Small confession: I didn't watch much TV this weekend.
Watched this Weekend:
Ugly Betty: From Thursday. I could watch this show all the live long day. It's got the perfect combination of humor, loveable and love-to-hate-able characters, and drama both moving and over the top. I love Justin as an intern at Mode, and I'm thrilled to see Henry back in the picture again. (Yes, partly so I can gaze at him dreamily. Shut up.) I'm so scared for Betty's dad, though! Oh, and I really, really want a roof full of smashable mannequins. That looked incredibly therapeutic to me.
Will Watch or DVR Tonight:
(Descriptions from Zap2it.com's TV listings)
How I Met Your Mother: Two beautiful women show Ted that they are very attracted to him; the gang helps Ted realize that bad luck does not always come in threes. CBS, 8 PM.
Chuck: Chuck needs the help of Morgan and the Nerd Herd to prove that he is ready to become the store's assistant manager; Sara and John force Chuck to go under cover for his first real spy mission. NBC, 8 PM.
Heroes: Upon his return to New York, Suresh finds a previously undiscovered painting that foretells the death of someone close to him; Claire and H.R.G. pursue their own agendas; Maya uses her deadly abilities to free Alejandro from a Mexican prison. NBC, 9 PM.
The Bachelor: Brad takes six of the bachelorettes to the circus; one of the women wears many jewels on a one-on-one date in San Francisco; Brad asks his identical twin brother for some assistance. ABC, 9:30 PM.
And it's back to the grind... And by "grind," I mean totally awesome (and occasionally trashy) TV goodness. I love fall!
Monday, October 08, 2007
On the Glowy Box: 3-day weekends rock!
Friday, October 05, 2007
On the Glowy Box: Presented in SeinfeldVision!
Let's all take a minute to thank the TV gods for 30 Rock's safe return to television, and to pray for a well-deserved ratings bump to go along with its well-deserved Emmy.
Watched Last Night:
Dirty Sexy Money: From Wednesday night. I'm kind of getting into this one, though not entirely, since the characters aren't exactly likeable. My favorite so far is definitely Tripp, but that's probably because I'm a little afraid of Donald Sutherland. After all, he did produce The Kiefer. I suspect this show will get more exciting as the mystery progresses, so it's staying on my schedule for now. Also, I love the brother who's a priest. "Wait, what's your Swedish name?" Ha!
30 Rock: By the Hammer of Thor, this show is still the highlight of my TV-watching week. While last night's episode didn't quite reach the comedic heights of a few of last season's episodes, it was still fantastic, and made even more so with the presence of Jerry Seinfeld. I loved the jokes at NBC's expense ("You're gonna buy NBC? You've got $4 million just lying around?" and "I like Lost...is that you guys?"), and I'm pretty sure that America's Next Top Pirate would be 100% awesomer than Pirate Master. Also? Kenneth as Tracy's "office wife" = best ev. Let's keep our fingers crossed that America has caught on to the awesomeness!
The Office: You know, I'm just not loving the hour-long episodes as much as I thought I would. Still loving the show, but it just seems like jokes get pushed a little past their breaking point. The Office in half an hour is like a hilarious, awkward punch in the face. The impact wears off when you stretch the story to twice as long, so its more like a bunch of funny slaps in the face. Or something. That metaphor fell apart on me a bit, but you see what I'm saying? Keep it short and sweet, guys. That said, I really, really love what they're doing with Toby's character in the face of Jim and Pam's relationship. I also like that Ryan is emerging as a sort of villain, which this show hasn't ever truly had. And the episode had tons of hilarious moments (like, everything with Creed). So...really still awesome, but just a biiit too much in there.
Grey's Anatomy: You can read my full review here, but in a nutshell: Shut up, Meredith.
Will Watch or DVR Sunday night (I take Friday and Saturday nights off from TV):
(Descriptions from Zap2it.com's TV listings)
Desperate Housewives: Lynette kicks Tom out of her chemotherapy sessions; Susan gets mistaken for a stripper; Bree attempts to steal a prize-winning recipe. ABC, 9 PM.
Not too much on Sundays for me, which is well and good, since I'm already behind on this week's shows! (And going out of town for the three-day weekend.)
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Grey's Anatomy: Addicted to love...and also crystal meth.
Hi! My name is Liz, and I'm admitting I have a problem. I'm addicted to Grey's Anatomy. Have been for about two and a half years. I was clean for the past few months, but I've been slipping lately. It's not the writing, anymore, or the hip music, or even how the show makes me feel. I think it's the characters. Much as I may be annoyed by some of them, or disapprove of some of their choices, in the end I care what happens to most of them. And that's what keeps me hooked. So let's chase that dragon together, shall we?
In case you hadn't noticed, our Theme of the Week is addiction, and how it never ends well. And also that Callie kind of sucks at life, which is truly a shame. The big case this week is a series of trauma victims from a gas main explosion crystal meth lab explosion at an apartment building. We've got the loveable "how could they be drug dealers?" neighbor, the slightly less loveable "I didn't even do drugs until recently!" client (don't get too attached to him), and the even less loveable "You mean cooking meth in our apartment could hurt our baby?" drug-dealing couple, plus their baby.
First off, I have to give props to Alex for smelling meth on the baby. That's quite a unique nose he's got there, and it kind of makes me wonder where he acquired that skill. Unfortunately, those props need to be immediately stripped, because he confronted the baby's drug dealing dad before the police got there. Just when I think he's starting to learn to control himself! Aaaand, let's get to the juicy stuff:
Meredith/Derek/Lexie: First off, I just need to confess that a relationship based entirely on sex and mockery sounds kind of awesome to me. Though we may need to come up with a new acronym. Second off, I need to confess that I really, really don't care whether Derek and Meredith stay together, or stay broken up, or whatever they are. Used to care, now I don't. He's whiny and patronizing, she's whiny and selfish--they deserve each other. Flame me if you will, but that's where I stand right now. And seriously, how could anyone be addicted to her?
Mer and Lexie, well, that's another toughie. Lexie lost some of my goodwill she garnered last week with all the hovering and staring, but it's hard not to be sympathetic. I mean, chick just lost her mom, and her sister treats her like trash. "I'm a person who just doesn't want to know you"? Uncool, Meredith. Uncool. It's not Lexie's fault her dad left you. You were probably a really heinous five-year-old, sucking tequila out of a juice box and squinting at your stuffed animals until they agreed to do what you wanted.
Cristina: Mama Burke is camping out in the waiting room, and reveals herself to be the Best Ever (along with Bailey, who is permanently the Best Ever) when she confronts Meredith for her "It's so, so over" speech at the wedding: "Were you being inappropriate, or were you being selfish?" AWESOME, though if she knew Meredith at all, she'd know that the answer is "both, all the time." She also describes to Derek a few parallels between his and Burke's situations, which is fair, since Cristina and Meredith are both pretty socially dysfunctional. However, I was totally NOT on board with her whole, "An honorable man knows when to walk away, and when to take less than he deserves" speech. Um, what does that even mean? And what does it have to do with being honorable? Whatev, she's still awesome.
Her conversation with Cristina was also mildly harsh. I mean, she said a lot of nice things about Cristina being a strong woman and all, but what was that bit about how she could have become a brilliant heart surgeon with Burke by her side? Clearly, she doesn't know Cristina very well. Heck, she'll be halfway to brilliant by the time she helps with all those cool surgeries she traded wedding presents for! Also, did she give a teeny tiny pep talk to that drug-dealing mom at the end, or was it just me? Soooomebody's growing as a person! And oh, I hate to burst your bubble, Cristina, but Burke's definitely NOT coming back to say goodbye. Although a Grey's Anatomy/Bionic Woman crossover would be all kinds of incredible.
