In Television We Trust

HBO renews Enlightened and cancels three returning shows

2011-12-21T10:27:00.019+11:00

Today HBO renewed Enlightened for a second season, which is truly unexpected given the shows abysmal ratings. It may have something to do with Laura Dern's recent Golden Globe nomination for the show or that critics have suddenly started praising it, after trashing the first episodes. It's so clear to me that most major TV critics have very little objectivity, especially when it comes to new shows - even though they claim to only review quality shows. It's weird that whenever an atypical or truly ambitious show has premiered in the past two years, it always takes them a while to realise. But what makes this news stranger is that HBO axed three shows that do better than Enlightened. Bored to Death, Hung and How to Make it in America will not live to see another day. In my opinion none of these cancelled shows were creatively strong on any consistent level, which should never have been good enough for HBO. Hung was the worst and should have been cancelled after its first season, but for whatever reason, and despite critical panning and declining ratings it was renewed twice. Bored to Death and Hung made it to three seasons and How to Make it in American had two.

Any sadness I have about Bored to Death, which I often enjoyed, going off the air is nothing compared to the joy of Enlightened's renewal. It truly makes me believe again that HBO does care primarily about quality, after a few very shaky years for the network. Ever since John From Cincinnati and Tell Me You Love Me were cancelled, they've made and renewed some very mediocre and typical cable shows - the kind you might find on Showtime. With this news, Game of Thrones returning, Luck premiering, Aaron Sorkin's news show being picked up, as well as Veep from the writer of British show The Thick of It, Armando Iannucci. The future of HBO is definitely looking as bright as ever.

Enlightened - S01E02 - Now or Never

2011-11-03T16:53:00.055+11:00

"There's a lot of other people here like you who we've had trouble placing"

Now or Never, again written by creator Mike White, who wrote the entire first season before shooting started. It opens on a voice-over with Amy declaring to make positive change at Abbadon (despite being sent down to data-entry), she then explains the visualisation technique and we see a fantasy scene of her work superiors embracing her ideas followed by Amy presenting her products to employees at store-level, receiving cheer and her name chanted. She hugs that little old lady from Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! before her human resources boss Judy invades her fantasy and she 'wakes up' in the boardroom. This sequence was a twist on the voice-overs from the pilot in that we're now more aware of the fact that Amy may not be very enlightened. The sequence makes Amy seem delusional and unrealistic - really, she should be glad to have attained another job at all with Abbadon. On top of that she wants to lead the company to become completely green - for no real reason other than she wants to. The show could also be named Entitled.

When Amy calls her ex-assistant and 'friend' from the bathroom of her new basement workplace she blames her old boss Damon for her placement and calls her new workmates circus freaks - out comes a nerdy-looking woman from one of the cubicles, who hurries out with her head drooped. Amy realises her mistake - but it mirrors the first scene of the pilot where her colleagues were bad-mouthing her and she overhears - it being the catalyst for her breakdown. She's arrogant for thinking she deserves so much more and that she's better than her new workmates. Not only that, she doesn't try to apologise to the girl she just insulted, who could be on the verge of her own mental breakdown - Amy quite often lacks empathy.

There are a few scenes that feel like 'second pilot' scenes (repetition/set-up) but they do this while also adding a great deal of texture to the characters. Amy's interaction with her mum further highlights Helen's rigid and repressed attitude. This time, instead of Amy trying to get acceptance and empathy from Helen, she encourages her to change her lifestyle a little bit - which apparently consists solely of gardening, looking after the dog and watching television. Helen maintains to her daughter that she's happy and it's the way she wants it. In this scene it's hard to take a side because Helen's old and a lot of the elderly have routines and spend little time among others - however, Amy just wants her mum to support and understand her, but Helen refuses to. This scene along with the last they shared in the pilot contain a lot of truth and resonance, as having our parents fail to understand and emotionally support us is something most children have to come to terms with throughout their entire lives. At the end of the scene Helen turns up the volume to The Rockford Files and Amy looks disappointed - it symbolises Helen not wanting to hear what her daughter has to say - if that really needed noting...

The next scene with Levi (Luke Wilson) is also a second-pilot scene but it feels connected to the last scene with Helen and similarly takes on more depth than most second-pilot scenes. Amy is reading her self-help book in her bedroom after talking to her mum, and notices her bookmark for a treatment center. She immediately goes over to Levi's to cook him a healthy dinner and propose that he goes to rehab for drug addiction. She's trying to help Helen and Levi in these scenes - it's still to do with her own happiness, but she's taken on the idea that helping others is the best way to find your own peace. Amy' s careful with her words to Levi and genuinely cares about him but he responds in a way typical to an addict - as well as mentioning an interesting detail, "I remember you wasted - bawling your eyes out - begging to blow me. I think you're hanging on by a very thin thread, with like one finger on the edge of the cliff". This strengthens the argument that Amy doesn't have her shit together at all - an extremely negative thing to say to somebody trying to better themselves, but still, it seems somewhat true. He finishes by saying eventually she'll crack - which Amy defiantly disagrees with - and that his door is always open because he doesn't judge - Levi's clearly rationalised his addiction quite strongly. It's sad that both Helen and Levi can't see or appreciate what Amy's trying to do for them, and that they also can't give Amy what she wants - support. The book Amy's reading in this episode is "Change - Now or Never", which the episode's title references. I imagine the author suggests that the reader unapologetically go after what they want from others - which Amy does so, in every aspect of her life. Perhaps in addition, Amy needs the advice that she has to develop her own self-worth and happiness and it not depend so heavily on others - as it leads to skewed expectations and ultimately disappointment, which Amy has experienced a lot of in the show so far.

Timm Sharp from Undeclared is excellent as Dougie, the kind of douchey and incompetent manager we've probably all dealt with at some stage. His story during lunch about the girl he was with who had tumors in her nose and died was hilarious because of the awful, self-absorbed and blatantly offensive way he told it. Also during lunch Amy sees her old assistant, Krista, there with people, among them her old boss. Amy is furious as she tried to make lunch plans with Krista who blew her off. She storms outside and surprisingly one of her workmates comes after her to see if she's okay. Amy bursts into a self-involved rant about Krista and her old boss, which alienates Connie completely, and she goes back inside with the same impression everybody else has of Amy. Amy was neither shocked or touched that somebody she barely knew would come after her to see if she's okay - she probably believes Connie is less than her and wasn't surprised she would try to make friends with her. Ew, this narcissistic subtext is making me feel dirty.

The next scene back at the basement between Amy and Tyler is brilliant. Tyler asks Amy what her book is about with a smirk on his face. She tells him it's about how the world is messed up, which changes his expression to confused, then as she continues he begins to look slightly bored and asks her "Is it boring?" - which shocks Amy. I found this exchange realistic as most nerds or geeks I've known are extremely detached from emotions and more specifically psychology in general. A lot of them have very little awareness (self or otherwise) in this area. I suppose ignorance can be bliss, however they never truly understand or learn to deal with problems they have, which must be more than a little frustrating and hopeless.

Amy researches some of the negative impacts he company is having and gives a folder of documents to Judy - hoping to fulfill her fantasy sequence from the start of the episode. Her heart is kind of in the right place for being pro-active, but to think this plan would actually land her a job is pretty absurd. She then sees Krista and finds her old office was given to her assistant. Amy explodes at her, confronting her about the lunch and about how people have a problem with her, and about Krista's general dishonesty towards her. Krista being the people-pleasing, narcissistic feeder, takes all of Amy's bullshit and tries to convince her they are still friends. It's a wonderfully written scene that seems to confront their relationship, but eventually doesn't change a thing.

Surprise, surprise - Amy receives a call from Judy telling her how inappropriate it was to give her those documents and how it could get them both fired. Amy is distraught and throws her book into the bin. Then something incredible happens - Tyler asks Amy if he can read it, to which she obliges. She looks around at her workmates as a voice-over begins. "Change will come. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow - but it will come. You have to believe. I close my eyes, and see a better world. People there are fearless and connected - they're my friends. I'm there, I'm free, and this earth itself is healed and where nothing suffers." Amy closes her eyes and we are transported to her place of healing, the nightly bonfire by the ocean, and all of the people in her life are there - happy. She smiles and we cut to white. I found this scene so hopeful and beautiful that's it's hard to be cynical, even when you know the world Amy lives in and what her and all of the people around her are like. I believe it's because, when it comes down to it, we all hope for this. Thank you, Mike White.

Enlightened - S01E01 - Pilot

2011-10-11T20:35:00.073+11:00

Inspired by Enlightened's main character Amy, exuberantly played by Laura Dern, I'm going to try to drop some of my cynicism for this review. Sure, I could talk about how this is another in a long line of half-hour cable shows fronted by middle-aged women who also executive produce, and which attempt to walk the tightrope between comedy and drama. There are so many now that it seems like a cliche - however, that's not the real issue. The problem is that some of these shows (Nurse Jackie) are only concerned with treading water and being neither here nor there. Understandably, it can be hard to get excited about them anymore, especially since it's mostly what cable has to offer now after partially moving away from hour-long dramas. Just like the 70s New Hollywood film period ended, this golden age of television will come to an end, and I think we're getting closer to meeting it. End cynicism.

Amy Jellicoe is an executive at a big, soulless company named Abaddon (wink, wink...). The show opens to her emotional breakdown at work when her boss, Damon, with who she was having an affair, has her transferred out of her position and department. She overhears some co-workers bitching about her and works up the nerve to busy out of the cubicle and put them in their place. This becomes a catalyst for her storming through the office irate and crying while she tracks down her boss to confront him. He denies her allegations and closes the elevator on her. In a feat of strength that could only be fueled by a mental breakdown, Amy manages to open the fully-closed elevator while screaming a barrage of death threats at him. Laura Dern plays this sequence brilliantly as she immediately attains the vulnerability needed for the character and I empathised with her straight away. Seeing someone at their lowest point must do that.

What follows is a brilliantly directed sequence with Amy having retreated to Hawaii in order to heal. There's a calm voice-over delivered by Amy talking about change and positivity. The sequence doesn't make fun of New Age spirituality, it seems to embrace the cliche activities Amy takes part in. This ambiguity of whether or not the show is an indictment of New Age enlightenment or an embrace, and in turn the ambiguity of the main character is the driving force of the show, and probably it's strongest asset. These half-hour shows really need something intriguing and dramatic at their core, so they don't have to be so reliant on fluff. This is why United States of Tara worked so well. Sure, Nurse Jackie has drug-addiction at it's core, but it's too bogged down by other things and never wants to push the story or the character.

Luke Wilson plays Amy's ex, and seems to be a negative influence on her, and there's not much more I can really say at this point. I'm not sure he had enough screen time in the pilot to rate his performance.

Another of Enlightened's strong points is the mother/daughter dynamic. Amy's mother Helen, played by Laura's real-life mother Diane Ladde, is skeptical of her daughter's new found happiness in their first scene. During their second scene it becomes apparent that Helen doesn't want to fix their relationship, she just wants to avoid. It's a depressing scene, especially when Amy, reaching out, probably worked hard to write something truthful and even her mother won't support her. To make matters worse, Helen takes her dog outside in the middle of Amy's letter. She baby-talks to the dog, "Come on with Momma", and you wonder what kind of mother she really is - and what a mother's duty is. Her simple mothering of her dog is more attractive than being a real mother to her daughter. Subtle bits of dark comedy like this are found throughout this first episode and they feel distinctively Mike White - that stark and awkward realism intertwined with dark comedy. Without this the show would be far more generic, I hope viewers notice these little things and don't write the show off too soon. We'd hate to have another The Comeback on our hands, am I right? Now that I think about it, the two shows are quite similar.

I'm not going to discuss plot-points at this time, because we're dealing with a pilot some people might be on the fence about watching. So to close, Amy's heart is in the right place, she's relentlessly positive and wants to heal old wounds but nobody else in her world seems to want any of it and even act as an antithesis to her. The way she behaves is a little overboard and off-putting, and I'm sure we'll see more and more of a contrast between Amy and the society she is a part of, as fuel for cringe-comedy and also to see how much Amy really can change with all of these influences in her life. Enlightened deals with very big themes that haven't been explored much on television and for that, and its many subtle touches, it's a deserving show.

Knots Landing - The Complete First Season - DVD Review

2010-09-26T12:42:00.111+10:00

David Jacobs, the creator of Dallas pitched a show about suburban couples in California, inspired by Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage (anybody who knows me knows I'm a huge fan of Bergman). The network told him they wanted something bigger and he made Dallas. Clearly he never forgot his original premise, because the network wanted a spin-off, and he devised it with underachieving, alcoholic, middle brother Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford) reuniting with his high school sweetheart and bride, Valene Ewing (Joan Van Ark), and moving to California to start anew. Midway through Dallas' third season the episode "Return Engagement" served as a pilot or prequel to Knots. So if you wanna watch Knots but not Dallas, then check out this episode as it adds a little depth to the backstory - and speaking of backstory, that's something Knots was particularly interested in and may have been key to it's fourteen season reign.

The Ewing's new Californian home, a second-marriage gift from Dallas matriarch and Gary's adoring mother, Miss Ellie Ewing, is located in a tight little cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle. The residents of this cul-de-sac make up the rest of the cast and the tight setting, as you would expect, makes the place a boiler room for conflict. Gary was apparently Miss Ellie's favourite son. But really, who could blame her after having to live in the same house as her ego-driven, maniac sons J.R. and Bobby for so long. Gary, the quiet failure seems pretty appealing in contrast.

Now let's meet the ridiculously friendly and inviting neighbours (if this were really a Bergmanesque character-drama then the families wouldn't be close - I love it - but it's complete fantasy. I don't know the names of any of my neighbours and I have been living in the same cul-de-sac for nearly eight years). Sid and Karen Fairgate (played by talented Don Murray and Michele Lee) are the idealistic and 'perfect' family. They have three teenage children, Diana (Claudia Lonow, who went on to become a successful sitcom writer), Eric (Steve Shaw) and Michael (Patrick Petersen). A slightly younger thirty-something couple, Richard (John Pleshette, who's character's as close to a villain as the first season has) and Laura Avery (Constance McCashin). Richard is a smarmy lawyer who treats his wife like a lower life-form but he is humanised over the course of the first season and even more so in the second - while still retaining his strong flaws. This gives the series a level of character-depth that may have partly been lost if Richard turned out to be a J.R. clone, which is an idea the writers toyed with for a little, but thankfully discarded. To round off the cast there's the twenty-somethings Kenny (James Houghton) and Ginger (Kim Lankford) Ward.

