TV Geek Out 190: Boardwalk Empire, "The Ivory Tower"

TV Geek Out is back to talk more about HBO's latest hit show, the captivating Boardwalk Empire! Though the pilot may have had a few too many narrative bumps for most of the TVGO crew, the second episode, "The Ivory Tower," went a long way toward winning us over. Join TV geeks Dana, Perry, and Heather as they expound on the pleasures of Michael Shannon and Steve Buscemi having their first face-to-face confrontation on the show, marvel at the fact that Dabney Coleman can still play unrepentant racists and assholes decades into his career, and share their confusion about the relationship between Gretchen Mol's and Michael Pitt's characters. Listen in here!

TV Geek Out 189: The Walking Dead, "Tell It to the Frogs"

TV Geek Out covers The Walking Dead's third episode, "Tell It to the Frogs," in which Rick reunites with his family and joins the band of survivors outside Atlanta. Meanwhile, Merle is still baking on the city roof and having a serious a meltdown as hordes of zombies try to force their way through the chained door to devour him. Rick and the others struggle to decide what to tell Merle's brother, Daryl, when he gets back from hunting, and Rick, not surprisingly, insists on the moral route of total honesty. He even decides that he wants to go back for Merle, and spends much of the episode attempting to convince others to join him. They also deal with the disturbing arrival of a zombie near camp before a group of them head back to Atlanta for Merle -- and for Rick's abandoned bag of guns, ammo, and his walkie-talkie (for communicating with Morgan and his son). Also, at the quarry Shane teaches Carl about hunting frogs before getting told off by Lori and later stepping in on a skirmish between the women and wife-beater Ed, in which Shane beats the living daylights out of him. Listen in as TV geeks Dana, Perry, and Heather discuss all this and more here!

TV Geek Out 188: True Blood, "Beautifully Broken"

TV Geek Out covers the second episode of True Blood's third season, "Beautifully Broken." After Bill's bloody battle with the werewolves, he meets the king of Mississippi, Russell Edgington -- the vampire behind his abduction. Russell whisks Bill off on horseback to his mansion, where we meet the king's charming partner, Talbot. The next night, over an extravagant meal, Bill finally finds out what the king wants -- his help in convincing Queen Sophie-Anne to marry him and join their kingdoms into one. When Lorena shows up, an enraged Bill throws an oil lamp at her, setting her afire! Back in Louisiana, Sookie goes to Eric for help regarding the Operation Werewolf symbol, and we get a flashback to Eric and Godric in WWII, dressed as SS officers and hunting down werewolves (yay!). Meanwhile, Lafayette stops Tara from ODing, and takes her to the psychiatric hospital where his mother is a patient, showing Tara that they are the strong ones in their family. He also meets a hot nurse named Jesus. As for Tara, she ends the episode getting picked up by a dangerous English vampire, who encourages (and helps) her to beat the crap out of some racist rednecks outside Merlotte's. Elsewhere, Sam finds out his birth family kinda sucks and Andy and Jason's misadventures lead them to Hotshot, where Jason glimpses a beautiful but mysterious woman and busts a drug dealer. The episode ends with another werewolf/vampire standoff, this time plus Sookie! TV geeks Heather and Dana discuss all this and more here.

TV Geek Out 187: Mad Men, "Tomorrowland"

In this installment, TV Geek Out analyzes Mad Men's season-four finale, "Tomorrowland," in greater detail than our initial-reactions discussion. Listen in to what Heather, Dana, and Perry had to say about the episode after we all had some time to reflect on the major turn of events in Don Draper's life. After a season of hitting what seemed like multiple rock bottoms, Don went on another trip to the West Coast and fell in love... with his secretary. Was becoming a cliché the only path to Don's salvation? The TVGO geeks discuss this and much more -- including Betty's firing of Carla, Peggy's continued savvy at work, the milkshake of destiny, and that unforgettable chat between the two most powerful, and underappreciated, women at SCDP -- here.

TV Geek Out 186: Glee, "Grilled Cheesus," "Duets," and "The Rocky Horror Glee Show"

It's time to take another ride on the Glee roller coaster! Season two has had some thrilling, and not so thrilling, ups and downs since the last time we discussed it. "Grilled Cheesus" fell into some of the traps we at TV Geek Out cannot stand about the show: it took on a heavy subject -- religion -- but did so in a simplistic, patronizing fashion, once again used Kurt and Burt Hummel's fraught but ultimately loving relationship as a vehicle for a Very Special Episode, and reduced the rest of the characters to caricatures (we're looking at you, Finn, you numbskull). "Duets," on the other hand, was a tantalizing reminder of just how great Glee can be. Not only did we get more of new character Sam (the fantastically named Chord Overstreet), the episode actually had the New Directions kids performing believable songs in a believable way for a believable reason -- to win dinner at Breadsticks! Glimpses of Santana and Brittany's relationship and great performances of "River Deep, Mountain High," "Le Jazz Hot" and "Sing!" made it one of the second season's best moments. Finally, "The Rocky Horror Glee Show" got into the Halloween spirit while remaining completely Glee: racy, campy, subversive and heartwarming all at the same time. That the kids didn't get to perform the show for an audience was a bit of a buzzkill (as was Mr. Schue's increasing creepiness), but with Glee being so unpredictable this year, you take your pleasures where you can find them. We discuss all this and more here.

TV Geek Out 185: The Walking Dead, "Days Gone Bye" and "Guts"

TV Geek Out begins our coverage of AMC's smash-hit zombie series, The Walking Dead, with this epic chat about the first 2 episodes! In the premiere, "Days Gone Bye," small-town cop Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma to learn that zombies have overrun society, which mostly now looks like a ghost town scattered with corpses, both dead and undead. We discover this terrifying, sad new world along with Grimes as he heads out in search of his family and meets father-and-son survivors Morgan and Duane, and we're introduced to a camp of other survivors outside of Atlanta and discover along with Grimes that the big city is the very opposite of a safe haven. In "Guts," Grimes meets a group of people who are on a mission to retrieve supplies from Atlanta. He helps them deal with their power-hungry bigot, Merle, as well as the dilemma (partly caused by him) of how to get out of a building surrounded by hordes of famished zombies and escape the city alive. The answer leads to possibly the most disgusting couple of scenes in the history of television -- let's just be glad that TVs don't come equipped with Smell-O-Vision! TV geeks Heather, Dana, and Perry discuss how the slow, contemplative style that the show establishes fits right in with AMC's other series, and analyze how the zombie world here compares to other stand-outs in the genre, as well as the comic it was based on. Listen in to this mega-geek out here.

(Note: The "Guts" discussion begins at about 57:13.)

TV Geek Out 184: Conan -- The First Week

After months of waiting and expectations, Conan O'Brien returned to late-night TV last week with Conan, his simply named show for TBS. While some things were better than O'Brien's brief stint hosting The Tonight Show -- letting sidekick Andy Richter return to his rightful spot next to Coco among them -- Conan got off to a somewhat soft start. The TV Geek Out geeks discuss what went right and what went wrong with O'Brien's first week on the job here.

TV Geek Out 183: TV News Discussion

The TV Geek Out geeks get together to chat about the latest news in TV-land, from ratings to cancellations/renewals to what we've been watching lately! Despite being as timely as possible, there's already been at least one more casualty between this recording and its posting -- J.J. Abrams' struggling spy show Undercovers. Listen in as we try to keep track of all the current procedurals and who's on them, realize that we don't really watch ABC at all anymore now that Lost's gone, and discuss the recent controversy regarding Mike & Molly here.

