all five horizons

I have been trying to write this post for bloody ages and I have just now found the right words. It is one thing to snark about crap like Dawson’s Creek but I am concerned that I won’t be able to convey just how bloody brilliant this show called Friday night Lights is.  It is simply superb acting, superb writing and the production is something for other shows to aspire to.

After hearing plenty of good things about FNL, I thought I should give it a try. I wasn’t really sure how I was going to like it, since it was about a small town in Texas and its obsession with high school football. Now I have seen it, I cannot believe how have I not watched this programme earlier. I devoured seasons 1 and 2 within the space of about a week and I am totally smitten. This show is about so much more than American Football. It is about family, community, love and strength. It is a show full of true-to-life characters with the most realistic dialogue I have seen on TV in a long while.

Teenagers argue with their parents exactly as they do in real life with all the high-pitched nonsense and hard-done-by huffing that is familiar to all of us.. But it is about football too and even that is thrilling and has me completely engrossed. Since watching the show, I have series-linked the NFL catch-up show on Sky Sports. I may even have to check out the college football showing on NASN.

Back to the show, though. It centres around the high school football coach, Eric Taylor (played by the delish Kyle Chandler), his wife Tammie (played by the gorgeous and fabulous Connie Britton) and their family. It shows how football governs their lives along with everyone else in Dillon, TX. The high school kids who play are playing for their future or just because it is all they know. The kids who don’t play have to find a place for themselves in a town where not being a Panther means you are a second-class citizen. Here is a little bit more about the a few of the characters:

Julie Taylor (played by Aimee Teegarden)

Julie is such a typical teen - sweet but spirited and snarky. Her dialogue with her parents is spot on and her ‘love’ affairs painfully real: the reliable boyfriend who becomes a bit boring (although in hindsight is still dreamboat-like and the nicest person ever), the older rocker dude who is ultimately a bit unsavoury and the crush-worthy teacher who is dancing on the line of appropriateness.

Matt Saracen (played by Zach Gilford)

Zach Gilford speaks very affectionately about his character, Matt Saracen, and it’s not hard to understand why. He is one of the good ones. He looks after his grandmother who is suffering from dementia, his father having left him to handle things while he goes to Iraq in something a little more selfish than simply serving his country. His mother abandoned him years ago. Having worked his way into the heart of the coach as starting quarterback (filling the big shoes left by Jason Street’s injury), his confidence grew. However, things are far from plain sailing.  I am really interested to see his arc for season 3.

Tim Riggins (played by Taylor Kitsch)

Oh my, where do I start with Riggs? He is your classic bad boy with a heart. He may sleep around, drink all day and generally act more like an unemployed 25 year old than a high school student but he is not a bad person, really. He is hot as hell, too.  Like, über-hot. He dances on the line between football success and glory and complete ruin. It is pretty hard not to completely adore this character.

I will talk more about the rest of the characters later. This series is back on DirectTV (and then back to NBC in January) so I urge all you US readers to watch it so it doesn’t get cancelled. And everyone else buy the DVDs. I just have so will be sharing those with you soon.

I watched the final act of Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog on Saturday and was not disappointed.  Surprised?  Yes.  Moved? Yes.  Entertained?  Absolutely.  I just read Stephanie’s post about this piece of filmaking history and she hit the nail on the head. I won’t even try to say it better myself so I encourage you to click on through to her fantastic post.  Here is a taster and something which rang completely true for me:

Joss Whedon is the only director I know who can have you rolling on the floor in laughter until he decides the laughter should die. And then it’s gone. Just like that.

The Deltoids of Compassion « Dube’s World.

ps I never really got the Nathan Fillion thing until I saw Firefly in full and now I am smitten.  Even when he is playing a vain, arrogant douche of a super-hero.

This weekend, we finally got round to watching the first season of Prison Break which we borrowed from our friends. I don’t know why I never got into this which it aired the first time round but for some reason, this one managed to pass me by. We watched the entire season in four days and now we are hooked! The final couple of episodes were so nerve-wracking, we were literally sweating it out on the edges of our respective seats. For those of you who don’t know, the basic premise revolves around a man who has been convicted of a murder he did not commit and has been sentence to death (played by Dominic Purcell a.k.a Drake in Blade plus he was in Heartbreak High!!) and his super-intelligent engineer brother (played by Wentworth Miller) who purposely gets himself banged up so he can break them both out.

