By John Keegan and J.M. Graham
"The River" has been one of the more confounding viewing experiences so far this season. Despite some pretty subpar writing, mediocre acting and a dubious central conceit, it has somehow managed to be very entertaining and watchable. One might even say that the show has a certain magic to it, if one wanted to pluck the low hanging fruit. So on the heels of a decent episode that brought up some concerns about the urgency around the search for Emmet but still suffered from all of the foundational issues plaguing "The River", viewers are suddenly and without warning treated to an absolute knockout of an episode that for an hour manages to get almost everything right.
"The River" has been one of the more confounding viewing experiences so far this season. Despite some pretty subpar writing, mediocre acting and a dubious central conceit, it has somehow managed to be very entertaining and watchable. One might even say that the show has a certain magic to it, if one wanted to pluck the low hanging fruit. So on the heels of a decent episode that brought up some concerns about the urgency around the search for Emmet but still suffered from all of the foundational issues plaguing "The River", viewers are suddenly and without warning treated to an absolute knockout of an episode that for an hour manages to get almost everything right.
After shaking things up for a few episodes, “Person of Interest” was taking it easy this episode. Its players moved around the chess board, lulling observers with a pleasing, if conventional, mid-game. But then, the minor pieces move aside, and, like a discovered check, expose the attack of a much more powerful player. It was another 'Gotcha' moment, and one of Grand Master proportions.
Last Monday brought the first round of The Voice - blind auditions - to a close, as the coaches completed their teams. Cee Lo filled out his squad with Honolulu native Cheesa, 18-year-old student Wade, and the rock duo the Shields Brothers. 
This week’s edition of The Voice brought us the fifth and final round of blind auditions as the coaches filled the few remaining spots on their teams. The contestants who made it through were a diverse crowd that included jazz, blues, Motown, country singers, and even a rock duo.
Awake, which premieres tomorrow on NBC, stars Jason Isaacs as Detective Britten as he struggles with living two lives, not knowing which is real. Britten has been involved in a car accident, and in one reality his son Rex (Dylan Minnette) is alive, but his wife Hannah (Laura Allen) has died. In the other, his wife survived, but they lost their son. Britten has no idea when he is awake and when he is dreaming, and doesn't want to know. He refuses to live in only one reality and accept that someone he loves is gone. Whether Britten's mind is fractured by the emotional distress, or whether perhaps something completely different is going on, is not told to the audience.
"18 Miles Out" is yet another episode containing a surprising amount of action and suspense, along with quite a few zombies. I find it hard to complain, given that the genre elements were the main reason I started watching. I do enjoy good drama, and so I've had to learn to appreciate "The Walking Dead" for what it has become. A certain amount of drama is necessary in virtually every genre. But on a more superficial level, I started watching "The Walking Dead" because I wanted to see people experiencing the suspense, dread, and horror of a zombie outbreak. So far, the second half of the season seems to be offering a good deal more of that than the first. So it's fair to say that it's aligning more closely with my core tastes as a consumer of entertainment.
Many people may know of Jason Isaacs because of his portrayal of the villain Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series. The British actor, however, has a long list of credits to his name. He has appeared on film in other hit movies such as Dragonheart, Armageddon, The Patriot, Black Hawk Down, and last year's Abduction. He has also appeared on the small screen in starring roles such as The State Within, Brotherhood, and more recently, Case Histories.
A much better A-story than the previous episode compliments the very strong, continuing trend of great character stories. A formula has definitely emerged, but it's a fun formula, and this time around the "Lost Girl" writers use it to touch on an aspect of the show that has, until now, been taken for granted.
Things come to a head with Nora and the twins, while Aidan faces down dissention in the Boston vampire ranks and Sally learns the identity of her dark stalker. Sure enough, it’s the mid-point of the season, and that means it’s definitely time for the supernatural chickens to come home to roost.