Channel Surfing for Wednesday, October 18

As if you need me to tell you that tonight is the "Project Runway" season finale.

But still: Tonight is the "Project Runway" season finale. Sam will have his fastidiously-prepared recap soon after it airs and I'll probably have a little somethin' somethin' too. Here is my hilarious recap/joke:

Project Runway
10 p.m., Bravo
It’s the season finale — honest — and either Laura, Michael, Uli or Jeffrey will walk away with a bounty consisting of $100,000 to start a clothing line, a spread in Elle, a year of agent representation, a design firm mentorship, a 2007 Saturn Sky and, if it clears the final budget, a $10 Red Lobster gift certificate.

It's also the premiere of "Top Chef," the return of Boone to "Lost," the return of Janice Dickinson to "America's Next Top Model," Jane Leeves on "Twenty Good Years" (I know you're psyched, don't lie) and other things as well. Read the rest here.

Do believe the hype

Yikes, Eli. You've put on a few poundos since graduation. Apparently probation is not a conducive environment to healthy eating.

It was still great to see the guy, though. There's no doubt that he's an appealing character that's sort of refreshingly disconnected to everyone but Veronica (and Logan), and he should be an interesting side dish to the ongoing serial rapist main course. The first two episodes suffered without him, for sure.

Not that I didn't dig those first two episodes - and I didn't get people who thought they were noticeably worse. But maybe that idea somehow germinated in my head, because I wasn't feeling this episode at all. Everything seems a little bit lighter, both literally in terms of setting and metaphorically in terms that after a bus mass murder, the serial rapist storyline - which hasn't really hooked anyone yet, I don't think - seems not nearly as pressing, both in terms of the viewers and the characters involved. Maybe since the characters involved aren't really involved with anything else, yet, it feels disconnected.

The mini-mystery also felt trivial, in fact, it just was trivial. A missing football playbok? Is this "Archie's Weird Mysteries"? Will V-Mars have to tackle the case of the disappearing bake sale goods next week? I'm a fan of the one-off capers, but usually the twists are more, shall we say, interesting. You would think that by now Ronnie would know to cross off the most obvious suspect off her list and just go straight for the unconventional ones (yes, I know why it has to be like that for dramatic purposes).

Also, no Wallace, Lamb or Mac was a drag. And no Parker was upsetting to some extent, I suppose. Wallace especially is a central a part of the show, as much as Keith or Logan, and it's odd to think he just won't be around for nine episodes this season. At least last year there was a storyline reason for it.

But it was still more entertaining than most stuff on TV (TM), had some good stuff (Weevil as season 1 Veronica helping Keith, cute LoVe moments) and I have enough faith in the creators and cast that next episode will rebound. At least it better be, or I'm writing a strongly-worded letter.