Tag: john barrowman

New Torchwood Series Confirmed

It’s official – Starz and BBC have joined forces to give us an International Torchwood. Not all the details are available but here is what we have so far:

Russell T Davies wrote the pilot 7 months ago and did not take what network it would be on into consideration. Which I think is code for he didn’t care what anyone said and is not going to be watering things down to make people happy. Which shouldn’t be a problem now that Starz will be the network airing the series.

The people behind the show want it to be made clear that this is not a reboot of the show but a continuation of the old series. They are just changing locations to enable more flexibility with the story.

Speaking of story, the only details on that front are the number of episodes that it will take to complete said story – 1o. Which is twice the length of Children of Earth. Imagine the possibilities…

Besides Russell being involved, there are also many other names connected with the previous series coming back (on both sides of the camera) including the two main stars: John Barrowman and Eve Myles. There will also be some new faces as well to complete the team.

Finally, the series air date has not been officially announced but we know it will be sometime during summer 2011. That means we only have one year to wait before we finally get our fix of Torchwood that we’ve been craving. And I’m sure there will be lots more updates from Team Barrowman both on Twitter and his website. News on Shuffle will also give you the latest news as it is made available to us.

Desperate Housewives – I Guess This Is Goodbye

Wow. Wow. Wow. To this entire season of Desperate Housewives. Just, wow. Two things I must warn you of before you proceed any further in this post. 1) Obviously if you haven’t watched yet then you should hold off as there will be spoilers. 2) I’m going to try and break this down by storyline but since there is some crossover between the characters that will get tricky (especially towards the end). I’ll do the best I can though and hopefully you can follow along.

Lynette – We picked up right where we left off with Lynette – she has just found out Eddie is the Fairview Strangler and is now being held hostage. So of course this is the moment her water decides to break. She begs him to take her to the hospital, but he is worried that she will tell someone about what he has done. Just as he relents is when Tom shows up at the house looking for Lynette. By the time he leaves it is too late and she is ready to give birth. My thoughts: Fastest. Labor. EVER. I mean really now, Tom wasn’t there that long and she is already rearing to get this baby out. And the rest of it seemed to go by just as fast. I realize they only have an hour and there are other stories but there was no indication that any significant amount of time had passed here. At least give us that. On the other hand, things moving that quickly added to the tension, so I guess I can forgive the writers on those grounds. And it was great seeing Eddie deliver the baby. After all of the lives he has taken, he finally gets the chance to bring one into the world. When the whole birthing process has finished, Lynette tries to act like a Mom to Eddie and advises him not to run. People have complained that she has been blind to his secret and should have known better but I think deep down she always cared for him as if he were her son. I was glad to see she never gave up on him and finally got him to do the right thing. Kudos to the writers for giving a serial killer a heart and making us actually feel for him. I hope that Eddie gets the help he needs to sort out his psychological problems and ultimately ends up living with Lynette and becoming part of her family.

Bree – Last week Sam had blackmailed her with info he found out about Andrew. She shares this latest development with her family, and they try to convince her not to give in to his blackmail. Andrew even offers to turn himself in, but she doesn’t want to see her son go to jail. She sells Sam the business with as much class and dignity as only Bree can offer in even the murkiest of times. I thought she handled herself very well, telling Sam she felt sorry for him instead of getting angry. After the transfer is complete, Orson argues with her about the similarities between the situation with Andrew and when she sent Orson to jail for a similar crime. Orson is disappointed that she does not hold Andrew to the same high standards that she had held him to and tells her that he is leaving. So to recap: they spend all season fighting and after they finally start working together as a family he decides to leave her. Right then, moving on… Bree knows Orson is right (and I kinda did too) and asks Andrew permission to tell Gaby the truth. All we see is Bree telling Gaby they need to talk but it is assumed that is what they are talking about. Aftermath of this will have to be dealt with in the next season. It is safe to assume that Gaby will not be happy, but is there a chance she doesn’t tell Carlos? After all, I feel like there was no love loss between Gaby and Carlos’ mother. He is the one more likely to blow a gasket over this. Would Gaby keep this secret to protect her friend? And is there any way Andrew goes to jail without Carlos figuring out why? Guess we can add that to the list of questions for next season.

