Rules Of Engagement. Season 5, Episode 17. "Zygote" Russell & Timmy date very TALL women!
Here are some reasons why I love ROE so darn much.
1. The cast chemistry. This episode has three plots, and each one is carried by two cast members - the two couples and the two single guys. Usually, I shower all the praise on Patrick Warburton and Megyn Price, but - really and truly - all of the cast are so good together. Bianca Kajlich has evolved into a perfect straight-woman for Oliver Hudson and this episode shows their team-work off to perfection. Adam being dumb generates many, many hearty laughs. But many of those are actually fuelled by Kajlich's reactions.
2. It's a show that has stuck it's premise. Most of the stories in each episode are driven by relationships. The premise hasn't been diluted since the pilot and - in fact - with David Spade and Adhir Kalyan as two single guys on the dating scene, it has actually gotten stronger.
3. This episode ends with Jeff upset over the loss of money, and Audrey misreading that as him feeling concern for their chances of having a baby. Wonderful. Kinda dark, but very funny.
4. Patrick Warburton. 'Nuff said!
10/10
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Rules Of Engagement. Season 5, Episode 17. "Zygote"
The Good Wife, Rules Of Engagement
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
06.30 Lost
08.30 The Good Wife
11.30 Rules Of Engagement
The Good Wife. Episode 17. "Heart" Baby; The Kiss
Sometimes I hate when I show goes off in a direction that really doesn't seem to be what's intended by the premise/title. And sometimes I love when a show goes off in a direction that really doesn't seem to be what's intended by the premise/title. Go figure.
It always bugged me when Magnum, PI, took all those cases for his friends, or - even worse - didn't have a case at all, just wandered into the middle of something iffy. I mean, he's a private eye, he should be having cases every week not an endless stream of coincidences!! I also didn't like it much when Airwolf was constantly finding lost children and what not.
On the flip side, I always got a kick from the A-Team episodes where they didn't have a case/client (cos they tended to be the most inventive stories) and I am a huge fan of the second season of seaQuest (where they stopped going underwater and started being a superhero show, where they good guys used the sub as a sort of floating lab).
I guest there's no real rule of thumb. Going off the reservation, in itself, is neither good nor bad. It comes down to what else is happening in the show. Some shows seem to be flailing out of control when they do this, and some shows give the impression that they are growing in exciting directions.
The Good Wife rests firmly in Camp #2. When it started - and given it's title - I expected the full focus to be on Alicia. Given the fact that she's working in a law firm it is to be expected that the other characters would become prominent and - in some episodes - dominate the screen time to a certain degree. But that's fine. I think that fits in with the show concept as I understood it from the pilot. They work with her, they are part of her everyday life, so it makes sense to feature them. A lot.
However...
I would have expected them to sideline her husband more. I certainly didn't expect them to give him a storyline, and an entourage of characters, that has absolutely no bearing on Alicia at all. All of this stuff (right from the start with the children knowing about the photos) exists independent of her. In fact, sometimes, it could be scenes from a complete different series. A series about a guy trying to get his political career back.
But, it's all so good, I have no problem with it. For a start it's given us Alan Cumming as a character with absolutely no ties to our title character and - one would assume - no logical reason to be in the show. Bottom line: his character (like all of this stuff) makes the show a much better show, and I have no problem with any of it.
I'm curious, however, if this project existed under any other names before "The Good Wife" became it's moniker. I have no problem with this current title (in fact I love it) but I wonder if they ever tried out anything else more all encompassing.
Or maybe the show was never intended to head in these directions?
Rules Of Engagement. Season 4, Episode 6. "Third Wheel" Jeff's dinner with Liz
Weakest episode so far this season. Yes, there was some laughs but none of the storylines caught fire. Jeff's dinner with Liz had funny lines but it really went nowhere much. I suppose the dinner scene was the destination in that little tale, but it wasn't anything to get excited about. And it was kinda silly.
Adam and Jennifer were (again) relegated to short scenes and their plot was little more than an idea. It did give us the very funny final shot, though, and made me laugh.
And the Russell/Timmy stuff had me most confused. What happened to all the continuity with the previous two episodes? Was this one filmed earlier in the season, or what? Whatever the reason, I'm pissed off: I was really looking forward to seeing what would happen next with Timmy's wife-to-be.
Maybe next week?
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Rules Of Engagement, Lost
Friday, April 2nd, 2010
06.00 Rules Of Engagement
07.00 Lost
Rules Of Engagement. Season 4, Episode 5. "The Four Pillars"
I love this show, it makes me laugh out loud. But there are two things that bug me about it. And both are featured in this episode.
1. I don't like it when the stories are driven by Jeff being a jerk. It used to happen a lot. It doesn't happen much any more, but it happened in this episode. Jeff was a jerk at couples therapy because he thought they would get told to have more sex. In the end, he was able to save the day by calming down and showing his wife that he loved her and he wasn't so bad, really. It's my least favourite plot device on the show and I'm glad we don't see it very much any more.
2. I don't understand why the others are friends with Russell, since they never say anything nice about him. Sometimes they do an out-of-character Russell episode and it allows the audience (and more importantly: me!) to see a different side of him and possibly understand why the other tolerate him. This was one of those. And it was very good. Particularly nice to see Jennifer as the one reaching out and trying to cheer the little guy up. Moments like that make believe that at the back of all the insults that all these characters really like one another.
Aside from all of that it was a very good episode. The Adam storyline was very funny, and it's great to see the show doing something it has never done before: a proper story arc.
Lost. Season 6, Episode 9. "The Package" Sun & Jin
I like episodes like this. I like episodes that feature everybody. Sure, episodes like the previous one (about Richard) are top notch television, but they do tend to ignore the show's large cast. This was a middle-of-the-road episode (nothing spectacular happened) and I loved it because we got to see a little of everybody. When's the last time that happened?
The big revelation at the end? Not so much. I pretty much assumed who 'the package' was. But that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the episode in the slightest. In fact, I hope the final batch of episodes show everybody every week.
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A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago
Rules Of Engagement, House, Damages, The Good Wife, The Greatest American Hero
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
05.00 Rules Of Engagement
05.30 House
06.30 Damages
07.30 The Good Wife
12.30 The Greatest American Hero
Rules Of Engagement. Season 4, Episode 4. "Ghost Story" Arranged Marriage.
This show does a great job of keeping on point. After four seasons it hasn't become a show about a random group of people, it's still a show trying to generate as many stories/jokes as possible from the concepts of marriage and relationships and all that guff. Witness this episode: the a-plot is rather brilliant (Jeff believing - or not believing - that his wife saw a ghost) and one of the b-plots is about an arranged marriage. A plotline that will hopefully occupy space in future episodes (thus making the hilarious Timmy a more natural fit with the raison d'etre of the series. It's also a story that allowed us a chance to see Russell being series, for - what I think is - only the second time in the series. Ever.
But the show still belongs to Patrick Warburton and Megyn Price. Warburton is great in pretty much every scene (he always makes me laugh) and Price was hysterical in the diner scene, where she was reacting to everyone believing Jeff's story.
I love Jeff and Audrey. Sure, they match wits constantly but it's obvious how much they like one another. I'm a sucker for stuff like that.
And a sucker for in-jokes. Great Venture Bros. reference in this one. Awe-Some!
House. Season 6, Episode 15. "Black Hole" Taub's wife.
Lots to like here. Let me count them!
1. I like Taub. Partly because I really like Peter Jacobson and partly because Taub is the one character who doesn't look like belongs under House. He looks like he should be House's boss and sometimes it's quirky to see him as an underling. Or worse. Witness the (hilarious) scene here where House steals his phone. Awesome.
2. I like the (slowly unfolding) story of Taub's marriage problems. There's great truth in the portrayal of that marriage, I feel, and I never tire of seeing scenes devoted to it. The ending to the chapter presented here was wonderful. The upbeat ending where House seemed to be sincere in his congratulations was wonderful, and the downbeat ending where House observed Taub with the pretty young nurse was much more in tune with the philosophy of the show. Bravo!