What surprised me most about this set is how much I enjoyed it. I was expecting very dated television, restrained by standalone episodes (Dallas, Dynasty and Falcon Crest also started with only standalone episodes - they all had very humble beginnings...) and while it is these things, it's also very enjoyable and often well-written. Knots' strength lies in its willingness to be a character-driven series and the episodes that succeed in this set are just that.

Arguably the strongest episode from the first season is "The Lie", in which Laura Avery acts out against her restrained lifestyle and domineering husband. The subject of rape is brought up and more specifically, the perception of rape. This episode also has one of the best endings for a show of its time. Similarly to The Sopranos or Mad Men, the symbolic final scene intelligently sums up the themes of the episode and asks the viewer to analyse what they've seen.

"Land of the Free" holds the honour of being the worst episode on the set. Entertaining in it's own right, the terrorising bikers episode attempts to be relevant (apparently this was a problem in California at the time) but comes off campy and exploitative. Basing an episode around something as strange as terrorising bikers will always be awkward, particularly because there's no subtext to the plot. Predictably, the cul-de-sac bands together against this external force, like they will again in variations on the episode later down the track. The essential and underlying misstep of the episode is that the premise of the show isn't about wild external forces, it's about complex, ordinary people dealing with themselves and the people who's lives intersect with their own. The second episode "Community Spirit", where J.R. from Dallas crosses over, suffers the same problem. As entertaining it was to see J.R. on Knots, he is far too cartoonish a character for the show and this highlights the very striking differences between Dallas and Knots

Apart from these two, the episodes range from decent standalone episodes - but perhaps too understated - to very moving and dense standalone episodes. It's about half and half - very admirable for a first season of a spin-off, and even more-so considering the show didn't find it's long-standing identity as a soap-opera/realistic drama meld until season 3 or 4.

This release is a five dual-layer disc set of 601 minutes. The artwork on the inside of the case has a list of the episodes on each disc with brief summaries on every episode. English and German subtitles and the same enhanced subtitles for the hearing impaired.

Video

The 1.33:1full-screen image is kept to preserve the original look of the show and while there are minor problems with the transfer, they may just be source problems due to the shows age. The show does look quite good considering - and keep in mind that some of the later Dallas and Dynasty seasons had sub-par DVD transfers.

Audio

Dolby Digital 2.0. I'm not sure how much effort was put into cleaning up the audio but it's adequate.

Extras

Special Features:

Commentary on 2 key episodes by Joan Van Ark and Ted Shackelford

Gary and Val: Together Again. The stars reminisce.

The commentaries are interesting because the show and the people clearly meant a lot to these two. The show was on the air for such a long time that there is a rich history to the behind-the-scenes of the show.

The reunion between Joan and Ted is good to watch (especially for fans of Gary and Val), but only if you've seen the entire show as there are clips from pivotal moments while the characters are discussed.

A surprisingly good first season, giving the longer second season a lot to build from. Starting season 2, Donna Mills moves into the cul-de-sac and many people credit her with spicing the show up as husband-stealing vixen, Abby Cunningham. I'm interested to see how and when the tonal and stylistic shifts in the show come about - bring on seasons 2 to 14.

Sons of Anarchy - S03E01 - So

2010-09-08T19:56:00.066+10:00

Yes, I've been extremely lazy when it's come to episodic reviews this year. I've neglected both Louie and Mad Men, which if you weren't aware, had incredible seasons. With eight billion new and returning shows beginning their seasons over the next couple of months, I feel I should get back into weekly blogging mode. Without further ado, the visceral and emotional season opener of Sons of Anarchy season three.

Spoilers follow.

With a season opening montage reminiscent of the 'It Was A Very Good Year' montage from the start of the second season of The Sopranos, we see what the characters have on their minds. Jax is stewing in depression after the kidnapping of his son, Abel. Tara looks to her bloodstained floor where young Half-Sack was stabbed, protecting her. Gemma is getting antsy while held up in a flat on Clay's orders to keep her safe and out of sight. This directly clashes with her character, which is that of a fiercely loyal mother to the club, and a woman who can take care of herself.

This episode was surprisingly character-driven for the show, with the bulk of the episode being about and meditating on the characters circumstances - as opposed to throwing them into new plots. Gemma, however, starts a journey - after she convinces Tig to let her go, by letting him accompany her - by visiting her father (Hal Holbrook), whose mental health is declining. This new story is still an extension of Gemma's current situation. Now that she's without the club, who is she? What was her old life and how does it relate to her current one? I commend Sutter for taking this route - however it plays out, it was an organic plotting move.

Meanwhile, Jax pushes Tara away, in part due to his current depressive mindset and in part because he still thinks the life is too dangerous for her. There are a couple of very well written and acted scenes here as the couple fight and then have a moment of clarity. In my opinion, Tara's already too far into the club to leave now - despite what Jax wants to believe. No doubt Gemma is to thank for her more brash disposition.

The other side of the manipulator coin is Clay, who tries to push Jax out of his hollow misery by giving words to him several times throughout the episode. The thing is, we know Clay pretty well now, and yes, this is about getting Abel back, but Clay wants Jax to be the kind of leader he himself is, when he's too old to sustain the position. It's a subtle move from Clay, with a result that I doubt even he expected.

Jacob Hale Jr. is going to be another problem for the Sons this season as he runs for mayor against Oswald, who the Sons count on for support. The guy seems very dodgy, and I'm sure he will stop at nothing to get the support of the town.

I wonder how long these stories can sustain themselves - Do you think Gemma going to be away for the bulk of the season - to keep her in the dark about Abel's kidnapping? And what about Jax and the crew, will they spend the whole season looking for Abel? It's such an all-consuming plot, that if it's drawn out until the end of season there won't have been room for anything else - not that I'm necessarily against that - if done well, a whole season revenge story could be amazing. On this route, a nice mid-game plan would be to let Gemma in on it around episode six or seven and have her flip the lid. Because of the kidnapping, and because she wasn't told about it.

The most foretelling sequence in the episode was the last, which pushes the plot forward immensely. It was also one of the best scenes the show has done with skilled direction and editing. When Jacob walked partly off the scene before the van arrived, was that the writer's telegraph that he may have something to do with his brother's death - probably. Although the shock on his face when saw the caved-in head seemed genuine - it still doesn't excuse him yet.

Hunman delivered, in my opinion, his best performance as Jax in this episode. He really steps it up whenever he's called on for 'intense' and the final scene of him smashing a stray van shooter tells us he's finally found a different channel for his grief. I'm sure this makes Clay happy, and now we'll get to see more struggle about what kind of man Jax wants to be as he adapts angry, revenge mode. He'll have to do that while not playing into the hands of Clay. I know I'm being hard on Clay, but the MC will always be his first priority.

Was awesome seeing Kenny Johnson (The Shield) back as Kozik, and it sounds like he wants to stay in Charming. I wonder what Tig's beef with him is...

Paula Malcomson was another good casting choice and I'm intrigued as to what her role will pertain. She's doing an eight episode stint, so perhaps that's how long the 'finding Abel' story lasts, or maybe her role expands beyond that and Abel has many handlers over the season.

Cyderdelic - The Complete Series

2010-07-18T14:43:00.079+10:00

Smash up the government, big style!

Relentlessly bold character-performer, Marc Wootton, makes his first mark on television comedy in 2002 with Cyderdelic, a little-known but fresh piece of comedy that has still yet to be released on DVD in Australia and the U.S. As stated by narrator John Peel in the show's opening titles, Cyderdelic are a direct-action group and dance collective within the growing anti-capitalist movement. Leader Su Long (Marc Wootton) is a new-age eco-warrior with an anarchic agenda. Lifelong friend and fellow activist Beetle Smith (Barry Castagnola) is a veteran of the south-west free party scene. Little is known about Frogger (Liam Woodman) who is named for his legendary traffic-dodging skills.

The show is a mockumentary in a similar style to that of Da Ali G Show. Wootton, Castagnola and Woodman portray fictional characters that interact with real-life folk unaware the characters aren't real people. However, the odd scene does seem scripted. The series, as well as Ali G, works best when it makes sly jokes at the expense of real-life interviewees through the characters. Cyderdelic makes the main characters the joke in the majority of scenes though. It's great, but another whole layer is added when you get a real-life person to expose a flaw in their thinking or push a question on them that they aren't comfortable answering. So lets say Cyderdelic is more a satirical look at new-age hippies. The hippies that rebel against the government by taking pills and listening to shitty techno music. To make comedy out of hippie culture the characters are quite exaggerated, but I'm sure there are many just like these guys. They have very little understanding of capitalism to be anti-capitalism, highlighted by their hilarious philosophy "overthrow capitalism and replace it with something nicer". I actually found a facebook group with that title - and it was completely straight-faced! These people must really exist. Beetle especially contradicts his so-called beliefs several times an episode. It really feels like he has no understanding or interest in politics and everything is an excuse to be loud and obnoxious. At least Su believes in the cause, he just has no idea what it really is.

Cyderdelic is very, very light on plot, sometimes to its detriment . Each episode revolves on a single event like a music/folk festival or an issue the group tackle; for example, the group protest outside a Burger King, are asked to leave by police, then open their own 'su-per veggie burgers' restaurant- which offers very little as an alternative to somewhere like Burger King. The place is dirty and unhygienic with terrible customer-service and to top it all off, there's a tiny fenced off area in the shop with farm animals in it. The subtle joke is that Cyderdelic are undertaking this as a reaction to animal cruelty, but keeping animals in a minuscule area for people to look is a form of animal cruelty. These kind of ironic jokes litter the whole series, as I previously said, the joke is usually always on Cyderdelic.

Unfortunately the episodes become quite repetitive if you watch more than one at a time, which is never usually an issue for me. Another criticism would be that the show has no real character or plot development. Any character conflict is neatly resolved in the same episode and there are no plot-threads that span more than one episode. I know what you're thinking; what is this guy bitching about, there are plenty of shows that work with only stand-alone episodes - and yeah, that's true... However, the characters really lend to internal conflict and there was huge potential to to tell a story over the seven episodes; alongside all the hilarious situations with the characters interacting with various members of the public.

Part of the reason the show isn't widely known can probably be attributed to a few incidents. The show got in some hot water for showing the cross covered in shit during an episode. Also, Marc Wootton was interviewed on Jonathan Ross and went as Shirley Ghostman, apparently offending a lot of people - stupid, stupid people, who obviously didn't get the joke. I hear Cyderdelic is never repeated on television either.

Amazon have a very affordable U.K. Region 2 DVD of Cyderdelic available to buy. Buy this or obtain it by other means. I think the show just needs more exposure and that there is a bigger audience for this show, they just don't know about it yet.

Cyderdelic is refreshingly original and those who love the mockumentary format should check it out. It is an important step in the movement and a precursor to other shows by Marc Wootton - in fact, it's his very first show. I will be reviewing each one of his shows in chronological order. Following from Cyderdelic are My New Best Friend, High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman, and his most recent, La La Land. I hope this review will let a few more people in on the series and eventually we can have a Region 1 and 4 DVD release. La La Land is being released on DVD everywhere in the coming months, so if it sells well, we'll see...

The Sheild - The Complete Fifth Season - DVD Review

2010-06-28T13:01:00.063+10:00

In what is widely regarded as The Shield's best season, the show now works at it's very peak, building on what came before and making good on the promise of repercussion. On that note, why I think The Shield tends to be so highly regarded relates back to how the actions of Vic and the Strike Team have ripple effects. The series does have a strong procedural element, which is fine, but many fans place it among The Sopranos and The Wire and I finally realise why - even though I'm not sure if I myself would place it that highly, so far, anyway. It's the really intense shit that just builds and builds until it finally breaks. I also feel like maybe I understand Sons of Anarchy a little more after my Shield revelation. The shows work in the same way, much like, to give you some perspective, The Sopranos and Mad Men or Thirtysomething and My So-Called Life. I could have used comparisons that share the very same auteur-vision, but these examples are more helpful as they're about writers who aren't the key creative vision on a show, but who later create a show of their own that shares not superficial traits, but ones relating to tone, aesthetic, theme and style, with that of their old show. Both shows work on the idea of a group of folks that find themselves under threat while also trying to find their way out of whatever clusterfuck they've got themselves into. I didn't get the problem/solution thing in the first season of Sons, but now I think I do. After that long-winded and semi-off-topic rant, I'd like to formally welcome you to my review of The Shield season five.

After Monica Rawling's (Glenn Close) effective, but let's face it, essentially fruitless stint as captain drew to a close and gang leader, Antwon Mitchell (Anthony Anderson) gets thrown in prison, things started to look up for Vic and the team - not great, but there was a stability that they've been a stranger to lately. That gets shaken up very quickly when Jon Kavanaugh (Forrest Whitaker) shows up as an Internal Affairs agent tasked with the job of finding out the truth behind Terry Crowley's murder. That's really all the exposition you need as this story is the driving force of the season.

I won't go too deeply into the plot of the season, because, like last season it builds to a climax that really needs to be experienced. That said, there are many twists and turns not unlike last season. I keep comparing this season to the last and I'll talk a little about that. For my money, seasons four and five are the best of the show so far (I have yet to see six and seven). Season four had killer guest stars and an intense plot that combined bits of past events with truly shocking and suspenseful plot-developments. It was the best season the show could have done at that point. After doing that, Shawn Ryan and his writers smartly re-evaluated the show, knowing that it was an excellent season and that trying to repeat it would be a backwards step. They looked back to the pilot and devised a five-act tragedy, ala Shakespeare, combining the inciting incident in the pilot, the money train, Shane getting into bed with Antwon, and what each member of the strike team represented to the team on a whole. This reinvigorated the show and determined the rest of the series.

Unlike earlier seasons, the sub-plots running along Kavanaugh vs Strike Team are much weaker than the main story. Julian dealing with new recruit Tina's incompetency was neither inspiring or compelling. Then she was shuffled over to Dutch where he assists her in a matter of sexual harassment in the workplace. There are a few good Dutch moments to be had, but overall the story just didn't click with me. I hope Tina has a more solid arc in season six so this wasn't all for nothing.

