Why am I still watching this show? To be honest, I don't know. I think I'd rather take up Persons Unknown as a show to make fun of. At least Persons Unknown is idiotically stupid to the point where it makes my blood boil. Happy Town just makes me bored with the occasional glimmer. I already got halfway through the show, so I suppose I couldn't do much worse.
"This Is Why We Stay" was one of the better episodes, which isn't saying much, but it was kind of watchable. Amy Acker did a fantastic job in the episode--but--you have to remember that she missed most of the incredible second season of Dollhouse for this. With people pressuring Rachel, including the detestable John Haplin, and the creepy Merritt Grieves helping her remember in an awesome watery dream sequence, she resolves to help Tommy in his hunt for the Magic Man.
This makes no sense, but Henley literally can't leave town after taking $500,000 from Peggy Haplin for the hammer. Merrit, being a nice guy who acts creepy, decides to funnel her money out of town, but is waylaid on the ride there and presumably is killed.
And there's still a lot to hate about the show. The families of the other victims are hardly sympathetic characters, Andrew Haplin and Georgia Bravin are really boring, and the evidence leading to Greggy Stiviletto is obviously a misdirect.
Score: 7.0/10
Showing posts with label Happy Town. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Happy Town. Show all posts
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Review - Happy Town Season 1 Episode 4 Slight of Hand
I'm debating whether to finish the show or not. Somehow, I'm halfway through this garbage and yet, the ending presents itself as viable summer television. Part of me wants to know who the Magic Man is (not that the investigation is remotely interesting) and what Henley is up to while ignoring everything about the characters. Maybe I'll watch the final episode only.
Either way, "Slight of Hand" was an overdrawn bore, filling the screen with everything mysterious and nothing substantial. Really, the only thing I gleaned from the episode was that Rachel was returned and that the first victim may still be alive--and both facts aren't very important without more context. Everything else, from Henley to whatever John Haplin was doing to Carl Bravin, was like semi-scary filler intended to misdirect.
There seemed to be a huge jump from last episode, when everyone knew nothing and did nothing, to this episode, when everyone still knew nothing but was running around town as if they knew what to do. Grieves is a guy with lots of information, and Tommy runs around with him because his father pointed towards him. OK, Tommy...
Score: 5.0/10
Either way, "Slight of Hand" was an overdrawn bore, filling the screen with everything mysterious and nothing substantial. Really, the only thing I gleaned from the episode was that Rachel was returned and that the first victim may still be alive--and both facts aren't very important without more context. Everything else, from Henley to whatever John Haplin was doing to Carl Bravin, was like semi-scary filler intended to misdirect.
There seemed to be a huge jump from last episode, when everyone knew nothing and did nothing, to this episode, when everyone still knew nothing but was running around town as if they knew what to do. Grieves is a guy with lots of information, and Tommy runs around with him because his father pointed towards him. OK, Tommy...
Score: 5.0/10
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Review - Happy Town Season 1 Episode 2 Polly Wants a Crack at Her
Due to pathetically low ratings, ABC pulled Happy Town from its schedule until June 2, so the show is pretty much dead.
"Polly Wants a Crack at Her" was a setup episode that ended with a predictable but fairly interesting twist. The key isn't what the twist is, but where it goes. This first big disappearance and how the writers proceed will determine if the show has any potential. Other than the final twist, the only other thing that stood out was how everyone from Tommy to the Haplins were so hypocritical.
The dialogue was purely grotesque when Rachel was explaining the way Georgia was talking about Andrew. I almost stopped watching right there and then.
Score: 7.0/10
"Polly Wants a Crack at Her" was a setup episode that ended with a predictable but fairly interesting twist. The key isn't what the twist is, but where it goes. This first big disappearance and how the writers proceed will determine if the show has any potential. Other than the final twist, the only other thing that stood out was how everyone from Tommy to the Haplins were so hypocritical.
The dialogue was purely grotesque when Rachel was explaining the way Georgia was talking about Andrew. I almost stopped watching right there and then.
Score: 7.0/10
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Review - Happy Town Season 1 Episode 2 I Came to Haplin for the Waters
This show is bad, but part of me wants to know what happens in the end. Happy Town will be my new Stargate Universe, the show I can make fun of, and maybe it'll get better over time like Stargate Universe. And if not, I'll continue making fun of it. Happy Town really isn't a show to be taken seriously, but a show to be laughed at by the sheer campiness of the dialogue and the concerted effort to make everything look like a giant clue that will lead to the Magic Man.
