THE NEW TRAILERS BEGIN

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I recently watched the trailers of the forthcoming seasons of DEXTER and BONES, of which, the former was screened at the recently held Comic-Con. The trailers leave us anticipating big things in the season to come. Here’s what I thought

DEXTER TO GAIN FAITH

‘This fall, he’ll make you a believer!’ That’s what the trailer for DEXTER S6 says. The theme of the year is ‘faith’, as Dexter will prepare for Harrison starting school and will need to evaluate what faith is, as he doesn’t want to pass on his ‘dark passenger’ to his son. A friend commented on the trailer, saying that it probably had hundreds of spoilers, and while I do agree that it does, I think it’s arouses more interest and excitement than the beginning of any season probably did. I agree that with last the season starting, we were all dying to know what happens after Rita died, but with the upcoming season, we knew nothing, and the trailer gives us so much to ponder over, and look forward to.

A few shots like Deb getting some kind of an award, Dexter getting physical with a new blonde, and shots of the guest stars like Collin Hanks really got me all pumped up, and waiting. The first shot of Dexter literally hammering a victim, followed by the deadly soundtrack (Depeche Mode’s 'Reach out and touch faith') sets the thrilling mood of the trailer and the season ahead.

The show’s executive producer Sara Colleton revealed in an interview with TVLine recently that Batista and LaGuerta are going to be divorced when the show returns, a year having passed since the previous season ended. Deb and Quinn will still be living together and it has also been revealed that Josh Cooke (Ben, from BETTER WITH YOU) will join the Miami Metro squad as a forensics intern. The biggest revelation however was that Dexter will tell Deb his big secret. We almost saw Deb discovering the mystery last season, and as it turns out, that wasn’t just a teaser; there’s going to be more. Colleton revealed, “When and how that’s going to be handled has not been quite decided, but it will at some point happen.” This is surely going to change everything about the show, and I, for one, would like to see it evolve to another level. Imagine the kind of conflict Deb will deal with, after the initial, enormous shock, of course! So many doors will open up for both the characters, once the secret is out, and that will make the show all the more interesting. What do you think?

BONES TO SEE NEW VILLIAN, INTERN, ETC

The new BONES trailer didn’t have any visuals from the next season, instead, just recapping the season gone by. That’s probably because they don’t have enough material to make on yet, given that the show will return only in November. However, there were other revelations recently revealed about BONES S7.

While all our hearts broke on seeing Vincent Nigel-Murray die in the last season of BONES, we should all get ready for a new ‘squintern’. A guy by the name of Finn Abernathy will join the rotating group of interns, and it’s been revealed that he’s not going to be much of a gentleman, having got his undergrad degree in a juvenile detention facility. In addition to that, Carla Gallo (Daisy) may not return to the show, so a new intern was definitely required on the team. I, for one, quite like the rotation of interns, and I’ve liked to see them evolve over the last few seasons, after Zach went off to prison. These characters on the side add value to the show, and I didn’t think a departure of one of the interns would sadden me until Nigel-Murray’s death.

In addition, it was earlier revealed that there would be a new major villain in the next season, since The Gravedigger is dead. We hear that the new villain will be at the same level as The Gravedigger, and will form a major part of the running story through S7 and possibly S8. The new villain will be more tech-savvy, and (I imagine) more dangerous in certain ways. We’re looking at someone else getting under our skin in a creepier manner than we’ve experienced earlier on the show. A mid-season cliffhanger (probably before they go on the holiday break), after six episodes, will be about this new villain. There will be no indication about Booth and Bones’ baby until after those episodes, but while we’ve already imagined what it would be like for them to be a couple, it has been revealed that they will be very unconventional. The season will take the show to a new level for sure, on the character front as well as the mystery front. I can’t wait to see a trailer or a promo that’ll have visuals from the season. Hopefully we’ll see one by September, to at least keep us satisfied till the season begins two months after that.

What did you think of these trailers? Tell TV TALK…

COMING SOON: TV TALK celebrates its first anniversary

FIRST LOOK OF ASHTON KUTCHER ON TWO AND A HALF MEN, & MORE...

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Starting today, TV TALK will bring you quick views on the latest news on TV, in a new section called TV TALK Snips. Such news and views will make appearances at random, as and when there's something worth writing about. Share your views on these recent developments in television.

