Sunday, December 9th, 2007
05:00 Pushing Daisies
06:00 Reaper
07:00 Moonlight
11:00 The Six Million Dollar Man
12:00 Laurel And Hardy
Pushing Daisies. Episode 8. "Bitter Sweets" is the most inventive and delightful episode so far. Sparkling dialogue and an unusual world-view make for another wonderful hour of TV. PD grabs you and pulls you into it's world with increased confidence every week. But, this week, the writers play around with the show's formula in many ways. The case-of-the-week is as clever and off-the-wall as ever. But it is dispensed with a quarter of the way in, and replaced with a storyline about duelling stores. Quirky and enjoyable as this is, there is yet another twist furher down the line. Murder and mayhem ensue. Dialogue continues to sparkle. The script successfully places a sub-text and depth to the shenanigans. And it all comes to an end with a humdinger of a cliff-hanger. A real "Wow" moment.
Although Molly Shannon (deservedly) got all the hype for her guest appearance I, personally, was most delighted to see Steve Hytner (of Seinfeld) and Mike White (of School Of Rock) doing hilarious guest turns. Shannon will surely be back, but I wish we could see more of White.
Reaper. Episode 9. "Ashes To Ashes" finds our heroes stealing the ashes of many, many dead people from their relatives homes in (what I think is) the funniest sequence the show has thus far done. The show also expands it's mythology by introducing The Devil's Girlfriend and The Devil's Daugher (possibly). Erratic, crazy Andi only appears for one (awful) scene (I hope the character is ditched) and the show is faster and funnier than it has ever been. This is the second episode where Sam is really starting to appear like a kick-ass hero. Although, I must admit, I wish he hadn't whimpered like a little girl when The Devil sowed his mouth shut. Yes, I'm sure it was awful and terrifying. But, how much cooler would it have been if he'd just stood there eye-to-eye with The Devil (since he is now getting very good at standing up to the jackass on occasion)?
Speaking of being a kick-ass hero-type, didn't all three of them seem quite cool and heroic in those (beautifully filmed) closing shots? All majestic and so-forth against the sky and ocean. If Buffy was about the worth/empowerment of the average teenagers, maybe Reaper should embrace it's destiny and become a show about the worth/empowerment of the geeks and misfits. The writers should ditch Andi, and bring Ted and Russ onto the team full time. How cool would that be?
Moonlight. Episode 2. "Out of the Past" is a huge step-up from the pilot and - suddenly - the show seems like it might be worth watching. David Greenwalt (the genius who worked on awesome shows like Jake 2.0, Buffy, Angel, Jake 2.0, Profit and Shannon's Deal, plus Jake 2.0) delivers a top-notch script where an old foe (from 1983) is released from prison and - knowing that Mick is a vampire - sets out to get revenge on our hero. The script is pitch perfect. The guys plots is simple but very clever and Mick is very well written and played from start to finish. The shows ends with another awesome action sequence and - best of all - it is Beth Turner who saves the days and kills the bad guy before he kills Mick.
I'm not warming to Sophia Myles the acress, however, but Lisa Sheridan (from Journeyman) has a great guest role. I wish she was the love interest.
Since I first read about both shows, I've thought of Moonlight and New Amsterdam as being in the same vein. ("Vein". Ha Ha. Vampire humour.) Now that I've seen both, I see that I was right and wrong in equal measure.
Both shows are about long-living solitary males who (in the pilot) meet their One True Love. So both shows are crime dramas with a fantasy spin and a strong romantic element. But, in terms of appeal, I think they will appeal to different audiences based on their leading men.
Alex O'Loughlin is a great lead for Moonlight. He's also very pretty. And, thus, is probably more of a Woman's Leading Man. While he is very cool in the role, he's not the sort of man that men at home will identify with. And, thus, live vicariously through. While Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, over on New Amsterdam, is certainly very handsome he's not pretty in the way that O'Loughlin is. So, while it's also a very romantic show I think it stands a better chance of being a huge hit in the male demo, because he's more a Man's Leading Man.
Maybe I'm off-based here, but (assuming NA is aired/successful) I predict that it will have a very different fan-base.
The Six Million Dollar Man. Season 2, Episode 15. One of the very best. Dr. Dolenz is back and - this time - he's built a robot of Oscar, Steve's boss.
Good comedy, good magic and good storytelling is all about mis-direction. If you can give the audience information vital to the resolution but disguise it so that it appears to be something else, then you are well on your way towards a successful joke/trick/tale. Steve Austin, the Bionic Man, does not normally wear a bullet-proof vest. Yet, by the end of this episode, he will need one to survive the trap that is set for him. So, the writers must have wondered, how do we get Steve to wear a bullet-proof vest without it being too clumsy and obvious why we need it for the story?
Solution? A new character. Who appears to be there for several reasons. First of all, he appears to be there for comic relief. Secondly, he appears to be there to add character to Steve, Oscar and the inner workings of the OSI. Finally, he appears to be there to give a clue to Steve (with his interactions with Fake Oscar) that something is awry.
And while he serves all of those purposes, he is really there to get Steve to test a vest and that, ultimately, is what keeps him alive when he is led into a trap by Fake Oscar.
This is a superb episode. Virtually flawless. Richard Anderson has never been better. Lee Majors shows off his comedic muscle in several scenes, and gets to play the all-out action-hero in the episode's epic battle sequences. Henry Jones returns to play possibly the best Bad Guy the show ever had. He is such a gentleman. And all his exchanges with Steve and Oscar are so courteous. It's so well performed, so well written. An example of The Six Million Dollar Man at it's absolute best.
Laurel And Hardy. 1929, Film 4. "Perfect Day" is revered as the team's first real classic of the sound era, but it's not a favourite of mine. While it contains scores of wonderful small gags, it doesn't have a single great sequence like the Soda Fountain bit in their previous film. Stan, Ollie, their wives and one grouchy Uncle (wonderful Edgar Kennedy of The Average Man series) try to get the car started and get away for a drive. That's it. There are scores and scores of wonderful small gags and you are never more than ten second from a good chuckle, but it doesn't give me the hearty laughs of some of their best movies.
Highlight? Pushing Daisies.
Laurel And Hardy, Moonlight, Pushing Daisies, Reaper, The Six Million Dollar Man
