Jersey Boys - Oh What A Night

Last night I was lucky enough to score last minute tickets to see Jersey Boys on Broadway. As your blogger waited for her train back to her own corner of Jersey, this review started to form:

Most musicals, admittedly, are about love. More specifically, they are usually at least partially (if not completely) about romance. The couple meets, there is some conflict, but ultimately the couple (or couples) get together and everyone sings. Every once in awhile we get introduced to a different kind of love story, a story where the focus is on the music more than anything. That is what you will get when you go see Jersey Boys. The play is a musical history lesson, where the members of the Four Seasons share their experiences in forming the group and how it changed their lives forever. The play is perfect for those interested in music history or music in general. It is especially fun seeing the personal connection certain members had with specific songs. A love of the Four Seasons' music is a must, as the show features their songs almost exclusively. If you are not a fan of their music or the time period then this show is probably not for you. Otherwise, this is probably one of the most entertaining history lessons you will ever get. Below is their performance at the 2006 Tony Awards to give you a taste (although the cast has changed since then):

Tinderbox Music Festival

Hearing that the all-female music festival Lilith Fair was returning in 2010, Alyson Greenfield decided to start “Dear Lilith Fair 2010,” a blog dedicated to trying to get on the tour. Many readers and fellow musicians responded to the blog with excitement, and Alyson soon recognized the existence of a large community of female musicians and their fans who wanted to be part of a women-driven music festival reflecting the current landscape of diverse and emerging musical talent. Alyson then took the initiative to start a new music festival, located in New York City, to showcase female artists -- both up-and-coming local artists as well as more established performers. She brought on J.D. and former singer/songwriter/producer Jennifer Newman and entertainment business affairs maven Alicia Matusheski. Tinderbox was born.

This is the story I wanted to share with you today. Alyson is a friend of mine with an awesome idea that I want to support. I have linked to the Kickstarter Fundraiser above, and I'm asking that everyone 1) donate whatever they can, and 2) tell all your friends about it and ask them to do the same. Even if you're strapped for cash, we understand and simply ask you pass this on to someone who might be more able to help. Thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,
News on Shuffle

Happy Birthday, Wil Wheaton

News on Shuffle would like to give a great big birthday shout-out to one of our favorite geeks: Wil Wheaton. Once known as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation, he now has a legion of followers on both Twitter and his blog. Both are sources of entertainment for geeks everywhere. Recently, he also co-founded a live show called w00tstock, which is self-described as "3 hours of geeks + music" - although the show has run for well over that amount in the past. Other names involved in the project include Adam Savage (Mythbusters) and the comedy music duo Paul and Storm. I have mentioned w00tstock on Twitter in the past and would very much like it to come to NYC. Anyone who agrees can Demand It and possibly turn this dream into a reality.

View all New York City events on Eventful

They have said they will come to any city that gets 300 requests, so it really will make a difference whether you do this or not.

[Hey Wil, sorry for hijacking your birthday for my own personal campaign. I do it out of love...?]

*Now back to our regularly scheduled program*

Besides all the other cool things already mentioned, Wil has also made guest appearances on a number of shows, including The Big Bang Theory, Eureka, Leverage, and the web series The Guild. I have to admit, I have never watched Eureka or Leverage (although his guest appearances almost changed that). He was able to get me back on The Big Bang Theory though. I had stopped watching when it became too hard to balance tv with college, but hearing he was making a guest appearance was too exciting to miss. Good thing too, or I would have missed moments like this:



I am now catching up on all the episodes I missed in preparation for the next season. I also became interested in The Guild partially thanks to him. He mentioned the series on Twitter frequently (as did the show's creator Felicia Day) and eventually I broke down and decided to give it a try.

Best. Decision. Ever.

The show is quirky and wonderful and you really should watch it sometime. They are currently in the middle of Season 3, but you can watch all the episodes here. There's also two music videos, my favorite of which is



Damn, I did it again. OK, we're going to consider promoting all these things as our birthday present to Mr. Wheaton. That and this birthday nugget - a clip from one of the w00tstock performances. I've watched it a dozen times and it still makes me laugh like a hyena.