Ashton Kutcher's debut on TWO AND A HALF MEN
So everyone's been wondering what Ashton Kutcher's role in TWO AND A HALF MEN will be. The actor, who is replacing Charlie Sheen, taking on the leading role in the series, will be joining the show in its ninth season, so it's kind of difficult to say where he'll fit in, especially if he's the protagonist. There has been speculation over who he'll play (theories go from him being Charlie Harper's illegitimate son, to him playing Charlie's cousin who moves in after Charlie dies). However, the producers and CBS are keeping their mouths tight shut, and are even going on to tease us with this cheeky new promotional shot. All we see is the three (new) main stars of the show, Kutcher, Jon Cryer and Angus T Jones, cheekily telling us that all will be revealed in the season premiere! It looks like their policy seems to be 'reveal nothing or everything'!


Lisa Kudrow's Back!
Apparently, our FRIENDS star was on this web series called WEB THERAPY, for three seasons. It was this comedy about therapist Fiona Wallace (Kudrow), who's not a people's person and conducts sessions with her patients online! This comedy is now hitting Showtime, premiering tonight (in the United States). I look forward to seeing this web series turn into something bigger as it moves to TV. It did do three seasons, so it must be good enough to do well. The trailer makes it look promising, especially since we can see it'll have stars like COUGAR TOWN's Courtney Cox and GLEE's Jane Lynch guest starring. With Cox's success on COUGAR TOWN, and Matt LeBlanc getting an Emmy nomination for EPISODES, who knows what might happen with Kudrow!

BONES: Season 7 Scoop
Word has it that Booth and Brennan might be living together when season 7 opens. Now that she's having his baby and we know that they'll be involved, it doesn't seem like such a surprise. But I wouldn't take Brennan to be the kinds that would go all domestic; at least not until the baby's born. It might just be a sleepover or whatever. I'm still dying to see how they handle the relationship between Bones and Booth! 

Photo Credit: Patrick Wymore/FOX © 2011 Fox Broadcasting Co

ENTOURAGE Final Season begins this Sunday, July 24
It has been revealed that the eighth and final season of ENTOURAGE will begin with a newly sober Vince returning home from rehab, back to his friends. Ari Gold will still be depressed from his split from his wife. That of course won't stop him from swearing and making cracks at everyone! I look forward to what they turn this show into, by the time it ends.

Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria

The DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES are back on Wisteria Lane
Eva Longoria (our very own Gaby Solis) posted this picture on Twitter, saying, "On set with the girls! I Love my job! http://say.ly/rsNvEB." It looks like the housewives are back on Colonial Street, in Universal Studios, filming the eighth season of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. I think the ladies look lovely, and I want to thank Longoria for giving us tiny glimpses of what goes on behind the camera on the sets of this show that we love.

SURPRISES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS OF THE 63rd ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY NOMINATIONS

TV TALK analyzes the list of Emmy nominees that introduced several new names and shows, and dropped out previous nominees and winners, even though most regulars stayed on

CLICK HERE to download the complete list of nominees

Click on the show links to see the  awards history of the respective shows, courtesy IMDb.com

The 63rd annual Primetime Emmy Award nominations were announced on Thursday, July 14, with a few award favorites being featured in every major category, as well as several new or first-time nominations. The latter didn’t come as much of a surprise, and while there were quite a few nominations that were more than welcome, there were disappointments as well.

COMEDY

Matt LeBlanc, Eric Stonestreet, Sofia
Vergara, Jim Parsons and Laura Linney

The comedy categories were ruled by MODERN FAMILY, with the show getting as many as 17 nominations, including acting nominations for almost the entire cast. Each of the performers from the series deserves the nods they received, especially last year’s Outstanding Supporting Actor Eric Stonestreet and Sofia Vergara. I’m almost certain that MODERN FAMILY will take away Outstanding Comedy Series this year as well, but if it were up to me, it’d be a tough choice between that and THE BIG BANG THEORY.

