Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Reviews 9/4/12 - 9/10/12

Alphas has had several very dense episodes this season, with the latest one being one of the most dense yet. The show could have just resolved the hive mind plot the way it did, Rosen talking down Jason Miller and everything being fine. But the writers have always pushed for more and they toss Stanton Parish into the mix, making the episode much more complicated. We get some cool background on him, like him fighting in WWII, and the rest of the team gets to meet him. And finally, Dani  is exposed, making the next episodes have even more to look forward to.

I believe I already made a post about Go On, but I don't think I have said anything about The New Normal yet. When The New Normal tries to be a normal show--you know, with characters and plot and the like--it's perfectly fine, even charming. Too often, though, it descends into preaching zone and it's like Newsroom without the gravitas. Characters make these big speeches and it's gets really stupid with how the "new normal" is showed. Show, don't tell, please.

Leverage sticks with its format every single week, so I became more amazed as each second passed. Parker got her own episode! This is a big deal on a show which runs on routine and regularity. While the plot wasn't all that impressive, Beth Riesgraf is just wonderful and made things fun.

Copper was chugging along nicely, and then Eva kills Molly at the end of the last episode. Didn't see that coming. The show is still defining itself and this shocking new development definitely changes things. I'm curious to see what the show looks like at the end of the season.

This final season of Damages hasn't grabbed me like previous seasons have. The people involved in the case just aren't interesting and I could care less about the eventual outcome. At the same time, Ellen seemingly dead isn't too interesting, with only one episode left. Maybe she'll actually be dead, but there's really no huge threat looming after the fake out at the end of last week's episode. So there's no actual tension involving any other characters. That all we have left is Ellen on the ground, blood pooling, is, quite frankly, far below what the show is capable of delivering.

Covert Affairs ended with the surprising twist of both Annie and Simon being shot by Lena, bringing up a load of questions. At least one load of questions was answered, as we learn Simon knew about Annie and the CIA, and isn't playing her.

Okay, I'll dispense with the Coma puns that can be made. I don't get Coma. It's a two-part miniseries, each part being way too long, and nothing really happens. In short, people with certain genetic markers are put into comas for medical research. It's that simple. None of the characters stand out, so it's not like there's anything to say about them. There is this message about the role of doctors and medical research, but it's understood within the first 30 minutes. The rest of the time is spent on non-tension filled tension, with an ambiance that's supposed to put you on the edge of your seat. Except nothing ever comes of these scenes and the miniseries crawls to the end.
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