Lou Sytsma

Attended a local SF con - Polaris 23. Formerly known as Toronto Trek this was my first time attending this one. The focus is more on the media side of things with Michael Hogan of Colonel Tigh/BSG fame as the headliner. The con provides autograph/photo op opportunities with genre stars of film and TV. Here is a link to all the guests.

Not being an autograph hound I bypassed these sessions and concentrated on the writers present. Attended several readings and an interesting panel on the business side of writing related to negotiating rights for alternate forms of publishing ie media tie ins, ebooks etc. This was hosted by local writer Doug Smith and was very interesting.

Attended some panels in relation to Chuck - this was a lot of fun and most-Awesome, a Quantum Leap panel - also a lot of fun, and a in depth presentation of the upcoming Shane Acker/Tim Burton animated flick - 9. The animation was done by a local Toronto animation studio - Starz Animation. They walked us through the process of movie making and explained how the storyboards are brought to life by these talented artists. Very interesting. This seems like it will be a great flick based on a short film created by Shane Acker.

Here is the original short the upcoming movie is based on:



The short has no dialogue unlike the movie which will. And a pretty high powered voice cast at that - Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau and Jennifer Connelly.

Here is the trailer for the upcoming movie version:



Looks very unique and fresh. Can't wait till this September.

Well into summer now and one can count the number of dry and plus 70F days here in Ontario on one hand.  Last summer was a soaker.  Climate change seems to be a major bust for folks in our area.

It is one of those things that slipped through my fingers as I never got around to reading the last Harry Potter book.  The impending release of the next movie gave me the nudge to do so.  Weird how that happens.  The movies have left me nonplussed but I have certainly enjoyed JK Rowlings wonderful turn at out churning out a charming series.  It can be easily deduced while reading this book that it is the last in the series as major story points, revelations, and conflicts are coming fast and furious right from the get go.  The pacing is pretty relentless right from the first page.


Quiet week on the TV front - no episodes of Burn Notice and True Blood aired this week. 

Continue to steam roll through SuperNatural as a result.  The first season ended on a cliffhanger so it was great to be able to jump into the next season without any down time.  Much like a story builds after the introductory chapters, a TV show with a clear course charted ahead often gains momentum in the second season.  The actors are more comfortable with their characters, the writers can tailor the scripts to take better advantage of the actors, and so on throughout the creative process.  The meat of the story can be addressed now and new stakes are raised that increase viewer interest. 

The first few episodes of Season 2 are real humdingers as family sacrifices are made between a father and his children.  There is victory but at a terrible cost with continuing repercussions including themes of guilt.  Seeds for the future are laid and the dynamics between the Winchester brothers continue to grow, evolve, and become more complex.  As with Season 1, the eighth episode lays out new issues that further complicate matters.  The show has a great sense of humour too with older brother Dean getting the majority of hilarious one liners.

Another nice touch is the expansion of the world to include other `Hunters` who are out about in the world doing the same work as the Winchester brothers ie hunting down and killing vengeful spirits, demons and other unworldy denizens.  Through it all are portents that things have changed.  A storm is brewing.  A coming war is on the way.  Very heady stuff.

Well it took a second run through but I am now hooked on SuperNatural.  Having heard many great things about the series - especially the third and fourth seasons I decided to give the series another shot.   I was starting to waver with S1, again, because the episodes were becoming predictabily repetitive ie Sam & Dean Winchester discover weird goings on, they travel there bickering along the way, find monster/spirit/demon etc, and kill said entity.  There was backstory ie their mother and Sam's girlfriend were killed under the same set of supernatural circumstances. Those circumstances are what have consumed Sam and his father.  Papa Winchester has left the boy's a journal.  The journal is a wikipedia/log of strange goings on and reference materials.

All of this was referenced only tangentially in each episode until episode 8 when Dean and Sam return home because similar events are occurring again that happened with their mother's death.  Boom!  This call back brings all the ethereal emotional subtext to the forefront and now I became emotionally engaged in the plight of the Winchester family.  Whether by design or not, this is the moment when the conceit of the show became more than the monster hunt of the week.

Breezed through Season 1 and am so glad I did not have to suffer through the season ending cliffhanger as I could jump into S2 right away.  The Winchester family has a Horn of Plenty in regards to emotional currents running through each other and their relationships with one another.  A storm is brewing and the Winchesters are caught in its path.

