(S04E09) Well now, how was that for a surprise ending? Well, that is, for those who didn't get to see the screening in L.A. Wednesday night. I was invited to go but, seeing as I live on the other side of the country, it wasn't really all that practical to be there.

While this was an amazing episode, I've got mixed feelings of sorts. I'm elated that this isn't the finale episode of the series, that we've got another slew of episodes to go through before "the end." However, this episode felt like it possibly could have ended the series -- will the real final episode pay off as well as this one did?

(S04E05) (Author note: Sorry about the wrong title initially-- I was working quickly last night and trying to get ready for a six-day trip, and I missed that. I am sitting in the airport right now, correcting it. Thanks for the comments!) I was amazed by how quickly this episode moved things in the series forward. However, even saying that, I have mixed feelings about it. Taken by itself, all alone, the episode was simultaneously enjoyable to watch and also a little creepy. I was creeped out because a basic undergraduate education tells us that Utopias do not work. They just don't. They never have. Ultimately, they are not what people want.

Also, despite the fact that Utopias don't work, they are rather rampant lately, and I couldn't watch this episode without thinking about all of the other Utopian societies this episode conjured. The first one I thought of was Ayn Rand's secret society created by John Galt in Atlas Shrugged. The fact that all of the people in Evanston have abilities also made it very Rand-esque.

(S04E04) I'm sorry I wasn't here to review last week's episode, but I was in a minivan driving to Indiana when the episode aired, and I didn't get to see it until today. But that episode and tonight's confirmed something for me: This season started out well and has continued so far. Even though two of my favorite characters weren't on this episode, I still thought this episode was strong.

Tonight's episode was a great blend of the comic and the serious. I was a little disappointed that they resolved the April storyline so quickly, though I am hopeful that maybe Natasha Gregson Wagner may become a more regular feature of the show. With her ability, they could practically build an entire show around her. They could call it The Closer. Oh, wait...

(S02E15) No sense in getting into the circumstances about Reid's abduction. I'm assuming that if you've come back to read this, then you saw the spectacular first part that aired after the Super Bowl.

More than anything else, this episode was all about Reid. It's the first time we really got some explanations about his past, his childhood, and what it was like to grow up in his house. It has me a little worried though. Why's that? Because it reminded me a lot of this season's premiere episode. And we all know what that led to - the downfall of Elle.

Last night's episode was all about premonitions and revelations. Bill has been having premonitions about whether his father-in-law Roman Grant aka "The Prophet" will bring harm to him, his stores, or his family because he is adamant against giving Roman a share of his businesses' profits. He's been having dreams of being chased and of someone drumming his/her fingers on a table and it seems to keep getting closer and louder.

In addition, with his balancing three families, things are getting more unsettled, if that can be believed. Nicki, who is one of Roman's many children, is $60,000 in debt, and from the looks of things, her father may exploit her plight to turn the screws even tighter on Bill, who was served with papers by Roman to get audited. Plus, Roman asks his daughter about her husband's business, and sounding like a true Mafia wife, says she and Bill don't discuss it. It isn't much of a stretch to think Roman will take advantage of his apparently weak-minded daughter to get at Bill one way or another.

Barb is the most logical and well-grounded of the three wives, and her acceptance of a long-term teaching gig is not sitting well with Nicki and Margene who, as we've seen already, are not exactly the most responsible of people. It's obvious they fear the "Boss Lady" will wield more power over them because she'll be bringing more money into the general pot and is bound to get more of Bill's attention.

The next new episode of Lost isn't until Wednesday, January 11th, so ABC is kindly airing a recap of the season so far. It airs at 8 pm on January 11th, and is called "Revelations," and then the new episode about Eko and his stick, called "The 23rd Psalm", airs at 9 pm the same night. By then, we will have gone for six whole weeks without a new episode of Lost! If you've never seen Lost, but you want to get in on the excitement, I would recommend watching the DVDs for Season One and then watching the recap. You can also read recaps of all this season's episodes here.

And, if you're like Ryan, and you're wondering what all the excitment is over Grey's Anatomy, ABC is also airing a recap episode of that show on Sunday, Jan. 8th at 10 pm. The next new episode of Grey's is a week later. This won't be nearly as hard to catch up on as it will be to catch up on Lost. Basically, Meredith Grey is a really skinny surgical intern in Seattle who had an affair with another surgeon who is married. She has pretty much spent this whole season pouting about it. Yet, I can't stop watching...