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It's kind of a bittersweet week for two of my favorite shows. Breaking Bad makes its return, kicking off the fifth and final season of what is one of the best--and most addictive--shows on TV. Then we've got Eureka winding up its five season on the air with a series finale that, for the most part, hits all the right notes.
I'll get into details on each one, including SPOILERS for both (and for the entire run of both shows) but first let's all declare it Miller Time for both shows...
Read more »Labels: Breaking Bad, tv round-up, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 7/17/2012 10:34:00 AM |
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The North Remembers
The first season of Game of Thrones was about introducing viewers to the rich fantasy world created by George R.R. Martin, creating a level of comfort to the universe of Westerios. And then taking that rug and pulling it firmly out from under the viewers.
As season two gets underway, we're familiar with most of the players in the game, but there are new rules and new faces coming into the power struggle going on all across Westerios.
As with the novel, A Clash of Kings, the first episode of season two begins with the appearance of a strange red comet in the skies above the kingdom. What the red comet means is a source of some debate among the various parties involved in the on-going power struggle. The episodes uses the comet as a way to move in and out of the various settings in the Thrones universe to great effect and impact, quickly allowing us to catch up with familiar faces and introducing a variety of new ones.
As season two starts, there are multiple kings all vying for the throne of Westerios. Early on, Robb Stark would seem to have an advantage in terms of military victories but there's also Stannis Bartheon who could have the best claim in terms of lineage to the throne. As the brother of dead king Robert, Stannis may have the best case but as we see here, he's not quite the leader his brother was. And he's got the added baggage of a Melisandre, a priestess who seems to have Stannis' ear and is advising himself to distance himself from the old ways--even to the point of burning statues of the old gods on the beach.
Back in King's Landing, Tyrion relishes his new role as the Hand of the King. Among the highlights of the episode is the scene with Tyrion unsettling his sister Caersi with the proclamation from their father, giving Tyrion the title of Hand. Of course, both of them could quickly face issues when it comes to trying to keep Joffrey in line in the coming weeks if early scenes are any indication. Joffrey is clearly enjoying the power of being king but he isn't showing much interest in actually ruling the kingdom beyond telling everyone what they can and cannot do. Tyrion may have his hands full in the coming weeks, which can only be good news for fans of Peter Dinklage. He's going to have a lot of great scenery to chew in the coming weeks.
And while the peace is shattered in Westerios, there are still bigger threats on the horizon. Across the sea, Dany has her dragons which could give her a claim to power. However, she'll first have to lead her people out of the desert and despair before she can begin pondering taking the throne back. In the north, the Night Watch is beyond the wall, looking for evidence of a greater supernatural threat that could threaten the South before all is said and done.
While not quite as exposition heavy as the first season premiere, "The North Remembers" does have some heavy lifting to do in order to set up things for season two. If you've read the books, you know not all the pieces are in play just yet, but a lot of them are here.
Using the comet as a unifying factor, the story quickly establishes where things are and begins to set some things into motion. This is not an episode for fans coming late to the series. While there was a nice montage of highlights from season one before the episode aired, to truly understand all of what's happening you have to watched the first season. There's no moment where characters stop and summarize all that's come before now. As a fan of the first season and the show, I appreciate that the show assumes I'm paying attention and can follow things. Of course, the cynical side of me also says, "Yes, and it helps sell DVDs to those who dropped in based on the buzz for the show."
A solid season premiere with some fascinating scenes. As we move through the rest of season two, I look forward to seeing how this complex, fascinating world continues to play out.Labels: tv round-up, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 4/02/2012 08:58:00 AM |
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"Better Angels"
So the big death I expected to happen last week actually happened this week.
Last week, Dale shuffled off this mortal coil because of a zombie attack. This week, Rick is forced to kill his best friend Shane. Shane has decided he's a better husband to Lori, father to Carl and leader to the group than Rick is. And on some level, Shane is right that he could be a better leader in the new world order. It's just a shame that he couldn't figure out how to play well with others and actually be a leader once Rick got back.
Of course, Lori didn't help things either. Going out to Shane and saying, "Yeah, the baby could be yours" sent Shane over the edge. And the fact that Rick is so much more concerned with the needs of the group than being a father to Carl when Carl needs him most also doesn't help.*
*I'm not sure if Shane ever realized that Rick did go and talk to Carl in the barn.
And while not as shocking as Dale's death last week, Shane's death does raise an interesting question--how did he become a zombie when he wasn't bitten by one? I have a feeling the revelation from the comics--that everyone can become a zombie upon death unless taken out with a head shot--is about to be revealed next week. That's probably the revelation that was whispered to Rick last season by Jenner and may be why Rick had such a hard time with the decision to kill Randall.
