It’s not often one gets to witness such profound, and heartbreaking, layering and characterizations in one episode; to do so with the focus largely on a single character? It’s almost unheard of, nevertheless done. Yet, that is exactly what happened in tonight’s Once Upon A Time. Where Sheriff Graham, and his newly revealed fairy tale self, The Huntsman, took center stage.

In what feels more like a season finale than a midseason finale, Graham begins to have flashes of memories of his past life, and after sharing a kiss with Emma all hell breaks loose. All of it is wonderfully well done, from finding out that Regina is Snow’s Stepmother, the intense irony and foolish illusions Regina is clouding herself with, to Graham being reflected alongside Emma as heartless.

Emma is often closed off with her emotions, and finding out Graham is sleeping with Regina causes her to be vulnerable and jealous. Emma’s uncertainty about these emotions causes her to fall back on her previous coping mechanisms, mainly work and avoidance. Sadly, with Emma’s life existing predominantly in Storybrooke now, there’s very little she can do to escape those feelings. Which means she’s left to actually sort them out, and confront the people who are causing them. Did I mention this is just the first two minutes? And all of it culminates with Graham telling Emma he’s “looking to feel something” and a kiss?

I know, crazy good.

By the end, it looks like Graham’s wolf is inextricably linked not only to him, but also to Emma. By saving Graham, he spares Snow, which means Emma, and Henry, get to join this world. Not only that, it looks like his wolf is also what kept Emma in Storybrooke by making her swerve out of the way as she attempted to leave in the Pilot. That wolf connection led Emma and Graham to Regina’s center of evil, a mausoleum, housing her father Henry’s remains, and beneath it, all of the hearts she’s collected.

Regina having Graham’s heart, and by association him, explains so many things. Particularly why he is so emotionally disconnected from what seems like most everyone. Graham is trying to survive. That being said, it also gives Emma a devastatingly huge check in power. When Emma begins to emotionally connect with people in the town, Regina’s curse begins to fall away. It’s the first flash of how Emma is going to be the key to reversing the town’s curse.

That puts Emma at odds with herself, though, because that means Regina is in a complete power play with her. If Regina is really stocked up with hearts, which I assume she is since she has an actual vault filled with them, she can literally squeeze the life out of just about anyone who really crosses her the wrong way – aka anyone heading over to Emma. Emma recognizes this, telling Regina everyone that’s ever gotten close to her has come running to me.

Regina, who has been overshadowed recently by Rumplestiltskin, showed everyone why she is the mayor in town and reasserted her vicious self. But not before exposing her self-made lies to irony. Just look at the long list in one scene:

“Of course not, because you’re incapable of feeling anything for anyone.”

“There’s a reason you’re alone, isn’t there?”

“You may think you’re doing nothing, but you’re putting thoughts in his head. Thoughts that are not in his best interests. You are leading him on a path to self destruction.”

Interesting how all of this has more to do with Regina than it does Emma.

Finally, the parallels between Graham and Emma are rather endless. Both of them want to begin feeling something, but haven’t felt much, if anything, for anyone. They’re kindred souls in a sense, and it’s all the more heartbreaking that he’s gone now just as his character became something great. The stakes had to be heightened, I get that, but does it really have to be with Graham? Of course, the writers are probably looking at this review (They’re not) and knowing that Graham’s death is having its intended results.

But, damn it, that doesn’t make the pain any less.

My hopes were high for this show, and although I do sometimes enjoy watching, at this moment in time there’s not enough there for me to come back each and every week. Why? There’s far better comedy out there. I’d much rather put my Wednesday nights to use at ABC watching Modern Family and Happy Endings with a nightcap of Revenge.

4. Pan Am

While the spy plot is interesting, the 60s settings is wonderful and transports me to a time well before mine, the characters aren’t sucking me in as much as I would like, especially the flat pilots. I’ll keep my eyes on Twitter to see if things change, and if things do, I might come back for an episode or two. Thankfully, with very little on Sunday nights this show could quickly come off the list if things do improve.

3. The Playboy Club

This is not by choice but rather because the show has been pulled by NBC.

2. Charlie’s Angels

I consider the last episode title “Bon Voyage, Angels” very telling. The show is quickly plummeting in viewership and the reasons are easy: it’s rather terrible. The show takes itself way too seriously, the acting leaves much to be desired, and appalling subplots make me want to claw my eyes out.

