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[Ian]

One dreads to think what Russ was doing with hers off-screen.

[Ian]

Wicked Science: Bolt from the Blue. While Elizabeth has been generally softer this season, if there's one thing that can bring out her dark side it's jealousy over Toby, which erupts when Nikki asks him to the school dance. Elizabeth basically blackmails him into taking her instead by threatening Nikki, but the situation gets out of control thanks to someone else's interference - Jack. This is a good, darker episode, and it's interesting how complicated the relationships are getting at this point, particularly between Toby/Elizabeth/Nikki/Jack, even more so now Jack knows the truth and makes it clear what he's after to Elizabeth - a partnership. And Toby again seems to almost kiss Elizabeth at one point, despite claiming he can't stand her! No wonder she's convinced he has feelings for her. Talk about mixed signals...

[Ian]

Some good old 90s retro. X Files (Teso dos Bichos - not a great episode but I still enjoyed it), Seinfeld, 3rd Rock from the Sun and half the pilot of Sliders (just didn't have time to watch it all, will go back to it). All very entertaining. We didn't know how good we had it!

[Ian]

Wicked Science: The Weakest Link. Jack is turning into quite the nuisance as we head into the second half of the season. When his attempt to change tack and lay on the charm with Elizabeth falls about as flat as you'd expect, he plays manipulator in order to ensure Toby and his friends are all out of the way so he can break into his shed/lab again - only to unleash decidedly more than he bargained for. This is another strong episode, and thankfully there seems to be no sign of the downturn I thought season 1 underwent at around this point. Toby doesn't seem to be holding a grudge against Elizabeth for the events of last week, but Elizabeth is definitely holding one against Jack, and even Verity doesn't seem to be very impressed with him, actually suggesting to Elizabeth - in front of him - that she turn him into a toad!

[Ian]

Melrose Place. The awesomely insane season 3 cliffhanger finale, with Matt framed for murder, Jake in a fight to the death with his evil brother, and Crazy Kimberly planting bombs all over the apartment building and intending to blow them all to smithereens.
Wonderfully OTT.

[Ian]

Wicked Science: Talk to the Animals. Increasingly jealous at Toby and Nikki's growing relationship, Elizabeth comes up with a way to mess with his head - literally - in a bid to make him worried enough to spend more time with her, only to end up affecting Sasha as well. This one was a bit of a dud for me, to be honest. While it is interesting that, unlike season 1 where she's just angry at the world in general, almost every time Elizabeth acts out in season 2 it's to do with her feelings for Toby, this one does rather feel like it's going over old ground without really adding anything new. Meh.

[Ian]

Wicked Science: Verity from the Black Lagoon. Garth's constant teasing leads Verity to accidentally wreck one of Elizabeth's experiments, who throws her out in a fury - not knowing she's been infected with something that begins to rapidly rewrite her DNA... This is a really fun episode, a great little mini-monster movie, with Verity as the monster lol! It even manages to be a bit sweet with regards to the often weird Elizabeth/Verity friendship. As badly as Elizabeth often treats her, this episode makes it clear that Verity remains loyal to her not because Elizabeth is her only friend, but because she knows she's Elizabeth's only real friend, and that she needs her. And though she'd never say it - and probably doesn't even know how to - Elizabeth knows it too. Aww.

[Ian]

Wicked Science: The Truth Is Out There. A heated competition between Elizabeth and Sasha over the school science fair takes a back seat when Jack gets access to Elizabeth's secret lab, a truth serum - and a video camera. This one starts off looking like it's going to be a bit meh - and Sasha's sudden bitchiness to Elizabeth seems a bit random and out of nowhere - but escalates into a surprisingly tense affair as Jack comes closer than ever to exposing Toby and Elizabeth's secret. Toby and Elizabeth working together is always fun, and it's indicative of the strange relationship they have this season, as even though Toby refuses to countenance the prospect of a relationship with her and remains combative with her, there's a mutual trust and understanding between them nonetheless - and, kind of following on from last week, Verity using the truth serum to force Elizabeth into admitting she likes her is both funny and sweet.