Lots of stuff happened and all I can think about is listing them, the events that happen don't lend themselves to any further thinking without knowing more. Henley/Chloe steals a hammer from Merritt Grieves and talks with someone on the phone. Georgia drinks coffee and wakes up in the home of the brothers with the dunk tank (I can't remember their names.). Mrs. Haplin makes Tommy sheriff, and he thinks she wants him as a puppet. And the murderer as caught! I guess this won't be a chase for Laura Palmer's killer after all. Tommy catches Big Dave who admits to killing the Magic Man. Yeah, I don't think you did. As Henley is driving away with the hammer, a bird comes crashing through her windshield. No, the writers are not trying to evoke the owls from Twin Peaks. They would never turn their show into some derivative work.
I liked "I Came to Haplin for the Waters" better than the pilot since there wasn't the mess of missing all the mysterious (read: potential bloodthirsty killer) citizens of Haplin.
Score: 7.0/10
Lots of stuff happened and all I can think about is listing them, the events that happen don't lend themselves to any further thinking without knowing more. Henley/Chloe steals a hammer from Merritt Grieves and talks with someone on the phone. Georgia drinks coffee and wakes up in the home of the brothers with the dunk tank (I can't remember their names.). Mrs. Haplin makes Tommy sheriff, and he thinks she wants him as a puppet. And the murderer as caught! I guess this won't be a chase for Laura Palmer's killer after all. Tommy catches Big Dave who admits to killing the Magic Man. Yeah, I don't think you did. As Henley is driving away with the hammer, a bird comes crashing through her windshield. No, the writers are not trying to evoke the owls from Twin Peaks. They would never turn their show into some derivative work.
I liked "I Came to Haplin for the Waters" better than the pilot since there wasn't the mess of missing all the mysterious (read: potential bloodthirsty killer) citizens of Haplin.
Score: 7.0/10
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Review - Happy Town Season 1 Episode 1 In This Home on Ice
The only reason why I noticed this show in the first place was ABC's reminder that they were the network that brought us Twin Peaks--still, 20 years after it first aired, the most innovative, intriguing, mind-boggling work of artistry on television ever bar none. ABC's reminder, however, overlooked the major fact that they ruined the show by revealing Laura Palmer's murderer which lead to a cancellation after only the second season.
And, well, Happy Town is hardly like Twin Peaks. I won't fault the writers for the ill conceived comparison, but some genius at ABC clearly was watching something else or was sleeping and decided to throw in the words "Twin Peaks" to get buzz. On paper, the valid comparisons--small town, grisly murder--are already few and far between. The differences, even in comparisons of the town and murder, are stark and numerous. Twin Peaks had a charm to it and with the arrival of Agent Dale Cooper in the pilot, it was established as a pretty cool place that had something else churning beneath the pristine veneer. Happy Town does not have the spunky dialogue, the cool attitude, or anything remotely close to what made Twin Peaks special.
From the get-go, the writing screams: "Come here for a mystery!! This is the darkest, scariest show you'll find!!" Twin Peaks slowly built up the mystery piece by piece, never tipping its hand. The quirky style of the show and complex characters, set in motion by the pilot, endeared it to the viewers. It was as organic as a show could get. The writers of Happy Town, in what I suspect is an attempt to lure in viewers, try much too hard to play up the mystery angle, leaving any other development behind. The result is a central mystery with no solid base.
An innocent woman named Henley (Lauren German), moves to Haplin, Minnesota, an idealized small town, to open up a candle shop. We meet this person and that person, and guess what? There's something wrong with them! The writers take no time letting us know these may be psycho automatons from space. Their demeanor, speech, attitude all point to them as a suspects. Thanks. Before diving in their dirty secrets, David Lynch actually created real characters instead of useless caricatures.
The mystery is still the main draw of the show and may be enough to sustain viewers. However, given the early departures of ABC's other hour-long programs, Eastwick and The Deep End, I wouldn't hold out luck for a renewal. Sheriff Tommy Conroy (Geoff Stults) and his wife, Rachel (Amy Acker), live happily in Haplin (great name ) until the "Magic Man" strikes again. Cue spooky music. There were a number of kidnapping years earlier by this evil-doer and the townspeople are in a furor. First evidence of unrest! Tommy's father, Sheriff Griffin (M.C. Gainey), who brings the news of murder, is uttering words and names he has no recollection about later. More evidence! This town is in peril! Soon, he has a full on breakdown as we are clued in that Sam Neill's character, Merritt Grieves, is up to something.