Eternal Arr from Dan Coulter on Vimeo.

Bonus Birthday Nugget! Find the hidden Wheaton in this video:

we love xkcd from Olga Nunes on Vimeo.

We love xkcd... and Wil Wheaton. Happy Birthday!

Doctor Who - The Big Bang

Lots of stuff happened in part 1 of our 2-part series finale, with lots more left to digest in part 2. Let's just skip through a quick SPOILER ALERT and get down to it, cause there's lots to discuss.

We left The Doctor being locked in the Pandorica, which turns out was basically a prison that every other species in the Universe made for him, while lots of other bad things happened simultaneously (TARDIS blowing up, etc). With the fate of the Universe hanging in the balance, the stakes have never been higher than right now. And it's all up to little Amy Pond to set everything right.

Things I loved about this episode: I loved the opening and slowly seeing what the after effects of last week's episode were for the rest of the Universe. And I loved all the signs that were left for mini Amy (and having the two Amys meet). I also loved using the complexities of time travel to help solve the problem. And I loved Rory the Robot playing his part in protecting Amy - hell, I loved just having him back in general. And I loved the analogy of "rebooting the Universe" as if it were a computer. Basically I loved everything about this episode. There were moments of fun mixed in with all the tension and pressures of the Big Problem. (example - The fez The Doctor wears for bits of the episode). It was an ending Steven Moffat should be proud of. When River says our solution will make it so The Doctor will never have been born, a part of me was sad and scared (even though I knew there had to be a way to fix it). To be nervous about something even knowing it can't really be the end, that takes real talent. That is the kind of genius that Steven Moffat has brought to Doctor Who.

Five-star moment of the week - without a doubt it had to be watching The Doctor rewind through his timeline. The moment when we see him talk to Amy from back during The Time of Angels and realize she is the key to keeping him from blinking out of existence for good was possibly one of my top moments in Doctor Who history (and there have been a lot of good moments, you have to admit). Flash to her wedding (which I was really happy to see finally happen) and her remembering The Doctor back into existence and you get one of the best nights with The Doctor ever.

What did you think of the series finale (or the series in general)? Sound off in the comments section below.

Happy Birthday, Summer Glau

News on Shuffle would like to send a Happy Birthday shout-out to Summer Glau. Whedonites such as myself will know her best as River Tam from Firefly/Serenity. She also had a recurring role on Dollhouse as Bennett and was a guest star on an episode of Angel. The birthday nugget for today is a clip of River. Just one of the many examples to show why we loved her so.

Happy Birthday, Jed Whedon

News on Shuffle would like to send a happy birthday shout-out to Jed Whedon, brother of one of our favorite people, Joss Whedon. Jed and Joss worked on Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog together, which won him a Streamy Award for Best Writing of a Comedy Web Series. Jed also worked with Felicia Day on the music video for "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar," which features the cast of Day's web series - The Guild. Here it is as our Birthday Nugget for today.

Doctor Who - The Pandorica Opens

Welcome to part 1 of the two part fifth series finale of Doctor Who. It seemed like we had to wait ages for the premiere, and yet we are already wrapping up another great season with The Doctor and his companion. *Here begins Spoil Time, kids*

We certainly started this one off with a bang, seeing the return of both Vincent and River. We also got a lovely painting of the TARDIS exploding and hints of the Pandorica opening (which is apparently supposed to be a myth, according to our friend The Doctor). Yep, not five minutes in and we already can tell this is going to be a good one.

Remember last week when I said all our adventures seem to happen in dark, creepy places? Yeah, cue the dark creepy cave where we find the Pandorica. So much for it being a myth! I guess even The Doctor can be wrong on occasion. The bad news here is this thing holds some big bad that is now making its great escape. Oh, and it gets better - because there is a signal being broadcast telling everyone in the area about this event. Every alien that ever wanted The Doctor dead is now coming straight for him! Daleks, Cybermen, and much, much more. You name it, they are probably on their way. How are our heroes supposed to fight with odds like that?

