Beauty and the Beast 2.03: "Liar, Liar" Review!

The CW's synopsis for this week’s episode

“Catherine (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent (Jay Ryan) track a mysterious beast while keeping their individual agendas from one another in a clever game of cat-and-mouse. Meanwhile, Heather (Nicole Gale Anderson) has a bombshell revelation for Cat, and Tess (Nina Lisandrello) confronts Gabe (Sendhil Ramamurthy) about his real motives for helping Cat. (Austin Basis) also stars as J.T.

In this week's episode we learned more about Vincent's current job and what he does for Cat's bio father as a private agent. Cat is working on the case of an FBI agent that was killed by the beast, Sebastian. The agent had worked with both Cat's bio father and Vincent. So, both Vincent and Cat are trying to find out more about him and track him down. Sebastian isn't like other beasts as he likes to use magic to disappear, which is something he learned from his father. Having a beast that can vanish into thin air proves to be tricky for Vincent as he can't lock onto him long enough to stop him. 

Heather finally tells Cat the truth about what she learned regarding their father (or really Heather's father) while he was in the hospital. It's something she has been waiting three months for but never found the right time to tell Cat. Also, Heather got a job offer in Miami and wants to discuss it with her older sister so she invites Cat to lunch. When the two talk, Cat finally learns the truth about her father. Heather has been trying to find the right moment to tell her that the blood she gave was not a match for their father's, so there is no way he could be her biological father. This comes as shock to Cat, as it should... and she gets so upset with Heather for keeping it from her that she tells her to take the job in Miami. 

To make matters worse, Cat is still dealing with what happened at the end of last week's episode "Kidnapped", in which Vincent attacked her on the roof of her apartment building. The tension is definitely high between the two this week. Vincent lies about having memories of her, only to trick her and throw her off the case. But he's not the only one causing tensions to rise because Cat goes undercover, acting like she wants to try with him again, but she is only using him to get more answers. She does manage to sneak onto his boat and grab some information of his laptop by USB. But ultimately, the lying doesn't work out for either of them because she gets caught by Vincent and she realizes he's been lying too. 

Eventually, Cat understands Vincent is not willing to share his secrets just yet and may never be. She reconnects with Tess and Gabe who also have been working on the homicide case. They decide to check out the information Cat got off Vincent's laptop to see if they can determine what he's after. With the help of J.T. they find the information about Sebastian and about an art gallery event he plans to attend. The three of them decide to dress up and go to the event to convince Vincent to give them some answers about what he's doing and who he's working for.

Once at the gallery, Cat finds Vincent and dances with him as she begins to question him. It takes some bantering back and forth, but eventually, Cat gets a little information out of Vincent. We find out that he is, indeed, after a beast and that Sebastian is planning on getting revenge on his father by killing him publicly at the art gallery. We find out that Sebastian's father sent him away to fight in the war and that is why he wants revenge against his father.The team starts working together and even Vincent plays along, because once again, Sebastian is proving to be a difficult beast to track down.

Catherine finds Sebastian's father and hurries him to an elevator. Once in the elevator, Cat explains to Sebastian's father that she is with the police and his life is in danger. Sebastian cuts the controls and power to the elevator making it impossible to move. There is no cell phone service, and just as they're about to be attacked Cat knocks out Sebastian's dad with a tranq from her tranquilizer and then shoots one at Sebastian before running out. He pulls Cat up through the top of the elevator shaft and the two begin to fist fight. Catherine loses her footing and starts to fall but Vincent rushes in and pushes Sebastian out of the elevator to his death. Just as Cat is about to fall, he grabs her arm and pulls her back in. At that moment, he gets a rush of memories of them together including the time he first saved her life in the woods.

After everything settles, Cat gets home to find Heather waiting for her. The two of them have a heart to heart and make up. Catherine informs Heather that, no matter what, they are still sisters and she doesn't blame Heather for not telling her, it's their parents' fault. Cat tells her sister that she should go to Miami, even though she'll miss her a lot, she plans on visiting. After Heather leaves, Cat notices Vincent outside her window on the fire-escape. He tells her, once again, he is sorry and that he had memories of the two of them together. At first, she thinks he's lying to her again but eventually she believes him. But she tells him that they need to back away from one another right now. They both have a lot going on and Vincent's keeping secrets won't work if they want to have a relationship. Vincent agrees and the two of them part ways.

