Friday, August 8th, 2009
08.00 In Plain Sight
10.00 Burn Notice
11.00 Kolchak: The Night Stalker
12.00 Raven
01.00 Party Down
In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 12. "Training Video" Mary helps make a Training Video, and Marshall helps an old man find his family again.
A great episode. Very much a departure from formula.
Andy Comeau was also a great choice for his role. But Martin Landau stole the show (as usual, when has he ever given a less-than-superb performance in anything?). The scene where he returned home to his family had me in tears.
And it wasn't even the best scene in the episode. That honour fell to the very last scene, when Mary had a very serious conversation with her sister's boyfriend. Joshua Malina and Mary McCormack were absolutely superb in the scene and the dialogue (by Brynn Malone) was amazing. It was a great scene, in terms of character, and it was very thought-provoking in general terms also.
As for the main story (Marshall takes a man back to be at the funeral of his son), it was a story that could only work on In Plain Sight and - in general - these are the stories I prefer: the ones no other show could do.
But the strength of the show is the central character. Mary is fascinating and that final scene goes to the core of who she is. Great stuff.
Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 7. "Shot in the Dark" Michael targets an abusive dad.
Burn Notice is a hoot to watch! I love the fact that the show can pull off the hero-comes-to-the-rescue-of-little-kid storylines. In this way, the show taps into all that was great about shows like The A-Team and The Equalizer.
Plus, Michael and his team find clever/amusing ways to defeat the bad guys. Seldom has it been as funny as this one, however. This week, as with many of the stories, the sweet ending depends on the bad guy not falling for the plan earlier on. Burn Notice is a lot like House. Michael concocts a plan that will definitely work. A plan that is moderately clever. And, by the half-way stage of the episode, he has executed that plan and found that it has failed to work as intended. So, Michael adds to the plan. And the episode gets better as the plan gets more convoluted. This is one of those episodes. And, because of this clever story structure, we get to an ending that Michael could never have planned from the onset (a bad guy who is a babbling idiot). But the writer (Ben Watkins) obviously did.
Guest-Star wise, this episode is blessed. Nicholas Lea is underused but brilliant (sadly typical of this great actor, who had little more than recurring cameoes in Kyle XY), while Jay Harrington of Better Off Ted is a revelation as the sleazy, abusive dad who goes gradually off the rails. Or so it appears. Lovely stuff.
Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Episode 11. "Horror in the Heights" Some old people are dying, apparently devoured by rats.. What is going on?
Considered by many to be the single best episode of Kolchak. The usual elements are in place.
The Logic. There's a great, gradual evolution from normal murders to supernatural crimes in this one. Carl has every reason to be curious as to what is going on. He even contacts someone who can tell him how long it would take for rats to devour a human body. Carl is using critial thinking here: just trying to get to grips with the facts.
The Authority Figure/Conspiracy angle is missing from this episode. Instead of a cop, or single powerful person to fight with, this episode allows Carl to make observations on the attitudes of society. On more than one occasion the episode draws attention to the situation of the elderly in society. None of these moments/scenes are obvious or self-conscious, and some are funny. All are thought-provoking. A true example of how powerful the KTNS formula is.
The Regular Cast. Tony has more than one superb scene here. Genuinely laugh-out-loud funny stuff. Ron and Emily get great screentime, too. Ron's observations on 1066 are a series highlight. And Emily, of course, plays a pivotal roles in the episode's superb climax.
The Experts. Kolchak: The Night Stalker is a show that says: Don't trust anyone that works for The Status Quo (whatever that may be), instead find your own experts. There are two in this episode: an exterminator and an antiques dealer. The scene with the former takes a shot a the modern world's use of pesticides, etc.. while the scene with the latter is very funny (thanks to guest star Murray Matheson) and pivotal in driving the story.
Comedy. There is comedy all over the place in this one. All of Tony's scenes are laugh-out-loud funny (thanks to Simon Oakland), and Phil Silvers never fails to get a laugh, even in a drama. Even in the closing moments when Carl is face to face with the heroic old man, and being told about the nature of the evil creature that he must face, the show pauses to make a great joke ("Go home!" says the old man, to the scruffy reporter.)
Scare Factor. There's nothing especially scary in this outing, but the shooting of the creature is very, very clever and unnerving. Each victim sees a trusted friend walking towards them, but the camera angle switches for a second and we can see the strange creepy shame lumbering towards them. Then before we can see exactly what it is, the camera angel switches back again. Great stuff.
The Ally. This is one of the episodes where Carl has a partner in crime. Briefly. Harry enlists the reporter, and aids his investigation, before falling prey to the creature. One of the deaths in KTNS that really pains me. I liked Harry a lot.
The Epilogue. This the type of ending I like best. Carl sits alone in his office, his tape recorder is in hand, but he is looking into the camera and really addressing us directly as he issues his warning. And as Kolchak warnings go, this is truly one of the very best. On a dark, deserted, country lane if you suddenly meet a friend... be careful. Now, try and sleep after that one!!
Raven. Episode 4. "Prey" Raven and an assassin fight to the death on a deserted island.
Despite flaws, this is an example of Raven at it's best.
It starts off with Jonathon explaining to his friends the purpose for his upcoming retreat to a deserted island. They don't get it, and the scenes are light-hearted, but they are supportive and the show does a great job of capturing friendship in the face of diversity.
The story has aspirations towards depth. And, despite some clunky dialogue at the very end, it does a great job of making you think about the futility of revenge. The best example of this comes in the middle third, when there is no dialogue and the visuals cleverly allow us to see how similar the two men are.
The action scenes are among the best the show ever delivered. The climax is thrilling, and I also love the ambush at the deserted hut. Great camera angles and editing. Lots of split-screen images.
On the downside, the episode is saddled with an annoying, and unsympathetic, female character. Dana (well played by Rebecca Staab however) complains about everything and, in the final minutes, inexplicably starts to hit on Jonathon like a cat in heat. What a strange character. Hard to like. Rebecca Staab is good, though. But she deserves better material than this. And the story would have worked much better without her.
Party Down. Episode 10. "Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception" Gay wedding.
Not very funny, but probably the show's best episode. There are moments of great comedy, but the show has found a way to illustrate pain and suffering in palatable ways. And that is quite remarkable.
Henry, Casey and Ron take center-stage here, and all three of them are very sad and broken as the season comes to an end. Henry's story is fully of incredible irony, too. I love it.
Kristen Bell brought her A-game to the table in this outing. Her one-note character (a total bitch) takes a stunning 180 degree turn in the shows final minute. After being, pretty much, the episode highlight, as a fast-taking task-master, the character suddenly drops her guard completely and bares her softer side to Henry. Bell is stunning (of course) and the material given to her is superb. The scripts on this show are of the highest calibre. Line after line, in this episode, are true gems. Yet, it's truly not a laugh-fest. Yes, you will laugh watching it, but it's mostly about sad, lonely people clutching at the straws that are other sad, lonely people.
I can't wait for Season Two!
Highlight? In Plain Sight (final scene)
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