TV Geek Out 182: Mad Men, "Blowing Smoke"

Can it really be that Mad Men has gone nearly four whole seasons without titling an episode “Blowing Smoke”? But when they finally did, boy is it a doozy! Don attempts to salvage the company with a bold letter to the New York Times, Cooper picks up his shoes and goes home, the Campbells have their biggest fight in years, and one of Don’s old flames is now a heroin addict. TV geeks Perry, Heather, and Dana have much to discuss about the penultimate episode of the season, including Sally’s positive response to therapy, Glen’s inability to fill out a football uniform, and Midge’s memorable description of what heroin feels like. Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 181: True Blood, "Bad Blood"

TV Geek Out returns to our True Blood coverage with this discussion of the third-season premiere, "Bad Blood." Events pick up right where they left off, with everyone in a bad state. Sookie is distraught that Bill's gone missing, and frustrated by human law enforcement's lack of interest in his disappearance. Jason's freaked out that he killed Eggs, and in one of the episode's best scenes, Andy tells him he has to act like his normal self if their cover-up is going to be believed -- "Conscience off, dick on!" Tara is beyond consolation over Eggs' death, and winds up locking herself in Lafayette's bathroom and downing a bunch of pills. Bill's stuck in a speeding car full of V-loving dudes, who set a new low for trashiness on the show as they greedily drink from him; he easily outwits them and escapes, but they eventually track him down and surround him -- in wolf form -- for the big cliffhanger! Meanwhile, Jessica's not dealing well with the fact that she's "accidentally" killed a trucker, and Hoyt fails in his attempt to reconcile with her and moves in with Jason. Sam's off in search of his birth parents and has an awesome sexy dream about Bill, Jason can't perform when he picks up two chicks, and Eric can apparently perform for six hours straight in his multipurpose dungeon. Add in a visit from the queen of Louisiana and the Magister, and TV geeks Dana and Heather had plenty to geek out about! Listen in as they discuss all this and much more here.

TV Geek Out 180: 30 Rock Live!

Tina Fey and company attempted the seemingly impossible, a live version of a sitcom that seems dependent on the ability to cut quickly to throwaway gags. While this may seem as difficult, and unnecessary, as a live version of Family Guy, the TV Geek Out crew were quite impressed with the effort, even if they varied in their opinions of how funny it was. So join Dana, Perry, and Heather as they break down the differences between the East Coast and West Coast versions, enthuse about Chris Parnell, and continue to gush over the always amazing Jon Hamm. Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 179: Mad Men, "Chinese Wall"

Dr. Faye Miller might claim to have a “Chinese Wall,” but leave it to Don Draper to demolish that defensive structure and get her to abandon her own ethics. After all, what woman doesn’t fall for Don’s much-employed charms? Certainly not our favorite Canadian, Megan. In the meantime, Peggy finally falls into bed with someone she isn’t actively deceiving, Roger reveals the truth -- sort of -- about the end of Lucky Strike, and the partners take advantage of a funeral to network for new business. Yes, it was a Mad Men episode chock-full of beginnings and endings, so join TV geeks Perry, Dana, and Heather for a spirited discussion of the fourth season’s 11th episode here!

TV Geek Out 178: Glee, "Audition" and "Britney/Brittany"

How has the TV Geek Out trio responded to Glee so far this year? Well, one of us is thinking our relationship with the show might be as dead as Don and Betty’s marriage on Mad Men. Find out who might be happier with a whole lot less Glee as Dana, Perry, and Heather debate the merits of pop tunes vs. showtunes, lament the lack of screen time for our favorite characters, and wonder if Glee’s Brittany S. Pierce has more talent than Britney Spears. Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 177: Mad Men Season 4 Finale Reactions

And so season four ends not with a bang, but with a ring. It was a surprisingly mellow close to a season filled with darkness and upheaval -- if you can call a surprise engagement, a not-so-surprise pregnancy and an overdue business triumph within the span of an hour mellow. After watching the finale on Sunday night, we couldn't resist recording our initial thoughts about "Tomorrowland." Check them out here, and stay tuned for a more in-depth discussion!

TV Geek Out 176: Fall TV Premieres, Part 2

TV Geek Out returns with the second part of our discussion of all the fall TV premieres that we've been watching. We cover a lot more ground this time, chatting about new shows, returning shows, summer series we loved, and midseason series we can't wait to see, including Fringe, Undercovers, Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, NBC Thursday-night comedies, Dexter, Rubicon, and much more! Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 175: Mad Men, "Hands and Knees"

Turns out that like Teddy Roosevelt and Buford Pusser, Lane’s daddy carries a big stick, and boy does he know how to beat the happy out of his son! And if this wasn’t a big enough development on Mad Men, how about Pete taking a proverbial bullet for Don, Betty lying to the government, and Joan aborting her love child with Roger -- maybe. Join TV Geek Out geeks Perry, Dana, and Heather as they figure out exactly why so many at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce are on their “Hands and Knees.” Listen in here!

TV Geek Out 174: Emmys 2010 Chat

The Emmys mark the unofficial start of the fall TV season, so naturally we had to cover them -- better late than never! Check out TV geeks Heather, Perry, and Dana's take on all of it -- from Jimmy Fallon's hosting abilities to the big winners and losers -- here.

TV Geek Out 173: Fall TV Premieres, Part 1

The new fall TV season is is full swing, and TV geeks Heather, Dana, and Perry discuss three of the season's hyped new shows in this podcast. Listen in to find out what we thought of Running Wilde, Raising Hope, and The Event here.

TV Geek Out 172: Mad Men, "The Beautiful Girls"

And so the Blankenship has sailed, taking with her one of Mad Men's most affecting episodes about how girls and women survive -- or don't survive -- in a Mad Man's world. Sally Draper wants her dad's attention; Peggy wants to be respected for her personal and professional choices; Faye wants Don to accept that she has chosen not to have kids; and Joan wants a family and a man who will be there for her. Above all, however, these characters want to be understood and respected for who they are, not what they can do for men. As Joyce rather poignantly asks Peggy, after she explains how women are expected to be the "pots" that contain and warm the "soup" that is men, "who's to say we're not soup?" Another great episode led to another impassioned TV Geek Out discussion. Check it out here!

TV Geek Out 171: Boardwalk Empire Premiere

What kind of series do you get when the masterminds are the number two man on The Sopranos, the executive producer of Entourage, and the greatest living American filmmaker? Why Boardwalk Empire, of course! It's an ambitious historical gangster story about the Prohibition era with a remarkably strong cast fronted by Steve Buscemi as a New Jersey politico on the take (and, yes, that is redundant). Listen in as TV geeks Dana, Perry, and Heather tackle the debut episode, offer up a history lesson on anti-Semitism, and try to untangle plot threads that are already thoroughly knotted in just 75 minutes of show. Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 170: Mad Men, "The Summer Man"

"The Summer Man" may have been the first B grade episode in a season full of As and A plusses. Still, for everything that was uneven (Don's admittedly awkward voice over journal entries), there was something encouraging (Don's slower pace with drinking and women). And even a somewhat lesser Mad Men episode is still ripe with discussion topics ranging from how well the Rolling Stones fit into the show's world to whether or not Peggy was right to get stealth chauvinist Joey out of the office after he harassed Joan. We cover these and much more here.

TV Geek Out 169: True Blood, "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'"

TV Geek Out covers the finale of the second season of True Blood, which sees the demise of the evil maenad Maryann. Her twisted sacrifice-wedding ceremony combo is undermined by a clever plan hatched by Bill and Sam, and with the help of Sookie's distracting powers. After the death of Maryann, Eggs is "tragically" killed by Jason (in defense of Andy), Sam heads out to look into his roots, Hoyt tells off his mama, Jessica chows down on a sleazy truck driver, and Bill takes Sookie to a fancy French restaurant and proposes... but is mysteriously kidnapped shortly thereafter. Oh yeah, and Eric also plays some Yahtzee with the queen. TV geeks Heather and Dana had mixed feelings about this somewhat underwhelming finale. Listen in as they talk about both the good and the bad here.

Also, stay tuned for TVGO's coverage of the latest season of the show, coming soon!

Announcement!

Hello, TV Geek Out fans! This is just a little message to tell you that we've resolved a technical issue that was keeping us from being able to offer our entire run of TVGO for download via iTunes. As of yesterday, you can now find every episode of the Geek Out in iTunes and easily download them onto your handheld devices for your listening pleasure. (Previously our iTunes podcasts were limited to just the most recent 25.)

