The Islanders Move to Brooklyn: AKA: We're talking Hockey...

So, let's talk hockey...

I know, I know, I already hear you, "But this is an entertainment blog. I want to read about fun tv/film/theatre/general geekery! Not sports."

Well, sorry folks, I am a tried and true hockey fan. I have literally been attending games since I was a fetus, and while life/work has come and made it harder for me to attend/watch games I still firmly stand in the "Hockey is Awesome" camp.

Needless to say, the hockey strike makes me cry a bit inside, but that's not why I'm writing this. I am indulging in this slightly off topic excursion because this past Wednesday it was announced that after 40 years the New York Islanders would be moving to The Barclay Arena in 2015. When the announcement was made on Wednesday I received more than a few texts/messages asking my thoughts on the issue.

That's right, as you probably deduced from that last sentence, I am an Islanders fan. I grew up 15 mins from Nassau Coliseum. My father has been a fan of the Islanders since they were formed. He was there for the dynasty. When my sister, also became a fan and we attended countless, picnics, charity events and the like. During those years New Yorkers, at least those on LI were proud of their scrappy little team. The New York Islanders were part of the community. When I was 3 years old, the team was doing a charity bowling event at our local bowling ally and my family went to cheer them on. My father had me up on his shoulders so I could see, and I began chanting "RUDY, RUDY, RUDY" when I saw my favorite player at the time, goalie Kelly Rudy, come up to bowl. 

Denis Potvin, left, and Bryan Trottier May 1980 Photo Credit: Richard Drew/Associated Press

I grew up with names like Bobby Nystrom, Billy Smith, Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier  even Meeko Mäkelä  which as a child I miss pronounced as Meatball Mäkelä,were as familiar to me as Derick Jetter is to a child today. As I grew older the players changed, and the Stanley victories got further and further away, and yet I still cheered them on.

And while I am loyal, almost to a fault, I have often times followed players to other teams, I still root Zdeno Chara on and was so happy when he finally got a cup win, and more vehemently, I have followed Tim Connolly from the Islanders, to the Buffalo Sabers, to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Honestly that boy is one of the best puck handlers I've ever seen, if only he could stay UNINJURED.  

(Photo Credit Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

Side note: I will follow a player to just about any team, except the Philadelphia Flyers, Or more importantly The New York Rangers. I can love you again if you go to and then leave the Flyers, but once you become a Ranger you are dead to me. I'm looking at you Kevin Weeks!

Safe to say, the Islanders have always been my boys, and the Coliseum has always been home. Now, I am by no means saying the Coliseum is a perfect place. There's no real convenient mode of public transportation to get there  its old, and in slight disrepair. Lets be honest here, it's kind of a shithole. The thing is, it's our shithole. As a person who often rejects change you would think I would be outraged by a change of venue, but I'm not entirely opposed.

Hockey itself isn't the most popular sport. In fact there are a lot of people in this country that have been to or even seen a hockey game. I feel bad for these people I really do. Hockey is awesomely fast paced, as in the clock actually shows you how is left and 3 mins doesn't really mean another half hour, it's kinda  violent… I don't care how much you protest, almost everyone enjoys a good fight, and you have to have a ridiculous amount of skill in order to play. How does that not sound awesome, people?

December 25, 2009  Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America

But I digress, the fact of the matter is that by moving the franchise to Brooklyn, you are making the games much more accessible to a larger amount of people. If I can hop a subway to the game right from work, I am much more willing to drop money on tickets. Playing at the Coliseum I have to book it from work and then with travel time I usually end up missing the entire first period and a portion of the second. For those of you really unfamiliar with hockey, I should probably enlighten you to the fact that there are 3 periods to a game.  So that's missing nearly half a game just trying to get there. By moving to an arena more easily accessible there is great potential to increase your attendance.

Let's face it the current team itself isn't really a crowd drawer. We have (well, had last year, stupid lockout) John Trevaris, Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo, who while good players are not star names like Martin Brodour, or Sydney Crosby. So why shouldn't the owners be doing everything the can to up the attendance, which will bring in more money, to then invest into the team?

