Big Orange Michael

So, the eighth worst day of Jack Bauer's life has come to a close and with it, the series as a whole.

I stopped commenting about every episode mid-way through the season, but that doesn't mean I gave up watching. I still faithfully tuned in because with 24, there's always the potential for that one episode or moment that will just come out of left field and surprise you.

Unfortunately, I don't think that necessarily happened this year.

Too many of the twists were so tossed in without much thought that they ended up not making sense. The biggest one was the sudden turn mid-season to make Dana Walsh from a woman trying to escape her past into a secret mole for the Russians. I balked at the scene as she's helping the terrorist cell get away by using her bluetooth attachment and muttering under her breath. Yes, I know CTU is tense, but come on already! That's a bit much to take.

Also, we never really got any real clarification on whether or not part of her mole role was to seduce Cole and possibly use him to learn more information. Did she really love him? Is it part of the act? I get that in the heat of the day, these questions may not come up, but it would have been more interesting had they occurred to anyone.

Then we got to the final six hours when Jack goes rogue and takes on CTU, the FBI, the CIA, the Russian government and anyone else who gets in his way. It's nice to see Charles Logan back, being slimy and duplicitous. It was nice to see him try to take advantage of the situation to win back power and to possibly get some measure of revenge on Jack. But...and it's a big one here, the end of the day saw Jack trade in his ideals for revenge. I realize it's the culmination of eight years of story telling and Jack's frustration at the president for the cover-up, but when the day starts with Jack wanting to retire and hang out with Kim and his grandchild, it seems odd that at some point this thought didn't cross Jack's mind. It eventually does in the final moments as we say farewell to Jack, but somehow it should have occurred earlier. I realize that Jack has a deep connection to Renee Walker, but she's not the first to have her life ended or destroyed by orbiting too close to planet Jack.

Just as Jack is corrupted and eventually compromised, so also we see President Taylor go down the path of vanity, blinded by her place in history and her obsession with the peace treaty. Bring in Charles Logan and that will happen. But it was nice to see her at least try to salvage something, though the ending with a president in disgrace was too clearly a bit of a repeat of when Logan went down.

And yet the ending made me wish that the show would somehow break it's real-time convention in the end to give us a coda. I wanted to see Taylor have to step up and take the blame for what she's done. I want to hear Ethan come to her in prison and tell her I told you so and offer his council. I want to know if Logan will live or die--it's implied he could live and that he failed even in taking his own life. I want to know if Jack got away. I want to know if the bad guys will target Chloe and her family now for helping Jack.

In the end, the show wrapped up some things, said farewell to Jack but left too many threads dangling to really be as satisfying as I'd hoped. It was a decent season and it had some interesting points. But it wasn't quite the victory lap a show like 24 deserves.

Labels: 24, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 5/27/2010 08:29:00 PM | |

Chuck: Chuck vs the Beard, Chuck vs the Tic Tac
Three weeks back from the Olympics and we've had three solid "Chuck" installments. The last two may be among the best the show has done not only in season three, but in the three year run of the show. Both episodes have upped the ante for the show a great deal, seeing "Chuck" at a crossroads where he gets a glimpse of who and what he's become now that he's got the Intersect powers and he's finally getting the life he always wanted.

"The Beard" finds Chuck unable to access his superpowers, thank to being bound up emotionally by breaking up with Hannah, Sarah's new found relationship with Shaw, Awesome losing patience with the whole double-life the knowledge of Chuck's spy life has created and the typical Buy More complications of leading a double life. Thankfully, the show finally brings Morgan in on the secret in a way that works and that allows Morgan to embrace the fact that Chuck is a spy. I loved seeing Morgan's panic at the fact that there were a secret CIA base under the Buy More and then the reaction to finding out Chuck is really the spy the Ring is looking for. It's nice that we didn't have it create a rift between the two that would eventually be healed. That may be one of the benefits of a shorter season--less time to stretch things like this out and just have things go with the flow.

That news leads to "Tic Tac" where it appears that Casey may have gone rogue or joined the Ring. Instead, we get to see a bit more of Casey's backstory and have a showcase for Adam Baldwin's character, seeing how much and what he gave up to serve his country and become a spy. And we can see Chuck slowly going down that path this year, especially as he wins over the admiration of Casey--at least on a professional level. Also of interest is the new pill that removes the emotional element of Chuck's accessing the Intersect. Will we see more of this or was it a one time thing to prove a point?

I have a feeling that we may see Chuck's dad have to return and snap him back to reality before the season ends.

The only part I didn't really care for was how quickly the decision of Awesome and Ellie moving to Africa to become part of Doctors Without Borders was brought up and then discarded. As much as I liked not dragging out a rift between Chuck and Morgan was necessitated by the original episode order, this felt like it needed more time to breath and might have had the initial episode order been more than 13.

24: Day Eight, 2 - 4 a.m.
Just as "24" appears to be headed for the exit and everyone's talking about how the show has really lost its stride, season eight picks up a lot in the last two hours of the day. The scenes with Jack talking to the young terrorist inside the pressure chamber were classic Bauer--you don't tell me what I want to know, I will make your mother pay. As were the scenes between said young terrorist and his mother. In those moments, the show reached back into the core of what the series is all about--Jack's win at all costs mentality and the toll it can and will take on those around him.

Meanwhile, the final moments of the 3 a.m. hour were among the most interesting and had a nice twist to them--well, that was if you could avoid the relentless Fox marketing machine that gave it away. I had until the final seconds of "House" when I accidentally saw a promo. I have to admit, I guessed what was coming but I thought the terrorists would be blowing up CTU instead of using an EMP. Either way, CTU is disabled and Jack may be forced to play nice with another agency. And as we've seen the past, Jack doesn't play well with others who aren't CTU. The twist did rescue (a bit) the whole plotline of the allegiance of Tarin. Again, I say that it's easy to tell when the writers are making up things as they go--that's clearly been shown by the Tarin plotlines. He's loyal, he's in love with Kayla, he's locked up, they're running away together, he's betrayed her and her father, he's helped her escape, no wait it was all part of his master plan. For one thing, I can't see how the terrorist cell would plan out that the rods would need to be transferred in to New York or that they'd need to take out CTU to do it. Given that the plan was to take the rods back to the country in question and jump start their nuclear program, this kind of advance planning seems a bit far fetched. But then again, this is "24."

I will be interested to see how the show follows-up on the thread of Hassan having U.S. nuclear secrets and if that will impact his future negotiations with President Taylor.

As for the whole plotline with Dana, the sooner that one goes away the better. I knew it would come back to bite them, but the fact that it came back that quickly is a bit much. I swear that if Stephen Root's character is somehow involved with the conspiracy, I will scream.

FlashForward: Revelation Zero
For the first ten or so episodes, all we heard from the producers of this show was that they were putting the groundwork in place for the final run of episodes and that we'd all be surprised and shocked by what they came up with.

Well it's the final run and so far, I'm not overwhelmed.

I'm still with the show and will tune in until the season finale. But honestly, it needs some more payoffs than what we got there. Mark finally unlocks the rest of his flash and just in time to conveniently save Lloyd. A bit of a stretch of the willing suspension of disbelief.

It's really about putting these two together for some kind of odd buddy comedy, I guess.

At least we know that the reason to investigate the flash so obsessively is that we're trying to prevent another one. We've got some tension for the end of the season and a goal now. Maybe it will give the series some much needed focus.

Meanwhile, the more interesting storyline is about what Simon has been up to and what he was doing during the flash. Finding out that he was the one awake at the Detroit Tigers' game was an interesting revelation as is the fact that he appears to be playing all the sides against each other for his own personal agenda. What that agenda is, I guess we'll have to wait and find out, but that is keeping me intrigued.

What didn't keep me there was the whole storyline about Nicole's mom and the pennies. Yaaaaawn.

