06:30 The Middleman
07:30 Threshold
08:30 Supernatural
12:30 Back To You
01:00 Greg The Bunny
01:30 Good Morning Miami
The Middleman. Episode 8. "The Ectoplasmic Panhellenic Investigation" More goofy fun and sweet romance. The plot revolves around bookish girls taking over the bodies of popular girls at a college and affords series-star Matt Keeslar the chance to play the part of a teenage girl in control of his body. Very funny. But most of this episode is about Wendy's feelings for the guy who is dating her room-mate. He's a guest star from a previous episode and the show is very clever in the way this story unfolds. Very clever indeed. Such a funny, clever show.
Clever? Funny? Hah, a natural to be cancelled too soon.
Sigh.
Threshold. Episode 10. "The Crossing" Lots of action and loud rock music open this episode as three of the aliens captured in earlier episodes attempt an escape from the Threshold HQ. They fail. But Molly decides they need to be moved to another facility. And fast.
During the transfer there's an attempt to break them out (cue: lots more shooting and stuff) but most of this episode dominated by some strong character drama. An infected soldier uses his final hours as a human to document the change for the Threshold team, on the condition that they execute him as soon as he has gone fully alien. Cue: lots of debate between Molly, Fenway and Ramsey about whether this is the right thing to do. It's good stuff, and the episode pulls a nice twist at the very end when one of the team becomes infected, too.
Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 10. "Hunted" We finally hear what John said to Dean and... it's a bit of an anti-climax, to be honest. The episode plays fair, however, and we do learn what might be in store for Sam. But his father said very little about it to Dean and I feel a bit cheated that the show teased us for so long about it and delivered very little. When we do learn the 'big secret' it turns out to be from a minor recurring character. Strange storytelling choice.
Apart from that it's a bit of an non-entity episode. Sam goes solo, does some digging, meet a cute girl and gets in trouble. Dean appears mid-way through the episode, gets tied up and that's about it. There's nothing much to get excited about, or interested in. The revelation of Sam's future, though it comes from an unexpected source, is very good and promises of much goodness to come...
Back To You. Episode 17. "Hostage Watch" I've had a love-hate relationship with Back To You since it started, but I must admit that it's final episode was very funny. Chuck is called in when a man holding hostages at a bank specifically requests him as the person he wants to talk to. Everything that plays out inside the bank is funny, and the reaction from Kelly is great, too (she calls out "I love you" to Chuck and then regrets it). The script gives Chuck a nice epiphany wherein he realises he has to stop being reckless like this now that he has a daughter. And it works perfectly within the framework of this being a workplace sit-com.
I liked it a lot. And there is a part of me wishing that it was coming back for a second season.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 13. "Blah Bawls" Flawed it may have been but this show managed some great episodes. A few were dreadful, yes, but most were pretty okay. This is one of those. It's funny and makes great use of the characters. Blah takes centre-stage and it's wonderful. He's a rich and interesting character: Pining for his dead wife and being dragged to a singles club against his will. Lots of funny stuff in all of that, but also a bit of depth and meaning. Things go awry when he ends up sleeping with Warren's ex-wife. The ex-wife that Warren is still very much in love with.
This being a sit-com the amourous couple accidently switch phones which brings everyone to the same place at the same time and allows for lots of comedy mis-understandings. Warren (my favourite character on the show) is priceless in all his scenes and - as well as being funny - the script does a great job of making both regulars into even more interesting characters than they previously were.
Not the best episode but a funny, clever outing nonetheless. This show should have survived.
Good Morning Miami. Episode 9. "Hi, My Name Is Jake" Nothing special happens in this one (until the very, very end) but it's an enjoyable and funny episode. Jake is competing with Gavin in a series of sporting competitions. It gets out of hand and... he joins Gavin at an AA meeting and claims to be an alcoholic! Pretty awful but, hey, the guys on Seinfeld used to do this kind of stuff. Anyway, he feels remorse next morning and spends the rest of the episode trying to undo his stupid lie. Mark Feuerstein and Matt Letscher have great chemistry together and seem to be having a ball in all their squabbling scenes. They are having fun, and it's fun to watch.
At the very end, Dylan lets slip that she 'likes' Jake.
Highlight? The Middleman (body-swap comedy)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Sun, Sep 21, 08 - Middleman, Threshold, Supernatural, Back To You, Greg The Bunny, Good Morning Miami
Sat, Sep 6, 08 - Columbo, Flashpoint, Greg The Bunny
06:30 Columbo
08:00 Flashpoint
09:00 Greg The Bunny
09:30 Greg The Bunny
Columbo. Episode 9. "Blueprint for Murder" A great script, but not one of the great episodes. Though it is very clever and satisfying it lacks the tension of the really great Columbo episodes. Patrick O'Neal makes a great foe in many respects, but the game of cat-and-mouse is never as engaging as it is in many other stories. I never believed that there was a contest between them, I suppose, so the ending felt like less of a "win" for the rumpled detective.
Flashpoint. Episode 5. "Who's George?" Predictable from the very first scene to the very last but still very good. Flashpoint does it's first bank-siege storyline and offers nothing that we haven't seen before in other shows. What makes it worthwhile, however, are the regular characters as they deal with the crisis and the aftermath. Parker, Lane and Braddock get a few pivotal scenes here and there and that is what I enjoyed. Braddock is used in this episode like Greg is on CSI and it works.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 12. "The Singing Mailman" A pretty good episode. Some genuine laughs as Dottie is blackmailed into getting a really bad actor onto the show. When he's bad (on camera) it's very funny, and the episode continues to amuse as we see how everyone reacts. First of all when they all openly hate him and later when Dottie has sweet-talked them all into helping her help the guy keep his job. At one point Alison is told the guy is "clearly ahead of his time". When she points out that this makes him no use to the show, the compliment is amended to: "He's only about three weeks ahead of his time, so by the time the show airs he'll be perfect!" Man, I laughed at that.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 8. "Jimmy Drives Gil Crazy" Decided to give this classic episode a second watch. It takes a heck of a long time to get going, but when it does it sure provides the laughs. Greg being held hostage in a speeding car: Funny! Jimmy tied up and filmed by a scantily-clad schoolgirl: Funny! The gang watching the police chase on TV: Funny! And Gil declaring his love for Corey Feldman: Funny! Definitely on a par with the egg-throwing episode.
Highlight? Flashpoint (sad ending)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Sun, Aug 31, 08 - Middleman, Supernatural, Greg The Bunny, Good Morning Miami
07:00 The Middleman
08:00 Supernatural
12:30 Greg The Bunny
01:00 Good Morning Miami
The Middleman. Episode 6. "The Boyband Superfan Interrogation" The best episode so far. It had the best story and was the funniest episode. The idea of banished dictators/criminals arriving on Earth and posing as a boyband is hilarious. The idea that the foul-mouthed soldier that comes after them should appear to be a 14-year-old girl named Cindy is even better. I love this show's habit of bleeping out foul language with on-screen graphics as well as beep sounds. It cracks me up every time. But never more so than with Cindy and her constant swearing.