Keep in mind that we were a little rusty in our early days of podcasting -- our audio quality has come a long way. But all of our discussions are worth checking out for the devoted listener;)

TV Geek Out 168: Mad Men, "The Suitcase"

Mad Men's fourth season has, arguably, been its strongest yet, but there's little room for debate that "The Suitcase" is one of the show's finest hours. An exploration of the dread of anticipating the worst that can happen -- and the strange sense of relief and renewal that follows when it finally does, this episode had the intimacy of a play. Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss both delivered Emmy-worthy performances, with Don hitting bottom and losing the last tie to his old identity, and Peggy losing some illusions about her personal and professional lives. The Cassius Clay/Sonny Liston fight was woven deftly around the characters' sparring, underscoring the generation gap that has widened with every installment of season four. And while this was one of the show's heaviest episodes to date, there was still plenty of room for humor, whether it was Pete's panicked look upon discovering Peggy and Trudy talking to each other, or Duck trying to turn Roger's pristine white chair into a toilet. Insightful, touching, uncomfortable, witty -- "The Suitcase" was stuffed with everything that makes Mad Men great, and we unpack it all here.

TV Geek Out 167: Mad Men, "Waldorf Stories"

How low can he go? That's the question Mad Men's fourth season keeps asking about Don Draper, and "Waldorf Stories" charted some of the seediest stops along his fall. Even in the face of winning a Clio for the Glo-Coat commercial, Don still manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory: His drunken pitch for Life Cereal plays like a grotesque caricature of the "Carousel"; he misplaces the award; and after striking out with Dr. Faye, he beds a willing jingle writer and, perhaps most shamefully, a plain waitress named Doris. He's surrounded by cautionary examples of what could be his future, from a morose Roger to a belligerent Duck, and by the mediocre present in the shape of Danny, a copywriter with connections and the belief that "perspiration's as good as inspiration." Danny's entrée into Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is mirrored by flashbacks to 1955, when Don is a wannabe adman looking for any way to get his foot in the door. "Waldorf Stories" isn't all downhill, however. We see SCDP's younger generation rise to their responsibilities, with Pete acting as "designated driver" at the Clios and showing Ken who's boss. Meanwhile, Peggy rises to the challenge of working for a demanding, forgetful, alcoholic boss and with the agency's latest sexist pig, art director Stan Rizzo -- and triumphs in ways big and small. This episode had more ups and downs than a hotel elevator, and we discuss them all here.

TV Geek Out 166: True Blood, "Frenzy"

TV Geek Out discusses the penultimate episode of True Blood's second season, "Frenzy." Jessica and Hoyt's relationship is on the rocks after she feasts on his mom, but when he later learns some disturbing secrets about his father, he has second thoughts about forever being a mama's boy. Meanwhile, Bill meets with the queen of Louisiana, but she forces him to pseudo-sunbath and play Yahtzee all day before telling him what he wants to know about maenads. Jason and Andy go to the sheriff's station for weapons and later have a highly entertaining bonding session. Sam finds Arlene's kids, who haven't been well cared for lately, and they go to see Eric for help. Tara is so determined to save Eggs that she manipulates her mother into freeing her from Sookie and Lafayette, who then go after her to the now-demented Stackhouse home. Maryann tells Tara she summoned Maryann to Bon Temps during her exorcism ceremony, and Tara is slapped into re-zombiedom. When Sookie shows up, she has to deal with a house of horrors before making her way upstairs to find Tara and Eggs destroying Gran's things to make a nest for a giant egg(!), and then gets accosted by a zombified Lafayette -- nooooo! TV geeks Heather and Dana had mixed feelings about this episode, from the pacing to the disappointing introduction of Evan Rachel Wood as Queen Sophie-Anne, but there was a lot to love about it too. Eric flies and coins the term "teacup humans," so it can't be all bad! Listen in as they discuss the pros and cons of this crazy episode here.

(Please excuse the audio quality on this recording; it's below our normal standards, but the conversation is still well worth checking out!)

TV Geek Out 165: Mad Men, "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword"

It's another super-sized Mad Men discussion, but then "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" was jam-packed with plot and subtext. This episode took on so many of the show's main themes -- the generation gap, the battle of the sexes, what people want versus what is expected of them -- some with a direct approach, others so subtly that they were revealed only after multiple viewings. But perhaps the most surprising, and satisfying, thing about "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" was that people really opened up to each other. Both of the Drapers, so practiced at keeping their secrets safe, finally got a lot off their chests. Don confided in Faye, learning firsthand that people do feel better after they've talked, while Betty revealed more than she realized to an honest-to-goodness psychiatrist (that Dr. Edna was a child psychiatrist was all too appropriate for this poor little rich girl). Compared to the episodes surrounding it, this was one of season four's more lighthearted installments, allowing Don one of the moments of eleventh-hour genius that used to come so easily and Peggy to drive around in circles on a groovy little Honda. Yet it also had downright cringe-inducing moments, both physical (Betty slapping Sally) and verbal (Roger insulting the Honda executives). So much conflicting information! We talk about it all here.

TV Geek Out 164: 2010 Emmy Nominations

Sure, they don’t have as much historical weight as the Oscars, and the telecast isn’t as fun to watch as the Golden Globes, but the Emmys are still the award everybody in television most wants to win. With that in mind, prepare your predictions for Sunday with the TV Geek Out crew as Dana, Heather, Perry, and special guest geek Chrysta break down the major categories and offer their tips on who will -- and who should -- take home the gold. Check it all out here!

TV Geek Out 163: Mad Men, "The Rejected"

Since Mad Men's third season spent so much time on the dissolution of the Draper marriage, season four isn't wasting any time returning to the show's other major stories. One of the biggest is the relationship between Peggy and Pete, which "The Rejected" caught up with in thrilling, sometimes heartbreaking fashion. Those crazy kids are so similar, yet so different, and the episode illustrated this with artful parallels in their varying paths. They're both growing up and thriving, yet their directions couldn't be any more opposite. Becoming a father seems to give Pete the push he needs to graduate from man-boy to man, and his wheeling and dealing lands him a secure place in the old boys' network. Peggy, on the other hand, tastes the sweet and bitter sides of choosing "other things" besides marriage and a family: Meeting Joyce the lesbian and her arty friends puts Peggy at the epicenter of New York's counterculture just as it's beginning to explode, while hearing of Pete's domestic bliss reminds her of what could have been.

Meanwhile, Don's life continues its publicly embarrassing downward spiral, Ken Cosgrove makes a welcome return, and John Slattery does a terrific job of directing one of Mad Men's finest hours. We had a lot to say about all of this so check out our plus-size "The Rejected" discussion here.

TV Geek Out 162: Mad Men, "The Good News"

The good news is ... Lane is more fun than a barrel of drunken monkeys when he's had a few! Joan can still have babies even though she's had a couple of "procedures"! And that's about it. "The Good News" was yet another example of how bleak, and funny, Mad Men's fourth season is. The episode contrasted and balanced its emotionally devastating scenes: Don telling Anna he had to go (instead of telling her she didn't have much time left) and Joan's breakdown were countered by Don and Lane's cathartic New Year's night out and Greg's surprisingly healing jokes. Focusing on three of the show's most stoic, even repressed, characters underscored just how much their old ways are doing them disservices -- and what a fresh start the new year offers them. Grab yer Texas belt buckle and begin 1965 with the TV Geek Out Geeks here.

TV Geek Out 161: True Blood, "New World in My View"

TV Geek Out covers episode 10 of True Blood's second season, "New World in My View," in which Bill, Sookie and Jason return to Bon Temps and find their hometown in a sorry state, with its citizens running rampant. Sookie and Bill go to her house, and when they encounter Maryann, Sookie repels her with a burst of light from her hand! Meanwhile, Andy and Sam have been cornered into the walk-in fridge at Merlotte's. Jason, who's prepared himself for battle, outwits the mob at the bar, but only momentarily, and Sam ends up surrendering. With Andy's help, Jason puts on a show to make the mob believe he's their God, and then he "smites" Sam, who turns into a fly and escapes. At Bill's, he and Sookie find a crazed Maxine Fortenberry with Hoyt and Jessica, and Hoyt fills them in on what they've missed. They head out to see Tara, whom Lafayette and Lettie Mae have been unsuccessfully trying to get through to. When Bill and Sookie arrive, they team up with their combined glamouring and mental powers and free her from Maryann's control. Bill leaves to get help from another vamp (a queen!), whom he thinks might know how to defeat Maryann. Back at Bill's, Jessica can't take anymore of Maxine's bitchiness, and starts to feed on her! TV Geeks Heather and Dana talk about all this, and Sookie's second steamy Eric dream here.

