In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Raven, Party Down

Friday, August 8th, 2009

08.00 In Plain Sight
10.00 Burn Notice
11.00 Kolchak: The Night Stalker
12.00 Raven
01.00 Party Down

In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 12. "Training Video" Mary helps make a Training Video, and Marshall helps an old man find his family again.

A great episode. Very much a departure from formula.

Andy Comeau was also a great choice for his role. But Martin Landau stole the show (as usual, when has he ever given a less-than-superb performance in anything?). The scene where he returned home to his family had me in tears.

And it wasn't even the best scene in the episode. That honour fell to the very last scene, when Mary had a very serious conversation with her sister's boyfriend. Joshua Malina and Mary McCormack were absolutely superb in the scene and the dialogue (by Brynn Malone) was amazing. It was a great scene, in terms of character, and it was very thought-provoking in general terms also.

As for the main story (Marshall takes a man back to be at the funeral of his son), it was a story that could only work on In Plain Sight and - in general - these are the stories I prefer: the ones no other show could do.

But the strength of the show is the central character. Mary is fascinating and that final scene goes to the core of who she is. Great stuff.

Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 7. "Shot in the Dark" Michael targets an abusive dad.

Burn Notice is a hoot to watch! I love the fact that the show can pull off the hero-comes-to-the-rescue-of-little-kid storylines. In this way, the show taps into all that was great about shows like The A-Team and The Equalizer.

Plus, Michael and his team find clever/amusing ways to defeat the bad guys. Seldom has it been as funny as this one, however. This week, as with many of the stories, the sweet ending depends on the bad guy not falling for the plan earlier on. Burn Notice is a lot like House. Michael concocts a plan that will definitely work. A plan that is moderately clever. And, by the half-way stage of the episode, he has executed that plan and found that it has failed to work as intended. So, Michael adds to the plan. And the episode gets better as the plan gets more convoluted. This is one of those episodes. And, because of this clever story structure, we get to an ending that Michael could never have planned from the onset (a bad guy who is a babbling idiot). But the writer (Ben Watkins) obviously did.

Guest-Star wise, this episode is blessed. Nicholas Lea is underused but brilliant (sadly typical of this great actor, who had little more than recurring cameoes in Kyle XY), while Jay Harrington of Better Off Ted is a revelation as the sleazy, abusive dad who goes gradually off the rails. Or so it appears. Lovely stuff.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Episode 11. "Horror in the Heights" Some old people are dying, apparently devoured by rats.. What is going on?

Considered by many to be the single best episode of Kolchak. The usual elements are in place.

The Logic. There's a great, gradual evolution from normal murders to supernatural crimes in this one. Carl has every reason to be curious as to what is going on. He even contacts someone who can tell him how long it would take for rats to devour a human body. Carl is using critial thinking here: just trying to get to grips with the facts.

The Authority Figure/Conspiracy angle is missing from this episode. Instead of a cop, or single powerful person to fight with, this episode allows Carl to make observations on the attitudes of society. On more than one occasion the episode draws attention to the situation of the elderly in society. None of these moments/scenes are obvious or self-conscious, and some are funny. All are thought-provoking. A true example of how powerful the KTNS formula is.

The Regular Cast. Tony has more than one superb scene here. Genuinely laugh-out-loud funny stuff. Ron and Emily get great screentime, too. Ron's observations on 1066 are a series highlight. And Emily, of course, plays a pivotal roles in the episode's superb climax.

The Experts. Kolchak: The Night Stalker is a show that says: Don't trust anyone that works for The Status Quo (whatever that may be), instead find your own experts. There are two in this episode: an exterminator and an antiques dealer. The scene with the former takes a shot a the modern world's use of pesticides, etc.. while the scene with the latter is very funny (thanks to guest star Murray Matheson) and pivotal in driving the story.

Comedy. There is comedy all over the place in this one. All of Tony's scenes are laugh-out-loud funny (thanks to Simon Oakland), and Phil Silvers never fails to get a laugh, even in a drama. Even in the closing moments when Carl is face to face with the heroic old man, and being told about the nature of the evil creature that he must face, the show pauses to make a great joke ("Go home!" says the old man, to the scruffy reporter.)

