Many of my readers (all two of you) have probably not heard of Landesberg. I was shocked to learn that so few people knew the man. I would have attributed this to youth, had one of the ignorant not been older than I am.
Steve Landesberg played Arthur Dietrich in one of the best comedies to ever air on TV, Barney Miller. If you've never seen it, you owe it to yourself to watch it. It airs on the U channels in Chicago, but sadly, only the first three seasons have been released on DVD.
Why is Barney Miller so awesome? Well, first of all, it was a true ensemble series, headed by Hal Linden as the kind, put-upon Barney Miller, Abe Vigoda as the ever old and cantankerous Fish, Ron Glass as the vain Ron Harris, Max Gail as the naive "Wojo", Jack Soo as the wry Yemana, and Landesberg as the know-it-all Dietrich.
The humor relied not on pratfalls or one-liners (though they had those in plenty) but in the quirky characters, their interactions with each other and with the crooks and victims in their district. How hard Miller worked to keep sanity in the squad room! Just thinking of some of the plots makes me laugh. Remember the hash brownies? The wolf man? Lugar's mail-order bride?
Dietrich was my favorite. He was smart, dry, and witty. Some great lines:
Miller: You speak German?
Dietrich: Don't you?
Guest: Do you have a Ph.D in psychology?
Dietrich: Yes.
Guest: Got it on ya?
Dietrich (calmly, upon seeing what a suspect had brought to the squad): Where'd we get the atomic bomb?
I only have these because of Wikipedia. Wish I had more.
Reports had erroneously indicated that Landesberg was 65 when he died. Apparently, the man gave out various dates of birth, wanting to be younger to hide his late start as an actor.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Report Card for Fall, 2010 Shows
To be exact, this is a report card on shows I watch. I am afraid to report that I watch only bits and pieces of new shows. This was just not a good year for new shows.
I may not be blogging much (blame my two little niblets for that!), but I'm still watching television. I may not watch the show in the same week it airs, but I'm still watching. This post will discuss how I think the shows are faring this new season.
Chuck
One of the marvels of Chuck is that it has taken science fiction conventions and turned them on their head. In this case, Chuck's family all knows about his superhero powers (I guess that's what you'd call the Intersect) and he landed the hot babe. Chuck's sister is extremely smart, so the writers would have to stretch credulity far more than they already do to have Chuck keep that secret hidden. However, Ellie has made Chuck promise to leave the spy game, a promise Chuck has broken. How long can he hide that from her? Who knows?
Many have decried Chuck's relationship with Sarah Walker as a Moonlighting moment, claiming that the affair has caused the show to jump the shark. I disagree. From what I've read (amazingly enough, I never watched Moonlighting), Moonlighting lost it's spark long before the leads shared a bed. Plus, keeping Chuck and Sarah apart in the past two seasons alone has stretched the writers' abilities, so it was time for them to either come together or get rid of one. And what would Chuck be without Sarah? Or Chuck, for that matter? No, I think the relationship is fine, though some of their arguments are as manufactured as the plot points that kept them apart.
The major reveal of the season is Morgan Grimes, Chuck's Buy-Moron best friend. Last year Morgan learned Chuck's secret and joined the CIA. This season, he was made manager of the CIA-front Buy More, earned John Casey as a mentor, and started dating Casey's daughter. He's a bumbling fool who more often than not is right. In other words, in a way, he's taken on the role Chuck used to have. He's the outsider whose perspective and unusual ways have earned him the respect of John Casey (brilliantly portrayed by Adam Baldwin). He's also earned my respect, and has become the heart of the show.
The first half of this season has focused on Chuck finding his mother (who - surprise, surprise - is also a spy). This plot line has been underwhelming, though Timothy Dalton as the psychotic Volkoff has been a joy.
The Volkoff plot has been a bust, but Morgan makes the grade higher: B.
House
Last season ended with House starting a relationship with Cuddy after almost relapsing into narcotics abuse. Huddy fans rejoiced.
I was never a Huddy fan, but I preferred House with Cuddy than Jennifer Morrison's self-righteous Cameron. Cuddy, at least, was House's emotional and intellectual equal. Plus, unlike Cameron, you knew Cuddy would know exactly what she was getting herself into. And that's what's been so cool about the season. House and Cuddy both know their weaknesses, and have been trying to address them as adults. House has not been made softer (watch him describe his relationship with Cuddy as an episode from Wild Kingdom), and he has resorted to form by lying and manipulating her to get his way, both at work and in their relationship. Many television romances are predictable, and thus boring, but this one so far has not been. I have no idea if they will make it or not. And I like that I don't know.
The only other thing worthy of note is that Peter Jacobson and Olivia Wilde have finally been added to the credits, and Jennifer Morrison's name has been removed. Cameron, I hardly missed you.
That said, this show is clearly aging, and the writers don't seem to acknowledge it. The cases are becoming less interesting, and House's arguments about human nature have been aired many times before. The acting remains top-notch. Grade: B-.
Human Target
This show is the perfect comic book television show. It has succeeded in a way that Heroes can only imagine. Christopher Chance is a former assassin who is now attempting to atone for the harm he has caused. He knows many languages and forms of fighting. He can protect people better than anyone else, but often puts his own life in danger, simply because he doesn't really care if he lives or dies. If he lives, he wants to continue to help others. He is joined by Winston (the incredible Chi McBride) and Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley, how steals just about every scene he's in, except with McBride).
I learned just recently that I missed last season's finale, I presume because of all the changes in cable boxes we experienced this last year. From what I can tell, enemies of Chance took Winston captive to force Chance to help them. Winston was nearly blown up, and Chance was so traumatized that someone he loved almost died because of him. So he joins an ashram in Nepal. Or Tibet. Whichever. He is found by a Melinda Gates-like woman, who's life is in danger after her husband was murdered. After Chance saves her, she essentially "buys" his business. So Indira Varma (of Rome fame) joins the cast.
I've only seen two of three episodes so far this season, and so far, I've found the series to be the same in tone and atmosphere as last season. Mark Valley as Christopher Chance brings a warm, self-deprecatory humor to the role, and the addition of Varma (and a female thief who idolizes Guerrero) has not interfered with that yet. We'll see. In the meantime, I'm giving the show a provisional: A.
Community
Community is the only comedy I have on DVR. I like its zany humor, and I love that John Oliver from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has a recurring role. Last season, the show struck comedy gold when it parodied every bad action flick, with the students of Greendale Community College join a paintball war with the winner earning the right to priority registering. This season they've parodied zombie films and Apollo Thirteen films. Like last season, the episodes are a bit inconsistent - Betty White's guest turn was underwhelming - but it's always a fun half-hour. I'm giving a B+.
Bones
Last season, the group broke up. Bones went to some remote island to study the beginnings of humankind, Booth went to Afghanistan to train would-be snipers, Hodgins and Angela went to Paris, and Sweets grew a beard (or something like that). Caroline Julian, one of Bones' recurring characters who's more interesting than some of the main characters, brings them back to save Camille Saroyan's career. After doing so, the gang's all back together, like nothing's changed.
Or so it would seem. Angela's pregnant (and the storyline where everyone figures it out but keeps it from Hodgins because he wanted to surprise them was deadly dull) and Booth has a serious girlfriend. The girlfriend is the real source of dramatic tension this season, as Bones has to deal with the fact that she rejected Booth, who has moved on. The girlfriend is an accomplished journalist, and quite likable, and Bones has made an effort to be a friend. But it's obvious she recognizes what she passed up, and that Booth still cares for her. It appears that soon Bones' inner turmoil will be expressed. I'll be curious to see how that works out.
Bones remains, as ever, inconsistent, so I'll give it a B-.
Fringe
Fringe is one of those shows that just gets better each year. Last season ended with Walter successfully finding Peter in the other dimension and bringing him home. However, unbeknownst to both of them, they brought along the other dimension's Olivia, called "Fauxlivia". "Our" Olivia remained in the other dimension, where she was experimented upon to discover what it was that allowed her to cross dimensions. While maintaining the "monsters of the week" story line, the show managed to show Fauxlivia's attempts to accomplish whatever she was sent over to do and Olivia's eventually successful attempts to return home.
Anna Torv has shown herself to be a far better actress than she was ever given credit for. Many complained that she was too flat in her portrayal of Olivia, but I thought her lack of affect made sense, given the fact her lover was initially thought to be a traitor. This season, she played two Olivias, and managed to show the tiny, subtle differences that exist between the two. John Noble has always been recognized as a great actor, and his portrayal of two Walters has not disproved that. We see in the alternate Walter - called "Walternate" - what our Walter could have been, and it is not a pretty picture. Joshua Jackson as Peter Bishop remains as watchable as ever.
The Olivias have returned to their rightful universes, and only time will tell what damage Fauxlivia managed to wreck here. The immediate fall out, of course, will occur between Olivia and Peter. Somehow, Peter will have to reconcile his affair with Fauxlivia, and his own inability to recognize her as an impostor. This is one show I look forward to seeing week after week. Grade: A+.
Project Runway
I've already blogged about my impressions of the great season of Project Runway we just had. I never posted my thoughts about the fact that Gretchen won over Mondo, but I refuse to let that disappointment sway me from my opinion. Grade: A.
The Good Wife
I remain captivated by this show, in large part driven by Juliana Margulies's portrayal of a betrayed wife. This season, Alicia's husband campaigns to win his job back, while the law firm she works for has merged with another. The firm's merger may have saved it from bankruptcy, but has created a whole new set of problems, including the addition of a potentially felonious investigator and Diane's decision to leave the firm. Meanwhile, Alicia has just learned that Will apparently left her a message detailing how he feels about her, a message she never got because Eli Gold deleted it. Will's moved on, assuming Alicia moved on. This sounds like a soap opera, doesn't it? But it's still good, and my description doesn't do it justice. The writing is excellent, the acting is impeccable, and the plots are interesting without being predictable. I'm definitely giving this an A.
I never did watch Undercovers. I eventually deleted the episodes. Apparently, I wasn't the only one not watching - the show was canceled.
I've watched a few episodes of Raising Hope. It is amusing, but Cloris Leachman's character is a little too broad and silly for enjoyment. It's fun to watch when I come across it.
I've started watching The Office, and I must say, it turns out I'm a fan. Who knew? I've not seen enough this season to have an opinion as to its grade. Maybe at the end of this season.
You might be justified in accusing me of grade inflation, and you may be right. But why waste my valuable time watching a show that doesn't even warrant a B-?
I may not be blogging much (blame my two little niblets for that!), but I'm still watching television. I may not watch the show in the same week it airs, but I'm still watching. This post will discuss how I think the shows are faring this new season.
Chuck
One of the marvels of Chuck is that it has taken science fiction conventions and turned them on their head. In this case, Chuck's family all knows about his superhero powers (I guess that's what you'd call the Intersect) and he landed the hot babe. Chuck's sister is extremely smart, so the writers would have to stretch credulity far more than they already do to have Chuck keep that secret hidden. However, Ellie has made Chuck promise to leave the spy game, a promise Chuck has broken. How long can he hide that from her? Who knows?