If it is, then the reasoning for keeping him alive works better. If not, well, then it could be that Shane was right all along.
Labels: tv round-up, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 3/14/2012 10:15:00 AM |
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Bullet Points
 This week, we once again see how differently Walter and Skylar are approaching their life of crime together. Skylar is all about planning things out, making sure no i is undotted and no t is uncrossed. Walt is much more reactionary, scheming on the fly and generally not looking at the bigger picture until he's forced to do so because of a fear for his safety or long term future.
The visit to Hank and Marie's to come clean about how Walt earned all the money they have coming in highlights this. Skylar is all about having an exact script of how things will go and then following it to the letter. She's even written out how the conversation and confession will go and what she and Walt will say at each point along the way. Her plan even goes as far as having Walt try to play a hand or two of blackjack to see if he can really count cards and has a method to winning back as he says he does. The result is that Walt isn't really any good at counting cards and he probably thinks its as easy as the movie 21 made it look like it could be.
On the other hand, you've got Walt who is adept at thinking on his feet and being reactionary. The last couple of episodes have shown that isn't always a good idea, as we see when he tries to recruit Mike to his side against Gus. But here, we see Walt thinking on his feet and trying to figure out just what Hank knows and suspects about the super lab. We even get to see Walt crafting a lie to cover up that Gale dedicated his notebook to Walt and that Hank wonders who W.W. could be. Walt's quick cover up that it was Walt Whitman, a poet referenced in the pages and not Walter White was fascinating--and it seems like one of those details that could come back to haunt Walt.
Again, the show makes a huge point about how blind some of these characters are to what's really going on. Hank can't seem to fathom that Walt could be Heisenberg. Skylar can't fathom how her affair with her boss could possibly play into her version of the drama that unfolds at dinner. And Walt can't see how there will be a positive end game in all of this for him and his family. At some point, Walt or Skylar will have to realize that their survival will depend on selling out the other person. Which one realizes this first could be interesting....
I did love the scene with Saul where Saul points out that no where in Walt's grand scheming of how to end the game and come out ahead is Saul even considered.
I also think we're slowly watching Walt fade away and Heisenberg emerge to take over. It may be a necessity to ensure Walt survives what's to come. It does feel like Walt isn't reacting well being chipped away at piece by piece this year--from Gus, from Mike and from Skylar. At some point, Heisenberg will reach a breaking point and begin to push back.
Meanwhile, Jessie is spiraling more and more out of control and becoming a greater liability. Jessie's lack of caring about whether he left clues at Gale's murder scene that could link back to him or that his money was stolen are telling. Jessie seems to have given up on everything and is just going through the motions. At some point, Jessie could become such a weak link that he either turns in everyone or has to be taken out. Mike meets with Gus about this and then takes Jessie with him out into the desert. The interesting question lingering is was this Mike's idea to try and reach Jessie to save him or was it directed by Gus? And no matter whose idea it was, what is the final end game for Jessie? Is it a wake-up call to scare him back into the fold or is it to be the end of Jessie?
At this point, I wouldn't put it past Vince Gilligan and company to bump off Jessie.
Labels: Breaking Bad, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 8/09/2011 11:33:00 AM |
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Thirty-Eight Snub
One of the things I've heard producer and series creator Vince Gilligan say time and time again about Breaking Bad is that it's not just the story about how a guy goes from Mr. Chips to Scarface, but also about the times in between those actions and the ramifications on the characters. No where is that more evident than in this week's episode as we see the continued fall-out from not only what happened last week, but from everything that's happened up until now.
The episode starts out with Walt deciding he has to take matters into his own hands and eliminate the threat of Gus. He buys a black market gun and then practices drawing it, hoping to get into a room with Gus and eliminate Gus. But Walt's plan begins to derail when it appears that Gus has finally clued in that being around Walt isn't a good idea and he'll send his messages now through other sources. He's also less trusting of Walt and Jesse, making the two re-weight their final payload after cooking. Walt goes to Gus's home to try and kill him but is warned off by Mike. Then later Gus tries to convince Mike to get him in a room with Gus and Mike summarily belts him one and delivers a few quick kicks to the ribs to make his point.