Scare Factor. There's nothing especially scary in this outing, but the shooting of the creature is very, very clever and unnerving. Each victim sees a trusted friend walking towards them, but the camera angle switches for a second and we can see the strange creepy shame lumbering towards them. Then before we can see exactly what it is, the camera angel switches back again. Great stuff.

The Ally. This is one of the episodes where Carl has a partner in crime. Briefly. Harry enlists the reporter, and aids his investigation, before falling prey to the creature. One of the deaths in KTNS that really pains me. I liked Harry a lot.

The Epilogue. This the type of ending I like best. Carl sits alone in his office, his tape recorder is in hand, but he is looking into the camera and really addressing us directly as he issues his warning. And as Kolchak warnings go, this is truly one of the very best. On a dark, deserted, country lane if you suddenly meet a friend... be careful. Now, try and sleep after that one!!

Raven. Episode 4. "Prey" Raven and an assassin fight to the death on a deserted island.

Despite flaws, this is an example of Raven at it's best.

It starts off with Jonathon explaining to his friends the purpose for his upcoming retreat to a deserted island. They don't get it, and the scenes are light-hearted, but they are supportive and the show does a great job of capturing friendship in the face of diversity.

The story has aspirations towards depth. And, despite some clunky dialogue at the very end, it does a great job of making you think about the futility of revenge. The best example of this comes in the middle third, when there is no dialogue and the visuals cleverly allow us to see how similar the two men are.

The action scenes are among the best the show ever delivered. The climax is thrilling, and I also love the ambush at the deserted hut. Great camera angles and editing. Lots of split-screen images.

On the downside, the episode is saddled with an annoying, and unsympathetic, female character. Dana (well played by Rebecca Staab however) complains about everything and, in the final minutes, inexplicably starts to hit on Jonathon like a cat in heat. What a strange character. Hard to like. Rebecca Staab is good, though. But she deserves better material than this. And the story would have worked much better without her.

Party Down. Episode 10. "Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception" Gay wedding.

Not very funny, but probably the show's best episode. There are moments of great comedy, but the show has found a way to illustrate pain and suffering in palatable ways. And that is quite remarkable.

Henry, Casey and Ron take center-stage here, and all three of them are very sad and broken as the season comes to an end. Henry's story is fully of incredible irony, too. I love it.

Kristen Bell brought her A-game to the table in this outing. Her one-note character (a total bitch) takes a stunning 180 degree turn in the shows final minute. After being, pretty much, the episode highlight, as a fast-taking task-master, the character suddenly drops her guard completely and bares her softer side to Henry. Bell is stunning (of course) and the material given to her is superb. The scripts on this show are of the highest calibre. Line after line, in this episode, are true gems. Yet, it's truly not a laugh-fest. Yes, you will laugh watching it, but it's mostly about sad, lonely people clutching at the straws that are other sad, lonely people.

I can't wait for Season Two!

Highlight? In Plain Sight (final scene)
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A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Arrested Development, It's Your Move, The Venture Brothers, Raven

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

07.00 Arrested Development
09.30 It's Your Move
10.00 The Venture Brothers
10.30 Raven

Arrested Development. Episode 15. "Staff Infection" It's Saturday and Michael must work, but he ends up at the beach. George Michael wants to chill out with his dad, but he ends up being the only one at The Bluth Company. The Staff are being forced to work with Michael, but they end up lost in Catalina. Michael's siblings want their pay cheques, but they each end up working for The Bluth Company, in various capacities. And Tobias goes to a 'men's penal colony'.

There's an abundance of quick-fire sight gags in this one one. My favourite is the encounter between Buster and the sheep in the photo booth. Quickly followed by the very similar photo's of Lucille trying to get an ID card for some chain of stores. The sheep, and the idea of sheep/shepherds crops up many times, and you have to be very quick to spot them. There's some delightful stuff of Buster at work on a building site, shown way in the background, and the on-screen text for Annyong's recurring greeting - 'Hello' - is shown much smaller when he's way in the background.

And on and on...

Visually, this episode is a treat.

All the big laughs, for me, come from Michael Cera as George Michael gets the idea that his father is deliberately spending time away from him ('He's at the beach!?').

