Offspring - always the highlight of my Wednesday night.

The only problem about blogging Offspring, a show I completely adore, is - where on earth do I start? Its outstanding cast? The brilliantly written episodes? Its Melbourne backdrop? Nina's elaborate fantasy sequences? How dreamy Dr Patrick Reid is? And that's only a few of the things that come to mind...

I think I'll just begin with my thoughts on season 4 so far and see where they take me.

Note: If you're not up to date with the show on TV there will be spoilers.

When the Season 3 finale ended with Nina and Patrick discovering they were expecting a child together, I knew the wait for season 4 was going to a be tough one. Six episodes into the season, I can say that it has been well worth the wait. The introduction of new characters, registrar Eloise Ward (Caren Pistorius) and Patrick and Nina's counsellor, Lawrence Pethbridge (Ido Trent), has only added to the show's already impressive ensemble cast.

I love Patrick and Nina's counselling sessions with Lawrence and how they have provided an excellent segue into some pretty amusing fantasy sequences and flashbacks. (I've listed some of my favourite Nina fantasies below). Patrick's smile in these sessions (yes, you know the one I mean!) is another reason to love seeing the pair smoothing out the bumps in their relationship before the baby arrives. Speaking of the baby, I really loved the scene at the end of episode 5 where Nina and Patrick are in bed and the baby kicks. Cuteness of the moment aside, talking to the baby saw Patrick's attractiveness sky rocket. (And how hilarious was Clegg butting in from their couch?! I loved him as their house guest!)

New character Eloise provided plenty of intrigue when it came to her connection with Patrick. I picked her initial connection to the anaesthetist but wasn't quite sure what the big revelation about her was going to be. The text message Eloise sent Patrick is a lot clearer now that we know of her crush on Nina. And if you thought there couldn't be any more opportunities for awkwardness in Nina's life, this crush would've convinced you otherwise. Already we've seen Nina nearly sit on Eloise's guinea pig and accidentally drop the word 'lesbianism' into conversation with the the young registrar at work. And now that the nurses know about the crush, I have a feeling things are going to get a lot more awkward! This can only be a good thing for viewers, as Nina in awkward situations means a whole lot of laughs.

Speaking of awkwardness, Nina's boss Martin Clegg has provided it in bucket loads since his break-up with nurse Cherie. Cherie leaving the doctor to go off on a road-trip with Darcy has taken its toll, and while we feel the man's pain, how he has dealt with the split has provided plenty of laughs. Getting his ex's face tattooed on his arm during a drunken night out was just the beginning of Clegg moving forward. His two week stay at Patrick and Nina's, while disruptive for the couple (poor Nina when he baby-proofed the toilet closed!), gave us some reminders of why we love just how strange he is and also why Lachy Hulme is the perfect actor for the role.

Kat Stewart has been outstanding again this season. While I really want to see Billie happy, Kat is fantastic when it comes to the more emotional story lines. The only downside is that seeing Billie in tears always makes me want to cry! I was hoping she'd be able to run Proudman Real Estate on her own but, after seeing episode 6 last week, I'm just really glad her and Nina's friendship is still in tact - it's one of my favourite things about Offspring. I also love Mick and Billie's relationship. A line of Billie's in episode 5 "Mick's my rock" is something I think sums up their relationship. Mick balances out Billie's chaos and always knows the right thing to say. I hope all the drama with the business settles down soon because their relationship is at its best when they're both happy. It's been good to see Mick and Rosanna's music really taking off, however. Also, I was really hoping the song Mick sung to Billie this season would be on the show's latest soundtrack (out July 5), but sadly it isn't.

I loved seeing Jimmy's taco business do well in last week's episode. If it were a real store, I would be there in a flash! I thought it was great that Phillip gave him the capital to start the business too. Garry McDonald was such a good casting choice for Nina's biological dad and I love that he's become so close to the Proudman family. He constantly has me in fits of laughter. One of the funniest moments this season, for me, was when Phillip's knee gave way as he was saying goodbye to Darcy. I also loved his use of the word 'pinkle' in the spa with Geraldine and Darcy.

Another great addition to the cast has been Kevin Hofbauer as Kate's new boyfriend, Joseph. I loved Patrick interrogating him at the start of the season when they were first introduced. Patrick's protectiveness towards Kate is something that we've seen since Patrick's first appearance at the hospital back in season 2. I love that they're so close and can't wait for this week's episode to meet their father.

While I could continue typing for goodness knows how long, I'm going to leave this post here. My next post on the show will be devoted to Offspring's filming locations, I think. Stay tuned! And enjoy the new episode tomorrow night.

Favourite Nina fantasies of season 4 so far (in no particular order):

1. Patrick and Nina playing tennis.
2. Nina giving birth to a troll doll, porcelain owl and a pineapple, among other things.
3. Patrick in bed with Eloise, saying he'd never remember her name.
4. Nina imagining people (including Matt Preston) declaring they have a crush on her.

