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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. 24Day 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 |
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Lost: There's No Place Like Home
While not nearly as series-changing as last year's season finale, there was a lot to like about this year's season finale.
I will say one thing though--Damon Lindelof and Carelton Cuse are right about one thing. The scenarios to explain things that we, the fans, dream up in our own heads are generally better than the ones the series gives us. I say this in reference to the whole "reason we all have to lie about the island" that has been building up as an undercurrent to every flash-forward this year. Frankly, I was expecting something a lot more than what we got. Yes, I understand that Jack, as the flawed leader of this group, makes a decision to protect everyone that was left behind. But somehow I expected the rift that grew between he and Kate over leaving Sawyer behind to be something a bit more significant. Sawyer makes a noble sacrifice by jumping out of the helicopter and swimming back to the island. Noble, yes. In character with Sawyer, yes. But such a huge decision that it will be a constant source of conflict between Jack and Kate? Not so much. Now, if Sawyer had died in order to get Kate off the island or Jack had somehow managed to do something wherein he got to leave with Kate and Sawyer got the shaft, I could see it. But what we got here seemed like the easiest way to go. Almost as if they went--well, we have to leave Sawyer behind and we've got to come up with something that doesn't kill him. Because you know if they killed off Sawyer there would be female fans of the show rioting in the streets.
Then, we get to the revelation of who's in the coffin. About halfway through I said it would either be Sawyer or Locke. And in the end, it turns out to be Locke. I will give Lost credit that it was one of those--huh, well now what? cliffhangers they excel at, for the most part. Well, unless they're doing a mid-season cliffhanger and then the producers don't seem to have a clue. ("Run, Kate!" and this year's anyone?)
Finally, has the show really done the ultimate X-Files crossover not only have an island that makes time go wonky but also has super soldiers. Seriously, did no one thing to check and see if the head of the Whitmore group of soldiers was dead? They couldn't spare a second to check for a pulse and maybe tie the guy up. And don't get me started on the whole--I've got the trigger tied to my heartbeat thing. I have to admit even my eyes rolled a bit at that one.
OK, so enough of what I didn't care for. Let's get to the bigger things that I did like.
First of all, it could still be possible for Jin to be alive. I'd love to see that. Mayhaps we'll see Whidmore find the island again and use that as some kind of leverage against Sun. That'd be one heck of a moment.
As with all good season finales, we got a few answers and many more questions. The biggest is--just where did the island move? And can it be found again? If so, how? Will Ben have to have Charles Whidmore's help to find the island? Or will they have Penny help them out? Of course, the fact that Ben has set out to kill Penny could throw a monkey wrench into that. And does going back mean they have to find and take Desmond with them? If so, I can imagine that conservation won't go well since we've seen Desmond spend three years to get off the island and back to Penny.
It was nice to see Walt in a flash-forward, coming to talk to Hurley. I do wonder if Locke came to see everyone after he left the island. Or did he only visit Jack since the two have the longest history of conflict. Or that Jack was the perceived leader now.
Speaking of Locke, I am fascinated to see what he does now as the leader of the Others. I do wonder just how Ben set him up to be the leader now. Does no one else want the job? It does seem rather thankless. And will the whole "things go bad" storyline come out of Locke's attempts to be Ben and not succeeding?
Wow, that's a whole lot of questions and not a lot of answers. But it did leave me ready for more. And that's what a good season finale can and should do.
House: House's Mind, Wilson's Heart
I usually don't write much about House on my blog. Why you ask?
Well, because it's not a show that really lends itself to much in the way of discussion. It's a good show, though fairly predictable and saved by fantastic work by Hugh Laurie. This season has been, overall, pretty good. Watching House try to find a new team was a fun reason to watch in the first half of the season and then watching the weird triangle of House, Wilson and Amber drove the last half of the season.
And so, we come to these two episodes that try to wrap-up or resolve the House, Wilson, Amber triangle. I've heard a lot of people raving about how these are the best episodes of House ever and I have to say, they're good but best ever. I just don't see it. Maybe it's because the whole mystery of who was the person House was trying to recall was pretty obvious from the first few hints we got. Or maybe I've just watched Jurassic Park recently on cable and seeing the amber there was too big a clue.
But I think my biggest beef is this--I've been burned too many times by this show in the past at the promise of series-changing, character-changing events only to see it all come to nothing or be forgotten within a few episodes. Clearly, what's happened here can and should change the friendship between House and Wilson. But will it? I'm not so sure. If you'll recall, there were series-altering events in season three with House's leg pain being healed and the Tritter arc. But then the producers found a way to magically press the reset button to keep House an addict, lonely and in pain and a huge liability to his employers and friends. I will admit that season four did a good job of at least not resetting the firing of the original team in last year's season finale, so there is some hope. But until the show actually steps up and dares to have consquences to this that go beyond two episodes, I'm not going to go all ga-ga over the show.
Also, this was a pretty blatant rip-off of season one's "Three Cases."