This year, both Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki have been nominated for their roles in THE BIG BANG THEORY in the Lead Actor category, and even though Galecki’s Leonard may not be a beloved character, he does play the part well. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cooper takes away the award for a second consecutive time. However, with Steve Carell’s exit from THE OFFICE, the jury might just give it to him this time. Another contender, Matt LeBlanc has been nominated for playing himself in EPISODES. It would definitely be a welcome surprise to see the gifted actor winning the Emmy for Lead Actor. In the Lead Actress category, I think the race is mainly between Laura Linney (THE BIG C), who won the Golden Globe, and Edie Falco (NURSE JACKIE), last year’s winner. A surprise nomination was Martha Plimpton’s for RAISING HOPE, but I doubt she stands a chance at winning. GLEE’s Lea Michele was left out of the list this time.

I was disappointed with HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER not being acknowledged adequately this year, since they had a great S6, definitely a notch above the last few seasons. I actually thought that Neil Patrick Harris stood a good chance of finally winning Supporting Actor, given how well he portrayed Barney Stinson in a major season for the character, but I was disappointed to see that he was even left out of the nominee list. The show has been nominated for Directing and four other categories, so at least they didn’t let it go completely unmentioned. And while 30 ROCK has got 13 nominations, I don’t see it winning in the top categories. GLEE trails right behind with 12 nominations, including a second one for last year’s Outstanding Supporting Actress, and this year’s host, Jane Lynch, as well as Chris Colfer. While I think that Colfer overacts a lot, since the past season of GLEE did touch upon the issue of bullying, involving him, the jury might consider him worthy of the Emmy this time.

DRAMA

One show that has been soaring in popularity lately is GAME OF THRONES, which, I think stands a good chance at winning Outstanding Series. I’m almost certain that MAD MEN won’t win this time, even though it has earned the highest number of nominations for a series—a whopping 19 nods. The most recent Golden Globe and SAG winner BOARDWALK EMPIRE stands a better chance. However, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS has been generating a lot of Emmy buzz lately and we might just have a surprise win there. The two shows are also competing for Lead Actor, with BOARDWALK’s Steve Buscemi and FRIDAY’s Kyle Chandler in the race. I personally wish that the jury would honor Michael C Hall (DEXTER) or Hugh Laurie (HOUSE MD) at least once, this time, for their brilliant portrayals of the title characters in their respective shows.

Another performer deserving of a win is Mariska Hargitay (LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT), but I suspect she’ll always be remembered for having been nominated every year, but never having won. Lead Actress could go to Connie Britton (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) or Julianna Margulies (THE GOOD WIFE). I was disappointed to see Sally Field (BROTHERS AND SISTERS) missing from the list of Lead Actress nominations, because even though the actress has won an Emmy previously for playing the endearing matriarch, I thought she did a great job in the final season of the show. As for the Directing award in Drama, I suspect that the competition will be tight between GAME OF THRONES and BOARDWALK EMPIRE. The Writing award could go to any of the three big contenders (BOARDWALK EMPIRE, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and GAME OF THRONES), but I have a feeling that MAD MEN will win in this category.

AMERICAN IDOL, Julia Stiles in DEXTER
and Gwyneth Paltrow in GLEE

OTHERS

Year after year, AMERICAN IDOL has been nominated for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, as it has been, this year. I really think the show deserves to win at least once, because everything about the show reflects perfection, especially the hosting, by Ryan Seacrest. I hope the jury finally recognizes him as Outstanding Host for a Reality Program.

One set of categories that I find particularly interesting are those for Outstanding Guest Actors and Actresses, because these categories give credit to those who make an impact on us audience members, albeit in small doses, adding great value to our TV experience. This year’s nominees are all those who have made impressive appearances on several popular shows. I would love to see any of the following win: Loretta Devine (Adele Webber, GREY’S ANATOMY); Gwyneth Paltrow (Holly Holiday, GLEE); Julia Stiles (Lumen Ann Pierce, DEXTER); Dot-Marie Jones (Coach Beiste, GLEE); and Beau Bridges (Nick Brody, BROTHERS AND SISTERS). I especially think Julia Stiles will win, because she was truly outstanding in DEXTER. I do wish John Stamos had been nominated here for his impressive stint on GLEE, especially since Neil Patrick Harris won last year for a similar appearance on the show.

So there you have it… That was my take on the nominations of the 63rd annual Primrtime Emmys. Do share with TV TALK what you found surprising or disappointing among the nominations. I look forward to the presentation of the awards on September 18, especially since the show this year will be hosted by the very talented and hilarious Jane Lynch.