George/Izzie/Callie: Le sigh. George is on a big "I love you" high, but Izzie got over that high in the weeks when they weren't speaking, so she's a bit more pragmatic. Because yeah, stealing your chief resident's husband? Bad. Idea. But Izzie, honey, it won't "work itself out" without him telling her. Callie will clearly just get pregnant, or something. Because, while the strong woman that was the original Callie would never stay with a man whom she suspects of having an affair, new, beaten-down Callie apparently will. To the point of refusing to allow said man to tell her he wants out. Stupid Gizzie. Paging Shonda: Give me back my original Callie - stat - and throw in a hook-up with Sloan for funsies.
All in all, this was definitely a better episode than last week's. Fewer awful speeches, for one. Plus, I've had a week to adjust to the whole Gizzie thing, though I'm still firmly against it. A couple of the plotlines, however, seem like they're getting a bit stale. So how about we meet some more of the new interns and shake things up a bit, eh? Bring back the fun? I mean, let's face it...it's not like I'm going to stop watching, but I might as well enjoy it as much as I used to, right?
On the Glowy Box: 30 Rock!!!!! !!!! !!! !! !
Pushing Daisies made me hungry for pie. Strawberry pie, specifically.
Watched Last Night:
Cane: From Tuesday night. I was uncertain about the pilot, and now I think I can definitively say that this show just isn't my thing. Great cast, great story, nice production...just not grabbing me. It seems I'm not in the mood for heavy drama this season. Good luck, Cane, but you're on your own.
Pushing Daisies: Like everyone else writing about television, I love this show. Love it. It's sweet, it's beautiful, it's funny, and it's like nothing else on TV. Last night's episode was, without a doubt, one of the best pilots I've ever seen. Of course, it helps that the show has its own charming narrator to make the normally painful exposition less so, but still--just fantastic.
Private Practice: Sigh. Sigh. On the one hand, this episode was marginally better than last week's, which saw Addison dancing naked in her apartment. On the other hand...sigh. A stripper? Really? And can we please let Addison calm down, be her professional self, and stop freaking out on Pete all the damn time? Speaking of Pete, I feel really terrible for Tim Daly having to read all those cheesy lines. That whole "I like women with lines around their eyes" speech was just painful.
America's Next Top Model: Check out my thoughts here. (Go Heather!)
Will Watch or DVR Tonight*:
Ugly Betty: Betty does not know what to do when she finds out that Wilhelmina's new bodyguard (Rick Fox) is taking the job to a whole new level; Bradford uses Alexis' amnesia to rewrite family history; Hilda comes to terms with recent events. ABC, 8 PM.
30 Rock: Jack tells Liz that, despite what she thinks, she is not over Floyd; Jack has a plan to insert "Seinfeld'' footage into the network's current shows. NBC, 8:30 PM.
Grey's Anatomy: The residents and interns treat the victims of a massive explosion at an apartment building; Mama Burke returns to collect her son's things; Lexie tries to have a heart-to-heart with unwilling Meredith. ABC, 9 PM.
The Office: Ryan returns to Dunder-Mifflin's Scranton branch to bring the company into the digital age; Angela remains unhappy about her cat. NBC, 9 PM.
*Descriptions from Zap2it.com's TV listings.
So psyched for 30 Rock. SO PSYCHED!
Top Chef: Live finales are for Trumps
Back for the finale!
Oh, Top Chef. You disappoint me severely. No, not in your choice of Top Chef, because I can see where you're coming from with that, but in the decision to do a live finale. I know you were just trying to prevent leaks, as happened last season, but it's just so… Apprentice. Thank goodness you realized that the live sections always suck, and are boring filler, and included as little of them as possible.
Still, though, between the completely useless live portions and the gratuitous celebrity sous-chefs, I found the finale dissatisfying. I miss the days when Top Chef used to be a simpler show, all about food and drama. For some reason, they don't trust the intrinsic drama anymore, and they had to throw a fourth course at them an hour before service. And if they're going to rip off Project Runway, they could at least include a visit from Tim Gunn, because there is no one, sadly, that lovable on Top Chef, with the exception of occasional judge Ted Allen (see below).
They've told us for weeks that Hung is the robot chef with no heart and no soul to his food – but now, suddenly, either he got soul or the fact that he didn't have one wasn't such a big deal anymore. Maybe it was because, for the first time, Hung was given no restrictions. Some people become more creative when they have to adhere to a set of rules, but Hung was clearly not one of those people, because it was only while cooking his final dishes that he seemed happy and free – well, except for that Quickfire where he made a little Smurf village. Which I dare him to place on the menu of his restaurant. So, anyway, having found and displayed his soul, or not, the culinary redemption of Hung is complete, and he is now the Top Chef. As I've said before, he is the most technically proficient of all the chefs, so the title is richly deserved. I just didn't want the show to give him another reason to be full of himself.
Best moment of the night, for me: Dale, on the fourth course curveball delivered by Tom: "I wanted to punch him in the face." You don't know how long I've waited for a chef to say that. Man, I am going to miss Dale so much.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
America's Next Top Model: Is it time for makeovers yet?
Tonight on Top Model, we were once again forced to endure an entire episode of un-made-over models. It was pretty rough going, but I managed to ignore Janet's semi-mullet long enough to enjoy a shouting match, a runway show, and a very random photo shoot.
As the girls are hanging out at the house, Kimberly asks Bianca for help walking, and Bianca totally sabotages her with bad tips! Bitch! In fact, I'm just going to change the word "Bitch" to "Bianca" for the length of this recap. Thus, later, Bianca Biancas about how Heather has it really easy in the competition, since everyone feels sorry for her and her Aspergers-having self. Um, right. I'm not even going to address that. It was heartening to see some of the girls help Heather out with clothes and makeup, though. Not because someone with Aspergers can't do it themselves or anything, but because it means they're actually warming up to her. Yay!
The girls are sent to a "fashion madhouse," which is set up to look like an abandoned mental hospital. After scaring them half to death, Miss Jay goes about curing them of their fashion ills. By...putting them in straightjackets and making them walk in heels. I would fall over in, like, two seconds, you guys. Also? I love this show. That really can't be said enough. Poor Heather doesn't do so well, while Janet and Saleisha were standouts.
Bianca and Saleisha, it should be noted, have a bit of a rivalry going. Mostly in Bianca's mind. I have to give the edge to Saleisha, though, who has prior modeling experience (and also isn't a backstabbing Bianca). It all comes to a head in a bizarre shouting match, which everyone else just kind of laughs at. Which is completely fair, because it was hilarious. Bianca follows it up with an interview that simply must be quoted in full: "I could break these [Biancas] down one by one. I refuse to let these [Biancas] think that I'm not a real model. Don't let the red hair fool you, [Biancas]. I can be very high fashion, okay?" AMAZING!
Tyra Mail! They're off meet Roy Campbell, who is putting together a couture fashion show with gowns by Colleen Quen. The winner of the walking challenge will get to walk the runway in her next line's Paris debut. The dresses are...weird. And mostly very difficult to walk in, though not entirely, which seems unfair. And the runway commentary by Roy Campbell is hilarious: "Imagine molten metal poured all over your body, and you have this curvaceous gown." Ebony and Sarah have a bit of a runway collision, and Roy Campbell points out that it almost looked deliberate on Ebony's part. Saleisha deservedly wins the challenge, though Bianca also gets praised.
This week's photo shoot isn't quite as life-altering as last week's. ...Unless it's trying to send some sort of anti-vertigo message. That's right, they'll be on a rock climbing wall in high fashion gowns. And crazy makeup. Just because. Lisa is afraid of heights, but does a great job anyway, of course. 'Cause Lisa's a pro. Her face was often self-conscious in the film, though. Janet's final photo is good, but her film wasn't consistent. And the judges don't see her as a model in person. Saleisha needs a bit of a pep talk, but then she really pulls it out with an amazing upside-down pose, even though she's not really "high fashion." I'm definitely on board the Saleisha train, although the "I've modeled before" thing is getting a wee bit old.