Overall, I really enjoyed this episode of Beauty and the Beast. I think the season is really starting to take off. I'm enjoying the new direction of the show and what the writers have come up with. I wish Vincent and Cat would get back together soon but I know it's just part of the story and it creates good drama. Let's see what happens next week.


Beauty and the Beast season 2 airs Monday nights at 9/8c on The CW.

"Liar, Liar" was written by John A. Norris and directed by Bradley Walsh. 

Photo Credit: The CW

  

OUAT: In Wonderland 1.02 "Trust Me" Review!

"Wonderland" was back last Thursday, with its second episode, "Trust Me", in which we learn more about Cyrus (Peter Gadiot) the genie, who is alive and why Jafar (Naveen Andrews) wants him so badly. 

In last week's episode, I felt that I couldn't take the Red Queen (Emma Rigby) seriously because of the choice of costume. I noticed the costume was changed from the early editions of the pilot since I saw an advance screening and I liked the old one much better. Also, Rigby's acting wasn't the best at portraying a viciously evil Red Queen, but in the second half of "Trust Me, her characterization of The Red Queen improved vastly.

In this episode, we learn that The Knave of Hearts (Michael Socha) has broken some hearts in the past, for example a fairy named Sliver Mist. She wasn't at all pleased about his return to Wonderland. In fact, she even tried to drown him. He doesn't have many fans in Wonderland and has become a man wanted by many. Now I see why he didn't want to return to Wonderland with Alice in the first place. I'm starting to really like his character however, he has great lines and he and Alice just seem to click on screen.

The dynamic relationship between The Red Queen and Jafar continues to be a very compelling villain team-up for this show. Both of them trying to be one step ahead of the other is intriguing to watch on screen. We learn that their partnership isn't all it's cracked up to be with Jafar trying to control the Queen rather than be equal partners. She and Jafar both want to find Cyrus' genie bottle so Jafar can re-write the laws of magic. The Red Queen finds the bottle first and tricks Jafar, which teaches him that she can't be played or treated like a little girl. 

I'm also really loving the dynamic between Alice (Sophie Lowe) and Cyrus. I love watching how they fell in love. I don't blame Cyrus for falling in love with her as I would too. She's clever, kind hearted, cunning, sassy, and brave. I love that Alice refused to make her wishes and instead chose to keep Cyrus with her. I think she is definitely one of the best-written characters in the Once universe. Lowe has really taken the character of Alice and made it her own. I think she was a great choice as the lead of the series. 

The show's take on the White Rabbit (John Lithgow) is interesting; he's not as baffled as he seems to be in the Disney version. Yet, he's conflicted about whose side he should be on, The Red Queen's or Alice's. I'll be looking forward to the episode in which we learn the reason he started helping The Red Queen. 

I love the twists in this show, for instance, we found out the reason The Knave of Hearts was so cold-hearted, is because he was hurt by someone named Anastasia. We also learned that Alice is clever enough not to speak so loudly in Wonderland, as there are wondering ears just waiting to hear secrets. 

I thought the CGI was improved in this episode, the effects were for the most part fantastic and really made me think I was part of the world of Wonderland. I will admit parts of Wonderland still don't look real. But they did do a better job with the flying fairy than the parent show "Once Upon A Time" did last week. Every new show with special effects improves over time as the money allocated to CGI increases.

In the end, I thought this was another great episode. I'm loving all the characters and the story, so I'm looking forward to see how this season plays out and to see more of the connections to its parent series, "Once Upon A Time", made.



Once Upon A Time In Wonderland airs, Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC. 


"Trust Me" was written by Rina Mimoun and directed by Romeo Tirone.

Photo Credit: ABC

The Vampire Diaries 5.03 "Original Sin" Review!

Great news for "The Vampire Diaries" fans, the ratings for Season 5, Episode 2.03 "Original Sin" are in, and they're looking spectacular. Last Thursday's new episode of "TVD," was all about uncovering lies. One problem, the lies happened over 2,000 years ago.

The episode begins with Stefan (Paul Wesley), not Silas (Paul Wesley), but the real Stefan, who is finally out of his trap box beneath the water, which Silas put him in at the end of last season's finale. 

It seems like Stefan is done with his self-abusing ways as we see him in a bar where he feeds on a waitress without a care in the world. After he drinks his fill, he decides to head into the sunlight but instantly starts to burn because his daylight ring is missing. Minutes later, we find out it was all a dream in Elena's (Nina Dobrev) head and, strangely enough, Katherine (Nina Dobrev) is the same having the dreams too. 

