WormholeRiders

Hey V Fans,

Kenneth Johnston was the original creator of V and has been honored by “A Created By” credit on the new V series episodes. Kenneth also enjoys “story by” credit on the pilot episode. However his accomplishments stand out as one of the giants in the the SciFi entertainment industry. Without Kenneth Johnston’s original creativity, there would not be a new V Series today for all of us to enjoy.



To the delight of the viewing public, WHR thanks Kenneth Johnston and ABC for bringing V Series back! Click Kenneth’s image above left to visit his official web site to learn more about the creator of V

Episode two starts off exactly where it left off with Anna Visitor seducing the world.

Erica and Jack are discussing what to do, and the fact that they don’t know who to trust…When we see a Visitor shuttle craft emerging from the Mothership, heading to the warehouse…

Visitors have come to ‘clean up’… Erica takes to a telephone box and tries to make a call to the police to report that the was a ‘massacre’ at the warehouse;

But we see that the call is diverted to a Visitor call room…the visitor tries to keep Erica on the phone while he tracks her position.

Then a V assassination ball locates their location…Erica and Jack make a run for it, the assassination ball in close pursuit…

They round a corner and Erica smashes it just as it morphs ready to take them out.

Erica tells Jack that Dale was her partner for seven years; anyone could be a visitor, and that he should go home pretend like nothing happened and trust no one!

At her home Erica makes Tyler promise that he will have nothing to do with t

he Visitors, he of course makes an empty promise, to keep his mother sweet.

Visitor Threat Assessment Joint Task Force is set up to assess the threat, if any that the Visitors pose, this information will be used to decide if the USA will have diplomatic ties with the Visitors. This would lead to the Visitors having freedom to move around freely within the United States…

Erica gets called into the FBI because Dale is missing…

It is implied that Ryan and Valerie made love ‘last night’ *this will be important in later episodes*

Chad is re-watching the interview, he tells his assistant Haley that he is not happy that he got backed into a corner by Anna. *Eighty million viewers tuned into his interview with Anna*

*Anna is seen using some very

interesting V-tech… A virtual wardrobe! *Every girl should be able to own one of these!* She looks at herself in what looks to be a mirror, but it is displaying different clothing, on her reflection. (“That’s fantastic Mummy” My daughter proclaimed!).

She is having a discussion with Marcus as using this V tech; He says that India has yet to make a decision about making Diplomatic ties with them.

Anna tells him to be patient, that the USA is the ‘lynchpin’ once they grant them diplomatic ties the rest of the world will follow…

Erica comes into ‘work’ looking slightly nervous, suspecting everyone; looking at everyone in a different light, as if anyone of them could be a visitor.

Erica is subjected to a panel and has to answer many questions to when she last saw Dale Maddox.  And others beside, eg: Was she in a relationship with Dale? *No way her taste doesn’t run in lizards!*

An FBI agent assigned to the Visitor Threat Assessment Joint Taskforce visits Father Jack. She explains that people have been making reports about aliens for years and now they all have to be taken seriously, so that ‘we’ can make a threat assessment based on that information about the Visitors. . She is asked about the Man that died in the Church yesterday. He doesn’t give any information away.

Japan and Mexico forms diplomatic ties with the Visitors, Anna appears on the Japanese and Mexican Motherships, thanking them. They are waiting for Russia, India and the United States to follow suit.

Chad is watching at the studio “Oh Really??” He sarcastically says to Anna on screen.  His assistant Haley tells him that the country is split about the Visitors, as they do not have enough information regarding them, Chad feels it is his fault “I didn’t ask Anna the hard questions… I got played” He decides that he needs to show Anna that she’s not the only one that can get what she wants! He tells Haley “I don’t need Anna, and when I’m done, she’ll be the one calling me!”

Tyler takes Brandon to join the peace ambassadors.

Meanwhile on the Mothership, there is a human that was captured from the warehouse meeting, who is being subjected to torture by a very mean looking Josh Blacker (Also seen in SGU) Marcus states: “A new resistance would be unacceptable, I want names”

Ryan travels to Jersey to see an old ‘friend’ called Angelo, to get his wound seen to.

At the same time Father Jack is at the FBI head quarters to hand over the photos, he tells a shocked Erica (“You’re a freaking Priest??) That he intends to upset the apple cart.

After Tyler and Lisa do a bit of flirting, one of the many protestors outside the Peace Ambassadors Headquarters starts on Brandon, he knocks his leaflets out of his hands and roughs him up a bit. Tyler comes in both barrels blazing, and ends up hitting the man, leaving him with a bloody nose. This obviously upsets Lisa. A peace Ambassador punching a protester doesn’t bode well with the Visitors perception from the 50% of the USA that have not made their minds up yet.

Angelo helps Ryan by injecting something into his damaged arm, the visual effects of the cloned skin knitting back together is fantastic! But this is not all Angelo did; he put some kind of sedative into the concoction. He feels he cannot trust anyone, not even his old comrade Ryan.

Erica shows Jack out after he had handed the photos over to the task force, and has a few stern words for him, about not trusting anyone. He leaves in a huff.

Erica is called into her bosses office, he thinks she’s lying about Dale; he plays a recording of Erica’s call to the police. She tries to explain her way out of it, telling him that she believes Dale is working with one of the terrorist cells they have been investigating. She says that she followed him to the warehouse and saw him meeting with them, and that as there is a mole tipping off the cell she called the police, if this was a legitimate operation then Dale would get help, of not she would get back up, “But it didn’t work they never showed” she said.

He tells her that no one showed up as there is no record of the 911 call. He said the DEA had the phone boxes in the area tapped, and the fact that the call had be diverted is the only reason that he half believes her right now.

Dale’s a traitor … but I’ll prove it

! she tells her boss.

Chad Decker starts his “Prime focus’ Show, the theme today: “Do the Visitors deserve our trust?” Cut to Mothership a very miffed looking Anna is watching…

Erica goes to see jack, he tells her he’s done. She had told him to go home act normal so Erica replies: “There is no normal anymore!” (Nice!!)

She tells him that he is the only person she can trust. He says “No, if I’m gonna do any good it is here” Meaning being a priest!

