Jake Kane in the bedroom with a revolver

Hidden Palms is over. Yawn. Cliff was so trustworthy and sweet the whole episode that I was totally prepared (and excited) for him to get away with murder. Then the mention of Skip's long ago affair with Maria (and let's face it, the proximity of Secor as a shady dad) made me wonder if Greta and Eddie were half siblings. It would have given us a reason as to why he was boffing secret BFF Liza (he could no longer stomach the wooden affection of his half-sis!). And it would have given Greta Blah Blah Boringcakes a motive. Sort of.

Greta as the killer is about the only thing that would have redeemed her in my eyes. But, of course, she was an unwitting bystander in the murder(s) and the cover-up(s), just as she is in life. A catalyst and a whiner, but not a girl of action, that one.

The series was wrapped up fairly tidily with a bit too much happily ever after for anything with such a moody title sequence and so much freaking suicide. Bob and Mom are going to be married forever, Cliff and Nikki are going to give a plain ol’ dysfunctional teenage relationship a shot, Liza and Greta hugged and apparently Johnny’s now over his dad’s death. Or something. Oh and Skip will no doubt be brought to justice for the 2-3 murders he carried out.

Even with its literal bang, Hidden Palms sputtered its last breath, skidding to a halt as it ran low on different ways for Johnny to be led astray by people he should seriously not trust. I'll miss Cliff, Nikki and Leslie Jordan. Dog kicking, alcoholism and stone sober drag queen-ery has never been so fun.

Don't break out the Post-Its just yet...

According to creators.com (I have no idea what it is either, but I was looking for news on Kirsten Cohen's engagement to some crazy rich Canadian and that's where I landed), MGM will soon (like in a week soon) begin production on the direct to DVD Dead Like Me movie that it announced in April. I can't find any other source that confirms (or even mentions) this news, but I'm excited.

Allegedly, Ellen Muth will reprise her role along with Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, Cynthia Stevenson and Britt McKillip. No mention of Laura Harris, but Mandy Patinkin will be a no show as the storyline launches with Rube's replacement as the leader of the reapers.

So three cheers for Dead Like Me for rising from the ashes (and throw in one for Kelly Rowan for making kickass Lifetime movies and landing a freaking billionaire). Yay!

Goodbye, Veronica

I don't need to tell you about the finale. You watched it; you know it was a fabulous, heartbreaking throwback to the first season, a sad reminder of things not to come. I especially enjoyed the subtle allusions to the pilot like Wallace's remote control plane and an asshole being beaten to a pulp in order to illicit an apology Veronica doesn't actually want. It's such perfect poetry that Logan was the asshole in the pilot and the strong arm of violent justice in the finale. And it appears that after using his fists and homicidal temper to ruin his relationship with Veronica, our schmoopy little orphan used them to open the door of possible reconciliation. Perfect. For everyone but Piz and Parker.

As Veronica walks off into the overcast horizon of her SoCal noir world, I'm reminded of what the series marks for me. Veronica Mars began airing just after I moved to Los Angeles. It instantly became appointment viewing and the topic of watercooler discussions at my new office. Impromptu viewing parties turned acquaintances into friends as we debated who killed Lilly Kane over bottles of wine and bruschetta. The show was something I shared with friends from college and back home, urging people to give it a shot and taping episodes to catch my family up over long holidays. I love TV and smart, sassy, strong Veronica Mars is a perfect example of why. She'll be sorely missed, but I can't wait to see what the people involved in her creation come up with next.

Everwood Season One

The great thing about TV on DVD is instant gratification. Episode after episode is right at your fingertips. Want to know what happens next? Done. Can’t get enough of the characters? Great, you’ve got 20 odd episodes to burn.

The bad thing is that it's easier to spot flaws in the storytelling when you’re racing through the episodes. Spaced out over weeks it's a little easier to forgive errors in timeline and jumps in character motivation.

That said, the first season of Everwood is beautiful, flaws and all. Almost every episode had me on the verge of tears at least once. What’s not to cry about? It’s about a brilliant brain surgeon who, after being widowed, moves his precocious daughter Delia and angry son Ephram to a small town to start over. Once there, Ephram falls for Amy, a girl with a boyfriend who is in a coma. Colin’s journey from comatose to sensitive amnesiac to unpredictable jock is heartbreaking, especially if you already know the next chapter of his story.

Reading over the last paragraph, I realize that it sounds like Everwood is a melodramatic soap opera. It’s not. It’s funny and moving and filled with vibrant characters. Aside from a few missteps (Colin’s magically appearing/disappearing sister, “Everwood Confidential,” etc.) it’s compulsively watchable. If Season 2 were available on DVD, I’d be watching it right now. Or as soon as Friday Night Lights is over.

Looking for Love: Bachelorettes in Alaska

So I loved this amazing show when Fox originally aired it. Any show that purports to be empowering to women while making them compete for men's affection in order to increase their dowries, is my idea of entertainment. I also loved that the women weren't cookie cutter actress/models trying to win over Andrew Firestone, but moderately attractive women just desperate enough to come to Alaska in the hopes of loggers, snowboarders and other dudes with really questionable job descriptions (side note: Does anyone remember the Cheaters that featured a cuckolded "stockbroker" who was clearly a crystal meth dealer? That guy was awesome).

This weekend was at least the third time I've caught bits of Bachelorettes in Alaska marathons on Fox's all reality network. Luckily I didn't stumble upon it earlier or I'd have spent the whole day on the couch. I turned it on just in time for the horrific final scenes in which the women trek across the frozen tundra in ridiculous wedding dresses (complete with capes and white fur muffs) to wait for a float plane to land. Each woman's Man on Ice will either emerge from the aircraft to invite her to live in Alaska as the wife of a man who can skip a month of work to be on a reality show or...the plane will be empty and they'll go home losers.

The best part of the marathon is that the producers and some of the participants are on hand to tell us what went down afterwards. Like the redhead chick moved to Alaska to be with Kristian, but it didn't work out and she moved back. And the bitchy one who clearly lied about her age was also a bitch in real life, going so far as to dump red wine on one of the other girls when she got too much attention at an off-camera dinner. Awesome! Also, even though Bastard Tim #1 showed up in the plane to ask for another chance with Cecile (after unceremoniously dumping her several episodes before, leaving her with Crazy Tim #2), they're relationship didn't last. Sadly, Brent and Cissie, who seemed to be made for one another in a creepy Ken and Barbie kind of way, didn't last either. Turns out the producers pushed him hard to make the proposal (which you could kind of guess by the chagrined look on his face when it came time to make it) and after Cissie moved to Alaska, it ended. She spent all her time taking care of his kids while he was out with his ex-wife. Ain't that some shit? Fox Reality has made me feel bad for Cissie, four years after Brent broke her heart...