I Dream Of Jeannie 1.14

Very silly but also very funny. All four regular characters are used to perfection, and the cast are on top form. It’s impossible to single one of them out, they are all so good. 8/10

I Dream Of Jeannie 1.13

Arlene Martel . Surprisingly enjoyable. The first half is slow to get going, but the second half is full of story and neat comedy moments. The ending is a cop out, of course, but it was a fun half-hour. 7/10

I Dream Of Jeannie, Mission: Impossible, The Days And Nights Of Molly Dodd, Superboy

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

06.00 I Dream Of Jeannie
06.30 Mission: Impossible
01.00 The Days And Nights Of Molly Dodd
02.00 Superboy

I Dream Of Jeannie. Episode 6. "The Yacht Murder Case"

Mission: Impossible. Episode 84. "Commandante"

The Days And Nights Of Molly Dodd. Episode 1. "Here's Why Cosmetics Should Come in Unbreakable Bottles"

Superboy. Season 2, Episode 8. "Mr. and Mrs. Superboy"

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Scrubs, I Dream Of Jeannie, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Incredible Hulk, Black Beauty, Corner Gas, Moonlighting

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

06.00 Scrubs
06.30 I Dream Of Jeannie
07.00 The Six Million Dollar Man
08.00 The Incredible Hulk
09.00 Black Beauty
09.30 Corner Gas
10.00 Moonlighting

Scrubs. Season 9, Episode 5. "Our Mysteries"

I Dream Of Jeannie. Episode 5. "G.I. Jeannie"

The Six Million Dollar Man. Episode 6. "Operation Firefly"

The Incredible Hulk. Season 2, Episode 10. "Escape from Los Santos"

Black Beauty. Episode 5. "Runaway"

Corner Gas. Season 5, Episode 17. "The Accidental Cleanist"

Moonlighting. Episode 1. "Moonlighting"

Highlight? Moonlighting
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Friends, I Dream Of Jeannie, The Rockford Files

Friday, December 18th, 2009

05.00 Friends
08.30 I Dream Of Jeannie
09.00 The Rockford Files

Friends. Episode 9. "The One Where Underdog Gets Away" Thanksgiving.

Solid episode where everyone gets something funny to do (particularly Joey). Paulo is mentioned again, thus keeping the (new) serial aspects of the show alive.

I Dream Of Jeannie. Episode 4. "The Marriage Caper" Tony's marriage gets closer.

When the pilot was made Tony was engaged to be married, but the writers/producers obviously decided right away they didn't want to retain that element of things. They could have had the fiance vanish without explanation, of course, but they correctly chose to devote an episode to it.

It's an unfunny episode, where Jeannie does very little, but - at least - they resolved the problem head on.

None of the comedy is particularly great. And the resolution does make Tony and his former fiancee seem a tad shallow, seeing as how easily everyone accepts the end of the engagement and her decision to marry a different guy right away.

Never mind. At least it's done now.

The Rockford Files. Episode 8. "The Big Ripoff" Insurance scam.

Typically complex story, with a guest star (Jill Clayburgh) who doesn't really seem to have any reason being there.

The episode opens with a long sequence that has no dialogue. Just music, and lots and lots of story. Jim is in Europe, shadowing a woman (Suzanne Somers) who may have helped her husband fake his death.

Eventually, our hero returns to the USA and the script has words again.

In the end, Jim is totally swindled out of any cash reward by a mean-spirited insurance investigator but has the last laugh when the crook (at the centre of the story) sends him a reward. It's a lovely ending, and it allows Jim to come out on top. But, in truth, it makes no sense. Why would the guy send Jim these paintings? What did Jim do for him, exactly? At most, all he did was suggest that the guy try and make a deal. Is that worth a huge reward from a guy that we have no reason to assume is, in any way, decent.

Also, what was the point of the Jill Clayburgh character?

So, sure there are flaws here but the script/story is otherwise really good and it's a very, very enjoyable episode. These points here are just niggling things that occur after the credits have rolled.

Highlight? Friends (thanksgiving)
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The Closer, Dexter, I Dream Of Jeannie

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

05.30 The Closer
06.30 Dexter
12.00 I Dream Of Jeannie

The Closer. Season 5, Episode 13. "The Life" Dead kid turns out to have been look-out for a gang rape.

Curiously uninvolving. The jump-cuts showing the victims bruises (at other times during the episode) seem a bit heavy-handed for this show. And they end up taking you out of the action.

Apart from that, it's a solid, but unremarkable, story. Logical detective work leads the team from person to person without surprises. Which is just fine.

The best bits, by bar, are all the little character moments.

Dexter. Season 4, Episode 11. "Hello, Dexter Morgan" Dexter frames someone else as Trinity, while Trinity's daughter makes her final play to please her daddy.

Superb ending, but - apart from that - this strong episode is not quite up to the amazing standard of the previous two.