Erica then goes to see Dales wife, she tells his wife that Dales phone did not show any records of any calls to her. Jocelyn explains it is because Dale had a private phone for personal use. That is how he contacted her. She shows Erica the itemised bill from his private phone; there are two numbers he called, hers and another, (Shown highlighted on the bill) she tells Erica that he called the other number a lot.

Erica then shows her boss the findings with Dales private phone, the calls went to an untraceable number, but it all lines up to be calls to warn the cell, case-by-case they line up.

Her boss says: “Scary thing is he’s still in the wind”, Erica replies, “I don’t think he’ll show his face again”

Angelo calls Ryan when he arrives home and tells him that he had discovered everything about his Fiancé Valerie, and tells him he needs to leave her if he wants her to be safe, if Angelo could find out everything about Valerie so could the Visitors.

Chad has been called up onto the Mothership, Marcus is very miffed, he says “This is nothing but a complete abrogation of our agreement”

So Chad replies with a grin: “abrogation? Nice! Do you have one of those word a day calendars?” <I love that line!> Marcus does not look impressed!

“We’ll be looking for a journalist that knows better then to bite the hand that feed him…”

Anna approaches…Chad tells her that he did no harm with his show, he said he actually helped; as the public trusts him he made people comfortable with the thought of embracing diplomatic ties with the Visitors. He told Anna to check the poles; they got an up tick after his show.  Anna asks if he did it for their best interest? So he explains that where he cannot control what the Government does, he can help change public opinions, and that is where they true power lies. He tells her that it was free this time, but next time they want his help, it would be on his terms; then he leaves, with Anna and Marcus looking somewhat bewildered.

A news show with Decker tells that the Government has indeed agreed to commence diplomatic ties with the Visitors. A limited number of Visitors will be able to apply for Visas this will allow them freedom within the United States.

He says that The High Commander Anna is addressing the crowds below the New York Mothership.

She says the following: “On behalf of all Visitors I wanna extend my warmest appreciation to the United States! We are humbled by the generous faith, the courage and the good will that you have demonstrated! Thank you for your trust; it will be rewarded. We are of peace. Always!”

Jack is shown to be looking worried.

Chad seems to be getting ready to leave the news studio, when he gets an odd phone call it shows up on his phone as: unknown caller ***-***-*** Anna says: “I just wanted to thank you!” And disconnects the call.

Jack is waiting for Erica when she leaves ‘work’, so they take a walk together. He is most definitely re-enlisted! Erica had swiped a big list of people from the task Force. Anyone and everyone that has ever contacted the FBI about aliens are there. They are hoping to find some people from the warehouse. Others, that knows the truth. Others that want to fight *Where do I sign up?*

Ryan had been left a card from his ‘friend’ Angelo. It has: ‘Cyrus’ and ‘51509 Gibbs Ave’ Written on it. Valerie asks who that is Ryan replies “Some Guy I know”.

Erica goes to Tyler and thanks him for keeping his promise regarding the Visitors.

We end this episode on the Mothership where Dale Maddox regains consciousness… “Ohh no!”

Vala The Great

Hey BSG, Caprica and on-line gaming fans,

Here is the news we have been waiting for! A new online browser based gaming effort announced by NBC Universal using Battlestar Galactica as the reference material!

Can a MMOG version for a Caprica based game in New Cap City be not too far behind? NBC through their SyFy distribution strategy is well placed to support such an activity with a beloved series recently retired only to be continued with the hit prequel series Caprica.

Caprica airs weekly on SyFy at 9:00 PM Eastern/Pacific with a marathon of the series aired to date starting 11:00 AM Eastern/pacific this Friday March 12 2010. Click any image above to visit NBC or Caprica on SyFy. Enjoy!

Best Regards

NBC UNIVERSAL AND BIGPOINT ANNOUNCE FIRST EVER MMOG BASED UPON THE TELEVISION PHENOMENON, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA ONLINE

NBC UNIVERSAL AND BIGPOINT ANNOUNCE FIRST EVER MMOG BASED UPON THE TELEVISION PHENOMENON, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA ONLINE

March 09, 2010

NBC Universal and Bigpoint Announce Frakkin’ Sweet 3D Browser-Based MMOG at 2010 Game Developers Conference Co-Development with Unity Pushes Visual and Technology Boundaries
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – March 9, 2010 – The global market leader in browser-based

Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG), Bigpoint, (http://www.bigpoint.com/) will be demonstrating the next generation of client-free PC gaming at Game Developers Conference 2010. Leading its product slate for 2010 will be Battlestar Galactica Online, a tactical space combat and adventure MMOG based upon Syfy’s Battlestar Galactica series. The game, inspired by one of the most popular science fiction series in television history, will launch worldwide exclusively this fall on Syfy.com for a 30 day period. The Unity co-developed MMOG will offer state of the art graphics that can be played directly in an Internet browser. The teaser website for Battlestar Galactica Online is available at http://www.bgo.bigpoint.com and Bigpoint will be discussing this announcement at booth 2038 at Game Developers Conference, March 9th-12th. Battlestar Galactica Online is licensed through Universal Partnerships & Licensing, on behalf of the NBC Universal Television Consumer Products Group.

Battlestar Galactica is the gripping saga of humanity’s last remnants and their struggle to find a new home while fleeing from their deadly Cylon enemies. Redefining the space opera with its gritty realism, Galactica’s intensity, issues-driven topicality, and command performances have garnered it numerous awards, including three Emmy? Awards and the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. The show was recognized by the American Film Institute (AFI) as one of the most outstanding programs of the year two years running. The series was produced by Universal Cable Productions and executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. The outstanding ensemble cast was led by Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park.

“Battlestar Galactica is a supremely gameable intellectual property, with compelling character classes, a fantastic array of ships and weaponry, multiple worlds, and a dramatic storyline,” said Bill Kispert, VP & GM, Digital Platforms, Universal Partnerships & Licensing. ” We are excited to work with Bigpoint – and our partners at Universal Cable Productions and Syfy – to bring an epic, accessible, and ‘always on’ BSG experience to fans of the franchise and online gamers alike.”

