Thursday, October 1st, 2009
05.00 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
05.30 NCIS
06.30 Arrested Development
07.00 Eastwick
08.00 Trauma
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Season 4, Episode 5. "Mac & Charlie Die, Part One" Fearing that their lives are in danger Mac and Charlie set out to fake their own deaths.
Wonderful stuff. The main plot is crazy, and the execution is relentlessly funny. From start to finish you are laughing at the inept duo. Highlight? Mac in a wedding dressing, firing a gun.
The sub-plot is erratic, but likewise hilarious. The other three find a glory hole in the bar's bathroom's stalls which - somehow - leads Frank and Dennis to an orgy in a run-down building. Highlight? The buffet at the orgy.
NCIS. Season 5, Episode 17. "About Face" Palmer chases a suspect (at a crime scene), gets shot at and spends the rest of the episode trying (a) to remember the face of the culprit, and (b) regain some of his confidence.
Absolutely superb. Palmer (Brian Dietzen) is a minor recurring character who appears in every episode for a scene or two and has previously only been tied to one ongoing subplot (his secret romance with another co-worker) so when this episode starts out with him alone at a crime scene and being shot at I was terrified that they were about to kill off a character that I really like. Nope. Thank goodness. Instead, Palmer ducks and survives and spends the rest of the episode feeling quite bad about his cowardice, while the rest of the team take turns working with him and trying to aid his recovery of the memories of the shooter.
It's a delightful episode from start to finish. Putting Palmer at the center of the story is a good idea, anyway, but it also allows us to see the regulars in a new light as they each gather around him and try to help him out. It pushes (once again) the idea that these people are a family, and that is one of the show's core strengths.
Arrested Development. Season 3, Episode 5. "Mr. F" Lots of scenes with Michael and Rita, while Gob and his father's surrogate build a tiny city to fool some Japanese investors.
There's a truly hilarious sequence in this episode (where the miniature 'city' is destroyed) that highlights the genius of Arrested Development. In order to make the sequence happen the show has to set several characters running in different directions. And it's completely seamless. Every bit of it. Even though the climax is fantastic and absurd, the show is able to take to that place without ever straining credibility.
Wonderful.
Eastwick. Episode 2. "Reaping and Sewing" Roxie is fearful of her new neighbour, because of visions that she has seen. Joanny investigates Van Horne. Kat sleeps with the husband she just broke up with.
Tiresome. The show spends a whole hour standing still, and - in some ways - moving backwards on the developments from the opening episode. Kat has used her powers to make her co-worker want her, but now she's not happy about that so she spends this episode pushing him away. Tiresome. Kat and her husband had a spectacular split at the end of the pilot, but - as of this episode - they are back on friendly terms: sleeping together and being joyful together at the news that he's gotten a new job. Likewise, the Roxie storylines move backwards from where they were at the end of the pilot: she has visions, but disregards them and nothing happens. Meanwhile she gets back with her toy boy. Another step backwards, surely?
It's almost like watching a show trying hard to figure out how to make it's story arcs last as long as possible.
And it's not very entertaining.
Except when Paul Gross is on screen. He's funny. But he's kept in the background this week. So I had more opportunity to see what a weak show this is.
On this show the setting of a small town seems limiting, yet the small town setting of Vampire Diaries seems to offer boundless story opportunities. Why is that?
Trauma. Episode 1. "Pilot" One year after a rescue-helicopter disaster, the team is called to the scene of a freeway pile-up.
The action-sequences are impressive and gut-wrenching, but - with all the running around - there really isn't much of a chance to get to know the characters.
I've never seen Cliff Curtis before, but he makes a fantastic impression from the very start and his character is the only one that I feel I got to know.
Anastasia Griffith, Jamey Sheridan and Kevin Rankin (particularly Kevin Rankin) are three performers that I like and I was delighted to see them in this. But Kevin Rankin barely speaks three times in the whole pilot and Griffith is given a very clichéd character to play. Not impressed. But I'll probably watch a second episode before giving up on it.
Highlight? It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (Mac in a wedding dressing, firing a gun.)
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It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, NCIS, Arrested Development, Eastwick, Trauma
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, NCIS, Eastwick, Mercy, Night Court
Thursday, September 24th, 2009
05.30 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
06.00 NCIS
07.30 Eastwick
08.30 Mercy
01.00 Night Court
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Season 4, Episode 4. "Mac's Banging the Waitress"
A (relatively) low-key and utterly wonderful episode. Only three of the regulars are featured, and one recurring character. And the entire episode is driven by the relationships between them.
It's a beautiful script. An example of the show flexing it's muscle in a different direction and it is wonderfully funny.
A real treat.
NCIS. Season 5, Episode 16. "Recoil" Ziva dates a potential serial killer.
A change-of-pace episode with a great story. And a character who appears to be behaving out of character.
It opens at the end of a case, with Ziva shooting a suspect/killer dead. And the rest of the story shows how she copes with almost dying, while the rest of the team tie up a niggling loose end.
While Ziva is written as being stressed out, the show doesn't go the predictable route (that other shows would have done) or making her completely wig out. No. She's stressed. And she refuses to stay at home, like Gibbs asks, but that's about it. Her over-reaction to the events that kickstarted the episode do seem out of character, however, given that's she's a hardened killer who has faced death on more than one occasion. Maybe this was the first time she actually thought she might die...
Tony, however, is perfectly in character. Always my favourite character on the show, he is at his best here as he tries to show his concern for his partner. The scene where he explains why he tousles her hair is wonderful as an insight into why he does the things that he does.
The story takes some great twists and turns. It's not easy to predict the way it will end. I know that I got it wrong.
And I like when NCIS does that to me.
So, character quirks aside, this is an enjoyable episode.
Eastwick. Episode 1. "Pilot" A mysterious man arrives in town and unlocks the hidden potential/powers of three women...
Paul Gross is a lot of fun. The others... are mildly entertaining.
The first quarter was like an episode of Desperate Housewives, but it gradually evolved into something with it's own voice: Desperate Housewives with magic.
It was, I suppose, kinda cute. I can't figure out where this will go next. And, that uncertainty, more than anything might bring me back for episode two.
The women are, let's face it, completely boring. They are character types that we have seen one hundred times before. But the Gross character is genuinely interesting and fun to watch.
Mercy. Episode 1. "Can We Get That Drink Now?"
There doesn't seem to be anything in here that I haven't seen before.
The lead character is un-appreciated. The script drives home the fact (to ridiculous degree) that she is nothing but a lowly nurse. And the doctors around her are scum. No shades of grey here: the doctors are evil, and inept, and our heroine is wonderful and smart and the only one that cares and the only one that can, you know, connect with patients and all that jazz.
But...
She's been in the war, so she's seen pain that nobody can possibly understand and this - of course - allows her to treat everyone around like crap.
Also...
She's married. But they are having problems. And there's this doctor, the same one she had an affair with (over in The WAR), and he's now going to be working with her every day. Side by side. How will she every decided between him and her (flawed) husband.
And on and on.
The cast are mostly quite boring. The wonderful Kate Mulgrew is wasted in this.
And there's one (hilariously) absurd scene where her best friend Sonia parades through the hospital corridors wearing an evening gown. Yes, she's heading out for the night - I get that - but why on earth is walking around the hospital first?
Absurd, absurd, absurd.
Night Court. Season 2, Episode 4. "Pick a Number" Lottery Ticket.
Not many laughs, but a good story, as Harry is given a winning lottery ticket to bestow on a worthy winner.
It's a dilemma and the script does it justice, reaching a clever and enjoyable end-point.
Highlight? It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (utterly wonderful)
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