3. I like when House's random ways to torture Wilson/Cuddy actually seem like they have some meaning and depth and give me pause for thought. This one was all about Wilson buying furniture. And it worked. The show seems to be on a roll. This time last year I was losing interest. Flashforward one year and it's entertaining me again. I like that best of all.
Damages. Season 3, Episode 9. "Drive It Through Hardcore" A Patty Movie?
I'm torn. On one hand I'm absolutely riveted by the return of Arthur Frobisher, and on the other hand I'm confused as to what any of this has to do with anything.
Arthur Frobisher is fascinating character, and Ted Danson is thrilling in the part (this was some of his best work on Damages). Who would have ever thought that Ted Danson would being going head to head with Glenn Close and holding his own? Every appearance adds something to the character and at this stage you could write a book on the guy. Or, at the very least, spend a good hour talking about him and his actions. And what about the fireworks when he and Patty were in the same room in this episode. Friggin' awesome.
But...
What has this got to do with the Tobin case? This case/story has dominated the show since the season started and I'm a little confused to see it sidelined like this as the season passes the mid-way point.
Not that we didn't get movement on the story. We did. Patty got to make a break-through and Martin Short got to add shades to his fascinating character. I think I'm finally able to see him as someone other than 'Uncle Jack' from Arrested Development again.
The Good Wife. Episode 16. "Fleas" Drug lawyer
I love the way they spread the wealth on this show. Alan Cumming has only just shown up and they are already giving him some badass stuff to do. Josh Charles was pretty awesome in this episode, too, flexing his legal muscle in the courtroom. Previous episodes have given meaty scenes/heroics to Chris Noth and Archie Panjabi, while Christine Baranski has emerged as a real scene stealer.
Originally, I thought it was going to be Julianna Margulies all the way, and it's still her show, but the piece is now a real ensemble entity with dares to tell stories where the character we love most (Alicia) doesn't solve everything and be the smartest one in the room getting all the coolest lines. Makes me love the show even more.
And, oddly, it makes me love Alicia even more. I've really fallen in love with this character. And she's not all about the flash and loud bang style of getting work done. She's about being there and getting it done, and the show is perfectly build around her.
The Greatest American Hero. Episode 8. "The Best Desk Scenario" Crooked lawyer.
Another episode driven by the characters and the relationship between them. Bill is feeling blue, he senses his own mortality nipping at his heels and - to make matters worse - Ralph and Pam are both doing really well at their jobs (Ralph has been promoted to Vice Principal and Pam has been made a junior partner in her law firm.)
There's a crime-of-the-week story, too, and it's a solid one (involving Pam's boss) but the majority of the screen time (and all of the enjoyment) concerns how the three main characters work together. Robert Culp (always funny) is simply wonderful here, as Bill sulks his way through scene after scene. Yet, none of it comes across as mean-spirited. It's all very human, and in the midst of his most childish comments it's obvious (from the script and the performers) that these three characters have become very, very fond of one another.
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A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago
Rules Of Engagement, Dan For Mayor, Damages, Hiccups
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
05.00 Rules Of Engagement
05.30 Dan For Mayor
06.00 Damages
11.30 Hiccups
Rules Of Engagement. Season 4, Episode 3. "Atlantic City" Jeff vs. Audrey in a war of lies.
Instead of different plots for everyone, the whole episode is devoted to Jeff and Audrey with the other characters grafted (seamlessly) into the mix.
It's an amusing episode. The show's married couple play a clever chess game of lie and counter lie, with each knowing the other is lying and trying to up the stakes and counter the various bluffs. It's interesting that a show can manage to be both adorable and cynical at the same time.
And how about Oliver Hudson? Adam barely appears, but he gets great laughs when he does. Have they always written Adam as being so dumb. I don't remember it as being this bad, before, but it's very funny.
Dan For Mayor. Episode 4. "Inside the War Room" Campaign HQ
There's no real stand-out moment in this one, but it's probably the strongest episode so far. It seems as if the show has found it's feet. Scenes with Dan & Jeff were nicely balanced with scenes of Claire & Alan on the other campaign and it's suddenly made sense (to me) why (most of) these characters were on the show. Dan and Jeff are our heroes (particularly Dan who I simply adore, I want to cheer for him in every scene), Claire is torn between her fondness for Dan, her love for her soon-to-be hubby and her 'loyalty' to the campaign she's working on: the very funny Laurie Murdoch. Meanwhile, we can see that the daughter of Dan's other rival appears to have a slight crush on our hero.
Four week's in the show has built up a nice little world of characters that we like and care about and will want to see again.
Roll on next week!!
Damages. Season 3, Episode 8. "I Look Like Frankenstein" Ted Danson
I love Damages, but there are things about it that I don't understand. Why do they keep bringing the Ted Danson character back? Danson is fantastic, and I really like the character, but he really seems to have no place in such a story-driven series. His arrival in Season 2 had great shock value, but amounted to nothing.
His screen-time in this episode puzzles me. What has it got to do with anything?
However, having said that, I do agree that his character is on a fascinating personal journey and I'm happy to watch it. But, at this stage in the season, I'm more invested in the personal (final) journey of (poor) Tom Shayes.
Aside from all this: The final few minutes were very satisfying with a dizzying succession of flashforwards and flashbacks that filled in a few blanks here and there and make me eager to see what happens next.
Hiccups. Episode 3. "Office Clothes" Stan's new clothes, Millie's new office.
Has Hiccups lost it's way? I mean, what is it about? I thought (from the pilot) that it was about Stan teaching Millie to calm down a bit (even though he was clueless himself) and I liked that premise. But, in this episode, Millie and Stan barely appear together (and when they do it feels forced and pointless) and the show new appears to be about a bunch of random characters (most of whom I don't like or find funny.)
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A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago
Sun, May 31, 09 - Dexter, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock, Rules Of Engagement, Worst Week
07.30 Dexter
08.30 Friday Night Lights
01.00 30 Rock
01.30 Rules Of Engagement
03.00 Worst Week
Dexter. Season 3, Episode 11. "I Had a Dream" Dexter decides he's gonna have to kill Miguel. And he chooses a new Best Man.
This surprised me. Sure, I know Dexter was likely to kill Miguel, but I figured it would be left to, you know, the last episode of the season. Nope. The show had something else up it's sleeve. Good storytelling choice.
Friday Night Lights. Season 3, Episode 11. "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" JD and his dad have a violent clash over his new girlfriend. Landry helps Tyra (again). Matt's grandmother has an accident.
The show brought me to tears again. This time it was in the Tyra storyline and it was because of what her mother said to her. Wow. Of all the characters on the show, I would have expected her to be the least likely to come out with something deep, insightful and inspiring. But she did. And it was a lovely moment.
I also enjoyed the handling of the accident that Matt's grandmother had. It was very low key. Like a real life incident. Yet it was destructive, and called lots of issues into sharp focus. Like a real-life accident might do. I'm glad the writers have opted to keep Matt's mother in the picture. And they are not teasing us with the promise that she might leave. In fact, she's being nothing but supportive and helpful. The writers are letting the drama/conflict come from other things (mostly the grandmother, what a great character) and she story/show is all the better for it.
30 Rock. Season 3, Episode 22. "Kidney Now!" Liz becomes a relationship expert. Liz?! And Jack organises a benefit concert to help his (new) dad get a kidney.
A great season finale. After three season's of romantic disasters, Liz inadvertently becomes a relationship guru. All thanks to a catchphrase she write for Jenna/TGS. It's an example of the weird, zany logic that runs rampant on this cool show and it's a great place to bring Liz to, to end the season.
Chris Parnell returns. And pretty much steals the show.
Almost.
The finale (the actual Kidney Now! song) is the real highlight of the episode. Many real stars appear, playing themselves and sing their hearts out in an odd (but very, very catchy) little ditty designed to get Mr. Green a brand new kidney.
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 13. "AARP" The girls host a sex toy party and Jeff and Adam get paranoid. Russell pretends to be married.
Pretty good. Not the best episode of the season, but still provokes a lot of laughter. The engine driving this is the idea that Jeff loves his wife and wants to satisfy her in bed. He's goes overboard (hence the comedy) but his heart is sure in the right place. None of the season three episodes had Jeff behaving like a neanderthal. And the show is much better for it.