Susan – Last week, Susan had announced she was moving from her house and renting it out to make enough money to pay all her bills. This week we see her making preparations for the move. There is a garage sale and a slightly comedic moment involving a T-Rex, but overall there is only one thing that is really important in this story – the moment I finally cared. I have been very vocal in past weeks how I felt about this story. Most of it was because everything else going on around this story was so much bigger that it just got left in the dust, in my opinion. When Susan was having her meltdown moment with Mike and blaming him for having to leave the house her kids grew up in, it finally hit me how big this was for them. And the story is about to get a whole lot bigger, considering who the new resident is that’s moving in to their house. Anyone remember Mary Alice? Of course you do, she only narrates the show! Well her hubby is moving back on the Lane – and into Susan’s house. Looks like things are going to get a whole lot more interesting on that front. My biggest question is probably shared by all of you – What is he doing back on Wisteria Lane? Something tells me it is not to catch up with all his old neighbors. Big things are going to happen, just you wait.

Gaby – There was some crossover with Gaby and Angie, but I’m going to try to separate their stories as best as I can. Last week Angie had snuck a note to Gaby instructing her to tell Nick what their situation was. He asks her to drive him to the house to get them out. She does, but Nick passes out just as they arrive. Now it is all up to Gaby. Ok, crossover time here. Susan comes over to say goodbye and Gaby sends her to Angie’s to use her as a distraction while she goes to try and free Danny. Susan’s part is actually way shorter here than I expected it to be. I honestly thought her part would be much bigger, in order to make her overall story more interesting. But this is supposed to be about Gaby now. She climbs through the window and unties him just as they hear the explosion that is Patrick’s car blowing up. (More on that when I talk about Angie). Gaby gives the Bolens enough money to get out of dodge and start fresh. I love that she has always been the most superficial of the ladies, but ends up showing how big her heart can truly be here. It showed another layer to the character that made her seem more real. More kudos to the writers on that one.

Angie – Finally we get to my favorite story of the show (as well as the reason this was my favorite season yet). Last week Patrick had asked Angie to build him a bomb. Once she finishes he tells her that she will be accompanying him to Oregon, where he plans to detonate the bomb. Except he leaves the bomb inside her house instead… WTF?! It all makes sense when he explains how badly he was hurt by her actions in taking Danny and that he wants to make her suffer just as much as he did. He tells her she has 30 seconds to try to save Danny. She starts running but suddenly stops, turns, and waves to Patrick. Turns out she actually put the bomb in the detonator. We watch as the car explodes. I’m not sure what was louder, the car exploding or my gasp at all these events happening at once. (Gaby trying to untie Danny happens at the same time as the events leading up to the bomb exploding). For a minute I was really scared the house would blow up with Danny and Gaby inside. Nick and Angie move to start their new life in Atlanta, but send Danny to live in New York with his grandmother. And me? I mourn the end of the greatest story Desperate Housewives ever told. I was really starting to get attached to the Bolen family and am sad to see them go. I know a huge part of what made this story great for me was the addition of John Barrowman and his character interacting with Angie but by the end of the season I really just loved this family and wanted them to stick around longer. They made for a great addition to Wisteria Lane and will be missed.

There was one other story involving a dying nurse who confessed something in her final moments. We don’t know all the details, but it involves one of the ladies on Wisteria Lane raising a child that isn’t really theirs. This will likely be one of the main stories for next season, along with the stuff I already brought up.

So all you Desperate fans… what did you think of the season and its final moments? Liked it? Loved it? Was a little disappointed? Looking forward to all your comments so don’t hold back.

Desperate Housewives – The Ballad of Booth

*Do I really have to say it? Spoilers ahead, people*

We left off last week with Patrick cornering Angie and saying he needed a favor. This week we start with the flashback that explains how Angie dropped out of college and joined the eco group that Patrick ran. She built him a bomb, but didn’t like the results so she ran. We learn the favor previously mentioned is this: he wants her to make him another bomb.