And you can also tell the producers are trying to get Hugh Laurie his much overdue Emmy with this one. And make no mistake--the man deserves one. His work on the show is nothing short of incredible. And how James Spader keeps winning is beyond me.
Smallville: Artic
If Lost was the most satisfying of the season finales, then Smallville is in the running for the least satisfying.
You could almost see the writing staff trying to wipe the slate clean and hope to start fresh next year. I hope you guys have a good time because, quite frankly, you've lost me.
After two years of Brainiac running around, being a legitimate threat, the character is dispatched in one scene. Clark finally decides he's had enough and uses high voltage to destroy Brainiac. Honestly, I'd rather they left this bit dangling and resolved it next year in more than, oh, five minutes of screen time. But maybe the availability of James Marsters was in question. I'm not quite sure, but the resolution here felt wholly unsatisfying.
But it was more satisfying than the resolution of the Lex storyline. So, this year Lex finally goes evil and then we have a couple of filler episodes? Surely in a strike-shortened season, we could have found a moment or two to show Lex being evil, couldn't we? No, instead let's do the umpeenth adaptation of It's A Wonderful Life for our show. Can you hear my eyes rolling?
So, Lex finally founds out Clark's big secret. And instead of being a dramatic, series-changing, incredible scene, it feels anti-climatic. Maybe that's because we had to mark time to get to that point and the plots marking that time--just terrible. Now, at last, the conflict between Lex and Clark can finally kick it into high gear and...well, Lex is gone. See, Michael Rosenbaum is gone from the show (he must have seen the writing on the wall), so Lex is gone. So this whole build-up...for nothing. Any fall-out...there won't be any. Any great potential drama from this...gone.
As the Fortress fell apart and sank into the Artic, so did my hopes for this show.
But, at least it wasn't a "world in peril" cliffhanger that Smallville usually does. Those at least intrigue me enough to come back and see how they get out of it this time. And I get sucked back into the show, wanting it to be good. This time, I'm left with a cliffhanger that honestly I could care less about how it comes out since I know Lex won't be back next year. And with that, I believe I'm officially done with Smallville.Labels: House, Lost, smallville, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 6/04/2008 02:00:00 PM |
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Words and DeedsWith “Words and Deeds” we see everything that is great about House and everything that is not so great about House all in one episode. The biggest problem with House lies in it’s a procedural drama, but instead of solving crimes, House is diagnosising illnesses. The formula is pretty standard with House and company coming up with a bevy of wrong hypthothesises in the first three acts only to find the ultimate solution the final act. Along the way, we may get some character background or development, but it’s never anything that is supposed to change things so that if you miss an episode or two you’ll be lost. But every once in a while, House tries to have some kind of nod to continuity–and it is pretty much hit or miss. The thing with all of these continuity and on-going soap-opera style backstories is they start out strong but end with a thud becuase they don’t really have any long term impact. At the end of the day, House is still acerbic, rude and drug-addict. Not much changes the status quo. The latest evidence in this is the Tritter arc. Ever since season one, House has tried to come up with a nemesis for House that could go toe to toe with him. The problem with this is inherintely the same one Star Trek faced back when they first created the Borg–create the nemesis too powerful and strong and there’s no good way to resolve the arc without making the opponent come off as weak and ineffectual. And just like the “sleep” command from Best of Both Worlds, Part 2, so did the writers of House find a pretty lame way to get out of the Tritter arc. Tritter was shown as unrelented, uncaring and obsessed with bringing down House. His motto was the same as House’s: Everybody lies. Tritter went after House as surgically as House goes after the diseases and conditions he fights every week. And while we did see the noose tighten week after week, I think we all knew deep down that it wouldn’t end with House in jail. Instead the writers took the only way out–having Cuddy lie for House and forge documents that he had received a placebo instead of the drugs he stole in the last episode. Now, I can see why Cuddy did this as a hospital administrator and a friend to House, but it still rang of desparate writing. Add to it that the show teased us, making us think House had turned a corner. He checks himself into rehab and is actually taking to the program. I should have known that House regained his faculties too quickly as a major clue he had a trick up his sleeve, but yet I was still fooled by his apology to Wilson and his appareance as having turned a corner. In the end, we learn House is bogarting drugs through the program, having his nurse replace them with Vicadin. I have to ask myself–just how much of a charmer is House when he wants his fix? He must be pretty good to get everyone he comes into contact with to bend the rules for him. And that may be why Tritter was doomed. He wouldn’t bend the rules for House but in the end, everyone else would–including the legal system. Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a show if House were in jail for the next season or so. Meanwhile, this week’s case of the week is a firefighter who is admitted for feeling cold. A variety of diagnosises are brought up and then disproven before we find out it’s some kind of tumor that is keeping blood from flowing to his brain properly. The tragedy of this our heroes only figure this out AFTER they’ve done a risky procedure to erase the guy’s memory. Seems the firefighter had feelings for his co-worker but had made the false memory of her being with brother. Ooops…not true. And so he loses his life. Tragic, really. But not quite as tragic as how poorly the whole Tritter arc wraped up. Labels: House, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/10/2007 07:28:00 AM |
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