jamesmarsters

(S02E12) The penultimate episode of the second season delivers in a big way, both setting up the season finale as a major event with huge stakes for Captain Jack as well as delivering some great looks back at what brought each member of Torchwood to the team. Using the framing sequence of a massive explosion, we spend the majority of the episode in Lost-like flashbacks.

What's so brilliant about the stories we get is that in most cases the back-stories are nothing like I would have expected for that character, and yet at the same time it so perfectly serves the personality and drives of each individual on the team. Suddenly, Tosh's meekness, Ianto's eagerness and Owen's boorishness make perfect sense in the context of their past experiences. Even Jack's cavalier behavior and obsessive dedication to Torchwood make sense considering his own history with it. What they've managed is to add more depth to our relationship with each of the individual Torchwood members just in time for all hell to break loose in the finale.

(S07E15) This episode could have easily been the season finale of Smallville. It had characters change, characters vanish and a very sad cliffhanger ending. I wonder if it was the last one written before the writer's strike started?

It opened with a quiet day on the Kent farm. Then Brainiac (played by James Marsters) showed up and things got violent. In a rare instance, Clark showed up on time in the beginning to save the day, rather than the end of the program. On another note, that farm gets trashed a LOT.

From March 14th to March 27th, The Paley Center for Media is presenting the twentieth-fifth annual William S. Paley Television Festival. The Paley Center, formerly the Museum of Television and Radio, says that the festival celebrates "television's rich and diverse programming and the creative process behind the medium." This year the festival includes Chuck, Friday Night Lights, Pushing Daisies, and Gossip Girl among others.

Last night, I attended the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion. For what happened during the panel discussion and some pictures, read on past the jump...

Did you really think Captain Jack wouldn't be back? Now in its second series/season in both the UK and the US, we're going to do things a little differently with our Torchwood reviews this year. The fine folks on both sides of the pond finally got things squared away so that new episodes air much closer in the US to their initial UK airing. The third episode airs this Saturday, February 9, on BBC America, which is a little more than a week after the UK airing. To minimize any "spoilery" concerns, the episode reviews will follow the US airings.

But before we can get to that, we need to play a little bit of catch up, so look for an overview of the first two episodes of Series/Season Two after the jump. And about that image up there spoiling the first episode? Hey, that might just be a flashback sequence. That's right, I got you there.

(S07E10) In a triumphant return to television after a few months off, Smallville returns with Brainiac (played by James Marsters, best known as Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and introduces a new Kryptonian named Dax-Ur (played by Marc McClure, best known as Jimmy Olsen from the Christopher Reeve Superman movies).

Has any actor involved with a previous screen version of Superman NOT been involved with this show? Anyone? Anyone? Okay, maybe Gene Hackman...

More after the jump...

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Just as happened with parent series Doctor Who, those of us stateside won't have to wait as long after the British airing of Torchwood's second season to see it here, though ironically it has yet to be announced when it will premiere on BBC Two in the UK. TVGuide.com tells us the second season of BBC America's biggest hit comes to us beginning January 26. And with James Marsters (Buffy/Angel) dropping in for a guest shot, and Doctor Who's Freema Agyeman (companion Martha) checking in for an extended stay mid-season, this second go round with Captain Jack Harkness, Gwen and the gang is shaping up to be more exciting than the first.

Marsters will play a time-agent criminal who "goes around in different times killing people with no remorse at all." His character Spike, remains one of the most popular in the Buffy-verse, so I expect Torchwood's ratings to see another "spike." (Boo! Boo! Hiss! Get off the stage!).

Last May, when the sixth season finale of Smallville aired, a lot of TV fans were left wondering if Lana Lang, Chloe, and Lionel were dead or alive. Thanks to spoilers, we learned the fate of two of these characters pretty quickly. However, the third one kept us wondering, especially since the contract of the person playing that character was up in the air. Negotiations took so long that the show started shooting new episodes not even knowing if that character would be back or not. Want to know if all those three characters are back? Curious about new storylines and which characters from the past will resurface? Wait no more, we bring you answers!

Spoilers ahead!

James Marsters' official website confirms that the actor is joining CBS' hit series Without a Trace. Marsters, who is best known for portraying Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has been guesting on various TV series and acting in movies in the past years. Most notably, Marsters has impersonated Professor Milton Fine, also known as Brainiac, in a few episodes of The CW's Smallville.

Slight Without a Trace spoilers after the jump!