The rest of Wisteria lane isn’t quite as happening, but there are still stories to tell. Lynette is starting to get suspicious with Eddie’s mother missing, but not nearly suspicious enough. She still sees him as this sweet kid, instead of the monster he truly is. Just you wait, Lynette. You’ll find out soon enough…

Gaby and Carlos looked to be the comic relief for the night, but it was just a red herring. They started off fighting about Gaby’s lasagna, but this quickly turned into Gaby getting caught in the middle of Angie’s problems.

Susan and Mike are still dealing with their financial troubles. It turns out some of the problem is that Mike didn’t request payment up-front from some of his customers. Susan decides she is going to get them to pay up by guilting them into it.

Bree is still trying to figure out how to deal with Sam. Andrew seems to be the only one who isn’t scared of him. Orson comes up with the idea to offer Sam a large sum of money to make him go away.

And all that was just the beginning. Intrigued? Well hold onto your hats, kids. Because this week was full of twists and turns down Wisteria Lane.

Let’s start with Lynette. The police discover Irina’s body in the woods and visit Lynette’s house looking for Porter. They want to ask him a few questions, but he is on a camping trip with his brother. Know who is at the house though? Eddie. And he overhears everything. So he decides he is going to move back home, claiming he doesn’t want to get in their way during these difficult times. Lynette says she thinks of him as family and he should stay. I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Why are you so dumb, Lynette?!” I quickly changed my tune when she hugged Eddie goodbye though. I actually feel sorry for her now that she is getting attached to him. Especially when she finds out the truth… but that comes later.

Next I’m going to shock you by actually talking about my favorite story early in the recap instead of “saving the best for last”. This is mostly because Gaby had some crossover here and she was next on my list. First I would like to say that Patrick actually seems delusional enough that he honestly believes his plans to blow more things up is the best solution to saving the planet. This is what he and Angie are fighting about when Gaby knocks on the door, asking Angie for her lasagna recipe. Way to walk in at the worst possible moment, Gabs. I loved Patrick’s line at the end of this scene though. “You know how to make a bomb and you haven’t used one on her yet?” Classic. Eventually Danny comes home and finds his mother handcuffed to the bed. He says he got a text message from her telling him to come home, but it turns out that Patrick was the one who really sent it to trick him out of hiding. He also says that Danny is the “piece that was missing,” referring to a conversation the two of them had in the coffee shop. Patrick apparently tells Danny that they are father and son, but most of this happens off-screen. We only got the end of the conversation to let us know it had happened. I was disappointed we didn’t get to see the whole thing for ourselves. A word of advice for Patrick though – telling your son about your relationship while you have him tied to a chair… you are sooooo not winning Father of the Year for that one. And trying to make his real parents look bad because they lied? Please tell me that doesn’t work on him. I mean, he has to realize you were dangerous and they were just trying to protect him… right? And finally, way to go Gaby walking into the worst situation ever… AGAIN. So much for Gaby being the comic relief for the evening. Angie tries sneaking a note in the lasagna she brings over, but Gaby throws it out without noticing it. Lucky for us her girls are hungry, hungry hippos and dig it out of the trash. They find the note that was hidden inside, “Danny and I held hostage. No cops. Get Nick.” Looks like Gaby is officially involved in the outcome of this story.

Gaby isn’t the only one in a dangerous situation though. For that matter, the only one who isn’t dealing with life-or-death stuff is Susan. I’m sorry but her storyline seems really weak compared to what the rest of the ladies have to deal with. Real quick: she goes to all Mike’s customers and gets them to cough up the money they owe. Yeah it was fun watching her threaten everyone (especially the lady with the Hummels) but other than that this story has been underwhelming. Even when she tells everyone she is moving off of Wisteria Lane, I wasn’t that worried about her. I mean, she is moving to an apartment nearby, so it doesn’t mean she is leaving the show. That would have made for a different story.