Many have decried Chuck's relationship with Sarah Walker as a Moonlighting moment, claiming that the affair has caused the show to jump the shark. I disagree. From what I've read (amazingly enough, I never watched Moonlighting), Moonlighting lost it's spark long before the leads shared a bed. Plus, keeping Chuck and Sarah apart in the past two seasons alone has stretched the writers' abilities, so it was time for them to either come together or get rid of one. And what would Chuck be without Sarah? Or Chuck, for that matter? No, I think the relationship is fine, though some of their arguments are as manufactured as the plot points that kept them apart.
The major reveal of the season is Morgan Grimes, Chuck's Buy-Moron best friend. Last year Morgan learned Chuck's secret and joined the CIA. This season, he was made manager of the CIA-front Buy More, earned John Casey as a mentor, and started dating Casey's daughter. He's a bumbling fool who more often than not is right. In other words, in a way, he's taken on the role Chuck used to have. He's the outsider whose perspective and unusual ways have earned him the respect of John Casey (brilliantly portrayed by Adam Baldwin). He's also earned my respect, and has become the heart of the show.
The first half of this season has focused on Chuck finding his mother (who - surprise, surprise - is also a spy). This plot line has been underwhelming, though Timothy Dalton as the psychotic Volkoff has been a joy.
The Volkoff plot has been a bust, but Morgan makes the grade higher: B.
House
Last season ended with House starting a relationship with Cuddy after almost relapsing into narcotics abuse. Huddy fans rejoiced.
I was never a Huddy fan, but I preferred House with Cuddy than Jennifer Morrison's self-righteous Cameron. Cuddy, at least, was House's emotional and intellectual equal. Plus, unlike Cameron, you knew Cuddy would know exactly what she was getting herself into. And that's what's been so cool about the season. House and Cuddy both know their weaknesses, and have been trying to address them as adults. House has not been made softer (watch him describe his relationship with Cuddy as an episode from Wild Kingdom), and he has resorted to form by lying and manipulating her to get his way, both at work and in their relationship. Many television romances are predictable, and thus boring, but this one so far has not been. I have no idea if they will make it or not. And I like that I don't know.
The only other thing worthy of note is that Peter Jacobson and Olivia Wilde have finally been added to the credits, and Jennifer Morrison's name has been removed. Cameron, I hardly missed you.
That said, this show is clearly aging, and the writers don't seem to acknowledge it. The cases are becoming less interesting, and House's arguments about human nature have been aired many times before. The acting remains top-notch. Grade: B-.
Human Target
This show is the perfect comic book television show. It has succeeded in a way that Heroes can only imagine. Christopher Chance is a former assassin who is now attempting to atone for the harm he has caused. He knows many languages and forms of fighting. He can protect people better than anyone else, but often puts his own life in danger, simply because he doesn't really care if he lives or dies. If he lives, he wants to continue to help others. He is joined by Winston (the incredible Chi McBride) and Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley, how steals just about every scene he's in, except with McBride).
I learned just recently that I missed last season's finale, I presume because of all the changes in cable boxes we experienced this last year. From what I can tell, enemies of Chance took Winston captive to force Chance to help them. Winston was nearly blown up, and Chance was so traumatized that someone he loved almost died because of him. So he joins an ashram in Nepal. Or Tibet. Whichever. He is found by a Melinda Gates-like woman, who's life is in danger after her husband was murdered. After Chance saves her, she essentially "buys" his business. So Indira Varma (of Rome fame) joins the cast.
I've only seen two of three episodes so far this season, and so far, I've found the series to be the same in tone and atmosphere as last season. Mark Valley as Christopher Chance brings a warm, self-deprecatory humor to the role, and the addition of Varma (and a female thief who idolizes Guerrero) has not interfered with that yet. We'll see. In the meantime, I'm giving the show a provisional: A.
Community
Community is the only comedy I have on DVR. I like its zany humor, and I love that John Oliver from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has a recurring role. Last season, the show struck comedy gold when it parodied every bad action flick, with the students of Greendale Community College join a paintball war with the winner earning the right to priority registering. This season they've parodied zombie films and Apollo Thirteen films. Like last season, the episodes are a bit inconsistent - Betty White's guest turn was underwhelming - but it's always a fun half-hour. I'm giving a B+.
Bones
Last season, the group broke up. Bones went to some remote island to study the beginnings of humankind, Booth went to Afghanistan to train would-be snipers, Hodgins and Angela went to Paris, and Sweets grew a beard (or something like that). Caroline Julian, one of Bones' recurring characters who's more interesting than some of the main characters, brings them back to save Camille Saroyan's career. After doing so, the gang's all back together, like nothing's changed.
Or so it would seem. Angela's pregnant (and the storyline where everyone figures it out but keeps it from Hodgins because he wanted to surprise them was deadly dull) and Booth has a serious girlfriend. The girlfriend is the real source of dramatic tension this season, as Bones has to deal with the fact that she rejected Booth, who has moved on. The girlfriend is an accomplished journalist, and quite likable, and Bones has made an effort to be a friend. But it's obvious she recognizes what she passed up, and that Booth still cares for her. It appears that soon Bones' inner turmoil will be expressed. I'll be curious to see how that works out.
Bones remains, as ever, inconsistent, so I'll give it a B-.
Fringe
Fringe is one of those shows that just gets better each year. Last season ended with Walter successfully finding Peter in the other dimension and bringing him home. However, unbeknownst to both of them, they brought along the other dimension's Olivia, called "Fauxlivia". "Our" Olivia remained in the other dimension, where she was experimented upon to discover what it was that allowed her to cross dimensions. While maintaining the "monsters of the week" story line, the show managed to show Fauxlivia's attempts to accomplish whatever she was sent over to do and Olivia's eventually successful attempts to return home.
Anna Torv has shown herself to be a far better actress than she was ever given credit for. Many complained that she was too flat in her portrayal of Olivia, but I thought her lack of affect made sense, given the fact her lover was initially thought to be a traitor. This season, she played two Olivias, and managed to show the tiny, subtle differences that exist between the two. John Noble has always been recognized as a great actor, and his portrayal of two Walters has not disproved that. We see in the alternate Walter - called "Walternate" - what our Walter could have been, and it is not a pretty picture. Joshua Jackson as Peter Bishop remains as watchable as ever.
The Olivias have returned to their rightful universes, and only time will tell what damage Fauxlivia managed to wreck here. The immediate fall out, of course, will occur between Olivia and Peter. Somehow, Peter will have to reconcile his affair with Fauxlivia, and his own inability to recognize her as an impostor. This is one show I look forward to seeing week after week. Grade: A+.
Project Runway
I've already blogged about my impressions of the great season of Project Runway we just had. I never posted my thoughts about the fact that Gretchen won over Mondo, but I refuse to let that disappointment sway me from my opinion. Grade: A.
The Good Wife
I remain captivated by this show, in large part driven by Juliana Margulies's portrayal of a betrayed wife. This season, Alicia's husband campaigns to win his job back, while the law firm she works for has merged with another. The firm's merger may have saved it from bankruptcy, but has created a whole new set of problems, including the addition of a potentially felonious investigator and Diane's decision to leave the firm. Meanwhile, Alicia has just learned that Will apparently left her a message detailing how he feels about her, a message she never got because Eli Gold deleted it. Will's moved on, assuming Alicia moved on. This sounds like a soap opera, doesn't it? But it's still good, and my description doesn't do it justice. The writing is excellent, the acting is impeccable, and the plots are interesting without being predictable. I'm definitely giving this an A.
I never did watch Undercovers. I eventually deleted the episodes. Apparently, I wasn't the only one not watching - the show was canceled.
I've watched a few episodes of Raising Hope. It is amusing, but Cloris Leachman's character is a little too broad and silly for enjoyment. It's fun to watch when I come across it.
I've started watching The Office, and I must say, it turns out I'm a fan. Who knew? I've not seen enough this season to have an opinion as to its grade. Maybe at the end of this season.
You might be justified in accusing me of grade inflation, and you may be right. But why waste my valuable time watching a show that doesn't even warrant a B-?
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Project Runway Returns to Form
I can't keep up with how long Project Runway has been on Lifetime, but I recall enough to know that this is the best season since it changed cable networks. As with any competition show such as Project Runway, the success of the show depends almost entirely on their contestants. Yes, they have to have good hosts, etc., and challenging projects for the contestants, but if the contestants are dull, so is the show.
This season, we've had a number of very talented designers, such that the last two eliminations were almost as difficult for me as for the eliminated contestant. As I watched the most recent episode (the first half of the finale), I just about had to reach for a Kleenex. But we've also had characters with...well, character. Some have been good, and some have not. We even had a hometown contestant in Peach Carr, who has a shop in the northern suburbs of Chicago. She was the oldest contestant, and was a favorite. I didn't think she'd win, and I'm spoiling nothing here when I comment that she didn't, but she fit in well with the group and was genuinely a nice person. (I know, you can argue that I have no idea if she's really a nice person of if she's the beneficiary of good editing. Leave me alone!).
Mondo Guerra is another contestant, and my favorite at this time to win. He dresses uniquely, and is extremely talented, especially at mixing patterns and using colors. I didn't think he'd make it at first, given that he felt disconnected from the other contestants. But he was the first to notice that Michael C (discussed below) was actually not a bad designer.
Let's not forget Casanova, from Puerto Rico, who made one of the most god-awful outfits in the first episode that I wouldn't have been surprised had he been auf'd. (He was, much later). His English was iffy at best, but he was quite amusing and appeared to be loved by all. He certainly smiled a lot.
Much of the drama centered around Michael Costello (called Michael C to differentiate from Michael Drummond). No one thought Michael C had any talent or skill. Yet he won challenge after challenge. At one point, the contestants had to rely on another to execute their design, and Mondo found himself partnered with Michael C. Mondo wasn't happy at first, but he later acknowledged that he had been a bitch for no reason. Michael C made it to the final four.
Ivy was a contestant I couldn't stand. An excellent seamstress, she didn't seem to have any real talent for designing, but she did for stirring up trouble. She told the other contestants that Michael C was calling her names, and when brought back for a challenge after being eliminated, accused Michael C of cheating earlier. I was never so proud of Tim Gunn as when he basically said that no producer or camera saw anything, and since it occurred a while ago, the incident was closed. I'd like to add that no camera caught Michael C calling her names either.
Next week the show is having its first reunion in a number of seasons. With this cast of characters, the reunion should be exciting.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Season Finale of Mad Men
For the first time in a long time, B and I are actually caught up with Mad Men. Last night we watched the episode only 30 minutes behind the actual airing. It was an enjoyable and thought-provoking episode.
The entire season was focused on the question "Who is Don Draper?" Haughty and hostile when asked that in the first episode in the season, he ended the season telling Sally and Bobby that he was once called "Dick", even as he minimized the importance of the name. It was a tough season for Don: the woman who knew him better than any other died, his company nearly went under, and his drinking led to a "lost weekend" for him.
