Battlestar Galactica - Season One - DVD Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video

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

Audio

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

Extras

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

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

Battlestar Galactica - Miniseries

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video

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

Audio

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

Extras

Special Features:

• Battlestar Galactica: The Lowdown

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

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

True Blood - S02E01: Nothing But the Blood

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One Tree Hill - The Complete Second Season - DVD Review

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

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

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

The 23 episodes are spread over 6 discs:

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

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

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

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

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

Video

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

Audio

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

Extras

Special Features:

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

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

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

HBO lockdown Bad Girls for a remake

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

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

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

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

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

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.