After Elena and Kat realize they are both having the same dreams about Stefan, they convince Damon (Ian Somerhalder) to take them on a hunt for their ex-boyfriend. It's an awkward position for dear old Damon since Kat admitted in past seasons that she never loved him, she only loved Stefan. Elena is currently in a relationship with Damon, not Stefan.

The episode flashes to Silas, the aka Stefan doppelganger. In last week's episode we saw a new character, a woman by the name of Nadia (guest star, Olga Fonda), who is a member of The Travellers. The Travellers are a possible sub culture of Witches with ties to Silas. However there is no confirmation as to whether they are witches or simply a related species. She is another pawn of Silas' who has been sent to kill Matt (Zach Roerig). However, we discover it's not really Matt but Gregor (guest star, Hans Obma), who is another Traveller that currently possesses Matt's body, who must die by Silas' orders. Little does Silas know, Nadia has no interest in helping him because she's in love with Gregor. 

The story then goes back to the real Stefan. Yes, the show is getting confusing but it's possible to follow along after awhile. We find out that Kat and Elena's dreams are true and Stefan's life is really in danger; but he's saved by Qetsiyah (guest star, Janina Gavankar), Silas' ex girlfriend, who is the world's oldest and most powerful witch. She has come back to the land of the living where we learn Qetsiyah's side of the love story between her and Silas. She believes that she and Silas were true loves, because he had her make a potion so the two could spend eternity together. So, that is how we find out she was the maker of his immortality. To make a long story short, Silas tricked her on their wedding day, he never loved her at all. He was only using her to make the potion, which he stole for him and his real lover Amara (Nina Dobrev) to take... Gosh this show seems to be all about doppelgangers, because Amara looks exactly like Elena. 

Once, Qetsiyah realizes what Silas has done, she counters his actions by making two doses of the cure to immortality, exactly like the potion Elena shoved down Kat's throat in last season's finale to make her human. But after using one dose of the potion on Amara, she becomes mortal again and Qetsiyah kills her. The she imprisons Silas for 2,000 years with the other dose of the cure hoping he would take it and die.

Since Qetsiyah is now back, she needs Stefan because hes the doppelganger of Silas. She plans to link Stefan's body with Silas' in order to break her former loves mind control power. Damon finds Stefan, after the spell is completed. But before Stefan comes back to reality, Qetsiyah warns Damon and tells him, “The universe has programmed all doppelgangers to fall in love." So that's why Stefan and Elena will be drawn to one another for forever. 

Overall, this was a great episode of "TVD" and I think this season could turn into one of the best since season one. This season will mark the landmark episode every series dreams about, it's 100th. It's only episode three of the twenty-two episodes this season, and I'm already interested in finding out more of the stories and twists the genius writers of this hit TV series come up with. 

Season 5 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.

“Original Sin” was written by Melinda Hsu Taylor & Rebecca Sonnenshine and directed by Jesse Warn. 

Photo Credit: The CW

Beauty and the Beast 2.02: "Kidnapped" Review!

On Monday night’s Beauty and the Beast we saw Cat (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent (Jay Ryan) do the deed. Only after a picnic, a kiss and asking about their first date numerous times to trigger his memory didn't work. However, that didn't help dear Catherine either as minutes later we saw him tying her up again before leaving on his next mission. That might well be the worst one-night stand I've ever! Poor Cat. Clearly their trust isn't back yet and he didn't want to give her the ability to hunt him down again.

Vincent 2.0 isn't shy or afraid of putting things out there, and that might be okay with some people, but I don't like this new Vincent at all. I'm hoping he gets his memory back sooner rather then later. I know it adds drama to the show but I, for one, would like him to at least remember Cat and build on their relationship from last season. I'd much rather see them work as team and work on missions together. I know Vincent won't let Cat in and he is still hiding his true purpose and who he is working for. But we know it's her bio father who's with the FBI.

Cat isn't listening to anyone, not even J.T. (Austin Basis). Tess (Nina Lisandrello) and Gabe (Sendhil Ramamurthy) try to reason with her but nothing works. Catherine is lucky to be surrounded by good friends such as Tess, J.T. and surprisingly, Gabe yet she doesn't seem to notice it. We learned in this episode that Gabe took his new job at the station in order to protect Vincent. So maybe Gabe isn't as bad as we thought, now that he is no longer a beast himself.

