06.30 Arrested Development
07.00 The Border
03.00 Arrested Development
Arrested Development. Episode 1. "Extended Pilot" Michael's dad is arrested and the family falls apart.
The introduction of each character is perfect. When Michael first appears on screen, the narrator tells us: "This is Michael Bluth. He’s a good man." When Michael's mother first appears on screen, her first words are: "Look what they’ve done, Michael. Look what the homosexuals have done to me."
And on and on it goes, as each character is unveiled for the first time, their first moment on-screen is a pitch-perfect introduction. Each character being odder/funnier than the next. And if that wasn't enough: they have Jason Bateman as their straight-man. Perfect.
Much of the comedy in Arrested Development comes from running gags and throw-backs to earlier episodes, so this pilot is a bit of strange beast. It's funny, yes, and clever but it only achieves out and out hilarity on a couple of occasions. Michael Cera is laugh-out-loud funny for every second he's on-screen. With David Cross running a very close second.
The Border. Episode 3. "Bodies on the Ground" A plane crossing Canadian airspace comes down, three terrorist prisoners escape and there's a big chase through the forest.
Mixed bag. The hero of the show - Mike - spends all his time arguing with politicans and officals about the fact that there shouldn't be planes like this flying, illegally, over his airspace. Fine point, yes, but going on and on about it during a crisis makes him seem like a dick.
He and his American liason - Bianca - spend the whole episode fighting over this and they are the worst part of the show, the boring part.
All the stuff out in the woods is pretty cool. Standard action fare, but well done. Graham Abbey and Nazneen Contractor are likable leads.
Out of the woods the show has two more things going for it: the fun of watching the conspiracy/cover-up go into action and the perfectly-pitched drama of watching Mark Wilson's character deal with the wife of a murdered police officer.
Arrested Development. Episode 2. "Top Banana" Michael puts George Michael in charge of the Bluth Frozen Banana Stand, Tobias tries out for a commercial and Gob kills a dove...
Jeffrey Tambor plays a much larger role in this episode, but all the big laughs come from David Cross who continually runs away from everyone else to have a little cry for himself.
Structure-wise, the episode is built around Michael's quest to find some documentation that his father has hidden from him. Michael goes from his father to his mother, asking questions, and stops at home every so often to scold his siblings.
The scenes are short, the narration is constant and the visual style is unique (with constant interruptions to show CCTV footage, or news broadcasts, or Highschool Yearbook Photos, etc.)
Funniest moment of the entire episode comes from Gob. He, being a magician, buys a dove and kills the poor thing on his way out of the store. Wonderful.
Highlight? Arrested Development (Gob kills the dove)
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A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago
Thu, Jun 18, 09 - Arrested Development, The Border
Seinfeld, The Border, NCIS
Thurs, Feb 28th, 2008
09:30 Seinfeld
10:00 The Border
11:00 NCIS
Seinfeld. Season 8, Episode 20. Once again, it's unusual to find topical humour in Seinfeld and - consequently - it's unusual to find elements that date an episode. A few weeks back I was jarred by several references to a movie called The English Patient which was big news for a while in the 90s. Tonight, one of the plots concerns Kramer and Newman trying to organise competing New Year's Eve parties for the Millennium. It's a funny idea, but it was much funnier three years before the Millennium. Other than that, it's typical episode. George is trying various ways to get fired. We know it won't work. But it's still funny. Elaine gets into an unfunny feud with a store-owner and Jerry becomes obsessed with his placing on his new girl-friend's speed-dial. Business as usual for the Seinfeld gang.
The Border. Episode 2 is more flashy than episode 1. There's action, romance, undercover work, eye-popping cleavage, on-screen deaths and a more epic feel to the storytelling. Strange then that it's altogether less enjoyable than the opening episode. If this had been the opener, I think I'd be a lot less interested in this new series. But I'm going to chalk this up to a ratings-grabbing mis-step and keep watching (for now).
NCIS. Season 4, Episode 11. Most NCIS episodes are alike. The cases unfold in similar fashion and the joy of the show is in watching the characters do their thing. Sometimes the writers deviate completely from format by having a "special" episode (a regular framed for murder, or somesuch) and sometimes the case-of-the-week is a genuine original. Such as here. Where the murderer is... a robot car. Well, actually, the car (which possesses artificial intelligence) has been programmed to kill but the fact remains: the murderer is a robot car. How cool is that?
Meanwhile, over in the ongoing subplot, Tony goes undercover for one scene (tailing the same three bad guys we saw him tail before) and the result is one of the coolest, funniest scenes I've ever seen in NCIS or any other show. Tony stands on the street in a crazy disguise and busking to people passing by. As he watches his three nefarious subjects, across the street in a restaurant, he sings aloud everything that they are doing. It's an amazing scene. One that has to be seen/heard to be believed.
Highlight? NCIS, of course! I had a big grin on my face pretty much the whole way through it.
Blade, The Border, Scrubs, Death Note
Fri, Feb 22nd, 2008
07:00 Blade
09:00 The Border
11:00 Scrubs
11:30 Death Note
Blade. Episode 1. A stunning start to the series. Mainly because of Jill Wagner as Krista Starr. Not only is Wagner the sexiest female action-hero to hit the screen in a long time, Krista is a fascinating and likable central character. Blade, The Vampire Slayer, is relegated to supporting player status as this two-hour movie details the origin of Krista and sets up the storyline for the series. The first hour is reasonably good action fare, as Blade kicks ass and Krista investigates her brother's murder. Learning along the way that there are real vampires lurking in the shadows. At the mid-way point of the pilot, Marcus (the head vampire) grabs Krista's arm and reveals that he knows who she really is. At that moment, the show takes a huge step up in quality and - suddenly - the viewer at home has no idea what will happen next. The moment, and the white dress being worn by Miss Wagner(!), will stay with me for a long, long time. Indeed, most outfits worn by Miss Wagner after she becomes a vampire are off-the-chart hot! Even better, her story gets more and more involving as Marcus shows a vulnerable side, her brother comes to her in her dreams and Blade makes a graveside confession and offers her a partnership of sorts. There are some more great action scenes and the joy of watching an elaborate storyline being unveiled for our pleasure.
The Border. Episode 1. Amid sundry cliches of the genre is a really strong, engaging story. A tense opening sequence shows us what happens when Immigration and Customs Security detain two suspects at an airport. Forced to hand over both suspects to another (more draconian) government body the team - under Mike Kessler - continue to investigate, and realise that one of the men is probably completely innocent but - caught up in political games - has very little chance to getting free. The show has a sophisticed world-view and Mike makes a likeable hero. He's cold and silent most of the time, but - this opening episode shows us - he will try hard to see that justice is served.
Scrubs. Season 6, Episode 16. Elliot nearly breaks up with Keith in this one, because she's afraid to open up and admit her feelings. It's a storyline we've seen a hundred times on TV before, but Scrubs makes it seems fresh and real.
Death Note. Episode 6. A change of pace episode, as L dominates the first half of the story completely - meeting with the small police team who will help him track Kira. It's slow-moving and engrossing. Almost nothing happens. Several men sit in a hotel room and make deductions, but it's very entertaining. The second half of the episode shifts to Kira, who meets the girlfriend of the FBI agent he murdered in the previous episode. Once again, nothing happens. They just walk and talk, but as she shares her deductions about Kira (not realising she is talking to Kira) the tension grows and grows as we realise she is setting herself up to be his next victim. Then, just to make us suffer more, the words "To Be Continued..." appear on screen.
Highlight? Blade.