Matt Keeslar did some of his best-ever work in this episode. Not only was all the stuff when he was mourning the loss of Ida great, but I loved his scenes interrogating Cindy. Him and Eden Sher yelling and shouting at one another like it was some dark police thriller. He was pitch perfect every step of the way. A great actor.
Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 8. "Crossroad Blues" A great case-of-the-week episode. It opens with a very stylish flashback to the 1930s and all scenes set there look great. The present day story (of ordinary folk achieving greatness by making a deal with a demon) is much better than it has any right to be. It's an old story. But the show finds a way to make it top notch entertaining. Firstly the people who's lives are affected by the Demon are interesting (especially the painter who asked for talent, not fame/fortune, poor schlub) and secondly the show ties this week's story into the backstory of the show (the brothers talking about the deal their dad made for the first time).
The death scene where the invisible hell hound killed the doctor lady is one of the scariest scenes they have ever had on the show. And Jeannette Sousa joins Nicki Aycox as one of the very best foes/demon girls the guys have ever encountered. She was mean with a capital M (and hot with a capital H). The climax with Dean matching wits with the demon was fantastic. The great thing about this show is that even when we know Dean is lying about his Dad in order to set a trap we also know that he means every word. That's great writing.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 11. "The Jewel Heist" Superb. Although dragged down somewhat by having to be "about something", in this case "the friendship between Greg and Jimmy", this is still an episode filled to the brim with laugh-out-loud moments. While the girls get obsessed with a paintball game, most of the guys skip out on it and head over to Greg's to help him deal with a dangerous dog (belonging to Jimmy's new girlfriend). The solution? Junction Jack performs surgery, replacing a vital part of the dog's anatomy with novely eyeballs that make a tune when banged together.
Good Morning Miami. Episode 7. "The Way to Dylan's Heart" This is a story told in very broad strokes, but the ending is so good that it makes it work. Just. Dylan sets Jake up on a date and the two couples (Dylan/Gavin and Jake/Cindy) go on a double date. The double date is a nightmare, with Jake being all over Dylan and totally ignoring Cindy. So (because this is sit-com world and such things happen here) the girl agrees to give Jake a second chance. The second date is also a nightmare for different reasons: Jake is all over Cindy this time. Too attentive and adoring for a first/second date.
All of this is unlikely, but amusing. What saves the episode is a truly wonderful climax. Dylan decides that she needs to teach Jake how to behave on a date (no kidding!). So they have a pretend-date over his desk in the office. At the end of the "date" she tells him he must pay her a compliment. And he does. Of course, he digs deep into his very real feelings for her and come up with something wonderful that blows her away. And studio audience. And me. A lovely moment in a so-so episode. And a series-high.
Highlight? The Middleman (Cindy)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Sat, Aug 23, 08 - Back To You, Greg The Bunny, Flashpoint, Burn Notice, Keen Eddie, Wizards And Warriors
04.30 Back To You
05.00 Greg The Bunny
09.00 Flashpoint
10.00 Burn Notice
11.00 Keen Eddie
01.00 Wizards And Warriors
Back To You. Episode 16 (Episode 12, in production order.) "House of Tomorrow" An okay episode. Kelly's fascination/obsession with Chuck drives the story in this one. He is dating a younger woman (again) and Kelly is tauting him about it. Chuck sets out to prove that he is more mature than she is willing to admit and, in the process, buys a house that he has never seen (!!). It turns out to be a 'futuristic' house with loads of voice-activated devices, which go awry in the episode's frantic conclusion. It's not a very funny episode, since most of Kelly's rants are just unfunny rants, but the bit at the end (in the house) is funny even if it is too forced to be genuinely hilarious. Best bit? Chuck's date thinks she is watching him being spanked by Kelly (he has, in fact, set his pants on fire).
Greg The Bunny. Episode 10. "Surprise!" Middle-of-the-road episode. Not the funniest that the show has done, but it has several classic (and very funny) moments. Sasha Alexander guests as TV Guide reporter who is assigned to profile the entire cast and, since she has to interview all of them, she basically appears in every scene and carries the whole episode. Works for me! All of the regular cast (human and puppet) get a chance to shine in this one. Sarah Silverman has never been funnier on the show, but it is still Warren who gets all the best lines. He's my favourite character, with Tardy Turtle (also superb in this episode) now coming a close second.
What brings the episode down (IMHO) is the soft-and-fuzzy side of the story. When the story opens the gang are (inexplicably) bickering more than usual while Greg's voice-over makes observations about... family. Anyway, as the reporter goes from person to person we learn that most of them are unhappy with someone else in the cast. Then, in the birthday party at the end, when the reporter is about to unveil a scandal that might damage the show, they all pull together and stand up for one another. Cue a sickening voice-over from Greg about... family. Awful.
Never mind. This time out the comedy rises above schmaltz. Many, many scenes are laugh-out-loud funny. My favourite? Jimmy finds Sarah Silverman and Sasha Alexander (both looking supremely hot) in some girl-on-girl action and declares: "Considering that we only had three hours to plan, I would say this is a pretty damn good party!"
Flashpoint. Episode 4. "Asking For Flowers" Chandra West guests as the sister of a battered wife taking things into her own hands with the slimy husband: Kenneth Mitchell. Flashpoint beats Standoff by always finding a way to tell intimate stories and make them compelling. While this is the weakest of the first four, it is still a damn fine hour of TV with a couple of big twists to keep the audience guessing: for most of the episode the heroes have no idea who the real bad-guy is (which makes you wonder if they will shoot the wrong person) and - minutes from the end - the balance of power shifts dramatically. Good stuff.
Michael Cram gets a chance to shine in this one. His character is very cool and my favourite part of the whole story was the split-second shot at the end where he goes home to his wife and you can see how genuinely happy he is to be in her company. Not enough of that on TV.
Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 4. "Comrades" Nothing special, but still very good. Michael's brother is back on the team in this one, and Sam (Bruce Campbell) pretty much takes the lead in both cases. Little touches like this keep the formula fresh. Good guest work, too, from Lost's Andrew Divoff.
Keen Eddie. Episode 6. "Sucker Punch" The case-of-the-week is crap. Eddie and the team are trying to find an underground fighting club and they keep chasing/meeting a fighter and trying to convince him into helping them. This happens over and over (and Eddie keeps getting knocked out, which is funny) until the guy eventually decides to help them and then pursue his dream of a life in the theatre. Usually the cases/stories on Keen Eddie are strong and have depth. This one isn't and doesn't.