This is one of those rare Season One episode, so far, that gives Lindsay a lot to do and is all the better for it. She causes chaos, poor girl.



It's Your Move. Episode 3. "Dating Games" Eli wants a date for the Harvest Dance.

One half-hour of hilarious one-liners delivered by a superbly talented young cast: Jason Bateman (of course), Adam Jay Sadowsky, Tricia Cast and Leanna Beth.

The show casts it's net very wide as it delivers laughs. Early on, network executives come in for a pot shot and it just gets better from there. Eli gets some wonderful lines ("I don't like when you call me homely") and Sadowsky is pitch-perfect in deliver. Nobody matches Bateman, though, and he steals every scene. The story he tells about the death of his father is a true comedic highlight. Every pause is perfect and earns loud laughter from the audience. Bateman really knows how to work a live audience and use their laughter and work with it to make his delivery even funnier. Guy is a master. Even at a young age.

Tricia Cast is the real revelation, for me, because it would be easy to dismiss her as playing the dumb, pretty sister. But, in this episode, there's a lot of good character material for Julie and funny stuff, too. And Cast is very, very funny.

Eli takes center stage, story-wise, and the while episode is driven by his need to get a date with Julie and with Matthew's need to be a good friend to Eli. The show gets major praise from me for really writing the Matthew/Eli friendship as a real friendship and making it clear that Matthew likes Eli and even going so far as to tell us why.

The final twist at the very, very end is superb. Very funny, too.

The Venture Brothers. Episode 5. "The Incredible Mr. Brisby" Dr. Venture is taken captive by a cartoon magnate, while the boys are taken hostage by a group fighting the eccentric magnate.

An average episode. Some good gags here, and a few that are so-so. Roy Brisby is a one-joke character and he gets far too much screentime. The Orange County Liberation Front are a much funnier group, but they remind me of something you'd see on The Tick.



Raven. Episode 3. "Reunion" Jonathan thinks the mother of his missing son might still be alive and - like him - searching for their son.

An example of style over content. This is one of the stronger episodes of Raven, but the story makes no great sense. The first half is devoted to Raven's quest to find out who the mysterious woman is. When he finds her, he totally fails to ask any obvious questions about what has been happening in the story up to that point. Consequently when she betrays him, later in the story, it doesn't come as much of a surprise to the viewer. Indeed, the climax makes very little sense. The bad guy from the pilot returns and reveals his part in the events of the episode, but - even at this point - it's not exactly clear why they bothered to convince Jonathan that his dead lover was alive. It makes no sense.

However, the episode's plot fairly zips along, there are several really great fight scenes and Larry Manetti as a guest star. So, logic flaws aside, there is lots here to enjoy.

Highlight? It's Your Move (very, very funny)
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A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Mon, May 4, 09 - Parks And Recreation, Phil Silvers, Raven

01.30 Parks And Recreation
02.30 The Phil Silvers Show
03.00 Raven

Parks And Recreation. Episode 4. "Boys Club" Leslie opens a wine basket gift, thus breaking the rules of local government.

A fun episode in which Leslie makes a tiny mistake and - because she feels so bad - goes on to make it into a big issue, that causes problems for everyone. It's a good idea, and they make it work. I like Leslie a little bit more, every week, and the supporting cast are well chosen.

The Phil Silvers Show. Episode 2. "Empty Store" Bilko rents an empty store in a nearby town and lets the rumour mill take care of the rest.

This episode is a direct continuation of Episode 1. Bilko is still down on his luck, three other sergeants have taken his money and frozen him out of the poker games, and he is still in charge of a bunch of new recruits. Even worse, the three sergeants hustle the kid who was holding the recruits money and takes it from him.

So Bilko plots revenge...

And a masterful one it is. One in which he does nothing, and sits and waits for everyone to come to him.

As a longtime Bilko fan, who has grown up watching and re-watching these episodes over and over, I have a very clear idea of who Bilko is and what he is capable of. When Colonel Hall panics at the mere mention of Bilko's involvement in something, I understand why that would be, because I have seen Bilko the master con man in action.