CLICK HERE READ ENTIRE ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE:

Welcome back Caprica fans!

This episode continued to push plot stories, but it also provided a lighter side; I hope we see more of that.

The episode starts one series’ month prior to current events. At the Vergis Corporation on Tauron, there has been a break-in at the Metacognitive Process Research Lab…and murder. Tomas Vergis (John Pyper-Ferguson, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: TNG) observes the chip is gone and 2 people are now dead.

Back to current series’ time. Tom Vergis shows up at a corporate dinner party Daniel Graystone and Amanda are attending.

Tom wants a meeting. There is an interesting hawk-like sculpture in the background

Back at the house Daniel tells half-truths to Amanda, but Amanda knows he is holding back. For a couple who seem to know each other so well, they knew very little about their daughter, Zoe. Cyrus comes over to discuss Tom’s agenda with Daniel. Blackmail is the obvious conclusion. Cyrus is livid when he finds out that Daniel went to the Ha’la’tha, the Tauron mafia, to rob Vergis. Listening in the lab is U-87/Avatar Zoe who is in disbelief at what she is hearing.

Joseph Adama has purchased his first holoband from “Emptor Electronics” (as in “caveat emptor, let the buyer beware, which is so funny, an underlying warning about his holoband purchase) in an effort to find Tamara in the V-club. He is frustrated that he cannot get into the hacked sites immediately. Daniel walks into Joseph’s apartment, rips the holoband confronts him about the Vergis break-in. Joseph assures him that if Vergis knew about the theft and who did it, he would be dead. Joseph tries to tell him about Heracles and Tamara; Daniel insists they are gone and leaves.

We hear on Caprica television that there has been another bombing by the Soldiers of the One (STO). Clarice wants to know who is doing this. Nestor tells her it is likely Barnabus Greely (James Marsters, Smallwood, Torchwood).

Fun fact: Both James Marsters and John Pyper-Ferguson appeared in the same episode of Lie To Me, “Truth or Consequences.”

Olaf introduces new technology to Clarice called a swipe drive that will allow wireless download of data. Nestor believes with this data, they can crack the Zoe avatar or any dead person. Clarice corrects him and says, “It is the continuation of the soul into eternity.”

She says something at this time that sparked my interest, “…and I’m certain that is what Daniel was talking about.” Two possibilities exist here. She could simply be talking about the interview she saw with Daniel Graystone on the Sarno show. There is another Daniel that Battlestar fans are quite familiar with Daniel the 7th Cylon, created by the final 5 Cylons that took humanoid form, but Cavil was jealous of the relationship his mother (Ellen) had with him and sabotages his genetic code and the Daniel line could not be continued into the BSG storyline. Time will tell.

Clarice initiates a phone call to a vulnerable and grieving Amanda. After hearing the Global Defense Department (GDD) took everything from Zoe’s room, Clarice claims to have some of Zoe’s books and offers to bring them over. Among these books is “Markowitz’s Math.” I wondered if this was a nod to Harry Markowitz? Markowitz chose to apply mathematics to the analysis of the stock market as the topic for his dissertation. Why is this funny, you may ask? I love Easter eggs like this. There is a book just out called “The Quants” by Scott Patterson that describes the people on Wall Street who used mathematics in the stock market and ultimately caused its collapse. Ron Moore likes to make politicial statements.

Joseph and Sam have a talk about what happened at the Vergis Corporation. Joseph is worried that the Guatrau will find out they stole from another Tauron. Sam is confident it cannot be traced back to him.

Tom and Daniel have lunch. Graystone Industries is going to need money and Tom offers 300 million cubits for Daniel’s beloved pyramid team the C-Bucks. I love the different camera angles they use in filming this scene. Cyrus wants Daniel to accept the offer, but Daniel thinks it is a trap.

Philomon, the lab technician who is falling in love with U-87/Avatar Zoe, is trying to find a date on the virtual dating site called Caprica V-Match. I love the details that are given about the young man. He is 5 feet 9 inches tall, an average build, blue eyes. He desires dating females and is age 27, from Qualai, Caprica. In our own world, Qualai in Kurdish translates into the word “castle.” Qualai is also named in BSG, pilot episode Hero, as the town in which William Adama (Willie in Caprica) grows up on Caprica. Philomon is the chief lab technician at Graystone Industries. He has had an impressive education: A BS in applied mathematics from Qualai University; a PhD in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering, an master of science in computer sciences (MSCS), a master’s degree in applied physics. His hobbies include applied robotics, quantum mechanics on a nuclear level and astrology. His favorite TV shows are Sarno and reruns of Gemenon monster movies. His favorite website is the Grand Library of Libran.

Poor Philomon has no matches. Out of 12 planets, not one woman is interested in him. No wonder he has fallen in love with a robot! While he is hitting on U-87/Avatar Zoe, Daniel interrupts the intimate moment. Philomon is embarrassed.

Disclaimer: WHR supports each person’s right to believe in a faith of their own choosing or for those who do not believe and their right to choose not to believe and respect them as well. This is delineated by analogy within the single effect of Caprica’s episode “Know Thy Enemy.” WHR is neither comparing nor stating one is “better than the others.” Quite the contrary. Our only editorial purposes is to analyze the religious elements that are represented in the Caprica episode.

At the shipping yards, we meet Barnabus. He is performing what looks like to be some variation of some kind of religious self-flagellation, but instead of whips we associate with Opus Dei from the movie, “The Da Vinci Code”, this is with barbed wire wrapped around his right arm. Flagellation (not applied to self but others) associated with religion goes back to the days of Greece (Dionysus cult) and Egypt (Isis cult). There are sects of the Catholic church in the Philippines and Latin America where self-flagellation is quite common. Also some members of strict monastic orders and, according to Opus Dei’s website, some members practice mild self-flagellation with an instrument that is a cattail whip usually made of knotted cords and is flung over the shoulders repeatedly during private prayer. In Islam, flagellation of others is used in certain cases under Islamic Sharia law (see Rasheed Abou-Alsamh, “Ruling Jolts Even Saudis, from the New York Times article 11/16/2007). While self-harm is forbidden in Islam, some sects of Shi’a Muslims found only in Iran and the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia perform self-flagellation on the Day of Ashura. The practice is frowned upon by Sunnis and other Muslims. Self-flagellation is even used by mystics and religious ecstatics as part of rituals and ceremonies to achieve unusual states of mind.