ROUND-UP OF TV SEASON 2010-11 (VIII)

As we enter the week that will give us the 63^rd annual Primetime Emmy nominations, I complete my round-up of  TV season 2010-11, with two of my three favorite comedies on TV—THE BIG BANG THEORY and MODERN FAMILY

THE BIG BANG THEORY

If there was any problem that I had with THE BIG BANG THEORY (not a big problem though) was that it didn’t really evolve all that much, and an emotional connect seemed to be missing with the characters in the first two seasons. Over the last two seasons, I’ve been thrilled to see things evolving and I’m thrilled to have seen our favorite nerds and wannabe actress actually going somewhere. S4 had Sheldon in a (kind of) relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler, who turned out to be an absolute delight for me, as she brought out so much more from Sheldon and even her ‘bestie’ Penny! Throughout S4, I enjoyed watching Amy weave her way into the little group as she befriends Penny and Bernadette. I think the gradual extension of the friend-circle is a refreshing change, and I was happy to see Mayim Biyalik (Amy) and Melissa Rauch’s (Bernadette) names among the main cast, only to find out that they had been made series regulars in S4. 

Of course now, with Howard and Bernadette engaged (how crazy was that!), we know that we’ll be seeing more of her. The show’s exec producer, Bill Prady has said, “All the wedding planning will be throughout the season [5], including the selection of the best man and maid of honor,” indicating that there will be a wedding, and that they won’t just break up. He adds, “The bachelor party will be miserable, but the hardest part for Howard will be trying to leave his mother’s house.” Whether they’ll have a Jewish or Catholic wedding is going to remain a question mark, as of now. I do hope they still have Howard's mother's voiceover every now and then, even though Howard might move out, because I find her absolutely hilarious! (Is anyone else reminded of Joey's agent Estelle from FRIENDS when Mrs Wolowitz talks/yells, or is it just me?) But who would’ve ever imagined that Howard would be the first to get married! Now this is some serious evolution!

That brings me to the main cliffhanger of the S4 finale. My jaw dropped when I saw Penny and Raj waking up, naked, together! I mean seeing how they were enjoying wine together, one could see where that was going, but to see that it actually happened was baffling. And it was absolutely priceless when Penny says to him, “You still can’t talk to me?!” We all want to know what repercussions this will have. Prady says, “Her career’s going nowhere, and the one thing she had going for her, her group of friends, she [has now jeopardized] by sleeping with Raj. For the first time, she had guy friends who treated her like a real person, and not the way she’s been treated in the past by men. And she just undermined that. That’s a fun journey for her. Sometimes it’s really fun to have your characters screw things up big-time and see how they get out of it.” Clearly, both Raj and Penny will have some serious damage control to do with Leonard. While it’ll be interesting to see that happening, we know that there’s no real future for Penny with Raj. Not just because he can’t speak to her unless he’s drunk or drugged, but because she still has feelings for Leonard. It has been revealed that even though Priya’s moving back to India, Leonard won’t break up with her. So the next season will have him in a long-distance relationship, with Penny still in love with him and Raj having betrayed him. And while that leaves me desperately longing for S5 to come soon, I’m also looking forward to seeing Sheldon’s relationship with Amy evolving some more. Do you think Sheldon will ever have sex? If he does and when he does, it’d certainly call for a major celebration!

MODERN FAMILY

I’ve enjoyed every bit of the first two seasons of MODERN FAMILY. S2 showed us more of all the family members we love so much. And while it’s been great to see them in the most hilarious situations and how they all bring themselves into those situations, I really would like to see the show evolve a little in S3. I understand that everyone’s settled down, and there can’t be any major change with the characters, but there are ways in which we can see the show evolving. We all know that Cameron and Mitchell want another baby, and that’s something that will make a major part of their story in S3. Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitchell) has said, “We never saw Cameron and Mitchell with the struggle of choosing to adopt Lily. I mean, there are a lot of loopholes to jump through to adopt a baby, especially if you are a gay man, even in California. So I think that it wasn't an easy process for them and I think that in season three, if we choose to adopt another child, there will be a lot of well, how are we going to do it? Are we going to take one of Claire's eggs and Cam's sperm and mix them together? Are we going to foster a child? I think there are a lot of different ways to expand your family, and I think it will be storyline that not only gay people will relate to, but straight families who need to look for alternative means to expand their family. I think that's a struggle that a lot of people have to go through.” That tells us that it might not be another adoption; it could even be surrogacy, which would be an interesting dimension.