Oliver Hudson has become adept at being the 'dumb one' in the group and he excels at reaction shots.
Russell's plotline was a a bit of yawner, but not so much that it ruined the episode.
Worst Week. Episode 6. "The Ring" The baby swallows the ring, Mel hates her dress and Dick's mother arrives.
Lots to like here. The episode opens with great chemistry between Kyle Bornheimer and Erinn Hayes and the episode that follows - once again - highlights Sam and Mel as a united team in the face of all that the world throws at them.
Nancy Lenehan gets several funny scenes, reacting to the presence of Olympia Dukakis as Dick's mean mother. Lenehan's a hoot.
Sam manages to do a lot of things right in this episode. He bonds with Dick over the fighting women, he sticks up for Angela, he destroys the wedding dress (making Mel insanely happy) and he is able to get the family to mend broken fences. It's all very enjoyable, but is the show's premise slipping away at this stage?
Highlight? Friday Night Lights (Tyra's mom)
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A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago
Wed, May 20, 09 - 30 Rock, Rules Of Engagement, 24
06.30 30 Rock
07.00 Rules Of Engagement
07.30 24
08.30 24
10.30 24
30 Rock. Season 3, Episode 17. "Cutbacks" Liz has to make budget cuts, Jack is firing people and Tracy & Jenna think Kenneth is a mass murderer.
The genius of 30 Rock is not only making comedy from the recession, a financial crisis we are all dealing with in the real world, but in pairing that with a storyline that is surreal and cartoonish. Quite an accomplishment.
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 12. "House Money" Jeff has some extra cash, so he and Audrey decide to blow it all. But they miscalculate...
Wonderful.
I think I love this show because most of the a-stories are about a married couple who spend a lot of time together and enjoy each other's company. Early seasons generated too many plots by making Jeff dumb and obnoxious, but the third season has ceased that habit, made Audrey central to most of the stories (including this one) and simply left the couple to do their thing.
The conflict in this episode is especially clever. Drama and Comedy both need conflict of some sort to drive the engine of the story. Here the conflict mostly comes from each characters own in-build expectations and goals.
The whole episode is Jeff and Audrey out together for a meal. Nothing still happens, but there are many supremely funny moments and it's just a blast from start to finish.
And I know I'm going to get that every week. A really cool married couple who like one another and do lots of stuff together. I think I just like tuning in to see that.
24. Season 7, Episode 22. "5AM - 6AM" Jibraan is forced onto the subway with the ticking bomb under a nearby seat, Chloe and Janice bicker (while saving the day), Jack runs Tony off the road and hits him in the face. A lot. Agent Aaron Piece makes a phone call to someone we like very much, and Kim Bauer meets two very nice people at the airport.
Another superb episode.
1. Jibraan's final episode is packed full of tension. So far he's been a victim/hostage but with this episode he gets a chance to step up and be a hero. And herein lies the genius of 24. Jack is too far away to help. So he gets on Jibraan's earpiece and tells him what to do. We like Jibraan. A lot. Traditionally, the innocent people in 24 don't do very well. They have a 50/50 chance of survival. So, while we know that Jibraan will almost certainly save the day, we have no way of knowing whether he will live or die in the act. Great stuff.
2. Olivia's storyline gets better and better. Despite all that she has done, we kinda like the girl. Now she is in way over her head and things are getting worse. Part of the reason I like her, I think, is the fact that Aaron Pierce likes her and the two of them have fantastic chemistry. He's the most decent person they have ever had on the show (except, maybe, for David Palmer) and he's really fond on the conniving little bitch. So, we reason, she can't be all bad. Having said that, I cheered when Aaron picked up the phone and called a character I honestly thought was gone from the show for good. I really thought that that character was screwed and out of the show. It seems not... Yay!
3. The biggest surprise for me (apart from the above-mentioned phone call) was the abundance of wonderful, funny scenes between Chloe and Janice. And, thanks to Chloe being in the picture, I honestly find myself liking Janice for the first time this season. It's a pairing that shouldn't work, since Janice is nothing more than Chloe-lite but - for some reason that only the gods of truly good writing and great cast chemistry understand - the two of them light up the screen when the bicker and squabble. Chloe had some of her best-ever lines in this episode and Mary Lynn Rajskub is awesome.
4. Kim is in danger again! I can't believe they are going down this route. But, having said that, I have to admit that... it works. The dilemma it creates for Jack is one they have used on the show many times before, but... it works. Bottom line: they shocked me with this twist and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
24. Season 7, Episode 23. "6AM-7AM" Jack breaks Tony out of FBI custody, there's a shoot-out at the airport, Olivia detains Ethan with a view towards getting her hands on - and destroying - the memory chip with her incriminating conversation.
On all fronts this was a superb episode of 24.
1. Kim Bauer turns action heroine and goes after the man who might be able to lead her to her kidnapped father. It's a great plotline and it's strange/wonderful to find myself so aggressively rooting for Kim Bauer of all people. Maybe all memories of the cougar incident are gone forever. Aside from Kim Bauer going all Jack Bauer on us (yay!) there's a lot of other cool stuff going on at the airport. The shoot-out at the airport was frantic and exciting and an example of typical 24. The stunt with the car looked great, filmed - as it was - with Kim in the foreground. Then the battle for the laptop, as both Kim and the bad guy caught fire, put a perfect cap on a perfect sequence.
2. Over at the White House we got to see some great scenes with Aaron and Ethan, as they plotted the take down of this season's other bad guy/gal: Olivia. Sprague Grayden's performance wad different in this episode: there's no trace of niceness in Olivia this time. Perhaps it's to make us dislike her a bit more so we'll enjoy her upcoming fall from grace (if that is what, in fact, happens). Or maybe it's just the character resolving herself to her course of action. She sent the funds in this episode, so I presume she's knuckling down and preparing to defend her position.
3. Tony and Jack's storyline, finds Jack a prisoner and Tony asking the woman in his life to let him get close to the Major Bad Guy of the season. Why? I hope they are doing this to provide Tony with some sort of redemption in the final episode. I hope we will see Tony in a different light after another hour of the show. I hope it has something do with getting vengeance for the murder of Michelle. And I hope it will allow me to keep liking The Tony That Was when the story is over. Jack makes a spectacular escape in the final minutes of the episode. An escape I didn't expect. Despite the fact that Jack is always escaping from situations exactly like this one. It totally caught me off guard.
So: the season finale is upon us! Jack's free and pissed off, Tony's a bad guy but he clearly has a an agenda, and Ethan finally knows that Olivia is bad. What can he do about it?
24. Season 7, Episode 24. "7AM - 8AM" Tony captures Jack and straps a bomb to him, explaining his end game. The President has to choose between her family and her job. Agent Walker steps over the line...
Magnificent.
The best season-ender, to the best season of the best television show ever made.
1. The Tony story arc comes to a satisfying conclusion. In fact, this is scene-for-scene how I wanted it to end. Tony did what he did because of his love for Michelle. Her death sent him over the edge, and - after that - he was willing to do anything to get to the ones responsible. It's a wonderful story and more than redeems him to my satisfaction. The writers are remarkable for being able to pull that off. Tony has killed innocents. He killed Larry (and we liked Larry) and they managed to put it all in perspective. Even better, they left him alive. That's ballsy. They set it up so it looked as if Jack would go for the killshot. And he didn't (need to) take it. Great writing. Satisfying storytelling.
2. The structure of the episode speaks of the confidence of the writers/producers. The big action stuff happens at the start of the episode and it out of the way by the mid-point. The second half of the episode is all about up-close drama and quiet personal scenes. The most dramatic moment of the whole episode (the turning of a head) happened with no dialogue anywhere near it. Again, this speaks volumes of the confidence of a writer who knows they have a great story and knows that they know how to tell it.