But that's not important this time out...
Most of the episode is actually devoted to Eddie and Fiona. Fiona, you see, is moving to New York to be with her idiot boyfriend Nigel (Theo Fraser Steele) and Eddie and she will never have to see one another again. Each declares that this makes them happy, but we can see (thanks to great performances from Mark Valley and Sienna Miller) that it actually makes them sad. Honest-to-goodness... sad. And it's not just the typical TV romantic tension either. You can see that they are each bewildered by their feelings for one another. He doesn't just fancy her, he likes her. And vice versa. And it's really rather sweet. There's one long scene, in particular, which isn't trying to be funny. It's just about how they can't say what they are thinking, so they just keep looking at one another.
As wonderful as all the Eddie/Fiona stuff is, the highpoint of the episode is the Miss Moneypenny scene. Once again she gives a sexual answer to one of Eddie's innocent questions (he is the only one to hear it, of course) and I thought my TV was going to melt from the heat. Seriously. I watched this with two other men and we were all gob-smacked. Why would anyone ever need to watch porn? Just watch Rachael Buckley on Keen Eddie! Grrrrowl!
Wizards And Warriors. Episode 1. "The Unicorn of Death" This was not the first episode filmed, but it was the first episode shown. Although it is delightful from start to finish, it does a pretty bad job of introducing the world of the show and the various characters contained therein. Basically this was a show that needed a two-hour opener to do it justice. Watching this particular outing gives you a feeling of being dropped into the middle of the action. Flawed as this episode may be (when used to open the series) there are still many, many things to enjoy.
Julia Duffy steals the show as the spoiled princess. Virtually every line she utters makes you laugh out loud and she, basically, saves the day at the end. Only Duffy could take a shallow, self-involved character like this and make her heroic and adorable. And funny. "He's always so busy," she laments, with a pout, as the dashing hero rushes away from her to save everyone from certain death.
Duffy is supported by a strong cast. Duncan Regehr and Clive Revill, in particular, are a joy to watch. Both playing evil men and both having an absolute ball doing it. The entire cast, directed by Bill Bixby, give the impression that they are having fun. And there is a lot of fun in the script, too. Many moments of comedy, in fact, in lots of unexpected places. This is a rather hip show. Definitely the grandfather of shows like Hercules and Xena. There are no scenes without one-liners and most hit their mark.
The story is good, too. The bad guys have planted the equivalent of a nuclear device in the castle of the Good King and are calling for his surrender. From this starting point the story advances in logical fashion, with a few surprises along the way. The best twist is when the innocent courier realises what he has brought to the castle and decides to try and save the princess. Everything is funny, firmly rooted in character and very exciting.
Highlight? Wizards And Warriors (hip)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Sat, Aug 16, 08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm, Greg The Bunny, Good Morning Miami, Veronica Mars
04:30 Curb Your Enthusiasm
08:00 Greg The Bunny
08:30 Good Morning Miami
10:30 Veronica Mars
11:30 Veronica Mars
Curb Your Enthusiasm. Episode 1. "The Pants Tent" It's amazing how quickly things go wrong from poor Larry. Only a few minutes into this first episode (three scenes or so) and he's annoyed his best friend's new girlfriend, been offensive to his manager's parents and made his wife's friend think she caused him to have an erection. And from there it all spirals out of control. Much as I love the show, and love watching the show, I also love thinking about how the show is made (improvised dialogue from detailed scene outlines). It's clever. And it means we get a plot-driven show every week. There is always something happening in every scene. Every scene advances a plot, or allows it to collide into another plot, or something. Whatever. There is always something new happening. Often very funny.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 9. "Greg Gets Puppish" Another so-so episode. When this show is funny, it's very funny. And when it's not funny, it delivers episodes like this one: in which Greg embraces his puppet heritage. There are few gags floating around, yes, but a lot of the dialogue is just to drive the (boring) story and it leaves you unsure what to make of it all. Is it meant to be comedy with a message? Or are they just bad are doing satire? The ending is another one of those soft and fuzzy they sometimes do on this show: where friendship wins out over differences. An odd episode. I don't watch Greg The Bunny for touchy-feely crap.
Good Morning Miami. Episode 5. "Swan Jake" Pretty good episode. Important one for the characters: Jake finds out that Gavin isn't so bad and starts to feel guilty about wanting to steal Dylan away, Lucia tells Dylan that Jake likes her and suggests a little test. All of this advances the storyline and helps make Jake more likable than he was in earlier episodes. The supplot, meanwhile, is hilarious. Frank thinks that Penny has a crush on him, and acts accordingly. This being a sit-com "acts accordingly" means he drapes himself across her desk and invites her to feel his over-developed thigh. Lots of laughs.
Veronica Mars. Episode 1. "Pilot" I don't think I've ever seen a pilot with so much backstory, so skillfully delivered. Veronica is quite an interesting lady and - prior to this first episode - she has led quite an interesting life. Rob Thomas weaves her history into this first episode, and still manages to deliver a clever case-of-the-week which shows Veronica at her best: clever, gutsy, framing people, switching police evidence and derailing trials as she sees fit. It's fun to watch her in action. We like her because she is clever and good (and the best TV Heroes are clever and good) but we like her, too, because she is sad and full of pain. In rapid succession we see what happened to Veronica to make her this way: her mother leaving, her friend being murdered, her own rape and her boyfriend dumping her. All of this, plus her status as an outcast in Neptune society, makes Veronica who she is on the day we first meet her.
She reminds me of Harry O. Battered by life, but not beaten.
Veronica Mars. Episode 2. "Credit Where Credit's Due" This time out the case-of-the-week takes up many more scenes, and the backstory barely appears at all. The case (credit card fraud) is interesting, clever and it involves one of the regular characters. It serves to strengthen the bond between them, which was forged in the final scene of the pilot. Lots of other character stuff is carried over from the pilot. The animosity between Logan and Weevil is a perfect example. And it's not just the character stuff. We get to understand the world of Neptune a bit better. It's a vicious place. And justice in Neptune is rough. We saw that in the pilot, where Veronica played fast and loose with the law to get Weevil's guys off the hook for a crime they committed, as a means towards getting a better quality of life for Wallace. This time out we see the story come to an end when Weevil and his club have punished the person who committed the crime. That's how the story ends: with frontier justice.
Highlight? Veronica Mars (pilot)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Sun, Jul 27, 08 - Middleman, Kyle XY, Supernatural, Soap, Greg The Bunny, Good Morning Miami
07:30 Kyle XY
08:30 Supernatural
12:00 Soap
01:00 Greg The Bunny
01:30 Good Morning Miami
The Middleman. Episode 4. "The Manicoid Teleportation Conundrum" I sit down to watch this show wondering, cheerfully, what stuff it is going to throw at me. So what is it this week? A colony of aliens, living on Earth, where they fit in by looking like victims of too-much plastic surgery, who are being hunted by an big-game hunter, who is a local TV celebrity in the Dr. Phil mold. Nope, not seen anything quite like that before!