Half a year gone and the country is a year older. All things told this is still a very, very, awesome place to live. Nothing is perfect but I can't think of a country that gets closer to it than this one.

On the Climate Change front a couple of summers ago it seemed we were heading towards record high tropical summers. The last two years have been on a bust on that front. Last summer was one of the wettest I can remember. This one has not been as wet but not that far behind either. Right now the forecast calls for showers consecutively for the rest of the week. That trend started on Monday and has come to be true every day so far.

The even more frustrating aspect is the continuing lower temperatures. Beyond a handful of days in the 80s and beyond; the majority of days the temp struggles to break 70F. Too bad some form of weather bartering with other drier and warmer climates can not be employed!.

Finished Robert McCammon's 17th century Matthew Corbett sleuthing novel Speaks the Nightbird. McCammon is a delight to read. Descriptive prose marks his style with colourful characters. I prefer the second book more - The Queen of Bedlam due to the setting differences and the maturing Corbett character. Plus TQOB offers teasing glimpses of the uber story that awaits Corbett. The next book in the series is the tantalizingly titled - Mr. Slaughter.

Burn Notice continues to truck along. It looks like the hounding cop storyline has been closed off for now. Frankly I was underwhelmed how it played out. The possibilities of the cop stumbling in the midst of a job by Michael never materialized and is a squandering of a great storyline to my mind.  Is that the case or is it one of my expectations exceeding the show's goals?

True Blood continues to delight.  Two storylines converged and the net result was the surprised, and maybe temporary, release of Lafayette.  I truly believed he was either going to be killed or turned.  Jessica; the newly turned vampire created by Bill, has made enough of an impression that I can remember her name now; continues to grow and her storyline is becoming a new favourite.

Looks like Bill and Sookie are on their way to Dallas to help solve the mystery of some missing vampires there.  Since everything is bigger in Texas this storyline could turn out to be a lot of fun too.

Ed Mcmahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson.

All passed away within days of one another. Farrah and Michael on the same day.

The commonly held belief of bad things happening in threes gets a major boost. This trio of passings also lends weight to another creedo, 'Truth is stranger than fiction.' If someone were to write a story with similar occurrences it would most likely be ridiculed as unrealistic or too convenient.

As for the three celebrities that passed, each is marked with varying degrees of sadness. Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett evoke pretty straight forward thoughts as they were successful and yet trapped by their fame too. They reached a certain station in life from which they could not move beyond.

Micheal Jackson brings out many conflicting thoughts. Selfishly, I ponder his demise more than the others for the simple fact that we were born in the same year. It is with no sense of higher moral superiority, or snobbier take your pick, that I do not envy him his life. Blessed and cursed by a talent that shaped his life from a very young age, his life seem preordained as to the outcome. Did he ever have free will in controlling his life? I don't think so. His output in the music industry is forever tarnished by disturbing events in his personal life.

In one of the news panels I watched, an interviewee summed Michael Jackson's life up quite aptly. Paraphrasing, it went something like this - "Michael Jackson had a unique life. As a child he seemed liked an adult. As an adult, he seemed like a child.'

That strikes me as extremely sad.

It is really thrilling when you see a show hitting on all cylinders. Only into the second episode of this season and all - that includes Bill & Sookie - the story threads are entertaining and interesting to watch. Already the potential collision of those seemingly disparate plot lines can be turned over in one's mind resulting in a delicious anticipation of things to come.

The life and death scenario of Lafayette has my main focus and his outcome, while not unexpected, saddens me. No doubt once turned he will make a formidable foe. The surprising shift of focus from Bill and Sookie from their relationship onto the recently turned teenage vampire that Bill was forced to create was a most welcome one. Sookie's well intentioned but misguided attempt to connect with the teenage girl vampire - sorry, bad with names and she has not imprinted herself enough on me yet to remember it - and let her go back to her family led to a very intense sequence.

Even Sookie's brother, Jason, has an interesting arc in the making as he becomes further indoctrinated into an anti-vampire religious cult.

The show reeks of the Cajun atmosphere of Louisiana and has one of the best mood setting opening credits of any show.

Almost done the first Matthew Corbett novel by Robert McCammon. McCammon is an excellent descriptive writer and spins a fine yarn. So far, I give the nod to the second book - The Queen of Bedlam - as Matthew is more mature and the story is more intriguing. Also TQOB contains tantalizing glimpses of the uber story that awaits Matthew Corbett.