3. The performances were amazing. Cherry Jones and Colm Feore did their finest work this season in this episode. The portrait of a family being torn apart was heart-breaking to watch. This is story material that 24 rarely touches upon, but when they go here they know how to tell the story. And with people like Jones and Feore to bring the story to life we are in safe hands. After weak/mean Presidents and silly/boring Presidents, the show has delivered onto us again a President with Integrity that we can love and admire. It's like have David Palmer back. The show has come full circle.
4. With Jack, Tony and Agent Walker you get three sides of the same coin. Tony is the extreme: The good guy who has narrowed his vision so much that he loses sight of the collateral damage he inflicts. Jack is in the middle: The hero who is willing to do unspeakable things to get the right thing done, but who never loses sight of the cost of his actions. Walker is the other extreme: The innocent who stays inside the rules and doesn't understand the costs of going beyond them. With these three characters the show set up an interesting dynamic and made a powerful point. This season could be described as the story/journey of any of these three characters. The fact that the gave the final moment of the episode/season to Agent Walker speaks volumes about the story and it's subtext.
5. For the second episode in a row, the show showed us that pairing Chloe with Janice is a stroke of genius. Chloe has always been awesome, but Janise only really became awesome in these final two episodes. When she was paired with Chloe. Which is ironic, of course, because she's basically a clone of Chloe: The Walker/Janice dynamic is the same as the Jack/Chloe dynamic. Yet, for reasons that I would never have predicted, putting both of them side by side makes them both sparkle. Having the season end with Chloe doing her best to give Janice a compliment, and watching Janice light up when she received the compliment, was the perfect end to their partnership. For this season. Hopefully, the producers know that they are on to a good thing here and will keep this duo in action, together. Many action shows in the past have made us through scene of pathetic comic relief watching bland supporting characters. Here, on 24, you have a wonderful creation - Chloe - played by a wonderful actress - Mary Lynn Rajskub - who can be funny, heroic, sweet, clever, hot and human. In the midst of all the craziness, she can be human and real. Her presence can counterpoint anything else happening onscreen and - most important - the audience loves her. Passionately. We deeply care about her and want her to be happy, okay, acknowledged by Jack and loved by her husband. This season was possibly her best. Hopefully, she's in every episode next year. With Janice not far behind.
6. For the second episode in a row... Kim Bauer was cool. I really liked her in the final minutes of the episode, as she showed herself to be Jack Bauer's daughter and went in - all guns blazing - to get what she wants.
7. The power of this finale was not diminished at all by the fact that many elements of it were easy to predict. I hoped that Tony would be revealed to be working on an agenda to avenge his dead wife. I could only see two possible endings to the Olivia storyline and, when they went the route of exposing her, I could predict how the President would behave. We always knew that Kim would save Jack at the end of the season. We knew it, but it was still satisfying to see it happen. In this way, the show as not 'predictable' in a bad way. Rather, it fulfilled on the promise of all these storylines. In spades.
8. Not since the heyday of Wiseguy has a television series so excited and inspired me. Wiseguy pioneered a new type of storytelling, and now - twenty years later - 24 is doing the same thing. Even the subject matter is sometimes similar. Jack's speech here on the laws and the lawmakers reminded me of Vinnie's pontifications during the Washington D.C./Japanese Yen storyarc on Wiseguy. Both shows are action fare, with depth and scope far beyond everything else on TV.
I love 24 with a passion. I don't think I have ever been more proud to say that than I am tonight.
Highlight? 24 (magnificent)
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Tue, May 19, 09 - Rules Of Engagement
07.00 Rules Of Engagement
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 11. "May Divorce Be with You" Russell dates a girl with mob connections, and Audrey thinks the divorced guy staying with her and Jeff has just hit on her...
Mixed bag. The Russell storyline generates no laughs, Adam and Jennifer are ignored, and the Audrey storyline is very, very funny.
Megyn Price pretty much carries the episode. She's funny and the plot given to Audrey is pretty good. I'm usually wary of sit-coms where the episode is driven by the guest character, but this one works pretty well because (despite the presence of a subdued, and still funny, Tony Hale) the episode is still really about Audrey. She fixed him up with his wife, so she feels guilty about he divorce and she invites him to stay and she had to deal with his supposed pass at her. Then, when Jeff proves that this never happened, it is she who must deal with that, too. Price was wonderful in the final ten minutes and her chemistry with Patrick Warburton added real zing to all the gags. They are one of TV best couples.
The Russell storyline (he starts to act like a Jersey mobster) was really stupid and generated no laughs. Awful. Awful. Awful.
Alexis Krause was hot, however, as his girlfriend and it's always great to see Louis Mandylor from the first season of Martial Law.
Overall, a mixed bag of an episode.
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Tue, May 12, 09 - Rules Of Engagement, Castle
08.30 Rules Of Engagement
01.00 Castle
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 10. "Family Style" Jeff overreacts when someone takes some food off his plate, and Russell sends Timmy to a psychiatrist... posing as Russell.
Adhir Kalyan is the best thing that ever happened to this show. He gets all the big laughs in this episode and his character's presence has opened up the character of Russell. And made him more believably/accessible. This is one of the scripts that tries to give Russell some depth and heart, and those are my favourite Russell stories.
Castle. Episode 10. "A Death in the Family" A plastic surgeon is killed in a mob hit. Why?
For it's season finale, Castle delivers another good case-of-the-week, several funny Nathan Fillion moments, a tiny bit of romantic sparkle and a loads of solid character development for the major characters.
Castle's mother and daughter get some of the very best scenes of the episode. In a lesser show, the mother would just exist for lame jokes and the daughter would just exist for soft and fuzzy father/daughter moments but on this show they round out the cast in an intelligent and complimentary fashion.
Castle's speech about his vision of his future with his daughter is one of the sweetest and saddest speeches I've heard on TV in a long time. Both performers nailed it, too. I'd expect no less of Nathan Fillion, to be honest, but where did they find Molly Quinn? It was a lovely moment. Two lesser performers would have mangled the material. These two found the truth in the moment and ran with it.
Then there was Susan Sullivan. As the series has gone on, her character has been written better and better. It's amusing to think of her as a lush that Castle has to look out for, but I like it better when she's written as a mother who can give good advise. Her impact on Rick here was one of the best part of the script. Urging him to tell Beckett about his investigation into her mother's murder was great for her character, was great for his character (showing that he's not all that wise, really, when it comes to women) and it added great tension to the story. Now suddenly we have more than our own suspicions (that Beckett will take his interference badly) to make us worry. We have another character telling Rick to back off. Great stuff.
The episode also made great use of Beckett's ex-boyfriend and the scenes using the doughnuts were wonderful. Wonderful. What a great way for the character to communicate her feelings! Seems so, so right for her.
Robert Picardo was underused but, hopefully, we'll see more of him in Season Two... (Please let there be a Season Two...)
The case-of-the-week was strong and interesting. Castle's telling Kate that she was extraordinary was heart-stoppingly good and the cliffhanger was... infuriating and annoying. And, let's face it, a perfect cliff-hanger. Because, more than anything else, I want to know what he said next.
And what she said back to him...
Highlight? Castle (cliff-hanger)
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Tue, May 5, 09 - Rules Of Engagement, Castle, Listener, Forever Knight
06.00 Rules Of Engagement
06.30 Castle
02.00 The Listener
03.00 Forever Knight
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 9. "The Challenge" The guys compete to see who can get sex first.
Hilarious. Great to see an episode which ties all the regulars into one storyline, and one which is very much driven by the premise of the series (single vs. married vs. engaged). Keeping true to it's concept keeps RoE different from all the similar sitcoms that have gone before. The show is funny, it has a vision of what it is (three seasons in) and it's not afraid (like Seinfeld) to write the characters as less-than-nice.
Castle. Episode 9. "Little Girl Lost" Kidnapped little girl.
It's a rule of these romantic dramas. You have to build episodes around your lead's ex-partners. It heightens the conflict, you see. Indeed, I'm sure that if Castle gets a second season (Please!) then one of them will have a story arc where they are dating someone else entirely. Why? Cos show's like to frak with us in this way. And we love it.
This episode introduces us to Beckett's ex-boyfriend, and it's a much more successful effort than the one which introduced Castle's ex-wife. Mainly because he's tied in to the case-of-the-week and there was plenty of opportunity for Castle and the ex to square off. Castle's ex-wife, when she appeared, was kept in the b-plot and away from Beckett. Which, let's face it, is less interesting.