Watching Walt's attempt to resurrect and channel the Heisenberg persona is fascinating. In the past, Walt has used the persona has used the persona in short bursts and while we've seen that he really, really likes it, he's never embraced it for long. One big thing in those cases in the past is the other parties involved near saw Heisenberg coming. Gus is aware of Heisenberg and is probably aware that this side of Walt could be coming for him. If he's not, at least Mike is and Mike is ready to send back his own message--as bad as you think you are, you aren't bad enough to take me on...at least not yet. Gilligan has stated several times that this season will be a chess match between Gus and Walt, with Walt having to embrace the bad-ass side of himself. So far, the opening moves of the chess game seem to all be going to Gus. Walt pulled a surprise move in eliminating Gale, but since then he's been on the defensive, reacting to Gus's moves.
The question is--will Walt ever get to where he's two steps ahead of Gus again? Will Gus allow it? Walt is incredibly reactionary to danger and threats at times. He and Jesse tend to get into the most trouble when something goes awry that Walt didn't anticipate. I have to wonder if this season we'll see Walt stumble into a victory over Gus not because of being meticulous but because the lack of foresight in some areas makes Walt too unpredictable.
Meanwhile, on the Jesse front, his downward spiral continues. Last year, he said he came to the realization in therapy that he's the bad guy. And while we saw him embrace it last year, this time he's crossed a huge line and is having a hard time dealing with the consequences. He's haunted by the fact that he killed Gale and possibly by all the baggage he's accumulated in the time he's been associated with Walt. He's made some moves to try and get some of the pieces back into his life, but each one falls short. He bought his aunt's house from his parents but it's not quite filing the void. He's trying to reach out to his old drug running buddies and throw a wild party, but it's not quite filling the void. Even his relationship with Andrea is meant to be an attempt to rekindle some kind of feeling of normalcy with someone, but it doesn't work. While Andrea shares some characteristics with Jane, she can't quite fill the void left by Jane's death. It's interesting to see that Jesse tries to give some of the money he's made to Andrea so she and her son can escape their situation...but that he's just as ready to believe she could easily spend it all on drugs as the escape. Basically, she'd put herself on the same spiral that he's on--once on the wagon, but now completely fallen off and picking up speed as he plummets downhill.
Meanwhile, Hank continues to rehab, being wonderful to his physical therapist but putting Marie through the ringer. His obsession with minerals has to be leading somewhere but right now I can't quite see where it might all go. I have a feeling should Hank ever get back on the Heinsenberg case, Walt is in a lot of trouble because he'll be even more relentless than before.Labels: Breaking Bad, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 7/26/2011 03:11:00 AM |
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"Kozmo"
Watching "The Cape," I'm having a hard time figuring out just how much time has passed since Vince's apparent death and what's unfolding on screen right now. How long did he train with the Cape before assuming his role as a vigilante? A few days? A few weeks? A few months?
At times, it feels like it would have to be a few weeks or months, given the development of certain storylines. The most glaring is his wife working in the D.A.'s office and her interaction with her new boss. Maybe it's just me but it felt a bit like there was some flirting going on and her statements that she'd like a male role model in her son's life felt like it'd been a while since Vince vanished from the picture. Of course, that doesn't take into account the best friend, Marty, who is secretly on Chess' payroll. We saw him over at Dana's last week and he mentioned getting together later. Maybe he'd be a good role model--well, as far as Dana knows right now. She has no idea he's Chess's right hand henchman and covering up that Vince wasn't Chess and that Chess isn't really dead.
I also have a hard time buying why they'd make the son change schools. But it's there so Vince can overhear something and then go to his son and give him a pep talk about fighting. Of course, he's probably not doing the kid any favors by only appearing as this shadowy comic book figure who appears to dole out advice and wisdom whenever needed. If he'd revealed himself to Dana, it might help the kid out a bit. For now, he just sounds crazy mentioning his new buddy the comic book hero.
It feels like this episode was pulled from later in the rotation, to be quite honest. Vince seems to be settling into his role as the Cape and learning various tricks to use in his battle against evil. That's all rocked a bit when the guy who used to wear the Cape shows up, having been in prison for a while and wants the Cape back. And he's willing to kill for it. And he knows more about it than Vince does.
As I said last week, there are some good pieces here, but the story never pauses long enough on any of them to allow the implications to sink in--either to the audience or the characters. And as I said then, I may be overthinking it. Probably am, since it seems this is intended to be a comic book for TV--and it's rare that comics in the Silver Age stopped to dwell on the implications of thngs. They just moved from one plot point to the next.
And yet, the show also seems to want me to wonder about things...the biggest being the true identity and nature of Orwell. What led her to this point? And what is her background? Also, I have to wonder if she'll now become part of the Max's gang of circus heroes or if this is just a one-time development.