With no weapons and absolutely no plan, I still love The Doctor's chances here. He will win because, like he said, he's got nothing to lose - except the Universe itself. Oh, and the TARDIS which is looking like the source of all the cracks in time. We know the cracks were caused by a really big explosion, and The Doctor pulled out a piece of the TARDIS from one of those cracks. It would appear that the TARDIS exploding causes several rifts in time, the first one we notice being the one in Amy's bedroom. Which is probably why River ends up back at Amy's house - because it all goes back to her somehow.

Sidebar before I do my final wrap-up: I was completely (and pleasantly) surprised to see the return of Amy's fiance, Rory. (Even better was seeing him as a Roman soldier. I loved how long it took The Doctor to process that one). It was great seeing him again and even better seeing Amy slowly remember who he was.

Back to the story - It turns out that the Romans aren't real and the whole thing is an elaborate trap to get The Doctor's attention. Other bad things that all happen within the last five minutes include - The Pandorica opening, the TARDIS exploding, an alliance of basically every creature in the universe capturing The Doctor inside the Pandorica, Rory shooting Amy (with her looking quite lifeless as he holds her in his arms), and the pending doom that is the potential end of the Universe as we know it. If you're wondering how we make all of this better, then you're gonna have to wait till next week. This is proving, so far, to be one of the best finales Doctor Who has had. It's definitely right up there with my personal favorite up until this point, Season 3. The Master's complete dominance over The Doctor for a majority of the 3-part story had me on the edge of my seat. I don't think my jaw has ever dropped as low as it did tonight though. As a voice echoed, "Silence will fall," I noted how that could apply to the events happening on the show, as well as the silence in our own homes as we watched in astonishment at how epically bad things had gotten for our heroes.

Thus concludes this week's recap. What did you think of tonight's episode? And how do you think The Doctor is going to get out of the biggest trap he's had to face yet? As always, sound off in the comments section below. And don't forget to tune in next week for the thrilling conclusion. Here's a preview of what to expect:

April Smith 7/22 @ Bell House

If you're looking for a good night complete with fun times and good tunes then look no further than April Smith. The band (originally from Toms River, but now located in Brooklyn) will be playing a show at the Bell House this Thursday, July 22nd. If you've never heard of them, here is a sample to start you off with:



Good stuff, right? Then make sure you're at Bell House at 7:30pm. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.

Alex Band - We've All Been There: A Review

Hearing the lead singer from a rock band make the change to solo artist, some might fear this will just be a watered down version of the former band. Rest assured, this is not the case with "We've All Been There". Right from the start, Band shows his fans that he still has some rocker left in him. That's not to say that this is just like The Calling but with a different band. Alex' voice is recognizable from his days as frontman, but the sound is all his own. The album actually achieves a perfect balance that should keep fans of The Calling happy while also adding to that fan base and making it stronger. The album grabs the listener right away with the title track, letting them know that Band is giving it all he's got with this one. Good to know, for those who have been waiting since he first announced his solo career back in 2005. These loyal follows have stayed with him through label issues and several delays. Five years later and they now have a new album to hold (which has been signed by the artist if they jumped on that promotion). And what an album it is, too. With each song you can hear the passion Band has for his craft. You would have to love something that much to go through the rollercoaster ride it has been and even creating a label, in essence building a home for the newborn child to live and feel comfortable in.

The album is entirely worth it (IMO) but a few songs especially stand out for me. One is the single "Tonight", partly because I have had more time to fall in love with it and partly because it is just a truly powerful song. When the video was finally made available, I shared it with everyone I thought might be interested and played it a dozen times in the first day. In case you missed it, here it is again:



Another song is "Only One" because the chorus reminds us we only have one life to live, which I take a step further to mean we shouldn't waste the time we've got left. This is a lesson we all learn at some point, but sometimes we need repeated reminders.

