i really can't get enough of this episode. i honestly think, after watching 18 years of television & being unber critical of them over the last 10 years of them, that this could possibly be the best episode of anything... ever.

anyway, i got to thinking lately, as i researched susan gibney & began thinking about renee walcott as a character in comparison to the other characters on 'crossing jordan' & so on & so forth... & i got to thinking about how alike renee & jordan are, & garret's relationship to both of them.

even woody says, towards the end of the episode, about how similar they are. it is especially prevalent in 'locard's exchange,' their passion, their professionalism, their stubborness... i wouldn't be surprised if renee walcott was hiding a past as equally messed up as jordan's. it was hard to see this similarity, i guess, if you weren't looking, way back when jordan & renee didn't get along, but they're both driven & powerful, which is why we adore them in the first place (& who could honestly say they don't like renee after this episode).

renee & garret are... amazing. flawed. sexy. mysterious. garret himself, IS mysterious, as seely pointed out, together they are perfect. so much the same, professional, & stubborn, not ones for vanities. to jordan, garret plays makeshift daddy while max is gone, giving her kisses on the forehead & words of encouragment. he has always been a touchstone for her in her crazy world... he cares for jordan so much, as if she were his own daughter.

but just seems to me that renee is the jordan that he gets to kiss...

this episode is amazing.

& it will be marked by the new episode of ER tonight, 'All About Christmas Eve,' because everyone knows that it's not christmas until ER premieres it's xmas special!

so at 11pm est, it can officially be the christmas season!

even though i literally have a thousand things on my plate, i decided to take a moment to come here & eagerly drink up all the reviews on last nights SMASHING episode of 'ER,' i do.

i figured i'd make a new tradition out of this, because heading back to the 'ER' site at tv.com is one of the first things i do when i start up my computer every firday. but first... what i thought...

what cuties the entire cast of 'ER' are. neela & gallant are adorable, & that's a fact. i thought that this episode embodies everything that 'ER' is all about. it's just constantly proving that it can still balance human drama & medical drama without seeming too much like a soap opera or a cold medical drama.

abby & luka were just hot. i have a ridiculous amount of emotional stock in their relationship (always had) so they better not let me down.

i'm glad the whole staff got together to celebrate gallant & neela got married... though they didn't even get all together to see mark greene & lizzie get married! it was cute, it was fun, it was exciting... i'm glad we're back to developing story lines that might actually go somewhere (& we can actually get excited about!) & still professionally focusing on the medical aspects.

i'm not exactly sure how anybody could find a way to pick out something bad... brilliant, brilliant.

i am so relieved to finally see susan gibney back on 'cj' where she belongs. i admit it, every episode, i'm sitting there just waiting for her name to pop up on the credits, but alas, it never does! imagine my shock & utter delight when i saw her in the previews for next weeks all new episide... SHE'S BACK!

she is absolutely wonderful & sadly, cj is nothing without her. ooh, just thinking about the last episode she was in (LOCARD'S EXCHANGE: quite possibly one of the greatest episodes ever) makes me so happy! she really brings something special to each episode she stars in (more like, graces with her presence). maybe it's her voice or her style or her kick ass attitude, or maybe the comfort of a familiar face that holds so much promise & intrigue...

either way, i am thrilled to have her back & am waiting anxiously for next week so i can feast on some rene walcott / suegib-isms in case i have to go without her again for a prolonged (& unfair) period of time.

BTW: i guess she was on 'criminal minds?' & i missed it?? oh well, she belongs on 'cj' & only 'cj.' i hope one day, the execs behind the scenes finally wise up & cast her permanently.

before i go check out the latest reviews on the world's best drama, ER, as is my routine every friday morning/afternoon, i thought i'd jot down a few of my own opinions. as it stands right now, i have very high opinions of last nights episode, and for once, i swear it's not because i'm an avid fan, but actually can give my honest, non-biased opinion of shows from time to time.

usually, when i go to see the numerous reviews posted on last night's episode, i am much less than thrilled...

before i go on, i must remind you that ER is in it's 12TH season...

what i'm getting lately is not a whole lot of good words to the fabric of ER, which, despite popular opinion is still pretty strong. a lot of the remarks made towards it these days are about it getting old, about repition of plot lines, and my favorite "too dramatic/not dramatic enough." when, in actuality, it's only problem is competition.