Don's divorce left him adrift. He sought solace pretty much in the arms of anyone in a skirt and as already noted, took his drinking to all new levels. His love interest for the season, Dr. Faye Miller, refused him at first, but eventually became his lover, an equal. He even cost her her job when he announced to the world at large that he gave up cigarettes (actually, they gave him up). So, who wasn't surprised when he proposed to Megan?
Megan was his beautiful secretary who agreed to travel to California with him to watch his children. She was gentle and caring with the kids, and gentle and caring with him. When the juice spilled, ruining the perfection of the family, she thought nothing of it, mopping it up and refusing to let it ruin her day.
Why Megan? B read a post on Salon that Don's proposal was another attempt by Don to buy into the perfect, shiny happy family. The first attempt with Betty was an utter failure, of course, and his children are far from perfect, especially Sally, but clearly Don isn't quitting. But I don't know that I agree. Don was devastated by the death of Anna Draper, the real Don Draper's widow. And Megan's gentle demeanor could be very appealing to Don after the brittle Betty. That said, Megan is certainly not Don's intellectual equal as Faye Miller could have been.
Perhaps we'll learn next season what the meaning of Don's choice is. Some other thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed Peggy griping about Don's engagement with Joan. Peggy continues to grow into her own at the office, certainly putting various male co-workers in their place when needed. I'm not quite clear on her relationship with Don, and why each is so important to the other. But he's certainly pushed her all along to stand on her own two feet. Unless, of course, he wins an advertising award, when he takes all the credit! Her personal life brought her new friends and a new lover (who isn't glad that her icky relationship with Duck is over?). And leave it to Peggy to bring the first new business into the firm after the pull out of Lucky Strike.
Pete became a father (again), and nearly destroyed his relationship with his father-in-law. Having just recently given birth myself, I was amused that Pete was essentially run out of the hospital by his in-laws. B would have been killed had he tried. Pete also has an unusual relationship with Don, which cost him a new client when NASA started a background check on Don. Don, however, made it up to Pete by paying his part of the firm assessment to pay for salaries.
Never a fan of Betty's, it was a hard season for those who are. Betty could easily win worst mother in TV Land for her interactions with Sally. Sally cuts her own hair; Betty slaps her. Sally hangs around with Glen; Betty finally decides to move out of Don's house. She even fired Carla, her housekeeper and just about the only stable presence in the Draper children's lives, for allowing Glen to say good bye to Sally. Even her new husband was exasperated by her smallness.
Joan reignited her affair with Roger Sterling this season, resulting in a pregnancy. Roger made all the arrangements for an abortion, and it seemed that she followed through on it. But the biggest surprise of the finale was her revelation that she hadn't yet. Her husband believes the child is his, and appears to be thrilled. Her affair with Roger is over, and his handling of the Lucky Strike withdrawal may have cost him her respect.
Ken Cosgrove is back, buying himself into the new firm with his client list. I'm not sure how long the relationship will last, though, after he refused to use his future in-laws to land a client. I loved it. Go Ken!
Roger had a terrible time this season. He was humiliated by his Lucky Strike client, Lee Gardner, Jr., who then left the firm unceremoniously (I'm sure I'm not the only viewer who thought that everyone is better off without Gardner in their lives). His firm tried to woo some Japanese clients, despite Roger's obvious antipathy toward the former enemy. I think that Cooper said it best. The tragedy of Roger is that he never took himself seriously, so no one else did, either.
Sally Draper was the break out character of the season, and my heart broke for her. Sally was a sweet girl, but she was also rebellious. As such, she was not the perfect daughter that Betty expected. The entire season pitted the two against each other, with Sally losing every time. But Sally's time with a therapist seemed to make a difference, if only to teach Sally to keep her unhappiness to herself.
There's so much that happened this season that I just can't address. Don's lost weekend. Sally's running away to live with her father. Mrs. Blankenship's untimely demise. Bertrand Cooper leaving the firm carrying his shoes. Ted Chaogh's antagonizing of Don. As always, so many layers to contemplate, and only so much time.
Buffyverse fan alert: Danny Strong joined the cast as Danny Siegel. Danny joined the firm as a cousin of Roger's new wife, and left after Lucky Strike pulled out. He grew on Peggy.
The entire season was focused on the question "Who is Don Draper?" Haughty and hostile when asked that in the first episode in the season, he ended the season telling Sally and Bobby that he was once called "Dick", even as he minimized the importance of the name. It was a tough season for Don: the woman who knew him better than any other died, his company nearly went under, and his drinking led to a "lost weekend" for him.
Don's divorce left him adrift. He sought solace pretty much in the arms of anyone in a skirt and as already noted, took his drinking to all new levels. His love interest for the season, Dr. Faye Miller, refused him at first, but eventually became his lover, an equal. He even cost her her job when he announced to the world at large that he gave up cigarettes (actually, they gave him up). So, who wasn't surprised when he proposed to Megan?
Megan was his beautiful secretary who agreed to travel to California with him to watch his children. She was gentle and caring with the kids, and gentle and caring with him. When the juice spilled, ruining the perfection of the family, she thought nothing of it, mopping it up and refusing to let it ruin her day.
Why Megan? B read a post on Salon that Don's proposal was another attempt by Don to buy into the perfect, shiny happy family. The first attempt with Betty was an utter failure, of course, and his children are far from perfect, especially Sally, but clearly Don isn't quitting. But I don't know that I agree. Don was devastated by the death of Anna Draper, the real Don Draper's widow. And Megan's gentle demeanor could be very appealing to Don after the brittle Betty. That said, Megan is certainly not Don's intellectual equal as Faye Miller could have been.
Perhaps we'll learn next season what the meaning of Don's choice is. Some other thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed Peggy griping about Don's engagement with Joan. Peggy continues to grow into her own at the office, certainly putting various male co-workers in their place when needed. I'm not quite clear on her relationship with Don, and why each is so important to the other. But he's certainly pushed her all along to stand on her own two feet. Unless, of course, he wins an advertising award, when he takes all the credit! Her personal life brought her new friends and a new lover (who isn't glad that her icky relationship with Duck is over?). And leave it to Peggy to bring the first new business into the firm after the pull out of Lucky Strike.
Pete became a father (again), and nearly destroyed his relationship with his father-in-law. Having just recently given birth myself, I was amused that Pete was essentially run out of the hospital by his in-laws. B would have been killed had he tried. Pete also has an unusual relationship with Don, which cost him a new client when NASA started a background check on Don. Don, however, made it up to Pete by paying his part of the firm assessment to pay for salaries.
Never a fan of Betty's, it was a hard season for those who are. Betty could easily win worst mother in TV Land for her interactions with Sally. Sally cuts her own hair; Betty slaps her. Sally hangs around with Glen; Betty finally decides to move out of Don's house. She even fired Carla, her housekeeper and just about the only stable presence in the Draper children's lives, for allowing Glen to say good bye to Sally. Even her new husband was exasperated by her smallness.
Joan reignited her affair with Roger Sterling this season, resulting in a pregnancy. Roger made all the arrangements for an abortion, and it seemed that she followed through on it. But the biggest surprise of the finale was her revelation that she hadn't yet. Her husband believes the child is his, and appears to be thrilled. Her affair with Roger is over, and his handling of the Lucky Strike withdrawal may have cost him her respect.
Ken Cosgrove is back, buying himself into the new firm with his client list. I'm not sure how long the relationship will last, though, after he refused to use his future in-laws to land a client. I loved it. Go Ken!
Roger had a terrible time this season. He was humiliated by his Lucky Strike client, Lee Gardner, Jr., who then left the firm unceremoniously (I'm sure I'm not the only viewer who thought that everyone is better off without Gardner in their lives). His firm tried to woo some Japanese clients, despite Roger's obvious antipathy toward the former enemy. I think that Cooper said it best. The tragedy of Roger is that he never took himself seriously, so no one else did, either.
Sally Draper was the break out character of the season, and my heart broke for her. Sally was a sweet girl, but she was also rebellious. As such, she was not the perfect daughter that Betty expected. The entire season pitted the two against each other, with Sally losing every time. But Sally's time with a therapist seemed to make a difference, if only to teach Sally to keep her unhappiness to herself.
There's so much that happened this season that I just can't address. Don's lost weekend. Sally's running away to live with her father. Mrs. Blankenship's untimely demise. Bertrand Cooper leaving the firm carrying his shoes. Ted Chaogh's antagonizing of Don. As always, so many layers to contemplate, and only so much time.
Buffyverse fan alert: Danny Strong joined the cast as Danny Siegel. Danny joined the firm as a cousin of Roger's new wife, and left after Lucky Strike pulled out. He grew on Peggy.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
The Fall Season
I must say I'm sadly underwhelmed by the new season this year. For the first time in I can't tell how long, I'm not adding a single show to my "must see" list. Some thoughts:
I don't know why I wasn't interested in The Event, touted by many as the next Lost. As you know, I like me some Lost, but nothing about the show interested me in any way. I'm happy that Jason Ritter (from Joan of Arcadia), ER's Laura Innes, and go-to guy Blair Underwood have found work, but their presence is not enough to make me want to watch. I saw a half hour the other day. As you may recall, I didn't start Lost from the first episode. But I caught part of an episode later in the season, and I found myself enthralled and wanting to know more. That's not the case with my glimpse into The Event. None of the characters jumped out at me, and I'm totally not interested in knowing why some characters will do anything to get Jason Ritter's character.
I did watch a full episode of the revamped Hawaii Five-O, solely to watch Daniel Dae Kim's new show. The powers-that-be have been desperate to find a vehicle for Alex O'Loughlin. His first show, Moonlight, was a cult favorite that was cancelled too soon (full disclosure: I never watched it). His second show was the abysmal Three Rivers, which found itself on the chopping block pretty quickly. I think he's found a successful show, however, in Hawaii Five-O, in which he takes over from Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett. He's joined by Scott Caan as Danno, Kim as Chin Ho Kelly, and Grace Park as the now female Kono. I watched the premiere, and will watch no more. I found the dialogue to be cliched, the characters to be cardboard, and the villain (played by the former Spike, James Marsters) to be dull.
I have on a season pass of sorts Undercovers, a new show by J.J. Abrams. I've yet to watch a single episode. That tells me I'm not looking forward to it, and I may just have to cancel the whole thing. I never watched Alias, so maybe I just don't like the genre?
I also tried to watch No Ordinary Family, starring the former Darla and Dexter's Rita Morgan, Julie Benz. She's joined by Michael Chiklis and one of the Panabaker girls. You would think the show is right up my geek-girl alley. The family takes a trip, the plane crashes, and each has a special power afterward. But I found nothing new or unusual in the pilot, just a family drama filled with cliches, in which the family just happens to develop powers. It doesn't help that the show has one of the worst cliches of all time: the stereotypical troubled teenager.
Lost and Buffyverse fan alert: Daniel Dae Kim (Jin and Gavin Park) plays Chin Ho Kelly in the revamped Hawaii Five-O.
Buffyverse fan alert: James Marsters, Spike, played a villain in the premiere episode of Hawaii Five-O. Does Marsters just not want a series or do producers not recognize his charisma? Granted, his charisma was not in evidence in this episode... Also, Julie Benz, Darla, plays Stephanie Power in No Ordinary Family.
