Most often than not, most television shows focus their energies on exploring the main character’s romantic relationships or their relationships with their closest friends. What often goes unoticed, though, is the relationship between the protagonist and their parents.
Usually, their parents act as guiding lights who steer them in the right direction and save their asses when they are in trouble. Parents almost always pull through and if they don’t, there’s another parental figure to take them in, for example, Uncle Phil on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Parental figures are there to love their children, without judgment or reservations. While some television parents are less than honourable (i.e. Frank Gallagher from Shameless) there are some television parents who do get it right.
SEE ANDPOP’S LIST OF THE BEST TELEVISION PARENTS BELOW
1) Burt Hummel (Glee)
Burt Hummel should pretty much get all the parenting awards as his relationship with Kurt is easily the most important relationship of Glee. When Kurt reveals to his father that he is gay, Burt is quick to accept his son for who he is. Burt was also willing to sacrifice his relationship to Finn’s mom in order to stand up for his son when Finn becomes visibly “bothered” by Kurt. Let’s also not forget how he did “Single Ladies” for Kurt as a grad gift, and how he pushed Kurt to go to New York. Burt even broke new television ground as he tries to have “the sex talk” with Kurt.
2) Danny Tanner (Full House)
Danny Tanner is a class act.The single father of three children, Danny seems to have it more under control than he thinks. Without a wife to give his daughters love advice, he has to take on the role of both the mother and father which means he has to sit through some conversations most fathers typically try to avoid. Luckily, he gives pretty good love advice.
3) Uncle Phil
Uncle Phil may be Will’s uncle but he is more of a father to him than his biological father. Uncle Phil takes Will under his wing and puts up with all of his quirks. The relationship the two form over time mirrors that of a father and son.
4) Mr. Bradshaw (The Carrie Diaries)
I’m still in shock over this week’s episode of Pretty Little Liars. let’s just say I wasn’t expecting this one!
And just in case you missed it here are the top events that happened in this week’s episode of PLL “I’m Your Puppet.”
1. Toby’s body is found
After the girls spend all episode trying to prove to Spencer that Toby’s body wasn’t the one she found that night in the woods, Emily’s mom tells her that the police finally found Toby’s body. I guess when you mess with A, A messes with you right back.
2. Aria broke up with Ezra
So my heart basically broke into a million pieces last night and it was all because Aria decided to dump Ezra. She did this because she feels that now that Ezra’s son is in the picture she has to be out of it…. Poor Aria! Hopefully they get back together soon.
3. A messes with Hanna Read more…
This week’s episode of Pretty Little Liars was full of surprises. Not only did we have surprise visitors but we also came across surprising evidence. This episode kept me on my toes to say the least.
But just incase you missed it here are five surprises from this week’s episode of PLL “Hot Water.”
Ezra is back – Our favorite on screen couple is back together! And after much anticipation we quickly find out that Ezra has no intentions of dumping Aria and Aria has not intentions of telling Ezra about her kiss with Wes. Hmm wonder how that will blow over.
Wilden makes the rounds- Now that all the girls assume and want to prove that Wilden did in fact have an affair with Ali, got her pregnant, and killed her, Wilden is starting to take matters into his own hands. First he scares Cici into skipping town and then he tries to scare Hanna’s mom into getting Hanna to stop trying to investigate this situation. This plan backfires of course because Wilden scares Hanna’s mom so much that she runs him over and when she goes back with Hanna to find the body, it’s gone! Oh where, oh where can Officer Wilden be.
Cici’s info- When Emily goes and checks in on Cici she discovers that Cici is leaving Rosewood thanks to Wilden but before she goes she leaves Hanna with this info. The photo that Emily had of Wilden, Ali, and Cici was taken by Melissa Hastings. Cici also saw Ali the night of her murder as Melissa wanted videos from Ali and Cici went to talk to Ali to get those videos. Looks like there’s more to the NAT club then we thought.
Ezra’s mom wants a truce- Ezra’s mom comes to town in this week’s episode in order to thank Aria for all that she has done for Ezra (weird) and to (what seems like) ask Ezra to be a part of his son’s life. But once she is denied access to Ezra’s son, Ezra’s mom decides to sell Maggie’s condo (which she owns) leaving Maggie homeless and running into the open arms of Ezra. And this folks is how things in Rosewood just became a bit more complicated.
Toby tries and kills Spencer- After Spencer comes back from a date with Wren (can I get a “whoot whoot!”) she goes to relax in her sauna. This then causes what we assume is Toby to lock Spencer in her sauna and write on her mirror steamy with “Wren steamy with me.” Luckily, Aria came to visit at this exact moment and freed Spencer before she suffocated to death. Looks like the green eyes monsters has hit Toby hard.