"Holding On" refers to "holding on to a dream and staying strong" - which could be the theme song for the overall process of recording the album and making it accessible to the public, the whole time fighting the urge to lose faith and not give up. Keeping with that theme, there is also the track "Love", which proclaims "I'm not giving up… I'm blessed with love". This is the sort of positive, uplifting message we need in difficult times like we have seen lately. The final song "Start Over Again" is about life bringing you down and being able to pick right up and start again. Or maybe Alex just subliminally is trying to tell us to start the record over again…. Hey, you don't have to tell me twice!

After listening to the new album a few times on repeat, it's time to enjoy them in a live setting. Now that the album is finally out, there are a series of tour dates to look forward to. The tour began on the West Coast on July 14th and will end on the East Coast on August 8th. The New York date is August 6th at Highline Ballroom. The complete list of dates can be found on his website, as well as the latest news the artist has to share and a bunch of other extras. You can also follow Alex on Facebook and Twitter as well. The album can be purchased on iTunes and his website, as well as certain local retailers. You've waited long enough for this one, folks - go buy your copy today!

The Social Network Trailer

The Social Network (otherwise known as Facebook: The Movie) has many things that make it potentially good. Top of the list is the music (thanks to Trent Reznor) which is showcased very nicely in the trailer:



Like/Dislike? Share your thoughts in the comments section. Don't forget to also share the trailer with your Facebook friends on your wall.

Doctor Who - The Lodger

Sorry about the uber late post, folks. It's been a crazy week. Here is your overdue recap of the last episode, "The Lodger". It goes without saying that there are plenty of SPOILERS for those who haven't watched yet. You have been warned.

The street may look like any other street, but on it resides the creepiest house ever. The perfect place for The Doctor to take up residence. After all, The Doctor seems to have a thing for dark and creepy places. That is where all the action tends to be. (One wonders where he learned to cook amidst all of those adventures). Speaking of which, this line basically summed up my criteria for future relationships - You're weird and you can cook - it's good enough for me. But back to the show…

It was odd having The Doctor and Amy being separated for a majority of the episode. Also odd was having The Doctor making an attempt at being "normal" - although that was the good kind of odd. His attempts were actually quite hilarious at times, especially the shower scene and him playing football. Overall the episode was abnormal in the amount of normality involved. There wasn't a lot of science fiction/fantasy involved (outside of the weird time loops and the spaceship that ended up being responsible for it all).

Favorite scene: It would have been The Doctor saving his new flatmate (b/c it reminded me of how he cured himself from when he was poisoned) but the scene where he shares details of his life via headbutt was pretty fantastic. Oh, and the final ten minutes were pretty fantastic as well. They were fun and kinda cheesy and everything Doctor Who should be. But that is just one blogger's opinion.

What did you think of this episode? I saw a few complaints online that it wasn't as good as the rest of the season (which is valid) but on its own I thought it was enjoyable enough. Feel free to agree/disagree in the comments section below.

Broadway in Bryant Park

Every Thursday this summer various Broadway shows will be participating in a series of concerts at Bryant Park. This week one of the shows participating is none other than my personal favorite: Memphis. I have mentioned this show in the past and highly recommend going to see it. Now is a great chance to get a sample of what you would be getting for the price of your admission. The concert series is free and features a wide selection of the current shows running on Broadway. This week is Phantom of the Opera, Billy Elliot, Memphis, South Pacific, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (I guess it will be a little bit of Christmas in July). For future performance, the complete schedule has been linked to above.

Kate Miller-Heidke to play le Poison Rouge Today

They say that everything in the world is connected in some way. That certainly has to be proven plenty of times in my experience. You may have heard me mention a little band called Jukebox the Ghost here in the past. Well two facts about them I may not have mentioned: 1) they have toured with Ben Folds in the past, and 2) they have done work with Sneak Attack Media. These two criteria can describe another artist I have recently discovered: Kate Miller-Heidke. Sound-wise the two artists are not alike, except to say they are both a lot of fun to listen to (but for different reasons). If you want to experience Kate for yourself then come on down to le Poison Rouge and join me for a night of fun music surrounded by an intriguing atmosphere. For a sample of her music try this video:



or check out more tunes on her MySpace.