Moving on to more important matters… Bree tries to get Sam to leave after handing him a large sum of money, but that doesn’t work according to plan. (I know, *shock*and*awe*, right?) Sam merely rips up the check and says she can’t buy him off. Oh, and let’s not forget the threats. “If you ever insult me again you’re going to wish you hadn’t.” Bree dishes it as well as she can take it though. She introduces him to a couple of ex-cops that she catered retirement parties for. The image of Sam sitting between these two rather large, threatening men as they told stories about the things they could do to make someone hurt was wonderful. The best was them casually letting him know they knew where he lives. That’ll teach Sam to mess with Bree Hodge. Or so we thought… Instead he takes it up to the next level. He tells Bree he wants her to sell him the company and uses knowledge he learned about Andrew running Carlos’ mother over as leverage. Looks like there’s more trouble ahead for this family.

Going back to Lynette now… Preston gets cleared for Irina’s murder but feels guilty for bringing her to America in the first place. Meanwhile, Lynette overhears that the police found the body of Eddie’s mother. She goes to tell Eddie about this, but he mentions having just talked to his mother before Lynette gets the chance to say anything. This makes Lynette think they must have made a mistake and she’s not really dead. When Eddie hears about them finding the body though, his reaction tells Lynette that he lied about talking to her. Now she is about to see what Eddie really is.

To be continued…

It occurs to me that a lot needs to happen in the last episode of the season (which is next week). We have Patrick’s endgame for starters, which could be the whole hour easy. And what happened to him affecting the lives of everyone on Wisteria Lane? It definitely said that in multiple interviews that John Barrowman did after announcing he got the part. So far only Gaby has gotten involved. And what about Lynette? We all know she has to go into labor while Eddie has her, right? Hopefully this kid shows he has a heart and helps her when the time comes. As for Bree, she still has to deal with Sam’s threat to her family. Does she give in to his demands for ownership of the company? Or does she find some way to stop him from spilling what he knows about Andrew? I don’t see how they are going to get through it all. Obviously some of it will carry over into the next season, but most of it should happen in the next episode. I guess we’ll just have to tune in next week to find out how it all ends.

Desperate Housewives – A Little Night Music

*blah blah blah SPOILERS blah blah*

Tonight’s intro gave us the lowdown on events leading up to the present with the Bolen family. It told the tale of two eco-terrorists who planned to set off a bomb, except people got hurt and our friend Angie didn’t like that. She didn’t want to go to jail, especially since she was pregnant, so she ran away with Nick’s help and they all became a family.

If this made you think that they would be the focus of the night then you were as disappointed as I was probably. Their story did progress somewhat, but it either happened at the very beginning or very end. Don’t get me wrong, what did happen was great. I just wish there had been more! I’ll save the best for last though and take a look at the rest of the residents of the lovely ladies of Fairview.

Lynette had invited Eddie the psycho into her home, thinking he was helping him out of a bad situation. Little did she know she was inviting a troubled killer into her house. She starts to see signs of this when he goes off on Porter and Tom in two separate instances of them disrespecting her. After the incident with Tom, the two parents discuss kicking Eddie out of the house. Lynette eventually convinces Tom that they should try getting the kid some therapy first before they leave him to fend for himself. The therapist says it will take time to deal with Eddie’s issues but it would go faster if they had his mother present. Lynette volunteers to get her to agree to it. When she goes to the house to look for her, however, a neighbor reports she has not been seen for days now. This is where we left things with Lynette, but she is one step closer to figuring out the truth about this kid. I’m just scared about what happens if he feels threatened in any way by her or her family.

Gabi and Susan kinda had their stories intertwine tonight. Last week we saw Mike ask Carlos for money, because he is too proud (and stupid) to accept help from his wife. I already told you how I felt about this last week, so I won’t bore you with that rant again. This week we saw Mike start paying Carlos back what he owes, but neither of them has told their wives the situation. Carlos covers by claiming to Gabi that the money is tied up in a business deal. He won’t tell her any more details though, so she goes to investigate and finds out about the money that he gave to Mike. She goes to Susan and when she sees the new piano in the house, demands she get her money back. This is how Susan finds out about what Mike did. They then conspire together a way to get back at their husbands and make them realize how it feels to not be told everything. They make Carlos think Mike has spent the money on the piano, while simultaneously making Mike think Carlos and Susan are having an affair. Eventually it comes out that the girls are just screwing with their men, but it was still fun while it lasted. Susan’s part of the story did end on a serious note, however: with her making Mike promise to never keep something like this from her again, then looking through all their finances to see where they stand.

