Big Orange Michael

Chuck: Chuck vs the Nacho Sampler
Last week, we saw Chuck go on his first solo mission. This week, we see Chuck get his first asset and we are reminded again of how much a product of the mentor-ship of Casey and Sarah Chuck really is.

Chuck is assigned the asset of a guy named Manoosh, who is nerdy in the same way as Chuck but appears to have some type of new high tech weapon he wants to sell. Apparently it's a portable version of the Intersect and he's got a lot of bad guys who really, really want to get their hands on it. And despite destroying the portable version (disguised as a pair of sunglasses), in the end Manoosh is sent off to somewhere far away to that the Ring can't get their hands on him. And Chuck is the guy who has to do it.

Watching the episode unfold, we're reminded of how far Chuck has come as a spy. And we're also reminded of just how much influence Casey and Sarah have had on him. We get bookends flashbacks of the first time Sarah and Chuck met, including the fact that Sarah was supposed to burn him. But she didn't....it makes me wonder what might have happened had Casey got there first. We've seen that Chuck does have the compassionate site for the people whose live are impacted by the spy game, but we're also seeing that he's got the "its just business" side the Casey exhibits. And that was obvious in how Chuck is forced to cut Manoosh and how impressed Casey is by his coldness. We also see how easily Chuck can lie now, even to family and friends. One thread I'm picking up on here is that Chuck's dual life may be alienating him from those people he cares about. A few weeks ago, we had a lingering shot of Chuck's family gathering for dinner but here we see evidence that both worlds aren't meshing well and that Chuck could be losing part of what makes him Chuck.

I also like the fact that Chuck's family and friends are starting to question his odd behavior and catching his sloppy attempts to cover his tracks. Discarding his boarding pass for Paris at home is a bit odd and it makes me wonder why they didn't make Chuck destroy it at the Castle. Of course, that would be a bit more complicated when Kristen Kruek showed up and he to backtrack there and explain how he met her and knew her.

I know I keep saying it each week, but this is probably the most solid episode we've had of the third season. The show is hitting its stride and I love it.

24: Day Eight, 9-10 p.m.
Every day of "24" has those episodes that serve to tread water. This was clearly one of them.

Not much really happens to push the plot forward, other than the fact that the writers are clearly setting up some things for the next few hours. The biggest is that the Russian family will be tracked down because of the storyline of taking the sick brother to the doctor for radiation poisoning. With the Russian mafia killing the entire office, you just know this will somehow lead CTU and Jack to them.

Meanwhile, Jack and Renee keep trying to broker a deal to get to the uranium rods. And Renee has some kind of weird history with Lebanon...I'm sorry Russian guy played by the guy who was on BSG. If he and Kate Sackoff can't meet somehow there is no justice. Honestly, I am not sure about how this is unfolding since it seems like we're just waiting for something to happen. Plus it seems as if Renee is a bit too unstable and in too deep here to really be effective. I have to wonder why the Russians don't question more of her suddenly showing up and asking for the nuclear material. Of course, this is "24" and sometimes logic doesn't enter into the show.

Which is really apparent with Dana over at CTU. I can't roll my eyes fast enough EVERY time this plotline comes up. I just don't see where this is headed and it seems like more of a distraction along the lines of Kim and the cougar from season two than a plotline that can and should pay dividends.

And they can't kill off Freddie Prinze, Jr. fast enough for my liking....

Labels: 24, Chuck, tv shows

posted by Michael at 2/08/2010 12:39:00 PM | |

LAX
So here it is--the start of the final season of "Lost" and the end line in sight for the show.

As I've said before and elsewhere, I think one of the best things this show ever did was declare an end point for itself.

That's evident here with the season six premiere and as we slowly start to get some answers.

The big one is that the Smoke Monster has been operating on the island all this time in opposition to Jacob. Or at least that's the impression I get here since we've got anti-Locke now being able to morph into said Smoke Monster. It's a nice moment, but it raises some other questions including why would it help Ben and the Others if they were followers of Jacob. Was the Smoke Monster biding its time and maneuvering Ben to the point last year where he'd kill Jacob? And if this is some eternal struggle between good and evil, does the fact that the good has apparently died mean the balance has been thrown off? Or could it be that Sayid is actually Jacob resurrected? Certainly, the symbolism of a lot his immersion in the pool and then his rising would seem to point to that. (Just look at how Sayid had his arms out like he'd been crucified when he was taken out of the pool, for instance).

Meanwhile, the new Others are declaring a red alert as they prepare for something. I'm assuming they're expecting an attack from anti-Locke and his forces. But I still don't understand why they'd follow Locke or if they will.

The other big question that was answered was would blowing up the island work and put things right. And the answer is--yes and no. It did work in the creation of a new parallel universe in which the plane never crashes and the island is underwater. In this universe, certain people are still drawn together (the scenes of Jack and Locke being put together and Jack believing he can help Locke while Locke thinks the situation is hopeless was a nice juxtaposition) and certain objects are still drawn to the island. I'm betting that we'll find that the lost suitcase of knives and the coffin somehow vanished during the turbulence because they need to be on the island.