TV Geek Out 160: Mad Men, "Christmas Comes But Once a Year"

There's no place like Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce for the holidays, especially when Don and company reunite with sadistic Lucky Strike honcho Lee Garner Jr. SCDP scrambles to give their biggest client a Christmas party like he's seen in the movies, and the forced frivolity he gets is just as fake (though it did give us wonderful images of Joan leading the conga line and Roger in a Santa suit). If Lee is the Ghost of Christmas Present, then good ol' Freddy Rumsen is the Ghost of Christmas Past. Though he's been sober for well over a year, his ideas of how to sell cold cream to young women are, much to Peggy's shock, plain old-fashioned. The Ghost of Christmas Future could only be creepy preteen Glen Bishop, who turns vandalizing the Francis household into a tangible love letter to young Sally. Despite some great lines from Roger, it was Dr. Faye Miller of the consumer research company SCDP met with who expressed this episode's main conflict: "What I want versus what's expected of me." Don -- alone during Christmas, failing with the ladies, sloppy drunk and jeopardizing one of the few healthy relationships in his life with his secretary, Allison -- is barely delivering on either count. The TV Geek Out geeks, joined again by AnnArbor.com's Chrysta Cherrie, discuss season four's ongoing prostitution theme, how this show can be so depressing and so funny at the same time, and the brand new euphemism "bringing the keys." Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 159: Mad Men, "Public Relations"

And we're off! Mad Men's fourth season began by continuing one of season three's major themes: change. Not only were we treated to Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce's sleek, brightly lit new digs, where everyone is on much more equal footing, we saw Don Draper undergo some renovations too. They didn't come without growing pains: Clamming up in an interview, snapping at his maid, throwing out customers and getting slapped by an escort, Don is uncomfortable with what's expected of him until he figures out how to give people the image they want on his own terms. Meanwhile, we see how much Peggy has grown in the year between "Shut the Door, Have a Seat" and this episode, and how much Betty has conformed to her new role as Mrs. Henry Francis. Image control, damage control and selling yourself metaphorically and literally were some of "Public Relations"' main ideas, all presented in ways that felt new and like classic Mad Men at the same time. Get with the times and check out our discussion here.

TV Geek Out 158: Mad Men Season 4 Preview

We're just hours away from the beginning of Mad Men's fourth season! The TV Geek Out Geeks couldn't wait until after Sunday night to start geeking out about the new season, so Dana, Perry and Heather shared their hopes for the characters and the show in general before it even started. What will Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce's new digs be like? What kind of women will Don seek out as a single man? Will Joan advance her career? Will Peggy have to stick with her dowdy haircut to get respect? We ponder these questions and more here.

TV Geek Out: Mad Men Season Three Review

Back when Mad Men's brilliant third season ended, the TV Geek Out crew did a wrap-up, reviewing the season's big events, the characters' various arcs, and our favorite episodes. We thought we'd re-post that conversation, as it's a great way to jog one's memory and get one's head back in the Mad Men universe in preparation for the upcoming season premiere this Sunday (yay!). Check it out here!

TV Geek Out 157: True Blood, "I Will Rise Up"

TV Geek Out covers one of True Blood's most epic episodes ever, season two's ninth installment, "I Will Rise Up." In the gory aftermath of the Lukinator's suicide-bombing, Eric tricks Sookie into drinking his blood, and Bill warns her that she might start to find herself sexually attracted to the Viking vamp. This leads to one of the awesomest (for those of us who like men) True Blood scenes ever, her first sexy dream of Eric! Back in Bon Temps, Hoyt finally stands up to his mom, and has her meet Jessica at Merlotte's, but that goes about as badly as you'd expect. Lafayette sticks up for Tara, and he and Lettie Mae forcibly rescue her from Maryann's clutches... or so they hope. Sam escapes from jail as a fly, which pisses Maryann off, and she sets practically the whole town out after him. Meanwhile, back in Dallas, Sookie and Jason have a sweet heart-to-heart bonding session. But the big event of the episode is Godric's suicide "meeting of the sun" on the roof of the hotel, after rejecting Eric's tearful pleas for him not to do it. Sookie stays with Godric through the whole ordeal, and Godric passes on peacefully. TV geeks Heather and Dana discuss this moving episode here.

TV Geek Out 156: Gleekout 2

If there was any doubt that Glee is the TV series of the moment, its 19 Emmy nominations proved that there is a lot to love about this show. However, the second half of its debut season also revealed some cracks in its foundation: repetitive jokes, disappearing plots and characters, and musical numbers that were increasingly separated from the show's reality of a misfit glee club trying to prove itself in an Ohio high school. Despite, or perhaps because of, themed episodes and celebrity cameos, the show seemed to lose its focus somewhat compared to the funny and heartfelt first half of the season -- a difference made all the more disappointing after its lengthy hiatus. But just because the TV Geek Out geeks find a few faults with Glee doesn't mean we don't like the show; we're critical because we care about it! Check out our season-one postmortem and our hopes for season two here.

TV Geek Out 155: True Blood, "Timebomb"

TV Geek Out covers "Timebomb," the eighth episode of True Blood's second season, in which we learn more about modern-day Godric and his peaceful stance on vampire/human relations. Eric and Sookie try to stop the planned murder of Godric, but they're both caught and almost killed themselves. It all leads to a showdown at the the Fellowship of the Sun church between Newlin's and Godric's forces, but thanks to Jason's expert marksmanship (with a paintball gun) and Godric's commitment to nonviolence, no blood is shed there. Elsewhere, there's plenty of blood being spilled! Bill finally escapes Lorena by bashing her over the head with a flat-screen TV! In Bon Temps, Maryann cooks up and feeds Tara and Eggs a very bloody "hunter's souffle," with Daphne's supernatural heart as the secret ingredient! It's even grosser than it sounds, and leads the couple to turn very primal, first beating each other up, and then getting it on. Also getting busy are Jessica and Hoyt, who lose their virginities together and then get embarrassingly walked in on by Bill. Later, in Dallas, there's a gathering celebrating Godric's safe return, and Lorena shows up and nearly makes a meal out of Sookie, but Godric stops her and banishes her. As she leaves, Lorena tearfully humiliates herself even more with Bill (yes, that's actually possible!), until he tells her he never wants to see her again. It all ends, quite literally, with a bang, as the Lukinator shows up and suicide-bombs the place! TV geeks Heather and Dana discuss all this, Maryann's plans for Sam, the psychology of a 2,000-year-old vampire, and much more here.

(Please excuse the audio quality on this recording; it's below our normal standards, but the conversation is still well worth checking out!)

TV Geek Out 154: Lost, "The End"

It's been a month since Jack closed his eyes for the last time and Lost reached "The End" -- enough time for the TV Geek Out geeks to have thought about the finale a bit (ok, a lot) more and have an in-depth finale discussion. Some of us were still dissatisfied with the ending, some of us grew to accept it with a few more viewings, and some of us still love it, but all three of us had a great time talking about one of the most compelling TV series ever. This will probably be our final Lost chat -- until we get our hands on all of that bonus footage in the DVD and Blu-Ray sets, that is. We miss the show already, but check out our discussion here.