Bon Voyage Angels!

1. Ringer       

Oh Sarah Michelle Gellar, your show lost me the moment Siobhan’s boat hit the poorly green-screened water, and sadly, that wasn’t even the worst part of things. The story is comically clichéd in ways only a drowning soap opera could write, including an actress who can’t play a twin, and whiplash storytelling: going from the kitchen sink storytelling in the pilot to almost nothing in the episodes since. I’ll stick with Revenge.

I could outright lie and tell all of you I am in love with The CW’s new show Ringer, but the truth is I’m still very undecided about the show. All of the elements are there for what could be a well-done film noir show but to do so Ringer needs more Veronica Mars and less Gossip Girl, and pacing, lots and lots of pacing.

Sadly, the Pilot is more interested in shoving as much story and soap elements into it than someone could possibly imagine. Don’t get me wrong, these are wonderful pieces of storytelling to sprinkle into a film noir piece but the job of a good pilot is introduction and emotional attachment, not the kitchen sink.

I want to feel and form some sort of emotional attachment to Bridget as I watch her come to grips with imitating Siobhan, discovering that side of life, and watching her begin to cope with the death of her twin sister. Instead what is presented is almost a bullet point list of character traits and big, dramatic storytelling bombs thrown in nonchalantly. Bridget was a stripper, check. Siobhan had a lover, check. Siobhan is pregnant, check.

Where is the element of surprise? Siobhan is a stone cold bitch and following her path of destruction along with Bridget would have afforded bigger payoffs and emotional connections to Bridget as she tries to navigate those treacherous emotional waters. Instead it’s, oh hey look the mob is after Siobhan, and, by the way, the relationship with Siobhan’s husband is falling apart. Oh, and did I mention she betrayed her best friend?

Ringer is a show with plenty of potential, and from reading a few articles it looks like things will start to slow down now. The worry is how much damage has already been done from putting the viewer through whiplash storytelling and how quickly can the brace be applied? Right now the characters are flat and dull and it’s hard to care about them in the least.

Hopefully with some excessive flashbacks and establishing what story thread to focus on in the forefront I’ll begin to care for these characters because right now I’m sitting on a fence and it’s very uncomfortable.

Ringer airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW

Futurama Review – Ghost in the Machines

Futurama Review – Law and Oracle

Warehouse 13 Review – The New Guy

Alphas Review – Pilot

Futurama Review – The Silence of the Clamps

Look for my review of MTV’s Awkward. on TV Fanatic next week as well.

Another week another 10 things I learned from TV. This week it’s Ryan Atwood from the much beloved, sometimes beleaguered, and always pop culture ridden OC.

10. Violence solves everything

Is the resident water polo playing, asshole jock picking on your new best buddy? No problem, you’ll be welcomed into The OC by getting your ass handed to you. Don’t worry though, it totally solves the problem of Seth thinking you were into Summer.

9.  Biological moms are total bitches.

Is your biological mom a drinker? Does she embarrass you in front of all your friends and badass lawyer at the local Juvie? Does she kick you out of the house after her loser of a boyfriend kicks your ass? Congratulations, your biological mom is a total bitch.

8.  Your court appointed attorney is a total badass.

Who needs to pay for a good legal defense when your court appointed attorney is Sandy Cohen? The paternal connection between the two of you will be so strong he’ll probably even let you stay in his pool house.

7.  Everyone in Orange County is rich…

…even if they’re not and drowning in debt (we’re looking at you Jimmy Cooper, you dumbass). Don’t fret though, the Newpsies will judge and jury you faster than you can get your buzz on.

6.  Black armbands offer instant street cred in Chino.

Be sure to bring your trusty black armband to Chino on your next visit. Not only will you get instant street cred, you’ll also have a better chance of getting Sandy Cohen as an attorney after you steal that car in front of the cops.

5. A wifebeater goes with everything.

Need we say more?

4. Every bagel needs a good schmearing.

"Ryan, I schmeared it for you."

If there’s one thing Ryan Atwood learned from Sandy, it’s the art of schmearing your bagel. A bagel needs cream cheese, but you have to schmear it properly. It’s also impolite to not accept a pre-schmeared bagel courtesy of the one and only Sandy Cohen.

