Recaps

['Top Chef: Just Desserts' - 'Ben and Sylvia's 61st']

Welcome back 'Just Dessert' fans. This was it. This was the episode that determined who would go on to the final challenge and win the title of Top (Dessert?) Chef. It was an episode filled with bickering, backstabbing, and a dash of vengeance; all the things we've become accustomed to in the world of 'Top Chef', but there were also a few surprises, like the return of Sylvia Weinstock!

We last saw Sylvia as a guest judge in the wedding cake/bake sell episode, but this time around she and her husband Ben were celebrating their 61st wedding anniversary. So for the elimination challenge, the chefs were to create a cake for their anniversary party.

['Survivor: Nicaragua' - 'Running the Camp']

Last night's was a good old-fashioned episode of 'Survivor' that kept us guessing till Probst read the final, deciding vote. And, then, had us reaffirming the fact that in this game, you really, REALLY, never know what's going to happen 'til it happens.

But, let's start at the very beginning. (A very good place to start.)

Marty clearly ruffled a few feathers during last week's Tribal Council when he set out to derail Jane by pointing out that she, above the rest, was truly deserving of the million dollar purse and therefore a huge threat.

During the post-Tribal pow-wow, all sorts of folks had their [dirty] panties in a twist about it. "I think that tonight's Tribal really shook things up," began consummate shaker-upper NaOnka. "Marty was going a little too hard on [Jane]," she said.

['Friday Night Lights' - 'The Right Hand of the Father']

When you have a show with a cast as large as the one on 'Friday Night Lights', it's hard from week to week to continue with some stories. Tonight, some plot lines were dropped, while others were intensified. It's making for an inconsistent season thus far. Not that 'Friday Night Lights' isn't still a fine show. It is. However, it needs more focus if it's going to rise to the level of last season.

After last week's rally girl drink-a-thon, it wasn't surprising that there were ramifications. Reflecting today's reality, where nothing is done in private, the top football stars were caught on video at the party and the images appeared on a local version of YouTube.

['Psych' - 'Extradition II: The Actual Extradition Part']

Ahh ... what a joy! 'Psych' was back and it suddenly felt like summer again! There's something carefree and lovably goofy about Shawn (James Roday) and Gus's (Dule Hill) antics.

This return episode had just the right blend of not-too-serious criminal activities and silly sleuthing. And if that wasn't enough, there was also a chance for Shawn to pick up where he left off romantically with Juliet (Maggie Lawson).

['Stargate Universe' – 'The Greater Good']

Rush's secret is out. And so, apparently, is Destiny's.

So lemme get this straight: The Ancients built Destiny to search for God? As Rush explained it to Young, the ship was designed to explore space after the Ancients found evidence of a "structure," or a transmission, which was created by someone or something possibly before the dawn of existence. Life before life.

And discovering this structure and the being(s) responsible for creating it could lead to a new level of understanding and power that man has never experienced.

['South Park' - 'Coon vs. Coon and Friends']

This was the final episode of the only four-parter in 'South Park' history, including the episode 'The Coon' from last season. My guess is that we'll eventually see a DVD compilation of these episodes. In one sentence, this was a good episode with a weak ending.

In previous multi-part episodes, Trey Parker and Matt Stone are usually trying to philosophize or make a point (such as with 'Imaginationland' or 'Cartoon Wars'). This episode had none of that. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, it does give more weight and impact when one is waiting a couple of weeks to see the story play out.

['The Biggest Loser' - '2 of 10 Eliminated']

You can tell this is an entirely different kind of season on 'The Biggest Loser.' One of the contestants reached the 100 pounds lost milestone this week, but there was virtually no outpouring of love and support among this crew. It's game on every week. In fact, I'd say this is more like 'Survivor' than any season of 'The Biggest Loser' I've ever seen: cutthroat competition, gameplay and strategy since day one and a power alliance trying to work its way to the end.

But where does that leave those contestants who came onto the show hoping for that kind of camaraderie and love they'd seen in past episodes? Well, it kind of leaves them floundering. Hoping to get the kind of support they weren't getting at home, they're instead seeing an aggressive style of gameplay that's rarely so blatant at the Ranch. And they're not responding well to it.

['NCIS' - 'Broken Arrow']

One of the most popular 'NCIS' guest stars was back tonight: the suave and sophisticated Robert Wagner as Anthony DiNozzo Sr., Tony's (Michael Weatherly) con man dad. So even though this episode had murder and the fear of nuclear material being sold on the black market, there was something light and fun about the entire show.