Labels: 24, Chuck, flash forward, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 3/22/2010 03:02:00 PM | |

Chuck: Chuck vs the Fake Name
As I watch season three unfold, I keep wondering just how the writers might have timed out certain storylines if they'd known they were getting 19 episodes instead of the original 13. I ask this mainly because of the storyline involving Hannah, which seemed a bit compressed in retrospect. Chuck meets girl, Chuck woes girl, Chuck then realizes his double life means he can't be with girl and he ends up breaking her heart and being a jerk. I guess I was expecting something more to come from the storyline like somehow Hannah was connected to the Ring. Maybe it's better that she wasn't because from a character point of view, it just works better. But it also falls back into the trap of other previous love interests for Chuck either being part of the bad guys or having to be written out because it's too hard for Chuck to balance his spy life with his real life.

I'm guessing that Hannah is gone for good, though it'd be nice to see her come back again. Possibly if Chuck and Sarah get together, though a monkey wrench has certainly been thrown into that with Sarah (excuse me, Sam) choosing Shaw over Chuck. A lot of that firmly rests with the fact that Chuck is becoming what Sarah once was, while Sarah is becoming what Chuck once was. Watching the two trade places in the relationship has been interesting and I wonder how long it will be before Chuck's whole world implodes. Mayhaps having his father return later this year will be a wake-up call for Chuck.

I also found it curious to wonder--even for a little while--if Chuck might not shoot or kill Shaw somehow and blame it on his cover. But just like the thread of killing off Captain Awesome, that's a bit too dark for the show.

24: 12 a.m. - 2 a.m.
Thank heavens the two idiots from Dana's past are dead. I realize that "24" has to introduce subplots to try and keep the tension going, but this was one of the dumber subplots we've seen in quite some time. I'm talking Kim Bauer and the cougar season two dumb. I guess it wouldn't have been that bad if it weren't so damn predictable right up to and including Cole showing up and having to kill both guys. Yeah, this isn't going to go away and I fear it will only continue to be a pebble in the shoe of "24" all the rest of the year.

Meanwhile, Jack is back in, as we all knew he would be. Jack can't really walk away from a crisis, but at least they came up with a reasonable way to get him back in--wanting to save Renee. Of course, Jack's big confession that he wants to be there for Renee does bring into question where is Audrey, but I'm not sure the writers are thinking that far ahead. There are times I swear that the plot twists come as much of a surprise to them as to they do to the viewing audience at home.

Anyway, Jack's back in it and up to his neck in trouble. I love how no matter how by the book any CTU unit wants to be, spend a few hours around Jack and you're quickly playing loose and fast with the rules in the interest of expediency and national security.

And I will admit there is a part of me that wants to see New York City nuked if only to end the family politics of the random Middle Eastern nation. Ugh....

Lost: "Lighthouse," "Sundown"
I keep wondering what impact these side flashes are going to have. It seems that while some people's live are better off in them, not everyone gets their happy ending. Jack gets the chance to resolve his daddy issues by having a son and Sayid gets to have Nadia in his life, even if she's married to his brother.

I think the point of the side flashes is to reinforce what we know about these characters. I will admit I wasn't surprised that Sayid has joined forces with unLocke, but I do wonder what Sayid was promised for his loyalty. It also makes me wonder why the guy in charge of the temple was so mystical and how he kept unLocke at bay. Why does his death mean unLocke can go crazy and kill all the Others? And in the form of Smokey can unLocke tell who are his "friends" and who is not? Or is he just ruled by pure animal rage and passion, becoming an indiscriminate killer?

And was the lighthouse somehow a portal to see into the other worlds? Is that why Jacob had Jack smash the mirrors?

At least we've got some kind of explanation for the numbers.

If we could get some kind of reason for the side flashes, things might make a lot more sense.

Blogger Alan Sepinwall has a theory I like--the side flashes are the "reward" the various island inhabitants will get once the battle between Jacob and unLocke is over. Interesting theory and one that I wouldn't mind see playing out.

Labels: 24, Chuck, Lost, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 3/08/2010 02:00:00 PM | |

Chuck: Chuck vs the Mask
Given that "Chuck" had no idea that the season would be interrupted by the Winter Olympics, this episode still works as a bit of a cliffhanger to keep us hanging on for two weeks.

Unfortunately, from what I hear there's a certain segment of the fandom not happy with the developments between Chuck and Hannah and Sarah and Shaw who think boycotting the show when it comes back is the best idea...

Honestly, I don't see what they're up in arms about. We all knew there had to be some obstacles to Chuck and Sarah getting together. And I'm perfectly willing to take the ride the producers have in mind for how the characters will develop this year. I guess what I'm saying is that, for me, the show is more than just Chuck and Sarah, though the two do have great chemistry.

What bugged me was the way that we didn't get a lot to the development of Sarah and Morgan suspecting Chuck is up to something and pursuing that more. I'd love to have seen a few scenes of Jeff and Lester trying to follow Chuck or stalk him instead of just hearing about it. I understand that with the way the show was brought back that not all the cast members can be in each story...but I think they dropped the ball on this. Also, it seems like Sarah is a bit quick to buy that Chuck is acting weird over Hannah when his unexplained behavior dates back before she arrived on the scene. Plus it doesn't add up to why Captain Awesome is acting so weird...

Hopefully that's not the end of this plotline...

24: Day Eight, 10-11 p.m.
Another hour that does little or nothing to advance the plot and, if anything, feels like the inevitable we have to wrap up the first segment of our day and move on to the next one. If anyone wants to kill off Dana and Freddie Prinze, Jr.'s character, any time now would be good. I still can't buy that Dana is pulling off this massively ill-conceived robbery plan with her ex-boyfriend and that somehow CTU isn't catching on. Yes, other guy and Chloe have noticed but it's not going anywhere. And we all knew that once ex and his buddy got inside the evidence lock-up that they'd somehow screw things up and make it worse.

The plotline that keeps me interested is one around Hassan, who seems to becoming more and more paranoid that everyone is out to get him. Interesting to see how he's working so hard to hold on to power and how he trusts no one. I have a feeling this could get ugly very fast.

Lost: What Kate Does
It's a Kate episode and I know that I'm one of the few who likes the character. I am fascinated by how fate seems to be bringing people together in both timelines. Seeing Kate and Claire come together in the new universe worked well, though I'm not quite sure how Kate eluded the authorities by staying in the same area like she did. It's one of those TV show convenience things I guess.

As for Claire taking over for Rosseau, I saw that coming a mile away. Does the island need a crazy person to wander around like that? Or is it really Claire? Is Claire dead in the island timeline? So many questions....

Labels: 24, Chuck, Lost, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 2/15/2010 12:45:00 PM | |

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 Hickerson at 2/08/2010 12:39:00 PM | |

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 Hickerson at 1/31/2010 03:18:00 PM | |

Day Eight: 4 - 6 p.m.
And so, day eight of "24" begins with a shift in scenery (we move from D.C. to New York City) and an all-new CTU.

Jack is back and seems to have recovered from his bout with near death last year, thanks in large part to Kim. He's also decided it's time to give up the saving civilization as we know it business and ready to move back to L.A. with Kim, her husband and his granddaughter. Of course, being fans of the show, we know this won't last too long...in fact, within five minutes of Jack saying he's out, there's something there to pull him back in.

The pulling him back in is an old informant (who because he was played by Benito Martinez from "The Shield" I kept calling him Acaveda) who has news about an assignation attempt on the new leader of an Arab nation who happens to be in town for a peace summit. So, before you know it, Jack is pulled back in just a little and despite every possible attempt to get out of the saving the world business, Jack is sucked back in yet again.

And it may be kind of a good thing since the new CTU is operating under a new boss with a new emphasis on expediency. Which is a good thing except when terrorists are making crazy moves and your computer drones can't quite keep up--as we see when CTU's helicopter is destroyed in the first hour. There's a whole new cast of CTU people as well, including Mr. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Starbuck. Again, it's hard to see the actors as new characters just yet, though Kate Sackoff is trying her best with her character. So far, I don't quite see what the character brings to the table other than pining for Mr. SMG and smirking a lot. Oh and she's getting mysterious calls about her past.