Honourable mention for the most elaborate fantasy: Nina and Eloise in the boat.

My to-watch list for tonight:
My saddest one yet - the two hour final ever episode of Packed to the Rafters. Going to miss this Aussie Drama so much and be an absolute mess by the end of the two hours.

Did I mention I like crime dramas?

Recently I've added two more crime dramas to the very long list of crime series that I've fallen in love with. One is still airing and the other ended in 2008 after just one season. Since those two shows could be any number of crime dramas I'll just tell you that I really love Elementary and Women's Murder Club right now!

I've wanted to watch Elementary for a while (after seeing a THR Roundtable interview featuring Lucy Liu where she talked about the show). I decided to wait until it hit Australian TV and so far I haven't been disappointed. Jonny Lee Miller makes an excellent Holmes and Liu is equally as good as Watson. I really love that Watson is a woman and that the pair are just friends so far. The sexual tension definitely makes for some great viewing.

Miller's Holmes kind of reminds me of a cross between The Finder's Walter Sherman and Gregory House of House MD. He has the ability to pick up things that other people would miss (a la House) and has the charm and unique ways of solving a mystery like Walter.

I also like that Elementary is filmed in New York. I definitely prefer shows that are filmed where the show is set and aren't faking being in a different city. After only having seen a couple of episodes, I can't wait until I get to see Holmes and Watson's relationship develop a bit more. I have a feeling they might just become one of my favourite crime fighting duos.

Women's Murder Club is a series I've wanted to watch for a while now - for Angie Harmon. Only a few minutes in to watching the pilot and I was already drawing numerous similarities between Lindsay Boxer and Angie's Jane Rizzoli (of Rizzoli & Isles). The two characters are much alike - not just because they are both portrayed by super talented Angie!

I love that the lead characters are women. They're all very likeable, strong women in a field dominated by men which is always good to see in a series. I also like the teasing between them - especially toward Lindsay's relationship with her ex-husband, Tom, who becomes their new lieutenant.

I also noticed another similarity between Boxer and Rizzoli during the pilot. It seems they both have a serial killer they're trying to stop, one who has effected them in a very personal way. For Boxer it's the Kiss-Me-Not killer and for Rizzoli it's Charles Hoyt, 'The Surgeon'.

With Women's Murder Club, it seems to be another case of a good show biting the dust well before its time. I say this about so many programs but it really is a shame when good quality shows only get one season. I look forward to the 12 remaining episodes I have left to watch.

My To-Watch list (for a night that's almost over!):

1x05 of McLeod's Daughters (It's been way too long since I watched an episode!)
4x08 of Grey's Anatomy (I'm rewatching from season 4 at the moment)
1x01 of Women's Murder Club

It's highly likely I'll have discovered a new crime series by the time I've written my next post!

Rafters is coming back to our screens! At last!

I was very excited to hear that Packed to the Rafters will be back on Aussie screens on January 29.

It feels like an eternity ago that it was last on our screens. Maybe because it was an eternity ago. Or in non-TV lover terms (if you're not like me and hate waiting for shows) then it has only been 224 days since the show was pulled off our screens, just 10 episodes in to season 5 (which has 22 episodes).

Whoa, it really has been a while! Luckily, the show has a few lovable characters returning. Nathan Rafter (Angus McLaren), Rachel Rafter (Jessica Marais) and Sammy Rafter (Jessica McNamee) are all coming back home. Although Rachel won't be back for at least 12 episodes time. Jessica Marais returns in season 6 (according to Wikipedia). I can't wait; it'll be just like old times... Well almost!

I'm not yet sure in what capacity Jessica Marais' character will be returning, but I'm hoping it's in person and not just via skype. A reunion between Jake and Rachel would be the ideal outcome for any Rafters fan. I also wouldn't mind seeing Nathan and Sammy back together.


James Stewart is leaving the show at the end of season 5, so maybe Jake and Rachel could depart the series together? We can only hope.


It's great news that Hugh Sheridan is returning to the series full-time. He originally was only coming back for a few episodes but since his channel ten series I Will Survive was cancelled, he decided to return to the show for good. I am very happy about this! As are most fans I would imagine!

The show has also officially been given the green light for a sixth season. So we will be guaranteed the remaining twelve episodes of season 5, plus an entire sixth season. Sweet.

I can't wait to see what's in store for the Rafter family when the show is finally back!

Rafters returns Tuesday January 29, at 8:30pm on channel 7. On Jessica Marais' 28th birthday.

My to-watch list for tonight:

Season 7 episodes of House.

Earlier today I watched the penultimate episode of Private Practice and the latest New Girl.