Friday, November 2nd, 2007
05:30 The Bionic Woman
06:30 Rules Of Engagement
07:00 Veronica Mars
The Bionic Woman. Season 2, Episode 13. One of the coolest stories the show ever did, when Lew Ayres appears as an ailing scientist who builds a doomsday device as a means to blackmail the world's governments into peace. His device, you see, will be triggered by a nuclear detonation anywhere in a the world. The episode is divided in two halves. Jaime goes in, undercover, with a team of scientists to inspect the device and meet with the ailing scientist. These scenes give the story a great set-up and allow regulars Martin E. Brooks and Sam Chew Jr. a chance to shine. There's also a funny/clever scene of Jaime and Rudy using Jaime's bionic hearing to fool the scientist into thinking that she, herself, is a scientist, also. With the pleasantries out of the way, the episode's second half is an action-fest, as Jaime goes up against the compound's defences. Covering miles of open terrain, while being bombarded by shell's and lazer shots and having to scale cliff-faces and such, until she gets to the heart of the device.
The episodes climax/cliffhanger is a mesmerising scene between the scientist and Jaime and she pleads with him to disable the device because a foreign power has continued with it's nuclear tests, and will trigger the device. Lew Ayres is simply fantastic in his final scene. Sorrowed, but unapologetic, as Jaime tells him his plans for peace are about to bring about total destruction across the planet. He's a fascinating character. Well-meaning, but blinded by a considerable God-complex.
Rules Of Engagement. Season 2, Episode 6. Oh dear. A second unfunny, tasteless, episode of Rules in a row?! Audrey goes to a wedding without Jeff, who goes drinking with his buddies. Before he comes to his sense and tracks her down in a (genuinely) sweet conclusion. Before that, however, we are treated to an unfunny ten-year old who keeps harassing Audrey to show him her boobs. Not funny. Sigh.
Veronica Mars. Season 4, Episode 1. Sort of. Since the show was cancelled, we never get to see a fourth season, but - thanks to DVD - we do get to see the 12-minute treatment for the revamped show that could have been. Think of it as a mini-episode. Or the next new episode, up as far as the first commercial break. Whatever. It's pretty good.
Veronica Mars is one of the most significant TV series every made. It gave us a truly original (and special) central character, a star-making central performance, a rich tapestry of colourful supporting characters, many memorable individual stories and the best use of season-long story-arcs that I have ever seen. Yes, better than Wiseguy or 24.
Season 4 would have moved the story forward a few years. We meet Veronica as a member of the FBI and we get to see her working on two cases. We meet her partner, her friends/ foes at the bureau and get a good flavour for the politics of this new world. We get hints of a romance that has filled her time since we last saw her, and - most important - we see that Veronica Mars, for all her flaws, is still a brilliant detective.
Highlight? Vernica Mars.
Rules Of Engagement, The Bionic Woman, Veronica Mars