Clarice visits Apotheosis in the virtual world. The Conclave is supporting Barnabus. Apotheosis tells Clarice that God calls on us to display humility and place our trust in his emissaries. Clarice says Barnabus is just muscle for the Conclave, not an emissary. She pleads for more time to give them something better.

Clarice meets Serge and is perplexed at how to respond to the machine. Clarice tells him that is an awful name (Serge means “servant.”) Funny note: There is someone that exists in this world named “Serge Ribot” according to a directory of names. Could that be Serge the Robot in disguise who managed to find his way to Earth after the destruction of the colonies? Using Amanda’s grief and pain to bond with her, Clarice suggests they share a drink. A drunk Amanda then brings her to Zoe’s room and says they took everything. However, the dragonflies are still on the wall (See my review on Caprica: Rebirth to understand the hidden meaning). Not understanding the implications of what she is doing, the drunk Amanda allows Clarice into the lab to see some pictures that Zoe drew that were not taken because the GDD was not allowed in there.

In the lab, Clarice calls U-87 a “scary thing.” Amanda thinks it a “frakkin ugly monster.” U-87/Avatar Zoe shakes her head, obviously hurt. The wirelesss information-gathering device is planted. Amanda inquires if Zoe shared how much she hated Daniel’s work, but Clarice says no but says that Zoe did say she loved the house, growing up there and planting a garden. U-87/Avatar Zoe is nodding her head as if she remembers doing that. Amanda says it was the other house. Clarice embraces Amanda and Zoe looks worried.

Joseph asks Evelyn to find Heracles, telling her he is a witness for one of his cases. She returns with the details of the young man. Again, the writers do a fabulous job at creating a life for a character in a picture moment: According to his driver’s license, his real name is Tad Thorean, date of birth 6/4/27YR. He attends North Ridge High School. Evelyn admires Joseph’s new tattoo. They share looks of attraction. Perhaps this is the beginning of a future entanglement?

Barnabus meets Lacy Rand via Keon. Although impressed by her intelligence, he declines to help. When Lacy tries to persist at convincing him, Barnabus’ temper erupts. Scary moment for me as a viewer as I was not expecting that. Barnabus tells Keon to stop thinking with his “tarse” and perhaps Keon was feeling guilty about building the bomb Ben used that ultimately killed Zoe, Lacy’s friend. Keon says he did not know Ben was going to use it for that purpose. Barnabus tells Keon to find out what the cargo is.

U-87/Avatar Zoe goes to the computer and creates a virtual character called Rachel who responds to Philomon’s date search. Philomon is thrilled to see there was an inquiry and goes on his virtual date. He notices immediately that Rachel/Zoe looks like Zoe Graystone. Rachel/Zoe covers quickly with a clever reason why she disguises herself to look like the most hated girl in the 12 colonies. Philomon says that for all the bad things they say, Zoe Graystone had principles. Rachel/Zoe is beaming. It was fantastic to see Allesandra get to show off her exuberant and quirky personality. Love is in the air. I hope we get to see a lot more of Rachel/Zoe in the episodes ahead.

Tom Vergis goes on the Sarno show and takes some quips about a friendly rivalry. After the interview, Daniel thinks he knows what Tom is up to.

Back at the Graystone’s house, the view out the window looks familiar (it is the view from Baltar’s house in Battlestar Galactica). It makes me wonder if Baltar at some point in the future winds up buying the Graystone property. Daniel is having nightmares, imagining how the 2 people at the Vergis Corporation died. Daniel decides to refuse to sell the pyramid team to Tom and calls him out on his scheme to get the military contract back. Tom’s scheme is more insidious. “My dream is to tear up your dream.” Vergis forgives him for the stolen property, but the deaths must be repaid according to the Tauron code “blood for blood.” The two people who died were his children and Vergis shows Daniel the tattoo on his arm that represents them.

Daniel’s flashes of his nightmare return. He toasts to Daniel, “Until the debt is paid.” Tom thanks Daniel for the drink and leaves. Amongst the civility, war has just been declared on Daniel Graystone.

Until next week Caprica fans…Looks like an action-packed episode where Joseph enlists Heracle/Tad’s help in finding Tamara. I cannot wait.

PBMom

Hi there Chuck fans!

Just in case you missed Chuck last week here’s a recap of “Chuck Versus The Fake Name”  for you to read and included below is a cool NBC video with more insight into Chuck. Thanks NBC!

Ellie vents to Awesome about Chuck’s “secret” girlfriend and decides to confront Chuck about it.

However, Ellie expresses her feelings to a closed bathroom door and she is surprised when Hannah walks out of it, wearing only a towel.

Chuck comes home just in time to make a formal if awkward introduction. To make up to Ellie for all his secrecy, Chuck invites her and Awesome over for dinner with him and Hannah for his famous chicken pepperoni.

Sarah and Shaw seem to be on a casual lunch date, when Sarah tells him that she wants to keep things professional between them. But the two spies are actually on a stake-out of Rafe Gruber,a dangerous assassin that The Ring has hired. The CIA needs to know who Rafe’s target is. Casey shoots Rafe with a tranquilizer gun and the agents apprehend him, bringing him to Castle. However, Casey is disappointed to learn that Shaw wants to put Chuck on the mission instead of him.

A cheerful Chuck comes to Castle, and Sarah catches on that he and Hannah have consummated their relationship. Chuck’s next mission: assume an alias and pretend to be Rafe Gruber.Chuck, confident from his portrayal as Perchik in “Fiddler on the Roof,” thinks he has this assignment in the bag, but Shaw smacks Chuck in the face, reminding him that he must do everything Rafe would do in every situation. Before Casey gets to torture Rafe to extract crucial details, Chuck intercedes. He needs to get to know Rafe to assume his character for the mission. Rafe’s phone rings and Chuck imitates the assassin’s low, raspy voice to find out where Rafe is supposed to meet his associates. It works and Casey, impressed, says, “Not bad, Bartowski” to which Chuck replies, “Who the hell is Bartowski?”

