['Chuck' – 'Chuck Versus The Cat Squad'] Things were going pretty well there for a while on 'Chuck,' but tonight unfortunately didn't live up to recent standards. 'Chuck Versus the Cat Squad' possessed neither the thrilling spy work that marked the end of the Volkoff era, nor the fall-down funny antics of last week's edition. The show seems to know where it wants to go in this final ...

['Archer' – 'Blood Test'] 'Archer' fans, be not alarmed: Maureen Ryan will be back next week to continue her usual recaps of the series. But this time around, you have me. I'd tell you what she's up to, but it's a super secret mission for ISIS, and I don't want ODIN to read this and foil her in the field. So let me sneak in during these nine frames of fuzzy footage and talk about ...

['Nikita' – 'The Next Seduction'] The promise of Alex's new-found position as agent still hasn't really taken hold in 'Nikita' just yet. She mentions early on to Nikita that she didn't expect life on the outside to be so hard, and quite frankly, neither did I. But rather than being a true game-changer in the way the show operates on a weekly basis, this theoretically seismic shift has ...

['The Cape' – 'Goggles and Hicks''] What is there to say about 'The Cape' at this point? It started off with promise, but has quickly settled into something around which a drinking game, not a viewing experience, should be built. That's a touch ironic, since the ostensible target demographic for what this show's pumping out right now is almost a decade away from the legal drinking age. ...

['Chuck' – 'Chuck Versus The Seduction Impossible'] Seven days ago, I expressed some thoughts about how the once-again extended life of 'Chuck' had possibilities, but also potential roadblocks as well. Last week's episode functioned not only as an end to the Volkoff arc, but in many ways the show itself. It makes sense, in that it was designed as such back when the producers didn't ...

['Nikita' – 'Coup de Grace'] Last week, I was dismayed that 'Nikita' took its first opportunity for Nikita and Alex to work together and instead left the protégé to essentially sit out the episode. Alex was more interested in marshmallow fluff than in taking down Division upon the show's return. While that move may have made a certain psychological sense, it didn't ...

['The Cape' – 'Dice'] When 'The Cape' began, it had quite a bit of promise. Sure, it was tightroping the line between cheese and earnest action, but it managed to start out with the right footing. But as we reach 'Dice,' the show seems to be looking down, not unlike Vince Faraday, and flailing about a bit for some sort of through-line that connects comic book heroics with a father's ...

['Chuck' – 'Chuck Versus the Push Mix'] 'Chuck' has long had the opposite of the problem that faced 'Lost' during its final few years. Whereas the latter show negotiated an end date and built its last three seasons of narrative with that firm guarantee, 'Chuck' keeps pushing forward unclear when the end might come. The uncertainty surrounding its overall airtime has sometimes produced ...

['Nikita' – 'Free'] 'Nikita' ended its fall run with a few truly spectacular episodes, culminating in a plot point I'd long hoped for but couldn't believe they actually employed so early in the show's run. Alex's ascension to the rank of Agent was necessary for the show to evolve, but that didn't mean that show HAD to do it during the fall finale. It could have easily waited a season to ...

['The Cape' – 'Scales'] Trains work as well as courtrooms in terms of setting the scene for a drama. In both cases, the people inside have an awfully hard time leaving. Anytime someone can simply walk away from a scene, he or she drains it of all tension. So the idea of an episode of 'The Cape' taking place aboard a Monte Carlo-inspired train should have been a slam dunk for the show. ...