06.30 Worst Week
07.00 The Office
08.00 Wonder Woman
Worst Week. Episode 14. "The Sex" Mel's young nephew takes a picture of the couple during an intimate moment. And they have to stop it being seen during a show-and-tell at his school.
Average episode. Sam - this time out - doesn't really do much to create the chaos, this is just an example of the incredible bad luck that he and Mel have on a regular basis. There are a few laughs here and there and - as usual - one of the things I enjoy most about this show is discovering how funny Erinn Hayes can be. I also love seeing the way Mel and Sam are portrayed as a couple.
The Office. Season 5, Episode 13. "Stress Relief" The one with the fire drill, Stanley's heart attack, and the bootleg movie starring Jack Black.
I'm in the minority here. This episode got a lot of praise, but it left me cold. The fire drill at the start was funny, and the bootleg movie with Jack Black and Cloris Leachman was hysterical but everything else was dull.
I particularly hated the Jim and Pam storyline, which was predictable. From the moment it started, I was able to guess - word for word - how it might end. And I was right. If - for the sake of argument - we assume that Pam's revelation at the end had 25 words in it, I can claim that I had 20 of them in my head for the duration of the episode and wasn't a bit impressed when they writers went that route with the storyline. I could forgive this, if they had made me laugh somewhere along the way. But, the didn't...
Wonder Woman. Episode 2. "Fausta: The Nazi Wonder Woman" A Nazi operative poses as Wonder Woman and her team is able to capture the real Amazon and bring her back to Germany.
The tone is different and the episode is much better than the pilot. Except for a few awful scenes with General Blankenship there seems to be no attempt to camp it up and play it for laughs. Everyone seems to be playing it straight and - since the script is strong - this is a very enjoyable episode.
Lynda Day George is wonderful as the bad-guy-of-the-week, and she leads a very strong guest cast. Lynda Carter has aged a little bit since the pilot was filmed and looks less 'girlish' and more like a woman. It suits her. And the role. She's more than just 'beautiful' or 'sexy'. She is, to be quite honest, somewhat magnicient when she strides around as Wonder Woman. Carter brings a real majesty to the role and - in episodes like this - it's easy to see why she is still considered, by many, to be the best comic book superhero ever brought to television.
It's more than just a strong story, too. At the climax of the episode the battle between WW and her nemesis is a battle of reason, more than a battle of violence. It has been well established, earlier in the story, that those working with Fausta have no real respect for her. Even though her instincts are proving to be right, every step of the way. In the end, when they have turned on her, Diana is able to appeal to her as a woman and convince her that she has no place in this 'man's war'. While part of me does not like the anti-male sentiment, I must admit that this is a very fresh story idea and it is very enjoyable.
Highlight? Wonder Woman (fresh story idea)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Wed, Feb 04, 09 - Worst Week, The Office, Wonder Woman