One of the great things about Castle is that, for a show that is mainly about the leads and their romantic tension, it also manages to deliver really good stories ever couple of weeks. This one is a cracker. Nothing very fancy, or complicated, or flashy. Quite a simple story, really. A really good story. Guest star Judy Reyes is superb in her role. And, at the story's climax, they completely leave her to it. The script gives her pages of great material, leaves everyone else standing back in silence, and - boy - did Reyes ever run with the ball. Her performance, and that final scene, make this a serious contender for best ever episode of Castle.
Given the chance, this romantic drama (that I originally assumed was just going to be a vehicle for the fantastic Nathan Fillion) could turn into a superb detective series.
Maybe it already has...
The Listener. Episode 10. "Missing" Toby and Oz try to help a man imprisoned for killing his wife.
Mid-way through the season, The Listener completely hit it's stride and started to deliver superb episodes. This is yet another superb episode. It doesn't feature Lisa Marcos very much but I love this show so much at this stage that I don't even mind. Much.
There are many reason to love this episode.
1. Toby's powers. The show has totally figured out how to use Toby's powers in a way that is totally cool, and totally serves the stories and makes them far more interesting. The guest actors in this episode play their parts with conviction, so we get that rarity in shows of this ilk: bad guys who can tell lies really well. Most liars on TV shows are really crap at telling lies, so much so that the hero doesn't need super powers to tell they are lying. Most of the suspects in this tale were telling lies and none of the actors played their part as if they were lying. This made Toby's powers all the more cool and interesting.
I also love the way the show has decided to manifest his powers: visions that might be memory or fantasy or intent or random nonsense. And it's up to Toby to interpret. Wonderful. Early episodes didn't make this clear. But it's the way it works now, and I love it.
2. Oz. Without making it a stated aim of the script, the show has found a way to show us how Toby's friends 'use' him and his power. He wanted to help Marks last week, so it was okay. But Oz was totally forcing him into using his power this week, and it was great to see how their friendship rides the rough waters of these moments without any self-conscious moments of discussion. Kinda like a real friendship. The Toby-Oz friendship has always been one of my favourite elements of the series, and it continues to be.
3. The story. It's a cracker of a tale from start to finish. Oz's parents are suffering the effects of the current financial crisis and Oz wants to use Toby to make some money fast. Their attempts to win money from cheating at poker were both funny and interesting and made perfect sense. A great answer to the question of why he doesn't use his power to make himself rich.
4. The twist. I love stories with a twist, and I love shows that opt to end their episodes on a downbeat note. The resolution of this episode was superb. Stephen McHattie is one of my favourite performers and he was a perfect choice for this role. All his scenes were great, but that last one was chilling. Craig Olejnik really sold the shock, too. Great work all round. Maybe the best 'moment' so far in the whole series.
5. Mylene Robic/Olivia. She didn't have as much screentime in this episode, as in the previous two, but I really love her and Toby as a couple. It's about time they brought her into the loop, to, with regard to his powers. Bringing Oz and Marks in on the secret opened the stories up in a major way and it would be cool if they tried to write a TV relationship where one of the characters was a mind reader. (I bet he still gets everything wrong!)
Forever Knight. Episode 11. "Hunters" Schanke goes into hiding when someone targets him for death.
Why is Forever Knight such a cool show? This episode provides many of the answers.
1. John Kapelos as Schanke. This man rules!! Kapelos was sometimes asked to play his role as broad comedy (which he did with consummate ease) but, left to his own devices, he plays Schanke as if this was an episode of Homicide: Life On The Street. In other words, he played it totally real. Yet, Schanke is very cool. Obnoxious and rude and a little bit stupid, but - let's face it - the guy is cool. And this is a Schanke-centric episode. Placing him in The Raven is a stroke of genius. The comedy is perfect and the conversation with Janette (about Nick's past) is gripping.
2. The Night Shooting. Since Nick is a vampire, he works the night shift and the show is filmed/set at night. Toronto looks awesome at night (I've been there and it looks awesome at any time, to be honest) and it has never looked better than in Forever Knight. If I could work the nightshift anywhere (as a cop) I would ride along with Nick and Schanke in Toronto. This episode looks great. I love the pre-credits scene (as the guys walk the night streets) and anything and everything that happens outdoors at night. Which is a lot of stuff on this show. Superboy was cool in a similar way. The last two seasons were filmed at night (in Florida) and it added something to the show.
3. Nick at the piano. Many episodes were 'padded out' with wonderful character moments for Nick, as he sat as his piano and pondered his lot in life. I say 'padded out' because I think these scenes were filmed so they could be edited out in certain markets (to allow for more ads, sigh) without harming the actual plot of the episode (as if they cared about that kind of thing). However these scenes are not padding in the classic sense. They are genuine character moments. This episode has one. Nick sits at the piano, plays with the flame of a candle and - later - drives around the city at night with some cool music playing on the soundtrack. Forever Knight has awesome music. Many songs were specially written for the series, and the actual score of the show is distinctive and wonderful, too.
4. The Flashbacks. Forever Knight was one of three shows to hit the air at the same time, which had heroes who were special in some way, and whose adventures were punctuated by flashbacks to their earlier lives. Highlander and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues were the other two. The Highlander flashbacks were lavish affairs which underscored the main plot or, in some cases, told a different story. On Kung Fu: The Legend Continues we were treated to little moments that added depth and meaning to the life of Caine. And on Forever Knight we tended to get bleak, sad views of past deeds which were used to explain the sadness that followed Nick Knight wherever he went. This one is a doozy. It shows Nick being hunted and - in a moment of frenzy - turning on, and taking the lives of his hunters. In a clever touch, we see Janette telling Schanke a toned-down version of the same event and the script clever uses the incident to provoke a discussion between the characters and, indeed, provoke Schanke into action.
It's also very cool. Geraint Wyn Davies knows exactly how to sell the pain that Nick feels without every making it self-conscious or false. Something it would have become on a lesser show.
The Nick/Natalie relationship is another example of why FK is cooler than Angel, Blood Ties or Moonlight, but since it's not featured heavily here, I'll leave my views on it until another time.
Bottom line: Forever Knight rocks!
Highlight? The Listener (the twist at the very end is a killer)
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Tue, Apr 28, 09 - Rules Of Engagement, Castle, Listener, House
05.30 Rules Of Engagement
06.00 Castle
11.30 The Listener
12.30 House
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 8. "Twice" Audrey pretends to be pregnant! Russell guides an Amish man through the sleazy side of life in the big city.
Another wonderful, hilarious Megan-centric episode. This show is on fire, basically. And they are not afraid to cast their regulars in a less-than-flattering light. Megan pretending to be pregnant is very funny, and they totally make it work. The mix-up (where Jeff thinks everyone is congratulating him for having sex twice in a row) is also inspired.
Talking of 'inspired' ideas: Russell takes an Amish man to various strip clubs.
Castle. Episode 8. "Ghosts" Woman drowned in a bath full of motor oil.
The one duff episode was a total anomaly and Castle has settled into a routine of superb episodes.
The one flaw in this one concerned the dead woman who was mentioned at the very start of the episode and dismissed as a suspect because she was, um, dead and all. And, you know, her body was never found...
Who, at home, didn't know from the very start that that woman was - of course - mad alive? I wasn't sure she would turn out to be the murderer (I kinda liked the husband for it) but I totally knew she was alive and it bugged me that the characters never said "Maybe she's not dead?". They could have said it from the very start. They could have thrown it out there. Thus proving that they are as smart as the viewers as home.
Anyway...
They didn't.
Apart from that flaw (which bugged me, as you can see) it was another superb episode. A great story, with lots of interesting and fun twists. Castle was his usual fun self, and there were many great scenes between Castle and Beckett. Most of them involving poker.
I love the way Beckett is very much a part of Castle's family now. There seems to be a whole lot of warm-hearted mutual acceptance going on with that little group. And I love it.