Bianca isn't quite as successful, which is fine by me. Bizarrely, Twiggy loves her in person. Victoria, who really needs to stop talking about how nerdy she is, turns out a very interesting, unique photo. I love it, and the judges like it too, though they want her to appear more confident in person. And, kind of in opposition to that, they want her to stop talking back to them. Ambreal does a great job according to most of the judges, but Twiggy and I are just not feeling it with her. Chantal has some difficulty with posing. In fact, her photo looks totally crazy, and the judges especially aren't digging the spread eagle pose. However, they seem to come around to it in the end, and she winds up with some pretty heavy praise (undeservedly, in my opinion).
Ebony is worried, but still pulls out an okay picture. The judges aren't sure she has what it takes to make it in the industry. Sarah's photo turns out nicely, and the judges point out how photogenic her face is. They find her awkward in person, though. Kimberly doesn't have a great photo, but the judges at least like her in person. They worry, though, that she's overly hoochie in pictures, and show a horrifying casting photo of Kimberly in a vest/corset thing to prove their point. Urgh. Jenah is an expert rock climber and poser, and really rocks (get it?) the shoot. The judges love her photo. Heather also does a great job, and we get to see some of her drawings at judging, which are pretty impressive. The judges love her (as should everyone).
Heather, bless her heart, talks about how hard eliminations are, because she really likes all the girls. Glad to see she's fitting in better at the house, but some of the other girls do NOT deserve her friendship after all the trash-talking last week. She's a bigger person than I am, that's for sure. And she's Covergirl of the Week, so well-played for the second week in a row, America. Jaslene's Life as a Covergirl, incidentally, is still loud and monotone-tastic. And yet, she's been selected as spokesperson for a big anti-abuse campaign. Go figure.
Back at panel, Jenah gets the first picture, followed by Heather. Yay! Also in are Lisa, Chantal (this early?), Sarah, Ambreal, Victoria, Saleisha (this late?), Janet, and Ebony (who practically rips the photo out of Tyra's hand). According to Tyra, Kimberly is gorgeous but doesn't photograph well for high fashion, while Bianca's photo was unpopular with all the judges but Tyra. Bianca gets to stick around, though, and Kimberly is out. Fair enough, I guess.
Next week: MAKEOVERS!!!!!1!
On the Glowy Box: Shut up, Wilson
Man, I'm getting way behind already...
Watched Last Night:
Journeyman: From Monday night. I'm still on the fence with this show. While I appreciate the fact that you don't necessarily have to watch every week, since they're going with a "case of the week" style, I think it would be far more interesting if it focused more on the mystery of the time traveling itself. Thus, this one is being downgraded to "watch if I'm home" status.
House: I'm bringing back the House-ku, baby!
Glad to see some fresh faces
But Wilson still sucks
Eureka: Read my thoughts on the fabulous season finale here.
Will watch or DVR tonight*:
Pushing Daisies: "Pie-lette" episode. Ned uses his unique ability to bring his childhood sweetheart back to life after her murder. ABC, 8 PM.
America's Next Top Model: The models get a lesson on perfecting their runway walk while wearing straitjackets; two contestants get into a heated argument; an edgy fashion photo-shoot on a rock-climbing wall; the judges send one model home. The CW, 8 PM.
Private Practice: Cooper hires someone to help Sam jump-start his new life as a single person; the doctors work with St. Ambrose Hospital's chief of staff to determine the cause of a baby's illness. ABC, 9 PM.
Bionic Woman: Jaime begins to learn how to balance the human and machine within her as she struggles with her new secret life while maintaining normality with her sister. NBC, 9 PM.
Dirty Sexy Money: Nick enlists the help of an airplane mechanic to try to figure out who killed his father; Juliet refuses to take part in an important family photo shoot; Tripp pressures Patrick to announce his candidacy for the Senate. ABC, 10 PM.
Life: Crews and Reese search for the killer of a newlywed whose husband is the No. 1 suspect; Crews revisits the scene of the crime that landed him in prison. NBC, 10 PM.
*Descriptions from Zap2it.com's TV listings.
So...props to ABC for a solid Wednesday night lineup, I guess. I'm giving up on Gossip Girl, as you can see. It just didn't really grab me, surprisingly enough. Maybe I have a limit for trashy TV shows after all! (And from the look of it, there's no extra room on my plate Wednesdays.)
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Eureka: Back on track for the season finale
Oh, man. I know I've been a little hard on Eureka lately, but it was only because I knew the show could be even better. And clearly, I was right. Tonight's episode, the second part of this season's finale, was fantastic! Twists, turns, and some fabulously quotable writing. I wasn't even annoyed that it was all about Artifact stuff! Luckily for us, Sci Fi has ordered 13 more episodes for next summer, so at least we have that to look forward to.
Apparently, a Code Red biohazard at GD, such as the deadly bacteria that it appears Henry did NOT make up (contrary to my suspicions last week) activates a panic room protocol which turns the Director's office into an impenetrable bunker. Beverly and Henry act surprised, which indicates that this wasn't part of their plan. No, they're there to take Kevin someplace where the consortium that Beverly works with will exploit him and his connection to the Artifact while giving him "all the care and attention he needs." And Henry is totally Super-Evil Kidnapper Henry, agreeing that Allison and Kevin can't possibly control and protect all that power. Yikes.
While Allison is trying to convince them that kidnapping her son is probably not a good plan, Akashic field and all human knowledge or not, Stark, Carter and Taggart are trying to break through GD's defenses to get to the bunker. They're in a bit of a hurry, since DoD protocol is to do a "thermal cleansing" if an outbreak of this type can't be contained. The cleansing isn't exactly friendly to organic matter.
Zoe's party has become a command post, seeing as SARAH has a periscope with a backdoor electronic link to the GD system. Of course. Fargo and Zane fight over who gets to play hacker, which gives Jo her quote of the night: "Boys, there's plenty of backdoor access for everyone!" It's the delivery that really sells it. They help Carter and Stark (and Taggart, before he gets sidetracked playing Pied Piper/Jedi Knight to a bunch of lost GD employees) navigate the GD defense system, which seems to be a little aggressive. Like, cooking people with microwaves and shooting at them with lasers aggressive. I loved Carter's quote when Taggart and Stark decide that he should be the one to serve as human bait for the lasers: "Why do I always have to be the someone?!" So true, Carter. So true.
After discovering live, uninfected employees in the morgue (and making a funny zombie joke), Carter, Stark and Taggart realize that the bacterial infection was a ruse on Henry's part. I totally called it after all! After Taggart leaves, Carter and Stark have a little heart to heart. Much as Stark rubs me the wrong way, I do enjoy the generally good-natured dislike and rivalry that these two share. Carter asks why Allison went along with the whole "hiding Beverly and the evidence of her crimes" thing, and Stark responds, "Did you ever think she was trying to protect me?" Carter, with Colin Ferguson's perfect timing, answers, "Noooo...that's not it." Ha! So he figures out part of the connection to Kevin, and Stark fills in the rest, including what he's risked solely to protect Kevin. I'm hearing some death knells for the Allison/Carter ship, you guys.
Aaaat any rate, it seems that the Directors' bunker is also equipped with secret (untested) teleportation devices which read one's DNA and reconstruct it elsewhere, leaving an empty shell body behind. Of course. Henry and Beverly intend to use it to escape with Kevin, but Stark realizes that the device, which he helped to build, could safely separate Kevin from the Akashic field, if only the user had his pre-Artifact DNA code.