He helped design the prison and as such, he knows it pretty well. He also got the blueprints tattooed all over as an aide-memoire. In order to carry out his plan, he has to procure various items and favours meaning he ends up with a motley crew of fellow-escapee wannabes plus the pretty doctor for whom he inevitably develops feelings. The ending of the season was a humdinger of a cliffhanger (Ricardo was not impressed!) so now we have to wait until we can get hold of the second season DVDs to carry on our viewing pleasure.  And it is a pleasure, believe me.  I mean Wentworth Miller isn’t about to get himself a Man Oscar but he sure does have that intense stare thang down.

It is true that there were few technical difficulties which meant that anyone outside the US was not able to IMMEDIATELY view part 1 of the FREE mini-film ’sing-a-long blog’ written by Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel and Firefly), his two brothers Jed and Zach and Jed’s fiancée Maruissa Tancharoen.  The fact that these problems were sorted in a matter of hours is nothing short of heroic (well, I guess not compared to fighting fires and shit but you know what I mean) and all those people moaning about US bias should really put a sock in it because, um hello?  IT’S FREE!

So once the Hulu streaming worked for me,  I was able to sit down and joy 13 plus minutes of soft-centred goodness.  Dr Horrible, played by Neil Patrick Harris, is a super-villain who is trying to earn his stripes.  As well as trying to take over the world, he also happens to be in love with a girl in his laundrette called Penny (played by Felicia Day).

His arch-nemesis is Captain Hammer  a.k.a. him of the cute southern twang, impressive torso but questionable hair, Nathan Fillion (he’s so shiny).  Dr Horrible also has a rather soggy friend called Moist (played by Simon Helberg) whose superpower ostensibly seems to be making things erm, well, moist.

This is what the Dr Horrible MySpace page says about it (totally worth a look for the behind-the-scenes photos, BTW):

The story of a low-rent super-villain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he’s too shy to talk to. Featuring Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible, Nathan Fillion as Captain Hammer, Felicia Day as Penny and a cast of dozens. Written by Joss Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, and Zack Whedon. Directed by Joss Whedon. Produced by David Burns, Michael Boretz, and Joss Whedon. Music by Joss Whedon and Jed Whedon. Lyrics by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen. Score and Orchestration by Jed Whedon.

The songs are great as are the performances and I am planning on watching this a few more times until Act II is available sometime on Thursday.

E4 has finally brought the Gilmore Girls into my life and I am therefore now completely hooked. I had heard rumblings about this show – the odd clip had shown up here and there and I was always a little bit bemused by the show. I assumed the two characters I had seen were sisters, not mother and daughter, and that there were a host more Gilmore girls that were part of some large Brady Bunch-type family. I was pleasantly surprised, then, when I sat down to watch the pilot to see this show was about a mother and daughter living in a beautiful Connecticut small town complete with a diner owned by an excessively hunky man called Luke.

I am rather perturbed to discover that he is actually turning 50 this year in real life (the show started in 2000 so he was 41 then) but this does not stop me from ever-so-slightly lusting after him in his lumberjack shirts and rolled up sleeves and backwards baseball cap and pitcher’s arms…. Where was I? Oh yes. The show. I actually love this show for more than just the yummy diner-owner. These are the things I love:

• The relationship between Lorelai (the mother) and Rory (the daughter) is what every 16 year old wishes for (most don’t have mum’s that are 32 which is why they get along so well).
• The girls are smart and witty and whilst flawed (nobody’s perfect and perfection is dull), completely loveable.
• The men in their lives have a lot to put up with since the two girls have such an exclusive club which only makes for hilarity and stuff like that.
• The sets and the back lot used to shoot the show is just delicious. It is edible. It is divine. I want to live in Stars Hollow and shop at Dooce’s market and eat in Luke’s diner and take dance classes with Miss Patty.