Even though Cat got herself kidnapped by Vincent, her stealthy tracking paid off - we did learned there is at least one more beast running around the city and not all of what Vincent is doing seems so evil anymore. It's possible her bio father is using Vincent to counter-act the vicious actions of other beasts. It's still unclear, yet things are getting kinda heavy for the two of them. Cat keeps pushing Vincent more and more and he doesn't like the suggestions or anyone controlling him. So I think Cat needs to cool it down just a little bit and give him some time to breathe and think things over.

I'm glad we got a J.T. and Tess scene in this episode. It was probably one of the best moments of the night as they sat in the bar and realized they have lost their best friends.Tess is going along with Gabe, in her attempt to protect Cat, straining their relationship. And J.T. is spending most of his time with Cat tracking down Vincent and has no one really to confide in at the moment. For me it was a nice scene and I've always wanted them together. So who knows, maybe we will see a love connection in the near future between the two of them.

In the end, when Vincent pushes Cat across the roof she comes to the to the conclusion that he is not the same man who protected her for a decade - she is working with someone she no longer knows. Vincent's memories of her and everyone else are gone. She decides that he's just too dangerous and something has to be done fast to save him before it's too late. I don't think the writers will keep us waiting to much longer but you never know. I'm just waiting for the big episode to come where Vincent starts to remember everything including Cat. Let's just hope that day is soon.

Beauty and the Beast season 2 airs Monday nights at 9/8c on The CW.

"Kidnapped" was written by Jennifer Levin & Sherri Cooper and directed by Rick Bota. 

Photo Credit: The CW

The Vampire Diaries 5.02 “True Lies" Review!

With new mysteries, new villain Silas, and a surprising new friendship between Jeremy and Katherine this season is off to a great start. 

At the end of last week's season 5 premiere of “The Vampire Diaries,” we got a glimpse of how this season will play out (shocks and thrills). The first shocker of the season was at the end of the episode when Bonnie Bennett's (Kat Graham) father, the mayor of Mystic Falls, was murdered by Silas (Paul Wesley) aka the Stefan look-alike. In this episode, matters only get worse for Bonnie because her father wasn't of supernatural blood, which means she can't see him in the afterlife. It was a heartbreaking thought going into last night's episode, "True Lies".

There was no happy ending or silver lining for Bonnie this week. She's still a ghost and only Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) can see her and knows her secret. Until later in the episode, when a plan ended badly and Matt (Zach Roerig), is temporarily gone from the living, which allowed him to see her as well. Only then he found out that he'd forget everything minutes later when he wakes up. Before he was awakened, he did tell her that she needs to tell Jeremy that it's okay to reveal her secret and tell people she's dead. It's a good thing the show still has the Gilbert Family ring that brings people back from the dead. What was this, Matt's 5th death? I lost count a long time ago, I'm just surprised he's still a human in the series and not affected by supernatural powers.

Jeremy and Katherine's (Nina Dobrev) friendship is growing in this episode. Sure they bicker back and forth but they do have a lot of drama between them. I don't see them ever becoming best friends, after what she did to him and his friends in the past; but she did save him from Silas and that was a turning point for them. Now that Kat's human, there’s a lot she can learn from Jeremy and I'm looking forward to see what the writers come up with for these two.

I think the biggest moment in last night's episode was when Silas tried to throw an emotional wrench between Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Damon's (Ian Somerhalder) relationship. He did so by causing her to lose her mind every time she got angry about Damon keeping something from her. Elena managed to overcome Silas's mind control by inflicting pain upon herself by stabbing her leg with the fireplace poker. After cooling down, Elena learned that Stefan (Paul Wesley) has been suffering all summer while she lived happily with Damon and is now on a mission to save him. I think the writers still know how to inject drama into the relationships on this show, for instance, by having Elena be with Damon even though it is clear see she still has feelings for her first love, Stefan. That's not the only problem she has right now. She also has a creepy professor who could secretly be part of an unknown anti-vampire cult at the college, but that task is left with Caroline (Candice Accola) to handle for the time being.

Overall, this was an excellent episode and a good sign the show is going in the right direction this year. I think it's a much easier story line to follow than the originals which took up almost three seasons, dealing with Klaus. They've kind of returned to the basics of the series and for me that works out perfectly fine. I look forward to more episodes to come this season.

Season 5 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.

“True Lies” was written by Brian Young and directed by Joshua Butler. 