The Buy Morons are astounded by Chuck’s luck with the ladies, as they watch Hannah snuggle up to him during an inspirational speech from Big Mike about pushing the store’s new line of crock pots. Chuck informs Casey that he needs to finish the mission by 5:00 p.m. today because he has dinner plans; the Colonel isn’t sympathetic to Chuck’s personal life.

Meanwhile, down at Castle, Rafe comes on strong to Sarah and Shaw doesn’t like it. To show just how much he doesn’t like it, he punches Rafe out.

Chuck, dressed as Rafe, heads out on the mission, with Casey in tow. They meet a pair of “goodfellas,” Matty and Scotty. Matty recognizes Casey from somewhere and wonders if he’s a sniper he used to work with named Alex Coburn. Immediately Chuck flashes on this name, but there’s no photo of the mysterious and dangerous militant. The goons believe Casey to be a fed and Chuck, in order to protect his cover, whacks Casey in the mouth with a gun and swears to kill him if he’s a cop.

Meanwhile, in the surveillance van, Sarah tells Shaw that she is worried about Chuck’s ability to lie. They realize that Casey has been made and tell Chuck to stall until back-up can arrive. Chuck plays it cool like Rafe: like any good assassin, he is going to get information out of the “informant” before killing him. Matty rolls out a special torture kit–filled with dental instruments. Casey secretly signals Chuck to go ahead. Left with no choice, Chuck using a pair of forceps pulls out Casey’s tooth. The cavalry arrives just in time and Sarah, in her S.W.A.T. uniform, tells Chuck not to freak out–that he has to continue to act like Rafe. Chuck listens to Sarah and skill flashes on kung-fu, this time fighting the agents and gaining the trust of the assassin’s associates. Casey’s impressed with Chuck’s work, but Sarah seems unsettled with how easy it was for him to keep up the lie.

Back at Castle, Casey’s proud of Chuck, but an angry Rafe, being brought out in handcuffs, tries to attack him. In the scuffle, the apprehended assassin grabs a Buy More pen. When Chuck presses Casey about the name Alex Coburn, Casey tells him to mind his own business. And even though Chuck’s late for dinner with Hannah, there’s nothing to worry about–Sarah and Shaw have gone to his apartment ahead of time and prepared everything for him, including the chicken pepperoni.

Meanwhile, at the Buy More, Big Mike, Lester and Jeff all agree that no matter what girl Chuck is with, Sarah is the one that makes his eyes shine the brightest.

Ellie, Awesome, and Hannah are very impressed with Chuck’s dinner. When Chuck tries to vent to Awesome about how he didn’t have time to make the dinner, Awesome doesn’t want to hear the truth–he doesn’t want to lie to Ellie anymore.

Hannah makes a toast to how happy she is. Sarah forlornly watches this heart-warming moment through the surveillance video at Castle. When Shaw offers her some left-over chicken for dinner, she rebuffs him and goes off alone.

There is trouble brewing in other places as well–Rafe, the real assassin, has used the Buy More pen to escape from his handcuffs. At the Buy More, Hannah asks Chuck to have dinner with her parents tonight. Chuck leaves his phone unattended for a moment while Big Mike asks his cooking advice–and Hannah picks it up, not knowing that Chuck is supposed to be Rafe. Matty and Scotty make their way to the Buy More and Chuck has to turn into Rafe fast. Once Matty and Scotty get to the Buy More, they take Chuck’s watch and smash it–but surprisingly this is a good thing. The two thugs give Chuck a gold watch for saving them. They  still believe that Chuck is Rafe and even better, they’ve found the location of the guy he’s supposed to kill.

Sarah visits Shaw at his apartment to apologize to him for being cold. After Shaw puts on some clothes per Sarah’s request, she admits to him that she’s been having trouble adjusting to Chuck’s spy transition. More than that, it makes her think of who she used to be before she was a spy. Across from Shaw’s apartment building, Matty and Scotty have set up a sniper rifle for Chuck and when he lines up his shot, he sees Shaw and Sarah. It all comes together: The Ring wants Shaw dead and has hired Rafe to do the job. Chuck has headphones on and can hear everything Shaw and Sarah are talking about–including how she has been having trouble accepting Chuck’s recent changes.

Then, Sarah reveals her real name to Shaw–it’s Sam. Shaw kisses her and she’s into it. Chuck sees all of  this and can’t believe Sarah never told him her real name. He has to play it off to Matty and Scotty that Sam is his girl, and Shaw is stealing her.

Back at Castle, Casey realizes that Rafe is missing and finds Chuck’s location. Chuck convinces Matty and Scotty he’s got to fight Shaw man-to-man. Chuck arrives at Shaw’s and quickly gets him to catch on that they are being watched. Chuck pretends to be Rafe but underneath this layer of undercover, a fine line of truth about the mens’ true feelings for Sarah surface.

Chuck punches Shaw and reveals that he knows Sarah’s real name too. Shaw doesn’t hold anything back and while the men fight, Rafe finds Matty and  Scotty, shoots them, then makes his way to Shaw’s apartment–and is ready to execute all three spies. Rafe and Chuck fight, and Chuck tells himself to flash but to no avail. Rafe overpowers both Chuck and Shaw, and then holds Sarah by gunpoint. Rafe sees that Chuck and Shaw have a soft spot for Sarah and a shot is fired. Sarah falls to the floor. For a moment, Chuck and Shaw are in shock, but Colonel Casey has saved the day.  From across the street, he used the sniper rifle and made an incredible shot, right in Rafe’s head.

After the mission, Chuck gets some sisterly advice from Ellie about Hannah. Chuck feels like he is living a lie, and Ellie chalks this up to him still having feelings for Sarah, that things are moving too fast with Hannah.

Chuck knows that Ellie’s right and decides to break things off with Hannah–which he does at a restaurant right before dinner with her parents. Hannah is hurt, and  calls Chuck the best liar she’s met, something that really hits a nerve with him, more than she’ll ever know.