The Islanders, for the past, gonna go with decade here, have always felt, at least to me, like the breeding ground for great players. Only problem, The Powers That Be in the land of all things that be Islanders have the uncanny knack for trading away plays just before the get hot.  As much as it hurts me to say that money makes a huge difference in building a winning franchise, I'm also a Yankee fan…so I know the truth.

The decision was made that despite the move the team would still be called The New York Islanders, which I believe to be a sound decision. Although I am aware there are some who believe that they should be renamed "The Brooklyn Islanders", after all The Nets moved to the Barclay Center and now they are "The Brooklyn Nets" (that's a basketball reference, see now I've mentioned all the major US professional sports)  I can't help but think that is a bit ridiculous. The Nets has to rebrand, as they were "The New Jersey Nets" and are not playing in/for New Jersey anymore.

I am well aware that both "The New York Giants" and "The New York Jets" play in a stadium in New Jersey so technically your team doesn't have to be named for the state you play in, but cut me some slack here.

The Islanders will still be playing in New York, and technically still playing on an island, so what is the point of an expensive rebranding? Furthermore, in a sport with an already small fan base why would you want to risk alienating the fans you already have?

"Fish Stick Logo" See? It's hideous.

The New York Islanders have four back to back Stanley cups, they have fans, like my father who, despite many, long grueling years of heart ache, seriously when was the last time we had a winning post season? That is rhetorical, I know the answer I just choose not to think about it. And those of us, myself included who grew up with the team, and persevered as fans, even surviving the horrible "fish sticks logo". I will support my NY Islanders till the end, but The Brooklyn Islanders? Who are they? Changing their name is effectively whipping away their history, sure you could say in an attempt to clean away the years of failure, but you would also strip the team of it's history. The cups, the eight members in the Hockey Hall of Fame, all of it.  You can't have it both ways.

Islander fans are a scrappy bunch, we love our team, even when they are loosing, which is often. Every win is exciting, not expected. The team moving to Brooklyn is the next chapter in our history, not the end of our franchise, which would have been the case if they has been moved out of state, which was a very real possibility.

And for those who justify the name change saying that The New York Rangers are New York's "only hockey team" I remind you that it only seems that way because The Rangers made the playoffs last year, and were knocked out by The New Jersey Devils, Booyah, and so there was an abundance of fair weather fans. And if you even begin to argue of The Rangers being the better team, I remind you, The Islanders have four Stanley Cups, and yes that was decades ago, however, the Ranger's won the cup in 1940 and then took 54 years to win their next one. So fear not Islander fans we still have over two decades before our cup gap is that bad.

Look at "Baby" Connolly...see the awesomeness

So sound off Isles fans: what do you think about the move and the keeping of the name New York Islanders, despite of it? Hit the comments and be heard!

Fun fact: The (now) Brooklyn Nets used to play at Nassau Coliseum way back in the day before they relocate to "New Jersey", so the teams are now being reunited at the Barclay Center.

Castle: "Murder He Wrote": AKA: Hilarity Ensues

Last Monday was easily my favorite episode in a long time. It was old school bubbly fun Castle. Don't get me wrong, I've always loved and enjoyed the show, but I would be lying if I said that it hasn't evolved more toward the drama side of dramedy in the past few seasons. Not a bad thing by any means, but sometimes, especially since TNT has started airing the earlier seasons, I miss the silly ridiculous banter side to the show. Last night old school Castle was back in full force.

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD

First of all I died when Castle called the boys about the murder and they made a Murder She Wrote joke. Sure the joke itself was funny, but made even more so by my own experience. Way back in the day, Castle's premier date actually, I still lived at home. My dad had come home that night and asked if I'd watch this new show with him that was starting that night. He told me it was about a writer who teams up with the police to solve crimes. "Basically," he said, "It seems like it's going to be like Murder She Wrote but with a guy." Having had had that conversation before the very first episode, the Murder She Wrote joke was probably way funnier to me than others.