Also, for a guy trying to keep his identity a secret, there sure are a lot of people who know who Vince is.Labels: the cape, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/20/2011 12:08:00 PM |
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"Pilot," "Tarot"
In its attempt to find the next version of Heroes, NBC gives us The Cape. I tuned in for the two-hour premiere Sunday evening and have to admit that I like the idea behind the series even if I find the execution a bit lacking.
I think a lot of the what I found lacking is the overall pacing of the show. The pilot story felt a bit too rushed, compressing the entire origin story of our hero and his new nemesis into one short hour. In Palm City, Vince Faraday is one of the last few good cops. A new mega-corporation and its head honcho want to privatize the police force and allow them to run their evil empire without any headaches. Vince isn't all for this and finds himself framed for murder in the guise of the evil criminal master-mind Chess.
Vince fakes his own death and meets up with a group of circus performers, the head of which has this super special cape made of spider silk that has all kinds of interesting, bend the laws of physics properties. Vince also learns the art of illusion to help with his crime fighting. His goal is to restore his name and bring down the evil corporation so he can be reunited with his wife and son. It's from reading a comic book with his son that he determines his alter ego as the Cape.
He's joined in the fight by a blogger named Orson, who is played by Firefly alum Summer Glau.
In the first two episodes, Vince takes on a couple of super villains who have been brought in by Chess. One is a guy who likes to throw knives and is targeting the head of prisons who is the only person in the city's government who opposes the privatizing of the police force--at least for his prisons.
On the surface, there's a lot that should work. The series wants to feel like a comic book and there are times when it captures that feel. And just like a comic book, there are plot holes big enough to drive a bulldozer through.
For example, the biggest is Vince's motivation. His goal is to keep his family safe and to win back his good name by bringing down Chess and his evil corporation. Nice motivation, but you have to wonder about how he's going about it. He chooses to keep a secret that he's still alive from his family (though he does go to his son as the Cape and say his dad will be back), which can only lead to complications down the road (assuming this show lasts that long). I'd certainly love to see the reaction of his wife (who has to get a job and struggles with the infamy associated with her last name) when and if Vince reveals, "Oh, by the way, I'm still alive."
Also, it seems fairly obvious that Chess and company know that their new foe is a product of the circus. But yet they bumble about going in and taking them out or sending in their private police force to arrest those involved. At one point, they capture Vince's mentor and the head of the circus, but leave behind everyone else. I'm guessing this is so Vince can know who took his mentor and then go rescue him. Because I can see no other good reason not to take them all and leave Vince to try and figure things out or alone without his support team.
Then there's the whole storyline of Orson, a blogger with a mission. What that mission is and what her motivation is is not entirely clear. Hopefully future episodes will delve into this (assuming that I stick with it, of course).
In fact, outside of Vince, there's a lot of pieces left on the table. There's a lot that's left under developed when it comes to the character side of things. I know comic books characters aren't always the deepest characters out there, but surely having them be more than walking cliches and plot pieces would be a good idea.
Also, I'm not sure if there's a long-term run for this show. How long can Vince continue to hang out in the underground and not have his efforts to noticed. I've heard comparisons to Batman, but they're really superficial. In the Nolan movies, Batman becomes a symbol that the city needs, motivated out of one guys need to atone for his past and his fears. There's no marked end point for Batman since he's so tortured he can never let go of the guilt and stop fighting the bad guys. (Again, this is my take on the Nolan films). With Vince, there is a defined end point--stopping Chess and regaining his life. It could be this is a one-season type of show where we'll have the end point of Vince clearing his name and getting his family back. But as I watched, I kept thinking of how and what will be done once we get past that. Could we see storylines where villains begin showing up to take on Vince and his responsibility in that? (Similar to the question of would the Joker show up in Gotham if there were no Batman we saw in "Dark Knight" or the question addressed in some episodes of "Lois and Clark.")
As I said, the show has some interesting elements too it. But as I look at it, I believe I'm thinking too hard and wondering too much about the show. It may be just a mindless show that is meant to be enjoyed at face value.
Unfortunately, the pieces don't quite all add up. I'll still give it an episode or two to see where things go (and to watch Summer Glau). But for now, I'm not hooked.Labels: the cape, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/11/2011 12:18:00 PM |
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1. Doctor Who -- For years we wondered what it might look like if Steven Moffat could run Doctor Who. Last year we found out with a thirteen episode series that played with the series central conceit of being a time travel show. Moffat made the series into a fairy tale and delivered a season finale that not only capped off the season in a perfect way, but also paid off most of the on-gong season storylines all while leaving something over for series six. I'm more excited about Doctor Who than I have been since it returned in 2005. And the Christmas special was nearly perfect as well. A great year for Doctor Who.