Shaw must now hide down in Castle since The Ring knows he’s alive and Sarah brings him some goodies to enjoy while he’s down there. He thanks her, by her real name–Sam, and they kiss. Meanwhile, Chuck walks the streets alone.

In this week’s episode Chuck Vs. The Fake Beard, Unable to flash, Chuck is left behind for a mission–but soon encounters a sticky situation at Castle with Chuck this season!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s column on Chuck as much as I enjoy writing it for you. If you have any comments or suggestions for me you may contact me on twitter.

Ceramicat

Hey Fringe Fans,

Well we do not know how anyone could have missed it, but, just in case, WHR is pleased to confirm that one of o ur favorite alternate reality wormhole-related series, FRINGE has been renewed for a third groundbreaking season. First reported on Entertainment Weekly to the best of our knowledge, click the EW logo for their exclusive. Great report EW, thank you!

This means ever more endless impossibilities and more fantastic stories about the coming war between the realities. Will Peter and Olivia fall in love and what will The Observer say about that? Could Walter reunite with William Bell?

Will Astrid take over the tank in the lab or get in for a trip down memory lane?

Will Gene the Cow make another appearance as the laboratory mascot or as the real boss cow of the show? Will Olivia visit “The Other Side” again to rally the forces of good with Cortexiphan enhanced ‘soldiers’?

And let us not forget about Nina Sharp and Agent Broyles! Are they deeply involved in Massive Dynamic , and with WHAT?! OMG Click the Massive Dynamic image below and maybe you can find out!

Well FRINGE fans it appears that, with a third season, one of our favorite series may be on the way to a season four and five!

That’s right folks, based on the fact that FOX signed the main writers for a three year contract, in the opinion of this reporter it is only the beginning of a long run of at least two more renewals for us all wi th more great episodic stories for all of us! YAY!

As always, FRINGE leaves us with more questions than answers, and we are fervently hoping that th is third season renewal will be the herald to many more – both seasons and answers!

Please join us with Ian, Levi, Craig and other FRINGE friends at TheFRINGEReport Dot Com every Wednesday 9:00 PM EST to discuss the Endless Impossibilities of FRINGE as season two continues in just a few short weeks on April 01, 2010!

Stay tuned to WHR as NaddyCat tracks the action with her thoughtful and inspiring reviews about what the real meaning of FRINGE is. Click her avatar to visit Naddy on Twitter!

Best Regards,

As fans slumber on this side of the International Date Line, our good friend and fearless WHR reporter, SuperrHuman (two R’s please), will be with the Stars of the Stargate! That’s correct friends, SuperrHuman, aka Zoe is visiting stars of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe in person! We look forward to her thoughts and impressions about the journey and adventures found @ HubCon Stargate 2010 in Melbourne Australia!

Safe journey and have lots of fun Zoe! We are all there with you in spirit! To visit Zoe on Twitter, please click the SuperrHuman avatar above right! Thank you.

Hey Atlantis Fans,

The Stargate Atlantis Rewind Chat Continues EVERY Friday at 9pm EST/6pm PST,  with rewinds again at 12am EST/9pm PST.   Join us on twitter or our online chat room.

Contact me on Twitter for updates on SGARewinds each week using the #SGARewind hash tag.

Thank you and I hope to see you there!

ceramicat

Hey Stargate Universe Fans!

The next Stargate Universe Hiatus Project chat is Friday March 05, 2010 6:00 PM PST, 9:00 PM Eastern 2:00 AM GMT for SGU fans.

So far the special guests have included Josh Blacker, Brian Jacob Smith , Patrick Gilmore, Mark Savela and Herb Sommerfeld! All were wonderful to chat with! Stop by because you never know when an SGU star may just drop by to chat with you, the fans of Stargate Universe!

Click the banner below to “Gate” directly to SGU Hiatus Project Chat on Colonel_Ez’s blog!

Adria the Cat and I will unfortunately miss this weeks Hiatus Project as I will be away on business.

Best Regards

WR_Systems

Welcome Back Caprica Fans!

Friday’s episode of Caprica was incredibly dense, packed full of information, character development and glimpses of the future. For the Adama family and the Graystone family, they are awakening from their grief states to see that while you will never “get over” the loss of a loved one, you learn to live life differently – life with another sky. For Tamara, another sky for her is finding out what her new role in life is.

As Caprica began, Joseph Adama is at one of the lowest points of depression, sleeping on the couch with the blankets pulled up over his head. Willie is not in school. Sam uses some tough love to wake him up: He has another child who still needs him. Sam pretends that he is taking Willie to school and walks out.

In the V-club, Tamara roams. Byun (actress Eve Harlow, Fringe) takes her to see Vesta (actress Camille Mitchell). Tamara has been told that Vesta can get her home. In a freaky game that resembles a hybrid game of spin the bottle and Russian roulette, the wheel spins. Once it stops, your virtual avatar picks up the virtual gun that stops in front of you. Everyone puts their respective virtual guns to their avatar’s head and pulls the trigger. The virtual gun with the virtual bullet will knock a participant out of the V-club and thus they become the loser.

Vesta tells Tamara to just take off her holoband, but Tamara responds that she cannot. With a quick draw, Vesta shoots Tamara, expecting to see her avatar de-res. Tamara has blood on her avatar’s body, but her wound heals. Vesta says that she is a “sleeper.” A sleeper is supposed to be a myth, someone who fell asleep with their holoband on and cannot wake up, like someone unconscious or in a coma. Her holoband has a time-out feature built into it, but Vesta surmises there must have been a malfunction. She can hack it and do a manual disconnect. There is always a price. Vesta wants Tamara to play a game.

Over at the Adama house, Joseph gets a call that Willie has been out sick for several days now. Joseph inquires exactly how long and is told the middle of last week (a story week for the character). Finding Willie at Sam’s business, there is an awkward moment between the three of them. Joseph tells Willie to come with him; Willie looks to Sam; Joseph sees that look; Sam motions his head to go with his father. Sam reminds Joseph of an old Tauron saying: “You lose something in the desert. Someone else finds it – it belongs to them. Permanent.” Joseph replies that he did not lose his son; Sam counters, “Then what are you doing here?”