Jukebox Rocks 92Y Tribeca

Jukebox the Ghost held a preview show for their upcoming album "Everything Under the Sun on July 13th at 92Y Tribeca. The band is no stranger to the city, and it showed in another enthusiastic crowd. The night was filled with mostly songs from the new album, but there were a few fan favorites selected for the second half of the show. First the crowd got to hear the new album in its entirety. The band thanked it's audience for sitting through songs they were not familiar with, but there was really no need. Many of the songs had been played at previous shows (to the point where many in the audience knew some of the words), and the whole album sounds like it will be well worth the wait fans have had to endure. The album will be available to the general public on September 7th, but the single "Empire" is available for download now on their website (linked to above) or the widget at the top of the main page of this blog.

Happy Birthday, Fran Kranz

News on Shuffle would like to send a very happy birthday shout-out to Fran Kranz. Kranz has been in a number of things, but was most recently Topher on Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse". This was the first thing I had seen him in (or so I thought), but he was apparently also in the movie "The Village" - looks like I'm going to have to go back and watch it again.

As a little birthday present to both him and his fans, here is a video of some of Topher's best lines.



Fran Kranz can next be seen in the movie "The Cabins in the Woods" - also written by Joss Whedon. I guess all things really do lead to Joss...

World Cup News - Final Report

This weekend saw the last World Cup action for this year's tournament. Germany won their Third Place match against Uruguay yesterday by a score of 3-2. Spain beat Netherlands in the final 1-0 in overtime. Just when it looked like they were going into penalty kicks, Spain scored the only goal of the match. That makes my predictions rating at 50% (I predicted Germany's win but not Spain).

Anyone else predict this year's winners correctly? Or were you surprised by the outcome? Sound off in the comments section below.

Blame It On Rio Bravo, Happy Town

Alright, kids, this is it. Here is my recap of the Happy Town finale. I know what you're thinking, it was way too short. Eight episodes just isn't enough time for a show to fully develop. Well tell that to ABC, folks. Actually, don't waste your breath. I'm sure plenty of you have written letters and even joined the campaign to #SaveHappyTown but it hasn't done any good. Let's just enjoy what little time we've got left instead of crying over spilt milk. So, without further ado, here is my recap off the series finale of Happy Town - Blame It On Rio Bravo. It goes without saying that there will be huge amounts of SPOILERS, so you should probably stop reading now and watch the episode on ABC before you go any further. You have been warned.

Last week we finally learned what was up with Henley and the mystery hammer - apparently it was used by Peggy Haplin to kill Alice Conroy. (Too bad we'll never find out why Haplin killed her *grumble* She goes to the police station to try to tell Tommy about this, but he is too busy dealing with Magic Man related things to listen to some crazy girl he's never met before tell him wild tales of murder and mystery. They have just arrested Dan Farmer as their prime suspect, and Greggy Stiviletto has the whole town outside the police station ready to dispense some homemade justice. Tommy calls for back-up but our friend Mr. Grieves calls pretending to be Conroy and cancels it. You want a mystery that could have been good for a couple of seasons, then look no further than this guy. And while we're talking mystery - why does Greggy want the Magic Man dead so bad?! Whatever the reason, they have the wrong guy so it really doesn't matter. Amy Acker, I mean, Rachel takes one look at him and confirms his claim that he is not their man. Back to square one, I guess.

The police may know that Farmer is innocent, but the rest of the town doesn't. They still want his head on a platter and have taken a hostage to try to persuade the police to cooperate. Said hostage is John Haplin, who probably wishes he were anywhere other than where he is right now. Merritt Grieves works his silver tongue and gets Haplin freed from the angry mob. Seriously, what is up with this guy?! Dude is an enigma wrapped in a puzzle and sprinkled with mystery sauce.