Both on the calendar and in the weather. After a spring of below norm temps and persistent rainfall the skies have opened. The sun has ventured forth and instead of struggling to break 60F we jump 20 degrees or more. The long range forecast promises near 90F weather and sunny skies for the rest of the week.

Huzzah!

Sadly work on the pool is halted to allow the ground to dry out from all the rain. Hopefully tomorrow will see a recommencement of work.


Burn Notice continues to hum along but I have to admit I was expecting more of the unprotected Michael storyline. So far the law being on his back segments are restricted to the teaser and tag sections of the show. Still hoping for the collision of the law in the midst of the latest mission.

ChuckMeMondays continue this week at 9pm tonight as we group watch Chuck Vs The Wookie. While doing so we group twitter and voice chat about it over Skype it. Its a communal get together intended to keep Chuck in the spotlight as we await the start of the third season.

Details can be found here on how to join in.

You will need:
1) A Twitter account
2) Acess to the Chuck Season 1 episodes
3) Optional - Skype software, a headset and mic, and a Skype account to voice chat with fellow Chuckaholics.

So please join in on the fun!

Looks like True Blood is gaining steam as the second season premiere hit the same numbers as the Sopranos finale ~ 3.7 million viewers.

I am really digging everything about the show except for the relationship between Vampire Bill and telepath Sookie. Big Yawns when the two of them are together.

The other characters are a blast and am especially intrigued by what Michelle Forbe's character is up to. Really hope Lafayette is going to survive his basement imprisonment.

Back home the backyard pool is on its way to being assembled. Weather permitting hope to have it by the weekend or sometime next week. No big rush though as the weather continues to be very cool with those days over 20C being very infrequent.

$60 Antenna - free HD - Stanley Cup game 7 in glorious HD on CBC.

Win all the way around.

Should have done this a lot sooner. Bye, bye cable bill!

Just powered through the first season of Castle.

The whodunit aspect is fairly pedestrian and easily predictable. Where the show succeeds is with the characters. The Castle/Beckett dynamic is great as well as Castle's relationship with his daughter and mother.

The two leads comport themselves well - cool they are both Canucks too! If I had one wish it would be for the show to beef up the supporting police cast members as characters. So far they are pretty one dimensional.

Glad the season has been renewed as the series finale on a cliffhanger ending would have really been a bitter pill to swallow.

Obvious observation - I am becoming much more enamoured with shows that feature interesting characters as opposed to just interesting concepts. Guess that is why all the L&O and CSI clones have faded out of my viewing queue.

Shows that do both ie Lost, BSG, Dexter and yes even Chuck are double winners.

It is called The Last Guardian and this teaser is simply stunning:




The only caveat, the release date is not until sometime in 2010.

PS - here is a link to see it full screen and you need to see it that way and in HD to fully appreciate it.

The Last Guardian

PPS - Nice touch using music from Miller's Crossing.

If you remember at the end of Season 2 Michael turn down Management's offer preferring to go it on his own. Now not only is Michael still burnt but Mgmt is no longer keeping him off police and foreign agencies's radar.

Its a great show trademarked by snappy pace and dialogue.

Below is a sneek preview between the Michael and the always great Bruce Campbell.

In honour of the third season renewal of NBCs Chuck, and to keep up awareness of the show, ChuckMe Mondays start today. The links below will explain it in full detail. The basis idea is to rewatch the first and second season of Chuck every Monday until the third season starts and twitter about it.

#chuckmemondays has begun! Please pass these links around: http://tinyurl.com/kjdqzc http://tinyurl.com/odagmf and http://tinyurl.com/klk9nf

Chuck Me!

Back in the 1980s one of the stars of horror writing was Robert McCammon. Boy's Life, Mine, Stinger, Gone South, Swan Song, and Wolf's Hour are just of few of his better known works from that era.  McCammon wanted to push out in new directions outside of horror but his publisher balked at the idea.  Fed up with the business side of writing McCammon walked away from writing for over a decade.

In 2002 McCammon came back with a historical mystery/murder tale set in Colonial America circa 1699.    Matthew Corbett is McCammon's newest character and from the clip below, he has big plans for the character - a 10 book series!

