TV Geek Out 67: 24: Redemption

TV Geek Out geek Dana takes on the TV feature 24: Redemption in preparation for the addition of 24 to the podcast roster. Bridging the gap between the somewhat disappointing season six and the new seventh season, the 2-hour real-time extravaganza focuses on Jack Bauer's quest to protect a group of African orphans from a brutal warlord and his minions, who want to turn them into brainwashed child soldiers. An impending African coup and the inauguration of the first female U.S. president in D.C. are the backdrop for this exciting feature, which also stars the fantastic Robert Carlyle. In the spirit of 24's ever-ticking clock, the geeks time Dana's review, with only ten minutes to spare!

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 66: Lost, "The Little Prince"

In "The Little Prince," the island survivors continue to time-jump, experiencing what seems like the island's greatest hits on shuffle. Too convenient or a fun treat for long-time fans? For Charlotte, all that matters is that this temporal instability is giving her a life-threatening case of extreme jet lag, which also starts to affect Miles (and later Juliet), solidifying suspicions about the snarky ghost whisperer's origins. Sawyer gets emotional when he glimpses Kate helping Claire's baby, Aaron, into the world, and even grumpier when they get mysteriously shot at while canoeing. Back in L.A., the stories of the Oceanic Six start to converge, thanks to the master manipulations of Ben. But the most geek-out-worthy moment comes right at the end, when Rousseau and her crew of dashing Frenchmen appear and then fish the not-at-all-dead Jin out of the water. OMG, indeed! Is the show getting too soapy with the melodrama? Too sci-fi with the time travel? Is it impossible to please all of Lost's fans at once? The TV Geek Out geeks discuss these questions and many more.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 65: 30 Rock, "Senor Macho Solo"

30 Rock returned from the holiday break with "Senor Macho Solo," bringing new celebrity guest star Salma Hayek along as Colleen Donaghy's nurse Elisa. Unlike some of this season's other stunt casting experiments, Hayek fit in with the rest of the cast immediately, much like she did on her Ugly Betty stint a few seasons ago. The episode's other cameo was Peter Dinklage, who was equally charming and cranky as the man Liz Lemon meets when her baby craziness teeters on the edge of plain old insanity. Funny, romantic, and soundtracked by the timeless songs of Janet Jopler, this was one of 30 Rock's best episodes this season. The TV Geek Out Geeks are aggressive with a nerdy vibe, and they're not afraid to show it.

Check out our discussion here.

TV Geek Out 64: The Office, "Moroccan Christmas"

A Moroccan Christmas isn't your grandmother's Christmas, but this Office holiday episode kept up the show's tradition of serving up the the laughs with an extra helping of awkwardness. What better time of year for Phyllis to reveal that Dwight and Angela have been carrying on behind Andy's oblivious, sitar-playing back? Why not have Toby grovel for a Princess Unicorn doll only to find out he paid double for a toy that was even better than what he wanted? And 'tis the season for Michael to try and force Meredith to hit rock bottom after almost immolating herself due to a little too much holiday cheer. Not all of the TV Geek Out Geeks loved "Moroccan Christmas," but we each had a One of Everything and settled in for a long winter's Office discussion.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 63: Battlestar Galactica, "Sometimes a Great Notion"

Battlestar Galactica returned to television recently after a long rest in the middle of its fourth and final season. After the bleak cliffhanger fans were left with, it's no surprise that this first installment is a somber affair. "Sometimes a Great Notion" explores the reactions of the fleet to being robbed of their main (and for many only) source of hope for the future. Losing the will to live is a common response of many of the characters, including, but not limited to one very shocking suicide. However, despair and grief express themselves in many ways, and the reactions of Adama and Roslin are particularly disturbing as well. TV Geek Out's sole BSG geek, Dana, tackles a brief rundown of where things left off mid-season before jumping in and exploring this poignant episode.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 62: Gossip Girl, "In the Realm of the Basses"

Gossip Girl returned from the holidays with "In the Realm of the Basses," one of the best episodes of season two, if only because it dispensed with insufferable hipster Aaron Rose. Even though that meant Serena reunited with the equally insufferable Dan, this episode had a lot going for it: Jenny is no longer 15 going on 35 and Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester got to show off their acting chops. Westwick's turn as a dead-eyed, pot and opium-smoking Chuck was believably creepy, while Meester handled Blair's divided loyalties between a society future and saving Chuck from himself with compassion and humor. TV Geek Out Geeks Dana and Heather geek out about the show's return, wonder if the storylines aren't better suited to characters in their late 20s or early 30s, and rejoice over Aaron Rose's departure.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 61: Lost, "Jughead"

"Jughead" might have had a slightly slower pace than "Because You Left," but it still crammed in a bunch of brain-twisting revelations -- and not all of them happened on the island! We learn that Penny and Desmond have a conveniently and sentimentally named little boy, Charlie, and that Faraday left a girl in a "time coma" during his Oxford days. We also learn that the island circa 1954 is just as hostile and mysterious as it is half a century later -- and that Richard, in the words of Juliet, is "old." Just who is that mysterious blonde Other that Faraday seems to recognize? And was Widmore born on the island? So many puzzles, so little time, but the TV Geek Out Geeks loved every moment.

Check our discussion here.

TV Geek Out 60: Heroes, "Dual"

Just in time for the premiere of Heroes' new volume Fugitives comes TV Geek Out's discussion of the last episode of Villains, "Dual." With any luck, the Heroes team -- which now includes Smallville and Battlestar Galactica writer Mark Verheiden and Bryan Fuller, creator of our dearly beloved Pushing Daisies -- can keep up the momentum in Fugitives that they started with this episode. Betrayals, confrontations and explosions galore made this one of the most action-packed and plot-heavy Heroes episodes in some time. Dana and Heather praise what went right in "Dual," take note of the show's lingering problems and remain cautiously optimistic for volume four.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 59: Heroes, "Our Father"

Heroes started to get back on the right track with "Our Father," taking Sylar back to the dark side and finally putting an end to the dull villainy of Arthur Petrelli. Masi Oka was thankfully given some real material to work with, and he knocked it out of the park; acting opposite Tamlyn Tomita, who played his dying mother, Oka brought a new and welcome depth to his character in the heartrending scene they shared. The TV Geek Out geeks complain just a little bit more about some of the pitfalls and missed opportunities of the "Villains" volume, but mostly give props to the stuff the show was starting to get right again. They also ponder the inconsistencies of some characters' powers (Parkman, we're looking at you) and consider the logistics of running into oneself in the past while time traveling.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 58: Golden Globes Discussion

The Golden Globes might not be the latest awards show of note, but the TV Geek Out geeks got together to share their reactions to the winners, some of the fashions, and the most memorable, amusing, and just plain bizarre moments of the telecast. Were the original song nominees mostly a blast from 1986? Was Megan Fox purposely being a surreally difficult interviewee on the red carpet, or was she verging on being genuinely mentally unstable? Do the Globes even have any impact on Oscar results? The geeks pinpoint the exact moment of The Heigling and consider staging a cry-off, 'cause that was some Benjamin Button shit!

Check it out here.