The Listener. Episode 8. "One Way or Another" Charlie tracks a serial rapist.
Flawless. The first episode to nail the show's formula to perfection, and the first superb episode.
What did they get right?
Toby's powers were useful and without them there would have been no story. The show often makes the mistake of (a) Toby only hearing part of the truth and jumping to the wrong conclusion, or (b) Toby totally picks up nothing from the real bad guy and you wonder afterwards why the show didn't take that direction instead. This time out, the writer makes brilliant use of Toby's powers. Each use of the power (a) advanced the story, (b) was funny, (c) led to a character moment, (d) was genuinely cool/interesting.
This last one is significant. Being able to read minds would be a very cool power. But the show has never captured this. Until now.
They created a strong/excellent b-story for the underused Mylene Robic. The b-story was every bit as strong as the a-story. It had a great patient-of-the-week, it gave us great character insight into Olivia, it had loads of comic moments and a solid resolution. It had nothing to do with Toby, but it still managed to involve Osman in a meaningful way. In short, it was extremely well written.
Charlie was well-written and dynamic and heroic. Lisa Marcos was sexier than ever (my god, but she is crazy hot and I'm borderline obsessed) and she showed considerable acting chops, too. The scene where she revealed the story of her own rape was perfectly underplayed, and did nothing to dimish the character's considerable strength.
The climax was perfect on many, many levels. Toby's mind-reading powers were used in a very clever way, as Detective Marks was able to 'think' instructions to Toby and his following of these instructions was enough to distract her captor and allow Marks to escape and beat the living crap out of the creep.
It was a great climax on many levels. Toby and Marks were equally responsible for beating the bad guy. Which makes sense. Toby is a paramedic, not a cop and not a fighter. Marks is both a cop and a fighter. So, the writers made the absolute right choice by allowing her to rescue herself, by using Toby as a distraction.
Very, very good writing. And much more interesting than a clichéd Toby comes to the rescue ending.
It was also cool.
Indeed, all of the uses of Toby's powers were cool and fun. For the first time. My favourite bit? Toby chuckles at Olivia's thoughts and - when questioned about it - credits a passing Osman with being very funny. Osman, of course, takes the credit and keeps walking. This was a wonderful scene on many levels. It was cool. It was very funny. It showed that the writer has a great take on these characters and their dynamic.
I also love the way the show doesn't go for cliché "How could he know that?" moments. The Olivia storyline (a) was good, (b) had nothing to do with Toby or his powers, (c) took up loads of screentime. I feared that Toby would appear, read something and - in some way - affect the resolution of the story. No. The show wisely kept him peripherial to events in Olivia's story and let it find it's own resolution. In this way, they make the show a rewarding enemble show to watch.
But Lisa Marcos is my favourite.
House. Season 5, Episode 18. "Here Kitty" Judy Greer thinks a cat has predicted her death, while Taub makes a bit for freedom.
A very funny episode, with lots of dark, sad moments. In short, a superb episode of House.
Hmmm.
Maybe, I've given up on House a bit too soon. Season Five might well be the weakest season so far, but they can still deliver quality episodes. In fact, there has been a run of quality episodes.
Hmmm.
Highlight? The Listener (first superb episode)
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Tue, Apr 21, 09 - Rules Of Engagement, Castle, The Listener
06.30 Rules Of Engagement
12.30 Castle
01.30 The Listener
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 7. "Old Timer's Day" Jeff hurts his back.
Rules is having it's best season. It's funnier than ever and - unlike earlier episodes - none of the episodes are driven by Jeff being an ass/idiot. Even the Jeff-centric episodes (such as this one) are grounded in reality.
The show has also added semi-regulars. Funny ones, at that. They took a good show and made it better. How often does that happen, huh?
Castle. Episode 7. "Home Is Where the Heart Stops" Home invasions turn to murder.
After last week's dreadful mis-step the show bounces back to almost being as good as it was before. The case is fairly uninvolving, and the scenes with the victim's daughter's angst were seriously yawn-worthy but the episode had a lot of cool and funny Castle moments and - even more important - the episode had many significant moments between Castle and Beckett. They had a 'date' and - at the very end - she showed up and was part of his family gathering.
Best Castle moment? The part at the end where he's alone in the police car, singing his own action theme song and pretending to be in a car chase. The suspect happens by (of course) and Castle gets into a fight with him, while the soundtrack plays his very own action theme song. I love it! Not just the idea/gag, I actually love the theme, too.
The Listener. Episode 6. "Foggy Notion" Murder in Chinatown.
It may have fairly pedestrian case-of-the-week tales but I can't escape the fact that I really like this show.
There are two main reasons for this.
I like the angle of the hero who cares about people he meets and wants to butt into their lives and help/save them. It's the whole Pretender/Early Edition thing, I suppose. Toby keeps running around getting involved in stuff that has nothing to do with him. He's a goodie-goodie. Like Tru on Tru Calling he knows stuff that he shouldn't and he uses that knowledge to try and save lives and stuff. I dig that stuff. It makes him a very old fashioned TV hero.
I also like Lisa Marcos a lot. A whole lot. I really like to watch her body move as she, you know, walks around and stuff. Sure, it's a pretty lame reason for liking a TV show but - Hey! - I'm being honest. Don't mark me down as being hopelessly shallow. I'm not: I also like her hair!
The show always writes to write the scenes between her and Toby really badly (which I'm starting to find charming, not annoying) but it does manage to write her as a smart character in her own right. She gets a lot of screentime and she's very much a lead character in the show. Also, as of this episode, they bring her in on 'the secret'. Very cool. Makes me very, very keen to see the next episode.
Highlight? Castle (cool, funny, romantic)
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Tue, Apr 14, 09 - Rules Of Engagement, Castle
08.30 Rules Of Engagement
09.00 Castle
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 6. "Poaching Timmy" Adam wants to go camping, Jeff wants to help the Giants win, and Audrey wants a new assistant.
Wow. Priceless. The funniest episode so far this season and, possibly, the funniest episode the show has done. Every storyline is funny, none of them is silly and two of them collide at the very end in true-Seinfeld style. Yummy.
This is Audrey's best season as a character, and Megyn Price is showing her star material. She totally, totally carries this episode (with great help from new regular Adhir Kalyan) and the story of Audrey's attempt to steal Russell's assistant is cleverly written/played as an affair between the two characters.
I used to love this show because I love Patrick Warburton. Now I love the show because it's totally hit it's stride and all the ideas are killer.
Castle. Episode 6. "Always Buy Retail" Voodoo/Vudon episode.
Disappointing. This is a generic voodoo episode that could be from any cop show. There are no cool Castle moments and no romantic Castle/Beckett moments.
Even worse, the episode is mostly about Castle's relationship with his ex-wife!!
I do not give a frak about Castle's ex-wife (and I don't want him to be sleeping with her, either) I want to see him flirting with Beckett, wooing her and eventually getting her. That's what I want.
So this, to me, is/was a waste of time.
Highlight? Rules Of Engagement (clever and funny)
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Tue, Mar 31, 09 - Rules Of Engagement, Castle, Listener
05.30 Rules Of Engagement
06.00 Castle
01.30 The Listener
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 5. "Lyin' King" Jeff and Audrey fib about going out of town to get out of going to a boring party.
Rules is having a great third season and this might well be the best episode so far. It's driven by Jeff doing something stupid, but - unlike the earlier seasons - the thing he does isn't cartoonish. It's not completely crazy. He just tells a white lie and gets Audrey to go along with it. So - unlike the earlier seasons - the scenes between them are more like scenes between real couples and less like scenes between sitcom couples. And, it helps that they are able to create comedy without making him a jackass every week. I don't mind if they make his jackass once in a while, but I don't like it much when he's mean to Audrey in some insensitive way. It's better (and more interesting to me) when they are written as a close couple. Such as here.
Also it looks like the show has - finally - added more regular characters. And what an addition: Adhir Kalyan and Orlando Jones! Two of my favourite performers and two actors who have been very funny in earlier episods of RoE. Both of them are funny here, too. Particular Kalyan who gets several superb scenes with David Spade. Creating a long-suffering assistant for Russell is a stroke of genius.
