Mad Men - S03E08 - Souvenir

Another fantastic episode. Pete acting childish, and Don and Betty taking a break from the domestic space to remember just how terrible everyday life is. Sopranos director of photography turned director Phil Abraham turns in another controlled and beautiful episode.

I find Pete absolutely fascinating, especially when we see him outside the office. Pete is at home during the summer while Trudy is away. The mother/son Trudy and Pete have has always been evident to me, especially in the way she treats him like a child, and obviously in the way he has consistently acted like a child. However, in this episode it occurred to me just how much of a willing doormat Trudy is to Pete, and how much he needs her. I had never really thought of it like that before. Pete was clearly bored and didn't know what to do with himself while Trudy was away. When he ran into the German nanny I don't think he was trying to blackmail her into having sex with him. I believe, to begin with, he was genuinely trying to help her. That, and trying to fulfill a strong manly role that he usually doesn't - probably because it was easy to solve this time. Of course, what eventuated was absolutely wrong and Pete is horrible for doing it. I think that is quite characteristic of Pete, to not have a calculated and thought-out manipulation. It just sort of occurs to him and he chooses to proceed in an unsavory way. When Trudy returned and Pete was guilty, eventuating in him crying, we are led to believe she knows what happened while she was away. They pretend it didn't happen on the surface, but come to a resolution by the end of the episode. Pete doesn't want to be left alone and Trudy is fine with the role she plays - their relationship has actually strengthened. However, Pete still dealt with it in an extremely childish way. He never vocally admits what he did and then sort of makes it Trudy's fault by telling her she shouldn't have left him alone. He is a child and Trudy seems okay with that.

But on the other side of the episode, Don and Betty's relationship falls deeper into marital decay. Don takes a brief trip to Rome on Hilton business and Betty joins him. We see another side to Betty, as a sophisticated and cool Italian speaking woman. Out of the domestic space, we can see her potential and just what her life is doing to her character. I mean, a holiday is always a holiday - everyday life will never compare - but still, it highlights to Betty just how unhappy she is. We see this become clear when she rejects a souvenir Don gives her from Rome. It was great to see them happy for a little while, but nothing positive eventuated from it. Nothing was solved and Don doesn't seem to want to do anything about it.

Supernatural - The Complete First Season - DVD Review

Initially I passed this off as a attempt to create a WB version of The X-Files - which it actually kind of is, but it's a little better than that. However, as it often does, my telephilia drew me to a place I didn't think I would go.

Pilot-machine David Nutter directs the first episode with impressive skill, creating an awesome visual style that was the first thing that stuck out to me and still does. I would wonder why he hasn't stuck around for any more with the exception of the second episode - but the man is a pilot-machine and there will always be pilot's to make. He generally directs the first couple of a series and then moves on - with the exception of directing one of the best episodes of The Sopranos late in its run. The visual style matches that of The X-Files, with the dark wash that gives all light a white look. This really helps the issue with shooting with digital - it still has a filmic look due to its style.

Supernatural is about two brothers road tripping around America hunting evil. They stay alive with credit-card fraud and gambling, oh and also a car boot full of varying weaponry. Urban legends such as Bloody Mary and Hookman make up a lot of the episodes - and the show plays with these myths and legends to freshen them. Creator Eric Kripe, from such terribleness as Boogeyman gets lucky with a series pickup, and a second chance at a good career. One thing I must congratulate him on is the pace of the first season. Usually the first has to be comprised of entirely stand-alone episodes, bar the last one or two - due to the wish of the network, I should add. However, this wasn't too evident for me while watching this first season. The long-running story was well incorporated into the many episodes of the season - and I was never all that bored - not hoping that please God do not make me sit through yet another monster-of-the-week episode. Some of them were pretty effective, some were rip-offs of X-Files episodes, and some were kinda scary. Veteran X-Files director Kim Manners directed some of the best episodes of the season and drew some great performances, as he often does.

The one thing that did weaken the mythology aspect of Supernatural was this Meg character. She was straight outta Charmed and it really did not work for me - I know it's The WB but I didn't think Supernatural would go down that path. Anyway, not a huge deal as Buffy did the same and that show reaches staggering heights of goodness.

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles play the leads Sam and Dean Winchester. Unexpectedly, they often outshine the guest stars on most of these episodes - considering one was from Gilmore Girls and the other from Smallville they are doing a really good job this early on. This further highlights my initial comment that this show is very much a WB take on The X-Files, but better. Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays John Winchester, the boys father who is absent while trying to find the demon who killed his wife when Sam was a baby. The brothers come together in the pilot to search for him. There is a fair share of family angst on the show which I predict will just escalate in the second season. This stuff is very intriguing to watch and gives a strong emotional edge that the show needs.

