TV Geek Out 72: House, "Let Them Eat Cake" and "Joy to the World"

In a little early spring cleaning, Dana wraps up TV Geek Out's coverage of House episodes from 2008, with discussions of "Let Them Eat Cake" and "Joy to the World." While treating a sick fitness expert who secretly lost her weight thanks to a gastric bypass surgery, Kutner also drags Taub into his shady scheme involving selling medical advice and second opinions via the internet -- using House's name -- in "Let Them Eat Cake." House is no fool, though, and the two eventually get their just deserts. And in "Joy to the World," Cuddy's baby fever is finally rewarded with a prospective newborn adoptee... but only after the child's teenage mother dies from eclampsia after clandestinely delivering her baby and leaving it seemingly dead in an abandoned building. Sound especially bleak? Well then it must be the Christmas episode of House! On the lighter side of things, House confuses nice with evil again when he attempts to be genial with his patients (on a bet from Wilson, of course), convincing a devout young man that his financée has had an immaculate conception, rather than being unfaithful.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 71: Dollhouse, "Ghost"

Joss Whedon's long-awaited new show, Dollhouse, hit the airwaves recently, and the TV Geek Out Geeks got together to hash out their thoughts on the series premiere, "Ghost." Does Eliza Dushku have enough range for the constantly changing, challenging role of Echo? Is the show too dark and creepy to lure any but the most devoted Whedon fans? Is the selling of the series being botched by the infamously short-sighted Fox network? The critical response has been mixed, and so were the Geeks' opinions.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 70: Lost, "This Place Is Death"

Lost took a trip in time to Rousseau's late-'80s backstory, now with added Jin, in the ominously titled "This Place Is Death." The smoke monster also made a dramatic return, prompting the TV Geek Out Geeks to ponder the nature of Smokey, from its fascinating array of sounds to the way it moves, kills, and transforms people. Locke took a plunge into the "underworld," leaving Sawyer with only a rope to hold on to, and did some vital repair work on the donkey wheel of time, but not before sustaining a brutal compound fracture and having a nice chat with Ghost Christian... or was that Jacob? The big news was Charlotte's death, though, and the fascinating expositional ramblings that preceded it. The L.A. story wasn't half bad, either, with Ben giving Jack and Sun a talking-to and Ms. Hawking's relationship to Faraday being confirmed by Desmond. The Geeks shed some tears for Dr. C.S. Lewis, geek out over the awesomeness of Jeremy Davies, clamor for a map of the island, and much more.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 69: 30 Rock, "Flu Shot"

Leave it to 30 Rock to find the funny side of rationed health care, hypocrisy and elitism with "Flu Shot." Liz wants to be liked by The Girlie Show's crew -- and for one brief, sneezing moment when she turns down the flu shot offered her, she is -- but not as much as she wants to go to St. Bartleby's to eat soft-serve ice cream on the beach while wearing dark socks. Meanwhile, Jack wants to take Elisa out on the town, but the fact that she works at night hinders those plans (but only for a moment). With the return of Dr. Spaceman, zombie-like flu-ridden coworkers, a fabulous montage of Jack and Elisa's night out and a very awkward dance courtesy of Liz Lemon, "Flu Shot" offered plenty of healthy discussion for the TV Geek Out Geeks.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 68: The Office, "The Duel"

One of The Office's New Year's resolutions for 2009 must have been to finish off the pesky love triangle between Angela, Andy and Dwight. Mission accomplished with "The Duel," a battle between Angela's two lovers that begins ridiculously and ends with both men brokenhearted. Meanwhile, Michael goes to corporate to share his secrets about Scranton's success with David Wallace -- which he does in a totally Michael way, leaving Wallace bored, confused and eating a lot of pasta. The TV Geek Out Geeks were mixed on how much they liked "The Duel," but we all agreed that getting rid of the triangle cleared the way for more comic opportunities for the rest of the season.

Check our discussion here.

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.