Wednesday, October 31st, 2007
06:30 The Big Bang Theory
07:00 Samantha Who
07:30 Damages
08:30 My Boys
09:00 House
10:00 Kolchak: The Night Stalker
12:00 She-Wolf Of London
01:00 Batman
The Big Bang Theory. Episode 6. The four guys get invited to a Halloween party. The episode plays out much as you would expect, with our four nerds dropped into the midst of normal people. A lot of the gags hit their mark, with Jim Parsons being particularly funny. Leonard gets a kiss from Penny, too.
Samantha Who. Episode 3. Samantha heads to a wedding in this outing. Her amnesia means she's forgotten who any of these people are (or why they hate her) but that don't stop irrepressible Samantha. She is so so adorable. And the ending to the episode is a stunner. Her ex-boyfriend (possibly waking up to the fact that this is a New Samantha) stares at a picture he took at the wedding. As he gazes at the computer screen, his finger hovers over the "delete" button. Will he delete? Won't he? Freeze Frame: All over. Clever, but "What the frak did he do?" Hmm. I wonder is this how Sopranos fans felt...
Damages. Episode 7. The absolute best episode yet. Most of Damages is filled with events from months ago, with occasional flashes from "now": the end of the story. This time out, however, we get a lot more scenes in the "now" portion of things, as poor Ellen explains how she was attacked and nearly killed, and how she then found her boyfriend's body. Just prior to being arrested. These scenes fill in a lot of information about the end of the story. Like, who's alive and around and who Ellen trusts. Or who she appears to trust. Like always, on this fantastic show, all is not what it appears to be.
My Boys. Episode 20. One of the best shows they have done. The gang hit the suburbs for a barbeque. Andy gets a shock or two: he's gonna be a dad, and he's grown up to be just like his own dad. While the show is hyterically funny (as evidenced by this episode) what makes it something special is it's accurate observations on real life, and real life situations. Andy's story here has a great poignancy. Jim Gaffigan proves that he's not just the scene-stealing funniest guy on the show, when he tones it down and plays it straight he's a good actor, too.
House. Season 4, Episode 5. A patient whose personality mirrors that of the person he's talking to? Brilliantly played by Frank Whaley (and not Woody Allen, heh heh) the character is used to give us fascinating insights into all the new regulars who've joined the cast this year. This means I now find Andy Comeau's character interesting for the first time. Even better, at episode's end, House fired none of them, so they all return next time. Which suits me fine, cos I love them all at this stage. And, on the subject of lovable regulars, it was fantastic to see Foreman back on the team and sparring with House. Missed him. Their final scene, where they walked off together, discussing the new team members, was absolutely brilliant.
Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Las Vegas, 1972, and a series of odd murders attract the attention of veteran newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak. Bit by bit, Carl realises that the culprit is more than human, displaying all the classic characteristics of a vampire. Most of the scenes are stuffy boring press conferences. Boring for Carl, not for the viewer. Wit and humour and great performances keep the movie in the A+ range from start to finish, and what we get is the story of a man fighting the people who hold the reins of power. There is a vampire, there are action scenes, and there is a very scary climax. But, the story for me has always been about Carl and the city fathers. Those who know what is going on, and will do anything to keep Carl silent. The end is as bleak as any I have ever scene. And when Carl says "Tell yourself that it couldn't happen here" I know that it could.
She-Wolf Of London. Episode 1. The story that introduced Randi and Ian, investigators of the paranormal years before Mulder and Scully made it cool. Randi arrives in England (July, 1989) to study with a reknowned professor (Ian). She also, unfortunately, gets attacked by a werewolf, and - next full moon - turns into one herself. She and Ian track down the original werewolf by the end of the episode, but they are no closer to finding her a cure. So they place their newspaper ad (an ad that will launch their further adventures). The initial werewolf attack is brief, but scary. The werewolf rampage that dominates the mid-point of the episode is fantastic, however. Great filming, editing and stuntwork combine to make something special. Special, too, is the enormous chemistry between stars Kate Hodge and Neil Dickson. He looks like he wants to drink her up, and I would not blame him. Great casting, wonderful pilot.
Batman. Episode 23. It's a dark, stormy night (they always are, in the best Batman episodes) and an informant is being moved by boat. There's an explosion and the guy disappears. Evidence suggests that Detective Bullock (suspected of being on the take) might be responsible. There's more rainfall, more lightning flashes across the night sky, and lots of detective work from Batman. Another criminal disappears, and again it looks as if Bullock might be guilty. Doing away with anyone that might link him to crime boss Thorne. Even Batman thinks so. But, then, there's no love lost between these two. Another villain is actually responsible (making his first appearence on the show) and Batman takes a while to figure it all out in this good episode from early in the show's run.
Highlight? Damages.
Batman, Damages, House, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, My Boys, Samantha Who?, She-Wolf Of London, The Big Bang Theory