Finally, I have to - once again - remark that the show casts incredibly beautiful women for Russell's storylines:
Helena Mattsson, and
Jelly Howie appear this week and both are stunning.
So, all in all, this is a fantastic show. And this is a really, really funny episode.
Castle. Episode 4. "Hell Hath No Fury" Dead politician.
There are many pleasures to be had from watching Castle.
The pleasure of watching a show that totally gets everything right. The stories are interesting, the two leads are written as smart and funny, the supporting characters are vivid supporting characters who don't take up too much screentime. This is absolutely the best episode so far and it's a real blast from start to finish.
The pleasure of watching Stana Katic. She is so beautiful, so funny and so perfect for the part of a strong, intelligent detective. The show has managed to make her as interesting as Castle, so much so that you could imagine her being the lead character in a cop show (without him).
The pleasure of watching Nathan Fillion do his thing. The man is a genius and watching him is a treat. I love the way he can dominate a scene without the script making it obvious. Since Nathan Fillion is cool the show doesn't have to bend over backwards to make the character cool (which is what shows like The Mentalist and Life have to do). For instance, there are many scenes where Castle says nothing and Kate asks all the questions, yet Fillion steals the scene just by being there. I love the ending of this week's story where one of the supporting characters got to utter the funny line to the suspect (who was running away) and Castle/Fillion just reacted to it and approved. A lesser show would have given the line to Castle. I love it. They really know what they are doing on this show and they seem to have great faith in Nathan Fillion and his considerable coolness.
The pleasure of watching the chemistry between the leads. They are a smokin' hot couple. And I love the fact that it's pretty obvious that they like each other. We can see it. And, in a clever way, the show allows them to see that the other one is attracted to them. Even better, the show illustrates that they respect one another and - best of all - takes time out from the witty banter to allow them to be nice to one another.
The line "I'm a wiseass, not a jackass" is one of the best lines I have ever heard uttered in anything. It is pure gold. And that scene between the two leads was pure gold. As were the scenes where Kate chased Castle around. Very funny, very sexy, very romantic.
The Listener. Episode 4. "Some Kind of Love" Toby's date is murdered.
I like this show, and it's better now that his friend knows his secret, but some of the story elements are clumsy. Very clumsy. Most of the conflict, in this episode, with the sexy detective lady didn't make much sense. It was just a case of the writers making Toby say something stupid to annoy her (and create false conflict). Also, the trail that led to the first dead man was badly written: Toby's awful composite image and his ability to sneak into a patrol car and - within two minutes - mind the man in question were... really, really stupid.
But, it's not a bad show and the elements that I like... I really like. So I'm gonna stick it. It's light entertainment. A fun, summer show.
Highlight? Castle (cool)
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Tue, Mar 24, 09 - Rules Of Engagement, Castle
06.30 Rules Of Engagement
07.00 Castle
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 4. "Dad's Visit" Brian Dennehy as Jeff's dad.
Another episode driven by Audrey. Nice.
And this one had a good balance between stories suited to the show premise. The Jeff/Audrey storyline (his dad is a pig) was ideal for a married couple, the Russell storyline (can't get rid of one-night stand) was perfect for a single guy and the Adam/Jennifer stuff (she wants him to watch her favourite movie) worked for them still being a new couple.
It's a funny show and - to it's credit - it is sticking to it's premise.
Also, I loved the part where Jeff stood up to his Dad on Audrey's behalf.
Castle. Episode 3. "Hedge Fund Homeboys" Dead rich kid.
All of the scenes with Castle's mother/daughter were awful, but the cop stuff and the case-of-the-week were pretty good. The story was a lot like the third episode of The Mentalist but they did their own thing with it.
And I prefer this show. Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic have amazing chemistry and they show consistently writes her as being very smart and shows us that (despite being clever himself) Castle is constantly learning from her. I love that.
Highlight? Rules Of Engagement (Jeff's little speech to his dad about Audrey was cool)
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Tue, Mar 17, 09 - Rules Of Engagement, Castle, Greek, Superboy, Listener
07.00 Rules Of Engagement
07.30 Castle
08.30 Greek
09.30 Superboy
10.00 The Listener
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 3. "Jeff's New Friend" is gay.
Definitely not as ground-breaking as the Seinfeld episode. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Every sit-com that flirts with making a regular into a homophobe doesn't have to be cutting edge. The RoE entry is so-so. Most of the humour is too forced to be really hysterical. Refreshingly, the 'message' is relatively subtle and the conclusion (where Jeff and Adam bombard Brad with questions about being gay) is far-and-away the funniest scene in the storyline. Orlando Jones should be added to the regular cast and they should constantly do scenes like that. Which would be ground-breaking.
The Russell storyline was very funny, and Michelle Pierce was crazy hot running around in red bra and panties.
Castle. Episode 2. "Nanny McDead" Who killed the nanny?
Wow. This was a lot better than the pilot. Nathan Fillion is still the best thing in it, but Stana Katic was pretty awesome, too, and the story was really, really good. The ending was - frankly - great. Instead of being one of those shows where the hero is the only clever guy, they seem to be having a go at letting the lady cop be really good at her job while the kooky writer guy takes a back seat and actually learning from her. Wow. I did not see that coming. In the final scenes, for instance, she did all the talking and brought the case to an ending. Saving the girl. And he seemed impressed.
I thought that if I was going to stay with this it was going to be because of Nathan Fillion, but now I'm starting to think that it's gonna be a really good show.
Greek. Season 2, Episode 1. "Brothers and Sisters" Rebecca continues to self destruct.
Too much going on, to be really good. The antics of Greek Week were enough to fill an episode, without the Rebecca stuff, and the Rusty/Calvin stuff, and all the to other stuff.
Rebecca's storyline (and they way it impacted upon Casey and Cappie) was the best part of the episode and the speech from Casey at the end was superb.
Superboy. Season 2, Episode 2. "Lex Luthor: Sentenced to Death" Lex has Lana and Superboy is injured in hospital.
Wonderful stuff. All the scenes between Sherman Howard and Stacy Haiduk are fantastic. Both of them are giving it everything and it's a pleasure to watch. The script is total hokum but with performances this good, who cares? Professor Peterson returns and Tracy Roberts joins the cast as Darla and makes a great first impression.
The Listener. Episode 1. "I Am an Adult" Paramedic rescues a woman, hears her thoughts about a missing child, but she says nothing to nobody...
Pretty good start. I immediately liked the hero (Craig Olejnik is perfect casting) and I was entertained not only by the story, but by the way the story was told.
First off, I was curious as to how they would make the hook (missing child) make sense. But they made it work. Next, I was impressed by the way that the narrative followed the injured mother (the guest star) for large chunks of the episode, and we got to see what she was doing herself to rescue her child, while our hero tried to figure out what was going on.
Worst bit? The dreadful dubbing in the first scene with Colm Feore.
Best bit? Lisa Marcos is very sexy as the cop working the case.
Highlight? Castle (much better than the pilot)
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Fri, Mar 13, 09 - Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, Castle, Mentalist, Rules Of Engagement, WKRP
08.30 Burn Notice
09.30 In Plain Sight
10.30 Castle
11.30 The Mentalist
12.30 Rules Of Engagement
01.00 WKRP In Cincinnati
Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 14. "Truth and Reconciliation" Michael must prove that James Black is a bad guy and get him deported back to Haiti.
Average. It's still enjoyable, but there's nothing special about this one. Yet another client trying to avenge the death of a loved one. Michael's elaborate plan... doesn't work. So, in the closing minutes, the team just kidnap the guy and ship him back to Haiti themselves. Cool, but makes you wonder why they didn't just try that in the first place...
In Plain Sight. Episode 12. "A Fine Meth" Mary fights with her family.
A superb season finale. It's definitely not the episode to introduce someone to the show but - for fans - this is an amazing episode.
In Plain Sight has many different types of episodes. Some are action-packed, and some are story-driven. But none has been like this: three talking heads. For a full hour. While we occasionally take a break from all the fighting, the entire episode pretty much takes place in Mary's house and shows up one long, bitter argument between Mary and his mother and sister.