This week’s episode of Pretty Little Liars “Misery is Company” made me feel a whirlwind of emotions. I didn’t know if I should feel sad, scared, or happy. But if there’s one thing I’m happy about, it’s the fact that some secrets are finally out.
Just in case you missed it, here are five things that left me emotionally traumatized:
1. Meredith is a psycho — After last week’s episode we all assumed Meredith was an okay gal and would now help Aria go against the evil force that was formally known as Byron. Well, in this week’s episode we find out that Meredith really is a psycho and that we should have never let ourselves trust her for even a split second. This week she drugs Aria so she can find where Aria stashed the missing diary pages. Once Aria catches on to Meredith’s evil plan and tries to defend herself, Meredith outsmarts her and locks Aria and her friends in Aria’s basement until Byron gets home and finds them.
2. Byron didn’t kill Ali — Once Bryon gets home to find Aria and her friends locked in the basement, he explains he didn’t kill Ali. He also admits he did go see her the night of her murder but only to tell her he will no longer fall for her blackmail and if she wanted to tell Ella about his affair she could. After he finishes, he also tells Aria he saw Spencer’s sister Melissa that night. He then asks Aria if she believes him and when she says she doesn’t know, Bryon says he’ll confess to the police what he knows. This causes Aria to burn the diary pages and say that she believes him. So I guess this means Byron isn’t as creepy as we all thought…. for now.
3. Ali’s more then just a dream — When Aria was drugged by Meredith she had a dream that Ali was in her room. In this dream Ali told Aria to stop drinking Meredith’s tea and that Byron didn’t kill her. Any normal person would assume that this was just a hallucination. But in Aria’s dream, Ali put a doll on a table by Aria’s door and the strange thing is once Aria woke up the same doll was on that same table… could this actually mean Ali might be alive?
4. Spencer finds out Toby’s A — Read more…
What better way to start off 2013 than with the season three premiere of Pretty Little Liars? As I always say, with a new year there are always new secretes waiting to be discovered!
Just in case you missed it here are five things that happened during this week’s episode of PLL.
1. Mona is back — Mona is back but can she be trusted? She was released from Rosewood’s insane asylum (guess they figured they would just release her since she already comes and goes as she pleases), returned to school and led everyone to believe that she’s better. Someone stabbed a brain into the inside of her locker door with knife leading her to creepily walk down the hall like Strange Emily to discard the organ.
All is forgiven when she spreads a video apology and it goes viral. Can she really be trusted or will she always remain the girls’ favorite frenemy?
2. The owner of Lost Woods Resort is now the janitor at Rosewood High — Read more…
1. Lamb Chop’s play along! I purposely didn’t post, ‘the song that never ends,” You’re welcome.
2. Suntot’s and the Smoggies, or Stop the Smoggies in the US.
3. Bobby’s World Read more…
The mid-season finale of Pretty Little Liars, aptly called “The BetrAyal,” was actually too much for me to handle. In between crying and abrasively yelling at the TV that “I can’t, I can’t, it’s too much!” I somehow managed to calm myself down long enough to fill you guys in on what you missed.
*NOTE: ANDPOP takes no responsibility if you throw your laptop at the wall after reading this. Because let me tell you, you’re in for a wave of emotions.
1. Toby and Spencer have sex – PLL totally teased us by dangling Toby in front of our faces like “Oh! Look at what a good guy he is.” Spencer is so smitten by him that she even decides to have sex with him, which is HUGE! We know Spencer is the most calculated of the bunch so if she trusts Toby, then we should too. RIGHT? Wrong.
2. Nate is a fake — Remember that stalker Maya had a while back? Plot twist: it was Nate, whose real name is Lyndon. After Nate whisks Emily away for a “quiet” weekend at a cottage he confesses to being Maya’s stalker and as a final act of revenge he tries to kill Paige, who he kidnapped. Luckily Emily manages to kill Nate/Lyndon, which means Garrett can be released from prison.
3. Caleb gets shot- Kay, so there’s a 99.9 percent chance I’m crying as I write this, because Caleb got shot. All I know is he better make a full recovery or else I will not be okay and life as I know it will end.