While discussing the show this weekend, yup this is how we do, I mentioned how I really hoped that Ryan would be the first of the crew to uncover the truth about Caskett. Think about it, him knowing and not being able to tell anyone is gonna be hilarious. In my mind it is the equivalent of Joey being the first to know about Monica and Chandler.

The way Ryan found out was perfect too. We rarely get to see Ryan in an interrogation setting, and even when we do, he more often than not is playing "good cop" to Esposito's "bad cop", so it was a real treat to see him go all hard ass on someone. Especially when you see that the transition didn't occur until he started hounding the suspect for info on Castle's "girlfriend". His look of smug satisfaction as he talked to Castle was beyond perfect, like the cat who ate the canary. Though I can't help but worry about how Esposito is gonna take it when he finds out Ryan has been holding out on this info. I hate when the boys fight. Seriously, last year's season finally left me beyond upset that they weren't speaking, and don't even get me started about the two of them beating the crap out of each other at the end of season three.

All and all it was a fantastically fun episode. It's nice to see the Castle PTB bringing the funny back.

New York Comic Con 2012: AKA: Where the Geeks Come Out to Play

Photo Credit L. Lyles

As I write this I am standing, yup I'm standing, on a packed train home, battered, bruised, tired and poorer, and wouldn't trade this weekend for anything in the world.

The past four days in New York have been a geek paradise, for the Jacob Javits Center has been home to the 2012 New York Comic Con. I was extremely lucky enough to be able to be in attendance for three of the four days.

While not quite as large as it's San Diego brother, NYCC has been steadily growing. It is a whirl win experience, often boarding on sensory overload, that can be an amazing experience. I could probably go on for DAYS about the extraordinary time I had this weekend with my very amazing ladies, but rather than bore you all with self indulgent stories, although some personal antidotes are sure to poke through, I thought it's be best to talk about the dos and don'ts for making your comic con experience the best it can be.

DO

Plan Ahead
I can not stress enough how much easier/enjoyable this will make your life/overall experience.

Buy your tickets ahead of time. You can order tickets online MONTHS before con, and it is in you best interest to do so. This way your very own shiny NYCC pass will be mail to you & you will therefore avoid having to stand online to pick it up on the day of. Trust me there is A LOT to do, you are not going to want to waste time standing in line to get your badge.

Photo Credit: L. Lyles

The folks over at NYCC are nice enough to release a WEALTH of information Pre-event. Take advantage of it! Look up who going to be there, what panels are happening, what booths have those exclusives you can't live without and plan out your days! Download the official NYCC app for iPhones or Droid and take advantage.

Prioritize And Always Have a Back Up Plan

When you go through the list of fabulous panels, you will probably encounter a time when there are two things you want to do happening simultaneously, or at the very least slightly overlapping. So now you are forced to choose. However don't just cast you other choice aside. Keep it in mind as a back up. The panel rooms are not emptied between panels so there is a chance you may not get into your first choice. It's nice to have a back up then.

Speaking of the fact that the panel rooms don't empty out between sessions, it's a good idea to line up for the panel you want to see early. Actually, if the panel is a big deal, or you anticipate that it's gonna be full, it's a good idea to try and get in the room for an earlier panel and sit tight. Who know you may end up seeing something you become really interested in. Perfect example, this year Stan Lee came to NYCC. That's right, THE STAN LEE. I have loved the man for years and was dying to see him speak live, so as soon as I heard he would be there, I knew not seeing his panel wasn't an option. So my lovely gals and I decided the best way to accomplish our goal was to try and go see the Person of Interest panel before hand. Now I like Person of Interest, and am a huge fan of Michael Emerson and Jonathan Nolan. Jonathan Nolan being my "Below the Line Crush"*, so I did very much enjoy the session, however I probably would have skipped it, had it not been directly before Stan Lee.

Cosplay at NYCC (Photo Credit: L. Lyles)

For those of you curious, Stan Lee is probably one of the most entertaining people you will ever see/meet. I highly recommend seeing him I you ever have the chance. Also check out his new project, Stan Lee's World of Heroes on YouTube here.