• The large supporting cast is rich with characters. Lorelai’s acerbic mother (played by the mum in Dirty Dancing!), Michel who works at the inn with Lorelai which is even more acerbic, Sookie the ditzy best friend, and a whole town of players who dip in and out of the lives of the Gilmore girls.
• The actors who play Lorelai and Rory are perfect – Lauren Graham does alluring and charming yet feisty and challenging to perfection. Alexis Bledel is adorable yet sharp as a tack as Rory and a perfect foil for Lauren.

I have plowed my way through the first season and the second has just started to pick up pace. I am already well aware of how Lorelai and Luke are going to get together, break up, get back together, break up and then finally kiss at the series finale. YouTube does not allow the curious to avoid such arcs. However I am still looking forward to seeing it all play out in context and for once, will enjoy seeing what happens with all the other parts of their lives. In other words, it will be nice to not get hung up on the will-they-wont-they-why-haven’t-they-already of it all. I am sure to be writing about this again soon with some more specifics. I just love this show. My birthday is soon, so please feel free to buy me the entire box-set from my Amazon wish-list!!!!!

I know this is old news for those of you from across the pond, but the latest Abby/Luka developments in ER are making me sad.  I have resisted the temptation to see how this plays out but since I know Goran Visnjic is leaving/has left, I am thinking, not so good.  Man, I will miss Kovac.

Well, I know that it is not really the same thing at all as Jake 2.0 (there are no nano-robots in Chuck, well, not yet anyway) but essentially in both series you have a geeky guy (who is clearly not a geek in real life as he is pretty buff under those ‘nerdy’ t-shirts) thrust into a life of espionage-type adventures and then hilarity ensues.  But despite my reservations, I have to say I am really enjoying this new show. 

The eponymous Chuck Bartowski (played wonderfully by Zachary Levi) is the perfect balance of cute/sensitve and witty/funny/nerd. 

His best friend, Morgan, is spikey, funny and a complete geek which I love (being a geek myself) and just a tad little too clingy to his bessie mate.  His sister, played by Sarah Lancaster (Margorie!) is pretty, as nosey as a sister should be and has an hilariously ’perfect’ boyfriend nicknamed Captain Awesome.

Adam Baldwin (Buffy and Angel alum no less!) is a complete sweetheart as the NSA agent even though he is meant to be a bit of a surly badass.

And the lead girl, Sarah, played by Yvonne Strahovski, is refreshingly oridinary-looking and real (although I admit she scrubs up quite well).

We have only watched the first four episodes (it has just started being shown on Virgin 1) but I look forward to seeing it each week which is usually a good sign.  I am glad it has been renewed in the US as there is nothing worse that getting invested a show only to find out it has just been cancelled (I am looking at you, ABC - October Road was a good show!).

You know you are getting on when you start to fancy the dads more than the young male star! Is it me or is Dan from Gossip Girl’s dad, Rufus, much hotter than his cute but small-headed son?

The Office is still my favourite current obsession (if you have read this at all you will know how I latch on to a show for a while, devour everything I can about it then move on). I am keeping everything crossed that I am getting the season 2 and or 3 DVDs for my anniversary present so I can watch them all in one go and have JAM OVERLOAD! I love all the show, though, not just the deliciously awkward and realistic office relationship that is between Jim and Pam. However, since we are on the subject, let me give you a list of my favourite moments (so far - I have not seen all of Season 2 and any of Season 3 and I am not going to include clips I *may* have seen on NBC.com, youtube or fan sites).  John Krasinkski’s Jim and Jenna Fischer’s Pam are defintiely TV’s best couple:

• Pam falls asleep on Jims shoulder during a Michael Scott special in the boardroom confirming what we had already suspected that a) Pam digs Jim and b) Jim digs Pam.  When he has to wake her (most reluctantly) - so cute!  Despite losing out on an important sale thanks to Dwight, Jim ends his talking head (TH) “Not a bad day”.  AW. (Diversity Day)