Another change we saw towards the end was Alex’s middle-school graduation, which means that she’ll be going to high-school in S3. So much can happen with that, and with Haley also probably starting college soon, the writers have an amazing opportunity to let the Dunphys evolve. I enjoyed watching Haley bonding with Alex in S2 as well. Maybe there can be some interesting storylines there as well. As far as Gloria and Jay are concerned, there aren’t any major impending changes, and I don’t see what could really change for them at this point, but with the opportunities that the writers have with the other two families, maintaining the interest with Gloria and Jay could be a challenge. Maybe Manny could have a new girlfriend or something like that.  Maybe at some point in the show, they could have Gloria getting pregnant. I think a lot could be done with that, but it should be done in a future season, perhaps. For now, I look forward to the changes we are expecting to see, and I would love it, by the end of S3, next year, they can give us some major cliffhanger.

What are you expecting from Howard and Bernadette’s wedding, and from Cam and Mitchell’s next attempt at parenthood? Share your views here.

COMING SOON | A comment on the 63^rd annual Primetime Emmy nominations, after their announcement on Thursday, July 14 | Watch this space for more!

ROUND-UP OF TV SEASON 2010-11 (VII)

Beckett was shot, as Castle professed his love for her, and Addison gets back together with Sam, soon after they decide to dissolve the practice. TV TALK breaks down the season finales of CASTLE and PRIVATE PRACTICE…

CASTLE

The mystery of Beckett’s mother’s murder is the backdrop of CASTLE, which makes the story of the characters more personal and real, and hence it seemed apt for the S3 finale to have been about just that. Over the last three seasons, we’ve seen different dimensions to the cold case that is Beckett’s kryptonite, and finally, the end of S3 saw it move forward, as we almost discovered the entire mystery. The involvement of Captain Montgomery didn’t come as all that much of a surprise, as we’d been hearing about ‘the inside job’ angle for a while. I’m sure there were many, like me, who thought about the possible involvement of someone we knew, and when it came down to the question of ‘who was the third dirty cop’; Montgomery seemed to fit right in. It certainly gave the writers a terrific opportunity to bring about that much more drama to the cold case, as Montgomery tries to make things right, by protecting Beckett, losing his life in the process. Obviously, the mystery couldn’t be solved completely; instead, the fact that a much bigger force was behind it all, was reinforced even more. It also didn’t come as much of a surprise that the people behind it all struck again, right at Montgomery’s funeral. What did come as a surprise was Castle’s instant need to profess his love for Beckett, just as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Obviously Beckett will survive, and in all probability, she won’t remember Castle’s words to her when she was shot. To leave us hanging even more, I suspect that the writers will have her remember, but will keep her from acknowledging or reacting to what he said, and have her take that as an escape route from what is clearly an awkward and complicated situation. Even though the season gone by has seen them come closer to admitting their feelings to each other, having almost frozen to death together, and being so candid when they were in LA, I think it would be right for the writers to keep them apart for now, especially with so much else already in store for S4.

It has been revealed that S4 will pick up more-or-less where S3 left off, and that there will be a fight in the season premiere, which is being written by creator Andrew Marlowe. It has been hinted that the fight will be between Josh (Beckett’s boyfriend) and Castle. While that doesn’t mean much to us now, we also know that the new captain of the precinct will be a woman, a former Internal Affairs investigator, who only sees her job at the precinct as a stepping stone for a bigger career ahead of her. Apparently, she also won’t be too happy with the way Beckett works with Castle, and that she has a hardcore approach to work, and dealing with colleagues, which is bound to cause problems for the team. It has also been revealed that we’ll see more of Ryan and Esposito in S4, which seems fair, as it’ll only be right if we get to see how they deal with Montgomery’s death. With the changes at work, and how the most recent developments will affect every character, S4 surely has a lot for us to look forward to, which is why I strongly think that Castle and Beckett openly admitting their feelings for each other should be saved for later.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