I have not had the opportunity to read the first book - Speaks the Nightingale but have just finished the second book in the series - The Queen of Bedlam(TQOB).  I will definitely be picking up the first book.   Not a fan of historical based fiction but reading TQOB is an engaging mix of Dickensian drama with engaging characters.  The tone of the books is in line with McCammon's other works and Matthew Corbett is very much on a hero's journey.  Big stakes are setup by the end of the book. Corbett has faced many challenges already and his actions throughout the book leave this rookie sleuth making decisions about his future that include personal sacrifices.

Corbett discovers and crosses paths with a criminal organization.  An organization based in London and looking for new opportunities of expansion.  At the head of this organization is a mysterious figure; the deliciously named Professor Fell.  A confrontation between the two is inevitable and is probably several volumes away.   I am assuming the first book is an origination story.  TQOB is the setup book for what looks like a vast, sprawling adventure.

Each book, so far, has pushed over 650 pages which McCammon uses to great effect to flesh out the world and the characters that inhabit it.  He does so masterfully for never does the story drag or did I feel it becoming a chore to read through.

If anything I wanted more!

UP

 Psst. You want to know the world's worst kept secret?

 

Pixar is Awesome.

 

Their latest movie, UP, is simply stupendous.

 

Wolverine? Bah! A toothless tomcat. Terminator Salvation? Pshaw! A bunch of namby pamby wind up toys with broken main springs. Logan and Connor meet your better! Almost octogenarian – Carl. At 78 years of age and a product of cinema only, he kicks the collective butts of these so called tough guys. Even Kirk and Spock of the rebooted Star Trek movie could stand to learn a lesson or two from the Ed Asner voiced character.

 

 

Pixar has amassed an amazing pedigree of movies. UP may very likely end up as the new inheritor to their throne. This is a movie; no strike that: this is a piece of art, about life and living. UP flawlessly encapsulates a lifetime of shared experiences in the first ten minutes. UP is in all respects the closest thing you will ever see to a perfect movie. The first 10 minutes ARE perfection. Pure, story telling perfection.

 

The amazing thing is that the film continues from that high point with only a miniscule drop in the overall emotional power that the opening prologue generates. It goes without saying that the technical aspects of this film continue to push the edge as Pixar has done in every subsequent movie since they first started.

 

What makes UP so transcedent is the storytelling. Emotional touchstones set up at the beginning of the film are used to perfection for the payoffs that follow throughout the movie. Moments of sadness and regret become moments of joy and inspiration by film's end. The story arcs are woven with invisible seams. Never is there a moment or even an inkling of manipulation. This is a masterpiece of storytelling. Wonderfully wrought. Seemingly simple on the surface yet full of multiple layers of heart felt emotions.

 

It is no small measure of greatness that a film totally created in the digital realm generates more emotional reactions from its audience than its CGI enhanced brethren even seem capable of dreaming about.

 

This is a exciting and giddy tale of chasing one's dreams and exploring undiscovered places. Not just untouched places as in a geographical sense but also of the human heart. Mixed in are steady doses of humour that always plays honest and true. This is a tale that celebrates the joy of the human experience.

 

Pixar does not only create movies, they create treasures.  Magical ones at that.

10 out of 10

Some shows work better in, 'Big Gulps.'  Fringe is one of those shows.  I watched the first two episodes but other shows and time constraints made this one drop off my viewing calendar. 

With the success of the recent Star Trek reboot/prequel movie my interest was piqued enough to give the series a retry.  Since JJ Abrams and Damon Lindeloff are tied to the Star Trek movie, Lost, and hopefully the adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series to the screen in some form; I decided to give the show a revisit.

Fringe works better viewed in a compressed time frame as the character interactions are usually restricted to comedic beats and with the exception of the lead actor - Anna Torv - another Australian(it is an invasion I tell you!), there is very little story time dedicated to fleshing out the characters.  When taken over a season's arc, they become more alive, which I doubt they would as much stretched over 8 months or so of a normal seasonal viewing.

By the last episode of the first season the main conceit of the series was finally revealed and the series now has my interest.  Casting Leonard Nimoy as the elusive Howard Hughes/Bill Gates character - William Bell is a delicious bonus.  

Based on where the Fringe show is heading ie alternate realities, JJ ABrams and Lindeloff are looking like the perfect stewards for taking on the Dark Tower series.

