Even before I mention this week's Camelotting, I must note that it's been an eventful week for shippers of all stripes. On the minus side, UK/US shipping has jumped the shark, apparently. On the plus side, good news for fans of The Wombles, because it seems that Bernard Cribbins ships Uncle Bulgaria/Madame Cholet. And since he did the voices, that makes it virtually canon, right? Wellington/Orinoco shippers are still waiting for a sign, sadly, but 'twas ever thus.

Now it's time for my weekly trip to the land of Merlin, with ( some thoughts on what Sweet Dreams was made of... )

I hope everyone had a normal boring Thursday: I certainly did. As an article in the Guardian points out, in this country we tend to believe that Thanksgiving is a bit weird and no amount of turkey-centric episodes of Friends can change our minds.

But although I don't have an opinion on Thanksgiving (apart from "marshmallows with vegetables: why oh why?"), I do have an opinion on "Thanksgiving", which was of course this week's instalment of Heroes.

( So let's see what was on the menu... )

If you're anything like me, you may have been wondering whether a normal episode of Merlin could ever match the high silliness bar set by yesterday's Children in Need special. But wonder no longer, because the answer to this question and several others lie below.

( Some thoughts about The Lady of the Lake.... )

And now a cult TV catch-up bulletin. Yes, I did see the clip of the Doctor Who Christmas special, and my reaction can best be summed up as "Was that it?". Much more entertaining was the Merlin mini-special: straight-faced silliness and a sprinkling of shameless slashiness squeezed into a minute and a half. Who could ask for more? (And if you wish to encourage this kind of thing, don't forget to donate to Children in Need!)

And next, time for a closer look at another kind of heroic silliness, in the form of this week's Heroes. ( Some thoughts on Brother's Keeper... )

Expectations adjusted to zero: check. Gin and tonic supplies replenished: check. Chocolate biscuits on stand-by: check. Excellent. Getting ready for the new series of Top Gear was easier than I thought.

But before that, of course, there was Doctor Who. So here are ( some thoughts on The Waters of Mars... )

Sometimes you can spend hours thinking of cunning and sophisticated witticisms, and sometimes a stupid gag simply writes itself. The latter was certainly the case when I sat down to consider this week's episode of Merlin.

( Some thoughts on The Sins of the Father, with an introductory bonus of screencap silliness... )

Before I examine this week's superheroic soap shenanigans, here's my choice for Picture of the Week: a startlingly sexist ad for Lucozade from 1957. Ladies, is your husband constantly disappointed at your inability to do absolutely bloody everything for him? Then pour a fizzy glass of orange pop and beat him repeatedly over the head with the empty bottle. You're sure to feel better in a trice.

Right, on to this week's Heroes, and ( some thoughts on Shadowboxing... )

Another week, another episode of Merlin, and despite the fact that I vaguely planned to make myself a new Merlinesque icon to give these posts a bit of variety, I realize that I have not done so. Must be my action-packed life getting in the way, hem hem.

In the meantime, here are ( some thoughts about The Witchfinder, generally... )

Despite the fact that I rarely do anything but watch the telly, I'm stuck in a televisual time lag this week. However, I've now managed to get caught up with James May's Toy Stories, with the full story of his plasticine garden (conclusion: I still adore him), and also with last week's guest appearance of a certain augustly buttocked personage on The Sarah Jane Adventures (conclusion: I still find it impossible to give a hoot about The Sarah Jane Adventures. Sorry, folks).

And speaking of TV time lags, this week's episode of Heroes also took a step back into the past, albeit it a little further than BBC iPlayer normally allows.

( Here are some thoughts about Once Upon A Time In Texas... )

The Sci-Fi Channel's repeats of Buffy have reached season 2, I notice. Willow's wearing a shocking amount of eyeshadow and Angel appears to have pink lipstick on: was that season sponsored by Maybelline?

Anyway, my telly catch-up continues with this week's Merlin.

( A few thoughts on Beauty and the Beast 2: I Don't Fancy Yours Much... )