Photo Credit: The CW

Beauty and the Beast 2.01: "Who Am I?" Review!

Beauty and the Beast returns for it's second season, with the search for Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan). Can Catherine Chandler (Kristin Kreuk) find her beloved beast and soul mate before it's too late? If she does find him, what kind of person/creature is left waiting for her as he has been imprisoned for three months since being kidnapped. The first episode this season, "Who Am I?" brings a lot of changes/new possibilities to the story.


As much as I loved the first season of Beauty and the Beast, I was a little worried about rumors of a fresh-start/reboot of the series. Like any first season of a show, it has its ups and downs while trying to build an audience but I thought it was handled wonderfully. The show is not just about an epic love story between its two leads and was never meant to be. It was something we, "the fans" demanded. Now this season starts off with a darker tone and I, for one, am looking forward to the action, mystery, romance and more of the origin story of the beast.

First, the things that are now gone from the series. Yes, Vincent's scar is gone! A few new things have been done to Vincent, as well, including a new beast-out look that is totally awesome. Also, the show seems to no longer be giving the illusion that Vincent is a “beast” all the time since the scar from season 1 is gone. I am a bit upset and think it set him apart in the show from everyone else. Yet, I can overlook it and move along with the story and focus on the characters.

Another thing that is no longer apart of the series is the character of Joe Bishop (Brain White). Yes, Catherine and Tess' Police Captain. He was married and yet romantically involved with Tess Vargas (Nina Lisandrello). I didn't care for the married man, cheating story-line as much as I liked the character of Tess. I think it will be good to refresh that story by just getting rid of it all together. The best way was to excuse the character of Joe all together.

With Joe parting ways from the series, Tess can finally find a relationship worth having. I'm excited for her to meet someone, maybe even possibly hook-up with "our" lovable joke-master J.T. Let's work on that, "fans" I know us beasties can "ROAR" pretty loud. (ha ha) Tess has her hands full with an increased workload at the police station, as she is covering all of it since Cat's been busy on her search for Vincent.

Mister Gabriel Lowen (Sendhil Ramamurthy) is back and being portrayed in a different light. This isn't a huge shock to me because of hearing rumors and seeing cast pictures posted from the set. Gabe is among the living when the show picks up three months after the shocking events of the season 1 finale. He is brought back to life by Catherine, one of the last people you would think of and she still doesn't trust him, as she shouldn't. We will have to tune in to see how they turn his character around.

Cat doesn't give up hope of finding Vincent despite the months he has been missing. She is relentless in her search to find Vincent with J.T (Austin Basis) and she'll get some help along the way from Gabe. One might think that Cat is going crazy on her search for him and is forgetting her other duties in life, even neglecting friends and her sister Heather in the process. We know how strong willed Cat is and I just think she really misses him and will stop at nothing until he's safe.

Speaking of Heather Chandler, it does look like the show is preparing for her character to leave, since the actress that portrays her (Nicole Gale Anderson) is set to star in the new ABC Family series Ravenswood. It is a bit sad for me as I liked the character of Heather and was hoping to see more of her this season. Especially since she and Cat haven't really had much time to talk since the season one finale. When we see Heather, she is really worried about that because she thinks she alone holds the secret of Cat's true paternity. She doesn't know who the father is but we "beasties" know of Cat's real father as seen in the finale of season one.

We saw more of Catherine's bio-father who works for the FBI (Ted Whittall) in this episode and what his involvement is with Muirfield. I'm sure more will be revealed as the season progresses regarding how he met Catherine and Heather's mother. The Season 2 premiere is just the beginning and is an episode we've all been waiting for. I think it will be interesting yet filled with drama this season, once Cat finds out he's her father and that he is one of the people behind Vincent's beastly ways/capture.

A few things I hope to see this season; Vincent and Catherine falling in love again, more jokes from J.T, a new love interest for Tess, meeting more of Vincent's past friends and family members, more of the origin story of the beast, more beasts and the possibility of a she-beast has been rumored. This season is setup for excitement in many ways. I'm excited.

On a final note, I'm liking the darker tone of the show, my reaction upon seeing the opening minutes of season 2 is “this show is evolving into something great with thrilling storytelling," and I can't wait for future episodes of Beauty and the Beast this fall. This is a truly great re-telling of a classic story that only gets better in season 2. If you haven't been tuning in... catch up fast, because you're missing out; this is one show not to be missed.