TV Geek Out 153: True Blood, "Release Me"

In "Release Me," the seventh episode of True Blood's second season, many characters are being held captive in one way or another -- from Sam, who almost gets sacrificed at Maryann's freakiest orgy party yet; to Sookie, who is being held in the Fellowship of the Sun church's basement; to Bill, who is being forcibly kept in his hotel room by his maker, Lorena. Amidst all of the crazy things going on in this jam-packed episode, the flashbacks to Bill and Lorena's final blowout fight before parting ways in the '30s offer some of the most dramatically juicy moments. TV geeks Heather and Dana engage in a thorough analysis of the pair's tumultuous relationship, discuss the different dynamic that Bill has with Sookie, and lament the latest heartbreak that's wearing on Sam's tortured soul. Listen in as they talk about all this and more in a truly epic True Blood conversation here!

TV Geek Out 152: Lost, Finale Reactions

And so Lost has reached “The End.” While it may have been short on answers, it was long on emotion for the audience and on resolution for the characters we’ve come to love (and love to hate) over the years. TV Geek Out Geeks Dana, Perry and Heather will do a more in-depth dissection of this two-and-a-half epic series closer soon, but for now they share their first impressions of the finale here.

TV Geek Out 151: Lost, "What They Died For"

TV Geek Out covers "What They Died For," the penultimate episode of Lost. In the Sideways world, Jack awakes to find another mysterious cut on his neck... Meanwhile, Ben catches Desmond in the school parking lot again and starts to give him a talking to, but is interrupted by Desmond's fist; this awesomely leads to him flashing to memories of his other life. As Ben is heading home later, Alex introduces him to her mother, Rousseau (who finally gets to look pretty!), and they invite him over for dinner. Across town, Desmond turns himself in to the police, and "reunites" with Sayid and Kate. During their transport to county jail, they're freed by Ana Lucia, and met by Hurley. Also, after talking to Ben, Locke finally gives in and tells Jack he can fix him. On the island, the survivors of the sub bombing mourn the loss of their friends, and on their way to find Desmond, they wind up having a vaguely informative fireside chat with Ghost Jacob. This leads to Jack volunteering to become the new Jacob and, after some ceremonial drinking of water, he is. We also finally rejoin the awkwardly awesome trio of Richard, Ben, and Miles as they reach Dharmaville, where they run into Widmore and Zoe in Ben's old house. Soon, though, Ben's put Widmore in the closet, Richard has been sent flying, and Miles has run off. Ben has a nice conversation with UnLocke on the porch and snitches on Widmore. UnLocke kills Zoe, and Ben shoots Widmore dead while he's whispering sweet answers into UnLocke's ear! Listen in as TV geeks Perry, Heather, and Dana discuss all this and Smokey's revelation to Ben that he wants to destroy the whole island here!

TV Geek Out 150: Lost, "Across the Sea"

As Lost's final season wound down, the controversy around its episodes just rose. "Across the Sea," the tale of a young Jacob and Man (er, Boy) in Black, was easily among the most divisive hours of Lost ever -- fans either loved this deep dive into the show's mythology, complete with the reveal of who the Island's Adam and Eve were, or they hated spending any time away from their beloved characters in the show's precious last hours. Either way, "Across the Sea" was a bold move even for a show filled with them. It provided answers -- even if they weren't necessarily answers that fans wanted -- without spoon-feeding them, and featured just a handful of the show's regulars in flashbacks that were actually flash-forwards. Mark Pellegrino, Titus Welliver and special guest star Allison Janney as the protector of the island and the boys' unpredictable "mother" carried the episode, which showed the origins of the show's conflicts and black and white imagery, as well as the source of the island's power -- a glowing cave that had viewers fascinated and frustrated in equal measure. Perry, Dana and Heather navigate the dense terrain of "Across the Sea" here.

Bonus: Maybe Jacob and MIB never would have feuded if they'd been able to play Connect Four Million.

TV Geek Out 149: Lost, "The Candidate"

The Lost episode "The Candidate" is perhaps the most devastating of them all. On the island, UnLocke tries to convince Jack to leave with everyone, while Widmore throws the Losties into the polar bear cages. Team Smokey soon busts them out, and they head for the Ajira plane, but they ditch their aerial escape plan when UnLocke finds a bomb there. They instead head for the sub, where Widmore's people engage them in a firefight. Kate gets shot, and Jack and everyone else end up on the sub, sans Claire and Smokey. They soon discover UnLocke's true treachery when they find the bomb in Jack's backpack, and Jack argues that they'll be fine if they do nothing. Sawyer just doesn't have faith in Jack, and tries to defuse the bomb. When that doesn't work, Sayid sacrifices himself for their safety, and Jin and Sun also die. In the Sideways world, Jack tries to convince Locke to let him fix his paralysis, but Locke refuses. Jack sets out to find out why Locke is resistant, and meets Bernard Nadler and Anthony Cooper in the process. Jack tries one more time to convince Locke, but he's too guilt-ridden to give in. TV geeks Dana, Heather, and Perry mourn the loss of Jin, Sun, Sayid, and maybe Lapidus, and discuss Jin's controversial decision to stay on the sinking sub with his beloved Sun. Listen in here!

TV Geek Out 148: Lost, "The Last Recruit"

TV Geek Out covers "The Last Recruit," in which UnLocke's plans are in full swing as the Losties reunite. He has a little chat with Jack and orders zombie Sayid to kill Desmond, but Des might just talk his way out of that fate. Back at Camp Smokey, Sawyer and Kate conspire with the others to ditch UnLocke and escape via sub. Crazy Claire tags along, and Jack jumps ship after a tense talk with Sawyer. Meanwhile, Widmore wants his package back, and starts firing missiles at the island. UnLocke saves Jack, thus acquiring his "last recruit." In Sideways-land, Locke is rushed to the hospital, where Sun and Jin arrive at the same time, and she recognizes Locke. Cop Sawyer flirts with Kate, and then joins Miles to arrest Sayid -- yay, more Ford & Straume! The charmingly creepy Desmond takes Claire to his lawyer (Ilana!), who introduces Claire to her half-sibling, Jack. And Jack gets called to the hospital to party with Locke's dural sac. TV geeks Perry, Heather, and Dana discuss all of this, as well as Ben's adorable attentiveness to Mr. Locke, Widmore's treacherousness, and the the long-awaited reunion of the Kwons. Listen in here!

TV Geek Out 147: Lost, "Everybody Loves Hugo"

"Everybody Loves Hugo" brought us the final Hugo Reyes episode of Lost. In contrast to the lighter tone of many Hurley installments, this one contained quite a lot of dire events. Ilana EXPLODED. Hurley blew up the Black Rock. Sideways Desmond drove his car straight into the wheelchair-bound Locke and sent him flying! UnLocke threw Island Desmond down a well!! Amidst these crazy developments, we got to see Sideways Hurley get the date he never had with Libby -- AND a kiss that awakened his island memories. On the island, Hurley dabbled with a leadership role among the Losties and convinced some of them to pay UnLocke a visit, while the trio of Richard, Ben, and Miles broke off on their own airplane-exploding mission. We also got another appearance of the mysterious young blond boy, visits from Ghost Michael, and an answer to the mystery of the island's cryptic whispers. Listen in as TV geeks Heather, Dana, and Perry discuss all the goings-on in this action-packed episode here.

TV Geek Out 146: Lost, "Happily Ever After"

The much-anticipated Desmond episode "Happily Ever After" did nothing less than bridge the gulf between the season's dual realities. When Widmore puts Des through an electromagnetic test on Hydra Island, his consciousness seems to become privy to the Sideways reality, where he was indeed an 815 passenger. We find out that Desmond not only works for Widmore there, but is even his treasured right-hand man. Desmond's next assignment -- to get troubled rocker Charlie Pace to a charity concert organized by Mrs. Widmore -- goes awry when Charlie steers their car off a pier, and Des has a vision of the Not Penny's Boat moment from the Island reality. More visions follow in the MRI machine at the hospital, and Desmond's new personal mission is to find Penny. Along the way, we get to see the Sideways Eloise Hawking and Daniel Faraday -- both Widmores instead -- and Des finds his beloved Penny. After that fateful meeting, Desmond seems to be blissfully enlightened in both realities. TV geeks Perry, Dana, and Heather discuss the complexities of this game-changing episode here.