Then there's the timeline where the explosion threw our heroes back to the present day (island time). And we have the death of Juliet and Sawyer's swearing out vengeance on Jack. I have a feeling that Sawyer's deciding to let Jack suffer will only work for so long before he's pushed over the edge. And we also learn that while Jack can be a leader in times of success, he's not so great when things don't go his way.

So, a few answers and a lot more questions to come. It should be an interesting ride to the series finale...and one that I expect no matter how well done it is, will never please everyone.

Labels: Lost, tv shows

posted by Michael at 2/04/2010 01:00:00 PM | |

Last week before the great snowstorm of 2010 set in, I heard a breaking story that author J.D. Salinger has passed away.

Hearing the news made me think about my experiences reading "Catcher in the Rye" over the years. Growing up a military kid, it seems I always missed the point in your high school career when "Catcher" was required reading. So, I've not read it as part of an academic setting, but I did seek it out and read it myself during a summer break.

So the opportunity to read the book with others has always eluded me. Until now...

To honor the memory of Salinger, A Reader's Respite is having a group read of the book. You can find out more details and how to sign up HERE.

Labels: books

posted by Michael at 2/03/2010 11:00:00 AM | |

24: Day Eight 5- 8 p.m.
Do they not do background checks over at CTU? I ask this because it seems a bit odd that CTU, an agency whose sole purpose in life is to gather information, can't or doesn't look deep enough into Dana's past to see that she's got a criminal past and has taken on a new identity. On the other hand, maybe she was so good at crafting her new identity that it lead to her being hired. Whatever the reason, it just really sticks out like a sore thumb for the new season and feels like they're working too hard to provide some kind of distraction to the unfolding plot to a major head of state.

Hopefully she'll stay far away from Jack since it appears that just about anyone who comes into Jack's sphere of influence isn't faring too well right now. It's interesting to see Jack's win at all costs attitude wear off onto Rene (especially given how upset she was early on last year by Jack's methods) and to see her have her own Jack Bauer moment as the cliffhanger to the first four hours of the new day. Even more interesting is that she's able to to pretty much take care of a guy whose thumb she just sawed off with little more than a first aid kit. I'm telling you, that CTU training is incredible. I wonder if it's taught by McGyver.

Meanwhile you've got As the Hassan Family Turns with a brother conspiring to kill his older brother and take over the reigns of state, all jump starting the country's nuclear weapons program. That's pretty ambitious for one terrorist plot, you have to admit. And to see him still trying to get the uranium while his brother consolidates power should prove interesting

Oh, one last thing. Any time they want to kill of Freddie Prinze, Jr is fine by me....

Chuck: Chuck vs. First Class
And we're back. "Chuck" has been getting its stride going with the first four episodes and it really hits it here, even if the B plot is kind of similar to the one last week. I thought Morgan had established authority over Lester last week, but any excuse to see Casey and Morgan teaming up to take down Lester is fine by me. Seeing Casey positively salivating at the chance to use his tactics on insurgent Lester was pure and total gold and worked a lot better than last week's "Fight Club" homage.

But where the show really worked was Chuck getting his own first solo mission. At first, I assumed Shaw was brought in as another spy who'd put Chuck into a corner and limit him. But to see Shaw give Chuck the chance he's been wanting for so long and then to see Chuck go on his mission, watching it unfold was just a lot of fun. And even Kristen Kruek, who was usually a major downer on "Smallville" works here. Again, the joy of "Chuck" is that guest stars come in and they play off the types of characters they've played in other shows, movies or other areas. And it's all working here.

I can't believe we only have two more episodes left before the Olympics break...

Dollhouse: Epipath Two
Whatever else you can say about Fox's treatment of "Dollhouse" I will give them credit--they renewed the series last year and they made good on their promise to run all the episodes. While it's still another Whedon show cut down and sent to the scrapheap, at least this time around Joss and company got to gives the fans the closure and ending the show deserves.

After we saw Echo and everyone else take out Rossum two weeks ago, we had to have an episode that dealt with the fallout we saw from the zombie future. And "Epipath Two" felt like a nice code to the series, allowing Whedon to have everyone win the battle and end on some hope for the characters. Not everyone got a necessarily happy ending, but it felt like there was some hope there for everyone. And while the show may have been originally all about Echo, it's fascinating how in 26 episodes the supporting cast was more developed and this show felt more like an ensemble show in the end than anything. In fact, I found myself caring more about how Topher would end up and would he solve the problem facing them as well what had happened to make him the way he was, than really much of the drama between Echo and Paul.

Also, in watching the finale, I kept wondering why when they got back to the L.A. Dollhouse they didn't just download a copy of Topher into one of the dolls to help the real Topher solve the problem. Or at least have a line that says--oh his construct was destroyed.

Caprica: Rebirth
I've said elsewhere that I think this show might be more successful if it weren't sold as a prequel to "Battlestar: Galactica." It's a solid enough show that it could have stood on its own without being part of that franchise. As it is, watching the episodes it's hard to not look for things that foreshadow or echo things we'll see in BSG.