The cliffhanger in the season finale was very odd, but I still can't wait to see what happens in the second season. I Recommend Supernatural to anyone who really misses The X-Files or horror on television, or anybody who misses Buffy, as this show has the potential to go in that direction in the future.

Family Guy - S08E01 - Road to the Multiverse

As I've done in the past, I occasionally check back in for a season opener of Family Guy after I stopped watching in season 4. This episode was good enough for me to start watching regularly again - well, at least more than a single episode every season.

This episode was highly enjoyable - perhaps it was a case of throwing everything they had into the opener, but still, it was as great as anything the earlier seasons came up with.

The episode centers around a device that Stewie uses to shift him and Brian to alternate universes. In theory, there is a universe for every single tiny variable that could possibly exist. The Stewie and Brian interaction is always gold, and this episode was helped deeply by their prominence. The Disney-verse was a highlight, and the animation looked so genuine. The fact that Stewie looked so much cuter than he actually is was hilarious. Stewie making out with himself was disturbing and funny, and reminded me of similarly confronting images from earlier seasons.
Eventually the duo get stuck in a universe where a dog/human role reversal is present. Brian isn't too upset by this, but Stewie wants to leave. Some excellent gags and memorable scenes - especially the Brian and Stewie in real life universe. The way Stewie and Brian find out they are back home again is classic - it just is.

Curb Your Enthusiasm - S06E01 - Funkhouser's Crazy Sister

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Battlestar Galactica - Season 4 Part 1 - DVD Review

Due to the inclusion of Razor on the Season 4 Part 1 DVD, I will be reviewing the feature-length special here as well as the first 10 episodes of Season 4.

So, Razor... I'm not going to lie, I found it terrible. Maybe because I was expecting the thing to center around Admiral Cain which it definitely did not. I really wanted to like it, but on reflection after it finished, I came to the conclusion that I just didn't really enjoy it at all. It seemed very choppy, and just like a bunch of scenes were thrown together around Kendra's unsatisfying story. The razor metaphor was also unconvincing and ridiculous considering the movie's disjointed and choppy plot. As an outline on paper, Kendra's story is very promising. Kendra Shaw (played by one of the many up-and-coming Australian's in Hollywood, Stephanie Jacobsen) joins Pegasus as a new lieutenant and witnesses Cain's shocking actions in the name of the fight, and slowly she begins taking part in the same acts. There is a great morality tale there, but somehow it got lost on the way. I know I could say, well if Ron wrote it and Rymer directed it would be so much better, but I doubt that would be the case. There are just too many thrown in scenes from the cutting room floor, and the whole thing was rushed. Perhaps the inclusion of a lot of the deleted scenes would have made it more coherent, but after being left so cold by the feature, I didn't watch them.

After a good beginning and a fantastic ending with season 3, I come to the final season. Battlestar Galactica is honestly the most inconsistent series I have ever watched in full. Episodes range from terrible to near-genius. It is a very strange thing. While other good shows can have short moments of decline, these moments are never actually 'bad'. However, with Battlestar whole episodes are terrible, and quite a number of them. The reason I think they stick out because the series has so much potential that is occasionally realised and hinted upon throughout the run of the show.

A perfect example of what Battlestar is capable of is the episode Escape Velocity. While this episode isn't held as one of the greatest by the fan community, it really is. There isn't a great deal of plot development or cool space fights, but the entire episode is a wonderful character-study. Jane Espenson's script is absolutely sublime - she also wrote The Hub which wasn't anywhere near as emotional, and some of the comedic notes didn't work for me. Those who know me, know that when something lacks plot and action there is a pretty good chance I will fall in love with it - as was the case with Dirty Hands. However, other attempts from Battlestar to have these 'character' episodes generally fail.

Standout episodes in the first half of season 4 for me were:
Escape Velocity
Faith
Revelations

I loved the scene in Faith with The Hybrid, the flashing mis en scène reminded me of the lodge in Twin Peaks, as well as the cryptic and prophet content of the scenes. Also notable is the cliffhanger for Guess What's Coming To Dinner? with the Hybrid jumping away with the President and Baltar as soon as she is plugged in.

At the end we are left with a very bleak mid-season, which is a great thing. I hope the darkness we have had hinted at us follows through until the end of the show. I'm sure there will be some kind of the decline before the end of the season, as usual, but no doubt they will leave us with the near-genius Moore dispenses occasionally.

