Enlightened - S01E02 - Now or Never

"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

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.

The Sheild - The Complete Fifth Season - DVD Review

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

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

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

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

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.

Breaking Bad - S03E01 - No Mas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Family Guy - S08E01 - Road to the Multiverse

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

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

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

Curb Your Enthusiasm - S06E01 - Funkhouser's Crazy Sister

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True Blood - S02E07: Release Me

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

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

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

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

Dollhouse - S01E13: Epitaph One

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

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

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

Battlestar Galactica - Season 2 - DVD Review

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

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

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

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

Video

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

Audio

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

Extras

Special Features:

• Slipcase Packaging
• Deleted Scenes
• Producers Commentaries

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

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

Battlestar Galactica - Season One - DVD Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video

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

Audio

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

Extras

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

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