I don't know why I wasn't interested in The Event, touted by many as the next Lost. As you know, I like me some Lost, but nothing about the show interested me in any way. I'm happy that Jason Ritter (from Joan of Arcadia), ER's Laura Innes, and go-to guy Blair Underwood have found work, but their presence is not enough to make me want to watch. I saw a half hour the other day. As you may recall, I didn't start Lost from the first episode. But I caught part of an episode later in the season, and I found myself enthralled and wanting to know more. That's not the case with my glimpse into The Event. None of the characters jumped out at me, and I'm totally not interested in knowing why some characters will do anything to get Jason Ritter's character.
I did watch a full episode of the revamped Hawaii Five-O, solely to watch Daniel Dae Kim's new show. The powers-that-be have been desperate to find a vehicle for Alex O'Loughlin. His first show, Moonlight, was a cult favorite that was cancelled too soon (full disclosure: I never watched it). His second show was the abysmal Three Rivers, which found itself on the chopping block pretty quickly. I think he's found a successful show, however, in Hawaii Five-O, in which he takes over from Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett. He's joined by Scott Caan as Danno, Kim as Chin Ho Kelly, and Grace Park as the now female Kono. I watched the premiere, and will watch no more. I found the dialogue to be cliched, the characters to be cardboard, and the villain (played by the former Spike, James Marsters) to be dull.
I have on a season pass of sorts Undercovers, a new show by J.J. Abrams. I've yet to watch a single episode. That tells me I'm not looking forward to it, and I may just have to cancel the whole thing. I never watched Alias, so maybe I just don't like the genre?
I also tried to watch No Ordinary Family, starring the former Darla and Dexter's Rita Morgan, Julie Benz. She's joined by Michael Chiklis and one of the Panabaker girls. You would think the show is right up my geek-girl alley. The family takes a trip, the plane crashes, and each has a special power afterward. But I found nothing new or unusual in the pilot, just a family drama filled with cliches, in which the family just happens to develop powers. It doesn't help that the show has one of the worst cliches of all time: the stereotypical troubled teenager.
Lost and Buffyverse fan alert: Daniel Dae Kim (Jin and Gavin Park) plays Chin Ho Kelly in the revamped Hawaii Five-O.
Buffyverse fan alert: James Marsters, Spike, played a villain in the premiere episode of Hawaii Five-O. Does Marsters just not want a series or do producers not recognize his charisma? Granted, his charisma was not in evidence in this episode... Also, Julie Benz, Darla, plays Stephanie Power in No Ordinary Family.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Watching TV During Maternity Leave
I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted. For a while there, the only posts I had were all about dead celebrities. This got on my own nerves, so I stopped.
Why such rare posts? Well, that's what happens when you give birth to twins, prematurely. Well, when you give birth to twins, period. Newborns take up a lot of time. It's hard to take the time to get on the computer and write posts about the television one is watching. At least, it was for me.
I ended up watching more television than I thought I would, mainly during the day. The nice thing about newborns is that they sleep a lot. Swaddle 'em, feed 'em, hold 'em, they'll be more or less happy.
So, what did I watch? Well, sadly, a lot of Wife Swap. I had actually seen some before I gave birth, and I have to admit, I feel ashamed that I watched as much as I did. The premise of the show is simple: two women trade families. The families are opposites in major ways, resulting in a lot of drama as each family adjusts to the new addition. One family might be uptight overachievers while the other might be easygoing free spirits. Conflict always ensues, and sometimes the parents (and children) actually learn something. But I tired of the show pretty quickly, as the families never seemed to have any tolerance for the differences between them. The transplanted wife never wanted to learn about the family she joined, instead, judging them for their chosen lifestyles.
The most interesting episodes centered around the family of the Balloon Boy. Remember them? Richard and Mayumi Heene were in two episodes, and I have to say, I was not impressed by either. He's a hostile loud-mouth and she's a flake. Their children are doomed.
I watched a lot of "retro" television, including Hawaii Five-O and The Streets of San Francisco. Of the two, I think that I liked the latter better. Mike Stone, played by Karl Malden, was a compassionate cop with a wry sense of humor. I liked him. I also enjoyed seeing the guests stars on both shows. Wow, I can't believe they aired over 30 years ago.
Finally, the one show I watched that surprised me was Grey's Anatomy. My husband once told me he'd divorce me if I ever watched it. I figured the show was silly, so his ultimatum never bothered me. But it airs on Lifetime, and I've seen few episodes, so it was perfect. And better than I thought. Yes, some story lines were annoying. Anything with Callie Torres was sure to elicit eye rolling. But I found myself actually like the characters of Meredith and especially Miranda Bailey. And I even liked McDreamy. Who knew?
I also watched my soap opera, As the World Turns, which was canceled and ended its run in September. It was nice to see the story lines all wrapped up. I'm sorry to see it go, though, as Guiding Light was canceled last year. I spent many summer days with my mother, watching these two hours of soap operas during the hottest part of the day.
Now I'm back at work, so I'm back to mostly watching prime time. I'll be back soon to share my thoughts about the new shows this fall season and my returning favorites.
Why such rare posts? Well, that's what happens when you give birth to twins, prematurely. Well, when you give birth to twins, period. Newborns take up a lot of time. It's hard to take the time to get on the computer and write posts about the television one is watching. At least, it was for me.
I ended up watching more television than I thought I would, mainly during the day. The nice thing about newborns is that they sleep a lot. Swaddle 'em, feed 'em, hold 'em, they'll be more or less happy.
So, what did I watch? Well, sadly, a lot of Wife Swap. I had actually seen some before I gave birth, and I have to admit, I feel ashamed that I watched as much as I did. The premise of the show is simple: two women trade families. The families are opposites in major ways, resulting in a lot of drama as each family adjusts to the new addition. One family might be uptight overachievers while the other might be easygoing free spirits. Conflict always ensues, and sometimes the parents (and children) actually learn something. But I tired of the show pretty quickly, as the families never seemed to have any tolerance for the differences between them. The transplanted wife never wanted to learn about the family she joined, instead, judging them for their chosen lifestyles.
The most interesting episodes centered around the family of the Balloon Boy. Remember them? Richard and Mayumi Heene were in two episodes, and I have to say, I was not impressed by either. He's a hostile loud-mouth and she's a flake. Their children are doomed.
I watched a lot of "retro" television, including Hawaii Five-O and The Streets of San Francisco. Of the two, I think that I liked the latter better. Mike Stone, played by Karl Malden, was a compassionate cop with a wry sense of humor. I liked him. I also enjoyed seeing the guests stars on both shows. Wow, I can't believe they aired over 30 years ago.
Finally, the one show I watched that surprised me was Grey's Anatomy. My husband once told me he'd divorce me if I ever watched it. I figured the show was silly, so his ultimatum never bothered me. But it airs on Lifetime, and I've seen few episodes, so it was perfect. And better than I thought. Yes, some story lines were annoying. Anything with Callie Torres was sure to elicit eye rolling. But I found myself actually like the characters of Meredith and especially Miranda Bailey. And I even liked McDreamy. Who knew?
I also watched my soap opera, As the World Turns, which was canceled and ended its run in September. It was nice to see the story lines all wrapped up. I'm sorry to see it go, though, as Guiding Light was canceled last year. I spent many summer days with my mother, watching these two hours of soap operas during the hottest part of the day.
Now I'm back at work, so I'm back to mostly watching prime time. I'll be back soon to share my thoughts about the new shows this fall season and my returning favorites.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
'Designing Women,' 'Desperate Housewives' Star Dixie Carter Dead at 70
'Designing Women,' 'Desperate Housewives' Star Dixie Carter Dead at 70
I watched Designing Women - of course I did! How could I not? It took place in Atlanta, and starred four very interesting actresses. I found all the characters interesting, but Julia Sugarbaker was a little different from the rest. She shared her opinion, always articulately, always passionately. And her opinions were not ill-informed; indeed, she was one of the smartest characters on TV, male or female.
It turns out that Dixie Carter was not as liberal as her character. Whenever the liberality of Julia's opinions would get too much for the actress, the producers would arrange for her to sing a song. A compromise, of sorts.
I saw her a few times in Desperate Housewives - she was just as good in that as she was in Designing Women.
Goodbye, Ms. Carter. You brought a lot to popular entertainment.
I watched Designing Women - of course I did! How could I not? It took place in Atlanta, and starred four very interesting actresses. I found all the characters interesting, but Julia Sugarbaker was a little different from the rest. She shared her opinion, always articulately, always passionately. And her opinions were not ill-informed; indeed, she was one of the smartest characters on TV, male or female.
It turns out that Dixie Carter was not as liberal as her character. Whenever the liberality of Julia's opinions would get too much for the actress, the producers would arrange for her to sing a song. A compromise, of sorts.
I saw her a few times in Desperate Housewives - she was just as good in that as she was in Designing Women.
Goodbye, Ms. Carter. You brought a lot to popular entertainment.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Cable Drama Finales
Well, I must apologize. It's been a long time since I've posted. There hasn't been a whole lot going on in the world of television, but that's not my excuse. Here's some unsolicited, un-television-related advice for you. If you find yourself pregnant with twins, don't decide to buy a house. Stupid. Just stupid!
Because of all that, I'm way behind on my television. But this past weekend, I finally saw the final finale of three of my cable shows. I thought I'd give my impressions.
Leverage
Leverage is new for me. I didn't see the first season, except for a couple episodes. Those episodes impressed me so much that I put Leverage on my DVR schedule. As you know, the relationships between characters is often what draws me in to a show. It's one of the things I love about Lost and about Bones. If the relationships aren't true, or are forced, I will eventually lose interest. Heroes is one show that lost me because of their failure to develop characters who could grow.
Leverage has a host of interesting characters. Nate Ford is a former insurance investigator who quit the business and sank into a drunken rage when his son died after the insurance company refused to pay for treatment. For reasons I don't understand, seeing as I never saw the pilot, Nate decided to help someone, but he needed skills he didn't possess. So, he found a grifter, hitter, thief, and hacker. All four of these characters were basically amoral who used their skills to help themselves, not others.
Sophie is the grifter. She's also an actress, but a terrible one when on stage. She fabulous when working a con. She works the most with Nate, and a romance of sorts is brewing between them. She humanizes most of the other characters who are somewhat socially limited. Sophie left to travel for a number of months "to find herself". The real reason is that Gina Bellwood, the actress who plays Sophie, was on maternity leave.
Eliot is the hitter. He's the hitter because he doesn't really like using weapons, though he can if he must. Skilled in martial arts, he mostly protects the group. He's often assumed to be a dumb jock, but he's actually smarter than he looks. He likes being underestimated.
Parker is the thief. No one knows if that is her first or last name. Raised in a number of foster homes, she is socially backward and relies on Sophie to help her with social skills. She is an extremely skilled thief, and is probably the most amoral of the group.
Lastly, Hardison is the hacker. He was also raised in foster homes, though it sounds like his childhood was more stable than Parker's. He's a self-professed geek who is able to hack into just about any computer system. However, in a funny joke, he did point out that he cannot "hack a hick."