Is Happy Town Twin Peaks? No. Is Happy Town a good show? No. That's about as much as you need to know.
Score: 6.0/10
And, well, Happy Town is hardly like Twin Peaks. I won't fault the writers for the ill conceived comparison, but some genius at ABC clearly was watching something else or was sleeping and decided to throw in the words "Twin Peaks" to get buzz. On paper, the valid comparisons--small town, grisly murder--are already few and far between. The differences, even in comparisons of the town and murder, are stark and numerous. Twin Peaks had a charm to it and with the arrival of Agent Dale Cooper in the pilot, it was established as a pretty cool place that had something else churning beneath the pristine veneer. Happy Town does not have the spunky dialogue, the cool attitude, or anything remotely close to what made Twin Peaks special.
From the get-go, the writing screams: "Come here for a mystery!! This is the darkest, scariest show you'll find!!" Twin Peaks slowly built up the mystery piece by piece, never tipping its hand. The quirky style of the show and complex characters, set in motion by the pilot, endeared it to the viewers. It was as organic as a show could get. The writers of Happy Town, in what I suspect is an attempt to lure in viewers, try much too hard to play up the mystery angle, leaving any other development behind. The result is a central mystery with no solid base.
An innocent woman named Henley (Lauren German), moves to Haplin, Minnesota, an idealized small town, to open up a candle shop. We meet this person and that person, and guess what? There's something wrong with them! The writers take no time letting us know these may be psycho automatons from space. Their demeanor, speech, attitude all point to them as a suspects. Thanks. Before diving in their dirty secrets, David Lynch actually created real characters instead of useless caricatures.
The mystery is still the main draw of the show and may be enough to sustain viewers. However, given the early departures of ABC's other hour-long programs, Eastwick and The Deep End, I wouldn't hold out luck for a renewal. Sheriff Tommy Conroy (Geoff Stults) and his wife, Rachel (Amy Acker), live happily in Haplin (
Is Happy Town Twin Peaks? No. Is Happy Town a good show? No. That's about as much as you need to know.
Score: 6.0/10
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Preview of Week 04/25/10 - 05/01/10
Chuck - NBC, Monday, April 26, 8:00pm ET
The last time Chuck aired, it turned the corner completely, resolving the arc and getting Chuck and Sarah together. Now, Chuck and Sarah will pose as a married couple on a train.
Justified - FX, Tuesday, April 27,. 10:00pm ET
Justified is the strongest when Raylan's past is involved. This week's episode has Raylan's ex-wife, Winona, who last week had Raylan investigate 2 names, asking him to intervene.
Happy Town - ABC, Wednesday, April 28, 10:00pm ET
This definitely isn't anywhere near Twin Peaks, but it may be worth watching (really stretching it). I'll have a review of the pilot out tomorrow.
Fringe - Fox, Thursday, April 29, 9:00pm ET
This is the Fringe musical we've been dreading. And from the looks of it, it'll be a drastically different episode than we're used to seeing. After Peter learned of the big secret and ran off, this definitely isn't the right time for the episode.
Parry Down - Starz, Friday, April 30, 10:00pm ET
If you were a little disappointed in the season premiere as I was, the second episode of the season is funnier than the first. I'm already dreading the end of the season when the actors jump ship.
The last time Chuck aired, it turned the corner completely, resolving the arc and getting Chuck and Sarah together. Now, Chuck and Sarah will pose as a married couple on a train.
Justified - FX, Tuesday, April 27,. 10:00pm ET
Justified is the strongest when Raylan's past is involved. This week's episode has Raylan's ex-wife, Winona, who last week had Raylan investigate 2 names, asking him to intervene.
Happy Town - ABC, Wednesday, April 28, 10:00pm ET
This definitely isn't anywhere near Twin Peaks, but it may be worth watching (really stretching it). I'll have a review of the pilot out tomorrow.
Fringe - Fox, Thursday, April 29, 9:00pm ET
This is the Fringe musical we've been dreading. And from the looks of it, it'll be a drastically different episode than we're used to seeing. After Peter learned of the big secret and ran off, this definitely isn't the right time for the episode.
Parry Down - Starz, Friday, April 30, 10:00pm ET
If you were a little disappointed in the season premiere as I was, the second episode of the season is funnier than the first. I'm already dreading the end of the season when the actors jump ship.