• Jim and Pam make up hilarious diseases for the Health Care survey conducted by Dwight (Health Care): 
  Pam I’m inventing new diseases.
  Jim: Oh, great.
  Pam: So, like, let’s say that my teeth turn to liquid and then they drip down the back of my throat. What would you call that?
  Jim: I thought you said you were inventing new diseases? That’s spontaneous dentohydroplosion.
  Pam: Nice.
• Jim gets touchy-feely and nearly cops the business-end of Roy’s fist. This episode is just awesome with all the Jim and Dwight stuff too (The Alliance):
  Pam: An alliance?
  Jim: Oh yeah.
  Pam: What does that even mean?
  Jim: I think it has something to do with Survivor, but I’m not sure.
  Jim: Um, I know that it involves spying on people and we may build a fort

• After some super-cute smack talk between P and J, Jim totally kicks Roy’s ass at Basketball but ultimately is the loser as he has to hear about Pam and Roy’s bathing habits.  The end of this episode is an excellent example of why Krasinski is perfect for this role.  He is able to convey endearing smugness as he basks in Pam’s compliments only to be completely deflated pissed-on-chips stylee as he hears her say something about getting Roy into a tub.  Euw.  He really has the whole kicked-in-the-gut facial expression down.  Poor Jim (Basketball).
  Jim: You coming down?
  Pam: Yeah, I’m just forwarding the phones.
  Jim: You gonna wish me luck?
  Pam: Yeah, you’re gonna need it.
  Jim: Whoa.
  Jim: Is that trash talk from Pam?
  Pam: [laughing] I’m just saying, Roy is very competitive.
  Jim: Oh.
  Pam: And he wants to take the WaveRunners to the lake this Saturday so…
  Jim: Well, I’m going to the outlet mall on Saturday, so if you wanna save big on brand names and Roy has to work, which he will, because I’m also competitive, you should feel free to come along.
  Pam: Um, I think I’m gonna be up at the lake.
  Jim: I think I’ll see you at the mall. Yeah.
• Drunk Pam in The Dundies episode was a joy to behold… a kiss on the lips for Jim and an almost confession of something in the car park: what a start to Season 2! 

• Pam’s mum gives away something more than she should by whispering ‘Which one’s Jim” when she visits the office.  We see Jim’s reaction as he hears this - the smallest side-smile.  Just brillant.

• Much tomfoolery and fun during the Dunder Mifflin Olympics, more flirty comradarie between Jim and Pam and they even manage to cheer up Michael even though he has no idea.  My favourite non-Jam part of this episode is right at the end when they award Michael a gold medal (made by Pam from paperclips and yoghurt tops) and he wear’s it proudly over his arm as he puts his hand on his heart during the national anthem (Office Olympics). 

• Pam suggest to a clearly hurt Jim that he apply for a better job out-of-state and has to do some damage limitation (Halloween):
  Pam: Um I’m sorry… for pushing you towards Cumberland.  Seriously, if you left here, I would blow my brains out.
  Jim (TH): That’s just a figure of speech, you know? Blow your brains out? Come on. All it really means is that we’re friends. Who else is she gonna talk to if I’m gone, right? I mean, if she left, I wouldn’t blow my brains out. Of course, I would take that job in Maryland. Because it’s double the pay, and soft shell crab just happens to be my favorite food.
• The flirting moves into classic palm-reading and play fighting terrirory and its all good stuff - Jim literally picks her up from behind and his hands are ON SKIN on her torso and its totally hot.  And Pam is loving it until Meredith sees and then she freaks the hell out.  It looks like Jim might even cry a little when she yells at him to put her down.  Oh my. (The Fight)

• After sharing bad first dates with the group (during which we are given further proof that Roy is a total douche), Jim and Pam share a romantic dinner of grilled cheese sandwich on the roof watching Dwight’s fireworks only for her to piss on his chips again (The Client):
  Jim: Some might even say that we had our first date last night.
  Pam: Oh, really?
  Jim: Really.
  Pam: Why might some say that?
  Jim: Cause there was dinner, by candlelight.
  Pam: Uh hmm.
  Jim: Dinner and a show, if you include Michael’s movie. [Pam nods reluctantly] And there was dancing and fireworks. Pretty good date.
  Pam: We didn’t dance.
  Jim: You’re right, we didn’t dance. It was more like, swaying. But still romantic.
  Pam: Swaying isn’t dancing.
  Jim: Least I didn’t leave you at a high school hockey game. [me: Ooh BURN!]
  Pam: I have some faxes to get out.
  Jim: Oh, come on, Pam. I-
  Jim (in TH): Ok, we didn’t dance. I was totally joking anyway. I mean, it’s not really a date if the girl goes home to her fiance. Right? [me: oh, Jim]