The highpoint of the episode comes when Mary's reveals a hidden stash of letters, sent to her from the father that abandoned them when she was a child. She reads one of the letters out loud in an effort to cause as many wounds as possible. The actually content of the letter, however, states that she's is a wonderful person and must look after the other two.
Amazing stuff.
Castle. Episode 1. "Flowers for Your Grave" A writer teams with a detective to solve a series of murders based on events in his books.
Castle is fun because Nathan Fillion is fun. While this is not as cool as Drive, I hope if last long enough to make him a very, very big star. He sure deserves it. He's a hoot, here, annoying suspects and flirting with his 'partner'. Funniest bit? The sight of him, at the very end, charging down the alleyway with his boot held out in front of him sent me into fits of hysterical laughter. I'm not really sure why. But it was very funny. Much of what Castle did was mischievous and very funny. I watched this with a group and everyone thought it was a great show.
I knew I would like Fillion (I even liked him in god-awful Firefly) but I was surprised by how much I grew to like Stana Katic over the course of the hour. She's a perfect foil for Fillon and I liked the way the writers made her character a smart detective, too, spotting things that Castle didn't. So it's not just another show about one clever person in a team of duffers.
I also loved the relationship between Castle and his daughter. They are written/played as close friends and there's no sense of disapproval or any attempt at false comedy/conflict. They just like each other and it's fun to watch that kind of father-daughter relationship.
The Mentalist. Episode 3. "Red Tide" Dead girl at the beach.
Each episode is more fun than the one before it (and Patrick Jane is more fun to watch) but the ending to this one is a total cheat. It's clever and unpredictable but Jane never explains it. He just reveals that all four suspects carried out the murder together. But he never tells us why he deduces this and he really gives us no reason to believe his theory over any of the lies being told. Are we supposed to believe it because (a) he says it, (b) it's a big twist, (c) it's the last theory put forward before the episode ends.
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 2. "Voluntary Commitment" Audrey reads to an old lady, and Russell gets a fantastic assistant with a very posh English accent.
Very funny. Great to see a top notch episode that doesn't rely on Jeff being dumb to create laughs. Patrick Warburton is pushed to the sidelines in this one, but he still manages to get some very big laughs.
I like this one because - like Seinfeld before it - it's not affraid to paint the characters are selfish and disinterested in the world around them. An old lady's death is used to great comedic effect here and I loved it.
Megyn Price carries the episode. She very funny and very hot. So I'm happy to see her taking the lead.
Guest star Adhir Kalyan is also very funny. Hope we see him again.
WKRP In Cincinnati. Episode 71. "An Explosive Affair, Part Two" Venus and Johnny are in danger, and Carlson contemplates and affair.
I don't buy the idea of Carlson contemplating an affair. The guy loves his wife too much and I'm not sure I like the idea of thinking an old friend would make these sort of advances. If we are to believe that they have been friends for a long time, and that she was the first 'Jennifer' then it just doesn't make sense for him to mis-read her signals so badly.
The stuff with Johnny and Venus is much better. Johnny rants about the 'Phone Police' and when the bomb goes off everyone back at the station mistakenly believes the guys have been killed. As is often the case, the biggest laughs go to Les who continues to do his news broadcast despite the fact that the station is off the air...
Highlight? In Plain Sight (one hour of very bitter arguing)
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Wed, Mar 4, 09 - Rules Of Engagement, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Damages, 24, Twilight Zone, Famous Five
06.00 Rules Of Engagement
07.00 The Sarah Connor Chronicles
09.00 Damages
10.00 24
11.00 The Twilight Zone
11.30 The Famous Five
Rules Of Engagement. Season 3, Episode 1. "Russell's Secret" Russell and Audrey share a common interest in musical theatre.
Maybe the show is going to rein things in a bit in the third season? Most episodes are driven by Jeff doing something really stupid and - by the end - learning his lesson. This time out, things are not quite so extreme. He's still in the wrong, and he stills learns a lesson, but none of it is quite as over the top.
It's still funny, though. I was laughing from start to finish. It's good to have the show back.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Season 2, Episode 15. "Desert Cantos" The gang attend the funerals for those that worked in the factory.
Must better than the previous two episodes, but still a long way from the brilliance of... every other episode. I'm not sure what has happened to the mojo, but it seems to be gone.
On the plus side, this is a rare episode that features all four regulars on-camera together. At once. Working like a unit again.
As usual, the story (such as it is) is told with style and flair. There's nothing here that's particular bad or weak, it's just that the while episode is very unremarkable and bland.
Damages. Season 2, Episode 8. "They Had to Tweeze That Out of My Kidney" Patti and Tom start to put pressure on the hooker to tell them about the guy she was arrested with.
Brilliant from start to finish. Driven by insights into Patti, Pete and Frobisher.
Patti. We get to see a more human side to Patti in this episode. We see her flashing back to her childhood and being very nice to Pete. We also get to see (in the episode's big revelation) her appearing to be totally terrified of Ellen.
Pete. He didn't die after all, so we get to see him being very defiant (once again) to the FBI guys. We also get to see the return of the guy that came after Ellen, last season, and a brilliant sequence where she nearly meets up with him again.
Frobisher. This guy continues to be utterly fascinating. He's like a big spoiled child most of the time, and this episode shows him being pulled back in by the web he set in motion last season. Being pulled back... against his will.
24. Season 7, Episode 11. "6PM - 7PM" Jack enters the White House to interrogate a suspect.
Another example of 24 at it's best. Jack going it alone to protect those close to him. The sight of him pulling a gun on Bill is almost hilarious. But it works. In fact, as the episode came to a conclusion we can see that it totally make sense: Jack is behind bars but Bill is still free to move around.
The torture scenes are fantastic, as is the debate that follows. And, let's face it, it shouldn't be. It should be boring and anti-climatic because we want the story to advance. But it's neither of those things. Instead the show manages to complete grip us as we watch the President come to terms with her evolving morals. Fantastic stuff.
Agent Walker proves more than capable to sustaining a plotline on her own as she goes after the terrorise group and maintains our interest. I wonder, however, if this is a dead-end storyline. Why good can she accomplish? It's not like she can do anything to avert the attack.
Even Janis manages to be interesting this week, when she goes up against Chloe and wins. Boo, hiss!
But the main appeal of this episode comes from watching Jack (who we know is right) being stopped by characters (who we know are in deadly danger). They are struggling with their morals (some are downright weak) and Jack is living in a world of black and white. They criticise him, look down on him, and - ultimately - imprison him. Yet, we know that - within minutes they will be looking to him to save their lives.
A great episode.
The Twilight Zone. Season 3, Episode 6. "Memories" What if everyone remembered the past lives?
Another strong, interesting story. It asks a very compelling question: what if we remembered all of our past lives, what would our current life be like? And gives a very surprising answer.
Enjoyable tale, with a great cast (Barbara Stock and Nigel Bennett) but it lacks a catalyst to get things started. Our heroine just wakes up one morning and finds that reality has changed around her. Now, she is the only one who doesn't remember a past life and everybody else does. And that's fine. But, I couldn't help but wonder why this happened to her? And why on this particular morning? What was different?
The Famous Five. Episode 3. "Five Go Adventuring Again" The Five have a tutor to keep them company over the holidays.
Once again the great music on the soundtrack increases my enjoyment of the show. Because this is an adaptation of a novel, the pace is frantic. Scenes are short (very short) and the story is very entertaining. The fast pace is not a flaw, but given the space devoted to character development in the first two episodes, one does wish that this had been a two parter, also, so that we might get a little more time to watch the children just interating. As opposed to simply saying things that advance the story.
But, again, that is not a flaw. This is a very enjoyable story, and the fast pace is part of the appeal. The bits that have been left in (by Richard Carpenter, no less) have been wisely chosen and you are always fully up to date on the (reasonably) complex story.
In terms of the characters, Julian is firmly shown here as the leader of the group but George is easily the strongest personality. Anne and Dick fade into the background somewhat since there is so much going on.
Highlight? 24 (Jack is stopped from doing his thing, as danger looms)
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A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago
