quite a bit in this first book), but I just honestly can’t put that into words. Plus, I’m not terribly certain that Buffy actually influenced my writing per se, but the genius of Joss Whedon certainly had an impact on me and I’m sure probably went a long way in developing realistic characters for the Grab Your Pole series. Like the T.V. show, I try to portray my characters as strong, intelligent, and often times, snarky individuals who are just as flawed as a real-life person, because the fact of the matter is, no one is perfect—not even in make-believe-land.

Okay, so that’s all great...I write fictional reality about what teenagers do and say when they think no one’s watching, and I write believable characters, conversations and situations, yada yada yada. Let’s get to the good stuff...the Buffy stuff.

Even after writing Shark Bait, editing it, and reading it more times than I can count, I still find myself giggling at this one line that’s sandwiched within the following excerpt—I’ve underlined it here so that you all know what part I’m talking about...

“... You know, this whole thing really bites,” Jillian said, showing what I find to be the proper amount of attitude towards our really crappy lifestyle change.
“I know, especially today. It’s gonna be a huge suck-fest...like Buffy meets Twilight,“ I agreed.
For unto every generation a vampire phenomenon is born, one that girls and even some women will obsess over endlessly. For my mom it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I get the Cullens. Don’t misunderstand me, I enjoyed the books and everything, but just because they both have vampires, it does not make them the same. Buffy is just classic. It had everything...cute boys, mass drama, love stories, but best of all, it was freaking hysterical.

And it’s true!! Buffy had it ALL and it had it in spades. Unlike having to choose a favorite movie or song (God forbid), I never have any qualms about ranking Buffy the Vampire Slayer as my most favorite T.V. show ever. And, although the whole freaking series was phenomenal, I have a couple favorite episodes as well. But before we get to that, I’m going to actually try to rank the main characters (yeah, wish me luck...).

1) Buffy – Duh.
2) Angel – Probably because he’s the embodiment of what every one wants in a hero, and, I was madly in love with their love story.
3) Spike – Talk about comic relief buried under a thick skin of the ultimate bad boy...yikes!
4) Giles – Bad boy in his youth turned parental-type role model. What can I say, I can totally relate.
5) Oz – Seth Green. ‘Nough said. (And we’ll not be discussing my feelings on what went down in season 4...I mean Grr Argh indeed.)
6) Xander – He just played the sarcastic doofus so, so well...
7) Anya – She was such a freaking riot...all unemotional yet drowning in the teenage angst she found repulsive. And I thought it was hilarious that she’s petrified of bunnies.
8) Faith – She’s just so in your face about everything and takes a dark pleasure in dusting vamps...if Hollywood were to make a reality video called Slayers Gone Wild, she’d be the basis for it.
9) Cordelia – The bitch everyone loves to hate, but somehow is able to become totally loveable at the same time.
10) Willow – Yeah, I know she’s really far down on the list and while I like her, I just never really had that “connection” with her like I did with the other characters. She’s funny and smart, and she’s the perfect foil for Buffy, but for me there was always something missing.
11) Tara – Again, not a huge fan but she was sweet and loyal, and I appreciate those characteristics immensely.
12) Riley – He was always just meh for me...and honestly, in my eyes no one was ever going to be right for Buffy after season three.
13) Dawn & Kennedy – They’re tied for my least fave characters in the series. And because there’s so much about both that I dislike, I’m not gonna get into it here. ;-)

So there you have it! My ranking of the main characters in the best T.V. show the history of mankind has ever been blessed with! Now! On to a couple of my favorite episodes...

By far, my favorite episode is S3.E4—Beauty & the Beasts. This had everything I absolutely adored about the show, encapsulating the wit, drama, relationships, action, and romance all in one, wonderfully written, 45-minute episode. Here’s a look:

Next, we have S3.E10—Amends. Oh my God...this episode was just SO very emotional and did a phenomenal job underscoring the definition of hope. And yeah, I still bawl like a baby when I watch it...

(The clip is user-made, so please don’t blame me for the funky music and off-time dialogue...it’s just the best I could find for this episode.)

Alright, folks, that about wraps it up for me!! Again, thanks for playing along and if you have anything to add or ask, please post a comment!! And of course, one more HUGE thanks and cyber-champagne toast to Christina for going through another first with me! 

Oh, wait!! Before you go, don’t forget to enter Just a Girl Geek’s giveaway for your shot at an e-copy of Shark Bait, but for a chance at the grand prize, the Ultimate Shark Bait Swag Bag (see picture below), make sure you travel to every blog on the hop and jot down the highlighted letters and what blog you found them at in order to answer the scavenger hunt question which will be featured at the final stop of the hop over on my blog on September 21st!!! Grand prize details as well as the hop schedule can be found on my blog.

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