But that doesn't tell you what the relationships between the characters are. Sophie and Nate are attracted to each other, but, of course, they keep fighting it. Hardison is attracted to Parker, but she doesn't recognize his flirting for what it is. Eliot is protective of the team, though he gets frustrated when Nate doesn't give them all the information he believes he needs. The group broke up at the end of the first season (for reasons unknown to me), but the four thieves found that they couldn't return to their normal lives. They liked helping people too much.
Nate changed the most in the second season. He sobered up during the break between seasons, but relapsed during a job. Although he tried to curtail his drinking, he never quite gave it up. He made it clear that, unlike his cohorts, he was not a thief. All he was doing in setting up his cons was helping the downtrodden get what was rightly theirs from the rich and powerful. He always maintained an aura of superiority over his colleagues, which they did not fail to note. But in the final episode, Nate lost control over his con and his own actions, partially due to alcohol and partially due to other reasons too long to discuss here. His team confronted him on a few occasions, but he insisted he was fine. What his team didn't know was that he had been caught.
In exchange for his assistance, Nate would go free, but his team was not. After all, they were thieves, Nate was not. There appeared to be no way out. But, as usual, Nate outsmarted the officials. The only evidence to convict a truly evil dude was Nate's testimony. And the price for his testimony: his colleagues go free. His team was not grateful, however. Sophie even slapped him. As they took off in a helicopter, Nate pronounced to the world, "I am a thief."
I guess they'll have to get the team back together in the first episode next season.
White Collar
White Collar has been essentially mind candy. The only reason to watch it, other than the impossibly handsome Matt Bomer, is the bromance between Bomer's Neal and Tim DeKay's Peter. Peter was the only FBI who could capture Neal (which he did, twice), but is hesitant when Neal suggests that Peter allow him to help solve white collar crimes. You know, an "it takes a thief" kind of thing. Have you ever noticed that thieves are all terribly handsome?
Despite his reluctance to work with Neal, and despite the differences in their character, Peter finds himself appreciating Neal's skill and enthusiasm. He finds himself relying on Neal's advice on their cases and in his personal life. He even moves in with Neal when his home is being wired (that didn't work out so well).
But as Neal got involved in a plan to steal a music box to free his girlfriend, Peter becomes suspicious. He tries to talk Neal out of the theft, even promising to arrest Neal if he attempts the crime. Peter's no fool, though, and he realizes Neal will go forward with his plans regardless. What Neal didn't anticipate was the effect this would have on Peter - Peter's wife was accused of various crimes (clearly bogus), and Peter was suspended for two weeks.
Of course, Neal stole the music box, and Peter couldn't arrest Neal because Peter was on suspension. Neal is promised to be reuinited with his girlfriend with a new identity. He says good bye to everyone, except Peter. Peter find him, and Neal acknowledges he didn't say good bye to Peter because Peter was the only one who could talk Neal out of escaping with his girlfriend. Frankly, I thought Peter was doing a bad job of convincing Neal to stay, but it turns out his intervention saved Neal's life, as the airplane containing the girlfriend (allegedly) exploded.
Burn Notice
Michael Weston has spent three years trying desparately to find out why he was burned from the CIA. In this season's finale, we finally learned why. A rogue agent was so bad that he was placed in a remote jail. Because a power that is needed someone like this rogue agent, they altered Michael's file so that it appears Michael committed the horrible acts of the rogue agent. Both the rogue agent, Simon, and Michael protest they want their lives back. But Simon, who has escaped from his jail, is a true psychopath, and doesn't care who he kills to get what he wants. He even bribes Michael into helping him by putting explosives in a Miami hotel. If Michael doesn't help, the bomb goes off.
The FBI are onto Michael and his activities, and they believe what his CIA file contains. They try to find him, interrogating his mother, Maddy. Despite their attempts to convince her that Michael is a killer, she refuses to give her son up, and is eventually arrested by the FBI. But she's devastated. Michael managed to stop Simon, but was captured by the FBI. Within 2o minutes of his capture, another "suit" took custody of Michael. We last saw Michael being led in chains with a hood over his head to a meeting. But Maddy has no idea where her son is. Her distress was palpable.
Buffyverse fan alert - Christian Kane, Lindsey McDonald on Angel, plays Eliot on Leverage. The two characters are not all that alike. Lindsey was amoral, yes, but he committed his evil as an attorney for the soulless (literally) Wolfram and Hart. Eliot, on the other hand, prefers to use his fists, and has discovered that he has a desire to help people.
Deadwood fan alert and The 4400 fan alert. Garret Dillahunt, Francis Wolcott and Jack McCall on Deadwood and Matthew Ross on The 4400, played Simon on Burn Notice. I wonder, is Dillahunt as disturbed as the characters he plays?
Lost fan alert - Marsha Thomason, Naomi Dorrit on Lost, plays an FBI agent on White Collar. She is apparently joining the cast for the next season. Although she has an American accent on White Collar, she really is from Manchester, England, just like Naomi.
Because of all that, I'm way behind on my television. But this past weekend, I finally saw the final finale of three of my cable shows. I thought I'd give my impressions.
Leverage
Leverage is new for me. I didn't see the first season, except for a couple episodes. Those episodes impressed me so much that I put Leverage on my DVR schedule. As you know, the relationships between characters is often what draws me in to a show. It's one of the things I love about Lost and about Bones. If the relationships aren't true, or are forced, I will eventually lose interest. Heroes is one show that lost me because of their failure to develop characters who could grow.
Leverage has a host of interesting characters. Nate Ford is a former insurance investigator who quit the business and sank into a drunken rage when his son died after the insurance company refused to pay for treatment. For reasons I don't understand, seeing as I never saw the pilot, Nate decided to help someone, but he needed skills he didn't possess. So, he found a grifter, hitter, thief, and hacker. All four of these characters were basically amoral who used their skills to help themselves, not others.
Sophie is the grifter. She's also an actress, but a terrible one when on stage. She fabulous when working a con. She works the most with Nate, and a romance of sorts is brewing between them. She humanizes most of the other characters who are somewhat socially limited. Sophie left to travel for a number of months "to find herself". The real reason is that Gina Bellwood, the actress who plays Sophie, was on maternity leave.
Eliot is the hitter. He's the hitter because he doesn't really like using weapons, though he can if he must. Skilled in martial arts, he mostly protects the group. He's often assumed to be a dumb jock, but he's actually smarter than he looks. He likes being underestimated.
Parker is the thief. No one knows if that is her first or last name. Raised in a number of foster homes, she is socially backward and relies on Sophie to help her with social skills. She is an extremely skilled thief, and is probably the most amoral of the group.
Lastly, Hardison is the hacker. He was also raised in foster homes, though it sounds like his childhood was more stable than Parker's. He's a self-professed geek who is able to hack into just about any computer system. However, in a funny joke, he did point out that he cannot "hack a hick."
But that doesn't tell you what the relationships between the characters are. Sophie and Nate are attracted to each other, but, of course, they keep fighting it. Hardison is attracted to Parker, but she doesn't recognize his flirting for what it is. Eliot is protective of the team, though he gets frustrated when Nate doesn't give them all the information he believes he needs. The group broke up at the end of the first season (for reasons unknown to me), but the four thieves found that they couldn't return to their normal lives. They liked helping people too much.
Nate changed the most in the second season. He sobered up during the break between seasons, but relapsed during a job. Although he tried to curtail his drinking, he never quite gave it up. He made it clear that, unlike his cohorts, he was not a thief. All he was doing in setting up his cons was helping the downtrodden get what was rightly theirs from the rich and powerful. He always maintained an aura of superiority over his colleagues, which they did not fail to note. But in the final episode, Nate lost control over his con and his own actions, partially due to alcohol and partially due to other reasons too long to discuss here. His team confronted him on a few occasions, but he insisted he was fine. What his team didn't know was that he had been caught.
In exchange for his assistance, Nate would go free, but his team was not. After all, they were thieves, Nate was not. There appeared to be no way out. But, as usual, Nate outsmarted the officials. The only evidence to convict a truly evil dude was Nate's testimony. And the price for his testimony: his colleagues go free. His team was not grateful, however. Sophie even slapped him. As they took off in a helicopter, Nate pronounced to the world, "I am a thief."
I guess they'll have to get the team back together in the first episode next season.
White Collar
White Collar has been essentially mind candy. The only reason to watch it, other than the impossibly handsome Matt Bomer, is the bromance between Bomer's Neal and Tim DeKay's Peter. Peter was the only FBI who could capture Neal (which he did, twice), but is hesitant when Neal suggests that Peter allow him to help solve white collar crimes. You know, an "it takes a thief" kind of thing. Have you ever noticed that thieves are all terribly handsome?
Despite his reluctance to work with Neal, and despite the differences in their character, Peter finds himself appreciating Neal's skill and enthusiasm. He finds himself relying on Neal's advice on their cases and in his personal life. He even moves in with Neal when his home is being wired (that didn't work out so well).
But as Neal got involved in a plan to steal a music box to free his girlfriend, Peter becomes suspicious. He tries to talk Neal out of the theft, even promising to arrest Neal if he attempts the crime. Peter's no fool, though, and he realizes Neal will go forward with his plans regardless. What Neal didn't anticipate was the effect this would have on Peter - Peter's wife was accused of various crimes (clearly bogus), and Peter was suspended for two weeks.
Of course, Neal stole the music box, and Peter couldn't arrest Neal because Peter was on suspension. Neal is promised to be reuinited with his girlfriend with a new identity. He says good bye to everyone, except Peter. Peter find him, and Neal acknowledges he didn't say good bye to Peter because Peter was the only one who could talk Neal out of escaping with his girlfriend. Frankly, I thought Peter was doing a bad job of convincing Neal to stay, but it turns out his intervention saved Neal's life, as the airplane containing the girlfriend (allegedly) exploded.
Burn Notice
Michael Weston has spent three years trying desparately to find out why he was burned from the CIA. In this season's finale, we finally learned why. A rogue agent was so bad that he was placed in a remote jail. Because a power that is needed someone like this rogue agent, they altered Michael's file so that it appears Michael committed the horrible acts of the rogue agent. Both the rogue agent, Simon, and Michael protest they want their lives back. But Simon, who has escaped from his jail, is a true psychopath, and doesn't care who he kills to get what he wants. He even bribes Michael into helping him by putting explosives in a Miami hotel. If Michael doesn't help, the bomb goes off.
The FBI are onto Michael and his activities, and they believe what his CIA file contains. They try to find him, interrogating his mother, Maddy. Despite their attempts to convince her that Michael is a killer, she refuses to give her son up, and is eventually arrested by the FBI. But she's devastated. Michael managed to stop Simon, but was captured by the FBI. Within 2o minutes of his capture, another "suit" took custody of Michael. We last saw Michael being led in chains with a hood over his head to a meeting. But Maddy has no idea where her son is. Her distress was palpable.