Chuck 2.11 – Chuck Vs Santa Claus

Heart warmed.

Nothing stokes up the emotional needs of a family life than the Christmas holiday period. Unfortunately for Sarah Walker, under the tutelage of her grifter father, Christmas has never meant much more than the annual Salvation Army scam. Chuck calls Sarah on her Scrooge attitude and tells her she is no different than anyone else and wants a true Christmas as much as the next person.

What is gratifying to see is the continuing evolution in the Chuck and Sarah relationship. The comfort level between the two is increasing each week. Sarah divulges personal information freely for the first time and Chuck, picking up on Sarah's gyspy childhood from the last episode with her father, now steers their conversations away from mentions of normal and different and towards guiding Sarah with comments about her not being that different from anyone else under her spy persona. It is these insights by Chuck that continually win us over with his basic goodness. That plus his ongoing nerd creds. What girl can resist a Christmas day that includes egg nog, Pjs, a fake fireplace, and Twilight Zone marathons? I mean really!

Sarah's heart warming continues later that day during a hostage situation at the BuyMore. Riffing off of Die Hard, Christmas Eve Day finds the staff of the BuyMore, Chuck's sister Ellie, and her fiancee Devon aka Captain Awesome are all held hostage. A lone gunman has crashed his car into the BuyMore; the final destination of a high speed pursuit. During a lull in the action, Chuck gives Sarah an early Christmas gift, a charm bracelet his father had given to his mother when Ellie was born. In another of those patented quiet moments between Sarah and Chuck the dance around their cover relationship and true feelings continue. Sarah demurs at first saying Chuck should save the gift for a real girlfriend. Chuck responds with a knowing sigh and look and tells Sarah he knows.

As the episode moves through its light hearted first half there are many things to smile at. Turns out Big Mike's cousin is a police sargeant Al. The very same police sargeant, and actor, from the first Die Hard movie. Throw in crazy Christmas antics by the rest of the BuyMore crew and the show continues to pump out the successful blend of comedy, drama, and action. Of particular is a many finger bandaged NSA toughguy Casey, whose pet name from Mom is Johnny Boy, suffered from being assigned gift wrapping duty.

Things turn dark, as in wont in Chuck's world, and both he and Sarah pay the price for Sarah's vow to never let anyone hurt Chuck. This is the dark side of the spy world and the two of them have some issues to work out. Sarah does not know Chuck saw what she did. When Chuck questions her on it, she lies about it. This hopefully brief dip into soap opera territory is justifiable because Chuck needs to realize that his insistence on maintaining his cover life comes with a heavy price.

This episode marks the halfway point of the season. Now we wait until Feburary for the next episode. Given the series's track record this latest obstacle in their relationship should be resolved quickly. There was talk of the second half of Season Two turning dark. Looks like the show is hitting that promise already. Not the happy Christmas ending fans were hoping for but I applaud the show for tackling an issue that I was hoping they would back in Season One. The Chuck and Sarah relationship is moving out of the giddy,childlike state and into the awkward teenage years as the two struggle to come to grips with their feelings and how to make it work within the worlds of their cover and spy lives.

Chuck 2.10

Chuck Vs The Delorean

Gary Cole, bar none, owns the best guest role in the series entire run. With little screen time he has Cole creates the most multi-layered guest character. His mix of scoundrel and loving father with regrets was excellent and really enriched Sarah's background. He confirmed Sarah's thoughts about Chuck and for Chuck gave his blessing on their relationship with, 'Lucky for me, she found the right schnook.'

And Chuck offering Sarah his jacket and then seeing her father nod his approval was just as good as a hug. It was also a symbolic handoff as Sarah's father did the same for Sarah at the beginning of the episode.

The quiet scenes were awesome as usual. Yvonne really nailed the last scene with her father.

The only part that really grated for me was Sarah not telling Chuck about her date with her father. Even Casey knew! I mean come on. It was a cheap ploy to create tension and unnecessarily undermined Chuck. Also, the Jeff comment about seeing Lester's birth totally fell flat and should never have been spoken.

Overall probably my second most favourite episode of the season and it was rife with 80's callback including the Ferris Bueller music riff – 'Oh Yeah' by Yello. Even the General Lee makes an appearance.

So Chuck and Sarah are niftily synched up. They both realize their childhoods were less than ideal and that their families do not know what they do for a living. They are truly soulmates.