Beauty and the Beast season 2 airs Monday nights at 9/8c on The CW.



"Who Am I?" was written by Brad Kern and directed by Stuart Gillard. 

Photo Credit: The CW

The Vampire Diaries 5.01 “I Know What You Did Last Summer” Review!

The CW hit series returned for its highly-anticipated fifth season last night, with Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Caroline (Candice Accola) heading off to college, while Damon (Ian Somerhalder), Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) ghost Bonnie (Kat Graham) and Matt (Zach Roerig) get ready for another crazy supernatural year in Mystic Falls. There's an immortal warlock, Silas, who was revealed as the doppelgänger of Stefan (Paul Wesley), in last season's finale. He's out for vengeance after losing the human cure that would reunite him with his true love.

This season starts of with something the fans, myself included, have been dying for - after seasons of waiting, Elena and Damon are a couple. They're like a couple of newlyweds in this episode, they could barely keep their hands off one another in the beginning of this episode. I think it's great that they can finally show the love that each of them felt. Before, Elena would hide her feelings, now she flat out tells Damon, "I love you". I'm looking forward to see their love story unfold more this season. 

While I know people are always nervous when a teen drama transitions to the college years, I'm please by how this show is handling it. Elena and Caroline head off to Whitmore college. Caroline wants Tyler (Michael Trevino) to join her on her college adventure, but he's otherwise engaged helping a pack of werewolves in the mountains. Everything seems to be going perfectly for Elena and Caroline - they even get to be roommates - until an unexpected third roommate, Megan, shows up. Megan brings along a water bottle laced with vervaine... add murder, and this definitely has them both on high alert regarding what's going on at the college. Especially Elena, who's eager to learn more after finding out her deceased father has a connection to both Whitmore and Megan.

Bonnie is still around as a ghost, and hiding that fact that she's dead from everyone. Luckily, she has Jeremy, a medium who still sees her and is able to communicate with her. It was really sad, last season, when Bonnie conjured the spell that took her life. I realize she thought it had to be done, but it even broke the spell that was keeping Silas trapped in stone. Her friends no longer have a witch to help them and now he's out and hungry for revenge. 

Last season, Elena shoved the cure down Katherine's throat, making our queen bitch a human. After a summer on the run as a human, she is now taking up residence at the Salvatore house and hiding from the enemies that want her dead. It's not long before Silas tracks her down and nearly drowns her. As it turns out, Katherine is still good for the cure and it's her human blood he needs. Looks like dear old Kat will be on the run for a bit longer. I'm happy they made Katherine a major character this season with her own arc. I've always thought she was a great sassy vamp and wanted more story lines with her. 

Silas is not messing around this year, he's proving to be a villain you don't want to tangle with. I think Wesley is having a good time portraying the villain and is doing a pretty good job at it. Silas has his own agenda and mission this season. He still has Stefan trapped underwater as he plots his wrath. His plan is to take the cure and die so he can pass on and be reunited with his true love. But with the cure gone, he will have to rely on his plan B. I think we've been teased at what that is.. mess with everyone's lives until he gets what he wants, which is Katherine's Dobrev blood.

Matt is still around; he's been traveling around the world with Rebekah (Claire Holt) before returning to Mystic Falls. They share a steamy farewell kiss or should I say fifty, as Rebekah heads off to New Orleans. However, the traveling wasn't all joyful for him as he and Rebekah shared their European bed with Nadia (guest star, Olga Fonda), who stole his Gilbert ring. Later in the episode, Nadia appears in Mystic Falls under the pretense of giving Matt's ring back. However, Matt is surprised with an unexpected knock on the back of his head by her friend, "lights out Matt". Makes me wonder what Matt got himself into this time. Guess we will have to wait and see.

It’s not a big surprise The Vampire Diaries is a show that tends to kill off characters whenever it wants. An example of that is when Bonnie Bennett sacrificed herself for her love, Jeremy, in the Season 4 finale. I don't think Bonnie was thinking clearly when she committed suicide. She didn't realize the implications to her family - at the end of this episode the residents of Mystic Falls were gathered in the town square for a community event. As Mayor Rudy Hopkins (Bonnie’s dad) was giving a speech, Silas jumped on stage and spilled his intention of possessing Katherine to everyone. Silas then grabbed Rudy and slit his throat in front of the entire crowd, as Bonnie watched in horror! Because she killed herself, she couldn't do anything to save her father. I think it's safe to say that Silas will stop at nothing to capture Katherine and will kill anyone who gets in his way. 