[Ian]

Wicked Science: Air Dog. Still intent on exposing Toby and Elizabeth, Jack steals Toby's anti-grav device and fits it to a dog that Toby's supposed to be looking after for the Principal... This one's okay, with a few amusing moments, though falls a bit flat simply due to there being far too little Elizabeth for my taste. It's interesting that Jack has now gone from simply wanting to exploit Toby and Elizabeth's genius to actually wanting to learn how they did it so he can become one himself, but Toby continues to insist on making life difficult for himself by actually lying to Elizabeth that everything's fine in the middle of a crisis. I mean, It's not like she could (and would) help or anything...

[Ian]

Wicked Science: Crazy For You. When one of Elizabeth's experiments is ruined by Verity and Garth failing to pay attention while she's absent, she creates an AI robot to ensure such things don't happen again. Unfortunately, said AI starts to become a little too obsessed with her... This is a hoot of an episode, with the AI managing to be genuinely creepy even while obviously being a parody/homage to 2001. Toby continues to frustrate me, continuing to run around like a headless chicken over Nikki - whose interest in him seems to run hot and cold - and while he manages to save the day and rescue Elizabeth, much to her gratitude and a little "moment" ensues between them, he then ruins it by running off to see Nikki. FFS. But the character development Elizabeth has undergone this season continues apace, primarily in the ever-warming relationship between her and Verity. Elizabeth actually apologising to Verity, at first casually and then more sincerely after she calls her on it, is almost as jawdropping to us as it is to Verity, and Elizabeth's embarrassed awkwardness at Verity hugging her, followed by a secret little smile, is genuinely heartwarming. This is another great episode and I continue to like season 2 a great deal more than season 1.

[Ian]

Wicked Science: Time Loop. Increasingly desperate to make something happen with Toby, Elizabeth does a double whammy by not only transporting them both into a parallel universe where they're a couple, but into a time loop on the sixth month anniversary of their couplehood - a loop Toby will stay in until he "gets it right". This is another really fun, and funny episode. Although Elizabeth is obviously doing the wrong thing, she's hilarious and impossible not to feel for anyway. Honestly, I think she needs to give it up though - she seems to be largely over her anger issues this season, but her fixation on Toby, while understandable in a way, is clearly not healthy or doing her any good. Move on, honey. There's plenty more fish in the sea. On a completely unrelated note, my phone number is (REDACTED).

[Ian]

Wicked Science: Underwater. Elizabeth creates a defense spray out of toxic octopus venom, but moron Garth lopes off with it to play a 'joke' on Russ, only for it to end up instead impacting not only Elizabeth but a teacher to boot... This is an okay episode. Mildly amusing, but fairly average in comparison to the last few great eps.

[Ian]

Secret Army: Revenge. The Commies have their sights set on Albert, and Kessler is determined to prove that Major Reinhardt was part of the failed conspiracy to assassinate Hitler. Season 3 is gripping-as-f**k so far. Kessler is such a fantastic character, being seemingly genuinely gentlemanly and loving with his Belgium "lady friend", but this humanising only makes his fanatical Nazi zeal scarier. Cracking stuff.

[Ian]

Wicked Science: Ghost Girl. The arrival of a Hollywood horror movie starlet who wants to spend time at a "normal" school does not impress Elizabeth, and she's particularly disgusted at her classmates fawning over her. But when said starlet deliberately embarrasses her on a school outing, Elizabeth decides to teach her a lesson about what it's really like to be scared... This is a silly but fun episode. I didn't think I was going to like it much at first, but even though this is a plot you can easily see being done in season 1, it's done very differently here than it would have been then. Although Elizabeth is still being rather petty, she's ultimately just pulling a harmless practical joke, with no intent to hurt anyone, and does actually seem to be having a good time doing so. And her reaction to Toby spoiling it early is not to get angry but just kind of roll her eyes and complain, "You are such a party pooper!" And you know what - she's right, he is!

[Ian]

Wicked Science: Spiderboy. Garth's obnoxious little cousin Rodney is in town, and when he starts causing chaos at school Garth pulls him into Elizabeth's lab to try and keep him out of trouble, only for the little idiot to start messing around with Elizabeth's "genetically enhanced" spiders... This is another really fun "monster movie" episode, with some great jumps and big laughs. Another really good episode, only 3 left now (including the 2-part finale)...