Friday, October 26th, 2007
06:30 The Bionic Woman
07:30 Notes From The Underbelly
08:00 Two Guys And A Girl
08:30 Taxi
09:00 Cavemen
09:30 Kung Fu
10:30 Timeslip
The Bionic Woman. Season 2, Episode 12. Jaime teams up with a (mildly-)super-powered scientist in this story, when his brother defects to East Germany with a top-secret decoder in tow. One of the better episodes, even if it gives Jaime/Lindsay very little to do. It's mostly about the scientist (Granville Van Dusen) and his abilities. The episode is structured in two distinct parts: the first third takes place over the course of one afternoon at the OSI labs when Jaime shows up, meets the two brothers and learns about their two (very different) OSI projects. The 'hero' of this episode (possibly with a view to a spin-off series?) is shown underdoing various tests demonstrating his powers. Basically, he can control all of his biological functions, so that water, electricity, etc. do him no harm. Then we learn that the other brother (Peter Haskell) has absconded, and the final two-thirds of the episode show Jaime and her new partner in East German having to overcome various obstacles to get the decoder back. Each one using their super-powers. It's a pretty good script. The feud between the brothers makes the story more interesting.
Notes From The Underbelly. Episode 5. I love television. Love it! Love it! Love it! I would never have predicted two months back that two of favourite new shows would be about a couple expecting a baby, and a teenage girl living in Africa. But that's the way it is.
Notes' 5th episode is the funniest one so far and highlights the genius of this very funny show: very different characters trapped together by pregnancy. This is the episode where Julie gives birth. All the scenes where we see how this affects the others in the group are hysterical. Melanie Deanne Moore is the absolute star of this episode, but all of the cast shine. The script is razor sharp. Many lines are worthy of an instant rewind to savour them.
Two Guys And A Girl. Season 3, Episode 1. Johnny has proposed, and Sharon hasn't reacted very well. Pete, meanwhile, has run off to Paris to cope with his heartbreak. Back home, Ashley has started to remodel Berg's place. Over his strenuous objections. I've probably seen this episode ten times over the years, but it cracks me up every time. Nathan Fillion gets to take Johnny over the top, for a change, when he tries to cope with Sharon's evasive answers: "Yes. In theory." His best bit is probably when he relates back to her all the other people in his daily life who are willing to answer his questions. Richard Ruccolo's plane-ride to Paris is, I think, a series highlight.
Taxi. Episode 28. Over-worked Elaine makes a pass at Alex, who advises her to enter therapy (instead of trying to hide in sex). One of the key Taxi episodes. The opening two scenes are big multi-character pieces, the final half is mostly a session with a therapist (Tom Ewell), but in the middle is a short sweet scene where Elaine and Alex talk about their mutual attraction. Taxi was very funny, but it took it's characters and their hopes/aspirations very, very seriously. And this very honest, very real scene is a perfect example of why the show is regarded as a classic. The episode also features Robert Picardo and Mary Woronov (who was terrorising poor Jessica on a Logan's Run I watched two nights back).
Cavemen. Episode 4. This show has turned a corner and is now very funny. It's becoming obvious to me that the character of Nick (played by Nick Kroll) is a goldmine of comedy. His worldview is very extreme, so the writers can drop him into any given situation and watch what happens. This week, he - inadvertantly - beats up a teenage girl (while hundreds of other teenagers watch in horror). But, he later consoles himself with the knowledge that it was only "hundreds". This, of course, is before it shows on a YouTube eqivalent.
Kung Fu. Episode 12. Once again, Caine is in trouble with the law (!). Methinks the writers went to that there well too often during the first season. This time out, he's fallen foul of one of those towns, so popular on TV shows of bygone days, where the townsfolk use trumped-up charges to make innocent visitors work in a mine/camp of some kind. It's a good episode, but I'm well weary of Caine getting arrested five minutes into every episode.
Timeslip. Series 2, Episode 1. Time-travelling teens Liz and Simon (think Hermione Granger and Harry Potter) find themselves thrown 20 years into the future. Not only that, they are at an underground Arctic research complex and about to be used in some kind of mysterious experiment. The episode moves slowly, is very atmospheric, devotes a lot of time to the staff of the complex, neglects the two stars a bit, and ends on an excellent cliff-hanger.
Highlight? Notes From The Underbelly.
Cavemen, Kung Fu, Notes From The Underbelly, Taxi, The Bionic Woman, Timeslip, Two Guys And A Girl
