Will They? Won't They? Now we know.

Ross and Rachel. Carrie and Big. Sam and Diane.

TV "will they or won't they" romances are a timeless television convention. They reel us in, keep us coming back each week and really make us care.

But there is only so much back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth a TV viewer can take. Eventually a show has to decide or risk repelling the viewer. I kind of think that's what happened with Carrie and Big -- to me, once she told Big they were so over they needed a new word for over, I kind of agree. I decided I didn't want them together.

A show like How I Met Your Mother pulled a little bait and switch on us. They put Robin (Cobie Smulders) and Ted together sooner than we expected, broke them up in a very believable way and then gave Robin a whole new possible romance.

Grey's Anatomy did itself a huge favor by making Derek and Meredith a couple this season and making their issues more problems they face as a couple rather than constantly breaking them apart only to put them back together. (No you are not seeing things, I actually did just say something nice about Grey's).

So I kind of think it's interesting the way Scrubs has handled having J.D. and Eliot attempt dating one more time. As you know, I had mixed feelings about making them romantically involved given their history. But I loved the episode where they addressed those issues head on and their reunion became something of a nonevent. Before we even knew how to feel about it, the show put them back together in a way that definitely seems permanent. And, with the show ending this season, it can definitely be permanent. Much to my surprise, I totally like them as a couple.

What do you think of J.D. and Eliot? Who are some of your favorite will they/won't they couples? Talk about it below. And, by the way, I will be discussing Pam and Jim, another beloved will they/won't they couple, this Friday when I talk about the post-Super Bowl episode of The Office.

Where Have I Seen Them Before?

Laura Breckenridge is the new teacher who incurred Blair's wrath on Gossip Girl. I recognized her because she played Rose on the short-lived WB series Related.

Dennis recognized Matthew Davis as the journalist on Damages. Davis was Adam on What About Brian. He was also Warner on Legally Blonde.

Alexander Chaplin was Suzuki St. Pierre's old boyfriend Fabian on Ugly Betty. I recognize him as James on Spin City. Kevin Kilner was the cardiologist Betty took her dad to. Kilner was Clayton on Cashmere Mafia and he's Jake's dad on Greek.

Garry Marshall was the man who had married and divorced his wife three times on ER. Marshall is a legendary producer, director and actor so I'll just remind you that we recently saw him as Robert's uncle on Brothers & Sisters. Dennis recognized Debra Mooney, Edna on Everwood, as his wife. Mooney was also Emerson's mom on Pushing Daisies and we recently we saw her as Judge Webb on Boston Legal.

Kim was thrilled about the mini-Buffy reunion that happened on Bones. Bianca Lawson was Albie on Bones. Lawson was Kendra on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Nikki on Dawson's Creek.

Jason, Ritchie and Rishi were the first to be very excited about the Dawson's Creek reunion on Fringe. Mary Beth Peil, Grams on Dawson's Creek, was the mother of the lab assistant who had died 17 years ago.

Susan Ruttan, who I'll always remember as Roxanne on L.A. Law, was the agoraphobic woman who made it to her daughter's wedding on Private Practice. Joel Grey was the dying doctor who Pete helped die. In addition to being Jennifer Grey's dad, Grey was Doc on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Arvin Sloane imposter on Alias. And you can't talk about him without discussing the fact that he was the Emcee in the original Broadway production of Cabaret.

Michelle Clunie was the woman whose house burned down on CSI. She was Melanie on Queer as Folk. Michael Cudlitz was the contractor who started the fire. He was Frank on Standoff and Mark Rawls on Life.

Stewart recognized Melinda Paige Hamilton as the fake cancer patient on The Closer. She's the real Mrs. Draper on Mad Men and was Sister Mary Bernard on Desperate Housewives. Amy Pietz was the victim's bitter ex-wife. She was Franny last season on Aliens in America (please pause for a moment of silence) and Annie many years ago on Caroline in the City.

Some Fun Links

You can get a look at tomorrow's episode of Supernatural by clicking here and here.

Wednesday Night TV

I want to encourage all of you to tune into tonight's episode of Lost (Wednesday, ABC, 9 p.m.)because it had several gasp-let-me-rewind-myTiVo-did-that-really-just-happen moments. It's a Desmond-focused episode and we all know how much we love those. What I really enjoy about Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) is that he's not a survivor, he's not a member of the Dharma Initiative, he's not an Other and he's not a faux rescuer. He's in a class all by himself, brother, and what we learn tonight will really start to put his storyline into a sharp focus. You'll hear how Desmond is keeping someone's memory alive and we'll begin to understand what the heck has been going on on the island. I know many of you think the show has become too convoluted and confusing but after tonight's episode I'm more convinced than ever the show runners know EXACTLY where they are going.

Also if, like me, you have parents who live in The House That Technology Forgot, I'm sure they'll have a lot of questions because this is an episode that has several moments where you'll have to watch a scene again. I've already prepared my dad for this possibility. Like me, you should let your loved ones know that this episode will repeat next Wednesday, February 4 at 8 p.m.

Also tune into Life on Mars, which returns to ABC tonight at 10 p.m.. I was hoping that ABC would make tonight's episode available for review but alas they did not. The show has been off the air for far too long but it's one of my favorite new shows of the season. When we last left Detective Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) he had been shot and was about to uncover some answer to the show's central question -- why exactly is he in 1973? Keep an eye out for guest star Maggie Siff (Sons of Anarchy, Mad Men) and if you like any of the music in tonight's episode, you can hear on abc.com.

That's all for today. I'm back on Friday with a look at the post-Super Bowl episode of The Office. Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com. Talk to you on Friday.

Amy Amatangelo, TV Gal ®

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