After a catfight in which Allison totally and completely kicks Beverly's evil butt, knocking her unconscious, Henry explains that he's not working with Beverly, and that he faked the bacteria thing so that they could use the teleportation device to separate Kevin from the field. WHAT?! Actually, no, that kind of makes sense. Except...why did he even bust Beverly out of prison? And how did he find out about the Kevin thing? And wasn't he being evil all season, what with the Carter-hating and all? Beverly wakes up and tries to convince Henry that they have "all the knowledge of the universe at their fingertips." When Henry refuses to help her, she tries to attack. Luckily, Carter and Stark get there just in time, and with the right information to separate Kevin from the field successfully. He seems good as new, so...yay!
Beverly escapes using the crazy teleportation thing (duh), so I guess we'll be seeing her next season. Stark, though, lies to DoD that she died, and Henry claims responsibility for the whole mess. Which, fair enough. At least for the latter part. They handcuff him and take him away, hopefully to be heard from again, since he's all Not-Evil Henry now. The season ends pretty much the polar opposite from how it began, with Allison, Kevin and Stark more of a family than ever. And possibly WAY more of a family, since Stark re-proposes to Allison. Aww, I kind of liked her chemistry with Carter. And that dry cleaning chick was nowhere to be seen in this episode, so nuts. So that's it for this season, and it'll be almost a year before you can get your Eureka on again. Sigh. On the plus side, it'll make Tuesdays at 9 a little easier on my DVR...
On the Glowy Box: When are spies ever NOT awesome, really?
Welcome to a new, and hopefully daily, feature in which I give a brief recap of my thoughts on last night's television, and look forward to tonight's! (Without Lori, "we" won't have quite as many full reviews posted, so this seems like a good compromise.)
Watched Last Night:
Chuck: Still loving this show. Implausible? Yes. Mindless viewing? Sort of. Funny? Definitely. Surprisingly exciting? Absolutely! Chuck is also a perfect example of how far good casting can get you: Zachary Levi is a bright spot in an already-great ensemble (Morgan's useless self aside). I didn't love the whole "Sarah getting all insulted when Chuck doesn't trust her" thing (take a chill pill, babe--who wouldn't be paranoid in this situation?), but that seems to have run its course. Let's just hope they don't start making out next week.
Aliens in America: I definitely saw great potential in this pilot, although upon second viewing, the preachiness became a bit overwhelming. I'm hoping and expecting that they'll get it under control in future episodes. I'm also hoping that they'll use Scott Patterson a bit more as the dad--he's a great addition to the show, adding a bit more loveable gruffness to the role, rather than the sometimes off-putting goofiness of the original dad (this role was recast after the original pilot was filmed). Plus, you know, Luke!
How I Met Your Mother: Didn't live up to the season premiere, and still has a ways to go to reach the comedic heights of last season, but was awesome nonetheless, of course. I loved that they used big words so Gael couldn't understand them ("This is all going to return to masticate you in the gluteals"), and I'm really enjoying seeing Barney as Ted's wing man again. However, didn't George try that whole "I'm from out of town" thing on Seinfeld?
The Bachelor: Read my thoughts here, while I go wash the taste of this show out of my mouth.
Will Watch or DVR Tonight*:
House: House begins interviewing for the open positions on his team and sets the applicants against one another to help treat a woman who has an unusual neurological disorder. Fox, 9 PM.
Reaper: Sam must use a remote-controlled monster truck to capture the escaped soul; Sam, Sock and Ben take down the angry soul who sucks energy from power lines for strength. The CW, 9 PM.
Eureka: Part II of the season finale! Sheriff Carter and Nathan Stark work together to try to save Allison's son and stop the progression of an aggressive virus. Sci Fi, 9 PM.
Boston Legal: Alan struggles with his love life while assisting Jerry and Katie with a high-profile murder trial; the firm hires Lorraine, whom Alan and Denny cannot resist; Judge Weldon awaits Alan's decision. ABC, 10 PM.
Cane: Alex begins his reign as CEO of Duque Rum and presents to the senator his plan for a Florida-based ethanol refinery; Alex must deal with the repercussions of his plot to murder Quinones. CBS, 10 PM.
*Descriptions from Zap2it.com's TV listings.
Yeah, don't ask me how I'm going to manage to watch and/or record three shows at 9. Yeesh.
Monday, October 01, 2007
The Bachelor: It's not the fall that kills you
Tonight's Bachelor proved that assertiveness pays off, while falling down the stairs does not. It was also chock full passive aggression, actual aggression, and fake boobs in bikinis. Also giant hats. So really, something for everyone.
There are two group dates this week, each with a rose up for grabs. And apparently, these dates are revealed in "date boxes," which contain crazy date-related items as well as the names of the women going. The first date box contains a leather riding crop, a toy, and some intriguing fashion accessories. Yeah, not as interesting as it sounds. It's a day at the races (how old school!), and Karen, McCarten, Kristy, Mallory, Hillary, Jade, and DeAnna will be attending. In giant hats, to boot. Brad gives all the women cash with which to bet, hoping it will tell him something about their personalities. I'd probably keep all but, like, $1 of the cash. Which probably does say something about me.
The next date box contains beach stuff. Solisa claims that it's a "way better date" than the racetrack one, and while at first I'm inclined to chalk it up to sour grapes, I concede her the point when she mentions bikinis. With those gazongas, any bikini time is a good thing for her. Plus, she'll never drown! (And I'll never get sick of that joke.) But amidst the jubilation, tragedy strikes! Michele injures herself falling on the stairs in the mansion, and needs to be carried out on a stretcher by EMTs, with her neck stabilized. Yikes. The girls try not to act too excited by the potential loss of a competitor.
Back at the races, Hillary and Brad are really hitting it off. And the rest of the girls, watching them with binoculars from the stands, are totally jealous. But quickly distracted by a celebrity visitor--Shaun Phillips, who is apparently a linebacker for the Chargers. I don't believe for a second that all those girls really recognized him. The party mood is ruined when Michele calls Brad to inform him of her fall down the stairs. As he tells the girls of Michele's accident, and that she has a mild concussion, their expressions range from barely-restrained glee to completely unrestrained glee.
McCarten even manages, right after Brad delivers the news, to passive-aggressively question the fact that Michele managed to call him, even with a (supposed) concussion. In an interview, her initial reaction is to ask how Michele even got his phone number. Wow. I just- wow. I mean, setting aside the fact that obviously the producers got that number into Michelle's hot little injured hand as quickly as humanly possible, are these chicks even human? Dang. McCarten uses the stunned silence to press Brad for some one-on-one time. Brad's not into it the conversation with her, and he trashes the kiss they shared in an interview. HA! I kind of like Brad. Also? McCarten sucks.
DeAnna and Brad, on the other hand, definitely hit it off during their one-on-one time, and she gets the rose. Suck it, McCarten! As they try and share some quality time and possibly a little smooching, the daters who didn't get roses intentionally bust in on them. Tacky! Jade is the ringleader, but Hillary is also pretty upset she didn't get the rose.
Michele is too injured to go to the beach, but Brad visits her before he leaves on the date. He's really sweet about it, and finds her toughness attractive. I guess Sheena's interview about "one down" was a bit premature, eh? Out on the beach, the girls pretty much forcibly strip Brad of his shirt. Not that I'm complaining. Because I'm really, really not. Jade decides that the girls on the racetrack date were the "classy" ones of the bunch, and the shots (and I mean that literally) of the beach date don't necessarily prove her wrong. Sarah is the first girl to steal Brad away for solo time, and it goes pretty well. In an image that will be forever burned into my mind, Solisa has Brad do a body shot off of her. And then talks about all her Christian morals and values. Brad's brain almost explodes with the hypocrisy of it all. Jenni and Brad make out a little during their one-on-one time--he seems really into her, more so than any of the other girls we've seen him with. At the house, Hillary and Jade sneak into Jenni's belongings to find her modeling portfolio, which they think proves that she's just on the show to further her career.