At least we don't have any signs of a CTU mole just yet. And if the producers are listening, you can leave that little plotline out this year.

Meanwhile, the first two hours are full of red herrings from the Arab leader's brother being the one on the inside and not the blonde reporter that he's having an affair with. And there's some family drama boiling over there that you can bet will come into play before the day is done.

Ever since "24" went to its two night, four hour premiere, it's been interesting to watch how the storytelling has changed. It gives us four hours to get inside the situation, meet the new characters and get things rolling--things that really had to happen in just one hour early on when the show ran over a more conventional season. It's both good and bad. It's good for the chance to have things unfold in a more natural way and maybe not have a letdown in hour three or four as things try to catch up. But in a bad way, you kind of miss the edge-of-your-seat, over-the-top action that could come with an early hour or that one huge hook that "24" would use in early seasons to get you back into the game.

So far, season eight is off to a solid start. Hopefully tonight will ramp things up a bit and carry us on a thrill ride for the rest of the year.

Labels: 24, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/18/2010 08:24:00 AM | |

I'm a bit behind on the TV Round-Ups, so I thought I'd do some short, sweet and to the point posts about some of the shows I usually comment on and some that I don't.

House
Not a show I usually comment on simply because it's pretty much the same formula every week. Patient comes in with some strange illness, House and company try to figure it out and usually come upon some miracle diagnosis in the last five minutes. Throw in a subplot about how House is a jerk or some team member has a connection to the patient of the week and you've pretty much got most episodes of this show. So why do I watch? you ask. Simply put, Hugh Laurie as the title character.

And yet, in recent weeks I've found myself growing less and less fond of the show. It kind of reached a culmination with this week's episode that felt like a greatest hits. So, House has pain in his leg and finds that by moving from vicadin to methadone, the pain goes away. It also makes him a nicer person instead of the gruff, grumpy guy he usually is--to the point that he makes the patient of the week worse. In the end, House decides to call off his meth treatment and live with the pain because he's a better doctor only on vicadin and pain. Which it's an interesting plotline and would be some nice character development if it weren't for the fact that this show has burned us so many times in the past by having potential growing moments for House and the rest of the cast only to toss them aside once the currently storyline has run its course. For example, Tritter. Or Amber from last year. So, while I am glad House didn't string out the plot longer, I'm still left feeling like we've learned nothing really new about the character. Don't get me wrong--Hugh Laurie is still a great actor and would make a superlative Doctor (as in "Doctor Who.") But I'm finding the series less and less enjoyable these days. Maybe it's worn out the welcome or maybe it needs to play with the formula.

24
Day seven got off to a slow start, but somewhere in the last few weeks it's really picked up steam. I've not seen Monday's new episode yet (it's on the DVR) but the last two hours have felt like vintage "24." Now that we've got rid of the First Gentleman in peril plot (the Kim Bauer vs a cougar of this year, by far), suddenly the show has found its legs and is really clicking on all cylinders. I wouldn't go as far as Robert Bianco did and delcare it one of the two best shows on TV right now (sorry, but "Battlestar Galactica" is up there in the top spot right now), but it's still entertaining and fun. And it's actually asking some really good questions about the toll this is taking on Jack and how he's perceived by others. It's interesting to watch Jack make choices that completely make sense in the plot but when viewed outside of the moment seem completely insane. Jack's attitude of the ends justify the means goes right in the face of every policy most other characters have on this show, but it's interesting to see how a lot of them are grateful to have Jack around to do these things. The biggest example is the new president, who is willing to look past Jack's sins and being up before Congress to answer for his alleged abuses of power and authority when her husband is being held prisoner. She turns him loose...possibly because she can wash her hands of him if whatever he's doing blows up in his face.

If she'd sent the FBI or Secret Service, it could look bad. Send Jack Bauer and she can say she asked him to help but never intended it to go as far as it did.

Meanwhile, we've got Jack paired with Agent Walker, who is one of the better partners we've had for Jack in recent memory. She only knows Jack by reputation and we can see her hero worship of him early on. I am enjoying watching how easily she will allow herself to embrace Jack's tactics only to horrified at how easy it is to do the things Jack does and how far she's willing to go. Or maybe it's more about what she thinks is over the line--torturing a guy with a gunshot wound is no big deal, but threatening a man's wife and child to get him to give up info really shocks her. And yet, she keeps following Jack and keeps slipping farther into the Jack pattern of behavoir. I wonder if she realizes yet that she could easily be the Jack Bauer of the FBI and what that could mean to her career and her ability to sleep at night...

Lost
So, they're back on the island. I loved last Wednesday's episode where we got a whole lot of answers and about fifteen thousand more questions. Having an end-line for the series has helped his show a lot and I feel sorry for those who tuned out early. You're missing some damn good storytelling.

So many questions that I can only assume we'll have answered in the weeks to come including how did Hurley get out of jail, where is Aaron, why is Ben beaten up (I have a bad feeling it will be due to killing Penny), who is the woman with Sayid, and is there some significance to how landed where on the island? Also, what time period are our heroes in now? Are they in the past, present or future?

I did like Locke's final note to Jack, though part of me wondered if we'd see it in the episode. It seemed like one of those things that you could make a long-term mystery. But then again, it wouldn't be all that satisfying to wait six weeks to find out that Locke wished Jack had more faith. If it'd been "neener, neener I told you so," that might have been worth it.

Labels: 24, House, Lost, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 2/25/2009 01:48:00 PM | |

Heroes: "Clear and Present Danger"
At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I wish we'd had a few more indications that Peter can't fly and can only absorb one power at a time BEFORE it became a major plot point in the final few moments. I realize we got a few hints, most notably Peter's unwillingness to tell Nathan just how far his powers extend now. But it still felt a bit forced and intended to add to the drama of the final moments by having Peter only able to draw upon one power at a time and not carry them all around like Sylar does. (And how long before those two cross paths and Peter can carry all the powers he wants again. I'm guessing, not long).

The problem with "Heroes" is they keep promising it's going to get better and it just doesn't. This episode wasn't terrible, but it wasn't particularily good either. And they're still not learning from their previous mistakes. A lot of it comes from the fact that it's hard to care much about the fate of the characters since they change motivations every other scene. Nathan's gone back and forth so many times now that it's almost some kind of joke and I would not be shocked to see that he's somehow a double agent, looking to expose the company, the government or somebody for these crimes. And for HRG to suddenly go back to his season one status. It seems like the writers are trying to remind us of the glory days when everyone loved the show by just hitting a reset button instead of earning it by actually telling a story or doing some character development that isn't necessitated by the plot twist they want to introduce in the next two to three minutes.

I can see some improvement in the show, but it's not enough to really make me embrace it and love it again. But yet, I keep watching. I think I'm worried they'll come take away my geek card, thus now allowing me to continue savoring "Lost" and "Battletar Galactica" if I turn my back on "Heroes."

24: Day Seven, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Watching the first seven hours of day seven, I can't help but wonder at what point did they shut down production for the writer's strike? And when is the magic episode they shut down production so they could take a long, hard look at things and try to come up with a better, more coherent storyline that what we've seen unfolding so far. This week is hour eight, so we maybe once we get through the pre-strike episodes things will take a dramatic up-turn.

In a lot of ways, I felt like this episode was written to start closing things down in case they could only do eight hours in season seven. A lot of plots have hit a crossroads, but the big conflict over the device that controls every defense computer on the planet is gone. And we've got Mobatu back to safety and on Jack's side. (I still admit I fall on the floor laughing when we see the scene of his wife saying they should trust Jack as he has no reason to life simply because it's so absurd that she would willingly believe the guy who kidnapped her and tried to kill them with a lethal gas in their safe room...all within the span of 30 or so minutes). At least we're done (hopefully) with the First Gentleman plotline of trying to clear his son's name. Or maybe not. This seems like something that will have to come up again just as we're forgetting about it.