how about you tell me the name of another show that's been running for 12 years and hasn't repeated a plot line? how about you and me argue the fact that in the real world, more than one person with a gsw to the chest in 12 years will end up in a hospital? as for this drama stuff, COME ON.

i'd like to take a little trip back into the anals of ER history, when the show had a healthy mixture of intense human drama as well as a nice dose of humour. there were the episodes that were all drama, and episodes that were a lot of fun. it seems that these days whenever this ER leads to one of those extremes, it gets torn apart... make up your mind, please. even i think that this season has been a little weak, but only because of poor writing and taking the plot lines in the wrong directions. too many doctors with way too many personal issues that take over the whole episode.

anyway, about 'human shield.' it was good. maura tierney played the perfect guilty, sad, pained abby, like we knew she would. i thought that her performance at the end was (dare i say it?)... well, she at least deserves SOME kind of nod for it. clemente and kovac's little tiff at the end was good, we like when doctors rub each other the wrong way, remember? shame on the directors or whoever for shamelessly sexing up neela, just so she could look hot all episode, for really no reason in the end... but i thought her and stamos were cute. i like this ray and zoe storyline, no matter how twisted it is. at least he got his ass kicked for it. abby, of course, had her little funny lines and antics that are uniquley her. as for the cases... brava! they finally did something right. it was gut wrenching, sad, interesting... everybody had a hand in it. who didn't tear up when sydney talked to her mom again? i was really rooting for her.

oh, and luka and abby? i was trying not to let that sway how i felt about the episode... but... let's just say... hooRAY!

so now i'm off to read everybody else's reviews... finger's crossed, because last night was GOOD.

watch out, boys, because we're pulling out the big shots now. forget the days of a drama or sitcom or (gasp) dramedy of starting small and fleshing itself out over the first season, developing unique and flawed characters that we can get ourselves lost in, only to bring in a bigger and better season two...

forget about that. now we want shows that are already fully developed, unique characters we no nothing about and we want action. and we want it fast. and if not's good, then we want it gone. we are long past the golden age of tv, the silver age, and even the bronze age (aka, when reality tv ruled primetime) and are steadfastedly holding ground in the brass age, just a thin veneer of what we percieve as gold menifesting itself over the crap we cannot seem to stop fawning over.

patricia arquette is the most overrated actress i have ever had the misfortune to watch on tv.

garrett is dressed like the fonz, talking to THE fonz, who is dressed like garrett macy. jordan's in a skin tight red suit and NOT jeans, nigel has short hair.

crazy mized up world we live in.

crossing jordan's season premiere was everything i had hoped it would be (despite the lack of emmylou) and completely worth obsessing about. the 'er' premiere blew so hard, but i'm waiting out for next week until i pass final judgement. 'cj' had everything: unresolved sexual tension, a shocking blast from the past, the formation of a new arc, personal problems, great filmography, and most importantly... a susan gibney mention.

shout out to rene walcott!

next week is a crossover with 'las vegas.' why always 'lv,' i'm not sure of. i guess they are equally "sexy." then again, that depends on what jordan is wearing, because besides woody being so fine, it's not a very sexy show... i mean, comparing that to other shows out there, corrupting our good american media...

so right on to boston and the medical examiners office for keeping up the intregue. i knew nbc couldn't COMPLETELY let me down. and by the way, i better see at LEAST 15 of straight maura/abby time on 'er' or i will picth a fit.

and there is a better place to be than boston, and it is home... and while i may be currently living in boston, it will never be home.

total abby time tally= 3 1/2 minutes, max.

maura tierney has officially been robbed. she DESERVED that spot as first credited, and everybody knew it. 'er' must have some sexist regime behind the scene that prohibits any woman from ever occupying the roll as first billed.

you know, i thought the r2's times would just be split up evenly. 20 / 20 / 20. more like 30 / 20 / 5. (those extra five minutes were alotted to sam and luka to run to colorado and magically find alex.

speaking of alex! what's with the change of character? there aren't enough words to explain how much i wish that the roles hadn't changed. and, woe is me, they haven't debuted any new characters, though morris is offically in the cast, more or less as the new paul mccrane, or token jerk, and it works.