Bree and Sam start their day with a bit of grocery shopping, but things turn serious when Sam runs into someone he recognizes (and obviously didn’t want to see). Bree goes back to talk to the woman later and finds out that she is actually Sam’s mother (who is supposed to be dead, according to him). When asked how he could go around telling people his mother is dead, she answers, “He’s a complicated boy.” That seems to be an understatement, to say the least. Apparently Rex tried to get full custody of Sam when he was a boy, but the mother wouldn’t allow it. Sam found out about this a few months ago and became furious. We see just how angry he can get later, when Bree confronts him about it. He claims he said his mother was dead because she is dead to him. He also gets very angry about the lifestyle he grew up with because his mother wouldn’t let him live with his father who was better off than they were. Bree apologizes to Andrew for not listening to him sooner, but after seeing Sam’s temper, she is scared to make any attempts to get rid of him.

That brings us back to the Bolen family drama. Early in the episode we see Patrick run over Nick while he is jogging in the street. Nick survives but is significantly injured. Nick tells Angie he thinks they should run but she wants them to stand their ground. They do send Danny someplace safe though (albeit grudgingly). When Nick is told he has to be placed in a coma to reduce swelling in his brain from the injuries, he wants Angie to go stay with Danny for a few days. She agrees, but comes home to find Patrick waiting for her – and he has a gun. At first she thinks he will kill her, but he says he needs her alive to “do her a favor”. He won’t say what it is until the next morning though. He is all packed and plans to spend the night in the guest room. “Can’t she just kill him in his sleep?” you might be asking. I wondered the same thing. And apparently Angie did too, as she asks him how he knows she won’t do just that. His answer: “If the past 20 years have taught us anything it’s that you’re not comfortable killing anyone.” He also says that if she tries to run then he will kill Nick in the hospital. My argument for all of this: maybe she had problems hurting people before, but this guy has threatened her family for 20 years now. Not only does that change a person, it gives them a pretty good motive. The more her family feels threatened, the stronger her “mother bear” instinct is going to kick in and she is going to want to protect them. All I’m saying is this guy might want to sleep with one eye open tonight.

My only complaint about this episode was wanting to see more of the Bolen story. I know they have always played a backseat to the rest of the cast, but we are coming down to the wire here and have lots more we can do. Also, don’t make the intro about them and then not show them again until the last five minutes. That’s just cruel. Other than that though, I really enjoyed this week. I especially liked seeing Gabi and Susan working together instead of competing with each other like they usual do. When they put their minds together, they make an unstoppable duo.

Things I want to see next week: MORE PATRICK LOGAN, PLEASE. I love this story and the actor playing him and want him on the screen as much as possible before it all ends. Also, can we please see Lynette finally realize this kid is more troubled than she can help and that he should be getting some special care – preferably in a room with padded walls and happy pills?! Thanks!

What about the rest of you? Did you like tonight’s episode? What do you look forward to most about next week? And what do you think Patrick is going to ask Angie to do? I look forward to all of your responses.

Reasons Why An American Torchwood Now Makes A Whole Lot Of Sense

Why not just leave it in the UK where it belongs?

That was the biggest complaint on hearing Torchwood would be moving to America. After the few updates I found last night, however, it now makes much more sense to me that Russell Davies would want to make the switch.


Fact: Davies has written scripts that will pick up where Children of Earth left off.

If this is the case then I can understand why the move from the UK. Jack isn’t going to want to stay there after everything that happened. (no spoilers here, promise). There aren’t really many reasons left for him to stay. He is going to need a fresh start. At the same time, he loved working with Torchwood and isn’t going to want to give it up so easily. It was established that there are multiple Torchwood locations, so it makes sense that he just moves to a different branch. And since he is American (I didn’t just make that up, right?) it makes sense that would be his chouce of location to move to.

It doesn’t make sense to have a Torchwood branch in America?

Sure it does. Torchwood may have been formed in the UK, but it grew to be an organization that was meant to protect the Earth from alien species. This caused it to spread outside of its original borders.