Heracles (actor Richard Harmon, Fringe, Riese) takes Tamara’s avatar to a virtual Caprica that is totally lawless. It reminded me of being in a virtual replica of perhaps the video game Grand Theft Auto meets the movie Sin City. A dirigible hovers nearby, fighter planes detaching from it, which sprays bullets in their path on the fire escape. Heracles explains “New Cap City” to Tamara; it has all the new routines, even the one that features the Maglev train blowing up. Her memory is returning: “When MY Maglev train blew up.” If that is true, Heracles wonders how long she has been sleeping. What is the object of the game “New Cap City?” The object of the game IS the object of the game. He reassures her that the game is not real; it, however, feels very real to her.

Back to the Adama house, reality is setting in for Joseph. He finds pictures of his family. The mixture of joyful memories, mixed with pain at remembering those better times, and grief for what he no longer has rises in his face. Esai Morales did a fantastic job displaying this wide range of emotions.

Tamara and Heracles begin to play the game, going after a boss, Chiron (actor A. C. Peterson, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis). Playing tag team, Tamara serves as the distraction, while Heracles uses his device to steal the details of Chiron’s avatar. Back at the hotel, Heracles uses the device to change his avatar to one that looks like Chiron. They are planning a virtual bank heist. In a personal moment, Heracles tells Tamara that the game allows him to be something. Tamara responds that perhaps if he was not in the virtual world playing the game, he could be something out in the real world, too.

Joseph tries to move forward to rebuild his life and takes Willie fishing. As any typical teenager seeking to make life miserable for those with whom he is angry, he gets that point across quite well. Looking on is a group of kids making fun of his Tauron heritage. Fed up, Willie throws a rock at his tormentor and starts punching him.

Cyrus at Graystone Industries tells Daniel he may be ousted from the board because of his decision on world-wide television to give away holoband licensure (60% of the company’s profits). When Daniel asks Cyrus if they have the votes, Cyrus walks away, giving Daniel his answer. Daniel goes home, but cannot sleep. He shares the bad news with Amanda. Amanda reminds him about the circumstances under which he got the job that started everything for them, when she was pregnant with Zoe.

The next morning at the board meeting, Cyrus and Pryah speak up on behalf of Daniel. In what has to be one of the BEST scenes so far in all of the episodes, Daniel seals the fate of humanity of the Twelve Colonies. With U-87/Avatar Zoe at his side, he walks in and declares that holobands are over. Hacked sites are eating up more and more of their market share each quarter and that is where the kids are going because it is free. The next generation will also expect it to be free. They cannot own it forever. Daniel says they can put all their resources into that sinking ship or they can look for the next big thing, the next leap forward that will “change the world.” Oh, Daniel, if you only knew. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. He says, “We either move into the future or die trying to hold on to the past.” I’m yelling at the screen at this point (in my head, of course, so as not to upset my family: Your future is death!”) U-87 is that future. Daniel asks U-87 to “make the circuit. Take a nice look at all…these…fine…folks.” As U-87 starts to make the rounds, not only is the board uneasy as this machine checks them out, but so am I. And the Emmy goes to….”U-87!”

Avatar Zoe pops into frame, just loving making faces at all the board members, just like a 16-year-old would.

Daniel continues to speak: “What is it thinking? Or feeling? THAT is the big leap forward. Beyond artificial intelligence. This is artificial sentience.” He says that he feels like there is a being in U-87, alive, vital and special. There are test results to prove it as well. Avatar Zoe looks so proud of her dad, but happy, I believe, that he acknowledges her existence on some level. “There is a brilliant mind in here.” She is beaming.

A board member asks, “What are the practical applications of something that costs so much.” Daniel replies, “What are the practical applications of creating another race to share our universe? A tireless worker who won’t need to be paid, won’t retire, or get sick. He won’t have rights or objections or complaints. It will do anything and everything we ask of it without question.” He commands U-87 to rip off its arm. At this point I am unsure if this is purposely done this way or if it was something not thought through. U-87 hesitates. He has to repeat the command a few times to U-87 before it happens. Avatar Zoe inside of U-87 does not want to do this. Why did Daniel not pick up on this hesitation? Did he just think the model was new and he had to repeat the command more than once? He said they would do everything without question, but the model was clearly not responding to the initial command. U-87 eventually rips off its arm and for emphasis throws it onto the conference table, a thud that issued the future death warrant on humanity. The move has secured Daniel his spot in Graystone Industries.

Back at the V-club, the virtual bank heist is on with Heracles using Chiron’s avatar. Tamara and Heracles figure out the code and open the vault. Virtual coins go flying in the air. Alarms sound; they’ve been caught. When the guards try to shoot, Tamara throws him to the ground, grips her palms hard and the guards’ avatars disappear. She is not quite sure how she did that. It reminded me a lot of The Matrix.

In my reviews, I have neglected to mention how wonderful the visual effects are in Caprica. The work they are doing on this show is incredible, so incredible that I often take for granted a lot of what I see is not real. I still find great irony that the technology is so advanced in some areas, like the V-club, yet they still have hard-wired phone lines, cars that resemble those in the 1950’s.

Willie and Joseph have a tense moment in the Adama house. Sam knocks on the door. He and Larry sit down with Joseph. What has he been teaching Willie, he asks? Only the things they were taught, Sam replies. Willie needs closure. Sam wants Joseph to perform the Tauron rites.

The Tauron ceremony was very beautiful. It reminded me loosely of sitting shiva after a person of the Jewish faith has been buried. Ideally all of the direct mourners sit shiva in the house of the deceased, for it says, “Where a person lived, there does his spirit continue to dwell.” Thus the presence of the person who has passed away is strongest in his own home. But one may sit shiva in any home. Particularly, a home of one of the direct mourners will be filled with the spirit of the loved one who is now gone. Memories will come easily there, and part of the comfort of the week of shiva is sharing such memories. The Adama household was more festive than shiva, however, so that is where the similarities ended. Performing the Tauron ritual was the ferryman (actor Ian Wallace, Stargate: The Ark of Truth, Sanctuary). Both Joseph and Willie offered up a coin for the passage of the souls of Shannon and Tamara Adama. Sam Adama stands behind the two, his shirt off, showing off the story of his life through his tattoos.