The rift between Dutch and Claudette was the most involving of the supporting plots, half due to the strong performances from Jay Karnes and CCH Pounder and half owed to the backbone that's been created over the course of the series, having these two characters together in the majority of the episodes. The execution left a little to be desired, as I retread an old criticism, because the plot wasn't given enough screen time. Last time I made the criticism I noted that a supporting plot lacked weight as well as screen time - well, now it's just screen time.

Anyway, this season is really about Kavanaugh and the past actions of Vic and the Strike Team, and this is where its strength lies. Whitaker turns an exceptional performance as Kavanaugh, and you can really see him enjoying his craft. He has this very jazzy acting style which is complimented by a large dose of vigorous intensity.

The set houses 4 single-sided, dual-layer discs and clocks in at 524 minutes. There are english subtitles as well as descriptive English captions for the hearing impaired.

Video

In keeping with the previous releases, the video is 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. I watched it up-scaled on my HD television and Blu-Ray player and the transfer looked fantastic. Obviously there are flaws, but they're from the source footage and not the transfer.

Audio

Dolby Digital 2.0. Lacks the complexity of 5.1, but perfectly fine nonetheless.

Extras

Special Features:

Audio commentary on every episode

Deleted scenes with optional commentary

'Delivering the Baby' - a special feature-length behind-the-scenes making of episode 65

5 additional behind-the-scenes featurettes

'Wins and Losses' - a 'promosode' prequel to season 6

These Shield releases have always stepped it up when it came to extras and this set is no exception - in fact, it might be the best. While some of the featurettes have a little too much of the obligatory wanking of the show and the actors, they are still very interesting and absolutely worth a watch. 'Delivering the Baby' in particular is occasionally moving and offers insight into how the actors feel about working on the show. There are also good interviews with key creative staff. The promosode/webisode is an excellent addition to the extras and bridges the gap between seasons five and six well. Obviously it's not required viewing, but if you're a fan then you'd be missing out.

I don't want to spoil any developments of the arc, but I assure you it's very satisfying. The re-watch value of this season is perhaps a little less than the previous ones - but its still probably the best season yet. If you're a fan of good television drama, then you owe it to yourself to check out this very engaging season of television. If you've never seen the show then catch the earlier seasons because it's worth it.

Caprica - S01E09 - End of Line

2010-06-19T11:38:00.071+10:00

Although "Caprica" has had it's fair share of problems, I'm proud to announce that this episode along with the previous episode "Ghosts in the Machine", are in my opinion, two of the strongest episodes yet. That's not to say the show has completely found it's groove yet.

Spoilers ahead.

The flash forward teaser device used in "End of Line" was problematic for me. Firstly, Battlestar absolutely butchered it by featuring it in like... seventy-three of their teasers, usually just for adding an element of suspense and mystery to episodes that apparently didn't have enough. I just felt there was so much going on in this episode, that the convergence of a few of the plots into a huge cliffhanger would have been better without the Robot Zoe escaping flash forward. It just felt a little redundant. That's one of my only criticisms in a great episode.

The show seems to be finding itself by raising stakes and upping the emotional content of the show. The scattered plot-threads seem to be going somewhere now instead of just floating around. I had a much larger tolerance to this than a lot of other viewers. I can see what the show is trying to pull off, and I admire the writers for creating a highly ambitious show with a huge cast and an attempt at a filmic visual style. Some of the editing and visuals are shaky, like Zoe's life flashing before her eyes just before she pummels into a police road block. The memory flashes before that were emotional, but it just got silly at the end. Perhaps it was a good idea, but it just didn't look or feel right. Anyway, I feel like their vision is finally coming to fruition, and I love the idea that a sci-fi television show doesn't have to be formulaic or action-driven. I love that it can be a huge prime-time soap opera reminiscent of those from the 80's such as Dallas as well as a having deeply flawed characters and exploring larger themes. There is no pressure on the writers to have characters that are genuinely good and don't do bad things. Sister Clarice is an unlikeable character who does bad things and who seems to be featured a great deal in the series. Which says a lot, considering the massive cast. However, I still don't see her as a villain - nor any other of the characters. It's just a massive shade of grey.

Joseph Adama's quest actually seemed to be heading in the right direction this episode. However, the whole story was wasted by the absurd reveal of his secretary/assistant playing his guide in New Cap City. I didn't even mind the slow and paper-thin execution of the plot, but this mid-way 'twist' really pissed me off. Just when I thought the story was picking up steam... In a futuristic society a father loses his daughter and then tries to find her avatar in a highly immersive and technologically advanced MMORPG. Does this story really sounds like it needs an obsessed secretary in it? I wonder if the rest of this story will play out in V-World or the real world? Is this it for Joseph and Tamara? I really hope they sweep the secretary under the rug and fix this story about a father looking for his daughter. What would suck is if Tamara began to have scenes by herself in V-World. Part of what held my interest was the fact that we didn't see her very often. It helped us feel Joseph's confusion and loss and kept her true situation a mystery.

The writers sped up the pacing on the Amanda's erratic behaviour which has been evident since the pilot. This was presumably to to ramp up the stakes and drama for the mid-season finale. I just wish her arc leading up to this was planned out with more care. I appreciate that the story connected with Daniel's morally bankrupt business decision but I can't help but feel it may have hit harder if the plot progressed with the series, as opposed to the last two episodes. Amanda finding out about Daniel's involvement in theft and murder was only the thing that pushed her over the edge - understandably so, as her only friend, who is a religious, fundamentalist terrorist is just using her to access Daniel's technology, just happens to be going out of town when Amanda actually needs her. That, along with completely losing the emotional safety she believed she had with Daniel was the catalyst for her attempted suicide. Aside from losing her daughter she feels she barely knew, she has hallucinations of her deceased brother. Amanda was in the car with her brother when they were in a car crash, and that after he died, Amanda was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Her hallucinations consist of her brother appearing and then beckoning to her, before walking off. She tries to catch up to him but never does. This is a classic dream trope, however the scenes obviously aren't dreams, so I hope there isn't a supernatural explanation. I have a feeling it will be explained through some pseudo-scientific theory relating to Daniel's technology. That seems like a strong possibility at this point - unless Amanda is really insane. And it's an idea that could possibly tie-in to the rest of the show, so, we'll see... But I firmly believe Amanda isn't dead and that she will probably be admitted again and we'll see her at a very low-point as she comes to grips with her past and present.

One of the more shocking events in the episode was Robot Zoey killing Philomon while escaping from the lab. If I ever had reservations about the show being truly dark for sci-fi television, they are now gone. Philomon is a good character who genuinely feels out of place among the rest of the scumbag cast. This was purposeful so as to make his death seem that much more tragic. It's hammered home when Daniel's reaction to his close colleague's death in his own lab, caused by his own technology, is a mere "Poor kid". I love how "Caprica" doesn't attend to the television convention that all lead characters have to care about each other as much as they do about themselves.

Barnabas Greeley played by James Marsters (Spike from "Buffy" and "Angel") is the closest thing "Caprica" has to a real villain so far. He's a manipulative terrorist who plans to blow up Sister Clarice and tricks Lacy into helping him. Hopefully now she realises her naivety, even though, she's done the deed and is now well under Barnabas' thumb. Of course, his plan fails as fate would have it, when Clarice exits her car during a traffic jam because she can see Amanda standing on the edge of a huge bridge. The bomb goes off, and I suppose we assume Nestor is dead. I'm not sure why the character was killed off, as he didn't yet get a chance to do anything on the show. Which is a shame because Scott Porter turned an outstanding performance on "Friday Night Lights". Here's hoping Nestor makes it out alive but paralyzed, and in a wheel chair.

I like how the traffic jam was probably caused by Robot Zoe's escape and that Sister Clarice was saved due to Amanda's attempted suicide. The attempt to link these for a big operatic cliffhanger was somewhat effective. The fact that the show still doesn't really have a rhythm is problematic, but it's also part of it's charm. To have a huge cast with plenty of stories running parallel like an old school soap-opera is awesome, and then to attempt to converge them is even cooler. But I'm not quite sure it works yet, and I really hope it does because I know there's a very good show in "Caprica".

What did you guys think? Thoughts? Predictions?

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Volume One - DVD Review

2010-06-09T16:42:00.058+10:00

Adult Swim takes a lot of crap from audiences and critics who label the network a stoner channel, or as having shows consisting entirely of randomness. One of Adult Swim's signature shows that premiered in 2000, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, pretty much backs up that notion. The idea of a stoner network or show isn't helpful for reviewing or analysing the show - but the idea of randomness is. The show is made completely from absurdity and every single aspect of the show highlights that fact. If it weren't for the adult content, then the show could easily be comparable to the 90's heyday of intelligent kids animation on Nickelodeon that were brimming with imaginative absurdity and surrealism. Of particular absurdity are the opening theme song's genre and lyrics (rap), and the fact that the main characters are fast food items and the plots that never follow-through and always go off on some unexpected tangent. The dialogue is underwritten and full of non sequiturs - I guess you could say the same for the plot. The real point of the show - if I try to put myself in the head of the writers - is the interaction between the main characters. We have an arrogant, self-centered and self-appointed leader named Master Shake, who is a milkshake. Frylock, a packet of french fries you would buy from McDonald's, and the brain of the group, can also shoot lightening bolts from his eyes. Then there's Meatwad, a kind of meatball who's childlike, dumb and probably the most likable of the group. He can also transform into different shapes due to the fact he's a meatball - not that it has any practical use whatsoever. Each episode starts with a cold open showing incompetent big bad Dr. Weird unleashing a monster-of-the-week to wreak havoc on the world. His plans are always ridiculous and never seem to cause any damage, even the equally incompetent trio of crime-fighters manage to stop them in some roundabout fashion. After a while, the writers shake the Dr. Weird 'formula' up. Though, it's hard to call it a formula, because it never informs the story whatsoever - so, you know, whatever. The cold opens just become platforms for absurd or non sequitur jokes - this makes the opening sequences even weirder and strangely pointless, like everything else in the show. But, I think the show becomes funnier when you think about the pointlessness or stupidity of it - I have a feeling that is the point.

Oh, yeah, and there's Carl. The angry, balding, over-weight and middle-aged neighbour of the group. The boys are constantly trespassing into his backyard to use his pool, and he often unwillingly finds a way into in the middle of whatever hair-brained adventure the food items have themselves in.

Episodes:

Rabbot
Escape from Leprauchpolis
Bus of the Undead
Mayhem of the Mooninites
Balloonenstein
Space Conflict from Beyond Pluto
Ol' Drippy
Revenge of the Mooninites
MC Pee Pants
Dumber Dolls
Bad Replicant
Circus
Love Mummy
Dumber Days
Interfection
PDA

As you might have guessed, these 'volume' releases tend to get a little messy as far as seasons are concerned. The first 16 episodes are on this set, with two episodes remaining in the first season that are found on the Volume Two release. The two disc set clocks in at 187 minutes and is practically identical in both Region 1 and Region 4 formats.

Video

1.33:1 Fullscreen. DVD can perfectly handle the lo-fi animation presented - no problems whatsoever.

Audio

The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and sounds crisp. Apparently later releases are in 5.1 which is a bonus for fans. So many more popular shows only ever get 2.0 audio releases.

Extras

Special Features:

The original cut of the first episode "Rabbot"

Episode commentaries on the two episodes in bold

Deleted scenes

It's as if the show is written from initial feeling and instinct rather than well-thought out draft after draft. That's not to say that I think the writers are geniuses, just that I suspect they take a laid back approach to writing the show. Aqua Teen definitely falls into the Sealab/Space Ghost side of Adult Swim, as opposed to the Tim & Eric and Xavier: Renegade Angel side. If you're unsure about the show and have seen any of those, then I hope it would give you an idea of what kind of comedy you're in for. However, like a lot of Adult Swim, the show has to be seen to be believed, and no review could really do it proper justice. I will note that a rule the show seems to abide by is that nothing will play out the way you expect it to - plot or joke. I think I've said all I really can without getting into stuff that just won't make sense to somebody who's never seen the show - except that I love the Mooninites. Perhaps my opinion will be stronger and more articular after I check out the next volume... Now all that's left for you to do is watch the show.

Rescue Me - The Complete Second Season - DVD Review

2010-05-01T12:49:00.028+10:00

After an odd yet compelling first season, FX returns with a second season of the testosterone-driven, post-911 firefighter drama. Though many agree this season is arguably stronger than the first, I was still left with the same strange aftertaste on the closing of nearly every episode. The writing was a little tighter but the show was still a big mess. My girlfriend told me that might be the point. Hey, maybe she's right.

Let's get the formalities out of the way. Tommy's actions catch up to him as his ex-wife skips town with the kids and his alcoholism lands him demoted to Staten Island after he puts a fellow firefighter in serious danger. He knocks up his dead cousin's wife. Oh, and he's hit the bottle again. Chief Reilly is still dealing with his wife's deteriorating mental state. It's another round of doom for the boys of Rescue Me - but again, with very little of the gloom. This leads me to my next topic.

The black comedy on Rescue Me is the main reason the show sometimes rubs me the wrong way. I'm all for it - and I love the stuff - but when the show goes from making laughs about something tragic to having the most overwrought dramatic moments and ending montages - I'm left a little confused. Let me assure you, this isn't my inability to 'get' the show or deal with a show of this nature - I'm extremely open-minded and can enjoy anything when I understand what the appeal is. It just feels so messy to me, like the show can't work out what it wants to be. Some of the comic situations and dialogue fall flat, while others work fantastically. Part of why all of this this may not work for me is we never get to the see the characters grounded, they are either in a firehouse lunchroom sitcom or an outlandish multi-episode plot. As I make these criticisms, I try to imagine what Tolan and Leary are going for. As per cable drama, all of the characters are hopelessly tortured and unfairly treated by the television gods - their one rule is that regular characters must be constantly punished. These tough men seem to be emasculated at every corner. If you look at nearly every plot-thread, you can see that it usually ends badly for the man, in general, and in the way his masculinity has been completely stripped. On a thematic level, Tolan and Leary could have this in mind. I have finally come to a more concrete criticism after all of this discussion. After every bleak conclusion to every plot and subplot, the character is basically left to hang in limbo until the next outlandish plot-thread begins. Perhaps I yearn for the show to be more delicate, restrained, and thoughtful with its characterisations, and in turn, that would allow me to feel the pain those ending montages so unforgivingly dish out.