Buffyverse fan alert - Christian Kane, Lindsey McDonald on Angel, plays Eliot on Leverage. The two characters are not all that alike. Lindsey was amoral, yes, but he committed his evil as an attorney for the soulless (literally) Wolfram and Hart. Eliot, on the other hand, prefers to use his fists, and has discovered that he has a desire to help people.
Deadwood fan alert and The 4400 fan alert. Garret Dillahunt, Francis Wolcott and Jack McCall on Deadwood and Matthew Ross on The 4400, played Simon on Burn Notice. I wonder, is Dillahunt as disturbed as the characters he plays?
Lost fan alert - Marsha Thomason, Naomi Dorrit on Lost, plays an FBI agent on White Collar. She is apparently joining the cast for the next season. Although she has an American accent on White Collar, she really is from Manchester, England, just like Naomi.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
So, Do You Think Babies Will Change My TV Viewing Habits?
I think we can all agree that the answer to this will be "yes." Only the most naive person would think that having twin infants won't change daily life. And television is a part of my daily life.
In the long run, I'm not sure that I want my children to see me just watching TV all day long. Not that I do, but I can, if bored or not feeling great. I certainly want them to watch cartoons and other shows, but I also want them to engage in actual activities, as well.
But first, they'll be just infants, and they won't be watching much of anything beyond their parents and caregivers. Maybe each other. TV will be little more than a noisy box to them. When they're first born, I'll probably spend most of my time feeding and changing them, and trying to get some decent naps. Not much TV in that scenario. I've been told that when they are still so young that I can watch TV while getting them to sleep or just rocking them. We'll see.
But I'm sure what I won't give up TV altogether. I spent some time this weekend wondering what shows I will try to watch, and what shows will get kicked off the DVR save list.
I first divided the shows that I save on DVR into categories. Roughly, they are:
- Shows with prominent arcs. An arc, of course, is a storyline that crosses, or arcs, from one episode to the other. The most famous shows with arcs include the Buffyverse shows and my current favorite, Lost. If these shows are not watched in order of airing, the viewer can be mightily confused. Unlike soap operas, which are prominent arc-series, these shows are too complicated to just not watch for a couple of months and just pick back up. Current shows I've saved on my DVR that have prominent arcs include Lost, Dollhouse (though now cancelled), Mad Men, Damages, and Fringe.
- Caper shows with background arcs. I call them "caper shows", because they usually involve a caper of some sort, often in an furtherance of protecting innocent people. Some of these caper shows have background arcs that rarely take center stage until the final episode or two of the season. A prime example is Burn Notice. Each episode could essentially be stand-alone, with Michael, Fiona, and Sam (sometimes with the help of Maddy!) help someone who is being victimized by a powerful group or person. They use their spy, gun, and special ops skills to save the person, often without pay. The background arc is that Michael was a CIA agent until he received a "burn notice" that he was no longer in the service. Michael has spent some time every episode either investigating who burned him or trying to get back into the spy business. You can skip a number of episodes without being too confused to enjoy the show. Other shows saved on my DVR that are caper shows with background arcs include Chuck, Leverage and White Collar. I suspect that Human Target will end up being a caper show with a background arc, as it seems to have started developing one.
- Procedurals. A procedural is a show that follows a certain pattern. The two best examples of procedurals are now franchises: Law & Order and CSI. I have neither franchise on my DVR list. The only procedurals I do have on DVR are Bones, The Closer, The Good Wife, and House. Bones and The Closer are about solving crime. The Good Wife follows a new associate in a law firm. House is about diagnosing a patient. Most procedurals have bare hints of arcs in their storylines, whether it's Lenny Briscoe's alcoholism and troubled relationship with his daughter, or Temperance Brennan's attempt to find and then bond with her family. The arcs are not prominent, and most episodes can be watched in any order with little to no confusion on the part of the viewer as to what is going on with the main characters.
- Reality competition shows. You might be surprised to know that I do not have The Biggest Loser on my DVR. I only catch it when I can. But I do have Project Runway and Top Chef on the DVR. A reality competition show is pretty much what it sounds like. Semi-amateurs or unknown professionals compete in a season-long competition to win a title and some nice prizes. You don't have to watch these shows in order, but it really makes sense to.
- Comedies. I don't watch a lot of comedies. The only traditional comedy I save is Community (which I think is really funny), but I also enjoy The Office (some times) and 30 Rock. You could argue that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is a comedy, and it certainly is, but it's not very traditional. Maybe it's a late night show? Whatever, Stewart is definitely on the DVR.
- Finally, miscellaneous. There are two shows I watch that don't fall into the categories above. One new show I've started saving, though I'm not sure for how long, is Life Unexpected. This is one of those shows I watched because of one of the credited actresses: Shiri Appleby, formerly of Roswell. The other I've mentioned on the blog before: Men of a Certain Age. This is more like a buddy tv show than anything else, with life-long friends in their late 40s or 50s navigating middle age.
So what to keep and what to throw away? Well, I've heard many jokes from people that it's a good thing this is Lost's final season, and I must agree! This is one of those shows that has made it to my "pantheon" of favorite shows ever, joining the Star Trek franchise and the Buffyverse shows. I will greatly miss Lost, but better to have loved and Lost than to have never loved before.
I love shows with prominent arcs, so I know that I will continue to watch Fringe. You may remember that the relationship between the Bishops is one of the joys of watching TV for me right now, but I'm also fascinated by the relationships between the other characters and the concept of an alternative time line - you know, the one Peter's from. He just doesn't know that. Yet.
Mad Men and Damages are not traditional prominent arc shows, and you might argue they belong in a different category. Regardless, however, I plan to keep Mad Men on the list, for several reasons. One, it is one of the few shows that B and I actually watch together. We definitely have disparate likes when it comes to TV, so any commonality is worth maintaining. Plus, it is one of the best and most interesting dramas right now that doesn't involve a science fiction plot or procedural. The characters are well-drawn and acted, and the story lines never fail to produce a lot of thinking on my part. Damages, however, will not remain on the list, despite the great work of Glenn Close. I just don't enjoy it enough to keep watching it.
Of the caper category, I think I will only keep Burn Notice and Chuck. I really like the work that Jeffrey Donovan has done as Michael Weston, and any show that has Bruce Campbell should be supported by many. Chuck is another delight for me, with a great set of characters and fabulous actors to make any night's episode enjoyable viewing. And Adam Baldwin's Casey is turning into one of my all-time favorite characters (granted, a long list, I'm sure, but still, Casey belongs there).
However much I'll miss the antics of Timothy Hutton's Nathan Ford and his merry band of do-gooding thieves, I think Leverage is one of those shows that will be easy to catch up on with re-runs on TNT or somewhere on the internet. I'm certain I'll stop watching The Human Target, despite the appealing presence of Mark Valley. Since it is on Fox, it will most likely have to succeed for a number of seasons (up to at least 100 new episodes) to become a staple on cable TV (see Law & Order and Bones on TNT), so it may be that I'll never see the show again if it ends too soon.
Procedurals would seem to be the easiest of shows to give up. They rerun well, and the arcs are just not that complicated or interesting to keep up with. However, while I see myself giving up The Good Wife, I just can't see giving the rest up. But how can I give up David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Hugh Laurie, or Kyra Sedgwick? I only watch these shows because of these actors. Their shows all have a few flaws, but the actors and the development of the characters they play just keep me coming back for more. At least The Closer only airs a few weeks a year. If I must, I'll give up House and Bones, but they will be the hardest to give up.
I think I can give up on both Project Runway and Top Chef. They are both interesting to watch, but unlike the procedurals above, the characters (and they are characters) don't last more than a season. It is hard to get attached to the characters. Plus, I don't tend to watch every moment of these shows, usually focusing on the results of the contestants' work. Top Chef might be a little difficult to give up, simply because it is another show that both B and I watch together. But we'll see.
I'm also certain that I can lose the comedies, with the exception of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. And of miscellaneous, I've threatened two out of three weeks to drop Life Unexpected, so I'm comfortable saying good bye to them. I think I'll also sign off Men of a Certain Age, though Andre Braugher's work here is just top notch.
So, how much did I get rid of? Let's do the count. I reported eighteen shows that I watch on a regular basis. I did not count Lost or Dollhouse, since they are essentially over. I dropped (more or less - and only in my mind, since the babies aren't here yet!) 10, and hope to keep 8 (assuming all 8 are renewed). That's not bad, for me. How realistic that is, I've no idea. I'm sure it will be an interesting story, one way or another.
In the long run, I'm not sure that I want my children to see me just watching TV all day long. Not that I do, but I can, if bored or not feeling great. I certainly want them to watch cartoons and other shows, but I also want them to engage in actual activities, as well.
But first, they'll be just infants, and they won't be watching much of anything beyond their parents and caregivers. Maybe each other. TV will be little more than a noisy box to them. When they're first born, I'll probably spend most of my time feeding and changing them, and trying to get some decent naps. Not much TV in that scenario. I've been told that when they are still so young that I can watch TV while getting them to sleep or just rocking them. We'll see.
But I'm sure what I won't give up TV altogether. I spent some time this weekend wondering what shows I will try to watch, and what shows will get kicked off the DVR save list.
I first divided the shows that I save on DVR into categories. Roughly, they are:
- Shows with prominent arcs. An arc, of course, is a storyline that crosses, or arcs, from one episode to the other. The most famous shows with arcs include the Buffyverse shows and my current favorite, Lost. If these shows are not watched in order of airing, the viewer can be mightily confused. Unlike soap operas, which are prominent arc-series, these shows are too complicated to just not watch for a couple of months and just pick back up. Current shows I've saved on my DVR that have prominent arcs include Lost, Dollhouse (though now cancelled), Mad Men, Damages, and Fringe.
- Caper shows with background arcs. I call them "caper shows", because they usually involve a caper of some sort, often in an furtherance of protecting innocent people. Some of these caper shows have background arcs that rarely take center stage until the final episode or two of the season. A prime example is Burn Notice. Each episode could essentially be stand-alone, with Michael, Fiona, and Sam (sometimes with the help of Maddy!) help someone who is being victimized by a powerful group or person. They use their spy, gun, and special ops skills to save the person, often without pay. The background arc is that Michael was a CIA agent until he received a "burn notice" that he was no longer in the service. Michael has spent some time every episode either investigating who burned him or trying to get back into the spy business. You can skip a number of episodes without being too confused to enjoy the show. Other shows saved on my DVR that are caper shows with background arcs include Chuck, Leverage and White Collar. I suspect that Human Target will end up being a caper show with a background arc, as it seems to have started developing one.
- Procedurals. A procedural is a show that follows a certain pattern. The two best examples of procedurals are now franchises: Law & Order and CSI. I have neither franchise on my DVR list. The only procedurals I do have on DVR are Bones, The Closer, The Good Wife, and House. Bones and The Closer are about solving crime. The Good Wife follows a new associate in a law firm. House is about diagnosing a patient. Most procedurals have bare hints of arcs in their storylines, whether it's Lenny Briscoe's alcoholism and troubled relationship with his daughter, or Temperance Brennan's attempt to find and then bond with her family. The arcs are not prominent, and most episodes can be watched in any order with little to no confusion on the part of the viewer as to what is going on with the main characters.