In the end, though, Sarah gets the rose out of all the "beach babes." Jenni's pretty upset, but I bet he just didn't want to give her two in a row. The roseless women realize that they may need to be a bit more aggressive in the future, right after they relax with some champagne in a hot tub with Brad. And then run around topless (in the dark) on the beach, in Solisa's case. It's weird. She puts her top back on and runs back up, but Brad doesn't seem that into it, much as he tries to be nice.
Back at the mansion, it's time for the rose ceremony after some additional one-on-one time. Brad sits down with Michele first. You know, just to be fair. She interviews that she felt rushed, and makes it pretty obvious as she tries to tell him all her hopes and dreams in one breath, without allowing him to interject. Still gonna say he won't kick off the injured girl, though. Bettina, for her part, has a bit of a confession for Brad: she's been divorced. She doesn't actually make the confession, mind you--she totally wusses out. Mallory, for her part, comes off as a little stupid, and a lot obnoxious. Meanwhile, Jade and Hillary gripe about Jenni's portfolio behind her back, and she overhears them. She's understandably upset, and actually seems like a sweet girl. Jade, of course, tattles to Brad in a vague "I don't want to name names" way. He interviews that he's now trying his best to figure out who's really there for him, and who's just there to have a good time.
At the rose ceremony, Kristy, Bettina, Hillary, Stephy, Sheena, McCarten (BOO!), Jenni, Lindsey (in a lovely dress), Jade (BOO!), and Solisa (seriously?!) all get roses. Is this like Top Model, where the order means something, or is it random? Anyway, this leaves Erin, Mallory, and Michele out in the cold. Wow, ouch. You'd think Michele would at least get a pity rose.
Next week, the girls go to the circus, and Hillary gets a little emotional. Oh, and of course, we have The Most Shocking Cocktail Party Ever, where Brad sends his not-so-identical twin in to sub for him.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Desperate Housewives: In with the New
It's a new season on Desperate Housewives, and you know what that means! New neighbors, with new secrets. Although in tonight's episode, which picks up one month after the season finale left off, there were more than enough secrets to go around. All in all, a pretty good start to the season, although it wasn't as engaging as the show once was. Probably because at this point, I think it's impossible for Marc Cherry to shock me anymore. Also, because the characters are largely pretty annoying and ridiculous. But hey, they still make for some relatively entertaining television, and I welcome the new blood to freshen things up a little.
The new neighbors are Katherine (played by Dana Delany), Adam, and Dylan. Katherine and Dylan, her daughter, used to live on Wisteria lane with Katherine's aunt, Mrs. Sims. After a sudden departure 12 years ago, Katherine and Dylan have returned to care for Mrs. Sims with Katherine's new husband, Adam, who is a gynecologist. Katherine, it should be noted, is awful, and highly likely to get into a catfight with Bree, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Mysteriously, Dylan can't remember anything about her time living at Wisteria Lane as a child, even her former best friend, Julie. Julie, for her part, doesn't even think Dylan is the same girl--especially after Dylan confesses that her earliest "memory" is a recurring dream about a man in her room trying to grab her, and that her mom freaked out when she asked about going into therapy for it. Oh, and Katherine won't let her live in one of the rooms in the house, because of something that happened there in the past, I think. So...either "Dylan" was kidnapped by Katherine and her first husband after the real Dylan died accidentally or something, or else some horrible traumatic thing happened and they somehow brainwashed Dylan completely. They're only back in Wisteria Lane because they had "no choice." Bananas!
Let's get caught up with the old gang, shall we?
Edie never intended to kill herself. She just hung onto the ceiling until she heard Carlos get home, and then waited for him to find her. Which he did, although not immediately. Unfortunately for Carlos, Edie's "suicide attempt" put an end to the plans he and Gabby had to run away together (on her wedding night, natch), because Carlos responds well to emotional blackmail. One month later, Edie is out of the "clinic" and back on The Lane, where she immediately busies herself nosing into Carlos's personal affairs, including his $10 million offshore bank account (which you'd think would be better hidden), so she can more literally blackmail him into staying with her. What the heck happened to Edie? She used to be so confident, and now she's just disgustingly needy and co-dependent. And also very mentally unbalanced. I guess this is what you get when you focus a maneater's attentions on just one man...yikes.
Susan senses that Mike isn't totally satisfied with married life, and only gets more worried when Adam, acting as her substitute OB-GYN, suggests that she may be starting menopause. Ouch. She freaks out, as expected. However, it turns out that it's not so much menopause. In fact, she's pregnant (insert sarcastic gasp here). And finally, Mike is happy. Susan seems happy, but she said before that she didn't want (more) kids. That's quite the change of heart. Although I guess when the alternative is menopause... Knowing this show, though, Susan and Mike can't finally settle down and have a normal, happy relationship. Thus, I'm betting the baby is Ian's. Who's with me?
Lynette is bald. And the bald cap hiding all her hair makes her head look huge. Like, alien huge. Oh, and she spends most of the episode pretending to everyone but Tom and her mother that she doesn't have cancer. Um, what? With the how? And the huh? Is that even possible? I mean, I know she slips up once and barfs in someone's purse during a school play, but it seems like you wouldn't be able to hide a month of chemo while still maintaining your normal schedule. Anyway, she reveals all in a fabulous de-wigging, but her friends are understandably upset that she'd keep something like that from them. Thus, a "no more secrets" pact is formed and broken instantaneously, because who on this show doesn't have crazy secrets?
Bree, for her part, is still pretending to be pregnant. Despite accidentally stabbing her fake belly with a barbeque fork in front of witnesses at a party. Orson tries to be the voice of reason, but she refuses to give up the charade, correctly stating that Danielle is totally incapable of raising a healthy child. Of course, by that standard, Bree's not really one to judge. However, she really wants a second (third, really) chance at it, and Orson won't deny her that. Man, if I were Bree, I would fake needing bed rest pretty darn soon, especially with a gynecologist hanging around.
Gabby is still with the Mayor, but only in body (and not much of that, either, since he's busy with work all the time). In spirit, she's waiting to run away with Carlos. It might be a long wait. But in the meantime, she and Carlos sleep together on the sly, though it seems inevitable that they'll be totally, totally busted. Probably by a homicidal Edie.
My favorite quote of the episode, by the way, was when Edie was openly discussing her "suicide attempt" with the women at a barbeque, much to their shock. "It's okay. The doctor encouraged me to talk about it." -Edie. "Surely not over food." -Bree. This show has its ups and its downs (and yes, a lot of downs lately), but it's almost worth watching for Bree's quips alone. No sign of the gay couple so far, but I kind of can't wait, if only to see how Bree reacts to them.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Dexter: Splattering its way to a commute near you
So on my way home from work yesterday, as I was going about my normal business, I ran into a fountain filled with blood. Or rather, filled with artificial blood. The fountain itself isn't even usually there, let alone filled with red water. Hmm. As I walked over, I saw a couple of people in lab coats standing there talking to people. Hmm. Upon closer inspection, though, their lab coats had the Showtime logo on them, and also the logo from their show about a serial killer, Dexter. Craziest promotion ever, you guys!
And apparently, my city wasn't the only one hit. Showtime claims that the water is red because it's their "corporate color," and isn't meant to portray blood, but I'm not buying it. I mean, the employees were wearing lab coats. And in some of the cities, it seems, the fountains were surrounded by fake crime scene tape. Showtime, if you've going to pull a gruesome stunt like this one, you kind of have to OWN it. That said, it certainly livened up my commute!
[Photo courtesy of the fabulous DCist and their guest photographer Eddie Kim, since I wasn't clever enough to take a picture with my cell phone.]
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Grey's Anatomy: We're all freaking out
Oh. My. God. Ohmygod. OMG. (Deep breaths, deep breaths.) Okay. Phew. So. I told myself over the summer that Grey's and I were through. That it went way, way downhill last season (true story), and that I would only watch it critically, with appropriate detachment and probable mocking this season. And now? I'm kind of sucked back in. Sigh. This was so predictable. Does anyone else hate themselves a little for still getting into this show? Because I do, and more than a little. This episode wasn't even that great, for godsakes!