TV Geek Out 145: Lost, "The Package"

Sure, "The Package" is one of the better season-6 episodes of Lost, but it has a title that makes double entendre fans salivate. There’s Sun’s button-filled seduction of Jin, of course, but the highlight for any eternal 11-year-old is when Charles Widmore announces with great majesty that it’s time for him to show Jin The Package. We also get more Sideways Keamy, a two-eyed Sideways Mikhail, and find out how Jin wound up locked in a meat locker. On the island, Widemore's lackeys attack Camp Smokey and kidnap Jin, leading to a touching scene where he sees pictures of his daughter for for first time. Meanwhile, UnLocke tries to recruit Sun and she loses her ability to speak English; UnLocke visits Hydra Island and tells Widmore it's on; and Lapidus defends the sanctity of bacon. Listen as Heather, Perry, and Dana fail miserably at keeping a straight face while unpacking "The Package." Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 144: True Blood, "Hard-Hearted Hannah"

TV Geek Out continues our coverage of True Blood's second season with this discussion of "Hard-Hearted Hannah," which brought Bill's maker back in a big way. Lorena's return sparks a shocking flashback to the 1920s, where Bill and her seduce a wealthy couple and then feast on them in a sexual bloodbath. In the present, Lorena holds Bill hostage in his hotel room, having been summoned there by Eric, who is trying to drive a wedge between the brooding vamp and Sookie. Meanwhile, Hugo and Sookie go undercover at the Fellowship of the Sun church, but they're quickly found out and dragged to the basement. Back in Bon Temps, Sam and Daphne go for a nice run in animal form, but it ends badly when Daphne turns on him and hands him over to Maryann at her latest and most graphic orgy yet -- where it looks like Sam might be some kind of ceremonial sacrifice! In other news, Sarah and Jason get it on in the church, Hoyt adorably shows up in Dallas to see Jessica, and Lafayette suffers from some seriously trippy PTSD when he hallucinates Eric's head on Andy's body while the lawman heatedly questions him. TV geeks Heather and Dana discuss the controversial brutality displayed by Bill in the flashback, praise Terry for his awesome comforting skills with Lafayette, worry about the fate of Sam, and chat about all the other goings-on here!

TV Geek Out 143: Lost, "Ab Aeterno"

"Ab Aeterno" was one of the most-hyped and anticipated episodes of Lost's final season, and it turned out to be one of the best. We finally learned the history of the mysterious Richard Alpert, and Nestor Carbonell made the most of this spotlight, giving Alpert's journey from an accidental murderer to Jacob's representative the gravity it needed. "Ab Aeterno" also gave viewers more insight into the long-simmering feud between Jacob and the Man in Black, making clear that their disagreement isn't just moral -- it's personal. Free of flash-sideways and an extra six minutes long, the episode felt as much like a stand-alone short movie as it did a part of Lost, delivering gorgeous atmosphere and cinematography as well as answers. We now know that the island is a cork keeping MIB's darkness in check, but just how bad will it be if he unstops the bottle? How good can Jacob really be if he brings people to the island against their will and offers little, if any, help for them to make good decisions? Dana, Perry and Heather discuss these topics and more here.

TV Geek Out 142: True Blood, "Never Let Me Go"

As HBO re-airs season 2 of True Blood, TV Geek Out gets back to our coverage of the deliciously devious show. In the season's fifth episode, "Never Let Me Go," things pick up in Dallas where they left off. Jessica has ordered a man off the room-service menu for dinner, and he's been delivered by Barry the bellhop -- another telepath! Sookie proceeds to chase him down and stalk him throughout the episode; meanwhile, Bill tries to rein in Jessica, but only manages to push her toward Hoyt. Later the vampires clash over how to handle the Godric situation, but eventually decide that Sookie should do some undercover recon at the Fellowship of the Sun church. At the same time, the Soldiers of the Sun are in hardcore boot-camp mode, where the rivalry between Jason and the Lukinator is heating up, and so is Sarah's passion for Jason's "talents"; even Rev. Steve Newlin can't help but show golden-boy Jason his massive stockpile of weaponry. Back in Bon Temps, Sam is connecting with Daphne, even more so after he discovers her similar shapeshifting abilities. Also, Maryann cranks up her manipulation of Tara, asking her if she and Eggs can crash at Chez Stackhouse, and not really taking no for an answer. All of this pales in comparison, though, to the Viking Flashback(!) to Eric's death and "rebirth" via Godric -- his maker! Listen in as True Blood geeks Dana and Heather discuss all this and more here!

TV Geek Out 141: Lost, "Recon"

If any of Lost's flash-sideways deserve to be spun off into their own shows, it's the tantalizing glimpse we saw of Sawyer and Miles as cop buddies during "Recon." Who wouldn't want to watch the adventures of James Ford and Miles Straume as members of the LAPD who laugh, learn and love? Those are the lessons Ford seemed to be catching onto as he watched "Little House," blew a date with Charlotte Lewis and apprehended a certain fetching fugitive. Meanwhile, on the Island, Sawyer was playing a game with big stakes, hoping to set up UnLocke and Widmore so that they'd take each other out. "Recon" may not have had the most answers out of Season 6's episodes, but it sure was entertaining. Dana, Perry and Heather geek out about it here.

TV Geek Out 140: Gleek Out!

The show that makes you smile when you say its name is back! Yes, Glee has returned, and though the second half of the season -- which goes well into June -- has a lot to look forward to, including new love interests, new choirs to compete against, and the much-touted Madonna episode, TV Geek Out takes a look back at what made the first half of Glee's first season so great. We geek out over Artie, Rachel, Finn, Puck, Mr. Schue, Emma and, of course, Jane Lynch as the incomparable Sue Sylvester. We anticipate Glee's New Direction for the second half of the season with a full-on TV Gleek Out, comin' up right here!

TV Geek Out 139: Lost, "Dr. Linus"

Could it be that your mild-mannered European History teacher is actually a stone cold killer? That sure seems to be what Dr. Ben Linus is in half of this entertaining Lost outing. The TVGO crew connect the dots between the conniving Ben we've come to know and love and the meek but convincingly opportunistic teacher with a big heart he seems to be in the flash-sideways world. TV geeks Dana, Perry, and Heather also discuss the quandary of the suicidal immortal Richard Alpert, Jack's newfound faith, and the possibility of redemption on and off the island. Oh yeah, and we geek out A LOT over the awesomeness of Michael Emerson! Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 138: The Office, "Company Picnic"

Do you wish your office summer parties were more or less like the one depicted in "Company Picnic," the season-five finale of The Office? Michael sees Holly again and the two perform a hilariously inappropriate version of Slumdog Millionaire, the Scranton gang exact revenge on the Dunder Mifflin executives in a fiercely competitive volleyball match, and we learn that Pam has a particular medical condition that should go away in about nine months. Listen in as TV geeks Perry, Dana, and Heather heap praise on the always amazing Amy Ryan, fawn over Dwight’s best friend, and debate the relative merits of The Office’s fifth season. Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 137: Lost, "Sundown"

"Sundown"'s name played a trick on die-hard Lost fans, who had noticed that until then, the main character of each season-six episode mirrored those of season one. But instead of revolving around Sun like the name implies (good thing, too -- it sounds like she dies in it!), "Sundown" plunged Sayid into literal and spiritual darkness as night fell on the island. And unlike some of the more ruminative episodes before it, this one is action-packed, from Sayid and Dogen's brilliantly choreographed fight to Smokey playing smashy-smashy with the hapless Others who chose to stay in the temple rather than follow him. We also got a steely -- but still quite insane -- Claire, a take-charge Ilana, a bewildered Kate and a seriously creeped-out Ben, so you know this episode truly was dark. Meanwhile, Sayid's flash-sideways suggested that there may be some connection between the actions of the Losties on the island and their parallel fates. All of this sparked a TV Geek Out discussion about issues like life, death, fate, free will, Old and New Testament God -- you know, the little things. Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 136: Oscars Chat

Well, Oscar night proved to be a chore for one of the TV Geek Out crew. Find out if Dana, Heather, or Perry spent most of the night yelling at their TV as the trio discuss the chances that Doogie Howser will one day host the big show, praise the best presenters, and put the movie year of 2009 to bed. Check it all out here!