3. When your girlfriend dies your only recourse is cage fighting.

Watching your girlfriend die in your arms is a terrible thing and everyone reacts differently to that sort of pain and suffering. Since you’re Kid Chino, you have fists of fury. Which means they must be used for cage fights.

2. Cynicism is contagious.

Somehow, even if you’re a generally optimistic person like Ryan, your inner cynic comes out, courtesy of the one and only Seth Cohen. We dare you to watch The OC and not discover that you too, also have an inner cynic.

1. The best way to make friends is to punch them.

Luke? Punched. Okay, so Ryan mainly punched Luke and they ended up having a friendship. Most of the time Ryan punches people and then gets his ass handed to him. But, the punch of friendship has a much better ring to it, doesn’t it?

Since it’s summer that means we have more time to dig through our DVD collections and get back to the good ol’ days of television. In honor of finishing up Season Two of Dawson’s Creek, here are a few things I learned.

10. Birthday parties are better when you’re smashed.

Let’s be honest when your life is crumbling down all around you in a shower of teenage ridden angst it’s best to not be sober. Well, until you make a total dick of yourself in front of everyone at your own birthday party. Cheer up Dawson, I bet Jack is happy the attention wasn’t on him.

9. It’s acceptable to spit in a teacher’s face.

I’m sure most of us are happy we never had a teacher like Mr. Peterson. It did give us the chance to see Pacey fully come into his own, however. Openly refusing to stand for such cruel and humiliating tactics by someone who should not be feared.

8. Some deaths can be unintentionally hilarious.

Although Abby was a ranking member in the totally bitch society, her death was way too funny of a way to go. Seriously, getting drunk and falling off a pier sounds good in premise, especially on a teen drama. But the way it was executed and filmed caused me to laugh profusely at her death.

7. Parents are worthless.

Not that most teen shows have any semblance of parental authority, but the parents in Dawson’s Creek are mostly useless. Dawson’s parents seem to have it all together until they don’t. Joey’s father survives out in the real world for all of what feels like six minutes until he’s thrown back in the big house. Jen’s parents shipped her to Capeside. And Pacey’s father is mostly an asshole.

6. The movie about your life is only amazing to you.

Apparently only Dawson really liked the movie about his life. Which is understandable, I just wish he didn’t try so hard telling us how awesome it was too.

5. Screw the rent and a house to accommodate your children, buy a Viper.

Pacey and Andie are paired off for the typical household economics projects. Naturally, Pacey has a lot of kids, but doesn’t see the need for all of them to have their own rooms. Especially when you can put that money towards cooler things, like a Viper. We like the way you think Pacey.

4. Sometimes your guest stars are more entertaining than your regulars.

Did anyone else find Jack and Andie McPhee much more entertaining characters compared to most of the main cast? They had secrets, a crumbling family, Jack wrestling with his homosexuality, an absentee father, a dead older brother, and a clinical mother.

3.  The rumors are true grandparents are awesome.

Grams is probably the best “parent” on the show. Doling out sage wisdom to everyone (including the parents), strong in her beliefs but openly compassionate to everyone, taking in Jack at the end of the season. She was the true patriarch of the show and everyone was better off because of her.

2. Your main character is insufferable.

Could anyone take Dawson seriously in the second season? All we seemed to get from him was moping, emotionally stalking Joey, and a movie no one liked. Less Dawson was something we seriously wished for in season two.

1. It’s okay to be gay.

Probably the best message of Season Two. We see Jack being humiliatingly forced out of the closet and coming to terms with what that means for him and to those around him. But instead of coming out and subsequently tossed out of the show we see him through to the end of the story. Many gay teens were no doubt appreciative of the fact they had someone they could look to and relate to in their struggles. Especially since gay characters were a rare site for television at the turn of the century.

It’s not hard to dismiss legal shows. Most of them are cookie-cutter shows with such minor twists to their premises it’s almost impossible not to think they all come from the same person. At first glance, you might give Suits the same kind of quick, judge by it’s cover reaction. I did the exact same thing when I read the premise.

But I’m addicted to television and in honor of that I uphold one basic principle: I have to watch everything.

In the first few minutes of Suits you’ll be hard pressed to find something very different from other legal shows. You’ll meet Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), a cocky hotshot attorney who bends the rules, a bit of a womanizer, and wants to find a young associate that’s more like him and less like a Harvard Graduate.