Kyle XY. Season 2, Episode 11. "Hands on a Hybrid" Bit of a mixed bag, this one. I have no interest in the Andy-has-cancer storyline or where they are taking it. And the stuff with Hillary uncovering vital plot information in her cameraman's raw footage was genuinely awful. Simplistic and silly. Or to call a spade a spade: it was really bad. However, this was also the episode where Kyle read Jessi's mind and deduced that she was just like him. All of those scenes (and the scenes with Tom Foss being mind-probed) were very good.
Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 5. "Simon Said" Bit of a mixed bag, this one. But not evenly mixed. I'd call this one as 80% good and 20% bad. The case-of-the-week is terrific, and anything to do with the Roadhouse sucks. Even better/worse this episode gave two completely new reasons to hate the Roadhouse!
Dean and Sam find themselves up against a foe who can make people do whatever he tells them do (in one hilarious scene Dean cheerfully gives up his car). The story has a great cast and a nice twist. I knew there would be a twist, but I completely picked the wrong person. As a seasoned TV Viewer I knew from the start that the guy with the power wouldn't turn out to be the bad guy, but I totally love the way the brothers also suspected it. Right from the start, they were willing to debate whether the guy with the power was actually evil or not. Sure, each one of the brothers had his own reason for saying what he said, but - still - it's writing like this that makes them seem smart and keeps me interested. As I've said before there is nothing worse than a show where the viewer at home is always two steps ahead of the hero.
So, a good case, a good foe and a good climax.
Then there's the (stupid) Roadhouse. Now, instead of merely travelling from A to B when there is trouble, the boys travel to the Roadhouse to ask their computer geek friend where to go?! Stupid, stupid, stupid! That totally undermines the lead characters, and is a total step-back from what they were able to do back in Season One, where they were a force to be reckoned with: following clues around the country and getting information any way they could. Now, we get to see Sam sitting and telling some (annoying) character what to type into a computer. Impotent, much?
Plus, it reeks of the sort of silly re-vamp that made Knight Rider even worse in it's 4th season. Not only was KITT rebuilt by a gang of street-kids (give me a break) but now he could change shape and rush to the rescue. Suddenly he was always miles away for the climax of every episode and had to rush! to! the! rescue! Very exciting. But silly, considering he never needed to do that before. Now, suddenly, we find Dean and Sam asking Ash for directions. Huh? They never needed to do that before.
But, that is as nothing compared to the ill-conceived final scene: where the boys are scolded and forced to confess about what is going on with them. Yes, Eric Kripke, because there is nothing cooler than seeing our heroes being chastised by their "Mum". (Next season on 24! Jack Bauer's mother makes him apologise!).
Seriously, this show does not need an authority figure. It's so fundamentally wrong for the show that I wonder does the production company even fully understand it's appeal. Aside from the fact that it makes them less cool, the show is about orphans on the road. That's the frakkin' point of the show. Now, suddenly, they have a mum to worry about them and scold them. Yuck. That's a different show.
Luckily, this crap is kept to a minimum and the rest of the episode is stellar stuff. If I was a more obsessive fan, I might do a little DVD editing and remove the scenes with the Roadhouse from the episode for all future viewings.
Oh, one final thing: is the show now going for romance between Dean and Jo? I thought the hint was that she was his sister? Or am I missing something here. It doesn't help that Jensen Ackles and Alona Tal have zero on-screen chemistry.
Soap. "Episode 31" Burt is my favourite character (by a long, long mile) and the Burt/Mary romance/marriage makes them one of my favourite TV couples. Mary is back in school now, and her professor makes a pass at her. Watching Burt go crazy at the thought of losing his wife is both hilarious and genuinely sweet. Later, in an effort to help Danny deal with his crazy wife Elaine, Mary tells a lovely story that gives us even more reason to love her and Burt as a couple. Speaking of Elaine, she gets the episode's best scenes. When Burt tells her that Danny can't stand her I thought my heart would break for her. Poor kid. But, then, the dinner scene where she and Danny were nice to each other and we got to see the effect this had on her was wonderful.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 8. "Jimmy Drives Gil Crazy" I had totally forgotten about this episode. It's hilarious. Man, I had better re-think my views on this show. Sure, it had some lame episodes early on, but once it got rolling, it really got rolling. This is an inspired episode. Warren (who still gets all the best lines) sends Jimmy and Greg round to his house on a errand. Greg waits in the car, while Jimmy runs in. Inside he finds a naked girl swimming in Warren's pool. She explains that she has snuck in to skinny dip on her way from school. Turns out that she's an 18 year old catholic schoolgirl (complete with uniform) who is feeling a bit naughty and wants to experiment with video cameras. Watching Jimmy react to each of these wonderful revelations (eventually he cries tears of pure joy) is some of the funniest work Seth Green has ever done. Meanwhile, Greg has woken up to find that Warren's car has been stolen by Warren's neighbour Corey Feldman who has gotten into a prank war with Warren. Thing is, the police don't understand and they find themselves in a high-speed police chase. A televised police chase. Which, of course, is seen by everybody at work. Who assume that Jimmy has flipped out and is still driving Warren's car. Each of them in turn feels guilty for stuff they have said to Jimmy (while Alison just gets incredibly turned by the revelation that he is a bad boy) and Gil eventually runs off to join the chase and save his son. The same son who, at that exact moment, has been tied up by the Catholic School Girl and is being 'forced' to make various animal sounds while she films him.
As the episodes switches from location to location it just keeps getting funnier and the climax where Gil unwittingly declares his boundless love for Corey Feldman is a real classic. Funny because Feldman leaps from the car to reciprocate the love!
Good Morning Miami. Episode 4. "It Didn't Happen One Night" Now this is more like it. Jake accidentally causes a rift between Dylan and Gavin. So we get the hope that he'll hook up with her without the baggage of him seeming like a relationship destroying scumbag. Even better, when she shows up at his place - drunk and sad - he totally doesn't take advantage of her. His niceness, of course, is what sends her back to Gavin in the end but it's good to finally have an episode where we can like Jake and feel for him: in love with a girl he cannot have.
Highlight? Greg The Bunny. Hilarious.
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Sun, Jul 13, 08 - Middleman, Kyle XY, Supernatural, Greg The Bunny, Good Morning Miami
06:30 The Middleman
07:30 Kyle XY
08:30 Supernatural
12:00 Greg The Bunny
12:30 Good Morning Miami
The Middleman. Episode 3. "The Sino-Mexican Revelation" There are two reasons to love this show. First, it's audacious. How else do you describe a show which dares to tell a story where a masked sensei is kidnapped by 100 Mexican Wrestlers (who are later killed in a fight to the death with that same masked sensei)? Everything about this show is creative and exciting. There's nothing quite like this on TV. And I love that.