TV Geek Out 135: Lost, "Lighthouse"

TV Geek Out covers the Jack-centric season-6 episode "Lighthouse," in which Hurley and Jack go on a mission from Jacob, and crazy Claire tends to Jin's wounded leg and interrogates the life out of an Other. In the flash-sideways, we find out that Jack has a teenage son, but -- surprise, surprise -- the two have a strained relationship. Jack makes strides toward mending things with the boy, and in so doing, starts working through his own daddy issues. Island Jack has much less clarity of purpose, and when his trip with Hurley takes them to a mysterious lighthouse, he learns that Jacob has been spying on many of them since they were children. This leads Jack to smash things and stare out at the ocean, but it all seems to be part of Jacob's twisted plan. TV Geeks Dana and Heather tackle this one sans Perry, debating the direction of the season and the quality of the episode, and discussing everything from the symbolism of mirrors to Alice in Wonderland references, tie-ins to season-one episodes, and how dashing Dogen looks in a suit. Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 134: Lost, "The Substitute"

TV Geek Out covers the first Locke episode of Lost's 6th season, "The Substitute," in this epic discussion. The flash-sideways follow Locke as he gets home from his trip to Australia, and we find out that he's still with Helen in this reality, and they're even engaged to be married! After getting fired from his job, he runs into a very upbeat Hurley, who hooks him up with some employment services. There, Locke meets Rose, who still has cancer, and she helps him come to terms with his limitations. Later, when Locke gives up on trying to get fixed and comes clean to Helen about his activities in Australia, the two have a very sweet heart-to-heart. Locke's new job turns out to be as a substitute teacher at a high school, where he meets... Ben Linus, European History teacher! On the island, UnLocke has a little chat with Alpert, in which it comes to light just how much Jacob had kept Richard in the dark. UnLocke asks him to come away with him, but he's rebuffed, so he moves on to a very drunk Sawyer in New Otherton. As Ilana tells Ben over the remains of Jacob, UnLocke is recruiting, and he does his darnedest to win over James Ford. It takes a trip down Jacob's ladder and into a dark cave, but the episode ends with a "hell yes!" from Sawyer, so UnLocke seems to have added a member to his entourage. Listen in as Dana, Heather, and Perry geek out about the return of The Numbers, the awesomeness of FranticRichard, and the surprise flash-sideways appearance of Ben; ponder who the mysterious young boy in the jungle is; and chat about all the other goings-on here.

TV Geek Out 133: Lost, "What Kate Does"

TV Geek Out is back to our coverage of Lost's 6th season with this discussion of "What Kate Does." Yes, Darlton dared to give us a Kate-isode as the follow-up to the awesome season premiere, and a lot of viewers were not happy, to put it mildly! Even here at the Geek Out, opinions were varied. The episode's flash-sideways focus on Kate's taxi-cab getaway from the airport, with Claire in tow. Kate winds up magically transforming the pregnant girl from a frightened hostage into a trusting friend when she helps her out and even takes her to the hospital after she goes into premature labor. In the island storyline, Sawyer makes his own getaway from the Temple, and Kate, Jin, and a couple of Others head out on a mission to retrieve him. It's not long before Kate has ditched the posse, and she heads to New Otherton on her own, where she finds Sawyer in no mood for company. Meanwhile, Dogen tortures Sayid to test his true allegiance, and determines that he's been infected and "claimed," and tries to get Jack to give him a pill -- filled with poison! All this, and Jin runs into the long-lost Claire -- looking extremely disheveled -- in the jungle when she takes out the Others he's with just as they're about to kill him. Listen in as Perry, Dana, and Heather have a lively debate over the quality of Kate-isodes, freak out over the surprise appearance of Dr. Ethan in L.A., praise the acting of Josh Holloway, and more here.

TV Geek Out 132: 2010 Oscar Nominations

Sure, we like to geek out about TV, but some us actually geek out even harder over movies, and the Oscars offer us the prime opportunity to indulge. Listen in as Dana, Heather, and Perry break down the nominations, offer insight into how having ten Best Picture nominees affects the race, and pray that Meryl Streep wins an Academy Award for the first time in over 25 years. Check it all out here!

TV Geek Out 131: Lost, "LA X," Part 2

TVGO returns with the second part of our "LA X" discussion, in which we talk about the aftermath of Jacob's murder in the foot of the statue. Among other things, Ben finds out that the real Locke is dead and that his impostor is actually also the Smoke Monster -- when he changes form and kills all of the armed men Ilana sends into the crumbling structure! UnLocke then terrifies Ben some more as he chats with him about how pitiful Locke was and shares the man's dying thoughts with his murderer. When UnLocke finally emerges, he sets his sights on Richard, they exchange some cryptic dialogue, and he knocks Alpert out with a few frighteningly strong blows and carries him into the jungle. Meanwhile, the group that just traveled back to the future from the '70s heads to the Temple, where they're quickly caught by some other Others, lead by an awesome samurai. Some quick thinking by Hurley gets the Others to spare their lives and then attempt to "save" the dying Sayid. It doesn't work... until several minutes later when Sayid seemingly comes back from the dead! Listen in as Heather, Perry, and Dana discuss all the goings-on and theorize about the coming season here!

TV Geek Out 130: Lost, "LA X," Part 1

TV Geek Out's coverage of Lost season 6 begins with a 2-part discussion of the mind-bending premiere, "LA X." Lost is finally back, and the biggest news is the introduction of what seems to be a new reality/timeline in which the plane does land safely in LA, and the island is submerged underwater! In addition, the story on the island continues, as Kate, Jin, Jack, Hurley, Sayid, Sawyer -- and a not-quite-dead-yet Juliet -- are transported back to "present day" and have to deal with their seeming failure to reset the timeline. Yep, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are sure as hell not playing it safe for the final season, and their new "narrative device" is proving to be more challenging and controversial than perhaps even season 5's adventures in time travel. Listen in as TV geeks Dana, Perry, and Heather debate all the new developments, mourn Juliet (again!), and exchange theories on just what the heck might be happening in the crazy world -- er, worlds? -- of Lost. Check it all out here.

Also, stay tuned for the second part of our chat, in which we delve into the aftermath of Jacob's murder and geek out about finally getting to see the Temple!

TV Geek Out 129: Lost, "The Incident," Part 2

In this second part of TVGO's discussion of Lost's awesome season-5 finale, "The Incident," we talk about the "present-time" events and discuss the ramifications of everything that occurs. On their journey to see Jacob, Locke drops his own bomb on Ben -- he wants Ben to kill Jacob. When they eventually make it to Jacob's abode, we find out that he lives in the foot of the four-toed statue! Locke insists on taking Ben in with him to see Jacob, much to the chagrin of Richard. Meanwhile, Ilana and co., along with Lapidus and the mysterious big crate, make their way to the same place, arriving at the foot shortly after Ben and Locke have gone in. They reveal the startling contents of the box -- the dead body of Locke! Inside the foot, we learn that the man who appears to be Locke is an impostor, and is in fact the Man in Black from the long-ago flashback with Jacob; he's found a "loophole" and has manipulated Ben into stabbing Jacob to death. Back in the '70s, it turns out that Juliet is still alive, though gravely injured, at the bottom of the shaft of the Swan site, and she uses all of her might to trigger the bomb by bashing it with a rock... and the screen goes white! Listen in as TV geeks Heather, Dana, and Perry finish their discussion of all the goings-on here.