• One of many superb pranks played on Dwight, I love the one when Jim and Pam convince him it is Friday instead of Thursday, thus making him incredibly late the next day. (Performance Review)
• Pam has a nose round Jim’s room during his BBQ and they have a bit of alone time.  Plus they are on to Dwight and Angela, although Pam totally freaks out again when Phyllis thinks she is talking about Jim and Pam when Pam asks about secret office romances.  Pam, denial aint just a river in Egypt.  (Email Surveillance)

• Jim’s gift for Pam - very cute indeed.  And even cuter once she decided not to keep the iPod and get his gift back from Dwight after some ill-advised Yankee Swap stuff at Michael’s behest (Christmas Party).
• The infamous 27 seconds.  A master-class in how to say so much without saying anything at all (isn’t that a Ronan Keating song?).  Much like in The Simpsons when Bart shows Lisa the exact moment that she breaks poor Ralph’s heart, we see Jim’s heart get a pummeling as Roy finally (and drunkedly) sees the light and sets a date for the wedding after their 3 year engagement.  Bonus: seeing Jim dump Katy in unceremonious fashion.  Shouldn’t be funny but it is: (Booze Cruise)
  Katy: Do you think that’ll ever be us?
  Jim: No.
  Katy: What is wrong with you? Why did you even bring me here tonight?
  Jim: I don’t know. Let’s break up.
  
  Can’t help sharing this cheesy but cute fanvid:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ku3o5hKHg0&hl=en]

• Michael accidentally burns (cooks) his foot on his Foreman grill and, well, the episode just soars from there.  I mean, how can this be a bad episode with that premise?  There is just one nice Jim/Pam exchange on the phone but I love this episode for Michael’s buffoonery and Dwight’s concussive kindness.  (The Injury)
• After Jim’s confession to Michael about his crush on Pam gets out (as it inevitably would with Michael as the confidante), he has some embarrassing explaining to do.  Pam is being almost willfully oblivious from this moment on.  (The Secret)
• After an entire episode where they are separated, during which Jim tries to move on by asking out a girl’s voicemail, it ends with Jim listening to his many voice messages from Pam which she left for him during the day.  Yeah, Pam.. just friends.  I get it. (The Secret):
  Jim’s voicemail: You have seven unheard messages.
  Pam: [voicemail message for Jim] Hey, Jim. It’s Pam. I keep looking up to say something to you and then Michael’s there and it’s horrible. Anyway, I’m bored. Come back!
  Pam: [voicemail message for Jim] Hey, guess what? I moved my computer so I can’t see Michael’s head. It’s working. I think I can have a career as a very specific type of decorator.
  Pam: [voicemail message for Jim] Sudoku. Level moderate. 18 minutes. Suck on that, Halpert.
  Pam: [voicemail message for Jim] I’ll transfer you. Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam. Hold, please. Dunder Mifflin, this is … okay, sorry. Michael was standing at my desk, and I needed to be busy or who knows what would’ve happened, so thank you.
  Pam: [voicemail message for Jim] Hey, what’s that word we made up when you have a thing stuck in your shoe? Anyway, I have a thing stuck in my shoe.
  Pam: [voicemail message for Jim] Hey, I have a chance to sneak out of here early, and I’m not messing this up, so I’ll see you tomorrow.
  Pam: [voicemail message for Jim] Calling from my cell phone. I don’t know if you guys figured out who did that to Michael’s carpet yet, but I have a theory that involves an inter-departmental conspiracy. Everybody in the office. We need to talk.
• In case we weren’t sure, this is where we are shown that Jim is perfect boyfriend material (encouraging Pam to follow her dreams) and Roy is, you guessed it, a total douche.  Jim cannot hide his disappointment and frustration with her when she decided not to go for the design internship (and of course that other unmentioned thing, namely dump Roy for Jim)
  Jim: So you’re not doing it.
  Pam: How did you know?
  Jim: Why not?
  Pam: Just like no big reason. Just a bunch of little reasons.
  Jim: Come on.
  Pam: Roy’s right. There’s no guarantee it’s going to lead to anything anyway.
  Jim: Roy said that.
  Pam: What? You have something you want to say?
  Jim: You got to take a chance on something sometime, Pam. I mean, do you want to be a receptionist here, always?
  Pam: Oh, excuse me! I’m fine with my choices!
  Jim: You are?
  Pam (unsure): Yeah.