Things are pretty tense inside the police station, with both sides pointing their guns in each other's faces. Round of applause for Tom Conroy Sr and his fantastic entrance on the scene: guns blazing with proclamations of his left hand working again. Right from the start he was the one who first dragged my attention to this show. Sure he was kinda crazy when we first met him, but that was part of what kept us interested. After all, crazy is totally the middle name of this show.

With the town finally dispersed, we send Farmer off in an ambulance, except it's all part of an elaborate plan to help him escape. And Merritt Grieves is the one who helps him! I'm usually good at predicting these things but I did not see that one coming. Kudos for keeping me on my toes right up until the end.

With things settling down at the police station, Tommy confronts his father about his mother's death. Daddy says something about the town being wicked and how things work here in Haplin, which is not the answer Tommy wants to here. Jr drives off to confront Peggy Haplin, while Sr drives off with Henley right on his tale. The tension builds as the Magic Man is about to finally be revealed. Or, it would build if it weren't for their interesting taste in music on this show. In the final moments it is revealed that the Magic Man is *drumroll please*

Alice?!

Yes, it turns out that Alice has been alive the whole time and is really the Magic Man. Oh, and Tom Conroy knew this and never said anything. All because of some mystery in the town that was never fully explained. Georgia and Andrew were planning on leaving until Peggy told her grandson something about the family that changed his mind. And Henley? We still don't know what her connection to the Magic Man was. We assume someone she cared about was one of the missing people but don't know the full story. I'm glad the big mystery surrounding the identity of the Magic Man was revealed, but giving us a peak at what promised to be an interesting town that is oozing with more mysteries to share is just mean. The show had a lot of potential that will never be explored. It's a shame really but that's the way the game seems to be played these days.

What were your thoughts on the series finale (or the show in general)? Were you satisfied with what little we got, or is there something else you would liked to have seen before the curtain closed? Sound off in the comments section below.

Jukebox the Ghost - Summer News Edition

Summer may have been unbearably hot for us, but it is heating up in a good way for Jukebox the Ghost. The band has a new album that will be released September 7th on Yep Roc Records. It's called "Everything Under the Sun" and you can snag a free download of "Empire" from their new website (which is currently under construction but has a link to the download in the bottom corner). The band will be appearing in NYC on July 13th for an intimate show at 92Y to preview the new album. If you're not in the NY area (or just feel like traveling) they will be playing a few festivals - Lollapalooza in Chicago, Forecastle in Louisville, and FLO Fest in Leesburg, VA. And finally, there will be a full album release tour in the fall, so look for more news on that. Not excited yet? Maybe this will help:

Jukebox the Ghost - Everything Under the Sun from Eyestar Pictures on Vimeo.

World Cup News - The Final Showdown

After a month of soccer (or football, depending where you are from) taking over our lives, it all comes down to the final matches. With the semifinals over, we now know who will be competing for the #1 spot. Drum roll, please...

This year's World Cup Final will be between Netherlands and Spain. The Third Place match will be between Uruguay and Germany. I was really hoping to get a Netherlands-Germany final, but this just means I can route for Netherlands and actually care about the Third Place match (Go Deutschland!).

Predictions: I don't think Netherlands should have too many problems defeating Spain, but I knock on wood as I say that for fear of jinxing them. As for the third place match, Germany shouldn't have too many problems defeating Uruguay (again, knocking on wood here).

What do you think about this year's final? And who do you think will come out on top? Sound off in the comments section below.

The third place match is July 10th, and the final July 11th. Both matches air on ABC at 2:30pm.

Sports Round-up

Happy Independence Day, sports fans (and everyone else for that matter). Today's post contains updates for both the World Cup and Wimbledon.

First up, the semifinals for World Cup will be July 6th & 7th. First will be Uruguay v Netherlands at 2:30 on the 6th. Germany v Spain will follow the next day. My predictions: Netherlands v Germany for the Final. More like I really hope that is the case, but it has a good chance at becoming a reality. Netherlands' upset against Brazil blew the soccer world away (much like Germany blew Argentina away in their Quarterfinal match). I believe these are the two teams to watch out for.