TV Geek Out 128: Lost, "The Incident," Part 1

TVGO's discussion of the Lost season-5 finale, "The Incident," is so jam-packed that we're bringing it to you in two installments! Jacob makes a major debut, along with an as-yet-unnamed frenemy, whom he has a cryptic conversation with on the beach, long ago. Jacob also takes over the flashbacks for the episode, which reveal visits he's made to many of the characters, some at points in their childhoods and others much more recently. Back in the '70s, Kate ruins Sawyer and Juliet's submarine ride of love and convinces at least Juliet that they need to go back to the island to save the day. Jack is still determined to detonate the bomb at the Swan site and reset the past, along with Sayid -- who gets shot during their not-so-stealthy escape from Dharmaville -- and a van full of Hurley, Miles, and Jin. They're stopped in the road by Kate, Juliet, and Sawyer, who's got a gun pointed right at them. He asks Jack for a 5-minute talk, which quickly devolves into one of the most brutal beatdowns in Lost history. Juliet finally puts a stop to it by flip-flopping to the pro-detonation camp, and the plan is on. Lots of exciting action at the Swan site ensues, the bomb is dropped but fails to go off(!), and the energy pocket turns into a deadly magnet! Listen in as we chat about Jacob, debate the characters' motivations, and mourn the loss of our fair Juliet here.

And stay tuned for a discussion of the present-time island developments, as well as much more theorizing and geeking out, in the second part of our finale discussion!

TV Geek Out 127: Lost, "Follow the Leader"

TV Geek Out covers the penultimate episode of Lost's 5th season, "Follow the Leader." After being taken captive, Jack talks the Others -- specifically Richard and Eloise -- into helping bring the dead Faraday's explosive plan to fruition, but Kate doesn't want anything to do with it. The missing Sayid runs into them in the jungle and joins up for the mission; while Kate goes her own way, the rest of them take a swim to a secret cavern, where Jughead was stashed. Elsewhere on the island, Miles and his pals convince Chang to evacuate the island, and Radzinsky and Phil get violent with their captives, Sawyer and Juliet, who end up on the departing sub -- which they're happy about... until Kate shows up. Back in the future, after an awesome detour to help out his time-traveling self, Locke makes Richard lead him -- and all of the Others -- to see Jacob. On the way there, Locke chats with Ben and tells him that his real plan is to kill Jacob! TV geeks Perry, Heather, and Dana discuss all the goings-on here.

TV Geek Out 126: Golden Globes Discussion

The Golden Globes are the biggest party of the year, since few things are more entertaining for pop-culture fiends than a roomful of drunken movie and TV stars. Listen as TV Geek Out geeks Heather, Dana, and Perry praise host Ricky Gervais, highlight the deserving winners, and try to figure out if it’s scientifically possible for James Cameron’s ego to get any bigger. Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 125: Lost, "The Variable"

As TVGO continues on with our coverage of season 5 of Lost, we discuss the moving Daniel Faraday episode "The Variable." Faraday has just returned to the island (in the '70s, of course) with some radical new ideas on how the Losties can influence their destinies. You read that right -- Daniel "Whatever Happened, Happened" Faraday now thinks that they CAN change their "futures" if they take into account the variable, rather than the constant, in the equation. Naturally, this means they should detonate the hydrogen bomb (Jughead) at the Swan construction site, because what problem can't be solved by blowing stuff up? Okay, so it's not quite that simple, but it's also highly theoretical and risky. Everyone reacts differently to this plan, but Faraday gets through to former leader Jack, so the scientist is making progress. Flashbacks follow Faraday's sad upbringing with his emotionally distant mother, his graduation from university, and his reasons for joining up for the freighter mission that brought him to the island with Charlotte and Miles. Elsewhere, Hawking visits the hospital to check up on Desmond, where she speaks with Penny and runs into Widmore. Listen in as TV geeks Heather, Dana, and Perry rejoice at the return of our favorite twitchy scientist, and get out your hankies as we mourn his tragic death at the hands of his own mother. Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 124: Lost, "Some Like It Hoth"

TV Geek Out continues our coverage of Lost's fifth season with this discussion of the amusingly titled "Some Like It Hoth." It's Miles' first solo flashback episode! His story here is about his daddy issues, and his journey from a confused young child just starting to hear dead people to an adult whose special skills are a sought-after commodity. In Miles' "present," 1970s Dharmaville, Horace brings him into the "circle of trust" and has him haul a "package" around the island -- and Hurley ends up along for the ride. Because riding with Hugo is as good as taking truth serum, Miles soon spills the beans that there's a dead body on board and, yes, he talks to ghosts; this is all okay, though, since Hurley also chills with the dead and is "writing" The Empire Strikes Back in a Dharma composition book. They also talk to the dude from the Orientation videos himself, Dr. Pierre Chang, whom Miles reveals is his father. Meanwhile, Phil confronts LaFleur about him kidnapping Ben, and a very beloved scientist from Ann Arbor finally returns! Listen in as we discuss all the goings-on here.

TV Geek Out 123: Lost, "Dead Is Dead"

TV Geek Out continues our coverage of season 5 of Lost with our discussion of one of its best episodes, "Dead Is Dead." It's the Ben and Locke magic hour! Or at least it seems magical when we get this many Michael Emerson/Terry O'Quinn scenes in one episode! The storyline revolves around Ben, his tense reunion with Locke on Hydra Island, and their journey to The Island so that Ben can supposedly face some Smokey judgment. Along the way, flashbacks fill in more info about Ben's past, including how he stole Alex from Rousseau and eventually banished Widmore, and how he came to be über-beaten-up before the Ajira flight. Meanwhile, back on Hydra, Ilana is overseeing the preparation of a rather large, mysterious metal box for transport.... Listen in as Dana, Heather, and Perry have a major geek-out about the brilliant acting by Emerson and O'Quinn, as well as discuss the mysteries of Smokey and all the other goings-on here.

TV Geek Out 122: Lost, "He's Our You" and "Whatever Happened, Happened"

TV Geek Out discusses two episodes of Lost's fifth season in this jam-packed discussion! In "He's Our You," Sawyer struggles with what to do with the presumed-Hostile Sayid, who doesn't seem to want to be helped. When the Dharma folks take the mysterious stranger to their resident torturer, Sayid takes a not-completely-unpleasant drug trip to truth-ville, but reality is a little too strange for even the science hippies to believe. The creepy young Ben ends up giving Sayid the sense of purpose he'd thought he'd lost, but that doesn't end well for the kid, whom he shockingly shoots in the chest. In "Whatever Happened, Happened," everyone deals with the fallout from Sayid's actions, with Juliet and Kate trying desperately to save Ben, while Jack refuses to help. Sawyer ends up accompanying Kate on a mission to Hostile territory to see if Richard Alpert can bring Ben back from the brink of death. All this, and Miles gives Hurley a very meta schooling on the rules of time travel! Listen in as Perry, Heather, and Dana debate and discuss all the goings-on here.

TV Geek Out 121: Late Night Wars

There hasn’t been a television story as Shakespearean as Leno’s return to The Tonight Show in quite some time, and of course it fascinates us TV geeks, so listen in as Perry, Dana, and Heather declare their allegiance to Team Coco, analyze how much fun this all is for David Letterman, and ponder where Conan lands his next gig. Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 120: Lost, "Namaste"

TV Geek Out continues our coverage of season 5 of Lost with our discussion of "Namaste." Many of the original Oceanic 815 survivors reunite in '70s Dharmaville, but it isn't as joyous an occasion as the Oceanic 6 might have expected. Actually posing more of a problem than a solution, Kate, Jack, and Hurley have to be snuck in as new Dharma recruits, and Sayid is mistaken as a Hostile -- and taken prisoner -- when he stumbles in a little late. Meanwhile, 30 years later on Hydra Island, Ben gets his 50th beat-down after Sun and Lapidus join him for a stroll in the jungle. The pilot and Sun take the outriggers to the main island and find the Ghost-town Dharmaville of the present, where Sun learns that she's got a loooong journey ahead of her if she wants to find Jin! TV Geek Out geeks Heather, Perry, and Dana ponder all the goings-on here.

TV Geek Out 119: Lost, "LaFleur"

TV Geek Out favorite Lost returns to the air in less than a month, and we're finishing up our coverage of the previous season in preparation for that joyous premiere. We left things off with "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham," so let's continue on to "LaFleur." After being perilously unstuck in time for many episodes, Sawyer and his merry band of time travelers find themselves stuck indefinitely in 1970s Dharmaville, and do their best to survive, fit in, and surprisingly for some, flourish there. Listen in as TVGO geeks Perry, Dana, and Heather discuss all the goings-on here.