2. Lost -- The finale sparked a lot of debate on-line--as most good finales will and should do. The best thing that ever happened to the show was giving it and end date and finally forcing the writing staff to build to something. And they did. OK, sure the whole Jacob and his mysterious brother episode three from the end was a bit forced, but the sixth and final season did so many other good things that it's easy to forgive. I am curious to see how the show will hold up to viewing on DVD.
3. The Walking Dead -- Yeah, sure there are zombies, but that's not the main point of the show. It's about how humans continue to function and survive when the zombie apocalypse has happened and there are no end credits in sight. The pilot episode was fantastic and the season finale left me curious and anxious for more. I like how the show has created its own universe outside of the graphic novels.
4. Mad Men -- It's a good year for AMC. (And no, I'm not caught up on Breaking Bad...but I plan to be). Many have called the fourth year of Mad Men the best one so far. I'd be hard pressed to disagree.
5. Stargate: Universe -- Yes, I know it's a Stargate spin-off, but damn if this show just didn't keep going dark and really opening up the characters. Easily one of the most compelling sci-fi shows since BSG went off the air. And yes, I'm upset SyFy canned it after only two seasons.
6. Chuck -- We got a lot of Chuck this year...the entire third season and the first part of season four. The first half of season three suffered a bit from treading water, but once they got Chuck and Sarah together, the show never looked back. And bringing Morgan in on the secret and into the spy world has been a wonder to behold. I can't wait for more of season four.
7. Sherlock -- Not a re-imagining so much as an update of the classic Holmes stories. Watson's chronicles of Holmes are now told in blog form and seeing Holmes use technology in his investigations is a nice touch. Three episodes wasn't nearly enough, even if they were all 90 minutes each. And that cliffhanger....holy cow am I anxious for more.
And that's my top seven. These are the shows I enjoyed the most in 2010. I saw a lot of other stuff that was good and almost made the list. And I'm catching up on a few on DVD. But that's really what tickled my fancy last year.Labels: tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/03/2011 12:17:00 PM |
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Thanks to NBC's struggles with the failed Jay Leno experiment, one of my favorite shows, "Chuck" went from the renewal bubble to having an extended third season this year. (Thankfully, the show was picked up for a fourth season without any drama this year, though I suspect it may be the last for Team Bartowski).
The season went from 13 to 19 episodes and instead of padding out the arc, the producers decided to still finish the first arc in 13 and then have a new arc for the final six. Well, sort of. In a lot of ways, it feels like the first 13 were a long prologue for the final six, most of which were a home run and finally got Chuck and Sarah together. Thankfully, the show hasn't quite yet decided to come up with invented reasons for the couple to separate and I have faith that won't happen next year. Instead, we barely got a lot of time for Chuck and Sarah to settle in to couple-dom before things started going haywire.
Chuck found out the new Intersect had some nasty side effects and while this was interesting, it felt a bit rushed in some moments. I liked it, but I wish we'd had an episode or two more to develop it or to have Christopher Lloyd as Chuck's government imposed therapist be around for more than one episode. It was all to get us to the end point of the season and the spectacular finale (possibly the best of the season finales I've seen) but it still felt a bit rushed. I realize the producers wanted to tell the complete story and when the news came for an extended season, their hands were tied in terms of where they were storywise. It was still intriguing, fun and it felt like "Chuck" at its best. And the season finale brought together a lot of great threads to a satisfying conclusion...don't get me wrong. I guess I'm greedy and I wanted more "Chuck." A full season order would have made it easier and given how badly NBC fumbled just about every other prime time experiment this year and we had two weeks of repeats anyway, why not just give us two to three more episodes for a full season run?
Anyway....
Ranting over. I liked season three and am looking forward to season four. I am curious to see if and how long Chuck stays retired (I give it one episode) and then to see who will play Chuck's mom. They hit a home run with Chuck's dad and if they can get a triple out of the actress to play Chuck's mom, this could be good.
I just hope it doesn't descend into the later stages of "Alias" silliness where everyone in the family is in the spy game.....Labels: Chuck, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 5/30/2010 05:49:00 PM |
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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 |
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One of the most popular quotes from Sherlock Holmes is the adage that when you eliminate the impossible, whatever is left, no matter how improbable is the truth.