Next, tennis - the Wimbledon finals were this weekend, and here are the results:
For the Ladies Final, Serena blew away Zvonareva on Saturday by a score of 6-3, 6-2. As for the Men's Final, Nadal beat Berdych earlier today 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. I predicted both outcomes, but hoped for a better showing from Berdych. Even still, congrats to him for making it as far as he did, and congrats to all the players for their own achievements.

Thus concludes the sports round-up for today. Here is a little inspirational something to say Happy Birthday to my fellow Americans. It is a clip from the movie Independence Day.

Wimbledon Gentlemen's & Ladies' Finals

Well, folks, we're finally here. The Wimbledon Finals are this weekend. For the Ladies, we get Zvonareva vs Serena Williams. I predict Serena should win this, but I wouldn't be opposed to finally seeing someone new win for a change. As for the Gentlemen, their final match will be Berdych vs Nadal. I was really disappointed to see Murray go down in straight sets, especially since he looked strong throughout most of the match. He played his heart out though, so kudos to him anyway. Unfortunately his loss means British fans will have to wait even longer now to see one of their own make it to the Finals at Wimbledon.

Predictions: I think this is going to be Nadal's year, but I also wouldn't count Berdych out before the match has even started. After all, this is the guy who knocked Federer out in the Quarters, so he definitely is a force to be reckoned with.

Ladies Finals will be tomorrow, and Men's Finals will be Sunday. Enjoy your weekend, tennis fans.

Dallas Alice Doesn't Live Here in Happy Town Anymore

*Yada, yada, yada, SPOILERS AHEAD*

This week's episode started with the aftermath of Big Dave's death and some dead birds in the forest. While at Dave's funeral, Tommy has a run-in with Mrs. Friddle that leaves questions as to whether his mother's death was a natural one like he thought or if maybe something else happened to her that no one told him about. He brings these concerns to his father who tells him that at one point he had thought it was murder but eventually chalked it up to just needing someone else to blame for his loss. He says he eventually accepted her death, and Tommy should too. It looks like they are going to drop this story right up until the end - when Henley walks into the police station and hands Tommy the mystery hammer, claiming it is the weapon Peggy Haplin used to kill his mother. #shockoftheday So what should we ask first, why Peggy killed Alice or how the hell Mrs. Friddle knew about it? Both very good questions to add to the heaping pile of them this show has buried us in.

Going back a little to how Henley got the hammer back in the first place - with the help of her new best friend Merritt Grieves, of course! Henley has asked Grieves to help her break into Peggy Haplin's home to retrieve the hammer. Since Grieves was invited to a party there, he says it shouldn't be a problem. I loved the comment about being the only Brit at a Daughters of the American Revolution event. Anyone else find the funny in that one? Henley goes poking around the house only to be caught by Peggy Haplin. Based on how they were talking it seems they know each other from way back when, or at least know some of the same people. Will the mysteries surrounding this girl never cease? I sure hope we find out everything there is to know about her in a somewhat satisfying way before this whole thing wraps up next week. My only concern is that anything we do find out will feel too forced because of the shortened time-span. Back to the present though… Grieves eventually manages to get both the hammer and Henley away from the house. Peggy is none too happy to find out that she has been betrayed by someone she thought had cared about her. If I were Greives, I would watch out for the Queen Bee's wrath.

So remember back in the previous episode when Dan Farmer told Georgia not to tell anyone about him or else? Well she totally ignores him and tells Tommy Conroy. She goes one step further though and fingers him as the Magic Man. Truth? Possibly. He definitely seems psycho enough that he could do something like this. Tommy works out a plan to tip Farmer off that they know about the trailer then follow him to see what he does next. Farmer must realize what they are up to though, because he blows up his truck to set the cop off his trail. He steals the Stiviletto's truck and drives to the boarding house. He then proceeds to kidnap Dot Meadows and takes her to the woods where she had previously filed a police report on some dead birds (and you thought I had forgotten about them from the beginning of the episode, didn't you?). Farmer takes Dot Meadows to the same spot Big Dave had found (where he thought the Magic Man had been hiding his victims). This makes it seem like he could very well be the man they are looking for. A couple townsfolk stumble upon the site, shoot him, and drag him to the police station. He claims he is not the Magic Man, just the one who is going to catch him and mumbles something about being "so close". Looks like another wrong turn on the path to finding who the Magic Man is. Or is it…? At least we don't have too much longer to wait, right?