Second, it works. It really works. It's funny and cool. It could have been a horrible mess, but Matt Keeslar's delivery and Natalie Morales' attitude make it work. Throwing crazy elements into a script is no guarantee of success. You need the right cast to make it work.
(This is the episode where Natalie Morales poses as a scantily-clad waitress. There's no part of that previous sentence that I don't love.)
Kyle XY. Season 2, Episode 10. "House of Cards" Kyle brings Declan onto 'the team' and - together with Tom Foss - they plan a heist: To get Kyle's ring back. Everything that has been set up in earlier episodes is starting to pay off and the show is getting even more satisfying to watch. It's also great fun to see Foss and Declan on-camera together. Kyle does some cool stuff in this episode and (of course) his 'secret life' causes him to cancel a date with his new girlfriend. The show takes these clichéd situations and bends them to suit the characters. So the episode ends not with a fight but with a sweet kiss. This is why the show "works for me" (to quote Rick Hunter). Amanda is nice. And the script doesn't make her behave mean to Kyle to create false drama. Instead the drama comes from Kyle's innocent with these situations. We are nervous for him and therefore engaged in what is happening between him and Amanda. Her reaction to him makes for great character writing, too.
It's a great show. I don't watch Smallville (I saw the pilot and hated it) but I presume Kyle XY is a kinder, nicer version of Smallville.
Anyway, Smallville was a rip-off of the far superior Roswell. But I digress...
Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 4. "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things" Now this is more like it! A really good episode. The story is much better than the previous one, and it's fits into the ongoing character arc for Dean in a much more natural way. While the parallels with their own father's death and their feelings about it seemed forced in the previous episode, in this outing every reference to the dead and the desire to bring them back seemed natural and worked wonderfully. In context of what the brothers have just gone through. This would have made a much better Episode 2.
Great guest casting helps make for a strong episode. Tamara Feldman is very scary as the Big Bad Evil and Christopher Jacot is wonderfully earnest as the guy who brings her back from the dead. For love. Poor schmuck!
This show is remarkable in the way is balances comedy with the serious/sad stuff happening on-screen and never seems to trivialise the pains of the guest characters. This episode is a prime example. Dean and the dead girl's female friend share a scene which is works perfectly on two levels. We are engaged and sad for the girl grieving over her dead friend, and we are laughing at Dean. How the show plays both cards together impresses me. Every week.
The character work on the boys is top notch. It always is. From silly stuff (Dean catches his younger brother watching motel porn) to weighty stuff (Dean finally talks out his feelings on their father's death). "A+" stuff all the way. That final scene was gobsmacking. I didn't expect it. I didn't expect Dean to say that stuff. Man, I can't wait to see what happens next. I'm so glad Sam didn't give him any trite answers before the show faded to black. I had a few written in my own head as I watched, but - upon reflection - they all sucked and the show ending was... perfect.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 7. "Father & Son Reunion" has always been my favourite episode of Greg The Bunny. I haven't seen them all, of course, and I now realise that Episode 6 is brilliant also, but I still think this is aces. Greg, Jimmy and Gil get high on hash brownies and go throw eggs at the house of someone they all hate. Or, at least, try and throw eggs at the house. Their shots go wildly askew and the whole attack degenerates into a very odd conversation over a hedge. Hilarious.
I normally don't like the serious elements of Greg The Bunny episodes. When the show tries to teach lessons about being nice or some such crap. Usually the 'heartfelt's stories leave me cold, and seem like added-on network interference. But Rochester's death (in the previous episode) and the father-son stuff (in this episode) really work. Even if the rest of the episode wasn't very, very funny I would still enjoy these stories. But, as it happens, the rest of the episode is very, very funny.
Susan The Monster, Tardy Turtle and Snookums have hilarious small scenes. Jack and Dottie have a funny sub-plot about random meetings outside of work and Warren (my favourite character) gets to give a great monologue and get into a fight with his audience.
Good Morning Miami. Episode 3. "The Heart Is a Lonely Apartment Hunter" I've watched season one of this show many times. And I love it very much. But I've never written reviews of it before. And ,while this is a good episode, I can't help but notice how hard it is to like Jake. He is, after all, plotting to split Gavin and Dylan, because he is after falling in love with Dylan (having just met her). He seems, when you analyse him, to be a bit selfish and immature. The show tries to make us dislike Gavin, I think, but he's actually a fairly likable guy. So, upon reflection, Jake is scum. Sorta. But, it never bothered me before. And, upon reflection again, it doesn't bother me now that I am aware of it. Why? Well, I guess I'm just a sucker for a love story. And what happened to Jake in the pilot and how has dealt with it, is romantic. He changed his while life around because of a chance meeting with a woman. Works for me (to quote Rick Hunter).
The only flaw in this episode is the sub-plot devoted to the unfunny Weather Nun who works on their TV show. She's a one-note character, and devoting an entire plot line to her only serves to illustrate how pointless she is. Even worse, this plot uses Frank and fails to make him funny. Frank is a fantastic character, the funniest character in the whole show, how can you fail to make him funny?
The best part of the episode revolves around Penny. Penny rapidly became my favourite character and this episode is an example of why. She deduces that Jake has a crush on Dylan and immediately stops being a wiseass and offers him the hand of friendship. It's a lovely, lovely moment, and an example of why I love this show so much.
Highlight? Good Morning Miami
Sun, Jun 22nd, 2008 - The Middleman, Doctor Who, Kyle XY, Supernatural, Greg The Bunny
05:30 The Middleman
06:30 Doctor Who
07:30 Kyle XY
08:30 Supernatural
01:00 Greg The Bunny
The Middleman. Episode 1. "The Pilot Episode Sanction" is a blast from start to finish. It's easily the best pilot I'm seen this Summer so far and I can't wait to see more. It's quirky, funny and full of references to everything I love: sixties TV, comics, movie icons. A young woman (the gorgeous Natalie Morales) becomes sidekick to a mysterious superhero (Matt Keeslar) and helps him defeat a talking gorilla with designs on world domination (by killing mob leaders and leaving bananas at the murder scenes!). Javier Grillo-Marxuach has had a hand in some of the very best TV shows of the past decade and this looks like a worthy addition to the list.
Doctor Who. Season 28, Episode 8. "The Impossible Planet" is pure Doctor Who. The Doctor (and companion) arrive at a remote space station/space ship/outpost of some sort. They meet lots of characters, something evil is at work and people start dying. It's a classic Doctor Who set-up and this episode is a perfect execution of the idea. With some truly huge ideas thrown in to blow you away: a planet that obits a black hole!? What the frak?!