**Find out who the new “A” is and watch the trailer for the next episode below! Read more…
Jenna’s secret videos are found — Remember those secret videos the girls had of Jenna trying to seduce Toby? Well they were found and handed to — of all people — Hanna’s mom. Luckily Caleb came to the rescue and talked Hanna’s mom out of handing them to the police. Instead Hanna’s mom destroyed them. At least that’s one piece of blackmail the girls don’t have to worry about anymore.
Aria meets Maggie — After Ezra says he wants to know if his ex mother of his child Maggie is doing all right, Aria goes undercover as an undergrad student named Amy and visits Maggie. She finds out that Ezra indeed has a child! Yes a child. Excuse me while I sit here staring at the computer screen stunned, I can only imagine where this will now take us.
Ali and Paige have a history – Looks like all is really fair in love and war and by the looks of it Ali and Paige fought for the love of Emily. Just like any Ali clone Cece decided to stir some trouble in the girl’s lives by telling Spencer that Paige and Ali used to battle it out for Emily. This causes Spencer to believe that Paige could be “A.” This actually makes sense since both Maya and Ali dated Emily and were both murdered. Oh and did I mention that Spencer and Hanna found an earring in Paige’s bag that matches the earring in Ali’s grave? Wow people really do do crazy things when they’re in love.
Maya’s cousin is a freak — Okay so I’m so over liking the whole Nate and Emily duo. That dude is a freak with major anger problems! First, he basically stalks and torments Jenna and then he blows up on Emily once she admits the kiss between them was a mistake. He honestly needs to take an anger management class and chill! I’m beginning to think he might be A
Jenna’s final warning — No PLL episode would be complete without a very vague and creepy message from a cast member and this time Jenna showed up at Emily’s house and warned her to be careful who she spends time with. She could be talking about Nate or Paige. Either way, both characters just became extremely sketchy.
1. New characters hit Rosewood- Looks like Rosewood has welcomed two new hotties who go by the names of Eric Kahn and Wesley Fitzgerald… recognize these last names? You should. Eric is Noel Kahn’s older brother and Wesley is Ezra’s younger brother. I wonder what kind of trouble these two will get into but until then I am okay with the newest eye candy,
2. Ezra is a baby daddy — UMMM OKAY this was one surprise I kind of was not expecting or ready for…. Looks like Mr. Fitz has a darker past than I thought. Apparently Ezra was more then just a high school nerd. According to his brother, Ezra got a girl named Maggie pregnant. When confronted by this story Ezra admits it was the summer after high school and he hasn’t spoken to this girl since…. Hmm maybe soon there will be another blast from the past for Ezra… who knows with Jackie gone Rosewood is due for another scandal.
3. Hanna and Caleb are back together — After Caleb pretends to be ‘A’ in order to kidnap Hanna and talk to her, she and Caleb decide to reunite and fight “A” together. They seal the deal with a steamy make out sesh and all is right in Hanna’s world once more… well until Caleb finds out she kissed Wren that is.
4. The truth is with Noel Kahn and Jenna — Cece, Spencer and Aria go to the Kahn’s cottage for a party where they meet Jenna and Noel Kahn. The suspense is high after a very intense game of truth between Noel and Aria and Jenna and Spencer. But before you get too excited nothing is discovered except that Jenna and Noel should be careful because Spencer and Aria are on to them and won’t give up.
5. The eye stamps origin is discovered — Remember those eye tattoos that seem to be on every member of the ‘A’ team, and Maya? Well Eric Kahn stamps people with the same design at his parties What Maya was doing at one of his parties I don’t know but I’m sure ‘A’ does. I guess we’ll just have to wait till the girls get to the bottom of this to find out the answer!
On this week’s episode of PLL’s “Stolen Kisses,” the girls work on trying to crack the password to Maya’s website and they find out a few things…
Here are five things I learned on last night’s episode:
1. Caleb is back — Caleb returns to Rosewood and his first encounter with Hanna is while she’s having a coffee meeting with Wren. Talk about awkward! But conveniently, he returns to Rosewood just when the girls need him to crack Maya’s password. Don’t you just love how Hollywood works sometimes? Caleb, being the pro that he is, cracks Maya’s password and opens her personal vlog. Surprise, surprise, Maya took a video right before she was killed that explains how she needs to face her fears, just as Garret’s police car lights come into the frame. Hopefully we’ll get to see more of that video in next week’s episode.
2. “A” tried to get rid of Mona — Just when the girls think they finally have a key to all their answers, “A” interferes and tries to shake them up. This week, Wren tells Hanna that the board at the insane asylum is trying to transfer Mona to a center in Saratoga. This is followed by a text from “A” that says now that Mona is out of the way Hanna is next. Lucky for us Hanna confronts the board and gives a touching speech arguing the right for Mona to stay in Rosewood. Just like every happy beginning, Mona is allowed to stay and Hanna kisses Wren… yes you heard me Hanna kisses Wren…. Killing me and all my Wren and Spencer dreams.