On a more positive note, Chief Reilly's arc with his wife's deteriorating mental health was well-plotted and followed through to a satisfying conclusion. As was, to a lesser extent, the smaller plot dealing with him and his homosexual son. The comedic notes were pitch perfect, and the drama from Reilly's angst about his son's sexual preference was very well-played, the two arcs running alongside each other for some of the season was a smart plotting move, and allowed for a great deal of emotional resonance. Half the credit is due to Jack McGee who plays Chief Reilly - his naturalism and ability to slip right into the role must be commended. He delivered the best performance this season and the fact that he used to be a firefighter is just icing on the cake.

Video

1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. No transfer issues I could see.

Audio

We were lucky enough to get this release in Dolby 5.1, which, when you think about how much dialogue comes from all over the place in this show, it was pretty much essential.

Extras

Special Features:

Deleted scenes

Blooper Reel

6 behind-the-scenes features on the making of the series cover shooting in New York, life on the set, a second season wrap, conversations with the real FDNY and more!

Sneak peek at Season three

No audio commentary which is a bit of a bummer, and as with a lot of deleted scenes, you can see why they were cut. On the plus side the behind the scene features are very insightful and entertaining to watch. The sneak peek at Season three is a montage of scenes from season two - so as you can probably guess, it's completely worthless.

The season was frantic, crazy, weird, and occasionally moving. My problems with the show still remain, but if you're already a fan, then this is a slightly stronger outing than the first season. If your not, then go back and check the first as this is a heavily-serialized show. For me, the third season awaits, and I'm interested to see where this train wreck (I don't if I mean that in a good sense or bad) takes me. Will the show find its footing on solid ground or just keep leaping into oblivion?

The Shield - The Complete Fourth Season - DVD Review

2010-04-15T14:17:00.005+10:00

Everybody steps it up a notch for The Shield's fourth season which has stronger direction than previous entries and is more satisfying than any other season before it, other than maybe season two. A large contributing factor to this is are the two new big players added; Glenn Close as Monica Rawling, the Barn's new captain, and Anthony Anderson as manipulative drug-lord Antwon Mitchell. Both of these actors bring their all, and in the case of Anthony Anderson it's a very pleasant surprise to discover his exceptional dramatic acting chops.

With Acevada taking a city council position Monica Rawling (Glenn Close, Damages, a role procured for her after her TV stint on The Shield) takes over as captain with a very different approach to David. She wants to implement a seizure plan that takes drugs and drug-bought items and places the money from them into an increased budget for The Barn and also funnel some of it through to the fledgling community. She's happy to please and as a first order of business fixes the male toilets at the Barn which is met with admiration. After the disintegration of the Strike Team Vic finds himself with no other option but to play it straight and get in the new captain's good graces. Surprisingly, he does this easily as she too plays it rough and fast at times in order to get a result. That said, she is a very different cat with a different approach to the morally-questionable political antics of Acevada. And she would never be like him, that's the point, that's her. Things seem to be going well, but with drug-lord Anthony Anderson wrapped up in dealings with Shane and his new junior partner Army (Michael Pena, Observe and Report), Vic trustingly invites them back into a new drug team at the Barn commissioned by Rawling. Before long, the ties that bind become very stretched and a tangled mess starts to grow, in which they are all involved.

Acevada's story continues from where it left off last season and is the other satisfying arc this season. He is understandably taken to another low-point and you just have to wonder what season five has in store for him. As opposed to Dutch's romance with Vic's ex-wife Corrine which was never given enough scenes to build up any weight and thus comes off a little silly.

This is a very strong season with a satisfying conclusion. But more than that, this is the first time I have been totally and completely on-board with the show. From the second or third episode of the season I was entranced and enthralled and this never let up until the end of the season. I cannot say that for the other seasons, although the second was fantastic. Perhaps, the weight of the characters and their stories have built up enough for me to just be along for it all and engrossed in the show. Not to detract from the season itself which was just well-constructed; the twisting and turning plotted carefully with the audience in mind, along with the dazzling acting performances all across the board.

Video

1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen just like the others, and for the show's visual style it looks just as good as the other seasons.

Audio

Dolby 2.0 like the other seasons. A more involving 5.1 would be great but what we have here is very sufficient with no problems to note.

Extras

Special Features:

Audio commentary by the cast and crew on selected episodes

Never-before-seen deleted scenes

'Under The Skin' behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of season four

Eight of the episodes have commentary and they feature a wide range of the cast and crew which should be very satisfying. There are about half an hours worth of deleted scenes which are a bonus if you're interested in an episode's sub-plot that may have been a little thinner than you would have liked. The hour-long documentary is the best extra any of these sets have had. The whole production of the season is discussed at length with a very broad range of the cast and crew.

4 single-sided dual-layer discs make up season four in a neat and minimal single DVD case like the other seasons. There are also English subtitles. This season clocks in at 593 minutes.

Yes, Dutch and Claudette got a little short-changed over the season, and some people believe it gave season four less focus on the other cast. But honestly, I didn't mind. A lot went on and I was excited to be along for the ride. A great season and a great example of one of the first successes in the now common cable channel move of grabbing big-name movie actors for single-season arcs in their dramas.

Friday Night Lights - The First Season - DVD Review

2010-04-03T14:00:00.042+11:00

I'd been anticipating the Region 4 DVD release of the first season of Friday Night Lights for quite some time, due to the resumes of those involved and the glowing reviews from critics. I certainly wasn't disappointed. One introductory point I'd like to make which has never been a problem for me - but can be for many, is the show's premise - or what the show is about. This is not a football show. Firstly, a scripted prime time drama primarily about a sport isn't realistic or sustainable, so I'm not sure how people get these ideas into their heads. Obviously, the sport is going to be secondary to character or plot - and in the case of Friday Night Lights the fact is glaringly obvious, as the show is exceptionally character-driven, as opposed to plot-driven or even sport-driven.

Anyway, the series is helmed by Jason Katims who wrote for such shows as Roswell, My So-Called Life, Relativity, and the new ABC show Parenthood. This is important because the show continues the tradition of very personal shows that never get bogged down in plot - I can't really say that about Roswell - but that show has a complex behind-the-scenes story. The show was developed for television by Peter Berg who directed the feature film based on a book that this series is based on. The show maintains the hand held visual style and the beautiful, atmospheric guitar-driven music from Explosions in the Sky that the movie had. Although not scored by Explosions in the Sky, W.G. Snuffy Walden adapts their style of music for the show, fantastically.

Friday Night Lights is about life in small town America, and it takes an even-sided approach, looking carefully at the good and bad. The Texan town of Dillon, in which the show is set, is driven by high-school football. It connects the entire town and brings all of the characters together through a common interest. This is quite a beautiful thing and shows the great aspects of small town life. The show centers around Eric Taylor, (Kyle Chandler, Early Edition) his wife Tami, (Connie Britton, who also played the coach's wife in the Friday Night Lights feature film) and daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden, 90210) who move to Dillon when Eric takes a head coaching job for the high school football team. They find out very quickly how seriously the town takes football when they go from love for the coach to hate as quickly as a final game buzzer. Among the other characters are boozing footballer Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch, The Covenant), star quarterback Jason Street (Scott Porter, Prom Night), cheerleader and boyfriend to star quarterback, Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly), slut with little self-respect, Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki, Supernatural), and many more. My point is that these are all very stereotypical characters. However, the thing Friday Night Lights does amazingly, is add extra dimensions to these characters and allows them to grow and become layered. I can comfortably say that about every one of characters in the cast. The show uses some improvisation in scenes to enhance the show's realism as well as multiple cameras so the cast can freely develop scenes without extensive blocking. This was a very wise move by the producers as it gives the show a unique edge over a lot of what is currently on television. The scripted dialogue should also be mentioned as it is usually perfect. Whenever the show does take a rare misstep in plotting, the dialogue and performances still retain emotional truth and naturalism. It really is a testament to the show's cast and crew when such a huge aspect of the show never falters.

The strongest episodes of the first season are in the first half which is near-perfect. Later on in the season, as if the writers hadn't heavily outlined a full 22 episode season, some plot-lines are put on characters, as opposed to them growing organically from the characters. As I said, even when this is the case the show is still compelling and I really hope the rest of the series lives up to the greatness achieved in the first sixteen or so episodes. I'm not going to discuss the plot or any events that happen over the season just because the show is very light on plot and the wonderful moments on the show are the little things; the interactions, the small changes in character - so I'll leave you pure.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 is clear and sounds great, however, I wish that 5.1 was used as is in the U.S. release.

Video

The video is in 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen and looks absolutely wonderful. I love the show's visual style and some may find the flat colours and grain annoying, but I think it adds to the shows huge emotional resonance along with the beautiful score and music.

Extras

There are no special features on this release which is a damn shame, considering the U.S. release did come with some. Oh well, let's hope for the season 2 release to step up and git'er done.

If you like cable drama or some of the great but few downbeat network dramas like My So-Called Life and Once and Again then please watch this show as enough people don't. Screw you NBC for ruining yet another one of your dramas and thank you DirecTV for picking the show up and giving it a second lease on life.

Breaking Bad - S03E01 - No Mas

2010-04-01T13:24:00.013+11:00

This season opener 'No Mas' is a direct continuation from the last season, as opposed to a new beginning. New beginnings are certainly being suggested at, but they aren't here yet. This was an unusual - but by no means bad - plotting move, as cable dramas tend to wrap up a seasonal storyline and start anew, with some character threads running over as well as maybe a cliffhanger or two. The newly introduced plot that stands out this episode was delivered through the teaser - so characteristically it was packed with ambiguity. Similarly to last seasons 'pool and teddy bear' teasers, the sequence had a distinct visual style. In a yellowish tinge, two tough guys who look like twins ritualistically crawl all the way through a Mexican village up to a small temple. In the room contains a sketch of Walt wearing sunglasses and his awesome hat. What follows asserts them as definite contenders for big bad's this season. That said, I hardly think Gilligan would reveal everything so plainly without having an array of mind-fucks and plot-twists planned for the teasers following the opener. The obviousness of the scary Mexican brother-guy's coming after Walt to kill him just invites me to question it. Hey, maybe they're finding Walt to help him. Probably a stretch to make predictions with so little information - nonetheless, I'm excited to analyse the next teaser sequence and I found this one very unsettling.

I will be back next episode for a more in-depth review as things between Walt and Skylar should escalate and we can see where this season is taking Jesse.

The Sarah Silverman Program - Season One - DVD Review

2010-03-24T16:20:00.032+11:00

Sarah Silverman is offensive, crude, silly, and mean - but that's okay, 'cause after every hateful and bigoted thing that flies from her mouth follows an innocent smile. That's her comedy.

Comedy Central ordered 6 episodes for the first season of the outrageous comedienne's subversive take on the sitcom, The Sarah Silverman Program. Nobody thought it would survive for any longer than a season, due to the nature of Silverman's comedy and of course, it's Comedy Central. Yes, this is quite a short season, but almost all the episodes are fantastic. The show revolves around Silverman playing a fiction version of herself - ala Larry David. If I had to compare the show to another it would definitely be Curb Your Enthusiasm. The two shows aren't really all that similar, however, the set-up of a comedian playing a very distinct version of themselves in a very distinct comedy world is the big similarity. The differences are in their specific comedy styles. Silverman's character lives with and off her younger sister Laura (played by her real-life older sister Laura Silverman). The fact that Sarah makes herself the older sister in the sitcom tells you just the kind of character you can expect - an extremely self-centered child. Her and her sister are joined by Laura's cop boyfriend Office Jay McPherson (Jay Johnston, Mr. Show) and their two gay neighbors Brian (Brian Posehn, Mr. Show) and Steve (Steve Agee, who wrote for Jimmy Kimmel Live!). Over the course of the first season Sarah gets up to a lot of mischief including, getting messed up on cough syrup, taking in a homeless guy, getting AIDS, shitting her pants, and meeting God. Just to be clear, the show isn't at all driven by plot but by twisted and scatological situational humor. The show also plays with sitcom conventions or tropes like the best friends next door and the concluding, 'what have we learned' scene in which Sarah, before going to bed, tells her dog what lessons and morals she learned over the episode - you can probably guess this trope is always subverted to the extreme. Then there's the musical side to the show. Each episode features a number by Silverman that loosely relates to show. Among others there's a poop song and a song on what is wrong with the world.

Now I'll discuss why so many people find the show inaccessible or offensive. When Sarah makes an ignorant statement you can often see social commentary behind it and find it funny (eg. Wonder Showzen). However, the point to a lot of her humour is the awkwardness that comes from the inability to figure out what the joke is trying to say on a political level. One of my favourite gags from the first season is when Sarah wakes up and we see she set her alarm clock for 9:11. It's certainly not a comment on anything, it's hilarious because it's stupidly offensive, frivolous, and pointless.

Video

The image is full frame and I really have no quality complaints.

Audio

The Stereo audio is fine, the musical numbers sound good, but there is an occasional bad mix of dialogue, however, that's sometimes the case with a lot of these low-budget Comedy Central shows.

Extras

Special Features:

Musical Performances
Sing-Along
Audio Commentary

The musical performances are from a live acoustic show with Sarah and occasional Laura making stupid songs about dumb things. The Sing-Along feature allows you to watch the musical scenes from the episodes with subtitles.

If you think it's up your alley then go ahead and buy it. If you have reservations but still want to check it out then maybe a rental would be wise. On a final note, it makes me happy to know there's a very original and funny female comedian doing her own thing and gaining a lot of recognition.

Skins - S04E07 - Effy

2010-03-21T16:31:00.051+11:00

As we reach the end of an outstanding season of episodes I feel I should step in for a moment before the finale to discuss this very odd game-changer of an episode. For most of the duration I felt like writer Jamie Brittain and director Daniel O'Hara were screwing with me. We all know this episode has caught massive criticism, however, I think I can provide a slightly different rant. Hopefully a little more thoughtful and a little less 'internet'.

Spoilers ahead.