An American version won’t be as good. Anytime America tries to touch a British show it always screws it up.

Except usually the same people who created the original version aren’t also working on the reboot. With Davies and Barrowman both involved I am confident they will create a quality show that fans can be proud of.

So, class… any questions?

Torchwood Update

A quick update on the American Torchwood that Russell Davies was working on with Fox. BBC Worldwide issued this statement:

BBC Worldwide Productions and the FOX Broadcasting Company have mutually agreed not to progress together with a 13-episode serialized ‘Torchwood’ format. We are currently in discussion with several interested networks.

Sorry if this sounds mean but I was actually glad to hear this. Fox seemed like a poor choice of network to host this show for a number of reasons. I think Davies would be much better off working with another network. My suggestion: ABC.

Think about it. ABC needs a show to replace Lost, which is ending this season. Plus you have the added bonus of John Barrowman already working on the network because of Desperate Housewives. And yes, Barrowman has confirmed that he will be involved in the new Torchwood series. Not only that, he says that Davies has scripts written already and the show will pick up where Children of Earth left off. More good news for Torchwood fans everywhere.

All my fears of how an Americanized Torchwood could fail are slowly being lifted. Hopefully Davies finds a good network that will do the show justice and not worry about stupid things like the sexuality of a certain character we all love. (Another reason ABC is good: Desperate has a gay couple that currently has a really good story going for them. Proof that the network won’t be afraid to work with what is apparently still a sensitive subject).

What does everyone else think about this news, or the series in general? Are you glad to see Fox removed from the process? Based on comments I saw from when it was first announced I would guess the answer to that last question to be a firm “yes”.

We All Deserve To Die – A Recap

Lots to discuss with the new episode of Desperate Housewives. I’m going real in-depth here so if you haven’t watched yet then you’re going to want to stop here until you fix that. You have been warned!

Now, before I begin I need a moment to let the smiles dissipate. Honestly, who else gets chills every time John Barrowman comes on screen? Right then, thought so.

Barrowman did not offer the biggest shocks of the night though, but more on that later (I know, such a tease).

Gabi – I loved the idea of you having Bob and Lee’s baby. It was fun right up until you realized they were planning on taking the kid away to upstate New York after it was born. Then I felt sorry for you. It doesn’t compare to how sorry I felt for them after you backed out and they broke up (?!). Which brings me to…

Bob & Lee – I loved you as a couple. Lee was hysterical and brought color to an already colorful cast. I’m sorry to see you struggling. At the same time I have to wonder why the writers would finally give you a really good story just to end things so abruptly. I have to believe that Lee is coming back eventually. I’m going to miss you.

Susan & Mike – Your story was understandable to an extent, but overall I think Mike is being ridiculous. I get male pride but you are part of a marriage which means you should be sharing EVERYTHING. That includes the bills. You not being able to pay for the car effects the wife too. So let her help pay some of the bills! At least until you get back on track. That is all.

Lynette – You are possibly the best mother a son could ask for. Preston is an idiot if he stays mad at you for more than a day. I love that you were willing to go to any length to protect him from the evil future-daughter-in-law. I also love how the story was finally resolved – with Lynette getting her favor from the Man Upstairs and Preston overhearing the evil shrew telling Lynette that she didn’t matter.

Bree – I give you points for brilliance in stopping the customers from eating the ruined dish by setting off the sprinklers. Having said that, you are accepting Sam into your life and your business way too easily. Sam is definitely up to something. Why are you the only one who doesn’t see that?! I have to admit, when he accuses Andrew of sabotaging the meal I thought this might be the case. Then when Orson pointed out he is not that clever I realized he was right. Plus he wouldn’t want to ruin his mother since he blames Sam for everything and is suspicious of his intentions. Orson just says what we are all thinking and Bree doesn’t want to see – Sam wants Andrew out of the way and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. My question is, “Why?” I am sure his intentions are not good but I don’t understand what he is trying to do getting close to Bree. At first I thought he was behind the missing girls, but that was until…