Of course, part of the fun of "24" is you have to accept each crazy twist as it comes up and not really question the logic of it.

I think part of what's dragging it down a bit this year is the scenes without familar faces aren't as interesting. Part of that is the characters are just carbon copies of other familar faces we've come to know and love. And part of it is that we've not had any time to get invested in them. I am not compelled that the head of the FBI was once involved with Agent Walker, who he thinks is dead. I don't care about Jeanne Garofolo's snarky character, nor do I feel much when she connects with guy who vents the gas to buy more time to save his co-workers. If you insert Chloe in there, it works better becuase we know and like Chloe (well, most of us....I still find her annoying and overused). It's why I find myself wanting to know more about how and why Tony went bad more than I care about who the new mole at the FBI is. Tony clearly has some anger here and I'd love to see some exploration of that. We've had some, but it feels like we're only scratching the surface here.

It's why the scene where Jack and Bill say they've got Tony's back is far more effective than seeing new FBI head guy sitting in his office, misty-eyed over Agent Walker. Or maybe it's that we know she's alive and all his scenes of pining just feel cruel. That said, I have a feeling that somehow Jack will have to go back on his word to Tony in the end...

Labels: 24, heroes, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 2/09/2009 02:13:00 PM | |

Day Seven, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
When Star Trek: The Next Generation first started, there were a couple of early stories where you could easily scratch out the names of the original Trek crew and pencil in the names of the new Trek crew. ("Naked Now" is, by far, the biggest offender in this category). Same thing here. You can just crossout the name CTU and pencil in FBI for this season because the exact same kinds of wacky stuff that plagued CTU are plaguing the FBI. You've got a boss under fire for what his subordinates are doing, you've got interoffice affairs and romance, you've got the snarky computer gal, you've got unrequited crushes blinding people making decision. You've got it all...except most of it's been done before.

I think a lot of it is to throw off suspicion on who the mole in the FBI is by giving everyone a reasonable excuse to be a suspect. Right now, my money is on Erica, the blonde agent who moved Sean Hillinger's wife's flight up in the line. I could see her using the whole moving up the flight as a way to pressure Hillinger down the line and make him give up vital information. Also, the fact that they seem to be carrying on some kind of affair outside the office could mean she's using him to disclose vital information to her. She could be setting him up to take the fall when the identity of the mole comes to light. Of course, it could still be Hillinger who seems pretty disillusioned with things, but I'm not sure he makes as much sense.

Because really, other than wondering who the mole is, the FBI office scenes are not doing a whole lot for me.

Neither are the scenes with the President's husband who apparently graduated from the Kim Bauer school of stupid plot points. So, last week he discovers a huge conspiracy going all the way to someone high up in his wife's administartion. And now he's following clues on his own, gone off the reservation and no one knows where he is. Except his own personal Secret Service agent, that is. One who is all too willing to help out and we find out why--he's in on it. So, apparently everyone is against him on this one. Except his wife...and at this point I wouldn't be stunned at all to find out she's somehow behind the whole thing. Because really, that's the only kind of plot twist that might redeem this plotline. Wait...no, no it wouldn't. It just feels like something to do and tread water. And yet, somehow I know it will tie into the whole America's under threat plotline that is currently unfolding. Or else the guy will be saved at the last minute from death and given to the evil bad guys of the month as a bargaining point with the new president.

David Palmer, if we ever needed your ghost to come back from beyond and run things, it's now.

And there's Jack. I won't go into the silliness that is Jack's magic way of flushing out Matobo and his wife. OK, I will. So we spent a bunch of money on the safe room and don't have it on a separate or more secure ventilation system from the rest of the residence?!? I could maybe, maybe buy that if it weren't for the fact that said ventalation system is behind easily torn down drywall. I fully buy that Jack is Spider-Man, Superman and Batman combined into the most awesome super hero around, but even this is a bit of a stretch.

But we have to get Matobo out of the room and into the hands of Jack and Tony so they can get the computer controlling device back. So, you've got to have a way to get from point a to point b. It still feels like the writers came up with some peril and a cliffhanger first before thinking through how to get out of it.

Which may how things work out for Agent Walker. Or maybe she's really doomed. Jack goes out of his way to not kill her and then has to bury her alive. I've got to say the woman is pretty good because there are at least three or four points at which I'd be freaking out, no matter what Jack said about wanting to save my life. I'm not sure I can see a way out of having a flesh wound from a bullet and being buried alive in a trench. Add that she has no cell phone, so odds are the FBI won't magically show up this time in a helicopter. Unless, she's got some kind of subdermal transponder (oh wait, that was Star Trek) and that's how they find her. Or her boss will magically find her through the power of love or she'll be tracked down by some extra iron in her blood from a vitamin. Or she's dead and gone, though it just doesn't feel like they'd kill her off this soon in the season.

Clearly she needs a bit more time to become disillusioned with Jack.

Labels: 24

posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/25/2009 07:52:00 PM | |

Day Seven: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Were 24 a more character driven series, along the lines of Lost or Battlestar Galactica, I would expect a lot of this season to focus on the mirror images that are Jack and Tony. Both have been betrayed by the agency that works for them, both have lost their wives and both have made sacrifices for thier country that they may regret, late at night when they can't sleep but they know are necessary choices. Tony tried to have some happiness by walking away, only to see Michelle killed and to have to fake his own death. Or die for ten minutes and then come back. Which at this point, the show might as well embrace that it is sci-fi and say that Tony had a clone that came back. It'd be just as easy to swallow as the explanation he gives here.

But back to my point....

Tony and Jack have both sacrficed and lost a lot to keep America safe. Both are now rogue agents and they are mirrors of each other. Tony has apparently gone down a path toward taking vengeance upon the country he once served for the percieved crimes against him. Jack tried to avoid the truth but ended up taking the stand to defend himself and the choices he made. It makes you wonder if somehow the evil mastermind of the plot currently unfolding had got to Jack in a dark hour if Jack might have turned. Or is that one tie Jack still has to the world--the much maligned Kim--what is holding him back. Tony, after all, had nothing to lose by faking his death and turning against his country.

It's a fascinating question, but one I doubt will be really explored much more. 24 is plot-heavy and that doesn't leave time for this kind of character examination.

What it does have time for is twists that aren't really as shocking as the show would like them to be. I guess the fact that Chloe and Bill have set up their own version of CTU out of Bill's house isn't really quite as jaw dropping as finding out Nina is the mole or that Logan is behind the conspiracy. It's kind of more an expected thing since we've now seen that no season of 24 will function without Chloe now. It's not that I don't like the character, but it does seem a bit forced to keep bringing her back. Nor does it help that Jeanne Garafulo's character is pretty much a Chloe copy. They've really got to do something to make these FBI characters more interesting quickly. For the most part, I find my eyes glazing over a bit when we cut to them.

What I do find interesting is how is Bill financing all of this CTU gone rogue stuff. It can't be cheap.

We also see 24 veering into the old X-Files territory where no one in power can truly be trusted. How awesome would it be to see Mulder show up to team up with Jack? OK, maybe not so much but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

One other aspect that is interesting is how Jack influences those who come into his orbit. I wonder if Agent Walker would have pushed as hard to get information out of the suspect in the hospital had Jack not "shown her the way" earlier in the day. Being around Jack's attitude of the end justifies the means when the clock is ticking could have been a tipping point for her. Will she be the new FBI, female equivalent of Jack? Again, you've got a chance for some character exploration here, but I doubt it will be really followed through to any kind of conclusion.

And now we've got Jack and Tony together again, joining part of the conspiracy that is far ranging and wide-reaching. There are enough elements here to keep me intrigued, though I do wish they'd really play with some of the conventions of the show in a more substantial way.

That said, this show is still entertaining as all get out...