The twist comes from Mike Ross (Patrick Adams), a young eidetic man, who’s studied and passed the bar—for others, not himself. Finding himself a bit down on his luck, he agrees to a drug exchange. Of course, things don’t go his way and he finds himself in an interview with Harvey.

And it’s at that point that Suits goes from average to remarkable television. The chemistry between Adams and Macht is even better than Bomer and Dekay’s on White Collar. The different avenues the two of them explore together are fascinating to watch, from a brotherly relationship, to a father and son relationship, to mentoring, to a partnership. They don’t miss a beat and can switch between them in the same scene with ease.

The two biggest fears I had when watching Suits was how long the premise can hold up, especially when Mike is in an actual law firm, and how close to White Collar’s Neal would Mike get. What I mean when I say that is how overused would Mike’s eidetic memory be, like Neal’s con skills and contacts.

While I’m still on the fence about the former fear, especially since Mike doesn’t have any basic knowledge about the paperwork or the day-to-day workings of a law firm. My fears were assuaged about Mike’s eidetic memory. It’s used very sparingly in the pilot and it’s more for him to keep up his cons than it is about winning cases.

Rounding out the cast is Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle), Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), and Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres).

Rachel is the paralegal with a corner office. She’s good at her job, but not very good at taking tests. Which is why she hasn’t taken the bar (hmmmm). Rachel and Mike have instant chemistry together, even if she cuts that possibility off almost instantly.

Louis is a character I can’t get a real beat on. He’s slimy, he doesn’t always agree with Harvey, and hands out emotional whiplash to Mike, going from his greatest defender to his greatest enemy in no time flat.

In the end, although I have a few quibbles like the pilot could have been condensed a little or I’m not sure how long Mike and Harvey’s charade can last. I’m confident the show can handle them when those issues do arise.

You won’t have any objections watching Suits. The show is typical USA fare, except for one key difference: it’s less focused on telling a case of the week story. They are much more interested in telling a character story that is more mature than it is whimsy.

Suits premieres tonight at 10/9c on USA after Burn Notice.

White Collar – Tuesday at 9/8c on USA

I’ve always loved the relationship between conman Neal Caffrey and FBI Agent Peter Burke. It looks like things are going to get even more complicated this season as Neal tries to hide one of the biggest cons he’s ever done a secret from Burke.

Covert Affairs – Tuesdays at 10/9c on USA

Very much like a fun summer movie, Covert Affairs offers plenty of action and fun for an hour every week. With just enough mythology and intrigue to keep us coming back for more.

Necessary Roughness – Series Premiere Wednesday June 29th at 10/9c on USA

Even if you’re not a fan of football, Roughness has plenty of the USA charm you’ve come to expect from the cable net. I had a chance to view the series premiere and beneath roughness’ exterior is a show about starting over outside of your comfort zone and finding something rewarding. It’s feel good TV that packs plenty of fun.

Burn Notice – Season Premiere Thursday June 23 at 9/8c on USA

Now that Michael is no longer out in the cold as a burned spy where do things go for our favorite team of do-gooders in Miami? And more importantly, does this mean we finally get a new intro to the show? “My name is Michael Westen. I used to be a spy…”

Suits – Series Premiere Thursday June 23 at 10/9c on USA

If the pilot is any indication of this show, it’s quickly going to become my favorite show on USA, bar none. Yes, it is that good. This feels like the show the law show USA was developing night and day in a back room while they punted Fairly Legal to the airwaves as filler.

Drop Dead Diva – Season Premiere June 19 at 9/8c on Lifetime

I don’t watch Lifetime at all, but Diva has somehow captured my attention every season. A supermodel, Deb, dies and instead of being sent to heaven she gets sent back to Earth in Jane. A plus sized lawyer. Now she works with Deb’s ex-fiance and is trying to come to grips with her new life. Diva is full of heart, charm, humor, and depth. Even if you lack the appropriate estrogen level to watch Lifetime, there’s something here you’ll probably enjoy.

Falling Skies – Series Premiere Sunday June 19 at 9/8c on TNT

An alien invasion and they’re trying to kill us? Sounds fun, I’ll tune in.

Futurama – Season Premiere Thursday June 23 at 10/9c on Comedy Central

It’s Futurama and it’s funny. Need I say more?