Eddie turned out to be the serial killer! Irina might have been a total shrew, but she didn’t deserve to die. She got what was coming to her with Preston tossing her out on the street. This was a real shock for me. I have been pretty good at predicting the twists and turns of this show, but that came out of left field and provided the biggest shock of the night. Yes, even bigger than the opening where…

Logan is sitting in the coffee shop that his son conveniently works at. My question from the start was, “Does he know that is his son?” By the end of the night I was convinced that the answer is “yes”. I find it poetic that not only does he decide to kidnap his son as the ultimate in payback, but he asks Danny-boy for advice on the situation before finalizing his plans. I really think he knows who Danny is and is going to get close to the kid before finally snatching him away. Might even convince him to come on his own. That would be the thing that would truly hurt Angie the most.

Finally, my favorite scene tonight was when Logan and Danny are talking about how to finish the “story”. Logan says killing her (Angie) would be too easy. I knew what his solution would be before he even said it. “Oh God, he’s going to kidnap the son,” I thought to myself. Danny apparently got that sense too and… DING DING DING! We have a winner! This was also the moment I realized how poetic it all was. Not only the plan, but also the fact he is talking about all this with the person who is the center of the whole story. I really think Desperate Housewives has raised the bar with this season. They have found the perfect balance of darkness and humor. While they owe a lot of this to the addition of John Barrowman and his story, it is not the only factor. The writing has been excellent this season, even better than usual. I congratulate them for a job well done and hope they keep the momentum going through the rest of the season. Sunday nights have never been this exciting, and it is all thanks to them.

John Barrowman’s Desperate Debut

The following has mild amounts of spoiling. Please wait until have seen the episode if you don’t want even the vaguest of details.

From the minute John Barrowman first appears on screen, you know you are going to be in for something special. He starts out cool and charismatic. Your first thought is, “Well, he doesn’t look that scary.” Oh, but he will be. For two minutes later you see another side of him, and as he smashes the window of the neighbor’s apartment and gets ready to tie up a few loose ends, you realize he is definitely going to be trouble. He won’t be seen again until the final seconds, but the glare he gives from the shadows of his car could give the bravest of us chills. Desperate Housewives won’t be on again until after Easter unfortunately, but you can be certain there will be plenty of action once it returns.

Hold on, folks. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

News Roundup

A few quick news items that should probably all get their own posts but sadly there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Peter Graves, the star of the television series Mission Impossible, died last night near his home in LA. He would have been 84 in a week.
ABBA is among the list of new inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Other famous artists include Genesis and The Hollies, among others.
Kings of Leon, recent winners of Record of the Year, will be touring this summer. The tour kicks off in Atlantic City on June 5th and continues through September 23rd, where it will stop in Dallas. Complete list of dates can be found here.
Desperate Housewives will (finally!) be introducing us to Patrick Logan, the character that is supposed to be after Angie and her family, next week. As I have already mentioned, the role will be played by Torchwood star, John Barrowman. Discussion of this story will continue in the coming weeks.
Finally, don’t forget that 24 is on tonight. You don’t want to miss a minute of this exciting season.

Happy Birthday, John Barrowman

John Barrowman, star of Torchwood (the spin-off of Doctor Who), is celebrating a birthday today. The actor and singer turns 43 today.

Actually, Barrowman has a lot to celebrate at the moment. For one thing, he is currently in the States and on the set of Desperate Housewives, where he will guest on the show for several episodes. The first of these will be March 21st, according to TV.com. Barrowman will be playing the villain in connection with the new family on Wisteria Lane, but has said in several interviews that he will play a major part in all of the ladies’ lives on the show.

Another exciting thing in the life and times of John Barrowman is the new album he has just released. This self-titled work has been said to be his most personal yet, as he goes back to his Broadway roots and has chosen songs that have some significance in his life. (One example is the song his mother used to sing to him as a child, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” from the musical Carousel).
There is also talk of Barrowman reprising his role of Captain Jack Harkness for the American version of Torchwood that is in the works, but he insists that he knows nothing about this at the present time. Is he just saying that because he’s not allowed to tell? Guess we will just have to wait and see. One thing is certain, it would be a crime to waste his experience with the show and his obvious enthusiasm at potentially getting to take the part back up again.