The West Wing There was radioactive...

The West Wing There was radioactive and political  fallout in the air with tonight's Three Mile Island-meets-Hurricane Katrina scenario. In a classic example of West Wing wish fulfillment, we got to see how the Bartlet Administration might handle a massive national disaster. In a word: well. From the emergency's get-go, Bartlet took command with his "the buck stops with me" leadership style. (Hmmm, wonder what the writers were getting at there?) From venting the radiation to asking the engineers to keep working, to making the trip to the disaster site, POTUS was on top of his game. It was a good day's work, even if the prez was getting advice from Oz's Schillinger. With all that going on, Kate still had to keep track of that other China syndrome brewing in Kazakhstan. While the president was facing a series of increasingly tough calls, the candidates had to play all the political angles of the national disaster. It looks like Vinick's lobbying for the nuclear plant could result in an election-day meltdown. Not only does he look responsible for an enormous cloud of uranium, he managed to make the traffic in Southern California even worse! The big question of the night was whether Josh would leak the info about Vinick's ties to the plant. OK, maybe it wasn't that big a question for Bruno, who knew that he would because "Josh has political Tourette's syndrome." (Is it just me, or is Ron Silver looking more and more like the devil?) Fortunately for the Santos campaign, the story got out before Josh ordered Donna to leak it, and now the run for election is in a dead heat.  Jonathan McDaid

Desperate Housewives
Anyone who's been complaining about this show not being as good as it was last season (and you know you're out there) simply needed to watch tonight's episode, because, boy, did it kick butt! So many watercooler moments, where do I start? Definitely Alfre Woodard's best episode yet. Betty showing up on Bree's doorstep right before the other housewives came over was classic. How perfect for Betty to blackmail Bree what a great way to shut her up! Loved the looks on all the women's faces when Betty walked out of Bree's kitchen. Earlier, I loved when Bree looked up and saw Caleb gazing out the window. Speaking of Caleb, the actor now playing the role, Nashawn Kearse, is doing a fantastic job. It's not an easy task to play a character who is mentally challenged. Just ask Rosie O'Donnell. Even earlier, the funniest line was Bree to her daughter: "Danielle, question: Is there a black man hiding under your bed?" Then there was Susan, who was so glad Dr. Ron wouldn't be her doctor anymore and she'll start "getting some" soon. How about Edie tying up Karl so she could watch her movie? Desperate housewife indeed. Although I live for the show's funny moments, I enjoy the serious moments even more, especially Lynette and Tom's scene at the kitchen table. Felicity Huffman showed us exactly why she gets all the nominations and awards. Lynette saying "And what I really need from you is to be forgiven" gave me chills. But back to the funny. Glad the girl fight between Gabrielle and Sister Mary didn't disappoint. Totally reminded me of the Alexis-Crystal fights on Dynasty. Beautiful scene when Gabby told Carlos she wants to have his baby.   Dave Anderson

Grey's Anatomy
I loved tonight's episode, and I'm not lying unlike everyone in this episode. Ellen Pompeo's closing narration summed it up: "The truth hurts so we lie." Cristina lied to Burke by not telling him she still has her apartment. Meredith lied by telling Cristina she was over McDreamy. Nice to know Alex passed his boards this time. Great quote from Izzie to Alex: "Congratulations, you're not an idiot, except when you're being an idiot." How cool to see Patrick Dempsey and Sandra Oh together in several scenes tonight, especially since they're the two actors who keep getting nominations (and in Sandra's case, an actual award I was ecstatic when she won that Golden Globe!). Here's hoping the other people on the show start getting some notice, especially (you knew this was coming) T.R. Knight, my fave. His scenes tonight with the phenomenal Carole Cook were awesome. I've loved Carole since she squeezed Molly Ringwald's "boobies" in Sixteen Candles. I know a lot of you are thinking "Yes! That's why she looked familiar!" Honestly, that final scene between her and George was magnificent: "Nursing homes are for old people. I know that I'm elderly. I do know that. But if I have to go to that place, I'm afraid I'll become old." Carole, have your people submit that scene for next year's Emmys, please. Another noteworthy guest star was Donovan Leitch (his dad is '60s pop singer Donovan and his sister is Say Anything's Ione Skye) as the guy who had to get his fingers surgically reattached. Glad Meredith chose George over the dog, as we knew she would. George looking at Meredith with his puppy-dog eyes was what did it, I'm sure.  Dave Anderson