I liked the pilot but had reservations about it. That said, I think "Rebirth" is a solid entry and a good second episode because it allows the universe to expand and seems to be putting in motion a lot of things the series will explore as it goes along. Chief among them is Zoe in her various incarnations and the questions of identity that it could bring up.

Also, I find it fascinating to see just how her parents are dealing with her death and the implications of her involvement in the attack. Her dad seems to want to deny that she could be part of it while mom wants to admit it and accept some responsibility for the actions. It should set up some fascinating episodes and storylines to come in the coming weeks...

Labels: 24, caprica, Chuck, dollhouse, tv shows

posted by Michael at 1/31/2010 03:18:00 PM | |

Buried in last week's rumor that Russell T. Davies was considering creating an American version of "Torchwood" was the nugget that also under consideration was an American version of "Doctor Who."

Not much is out there on details about this proposed American version of the greatest television show of all time, but I have to tell you that I'm dead set against it. Especially if (as I fear) Davies is in any way connected with it.

I'm glad Davies brought back my favorite show and that under his leadership, it's become very popular. That said, I think the man has run out of ideas "Doctor Who" wise and that he's far too convinced of his own genius for his own good. I was happy to see him go and I'm eager to see what an era led by Steven Moffatt will look like.

As for an American version of "Doctor Who," I just don't see it. We tried it in '96 with the Fox movie and it was met with a resounding shrug of the shoulders.

Don't get me wrong--I want more "Doctor Who." I just want it produced by the BBC in Great Britain. Anything else is just a bad idea...

Labels: Doctor who, tv shows

posted by Michael at 1/25/2010 04:19:00 PM | |

Chuck: Chuck vs. Operation Awesome
The third season continues to hit its stride with another solid episode that once again demonstrates how well "Chuck" uses its guest stars--you cast them based on what types of characters they've played in the past and allow the actors to play on that. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of how certain old radio series used to work with various people taking on a fictional persona for the sake of their character and the show. For example, any time Jack Benny guest starred on another show, you were sure to get a mention of Jack's frugal ways.

Same thing here with Angie Harmon and Brandon Routh. Routh is cast as the all-American good guy, along the lines of his role in the Man of Steel in "Superman: Returns." It's interesting to see Shaw come into Team Chuck and immediately begin to try and shake things up a bit. Knowing that Routh will be around for a few episodes should be interesting, though I hope they do more with the character than throw him in as some kind of stumbling block to the Chuck and Sarah relationship. I think we've seen enough outsiders come in and do that--unless they can actually do something interesting or different with it. At this point, I'm not sure and it may end up being a case of treading the same ground again.

The episode had me consistently chuckling and enjoying it even though there were some glaring weak points and one plot hole. I don't quite buy that the Ring would assume that Captain Awesome is the spy and that Chuck isn't. It was nice to see that Awesome wasn't killed, but wouldn't the guy who likes to poison people from last week have clued them in a bit about Awesome's role only as a doctor and to watch out for Chuck and Sarah? Or maybe it's because the Ring has only seen the crew in such limited action that they're operating on a false tip from last week's events that led to this assumption. It's one of those things you have to buy in order to get to the story going and get the hilarity ensuing, but it seemed a bit much to swallow.

Also, I have to admit that for long stretches of time I wasn't thrilled by events at the Buy More. It felt like they were trying to stretch things a bit and having a "Fight Club" homage just didn't really click for me. At least they were able to have that plot intersect with the Chuck plot in a nice way, though again it felt like they were working a bit too hard to get from point A to point B. We needed some way to get Chuck out of trouble late in the story, so the early joke of the electric fence was put in there to get us there.

But beyond that, I enjoyed what I saw here. I really liked Chuck coming up with his own plan and the scenes with Awesome when Chuck was able to fully utilize his new abilities as the Intersect 2.0.

I'm also glad that the series didn't make the move of killing off Awesome. It seems like too dark a twist for the show to take.

Dollhouse: The Hollow Men
With "Dollhouse" headed toward the finish line, Joss Whedon and company barely have a chance to let us catch our breath and let the big revelation from last week really sink in. That's a shame because I think an episode or two of our knowing about Boyd and seeing the characters come to grips with it would have been a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I'm betting Whedon and company found out the show was canceled too late to really have much more than we got here.

The story pushes forward with the implications of the Rossum technology really having an impact. The concept of creating a way to wipe out a person's personality and then imprint it with another is fascinating and chilling--especially the handheld device that Topher has invented. Also interesting is that no matter how hard they try, they can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. You get the feeling that no matter how hard our heroes work, they can't take back the fact that such a thing can and did exist. It made me want to dust off the DVD set of season one and look at "Epipath 1" again, but I haven't had time yet. Hopefully before the finale.

This one felt like it had to wrap up all the present day stories before we jump ten years ahead to see what goes wrong and if there's any hope for the future. Along the way, we lose another character and get to see Echo take on Whiskey in an epic battle. The pace was rushed at times (I could easily see this week and last week's stories expanded to a trilogy) but at least we're getting resolution and some closure. I can also see why Whedon says that once this show is done, it's done. He's not leaving much to come back and play with.....

Labels: Chuck, dollhouse, tv shows

posted by Michael at 1/21/2010 01:33:00 PM | |