Cate as an Ewok (Photo Credit: EM)

If you do decide to cosplay, which is awesome, I mean come on, any excuse to get dressed up should be capitalized upon as far as I am conserved, start planing/building/constructing your costume as early as possible. There is nothing worse than running around the last few days/hours before the con trying to get your shit together.

There is some EPIC cosplay that goes on at any con and NYCC is no exception. Be prepared to see a little bit of everything. Trust me if you ever want to put you pop culture knowledge to the test, play Name That Cosplay. I swear it maybe my fave past time.

Bring Food and Water

The convention center concessions are HIGHLY OVER PRICED. This is not an exaggeration, bring food and water even if you think you won't need it. You will. Take it from the girl who was suckered into buy a $4.95 bottle of Vitamin Water because she was dying of thirst. Sadly, I don't even really like Vitamin Water, I was just that damn thirsty. Seriously your best bet is to eat a decent breakfast, bring a bottle of water and a bunch of small snacks to graze upon throughout the day, then after con go out and find some dinner. There are plenty of wonderful places to eat you're in NYC for crying out loud. We opted for pizza on Friday, Thai on Say (Yum) and a dinner sit down on Sunday.

Pack a Phone Charger

The Javits Center has spotty service at best. Your battery will be put to the test, especially if you plan on being there ALL DAY! So pack your phone charger, or even an external battery. This year there was a charging station just outside Artists Alley, but if you're crafty enough to find one, there are outlets all around the convention center.

Be Kind and Considerate to All

For the duration of con you are in for some LONG hours. Everyone has been on their feet for hours, is tired and most likely weighed down buy a ton of swag (that's right I like the term swag, deal with it) and other assorted goodies. Common courtesies always apply, say excuse me, be careful not to whack anyone with your bags/poster tubes/costume pieces, and SHOWER! That's right each night you come home, or morning before you come to NYCC remember to shower and put on deodorant...the gals and I opted out of much of the floor today as the 4 day funk had set in and breathing had become hazardous.


DON'T

Play by the Herd Mentality.

Cosplay (Photo Credit: EM)

All your friends really want to go to the Carrie panel but you are DYING to see Stan Lee and the are both happening at the same time?!?! Well it's okay to split up for a bit. Sure things are often times more fun when you are with a group but don't let that stop you from doing something you really want to do. Make a plan to meet up with your crew when you get out, but go do what you want to do, otherwise you'll most likely whined up regretting it.

Be Afraid to Leave the Convention Center

Seriously the last thing you want is to be a crank-a-potamous. It's 3pm, you're tired but you really wanna go to that late panel at 7 pm? Go back to your hotel room/wherever take a nap and come back. Hungry but forgot to bring food and don't want to pay convention center prices? Leave get food and come back. You can venture out into the world, as long as you have your pass you will be welcomed back and you and everyone around you will feel a whole lot better.

Turn Your Opportunity to Ask a Question into a Gush Fest

Photo Credit: L. Lyles

I get it, you are given the rare opportunity so speak to someone who is your idle/the namesake of your child/your dream man/whatever, and you are a bit star struck and wish to tell them just how important they are to you. We get it, but don't waste a valuable Q & A slot with questions like "Can I get a hug/kiss/ect?" or "how does it feel to know you made a grown woman cry?" Likewise a long ramble on your love of whomever you are addressing before your question isn't overly appreciated either. It's great that you are getting this opportunity, but remember there are plenty of other people standing in the line behind you who want the chance too.

Forget to Bring Cash

Sure the Convention Center has ATMs, which are annoying to find, and sure there are some booths who take credit cards, but just do yourself a favor, make your life a WHOLE lot easier and bring cash. It's that simple.