The foundation of PRIVATE PRACTICE was ‘a fresh start’, the premise being a fresh start for Addison as she moved to LA. Somewhere in the middle, as the show came into its own and I got used to, and began to love the other characters on the show, I got tired of Addison being constantly unhappy with her life. It made me question the premise of the show, and I found that Addison’s move was pointless if she couldn’t find happiness, even though there isn’t much of a story if everyone is happy and everything is hunky-dory. That is why the end of PRIVATE PRACTICE S4 was refreshing for me, to see her being more positive, and making an optimistic change in her viewpoint. It was refreshing to see her flirt with someone new (Connor, Benjamin Bratt); even though she went on to get back together with Sam. I liked her approach towards the issues that Oceanside Wellness and all the doctors were facing, and the idea of starting afresh, playing the cards right seems potentially effective. Creator Shonda Rhimes has said, “Addison could walk away from everything, or she could actually go back to the things that she loves, which are her job and Sam.” And that is what Addison did—she went back to deal with the situation at hand, on seeing how Naomi and Violet were walking away.

That does not go to say that I blame Naomi. In fact, Naomi was being selfless in staying and being there to help the practice in whatever way she could, when Sam urged her to leave for happiness. It seemed like a perfect fit, with Maya going off to college on the East Coast and with Naomi taking over as Betsy’s guardian. It was nice to see Naomi find happiness as she accepted Fife’s marriage proposal, even though I wish they had played out her relationship with Fife a little more, to make it more real. And although I’ll miss Audra McDonald (Naomi), I think that there was little left for her character on the show. On the other hand, I found that Violet was actually being selfish. I was completely on Pete’s side when he tells her that he’s done with her, given that she chose to go away, running away from her problems. I agree that having her license suspended must be hard for her, but to leave, despite seeing how much Pete wanted her to be there, I would say, was unacceptable. And as she left, I felt little sympathy for her. I particularly liked Amy Brenneman (Violet) and Tim Daly’s (Pete) performances in the finale, especially Daly’s, as Pete collapses in the end, because of what looked like a heart attack.

I see Pete’s heart attack, and the jeopardy that his marriage with Violet is in, as the biggest cliffhangers of the finale, and I think that it gives their characters a strong storyline for S5. My two favorite characters on the show, Charlotte and Amelia also have a lot coming up next season. I liked the contrast between the two characters that the writers brought out in the finale, as Charlotte has to face her demons, while treating a rape victim, but still emerges strong, while Amelia, facing milder issues, succumbs to her weakness—alcohol. Her alcoholism and how it has already affected her friendship with Charlotte will make a strong storyline next season, and I look forward to seeing a lot more of KaDee Strickland’s (Charlotte) fantastic acting, which baffled me this whole past season. Among other news for the next season, Benjamin Bratt is going to be a series regular as Connor, which will impact Addison and the fact that she has gotten back together with Sam. Shonda has said that “it’s going to end up biting them in the butt pretty seriously.” And as I look forward to seeing more of Bratt on the show, I also look forward to a new season, which will reinforce the show’s foundation—starting afresh!

What did you think of the season finales of these two ABC shows? Share your views here…

ROUND-UP OF TV SEASON 2010-11 (VI)

Two FOX shows undergo major change this year. Here are TV TALK’s views on the most recent season finales of HOUSE MD and BONES…

HOUSE MD

If there was any episode of HOUSE MD that could leave your mind racing, at another level, as you try to delve into the complexity of the title character, it would have to be the S7 finale. Coming close to the baffling S6 premiere, when House was admitted in the psychiatric ward, this one left me desperate for more, to have a chance to interpret it better, to get under everything that I saw and heard. It gave new meaning to television in a way, as I saw myself likening it to an art film, with elements of noir.

That the first few frames of the episode were intriguing was only the beginning. By the end of it, after seeing the number of final chances Cuddy tried giving House to talk, I totally understood the frustration that she finally expressed to the policeman back in the beginning of the episode, when she said, “If Greg House ever sets foot in my hospital again, or comes anywhere near me, I want him thrown in jail!” After the psychiatric ward, after the building collapsing, after House performed surgery on himself in his bathtub, I didn’t know what else could be as unsettling as that statement in this finale. We all know that, sadly, Lisa Edelstein (Cuddy) is not returning for the eighth season of the show, and while the finale implies the reason why Cuddy will leave, it still doesn’t add up. How will anything go back to normal after House drove a car into Cuddy’s home? Will Cuddy actually surrender to House, and let him have the hospital? Where will Wilson fit into this scheme of things? How will this affect their friendship? How much more can Wilson handle? And will House get back on a path of self destruction after he’s basically just shown everyone the finger? …The unanswered questions the finale left me with are endless!