Kyle XY. Season 2, Episode 8. "What's the Frequency, Kyle?" Kyle XY is one of the best written shows on TV, and it also has one of the best casts. Bruce Thomas is normally overlooked by the scripts on this show, but he really gets a chance to shine in this one, when Stephen's father goes into a coma and dies leaving lots of things unsaid between the two men. It's a very human story and (although the show uses Kyle's powers to offer some solace) I applaud the show for telling a sad story where nothing much gets resolved. Stories like this are closer to real life and have much more impact than implausible death-bed reconcilliations.
Jaimie Alexander does her best work so far in this episode as Jessi starts to come to terms with her actions. Specifically: her attack on Lori in the previous episode. Jessi is in major turnoil for most of this episode and Alexander is pitch perfect. The ending of this plotline was also quite sad. What exactly is going to happen to Jessi? Are they going to wipe her mind? Which, effectively, kills the girl who has been on the show this season? I hope not. I hope she kicks ass, breaks free and starts to deal with her mistakes.
Finally, none of this would work if Matt Dallas wasn't so frakkin' great in the central role. He brings such an innocence and wonder to the role of Kyle, and his voice-over narrations set the whole ponderous tone for the show. I love the type of stories this show is able to tell. Small family-driven tales wrapped up in a sci-fi envelope. And the show tells then without creating false tension. When Kyle starts to receive messages from the dying man, Stephen doesn't resist them. A lesser show might have created "conflict" by setting it up so that Kyle had to win Stephen over or something. Thus wasting our time with something we've seen many times before. Instead, the show concentrates on the wonder of what Kyle can do. And it's all rather cool. And makes for great stories.
Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 2. I have mixed feelings about "Everybody Loves A Clown". Following the episodes with the father was always going to be difficult but I'm not sure that this was the way to go. The case-of-the-week was average. But, on this show, 'average' is really quite good. Killer Clowns are an interesting idea, which crops up from time to time. It works fine here, but I wonder if every kid would really invite a clown into their house in the middle of the night? In this day and age? Hmmm...
The character-work between the brother was top notch. And the real joy of this episode was in watching the brothers closely to see how each was coping with the violent and sudden death of their father. In this respect the show did not disappoint. It never does.
No, what bugged me about this episode were the supporting characters. Who appear (from this episode) to be a bunch of new regulars for the boys to work with on occasion. This is exactly what the show does not need! And all three of the new characters are straight from the Big Book of Bad TV Clichés: a cute girl, a nerd and a mother figure. Yuck, yuck and double yuck! Chad Lindberg is particularly annoying in his role as the computer geek. Alona Tal is cute. Way too cute for this show. She's just wrong. And while Samantha Ferris is very good in her role, I hated the character because it felt like the she was being offered up as quick replacement for the boys' father. Not something I want to see. In the episode after his death or in any future episode.
What the show needed here, I feel, was an episode where the boys are alone and devastated. Where they find their way forward - together - by doing what they do. Instead they have their newest case handed to them by Ellen. And I lost interest. The appearance of this sudden family unit takes away a lot of the lonliness of their situation.
Also, the world of Supernatural is uniquely male. The undercurrent of the show has always been the love between brothers and the love between father and son(s). Plus, the world of the hunters has always been shown to be a world of lonely solitary men, driven by a need to destroy evil. Men with not much else in their lives. Now, suddenly, we learn that they have a bar to go to and swap notes. And there's a cute girl in the middle of all this, too. No, thanks! We've already had that show. It's time to do a different take on this. Hopefully, this pseudo-family won't be around for long... I'm more tempted than ever to check spoilers/cast lists for future episodes to see where all of this is going, but I'm better off not knowing I suppose.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 6. "Rabbit Redux" Wow. This is one of the episodes I missed first time round. Wow, again. A great episode. Funny, and with surprising depth. Wow. Who'd a thunk it? Rochester returns. The rabbit who was fired, thus giving Greg his big break on TV. Rochester has fallen on hard times. So Greg, feeling guilty, gets him back on the show. Then Rochester has a heart attack and dies. And the final half is about how everyone deals with it. And it's really well-written. Warren (so my favourite character at this stage) gives a great eulogy and I really feel like I've seen something rather great. Wow.
Highlight? The Middleman
Mon, Jun 16th, 2008 - Perfect Strangers, My Boys, 30 Rock, BSG, Greg The Bunny, Fringe
06:30 Perfect Strangers
07:00 My Boys
07:30 30 Rock
08:00 Battlestar Galactica
09:00 Battlestar Galactica
10:00 Greg The Bunny
10:30 Fringe
Perfect Strangers. Episode 1. "Knock Knock, Who's There?" This is as good as any episode of Perfect Strangers. Which is amazing when you consider how polished the comedy is on this show. And how vital the chemisty is. Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker are perfectly at home in their roles from the get-go.
My Boys. Season 2, Episode 1. "The Transitioning" makes a great start to Season Two. The cliffhanger is resolved and we discover that PJ choose Bobby. I was delighted about this, but disappointed that (once they got to Italy) nothing much happened. We have been waiting a long time for this, and this is all we get? Jordana Spiro was hilarious in all these scenes (and seems to have gotten even more cute and adorable over the hiatus) but it was - I felt - a lame way to resolve the storyline. Never mind, the rest of the episode is fantastic. Jim Gaffigan steals every scene as the rest of the rest of the gang try to cope without PJ.
30 Rock. Season 2, Episode 14. "Sandwich Day" is an example of the show at it's most surreal and hilarious. Jenna in a crazy drinking contest to win mysterious sandwiches from a secret location in Brooklyn, Jack demoted to an odd place straight from The Twilight Zone and Liz being shown in two vastly different lights: truly beautiful in one scene (the hilarious red dress and wind machine combo) and truly horrific in the next scene (flinging tables aside and threathen to wound her staff with sharp objects). Can it be the same character? Can it even be the same actress? Tina Fey is truly gifted. If I thought she was anything like Liz Lemon in real life, I'd stalk her and ask her to marry me!!
Battlestar Galactica. Season 4, Episode 9. "The Hub" Finally we get to see what happened when the Cylon Ship jumped away. What happened? Well... space battles, visions, hints and epiphanies. The usual stuff for Battlestar Galactica.
Visually, this is an impressive episode. Not just the space stuff either (which was nothing short of majestic) but all of the interior stuff too. And the visions Laura was having during the jumps. Lots of low wide shots and big empty rooms and corridors. Very striking.
As wonderful as that final minute was (and it was wonderful) it has to take second place to the "revelation" that Laura is the final cylon. That was frakkin' funny. Deanna playing with the president, and the show love playing with us. Ballsy. And I love it.