This season premiere was a fast paced thrill ride, providing some answers, yet even more questions have arisen to be (hopefully) solved this year. I'm really looking forward to the rest of season 5, this show never fails to impress me. I'm a loyal fan and I think the writing, actors and stories just keep getting better with time. 

Season 5 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.

“I Know What You Did Last Summer” was written by Caroline Dries and directed by Lance Anderson. 

Photo Credit: The CW

Once Upon A Time In Wonderland 1.01: "Down the Rabbit Hole" Advance Review!

This season I’m covering ABC’s new fantasy drama, Once Upon A Time in Wonderland, for voiceoftv.com. I was given the opportunity to see an advance copy of the pilot and I was thrilled, as I am fan of the original parent series, Once Upon A Time. 

The new fairy tale, from Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, creators of Lost, Tron Legacy and Zack Estrin, creator of The River, is a love story full of mystery, action, passion and romance all wrapped up in a place called Wonderland following the adventures of Alice (Australian film/television actress) Sophie Lowe.

Once Upon A Time in Wonderland is a show that was first developed as a limited series run. It was to air during the winter season when its parent show Once Upon A Time was on hiatus. It has since gotten a lot of buzz circling around about it. The producers have decided to air Wonderland now during the fall. It will have 13 episodes but if successful could return in the spring with more episodes to look forward to.

They have cast some notable stars, in a few roles, such as John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun, Dexter) as The White Rabbit; Naveen Andrews (Lost) as Jafar; Emma Rigby (British Soap Hollyoaks) as The Red Queen; Michael Socha (Being Human U.K) as The Knave of Hearts; Keith David (film/television, voice actor) as Cheshire Cat and (film/television) actor Peter Gadiot as a genie named Cyrus.

I think it will be exciting to see a new version of Wonderland, we've seen parts of it through Once Upon A Time when we saw Jefferson's story aka The Mad Hatter. It has already been noted actor Sebastian Stan won't be part of the series but could possibly make a cameo later when his acting schedule cools down. But fans have been promised he won't be recast and we will see his character again.

The pilot has a connection to Storybrooke, Maine, which is nice for fans of the parents series. That connection, will only open this world of fairy tales more. I can't give any details away about how it ties into the Storybrooke world but hint, hint, it was from an episode in season 2 of Once Upon A Time. 

I think the romance and journey aspect of this Wonderland re-imaging will be interesting and exciting to see. I love the fact that Alice falls in love with a genie. Yet, it is a doomed love that we can compare to Snow and Price Charming's story-line in season one of Once Upon A Time. But with true love they overcame everything and never doubted for a second they could find a way back to one another. I think Alice and Cyrus' love story will be similar in that way.

The series will have a new and younger Queen of Hearts, known this time as The Red Queen, who's out to stop Alice and Cyrus's love affair. She'll have her own agenda in the series. My guess for the recast/character change is that Barbra Hershey and Rose McGowan who both played the older and younger versions of Cora aka The Queen of Hearts on Once Upon A Time were too expensive to cast. However, its something I can over look and not be bothered about.

Another thing I love about this pilot is that its parent series known for having kick-ass women on TV. At first you think Alice is just a scared young lady and doesn't have much going for her. That’s not the case at all. This isn't your normal Alice in Wonderland; she can handle herself in fights and pretty much does more damage than several of the male characters I've seen so far. So I’m looking forward to more of that as the series progresses through the season.

For comedic relief, I'll be watching The Knave of Hearts and The White Rabbit who both have some funny lines in the pilot. I think it's great to add humor in a show that already has action and romance because why not have a little bit of everything. I think the cast will play nicely off one another and I'm excited to see what else is in store for us.   

With it airing on ABC, I have a lot of hope for Once Upon A Time In Wonderland. It’s on a network that houses the parent show, in addition, it has already gathered a following before it has even aired. I think everyone enjoys a good fairy tale, it makes them feel like a kid again. Another good thing is with the same creators and producers, we will have some great twists in the fairy tale land of Wonderland that we might not see coming. One example as stated above Alice falls in love with a genie.

Lastly, I will say I look forward to seeing Once Upon A Time In Wonderland on my television screen and the excitement that is waiting for us when it premieres on October 10th.




"Down the Rabbit Hole" was written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, Zack Estrin, Jane Espenson and directed by Ralph Hemecker.

Photo Credit: ABC