The performances are amazing, with Courtney Ford and Jennifer Carpenter leading the charge, but some of the story elements fall into place too easily. Dexter's framing of the truck driver as Trinity is so, so easy and the resolution of the Angel/Maria storyline is likewise a bit too neat and quick.

Never mind... the ending is truly superb. Not since the Mayor appeared in the library on Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, have I been this impressed by the audacity of a bad guy.

I Dream Of Jeannie. Episode 3. "Guess What Happened on the Way to the Moon?" Tony and Roger in the desert.

A step up from the previous episode (it provokes laughter, more than once) but it's not close to the quality of the pilot.

Tony and Roger are on assignment in the desert, survival training. Jeannie keeps helping Tony, and ruining the training/experiment. And that's about it. Since they are out on location and a lot of dialogue is directed towards Tony's characterisation it actually feels more like a light adventure show than a comedy series. When Tony is on the receiving end of Jeannie's 'help' it always provokes amusement, but nothing else. As soon as Roger becomes a witness to something odd, the viewer cannot help but laugh out loud. Therein lies the show's successful formula: putting Larry Hagman into cover-up mode. Something he truly excels at.

Not much of that in this episode, so a below par outing.

Highlight? Dexter (ending)
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Scrubs, Melrose Place, The Good Wife, I Dream Of Jeannie

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

07.30 Scrubs
08.00 Melrose Place
11.00 The Good Wife
12.00 I Dream Of Jeannie

Scrubs. Season 9, Episode 1. "Our First Day of School" JD as a teacher.

Strong start to the new season/version of Scrubs, with a good balance between new characters and established characters.

Melrose Place. Episode 11. "June" Jonah and Ella have a serious fight.

Ella is my favourite character in the show, and I particularly love her unrequited love for Jonah (it's pretty much the only thing that makes him interesting). This is a great episode for that storyline. The show makes Jonah the IT guy at Ella's company long enough for him to go snooping and find out that she lied to him about something major that happened earlier in the season. Result: he storms into her office and chews her out, making it clear that their friendship is over. Brilliant. Can't wait to see how Ella gets out of this.

In other developments, David and Lauren grow closer as they plot to lay a trap for Michael.

Great stuff. Reminds me of the best of the original show.

The Good Wife. Episode 7. "Unorthodox" A slip-and-fall case.

Another superb outing with lots and lots of grey areas. The case-of-the-week is very clever. It loses a few points with me for having one of those only-on-TV endings, but the rest of the episode is flawless: Alicia's dealings with her co-counsel, her boss and her son make for rivetting viewing.

I Dream Of Jeannie. Episode 2. "My Hero?" Tony in ancient Persia.

Not as funny as the opening episode. The formula for IDOJ requires Tony to be embarrassed in front of his friends/co-workers to raise laughs, so an episode like this (which features none of the regular cast) doesn't work quite as well. There are a few small laughs to be had (all due to Larry Hagman) but nowhere near the hilarity of the excellent pilot.

Highlight? The Good Wife (grey areas)
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I Dream Of Jeannie, Friends, The Rockford Files, Space: 1999

Friday, November 27th, 2009

06.00 I Dream Of Jeannie
06.30 Friends
07.00 The Rockford Files
08.00 Space: 1999

I Dream Of Jeannie. Episode 1. "The Lady in the Bottle" Tony finds a genie.

Hilarious opening episode which quickly establishes the show's formula for laughs: Tony is forced to behave like a nutcase in front of his co-workers. The best/funniest example of this occurs when our hero gets frantic at the thought of having his garbage taken away. And the whole talking to the neighbour's barbecue smoke comes a close second.

Larry Hagman is superb as Tony, getting funnier the more frantic he gets. Barbara Eden is wonderful as Jeannie. Gorgeous and mischievous. She really owns the role, her body language is brimming with confidence (standing atop chairs with completely nonchalance) and she makes you believe from the get-go that she really is a magical being.

Friends. Episode 1. "The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate" Rachel arrives.

Some elements seem a bit forced (like the opening montage of conversations) but there is a spark here. Monica and Rachel are the only characters to get a proper storyline, and Matthew Perry gets all the best laughs.

The Rockford Files. Episode 5. "Exit Prentiss Carr" Rockford finds a murder scene, reports it to the police and they report finding a suicide...

What a great idea for a story! Jim knows the dead person was murdered, but he can't admit that he entered the hotel room before calling the police. He spends most of the episode fighting with the two cops on the case (who really hate him) and repeatedly questioning his own client (who is lying to him).

A treat from start to finish.

Space: 1999. Episode 8. "Guardian of Piri" Everyone leaves Alpha to live on Piri, with Koenig being the only one who smells a rat.

Unexceptional. Not as weak as the previous episode, but still a bit of a dud. Just an outer space adventure, with a very boring message. The visuals are superb, but there is nothing happening that is worth caring about. Too long for the material. Very weak.

And we never get adequate explanation for why Koenig is the only who doesn't fall under the spell.

Highlight? The Rockford Files (great idea for a story)
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