3. Emily has another flashback – Well she sort of does. After awkwardly avoiding each other, Emily finally confronts Paige to see what’s up. We later find out that the reason Paige has been avoiding Emily is because on the night that Ali’s grave was dug up Emily went to Paige’s house and kissed her and then left. Talk about playing a little ding dong ditch! This later results in Emily and Paige kissing for real and possibly finally becoming a couple. …Goodbye Nate…at least for now.
4. Ezra’s real last name is Fitzgerald — Read more…
After this week’s episode of PLL I ‘m sure to have nightmares. I mean Mona singing still sends shivers down my spine and those dolls… those dolls… are just too much.
But just in case you missed it (lucky for you because you can now sleep peacefully) here’s this week’s recap:
1. Cece Drake, the new Ali — Just when the girls thought they had finally gotten rid of Ali’s presence in their lives, Cece Drake shows up (a.k.a ex-girlfriend of Jason and an Ali doppelgänger). Just like Ali, she knows how to stir trouble in Rosewood. She hasn’t even been there for a week but she’s already broken up Nate and Jenna. Looks like Ali has been reincarnated and now goes by the name Cece.
2. Nate has the hots for Emily – After careful observation, I’ve sensed that Nate had a little crush on Emily but in this week’s episode he finally admits it. Now all we need is for Emily to come to her senses and drop Paige for this Hottie. I mean she could be bi right? Though it is Maya’s cousin…
3. Ella starts dating again — Finally my favorite PLL mom is back on the market and after going on a date with Pastor Ted (that dude sure gets around) she meets a very attractive café owner. I look forward to seeing more of him. He could really take my mind off of the lack of Ezra scenes this season is seriously lacking!
4. Aria visits Mona – Read more…
Case closed! Just like every episode of PLL, this week we got important solutions but were still left with sooo many questions.
Here are five things I learned on this week’s episode, “The Remains of the ‘A’”
1. Amber Rose’s identity is discovered — My favourite duo is back and this time they’re teaming up to uncover the identity of Amber Rose and to make sure that Garrett stays behind bars. Go Jason and Spencer! This mission is a little funny though because Amber Rose is really a little antique shop where Spencer and Jason find an anklet that Ali used to wear. They then turn it into the police, who find traces of Ali’s blood while also finding traces of someone else’s blood… the biggest catch of all is it isn’t Garretts!
2. Garrett isn’t guilty — Surprise, surprise, Garrett didn’t kill Ali. First, we find out that Garrett’s evidence is being tampered with; which would cause the case to be dismissed due to lack of evidence. But then we find out that Ali’s anklet did not contain traces of Garrett’s blood and then to top it all off Spencer gets a text from A saying that Garrett is not Ali’s killer. What an episode!
3. Ezra has 50,000 dollars in his sock drawer — Read more…
A is back this week and we know what that means: a new string of drama for the girls and a new forum of entertainment for me. This week’s episode was better then ever; it was actually worth the week wait that we all had to suffer through.
Just in case you missed it here is what happened on this week’s episode of Pretty Little Liars, “That Girl is Poison.”
Jenna admits she can see — what is Jenna up to? First she exposes that she is able to see even though she promised the girls she wouldn’t. Then she invites Mr. Fitz to her birthday party and begins to flirt with Maya’s cousin. That’s one way of getting closer to the girls, that’s for sure…
Emily and Paige are back together? — In this week’s episode Emily decides to reconnect with Paige. First, she invites her to go see the new Katy Perry movie [side note everyone go see it] but then once she realizes she has to work at Jenna’s party that day she reschedules. This results to Paige going to Jenna’s party, seeing Emily with Maya’s cousin, getting jealous and then drunk, and ending up in the hospital. Some first date. I personally think it’s too soon for Emily to date even though I did hate Maya.
Emily is being messed with — While at Jenna’s party, Emily finds out that not all her clothes were burned from the night Alli’s grave was found empty. In fact, her jacket is being donated to a church, the Read more…
This week’s episode of Pretty Little Liars includes many visits from old and new characters. Sadly, Ezra never makes an appearance (this girl is majorly crushing on him) but hey, there’s always next week.
Here are all the characters you missed on this week’s episode, “Birds of a Feather.”