Parity

The episode starts with a LONG intro explaining the dealio. You know, Syd is a spy working for a bad, bad organisation but really working for the CIA where she has a hot handler and also works with her father who is also a double agent spy man. After the previouslies, we are back with Syd in Cairo where she has gun to her head and holding a little ball o’ Plutonium. So what does she do? She does what only she can - throw the ball in the air - FIGHT! - catch the ball -FIGHT!. This scene is intercut with a scene with Syd the Grad Student, making excuses for not handing in an assignment - “There was a black out where I was staying. Honestly.” Cue shot of her shooting out the lights in a corridor in Cairo to try to evade capture (I guess. I am not completely sure why that was necessary other than for the gag). I do like this whole ‘two lives collide’ thing they have going. Seeing the high octane action juxtaposed with the mundane is funny and surreal. Anyway the upshot is that she gets an extension to her essay. Oh and she manages to escape with the plutonium.

After the credits, Syd and Francie are talking at Syd’s place about (boring, cheater) Charlie and fathers. Syd is sad that things aren’t better with SpyDaddy. Deciding that she wants to know more about what is up with him, she goes to see him and being that they are both double agents, he isn’t that pleased to be having a conversation IN BROAD DAYLIGHT in the open about them being SPIES. Because it’s secret. She has been doing this shit for 7 years; she really ought to be a bit more stealthy.

SD-6. Sloane is giving the crew a 411 on Rambaldi - this is the first introduction of the spooky, dull and rather important to the whole Alias story 15th century prophet/scientist/headcase. He was inventing a mobile phone in 1400s. Apparently. ANYWAY. Essentially all we need to know is that they have part of a code written by Rambaldi but they need another part. They need to get a box with the code inside. The key to the box is in the possession of K-Directorate – especially Anna Espinosa played by an annoying Gina Torres. Everyone raves about her - and maybe when I get my act together an actually watch Firefly I will understand why - but her accent in this show gets on my nerves. So both SD-6 and K-Directorate will be after this box. Syd has to go to some place (I have already forgotten which country!) to a car museum where they are unveiling a new prototype. She will pose as a petrol-head (well something like that anyway) and sneak up and steal the box during the party. Cue scene with Syd writing the plan. Very simply. Because the CIA is stupid.

I have already changed my mind about Will since episode 1 - he really is cute as a button. CAAB Will is at Syds house talking to her about his writing assignment when Syd is phoned by her dead-fiance’s landlord asking her to pick up some of his things. While she is talking, a call for Joey’s Pizza comes in on her landline which Will takes – code for her to call even cuter as a button Vaughn. Syd asks Will to pick up Danny’s things while she goes for a ‘quick run’ (aka meeting with her handler).

Vaughn is stretching. MMMMMMM. He wants her to give the code to the CIA. He also asks her about Anna Espinosa who is apparently very scary and communist and shit. He is very yummy and concerned - my favourite Vaughn combo: “Be careful out there”. AW. He also tells her he has been replaced and she looks surprised and more than a little put out.

CIA offices. Vaughn is angry. Weiss is a bit worried about how angry he is. Weiss suggests that Vaughn is jealous that the new handler will get to see her all the time when we won’t. Vaughn protest too much that he isn’t. CUTE SCENE!!! “I know I’m off the case. And I want her to come back” Double AW.

Still at the CIA, her new handler is a sleazebag . “Look at her, wouldn’t kick that out of bed”. Vaughn looks like he wants to kick him. IN THE HEAD.