NYCC Exclusive David Tennant Doctor Who bust (Photo Credit: EM)

Allow One Set Back to Ruin Your Day

You raced on to the floor on Saturday morning straight to the Titan Entertainment booth to get that NYCC '12 exclusive David Tennant Doctor Who bust only to find they are sold out? Go down to wait for The Walking Dead panel 2 hours early only to be told the IGN Theatre has been completely closed for the day unless people miraculously vacate the theater? Yeah, those things suck hardcore...seriously, but that shouldn't ruin your whole experience. This is comic con! Anything can happen! Nathan Fillion can surprise a whole theater and show up at the 10th Anniversary Firefly panel. Yup that happened. So park your ass in the garage and watch the live feed of The Walking Dead,  it may not be the same as being in  the room but hey, you still get to experience it. I would however bring something squishy to sit on, because ouch. Sure you did't get the bust, but where were you gonna put it? Further more, now you have that money to spend on other pretty things. Comic Con comes around once a year, make the most of your time there.


*Below the Line is what the department at my job that is for all the non actors (directors, writers, costume/set/makeup designers ect.) is called.


 Random Musings & Photos

50 points if you recognize this childhood favorite(Photo Credit EM)

• At some point on Saturday I walked past a female Zapp Brannigan in the crowd, there was no time to stop and get a picture of her, but ROCK ON girl, whoever you were for the awesome costume.
• I'm a Sucker for a good looking hero/Doctor
• Nathan Fillion surprising the Firefly panel caused the whole IGN Theatre to go Ape Shit.
• "Doctor Who is the worst thing ever to happen to your wallet isn't it?" - Andrea Towers remarking on my "bag-o-loot" from NYCC
• You can find anything and everything at NYCC, so look around you never know what you may find, childhood toys, mini top hats, giant photos of David Tennant and his perfect hair...
• Comic Shoes work better on heels than flats 
• Friends make life better.
• Arrow is going to be EPIC, and Stephen Amell is gorgeous. 

Photo Credit: L. Lyles

Mini Top Hat- Modeled by the lovely Cate (photo credit: L. Lyles)

My attempt at FemmeNine

First Day Loot (Photo Caption: EM)

Second Day Loot (Photo Credit: E)

 

Last Day Loot (Photo Credit: EM)

Me Meeting Thor...So Pretty 

Me, The Captain and Cate (Photo Credit L. Lyles)

DALEK!

The Fabulous Katie Cook drew me the Doctor/Donna

Gambit! With red eyes and everything (Photo Credit: EM)

Doctor Horrible: AKA: Whedon's Time to Shine

Illustration by CLIFF CHIANG

I think we can all agree that it has been a FANTASTIC year, and I think we can all agree it's about time!  Cabin in the Woods  finally saw the day, and was, for many, a surprise hit. Couple that with the HUGE success of The Avengers, and the 10th Anniversary of the beloved Firefly, which let's face it owned SDCC and is getting it's own tv special in November. S.H.I.E.L.D. is now casting, and it appears that Marvel has handed the keys to the superhero kingdom to our favorite nerd.

Tonight though the star of the Whedonverse was Doctor Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog, which had it's television debut tonight on the CW. Doctor Horrible, came to life during the writer's strike in 2008. While most of the networks turned to reality/unscripted shows, yep you can blame a good deal of the mindless drivel on tv back to that strike, Joss turned to a newer/less explored medium, The Internet.

He gathered together an AWESOME cast, Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day and Neil Patrick Harris, and did what he did best, create a moving story. The story itself is simple, an evil scientist wanting to take over the world and his struggle with his arch nemesis  except we need to throw in a love triangle and singing. Then you have the brilliant hodgepog that is a creature of Joss Whedon. Watching the show tonight and seeing the frenzy that took over tumblr, twitter and facebook put forth the idea that with hardwork and good material anything is possible. Also that Joss Whedon's fans are loyal as all hell. So accept it

Revenge "Destiny": AKA: Shit Just Got Real.

Sunday night was the premier episode of ABC's Revenge second season, "Destiny", and the Revenge PTB* wasted no time in plunging us back into the world of wealth, and treachery that we have all come to know and love.


****WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD*****



Let's see where we left our little crew. Our darling Nolan was working out, just as any sensible person who got the snot kicked out of them as much as Nolan did last summer should. Emily is still reeling from the information that her mother may still be alive, and now even more so hellbent on getting her revenge. Ashley is climbing her way up the social ladder. Daniel is drinking again, so much for rehab. Fauxmanda is playing house with Jack, and Declan is coping. Conrad is...well not taking the death of his wife all that hard, oh and Victoria is dead...yeah right...

Oh Victoria, I knew we wouldn't be without you long, though I didn't expect to get you back quite so soon. Truth be told, I feel like the PTB could have kept her return under wraps a little longer, still it is nice to know that the reigning queen of mean is back in action. The real question now is HOW did she survive the plane crash? Was, as she told Emily, the FBI involved? Was it the company involved in the terrorist cover up? This raises serious questions about her motives last season. Was she ever really planning on turning Conrad in? Or could the plan have always been to fake her death and escape her marriage? Maybe she never really wanted to take Conrade down, maybe she just wanted out of the marriage. Last year the PTB played on our sympathies for Vikki. They painted her as a woman who was forced into making impossible choices. Choices that she has, or at least we lead to believe she has, always regretted. I admit I felt pangs of sympathy for her. She made deplorable mistakes, but the picture painted before us lead us to believe it was all done out of a mother's love, that she did what she did to protect her children. Which although not right, is at least understandable. Sunday's episode blew all sympathy for her out of the water, when she, while meeting with the white haired man, the man who murdered the supposed love of her life, ordered the death of Emily Thorn.

Can we talk about poor Charlotte for a mo-mo? She "lost" her mother, and her boyfriend and her father is faking her drug test results to keep her locked up. Not going to lie, for a hot second I thought it was Emily who had fiddled with her test results to get the false positive. I do believe however, that despite the fact that Emily is using Charlotte to get back in with the Graysons, that she does have a genuine affection for her. They are sisters after all, and the Graysons' actions have destroyed her life, just as they have destroyed Emily's. Remember how she thought her life was so hard at the beginning of  last summer, with her overbearing mother and cheating rich boy boyfriend? Bet she misses those days about now.

Speaking of her lost love...Declan. Once again, despite popular opinion, I am totally Team D/C. I think they are both good for each other, Declan grounds Charlotte and she makes him strive to be a better person. Think about it, until she came along Declan was contented just to sit around in Montauk, now he has plans to go to college, and somewhere between the summers, our little Declan Porter has become the voice of reason. This time around he's the one telling Jack it's time to wake up and be responsible, not just about the bar, but for his own happiness as well.

Then there's Jack, who is unhappy with how his life has turned out, and with good reason. He's still in love with Emily, after all even if he doesn't know it, she is his Amanda. I have to admit though, the longer her "I'm Emily Thorn" lie continues, the more I worry about how he is going to take it wen the truth is revealed to him. Especially since Emily has been so supportive of the Fauxmanda lie. I think he totally could have bought the "I can't reveal my true identity for my own protection" bit, but the allowing someone else to claim her real identity, and mess with his mind? Well, that pill is going to be harder to swallow. He has to be given credit for trying to be a good guy and "do the right thing" by "his" baby. However, Declan did make a great point, (Yeay Declan!) by bring up the fact that it really doesn't do the baby, or Fauxmanda, any good if he is miserable.

Let's talk Fauxmanda for a min shall we? I still hate her. Sorry, I want her gone. I find it cruel and unusual punishment that the PTB keep dangling her character's departure in front of us and then taking it away. Now we find out that Takeda has sent her back to the Hamptons on purpose, to be an ally to our Emily. Not sure how much I really buy that, Takeda already believes that Emily has gone soft, forget ally, if you ask me he sent Fauxmanda back as a spy. Someone to keep an eye on Emily. Now we know that she is actually pregnant, because we have been told that Jack has been accompanying her to her doctors visits, so we can rule out a faked pregnancy", but Emily and Jack are totally valid in their suspicion over the paternity of this baby. After all returning to the Hamptons because she is carrying Jack's baby is the perfect cover story. Seriously, who's gonna question that, without the knowledge of Fauxmanda's ulterior motive for returning? Jack never even questioned it until Emily suggested it.