but back to my darling maura tierney: have they just forgotten the killer roles she has played when she was just the newbie nurse with short hair who had luka and carter fighting over her? she had been praised for years for 'bringing the spark back into er.' don't you think that they wouldn't just let that spark die while she sits on the back burner? screw sam! abby is everything sam is not and maura tierney brings that life to the show that is missing every second she isn't on screen.

and her hair is shorter. and flippier. and parted down the left. it's been better- but at least she hasn't put those incorrigable highlights back in!

get ready for an hour of hard hitting, blood pumping, maura tierney starring, high quality tv as ER kicks back into gear with 'canon city,' further answering all those nagging questions we have had in the back of our mind for most of spring and all of summer that has left us on the edge of our seast since the finale last season.

noah wyle is gone! who will take the coveted position as first billed? will it be laura innes, the newest veteran of the group? goran visnjic, the new, hot male lead? or maura tierney, the most deserving of the bunch (in my opinion) who has also been rightfully occupying the 2nd billed role for the last season?

will john leguizamo scare all the faithful viewers away with his big teeth? will john stamos actually be able to renew his career and no longer be referred to as rebecca romijn's ex or "that guy from 'full house?'" will kristen johnson once again be playing the role of an alien, despite the fact that '3rd rock from the sun' ended in 1996?

will luka ever be able to fill john carter's shoes? will we be able to go an episode without some allusion to the carter foundation or his big nose? will either of the three new cast members have an accent?

or more importantly, what will maura tierney's hair look like? will it be long or short, wavy or straight? will we be blessed with a number of abby-centric episode and plot lines or will the execs behind the scenes keep passing over abby, though she has the most potential and skill of all the cast members?

will season 12 be good enough to sustain through a thirteenth season? will the fairweather viewers forget all about the glory that was 'er' for a few meaningless seasons of 'grey's anatomy?' will the loyal viewers have the patience to put up with the new and drastic plot and cast changes?

these are the important questions that need to be asked before we can all sit down and enjoy the stellar season premiere that will be 'ER.'

oh, and what will happen to alex, sam and pratt, etc, etc... blah, blah. in the end, it isn't always the plot that matters...

so i guess tyne daly didn't win. surprise, surprise, right? but furgawdssake, connie, couldn't 'amy' be recognized for something? (if tyne couldn't win, i'm glad blythe danner did & not that incorigable sandra oh. jk... kinda). they have really been robbed during their six year run. they are constantly being critisized for being so dramatic & about other important things that are never talked about unless sex or violence is involved. i've mentioned all this before in a previous post, but it is all still very relevant. i thought tyne was really good in the final season of 'amy.' she was extra dramatic, haha.

'arrested development' should have won more, 'everybody loves raymond' shouldn't have won anything, same goes for 'desperate housewives.' i'm not exactly sure if the acting on that show is good or not, it's hard to make that decision through all the hoopla & propaganda telling us that it's good. who knows? if abc tells us a show is good, we'll watch it. the more people who watch it the more emmy nods it will get... & the vicious cycle goes on & on. i hate shows with naked, pretty women on it.

which brings me to why i hate 'grey's anatomy.' not because they are naked, but they are so freaking pretty. a friend of mine once tried to convince me that 'grey's' was better than 'er' when all clearly know that's SO not the case. she even told me that the people on 'er' were prettier than 'grey's.' wtfmate? yea, maura, parminder, sherry... they are beautiful in non-obvious ways... but the girls (& guys) on 'grey's' are HOT & that's what i'm against. plus, it doesn't touch on real issues. i HATE that. the end.

so, my updates recently read...

"Nominees for supporting actress were Sandra Oh of 'Grey's Anatomy,' Blythe Danner of 'Huff,' Tyne Daly of 'Judging Amy,' CCH Pounder of 'The Shield' and Stockard Channing of 'The West Wing.'"

once again, in cased you missed it...
"...Tyne Daly of 'Judging Amy.'"

i guess i'm just a little, teensy bit confused. how the HELL does cbs cancel a show that's being nominated for emmys? last time i checked, an emmy was a good thing given to good actors/actresses on good tv shows that weren't cancelled to make room for a show starring jfinn (jennifer finnigan). 'judging amy' was a good show and had good ratings!! this nomination and entertainment weekly proves it!! and i hope tyne wins that award so cbs can realize what a mistake they are making by cancelling 'amy' though clearly, sandra oh will win because everybody and their mom will not stop freaking out about 'grey's anatomy' when 'er' is clearly the better medical drama and maura tierney DESERVED that nomination for 'skin' (and has been deserving of an emmy for a long while) a million times over.