All episodes have a theme, of course, and this week's installment was all about change, or lack thereof. The more things change: Burke is gone, Meredith and Derek are broken up, Meredith's sister is an intern, almost everyone's a resident, and Callie is chief resident and possibly pregnant. The more they stay the same: George is still an intern, Callie is still getting crapped on, Meredith and Derek are still having sex, Bailey is still kicking ass and taking names, and Gizzie's reign of terror continues unabated. ARGH. We'll get into that later.
Oh, and there are also still quirky cases (man eats enough coins to do a month's worth of laundry, plus some medical equipment and cotton balls), cases that parallel our characters' lives (pregnant woman tries to go it alone, but realizes that you need people to rely on in case things go wrong; Izzie tries to save a deer when everyone else has given up on it, or didn't care in the first place), and heart-wrenching cases (internally decapitated man and his loving family prepare for him to die in surgery). So not much difference there, either.
Since I'm apparently on a roll with the lists, here are the things I loved about the episode, in no particular order:
- The speech the new residents gave to their new interns, which mimicked the speech Bailey gave them in the show's pilot episode. Aww, they're all grown up!
- That Alex is clearly still in love with Eva/Rebecca, even while he's pretending to lust over other girls (like Meredith's sister, ew).
- McSteamy's "I came to Seattle to get you back" speech to Derek. I can hear the clickity clack of a thousand new slash fics being written right this very instant...
- The fact that when Callie was bemoaning her life, instead of caving and giving her some sage advice on how to deal with the interns, Bailey just said, "Hope tomorrow's better." Love! Her!
- Izzie's fierce speech to her interns at the end of the episode, in which she called them all duds. God, I hope we see more of that Izzie this season.
- Lexie. I think. Maybe. Although the whole history with Derek and the flirting at the bar is more than a bit much.
Here are the things that made me mad (either on behalf of the characters, or because it actually pissed me off), in no particular order except that the last item on the list outweighs all others, plus everything on the previous list, too:
- That the Chief gave Callie the chief resident position just so that Bailey could focus on becoming a great surgeon, even though he thought she'd be great at it. Um, not really your call to make, Chief. She applied, so you should have considered her on her merits.
- Izzie's "I'm Bambi! All alone in the forest!" speech. Um, yeah. That's taking the metaphor a bit too far. Or at least spelling it out too much.
- That George won't just freaking tell everyone that he blames them a little for his failing the intern exam. Man up, George!
- That when George did man up, it was to tell Izzie that he loves her, too. NOOOOOO! I thought we were going to wash our hands of this Gizzie business, for once and for all! This is going to put a serious damper on my enjoyment of the show. Seriously.
There's a lot more to get in to, but I could probably rant and rave about this show (or anything else, for that matter) forever, so I think I'll just leave you with this quote from Meredith: "Much better to be alone and be a success, than be in a relationship and feel like a failure all the time." Hmm. I guess everyone in this episode is much better off, then, since they were all so completely, completely alone. Hear that, George and Izzie?
Project Runway: Meet the Cast of Season 4!
My wish is Bravo's command! Not only do we now know that Project Runway will be returning November 14th, but Bravo has provided us with photos and detailed bios of all the new cast members. Based on looks alone, it seems like we've got a new Jay, a new Jeffrey, and... a Sweet P. Right. Although I'm sure the bios are inflated just a tad, we have some pretty fancy resumes! Elisa and Rami, in particular, come with impressive backgrounds.
The contestants vary in age from 21 to 46. We also appear to have at least a couple of self-taught designers, and at least one whose experience lies predominantly in menswear. And the designers as a group seem to be very into Alexander McQueen and boots. Hmm.
Looks like a great, highly-skilled (mostly) group, at any rate. Mark November 14th on your calendar, people. Or, just brace yourself for the onslaught of Bravo promos that won't let up until November 14th. I can't wait!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
America's Next Top Model: Tyra saves the world!
This week on Top Model, Tyra takes a stand against all that is wrong with the world, and vows to right those wrongs using the medium of reality television. Just when I thought I couldn't love this show any more, she kicks things up a notch. Tyra's my hero, you guys.
The girls start their first day by meeting Orange Jay, whose hair is distinctly whiter than usual. I think the cooler silvery color really brings out the orange in his skin. He brings them out to their new biodiesel limo/bus. It's awesome, and may actually begin to make up for the horrifyingly gas-guzzling transportation used in previous cycles. Go, Tyra!!! They drive to their new pad, which is also green-themed. Plants everywhere, and tips for being eco-friendly scattered about, though I wonder if it's truly eco-friendly like the bitch bus. Alternative energy? Composting? Low-flow showerheads? Green roof? I kind of doubt it, but that would be pretty sweet. And guess what?! The difference-making isn't done yet! Later, at the end of panel, Tyra announces that this is a non-smoking cycle, because Top Model is Taking. A. Stand. Two stands in one episode? Best cycle ever! I can't wait to watch Jenah (who smokes) get bitchier and bitchier as the stress of the competition builds...I just wish I knew who else smoked.
Okay, time to gossip about the girls. Heather, who has Aspergers, spends a lot of time on her own. And staring into space. Aww. She gives the others a little lecture on Aspergers, but they still don't seem to be taking to her, though they do seem to pity her a bit. Interestingly, they keep coming up with reasons why Heather's disability will make the competition really difficult for her. Threatened, much? Victoria, who is awesome, is bothered by the other girls talking about Heather behind her back (not that she does anything to stop it). Kimberly, in particular, is pretty mean. Nuts. I kind of liked her. Now that Heather is a top contender, I wonder if they'll be treating her any differently.
Now, I know Ebony is getting the bitch label, but I have to say, I think Bianca is worse. I mean, at least Ebony owns it! Bianca is, like, stealth-bitch. Lisa and Bianca snipe back and forth at each other a lot at the photo shoot. Now, I know Lisa's more mature, so I don't know why she's even bothering getting into it with that bitch. Bianca actually makes her cry when she says that the next Top Model won't be an exotic dancer. Orange Jay has to come in to tell them to get their act together and quit fighting, and then they make nice back at the pool. ...Or do they?! Bianca totally admits in an interview that she only apologized because she didn't want it to come up at panel. Worst. Ever!
Alright, time to talk photo shoot. The first shoot's theme is...(drumroll please)...anti-smoking! Aww, you guys, Top Model is being all adorably responsible this season! Can next week's theme be about the dangers of eating disorders? And then make the next one about how throwing phones at people is bad for your career? It's a double-shoot, with each contestant shooting one glam photo lighting up a cigarette, and one darker photo, which will be shown as a reflection in the mirror, of the side effects or end results of smoking. And, as you might have guessed, this is one of the Most Controversial Shoots Ever. If they keep topping themselves like this, they're going to have to have the girls strangle puppies or something just to get the controversial label.
Ambreal's photo depicts lung cancer, in the form of her coughing up blood. It's pretty gross. The judges see a great model in her photos, but less so in person. Jenah is portraying baldness from chemotherapy. Oh, and she's a smoker, but she claims to have quit after the shoot. Nice touch, Jenah! I bet you thought you'd get some happy tears from Tyra for that one. Little did you know, Tyra'd be making you quit anyway! The judges really like her photos, but give her a few posing tips. Privately, they think she's already getting a bit boring. Mila, who is possibly the most cheerful person I've ever seen, is also doing chemo hair loss, but can't stop laughing how crazy her patchy hair looks. Um, yeah. Not great. She gets some criticism for her posing and gets tagged with the dreaded Dead Eye label. Uh oh.
