Surface Wait, what's going on?...

Surface
Wait, what's going on? Is Nimrod dead? Are Dr. Laura and Crazy-Eyed Rich still all cold and pruney from their whole shipwreck saga? It's a bit hazy after a five-week hiatus. (And while we're on the topic, these long-as-hell breaks between new episodes are really dragging down prime time. You hear me, Lost? I'd have a tough enough time remembering where we left off without the 60-plus pounds of turkey and a fair amount of nog muddying up the ol' brain cells. So add another bullet point to the "why I can't wait to cozy back up to Jack Bauer" list: an uninterrupted season.) With little or no fanfare, Rich and Laura turn out to be well enough to go on the lam with their all-important sea-beastie footage, while Miles comes to terms with the heart-wrenching death of Nim by discovering, like, three minutes later that the little guy's actually still alive. Apparently we're moving forward, people, so keep up. The refugees manage to score a plum interview on MSNBC and before I can get too grumpy about the unabashed sister-network plug, the show breaks even by poking fun at cable news in general and at Keith Olbermann in particular. I just hope your 15 minutes were worth it, there, Dr. Laura 'cause it looks like you're about to get a taste of seriously peeved government goon.

Meanwhile, it's been quite an eventful year for our young Miles. He's stealing cars, making earth-shattering scientific discoveries, touching girls' jellyfish scars. They just grow up so fast, don't they? And when he's not busy getting himself booted from the aquarium for a midnight swim with the head researcher's daughter (foul teen temptress, thy name is Caitlin!), he's clearly well on his way to becoming part-monster himself. It starts with Nim-like sneezes and a few flickering streetlights; I suspect it's going to end with something far less adorable. Like tentacles.