True Blood - S02E07: Release Me

True Blood's second season is really starting to get down to business. The plots developing over the course of the season are starting to reach a climax, or the beginning of a climax. I have absolutely loved this season as every episode seems to be better than the last. Many fans think this episode is the best so far. I'll admit, it was amazing, but all of this season's episodes have been fantastic. Usually the developing of plots will be quite dull, until the entertaining pay-off starts to happen, but this is not the case with True Blood. I believe this is do to the subversive and unpredictable nature of the show - something that HBO seems to do quite well. Jason's whole time at the camp was extremely entertaining, as was the Maryann story which could have been obvious and predictable, but turned out to be ambiguous and subversive since her first appearance.

Speaking of which, the chase scene with Sam was genuinely creepy. The gross looking arm at the end of the scene was great too. The production values of True Blood are exceptional. Michael Ruscio directed this episode and Raelle Tucker wrote it. This is Ruscio's television directorial debut and due to his experience as an editor on HBO shows, he excels. Again, the end-of-teaser shots and cliffhanger endings are always great. Sam's reaction shots at the end of the teaser in Never Let Me Go and the cliffhanger ending of Hard-Hearted Hannah were absolutely fucking gold! Not even in a bad way - they were just awesome.

Another highlight was Andy Bellefleur. Every time I think he could not become more ridiculous he surprises me. Chris Bauer's portrayal of Andy becomes more camp and over-the-top every episode - I love it! His screaming in pain this episode was hilarious. It reminds me of Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm. He now uses all the ridiculous noises and movements that were only used very occasionally in the earlier seasons, all of the time. If you watch the show, you should know exactly what I mean.

It will be interesting how they keep the tension for another 5 episodes. Normally, I would have guessed this would have been about episode 9 or 10 in the structure of a season. But you know, this is HBO, not Dexter, so I will may well end up surprised by the 'structure' of the season. Obviously Jason isn't dead, as the gun would have sounded like a gun instead of a pop if they were going to kill him off. Gabe was a strangely funny character who will probably die, and rightly so. It should be interesting to see how Godrick stirs things up, and what Eric does about his fascination with Sookie. Some of Bill's flashback scenes were a little meandering, but others gave us some important information, such as: A vampire is never stronger than their maker, when Bill's conscience got the better of him, and Lorena does have some scrap of humanity left in her. Is another one of Jason's girls going to end up dead? If Sarah goes back to Steve, she will most likely end up dead. Considering Godrick is free, this seems quite likely. It sure would be satisfying to see Steve get ripped apart! But on the other hand it would be disappointing to see such formidable villains with such power killed so soon.

Dollhouse - S01E13: Epitaph One

I finally got a hold of the unaired thirteenth episode of the first season of Dollhouse. I am pleased to announce that it met my high expectations completely. You see, I had some back story on the conception of the episode. Basically, it saved Dollhouse from cancellation, as well as lifting showrunner Joss Whedon to near godly heights. Joss made this episode on a dramatically cut budget by utilising the sets they already had, and yeah, not as many fast cars and explosions. That's not to say there aren't explosions, because there are heaps! The plot-twist explosions, the ones that matter, not the fiery ones. I knew Joss could pull this off completely - he was working under those conditions at The WB and UPN for years. In fact, part of me thinks it may be liberating for him to work with a lower budget. There won't be as much pressure to deliver to FOX what they wanted for that large budget: eg. motorbike races.

This episode is mythology heavy, and will likely act as a guide until the end of the series, or up until a certain point at least. Some fans are upset by this - being told so much so quickly. But let me assure you, Joss knows what he is doing - there will be enough twisting and turning for everyone, you will see. The episode is set a decade into the future where the Dollhouse has become defunct. Throughout the episode we are given flashbacks as to how it occurred. It all seemed very inevitable - but now we really know. I won't give too much away, but the episode stars Felicia Day (The Guild) and a ragtag group of survivors. What they have survived is imprinting, they are still themselves. The technology has become way out of control and handled the wrong way, so that it eventually destroyed mankind. The new actors all did exceptional work, and the script was handled well by couple Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, while the story/idea was expertly crafted by Joss. Also, it seems fair that David Solomon should direct this episode as he did so for the unaired pilot.

I look forward to a stronger season two and for less engagement-of-the-week episodes.

Battlestar Galactica - Season 2 - DVD Review

I'm back again quickly with a review of Battlestar Galactica Season 2 on DVD. Before reading this review, ensure you have already viewed season one in its entirety as it will be difficult not to mention events from that season in this review.