Thus concludes this week's recap of Happy Town. Next week was scheduled to be the series finale, but instead they have posted it online for us to watch now. Guess they have completely given up on the show and just don't care anymore. Hopefully all our questions have at least been answered with some satisfaction. Feel free to leave any comments you might have on the show, as well as any questions you feel need answering. I'm going to wait to watch the finale, so please no spoilers on how it all ends until after I post my recap.

Happy Town - Questions and Antlers

Sorry for the late post here, but now that I'm done with summer classes it shouldn't happen again. Perfect timing considering next week is going to be the series finale…

This is the recap for the June 16th episode. I'm watching last night's episode today as well, so you'll be getting that recap shortly. For now, enjoy this little flashback to events past and see if it connects any dots you might have missed on your own viewing. Of course it goes without saying that there will be plenty of SPOILERS for those who are even further behind than I am. Consider yourselves warned.

Last week we seemed to be getting closer to finally figuring out who the Magic Man is. Boy were we wrong there...

We picked up this week at the police station with John Haplin being questioned about the severed hand that showed up in the bread factory in a previous episode. They get interrupted by Mrs. Friddle who is there to accuse Dave Duncan of killing her husband. Because Tommy Conroy really thought he was keeping that one a secret forever, right? Conroy realizes it has gone too far when John Haplin is about to be charged with the crime, so he asks Dave to come into the station and confess. Dave asks for time so he can tell his mother and uses that as a chance to make a run for it. While running through the woods he falls through a hole underground that has seven cages and thinks he has found where the Magic Man was holding his victims. When he tries to show Tommy though, he can't find the spot anymore and becomes extremely agitated. Well, that's the nice way of putting it. Really he goes crazy and starts yelling how he's not crazy and he's not going to jail and Tommy is not going to be able to stop him. Tommy, realizing his friend has lost it, has no choice but to shoot him. It was kill or be killed, and no one wants to be killed, right?

The other big story has been Henley and all the mysteries that surround her. Merritt Grieves got involved last week when he said he would transport a briefcase for her. That briefcase was stolen en route with no clue as to who did it. Henley thinks she knows though - Greggy Stiviletto. She goes to confront him about this in an interesting way. I was always a little suspicious of Greggy, but the way Henley has him chained up makes me think she may actually be the crazier of the two of them. What the hell is this girls story?! Seriously, I never pictured Greggy to be the sane one in that pair. Eventually she gets him to talk and we find out he was just doing it because Peggy Haplin told him too. I guess being ordered by basically the Queen of the town is a good enough reason to do something.

The semi-new (but kinda sorta connected to the original) big story is the two kids stumbling on that trailer in the woods and getting trapped inside. It turns out the owner of said trailer is the same guy who kidnapped Georgia the first time around (although anyone else think of V for Vendetta when he was making the crepes in that one scene?). Georgia is now stuck alone in a trailer with the creepiest guy ever. "Where's Andrew?" you ask. He's chained to the outside of the trailer. Oh, and creep is actually Dan Farmer, police officer!!! I knew there was something off about that guy when we first met him way back in one of the first episodes. It turns out he is a psycho obsessed cop who is determined to find the Magic Man… by any means necessary. He does eventually let the kids go, but warns them what will happen if they tell anyone what he did to them.

For those who are curious, the song at the end of this episode was "Hand of Fate" by The Rolling Stones. With all of Dan Farmer's talk about the hand of fate, I guess they thought it was appropriate.

That's all I have to say for this one. Feel free to leave any comments you want, but more discussion about predictions for the finale will come in the recap for this week's episode, so keep that in mind.