When "Lost" first hit our screens six years ago, the first assumption was that everyone on the plane had died and were in some kind of purgatory area, waiting to move on to the next life. As the season progressed, we found that certain people died or left the island when they'd completed or made peace with whatever they needed to make peace with. I floated this theory at the time, when it related to the death of Boone and it was underscored by other deaths over the course of the series.
And then, we get the grand finale...after six years of waiting, wondering and having red herrings, the series basically comes down to creating a place in purgatory for everyone to get together and move on to the next life. And, again, it comes down to characters having to let go of the things that hold them to this world.
It end where it started--with an injured Jack, lying on the island looking up the sky. The series begins when he opens his eye and ends as he closes it. Along the way, Jack had to go on a journey and let go of his father and the anger he held toward him. Again, my early theory that the island was a massive group therapy session where each person had to get over his or her issues relating to their father proves kind of true.
We had mystical explanations, the Dharma Initiative, the sub and lots of other stuff that came up, but in the end, the show was all about the characters moving on and letting go. Each person had to go on a journey.
All that said, I'm not sure I'm entirely satisfied with the finale. It was nice to see the montage of familiar faces and the last hour felt like a huge victory lap for the show, more than resolving anything. Somehow pulling out the plug reset the island and de-powered Smokey as Locke. I'm still not quite clear on it, other than we had to find a way to dispatch the evil and not allow it to escape. I think maybe a re-watch of the show may give me some greater insight, but in the end it felt like Smokey was as an obstacle until Carlton and Cuse decided to move him aside or that they'd painted themselves into a corner with making Smokey so powerful that you had to do something to power him down a bit in order to dispatch him (see also the Borg in "Star Trek").
I'm not saying the finale was terrible. And I'm sure there are lots of fans out there, crying, screaming and wailing that it wasn't exactly what they wanted. However, it wasn't an instant classic that it could or should have been and while it's not one that ruined the series, it's one that ended with a whimper rather than a bang.
In some ways, it reminded me of the end of the Key to Time season on "Doctor Who." For 26 weeks, the Doctor and Romana chased the various segments of the key across time and space in order to reassemble them to restore balance to the universe. Only they find all six and within five minutes the Doctor has split it back up again. It's a rather unsatisfying end if you recall the reason the Doctor was sent on this epic quest....
I wondered yesterday if this finale could be as satisfying as "The Shield" finale was and, I've got to say, I came away feeling that it wasn't. That finale worked because while it didn't resolve every plot thread the show had created over seven years, it still gave a sense of closure to the central plotline of the show and, ultimately, helped crystalize exactly which arc story was the most important from day one--the fall of Vic Mackey because of his actions in the pilot. Vic didn't get his due until season seven, but watching the noose slowly tighten made for one hell of a ride over seven years.
I definitely need to take some time off from "Lost" and then it may be time for a long rewatch of all six seasons of DVD. Because while the show did have a dud or two in there, it's still one of the more ambitious and entertaining series of the past couple of years. I have a feeling that no matter how it ended, we wouldn't have been happy.
I'm just thankful it got to end and wasn't pulled after six episodes. The journey may have been frustrating at times, but in the end it was worth the ride.Labels: Lost, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 5/24/2010 08:21:00 PM |
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"Chuck vs. the Tic Tac," "Chuck vs the Final Exam," "Chuck vs the American Hero," Chuck vs. the Other Guy"
The third season of "Chuck" has been an interesting ride. Saved from extinction by a massive fan campaign last year, the show was given a 13-episode pick-up by NBC. Then troubles fell on NBC in the crash and burn of Jay Leno in primetime and suddenly "Chuck" was needed and needed very badly. So, we got an extended season.
But rather than offering filler episodes or more fluff, the producers decided to stick to their original 13-episode plan and then add a second arc of six episodes for the end of the season.
The last month or so of "Chuck" has been the final run of those first 13 episode and it has been, quite frankly, a lot of fun to watch.
The third season has been about Chuck growing up and becoming a real spy. Early episodes were given over to Chuck learning about the upgrade to the Intersect in his head and what that meant to him as a character. Now that we've found a way for Chuck to fully access the information in his head, we've got Chuck moving into the arena of being a real honest-to-goodness spy and all that means. As the story progressed, we found Chuck slowly realizing that in achieving one of his dreams, he may have to give up on another--namely a relationship with Sarah.