Janet is a burn victim with makeup that looks completely painted-on. The judges love her photo, but I'm not really feelin' it. And Twiggy doesn't think she looks like a model. Probably because of the semi-mullet. I'm with ya, Twiggy. Chantal has the throat hole thing. URGH. The judges like her photos, but think her eyes were a bit too "bedroom." I think she looks pretty hot. In the one without the throat hole, obvs. Heather and Saleisha are together depicting the effects of second-hand smoke. Quite the astonishing coincidence that the girl with a social disorder gets put in a photo with another girl on her first shoot, eh? Heather has a tough time interacting with Saleisha, but the judges love their photos.
Kimberly is doing "sunken face," which...okay. Is that even a real thing, or just an excuse for crazy makeup? The judges think she's a bit too hoochie, but love her "tragic" shot. What could be more tragic than "sunken face," after all? I have to say, the judges seem to be grading on a bit of a curve this week. They're usually so harsh, especially on the first few shoots, and now they're giving the mildest criticism ever, combined with effusive praise. Is this the kinder, gentler Top Model? At any rate, Sarah is doing premature aging, and her makeup is hysterical. She looks a little like Melrose, as a matter of fact. The judges love her photos. Victoria is portraying a smoker who has given birth to a stillborn child. Yikes. The judges love her photos, but say she needs to work on her people skills a bit. Never change, Victoria! Never change!
Ebony doesn't quite rock the shoot--she's depicting a collapsed lung. The judges think her posing is stiff, but like her reflection shot. Which barely even shows her face, or anything but props, but whatever. Nigel thinks she's the most beautiful girl there. Oh, Nigel. So horny and thus untrustworthy when it comes to judging potential models. Bianca has "severe gingivitis," and they put some kind of scary witch/hillbilly teeth in her. YUCK. The judges think she's too posey and has the Dead Eye, and they love her reflection photo, which looks totally freaking absurd to me. Lisa is working with a "face tumor," which is just gross. The judges think her photos are great, though, and they are right. They looove her, and are right about that, too. Yay, Lisa!
Before judging, the girls get a quick styling challenge/Old Navy Commercial. They're instructed by Miss Jay to head over to Old Navy (which is full of great basics!) to pick out an outfit to wear to panel that fits their personal style, but makes them look like a model. And they only have ten minutes, of course, because what's Top Model without a gaggle of girls running all over a store in various states of undress while totally trashing the place? Benny Ninja, the flamiest posing instructor in all the land, meets them there to pimp Old Navy and yell stuff at them as they frantically shop. He tells them to not be boring, but that seems like some sort of sneaky trap, since Miss Jay said to keep things clean and simple. At panel, judges mostly complain about too many accessories. Victoria gets props, but Saleisha wins the $1,000 Old Navy shopping spree, as well the chance to do an ad for Old Navy.
And finally, the moment of truth at panel. Heather gets called first! Take that, bitches. Lisa (yay!), Chantal, Sarah, Jenah, Saleisha, Ambreal, Victoria (yay!), Janet, Kimberly, and Bianca (boo) are all also in. Ebony is totally already crying, but it's cheerful optimist Mila who's out, still smiling, of course. Fair enough, I guess...her photos weren't great, and she doesn't bring the drama that Ebony brings. (Also, Nigel's totally right. The chick is gorgeous.) Still, it would've been nice to have had a sunny person like Mila around the house. Either that, or it would have gotten old in, like, five minutes.
In other news, Jaslene's "My Life as a Covergirl" was extremely uneventful. Um, the Teen Choice Awards? Lame! Does anyone remember when these were good, or is it just my imagination? Lisa, for her part, is the Covergirl of the Week. Well done, America. Well done.
Flight of the Conchords: It's business time for the first season DVD!
In an impressively quick turnaround, HBO is releasing the first season DVD of Flight of the Conchords on November 6th, just two months after the season finale aired. While a small part of me worries that the speedy production will result in fewer awesome extras (especially since it's apparently just two disks), most of me is rejoicing that it will be available in plenty of time for my birthday (hint, hint).
Amazon.com has a pre-order option for a mere $19.99, so to not buy it would be practically inexcusable. This show is so great, it's a bargain at twice the price. In fact, buy two, and give one away to a deserving potential fan!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Eureka: The beginning of the end (of the season)
This week's installment of Eureka, part one of the two-part season finale (already?!), was extremely eventful. Drama, intrigue, alchemy--the whole kit and caboodle, at a breakneck pace. It also confused me a little, possibly due to the aforementioned breakneck pace, so we may need to work through this one together in the comments. (Bear with me, I'm operating on very little sleep and a long day at work.)
First, let's get the crazy science malfunction of the week out of the way: the town's turning to gold. Specifically, all the metal in the town, thanks to some kind of infectious, gold-creating bacteria. "Not so bad," you may think to yourself, but Henry points out that gold is substantially softer than steel, which makes up most of the town's infrastructure. Best exchange ever: “We’d be rich, but dangerously unstable.” –Henry “Like…Paris Hilton.” –Jo. Things take a turn for the even worse, though, when the bacteria mutates and quickly begins to corrode the gold, causing heavy metal objects to crash to the ground (including some of GD's support beams).
They manage to deduce that Zoe's bracelet, a gift from now-boyfriend Lucas,is the source of the bacteria, and that Lucas made it out of scrap metal from an artist's studio. Here's where things get a little crazy--the artist is also a secret alchemist, and claims that the metal must be infected with "the alchemist's curse," which causes chaotic mutation in metal until the society that dared to try and master the elements is destroyed. (See: Babylon, Atlantis, and the Maya.) In a scenario that's a bit too deus ex machina for my taste, Kevin uses his magic Artifact-given powers to complete the formula that will stop the infection. Despite not even knowing about the formula in need of completion in the first place.
Kevin, you see, is practically a normal kid now. Aside from the whole "being able to read minds" thing and all. Allison is really worried, especially when she thinks about what happened to Carl Carlson, the "invincible" scientist killed by his interaction with the Artifact last season. Allison, it must be noted, is being pretty darn cold to Carter, especially when it comes to all things related to investigating Henry, Kim's death, Beverly, and the Artifact. Stark seems pretty confident that Carter will never find Beverly, though. I wonder why?
Maybe because he has her locked up in a cell, out at his old lab. DoD transferred her there from Guantanamo so that Stark could speak to her first, after he promised DoD the evidence against her. BANANAS!!! Allison and Stark both offer Beverly potential freedom if she shares her information about the Artifact. She simply tells Stark that she knows what he knows, including that it’s capable of human interface, and that the energy release can be life-threatening if the cellular mutations aren’t reversed, “which is why he’s probably already dead.” She plays coy when Stark asks how to help "him," even though she totally knows he's referring to Kevin.
Stark tries to get Kevin to read Beverly’s mind, but Henry interrupts them to tell Stark about the alchemy developments, totally overhears everything, and sees the security camera video of Beverly’s cell. Oooh, BUSTED. Stark: “Guests usually knock.” Henry: “Friends don’t usually care.” Snap! Henry also recognizes a couple formulas in the alchemist's studio as part of Kim’s research on the Artifact, and tries to get Stark to let him help. Stark refuses, and so Henry breaks into Beverly’s cell. He's angry that she murdered the love of his life and all, but she claims to have left behind the evidence of her sabotage for Henry to find, because he’s the only person who could understand why she had to do what she did. She claims Kim's death was an accident, and goes on to explain the Artifact/Kevin human interface issue. She doesn’t believe that humans should or can control such power.
Later in the episode, and this is where things get confusing for me, we get an oddly sudden cut to Henry showing Carter a skeleton in the morgue that could have contracted a mutated version of the metal-eating bacteria which affects the iron in bodies and essentially eats people. Henry says he told Stark, but when Carter asks him what they’re going to do about it, Stark doesn’t know anything about the problem. Hmm. Meanwhile, Henry drops in on Allison, and explains to her that he knows what’s going on with Kevin. Oh, and that he busted Beverly out of her cell, and here she is! Of course, now GD goes into emergency security lockdown due to the mutated, people-eating bacteria, trapping Allison and Kevin with Henry and Beverly. Craaazy! And also confusing. Is the people-eating bacteria a real thing, or was it just a ruse for Henry to get Allison and Kevin alone? Everything happened so fast!