Warehouse 13 – Season Premiere Monday July 11 at 9/8c on Syfy

Is Myka coming back? Is the new guy sticking around? I guess we’ll find out when Warehouse 13 returns.

Alphas – Series Premiere Monday July 11 at 10/9c on Syfy

The premise of this show feels like the A-Team meets Syfy. That alone will make me watch.

Haven - Season Premiere Monday July 11 at 10/9c on Syfy

I wasn’t always the happiest after watching Haven. Some of the cases felt weak and the mythology behind the show at times felt like it wasn’t going anywhere whatsoever. But the season ended on a cliffhanger and I’d like to see where that takes me.

Teen Wolf – Mondays at 10/9c on MTV

If there was one show I really held almost no high hopes for this summer, it was Teen Wolf. You can’t blame me either, it’s on MTV, home of Jersey Shore and 16 and Pregnant. Needless to say what I got was blown expectations. The characters are well acted, well written, and the show is just dark enough to heighten the stakes and the atmosphere without heading into overly cheesy territory. Teen Wolf has become one of my must watch shows for the summer.

Breaking Bad – Season Premiere Sunday July 17 at 10/9c on AMC

I hopped on the Breaking Bad bandwagon last summer after all the hype was starting to reach critical mass. I never checked the show out to begin with because I never thought a show about a high school chemistry teacher, who in an attempt to make some extra cash for his cancer treatments, becomes one of the regions biggest drug suppliers. The characters are written and acted to near indefinable depths. I never realized I could be rooting so deeply for a crime lord. July 17th can’t come soon enough.

Pretty Little Liars – Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC Family

I tend to have a lot of women friends, this is the show they can’t stop talking about.  I jumped in at the second season premiere and all I can surmise so far  is this A girl is a total bitch. I’ll keep watching though and I’m sure it gets much better once I actually have a decent clue for the characters and the world.

The Nine Lives of Chloe King – Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC Family

I caught the pilot after Pretty Little Liars and while it had some cheesiness and an over the top amount of teen cliches, the premise is keeping me interested.

As was the case last season, I’m really enjoying this storytelling paradigm White Collar is setting up. One where we’re not only getting a fun, enjoyable case of the week, but there’s also plenty of storytelling going on amongst our favorite cops and robbers pushing the plot forward.

Last season’s finale set up quite a few plot elements going forward and it’s something White Collar wasted no time in pushing further. I was wondering just how far this stunt of Mozzie’s (who we now know stole the Nazi treasure) was going to push this relationship between Peter and Neal back. Thankfully, I had plenty of time to think about how much fun it would be to watch Peter and Neal go at it like the old days in another one of their games of cat and mouse. Now, I’m very excited to see where all of this goes and can’t wait to see how it all comes to a head.

Speaking of cat and mouse, it’s nice to see how much change Matt Bomer was able to reflect in watching Neal struggle with his old life and this new one he’s built with Peter and those who are now close to him. That pull of his old life is still so strong and fraught with temptation that even the allure of this new life that is starting to emerge, the one Peter has, the one Neal wants, still isn’t enough.

In doing so, Neal ends up perhaps reigniting one of his greatest enemies: Peter. The one man who can see past Neal’s conman shell and could appreciate the man for who he is and the qualities that make him more than some simple conman. Peter’s hunches haven’t let him down yet and just how far will Neal go to cover up his trail? And how far is Peter going to go to find it?

Does anyone really care about the case of the week? It’s fun to watch, but I’d rather talk about the characters than the case. We got to see Neal dredge up another one of his aliases, Gary Rydell, and watch him con another con. My favorite part? Watching all of the stolen treasury money hidden in the air vents of the fencing gym waft down. I was a little disappointed we didn’t see Scrooge McDuck take a dive.

All in all, this season of White Collar is shaping up to be the best yet. I can’t wait to see where they take me.

Additional thoughts:

• I’m ready for some estrogen in this show, Elizabeth and Sara needed more to do this episode. I’m glad Elizabeth got to do at least something because usually she’s relegated to cheerleader for Peter and almost nothing else.
• I am finally not creeped out by Elizabeth and Peter, usually she feels way too young for him, but this episode it finally felt like they were compatible to me.
• No June this week, but we did get her granddaughter Cindy! I’m hoping she’s recurring now that All My Children is coming to a close.