The story develops further as the survivors continue to avoid the Cylon's, locate Earth, and run into other devastating troubles along the way. I enjoyed season two more than the first: the actors seem to be fitting into their characters better, and the stories seem more serialised, as well as more focused. Some of the political and social allegory that BSG is known for is implemented more comfortably in this season, as opposed to being tacked-on. There are some excellent two-parters, as well as guest stars, such as Michelle Forbes and Lucy Lawless, in very interesting roles. Unfortunately, between the middle and the end of season there is a slump that sticks out very obviously. Black Market, Scar, and Sacrifice are the perpetrators this season. Even creator Ronald D. Moore, expresses his regret and dislike of the episode Black Market in his podcast - which is quite admirable. I think the reason some of these episodes failed were due to the writers looking at ways of exploring the colony - deepening it. Black Market is to do with, you guessed it, the Black Market, and Scar to do with the fighter pilots hunting down an angry Cylon raider. These episodes don't fail because of the change-up, they fail because of the execution. One example of this that succeeded was the Final Cut episode, guest-starring Lucy Lawless. She played a journalist filming a documentary on Galactica. The episode was well-done and intriguing, due to her questionable intentions and the conflict of the Galactica crew.

The characters with a lot of power are explored in more detail this season. Instead of them having little disagreements, they are now at each others necks. We are also drawn to think about the morality of these characters, as they all make questionable decisions a lot of the time - that often are of large consequence. Unfortunately, when the series delves into character-study it always fails. Way too many silly flashbacks, and the inner-conflicts always seem tacked-on. This is very sad as completely character-driven stories are my favourite, but none of these cut it at all. It may be a problem that is due to the show being very action-packed and plot-driven, so that when they try to do something solely to do with character it is jarring and weak. However, it is inexcusable because Buffy the Vampire Slayer held the line between plot and character probably better than anyone. Many of my other favourite shows are pure character-studies, so they are fairly incomparable. Don't get me wrong though, this season was thoroughly entertaining. The grand decisions being wrestled over by conflicted characters and the tough-spots the fleet get themselves in are engaging, especially when done over two-parters.

My last criticism is the abuse of the flash forward teaser. Firefly used it wonderfully a couple of times, but using it as much as BSG has been is just gimmicky. Whenever a story is boring, unengaging, or takes a while to get going, they go back and create a teaser which has a prominent character in mortal danger toward the end of the episode. The device can be used well, but like this, it just becomes a gimmick. They have used it well once, with Starbuck, when the mortal danger has large future consequence as far as plot and character are concerned.

Video

The bad visual quality in this show is usually attributed to a stylistic choice. The same is the case in this release, but the picture did get overly grainy once or twice - not a big deal.

Audio

Dolby Digital 5.1 is utilised again in this release. The mix is just as good as in the first season release and generally makes the most of the 5.1 sound.

Extras

Special Features:

• Slipcase Packaging
• Deleted Scenes
• Producers Commentaries

The audio commentaries aren't as special as would usually be the case, as the creator Ronald D. Moore has created a podcast commentary for every single episode of the series, available for free from The Sci-Fi Channel's website.

The end of season cliffhanger creates even more epic drama. It was a bold move from the producers, and I respect them for that. Greatly improving from the first season I assuredly Recommend this set. The story could really go anywhere from here, and that's the idea! I'll be reviewing the third season soon. Don't be a stranger.

Battlestar Galactica - Season One - DVD Review

My miniseries post explains most of the exposition that would usually be in this part of the review. The bulk of the review will be short thoughts on each individual episode as I watch them.

33 - This first episode exceeded my expectations for the series completely. We meet the fleeing survivors as they continue to struggle for their lives from Cylon attacks every 33 minutes - a LOT of 33 minute intervals have passed. Nobody has slept, and it seems like nobody will be able to until they die, or some ridiculous deus ex machina occurs. This episode is extremely action-packed and very engaging. It also tells us the series will have a prominent sense of urgency and hopelessness.

Water - This episode had enormous potential, with the loss of 60% of the ship's water supplies, and Cylon Boomer trying to sabotage the ship. I felt this episode could have easily been drawn out over a few episodes, or a two-parter at the least. The episode was very fast-paced, wasting no time getting to the real point of each scene. This is something that I have admired during the first two episodes of the series. The audiences intelligence is not being insulted with repeated exposition, and scenes jump about without too much introduction. Still, the plot had bigger potential. Again, a very engaging episode.