1) Jason is back — My second favourite heartthrob, Jason, comes back to Rosewood and has a very public spat with Victoria Hastings concerning her defending Garrett. He begins to post signs all around Rosewood offering a $50,000 cash prize to anyone who can return Ali’s body. At the end of the episode, Jason is seen writing a $50,000 cheque to someone! Could this mean they found Ali’s body?!
2) Caleb and Hanna break up — After what seems like a never-ending battle between Caleb and Hanna over why Hanna must visit Mona, Caleb dumps her. This is pretty upsetting because they were super cute together. But just like every couple on the show, they’ll probably get back together eventually. However, I predict Hanna will have a steamy hook-up with Wren before she gets back together with Caleb. And I will NOT be able to handle that since I’m a diehard Spencer and Wren fan!
3) Melissa is the black sawn — Read more…
With each new episode of PLL you can always expect a little mystery with a hint of creepy but this week episode took the definition of creepy to a whole other level.
Here are five things I learned on last night’s episode, “Kingdom of the Blind”
Lucas goes from nerdy to shady — The Rosewood halls have been looking a lot shadier these past few episodes and I think the reason may be Lucas. Not only has he been sporting the more rugged look instead of his perfect preppy style but he’s also been participating in behaviours that are a little less Lucas and a little more “A.” Not only has Lucas been secretly visiting Mona but he’s also threatened Caleb in a sketchy “A” way; which makes me wonder can Lucas be the new “A?” Wow, Hanna sure use to run with an interesting crowd. Are all of her old friends evil?
Melissa has baby drama — So not only do we find out in this episode that Melissa lost her baby but we also find out that the girls think the baby could be Garrett’s! This explains why Veronica Hastings is now taking on Garrett’s case but this still doesn’t explain what happened to Melissa’s baby. This is something both Veronica and Spencer can’t explain and I think it’s time for a moment of truth. Come on Melissa spill what you know!
Ezra helps Ella — Read more…
It’s been three months of picketing writers, re-runs and reality shows but all may be right in Hollywood again, according to the writer’s union.
The Writers Guild of America has come to a tentative deal with the studios that could potentially put an end to the strike and have everyone back to work by Monday.
“While this agreement is neither perfect nor perhaps all that we deserve for the countless hours of hard work and sacrifice, our strike has been a success,” the WGA said in a memo to members, CTV.ca reports.
The deal reportedly states that writers will now be paid a maximum rate of $1,200 US for streamed programs for two years. Then, by year three, the writers would get a percentage of the gross that the distributor makes.
If the deal is accepted, some shows could be back this week while other could take several weeks to hit the air.
“The feeling is relief and optimism and excitement,” Hilary Winston, a writer for the NBC sitcom “My Name Is Earl, said according to CTV.ca.
“I hope this deal made this three months worth it.”
Couch potatoes will either have to settle for Grey’s Anatomy episodes back when Isaiah Washington still had a job or tune into the many new game shows coming their way.
Fans were hoping the talks between reps from the striking Writers Guild and movie and television producers would result in some kind of deal and bring peace back to Hollywood. The Writers didn’t take the deal, Howie.
This pretty much puts an end to any possibility that the disagreement could be resolved before the New Year, E! News reports.
Most shows have already gone into reruns while others are holding on to new episodes for dear life since the ongoing squabble over online and DVD residuals materialized.
The choices for small screen entertainment are dwindling.
Producers blame the writer’s union’s “pursuit of radical demands” for the deadlock while the writers say that they have yet to be offered the “fair deal”, they initially asked for, according to E! News.
No matter who’s fault it is, prepare yourselves for an onslaught of reality TV and game shows. American Idol will return in January to save television. Here’s hoping Simon Cowell sports a cape.
Hollywood writers have decided to put down their pens and power down their keyboards. Film and TV writers are prepared to go on strike Monday for the first time in 20 years.
Writers Guild of America board members voted unanimously Friday to begin the strike at 3:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time unless studios offered a more profitable deal, essentially entitling them to a bigger cut from video sales and shows sold or streamed over the Web.
“The studios made it clear that they would rather shut down this town than reach a fair and reasonable deal,” said Patric Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America West.
As a result, millions of TV viewers are expected to turn to the internet to fill their entertainment needs. The writer’s strike is expected to stop all TV production, except for reality shows, and force TV networks to air nothing but reruns.
But viewers can expect their favourite scripted comedies and dramas to continue at least through the November sweeps.
Beyond that, quiz and game shows, as well as reality series, will dominate, since they don’t require union writers.
It will be business as usual for news programs, since their writers are not part of the Guild.