Battlestar Galactica. Season 4, Episode 10. "Revelations " Truly satisfying conclusion to many of this seasons ongoing plot threads. Finally, after weeks of (wonderful) torture the hidden Cylons are revealed to their friends in a sequence of wonderfully orchestrated scenes. Seeing Saul Tigh tell Bill Adama was just amazing. And watching Bill's meltdown was painful. The whole episode (every revelation, every confrontation) was equal parts amazing and equal parts painful. Baltar was funny again (the "I knew it!" bit) and Lee finally grew a pair! Who would have thought?!
In this episode, you can see the show preparing to finish all it's ongoing storylines, wisely choosing (in the final shocking seconds) to avoid introducing any major new ones. It has also left enough mysteries dangling to bring fans back in 2009.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 5. "Piddler on the Roof" is a middle-of-the-road episode. Not hilarious, but not awful either. Warren (the show's best character) takes a leak inside Alison's car! The sub-plot (about Alison's feelings being hurt) is a real yawner, but there are few good laughs to found elsewhere.
Fringe. "Pilot" Imagine if Sydney Bristow was lead investigator on The X-Files, forced to work with Lost's Sawyer to get help from his genius father (Part-Gil Grissom and part-Frankenstein) and you have some idea of what to expect here. The first half-hour was slow enough. It felt like an average X-Files episode and I was bored by the relationships. The heroine has a loving boyfriend (but she can't say "I Love You" back to him) and a boss who hates her (for putting his best friend in jail). Nothing here that hasn't been seen before. However, once Joshua Jackson shows up it really starts to take off. The final hour is the best: some exciting action scenes and the first hint of the show's backstory. Can't wait to see more!
Highlight? Battlestar Galactica
Thurs, Jun 12th, 2008 - Greg The Bunny, Joey
11:00 Greg The Bunny
11:30 Joey
Greg The Bunny. Episode 4. "SK-2.0" What a schizophrenic show! This episode kinda sucked. It was all about revamping the television show that the regulars work on. The revamp was extreme and none of them liked it. But, I'm not sure what exactly was supposed to be funny. Maybe we were supposed to be amused because the revamped version of their show looked so different, but - in fact - it actually looked like kids show's I've seen. Maybe that was the point. I don't know. Thing is, I wouldn't be wondering about this kind of stuff if there were actual gags to make me laugh.
I also hated the b-plot. Where Jimmy and his dad "learned a lesson" and bonded a bit at the end. What the frak?! Did FOX make the producers do episodes like this, or were the writers deliberately using lame plots to make us laugh. I don't know. I know I didn't laugh.
Joey. Season 2, Episode 18. "Joey and the Beard" There was still too much shouting from Gina's dumb boyfriend but this wasn't a bad episode. Joey 'dated' an actress who did not want the press to know she was gay. At first he didn't understand (which was funny) and when he did understand, they became good friends (which was sweet). This is the perfect sort of story to develop the character of Joey. We like him, and we care about him. Yet, time and time again they kept returning to Gina's moronic shouting boyfriend who we don't like and don't care about. Sheesh!
Highlight? Joey
Sun, Jun 8th, 2008 - Wonder Woman, Supernatural, Greg The Bunny, Kyle XY
06:30 Wonder Woman
08:30 Supernatural
11:00 Greg The Bunny
12:00 Kyle XY
Wonder Woman. Episode 1. "The New Original Wonder Woman" Awful. I don't like the first 21 episodes of Wonder Woman. In fact, there are some I've never watched even though I have them all on tape. And, being a completist, I went ahead and bought the whole series on DVD. Crazy, isn't it?
I don't like the tone of the pilot. Or, to be more correct, the tone that the pilot attempts to have. For, in my eyes, it just doesn't work. The cast are good (except for Cloris Leachman, who inexplicably sucks) but the material just isn't there to make it work. Even so Lynda Carter, Red Buttons and Lyle Waggoner manage to be watchable. It says a lot for the script that it manages to take all the fun out of watching people like Kenneth Mars and Henry Gibson. I mean, seriously, how can you suck the fun out of watching Henry Gibson??!
Anyway, the episode tells the story of Steve Trevor crashing on Paradise Island, being found by the Amazons there and being taken back to the United States by Wonder Woman, who sticks around to fight the Nazi threat.
Influenced by the 60s Batman series (possibly the worst television series of all time, next to Firefly) the whole thing is trying to make fun of the story it is telling. I don't much like the idea of making fun of Wonder Woman, but I positively hate the fact that they can't do it right and can't make me laugh or smile at any point.
What a mess.
Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 1. "In My Time of Dying" picks up seconds after the events of the season finale. And, since it brings the multi-episode story of the gun to a conclusion, it would have worked just fine as a season-ender itself. It's another superb episode. Hovering near death, Dean is a spirit in this one. Wandering the halls of a hospital while his brother and father watch on. He finds he is not alone however: there's another spirit trapped, too. And, being Supernatural, it's a pretty girl in need of help.
Except, of course, that's not what is going on, at all! And, boy, was I ever surprised by the twist! Jensen Ackles does some of his best ever work in this one, as Dean has to come to terms with his fate. As always on this show, the action is driven by the characters.
The twist in the father's storyline took me by surprise, also. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense. And it's really the only logical way for things to end. Yet, as I watched it, I was totally sucked it. And, in the final scenes, I was glued to the screen almost crying out "No!" as I waited for the dreadful events to unfold.
Heartbreaking, exceptional storytelling.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 3. "Dottie Heat" It may have a plot from the Big Book Of Standard Sitcom Plots but this one is a winner from start to finish. Unlike the previous episode which seemed to hope we'd be amused because, you know, half the cast are puppets and that should be enough, this one is full of great one-liners and lots of laughs.
Both Jimmy and Greg have romance on their minds at the start of the story and, while Jimmy has no chance with woman of his dreams, Greg winds up (by accident) having a date with the object of his desire: Dottie. Their date is hilarious and so is the aftermath (where Greg lies to the guys at work about having had sex with Dottie). Sure, it's a bit lame that he has to learn a lesson about friendship and respect and all that jazz, but - every step of the way - the laughs flow freely. Particularly when Warren is on-screen. His running gag of Christmas innuendo is particular funny.
Great fun.
Kyle XY. Season 2, Episode 7. "Free To Be You and Me" is more like a teen-soap than any other episode has been. But, you know what, all that honest-to-goodness teenage-love is good for the soul. Kyle and Amanda spend a heck of a long time gazing lovingly into one another's eyes in this episode and, I swear, it left me with a big ol' grin on my face. It's just so darn sweet.
This was also the episode where Kyle learned to dance and that was great, too. Equal parts sweet and funny. Plus, after seven episodes of teasing us, the show brought two ongoing plots to conclusion: Kyle met Jessi for the first time, and Kyle finally started telling Declan the truth. Their reconciliation was a great scene. I love the way Declan bypassed all the nonsense and jumped right to showing Kyle the threatening photos he'd received.