Bastille Day - We are introduced to Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch), a political prisoner who has influence over all of the prisoners on the Astral Queen prison ship. Adama wishes for prisoners to labour the water from the site that has been found. Roslin sees this as slavery, so announces the prisoners can earn freedom points by working. Zarek and the prisoners refuse, and order an election. This episode centers quite heavily on Apollo having to choose between blindly going with the military opinion, or pushing for democracy. Roslin confides in him regarding her cancer at the end of the episode - they clearly have mutual respect. This episode turns into a political piece, asking the question of the role of democracy during a state of emergency. Also how prisoners should be contained and treated during immediate and ongoing crises.

Act of Contrition - This episode could be the best so far, the only thing that lets it down are the character thought reminder flashbacks - I just made a badly phrased phrase. The teaser flash-forward and the others throughout the episode were exciting, and remind me of Firefly. Starbuck feels guilt over the death of Adama's other son Zack, whom she was engaged to. Adam finds out the truth behind Starbuck's guilt and is deeply angered. Starbuck trains some new pilots after an accidental explosion occurs and kills thirteen in the teaser. The Cylon's show up just as Starbuck is training the newbies. The space fight sequence in Act of Contrition is the most suspenseful and involving so far. The episode ended with an exciting cliffhanger, where anything could happen next.

You Can't Go Home - Starbuck is missing. Adama and Apollo recruit all of the pilots to search for her, leaving Galactica undefended. When the verdict does not look good, people start to wonder whether Adama and Apollo are acting under personal influence. This was an entertaining episode, especially the scenes involving Starbuck. The concept behind the Cylon raider was awesome too!

Litmus - A humanoid Cylon suicide bombs on Galactica, killing and injuring several people. This episode was basically an interrogation into who let the bombing occur - who is responsible. The interrogation scenes were quite flat, and the military music was awful - reminding me of Stargate or some other similarly vile show. Helo is still on Caprica, being manipulated by the Cylons. The episode was pretty dull, the weakest so far.

Six Degrees of Separation - As usual, the Boomer part of the episode was uninteresting to me, made worse by the pretentious sex scene intercutting with Galactica Boomer rubbing crayon off a mirror. Great job! Apart from that, this episode was one of the best so far. Number Six kicks her plan further into action. It was quite tense seeing Baltar at the mercy of her and everybody else turned against him. Even as the episode ends, he is still weak, dumb, and completely at the hands of Number Six. James Callis takes full advantage of his large screen time in this episode, and really shines in comedic and dramatic scenes - unfortunately pointless cutting/jump-cutting, again, puts a stop to any emotional resonance which could have been realised.

Flesh and Bone - Baltar makes an interesting discovery. Starbuck interrogates a Cylon, and ponders questions of man vs. machine, and faith. It seems the machine, isn't completely inhuman as it has faith, but isn't completely convinced. I see parallels to religious fundamentalist terrorists, and the war on terror - which I guess is where all the fun allegorical talk comes from when people talk about BSG. This is an involving episode, however the cliffhanger pointing the finger at Adama is silly. I highly doubt he will be found out as a Cylon.

Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down - Adama is acting strange, and it turns out he has brought aboard Saul's wife, Ellen Tigh. That dispels suspicion of him being a Cylon (obvious red-herring), and casts suspicion over Ellen. Kate Vernon plays Ellen, quite unrealistically, and it doesn't help that the character is ridiculously flat. She is supposed to make this a comedy episode, but it was more lighthearted than anything - I didn't laugh once.

The Hand of God - Lost meets The West Wing. This episode was probably the most accomplished episode so far. Exciting!

Colonial Day - Roslin rebuilds the legislative branch of the government. Tom Zarek is elected as a member, and immediately attempts to gain vice-presidency. This is an exciting episode, as we see what Zarek is potentially capable of in the future. This episode also highlights the true idiocy of politics, with Baltar gaining large power, and Roslin's other strange decisions. Helo finds out the truth about Boomer.

Kobol's Last Gleaming: Part 1 - Great episode. The one thing that let it down was the Apollo and Starbuck angst. It was very pointless, tacked-on, and annoying. Character-driven story-lines are the best thing about fiction, but quickly collapse into drivel if they aren't handled with care. It will be interesting to see where fate and faith take the series.

Kobol's Last Gleaming: Part 2 - Very exciting and suspenseful. Boomer entering the Cylon base was intense, and the inside of the base looked amazing. The cliffhanger ending to the season was unexpected and immediately shocking. Number Six shows Baltar the shape of things to come.

Video

Like the miniseries release we have 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. The video quality on the series release actually looks quite good, a tad better than the miniseries, in fact.

Audio

The sound in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, uses 5.1 to its advantage, and everything is mixed well. Not a complaint.

Extras

An episodes worth of deleted scenes that are interesting, but for the majority, it was probably better that they stayed on the cutting room floor.