also, cheers to cch pounder for doing so well in her career. i'm glad she's finally on a show that's doing as well as 'the shield.' i loved her on 'er' and 'for the people' way back when. and to blythe danner too, because she's a good actress.

all in all, i'm happy with the choices for best supporting actress, even though that wasn't the primary point of this entry (and even though maura tierney is suspiciously missing from that list) and despite me not liking 'grey's anatomy' that much, i do respect and like sandra oh (mainly for her role in 'judging amy') and congratulate her (in advance) for winning that emmy (that i really, really hope tyne wins instead... so she can stick it to cbs).

it is totally ridiculous for cbs to cancel a show as excellent as 'judging amy.' first of all, they network cited the fact that 'amy' is geared more towards older viewers as a reason to cancel the show- they want their programming to be centered more towards younger viewers. and while i see their point, having to go up against a show as sucessful as 'law & order: svu,' i feel they are making a huge mistake.

'svu' is a never-miss show. no matter what teeny bopper program they fill 'amy's' time spot with, it will not ever be able to rival 'svu.' by cancelling 'amy' for a show that would target a younger audience, they are simply alienating their older viewers. there are a million other television shows a teenager/20-something year old can watch, so why did cbs need to throw one more into the mix? believe it or not, old people watch tv too and television shows targeted towards them are becoming far and few between. every season, television networks are cancelling television shows not because they are bombing or dated, but simply because they are not attracting the right audience. since when did teenagers become the 'right' audience? since when are we qualified enough to BE the 'right' audience?? all teenagers want is pretty people living exciting lives and sooner or later, tv is just going to be filled with ridiculously shallow televsion shows like 'the o.c.' that advertise impossibly high standards and poor values. 'judging amy' was anything but that.

i think that 'amy' was a worthy rival of such a popular, hip show like 'svu.' it had loyal fans, fresh story lines and good ratings. what is NOT going to be a worthy rival is what is replacing 'amy,' an incredibly unoriginal crime drama called 'close to home' starring jennifer finnigan (who you may remember from the nbc sitcom, 'commited.' oh, wait, you don't remember it? or from her brief, forgetful stint on 'crossing jordan'). the thought of her in amy brenneman's place makes me want to hurl. why cbs thinks that people will actually turn the channel from 'svu' to watch that is beyond me. 'judging amy's' ratings were not doing poorly, they were doing well, in fact! what cbs did was drop a whole loyal fan base in order to take a chance on a show that no one will watch. they would have done much better just keeping 'amy,' thus keeping its loyal fans around. 'close to home' is text book crime drama, breathtaking in its unoriginality. i will not be surprised if it doesn't even last a whole season (nothing jennifer finnigan has done has lasted a whole season...). it's story line is as follows: pretty, sucessful, loves-her-job, lawyer lady has pretty husband and pretty baby. the pretty baby's life is often in danger when her job hits 'close to home.' drama ensues...

what kills me is that television just lost one of its best shows. it may not have been as "controversial" or "sexy" as most of the programs on tv today, but it had it's values. it was real life. it was relate-able. no, it probably wasn't as exciting as 'svu' and it probably WAS geared more towards an older audience, but it was solid and it never compromised its values in order to attract more viewers.

tv like 'judging amy' is disappearing faster than the rainforest. where are the shows where we could actually learn something? my biggest gripe with the new teeny bopper shows like 'the o.c.' is the pojection of life that it gives off. that isn't real life, it's mindless entertainment. it sets standards for real life that can never, ever be met. 'amy' may not have been the perfect show and not everybody who watched it loved it, but there was something about it that is worth talking about. to me, 'amy' was an escape from all the crap to something that was real, with complex story lines that actually took someone more than half a brain to think up.

cbs made a bad decision. they betrayed what they stood for in order to join the ranks of weak television that is so common today. 'judging amy' was special just by not giving into the pressures or the new, young and high-paced programming of this era. cbs was special just by having 'amy' in it schedule.

as an 18 year old who watches tv nearly nonstop, i am sad to watch 'judging amy' go. i am also sad to have to be witnessing the obvious breakdown of quality programming because i know television will never be the same when it is gone.