Friday, November 16th, 2007
08:00 The Bionic Woman
09:00 30 Rock
09:30 Aliens In America
The Bionic Woman. Episode 12 is one of the most famous episodes because it introduces Lisa Galloway (a doppleganger played by series star Lindsay Wagner). In the story, Lisa trades places with Jaime in order to gain access to Oscar Goldman's office and all the secret documentation that he is privy to. Wagner does some great acting in the episode, and not just in the dual role aspects of the story. The two scenes of Jaime on holiday are very telling, very well performed and give us a valuable insight into the character of the woman Jaime Sommers. We see her approached by a man who (she believes) is attracted to her, and who recognises her as a famous athlete. Wagner imbues Jaime with humilty and charm in both scenes. It's obvious why Jaime is so beloved by so many people.
The episode has it's flaws though. An early sequence of her doing some bionic cleaning is embarrassingly bad. Likewise, the closing scenes are somewhat strained as both versions of Jaime run around and the bad-guys conveniently forget how this could be possible. Lisa, herself, engages in several conversations and doesn't mention that Jaime Sommers is probably around. She also seems puzzled by the fact that everyone seems to be seeing her in two places at once. These desperate attempts at comedy drag down what might have been a truly superb episode.
30 Rock. Season 2, Episode 4. The so-far-lacklustre second season delivers it's most enjoyable episode so far. All storylines were good and several scenes were really brilliant. My favourite scene was Tracy's therapy session with Jack playing the various members of Tracy's family (plus an upstairs neighbour at one point). But, even better than that was the pairing of Jenna and Kenneth. It was a simple plot but it did wonders for Jenna's likability.
30 Rock is a really odd show. It's created this very peculiar world and populated it with genuinely original characters. Some jokes (indeed some episodes) miss the mark, but the show always manages to be likable. Maybe I like it because, more than anything, it seems like the personal vision of one person. And even when the tone of various scenes/plots is incredibly diverse, the whole thing manages - somehow - to retain cohesiveness. Or, at the very least, the illusion of same.
The character of Jack Donaghy was used in completely different ways within this episode. First, he was being the heavy in a scene that has a certain resonance with the current Writer's Strike (as he and Liz were arguing over who owned the show). Then, barely minutes later, he was part of a very absurd moment of pure comedy (the therapy scene) where he was the engine driving the wackiness of the scene. Scenes this diverse probably shouldn't appear on the same show, never mind use the same character. Yet they do, and - most of the time - it works.
Aliens In America. Episode 5. Scott Patterson gets all the laughs in this one, when Gary loses his job and doesn't tell the family. Yes, it is an old sit-com plot but it is used to good effect here. I disliked Patterson at first, but I was wrong: he's actually a great asset to this series.
Highlight? 30 Rock.
30 Rock, Aliens In America, The Bionic Woman