Battlestar Galactica does not yet live up the hype and praise I have continuously heard about it. I feel there were missed opportunities around the middle of the season, considering the enormous potential a show like this has. 33 and these last couple of episodes have been real highlights - but the rest were not as engaging. Some of the deeper elements of the show such as allegory, philosophy, and morality often seem tacked onto the show. These elements may be worked into the show better in the second season, as the show finds itself a little more, but sometimes the writing wasn't as smart as it wanted to be. I will definitely watch the second season, but without the last two episodes, I may not have. Without a doubt, this is not your regular space-opera fare, and I do Recommend it to viewers who generally wouldn't watch a sci-fi show, as well as, of course, fans of sci-fi, with which it should be a surprising treat.

Battlestar Galactica - Miniseries

I found this TV movie, miniseries, or backdoor pilot, or whatever people want to call it, quite entertaining - more than I thought I would. However there were some problems for me that I will address. The tone and music of the show do not seem to fit with the bleak screenplay - there are times in which it tries to, but that sense of the 'upbeat' space-opera television show feel (ala, Star Trek) is evident.. This surprised me as many reviews I have read, note that the miniseries is very dark and bleak. It wants to be, even the gritty hand-held camerawork tries to reflect the depressing nature of the show, but the other elements work completely against it, and the script. I was very relieved when the 'hope in Earth' speech turned out to be a sham as it dispelled the worry that the show would be even less bleak than I was led to believe. I have heard the old series in which this is based on was extremely cheesy, campy, and silly, so I have no interest in it and will not be comparing the two. Perhaps fans are calling the re-imagining especially dark in comparison with the old series, or that they weren't expecting it because of the source material.

I will just say that the teaser for the miniseries is absolutely amazing - it really surprised me. I was not expecting it to be so good so quickly. To outline the plot a little, I will say that humanity is now twelve colonies, and has come under attack from Cylons - rebelling robots that were originally created by humans. These robots have not been heard from in forty years, until now. They are staging an attack to wipe out humanity. They are quite successful and all that seems to be left of humanity are roughly fifty-thousand people, and a bunch of ships. Basically, they have nowhere to go and they are constantly being chased by advanced technology.

Edward James Olmos plays Commander William Adama, who operates Galactica and the colony's military operations. There is no doubting that he plays that character well, he obviously enjoys his role. There were some great moments for him in the miniseries, but they can test him further in the series, and I'm sure he will step up to whatever they give him. Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama (Jamie Bamber) is the Commander's estranged son - I will not give too much away, except to say that there is some conflict between them, and some interesting ideas that can be expanded upon in the series.

Securing Mary McDonnell for a lead role on Battlestar Galactica is a definite win for the show. In the featurette the producers say they were looking for a Mary McDonnell type - the real thing was inconceivable. She is the secretary of education and when the colonies are wiped out, she is next in a long line of next President's. To add to the stress she has also been diagnosed with cancer. McDonnell plays the role with naturalism and you can tell she has thought about the character, the situation, and the questions that arise from them. In my opinion, the best performance of the miniseries - the editor did cut a few of her reactions short, which was annoying, but mostly she was done justice.

Katee Sackhoff plays Starbuck, a masculine fighter, who doesn't respond well to authority. Katee Sackhoff pulls off Starbuck well in the miniseries, the best performance out of the 'young people' so far. I found most of the other performances to be unengaging - just kinda flat.

Number Six is played by Tricia Helfer, who is surprising a very good actress, at least in this role. She plays a number of Cylons, and also lives inside the head of Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis), a computer genius, who has some responsibility for the Cylon attack being successful. Number Six has been gaining information from his high-level security access, while they have been a couple. Number Six lets it be known to Baltar that he is responsible, and this is a heavy burden to carry. We see him on Galactica having Number Six talking to him and attempting to manipulate him, due to some sort of device she planted inside his head, so she could insert her consciousness into his. He comes off as quite crazy to the other passengers, and it will be interesting to see where his character goes.

Personally, I am not a fan of hand-held camerawork on television dramas, but I wasn't particularly put off by the use of it here. The 'seek and zoom' in space is a fun stylistic choice, I think I recall it being used in Firefly - which is probably the only other sci-fi show of this nature I have watched properly.

The scenes where everybody rejoins on Galactica at around the two hour mark didn't sit well with me. They came off as overly sentimental, and when you are trying for the gritty hand-held approach it comes off as contradictory, and a little more tacky - it definitely did not have a subjective feel.

Adama eating pasta was a highlight. Also, the cliffhanger was quite effective, even though it was inevitable. On a final note, the name of the show is kinda silly, it suffers from the Buffy The Vampire curse of being based on a previous work. Even though Joss Whedon wrote the original film too, the title is still misleading.