If there's been one frustration I've had with season three it's the way that will they or won't they aspect of Chuck and Sarah has been dragged out. While I can see why Shaw was brought into the show and what the series did with him in order to finally get Chuck and Sarah together, I still can't help but feel that the character as a whole was a bit of red herring. I guessed a few weeks ago that Shaw would somehow be connected to the Ring, so the big reveal in this week's episodes wasn't necessarily that huge. And surely Sarah should have had a greater clue about things when Shaw tells them to leave the elevator and they don't actually see Shaw kill the leader of the Ring.
It also brings up some interesting questions about Shaw and his loyalties. Before his death, Shaw claims he hasn't told the Ring about Chuck and the Intersect. Was that necessarily true? Given that a lot of the other statements he's made are all based on lies, could Shaw be lying? It's apparently the Ring has figured out that there's something more to the Buy More than meets the eye, but will it be followed up on? Or is the Ring really destroyed and we'll have a new threat in the second part of the season? Also, I have to wonder if Shaw's professions of love for Sarah were real or were they done as part of his cover? Again, if Shaw's intention was to be a double-agent and we see that by playing on Chuck's emotions we can disable the Intersect than why not use Sarah to do that?
It's some things that I think a review of the season on DVD might help answer. And heaven only knows it works far better than the Dana Walsh in the latest CTU mole storyline on "24." (I will post a long reaction to the current day of "24" as soon as I catch up on this week's two hour episode.)
It's always interesting to watch how far the show will go to push the characters and then have to work to hit the reset button. We knew that Casey couldn't remain on the sidelines forever and the show at least earned his return in a good way. I wasn't expecting Casey to pull Morgan in as part of his reinstatement, but the whole concept for Morgan being part of Team Bartowski for the rest of the season (and hopefully for season four) holds a lot of promise.
Also, I will admit that I'm glad they finally got Chuck and Sarah together, if only so we don't have to have yet another complication arise in the back half of the show. I'm optimistic that the show can balance things so it won't be all about whatever relationship issue Chuck and Sarah face next. Hopefully we'll see them together and happy for a few weeks before the inevitable relationship breakdown that generally occurs on most will they or won't they couples.
The last two episodes, in particular, have been great examples of "Chuck" at its best. I'm just glad we don't have to wait six months for new episodes--instead it's just two weeks.
Hopefully the repeats won't drive off fans and the show can get the fourth season it deserves.
And if we have to lose "Heroes" to get more "Chuck" than that's a trade-off I can live with.Labels: Chuck, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 4/07/2010 12:15:00 PM |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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LAX
So here it is--the start of the final season of "Lost" and the end line in sight for the show.
As I've said before and elsewhere, I think one of the best things this show ever did was declare an end point for itself.
That's evident here with the season six premiere and as we slowly start to get some answers.
The big one is that the Smoke Monster has been operating on the island all this time in opposition to Jacob. Or at least that's the impression I get here since we've got anti-Locke now being able to morph into said Smoke Monster. It's a nice moment, but it raises some other questions including why would it help Ben and the Others if they were followers of Jacob. Was the Smoke Monster biding its time and maneuvering Ben to the point last year where he'd kill Jacob? And if this is some eternal struggle between good and evil, does the fact that the good has apparently died mean the balance has been thrown off? Or could it be that Sayid is actually Jacob resurrected? Certainly, the symbolism of a lot his immersion in the pool and then his rising would seem to point to that. (Just look at how Sayid had his arms out like he'd been crucified when he was taken out of the pool, for instance).
Meanwhile, the new Others are declaring a red alert as they prepare for something. I'm assuming they're expecting an attack from anti-Locke and his forces. But I still don't understand why they'd follow Locke or if they will.
The other big question that was answered was would blowing up the island work and put things right. And the answer is--yes and no. It did work in the creation of a new parallel universe in which the plane never crashes and the island is underwater. In this universe, certain people are still drawn together (the scenes of Jack and Locke being put together and Jack believing he can help Locke while Locke thinks the situation is hopeless was a nice juxtaposition) and certain objects are still drawn to the island. I'm betting that we'll find that the lost suitcase of knives and the coffin somehow vanished during the turbulence because they need to be on the island.
Then there's the timeline where the explosion threw our heroes back to the present day (island time). And we have the death of Juliet and Sawyer's swearing out vengeance on Jack. I have a feeling that Sawyer's deciding to let Jack suffer will only work for so long before he's pushed over the edge. And we also learn that while Jack can be a leader in times of success, he's not so great when things don't go his way.
So, a few answers and a lot more questions to come. It should be an interesting ride to the series finale...and one that I expect no matter how well done it is, will never please everyone.Labels: Lost, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 2/04/2010 01:00:00 PM |
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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 |
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Buried in last week's rumor that Russell T. Davies was considering creating an American version of "Torchwood" was the nugget that also under consideration was an American version of "Doctor Who."