- Reality competition shows. You might be surprised to know that I do not have The Biggest Loser on my DVR. I only catch it when I can. But I do have Project Runway and Top Chef on the DVR. A reality competition show is pretty much what it sounds like. Semi-amateurs or unknown professionals compete in a season-long competition to win a title and some nice prizes. You don't have to watch these shows in order, but it really makes sense to.
- Comedies. I don't watch a lot of comedies. The only traditional comedy I save is Community (which I think is really funny), but I also enjoy The Office (some times) and 30 Rock. You could argue that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is a comedy, and it certainly is, but it's not very traditional. Maybe it's a late night show? Whatever, Stewart is definitely on the DVR.
- Finally, miscellaneous. There are two shows I watch that don't fall into the categories above. One new show I've started saving, though I'm not sure for how long, is Life Unexpected. This is one of those shows I watched because of one of the credited actresses: Shiri Appleby, formerly of Roswell. The other I've mentioned on the blog before: Men of a Certain Age. This is more like a buddy tv show than anything else, with life-long friends in their late 40s or 50s navigating middle age.
So what to keep and what to throw away? Well, I've heard many jokes from people that it's a good thing this is Lost's final season, and I must agree! This is one of those shows that has made it to my "pantheon" of favorite shows ever, joining the Star Trek franchise and the Buffyverse shows. I will greatly miss Lost, but better to have loved and Lost than to have never loved before.
I love shows with prominent arcs, so I know that I will continue to watch Fringe. You may remember that the relationship between the Bishops is one of the joys of watching TV for me right now, but I'm also fascinated by the relationships between the other characters and the concept of an alternative time line - you know, the one Peter's from. He just doesn't know that. Yet.
Mad Men and Damages are not traditional prominent arc shows, and you might argue they belong in a different category. Regardless, however, I plan to keep Mad Men on the list, for several reasons. One, it is one of the few shows that B and I actually watch together. We definitely have disparate likes when it comes to TV, so any commonality is worth maintaining. Plus, it is one of the best and most interesting dramas right now that doesn't involve a science fiction plot or procedural. The characters are well-drawn and acted, and the story lines never fail to produce a lot of thinking on my part. Damages, however, will not remain on the list, despite the great work of Glenn Close. I just don't enjoy it enough to keep watching it.
Of the caper category, I think I will only keep Burn Notice and Chuck. I really like the work that Jeffrey Donovan has done as Michael Weston, and any show that has Bruce Campbell should be supported by many. Chuck is another delight for me, with a great set of characters and fabulous actors to make any night's episode enjoyable viewing. And Adam Baldwin's Casey is turning into one of my all-time favorite characters (granted, a long list, I'm sure, but still, Casey belongs there).
However much I'll miss the antics of Timothy Hutton's Nathan Ford and his merry band of do-gooding thieves, I think Leverage is one of those shows that will be easy to catch up on with re-runs on TNT or somewhere on the internet. I'm certain I'll stop watching The Human Target, despite the appealing presence of Mark Valley. Since it is on Fox, it will most likely have to succeed for a number of seasons (up to at least 100 new episodes) to become a staple on cable TV (see Law & Order and Bones on TNT), so it may be that I'll never see the show again if it ends too soon.
Procedurals would seem to be the easiest of shows to give up. They rerun well, and the arcs are just not that complicated or interesting to keep up with. However, while I see myself giving up The Good Wife, I just can't see giving the rest up. But how can I give up David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Hugh Laurie, or Kyra Sedgwick? I only watch these shows because of these actors. Their shows all have a few flaws, but the actors and the development of the characters they play just keep me coming back for more. At least The Closer only airs a few weeks a year. If I must, I'll give up House and Bones, but they will be the hardest to give up.
I think I can give up on both Project Runway and Top Chef. They are both interesting to watch, but unlike the procedurals above, the characters (and they are characters) don't last more than a season. It is hard to get attached to the characters. Plus, I don't tend to watch every moment of these shows, usually focusing on the results of the contestants' work. Top Chef might be a little difficult to give up, simply because it is another show that both B and I watch together. But we'll see.
I'm also certain that I can lose the comedies, with the exception of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. And of miscellaneous, I've threatened two out of three weeks to drop Life Unexpected, so I'm comfortable saying good bye to them. I think I'll also sign off Men of a Certain Age, though Andre Braugher's work here is just top notch.
So, how much did I get rid of? Let's do the count. I reported eighteen shows that I watch on a regular basis. I did not count Lost or Dollhouse, since they are essentially over. I dropped (more or less - and only in my mind, since the babies aren't here yet!) 10, and hope to keep 8 (assuming all 8 are renewed). That's not bad, for me. How realistic that is, I've no idea. I'm sure it will be an interesting story, one way or another.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Bonanza star Pernell Roberts dies at 81
Bonanza was always in reruns when I was growing up, and it was Adam who was the character I was most drawn to. I didn't know until much later about the drama behind the series, how Roberts grew increasingly restless with the series, and finally left when his contract was up. All I knew is that any episode without Adam was quite dull. I also enjoyed Trapper John, M.D., though not quite in the same way.
But Pernell Roberts has always been one of the actors I've kept an eye out for. Whenever he was a guest star or on a television movie, I watched, just to see him. I hadn't heard about him recently, and now I know why. RIP.
Bonanza star Pernell Roberts dies at 81
But Pernell Roberts has always been one of the actors I've kept an eye out for. Whenever he was a guest star or on a television movie, I watched, just to see him. I hadn't heard about him recently, and now I know why. RIP.
Bonanza star Pernell Roberts dies at 81
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Fringe - The Bishop Boys
One of my favorite couples on television right now is completely unromantic and would be incestuous if it were. It's the Bishops - Walter and Peter. I've just finished watching What Lies Below, in which Peter is infected with a virus that is over 75,000 years old and may have wiped out the mammalian population. The virus does what it can to infect as many people as possible, so, once Peter is infected, he spends his entire time trying to escape from the building in which he is confined. Fortunately, Walter is a brilliant scientist and manages to concoct a cure before the Army is brought in to kill all the infected.
So there were some parts that weren't exactly the most believable, but to be honest, that is the least important to me. What instead really shined in the episode is the close relationship between father and son.
Peter started out the series not wanting any contact at all with his father. Walter was the stereotypical "mad scientist" who may not have been very nice to his family. In 1991, at least one of Walter's lab assistants was killed in a lab explosion, and Walter was charged with manslaughter. However, Walter was judged mentally unfit to stand trial and institutionalized for seventeen years. As Walter's only family, Peter was the only person who could get Walter released. Walter initially refused, but Olivia Dunham convinced Peter of the importance of Walter's work.
In the first season, Peter was the often-annoying voice of reason, protesting that his father's theories were too outlandish to be true. But since this is a show about fringe science, Peter's well-founded skepticism was disregarded, and Walter was often proven correct. As this occurred, Peter became more accepting of the wild theorizing, often commenting that he was crazy for considering these ideas.
I think what surprised Peter the most was how vulnerable his father was. Walter's institutionalization left a very child-like man with limited social skills and many fears. Peter often finds himself parenting his father, and Walter has responded alternately with gratitude and frustration. So, it turns out that Peter finds himself liking his father.
However, we've learned a few things that may change all that. Last season, we learned that Peter Bishop died in 1985. Thus, Walter built the door to the alternate universe to collect another Peter. Our Peter is not our Peter, if that makes sense. We learned this season that Peter has a history of nightmares in which he is kidnapped by his own father. And in this episode, Walter told Astrid, "I can't let Peter die again." Astrid heard the "again", and asked him about it, but Walter refused to respond. This secret will come out. And there will be hell to pay.
So there were some parts that weren't exactly the most believable, but to be honest, that is the least important to me. What instead really shined in the episode is the close relationship between father and son.
Peter started out the series not wanting any contact at all with his father. Walter was the stereotypical "mad scientist" who may not have been very nice to his family. In 1991, at least one of Walter's lab assistants was killed in a lab explosion, and Walter was charged with manslaughter. However, Walter was judged mentally unfit to stand trial and institutionalized for seventeen years. As Walter's only family, Peter was the only person who could get Walter released. Walter initially refused, but Olivia Dunham convinced Peter of the importance of Walter's work.
In the first season, Peter was the often-annoying voice of reason, protesting that his father's theories were too outlandish to be true. But since this is a show about fringe science, Peter's well-founded skepticism was disregarded, and Walter was often proven correct. As this occurred, Peter became more accepting of the wild theorizing, often commenting that he was crazy for considering these ideas.
I think what surprised Peter the most was how vulnerable his father was. Walter's institutionalization left a very child-like man with limited social skills and many fears. Peter often finds himself parenting his father, and Walter has responded alternately with gratitude and frustration. So, it turns out that Peter finds himself liking his father.
However, we've learned a few things that may change all that. Last season, we learned that Peter Bishop died in 1985. Thus, Walter built the door to the alternate universe to collect another Peter. Our Peter is not our Peter, if that makes sense. We learned this season that Peter has a history of nightmares in which he is kidnapped by his own father. And in this episode, Walter told Astrid, "I can't let Peter die again." Astrid heard the "again", and asked him about it, but Walter refused to respond. This secret will come out. And there will be hell to pay.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Jay Leno Show Implodes
I was actually surprised by NBC's decision to essentially cancel The Jay Leno Show. After all, it didn't have to bring in many viewers to make a profit, and the show appeared to be achieving that less than stellar goal. What I hadn't counted on was the dissatisfaction of the affiliates with the inability of The Jay Leno Show to bring in viewers to the 10 o'clock local news. Even The Tonight Show has experienced a decline in viewers that might be partially attributable to the poor lead in. In other words, Law & Order brought more viewers to the local news than Jay Leno does.
So what does NBC do? They screw it up, just as they have the last two times The Tonight Show changed hosts. Fearful that Leno will jump ship to another competitor, the powers-that-be decided that Leno will take the post local news slot (10:30 central time) and The Tonight Show, hosted by Conan O'Brien, will start at 11. Jimmy Fallon's show will start at midnight.
Guess what? O'Brien hates the idea. He has no intention of taking a back seat to Leno. NBC clearly cannot keep both. And the late night shows have been abuzz with jokes and snippy comments about the entire situation.
But of more interest to me, and more fitting to the theme of this blog, is that extra hour each week day that will soon be left free. My first thought, when I heard, was to wonder if NBC was sorry it had cancelled Southland before its second season, which NBC had already ordered. Fortunately for the show and its fans, TNT decided to pick it up. I've since heard that the Law & Orders (original, SVU, and Criminal Intent) will be airing at the 9:00 hour originally taken by Jay Leno. as will a reality show or two and an episode of Dateline. NBC has time, however, as nothing will really change until after the Olympics in February. Perhaps something will fall into their laps.
So what does NBC do? They screw it up, just as they have the last two times The Tonight Show changed hosts. Fearful that Leno will jump ship to another competitor, the powers-that-be decided that Leno will take the post local news slot (10:30 central time) and The Tonight Show, hosted by Conan O'Brien, will start at 11. Jimmy Fallon's show will start at midnight.