Video

Battlestar Galactica was released in 1.77:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. Okay, there is the intentional grain in the hand-held camerawork that makes its way onto our screens - but I think the transfer could have been considerably better. There were a few instances where there was an abundance of grain, then it improved, and then it got worse again. However, the transfer still could have been a lot worse, and it did not detract from my enjoyment to any notable degree.

Audio

The audio is in 5.1 and sounds impressive, more so than the video transfer - no complaints.

Extras

Special Features:

• Battlestar Galactica: The Lowdown

The DVD comes with a 20-minute featurette. This offers some interesting insight into creating the miniseries, and the task of adapting it from the original series. Many of the cast speak about the series and their characters, as well as some of the crew - notably director Michael Rymer and creator/showrunner Ronald D. Moore.

I definitely Recommend this miniseries, even if you aren't a fan of sci-fi, you should find it engaging. It paints a bleak canvas, and there are many philosophical and psychological questions that can be raised in the following series and explored. I will definitely be watching the first season as soon as possible.

True Blood - S02E01: Nothing But the Blood

True Blood is back, as good as ever, and I never doubted it. Alan Ball knows exactly what this show is, an adult nighttime soap-opera, with a good budget, and no restrictions. If only all nighttime soaps could be on pay-cable and creatively led by master filmmakers.

The Lafayette in a purgatory of sorts was very mind bending, reminding me of Lost. For some reason I couldn't work out who he was until he was talking some more - anyone else have this? The reveal ending of the episode was very satisfying, and I can't wait to find out what eventuates. I'm really glad Ball decided not to follow the book, and have Lafayette killed off in the car. He really wants to surprise us!

Another sex scene between Bill and Sookie... To be honest I didn't think Anna Paquin would be comfortable doing it - as some of the time it can be a career killer for an actress with success, especially doing it on a television show. But it is encouraging to see she isn't influenced by that. More relationship angst between Bill and Sookie, while Bill deals with the newly vamped teenager Jessica. Just a couple of lightly comedic scenes, the next episode promises to explore it some more.

Andy is getting dumber, drunker, and also funnier. I wonder how long he has left in Bon Temps?

We got a few Fellowship of the Sun scenes this week, and I'm sure they will increase as the season progresses. Bashing conservatives and religious extremists is fun for everyone! What do people think of Nan Flanagan from the American Vampire League? I think she is awesome. All she does is block all of the ridiculously ignorant comments made to vampires - very entertaining.

Maryann continues to become more interesting with her link to Sam, when he was a teenager. What has now been established is that she doesn't age. We should find out what she is soon enough. I love the gimpy servant too. It was extremely soap-operatic and hilarious of Maryann to hit him and state "Nobody needed towels!". It seems apparent that she wants Eggs and Tara to get together. Definitely a highlight.

I absolutely cannot wait for the next episode. It is titled 'Keep This Party Going', which I think is a fantastic episode title, if in fact it serves as a meta comment on the show or episode, like the first 'Nothing but the Blood' did. Good times!

One Tree Hill - The Complete Second Season - DVD Review

I have read several online reviews of One Tree Hill, and I'd just like to give an opposing position on some of the ideas these reviews are giving out. One calls One Tree Hill a much more realistic and down-to-earth version of The O.C.. Just because The O.C. got ratings that One Tree Hill could never attain, and that it was set in a highly wealthy part of California, as opposed to a small town, doesn't mean that One Tree Hill is more grounded in reality.

People would like to believe that The O.C. and One Tree Hill are now what 90210 and Dawson's Creek were to the 90's, and in some ways that is true - DC and OTH are both filmed in Wilmington, both try to be literate, but only DC succeeds at that. The literary references and quotes we hear so often in OTH would be much more suited to DC where the characters were obviously highly intelligent, introspective, and insanely witty. In OTH, more often than not they sound pretentious, and have an extremely loose and vague connection to the story they are paralleling. Both are affectionate towards music - OTH wins out in this regard, due to their some-would-call-butchering of the musical montage. They make some great music choices too, however the score is pretty bland. Anyway, OTH is just as over-the-top and unrealistic as The O.C. if not much more so. People who believe otherwise must just be looking at the shows on the surface, at face value. Nobody can tell me there was a Dan Scott character in Dawson's Creek, My So-Called Life, or Freaks and Geeks. His evil laughing, whiskey sipping, and mustache twirling tag antics wouldn't be out of place in a daytime soap-opera. For those who are unsure of what a "tag" is, then here it is for you, straight from Wikipedia.