Labels: 24

posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/14/2009 08:26:00 PM | |

Day Seven, 8 a.m. - 10 a.m.
After a year without Jack Bauer, 24 is finally back. And was it worth the wait?

Let's just say the jury is still out until I see tonight's episodes.

I think a lot of my reaction to the first two hours of the seventh day of 24 was because large chunks of it were ruined by the promotional department over at Fox. Even if I'd been living in a cave that got really bad reception, there was virtually no way to not know that Tony was back and that he was behind the threat in today's plot. So, while the first hour was wise enough to get that revelation out of the way early, it still opened up a whole lot of other questions that haven't really been answered yet. As Jack demanded at the end of hour two, "Why Tony?"

I want to know what drove Tony to fake his own death and then decide to fight the country he served for so long. Looking back at his death in day five, it seems like it only took a few hours for him to become so bitter after the death of Michelle. And yet, there he was, helping Jack out to save the day. So, like I said--his motivation better be pretty good or else day seven is going to lose some major credibility points.

And it's not like 24 has exactly been established on rock solid credibility until now. You have to just accept certain things--many of which are on display here. Jack's way is the best, even if it's extreme. And Jack is much smarter or more observant or just all around more manly than everyone else around. That came across in the scene where Jack notices the sniper headed out the building has different shoes on, thus labeling him as not a Fed. Nice catch for Jack, but given that the rest of the FBI looks like a bunch of bumblers compared to Jack. Except for the new red-headed female agent, who apparently has some kind of huge crush on Jack. (Is it just me or did anyone else get that kind of hero worship/crush vibe from her?)

Speaking of Agent Walker, did anyone else get some kind of strange tension between her and taskforce leader, Agent Moss?

And any bets yet on who the mole is? While I'm not shocked there's a mole, I am a bit surprised it's come into play this early. How awesome would it be if it turns out to be Agent Walker?

Meanwhile, over at the White House, we've got a new president--one we've got very little investment in yet, so it's hard to care much. And, of course, what's going on over there with the invasion of the African nation will somehow tie into what's happening with Jack.

Like I said, not a great start to the day. A lot of it suffers from a been there, done that kind of feeling that hits lots of shows after seven years. I did find the sequence with the near miss of the planes to be edge-of-your-seat. But a lot of that had to do with the fact of wondering if the producers would allow Tony to commit such a crime and then expect us to forgive him later should it turn out he's deep undercover or some other explanation.

And did anyone else have Die Hard 2 flashbacks when Tony took over guiding the planes in? I had visions of him causing the plane to crash by feeding the flight instruments false information....

Labels: 24

posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/12/2009 08:05:00 PM | |

Day Six, 4-6 a.m.
And with that, day six of 24 comes to a close.

The long, national nightmare is finally over and we can maybe move forward in picking up the pieces for a better day next year.

But since this is the last time I will blog about an episode of 24 until January, I have a few things to say...

First of all, didn't we establish in the previous hour that Division had sent over someone new to head up CTU? If that's try then why was Nadia still in charge enough to help Jack and Bill pull off their little steal the helicopter and defeat Phillip Bauer raud? I can't see the new division head letting Nadia keep that much authority that long, especially in light of her loyalty to Bill Buchanan. But if they don't do that, then Chang could get away and take the component with them.

Also, I find it incredibly hard to believe that after all the posturing the Russians did, that they'd just accept the component was blown up on the oil platform. I find this especially hard to accept given how Daniels and company had just spent the better part of the last few hours falsifying information to them to cover up they didn't have the component. I don't quite buy why Suberoff suddenly became so trusting--even given the fact that they were tied into our satellites and watched the whole thing unfold.

Then, there's Phillip Bauer--so we didnt' see him die and there was a boat nearby. Any takers on his surviving and coming back again.

I hope that isn't the case, but the writers did leave that door slightly ajar.

And it just does not pay to be a potential love interest for Nadia. First Milo dies and now Mike is seriously wounded by Phillip Bauer's little trap. If I were a single guy at CTU, I'd be steering clear of her--it's not just Jack who is cursed.

Ah, Jack....what can we say?

Well, at least one good thing came out of it--Jack didn't turn out to be Josh's father. I was really concerned the series would go there in the end, but it didn't. And Jack once again makes the world safe for democracy and then heads off into the sunset. I got the impression Jack was thinking of doing a disappearing act again like he did two years ago (shades of the greatest hits nature of this entire season). But who knows--maybe instead Jack will get a transfer to another office, thus giving us a big reset for the start of season seven.

One thing I would have been interested to see that never happened this year--Kim finds out her dad is alive. It makes me wonder why Phillip was so obsessed with Josh as the grandchild he's going to take to China but he never once tries to go and kidnap Kim. She might have been better leverage against Jack...

But, I am thinking too much and if there's one thing this last day of 24 has taught me, it's that thinking too much doesn't help you enjoy the show more.

At least not this season...

Labels: 24, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 5/28/2007 09:10:00 AM | |

Heroes: "The Hard Part" & "Landslide"
It's a two-for-one deal here since I got a bit behind on Heroes.

As the deadline to stop whoever destroys New York looms (at this point it has to be either Peter or Sylar), the dramatic intensity picks up a good deal. The ticking clock is there in the background, though it's not quite as evident as on, say, 24. Threads from the entire season are coming together and it's been fairly entertaining the past two weeks, though I'll have to admit the best parts have been surrounding Hiro, esp. in "Landslide."

What I've really enjoyed about the past two episodes is how it's thrown our character expectations for a loop. We expect Hiro's dad to be some kind of bad-guy, but here he helps Hiro train for his quest to destroy Sylar. And when Hiro finds out Ando has gone after Sylar alone and this will lead to his death, Dad looks upset by this. But I wonder if the bed-time story we heard in a flashback will have to come to fruition--will Hiro have to sacrifice his "heart" (aka Ando) in order to stop Sylar? And knowing how he turns to out in the future, will Hiro be able to avoid the same mistakes? I have to wonder if the future Hiro is trying to change is too big to change...he can change a few small details, but overall the big picture may not change that much. And as much as I hate to say it, I have to wonder if the destruction of New York might not bring about something good--yes, it's a great evil, but what if instead of rallying around to destroy the heroes, the country rallied around for the greater good?

And then we have Bennett, who started out the bad guy, has become an anti-hero of sorts and then this week we see him willing to kill Molly to protect Claire. And the guy did kill Eric Roberts character in cold blood...so the ends to justify the means for him. It should be interesting to see where and how this all plays out.

Because it certainly feels as though everyone here has some kind of destiny and we're running toward it--whether they can avoid it or not.

Of course, looking at the episodes, it was fairly easy to figure out how Linderman could assure Nathan of the landslide win. But what did catch my attention was that Michah seemed drained by the experience. I wonder if there is a limit to how much he influencing of computer systems he can do. Have we seen others needs to "recharge" after an extensive use of their powers? Could they be drained to the point of exhaustion and possibly beyond?

And poor ol' DL, we hardly knew him. He sacrifices himself but still gets to kill Linderman. Of course, with the healing power Linderman has, I do wonder if he's really going to stay dead for long.

That said, I do have some criticisms. I enjoy disliking Sylar and I didn't really think the attempt to have us understand him was all that effective. Can't we just have a villian these days that we enjoy disliking because they're evil? I'm think Darth Vader before the latest trilogy....it was just fun to not like the guy becuase he was such a powerful bad-ass.

Also, could Hiro freeze time and train with his father? If so, why not do that? If there's a clock ticking of two days in which he has to take out Sylar, why not take advantage of all your advantages? Or would the use of his power somehow draw Sylar to him faster? Is part of the power Sylar has absorbed the ability to find other Heroes? It is obviously not quite the same as Molly's power, but can you imagine how dangerous and lethal Sylar becomes if he gets that power? If I were the powers that be, I'd be just as worried about him finding that power as absorbing Claire's.

Which all leads to multiple cliffhangers that I assume will all be resolved in the next hour. One thing this show does well--it leaves you wanting more.

