06.00 Parks And Recreation
06.30 The Unusuals
07.30 The Sarah Connor Chronicles
08.30 24
01.30 Better Off Ted
Parks And Recreation. Episode 2. "Canvassing" Leslie, Tom and the gang head out on the street to hear from local residents about the proposed park.
Definitely not as funny as the first episode. I like Leslie. A lot. But when she speaks I hear Michael Scott. And, apart from her, there wasn't much to laugh at in this episode.
The Unusuals. Episode 3. "One Man Band" Casey calls in favours to get a rich kid out of prison, Banks and Delahoy work inside a 'Murder Shop'.
Banks and Delahoy are two of the coolest cops I've ever seen on TV, and this is a fantastic show. Every story, every scene, every character is full of invention and creativity. This is one of the freshest and most exciting cop shows to come along in decades. It is taking the genre and shaking it by the balls.
Never in a million years would I have paired actors like Adam Goldberg and Harold Perrineau, but they are awesome together. And both characters are fascinating. As are all of the regular characters. Noah Hawley has created something special here. I hope it lasts.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Season 2, Episode 20. "To the Lighthouse" Sarah and John stay with Charley, while Cameron and Derek work together and John Henry faces a very surprising attack.
Wow. A lot of powerful surprises in this very strong episode. Yet, despite all the developments, this is still a completely character driven installment. Many of the scenes are just the characters sharing small private moments, or not speaking at all. And when they do speak, much of it appears inane. It's not, of course. The show is so bloody subtle in it's characterisations that you only appreciate the significance of what is happening when you've watched all the episodes.
I watched this with someone who has never seen the show before. Indeed he had never heard of it. A die-hard fan of shows like Heroes and Smallville, he wasn't at all impressed with Sarah Connor because nothing much happened. Yet, to a loyal viewer, this was significant episode from start to finish (watching Sarah turn to Derek, watching Cameron talk with Derek, etc.)
The ending was action-packed and brutal. Charley's death hit me hard. For many reasons. His place in Sarah's heart was clearly established. And John loved him, too. First Riley, now Charley. John Connor is headed for some very dark places.
And then there was all the stuff with John Henry. That was a total shock to me. I thought the story was headed in a very different direction. Now, I'm confused. And eager to see more...
24. Season 7, Episode 19. "2AM-3AM" Jack vs. Tony.
24 deals with it's biggest-ever twist in superb fashion. I was anxious to see Tony unmasked, but the show wisely allowed us to see more of his machinations before Jack began to put the clues together.
The detective work, when it finally came, was extremely well handled. The show uses events we never saw (but assumed to have happened) against us in spectacular fashion. We trusted Tony, so we accepted his word about things that were said to have happened off-screen.
I am not at all happy that Tony has turned bad, but I will be the first to applaud the masterful storytelling that got us to this place. I am not all happy that Tony has turned bad, but - in the context of the way they have told the story - I see how it was happening all along. That's some feat.
The only downside? Jack's illness has become an annoyance. Since we know that Kim will save his life, the delay in getting it done is starting to bore me. We know he will accept her help and return to full strength for the final hours of Day 7, so the fake waiting is boring me at this stage. Surely Kiefer has his Emmy submission tape in the can by now, let's get Jack back to 100% strength. We need him now more than ever!!!
Annie Wersching once again displays considerable acting chops. Her reaction to Larry's death and the following scenes were superb.
Best scene (that had nothing to do with Tony)? The revelation about Kim's baby (and her name being Teri) brought a lump to my throat. Can't wait for Jack to hear about that.
Better Off Ted. Episode 6. "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" Ted is wiped from the company database.
Another winner. This show has a great sensibility. Very anti-corporations. And some of the lines are comedy gold.
A show this good deserves to be a hit.
Highlight? 24 (Jack vs. Tony)
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Thu, Apr 23, 09 - Parks And Recreation, Unusuals, Sarah Connor, 24, Better Off Ted