Guess what? O'Brien hates the idea. He has no intention of taking a back seat to Leno. NBC clearly cannot keep both. And the late night shows have been abuzz with jokes and snippy comments about the entire situation.
But of more interest to me, and more fitting to the theme of this blog, is that extra hour each week day that will soon be left free. My first thought, when I heard, was to wonder if NBC was sorry it had cancelled Southland before its second season, which NBC had already ordered. Fortunately for the show and its fans, TNT decided to pick it up. I've since heard that the Law & Orders (original, SVU, and Criminal Intent) will be airing at the 9:00 hour originally taken by Jay Leno. as will a reality show or two and an episode of Dateline. NBC has time, however, as nothing will really change until after the Olympics in February. Perhaps something will fall into their laps.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Ricky Gervais and the Golden Globes
I don't normally watch the Golden Globes, even though they have a TV component, but this year I believe that it is must see TV. And solely because Ricky Gervais is the host.
I've been mildly interested in Gervais since I caught the British version of The Office. I've seen him in a few interviews since then, primarily on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. But it wasn't until the Emmys a couple of years ago that I realized how funny this man really is. He didn't host, but he was an award presenter. He spent his time haranguing Steve Carell for "stealing" Gervais' Emmy the year before. It was so hilarious that I was rolling on the floor. This past Emmy show also gave Gervais an opportunity to show how funny he is.
The producers of the Golden Globes must have paid attention, because they snapped up Gervais. And that means I'll actually be watching the Golden Globes tomorrow night.
As an aside, Michael Emerson, Ben Linus of Lost, is up for an award. I'll let you know if he wins.
I've been mildly interested in Gervais since I caught the British version of The Office. I've seen him in a few interviews since then, primarily on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. But it wasn't until the Emmys a couple of years ago that I realized how funny this man really is. He didn't host, but he was an award presenter. He spent his time haranguing Steve Carell for "stealing" Gervais' Emmy the year before. It was so hilarious that I was rolling on the floor. This past Emmy show also gave Gervais an opportunity to show how funny he is.
The producers of the Golden Globes must have paid attention, because they snapped up Gervais. And that means I'll actually be watching the Golden Globes tomorrow night.
As an aside, Michael Emerson, Ben Linus of Lost, is up for an award. I'll let you know if he wins.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Chuck is Back!
One of my colleagues at work uses the term "delightful," and I think the word fits Chuck to a tee. There is much to love about Chuck and little to dislike.
For those of you unfamiliar with Chuck, let me give you a little background. Chuck, the eponymous hero of the show, was a promising student at Stanford University when he was wrongfully expelled for cheating. He ended up living with his sister and her fiance, working at Buy More in the Nerd Herd. An underachieving slacker, his best friend, Morgan, is even more of a loser than Chuck. But then, one day, Chuck opened up an e-mail from his college roommate, Bryce Larkin, which changed Chuck's life forever. Embedded in that e-mail was an intersect, which included all the secret intelligence gathered by the US. Somehow, the intersect downloaded itself in Chuck's brain. In the meantime, Bryce Larkin destroyed the mainframe intersect.
Eventually, the FBI and CIA find Chuck, and two agents are assigned to protect Chuck from the world. Chuck finds himself to be the reluctant spy who must hide his new life from friends and family. Many adventures ensue, and Chuck finds himself falling in love with the agent who is acting as his girlfriend, Sarah.
Finally, at the end of last season, Chuck takes the opportunity to have the intersect removed from his brain. He learns that his father had created the intersect, and had arranged for Bryce Larkin to protect Chuck. The Intersect 2.0 is created, but Chuck has no intention of downloading it. That is, until his handlers, Sarah and Casey, are in danger of being killed. Chuck then downloads the Intersect, and saves the day, gasping, "Guys, I know karate!"
Many of us worried over the long break between seasons whether Chuck would now be so competent a spy that the lovable goof from the first two years would be lost. We shouldn't have worried. It turns out that Chuck must be in control of his emotions in order to access the skills portion of the Intersect, and Chuck, famously, is incapable of being cold and calculating. He attends six months of "spy school", but flunks out precisely because his emotions get in the way. He returns to his sister's apartment and takes residence on the couch, growing a beard, eating cheese snacks, and hiding from the world. Only when he runs out of his cheese snacks does he leave the apartment, and at last, Chuck reemerges.
We learned through flashback that Sarah had tried to talk Chuck out of being a spy as she feared it would change his personality. Instead, she wanted him to adopt a new identity and run away with her. But Chuck couldn't do it. Finally, he was told by people in authority, that he could help people and his country, and he felt he couldn't walk away from that. Sarah couldn't forgive him. Chuck thus found himself without a job or a girlfriend.
By inserting himself into Sarah and Casey's latest mission, Chuck nearly gets himself and Sarah killed. But he manages to control his emotions enough to - you guessed it! - save the day. Chuck is thus welcomed back into the spy fold.
What makes Chuck so delightful is not the storyline, which is rather silly, I know, but the characters. Beyond the charmingly goofy Chuck and the beautiful Sarah, there's Casey, the other handler. Casey's initial mission was to kill Chuck, and he was quite disgruntled when those orders were changed and he was given the mission of "handling" Chuck. Suddenly, Casey has a job at Buy More too, more often than not scaring all the nerds working there. Casey clearly doesn't understand Chuck, but he grows to appreciate him, and, later, when given the opportunity to kill Chuck, doesn't. He saves Ellie's wedding even after he had been discharged from working with Chuck. Casey is all red-blooded American, patriot, John Wayne-lover. As played by Adam Baldwin, I never fail to laugh when Casey is on screen.
Chuck's sister and her fiance (now husband) are also vital to the story. Ellie and Devon are both everything that Chuck is not - successful doctors in a loving relationship. Devon is so perfect that Chuck has nicknamed him "Captain Awesome," a nickname that Awesome allows with good humor. He is, after all, Awesome. Chuck finally has to reveal to Awesome that he is a spy, which leads Awesome to actually respect Chuck. Awesome's adventures in the spy world this season have been hilarious.
I must confess to mixed emotions about the characters labeled "Buy Morons", who work at the Buy More with Chuck. The primary one is Chuck's best friend Morgan, who is disliked by Ellie (perhaps because he has openly lusted after her for years) and tolerated by many. Morgan is overly optimistic and a good friend, but he's also not the brightest bulb in the bunch. Two other "nerd herders" are Lester and Jeff, best friends, and such outcasts that few socialize with them willingly. Big Mike is the gruff manager of the Buy More, whose appetite is legendary. If used judiciously, the Buy Morons are an incredibly funny addition to the show. Too much, however, is too much. And that doesn't take a lot.
So, every Monday night, I'll be thoroughly entertained by the delight that is Chuck.
For those of you unfamiliar with Chuck, let me give you a little background. Chuck, the eponymous hero of the show, was a promising student at Stanford University when he was wrongfully expelled for cheating. He ended up living with his sister and her fiance, working at Buy More in the Nerd Herd. An underachieving slacker, his best friend, Morgan, is even more of a loser than Chuck. But then, one day, Chuck opened up an e-mail from his college roommate, Bryce Larkin, which changed Chuck's life forever. Embedded in that e-mail was an intersect, which included all the secret intelligence gathered by the US. Somehow, the intersect downloaded itself in Chuck's brain. In the meantime, Bryce Larkin destroyed the mainframe intersect.
Eventually, the FBI and CIA find Chuck, and two agents are assigned to protect Chuck from the world. Chuck finds himself to be the reluctant spy who must hide his new life from friends and family. Many adventures ensue, and Chuck finds himself falling in love with the agent who is acting as his girlfriend, Sarah.
Finally, at the end of last season, Chuck takes the opportunity to have the intersect removed from his brain. He learns that his father had created the intersect, and had arranged for Bryce Larkin to protect Chuck. The Intersect 2.0 is created, but Chuck has no intention of downloading it. That is, until his handlers, Sarah and Casey, are in danger of being killed. Chuck then downloads the Intersect, and saves the day, gasping, "Guys, I know karate!"
Many of us worried over the long break between seasons whether Chuck would now be so competent a spy that the lovable goof from the first two years would be lost. We shouldn't have worried. It turns out that Chuck must be in control of his emotions in order to access the skills portion of the Intersect, and Chuck, famously, is incapable of being cold and calculating. He attends six months of "spy school", but flunks out precisely because his emotions get in the way. He returns to his sister's apartment and takes residence on the couch, growing a beard, eating cheese snacks, and hiding from the world. Only when he runs out of his cheese snacks does he leave the apartment, and at last, Chuck reemerges.
We learned through flashback that Sarah had tried to talk Chuck out of being a spy as she feared it would change his personality. Instead, she wanted him to adopt a new identity and run away with her. But Chuck couldn't do it. Finally, he was told by people in authority, that he could help people and his country, and he felt he couldn't walk away from that. Sarah couldn't forgive him. Chuck thus found himself without a job or a girlfriend.
By inserting himself into Sarah and Casey's latest mission, Chuck nearly gets himself and Sarah killed. But he manages to control his emotions enough to - you guessed it! - save the day. Chuck is thus welcomed back into the spy fold.
What makes Chuck so delightful is not the storyline, which is rather silly, I know, but the characters. Beyond the charmingly goofy Chuck and the beautiful Sarah, there's Casey, the other handler. Casey's initial mission was to kill Chuck, and he was quite disgruntled when those orders were changed and he was given the mission of "handling" Chuck. Suddenly, Casey has a job at Buy More too, more often than not scaring all the nerds working there. Casey clearly doesn't understand Chuck, but he grows to appreciate him, and, later, when given the opportunity to kill Chuck, doesn't. He saves Ellie's wedding even after he had been discharged from working with Chuck. Casey is all red-blooded American, patriot, John Wayne-lover. As played by Adam Baldwin, I never fail to laugh when Casey is on screen.
Chuck's sister and her fiance (now husband) are also vital to the story. Ellie and Devon are both everything that Chuck is not - successful doctors in a loving relationship. Devon is so perfect that Chuck has nicknamed him "Captain Awesome," a nickname that Awesome allows with good humor. He is, after all, Awesome. Chuck finally has to reveal to Awesome that he is a spy, which leads Awesome to actually respect Chuck. Awesome's adventures in the spy world this season have been hilarious.
I must confess to mixed emotions about the characters labeled "Buy Morons", who work at the Buy More with Chuck. The primary one is Chuck's best friend Morgan, who is disliked by Ellie (perhaps because he has openly lusted after her for years) and tolerated by many. Morgan is overly optimistic and a good friend, but he's also not the brightest bulb in the bunch. Two other "nerd herders" are Lester and Jeff, best friends, and such outcasts that few socialize with them willingly. Big Mike is the gruff manager of the Buy More, whose appetite is legendary. If used judiciously, the Buy Morons are an incredibly funny addition to the show. Too much, however, is too much. And that doesn't take a lot.
So, every Monday night, I'll be thoroughly entertained by the delight that is Chuck.
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