24: Day Six, 3 -4 a.m.
At least when they kidnapped Kim Bauer and she got all whiny about it, we got to watch Elisha Cuthbert be whiny and pouty. (In my book, all good). This time on the season of greatest hits, we get Josh kidnapped and acting all whiny and pouty. Not nearly as entertaining and a whole lot more annoying.

Call me cruel, but why didn't Jack keep pursuing Chang or at least shoot in the leg to prevent escape? I mean, Josh could hold on a few more seconds and not plummet to his death (please don't let him die...I can't handle seeing Rena Sofer try to do grief!) while Jack makes sure that he keeps our country from going to war.

Which is what this all comes down to--we have to stop World War III from occurring....even if we have to lie, cheat and steal to do it. Alas, the Russians have good counter intelligence and figure out we're faking them out. Man, who didn't see that one coming?

So now Phillip Buaer has all the power. And we're left wondering what his overall agenda is. He wants to go to China...he sells nukes to terrorists. Surely this guy is some kind of enemy of the state, but he's got the White House on speed dial? Ummmmmmmmmmmm, yeah...ohkay then.

I'm trying to apply rules of logic to this show that just won't work...I've got to stop doing that.

That said, the few minutes Jack is taking on the Chinese were pretty cool. As for the rest...well, at this point, we're playing out the string and I'm hoping season seven is good.

Other than that, I got nothing.

Labels: 24, heroes, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 5/19/2007 01:38:00 PM | |

Day Six, 2 - 3 a.m.
My mind can barely begin to wrap itself around the multiple suspensions of disbelief required for the latest hour of 24....but here we go.

So, the Chinese had planned out EVERY possible scenario, up to and including the chip being bad and having to carry on a full-out assualt on CTU?!? Man, those guys think of everything! Seriously, why would the Chinese have such a huge stockpile of weapons and ammo lying around on the off chance they had to take out a U.S. governmental agency? It just doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, other than the big pile of stuff clues Mike Doyle in to the fact that something is up.

And was I the only one who called that CTU was pursuing a dead-end when they stormed the warehouse? So, did they realize the warehouse was comprimised and move on or did they plant false information into Audrey to mislead CTU? Either way, these guys are one step ahead of everyone. Or so it would seem.

I think a large part of this is since it would strain crediblity to free Jack and have him go after the Chinese, the writers felt we had to bring the battle to Jack. Which if they'd given Jack five more minutes and another ammo clip, he could have taken out the entire Chinese assault team. Don't the Chinese know you send at least ten squads of men if you want to take over a facility with Jack Bauer on site? Did they miss that day in evil villain training school?

And you could just see poor Milo putting on his best red-shirt the minute he had his heart to heart with Nadia. I've been lurking in the background, glaring these past few hours...so it's time for me to do something both stupid and heroic. I guess since we lost Edgar last year, we had to copy that moment again this year. Only problem--as an audience, we cared about Edgar. I couldn't have cared less that Milo died and it was so telegraphed that you saw it coming a mile away. And then, it turns out to be a fairly pointless death....one done more for shock value. Milo is killed for pretending to be head of CTU and then the Chinese find out Nadia is in charge and....um....wait...don't kill her? This make no sense to me. Nor does it make any sense to kill the head of CTU when she's needed five minutes later to deflect Doyle's questions.

Also to file under things that don't make sense--Phillip Bauer's re-surfacing and his interest in his grandson. Let us not forget that a few hours ago, Phillip is holding the grandson at gunpoint, threatening to kill him. And now...wait, he is suddenly interested in him. Why? Oh please dear heavens, I can see this headed toward the inevitable he is really Jack's son revelation in the final hours of the season. Unless the kid is the mole and then I will totally love this show again.

But the show is working awfully hard to have us think that the kid is Jack's son again.

And boy does Marilyn Bauer have bad timing....gee, Jack, you just lost the love of you life again so I was wondering--wanna grab some coffee later? Jack, I will totally be there for you if you need me. Bring over the gun vest.

Why, why, why did we have to go back there?

And if we never see any more of the post-break-up drama of Chloe and Morris it will be too soon.

Thing is--this hour had a lot of elements that COULD have added up to a good episode (well, except Marilyn). Problem was it never really added up to a good hour. I haven't even got into the attempts to fool Daniel Jackson into downloading false spy information to the Russians. At least those scenes were supposed to be awkward.....

And is it just me or does Tom Lennox seem a bit pervy, sitting there in the van watching Invasion lady and Daniel Jackson hook up?

Which is a shame because Tom Lennox has been really good the past few weeks. I did like Daniels' continued anger and shame on this and his desire to keep the circle small. I have a feeling that is not going to happen.

Three hours left in day six...where will it all end? I have no idea, but I've got a bad feeling we'll get some huge Jack vs Phillip showdown, the kid will end up being Jack's and somehow Wayne Palmer will magically wake-up.

It's been that kind of day....

Labels: 24, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 5/09/2007 10:55:00 AM | |

24: Day Six, 1 - 2 a.m.
The best part of this week's 24 is the surprise return of Secretary Heller. Heller comes in, sees Audrey and then tells Jack to keep clear of his daughter since Jack is, as he puts it, cursed.

Nice scene. William DeVane did a nice job, though I wonder how long Jack will respect Heller's wishes to stay far away from Audrey. Seems as if Jack is the only one who can reach Audrey to get any information on Chang's potential whereabouts.

Other than that, not a lot really exciting going on this week. Turns out Lisa Miller is not just fooling around with the vice-president but a powerful lobbyist who just happens to be working for the Russians. I guess it's supposed to be a twist on the cute female spy sleeping with someone high up who is male, but honestly it wasn't all that interesting. I kind of felt sorry for her in that the whole encounter with Daniel Jackson (guy from Stargate) lasted approximately two minutes.

The good thing is this plotline is not strung out. We quickly find out Lisa is the leak and how it's done. Daniels has to fess up to Tom Lennox that he's also sleeping with Lisa, which now puts the embarrassing things you can hold over the other person's head at 2 for Tom and none for Daniels. Were it not four hours from the end, I'd look to see Tom use this somehow as leverage over the VP. Oh wait, I just thought of it--this is how Karen and Tom will get Bill back in charge of CTU. Man, I should be writing for this show...

Speaking of CTU, Nadia is not doing a very good job of leadership. Apparently her leadership style is doormat--as in letting everyone else walk all over you. Unless you're Morris and then she goes into total uber-pyscho mode and tells him he's not transferring because she said so...nyah, nyah, nyah. Poor Morris...he's had a rough day. Made even rougher when he decides that Chloe went too far in chiding him about giving the ability to arm nukes to terrorists.

Man, relationships at CTU just do not EVER work out, do they? You'd think they'd keep footage of all these bad break-ups to show to people who go out on a date...just to maybe save them some heartache in the long run.

Again, it's another week where we have a lot of focus everywhere but Jack. Doyle allows Jack to overpower him so Jack can take Audrey and find out info. And Doyle also helps Nadia realize she has to stand up for herself and assert some leadership or else no one will take her seriously. And then she does and we get an after-school special like moment when Doyle gives her the verbal high five. Man, you have to think Milo is going to be annoyed at Doyle making a move on Nadia like that.

There must be something in the water at CTU that just heightens the sexual tension between co-workers. I think they're on the same water supply system that used to run into the FBI basement. (X-Files reference!)

And I haven't even got to the fact that Russia is able to mobilize for an attack in under ten minutes and that the component is damaged. I have no idea where any of this will all lead in the final four hours of the day, but I can only hope it manages to do something interesting. Or maybe have Jack be the focal point of an episode. Or both. Yeah, that'd be kind of fun.