And while those questions remain very pertinent, other recent developments throw out some more ideas on what the next season will have in store for us. Taob is going to be a father, by his girlfriend as well as by his ex-wife. Will one of the pregnancies fail? Or will this turn throw him into an endless struggle? As for the others, I was glad to see Thirteen bonding with Chase over her insecurities, and how he came through for her, in an unsaid acceptance of how he also deals with having killed someone (remember that dictator guy?). I would very much like to see more of them together, as she deals with the demons from her past, next season. As much as I was less than satisfied with the way the writers handled her return to work, I see great potential for her character in S8. There has been a lot of speculation over whether S8 will be the last season or not. It might just be the final season, given that FOX has asked Universal Studios (which makes HOUSE MD) to cut costs, but there can be so much to it. Now whether or not HOUSE will see a S9, I still look forward to a lot more from the show.

BONES

In comparison to the S5 finale, BONES S6 ended on a happier note, even though it left me with so much, as I wondered what would come out of the situation at hand. Bones is pregnant and Booth is the dad! I have to say that the season gone by has been extremely satisfying and I especially thought that the handling of Bones and Booth’s relationship, right from the beginning was terrific. Right from when they both returned to home turf, with Booth in a committed relationship, and Bones feeling a sense of emptiness inside her, their story evolved excellently. As Bones realized her mistake in letting Booth go, and heartbreakingly has to live with that regret; as Booth’s heart is ripped out when he has to break up with Hannah; as they both decide on figuring out a right time for them to pursue a relationship; as Booth comforts Bones when Mr Nigel Murray died; everything was perfect, up until the pregnancy. It definitely made me think of what it will do to their relationship and how everyone would react… It’s a fantastic cliffhanger, but I found it a little gimmicky, as I really feel that they were doing well, and that their stance in each others’ lives, prior to the pregnancy, was good to go on for some time, even another season!

As for the cases in S6, I thought some were outstanding, especially with the way they were solved. The one with the deaf and mute kidnapped girl, the one during the blizzard, the shooting of the gravedigger and subsequently the return and arrest of Jacob Broadsky, were particularly compelling. I enjoyed continuing to see all the interns returning, each with significant changes in their lives and approach, and my heart went out to Mr Nigel Murray as he died before Booth and Brennan. The recurring characters had interesting stories too. Seeing Angela and Hodgins preparing for parenthood was heartwarming, as they dealt with possible health issues for their baby; seeing Cam trying to have a love life, while she tried doing justice to her job and her parenting was fun; and seeing Sweets dealing with his own problems as he was more of a shoulder to everyone this season was definitely a highlight of the season. And while in the midst of it all, Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz delivered excellent performances, here’s what we can expect in S7…

For one, S7 will not show up until November, because Emily Deschanel will be on maternity leave, and because the producers have decided to premiere the season later than the usual September premiere month, and because THE X FACTOR’s two-hour time slot will eat into BONES’ regular airtime for two months. Given that, the writers are not going to pick up where they left off, but will, instead, write in a passage of time, a few months into Bones’ pregnancy. So when we come back to BONES, we will see her fully pregnant, the others will already know about it all, and Angela and Hodgins will have plunged into parenthood. I am disappointed that we won’t get to see everyone’s reactions, unless they weave in flashbacks, which seems unlikely on the show. And even though Bones’ pregnancy seemed gimmicky, this new premise will offer the writers a lot of opportunities to explore more dimensions to the Booth-Bones dynamic. It has been revealed that Booth and Bones will be ‘together’ in S7, and to see them in a relationship will be new and exciting. Further to that, the producers have also revealed that they will not be in a conventional relationship, where there would be romance and dating and so on. Instead, given how they have both acknowledged their feelings and know where they stand, they will continue to be the way they are, just as a couple now. And beyond that, they’ll be present with several challenges over raising a child together, a big one being what religious beliefs they’ll instill in their child, given Booth’s blind faith in God, and Bones being an atheist. But all that is for later, when they finally have the baby. For now, we can all just look forward to S7!

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