I guess my reaction to the episode was mostly to do with expectation. The odd sense of foreboding. The psychotherapy scenes - Foster's methods immediately felt strange. The quirky teacher/adult trope that already felt old, extended to absurdity. The stylised scene where John Foster closes the door to his office. The last scene being shot completely like a genre film. Cooke's reference to Stephen King. Effy grappling with what is real and what isn't. I often read too far into these things and am left confused - as was the case here. The real story is quite simple. Apparently I wasn't being screwed with. Apparently Effy's psychotherapist is a violent and obsessed creep who brutally murders her boyfriend. Played completely straight - Footballer's Wives style. All credit where credit is due, though. When you create a fairly-realistic, existential world for your show, then go do something like this, it really gets people to pay attention and analyse. It's a similar thing when shows like The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Mad Men, or whatever, show extreme emotion or extreme violence. It really kicks you in the gut and makes you reflect on what you saw. And the show's earned it due to their gradual and ambiguous character-driven storytelling. I just thought that something even stranger was happening, e.g. Tony's (Stonem not Soprano) dream episode. Anyway, I love how the writers subverted their own quirky teacher/adult trope by actually making Foster a deranged lunatic. By then we knew the trope all too well and may have even been sick of it, but the subversion added to the shock-value. The American Psycho reference was fun too.

Now for the finale...

Supernatural - The Complete Second Season - DVD Review

2010-02-18T13:34:00.039+11:00

I was looking forward to seeing the second season of Supernatural to find out which direction the show would be taken in after the intermittent excitement of the first season. The show really has a lot of potential and works on a higher level as well as being a little more serialised this time around.

The opener "In My Time of Dying" was an excellent start to the season and immediately dealt with the cliffhanger that closed the first. I was a little skeptical at first as, generally speaking, having characters in a car crash as an end of season cliffhanger is usually pretty lazy and simplistic. That's not to say that absurd cliffhangers aren't awesome... Can I get a high-five for Melrose? It was just something I didn't really expect from this show. Anyway, the episode was very eventful and set-up the season and the rest of the series while also retaining a lot of character nuance that makes the show so great. Almost a perfect season opener. The episodes following range from above average to good. Some of them help set-up the seasonal arc which has to do with the 'special children' like Sam who the Yellow-Eyed Demon 'wants'. This is purposefully vague to begin with and the story progresses and closes by the end of the season. I commend Kripke for wrapping a story up without dragging it on too long but it felt meandering even before the middle of the season. I don't think this particular story-arc of the season was balanced properly and there could have been much more progression earlier in the season rather than having the bulk of the story in the final two-parter. The finale was great but after all the incredible episodes from episode 12 Nightshifter to episode 20 What is and What Should Never Be, I wasn't that excited for the 'special children' story. The transition just felt a little jarring. However, this was one heck of a season and from Nightshifter onwards are the best episodes the show has produced. They range from intense character-study to horror to comedy to action and drama. It's just amazing stuff and make the season amazing regardless of any other minor flaws. There are some great guest stars during the season such as Linda Blair (The Exorcist) and Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica). The comedic episodes too suggest a more self-reflexive show like Buffy and The X-Files were, and I'm sure as the show goes on there will be breather episodes that go even further than Hollywood Babylon.

Video

I found the widescreen transfer to be very clean and the great visual style of the show intact and represented well. Not a single issue.

Audio

The Dolby 5.1 sounds flawless, everything is mixed properly and the source music is fantastic.

Extras

Special Features:

Unaired scenes
Commentary on 2 key episodes by series stars and creative team
The Devil's Road Map: Interactive U.S. map guide to urban legends and factoids pertaining to each episode
Jared's original screen test for the role of Sam
Gag reel

Four episodes have deleted scenes and the two commentaries are on great episodes. There aren't a load of special features, but of course, it could have been a lot worse and Jared's screen test and the interactive map are nice touches.

If your a fan and have already seen the first season then pick this up as soon as possible 'cause your in for a treat. If you haven't seen the show then go back and see the first season and know that it will be worth it because the show hasn't been canceled or jumped the shark. Especially if you are a fan of shows like Buffy and The X-Files as this seems to be heading in a similar direction - in a good way.

Caprica - S01E01 - Pilot

2010-02-10T11:25:00.031+11:00

Caprica is a spin-off prequel to the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica that ran on the The Sci-Fi (SyFy) Channel for a miniseries, four seasons, and two TV movies. However, this is a different show - one that, in my view, will completely polarize the fan base.

So, the prequel takes place 58 years before the devastating beginning of Battlestar Galactica. The show centers around two families, the Graystone's and the Adama's. The patriarchs of the families come together after they share a family tragedy. Eric Stoltz (Once and Again) plays Daniel Graystone, the man responsible for developing the Cylons. He is working on an early model when family tragedy strikes and he then dives headfirst into developing his machine and exploring it's capabilities. Paula Malcomson (Deadwood, John from Cincinnati) plays his wife Amanda Greystone, incredibly well and gives huge depth and credibility to her character and the show. With weaker actors playing the parts of this couple, the show would be much less genuine. They're daughter Zoe is played well by Alessandra Torresani who will likely be a very prominent and key character in the series. On the other side of the tracks is Joseph Adama played by Esai Morales (NYPD Blue). The Adama's are the more lower-class of the two families and that dynamic always has a lot of potential - it creates a large scope. He and his son, William Adama, who we all know from Battlestar, also suffer great loss and it's with this that the two fathers find common ground. However, it seems that they're friendship is not long for this world... They have opposing views on the work that Graystone does, and also the setup is in motion to make them rivals, as is typically the case in big prime time soaps like Dallas, etc. Adama's brother is an enforcer for the mob which gives the series another aspect to explore. It will also bring some moral complexity to this family as the Graystone's have their technological advancements. Joseph Adama will probably be tasked with making very big decisions for his family. There is all sorts of potential for him to get in trouble with the mob or in too deep with them.

My initial thoughts on the pilot were very positive. I mean, this felt like a very mature show, or at least, has the potential to be. I know a lot of people will disagree with the sentiment, but please, look below the surface. Execution makes a show adult or mature, not subject matter or premise or setting. I just feel the show to be extremely character-driven and the driving force of the show so far has been a couple of families dealing with personal tragedy. I know Battlestar also had characters dealing with that off the bat too, however, there were immediate external problems that 'grounded' the character stuff. It's hard to make a large claim on the execution of a show after just a pilot, as the show hasn't yet settled into any rhythm or formula. But if I had to make an educated guess I would say it will run in the same way a prime time soap would - and trust me, that's not a bad thing.

If you're a fan of great drama and science-fiction then I advise that you check this one out. However, if you like your sci-fi nerdy and with a lot of special effects, then this is absolutely, definitely not for you.

The League of Gentlemen - The Entire First Series - DVD Review

2010-02-06T13:07:00.028+11:00

The League of Gentlemen is a sketch comedy show based around a large group of sick and depraved characters who live in a town named Royston Vasey. Mark Gattis (Nighty Night), Steve Pemberton (Psychoville, Blackpool), Reece Shearsmith (Psychoville), and Jeremy Dyson who, unlike the others, just writes for the show and doesn't perform more than the occasional cameo. These guys are very talented performers and play the parts of just about every single role on the show. The costuming and make-up is amazing and the performers convincingly transform themselves into the hugely varying characters with ease.

The six episodes that make up the entire first series give us a great sketch-y comedy show that actually builds as it goes on. The set-up of the show is similar to a much weaker show Little Britain, in which characters go through the same situations each weak with a slight variation, and usually the same terrible catchphrase. The League turn this idea on it's head by being very creative in the way they recreate similar situations each week in very different ways and have a slow-build that enhances a subversive and even a cumulative dramatic effect of the show.

Video

The widescreen video transfer isn't perfect, there is a little grain and some motion blur but it isn't overly noticeable and shouldn't put anyone off from the release.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 audio on the other hand is excellent with the dialogue and music mix sounding clear and full.

Extras

Special Features:

Character biographies
Photo gallery
Cast and director commentary
Over 20 minutes of unseen material

The commentaries are fantastic, offering additional insight into the characters as well as discussing problems, changes, and the making of the show. The deleted scenes are better than most, probably due to some of them being cut by the network rather than left out because they were pointless or bland.

None of the characters are particularly likable, the situations are disturbing, there are tons of horror film references, and the show holds an overall nihilistic tone which may put some light or mainstream viewers off. However, if you enjoy dark or alternative comedy then I recommend the show. I've heard it gets even better.

The Shield - The Complete Third Season - DVD Review

2010-01-27T22:45:00.055+11:00

This third season is all about the aftermath of the Armenian money train, and of course, how Vic and the Strike Team continue to dig deeper holes for themselves. Honestly, this was probably the weakest season for me... It didn't take advantage of the extended season it procured (15 episodes instead of 13), and a lot of the storytelling was engaging on an immediate level but never following through in any gratifying way. No, The Shield is not a show that resets its characters at the start of every episode - but sometimes I feel like the procedural element of the show gets in the way of the huge potential for the character stories. This is a whine I seem to make about a lot of shows that don't live in the existential space that shows like The Sopranos and Mad Men do - so maybe just ignore it.

My main issue with the third season was Shane and his girlfriend. It was overblown and drawn out throughout the whole season and to make matters worse the writers probably realised this and tried to insert some plot in there. So we have her and Shane involved in the serious injury of the new guy on the strike team. Then, her mother shows up and tries to blackmail them. Neither of these plot-lines were given enough time to mature and develop, they just fell short and were generally unsatisfying. I wish the effect Shane having a girlfriend/partner would have on Vic was probed more deeply, instead of Vic simply making a catty and jealous comment every time it's called for.

Acevada had an interesting turn this season which, the arc is generated, didn't completely satisfy me - so I wait for season four in hopes that wasn't everything. I also feel the same about the controversial Dutch moment. However, that event was more of an afterthought than a game-changing plot-twist, as much as I would like it to be.

Overall, it was a good season, and my complaints with it were hard to pindown. Dutch's multi-episode hunt for a serial killer was great as well as his episodic stories with Claudia. I must also mention that I found Vic's domestic troubles this season a little dull, especially with the guy who is helping his autistic son. I feel like these scenes were rushed and there really weren't enough of them. A lot of these plots could have done with more detail - filled out better.

Video

If you've seen previous seasons then you know that the show has a visual style that uses a lot of grain and 'bad' lighting that adds to the gritty and morally grey world the characters inhabit. The image is fine on DVD and I have no problems with it.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 audio sounds tight and well-mixed. The source music tracks sound great and the dialogue is always audible. Yes, 5.1 would have been great, but considering it's limitations it sounds very good.

Extras

Special Features:

Audio commentary by select cast and crew on various episodes
Deleted scenes with optional commentary
Behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the season finale

This release is consistent with the others that came before it - there is quite a bit here. Definitely no complaints, considering the current landscape for extras on TV on DVD releases.

If you've seen the previous seasons then I would definitely Recommend you check this one out, as the show makes some bold moves to bring on the next season. I just feel the show didn't gain anything from the extended season, where it could have. There is some fantastic acting here too, which is sometimes overlooked when discussing The Shield, outside of the notable film actors who take guest arcs on later seasons. Jay Karnes and CCH Pounder really shine as Dutch and Claudette this season.

Mad Men - S03E08 - Souvenir

2009-10-08T23:54:00.056+11:00

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

2009-10-05T11:55:00.044+11:00

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

2009-09-30T11:52:00.015+10:00

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

2009-09-23T17:00:00.012+10:00

Curb is back for it's seventh after another long wait - was it worth it? Spoilers ahead!

For me - absolutely! The opener does not hold back in the slightest and really wants to be a shredder of an episode. Catherine O'Hara guest stars as Bam Bam Funkhouser (the crazy sister) and delivers a hilarious and addictive performance - she can really improv. While she wasn't underused at all, I swear it would be great to have her on the show again - and that is a definite possibility considering the events that took place concerning her, Jeff, and of course, Larry, in the middle - but not like that. Is Jeff's adultery finally going to be dealt with? There is obvious potential for that as Susie's reaction to finding out could be absolutely anything, ha ha. Her vulgarity is starting to become cute, perhaps David has noticed this and is wanting to strike terror into the hearts of viewers again. Many viewers thought that Jeff's adultery was out of character, but they should be reminded of the very first episode where he cheats while out of town, paying for hand jobs at the massage parlour, and also in S02E02 "Thor" where Susie rants about all of his infidelities. Perhaps we are being set-up for something big. Plot threads coming together is a staple on Curb and Jeff being stabbed by Susie could be a good plot point to throw into the climax of one of the later episodes of the season.

I loved the meta-comment with Loretta's cancer. Getting rid of an unwanted character has never been so difficult!

Susie turned an awesome performance as Susie again with great stuff during the garage scene and the dinner scene.

Larry forgiving the Funkhouser's at the table was a hilarious, it was only for a second, but pure gold.

The reunions looms. I seriously cannot wait.

Battlestar Galactica - Season 4 Part 1 - DVD Review

2009-08-12T11:38:00.040+10:00

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

2009-08-06T14:15:00.046+10:00

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

2009-08-03T21:30:00.027+10:00

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

2009-07-15T11:53:00.058+10:00

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

2009-06-27T10:58:00.116+10:00

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

2009-06-26T20:53:00.046+10:00

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

2009-06-19T21:49:00.017+10:00

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

2009-02-22T14:47:00.035+11:00

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.

HBO lockdown Bad Girls for a remake

2008-11-26T11:17:00.019+11:00

This news is slightly old, but for those who aren't aware of it, Alan Ball is producing an HBO remake of UK women's prison drama Bad Girls, with help from Eileen Gallagher, who co-created the original series which ran for 8 seasons from 1999-2006.

However, Ball isn't running the show; he has handed the reigns to Nancy Oliver (Lars and the Real Girl, Six Feet Under) who will be showrunner. Apparently she is a big fan of the original series and doesn't want to stray from the original stories, at least while they are good - the series lost the plot a little during the last couple of seasons.

I have no doubt Alan Ball, Nancy Oliver and Eileen Gallagher will create something really special, but I'm worried about casting. Obviously the feel will be quite different as the element of 'bogan' will be lost with the remake - an aspect that can really only exist in the UK and Australia. Most of you probably won't know what the fuck I am talking about - but hopefully a couple do. The characters I am worried about the most are Shell Dockley and Yvonne Atkins, hypothetically, the rest could be casted fairly easily.