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Doctor Who: Daleks in Manhatten (Part 1 of 2)
Doctor Who: Evolution of the Daleks (Part 2 of 2)
The Shield: Haunts
Veronica Mars: Un-American Grafiti

Labels: 24, Doctor who, The Shield, tv shows, veronica mars

posted by Michael Hickerson at 5/02/2007 09:19:00 AM | |

Lost: D.O.C.
I know there are some fans out there who just love flashbacks to Sun and Jin, but if I never see another one again, it will be too soon. Wait, let me clarify that--if we never see a flashback of their relationship and/or marriage before they came to the island, I will be happy. Honestly, I think we've gone to this well one too many times now and its really starting to show.

So, Sun was being blackmailed by Jin's prostitute mother who wasn't even really certain if Jin's father was really the father. Sun goes to her dad, asks for money to keep from embrarrassing her husband and gets Jin on the path toward being a bigger part of the family business. This path is what leads to the estrangement of their marraige and Sun sleeping with another guy who Jin later pursuades to throw himself off a hotel balcony. I get what the producers are trying to do here but at this point, I'm not sure we can go back to this same series of events again and mine any more significance or details out of it.

And I get that part of it was to show how much like his father Jin would be had the baby turned out not to be his. I don't think it would count one bit in Jin's loving and raising the child, just as the question of who his father was didn't make a different to his father in the long-run. The fathers would still love their children.

I did like that the show confirmed that Jin is the father, though that isn't what I'd call definitive. For all we know, it's another way Juliet is playing the group in order to gain some trust. Finding out she's a double-agent has put anything she does or says into serious doubt. And why did Sun let her go back inside alone so she could send the secret message to Ben.

Apparently, Juliet's mission is find out if any of the group from the plane can bear children, which fits into the whole theory I've had for a while that the Others are obsessed with the children.

Meanwhile in the headscratcher department, the Russian shows back up, feeling no ill effects from being, well, dead. So, at this point, my mind got to thinking--does the island have some kind of regenerative powers that it can give to people? Apparently if your injuries aren't too severe, it can heal you, though it looked like Russian guy was pretty messed up last time we saw him. Following this trail of logic, is this the explanation for why the women can't conceive and bear children. Does whatever is "healing" people see the babies as some kind of virus or something to be cured, and is thus healing the mothers by killing the babies? If that's what it turns out to be, you can credit me with the theory, though I doubt I am the first person to consider it or postulate it.

Also lucky for us, the Russian has had medical training and speaks all the languages the new girl speaks. Again, if he translated everything correctly, I'll eat my hat. He does have good reason to lie and cover things up. I don't think she was as thankful as he made it out to be.

But the big news is that the plane crashed with no survivors....though that could be some kind of lie as well.

I really have no idea what or who to believe anymore on this show. Maybe the show will start providing some definitive answer to some of these puzzles soon...or at least gives us clues from very reliable sources.

24: Day Six, 12 - 1 a.m.
Hey, remember when there used to be this guy on 24 named Jack Bauer, who was, oh I don't know, the star of the show.

If you'd just tuned in this season, you'd wonder if this was some kind of ensemble show instead of the Jack Bauer kicks terrorist booty and takes name hour. Has there ever been a day of 24 that had less Jack per average episode than this one?

This week, Jack runs off, makes a deal with the Chinese and then waits around for them to show up. Oh please, don't make me get up to get a drink for fear of missing something.

Seriously, what the heck has happened this year?

Oh and let me do my happy dance that I called that the Chinese would somehow get hold of the triggering device and run off with it, thus leaving Jack to pursue them. I am thankful they will only chase it now for the next five or so hours and not all of next season. I can't wait to see Jack go mano-a-mano with the guy who has held him prisoner and tortured him for the past 18 months. That could be a great epiosde...

Assuming we can cut away from the White House drama long enough to show it. So, Daniels and the woman from Invasion are hooking up. And they dance around like this is some great secret, when I think Secret Service is fully aware of it. I guess maybe it being secret makes it more exciting for them. I hope it's exciting for someone, because watching these two kiss and paw each other in the Oval Office is almost as creepy as Milo putting the move on Nadia a few weeks ago. Seriously, has there been less romantic chemistry between two characters ever?

The most interesting plot thread in all of this is Karen has to fire Bill. Man, that was well done. Seems that Bill is low man on the "we have to blame someone" totem pole and gets the axe. And Karen has to axe him. Bill's slow burn and anger at this news was perfectly done and I bet we have not seen the last of him. I still contend he's the real CTU mole this year, but that is only because I refuse to let that theory go, no matter what evidence to the contrary the show gives me. It does set things up now for Bill to head out, help Jack out in the field and kick some serious Chinese booty.

Of course, the thing with Jack is that no matter what happens he always seems to pay some price...this time it appears that Audrey has been brainwashed. (Yeah, like that took much). I found myself recalling other shows that included the ability to copy people and wondering if this was a model whipped up to look like Audrey, programmed with a few key phrases and sent to draw Jack out into the open....all while the real Audrey is somewhere else. Yeah, I'm not even sure 24 would go that absurd...

Or would they?

Heroes: .07%
So, we waited five weeks for.....that? The big fight between Sylar and Peter lasts all of ten seconds. I was pretty stoked for it, what with Tim Kring and everyone talking about how great it was in all the publicity leading up to the return of the show. Color me officially disappointed on that count.

And pretty much disappointed overall with the episode as a whole. I think a lot of it is that we got our characters to certain places to end the last run of episodes and now this episode is burdened with getting things moving again.

We got a lot of hints of things to come, though it's interesting to see that Linderman doesn't want to stop the coming explosion, but embrace it as creating the future. It opens up the debate of if we can change the future at all or is it set in how some big things will play out? It should be interesting to see next week if Hiro and Ando can find Issac, since the last time Hiro jumped forward Issac had just been killed. And now with Issac being dead now, how has that changed things in the future? And I do wonder--seeing future Hiro come out and talk to his past self--is future Hiro necessarily on our side? Could his idealism have been corrupted somehow?

The future and how it plays out played a big role this week--from Nathan's refusal to accept that Peter could be dead because that's not what the paintings showed to the way Linderman has embraced what is to come. I wonder if Linderman as a threat will be dealt with this season or if he's more a long-term villain to the show. (I guess it all depends on the availability of Malcolm McDowell in the role....)

I wanted to like the episode and there were some parts I did. Mama Patrellis' revelation that she was once part of some kind of team with powers was intriguing and leaves some doors open to future exploration. Also, Nathan's contemplation about the inevitable nature of his destiny was nice.

But overall, the epiosde was just OK and not the strong return from hiatus I was hoping for...

Labels: 24, heroes, Lost, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 4/28/2007 10:18:00 AM | |

24: Day Six, 11 p.m. - 12 a.m.
I sometimes have to remind myself that it's best to just turn off my brain and go with the flow when it comes to 24. But then sometimes the show does things that just make me scratch my head and go--huh?

The big one this week was Wayne Palmer calling a press-conference at what would have been after 3 a.m. EST. I can understand he wants to address the American public and tell them the nuclear threat is gone, but who is going to be up to hear this live? And I find it equally debateable the entire White House press corp would be working at that time of night. Of course, you can argue it is a crisis and such but they're still human and would get tired. Plus I can't imagine why Wayne wouldn't wait a few hours until a bigger majority of the country is awake.

I guess he's just going after that insomniac vote.

That said, there was some good stuff happened this week. Jack calling the "you owe me card" on Wayne was nice, though we knew it was only a matter of time before Jack went rogue. Seeing Chloe help Jack out and break into Morris's computer for the information was nice.

Jack's pulling every string imaginable to somehow try and free Audrey was nice, though I doubt we'll ever see him sacrifice himself. That said, I hope the threat next year isn't the Chinese having the piece that Jack removed from the suitcase nukes. I think the idea of tying the two days as closely together as has been done with seasons five and six has been more of a negative than a positive to the show. I think next year we need a cleaner slate when we start the threat to civilization as we know it for the seventh day of 24.

Lost: Catch 22
The last Desmond episode was my favorite Lost episode of the season, so naturally I was really looking forward to this one.