At the party, Syd is looking hawt in a red dress which is very sexy and flattering and I am digging her light red hair – very szuszi. I hate having to recap the action parts - all you need to know is that

1. Anna has also shown up as expected as a waitress (no slink dress for HER)
2. Whilst Syd is trying to get out of the vault, Dixon has to ram Anna’s support team’s van and he TURNS IT OVER! HA!
3. Syd fights Anna for the box.. She has bare feet (having kicked off her high heels when running to catch Anna who go to the box first) and each time she kicks Anna, the sound is a lot harder and louder than you would expect for someone with nothing o their feet. Also it would really hurt, kicking someone in the head. Syd is NAILS.
4. Syd (of course) manages to get the box, leaving Anna looking super-pissed.

Will is picking up Danny’s things and as he has a nosey around the dead man’s crib (good name for a band?), he notices a traffic camera outside his window and immediately starts super sleuthing, getting into hot water at work in the process. His editor: “Don’t make regret hiring people in their twenties”. Eventually he manages to get her to let him work on the case for one week. There is also a cute chat between CTAB and Syd on the phone. Syd sounds kinda comforted and very happy to hear from him which makes him even happier.

Syd is in a trailer/van/something small and dark with her sleazoid handler. He gets her dead fiancés name wrong. Because he’s a douche. Apparently, they are meeting to get to know each other or as he puts it to “have a little face time with my girl” EUW. More sleaziness. Syd is not at all impressed. She chews him out. Sleaze: “I just love your spirit”. Syd: “That’s heartening” (meaning, “you’re a douche”).

Will, Francie, Cheatin’ Charlie and Syd have dinner. There is some talk of naked cleaning. They are playing poker and Will is rubbish at bluffing. He is so cute – did I mention that already? Francie says to Syd “How come I can never tell with you”. Francie? It’s because she a SPY! Will gets a call from Pretty-Jenny-From-The-Office-Who-Clearly-Has-A-Crush-On-Will-But-He-Is-Too-Into-Sydney-To-Notice-Or-Care to say all the traffic cameras a mile around Danny’s apartment were out the night of his murder – UH OH! WEIRD! Will, honey? Please just leave it. You will only end up getting tortured-by-teeth-extraction and set up by the CIA as a druggie to save your life, thus getting you fired and discredited as a journalist. And you still won’t end up with the girl (although you will get to shag her in Season 3).

Cut to Syd and Will having ice cream in the kitchen. Sydney is in her cups and rambling on about tequila and ice-cream. Will: “My god is this story going to end”. HEE! Flirtatious teasing – my speciality! They share ice-cream. AND THEN THEY KISS. More accurately, she kisses him. And then it is awkward. They don’t say anything about it – she obviously feels guilty because it’s Too Soon. And he feels bad too, immediately telling her he has Danny’s stuff. He goes to get it before she can tell him it was a mistake because he so doesn’t want to hear that. Poor Will.

At SD-6, the box which Syd acquired cannot be opened. Sloane has brought in their best game theorist – Jack! He decided that rather than Syd infiltrating K-Directorate, he has made a deal with them. They have he box, K-Directorate have the key. They will go to somewhere neutral and open the box together. K-D don’t know that only part of the code is in the box so it doesn’t matter if they get it. Jack tells Syd that her mother died in the accident: “I never lied about that”. Erm, you did so!

Lambert tells Syd she has to wear a wire – very risky given the circumstances and she ain’t best pleased. She demands Vaughn be promoted so he can be her handler again and have him on the other end of the earpiece, or the CIA get nothing.

Will tells his editor about the strangeness of the camera: “Don’t make me regret working for people in their fifties [beat] forties!”

While Syd is getting to do her spystuff, Francie is bugging her with theories of cheatin’ Charlie. So boring. Francie is a whiney bitch sometimes. Just sayin’.

At a stadium covered by snipers from K D and SD6, Syd and Anner meet in the middle of the people. Vaughn is on the other end of the earpiece:

Sydney: My guardian angel
Vaughn: I was going to say the same thing to you. Thanks for the promotion.
Sydney: You’re welcome.

After a bit of trash talk (’you’re fiancé is dead ha ha etc etc), Anna and Sydney open the box and acid starts to eat the paper with the code and SCENE!