I was originally worried the series would be too campy, and not as serious as it should be. But the dynamic was held greatly by the original series, for the majority of the show. Now that I know Alan Ball can handle camp (True Blood) and Nancy Oliver is a big fan of the show, I have been put at ease. Now I really don't mind what they do with the series as long as the casting is good - a serious character-study, a campy over-the-top soap-opera, or a mixture of both like the original, as long as it's good!

What do you think the transition will affect? Have any favourites to play a character in the remake? Let it rip down below!

Hopefully it will be hitting the screens next year. However, HBO are developing A LOT of shows at the moment, and eight will be picked up, so we just have hope and pray to the made-up man upstairs Bad Girls will be one of them. If you haven't seen the original series check it out with an open mind - it is fucking badass, to say the very least - but seriously, it is really good. Also, there is a REALLY good interview with Eileen Gallagher on her thoughts of the remake below!

http://www.afterellen.com/people/2008/6/eileengallagher

True Blood - S01E12: You'll Be The Death Of Me

2008-11-25T16:47:00.026+11:00

Alan Ball's decision to use a teaser or cold open on True Blood was a very wise one. They are not required to use them on HBO as there are no ad breaks but True Blood uses this marketing tool which has developed into an artistic decision (and a fine art) to its full potential, as did The Wire. The other show that employs it famously is Buffy - both vampire shows, however, Alan Ball has admitted that he has not seen Buffy, or read much vampire fiction, for that matter. Anyway, the last shot of the teaser is Sookie assuring Jason that she is close to finding out who the killer is. Off this, the camera focuses off Sookie and Jason and on Renee. This is a very neat directional technique that often doesn't work for me but was used perfectly by Ball. Thinking about it, Ball's direction was so well thought out and executed in this episode and was definetely the best of the season. The worst may have been the last episode, directed by Nancy Oliver - she makes up for it with fantastic writing in just about everything she has done, and I hope she will continue it when she becomes showrunner for Bad Girls next year on HBO.

Anna Paquin's acting seemed considerably better this episode, not that it was bad to begin with, but there were some iffy moments - perhaps this can be credited to actors director Alan Ball. I know it sounds like I jerk off over him seven times daily, but he really deserves all credit given. Poor Sookie, she has been through so much this season, and has done a pretty good job of being the most unlikeable character. I hope we can like her a bit more next season - she really seems to be backseat to Jason and Tara sometimes, which still worked out great - no problems there.

One of the most intriguing things about the last two episodes has been Maryanne. Intriguing because we don't know what the fuck she is or what the fuck is going on... Why does she do that shaking thing? What is she? Why does she walk the nighttime lonely road accompanied by a pig? What does she want with Tara? How does she know Sam? What does she want with Sam?

I really hope Lafayette isn't dead, but it looks like that will be the case. I really thought something was being set-up for him with that politician guy - but it was ended quickly, and probably only employed to give us another suspect to pointlessly wrap our brains around until next year.

I wasn't too fond of the idea of Rene being the killer, but I liked the result - even if his motives were kind of weak and we didn't see much of his true character to help us acknowledge his motive. This show was just what the magical land of television needed, and I am looking forward to the second season, hopefully followed by plenty more.

And to wrap up I should like to add, Bill = Freddy Krueger, and Alexander Skarsgård is a tank.

The Life and Times of Tim

2008-11-05T15:34:00.016+11:00

Has anybody been watching The Life and Times of Tim? The new animated late-night HBO show is created, written, directed, and starred by Steve Dildarian, who is known for creating some popular Budweiser commercials when he was an advertising copywriter.

I haven't seen all that much buzz on in the internet about this new show, and I'll guess that is has a very small audience that is growing each episode. HBO are probably fine with the low ratings, and expected it, due to the very late time slot they air it in (No doubt I'll take that back at some point).

The series has a very minimal and understated feel to it - similar to Dr. Katz and maybe Dilbert, but with obvious influence from Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. The situations that Tim is put in are supposed to be the worst social situations imaginable - but the characters rarely conflict by means of shouting and getting terribly upset. Instead, they often cannot believe their eyes at what they have witnessed, and don't talk about it much, aside from a reaction statement. For example, Tim's girlfriend and her parents somehow forgive him for all of the horrible things he does or gets himself into, but still know what a douche he is. Tim is really a decent guy, and wants to be a decent guy, but people are constantly pushing and manipulating him into awful situations, which admittedly, he falls straight into after some hesitation and skepticism - sometimes it's like he knows that it is really not going to end well but still goes along with it for whatever reason.

I think that this series won't be for everyone, as the purposefully sloppy animation and tone takes a little bit of getting used to, but I see it reaching great heights if HBO give it some time to settle. If you are a fan of cringe-comedy or Seinfeld type humour then give it a shot. I'm glad I did.

Desperate Housewives - S05E03: Kids Ain't Like Everybody Else

2008-10-16T12:29:00.011+11:00

Desperate Housewives has always had the coolest Big Bad's since Buffy, and Dave is no exception - in fact, I think he is the greatest so far. He is played to perfection by Neal McDonough (Tin Man, Band Of Brothers). I find him so utterly convincing and charming, except when it comes to McCluskey - he has blown his cover there - not that he doesn't have other tricks up his sleeve. Also, his last name Williams, is also shared by crazy maniac and now dead George Williams. Could he be back to avenge the death of his... brother? They are probably unrelated as he would be smart enough to use an alias if his real name was Dave Williams, but still.

Lynette has become so unlikeable this season, and that is saying something because she has always been treading the line between likeable and total bitch. Suppressing and whipping Tom and fucking with her kid on the internet are probably new lows for her. Dave trying to get close to Tom for ultimately sinister reasons is bad and everything, but the things he says to Lynette about Tom are absolutely true, and he seems to be genuinely helping him. It is hard not to like him, but when we see the result of his plotting I am sure my mind will be quickly changed. Anyway, Mike, Tom and Dave should get together and play some gigs at the Pizzeria - that is something I would not miss.

Danielle is back with a new husband who is a lawyer and Jewish, and Benjamin. Ultra-conservative Bree is surprised and revolted at Danielle's family being vegetarian, liberal and Benjamin being Jewish. So revolted that she decides to connive Benjamin into eating a hot dog which ends up all over their floor a while later. As a vegan I may be biased, but that was truly messed up. Bree is horrible for doing that. Her irrational opinions on vegetarianism are hilarious and true to life as well. Danielle finds out and they decide to leave - no more Benjamin. Orson blames Bree for losing Benjamin which has added more tension to their already strained relationship.

I don't really care much for Gabrielle's contribution, as far as I'm concerned she deserves to get ripped off by Andrew. And I am finding her quite boring and deserving of her punishment to low-class - although I feel sorry for Carlos, how could you not.

Another great episode to a so far great season. Dave's cliffhanging scenes are creepy, and always great. Much like Desperate Housewives episode closers in general really, but we know Dave is fucked up beyond belief and we are just waiting to see the man behind the Tony Robbins mask.

True Blood - S01E05: Sparks Fly Out

2008-10-09T12:03:00.000+11:00

Bill appears before the town, and reminisces on his past and an early Bon Temps. Sookie goes on a date with Sam. Jason tries some more V. And Lafayette smacks down some white-trash.

For anybody who doesn't know, True Blood has already been picked up for a second season - this is very good news. Alan Ball has said hypothetically the series could last 8+ seasons, if they followed the book series.

This episode features some really great flashbacks that do not look tacky and have a genuine feel, unlike many other shows that flashback to the 1880's. They tell some really great back story of Bill: How he became a vampire, what happened to his family, and some of what happened in the battle at Bon Temps.

At the very end of the teaser of 'Sparks Fly Out', we see that dog staring at Bill with some dramatic music in the background. We have been beaten over the head with this over the duration of the series, and I think they are trying to tell us that Sam is a werewolf - or a cute dog, which might be cool in a Beethoven kind of way, but not in a rabid killing machine way - so we will go with werewolf. This episodes cliffhanger could be put down to this theory, which would be absolutely disturbing.

Jason continues on his sexcapades and may even be pinned for another murder in light of this episode. He takes V for the second time, but this time takes the recommended dosage so we get to see it in all it's glory. He hallucinates that sparks are flying out of the flowers of a bush, and that Tara is some sort of goddess at a waterfall.

Great episode! As usual I can't wait until the next.

Dexter - S03E01: Our Father

2008-10-08T15:21:00.000+11:00

As always Dexter kicks off its season by laying down some foundation for itself to work on:

Dexter somewhat breaking free from Harry and developing his own code. It isn't the first time Dexter has promised to evolve, try new things, and break from the code. But we have never seen him go the whole way about it - I think we will this season as he seems to have banished Harry from his mind once and for all, although I am sure he will still pop up occasionally. He even dogs Harry's posthumous yearly birthday celebration with Deb, as he has moved on from Harry.

A new problem arises for Dexter when he unintentionally breaks the code, in a bad way, while out on a typical hunt. This injects new suspense into the show, since the last season tied off most of its plot strands. Jimmy Smits joins the cast as a recurring character, i assume. I am really excited to see him on the show; as I think he fits Dexter perfectly, and is just a great actor in general - he deserved a good role after Cane was axed. This episode gives a few hints as to a growing relationship between Smits as Miguel Prado and Dexter - it is never explicitly talked about, but at the funeral Dexter is at the coffin and from behind Miguel can see Dexter look deeply saddened, but really he is just stressed or guilty or something. Miguel Prado looks on at him for longer than one usually would. Some would say he is suspicious of Dexter, but I didn't feel that at all.

Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington, Rescue Me) joins the precinct, as a possible love-interest for Deb, a cop, and as an ambiguous character with a past, as Deb begins to find out from a bureau employee, Yuki Amado (Liza Lapira, Huff), who wants her cooperation with investigating him. But Deb won't rat on a fellow cop, yet.

The episode ends on a massive cliffhanger involving Rita, and in turn, Dexter. Great episode and I have no doubt this season will be just as great as the last two. Although, the first 2-3 episodes of the second season will be difficult to top.

Californication - S02E01: Slip of the Tongue

2008-09-30T22:37:00.023+10:00

It feels awesome to have Californication back, and this episode does not disappoint. In fact, I think it is one of the best, if not the very best episode so far.

Tom Kapinos pens the season opener and David Duchovny directs - and does a fine job, as he did when he did a few episodes during The X-Files. We are tricked for a second into believing Hank and Karen getting back together was a dream, and that the wedding has not yet taken place, but we are quickly relieved of our anxiety when Karen wakes Hank up. In an interview, creator Tom Kapinos (Dawson's Creek) asks that in movies the guy gets the girl and they drive off into the sunset - but what happens after that? Apparently, that question will be answered throughout the next four episodes.

I'm not going to spoil too much - just that the gang head to an LA party, and there is a case of mistaken identity, followed by a run in with the law. Oh, and an appearance from renowned dickhead Pete Wentz. Tom Kapinos truly smashes him with words.

I really fucking love the dialogue on Californication. I loved it on Dawson's Creek too. This episode has some of the wittiest and funniest dialogue of the season. The actress who plays Becca is still as wooden as a block of wood, but as usual the rest of the cast's delivery is spot-on. Oh, and good luck to David in rehab, I hear from Tom Kapinos he is making a recovery.

Family Guy - S07E01: Love Blactually

2008-09-30T16:47:00.013+10:00

I haven't watched family guy since early season five - but I thought I would check in and see what the season seven opener has to offer. This is a decent episode, and going from the thoughts people have on Family Guy season six I have observed - it may be an improvement.

Brian meets an atheist, liberal, and pretty all around 'hip' girl. As opposed to all of the girls he has been with lately who all have large flaws he cannot get past - but this girl seems fine for Brian. As they are about to seal the deal, Stewie tells Brian not to go through with it, as that is why all of his relationships fail - because they have sex too early. Cleveland also joins in on this story and may potentially reconcile and get back together with Loretta at some point soon. For the spin-off?

Something I noticed in this episode was a lot of pushing of liberal agendas. Apparently creator, Seth MacFarlane has been using Family Guy as a platform for these views for a while, and has become loud and persistent with them in recent times. I have no problem with these views, as I couldn't agree more for most of them - but this episode was the only time where it actually took me out of the show for a second and I realised that it was being ultra-preachy. One notable scene was the one in which Brian and Carolyn are having dinner and they joke about religion being stupid and God not existing for a considerable amount of time. I agree with them one hundred percent but it took me out of the show and I found it to be overly preachy. I have no problem with, and actually enjoy these views on Family Guy, but only to a certain extent - and where I don't have to think whether views are being pushed upon me, or if there is some left-wing agenda trying to be pushed by FOX.

I love the scene where Stewie keeps pronouncing 'ruined' 'rueened', and Brian, irritated by this, tries to correct him. It reminded me of the 'cool whip' scene in an earlier season. Chris and Meg nowhere to be seen - oh well.

Sons of Anarchy - S01E04: Patch Over

2008-09-29T15:49:00.021+10:00

'Patch Over' is noticeably better than last weeks episode - if only for the fact that there is a bad-ass firefight. And it seems they have started to get a few of these long-term storylines in motion.

To my understanding, 'patch over' is where a smaller club merges with a larger and more established one. I think club symbols and labels being patched on the clothes of members and in their establishments is the meaning behind the term 'patch over'. Anyway, the club merges with a smaller club in Nevada and they celebrate with a party. But beforehand Jax and Bobby see a guy sitting on Jax's Harley. The guy admits to beating his girlfriend who is trying to take a picture of him and the Harley, so Jax beats his face and takes off with the girl - she happily obliges. The girl is given some sort of initiation by another girl from the club that recently merged with the Sons. When Jax's new girl sees the other girls being passed around like a bong, and the firefight between the rival gangs, she decides to leave with her old boyfriend - going back to her old life, and uncovering a harsh truth about a world she most likely fantasized about.

Jax searches out an old writing on a rock in Nevada where his father wrote something about his idea of the club, freedom, and the dream. Every episode seems to have a scene or two from this narrative thread, and will continue to challenge Jax - though I don't think we will see any big events happening from this at the moment, just little developments, gradual revelations, and after a while Jax might do something big with what he has learnt. So far it just seems like he is reading it, without adapting it - which he probably couldn't do yet even if he wanted to - maybe he has a little, but for the most part he is just living the life the other guys are.