Note: Show Patrol aka Curt Wagner had a wonderful intensive with Jane Espenson who shared in great detail what every tattoo means. Please see Curts fine report by clicking his link above left or Curt’s Show Patrol avatar below:

The ferryman asks them, “Will you let them go? Joseph and Willie both respond yes. “They will live forever in peace and in their hearts.” The marking of this chapter in their life is inked into them; it might even be Joseph’s first tattoo since he is embracing his Tauron roots. A beautiful Tauron song is performed by a character listed as “Tauron Rites Singers” but is actress Patti Allan (Stargate SG-1).

At the V-club, Vesta asks Heracles and Tamara for the device. Tamara is a fast learner. First, Vesta is going to wake her up. Vesta says she has bad news for Tamara – Apparently she died in the Maglev bombing, but no worries, she has plans for Tamara in the virtual world. Tamara pulls out her virtual gun and sprays the place with bullets, making all the avatars, except for Vesta and Heracles, to res-out. Tamara begs Heracles to go to the address listed in the newspaper and get her father and to meet her in New Cap City. She walks over to Vesta. Vesta says, “What ARE you?” An angry Tamara responds, “I’m awake!” and the Vesta avatar leaves the virtual world.

With the Tauron Rites ceremony behind them, the Adama family is moving forward again until a knock at the door pulls Joseph back into the world of grief: Heracles tells him that Tamara is trapped in the V-club. When Joseph starts to question him, Heracles gets scared and runs away, leaving Joseph to know that his daughter’s avatar is somewhere in the virtual world but also knowing it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Back in New Cap City, Tamara has morphed from a frightened school girl into a virtual bad-ass tapped into her Tauron roots.

As she strolled down the street, it reminded me of the commanding presence of the human-like Cylon females (like Caprica Six) that eventually emerge in the remake of Battlestar Galactica: Confident, powerful, fearless.

PBMom

Hey Battlestar and Caprica Fans!

Wow! Our apologies to SyFy and NBC Universal! My bad! Must have missed this when out of town last week working on Star Trek memorabilia collection inventory! What did I miss posting? Why none other than the fantastic auction of Battlestar Galactica props and costumes. The BSG auction continues through March 07, 2010.

Although WHR did not cover BSG, and we wish we had been in operations to do so, do not miss the final days of this fantastic auction folks conducted by Propworx!

Please click their logo to visit Propworx and click the Cylon below to visit the auction on E-Bay!

Best Regards,

WR_Systems

From NBC Universal Press Release: “Raptor Flight Suit, “Helo” Dog Tags and Viper Blueprints Are Among The Items Available To Fans & Collectors In The Last Auction For The Iconic Series”

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – February 26, 2010 - The final online auction for “Battlestar Galactica” begins today! In the last of the historic props and costume auctions for Syfy’s powerful drama, fans and collectors will have one last chance to purchase the remaining items that helped bring the series to life. The auction will be live at 6:00 p.m. PT at http://shop.ebay.com/propworx/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=200&_sop=3 and will run through March 7, 2010.

Click Zoe the U-87 Cylon image below to visit the auction on E-Bay!

Key items in the last auction include Lee Adama’s Viper model, a pair of “stunt duty blues” for Admiral Adama, a Raptor flight suit, a pair of Karl “Helo” Agathon’s dog tags, Colonel Saul Tigh’s dog tags and Chief Galen Tyrol’s dog tags, Viper cockpit blueprints, a resin FN 5-7 pistol and an architectural schematic of New Caprica.

“It has been a very gratifying experience to work on these auctions over the past year – to see the passionate fan support and to be able to give so much to great charities, said Kurt Ford, Senior Vice President, Production Services, NBC Universal. “We really want to thank the fans and collectors who have embraced the auctions and made them such a success.”

“The Battlestar Galactica auctions have been an awesome experience for all of us at Propworx and for the fans who we have had the pleasure to serve.” said Alec Peters, Propworx CEO. “These auctions have truly set the standard for how studios can interact with fans to give them the opportunity to own a piece of the show they love.”

NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group partnered with Propworx for the series of live and online events over the past year. Thousands of fans and collectors have taken part in the auctions and thousands of dollars have been raised for charities including United Way and organizations designated by the actors. Some of the key items that have resonated with fans during the auctions include the “Number Six” red dress, the Cylon Resurrection Tub, Admiral Adama’s desk and the Cylon War painting. “Battlestar Galactica” concluded its successful run on Syfy (formerly the SCI FI Channel) on March 20, 2009.

About “Battlestar Galactica”

Battlestar Galactica is the gripping saga of humanity’s last remnants and their struggle to find a new home while fleeing from their deadly Cylon enemies. Redefining the space opera with its gritty realism, Galactica’s intensity, issues-driven topicality, and command performances have garnered it numerous awards, including three Emmy? Awards and the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. The show was recognized by the American Film Institute (AFI) as one of the most outstanding programs of the year two years running. The series is produced by Universal Cable Productions and executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. The outstanding ensemble cast is led by Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park.

About Propworx

PROPWORX was created in 2008 by Alec Peters, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winner. Propworx changed the face of Hollywood prop and costume auctions with their event auction concept: fans and collectors can meet the cast and creators of their favorite genre TV series and films amidst the iconic relics from these properties, on which they can then bid to win. The landmark, year long, Battlestar Galactica auction events were the company’s inaugural productions. Follow Propworx at Propworx.com and for more information about the Battlestar Galactica auctions, please visit www.battlestarprops.com.

About NBC Universal Television DVD, Music, and Consumer Products Group

NBC Universal is a leader in providing entertainment programming to the domestic and international marketplaces. NBC Universal Television DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group manages all global ancillary television business endeavors for the NBC Universal Television Group, including third-party home entertainment distribution, consumer products, musical soundtracks, special market projects and the NBC Universal Online Store