BTW Time Magazine listed Chuck as the #10 best TV show.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/top10/article/0,30583,1855948_1863395,00.html

 

Dexter 2.11

I Had A Dream

So the end game between Dexter and Miguel ended with this one. An episode earlier than expected.

The fake abduction this episode bothered me more than the fake rage scene one last episode.

Miguel going down this episode surprised me. Now to tie the Skinner to the crime. And if the Skinner is caught will his reveal of Dexter having info on Freebo have any lasting consequence? Most probable the Skinner will not be brought in alive.

And, potentially, the biggest reveal could be Dexter's slip of admitting to Deb that their Dad had an affair. If Deb finds out that the affair was with an informant and that informant is Dexter's and his brother's - the Ice Cream Truck Killer from Season 1 -mother are her step brothers, and that she slept with her step brother; the mind boggles how far she could run with this.

Especially since Dexter has made Deb his 'best man.'

I think this last item could be the seeds for Season 4.

Burn Notice is the antithesis of Chuck.  In Burn Notice the lead character is a spy who has fallen out of favour ie burned and dumped unceremoniously in Miami.  In Chuck the lead character has been forced into the world of espionage and is desperately trying to hang onto his 'real' life which is being chipped away.  Here are two guys that need to compare notes.  Burn Notice soars on story, Chuck succeeds on characters.

In Burn Notice, the series hero Michael has no ID - everything has been taken away from him and Michael has been put on a short leash with the warning not to leave the city.  Naturally Michael's quest is to have his Burn Notice revoked enabling him to return to his former life as a spy.  The show is rounded out with a great cast highlighted by fan favourite Bruce Campbell and Cagney and Lacey vet - Sharon Gless.  The show is tightly plotted - something which Chuck can never lay claim to, quickly paced, humourous, and fills the necessary action quotient. 

The weakest link of the show is the main character Michael.  He is intelligent, charming, athletic, and must have been force fed McGuyver reruns growing up as he turns everyday items in weapons or espionage tools.  He has foibles and his relationship with his mother is often hilarious.  Sadly his past is predictable with unresolved issues between the two and Michael's father - who has passed away.  It all rings a little false though.  For a character this cool and calculating the home issues don't quite ring true.  Something about the actor or character just doesn't make me buy into him caring that much about his past. 

Maybe as the show progresses Michael may come to realize that the old life he is so desperately trying to go back is ultimately a shallow one and that the life he is living now offers the true things that are important.  It would be a nice payoff for him to suceed in getting his burn notice revoked and then decide to stay.  His obsession has already caused his girl friend to break up with him.

Besides that the show is a blast to watch and seeing Bruce Campbell and Sharon Gless throw out zingers is well worth watching.  In the end the show is imminently enjoyable  but also instantly disposable ie little to no replay value.

There is a upcoming Chuck/Burn Notice tie in.  Tricia Helfer who is playing Michael's handler so far in the first two episodes of Season 2 will be showing up in a guest spot on Chuck in the same capacity.  General Beckman is becoming concerned about the growing bond between Asset Chuck and Handler Sarah.  Should be a fun installment and expect some BattleStar Galatica references to be worked in.

Reading

Been in a real reading funk lately.  Can't seem to find anything that will hold my interest.  Just picked up Stephen King's latest short story collection - Just After Sunset.  I am expecting the Master to get my reading restarted.

Chuck 2.09 - Chuck Vs the Sensei

This one finds us with Chuck still recovering from the shock of Jill being a Fulcrum agent but the Chuck/Jill - CHILL era is rapidly becoming ancient history.

Best integration of Chuck into both storylines this year. Chuck/Morgan screen time together again, Chuck's sadness over Pluto no longer being considered a planet - AWESOME!, Sarah's nifty stickhandling with Casey about her feelings for Chuck, Chuck's Force and McGuyver references - and I vote Richard Dean Anderson to play his father, Casey's voice mail answering message - this is John Casey,grrrr!, Casey's Firefly callback - you are seriously damaging my calm, Jeff losing it on a customer, Ellie's wish for their father to walk her down the aisle etc, etc

All that plus Chuck seeing Casey's pain over his Sensei going rogue to reflect on his recent Jill encounter to begin focusing outward again instead of inward. And the father storyline - it was ambiguous at best whether or not he was alive. The mother seemed more certain.

A fun show all around.