05.30 House
07.30 The Sarah Connor Chronicles
08.30 Kyle XY
House. Season 5, Episode 20. "Simple Explanation" A sick and dying husband (Meat Loaf) gets better as his wife gets closer to her own death. A member of House's team dies.
The off-camera death of Gary on thirtysomething still ranks as one of the best-handled, and most shocking, TV deaths I've ever seen. This one is almost as good. Thing is: usually when one of our beloved TV characters dies, we get to see it up close and personal. We are never removed from it. But in real life, of course, we are almost never there when someone dies. We hear about it when we get the phone call. That's real life. And thirtysomething nailed it.
House isn't trying to capture real life, however, so it allowed it's main characters to be the ones who found the body and all that dramatic stuff. I have no problem with that. It's perfect for House. What really impresses me is the decision to have the death happen off-camera and out of sight. Out of the blue, too.
Very shocking. Very good storytelling.
The case-of-the-week was good, too. One of the best. The Taub scenes were all fantastic. He is now the most interesting of the regular characters, and his scenes with House are electric with tension and drama. Wonderful stuff. Cameron saves the day, this week. House is relying on her more and more and she's had a major impact on the last couple of stories. Indeed, in this strong episodes, it is the scene with Cameron offering the husband the chance to die on the table that stands out as the best scene.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Season 2, Episode 22. "Born To Run" Sarah's in prison, John's in hiding with Cameron, and Catherine Weaver sends a message. A very important message.
Yowsa! Now, that's how to end a season. Some shows deliver a final episode that leaves you feeling that every detail of the season, you've just watched, was planned in detail in advance. Damages did at the end of Season One. Veronica Mars did it twice! The better seasons of 24 have managed it (including this current one).
And Sarah Connor Chronicles ended it's second/final season by laying down a multitude of cards, face up, on the table and allowing us to marvel at how everything fell into place.
The episode stands on it's own, too. There are major character moments for John and Cameron and lots of cool stuff with Sarah in prison. Then it all ends with lots of action, violence and chaos. A first-time viewer would get a lot from this.
But a long-time viewer will get a lot more. Finally knowing where Catherine and John Henry fit into the picture is a real kick. Watching the chemistry between John and Cameron reach boiling point is another rush. How amazing were Thomas Dekker and Summer Glau in that scene on the bed? It was a haunting and beautiful scene.
Garret Dillahunt might be the single best cast member on the show.
And I feel like such a fool now for being hesitant to accept Shirley Manson when she first appeared. She's amazing in the role.
I like the ending. It's a cool ending. It works in two ways. It serves as an ending to the entire series, and it could serve as the opening moments in a new chapter, a new season. As a final ending, which I suspect it must sadly be, it is somewhat ingenious. John Connor is thrust forward in time into the middle of his own destiny. His experiences over the past 31 episodes have shaped him into the Saviour he was always destined to be and now he will take his rightful place in that destiny, with many loved ones and powerful allies beside him.
As a cliff-hanger to a new season, it serves up an interesting new story arc. Some regulars are in the future and some regulars are cast as different versions of themselves and there's the mystery of wondering what has led John Henry to this point in time.
Which makes me wonder if this final few minutes (as wonderful and all as they are) were tacked onto the ending of the season when it was clear that the show wasn't coming back.
With the jump forward in time, the show already had a great set-up for next season. Catherine was about to join the team, Skynet had attacked and Cameron was face-to-face with John Henry with a knife in her hand.
I'm not complaining.
I like this ending.
But I wonder what prompted it. That's all...
Not that it matters. This is how they ended it. And, barring a miracle, the show will not return. So, this is the end of the story. And, as such, I can be satisfied with it. As satisfied as it is possible to be when a show you love is cancelled too soon.
Kyle XY. Season 3, Episode 9. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" Kyle reaches out to make friends with Cassidy, while Josh prepares to say goodbye to his girlfriend.
This episode is completely dominated by Jessi and the wonderful Jaimie Alexander. And the script has everything. The romance of Jessi and Kyle's feelings for one another, the family drama of Nicole trying to cope with this new development and set boundaries, the loneliness of Jessi's meltdown and feelings of abandonment and isolation, and the all out action of the final scenes. Plus some solid twists and surprises.
I love Kyle and I love Matt Dallas but Jessi is a much more interesting character. It's the same thing that happened with shows in the past. The Six Million Dollar Man came first and later spun-off The Bionic Woman, which was a better show and had a much more interesting lead character. Hercules came first and later spun-off Xena, which was a better show and had a much more interesting lead character. Jessi XX wasn't spun-off from Kyle XY, but she has come to be more of a driving force on the show than the lead character. In a good way. The fact that she is fragile and volatile makes her more interesting. The fact that she has killed, while Kyle hasn't, is another plus.
The show has done a fantastic job of handling this character. And Kyle. Her isolation and outsider-status has made her a sympathetic character from the moment she appeared. And Jaimie Alexander's hilarious performance has made her a likable character now matter how unstable she became. Alexander brings more than great comic timing to the role. She nails the emotions and conveys them with no self-conscious air. Her description of how it felt to be kissed by Kyle will melt your heart.
I never thought the show would make me like a Kyle/Jessi romance, but they managed to make me buy it.
I'm impressed that the show didn't write Amanda out. In fact, based on the fact that she stumbles upon Kyle's big secret in this episode implies that she was about to take a bigger part in the show's a-plots had it not been cancelled.
Only one episode left. Sigh.
Highlight? Sarah Connor Chronicles (the end)
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Thu, May 14, 09 - House, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Kyle XY