The best part of this episode was the gunfight between the Sons and Mayans. Jax is being chased by the Mayans and leads them back to the others at the club. The Mayans waste no time and start shooting through the walls of the club, so the Sons quickly prepare and come out firing with pistols and shotguns. There are a lot of guns and a lot of gunfire, but only a few guys take hits.

The episode ends with Tara in the hospital looking upon Jax and Gemma with the baby, as she opens a letter containing a photo of Jax and his short-term Nevada girl having sex. I wonder how that happened? And who the hell did it?

90210 - S01E04: The Bubble

2008-09-22T20:50:00.020+10:00

Either this episode is the worst so far, or I am getting a little bored of 90210 already. The only characters that are semi-interesting are Nat, Kelly, and Brenda from the old cast. As well as Dixon and Silver from the new cast.

Annie has been getting way too much screen-time, and her plots are very dull. Her chemistry with Ethan is boring, as is the whole love triangle set-up. Also, the other guy she likes is a shit actor which only makes matters worse. The story with Naomi's dad cheating on her mum is a tad less boring, but still uninteresting due to AnnaLynne McCord being the worst actress in the cast. Jessica Walter is given some decent screen time this week, unfortunately it is with Annie. She directs the play Annie is in until Brenda takes over. But the story isn't given time to develop, it is simply there one minute and gone the next.

I think a big problem with the show is the lack of drama. All of the conflicts tend to be resolved simply, for example; Dixon's money problem, Kelly and Brenda's 'fight', and Annie trying to win back the rich guy. There are on-going plot strands, for instance; Dixon not feeling like he fits into the family, the drug-addict kid, and Silver being homeless. All of these plots are mentioned very briefly when they are not being immediately dealt with, but there is no drama or tension surrounding them. This is the problem with the fast-pace of the show. We cannot care about Ethan and Naomi getting back together if we don't see them apart for very long, the most emotion and time spent on the plot is a simple close-up at the end of the scene where the character may have a sad face. They break up, and then it is mentioned again in a random scene that they aren't together anymore, then they will have the getting back together scene. We do not care. Give it some time - but not just time - give it some weight too, meaning more scenes.. This is a problem with nearly all of the stories on 90210.

Fringe - S01E02: The Same Old Story

2008-09-18T12:24:00.047+10:00

Fringe follows up on its pilot with a story about a guy who murders prostitutes - to remove their pituitary glands! The episode consists of fast-aging, viewing images from the retina of a corpse (on your right), and an overdose on anesthesia.

I felt Anna Torv has become more comfortable in her character since the pilot. John Noble was even better than in the pilot - he deals the dramatic and comedic punches perfectly in this episode.

We see Walter forget what happened in the pilot - I think we might see him forget a lot more at some point. Also a different side of him is shown when he snaps at Olivia and Peter seems like he knows more than he is letting on about his father's condition. Peter may also be related to the mythology in some way - he might turn out to be a test or some kind of experiment - where's his mother? I liked Peter and Walter's short moment at the end - some nice sentimentality.

A decent episode, with a good ending - still, I expect better, and the way things are going, an exceptional episode may be right around the corner.

Mad Men - S02E07: The Gold Violin

2008-09-18T12:24:00.035+10:00

Ken's story, The Gold Violin, represents this episode perfectly on a thematic level: Beautiful to look at, but there is no music.

There is Salvatore's marriage; functional, and there is mutual understanding, they look after one another - Sal operates on a level that most men of his time did not yet, and didn't for a long time; when Kitty is upset, Sal is completely understanding and knows exactly what to do, he even loves here, though not in the same way she loves him. This is all great but there is no music, or magic, due to his hidden sexual identity.

Don gets hired as the the public face of Sterling & Cooper, a new tux and Cadillac follow; these things are great, but what can they really do. As well as the Draper family, their picnic looks so perfect, but everything is founded on a lie, and operating under repression. When Don is confronted by Jimmy, the tux and Cadillac didn't help him one bit did they? I absolutely loved that scene - Don was nearly in tears, and I finally understand the point of Jimmy Barrett on Mad Men. I wonder if Betty knew that Don had been confronted by Jimmy about his affair - that would have made it feel much more awkward and real. As Don and Betty are driving home in the Cadillac in silence, Betty vomits - a cocktail of truth and champagne. Don has all of these nice things, but it is the vomit he is deserving of, and he knows it. Another interesting aspect - confirmed by Jimmy's observation, "Look at us. Over here on the kids table" - are the similarities between Jimmy and Betty. Both are somewhat 'childish' and immature, they both use their talents to get people to like or respect them; Jimmy's humour and Betty's beauty - even though Jimmy knows they don't really respect him -, and both have controlling and dominant spouses who regularly cheat on them.

While Don was at the car dealership he had a flashback to when he was a car salesman (humble new identity beginnings), as Don Draper at that point too. A woman came to visit him and told him that he wasn't Don Draper. Perhaps she was the recipient of 'Meditations of an Emergency' from the season opener.

Ken is invited by Salvatore for dinner with him and his wife. Salvatore was eyeing him all night, and probably invited him over so he could be close to another man. Also, I think his attraction has grown after reading his work and the comment Ken made about Cooper's new Rothko painting - this leads me to my next topic.

The new girl, Jane, charms the hesitant guys to go with her to check out Bert Cooper's new Rothko painting - Sal is surprised and impressed with her confidence. Jane also easily fends off Ken's advances on her. We are seeing that Joan may have a contender - I assume Joan started out in a similar way, and she did hire the girl... I think Joan simply feels threatened by her - so she fires Jane after finding out about them going into Cooper's office. Jane conveniently stops by Roger's office on her way out to say 'goodbye'. I believe she stopped in there knowing she could get her job back from Roger. Roger is either trying to get back at Joan, or wants to get into Jane's pants - hey, probably both.

Mad Men won four Creative Arts Emmys, Outstanding Main Title Design, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" won for Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series, and Outstanding Cinematography for a One-Hour Series. "Shoot" won for Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series. They are up for five at the Primetime Emmy Awards, so let's hope they come back with a few.

90210 - S01E03: Lucky Strike

2008-09-18T01:27:00.012+10:00

Before I get started - I know, I know, the picture on the right does not accurately represent the episode or the relationship between the characters presented - but it is awesome to see Jackie, Kelly, and Erin again after all these years - even just for nostalgia's sake - strangely, Ann Gillespie hasn't aged much at all - I thought she was already old in the 90's.

This episode is a big improvement over the previous two. Actual 'teen issues' are brought into the show with some storylines recycled from the old series or from another teen drama - all we can hope for is that they develop and conclude them well. Naomi's dad continues to pour money over her instead of time - it's probably cheaper in the long run. She then finds him having an affair with some woman. Silver has been living in a shelter for a few weeks after Jackie has been up to her old tricks again - she has relapsed into alcoholism. Silver could not live with her due to her verbal and physical abuse. Kelly finds out and has a word to mum-of-the-year. She is still being pursued by Ryan, and seems to give in to his advances. Annie is still facing the two-man dilemma and seemed upset when Ethan left with Naomi - oh, the drama - and bad performances from the three of them really only makes matters worse.

So I guess I will see how these storylines develop, but so far there has been nothing of any originality. One of my gripes from the pilot was that it was too fast-paced. It is a little slower, but could still benefit from a slight tap on the brake. On the bright side; Dixon and Silver could be an interesting couple, and more Jackie, Kelly and Brenda can only be good.

Has Brenda been at Kelly's looking after the kid since the pilot? Did Kelly kill Brenda? Did Brenda hide in a closet and hit her head, giving her full-body paralysis, as well as not being able to speak, and Kelly just assumed she went home?

Sons Of Anarchy - S01E02: Seeds

2008-09-16T16:41:00.026+10:00

Okay, 'Seeds' is the real name for the second episode of Sons Of Anarchy, the first episode was named 'Pilot' - sorry for the confusion, there were conflicting ideas about the episode titles all over the internet.

Seeds continues as a very similar episode to the pilot; with little development, and the establishment of many of the same plots again - but I thought it was just as fun as the pilot - if not more - and had a good amount of emotion - specifically the ending.

Outside law enforcement find the bodies under the wreckage of the storage house. Clay decides they should have somebody killed out of town so the forensics team are delayed, giving them time to dispose of the bodies. Jax is unhappy with this and figures they can dump some bodies from a morgue (where he has a contact) out of town and make it look like they were killed. This seems like a lot more trouble than just ordering a hit - but the gang go for it - well done, Jax. This storyline is a lot of fun and features: grave digging, pissing off a policeman, and creating a fake crime scene, and an axe in the back of a guy's head.

Gemma has another similar run in with Tara - but they are slightly more aggressive this time. Gemma also runs into Opie's wife who doesn't have enough money to pay for her groceries. Gemma buys them for her but she refuses them (refuses the club) - she wants nothing to do with Sam Crow; as she said, she married Opie, not the club - she is a strong woman, and stands up to Gemma even when Gemma seems somewhat nicer and less pushy.

There is a local law enforcement guy, David Hale, who is bound to be the thorn in Clay's and the clubs side. Clay successfully attempts to keep his current aging police contact (Dayton Callie from Deadwood and John From Cincinnati) in the force for a little longer, but as Hale said, he is just delaying the inevitable.

This episode was just as good as the pilot, if not better. The ending had a very Sopranos-esque feel - the scene was happy, as the gang joined together for a group dinner with smiles all around - it also had that reflective quality that the Sopranos episode endings seem to possess.

Fringe - S01E01: Pilot

2008-09-12T16:20:00.027+10:00

With all the hype J.J. Abrams has been receiving from Lost and his other projects - I'm pretty sure he only wrote a tiny portion of the Lost pilot and the third season premiere, and didn't even come up with the idea for the series - he has been snatched up by FOX to pull back the old X-Files fans, and recruit a whole new generation.

A plane is flying through an electrical storm, a man who seems to be very nervous pulls out an injector pen and uses it on himself - everybody melts. Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) an FBI agent motivated by her boyfriends critical injuries from a suspect seeks out the 'mad' Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) who may be able to cure the virus. The only way she can get to him is through his reluctant son, Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson from Dawson's Creek), who does not have any contact with him anymore. To not spoil anything I will get to the main point: Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick from Oz, Lost, and The Wire), a superior to Olivia in the FBI, is first skeptical of her, but after her outstanding performance; offers her a 'fringe-science, unexplained phenomena division' - he thinks somebody is behind the many strange unexplained cases the FBI has.

Australian, Anna Torv, seems to be quite a strong actress but is unconvincing only for a few moments in the pilot - I'll give her time to get comfortable within Olivia Dunham. She also seems mirrored on other Australian actresses, such as; Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts - not that it is at all a bad thing - just a very obvious observation. Joshua Jackson is doing fine - except for a couple of comedic lines which I am not too worried about - anyway, they were pretty badly written. Which brings me to my next point; the writing. The pilot is plotted nicely, just as I am sure the mythology is too, but much of the dialogue is very obvious, and the way most of the characters interact is just very bold and direct. I won't comment on characters being one-dimensional or anything like that, because there are very few pilots that do accomplish this in the first episode, especially a show of this nature.

I really liked this episode, some of the humour caught me off guard and was hilarious, there was good acting from everybody, great production values, and a darkly humourous ending. I am looking forward to seeing what stories they have come up with for the season - and seeing if they can come close to rivaling the best of The Twilight Zone or The X-Files.

True Blood - S01E01: Strange Love

2008-09-10T20:48:00.034+10:00

HBO tries to pull it's next big hit with True Blood - they've been trying to get a ratings winner since The Sopranos ended last year. There has been a multimillion dollar marketing campaign for the series - but did it all pay off?

I have no problem with HBO picking up True Blood, but trying to make it their new signature show is definitely pushing it - were none of them at Alan Ball's pitch meeting to them - or do they assume that because Alan Ball is producing it, then it must be fairly similar Six Feet Under. It was stated by Alan Ball himself that this series was a more than slight departure from his previous work - that's not to say that it is stupid television - he labelled it popcorn TV for smart people. But it doesn't have the immediate large-scale appeal that shows such as The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and Sex In The City had. It seems much more suited or limited to have a small cult following, and HBO have never been big on them - with the exception of The Wire.

This series was adapted by Alan Ball from the vampire novels authored by Charlaine Harris. Ball wrote and directed the pilot episode - along with taking the helm of the show for the foreseeable future. True Blood is centered around Sookie Stackhouse who is played by Academy Award winner Anna Paquin, a barmaid living in Louisiana who can read people's minds. When Vampire Bill (Stephen Moyer) shows up at the bar she is entranced by him; due to not being able to read his thoughts. Vampires have been 'out of the coffin' for a couple of years due to a synthetic blood drink that was developed to fulfill all of their nutritional needs - so they can live normally in society - I'm sure a lot of them don't take to assimilation too well. Vampires that are prominent in society and the media claim that they just want to be understood, and have the same rights that any human has. This show will probably use Vampires as a metaphor for other minority groups: homosexuals, African-American's, even Aboriginals; if they decide to delve into the complexities of assimilation. Sookie is joined by her over-sexed brother Jason, played by Ryan Kwanten (Vinnie from Home and Away), and her 'Gran' that they live with. At the bar there is Sam Merlotte, the owner of Merlotte Bar, where Sookie works. He is 'secretly' in love with Sookie, but how could you keep anything a secret from somebody who hears others thoughts. There is also Sookie's loud-mouthed best friend Tara (Rutina Wesley - who replaced Brook Kerr from the pre-air pilot) who has a thing for Jason.

It is very hard to judge how this series will turn out, but, so far I like it; the acting has been good, and the direction solid. I can't say too much on the writing because everything is still very vague - is that a comment in itself? With Alan Ball in charge I will definitely stick around for the season. Those expecting Six Feet Under will be disappointed, but that isn't to say that it will have any less depth - as Buffy did in it's time: there was so much depth hidden under and around all that genre-busting and camp. HBO must have seen something in this... there was a full season order, that has already been shot.