Not much is out there on details about this proposed American version of the greatest television show of all time, but I have to tell you that I'm dead set against it. Especially if (as I fear) Davies is in any way connected with it.
I'm glad Davies brought back my favorite show and that under his leadership, it's become very popular. That said, I think the man has run out of ideas "Doctor Who" wise and that he's far too convinced of his own genius for his own good. I was happy to see him go and I'm eager to see what an era led by Steven Moffatt will look like.
As for an American version of "Doctor Who," I just don't see it. We tried it in '96 with the Fox movie and it was met with a resounding shrug of the shoulders.
Don't get me wrong--I want more "Doctor Who." I just want it produced by the BBC in Great Britain. Anything else is just a bad idea...Labels: Doctor who, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/25/2010 04:19:00 PM |
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Chuck: Chuck vs. Operation Awesome
The third season continues to hit its stride with another solid episode that once again demonstrates how well "Chuck" uses its guest stars--you cast them based on what types of characters they've played in the past and allow the actors to play on that. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of how certain old radio series used to work with various people taking on a fictional persona for the sake of their character and the show. For example, any time Jack Benny guest starred on another show, you were sure to get a mention of Jack's frugal ways.
Same thing here with Angie Harmon and Brandon Routh. Routh is cast as the all-American good guy, along the lines of his role in the Man of Steel in "Superman: Returns." It's interesting to see Shaw come into Team Chuck and immediately begin to try and shake things up a bit. Knowing that Routh will be around for a few episodes should be interesting, though I hope they do more with the character than throw him in as some kind of stumbling block to the Chuck and Sarah relationship. I think we've seen enough outsiders come in and do that--unless they can actually do something interesting or different with it. At this point, I'm not sure and it may end up being a case of treading the same ground again.
The episode had me consistently chuckling and enjoying it even though there were some glaring weak points and one plot hole. I don't quite buy that the Ring would assume that Captain Awesome is the spy and that Chuck isn't. It was nice to see that Awesome wasn't killed, but wouldn't the guy who likes to poison people from last week have clued them in a bit about Awesome's role only as a doctor and to watch out for Chuck and Sarah? Or maybe it's because the Ring has only seen the crew in such limited action that they're operating on a false tip from last week's events that led to this assumption. It's one of those things you have to buy in order to get to the story going and get the hilarity ensuing, but it seemed a bit much to swallow.
Also, I have to admit that for long stretches of time I wasn't thrilled by events at the Buy More. It felt like they were trying to stretch things a bit and having a "Fight Club" homage just didn't really click for me. At least they were able to have that plot intersect with the Chuck plot in a nice way, though again it felt like they were working a bit too hard to get from point A to point B. We needed some way to get Chuck out of trouble late in the story, so the early joke of the electric fence was put in there to get us there.
But beyond that, I enjoyed what I saw here. I really liked Chuck coming up with his own plan and the scenes with Awesome when Chuck was able to fully utilize his new abilities as the Intersect 2.0.
I'm also glad that the series didn't make the move of killing off Awesome. It seems like too dark a twist for the show to take.
Dollhouse: The Hollow Men
With "Dollhouse" headed toward the finish line, Joss Whedon and company barely have a chance to let us catch our breath and let the big revelation from last week really sink in. That's a shame because I think an episode or two of our knowing about Boyd and seeing the characters come to grips with it would have been a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I'm betting Whedon and company found out the show was canceled too late to really have much more than we got here.
The story pushes forward with the implications of the Rossum technology really having an impact. The concept of creating a way to wipe out a person's personality and then imprint it with another is fascinating and chilling--especially the handheld device that Topher has invented. Also interesting is that no matter how hard they try, they can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. You get the feeling that no matter how hard our heroes work, they can't take back the fact that such a thing can and did exist. It made me want to dust off the DVD set of season one and look at "Epipath 1" again, but I haven't had time yet. Hopefully before the finale.
This one felt like it had to wrap up all the present day stories before we jump ten years ahead to see what goes wrong and if there's any hope for the future. Along the way, we lose another character and get to see Echo take on Whiskey in an epic battle. The pace was rushed at times (I could easily see this week and last week's stories expanded to a trilogy) but at least we're getting resolution and some closure. I can also see why Whedon says that once this show is done, it's done. He's not leaving much to come back and play with.....Labels: Chuck, dollhouse, tv shows
posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/21/2010 01:33:00 PM |
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