I’m starting with last week’s HBO shows; I didn’t get to watch last night’s due to the Emmys, but fear not, I’ll get to them…

True Blood: The First Taste – This show ain’t getting any less cheesy, but I’m still enjoying watching it. And apparently, I’ll enjoy it for a second season as well, if I so choose. I find it a little odd that the show got renewed after its second episode, but hey, HBO has gambled successfully before. So far, I’m liking Sookie and the vampire Bill, and I wish the show would spend more time on them than on the jerky brother and the sassy best friend.

Entourage: Unlike a Virgin – Johnny was obsessive and Turtle made fun of him, which always makes for good comedy. The more serious side of Vince and Ari, as they discussed the reality of his future as an actor, made for a nice contrast. I was surprised to hear Ari speak so candidly about Vinny’s so-so acting ability, though – it kind of seemed odd that he would be so invested in someone he didn’t really believe in.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Automatic for the People – What the hell is going on here? I am seriously confused. So everyone is a Terminator? Did the Terminators want the reactor to open and for it to poison people? Or was it just prepared that, if that plan should have been foiled, the T-1000 would find a way to buy and automate the system? This whole multiple timeline and multiple people and machines altering destiny thing is getting a bit confusing for me. It might be that I’m just over analyzing, but hey, that’s what good geeks do.

Fringe: The Same Old Story – I love that the whole baby-turning-into-an-old-man bit didn’t go anywhere near where I thought it was going to.  The show is still sort of finding its footing, but it has tons of potential.  I wasn’t that crazy about the “seeing the last thing the dying person saw” bit, especially since last week’s episode introduced the concept of questioning dead people.  There are plenty of paranormal concepts out there that they don’t need to repeat themselves, and I’m hoping that was a one-time lapse in judgment.

Smallville: Odyssey – My expectations were so low – how was I still able to be disappointed?  Well let’s start with how Jor-El allows someone to “control” Clark – he loses his powers.  Yawn.  How many times has that happened already?  Then Clark manages to escape to Russia from the North Pole without any special powers?  All of the scenes with him in captivity were just blatant attempts to get him in a wet T-shirt.  It was cool to see (half of) the Justice League going to find Clark, but I’m not so sure I want Green Arrow coming to rescue me, when if a couple of armed guards enter a room, he is so slow that he couldn’t fire off a single shot.  And the whole “spinal fluid kryptonite that controls you” thing was totally shoe-horned and under used.  And without powers, an arrow through the heart doesn’t kill Clark right away?  Huh?  The show ended with the potential of Clark *finally* accepting his destiny, leaving the farm, and moving on to the Daily Planet, but it was still a weak premiere.  Oh, and why does Tess look exactly like Lois?  Awkward.

The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards – Cons: Five lame reality show hosts that talk too much, everyone spewing their politics, and hokey TV show “sets.”   Pros: Ricky Gervais vs. Steve Carell, and 30 Rock getting its due.