This was the Robert Wagner of 'It Takes a Thief' and 'Switch,' not so much Jonathan Hart in 'Hart to Hart,' which was just fine because when he made a pass at Ziva (Cote de Pablo), you didn't want to think of him cheating on Jennifer. For more on Tony Sr. and how Junior handled his visit, read on.

We here at TV Squad know that our opinions aren't the only ones that matter. In fact, you only need to glance at the comments on our recaps to know that, sometimes, fans just don't agree.

Enter Skype Second Opinions, our new short and succinct video series that attempts to open up the TV debates by offering you another point of view from friends of the site.


TVGuide.com's Denise Martin has the scoop on this week's 'Glee,' which followed a few gleeks who've 'Never Been Kissed' and some other heavy make-out sessions. What'd you think?

['Glee' - 'Never Been Kissed']

If some of Fox's promos for this episode were to be believed, this episode of 'Glee' was being set up as yet another "very special episode," with a theme and more angst for Kurt. Not that the theme of bullying, so prevalent in the media these days, wasn't one that was worth exploring, but Fox should have known that viewers might have been getting "very special episode" fatigue when it comes to this show. All we wanted was a nice, normal episode to watch and enjoy.

And we got just that tonight. Sure, there was some of the Kurt angst there, but the outcome of that angst was surprising in one respect and pleasant in another. What was satisfying about this episode is that we got to spend some time with some of the supporting characters on both the student and faculty side, leaving a lot of the drama of the main characters for another time.

['Sons of Anarchy' - 'Firinne']

'If you love him, give him more.' -- Father Kellan Ashby

Kellan Ashby hit Jax Teller's most vulnerable spot hard when the priest talked about how painful it could be for a child to grow up in "the life."

['Weeds' - 'Michigan Memories']

Nancy is manipulative, sexy, tough, reckless and a bitch -- and she's got Vaughn's word cloud to prove it.

You would think one of the last things Nancy needed was a sit-down interview with an investigative reporter to commit the details of her sordid life to pen and paper.

The reporter who has been chasing Nancy for her biography can't be that good of an investigator if he's still grappling with the questions, "Why are you running? What do you know?"

['House' - 'Office Politics']

'House' is far from being the worst show on television. It has its occasional moments, but recently, it's felt tedious and worn. The show's need to drag out certain plots to was starting to rip holes in the fabric, like they were trying to stretch a queen-size sheet around a king-size season.

As I went through the previous episodes in my head, I was starting to really dread the show's return. I really didn't want to spend another late Monday night/early Tuesday morning trudging through another stalled plot about House not wanting to hire a woman doctor to replace Thirteen while she's either on some bizarre drug treatment program or trapped in a computer program battling the evil forces of the 'Tron' world.

But that never-ending plot line finally got a bullet in the brain. And that wasn't the only event that made the return of 'House' slightly more enjoyable.

['Dancing With the Stars' - 'Instant Dance Challenge']

This week on 'Dancing With the Stars' the couples had to pretend they were professionals and were given the music to their second dance 20 minutes before their routines. There could have been several techniques used in teaching the stars, but most of the celebrities just taught a routine by counts instead of music. The test worked out well and we'll probably see this theme return next season. The confidence that the celebrities exhibited was the biggest factor of success, but how I wished that there was a crash and burn on live television.

By this round of 'Dancing With the Stars,' the celebrities are basically filling up the empty gaps in their dances. Brandy will be going into Week 9 with the biggest advantage: She only has the Argentine Tango and Paso Doble left, two of the biggest crowd-pleasers and highest score-getters.

['Gossip Girl' - 'Juliet Doesn't Live Here Anymore']

Scheming and scandal is always the dish du jour on the Upper East Side, but even we were surprised by the depths of deception our gossip girls and guys were willing to stoop to this week.

Not only were Chuck and Blair doing a very poor job of hiding their dangerous liaisons ("breakfast" in bed notwithstanding), Vanessa and Nate were indulging in some hardcore breaking and entering, while Dan decided that a renewed burst of incest was exactly what the Manhattan social scene needed to shake things up, going right back to pining over Serena as soon as he had a second to himself.

Predictable might be 'Gossip Girl's' middle name, but at least it knows how to retread old ground in style.