But back in 1955, when this first aired as the second episode of the show, viewers had no idea yet what Ernie was capable. So, rather than spend a lot of time establishing the sorts of things that our hero can do, Nat Hiken chooses to establish the man's reputation instead.

And it works like a charm. Even if this was your first time to meet Phil Silvers in his signature role, you would quickly understand what sort of character he is. Such is the power of Silvers' performance, and the work of the supporting cast. Particularly Paul Ford, who - more than anyone else - sells the terror of what it must be like to deal with Bilko on a daily basis.

Paul Ford is responsible for the episode's biggest laughs: the fantasy sequence, with the flying newspapers, and the scene where Hall pays a surprise visit to Bilko's quarters. A scene that never loses it's comedic power no matter how many times I see it.



Raven. Episode 2. "The Unseen Enemy" Ski leads Raven to a woman who may know where his son is. It turns out that the woman has been targeted for assassination and while protecting her, Raven discovers that it is all part of a plan to bring him face to face with the assassin.

A superb episode. And one that has always puzzled me, in a very minor way. The story opens with Jonathon arriving on Oahu - as if for the first time - and meeting Ski - as if for the first time in a while - and getting himself a place to live. The episode does a fantastic job of filling in his complicated backstory. So, all in all, it feels more like a 'pilot' than the actual pilot. That's always puzzled me.

Anyway...

The key elements of a truly great Raven episode are in place here.

1. Random Action Sequence. The episode opens at the airport, where Raven arrives and collects his jeep. He notices two jerks treating a dog very badly and he rescues the dog. The jerk, naturally, pick a fight with him and... suffer the consequences.

It's corny, kinda rubbish, but it is very, very cool when Raven kicks ass.

2. Strong Story. Raven wants to speak to a reporter, in his quest to find his son. He fears that she may be a target (for the Black Dragons) so he wants to speak to her as soon as possible, even if that means a little breaking and entering in the dead of night. It turns out that she has been marked for death. Raven saves her. But, in a wonderful twist, he is contacted by the assassin and they sit down to a nice friendly lunch. They were once spies together. Spies, assassins, killers. And, when Raven does a little investigating, he finds out that the point of sending this guy after the woman is to bring him into contact with Raven, and get Raven to kill him.

Even now, many years after first seeing it, I still think that that is a truly fantastic story.

3. Funny Lee Majors Moments. There are many great ones in this episode. The best is surely the sequence on the boat, where Tracy Scoggins is feeling sick and Ski - oblivious - makes sandwiches and talk about the 'up and down' motions of the sea. Hilarious. As is the episode coda where Ski tries to impress a sexy girl while being carried off by several suited henchmen.

4. Big Name Guest Stars. Tracy Scoggins and Judson Scott are great in this. Scoggins is sadly underused, but Scott gives a superb performance. He has two major scenes: the 'friendly' lunch with Jonathon, and the climactic battle on the rooftop. The script gives him a terrific character to play - an emotionless killer, who questions no order - and Scott steps up to the plate. His plight renders him a sympathetic character, despite his actions. His plight, and the great performance from Judson Scott.

5. Cool Raven Moments. The best one, of course, is the 'friendly' lunch scene, where Jonathan counts the '13 ways to die' on the table and - as revealed in the scenes' final two seconds - doesn't actually drink anything for the entire meeting, he just holds it in his mouth and spits it out afterwards. How cool is that? It blew me away the first time I saw it. It still blows me away. He sat there, and talked and so forth, and held the drink in his mouth (in case it was poisoned) for the duration.

Then there is the phone call to his former boss. In which Raven reveals that he knows intimate details of the man's home. Wow. How powerful is Raven, really? Powerful and dangerous.

6. Unanswered Questions. The best Raven episodes (the early ones) have a major unanswered question of some sort. In this one, the episode's climax fades to black before we find out what happens between Raven and his foe. Does he actually kill the man? It appears that he has no choice. But they don't show us. They fade to black, and let us decide.

And then there are the things that are common to all episodes of Raven: superb action scenes, great music and strong chemistry between the leads.