And while it was good, it was no where nearly as satisfying as the first one.

Some thoughts on the Desmond storyline. The flashbacks refer to the Biblical story of Abraham, who was called upon by God to sacrfice his son as an act of faith. Abraham did this because of his faith in God and "passed" the "test."

So, how does this tie into Desmond's saving Charlie? Is Desmond's saving Charlie every time from death failing or passing the test? I'm not quite sure, though it's clear that Desmond believes he's failing the test. The question is, would Charlie have possibly saved himself had Desmond not shouted out for him to duck? Are these visions more about Charlie's salvation that Desmond's?

It's an interesting question and a nice way to tie the flashbacks to what's happening on the island.

Also of interest is the fact that the helicopter seems to jam when it gets close to the island. Is that part of what lead the plane to crash? Is there some kind of jamming field near the island? Or maybe it is out of control now with the hatch's destruction?

And who is this new woman in the helicopter? I'm assuming she's with Penny somehow, looking for Desmond. Is Penny somehow aware that Desmond is alive somewhere? We saw last week the news reports that Oceanic 813 had disappeared and wasn't presumed to have crashed. So, did the pulse serve as some kind of signal to Penny to send out people looking for Desmond? And is her father somehow tied into Desmond's exile to the island?

I think the new girl is tied to Penny somehow. I think the clue is the novel was translated into Portuguese and we've heard some of the people who work for Penny talking Portuguese. Also, why have the picture of the two together if not tied to Penny somehow

Meanwhile, back at camp, the whole love square of Sawyer/Kate/Jack/Juliet continues to...well, honestly take up valuable screen time from other more interesting stories. It's like we've been exiled to middle school here with this plotline.

I thought maybe we'd have some challenge to Jack's perception as the leader by Sawyer when Sawyer walked up....instead it was let's play ping-pong and fill in details on what Kate slept with me. Ugh, please...make it stop.

I think it's that that storyline that really drug down the episode from being really and truly great.

Labels: 24, Lost, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 4/20/2007 08:43:00 AM | |

24: Day Six, 10 - 11 p.m.
The last half of this episode felt more like a season finale than the 17th hour of the day.

Jack may have been MIA the past few hours, but in this one, Jack Baur, Man of Action (tm) was back.

In the course of an hour, Jack is able to trick Fayed into giving up where the nukes are, chase the guy down, hang onto the undercarriage of a moving sanitation truck, take out an entire warehouse full of terrorists using only a pistol and smack-down Fayed. Oh and he tells Fayed to say "Hello" to his brother for him after the two beat each other senseless in the warehouse. and Jack has hung Fayed with some conviently dangling chain. Did I miss anything?

And with that, the Fayed and the nukes plotlines is over. The threat is gone and as the final five minutes unfolded, I kept wondering--OK, so now what?

I wondered if there was a secret nuke somewhere or if there was some super-top-secret other agent out there who had another nuke that Jack would have to somehow track down. And then, the phone rings. And it's Audrey...who is being held by the Chinese. They want something from Jack--and will tell him exactly what it is at the start of the next hour. Until this, we're left to realize that the Chinese have no chance since Jack can take on anyone and win, esp. when he's determined. If Audrey is his great love (ummmmmmm, did we forget about Terri? I am guessing so at this point), then no matter what the Chinese send at Jack, they are doomed. I almost feel sorry for them going up against the might that is Jack Bauer.

Yeah, that really was a way to pull a cliffhanger out of left-field wasn't it?

I'm not sure where all this will go, but I do wonder if this could be the point at which the boat speeds up as we head toward the shark tank....

Meanwhile, pumping Wayne full of adrenaline has made him start to go bad-ass himself. Seems the nuke was a bluff to get Country-that-shall-not-be-namedistan to stand down and give up Fayed's connection in their government. How gutsy was it to see Wayne ask the ambassador if the interrogators had threatened the general's family yet and if they hadn't what were they waiting for? Wayne finally realizes he has to make a bold move or two and be assertive in the office...and he does that. I'm still not sure I buy this new Wayne or not. His actions here seem a bit too reckless. But he does get the job done...I guess he's taken a page from the Jack Bauer book of leadership.

And then there's CTU, where poor Milo is jealous that Nadia said something nice about Mike. Is it just me or is anyone else a bit creeped out by stalker/jealous-boy that Milo has become? I talked two weeks ago about how aggressive his kiss was and now we've got him getting his nose out of joint that Nadia said something nice about Mike....yeah, and we wonder why Chloe dumped the guy. I think it's becoming abudently clear.

So, we've got seven hours left and a new plotline to pursue. I wonder if the show would have the guts to kill off two of Jack's great loves--Terri in season one and Audrey in season six.

That could make for a good ending to what has been a rather uneven day for the show.

Labels: 24, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 4/11/2007 07:33:00 AM | |

Day Six, 9 - 10 p.m.
Even by the logic 24 follows, I'm still having trouble making sense of this episode. So, Wayne Palmer risks his life and his health to make sure that Daniels doesn't nuke the country-to-be-named later-istan and then in the last two minutes of the episode orders that the nuclear strike still commence? Ummmmmmmmmm, can anyone explain this to me? I realize that we had the line from Daniels about not wanting to appear weak but why would Wayne be swayed so? Is there something greater wrong with him that led to this apparent about face in his policy?

I realize this is 24 and sometimes twists come from out of left field, but this one seemed to come from really far out of left field.

Which it's a shame because it ruined what had been a fairly solid storyline in the episode up to the point. I liked seeing the manuevers Daniels pulled to try and remain in power. And you have to admit that Tom's recording device and using it to blackmail Daniels was a nice touch. The fact that it called back to events earlier in the day was a really nice touch.

But, then it took the abrupt left turn. Suddenly Wayne is acting odd, getting another shot of adrenaline and then deciding to keep on nuking Fayed's country. I just don't get it.

What I also don't get is how candidates on 24 select their running mates. It seems as being the vice-president on this show makes you power mad and willing to go to extreme measures to seize power. Or at least that's the case for the two Palmer brothers. You'd think Wayne would have learned a lesson or two from David's time in power....but maybe that's asking too much.

Meanwhile, the drama continues over at CTU. I think we're working too hard to set up Mike Doyle for a fall. He delibarately covers up for Milo, which seems a bit odd. I think we, the audience, are more in the loop on the lengths he's going using to cover up the secruity breaches at CTU. Could it be that he's causing him? Is he the real mole? And if he is, do we really care that much? We have no investment in this character other than he's a hard-ass who's come in to put things back on track. I begin to wonder if this role was originally written for Chase but when that actor wasn't available we had to go with a new guy instead. At least if it was Chase, we'd have some kind of connection or identification with the character.

And I am officially bored with the whole ~~Tony and Michelle~~ Milo and Nadia romance. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

The romance that is working is Bill and Karen. The scenes of the two on their cell phones talking were nicely done and you felt like this was an actual, real couple.

Meanwhile, Jack is pretty much relegates to the sidelines for half the episode while other dramas unfold. The CTU crew is able to draw Fayed out into the open using Gredenko. They put a radioactive tracer in Gredenko that is burrowed into his bones, so that way he can't take it out. Man, that shot had to hurt. Anyway, as soon as we hear this, we all know that Gredenko is going to dis-arm--literally. Saw that one coming, but it was still an interesting twist. And it appears that Gredenko has died, which I liked the fact he did. He couldn't sustain the kind of blood loss he had from loisng an arm.

Man, this guy is dedicated though--to saving his own skin. He turns on Fayed, in a bar full of guys who beat the crap out Fayed. And then Jack gets him. Problem is the two nukes are still out there and there are plenty of other lackeys who can finish carrying out the plot.

Which you know they will when their country gets nuked next week.

Man, I'm still scratching my head over that one...

Labels: 24, tv shows

posted by Michael Hickerson at 4/03/2007 06:57:00 PM | |

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