Let's not forget the star pawn in Emily's game last year, Mr. Daniel Grayson. It is Daniel that I feel the worst for, for it is he who has unwillingly/unknowingly fallen the furthest. He started last season as a bright-eyed, idealistic Harvard boy. He had just finished rehab and wanted to make amends for his past transgressions. He was sweet, and trying to break away from his family, to start fresh, live a truth filled life. Then last season happened, and we got to slowly watched his "fall from grace". Cut to Daniel one year later. He's drinking again. A LOT. He seems bitter, and broken, more and more following in his father's footsteps. His idealism is a thing of the past. Sure, Emily broke his heart, after all she did kiss Jack while she was engaged to him, but let's not forget, he broke her heart too. I do believe that Emily truly did have feelings for Daniel, and that is why she was so hurt by his betrayal. I honestly believe that if he had gone public with the information about the cover up that he knew, Emily could have married him and been happy. Not completely happy, as she will always be in love with Jack, but happy enough.  Even his mother's "death" wasn't enough to shake him out of it, and he seems pretty hellbent on making Emily aware that he has not forgiven her. Sadly he has brought this upon himself.

I do think that Ashley feels a little bad about the way things have turned out. I am a bit annoyed with her for completely turning on Emily though. Emily was supposed to be her friend, granted I get that Emily herself isn't the greatest of friends, but Ashley brought her into the fold and then basically abandoned her. She willingly sold her "friend" out, first with Victoria, then Daniel, all in an attempt to climb the social ladder. Whether she feels remorse or not, her actions are not endearing her to anyone, characters and audience alike.

Then there's Emily. As she so perfectly put it "Things have certainly changed in a year, haven't they?" Seems her priorities have shifted slightly now that she knows her mother may be alive. She's more determined than ever to take down the Graysons and I for one, can not wait to see what she has planed. Also, quick sidebar, how FABULOUS did she look in that red dress?



Random Odds and Ends

Really Conrad? Paying someone to keep you own step daughter, who you swore you would never leave to, locked up? That is a new low even for you. And  I don't fully understand as to why he isn't more concerned about the burner phone hidden in her room. You would think he's want to find out who she has been talking too.


So we know that Victoria, somehow survived the explosion/crash, but what happened to Lydia? Did Victoria sacrifice her to get away, or is she too hiding out somewhere? What about all that evidence, does Victoria still have it?

I find it interesting that Emily's first glimpse of her "friend" Ashley at this year's Memorial Day celebration is VERY reminiscent of how she first saw Victoria at last year's event. This of course only fuels my Conrad/Victoria and Daniel/Ashley comparisons.

Nolan and Ems as roomies! BEST. THING. EVER. Seriously, I am so happy that this is happening, though I admit to being sad over the loss of Casa Nolan, this set up can only lead to more of the Emily/Nolan banter we all know and love. This does of course stir-up the brother/sister theories a bit. After all, why did David Clarke invest in Nolan's company, and furthermore, where did he get the money to do so?

And who is this Aiden guy, who seems to have history with our Emily? Apparently he's being set up as a new love interest for our leading lady. Seeing as I am Team Jack, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about bringing yet another new man to get between them. That being said, I have nothing but love for Barry Sloan and his gorgeous accent, so I'm willing to see how things shake out.

Next week looks epic,  I realize everyone is assuming that when Emily says she is going to take Victoria's "daughter away from her" it means that she is going to kill Charlotte, but I'm not so sure. As I said I do believe that Emily truly has feelings for Charlotte, after all she is almost as much a victim of the Graysons as Emily herself. "Taking her" from Victoria, doesn't necessarily mean killing her, all it means is turning Charlotte against Victoria for good. I'm really curious to find out just what Emily has in store for her little sister.


*PTB stands for Powers That Be, referring to writers/directors/producers/ect