Highlight? Raven (a superb episode)
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Fri, Jun, 6th, 2008 - Greatest American Hero, Stingray, Hunter, Sledge Hammer, Raven

07:00    The Greatest American Hero
08:00    Stingray
09:00    Hunter
10:00    Sledge Hammer
10:30    Raven

The Greatest American Hero.  Episode 2.  "The Hit Car"  The first scene introduces the Hit Car of the title, and it's dumb.   An armoured car used by the mob for hits?  Nonsense like that belongs on "Knight Rider" and not on a good show like The Greatest American Hero.  Never mind, after the daft opening sequence the silly car is barely seen again.

The second sequence is pretty weak, too.  Ralph is trying to get his kids to do a school play.  I don't much like the kids on this show (and was very happy when they were written out) they all look a bit too old to be in high school.  Some of them look older than the teacher, for Frak's sake!!

The episode kicks into high gear when Bill Maxwell appears.  Or, to be more correct, when Robert Culp shows up.  This man is a television legend.  And he is giving his best-ever performance in this show.  This is a career high.  Bill is a great creation.  House, MD, with a gun and a badge.  And, as soon as he shows up, barking orders and insulting Pam, this episode becomes fun to watch.  And it never lets up.

The story is straight-forward enough: Bill and Ralph are moving a witness from one city to another so she can testify.  And they weather various armed attacks along the way.  The ending is very good, when Ralph suddenly figures out that they have been duped and why.  It all leads to an electric confrontation between (a battered and bloodied) Bill Maxwell  and the mobster that is out to kill them.  Bill stumbles into a restaurant, makes his way into the back and proceeds to pour food all over the guy's good suit.  He does this with his gun drawn, while the other bad guys watch in awe and it is a fantastic scene.

After that, the silly car returns.  But the action finale (between Ralph and the car) is actually pretty good.

Stingray.  Season 2, Episode 6.  "The First Time is Forever" is another thoughtful episode.  When he refuses to help a man, and that man is then killed, 'Ray is motivated to investigate.  He never says anything but various quick flashes show us that 'Ray is remembering the lives he has taken over the year.  Particularly the first.  It gives the a-story a great subtext.  As always the show has a unique visual style and the editing and camera angles combine to make an hour of TV that looks like nothing else on the air then or now.

Hunter.  Season 3, Episode 4.  "The Castro Connection" is one of the best episodes of Hunter.  When his old partner (now a DEA agent) re-surfaces there are lot of people suggesting that he has gone dirty in the five years since Hunter last saw him.  A verdict that doesn't sit well with Rick.  And while we admire his blind loyalty we can't help but wonder what the heck is going on.

The episode weaves a complex story.  It opens with (what appears to be) a fake shooting.  The body disappears, however, and we get to follow one of the bad guys around at various stages of the story.  Eventually Hunter and McCall get on his trail and come face to face with Hunter's old buddy, just in time for the big action finale.

The final scene between the two guys in one that often crosses my mind.  It's powerful and beautiful and sad.  We know that Hunter is lying to his dying friend, but are they both lying?  The beauty of this great script is that we never get a definitive answer on what Hunter's ex-partner was up to.  The first few times I saw this episode I believed what Stevens said to Hunter at the end, but - this time - I wonder if Stevens himself is being lied to.

We'll never know, I suppose, but we sure know how Hunter feels about his friend and his partner and how he feels about friendship and and partnership in general. A+

Sledge Hammer!  Episode 5.  "Dori Day Afternoon" is one of the show's best episodes.  A classic with bountiful laughs from start to finish.  Hammer and Dori are taken hostage during a bank robbery gone wrong and Hammer is forced to endure severe hardships: eating pizza, holding hands with another guy, etc.  Pitch perfect in all respects, this is a flawless episode of Sledge Hammer!

Raven.  Episode 1.  "Return of the Black Dragon"  It might be television's greatest action series.  Maybe.  It's certainly got television's best action sequences, and one the medium's best ever heroes: Jonathon Raven.  The opener brings the hero (and his sidekick) to Hawaii on the trail of the son he has never seen.  He takes a job at a nightclub and winds up helping the club's owner when his past catches up with him.  Raven's own past catches up with him, too, and after a few stylishly edited fight scenes the good guys live to fight another day.

Highlight?  Hunter