• In US daytime soap operas, when a scene is about to reach a temporary conclusion and the episode is to cross to a new scene or take a commercial break, one character in the currently concluding scene will often be shown in extreme closeup and deliver a jarring announcement. No other character will respond and there will be no dialogue for several seconds while the music builds before cutting to a commercial or a new scene. This kind of segue is referred to in the industry as a "tag."

The 23 episodes are spread over 6 discs:

The Desperate Kingdom of Love
Truth Doesn't Make a Noise
Near Wild Heaven
You Can't Always Get What You Want
I Will Dare
We Might as Well Be Strangers
Let the Reigns Go Loose
Truth, Bitter Truth
The Trick Is to Keep Breathing
Don't Take Me for Granted
The Heart Brings You Back
Between Order and Randomness
The Hero Dies in This One
The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
Unopened Letter to the World
Somewhere a Clock Is Ticking
Something I Can Never Have
The Lonesome Road
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
Lifetime Piling Up
What Could Have Been
The Tide That Left and Never Came Back (1)
The Leavers Dance (2)

One thing that was interesting about the first season was the tension between brothers Lucas and Nathan. This is put to the backseat as they seemed to have worked through most of their troubles - but with everybody happy, where do we go from there, and some new secondary characters are quickly introduced to stir up trouble, as is often done in the second season of a show like this. However, towards the end of the season the brothers are fighting again, renewing interest in a third season, as well as many other plot threads that have began or climaxed at the season cliffhanger. The introduction of Sheryl Lee (Twin Peaks) has me very interested in the third season - not to give too much away. Nathan and Hayley's marriage was dealt with for the whole duration of the season, and it looks like that will continue into the third season. This is interesting because we get to see them both at their best, worst, and everything in between, over the course of the season. Latino bad boy, Felix, and his sister Anna, who becomes the star of a homosexual storyline this season. I can't complain with how it was dealt with, but it did feel a little boring at times, however, they didn't do anything too terrible, cliche, or conservative while examining the issue, which could have been an issue on a non-pay cable channel - not that The WB should be discredited for their portrayal of homosexuality on television, as they are statistically the best at it, in regards to the most portrayals, or they were, I can't quite remember.

One thing that comes to mind is some of the great guest stars this season had. There was Huey Lewis (Musician) and Bess Armstrong (My So-Called Life) as Haley's awesome parents. Tyler Hilton as Chris Keller, a musician who tries to get Haley to tour with him. Also Michelle Branch guest stars, which we could have done without. But, the producers redeem themselves by bringing in Jimmy Eat World for a few songs at Peyton's new club 'Tric' in the finale, which was great. Peyton has her fair share of problems this season with drugs, an old friend, and being labelled a 'dyke'.

The parents also have their share of the drama, as was the case last season. A lot of the adult storylines have higher stakes and are more interesting because of it, not that I don't respect the introspective teen troubles, they just aren't pulled off as well, so naturally, we become drawn to the Melrose/Dallas aspect of the show. Anyway, I don't want to give anything away, but I read that the adult stories get even more outlandish next season.

I must give a last kudos to Paul Johansonn for his portrayal of Dan Scott. I remember seeing him as a jock who had little to no acting ability, playing a jock on 90210. He has come so far since then, he really puts everything into playing Dan, and pulls it off - he also directs an episode this season.

Video

This release is widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.77:1 16:9 Enhanced. At the beginning of the season I noticed quite a lot of grain which is unacceptable in 2005 when the season aired. I like to think that after 2004 it was no longer a problem with TV on DVD releases. On many of the sets I have seen, grain is there for 2004, and then suddenly gone, for the most part, on every release after. I think this was the case for The O.C. and Nip/Tuck. Towards the end of the season the grain doesn't seem to be there much, and it ends up looking quite good.

Audio

The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, and the music sounds really great, and the dialogue is just what it needs to be. No problems here.

Extras

Special Features:

• Additional Scenes
• Audio Commentaries
• The Music of One Tree Hill
• Change is Good
• Diaries from the Set

The best feature of the special features would probably be the deleted scenes, which there are an abundance of. The diaries from the set are fun and provide some information about a OTH music tour that ran, paralleling the tour on the show, which adds another layer to the show for fans, and is a fairly unused concept. Everything else is pretty staple - more extras would be great, but on many releases there are no or hardly any extras, so they did a decent job in comparison.

I do Recommend this set, but just realise what you are getting into. The cliffhangers to end the season were interesting so I will most likely be picking up the third. If you are a fan, then go right ahead. If you aren't, but you typically like this sort of stuff, then you won't be disappointed.