90210 - S01E01: We're Not In Kansas Anymore & S01E02: The Jet Set

2008-09-09T16:35:00.058+10:00

When did the slow-to-moderately-paced teen drama suddenly become uncool and unmarketable - oh yeah, when Gossip Girl premiered. That shit was pure luck - still very mainstream shows like Dawson's Creek and The O.C. were much better because they took their time on things. The pilot for The O.C. for example. It could not have been better - it was focused, had emotion, and took it's time. Apparently none of the execs took note at how Cane fell on its face right from the word go. There were so many characters, and so many stories... and the scenes were so short. The 2-hour 90210 premiere suffered from these exact same problems, but, with addition; way too much music - source and score (that awful, awful score). I swear the longest scene was a minute long - and anytime a scene went for more than 10 seconds; source music was added to the background - they must think that all kids today have ADD and learning disabilities - they do.

I'm not going to go through much exposition, because, to be honest, we would be here for the length of the pilot. Anyway, the basic premise is that the Wilson's: adopted son, Dixson (Triston Wilds from The Wire), daughter, Annie (Shenae Grimes from Degrassi), father, Harry (Rob Estes from Melrose Place), and mother, Debbie (Lori Loughlin from Full House), move to Beverly Hills from Kansas to live with their actress mother/grandmother Tabitha (Jessica Walter from Arrested Development). Harry is going to be the new principal at West Beverly High, and the kids will be attending. There is the bitch character, Naomi Clark (AnnaLynne McCord from Nip/Tuck), the jock, Ethan Ward (Dustin Milligan from Final Destination 3), 'quirky' journalism guy, Navid Shirazi (Michael Steger from The Winner), and Avril Lavigne pseudo-goth blogger, Erin Silver (Jessica Stroup from Reaper).

Yes, Erin Silver, for all of those who were avid watchers of the original series. I like it this kind of continuity, it adds a nice, comforting, layer and value to the show which wouldn't be there without it. The special guest appearances from Shannen Doherty (Brenda Walsh - how was drama school?) and Jennie Garth (Kelly Taylor), Nat (Joe E. Tata) and an upcoming appearance in episode 3 from Kelly's mother Jackie (Ann Gillespie) - I would love for them all to stick around - actually, I would love for them to kick all the new kids and just have all the old characters - but I will have to settle with what we have been generously given. Nat's appearance was very short, as he had trouble with a coffee machine - the peach pit is some kind of coffee shop now? Nat sold out - but he had a nice reunion with Kelly and Brenda, with a quick mention from Brenda that whenever Brandon thinks of Nat, he feels like a mega-burger - gee, thanks - after everything? I think the seeds have also been planted for an all too familiar Kelly, Brenda, Dylan replacement love triangle - or perhaps that was a wink at the old audience - I really hope so...

The plot with Annie and the rich guy wanting to take her out is very similar to a plot in season 1 of the original series, it was dealt with better on the old one - if only for the creepy factor - for those who remember it. The bitchy Naomi girls birthday party was fairly entertaining with a highlight being the dance with her boyfriend in front of everyone, right after she found out he was cheating on her - wouldn't that be horrible.

Some other problems I had with the premiere was that we weren't given reason enough to care about any of the characters. We were just thrown in there. Also I found the lacrosse team story to be very tired and run-of-the-mill - again, it probably didn't help that we couldn't care about the characters yet.

I will blog the next couple of episodes to see how things develop - but it is not looking good. Shenae Grimes' acting left something to be desired, but most of the blame can be placed on The CW for developing the series in such a way.

Sons Of Anarchy - S01E01: Seeds

2008-09-07T15:37:00.031+10:00

Hooray! "Sons Of Anarchy" turned out to be more than an amateur beat-off to "The Sopranos" - I'm afraid I can't say the same for "Brotherhood".

Creator Kurt Sutter (The Shield) pens the pilot episode which just premiered on FX. Allen Coulter (The Sopranos) directs the episode masterfully, already defining the shows own look. 'Seeds' drew in an impressive 1.5 million viewers - in comparison to The Shields season opener which pulled 1.1 million.

At first glance the biggest strength for the show seems to be the cast. We have Charlie Hunnam (Undeclared), Ron Perlman (Hellboy, The City Of Lost Children), Katey Sagal (Married With Children, Futurama), Maggie Stiff (Mad Men) and Mitch Pileggi (The X-Files) and Drea de Matteo (The Sopranos). I was always critical of Charlie Hunnam, especially in Undeclared, until this pilot where I think he matured as an actor and has become great. What we have seen of Ron Perlman has been good, but we will have to wait a little longer to see how he really plays the character - he was in the pilot a fair amount of the time, but wasn't given any really great scenes.

The motorcycle club basically own the town of Charming in California - they are desperate and will do anything to keep drugs and developers out of their town to keep their way of life in tact. A white supremacy group are trying to push their drug trade into Charming, but the club will not let that happen, and the white supremacy group The Nords, will not give up that easily - I see this power struggle being a prominent theme in the season. The club are also involved in various illegal operations, including selling guns to other gangs. Jax (Charlie Hunnam) is the vice-president of the club and son of the tough family matriarch Gemma (Katey Segal), who is with Clay (Ron Perlman), the club president, and is somewhat of a step-dad to Jax. Jax's father used to be the president of the club, but was killed. Jax finds some of his fathers old documents that describe a very different motorcycle club which was more about freedom and peace than the current club. When Jax speaks to his mother of them, she tells Clay and they decide they must not let him slip away from the club. Out on a job, Clay tries to make Jax finish off a rival who is on the ground, to help secure Jax to the club even more. Jax's junkie ex-wife played by Drea de Matteo is pregnant with his baby, she overdoses while pregnant and the baby needs to be pre-maturely taken out of the womb. When Jax finds out about this he is pissed and goes looking for whoever supplied her with the gear. When Gemma finds out, things get much nastier than expected, as she takes a visit to see ex-daughter in law. The doctor who is looking after Jax's ex-wife is his old high school sweetheart Tara, who left Charming and evidently her old lifestyle behind for something better, "I'm not the same girl I was ten years ago", Gemma replies with "I am", and lifts up Tara's shirt to find a tattoo on her lower back, "I guess there's some things you can't change". Tara is now back as a resident at the hospital. Perhaps it is no coincidence she is back - it will be fun to see how her, Jax, and Gemma interact. Katey Sagal is so great in this role, I'm glad she has found a way to break free once and for all from Peggy and Leela, not that there is anything wrong with those characters, or her performance of them - good shows.

There are so many Shakespeare allusions in this script, mainly Hamlet, if the series continues to go down a few of these we are going to get some hugely gratifying endings. The series is very character-driven, but the story with The Nords and keeping Charming the way it is, should be promising too. One of my only problems with Sons of Anarchy are the first 'Seeds' that have been planted for the storyline with the guy out of jail who wants to go legit, but needs the money, and can't leave his family again. I know it could be dealt with nicely, but I have seen it a lot in "The Sopranos" and other films. Pretty weak criticism, eh?

I look forward to next week's episode - oh, and did anybody notice Tommy Flanagan from Braveheart, his facial scar gave it away for my girlfriend, but I only knew once I heard the Scottish accent. Am I slipping in my old age? Tune in next week to find out.

Mad Men - S02E06: Maidenform

2008-09-05T22:44:00.041+10:00

I love that we get some focus on Duck this episode, he always seemed a very empty, boring, and underdeveloped character - It seems I was right, at least, about the empty part.

A heavy theme in Maidenform is about how the characters see themselves, and how they think they are perceived by others. Pete takes advantage of his position and sleeps with a vulnerable model - they go back to her place where her elderly mother is in the other room - creepy. When Pete returns home he gives himself a smug and satisfied look in the mirror - he is so proud of what he has done, he actually likes what he sees in the mirror - such a despicably childish character.

Betty bumps into Arthur at the war memorial day service and is embarrassed for him to know she has children. I think Betty wants to be desired on a more extreme and child-like level - Arthur is the second 'young' character to draw these kind of feelings from her. Off her exchange with Arthur she buys a bikini at the auction. When Don sees her wearing it at home he humiliates her by telling her he doesn't like it, it attracts attention, and it is desperate - Betty replies with "I didn't know that", before covering herself up. Don selfishly wants his wife to be one thing and somebody like Bobby to be the complete opposite. As Don keeps repressing and talking down to Betty, I wonder when she will suddenly crack, instead of half-rebelling - It will be a long time coming.

Roger organises a lunch between Don and Duck to resolve their issues together - However, Don says he doesn't have a problem with Duck. Don goes to see Duck in his office and Duck thanks him for keeping him with the company and asks Don to accept his apology - he acknowledges that he would be expendable anywhere else. Don accepts. Duck's ex-wife comes to drop his son and daughter, and their dog Chauncey off with him for the night but shows up early: she says he usually isn't good in the afternoons (due to alcohol) - Duck quickly dismisses it. Later, the children tell Duck that their mother is remarrying, and that Chauncey is being left with him - this upsets Duck. Many people have said that Duck did not like Chauncey - but I think he loved Chauncey. When the kids tell him he is being dumped with the dog he says that their mother can't make them do that, and that he learnt to live without Chauncey so they could have some consistency. Also, he is constantly communicating with Chauncey which I doubt he would do unless he cared for him. After all of these feelings of regret and remembrances of the past, Duck's professional and personal problems push him to have a drink - after struggling to stay sober for a while. His drinking probably ended his relationship with his family, and nearly destroyed his career at another job. While just about to take a drink from the bottle, he sees Chauncey staring at him - he cannot stand to see Chauncey looking at him, to be reminded of everything that he has lost, and what a vapid shell of a man he has become. He takes Chauncey down to the door and sends him out onto the streets of New York - so he can drink without being reminded of his past. Duck walks back up to the office with a furious expression on his face, as Chauncey waits at the door - barks - then turns and wanders off into the streets. Duck has chosen slow suicide as opposed to something immediate which I am sure he would have done otherwise.

Peggy finally takes some advice from Bobby and Joan. So far she has gotten herself very far, career wise, but things start to go downhill when she misses out on an opportunity at work, due to her not being told about a meeting at a bar - and not at all fitting in, even if she had attended. Peggy goes to Joan for assistance at work, but Joan tells her she doesn't understand the business in which Peggy is in - though, she is the master of her own turf. Joan advises Peggy to start expressing her femininity on the job to get ahead. Bobby advised her of this once before, and finally she does it - Peggy finds out about the guys going to a men's bar for a job related event she was left out of, and decides to dress up for it. The guys are surprised to see her there and dressed up. They warmly welcome her,Len gets her on his lap, asks her what she wants for Christmas, and tells her she has the best seat in the house. Peggy is quite taken aback by this but begins smiling shortly until she catches Pete's eye. Pete is upset that she is acting in this way - much like when she dances for him in the first season, and he says "I don't like you like this". Perhaps he doesn't like her reducing herself to this level. But, I think it is a parallel (one of the very, very many) with Betty and Don; Pete does not like Peggy being different to what he has pinned her down to as in his own mind - maybe there is also some jealously in there.

I think Don telling Bobby not to talk, parallels the scene at the end of the episode with his daughter, "I'm not going to talk. I don't want you to cut yourself". Don may realise this is the way he is treating the women in his life, he may be conscious of the fact he treats them the way he did. He tells her to leave - just like Duck got rid of Chauncey - he cannot handle his daughter being proud of him, and also cannot stand his daughter reminding him of how he treats the women in his life.

Kudos, Matthew Weiner. I have only touched on the complexities and nuances of this episode - fire up some discussion below if you wish.

Prison Break - S04E01: Scylla & S04E02: Breaking and Entering

2008-09-03T19:28:00.005+10:00

Prison Break has switched it up again this season. From breaking out of prisons to break-in's of an Ocean's 11's style, they need to find six different bits of data in six different places this season - thanks to Homer's "The Oddyssey". Scylla was a six-headed monster and Odysseus had to sacrifice his team to defeat it. But Michael won't sacrifice his 'friends' - yeah, they are all friends now... except for Linc telling Mahone that after all this is over they will settle things - I guess they have to be friends to have a super-cool break-in gang, but it is lame, plot-driven, and doesn't respect the characters or the believability of the show (which is already dead to me).

The new characters are interesting, although there is our token straight-faced guy in a suit who kills people without hesitation again this season, actually, he kind of reminds me of Anton Chigurh on No Country For Old Men - only because they are both big, often calm, and deal out big hurts on people. The Asian nerd hacker guy Roland Glenn is annoying, he will probably just fuck things up for the brothers more than help them. His 'digital black hole' device has joined the ever-growing list of the little things of great importance. It apparently acquires any digital information within 10 feet, and Glenn built it himself. This device is how the group will get the six different bits of data. Naturally, I'm sure it will break, go missing, or get stolen at some point soon. Donald Self is by far the most interesting of all the new characters, many fans have been critical of his acting but I find his New York look and talk adds something special to the table, and he is also a little different a character than the previous newbies. The FBI handler is in charge of the Fox River "A-Team", and has provided them with the means to find the data to bring down the company. Self gives a warning threat straight out of the gate, "No games and no stunts: otherwise, I promise you, you’re gonna see a whole other side of me". Another interesting feature is his patriotism, “Some people still fight for this country. Maybe you’ve been too busy boosting car stereos and breaking heads to remember that.” This comment to Linc is interesting as he compares Linc's patriotism to his own. We know nothing of his back story or why he is so patriotic. I think Self can be trusted for the moment, but as soon as their goals change it is bound get messy.

I blame Brett Ratner for all of the funky quick-cut montage scenes in Prison Break. Nearly every time a strong feeling needs to be portrayed a quick-cut montage scene is quickly deployed, example: the aftereffects of Sara's torture and Michael's tattoo removal, not to mention his 'grieving process' last season in Sona. For those who didn't know, Brett Ratner directed the pilot episode and received an executive producer credit because of it, I blame every bad casting decision on him too - well, fuck it, I blame everything that is bad about Prison Break on Brett Ratner.

Michael was rubbing between his eyebrows much more than usual. When it was discovered that there were six separate sources for the information, and Michael performed the between-eyebrow-hold - I thought to myself; Scofers should really have had a panic attack or two by now. As it happens, blood drips from his nose in the next shot - not a panic attack; but far more interesting anyway. It's fun when you guess or think about things just before they happen - unless it isn't done subtly, which I think in this case it was, well, at least that is what I'm choosing to remember.

I'll be back for next weeks episode, but I can't guarantee I will stick around for the whole season, unless we have something better than 'Break-in of the Week'. On a positive note, it is better than Season 3.