Well, anyway, it seems that next week we're going to see a lot more of Evil Henry. Like, to a scary degree. I kind of love it. Although I don't love Allison's new, super-professional look. It's so cold! Intense Mother Allison is way less fun than Flirting with Carter Allison, though I suppose they both have something to contribute to the show, and depth of character is usually a good thing. Can I also say that I love that Jo chaperoned Zoe's boy-girl party? And then got busted by Carter while making out in the closet with Zane? Awesome.
The Bachelor: Meet, greet, and try not to drink too heavily
This fall, I'm absurdly psyched to be recapping the eight zillionth season of The Bachelor, which my friends assure me is the progenitor of the completely hysterical Age of Love. (Believe it or not, I'm a Bachelor virgin!) ABC's intro sums up how tired this show is far better than I ever could: "After 956 roses, 620 limos, 355 crying girls, 19 crying men, 167 hot tubs, $35 million in diamonds, 719 kisses, 2 gun-toting dads, 8 proposals, 1 marriage, and 1 happy and healthy baby boy named Max, the show is better, and sexier, than ever." Um, right. Not buying it, ABC.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Fall Preview: Cane
Hmm. On the one hand, Cane sports an outstanding cast and a compelling premise (and a great South Florida location). On the other hand, the pilot felt like it was three hours long, not one. And not really in a good way. The drama (and I don't use that word lightly) is about Cuban-American family with a rum and sugar cane empire. In the pilot, the Duque patriarch names Alex (played by the always-fantastic Jimmy Smits) head of the Duque operation over his brother Frank, who was born a Duque (Alex was adopted) and had different ideas about the direction he wanted the company to take. Besides a furious and potentially traitorous brother, Alex has murderous rival sugar cane growers to deal with, several difficult family situations, and, you know, an empire to run. I feel a migraine coming on already.
TV Bloggers' Picks for the Fall Season
As Lori has pointed out, you can't always judge a show by its pilot. So-so shows improve, and great ones go downhill fast. However, I'm pretty comfortable saying that you can get a general read on what's garbage and what's not from a show's pilot. And, in this crowded fall season, sometimes there are timeslots when you just have to make a snap judgment. With that in mind, here is a chart--fabulously prepared by theTVaddict and TapeWorthy--with 13 TV bloggers' ratings (including mine) of most of the new fall pilots. (Click for a larger version.)
Legend
1 - Don't waste your time unless you find According to Jim funny.
2 - Not great, but at least doesn't offend me.
3 - Fun to watch if nothing else is on.
4 - Has potential. Worth a second look.
5 - Set your TiVo to Season Pass!
N/A - Haven't watched yet.
Participating Blogs
BuzzSugar, DaemonsTV, DuckyDoesTV, GiveMeMyRemote, Glowy Box, MikeyLikesTV, ScooterMcGavin, SillyPipeDreams, Seat42f, TapeWorthy, theTVaddict, TiFaux and TubeTalk.
You can't judge a series by its pilot
The new TV season is all up on us, which means that the networks are madly flinging pilots at us and looking to see what sticks. These days, networks are only too eager to pull middling-rated shows after as little as the first episode (latest casualty: Anchorwoman). For the most part, these are the irredeemably bad shows. At least, we assume they are – how do we know how the rest of the series takes off if we don't see the second episode? How do we know what the series is really like from week to week if all we see is the set-up in the pilot?
The pilot serves two purposes: to set the tone and to provide exposition, telling you what the show's going to be about. But it's the second episode that shows you what the show actually be. Once we've been introduced to everyone and the situation has been all set up for us – teenage private eye! SNL-like show! SNL-like show, only for serious! – the second episode is able to get on with the business of the show, and to put all those characters you met the week before into new and hopefully exciting situations. It'll give you a taste of what the show will be like, well, every other week, for the rest of its run.
This is why I always wait for the second episode before I decide if I like a show or not. Pilots aren't everything. You remember that great pilot for Studio 60? Yeah. That was a high-flying pilot, but the landing gear was stuck. Then there are the pilots clogged with too much "meet the characters, dammit!" that they forget to be entertaining or funny (sorry, Tina, but 30 Rock was like that – and hey, I grew to like it, didn't I? Also, you have an Emmy, so relax). Or the show is retooled following the pilot. Yeah, I know, usually it's a bad sign, but it happened with my beloved NewsRadio. Sometimes they just need an episode to figure out what they're doing. (And sometimes they need an entire season to figure it out. Ask a Blackadder fan, we'll tell you – first season isn't worth it.)
So please try to keep the networks from screwing us out of the next great show by watching beyond the pilot. It's okay to bail out after episode two if it still sucks – in fact, I encourage it, it'll save room for actually good shows, or repeats of good shows – but remember, even the greatest shows sucked sometimes. Except for Arrested Development.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Fall Preview: Journeyman
Journeyman, NBC's new show about a time-traveling reporter (yeah, I know, right?), left me pretty cold for the first half of the pilot. I didn't love the lead actor, the concept seemed too bizarre and out of left field, and I just wasn't that interested in where it was headed. For the first half. Then, it kind of grabbed me.
I stopped seeing Journeyman as an unfortunate Early Edition/Quantum Leap stepchild, and started seeing it as a mystery--more than just "reporter randomly finds himself traveling through time in order to help people and make things right." It became a show about an unassuming man somehow chosen for a mysterious purpose, and the affect his sudden and uncontrollable disappearances have on his relationships, his career, and his psyche, which is far more interesting than just straight-up time traveling and people-helping. I was happy to hear that there's some sort of larger purpose to the time traveling, as well, and I look forward to learning more about it (I won't say any more, because I don't want to give away one of the more surprising moments in the pilot).
I don't think Journeyman will end up as appointment viewing for me, but I think it's something I'll certainly DVR for the first few episodes, partly because I'm really curious to see where it's going. Especially since it has a bit of a troubled romance angle, with NBC even billing it as a "romantic mystery-drama," which seems pretty unusual for this type of show. All in all, it was much better than I expected, and I'd recommend at least watching the entire first episode before forming a firm opinion one way or the other. Journeyman premieres September 24th, and will air in the relatively uncrowded Mondays at 10 PM slot.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Fall Preview: The Big Bang Theory
As you read this review, please keep in mind that I am extremely picky about television comedies. Especially multi-camera ones with a laugh track. So, now that you have context that will possibly make this review predictable and meaningless, here it is: I really, really didn't like The Big Bang Theory. And not just because it's from the twisted mind that unleashed Two and a Half Men upon us, either. It's because the entire premise of the show is one giant nerd stereotype, and you won't find the jokes funny unless you find the stereotype funny. Here's a sample piece of dialogue:
Nerd #1: We need to widen our [social] circle.
Nerd #2: I have a very wide circle. I have 212 friends on MySpace. [Audience laughs]
Nerd #1: Yes, and you've never met one of them. [Audience laughs harder]
Nerd #2: That's the beauty of it! [Audience pees their pants]
Yeah. The show is about a ditzy blonde who moves in across the hall from two extremely stereotypical nerds, one of whom may have a mild form of Asperger syndrome, the other of whom wants to "big bang" the neighbor, if you catch my drift. It's full of jokes about playing Boggle in Klingon, watching Battlestar Galactica DVDs, and doing quantum mechanics for fun. The raucous canned laughter only serves to emphasize how unfunny the dialogue is, though the three lead actors certainly do their best with it. Given the choice between watching a dark TV screen and watching The Big Bang Theory, I'd probably go with the dark screen...at least that's meditative, right? Just so you know when to avoid turning your TV to CBS, the show premieres Monday, September 24th at 8:30.