Highlight? Supernatural
Thurs, Jun 5th, 2008 - Rules Of Engagement, Scrubs, Riptide, NCIS, Joey, Keen Eddie, Karen Sisco, Greg The Bunny
06:00 Rules Of Engagement
06:30 Scrubs
07:00 Riptide
09:00 NCIS
10:00 Joey
10:30 Keen Eddie
11:30 Karen Sisco
12:30 Greg The Bunny
Rules Of Engagement. Season 2, Episode 14. "Buyer's Remorse" Fairly average episode. A fair number of laughs from typical sitcom plots. Highlight? Guest shot from Stephanie Lemelin!
Scrubs. Season 7, Episode 2. "My Hard Labor" is about parenthood. We get to see how each of the characters does their parenting thing in their own way. And JD becomes a parent. The stuff with him and Kim is sad. I want him to like her, but I see why he doesn't.
Riptide. Episode 1. Some shows have "FUN" written all over them in capital letters. Take "Riptide". It's about private eyes, who live on a boat, hang out with bikini-clad girls and solve crimes using fast cars and helicopters. Talk about every boy's fantasy life. Also, for a show about two cool guys befriending a geek, the series manages to avoid all the mistakes you'd expect. The friendship between all three guys comes across as incredibly strong and all of the comedy is really funny. The plot for this pilot is nonsense but the point of it all is watching the characters interact and, on that score, this is a flawless episode.
NCIS. Season 4, Episode 19. "Grace Period" I love Jessica Steen and I love her guest shots on NCIS. This is a particularly good one. Her team is killed and she's feeling responsible. The ending is truly shocking.
Joey. Season 2, Episode 17. "Joey and the Big Move" Yes, it has far too much Adam Goldberg (doing his annoying shouting thing) but this isn't a half-bad episode. In fact, there are laughs to be had as Joey moves out and bunch of nerds move into his place. Of course, his place burns down and he moves back. Crazy. What were the writers thinking? It would have been good for the show if he had moved out and his life appeared to be going somewhere. But, no they kept him in that dumb appartment.
Keen Eddie. Episode 1. " Eddie" is not the best episode, but it is still a kick-ass pilot. What it lacks in story, it makes up for in energy and humour. The visuals are amazing, the soundtrack is addictive and the characters are delightful. Eddie's run of bad luck in the opening twenty minutes is hilarious, my favourite bit is the food he eats on the plane and the flashbacks that allow us to see what happened to that food before Eddie ate it.
Karen Sisco. Episode 1. "Blown Away" is a disappointing and unengaging pilot. The star is fantastic, yes, but the story doesn't really cast the lead character in the best light and is a really odd choice for an opening episode. We learn that Karen makes bad choices when it comes to men and gets herself shot on the job. She kinda comes good at the end of the story but I'm not that impressed so far.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 2. "Sock Like Me" definitely falls into the "why isn't this funnier?" category. The central idea (puppet sensitivity training) is inspired but there are no gags most of the time. Any laughs that occur tend to be generated by Warren's one-liners. Everything else is just characters talking. Maybe the producers were hoping we'd be amused by the fact that we're looking at puppets and that that would be enough. Guess what? It's not!
Highlight? Riptide
Sun, Jun 1st, 2008 - Fast Track, Supernatural, Blood Ties, Greg The Bunny
06:30 Fast Track
08:30 Supernatural
12:30 Blood Ties
01:30 Greg The Bunny
Fast Track. Pilot. The lives of four characters criss-cross when each of them gets involved with the world of illegal street racing. And lots of fun it is, too. Lee Goldberg has created four very interesting characters and set up some cool dynamics between all of them. It's got a few good stunts here and there, but most of the two hour pilot is devoted to the relationships betweeen the characters: the deeply-in-debt owner of a garage and her boyfriend, a cop who secretly street races for thrills. Her friend, Mike, wants to be a street racer if she will give him the chance. She won't, but a rich, bored trophy wife is happy to jump into his world, and he's happy to jump into her bed in return. There's some criminal hijinks and a few gun battles along the way and - by the end of it all - the four leads have bonded into a very unusual team. I would love to see more.
Supernatural. Episode 22. "Devil's Trap" There's enough here for three episodes! The first third features the capture of (and final battle with) Meg. It's stunning stuff. The middle third is an action-packed rescue sequence where the boys go after their captured father. It's got multiple possessions, multiple demons and a fair bit of smashing through doorways and shoot-outs in allleyways. The final third is the big confrontation in the deserted cabin where all three actors deliver the best performances of the series. I have nothing new to say about Supernatural at this stage: it's a superb action series which manages - in every single episode - to craft it's storylines around it's characters and - by the end of this first season - it has delivered unto us two really great heroes. Likeable and complex.
Blood Ties. Episode 8. "Heart of Fire" Most of the scenes between Henry and his capturer/torturer are boring. Because it's pretty much the same scene over and over. But, in every other way, this is the show's best episode so far. Mike and Vicki have to work together to find/save Henry. Mike, of course, is responsible for this situation in the first place so it's fascinating to watch him try and fix it, while still maintaining his belief that Henry is evil. The Vicki-Mike relationship is more interesting to me than the Vicki-Henry one. Henry's a vampire, he's dark, mysterious, sexy: she's drawn to him. I get it. I've seen it before on every other vampire show. But the Mike storyline is different. The ex-lover, ex-partner who still cares for Vicki and wants to look out for her. It's more fun, I think, to watch them together. To watch them dealing with their feelings for one another.
By the end of this episode it appears that each of them are having second thoughts about Henry. Mike doesn't use the iluminación del sol to kill Henry, although he knows how to. Very interesting, when you consider that he has just been attacked by Henry and has even mor reason to dislike/distrust him. Even more interesting, as the picture fades and the credits appear, Vicki (who has now seen a new side to Henry) quietly picks up the device and slips it into her pocket...
Greg The Bunny. Episode 1. "Welcome to Sweetknuckle Junction" I've seen various episodes of Greg The Bunny over the years, but never all of them and never in the right order. I've always liked it, but found it to be uneven. Despite it's inspired concept (puppets are real) there are a few unfunny episodes. There are also some hysterical ones. The first episode falls somewhere in the middle. We meet Greg (an out of work puppet looking for an office job who accidently winds up starring in a TV show) and his friend Jimmy, a loser pool-boy who follows Greg into show business (acting as his agent). At heart, it's basically an old-fashioned ensemble situation comedy series, about a mis-matched group who produce a kids TV series. Half of them just happen to be puppets, that's all. Greg's funny, but it's especially worth watching for Warren's one-liners and Sarah Silverman's short skirts!
Highlight? Fast Track
